Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	add_v	book_n	plague_n	2,933	5	10.1547	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B20810	A demonstration of the first principles of the Protestant applications of the apocalypse together with the consent of the ancients concerning the fourth beast in the 7th of Daniel and the beast in the Revelations / by Drue Cressener.	Cressener, Drue, 1638?-1718.	1690 (1690)	Wing C6886	379,582	456

of Carthage after the time of these scruples of the Antimillenarians and before the degeneracy of the Church to which the aim of the Apocalypse is applied by Protestants viz. before the year 400 does in its 47th Canon ordain the Book of the Apocalypse to be read in the Church as Canonical Scripture And this Provincial Council is confirmed to oblige the Universal Church both the Greek and Latin by the sixth Synod in Trullo at Constantinople Can. 2. Anno 707. But it was unquestionably a Decree of the Greek Church where the Apocalypse had alone been scrupled But the most authentick Evidence of this is the Authority of the fourth Council of Toledo when it could not possibly be any Interest of the then Ruling Party of the Church to plead for the Apocalypse but might possibly enough endanger the Interest of it because it was about the year 640. after the time that the Protestants Applications of that Book do generally date the degeneracy of the Church of Rome from So that the sense of that Council is the Testimony of an Adversary to the General Consent of the Church about the Tradition of this Book The words of it are these The Authority of many Councils and the Synodical Decrees Concil Toletan 4. Can. 16. about the year 640. of the holy Bishops of Rome have determined the Book of the Apocalypse to have been wrote by John the Evangelist and to be received amongst the Books divinely inspired And because there are many that do not receive it for Authentick and scorn to read it in the Church of God if any one for the future shall refuse to receive it or to read it in the Church in the time of Mass from Easter to Whitsuntide he shall be Excommunicated By this it does appear how the Apocalypse came to lose its authenticalness among the meaner part of the Church It was it seems so disused in the Church that it passed for an useless Book the Interpretations that were given of it were either so fanciful or so little concerning the Times when it was neglected that it passed amongst them for a kind of Book of Dreams in which the Church was not concerned and which none knew the meaning of And this cannot much be wondred at when it is considered how little regard is had to these Revelations even in these days unto which they are by the best Learned amongst us judged to belong in matters of the highest importance for the Church to know But as for that suggestion That Cerinthus was the Author of the Apocalypse which was always the most current ground amongst those who rejected the Authority of it there is assurance enough of the falshood of it out of Irenaeus for he was the Scholar of Polycarp who was the Disciple and Companion of St. John to whom Irenaeus every-where attributes Euseb l. 5. Eccles Histor c. 18. the Apocalypse and writes against Cerinthus and reports from Polycarp the great detestation that St. John had against Cerinthus And how absurd a thing would it be to imagine that Irenaeus after so diligent so long and familiar a conversation with Polycarp the Companion of St. John as he particularly mentions of himself should make the Apostle to be the Author Lib. 3. contra Haeres cap. 3. of a Book which was really wrote by his worst Adversary to propagate his Errors Whatever was the true reason of the rejection of the Authority of this Prophecy it is certain That no Book of Scripture has had a more express and unexceptionable Tradition of its Apostolical Authority since it was confirmed by the Testimony of two Learned Martyrs soon after the writing of it who also had searched into all the Copies of it and were confirmed in it by those who were conversant with the Apostle himself that wrote it and that in the very times that it was scrupled it was believed to be Authentical by all the Eminently-learned Fathers of those days and that after the times that it had been scrupled it was owned by the General Consent of the Christian Church This I thought fit to premise for the full satisfaction of those that are altogether sceptical in the first foundation of these Interpretations But the Romanists whose whole concern it is to make every thing in this kind dubious do agree with all other Christian Churches in the World at this time about the unquestionableness of the Canonical Authority of this part of the New Testament And now it may appear to be our Duty and Concern to enquire with diligence after the best understanding that we can get of this Prophecy when we consider what pressing Motives there are to it more in this Book than in any other Book of Scripture beside In the beginning Blessed is he that readeth Rev. 1. 3. 13. 9. and they that hear the words of this Prophecy And again If any man have an ear let him hear And the matter of it is said to be The Revelation that God gave unto Jesus Christ to shew Chap. 1. 1. unto his Servants And that whosoever should add to or take Chap. 22. 18 19. from the words of this Book above any other should have the plagues of God added to him or his part of Eternal Life taken away The First BOOK THE Uniform Constant Notion Of the Term of THE BEAST All over the REVELATIONS CHAP. I. The Ground of the Method here used The first Proposition That Babylon is the City of Rome in an Antichristian and Idolatrous Reign Scruples moved against it The Demonstration of it from the Text confirmed by General Consent NOne could be more disposed to the common prejudices against the study of the Revelations than I was at the time that I first engaged in those things I had till then been so almost wholly confin'd to such Enquiries as are the closest Exercise of Ratiocination upon clear and sure grounds That I was come to have a natural aversion against all such loose Conjectures as the Interpretations of those Visions are generally reputed to be But Mr. Mede's Synchronisms and his offers at Demonstration in them which I lighted on by chance some years since in a solitary retirement did tempt my curiosity to enquire What could be the ground of such a confidence in one of so known a Character for a cautious and imparial Judgment in Scriptural Rev. XVII Expositions At the first cursory view of his performance I was extremely surprized to see such fair grounds of a clear Explication about so intricate and obscure a Subject And tho' upon a more critical examination of the strength of them I found most of his Synchronisms far short of a close and cogent proof in them yet I could not but think that the Subject might be capable of a more certain determination to the Conclusion that he aimed at I did thereupon set my self upon a particular search after a closer demonstration of that Application that he had made

to the Pagan Senators of Rome when he had but a few Verses before in the 17th Chapter determined the same words to signifie v. 2. the Kings of all the Nations of the Roman Empire 7. Rome must again be supposed in this way to have been in the height of her Wealth and Riches by which she is described in her Idolatrous state as decked with Gold and Pearls and Precious Stones at the time that she was burnt by Totila For it is said at the burning of her That in that one hour was so Rev. 18. 17. great Riches brought to nought which supposes that those Riches must be in her at the time of her Desolation But this is quite contrary to the state of Paganism in Rome at that time whose Glory had been there laid in the dust many Generations before 8. How monstrous a force also upon the Text must it be to make Rome the Object of the fiercest Wrath of God at a time when she was every-where owned for the Queen of all Christian Churches only for having said in her heart some hundreds of years before in her Pagan state I sit as a Queen and shall know no sorrow But indeed the plain words do represent her Rev. 18. 7. saying in her heart just about the time of these last Plagues upon her I sit as a Queen c. which does plainly signifie That the Ruling State in which Rome is to be at the time of this last end of her is the Object of this Judgment And this in Totila's time being a Christian Government the boast of the Reign of Christianity then under the term of sitting as a Queen would according to this be the reason of the Desolation of it under the Notion of a Pagan Empire 9. And what can that cry of the admirers of Babylon v. 18. be understood of but of Rome as at that time the Seat of Empire What is like unto this great City Now what were the Rev. 18. 19. Pagans in Totila's time the better for Rome's being the Seat of a great Empire which was contrary to their way How come they to lament and compassionate its loss of Empire Or how indeed did it at all lose of its Empire by changing Princes Or wherein was it then so great in Empire before the burning it or so less after it when it had not been the Imperial or Royal Seat for above 100 years before that time and was by the taking of it but returned into the same hands that it had been in for near 50 years together but ten years before that time and when presently after it was returned again into the same hands that it was taken from within a few months after the burning it and was then repaired again 10. And this last Consideration of the return of the Roman Emperour again to the possession of the City within so short a time is evidence enough That it is impossible that Totila's Exploit should be the burning of Babylon in this place even by a Rule that Grotius himself has set up about the signification of the word for ever upon ver 19th Chap. 3. where it is said That the smoke of the burning of Babylon ascended up for ever He says That whenever that term for ever is joined with the destruction of a City it signifies That it shall not recover again of a long time whereas Rome was re-built the next year after the burning a small part of it by Totila I will not here insist upon the significations of a final Desolation of Rome upon those emphatical expressions which at first seem to design such a thing because I see all the same phrases used by the Prophets of the fall of Cities as the Seats of Empire which yet continued considerable Places after that under other Rulers 11. But that which seems the most inexcusably to condemn Grotius's fancy is That most of these expressions concerning the Desolation of Babylon are used in the Prophets for nothing but the end of a Monarchy that enslaved the Church of God and which also they do of themselves most of them naturally signifie Thus are the People of God commanded to come out of Babylon just before the overthrow of the Babylonian Monarchy Jer. 50. 8. 51. 6 45. and the expression it self does naturally signifie That the Body of the People out of whom they were to come were Babylonians and so therefore must the chief Body of Babylon's People have been Idolatrous and Enslavers of his People So also the rejoycing over Babylon at her fall and the calling Jer. 50. 14 48 29. to the People of God to reward Babylon double of what she had done to them and the riches of Babylon at her desolation and the name of Babylon the Great said at that time to be destroyed and her Greatness admired by those that lamented her at the Isa 47. 8. time of her fall and the Kings of the Earth who had committed Fornication with her at that time bewailing her do all naturally signifie That Babylon at the time of her desolation by fire is then a Nation oppressing the People of God in great splendor in that way and bewailed by persons who themselves had been partakers in her Glory and so are they used by the Prophets from whence they are fetched about the end of the Babylonian Monarchy It is therefore impossible that Rome-Christian burnt should be Babylon desolated by fire 12. It is also to be remembred That the signification of Babylon in this very Prophecy has been already concluded to be the City of Rome in an Ecclesiastical Domination Prop. 1. And therefore must the fall of it be the last-end of that Roman Domination and not the last-end of the Favourers of it only And then how inconsistent is it to make the burning of Rome in a Domination quite contrary to that Church-rule which is called Babylon to be the ruine of Babylon 13. To conclude Grotius's Explication of the Characters of falling Babylon do some of them suppose That Rome at the taking it by Totila was actually at that time a Seat of Empire and the rest That it was a Pagan City neither of which were true The desolation of it he understands only of the loss of the Imperial Majesty of it the distinction of the People of God from it and the name of Babylon he interprets of its being a Pagan City Now Rome had not actually been the Seat of the Empire for above an hundred years before Ravenna was the constant residence of the Emperours and Kings of the Goths and had left off being a Pagan City ever since the publick Reformation of it by Constantine for a few Pagan Temples cannot make the contrary Government of a City have the name of a Pagan City Here then we have a sufficient earnest of what Grotius is capable of venturing at in the Interpretation of these Visions and is enough to prevent all the danger of being over-born