GAP. 13. A'evelattonofthe Apocalypfe: 463 feme other alfo byfludy,andfearch. Secondly,it is exprefly{hëft hid, that this is the number ofa man,that is, fuch a name of a man, out of whofenumerall letters, this number is madc,'whichname yet is not proper to the Beafl ; for it was the number ofa man before the Beafg was extant : neither could it flick in the perfonofany oneman that flourithed in that time, when yohn lived , for then the computation of the number would have beenuncertain, wavering and unpoffible, but it is a name proper toapeople, derived from one man as from the head into fame intire people. Thirdly, the number that is here declared in the manner ofa riddle, andobfcurely ; teacheth, that it Was dangerousfor the Church to have thatname divulgedopenly in this place at at thattime. For elfe why fhould the Holy GhoJl have ufed fuch a darkfome mannerof feting thisnamedown, but to avoide offencewhich therewas no neceßîty togive,for whichpurpofe altoPaul faith,noW alfoyeki oWWhat it is whichhindereth,2.ThLffZ.G. Whereby it is apparant, that theApo- files taught the Churches fome things concerning Antichrifl fecret- ly and in a dole manner,which it was not convenient to havefprcad abroad among the men of the wicked world : not becaufe theydid through a kinde offluggiih and fervilefear ofdanger,think it belt to have thefe things concealed , but becaufe they would not have the Church tobe troubled unneceffarily,to reveal the Beafis name before he was hatched , which wasa thingmore then needed. Unto thefe three things,which are all fetched out ofthisverfe,a fourth common property mutt be added our ofthe former, namely, that this number doth fit thofe men freefró the prohibitionoftra kingWith theBeall: fubjetls, who would frsfer themfelves to be markgdwith it. All which things being now joyned together, do teach us thus much ine-ffeet, that the number of thename is a numerall name offume man, mating up by computation the number offix hundredfixtyfix, which might havebeen numbredat that time,whenfirfl this P.rophefie Wasfetforth, andWhichyet isdeclared myflicallyonlyfor the avoiding offorce unne- cefarydanger,and laFtly,Whereby they Who tak this mark. upon them, are freed from this prohibitedtraffilting. Which defcriptionwill not füffer this name to be roving& uncertain any longer, but will afford us force one certaine& true name,thar fhallbe dittinguiened from all other. For if we fhall examine all the nams wch are appointed out by the Interpreters by there properties t hat beofcertain truth , we 111111 finde how unlike andftrange they are therennto,favc only one. Some of them doe refemble this number in force one property , of 0oo 3 which
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