An Exposition Upon the Thirteenth Chapter of the Revelation

p. 1AN EXPOSITION Upon the thirteenth Chapter of the REVELATION.

And I stood upon the sand of the Sea, and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea, having seven heads, and tenne horns, and upon his horns ten Crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard, and his feete were as the feete of a Beare, and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon: and the Dragon gave him his power, and his seate, and great authority.

YOU have heard from the last Chapter, that when the Dragon (that is the Devill, as he ruled the Roman Pagan Empire) was cast downe out of Heaven, (that is, dethroned from his heavenly and Divine worship) he endeavoured by all meanes to oppresse the Church (that is, the woman) that brought forth a Christian Emperour, her and her seed. 1. By persecution. 2. By an inundation of damnable Heresies, and barbarous Nations. 3. By open p. 2War; which open war is exprest in the last verse of the former Chapter, and here more fully described in this Chapter, a whereof hath been now read.

The warre which is made against the Church, is here described to be managed by two beasts which the Devill raised up; One he calls a Beast rising up out of the Sea, described from the first verse to the end of the tenth. Another Beast hee beheld coming up out of the Earth, from the 11th. verse to the end of the Chapter.

Now the former of these Beasts is described by three arguments.

1. By his Originall or Fountain from whence he springs; he riseth up out of the Sea, which is amplified by the place of Johns beholding him; I stood upon the sand of the Sea.

2. He is described by his shape, here is his figure and resemblance: For his head, he had seven heads, and they amplified by honourable Ornaments (or rather dishonourable indeed, but honourable in the beasts view) namely upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2. For his horns, he had ten horns, and they are set forth by their Crowns which he had on his horns; He had so many horns, so many Crowns, upon his ten horns, ten Crowns. And as his shape is set forth by his head and horns, so also by his resemblance, or likenesse; the whole shape or bulk of the Beast is like a Leopard: The Leopard is of the femenine gender, and signifies the female of the Panthers; the she Panther, spotted and ravenous, famous for her speedy race, and yet of a good smell, by which she allures other beasts to her, and as she hath occasion, doth devoure them. And as his resemblance for his whole shape is like a Leopard, so for his feet he is like a Bear: And for his mouth, he hath the mouth of a Lyon: This is the second argument by which he is described.

p. 23. The third argument whereby he is described is his state, and that amplified by three arguments. 1. By the efficient cause. 2. By the variable change of it: And 3ly. by a wise conclusion and observation. For the efficient cause of it, it is said to be the Dragon; he gave him his power and authority. For the variable change of it, it was, 1. Great, for it is here called Power, and Seate, and great Authority. 2. One of his p. 3heads was wounded; I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death. And thirdly, this wound was healed: this is the variable change of it. 1. Great authority, honourable seate. 2. Wounded to death. And thirdly, healed of that deadly wound. And this healing is amplified by five Effects, or Consequents. The first was the worlds wondering: All the world wondered after the Beast: The admiration was a◊ this great change (so happily atchieved as they thought) that he should recover that desperate danger. The second effect it wrought was, worship both towards himselfe: And secondly, to the Dragon that gave him power. The third effect of this healing was, liberty to blaspheme: There was a mouth given him to speake great things & blasphemies. A fourth eff◊ct was, Authority and Power (to do what?) First, To continue forty two moneths, vers. 5. Secondly, Power to make warre with the Saints, and to overcome them, that was the fourth effect that followed his healing. The fifth effect was amplitude, or largenesse of his Dominion: Power was given him over all Kindreds, Tongues, and Nations, vers. 7. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, vers. 8. Which worshippers are described by their estrangement from the number of Gods elect, whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb, and the Lamb set forth by the eternall efficacy of his death, Slaine from the foundation of the world. This is the second part of the description of the Beast.

The third part is a conclusion, which contains a word of Caution, and Consolation, or a word of Attention and Consolation in the ninth and tenth verses. If any man have eares to heare, let him heare; as if it were a matter worthy of observation and diligent attention, and of exact understanding and of consolation, in the tenth vers. He that leadeth into captivity shall goe into captivity; he that killeth with the sword, must he killed with the sword, &c. This is the former Beast and his description.

p. 3The latter Beast is in the eleventh verse to the end: I beheld another Beast coming up out of the earth, &c. He is described by his variety from the former beast: For his Original, he comes not as the other Beast out of the Sea, but from the Earth: And for his resemblance, he hath two horns like a Lamb, p. 4and he spake lik a Dragon. 2. He is described by his power, as in the twelfth verse, but I will not now speak further of him.