442: 41evelation ofthe Apocalyple. CAP .I3. then- out 'Of'the Wéfterneparts, till that Michael Palcologus about the yeare t 273. did covenant with. Gregory the tenth at Lions , that he would fubjeFt hirnfrlf and all his people to thenakmbcr ofthe name ofthe Beall, that is, till he promifed that all his firould thenceforth yéeld the honour of principality to the LatinePope. Among thefe three marks, The (harailerbelongs to the Peers and Clergiesasbe- ing his formes, theName to the people andcommon fort, as to his Villaines, and the number ofthe name to the Grecians; thatwere fl:rangers ofanothercountrey. 18. Here is lt'ifdome, He that. Now he exhortethus to number this name, out ofwhich exhortation, if we (hall give diligent heed, many things may be gathered, by whichwe maycome to the true knowledge of thename. For first, why doth he reouire diligence ra- ther in fearching out the number ofthe name, then-in fearching into the Marko, or the name ofthe Beaft ? It is manifeft that this exhor- tation belongs to the third member, now the Marke or theName ofthe Beaft would haverather helped to the more certain and cleere knowledgeofhim. And therfore one would think,that our diligence lhould have been ftirred up to fear ch out thefe things , out ofwhich there might lie hope conceivedofmore plentiful)fruit, The reafoñ why thefe be omitted,and this only isoffered to our deeper confide- ration, feemeth to be this, becaufe the number of thename might be- gin at the time, when john wrote. But the Marl e and the Name werenot extant as yet, like as neither was the Beaft himfelfe, as we bave íhewed, fo thatthey could not fall into any account or under- fianding._The names indeed & tith s ofB ifhops were common even in thefe heft times : but there was then another manner of refpeci of °theme then when as they were changed afterwards into theproper title of one particular man, This is that the exhortation meaneth, when it is Paid, Here is wifdome, he that hash snderfandirglet him reckon the number, how great a torment would it have been for the learned menofthat age to alfay ro do a thing altogether impofíibk ? íhould they not have hoar a ufè to hav, utterly giv.:n over the labour offetkingout that which they c oldnever have toad any hopeto find out i? But their diverfe iná eavours herein (hew, that theyh.d not this opinion ofold,that this wifdome fhould belong te, the vine to come, and not theirown age at all.Let this then torebe the firft property to know this myfticall number by, which we are exhorted ro fcarch out ; That the number ofthe name might bP manife f even to that age, Wherein fohn lived, andthat not tohimfelfe only ty revelation, but to feme
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