A20217:213
The ruin of RomeThe ruine of Rome
The ruin of Rome: or An exposition upon the whole Revelation Wherein is plainly showed and proved, that the popish religion, together with all the power and authority of Rome, shall ebb and decay still more and more throughout all the churches of Europe, and come to an utter overthrow even in this life before the end of the world. Written especially for the comfort of Protestants, and the daunting of papists, seminary priests, Jesuits, and all that cursed rabble. Published by Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex.The ruine of Rome: or An exposition vpon the whole Reuelation Wherein is plainly shewed and proued, that the popish religion, together with all the power and authoritie of Rome, shall ebbe and decay still more and more throughout all the churches of Europe, and come to an vtter ouerthrow euen in this life before the end of the world. Written especially for the comfort of Protestants, and the daunting of papists, seminary priests, Iesuites, and all that cursed rabble. Published by Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex.
London: printed by T. Creede for Simon Waterson and Cuthbert Burby, 1603London: printed by T. Creede for Simon Waterson and Cutbert Burby, 1603
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
All this is to be understood of the state of the ⟨p. 65⟩church under the ten great persecutions, raised up against it by the persecuting Emperors, Domitian, Traianus, Nero, Antoninus, Decius, Diocletian, Maxentius, Licinius, and other cruel tyrants, even until the times of Constantine the great.
All this is to be vnderstood of the state of the ⟨p. 65⟩church vnder the tenne great persecutions, raised vp against it by the persecuting Emperours, Domitian, Traianus, Nero, Antoninus, Decius, Dioclesian, Maxentius, Licinius, and other cruell tyrants, euen vntill the times of Constantine the great.
Stories do report, that these cruel persecutors did in most savage and horrible manner, torture, torment, and shed the blood of innumerable multitudes of Gods people. So that as the first estate of the Church, under the preaching of the Gospel, was joyful and peaceable; so this second estate of the Church, under such outrageous persecutions, was troublesome and tragical: and yet for all that, in the middest of all these swords, blood and flames of persecution, the Church did still prevail and increase.1 For the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Gospel. And the Church oftentimes being sown in the blood, yet springeth up, and groweth in blood. And as for the cruel and blood-sucking Emperors, which could not endure the light of the Gospel, but strove by tyranny to suppress it, the just God which taketh vengeance of all iniquity, and specially of the persecution of his children, was even with them well enough: for he gave them over, some to be slain in the wars, some to be tortured with horrible diseases, some to be poisoned, some to be murdered, and some to murder themselves. Thus did God the avenger, show himself from heaven, as the stories report, and pay home to the full these blood-suckers of his Church, making them examples of his wrath, and spectacles of his vengeance to all nations.