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our pattern. But you will say, How am I able to attain to this? I answer, the law of God prescribes to us a perfect form of obedience, though it be not possible for me to fulfil it, and so the life of our Saviour Christ, we are not able to express the virtues in him, and his purity; yet there cannot be a better pattern than the law, and the life of our Saviour Christ.

A man that would have his child to write a fair hand, he will not give him an ill copy to write by, but as fair as may be, though there be no possibility the child should write so well as it. So we cannot possibly attain to that purity in Christ, yet the copy must be fair. Scholars, if they will have an elegant style, they set the best orators before them. Thus, though the law of God be perfect, though such a thing as a man is not able to fulfil, yet it is a fit pattern; the copy must be fair, that I may mend my hand by it.

And thus, if we go on following our pattern, as the scholar's hand, by practice, mends every day, though it never come near the copy, so shall we grow in grace; for, as the prophet speaks, then shall we know if we go on in knowing,' Hos. vi. 3. A Christian must mend his pace every day, as he learns his Master's will, so to be transformed into the image thereof, that the virtues of God may shine forth in him, that his path may be brighter and brighter unto the perfect day,' Prov. iv. 18, and towards that measure of the age of the fulness of Christ Jesus. But I cannot now press the point further, because of the time.

THE BEAST'S DOMINION OVER EARTHLY

KINGS.*

For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their kingdoms to the beast, until the word of God shall be fulfilled.—REV. XVII. 17.

THE occasion of this day's solemnity hath been long and well known, and we have often in this place spoken of it; and it were a thing not unseasonable for the day to set out in its lively colours that facinorous† act, which will scarcely be credible to posterity. It exceeds my conceit to set it out in the right colours. I have therefore taken a text tending that way, and serving for our present purpose.

It pleaseth our blessed Saviour, out of his love to his church, not only to give directions what to do and what not to do, what to believe and what not to believe, but to foretell likewise all future calamities, that so the church might be fore-armed, and might not be surprised with terror upon the sight of some sudden or strange accident, as especially the flourishing estate of Antichrist. He therefore foretells all, both the beginning, the growth, the strength, the proceeding, and at last the destruction of that man of sin.

The church in this world is always under some prophecy, it is always under somewhat that is unfulfilled; for until we come to heaven, there is not an accomplishment of all prophecies.

This Book is a setting down of prophecies of future events to the end of the world.

་

The Beast's Dominion' is one of the three gunpowder-plot anniversary sermons contained in 'Evangelical Sacrifices' (4to, 1640). Its separate title-page is as follows:-The Beasts Dominion over Earthly Kings. A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November, in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists PowderTreason. By the late Learned and Reverend Divine, Rich. Sibbs. Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inne. Revel. 16. 14. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles, which goe forth to the Kings of the earth. London, Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne, at the Royall Exchange, and R. Harford, at the Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1639.' As explaining and qualifying the unmeasured language of the present and kindred sermons, it may be permitted me to refer to my Memoir of Dr Sibbes, Vol. I. p. lxiii.-G.

† That is, wicked to excess.'-G.

This chapter sets out in lively colours the state of the pontificality, the state of Rome, under the bishop of Rome, the pope, and not the state of Rome under the heathen emperors. It sets down likewise the judgment of God in this life upon this beast, and upon the whore that sits upon

beast.

the

The description is large in the former part of the chapter. It would take up a great deal of time to unfold that; but because I have divers other things to speak of, I will pass that by.

The judgment of God upon the beast and whore, is set down partly in the verse before the text: The ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast shall hate the whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and. burn her with fire. For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their kingdoms to the beast,' &c.

Here the judgment is set down, what it is and by whom it shall be: by the ten horns, that is, the ten kings. And, secondly, what they shall do; and that is set down in order.

First, These ten horns, these ten kings, western kings, they shall hate the whore.'

Hatred is the beginning of all actions that are offensive; for it is the strongest and stiffest affection of ill, as love is the strongest of good affections. They shall hate the whore;' it is not only anger, but hatred.

They shall make her desolate and naked:' that is the second degree. They shall leave her; they shall strip this strumpet of her ornaments and strength, whereby she set out herself.

'They shall eat her flesh:' that is the third. That is, what they have given her before to enrich her withal, that which made her in such well liking, that which commended her, that which is her living, the riches of the pope's clergy, gotten, most of it, by ill means, they shall take from her.

But that is not all, but there is a higher degree than all this: they shall burn the whore with fire.'

So that in the foregoing verse you see is set down what the judgment is, and.who shall be the executioners of this judgment.

But why must all this come to pass? He riseth to the highest cause: 'God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree with one consent to give their kingdoms to the beast.' God afterwards put into their minds to hate the beast.

So that in this verse is the severity and the mercy of God, his justice and his goodness. His severity in putting into the hearts of these kings to agree with one consent to give up their kingdoms to the beast. A great judgment so to besot them. But here is a limitation of that severity at last, till the time come, until the word of God shall be fulfilled; that is, until they shall cease to be thus deluded by the bishop of Rome, and then they shall begin to hate the whore as much as ever they were deluded by her, and shall eat her flesh, and consume her with fire.'

For the explication of these words, they being somewhat hard, I will spend a little time to unfold them. And, first, I must shew who is this beast.

'For God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give up their kingdoms to the beast.'

The beast is mentioned in three places in the Revelation: in the ninth chapter there is mention of the beast coming out of the bottomless pit; and in the thirteenth, of the beast that rose out of the sea; and here in

this seventeenth, of a scarlet-coloured beast, 'having seven heads and ten horns.'

The beast, in a word, is the state of Rome, sometime under the heathenish emperors, sometime under the pontificality. The question is, Whether the beast here spoken of be the state of Rome under the Roman persecuting emperors before Christianity prevailed much, or the state of Rome under the usurpation of the bishop of Rome ?

I answer, undoubtedly it is here meant of the state of Rome as it is upheld, the whore; the beast, that beast; for it is meant here of one that seduced by lying miracles, of one that should come in a mystery, of one that should deal with fornication and such courses.

Now heathenish Rome, it overcame men by violence and by force, and not by whorish insinuations, by drawing them on to idolatry. It is said in the fifth verse that upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots.' Babylon in a mystery, and this mystery is a great word too with them. The mystery of the mass; in everything there is a mystery; all their ceremonies are mysteries. This word 'mystery' therefore, in the forehead of the whore, sheweth what beast it is that is here meant.

It is observed by divers writers, that in the frontlet of the pope's diadem there is written this name, 'Mysterium,' as in Julius the Second's time; but afterwards, when they smelled that he was construed thereby to be the very whore, they razed out that, and put in Julius Secundus, &c.*

And she sits upon many waters.' She sits.' Mark, the Spirit of God will not suffer us to err. What is the regiment† of the pope called? Sitting.' Such a pope sat so long; the whore sits in the very phrase. And what is the seat called? The see of Rome, the see of antichrist. Divers other particular things there are to shew that he means Rome, that is, the state of Rome under the bishop of Rome, to be the beast here spoken of.

Especially considering the connection of this chapter with that following, where is set down the final destruction of this beast. Now we know that heathenish Rome ended long ago; therefore that beast which is here meant must needs be that which follows in the next chapter, and therefore it must needs be Rome as it is under the bishop, the pope of Rome.

It is said in the thirteenth chapter that this beast made the former beast to speak, did enliven and quicken the former beast. So indeed this beast, Rome considered under the pope, which succeeds that beast, Rome as it was under the Roman emperors, quickens the former beast; for now all is as glorious as ever it was in heathenish Rome. For after that the Goths and Vandals had possessed Rome, the pope put some life into the empire of Rome, and did himself become emperor. For indeed the emperor of Germany, though he be entitled King of Rome, yet that is but a mere titular thing; the eagle is deplumed of her feathers, of her authority; it is only the title he bears. And if any emperor come to Rome, the pope will make him swear fealty; and he must not long stay in Rome, he cannot endure that.

And it is well said in the Revelation that this beast is the image of the former beast, for the pope is altogether like the emperors almost in everything. For the emperors were crowned, the pope for failing hath three crowns; the emperors had their scarlet, this is a purple-coloured whore in scarlet. They spake the Latin tongue, and forced all nations almost to * Cf. note d, Vol. V. p. 539.—G.

† That is, 'government.'—G.

speak Latin, as a monument of their slavery; so all in the popish church is in Latin, their prayers in Latin, all in Latin, even for the simple and sottish people to use. Ancient heathen Rome had their grave senators, the pope hath his cardinals. The heathen emperors, as Domitian and others, would be adored as gods; so likewise is the pope of Rome adored. And mark the slight, he hath a crucifix upon his feet, and kings must kiss that; and so with adoring of the cross they adore his person, as they did Heliodorus, that heathen emperor (a). Thus in everything almost they agree with ancient Rome, and in many other things I might run over their likeness to the former beast.

Now this beast, to describe him a little better, that we might know what these kings did, when they gave up their kingdoms and thrones to the beast, it is said in the thirteenth chapter that the dragon gave power to the beast. The dragon is the devil; and as he wrought effectually in the former beast in heathen Rome, to make war with the saints, so is this beast, pontifical Rome, stirred up, and acted by the devil, the dragon, to persecute the church. So that this beast hath the power and the spirit of the dragon, the devil himself.

And that you may discern that I do them no wrong, consider how the dragon and this beast, which is moved, and led, and acted by the spirit of the dragon, agree in their courses. I will name two or three to you.

The dragon's course is to make us distrust God. You know how in paradise he taught our first parents to distrust the word of God: 'Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,' Gen. iii. 5. So the force of popery is to dishonour and to discredit God's truth, to put out the people's eyes, to lead them blindfold, to make the Scripture a matter of error and heresy, and bid the people take heed of it; as if God meant to deceive them, to go beyond them in giving them his word; as though it were not a word of salvation. As the dragon himself said to Christ, 'If thou wilt fall down and worship me, all these will I give thee,' Mat. iv. 9, so the pope takes upon him the dragon's power. These that will be good sons of their church, these and these preferments will he give them, when he hath as much right to them as the devil had to those.

The devil fell from heaven at the preaching of the word, at the preaching of the gospel. The apostles, when they returned from preaching, told our Saviour that they saw Satan fall down like lightning (b). So antichrist falls by the preaching of the gospel, by the breath of the Lord's mouth. He is not able to stand before it no more than Dagon before the ark. The word preached is as fire to consume him. So he is like the dragon in that. In disposition he is like the dragon. The devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning, the father of lies. So likewise the pope is a liar; all popery is nothing but lies. Therefore, 2 Thes. ii. 11, it is said, 'they are given over to believe lies.' Popery is a grand lie. It is a lie in the primacy; for it came in by forgery and intrusion. It is a lie in purgatory, which is a mere conceit. It is a lie in their miracles, which they have devised to maintain their false worship with. It is a lie in their works of supererogation, that they can fulfil more than the Law requireth. So that all popery, consider it distinctly from our religion, because they have that which we have, and some patches of their own, consider it by itself, it is a mere lie.

Besides that, they maintain the doctrine of equivocation, which is a lie, a justifier of lies, which is worst of all.

* That is, in the pope as claiming to be successor of Peter.-G.