The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Proposition 24 – Proposition 25
24 PROPOSITION. The great ten-horned beaſt, is the whole bodie of the Latine Empire, whereof the Antichriſt is a part.
FOr proofe hereof, the moſte notable tokens aſsigned by the text to this Beaſt, doeth onelie agree to the Latine or Romane Empire:Apoc. 17.18 For firſte (ſaieth the Text) the Woman that ſate vponupon this Beaſt, is the great Citie, that ſitteth ouer the Kinges of the earth: So the chiefe ſeate and citie of the Latine or Romane Empire, is that great citie Rome, that had Empire ouer all the kingdomes of the earth. Secondly, ſaith Daniel, Dan. 7 17.there ſhal foure cheif kingdomes ariſe vponupon earth, vnderunder the figure of foure beaſtes: Whereof (by plaine interpretation hee ſaith) the fourth beaſt that had theſe ten horns,Dan. 7.23 is the fourth kingdome of the earth: And ſo it is, that the firſte greate kingdome or Monarchie being of the Babylonians: The ſeconde, of the Medes and Perſians: The thirde, of the Graecians. The fourth and laſte, is certainlie the Monarchie of the Latines or Romanes: and therefore, that fourth beaſte which both there in Daniel, & here in Iohns Reuelatio, hath ten hornes, muſt neceſſarilie be the Romane or Latine Empire. Thirdlie, this Beaſt, whereon the ſaid whooriſh woman or Babylonical citie ſitteth, hath ſeuen heads, which the textApoc. 17 … interpreteth to be ſeuē mountaines: Euen ſo Rome, the chief city or Metropolitane ſeat of the Latine Empire, is ſet vponupon ſeuen hilles, nominated and proued in the third reaſon of the former propoſition. Fourthlie, there be here ſeuen kings (ſaith the text) that is, ſeuen ſorts of royal gouernmēts:Apoc. 17. for a King is oft taken for a whole race of Gouernors of one ſort, as in Daniel cap. 7. So had Rome ſeuen royal gouernments, to wit, Kinges, Conſulles, Dictators, Trium vires, Tribuns, Emperours, and Popes: Of which (ſaith the text) fiue ar fallen, one is, and another is not yet come: Euen ſo was it indeede, that before S. Iohns daies, thoſe fiue gouernments, viz. the Kinges, Conſulles, Dictators, Trium-uires, and Tribuns wer paſt, and in his daies raigned the Emperours, and the Popes were not come to the gouernement while after his dayes. Fiftlie, (ſaieth the text) this Beaſte that Sainct Iohn did ſee, was, and is not, and ſhall riſe of lowe eſtate, and ſhall goe into decay: Was (ſaith hee) becauſe the Romane Empire, and gouernment of Emperours, was before that time, that hee wrote: Is not (ſaieth hee) becauſe the time wherein hee wrote, the Emperour Domitian was dead, and the Empire waked, for the nexte Emperour Nerva Cocceius was not yet choſen, as appeareth by Irenaeus, who ſaieth, that Sainct Iohn ſawe theſe viſions, in the end of the raigne of Domitian. Then (ſaith hee) Hee ſhall riſe of lowe eſtate: Euen ſo aroſe there a new Emperour, not of the noble ancient blood of Romanes, but of baſe eſtate, to wit, the ſaide Nerva Cocceius, who was the firſt ſtraunger, or Barbarian Emperour: This (ſaith hee) ſhall goe into decay: that is, ſhall goe ſhortlie into decaie: for otherwiſe ſimplie, all fleſhe muſt goe at ſome time into decay: And ſo was it indeed, that this Nerua goeth ſhortlie into decaie: For hee liued Emperour but one yeare, three monethes, and nine daies, and then he died. Againe, the Beaſte (ſaith that ſame text) Was, and is not, and yet is, that is to ſay, there were Emperours before Sainct Iohn wrote, none when he wrote, and yet when he wrote the Empire ſtood, and the gouernment by Emperours was vnaboliſhed: for, incontinent vpſtart Nerua, and manie moe Emperours after him: ſo that the Empire might be ſaid at that time, in a manner not to bee, and in a maner to be. Sixtlie (ſaith the text) the Beaſte that was, and is nor, is euen the eight, and is one of the ſeuen: and that meaneth, that that royal gouernment of the Empire by Emperours, which was immediatelie before S. Iohn wrote, and vaked when hee wrote, by the deceaſe of Domitian, that ſame gouernment ſhal be the eight gouernment, & was alſo one of the ſaid ſeuen gouernmentes: and euen ſo was it, that after the Romane Emperours (who was the ſixt gouernement) were aboliſhed, by the Hunnes, Gotthes, and Ʋandalles, and thereafter, Rome ſeuenthly gouerned be the Popes, then eightlie, ſtart vp by Charlemaign a newe race againe of Emperours, intituled of Germanes and Romanes. So that euidentlie the Emperours wer the eight eſtate that gouerned Rome, and were alſo one of the former ſeuen, euen the ſixt gouernment thereof, as is alreadie ſaid. Seuenthlie (ſaith the text) one of theſe ſeuen heads receiued a deadlie wound, and that deadlie wound was healed: So the chief of the ſeuen gouernments of the Romane Empire, to wit the Eſtate of Emperours was cut off and aboliſhed by the Hunnes, Gotthes, and Ʋandalles, and vaked from the daies of Auguſtulus, Anno Chriſti 475. vntil that Charlemaign came, in Anno 806. At which time, the eſtate of Emperours was of new repaired, & whollie made vp again. Eightlie, this beaſt hath ten crowned hornes, that is, ten kinges (ſaith the text) which when Sainct Iohn wrote, had not receiued their kingdoms, but ſhould receiue their kingdome at an houre after the beaſte, and then (ſaith he) ſhal they giuegive their power againe to the Beaſt, and all at once ſhall make warre with the Lambe: but at length (ſaith he) theſe ſhal hate and deſtroy that harlot beaſt: Euen ſo came it to paſſe of the Romane Empire, that long after S. Iohns daies, when that old Empire began to fal, the eſtate of Emperours to be aboliſhed, (as is ſaid) immediately thereafter ſprang thereof ten Chriſtian Kinges, who againe gaue their power, aſsiſtance and fortification, to the next Gouernours of the new Latine Empire, which was to the Pope, authoriſing him, as their ſupreame heade, with whome they concurred, fighting againſt Chriſt, as hereafter ſhall be ſhewed: But at length ſhal theſe ten Chriſtian Kinges, deſtroy that ſpiritual harlot and idolatrous Empire, as (praiſed be God) England and Scotland, with ſome others hauehave alreadie begun. Ninthlie, that beaſt is the Latine Empire, and the chiefe ſeate thereof is Rome: becauſe in the text, both the plain name of the Latine Empire is figuratiuely expreſsed, and the figuratiue name of Rome is plainlie expreſſed. As to the firſt, howe the plaine name of the Latine Empire, which is foreign, is figuratiuelie expreſſed, read the 29. propoſion following.Apoc. 17.5 As to the ſecond, how the name of Babylon (which is plainly ſaid to be the figuratiue name, that was written in the Womans forehead that ſate on the beaſt) is the perfect, certaine and accuſtomed figuratiue name of that citie Rome, that ſitteth ouer the Latine Empire, is moſt euident by the former propoſition. Finallie, all the reſt of the ſmaller circumſtances of this ten-horned beaſt, contained in the text, doe ſo properlie and fitlie agree with the Latine Empire (as in the principall treatiſe ſhall be found at length) that we muſt neceſſarilie conclude, that ſelfe ſame Beaſt to meane and ſignifie the whole Romane Empire.
Reſteth then the ſecond part of this Propoſition, to proue the Antichriſts Kingdome to be a part of the greate Romane or Latine Empire. Seeing then it is prooued, that this whole ten-horned beaſt ſignifieth the whole Romane Empire. Neceſſarilie, it that one part of this beaſt ſignifieth, muſt alſo be a part of the Romane Empire: But one part of this beaſt ſignifieth the Antichriſt: Therefore, the Antichriſt muſt needes be a part or mēber of the whole Romane Empire. That one parte of this beaſt, to wit, the litle blaſphemous horne thereof in Daniel, and the blaſphemous mouth therof in the Reuelation, doeth ſignifie the Antichriſt: it is certaine by the tokens ſet downe in the text, wherein it is ſaid, that that blaſphemous Apo. 3, 5 6mouth andDan. 7.25 horne, ſhould speake proud blasphemie againſt God, and againſt his Sanctes, and againſt them that bee in heauen: And ſhould chaunge times, and lawes, and ſhould make warre againſt Gods Sanctes, and ouercome them, and ſubdue them vnderunder his tyrannie, for the ſpace of 1260 propheticall daies, prooued to be yeares in the 1. and 16. propoſition. So this muſte neceſſarily be the Antichriſt, that hath ſo wicked and ſo long a raigne: And conſequentlie, the Antichriſt muſt riſe of the Romane Empire, and be a member thereof. Secondlie, his raigne muſt bee of that Romane Empire, for that he muſt ſit in ſpiritual Babylon, which by the former propoſition, is proued to be Rome. And ſo Rome ſhould become the den of all diueliſhneſſe and Antichriſtian errours, as in the principall Treatiſe vponupon the 17. and 19. cap. ſhal be ſhewed.
25 PROPOSITION. The two horned Beaſt, is the Antichriſt and his kingdome, it alone.
PAule deſcribing the2, The, 2 Antichriſt & his kingdome, among certaine ſpeciall notes to knowe him by, giues manie of theſe ſame tokens of this two horned beaſt: to wit: here in Iohn, Apo, 13, 11this Beaſt hath two hornes like the Lambe: that is, double power, ſpirituall and temporal: ſo there in Paul, he ſheweth himſelfe to be like God,2, The, 2, 4, 9 and hath tēporall power, wherby he is aduerſarie to Gods ſeruants: and ſpirituall power to work wonders, albeit lying wonders. Secondly (ſaith Iohn) he ſhall ſpeak like the Dragon: ſo ſaith Paule, hee ſhall come by the working of Sathan, &c. Thirdlie, (ſaith Iohn,) hee wrought great wonders and ſigns,Ap. 13, 13, 14 and deceiueth men therby: So in Paule, he came with power, and ſignes, and lying wonders, and in all deceaueableneſſe of vnrighteouſneſſe. Whereby (doubtleſſe) that man of ſinne, and ſonne of perdition, euen the verie Antichriſte, whome Paule there deſcribed, is this very ſame two-horned beaſt, mentioned here by Iohn. And for confirmation hereof, the properties of this two-horned beaſt (cap. 13) are the ſelfe ſame properties of the falſe Antichriſtian Prophete (cap. 19.) For this two-horned Beaſte is ſaide toAp, 13, 14, 15 worke greate miracles, before the firſt tenne-horned Beaſte, and to deceiue them that dwelt vponupon the earth, whome hee cauſed to worſhippe the image of that firſte beaſte and to receiue his marke. Euen ſo, the falſe Prophete, which muſte needes be the Antichriſt, is ſaide alſoApoc. 19.20 to woorke miracles before that firſte beaſte, whereby he deceiued them that receiued that beaſts marke, and worſhipped his Image. Wherefore neceſſarilie, as of this two horned beaſte, and of that falſe Antichriſtian Prophet, all the tokens be one: ſo muſt alſo conſequently they them ſelues be both one.