CA P i6. ,BRevelation-of the Apocalyple. 54 what remaineth but her finali doom of deftru Lion, to puni.fh her with, whenas the is paft hope of arty amendment ? Btìt yet the Raft !hall remain alive forforce time after the ruine oftheCity,not for the recovering ofhis form r dignitie, but that he may come to a more grievous.deftruftion ftraight after. And therefore he :faith that his KinOomJTsall be dark; not utterly extinguifhed, but bereaved ofthe former brightneffe and renown it had. eflnd they gnawed their tonguesforgriefe. Here we have the fecomi event, they (hall gnaw their tongues for rage, and fury. It (hall be a mightyand an intollerable paine, fuch as is defcribed elfewhere, by Wcepin andQnafhing ofteeth;Mat.22. t 3. Vnleffe perhaps fogreat an angui.fii be fignified by this proverbial) manner of fpeaking, that they (hall be compelled, will they, Hill they, to curb in their.malapert and reproachful! tongues, that is, to renounce their own writings, and to fpeake more modeftly for ever after, which is faid in coin- monfpeech, to bite a mans tongue, and toente his Words. But when it is faid in the next words, that they repented notof their Workes, the former expofitionis more fimple. And yet they may forbeare their evili fpeaking fainedly and for feare, howfoever they will not repent from their hearts truely. Yet had I rather have the former meaning. That place in Zachary, Chapter iq.. Ia. Seemeth to agreemoft fit- ly with this,Yheir tonguefhallconfumeaway in their mouth. Now the words in theGreek are our ofthePaine, which is an Hebrew phrafe, which ufeth the prepofitionfrom or out,for becaufe of, as Pfal. 'erf. i i. And they blafphemed the Godofheaven. Here we may fee the extreame hardneffeof mans heart, which cannot be. tamed with any plagues ofGod. For admit that the Papifts.be not convifted, by the more abundant light ofthe Scriptures when it commeth, yet !hall not the deftructioneven of their Holy City, move them upon the fight of it, to acknowledge the Truth ? Will they now againe break out intoblafphemie, when as there is no hope left, to efcape confiifion,but by crying to God forpardon?But thus we fee it is net in him that Willeth,nor in him that runneth; God ttrikethand foftneth whole hearts it feemeth good to him; now in that it is faid, becaufe of theirfores,thereby we are given to wit, that thefe men are the very fame with thole upon whom theformer vial was powred;but there was fpeciall mention made of the fores, becaufe every calamity did not vex themwith the fenfe of paine andgriefe.The changingof the Sen into filthy blood, was fo far from vexing themwith any rufull dif- :a(ter, that menoffuch feared confciences as thefe, who knew nor, Z z z nay
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