597. And causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal injury was healed. This symbolically means that in this way, by supporting arguments, the clergy have established that it be acknowledged as a sacred tenet of the church that because no one can do any good work of himself and fulfill the law, the only means of salvation is faith in the righteousness and merit of Christ, who suffered for mankind and thereby took away the condemnation of the law.

We skip an explanation of these words because their meanings follow from the explanations above in nos. 566, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582. The earth and those who dwell in it symbolize the Protestant Reformed Church, as before. To worship means, symbolically, to acknowledge as a sacred tenet of the church, as before too. That is what is meant here by the beast from the sea whose mortal injury was healed, and it is something we explained above.