CAP.13. 4Revelation oftie Apocalyp%. 419 john afterwards, that this Beaft was not yet come, Paying, Five are fallen, one is, and another is not yet come, Chap. 17. 10. He that was not yet come, is this Beaft, as it is manifel out of the a 2. verfe of that Chapter. The ten Kings are they'Whichhave not as yet received their Kingdome, but they fall receive their polder, as if they Were Kingsfor one hoaur,together with the Beaft. Befides,this Bealt received his throne andpower from the Dragon, verfz. who had before that perfecuted the Woman, that is,the Chrifian Church. But the Heathen Emperors received their throne and power from no man, fpecially that had been fpightfull before that ágaiof the Chriftian Profefon feeing the Emperors are more ancient then theBirth of Chrifi him- felf. Laftly, theBeaft belongeth to the fame time with thef-sht ofthe Woman into the WilderneJfe But the Heathen Emperors that are un- derltood by the name ofthe Dragon,did converfe in heaven together withhim,as we have fhewed,Chap.i 2.3. But it will beobjeeted,chat nothing is former and later then it felt, and is both the originali to it felf,and the Image thereof,whichmuft needsbe; t we do refer this and thefecondReaf toAntichrift alone. The anfwer to which is this,that it is true indeed, that nothing is before and after it felf, and his own beginning and Image together, fo it be inone and the fame refpef, to one and the fame end, and at one and the fame time And yet in one and the fame man , infancie goeth before old age ; and the later age may be compared to the likeneffe of the former; we conclude therefore, that this Beaft is by no means the Hea- thenifh Empire ofRome, much leffe is it the ChriftianEmpire; the which did not fucceed the Dragonin his throne, but had his Court and Palace ever either at Conftantinople,or in France, or in Germany. Neither did all the earth goe admiring after the Empire, when it was reftored,as it is, verfe3. neither did it receive the mark thereof; as it is,verf.6. But after the renewing thereof, it was limited within the (mall bounds ofFrance,Italy, and force part of Germany, and fhortly after of Germany alone, having no jurifdie%ion over Spain, Britany, Hunoary,the country of Sclavonia, and the rat ofthe countries, the which yet belonged to the dominionofRome, under another name. Neither is it an argument ofone that is ordained to deftrution for ever,t. acknowledge that the C'hrifian Emperor is fuch as he chal- lengeth himfelftobe ; namely,the higheft Magiftrate in all the coun- tries that are fubjec} unto him ; as it is laidof the Beaft, veri: 8. for Paul profeffed .himfelf to be a Roman, and appealed unto ¿'afar, Alts i6. & 25, Tea,Chriftac&noWcledgedthe Heathen Emperor, and Iii eons-
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