can or are able to doe yet all shall bee in vaine the worke shall neverthelesse be perfected and accomplished for God who by his Almighty power and most wise providence orders all things hath so disposed of this that for all their forementioned surmises most unlawfull practises and howsoever powerfull oppositions the foresaid Kings shall but be * gathered together into the place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon that there he may deliver them into your hands as said once the Lord unto Joshua as we read cap 10. 8. But to come to the words of the text it selfe in the which as you see is set downe the third and last complaint or message uttered by the third and last kind of the forementioned frogges right Amphibies indeed or sea-faring men â—…e Vice-Roys having before done their arrand and the Merchants likewise theirs recited in the uerses before expounded by the precedent brethren now according to our order must I speake of this last mentioned in this seventeenth verse and the two following In which are contained thee chiefe points the first whereof concernes the messengers themselves The second shewes the cause of their complaint or message and in the third wee have the message it selfe The first is contained in the 17 verse and the other two in the two next verses As for the messengers of whom I shall onely speake at this present they are here described first by their function in the former part of the verse secondly by their action or behaviour in the last words of it their function is noted unto us both by the quality thereof and by the quantity of the persons excercising it The quality is expressed by divers both titles and orders whereof some are superiors others inferiors The superiors in order are the Ship-masters and their Assessors the inferiors are the Mariners their assistants Concerning their quantitie they be not some few choyse men of â—ach of these ranckes orders of officers but all of all sorts every one of them the businesse being of such importance that it concernes them all all of them also â—earing the common danger that was like to entrap overwhelme them all as it doth also clearely appeare by their action and behaviour expressed in the last words of this verse where it is said that they stood afarre off But before wee come to speake of these severall officâ—rs we must first of all shew what is meant by this Sea whereon and by the Ships wherein these messengers did before exercise their offices and trade As for the â—ea we must not imagine it to be the maine Ocean which doth as it were girt the whole Earth by its midle though thereupon those great m Spanish Gallions and other tall Ships of the Christian Kings and Princes of Europe doe navigate and commonly trade to the East and West Indies from whence they fetch those rich commodities to which the Holy Ghost hath onely made allusion in the former verses of this chapter viz. 12. and 13. Neither is it the Mediterranean sea though thereon the Pope of Rome doth keepe many good ships and Gallies well furnished with men and munition for the keeping of the Coasts and Sea townes of Saint Peters patrimonie as they speake Nor the Tyber neither watering in its course that ancient and glorious Citie of Rome nor any other River whatsoever though they be all of them called by the title of Seas in the Scripture how navigable soever it bee This being no naturall but a mysticall sea so called by allusion made to some of those naturall seas All which are nothing else in Scripture language but great Assemblies of waters gathered together in one place and called from the beginning by God the Creator by the name of Seas Which Seas are different according to the difference of those waters whereof they are as it were compounded or made up who are therefore either Caelestiall or Terrestriall the Caelestiall being above the firmament and the Terrestriall under it by the appointment of God as we reade * Gen. 1. 7. Where it is said by Moses that God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament But the Terrestiall are those that are gathered together under the said firmament as it is there expressed which are properly called * Seas Now these natural Seas do likewise differ both in quantitie the one being greater then the other as the Ocean is greater then the Rivers and the Rivers are greater the one then the other yea greater then the Lakes Pooles of waters though they also be called by the title of Sea in Scripture phrase as that great Vessell made by Salomon for the service of the Temple was likewise called by the same title of * Sea They differ also in Quality some of them being salt the other brackish and the other fresh these last being as it were distilled and purified in their passage through the veines of the earth Moreover such waters thus gathered together to make up these diverse Seas are very powerfull and unresistable no earthly power being able to stay either the ebbing or flowing of the Sea or the most violent course or streame of any of the least Rivers much lesse to abate their overflowings Now all these properties and different qualities of these Naturall Seas and waters doe very fitly conduce to the Mysticall Seas here intimated which likewise are nothing else then great confluences or Assemblies of Mysticall waters that is of pâ—oples or rather heads of Peoples and that according to the exposition of the Angell himselfe Revel. 17. 15. who speaking to Saint John tells him there that the waters which he had seene whereon the Whore did sit were peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues which are gathered together into one place making up one intire body And thus was it expounded by the Spirit of God in the prophesie of Isay Chap. 8. verse 7. above 700 yeares before Saint John did write this Revelation where speaking of the King of Ashur and of all his gâ—lory he sayes behold the Lord bringeth up upon them that is upon the Israelites the waters of the river viz. of Euphrates mighty and great even the King of Ashur with all his glory Which Mysticall Seas being also as the Naturall of great force puissance do accordingly in Scripture language note great power and authority as it is evident Psal. 46. 4. where the Holy Ghost speaking of the power and great rage of the Earthly Kings and Kingdomes sayes that Though the waters of the sea rage be troubled yea though hemountaines should bee shaken with the swelling thereof yet c. then expounding the same verse 6. following he sayes that When the nations raged the Kingdomes were moved God thundred c. Againe Pal. 93. verse 3. 4. where the Prophet speaking of the mighty power of God in preserving his
Church against all the assaults of the world sayes to this purpose The flouds have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voyce the floods lift up their waves The waves of the sea are marvellous through the noyse of many waters yet the Lord on high is more mighty And Psal. 124. verse 2. and 4. If it had not beene the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then the waters had overwhelmed us the streame had gone over our soule saith the Church of God there this is also manifest by the place now alleadged of Isay 8. 7. Now such powerfull assemblies or seas of people are different according to the different qualitie of the waters or peoples whereof they are as it were compounded or constituted the one being Civill the other Ecclesiasticall Againe the power of the Civill assemblies is either Monarchicall or Aristocraticall or Democraticall such as were those that are mentioned by the Prophet Jer. cap. 51. verse 42. where speaking of the powerfull armies of King Cyrus that were to come against Babylon thus hee saith The sea is come upon Babylon she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof And Dan. 7. who speaking of the foure Empires that should be raised in the world to sway the Empire thereof he saith verse 3. * That foure great beasts came up from the Sea one divers from another The Ecclesiasticall power is that Hierarchicall wth is often mentioned in this booke of the Revelation and so in this place as it shall more clearely appeare by and by to which power applying now the former diffâ—rences of the Naturall seas and waters before spoken of we say that they are accordingly either Caelestiall or Earthly The Calestiall are those * Glassie-pure-Crystall-like waters of life or Assemblies of true Christian professors of the holy and pure Religion of Christ refreshed and filled with the pure waters of the heavenly doctrine * proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb Christ Jesus Whom alone they take for their head acknowledging that he hath beene anointed by God King * Vpon Sion his holy mountaine And that * the Lord God hath given him the throne of his father David upon * whose shoulders also hath beene laid the key of the house of David that is the Government thereof to reigne over it for ever * for he must raigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feet This Caelestiall Hierarchicall power then over the Church is in Christ alone who while he remained in the flesh did immediately by himself administer it in this his Kingdome of Grace And now being gone to continue the same in that of Glory he hath appointed according to that * power given unto him by his father both in Heaven and in Earth the administratioÌ„ of the keyes thereof to his Church the people whereof and its holy congregations doe make up and constitute those glossie seas or assemblies of the true reformed Churches as being filled with the foresaid pure living waters proceeding from the said Throne The which Church doth likewise administer this power by her * Ministers and Governors who are to exercise it not as dominering Prelates over Christ his heritage but as his Ministers in * Christ his name and by his power as acknowledging no other Soveraigne in matters Ecclesiasticall but him alone who is the true * Melchisedech of his said Church The Earthly Hierarchicall powerfull sea is that which is represented unto us in this booke of the Revelation by those Terrestiall seas filled with earthly doctrines humane traditions and ordinances to which the Holy Ghost maketh allusion Revel. 16. The which are either n Vniversall answering to the maine Ocean o or Nationall correspondent either to these particular seas which take their diverse denominations from the divers Kingdomes they beate upon as the Baltick or Swedish sea the German sea the Brittish sea c. which are thus denominated because such parts of the maine Ocean beate upon the coasts or shâ—res of those kingdomes of Sweathland Germanie England c. Or rather to those nationall rivers as I may call â—hem called also Seas in Scripture as it was shewed before which do water or runne along or through whole Kingdomes or Provinces often distinguishing and separating the one from the other The Vniversall Hierarchical earthly sea is that wch is mentioned in the third ver. of the said 16. chap. upon which the second Angell powred out his Uiall which thereby became not only as the blood of a dead man but also it caused every living thing to die therein which was at last effected and fully accomplished by those Vaiversall humane-earthly-hierarchicall assemblies of peoples or heads of peoples as is before noted who makeing and acknowledging the Pope for their supreame head under whose Soveraigne power and absolute authority they were gathered together did settle and establish the same together with all that false Antichristian doctrine and humane traditions by them not onely approved but also preferred to the Scripture it selfe attributing and allowing then unto him that full power to doe which though long before hee had begun to assume unto himselfe and to exercise the same even since the time of the powring out of the second Viall under Boniface the eight who first instituted the o Jubiles Anno Dom. 1300. appearing the first day of the said Jubile in his Popish ornaments and the next in an Imperiall attire or harnesse with anaked sword carried before him crying with a loud voyce Ecce duo gladij hic behold here are two swords yet was it now brought to its full perfection namely first in that p Councell of Constance where three Popes occupying at once the Papall Sea viz. Gregorie the twelfth Benedict the thirteenth and John the three and twentieth were deposed and Martin the fift established which schisme had continued more then any other before viz. 50. yeares in it was enacted that damnable decree Haereticis non esse servandam fidem that it was lawfull to breake the oath made to Hereticks by vertue whereof John Husse was there burned and then totally in that of Trent q begunne under Pope Paul the third and ended eighteene yeares after in the time of Pius the fourth and by him confirmed the next yeare following whereby all that Popish Sea of false humane earthly doctrine was altogether corrupted which caused as the spirituall death of all those in that sea that might have yet some remnant of living water in them so that second woe proceeding from the great slaughters of Christians executed by the Turkes * Who killed by the fire and smoke and Brimstone comming out of the mouthes of the horses whereon they sate the third part of men The Nationall Hierarchicall powerfull sea proceeding from that forenamed Vniversall as the Rivers doe come from the Ocean Eccles. 17. is represented
servants whom he hath also armed now especially with such powerfull authority that If any one doth yet presume to hurt them or oppose them in this most blessed and most holy work of Reformation * fire shall proceed out of their mouth to devoure all their enemies for if any man will burt them he must in this manner be killed And they have also to this end a two edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upoÌ„ the heathen and corrections among the people yea to binde their Kings in chaines and their Nobles with fetters of iron that they may execute upon them the judgement that is written this honour shall be to all his Saints Prayse yee the Lord FINIS * So the woman did sit upon a scarlet coloured beast Rev. 17. 3. called before vers. 1. waters expounded after vers 19 and 18. * Revel. â— 15. 16. 17. 13. â— 12. 14. 16 17. â— * And thus did the Serpent cast oute of his moâ—th the like â—â—â—nde of water as a flood after the woman Revel 12.15 These Kings were 31 in all Iosh. 12.24 Psal 125. 3. Revel. 11. 〈◊〉 Idem 1. 3. 5. Numb. 33. 1. 3 c. a That is yeares a day for a yeare according to that threatning mentioned Numb. 14. 34. alluding to the type thereof mentioned Exod. 19. 4. Deut. 32. 10. b i. e. One yeare two yeares and halfe an yeare of dayes amounting to the forementioned time of 1260 dayes of yeares c Cent. Magd. Cent. 4. p. 861. l. 44. Helvicus Crounologie Alsted Chron. p. 76. * Revel. 12. 15. h This may be very easily gathered by that which is said Revel. 17. 1. 21. 9. i This is the right practise of the Hirarchicall men both in Pulpits printed books publick and private conferences and the best arguments they can alleadge to oppose the excellent Church government of the reformed Churches beyond Seas k Thus doe the proud wicked men of the world perswade themselves that it is in their power to hind er the proceedings of Gods judgements and to stay his hand when he hath begun to execute Iustice upon them this was the cause of the builders of Babel Gen. 11. 4. c. and of Pharaob Exod. 5. 2. and 〈◊〉 5. 9. and likewise of thâ—se who think that the Kings of the earth shall be able to hinder the drying up of this mysticall Euphrates or to make it run as before now it is dayed up But all such must know that there isâ—… neither understanding nor councell to withstand the Lord as saith Solomon Prov. 31. 30. l For with him is wisedome and strength hee hath counsell and understanding it is he that breakes downe and it cannot bee built that shutteth a man up and he cannot be loosed he that sendeth the waters to destroy the earth and he againe that withholdeth the waters and they dry up saith Job 12. 13. c. * Revel. 16. 16. Iosh. 10. 8. m Such as were those of the great Armado of Spaine called Invincible sent in 1588. to conquer England in the time of Queene Elizabeth Or of that other last which was overthrowne by the Hollenders neare Dover in 1639. * Gen. 1. 7. * Verse 10. * 1 Cron. 4. 2. Revel. 17. 15. Ier. 51. 42. * Dan. 7. 3. * Revel. 4. 6. and * 22. 1. * Psal. 2. 6. * Luke 1. 32. * Esay 22. 22. and 9. 6. * Cor. 15. 25. * Luke 22. 29. and Mat. 16. 19. compared with 18. v. 18. * 1 Thes. 5. 12. Heb. 13. 17. 1 Pet. 5. 3. * 1 Cor. 4. 1. and 5. 4. Mat. 28. 18 19 20. * Psal. 110. 4. Heb. 7. 21. n Thus the Pope doth attribute unto himselfe an universall Hierarchicall power over all the Churches and Bishops of the Christian worlâ— which presumptuous title was at length granted unto him by Phocas the Parricide or cruell murtherer of Maurice the Emperour in the veâ—â—e of our Lord 606 who therby became the Popes midwife Eodem â—nno Concilium Romanâ—m celebratâ—â— in quo idem Bonifacius pro mulgat privilegium Phoâ—â— â—â—jus parriciâ—iâ—â— approbaverat de primatu Ecclesie Romanae quem Patriarâ—hae Constantinopolitani hactenâ—s impugnaverant For the punishment whereof God brought from the Southerne part of the world some 15. or 16 yeares after Mahomet with his false Alcoran together with his troopes of Locusts or Saâ—â—asins who did extreamely vexe the woâ—ld causing the first woe Reâ—â—◠〈◊〉 5. 1â— o Thus are the Nationall Dioceses or Seas of Archbishops and Bishops called by the name of the chiefe Cities of those Provinces over which they doe dominere and exercise their powerfull usurped authority as the Diocesse of Caâ—…ry that of Yorke c. o The Iubiles were first instituted by Boniface the eight in the yeare of the Lord 1300. calling himselfe most blasphemously the Portion of Heaven as having the keyes of it in his power of whom it is very well said that Intravit ut â—ulpes regnavit ut Leo mortuus est ut canis For the punishment whereof God brought the Turkes over the Hellespont in Europe under Ottoman their first Emperour in the yeare of Christ 1320. In this very time and in this Pope that Prophecy of Revel. 13. 11. was truely accomplished these two swords being the two hornes there spoken of signifying the power both of the Priesthood of the Kingdom therefore doth he also weare them in his Miter as true signes or markes hereof Then indeede did this Beast come out of the earth for as the Kingdome of Christ is from Heaven and bringeth men thither so the Popes kingdome is of the earth and leadeth to perdition because it is begun and established by ambition covetousnesse beastlines theft treason and tyrannie Luke 22. 38. p This Councell was held in the yeare of Christ 1414. under Pope Martin the 〈◊〉 whose Pantofle the Emperour Sigismond kissed very devoutly kneeling q It was begun in the yeare 1545. was as the very sincke of all herisies and false doctrines * Revel. 9. 17 18. Eccle. 1. 7. Revel. 16. 4. and verse 12. Ier. 51. 6◠〈◊〉 44. 27. r For the third Viall was pâ—â—â—ed presently after the foremâ—ntioned Councells of 〈◊〉 and Tâ—… about which time Aâ—… the Tâ—… wastâ—d â—any kingdomes in Euâ—… and â—pâ—lt â—â—ch Christian blood The like did Mahomet the seccond and Bajazeth his successors sâ—â—â—â—â—ls Turkish Hist. from the yeare of Christ 1420. to 1600. c. The sixt Viall was powred upon Euphrates about the yeare 1632 so forwards the effect whereof viz the drying up of it appeared first in Scotland anno 1639 when the sentence of Excommunication was deceived against the Hierarchie and the ministers thereof t He that was last the head of this Nationall Hierarchy had manifestly corrupted all both doctrine and worship had hee not beene betimes prevented by the Parliament as it appeares both by his conference with the Iesuite also by the late Canons and by his most tyrannicall actions and cruell