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A15370
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An exposition of the 13. chapter of the Revelation of Iesus Christ. By Iohn Wilkison
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Wilkinson, John, dissenter.
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1619
(1619)
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STC 25647; ESTC S103078
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38,953
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38
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they shal be therefore indited araigned judged and condemned to death as being in their estimation Hereticks Schismatickes disobedient and rebellious persons contemners of God and of the Church yea as the filth and ofscowring of the world and unworthy of the societie of men And he causeth all both small and great rich and poore free and bond to receive a marke in their right hand and in their foreheads This Image challenging worship to be performed unto him of all people of all sorts and degrees according to the authoritie given him by the Pope was by some contradicted and despised wherfore the Image in policie for the better triall of those that were his trustie subjects and slaves ordeyned that all his Ministers should receive a marke at the receiving whereof they should vowe and sweare to be of his dominion under his Banner to fight against Christ and his Saincts What this marke is and what is the manner of giving and receiving of it is now to be declared The ‡ For proofe of this looke no further then in the 36. Canon of the Church of Eng. made An. 1603. Prelacye and Clergy being as hath been before shewed assembled with authority to make lawes did ordeyne that every Bishop in his diocesse should carefully observe that none should preach or execute the function of a parish Parson Vicar or Curat in any parish but he that would sweare to observe their Lawes Canons and thereupon should receive the Letters of Orders of the Bishop of the Diocesse which Letters of Orders signed and sealed by the Bishop is the Marke of the Beast here mentioned and doth testify in the behalfe of the Bearer therof that he is their sworne servant under holy orders either a Priest a Deacon or half Preist c and that he is a man found capable meete for the cure and charge of soules and therfore to what parish soever these tryed Lads are sent to doe service upon sight of this Marke they must be received without any opposition upon penaltie of the Law upon those that shall refuse them Here may be objected that this Marke is onely received by the Clergie and not by the people of all sorts rich and poore bond and free according to the Text. I answer that all persons which receiue these false Priests doe likewise receiue and submit to that authority which sent them and also the Marke by which they are sent as is evident when a Priest commeth to take possession of a Parish to which he is by the Bishop appointed he is not received upon his word nor because he tolleth the Bell and putteth on the Surplice and useth other Ceremonies inioyned him by the Prelate But shewing the fore-said Marke of the Beast they receiue both him and it and communicate with him Thus all both small and great rich and poore bond and free that receiue and submit unto their appointed Priest receiue a marke in their foreheads or in their right hands by receiving and submitting to him For as our Saviour Christ saith of his Apostles and Ministers He that receiveth you receiveth me he that heareth you heareth me Luk. 10. 16. Joh. 13. 20. So those that receiue heare and ioyne in fellowship with these false Ministers doe heare receiue and ioyne to the false power which sent them and the marke by which they are sent Whereas it is said that they received this marke in their foreheads or right hand thereby was shewed that this marke should be an apparant testimony that they were servants of the Beast and that they were of that Band which had ioyned hands and made a league to walke in the wayes of destruction Further it is said Vers 17. And that no man might buy or sell saue he that had the marke of the Beast or the name of the Beast or the number of his name Here are propounded three conditions and whosoever had not one of them thereby to be knowne to bee of that Kingdome might not buy or sell or haue any thing to doe amongst them For the better understanding hereof let us minde that although these three Beasts in respect of their severall power and jurisdiction did differ one from another The Catholike Church being the chiefe and the Pope inferiour to her and the Image of the Beast as it were a servant or handmaid inferiour to them both yet notwithstanding they were one body being ioyned and knit together by the power of the Dragon and haue so farr prevailed over the Nations as that they haue brought all both small and great rich and poore bond and free to be in subiection to their kingdom which beareth the name of the holy Catholike Church or Sea of Rome but the Holy Ghost calleth it * Reu. 14. 8. Babylon the great Citie for as the materiall Babylon was a Citie which dwelled †Esa 51. 13. upon many waters which caused her to abound in riches and treasure so this mysticall Babylon this great Citie of Rome I meane the Ecclesiasticall State is said also to sit upon many waters which the Holy Ghost expoundeth to be People and Nations as in the 17. Chapter and 15. verse The waters on which the Where sitteth are Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues And these waters haue been the meanes of the flowing and increasing of the wealth and riches of this Citie so that their Marchants that is the Prelates haue grown rich and become the great men of the earth by traficking in them also the Ship-masters which are the Parish Priests and all Ship men and Marriners which are the inferiour guides and Ecclesiasticall Officers haue gathered crummes and waxed rich thereby and therefore at the destruction of this great Citie shall stand a farre off and howle to see the desolation thereof and their owne gaine taken away for from thence-forth no man will buy their commodities any more Here note that these foresaid spirituall prrsons are the sellers and the Lay-people are the buyers and the wares which are bought and sold in this kingdom are all called spirituall as pardons for sinne and indulgences of divers sorts which is a speciall commoditie and bringeth in aboundance of treasure also their Pistling Gospeling Canting Homeling Massing which must bee maintained with the Tithes or Tenth of all things which they usually call the maintenance of the Ministery also the Sacrifices unacceptable to God and well-pleasing to the divell which are dayly offered at their Altars and at divers Images of Saints also the body of their Maker and Saviour besides Marrying Baptizing of children Churching of women Houseling the sick burying the dead these and many such like are the spirituall wares sold in this kingdom which haue particular prizes set on them Now so it is that these wares are priviledged that none may either buy or sell them saue he that hath the marke of the Beast or the name of the Beast or the number of his name What the Marke of
the chiefest of the Prelates and Clergie of diverse dominions should be gathered togither to make lawes and canons which all men should be constreyned by penall lawes to observe and yeild obedience unto that so peace and vnitie might be preserved and kept amongst them And in short time it came to passe that whatsoever these Synods or Counsells did agree upon and set downe how false soever was to be held canonicall and those that contradicted the same were therfore cast out and condemned as Heretickes This was the manner the occasion of the rising of this Beast out of this turbulent Sea And here by the way observe That * Every good giving and perfect gift is from above Iames 1. 17. from the father of lightes But this beast is from the Sea beneath not from above and therfore not belonging to the kingdome of Christ but an adversary and enemie thereof Of this Beast it is sayd that he had 7. heads a thing which is monstrous in nature And therfore by this was foreshewed that the dominion represented by this Beast should be a monstrous dominion Concerning these heads let this be considered That the whole state or societie of the Antichristian Sea is of two sorts of people the one sort they call the Clergie the other sort the Layetie Of these the Clergie are as heads and guides to direct and goe before And the Layetie as the body or rather the tayle to follow after Agayne by the same policie their clergy are sorted into 7. orders or degrees namely to speak in their language 1. Ianitores seu ostiarij 2. Lectores 3. Exorcistae 4. Acolithi 5. Subdraconi 6. Diaconi 7. sacerdotes These are the 7. orders of the Antichristian Clergy As for Popes Cardinalls Patriarchs Arch Bishops Bishops Arch deacons c. they are titles of dignitie and not of orders For the Pope is but a Preist concerning his orders and when he stands at the Altar and sayth Masse he doth that as a Preist and not as a Pope and so of all other degrees This considered it way well be saide of the Antichristian Sinagogue and State that it is as a Monster with 7. heads As for the Ministers which God hath ordeyned to be in his Church they are first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. 1 Cor. 12. 28. c. See also Rom. 12. 6. 7. 8. Ephes 4. 11. 12. 13. And these onely were given for the gathering together of the Saincts for the work of the Ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ Not some to have a bunch of keys with a charge of the doores of this or that Temple or Cathedrall Church Another to have a booke to read to the people things which neither he nor they did understand A third to have a booke of Coniurations or Charmes with charge to read them or say by heart to such as were distracted of their witts or possessed with divills and to put their hands vpon them A fourth to have a Taper or wax candle with a candlestick to carry before the preists and deacons in doeing their service A fift to receive of the people oblations and offrings and to deliver them to the Deacon to carry to the Altar To reade the Epistle and to stand by the Preist while he was saying the Masse A sixth to be the Bishops spye and intelligencer to informe him of such as be irregular and observe not their orders To read the Gospell attend the preist at the Altar c. A seventh to consecrate the Hoast as they call it and then to offer it as a sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and dead These are not they which God hath given to be in the Church But these are they wherof the Antichristian clergy consisteth for whosoever is one of that clergy is one of these 7. orders be he Pope Prelate or els whatsoever and to note and foreshewe this point of policie this Beast which Iohn saw had seven heads If any shall think this to be a vaine frivolous and straunge interpretation to understand by the 7. heads of the beast these 7. orders of the Clergie as thinking those heades to betoken things of greater note and importance Let such consider what account and reckoning is made of such persons as have received the Sacrament of Orders and holy tonsure in the kingdome of the Beast and they shall find the interpretation not impertinent but very agreable For a time there was since the writing of this prophecy * when the meanest shrimpe that was within these holy orders as they call them was held to be of that dignitie that Vide Concil Matisconen secundum Canon 9. 10. the chiefest and worthiest secular Iudge in a kingdome was held vnworthie to judge or censure them for any trespasse or fact how notorious wicked and manifest soever because they had received holy Tonsure were therby consecrated and set a part unto God to be his portion and heritage to pray for the people and therfore were exempted from all secular jurisdiction and power such was their dignitie accounted to be and still is where that kingdome prevayleth and hath the dominion yea even in this land that quarrell hath cost the King his Crowne as is to be seen in the Historyes of the Reigne of King Iohn and not his Crowne onely but his life also Now if the meanest of them be above the dominion of any King or secular Iudge and secular Iudges be the heads of the people whome God hath appointed to beare rule over them well may these be said to be as heads in the kingdome of the Beast wherin these shavelings are holden to be so holy and high in dignitie and degree As this Beast which Iohn saw had 7. heads so likewise it had 10. hornes whereby was foreshewed that as the kings of the Medes and Persians were shewed and represented to Daniel by the 2. hornes of the Beast which he saw in his vision so the kings of many kingdomes should be as guarders and defenders of the Antichristian kingdome and state And that this scripture hath beene fulfilled to the vttermost by the kings of the Nations is so manifest that none can be ignorant of it that are of judgment and experience And it was just with the Lord to make the Kings of the earth vassels to this Beast because they received not the love of the truth but tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse they would not forsake their sinnes to liue godlily righteously and soberly as all must doe that will attaine salvation but they would liue after their lusts and for their sinnes they would make satisfaction by building of Churches and Monasteries c. and endowing them with lands rents and other revenewes by meanes whereof those which traded like Marchants in those many waters the kingdome of the Beast grew rich and wealthy and became the great men of the earth Furthermore Iohn saith of the Beast which hee saw that it was