or their Authority Moreover they have Crownes of gold upon their heads which sheweth and signifieth that they were the Conquerours of the Earth and Lords of the World and who but they for in those dayes no man nay no Lord or King durst quitch against a Monke a Frier or a pild Priest for if any did they were sure to smart for it They had also faces like the faces of men that is they set faire faces upon matters and pretended great devotion in Religion flattering the people and making them beleeve that they could give them pardon of all their sinnes and bring them to Heaven when as in very truth for their bellies and for their gaine they did cunningly smooth with the Nobles the rich and the mighty setting faire faces upon their proceedings and as Saint Peter saith Through covetousnesse with fained words 2 Pet. 2.3 they made merchandize of mens soules and did closely winde themselves into the hearts of the simple people by their fawning insinuations being in very deed nost notable flatterers and hypocrites They had haire as the haire of women that is they were altogether effeminate being given to delicacy lust and wantonnesse they were drowned in whoredome and all kinde of beastlinesse being a shole of most filthy villaines Their teeth were as the teeth of Lions to catch and snatch at all they could come by They devoured all the fat morsels every where they got the Church-livings into their hands they first made impropriations they incroached upon temporall mens lands they swallowed up all every where If we looke upon the Abbeyes Priories and Nunneries we may easily judge what teeth they had Moreover it is sayd they had Habbergions like to the Habbergions of Iron that is they were so strongly armed with the defence and countenance of the Pope that no Secular power durst once quitch against them Their wings were like the sound of Chariots when many Horses runne unto battell that is with flattering noise and terrible threatnings they strove to uphold their Kingdome Also in Churches and Pulpits they make a roring noise and take on terribly to maintaine their abhominable Idolatry They had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tailes For with their poysoned Doctrine and stinging authority like Adders and Snakes they stung many to death Moreover power was given them to hurt men five moneths that is all the time of Antichrists reigne as before hath been shewed ver 10.11 They have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomelesse pit whose name in Hebrew is Abbadon and in Greeke he is named Apollyon that is destroying As the Fowles have a King over them which is the Eagle and the Beasts the Lion and mortall Men some Chiefe Governour under whose protection and subjection they live so heere these hellish Locusts are sayd to have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomlesse pit that is the Divell or the Pope which you will under whose Ensigne they fight and under whose defence they live Their Kings name in Hebrew is called Abbadon and in Greek Apollyon The words are both of one signification that is destroying for both the Divell himselfe and his Vicar the Pope are destroyers and wasters of the Church of God One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this We have heard at large what this first Woe is namely the plage of the world by the Pope and his Clergie Now we are to heare of the second woe which is the most huge and murthering army of the Turkes wherein the third part of men were slaine Some do expound this second woe of the kingdome of Antichrist and his armies but that it is not so may appeare by these reasons following First the Angell denouncing woe woe woe denounceth three severall woes and therefore it is said One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this It followeth then that this is a distinct and severall woe from the former and therefore cannot be the same Secondly this woe containeth specially a bodily slaughter of the third part of the world and of the wicked reprobates but the first woe was specially a plague of mens soules as we have heard and therefore this cannot be the same with the first Thirdly we are to understand that this booke describeth all the greatest calamities and plagues thaâ— should come upon the world in any age after Christ and therefore we may justly thinke that the kingdome of the Tuâ—ks is not left out seeing it was one of the greatest plagues that ever came upon the world But the kingdome of the Turks is described in no other part of this Revelation and therefore must of necessity be here described ver 13.14 Then the sixt Angell blew the Trumpet and I heard a voice from the foure corners of the golden Altar which is before God Saying to the sixt Angell which had the Trumpet loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great river Euphrates Now we are come to the description of the Second woe which followeth upon the blowing of the sixt Trumpet by the sixt Trumpet by the sixth Angell And first of all he sayth He heard a voyce from the foure corners of the golden Altar By the golden Altar is meant Christ as before hath been shewed with the reasons thereof From this Altar the voyce commeth to the Angell which blew the sixth Trumpet Chap. 8.3 that we might know it is the voyce of the mighty God and the commandement of our Lord Jesus The voyce commandeth the sixth Angell to loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great River Euphrates By these foure Angels which are thus bound at Euphrates is meant many Divels or Angels of darkenesse as we have heard before Chapter 7 Verse 1. Their binding signifieth their restraint by which they were held backe from doing that mischiefe which they desired to do Their loosing signifieth that power was given them to performe that which they wished They are sayd to be foure in number because they should raise an horrible plague in the foure corners of the Earth both East West North and South The sense is that the Divells have yet farther and greater scope given them to plague and destroy the inhabitants of the Earth These Divells had exceeding great power in the Kingdome of Antichrist but they are unsatiable in mischiefe and so after a sort lye still bound till they have their desire The place where they lye bound is Euphrates wherein is a mystery for Euphrates literally taken is a great River which ran so night the City Babylon in Chaldea that it was a mighty defence unto it so that the City could not be taken untill they that laid siedge unto it cut out trenches and derived the waters another way Now for the mystery it is this Rome in this book is called Babylon by a metaphor and after the same manner the great River Euphrates as we shall
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 2â— 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
troubled and wasted the Church for the space of three hundred yeares being greatly favoured of sundry Emperours and other great Potentates in the Earth by meanes wherereof it continued and overspred so long Also this may be referred to other great and notable Arch-heresies as that of Donatus Macedonius Eutycheus Valentinus and such like which all are heere compared to a mountaine for their hugenesse and greatnesse and to a burning Mountaine because the Church was almost burnt up thereby For this word Mountaine is sometimes in the Scripture put for any let or hinderance to true Religion as is errour and heresie Zach. 4.7 Luke 3.5 Therefore it is sayd that it was cast into the Sea that is these great heresies are cast upon the World in Gods wrath and heavy indignation for the Sea is put for the World Chapter 4. Verse 6. Chapter 13. Verse 1. Chapter 12 Verse last for as the Sea is full of Rocks sands sirts waves stormes and tempests so it fareth with this present evill world Moreover it is sayd that the third part of the Sea became blood that is all Europe or some great part of the World was corrupted and infected with these great heresies And he saith in the next verse that the third part of the ships were destroyed that is ver 9. a great number of mariners and ship-masters as well as land-men were infected with these heresies and dyed of them and in them Then the third Angell blew the Trumpet and there fell a great Starre from Heaven verse 10. burning like a Torch and it fell into the third part of the Rivers and into the Fountaines of waters Starres in this booke are put for the Ministers of the Gospell as we have heard out of the first Chapter and the reasons why Then followeth that the falling of this Star from Heaven doth most fitly signifie and set forth the declining and fall of the Pastors of the Church and their corrupting of the true Doctrine which is meant by the fresh Rivers and pure Fountaines into which it fell This Starre hath his name of the elect For it is called Wormewood because through the fall of it the sweet waters into which it fell were turned into bitternesse and men dyed of them that is the doctrine was corrupted which turned to the destruction of many ver 12. And the fourth Angell blew the Trumpet and the third part of the Sunne was smitten and the third part of the Moone and the third part of the Stars so that the third part of them was darkned c. This darkning of the Sunne Moone and Starres doth signifie that great darkenesse which was brought upon the Church by such teachers as did daily more and more degenerate Three things are generally to be observed in the blowing of these first foure Trumpets First that the plagues here mentioned are specially to bee understood of spirituall plagues Secondly that there is a progression from lesser to greater in these plagues Thirdly that in every one there is mentioned but a third part destroyed which plainly sheweth that although the Church was greatly annoyed and pestred with these errours and heresies yet it was not destroyed and brought to utter desolation for the full setting up of Antichrist was not yet come All these errours and heresies which were cast upon the World and did spring and grow apace in all places did as it were make way for Antichrist and as it were by stirrops hoist and helpe him up into his cursed Chaire By the Stories of the Church and course of times it seemeth that the holy Ghost pointeth at those manifold heresies which sprung up in the Church after the first three hundred yeares especially after the death of Constantine the Great who procured peace to the Church destroyed idolatry and set up true Religion in his dayes Now after his raigne and the raigne of Theodosius that good Emperour Constantius Julianus Arcadius Honorius and many other wicked Emperours succeeded by whose meanes all things in the Church grew worse and worse yet this one thing is to be observed that all truth of Religion was not utterly extinct and put out till the full loosing of Satan which was a thousand yeeres after Christ as we shall plainely see when we come to the 20. Chapter concerning the binding of Satan for a thousand yeares For sure it is that the maine principles and grounds of Religion continued in the Church till this full loosing of Satan which was about the time of Silvester the second that Monster as afterward we shall heare But now in the meane time we see what heresies sprung up what corruption grew and increased more and more what darknesse beganne to over-spread a third part of the world and these things grew worse and worse even till by these meanes the great Antichrist came to be possessed of his cursed seat and Sea of Rome which was about some 600. yeares after Christ And I beheld and heard one Angell flying in the midst of Heaven ver 13. saying with a loud voyce Woe Woe Woe to the Inhabitants of the earth because of the sounds to come of the three Angels which were yet to blow the trumpets Because the judgements which were to be executed hereafter upon the blowing of the next three Trumpets were farre more dreadfull and horrible than any were before therefore heere is a speciall Angell or Messenger of God sent of purpose to give warning thereof and to proclaime openly in the Church three fearefull woes which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth that is all earthly minded men as wordlings Papists and Atheists at such time as the next three Angels should blow the Trumpets The first of these three great woes is to be understood of the Papacy The second of Turcisme The third of the last Judgement As if he should have sayd Woe unto the world because of Popery Woe unto the world because of Turcisme Woe unto the world because of the last Judgement Woe unto the world for Popery because thereby men should be punished in their soules Woe unto the World for Turcisme because thereby thousands should be murthered in their bodies by the Turkish Armies Woe unto the world because of the last Judgement for thereby all worldlings should be plagued both in body and soule in hell fire for evermore Sith then these three last plagues which were to come upon the world are more fearefull and terrible than any of the other foure no marvell though heere is sent of purpose a speciall messenger to give intelligence thereof that every man might looke to himselfe seeing such great dangers were at hand And for this cause also it is said before that there was silence in the Church for the space of halfe an houre CHAP. IX THe principall scope and drift of this Chapter is to paint out both the Pope and his Clergie and also the Kingdome of the Turke and his cruell Armies For having already set downe
hel-hounds against all such as set the Gospel abroach whereby their Babylon began to shake For at the first when the Gospel began to peep forth they did despise it as a thing which they could easily suppresse but within a short time they found that neither by excommunication wherewith in former times they had even as it were with lightning and thunder caused kings and nations to tremble neither by force of wars and bloudy slaughters neither by any skill in learning nor by treacheries they could any thing prevaile but that the Gospel did still more and more lay open their filthinesse and shame then did they become and so do they continue unto this day even as mad-men in sorrow and rage which the holy Ghost expresseth in saying Chap. 16.11 that they gnawed their tongues for sorrow and blasphemed God c. whereby it is evident that the beast and all that received his mark are full of fiery hatred and malice and cannot tell which way to be revenged For the more they strive the more they lose Faine would they have Popery restored to his ancient credit and dignity and they devise what they can to bring it about but it will not be For their kingdome waxeth darker and darker weaker and weaker and that is a dagger unto them and a griefe of all griefe which maketh them gnaw their tongues and gnash their teeth for sorrow Chap. 16.11 But yet for all this they repented not of their works saith Saint John and therefore God is more incensed against them and causeth the sixth Angel to powr out another viall upon the great river Euphrates and the water thereof dryed up as wee have heard Now then observe carefully Note this and note it diligently that the frogs came forth upon the darkning of the kingdome of the beast and the drying up of their Euphrates For who knoweth not the Pope and his complices perceiving the weakening and diminishing of their kingdom have sent out these Jesuits and seminary Priests into all parts of Europe to repair the ruines of Rome if it were possible and this is one circumstantiall reason to prove these three frogs to be understood of the Jesuites But let us proceed to open the whole description of the holy Ghost that it may yet more plainly appear First Chap. 16.13 these frogs are called unclean spirits because they are the very limbs of the Divell full of all filthinesse and uncleannesse Secondly they are called spirits because they come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet Thirdly they are called three in number being in truth neerer three thousand because they proceed out of three severall mouthes the Dragon the beast and the false prophet that is the Divell the Roman Empire and the Papacy three horrible monsters three terrible bug bears which with one consent conspire together against the Gospel to uphold their Babylon and to stop the leak of their Euphrates Now these three frogs are said to come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet because they come with the very minde and message of the Pope and the Roman Empire and so consequently with the very mind and spirit of the Dragon For they are the very breath of the Pope and the spirits of the Divels as like him as if they had been spit out of his mouth They are sent on the Divels errand and the Popes embassage into all countries and kingdomes and are taught their lesson what they shall say and instructed what they shall doe and what courses they shall take with men both kings Nobles and the meaner sort and for this cause the holy Ghost saith they came out of the very mouth the very heart and the very bowels of the Pope and of the Divell And although these Jesuits and seminary Priests are called of the favourites Catholick Doctors The holy Ghost calleth the Jesuits the spirits of Divels Chap. 16.14 holy Fathers c. yet the holy Ghost saith flatly they are the spirits of Divels working false and fained miracles and with great efficacy of error deluding and deceiving the simple and blind multitude We see then that the holy Ghost in all this description doth plainly note out the Jesuites and seminary Priests for to whom can these things here spoken of agree but onely to them And do not wee which live in these dayes sensibly see and discern the fulfilling of all these things Surely wee cannot but see and feel them unlesse wee be wilfully blind and do of purpose blind-fold hoodwink our selves But the holy Ghost goeth yer further and doth more fully and as it were demonstratively point them out unto us describing them by their office which is to go unto the kings of the earth Verse 14. and of the whole world to gather them to the battell of that great day of God almighty Who is ignorant that the Jesuites and seminary Priests are sent out to all Kings and Nobles of the whole world that favour them and their proceedings Are they not croaking in corners thick and threefold in all parts of this land Are they not practising of treacheries and treasons against our most gracious King and the whole state Are they not plotting the destruction and subversion of this Church common-wealth Nay as the holy Ghost saith the chiefe end of their coming abroad is to solicite gather the kings of the earth unto battell against God against Christ and against all true professors of religion The battell betwixt them is here called The battell of the great day of God almighty that is that battell wherein the Almighty God will have the day and goe away with the victory For it followeth The Jesuites by their crafty perswasions shall bring the popish kings and their armies to a place where they shall be destroyed that the Jesuites and seminary Priests did prevaile with the seduced kings of the earth so far as to gather them together to a place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon that is to say a place where they shall be destroyed and that with such an horrible slaughter that the place shall take a name thereof For it was an usuall thing among the Hebrews to call the place where any famous thing fell out by a name which did report the same to all posterity as Kibroth Hataavah Numb 11. the graves of Concupiscence Hamon Gog Ezek. 39. the multitude of Gog and divers such like And so here Armageddon the destruction of an army because the kings of the earth and their armies which shall fight against the Church at the instigation of the Jesuites shall come to a place where they shall have a notable overthrow This word Armageddon may fitly be derived of two Hebrew words that is to say Cherem which signifieth destruction and Gedudh which signifieth an army that is the destruction of an army or as some say and that very judicially it may come
the dayes wherein they lived and both those they did cleerely understand Some things were fulfilled after their dayes as the rising and raigning of the great Antichrist which they did not so cleerely see into Hereupon it commeth to passe that many things which unto them were very obscure are unto us most cleere and manifest 〈◊〉 beeing already fulfilled insomuch that all which are not wilfully blinded may see and understand them yea the most unlearned Bee not therefore discouraged gentle Reader at the darknesse and difficulty of this booke Doe not prejudicially resolve and set downe with thy selfe that the naturall sense of this booke cannot be given nor the tute meaning found out but that we must be faine when we have done all that we can to rest in uncertaine conjectures some following one sense and some another as seemeth most like and profitable But no man can say confidently and precisely this is the meaning of the holy Ghost Oh be not of that minde good Christian brother for if we have not an undoubted certainety for the sense and meaning of this Prophesie we are never the neerer and that is it which the Papists would drive us unto But know for a certainty that the naturall sense of this booke is to be found out as well as of other bookes of the Scripture And that wee might not be left to our selves in the darke and to our uncertaine conjectures and doubtfull interpretations Behold the mercifull goodnesse of God to his Church who himselfe doth expound the darkest and most mysticall things in this Prophesie or at least so many of them and so far as the rest are thereby layd open and made manifest The Lord himselfe expoundeth some things in chap. 1. which give cleare light to the first vision The Angell expoundeth divers other things In the 17. Chapter which is the key of this Prophesie the Angell doth of purpose open and interpret all the greatest doubts of this booke as who is the whore of Babylon who is the Beast what be his seven heads what be his ten Hornes what be the waters which the woman that is the Whoore of Rome sitteth upon Moreover for the better understanding of this Prophesie we must note that the writings of Moses and the Prophets unto which there bee sundry allusions and from the which sundry things are drawne doe cleere divers things in this Revelation The knowledge of antiquities ministreth much aide to the understanding of this Prophesie The knowledge of the Histories of the Church and the particular state thereof in divers ages bringeth great light The observation of the phrases and manner of speech used by the old Prophets doth helpe also not a little The serious and deepe weighing of all the circumstances of the Text and conferring one thing with another the consequents with the antecedents and the antecedents with the consequents furthereth greatly for the bolting out of the true and naturall sense And furthermore as the spirit of God is the Author of the Prophesie so the same spirit is the best interpreter of it and doth open and reveale it to all such as using all other good meanes are earnest and humble suiters unto God for the illumination thereof whereby they may all understand both this and other the mysteries of his will which the Apostle saith God hath revealed unto us by his spirit For the spirit searcheth all things yea the deepe things of God To all this may be added the knowledge of Arts Tongues and the learned writings and interpretations of sundry excellent men which all doe bring great furtherance to the understanding of this Prophesie Sith then there bee so many helpes for the opening and expounding of this Revelation why should any bee discouraged from the reading and study thereof But if any man demand a reason why Saint John writeth this Revelation in such mysticall and allegoricall manner I answere that there may be divers reasons yeelded hereof First that the world being blinded might fulfill the things herein specâ—fied Secondly because John was to publish this Revelation in such manner and forme as he had received it from Jesus Christ which was figurative and allegoricall Thirdly because it was much more wisedome to foretell the destruction of the Romane Empire which all that time bare the sway almost over all the world under covert and figurative speeches then in plaine tearmes lest the Romane Princes should rage more against the Christians even in that respect The like also may bee sayd for Daniels darke manner of delivering his Prophesie For if hee had uttered those things in plaine tearmes which hee spake darkely and allegorically it might have cost him his life For the Heathen enemies would never have endured to heare that all their Empyres glory and renowne should fall one after another and one by another and that the Jewes were the only holy people whom God did defend and to whom in the end God would not onely give a quiet possession of their owne Land and Kingdome but also a Kingdome everlasting and that through their Messias and great deliverer But to grow to a conclusion gentle Reader thou shalt find in this poore travell First an Exposition of the first thirteene Chapters unto the twentieth reduced all to one head which is to prove the five points propounded and last of all the three Chapters following briefely and plainely expounded If any through lazinesse will not or through want of leasure cannot reade over this short travell yet for his comfort let him read chose things onely which are written upon the fourteenth Chapter And thus Christian Reader hoping that thou wilt not neglect that which may be for thine owne good I commend theee to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build further and to give thee an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Thine in the Lord Arthur Dent. Vpon the 14. Chapter of this Booke These five points are handled FIrst that Babylon in this Booke of the Revelation is called Rome Secondly that Rome shall fall and how Thirdly that Rome shall fall finally and come to utter desolation in this life before the last Judgement Fourthly by whom and when it shall be overthrowne Fiftly the causes of the utter ruine and overthrow thereof APOC. 18. verse 4. I heard a voice from Heaven say Goe out of heâ— my People that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receive not of her Plagues THE RVINE of Rome or an Exposition upon the Revelation Wherein is plainely shewed and proved that the Popish Religion together with all the power and authority of Rome shall ebbe and decay still more and more throughout all the Churches of Europe and come to an utter overthrow even in this life BEfore I enter into the exposition of this Prophesie I thinke it not amisse to handle sixe circumstantiall points which may give some light to the whole matter following and they be these First the instrument that writ
it up at their hands but will up and maintain the womans cause and bear her out against them all nay he will make ready his bow that he may shoot off and make his arrows drunk in the bloud of her and his enemies and wil whet his glittering sword that he may sheath it in the heart of Antichrist and all his adherents Therefore now let both the great beasts and their fire look to themselves for here comes in one that will knock them all down and lay them in the dust that they shall never rise up again For this cause now at length S. John in a vision seeth a Lamb stand upon mount Sion that is Christ present with the Church For mount Sion was an antient figure of the Church as it is written Mount Sion lying north-ward is faire in situation Psal 48.2 it is the joy of the whole earth and the city of the great King And again The law shall goe forth of Sion Mich. 5.2 and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Moreover Saint John seeth here with the Lamb an hundred fourty and foure thousand that is the particular members of the Church putting a certain number for an uncertain and specially alluding to the sealing of the twelve tribes of Israel as before hath been shewed For it might be demanded where the Church was when all the world wondred and followed the first beast And also when all Chap. 7 4. both small and great rich and poor received the mark of the second beast Saint John answereth that even then in the midst of the heat of persecutions God had his hid and invisible Church whom Jesus Christ did protect and preserve even in the very flames of persecutions being alwaies present with them and amongst them as he said to his disciples a little before his bodily departure from them Loe I am with you even unto the end of the world And here he is said to stand upon mount Sion with his hundred fourty and four thousand And it is added that this number of Gods faithfull elect children had his Fathers name written in their foreheads that is they did professe and practise the doctrine and religion of God their Father only utterly renouncing and abhorring the worship religion of the beast For the Fathers name in this place is set opposite to the mark of the beast to signifie that as the worshippers of Antichrist received his mark so the true worshippers of God received his brand which is his Spirit and the fruits therof whereby they were perfectly discerned from those which had the beasts mark So then it cleerly appeareth from this place that God preserved many thousands of his true worshippers even in the daies of the great Antichrist when there seemed to be very few or none remaining upon the earth as it was in the dayes of Elias In vain therefore do the Papists ask us where our Church was before Luthers time sith the holy Apostle here stoppeth their mouth and telleth us plainly that Christ had his little flock in the wildernesse even then when it was in greatest streights and as we say driven to the walls And therefore visibility is no sound note of the Church as the Papists do most ignorantly dispute For it is a fond and absurd kind of reasoning to say there is no Church at all because it doth not visibly appear as if a man should reason that there is no moon in the heavens because sometimes there is none seen as in the change And I heard a voice from heaven as the sound of many waters and as the sound of a great thunder Verse 2. and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps Here is set forth how his company of true worshippers doe magnifie and praise God for his great mercies towards them First John heareth a voice from heaven that is an heavenly voyce or the voice of the Church praising and glorifying God For we have heard before Chap. 8.1 that Heaven in this booke is sometimes put for the Church upon the earth and the reasons thereof Wheresoever therefore the Church is assembled to hear the word and to pray and give thanks there is a voice from heaven or an heavenly voice Now this voice is compared to three things first to the sound of many waters Secondly to the sound of a great thunder Thirdly to the voyce of harpers harping with their harps It is likened to many waters because it proceedeth from sundry sorts of people of sundry nations countries and kingdoms as the word waters is taken afterwards in this Prophecie Chap. 17.1 Chap. 17.25 It is compared to thunder because the prayers and invocations of the true Church are as loud in the eares of God as any thunder-crack It is compared to harpers harping with their harpes both because their spirituall worship and service is as sweete unto God as any musick unto men as also because all Gods faithfull people doe tune together among themselves and in their worship as the strings of a wel-tuned instrument of musick or as many musicians playing together which make a sweet harmony and most melodious ditty Verse 3. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the Elders and no man could learn that song but the hundred fourty and foure thousand which were brought from the earth Now it sheweth how this holy society of the faithfull do continue their praying and glorifying of God they are not weary of well doing but hold on constantly in the course of Gods worship having new songs of thanksgiving in their mouthes and serving God daily with renewed affections as men inflamed with the zeale of Gods glory and all this they do performe before the throne before the foure beasts and the Elders that is in the presence of God and his Angels and his holy congregation And no man could learn that song but the hundred fourty and four thousand that is none of the reprobates and ungodly worldlings could inwardly feel and understand this spirituall worship but only the elect to whom it is given to understand the secrets of God and the mysteries of his Sons kingdome These are they which are not defiled with women Verse 4. for they are virgins these follow the Lamb wheresoever hee goeth these are bought from men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouthes was found no guil Verse 5. for they are without spot before the throne of God This holy company are not defiled with women that is with grosse and divers sins or rather with idolatrous pollutions For they are virgins that is chast worshippers of God which are not polluted with the defilements of Antichrist These follow the Lamb Christ whithersoever hee goeth They hear his voice they professe his worship and obey his doctrine they abhor Antichrist they follow not the beast nor receive his mark They are bought from