to men is translated unto the state and condition of men shewing as before was said that not onely men shal be punished with some greevous punishment but also that the thing it selfe shal be utterly taken away never for to raise againe even as they who are cast to hell must not expect any returning or setting free Certenly we may gather and that not rashly from this strange and unacustomed taking of vengeance that God will shew by some visible signe how damnable and detestable he hath alwayes esteemed the Papacy And this last is that destruction of which in chap. 17.18 shal goe into destruction a iust reward of the Antichristian tyranny 21 And the rest were slaine with the sword Such then is the destructiō of the Prince of wickednesse now of his armies and souldiers Of whō ther is a differing punishment not so horrible at least in shew they shal be slaine with the sword of him that siteth on the horse that is by the word comming out of his mouth as though he should say they shal undergoe the punishments threatned in the word against the disobedient and such as resist the truth as in Ieremy Behold I wil make my words as fire in thy mouth and this people as wood and it shal devoure them chap. 5.14 What singular thing thē shal the destructiō of the Pope have For he also hath bin slaine with this sword That is true indeed but the word threatneth divers punishments according to the manner of the wickednesses the most greevous to the greatest the lighter to the lesse Peradventure because the ruine of the Papacy shal be more horrible than wee think it is exempted from the common order not because it is not denounced in the word but perhaps because it is lesse regarded of us and that we suspect it to be lighter then the event will shew Or as we have declared in ver 15. it may be that these souldiers after the overthrow received shall yeeld their vanquished forces to the truth and subiect their neckes to her yoke ¶ And all the foules were filled with their flesh The Victory being obtained the foules gather to the pray doo fill themselves with the spoiles That whole late Popish natiō shal be subiect afterward to the reformed Churh Every country being a nourrisson of the purer truth shal have some part of the regions before time given up to superstition made subiect to them Which thing seemeth to be signifyed by the foules satiated with the flesh of the slaine army Such then is the end of the Romish Pope and Papacy that remained a few yeeres after the city yet at length so much the more miserable because shee had such as did adorne her funerall with their teares and performed the last duties by weeping But ther shal be none left for the Pope to bewaile his misery but he shal die infamous without mourners or other funeral pompe Wherby at last is accomplished that prophetical parable of the ghests called to the marriage Mat. 22. Doubtlesse those good and evill sent for out of the high wayes are the Gentiles that embraced the calling after that the Iewes had refused it Among them the man that had not a wedding garment is the Church of Rome which despiseth the righteousnesse of faith neither regardeth to be clothed with the merit of Christ by imputation The King comming in and beholding her clothed with her ragges but not with that garment which onely he approoveth now at length biddeth his servants to bind her hād and foote and to cast her into utter darkenesse where is weeping gnashing of teeth For Christ speaketh not there of any one man but collectively of a very great multitude as the sentence added in the end declareth that many are called but few are chosen ver 14. From which at length we understand that the bright comming of the Lord with which Paul foreshewed that the man of sinne should be abolished 2 Thes 2.8 is not his last coming to iudgement but that wherby Christ shal take the Iewes into the fellowship of his holy Church at which time his Kingdome shal flourish most gloriously and shal exceed by infinite degrees all the brightnesse of the ages past as shal be made more evident from the things following After the Pope is destroyed the Dragon shal be abolished many other things accomplished on earth CHAP. 20. AFTER I saw an Angel comming down from heaven having the keye of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hande 2 And he tooke the Dragon that old serpent which is the Divill and Satan he bound him a thousand yeeres 3 And cast him into the bottomlesse pit which he shut up and sealed upon him that he should deceive the nations no more til the thousand yeeres were fulfilled for after that he must be loosed for a little season 4 And J saw seats and they sate upon them and iudgement was given them I saw the soules of them which were beheaded for the witnes of Iesus and for the word of God and which did not worship the Beast neither his Image neither had taken his marke upon their foreheads or on their hands and they lived and raigned with Christ a thousand yeeres 5 But the rest of the dead men lived not againe until the thousand yeeres wereful filled this is the first resurrection 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power but they shal be the Priests of God and of Christ and shall raigne with him a thousand yeeres 7 And when the thousande yeeres are expired Satan shal be loosed out of his prison 8 And shall goe out to deceive the nations which are in the foure quarters of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them togither to battell whose number is as the sande of the sea 9 And they went up into the plaine of the earth and they compassed the tentes of the Saints about and the beloved city but fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them 10 And the Divill that deceived them was cast into a lake of fire and brimston where was both that Beast and also that False Prophet and they shal be tormented day and night for ever more 11 Then I saw a great white throne and one that sate on it from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven and their place was no more founde 12 And I saw the dead both great and smal stand before God and the bookes were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the books according to their workes 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in her and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were iudged every man according to their workes 14 And hell and death were cast into the lake of fire this is the second
death 15 And who soever was not sound written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire The Analysis VVEE have spoken of the destruction of the Beast the destructiō of the Dragon followeth whose history seing it is the conclusion of the whole warrfare of the Church under the crosse first he repeateth briefly the things before spoken secondly by a new Prophecy he declareth the last ruine of him The repetition is framed according to three times the first in which the Divell was taken in the first verse The secōd how long he was bound in the second verse the third when and how lōg he should be loosed in the end of the third verse And all these thinges briefly which after are repeated more largely by mentioning therewithall the state of the Church of what sorte it was in the meane time through every of those periods In the first wherin the Dragon was taken the saints were beheaded at the beginning of the fourth verse In the second wherin the Divill or Dragon was bound there was an unlike conditiō of men for the saincts raigned a thousand yeeres which was the time of the prisōment of the Divill both in respect of the soules slaine in the former period and also in respect of them that were on earth who strove with the Beast neither did submit under his yoke by any meanes in the same verse The other lived not againe all that time but being deceived by the frauds and impostures of the Beast lay as it were dead and buried in their errors in the fift verse The third period which is of the Divill being loosed relateth both the condition of the elect and also the furie of the Dragon raging againe Those thousande yeeres being expired the elect lived not a few as in the second period but they rose againe in a farre greater multitude the errours of the Beast being left and themselves converted unto true godlines Which resurrection is called the first and blessed because of the Priestly and Kingly dignity long continuing of the raigne with Christ in the sixt verse The furie of the Dragon after a thousand yeeres prisonment shal be revived in the seventh verse He shall muster souldiers known by name Gog and Magog infinite in multitude in the eight ver He shall spoile all farr and neare and shal besiege the tents of the saincts in the beginning of the ninth verse and so farr proceedeth the repetition of the former ages That which dooth follow from thence is to come his attempt against the beloved City and utter overthrow both of the army in the ende of the ninth verse and also of himselfe in the tenth verse And thus farre is the destruction of the enemies afterward the happines of the Saints is handled wherby the Church shall shine having escaped all these calamities Which felicity is declared two wayes both by the gathering togither of the saincts in the rest of this chapter and condition of them being gathered in those that followe The gathering hath a preparation and execution The preparation is of the Iudge fitting upō a great throne in the eleventh verse The execution is partly summarily toward them that are to be iudged where the forme of iudgement is out of certē bookes according to the workes verse twelve and the māner of standind before the iudgement seate the resurrection in the thirteenth verse partly by name upon death and hell and those that were not founde in the booke of life in the fourteenth and fifteenth verse Scholions 1 After J saw an Angel come down How great paines the interpreters have taken in this chapter we may see it by their commentaries Especially the Papists torment themselves very much to whom this is a labyrinth out of which they cannot rid themselves no more then of all the other things in this booke in which they wander hither and thither and erre neither can finde any comming out any where as it must needs be where the truth is not for a guide The former exposition the rehearsall of a great part of which is here made will make I hope all things easy ready to us First then in repeating things past to the end that the thinges spoken of before here and there touching the Dragon being now proposed to be seen all at once may the better be understood he speaketh of his apprehension which briefly sheweth by consequent that he was loosed before in that time made those sturres which he is wonte when he hath the raines loose From which it may be gathered easily what was the cōdition of the primitive Church as long as this disturber might confoūde all things at his pleasure But at length his furie was bridled his power weakened by the Angel a description of whom is here made Who this Angel is we have learned from the former things to weet that it is Constantine the Great who being borne the manchilde of the Church making warre for his mothers sake against the Tyrants the Heathen Emperours the Dragon it selfe He is said to come downe from heaven bringing unexpected aide in chap. 12.6.7 c. So the Angel being to fight against the whore and to assaile her unwares was said to come down frō heaven in the eighteenth chapter and first verse He hath the keye of the bottomlesse pit power to open the same and shut up the Dragon but not to cast forth the hellish smoke in which respect onely the key was givē to the Angel of the bottomlesse pit chap. 9.1 There is therfore a great difference between these two keyes The great chaine are the foundations of the Christian liberty layd by him by which he held the Dragon bound as with chaines by a long succession of time that he could not move himselfe to make any trouble For now the way was stopped up against those Heathen to the chiefe soveraignty or if they attained to it by fraud as Iulian yet they were so bound tyed with this chaine that they could not exercise their former cruelty 2 Who took the Dragon Overcame him by open warr chap. 6.15 12.7 For whē those tyrāts were overcome the strēgth of the Dragō was takē away neither could he entreprise any such thing as he exercised before The Heathen Emperours are noted by the names of the very Divell as also in chap. 12.9 the articles being also added for the preheminence of the wickednesse because they may by right be esteemed by his name of whose poyson malitiousnes and wickednes they have bin the ministers Worthily doth a man beare his name whose manners and disposition he taketh upon him This apprehension signifyeth that whole first period frō the time of Iohn and before even unto Constantine the last part of it being put for the whole For saying that now the Dragō was takē he would have it to be understood that before he ran to and fro devising as much evill as he could as we learned in the
country but saith Strabo we maie iustly mervaile at these few who for desire of the place are carelesse of danger and heedelesse of sâ—ffetie or rather what the builders of the city minded Laodicaea Laodicaea by the river Lycus one of the greatest cities of Phrygia which reacheth to Caria neare to Colossie to whom Paule a prisoner at Rome wrote commaunding that the Epistle should openly be read in the Church of Laodicaea Whose letters also he commaundeth that the Colosians should reade Col. 4.16 A citie in time past of great wealth partly thorough the liberality of the cityzens who by their Testaments gave to it great riches partly by reason of selling of excellent soft woole and blacke as a raven for which causes their neighbours did much desire it Such are the seaven cities to whom this Prophecy was by name delivered described as in a table Some man perhapes maie mervaile where Rome then was to whome in steede of all it might have bin written very breifly as to her who bragge that shee is the head of all Verily Christ forgate himselfe who passed over his vicare nor would not send him so much as one letter who onely seemed to have bin spokeÌ„ unto But there is a ready answer why he wrote not to him he knew that he could not erre nor had neede of an admonisher Let therefore this omissioÌ„ be one of the prerogatives of Rome 12. I turned me therefore that J might see To see is taken sometimes by synecdoche for to perceive as Exo. 20.18 The whole people saw voices great lightenings the sounde of a truÌ„pet c. that is perceaved But here it remaines in his proper signification wheÌ„ he had sufficiently perceaved by hearing he now turned himselfe that he might use the benefite of the other seÌ„ce Therfore the other worde is chaÌ„ged froÌ„ his native significatioÌ„ noting by a voice the man whose voice he thought it was ¶ And being turned c. So was the hearing the things seene are partly thinges partly a person The thinges are seaven golden candlestickes the interpretation whereof we shall learne beneath at ver 20. In the meane while let us note that every godly endevour receaved greater fruite theÌ„ was loked for Iohn doeth turne himselfe that he might see the man beholde moreover seaven candlestickes of which he suspected nothing 13. And in the middes c. The person seene is Christ himselfe as is understoode out of ver 17.18 like the sonne of man because in a new shape taken unto him he caused himself to be seene not in that native forme which he tooke of the Virgine in which full of glory he sitted at the right hand of the father which may be the reason why the articles are not prefixed as in other places as Th. Beza hath observed This fourme is put on for the present condition of the Church therefore an other is taken where an other estate of the bride is described ch 19.11 12. c. EveÌ„ as also it coÌ„meth to passe elswhere in many places for Christ alwaies is one unchangeable neither for his owne sake doeth he so often change his fourme to whoÌ„ no alteration befalleth nor any shadow of turning but when according to his divers administration he useth a divers condition of the bride wherby he may both testify his conionctioÌ„ with her also may shew that he in those alterations of tymes forgettes her not he takes upon him fourme fit for the thinges He suffereth when shee suffereth he also triumpheth together with her what mervaile is it then in so neare a society if he susteine also a comon shape According to the same meaning Ireneus expoundeth this divers fourme So saith he the word of God alwaies hath as it were the proportion of things to come and shewed forth to men as it were the fourme of his fathers disposition teaching us what are the thinges of God book 4. ch 37. Neither is it without cause that he is with this habite in the middest of the caÌ„dlestickes manifesting by the same that this adorning doeth not simply absolutely beloÌ„g to him but as farre forth as he is coÌ„versaÌ„t with the Church for speciall time Wherefore in such visions we must not so much seeke what a one Christ is in himselfe as what his administration is what a one the bride is therby which he setteth forth to be viewed in himselfe as in a glasse Therefore as touching the interpretation of the speciall thinges the long garment is the perfect imputed righteousnes of CHRIST wherewith the bride is wholy covered from top to toe so as no filthy nakednes appeareth For this garment is not necessarie to Chr. but serveth to cover the bride which notwithstaÌ„ding Chr. weareth on his bodie declaring how comely for those times in this regard shee should be Neither lesse often than significantly is the righteousnes of faith set forth by a garment Blessed saith the Psalmist is the man whose sinne is covered Psal 32 1. And the guest wanting this garment is cast into utter darkenes Mat. 22.12 Afterward in this booke they are pronounced blessed which watch and keepe their garmeÌ„tes lest they walke naked their shame be seene ch 16.15 ofteÌ„ times so in other places And what doeth more fitlie reseÌ„ble the righteousnes of faith which loatheth our inherent righteousnes as a menstruous clothe neither can rest in any other thing except in this one garment of Christes righteousnes ¶ And girded about the pappes with a golden girdle made of silken threeds covered with golde But was the girdle made of such threeds onely But the Priestes girdle was made of embroidered worke pictured with scarlet purple violet and yellow flowers Exod. 28.39 Whose stuffe was onely of silke as Iosephe of the Antiquities book 3. chap. 8. And this girdle was comon to all the Priests There was another appertaining to the high Priest differing onely in this one thing that it was wrought with golde as Iosephus there speakes This then is a golden girdle not that it was wholly of golde but because the girdle of the High Priest was for this difference excellent Neither is this girdle proper to Christ but to the Bride for which cause this same is the girdle of the Angels beneath chap. 15.6 The which we doe atteine by Christ alone which hath not onely made his elect Priestes but also hath brought them to the honour of the chiefe Priest Seing therefore that this girdle is ours it signifieth most pretious faith in the heart And it is of Golde because what is more Golden and pretious than true faith Yea whose triall is much more pretious than golde that perished 1 Pet. 1.7 This girding is about the pappes because except faith hath her seat in the heart it is no faith And therefore the seaven Angels are girded after this maner chap. 15.6 because otherwaies it is wont to belonge to the loines especially under the law when faith was
elect shall he not also obtayne all things for us that may avayle any way for our good The seaven hornes is that supreame power wherby the man Christ sitting at the right hande of the Father ruleth and governeth all things according to that which Christ being raysed froÌ„ the dead sayd to his disciples all power is given mee in heaven and in earth Mat. 28.18 Therefore that most meeke Lambe wanteth not those weapons wherby he chaseth away his enemyes althoug by his great patience he seemeth not to regarde the iniuries which they doe And thou mayest observe that it is not needfull that the parables and similitudes should agree in all thinges seeing here to the Lambe contrary to nature are attributed seaven hornes and as many eyes that is gifts of the Spirit wherewith Christ endueth the faithfull They are sent from him seeing noe man can be partaker even of the least gift unlesse he bestowe it on them For God heareth not sinners but from his fulnes wee all receive and he being gone to his Father sendeth the Conforter unto his which leadeth them into all trueth as in the Gospell of Iohn chapter sixteene ver seaventh and thirteene A visible token whereof were once the cloven tongues like fire sitting upon the Apostles and that miraculous gift of speaking suddenly with other tongues Act. 2.3 c. With which faculty not onely the Apostles were endued but afterward also others embracing the faith Neither are they onely sente into all the world that they may conferre the comfortable knowledge of salvation to the Elect But that CHRIST may search out all thinges that are done in his Church yea which are done in any other place of the world Wherefore howe great impudency is it to thrust upon the Church a visible head seeing the LAMBE is furnished with so many eyes neither hath them idle and unoccupied but sendeth them forth with all diligence into the whole world The care of Christ taketh not indede away the Ministers eyther Ecclesiasticall or Politicall which he hath ordained But to faine and invent a newe kinde and degree and that under a pretence that CHRIST is absent is proper onely to that man who is directly opposite to Christ As touching the wordes some Copies reade as is noted in the Greeke Bibles lately set forth at Frankeford which are that the relative may be referred as well to the hornes as to the eyes After which manner also Aretas readeth this verse And the Hornes may be sayd to be sent into the whole world when CHRIST putteth forth his power in succouring his owne servantes and destroying his enemyes But it agreeth more properly to the eyes which when wee turne toward any thinge wee are sayd to cast them upon the same 7 He came and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne There is a double consideration of Christ one so farre as of the eternall God sitting togither in the Throne with the Father chap. 4. ver 3. The other so farre as he is of the Mediatour attending on the throne and prepared and ready to performe those things which make for the salvatioÌ„ of his people There is the like regard of the Spirit who as he is the Eternall God partaker of the Throne compassing the same about as in the fourth chap. and third verse But according as he sanctifyeth the Church with created giftes there are seaven Spirits before the Throne seaven burning Lampes seaven Hornes and seaven eyes 8 Having every one Harpes and vials A reioicing and thankesgiving of the Church for this greate benefite of taking and unsealing the Booke Therefore they take unto themselves fit and proper instruments for this purpose Harpes and Vials that is to say Prayses and thankesgiving For Vials full of odours are the harts of the Saints which the Spirit hath filled with a fervent desyre of calling upon GOD the Harpes perteine to gladnes of minde and reioicing in prayers is the very thankesgiving But he alludeth to the manner of the Temple where the LEVITES praysed GOD with Musicall Instruments and the PRIESTES had their Pottes and Bowles set before the Altar full of odours as wee reade in the Prophete Zachary chap. 14. ver 20. ¶ Which are the prayers of the Saints He speaketh not of the offerring of prayers for the dead which are made of them that are alive on the earth but as I have shewed in the former chapter all that which is attributed to the Beasts Elders declareth what exercises the Saints goe about with all diligence in the militant Church So also after in verse 10. And wee shall raigne say the Elders upon the earth not preaching doubtlesse the Kingdome of the soules departed but of the holy men on earth The heartes of these as golden vials doe breath out and yeeld up prayses and thankes for those greate benefites which are obtained for us by Christ If the Elders ofâ—er onely the prayers of other men as the Iesuite interpreteth they should be dumbe in the common ioy of all things Nay rather the benefite is theirs for they themselves shall raigne say they therefore they offer not other meÌ„s but their owne prayers 9 And they sung a newe sunge It is called a newe songe in respect of more plentifull grace ministred nowe since Christ hath ben exhibited then was in olde time under the shadowes of the Lawe The auncient people did not prayse the man Christ so openly and clearly before he had taken unto him our flesh as at this day the faithfull doe prayse him clothed with oâ—r nature from whence not without cause this more manifest praysing is called a newe sung But he alludeth unto the manner of the Lawe where newe greater benefites are celebrated in newe formes of prayses conceaved of purpose whereupon there is so often mention of a newe songe in the booke of Psalmes ¶ And hast redeemed us Therefore the Beasts and Elders are men redeemed by the blood of Christ neither in deede some twelve chiefe men of the Iewes and as many Christian twelve Apostles with the foure Evangelists For this whole company was not chosen out of every Tribe and tongue and people and nation but out of the nation of the Iewes onely but of all the faithfull in every place all which this holy company and bande mustered indifferently from all places of the world doe worthyly note out as wee have observed upon the fourth verse of the 4. chapter And it is sayd significantly out of every Tribe c. not all Tribes c. because all men are not redeemed by the blood of Christ but onely the elect as Aretas hath well observed 10 And hast made us to our God Kinges Some copies doe reade them so this whole verse in the third person but Aretas and the common Latine translation doe reade in the first person wee have expounded these thinges before But why doe they mention this benefite in the cause of taking the
of the cruell enemyes wherewith the sixt chapter was concluded For the common type of which sorte was the whole seaventh chapter doth not interrupt the order of things And indeede such quiet dayes followed by and by after those trumpets For Maxentius being overcome at Rome by Constantine and Maxentius in the East by Licinius howe glad a day appeared to the Church through the whole world Howe great delectation howe great ioy howe great triumphe was ther of all degrees How pleasant was it that the prisons were opened that men were called backe from the mines that their feete were loosed from boundes that their neckes were delivered from the axe Neither onely to have these thinges but also an Emperour of which never any man before did so much as dreame who endevoured exceedingly to adorne by all meanes that he could every one of the meanest that was named a Christian Eusebius triumphed not without cause singing with the wordes of the Psalmist Goe to see yee the workes of Iehova how he maketh desolatioÌ„s in the earth causing warres to cease unto the ende of the earth howe he breaketh the bow and cutteth in peeces the speare he burneth the chariots with fire booke 10. 1. Nowe both the Augustes as well Licinius as Constantinus with one minde did procure diligently not onely the peace of the Church but also the ornaments of peace as it is apparaÌ„t from the Decrees published in the name of them both Euseb booke 10. chap. 5. c. But this was a short peace and in very deede but of halfe an houre continuance For first the Augustes themselves were at concorde scarse one three yeeres space afterward when they were reconciled Licinius assaileth openly the Christians and attempteth a generall slaughter There came more over civill warre which waxed fierce among the rulers of the Church the Bishops themselves who being voide of all feare of the coÌ„mon enemy did fall one upon an other with the weapons of wordes as if they had ben weary of peace even assoone as they had tasted the sweetnes of it with the top of their lippes See Aurelius Victor of Cesar part 2. Euseb booke 10. 8. 9. and upon the life of Constantine booke 1. to the ende beginning of the second Furthermore those thinges which wee have noted before at the first verse of the seaventh chapter 2 And I saw those seaven Angels Such hath ben the Silence from which at length proceedeth the second periode distinguished from the former because the entrance into this began not but at the ende of the seales For shall the TruÌ„pets be aunswerable to the Seales which are brought to their last ende before the Trumpets be prepared to sound More over take away the TRVMPETS from this seaven Seale that which wee leave unto it beside and above the Silence of halfe an houre is a certen small thing and more slender and baren then beseemeth the dignity of it I see that such an opinion hath pleased some learned and Godly men but he that shall marke and observe the thing diligently shall perceave that the same is quite coÌ„trary to the methode of the REVELATION The Heralds of this Periode are the seaven Angels Trumpeters The words themselves doe not shewe playnely whether these Angels were good or noe They are sayd to stande before GOD but this is a doubtfull kinde of speaking in so much as it may be attributed as to the evill so to the good Angels and therefore it is sayd that SATAN presented himselfe togither with the Sonnes of GOD before the Lord as wee reade in the Booke of Iob first chap. ver 6. But the proportion of the BEASTS in the Seales and of the seaven ANGELS Ministers of the Viols every one of which was clothed with Pure Linnen as wee shall see in the fifteenth chapter of this booke and at the sixt verse may cause us to esteeme and iudge these Trumpeters in the same number of Holy ones especially seeing that the article those seaven ANGELS hath also the force of nothing some that were knowne of which wee had none before unlesse the finger be pointed unto those seaven SPIRITS of God sent forth into all the world of which wee have seen in the fift Chapter and at the sixt verse Wee sayd that the foure ANGELS of the seaventh Chapter are the foure first Trmmpets but wee meane not the TRVMPETERS themselves but the events which followed when they blew those their Trumpets But the parts of this Periode are distinguished by Trumpets because these events should be more notable more famous and manifest to all men and as it were sung with the publike and lowde voice of a Trumpet In receaving of which there is a certen preparation before they beginne the worke it selfe because by and by after the silence made there should be given some token of the troubles to come before the rage should waxe hotte and be kindled To which is to be referred that Schime betweene Cecilianus and Donatus of Afrike of which wee made mention before the Apostasy of Licinius and his wicked entreprise against the Church The Contention in the East touching the Lords Supper or Passeover But especially the infection of the Arian Heresy the which assoone as it sprung up began to spred quickly farre and neare and to kindle so great close and secrete hatreds that neither the scorning of the enemyes on the theatres nor the most earnest desire of the EMPEROVR himselfe testifyed both by his letters and teares and also by the Embassage of Holsius Cordubensis a most famous old man could not avayle any thing at all to quench the flame for this see the second book of Eusebius upon the lyfe of Constantine in his letters to ALEXANDER and Arius All these thinges as Trumpets were given in the sight of all men as bâ—ing indeede sorrowfull presagies of the future blowing of the Trumpets 3 Then an other Angell came Hitherto the preparation of the seaven ANGELS Nowe followeth what manner of entrance was made to the events following in one ANGEL Whom wee may not suppose to be any Spirituall substance such as are the ANGELS properly so called that is to say GABRIEL or any of that sorte as the Iesuite would have it but a Man according as this Booke of the Revelation is wont to speak in the which there is nothing more common and ordinary then to give attribute the name of an Angel unto Men. Furthermore this heaven is the Holy Church on earth the Altar the more inward holy place of the same the Ministery of the High Priest which the Angels properly so called doe never execute but the trueth of which belongeth onely to Christ the type unto men onely who have a nature fit for sacrifice about which thing the office of the Priest is chiefly occupied of which nature seeing the Angels are voide neither can they represente the Priest Neither any where in the scriptures are these dutyes attributed to them Furthermore the ministery
they should be vexed To wit the men that were without the marke There is a defect of the relative they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth to be tryed here it is used for to be afflicted tormented or any way to be vexed as every where in the holy Scriptures elsewhere Montanus and Plantines edition reade that they should vexe which they seeme rather to take that the sentence might be lesse harsh but Aretas and the Common translatiō have it in the passive as also Theod. Beza Neither is it in vaine that there is made so sudden a passing frō the verbe active to the passive but to shewe that this sorrowfull time is not to be measured by the furie of them that tyrannize but by the calamity of the sufferers which thing bringeth great light to understand the continuance of the torment of which in the next wordes which follow ¶ Five monthes Primasius readeth sixe monethes but the Greeke copies with one consent and the Common translation have five This place is indeede very darke and such as hath alwayes much troubled the Interprepreters For howe may so small a space agree to the Kingdomes either of the Sarracenes or of the Papists Let every day be counted for so many yeeres that five monethes should be at least as much as an hundred and fifty yeeres after the manner of the Scriptures in other places as in Ezechiel fourty dayes every day for a yeere I give thee and according to the continuall custome of this booke as hereafter wee will shewe God willing yet neverthelesse what is this so small and short a distance of time to these so longe continuing tyrannies Wherfore Bullinger and some others of our countrymen doe thinke that this number is assigned as it were of the hotter monethes in which especially the Locusts are wonte to be in chiefe strēgth for all the graunted space of tyrannizing how great soever it shall be The which opinion seemeth to mee like to be true unlesse that the very great care of the accounte which is used in other places required here also some certen and limited thing The Iesuites being like unto the Cuttell doe purposely as I thinke powre out here their darkenes to the ende that all thinges being confounded and disordered they may lurke the more safely they will have so many common monethes to be signified as though that woe had ben in vaine which the Angell flying through the middes of Heaven had sung before the three last trumpets Did he not foreshewe by the same that the plagues to come should be more grievous then those which were past What greater thing shall this trumpet have then the former if the Locusts in whō lieth the whole force of it neither are endued with power to kill and also that the power which they have is of so short time It was a great destruction which the former trumpets brought in and full of terrour neither passing over in a moment yea not in a fewe yeeres as wee have shewed but if this calamity be so shortened neither shall it compare with the former evils in grievousnes of torment and also in respect of the shortnesse of the paine it would be found much easier But I will not stād long in refuting the toies of the Iesuites It is most iust that they who will coyne figures at their pleasure where they are not should not see the same where they are in very deede having as it were their eyes blinded The thing peradventure may be somewhat more apparant if wee observe certaine positions the first of which is this whole Kingdomes and their Kinges are not spoken of here but onelie the Locusts and their exceeding great power which wee see to rise up by certen degrees First they come forth out of the smoke the smoke out of the pit opened the pit is not opened before the key be given neither is the key given assoone as the starre fell but some long time after From which it is necessary that the Angell be farre more auncient then the infernall generation For who requireth the issue of ones body to be equall to the parent Wherefore that is not to be cast upon the Kingdome it selfe and Kings which is proper to the Locusts Whose age is not to be regarded from hence but onely the sommer time vigour of this overflowing cōpany of vile persons The sommer time I say because neither the first originall of the Locusts nor the last ende seemeth to be limited in this space For they must needes have a beginning to growe before they have a power to hurte But after their power should be diminished they should hurt noe small time through the stinke of their rotten carkeises The seconde the time is not to be counted from the bringers of the paine but from the sufferers Whereunto have refference that verbe passive that they should be vexed of which we spake even nowe For it importeth much from whether of them wee make the accounte if the reckening be from the Locustes themselves they should have power to vexe in noe place of the world but for the space of these five monethes onely but if respect be had to the sufferers the same distance of time shal be given to certaine countries and shal be esteemed according to the diversity of places howsoever the continuing of the Locusts in some place it may be shal be longer Frō which followeth a third position that the five monethes are not once onely to be numbred but so many to be understood figuratively as there are countries which were to undergoe the same calamity for so greate a space of yeeres Which foundations being laid we shall see noe small consent of the History The first troupe of Locustes was of the Saracenes who beginning about the yeere 630. to fly about Mahomet being their captaine in the first five monethes that is the first hundred fifty yeeres afflicted most miserably the whole Arabia Syria Mesopotamia Armenia Persia they tooke likewise Egypt spoiled Afrique and at length entred into Spaine True wilt thou say but they have helde all these places except peradventure Persia Armenia and some parte of Arabia not onely for an hundred and fifty but more or lesse foure hundred yeeres I deny not but in the meane time it is to be considered howe long they were trou belsome to men of the Christian name in those places It is certaine that there were congregations of Christians in great number when first the Saracenes invaded and that they were not utterly rooted out by and by but after a long continuing misery at lēgth they were wholy destroyed by death by slaughter by falling away to that impiety waxing strong which became every day more confirmed by an accesse of newe strength By which things it came to passe that the countries which before time perteined to the worshippers of Christ in the space of those five monethes became all to the infidels either noe Christians at all or
else where fully declared in this book wee hope that wee doo no violence to the truth if that we shal ioyne this place unto the meaning of other the like But some man wil say that wee have made mention of this calling in the former chapter it is true but that of the sixt viall was but begun not perfit and absolute as that of the last viall shall be wheÌ„ all the enemies shal be destroyed VVhich distinction of calling the former words doo manifest when in that first Iohn was commanded to write blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lambe chap. 19.9 VVherby it is taught that the first was not perfit where need was of such confirmation the office wherof is to seale up a thing not yet sufficiently known and to come which all being called had bin superfluous But Daniel writeth most plainly who hath distinguished both the callings by their times He setteth the first at the ende of a thousand two hundred ninetie daies The second at the ende of a thousand three hundred and five The distance between both is of fourty five dayes that is of so many yeeres as in an other place with Gods helpe wee will shew Dan. 12.11.12 VVee shall see likeweise in Ezechiel in the place before spoken off that the dry bones being covered with flesh and skinne did move themselves alike and approach one to an other Moreover after some time during which they were destitute of Spirit at length being quickened by the same doo live a true life and doo performe all those offices of life peculiar unto bodies endued with soules That approaching of the dry bones is that first calling of the former chapter The comming to of the Spirit giving to those bones perfit life is the latter calling this resurrection to which nothing shal be wanting unto perfit salvation Both which though Ezechiel comprehendeth in the same chapter yet he handleth the more distinctly afterward For first before that warre with Gog and Magog he mentioneth the resurrection as also Iohn that which was begun in the former chapter afterward when Gog was destroyed he describeth a most glorious building of the temple in the 40. chapter c. which is this secoÌ„d and full resurrection Therfore the first resurrection of the Iewes of the Iewes I say for the first resurrection of this chapter ver 5. is of the Gentiles into which notwithstanding shal fall at length this first of the Iewes that every way it may be the first shal be by and by after the destruction of Rome The second shal be straite after the Romish Pope and the Turke be destroyed This resurrection is a power to enter into the temple which the smooke did hinder to all untill all the seven last plagues were accomplished ch 15. the which is spent in destroing the Pope of Rome and the Turke as was spoken sufficiently before If I seeme to any to weaken the gâ—neral resurrection by taking so notable a foundation from it let him understand that it taketh no dammage from hence This place hath yet left a most strong ground to confirme the same For the Spirit doth not deceiv with a fained similitude but of which ought to be a most certen persuasion among Christians Otherweise certenly he had lost his labour if he had brought any thing lacking credit Moreover he should have driven to defperation in propounding that which must not be done for they would have thought that even so they had bin past hope but using a tipe of a thing that should most certeÌ„ly come to passe in his time he both maketh the calling undoubted and also declareth the manner wherby at length the resurrection shal be accomplished And thus much of the true sense of this argument now we wil prosecute the rest ¶ Then I saw a great white throne The preparation of God the iudge setting his people at liberty taken from a similitude of the general resurrection For the power and mercy of God shal be no lesse cleare in the molifying of men hardened by so long a revolting and in bestowing salvatioÌ„ upon them so past recovery then at length shal appeare in raising out rotâ—en bodies out of the graves The throne therfore is white most pure most gratious most comfortable in the very forme having a demonstration of mercy Great to declare the most imperial maiesty of God which now shal be made evident in this assembly of his people he sitteth also upon a throne ready to iudge because ther shal be no more any delay of rewarding the stay wherof before brought men into that opinion as if God regarded not the earth there fled from the face of him that sitteth on the throne both earth and heaven a great alteration of al things being made both the false Church plucked up by the rootes and also the true augmented with so great fruitfulnes that her former sorrowful face may seem to have fled away 12 And J saw the dead both smal and great Such then was the iudgment now at described those that shal be iudged These smal and great ar Iewes who before hated the faith and were spent with such calamities that they might seeme to differ nothing from the dead Now al of them shal appeare before God every one to undergo the iudgement either of life or death For now it shal be made manifest who ar elect and who reprobate They which yet shal resist the truth obstinatly shal be numbred amoÌ„g the last sheepe No remedy shal be used afterward wherby their stubburne minds may be subdued But why saith he small and great Whit her in the last resurrection according to the maner wherof al things are here applyed shal every one appeare in that stature in which they departed this life For this cause some have affirmed too rashly that every one shal rise againe in that talnesse in which Adam was created Which opinion both resisteth evidently this place and also taketh away the truth of the restored body if ther shal not be that iust stature in which they dyed ¶ And the books were opened The forme of iudging by books opened which are the consciences endued with the true light of Gods wil with a lively feeling of all their actions These shal now openly manifest to all men them in whom there is a syncere minde given of God and in whom lay hid hitherto the seed of election ¶ Then an other book Of Gods decree and election these things ar spoken after the manner of men considering that it is our manner for the helpe of our memory to recorde in books things done and in iudgmeÌ„ts to give sentence according to the truth of them Therfore election is no new thing neither dooth it depend on our pleasure but is founded on the eternal decree of God ¶ And the dead wer iudged c. After or according to those things which wer writteÌ„ in the books as once in the return froÌ„ BabyloÌ„s captivity