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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35689	The ruine of Rome, or, An exposition upon the whole Revelation wherein is plainly shewed and proved that the popish religion, together with all the power and authority of Rome, shall ebbe and decay ... written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the danting of papists ... / published by Authur Dent ; to which is added an epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.; Brightman, Thomas, 1562-1607. Exposition upon the Revelation.	1644 (1644)	Wing D1057; ESTC R29350	192,764	462

a beast by themselves that is an eighth in respect of their ecclesiasticall power Now the Angel saith flatly they shall both go together into destruction that is both the Empire and the Papacy For as the dominion of the Popes goeth down so also their worship and religion goeth down with it and for this cause it is expressely set down in the nineteenth chapter that the beast and the false Prophet that is Chap. 19 2● the Roman Empire and the Papacy were both destroyed together Sith then the holy Ghost hath spoken it twice for failing that Rome shall go into perdition and shall go into destruction I take it to be a very sound consequence that Rome shall fall and shal be destroyed But how shall it fall may some man say Or wherein shall it fall I answer that it shall fall in the credit and estimation of her doctrine How Rome shall fall it shall fall in wealth and riches it shall fall in power and authority And in all these it shall fall by degrees as it did rise up by degrees it shall not fall at once as it did not rise up at once Chap. 16.12 This is set down in the sixteenth chapter where the fall of Rome is compared to the drying up of the river Euphrates which was dryed up by degrees Thus it is Euphrates was a great river which did run very neer unto the old Babylon in Chaldea and it was the wall and fortification of the city in so much that Cyrus and Darius the kings of the Medes and Persians laying siege against it could not take it till by policy they digged water trenches and turned the waters another way and so dryed them up that the holy Ghost saith The way was prepared for them to passe over Now as this Euphrates was the strength and fortification of old Babylon so the honour wealth riches power and authority of Rome is the very fortification of it Chap. 16.12 But the punishing Angel is commanded to powre down the vial of wrath upon this Euphrates that is upon all that upholdeth or fortifieth Rome and forthwith it dried up that is all the credit power riches and authority of Rome did diminish daily doth diminish and shall diminish by degrees unto the end of the world For the utter destruction of Rome is not yet come but it is greatly decayed from that it was fourscore yeers ago and if it continue decaying eighteen yeers more as assuredly it shall then will it be brought to a low ebb Since Luthers time we know how the Popes Euphrates hath dryed up but there is yet much water left and it is yet too deep for the kings of the earth to passe over and take it But it shall ebb so low that the kings of Europe shall easily passe over and take it as wee shall heare anon But in the mean time we see that it falleth and that it is in falling and the work of God goeth forward every day For now in this age God be thanked many Kings and Princes with great multitudes of their subjects have their eyes opened to behold that the Romish religion is abominable and that the Papacy is the very kingdom of the great Antichrist And whereas before they worshipped the beast The kings of the earth in this age renounce the Pope now they hold up their hands only to the God of heaven and glorifie him in his Son Jesus Christ Now wee see that many lawes are made in sundry kingdomes and provinces to abolish that usurped power of the Bishop of Rome Many acts edicts and injunctions are set forth in sundry nations and kingdomes of Europe to destroy root out and deface all monuments of idolatry and superstition which Antichrist had erected in all kingdomes Now the Popes which were honoured as gods in the earth are counted and adjudged as the most vile and abominable creatures that live upon the earth Doth not all this experimentally shew that Babylon is fallen and that Babylon doth fall by degrees It is very palpable wee need no further proofe for this second point But here wee are further to observe that the Jesuites perceiving the great decay of Rome and the continuall drying of their Euphrates do bestir them to stop the leake The Jesuites bestir them and why that it might not dry up altogether Even as when men let out the waters of great fish-ponds so as the water waxeth low we see the fishes skip and plunge and take on wonderfully So the Jesuites perceiving the waters of their Romish Euphrates to empaire and dry up daily do mightily take on digging and searching every day to open the springs and to find out some fresh fountains to maintain their great fish-pond and to keep the waters deep enough that there may be no safe passage over for the kings of the earth to come and take their great Babylon All this doth appear out of the 16th chapter of this Prophecie where S. John in a vision seeth three unclean spirits like frogs Chap. 16.13 coming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet By which frogs the holy Ghost meaneth the Jesuites and seminary Priests The Jesuites compared to frogs and why which are compared to frogs for three reasons First that as frogs delight in filthy lakes and puddles so the Jesuites delight in the filthy puddles of idolatry and superstition Secondly as frogs make a great croaking in their marish grounds so the Jesuites make a great croaking in kings Courts in Noblemens houses and Gentlemens houses and almost every where where they can get any entertainment croaking and cracking of the Popes supremacy the Popes holinesse the Popes blessing the Popes keyes the Popes power Peters chair Peters successors Christs vicar and many good morrows I know not what Thirdly as frogs are all of one nature and quality delighting in croaking and living in puddles so the Jesuites are all of one mind and disposition in evill croaking every where to maintain their Euphrates and living daily in whoredome Sodomitry and all kind of outragious beastlinesse But that I may more fully perswade the conscience of the reader that by these frogs are meant the Jesuites and seminary Priests let us seriously weigh that which goeth before and that which followeth after in this text and we shall discern it to be very cleer and apparant First it is said Chap. 16.10 verse 10. that when the fifth Angel powred out his viall of Gods wrath upon the throne of the beast by and by his kingdome waxed darke that is the majestie power pomp credit and estimation of Antichrist began to be diminished obscured and to suffer a great eclipse which thing was fulfilled shortly after Luthers preaching And presently it followeth that they gnawed their tongues for sorrow that is they were full of fury and rage barking and grinning like mad dogs or rather like

fadeth not that God of his mercy would bring you my hearts desire and prayer is and shall be and in the meane season that the yeeres of your life being multiplied your life may be full of honour to God profit to his Church and comfort to your owne soule Your Honours most deeply bound Ezekiel Culverwell The Epistle to the Christian READER BEing often requested Gentle Reader and much importuned by sundry both learned and godly to publish that Doctrine of the Apocalyps which divers of them with lively voyce heard publickely delivered I did at last upon my most mature deliberation yeeld unto their reasonable request I meane the reasons of their request Indeed I doe ingeniously confesse that I am the unmeetest of many which this age God be thanked doth afford to deale in a matter of so great importance or any wise to be imployed in so great and honourable a service as this is But if I doe industriously use my small talent and be found faithfull in a little I hope it shall have both cheerefull and comfortable acceptation with the Church of God For this I presume will be granted of all that he which hath but a little strength and yet putteth it forth to the uttermost to do good withall is more to bee commended then hee which hath thrice his strength and useth it not to the helpe and benefit of others And true it is indeed that sundry worthy labours of divers excellent men upon the Apocalyps are already extant so as hee may seeme to powre water into the Sea or goe about to mend the Crowes eyes that will attempt to adde any thing to that which is already published But know this O Christian Reader that the Lords garden is so large and plentifull of all most sweet and pleasant flowers that where any one hath gathered a Nosegay most fragrant and delectable another may come after and gather another not to bee contemned For the wisdome of God is such an undraineable Fountaine and head-spring that where one hath drawne much before another may come happily and draw as much afterward yea though thousand doe succeede yet can this fountaine never be drawne dry Be it farre from me to arrogate any thing to my selfe above others for I am privy inough to mine owne meanes and doe freely confesse that in this worke I have received much light from others and therefore doe not as a Judge give sentence upon other mens workes but as one that would furnish the same feast bring in my dish among them Or as one that in the same cause would come in as a third or a fourth witnesse to testifie and confirme the same thing And verily through the gratious assistance of Gods Spirit my simple purpose and indeavour is to give a lift to the uttermost of my power to further that which is already happily begun and to provoke others of greater gifts to come after with their great lights and lanthornes in their hands to discry and discover whatsoever in this Prophesie is not yet fully seene into I am not ignorant that some would not have this booke meddled withall nor in any wise to be expounded among the common people because say they it is so darke and hard to understand But let all such leave their owne opinions and hearken what the Holy Ghost saith Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this Prophesie c. What can be sayd more or more effectually to stirre us up to heare and reade and with all gladnes to imbrace this Booke then to tell us that in so doing wee shall bee blessed For the things contayned in this booke be no trifles they be not things only for a shew to moove wonderment or to delight the curious minde of men but such as indeede doe give true blessednesse unto all those that are well instructed in them What thing is greater then to be blessed for evermore If we be not exceeding dull yea even like stockes and stones it must needs move us and stirre us up For who will wittingly and willingly lose his owne blessednesse or suffer it to bee taken from him when as he may have it If any will object that a man may be blessed well inough without the knowledge of this booke and that there be Bookes inough in the Scripture to procure our blessednesse without this And that thousands are now in Heaven which never knew what this Booke meant I answer that all this doth not take away the necessary use of this Booke for the holy Ghost doth pronounce a blessing upon the heads of those that Reade and Study this Booke not because a man cannot be saved without it But because of the great comfort which it ministereth unto us of this age and hath ministred unto all the Churches since the Apostles times For it is the Prophesie of this age and the Prophesie of all the ages since Christ Wherein is fully shewed what shall be the estate and condition of the Church in the severall Ages thereof unto the end of the World For God according to his admirable wisdome and mercy hath never from the beginning left his Church without a Prophesie for the great comfort thereof For we know that immediately after the fall of our first parents God himselfe for the great comfort of his Church did foretell and fore-prophesie long before of that restauration which should be made by the M●ssias his Sonne according as it came to passe in the fulnesse of time Afterward he did fore-tell his people of Isael Genesis 3 Gen. 15 of their great servitude and intollerable bondage in Aegypt and also of the end and full determination therefore after foure hundred and thirty yeeres After all this he foretold by his servants the Prophets of the Captivity in Babylon and the full expiration thereof at the end and tearme of seventy yeeres Ieremy 2● And yet further for the comfort and consolation of his people he fore-told by Daniel Daniel 7 Ezech. 3 and Ezechiel of the great afflictions and troubles which his Church should endure by the Persecutions of the d●vided Greeke Empire I meane Alexanders Posterity especially the Kings of Aegypt and Syria which descended of Ptolomeus and Seleucus Daniel 8 Daniel 9 Daniel 1● whom the Scripture calleth the Kings of the North and of the South by the space of 194. yeeres and of the precise determination thereof at the comming of the M●ssias 〈◊〉 then what care God hath had of his Church in all ages before the comming of his sonne in the flesh so to foretell both of the affliction it selfe and also of the just period and determination thereof And shall we not thinke that God hath the like care now for his Church which then he had or hath he not as great and provident care for the good of his Church since the promised Messias was actually exhibited as before Yes assuredly and much more too for if his care and providence