under fooâ— 42. moneths In the 13 th power is given to the Beast to domineer 42. moneths A time times and half a time is expounded three yeers and a half Three yeers and a half contain 4â— moneths which make 1260 dâ—ies thirty dayes to a moneth Now for the time of the fall and destruction of the enemies of the Church By the account of Napier it shall be Anno 1639. Brightman faith before 1650. These two begin at Constantines time But I crave leave of these two worthies to begin 35. yeers after theirs my reasons are Fiâ—st they take the man childe to be Constantine and so do I but it is plain in the text that he is first taken up to God before the womans flying into the wildernesse which came not to passe untill 23. or 26. yeers after the death of Constantine Secondly in his time the Church most flourished and had no cause to hide But Conâ—â—antiâ—â—â— bâ—unty and leaving Rome to the Popes government was the cause that pâ—esently Rome grew proud and turned to be the great whorâ— â—or committing â—ornication with errouâ— and ambition â—he conceived and brought forth two sons that werâ— Beasts yiâ— Constantiâ—â— Emperours and Liberiâ—s Pope both Arriâ—â—s These are the fathers and Grandsires of the two Breasts viz. of all the Antichristian Emperour and Popes following So that it was erâ—our and pâ—rsecution which caused the Church to hide her selâ— The greatest difficulty is to know the time when the womans flying began to free my selâ— from envy and â—avill of Papists and Protâ—stants I will begiâ— at tâ—e Arâ—iaâ— councells And I will begin my computation at the horrible decâ—ee and councell of Antioch Anno 365. And add to it 1260 yeers the time of the womans hiding iâ— the wildernesse and the Beasts time of Domineering it makes 1625. At the end whereof I hope the woman or Church shâ—ll come forth as a virgine and Bride trim d for her husband and see all her enemies trod under foot which I pray God the father of all mercies and the God of all comfort to grant c. But I know many will say my calculation is incredible câ—nsidering the Popes and the Emperours late prevailings together with their and the King of Spaines power I answer The whores plagues are to come upon her at a day Chap. 17. which may well be undeâ—stood of a yeers warning or upon a suddain Also if Babylon be and were an Antitype of Rome as it is apparent Babylon was of an incredible strength and greatnesse The walls were 50. cubits thick and 200 high and 380 furlongs in compasse as Strabâ— saith which makes 48. miles The river Eâ—pâ—â—ateâ— ran thorow it The first founder was Nimrod like Romulus branded with the most perspicuous note of cruelty compelling his vassals like the Pope to worship him with divine woâ—ship and after his death to be honoured for one of the principall gods by the name of Saturne Chap. 18. And â—f Romes destruction be described by the name of Babylon and Babylon was destroyed upon a suddain when they were secure Belshazzar was merry in his cups The same night the city was taken destroyed and so may the Pope for any thing I know And if any ask by whom it shall come to passe It is said Rev. 17. that there are ten horns which are ten Kings who shall hate the whore and make her desolate If any demand who these ten Kings are let them reade Maxwells Iury of 24. Prophets whereof twelve â—re canonized by Popes for Saints Bale reckons them seven in England one in Scâ—tland one in Ireland and one in Wales These saith he shall hate the whore and make her desolate But I will cite two or three of Maxwâ—lls Prophets which are most to the purpose First Paulus Secundus and Grebnerus of Misma the Germane Astrologian He foretelling divers strange things which have since come to passe As the destuction and dissipation of the Spanish fleete in 88. The murther of Henry the third of France the preferment of Henry the fourth to the crown The besieging and winning of Grooning in Friezland and the death of Philip the second King of Spaine in his Sericum mundi filum He also doeth deliver that the Lyon having the rose and the lillies on his armes shall utterly destroy the Pope so that afterward there shall never be any more Pope Thus farre Maxwell out of Grebnerus This that follows of Grebâ—erâ—s is taken out of the Originall in Trinity Library Banner 173. The Romane Scepter and Diademe being laid down or taken away from the house of Austria by fatall necessity being oppressed of the Germanes and Forraigners French English Danish and Swevians flocking and flowing together hence and thence Whence shall a horrible bloody and most sharp battell arise wherewith all Europe being grievously shaken shall tremble and being sundry waies rent and wasted it shall be obnoxious to notable mutations and changes To this battaile and to the making of eruptions into the provinces of the Pomeranes Megapolensians and Danes the King of Swevia of that time shall be invited and drawne by the writings of the Legate of the Romane Sea to which if he shall obey he becomes the neerest Companion or fellow of War but evilly and unluckily by that propinquity or â—eerenesse Wherefore I counsell him to leave Suevia in that state he had received it So himsâ—â—â—e his stocke and Posterity shall quietly and peaceably enjoy it being content with their own condition Wherewith they do Governe they shall preserve their Nation and Subjects and keep them boâ—nd to them in duty But if he shall determine with his heart to perswade his people and to draw them from the way the Lord shall take him away by death And so of or from a Charles a Great Charles reigning is made who with great successe and fortune shall rule the Northerne people and as an Enemie fight luckily with hiâ— Navie against the Spanish power and Tyranny and their Navie or Armado And together with other Christian forces conjoyned shall fight stoutly and fiercely But God doth call out of this life the Popish wife of the King from whence the Romane High Priest shall conâ—eive great â—errour which shall the more mâ—rease and presse when Charles the King himself shall oppose Antichrist and bee adverse unto him and shall joyne his forces to the Bands of the Germanes and other neighbours and oppugne or fight against the Spanish Diademe And then the Swevian shall use his Navie with most happie successe and his people by Land and by Sea against the Enemie Bohemia doth feâ—le tumults and warlike noyses with a great falling away of her people At that time the last Caesar of the house of Austria shall put on the nose of the Elector of Saxonie Spanish sraâ—dulent deceiptfull flattering and treacherous Spectacles The nature of which spectacles at laft he knowes and by experience is taught that these spectacles of the house of Austria are colloguing or
the fencing and planting is added watering without which the beauty of the garden would soon decay The fountain is commended because it is of Gardens because it is a well of living waters and which flow from Lebanon Hee speaketh now of many gardens because the garden is common that is to say one Church divided into many particular Congregations and Parishes like beds or borders in a Garden Now also it is called a Well which of late was but a Fountain and spring because it is digged deep against the heat of the Sun for drying it up Living waterâ— which flow continually and never faile whose Spring the Church hath never wanted Nay the Head it selfe of the fountain whence we all draw and those most pure Conduite-pipes the Apostles which received the water flowing from the first Fountain lived not long before Now is mention first made of Living waters in regard of the Councell of Nice of so many learned and Religious men out of all parts of the earth By whom the rivers of living waters runne into each part of the Church much dried up with the Arrian heate Constantine himselfe was that Lebanon from whence these waters did flowe He called the Councell maintained it at his owne cost and confirmed it by his authority Vers 16. Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the spices thereof may flow cut Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruit The first member of this verse seemeth to be the words of the Bridegroome for the Lord of the Garden speaketh saying Blow upon my Garden But the Bride is the Garden her self and not the Mistresse of iâ— for inviting him into the Garden she truly and modefily confesseth it to be his not hers Let my beloved saith he come iâ—to his Garden c. Here is the temperature of the â—yre added to the watering Neither doth the Bridegroome intreat that a supply should be made from any but himself of that which should be fit for the garden but to shew what ayre the Garden should use at those times By the North and the South are meant Europe and Africk who stoutly defended the truth in those times against the Arrian heresie Lastly of the fruit whereunto he is invited for it is no idle invitation only for f shâ—ons sake but for greâ—t use to expresse the condition of those times Let my love saith she come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruit which words no doubt are of the Spouse giving the Garden to her beloved not challenging it to her self as is said before for without doubt she perceived that her beloved had withdrawne himself otherwise had the invitation been in vain There was an excellent outward shew but within all things were defiled with Mosse and Rust Envie Brawlings Contentions Ambition and Heresies had almost abolâ—shed true pietie so that the Church necessarily leaving the multitude who preferred a bare name only lurked as it were in darknesse with a few Citizens This solitarinesse happened when the fountain was sealed as is said at the 12. verse for then many more were within the bounds of the Church then had leave to drink of the Fountain Then was the Dragon thrust out of heaven and the woman fled into the Desart as we have shewed in the Revelation The meaning is the Church much flourishing outwardly Christ left her vold of true piety as more plainly will appear by his answer in the next verse Vers 17. I am come into my Garden my Sister my Spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my honâ—-comb with my hony I have drunke my wine with my milke Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Or and be drunken with loves They commonly expound it as if yeelding to her request hee should say Thou doâ—st intreat mee to come into the garden Loe I come thou hast thy desire But the History directeth us to another exposition as if he should say whereas thou desirest that I should come into the Garden to what end should I come my harvest and my vintage and time of delights are past I was tâ—ere long since and gathered my myrrhe with my spice c. I have laid up as much as I pleased now nothing remaineth wherein I should take pleasure Thus saith the Bridegroome This harvest and vintage were presently at the fencing of the garden as soone as Constantine obtained the Empire for then the fruit getting heat of the Sunne was quickly ripe And the good Husbandman lost no opportunity but gathered infinite store of all kinde of fruits while the time served But after he departed from the Garden he returned no more till a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes were ended Rev. 11. 3. For the Bridegroome must be so long absent as the Bride hid her self Therefore these words teach no short and swift return into the garden but yeeld a reason why he was not in a long space to be expected The second part of the answer belongeth to his fellowes or friends Eate saith he O friends and be drunken with loves This word be drunken is sometimes in Scripture taken for drinke abundantly Gen. 43 34. or sufficiently but most commonly in the worser part for overmuch drinke depriving the senses These words very well expresse the state of those times declaring those which boasted to be the Bridegroomes friends to be puffed up with too much prosperity most basely abusing it giving themselves wholly to the throat and the belly as if they were out of their wits So that whatsoever the godly Emperor gave for the comelinesse and commodity of the Church they changed all to her shame and destruction It is most pleasant to consider how expresly the Holy Ghost long before painted out these things which at length should happen in the Church the like whereof we see still continueth And hitherto of the Church inclining to fall it ceased to flourish when the Bridegroome first departed the garden and as soone as Constantine came to the Empire As long as hee lived she was in great glory but presently after followed the darknesse CHAP. V. I Am come into my garden my sister my spouse I gathered my myrrhe with my spice I ate mine honey combe with mine honey I dranke my wine with my milke eate O friends drink and make you merry O welbeloved 1 I sleepe but mine heart waketh it is the voyce of my welbeloved that knocketh saying Open unto me my sister my love my dove my undefiled for mine head is full of dew and my lockes with the drops of the night 2 I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them 3 My welbeloved put in his hand by the hole of the doore and mine heart was affectioned toward him 4 I rose up to open to my welbeloved and mine hands â—id drop down myrrhe and my fingers pure myrrhe upon â—he handles of the
that time a Florentine Bishop openly began to lament the Misery of the Church and doubted not boldly to affirm Antichrist to bee come already Also one Arnold a Romane could not hold but with the losse of his head bewailed the grief of the Spoâ—se And Hildegarde the Prophetesse to whom the Church appeared in a vision in the forme of a woman wailing her face sprinkled with dust by the Priests her garments rent and torne the innocent Lambe driven from her by their fault and many the like Adde unto these Bernards complaints upon the Canticles and others Afterwards there arose many and more and more every day which freely professed their grief By whose tongues the Spouse declared her misery to the daughters of Ierusalem Verse 8. What is thy beloved more then another beloved O thou fairest among women What is thy beloved more then another beloved that thou doest so charge us These daughters of Ierusalem were the friends of the Spouse They call unto her familiarly and lovingly and better sighted then others they acknowledge her most beautifull being naked and compassed with darkenesse Yet were they altogether ignorant of her beloved otherwise they would not have asked what he was They shew great desire of knowledge asking again and again to be shewed him At the complaint of the godly doctors the studies of the Elect were stirred up so that hee which promised onely the first lineaments of true piety and Religion had great companies following him See the multitude â—locking to Petrus Waldeâ—sis about the yeer 1160 a private man not graced with any ambitious titles Vers 9. My beloved is white and ruddie the chiefest among tennâ— thousand Shee willingly yeeldeth to their desire hoping to get what she sought for the sooner by their meanes The answer is threefold Common spâ—â—iall and mixte Which seemes to note out so many times wherein there should be the like knowledge of Christ Common in this verse taken aswell from things inheâ—ent as from Circumstances The things inherent declare the excellent sweetnesse of the lively colours of Christ which concernes those times of the Waldensâ—s when the aforesaid Peter made his house as it were a Schoole of Sacred learning where he taught the Caâ—â—chisme and first rudiments of Religion turned the Bible into their owne language translated some writings of the Fathers and by his diligence and piety brought it to passe that at length the beautifull colours of Christ shining with pure holinesse and Red with the merits of his death might be seen of all men which did not wilfully shut their eyes The circumstances are 10000. men attending on Christ For when the truth was discovered by Petrus Waldensis and his fâ—llowes the Romane Antichrist seeking by all meanes to abolish the truth spread it abroad unwittingly in many other places whose fruitfulnesse was such that about the yeer 1200. the Albigenses duâ—st joyne battell with the Antichristian Bands which Innocent the third sent to destroy them under the leading of Leopoldus the sixth Duke of Austria and Simon Earle of Mountfort At length Reymond Tolosaâ—us and Petrus King of Tarracon came to aid the Albigeuses Then might ye see the Bridegroom begin to shew hiâ—selfe again to the world attended with 10000. truly Crosse-bearing souldiers Which had wandered many yeers before solitary and without company Vers 10. His head is as the most fine gold his lockes are bushie and black as a Raven An other part of the knowledge of Christ more plaine and evident then the former For now the Daughters of Ierusalâ—m learn of the Spouse the excellency of the principall members which the world knew not by many ages The head as the most fine gold or as it is in the originall gold of gold signifieth as much as King of â—ings For all other wear Crownes of gold upon their heads which with their Kingdomes may be taken away but his head is as pure gold it selfe because it is Eternall and Essentiall which teacheth that Christ would now shew himself a King in the Earth As it came to pâ—sse about the yeer 1216. in that long contention of Frederick the Emperour the second of that name with Honâ—rius the third Gregory the niâ—th and Innocent the fourth then presently after the Albigensâ—â—n Warre that the Kingdome usurped of the Popes by Tyranny might be restored again to Christ the right Lord or true owner The bushie looks are the multitude of the faithfull very comely and beautifull in those times for their mutuall love and imbracing one of another yet wanting the brightnâ—sse of externall policy The blacknesse of the hair be to keneth the Wars troubles and persecutions of those times bewailed by many As some of Sweveland at Hallis Robert Groster Bishop of Lincolne Matthew Paris Guilihelmus de sancto Amore Arnoldus de villa nova cryed out that all Christian people by craft of the devill had gone astray from the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ that the faith which the people commonly had was like the faith of devils and that all Christian people were led to hell See how rightly they are compared to the colours of a Raven they were so black and disordered Neither did this deformity then first invade her but then she bâ—gan first to be acknowledged and bewailed Vers 11. His eyes are as the eyes of Doves by the rivers of water washed with milke and fitly set Christ carefully looking on his spouse boweth down his head that he may behold her the more neerly and exactly As the doves bow their necks with eyes inclining towards the water when they desire to quench their thirst And where the spouse was deformed altogether with dust he useth no shâ—rp remedy but applieth much mercy and gentlenesse in cleansing her outward filthinesse His eyes are fâ—tly set not overnâ—â—ch standing out nor too much dipping in but fitly placed to behold the whole condition of the Church These eyes of the Bridegroome so delectable were shewed to the world by Michael Cesenas and Petrus de Carbaria about the yeer 1277. together with Iohn de Poliaco all which Pope John condemned Because first they taught diligently that Pâ—ter was nâ—nâ—onâ— head of the Church then any other Apostle neither did Christ â—eâ—ve after him any vicar â—r head of the Church Which evidently declareth the first part of the similitude that Christ beholdeth his Church with no lesse attention then the thirstie and drinking doves behoâ—â— the waters with â—ttentive eyes Secondly they taught plainly that The Church hath no power to correct any one with coactive punishment as thâ—y â—â—ll it much lesse hath the Pope any such power to correct punish institute or remove any one in the magistracie Whereby they prove the Pope clean contrary to Christ the one washeth away spots with milk the other with salt-peter the one restraineâ—h and puâ—isheth faults with the word the other with the sword c. Thirdly they taught that Priests and elders had all a like authority power and jurisdiction Emperors
the Lumbards 56. yeers which at first were heathen and after Arrians and had but a part of the Empire In this time the Visigothes ruled in Spaine the Aleins in Guines and Gascoine the French men in the residue of France the Vandalls in Africke the Sâ—xons in Britain the Ostrogoths in Mise and Hungarie the Herules and Turinges in â—talie and Rome Only the name of the Empire remained with Zeno in the East Transamundus King of the Vandalls in Africke banished 220. Bishops Ann. 459. About the time was great alteration of States and Kingdomes Carolus magnus overthrowing the Gothes and Vandalls with Alaricus and the Lumbards was by Pope Honorius made Emperour of the West Anno 802. Mâ—lancthon and Lanqâ—et So from Augustulus to Carolus Magnus the Empire was void 325. yeers wherein saith Eraesmus Antichrist was to arise Downam Napier and Brightman say he rose when Constantine removed the Empire out of the way to Constantinople It is true then the whore conceived the monster but she bore him in her womb 35. yeers before she brought him forth to the fight of the world 2. Thess 2. He that withheld was taken away by Constantine 311 when he overthrew Dioclesian Maxentius and Maximinian the last of those Dragons neither is he there said presently to appear or be borne into the world Chap. 13. 11. and 12. The second Beast after his rising causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first Beast whose deadly wound was healed These were the Emperours as Phocus who gave the first title of universall-Bishop to Boniface the third Bale saith he was a Britain first named Wenefridus Anno. 606. Pepin and Charles the great who gave great revenews to Leo the third But these were of the Race of the second Beast and not of the Dragon About 100 yeers after the death of Charles the Roman Empire came to Otho the first German Emperor Ann. 9â—6 After in 996. the Eel ctors of the Empire were ordained by Pope Gregory the seventeenth and Otho the third Neither were Boniface or Leâ— the first Beast as some take it for the two Beasts were bred and born long before as hereafter will plainly appear Thus much shall suffice to distinguish between the Dragon the Beast the false prophet and the whore Rev. 20. 2. The Dragon called also the devill and Satan is bound for 1000. yeers his first binding by Constantine continued untill Zadok the first Emperour of the Turks which was 1310. This dragon began to breed Anno 1051. but was not of full growth untill Ottaman the first Emperour Anno 1300. Then the Dragon and Satan compassed the tents of the Saints and the beloved city Rev. 20. who were the Christians In this time the Christians recovered again Ierusalem and held it 92. yeers Chap. 11. 3. The two witnesses 〈◊〉 and their corpes lying in the streets of the great city unburied three dayes and a half is expounded by Brightman to be the decree of the Councell of Trent the Pope and Charles the fifth dated the eight of April 1546. Calling the scriptures a dead letter as Pope Innocent had before decreed And so the scriptures were but as a dead corpes for the space of three yeers and a half Sleydan untill the coming of Mauritius and the men of Magdeburg who made the said councell to â—â—ie the ninth of November 1549. This councell continued by fits 17 or 18 yeers The Emperour with the consent of his brother Ferdinando and the Princes of Germany suffered the Scriptures again to be read in their mother tongue by a decree at Ausburg the seventh of October 1555. when the two witnesses were set again upon theiâ— feet Chap. 11. 13. And then the tenth part of the city is said to fall which was England Denmark Swetia and a great part of Germany fell then away from the Romish Religion or sea Napier takes it to be meant of the councell of Constance which began Anno 1414. These two witnesses are to prophesie 1260 dayes clothed in sackcloth which are so many yeers and then they are to be slain Wherefore they must not begin at Constantines time as Napier and Brightman suppose but a little after his death at the Councell of Ariminum where above 200. good Bishops opposed the multitâ—de of the Arrians Lanquet saith it was held Anno 361 Melanâ—thon 362 from thence the 27 of September it was removed to Seleâ—cium From whence adding 1260 yeers it will fall out to be about 1620 or 1621. About which time was the losse and fall of those two famous Churches of Bohemia and the Palatinate or if you will the great afflictions that fell on the two Churches of France and Germany which caused a great rejoycing among Papists in all places But if I might see them upon their feet again either in Anno 1624 or 25. I shall be confident it was meant of them Parker who wrote upon the crosse and died at Frankford saith by learned Brightmans leave that by the Angel powring out his viall on the sun is meant some great affliction to fall upon some Church And the Angel shewing Iohn the destruction of the whore out of the wildernesse meaneth that he which shall destroy Rome his country must be first made a wildernes which he saith is some Protestant or Lutheran State Chap. 12. 14. The time times and half a time must agree with the sixth verse of the twelfth chapter where the woman is fed in the desart 1260. dayes which make three yeers and a half Also they say it was the custome of the Prophets to account yeers by moneths weeks and dayes as Num. 14 34. Ezeâ—h 4. 5 6. The 70. weekes in Daniel must of necessity be 490. yeers 40. dayes and Nineveâ— shall be destroyed Ionah 3. 4. which came to passe just 40. yeers after by Cyaxares And thirteene yeers before the desolation of Ierusalem by Nebuchadnezzar Eusebius Of the times of the alteration of States Nineveh the Imperiall city of the Assyrians was distant from Jerusalem north-east 648. miles And Anno mundi 3238 and before Christ 730. Merodach a Chaldean slew Senacharib and his sonne Asarhaddon and made the Aâ—syrians subject to the Babylonians Babylon is 680. miles from Ierusalem towards the east About 536. yeers before Christ Babylon was taken by Cyrus And so the Empire of the Babylonians came to the Persians Persepolis their chief city was from Ierusalem 1240 miles towards the east about 302. yeers before Christ Alexander magnus overcame Darius and translated the Empire to the Grecians Their chief city Philippi was distant from Ierusalem 954 miles north-east A little before Christs time Iuliâ—â— gat thâ— name of Emperour but it was setled in Augustâ—â— at the birth of Christ So much of the sâ—cond of Daniel 1. In the eleventh chapter the two witnessâ—s prophesie clotheâ— in sackcloth 1260. dayes In the twelfth chapter the woman is nourished in the wildernesse 1260. dayes 2. In the eleventh the holy city shall they tread