'Out of Mr Garret's discourse concerning Antichrist'

<1r>

Out of M^r Garret's discourse concerning Antichrist.

Est et alia major necessitas nobis orandi pro Imperatoribus, etiam pro omni statu Imperij, rebus Romanis quod vim maximam universo orbi imminentem, ipsam clausulam sæculi acerbitates horrendas comminantem, Romani Imperij commeatu scimus retardari. Ita nolumus experiri, & dum precamur differri, Romanæ diuturnitati favemus. Tertullian. Apolog. cap: 32. Thus the christians of y^e first ages understood S^t Paul 2 Thess. 2 of him that withheld y^e man of sin. But afterward in S^t Austins time the meaning of y^e place became disputable yet not so far but y^t S^t Austin thought it probable to interpret him that withholdeth of y^e Roman Empire. De Civit. Dei l 2. c 19.

Thou art this head of gold Dan 2.38. This is not spoken of Nebuchan|d|nzzar's {sic} person only but also of his Kingdom as appe{rs}|ar||s| by vers 39 After thee shall arise another kingdom, that is not inferior to thee, that is not to his person but to his kingdom

The number ten is often used indefinitely in scripture as in 1 Sam. 1.8 Nehem 4.12. Iob 19.{2}|3|. Dan 1.20. Amos 6.9. Zech 8.23.

Leo who presided in y^e Roman Se{illeg}|e| Anno 456 \circiter/ boasted in his sermon de wherein y^e Roman Emperors ceast|ed|, boasted in his sermon de Apostolis that y^e temporal government of y^e Roman Emperors was changed into y^e power of y^e Roman See as B^p Morton in his catholick appeal for protestants thus mentions Lib 2, cap 5 sect 10 thus mentions In cujus (viz. Romanæ) sedis potestatem fuit temporale illud imperium (speaking of y^e whole imperial authority) commutatum, ut auctor est Leo Papa, sermone de Apostolis. And the general Councel of Chalcedon (in w^ch Martianus y^e Greek Emperor was present in person) in an <1v> epistle to y^e said Leo called him caput ecclesiarum: if Bellarmin say true De Rom. Pont. lib 3 cap 3. § Hæc sententia, who there tells us that Phocas was not y^e first that called y^e Pope head of y^e Churches, but Iustinian did it before him & y^e Councel of Caledon before him.

In y^e contention about Images w^th Leo Isaurus Gregory y^e second (saith Sigonius) not only excommunicated y^e Emperor but absolved all y^e people of Italy from their allegiance & forbad y^e paym^t of any tribute to him: whereupon y^e inhabitants of Rome Campania Ravenna & Penta{li}|p|olis (i.e. y^e region about Ancona immediately rebelled & rose up{o} in opposition to their magistrates whom they destroyed. At Ravenna Paulus y^e Exarch was killed. At Rome Peter y^e governour had his eyes put out &c Vnde Petavius l 7. c 8 p 372 part pri Rate|i|o. Temp. speaking of y^e con{s}|t|est of Leo Is. & Gregory 2^d saith of y^e latter, Romæ et quicquid Italiæ reliquum erat a Græcorū abstraxit imperio, tributa ijs ultra impendere prohibuit. The same is affirmed by Theophanes & Zonaras Sigebert, Otto Trisingensis, Conradus Vspergensis, Hieronymus Rubeus &c. Sigonius saith d|t|he people not only cast of y^e Emperor but sware to be faithful to y^e Pope.

The Ægyptian Dragon waited to devour the Hebrew children as soon as they were born, Then the Hebrew woman fled into y^e wildernes from y^e Dragon, & her child Moses was caught upt to God & to his throne. And as soon as they came into y^e wildnesse they fell into Idolatry.

Caught up to God & to his throne (by an Hendiadis) for caught up to y^e throne of God

Remnant of her seed. When any general defection or calamity is described in scripture, those whom it pleases God to save out of it are seldome otherwise expressed then by a remnant s|S|ee 2 King. 19.4, 31. Nehem. 1.3 & many other places there are to y^e like purpose.

When S^t Iohn {wrot} fell down to w^p y^e Angel, he answers: I am thy fellow servant & of thy bretheren that have y^e testimony of Iesus Christ for{illeg} the testimony of Iesus is y^e sp^t of prophesy. Which answer is thus worded to shew that y^e Angel is a w^th relation to y^e two wit{t}|n|esses, {he} to insinuate that he w^th y^e rest is a type thereof.

<2r>

I have appointed thee a day for a year Ezek 4.4, 5, 6 that is, that each day sho a day to signify to y^e Iews a year. So|In| Daniels weeks, Schabuahh, (according to y^e etimology of y^e word signifies indeed seven in general & may as well signify seven years as seven days & so does ἑβδομὰς in greek. But according to y^e use of the words they it signifies a week of days as ἑβδομὰς does & {never} in {illeg} when ever it is put absolutely w^th out any {thin} other expressions or circumstances to determin it to {illeg} signify otherwise. With {s} In such circumstances it may signify a week of years as in Gen 29.27. Levit 25.8. Otherwise of it self it signifies in common speaking seven days & {illeg} cannot be understood of years no more then ἑβδομὰς And this is y^e case of Daniel. {&} The word there literally signifys days, typically years, a day being put for a year. See Lu{e}|k|e 13.32, 33

Satan knoweth he hath but a short time Apoc 12.12 Ergo y^e 1260 days are natural days. Resp. In respect o Behold I come quickly Apoc 3.11 & 22.7, 12, 20 Four times repeated & the last time thus Surely I come quickly, to make y^e stronger impression, & yet that quickly is not yet {illeg} arrived. In respect of God &|C|hrist & Angels good & bad a thousand years is but a short time, especially to bad angels whose torments {ap} come too quickly in their apprehension.

Idolatry is every \where in y^e Apocalyps/ charged on y^t Apostacy: \& no other kind of/ blasphemy. And therefore blasphemy must signify Idolatry. Yet if you will: Blaspheming the name of God & his tabernacle & those y^t dwell in heaven may be speaking evill of the true God & true Christ (his tabernacle Ephes \Colos./ 2.9 so are y^e saints Ephes 3.19 1 Cor. 3.17) & of the true saints as if they were fals ones.

Aventinu{illeg}|s| Annal. lib: 7, relates these words of Everhardus: Romani majestas populi, qua olim orbis regebatur, sublata est e terris: Imperator vana appellatio est et sola umbra est. So Salmeron y^e Iesuite (comment on |2| Thes. 2) Imperium Romanum jam diu eversum est, nam qui nunc est Imperator Romanus levissima est umbra Imperij antiqui; us adeo ut ne quidem urbem Romæ possideat, & jam per multos annos Romani Imperatores defecerunt. Hence M^r. Garret thinks the German Empire to be y^e Image of y^e Beast.

<2v>

It was an ancient custome among the Romans to set a mark upon their souldiers & servants, that it might be known to what M^r y^e servants & to w^t General y^e souldiers belonged. The servants usually received this mark in their foreheads & the souldiers in their hands. To this custome y^e Apocalyps alludes in the sealed saints & those y^t receive y^e mark of the Beast, & Chiefly in the latter because they were subjects of y^e Romans in y^e there spoken of.

That no man should buy or sell save that he had y^e mark of or numb name of y^e Beast Apoc 13. In y^e councel of Lateral held ag^t y^e Waldenses & Albigenses under \Pope/ Alexander y^e {7^th} there is this canon Nequis eos in domo vel in terra sua tenere vel fovere, vel Negotiationem cum ijs exercere præsumat. Tom 4 Concil. Edit. Rom. pag. 37. And in another Synod of France held under y^e same Pope Alexander: – Ne ubi cogniti fuerint illius Hæreseos sectatores, receptaculum quisquam eis in terra præbere aut præsidium impertiri præsumat: sed nec in {venditione}|venditione| et emptione aliqua cum ijs communio habeatur. Apud Rev. Armachan. De success. Eccles. p. 239.