they are men be they of what religion soever they please their different sense should not make us to destroy them so long as they live peaceably amongst us as you know the Sodomites permitted Lot that professed not their religion and the severe Pharisees suffered both the Sadduces and Essaei to enjoy both their lands and their estates without troubling them for their religion and would you make the Christian religion more unjust and worse then these Sure none would do that but the great Antichrist that would hinder all to think well of the religion of Christ Therefore I hope your wisdomes and justice will be so far from confirming any injustice done by that long Parliament or their under-agents either to these displanted Irish or ejected Clergy or any others that you will christianly redresse what they have so unjustly done amisse lest the continuance of these crying wrongs here on earth do pull down upon us all the flying vengeance of God Vivat Rex currat lex fiat justitia ruat mundus from heaven Because the good God is just and loveth justice hating all oppressions and wrongs and therefore as I would not belie the Father of lies so I would not do any injustice to the very devils and let no sinister aspect bend you from the straight rule of justice and if you will not redresse the too much wrong that we have suffered already I beseech you confirm them not by any new lawes to make your selves partakers of their sins and to make us still to crye with the soules under the Altar how long Lord holy and true but let us have the benefit of our old lawes that were justly made and if you will not nullify all the acts that are without our late Kings assent or perhaps cannot do it because so many of that long Parliament are members of this present Parliament contrary to the desires of many yet let the justice of our old lawes still continue and we shall still continue our prayers to God that he may still continue his blessings both to you and yours which is and shall be the daily prayers of Your most humble and faithfull Oratour to serve you Gr. Ossory Gentle and Christian READER THis book as very many can bear witnesse was fully finished above two years agone in the time of Oliver the usurper and I was very ready then to undergoe the danger that should ensue the publishing thereof and was as earnest to have it printed but either because some of the things prophesied of as the reviving of the witnesses were not as then fulfilled or because of some fears which my friends conceived from the Governours that then ruled I could not by any means get it to passe through the presse but now all the prophesies that are any where in the holy Scripture mentioned concerning the coming and the proceedings of the Antichrist being fully and cleerlie fulfilled and come to passe as I have shewed in this book save onely one part of the last prophesie touching the resuscitation of the last witnesse which some suppose to be unfulfilled and the Presbyterians hope will never be as we explain it and we conceive it done or as good as done already when as Christ said to Saint Peter tu conversus confirma fratres so Gods prime and principal witnesse being so gloriously risen to the joy of all hearts he will do as Christ willeth him stretch forth his royall hand as Christ did to Saint Peter to pull the other witnesse out of those waves that were so ready to swallow them up and set them to the sterne of the ship again and then as Solomon saith spes impiorum peribit Therefore as I have been at all the paines in composing it so I resolved by Gods assistance and only for the service of Gods Church to undergoe any cost to the uttermost of my ability to publish it unto the world and to bear all the blame aspersions or punishment that either friend or foe publick or private can lay upon me for the same for I call heaven and earth to witnesse that I have long studied and seriously meditated upon the sense and meaning of the Holy Ghost in those places of the Scriptures that foretold us of the coming of the great and egregious Antichrist and I have often prayed and most earnestly and heartily desired of my God to grant me the true and right understanding thereof as who he should be where he should rise what feats and Tragedies he should effect how long he should continue by what means he might be discovered and how he should be subdued and at last utterly destroyed and I believe God hath now granted my request and that I have rightly and most truly explained those holy Scriptures that speak of him And if the presbyterians can give me satisfaction that I am mistaken herein I shall very willingly recant and be most heartily sorry for mine errour but if they be not able to demonstrate my mistakings as I assure my self the beast with all his power and the false Prophet with all his skill and putting all their heads together shall never be able to do then I intreat them not to be like the Galathians to become mine enemies for speaking the truth but to consider well what they do because God will not be mocked and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for my witnesse is in heaven that I bear not any malice or any the least ill will to any one of all the Presbyterians or to any other of the members of the long Parliament or their adherents neither wrote I these things out of any excessive sense that I ever conceived of any injury that was done unto my selfe nor especially for any hope of profit or preferment when a Presbyterian told me The publishing of this treatise would be my ruine but Paupertas orbitas senectus the no losse of Lordships the no infants to cry after me and the years of mans life which are threescore yeares and ten being already past in me long agoe and I being very ready and willing for causes heretofore shewed to under goe what death soever it shall please God to impose upon me In the Epistle to the Reader before the seven golden candlesticks either on a block or a gibbet or a pillow so it be for the discharging of my duty it is not a pin matter for a good conscience which of these he must abide Quia nec nobis ignominiosum est pati quod passus est Christus nec illis gloriosum est facere quod fecit Judas vel Pilatus For seeing my Saviour and my King were so served why should I think much to be so likewise used and therefore his threatnings could not frighten me from divulging the same unto the world and that for these four special ends 1. To do my best endeavour to bring the members of the beast and the false Prophet
I refer it to any mans judgement I know the Pope challengeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as great authority as can be imagined but whether he hath this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a militarie Force of gold and filver men and munition so plentifull and so powerfull as the Parliament had it I leave it to the world for to judge But Then it is said that the Dragon gave his Throne or Seat unto the Beast The Throne of the beast what manner of Throne it is Isa 14.13.14 Luke 46. Matth. 4.9 and what Throne hath the Dragon but an usurped Throne when with the King of Babylon that said in his heart I will ascend into heaven and I will exalt my Throne above the stars of God and above the heigth of the clouds and I will be like unto the most high so he will assume to himself what is none of his own and as he said to Christ all these things will I give thee when as they were none of his to give so he gives unto the Beast no other Throne but an usurped Throne such as himself had no right unto nor any power to give but as the thief can give away my purse which by force he hath taken from me The parallel And so the Author of the Historie of Independency sheweth how the long Parliament entred and possessed this usurped Throne of the Dragon when in answer to the Kings offered Act of Oblivion they intended as they did afterward to pass an Act of general pardon for which they expected a general obedience and submission to their Government for the future because pardon and protection implies obedience to the Protectors without which they may be handled as publick enemies and outlaws that ought to be destroyed as Traitors and Rebels against the State as Politicus the States interpreter sets it down numb 16. from Sept. 19. to Sept. 26. But how came they saith that Author to that Majesty How the long Parliament came to the Throne of their claimed authority to whom for birth and the highest of their education that they should have the power and authority of granting pardons imposing Laws and requiring obedience from the people and without that to plunder them and to punish the refusers as they please You see what the Holy Ghost saith from whence the Beast had it from whence soever they have it But our new Statists saith he will answer you that the Supreme power is originally in the people and so the Parliament voted the same to be and the people have delegated and committed the same to them as the Representative of the people and so having this derivative authority from the people which had this authority but from them and their vote they use this authority to yoke their Soveraign Lord the people whose delegates they profess themselves to be and to make them yield Allegeance and obedience unto them that are but their own delegates and servants of the Common wealth under the penalty of depriving them of their goods Lands and lives Such a piece of circular Logick for them to give a power unto the people who had no power to give it A strange piece of Logick and then to take it to themselves from the people to master and to destroy the people as I think neither Aristotle nor Ramus nor all the School of Athens did ever know the like yet hereby we see how they have got to the Throne of Supreme Majesty and though it be but an usurped Throne saith that Author and their authority a self-created authority meerly to cheat fools and to domineer over the weak and helpless people yet as Vespasian said dulcis odor lucri ex re qualibet so they thought it a brave thing to rule by what Logick Art or means soever they can attain unto the Throne be it right or wrong So cruelly hatefull and beastly is the nature of Ambition and the desire of bearing Rule and Plutarch saith Plutarch in vita Pyrhi And now the Parliament having gotten possession of this usurped throne as we may call it and cloathed himself with this new created Majesty it is said that he exerciseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Authority with such and so great severity and in so large and transcendent a manner over the people as neither King nor Keisar neither Pope Turk nor Tyrant Walter Raleigh in his Prerace to the History of the world nor any other Pagan Infidell did ever the like for omitting others further from us though Henry 8. that was Praecursor Antichristi the Gentleman Usher to bring in the Antichrist and of whom Sir Walter Raleigh saith If all the pictures and patterns of a merciless Prince were lost in the world they might all be painted to the life out of the story of this King that neither spared Woman in his Lust nor man in his Fury hath mightily magnified his Authority over his Subjects to make his Lustfull will stand for law yet he came far short multis parasangis by many degrees of the power and Authority that this Parliament hath used over his Brethren and over his own Soveraign Lord and Master the people for though neither Henry the 8th nor any other King of this Land did ever attempt to do any publick Act of moment as to levy monyes press Souldiers Vieount verulam in the life of Hen. 7. commit Prisoners and put men to death but according to the Lawes of our Land howsoever they caused these Lawes to be sometimes wrested by their judges to satisfie their own wills as Sir Francis Bacon saith Henry the 7th sometimes did yet that Parliament without Law and ex diametro contrary to our Lawes saith the Author of the History of Independency have made themselves Masters of our Estates of our liberties and of our lives that as the Centurion said he was a man under Authority and needed but say to this man go and he goeth and to another come and he commeth and to his Servant do this and he doth it so this Parliament is above all Authority and needs but set down what sum soever he would have he must have it and what men soever he would have dead they must dye for whatsoever this Parliament voteth that is a Law and they can vote what they will And what Authority in the world can be greater then this the Pope can do nothing without his Cardinalls nor the Cardinalls without the Pope and King Ahassuerus could do nothing without his seven Counssellors nor the seven Counsellors without the King Hester 1.13 Ezra 7.14 yet this Parliament will do any thing without the King and against the King and therefore mine Author saith that when this Parliament voted that whatsoever the Commons in Parliament Voted and shall Enact The strange Vote of the long Parliament Hist of Independ pag. 11. part 3. shall have the power and force of an Act of Parliament or Law without the consent of
among the people and the Antichrist began to appear in Gods Church but if it be so that it is to denote the time of his rising it agreeth far better with the long Parliament for omitting one thousand which is a full and a perfect number and which is not an unusual thing in Scripture to omit one part and to set down the other especially to make the matter mysterious and not to be understood by all but as our Saviour saith by them onely Matth. 13.11 In page 109. to whom it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven Et exploratum est atque compertum habraes alios numerum mille narium in calculis ratiocinisque suis omittere solitos ut Munsterus Calendario suo haebraico p. 6. optimè indicat Basil edit 20. Au. 1527. And as a late Divine saith very well a thousand years being the number of perfection and eternity it is seldome used to be expressed in our ordinary computes but it is usually left out for brevities sake as we say the Spanish Armado was in 588. for 1588. and the Gun-powder plot was in 605. for 1605. and so forth of the like and then confider that in Anno 1646. the great Sunedrion the Parliament A thing which I believe never any subject in any other kingdom durst presume to ask Balaeus makes it to begin in the time of Boniface the third about 607. l. 3 fol. 39. and expounds the 666. to be expired after Hierusalem was taken by Pompey l. 3. fol. 37. Feuard in notis in Iraen l. 5. c 30. Sixt. Senensis Bibl. l 2. pag. 9 and others have collected 12. names that contain 666. Vide Thomson de Antich pag. 44. c. Chytr in Apoc. c. 13. Bibl. ad Chronolog tabula 11. Bellarm de Rom. Pontif. l. 3. c. 10. Names that do contain the number of 666. demanded of the King to have the Militia that is the strength and Soveraign power and rule over the King and kingdom whereby they might unmake and make what Lawes what Warres what Peace and whatsoever else pleased themselves for the full space of 20. years which 20. years being added to 1646. and we shall find that they do make the just number of 666. And therefore this their demand cohereth with the fulfilling of this mystery if it be to be referred to the time of the birth and coming of this beast as all the Divines of Magdesborough and many other learned men think it is though they do not all agree about the beginning of that time But you will say the Holy Ghost telleth us it is the number of a man therefore Luther and Calvin do think that Boniface the third who first took the name of Vniversal Bishop from the Emperour Phocas the murderer of his own Master Mauritius about the year 600. to be the first originall of this beast and the great Antichrist but Cornel à lapide answereth that the taking the name of Vniversall Bishop doth neither shew the number of the beast nor prove the Pope to be the Antichrist because we find that Leo the first in the Councill of Chalcedon and other Bishops before Boniface were called Papae aecumenici Universal Bishops therefore Alcazar saith the name that in the Greek letters conteineth the number of 666. and sheweth the natural properties of the beast is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pride of life and truly I know not how the Parliament and Presbyterians can quit themselves from this mark when it was their pride and haughty spirits that spurned them on to do all the mischief that they did but that excellent Cronologer Chytraeus and Bibliander and others do collect out of Irenaeus l. 5. c. 30. that first found out this number in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Pope which is now the Latine Prince and rules in Italy must needs be this beast and the Antichrist to which charge Bellarmine answereth and confutes this conceit because the word Latinus as it signifieth Romanus a Roman is not and ought not to be written with et but with a single iotu and then it wanteth five of the number and besides Latinus noteth rather the name of the countrey then of the person and I have shewed you many reasous to Prove that the Pope cannot be meant by this beast and therefore the beast cannot be signified by Latinus unlesse you mean that he is the greatest enemy to Latinus that is to the Pope and to the Latine service as the Parliament profest himself to be Rupertus and Haymo say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is like to be the name of the beast because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Seductor Gentium a deceiver of the Nations as the Holy Ghost saith the beast should do and it containeth the just number of 666. and this likewise agreeth very well with the late long Parliament who as I believe hath many wayes deceived the people and the nations round about him more and worse then any beast living Hyppel in orat de Consum Mundi Hypolitus and Primasius say the beast taketh his denomiuation from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nego which containeth 666. and signifieth to deny because that as Trajan and Decius requireth the Christians to deny Christ so the beast the Antichrist would have them that were Christians to deny their Baptisme which is the badge and them mark of Christ and of our incorporation into Christ and now we see all the Parliament Anabaptists and most of their Independants which both together I think were the most prevalent party of that Parliament deny their former Baptisme very stiffely and therefore must needs be the beast according to Primasins and Hyppolitus Anselmus Richardus and Tyconius say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth agree with the number of the beast and signifieth honori contrarius because the Beast should trample all Honour and even the honour and reverence that we owe to God under-foot and doth not this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 agree passing well with that Parliament that hath put down King Dukes Lords Bishops And all of them may fitly be applyed to the Long Parliament and the House of Peeres and all other Titles of Honour and hath placed all Titles of Dignity Rule and Authority in the Plebeyans the common and the vulgar sort of people and have they not also throwen away and hindered any Reverent gesture and decency of behaviour to be used in the Service of God and therefore in this respect I suppose that Parliament might justly be termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so the beast according to these mens judgement because that like a beast they have shewed themselves contrary to all Honour which the Apostles do require to be observed of all Christians Arethas and some others say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 containeth 666. Rom. 12.10 1 Pet 2 17. Hefiod in Theog Natalis Com. Mytholog l. 6. c. 20. and fignifieth a Giant to shew
wholly submit my self to thy blessed will and praise thee for the same while I live And for mine endeavours to explain those mysteries which thou hast revealed unto thy servant John I do most humbly and most earnestly entreat thee to inspire me with thy blessed Spirit and enlighten me with thy grace that I may truly understand them rightly explain them unto thy people and if thou seest it for thy glory and the benefit of thy Church I pray thee help and assist me strengthen and enable me to finish the same and to publish them unto the world or if thou seest it not for thy glory and the benefit of thy Church I beseech thee let them be like the unntmely fruit of a woman that perisheth before it seeth the Sun because I desire nothing hereby neither praise nor profit but onely to discharge my duty to the uttermost of mine ability for the setting forth of thy praise and glory and the benefit of thy Church and people by reducing those that are in errour unto the true faith and the right service of thee O God and confirming those that are in the right to continue constant therein unto the end And to this end I beseech thee to restore our King and Governour and all the exiled persons that are with him unto their places and dignities again that they may be the instruments whereby thy service may be rectified thy people truly instructed and thy name religiously glorified by the acknowledgement of thy justice in our punishment for our transgressions thy great mercy and goodnesse in relieving and helping us in our necessities and thine infinite power wisdome and goodnesse in suppressing our enemies and delivering us out of their hands that we might serve thee without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Hear us O Lord our God and grant these our requests unto us and whatsoever else thou knowest to be requisite and necessary for us for Jesus Christ his sake and dispose of me to do all things according to thy most holy and blessed will so shall I praise and glorifie thee for ever and ever Amen TO THE KINGS Most Excellent MAJESTY May it please your Majesty MY present mean condition bids me to lay my hand upon my mouth to stop my speech to so high a Majesty but my place and calling chargeth me to tell you what you have best reason to know how the long Parliament have put your most religious and renowned Father of ever blessed memory to death the first and chiefest of the two witnesses of Jesus Christ which as the Angel saith the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit should kill And now according to his promise God hath raised this first witnesse in your Majesty to stretch forth your royall hand to the other witness and as Christ said unto S. Peter Tu conversus confirma fratres so your Majesty being risen it is our undoubted hope you will put life into the other slain witnesse of Jesus Christ and like another good Josias purge the Church from all false Priests and restore the Episcopal government to its pristine lustre for the building of Gods Church And the good will of him that dwelt in the bush and walked with your Majesty in all your travels will dwell with you and blesse you and preserve you from all dangers for he tells us plainly that he will honour them that honour him and they that honour not him shall be lightly regarded And therefore I could wish that all the Monarchs of the world would consider Davids entrance into his kingdom and Jeroboams entrance into his kingdom how like one another almost they were in all things for 1. 1 Sam. 16. David is said to be the son of Jesse none as I conceive of the prime Princes of Israel 1 Reg 11.26 and Jeroboam is said to be the son of Nebat and to be a mighty man of valour and of an eminent place in King Solomons Court 2. 1 Sam. 16.13 The Prophet Samuel told David that he should be King 2 Reg. 11.31 and the Prophet Ahijah told Jeroboam that God would make him King 3. 1 Chron. 17.23 The Lord told David that he would build him an house and settle the throne on his seed 2 Reg. 11.38 and the Lord told Jeroboam that if he would walk in his wayes he would build him a sure house and would be with him and would give Israel unto him 4. 1 Sam. 13.14 The kingdom was transferred unto David for the disobedience of Saul 1 Reg. 11.12 and the kingdome was conferred upon Jeroboam for the sin of Solomon 5. 2 Sam. 4.7 David took away the kingdom from Ishbosheth the son of Saul and Jeroboam took away his kingdom from Rehoboam the son of Solomon 2 Reg. 12.20 6. David was elected and chosen to be their King by all the tribes of Israel in Hebron 2 Sam. 5.1 1 Chron. 11.1 and Jeroboam was elected and chosen to be their King by all the ten tribes of Israel and the Prophet forbad Rehoboam and all Juda to war against Jeroboam for their revolt 1 Reg 21.20 v. â—4 because this thing was from the Lord. 7. 2 Sam. 17.8 David was a mighty man of war and so was Jeroboam a mighty man of valour 1 Reg. 11.28 But you may observe this difference betwixt David and Jeroboam that David had many wives and concubines which we do not read that Jeroboam had and David committed more personal and particular sins as his adultry and the murdering of Urias and the numbring of Israel and his rash judgement against honest Mephibosheth then we find in all the 22. years reign of Jeroboam And yet David hath this Elogie and commendation to be a man according to Gods own heart and God hath setled and established his kingdom and his throne to him and his seed for ever but Jeroboam is said to have made Israel to sin and the Prophet told his wife that the Lord would bring evill upon the house of Jeroboam and would take away the remnant of his house as a man taketh away the dung till it be all gone 1 Reg. 14.10 And what is the reason of all this that David who seemed to be more vitious and tainted with more sins then Jeroboam was should notwithstanding be so perpetually blessed and the other so severely and so suddenly punished It may be answered that although David had as well as other men many humane frailties wherein it cannot be said he was according to Gods own heart yet his principal care was and his heart was wholly set to see the true God rightly honoured and his service to be duly and truly performed as you may find how zealous he was to bring the Ark of God and to set it in his place in the midst of his Tabernacle that he had pitched for it and to offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord and how
dominions 2. The Hierarchie or Episcopal government of Gods Church which is as requisite for the Church as the Monarchie is for the Common-wealth for the Church of Christ is said to be Gods vineyard and the vineyard must be well fenced or if the hedge be broken down all the wild beasts of the Forest will destroy the vine so must the Church be well fenced and guarded by wise discreet and careful Governours which are as the fence and hedges that by their spiritual Courts and censures do keep out all Sectaries and hereticks and all errrours and heresies and false doctrine from the Vineyard of God which is the Church of Christ And if these hedges and fences of Gods Church the Bishops and Governours thereof be broken down their Court supprest and themselves nullified and annihilated as that long Parliament did it is as impossible to keep out Sects Hereticks and false Prophets from the Church as it is to keep the civil state and common-wealth in peace and to have justice and equity duly preserved among all men without the civil Magistrates and their Courts of justice for as these protect the innocent and punish the Malesactors with the powerful sword of justice so must the Bishops and Governours of the Church which are best able to judge of divine questions defend the truth and as Christ whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple so must they by their censures whip all those Sectaries and Heteticks that will not other wise by fair means be driven out of Gods Church because as Saint Bernard saith qui nolunt duci debent trahi And it is not unknown to any that hath taken notice of the transac ions of these times how that long lasting and intended to be an endlesse everlasting Parliament hath killed our most heroical religious and renowned King the most constant Martyr and the first and chiefest of the two witnesses of Jesus Christ and also Doctor William Laud Arch-Bishop of Cantcrbury and suppressed all the Bishops that were the other witnesse of Christ But our good God hath promised that he would resuscitate and revive the slain and slaughtered Witnesses and restore them to the Church and their charge again Revel 11.11 12. And now you see how the wise and great God whose wayes are in the seas his paths in the great waters and his foot-steps are not known hath by unlikely unprobable and almost in mans judgement impossible wayes through the many many transmutations of things and alterations of governments brought his own purposes to this passe to make you the instruments to effect his will to perform his promise and to be that Cloud in which and by which the two slain Witnesses shall ascend to heaven chapt 11. verse 12. and hath given you power and authority and inabled you to do the same And now most honourable and most renowned Patriots you have most justly most religiously and most gloriously to your everlasting praise revived the first and chief Witnesse of Jesus Christ and restored the government of these nations to be Monarchicall that doth most resemble God himselfe which is the sole Monarch of all the world and is the government that the most nations of all the world hath ever used and especially this kingdome since the first peopling of it and you have put the Crown upon His head to whom your wisdomes knew It justly belonged which was the onely way to bring Peace and to make these kingdomes happy It resteth that the other Witnesse of Christ be revived and the Government of the Church be restored as it hath been ever fince the Apostles time to be Episcopal and so to raise the Bishops and other Ministers their dependants that as yet lye unburied in the streets of the great City to their pristine dignity to their offices their authority and their former estates for their inabling to discharge their duties in the government of God's Church they having suffered wrongs and indignities enough already And I hope your wisdomes will direct you to let the Ark of God be carried upon the Levite's shoulders as the Lord commandeth and suffer the worship and service of God to be used as it was in the reign of Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles and confirmed by all the Acts of Parliaments and royall edicts in their times and not to suffer the depravers of Gods honour and disturbers of the Peace of the Church out of any singularity or sinister end either to suppresse the same or any wayes to alter it or any part of it unlesse your wisdomes do appoint a full and lawful Synod congregated after the usuall manner of this Church to confider what is fit if any thing be found fitting to be added diminished or altered therein for this care of Gods service to uphold the same in its integrity and purity is the onely thing that will bring a blessing and continue the happinesse of this or any other nation and they are to do the same to whom God hath committed the government of his Church and the teaching of his people And because of the multiplicity of Sects and diversity of opinions that have sprung in this our Church since the killing of the witnesses and that the faith of Christ is to be perswaded by the word of God and not forced by the sword of man I humbly beseech you to grant such toleration as your wisdomes shall think fitting to such weak and tender consciences as cannot on the sudden comply with us in our service to God untill that by a friendly conference painfull preaching and writing of learned books we captivate their understanding and bring them so to the truth and true faith of Christ and service of God and not by rigid wayes and too severe censures and punishments to compell them either to be hypocrites in our Church or Apostates to run out of our Church For I would not have the people of God to be driven hurried and harrased like as we drive wild beasts but to be led gently and eafily like sheep Leni spiritu non dura manu by an inward sweet influence and not by any outward violence And here I humbly beseech your Honours to give me leave to tell you what I am not suffered to be silent videlicet that to take away the Lands and possessions of men that never rebelled nor offered any violence nor the least wrong to any of our Protestant people in Ireland but relieved them and hindred others as much as they could to abuse them and yet to dispossesse and to cast them out of their inheritances because they were Papists and profest themselves Roman Catholicks as the long Parliament and their subordinate instruments in Ireland have done to the utter ruine of many ancient families both of Brittish and English extract is not onely as I conceive most unjust but also contrary to all Christianity and farre enough from humanity it selfe When the Apostle bids us to honour all men that is because
not of most of the chief Abbots and Priors whom with other rewards and compensations he had allured thereunto volenti non fit injuria and so though they ought not to have consented to such an impious Act to be Partakers in his Sacriledge yet the injury that was done unto themselves cannot be deemed so great because they were consenting and those honester men How K. Henry the 8 provided for the Abbots and Priors whom he could not perswade with other better Preferments to yield their consent to his desire to pass away their Patrimony he took that course and care for them that they should be very competently provided for some one way and some another way and many of them with Pensions out of his own Exchequer that they might not want what was necessary for them while they lived And as I am credibly informed Mr. John Pymme a most Noted and Notorious Member of the Long Parliament when he was in that Office hath paid the Pension alotted to one of them that lived to these our own times And this kind of proceeding cannot be thought so great a Persecution or so grievous an Oppression of them or so odious an Impiety in the King especially if you consider the Lazy life and little good that many of them did and the single condition of these men that lived without Wives without Children without Families But the Long Parliament How the long Parl. dealt w th all Bishops Deans and Prebends without the least colour of the Consent of any one of all our Bishops Deans or Prebends but altogether against their wills and against the will of the King that should have a Vote in every Act and a Negative Passage as we conceive hath taken all even from all and every one of them that had for the most part Wives and Children and Servants and allowed them not one Half-Penny out of all the great Means they took from them to relieve themselves and their Families but let them live as they will and as they can dig or beg or starve and die when they can live no longer and so I my self have seen many worthy Divines and some Reverend Bishops in great want and misery And this was worse dealing than the Pirate that took me at Sea dealt with me when he took away all my Money and yet gave me as much as might well carry me home to my House And 2. In Q. Maries time 2. The Persecution of the Protestants in Qu. Mariâ—s time when our Godly Bishops and other Grave Doctors were burned and many good Protestants imprisoned and persecuted for their Religion and the Profession of the true Faith of Christ by the Instruments of the Dragon the old enemy of mankind yet then they were cited to the Courts of Justice they had Articles exhibited against them they had time alotted them for to answer and all the Proceedings against them passed on as against all others in forma Juris according to the Law And they had neither suffered nor been deprived if they had recanted Some of the Lay Protestants I presume from their Ignorance and want of understanding of the School-terms and Scholerlike distinctions wherein their Adversaries were most Skilful and although the Constancy of these Pious Martyrs and the Resolution of those whose Zeal to the Protestant Religion and Desire of Reformation and perhaps Ambition to be Martyrs transported them it may be in some things beyond their Knowledge have moved them rather to suffer themselves to be deprived of their estates and to suffer death than to deny their Faith which the more Learned sort knew and the other good-meaning men believed to be the true Faith of Gods Elect yet the death that was imposed on them and the punishment that they suffered The Martyrs in Q. Maries daies far more fairly dealt withall than we are was not if you consider all circumstances especially the extent of the persecution and the fewness of the persons suffering in comparison of the sufferers in these times near so bitter and so bad nor any waies so cruel and so insufferable as this most inhumane dealing which hath been used and the punishment that was inflicted so extensively and universally upon all the Reverend Bishops Deans Prebends and abundance more of most Learned Divines and other Loyal Subjects and good Christians of these Kingdoms by the subtle tormentors and new tyrants of these daies For seeing as the Poet truly saith Dulce mori miseris To die is sweet and a favour to them that are in misery either through want sickness sorrowes or the like insufferable disasters and as another saith Morsque minus poenae quam mora mortis habet Death is a lesser punishment than to be alwaies as we are at the door of death and still in fear Job 7.15 Ecclesiasticus 41.2 and expecting when death shall come to attache us which is the very same in effect that both holy Job which had most reason to know it and the Son of Syrach that so well understood the state of our mortanty do testifie unto us for both of them do affirm that an honourable death is far better than a miserable life and will sooner be chosen by any Heroick and Noble mind theâ—efore Claudian demands Nonne mori satius Claudian vitae quans ferre pudorem Who would not chuse rather to die than to endure shame and be in contempt and disgrace while he liveth as they must needs be that from the height of honour are tumbled down to the lowest pit of Confusion to become the scorn of the vilest in the world which the Long Parliament hath made us to be Therefore it is apparent to all the world at least to all understanding men that those Martyrs were in a far better condition and used by those Tyrants after a far better manner than our Ministers and others were Their Committee men were told they were ill affected that was enough Sed si satis accusasse quis innocens by the now pretended Saints they were more justly proceeded against more fairly handled and less cruelly dealt withal than our men are the poor Christians that have been utterly undone by the Long Parliament For I speak by the Experience of some that I knew my self to be thus handled and thus dealt withal before ever they were called in question or charged with any crime or accused for any fault or have leave to answer for themselves or be suffered to speak one word in their own behalf and for the relief and support of their Wives and Families to be adjudged yea and oftentimes contrary to their own Articles and Engagements to be deprived of all their Means their Lands and their Livings and all that they had to be taken from them And because they had done nothing worthy of death or of bonds Act. 23.29 they shall not have the honour I speak of many that were thus used either to be imprisoned where it is likely
that some good men would relieve them or to be put to death whereby they should have had an end of their miseries and enjoy the Glory of Martyrdom but to make their Tyranny to exceed all cruelty and the miseries of the distressed and ejected persons the more miserable when their enemies as the Prophet saith whom they ever honoured as friends chased them sore like a Bird without cause Lament 3.52 and they that did feed delicately even with Kings Dishes Cap. 4. v. 5. must now lie desolate in the streets and they that sate in their Robes of Scarlet even with the best Lords in the Kingdom must now embrace Dung-hils and when the Parliament are told of the unjust and cruel proceedings of their Committee men yet that must not be regarded not their injustice so much as questioned because they are not to consider now quid sit honestum but quid utile what is just and honest but what is availeable be it never so vile and so wicked to further their design and if they did not uphold and countenance these their Instruments and not check them their own Projects might be obstructed And therefore The seeming mercies of tyrants most cruel as Tiberius and other Fox-like cruel Tigers worse than the bloudy Nero would never put them to a present death whom they hated most but said they loved them not so well as to take away their life and therefore in a seeming favour and mercy they suffered them to enjoy some space and liberty but it was in extream cruelty and malice to make them the more miserable by thus inflicting upon them a daily death So the subtle Tiberians of these times have dealt with Gods Servants to prolong their miseries and to make their lives more grievous than any death could be unto them cosque sibi-ipsis graves ponere And as one saith to set themselves to be the heaviest burdens and the greatest Maladies that possibly could be unto themselves when as all men may be assured of that truth What it is to be most miserable quod miserrimum est fuisse foelicem nothing can be more miserable than to have been most happy and then to fall into the depth of infelicity for what other thing is this but to make themselves to become the lingring Executioners of themselves Which is a death worse than any other death even by the Testimony of the holy Prophet For they that are slain with the sword saith he are better than they that are slain with hunger Lament 4.9 because these pine away stricken through for want of the fruit of the field And that nothing might be wanting to fill up the measure of this part The persecution of the Church under the long Parliament how great and how general it was of the iniquity of that Long Parliament and to make their cruelty most cruel and the persecution of Gods Servants most bitter because the more general and the more extensive and spreading the mischief is the more it prevents the persecuted persons of all shelter and deprives them of all Relief and Comfort this course must be taken not with a few of the choicest men of this or that Calling as Capita rerum which might be thought to be the Heads of any disorder after the manner that the Severest of the best Generals in war use to do when they decimate the Mutinous in their Army to be punished ut poena ad paucos metus ad omnes that the punishment of some few might strike a terrour and cause amendment in them all How well the Parliament was acquainted with all Church-Ministers but they must deal more universally with all the most Reverend Bishops all the worthy Deanes Sub-Deans Deans and Chapters Arch-Deacons Priors Chancellors Chauntors Sub-Chauntors Treasurers Sub-Treasurers Succentors Sacrists Prebends Canons Canon-Residents and non-residents Petty-Canons Chorals Vicars-Chorals Choristers Old Vicars or New These be the very words of their Act they were so well acquainted with all the Particulars of the Church-Officers that as Jehu dealt with the Idolatrous Priests of Baal so they might deal with the Faithful Messengers of Jesus Christ and suffer not one of them all to escape but they must all down in Ingland and Wales yea in Scotland and in Ireland in all these Three Kingdoms and you may be sure if their power could reach neither Bishop Dean nor Prebend nor any one of all that depended on them should remain in Italy France Spain or any other part of all the Christian world they must all down and down with them even to the ground and then being cast down Montes insuper altos Imposuit They must lay weight enough upon them all that they may be never able to rise up again until they rise in Judgment against them The long Parliament deal with Christs servants as the Jews dealt with Christ For as the Jews when they had laid Christ in his Grave were afraid he would rise again and therefore laid a huge Stone upon the door of the Sepulcher and hired the Watch-men to keep him down so these men their Scholars for fear that the foresaid Servants of Christ might rise again must sell all their Lands and Possessions and put them into the hands of Captains and Collonels and other men of Armes that with the edge of the Sword should keep them bare enough and naked of all support if ever they should chance to arise Good God saith a Father Si Diabolus nocere posset quantum vellet aliquis justorum non remaneret If the Devil had power to destroy as many as he would and as he desireth there should not remain any one righteous man upon the face of the earth And yet this is not all that the prevalent Faction of the long Parliament have destroyed and extirpated out of house and home for to these afore-named Church-men whom the Devil spited most of all you may add the Catalogue of such Heads and Fellows of Colledges and other Learned and Religious Gentlemen of the famous University of Cambridge as have been plundered that is robbed ejected imprisoned and banished only for their constancy in the True Religion and right Service of God and their Loyalty and Faithfulness to their Lawful King And the like Catalogue of the Heads and Fellowes of the other Famous University of Oxford The great and large extent of the late Persecution of the Parl. besides the great number of Grave Doctors and other Learned Divines in and about the City of London and throughout these Three Kingdoms that have been deprived of all their Means and Livelihoods and many of them most barbarously killed Of all which you may see such a number as is scarce credible yet nothing more than is true in a little Book printed at Oxford in Anno 1647 and entituled Mercurius Rusticus Querela Cantabrigiensis A-Book worthy to be read of all that desire to know the Extent and to understand the Greatness of
sometimes the head alone is called Christ A necessary Observation as Christ hath also once suffered 1 Pet. 3.18 and thus Christ is most usually taken and sometimes the head and the body joyned together by the Spirit is called Christ as Galat. 3.16 and 1 Cor. 12.12 So the Antichrist and the beast sometimes signifieth all the pack knot or company that are as it were the body of the beast and of the Antichrist as 2 Thess 2.8 sometimes it is put for the visible head Revelat. 11.2 and Ch. 13.5 or most polypragmatical actor of that company the General of that army the Speaker of that Senate and the ringleader of all that association as in Revel 11.7 and sometimes it signifieth both the head and the body of the beast as Revel 13.6 7 8. and so likewise the beast and the Antichrist is sometimes put to signifie only the soul as it were of the Antichrist and sometimes it is put for that pack which is as it were the body of the Antichrist and sometimes it signifyeth both the body and soul of the Antichrist And if you would rightly understand the actions and the things that are spoken of the Antichrist and the beast in general you must distinguish in particular of the acts that are applicable and ascribed unto him as they are in respect of these several significations and several agents because many things are done by the head of the army or the ringleader of a company alone and are only applicable to him alone and to none else other things are done by the body alone and are applicable only to the body though they could not be effected by the body without a head and other things are so done that they are applicable and may be ascribed to be done both by the body and the head and as the acts and operations of the body and the soul are different and must be thus rightly distinguished if you would understand the proper acts and operations of each of them so are the acts and operations that are ascribed to the Antichrist different How the actions of the Antichrist are to be considered if we would rightly understand them and must be rightly applyed to the proper agents either in respect of his head or members or in respect of his body or soul if you would truly and rightly understand them because that as I said before the man of sin consisteth both of body and soul that is an assembly of Divines which are as the soul of the beast and are called the false Prophet and a pack or company of most wicked laicks that are as the body of the beast and are most commonly termed the Antichrist because they are the more visible and the instrumental agents of all or most of the impieties and wickednesses that are committed And the not observing of these distinctions and proper application of the acts and things done to the right agents when as in the general they are produced by such mystical and compound agents hath caused many men to erre in their Exposition◠and to misapply the acts and doings of the Antichrist but being thus distinguished and all the acts and operations of the Antichrist rightly understood and properly applyed to the right agents head or members body or soul it is further demanded The desire of satisfaction in this Question moveth the demand of the former question Whether all the notes arguments acts sayings and testimonies of the Scriptures which the pen-men of Gods word have set down as the marks badges fignes and tokens whereby the saints and true servants of Christ might know the Antichrist when he came into the world that they might avoid him which cannot all be found applicable and fulfilled either in the Pope or Turk or in the series and succession of either of them or any single tyrant whatsoever are not all and every one of them most properly and punctually found sutable and agreeable in all things and in every point with the acts sayings doings and proceedings of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and the swarm of Independants and lay-preachers and the prevalent faction of that long Parliament that have agreed to slay the witnesses of Gods truth Neither do they mean in this Question or think it requisite that the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and the prevalent members of that long Parliament should do all and fulfill every point that is prophesied should be done and fulfilled by the Antichrist themselves but that all and every thing should be acted and fulfilled by them and by those that were their confederates and assisted and adkered to them as being the members of the beast though not of the Assembly nor of the Parliament Neither do they comprehend nor understand all the members of the Parliament in this Question but as I say the prevalent party only For you must know that it is certain without question that as a righteous Lot was in Sodom among those wicked Citizens and a godly Joseph among the idolatrous Aegyptians and many good Christians in bloody Nero's Court That many good and godly men were in the long Parliament so many good and godly men were members of that very Parliament that we call the long Parliament and did no more consent nor like of those wicked actions and proceedings of the rest than Nicodemus and Gamaliel did approve of the wickedness of the high Priests and the rest of the Council that condemned Christ to death therefore you must conceive that under the name of that long Parliament they the demand the question before specified do understand only the prevalent faction of that Parliament which like a violent stream have carried things and either through their subtlety or by the absence of some of the members of the House in a thin Assembly have out-voted the rest of the more honest and sober men in every wicked vote and so wheresoever I speak of that Parliament without adding the prevalent faction as sometimes in many writings totum denominatur à parte praestantiori the woole takes his denomination from the better part and sometimes à parte minus praestantiori from the worser and viler part so here in this Discourse the whole is named from the worser part as being indeed in the absence of the resr Who are to be understood and whom the Author meaneth under the name of the long Paliament the major part and I mean only the prevalent party and partial faction of that Parliament clergy and laity and their disciples abettors and adherents wheresoever dispersed over all Ingland Scotland and Ireland for otherwise if you speak of the long Parliament in general as it consisted of King Lords and Commons or of the 2 Houses of Lords and Commons as compleat and not partially taken or subtilly circumventing one another I honour that Parliament and do approve of all their acts and Ordinances that they have so made and therefore wheresoever I name that Parliament
Christ which was the true substance and to be understood in and by those shadows and so for the Antichrist I sind no Prophesie concerning him in all the Book of Daniel but as he is typified in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes and you know that as Theologia Symbolica non est argumentativa symbolick divinity will not hold argument so types and figures non currunt quatuor pedibus do not hold correspondency in all things but only in such particulars whereunto they are applied and therein you shall find how the Antichrist is typified and declared unto us in the person and by the doings of Antiochus For The Prophet Daniel describing the four Beasts Dan. 7. that typified and signified the four great Monarchies of the world the Assyrian the Persian the Graecian and the Roman and the little horn that sprang up among the other ten horns saith the 10 horns are interpreted by the Holy Ghost to be ten Kings that is saith Tremellius 1. The 10 horns in Dan. 7. who they are Seleucus Nicanor 2. Antiochus Soter 3. Antiochus Theos 4. Seleucus Callinichus 5. Callinicus being expelled Ptolomeus Evergetes 6. Ptolomeus expelled Seleucus Ceraunus 7. Antiochus magnus that was surnamed Hyerax the Hawk for his speedy expedition of the greatest affairs and was the Father of Seleucus Philopater and of Antiochus Epiphanes 8. This Antiochus magnus being ejected Ptolomaeus Philopater 9. This Ptolomaeus Philopater being ejected by Antiochus magnus and his Sons Seleucus Philopater 10. This Seleucus being killed Antiochus Epiphanes that was the little horn that sprang up among the ten horns and was not another horn besides the ten horns but cornu ultimum the last of the ten horns and was at his first beginning but a very little horn indeed that had no right at all unto the Kingdom and is the most lively type of the Antichrist that is to be found in all the Scriptures both in respect of his entrance into his Dominion and of his dealings with the Jewish Church just as the Antichrist should enter into his rule and deal with the Church of the Christians And the Prophet tels us of this Antiochus and under his person of the Antichrist That 1. 1. The things that Daniel saith Antiochus should do As you see how he comes to his power and dominion by the suppression and destruction of others the lawful Kings so should the Antichrist do and we know many of the Popes came to that dignity and authority by the ejection and destruction of other Popes as the Histories do sufficiently declare unto us but whether the Long Parliament came to their rule and dominion by the expulsion and destruction of their lawful King I leave it for my Reader to judge And 2. 2. An opposer of Monarchy and very successful Dan. 7.24 The Prophet tels us that Antiochus shall be diverse from the first Kings that is as some Interpreters do expound it he shall be a grand enemy of regal Government and Kingly Majesty so will the Antichrist ex diametro contradict and oppose the Monarchical Government which the Pope never did but upholdeth the same to the uttermost and you know who turned the Regal Government of these Kingdoms to a Commonwealth or as Montanus reads that place ipse erit major prioribus he shall be greater than the former Kings that is in his successes in his victories in his reveâ—ues in his taxes in his absolute authoritie and in his esteem among his neighbour-Neighbour-Kings and Princes so was Antiochus so the Antichrist will be So is not the Pope when as many former Popes were greater than this is in all the foresaid respects but whether the Long Parliament laid greater taxes upon the people and had more victories and better successes in their proceedings than many other former Kings 3. An overthrower of three Kings or Kingdoms let them be their own Judges 3. The Prophet saith this little horn that is this Antiochus Epiphanes tres reges humiliabit shall bring to the ground or humble three Kings as Montanus reads it Or tres reges deprimet he shall depress and overthrow or subdue three Kings as Tremellius translates it For he drave out of Syria 1. Ptolomaeus Philopater 2. His own eldest Brother Seleucus And 3. Demetrius the Son of Seleucus to whom the right of the Kingdom did appertain So the Antichrist shall overthrow three Kings saith Cornelius a Lapide And I did not read that any of the Popes have done so yet but I know who is said to have suppressed tres reges in uno rege and to have subdued three Kingdoms as some do expound these words and may well be the mystical meaning of this Prophesie 4. A great blasphemer 4. The Prophet goeth on and saith he shall speak great words against the most High that is saith Tremellius blasphemus erit in Deum he shall utter such blasphemies against the most high God as the Jews could not endure to hear them So the Antichrist should do saith the Evangelist Rev. 13.6 And so no doubt but many Popes have done Rev. 13.6 I will excuse none of them and I have shewed to you before and shall yet shew to you hereafter what intollerable blasphemies have been broached and are published in many places by the Sectaries adherents and off-spring of that Long Parliament which may therefore very well go hand in hand with Antiochus and with the Antichrist whosoever he be 5. 5. A destroyer of the Saints and Servants of God 2 Maâ—h 7. The Prophet saith that this Antiochus Sanctos excelsorum deteret as Tremellius reads it i.e. saith he contumeliosissimus atrocissimus Tyrannus erit in populum Dei he shall be the bitterest and the cruellest Tyrant that ever was far worse than Pharaoh against the people of God And so the Books of the Maccabees and especially the cruel butchering and torturing of the Mother and her seven Children only because they would not eat swines flesh which the Law of God forbad them to do do sufficiently declare that neither the Aegyptian Pharaoh Dan. 7.25 nor the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar nor any other forreign or domestick enemy was ever so bloody and so cruel unto the Jews as this Assyrian Antiochus was and our Bibles read it he shall wear out the Saints of the most High and so the Antichrist shall do And our Histories tell us the Popes have worn out and been the death and destruction of many of the Servants of God this cannot be denied and it grieves me much to think and it would grieve me much more to set down a Catalogue of what and how many worthy noble and faithful Servants of Christ have been worn out of these three Kingdoms within these few years 6. A changer of the Lawes and of the times by whom and by what meanes you know And I fear that when God maketh inquisition for bloud the Long Parliament will not be found guiltless 6. The Holy Ghost
the Turk could it be done Who then hath done it This Book was written in the time of the Usurper Truly if any Court hath done such an Act I think I need not if I knew it digito demonstrare dieier hic est because such a publick Fact and so abominable in the sight of men that is as the Apostle speaks of the death of Christ not done in a corner is known far and near and talked of by young and old Yet this much I will tell thee my friendly Reader for I think none but my friends will read me that I have read very many Histories both of the Greeks and Latines and many of the Histories of the Church Whence the 9 Speeches in Parliament were collected and the Lives of many Kings and Emperors both of our own Kingdom and of other Nations and the Nine several speeches as I believe of the best anti-regal Orators of the Long Parliament concerning the Power of Parliament to proceed against their King for mis-government The which Speeches if I be not much mistaken were all taken and collected out of Dolmans Book that was the great Jesuite and arch-enemy of Queen Elizabeth Father Parsons that printed a Book full of treason against the Queens Majesty under the feigned name of Dolman and the Book was condemned by Act of Parliament the 35th year of Queen Elizabeth and now with the change of the Title the most of it is reprinted to shew the Power of Parliament to proceed against their King which by that Act of the 25th of the Queen I conceive to be then judged no less than crimen laesae Majestatis a crime of High Treason against the Queen though in the Long Parliament it was thought a point of just proceeding against our Kings especially against King Charles And yet in all the Histories that I have read and in all those Nine Speeches and all those Examples What Kings were deposed or killed by their Subjects that those Orators do produce of the Kings and Princes that were deposed banished or killed by their Subjects for their Tyranny and mis-government as Saul and Ammon by the Jews Romulus Tarquinius Julius Caesar Nero Domitian Heliogabulus Maxentius Constantine the 6th and Irene by the Romans Childereck and Charles of Lorein by the French Flaveo Suintilla Don Alonso el Sabio and Don Pedro by the Spaniards Don Sancho by the Portugals Henry the 3. by the Polonians Gustavus by the Swedes Cisternus by the Danes Edwin John Edward the 2. Richard the 2. Henry the 6. and Richard the 3. by the English Which are all but obliquely and poorly produced and might by a reasonable Historian be fully answered especially because according to that true Rule Vivitur praeceptis non exemplis We are to frame our lives by Precepts as God commandeth us and not by examples as other men have done For I can have examples enough beyond number of men that have committed murders and that have been Robbers and Adulterers and the like And shall I therefore follow their examples God forbid So many Nations have done thus and thus unto their Kings And will that warrant us That we ought not to follow unjust examples do to the like By no means Because we are to look not what other Nations do but what God commandeth us to do and he commandeth us not to touch his Anointed nor to speak evil of the Governour of the people be he good or be he bad for if he be good nutritor est tuus he is thy preserver and thank God for him and if he be bad tentator est tuus God sent him for thy trial and thou must not kick against God but receive thy trial with patience until he that sent him in his anger takes him away in his wrath against him and in his love to thee and he can take him away when he pleaseth till which time with David thou shouldst rest thy self contented as he did to endure the Tyranny of Saul though I say that I read of those foresaid Princes that were deposed or killed by the foresaid Nations and of many others Kings and Princes that as the Poet saith came not to their graves sicca morte And as the Parliament proceeded against King Charles without blood yet I find not any one of them all in any Nation whatsoever to have been proceeded against and to have been condemned and killed modo forma as the Jews proceeded against Christ and the Antichrist would proceed against the Witnesses and the Parliament did against our King And therefore this sin of the Antichrist is not an usual or a common sin as Idolatry blasphemy murder and the like but such a murder as is to be the proper and peculiar sin of the Antichrist and of none else in which respect the Apostle calleth the Antichrist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the man of the sin by which sin so done as I shewed you you might know him to be the Antichrist Object But it may be some will say that I do hereby positively and plainly conclude the Long Parliament to be the great Antichrist and to have committed the proper sin of the Antichrist because that they being the highest Court of Justice have condemned their Superiours their King and chief Pastor judicially as the Jews did Christ unto death Solut. I answer that God hath not made me a Judge to determine whether the Long Parliament hath justly or unjustly condemned them to death for if they have done justly therein they have done well and no waies committed the sin of the Antichrist which is such a condemning as I shewed of an innocent person unto death and of such persons as God requireth not but forbiddeth to be condemned but if they have unjustly condemned them let them look to it and answer to God for it I will not be their Judge let who will determine the question but I will proceed in the Apostles description of this man of sin that is the Antichrist And to shew that the Antichrist is full of other sins though this man-killing thus That the antichrist will be full of other sins as I shewed be his Master sin St. Paul goeth on to set out some other of his sins that tend to produce and to perfect the former sin saying that he should oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped So that He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an opposer or an adversary 1. A Rebel an opposer of his King and of his Passor as both the Syriack and the vulgar Latine reads it and as learned Zanchius saith this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek answereth to the word Satan in Hebrew and as the Son of Perdition which the Apostle here ascribeth unto the Antichrist so this word adversary alludeth unto Judas of whom Christ saith have not I chosen twelve and one of you is a Devil And why a Devil but because he
Priest and to command him to discharge the same as he ought to do and to reprove and correct him when he doth neglect it which are the principal things duties and Prerogatives of any King or prime Magistrate of any Kingdom or Commonwealth And thus all the best Orthodox Interpreters both Papists and Protestants do agree that the Apostle meaneth here Vide Tremellium in Joh. 10.34 that the Antichrist should exalt himself above his King because the Scripture doth most properly and plainly speak it of Kings when God saith Dixi Diiestis I have said you are Gods and our Saviour doth primarily and principally mean Kings when he citeth the same saying against the Pharisees as Beza witnesseth saying Testimonium quod citat Christus in Psal 82. v. 6. Habetur That in Psal 82.6 Kings are understood by Gods ubi expostulat Deus cum regibus terrae qui imperio potentia quam â Deo acceperant abuterentur hoc Christus ad presentem causam accommodat quod deorum nomine ornemur qui ad regendum mundum sunt ministri that is the testimony which Christ citeth against the Pharisees is found in Psal 82. v. 6. where God exâ—ostulateth with the Kings of the Earth which abused that rule and power which they received from God Beza in Annotat in Joh. 10.37 and this Christ applieth to the present occasion that they which are Gods Ministers and Deputies to govern the World are honoured with the name of Gods And so the first words of that Psalm do sufficiently shew that Kings are to be understood there by Gods for God standeth in the Congregation of Princes saith the Prophet he is a Judge among Gods and therefore by God in this place the Apostle meaneth the King that God hath set over this man of sin to rule him as well as others because the Kings are appointed by God to governe and to judge the people of God and therefore he tells his people plainly By me Kings do reign that is Prov. 8.15 not only by my permission and suffering of them to reign as I suffer many disorders and many evills to be done but they reign and rule by my authority and by my appointment that have ordained and set your Kings to reign and rule over you for they do sit in the thrones of judgement as Gods Deputies and Vicegerents in Gods stead to exercise a part of Gods power here on earth which is as the Poet can tell you Parcere subjectis debellare superbos The lawful power of Kings To defend and to reward the good and obedient Subjects and to punish the rebellious the wicked and the wrong doers and to that end as God hath the Keys of heaven and of hell to let the Godly enter into glory and to shut up the wicked within the Chambers of death so Kings have potestatem vitae necis the power of life and death that is to preserve the life of the innocent and to put the transgressors unto death or to pardon them if they see cause and to spare their life which is the greatest power on earth but not to put to death whom they please and for what cause soever they list which is the property and practice of an unjust Tyrant and not the liberty of a good and a righteous King So you see the honour power and prerogative that God hath conferred upon Kings and is warranted and confirmed by our Saviour Christ and therefore ought to be ascribed and yielded unto them by their Subjects especially if they be Christians and such as profess to know the will of God Let the Reader Judge whether this be not fulfilled in the long Parliament And yet the Apostle tells us that this man of sin which is the Antichrist will exalt himself above his King and I will not judge but refer it to the World to judge whether the long Parliament and their adherents have not denied this honour worship and obedience and indeed every part and parcel of that honour which God hath granted and commanded to be yielded unto their King Or whether they have not actually exalted themselves above their King And whether their words in their Petition to the King The words of the Parliament in their Petition to the King wherein they say The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons in Parliament and therein further say That his Majesties most humble and faithful Subjects have represented their most dutiful affections in advising and desiring those things which were most necessary for his Majesties safety and honour and in the Conclusion thereof do say That his Majesties personal safety and royal honour and greatness were much dearer unto them than their own Lives and Fortunes being put in one end of the ballance and the warring against him and especially the cutting off of the Kings head in the other end of the ballance where both their love and their hatred might be seen at once do not prove just like the Souldiers dealing with Christ to bow their knees unto him Mat. 27.29 to put a Crown on his head and a Scepter in his hand and to say Hail King of the Jews as if his personal safety and royal honour and greatness were much dearer unto them than their own lives and fortunes and yet immediately to spit in his face and to hang him up upon a tree Which is the most paelpable the greatest and the grossest hypocrisie and mockery in the World or I may justly say with the words of Agur Prov. 30.2 Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man For Quid audiam verba cum videam contraria facta Will any wise man believe mens words when their deeds tell them to their faces that they lie And how shall I believe that his personal safety and royal honour and greatness were much dearer unto them than their lives and fortunes when I see them taking away his Life And after they had finished the Tragedy of his life and had taken off his Head to do as the Athenians did with Herostratus that burnt the Temple of Diana that is to extinguish with his Person his Name his Memorial and his Office When they would not suffer his Friends and his Servants to keep their King and their Masters Picture in their private Chambers but searched their houses as they did my house to see if they could find the Kings Picture And when as the Prophet tells us the lawless Jews said Hos 10.3 We will have no King because we fear not the Lord and what then should a King do to us For we that fear not the Lord will never reverence any King no more than they that will have no King will never fear the Lord because God hath coupled the fear of the Lord and of the King together with such an indissoluble knot that whosoever feareth God cannot choose but fear and reverence his King and he
that feareth not his King cannot be truly said to fear God Prov. 24.21 So the Parliament said We will have no more Kings but we will be as our Neighbour Nation is a Free State and a Commonwealth But for all this their saying That they will have no King it is demanded If these men proved not apt Schollars of those dissembling Jews and imitate those their good Masters to a hair for as those Jews said We will have no King that is no Kingdom Gods appointment or no lawful King that hath a just right and title unto his Kingdom yet if you look but two Chapters before you shall find how God complaineth they had set up Kings Hos 8.4 but not by him and this was first in their intention before they rejected their lawfull King that God had set over them but last in the execution because the Old King must be first ejected before any new Kings can be established So have nor the Parliament when they beheaded their Old King of Gods appointment and their lawful King without question made themselves new kings over Gods people I do not say Usurping Kings that had no right nor tyrannical Kings that did no right unto the people but as the Prophet saith of the Jews so it is questioned if the Parliament have not set up Princes yea such Princes as were but Bankrupts Shooe-makers and Taylers Drapers and Tinkers Carters and Coblers and the like Scum of men of no learning Job 30.1 of no breeding of no bloud and of no worth but such as Job describeth whom the ancient Gentry and Nobility of this Land would have disdained to have set with the dogs of their flocks and made these or such as these to be Rulers in all Lands the Justices of the peace that as the Prophet saith the Jewish Rulers would sell the poor for a pair of shooes so would these younger brethren that are to make their Fortunes for a Print of Butter or a groars-worth of eggs sell Justice and betray the right of their poor Neighbours Such Rulers and such Princes as no people in any Country would have endured the like to Lord it over them but those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Silly souls and poor spirited men whose hearts and courages the Lord hath taken from them and given up their best nobility and Gentry to be quite befooled besotted and bafled by such Baffoons when he intendeth to plague that Nation and utterly to lay all their glory and honour in the dust even as the Poet elegantly sheweth Hoc placet O superi Lucan Pharsal l. 1. cum vobis vertere cuncta Propositum nostris erroribus addere crimen Thus it pleaseth God when for their sins he intends to plague and to end the glory of any people to blind them so that they commit error upon error adding thirst unto drunkenness basenese unto their beastliness and Pharaoh-like harden their hearts in their follies that they cannot do what is honourable and what they ought untill they be destroyed and made Subjects to those that were their Servants But God tels the Jews that those new Kings of their own election were no Kings of his setting up nor any Princes of his making but of their own establishment Hos 8.4 Usurping Kings no Kings of Gods making and so meer Usurpers through the pride of their hearts and the violence of their hands such as Athalia was among that people and some others of our former Kings That I could name of this Land and therefore the Author of the Treatise of Usurpation saith That the people of any Nation do owe unto such Usurpers such Kings of their own setting up neither reverence nor obedience nor can any Officer with a safe conscience act under them Though I say not this which is true to deny that obedience to any Usurpers or to the unworthiest of our Rulers which may stand with Gods Word and may be yielded unto them without sin because I wâ—â—ld have no weak people stirred up to make an insurrection against their powerful Governours but when God that casteth down one and raiseth up another takes away the right of our former Princes and Rulers and suffereth others how mean or how base soever they be to step into their places and to sit upon the thrones of Majesty and the seats of Justice howsoever this be come to pass Deo permittente my advice is to all private men to rest themselves contented for the present and as the Apostle saith to study to be quiet and for peace and quietness sake to think it far better to obey than to rebel and to leave all things to Gods disposing Dan. 2.21 Rom. 8.28 2. The Antichrist will exalt himself above the Bishops qui disponit omnia suaviter and will set all things right in his good time and as S. Paul saith Worketh all things together for the best to them that love him 2. The Apostle tells us That as the Antichrist will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and exalter of himself above every one that is called God and that is principally as I shewed to you above his King because that in the first place the King is chiefly termed God so he will likewise be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lifter up of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is supra numen as Tremellius reads it or adversus numen as Beza renders it above all that is worshipped saith our last and the Geneva Translation and the meaning is in few words that the Antichrist will exalt himself above the Bishops and the Ecclesiastical Governours of the Church as well as above the King wich is the civil Governour of the Commonwealth for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word which the Apostle useth coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is read in prophane Authors as Pasor saith and signifieth colere that is religiously to worship or the thing that we worship for Religion sake from whence a Proselite or a religious man is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pious and religious person and all sacred and holy things that are dedicated and consecrated for Divine Service are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religious things or things that appertain to Religion which made Beza and Tremellius to translate it Numen which appertaineth to God doth sufficiently make it plain and manifest that the Apostle meaneth here not the Emperour nor any other King or civil Magistrate which had formerly exprest under the name of God as some Interpreters without reason would have it because that it is said Act. 27.1 that S. Paul was delivered to Julius that was a Centurion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Augustus Band saith our Translation whereas it should have been translated of the Band of Augusta That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle meaneth the spiritual Governors of the Church or Augusta's band which was the wife of Casar and was stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
boasting and bragging or prae se ferens as Beza translates it pretending that he is God or as Tremellius saith ostentet seipsum ac si Deus esset he will carry himself as if he were a God that is in Gods stead the true King to rule the people and the right Bishop to govern the Church of Christ or That the Antichrist will wholly direct the Clergy and dispose of all things in the Church and about the service of God as some do read it he would be esteemed and taken tanquam sit Deus for such a supream Monarch and chief Governor over Gods Church as God said unto Moses he should be to Aaron his God to direct him in all the service of the Tabernacle and the whole worship of God so will the Antichrist be such a God to order direct and dispose of all the worship of God and how all the Clergie in order and without order should behave and carry themselves in the whole service of the Church which I take to be the true meaning of the Apostle in this place For this shewing himself or bragging that he is God is not to be understood that he would have himself believed to be the true and everliving God and worshiped with divine worship as the Historians tell us Alexander Antigonus Augustus Caligula Domician and divers others of the Caesars and Emperors were transported to that height of pride and ambition as believing themselves to be more than men to require the people their subjects to take them for Jupiter Apollo or some other of those anciently esteemed Gods and to ascribe the honor and worship that was usually given to those Gods unto themselves as Altars Sacrifices and the like whereof Virgil speaking of Augustus saith Virgilius eglog 1. Illius aram Saepe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus And Horace also saith Horatius epist. l. 2. Jurandásque tuum per nomen ponimus aras But the meaning of the Apostle is that this man of sin the Antichrist will bragge and boast unto the people that he is all for God and for the honor and service of God and therefore sits in the temple of God to set out the right directory of serving God that so God through him and by his only means and endeavors might be rightly served and worshipped according to his directory as the Mahometans worship Mahomet according to his Alcoran and we formerly worshipped God according to the form prescribed unto us by our Governors in the book of Common-prayer and so he sheweth that he is God that is most godly and so a God by the participation of the godliness and holiness of God which exposition doth most fitly agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he sheweth himself to be which is the rediest way to deceive the people And whether the long Parliament hath not usurped this ecclesiastical power and jurisdiction over all the holy things Let the Reader judge whether this be not fulfilled in the long Parliament and to set forth the sole Directory of Gods service tanquam sit Deus as if they alone had Aarons Office to order all the other Priests and Levites or had the spirit of S. Paul infallibly to direct the Church of Christ as well as Moses his Authority and the power of a King to rule the people Let the Parishes and people of God that have none other form of Gods service but what the Parliament Preachers and the observers of their Directory do use be the Judges both of what service and of what Doctrine is brought unto them I make small account though I will not pass it unsaluted of that Observation which some men have made that the Parliament House where the members of the long Parliament sate Arise Evans in his Voice from heaven was a Chappel consecrated by King Edward the 3. to be the Temple of God as appeareth by many Records because many other Parliaments have sate in that Chappel and yet not any of them all have usurped this power to be the supream disposers and directors of all the holy service of God the Commanders of all the Bishops and Priests of the most high God how to do his service and what service should be done unto him and to make themselves the sole Possessors the right owners to dispose sell or give all the Revenues lands states Tythes and offerings of the Church as it is said the Antichrist would do and which he may no better nor so well do as Scyrus and Procrustes the two vilest robbers that we read of could take thy purse and all thy mony by the High-way side And here also I cannot omit to observe Note the word fit in the temple that the Apostle saith that the man of sin shall not stand but sit in the Temple of God where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth to fit as where it is said that Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 4.6 and 20.12 sate by the well and so the two Angells were seen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sitting in white raiments is to be distinguished from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth and signifieth collocare to place or to set a thing in some place as it is where the Apostle saith if you have judgments of things pertaining to this life 1 Cor. 6.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set such or place them to judg who are least esteemed in the Church and so where it is said that the Disciples brought the Asse and the Colt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as it is in some Copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they set him Matth 21.7 or placed him thereon And therefore it is rightly concluded by Maresius that this sitting in the Temple of God is ill applyed by Grotius to Caius Caligula his causing of his Statue to be placed in the Temple at Hierusalem but it may most properly signifie the sitting of the Parliament Let the Reader judge of this or the like society of men in that place where they intend to acquiesce and rest themselves whether the place be physical or Metaphysical And whether the Parliament resolved not only to stand in that their dignity and Authority for a while or intended to sit and acquiesce and continue themselves and their Successors for ever in the Parliament-House and in the Temple of God to govern the Church of God as God themselves know best I will not judge of their Intention CHAP. VI. That the Antichrist is a great Professor of Religion and a seeming Saint That he belyeth his Profession and is indeed the greatest Hypocrite in the world What the great Lye of the Antichrist is What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth What it is to deny Jesus to be the Christ And how the Father and the Son may be denied two manner of waies 2. THough I might go on
upon the transgressors then as is conceived the Pope ever did for the omission of his Breviary and Missal or the Turk for the neglect of using his Alcoran Yet as the Author of the French History relating the horrible rebellion of the holy Leaguers in France saith that the essential form of a zealous Catholick in this League was to rob and to prophane Churches ravish widows spoyl the Clergy and murder them even against and before the Altars Mercurius Rustic printed at Oxford and to vomit out all kinds of indignities and scandalous imputations against their King so the author of Mercurius Rusticus saith the Zealous Covenanters limbs of the Beast and members of the Antichrist the Proselites and adherents of the Long Parliament he doth not say the very members of the Parliament themselves have done the very same things if not worse and have out-gone and out-done those holy Leaguers and all examples of impiety in justice and wickedness and have also passed all Presidents of Sacriledge and prophanation of Gods Holy Worship So that whatsoever the old Eustathians Messalians Fratricelli and the rest of those hair-brain'd and mad Hereticks durst never attempt to do or say these holy Schismaticks and Covenanters that put no difference betwixt holy and prophane whether persons times places or things have acted ever with greediness and taken delight and pleasure in those that did them so as if the devil would shew in them the master-peece of all infernal impiety And what are these doings but as Christ saith of the Scribes and Pharisees that would be counted the only Saints among the Jews to sit in Moses Chair Mat. 15.3 Mar. 8.7.8 9. which they usurped and to teach for Doctrines the traditions of men that were indeed but the Doctrines of devils And as the Apostle saith to sit in the Temple of God as God When they have presumed to teach more errours and heresies than the Pope and the Romish Church ever taught and to act more impieties than the Turk or Mahometans ever durst presume or adventure to do Or as St. John saith here 1 Joh. 2.2 what is all the great profession of holiness that they make but a great lie When they say one thing and do another profess Religion and follow all Abomination and with the Jews draw near unto God with their lips Esa 29.13 and to have their hearts far enough from him And this is the first and main branch of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lyar Judge whether the long Parliament hath not fulfilled this when the Antichrist doth bely his Profession and his doings his practises and his works do rell and testifie to his face that all his words and sayings are very plain and palpable Lies 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lyar doth imply that the Antichrist is a great Covenant-breaker and a false Deceiver of those that trust him because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. By Covenant breaking and deceiving those that unst him that is derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth properly signifie decipere fallere to deceive to couzen and cheat from whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a false brother and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a false witness is derived doth betoken a falsifying of ones faith and the breaking of the Oath and Promise that we make to any one So that from hence you may likewife see how that the Antichrist is an eminent Christian in Profession promising and vowing in his Baptisme to forsake the World the Flesh and the Devill and protesting in his words that he renounceth them all and yet but an hypocritical Apostata by all his Actions and demeanour both towards God and Men whenas he violates his Oaths falsifieth his Faith and breaks the Promises and Vows that he hath made to his God to his King to his Country and to all that trusted him and believed him to be such a Saint and good Christian as he profest himself to be But whether the long Parliament and their adherents have broken their Covenants and their Articles and deceived their King and their Country and have falsified their Oaths their promises and protestations both to God and Man I leave it to God and their Country to judge 2. The Apostle sheweth he meaneth not that every petty Lyar 2. What the great lye of Antichrist is whereof we have too too many in every place is the Antichrist or that the Antichrist is but a petite Lyar but his meaning is that the Antichrist is both an ordinary lyar cozener and deceiver of men and also an eminent notorious and a transcendent Lyar no small Lyar but a Lyar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beyond and above all other Lyars whatsoever for this great Lyar doth not only belye his holy Profession by his lewd and wicked actions as I shewed to you before and as very many other worldly men and nominal Christians do but he tells also this great lye this capital Lye the worst of all lies especially for a Professor of Christianity to lye that is to deny Jesus to be the Christ The Antichrist is a negative Lyar. which is a negative lie not the simple telling of an untruth but a malicious denial of the chiefest truth and the most beneficial truth of all truths to all mankind and therefore a lye worse than any other lye whatsoever and a lye that doth as you shall see hereafter co-incidate and cohere with that sin of the Antichrist that S. Paul meaneth that I have expressed to you before and doth make the esse formale the very very being of that Antichrist that could never devise a worser and a more pernicious lye than this and therefore in denying this truth in denying Jesus to be the Christ he denieth the Father and the Son and discovereth himself plainly by this denial of Jesus to be the Christ as by a proper undeniable mark and character to be that great Antichrist that was expected to come into the World For the better understanding of which great and special point whereby you may infallibly know the Antichrist you must consider these two things 1. 2. Special things to be observed What is the meaning of denying Jesus to be the Christ 2. Whom we can find to have denied Jesus to be the Christ and if we can find any that hath or doth deny Jesus to be the Christ than we have found the Antichrist let us take heed of him And for the clearing of the first point A special observation Luk. 12.8 9. Mat. 10.33 you are to observe here that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Lyar is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a denier of Christ or of Jesus to be the Christ and you know what Christ saith Whosoever shall confess me before men him shall the Son of man also confess before the Angels of God but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the Angels of God or as St. Matthew saith more emphatically
on earth and he is still our King as the Prophet saith The Lord is King and hath put on glorious apparel Psal 93.1 and he placeth other Kings to be his Substitutes and Vicegerents to guide and to govern his people according as he doth command and therefore he saith By me Kings do raign Prov. 8.15 and as he is still our King so S. Peter saith He is still the Bishop of our souls 1. Pet. 2.25 and the Priest that maketh an atonement to God for us and he placeth other Bishops and other Priests under him to teach and to govern his Church in the truth of his Service and Religion And you know what Christ saith to these his Deputies and Vicegerents Luk. 10.16 He that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me So he that denieth and hindereth you to execute your Offices denieth me mine Offices to be both King and Priest and so denieth me to be the Christ and in denying me he denieth him that sent me Psal 2.8 and gave me the Gentiles for mine Inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for my Possession and also Sware that I should be a Priest for ever Psal 110.4 after the Order of Melchizedech Therefore it is most plain and apparent that whosoever professeth himself a Christian and yet maliciously opposeth and trayterously denieth the execution of the Kingly and Priestly Offices of Christ to be performed by his Deputies Kings and Priests that he appointeth under him and so far denieth them to do it as utterly to destroy them and deny them to live as the Jews denied Christ before Pilate to be Kings and Priests in Christs stead to Govern and to Teach his Church is here meant by the Apostle to be the Grand Lyar and the Great Antichrist that denieth Jesus to be the Christ and so you have seen what is the meaning of denying Jesus to be the Christ 2. The other Point to be considered is to enquire and search if we can find 2. Whom can we find to have denied Jesus to be the Christ Neither Pope nor Turk who have thus as I shewed you denied Jesus to be the Christ and if you find who hath done so you shall find out the Antichrist and I beleeve we shall find him neither in Rome nor in Constantinople for the Pope I am sure of it denieth not the Bishops as Christs Depuâ—ies to execute their Priestly Office when he professeth himself to be Christs Deputy and Vicar to discharge that Office to instruct and to govern his Church and for the Turke he will not extirpate Monarchy nor cast down Kings when he professeth himself to be the chief Monarch of the earth and a King of Kings as his own Letters testifie But whether the Long Parliament and their adherents Let the Reader judge whether the long Parliament hath not fulfilled this saying of the Apostle that in words do constantly affirm and profess that Jesus is the Christ and themselves good if not the best Christians that are on earth have not by their deeds in opposing their King the Substitute and Vioeroy of Christ and denying him either to execute his Regal Office or to live and in suppressing all the Bishops and so many Orthodox Loyall Preachers so that they shall never as Bishops execute the Priestly Office of Christ denied Iesus to be Christ by denying those Substitute Officers of Christ to execute those Offices or to live in those Offices I leave it to them that can judge who is the Lyar and the Antichrist and that denieth Iesus to be the Christ Only I must say That if I were a Pagan and an Infidel and had seen no more of the Parliaments doings but these two things i.e. 1. Their words and great profession of holiness and Christianity And The two chiefest things that do most of all regret the mind of the Author 2. Their deeds in the cutting off of their own just and lawful Kings head and the head of their chief Priest and the suppression exclusion and extirpation of all the godly Bishops in these three Kingdoms and likewise the prohibition and sileneing of them and the rest of the Orthodox Preachers from preaching of the Gospel of Iesus Christ not for any supposed Errour in their Doctrine but for a suspition they had that those faithful men would publish the truth and villanies of their Acts and Proceedings unto the People I should beleeve none could be a greater Lyar or a greater Antichrist than they that did such things Being confident that neither Decius nor Dioclesian nor any other of the primitive Persecutors nor Pope nor Turk nor any later Tyrant hath ever done the like And yet herein That the Author can very well endure dissentients I am not so wedded to mine own opinion as that I cannot endure dissentients for I am not of their mindes that hold him not for their friend and will bear no correspondence with him that will not per omnia in omnibus in all things be of their minde neither do I propose my conceptions notions and Expositions as infallible Articles of faith for others sub paena to be believed but I only set down what I conceive and do verily believe to be true and my Reasons and Arguments that induce me thereunto leaving to all others the liberty of their own conscience to believe what they will and whom they will to be the Antichrist Pope or Turk or whomsoever they please 3. 3. That the Antichrist denying Jesus to be the Christ denieth the Father and the Son which may be done 2 waies 1. Way Mat. 10.40 Luc. 10.16 S. John proceedeth and saith that the Antichrist not only denyeth Jesus to be the Christ but also by this denial he denyeth the Father and the Son and this as I conceive may be done two manner of wayes 1. By separating himself from the rule Government and Ministry of Christ and maliciously suppressing the ordinances and the substitute Governors of Christ which is a most observable and inseparable mark of the Antichrist and of all his followers for thus our Saviour tells us that whosoever despiseth rejecteth and suppresseth the officers Embassadors and Ministers that Christ sendeth and setteth over us to ruâ—e us and to instruct us despiseth rejecteth and by as much as in him lieth suppresseth Christ himself and whosoever despiseth rejecteth and denyeth him despiseth and denieth God the Father that sent him and therefore you may plainly see hereby Vide R. W. in lib. The Doctrine of the Scripture touching the original of Government pag. 117. that the rebellious risers against their King Prince or any other their supream Governor that Christ placeth over them and the suppressors of the Apostles Bishops and Pastors of Gods Church the successors of the Apostles that Christ sends to teach and to govern his Church throughout all ages do rebell reject and deny Christ which is
and inabled for this space of 1200. and 60. years to build up the Temple which was commanded to be measured to be reared up But then it is said v. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when these two witnesses That the two witnesses shall be killed thus orderly strengthning and assisting each other shall have finished or end their Testimony that is accomplish the full space of 1200 and 60 years the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them three short sentences and three great wonders for 1. Three great wonders in these three short Sentences 1. Wonder Zech. 2.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beaft shall make warre with them and is it not wonderfull that the beast should make warre with Gods witnesses for if he be a Warriour and will needs make warre can he fight with none or finde none to fight withall but with the witnesses of Jesus Christ for this is to fight against God himself and to touch them is to touch the apple of his eye as the Lord professeth most plainly in Zechary 2.8 and therefore hoc magnum est hoc mirum this must needs be a wonderfull thing that any beast should venture to make warre with Gods witnesses but the second thing here said is more wonderfull For 2. 2. Wonder He shall make warre with them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall overcome them Indeed they are filii pacis no Swordmen no men of blood though the King weares the Sword because they are the Sonnes of Oyl and the Children of peace and the King weares the Sword principally to preserve peace and the Office of the Bishops is to be evangelizantes pacem the preachers of peace through Jesus Christ and therefore in this respect it is no wonder that the Antich which comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all power both of Arms men and money should overcome these harmless men but is it not a wonder that God whose Servants they are and whose witnesses they be should not onely suffer this infernall beast to make warre with them but also to vanquish and to overcome them yes indeed it may seem marvelious in our eyes and it stumbleth many men and makes them to think ill of Gods witnesses to see them subdued by the beast which they would not so mis-judge if they would with the Prophet consult with God why he suffereth the wicked so to prosper and his own Children so to be punished And yet 3. The last point is most wonderfull and far more marvellous then the former 3. Wonder that he should overcome them for it followeth that he shall overcome them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall kill them what will nothing serve to quench the thirst of this beast but the blood of these Saints and the death of these witnesses and will God suffer his own dear servants his choycest Officers the rulers of his people and the witnesses of his onely Sonne Jesus Christ How God suffereth many things to be killed and murdered by this beast for this will make men to believe as many do that these witnesses are the beast and the beast to be the best witness of Jesus Christ but they might remember that as God suffereth all this so many times he suffereth much more then this as when he suffered Joseph to be sold into Egypt Vrias to be killed Daniel to be thrown into the Lions Den Shadrach Meshac and Abednego to be cast into the fiery furnace and above all and more strange then all his own dear and his onely Sonne to be killed and crucified by the like beast and they might think that God knoweth what is best and that he doth alwayes what is best and as the Apostle saith worketh all things together for the best for all that love him Rom. 8.28 so that their conquered condition proves to be their happiness and their enemies Victory to be their misery for though God suffered them to be vanquished and killed yet then are they Blessed Psal 116.15 and as the Prophet saith right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and much deerer is the death of his holy Martyres the Witnesses of his truth whose blood he will most assuredly avenge on them that dwell on the earth to make them most miserable Questi But here the question is that seeing the two Witnesses of Christ are the supreme Magistrate which is the King and the chiefe Priest which is the Bishop the Civil and the Ecclesiasticall Governours of Gods people and it is the Beast that ascendeth from the Bottomless pit which killed them who be they that are killed if they be killed and who is that beast that hath done it if it be done Respon I answer that Mr. Brightman thought that this Prophesie was fulfilled in the Smalcaldick War under Charles the 5th the which mistake Mr Mede doth sufficiently confute so that I need not stand to disprove this errour but if I demand whether King Charles and his Magistrates and the Bishop of Canterbury and his Clergy were not the Witnesses of Jesus Christ I presume none will none can justly deny the same and if againe it be demanded whether the long Parliament and their adherents did not make war with the King and accuse the Bishops and most of the rest of the grave Doctors and faithfull Preachers of this Church for innovation and a high Project of bringing in Popery into this our Kingdome which unjust suspition and groundless jealousie they spread every where among the people to set them on fire and to gallop unto the War against the King to press him to subscribe confirme and ratifie their covenant whose principall scope was to roote out and to overthrow the Hierarchy and the Ecclesiasticall Governors of Gods people which were the Bishops and the other faithfull Witnesse of Christ I beleive all this is so well known to all the Kingdome that every one will confess it and as they cannot deny the War with these Witnesses so they must yield that these two Witnesses both King and Bishop were vanquished and killed I am sure that Parliament hath overcome the King and he is killed which was the supreame Magistrate and one of the two Witnesses of Christ And I find the names of such persons as did actually sit as Judges upon the Tryall of his Magisty with the Councill and attendants on the Court which they called the High Court of Justice to be these JOhn Bradshaw And I do set them down that all posterities and their Childrens Children and whose embrioes are not yet in being may understand who had the honour to be the Judges of this good and Godly King to condemne him to death And I would have it observed that of these 32. were Colonels and three Generals that fought against the King and all of them a party that warred and waged the warr against him and
these that were his enemies sought his life were made his Judges to take away his life And whether this was good Justice in the Parliament to make his enemies to be his accusers Witnesses and Judges I leave it to wiser men then I am to judge of it Serjeant at Law President of the Pretended High Court of Justice John Lisle William Say O liver Cromwel Henry Ireton Esqs Sir Hardresse Waller Valentine Walton Thomas Harrison Edward Whaley Thomas Pride Isaac Ewers Esqs Lord Gray of Groby Sir John Danvers Knight Sir Thomas Maleverer Baronet Sir John Bourcher Knight William Heveningham Esquire Alderman Pennington Alderman of London William Purefoy Henry Martin John Barkstead John Blackiston Gilbert Millington Esqs Sir William Constable Baronet Edmond Ludlow John Hutchinson Esqs Sir Mich. Livesey Baronet Robert Tichbourne Owen Roe Robert Lilburne Adrian Scroope Richard Deane John Okey John Hewson William Goffe Cornelius Holland John Carey John Jones Miles Corbet Francis Alinn Peregrine Pelham John Moore John Aldred Henry Smith Humphrey Edwards Gregory Clement Thomas Woogan Esqs Sir Gregory Norton Knight Edmond Harvy John Venn Thomas Scot. Esqs Thomas Andrews Alderman of London William Cawly Anthony Stapley John Downes Thomas Horton Thomas Hammond Nicholas Love Vincent Potter Augustine Garland John Dixwel George Fleetwood Symon Meyne James Temple Peter Temple Daniel Blagrave Thomas Waite Esqs The Counsellers that were appointed to be assistants unto the Court and to draw up the charge against the King I find to be Dr. Dorislaus Mr. Aske Mr. Cook Serjeant Dandy Serjeant at Armes and Mr. Philips was Clark unto the Court. The Messengers and doore-keepers were Mr. Malford Mr. Rudley Mr. Paine Mr. Powell Mr. Hull and Mr. King was the Cryer all which do make up 77. and of those that were to be his Judges any 20 of them were to condemne him And so this High Court of Justice adjudged him that was one of the Witnesses of Christ to Death And for the other Witnesse of God which is the Ecclesiasticall governour of the flock of Christ which is the Bishop and his subordinate Clergy I doubt not but the most part of the Christian world understandeth how William Laude Bishop of Canterbury whose works do sufficiently prove him to be an Orthodox man and a faithfull Witness of Christ was adjudged to be beheaded by that Parliament and all the rest of the Godly Bishops and the Faithfull teachers of Gods truth and Witnesses of Jesus Christ are spiritually and Civilly killed by the suppression of their Office and calling and silencing them from Preaching and some of them actually brought to their Graves either through want or grief or some other ingredient which that Parliament administred unto them and not any of them but is brought to such contempt and scorn among the generality of the people and so spitefully used in many places that the like was never known since the Arian or the Heathen persecutions Mr. Mede pag. 15. and this dejection of them from their Offices had none of them been actually killed is sufficient to prove the killing of the Witnesses as Mr. Mede confesseth most truly But though we say that the King as supreme Magistrate and the Bishop For the Parliament will say that they did most justly put these witnesses to death as chief Priest are meant by these two witnesses here spoken of yet we do not positively say though we might that these two witnesses that were thus killed by that Parliament are the very witnesses that are meant in this place c. 11.7 by the spirit of God or that the Parliament which killed them is to be understood by the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit but we leave that to God and to them that are better able to determine whether they be or not Onely I say that we cannot finde the Pope to have either actually killed or civilly suppressed these two Offices of the two witnesses of Christ but that he to the uttermost of his power upholdeth both the regall dignity of Kings and the divine calling of the Bishops and therefore that he can no wayes be meant by this beast That the Pope never killed these two witnesses that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit and shall either actually or civilly or both actually and civilly kill these two witnesses and suppress these two Offices and callings of the two witnesses of Jesus Christ which herein in that which befell to our witnesses fell out most unhappily here amongst us in these Dominions and makes many men to think that as the Poet saith haec haec non sine numine divum Eveniunt All this was done that the Scripture might be fulfilled that saith the two witnesses of Christ should be killed by the beast that is the Antichrist and therefore if they be not killed already in those that I have named as we believe they are I am certain that they shall be killed in the two forenamed Offices of King and Bishop because the Scripture must be fulfilled And now the Witnesses being killed that is the chief of them How the two Witnesses being killed shall be unburied as the King and Bishop Laud actually slain and beheaded and the rest subordinate unto them civilly killed by their ejectment out of their Offices and quite put out of all hope of recovery which happened not all at once to the Bishops and which was not till the good King was made away and the Parliament had prevailed and fully vanquished all their enemies and the assistants of these witnesses the dead bodies of the witnesses saith the Angel shall lye in the streets of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt that is Sodom The full description and Character of the City where the witnesses shall be killed for their great and abominable sins and filthiness and Egypt for their blindness in the Religion and service of God and for their cruel oppression and persecution of Gods right servants where also the Lord was crucified and that was the great and holy City of Hierusalem so that the dead bodies of these slain witnesses shall lie in such a City as shall be like Sodom and Egypt for impiety and iniquity and yet like Hierusalem for profession of true piety and sanctity hearing of Sermons and hating all superstition for as Hierusalem the City where our Lord was crucified was then pretended to be the onely holy City of the World the City of God and the Inhabitants thereof the onely people of God so that City where the two witnesses of God shall lie unburied and where our Lord Christ was crucified in his annointed witnesses the King and the Bishop and the rest of their subordinate Officers his members as he said unto Saul why persecutest thou me when he persecuted his Servants will pretend to be the onely zealous and best Protestant City Act. 95. and the most opposite to Popery that is in the World And I know not how London will
evade and wash away these Characters of Sodom and Egypt and Hierusalem I will not accuse her let her excuse her self if she can howsoever when the slaughtered witnesses are cast forth into the streets of the great City they of the people and kindreds and tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies three dayes and a half and shall not suffer their bodies to be put in graves Upon which words Junius in his notes annexed to Beza's Translation that understands this beast that slew the witnesses Juâ—ius in annot annex Bezae translat in apoc c. 11. Quia tres annos cum dimidio Juper vixit bon facius Jubilaeo suo ut ait Bergomensis that is the Protestant Preachers of his time to be Boniface the 8. who killed neither King nor Bishop and I am confident never did so much mischief to the Waldenses and fratricelli that were condemned for hair brain'd Hereticks as the long Parliament did to the Orthodox Bishops saith that these three dayes and a half do signifie those three years and a half that the said Boniface lived after his Jubilee as Bergomensis recordeth But I conceive rather that these three dayes and a half are not simply and properly to be taken strictly for the set and determinate time of 3 years and a half but for some certain short space or time thereabouts that for some reasons I shall shew hereafter the spirit of God is pleased to express by these three dayes and a half during all which time thus expressed the dead witnesses that are in some part actually killed and in the rest spiritually and civilly slain by the beast shall after the beast hath triumphed over them remain in the sight of the World in the streets that is in the common Roads and open places of every Town City and Village rejected despised and scorned for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the street of the great City signifieth as Mr. Mede proveth at large And being thus despised and scorned in every place the wicked limbs of the beast and the adherents to the Antichrist shall not suffer their carkasses to be put in graves that is they will strip them of all honour they will deprive them of all their just Titles and they will denie them all civill respects and esteem them no better then as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 4.17 Vergilius Aeneidos lib. 6. Plutarchus in vita Nicâ—ae p. 544. Quintus Curtius l. 5. the very filth and off-scouring of the Earth for this is the meaning and to be understood by the laying of them in their graves which the very Heathens reckon'd the last and not the least honour and respect that we owe and should shew unto our worthy friends and deceased Heroes as Virgil sheweth by the interring of Palinurus to whom he saith Et statuent tumulum tumulo solennia mittent And Plutarch sheweth that the same due respect ought to be observed as an honour that we owe unto all our worthy Heroes friends and benefactors And so Quintus Curtius saith that when Alexander lost so many men in the straights of Pila-Susida he would not depart thence and leave his slain Souldiers unburied Vide Tobit 1.17 18 19. and c. 2. 4. 7. untill they were interred because saith Curtius among all other Ceremonies observed in the Discipline of their Warres there was none more religiously kept then the burying of their dead and you may remember what great account Tobit made of this honour that is due unto the dead bodies of men and therefore especially of worthy men such as these witnesses of Christ were And whether the godly and Christian King the defender of the true Christian faith while he lived was according to the letter of the Text suffered to be put in his grave after the Christian form prescribed by the Church of Ingland or rather thrown like into a pit Mr Fuller in the Hist of the Church of the buriall of King Charles without the due honour that we owed him let the worthy Authour of the History of the Church of Ingland be consulted with I am sure the goodness vertue and piety of this gracious King and glorious Martyr deserved at the hands of his friends and subjects a far more glorious Tombe honour and solemnities of buriall then what Artemisia did for Mausolus or what was done for Alexander or any other Emperour or King whatsoever I will not except Constantine nor Theodosius who though they were most pious men yet did they not sacrifice their lives and suffer all their blood to be spilt rather then they would suffer Gods service to be any wayes defiled or his Servants to be destroyed as this glorious Martyr did therefore I wish he should And whether the Reverend Bishops the worthy Deanes the learned Doctors and abundance more of the faithfull witnesses of Jesus Christ do not thus lie neglected without honour without respect nay despised and scorned without meanes and without maintenance in the great Cities and in the little Villages Towns and Countrey throughout all Ingland Scotland and Ireland let those that see them be the Judges And let my Reader consider I beseech him if that learned and pious man Mr. Mede seemeth not to intimate that these two Witnesses of Christ shall be killed and rise againe in the reformed Churches for he saith who knoweth not Mr. Mede pag. 22. whether or no the reformed Churches shall not be deservedly punished for the reproach offered to Christ in this behalf by taking away the Witnesses for a time because they reverenced them not according to the dignity of their Embassage while they injoyed them for it is too well known A true conselsion of Mr. Mede what offence the reformed Churches have committed in this behalf that while the Prophets of Christ mightily bestirred themselves in reforming the Temple of God others in the meane while disgracing that most sacred work and especially the Workmen by pillaging the I reasure and interverting the oblations thereof not leaving in some places so much as foode to the great disgrace of the true Religion whereby the Ministers thereof That the Antichrist shall arise in the reformed Church and why might be ho nestly according to the dignity of their Calling sustained much less that any thing should abound which they might set aside for the enlarging of the Reformation the necessity of the Holy War the relief of the Afflicted Brethren and other pious uses and was not the prevarication of this kind for which the Jewish Temple that was the Type of the true Christian Church was given to Antiochus Epiphanes that was the Type of the great Antichrist to be prophaned and the true Religion of the true God to be troden down for the space of three years and a half for an Army saith Daniel shall be given to him against the daily Sacrifice Dan. 8.12 by reason of transgression and it shall cast down the truth to the ground and it shall do
godliness whereof Saint Paul speaketh 1 Tim. 3.16 that is the mystery of Christian Religion which is the greateft of all mysteries and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 termed the mystery of God and a mystery indeed to the World and all worldly men that know nothing and believe nothing of it shall then be finished and be at an end and what God hath declared unto his Servants the Prophets and the Prophets unto his People John 1.1 and c. 3.16 Jude Ep. v. 16. that God sent his Sonne his eternall wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the word God to be made flesh to save all that believe in him and repent them of their evill wayes and that this Son of God will come to receive the beleevers in him to everlasting life and to execute judgement and to render vengeance unto all the ungodly that will neither obey God nor believe in him and to cast them for their injustice and impiety into everlasting fire which is prepared for the Devill and his Angels shall then come to passe and the truth of this great Mystery which now the worldlings and Atheists will no wayes believe shall then appear most manifest unto all the Sonnes of men good and bad For though there be some other particular mysteries of a lower degree spoken of in Rom. 11.25 1 Cor. 15.51 2 Thes 2.7 Ephes 5.32 Revel 1.20 c. 17.5 and in other places of the holy Scripture yet this onely mystery is the great mystery and the mystery of God which is principally and most specially spoken of in the new Testament as the mystery that was hid from the ages Collos 1.26 and from the wise and prudent of this World and was declared unto all his servants the Prophets The great mystery of Christian Religion when finished and which shall be finished when the seventh Angel shall begin to sound whose founding shall put an end to the third woe and the 7 last Vialls of Gods wrath and shall begin the felicity of all Gods Servants And this I take to be the true sence and meaning of the Holy Ghost touching the particulars that are prophesied of and foretold us in this 11th Chapter of this Book whereof you may apply to these present times and our own proper Church what you conceive to be already fulfilled and may unquestionably be applied unto them and for the rest that is unfulfilled Predictions unfulfilled may easily be misapplyed I dare not presume to determine any thing for as the Philosopher saith de futuris contingentibus non est facile determinanda veritas so I say more truly de futuris praedictionibus aenigmatice praedictis to explain the predictions of the Prophets and the Prophesies of the holy Scriptures that are so mystically foreshewed unto us before they be fulfilled may as easily be mistaken and misapplied I desire the Reader to judge of things as he seeth them fulfilled Act. 1.7 as rightly expounded by the best Interpreters that can but conjecture at things to come especially for the times and seasons of their fulfilling which the Father hath put and reserved in his own power Therefore for our two witnesses of Jesus Christ that were here killed amongst us whether they be these two witnesses here spoken of in this 11th Chapter of this Book or not I leave it for others to determine I must leave them dead and unburied in the streets of the great City in the manner that I shewed you before and the people making merry feasting and rejoycing for their suppression and I hope we may without offence I am sure to all good Christians expect when the spirit of life from God shall raise them up again and accomplish the manner of their restauration to their offices and places which is yet unfulfilled and unbelieved especially in the little hope we have of the raising of the last which is the Ecclesiasticall witness but the time of their reviving is the more uncertain when it shall be because we cannot well set down the exact time when the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy chorus prophetarum were quite killed for though the beheading of the King and of the chief Pastor of our Church William Land is well known to a day yet the deadly wounds and strokes of the rest of the Bishops were many and not all imposed at one time but 1. They were thrust out of their unquestionable right of sitting as Peers and members of the upper House of Parliament which we confess was the royall favour of pious Christian Kings and Princes that conceived them to be fit men to be consulted with and was confirmed by many acts of Parliament unto them 2. They were put out of their calling whereunto God had called them and cast out of their office wherein Christ by his blessed Apostles had placed them and their Hierarchy was utterly denied them and their dignity trodden under-foot 3. The Hierarchy being like a great Oak had many stroaks to throwe it down Their whole meanes and maintenance the Patrimony of the Church which the Parliament gave not to them were taken from them and either sold or given away and most of the faithfull Ministers Livings were sequestred and bestowed upon young novices or worse and the godly Incumbents left with their diocessans either to live on alms if they have none other meanes or else to starve as many of them did want 4. They were excluded from all benefit of Law and all Lawyers Atturneys and Solicitors straitly prohibited to assist them in the legall seeking of their due and just right which was also a wrong to the Lawyers 5. They were silenced and made speechless by that Thunderbolt which proclaimed them enemies to the state and should be proceeded against as enemies if they presumed to open their mouthes to preach the word of God either publickly or privately which is their spirituall killing and may be feared to be the forerunner of their corporall slaughter But whether all those strokes afore spoken have laid the Ecclesiasticall witness down for dead or that yet some heavier blow then all those will be given them to make a finall extinction of them I am not sure and therefore I must at this time leave them either as the poor Traveller that fell amongst Theeves betwixt Hierusalem and Hiericho half dead and to expect their deadly wound or as the Levites Wife For an Army must be maintained to hinder their rising and that Army must be maintained by the sweat of the poor people quite killed and parted among the twelve Tribes of Israel and so must lie not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mouthless and speechless by this last blow that cannot be healed but even dead till the spirit of life from God shall rayse them up till which rising of them if they be these witnesses here spoken of Chap. 11. Revel the second woe shall not be past but afflictions shall be added to our troubles and sorrowes to our afflictions and
neither of these can be said to have been and not to be and yet to be at the same time as the Holy Ghost affirmeth of this Beast for though Domitian was chosen by the Souldiers whilst his Father Vespasian was in Judaea Vide Caracott◠pag. 52. and then gave up his right and title to the Empire when Vespasian returned to Rome yet this doth not cohere with he is not and yet is which is affirmed of this Beast and though it might have been said that he was and is not and yet shall be if this Vision of the Beast had been shewed to St. John in Vespasians time but it could not possibly be said that he was if according to Epiphanius his Testimony St John was banished to Patmos and had these visions revealed unto him in the Emperor Claudius his time because that after Claudius Nero reigned 13 years Galba seven moneths Otho four moneths and Vitellius eight moneths before Vespasian was made Emperor nor could it be well said that he was whilst Vespasian was in Judaea when he was but an Vsurper and an Intruder while his Father lived or though it might be truly said in some sence that he was and in some other sence that he was not yet can it not be said in any way or in any sence that he was and is not and yet is as the Holy Ghost saith of this Beast How then shall we unfold this Riddle and untie this Gordian knot I answer That the Words in c. 17.8 do seem most coherent to the long Parliament That 1. Was a true Parliament that I have often thought of it and assayd it divers wayes and yet could never see how this Testimony of the Holy Ghost touching this beast that he was and is not and yet is can be applied either to Domitian or to any other of all the Emperours or Kings or Society of men so fitly and so probably agreeing with the meaning of Gods spirit as it is or may be applycable to the long and lately dissolved Parliament for that was a true Parliament when the King called them together and they sate to consult with their King de arduis rebus regni about the great affaires of the Kingdom and took their Oaths and made their solemn Protestation to protect the Kings Person and to maintain the true Protestant Religion 2. Is believed to be no Parliament But I heard many wise men judge it no Parliament when they did expell and cast out their guides and their leaders the Messengers of Christ from among them and endeavoured as the Giants did of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make Warre against God and raised an Army against their head and with all their might did fight against their King and at last like did most disloyally cut off his Head that was the head of them and of us all and as the Prophet speaketh of the like godly King 3. And yet still is a Parliament the breath of our nostrills and yet still it is a Parliament in their own esteem and with their adherents and by their peremptory Acts and Ordinances that are still accounted most excellent and binding and are so urged and observed by their adherents and compelled to be observed by all others and by the greatness of that power and authority which they assumed unto themselves and do by their Acts and Lawes execute over all people to this very day more then any other ordinary Parliament ever used whereby you see how this may be understood that is said of the beast that he was and is not and yet is though I leave it to the judicious Reader to judge whether he conceives this to be the meaning of the Holy Ghost or not or whether all this may be so as may thus be coherent and applicable to that long Parliament or not And as this which I have now expressed doth seem very shrewdly to prove Some conceive it thus to be fulfilled I will not determine it the long Parliament is or may be here signified by this beast so that which is set down by the Angel in the 17th Chapter and the 10th verse which is the explication of this vision that is here shewed c. 13. doth more fully seem to illustrate and confirm the same thing for there he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and there are seven Kings that is which have been and will be great and grievous extraordinary persecutors of my people The 5 Kings that were fallen before this Revelation was shewed whereof five are fallen that is dead and gone which we understand by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fallen and these five saith Junius are 1. Servius Sulpitius Galba the seventh Emperour of the people of Rome 2. Marcus Salvius Otho 3. Aulus Vitellius 4. Flavius Vespafianus 5. Titus the Sonne of Vespasian and one is saith the Holy Ghost that is saith he Flavius Domitian another Sonne of the foresaid Vespasian in whose latter Reign saith he St. John wrote this Revelation and another is not yet come saith the Text that is saith he Cocceius Nerva and the beast that was and is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our Translators render Junius in annotat in c. 17. joyned to Beza's Translation even he is the eighth even he especially to be observed above any of the other seven saith the Angel and this even he saith Junius is Nerva Trajan that is as I conceive him Cocceius Nerva the last that was aforenamed or rather as the stories shew Vlpius Trajanus qui hic vario respectu Septimus octavus appellatur who himself in divers respects is called here the seventh and the eighth for that although in number and order of succession he be the eighth yet saith he because this man obtained his power and authority with Nerva and did execute his consular office with him when Nerva died he is also said to be the seventh c. 17.11 and is reckoned together with Nerva as if Nerva and Trajan were but one head according to which sence our former Translation though very corruptly reads the beast that was and is not is even the eighth and is one of the seven or as the Geneva notes do understand those Kings The 1. is Nero. 2. Galba 3. Dr. Hammond in permonit pag. 907. Ex Hugone Grotio qui conjutatur Maresio pag. 169. Otho 4. Vitellius 5. Vespasian 6. Titus 7. Domitian 8. Nerva or as Doctor Hammond saith which is more likely to be right if St. John was banished to Patmos in Claudius his time and far more unlikely if his banishment was in Domitians time the 1. is Claudins 2. Nero. 3. Galba 4. Otho 5. Vitellius 6. Vespasian 7. Titus 8. Domitian But indeed all these Expositions and the like annumeration of these Kings that were fallen and extant and to come which would be too tedious for me to rehearse do seem to me to be far wide from the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this place
the same method as the 7th did And I heard it demanded very often if any Beast any like them with whom St. Paul fought at Ephesus or any other Beast in the world did or could possibly more evenly immitate passibus aequis even to a haire and over immitate that wicked Apostata in all points of subtlety and cruelty and specially in this preposterous and most odious course now specified against the Messengers of Christ for the quite rooting out of them and their Message the Gospel of Christ as the Rump Parliament hath done for as Julian did before them The Parallel so did not they by the same course of plundering and ejecting the Clergy and taking away all livelihood from the Bishops and other grave Doctors and Preachers cause many learned men even all whose names are not written in the Book of life as the Holy Ghost speaketh and some that seemed Starres and not of the least lustre in the firmament of the Church to fall from Heaven and to start aside like a broken Bowe and rather to follow the indirect Directory of the Parliament then for the observance of the direct form of serving God to forgoe their rich Rectories yea and did they not cause them to take the mark and Livery of that Beast and against their Consciences to take the Covenant of the Beast and so to forswear themselves that they might preserve their Lands and their Livings which otherwise they must have forgone as they saw others do in every place Quam sunt laudandi qui te florente juventa sprevere luxus deliciasque tuas So bewitching a thing is the love of this World as Demas can well testifie and all that have not learned St. Peters lesson to forsake all and to follow Christ and so you see how the 8th that is the Beast is of the 7th and practiceth the same acts and the same wayes as the 7th did Or else we may understand these words the 8th is of the 7 to signifie that this Beast is of the same subtlety cruelty and condition and hath as much gall and bitterness in him against the true Church and the true servers of God as all or any one of all the other 7. had So that you can finde no villany or mischief in any or in all the other 7. but you shall finde the same fully in this Beast that hath as many heads and more heads himself then all the other 7. Kings had and indeed this Exposition is most agreeable to the Originall Text that doth not say the 8th is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the 7th but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the seven And whosoever readeth the first and second part What the Authour of the History of Independency saith of the long Parliament and especially the third part of the History of Independency I should wonder if he finde it not there shewed that all the devices conspiracies hypocrifies and cruelties of those Kings or Emperours here mentioned yea and Parallel 7 times 7 more unto them are not reaching and answerable to the plots and devices iniquity and impiety of the long Parliament conceived by some men as I said before to be this beast to possess the estates destroy the liberties take away the lives of Gods Servants and to overthrow the true service and Religion of Jesus Christ for the Authour of that History proveth evidently as he saith by the very Acts and Votes the Ordinances and writings of that long Parliament that they are more bloody and cruel then the proscriptions of Sylla more unreasonable then the Articles of High Treason that were made by the Duke de Alva then which the Devill could not devise much worse and that their High Court of Justice is a new Slaughterhouse for the murthering of the free Subjects of Ingland without any just proceeding but in all things contrary to all the Lawes and Statutes of this Land which are there abundantly produced by that Authour to make good his assertion and to condemn that Court and their proceedings therein for usurpation treason tyranny The History of Independency part 3. p. 42. theft and murther for which illegall arbitrary and most barbarous bloody proceedings every mans hands would be about their eares if they did not keep an Army of Janizaries to suppress them saith that Authour And what viler baser and more abominable things then these could any beast any Antichrist or any Devill devise to do I cannot tell but I leave it to my Reader to judge whether these things be true or not CAP. II. The 10 Horus of the Beast who they are and what they may signifie their Crowns what they signifie their blasphemy the three chief properties of the Leopard how agreeable to the long Parliament of the feet and mouth of the Beast what they betoken of the power and authority of the Beast and the head that was mortally wounded who or what is meant thereby and how the Beast shall continue to make Warre 2. 2. Of the 10. Horns of the Beast IT is said that the beast had ten horns and the Holy Ghost expoundeth the meaning of this expression in the 17th Chapt v. 12. saying that these 10 horns are 10 Kings which have received no Kingdom but receive power as Kings with the Beast whereupon Junius to make good his former Interpretation of the Beast saith hos decem Reges jam olim numeraverunt circumscripserunt multi these Kings long agoe many have numbred and described to be 10 which did arise and spring out of the Roman Empire Junius in annotat in c. 13. in c. 17. quum politicum illud imperium arte pontificum maxime capit labascere when that civill Empire began by the craft and subtlety of the Popes to fall unto decay and Mr. Mede names these Kings to be 1. Vortimer 2. Hengist 3. Childeric 4. Gunderic 5. Theodoric 6. Viciarins 7. Gensericus 8. Sumanus 9. Theodomir 10. Marcianus Alcazar saith that these 10 Horns do signifie Polyarchiam Romanorum Mr. Mede in his Apostat of the latter times p. 82. Anno 456. the multitude of the Roman Senators which gave their strength and power by which they formerly ruled unto the Emperour and Cornâ—a Lapide saith these 10 Horns are 10 Kings equibus tres profligabit antichristus caeteri septem territi ei sponte se subdent whereof three shall be vanquished by the Antichrist as Daniel saith of the little horn tres Reges deprimet he shall suppress three Kings and the other seven being terrified that is by the humbling of those three shall willingly submit themselves unto him and it may be the three Kings that A Lapide speaketh of might be 1. The King of Ingland The Parallel A Lapide his Exposition how fulsilled M. Mede names the other three which the Pope suppressed p. 83. 2. The King of Scotland 3. The King of Ireland and the other seven that is most of the Neigh
bour Kings and States being made afraid of that power that could so suddenly subdue these three Kingdoms should very gladly yield themselves to become friends and Associates and to make a league of friendship with this Beast which Exposition may possibly be very near unto the truth when we see little lesse then this already come to passe The Commentator supposed to be Grotius makes these 10 Kings to be the Kings of Armenia Thracia Galatia Judaea Arabia c. which were under the Roman Empire and the Ministers of their Idolatry Et sic alii atque alii aliud atque aliud opinati sunt And truly I do not wonder that these learned men transported with a desire to make the World believe that the Pope is the great Antichrist and so misunderstanding whom the Holy Ghost meaneth by this Beast should in like manner mistake what or whom they should conceive to be the heads and horns and all other parts of this Beast quia uno absurdo dato mille sequuntur one absurdity draweth on another But how far those Expositions of Junius and Alcazar and that likewise of Mr. Mede and of all others that would have these 10 horns to signifie 10 Kings pertaining to the Roman Empire are from the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this Text will most evidently appear if you consider that the particulars of the description of these 10 horns do no wayes square and cohere with these 10 Kings that they speak of for these 10 Kings The former expositions rejected and the reasons shewed in the Text have interest but in one kingdom as you may see in the 17th Chapt. v. 12. and 17. where the spirit of God speaks in the singular number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they had received no Kingdom as yet v. 12. and in the 17. v. it is said that God hath put it in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree which those Kings never did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to give their Kingdom unto the beast and not their Kingdoms whereas the Kings that were under the Emperour and are become under the Pope were and are properly Kings and have every one of them his own proper and peculiar Kingdom neither can it be said of them as it is said here of these Kings that they have received power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one houre with the beast that is a very very small time when as they came to their power and dominion by descent or by Conquest and did not receive it as these did from any Master that gave it them and they continued therein during their life some of them very long and some of them at one time and some at another time yielded themselvee unto the Pope and all of them were of so different a time one from another that it can never agree The unlikelihood of Mr. Medes Exposition with this one houre or a short space wherein these 10 horns do agree to give their strength and power and Kingdom which they have received unto the Beast Neither is there any likelihood that those 10 Kings which Mr. Mede nameth should be the 10 Kings here meant because they were but transient by the success of Warre and of small Provinces half or quarter of a Kingdom as Vortimer and Hengist here in Ingland Childerick and Gunderick and Theodorick in Gallia and Sumanus but in a little Continent between the Rhene so that they might be better termed Reguli then Reges and because also they were as I said before of a different time one from another which might be the reason as I conceive that made Junius to passe them over un-named because he saw the unlikeliness of these men to be the 10 Kings that are here meant neither could they be said to be the horns of the Roman Empire because they revolted from it and became horns against it and pushed very hard to overcome it but as I said dato uno absurdo mille sequuntur so these learned men mistaking the beast did easily mistake both his heads and his horns But if that by this Beast you understand the long Parliament The 10 horns paralelled with the Parliament you shall finde that as all the other particulars which are here set down in this Prophesie do in every point seem to accord and agree with that Parliament so doth all the description of these 10 horns that is these 10 Kings that had no Kingdom The 10 Horns may be taken to signifie one of these three things 1.10 Of their prime Commanders but the power Authority and strength of Kings which is potestas vitae necis the power of life and death and is the greatest power that any King can have and which they give unto the Beast v. 13. that is use for the service of the Beast doth agree with the Parliament if we understand by these 10 horns either 1. Ten of the prime Generalls and Commanders of that long Parliament which you will confess had no Kingdom and yet had the honour and power of Kings Or 2. If by these 10. horns we understand all their Chieftains 2. All their Chietrains and Commanders whereof not one of them had any Kingdom and yet each one of them had the power and authority of Kings for one hower that is for a small time and you may well remember the best and greatest of them had it not very long and you know likewise they all devoted this their power and strength for the service of them from whom they had received it and they were all of them as the Holy Ghost saith of one mind Gen. 31.7 41. 1 Sam. 1.8 Job 19.3 Eccles 17.19 Revel 2.10 and did all run the same way to fight against the Lamb to overthrowe the true Church and to slay the witnesses of Christ and yet they did all of them as they said hate the Whore the Whore of Babylon that is as they expound it the Church of Rome and all the Romish superstition for 10. being a perfect number the Holy Ghost doth in many places put down this number as he doth many other perfect numbers for an uncertain number as when Jacob said unto Laban Thou hast changed my wages ten times that is many times and the Holy Ghost saith unto the Church of Smyrna thou shalt have tribulation ten dayes that is sever all times so by these 10 horns or 10 Kings we may understand many Chieftains that had the power of Kings which they all imployed for the service of that long Parliament or else 3. If by these 10 horns we understand the greatness and perfection of that power strength and authority which was given and was shewed in those Generalls The horn an Emblem of Strength Psal 18.2 Psal 22.21 Psal 75.10 and they used for the advancement of the Parliament for the Scripture useth to express our strength and power by the Epithite of a horn as you may most frequently finde it in
the Book of Psalms where the Prophet calleth God the horn of his salvation and thanketh God that he had delivered him from the horns of the Vnicorns that is from the strength and power of his enemies and he saith that the horns of the ungodly shall be broken but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted that is the strength and power of the former shall vanish away but the strength of the other shall flourish the horn being an emblem of power as we see the strength and confidence of all horned Beasts are in their horns and by ten is signified the perfection of a thing The number of 10. a note of perfection and comprehends all numbers be they never so many as all numbers are contained under 10. or made of their reduplication as when we give the 10th to God we intend to ascribe all perfection unto him because as Aquinas well observeth after we reckon and account by figures unto 9. we add the Cipher o which is circular and as God hath neither beginning nor ending to make up 10 and then we have no more figures but to duplicate and triplicate the former figures in infinitum and the Cipher onely makes up the number And so by the 10. horns of the Beast we may very aptly understand the great strength and the perfect power of the Parliament that was able to subdue the King whose strength is so amplified by Zorobabel and his Companion as you may see in the 1. of Esdras 4.1 and v. 28. and which the Holy Ghost had set down in the 2d verse and yet repeateth the same again here by this Epitkite v. 4. to shew the greatness of their strength and the perfection of their power which is no lesse then 10. horns and so a perfect power But lest we might mistake by the sight of their great power from whence and by whom the Beast had received his great strength the Holy Ghost omitteth not to set down it was from the Dragon which doth every where denotate the Devil though the Beast braggeth and boasteth all his Victories and Successes are from God when as indeed all just Histories are from God but when injusties gets the best Judges 20.25 as it useth to do not seldome God doth justly suffer the Devil to give power and strength unto the wicked to prevail against the righteous as the Tribe of Benjamin did and many others in like manner against the prosecutors of truth and right and the true servants of God 3. 3. The ten horns had ten Crowns c. 13.1 The Parable It is said that these ten horns though they had no Kingdome yet they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ten Crowns that is all the honour service and observance that could be given to any Kings the same was done and shewed to these horns wheresoever they came and this was agreeable to the Generals and Commanders of that Parliament their Excellencies did expect as much and the people durst offer them no lesse nor deny them whatsoever they required when their lives were in their hands and all their Estates and goods were at their disposal this needs not many Arguments to prove it And thus from all the aforesaid particulars I hope it is apparent that the Roman Empire cannot be signified by this Beast which was the error that brought forth many other errors after it as to recapitulate all in brief 1. The recapitu lation of the reasons that prove the Roman Empire cannot be the Beast here spoken of Because this Beast is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little diminutive creature and the Roman Empire one of the greatest States in the world 2. Because the seven heads of this Beast had no Crowns whereas the seven Orders of the Roman Government especially those of the Kings and Emperors should have the Crowns upon their heads rather then the horns if they had been meant by these heads and so should the seven Emperors that others make to be the heads if the Holy Ghost had meant them for the heads 3. Because the seven heads of the Beast which Mr. Mede saith are the seven Orders of Rulers of the Roman Government The Decemviri ruled but two years and the Tribunes but fifteen years and all of them to Augustus not above 700 years and they make the sixt to cease in the time of Boniface the third which was an 607. or thereabouts so that the Popes Government is almost as long as all the other 6 which was but 1300. and since Boniface there is above 1000. years and which Junius and others make to be seven of the Roman Emperors are no where either in the Vision or in the Exposition of it stiled seven Kings but after the Holy Ghost had expounded what these heads are namely seven Mountains he addeth immediately and there are seven Kings meaning as I shewed that had been and would be great persecutors of Gods children to signifie unto us that he meant not that these seven heads are those seven Kings nor indeed any Kings at all otherwise he needed not to have said any more but the seven heads are seven Kings whereof five are fallen and one is 4. Because that if this Beast be the eight and the Caesarean Order of Government be but the sixth and in respect of the changed Caesarianship but the seventh then this Beast is not signified by the seventh and the changed Caesarean order of Government cannot be this Beast but as the Holy Ghost tells us plainly this Beast is the eighth and of the seventh 5. Because that if either the seven Orders of the Roman Rulers or any other seven Emperors or Kings be the seven heads of the Beast then are they some part of the Beast but not any of them is termed the Beast nor said to be any part of the Beast but they all are stiled Kings and the eighth onely is said to be the Beast therefore they are not meant by these heads of the Beast 6. Because that if the Roman Empire be signified by this Beast then the ten Kings must be the horns that is the strength of the Roman Empire but these Kings having rebelled and fallen off from the Roman Empire they cannot be said to be the horns of the Empire but rather horns against the Empire which I take to be an Argument unanswerable 7. Because that if the Beast of seven heads and ten horns be the Roman Empire then the Roman Empire and not the Pope must needs be the Antichrist but according to these men the Pope is the Antichrist and not the Roman Empire therefore the Roman Empire is not the Beast And I hope I have more clearly shewed unto you who may be conceived to be the Beast and what we may understand by the seven heads and ten horns of the Beast But to proceed Fourthly it is said 4. Upon the heads of the Beast were names of blasphemie which may be committed two wayes 1. Way John 10.33
worthy of credit assure me they are for what Blasphemy in the world can there be greater then to make the Holy Spirit of God that flieth from deceit and dwelleth not in the body that is subject unto sin to be the foul Spirit of Darkness and the Author mover and promoter of such most horrid and execrable acts acts never acted by any Christians and but seldome if ever known by the worst of Pagans and never before adventured or invented as I conceive to be justifiable by the most impudent of all the Hereticks And besides all this have not their Assembly and Preachers Wisdome 1.5 as I told you before by consequent and in effect denyed the Father and the Son and so the Holy Ghost which is amor nexus spiritus patris filij Let the Reader judge what Blasphemous acts the Assembly of Divines and the adherents to the Parliament did and have they not obliterated and cashiered some of the chiefest heads and maine points of the long received truths of our Christian Religion and did not that Parliament Authorize that Apostate assembly and countenance the swarms of their lay-sword-Preachers to discountenance the 39 Articles of our Church to dispute about the expunging of the fift Article of the Apostles Creed to Antiquate the Lords Prayer out of the Church Service for fear that if they should use to say the same they should quench the Spirit as if the spirit of Christ would be offended with the Prayer of Christ and to turne out the long setled service of God and the book of Common-prayer out of the Church to give way as one saith well to a long-winded extemporary non-sence and Blasphemous repetitions Such Blasphemies as never were in the Church of Rome are broached in the books and Sermons of the Presbyterians and most sawcy expostulations with God in the steed thereof which is the readiest way to introduce Athiesme and to abrogate Christianity out of the world which is the desire of the Dragon and the proper work of the Antichrist And therefore the Religion of the Fauterers and adherents to that Parliament being but a meer complication and a syncretisme or rather a sink and common sewer of all errors Heresies and Blasphemies may we not well say that upon the heads thereof there is not onely the name but in the plurall number the names of Blasphemy especially if I should set down which would swell to a huge Volume all the Blasphemous tenents that some of their members many of their Preachers and more of their adherents have broached scattered and printed throughout these three Kingdomes since the unhappie birth of that most unhappy Parliament to most of the Kings most Loyall Subjects and so you see how this Appendix of the Beast may be said to cohere with that long Parliament Fiftly It is said v. 2. that this Beast was like a Leopard 5. The Beast was like a Leopard Jun. in annotat in loc As after the 2d Pun warr Maced Grec syria caeteraque omnia quasitorrente sequnta sunâ— Dan. 7.6 Vt loquitur florus l. 2. c. 7. Diodorus siculus de success Alexandr 2. and Junius following his former exposition saith this ought to be understood of the Roman Empire that was like a Leopard propter velocitatem by reason of their swiftness and speedy expeditions and their extraordinary successes to subdue their Enemies when their Generalls might say with Caesar veni vidi vici assoone as I came I overcame all the adversaries that opposed me whereby they have suddenly prevailed to inlarge their dominions over the better part of the then known world But indeed that Empire cannot be understood by this Leopard for Daniel speaking of the four great Empires of the world saith that the third Beast which betokened the Macedonian or Greek Empire was like a Leopard that is propter velocitatem by reason of the sudden increase and speedy inlargement thereof when Alexander the great did most suddenly in less then 10 years space subdue the Persian Monarchy and brought under his subjection the most part of the visible Dominions of the world and his Empire was as suddenly divided when he bequeathed the same to the Worthyest of his Captaines and almost as quickly againe translated unto the Romans and therefore I say that not the Roman Empire Eodem c. v. 7. 23. which was the fourth beast in Daniels Vision and had Iron teeth and stamped the residue of the Kingdomes with the feet of it but the beast that is the Antichrist which was typified by the little horne that came up among the hornes of the fourth beast â— v. 8. that Daniel saw is here likened to a Leopard and that not only propter velocitatem for the great speed that he maketh in all his actions but also in respect of all the other chief properties of the Leopard which is observed to be 1. The three properties of the Leopard Velox very swift 2. Crudelis very Cruel 3. Maculosus very much spotted And so was that many-headed beast that our Evangelift saw And truly I may justly demand if that these three properties of the Leopard might not be perfectly seen in the long Parliament The parallel for 1. 1. The great speed of the Parliament Were they not most swift in their expeditions and executions and subduing all that have opposed them either Domestick and homebred Enemies or any other forreigne foes and have they not conquered these three Kingdomes and prevailed more in less then ten years space then either the Warlike King of Sweden or any other King or Common-wealth if you consider all circumstances since Alexanders time 2. 2. The cruelty of the Parliamen As they were most speedy in their actions so I may demand if they were not as cruel in their executions and more cruell then all the examples that ever I found in any History to parallel them more cruel as it is conceived then John Vasilowich that was the greatest Tyrant of Russia and as they say greater then any other former Tyrant and yet he never persecuted any man as these men did onely for being loyall Subjects unto their King and faithfull Servants unto their God though we might say of Vasilowich that Saevior est tristi Busiride Saevior illo Qui falsum lento torruit igne bovem And therefore when I duly weigh the decenniall slaughters practised in these Christian parts by those that profest themselves to be the best Saints on earth especially when I consider not the bloudy killing of men but the many deaths that in a lingring death they have imposed on many good men and the piece-meale taking away of the lives of many quos oderunt gratis whom they hated without cause but only for seeking to do them the greatest good and to prevent the greatest evil that can be imagined from falling on them I cannot choose but cry out with the Poet O mites Diomedis equi Busiridis arae
leave it to the Judge of all the World to determine they taking it from us to give it to their Popish Priests and these keeping it to themselves But as when Pilate said unto the Jewes 1 John 18.29 what accusation bring you against this man and demanded three times of them what evill hath he done and they could make him none other answer but if he were not a malefactor and had not done evill enough we would not have condemned him and delivered him unto thee so their condemning of him onely v. 30. must be believed to be an unanswerable Argument that he hath done evill enough though Pilate that examined the matter and the man to the full protesteth that he could find no fault at all in him so if it should be demanded of the Parliament what evill have the Bishops done that you should suppress their Calling nullifie their Office stop their mouthes take away their maintenance and sell their estates that all former Parliaments had confirmed unto them to let them beg or starve as many of them might have starved had it not been for the bounty and great charity that was extended to them by many worthy men and most godly Citizens and others in and about this famous City of London they can make you none other answer then what their Brethren the Jewes did to Pilate if they had not been evill and done evill though we cannot tell you what evill they did we would not have done all this unto them so their condemning of us though they know not for what must be sufficient to lay upon us the heavy judgement of malefactors and if this dealing be not like the Beares feet most ugly I know not what can be let others judge 7. The mouth of the Beast was as the mouth of a Lion Amos. 3.8 The Parallel 7. The Text saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mouth of the Beast was as the mouth of a Lion v 2. and the Lion as the King of terrors roareth to the trembling and terrifying of all the Beasts of the Forrest and of all other men that hear him for as the Prophet saith When the Lion hath roared who will not fear and doth not this description of the Beast most aptly cohere with the long Parliament for did they not roar so terribly that as the Poet saith and all men do know Projicit ampullas sesquipedalia verba Did it not The Popes Bulls never roared so terribly against any man speak very proud things great swelling words and which is more and far worse breathed it not forth Oris Cerberei spumas virus echidnae Such cruel threatnings as deadly as the poyson of asps against those that were quiet in the Land against all the servants of Christ and that would serve God aright and continue faithfull unto their King for these men being all made delinquents aedibus sedibus effugati sunt they are to be driven and they must be packing out of house and home and when they have destroyed all these and swallowed up all their Estates then as Pyrhus told Cyneas his Orator that demanded of him Plutarch In vita Pyrhi what he would do when he had conquered all Italy he would win Sicilia then Africk and Macedon afâ—er that subdue Persia and India and so forward till with Alexander he should become the fole Monarch of the world and then he would eat drink and be merry so the Parliament Proselites believe that after the rooting out of the Cavaliers the Parliament will conquer France subdue Spain What wonderfull things the Parliamentarians promised themselves they will do harrasse Italy pull the Pope out of his Throne throw down the Whore of Babylon and then passe on to reduce the ten Tribes that were led away by Salmanazar and are so mixed with all the other Nations that no man knows what is become of them ever since yet these men by the help of their false Prophet will find them out and in despight of the great Turk they will subdue Gog and Magog and bring all the dispersed Jews and distressed Israelites over the Caspian Mountains into the land of Promise once again if you will believe their Proselites and false Preachers quam facile est dicere montem sed transire grave est which is easier said then done and then their glorious world which they term the fifth Monarchy and the Millenaries thousand years felicity in all worldly happinesse here on earth shall begin as I have read it in one of their books Printed at London and dedicated by one of the Members of the new collected Church of Wrexam to Colonel Twisleton And are not these things magnalia very glorious great exploits which I cannot yet believe though uttered by the mouth of a lion and yet to further the credit of these lying wonders 8. 8. The great power and authority of the Beast that hath 1. The power 2. The Seat 3. The authority of the Dragon Matth. 8.32 2 Thes 2.9 It is said in the same place v. 2. that the Dragon that is the devil gave unto the Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his power and his seat and great authority therefore questionless the power of the Beast must needs be very great if we cosider the great power and strength of the Devil who is able to overthrow not onely a few men or some Armies of men but all the men in the world and drive them all like the Herd of Swine into the Sea if he were not restrained by a greater power of him that ' puts a hook in his mouth and bridles him so that he can do no more then he gives him leave and therefore Saint Paul saith that the comming of the Antichrist will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all power and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth copias militares militarie Forces as where the Septuagint renders it for an Army Exod. 14.28 saying that the waters covered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Army of Pharaoh and God is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord of Hosts because he hath all the armies of the world at his command and therefore the Beast having received from the Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all his power he hath both the Secular power of gold and silver and militarie Forces of men and munition Dan. 11 43.38 wherein this power of the Beast that is the Antichrist chiefly confifteth which is so said by Daniel to rule over the treasures of gold and silver and to worship Mauzim whom I conceive to be the Heathen God of War and also the Ecclesiastical power which the Beast after he hath gotten such abundance of wealth and powerfull armies will likewise exercise according to his own will and pleasure over the Church Church men and all Church Services and Revenues that appertains unto the Church And hath not the long Parliament got such a power The parallel and done all these things
the House of Lords or the Kings royal assent any Statute Law custome or usage to the contrary notwithstanding he never read yet any Vote that hath in it more of dissolution and more of Vsurpation and innovation then this one Vote which makes their Authority Vniversally arbitrary and layes the Axe to the root of all our Lawes Liberties lives and propertyes all at once and is not this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great Authority or did ever Pope or Turk exact more or so much as this And thus that Author saith of the Power Throne and Authority that the long Parliament assumed to themselves and exercised over all the people of these Dominions how far these things are true I leave it as I do all their Acts and Actions to be censured and beleived by them that are most judicious and do best understand and know all their doings But to proceed 9. 9. Of the head that was mortally wounded and healed Junius in an not in H. loc and so Severus sulpitius and the Author of the Sybel verses supposed to be Montanus do take it The former exposition rejected It is said v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I saw one of the heads of the beast as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed whereupon Junius that makes this beast to be the Roman Empire saith that this head was Nero qui in domitiano ejus successore post vespasianum Titum suscitus est who in his successor Domitian was raised up because that in Nero the Caesarean line and stock did wholly faile gubernacula reipublica ad alios fuerunt translata and the Government of the Common wealth was transserred unto others by whose meanes especially in Domitian his successor after Vespasian and Titus the deadly wound of the Empire that it received in Nero was so cured that it remained firmer then ever it was before But this cannot be the meaning of the Holy Ghost because as I told you before this Revelation especially in the latter parts thereof was of things that were hereafter to be fulfilled and Nero was dead and five Emperors more Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian and Titus long before St. John saw these things therefore Luther Illiricus Chytraeus and others by the Head that was mortally wounded do understand the civil Empyre of Rome that was wounded in the Emperors sed resuscitatum erat per papam but was healed revived and raised by the Pope and this exposition is likewise approved and followed by Mr. Mede Mr. Meder pag. 5.3 and by all that take the Beast to signifie the Roman Empire and the Pope to be the Antichrist Mr. Mede pag. 53. but I shewed to you before that this Beast cannot be taken for the Roman Empire and therefore by this Head cannot be meant the Empire that was restored by the Pope especially considering that not the Beast Dr. Hammond in loc and Grotius in apoc but one of the Heads of the Beast was as it were wounded therefore others by this one of his Heads that was wounded do understand the Capitoll of Rome that was twice burnt about this time but was after the burning of it far more sumptuously re-edified by Domitian and for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of his Heads that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one is by an Hebraisme Mat. 28.1 put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first as in St. Matthew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of the Sabbaths is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first of the Sabbaths or the first day of the week And this conceit of Grouns seconded by Dr. Hammond is more fully confuted by Maresius dissertat de antich so is this one of his heads put for the first or the chief of his heads because that here was Jupiter Capitolinus which was the chiefest Temple of the Heathen and Idolatrous Worship of the Romans but seeing this Beast doth not signifie the heathen Idoll Worship of the Romans as I have sufficiently shewed unto you before this head cannot be taken to signifie the Capitoll and besides the wounds of the Capitoll were made by fire whereas the head of this Beast received his wounds by the Sword as the Holy Ghost sets it down c. 13. v. 14. But taking the long Parliament for the Beast it may well be said What may be meant by the Head that was mortally wounded that either the hypocrisie or subtlety of that Parliament that is their crafty plot to overthrowe both the Monarchy of the Common-wealth and the hierarchy of the Church which I told you might be one of the heads of this Beast was as it were mortally wounded when the Earl of Essex was beaten at Edgehill and at Cornwall driven to flie for his life by the Sword of the King so that if his Majesty had followed those good successes aright like Julius Caesar and not like Hanriball that knew quo modo vincere sed non victoria uti how to overcome but not how to follow his victory that wound in all likelihood had not the King been too mercifull a Prince when he gave it and too lesse politique then a prudent Souldier should be had been so mortall that it could never have been healed Or rather as I conceive by this head that was as it were mortally wounded we may understand the lies and erroneous Doctrines of the false Prophet and the cunning tricks and deceits of the Beast that were reproved and confuted by the true Servants of Christ And so accordingly The Parallel the falshood of that Parliament in the misconstring of our Lawes and former Statutes What the Authour conceives the Head that is wounded to be lies wounded by the truth and the scandalous traducing of the good King and his loyall Party which as I shewed unto you might be conceived to be another of the heads of this Beast and was confuted and made apparently false to all that would believe the truth and shewed to be most unjust and false by the clear writings and answers of the King and his adherents for the truth of things on the Kings side and the falshood of the Parliament and of their proceedings were so fully and so clearly shewed and their misconstructions detected that I heard many of themselves confess that the King went far beyond them in his papers and was farre happier in his answers then they were in their objections the King alwayes carrying away the Victory and having still the better of them while the matter was disputed with the Pen either about the Militia or Episcopacy or any point in controversie quia magna veritas because truth is able to prevail and doth Revel 19.15 while we do peaceably seek the truth and so this false and lying head of the Beast was wounded with the Sword of truth which is the Sword of Gods mouth from whence saith the Holy Ghost there proceedeth a sharp Sword But yet all this while the Kings
Weapons were but paper Bullets and his Speares but feeble quills and therefore though they may prevail in Hierusalem the City of God yet oftentimes corruit in platea veritas the Steel cuts the quills in peeces and the truth is trodden down in the streets of Babylon where the Devill ruleth and where this head of the Beast thus wounded with the Sword of truth was healed for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wound of his death or his deadly wound was healed saith the Text that is by the Weapon salve and by the Warre that they made against the truth because the wound was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi mortifera as it were a deadly wound Non quod revera talis erat sed quia talis videbatur not that it was struck dead indeed for then it could not have been healed Cohnelius a Lapide in loc but that it seemed so and did appear sufficiently to be so to all honest men as Cornel. a Lapide well observeth for it was such a wound that although to them which obey not the truth but are like the fool Harpaste that as Seneca saith How the deadly wound of the Parliament was healed was as blind as a Beetle and yet nesciebat se esse caecam would by no meanes be perswaded that her eye-sight failed her but that the Room was dark the Kings confutation of their lyes the detection of their falshood and the manifestation of the truth and his innocency were like Cassandra's Prophesies and would give them no satisfaction yet to all those that had their eyes open and had sence to perceive the light of truth this head appeared to be so sufficiently wounded that it was plain and bootless to adde any Playster to revive it or to have it further to be disputed But it is conceived that the Parliament hoped to thrive better by Club-law then by any truth and therefore in this question they will needs dispute the matter again and for a melius inquirendum the question must be decided by the Sword that often beats down the truth and prevails against the right And so now herein Quia opera Dei judicia ejus occulta esse possunt in justa esse non possunt Augustinus God that in and out of his secret Councel doth all things well and cannot do any thing ill or unjust though we know neither the causes nor the reasons of his doings permitted as the Prophet saith he did in his time veritatem in platea corruere the truth to be trodden under foot and as he gave leave to Satan to overthrowe the House of righteous Job and to slay his Children every one so he gave way to the Quack salvers to heal with their Weapons of Warre the wound that the King and the Prieft had made with the Sword of truth And Mr. Medes Reason to prove the Roman Empire revived by the Pope to be this head that was wounded videlicet because that whatsoever evill the Beast is mentioned to have committed whatsoever adoration or worship is done unto him all that is said to have come to passe after the curing of his wound for I saw saith St. John one of his heads Mr. Mede p. 54. Mr. Medes reason to be applied rather to the Parliament then to the Empire revived by the Pope in Charles the Great as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed and then he addeth and all the World wondered after the Beast that is now being healed they wondered after him and worshipped him and he opened his mouth in blaspemy c. all after his healing and none of his hainous acts are mentioned or any subjection done unto him or any honour conferred upon him by the Nations before his wound was healed I say this doth in all things agree with the long Parliament far better then the Roman Empire revived by the Pope for the Eastern Empire which was the best part of the Roman Empire was quite lost from him and never revived by him since the time of Momyllus called also Augustulus and the Western Empire conferred upon Carolus Magnus the Sonne of Pepin King of France was ever since rather weakened then revived by the Pope that hath made it a Skeleton to rest in Germany without much honour besides the title and with lesse power then ever it had before but for that Parliament we know that till their deadly wound was healed by their Sword and by their Victories and successes neither did the people yield unto them their subjection nor the Nations round about them honour them with such Complements nor themselves commit such horrible wickednesses as afterwards we have heard and some have seen so amply done but when their wound was once healed and they became Masters of all that opposed them then began their Io Paean and all the foresaid things succeeded and they are said to have proceeded a malo ad pejus and as the Poet saith From bad to worse from worse to worst of all 10. How all the World wondered after the Beast And therefore it is said then v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the World wondered after the Beast so they did after the Parliament and so they might wonder well enough to see the falshood of the Parliament in their accusation against the King and his Party so clearly detected and the truth and uprightness of the Kings proceedings so fully confirmed to the World and yet to finde these like incredulous Jewes and like Jannes and Jambres to resist Moses and to wage Warre against the truth and against all right and to prevail against them which is able if any thing be able to make all the World wonder at it The Parallel as the Holy Ghost saith they did for who would not wonder 1. To see men so impudent as to warre against the truth and against innocency Two things to be justly wondered at and Children warring against their Parents and subjects against their King and which is more 2. To see iniquity prevailing against equity and wickedness against piety and the followers of the Antichrist against the Servants of Christ But though this may move us to wonder at it and to wonder much at all this quia mirabilis Deus in operibus suis because God is wonderfull in all his works and more especially wonderfull in his judgements Psal 37.35 when suffering the wicked to flourish like a green Bay-tree he chasteneth his own Children every morning and hedgeth their wayes even with thorns that they cannot step aside Hosea 2.6 but they shall be wounded yet we may not by any meanes forsake oppressed righteousness and be partakers with the wrong-doers in their prosperous iniquity and though to the amazement of all beholders we see God permitting them to thrive prevall and prosper in all their wayes yet must not we cast our lots with them V. 4. To worship the Beast what it signifieth Hinc male
bestia pro idolotria intelligitur quia idolum adoratur non idolctria and be their assistants in their unjust proceedings for though to worship the Beast here signifieth no more then to be subject unto him and to do civil service unto him because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the use of the Hebrew betokeneth nothing else but civil worship as you may see in Gen. 27.29 and c. 37.7 and c. 49.8 and in 45.14 and so the words Who is able to make war with him v. 4. do shew that their worship was no divine worship but onely to be subject unto him yet here you may observe that the worshippers that is the servers assistants and adherents of this prosperous Beast are said to worship the Dragon to shew unto us that all those which do any wayes serve the Beast beyond truth and against right do indeed therein the service of the Devil to inlarge the Dominion of the Antichrist and to increase the power of the Beast against the servants of Christ and therefore 2. It followeth v. 5 There was given unto the Beast and you may easiy guesse 2. The two things that were given to the Beast who gave him these things which God never giveth These two things 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mouth speaking great things V 5. The Parallel The first thing and blasphemies magna loqui non solum est blasphemias in coelum jactare sed etiam tumide superbe sive se laudando sive hostibus victis insultando saith Maresius pag. 124. to speak proudly of our selves or to insult over those whom we subdue may here be well understood by this speaking great things 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power to make war 42 moneths Matth 49. Such Mermaids live that promise onely joy but he that yields himself they soon destroy saith the Poet. The second thing Mares p. 124. And both these things were fully given and are every way aplicable to that long Parliament as it is conceived and I suppose rightly for 1. Who ever promised greater things to any King then the Parliament promised to King Charls you may remember their very words to make him a most glorious King both feared abroad and honoured at home but as the Devil said to Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All these things will I give thee but upon this condition that thou wilt fall down and worship me where the work was a 1000000 times and more surpassing the Reward so the King conceived they would deal with him i. to make him glorious in their account but so that he would be ruled by them and suffer them to rule the rost and to govern all his three Kingdoms which was usura superans sortem a making of him glorious to his losse and not without dishonour and for their blasphemies I have touched the same before 2. Power was given unto the Beast to continue saith our laft Translation forty two moneths and so Mr. Mede brings divers proofs to shew that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be taken in the signification of continuing as it is in Acts 15.13 and 18.23 2 Cor. 11.25 James 4.13 in all which places and the like I do yield that the word must be so taken That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facio doth not properly signifie to continue nor especially so in this place v. 7. Cap. 11.2 as Mr. Mede saith for continuing but the taking of it so in those places is no apodictical Argument to prove that it must be taken so here in this place but rather the contrary because that although some Greek Copies omit the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet the ordinary Copies say that power was given to the Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make war 42 moneths which is agreeable to what is said v. 7. that it was given him to make war with the Saints that is for 42 moneths which is the same time and expressed in the very same words as the Gentiles that is the unbelieving the prophane worldlings and the dissembling hypocrites should tread the holy City that is the true Church and the faithfull servants of Christ under foot and now let us consider whether this may be applicable to the Parliament and you know that Parliament made wars and wars indeed the worst of all wars Valerius Maximus lib. 5. in the judgement of heathens Civil wars nullos habitura triumphos where oftentimes the father fights against the son and the brother kills his brother as we read they did in the wars of Sertorius this the Parliament cannot deny But how long the Beast should continue to make war it is not so easily to be understood How long the Beast should continue to make war the Holy Ghost saith he shall continue to make war 42 moneths and the question is what time is signified by these 42 moneths Mr. Mede would have these 42 moneths to synchronize with the womans 1200 and 70 dayes abode in the wildernesse and so the time of the Antichrist continuing should be 1200 and 60. years at the least but though the womans abode in the wildernesse being 1200 and 60 dayes That these 42 moneths do not synchronize with the 1200. and 60. dayes Cap. 10.2 So Maresius expoundeth these 42 moneths for the continuance of the Roman Empire ab urbe condita ad mortem Odoacri in anno 493. to be just 1260. years Three years and a half or thereabouts will be the treading down of the holy City may be interpreted for 1200. and 60 years yet with his leave I say that this proves not the 42 moneths should likewise signifie 1200. and 60 years because that 42 lunar moneths do not make up just 1200 and 60 dayes and if you understand the Solar moneths and the Suns passage through the Zodiac then there is no reason the expression should be altered no more then be doth in expressing the treading of the holy City under foot which doth synchronize and betokeneth the same time with this continuance of the Beast to make war and besides though we find so many dayes to signifie so many years and so many weeks to signifie so many years as there be dayes in those weeks because the dayes of Septimana a week are certain how many they are yet because the dayes of so many moneths are uncettain how many they are except you do expressely set down whether you mean the Solar or the Lunar moneths I cannot remember a Parallel Text in all the Scriptures where so many moneths do signifie so many years as there be dayes in those moneths and therefore the most part of all the interpreters both old and new do expound this time of the Beast that is of the Antichrist to be three years and a half which 42 moneths doth make and throughout all which time the Beast should continue to make war as is said here and should by his adherents and associats tread
the Civill State decayed and the Power of the Emperors was so usurped and transferred unto the Pope because this Power which they now unjustly exercise was the just Power of the Emperor and of other Kings whom the Pope and his Cardinalls subjected Volater l 22. Authropolog in Alexand. 3. Hoveden Math. Paris in Reg. Joh. ursburgens in Fred. 1. as the Histories do relate unto themselves Sol. I answer that the Holy Ghost meaneth not that this second Beast took away and usurped the Power and Authority of the first Beast but did all Acts and exercised all his jurisdiction and his function by vertue of the power and under the protection and the countenance that he received by and from the authority of the first beast as the Sheriff exerciseth the power of the King for the service of the King for so the words do plainly intimate that this two horned Beast exercised the Power of the former beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the presence of him or before him that is for the service and to the use and behoofe of the former Beast because that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In conspectu Jehovae saith Tremelius 1 Sam. 2.18 is here equivalent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dative case as when it is said that Samuell was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring in the presence of the Lord or before the Lord it signifieth as it is also expressed Cap. 3. 1. that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring to the Lord so this second Beast exercised all the Power of the first Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the use service and setting forward the practises and designes of the first Beast and this appeareth very cleare from the words immediately following in that this second Beast causeth the Earth and them that dwell therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 13.12 that they should worship the first Beast that is not to ascribe any Divine Honor but to submit themselves to obey and to serve and assist the first Beast And we know the Pope and his Cardinalls and so all the Roman Clergy That the Bishop of Rome and his Clergy cannot be meant by the second Beast cause all the Rulers of the Earth and all the Iuhabitants thereof to worship Honour and serve themselves as those that are most worthy of Honour for the care that they take to save the soules of the people rather and before the other Beast that is the Civill Magistrate which careth onely for our Temporall estates and the things of this present life and therefore deserves not so much worship as the other that by the Testimony of the Apostle are worthyer of double Honour because they labour to bring us to eternall life in which respect we find how the Popes exacted Platâ—na in vita ejus French Epit. p. 93. and required the greatest Kings and Emperors to serve and to worship them as Gregory the third did to Leo Iconomachus Gregory the seventh to Henry the fourth Pope Zachary the first to Childerick King of France Allexander the third to Frederick Barbarossa Celestine the third to Henry the sixth Speed in the life of King John Hoveden Annal p. 2. sub Rich. 1. Innocent to King John Adrian the fourth that made the Emperor to hold his stirrop and the like that you may find in the Annalls and the lives of the Kings and the Emperors and therefore questionless the Pope Cardinalls and Clergy of Rome cannot be understood by this second Beast But all that is here specified and spoken of the second Beast The Parallel That the Assembly of Presbyterians and the Independant and Lay Preachers of the Parliament are the second Beast and the false Prophet doth in every particular point agree and most aptly cohere with the Parliaments Heterâ—geniall and Laâ—dicean Assembly of Divines that sat at Westminster together with their dispersed Disciples wheresoever inhabiting within these Kingdomes and with the swarme of Independant and Lay-Preachers that sprang up since the beginning of that Parliament for these Presbyterian Divines that contrary to their Oathes contrary to the Commands of their King and contrary to their Faith given in the presence of God and in Gods House when they were admitted to Holy Orders and the rest of the Independant and Lay-Preachers have as the Text saith exercised all the Power of the Parliament they sat in Westminster under the wings of the Parliament and with the rest of their Associates wheresoever dispersed trusting to the Power and Protection of the Parliament they Preached Consulted and Determined all things by the Power and Authority and for the service and advancement and behoofe of the Parliament for the overthrowing of the King See also what the Author of the last Will and Testament of Sir John Presbyter saith Edwards in his Gangraena p. 26. the rooting out of the Bishops and the utter defacing of Gods Church And I think all the people of this Land knoweth this to be so true that I need not use any argument to confirm it and so the Independant Sectaries do avouch that the Presbyterian Government is the false Prophet and the Beast here spoken of and the third part of the great Citty Revel 16.19 and on the other side the proud Presbyterians do as confidently aver that the Independants and Lay-Preachers are this Beast and so Clodius accusat moechum Catelina Caethegum and I out of their own mouthes will take it pro confesso and conclude them both to be partes constitutivas the chiefest constituting parts that make up the second Beast That the false Prophet is three foldâ— and the false Prophet And this false Prophet is like the three-headed Cerberus consisting of three speciall branches or three sort of Preachers 1. The Presbyterians And to begin with the last 2. The Independants And to begin with the last 3. The Lay Preachers And to begin with the last 1. The Lay Preachers may rightly be said to be one of the heads of Cerberus and the false Prophet in two speciall respects 1. In respect of his eutrance into his Office 2. In respect of his ignorance to discharge the duties of his Office For 1. 1. The Lay Preacher a false Prophet in two respects 1. His unjust entrance Malach. 2.7 that the Priest is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts and the Apostle tells us that no man taketh this Honour unto himselfe that is to be a Messenger and an Embassador sent from God but he that is called of God as was Aaron and how was Aaron called First by the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit Secondly least he should be mistaken in the inspiration of the Spirit because there are many spirits by the appointment and Ordination of Moses that had his Authority from God to approve of his Vocation and to confirm him in his Priestly Office thus was Aaron called and yet more then this Heb. 5.4 the Apostle saith that Christ himself who is the
such affectionate addresses and passionate prayers for the continuance of Richard Cromwell in his Protectorship as may be seen in their Diurnalls and inquire if any one of the Bishops or of all the Episcopall party did the same and then to consider whether such men that are so unjust to their King to their Civil Governors be fit men to be made Governors of the Church of Christ as they imitate this malicious King in their actions so they are the disciples of railing Rabsheca in their Sermons for letting passe those doctrines that derogate from the goodnesse truth and justice of God they stuffe their Sermons with most unsavory expressions and ridiculous things in the eares of men as a Presbyter Preacher in Christs Church said that hell was paved with Kings Crowns and Bishops sculls another said that God might as rightly be said to be the Authour of sin as of Monarchy and a third said that Monarchy was such a beast as he would venture his life to fight against it these and the like were the doctrines of this beast and yet now who pretends to be more zealous to reduce our David to his throne then these Presbyters when as other men knowing their doings think it strange they should have the impudencie to look any King in the face And to justify what I say of these Presbyters the chiefest branch of this false Prophet as I will not refuse a pearle from a dung-hil so I will not disdain to alledge the testimony of George Fox the younger in the eleventh page of his book whose copy was delivered into the hands of his Majesty the fourth day of the fourth moneth 1660. where he saith unto the King if thou shouldst come in upon the account of the Prethyterians or shouldst refuse to bow to what they should set up or not Jatisfy the covetousnesse of their Priests there be several of them would be ready to serve thee as they did thy Father and a little after he saith how abominably have these durty deceitful covetous Priests acted in all these changes i.e. which he had formerly spoken of Oh! it is hard to utter their deceit who one while have prayed for a King and Parliament and when they saw the King was like to fall and no ways likely to maintain them they turned against him and prayed onely for the Parliament and asserted their authority and cursed them that would not go out to help against the mighty and shortly after when Oliver Cromwell had turned out the Parliament and set up himself they cryed him up and prayed for him and many of them began to assert his authority to he just and when he died many of these Preachers began to addresse themselves to his Son and fawned upon him that he might provide for their God which is their belly and they appeared to be sorrowful for his Fathers death and blasphemously termed him the Light of their eyes and the breath of their nostrills and they told Richard that God had left him to carry on that glorious work which his Father had begun and some of these Preachers compared Ol. Cr. to be like unto Moses and Rich like unto Joshua who should carry them into the promised land and how soon did some of them turn to cry for a Parliament again when the Army turned out Richard and when George Booth made a rising then they cried out against the Parliament and began to curse such as would not go out against them and when George Booth was taken they petitioned to the Parliament to excuse themselves and that they had no hand in the rising and now they are for thee O King and if thou wilt believe them thou art worthy to be deceived by them But I should be overtedious if I should relate unto you the abundant blasphemies of their vile Doctrine Which you may find at large in Arise Evans his Euroclydon per totum and obliquity of all the actious of these new Presbyters and their Proselites and therefore I will pass to those things that are here mentioned and shew the description of this second beast as the H.G. doth here set it down and leave my Reader to judg whether they be not all fulfilled and every way appliable to our Presbyterians to prove them and none else to be this false Prophet here mentioned in this Book of the Revelation Where notwithstanding I would have you to observe that there are two sorts of the now and new Presbyterians that is 1. Rigidi superhi ambitiosi 2. Moderati molles timidi 1. The proud ambitious and rigid Presbyters that sate at Westminster like the Synedrion under Cayphas an Assembly of Divines that chalked out the way for the rest to follow them in their extravagant and exorbitant courses and these are the partes constitutivae the chiefest and the principall parts of this false Prophet 2. The moderate remisse and fearful Presbyters are such as to preserve their livings do unwillingly observe the Directory of the rigid Presbyters that are here so amply described by the holy Ghost and do in all things correspond and are conformable to every point of the description of this two-horned beast as hereafter I shall shew unto you The seed of this beast though begun to be sowen When the seed of the beast was first sown in the Church as the Apostle saith of the my tery of iniquity by Simon Magus Ebion Cerinthus Nicholas and the like in the first age of the Church yet did not this beast shew his hornes nor this mystery so visibly with any strength appear in our Church of Great Britain till now of late Indeed when the godly professors of the Gospel in King Edward the sixth his time and in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign began to fow good corn in the field of this our Church and to make a reformation and a rooting out of those weeds of superstition that the Ministers of the said mystery had spread and now began to be discerned among the wheat then presently the envious man super-seminavit Zizania that is When Puritanisme began amongst us in these dominions which you may see more fully shewed in Mr. Fullers History of our Chuch Brightman in Revelat. c. 2. Detrahunt noâ—is perimus detrahunt Canoni veritati non detrahant Aug de verbis Aposteli Sermone 14. And so may we say of these men the devill stirred up his seeds-men John Knox in Scotland and Thomas Cartwright in Ingland to mingle our wine with wormwood and to scatter darnells and tares among our good wheat whereby they infected very many with an epidemical and most deadly disease then termed Puritanisme the offspring of the old Catharists that is a dissembling pharisaical purity and pretended holinesse far excelling the rest of their brethren both in life and doctrine especially in the conscientious refusall to subscribe and to submit themselves to the established Liturgy and the orderly observation of the discipline and
Ceremonies of our Church which they spared not most loudly and lewdly to bark against and to call it the Laodicean luke-warm Church and the Governours and upholders of all the good orders uniformity and discipline of this Church of Christ they blushed not to style Popish Bishops and proud Prelates and the Book of Common Prayer as if it had been the Turkish Alcoran They perswaded the people to believe it was the English Masse-Book and all the Ceremonies thereof the ragges of Rome and so belched out their poyson against out Church And to what incurable mischief this disease was like to grow that wise and reverend Arch-Bishop Bancraft did foresee and with all his might endeavoured to prevent by discovering and publishing the same unto the world so did worthy Doctor Whitgift before him and so did Doctor Dove Doctor Covell Doctor Gardiner Doctor Leon. Hutton and Mr. Thomas Hutton and many other godly and learned men labour to unvaile this beast his face to shew his hornes and the weaknesse of his reasons unto the weak and seduced people But as the harlot said unto Socrates ego tibi Socrates multum praesto I do much excell thee O Socrates because I can sooner allure the youths of Athens and intice far more of them to my house of leudnesse then thou canst with all thy rhetorick and eloquence perswade to thy School of Philosophy so these locusts and their Proselites prevailed more with those that were such as Socrates answered the harlot her customers were proclives ad malum inclinable to be misled and easily drawen to evill as we are all by nature then all the wise Governours and grave Doctors of the Church could do to hindet them so that in a short space notwithstanding the execution of Martin Mar-prelate Penry and some others in Queen Elizabeths dayes which did a little stop their gallopping course and the careful industry of King James to suppresse them yet multiplicati sunt super numerum they increased exceedingly like the frogges and rats of Egypt that do super-faetare beget young ones before they be rid of their old brood and then being so multiplyed they that formerly pulled in their horns like a snaile did begin in King Charles his time to set up their hornes on high and to speak with a stiffe neck and now to set their instruments the disconteuted Nobility and Gentry and their own seduced disciples on work to bring their long-wished purposes to an end for as the soule worketh no corporeall act but by the organs of his body so these men being spiritual men could not themselves prevaile to attain unto their ends against the power of the King but having so plentifully sowen their seed among their Proselytes and so well instructed the body that was their instrument they can with their help produce the acts that they intended and which they do suggest into the heads of the other beast which is their body And therefore as in every sinful act the soul which is actus primus corporis organici causa actuum secundorum Arist de anima l. 2. c. 1. Text. 4. Is more liable to judgement and deserves more punishment then the body so as I said before this spiritual beast is far the worst of the twain and the worst of all other beasts that ever were so bad that I am no wayes able to shew unto you the badnesse and to display the wickednesse of this second beast yet as the Arian hereticks gave forth of themselves Aug. epist 48. ad Vincent that they onely were the true Catholick Church of God and those that were the members of the true Church indeed they called Athanasians Ambrosians Joannites and as Nestorius being a pestilent heretick covered himself notwithstanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the cloak or vaile of the Catholick faith saith Theodoret so I know these men think themselves to be the onely true servants and the most faithful Ministers of Jesus Christ but indeed as David did worse then Joab in the murther of Vriah and as the teacher of a man to sin is worse then he that commits the sin as the Serpent that inticed the woman to eat of the forbidden fruit was worse then the woman so this second beast that seduced and taught the first beast to do all or most of the evills and wickednesse that he did is far worse then the first beast that was but his instrument to effect all those vile acts and mischiefs whereof this second beast was the prime Authour instructor instigator and no marvell for as corruptio-optimi est pessima The second beast farre worse then the first beast and so I deem the Prerbyterians the worst of all the men in Ingland and the Authours of all the mischiefs done in this kingdom Jerem. 24.23 Tertul. l. de prescript advers haeres c. 42. and as Jeremy his figges were either exceeding good or extream bad so are the Preachers and teachers of men either the best of men and so worthy of double honour if with the true Prophets they go the right way to work or else the worst of all men and so worthy of many stripes if with this second beast and false Prophet they go about to corrupt the truth to seduce the people and as Tertullian saith of the hereticks of his time cum hoc sit negotium illis non ethnicos convertendi sed nostros evertendi to labour more to overthrow us then to build others in the faith of Christ And as the Arian Prelates and Preachers were more cruell and greater persecutors of the Orthodox then either the heathen tyrants or the Ariankings that were but their instruments and were indeed lesse bloody and more consciencious then their teachers so are these Presbyterians and Independents and Lay-Preachers more proud and more cruel and of lesse conscience and lesse honesty as being the prime Authours fomenters and devisers of all villanies miseries and mischiefes that have been acted in these dominions ever since they were hatched then were the members of that long Parliament as the sequele of their description and their actions here specified will make it plaine and the Author of the Last Will and Testament of Sir John Presbyter in his Epitaph that concludes too uncharitably doth briefly paint them forth saying Here lies Jacke Presbyter void of all pitty Sir John Presbyter his Epitaph That ruin'd the Country and fooled the City He turn'd Preaching to prating and telling of lies Caus'd Jarres and Dissentions in all Families He invented new Oathes Rebellions to raise Deceiving the Commons whil'st on them he preyse He made a new Creed despised the old King State and Religion by him bought and sold He foure yeares consulted and yet could not tell The Parliament the way Christ went into hell Resolved therein he never could be Therefore in great hast he goes thither to see And I would to God they had the Grace to see the mischiefes that they have done and to repent
speak like the Dragon I know not who can be the true Prophet of Jesus Christ But If you look into the translation of Grallae that was made in vindication of Vedelius to answer Apollonius and his Wallacrian Classis which are the Transmarine Presbyterians you shall see if that Author proves them not to be all Popes in every point but the ignorant people are not yet acquainted with them for he demandeth if their pride and arrogancy as is seen in the Wallacrian Classis be setled in their Classis how much will the world be eased of the Roman Antichrist that is the Pope because they are such birds so like the Romish Pope that they deservedly fall into AEsops fable of the Cuckowe which asked the rest of the birds why they did all flye about him and pecke at him as if he were a hawke that did often molest them whereas he was a weake and feeble bird that neither did nor wisht them any hurt at all to whom the birds answered they did it because that in his feathers he was so like an hawke that they were afraid and believed that in a very short time he would become an hawke so the actions and the doings of these Presbyterians like the Cuckowes feathers are so agreeable to the pride and presumption of the PoPe and all the rest of his practises over Gods Flock that you may assure your selves assoon as ever they shall have their Classes setled Puerilis Sapientiae cothurnus pag. 43. and their Government established you shall have so many imperious Popes amongst you as will vex you more then ever the Pope of Rome hath done qui ante non cavet post dolebit CHAP. III. Of the image of the first Beast what is meant thereby what it is to give life to the Image of the Beast the two things that the Beast animated by the false Prophet immediately acted and the two things that the Long Parliament Acted immediately after they were justified incouraged and animated by the Assembly of the Presbyterians of the marke of the Beast and of the ingagement and of the great iniquity of the ingagement ANd therefore it followeth in the next v. 14. that by the meanes of these their pretended miracles 5. Of the Image of the first beast that they do that is to convert soules and to bring this fiery zeale out of Heaven unto their followers they deceive them that dwell on the eartth and being thus deceived by them they perswade them to make an Image to the first Beast that had the seven heads and ten hornes for this was the usuall Honour and the worship that the people in those dayes and in the eastern Countreyes especially did use to do unto their Emperors and Kings or chiefe Governors whom they chiefly honoured and obeyed which was the first step and occasion of the idolatry of the Gentiles when they began to ascribe Divine Honour unto these images as they did to the image of Belus or Nimrod which was the first Image that we read of Rubenus de idololatrie l. 1. so the false Prophet perswaded the people to make an Image to the beast and so to honour and to worship the beast And the Image of any thing must be a speciall resemblance of them whereof it is an Image and f the Image be perfect and natural as the Son is the Image of his Father then must it have a likenesse not onely representative but also in nature and being of existence and if the Image be imperfect and artificial as the Image of a man drawn by the Painter on a Tablet then though it be different from the thing whereof it is an Image in nature and being yet it must have a representative forme of likenesse to the thing it representeth as the Image drawen by the Painter doth resemble the person or thing that the Painter draweth therefore I say the making of this Image to the beast is not That the Empire caused to be set up by the Pope is not here meant as the image of the old Caesarem Empire as Mr. Mede and all those that would have the Pope and his Cardinalls to be this false Prophet do say the setting up of the Roman Empire in the ten hornes or ten Kings that revolted from the Caesarean Empire as the image of that former Caesarean Empire that was wounded but now is healed and revived in this image that the Pope and his Cardinals caused to be set up and to be obeyed Reason 1 1. Because as I shewed to you before the old Caesarean Empire is not meant by this beast that rose out of the sea and the Pope and his Cardinals cannot be meant by this second beast and the false Prophet Reason 2 2. Because as I said there must be some proportionable similitude betwixt the image and the person or thing represented by the image but there is small resemblance and abundance of difference and dissimilitude as much and more then was betwixt Pharaohs lean kinn and his fat ones or Hectors Ghost to the living Heros betwixt the old Caesarean Empire and the other new Empire that was setled in the ten Kings that being the most glorious Monarchy that ever was upon earth and this that was established by the Pope but a skeleton a shadow and the bare name of an Empire onely of far lesser power then some Kings of this small Island and therefore if by the beast that was wounded we understand the old Caesarian Empire and this new setled Empire by the Pope to be the image of it I say the wound is but very ill and meanly healed in that which is thus revived by the Pope that gave a shadow and lost the substance and the Pope is a very bad Painter that can draw his images no better But the making of this image to the first beast signifieth nothing else What the making of an Image to the beast signifieth but the abetting furthering and setting forward of the doings proceedings and impieties of the first beast because the works and acts the plots and practices of the beast are the very image and the most lively representation of the beast as by and by I shall make it plain unto you But so the Pope and his Cardinals never furthered and assisted the Emperonrs or civil State in their tyranny or impiety but they required all Kings and Emperours to aid and assist them for the advancement and inlargement of the Church Yet it is notoriously known The Parallel the Presbyterians and Lay-preachers perswaded all men to adhere to worship and to do all the honour and service that they could do unto the Parliament and seduced the people so far that the very women were ready to part with their rings their thimbles and their bodkins to make money for to help and to further the proceedings of the Parliament Exod. 32.2 3 even as the Israelites parted with their ear-rings and their Jewels to erect their
but not right beause his Highness the Lord Protector gave life and being to that pettyte Parliament but the false prophet the assemblie at Westminster and their disciples gave life and breath to the other the long Parliament and to their impieties which were but the very image of this false prophet which was the primum mobile the first author and the first wheel that moved all the rest to act and doe all the evill that hath been done in these Kingdomes and therefore as the teachers of all wickednesse are by our Saviours testimonie to be accounted the least that is none at all in the kingdome of heaven but the greatest and well deserving the greatest punishment in the place that is provided for them so are they if they pray not for grace to repent And yet notwithstanding all these transcendent impieties of these Presbyterians it is a wonder to me that the people should be so affected and so wedded to the new Presbyterian government that never yet attained to the age of some men The inconstancie of the people But as the people in the begining of the long Parliament were mad to have Monarchy rooted out of the world and to erect a Common-wealth and to have a state government yet when they had it they were soon wearie of it and were as mad and more mad to have it cashiered so though they be now mad after that Presbyterian government yet I doubt not but after they have it a while and felt the smart of it they will he soon weary of it and be as mad to have it changed for that at the last they shall perceive their own error and finde that those were the leaders and the Teachers of them that murdered our King destroyed the Bishops and did all the mischiefe that hath been perpetrated And will the People or Parliament as they have done most justly condemn the Actors that were but the schollers Remember whose auditors were the murderers of the King and not onely suffer the Teachers to go free but also magnifie them to be their Masters still or will they punish the poore hares for their trespass and gratifie the crafty Foxes for their wickedness for I beseech you tell me whose Schollars and whose Auditors were those King murderers the Bishops or the Presbyterians the whole Kingdom knoweth and the setting up of these Teachers may prove to be the setting forward of the like tragedy Verbum sapienti sat est But to proceed it is said in the same ver 15. that the image of the beast The first ten horned beast animated by the false prophet acteth two things 1. thing that is the first seven headed and ten horned beast having received life and breath by the meanes of the false Prophet the two horned beast whose image the the first beast was as I shewed unto you did presently act and work these two observable things 1. To speake and to make orders and ordinances that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as many as would not worship that is himselfe which was nothing else hut the very representation of the false prophet should be killed 2. To cause all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both small and great 2. Thing rich and poor free and bond to receive a marke or as the originall hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some copies read it that he should give them a marke or marks in their right hand or wrist or arme Rhodiginus l. 5. c. 53. saith servants were branded in their foreheads soldiers in their hands Vege◠l. 2. c. 5. which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fignifieth all from the hand to the sholder and which aludeth to the custome of Syria and the neighbour countreys that used even as our own Countrey formerly did and yet sometimes doe to weare badges on their armes to demonstrate whose servants they were or in their foreheads as the Roman servants did and the Soldiers used to doe to signifie to what Master or Captaine they did belong and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the marke or the name of the beast or the number of his name for so Lipsius saith that they were branded in the hands and marked with the name of their their general or the Emperor Lipsius de milit rom l. dialog Revel f 14 1. that they served and so the followers of the Lambe as contrary to the followers of the beast are said to have his fathers name written in their foreheads which was likewise done to shew to whom they belonged that so by the sight of these marks and tokens they might buy and sell and have all the other priviledges and benefits that belonged to such servants De Sheld pag 15. Yet you must not thinke this marke of the beast to be a corporeall marke to be ingraven by incision or to be burnt by inustion as the fashion of men is to do with their cattell in the heads or upon the foreheads of the followers of the beast for to dream of such a marke were to contemn all learned antiquity and to fall into a laborinth of contrarieties absurdities and impossibilities but as the marks of Christ his flock and his fathers name written in their foreheads are not any reall marks by incision or inustion but the profession of his faith and obedience to his law with the acceptance of some godly Sacraments King James in his premotion haeg 111. and religious Ceremonies for the testifing of the same so the marke of the beast must be conceived to be metaphoricall as King James sheweth by some rite of profession and misticall by some rite of obedience and subjection unto the beast as that in the forehead must be some plain and publique act or thing whereby the authority and government of the beast is professed that in the hand must be likewise some mpious act or Ceremonie The paralel I onely demand if that the Parliament after it received life from the false Prophet acted not the foresaid things that the beast is said to doe 1. The first thing either accepted of in our hands or subscribed to under our hands whre by subjection and obedience to that beast is professed to be performed And here I would faine know if the long parliamtnt did not act and doe those two forenamed things that this image of the beast is said to have done and thereby to have imitated the Romans and Syrians in the main point and to have fulfilled this prediction of the doings of the beast to a hair For 1. Did they not speake and speake loud enough by their votes orders and ordinances that as many as would not worship them the image of the beast and the actors of all things according as the Presbyterian assembly out of Gods Word doe prescribe and approve of their doings i. e. contribute to their war submit unto their power and assist them against the King their goods should
be plundered their estates sequestred and themselves if they resisted them and assisted the King should be killed as disaffected and malignants against the Parliament and enemies to the State and Comon-Wealth and was not this their voice and their act an act I am sure bad enough to undoe so many 2. The second thing and to kill so many as they did and yet their second act is far worse For 2. After they had killed as many as they could finde opposing them and their proceedings did they not make and frame an Ingagement in January 3. 1649. that is an iniunction for all persons to subscribe to be true and faithfull to the Common-Wealth of England as it is now established without a King or House of Peeres Camerar l. 5. c. 4. pag. 333. A most malicious enemie and did they not likewise vote that whosoever did not subscribe and take this Ingagement this marke of his subjection unto them should be totally deprived of all benefit and protection of the Law A mischeife far greater and worser then the former for as I read in Camerarius of a most malicious enemie having taken his adversary by some wile and being desirous to be throughly revenged on him for some wrongs that he conceived he had done unto him he said he would most cruelly butcher him if he did not sweare unto him that he would for ever afterwards denie his Baptisme and renounce Christ for his Saviour which if he did that should preserve his life and the poor captive fearfull of his cruelty and desirous to save his life did swear as his adversarie required but as soon as he had sworn to his enemies engagement he drew out his sword and said now I shall be fully revenged on thee seing I shall both kill thy body and damn thy soul and so he run him thorow that he died and then he bragged that he had made his adversarie to loose both body and soule and so I demand if the Parliament by this engagement did not endeavour to destroy the soules of those good Christians that had formerly sworn and taken the oath of alleageance to the King to his heirs and to his lawfull successors and by this suare and gin to bring them to the pit of perjurie and perdition But The damnability of the Engagement to make the damnability of the marke of the beast that exposeth the liberties of the non-engagers that is the not takers of it to false imprisonments their estates to rapine spoile and injustice and their lives and persons to wounds and murders at the will and pleasure of such as will engage to take the marke of the beast to appear more manifest unto you from the extent and generality of those that must receive this marke it is said that both small and great rich and poor free and bond must receive this marke in their right hand or in their forehead that is either privately or publiquely privately by those in whom the beast confided and whose heart he knew to be as Jehu said to Jonathan as himselfe was or publiquely by all those Three speciall things to be observed whom the beast suspected and was jealous of them and no man might buy or sell but he that had the marke or the name of the beast or the number of his name where you are to observe two or three severall things 1. The marke of the beast or the name of the beast The marke of the beast by what note known for the marke is properly of his name and therefore it is said no man might buy or sell save he that had the marke or the name of the beast and in Chap. 14.11 it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the marke of his name and this marke of the beast is exprest by the effects and attributes thereof that none might buy or sell without the taking of that marke which is the onely note that the Holy Ghost giveth us to know the marke of the beast Apud viegam in c. 13. Apoe and therefore the conceit of Primasius and Ansbertus that think the marke of the beast shal be composed of three Greek letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being joyned and framed into one forme and figure do compendiously represent the name of Christ which the beast pretendeth to honour above all men is but a meere fancie without any ground in Scripture 2. The name of the beast is no where that I find set down in all the Scripture but is left unill the beast should come to assume it unto himselfe for as we name not the child untill he appeares in the Church to be Christned so the Antichrist is not named till he appeares in the world Yet 3. For the number of his name which the Beast taketh to himself when he cometh the Holy Ghost tells us that we might marke the beast and avoid him when he cometh it is 666. And truely if my life did lie upon it I cannot find by any search to whom all these things do fit and agree so well and so aptly as to the Long Parliament For 1. As the Arians under King Hunericus Victor Vticencis l. 3. compelled the Orthodox to be re-baptized and thereof gave them a Chirography that is a Testimoniall under their hands as Victor Vticensis writeth and as Dioclesian did set forth a most cruell Edict that no man might sell or administer any thing unto the Christians unless the Christians would first offer Sacrifice unto the idolls and heathen Gods as venetable Beda testifieth in the hymne of S. Justin saying Non illis emendi quidquam aut vendendi copia Nec ipsam haurire aquam dabatur â—oentia Beda in Hym. Sti. Justini Ante quam thurificarent detestandis idolis So those many Dioclesians that were in one house when as before The Parallele the Devill had but one Dioclesian in all the world they have imitated that great Collonell or rather Generall of the Dragon and made an Act agreeable to his edict that whosoever subscribed not his name or put not his marke to the ingagement The Act for the ingagement June 2. 1649. Agreeable to the mark of beast which is done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the right hand as the holy Ghost saith should have no benefit of any law in any Court in the kingdom so that he can neither buy nor sell or if he doth he can neither recover what he bought nor the moneys for which he sold his commodities nor any other debts that are due unto him except he hath taken this ingagement and so received this mark this new invented trick that they devised to hook in men into their faction and to conglutinate them unto their impieties Neither is this all the iniquity of this infernall ingagement The great iniquity of the ingagement that as the Text saith no man might buy or sell save he that had received the marke of the beast but this goeth a
that this beast should like the Giants of the former age that the Poets mention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make war against Gost that is against the Honour Service and Servants of God and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pravus dux the Captain or Generall of the Beast and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the victor or Conqueror in the Wars of the beast do containe the same number of 666. and do meete at the same end and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and some other names have been observed by the diligent search into this Mystery to contain the number 666. and all these and the like to these may be very well said to cohere with that Parliament that hath acted whatsoever any of those names hath signified But though all these are very neere the marke yet they do not fully come home to the point because as Rupertus well observeth nomen quod Johannes hic insinuat non erit nomen antichristo ab adversariis impositum the name of the beast that St. John understandeth here shall not be any name that his adversaries shall give unto the Antichrist as are most of the aforesaid names but the name that the beast assumeth to himselfe and glorieth in it and requireth it to be ascribed unto him and used by all his subjects and adherents that is the name that is here meant by the Evangelist and therefore it is nomarvell that the name of the beast could not be known to any of the foresaid Authors before the beast assumed it to himselfe God giving notice of this name mystically under this number onely to be discerned that it might not be known and expressed untill the beast should be discovered which should be manifested unto the Saints when they see him called by that name that should containe the number of 666. For if God had plainly told us his name the beast would never have assumed it because all men should then have known who had been the Antichrist And therefore now let us examine what name the Parliament assumed to it selfe and whether that name containeth the just number of 666. The parailele and I told you before that the name and title which that Parliament challenged to be given unto it selfe is custodes nostrarum libertatum or as it was to be used in all writs and in all judiciall Cours The Keepers of the Liberties of Ingland The proper name affumed by the Parliament by the Authoritie of our Parliament This was the name and this was the Title and the Inscription which by a secret instinct of Gods Providence unaware unto themselves that Parliament took and appropriated as all men know unto themselves and this name both in Latin and in English doth make the full and just number of 666. for omitting the m. which is the number of perfection and eternity Haymo in Apoc l. 7. as Haymo and others do very rightly observe and which is usually omitted in our computes as I shewed to you before you shall finde the Arithmeticall letters of custodes nostrarum libertatum to be c. u. d. u. l. 1. u. which makes up just 666. Object But you will say it was custodes libertatis and you ad nostrarum so you make their name to fill up the number otherwise then they took it or that it was indeed Sol. I answer with the old rule that cannot be denied quod necessario subintelligitur Compare Mat. 4. 10. v. with Deut. 6.13 c. 10.12 â—0 c. 13.4 the word onely is not in any of them In the whole Triall of Mr. Live p. 2. 3. non deest as the word onely which our Saviour addeth to the texts of Moses when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and him onely shalt thou serve which is not found in any Text of Moses sheweth that it must necessarily be understood in those Texts of Moses so I add nothing but what of necessity must be added and understood or we shall never understand what they meane because they meant not that they were the keepers patrones and defenders of any one particular liberty but of all the liberties of the Parliament and people And so their Atturney Generall every where termes them the Keepers of the Liberties of Ingland as you may see it in his Charge of High Treason against Mr. Love and it must not be thought they meant the Liberties of the French Italians Spaniards or of any other Nation but of us the Free-born Subjects and Natives of this Kingdom of Ingland But because they like not the Latin name though Latin be one of the three authentick Languages Lâ—desima de sacra Scriptura quavis passim lingua non legenda that we finde in Scripture as Ledesima sheweth but say it is not their speech but the Language of the beast whom they abhor Let us examine their name and title in their own native Language and that is The Keepers of the Liberties of Ingland by the Authoritie of our Parliment this is the name that they took and appropriated to themselves by an Act of Parliament and omitting in as I said before the numericall letters of this name are l. 1.1.1 l. d. u. 1.1 u. l. 1. which make up just 666. Object If you say that I add the word our to Parliament which they do not but by the Authority of Parliament Sol. I Answer as before that the word our must of necessity be understood because they mean not the Parliament of Paris nor any other Parliament as I take it but our Parliament of Ingland and therefore if you will understand their name right the word our must without question be added unto it And that very Long Parliament summoned by the Writ of the late King Charles the first is called Parliamentum nostrum ad tractandum nobiscum super arduis negotiis regni nostri our Parliament to Treat of the hard Affaires of our Kingdom therefore the word our ought and must be supplyed here unto the word Parliament as the word onely is added by our Saviour Christ to the words of Moses And Object Mar. 4.10 If again you Object that Ingland is more commonly written with an e then with i as rather England then Ingland Sol. I Answer that a common error or an erroneus custom doth not nullifie the truth of any thing nor doth it tie all men neither should it tie any man either to follow it or to justifie it but a single truth ought to be imbraced and followed before the most generall custome of mistaken truth when as we know that an error once received is often times so generally followed that it can very hardly be reclaimed and I say that the orthography and right writing of this word should be Ingland and not England and I refer this matter and the orthography of this word to be decided and adjudged by any judicicus and unpartiall Grammarians that are to write all wordes either according to the derivation of