The key of the Revelation, searched and demonstrated out of the naturall and proper charecters of the visions.: With a coment thereupon, according to the rule of the same key, / published in Latine by the profoundly learned Master Joseph Mede B.D. late fellow of Christs College in Cambridge, for their use to whom God hath given a love and desire of knowing and searching into that admirable prophecie. Translated into English by Richard More of Linley in the Countie of Salop. Esquire, one of the Bargesses in this present convention of Parliament. With a præface written by Dr Twisse now prolocutor in the present Assembly of Divines.

The second Phyall upon the Sea of the World * 1.1 of the Beast.

The Sea in the Antichristian world is the whole compasse of * 1.2 the Papall Society, wherein not onely severall Christians, but whole Nations, People, Kingdomes, Provinces, Diocesses, o∣therwise among themselves dis-joyned and severed, are ga∣thered together in one: or thus: the Antichristian Sea is the compasse of the Popes jurisdiction or dominion compassing and enfolding (as the Sea doth the Land) men and Nations worship∣ping Christ.

The second Phyall being powred out upon this Sea, presently it became as the blood of a dead body, or cold and congealed blood, such as is wont to be of those that are dead and slaine, or of a member cut off; seeing it is destitute of the influence of spirit and heat, the entercourse with the fountaine of life being dissol∣ved. The sense is. The Pontificiall Sea was slaine as it were with death, beheading, or slaughter.

Now this was fulfilled, when by the labour of Luther and o∣ther famous reformers of the Church of that Age, God wonder∣fully blessing their undertakings, not now some single persons onely of the common people of Christendome, but even whole Provinces, Diocesses, Kingdomes, Nations, and Cities renoun∣ced communion with those of the Beast, and there being made a great dismembring of the dominion which was so large in times past, they departed from the body of the Beast. By which event the Sea of the Popes Dominion became dead for a great part of it, like the blood of a dead body; in which the Popes crea∣tures could no longer breathe and live.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Chap. 16.
• * 1.2

  Vers. 3.