Exposition of Revelation 13, Part 2
Revel. 13. the latter part of the 2d. verſe.
And the Dragon gave him his power, and his ſeate, and great authority.
THe next note is this;
That the Dragon (that is,Doct. 2. Satan) as he had the government of the Pagan Roman Empire: ſo being caſt out of it, he gave (or procured and obtained) to the Roman Catholicke viſible Church his power, and ſeate (or Throne) and great authority.
For ſo it is plainly here ſaid, That the Dragon gave to the Beaſt his power, and his ſeate, and great authority.
The Dragon, who is that? You heard, the Dragon is the old Serpent called the Devill, and Satan: but the Dragon conſidered, as he ſometimes ſwayed the Roman Pagan Empire, as in Rev. 12. 3. There appeared a wonder in heaven, a great red Dragon, having ſeven heads and ten horns; they are interpreted by the Angell, Rev. 17. 3, 4. 9, 10. 12. 18. The ſeven heads to be the ſeven hills of Rome, and the ten horns, ſo many Kings that aroſe with the laſt head of the Beaſt; Therefore he means the Dragon, as he ſometimes ſwayed the City of Rome, and ſo the Seate and State of the Pagan Roman Empire: And being now caſt out, and ſeeing he cannot maintaine his State and divine honour, as before, to whom doth he give his honour? what, to the Roman Chriſtian Empire? No, his rage is againſt them, and the Church amongſt them: Neither did he give them his Seate; they ſate not at Rome, but at Conſtantinople: Neither can he eaſily faſten upon the civill State ſuch deluſions, as to cauſe the Chriſtian Emperours to take to themſelves divine honour, though the Pagan Roman Emperours had ſo done: But now hee doth chooſe to faſten them upon the Eccleſiaſticall State, and thinks he ſhall more prevaile with Church-men (as I may ſpeak) to drinke in an inundation of Hereſies in Doctrine, and Tyranny in Government, and Superſtition in Worſhip, he thinks he ſhall ſooner prevaile with the Eccleſiaſticall State, then with the Civill; Therefore upon this Beaſt (which can neither be Roman, Heathen, nor Chriſtian Empire, but the Roman Church) doth he faſten his power, and ſeate, and great authority.
His power.] A three-fold power did the Devill faſten upon the Roman Catholick viſible Church.
1. The power of ſignes and lying wonders: Hee gave him great power to worke great wonders, 2 Theſ. 2. 9. Of which there is more ſpoken in the ſequell of the Chapter, where ſome of his miracles are mentioned.
2. He gave him the power of effectuall Sophiſtry, or (as the Scripture calls it, 2 Theſ. 2 9, 10.) of deceit, of unrighteouſneſſe; partly in the Schoolmen, and partly in their Votaries, or Cloyſter-men, and partly in their Canoniſts. By the efficacy of Sophiſtry in School-men, he corrupted all Doctrine. By the deceit of the Cloyſter-men, the Monkes, he corrupted all their devotion and worſhip: And by the policy of their Canoniſts, he corrupted all Church-government; and this was carryed with ſuch efficacy of deceit, that thoſe School-Divines were accounted the moſt profound, and the Monks moſt devout, and the Canoniſts moſt judicious, and exquiſite Polititians: Now theſe three did mightily deceive the Chriſtian world by their power, and all this power Satan gave to this Beaſt.
3. He gave him the power alſo of making war; for in verſ. 7. It was given him to make warre with the Saints, and to overcome them; putting into the hearts of chriſtian Kings to give their power to the Beaſt, and to wage all their Battels at their own charges whiles he ſate ſtill; this was the power which was given him by the Dragon.
And for his ſeate, what was it? It was the City of Rome which ruled over the Kings of the earth, Rev. 17. 18. And for that end he would not ſuffer Conſtantine, nor other Emperors to dwell at Rome: If they were in Italy, they ſhould dwell at Ravenna: So that the Dragon granted his owne Seate or Throne, not to the Emperors, for they never cared for it, but he reſerved it for this Beaſt, to be the center and chief Seate of the Roman Catholick Church.
And he gave him alſo great authority, tranſcendently great indeed.
Great Authority.
1. Over the Scriptures.
2. Over the conſciences of men.
3. Over the treaſury of the church: Over Church-Rulers, and Churches, over the merits of Chriſt, over Kingdoms and Common-wealths, over Purgatory, and for mitigating the paines of Hell: All this he gave to the Roman Catholick viſible Church.
1. He gave him power over the Scriptures.
1. As Judg of them. The Church is the Judg of controverſies, and the head of that Church is the Judg of all places of Scripture, by his authority it is authenticall; This the Catholick Church doth challenge.
2. He doth prefer the vulgar Latine before the Originall Scripture, a tranſcendant power.
3. It is in his power to make Apocrypha Scripture, to be of like power with the canonicall Scripture.
4. It is his power and authority that gives unwritten Traditions like power with the canonicall Scripture.
5. He takes upon him to be the infallible Interpreter, and Judge of the meaning of Scripture, and that is Blaſphemy.
6. He takes upon him power to diſpence with Scripture. Hee hath power to diſpence with the morall Law of God in point of Marriages, even in inceſtuous Marriages, this is a power beyond Scripture.
2. He hath great authority over the conſciences of men, making Laws and Canons to bind the conſcience, and releaſing and looſing them from the power of Gods Lawes, either in point of Marriage, or in point of Oaths and Covenants, or in point of naturall relation: He can diſpence with children in reſpect of duty to Parents, if they come into Monaſteries, and with duty which Subjects owe to Magiſtrates.
3. They have power over the Church Treaſury, by which they meane the ſupererogation of the merits of Chriſt, and of the Saints: They ſay Chriſt merited for a thouſand worlds: and becauſe he ſaved but a few, it is free for the Pope to take the ſurpluſſage of merit; He can take them and apply them by Indulgences, for the pardoning of them that pay well for them. And thus they who deſpiſe Gods imputation of the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt for juſtification, they take upon them to impute it to themſelves, and to this and that notorious wicked man.
4. They have power over Kingdomes and Common-wealths, to depoſe Kings, and to diſpoſe of their Kingdoms as they pleaſe, and to abſolve Subjects from all Allegiance to civill power, and for that end to nullifie their Oath, for that end you know what the Pope ſent to Henry the fourth: Chriſt (ſay they) gave this power to Peter, and Peter to the Pope, and to that end abuſe. Jer. 1. 10. See, I have this day ſet thee over the Nations, to root cut and pull downe, and to deſtroy, and to throw downe, to build, and to plant.
5. They have power over the eſtate of the life to come.
1. Over Heaven. Hee claimes tranſcendent power in that, and doth abuſe that place in Mat. 16. 19. To thee will I give the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven, that whatſoever thou ſhalt bind on earth ſhall be bound in heaven; whatſoever thou ſhalt looſe on earth, ſhall be looſed in heaven: Therefore he can open the gates of Heaven to them that are dead.
2. They have power over Purgatory; Upon ſo much done and given, they can help them out of Purgatory: They make account the torments of Purgatory are equall to the paines of Hell; but that Hell is for ever, and Purgatory but till the laſt Judgment.
3. They have power over Hell: they have not abſolute power to deliver out of Hell (only Gregory is ſaid to have delivered Trajans ſoul out of Hell;) but though they cannot deliver out of Hell, yet they can eaſe the torment. The witneſſes of this will hardly owne it, but it is the judgment of the moſt devout to that Sea.
So that he gave to the Catholick church his power of ſigns and lying wonders, of all kinds of efficacy of deluſions, and power of making Warre, and he gave him great authority over the Scriptures, over mens Conſciences, over the treaſures of the Church, over Kingdomes, and Princes, and Powers of the world to come, and over Purgatory and Hell: And therefore conſider, if this be not a vaſt power, which is here given, and acknowledged to be given by himſelfe to the Catholick viſible Roman Church: You muſt not wonder that the Catholick Church did not claim all this at firſt, but came to this by degrees, and more faſter grew to this, eſpecially at that time when this ſecond Beaſt (that received in ſpiritualls his power, ſpeaking like a Dragon) had got all this tranſcendant power. In the mean time, from the very firſt you ſhal find this power in the repreſentative Catholick Church; They quartered them into ſeverall Juriſdictions, into Biſhopricks; and when they had done that, they reſted not till they had ſet one over the reſt, and that was this of Rome: And beſides, this was devilliſh Authority to make Laws to bind all Chriſtian Congregations, to take their Government from them. 3ly. In every Councell they deviſed ſome new Doctrine, and ſome new form of worſhip and Government, which was the ſeed out of which this tranſcendant power was hatched.
For the reaſon of the point, you may aske how hee ſhould give all this power which he never had himſelf, how he ſhould give that which never was his to a Beaſt, ſo as to carry all things with that tranſcendant power, for divine power he had not himſelf, he was caſt out from it, how then could hee give this to any State in the world?
Firſt,Reaſon 1. from Gods divine Juſtice, and heavy Judgment upon the unthankfull world: That look, as God in former times did give up the Roman Pagan world to be ruled by Satan as the god of it (and therefore he is called in 2 Cor. 4. 4. the God of the world) So now God gave up the Roman Chriſtian world, as he did the Pagan world before; the Scripture tells us ſo, 2 Theſ. 2. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Becauſe they received not the love of the truth that they might be ſaved, he gave them up to efficacy of deluſions to believe lies: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleaſure in unrighteouſneſſe. They loved not the ſimplicity of the Apoſtles Inſtitutions, concerning Churches, and Laws, and Doctrine, and Apoſtolick government, but did affect high preferments, and ſetled endowments, and carnall excellency. Now the Lord therefore gives Satan wonderfull power, that as of old he was once the God of Pagan Rome, ſo now in the Church he gives them Church-power; that what he could not retaine in his owne hands, that he ſubſtitutes, and gives to the Roman Catholick Church, to carry it along with great ſucceſſe: and that's the firſt Reaſon, the judgment of God upon the unthankfull world.
A ſecond Reaſon is taken from the effectuall means which Satan uſed to advance the Roman Church by,Reaſon 2. to exalt his Church above all others; what were the means? The means were theſe;
Firſt, Ignorance, raiſing a ſmoak out of the bottomleſſe Pit, darkning all the light of the Church, Rev. 9. 2. The Sun and the Aire were darkned by reaſon of it: There was a mighty dark miſt as it were: They regarded not the love of the truth, they ſtudyed it not, and ſo the Lord left them to palpable groſſe ignorance, in ſo much that at that time when the ſecond beaſt aroſe, had we ſeene any that lived in the former time of Religion, and that lived now, we would not have thought they had been the ſame men, ſuch palpable darkneſs were they left unto of ignorance; Now palpable ignorance is the mother of all Superſtition and Idolatry, and the miſguidance of all things in the Church.
A ſecond means which he uſed, was, terror of Conſcience which he ſet on effectually by the Locuſts, Rev. 9. 3, 5. There came out of the ſmoak Locuſts, and unto them was given power as the ſcorpions of the Earth have power: They had ſuch a notable power to ſting the Conſciences of men, that men would ſeek for death, and could not finde it, and take deſperate courſes, drowning, or hanging, or any thing, rather then to live in that terrour. They that ſhall read Parſons Reſolutions Granatenſis, ſhall find what terrible threats there are applyed to terrifie, but never ſhewed them the way to come to Chriſt, to binde up ſuch broken ſouls: Now the Conſcience broken and not healed, is fit to ſow any ſuperſtition in.
A third means was the ſuperſtition and hypocriſie of the votaries, and of all afflicted, but unſetled conſciences. Terror of conſcience makes them greatly devout; They tell them of a ſtate of perfection, and that they ſhall ſhrowd themſelves in ſuch a Monaſtery, and there they ſhould live devoutly, and be kept from the pollutions of the world; Many Princes have been thus taken, and have given large endowments to pray for their ſouls, their conſciences being wounded.
A fourth meanes was the ſubtilty and ſophiſtry of the School-men, ſuppreſſing the reading of the Scriptures, and mixing Philoſophy with Divinity, that they might as well have ſtudied a point of Ariſtotle as their divinity, and make as good uſe of the one as of the other. They left ſtudying of Scriptures, and read Peter Lombard, which was mentioned in Latine, and this was a notable meanes.
A fifth meanes was the policy of the Canoniſts, who had gathered together all thoſe Canons that tended to Chriſts powerfull Government, and faſtned them upon the Catholick Church, and the Biſhop of Rome being head, he had it all committed to him, a notable means to bring in Tyranny.
Laſt of all lying miracles, 2 Theſ. 2. 9. Whoſe coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and ſignes, & lying wonders. Thus you ſee the means how the Dragon gave him his power, and Authority, and ſuch Authority that he exalts himſelf above all that is called God.
The uſe is thus much; Firſt it ſerves to ſhew the vanity of all that admiration of the Roman Catholick viſible Church, and devotion to that Church, which hath ſo long for many Ages deluded the world, and with which Jeſuites and Seminaries doe to this day delude devout, but carnall ſouls; Here is great power given to them, and great authority; but whence hath the Church all this? They pretend they have it all from Chriſt, but they have it from the Dragon of the bottomleſſe pit; He gave him his power and ſeat and great authority: It never came from Chriſt, he never gave this power to any Church nor State in the world, it is from the Dragon. And whereas they plead it is the keys of the kingdome of Heaven, Mat. 16. 19. It is verely (as the Text calls it, Rev. 9. 1.) The key of the Bottomleſſe pit; There fell a ſtar from Heaven to the Earth, and to him was given the key of the Bottomleſſe pit: It is he that hath power to let out ſmoak out of the bottomleſſe pit; Not to let out men from thence, as ſome have pretended, or from Limbus, which is the ſuburbs of Hell; But to let out ſmoak, damnable doctrine, and falſe Government; He hath power to open it, but no power to ſhut it; power to ſting mens conſciences, but no power to heal them. And therefore when Bellarmine makes the Roman Catholick viſible Church to be the true Church, he makes this the firſt note of a true Catholick Church; whereas our Divines make Preaching of the word, and adminiſtration of the Sacraments, and holy Di…cipline, he refutes them, and ſets down three other, univerſall, Catholick, viſible Church, to be the true Church; And the truth is, it is the very Beaſt, to which the Devill gave this great Authority and power: Wherefore let not men be bewitched with them, but let us know they are all but efficacies of deluſions what ever have been in this kinde ſpoken. If any man ſay, ſhall we diſclaim an Article of our Creed, to deſpiſe the holy Catholick Church? God forbid, we doe believe the holy Catholick Church ſpread over all Nations; But a Church Catholick that ſhall have one viſible head, and be the Mother Church, verily we look at it as the greateſt and uglieſt beaſt, that ever was raiſed in the world. Take all other Monarchies that the Scripture deſcribes, the Leopard of Greece, the Lyon of Babell, and the Bear of Perſiae, and they are either of them but a beaſtly ſtate, but here all theſe Beaſts are mingled and confounded in one: And beſides, It hath ſeven heads, and ten horns. A Leopard, a Lyon, and a Beare, they are orderly creatures, according to ſome Inſtitution: But here is a Beaſt that runs beſides all inſtitution, and deſcription of Scripture, and ſocieties of men that ever was raiſed. The Catholick viſible Roman Church, is the moſt monſter; God forbid we ſhould blaſpheme any Church, but I do but ſpeak Scripture; Let the world be judg, if the Scripture can be accommodated to any but to this Roman-Catholick mother Church. It is evident in Scripture, theſe ſeven heads, and ten horns, muſt be ſome Roman State, the Roman Pagan State it cannot be, nor yet the Roman Chriſtian State, and a Roman State it is: but there hath been no other Roman State, but the Roman-Catholick viſible Church, and that hath claimed ſuch great power and authority, which is doubtleſſe as incompatible to Scripture as may be, which by the wit of man hath not been invented, but by the Dragon; and yet ſo goodly in the eyes of the world, which great Princes are deluded and beſotted withall, and happy they that can be reconciled to that State.
Secondly,Ʋſe 2. Learn we to magnifie the free rich grace of God that hath delivered us from this great Beaſt, and the worſhip of it, and hath reſtored us in a great meaſure to the government of primative ſimplicity, that now we may meet every Lords day, that all may heare, and all may be edefied, where every one may brign his offence (if hee cannot be ſatisfied in private) and may be heard, and the caſe in due time ſearched into, and healed according to God. This is Primative ſimplicity, and this is direct proceeding without Lordly Prelacy, which overwhelms all the world like a great Sea; And it i, well called a Sea, for it ſwallows up all like a vaſt Ocean.
And the more thankfull ought we to be, that he hath delivered us from the Image of the Beaſt, as well as from the beaſt it ſelfe; A Catholick Church that beareth ſway over ſo many hundred Churches, and overwhelms them all: Such Lawes they ſhall make as ſhall binde all Nations, and whether they give conſent or no, they muſt ſubſcribe to them in point of government. Were we ſenſible how odious this Beaſt were in the ſight of the holy Ghoſt, and of the Apoſtle John, it would affect us with ſtrong thankfulneſſe, and hearty enlargedneſſe to God, that hath delivered us from ſo great a beaſt, and from any image and picture of it, unto which all the world is ſubject, unleſſe in ſome few places.
Thirdly,Ʋſe 3. It may teach all Church Officers not to affect any Lordly pomp and ſtate: For Officers of a Church to take upon them any great State, or to ſee a Church compoſed in any ſuch form, you ſee in the eyes of the holy Ghoſt it is a Beaſt. There is nothing more diſproportionable to us, then for us to affect Supremacy, for us to weare the hornes that might puſh Kings; to throw downe any, or to deſire Magiſtrates to execute what we ſhall think fit, verily it is not compatible to the ſimplicity of the Church of Chriſt. Neither may they give their power to us, nor may we take it from them: That when an Excommunication paſſe in the Church, then to leave it to the Magiſtrate, that ſo a man being excommunicated, is left, Ipſo facto, to civill cenſure, upon the Churches cenſure, this will cauſe the Magiſtrates to ſubmit their power to the Church unavoidably; that if a Church cenſure, the Magiſtrates muſt proceed againſt them: Now it is good to have theſe two States ſo joyned together, that the ſimplicity of the church may be maintained and upheld, and ſtrengthened by the civill State according to God, but not by any ſimplicity further then according to the word. Beware of all ſecular power, and Lordly power, of ſuch vaſt inſpection of one church over another: Take heed of any ſuch uſurpation, it will amount to ſome monſtrous Beaſt: Leave every church Independant, not Independant from brotherly counſell; God forbid that we ſhould refuſe that; but when it comes to power, that one Church ſhall have power over the reſt, then look for a Beaſt, which the Lord would have all his people to abhor.
Fourthly,Ʋſe 4. let it be in the feare of God an uſe to beware how we take Satans offers. This very offer Chriſt had once made to him by this Dragon, he came to Chriſt, and ſaid (Luke 4. 6, 7.) All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomſoever I will I give it; if thou therefore wilt worſhip mee, all ſhall be thine. Hee ſaid thus far true, that he had a great ſtroke in the Kingdomes of the world (but yet it was limited to him) for it's true, hee was the god of the world, in the time of Heatheniſh and Popiſh apoſtacy; He offers Chriſt he will give it all to him, if he will fall down and worſhip him; The Lord Jeſus rejects him, It is written, thou ſhalt worſhip the Lord thy God, and him only ſhalt thou ſerve. When he offers ſuch baites, and barbarous temptations as theſe be, we are to rej…ct him. The Devill comes and offers this to the Vicar of Chriſt (as they call him) I wil give you government over all the Churches in the world, and Kingdoms, and States; and he in very deed takes Satans offer, and doth take all the pomp and ſtate of the world. Time was when Naaman the Aſſyrian offered large matters to Eliſha for healing him of his Leproſie, but the Prophet would have none of them (though he was no Pagan) for when he came home, they would aske, what did it coſt you? he might ſay, it coſt me not a groat, but what it coſt me in the Innes where I lay; this is honour to Religion: His ſervant Gehezi indeed runs after him, As the Lord liveth, he ſhall not goe ſo away, but he will have a reward; He makes an excuſe, There are two ſonnes of the Prophets come, and he deſires a talent of ſilver, and two changes of garments; and hee very liberally faſtens a great deale more on him then he asks: What, ſaith Eliſha, Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments, and Olive-yards, and Vine-yards, and ſheep, and oxen, and men-ſervants, and maid-ſervants? Hee meant ſuch money as would buy all theſe; The leproſie therefore of Naaman ſhall cleave unto thee: And ſo truly the leproſie of Antichriſt, and of the Catholick Church cleave to us, if we take up any thing that derogates from the ſimple, and naked, and ſheep-like government of Chriſt Jeſus; It will be a Leproſie that wil cleave to us, & make us grow more & more leprous: And therefore it muſt teach us not to regard the profits and pleaſures of this world: I ſpeak chiefly to men, as we are Church-members; Such ſimple government, though it hath horns (for the Lamb hath horns, and can tell how to puſh) yet meekneſſe and ſimplicity is beſt: Juſt and faithfull Adminiſtrations becomes the ſimplicity of civill government, but how much more the Church of Chriſt, that ſo this great and vaſt Beaſt may be kept away from us.
Laſtly,Ʋſe 5. it may teach us all, as ever wee deſire, not to grow monſtrous and ugly in the ſight of the Lord Jeſus, to take heed of hearkning to any power of Nationall Churches, you will finde that this will grow to ſuch ugly deformity, that God will turn away his face from you: You will never finde him as in times of ignorance; Though God hath pardoned what we did in ignorance, not knowing what wee did (as Chriſt prayed, Luke 23. 34. Father forgive them, they know not what they doe.) And I doubt not but he doth the like for many of our deare brethren, who in their ignorance do ſubmit to the Beaſt, and the image of the Beaſt, and doth vouchſafe his gracious preſence with them: But for us here, if we ſhall in our hearts turn back againe to Aegypt, and be content to ſtoop to theſe Superſtitions, and be thus ruled, for order, and forme of worſhip (believe it) then we may looke for an end of all our proſperity, and liberty of the Churches here; Then look we ſhould grow miſhapen and monſtrous, and look ugly, we ſhall then ſoon ſee an end of all the comforts of the Churches here. As therefore God hath betruſted us with ſuch a handſome body as hee is pleaſed to own, ſo continue in your profeſſion, and in the maintenance of the ſame even to death.