The Image of Both Churches in Revelation, Chapter 13

The Image of Both Churches in Revelation · Chapter 13

The xiij. Chapter..

BY the monstruous, vgly, and most odious beast rysing out of the sea, with seuen heades and ten hornes, is ment the vniuersall or whole Antychrist, comprehending in him all the wickednesse, fury, falshead, frowardnesse, deceipt, lyes, craftes, slaightes, subtilties, hypocrisie, tyrannie, myschiefes, pride, and all other diuillyshnesse, of all his malicious members which hath bene sence y^e beginning. The excéeding presumption of them that hate the blessed Lord (saith Dauid) aryseth day by day. Continually thine enimies growe, alwayes they increase, & euermore they prosper in this world. Not frō y^e stedfast or sure ground (which are y^e Lords people) ariseth this beast, but out of the wauering sea, or frō y^e fickle fellowship and moueable multitude of y^e vngodly. For the wicked sorte after Esay, are y^e raging sea y^t can not rest, whose water fometh w^t y^e mire & grauel. No peace is amōg y^e vngodly (saith y^e Lorde) no vnitie, no charitie, nor mutuall christian louelove. It pleased therfore the holy Ghost to prouoke Iohn after hys secret vision, to discribe this mightie Antichrist thus in his right colours, according to that he had séene, to the forewarning of Christes people.

THE TEXT.

1 And I savve a beast ryse out of the sea, 2. hauing seuen heads & ten horns, 3. & vponupon his horns .x. crounes, 4. & vponupon his heade the names of blasphemy. 5. And the beaste vvhichwhich I savv vvas like a cat of the moūtain, 6. and his feete vvere as the feete of a Bear, 7. & his mouth as the mouth of a Liō. 8. And the Dragō gaue him, 9. his povver, 10. and seate, 11. and great aucthoritie.

The Paraphrase.

1 I beheld (saith sainct Iohn) an execrable beast, very odious & hatefull to looke vpō, rising out of y^e rauenous roaring sea. For y^e wicked auance thē selues as the gréene baye trée in vngodlines, & the sinagoge of proud hypocrites riseth vp a lofte, setting vp their Christes, as doeth the fat Cedar trées of Libanus. All beastly are they as was Elimas y^e sorcerer, full of filthinesse, gile, & falshead, yea, the very whelps of y^e diuil, subuerting y^e waies of God. None other is this beast here discribed, thē was y^e pale horse in the fourth age, y^e cruel multitude of locustes in y^e fift age, and the horses of incomparable woodnesse for the sixt.

2 Seuen heades and x. hornes had this cruel beast not vnlike therin, to y^e aforesaid red Dragō or Serpēt. For looke what pestilēt suggestions in errors & lies, & what deceiuable power in signes & wonders hath reigned in the diuil for all ages, y^e same also hath reigned in y^e wicked members of his beastial body, in the furious bishops, lawyers, doctors, priests, hipocrytes, & false magistrats, for their heads are their vniuersal crafts, & their hornes their tirannous aucthhrities, vsurped primacies, or malignaūt magistrats. Thy strōg mightie power Lord (saith Dauid) hath brokē y^e dragōs heads in y^e raging waters. Thou hast smitē in péeces y^e heads of y^e great Leuiathan. Inhaunce not your hornes so hye yée stifnecked Antichrists, for y^e horns of the vngodly wil y^e Lord pluck down, and exalt y^e horns of y^e rightuous, in y^e house of Dauid his seruaūt. More are y^e horns here in nūber thā are y^e heds. For greater is y^e power thā is y^e suggestiō, y^e vsurped aucthoritie than the craft, the Maiestie than y^e error, and much more mischiefe may worke.

3 This beast had vponupon his .x. horns x. crownes, signifying his victorie, dominiō, & primacie ouer the vniuersal worlde, and that he through the wickednesse of the people, is the vnworthy captayne and prince thereof. In this onelyonly poynt differeth the dragon from the beast, the diuell frō his mē bres, or sathan from his carnal sinagoge. He had vii. crowns vponupon his .vi… heads. They hauehave .x. crowns here vponupon their .x. hornes. For that he hath but in simple suggestion, they hauehave in double power of coactiō. Wher as he dooth but dallyingly perswade, they may enforce and compell. Where as he doth but easely moue, they may by rigorous aucthoritie cōstrain. Whan he hath propounded an errour, they may by their powre establish it for an infallible truth, & make of it a necessary article of the christian beleue, as they hauehave done of purgatory, pardōs, confession, saints worshipping, latin seruice hearing, & such lyke. Whā he hath once made a lye (as he is the father of all lyes) they may authorise it for an vnwrittē veritie, lyke as they hauehave don many. Much more mischif… may they doo, beinge his spiritual instruments than he can dooe alone, as largely appereth by their works. Neuer could sathan thā hauehave put Christ vntounto death, had he not entred into Iudas & so betrayed him, had he not entred into y^e bishops & lawiers, & so cō dēned hī. Neuer had y^e apostles, nor al other godly prechers sens their time, béene sent out of y^e way, had not those mytred Mahomets & priests wrought still theyr olde feates.

4 Upon this beastes head was written the names of blasphemie against the Lord and his Christ. Which are none other than the proude glittering tytles, wherewith they garnish their vsurped authoritie, to make it séeme glorious to the world, hauinge within them contained, the great mistery of iniquitie.

What other els is Pope, Cardinall, Patriarke, Legate, Metropolytane, Primate, Archebyshop, Diocesane, Prothonotary, Archdeakon, Official, Chaūceller, cōmissary, Dean, prebēd, Person, Uicar, my lorde Abbot, maister Doctor, and suche lyke, but very nams of blasphem? For offices they are not appointed by the holy goste, nor yet once mencioned in the scripturs. What other is it but abhominaton, the Pope to wryte him selfe the most holy father, the generall vicar of Christe, the supreme head of the christian church, & the only distributer of y^e treasures of god? The bishops & priestes also to call them selues their churches bridgromes, sitters in gods sted, forgeuers of sinne, & our Ladies chast knights? None other are they so abusing their flock in leauing the iust office of sincere preaching vnderunder such vain titels, after the mind of Zacharye, but very shamful Idols in déede. Their decres, decretals cōstitucions canons, rules, statutes prouinciall & sinodall, traditions, lawes, fatherly customes, & vsages, not groūded vponupon gods cōmaūdemēts, are very diuelishnes & hipocris…, blasphemīg y^e name of god. For why, to hauehave y^e name of blasphemy vpō their heads, is none other thā vnderunder a glorious title to maītain that thing which is blasphemous, glorifying themselues in the same. The vngodly (saith Dauid) with mocks hath disdained the Lord, & with open mouth hathe vttered wickednesse against God.

5 And the strange fashioned beaste (saith S. Iohn) whome I saw in this vision, was like in similitude to a cat of the mountaine, full of many coulored spots in token of inconstancy, varietie, and ficklenesse.

6 His féete wer as y^e féete of a bear, fierce, rough, and ill fauored, in signification of crueltie, stubburnnesse, & vncleannesse.

7 And his mouth séemed as y^e mouth of a Lion, declaring him to be full of pryde, rauin & excesse. To such beasts as here are mencioned, cōparith Daniell vnderunder hidden mistery, certaine mightie kingdomes of the world. As to the Lions (which here is caleld a Lion for the more crueltie now vsed thā was in those daies) y^e proud kingdomes of the Assirians & Caldeans. To the beare the cruell kingedomes of the Medes and Parthianes. And vntounto the Cat of the mountaine, the vnstedfast kingedome of the Grekes. Of pryde, spoile, and rgbbery, are the Assirians & Caldeans condemned by Esaye, Nahum, and Abacuck the prophets. The Medes & Parthians held captiue y^e people of god, as witnesseth Hester, Paralipomenō, & Esay. The Grekes most spightfully were bent against them vnderunder y^e cruell king Antiochus, as in the Machabes is euident. No abhomination nor mistery of iniquitie, as Paule calleth it, was euer founde in these kingdomes, but now reigneth manifould in the detestable papacie or monstruous kingedome of Antichrist, as all the worlde may sée. No where was euer more pryde, vanitie, and cruelnesse, Idolatry, horedome, and filthinesse, hipocrisie, falsehoode, and ficklenesse, extorcion, vaineglory, & couetousnesse, sorcery, supersticion, and vnfaithfulnesse. More than all the vnfaythfull kingdomes vnderunder heauen, hauehave this sodomiticall spiritualtie defyled w^t theyr witchery y^e holy temple of God, which is y^e Christen church. They hauehave most shamefully abused gods chosen people, which are the vessels ordeyned to his glory. They hauehave holden his frée seruants most miserable captiue, vnderunder their wycked decrées and tradicions. The crueltie of Pharao Antiochus, and Caiphas, compared to theyr tyranny, is but as it were a play, dalliance, or shadow. In them is all lechery and vncleannesse, all raginge lustes and wantonnesse, all fleshly abuses and beastlinesse, no naturall order obserued. Nothing in a maner are the cruell constitutions, made against the Iewes by the suggestions, of Aman, and by Antiochus to their wicked lawes and ordinances. For they were onelyonly againste the body, theirs are against mens soules. So that the papistical kingedome of antichrist are to be séene both the Lyon, the Beare, and the cat of the mountayne, they not onelyonly participatinge with all vnfaythful regions, but also doubling w^t thē in al abhominatiōs vnderunder y^e Sky. The mouth they hauehave of a Lion, roaring out euermore blasphemies, curses & bytternesse. The féete of a bear, signifieth their rauenous affections, rūning vntounto all pernicious euills, very swift also to y^e sheddīg of bloud. As Cats of y^e moūtain they are spottid w^t diuers fickle fātasies, in sects, obseruations, ceremonies, ryts, lawes, & customes, no wher stedfast & vniforme, but eueryevery wher variant & foolish. And worthy they are to be forsakē of god, & to be left to y^e spirit of errours & lies to their damnation, that so contēneth the veritie of god.

8 More ouer y^e dragon (saith s. Iohn) which is sathan y^e diuel, gaue ouer vntounto this beast, or curssed generation of antichrist, beīg his bestial body, al his whole power, his blasphemous seate, & his mighty authoritie. To geue thē his power, is no more but to fyl thē w^t crafts, subtilties, wiles, malice, fraud and deceit, and to make them apt to seduce y^e simple, or to able them to all falsehood & wittie gile. To admit thē his seat is to leaue them here a kingdom of vaine glory, hipocrisie, & abhominable Idolatry.

To graunt thē his ful authority, is to worke in thē all lying singes & wonders throughe deceiuable doctrine, strōgly to delud y^e vnbeluers to their greater damnacion.

9 To this power of the dragon, is no power comperable vpō earih. No power is able to suppresse it, onlesse it cōmith frō aboue, & is geuen vntounto vsus from y^e father of light; as is y^e strong gyfte of faith. Thus is this great antichrist a king with sathan, ouer all the children of pryde. With Lucifer he vsurpeth the seat of God, sitting in the consciēces of men, euermore boasting himselfe to be in gods stede, seducing the people of the worlde, & finally ouercomming them by bringing them into all kindes of errour.

10 And as concerning the seat, lyke as Christ our lord sitteth in y^e throne of God, reigninge with his eternall father in méekenesse, so sitteth he in the throne of sathan with his father the diuel, in al pride and blasphemie. As touching y^e power, lyke as Christ had his power of God, so hath he his power of the diuel. Like as Christ is full of grace and verity, and of his fulnes all they hauehave receiued that truly hauehave beleued in him, so is this antichrist full of hate, falsehed, and all other iniquite, of whose errours and lies y^e vnbeleuers hauehave tasted. Like as y^e holy spirit of Christ hath wrought in his louers the misterie of truth & goodnesse, so hath the erronius & vnclen spirit of this antichrist wrought y^e mistery of his wickednes▪ in chrstes enimies, since his deathe and asscencion.

11 And finally as conserning authoritie like as Christ beinge man toke power of God to doo such mirakles as none els could do, so dyd he of the deuil, being his wretched body to work prodigiuos maruels & wonders in hipocrisy among the vnfaithfull multitude, by the secret fufferance of god. So that in all peruerting power supremite and authoryty, he foloweth his father sathā, yea, in eueryevery point. For like as he depriued simple Iob, a man that feared god, of his substāce cattell, chilldren, and seruauntes, and vexed him in his flesh with most greuouse botches, so doth this gredy Leuiathan, this malicious murtherer, the man of sinne, & body of the diuel, with his deuourig locoustes, robbe y^e poore people of their sweat, labours, trauaile, and nessary liuing, sparing neither sicke nor succourlesse, poore widow nor fatherles, no goods gottē by theft, mans slaughter, extorcion, bribery, pollage, idolatry, bandry, & al other vngodlines comming to thē amisse in their priuat confessions. And (that is most to be lamented) they defile their soules with al supersticions, fals beleue, and deuilishnesse, leauing their conciences all doutfull, desperat & comfortles. Finanally to conclude, like as, in y^e body of Christ dwelth y^e whole fulnesse of the godhed corporally, so dwelleth their in this body of Sathan y^e whole fulnesse of falshoode, crafte, sutiltye, mallice, with power to work al maner of mischife, effectually, really, substancially, and corporally.

THE TEXT.

1 And I sawe one of his heades as it were wounded to death. 2. & his deadly wound was healed. 3. and all the vvorld vvondered at the beast. 4. And they worshipped the Dragon vvhichwhich gaue povver vntounto the beast 5. and they vvorshipped the beast. 6. saying. 7. Who is lyke vntounto the beast? 8. Who is able to vvarre vvith him?

The Paraphrase.

1 And one of his heads (saith Saint Iohn) séemed vntounto mée, as it had béene wounded vntounto death. And it was not so indéed, for his dedly woūd was healed againe. Euident it is that in Iohns tyme, Rome the mother of all whordome hadde, subiecte vntounto hir the .vij. clymates or vniuersall parts of the world, with all their powers, gouernours, kinges, possessiōs, pōpes, false worshippinges, and such lyke. Whom some wryters suppose méete to be takē here for y^e .vii. heads of this beaste. But I finde an other thing in it, the body of these .vii heads being but one, & stil cōtinuing so. For though all were at y^t time vnderunder hir, yet is it not so now, & yet stil remayneth this beast. Therefore I doo take it for one vniuersall Antichrist (as I did afore) cōprehēding in him so well Mahomet as the Pope, so wel the raging tyrant as y^e stil hipocrite, & all y^e wickedly worketh ar of y^e same body. The .vii. heads of y^e beast, may so wel be his presumptuous doings for y^e .vij ages of the church, as any thing els, & yet no preiudice done to that hath ben said afore What should ayle this woūded head here, not to signifie his supremite suppressed, his vsurped authoritie & power diminished, & his whole prodigious occupying cōdemned in this latter age of the church? I suppose nothing more manifest, vnlesse we hauehave eies & will not sée. Are not now in may parts of Germany, & in England also the Popes pardons layed aside? His power put downe, his name abolished, his Purgatorye, pilgrimages, & other peltries vtterly exiled? and so lyke to be within short space in other regions also. If this be not a deadly wounding of one of the beastes heads, I think there is none. If this be not an apparent likelihood of his fall, there is none to be looked for.

2 But the healing againe of this mortall wound is lyke to mar all, & make the last errour worse than y^e first. In many places where as the Gospell hath béene preached, the bishoppe of Rome deposed, sectes, shrynes, & sanctuaries destroyed, monasteries, priories and fryers turned ouer, remayneth still theyr poyson w^t those same instrumentes wherewith they hauehave wrought all mischiefe. Stil cōtinueth their more then Iewish ceremonies, their priestybulous priesthoode, theyr vowing to hauehave no wiues, and their sodomitical chastitie. Stil remineth their sale masses, of all abhominations the principall, their prodigious sacrifices, their sensing of of Idoles, their boyesh processions, thieir vncō maunded worshippings, & their confessiōs in the eare, of all trayterie the fountayne, with many other strange obseruatiōs whom y^e scripture of God knoweth not. Nothing is brought as yet to Christes instituciō & sincere ordinance, but all remaineth still as y^e Antichristes left it. Nothing is tryed by gods word but by y^e aūcient auctority of fathers. Now passeth all vnderunder theyr title. Though the olde bishops of Rome were of late yeares proued Antichristes, and their names raced out of our bookes, yet must they thus properly for old acquaintāce be called still our Fathers. If it were naught afore I thinck it is now much worse, for nowe are they become laudable cerimonies wheras before time they were but cerimonies alone. Now are they become necessary rites, godly cō stituciōs, séemely vsages, & ciuill ordinances, where as afore they had no such names. And he that disobeieth them shall not onelyonly be iudged a fellon and worthy to be hanged by their newe forged lawes, but also condemned for a traytour against his king, though he neuer in his lyfe hindred, but rather to his power hath furthered the common wealth. To sée this also with such like put in execucion, the Bishoppes hauehave authoritie eueryevery monethmonth in the yeare if they list, to call a cession, to hange and burne at theyr pleasure. And this is ratyfied and confirmed by acte of Parliament to stande the more in effect. If this be no healing of Antichristes wounded head, neuer is lyke to be any. Whan men shall defende frée wyll, & allow theyr popish masse to be a sacrifice satisffactory for the quick and the dead, labour they any other (thincks you) than the healing of this wound? He lykewyse that in an open audience mayntayneth our owne workes to iustifie, by Dimitte nobis, and other not rightly vnderstanded scriptures, doth he any other than prepare a salue for the same? Nay surely. No lesse also dooth he that setteth men to open penāce at Pauls crosse, for holy water making, for processiō and sensing, w^t other Popetish gauds, constrayning them to promise the anauncement of the old fayth of holy church by such fantastical fopperyes, as Bonner bishoppe of London dyd now of late, to the lawhinge game & wonderment of all the world. Alas how is the people abused? None other doo they but mock Christen Princes with flattery, that giuegive them olde popish titles and blasphemous names of antichrist. As to call thē most christen kinges and defenders of y^e catholike faith, meaning the Popes old tradicions, to heale the head of y^e beaste. This is surely none other, but with the sayde beast to receiue authoritie, seate and power of sathan. Lette them therefore take héede least they be founde the same antichristes that they hauehave condemned, and so throwe thēselues double vnderunder y^e same plage. Necessarye it is they beware what they drinke, or what titles they take vponupon them at their appointmēt, least they forgetting them selues be foūde dronken by taking excesse of the Babilonish cup, and so perishe with the wicked. Marke here diligently thys word head, and ye shal well perceyue how wonderfully the story agréeth wyth the mysterie.

3 And all the world (sayeth Sainct Iohn) wondred at the beast. All foolishe, carnall, and worldly people, not vnderstanding the wisdome of Gods holy spirit, dependeth all vponupon theyr beastly baggage, thinking all y^t they doe to be godly, meritorious, and spirituall. They magnifie it, prayse it, and hauehave it in most hygh estimation, yea, they hauehave it in much more pryce than any thing that is of God. In no wyse will they from theyr olde frenesie, such is their excéeding blyndenesse. For whan they heare tell their customes shall continue, their gouernours agréeing to the same, they clap their hands for ioye, and sing Gaudeamus with the priestes.

4 Yea, they worship the Dragon which gaue such power to the beast. With their hartes they reioyce trusting vponupon longer continuance, whan they sée his heade restored agayne in their rulers, the godly teachers burned, and the preachers put to silence.

5 They worship also the beaste, so many as worshipped the Dragō. For as they which worship Christ, worship his father also, so they y^e worship Antichrist, agréeing to his lawes and decrées, doth also worship the diuil, of whom he receiued his pryde. They wonder with y^e Iewes y^t séeketh cauilations to cōtēpne Christes doctrine, as doth y^e filthie family of the dotyng dodipolles, priestes, & vnlerned lawyers. They worship with the Heathē that admitteth their power and alloweth their faces, as doeth the foolysh multitude, that neuer will be godly wyse. None other iudgement remayneth in these dayes to these wonderers and worshippers of the newlye restored head of y^e beast, then did vntounto them, y^t with double deuotiō agréed to y^e abhominatiōs of Mahomet & y^e pope.

6 And this will be their saying as foloweth in the text, spoken in y^e time past for y^e certaintie of the thing, as the maner of the scripture is.

7 Who is lyke vntounto the beaste, in outward glittering workes, or in the externo obseruations of counterfayt religion.

8 Who is able to war with hir the worldly powers now so déeply maintainīg hir quarel? All seketh y^e papists that they can in y^e world imagine, to vpholde the glory, magnificence, and beautie of their holy whorish church, or malignaūt muster. No cautels nor craftes leaue they vnsought nor vnsearched out, to cause the people to estéeme hyr of incōparable power. No small labour tooke standyshe in hand in Whittington College, when he made his more thē foolish booke of reproch against Barnes being dead. Nor no lessē diligēce y^e wise poet Iohn Hūtīgtō whē he registred in his genealogy of heritikes, w^t out grace, wit, learning y^e names onelyonly of such godly men as were the Popes enimyes, no heretike agaynst God once mentioned. No more dyd Thomas Smith, Richard Dallison, Williā Stawne, Steuē Prowet, Fryer Adriā, Quarrie the Pardoner, with suche other blynde Popish Poetes, and dyrtye metristes, when they vttered theyr shitton rymes and poesies. And sure I am that many moe be yet abroade of the same wicked zeale and spirite, to the great blasphemie both of God and his trueth, now that the beastes wounde is made whole agayne, by so many new actes, so many new titled Bishops, so fresh sale of benifices, maisterships, and dignities, spiritual offices, degrées, and aucthorities, as plētuous as euer was in Rome. And least we should be depryued of our new pleasaunt Euphrates, and so bée compelled by the word of God to follow the Monks, Chanons, Nunnes, and Fryers, in theyr banyshments.

We hauehave procured certaine actes to be made for our commoditie, and those only to be published among the people once in a quarter, or so oft as shall please vsus to blemishe all Godly preachings of the scriptures. Thus séeke we our selues and not God, our owne strength and not his, our owne glorie and not Iesus Christs. But let vsus not thynke that he sléepeth with Baall the false God, knowyng the most hydden thoughtes of the harte, but that he will within shorte space sende foorth his lightnyngs and scater vsus, brynging our heathenishe deuises to nought. For the kyngdome of one faith in vsus, and the Pope thus manifestly in certayne points deuyded, must surely decay.

THE TEXT.

1 And there vvas giuē vntounto him a mouth, 2. to speake great things and blasphemies. 3. And povver vvas giuen vntounto him to doe, xlij. moneths. 4. And he opened his mouth vntounto blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his Tabernacle, and them that dvvell in heauen, 5. And it vvas gyuen vntounto him to make vvarre vvith the Sainctes, 6. and to ouercom them. 7. And povver vvas giuen him ouer all kinreds, tongue, & nacion. 8. And all that dvvelt vponupon the earth vvorshipped him, 9. vvhose names are not vvrittē in the booke of life, 10. of the lambe, 11. vvhichwhich vvas killed from the beginning of the vvorld. 18. If any man hauehave an eare, let him heare, 13. he that leadeth into captiuitie, shall goe into captiuitie, 14. Hee that killeth vvith a svvearde, must be killed vvith a svvearde. 15. Heere is the patience and the faith of the sainctes.

The Paraphrase.

1 To this beast (saith sainct Iohn) was giuen a mouth, not of God, but of Sathan, to speake great mightie things and blasphemies. So well is this spoken of the one as the other, so many as hath done vponupon the Antichrst…s liuery, title, power, aucthoritie or name. When the veritie of the Lord was opened before them, they gaue no thankes for it, but became vaine in their thoughts, wherfore god gaue them ouer into a leude mynde, darkening their hartes. So that now thinking them selues wise, they appeare more foolish then afore.

2 Now speake they great thyngs in their conuocations, seanes, & sermons, and all are sore blasphemyes against God & his Christ. Now must they serue God by most straite commaundement with olde Romish beggerry, though he most highly abhorreth it, & no scriptures may be reade in y^e time thereof. For the scriptures must onelyonly passe as we wil hauehave thē. How shuld y^e beasts hed els be healed again? or howe should our church be known els to be his own Image? Oh beastly abhominatiō, & most hellish decree. Now must Christ be takē for no sauior at all w^tout our deseruīgs. The supper of y^e lord y^t was somtime a mutual perticipatiō of Christes body and bloud, must now be a new crucifying of him, one traitour playing al parts, Iudas, Annas, Caiphas, Herode, Pylate, & the Iews. Matrimony must be iudged vncleanes though it be y^e earnest institutiō of god. No popish vow may be dissolued, though it be well knowen a matter so diuilish, as hath made an hūdreth thousād Sodmites. The Eucharisti may not be receiued in both kindes, though it be y^e expresse commaundement of Christ so to bée vsed. Without the blynde bussings of a Papist, may no sinne be soluted, for that is the vpholdyng of their kyngdome, with many other lyke blasphemies. Certayne other great thyngs are vttered by thys mouth, whiche now I passe ouer, least I shoulde bée tedious to the reader. How be it, thys one great blasphemy that is spokē, I can not leaue vntouched.

Where as they boast them selues yet still alone to be the holy church, by the onelyonly vertue of theyr vnctions and shauings receiued first of y^e Pope, the laitie secluded. And vnderunder thys most falsely vsurped title, they will still be taken for the redéemers of mens soules. For they say that their masses are satisfactorie sacrifices for the quicke and the deade, iustifying, reléeuing, and sauing them both from dampnation, ex opere operato. And ouer that abhominable swarme of Antichristes, filthie ministers, make they nowe their Kyngs the heades most blasphemouslye, onelyonly to be by them vpholden now in all their mischiues. Truth it is that a king is the politique head, supreme gouernour, & great stay vnderunder God, of the people to his charge committed, and after that sort, their mighty monarke also by y^e scriptures, which thei hauehave afore this time denied, worshippinge them for most holy saints, which hauehave most presumptuously rebelled in that behalf. But ouer y^e whorish church of theirs (whom Christe neuer planted) is sathan the onelyonly head, by y^e holy ghosts fore iudgements héere. For to that beastly brood gaue the dragon his power, his seat, and his mighty aucthorytie. God forbid therefore that any christian prince shoulde at their false suggestions, admit so blasphemous a title. The deuill (saith Iob) is y^e only head ouer all the children of pride. That voice therfore may be blasphemous, as comming from the mouth of the serpent, if it be not taken good héede to.

3 And power was geuen to y^e beaste to do these things for the space of xli… monthes, which is the thrée yeares, & an halfe of Hilias, the time, times, & halfe time of Daniell, and the M. two hundred & lx. daies of Iohn. Not onelyonly for this age of the church, but also for all other ages, and by other heades also, hath the mouth of this beast vttered great things in blasphemy, lies in hipocrisie, & wonders vnderunder a deceitful power. But as cōcerning this latter healed heade of the beast, the time therof wil be short, as herafter shal appeare in y^e xvii chap.

4 He opened his mouth (saieth the text) in reproues against god, speking euill of his name, of his tabernacle, and of them that dwell in heauen. This is in a manner all one with y^t was spoken afore in the xi. chapter of the temple, the aulter, and of them that worship in the temple, saue only that his name is héere for his temple. In token y^t when his temple is blasphemed (which is his cōgregatiō) his name is blasphemed by y^e same, so is his tabernacle Iesus, in whom bodyly dwelleth the fulnes of y^e Godhed, so ar also they that dwel in heauen, wherby is mēt the true church, from whom the angels are not secluded, beīg their fellow seruāts. These dwellers be they that hauehave their conuersation in heauen vnderunder an vndefiled faith, that séeke those thinges, which are aboue & not vponupon earth, that worship the father in spirit & veritie, & y^e perseuereth true christians to the end. Many entreth this heauē of the Lord, but all continueth not in it to the ende of their liues, the more is the pitie.

5 Power was also geuen vntounto this beastly antichrist, to make battel w^t the saints, and to ouercome them. Cō tinually do they with violence vexe by their carnall policies, auctority, & lawes the sincere witnesses or preachers of the Lorde, sanctified of him throw faith in his holy word as were his apostles, lyke as did the malitius clergy of y^e iewes, yea, thei did resist thē w^t their more thē tirāous proclamatiōs, cōmissiōs▪ & cōmandemēts w^t cruell Pharao, Aman, & Antiochus to proue Christ in them the signe of cō tradiction and stone of reproch. They seeke héere, the hunt there, and neuer leaue raging til they hauehave closed thē vp in prisons.

6 Yet are they not so contented tyl they hauehave ouercome them in the sight of y^e blinde world, though not before God. Either shall they be compelled shamefully to recant, or if they persist in the veryty, to suffer most painfull death. By one way or other they must be ouercome, to hold the people in errour. The gardiner of winchester was not ashamed now of late (as I hard it credibly reported) to say vntounto one that was accused of his malignant multitude, when he was no lē ger able to withstande the manifest truth. Master Seitō we know ye are lerned, and plentuously endued with knowlege in the scriptures, yet thīk not that ye shall ouercome vsus. No, no set your hart at rest, and looke neuer to hauehave it sayd that ye hauehave ouercom y^e bishops, for it shal not be so. In déed it is trueth. For neither Christe nor his Apostles did euer yet ouercome you. Their victory ouer you is not in this world, your kīgdom being here. But be ye certen & sure of it, ye shal be ouercō to your much more rebuke at y^e latter day when al wrōgs & iniuries shall be reuēged, which is not farre of. Your lordly estimatiō (which may not be hindred here) wil apeare there not very precious. Yet doe ye well to hold vp a proude pecoks head as long as ye may. Lose not an inche of your height hardly, but with your gogle eyes looke vp like a man with a gard at your taile, like a sort of tormentours in a play. And with your lyinge iudgementes ouercome these beggerly vagabonds, and burn them also rather then faile, to fulfil the mesure of your holy fathers.

7 And authority was geuen to this beast vponupon eueryevery kinred, people, tong and nacion. For none these antchristes spare, neither high, nor low, rich nor poore, sick nor whole, learned nor vnlearned. But a iurisdiction they must hauehave ouer them, though it be vsurped. Once in the yeare must they hauehave them in confession, to knowe which way they are bente. That salue hauehave they gotten in agayne, to heale vp their wounded head. Be he natiue or be he strāger, be he ruler or be he a commoner, he must obey thē no remedy, or els stande forth at the sessions with Christ among théeues. Not in on regiō, or wher as one maner of langage is vsed, hauehave they this auctority, but in eueryevery land, in eueryevery shire, in eueryevery towne, & in eueryevery famyly must they hauehave to do, corruptīg eueryevery mans faith.

8 For al that dwel vponupon earth must worship this beast. They must agrée to the great things, no remedy. They must blaspheme god as they do. But blessed be the Lorde none doth y^• in their harts but they onelyonly that dwel vponupon the earth, that hauehave their felicity here, y^t séeketh y^e prosperitie of this world, & regardeth nōe other life thē therin is. The lābs of christs fold geueth héed to his voice, thei regard his cal, they folow his word, they wal…e in his light. Thei séeke for no holines but only in hī, neither in water nor bread, ashes nor palmes, robes nor reliques, masses nor anointings. He is their only sufficient wisdom, rightuousnes, holynes & redēptiō. His word is their liuing water, y^e fode of their soules, the lantarne y^t shal gyde thē, and the life that wyll not faile them. None other doctrine do they couet nor yet other precepts of liuing. Though they be héere in the earth, yet dwell thei not vponupon it. No continuing citie hauehave they here, but they séeke vntounto another of much more beauty & pleasure, not builded of mē. And for that they are ready rather to render vp their liues, then to renoūce y^e verity, only they which dwel here doth worship the beast, louing themselues better then god, & their flesh better then his trueth, hauing their whole trust in the mangye merits & dirty deseruings of these beastly hipocrites, and nothing at all in his swéet promises.

9 And therfore are not their names written of y^e lamb in the booke of life, which lambe was slaine from the beginning of the world. Christ hath not alowed them by his word & promise. With the rightuous are they not regestred, as members of one misticall body in hym. In the similitude of hys death are they not grafted vntounto hym as the braunches vntounto the vine, to be partners of his resurrection. Their porcion is not in the lande of the lyuing with him. They are none of those, whom the father hath geuen hym, to participate with hym in one spirit. Predestinate they are not vntounto life by hym, nor so written vp in the foreknowledge of God. Chosen they were not of the lord before y^e worlds constitution, to be his vndefiled children in Christ.

10 He is the méeke lamb that was slaine. He alone taketh away y^e sins of the world. In hym only is the life, for he is the life it self. Yet is he the life of none other, but of those y^t only beleue in him.

11 In that he was killed from the worlds beginning, is signified, that he dyed for all them whiche were create to be saued, and that his onelyonly death is all their health, raise and remedy by the promise of God. For all they hauehave eaten of one spiritual meat and dronke of one spirituall rocke, though it came in the fleshe longe after them. He onelyonly trode downe the head of the serpent. Since the beginning hath he bene slaine in his membres also, as manifest it is in rightuous Abell, Hieremy, Iohn Baptist, & such other like. They y^t are not written of the lambe in the booke of life for the children of God are registred in the booke of death for the children of perdiciō, reserued to eternal death for their infidelytie, with the deuill & his Angels.

12 He that hath an eare (sayeth the text) let him take good héede. He that hath an vnderstanding, let hym be admonished, by that which foloweth héere. Or he that hath receiued the wisdome of the spirit, let hym iudge hereof according vntounto it. Thus doth the holy ghost aduertise the faithfull to consider that whatsoeuer thinges are writtē, they are writtē vntounto our learning.

13 He y^t leadeth into captiuity shall go into captiuyty. And he that killeth with a sworde, must w^t a sworde be slaine. This warning geueth y^e lord, take it if they lyst. For he will hauehave his right iudgments known. He that vexeth or aflicteth the iuste beléeuers in body by outward punishments, he shall be aflicted in the spirit with an inwarde darknes or blindnes of the soule, that he may be the more captiue to sinne and to sathan. God wyll deliuer hym vp vntounto a lewde mind, and wyll geue him stronge delusion, to beléeue all maner of lyes, that he might be damned.

14 He that killeth the poore innocēt for his faith with the yron sword, or slaieth hym w^t any other torment, w^t the sword of the spirit (which is the Lords word) shall he be both iudged & condemned. The word that I hauehave spoken (saith Christ) shall iudge them at the latter day. And this is in manner all one with that was saide in y^e xi. chapter afore. If any mā wyl hurt them, fyre shall procéede out of their mouthes, and consume their enemies.

15 Neuerthelesse to the christian is persecution necessary. For héere in this lyfe is the pacience of the saints proued, and their faith required. Here was Abrahā tempted & Iob sore vexed, and both they were founde Gods true faithfull seruants. Here were the apostles contemned reioysinge y^t they were found worthy for christes sake to suffer rebuke. The rightuous the lorde trieth as gold in y^e furnace. He chasteneth eueryevery seruant that he loueth, and scourgeth eueryevery son that he receiueth. OnelyOnly is it faith that al the euils of this worlde by pacience ouercommeth, & so obtaineth y^e victory. The fruit which riseth to eternal lyfe, is peaceable sufferance in faith. And that must be heare in this lyfe, where as we are vnperfect, to make vsus perfect.

THE TEXT.

1 And I beheld an other beast. 2. comming vp out of the earth. 3. and he had two horns lyke a lamb. 4. and he spake as dyd the Dragon. 5. and he dyd all that the firste beaste could do. 6. in his presence. 7. And he caused the earth, and them which dwell therein. 8. To worship the firste beaste, vvhose deadly vvounde vvas healed. 9. And he dyd great wonders. 10. So that he made fyre come downe from heauen. 11. In the sight of mē. 12. And deceiued them that dwelt on the earth by the meanes of those signes which he had povver to doe in the sighte of the beast. 13. Saying to them that dvvelt on the earth, that they should make an image. 14. VntoUnto the beast, vvhichwhich had the vvounde of a svvord and dyd liue.

The Paraphrase.

1 And I behelde (saieth S. Iohn in this secret reuelation of my Lord, an other beast arising out of the earth. A figure is this of al false prophets and vngoly preachers. Beastly are they euermore, vaine, carnal, and corrupt in their studies, abhominable in the practisings of their wicked harts, not séeking God but their belleyes, not Christes glory but their owne pride and vaine glory.

2 From the earth they aryse, all geuen to erthly wisdome. The only affectes of this worlde doth moue them to teach, & no good zeale of y^e truth. Either are they tickled with ambition, pricked with auarice, or els stirred with mallice to inuei. These are the common affects of the wicked. This goinge vp hauehave they from wickednesse to wickednesse, and shall hauehave still till the Lorde destroy them, like as hauehave the iust beléeuers from vertue to vertue in the spirit, till such time as they sée him face vntounto face in the euerlasting Syon. From the worlds beginning hath this beast risen vp in Cayne the first murtherer in the fleshlye Children of men, in Cham the shamelesse childe of Noe, in Ismael & Esau, in Iannes & Iambres, in Balaham & Baals prophets, in the Beniamits & Bels chaplains, in Phasur & Semeias, in Iudas, Annas and Caiphas, in Bariehu & Di… trephes. And now sēs their time most of all in Mahometes doctoures and the popes queristers. Yea stil they are aloft in their beastly beggerye, & will be till their mischif be finished. Who séeth not now a daies y^t hath light in y^e spirit, y^e malignite, hipocrisy, fraud, craft, & deceit, in certen fals prophets at pauls crosse in London, & in other places els.

3 This beast had ii hornes like the lambe at a blush, but all counterfet … fals in very déede, for he spake as did the dragon, the hornes of Christ, are his high kingdom in the world. Only ariseth his Churche by faith in the glad tidinges and promises of god. That word is y^e scepture of Christes power and y^e rod of right order wheras he reigneth. None other strange sceptures are there, neither tradicions nor customes. Seuen hornes had Christ, for in him was the fulnesse of y^e veritie. This beast hath but ii. and yet they are but false & coūterfet. They seme to be Christs & are not. These are the corrupted letter of y^e ii. testaments, falsly interpreted, and for a carnall purpose alleaged. And therefore it is but apparent, hipocritishe, and deceitfull, yea, and cleane repugnant to the Lordes meaning, not hauing y^e iudgment of his spirit. This letter without the holy ghost is death, & nothing pertaineth vntounto Christ. He is the verytie & life, this is but a fable or ficcion. His word is spirit and life, this is but a brasse pot sounding, or a lattē cādelsticke tinkling, fantastical & faint, sophisticall & slaightye. Though these séeme like Christs, yet are they none of his, but y^• very horns of y^e beast. For they vphold antichrists kingdom & not his, a worldly glory & not his, for his kīgdō is not of this world, no lōger ar they his words, his lawes, nor his testimonies thā they maintaine his right honour. No newly practised worshipinges aloweth he for his, but vtterly abhorrith thē al as things rawe & vnsauery.

4 And therefore it folowith, y^t this spake as did y^e dragon. The doctrines and teachings of these false Apostles and deceitefull maisters, are lyes in hipocrisye, and the verye doctrine of deuils, vnderunder title of the veriti repugnaunt to the same. Not vnlyke to y^• the serpent sayd vntounto the woman, ye shall not dye if you eate of the forbidden fruite, but ye shall be surelye as Gods, knowing both good and euyll. They do as did sathan in the desar…. Alwayes they perswade vsus either of stones to make bread, or els to throw our selues downward, or els to worship the deuill. That is, to chaunge the good creatures of God from their right vse, as trées into idoles, silkes, velvets, cloth, golde, & siluer into supersticious ornamēts, chast mariage into stinking whoredome and sodomie with such lyke. To decline from the duties cōmanded of God to their idle obseruaciōs, so making his commaundements of none effect for the vaine traditions of men. And finally to fall vntounto forbidden worshippings or abhominatiōs of Idolatrie, of whō they are full. And for these they hauehave with Sathā also their mangled scriptures to lay for thē, to proue that the help of dead saincts is necessary, their masses, merytes, & works more than néede, expedient, and the fyre of Purgatory a fearefull thing, with y^e diuil & all of such fantasies. These are the prelates of Antichrists church, y^e two horned mōsters or great bellyed Byshops, rightly discribed here of y^e holy ghost in this two horned beast. These beastly buszards ar not ashamed both to say & write, y^t in their miters they beare the figure of both Testaments, whose veritie they impugne w^t tooth nayle. Uery truly they say, that they carrie the figure, for in déede it is but a shadowe they beare. Not to glorifie God, but their owne beastly bodyes w^t gold, pearl, & stone, lyke Mahoūds in a playe, for hys trueth they most cruelly persecute. These are y^e verye false Prophets, y^e instrumēts of sathā, y^e deceiuers, wolues, wagelings, Iudasses, dremers, liers, Idols, aduersaries, adders whelps, foxes distroying the Lords vineyard, deceitful workmē, desperate shephards, blind watchmen, dum dogs, diuils incarnate, wicked séede, vnsaciate beasts, whose God is their belly, & glory their confusiō. To al these & to many other such doth the holy ghost compare them for that they hauehave w^t their errors & lyes turned y^e swéetnesse of y^e scriptures into bitternesse, scarsly leauing one place therof vndefiled w^t their filthy dregs.

5 This beast (saith S. Iohn) dyd all things y^t the first beast could doe, euen before his own face. The same lying power to deceyue in hypocrisie hath this beastly brood y^t y^e great Antichrist hath, y^• same wily craftes, & the same beastly kindes of idolatry, & so doeth vse them. The same abhominations maintain they y^• world ouer, y^t y^e pope maintaineth at Rome, & Mahomet in Barbary, of Turkye. Yea, y^e same superstitiōs & sorceries, y^e same execrable traditions and beggeries. The same ceremonies hauehave they, that hée hath, y^e same vnctions, y^e same orders, & the same masses. The same idle obseruatiōs w^t vnknown cloyning, clattering, and wauling, are still vsed in Englād, like as they were vsed afore and w^t no lesse blasphemy vntounto God.

6 To doe suche things in the fyrst beasts presence, is to do them where his power & aucthoritie is raigning, or where as is the seate of Sathan, which is eueryevery place that admitteth straunge worshipping.

7 Both the earth & them that dwell in the earth, compell they to worship this first Beast. Not only enforce they them to wicked Idolatry, that neuer wold know y^e truth, but also many of those which hauehave great knowledge in the same. Oh how many are in Englād, & in other regiōs also that in these daies worketh against faith, knowledge, & the holy Ghost admitting the priestes abhominations? Rather had they to dwell still in the earthly beggerie with the blasphemie of God, than either to be out of fauour, or to loose their offices to hauehave their goods hindred, or to hazarde their lyues, so swéet ar these wātō worldly plesurs. Rather had they to perishe with the sonnes of Hely & Samuel, for abusing the ordinances of y^e Lord, & with Core Dathā, & Abirō for rebelling against them to sinke vntounto hel, then w^t Christ to take paynes in pouertie. But let not thē think to be worthy of Christ, that better louelove their owne carnall commoditie, thā his heauēly veritie.

8 Well, the beast must they worship whose woūd is made whole. His olde rustie rules newe burnished, and his olde Romish ragges new patched by a newly confyrmed aucthoritie, must they embrase in paine of death. The Lambe shall not yet be suffred to appear. Stil for a time must these terrible termagaunts hauehave more worship thā God, their traditions preferred to his most pure worde. And why shuld it not be so? hauehave they not now a new refourmed church, in whom y^e beasts woūded hed is newly restored? So lōg as it is like the popes church, it must folow his rules, and cleaue to his ordinaūces. It shall not folow Christ in …aith & in doctrine, til it appear like y^e church which he left here behynd him whan he ascended. And that is not lyke to be yet.

9 First must there be wrought great wōders. Fyre must be compelled to come downe from heauen in the sight of men, by this two horned beast. The disciples of Antichrist with their by furked ordinaries must violētly pluck from the true Christiā church (whose reign is not of this world) the eternal word of the Lord.

10 Then must they take from them the consuming fyre that Christ sent downe into y^e earth of mens harts, to drye vp all mallice and sinne. Yea, they must depryue them of the clouē fierie tonges, which y^e holy ghost poured vponupon the Apostles, to the cōfort of all y^e world. The tresure y^t Christ hath left here to socour vsus, they must hyde vnderunder y^e ground, and y^e candle that he light vsus to sée ouer the house, conuay vnderneath the bushell.

11 And these wōders shal they work in the presence of men. Already hauehave they takē in England, from y^e Bibles, the annotacions, tables, & prefaces, to performe this their dāpnable enterprise. They hauehave straitely forbiddē y^e reading therof, for time of their Romish seruice. Som hauehave they burned, & some put to silence, & all in the face of the people. Yea, they raised the maides of Ipswhich and of Kent to worke wonders & maruels, & now of late y^e folish Northē men to fight for their Church. What practises they hauehave had in y^t eare, and y^t eare to fetch away y^e true fauorers & preachers of the Gospell at diuers times, he y^t wel cōsidereth, may say y^t y^e holy ghost hath here rightly described them calling thē workers of wōders. The discréet cittizē of Londō master Packyngton was slain w^t a gun at saynt Thomas of Acres (as they call it) not without their priuy legerdemaine. But this w^t other of their miracles I intend to declare more at large, in an other tretise the Lorde lending me life. It is not long ago also, since Alexāder Seyton an excelent learned mā, w^t poore master Tolwin recanted at Paules crosse. Nor yet long a fore sens good doctor Crome was complleed to doo the same. And now last of all, to take the scripture cleane away, they hauehave sought out great faultes in the translation of it, & there vponupon taken them awaye from y^e common peoples reading. Great paines they take to put it doun, but they neuer swet yet in y^e settīg vp of it. Thus mind they to work their wōders, till they hauehave buried it all in y^e earth. They lack now but iiii. knights to hier, to kepe it down stil, y^t it rise no more vp. O veri imps of hel, & lims of y^e diuil, how vaine are your studies, & how wicked are your practises? I hauehave no doubt, but w^tin shorte space God will distroy y^e counsailes, & dissipate y^e strength of them y^t please men. Yet let no mā meruail though they do these feates for the time. For if the Gospell were taught without checke, in a whyle should nothing remain of y^t generation, neither myter nor rochet, shauē croun nor anointīg, & y^t know they wel inogh. For y^e word of y^e lord is y^e breth of his mouth y^t shal distroy them, and the deuouring fyre y^t shall consume them.

12 By y^e means of these signes (saith the texte) which this beast had power to doe in y^e sight of the other beast, or wher his abusiōs doth raign without checke, he deceiued them y^t dwelt on the earth. Many in this age are wonderfully abused, through y^e deceiptful werking of Sathan in these horned whoremōgers, but yet non other thā are earthly mynded. Of some men in déed the eyes are bleared with theyr crafts, of some mē y^e weak iudgemēts blemyshed with their subtilties, for wāt of discerning y^e scriptures. Some men are tangled w^t doubts, some trobled w^t terrour, some tormēted with feare, cōsidering y^t for this new learning (as they wil hauehave it called) some hauehave ben hāged as were y^e thrée poore yong men of Southfolke for the rotten roode of Douercourt. Some burned, some be headed for thinges of nought, as is knowne to all y^e world. These thyngs daseth theyr wittes, and amaseth their myndes.

And earth is y^e cause of al this, were it not that they much more loued this worlds pleasures than God, it should neuer be so.

13 All the perswasions of Antichristes prelates and preachers hath euermore ben, and are now still vntounto such earthlye inhabitantes, that they shoulde make an Image lyke vntounto this beast, which is alwaies to chose such an Emperour w^t other worldly gouernours as shal be for their commodytie. He must by y^e worldly people be compelled to take aucthorytie, sceptur, and crowne at their hands, so sworne to maintaine their fleshly lyberties. He must also be fashioned by their wicked doctrines and false counsels in confessions, lyke them in all sustersticious lyuinge, and in the tirrānous murther of innocent Christen men. Where such an head ruler is appoynted, there is his owne figure made, and where such a Gouernour is constitute, there is his owne Image set vp. For we must consider that this reuelatiō is in all poīts no story, specially here, as many writers hauehave thought it to be, in supposing an Antichrist to be borne at the latter ende of the world. But it is a mistery cōprehīding in it but one generall Antichrist for all, which hath reigned in the church in a manner since the Ascencion of Christe. And in this one poynt are al y^e commentours that I hauehave séene, most fowly deceyued, yea, the best learned of them. I know wel if ther be ani yet to come, he shal be but a mēber of this. Againe to our purpose.

14 Speciallye muste they make a right Image of that beast, which had the wounde of a sword and did liue. This betokeneth that in these dayes they shall sturre about them, & leaue no cautels vnsought, nether any fals counsels vnfet from other realmes, to doe their feats with, and to fashion the Christen Gouernours to their myndes. As Winchester did the last time he was in France. After whose comming home, many great wonders were wrought in Englande, and fyre was made to come downe from heauen. Cōsider the story afore, for the storye declareth the misterie. That wounded head now healed, must be vpholden.

15 He had a gréeuous wype with the sword (which is the liuing word of the Lord) when he lost his Monks, chanons, and fryers, hys purgatory, pilgrimages, and shrynes. Yet was he not all dead. For though their coules, cootes, and rochetes were of, yet had they still the same popishe hartes, and the same supersticious frowardnes, that they were wonte to hauehave. This might hauehave bin found true, if it had bin searched, when certen popish priests of maister Whartons retinue not far from Bongay in Souffolke did calk for Cromwel, & for other els, if the worlde had not chaunged to their mindes.

I write not this, thinking they can harme by theyr calkinge where as faith is resydent, but onelyonly to shew, that theyr hartes are yet alyue, and how vertuously they are occupied. Many things I cōsider at this instāt poynt, concerning Prince Edward, whō I dout not but the lord hath sent for the singuler comfort of England. Not that I temerouslye diffine any thing to come concerning hym, considering it onelyonly in the Lords power. But I desire the saide Lorde to preserue his bringing vp from the contagious drinkes of these false Phisicians. And this is to be prayed for of all men, if ye ponder well the text & marke their wonderfull workings, where the beastes head is restored.

THE TEXT.

1 And he had povver to giuegive spirit vntounto the Image of the beast. 2. And to make that the image of the beast should speake, 3. And should cause that as many as vvould not vvorship the Image of the beast should be killed. 4. And he made all, both small & great, rich and poore, free and bond. 5. To receiue a mark in their right hands, 6. Or in their foreheads. 7. And that no man might bye and sell. 8. Saue he that had the mark. 9. Or the name of the beast. 10. Either the number of his name.

The Paraphrase.

1 For power they hauehave to geue spirite to the Image of the beast. It is surely geuen them of the deuil, whā they hauehave once fashioned out y^e beasts right image, or made of an emperor a tiraunt, or set in the place of godly gouernour, a cruell murtherer vp of gods people, by flattering prayses to encourage them to al mischiefe, and by wicked counsell to prick thē forwarde to make cruell actes of murther for vpholdinge their beastly generation. The spirit that they do minister vntounto Princes euermore, is not the correction of sin, the amendement of lyfe, redresse of the common wealth, prouision for the poore, nor the séeking of Gods glorye. But by flatteringe praises to vpholde thē in their euils, much after this sorte of speakinge. Your maiesties or graces are called most vertuous, moste valiant, most worthy, most wise most mighty, & best learned among al christen potētates. Thei are al but a…es, in cōparisō to your worthinesses. If it be your maiests plesure to do this or y^t within youre owne dominiō, who shall be so bolde to withstande you? No, though Gods holy lawes be an hundred times against it. Sopport y^e olde religion of holy church against the heriticks, & ye cannot choose but prosper in all your affaires. Let it be treason against your owne persons, according to the actes of the Emperour Sigismundus and of King Hē ry the fift, if they do but once speake against hir corrupt customes. Make cruel constitutions a pace, & proclaim them abroad to shew your selues the popes liuely Images.

2 Our office it is to cause y^e beastes Image to speake. Let therfore your voyces be heard. Be no domb idoles, but speak with bold stomaks. In his spirit make vtterance without gods word of his old romish rules. Send forth your proclamaciō to be published eueri where, cōcernīg his masses, his confessions, his ceremonies and his whorish chastitie. Let al things be blowen forth vnderunder your titles, names, & auctoryties, to be obserued vnderunder pain of death. If other relmes report that ye abuse the duty of emperours or kinges (which is the office of god) estéeme not their sayings, but stand wel in your owne cōceits, Interpret y^e scriptures at your owne lust & pleasures as your law master of Rome hath done afore your time.

3 Cause so many to be killed, as wil not worship the Image of y^e beast, or obey such wicked lawes against the veritie of god, as hath bin made by those Emperours that were y^e pops eldest sonnes, by the kings of Frāce, which were his yonger sons, or by other princes els which were y^e defenders of his church, let none escap your hāds y^t inueieth against our kīgdōe, but make hauok of thē on eueryevery side as of heriticks & traytours, to proue the holy ghost true here in his foreiudgemēts. For y^t is your office, not appointed of god but of sathan. And in our cōmission frō him also we hauehave it to be no slake mouers of you therevnto. So hath Christ tould afore in this reuelation vntounto S. Iohn the Euangelist. This is the Ghoostelye councsell y^t we y^e horned beasts hauehave in commission to geue vntounto you from the mouth of the Dragon. Whē such an Image or Idoluse prince is thus vp set or constituted by authoryty (his oth once mad that he shall al waies defend thē) he may in no wise speake, but out of that spirit▪ y^t their cōiurers, confessours, I should saye, hauehave put into him. He mai make no lauws but at their spiritual appointment, like as y^e Emperour Carolus doth now in these daies. Much after this sort, became y^e emperour Nero, this beastes image immediatly after Christes ascention by the subtil flaights of that spiritual sorcerer Simon Magus, at Rome to withstand y^e Christen preachers Peter & Paule, as largely witnesseth Egisippus in his thirde booke de Hierosolimorū excidio, the ii. chap. This Simon Magus by flateringe praises crepte firste into his fauer, promising him health, long life, increace of power, & enlargemēt of his empyre, with cōtinuall victory ouer his enemies, in case he would folow his counsel, vponupon this became he, not only his chiefe counseller, but also y^e high bishop of his soule, & conseruatour of his body, the preseruacion of his whole health and life to him committed only. All thinges after that was done by his counsell to stop the Apostles preaching, he taken for the emperours most familiar friend, and a man most profitable to the cōmon wealth of the Romans, & they soone after supprssed and put vntounto moste cruel death.

4 And he made all (saith saint Iohn) both greate and small, rich & poore, free and bonde, to receaue a marke in their right handes, or in their foreheds. When this new raised Image of y^e beast, or sworne power to Antichrist, is once raised vp or admitted by their authoritye, be he Kinge or Keyser, Prince, or other Potentate, he must stronglye defende that sinagoge of the diuell, with whole maiestie, crowne, and scepture. By their only counsel must he thē make lawes (for they must geue him spirit) and send his commaundementes abrode y^t their holy decrées be obserued. Cōmisioners and visitours must out vnderunder y^e auctorytie, as wel to the clergy as laite. Thē must al be sworn to it and so obey it, both high & lowe, both gentleman & yeoman, both owner and farmar, both citizen & townsman, both marchant and plowman, both maister & seruant, both natiue dweller, and denison. Yea, both priestes in their colleges, monks in their abbayes, chanons in their couents, & fryers in their cloysters must after their sort do the same. This rule hath bin alwaies for the commoditie of that kingdome, where as y^e powers hauehave bin thus by thē peruerted. Much were it to shew the manifolde examples in that behalfe. Charles y^e v. now Emperour, to make this good, and to shew him selfe to be the sayd beastes Image, caused such actes to be publyshed throughout his whole dominion against y^e christen doctrine, wherin al they ar declared heritiks, scismatiques, & excōmunicats, which taketh not y^e pope for S. Peters only vicare & head of the christen church, none excepted, neither king nor coruester, as there are now diuers of y^e contrary opinion. The articles of y^e Louanians vnderunder his priueledge, & the actes of the Parisians vnderunder the French kings auctoryty, proclaymed in this presēt yeare of our lord a M. D. xlv. wil make al this matter good.

5 And what is this els both in their clergy and cōmons, but to receyue a marke in theyr ryght hādes or foreheads, for in admitting those articles and actes, they graunt to obay those blasphemous doctrines y^t shall both corrupte their life and fayth, both theyr workes and conscience. For in consentinge vntounto errours in their faith, they spot their forheads, hauing so their cōsciences marked w^t an hot iron. In ful granting also to do them in effect, they defile their hands perfourming such workes as are vnpure before God. If they were gone quite from Christ that wrapped thē selues againe in the workes of the law, appointed of god before his cō ming, much more are they gon from him that tangle themselues w^t such works of bōdage as he neuer knew, as are al their idle obseruations, hauing no expresse commaundements of the word of God. OnelyOnly looke we (saith Paule) in spirit to be iustified through faith, which by louelove is mighty in operation.

6 And for them that so beleueth is this disiūctiue, or, put betwéen their handes and foreheades. For all they that outwardly kéepe these heathenish obseruations, hauehave not their consciences defiled with them, for their inward faiths sake, though thei performe their outwarde workes doubting the terrour of the lawes. Yet would I counsell them not therein to trust, but at the word of y^e lord to goe frō it. For though Loth dwelt in Sodome, yet at the Lordes voyce he departed from thence.

7 This image made also y^t no man might bye or sell, saue he onelyonly y^t had the marke, or the name of the beast, or at y^e leaste the nūber of his name. The actes of Iustinian y^e emperour, shal make this good, so shal y^e constitutions of Adelstane & Edgare, & many other kings here in englād which for y^e order & cōmodity of y^e clergy made many politique laws. Specialy king Inas, gouernour of the west Saxōs, which first gaue the Peter pence vntounto Rome, & made him selfe a monke there. But in this spirituall generation among thēselues, is none alowed for a marchant vnlesse he come in by simony. None was made bishop, pastor nor curat, but payd for it their taxed sūms, bishops to the pope, and the priestes to the bishops, besides Item in bribes.

None might els be alowed to vtter to aduantage the wares of the beast, or distribute the rytes of that holy whorish church.

8 Neyther were anye made frée of that marte, vnlesse they hadde the marke of the beast, which is not only the outwarde signe of their head, shauing and anointing of theyr fingers, but also the inwarde prynte of their consciences, receyued by profession made to that wicked monster. For lyke as true faith in Iesus Christ is the marke of a perfect christiā, so is a false beleue in popish traditions a token of Antichrists mēber By their fruits (saith christ) shal ye know thē. For the one foloweth y^e rule of gods worde, the other hath counterfeit works of mens prescription.

9 Els must they hauehave the name of the beast to be called spirituall men, or the holy consecrat number, as his holy fatherhod is called.

10 Or at the least they must hauehave y^e number of his name, which is a note of magnificence and worthines. Lesse can they not be called then Lords, so many as are sworn to that spiritual market. The most ragged ronnagat, and idle idoit among them, is no lesse then a sire, which is a lord in y^e latin as sir Iohn, sir Thomas, sir Williā. In the Latin onelyonly hangeth theyr great Lordships. Amonge their vnknowne latin houres, their masses, & their diriges, lyeth their plentuous patrimony in their portasses & masse bookes. Not he that leaueth all with poore Peter, may be called from fishing, nor with Mathew from the custome house, to do these offices. But he that catcheth all with Iudas and Simon Magus must come from Symony to doe them. Not he y^t is called of God as was Aaron shal hauehave cure of soule, but he that offreth to Corbā with Annas and Cayphas. Such a world hath it bin and is yet styll in the world abrode among them.

THE TEXT.

1 Here is vvisdome. 2. Let him that hath vvit. 3. Count the number of the beast. 4. For it is the number of man. 5. And his number is six hundred, sixty, and sixe.

The Paraphrase.

1 Here is wisdome to be had (saith sainct Iohn) Let him that hath wit, count the number of y^e beast, for it is the number of man. And his number is six hundred, sixty & sixe.

2 For so much as Christ hath willed vsus dilligentlye to searche the scriptures, & the holy ghost here doth cō mit the iudgement of this secreat to the wit of man, some writers hauehave deducted this number out of certaine gréeke words, betokning this great antichrist, because this presēt reuelatiō was first written in y^e gréeke language. As out of Antemos, which signifieth one contrary to Gods honor, out of Arnume, whiche signifieth a denier of God, & out of Teitā, which betokneth the sunne. All these 3. vocables, though they séeme diuers, yet containe they after the gréeke rules, neyther more nor lesse, than this set number. And all this may stande both with Scripture and reason.

For he that is not with Christ, is against him, callyng that is good euill, and that is euil good, ministring darknesse for light. Such lying masters as hath brought in sectes of perdition, hath denyed the Lorde that bought them. They are not the light as they boast them selues to bée (for all they looke to bée called spirituall) but they are the fallen starres and very Apostataes from God, & Sathans transfourmyng them selues into the Angels of light, by diuers kyndes of Hipocrisie.

3 Some expositors leauing y^e Greke, hath practised the same thing by these two latine wordes. Dic lux, cōtaining innumerable letters y^e same set number. Whiche signified that they call them selues the light or men of a spirituall sorte, being nothing lesse. For they in déede are the same self darknesse, that will in no wyse receyue light, but rather persecuteth it with most spight and crueltie. After thys sorte might I bring in Diabolus incarnatus, or filius perditionis, the diuil incarnate or y^e sonne of perditiō, for both they are the names of thys beastly Antichrist by the scriptures, the one wanting in the numeral letters but .iiij. of y^e number, & the other but vj. which might be supplyed in y^e other letters. But among all these this word Arnume most nighly toucheth y^e mystery, which is as much to say, as I deny. Euidently séemeth hée to hauehave the marke of y^e beast, or to bée sealed with the numbed of his name, that sayth whē he heareth y^e manifest veritie, I will neuer admit it whyle I hauehave a day to liue, it is against good order, it standeth not with laudable custome, our doctours agrée not thervnto, our holy canōs alloweth it not, it hath not y^e holy fathers consente, with suche lyke. What are these els but the voyces of an Antichrist? ful of such voices was y^e Popes legate Gaspar Contarene at y^e laste counsayle of Rainsburgh, so was y^e frantike papist Iohn Eckius, & our winchester y^e winker of wiles, largely declaring thēselues, to be déeply of y^e same profession and marke.

4 But I fynde yet an other thyng in it. For it is called here the number of man, whose number lyeth all in vj. God created all things for mās commoditie in vj. dayes, & in y^e seuēth rested. After this creation continued man the space of .vj. ages til the commyng of Christ, which brought with him the sabboth of the spirit. And this is signified by the greater number, which is y^e vj. hūdred. For not vnlike is it to the tyme, tymes, & halfe tyme of Danyel & Iohn, & to y^e yeares, moneths, & dayes of Helyas & Iohn also, as we had afore. Since Christes ascention hath the church continued by vj. other ages of much lesse tyme cō prehended in the .vj. seales, in the latter end of whom we are now. And this shall conclude with suche a sabboth of peace in the fréedome of Gods worde, as hath not bene since the beginning. Sathan shall be tyed vp, and the true beléeuers shall occupye in much quietnesse, y^e beast cōdempned with all hys false Prophetes. And this is the n…mber of the sixt.

But this peace shall not thus in quietnesse long continue. For longe can not Christes church be without persecution. Sathan shal be loosed againe, and the beleauings of the beast shall set vp their bristles, and persecute the Sainctes a fresh. Agayn shal they plant & builde, rauish & kepe whores, ryot and ruffle, as though they should long continue. But sodainly shall the latter iudgement day of y^e Lord light vpō them vnbewares, the perpetuall Sabboth of ioye shyning to the electe flocke of Christ. And this is the least number of all, compared here vntounto six. And may well be signified by the xlij. moneths afore, which is ryghtly vj. seuenthes, in the which they shall treade downe the holy citie or cōgregation of the Lord once againe. This latter accounte was founde out by a certayne vnnamed disciple of Iohn Wycleue, and I suppose it most agréeing to the truth. The second sabboth here, or libertie of Gods truth, hath had his shew in England alreadie, if ye marke it well. And whither it wil yet appeare more open or nay, it is in the Lords handes, let vsus pray and hope, for it hath great lykelihoode of a much farther appearaunce.

5 Since the worlds beginning hath the misterie of iniquitie wrought in Caine and in his posteritie, and so cō tinued in the beastly members of Antichrist, and so shall doe still to y^e latter day. Therefore is it no lesse than the number of men, six hundred sixtie and sixe. Thus is he tokened with all wickednesse, that admitteth the false fayth of this beast, and folowith the same in his liuing by the subtile perswasions of the bishops and their lying Prophets, & is sealed vp to eternall dampnacion, vnles the Lord cal him in time. Not only in England is healed the beastes wounded heade, but also in ohter certain regions. But for so much as it is most liuely don there, and this booke written in that language, I hauehave onelyonly brought forth héere examples thereof in that purpose.