68 ;de,,elatzen ofthe Apocalypfe. CAP. z :; High and the kkillert of excommunicate perfons. "Out of which , gather and haughty think thus much with thy 'fel e, feeing the wicked will ofthe Ro- Pergainus, mifh Whore was alwayes the fame , even before thefe lawes were made, howmany Antipafes was (laine by her , after that thee had gotten Tome power into her hands. And yet many even in thofe times kept themfelves faithfully to the defenceofthe truth , as far as they had it revealed rimo them, for which cattle the more glorious Crown is laid up for them. 14. But I have a few things againfl thee. Wehave here the o- ther part of theNarration, whereby the Angell is reproved for his over great indulgency towards wicked nmen; whence it came to paffe that the Church was infcftcd with the doftrine ofBalaam, in thisverfe, and ofthe Nicolaitans in the next. Before in the Church of the .Ephefians, there was that one peftifferousDottrineonely of the Nicolaitans, here that ofSalaam is joyned togetherwith it. Whole whoredome which hee taught them , was not onely filch as did defile the body, but fueh as tended alto to theoverthrow of piety by meanes of Idolatry : which double corruption is thus diftinguifhed , that the doetrine of Salaam is proper to the Coun- terpaine, though it be named firft : and the Doftrineof the Nico- laitans proper to the Type , namely, to the City Tergarnuu. As touching the firft, the Pope ofRome is molt fitly compared in thofe former times of' his to Balaam, eArr being a hidden hypocrite of great authoritywith Kin s,fitfor anydefgne, for lucresfake uttering forthforce true Oracles, but as itWere a teller offortunes, and one that .profeled heathenifh fupertition ; perlitading Conftantine andIrene thatfwayed the Empire, unto the adoring ofImages, as We may fee in a Synodicall Epi9le Written unto them; as Balaam perfWaded Balak the King, to állosre the Ifraelites to of erfacriface to Baal P.ehor,byfet- ting before theireyes thefaire Womenofthe Moabites, Numb. 31.16. Now then we fee why Balaam was referved to comeinhere,namely to note out untous his trite offfpring th,. PopeofRome, who is like to his father asone egge is like another. This ishe that at thefe times which we have fpokenofmade havockofthe Church. But the finne ofthe Angel ofPergamua was inthat he did too gently fuffer men to draw out and fuck in freely as they lifted the dregs and drugs ofthis falfe Prophet. It was their duty to have been ìnftant in teaching, admonìfhing, reproving, correcting to fee ifthis infection might perhaps have beene flayed : which thing, while the faithful! were more- careicífe of handling this man of firms more tenderly then
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