16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.



Ver. 16. And the earth helped the woman] That is, the multitude of Christians meeting in the general councils, those four first especially, held at Nice against Arius, at Constantinople against Macedonius and Eunomius, at Ephesus against Nestorius, and at Chalcedon against Eutyches. These helped the Church exceedingly against inundations of heresies; and were therefore by Gregory the Great received and embraced as the four Gospels.



And the earth opened her mouth] An allusion to Num_16:32. Look how the earth swallowed up those malcontents, so did God root out pernicious heresies with their authors and abettors, by the power of the Scripture and the zeal of the orthodox doctors, so that they suddenly vanished out of sight, after a marvellous manner.