The ruin of Rome, or, An exposition upon the whole Revelation wherein is plainly…The ruine of Rome, or, An exposition upon the whole Revelation wherein is plainly…

As touching the first, it is agreed upon amongst the soundest Divines, that John the Apostle, or Evangelist; John the Disciple, whom Jesus loved, was the Author and Instrument of penning this Prophecy: as he himself testifieth,¹ saying: I am John which saw these things and heard them. And he received a commandment from Jesus Christ which hath the keys of hell and death, that he should write the things which he had seen and heard, and set them all down together in a book. Now we all know that the testimony of John is of great weight,² though he be but a man: for he is such a man as is firmly to be believed in all that he speaketh. He is an Apostle, an Instrument of the holy Ghost, and so guided by the Spirit of God, that he speaketh and uttereth nothing that is his own. He was well known and approved. For we must consider, that what an Apostle did utter, he did utter it as the instrument ⟨p. 3⟩of the Spirit, which cannot err. For the Prophets and Apostles did not write the holy Scriptures as they were men only, but as they were the immediate and certain instruments of the holy Ghost, of purpose chosen and set apart to pen and publish the holy books of God. This Saint Peter confirmeth saying:³ Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they mere moved by the holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul also affirmeth the same touching his Gospel, which saith,⁴ He was not after man, neither received he it of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore when his our Apostle saith, I am John which saw these things, and heard them, he gives us to understand, that he was both an eye and an care-witness. He bringeth not matters which he hath heard by uncertain report: he delivereth this Book to the Churches: they which received it at his hands did know him to be a most faithful servant of the Lord, even a great Apostle, which delivereth not any thing but that which he had received of the Lord, and therefore he testifieth, •hat he saw and heard all the things which •e hath written in this book. Moreover he testifieth of himself, that he was called and