The Churches Security Together with the Antidote, Part 14
Signes and fore-runners that are yet to come to passe are specially these fiue following.
First the burning and vtter desolation of Rome the mother of fornication and idolatrie and the proper seate of Antichrist, this that it shall be so, is most manifest and apparent by Scripture, reasons and authorities: First the Scripture testifieth that,Apoc. 16. 16▪ the great (ittie shall be diuided into three partes, and great Babilon shall come in remembrance before God: and th…t the tenne horned or Ki…ges shall hate the whore, Cap. 17. 16.shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eate hir flesh, and burne hir w…th fire, Verse 8.and most plainely in the 18. Chapter, hir plagues shall come in one day, death, and sorrow, and hunger, and she shall be vtterly burnt with fire, for strong is the Lord that iudgeth hir. Here-vponupon the (Iodolatrous) Kinges of the earth, the Marchants, and eueryevery shippe gouernour, Chap. 18▪ V. 9. 11. 17. 18.and all they that occupy shippes, and ship-men, and as many as worke in the Sea, shall bewayle hir, lament hir, weepe …nd cry at the sight and notice of hir burning, but this is not yet come to passe, like-wise all the Church of God shall …eioyce and praise God for his iust iudgements executed vppon the Whore; Apocalips. 11. Verse 20. and Chapter 19. Verse 1. and 2.
Further reasons are these, God hath begun in part to punish and destroy Rome and Antichrist, and therefore seeing that it is builded and standeth vponupon a sandy foundation, hauing begune to fall, it must needes shortly fall when the raine of Gods seuere iudgement commeth, and the flouds flow, and the windes blow and beate vponupon it, and great must be the fall of it.
Secondly, The-Easterne Babilon, a type of this Westerne Babilon (abeit she had nothing so much conuiction, nor neuer committed so haynous and manifold abhom… nations as Rome hath done) was vtterly and many ages sithence destroyed, much more shall Rome it selfe, the mouth of Hell and Satans his chamber and Metropolis. Thirdly all the Protestant and sound interpreters of the Apocalips by one ioynt consent hold that Rome shalbe ransacked and ruinated and wholely consumed and neuer more inhabited vnlesse it be wi…h deuills.
Lastly (to omit the prophecy of Sibylla who saith that Rome in the tenth generation of men shall perish with fire hard at the end of the world) the Papists themselues acknowledge thus much and render reasons of it.foreign & foreign. Our Rhemists in their Annotations in Apoc. 17. say that Rome before the end of the world shalbe come the seate of antichrist, Ribera vponupon the 14. chap. saith, it shalbe the shoppe of all Idolatry. Vega the Iesuite in his commentary vponupon the 18. chapter, saith that it shalbe the habitation of deuills and reuolt from the faith of Christ: and herevpon Vega and Ribera (both Iesuits) confesse that Rome in the end of the world shalbe Babilon and burned, as they collect out of the 18. chapter: and the Kings and Marchants shall lament for her torments, which saith Vega wee must needes referre to the last times before the end of the world; wherefore howsoeuer many, because of present improbabilities cast needelesse doubts yet shal the threatnings and iudgments of God not fall to the ground but bee executed in their times.Math. 24. 35
The second signe yet to bee fulfilled is the generall calling and conuersion of the nation of the Iewes (in the places and countries where they shalbe and are residing,) when the fulnesse of vsus Gentiles is come into the church, and this shalbe the reuiuing and reioysing of the world both in respect of Iewes and Gentiles, and this is most plaine as by Lu. 21. ver. 24. 2. Cor. 3. 16. & perhaps Zophonia 3. ver. 8. so especially Rom. 11. ver. 12. 15. 2. 6. This generall conuersion of them wee daily expect to come to passe albeit we are ignorant of the maner and circumstances of it, but hereof I hauehave treated at large in my exposition of the 11. chapter to the Romaines.
The third signe next succeeding and following in order is the arising of false Christes,Math. 24. ver. 24. and false Prophets, that shall shew great signes and wonders: in so much that (if it were possible) they should deceiue the very elect. Herevpon Gods people are admonished and instructed, that when they shall say,Ver. 26. behold hee is, in the secret places that they must not beleeue it. But it will bee obiected that there were such that tooke vponupon them the name of the Messias and the King of Israel before the destruction of Ierusalem, and seduced and drew many after them (as we hauehave examples in Theudas Acts 5. and in the Aegiption Acts 21.) I answere here in this place Christ speaketh of false Christes that shall long after that time arise, and that shall seduce as well the Gentiles as the Iewes.
Secondly those Christs did shew no signes and wonders as these shall doe, who shall labour by false miracles and satanicall illusions and conclusions to gaine and procure credit and authoritie to their false doctrine, and also in respect of efficacie of error in the last generation or age of the world, it may very well stand that the Sonne of man shall scarcely finde faith vponupon the earth when hee commeth to iudgement.Luk. 18. 8.
The fourth signe, that is the last generall signe is a certaine brutish securitie and an vnspeakable deadnesse of heart and spirit, so that man shalbe without all feare of God, senselesse of all euill, caring for no instructions and admonitions; but liuing in pleasure and impenitency and not heeding nor taking notice of the signes of Christ his comming. Math. 24. 35. Luke 17. 26. 1. Thess. 5. 3. so that the last day shall come as a snare on al such; L…k 21. 35sudden destruction shall come vponupon them and they shall in no wise escape, 1. Thes. …, …. et. 4.they shall not be able to endure the day of his wrath; much lesse be able to stand and iustifie their cause in iudgement.
This brutish securitie hath beene in former ages, and much increaseth in these our daies, but then it shalbe much more vniue…fall and incurable.
The last signe is the darkning of the lights of heauen, and the roaring of the seas Math. 24. v…. 24. Luk. 21. v. 25, this is the neerest signe and therefore, wee are the more carefully to obserue it when it commeth.
Quest. Why will not God reueale vntounto any the time and day of the last iudgement?
An. Partly to bridle mans rash curiositie that doth serch and mine into secrets that are both vnpossible and vnlawfull to be knowne. Secondly that wee should watch and waite for his comming and make vsus ready eueryevery houre. Mark. 13. ver. 33.
Quest. Why doth God def…rre and put of the last iudgement so long?
An. First that the number of his elect might be all borne, called and fulfilled, and so gathered into the Chruch triumphant in heauen. Secondly to containe and keepe his people from astonishment of feare and from abuse of his long patience, and also to trie & exercise their faith, hope, charitie and patience. Lastly to leaue the wicked and those that contemne his grace offered vntounto them,Rom 2 v 4. et 5. 2. …. 3. …. and abuse his long suffering, without all excuse and defense of themselues in the last day.
Vse. 1. The generall vses of all these signes past, present and are to come, are principally foure. First here are reprooued and condemned all such who beeing led by their owne lusts and carnall reason and not by holie scripture beeleue not the last iudgement but contemne and deride it. 2. Pet. 3. ver. 3.
Whereas first this doctrine is plainely and abundantly set forth in the scriptues. Psal. 50. 1. Act. 10. 42. Math. 25. 31. Luk. 18. 17. Rom. 2. 16. Hebrew. 9. 27. Iob. 19. 25. Act. 3. 19. Act. 17. 31. 2. Cor. 5. 10. 1. Pet. 4. Iude. ver. 14. et 15. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Apoc. 1. Apoc. 20. ver. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Secondly except there should bee a generall iudgement there neede no resurrection. Lastly God could not shewe himselfe either perfectly iust in punishing and condemning the reprobates, nor perfectly mercifull in absoluing sauing, and rewarding his seruants.
Vse. 2. Secondly, seeing that wee know not the day nor the yeare of iudgement but onelyonly the generall signes of it, it serueth to refute and refell the pride and rash cu…iositie of those, that either by fained reuelation, humaine Prophecies▪ Arithmeticall supputation, position of starres and hum…ine coniectures and authorities, will calculate and cast yea and define the very time and yeare of Christ comming (as some did in the antient fathers times, and many defined that the world shall end in 88.) but time and experience hath shewed the folly and vanitie of there coniectures.
Secondly it is a thing both vtterly vnlawfull and simplie vnpossible for any man to know or define the certaine and set time of Christ his appearance,Acts …. …. for it is not reuealed to the very elect Angells, and Christ when hee was vponupon the earth knew not the day. Math. 24. ver. 36. Math. 13. 32. much lesse can we know it.Math 24, 42, et …4
Vse. 3. The third vse is for instruction and admonition that the Godly themselues because many times they are in a kinde of slumber, and doe not alike cheerefully looke for CHRIST his comming, might watch, pray,Luk. 12. 43 repent, make themselues ready and waite for the day and appearance of Christ, that when Christ commeth to them either by death or at the last iudgement, they may be found waking and walking in their Christian calling, and so ready with good conscience to render vntounto the Lord an account of their Stewardship.
Vse. 4. The fourth vse is for the consolation of the sound and sincere hearted Christian whosoeuer,Acts 3, ver. 19 for hee knoweth that the neerer the signes are to their accomplishment; the sooner shall hee bee eased of the burden of his sinnes, deliuered from all miseries and bee possessed with all ioy and hapinesse.Luk. 21, 28 Herevpon the Godly are vponupon notice taken of the accomplishment of these signes, exhorted to lift vp their heads, because their full redemption draweth nigh and they in the certaine hope and expectatation of this blessed day, are notably sheilded and defended against all temptations and afflictions. Iob. 25. 19. 2. Cor. 4.Apoc. 1. 7.
Vse. 5. The last vse is for the terrour and conuincement of all im…enitent, vnbeleeuing, profaine rebellious persons; who in this life would not submit and subiect themselues to …ee taught, ruled and ordered by Christ, his Gospell, his discipline, they by reason of their vnbeleefe and con…empt shall finde and feele Christ to be as a iust, so an angrie and seuere iudge to condemne them to eternall and vnspeakable torments. Apoc. 6. vers. 15. 16. Luk. 21. 26. Ma…h. 25. 41. Apoc. 6.
The Lord God for Christ his sake grant, that wee may take due notice of these signes, and be hereby effectually stirred vp to prepare our selues against Christ his comming that our soules may be saued. Amen.
foreign.
End of the text · Thomas Draxe, The Churches Security Together with the Antidote (1608)