A35689:579
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…
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 ... written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the daunting of papists ... / published by Arthur Dent ; to which is added an epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation.The ruine of Rome, or, An exposition upon the whole Revelation wherein is plainly shewed and proved that the popish religion, together with all the power and authority of Rome, shall ebbe and decay ... written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the danting of papists ... / published by Authur Dent ; to which is added an epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation.
London: printed by T.H. and I.Y. for Jo. Waterson, 1644
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.
Here John, in a vision, seeth one of the seven heads of the beast almost wounded unto death. There be divers and differing ⟨p. 233⟩opinions of the learned touching this wound of the Empire, both when it should be, and how, and by whom. Some understand it of the death of Julius Caesar: some of Nero: some of the oppression of the Goths and Vandals: some of the great prevailing of John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, in the greatest part of Bohemia. But to let all these pass, if we do wisely consider and weigh with our selves, that by a beast in this place, is not meant any lawful administration of government, but a tyrannical power in persecuting the Church, we shall find that a head of the beast was then wounded, when Constantine the Great slew Maxentius and Licinius the two last persecuting Emperors, set up true Religion, and brought peace to the Churches. For hereby the Roman Empire was greatly wounded, as touching the tyranny of it. The holy Ghost doth not set down which of the seven heads were thus wounded, but in general saith, one of them. Now it is very probable that he meaneth the sixth head: For we do not read of any such wound in the former five which were past. Neither can it be understood of the seventh head, which was the Papacy, because it received ⟨p. 234⟩no such wound as yet. It followeth then that the wound was in the sixth head; that is, in the Empire. But we read of no Emperor that did so wound the beast, as did Constantine the Great. And therefore it is very probable, nay, an hundred to one, that the holy Ghost here pointeth at him.