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| 391 | K. Edw. 3. The loosing out of Satan. | Corrected pagination. The original page number is 401. |
| ✼ The fift booke conteyning the last 300. yeares from the loosing out of Satan. |
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T Hvs hauyng discoursed in these former bookes, the order and course of yeres, from the first tying vp of Sathan, vnto the yere of our Lord. 1360. I haue a litle ouerpassed the stint of time in the scriptures appointed, for the loosing out of him again. For so it is written by S. Iohn Apoc. 20.
The yeares and tyme of loosing
out Satan examined. that after a M. yeares, Satanas the
old dragon shall be let loose agayne for a season, &c.
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The yeares and tyme of loosing out Satan examined. |
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For the better explanation of the which mystery, let vs first consider the context of the Scripture: afterward, let vs examine by history and course of tymes, the meanyng of the same. And first to recite the wordes of the Apocal. the text of the Prophecy is this, cap. 20 |
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Apoc. 20. And I saw an Aungell
descendyng from heauen, hauyng a kay of the bottomlesse pitte, and a great
chayne in hys hande. And he tooke the Dragon
the olde Serpente, which is the deuill and Satanas, and bound him for a
thousand yeares, and put hym in the bottomlesse dongeon and shutte hym vp,
and signed hym with hys seale, that hee should
no more seduce the Gentiles, till a thousand yeares were expired. And
after that, he must be losed agayn for a little space of tyme. And I
saw seates, and they sate vpon them: and iudgement was geuen vnto them,
and the soules I sawe of them which were beheaded for the testimony of
Iesus. &c.
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Apoc. 20. |
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By these wordes of the reuelation here recited, 3. speciall tymes are to be noted. |
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1. First, the beyng abroade of Sathan to deceyue the world. |
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2. The bynding vp of hym. |
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The place of
the Apocal. 20. Expounded, for the loosing out of Satan. 3.
Thirdly, the losing out of hym again, after a M. yeres consummate, for
a tyme.
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The place of the Apocal. 20. Expounded, for the loosing out of Satan. |
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Concernyng the interpretation of which tymes, I see the common opinion of many to be deceyued by ignoraunce of histories, and state of thinges done in þe church: supposing that the cheyning vp of Sathan for a thousand yeares, spoken of in the reuelation, was ment from the tyme of Christ our Lord. Wherin I graunt that spiritually the strength and dominion of Sathan in accusing and condemnyng vs for sinne, was cast downe at the passion and by the passion of Christ our sauiour, and locked vp not onely for a thousand yeares, but for euer and euer. Albeit as touchyng the malitious hatred and fury of that Serpent, against the outward bodies of Christes poore saintes (which is the heele of Christ) to afflict and torment the church outwardly: That I iudge to be ment in the reuelation of Sainct Iohn, not to be restrayned tyll the ceasing of those terrible persecutions of the primitiue Church.
What the loosing of Satan doth meane in
Scripture. At what tyme it pleased God to pity the sorowfull
affliction of hys poore flocke, beyng so long vnder persecution, the
space of 3. hundred yeares, and so to asswage their griefes and tormentes.
Which is ment by bynding vp of Sathan, worker of all those mischiefs:
vnderstandyng therby, that for so much as the Deuill prince of this worlde
had now by the death of Christ the sonne of God lost all his power and
interest against the soule of mā, should turne hys furious rage &
malice which he had to Christ agaynst the people of Christ, (which is
ment by the heele of the seede. Genesis. 3.) in tormentyng their outward
bodies. Which yet should not be for euer, but for a determinate tyme,
when as it should please the Lord to bridle the malice, and
snaffle the power of the old Serpent, and geue rest vnto hys Church for
the terme of a thousand yeares. Which tyme beyng expired, þe said serpent
should be suffred loose agayne for a certayne or a small tyme. Apoc. 20
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What the loosing of Satan doth meane in Scripture. |
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And thus to expound this proheticall place of scripture I am led by three reasons. |
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Three reasons
The first reason. The first is, for that the
bynding vp of Sathan, and closyng hym in the bottomles pit by the
Aungell, importeth as much that he was at liberty, ragyng and doyng
mischief before. And certesse those so terrible & so horrible
persecutions of the primitiue tyme vniuersally through the whole world, duryng the space of 3 hundreth yeares
of the Church, do declare no lesse. Wherin it is to be thought and
supposed, that Sathan all that tyme, was not fastened and closed vp.
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Three reasons The first reason. |
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The 2 reason. The second
reason moouyng me to thinke that the closing vp of Sathan was after the
ten persecutions of þe primitiue Church, is taken out of the xij. chap.
of the Apocalips. Where we read, that after the woman (meanyng the
Church) had trauayled forth her man childe, the olde Dragon the deuill,
the same tyme beyng cast downe from heauen, drawing the third part of the
starres wyth hym: stoode before the woman wyth great anger, and
persecuted her (that is the Church of God) wyth a whole floud of water
(that is, wyth aboundaunce of all kyndes of tormentes) and from thence
went moreouer to fight agaynst the residue of her side, and stoode vpon
the sandes of the sea, wherby it appeareth that he was notas yet locked vp
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The 2 reason. |
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The. 3. reason. Apoc. cap. 13.
Xlij. monethes in the Apocal. cap. 13
examined. The computation of which xlij. monethes (countyng
euery moneth for a Sabbat of yeares, that is for seuen yeares, after
the order of Scripture) riseth to the summe, countyng from the passion of
the Lord Christ, three hundred yeares lacking six, at what tyme Maxentius the
last persecutour in Rome fighting agaynst Constantinus, was drowned wyth
hys souldiours, lyke as Pharao was drowned persecuting the children of
Israell, in the red sea. Vnto þe which xlij. monethes, or Sabbothes of
yeares, if ye adde the other sixe yeares wherein Licinius persecuted in
the East: ye shall finde iust three hundred yeares, as is specified before in
the first booke of thys volume. pag. 102.
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Xlij. monethes in the Apocal. cap. 13 examined. |
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What tyme Satan was tied vp.
After the which xlij. monethes beyng expired, manifest it is that the
fury of Sathan, that is, his violent malyce and power ouer the Saintes
of Christ, was diminished & restrayned vniuersally through the
whole world.
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What tyme Satan was tied vp. |
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Thus then the matter standing euident, that Sathan after 300. yeares, counting from the passion of Christ, began to be chayned vp, at what tyme the persecution of the primitiue Church began to cease: Now let vs se, how long this bynding vp of Sathan should continue, which was promised in the booke of the reuelation, to be a thousand yeares. Which thousand yeares, if ye adde to the xlij. monethes of yeares, that is, to 294. yeares: they make 1294. yeares, after the passion of þe Lord. To these moreouer adde the thirty yeares of the age of Christ, and it commeth to the yeare of the Lord 1324.
About what time and yeare
Satan was let out, by the count of the Apocalips. which was the yeare of the
lettyng out of Sathan, accordyng to the prophesie of the Apocalips.
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About what time and yeare Satan was let out, by the count of the Apocalips. |
| ¶ A Table contayning the tyme of the persecution both of the primitiue, and of the latter church, with the count of yeres from the first bynding vp of Sathan, to hys loosing agayne, after the mynde of the Apocalyps. |
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The ceasing of persecution in the primitiue church. |
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The |
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Mm.iii. |
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