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against Christ in his kingly office, exalting himself as the others above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, seating himself above the higher powers that be of God: and thus, for preferring these two ordinances of Christ, as Creator and Mediator, the higher powers that be of God, how many of the saints in that street were put to death by this third beast, as by the first and second.— That the righteous judgment of God may be seen on this three-fold beast and Babel, in destroying all these destroyers of the earth; that King Jesus may reign with his people on earth; and that his ordinances, or laws, as God and as Mediator, may be submitted to by all, from the king on the throne to the meanest in the land. For why should any man, ruler or ruled, profess to believe in God and his revelation, and at the same time set himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, as if hypocrisy was enough for God; and his revelation fit only for the support of Popes and Kings, to the opposition of his dear Son, and his blessed reign upon earth. But seeing the third woe of God is to come suddenly on this third part of the beast, and the Kings are now actually gathered into a holy league, that Christ and liberty may not reign; the cry is to every sleeping Christian, in this midnight darkness, Lo! the Bridegroom comes, and who is ready to meet him?
The four following questions, from Rom. xiii. 1, 2, the author thought of submitting to the reader, that, by the aid of the above, he may get a better view of the above passage than the late persecutors in Scotland had, who used to turn up that passage to condemn the conscientious godly in the land, for not submitting their conscience to them, as the higher powers. As but few have got any better view of the passage than what the persecutors
