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Secondly, Performed, in the fequell of the Chapter.

Commanded, wherein obferve that Commandement fet forth, First, by the Inftrumentall efficient Promulger of it, a great voice [I heard a great Voice.]

Secondly, By the Subject-place, whence this Voice came forth, out of the Temple. [4 great voice out of the Temple.] Thirdly, By the matter commanded by the voice, [ Goe your waies and poure out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.]

This Commandement thus given, was accordingly performed by all the feven Angels, in this whole Chapter.

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The furft Angel poureth out his Viall,ver,2,and that is,first set forth by the fubject upon which he poured it, [upon theearth. ] Secondly, It is amplified by the effect it wrought [There fell a noyfame and grievous fore upon the men ]What men? They are of two forts:

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First, [Such as had the Marke of the Beast.]
Secondly, Suck, as wur fotpped his I menge. ]

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The words are fomewhat darke, and there is much variety in the Interpretation of them: I fhall fhortly open to you, what (by the comparing of this, and other Scriptures together) I take to be the meaning of the Words,

First, when he faith [ I heard a great voice ] It is a voice of Authority, and Power. And whofe can that be, but his, that hath power over all thefe Plagues, even God himselfe, and the Lord Iefus Chrift, who alfo have power in the Temple: It is not the voyce of one of the foure Beafts,the Officers of the Church alone, but a further power doth concur with this voice, fuch as carried Majeftic, and authority with it.

Secondly, Out of the Temple ] It implieth it was a voyce delivered not by one of the foure Officers in private, but came out of Publike Administration, where onely the Lord fpeaking, did with Authority let forward thefe Angels upon this work. And it may further Imply, that it fprung upon fome Prayers of the Church in the Temple: for all the voices in the Temple, are cither, the voice of the Church unto Christ, or of Chrift unto the Church: And if the Lord fpeake graciously in the Temple. It is commonly obtained in the Praiers of the Church, craving anLiver from him,

[To the feven Angels That is to fay, Seven forts of Gods. Meflengers

Meffengers, whether Magistrates or Ministers, or whofoever they be that poure out thefe Vials, they are Angels of God, as being the Messengers of his wrath. Neither is it meant of seven Individuall perfons, but feven forts of Perfons, that set forward this worke. And withall I doe accord with those that say, that in all these adminiflrations, there is fome prefence of the heavenly Angels accompaning the men in the worke.

Gee your waies] [your waies] is not in the Originall, bur [Goe] pours out the Oials.] The Vials are veffels of large content, but of narrow mouthes, they poure out flowly, but drench deepely, and difill effectually the wrath of God: Veffels they are of fuil and just measure, as all thiefe judgements are dispen fed in weight and meafure.

Of the wrath of God] That argueth, that upon what fubject foever thefe Vials fell, the wrath of God fell together with them, upon the fame. And that helpeth not a little to open the place, and to fhew the danger of fome Interpretations, which doe expound the Sunne verf. S. to be the Scriptures. If these Vials be the Vials of Gods wrath, how fhall any of them be conceived to be poured out upon the Scripture, is the wrath of God kindled against the Scripture? And for the Earth, verf.2. Some conceive it to be meant of the common fort of godly Chriftians; but though fome foare plagues might be fall fome of them, yet how canthe wrath of God be conceived to be powred upon them? It cannot therefore be meant (as fome of good note fay) of the Waldenfes, and Albugenfes, Hugonets, and Lollards; but the wrath of God falleth upon fuch, as worship the Beast and his Image: And therefore take that for certaine, that what things foever the Vials of Gods wrath are poured upon, they are fuch as God is deepely difpleased withall.

Upon the earth] They thought right, that thought it to bee meant of the common fort of Catholikes: but let us further confider how it commeth to paffe that the first of these Angels pou rethout his Viall upon the earth, and the reft upon other things, yet they all have a Commiffion to poure out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. For the opening of this difficulty (which elfe might excrcife fome) we must know, that in this Prophecie fometimes [ earth ] is opposed to Heaven, and then as by Heaven is meant the pure Church, as Revel.4. 1. & 12. I. So by Earth is meant an earthly and corrupt Church. Sometimes

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alfo by Heaven is meant, a corrupt state of Religion, wherem heavenly and divine honour is given to Satan, or Idols, as Revel. x2.3.7. Againe, fometimes Earth is oppofed not unto Heaven, but unto fome other Element in the World, and fo is it in this Chap. The first Angel poureth forth his Viall upon the Earth, the fecond poureth his Viall on the Sea, &c. So then in this case, the Earth is to be understood in a double fenfe. In generall, of the Antichriftian ftate,or world, Verf.1. And in the Antichriftian World they have fome things that reprefent the Earth, and fome things the Sea, and fome things reprefent the Sunne ofthat World,and fome things reprefent that Ayre of that world;there fore in the particular execution of this Commiffion,when the firft Angel poureth out his Viall upon the Earth, it is upon the lowest. and bafest Element in the Antichriftian world, and that can bee no other, but the lowest fort of vulgar Catholiks, and they were the first that had the wrath of God pour'd upon them, which did afterwards arife higher to the Sea, and then to the Fountaines and Rivers of water, then to the Sunne, then to the throne of the Beast, then to the River Euphrates, and latt of all to the Ayre, and in all thefe doth the wrath of God afcend higher and higher, as may afterwards more clearely appeare.

The first Angel went and poured out his Viall upon the earth.] This first Angel must be thefe first fort of Gods Meffengers, that did poure out fome wrath upon Common Catholikes. And doubtleffe fuch wrath it was, as being poured out, did worke a Noyfome and grievous fore upen them that worshipped the Beast, and his Image (as the Text expreffeth) They that had the Mark of the Beast (you heard before out of the 13. Chapt.) are fuch as receive fome indeliable Chara&er of the Beast; fuch are their Secular, or Regular Pricfts, and all that receive religious Orders from the Church of Rome. Who then are they that worship his Image? The 7mage of the first Beast (you know) is all Na tionall, and Diocefan, and Provinciall Churches; and they that rule them are the Image of the fecond Beaft: Sothen they that worship the Image of the Beast, be fuch as are devoted to the Canons of Popish Churches, who drink them up, and receive them as Articles of their Faith; thefe are all afflicted with a noifome and grievous fore by the pouring out of this firft Viall: For those who did poure it out, they were fuch as did convince them of the Damnable eftate of a Catholike,and taught them, that by

their

their Religion they could go not beyond aReprobate;and this was
the common practife of the Martyrs of Iefus Christ in Queene
Maries time, in Elward the fixth, and in Henry the eight's time,
who difcovered unto you, that all their Religion was but the
worship of God after the devifes of men, even Will-worship,
fuch as they were led into by the Man of Sinne, whobeing him-
felfe blinde, leadeth thofe that are blinde, and both fall into the
ditch; those that thus difcovered the unfoundiefie of the Religi❤
on of these Catholikes, who before feemed to be good! Church-
men, and good House-keepers, and good Chriftmas-keepers,
they were the mea that poured cut this firit Viall upon the earth.
And upon this their difcovery, there fell a noyfome, and grieve-
ous fore upon their Catholike Priests, who had borne the com-
mon fort in hand, That Ignorance was the mother of Devotion,.
and fach ignorant Devotion was the way of Salvation,when they
fee that all their People, who were heretofore their honest and
good Neighbours, full of benevolence towards them, were now
informed, that they lay under a state of deepe Damnation, it
was an eye-fore to their Catholike Priests, and all of that Reli-
gious Order, a double fore fell upon them.

First, a fore of envy, and malice, against all the Martyrs of
Chrift, and all that fought for Reformation of Religion; against
whom their fpirits were fo ftrongly embittered, that happy was
he that could bring Fire and Faggot to execute vengeance upon
them, that did difcover the fate of the common fort of Catho-
likes to be fo dangerous. It was a publike speech of Henry the
eight, when he fate in Parliament, Complaining of the firs that
were made about Religion, There are many (an he) that are
too bufic with their new (Sumpfimus) meaning trofe that clave
to that which he counted the new Religion, though withall 0-
thers he taxed, who doated (as he faid not amine) much upon
their old M.mpfimus, The new Religion (though true) Hee,
and they all envied: the Old (though his owne) he defpifed.

Secondly, there was a novome loathfomeneffe difcovered, by these true Witneffes, and Martyrs of Chrift, unto the people. Whereby they began to fee that the common fort of their Religi ous Orders were full of iate fe, of Ignorance, of Covetorfnes, of Pride, and of Hypocryfie, and that they had laid fuch a foundation of Religion, as was not Iefus Chrif the true Foundation, but had indeed reared up an Antichriftian Religion, whereof (as

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Doct. 1.

it is said( Ifai. 28,19.) it shall be a vexation to heare the Reporc. A grievous malignant ulcer it was, and the more they firred in it, the more they were vexed. And this let me further adde, for opening the words, it is an allufion that noyfome fore of Egypt that fell upon the Common fort ore people, and upon the Magitians allo, Exod. 9. 11. So that they could not and before Mofes; and fo it was here, thefe noifome fores of which wee have spoken, did fo fall upon the common fort of Catholikes, and upon their common Religious Orders, that they fell before the Angell that poured out this Viall, as Dagon before the Arke. Thus you fee the meaning of thefe words.

Now for the Notes that arife from them.-You may obferve that (Chap. 15.7.) One of the foure Beasts gave unto the jeven Angels, Seven golden Viols full of the wrath of God, but they went not then, to poure them out, untill they heare a great voice out of the Temple, and now they goe. So that the Doctrine in the first place to be obferved, is this.

Though the counfell and instruction, and advise of a ChurchOfficer may be a good invitement, and inducement, and preparative unto a Calling: yet it is the mighty Voice of Christ, specially in Publike Ordinances, that Effectually ftirreth up a man to the execution of it. Thefe Angels had councell and encouragement given them (as you have heard) to goe about this worke, and were furnished with the wrath of God for this ende: but were not effectually stirred upto fall upon the execution thereof, till they heare a great Voice of Chrift out of the Temple, (that is in publike Ordinances) then they goe to poure out their Vials. You fhall find this a very ordinary Practise in fome things futable hereunto in Scripture. Ifaack gave Iacob a Commandement and Inftruction to goc to Padan-Aram, Gen. 28 6. And thereupon Iacob went on his way, Verf. 7. But the first night that he lodged out of dores, when the Lord appeared to him in the Houfe of God (Verse 15.) and telleth him, That hee will bee with him, and keepe him in all places whitherfoever hee goeth, and will bring him backe againe into this Land. Then I^cob (Chap.29 1.) liftethup his heeles, and goeth on his wayes; Like a Giant refreshed with Wine to runne his Course. And the like was the Practise of the fame Jacob, when they told him that Iofeph was yet alive, Gen. 45.27.2 8. his fpirit revived, and he faid, He would goe down to fee him; but first he goeth to Beer

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