A word in season to this present generation, or, A sober and serious discourse…

Thirdly, here is the greatness of the danger, from which he was delivered; viz. From the mouth of the ¹Lyon. Some Authors do conceive these words (and I was delivered from the mouth of the Lyon) to be a Proverbial speech, noting some eminent, present, devouring danger; I was delivered from the extremest hazard of death, even as a man rescued out of a Lyons ²mouth, and pulled from between his teeth. Others more genuinely and properly by the mouth of the Lyon, do understand Nero's rage and cruelty, who for his potency in preying on the flock of Christ, is here fitly compared to a Lyon, which devoured and destroyed the flock of Christ. This cruel Lyon Nero put a world of Christians to death, and made a bloody Decree, That whosoever confessed himself a Christian, he should without any more a do, be put to death as a convicted enemy ³of mankind. Tertullian calleth him, The Dedicator of the condemnation of Christians. This bloody Monster Nero raised the first bloody Persecution. To pick a quarrel with the Christians, he set the City of Rome on fire, and then charged it upon the Christians, under which pretence he exposed them to the fury of the People, who cruelly tormented them, as if they had been common burners and destroyers of Cities, and the deadly enemies of mankind; yea Nero himself, caused them to be apprehended and clad in wild beasts skins▪ and torn in pieces with Dogs; others were crucified; some he made bonfires off to light him in his night-sports▪ To be short, such horrid cruelty he used towards them ⟨p. 5⟩as caused many of their enemies to pity them: But God found out this bloody Persecutor at last, for being adjudged by the Senate an enemy to mankind, he was condemned to be wiped to death, for the prevention whereof he cut his own throat.

Thirdly, here is the greatness of the danger, from which he was delivered; viz. From the mouth of the ¹Lyon. Some Authors do conceive these words (and I was delivered from the mouth of the Lyon) to be a Proverbial speech, noting some eminent, present, devouring danger; I was delivered from the extremest hazard of death, even as a man rescued out of a Lyons