former vision for the seat and throne of God and his Lambe shall remaine in this holy Citie for euer and all his seruants shall be there seruing him eternally by thankesgiuing and praises 4 And they shall see his face and be euer reioycing at his presence hauing his name written vpon their foreheads as yee haue often heard 5 And no night nor darkenesse shall be there at all neither haue they need of lampes nor of light of the Sunne nor any materiall light for the Lord God makes them bright as yee haue heard alreadie and they shall reigne there in all glory for euer and euer 6 Then the Angel after all these things had beene reuealed vnto me sayde vnto me for the confirmation of them All the wordes of this Prophecie are trew and faithfull and the same Lord GOD who inspired from time to time his holy Prophets to forewarne his Church of things to come hee also sent his Angel vnto mee that by me hee might reueale vnto his seruants these things that are shortly to come to passe 7 Loe I come shortly sayth the Lord happy is hee therefore that obserueth and obeyeth the wordes of the Prophecie in this Booke 8 And I Iohn am he who haue heard and seene these things I declare you my name the oftener lest the authority of the Booke should be called in doubt through the vncertaintie of the Writer And when I had heard and seene these things I fell at the Angels feet that shewed me them with mind to haue adored him 9 But he said vnto me See thou doe it not I am thy fellow-seruant and one of thy Brethren the Prophets although I be an Angel and one of them which keepeth and obeyeth the words of this Booke adore thou therefore God to whom all worship onely appertaineth By this my reiterated fall and offence notwithstanding that lately before I had committed the same and was reprooued for it and warned to forbeare it as ye heard before I am taught and by my example the whole Church of the great infirmitie of all mankind and specially in that so great an offence of the adoring of creatures whereof God is so iealous as he saith in his Lawe and vpon consideration of man his infirmitie in this point not I but the Spirit of God by me in the very last words of one of my Epistles saith Deare children beware of Idoles and in this I insist so much not without a cause For I know that Babylon in the latter dayes shall specially poison her followers with this spirituall adulterie or idolatrie as ye haue heard mention made in this Booke 10 And the Angel said vnto me Seale not the words of the Prophecie of this Booke for the time is at hand Yee heard before how I was commanded to seale that which the seuen Thunders spake because it was not lawfull for me to reueale the same but now on the contrarie I am commanded to write and forbidden to seale these Prophecies because I am appointed to reueale the same in respect that the time of their accomplishment is at hand 11 And hee also said vnto mee Despaire thou not of the effect of this Prophecie although it profite nothing the wicked but to make them the more inexcusable For God hath fore-signified that he who doeth harme notwithstanding this Prophecie shall yet continue his wrongs and hee who is filthie shall yet notwithstanding this remaine filthie euen as on the other part it shall confirme and encrease the iust man in his iustnesse and the holy man in his holines for it is not the words of Prophecie spoken but the Spirit which is cooperant with it which makes the seed of faith to take root in any mans heart 12 Loe I come speedily saith the Lord IESVS and bring my reward with me to render to euery man according to his workes as ye haue heard before 13 I am A and Ω the beginning and the end the first and the last as ye haue heard already 14 Happie are they who obey and keepe Christes commandements that they may haue right and part in the tree of life for by obeying they shall be made Citizens of that holy Citie of the which that is the food and that they may enter at the gates to that Citie for the gates shall be readie and open to receiue them 15 But without this Citie as debarred thence shall bee Dogges to wit all prophane liuers fornicators sorcerers murtherers and idolaters and all who loue and make lies and shortly all who continue in any kind of knowen sinne without repentance 16 IIESVS saith the Lord sent my Angel to reueale these things to Iohn that they might be testified to you the seuen Churches I am the root and off-spring of Dauid and I am the bright morning Starre to wit the fountaine of all your glorie 17 And the Spirit and the Bride saith Come to wit the Church for they for their deliuerance wish his second comming to be hastened and Christ for the loue he beareth them hath graunted them their request and he that heares it let him say Come for it becommeth all the faithfull to wish it And he that thirsteth let him come to wit he that would drinke of the water of life let him craue earnestly the dissolution and latter day And let any who will receiue the water of life freely and for nothing as ye heard before 18 And I protest vnto all that shall heare the words of the Prophesie of this Booke that if any man adde vnto it any thing God shall make all the plagues in this Booke to fall on him 19 And if any man take away any thing from the words of the Booke of this Prophesie God shal take his part away out of the book of life and out of the holy Citie and out of these blessings that are written in this Booke For whosoeuer in coping or translating this Booke adulterateth any waies the Originall or in interpreting of it wittingly strayes from the trew meaning of it and from the analogie of Faith to follow the fantasticall inuention of man or his owne preoccupied opinions he I say that doeth any of these shal be accursed as a peruerter of the trewth of God and his Scriptures 20 And now I will conclude with this comfort vnto you to wit He euen Christ that testifies these things that ye haue heard he I say doeth say Surely I come shortly Euen so come Lord IESVS to hasten our deliuerance 21 The Grace of our Lord IESVS CHRIST be with you all and all your successours in trew doctrine by the which both yee and they may be so strengthened in the trewth that by your resisting all the temptations contained in this Booke and constantly perseuering to the end yee may at last receiue that immortall Crowne of glorie mentioned in the last Vision AMEN A FRVITFVLL MEDITATION CONTAINING A PLAINE AND EASIE EXPOSITION OR laying open of the VII VIII IX and X. Verses of the
Raylers I leaue them to God his Iudgment whose hand hath bene vpon the most of them Thirdly his Maiesties Confession of faith hath bene so generally approued as it hath conuerted many of their partie And had it not bene as J haue bene informed by diuerse for the Treatise of Antichrist many more would easily haue bene induced to subscribe to all in that Preface Fourthly Kings and Princes haue by his Maiesties Premonition had a more cleare insight and a more perfect discouery into the Iniury offered them by the Pope in the point of their temporall Power then euer they had Jnsomuch as that point was neuer so throughly disputed in Christendome as it hath bene by the occasion of his Maiesties Booke Fiftly and lastly for the point of Antichrist I haue heard many confesse that they neuer saw so much light giuen to that Mysterie neuer descerned so much trewth by the vniforme consent of the Text and strength of Interpretation of places as they haue done by his Maiesties Booke So that though Controuersies be fitter subiects for Schollers ordinarily then for Kings Yet when there was such a necessitie in vndertaking and such a successe being performed I leaue it to the world to iudge whether there were not a speciall hand of GOD in it or no. Now since I haue begunne with this point of Antichrist J will make bolde to proceed a little with his Maiesties Paraphrase vpon the Reuelation wherein that Treatise of Antichrist is principally grounded His Maiesties singular vnderstanding in all points of good Learning is not vnknowne But yet aboue all other things GOD hath giuen him an vnderstanding Heart in the Interpretation of that Booke beyond the measure of other men For this Paraphrase that leades the way to all the rest of his Maiesties Workes was written by his Maiestie before hee was twenty yeeres of aage and therefore iustly in this Volume hath the first place the rest following in order according to the time of their first penning Anciently Kings drempt dreames and saw visions and Prophets expounded them So with King Pharaoh and Ioseph in Egypt So with Nabuchodonosor and Daniel in Babylon Jn this aage Prophets haue written Visions and Kings haue expounded them GOD raised vp Prophets to deliuer his People from a temporall captiuitie in Egypt and Babylon by the Jnterpretation of the one And GOD hath in this aage stirred vp Kings to deliuer his People from a Spirituall Egypt and Babylon by the Interpretation of the other It is an obseruable thing that GOD neuer made his People any great promise but he added vnto his promise a famous Prophecie Three great promises we reade of that runne through all the Scriptures The first of the Messiah the second of the land of Canaan the third of the Kingdome of Heauen To these three promises are reduced all the Prophecies Of the promise of the Messiah prophecied all the Prophets from the fall of the first Adam to the comming of the second Of the promise of the Land of Canaan prophecied Iacob and Ioseph and the rest from the promise made to Abraham to the possessing of it by Iosuah and the children of Israel Of the promise of the Kingdome of Heauen made by our Sauiour CHRIST ' prophecied the Apostles principally S. Paul and S. Iohn in the Reuelation Now though all were to lay hold on the promises yet few were able to vnderstand the Prophecies And surely though all the people of GOD are to lay hold on the promises of that Glorious Kingdome described in that Booke yet few are able to vnderstand the Prophecies therein contained comprehending in them a perfect History and State of the Church euen from the destruction of Ierusalem till the consummation of the whole world Yet this I thinke I may safely say That Kings haue a kinde of interest in that Booke beyond any other for as the execution of the most part of the Prophecies of that Booke is committed vnto them So it may be that the Interpretation of it may more happily be made by them And since they are the principall Instruments that GOD hath described in that Booke to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist to consume his State and Citie I see not but it may stand with the Wisedome of GOD to inspire their heart to expound it into whose handes hee hath put it to excute vntill the LORD shall consume both him and it with the Spirit of his mouth and shall abolish it with the brightnesse of his comming For from the day that S. Iohn writ the Booke to this present houre I doe not thinke that euer any King tooke such paines or was so perfect in the Reuelation as his Maiestie is which will easily appeare by this Paraphrase by his Maiesties Meditation on the 20. Chap. and his Monitorie Preface Jt was my purpose to haue past through all his Maiesties Books to haue expressed the Argument and the occasion of their writing But I find by that J haue already said I should be ouer tedious vnto you This therefore in generall They are all worthy of a King and to be kept to Posterity For if Ouid could imagine that no time should eate out the memory of his Metamorphoseis which were but fictions J hope no time shall see an end of these Books that carry in them so much diuine trewth and light And as in this first worke of the Paraphrase his Maiestie hath shewed his Piety So in this last Pearle I meane his Maiesties Speach in the Starr-Chamber his Maiestie hath shewed his Policy The first sheweth hee vnderstands the Kingdome of GOD this last that hee as well apprehends the State of his Kingdomes in this World The first sheweth him to haue a large Portion in that of Heauen and this last sheweth him to haue a great Power and experience in these Kingdomes hee hath on earth Therefore let these men that delight so much in Detraction and to vilify him whom GOD hath exalted and to shed his blood whose Soule GOD hath bound vp in the Bundle of life Let them J say write what euer the Subtilty of the olde Serpent can put into their heads or the Malice of Sathan infuse into their hearts Let them speake what the poyson of Aspes is able to put into their lippes they are not all able to make his Maiestie to appeare lesse then he is nor to shew that euer they had of theirs a King so accomplished It is trew that wee haue not had many Kings in this Kingdome of our Profession But for those we haue had this Iland of ours neuer saw the like either for partes of Nature giftes of Learning or Graces of Piety The little time of life that God lent to King Edward must needs lessen his prayses But neuer did there appeare beginnings of more rare perfection then in him The length of Queene Elizabeths dayes together with the felicity of her time was not only a Glory to her owne People but a wonderment to the
deceipt as composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnarma Geddon which may very well agree with the History because it is the name of the place saith Iohn where the wicked being assembled together by the alluring and deceipt of Satan and his three spirits of Diuels to make warre with the faithfull were all destroyed by God and so their destruction came and was procured by deceipt Yet others interpret it to signifie destruction by waters as composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harma Geddon which also may very well agree with the Historie For waters indeed in this Booke signifie oft many people and Nations as appeareth by the very Text in the 17. Chapter And others take it to be an allusion to the destruction that Ioshua made of Gods enemies vpon the hill of Mageddon and therefore to bee composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harr which is called a Hill and Mageddon which may also very well agree with the Historie And as J speake of this so J speake the like of Gog and Magog in the 20. Chapter and of all other ambiguous places in this Booke Jt rests then that what ye finde amisse in this Paraphrase yee impute it to my lacke of yeeres and learning and what ye find worthy to be allowed in it that yee attribute the full praise thereof to GOD to whom onely all praise appertaineth Fare-well THE ARGVMENT OF THIS WHOLE EPISTLE THIS Booke or Epistle of Reuelation was called in doubt aswell for the incertaintie of the Author as also for the canonicalnesse of the Booke it selfe by sundry of the ancients and specially by Eusebe For soluing whereof I need not to insist since it is both receiued now of all Christians and also diuers of the Neoteriques in speciall Beza in his Preface vpon it hath handled that matter sufficiently already So that this doubt onely rests now in men that this Booke is so obscure and allegorique that it is in a maner vnprofitable to be taught or interpreted Whereunto I will shortly make answere and then goe forward to set downe the methode of the same And therefore to make a deduction from the beginning let vs vnderstand in what seuerall or principall parts the whole Scriptures may be diuided in and then which of them this Booke is How soone Adam being made perfect in his Creation and hauing the choise of Life and Death Good and Euill did by his horrible defection make choise of Death and cast off Life and by that meanes infected his whole posteritie with double sinne to wit Originall and Actuall God notwithstanding had such a Loue to mankinde as being his most Noble workemanship and Creature made to his owne Likenesse and Image that he selected a Church amongst them whom first because of their weakenesse and incredulitie he with his owne mouth taught and next instructed and raised vp notable men amongst them to be their Rulers whom he endued with such excellent gifts as not onely their example in life preached but also by Miracles they strengthened and confirmed their Faith But lest this ministrie of men should make them to depend onely vpon their mouthes forgetting Him and making Gods of them he at length out of his owne mouth gaue them his Law which he caused them to put in Writ and retaine still amongst them And then lest they should forget and neglect the same he raised vp godly Rulers as well Temporall as Spirituall who by their holy liues and working of Miracles reuiued and strengthened the Law in their hearts But seeing that notwithstanding all this they cast themselues headlong in the gulfe of vices such is the vnthankefull and repining Nature of Man hee raised vp Prophets as especially Ieremie and Daniel to accuse them of their sinnes and by Visions to forewarne them of the times to come whereby the godly might turne and arme themselues and the wicked might be made inexcusable And thus much for the Old Testament But then God seeing that notwithstanding this there crept in such a generall corruption amongst them that scarce one might be found that bowed not his knee to Baal Hee then by his vnsearchable Wisedome incarnated his Eternall Sonne and Word THE LORD IESVS who by his death and Passion accomplished the faith of the Fathers whose Saluation was by the beleeuing in him to come as also made an open and patent way of Grace to all the world thereafter And then as vpon a new world and a new Church Gods Fatherly care to Mankind was renued but in a more fauourable forme because hee looked vpon the Merits of his deare Sonne Then first Christ with his owne mouth did instruct men and confirmed his Doctrine by Miracles and secondly raised vp the Apostles to giue the Law of Faith confirming it by their liues and Miracles And last that notwithstanding this Defection was beginning to creepe in againe hee inspired one of them to wit IOHN to write this Booke that hee might thereby euen as Ieremie and Daniel did in the old Law aswell rebuke them of their sinnes as by forewarning them to arme them against the great tentations that were to come after Then of it selfe it prooues how profitable this Booke is for this aage seeing it is the last Reuelation of Gods will and Prophesie that euer was or shall bee in the World For wee shall haue no more Prophesies nor Miracles hereafter but must content our selues with the Law and Prophecies already giuen as Christ in his Parable of Lazarus and the rich man teacheth Now as to the Methode this holy Epistle is directed to the seuen Churches of Asia Minor whom hee names and writes to particularly in the first three Chapters of the same and vnder their Names to all their trew Successors the whole Church Militant in the World The whole matter may bee diuided in sixe parts to wit The praise or dispraise of euery one of these Churches according to their merits wherein they merit good or euill what way they ought to reforme themselues and this is contained in the three first Chapters And to make them inexcusable in case they slide againe hee shewes the estate of the whole Church Militant in their time he tells them what it shall be vntill the end of the World and what it shal be when it is Triumphant and immortall after the dissolution These three last parts are declared by Visions in the rest of the Epistle first the present estate of the Church then and what it should be thereafter vnto the later day is summarily declared by the first sixe of the seuen Seales in the sixt and seuenth Chapters and afterwards more at large by the seuen Trumpets that came out of the seuenth Seale in the 8. 9. 10. 11. Chapters And because through Tirannie and abuse of the Popedome Poperie is the greatest temptation since Christes first comming or that shal be vnto his last therefore he specially insists more at large and cleerly in the declaration and painting forth of the
iust proportion and symmetrie that shall be among all the parts of this holy Citie 16 And this Citie was fouresquare because of the gates towards the foure parts of the earth to receiue indifferently the commers out of any of them as yee heard before And it was alike long and broad to signifie the infinite bounds thereof and hee measured the Citie with his reed and it came to twelue thousand furlongs this number also expresseth the great bounds of this Citie for it is here vsed for a number of perfection as sundry times before And this Citie was alike in length breadth and height for all the parts of it were alike large 17 And the Angel did measure the wall of it and it was an hundred and foure and fourtie cubites of height this number is correspondent to the number of Saints who were standing with the Lambe on Mount Sion as ye heard before and the measure wherewith this was measured was the measure of the man which is the measure of the Angel This Citie is measured with the measure of CHRIST God and man to teach vs that he is onely the Architectour of this Spirituall Citie which he measureth by his cubites and not by the cubites of any man 18 And the fabricke of the wall of the Citie was composed of Iasper to signifie that the wall thereof shall stand eternally and the Citie it selfe was of pure gold and like to cleere glasse whereon no filth will remaine 19 And the twelue foundations of the Citie were decked with all kind of precious stones the first foundation was of Iasper the second of Saphire the third of Chalcedonie the fourth of Emerald 20 The fift of a Sardonix the sixt of a Sardius the seuenth of a Chrysolite the eight of a Berill the ninth of a Topaze the tenth of a Chrysophrasus the eleuenth of an Hyacinth the twelfth of an Amethist These twelue sundry stones one for euery one of the foundations signifie that we the twelue Apostles who are these twelue foundations as ye heard shall euery one receiue a diuers reward and crowne of glory according to the greatnesse and excellencie of our labours in the earth these twelue precious stones allude also to the twelue precious stones in Aarons brestplate 21 And the twelue gates were of twelue pearles and euery gate of a sundry pearle this signifies the like of the Patriarches and the Market place of the Citie was of pure golde and like the glistering glasse signifying thereby as by an euident token that seeing the Market place which is the commonest place of euery towne of this spirituall City is of so fine and bright stuffe that no base and vncleane thing shall be in any part thereof 22 And I saw no Temple in it for the Lord God Almightie euen the Lambe is the Temple of it for no other shall be there wherein God must be praised but the person of Christ in whom all the faithfull shall be incorporated as I said before 23 And this Citie shall neede no Sunne nor Moone to shine in it for the glory of God hath made it bright and the Lambe is the lampe thereof for as it is no corporall paradise nor dwelling place on earth which is heere spoken of so is no part of the glory thereof earthly but celestiall and spirituall 24 And the Gentiles which are saued shall walke in that light and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory vnto that citie for all the faithfull kings shall resigne all their worldly glory in that citie and receiue a new and incorruptible glory from the Lambe who is the light thereof 25 And the gates thereof shall not be shut in the day time for there shall neuer be any suspicion of trouble there for which cause worldly cities often shut their gates and the night shall neuer be there but an eternall brightnesse through all 26 And the honour and the glory of the nations shall be brought into her for all their worldly glory shal be nothing in respect of the glory of this City 27 And there shall nothing enter into this Citie that defileth or is defiled nor no man that committeth any abominable deed or that speakes lies but onely these shall haue entrance into this holy City whose names are written in the Lambe his booke of Life as ye heard before CHAP. XXII ARGVMENT The rest of the same description Mans pronenesse of his owne nature to idolatrie The Writer tells his name that no man may doubt who was the writer of this Booke and who endited the same The faithfull ought to wish the comming of the latter day The curse vpon them who adde or take from this Booke and vse it not aright THen to the effect that I might know that the inhabitants of this holy Citie were as well eternall as the walles and glory of the same this Angel did shew vnto me the cleere and pure flood of the water of life whereof Christ promised to giue the Samaritane to drinke as I said before and it was cleere like crystall and it flowed from the Throne of God and the Lambe This Riuer alludeth to that spring of Ezechiel which came foorth from vnder the Temple floore and it also alludeth to the Riuers of earthly Paradise 2 And in the middest of the market place and on either side of this Riuer did grow the Tree of Life hauing twelue maner of fruits euery moneth bearing once and bearing leaues for the health of the Gentiles This Tree and this water of Life are the heauenly meat and drinke meant by Christ when the Capernaites were scandalized with his doctrine as ye read in the Euangel written by me and of this Tree and water were those of Ezechiel and in earthly paradise the figures the number of the fruits thereof answereth to the number of the tribes of Israel who through eating the fruits thereof by faith obtained saluation as likewise the varietie and plentie of ioyes to all the faithfull there and as it bare fruit to the Iewes for food that is to satisfie them so it did beare leaues to the Gentiles who being healed by these leaues of all spiritual diseases were not onely preserued but also prepared and got appetite thereby to eat and turne into nutriment or spirituall strength and contentation the fruites thereof This tree grew on euery side of the water of Life to signifie that they are both but one thing and inseparable both proceeding from the mightie and mercifull Throne of God and his Lambe and they were both in the middest of the Market place to signifie by their being in so common a place that as they are the support strength and comfort of the Church triumphant or holy Citie so all the in-dwellers therein haue the like free accesse thereunto and are all alike participant thereof 3 And no accursed thing shall be any more for then shall hell and death be confined and restrained within themselues for euer as ye heard in the
20. Chapter of the REVELATION in forme and maner of a Sermon THE TEXT 7 And when the thousand yeeres are expired or ended Satan shall be loosed out of his prison 8 And shall goe out to deceiue the people which are in the foure quarters of the earth euen Gog and Magog to gather them together to battaile whose number are as the sand of the Sea 9 And they went vp to the plaine of the earth which compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloued Citie but fire came downe from God out of the heauen and deuoured them 10 And the diuel that deceiued them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where that beast and that false prophet are and shal be tormented euen day and night for euermore THE MEDITATION AS of all Bookes the holy Scripture is most necessary for the instruction of a Christian and of all the Scriptures the Booke of the REVELATION is most meete for this our last aage The necessitie of the knowledge of the Reuelation as a Prophesie of the latter times so haue I selected or chosen out this place thereof as most proper for the action we haue in hand presently A summe of the 20. Chap. of the Reuelation For after the Apostle IOHN had prophesied of the latter times in the nineteenth Chapter afore-going he now in this twentieth Chapter gathered vp a summe of the whole wherein are expressed three heads or principall points 1. First the happie estate of the Church from Christs dayes to the dayes of the defection or falling away of the Antichrist in the first sixe verses of this 20. Chapter 2 Next the defection or falling away it selfe in this place that I haue in hand to wit the seuenth eight ninth and tenth verses 3 Thirdly the generall punishment of the wicked in the great day of Iudgement from the tenth verse vnto the end of the Chapter The Apostle his meaning in this place then is this The meaning of this present text That after that Satan then had bene bound a thousand yeeres which did appeare by his discourse afore-going of the Saints triumphing in the earth hee shall at last breake forth againe loose and for a space rage in the earth more then euer before but yet shall in the end be ouercome and confounded for euer .. It resteth now knowing the summe that we come to the exposition or meaning of the Verses The order obserued in handling this text and first expound or lay open by way of a Paraphrase the hardnesse of the words next declare the meaning of them and thirdly note what we should learne of all THE FIRST PART AS touching the wordes in them for order sake wee may note 1 First Satan his loosing 2 next his doing after he is loosed 3 and last his vnhappie successe Then for the first Satan in his instruments is loosed to trouble the Church by Satan is meant not onely the Dragon enemie to Christ and his Church but also with him all the instruments in whom he ruleth and by whom he ruleth and by whom he vttereth his cruell and crafty intentions specially the Antichrist and his Clergie ioyned with the Dragon before in the 16. Chap. verse 17. and called the beast and the false prophet For as Christ and his Church are called after one Name Christ by reason of their most strait and neere vnion and heauenly effects flowing there from 1. Cor. 12.12 So Satan and his sinagogue are here rightly called Satan The thousand yeeres by reason of their vnion and cursed effects flowing therefrom These thousand yeeres are but a number certaine for an vncertaine which phrase or maner of speaking is often vsed by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures meaning a great number of yeeres Moreouer The prison whereout Satan is loosed the prison whereout he is loosed is the hels which by the Spirit of God are called his prison for two causes 1 One because during the time of this world at times appointed by God he is debarred from walking on the earth 2. Pet. 2.4 Ind. ver 6. and sent thither greatly to his torment as was testified or witnessed by the miracle at Genezareth among the Gadarens Matth. 8.28 2 Next because that after the consummation or end of the world he shall be perpetually or for euer imprisoned therein as is written in the same Chapter ver 10. Finally he is loosed by interruption or hindering and for the most part The loosing of Satan to the iudgement of men abolition or ouerthrow of the sincere preaching of the Gospel the true vse of the Sacraments which are seales and pledges of the promises contained therein and lawfull exercise of Christian discipline whereby both Word and Sacraments are maintained in purity called in the first verse the great chaine whereby the diuell is bound and signified by the white horse gouerned by the Lambe Chap. 6. verse 2. So the meaning of all this 7. verse is this The diuel hauing bene bound and his power in his instruments hauing bene restrained for a long space by the preaching of the Gospel at the last he is loosed out of hell by the raising vp of so many new errors and notable euill instruments especially the Antichrist and his Clergie who not onely infect the earth a new but rule also ouer the whole through the decrease of trew doctrine and the number of the faithfull following it and the dayly increase of errours and nations following them and beleeuing lies hating the trewth and taking pleasure in vnrighteousnes 2. Thess 2.11 12. And thus farre for Satan his loosing Now to the next his doing after he is loosed Satan first deceaueth then allures to follow him and in the end maketh all his to take armour against the Church First he goeth out to seduce or beguile the nations that are into the foure corners of the earth and they become his though in certaine degrees his tyrannie and trauaile appeareth and bursteth out in some more then in others For as all that doe good are inspired of God thereto and doe vtter the same in certaine degrees according vnto the measure of grace granted vnto them so all that doe euill are inspired by Satan and doe vtter the same in diuers degrees according as that vncleane spirit taketh possession in them and by diuers obiects and meanes allureth them to doe his will some by ambition some by enuie some by malice and some by feare and so forth and this is the first worke Secondly he gathereth Gog and Magog to battell Gog and Magog in number like the sand of the Sea and so he and his inclined to battell and bloodshed haue mightie armies and in number many inflamed with crueltie The special heads and rulers of their armies or rather rankes of their confederats to goe to battel and to fight are twaine here named Gog and Magog Gog in Hebrew is called Hid and Magog Reuealed to
what indifferencie of Religion can Momus call that in mee where speaking of my sonnes marriage in case it pleased God before that time to cut the threed of my life I plainly forewarne him of the inconuenients that were like to ensew incase he should marry any that be of a different profession in Religion from him notwithstanding that the number of Princes professing our Religion be so small as it is hard to foresee how he can be that way meetly matched according to his ranke And as for the other point that by some parts in this booke it should appeare that I doe nourish in my minde a vindictiue resolution against England or some principals there it is surely more then wonderfull vnto me vpon what grounds they can haue gathered such conclusions For as vpon the one part Ineither by name nor description poynt out England in that part of my discourse so vpon the other I plainly bewray my meaning to be of Scottish-men where I conclude that purpose in these termes That the loue I beare to my Sonne hath mooued me to be so plaine in this argument for so that I discharge my conscience to him in vttering the verity I care not what any traitour or treason-allower doe thinke of it And English-men could not thereby be meant since they could be no traitours where they ought no alleageance I am not ignorant of a wise and princely apophthegme which the same Queene of England vttered about the time of her owne Coronation But the drift of that discourse doth fully cleare my intention being onely grounded vpon that precept to my Sonne that he should not permit any vnreuerent detracting of his praedecessours bringing in that purpose of my mother onely for an example of my experience anent Scottishmen without vsing any perswasion to him of reuenge For a Kings giuing of any fault the dew stile inferres no reduction of the faulters pardon No I am by a degree nearer of kinne vnto my mother then he is neither thinke I my selfe either that vnworthie or that neere my end that I neede to make such a Dauidicall testament since I haue euer thought it the dewtie of a worthie Prince rather with a pike then a penne to write his iust reuenge But in this matter I haue no delite to be large wishing all men to iudge of my future proiects according to my by-past actions Thus hauing as much insisted in the clearing of these two points as will I hope giue sufficient satisfaction to all honest men and leauing the enuious to the foode of their owne venome I will heartily pray thee louing Reader charitably to conceiue of my honest intention in this Booke I know the greatest part of the people of this whole Isle haue beene very curious for a sight thereof some for the loue they beare me either being particularly acquainted with me or by a good report that perhappes they haue heard of me and therefore longed to see any thing that proceeded from that authour whom they so loued and honoured since bookes are viue Idees of the authours minde Some onely for meere curiositie that thinke it their honour to know all new things were curious to glut their eyes therewith onely that they might vaunt them to haue seene it and some fraughted with causlesse enuie at the Authour did greedily search out the booke thinking their stomacke jit ynough for turning neuer so wholesome foode into noysome and infectiue bumours So as this their great concurrence in curiofitie though proceeding from farre different complexions hath enforced the vn-timous divulgating of this Booke farre contrarie to my intention as I haue alreadie said To which Hydra of diuersly-enclined spectatours I haue no targe to oppone but plainenesse patience and sinceritie plainenesse for resoluing and satisfying of the first sort patience for to beare with the shallownesse of the next and sinceritie to defie the malice of the third with-all Though I cannot please all men therein I am contented so that Ionely please the vertuous sort and though they also finde not euery thing therein so fully to answere their expectation as the argument would seeme to require although I would wish them modestly to remember that God hes not bestowed all his gifts vpon one but parted them by a iustice distributiue and that many eyes see more then one and that the varietie of mens mindes is such that tot capita totsensus yea and that euen the very faces that God hath by nature brought foorth in the world doe euery one in some of their particular lineaments differ from any other yet in trewth it was not my intention in handling of this purpose as it is easie to perceiue fully to set downe heere all such grounds as might out of the best writers haue beene alledged and out of my owne inuention and experience added for the perfite institution of a King but onely to giue some such precepts to my owne Sonne for the gouernement of this kingdome as was meetest for him to be instructed in and best became me to be the informer of If I in this Booke haue beene too particularly plaine impute it to the necessitie of the subiect not so much being ordained for the institution of a Prince in generall as I haue said as containing particular precepts to my Sonne in speciall whereof he could haue made but a generall vse if they had not contained the particular diseases of this kingdome with the best remedies for the same which it became me best as a King hauing learned both the theoricke and practicke thereof more plainely to expresse then any simple schoole man that onely knowes matters of kingdomes by contemplation But if in some places it seeme too obscure impute it to the shortnesse thereof being both for the respect of my selfe and of my Sonne constrained there-unto my owne respect for fault of leasure being so continually occupied in the affaires of my office as my great burthen and restlesse fashery is more then knowen to all that knowes or beares of me for my Sonnes respect because I know by my self that a Prince so long as he is young wil be so caried away with some sort of delight or other that he cannot patiently abide the reading of any large volume and when he comes to a ful maturity of aage he must be so busied in the actiue part of his charge as he will not be permitted to bestow many houres vpon the cōtemplatiue part therof So as it was neither fit for him nor possible for me to haue made this Treatise any more ample then it is Indeed I am litle beholden to the curiositie of some who thinking it too large alreadie as appears for lacke of leisure to copy it drew some notes out of it for speeds sake putting in the one halfe of the purpose and leauing out the other not vnlike the man that alledged that part of the Psalme non est Deus but left out the praeceeding words Dixit insipiens in corde
come and when hee commeth hee shall continue a short space Verse 11. And the Beast that was and is not is the eight and yet one of the seuen By which Beast hee meaneth the Antichrist who was not then come I meane in the Apostles dayes but was to come after So as betweene the time of the Apostles and the ende of the worlde must the Time of the Antichrists comming be and with this the Papists doe also agree Whereby it appeareth that Babylon which is Rome shall bee the Seate of the Antichrist Reuel 1.1 chap. 4.1 but not that Ethnicke Rome which was in the Apostles dayes for Iohn himselfe professeth that hee is to write of nothing but that which is to come after his time Nor yet that turning Christian Rome while shee was in the conuerting which immediatly followed the Apostles time glorious by the Martyrdome of so many godly Bishops But that Antichristian Rome when as the Antichrist shal set downe his seat there after that by the working of that Mysterie of iniquitie Christian Rome shall become to be corrupted and so that deadly wound which the Gothes and Vandales gaue Rome shall bee cured in that Head or King the Antichrist who thereafter shall arise and reigne for a long space But here it may bee obiected that the Antichrist cannot reigne a long space since S. Iohn saith in two or three sundry places that the Antichrist shall worke but the space of three yeeres and a halfe Surely who will but a little acquaint himselfe with the phrases and Stile of S. Iohn in his Apocalyps shall finde that he doth ordinarily set downe numerum certum pro incerto Chap. 7. Chap. 9.16 18. So doeth hee in his twelue thousand of euery Tribe that will bee safe so doeth he in his Armie of two hundred thousand that were sent to kill the third part of the men and so doeth he in diuers other places And therefore who will but remember that in all his Visions in the said Booke hee directly imitates the fashions of the Prophet Ezekiels Daniels and Zacharies Visions borrowing their phrases that prophecied before CHRIST to vtter his Prophecies in that was to speake of the last dayes shall finde it very probable that in these three dayes and a halfe hee imitated Daniels Weekes accounting for his Weeke the time betweene CHRISTS first and second comming and making Antichrist to triumph the halfe of that time or spirituall Weeke For as to that literall interpretation as all the Papists make it of three yeeres and a halfe and that time to sall out directly the very last dayes saue fiue and fourtie before CHRIST his second comming it is directly repugnant to the whole New TESTAMENT For CHRIST saith That in the latter dayes men shall be feasting marrying and at all such worldly businesse when the last houre shall come in a clap vpon them One shall be at the Mill One vpon the top of the house Matth. 24.41 and so foorth CHRIST telleth a Parable of the fiue foolish Virgins Matth. 25. to shew the vnlooked-for comming of this houre Nay hee saith the Sonne of man nor the Angels in heauen know not this time S. Peter biddeth vs WATCH AND PRAY euer awaiting vpon that houre And S. Iohn in this same Apocalyps doeth 1 Reuel 3.3 and 16. â—5 twise tell vs that CHRIST will come as a thiefe in the night And so doeth CHRIST say in the 2 Matth. 24.44 Euangel Whereas if the Antichrist shall reigne three yeeres and a halfe before the Latter day and that there shall bee but iust fourtie fiue dayes of time after his destruction then shall not the iust day and houre of the Latter day bee vnknowne to them that shall be aliue in the world at the time of Antichrists destruction For first according to the Papists doctrine all the world shall know him to be the Antichrist both by the two Witnesses doctrine and his sudden destruction And consequently they cannot be ignorant that the Latter day shall come iust fourtie fiue dayes after and so CHRIST shall not come as a thiefe nor the world bee taken at vnawares contrary to all the Scriptures before alleadged and many more And thus haue we proued Rome to be the Seat of the Antichrist and the second halfe of that spirituall Weeke betweene the first and second comming of CHRIST to be the time of his Reigne For in the first halfe thereof the mysterie of iniquitie began to worke but the man of Sinne was not yet reuealed But who these Witnesses should be is a great question The generall conceit of the Papists is that it must bee Enoch and Elias And heerein is Bellarmine so strong as hee thinketh him in a great errour if not an Heretike that doubteth of it But the vanitie of the Iewish fable I will in few words discouer The Cardinall Bellar. de Rom. Pont. lib. 3. cap. 6. in his booke of Controuersies bringeth foure places of Scripture for probation of this idle dreame two in the Old Testament Malachie and Ecclesiasticus and two in the New CHRIST in Matthew hee might haue added Marke too and Iohn in the xj of the Apocalyps First for the generall of all those places I dare boldly affirme That there is not a word in them nor in all the rest of the Scriptures that saith that either Enoch or Elias shall returne to fight against Antichrist and shall bee slaine by him nor any such like matter Next as to euery place in particular to begin with Malachie I know not who can better interpret him then CHRIST Matt. 11.14 and 17.12 Mar. 9.13 who twise in Matthew Chap. xj and xvij and once in Marke tels both the multitude and his owne Disciples that Iohn Baptist was that promised Elias And heerein doeth Bellarmine deale most vnfaithfully with CHRIST for in his demonstration that Antichrist is not yet come because Enoch and Elias are not yet returned hee for his probation thereof citeth these wordes of CHRIST in the xvij of Matthew Elias shall indeed come and restore all things but omits his very next wordes interpreting the same That bee is already come in the person of Iohn Baptist Nay whereby hee taketh vpon him to answere Biblianders obiection that CHRIST did by Iohn the Baptist vnderstand the prophecie of Elias comming to be accomplished he picketh out the words Qui habet aures audiat in the xj of Matthew immediatly following that purpose of Elias making of them a great mysterie and neuer taketh knowledge that in the xvij by himselfe before alleaged CHRIST doeth interpret Malachie in the same maner without any subioyning of these words Qui habet aures audiat adioyning shamelesly hereunto a foule Paraphrase of his owne telling vs what CHRIST would haue said nay in my conscience he meant what CHRIST should and ought to haue said if he had bene a good Catholike setting downe there a glosse of Orleance that destroyes the Text.
Thus ye see how shamefully he abuseth CHRISTS words who in three sundry places as I haue said interpreteth the second comming of Elias to be meant by Iohn the Baptist He likewise cauils most dishonestly vpon that word Venturus For CHRIST vseth that word but in the repeating their opinion but interpreting it that he was already come in the person of Iohn Baptist. Matt. 17.11 As if hee had said The prophecie is indeed trew that Elias shall come but I say vnto you that Elias iam venit meaning of Iohn Baptist and so he first repeats the words of the prophecie in the future time as the Prophet spake them and next sheweth them to be now accomplished in the person of Iohn in the present time Malach. 4.5 Matth. 27. Neither can these words of Malachie Dies magnus borribilis falsifie CHRISTS Commentarie vpon him For if that day whereupon the Sauiour of the world suffered when the 1 This obscuring of the Sunne was so extraordinary and fearefull that Dionysius onely led by the light of Nature and humane learning cried out at the sight thereof Aut Deus patitur aut vices patientis dolet Mala. 4.6 Sunne was totally obscured from the sixt houre to the ninth the Vaile of the Temple rent asunder from the top to the bottome and the earth did quake the stones were clouen the graues did open themselues and the dead arose◠If that day I say was not a great and horrible day I know not what to call a horrible day Which day no doubt had destroyed the whole nation of the Iewes without exception by a iust Anatheme if the said Iohn the fore-runner had not first conuerted many by the doctrine of Repentance and by Baptisme But why should I presume any more to interprete Malachie since it is sufficient that CHRIST himselfe hath interpreted him so And since Ipse dixit nay ter dixit per quem facta sunt omnia what mortall man dare interprete him otherwise nay directly contrary Now for that place of Ecclesiasticus Ecclus. 48.8 as the son of Sirach onely borroweth it from Malachie as appeareth by these words of his Mala. 4.6 of conuerting the sonnes hearts to their fathers which are Malachies own words so doth CHRISTS Cōmentary serue as well to interprete the one as the other it being no shame for that mortal Iesus to be commented interpreted by the immortall and trew IESVS though to the shame confusion of the Iesuits heresies herein But Enoch must be ioyned to Elias in this errand onely to beare vp the couples as I thinke For no place of Scripture speaketh of his returning againe onely it is said in Ecclesiasticus the 44. that Enoch pleased GOD and was translated to Paradise vt daret Gentibus sapientiam or poenitentiam Ecclus. 44.16 since they will haue it so And what is this to say marry that Enoch shall returne againe to this world and fight against the Antichrist A prettie large Comment indeed but no right Commentary vpon that Text. When Bellarmine was talking of Elias he insisted That Elias must come to conuert the Iewes principally restituere tribus Iacob But when he speaketh here of Enoch he must dare Gentibus paenitentiam and not a word of Iewes Belike they shall come for sundry errands and not both for one Or like Paul and Peter the one shall be Apostle for the Iewes and the other for the Gentiles What need such wilde racked Commentaries for such three wordes Will not the sense stand well and clearely enough that Enoch pleased GOD and was translated to Paradise that by the example of his reward the Nations might repent and imitate his Holy footsteps For what could more mightily perswade the Nations to repent then by letting them see that holy Man carried quicke vp to Heauen for reward of his vprightnesse whereas all the rest of the people died and went to corruption And where Scripture faileth the Cardinall must helpe himselfe with the Fathers to prooue both that Enoch and Elias are yet aliue and that they shall hereafter die but with the like felicitie as in his alledging of Scriptures to vse his owne words of mee in his 2 Pag. 27. pamphlet For which purpose he citeth fiue Fathers Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius Hierome and Augustine Vpon this they all agree in deed that Enoch and Elias are still aliue both which no Christian I hope will denie For Abraham Isaac and Iacob are all still aliue Mart. 22 32. as CHRIST telleth vs for God is Deus viuentium non mortuorum Much more then are Enoch and Elias aliue who neuer tasted of death after the maner of other men But as to the next point that they should die hereafter Lib. 5. his first two witnesses Irenaeus and Tertullian say the direct contrary For Irenaeus saith that they shall remaine in Paradise till the consummation conspicantes incorruptionem Now to remaine there till the consummation and to see incorruption is directly contrary to their returning to the world againe and suffering of death Lib cont Iudeos cap. 2. Tertullian likewise agreeing hereunto saith most clearely That Enoch hath neuer tasted of death vt aeternitatis candidatus now he is ill priuiledged with eternitie if he must die againe As for his places cited out of the other three Fathers they all confirme that first point That they are stil aliue but that they must die again they make no mention But he speaking of the Ancient Fathers let mee take this occasion to forewarne you concerning them That though they mistake and vnderstand not rightly many mysteries in the Apocalyps it is no wonder For the booke thereof 2. Thess 2. was still sealed in their dayes And though the mysterie of iniquitie was already working yet was not the man of Sinne yet reuealed And it is a certaine rule in all darke prophecies That they are neuer clearely vnderstood till they be accomplished And thus hauing answered his two places in the Old Testament by his third in the New Testament conteining Christs owne words which being luce clariora I need speake no more of them I am now to speake of the fourth place of Scripture which is in the xj of the Apocalyps For the two Witnesses forsooth there mentioned Reuelat. 11. must be Enoch and Elias But how this can stand with any point of Diuinitie or likelihood of reason that these two glorified Bodies shall come downe out of heauen or Paradise make it what you will preach and fight against the Antichrist bee slaine by him after many thousand yeeres exempted from the naturall course of death rise againe the third day in imitation of CHRIST and then hauing wrought many wonders to goe vp againe to Heauen making an ordinary Poste betwixt Heauen and Earth how this I say can agree either with Diuinitie or good Reason I confesse it passeth my capacitie And especially that they must be clad in Sackcloth whose bodies I hope