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A26981 A paraphrase on the New Testament with notes, doctrinal and practical, by plainess and brevity fitted to the use of religious families, in their daily reading of the Scriptures : and of the younger and poorer sort of scholars and ministers, who want fuller helps : with an advertisement of difficulties in the Revelations / by Richard Baxter. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. 1685 (1685) Wing B1338; ESTC R231645 1,057,080 615

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here in thy countrey 23. As a Physician must first heal himself so do thou do thy Miracles here among thy Kindred and Neighbours 24. And he said Verily I say unto you No prophet is accepted in his own countrey 24. God can cause him to be accepted but as he worketh ordinarily by means familiarity breeds contempt 25. But I tell you of a truth many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months when great famine was thoroughout all the land 26. But unto none of them was Elias sent save unto Sarepta a city of Sidon unto a woman that was a widow 27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elizeus the prophet and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian 25 26 27. Prophets cure not all that are diseased You shall not see Miracles nor be saved for being my Neighbours if you be not Believers And familiarity and prejudice maketh fewer of you believe than of others 28. And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath 29. And rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built that they might cast him down headlong 28 29. Note They that applauded his Preaching when the Application grated on them would have killed him even the Nazarite Neighbours that hated him not heretofore 30. But he passing thorow the mids of them went his way 31. And came down to Capernaum a city of Galilee and taught them on the sabbath-days 32. And they were astonished at his doctrine for his word was with power 30 31 32. By Miracle unhurt 33. And in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil and cried out with a loud voice 34. Saying Let us alone what have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us I know thee who thou art the holy One of God 33 34. Christ's Power over Devils forced this confession 35. And Jesus rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him And when the devil had thrown him in the mids he came out of him and hurt him not 36. And they were all amazed and spake among themselves saying What a word is this for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits and they come out 37. And the same of him went out into every place of the countrey round about 35 36 37 Christ specially cured the diseases that the Devils caused to shew that he came to conquer Satan and save men from his power 38. And he arose out of the synagogue and entred into Simons house and Simons wives mother was taken with a great fever and they besought him for her 39. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever and it left her And immediately she arose and ministred unto them 38 39. Note We have still the same Physician 40. Now when the sun was setting all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him and he laid his hands on every one of them healed them 41. And devils also came out of many crying out and saying Thou art Christ the Son of God And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak for they knew that he was Christ 40 41. Experience made them believe that he could heal them 42. And when it was day he departed and went into a desert place and the people sought him and came unto him and stayed him that he should not depart from them 43. And he said unto them I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also for therefore am I sent 42 43. Note Preaching the Gospel was his great business to the belief of which his Miracles were but means subservient CHAP. V. 1. ANd it came to pass that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God he stood by the lake of Genesareth 2. And saw two ships standing by the lake but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets 3. And he entred into one of the ships which was Simons and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship 1 2 3. That he might not be crowded 4. Now when he had left speaking he said unto Simon Lanch out into the deep and let down your netts for a draught 5. And Simon answering said unto him Master we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net 6. And when they had this done they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net brake 7. And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship that they should come and help them And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink 4 5 6 7. Note The Sea and Earth and all therein are at Christ's command 8. When Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus knees saying Depart from mo for I am a sinful man O Lord. 9. For he was astonished and all that were with him at the draught of fishes which they had taken 10. And so was also James and John the sons of Zebedee which were partners with Simon And Jesus said unto Simon Fear not from henceforth thou shalt catch men 8 9 10. Note The miracle and danger made him afraid 11. And when they had brought their ships to land they forsook all and followed him 11. Note It was not only by his bare Command Follow me but by this Miracle that they were moved 12. And it came to pass when he was in a certain city behold a man full of leprosie who seeing Jesus fell on his face and besought him saying Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean 13. And he put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean And immediately the leprosie departed from him 14. And he charged him to tell no man but go and shew thy self to the priest and offer for thy clensing according as Moses commanded for a testimony unto them 12 13.14 Note A Miracle that the Priests themselves were to have notice of See Matth. 8. 15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed 17. And it came to pass on a certain day as he was teaching that there were pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by which were come out of every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present to heal them 18. And behold men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsie and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before him 19. And when they could not find by what way they might
that his Glory may be the Glory of thy Power Wisdome and Love to Man 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him 2. As thou hast advanced him to this Power to be the Owner and Lord of all flesh for Disposals Legislation Judgment and Execution to order all things so as may secure the Possession of an Eternal Life of Happiness to all that thou hast given him by effectual Decree to be certainly eventually saved All things being for the good of thine Elect. 3. And this is life eternal that they might know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent 3. And what is Life Eternal but that perfect knowledge of thee which fills the Soul with Love and Joy and the knowledge of thy Glory shining forth in thy Son Jesus Christ with his Body the Heavenly Society And the beginning of this knowledge is the beginning and way to Perfection 4. I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do 4. My Doctrine Example and Miracles have here shewed forth thy Glory I am neer the end and have almost finished that work on Earth for Mans Redemption which I undertook 5. And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own-self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was 5. As I have almost performed my part perform thou thy part of the Covenant of my Mediation and give me the Son of Man a due participation of that Glory which my Divine Nature had with thee from Eternity Note This Text is by divers diversly Expounded First Some say that Christs humane Soul was Glorified before the Word was Secondly The Arians say that he had a superangelical Nature only before the World was which united it self to a humane Soul say some or only animated a humane Body say others Thirdly Others of late say he hath three Natures uniting it self to the Prime Created Superangelical Nature And this uniting it self to a humane Soul and Body say some or to a humane Body alone say others Fourthly But the plain Paraphrase which I have given is the Doctrine of the Orthodox universal Church 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them me ad they have kept thy word 6. I have made known thee and thy Will to them whom thou gavest me out of the World to be my peculiar Disciples They were thine as their Creator and thou gavest them me to be their Redeemer and I have taught them thy word and they have kept it 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee 7. They have known this Fundamentally that I and my Doctrine and Works are all of thee 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me 8. Note that Christ insisteth so much on this because to believe that he and his doctrine and Works are all of God is virtually to believe that they are all true without searching after any other Reason of yours For he is mad that believeth not that there is a God and he believeth not a God who believeth him not to be perfect and therefore to be Just Good and True and not the Deceiver of the World 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine 10. And all mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them 9 10. It is out of special Love to them for the Salvation and welfare of these that I now pray to thee and not for the meer Worldlings and Enemies of thy Kingdom though for them also I have such desires and Prayers as signifie my common Love and the Elect among them yet unconverted I have such requests for as are suited to their state But these that thou hast given me peremptorily to save are the People of of thy peculiar Love as well as mine And all that I so Love thou lovest also and it is in them that I am glorified and my Person Office and Grace is honoured which others do but Swinishly despise 11. And now I am no more in the world but these are in the world and I come to thee Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are 11. And now I am leaving the Word but must leave them in it to Tryals and Persecutions while I am with thee And seeing their Union by one Faith and Love is their Character strength and safety without which they will fall into Scandal and dissolution O keep them by Concentring in thee and thy Will and not distracted by humane Devices and Interests that they may be one in Faith Hope and Practice as we are one 12. While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled 12. All that thou gavest to be my adherent followers I have kept in thy Name save the Son of Perdition in whose Revolt and Treachery the Scripture is fulfilled 13. And now come I to thee and these things I speak in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves 13. I Come to thee but I leave them my Word to fortifie them with that joy which they will need in their Afflictions 14. I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world 14. It is not all the World that will be saved by me but a select People to whom I effectually give thy Word and the World hateth them because their Doctrine Mind and Life do differ from the World and they are of another Spirit and Society of which I am the Head 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil 16. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world 15. They have work to do in the World from which I do not pray thou shouldest take them but that thou keep them pure from the sins Temptatations and Malice of the World as those that are separa-from it to obey thee as I their Leader am 17. Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth 17. Qualifie and separate them by thy Truth to propagate thy Truth even thy Word which is Truth 18. As thou hast sent me into the world even so have I also sent them into the world 18. As thou sentest me for the work of a Redeemer into this sinful World so have I sent them for
David's indeed but all such are written in Scripture to teach us also Patience and imitation of such examples of Charity and so to confirm our hope 5. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus 5. I know the danger of this selfish uncharitable humour of imposing Mens own Opinions on all others as terms of their Communion with them and therefore as I have used this long and plain exhortation against it I shall also pray for you that the God who is patient with the weak and is their Comforter and yours will grant you so much Grace and Charity as to make you imitators of him and of the Love and Condescension of Christ and to bear with others and do by them as you would be born with and used your selves 6. That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ 6. That you may with Unity and Concord hold your holy Communion for worshipping God without uncharitable Excommunications or Separations vilifying or censuring each other which can never be expected by driving each one to agree in small unnecessary things or without bearing with the mistakes and differences of one another when all are guilty of many mistakes and such differences must still be expected 7. Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God 7. I conclude therefore by beseeching you to receive one another with Love to your Communion and Kindness as you would be Christian imitators of Christ and as you are sensible of his needful Mercy to your selves in receiving us that once were Enemies and still have manifold sins and errours to the glorifying of God's Love and Mercy And pretend not your Knowledge or Authority or Piety against so commanding a Motive and Example ANNOTATIONS on the former Chapter and this THe Subject of the former Chapter is handled on thus far and here that Chapter should have ended He that understandeth the former and present State of the Christian Churches and the Pride and Ignorance to which Man is liable will easily perceive that it was not in vain that the Spirit of God did by the Apostle handle and decide this Case of receiving Dissenters in tollerable Cases into Love and Communion The Jews were so tied up from Legislation in God's Matters by the knowledge of God's Prerogative in their Theocracy that they had less room for the Canons and Engines of Mans making to exercise their Pride and Uncharitableness by than the Romanists have since done And yet the Pharisees plaid their part and by their Traditions made void the Law of God and preferr'd their Ceremonies before the weighty Matters of the Law and would not understand what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice and thereby did condemn the guiltless And Christ found the Samaritans and Jews at the Debate Whether in this Mountain or at Jerusalem men ought to worship overlooking that Worship which is in Spirit and in Truth And alas what work have Domination unnecessary Canons and Censures made in the Christian Churches these 1300 years And it is an Instance what power Blindness and Prejudice and Worldly Interest have to frustrate the plainest Decisions of God's Word that so full and express a Decision as these two Chapters make with 1 Cor. 12. and Eph. 4. and James 3. hath signified as little with the Dividers and Proud almost as if there had been no such written And yet such Men call for a Judge of Controversies because of the pretended Obscurity of the Scriptures when nothing can be plainer than this which they despise They mean that such as they must be Judges and God shall make the Words if they may make the Sense How great is the number that go on the two sides of Uncharitableness here reproved especially on that which is largeliest insisted on One side saith All God's Truths are precious and none must be sold for Peace and we must not partake of other Mens Sins As if our great Duty of Love Forbearance and Communion were our Sin or a partaking of the Faults of all that we joyn with The other Side pretend 1. That Paul only requireth Forbearance in things Indifferent undetermined by Governours and not after such a Command or Determination 2. Or that he giveth only a Temporary Rule for the present Concord of Jews and Gentiles till the setled Church should take a contrary Course I will not here answer these at large having done it in my Book called The only Way of the Churches Concord But I say That I despair of reducing that Man to the Truth herein who shall continue of either of these Opinions after he hath seriously perused the Text and hath considered 1. That St. Paul here useth I think above twenty Arguments from Morality and common Christian Duty which he would not do for a mutable Case which Bishops may change when they will 2 That Rome was then a famous Church and therefore had Pastors or one at least and that he writeth to the whole Church and therefore to the Pastors And sure he never meant The Clergy shall receive such Dissenters to Communion and neither by Canon or Practice cast them out till they think meet to do otherwise and till have made such Canons Paul doth not so play with Contradictions in so long and grave a Reprehension 3. That St. Paul oft puts himself in as under the same Obligation with the rest And if an Apostle called from Heaven may not do what 's here forbidden what Bishops can prete●d a Right to do it by greater Authority or Wisdom But they that have not known the Way of Peace may say something against the fullest and plainest Description of it and the sharpest Reproofs of God himself But he will expound these Chapters to their Consciences if ever he make them Healers of his Church As to those that say It is not Church-Communion that Paul here speaks of I refer them to the plain Text and Dr. Hammond's Annotations which they value The God of Love and Peace hath given Laws for Love and Peace so strict and full and clear that all World may see that it is not he that alloweth the Canons or Censures which have so long torn the Churches 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers 9. And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy 8 9. And that you may understand my Argument from the Example of Christ I say that it was his Office to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God who will receive them both And therefore they should live as reconciled to each other Christ was a Mininister of God circumcised being a Jew and personally exercised his Ministry among them to perform Gods true Promises to the Fathers And yet his Gospel extendeth to the Gentiles also that
more meet to be a Compassionate Helper the Example the Teacher and the Trust of them that must follow him through temptations and by his Merit and Victory hath obtained power to deliver them CHAP. III. WHerefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Christ Jesus 2. Who was faithful to him that appointed him as also Moses was faithful in all his house 1. Wherefore you who are holy Brethren by Faith and Dedication given up to Christ and in him made partakers of that Calling from Heaven which maketh you Heirs of Heaven study and consider Jesus Christ the great Apostle sent of God to be the prime Preacher of the Gospel and the High Priest and chief Guide and Mediator to Godward of our Religion and Profession who faithfully did all that belonged to his undertaken Office in sacrificing himself for our sins and fulfilling all Righteousness and conquering Satan and Death and ascending to intercede for us in Glory and sending down the Holy Ghost and making and sealing the Law of Faith even as Moses in his time was faithful though with disparity of Honour and Work Christ in his own House by a more perfect Administration and Moses but as a Steward 3. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses in as much as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house 3. For Christ is as much more honourable than Moses as the Maker and Master is than the House for Moses was but a Member of the Family but Christ the Maker and Master of it 4. For every house is builded by some man but he that built all things is God 4. All Families or Houses are founded by some man but he that built the Church is the same that built or made all things and that is God 5. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after 6. But Christ as a son over his own house 5 6. And Moses as a Servant was faithful for the Delivery and Confirmation of so much of God's Word as was to be spoken to the Jews by him but Christ as the Son and Heir and Master of the House as his own 6. Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end 6. This House is the Church of which we are parts so be it we hold fast the confident Profession of our faith and the joy and glorying in our hopes of the promised Blessedness firm to the end 7. Wherefore as the holy Ghost saith To day if ye will hear his voice 8. Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness 9. When your fathers tempted me proved me and saw my works forty years 10. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said They do always err in their hearts and they have not known my ways 11. So I sware in my wrath They shall not enter into my rest 7 8 9 10 11. But seeing he will take none to dwell with him in Glory but those that persevere hear and consider what the Holy Ghost said to and of the Israelites To day c. Neglect not his present Call and your present Day to the hardening of your hearts as your Fathers did in the Wilderness by which God's Justice was engaged against them as a People whose hearts were habituated to evil and have not the obedient knowledge of his Ways and Works and Will So that he sware in his just displeasure that that Generation should not enter into the promised Land 12. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God 12. Take warning by these Israelites and see that there be not in any of you an evil unsound heart that is prepared by secret Unbelief to depart in Tryal from the Living God 13. But exhort one another daily while it is called To day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin 13. To this end one means appointed by God for your perseverance is speedily and daily to exhort and stir up one another the Pastors in the Church and Assemblies and all in their Places and Converse And the rather because Sin of which you are in danger is a deceitful thing and they that revolt are made believe that it is but a receiving of the Truth or a necessary Self-saving and no forsaking of Christ or Truth or Godliness N. Qu. But what if Rulers forbid us to meet daily for such Exhortation Answ God commandeth you to do it in the manner and time that the End requireth and no man can dispense with his Law The Christians for three hundred years assembled when forbidden Qu. But what if Christian Rulers forbid it Ans Christians have more Obligation than Heathens to do good but no more Authority to do evil or null God's Laws Qu. But what if Violence or Prisons restrain us Ans God requireth not Impossibilities 14. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end 14. We are i●itially made partakers of Christ as our Saviour but if we will attain Salvation by him we must hold the subsisting faith or the confidence in which we have begun or which is our Principle firm to the end For Perseverance is made a Condition of the Promise of Salvation 15. Whilst it is said To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation 16. For some when they had heard did provoke howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses 15 16. The words tell us that some that heard after Deliverance from Egypt provoked God but it was not all 17. But with whom was he grieved forty years was it not with them that had sinned whose carcases fell in the wilderness 17. With whom was God so displeased as Grief here signifieth Nothing displeaseth him but sin It was with backsliding disobedient unthankful murmurers that would not rest in the Will and Word and Providence of God but must have their own carnal will fulfilled and so God in Justice killed them in the Wilderness after so many Miracles had led them many years towards the promised Land Take heed lest you follow them in the like sin to greater punishment for abusing greater mercies 18 19. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief 18 19. It was the sinning Unbelievers that he sware should not enter and it was because of their Unbelief that they could not enter Take heed therefore lest ye fall by Unbelief in Tryal for there is more required to our compleat Salvation than to our first part in Christ CHAP. IV. 1. LEt us therefore fear lest a
Religion into a humane hurtful love-killing Faction If I abhor millions and millions meerly on my uncertain exposition of the Revelations I cannot do it in Faith If one ask me why I do it and I say because they are of Babylon or worship the Beast and you ask me how I know it I must say that I know it not But most here believe it because Mr. A. Mr. B. Mr. C. c. say so And so as Papists found their Faith and their hatred of us as hereticks on the credit of their Teachers that say so so shall we ours on the word of our Teachers And here I dread the effects viz abhorring men causelesly corrupting our Prayers and Sermons and Books and fathering all on God condemning all as favouring Popery who have not contracted this hating disease crying down many good and many harmless things merely because they come from the beast and Babylon Temples themselves good Prayers excellent Ministers and Churches yea Baptism it self have been cryed down and renounced as Babylonish and Antichristian and a ground of endless Divisions and starting at every shaddow that Rome hath had to do with is thus laid yea the Seekers greatly countenanced that say Scripture Church and Ministry are lost in the wilderness and the Church feigned to be brought into the wilderness just when it was brought out of it which was the Pagan persecution even the Protestant Churches are condemned as being yet Antichristian And the Martyrs that suffered by Papists yea and those that suffered in the 3d 4th and 5th Centuries by Arrians and others are all made by many to be the Children of Babylon And a war proclaimed between professed Christians by which all the Romanists are tempted to hate and destroy us as those that would do so by them And all this by the expounding the Revelations of that which no man that hath not more knowledge than I can find that it saith or medleth with And that needlesly while we have plain texts enough that condemn Popery and all sin by which we may abhor bad men without the danger of hating the Children of God Christ is in our Creed but Antichrist is not All the old Fathers were not Papists that took not the Pope for Antichrist But more probability of it may be gathered from other Texts than from the Revelations VIII To say I know not what I would know and cannot is easier to me than the dread of being guilty of the sin threatned in the conclusion of this Book that God will add the plagues in it to them that add to it and blot his name out of the Book of Life who taketh from it I deny not other mens knowledge but my own Ignorance of mens ignorance is the mortal disease of the world To add to the sense is to add to the Book To say this is the sense when I know it not and where five of the wisest are of four minds and Common Christians take all on trust this exposeth me to the dread of this heavy curse If this account excuse me not to the Reader it excuseth me to my Conscience whose censure I must more fear than mans lest I prefer my interest in the good opinion of partial misled censorious dividers before the pleasing of God and my Salvation and that when I am going from this World to him And if all this seem too much to any the diseases and danger of the Churches the extreams of many and their sad effects these fifty years and the confuting of those who falsly interpret my History of Bishops and Councils do make it seem otherwise to me I blame not modest conjectures if men will but confess their uncertainty when they are uncertain and not make an uncertain Opinion an Article of Faith and sacrifice to it certain Fundamental Truth or Duty the Churches Peace or Christian Love nor use it to kindle a partial hating dividing Zeal Good Mr. Brightman did with a Pious Mind determine many things very confidently which time hath already confuted He hath concluded that the Blessed Resurrection and time of Christs Thousand years Reign in the New Jerusalem shall be 1695 eleven years hence Thomas Rogers and many others have been shamed by setting times which being past have confuted them This hath frighten'd some others from that boldness who yet in other uncertainties have been so confident as that they have drawn many good People thereby to measure their Faith and Charity I am far from thinking that deeper Students are as ignorant herein as I But I would not have all that are as ignorant lookt upon as Aliens And I confess that I am less able to expound Prophecies than Daniel who yet thus concludeth Ch. 12.8 9. And I heard but I understood not Then said I O my Lord what shall be the end of these things And he said Go thy way Daniel for the Words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end Yet I say as Calvin I make no doubt but the Revelation is Gods Word though I understand it not and that it is not useless Yea so much as I do understand is of exceeding comfortable use Though I know not whether the New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven before or at the Common Resurrection it rejoiceth me that it will come And God having condescended to describe it as Glorious by corporeal Similitudes to us that have no full Idea's of things Spiritual it is a meet means of our comfort by such Similitudes to conceive of that Glory and even to imprint them on our minds to further our desires of that Blessed State and make us Loves and long for Christs appearing and cry daily Come Lord Jesus While I was writing this there came to my hands Isaac Vossius his Var. Observat In which he sheweth the magnitude of Rome when it was in its Grandeur it being about 60 Miles about and how it decreased and that Constantine destroyed Rome far more and before the Goths by building Constantinople so that within 80 years it was not the fifth part so big as in Aurelians time And that when Rufus and Victor wrote there remained not the 20th part of the old City and that now under the Pope it is so far from containing the seven Hills that it is almost all contained in the Campus Martius and containeth not now scarce the two hundredth part of the old City And that it was fitly called Babylon the great we read that old Babylon was near as great as Rome at the greatest and by Herodotus and some others made greater It is answered to this that it is the same City still known by the same Name But it hath not either the same Situation Magnitude Power Dominion and Idolatrous Fornication by which John was to know it nor would that description agree to it now By many such reasons I suspect that the Questions who is the Beast which is Babylon and who is the Antichrist are not the same in the