Island fled away and the mountains were not found Nothing so remote as the Islands nothing so strong as the Mountains but the Antichristian Islands fled and perished before the stroak of Christ the Mountains were beaten to dust Christ will not leave Papacy so much as a Mountain to flie to or an Island to hide itself in he 'l leave no peice of the frame of Antichristianisme standing in any part of the World And yet still he goes on ver 21. There fell upon men a great hail out of heaven every stone about the weight of a Talent and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail for the plague thereof was exceeding great Here is an Allusion to Ezek. 13.11 to 16. I conceive the genuine sense of the verse to be this Those ten Kings or Supream powers who follow Jesus Christ in this Expedition have Commissions or Commands from the God of Heaven though Rome be burnt yea and the great battell of God Almighty fought and finished to go on with their braining destroying judgements upon all those everywhere wo are found to have had any interest in the Popes cause or Kingdom in worshipping the Beast or any way been engaged for his preservation and defence They shall be pursued and destroyed with such plagues and judgements as that it shall be evident they are from God and that heaven it self fights against them to root out that accursed race to the last man from off the Earth I suppose by this time you are all willing and ready to set your seals to this truth that The Pope who is the great Antichrist and his Kingdom shall be destroyed with most remarkable destruction But now I know the first Quaere you l make within your selves upon what hath been delivered and desire some satisfaction in wil be that of the Disciples Mat. 24.3 tell us when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of their comming I confess these are marvellous hard Questions but I shall freely tell you my thoughts upon them I find the time of Antichrists reign set down Rev. 11.2 The Holy city shall he tread under foot forty two months also Rev. 13.5 and it was given him to continue forty and two moneths by the way let me tell you his reign is reckoned by the moon which rules the night to hint thus much to us that Antichrists works are night works his whole reign is a reign of darkness but to the thing itself Forty and two months allowing thirty dayes to a moneth for they are Lunar moneths I told you make up a thousand two hundred and thereescore days the just time of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth Rev. 11. or three years and a half First I understand these numbers of a certain and determinate time because every one of them is a broken number round numbers as we call them ten a hundred a thousand are put most times indeterminately a certain for an uncertain number but this is not a round but a broken number 2. These 42. months or three years and a half cannot be taken strictly for 42. of our months or three of our years and a half because as I shewed you before t is an utter impossibility that the Rise and Growth the Glory and all the business of his Kingdome should be compassed in so short a time Therefore Thirdly they must be taken according to that Ezek. 4.6 I have appointed thee each day for a year Every day in these 42 months being put for a year the whole amounts to 1260 years the just raign of Antichrist But when the time of his raign did begin confident I am there is no man alive without extraordinary Revelation can speak certainly and to a day and hereupon it is that all divines are at a loss as to a punctual certainty for his fall and ruin Concerning the time of the seetting forth of this Giant to run his course there are two or three opinions and I shall quickly tell them unto you 1. Some begin it as high as Constantine when he left Rome about the 19. year of his raign and seated in the East 2. Others place it as low as about the year 455. when Gensericus the Vandal took and burnt Rome at which time the Empire was broken all to pieces and utterly extinct There are a third sort who pitch it about the year 410. or 412. when Alaricus the Goth came and conquered and ransacked Rome Now they who say his 1260 years began when Constantine left Rome pitch his fall about Luthers time something above 100 years ago They who say it began at 455. make his fall and ruin 65. years yet to come They who affirm it began 410. or 412. lay him on his Death bed about twenty years hence It may be you will ask me my opinion amongst these Truly in a business of this abstruseness t would be wisedom to put you off with other mens judgements and conceal my own but I still finde that the sigleness of my spirit gets the predominancy of my Politicks 1. I like their opinion well who reckoning from Constantine pitch his fall in Luthers time for indeed Luther laid the foundation of his manifest ruin It is not unusual with Scripture to say a work is done if it be of God when t is but begun Revel 16.17 for it shall be as certainly done as if it were done already God calls things that are not as if they were 2. I think their Conclusion may be right who counting from 455. spin out his life to threescore years hence and upward but sure t is to be understood of that great battel of God Almighty mentioned Rev. 19.19 20. I verily perswade my self they who live threescore and ten or fourscore years hence shall neither see Pope nor form of Popery established by a law defended by a power in any Kingdome in the world 3. They most take with me who counting from 410. pitch his fall 20. years hence for about the year 410. or 412. the ten Horns or Kingdoms as Historians generally tell us were fairly appearing and surely the sixt head was going off at least if not quite off when some of the horns that grew on the seventh head were so visible The Pope must of necessity be before them for he is the seventh head upon which those horns grew it is said Rev. 17.12 They receive power one hour or as the Original might be better rendred the first hour with the beast But some read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not with but somewhat after the beast And indeed about this time the Popes shewed themselves openly to all the world and spake out what they wounld have that the censures of Bishops and all other causes of moment ought to be reserved to the Audience of the Bishop of Rome calling themselves the Father of Fathers and Firmament of Bishops When the Councel of Carthage in the year 413. sent and acquainted
Pope Innocent with their Acts desiring him That he would add his Authority his Answer was to this effect That they had due regard of the Sea Apostolick and of him who had the care and charge of all the Churches the very language of the Beastly Antichrist Rev. 13.7 So that at this time we may safely conclude him actually set down in his Chair of Pestilence and thence may as safely conclude that his Throne to wit the City of Rome and the glorious visibility of his raign and Kingdom will be laid in the dust twenty years hence In a business of this Nature you ought in reason make some grains of allowance to our guess possibly it may fall out three or four years either under or over and what will you say if it fall out that Rome will be begirt and burnt too about 16. years hence I 'le tell you what my opinion is built upon that of Revel 13. verse the last Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast His number is six hundred threescore and six Observe t is indefinitely called the number of the beast the Holy Ghost may perhaps speak much in a little two things at once thus that 666. is the number of the Beast his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and the number also of his raign expired that his Seat and Throne shall be pulled down and burnt his formall visible reign shall be at an end about the year 666. But in this I confess I have no man to stand by me t is onely my opinion which started up in me upon my poring upon that Text yet I have this to countenance me the Holy Ghost tells us The Earth-quake that must shake his Throne and Kingdome all to pieces when once it begins and for my part I am satisfied t is begun will be a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth so mighty and so great Rev. 16. And this may be some Answer to those who think there 's more work then can be done in so short a time When God sets upon it he will make quick work with him The Earth-quake being so mighty and so violent may possibly reach the Walls of Rome by that time after which Popery will have a being for some years Rome is burnt in the 18. Chapter of the Revel But the Beast and false Prophet with their Armies their destruction is described in the 19. Chapter as being I suppose to be done some space of years after I doubt not but there are divers of you who hear me this day that shall out-live Romes ruin and that your childrens children will most certainly out-live the great battel of God Almighty wherein both Pope and Popery shall be utterly destroyed But what shall the sign of these things be Why let me tell you Scripture hath given a sign of his approaching ruine and that 's the killing of the witnesses Concerning which I shall briefly premise a few things as First that they are not to be restrained to any sort of men for t is sayd of them Rev. 11.4 These are the two Olive-trees and the two Candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth In calling them the Olive-trees the Holy Ghost doubtless alludes to Zach. 4. Where Zerubbabel and Joshua the Magistrate and the Priest are in the vision the two Olive-trees in the interpretation the two annointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole Eaarth the witnesses Comprehended all those Magistrates and Ministers that have in any juncture of time out of a principle of Religion and Conscience for God any way set themselves against the Pope By Candlesticks we are taught from Christs own mouth to understand Churches Rev. 1.20 The seven Candlesticks which thou sawest are seven Churches The rest of Saints and Churches added to Godly Magistrates and Ministers make up the witnesses And we must needs take them thus for the Holy Ghost divides all throughout the reign of Antichrist into but two witnesses or Prophets and the Gentiles Rev. 11. So that all beside those of Antichrists Party or Faction are witnesses or are of the witnesses Secondly They are sayd to be two First In relation to Moses and Aaron who brought Israel out of Egypt to Zerubbabel and Joshua who brought the People of God from their Babylonish captivity So these bring the Church of Christ out of the more then Egyptian Babylonian bondage of Popery Secondly They are sayd to be two in reference to the legality of their testimony two being a sufficient number in Law to bear witness against him and so God to be justified in their condemnation as being clear and righteous Thirdly For their paucity those who witnessed against him were but a very few in every Nation in respect to those droves and innumerable Multitudes that followed him all the World wondered after the Beast though toward the end of their Prophesie they grow apace Rev. 14.6 7 8. I saw another Angel flie in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach to every Nation Kindred Tongue People saying fear God give glory to him for the hour of his judgement is come And there followed another Angel saying Babylon is fallen that is hath begun to fall since Luther and others have so publikely and openly preached the Gospel Bellarmine confesses that since we have called the Pope Antichrist his Kingdom hath wasted and been incomparably less then before the witnesses have increased the Gentiles have decreased but throughout the most of his reign they were but two very weak and inconsiderable was the number that set against him Thirdly Antichrist hath been killing witnesses all along Rev. 11.2 The holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two moneths throughout his whole domination hath he been been stamping Saints to dust in every age in every Kingdom but that slaughter of the witnesses the spirit of God so largely describes and points the finger to as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the indubitable sign or fore-runner of his sudden downfall I take to be done at one time and in one place It is notoriously known what our Prelates did in England how for a long time they set themselves against the zealous Protestant and by means of their Courts Canons Ceremonies book of sports new c. Oath they silenced made to hide in Corners drove into strange Countries Wildernesses thousands upon thousands At last there rose up two or there somewhat more bold then their fellows whom they took and made them high Examples off their Popish justice and cruelty cut off their ears and sent them to prisons far distant one from another How much they glorified and pleased themselves in this their Conquest you all know and doubtless this fact of Protestant Bishops for so they were called was an universal token to the Popish World that the day was theirs If Protestant Bishops say they have done so valiantly for Romes Interest surely the day is ours and
of Popish wordly powers they vanished and new ones came up in their place According to this Text must divers others be understood Isa 66. from the 18. verse to the end of the Chapter the Prophet Treats wholly of this Kingdom In the last verse he bids you look on the carcases of the men that had transgressed against Christ how remarkably and everlastingly they are destroyed In the 18 19 20. verses you have the Calling of the Jews and Nations of the Gentiles In the 21. and 23. verses you have the Ministers and Ordinances of the Gospel set forth and verse 22. all this called new heavens and new earth In the Margent of this Scipture there are divers quotations I would commend two of them to your notice One is Isa 65.17 For behold I create new heavens and new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into my minde That which God will do is so strange so mighty a Work that in comparison of Gods former Works of Providence t is called a Creation of new Heavens and new Earth which cannot be understood concerning the material Heavens and Earth for 't is a Prophesie of something to come that then was not but there was as much yea the very same Heavens and Earth properly taken then as there is now or ever will be there will be no change in the now Visible or Material Heavens Earth but the same Earth Sea Sun Moon Stars to Christs last coming Therefore the Prophet means and calls them new in respect of former ones as t is in the Text the former shall not be remembred Honoris gratiâ The Political Heavens and Earth as I said before of the Pope and Popish worldly Kingdoms these shall pass away and Christ shall set up new Heavens viz. a Heavenly King and Government over all the World Heavenly Officers to rule under him Thy exactors shall be righteousness heavenly Ordinances heavenly gifts and graces shall shine forth heavenly Pastors and Discipline and a new earth of external peace and external plenty the following verses of that 65. of Isaiah will force your thus to understand it The other Scripture the Margent quotes is 2 Pet. 3.12 13. Looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God c. Nevertheless we according to promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness q.d. though I bid you look for and hasten to the great day of God wherein all shall be set on fire yet nevertheless take special notice how that word nevertheless v. 13. comes in do not fear that you shall lose that glorious Kingdom upon earth that your hearts are generally so much set upon Act. 1.6 7. Lord wilt thous now restore the kingdom to Israel That the Messias would do it 't was commonly known and believed of all the Jews and by these taken for granted our Saviour denyes not the matter of their Quaere suffering them to go on in their Faith of the thing it self only gives check to their curiosity It is not for you to know the times and seasons the Father hath put in his own hands Fear not say Peter before the great and last burning we groundedly from a promise expect that God will make and give us in our Posterity new heavens and new earth in which shall dwell none of that base ungodliness the present heavens and earth of the Kingdoms of this World are full of but in which shall dwell Righteousness as t is Rev 9 8. He names the chief thing in Christs Kingdom which will bring with it all the rest I have spoken of to you If we that live now who have taken notice of the present state of things might be raised out of our graves and have a full view of the Kingdom Christ will set up everywhere certainly there would be no more spirit in us we should cry out here is noting of that World that was when we were upon earth we see none of the old Kings and Queens old Rulers old Governments old Sins and Sinners old wayes that formerly were all the old things are gone and behold all is become new Here 's a new King and new Officers new kinde of Preachers new Ordinances new Discipline new Saints new Church new State all 's become new Why this is not the World that was when we were alive behold here 's a new World that the Lord Christ Omnipotent hath Created Lastly This Kingdom shall be of no small continuance Surely Christ will not be at all this care cost pain to pull down to set up to make a new World of it and all this but for a day or a year Antichrist had a thousand two hundred and threescore years to play Rex in now indeed 't is pitty Christ should not have as long a Reign in the World at least It is not for us to know the times and seasons the Father hath reserved in his own hands But I le tell you what Scripturer saith to it Isa 65.17 he had promised as I told you to create new Heavens and new Earth and lest you should mis-understand this new Heavens and new Earth what they are he tels you ver 18. I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy that I mean but when shall this be Why ver 19. When the voice of weeping and crying shall be no more heard in her which must needs point at a time after the destruction of the Temple for then there was weeping and crying enough amongst them viz. upon the now so much expected Calling of the Jews and setling of them again in their own Land at which time ver 22. They shall not build and another inhabit as it had been often formerly with them they shall not plant and another eat but they shall dwell in their own houses and eat their own labours But for what space shall this joy and settlement of theirs be It follows Mine elects shall long enjoy the work of their hands they shall enjoy their new heavens and new earth a long time Rev. 20 2 3 4. The angel laid hold on Satan and bound him at thousand years and the Saints lived and reigned with Christ successively generation after generation a thousand years T is very likely this is a certain number for an uncertain but whether it be more or it be less questionless this expression of a thousand years assures us of a very long time Isa 60.15 I will make thee the joy of many generations not a few but many generations I leave it to your judgement what number of years in this case are to be accounted many the Saints shall enjoy this blessed this glorious reign of Christ for many generations But that which goes immediatly before is this I will make thee an eternal excellency speaking of the Church The word eternal here being to be understood comparatively to other great Kingdoms that have been set up and in time fallen must import a duration as great
as to the end of the World an eternal excellency i. e. an excellency while the World stands according to Dans. 2.44 In the dayes of these Kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people but shall stand for ever Dan 7.14 His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed But you le say how can this be reconciled with that Rev. 20.7 8 9. When the thousand shall be expired Satan shall be loosed out of prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battell the number of whom is as the sand of the Sea And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the Saints about and the beloved City hoping to make an end of them at once that the world might be troubled with them no more Where is the glorious Kingdom of Christ at this time shall it not be even broken and lost I answer 1. 'T is nowhere said Christs Reign in the height of its excellencie and utmost amplitude or extent of it should be everlasting we do not anywhere read that 2. A people Christ will have all the Saints will be his and be they never so few he may truly be said to rule in and over the kingdome of the Saints Earthly and worldly kingdoms may but none of the Spiritual kingdome made up of Saints ever was or ever will be taken from him 3. Thought the Devil turned loose deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth yet I do believe Christ will hold his own in the nation of the Jewes Isa 60.20 21 Thy sun shall no more go down neither shall thy moon withdraw herself for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended Thy people shall be all righteous generally righteous they shall inherit the land for ever Isa 59.20 21. The Redeemer shall come to Sion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord as for me this is my covenant with them my Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of them mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth even for ever To convince you that this place is properly alleaged for this purpose see Rom. 11. where all confesse the Apostle purposely sets himselfe to treat concerning the calling of the Jews v. 25. sayes he Blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israel shall be saved as it is written Isa 59.20 There shall come out of Sion the Diliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Jacob. And sayes God when I shall make this good unto them I will bind my self to them by covenant that my Spirit which I shall put upon them my word which I shall put into their hearts and mouth shall not depart from them nor from their seed nor from their seeds seed while the world stands I say surely the people of the Jewes when once they are brought in to Christ again they 'l not forsake him any more for ever which will be enough to make Christ a visible kingdome upon earth And when all the powers and policies of the world are united in this designed of compassing and so destroying the holy City Christ will not suffer his Scepter to be wrested out of his hand nor the visibility of his kingdome and dominion to faile and therefore fire comes down from God out of heaven and destroys them Rev. 20.9 whereupon the glory of this Church and Kingdome will revive and flourish again and thus his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not passe away and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed When we speak of the great and glorious Rule and Kingdome of Christ over the generality of nations peoples and languages as here we do of this we say only it shall last a long time it shall continue a thousand years it shall be the joy of many generations You see the Point I doubt not to say it is a sure and impregnable truth viz. Vpon the breaking to peeces of the Church to Rome the Lord Christ will reign and King it so so gloriously as he never did in the world before Vse 1. For application thus But little cause have all Gods people to let their hearts be sadded when they see the famous Governments and Grandeour of this World broken to peeces and laid in the dust Did they rightly understand their true interest it would no more trouble them then the pulling down of an old rotten smoaky cottage doth any man that a strong stately house may be set up for him in its room It God throw down the powers the greatnesse of the kingdoms of men it is that he may bring in the place thereof the power and greatnesse of the kingdom of his Son T is storied when the War began in Germany ann 1619. that a great Brasse-image of S. Peter that had Tu es Petrus super te adificabo ecclesiam meam engraven upon it standing in S. Peters Church at Rome a great and massie sone fell down upon it and so shattered it to peeces that not any word or syllable of that sentences was legible but only these Aedificabo Ecclesiam meam I will build may Church Certainly out of these Wars that are now on foot as I touched in the close of the last point out of the ruines and ashes that shall be made he will bring forth the most glorious Kingdom and frame of Government that ever the World saw Carnal Reason may say 't is pitty that such persons such families such constitutions should be shaken to pieces but I speak to those who profess to live by a principle above Carnal Reason above flesh and blood to you that profess your selves born of God Members of Christ Subjects of his Kingdom that profess 't is your everlasting joy to see the Crown set upon the head of Jesus Christ T is a hard Riddle to me that it should at all go to your hearts to see great but barren Mountains cast into the Sea that so the way may be made plain for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and for his Kingdom Vse 2. The second thus It were to be wished that every one would set themselves upon the stretch to hasten to bring on this Kingdom Set up that Kingdom in thy self which comes not with observation as our Saviour speaks that Kingdom which consists in righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 Let Christ his Truth and Worship rule in thee and over thee Lay down thy self thy name thy estate thy All at the
his Church Take it thus He that since the Apostles and first primitive-Christian times will confirm his Doctrine and set up his Kingdom by Miracles is the great Antichrist But the Pope and none in the World else since those times confirms his Doctrines and sets up his Kingdom by Miracles therefore the Pope is the great Antichrist Sitxhly Antichrist shall challenge to himself a Power over all Nations and Churches upon the face of the Earth in reference to Christ as being his Vicegerent Rev. 13.7 Power was given him over all Kinreds Tongues and Nations ver 16.17 He causeth all both great and small rich and poor bond and free to receive his mark and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark c. This Power the Pope assumes to himself and hath had it for no man in the World layes claim to it but he though the great Turk lays claim to all yet not in reference to Christ as his Deputy but the Pope doth It is Antichristian to challenge Power over the faith and conscience of one man or Church t is more Antichristian to challenge Power over many Churches as Bishops do t is a further degree of Antichristianism to claim a Power over whole Provinces as Arch-Bishops do t is yet more to Lord it over the faith of many Provinces and Kingdoms as Patriarks do but to challenge such Soveraignty over all the Churches in the world as the Pope doth thats the great Antichrist of Antichristianism And as one wittily saith lest he should wrong himself by too modest a claim for you must know he 's a modest soul he doth not onely challenge a Power over all this world but in Heaven Hell also where ever Christ hath power yea and even in Purgatory too where Christ hath no Power Mr. Fox in his book of Martyrs records Pope Leo the tenth his Bull against Luther where he charges all Patriarks Metropolitans Primates Arch-Bishops Bishops and all other Ecclesiastical Orders downwards even to the begging Friers and then all Kings Electors of the Empire Princes Dukes and so on and at last all men throughout the universal World upon pain of the great excommunication that they do not embrace Luthers Doctrine adhere to or favor his person Judge you now if this Language be not the very same with that of the great Antichrist Rev. 13. And let me tell you the Popes of Rome have exercised this supremacie for many hundred years Before I close this in hand let me in a word answer a quaere or two the Church of Rome are still putting to us Where was your Doctrine and where was your Church before Luther Why as for our Doctrine my Answer 's thus It was where their 's never was in the Scriptures And as for our Church where that was my Answer runs thus I. Our Protestant-Divines have abundantly cleared it to them that in all Ages there were some they have named the men and the junctures of time in which they lived that opposed Pope and Popery Secondly if we had none before Luther how came they to have so much work for their Inquisitions before Luther for their Armies against the Albigenses and Waldenses five hundred years ago and how came Thomas Arundel Arch Bishop of Canterbury and his fellow Bishops in the reign of Henry the fourth and Henry the fifth of England to condemn and execute so many of the followers of Wickliff and amongst the rest that gallant and famous Saint Sir Iohn Old-Castle 'T is strange there were none of our Church before Luther when there were its well enough known so many in every Kingdom apprehended and executed for opposing the Pope for denying and rejecting popish Doctrine and worship Surely all they may very well be reckoned of our Religion for they would die before-they would be of theirs Thirdly If by this they mean where was your Church visible t is a Nonsence quaere for Rev. 11.2 the holy City meaning the visible Church of Christ shall they tread under foot forty two Moneths i. e. all the time of Antichrist and Rev. 13. He had Power given him over all People Nations and Languages and all the World wondred after the beast T was an impossibility and inconsistent with Gods eternal counsel and decree that we should have a visible Church during the height of Antichrists reign It is enough for us that there have been two witnesses in every age Prophesying in sackloth against him some few haters opposers of him very closely and secretly you might hear of two or three Heretiques in a Kingdom or in a County but perhaps you should not know many times where to find one of them the Beast had so got all the World under his paws Take it in this Syllogisme He that usurps Authority over the faith and conscience of all the Kingdoms and Churches in the World he is the great Antichrist but this the Pope hath done and doth do at this day at least presumptively and intentionally he 'l tell you 't is his right therefore the Pope is the great Antichrist Seventhly The Holy Ghost hath upon the matter named him to us Rev. 13. and last verse Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred threescore and six As if the spirit of God had sayd 't is not over difficult to find out his name seing t is the number of a man a number that a man may find out or reckon Then he commends the finding of it out for a special piece of wisdom and understanding that so every one might be encouraged to set himself to work it being natural unto men to desire to be accounted wise In the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Romagnosh Romanus a Roman the numeral letters make up six hundred sixty six In the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the man that useth the Latine tongue so much the numeral letters make up six hundred sixty six You know no expression pleaseth but this ecclesia catholica Romana and the Latine Tongue Latine Bible Latine Service all must be in Latine out of this number says Saint John in effect find out his name that is so much for the Latine In the Latine tongue this Generalis dei Vicarus in terris makes up six hundred sixty six And to give him not onely the name he desires but the name he deserves In our English The Pope by superioritie is the divels Leiftenant the numeral letters hereof make up six hundred sixty six This number may be found in such names and terms as do rightly set him out in diverse Langaages But the Jesuites object that this number may be found in many other names We shall easily grant it may without weakning what hath been delivered for they can bring no other name to whom all the other properties of Antichrist do agree The Holy Ghost doth not send us here barely to
Elizabeth and to give her her just praise made some encrease or improvement of King Edwards Reformation but yet for all that if the real truth might be spoken out Rome and England were still fast tied together by the tails of Episcopacy Ceremonies and form of worship the waters whereof swelled high in King James time and became a Land flood all over the three Nations after his decease drowning some carrying others full Tyde back again to Rome I 'le tell you if you 'l hear me with meekness and patience of spirit what satisfies me that he fell for the Popish Antichristian Interest which if well understood Peoples spirits would more acquiesce in his fall then now they do 1. There was this upon his account the profanation of the Lords day by a Law I mean by that wretched book of ungodly Sports and Liberties The day which our Lord Christ and the reformed Laws of the Land had set apart for all sorts of People to have studied the Scriptures encreased their Spiritual knowledge and their faith against all false Doctrine and Worship and for the People to be authorized and instigated by the edict of a King to gaming sporting mixt danceing on that day as you know they were what could the Pope himself had be been in England considering the state of the Nation have done more or been more Popishly politique for the undermining for the undoing of our religion as the best and speediest means of ushering in his own Had the Sabbath taken its name according to his desire in that edict it might rather have been called Dies Daemoniacus then Dominicus the Divels day then the Lords day Secondly Never was any man a more stiff upholder of Episcopacy then he was which indeed is nothing else but the Popes Supremacy only under another name multiplied or broken into so many peices everyone whereof hath the form and nature of the whole Was not every Bishop in his Diocess a little Pope lording over both the flock his co-presbyters This peice of Popery he held fast to his dying day Thirdly He suffered the Bishops so to mannage and improve the reliques of Rome in this Kingdom the whole rabble of Ceremonies Calvin called them tolerabiles ineptiae by give me leave as wofull experience hath taught to call them intolerabiles ineptiae intolerale fooleries I say to improve them so to the Popish interest that many hundred precious witnesses of Jesus Christ were imprisoned persecuted forced into strange Countries yea many of them to take up their dwellings in a Wilderness amongst wild beast and more savage men Nay some blood was shed in a publike and juridicial way by Gallio cared for none of these things stood an idle unconcernd spectator I fear I am too benignus interpres more favourable to him as to this particular then he deserved We use to say you know qui non vetat peccare c. He that doth not forbid yea suppress sin when he 's able commands it Fourthly There was Masse and Masse Priests Idols and the worship of the Beast I might say of divels for so Saint Iohn speaks Rev 9.20 set up by conjugal promise and Covenant and accordingly kept and observed I mean the French Court amongst us from whence went no small animation and protection to Priests and Popery clean throughout the Kingdoms Fifthly I cannot but lay at his door that new common prayer book that had first been at Rome I have had it from some of deep inspection into State-affairs and was there confirmed by the Popes own hand and then sent by that Arch-prelate into Scotland about fourteen years ago Their throats being too narrow to swallow it they were presently proclaimed Rebells in all the parish Churches and Chappels in England proclaimed Rebells Observe the King was affronted and disobayed in their rejection of it VVhereupon an Army was raised against them thinking to have forced that English Mass upon them but at Barwick God gave him the Check Sixthly His arming Papists by Proclamation to destroy his Parliament of England and his making peace with the Irish rebels and proclaiming them his good Catholike Subjects what other language could have come out of the Popes own mouth Thus he openly professedly joyned interest with the Antichristian Party You may be sure Papists in both Kingdoms would never have run the hazzard of their Lives and Estates with him in so desperate a war but that they well saw and knew if the day were his whereof they made no question how to make no small advantage to themselves against the true Protestant yea and had promises and assurances thereof from him Seventhly That title of Defender of the faith for which I know I shall be much wondred at was found upon him as likewise upon his Predecessors First He for his part had been a sorry defender of godly zealous Protestants the Lord knows from first to last Secondly that it is a Mark set upon the Kings of England by the Popes own hand is better known then can be denyed King Henry the eighth wrote a book against Luther I have seen it he inflicted death upon diverse that owned Gospel light and disclaimed Popery whereupon the Pope sent him this Title Defender of the faith with a great sword to slaughter indeed the true servants of Jesus Christ Let any man judge whether this was not a mark of the Beast upon him and t was ambitiously derived one from another King Edward and and Queen Elizabeth should have cast off this as soon and as zealously any of the rest I remember Luther says in one place That if the Pope as Pope should command him to read the Scripture or preach to the People he would not therefore do it Christ would not suffer the divels to call him the Son of God though indeed he were so yea he would not own his own name and Titles out of their mouth he took it as no honor at all to him Thus our Kings when this Title came to them from the Pope they should have thrown his title at his face again and told him that God had given them the civil sword which they would not bear in vain but zealously and constantly defend the true Gospel faith of Jesus Christ without his command and for his Title they looked upon it as no honor at all to them but a dangerous dishonour Well now that Christ is gone forth to make Inquisition not onely for Popery it self but even for the least dregs of it in all places of the world this mark of the Beast also was found upon him yea and actions tending to the Popes mind and sense upon it Where Christ finds the least signes or marks of the Beast such shall certainly feel his wrath much more cause had Christ to pour out a Vial of wrath and justice on him upon whom so much of Antichrist and his Interest was manifestly found and if one Instrument will not do it another shall I am perswaded
perfect Victory is got Now let me shew you but very briefly how the Circumstances of that Providence stand in joynt with the Text both the thing itself and the sequeles of it For the thing itself First The Beast set upon them when they had finished their testimonie ver 7. The strictest sense may not be put upon this for when they have quite finished their testimony the beast will be absolutely ruined he and they being contemporaries Rev. 11.2.3 they both begin and end together else Christ should have none to be for him during some part of Antichrists raign therefore it must be understood when they were about to finish their testimony had brought it almost to a period because the Beasts raign and Kingdom was come almost to a period This war is to be when Antichrist is near upon his fall may it not then be looked for in our time when he is grown so old and gray-headed of his 1260. years having run up a 1240. or little less Seeing that from Daniel Paul and the Apostle Iohn we understand the ruine of the man of sin to fall into the lap of the Century wherin we live the more safely may any man conclude that what hath fallen out in our times may be the killing of the witnesses and signal token of his ruine It consists well enough with the Text for the time wherein the Witnesses are to be killed Secondly The text well looked into and considered doth clearly give it to be not a bloody but mystical or civil slaughter ver 7. compared with verse 11. their resurrection is not a proper but a civil or Mystical resurrection as shall anon be made good therefore it must needs follow to those who love not to be contentious that such also must be their death there being still the same reason of Opposites turned out of their places silenced disabled from speaking moving or acting in a publike way but thus we know the men spoken of were killed and lay dead Thirdly They thus lay dead the text saith In the street of the great City which is spiritually called Sodom Egypt where also our Lord was crucified ver 8. Rome is elegantly here described to be Sodom for uncleanness Egypt for idolatry Jerusalem for murther Oh Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets c. It is called the great City as being made up of its ten Kingdoms and in the street t is not streets but in the street or in that Kingdom where they shall be killed there they shall lie that whole Kingdom or dominion being a street of the great City so made up whereto agrees the slaughter of these men being killed in one place which then was within Romes boundary and that in divers respects Fourthly In the street they lay unburied they were not suffered to be put in graves ver 9. this also must be expounded mystically those that are put in graves are out of every ones eye these dead men their friends were not suffered to afford them graves that is to allow them any harbour or hiding place all must shut them out of doores but they lay there where their Enemies might feed and glut their eye upon their miseries Fifthly They were in this condition for the space of three dayes and a half ver 9. Which being a broken number do certainly point out a determinate time neither can they be taken strictly for three natural days and a half for in that time the news of their killing could not be sent throughout the Antichristian World and what space were that to congratulate and solace themselves and one another in the slaughter of them and besides how litle is half a day perceived in such feasting and jocand solemnity and therefore they must be understood prophetically three days and a half for three years and a half and t is well known that these men were under the bands of Confinement or power of their civil death just so long neither more nor less three years and a half a die ad diem Sixthly It is sayd They that dwell upon the Earth shall rejoyce over them make merry and send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the Earth ver 10. All the witnesses did torment them but these last especially whom having conquered and killed the Popish Prelatical party please and content themselves in this Conquest exceedingly as those of old upon their Pompous Solemnities and Feasting dayes did use to do they made merry and sent gifts to which the Holy-Ghost here alludes and says they rejoyced over them observe rejoyced over them for they had these men still in their clutches Seventhly At the end of the forementioned time the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they stagger up again ver 11. God by unexpected means did loose the bands of their death they are suspended no longer silenced no longer kept in Antichristian clutches no longer and after three years and an half through a principle of life from God bestowed upon them they get upon their feet again even those same men that were killed had the space of their lying dead been an Age or 2. or 3. Ages I should have sought this Resurrection in their Successors or men of such like Spirits risen up after them but it being but three years and a half I can easily believe that those same numerical men that were silenced suspended and so killed might have their suspensions taken off their mouths opened and they set upon their feet to Prophesie again and so 't was a Mystical or Civil Resurrection Eightly They heard a voice from heaven saying come up hither The Decree or Vote of Parliament calling them out of their low and dead condition into Liberty Freedom to a competent Maintenance and comfortable Estate wherein they also protected them in the sight and spight of Antichrist and all their enemies so that they were as secure from those that had lately killed them as if they had been taken up into heaven it self Ninthly They ascended up to heaven in a cloud Heb. 12.1 There a multitude of Believers are called a cloud of witnesses When these men returned from their imprisonment 't was wonderfull to see what a cloud of witnesses they were accompanied withall rejoycing greatly at this their unexpected and happy Freedom every one helping and lifting them up into their Heaven what they could Tenthly Their enemies beheld all this but could not hinder it and great fear fell upon them As easily apprehending that being tormented with them before they should be now much more plagued by them for the late injury done them to say nothing of old quarrels and besides a fresh and more full supply of the Spirit of God was come upon them and now are days fear swallows up and devours their whole three years joy and more so that there is no sign left of it amongst them You perceive how this piece of Providence agrees with the Text in all the joynts
Kinreds of the Earth shall wail because of him even so Amen That this cannot be meant of the day of Judgement is evident because the mourning here spoken of is a penitential mourning and is taken out of Zach. 12.10 at the last day all the Saints shall rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory all the wicked shall be hardned in impenitency and though they may howl over their own misery yet not mourn after Christ there will be no penitential mourning in that day and therefore Christ will appear in the clouds before that day and every eye shall see him especially the people of the Jews I could give you other Scriptures that speak to the same effect But yet these as express as they are with the rest which look that way are not fully convicing as I conceive for 1. I find often in Scripture what 's carried on by Instruments ascribed to God as if the had done it personally without the use of any such Instruments Rev. 16.456 The third Angle poured out his Vial upon the Rivers and Fountains of Waters and they became blood and they say unto God Thou art righteous O Lord who hast judged thus and thou hast given them blood to drink All grant that this Vial was poured out as were also all the rest by men holy and spiritual men yet they speak to God and say thou hast judged thus thou hast given them blood to drink 1 Chron 16.13 Let the heavens be glad and let the Earth rejoyce and let men say among the Nations the Lord reigneth ver 33. The Trees of the Wood shall sing out at the presence of the Lord because he cometh to judge the Earth Ps 22.28 The Kingdom is the Lords and he is governour among the Nations Isai 33.22 The Lord is our judge the Lord in our Law-giver the Lord is our King but none of all this immediately by himself or personally but in the use of Instruments So that thought it be sayd he shall destroy Antichrist with the brightness of his coming at which time also he 'l set up his Kingdom and raign yet may it well enough be understood of a coming in those ten Kings or Supreme powers that Scripture saith shall hate the whore and burn her flesh with fire and he may as well set up his kingdome and reign also in and by them and such like 2. How can a circumscribed body as Christ hath be personally visibly in all and every of his kingdoms at once When he shall reign visibly personally on mount Sion or at Jerusalem he cannot at the same time reign personally and visibly here in this Nation but must rule it and all others by his Deputies therefore t is safer to let him keep his place at Gods right hand in heaven then bring him down to sway an earthly scepter seeing he may do it in his Spirit by some special Instruments and comparatively in respect of those he hath formerly ruled in it may be said that Christ himself reigns not personally upon earth but after so eminent and wonderfull a manner in certain select servants as he never reigned in the world before 3. Christ will usher in his kingdome with the most glorious conquests over earthly powers that ever were known I have spoken much to this already it was the subject of the last point yet for method sake give me leave to speak a word to it here Rev. 6.12 to the end I beheld when he opened the sixth seale and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of haire and the moon became as blood and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as figtree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when t is rolled together and every mountain and Island were moved out of their places And the Kings of the earth and the great men and rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every freeman hid themselvs in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand The most and best reformed Expositors do with one mouth tell us that upon the opening of the sixth Seale Christ in Constantine did pull down Heathenisme set up Christianisme and the victories were so great so terrible that by their description you would think them to be the end of the world The terrors of Jesus Christ were so upon the spirits of Kings Captains mighty men as that had the earth shaken under them the mountains and Islands moved out of their places had the sun turned to darknesse the moon to blood stars fallen from heaven had heaven and earth come together and the world been at an end there could not have been greater feares greater outcries to the rocks and mountains to be hid from the wrath of the Lamb some poysoning some hanging some drowning themselves some flying and fell by the sword all at their wits end Thus Christ set up Christianity by Constantine But as I shewed you at large it soon degenerated into Antichristianism or Papacie the most Politique and strongest consitution against Christ that ever any was the very foundation-stones whereof the must and will pluck up that so he may build up himself a sure throne and kingdome But you will say 'T is impossible Christ should bring in his worship and kingdome with greater and more terrible conquests over the Kings of the earth then those he got over the Heathenish powers Let me tell you Nothing is impossible to the Lord God omnipotent He tels us he 'll bring in his Reign with far greater Rev. 16 17.18 When the seventh Angel poured out his Vial into the aire there were voices and thunderings and lightenings and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon earth so mighty an earthquake and so great To the same purpose understand that of Dan 12.1 At that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered These matchlesse troubles should be at that time when Daniels people the Jewes all the twelve Tribes that are now lost in the dust should be sound out and delivered which Scripture tels us in places enough shall be upon the breaking of Antichrist Dan. 2.44 And in the dayes of these Kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdome which shall break in peeces all these kingdomes i. e. all these kingdoms of the world putting all rule and authority that is carnal and stands in opposition to this designes under his
found to pretend to be wholy for Christ and yet in every thing he crosseth and opposeth Christ therefore the Pope is the man of sin the true and great Antichrist Fourthly Saint John Rev. 13. having described the Roman State under six of its heads or Governments ver 11. he brings forth the last head viz. Antichrist that beast by himself of him he saith He had two horns like a Lamb spake like a Dragon and exercised the power of the first beafi that was before him How this Description agrees to the Pope you shall see 1. He hath two horns like a Lamb two horns in his Miter two Keys in his hand a twofold Power Sacred and Secular Spiritual and Temporal as being both King and Priest of the Church Boniface the eighth in the year one thousand three hundred who instituted the first Iubile came out one day in his Pontifical habit the next day in his Robes imperial having two swords carried before him he caused the Herald to cry Ecce duo glady behold two Swords he might as well have caused him to have cried Ecce duo cornua Antichristi behold the two horns of Antichrist Secondly as like a Lamb as he looks yet he hath the Dragons tongue in his mouth he speaks like a Dragon i. e. like a raging Devil swelling words of great terror Rev. 13.5 There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies He. speaks on this wise whosoever will not worship the beast and his Image and receive his mark in their hand or forehead they shall not buy nor sell they shall be killed he will shut heaven against them and pass sentence of Damnation upon them they shall go to Hell That furious Dragon the Devil speaks nothing but terror to Saints hath the Pope a good word for any that do truly fear God He calls them Heretiques he thunders out his Bulls and Excommunications against them he speaks nothing but Inquisitions Blood Death Hell unto them Truly the Pope speaks as like the Dragon as if he had been spate out of his mouth John 12. ult Our Saviour saith of himself Whatsoever I speak even as the Father said unto me so I speak the Pope may take up the words thus Whatsoever I speak even as the Dragon sayd unto me so I speak Thirdly He exerciseth all the Power of the first beast that was before him Look what Power was in the hands of any or all the Roman Governors Kings Consuls Tribunes Decemvirs Dictators Emperours the Pope hath got it all to himself and hereupon is called the Image of the first Beast He hath brought Kingdoms and People under him as the former did Rules over them with as much Pride and Tyranny as the former did hath suppressed the preaching of the Gospel as much as ever they did is as great a hater persecutor shedder of the blood of Saints as ever any or all of them were Lives in as great sensuality pompous glory as any did that were before him So then He who hath two horns like a Lamb speaks like the Dragon and exerciseth the Power of the first beast he is the great Antichrist but the Pope hath two horns like a Lamb speaks like the Dragon and exerciseth the Power of the first beast therefore the Pope is the great Antichrist Fifthly Antichrist shall comfirm his Doctrine Laws Kingdom by Miracles Rev. 13.13 14. He doth great Wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the Earth in the sight of men And deceiveth all them that dwell upon the earth by means of the Miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast c. This none in the World attempts to do beside the Pope Heb. 2.3 4. Christ did sufficiently confirm that Doctrine Gospel Kingdom he set up by Signs Wonders and divers Miracles so that Austin long since said If any man looked for Miracles he himself was a Miracle And therefore t is evident the Pope hath another Doctrine Gospel Kingdom to establish and advance in the World that to perswade men to receive and submit to he must be put to the working of new Miracles Miracles are so in esteem with them that they are made a mark of the true Church and ours is a false Church because we can work no Miracles whereas indeed our Saviour makes them a note of false Christs and false Prophets Mark 13.22 False Christs and false Prophets shall rise and shew signs and wonders to seduce if it were possible even the Elect The Pope hath come as near seducing the Elect as any man did that ever lived And Saint John here makes them a mark of Antichrist and his Church so also doth Paul 2 Thes 2.8 9. Then shall that wicked be revealed even he whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and signs and lying wonders In Gregory the great his time when Antichrist was near to be revealed Miracles of all sorts began to be multiplied there were apparitions for confirmation of purgatory praying to Saints praying for the dead I have read many stories of their Miracles which here I will not trouble you with they 'l serve well for winter-tales Onely this one word t is sayed of Pope Hildebrand called Gregory the seventh that he would as oft as he pleased shake fire out of his Gown sleevs to the great terror and astonishment of the People Their own Historians tell us that above twenty of their Popes have been abominable Nigromancers who by their sorceries and divelish wonders have deceived the World so gaining credit to their way But it may be some will ask me what shall we think of the many and great Miracles that are amongst them I 'le tell you Those Miracles Papists say they now do are done with the Antipodes in the furthest parts of the world for my part I am resolved I will not go to disprove them I believe the most of them are meer fained lyes or else they are but mira not miracula as applying activa passivis may produce very wonderful effects sometimes the senses of men are bemisted add deceived as Pharoahs Magicians did their Spectators Many times the fancy is deluded they perswade some People they are possessed and then perswade them they are dispossessed but they do it by Holy-water Crosses Exorcisme not by the Power of the word as Christ did and Christ did cast out divels by day-light before many witnesses yea his very Enemies but Priests cast them out closely in their chambers in the night and will have no spectators but such as are their sworn friends Our Saviour did other Miracles He gave legs to the lame eyes to the blind he raised the dead to life but these can do nothing but only this about devils therefore I am assured there is some gross delusion or other in it But well gloria Miraculorum is their badge and t is most evident if Saint John may be believed t is a mark of Antichrist and
graffed in Well because of unbelief they were broken off and thou standest by faith be not high-minded but fear for if God spared not the natural Branches take heed lest he also spare not thee Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them that fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off Are these Bugbears windie Bladders Can these words possibly import less then that God and Grace were not so made over to them but time might produce a change both in Pastors and Church from good to bad from bad to worse and that if they did not walk humbly and watch to the keeping of the Faith they should certainly be cut off Thirdly Together with Constantines large Endowments and Immunities there arose abundance of Idleness Errors Images Superstitions Pride Affectation of outward greatness especially in the Church of Rome and thus she forsook her first Love and the spirit daily quenching yea dying in them they knew no way to keep up but by supporting themselves with a carnal and outward strength Socrates in his seventh book and 11. Chapter saith Now began an ill name to stick on the Bishops of Rome who beyond their priestly bounds have stept into principality This was in the daies of Theodosius the yonger scarce fourscore years since their low poor condition which Constantine raised them from The next remarkable thing we read of was this Philippicus Leo with some other Emperors after them not without the advice of Pratriarks and a whole Eastern Councel threw Images out of Churches as being decreed Idolatrous Whereupon the Bishop of Rome seizes the City and Territories about into his own hands makes himself Lord thereof which till then was Governed by a Greek Magistrate absolves all Italy of their Tribute and obedience due to the Emperor upon this goodly occasion Then to bear himself out in these pranks he takes upon him by Papâ—â—â— sentence to unthrone Chilpericus gives the Kingdom to Pepin and so made him his fast friend and Champion for by him he presently got all Ravenna and annexed it to the Sea of Rome as lawful prize to Saint Peter I must not now stand to tell you how throughout the fift and sixt hundred years after Christ diverse of the Bishops of Rome did openly contend for supremacy but were supprest in several Councels of Carthage and Chalcedon T was not long after when Phocas murthered his Master the Emperor Mauritius and then says the Historian Bonifacius obtinuit a Phoca ut Rom. Ecclesia esset caput omnium Ecclesiarum Pope Boniface obtained of Phocas that the Church of Rome should be head of all Churches From that time forward that Antichristian Jurisdiction and Supremacie grew still more and more till it became an overgrown Monster even to give Laws to all the Kingdoms and Churches in the World Fourthly It is said Rev. 13.2 The Dragon gave him his Power and Seat and great Authority The Pope hath the Keys of the bottomless pit Rev 9 in his hands the devil freely bestowed them on him and made him the great steward of his house his heart rests securely in him Fithly God made them Antichrist in that sense which he 's said to harden Pharoahs heart They not receiving the truth in the Love of it but holding the truth of God in unrighteousness for this cause God gave them up to what you have heard to receive in and upon themselves that recompence of their Errors and sinfulness which was meet Thus you have the cause of his Rise and Growth But haply some man will say to me Is not the Pope Saint Peters successor My Answer 's this That he is the great Antichrist hath been I think sufficiently cleared then whether he is Saint Peters Successor or no I leave thee to judge But for your clearer light in this point what if Saint Peter were never Bishop of Rome as for my part I verily beleeve he was not And because here is the very foundation of their Papacie give me leave to speak to it not doubting but I shall say enough to convince thee there is no just Warrant to make it a point of thy Faith that Peter was Bishop of Rome Whatsoever Bellarmine saith concerning Peters Journals for he speaks as punctually as if he had travelled with him from first to last hath no solid ground to rest the sole of its foot upon at all He says in the fifth year of Christs passion Peter was made Bishop of Antioch and continued in that Bishoprick seven years Then he went to Rome the second year of Claudius ibique sedem fixit ann 25. there he pitched and Bishop'd it five and twenty years Et ibidem vitam finivit there he ended his daies But that ever Peter was seven years Resident at Antioch for that 's required in a fixed Bishop and twenty five at Rome or most part of those years in those places he brings not one text of Scripture to prove either you have his bare word for it but who 'l take that for good proof in his own cause I wonder For the former of these we read concerning the Church of Antioch who gathered and constituted it Act. 11.19.20 21 22. ver 25.26 We find also who were the chif Prophets and Doctors of it Act. 13.1 We do not find in all the Scripture that Peter was at Antioch but in one place Gal. 2. and that in transcursu he took it only in his way Is here sufficient ground to conclude him Bishop of Antioch for seven years together I have stood the more upon this to shew you that if upon such slender grounds they have concluded him Bishop of Antioch for such a space of time certainly they will catch at small things to constitute him Bishop of Rome whereby their own turn is so much served Search all the New-Testament from one end of it to another and where ever you find Rome named if you find mention of Peters being there twenty five years or ten years or one year or one day then let me pass for a lyar Yea says Bellarmine 't is evident he was at Rome Ex eo quod fuit in Babylone in that he was at Babylon 1 Pet. 5.13 the Church which is at Babylon salutes you Roma autem in Apocalypsi passim vocatur Babylon Rome in the Revelation is still called Babylon his very words 1. Let God have the glory of his own truth out of his Enemies mouths Rev. 17.4 5. The woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet colour and decked with Gold and Precious Stones and Pearls having a golden Cup in her hand c. And upon her forehead was written Mystery Babylon the great the mother of Harlots and the abominations of the whole Earth All this then by Bellarmines own confession must be understood of Rome and the great whore or Antichrist is not to sit at Jerusalem as he says in another place lyars had need of good
that But further Suppose we grant a necessity of a Successour in that Dignity and Office did it not of right fall to S. John who was an Apostle and lived many years after S. Peters death The Apostle whom Jesus so loved Certainly if any one could have been found fit and worthy to have been left Vniversal head of the Church 't was he but Peter did not at his death confer it upon him willing the Church of Rome to signifie so mcuh to him and bring him to that See for surely Peter was acquinted with no such office much less necessity of such a Succession Whereunto add but this one word They themselves confess an Apostle to have been above any Bishop t is a truth more clear then could ever yet be denyed now how could Linus if he succeeded Peter in the place of universal Supremacyship but be above the Apostle Iohn and yet with the same breath they say an Apostle is above a Bishop But you know it is a Mystery of Lying Iniquity abovo admalum from the root to the very fag end of it But well In the last place the Pope will needs be Successor to an Apostle I confess I think he is but 't is to Iudas and my reasons are these following 1. The Pope continued a great while in the Church undiscerned a close Hypocrite but a real hater of that he did professe to love as Iudas did 2. He 's a Theif as Iudas was and bears the bag too I told you how he first came to possess himself of Rome and all Italy and presently after of all Ravenna just as a thief gets a purse on the high way Do I need to tell you what vast Treasures of wealth their Sorceries and Legerdemain of Pardons Indulgencies Purgatory Canonization and the like have brought them in yearly they make Merchandize of mens souls Vendit Alexander claves Altaria Christum and what is this but mear cheating and thievery Iudas you know was such a thief and lover of the bag that he grudged his Master the Oyntment the good woman poured on him the Pope t is the grief and vexation of his heart that a drop of mercy or comfort falls upon Christ in any of his Members 3. He is as perfect at Hail Master and kissing Christ and then betraying him in his Truths Worship Saints Discipline Kingdom to be spit on reviled crucified as ever Iudas was 4. Our Saviour calls Iudas the son of perdition Joh. 17.12 which very expression the Holy Ghost here takes up and calls him also the Son of perdition It is said Iudas went to his own place Act. 1. The same is said of the Pope Rev. 17.11 He goeth into perdition And Rev. 19.20 The false Prophet was taken and cast alive into the Lake The Pope in the pride and baseness of his heart makes himself S. Peters Successor but God in Wisedome an Justice declares him to be Iudas Successor and this indeed is the true foundation upon which the present Rome or stately Babel of Papacie is built Ve I shall now make some improvement of the point by Application and first be informed That as the Iews have framed a Messias to themselves so the Popish Clergy have framed an Anti-Christ that God never made mention of for the Descriptions they give of him when applyed to the True One are all of them most false and frivilous 1. One of them is this That the Great Antichrist must be a single individual person as the Article o e denotes therefore the Pope cannot be he for there have been many Popes Reader it thou thinkest there is any thing in this be pleased to take better information The Article o e doth not enforce any such thing Mark 2.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not Man for the Sabbath Luke 4.4 It is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Man doth not live by bread alone 2 Tim. 3.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Man of God may be perfect Will any one who is Master of Common Reason say that the Aricle o e in these places denotes an individual single Person Therefore the prefixed Article cannot enforce it upon us that Antichrist is one single man 2. All the Rulers of the four great Monarchies are set out by Daniel as if every Kingdom had had but one Dan 7.17 These great beasts which are four are four Kings whereas we know there were more in every one of them The last Beast or Kingdom had seven heads or Rulers seven Kings make up the first and they are all called one head and so one The Emperours S. Iohn moulds them all into one Five are fallen and One is speaking of government by Emperours The seventh head of this fourth Beast is the Great Antichrist and why should he be thought a single person rather then any of the other six As each of the former must be taken Collectively so doubtless must this be unless better reasons be given against it then Bellarmine or any other of his way have yet held forth 3. Jesuits themselves call the whole bulk and succession of Popes One visible head of Christs Church therefore give us leave to learn of them and call the whole bulk and succession of them that one Antichrist or one head of the Antichristian Church which was arising in S. Paul and S. Iohns time and is not yet fallen and tell me what single person can be head of a body of such continuance The second thing they fancy of Anti-Christ is That his Seat must be at Ierusalem T is needless to speak much to this can any man read the 17. chap. of Rev. where the Angel tells Iohn That his Seat is the City built upon seven Mountains and that hath seven distinct forms of Government and the great City which in S. Iohns time Ruled over the Kings of the earth Of courtesie tell me can any man understand this of Ierusalem was Ierusalem built upon seven Mountains had ever Ierusalem seven heads or distinct forms of Government did Ierusalem in S. Iohns time raign over the Kings of the earth or was it not rather it self in Vassalage 2. Whereas it is said 'T is the City where our Lord was crucified Revel 11. this will not carry it in their sense For first Let them reconcile this to the former description which I am confident they can never do 2. Antichrists seat is called Ierusalem Spiritually or Mystically as 't is also called Sodom and Egypt Erroneous Prophane Murtherous Ierusalem take it in that state or posture and Ierusalem was a Type or Shadow of Rome Antichristian Antichrists seat is at Ierusalem not Literally but Mystically 3. When Christ was crucified Ierusalem was one of the streets of Rome for there you should hear the fear of Caesar swaying all If you let this man go you are not Caesars friend You should see a Roman Judge Roman Souldiers a Roman Death and all Canaan within Romes boundary and so upon the matter Christ was Crucified at
so strongly support him The Second Viall Rev. 16.3 is poured out upon the Antichristian Sea In this God came nearer to him then in the former for the sea is above the land as t is the proper place of the fire to be above the air the place of the air to be above the water so t is proper to the water to be above the earth t is kept from overflowing all by the power of that word hitherto shall thy proud waves goe and no further Upon the pouring out of the first viall finding themselves in a decaying state they lay their heads together how to plaister their soars and heal themselves of the noysom botches and boyls that had lately broken out upon them and were so visible in every ones eye for which end the Councel of Trent was calld where all the streams of Popish doctrine Popish worship and discpiline were brought together the confluence whereof the Holy Ghost there calls Sea Upon this there did appear in the Reformed Churches men of most eminent Godliness and Learning who did abundantly discover this Sea of theirs both by writing and preaching to be a sea of blood the blood of a dead man and no better In the true Gospel Ordinances there is to be had the living purging saving blood of Jesus Christ but Popish Trental Ordinances were not such blood they were a sea of blood of a dead man clotted congealed blood polluting choaking killing blood this is the Best word God affords them and no marvell when the death of souls was all their operation and effect Every living soul dyed in the sea All those who contented themselves to abide and swim in that Popish Sea that had no other life but what was begot and nourished in the Romish religion dyed and perishd eternally This Vial turned their religion inside out and showed it to all the World in its native colours and baseness till this time Every one took it that it was the bad Lives of the Common sort of people and worse Lives of the Parish-Priests that were in all the fault their Religion in itself good enough but now t is made apparent to all that will nor shurt their eyes that even the Religion itself is naught and base and Antichristian all over And this was yet a hotter Vial of wrath and torment upon them The Third Angel Rev. 16.4 5 6 7. pourd his Viall upon the rivers and fountains of waters that is upon Seminary Priests and Jesuites who compass the earth to and fro conveying the salt of Popish Trental doctrines and worship to people nations and languages and they became blood the meaning is they had blood given them to drink Now to give a man blood to drink is to kill him They were executed by vertue of Queen Elizabeths Law enacted with consent of Parliament in the year 1581. as Traitors hangd drawn and quartered A Book entituled Justitia Britanniae was publised in several Languages to clear the Christian equity and justice that was in such her proceedings with them The United Provinces of the Low Countries come from under the Altar of Persecution for Christ and Truth 1. being freed from the fearfull Tyrannies of Pope and Spaniard took at her in the year 1586. and made a Law to the same effect against them That if any Priest or Iesuite whether Forreigner or Home-born should come into any of the Provinces it should be death to them being apprehended and so they said Amen to the Law and Justice of Queen Elizabeth Let it be even so Lord God true and righteous are thy judgements For the Pope to have capital punishment executed upon his Emissaries the supporters and advancers of his Kingdom and Glory could not but be a tormenting vial of wrath upon him as clearly speaking what measure he himself might look for if he should fall into their hands even he that had drunk the blood of others so freely to have his own heart-blood given him to drink with a Satia te sanguine take your fill of blood and murther The fourth Vial is poured out upon the Sun Rev. 16.8 9. Papacy is resembled by an Antichristian world where there is earth sea rivers fountains and a Sun shining gloriously If we take this Mystical and most Illustrious light according to their conceits and fancie then t is the Popes Supremacie in Temporals Papists will tell you The Pope is as far above the greatest Monarch in this world as the Sun is above the Moon and the several glories of the Kings of the earth are but lights derived from him Temporal glory being in the Pope as light is in the Sun But how is the glory of the Popes Supremacy in Temporals everywhere darkened and in many Kingdomes quite put out You do not not now hear in any of the Popish Nations of his Excommunicating Kings Deposing Kings and giving away their Kingdoms since Henry the 8. God hath exceedingly darkened almost quite destroyed that Sun of the Popes Supreme power in Temporals which hath been a scorching Vial of wrath to him and his Clergy and drawn from them sufficient blasphemies But if you understand the Holy Ghost speaking of things as indeed they be then doubtless t is the house of Austria or the German Emperour It is well known that the Emperours before the Pope set up his Kingdom of Temporal greatness were the Sun and glory of the Political world they being the sixt head of the fourth or Roman Beast were wounded deadly by the incursions of Goths and Vandals Rev. 13.3 But the Pope growing up to his height vouchsafed to be their Surgeon his skill failed him not for he quickly healed that deadly wound by setting up an Emperor in France and after that translating the Empire into Germany Taking things as they really are of a certainty this is the earthly Sun that shines most illustriously in the Popes Antichristian world It matters not whether the Pope will own the Emperour as above himself or no we know he set him up instead of the old Emperours or sixt head who were by all mens confession the Sun of the Political world and the Bishops of Rome but Stars Revel 9. God and Scripture have still made the supreme Magistrate in Temporals the greatest lustre and splendor of any State and therefore with very good reason may the Emperour be here pitched upon who hath been the greatest Light and Glory of the Popish world for hundreds of years The King of Sweden was the Angel out of the Temple who poured this Vial upon the Popish Imperial State as if scorching flames of fire had light upon them And here give me leave to insert a discourse concerning Kings I am not ignorant that he who follows truth too near the heels may chance to have his brains dashd out at least may derive a great deal of spight and odium upon himself which a politick wise man would not do but that of Solomon prevails with me The uprightness of the upright
shall deliver him I find upon search That when Christ is going in good earnest to set up his Kingdom in the name and glory of it there is a great hazard I may say downfall of Kings I shall make this good to you from four scriptures The first of them is Psal 2. ver 2. The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take councel together against the Lord and against his Christ This Peter saith was fulfilled at Christs apprehension tryal and death Act. 4.25 26 27. Herod Pontius Pilate the Chief Priests and others consulted and set themselves against him when he had but given out some hints of his Kingship This was that which stirred them up so against him Tell us art thou the King of the Iews And when Pilate was minded to let him go they cryed out He that makes himself a King speaks against Caesar whereupon Pilate went and passed Sentence upon him When there was but some talk that Christ would set up a Kingdom they presently band themselves against him and he dyes for 't and so they think they have broke the Cordes of his Government asunder as t is vers 3. In the 4. verse God laughs at them being wroth verse 5. Speaks that which vexes them Yet or notwithstanding all their combined powers and policies against him have I set him up King of Sion verse 6. And says God I will declare the decree thou art my son this day have I begotten thee verse 7. This was fulfil'd in his raising him up from death to life Act. 13.33 God hath passed an Eternal Decree concerning his Son That when they should kill and bury him he would the third day bring him forth out of the womb of the grave and own him for his Son and set him at his own right hand there to intercede and his intercession should not be in vain Ask of me says the Father to him and I will give the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession ver 8. As if he had said I will set thee in possession of thy inheritance which shall have the uttermost parts of the earth for its boundary according to that Psal 72.8 He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth For God to declare the Decree is to act it for Dei discere est facere When the time is at hand he must be thus set in actual possession of all the Dominion and Greatness and Glory that God hath promised him if the Kings of the earth did set themselves and the Rulers took councel together against him when he did but speak somewhat of his Kingly Office how much more will they do it then when they see his throne a building and his Kingdom a going up to the no small prejudice of their Interest Revel 11.15 17 18. When he begins to put forth and act his Great Power and do something towards taking the Kingdoms of this world into his own hands and reign then the Nations are angry at him that is they act against him in their anger wherein Kings are chief as you may see Rev. 16.14 16. But do they carry it no and thy wrath is come Rev. 11.18 Christ in his wrath fights the battel with them in Armageddon that is where he gives them a most remarkable overthrow and destruction which this 2. Psal expresses plainly Thou shalt break them with a rod of Iron and dash them in pieces like a Potters vessel v. 9. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth v. 10. as if he said look You well to your selves be his servants without Complement and rejoyce with trembling when he comes about this work v. II. Kiss the Son with kisses of Reverence kisses of Obedience lest he be angry and then a little thing will provoke him and so ye perish in the mid-way in the mid-way of your plots enmities oppositions of him for if his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are all those those Kings and Rulers especially that have Wisdom and Faith to get interest in him and be of his side those that have not the fire of his wrath will certainly consume them ver 12. The second Scripture is Isaiah 24. ver 18.19 20. Marlorat who professes to have taken the marrow and substance of his Comment out of Vatablus Luther Musculus Calvin Oecolampadius Pagnin c. hath these very words upon the latter end of the eighteenth ver pertinet autem proprie hic contextus ad Papistus nostros Christ in this Prophesie says he chiefly intends the Popish State Upon a following verse he hath these words ' hoc vaticinium proprie ad Christi regnum pertinet this other part of the Prophesie doth chiefly respect the kingdom of Christ he means his glorious kingdom expressed in the last words of the Chapter The Popish and Gospel-opposing World is here set out by the Earth as it is also in diverse places of the Revelations Rev. 14.19 Chap. 16.1 Here is mention of heavy transgression according to Rev. 18.5 Her sins are reach'd up to heaven The transgression is sayd to be so heavy upon it that the foundations of the Earth shake reel to and fro yea are utterly broken down fall and rise no more the same you may read Rev. 16 18 19. and Rev. 18.21 And it shall come to pass in that day that is in the day of the Earthquake that the Lord shall punish the Host of the high ones that are on high Who are they I take the next words to be Exegetical why the Kings of the Earth upon the Earth ver 21. The most of the Kings and high Ones of the Earth will be Engaged aganst him enough to make an Host whom Christ will fall upon and punish upon the Earth with temporal judgement according as you have heard when he is abought to Raign before his Ancients gloriously as 't is ver 23. If this Prophesie have been at all fulfilled it will doubtless be much more fulfilled in that day for Prophesies many times have a gradual fulfilling The third Scripture is Psalm 110. Sit on my right hand till I make thy Enemies thy footstool ver 1. Concerning those Enemies you may get some light out of Luke 19. ver 14. the Citizens hated him and sent this message after him We will not have this man to Raign over us and ver 27. Those mine Enemies which would not that I should Reign over them c. The Father speaks of those who were Enemies to Christ as a King Enemies to his Raigning When Christ had cast down heathenish Idols and Government Rev. 12. in all reason he might have expected in Constantine and following Emperors and ages to have set up his Kingdom but then upstarts the Pope that Beast with his ten horns or Kings who by their smiting and pushing keep Christ out of all Whereat to speak after the manner of men Christ
and creeks of it The like you shall see in the sequels of this business they are four all set down ver 13. The first of them this The same hour the witnesses rose there was a great earthquake A violent shaking of Church and State even of the whole Kingdom in the breaking out of these late Wars between King and Parliament there have been such Commotions amongst us as may well be called a great earthquake and it began presently upon the quickening or return of these men The second this The tenth part of the city fell Conceive as I touched before the great Mystical City made up of the ten Kingdoms that gave their power to the Beast and when one of these Kingdoms fell off utterly and irrecoverably from Rome by means of the earthquake then the tenth part of the city fell If you would know which peradventure the Greek may give some hint of it the Holy Ghost seems to lay a great Emphasis upon the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that tenth part where the last of the Witnesses were killed in so different and signal a way that tenth part that is so easily discernable from all the rest Et penitùs toto divisi ab orbe Britanni in plain terms England You 'le say was England but shaken off from Rome by this late Earthquake I answer it was in part but not wholly in Doctrine but not in Worship and Discipline for as I told you Rome and we were fast tyed together by the tails of Episcopacy Ceremonies and Formes of Worship though their bodies were loose and heads looked several ways Yet truly let me tell you this that in our times the heads were turning and looking one upon another with marvellous benigne aspects and were working their bodies together again as fast as such great and unweldy bodies could be moved There were such Popish Doctrines Popish Practises and Popish ordering of Church-affairs to say nothing of the State in most points and places that the Pope had good cause to assure himself of Englands return into the Bosom of the Romane Church But when the Parliament arose for Parliaments themselves rose from the dead you know how long we had been kept without them and at last a Proclamation set forth that men should not think of a Parliament and quickened the dead Witnesses Voted down Episcopal Government with all the Appurtenances of it and being forced to 't took up Arms resolving to live and die in the defence of those Votes then and not till then I dare boldly say it did England a tenth part of those Kingdoms that had given their power to the Beast utterly totally fall off from Rome that in reason they can have no hope of ever fetching it back again to serve the Popish Interest The third is this In the earthquake were slain of men 7000. This being a round and perfect number you need not understand it of just so many and no more for indeed 7000. is not a proportionable number for such an earthquake but it may be a certain number for an uncertain and in the earthquake were slain 7000. i. e. thousands upon thousands But searching the Original I finde That runs thus In the earthquake were slain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 names of men that is men of name men of renown the like Hebraisme you have Gen. 6.4 So in this Fall of the tenth part of the City were slain men of name note quality besides the common sort of People 7000. meaning of the Witnesses enemies some lost their blood and lives others their places powers livings livelyhoods and thus there were slain of noted Statesmen and noted Churchmen 7000. which in reason may be conceived a competent number in this late earthquake The fourth sequel is this And the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of Heaven Observe 't is not said the remnant repented but were terrified and indeed nothing is more evident then that an awe and terrour is fallen upon the spirits of those that remain and as Joshua exhorted Achan to confess and give glory to God so they are constrained it bursts out of their mouths fore against their wills that since the restoring of those men every Providence of God hath fought against them And though they speak evil of dignities and instruments as Jannes and Jambres did against Moses yet they will confess that this is digitus Dei the just handy-work of God upon them they have nothing to accuse God of for such his Dispensations to them Whatever they think or say concerning men and present Powers yet being terrified they confess and give glory to the God of Heaven Tell me now in the singleness of your Spirits have not Providences suted marvellous patly to the Text Hath not something fallen out in our days that may with more perspicuity of Reason be called the signal killing of the Witnesses then hath in any Kingdom you can name all Circumstances complying fully with the standard of the Word Confident I am that since the quickening and Resurrection of these men there can no Kingdom in the World be named where the Beast hath prevailed against the Zealous Protestant party so as it may be said he is yet killing Witnesses he hath enough to do to hold his own and in many places is apparently on the loosing sinking hand Wherefore if I may draw the conclusion it shall be this That which we all so much fear is past and let Antichrist and those of his Faction take what follows I remember what our Saviour said to his Disciples Mat. 24.32 33. When the Fig-tree putteth forth her leaves you uknow that Summer is nigh Likewise ye when ye shall see all these things know that it is near even at the door So say I to you When something hath passed before our eyes which we cannot in reason but call the killing of the witnesses and resurrection of the witnesses from that time from that sign know that Antichrists utter ruin is near even at the dore Vse The first use shall inform you of the ground and cause of God's thus severe proceeding with them A Vial of wrath is poured upon every thing that belongs to Antichrist and the latter still more hot and scalding then the former till he 's utterly burnt up and ruind by them Why it lies in this The justice of God God hath a nature that constrains him to give to every one according to their works but such have been Antichrists works and carriage that it is the equallest thing in the world that God should execute and pour out upon him all those fearfull things which Daniel Paul and the Apostle Iohn have foretold and threatned him withal He who hath made himself the Man of Sin God can do no less then make him The Son of Perdition as t is in the Text Rev. 18.2 An Angel cryed with a strong voyce saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen the reason is laid down in the 5. ver Her
sinns have reached unto heaven We commonly call it the See but it may well be called the Sea of Rome for the streams of all the wickedness of all the world have run thither and have there been swallowed up 1. The Apostle says of the Cretians They are all-wayes lyars Tit. 1. but of these he saith They speak lyes in Hypocrisie 1. Tim. 4.2 The very first rise of Popery was from a lye Hypocritically and against their Conscience they challenged Appeals in difficult matters to themselves and forged a Canon of the Councel of Nice for it which the sixt Councel of Carthage did with much diligence search out and found to be a very forgery a very lye but for all that they had the face to go on adding one lye to another till they had made up their Religion which indeed is nothing else but a great knot and bundle of lyes Their Doctrine of Merits their Doctrines of Purgatory Transubsantiation very lyes as our Reformed Divines have made appear sufficiently show me one point that is truly and peculiarly theirs and I will pawn my life upon 't I demonstrate it to be a lye a taste whereof you had in the first Sermon showing you his contradictions of Christ 2. There is the greatest pride found in them that ever was found in men Suppose thou hadst been at Rome this year being the year of Iubile but you must know that he is not such a proud and pamperd Beast now adays as he was in formen ages hadst thou been at Rome this year of Iubile but especially any of those Iubiles that were some hundreds of years before Luther and there seen the Pope arrayed as the Holy Ghost describes him Rev. 17.4 In purple and scarlet colour decked with gold precious stones and pearls with a Triple Crown upon his head set in a golden chair carried on mens shoulders his Princely Cardinals about him his Breaden God Crucifixes Reliques carried before him opening the gates of Paradise as they call them with the touch of his golden hammer great Ambassadors sometimes Kings themselves bowing before him and worshiping of him the common people begging pardon of sin and eternal life of him scarce suffered to kiss his feet I say hadst thou been at Rome and seen all this couldst thou have thought or said less of him then hic est ipse primogenitus diaboli this is doubtless the first born Son of Lucifer the eldest Son of the devil Pope Innocent the 4. Ann. 1253. in the 37. year of Henry the 3. of England being set in his Conclave in the midst of his Cardinals after much advisement upon a small occasion brake out into this language Annon Rex Anglorum noster est vassallus ut plus dicam mancipium qui possumus eum nutu nostro incarcerare ignominiae mancipare Is not the King of England our Vassal nay to say more our slave whom we can imprison at pleasure and condemn to everlasting ignominy Pope Alexander the 3. set this foot upon the Neck of the Emperor Frederick the first blasphemously using those words of the Psalmist Super Aspidem Basiliscum Vpon the Adder and the Basilisk shalt thou tread The Pope hath made Kings to wait at his Gate and hold him his stirrop I could have furnished you with many stories of like nature speaking aloud the pride of their Spirits says Basil long since Odi fastum istius Ecclesiae I hate the pride of that Church of Rome And lest you should think we speak out of Spleen and Envy against him hear what the Holy Ghost saith 2 Thes 2.4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped for that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God 3. The greatest truely and blood guiltiness lies upon them that ever was upon any T is impossible for me to convince you of the ten thousand part of their murthers Historians do generally with one mouth tell us in that one Kingdom of France 400. years ago they slaughtered ten hundred thousand of those godly Waldenses and Albigenses The Duke D'Alva boasted He had destroyed above 18000. Hereticks in the Netherlands in the space of six years In the first 30 years after the Order of Jesuites was set up t is found that above fourscore thousand were slain The Spanish Inquisition in the space of 30 years made away no less then one hundred and fifty thousand In the year 1572. was the Massacre at Paris in a few days space there were above 30000. treacherously and basely murtherd In our Queen Marys days in less then 4 years were consumed with fire and faggot 277 persons every one whereof it might be strongly presumed were true Members of Jesus Christ his Saints indeed In the late rebellion in Ireland to speak with the least one hundred thousand were murthred before we could get so much as one Breast-work against them And now by these hints I have given you can you make any guess at the number of those that have been slain in all those ten Kingdoms who submitted to him throughout the space of above 1000 years Certainly they do exceed all humane Arithmatick Rev. 17.12 13 14. The ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings these shall give their power and strength to the Beast these shall make war with the Lamb. The ten Kings of Europe with all their power and strengths were nothing but the Popes instruments of blood and cruely I may be bold to say it the Popes little finger hath been heavier upon the people of God then were the Loyns of the ten Heathenish Persecutions To shed the innocent blood of any man is a sin that cryes to God and will certainly prevail with him for vengeance how much more then to shed the blood of an Innocent Saint I am confident if one had shed the blood of a hundred thousand men that were indeed Reprobates and the blood of but one true Saint of God he should find a harder task and pull of it to come off with Divine Justice for the blood of that one Saint then for all the other hundred thousand there 's reason enough for it they being but Chaff Bryars and Thorns Dung Scorpions and worse then naught but t is said the death of a Saint is precious with God A Saint is a Member of Christ helps to make up that body which is the fulness of him that fills all in all is the pupilla oculi the very apple of Gods eye yea so dear to God that the very hairs of his head are numbred and therefore no marvel if he have a harder pull of it But the Popes of Rome have shed the blood of more then one Saint indeed no other blood rellishes with them Rev. 18. and last verse In her was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth A vein of cruelty bloodshed went down from Cains days even to the
and carriage and see what we contribute to this great design Christ is gone forth upon Do ye so dispence Justice and Judgement so administer Gospel-Ordinances Word and Sacraments so act your Faith so Pray so Fight as may help to shake out the remaining Vials of wrath faster and faster upon them There is never a man or woman in this Congregation but may carry the matter so as when Christ hath got the day and conquest may without lying or vanity of spirit say Through the goodness of God upon me I was a weapon a poor instrument in the hand of Jesus Chirst for the effecting of it when Rome is all on a flaming fire may say I was one that helped to set it on fire when Babylon is fallen I was one that helped to pull it down which if thou hast done not Jehu-like out of pride and for thy own ends but as service due to Jesus Christ and for the bringing in of his Kingdom doubtless thy seed shall be blessed upon Earth and great shall be thy reward in Heaven Vse 4. The last Use is to you who in reason may live to this great day of Romes ruin when you shal see the great Earthquake shaking their Politicall Heavens and Earth all to pieces and the greatest temporall glories now in Christendom brought down laid low and trodden under foot let it not trouble you at all for let me tell you those in Rev. 18. That shall tament her burning are none of Christ friends but carnal wretches and indeed his enemies Your duty upon it is of a clean contrary nature Rev. 18. you read of Babylon fallen as when a milstone is cast into the bottom of the Sea of the smoak of her burning and that in one hour she is made desolate saith the Holy Ghost Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her Rev. 19.1 After these things that is after Rome burnt and laid in ashes I heard a great voyce of much People in Heaven in the true Church of Christ saying Allelujah salvation and honour and glory and power unto the Lord our God ver 2. For true and righteous are thy Judgements for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the Earth with her Fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand ver 3. And again they said Allelujah and her smoak rose up for ever and ever ver 5. A voyce came out of the Throne saying praise our God all ye his servants ye that fear him both small and great It was one of S. Austins three wishes that he could have rejoyced greatly in to have seen Rome in her glory though but heathenish but I am confident were he upon earth now one of his greatest wishes wherein he would most please and solace himself would be to see Rome all on a flaming fire and burnt to ashes O quam pulchrum spectaculum And truly there is cause why you should rejoyce in it with exceeding great joy 1. When the Witnesses were dead in the streets you know what was their carriage Rev. 11. They rejoyced over them made merry sent gifts and God will have you to tread forth the law of retaliation as they rejoyced over your misery so Gods tels you t is an equal thing and he requires it as a duty of you to rejoyce greatly over their miseries 2. You know what postures they stand in in reference to Christ and his Church they provoke God daily with the highest hand that ever any did as I have shewed you they wrong Christ strangely keeping him out of his just rights they are the proudest enemy the cruellest enemy and enemy of the longest continuance the most hopeless of ever being brought in by repentance that ever the Church had any and therefore if ever the people of God might rejoyce in the downfall of an enemy you may certainly in this 3. Consider the sequel of their ruin which will be this A Kingdom that cannot be shaken as the Apostle speaks Heb. 12.27 28. and if the Text be rightly understood it speaks to this very time and business Out of the ruins and ashes these wars shall make Christ will bring the most glorious frame of Government that ever the world saw and let men and States do what they can it will not be brought forth till then but then it shall and can any Saint but rejoyce in that which ushers in those good and blessed times Scripture is so abundant in promising which shall be the subject of the ensuing discourse THE REIGN OF CHRIST By Ed. Hawghton LONDON Printed for Francis Tyton 1652. TO THE READER I Would not have any one think that I am able no nor any man now alive to set forth the so-much-expected Kingdome of CHRIST in the true worth and glories of it let it suffice if I give you some rude draughts of it The Prophets of old did speak very clear and excellent things concerning the Messiah his Birth Life Miracles Doctrine Death Resurrection and what was to follow thereupon insomuch that Isaias is usually called by Divines the Evangelical Prophet But when John was come our Saviour saith of him Mat. 11. He was the greatest of those that had been born of women meaning in respect of his knowledge of the Messias nay that he was was more then a Prophet i. e. he had more abilities to speak of Christs nature offices and excellencies of his kingdome then any or all the Prophets that had been before him But yet sayes he The least in the kingome of God is greater then John the Baptist After the ascension of Christ and descension of the Holy Ghost the meanest Minister of the Gospel was able to hold him forth in all points more excellently then John the Baptist was To bring this home to the present businesse We that now speak concerning this great this blessed Kingdome of Jesus Christ onely as Prophets yet not by any private spirit but groundedly from the Word may speak very clear undoubted and in their eares especially to whom this subject is somwhat strange and new very wonderful things almost incredible but when Rome shall come to be buried in its own ashes and after that the great Battel of God Almighty fought and finished and Christ hath his Kingdome actually upon the Anvil hammering and working it out those whose lot it shall be to stand forth Ministers of the Gospel then and be eye witnesses of Christ so at work of them it may be said They are the greatest of those that have been born of women in respect of their distinct knowledge of the Kingdome of our Lord nay more then Prophets men far more accomplish'd to speak of the parts government glory of his Kingdome then any or all the most holy learned men that have been before them who saw it only at a distance through the Prospective of the more dark and general Promises and spake of it by way of
Prophesie But they who shall be so far honoured and blessed of God to be called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb as the expression is Rev. 19. to see this Kingdome drawn forth in all the just parts and lineaments of it set up to the height of its greatnesse and glory I say the least of them will be greater then John the Baptist my meaning is will be far more able to preach forth the excellencies of that Kingdome in all the dimensions of it then were those who were spectators of Jesus Christ when he was but at work upon it Therefore Reader I say again since you ought in reason let it answer your expectation if I set before you only some unpolisht draughts of it The Church of God will have more knowledge of this businesse ere it be long Dan. 12.4 Shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased The context rightly under stood clearly gives it thus That when the time of Antichrists reign and the Jews captivity shall draw towards an end men and matters will be hurried to and fro there will be great stirs in the world but then the sealed Book will be opened the knowledge of the Popes ruine calling of the Jewes the starry lustre of Christs kingdome will break forth increase and shine more and more unto the perfect day Which is the daily and fervent prayer of Your true Friend and Servant in the Lord E. H. The Reign of CHRIST Rev. 19.6 The Lord God Omnipotent raigneth THe four and twenty Elders we read of ver 4. are the Representative of the Church of Iews and Gentiles arising out of twelve Patriarks and twelve Apostles The four Beasts there also mentioned are the Ministerial Embleme who are elswhere said to have the face of a Lion of an Oxe of a Man and of an Eagle that by their special courage laboriousnesse wisdome speed the work of Jesus Christ in its time might be effectually carried on in the four parts of the world These four Beasts and four and twenty Elders something they do and something they say that which they did was this they fell down and worshipped him which sate upon the throne that which they said was Amen Allelujah be it even so as God hath done and praise and honour and glory be given to God Two grounds they lay down for this their posture and carriage the first this that he had judged the great Whore which did corrupt the earth he had pull'd down Babylon the second this he had set up himself as 't is in the text The Lord God omnipotent reigneth There needs but little explanation of the words The Lord God that is the Lord Christ for Christ is truly God 1 Joh. 5.20 This is the true God as might abundantly out of other Scriptures be proved yea the next word makes it good an incommunicable Attribute is given to him Omnipotent the Lord God omnipotent he is elsewhere called the mighty God Isa 9.6 which is of no lesse import then Almighty or Omnipotent Reigneth i. he is King Why was he not King before yes but not so as he is now now he reigns to some purpose The words thus opened and relatively taken afford us this point Vpon the breaking to peeces of the Church of Rome the Lord Christ will reigne and King it so as he never did in the world before Christ hath reigned from everlasting by Gods decree he hath reigned actually since mans fall he hath reigned eminently since his ascension and mission of the Holy Ghost but he will reigne gloriously upon the expiration of the reign of Antichrist The wonderfulnesse of this Kingdome we speak of appears to us many wayes First from those Scripture-epithites and adjuncts of him and his then-government In the very text the Lord God omnipotent reigns Omnipotent such a rule and government shall be set up that all shall be convinced and say Nothing under nothing lesse then the Omnipotencie of the Lord Christ could set it up Rev. 11.17 Thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned then Christs great power will be seen in his reigning Isa 24.23 Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in mount Sion and in Ierusalem and before his Ancients gloriously You remember what I have spoken to the immediately preceding verses there is the great Earthquake v. 18 19 20. see Rev. 16 18. the ruine of the Kings of the earth and of the whole world v. 21. see Rev 16 14.16 the visiting and calling forth of the imprisoned Jews v. 22. the reigne of the kingdome of Jesus Christ v. 23. Take Sun and Moon how you will Politically for the supreme powers of the Nations or literally for the great lights of heaven the Sun and Moon will be ashamed of themselves and confounded as not being the greatest glories and admirations of the world When his Ancients the Jewes shall be fully brought in Christ will reign so gloriously as shall cast shame and darknes into the face of Sun and Moon If you say this Scripture hath been at any time fulfilled I will not deny it but affirm this that a prophesie may have a gradual fulfilling Jer. 31.15 A voice of an old Grandmother raised out of her grave was heard in Ramah lamentation and bitter weeping Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted because they were not This was fulfilled when Israel went captives into Babylon which will be undeniably clear if you read on to the 22 verse and yet when Herod kill'd the children upon his search after him that was born King of the Jewes Mat. 2.17 18. then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet saying In Ramah was a voice heard lamentation c. If Isaias prophesie of Christs reigning before his Ancients hath been at any time fulfilled much more will it be fulfilled in the day may Text points at then it will be fulfilled to the uttermost fulfilled gloriously you see 't is epithited A glorious reign Secondly Christ his then-mannagement of affairs the Holy Ghost sets it forth in such high language to answer the reality of the Kingdom as hath deceived many thousands as if it should be a glorious personal raign 2 Thes 2.8 Then shall the wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming The Lord hath two wayes to bring down Antichrist First He consumes him by the spirit of his mouth i. e. by the ministry of the Word ever since Luther the Pope hath been in a Consumption you might see it in his face The second is by his own coming the brightness of his coming some take it for a personal appearance to give him his deaths wound Rev. 1.7 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which peirced him and all
feet Many and mighty victories you know make a Kings reign glorious why Christ himselfe never got such victories over men in this world as then he 'll doe Fourthly Scripture sets it forth as the day of his marriage solemnity The Lord God omnipotent reigneth so my Text the next verse expresseth it thus The marriage of the Lamb is come and v 9. They who are called to have a share in this kingdome are blest of God being called to the marriage supper of the Lamb to a continual and the most sumptuous Feast that ever was You may be sure that Christ on that day will appeare in no mean royalty and glories which may be gathered from the description of the Bride for 't is said v. 7. She hath made her self ready araied finely v. 8. In Solomons time she was brought in raiment of needle-work nay her cloathing of wrought gold so the King did greatly desire and delight in her beauty Ps 45. But the Bride is described upon the fall of Antichrist at a higher rate Rev. 21.2 I saw the holy city New-Ierusalem coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband Not dressed with needle-work or cloth of gold things here below of the earth earthly but she 's prepared and dressed as if she had dropt out of heaven cloathed with the glories of heaven and this onely to fit her in some measure for the Bridegroom If the Church shall be so glorious in that day shal not the King upon the throne in the height of his state and government be more exceeding glorious in all eyes Fifthly His reign will be wonderfull and unparallel'd in respect of the extent of his domination Rev. 10.1 2. And I saw a mighty Angel come down from heaven and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth Earth and Sea make up the whole Globe thereby signifying that he would when time served take possession of all the world the power and majesty of his throne and scepter should be extended over sea and land Psal 2.8 Ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession Psal 72.8 He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth Rev. 15.3 4. Thou King of Saints who shall not feare thee All nations shall come and worship before thee for thy judgments are made manifest viz. upon the Pope and his kingdome Isa 2.2 And it shall come to passe in the last dayes that the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hils aod all nations shall flow unto it The generality of the Nations shall come flocking in as Doves to the windows First those Ten Kingdoms that had given their power to the Beast all ties all bands of peace and amity between them shall be strangely broken and dissolved nay such a spirit shall come upon them that they shall hate the whore and even burn her flesh with fire Rev. 17. This you must confess is a great eminent coming in and giving up themselves to and for Jesus Christ Secondly He will find out and bring home to himself his old dear people Rom. 11.25 26 I would not brethren that you should be ignorant of this mysterie that blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israel shall be saved as it is written There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Iacob I like their interpretation best who by fulnesse of the Gentiles coming in understand the fulnesse or most part of those Nations that had given themselves to Popery when then eyes shall be opened to see what they have done and then giving themselves to Christ in an holy indignation shall set Rome on fire yea quite destroy Pope and Popery this will mightily work upon the hearts of the two Tribes in time on the ten Tribes The fulnesse of the Gentiles being thus come in then all Israel shall come in and be saved as 't is written There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Jacob Now Iacob you know comprehends all the twelve Tribes for the twelve Patriarks from whom all the twelve Tribes descended came out of Iacob's loines Isa 11 11 12. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the Islands of the sea He shall gather together the dispersed of Iudah and assemble the outcasts of Israel from the four corners of the earth God had gathered them from all the nations from all the places whither he had caused them to be carried away captive once before as you may see Ier. 29.14 He had fetch'd them out of Babylon and out of all the Provinces round but this is a second time and he 'll gather together the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed to Iudah which since their great division 2 Chron. 10. he never yet did and make them one as you have it Ezek. 37.19.21 22. Thus saith the Lord behold I will take the stick of Ioseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the Tribes of Israel his fellowes and will put them with him even with the stick of Iudah and make them one stick and they shall be one in my hand And thus saith the Lord behold I will take the children of Israel from among the Heathen whither they be gone and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land And I will make them one nation and one King viz. Christ shall be King to them all and they shall be no more two nations neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all This hath not been yet fulfilled but will be in the day of Christs kingdome Take one place more Hos 1.10 11. And it shall come to passe that in the place where it was said unto them Ye are not my people as at this day we know it is there it shall be said unto them Ye are the sons of the living God Then shall the children of Iudah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head and they shall come up out of the land i. e. out of every land where they haven been lost for great shall be the day of Iezerel Iezerel signifies both scattered and the seed of God Great shall be the day of Iezerel i. e. great shall be the day of bringing in the scattered the scattered people Or thus Great shal be the day of Iezerel i. e. great shall be the day of the seed of God of springing up of
the seed of Gods people they have lain a great while under the clods as if they had been lost or quite dead but God hath a day wherein his seed shall spring up into a harvest of joy and all that see them shall acknowledge they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed as it is Isa 61.9 Thirdly after these the residue of the Nations shall be the Lords Zach. 8.22 23. Many and strong Nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hoasts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. And in those dayes it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the Nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying we will go with you for we have heard that God is with you That which was done Act. 2. will not agree to this Text for we do not read of many and strong Nations coming in then You will say how can many and strong Nations come in to Jerusalem at any time Doubtless it will be by Agents or Messengers according to Zach. 7.2 3. when the Jews shall send forth their Emissaries into all Lands to Preach Christ to them there shall go a great blessing a mighty power of the Spirit along that the hearts of the Nations generally shall be mightily taken with them and there shall be certain men out of every Nation and Language authorized to take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew and say we will go up to Jerusalem with you for God and Christ are with you to have the most exact and perfect Directory that we and our whole Nation may worship God aright Once Christ in his Rule and Government was kept within the narrow bounds of Jury then he stretched forth the arms of his power over the Gentiles first the Eastern then the Western Churches but the day is coming wherein he will lift up a Scepter over all the Nations of the world Dan. 7.14 There was given him Dominion Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him He reigns a glorious King indeed that is King of all Kings of all Kingdoms Nations in the Earth Sixthly Christ will then given his People more purity and power of Ordinances then ever the Churches did enjoy Take me I pray you in my own sense Ordinances as they came from the Apostles themselves were pure perfect because they were the immediate inspirations or breathings of the Holy Ghost but consider them in the hands of divers others and in the hands of succeeding Officers and Churches and what Errors yea damnable Doctrines were there presently found amongst them Which increased daily grew worse and worse till at last there came out of the womb of them the great Antichrist But when Christ shall set up this Kingdom whereof we speak there shall be no danger by any gross Errors or seduction by false Teachers Isa 30.25 26. There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every high hill rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall Moreover the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven dayes in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his People and healeth the stroke of their wound These rivers and streams of Ordinances shall break forth in all the Churches in the day of the great slaughter and when the Towers fall i. e. when the Pope and towring Kings shall be brought down Rev. 19 17. to 21. There shall be this wonderfull increase of Gospel-light when God shall heal that spiritual wound the poor Jew lies so sick of to this day when he shall bind up the breach that is between the ten and the two Tribes making them one in faith and love Rev. 22.1 He shewed a pure river of water of life clear as Chrystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Romish Ordinances were the blood of a dead man but the Ordinances of Christs Kingdom shall be a river of life most clear and pure ver 2. In the midst of the street of it and of either side the River was there the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every moneth and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Christ in his Ordinances will be a wonderfull tree of life bearing both all plenty and all variety of fruits free and open for every one to pluck and feed upon a healing vertue there is in the very leaves thereof the most outward parts of Ordinances will have saving efficacie upon mens hearts God will then send forth men of eminent parts and graces Obad. ver 22. Saviours shall come up on Mount Sion to judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords In the day when the Lord shall take the Kingdom to himself there shall be Saviours raised up upon Mount Sion in the Margent of your Bibles you have a parallel place put 1 Tim. 4.16 Save the self and those that hear thee q.d. be a Saviour to thy self others Obadiah cals the then-Ministers of the Gospel Saviours because their Gospel-dispensations shall be in the holiness power of the great Saviour of men the Lord Jesus Christ And there will be the most zealous and impartial exercise of Church-discipline that ever was to keep out to purge out both the prophane and the erroneous for which take two or three Scriptures Rev. 21.27 There shall in no wise enter into it i. e. into the holy City which comes down from God out of Heaven any thing that desileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye but they which are written in the Lambs book of life Not but that doubtless there will be hypocrites in the Church but they shall be so close they shall so artificially paint and varnish themselves over with seeming holiness that they may very well be taken in the judgement of charity for such whose names are written in the Lambs book of life but if once they appear to be defilers of themselves or others any kinde of way nay if they be but catched in lying if such offer themselves they shall not enter shall not be received if they be got in they shall quickly be sent packing again Zach. 13 1. In that day when there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem because of him whom they had pierced Chap. 12.10 11. There shall be a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness i. e. abundant streams not only of Doctrine and Worship but also of Discipline for it follows That Idols and false Prophets shall be cut off ver 2. And if any one continue to Prophesie or Preach lyes even his Father and Mother that begat him shall cause him to be thrust thorow with the sword of the Spirit or Church-censure such zeal and impartiality will there be
feet of his Will Set up as much of Christ and his Kingdom in thy Family as thou canst suppress sin in it as far as thy power will go set up Duties of Religion in it bring all under the power thereof Oh that Magistrates would not stand consulting chiefly what sutes best to the Interest of the State but what sutes best to the Interest of Jesus Christ and will most help on his Kingdom Certainly setting up standing by and countenancing in Spiritual Powerful Ministery not suffering Sabbaths and Ordinances to be prophaned and affronted good Learning and Holiness maintained in the Universities and other inferiour Schools Judgement and Justice executed without respect of persons I say doubtless these things would contribute much towards the enthroning of the great King of kings Oh but some man will say I am a poor wretch I can do noting towards the hastening this Kingdom you speak of That 's strange Canst not thou go into thy chamber or Closet and there lament the Antichristianism that is in the present Governments of the World tell God that he 's Omnipotent and so is able to remove whatsoever stands opposition to the Kingdom of his Son minde him of his many promises that he will do it Ask him if he should fail what would become of his Faithfulness of his great name Jehovah and then cry Lord let thy Kingdom come Lord how long yet Lord when shall it once be Be assured of it God may be stirred up much by fervent praying to hasten his Work You have a very notable place for this Psal 102. ver 13. to ver 19. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come Thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof So the Heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth thy glory He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. What shall be written for the generations to come what shall the People which shall be hereafter created praise the Lord for Why this that when the Lord shall build up Zion and so appear in the glory of his power and grace as to make the heathen and all the kings of the earth to fear his name he will therein have regard to the prayer of the destitute The word that is here translated destitute signifies arbusculum nascentem in deserto a poor shrub in the wilderness which every beast is ready to bruise or tread upon a poor shrub that is low and mean and despicable When the Lord shall appear in his Glory and build up Zion in its Glory he will do it in reference to the prayers and sighs and wrestlings of such poor shrubs as the weakest and meanest of you are and therefore says the Prophet Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence give him no rest till be establish till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth Isa 62.6 7. q.d. You that are Saints indeed and make mention of the name of God in prayer follow him hang about him let him not have a quiet day when argument fails yet importunity may do much till he have broken Antichrist and all the powers of this World that stand in the way of the Gospel till he have set up the Kingdom of his Son made his name great and glorious in all the earth You poor of the flock may do more toward this work then you are aware of Wherefore I beseech you stand fast in the faith pray without ceasing quite your selves like men Oh! but I shall not live to see it nor share in the joy of Gods People and glory of this Kingdom My Answer to thee is thus 1. If God take thee to Heaven before thou canst be no great looser by that thou shalt drink there at the Fountain-head of glory when those thou hast left behinde must drink but of the streams of Grace at a far greater distance 2. The News of this Kingdom set up will be quickly brought to heaven and spred all up and down there thou mayest as well enjoy the comforts of it there keep a day of thanksgiving there and sing thy Hallelujahs with the spirits of just men made perfect to Him that sits upon the throne 3. Get upon mount Nebo however and thence look into the Canaan that flowes with milk and hony setting an eye of faith upon the Prospective of Promises thou mayest bring it very near to thee and have a very clear view of it Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen v. 13. These all dyed in the faith not having received the promises i. the matter of them but having seen them afar off were perswaded of them and imbraced them Though the great things promised were far off from them yet by saith and strong perswasions of the truth of them they brought them very near so that they took them in their arms and saluted them as the word in the original imports Abraham though he lived many hundred years before Christ yet he rejoyced to see his day He saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 he could improve faith and promises to as much comfort and joy of heart as old Simeon did the very taking him up in his arms it applies it self I remember what Jacob when he lay upon his death-bed said to his son Joseph Gen. 48.21 Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you to the land of your fathers Thus when thou liest upon thy last bed thy children and friends coming with blubber'd cheeks and heavy hearts to take their leaves of thee thou mayest tell them Behold I dye but this is the support and comfort of my heart God shall be with you God will let you see the good dayes he hath spoken of in his word even from generation to generation I dye and must never see the glory of Jesus Christ in his Churches upon earth yet Posterity shall see it the Saints of God in after-ages shall enjoy the comforts the blessednesse of it and that 's life to me in the midst of death I rejoyce in that and glory in that with joy unspeakable FINIS Reader I Would have thee rest thy heart assured of this That the 21 22 Chapters of the Revelations are a Description of a State of a Church here below yet in allusion to Heaven Amongst many reasons which might be given for it take these three 1. It is called the New Ierusalem coming down from God out of Heaven And behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them chap. 21.2 3. The Church triumphant is taken up from the earth into heaven and the spirits of just men made perfect may more properly be said to dwell with God then God with them 1 Thess 4. Then shall we for ever be with the Lord. 2. It 's said the Kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it v. 24. Into the Church of Christ on earth for the further completing of the Churches happinesse We all know the glory and honour of earthly Kings is of no esteem in heaven can adde nothing there 3. It is said The leaves of the Tree Rev. 22.2 are for the healing of the Nations meaning the Spiritual sores and wounds of hte Nations But surely there are in Heaven it self neither whole Nations nor persons that stand in need of any healing whatsoever VVherefore it may safely be concluded the 21. and part of the 22 Chap. of that Book are a Description in high expressions and metaphors of the State of a Church here upon Earth E. H. * Thursday Lectures at Horsham in the county of Sussex * Ann. Christi 66. Ann. Neronis 11. In this as also in many other Prophesies Evangelical matters are clad with legal and old terms * Though under Legall terms * Some judgment or destruction that all must acknowledge to be from God