Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	beast_n	head_n	roman_a	1,343	5	9.0797	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13533	Christs victorie over the Dragon: or Satans downfall shewing the glorious conquests of our Saviour for his poore Church, against the greatest persecutors. In a plaine and pithy exposition of the twelfth chapter of S. Iohns Revelation. Delivered in sundry lectures by that late faithfull servant of God, Thomas Taylor Doctor in Divinitie, and pastor of Aldermanbury London. Perfected and finished a little before his death.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.; Jemmat, William, 1596?-1678.	1633 (1633)	STC 23823; ESTC S118152	543,797	874

and dependance of the words with antecedents and consequents By the man-childe I understand some potent Prince or Princes or some speciall deliverers whō God stirred upto succour and to relieve the Church against those Tyrannicall Romish Emperors persecutors By whom the dragon was defeated and disappointed whose aime was to devoure all the seede of the woman for these were 1. Sonnes of the Church 2. A man-childe stout strong valiant 3. Ruled over the Nations with a rod of iron viz. an unresistable power and over-ruling the nations and Princes that were enemies to the Church 4. Was taken into the Throne of God that is advanced unto chiefe government for the refreshing and defence of the Church and curbing the rage of those imperiall dragons And running over the story of those times the best commentary of a Prophesie I finde that in the yeare 182 after Christ the Church had tolerable peace under Commodus the Emperour in whose raigne the Gospell was greatly spread Hist. Eccl. cap. 21. but he being no Christian or sonne of the Church but a flagitious man was not this man-childe In Anno 247. the first Christian Emperour was Philip of whom we read that he submitted himselfe to the discipline of the Church Eccles. Hist. lib. 6. cap. 25. I doe not see but now the man childe might begin to be borne Afterward in 319. after the long and bloody raigne of Maxentius of whō the story saith that there was no great City in which 100. Christiās were not daily drawne to execution God raised up Constantine the Great an obedient and loving sonne of the Church and tooke him up to his Throne of government next to himselfe for under God was none greater than he and put into his hand not a scepter of gold onely an ensigne of dignity and regall or rather imperiall authority but a rod of iron the strongest of metals fit to beate downe all before it by which rod hee flew foure savage dragons who stood against the woman Maximian and his sonne Maxentius Maximinus and Licinius and by the same wonne all the West Empire ruled over Italy Spaine France Germany Brittaine besides his dominion in Affrike he restored peace to the Church abolished tyrannicall decrees commanded that none should injure any Christian was himselfe the greatest protector of Christianity that wee reade of in that story To these we may adde the two Theodosi's Christian Emperours and others in authority sonnes of the Church by whom shee was succoured and protected from the dragon in these tyrannicall times Ob. But the Text speaketh but of one man-childe but you interpret it of many Ans. I tie not the man-childe to one individuum or person but to all such set in dignity as God stirred up as protectors and nursing fathers to the tender Church and her babes in these terrible times for these Reasons The manchilde not one individual person but so many Protectors as Christ stirreth up 1. The manner of Prophets in the singular number to set downe a series or row of persons whereof one chiefe is still in being and continued by the succession of many Dan. 7. 17. Foure Kings are not the singular persons but the foure kingdomes and governments in the succession of sundry Kings And foure great beasts vers 3. by every beast is not signified a singular person but a State and succession 1. By the Lyon the Kingdome and successive Kings of the Assyrians and Babylonians 2. By the Beare the kingdome and successive Kings of Medes and Persians 3. By the Leopard the Greekes and Macedonians 4. By the beast with iron teeth and ten hornes the kingdome of Seleucidae and Fagedi 2. In Pauls Epistle 2 Thess. 2. 3. The man of sinne is not one person but a state and row of men who have beene the heads of Apostasie in the kingdome of Antichrist all which make up one man or person after a sort not one in number or nature but one in order succession power will and continuance So in the same Chapter the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hinderer of this man of sinne is not one Roman Emperour but the Empire 1. The state and succession of Emperors which was by succession yet the Apostle saith Hee that withholdeth Even as Saint Iohn 2. Epist. 7. cals many deceivers or Antichrists one Antichrist so many men of sinne one man of sinne many withstanders one withstander 3. In the Revelation nothing more ordinary cap. 13. 1. the beast rising out of the Sea is not one person but the state and succession of Antichrist Cap. 17. 9. the seven heads of the beast are so many States and Governments as Christ himselfe confesseth and the whore in verse 1. is not one person but the Romane state departed from Christ to Antichrist and prostituting her selfe to all idolatry and impurity of doctrine and manners the successors of Antichrists Kingdome Cap. 2. 1. The Angel of the Church of Ephesus not one man or Pastor but many for there were many Pastors and Angels therein Acts 20. 17 18. 4. Even in this Chapter wee have described the woman verse 1. not one Church but the succession of the Church in many ages yet called but a woman And verse 3. the dragon in this vision the whole spawne and row of dragons and tyrants raised by Satan against the woman even ten bloody persecutors all called one dragon for reasons you have heard and there is no reason but the manchilde may be as well collectively taken according to the manner of all Prophets and prophesies The dragon watcheth the woman but in vaine for shee bringeth forth for all that The Church shall bring forth children to God in despight of the dragon especially such children as the Text aimeth at to serve his Providence in the defence upholding of his Church Es. 66. 7. Acts 7. 20. Moses was borne in despight of Pharaoh as the circumstance of time there noteth Christ himselfe was brought forth in despight of Herod and all his plots which appeareth most plainely in those children of the Church excellent instruments prophesied of many yeares before they were borne and named of God whom it had besteaded the dragon that they had never beene brought forth if hee could have hindered them as first Isaac in whom all nations should be blessed by that blessed seed that should descend of him whereof he was a type and in whom the birth of Christ was foretold sundry thousands of yeares before it came to passe would not the dragon have hindred both the type and the truth from being borne if hee could so as all Gods promises and the Covenant of Grace in them should have beene falsified by the dragon 1 Kings 13. 2. wee read of Iosiah named before he was borne 323. yeares and of his piety and zeale in destroying dolatry and defacing of the kingdome of the devill and had it not beene much for the dragons kingdome to have hindred his birth if hee could Esay 44. 28.

domestickes to be with him to be eye-witnesses and eare-witnesses of all he did or spake so as they were to deliver nothing but of their certaine knowledge the things they had heard and seene and handled 1 Ioh. 1. 1. So as ignorant persons that care not for the knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel are as fit to witnesse to Christ as a blinde man to judge of colours 2 For this knowledge and perswasion because it must be from a divine teacher as the thing witnessed is we must not content our selves with the report of men or an humane apprehension of the matters of religion but be sure wee have the spirit of God inwardly to teach us for the naturall man cannot discerne the things of God Ioh. 15. 26. When the Comforter shall come he shall testifie of me and ye shall witnesse also but not before they have received the Spirit 3 Faithfulnesse sincerity to testify the truth only the whole truth A man of integrity is a fit witnesse in this great cause of Christ. Many professe o●e thing practise another have a forme of godlinesse but deny the power of it These are unfaithfull and disgraceful witnesses that say unsay a discredit to the cause a shame to themselves Their word and witnesse goes for nothing mens tribunalls cast out such witnesses with disgrace much more the Lords 4 Plainnesse and opennesse that men may know what they witnesse that their testimony may be an evidence not to fumble or flatter or blanch the truth Ministers must explane the Testament of Christ and speake plainly that Christ by it gives nothing but to his friends and kindred to his mother brethren sisters even such as heare the word and keepe it that he bequeathed the inheritance to the sanctified not the profane that pearles are not cast to swine that howsoever wicked ones will scrape acquaintance with Christ at this day and at the day of judgment for that they were just sober charitable civill harmelesse yea beyond many of us in their civill entertainments of Christ yet shall they not be found in the genealogie are not of the house of faith nor of the blood of Christ. 5 Courage and boldnesse to stand to their witnesse Pilate gave a good testimony of Christ his innocency but wanting courage he went against his owne testimony Now this courage is necessarie First to stand out against numbers of false witnesses One Elias must stand against foure hundred false Prophets the Apostles against the whole Councell Act. 5. 32. Secondly to contemne the wrath of the adverse part armed with furie and madnesse against them Act. 5. 33. they brust for anger and consulted Thirdly to abate the madnesse of adversaries as did the courage of the disciples having the better end of the staffe Act. 16. 39. the magistrates came and besought them and brought them out and desired them to depart out of the City Motives thus to give witnesse to Jesus Christ. 1 All creatures even the unreasonable witnesse to the glory of God Act. 14. 17. he left not himselfe without witnesse in that he gave raine and fruitfull seasons If we should hold our peace the very stones would cry 2 It is so honourable a service as the Angells themselves desire to stoope and bow unto it 1 Pet. 1. 12. Even they affectionatly long and desire to behold and witnesse the spirituall riches of the Church by Jesus Christ. The faces of the Cherubins were alwaies upon the Arke they could never looke enough nor with admiration enough upon the affaires of the Church How ready and faithfull have they been on these errands and messages c. 3 To faithfull witnesses God witnesseth that he is their God as the Patriarkes Heb. 11. 16. he is not ashamed to be called their God 4 Professors and slaves of Antichrist are bold to witnesse their false faith with resolution of minde danger of body losse of goods lands liberty and life and shall Christs servants be ashamed in his testimony 5. The Saints have not counted their lives deare to them nor loved them to the death for Christs sake as wee have seene on Verse 11. Hee is a very Jade that will not follow a free Leader 6. The season and time invites it If men will not now witnesse to Christ in the dayes of truth and protection what will they doe in the fiery tryall for what dayes doe so many conceale their resolution why doe so many desire rather to bee counted wise than religious And I stood on the Sea-shore or land These words belong not to this Chapter but to the next vision neither read in the first person He stood that is the dragon as some read on the sand that is on a sandie and mouldring foundation or on a multitude of wicked men as the sand but in the first person I stood that is I stood in vision on the sand to see the beast rising out of the sea so as the words are a transition to the vision of the beast in the next Chapter So I have by the grace of God finished this taske and text which hath notably suted with the occurrences of these latter times and seasonably met with the present occasions and state of the Churches at home and abroad I will not goe forward in this mysticall booke for in this chapter I have led you into the heart and kernell of the whole booke and given not a darke light to the whole Besides you loue variety and my selfe ayme at some other plainer doctrine Bella minas fluvios mulier cum semine sancto Sustinet victrix astra Ducemque petit FINIS AN ALPHABETICALL Table of the chiefe things contained in the foregoing EXPOSITION A Accusations of the godly in things true and false pag. 553 The godly lye open to all maner of false accusation and why 561 False accusation the nearest and expressest image of the diuell 571 Disswasions ●rom it 577 How to fence our selues against it 582 Accusers of the godly shall one day haue their mouths stopped 588 Actions that are good studiously hindred by Satan 157 Blemished two waies 161 Affect men differently as they differ in good or euill 673 Afflictions of the Church may be long and grieuous 325 how long and short too 326 Agreement of disagreeing enemies against the Church 130 Angells●ignifie ●ignifie any seruants souldiers of Christ 342 Resemble them 347 What the good Angells doe for the children of God 345 Antichrist arising is the great wrath of the dragon demonstrated 693 By what stayres he arose 739 Time of his reigne ●●cording to Papists confuted 786 His warres come of the dragons wrath Reas. 828 Antichristianisme an vniuersall heresie 699 Worse then temporall enemies three waies 700 Effects of it far worse 703 Apologie for our innocency needfull 586 Armo● of God taken frō us or turned against us 171 Assaults and stratage●s of Satan against the Saints 168 B Be busy more and more for grace goodnes