Ane fruitfull meditatioun contening ane plane and facill expositioun of ye 7.8.9 and 10 versis of the 20 chap. of the Reuelatioun in forme of ane sermone. Set doun be ye maist christiane King and synceir professour, and cheif defender of the treuth, Iames the 6 King of Scottis

The secund part.

NOW followis the interpretatioun of the sentence ac∣cording to the ordour vsit in the first part. And first we man knaw quhat time thir thousand or mony ʒeiris was in, and quhen and how was Sathan lowsit. This time is to be found in the saxt chaptour, in the opening of the first thrie seales of ye secreit buik of Gods prouidence beye Lamb: To wit, ye time quhen the quhyte, read, and black horses had their course in the warld. And to speak mair plainely, ye De∣uils power did lurk, quhilk is callit his binding, and ye Euan∣gell did floreish in ane ressonable puritie mony hundreth ʒeiris efter Christ, as ye Ecclesiasticall histories beir witnes. For in greit puritie the Gospell did continue lang, quhilk is sig∣nifeit by the course of the quhyt hors, albeit ye professouris

wee vnder ye croce signifyit by ye reid hors, and traublit wonderfullie be heretickis, signifeit by ye blak hors, by worme∣wod that fell in ye fontainis of wateris in ye thrid trumpet, and by wateris that ye Oragone spewit out of his mouth in ye visioun of ye Dragone and ye woman. chap. 12. This tyme did indure from Christ, ane space efter Augustinis duy is, quhen ye bloodie sword of persecutioun ceassing, ye haill Kirk began to be defylit with diuerse heresies, quhilk cumming to ane ma∣ture & rype heip did produce ye Antichrist, signifeit be ye paill hors in ye fourt seall, by ye king of ye locustis in ye 5 trumpet, by Babylon in ye 11 & 18 chap. by ye secund beast rysing out of ye sea in ye 13 chap. and by ye woman cled with scarlet in ye 17. The arysing of ye hereseis and ye Antichrist breading of thair smok is in this place callit ye lowsing of Sathan. Now fol∣lowis efter this his lowsing quhat he dois: He deceiuis ye na∣tiounis vniuersallie: he gatheris Gog and Magog with intella∣ble armies to fecht: he leuies vp vpon ye plane of ye earth: he compassis ye tentis of ye saintis, and ye belouit citie about. Thir ar his doingis. Now becaus thir actiounis ar maist viuelie de∣clarit in vther placis of ye same buik, I will shortlie alleage them to mak ye mater cleir be conference of places expomng euery ane ane vther. It is said in ye 9 chap. that ye Antichrist sall hound out his locustis or ecclesiastick ordouris be fair al∣lurementis to intyse ye warld to ʒeild to his & thair abominable hereseis, and sall preuaill ouer ye maist part. It is said in ye 11 chap. that he sall persecute ye saintis, kill ye twa witnessis, and sall reioyce with ye kingis of ye earth for thair killing, as ha∣uing bene ye onlie lettis to his full glorie. It is said in ye 13 chap. that he sall blaspheme God in vsurping his power: that be ye aduise and assistance of ye fals prophet or fals kirk he sall send out his imagis or ambassadouris throw ye warld per∣secuting and destroying them that will nocht obey him and them, and acknawledge his supremacie: ʒea nane sall be sufferit to by or sell or vse ciuill societie that acknawledgis not his supreme power and dignitie. It is said in ye 16 chap. that God plaguing him for thir forsaidis abusis, he sall be sa far from repentance, as be ye coutrair he sall find out ane

new sort of vermine, that is, are new ecclesiastick ordour, quhilk at callit thair froggis, quha sall moue and entyse ye princes of the earth to ioyne with him and mak weir against ye faithfull, preissing vtterlie to destroy them: and of that battell and the end thairof dois this place mak mentioun. Now shortlie ioyne all this togidder, and sa obtene the meaning. Thair sall aryse ane Antichrist and enemie to God & his Kirk: he sall be hew of ane fals and hypocriticall Kirk: he sall clame ane supreme power in earth: he sall vsurpe the power of God: he sall deceiue men with abusing locustis: he sall persecute ye faithfull: nane sall be fund that dar awowedlie resist him: in end, feiling his kingdome de∣cay, and the trew kirk beginning to kyith, he sall by ane new sort of deceiuing spiritis gather togidder the kingis of the earth in greit multitudis lyke the sandis of the sea, and by concurrence, or at leist the tollerance of that vther greit awowit enemie he sall with thir numbers compasse the oampis of the faithfull, beseage the belouit citie, mak weir against the saintis: bot vic∣torie sall he not haue, and shame and confusioun sall be his and all his partakeris end. Now quhither the Pape beiris thir mar∣kis or not, let ony indifferent man iudge: I think surelie it ex∣ponis the self: Dois he not vsurpe Christis office calling him self vniuersall bishop, & heid of the kirk: Playis he not ye part of Apollyon and Abaddon the king of the locustis and destroyer or sone of perditioun, in chopping and changing saulis betuixt hewin, hell, & fantastick purgatorie at his pleasour: Blasphemis he not in denying vs to be saiff by ye imputatioun of Christis iustice. Mairouer hes he not send furth and abusie ye warld with innumerable ordouris of locustis and shaue lingis. Hes he not sa fullie impyrit ouer ye warld thir mony hundreth ʒeiris as to ye fyre ʒeid he, quhat sumeuer he was, yat durst deny ony part of his vsurpit supremacie: And hes he not of lait dayis seing his kingdome going to decay, send out the Iesuitis, his last and maist pernicious vermine, to steir vp the Princes of the earth his slauis, to gather and league them selfis togidder for his defence, and rooting out of all them that profess••s Christ trew∣lie. And quhairas ye awowed enemie of God ye Turke was vn∣der bloodie weiris with him euer befoir, is their not of sait ane

trewis amaugis them, that the faithfull may be mair easilie rooted out. And ar nocht presentlie ye armies amassit, ʒea vpon ye verie point of thair executioun: In France against the saintis thair: In Flanders for the lyke: and in Germanie, be quhom alreddie ye Bischop of Colley ne is displacit: And quhat is preparit and cum fordwart against this Ile: Do we not daylie heir: and be all appearance shortlie sall see: Now may ʒe iudge gif this be not ye tyme quhairof this place that I haue maid chois of doeth meane, and sa ye dew tyme for the reueiling of this prophecie. This far for ye interpreta∣tioun of the sentence.

Notes

• The puritie of the Gos∣pell in during st••yes the Ant••••h••isti•• ry••i••••g.
• ••••o Gospel 〈…〉〈…〉 be 〈…〉〈…〉.
• The Pape 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Antichrist, & Paperie ye lowsing of Satan, s•••• quhom pro∣ceidis f•…•… doctrine, and crueltie to subuert ye kingdome of Christ.