Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	day_n	time_n	wilderness_n	1,888	5	10.4417	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73707	A plaine explanation of the vvhole Revelation of Saint John Very necessary and comfortable in these dayes of trouble and affliction in the church. Penned by a faithfull preacher, now with God, for more priuate vse, and now published for the further benefit of the people of God.	Cartwright, Thomas, 1535-1603.	1622 (1622)	STC 4710.5; ESTC S124379	79,172	144

the time shall not be distinguished by it we shall not be directed by the light of it for God himselfe shall be our Sunne God shall be our light for euermore Apoc. Cap. 12. l. And there appeared a great wonder in heauen A woman cloathed with the Sunne and the Moone was vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue Starres c. HEre in this Chapter is set downe a description of the Church of which it is said there was a great signe noting the great estimation that God hath of his Church which his great estimation of it is set forth in that shee is said to be cloathed with the Sunne which is the most glorious creature declaring and expressing her exceeding glory in the sight of God Shee had the Moone vnder her feete signifying her rule and authority ouer all the things below that are subiect to change in that she onely hath receiued of God power to subdue them and shee doth of right possesse them the wicked are vsurpers Vpon her head shee had a Crowne of twelue Starres shewing her Queenely Maiestie shee being the Spouse of Christ as also her victory ouer all her enemies It is said shee trauelled her trauell is meant of the Church of the Iewes of whom this is testified in the Euangelists the 9. of the Acts of the Apostles how great resistance there was against our Sauiour Christ against the Apostles the rest what great and grieuous persecutions they then sustained for the Gospell-sake in the beginning of the primitiue Church because they went about to beget to bring and to draw Children vnto God out of the seede of Abraham Afterward another great wonder is seene to wit a great Dragon namely the Diuell compared to a Dragon and called the great Dragon because of his great strength and exceeding fiercenesse for such is the strenght of a Dragon as that he is able to gripe with an Elephant He is described to haue seauen heads and ten hornes by seauen heads noting his great wisedome knowledge and vnderstanding of things as also it signifieth his wit and subtiltie to resist the Church and to make more mischiefe against the seauen Churches that is all the Churches of God And his tenne hornes signifieth his will and power to doe much hurt to them His Crownes signifie his victory in preuailing against the world to wit ouer those whom God hath not ordained to saue whose names are not written in the Booke of life and for this cause he is called the Prince of the world because he hath the greater part of the world vnder his obedience What his tayle he ouerthroweth many Starres noting that there are many like vnto Starres in outward shew being graced with notable gifts and being as it were lifted vp to heauen by the knowledge they had and the notable profession they made of God hauing some feeling also being yet not Sealed are by the tayle of the Dragon that is by small power and light temptations pulled backe from the same and fall from the faith After he saith He stood before the Woman noting that he setteth himselfe very fiercely and sharpely against the woman that is the Church and Children of God whose names were written in the Booke of life And therefore hee is said to wait on the woman first to hinder her that shee should not bring forth and then to deuoure them at the least when they were brought forth that is when they haue beene called and made profession of the truth and are made members of Christ by faith euen then is hee ready most strongly to assault them to ouerthrow if it were possible the foundation of their faith Where hee compareth the Diuell to an enuious Mid-wife opposing him to a good Mid-wife for as she is carefull to helpe the woman in trauell and to saue the Childe so the Diuell contrariwise is ready to hinder and hurt the Church and to destroy her seede Whereas the Church is said to bring forth a Man-Childe it is first meant of Christ and then of his members and seruants in the beginning of the Church whom now hee hath ioyned vnto him in his kingdome but principally it is to be vnderstood of Christ that valiant one who albeit hee was stung on the Crosse by the Serpent yet euen thereby hee ouercame and after was taken vp to heauen and had victory triumphing ouer the diuell ouer sinne and ouer all his enemies and the enemies of the Church Then it is said there was a battell in heauen by heauen he meaneth the militant Church of God vnder the Gospell which is the part of Gods kingdome for the kingdome of God which is begun euen in earth The principall in this battell is first Michael to wit Christ and with him his Angels namely the godly Saints with the good Angels on the one side and on the other side the Dragon with his Angels namely the wicked spirits and wicked men But the godly ouercome the Dragon and his Angels the meanes whereby they ouercome is through the bloud of the Lambe which is their principall armour being such as that albeit they themselues were killed notwithstanding by reason hereof they were made conquerours and were now receiued into the kingdome of heauen and Sathan is throwne out of the kingdome Which thing when Sathan saw as namely that now he had lost all his aduantage as it were and that hee could haue nought to doe with them any more they being now triumphing in the kingdome of God hee waxeth mad as it were and rageth against the earth more fiercely then before And hereupon the Elders and the rest of Gods Children in heauen are brought in reioycing at this victory and saying peace in the heauen that is to the Children of God that were then deliuered but woe to the earth that is to the inhabitants of the earth because that they should haue much to doe and suffer great trouble for seeing Sathan by the constant induring of those that had giuen their liues in the defence of the truth perceiued that hee had got such a foile he therefore rageth against those that remaine and for this cause it is said woe to them on the earth not that they should perish but onely should bee greatly afflicted through the malice of Sathan and his instruments Now then it is said that hee persecuted the woman that is the Church in persecuting the Church she hath a place appointed her in the Wildernesse whither she flyeth for one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes the time we haue heard before to haue beene during the space of the hard dealing with the two Prophets wherein they prophecied which wee shewed to containe so many yeares By this flight of the woman into the Wildernesse for one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes set downe in the sixt verse and the persecution whereby the Dragon pursued her that space is meant those persecutions in generall which followed against the whole Church during the

armies against Christ so in like manner he bringeth his hoast against them to destroy them And hee is described by his properties namely first in that he sitteth on a white Horse noting that he was a Iudge alluding to the manner of Iudges in those times as we see in the Booke of Iudges that in token of honour they did vse to ride on white Asses The sword which went out of his mouth signifieth that he would slay them onely by his will The Crownes on his head note that his will should preuaile against his enemies and that hee will haue the victory His eyes as a flame of fire signifying his infinite knowledge of all things that were done and his piercing sight into all the coasts and secrets of his enemies so that they could hide nothing from him With his feete he should tread and presse downe all his enemies in the Vine-presse of Gods wrath Then as by his properties so also he is described by his nature in that his name is called The word of God By his office in that he is the King of Kings His Garments dipt in bloud noting the sharpe reuenge he will take vpon his enemies in their destruction Further he is set downe by his company and traine that followed him to wit the Angels and Saints who are said to ride also on white Horses signifying that they were conquerours ouer all their enemies by Christ An Angell in the Sunne to wit which was able to order the Sunne by causing it to giue light vnto the seruants of Christ and withdrawing the light thereof and to depriue the enemies of the vse of it by casting darkenesse vpon them so as they could not see one another much lesse to fight against him which signifieth and setteth forth the glory and power of Christ that seeing one of his Angels was able to doe this how much more wonderfull was his power both in himselfe and in all the rest of his Angels to destroy those his enemies This Angell makes a proclamation of defiance against them before the battell as it is the vsuall custome in warres And here he doth not as in wars Princes vse to doe to their forraigne enemies by proclaiming open warre against them to warne challenge them vnto fight for hee needeth not neither will hee seeing they are not forreiners but his subiects and rebels against him being King of Kings and Lord of Lords But in stead of sending embassage or a Herauld of Armes vnto them in scorne of them hee makes proclamation vnto the Birds and bids them come to eate of the flesh of his enemies And here he shewes the certainty and surety of his victory in that before the battell he cals the Birds to deuoure as if they were already slaine Christ being thus described as hee is in himselfe and also by his retinue and attendants after followeth the euent and execution of the iudgements And first in that it is said the Beast and the false Prophet which went out from the Beast were taken it noteth that Christ as it were in a rage seemeth to lay hold on those his principall enemies the Beast and the false Prophet taking them in contempt as it were by the neckes euen as a strong man in his fury in scorne taketh his weake enemie with whom he disdaineth to fight by the Collar of the necke and casteth him away euen so Christ violently taketh them and casteth them quicke into a Lake of fire brimstone The remnant are slaine with the sword to wit the Kings and the People noting the difference of their iudgement from the iudgement of the Beast and the Prophet not that they were not also to be condemned as well as these but it is onely to shew that their condemnation should not be so terrible as the condemnation of the Beast and the false Prophet for as it is in earthly iudgements according to the heinousnesse and greatnesse of the fact such is the grieuousnesse of the punishment the more heinous offenders being to be burnt to death those that are lesse grieuous offenders to be slaine with the sword or with some lesse violent death euen so it shall be in this iudgement of Christ the Beast and false Prophet being chiefe offenders and ring-leaders in this rebellion shall haue a more terrible iudgement and deeper condemnation Which teacheth vs that according to the degrees of sinne so shall be the degrees of punishment to the wicked in hell In the midst of the Chapter there is set downe an accident which befell Iohn which hee here inserteth for the comfort and instruction of Gods Children which is that Iohn though an excellent man yet by the glory of the Angell and the excellencie of the things by him shewed was so amazed and ouertaken that hee fell downe to worship the Angell which sheweth the great weakenesse of men and their pronenesse to Idolatry for seeing that Iohn who was so excellent a seruant of God did thus forget himselfe much more others which are not indued with such graces The Angell as a faithfull seruant of God refuseth that honour and forbids him saying that hee himselfe was his fellow-Seruant and therefore not to be worshipped But saith hee worship God noting that all worship belongeth to God alone Apoc. Cap. 20. 1. And I saw an Angell come downe from heauen hauing the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand c. IN this Chapter there is set forth vnto vs two victories that God and our Sauiour Christ haue against the Dragon the first and the last Then is set forth the latter iudgement that shall be in the day of the Lord the great day the day as it were of the great assize That which is contained in the first part of the Chapter is somewhat displaced belonging to the end of the twelfth Chapter but reserued to this place that there might be a better declaration of the story of the Dragon To the better vnderstanding of this we are to remember that which was before in the 12. Chapter where it is said that the Dragon persecuted the Woman which noteth as wee haue heard that great persecution which befell the Church of the Iewes that ancient Church of God For when as the Dragon saw that he was cast from heauen and that the woman had wings giuen her to flye from him into the Wildernesse and now hee could not haue his will against her hee after that rageth exceedingly against the seede of the woman to wit the Catholique Church of the Gentiles for the Church of the Gentiles being begotten by the preaching and doctrine of the Apostles are called their seed And hereupon it is said that he is faine to be bound after that he beganne thus to rage which was about sixe and thirty yeares after Christ being the time that Ierusalem was ouerthrowne about that time was the Diuell taken for hauing pursued the Church of the Iewes and hauing set himselfe fiercely against the