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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66360	Ho Antichristos the great antichrist revealed, before this time never discovered, and proved to be neither pope, nor Turk, nor any single person, nor the succession of any one monarch or tyrant in any policies, but a collected pack, or multitude of hypocritical, heretical, blasphemous, and most scandalous wicked men that have fulfilled all the prophesies of the Scriptures ... and especially have united ... together by a solemn league and covenant to slay the two witnesses of God, Moses and Aaron ... that is, the supreme magistrate of the Commonwealth, and the chief pastors and governours of the Church of Christ, and the Christian world is requested to judge whether the Assembly of Presbyterians consulting at Westminster, together with the independents, Anabaptists, and lay-preachers be not the false prophet ... and whether the prevalent faction of the long Parliament ... that killed the two witnesses of Jesus Christ, 1. Charles the First ... 2. William Laud ... be not the grosse and visible body of the same antichrist / by Gr. Williams.	Williams, Gryffith, 1589?-1672.	1660 (1660)	Wing W2662; ESTC R25201	504,825	313

not understand as to create things of nothing to make the sun to stand still to cause the fire not to burn and the water not to drown to assume our nature into the unity of his person to be born of a virgin to raise up himself from the grave to ascend to heaven and many other such things we believe by faith though we cannot search and finde out the reasons thereof especially in all the books of nature but we cannot yield nor believe that those things may or can be done which we understand and know and can bring many Reasons to prove that they cannot be done as for the same thing to be and not to be when as all the Schooles do affirm Deum contradictoria efficere non posse God cannot do contradictories as he cannot lie because he is truth and he cannot die because he is allwayes and eternally life and therefore though we grant he can make creatures of nothing and reduce all creatures into nothing and change the nature of any one thing into another thing as Lots wife into a pillar of salt of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham to turn Moses rod into a serpent and water into wine and Ovid. in his Metamorphosts if he pleased to Metamorphose all those transformations that Ovid writes of yet that he can make any one thing to be two distinct things at once and still to remain one as to make Moses rod to be both a rod and a serpent at once and to be still a rod and yet a serpent the same one numerical thing to be bread and flesh wine and water ston●s and the children of Abraham at the self same time we utterly deny and can no wayes grant it because such things are meer contradictions and do overthrow the truth of God And therefore that Christ should sit in heaven and be the bread that we eat in the Sacrament here on earth that he should be visibly there and invisibly here and that he should be one and many continued and discontinued intire in one place and at the self same time intire in 10 thousand places and such like we cannot believe because these things are not onely contrary to all reason but do also exceed all faith and therefore in all sayings of the holy Scripture that do seem to contrary one another we must finde out such expositions of either place as that neither of them do overthrow the truth of the other nor yet be contrary to the analogy of the faith And this sheweth that the Church of Rome adoring the consecrated bread in the Eucharist with divine worship commits palpable idolatry like unto Babylon by giving the true worship of God to that which is no God and so 2. They give the same divine worship of the true God unto the Saints and Angels 2. To the saints and Angells that are no God for though that by their Doctrine and distinction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they would clear themselves from this idolatry yet if they will erect temples observe dayes and make prayers for the honor of the Saints and Angells thereby to be helped and relieved by them all the streames of Tiber can never wash away their Tdolatry because as Prosper saith the dedication of Temples and Altars and Prayers and the like are proper and peculiar parts of Gods divine worship 2. 2. In worshiping the true God with false worship As the Roman Church giveth the true worship of God to those things that are not God so by their superstitions and many foolish inventions of their will-worship they worship the true God with false worship such as he neither commandeth nor is pleased with them and which to ease my Reader I must pass over 2. The Sinnes of Babylon against man were especially of 2 sorts 1. Covetousness from whence proceeded their fraud and deceit which the Prophet setteth down c. 51. v. 13. 2. Cruelty which diminished and destroyed the children of God and caused them to be scattered like sheep and to be driven away and so truly the iniquity of the Church of Rome is every way equal if not exceeding the iniquity of Babylon and resembles the same as in many other things so especially in respect 1. Of their Confusion and division among themselves For Rome resembling Babylon in three Respects 1. Their Division 1. Of their Covetousness and collusion against all For 3. Of their Injuries and oppression of the best men For 1. Though they bragge much of their unity and say this is a special Argument to prove them to be the true Church of Christ which is a vision of peace and like unto Hierusalem that was a city in unity within it self according as it was afore prophesied of it that God should keep the sheep and servants of Christ secretly within his Tabernacle from the provoking of all men and from the strife of tongues when as yet every unity or rather confederacy is not the Character and true note of Caristianity Psal 2.2 for the Kings of the earth stood up Principes convenerunt in unum and the Rulers took counsel tegether against the Lord and against his anointed and all cryed crucisie him Mat. 27.22 Exod. 32.1 Act. 19.34 crucifie him and all agreed to make the golden calf and all the whole multitude said great is Diana of the Ephesians and all covenanted and conspired against And no marvel for if Satan should be divided against Satan his Kingdome could not stand and therefore we say with S. Augustine that sicut est Dei una Ecclesia sic est Diaboli ●na Babylon as God hath one Church so the Devil hath one Babylon Yet if we look into the Church of Rome we shall finde that howsoever in things that may concern the preservation of their hierarchy they hold together yet in many other things there is such oppositions contentions and consusions amongst them as will plainly shew them to be a Babilon and that as the Poet saith in another case so we may say of them Scinditur incertus studia in contraria clerus For we finde their Councills Popes and Orders crossing thwarting and contradicting each other as 1. 1. The contradictions of the Councils The First Councel of Nice allowed the communion under both kindes unto the people But the Council of Constance and the Council of Basil and that Council of Trent have forbidden to give the cup unto the Laity So the third Council of Carthage accursed him that would call himself universal Bishop but the Council of Trent curseth all them that will not acknowledg the Bishop of Rome to be so And the great oecumenical Council of Constantinople condemned all Images from the divine Worship but the second Council of Nice allowed them and then again the Council of Frankfort accurseth that Nicene Council and accounteth it flat idolatry to worship them or God by them 2.

Bellarmine well observeth out of Ar●thas this beast is said to do his wonders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sight of menj that is so appearing to men whose sight and judgement are thereby deceived for that they do nothing of what they pretend and seemed to do but the things that they do are no such things indeed in the sight of God 4. 4. Difference Whereas true miracles do exceed all naturall causes tam occultas quam manifestas as well the hidden secrets of nature as those causes that are knowen to us and are done onely by the hand and Power of God and therefore they are wonders and not onely in the fight of men but also in the sight of Angells and Devills the wonders of the Antichrist and his adherents the Presbyterians and Lay-Preachers have all of them their naturall causes though they be hidden from the sight and understanding of the people as the victories of the beast and his successes are obtained meerely by his subtle tricks his cunning carriage of the war and the desperate valour of his soldiers God giveth them leave so to prevaile over the pufillanimity and security of his children that offendeth him and they are not obtained by the immediate hand of Gods active Power The Presbyterians gaining so many Proselites to what it is ascribed and a miraclous effecting Providence from heaven as the beast pretendeth and so desperately blasphemeth God in making him the author of all his bloody cruelties and the shedding of all the innocent blood that was spilt which can no wayes stand either with the goodness or justice of God and the Presbyterians winning of so many simple men to follow after them and to become their disciples to believe their erronius heresies and damnable positions it is to be ascribed to their sedulity vehemency and good oratory wherewith Aeschines Demosthenes and Cicero perswaded their Auditors to follow them and not to the powerfull working of Gods Holy Spirit who though for their sins he permitteth the simple people to believe strong delusions and to be misled into most damnable conclusions by this beast yet he never worketh and leadeth them into the same And therefore what Vulteius Remensis saith of some Franciscan Monkes that played many jugling tricks in Orleance Anno 1534. the same may be rightly applyed to these Presbyterians Cum clamat larvas furiosa caterua leonum Infestare suam nocte dieque domum Res vera est falsi larvati denique fratres Quos vestis sanctos prodigiosa facit Sunt lemures larvae furiae vulpesque lupique Qui infestant vitiis seque suamque domum Which I may very well thus translate When Presbyters do cry that scisme and heresie Do spoile the Church of Christ The thing is true for so these Saints in shew Are furious Fiends the limbs of Antichrist That with their Lies and Heresies given in a golden Cup Have poysoned all the whole Flock of Christ And so themselves are the Mischief that have spoyled all things both in the Church and Common-wealth But though all the wonders and workings of this false Prophet be but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lying wonders and no truth in them yet hereby he deceiveth the people and especially when as the Holy Ghost sayth He maketh fire to come down from heaven on the earth Touching which fire What is here meant by the fire that the beast maketh to come down from heaven 1 Reg. 18.38 we must not understand it to be such a fire as Elias brought down to consume the two fifty men that the King sent to fetch him nor such a fire as by his prayers came down to consume the Sacrifice upon Mount Carmel because those fires were true fires and truly miraculously brought down by the Prophet when as the sire that this false Prophet pretendeth to bring down is no such thing neither must we take it for such a fire as Philostratus sayth Apollonius Tyanaeus fetched down from Heaven in the fight of many people because this was some elfe-fire that he procured to appear as the flash of a Meteor by the help and procurement of the Devil when as this false Prophet pretendeth not to bring down any such a fire neither yet can I yeild it should be taken as Mr. Mr. Medes Expofition rejected Mede and others of our late Writers do expound it for the lightnings and thunders of the Popes Buls and Excommunication against those that submit not themselves to him and to his Decrees because as I shewed to you before the Pope and his Cardinals cannot be understood by this false Prophet But I take it as a proverbial Hyperbole for the application of that which was sayd before That this Beast doth great wonders so that he maketh fire to come down from Heaven The parallel The fire that Christ came to send on earth the Beast pretendeth to bring from heaven because the Jews do commonly attribute so much to the miraculous fire of Elias that they use for all wonderful works proverbially to say He bringeth down fire from heaven sayth Graserus Or else it must be taken as I rather conceive in that sense as our Saviour takes it when he sayth I came to send fire upon the earth because this Prophet would fain seem to imitate Christ and to do all the things that he should do and can do as Christ did and therefore he pretendeth to bring the same fire that Christ brought down and that is the fire of zeal and a most ardent affection to Christ and to the truth of his Religion and this fire the Presbyterians and the Independant and Lay-preachers pretend to bring down from heaven to the earth above all other men whatsoever but in very deed this fire of their is but an ignis fatuus a deceitful fire and their seeming zeal as well as all the rest of their doings is but as the Apostle saith a lying-wonder for the true fire that these men do bring is of another kinde from another place and to another end and that is the fire of hatred and persecution which they bring from Hell Not the fire of persecution and not from Heaven and they bring it into the Church and upon the true Members of Christ and not on the earth but this their fire is not to be understood in this place Reason 1 1. Because the Holy Ghost sayth The Beast bringeth the fire upon the earth that is the earthly minded men whom only he perswadeth to worship the Beast and to adhere unto him as being deceived by his false wonders and this he doth by the fiery zeal of Gods worship which he pretends to bring unto them and the persecution of the Beast is against the Saints and not against these earthly men that by the sight of this fire are perswaded to serve and assist the beast and to afflict the Saints Reason 2 2. Because it is immediatly sayd that hereby he deceiveth them that dwell

on the earth that is as I sayd the earthly and worldly minded men for the true Saints he deceiveth not but he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth and they worship the beast and assist him and adhere unto him as being seduced and beguiled through the faigned and dissembled zeal of the false Prophet and the Sight of persecution from them that profess themselves Divines could no more deceive the Beholders and cause them to worship the beast then the persecutions of the Heathens deceived the people How the dissembling zeal of hypocrisie deceives many men that saw the Primitive Martyrs suffering for the faith of Christ when as that sight converted many of the Pagans to become Christians as Sozomen writeth and could do no more then terrifie the fearful from christianity but never deceive any to think well of the Persecutors or ill of the pe secuted but the dissembling zeal of hypocrits hath deceived many good men and therefore much sooner could the fiery zeal of this false Prophet deceive the carnal and earthly men and make them believe such zealous Professors to be none other then heavenly Saints Nor the fire of false prestigies But Janius in Annotat in loc And as this fire cannot be taken for the fiery persecution of the Saints so no more can it signifie those falsa praestigia the lying wonders and the jugling tricks of the Romish Priests and Friars which Junius sayth they used to justifie their Doctrine of Purgatory Indulgences Transubstantiation and other like Popish Trumperies whereof you may finde store in their Legends in Vin ceutius his Speculum historiale and some in Stapleton's moral Promptuary and in divers others because these fiery Meteors or rather sulphurious fire and faigned wonders from the Souls in Purgatory and those lying fables of their Images sweating blood and their wonderful Narratives of their Saints Reliques and the Revelations of S. Bridget and the like holy Matrons do bear no Analogy or correspondency with fire from heaven when as all such Prestigia's or prodigies either of the Magiciaus or of the idolatrous Priests of the Gentiles and so the faigned miracles of the Roman Clergy are well known not only by the learned but even by all rational men to be all framed and forged upon the Devils Anvil and do spring from Hell and not from Heaven as all the honest Papists do confess Teneda in his miracles unmesked pa. 13. but the fiery zeal which the Presbyterian beast pretends to have to Christ to his Religion to the propagation of his Gospel and to the pure worshiping of God above all other Saints of God may without any absurdity and without incongruity be sayd A fiery zeal to Christ and his sarvice and may be thought to be fire from Heaven because such a zeal if they truly had it as they pretend could spring from no place else and from no other Fountain then from the Spirit of God and this fire of such a zeal the false Prophet pretendeth to make it to come down from Heaven on the earth that is on the earthly carual and worldly men to make them their Pros●lites and so to come to eternal happiness and by their perswasion and the opinion that the people have of thiis fire and this their zeal they are the sooner and the more easily deceived to become followers of their pernitious wayes and to be the Assistants of the first beast Out of all which that I have shewed of their blasphemy against God and their tyranny over the Consciences of men which is every way far worse then tyrannizing over their bodies it is apparent 1. That although the Tenets of the Church of Rome touching Purgatory 1. The doctrine of the Presbyterians more derogatory to the truth justice goodness of God then the doctrine of the Romish Church praying to Saints and adoration of Images and the like stuff be very frivolous and fantastical yet none of all the Doctrines of the Romish Church is so scandalous and so derogatory from the justice truth goodness and mercy of God as are the Doctrines which these Presbyterians Independants and Lay-preachers do preach and publish in Print concerning Original sin the cause of evil Free-will and the absolute irrespective Decree of God touching Election and Reprobation and other the like points depending hereupon without any just distinction or expression of the fore-sight and knowledge of God which is so fully and so excellently set down by Doctor Stern in his learned Discourse De medela animi and by divers others 2. 2. The discipline and government of the Presbyterians moro tyrannical over the consciences of men then the discipline and government of the Court of Rome Matth. 11.28 nor yet the Court of Rome hath ever exercised such an absolute power and domineering Authority over the consciences of Christians as this false Prophet useth to do for neither of the foresaid Courts did ever Excommunicate any member of the Church but either for apparent contumacy and a wilfull contempt of the Power and Authority of the Church or upon the proofe of two or three witnesses at the least of such crimes as were most scandalous unto the people of God and yet every petty Priest of our Presbyterians either upon his own malicious discontent or some other private dislike to his neighbor will debar him from the Blessed Sacrament and exclude him from the Body and Blood of Christ and so cut him off as a rotten member from his Saviour that doth so lovingly invite him to come unto him and deliver him unto Satan as a lively limbe to be tormented for ever And what is this discriminating of the sheep from the goates this admitting of whom we like to be of our Church and refusing whom we hate or do distast to any society or fellowship with the faithfull is it any other thing then to fit in the Temple of God as God oftentantes se esse deos and every one of them shewing himselfe that he is God when he takes upon him to do the proper work of God to distinguish the reprobate from the Elect the vile from the precious and those that have not on their wedding garments from them that had them on which the true inviters of Christ his guests durst not presume to do untill the Master of the Feast came himselfe to see his guests and to turne him out that had not on his wedding garment how then dares every Presbyter do the same Is not this to have a Pope in every Parish and whether is it better to have one Pope or a thousand Popes and every one of them more tyrannizing over their Flock then the Pope of Rome And therefore if these Presbyterians Independants and Lay-Preachers that gather Churches unto themselves out of the Church of Christ and exclude many true members of Christ from the Communion of Christ be not the false Prophet that hath two bornes like the Lambe but do

of 1200 and 60 dayes that make three years and a half just so long as Christ Preached after he was Baptized among the Jewes and at the end of those 1200 and 60 dayes they should be slaine by the Antichrist about one moneth before the Antichrist should be destroyed and it is a wonderfull thing to consider how many Papists are led away with the belief of these fictions of which I will not stand to confute and to shew their Vanity for that Bibliander and Chytraeus have sufficiently answered to these places Chytraeus in c. 11. Apoc. Math. 11.14 and have fully shewed howthese were the mistakes of those Fathers and but meere fancies of the Papists when our Saviour tels us plainly that Iohn Baptist was the Elias which was for to come and which the Jewes dreamed as the Papists do should be Elias the Tisbite that was taken up to Heaven in a Fiery Charet Exposition 2 Dr. Hammond in Apoc c. 11. Eusebius l. 4. c. 6. Others by these two Witnesses do understand two Bishops of Hierusalem wherof the one was Bishop over the Converted Jewes and the other of the Gentile Christians and these Berchochabas a Seditious and Rebellious Jew whereof Eusebius writeth did kill in the civil dissention of the Jewes as some Authors testifie but as unlikely as the former fiction of the Papists Reason 1 And the acts of the Apostles seem not to intimate any such thing but rather the clean contrary 1. Because we cannot yield that there were two Bishops of Hierusalem one of the Converted Jewes and another of the Gentile Christians as if they meant to make two distinct and severall Churches which might produce a great division and bring many Inconveniences betwixt the Jewish Christians and the Gentiles whereas now the partition Wall betwixt Jews and Gentiles was broken down and as both people were to have but one chief Shepheard that is Jesus Christ so they were to have but one fold and one Deputy Shepheard that is one Bishop under Christ in one City though I deny not but there might be subordinate Presbyters and Deacons under that Bishop to assist him to instruct the people and to Govern the Church Reason 2 2. Because the Revelation is not of known things that were already past for that is not properly a Revelation but a Narration of things especially things publickly done and not concealed but it is of things that were to come to pass and though Berchochabas was supprest by Rufus in the time of the Emperor Adrian about the 130 year of Christ yet it is thought that these men which are supposed to be two Bishops were slain long before this Revelation was shewed unto St. Iohn and not unlikely because Eusebius nameth 15 Bishops of Hierusalem that succeeded one another before Xistus that was but the sixth Bishop of Rome after the Apostles and lived about the beginning of Adrians time Reason 3 3. Because it is manifest that Berchochabas cannot be understood by the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit and the great Antichrist which is here said to kill the two witnesses because none of the notes and marks of that Beast under which notes the antichrist is described in the Scriptures do any wayes agree with Berchochabas for he never apostatized and fell away from Christ whom he never professed neither did he ever sit in the Temple of God as God nor wrought any signes or wonders nor went about his work slily mysteriously as the Antichrist doth but he went about his design openly and plainly aperto marte with armed Troops and therefore he cannot be understood to be the killer of these two witnesses nor these witnesses to be those two supposed Bishops of Hierusalem Exposition 3 Francisc Junius in loc Others by these two witnesses do understand it generally of the Ministers and Preachers of Gods word that are expressed by the number of two because of their weakness contemptibleness and fewness according to our Saviours words The harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few and yet they are two that they might the better assist one another and especially Deut. 19.13 2 Cor. 13.1 Mat. 18. v. 16. to confirm the Testimony of one another unto all other men according as the Law requireth that by the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word might be made good unto men as the Apostle sheweth But I can see no reason that all the Ministers and Preachers of Gods word should be expressed by the number of two when as though in the beginning when Christ spake it the number of the Apostles and Disciples were but very few yet the Psalmist prophesying of the succeeding time of the Gospel after the day of Pentecost saith that God gave the word and great was the Company of the Preachers and they could not be weak and contemptible during the time of their prophesying and before the coming of the Antichrist because they were the two Olive Trees and the two Candlesticks that stand before the God of the Earth and if any man hurt them that is during the time of their Prophesie Apoc. c. 11.4.5 fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies and therefore our last translation addeth for the explanation of the point the word power unto the Text saying and I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesie that is Apoc. c. 11.3 during the time alotted them 1200 and 60 dayes so that none shall be able to hinder them Exposition 4 Others do conceive that by these two witnesses we may better understand the two Testaments that is the holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament whereof our Saviour saith Search the Scriptures for they testifie of me John 5.39 and thus do they expound them that make the Pope to be the Antichrist because he hath supprest the Scriptures both of the old and new Testament and hath offered violence and so killed the true sence and meaning of these two Testaments For the violence that the Pope and his Cardinalls and the whole Church of Rome have offered unto the holy Scriptures I cannot and I will not go about to excuse them neither do I think that they can excuse themselves but though the two Testaments are witnesses of Christ and do bear witness of him yet because they are but a dead letter and so dead witnesses as are the Heavens and all the works of God the witnesses of God though the Scriptures truly expounded are by far the clearer and the surer witnesses of him but being turned like a nose of wax by the Hereticks as they are very often I assure my self they are not here meant by these witnesses because they cannot properly nor indeed any wayes be said to be killed when the truth may onely be wounded and for a time suppressed but never killed and quite extinguished quia magna veritas prevalet as Zorchabel proveth and it is but an idle shift

That we may conceive better hope of the Whores then of the Beast and false Prophet that followeth after the Lusts of the flesh and the Vanities of the World and the Ecclesiasticall Whore which is bewitched with the love of errors Ceremonies and superstitions and which most of our Protestant Writers take the Church of Rome to be and to be here signified by the Whore may yet by true Repentance and a full Reformation of all errors and abuses recover and retaine the love and savour of Christ to continue the loving Husband of his penitent Spouse and to find him ready to receive them when he finds them ready to return unto him for though the one of these Whores is said to have committed Fornication with the Kings of the Earth and to have made the Inhabiters of the earth drunk with the Wine of her Fornication c. 17.2 c. 17.2 and the other Whore is said to be drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus c. 17.6 Yet c. 17.6 when the beast and the false Prophet which are the most violent and virulent Enemies of Gods Church c. 19 20. were both taken and cast alive into the Lake of fire burning with Brimstone there is no mention that the Whores were cast in with them But the judgment of the Whores is formerly described and their punishments are very amply set down and expressed c 17 c. 18. where the Hornes of the beast are said to hate the Whore c. 17. c. 18. c. 17.16 and to make her desolate and naked and should eate her flesh and burn her with fire c. 17.16 And these punnishments of the Ecclesiasticall Whore to have her substance and het state eaten up and her self burnt with the fire of all Crosses and afflictions by the hornes of the beast and so likewise those punnishments of the Civil Whore that are so fully set down in the 18th Chapter and must be referred to the great Babylon of this World that I have formerly spoken of and not to Rome c. 18 24. Things in c. 18. to be referred to the Babylon of this world and not to Rome nor to the Church of Rome because there are many things in this 18th Chapter and especially that in her was found the blood of the Prophets and of Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of all that were slain upon the earth v. 24. which cannot possibly with any face be referred to the Church or City of Rome might be the meanes to bring these Whores to Repentance and so to gaine the Love of God and to escape the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the vile beast and the false Prophet shall be cast For you must observe The Beast and the false Prophet and Whores not to be confounded c. 17.3 that although some Writers have confounded the Whores and the beast and make them all but as one Enemy exprest by both these names yet they be indeed two Enemies or rather three Enemies of the Church of Christ and Enemies one to another for the Ecclesiasticall Whore rides the beast that is curbes and bridles the Beast as a rider curbes his Horse and so doth the Pope and his Cardinalls and all the Church of Rome curse and execrate the Antichrist and the ten Hornes of the beast do hate the Whore c. 17.16 and make her desolate and naked and burn her with fire and so it may be demanded if the long Parliament and their Polyarchy The Paralele have not sufficiently shewed their hatred to the Pope and all Papists and have made all that they could reach naked enough and have eaten their substance and burnt them with the fire of Afflictions and Persecutions and have pretended to do the like to all Carnall and worldly professors Esay 9.31 And yet as Ephraem did eate Manasses and Manasses did eate Ephraim and both of them did eat Juda Esay 9.31 so do not the Whores and the Beast the Church of Rome and the Synagogue of Satan do all of them what possibly they can to root out the true Protestants the only pure Church of Christ from off the earth though as I said it may be hoped that the judgment of the Whores and their afflictions may at last through the goodness of God reduce them to repent and reclaime them from their Fornications Hosea 2.7 and cause them to returne as the Prophet saith of the like Harlot unto their former Husband But the Beast which is the Antichrist that ascendeth from the bottomless pit and is wholly fallen away from Christ totally Apostatized from the maine Heads of THE Christian Faith and absolutely divorced from being any Spouse or Church of Christ The Beast and the false Prophet commit far viler sins then the Whores as you may see not a few of the Members of the Beast and his adherents that driveth off their Baptisme and permit not their Children to be Baptized and to be incorporated into the Church to be made lively members of Christ which is to renounce the marke of Christ and to blot out the Seal of the Lamb as I shewed before and is therefore termed the man of Sin and the Child of perdition as committing the more masculine wickedness killing hanging and beheading and the like far more odious and more abominable bloody sins then are the infirmities of a woman and the false Prophet that seduceth and deceiveth the poor simple people of God and both furthereth the beast and instructeth him as Libanius the sophister instructed Julian and Sergius the Monk did teach Mahomet how to proceed in most Villaines Enormities and Cruelties that are inflicted and imposed upon the Church Numbers 16.29 they are said to be taken alive and as Moses saith of Corah and his complices not to die the common death of all other men but to be cast alive into the Lake of fire burning with Brimstone For that the Devill having now ended his 1000 years imprisonment which began in Phocas his time Phocas died Anno 612. or rather in Heraclius his successors reigne about the yeare of Christ 620. or 630. when the persecutions of the Heathen Emperors and of Alaricus Attalus Totilas Gensericus and others of the Arian Kings of the Goths and Vandals were all quite finished and Boniface the third Bishop of Rome Super alios caput extulit omnes Balaeus l. 3. invita bonifacij Is extolled and worshiped above all other Bishops and the Church began to goe hand in hand with the Civil state and ended about 1620 or 1630. Some 45. or 35. years agoe when the Beast began to bite the King and to incroach upon the rights of Majesty and the false Prophet to smite Michajah on the Cheeks and to out-beard the Bishops and to trample them under feet he doth by these his two instruments the Beast and the false Prophet most wickedly suppress Gods Service and persecute Gods Servants

of that grand enemie of Jesus Christ Whence you may perceive that as the definition of the soul It is hard to find out this terren Camelion beast and the faculties thereof is far more difficult to be explicated then that of the body so it is a more intricate work to find out and to unkennel this beast amongst the thickets of the earth then it was to find the other that arose ex plane from the smooth and plain sea Jerem. 16.16 but as the Prophet Jeremy sheweth the Lord hath many bunters and by the help of these divine hunters I shall bring him out of his lurking holes take off his mask from his face and bring him forth to be apparently seen before your eyes if you please to view him and to take notice of him who other wise may bite you sore ere you be aware of him Lyranus 1. Some understand Mahomet Aureolus and Dominicus a Soto do by the first beast that rose out of the sea understand Synnochius or Siroe the son of Cosroe King of Persia that slew Anastatius and 70. other innocent Monks besides and by this beast that rose out of the earth they understand Mahomet the false Prophet that left his wicked Alcoran for his followers Bible and was indeed worse then Synnochius and did more mischief unto the Christians then he or any other single Tyrant or false Prophet did and he reigned as they say until the year of Christ 666. which is here said to be the number of the beast and the very letters of his name written in Greek the language in which Saint John wrote Zonaras annal l. 3. Montagu appello Caesar pag. 151. do make up as both Cedrenus and Zonaras say the number 666. to an hair thus 40. 1. 70. 40. 5. 300. 10. 200. μ. α. ο μ. ε τ. ι ς. which is in all 666. as I shewed you before and he pretended to work great miracles as the holy Ghost saith this beast seemed to do Cornel. à lapide in H. loc The 10 miracles of Mahomet Sicut sydus radium profert Virgo filium pariforma neque Sydus raaio neque mater film Sir corrupta which is most true of the blessed Virgin and most false of that impostors mother and of those miracles of Mahomet the Sarazens that professe his religion do as Cornelins a Lapide saith set down these ten 1. That his mother which was a Jew brought him forth after his father Abdalla died for he was a posthumus as the Sun shineth through a glasse without pain as the blessed Virgin did our Saviour Christ without the loss of her Virginity 2. That at his birth assoon as ever he was born all the idols of the Gentiles fell like Dagon unto the ground as the Sybills prophesied they shoud do at the birth of Christ 3. That Lucifer was then likewise thrown down to be drowned into the depth of the Ocean 4. That all the winds and the clouds did strive about his education and his bringing up for his mother left a Widow was but a very poor woman and died when he was but two years old 5. That an Asse like Baalams Asse with humane voice stiled him sigillum Prophetarum the Seal that confirmed and should ratifie all the prophefies of the prophets 6. That a dark cloud though the Heavens should be never so clear did alwaies hover and hang over his head 7. That the Moon seeming to the beholders to be divided into two parts he compacted and joyned them together 8. That an Angel did usually talk and confer with him 9. That a figtree called out by him bowed himself most lowly unto him 10. That an Ox and a Lamb spake unto him as to the greatest of all the Messengers of God These are the ten lying wonders that are suggested by his followers to be the miracles of Mahomet But notwithstanding the multsplicity of these forged and feigned miracles of this great Impostor Suarez and Perorius do sufficiently prove that Mahomet could neither be this beast nor the Antichrist And the Histories do shew that he began his reign Or in 631. 2● Sir Walter Raleigh saith p. 24. in Anno. 620. and died in the year 630. as Cedrenns saith or in Anne 637. as Palmerius saith having reigned as all Writers do agree just ten years and so he continued not to the year 666. as Lyra and Soto do affirm Others with whom our Learned Paraphraster upon the New Testament Dr. Hammond following the acute Grotius understanding the heathen idolatrous worship of the Romans to be signified by the first beast 2. others do understand this beast to be the idolatrous Priests of the heathen temples Philostrat l. 5. c. 5. do conceive this second beast to signifie the Priests and Prophets of the idol Temples that gave the answers of those deceitful Oracles who were Sorcerers and Magicians as was Simon Magus that grand Magician and proto-impostor and Apollonius Tianaeus that pretended to do very many and very great wonders and did call down in appearance fire from Heaven as Philostratus writeth and as the holy Ghost saith this beast should do And that which made these learned men as I conceive to make Caius Caligula to be that man of sin which the Apostle speaks of 2. Thes 2. and Simon Magus to be understood verse 8. that should then be revealed when Caligula should be taken away And to interpret the first beast here spoken of chap. 13. to signifie the idolatrie of the Romish people and this second beast to signifie Apollon Tyanaeus and the like Magicians and followers of their idolatrie was because they saw how sondly and without any probability or shew of any solid ground the most of our Presbyterians do expound both places of the Pope of Rome to make him to be the great and egregious Antichrist Therefore they found such an interpretation as is far more likely and more agreeable to the Texts then is the interpretation of the Presbyterians But we may not confute one error with another error Alios ita lego ut quantalibet sanctitate doctrinaque prepolleant non idea ver● putem sed quia mihi vel per illos autores canonicos vel probabili ratione quod à vero non abhorreat persuadere potuerunt Ang. ad Hierom. ep 16. That St. John was not banished by Claudius Caesar and bring in one falshood to thrust out another falshood which is but to change one evil for another and by shunning the fire to fall into the water And therefore though I very much reverence Grotius and do much love and honor our worthie Doctor for his learning and great pains in Gods Vineyard yet I cannot assent unto him in many of his Expositions upon this book of the Revelation nor especially that St. John was banished to Patmos by Claudius Caesar as he would faign prove out of Epiphanius when as the most Orthodox and the best Authors that I have read both old

that they may not go thither But least I should condemne all alike you must as I said before distribute the whole Classis of Presbyterians into these two parts 1. The plaine timide unwilling and unskilfull Presbyterians in the plots and practises and cunning devises of their Elder Brethren and the other kind of Presbyterians for these like well of the Episcopall Government and could very willingly conform themselves to the former discipline of our Church but for fear of want and losse of Livings they are unwillingly drawn to comply though more moderately with the rest of the Presbyterians and these I love and pitty and as they are moderate men so I would have all men moderate in their censures of them 2. The rough rigid and proud polypragmaticall plotting Presbyterians Where you may see the Author held the same Principles in his younger years as now he doth in his old age that for those causes and reasons which I have set down in my resolution of Pilate well nigh fifty yeares ago have and do start aside from their faith given and from their duties and obedience to the Governours and Government of the Church and with all their wits wealth power and abilities do strive and labour rather to ruine the whole Church and to bring all things to confusion then to be overswayed in their opinions and be brought to any subjection their high mindes cannot any wayes bend they are like oakes not willowes and these are this second beast whose wayes I hate with a perfect hatred and think them well worthy our Saviours censure to be heaten with many stripes because they know their Masters mind and do it not and in that respect are far worse then the worst men that were in that long Parliament And here I would have all men to observe how these two beasts How the two beasts combine themselves together the feven headed and the two horned beast do combine and unite themselves to effect all their purposes and joyne together hand and heart to assist each other in all their projects whereby it appeareth most manifest that the Great Antichrist consisteth of Tyrannizing Magistrates and false Prophets of a secular Authority and a spirituall or Ecclesiasticall directory all is but one grand Enemy of Christ and one Army of the Dragon though disposed by their Prince into two speciall Regiments CHAP. II. Why this second beast is said to be risen out of the earth what is meant by the two hornes of this beast and the two things signified by them what it is to speake like the Dragon Of the wonders or miracles of the Beast all false in respect of the foure speciall causes of true miracles and of the fire that this Beast bringeth down from Heaven what it signifieth BUt now having understood who is meant and to be understood by this second Beast that is as all Interpreters agree the Preachers and the Proclaimers of the goodness and the piety of the Antichrist which is conceived to be the Presbyterians Independants and Lay Preachers of the Long Parliament we are to proceed to the description of this Beast and his actions both his words and his works which will make the former Exposition that sheweth who he is the more plain unto you For 1. Why this beast is said to be raised out of the earth Jan. in Annot. in h●●oe Mr. Mede in loc page 65. He is said verse 11. to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Beast risen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the earth that is saith Junius quia haec bestia est terrae filia id est obscure natae pedetentim emergens ex âbiectione sua because those Ecclesiasticall Prelates he meanes the Pope and his Cardinalls were sprung up out of obscure flocks meane parentage and poore beginnings and by little and little erept into the height and highest step of all earthly dignity and with him Mr. Mede almost agreeth in words as he doth in sence saying that he is sprung from the lowest condition or rather because he is sprung up secretly without noice like herbes out of the earth Mares p. 138. which Exposition though among so many Popes fome of them sprung from meane parentage as Sixtus 5. was the son of a heardsman Benedict 12. of a baker Vrban 4. of a shoemaker and some others so meane that we know neither their Sir-names nor their Countrey yet can it not be applicable to the Roman-Clergy when as I told you before the men signified by the first Beast that rose out of the Sea that is from the vulgar and common people were of meaner abstract and of farr worse breeding then the Roman Cardinalls and Bishops were whereof divers were Princes even by birth and the children of Nobles of Princes and of Kings as not onely the Records of Spain but also to go no further the Chronicles of our own Kingdom do sufficiently testifie therefore I rather conceive this beast is said to be risen out of the Earth because their hearts and soules were like Demases onely earthly glued to these vanities and bewitched with the love of this present world 1 Cor. 15.47 even as St. Paul saith the first man is of the earth earthy and as is the earthy such are they that are earthy so are the men signified by this beast earthy and worldly though of all others they ought to have been as they professed themselves to be most heavenly for so St. Paul tells Titus Titus 1.12 1 Pet 2.3 Jude v. 11. that they teach things which they ought not for filthy lucre sake and St. Peter saith that through covetousness they shall with faigned words make Merchandize of you and St. Jude saith they run greedily after the error of Bal●am that is for reward and St. Paul tells us plainly that they which cause division and offences Rom. 16 17 18. The Parallele The Assembly of Presbyters and the rest of the pre-byterians most worldly contrary to the doctrine which you have learned serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly that is to get the things of this world to satisfie their fleshly lusts but for their earthliness their covetousness and in justice in taking and possessing their brethrens livings and livlihoods it is so well known that I need not speak of it but onely to say with St. Paul thou that teachest another not to steal doest thou steale thou that wouldest have thy Parishioners to be just wilt thou be unjust and take the bread out of thy brothets mouth take heed how thou wilt answer this at the last day And I believe that if the Assembly of Presbyters and the rest of the Independant and Lay-Preachers had not been very worldly and most earthly minded ambitious of greatness and desirous to be wealthy and to have the honour to beare rule and to be as the Scribes and Pharisees coveted to be great among the people they would never have caused such division

his Father with his Angels And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which fignifieth to appear to be made manifest or to be brought to light because the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in lucem proferre to bring into the light that which was not seen doth here signifie that coming of Christ which in the most proper sense is called his glorious coming The glorious Majestie of of Christ his coming to judgment 1. In respect of the person coming Rev. 13 14. or his coming in great Majestie and that is onely his coming to judgment when as his coming in the flesh was manifested but to few and his coming by his spirit is invisible to all imperceptible and unperceviable to most men but his coming to judgment shall be made manifest to all the men in the world and therefore is and may most rightly be termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most glorious appearance and that both in respect of the person that cometh clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle his hairs as white as Snow his eyes as a flame of fire his feet like unto fine brass his voice as the sound of many waters his mouth sending out a sharp two edged sword and his countenanc as the Sun shineth in his strength and everie way glorious as he appeared to this our Evangelist and secondly in respect of the glorious train and companie that shall attend and wait upon him 2. In respect of the companie that attend him which are thousand thousands of Angels and all the heavenly saints of Almighty God And though this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the glorious manifestation of him doth sufficiently shew the time of the quite rooting out and totall destruction of the Antichrist not to be till the last judgment yet here is another word that the Apostle useth which putteth the matter out of all doubt for he saith that the man of the sin shall be destroyed by the glorious appearance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the coming of the Person of Christ of his Personal presence for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 co vel ad sum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentia doth import and must needs expresse the coming of the Person of Christ to destroy the Antichrist which made some expositors to suppose as I shewed before that his coming will be to begin the 1000 years felicitie here on earth whereas St. Peter tels us plainly that Christ never cometh in his own Person but the heavens must containe him untill the times of the restitution of all things which is the day of judgment and therefore the whole body of the beast Act. 3.21 Ob Et sic Hugo Grotius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christi interpretatur de ilius adventum suum ad particulare judicium i● Judaeos v. 1. and all the adherents of the Antichrist shall not be quite rooted out till Christ shall come to the last judgement But against this E. H. and others do object that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth doth not alwayes signifie the Personall presence or the essential appearance of Christ and to prove this besides the judgment of Mr. Leigh whom he rightly termeth our noble English Greek Critick that saith fateor quidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saepe illum juditii adventum significari sed id perpetuum non est this word I confesse doth often fignifie his personal coming to judgement but not alwaies he quoteth certain places of Scripture where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the powerful coming of Christ by his Spirit and not the personal appearance of Christ as where St. Peter saith we have made known unto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.16 which saieth he signifieth his powerful coming by his Spirit to convert the Souls of his people But Sol. I say that both the precedent and subsequent words and the very scope of the Apostle in that place doth most plainly prove that he meaneth not his spiritual coming to worke his graces in us but rather the first coming of Christ in the flesh which he saith was no devised fable because they were eye witnesses of his Majestie which they could not be of his powerfull coming by his spirit and therefore this place is wrested to make good their sence but clear enough to prove the word to signifie his personal presence whereof they were eye witnesses 1 Jo. 1.3 when the word was made flesh as St. John likewise testifieth 1 John 1.3 Obj. 2 2. He saith our Saviour vseth the like phrase in S. Mat. c. 16 28. There be some standing here Mat. 16.28 which shall not tast of death until they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdome and that is his powerful coming by his Spirit to work faith in his elect to increase his kingdome of Grace which is his Church and not his personal coming to receive his Saints to the Kingdome of glory before which time all and every one of them did tast of death Sol. but I say these words are no thing and of no force to prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth this his coming in his Kingdome or any other his powerful coming by his Spirit either to propogate his Gospel as some do understand that place of S. Mat. or to execute Judgement upon the Jewes as some others do understand it or upon any other enemies of Christ as some of our late interpreters think because the words which our Saviour useth are they shall not tast of death until they see the Son of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coming in his Kingdome where you see our Saviour doth not use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie this his Spiritual and powerful coming by his Spirit but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we deny not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie his gracious and powerful coming by his Spirits but we say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is never found to signifie such a coming or any other besides his personal coming yet Obj. 3. He produceth the 24 of St. Mat. v. 3. and 30. Ma● ●4 v. 3. and 30. where in the 3. v. indeed we have the Disciples asking the question of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what shall be the signe of thy coming and and here you see they use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the coming of Christ but I demand what or which of his comings do they mean his gracious and powerful coming by his Spirit to build his Church and to destroy his enemies or his glorious personal coming in all Majesty to the last judgement I hope the next immediate words that are subsequent will shew you plainly