- l'.la.+ .hAn<sy++ n ..A ßi" JZLLtt1.4V /t v of /dl's pi VVlbiN'-Vi\r Growing volt from that Anttchrif ofRome,and fet up a more reformed wor- 1'hyati a.'hipofGod in their Aífemblies; and then the hearts of the godly were fatre more railed up to ftrengrh and courage throughout all Europe, who profeffed the truth with more freedome ,of Spirit, howfoever theyknew they should doe it with hazardof their lives. Neither yet did Thyatira flay here, but in her decripite age, about theyeare a thoufand and an halfe, Theepowred forth into the world new (tore ofmolt learned men, who indeed gave no vaine hope, that the light would breake forth ere long into the falneffe of it. Andthefe be the lag Worker more than the former. Worthily there- fore is Thee called Thugateira, a daughter, that grew fo notably, even like thofe Waters thatcame out of the Temple, Which atfirft were (mall, then like a foord, afterwards they could-not be puffedover for the height of them, Ezech.47. 3, 4 5. And thusout of this firfll de- clining from theNorth, we have thefirfl paire of contrary Churches made : For thisgrowingThyatira anfwerethby direft oppofition to languifhing Ephefus, which proved Aphejis ; Ominion, as wehave tlaewed, .that grew worfe and worfe in her latter times, through a eontìnuallneglelof labour and vigilancie, heaping up alto fuprr[ti- tivns, till at laft all care of true godlineffe began to wax cold. And from thence the Church went on [till to the worfe in the two Churches that followed : now at lait it began to turne it felfe forward againe, and to make three other growing Churches op- polite to thofe three decaying ones, as wee fhaff fee in each of them. 20 But Ihave afeW thingsagainfi rhea. Thefe words containe a reprehenfionof this Angell, becaufe the Woman Iezabel was per- mitted With her deceivable doctrines to delude thefervants of Cod. The fault then is either hi r negligence, or his faint-heartedneffe , or `both; whereby it came to paffe that he did not handle the wicked wretches as they deferved, but they were fufíered to fieepe fecurely in their wicked abominations. Who this Iezabel in this Citie of Thyatirafhould be, theancient Hiftory doth not teach us. By this place we under[tand there w as forceTrinceffe, a woman of great place and account, Who was an Idolatre ffa and a Whore, like to that other Iezabel of old recorded in Scripture, the Wife of Ahab; who yet was herein more able and apt to worke mifchiefe then this Iezabel here, becaufe thee (hewed her felfe tobe an open ad- verfary to the truth ; this here would be counted a Propheteffe. By that that followeth it is apparant, that thee was trained up to this
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