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A17307
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The seuen vials or a briefe and plaine exposition vpon the 15: and 16: chapters of the Revelation very pertinent and profitable for the Church of God in these last times. By H.B. rector of Saint Matthews Friday-street.
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Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 4155; ESTC S107076
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109,578
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162
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vpon the Hill of Mageddon as here Har and Mageddon the Hill of Mageddon But now in such a variety of opinions where shall we pitch Surely we may safely take direction herein from the Royall Paraphrast who saith I condemne not others but rather allow them to interprete this booke diversly so being it agree with the analogy of faith with the method of the text et cum serie temporum for these three being observed it may fall out that diverse diversly expound one place and yet all be according to the truth and meaning of the spirit of God An excellent rule well beseeming that Pacifique Prince to reconcile diversity of opinions so they bound themselues to the analogy and confines of faith So that in all these differences of derivations of this word Harmageddon finding none of them to swerue from the Analogy of the text we may safely imbrace all Only two are most pregnant and may seeme to challenge the most certaine credit afore all the rest First that this great battell shall be vpon the Hill of Gods delight to wit his Church and especially there where the Gospell is most conspicuous and shineth most clearely against which the envy of the Antichristian army shall advance the Standard Paralell hereunto is that battell of Gog and Magog chapter 20 the secret and open enemies of Gods Church wherein they shall compasse the tents of the Saints about and the holy City even the Church of Christ. And we haue a notable type hereof in the Prophecy of Daniell where the great Antiochus a liuely type of Antichrist is said in that his fatall battaile to his owne confusion to pitch the Tents of his Pallace between the Seas in the glorious holy Mountaine This may prefigure Antichrists assaulting the people of God in Armageddon to wit the glorious holy Mountaine the Church And doth not the glorious Church in England stand betweene the Seas The second is that of the royall Paraphrast though no way second but rather may challenge precedency before all the rest for the singular allusion of it Destruction by deceit Which doth highly make for the honour of that Lord of Hosts who by his wisdome and power shall wind and turne all the wiles and stratagems of the old Dragon and false Prophet all the power and puissance of the Beast to their owne destruction And for this cause it is said here He to wit God shall gather them together into a place called Harmageddon But this may seeme strange that God should lead this potent and proud army even to his owne Mountaine of Delights his Church No not strange Did not the Holy spirit lead Christ into the wildernesse to be temped of the Devill And hath not God power over all these plagues And was it not he that brought that daring Assyrian Host against the holy Citty in Ezechia's raigne as even that blasphemous Rabsache seemed to vaunt and all to daâ—nt poore Iuda Aâ—d was it not He that said to Barak I will draw out vnto thee to the River Kishâ—n Sisera c. Iudg. 4.7 Read also Ioel 3 where the Lord being about to deliver his people from the Babylonian bondage he saith ver 2. I will gather all Nations and will bring them downe into the valley of Iehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my people c. And ver 11. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come downe O Lord that is Gods enemies as ver 12. Read the whole chapter It is a notable type of this in the seventh Viall But what was the event of all How sped the Devill How sped Rabshache with his mighty Host How Sisera How I pray you should they speed when a more potent a more politicke Adversary even the Lord of Hosts takeâ— their conduct into his owne hand and puts his bridle into their nostrills Can an enemy though never so powerfull looke to prosper in any great attempt when his adversary hath a secret disposing hand to direct and sway all his designes which way himselfe pleaseth The King of Syria's Counsells and his words spoken in his bed chamber against Israel could they take place when both there was a faithfull Elisha to warne the King of Israell of them and a prudent King willing to be directed by his good counsell What shall become of Pharaoh and his huge host when as God hardeneth his heart making him foolhardy to pursue Israell and that even through the red Sea on whose dry channell when he first set his proud foot he might easily haue read his owne fatall wrack from those watery mountains on each side like swelling walls ready to burst so soone as once Gods people were safely arrived Iust so is it here He the Lord assembleth Antichrists forces into the place called Harmageddon And can they then looke for any better successe then such as Pharaoh and his Aegyptians found Surely no. Be confounded then with feare ô ye Antichristian adversaries of Christ and his Church Against whom doe you confederate and band your forces together â— Of vpon what presumption Hath not the Virgin the Daughter of Sion despised thee O enemy Hath not the daughter of Ierusalem shaken her head at thee Whom hast thou reproched and blasphemed And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice Is it not against the holy one of Israell Esa. 57.22 Is it not He that puts his hooke in thy nose leading thee to the place of thy perdition where thou notwithstanding in the beastly-wide throat of thy false confidence hast already swallowed downe the destruction of Gods people as at a morsell Oh that this might sinke into the hard skull of thy senslesse Beastly-head to be better advised and without feare oâ— witt to enter the lists where the Almighty takes vp the quarrell against thee But now it is hid from thine eyes Thou wilt needs try thy Triarian forces in one maine battell wherein thy Pontifician Omnipotency dare cope with divine Omnipotency if haply the triple-crowned Godhead on earth may dethrone the God of heaven as often he hath done the petty Gods on earth Nor can the time of this Vialls full accomplishment for the bringing of this maine battell to a head be farre off from the first pouring out The iniquity raigning in this Viall and the mad malice of the enemy and Gods fatherly care for his Church least it should be swallowed vp doe all conspire and concurre to hasten this great Day of God Almighty The time of this Viall comprehending those dangerous last dayes whereof Christ saith For the Elects sake those dayes shall be shortened Mat 24.22 And this seemeth to be spoken not so much in regard of outward pressures and persecutions of the Church as of intestine false doctrines very potent and prevalent in this Viall By which the Church of God being so mightily oppugned and assaulted not without good reason may the battell of the great day be said in the spirituall part to be already begun Begun say I
Nay I trust it is as good as done the victory remaining on the Lambes side and those with him the Called and chosen and faithfull And how doughtily hath the Dragon and his party those vnclean spirits bestirred themselues in this spirituall or Ecclesiasticall conflict against the truth and Gospell of Christ Who seeth not with what confidence they haue beene puffed vp as if already they had won the field What a high hand had they gotten over the Church of Christ in suppressing the truth in as much as in them lay that it might not be maintained either in Print or in Pulpitts How began all kind of wicked heresy opposing and impugning Gods Grace and Mans Salvation to strout and vaunt it selfe both by Printing and Preaching bidding open defiance to the truth and the Professors of it Insomuch as it was in mans eye whether for a penny should get the conquest couragious Truth or outrageous Errour The conflict was so eagre as I said to my friends for their comfort it was the Devills last heaue But blessed be God we haue seene his head already broken and his whole body will follow after And as Christ hath begun to conquer in behalfe of his truth so this is an inducement to that other conquest at the battell of the great day of God Almighty over all the Antichristian enemies in the behalfe of all his children the Professors and followers of his truth In the meane time O Virgin daughter Sion here is exceeding joy and abundant consolation for thee Thou hast many mighty malicious mischievous enemies But thy God hath given thee sufficient proofe of his protecting hand As he hath begun so hee will make an end The Church shall yet be assaulted on every side by all the forces the enemy can make But it is the Lord God Almighty that leadeth them to destruction as followeth in the next Viall But me thinkes I heare againe some object as not yet satisfied that those Froggs haue in other ages beene as busie as now and therefore this time cannot so rightly challenge and appropriate to it selfe the pouring out of this Viall Why What haue I said That this Viall is already poured out Pardon me for that Let the truth it selfe be the triall of the time and the time the triall of the truth It is true indeed that those Froggs ever since their first hatching haue not beene idle but as actiue as spirits yet one thing is further to be noted as a peculiar marke or symptome of this Viall namely that thâ—se Froglike spirits comming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet giue vs thus much to note and it is very notable that the age of this Viall when ever it is is haunted and possessed with a triple spirit domineering and revelling in the world yea and especially in the Church of God As Christ saith Mat. 24.15 Mar. 13.14 When ye see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place where it ought not let him that readeth consider it then let them that are in Iudea in the Church looke to it For out of the Church no discerning of the times of these Vialls It is out of the Temple that the Angells poure out their Vialls vsefull only to the Church of Christ. The first is the spirit of craft and serpentine cunning comming out of the mouth of the Dragon Chapter 13.2 and 12.3 and 20.2 and 12.9 the Devill the old subtile serpent more crafty then any Beast of the field oâ— Gods making For so much doth the mention of the Dragon here import whence these spirits come The second is the spirit of vsurped power and domination signified by these spirits coming out of the mouth of the Beast For the Beast signifieth especially that power Imperiall of Rome which the Pope vsurpeth as ye may see in the 13. Chapter The third is the spirit of false doctrines and lying Prophets and Ministers which is signified by the spirits coming out of the mouth of the false Prophet Now when ever we find a time wherein the spirit of craft of lawlesse vsurped power and of false doctrines are most predominant and arrived to as great a height as is possible without the full abrogation of all lawes humane and divine we need then goe no further to seeke out the most speciall time wherein this Viall is poured ouâ— So that when ever you see the world fully possessed with the spirit of new pollicies and projects of the quintessences of all quaint and witty devices but all distilled from the Limbeck or Limbo of the Dragons crafty head all of them tending to that very end and scope which the Dragon mainly aimes at namely the ruine of well settled states and of the true Church of God when ever you see from the Dragons mouth inspiring his machiavellian Atheâ—sticall instruments and Ministers the subtile spirits vnder this Viall to goe about to governe the state of the world both Ecclesiasticall and civill by the cleane strength of their vncleane braines which must needs concurre with the high contempt of Gods wisdome and word with the senselesse scorne of all ancient true policy prudence providence which the wisest Statesmen of the world haue vsed for the well managing making of their estates not only secure but glorious when ever you see plenty of pragmaticall Punies or skipiack-froggs which by the inspiration of the Dragon dare vndertake with the very Engines of their wit as Archimedes did Siracâ—sa which yet was surprized while he was over busily a drawing of his circles to maintaine their goodly Provinces against all incounters when ever you see the world so pestered with these working spirits as nothing can be expected but the utter wrack of whatsoever is the object of the Dragons malice and envy then be sure is the time of the pouring out of this Viall of those spirits raigning which come out of the mouth of the Dragon Againe when ever you see high and mighty spirits especially Ecclesiastickes signified by the vsurping Beast to mount vpon the wings of their ambition to such a height of vnruly rule as to vsurpe a lawlesse and boundlesse power over all whose lusts must stand for lawes who Sampson-like knap insunder as tow the strongest chaines of all law and conscience who Beast-like will be confined within no lists of common reason and humanity who goe about to overturne all well settled Monarchies being firmely built vpon fundamentall lawes of the State and would turne them into lawlesse Tyranny or Anarchy then be sure is the pouring out of this Vial wherein these spirits come out of the mouth of the vnreasonable Beast the true Hieroglyphick of all lawlesse vsurpation and Tyranny of all senslesse sensuality In a word when everye see false Prophets abound but especially such as bring in old but new refined Heresies yet clothed with the name of the true Church qualified with the wit of the