great earth quake was at least sixty yeares in doing its worke for so great a body as the Empire could not by created humane meanes be ruined in a short time And it is very remarkable both because it made so great a change in the Kingdomes of Europe and Affrick planting them almost universally with new Nations and names and in specially because that storme brought our fore fathers into this land setling here a new Nation and language It is thirdly also observable because in it the sixth head of the Roman Monarchy the Emperour went off and the seventh the Pope came on onely the question is about which of these times and degrees of the Empire destruction Haply not so high as Julians death for the Empire stood in good strength after that for thirty yeeres at least Nor so low as 455. when it was quite broken and not long after lost its very name but somewhere between viz. either about 410. when Rome it selfe the head of the Empire was taken or rather about An. â—96 when the Empire first began to be ruined that is plus minus about 400. yeers after Christ Even as the seventy years of the Jewes captivity are not to be computed from the 11. of Zedekiah when the City and Temple were taken and burnt and the State dissolved for from that time there be not sixty years in all till their returne under Cyrus but they must be reckoned from the captivity of Jehojakim ten or eleven years before even so very probably it is here Now if the Beasts reigne began about 400. after Christ then is there above 1240. gone of his 1260. yeeres so that the ruining earth-quake must needs approach And a man may wonder that so much worke should be done in so short a time as seemes to be remaining to it throughout Europe yea throughout the world but that the Text tels us it is the greatest earth quake that ever was Object The sixth head of the Empire continued long after the death of Theodosius the great Not in strength Answ 1 but was still more and more broken unto its dissolution It is not absurd to imagine that the sixth head and the seventh might be in some degrees together For first it is but a comparison not like the naturall head of which there can be but one at once more makes a monster and truly this Beast is a monster Besides the Imperiall and Papall head did not so thwart and crosse one another at first as afterwards they did so that it might be with them as Logicians say of contrary qualities they may consist together in the same subject gradibus remissis non intensis they might both of them have their power and yet not intrench upon each other Popes at first medled in a manner onely with matters of the Church as being desirous to settle their ecclesiasticall authority and the Emperours on the other side almost wholly busied themselves about the civill State to governe and defend the Empire And yet further which may lessen the absurdity before that you should have in the Roman goverment sometimes as it were two heads at once as Consuls who were for their yeere and a Dictator chosen it may be for three months or six mouths upon some extraordinary exigences and necessities of the State who was for the time supreme and namely in matters of warre as the Consuls were supreme for other civill affaires The earth-quake whereby Antichrists Kingdome is to be ruined approaches or is already entered as may apreare by this second Indice or evidence Because it is almost 1260. years since the ten Kings began and the Beast began with them as may appeare Rev. 17.12 The ten hornes which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdome as yet but received power as Kings one houre with the Beast The ten Kings are the many Kingdomes that sprang up out of the ruines of the Empire as the Kingdome of England the Kingdome of France the Kingdome of Spaine c. These are called hornes aptly because Antichrist did with them as the Beast doth with his horne so the Dragon i. e. the heathen Empire had done before with them whilst they were his hornes Rev. 12.3 that is propugne himselfe and oppugne his adversaries For this hath been Antichrists course all along to push downe and gore even to death for the most part all those that opposed his idolatries and haeresies in all Nations by these hornes that is by the Kings and peoples of those Nations who have given their power and strength to the Beast Rev. 17.13 and who doe generally continue it to the Beast with one mind and consent making warre for him against the Lamb almost all and that most desperately unto this day Which have received no Kingdome as yet For when the Apostle wrote there were no suâ—h Kings in rerum natura or existent in the world as the King of England the King of France c. These Kingdomes then were hornes of the Dragon i. e. Provinces of the Empire and therefore in the description of the Dragon Rev. 12.3 the Crownes are not said to be upon the hornes that is upon the Kingdomes who had then no Kings of their owne but upon the heads that is upon the imperiall head at Rome as for instance this Land Brittaine was in the Apostles time a Province or Kingdome but it had no King of its owne and so no Crowne that was upon the head of the Emperour at Rome and he had supreme power over this Islrnd but whenas these Kingdames became the hornes of the Beast they came also to have peculiar Kings of their owne England had and hath its King France its King c. And therefore in the description of the Beast the Crownes are not said to be upon the heads but upon the hornes upon his hornes ten crownes Revel 13.1 But received power as Kings one houre with the Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Kings and the Beast began their reigne together Now the Kings and Kingdomes began to arise about An. 400. after Christ when the Empire began to be destroyed haply some of them a little before for they had begun to breake the Empire foure or five yeeres before and therefore might then begin to be called Kings for God lookes at and so are we to looke at realities The Histories indeed doe not speake much of them under the name and notion of Kings untill after 400. or 410. but the Histories are very confused and no wonder for those were times of most strange confusion The Beast is said to begin with them at one and the same houre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the word may be interpreted the first houre the word in the Greeke text that signifies one as all that have any smattering in that language know signifies also first and so it may be interpreted that the Beast began to rise the very first houre the Kings began to rise rather then the
wâ—e against them from the Lord Isa 5.18 19. though they be an idle generation yet they will work like Cart-horses to commit sinne they will draw iniquity to them with cords of vanity and sinne as with Cart-ropes How might one know them might some man say why by this they say let him make speed and hasten his worke that we may see it let the councell of the holy one of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it as much as if they had said we would see what he will doe we would see his threats executed we will beleeve them when we see them I so did the men of the old world just of this temper and sped accordingly The most desperate Gyant of them all when he saw the waters to cover the tops of the highest mountaines no doubt beleeved the floud but then it was too late to beleeve it Blessed are they that beleeve though they never saw If Noah had been of that mind also he had perished with them The like we have in the place cited before Amos 9.10 All the sinners of my people shall dye by the sword note they are called sinners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in a high degree who Why those that say the evill shall not overtake nor prevent us They scorne the Prophets comminations then ver 11. In that day when they are taken off God will raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen meaning the Church but he will first knock them downe Multitudes of such were removed in the captivity of Babylon before the Lord restored his Church in Judah The second sort are the obstinate resisters of Gods spirit Sort 2 striving with them in the use of his Ordinances and meanes of grace For his spirit shall not alwayes so strive with men in vaine as we see Gen. 6.3 When the Lord is forced to say of a people unto whom he hath afforded all his Ordinances for a long time as he doth of his Vineyard which he had choicely planted and drest c. Isa 5.4 What could I have done more to this people then that I have done meaning in an ordinary way of meanes setled by himselfe and God useth not to save Nations though persons sometimes by a prerogative why then it must be expected he will deale with that people as he did with his fruitlesse Vineyard break downe the hedge about them with his owne hand let the wilde beasts rush and runne in and depopulate all This was one cause of the captivity of Babylon The Lord rose up early and sent his Prophets long before plagues came but they mocked his Messengers despised his words and mis-used his Prophets untill the wrath of God rose against his people untill there was no remedy whilst men are without meanes there is hope they might be reformed if they had meanes but when as they have for a long time prophaned all meanes their case growes hopelesse therefore now the Lord brought upon them the King of the Chaldees who destroyed all 2 Chron. 36.15 16 17. So because our Saviour would have gathered to him the Jewes by his word as the Hen her Chickens under her wings and they would not therefore their habitation should be left unto them desolate Mat. 23.37 38. Sor. 3 A third sort are the cruell persecutors of his people persecution ever goes along with prophanation and contempt of the means of grace spoken of before When the Husband-men reviled beat and stoned the servants whom the Lord had sent to demand rent and fruits of the Vineyard he at last in fury sends out his men of warre and kils those Husband-men and then le ts out his Vineyard to better Husband-men that will yeeld him his fruits in their season Mat. 23 33 34 c. A fourth sort of enormous transgressors Sort 4 whom the Lord takes off in a publike calamity as the great impediments of Reformation are the proud strong and otherwise invincible supporters of false worship errors haeresie Idolatry prophanenesse as the Popish Hierarchicall generation both of the ecclesiasticall and civill estate Thus the Lord destroyed the High-priests and other supporters of Idolatry in the captivity of Babylon 2 Kin. 25.19 20 21. 2 Chron. 36. And so the Scribes and Pharisees and the whole Jewish state in the last destruction of Jerusalem and this is to be one maine effect of the earth-quake before the Churches future reformation in a word the Lord will take away whatsoever in Church or Common-weale is unreconcilable unto his Sonnes Scepter even Kingdomes and all see Dan. 2.34.35.44.45 In the dayes of these Kings speaking of the last times and of the Kingdomes that issue out of the feet of the Image or the iron Empire of the Romans viz. the Kingdomes of Europe shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdome that shall never be destroyed and the Kingdome shall not be left to other people but it shall breake in peeces all these Kingdomes and it shall stand for ever ver 44. this interpretation is sure ver 45. see for this also Rev. 19.17 18 c. Quest Shall all of all these sorts be taken off in a publique calamity Answ As many as necessity enforceth for freeing Gods way in the worke of Reformation God usually takes off the tops principals and ring-leaders of all these kinds he fels the great Cedars for clearing the ground where the City is to be built and stand whose name is the Lord is there Quest Why are these kinds removed Answ 1 First because they have highly and in so extraordinary a manner provoked God that we parallelling them with such in other Scriptures may justy suspect God hath sworne against them in his wrath and then he will never reverse his threats then their sinne cannot he purged away with sacrifice and offering for ever as it said of Ely's house 1 Sam. 3.14 Then though Noah Daniel and Job should pray for them they should not prevaile for a man may sinne himselfe past and beyond mercy so that though he should repent yet the externall plague should not be removed Secondly because they are not counted worthy to see the good that God will doe for his people as the Text speaâ—eth of the false Prophet Shemajah the Nehelamite Jer. 29.32 that made the Lord take off the old generation in the Wildernesse Thirdly they are unframable for God's building they would never lye even nor keepe a due proportion with the foundation and the rest of the building God hath tryed them sufficiently before Fourthly they would spoyle all Gods work If all the six hundred thousand murmurers had come into the Land of Promise how would they have hindred the advancement of Gods Kingdome and worship they being so inured to Idolatry murmuring c. and so hardned therin such would be like the enemies of the Jewes Ezra 4.2 they would needs assist the Jewes in building the Temple but they would have marr'd all the worke they would have made a wise
REYNER BABYLONS ruining Earth-quake and the restauration of ZION Haggai 2.6 7. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Hosts THE Prophet Haggai lived and flourished after the returne from the Captivity of Babylon His prophecy is spent partly in reproving the people of the Jewes for their negligence in not building the Temple of the Lord appointed for his worship partly in declaring Gods hand against them for the same in their Corne Cattell and otherwise because they came to build and even to siele their owne house and let Gods House lye waste partly in exhorting and encouraging them unto the building This last he doth diversly First he tels them the Lord was with them chap. 1. ver 13. chap. 2. ver 4. And that therefore they need not feare the oppositions of their enemies who formerly so often as ever they began to build did by their complaints to the Kings of Persia still stop the worke and that his spirit did remaine among them now this was to be done not by might not by power but by the spirit of the Lord as Zec. his contemporany Prophet tels them Zech. 4.6 even against might and against power and this according to the Covenant he made with them when they came out of Aegypt chap. 2. ver 5. Next he assures them that the disire of all Nations should come to this house and that he would fill it with glory And whereas this house might seem to be a despicable and contemptible thing compared with the sumptuous Temple of Salomon that was before it which made the old men weepe when they saw the foundations of it first laid Ezra 1.12 he comforts them against that and tels them that the silver and gold are his so that if true glory had consisted in them he could have given them in aboundance for the adorning of this second Temple but he had a greater glory to bestow upon it namely Christ and in this place he would give peace viz. by Christ the Prince of peace unto his people The words may be divided into two parts First a Commination against the Nations as an antecedent or a thing that in act and execution should goe before Secondly a consolation unto the Church as a consequent or a thing that in accomplishment should follow after the Commination The Commination is in these words I will shake the Heavens and the Earth c. I will shake all Nations the Consolation in the words following and that consists of a double promise First The desire of all Nations shall come Secondly God will fill this house with glory Both these are set out by two circumstances First of the person that saith these things secondly of the time First the person Who is it that saith this Answ He that is able to make good what he saith thus saith the Lord of Hosts and this to make all more sure is put both before and after the Commination and Consolation Secondly we have the circumstance of time and that is double First Quoties how often shall this be before Christ come Answ Once Secondly Quando or quam diù when or how long is it before it be Answ ere it be long yet a little while The sense of the Words The Prophets living in the Easterne regions did frequently use the phrase and stile of the Easterne Nations they did not alwayes in a plaine down-right manner declare things as they be as we for the most part doe but did use many high phrases tropicall speeches and other figurative exornations many continued metaphors or allegorie's aenigma's and darke riddles hyperbolees and excessive speeches many emblematicall and hieroglificall expressions these puzzle us when we read them but were familiar to the people of those times and places Heavens were used not onely for the coelestiall bodies above but sometimes to set forth a State of dignity and prosperity Earth a state of mediocrity hell of adversity Againe sometimes heavens were used to set forth things appertaining to the Church or ecclesiastick State earth things appertaining to the Common-Weale or civill State as we shall heare afterwards Seas and dry Land making up the whole Orbe of the universe are put comprehensively and extensively to signifie the extent of this shaking so as it should be of all the world round about as it is interpreted even in the next Words I will shake all Nations see further verse 22. By shaking we are to understand the raising of great stirres in those Nations among all estates whereby great alterations should follow and desolations That such a sense is not insolent in the Scriptures we may see in an instance or two Isa 14.12 13 14 15. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer sonne of the morning c. Thou saidest I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God c. Yet thou shalt be brought downe to hell c. Who was this Lucifer Answ None other but the King of Assyria as appeares by the context What were the Heavens and Starres he exalted himself above Answ The great estates and Princes of the world compared thereto What Heaven was he fallen from Answ from his high Soveraigne Dignity and Majesty To what hell was he brought downe Answ To utter confusion and ruine for not long after this an hundred eighty five thousand of his Army were slaine by the Angell of God in one night himself shortly after killed by his owne sonnes in his Idols Temple and a little while after this his whole Kingdome brought to destruction and the Soveraignity transferred to another Family viz. that of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and that Kingdome at length also ruined Look upon another instance Jer. 4.23 24. I beheld the earth and be hold it was without forme and voyd and the Heavens and they had no light I beheld the Mountaines and loe they trembled and all the Hils moved lightly c. Did the Prophet Jeremy indeed see any such thing was the earth like an old confused Chaos without all forme and voyd so as no Grasse nor Tree did grow upon it had the Heavens so lost their light as that neither Sun Moon or Startes did shine Did Jeremy see the Hils to skippe and leap No such matter surely but this was all the meaning that there was a great confusion in the Land among all estates both in Church and Common-weale as appeares in the verses following which tell us that the fruitfull places were even become a Wildernesse the Cities broken downe and the whole Land desolate Let us goe on in the interpretation And the desire of all Nations shall come Some understand this of Beleevers the desirable people of all Nations others of other things but no doubt
it is meant concerning Christ by anticipation who was to be afterwards the desire of the Nations The words are to be read thus Object The desire of all Nations they shall come a Noune of the singular number joyned to a Verb of the plurall and therefore they cannot be meant of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The learned in the Hebrew affirme such a Synrax Answ not to be unusuall among the Hebrewes and namely when they set forth the dignity and excellency of a person so that we may take it thus Christ cloathed with all his Excellencies Attributes Offices and Merits shall come Neither doe I see why this should be more absurd then the joyning of a Noune of the plurall number to a Verb of the singular as we find Gen. 1.1 In the beginning Godcreaâ—ed word for word Gods he created denoting out the Trinity of the persons in the God-head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the unity of their Essence and Act in creating the World And I will fill this House with glory Not with an externall glory of silver and gold nor with a ceremoniall glory such as the Arke which was called the glory of Israel 1 Sam. 4.21 22. Psal 78.61 which was now quite taken away Jer. 3.16 for God would now teach them to take their hearts quite off from ceremonies and to look directly for the Messiah but he would fill it with the glorious presence of Christ who had the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of God John 1.14 who is the Lord of Glory James 2.1 who is the true Glory of Israel Luke 2.32 who shewes his people the way and is himselfe the undoubted means of glory Now from the words thus understood we may observe these two generall Doctrines one from the commination the other from the consolation First that great concussions Doctrine 1 shakings and alterations of States and Nations great warres and sometimes desolations both oft civill and ecclesiasticall State doe in the course of Gods administration often times goe before great and notable restaurations and Reformations of the Church Secondly Doctrine 2 great and excellent Reformations of the Church doe often times follow and ensue upon great combustions and concussions of Sates and Nations We will begin with the former of these and in opening of it observe this method First we will set downe some proofes and examples of it in the Scriptures Secondly give some grounds and reasons of the Lords proceedings in this manner such as the Scripture leads unto Thirdly we will declare some signes and indices of such an approching storme and earth-quake and then apply it First therefore we shall find such earth-quakes foretold and threatned before the Reformation of the Church wherein the Lord intends not to ruine the Church as we are apt to imagine but to restore and reforme it See for this Amos 9.8 9 10 11. Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinfull Kingdomes and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob saith the Lord for loe I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all Nations like as Corne is sifted in a sieve c. All the sinners of my people â—all dye by the sword which say the evill shall not overtake nor prevent us In that day will I raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof and I will raise up his ruines and I will build it as in the dayes of old c. Loe here the Lord will first destroy the sinfull Kingdome though not the whole Nation for those are two things He will sift the whole Nation so that no graine shall escape tossing and cut off the enormous transgressors among his people and then when this is done he will restore his Church set forth under the Type of the Tabernable of David as we see it expounded by the Apostle James Act. 15.14 15 16 17. other predictions we have of this kind Isa 4.1 2 3 4. Zech. 13.8 9. We shall also find instances in the Scriptures of such mighty earth-quakes in the course of Gods providence going before notable Reformations of the Church and we will begin with this mentioned in the Text. There have been foure famous Monarchies in the world the Babylonian the Persian the Graecian and the Roman Monarchies The Babylonian was lately fallen it was now about the middest of the Persian Kingdome which continued for some 228. years and then was utterly overthrowne by Alexander the Macedonian called Alexander the Great He brought in the Graecian Kingdome which continued divided amongst his successors but with infinite troubles 200. and odde yeers and then was subdued by the Romans All these great changes besides very great ones among the Romans themselves happened between the time that the Prophet Haggai flourished and the comming of Christ The people of God the people of the Jewes were under all these Monarchies Neh. 9.36 37. and held their Kingdom in vassalage of them and as tributaries to them and therefore must needs partake of their commotions as indeed they did for there were great alterations in the Jewish State both in Common-weale and Church For the civill State sometimes they were under a Prince of their owne Nation sometimes under a forreigne Governour as Pilate the Roman Deputy was over Jerusalem and the principall part of that Country in the time of our Saviour Sometimes they were under Princes of the house of David as Zerubbabel and others Sometimes their Princes were of another Tribe as the Macchabees who are said to be of Lev by the Fathers side and of the Tribe of Judah by the Mother till at length Herod the Idumaean tyrant by the favour of the Roman Emperours usurped the Kingdome slew Hircanus the King his Father-in law together with his owne Wife and Sonnes being all of the Blood-royall and line of David many of the Nobles of Iudah the whole Sanhedrim or Councell of Elders And so that prophesie of Iacob was fully accomplished Gen. 4â— 10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet untill Shiloh come meaning Christ Sometimes their Governour had the title of a Prince sometimes of a King they were now under a King then under a Queen as Alexandra Sometimes their Governour was both King and Priest as was Hircanus a little before our Saviour came in the flesh These changes were usually made with many mighty stirres and dismall battels There were semblably great changes in the ecclesiasticall Sate it seems they had sundry High-priests together sometimes as Luke 3.2 Annas and Caiaphas sometimes the High-priest was but annuall or but for a yeer in his office whereas by the law there was to be but one High-priest and he for terme of life There were divers different Sects of Religion risen up among them and some of them strange ones as Sadduces that denied the Resurrection
when it was in its glory and in the earth-quake not in the fall of the City for the earth-quake is to shake down the whole Kingdome of the Beast throughout the world in the earthquake I say were flaine of men seven thousand that is thousands upon thousands and so the second woe made up of Popiâ—h idolatry and Turkish cruelty passeth away ver 14. Now immediately upon this the seventh Angell sounds a Jubilee and then there be great proclamations and acclamations in Heaven that the Kingdomes of the World indefinitely set downe that is all the Kingdomes are become Christ's Kingdomes And whereas before the Divell Dragon Beast his hornes have reigned now Christ takes to himselfe his great power and reignes for which the whole Church under the type of 24. Elders praise him though the Nations be angry as they ever are when Christ puts forth his just power ver 15 16 17 18. He now gives rewards unto his servants the Prophets c. and destroyes them that destroyed the earth that is he ruines the wicked and idolatrous generations of Antichrist who wasted his Church before ver 18. His Tabernacle is now opened in Heaven and the Arke of his Testament seene ver 19. that is Christ represented by the Arke is clearly manifested before that wicked generation had forbidden men to read the Scriptures had kept them in unknowne tongues had involved the mysteries of Christ in Masses and rude heaps of other superstitions and ceremonies but now he and all his excellencies shall be fully manifested to the Nations The other place is Rev. 16.17 c. where Antichrist having by his emissaries that is the uncleane spirits like Frogs drawne the Kings of the earth into (a) A militiae or confoederation subiect to the divine Anathâ—ma Hormageddon i. e. into a cursed and crafty warre for herein I assent to Graserus sodainly the Angell finding them in that state powrs out the seventh Viall upon them upon which follow thundrings lightnings and an earth-quake such as was not since men were upon earth so mighty an earth-quake and so great it is called the greatest earth-quake that ever was haply in regard of the sodainnesse and violence of it or either else in regard of the extent of it as being to shake all the world 1. The effects are the great City is divided into three parts by which understand probably that the Kingdome of the Beast shall be rent in peeces by fractions and devisions ver 19. 2. The Cities of the Nations or Gentiles fall by which no doubt we are to understand the false Christians that filled the visible Church all Antichrists reigne that is Papists and false professors for it is said that these Gentiles or Nations for the word is the same should tread down the holy City that is the visible Church Rev. 11.2 Peradventer these two effects of the earth-quake are now in fulfilling ver 19. 3. Unto great Babylon the cup of God's wrath is given c. now shee shall be remembred and destroyed 4. Yea all parts of Antichrists monarchy shall fall Object Some Kingdomes are strong and invincible like mighty mountaines they will stand others are remote like the Islands they cannot be come at they will continue No saith the Text every Island fled away and the mountains were not found ver 20. nothing so remote as the Iland nothing so mighty as the mountains could stand And because this ruine of the Beasts Kingdome is one of the greatest things that ever did or ever shall fall out in the world and shall have the strangest consequents therefore the holy-Ghost is pleased after a description of the Beast and the Whore chap. 17. that we may know who they are the Beast to be the Pope and the Whore Rome The holy-Ghost is pleased I say to set downe these things particularly and at large First the destruction of the Whore chap. 18. then the destruction of the Beast himselfe and all the Kings his partakers chap. 19. after which followes the binding up of Sathan with its consequents chap. 20. and then the glorious restauration of the Church both of Jewes and Gentiles under the type of the new Jerusalem in the two last chapters In the next place let us consider such grounds and reasons as the Scriptures lead us unto why the Lord in the course of his administration and providence doth cause such great shakings of Nations before he doth reforme and refine his Church and we shall find these three in speciall First Reason 1 that he may plague and punish the persecutors and oppressors of his Church and so deliver his people from persecution and oppression I joyne these two together and we shall find them to be things the Lord hath alwayes aimed at in his concussions of States and Nations if there were a Church there Why did the Lord so terribly shake Aegypt but that he might plague the oppressing Egyptians and enlarge his persecuted people of Israel And why Babylon but that he might destroy the Babylonian tyrants and deliver captivated Judah These things the Lord Intended when he ruined the Dragons Kingdome the persecrting heathen Empire and which he now intends being about to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist take one place for all Jer. 50.33 34. The Children of Israel and the Children of Judah were oppressed together and all that tooke them captives held them fast they refused to let them goe their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his name He will thoroughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the Land and disquiet the Inhabitants of Babylon Marke here Gods people were oppressed their enemies held them hard as never minding to let them goo and deliver them no more did the enemies of God's Church now well who can help it B. L. in his Epist Ded. before his ans to Fâ—sheâ— they have no such strong assistance to back them for so one hath written Yes saith the Phophet they have a strong Redeemer what may his name be the Lord of Hosts is his name what will he doe for them He will thoroughly plead their cause and give rest unto them how will he doe that by disquieting the Inhabitants of Babylon it is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will disquiet that is he will destroy them Observe it wherefore would the Lord bring such a devastation upon Babylon but that he might redeeme his people by oppressing their oppressors That he may take away the impediments of his Churches restauration and namely these three Reason 2 That he may take away the scandall of great sinnes Imped 1 The visible Church is like a draw-net that takes in Fishes good and bad it so falls out often times that this Church is filled with grosse sins committed and permitted with blasphemy swearing cursing lying stealing Hosea 4.2 3. prophanation of Gods Ordinances and Sabbaths persecutions of the godly and all kinds of licentiousnesse open sins against the very letter of the Law and
first houre after they were risen for therein is a difference of many yeeres it being almost sixty yeeres from the first breaking of the Empire before ten Kingdomes were set up in it That the word that is here translated one is used also to signifie first we may see in many instances as in that for one Luke 24.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is word for word one day of the Sabbaths or weeke but is generally rendered and so the meaning is the first day of the weeke the women came to the Sepulcher Now if the Kings and the Beast began their reigne together so long since as abovt An. 400. plus minus then is the earth quake that is to ruine him and them also if they persist in his service Dan. 2.44 45. Rev 19 18 19. c. neer at hand Qu. Quest What reason have we to thinke that the Pope about that time began to be the great Antichrist Ans Answ For answer We are to know that there are two particular characters of the Beast as some Divines have observed out of the text the former the cause of the later viz. 1. Blasphemy for he is full of names of blasphemie Rev. 17.3 by which understand haeresie and Idolatry 2. cruelty for he is a skarlet-coloured heast and makes warre with the Saints ibid. ch 13.7 But both these flow from an higher principle which is as I may say proprium quarti modi and a more convertible character of the beast and that is his primacy or supremacy This supremacy hath in it two things that make it up one is a claiming of authority over the consciences of men and so over their faith and worship secondly the extending of this power to all Churches in all Nations I will not say that these two are the same thing nor that they issue both from one and the same root but surely this I may say they are neer a kinne have their roots not farre asunder because they are generally still found in one and the selfe same person That both these meet in the grand Antichrist will appeare First he arrogates authority over the soule so much I take to be intimated in those words of Daniel speaking of him Dan. 7.25 He shall speake great words against the most high and thinke to change times and lawes that he shall arrogate power to himselfe to change Gods lawes as in coyning and altering Articles of Faith apointing worship for God c. high words great words against God so the Apostle 2 Thes 2.4 He as God sits in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God How does he that viz. by Lording it over the consciences of Gods people as if he were God and thereby he deprives Christ of one of the principall Flowers of his Crown which is to have dominion over the Faith see more for this Rev. 13.5 6.15 16. Secondly the great Antichrist is to extend this power at least presumptively and intentionally where he cannot doe it actually over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations Rev. 13.7 It is Antichristian to claime such authority though but over one man or one Church It is more Antichristian to claime such authority over many Churches as the Hierarchicall Bishop useth to do it is yet more Antichristian to claim this authority over whole Provinces as the Hierarchicall Archbishop useth to do it is yet stil more Antichristian to claim it over many Provinces Kingdoms as the Hierarchicall Patriarch useth to do but yet all these do not amount to the grand Antichrist why because there may be a greater but now he that claims such soveraignty over all the Churches of the world is the grand Antichrist indeed for there can be no greater Now this the Pope doth yea that he may be sure to challenge as large a Dominion as Christ hath he doth not onely arrogate authority over all the world but also in heaven and hell where Christ hath power yea even in purgatory where Christ hath no power He that shall but looke upon the sentence condemnatory of Pope Leo the tenth in his his Bull against Luther will find this true wherein he doth not labour to convince Luther of errour by solid demonstrations out of the Word of God but mainly because his doctrine was contrary to the decrees of Popes c. He doth also charge and command all Patriarchs Metropolitans Primates Arch-bishops Bishops and all other ecclesiasticall orders downwards even to the begging Fryars and then all Kings Electors of the Empire Princes Dukes and so on and at last all men throughout the Universall world the very voyce proper and native language of the grand Antichrist upon paine of the great Excommunication that they doe not embrace Luther's doctrine nor adhere to or favour his person Now the Popes have challenged this supremacy in some degrees for above these 1240. yeares Not to speake of their claiming the title of universall Bishop nor yet their assuming the title of Pontifex Maximus the name of the chiefe heathenish Priest among the Romans which dignity many of the Emperours had annexed to their imperiall greatnesse which Gratian the Emperour first renounced about An. 380. and the rest after him they did about that time plainly arrogate and usurpe a judiciary power over the Churches To omit their authoritative excommunications some whereof had been long before they did then claime this Prerogative that appeales aught to be made to the Bishop of Rome from all Churches and he to give the last definitive sentence yea so zealous were they about this that An. 418. and 419. three Popes Zosimus Boniface Coelestine did in the sixt Councill of Carthage in which St. Augustine was present in the Cause of one Appiarius who had appealed out of Affricke unto Rome as many had done before not onely challenge the receiving of Appellations from all Churches but also forge a decree of the great Councill of Nice which had been almost an hundred yeares before to support it This was by the Fathers of the Synod indeed then rejected and the pretended Canon found to be forged and spurious Yet was this as a right by the Popes then challenged I never thinke upon these things but methinks I see the grand Antichrist as a great big Embryo swelling in the wombe ready to come forth or rather as a child lately borne lying in his cradle so that it is probable if not more then probable that between 390. and 420. Antichrist began Daniel speaking of these horns Object intimates that the little horne Antichrist that grew so great should come up after the rest Dan. 7.24 He speakes as it was in his perception and observation Answ the little horne râ—se with the rest but he did not nocdiscerne it Answ untill he considered the hornes as it were with a prying eye ver 8. and as it was in the Virion so it was in the accomplishment indeed he rose imperceptibly because the world mistooke what manner of creature he should