GA r: 12. 4Revelationofthe Apocálypfe. 413 off,but fetteth upon another way of mifchieving her. Hedetermines to aflàult the refit of her feed with war. But why doth he raife up war againft thefe,andperfecutian againft the Woman ? Becaufe that is perfecution as wehave faid,when the one fide beareth the injury, and doth not defend it felfe by force , fuch as the Eftate of the woman was, as in her fiift beginning. So fared it with her after CenJlantine for fome time, Thee having no man to fight for her fafety,nor todefend her purity,againftthe fu- perftitions that did grow up daily. Now that is War , when force is beaten back with force;andthis War the womans feed fhould under- take, to the end fhe might defend her felt againft manifeft tyrannie. But if the Woman be theChurc,h,what is this feed of hers ? Right now we fail that the Woman was the Holy affemblies ofthe faithful!, which do worfhip God publickly with the word, Sacraments,Pray- ers,Difcipline,as he himfèlf alone hath appointed. Herfeed then are the faithfulinparticerlar,that do hold the true Reliion,who cannot come together to worfhip God in the publick affemblies, becaufe of the iniquity ofthe times,but they give themfelves in feverall to thofe ftudies,whereby every one maynourifh piety in private.The Dragon maketh war againft thefe,feeing there thotildbe no open affemblies, which fhouldprofeffe the pure and fincere truth according to god- linefs,a4 long as the Woman we/A. fled into the Wildernefs. And fo it came to paffe at length, for after that inundation of the Northern Barbarians,and thatfloud Was fitalioWed up by the help of the earth , the Devil! railedup the Saracens about the yeer,63o. by whom he might raife up a molt grievous war againft the remainders of the Church, that lay hidden here and there among the confufed multitude of men.His malice would not fuffer him to give her any breathing,but as foon as he perceived that his former endeavours was fruftrate, hee betakes himfelfto another projea; rather cove- ting tomake himfelf perpetually miferable with continual! labours and moleftations, then that thofe few remnants of the Elect fhould want any mifery for any fhort time. Therefore the firft of all egged the Saracens forward tomake defection from the `ltmans.And after that hee made Mahomet their Captain, and then he fent them into the whole world to overthrow all.Who candeclare and conceive what a world ofmifchiefe fprung from thence ? there was perpetual! war by means of them,from the time that theycame in,for thewholefpace of(even hundred yeers,until theTurks,a brood ofvipers,worfe then their Parent, did utterly de- ftroy the Saracens theirmother. H h h z This
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