396 A4e,elatton ofthe Apocalypfe. CAP . t Z. inftruc4ed in the principles of their Religion, he devoured him ilraightwayes.That Dragon Decius alfo fwallowed up the tWoPhilips, the fatherand the Son,though himfelfwas fhortly after£wallowed up in a quagmire,or a moorilh place.But the matreris moft clearly appa- rant inConffanrine,at whom theHalyGhoftdid principallypoint the fin- ger,asit were:WhenDioclefian &Galerius,with whom this man lived inthe Eaft when he was young, perceived that he had a fingular to- wardlinefs,by reafonofhis virtuous difpofition, they left nothing un- attempted to cut himoffin fecret.So faith Eufeb. upon his life,Book i. !'omponius L.etus tells us,that he was fent with an hoff of men a- gainft the Sarmatian, which were a moft fierce and favage kindeof people, accuftomed to kill and flaymen; fromwhom when he had carried away,not his deaths-blow, but the viftory,quite betides that which ÇRlerim thought ofand looked for, he faith, that he fought with a Lyon in the Theatre,by his letting on with a pretence , as if he defired to have him exercife and Phew his valour. But queftionlefs,. Galeries fought to deftroy the gongman at unawares,as Euriftheut ferved Hercules ofold : And thiswas not the end of the fnares that were laid todevour him. Maximian Herculius that red Dragon in deed,had almoft quite eaten him up,by means of (itch ambufhments as he laid for him afterwards : But he that fought to enfriare another, did byGods juft judgement perifh,by falling into that fnare himfelf. Conftantine efcaped many other privy affaults and treacheries,not by any forefight of his own, or of others that difcryed the dangers for him,but by the helpofGod, who revealed themunto him ; as Eufeb. faith , Boo, I. on the life of Contant. No doubt the Dragon knew it concerned himmuch , that no filch man as he fhould rife up and therefore it is no marvel!, if he did fweat with betirring himfelf fo greatly as he did, that he might devour this childaffoon as ever he . was born. I.S. So Jbe broughtforth a man-chine. Here we have the event of this perfccutien. The Church doth at length bring forth this man- like and !tout Champion, when the inftruted Conftantine thegreat in the Chriftian faith, howfoever the Dragon !trove to the con- trary with all his might. For he is that man-childe, whodid firft of all the Roman Emperours, take upon him the open patronage of the truth. We made mention of the two Philips , the Father and the Son , which were both of them Chriffians. And yet if we will beleeve Pompeniva L ettes, they were furh,nottelly, but fainedly, or4ely to cover and cloak their wicked courfeswith fo.honeff a name. But
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