eyes, and making them his flaves and vaf fals, to fight for his kingdom against Christ, against his church, against all goodness, and all good men. Therefore is added,

why the devil is in fuch a rage with the world, and cometh upon them in fo great wrath and fury; to wit, because he hath but a fhort time:' that is, because his kingdom draweth to an end, therefore he doth fo beftir himself.

And when the dragon faw that he was caft unto the earth, he perfecuted the ⚫ woman which had brought forth the manchild,' Rev. xii. 13.

Now the devil feeing himself cast out of heaven, fo as he cannot impeach the falvation of the church, he raileth up horrible perfecutions against her by his inftruments here in the earth, labouring to root her out if it were poffible: for being overcome of the head, he doth now with might and main fet upon the body, and what horrible ftorms he hath in all ages, fpecially in thefe laft days, raised up, and daily doth raise up against the church, both the fcriptures and all church history do abundantly declare.

But to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that fhe might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where the is nourished for a time, and times, and

and half a time, from the prefence of the ferpent,' Rev. xii. 14.

These two wings do fignify all the ways and means of evasion which God gave to his church, when he delivered her from the hands of her purfuers and perfecutors: and also her fwift flight from them and all their malicious practices. For although the church cannot abfolutely fly from the prefence of the devil with her eagles wings, being fo unfpeakably fwift as he is; yet after a fort he is faid to fly from him and his prefence, when the power of the tyrants and perfe cutors which he raised up, cannot overtake her, to murder and kill her. But as touching her flight to the wilderness, and her lodging and nourishment there by God's providence, in the midst of all penury and extremity, we have fufficiently heard before in the fixth verfe, and therefore here I cease to speak any further of it. As concerning the space and continuance of her nourishment in the wilderness, which is here fet down to be a time, and times, and ' half a time; it is the fame with the thoufand two hundred and threefcore days mentioned in the fixth verfe; and the twentyfour months mentioned Rev. xi. 2. and the three days and an half, mentioned Rev. xi. 6. as before hath been fhewed.

.

'And the ferpent caft out of his mouth

water after the woman like a flood that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood,' Rev. xii. 15.

Now the church being fecretly hid, and nourished by God's providence in the wil derness, fo as the devil and his inftruments cannot find her out or come at her, he taketh another courfe, and cafteth about another way to annoy her; and that is, by cafting a flood of water after her to drown, her withal: whereby is meant the innumerable lies, reproaches and flanders, which he raised up by feveral heretics against her in all ages; as the Arians, Donatifts, Papifts, and fuch like, and all to bring her into the hatred of princes, potentates, and all that were in love with her, that fince otherwise he could not prevail against her yet at least he might utterly fink her in this gulf of reproaches.

But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and fwallowed up the flood which the dragon had caft out of his mouth,' Rev. xii. 16.

The fame God which first delivered the church from the violence and fury of Satan and afterwards caft him out of heaven, and gave her victory over him; and after that again miraculously hid her, and preferved her in the wilderness, doth not now at a dead lift forfake her, nor fuffer her to be

drowned in this flood of reproaches, and unjust calumniations, which the dragon caft up after her; but caufeth the earth to help 'her, and to swallow up the flood:' that is, he useth all creatures in the earth to help his church: and not only fo, but also he ftirreth up many earthly and carnal men to defend the church, and to take part with her against her enemies, as fometimes he did Cyrus, Ebedmelech, Nebuzaradan, Gamaliel, and fundry others, whofe power and policy he used for the good of his church, and for the drying up of that flood of reproaches, which Satan hath in all ages caft up against her. And, God be thanked, we fee at this day, that this flood of flanders and calumnies, which Papists and Atheists caft out against the church and her particular members, do dry up daily, and fhall dry up more and more, being drunk in by the earth. And the church doth ftand still unmoveable, and shall stand and continue even unto the end of the world.

Then the.dragon was wroth with the woman, and went and made war with the remnant of her feed, which kept the com'mandments of God and have the teftimony of Jefus Chrift,' Rev. xii. 17.

6

Here we fee there is no end of the devil's malice; he is indefatigable in mifchief; tho' he have never fo many foils, yet he will ne

ver give over, but begin again. For whereas he could not prevail against the woman, to caft her out of heaven by impeaching her election and falvation in Chrift, nor yet root her out of the earth by perfecutions, being hid in the wilderness and locked up in the privy chamber of God's providence, as fometimes young Joafh was locked up in the priest's chamber from the fury of Athalia: now he goeth another way to work, and fetteth upon her in her feed and pofterity, which remain in the earth unto this day. So that now, fince he cannot do what mischief he would against the church, yet will he do what he can: feeing he cannot wound her in her head, yet will he bite and pinch at her heel, as it is writ ten, that he fhould bruife her heel,' Gen. iii. 17. And as the malice of Satan is against the church; fo is the rage and fury of all his members, even all the wicked and ungodly, against the true worshippers of God. They are reftlefs in malice and mifchief: if they cannot vex them one way, they will try another: if they cannot touch them in their lives, yet will they moleft them in their goods and good name: if they cannot do what they would, yet will they do what they can: they will never give o ver: if they can spite them in the least thing. that is, they fhall be fure of it. For they