QHAP.2,o ARerrelatíonofthe,Apocalypfe. 1315 Nerf. 3. Andhe call him into the bottomle(re Pit;,This Pit is the Earth, as it is manifeft Out of Chap.. i 2. r3. Where it is faid,rhar, When the Dragonfal himfelfe call out into the earth, which yet is not fo called according to the cuffome of our common fpeech, but as it noteth out earthly mcn,who are numberedamong theÇitizensofthe Church in name and Title only. There was a woe alto denounced,a gains the inhabitants of theEarth,and the Sea,becaufe the Devil cams doleneamong them, as it is in the fame chap. verf i e4vas now to make his abode among thefe kind of men alone, anewas-to exer- cife his Tyranny againfl them only, as wehave expounded it in that. place. And hefFut himup andPealedupon him. Namely the doore, or. the florae, or force filch matter, as they made the Sepnlchrc faff,fealing the fenc, Matth. 27. 66. And hereby it is fignified, that the Devil' was committed to moll tirait keeping, as it were to clbfe prifon, fo as he hadno leave given him once to lookabroad. Not becaufe he fhould' be vacant from his devilli,zi imployments all the time of there thou - fandyeeres, for he fhould work mighty trouble both inthe Land and in the Sea, as we have heard out ofChap. 12. 12. And as we know it came to paffe indeed by thole things which have beene recorded, Chap. 8, 9. z nd Chap. 12. but becaufe he fhoulcj have no power at all over the Holy Church, againfi which he fhould fpend all his fpight in vaine; he call indeed afloud againft the woman, but he loft his labour; For both the earth minifired help unto her, and the fled into the Defart,onr of the reach ofthe Chainwithwhich the Dragonwas bound;, as it is Chap. 12.15.81c. That heAmidnot deceive the Gentilesany longer.The Gentiles are alto taken fometimes in this book for the Citizens ofthe falfChurch, wigs had their dwelling in the outex-mofl Court, and in the Holy City for two.and forty moneths : Chap. a i. 2. He fpeaketh not of there Gentiles now, but of fish as were wholly flrangers from, and enemiesunto the Chriftian Religion, fuch as .th,e bloudy Tyrants-of Rome were before the dayes ofConflantine ; filch kind of enemies as thefé,ihould prac`tile nomifchiefeagainfl theHoly Church by the fpace of thefe yeeres, as which they fhould not know in what part of the world it kept, howföever other fierce enemies fhould handle the Church moll cruely in the meane time, Chapter 12. 27. &c. For after that he muff be. loofedfora littleSeafon , that is , afta thefe thoufand yeeres be expired, the Devil' fhould be loafed againe,
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