Wonder in his Paralipomena Prophetica Chap. xxi that any Man of Wit and Parts and Learning should be so heedless and grosly mistaken as to make it a Prophecy properly so called c. Whereas he that has but the least judgment in the World must needs see if he will not wilfully wink that the Spirit himself stiles it a Vision of things to come And therefore if the Spirit speaks properly the Vision is properly a Prophecy But let us hear what that Learned Person urges in defence of his own Opinion Now the substance of what he alledges in the said Chapter is this That the Vision of the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation is no more a Prophecy than that in Ezekiel the first to which also it is very like in many respects as that of Ezekiel is to the glorious Representation of the God of Israel made to Moses and the Elders in the Mount Exod. xxiv wherefore as neither that which Ezekiel or Moses saw was a Prophecy So neither is it likely that that which St. John saw is a Prophecy It is only or chiefly intended for an Introductory Vision to the Prophecy of the sealed Book which begins Chap. 6.1 a thing usual with the Prophets as may be seen Isa 6.1 2. c. Ezek. 1. Daniel 10.5 c. and no more a Prophecy than those in Isaiah Ezekiel or Daniel are intimating the Divine Inspiration of John in writing those Prophecies and setting forth that in pompous and magnificent Expressions which is noted in a more vulgar stile Rev. 1.1 viz. That God gave his Son the Revelation To this I answer It is here taken for granted that the Vision which Moses and Ezekiel saw in the places afore-cited is not a Prophecy which ought to be clearly proved before any stress can be laid upon it But suppose it to be no Prophecy for I cannot spare time for cavilling will it thence follow that the Vision of Rev. iv v. is no Prophecy only because in some things it agrees with that Vision of Ezekiel i. e. it seems to borrow some of its Types from thence Are not all Interpereters generally agreed that the Types in the Revelation are mostly borrowed from Stories Rites and Constitutions of the Jewish Church and taken out of the Old Testament as well the Historical as Prophetical Parts of it and yet no Man denies it to be a Prophecy For Example do not both Mr. Mede and your self also in several Particulars resemble the Prophecy of the Woman Rev. xii 1 c. to the History of the Children of Israel in Egypt and coming out of it Exod. i. and in the following Chapter And yet you never doubt of its being a Prophecy ere the more for that But further There is a vast difference between the Vision of Ezekiel and Moses and that of St. John Rev. iv v. in that this latter is entitled by the Spirit himself a Vision of things that must be hereafter Now if these or the like words be not prefix'd to that Vision of Ezekiel Moses or that of Daniel either aforementioned how can it be thought good reasoning to say those Visions are no Prophecies therefore this is none I expected the Doctor should have clear'd this point viz. the Argument hitherto insisted on from those obvious words Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter which are the most apposite in the World to prove the Vision immediately subsequent to be a Prophecy but I find not the least notice taken of it But because the Doctor insists much upon its being an Introductory Vision to those of the sealed Book as if it could be no Prophecy if it were an Introductory Vision I answer by granting it to be an Introductory Vision indeed but no otherwise Introductory than the Prophecy of the Sealed-Book introduces that of the Trumpets Chap. viii or than that does the Prophecy of the Opened-Book as the Doctor loves to call it Chap. xi 1 c. Or than the Vision of the Vials Chap. xvi introduces that of the Beast Chap. xvii As one History may introduce another so one Prophecy may introduce another What should hinder But now If by an Introductory Vision be meant a Preface there is no other such as I see than that of Chap. iv 1. where the Voice calls St. John to him saying Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter This I say is all the Preface that I can find for in the very next Verse begins an account of the things themselves which the Voice promis'd to shew him viz. a Prophetical Representation of a glorious Church with a particular Description in the likeness of an History of the Beginning Progress and Accomplishment of the Opening of a certain Book whose Contents are particularly described Chap. vi and those that follow So that here is Prophetia in Prophetiâ i. e. the Prophecy of the Book it self contained in the Prophetical Relation of the opening of it As if it had been said thus Hereafter shall arise a Church like that described Rev. iv wherein a certain Book shall be open'd by the Lamb in such manner and circumstances as are described Chap. v. containing such and such things as are said to have been seen in it in the sixth and following Chapters Now in such manner of speech as this who does not see that the Description of the Church and the manner of opening the Book is introductory of the things contained in the Book and yet is as properly a Prophecy as that contained in the Book is To which Prophetical History of the opening of this Book those words Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter is the only Preface By which and by his adding immediately after that he was immediately in the Spirit upon the speaking of these words to him St. John's Divine Inspiration in writing this Prophecy is sufficiently intimated But whereas the Learned Doctor further asserts That the fifth Chapter is added for the setting forth of that in more pompous and magnificent Expressions which is done but in a vulgar stile Rev. i. 1. that God gave his Son the Revelation this being a Stone that most Interpreters have stumbled at I endeavoured to remove it by demanding several things the attentive Consideration of which would give great light to this whole matter in dispute And the Doctor has done me the honour to set down the Queries themselves as he had them from me in Manuscript with his Answers to them in the 34th Chapter of his Paralipomena Which Answers tho I am not at all satisfied with unless it be that I am much the more confirm'd by them in my former Opinion Yet I shall not here bestow that needless pains of shewing the insufficiency of them For so long as that Assertion stands good which I have been hitherto proving viz. That the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation are a
when it shall be thought fit by those that are the Judges of what is fit in such cases I shall now only endeavour to prepare the way by shewing that which the Reverend and Learned Dr. M. is forced to deny at any rate as being utterly inconsistent with his own and the common Hypothesis viz. That the Vision of the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation is properly a Prophecy and consequently that the design of the fifth Chapter is not to represent God's giving to his Son the Revelation That the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation are a Prophecy This appears so plainly from the Preface that the Spirit himself has prefixt to them that one would think it impossible for any Man to be mistaken in this Point After this I looked says St. John Chap. iv 1. and behold a Door was opened in Heaven And the first Voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me saying Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter Is not this as plain an Indication as can be desired that the things which St. John was now about to see were things to come and consequently that the seeing of those things is prophesying But what were those things which the Voice shewed him What can they be if not those which immediately follow of which St. John gives this Relation ver 2 3 c. And immediately says he I was in the Spirit and behold a Throne was set in Heaven and one sat on the Throne c. And round about the Throne were four and twenty Elders sitting c. and out of the Throne proceeded Lightnings and Thundrings and Voices And there were seven Lamps of Fire burning before the Throne c. And in the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne were four Beasts c. who rest not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy c. And when those Beasts magnify him that sate on the Throne the four and twenty Elders with profound humility give God the Glory of the Works of his Creation Then in the fifth Chapter he proceeds to tell us how that the Sitter on the Throne had a Book in his right-hand written within and on the back-side sealed with seven Seals Whereupon a strong Angel is seen proclaiming with a loud Voice Who is worthy to open the Book c. vers 1 2. None in the whole World is found worthy vers 3. Wherefore St. John weeps ver 4. One of the Elders comforts him ver 5. Whereupon St. John espies in the midst of the Throne a Lamb standing as if it had been slain c. ver 6. who came and took the Book out of the right-hand of him that sate on the Throne ver 7. Upon which the said Beasts and Elders fall down before the Lamb and sing a Song to him congratulating his taking the Book and opening the Seals ver 8 9 10. Then the Prophet hears the Voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders applauding the Lamb ver 11 12. And next he hears no less than every Creature in Heaven Earth Sea and under the Earth giving Blessing Honour Glory and Power to him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb. The four Beasts saying Amen and the Elders doing most profound reverence also ver 12 13. Then he proceeds in Chap. vi 1 2 c. to tell us what he saw in the Book when the Lamb had opened it And I saw says St. John when the Lamb opened one of the Seals and I heard as it were the noise of Thunder one of the four Beasts saying Come and see And I saw and behold a white Horse and he that sat on him had a Bow c. And in like manner he goes on describing what he saw at the opening of each Sea. Now the thing which I affirm is this That whether the things which St. John saw in the Book be a Prophecy of future things or not yet it must needs be that the many other things which he saw and heard before the opening of the Book are a Prophecy The reason is plain because those words of the Voice Chap. 4.1 I will shew thee things that must be hereafter do most plainly and immediately affect the things which he saw in the fourth and fifth Chapters but not those things which he saw in the Book Chap. 6. Nor does this only appear from the order of Narration but also from the reason and nature of the the thing it self For those words of the Voice Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter must necessarily refer to the things which the Voice shew'd him viz. those things which he saw by virtue of his being call'd up into Heaven which things are plainly the Throne with the Sitter on it together with the other things afore-spoken of But as for the things that were contained in the Book he was not shew'd them by the Voice but by the Lamb that opened the Book and the Beasts that called him to see them as appears most evidently from Rev. 6.1 2 c. Besides the Title of things that must be hereafter is not adequate to the Visions of the sealed Book whose Events even according to Dr. M's own Exposition begin as soon as those of the Epistolar Prophecy As therefore the Title to the Epistolar Prophecy is things that are and things that must be hereafter Rev. 1.19 because as the Doctor truly affirms the Epistles concern the state of the Church then present as well as that which was to come why should not the Prophecy of the sealed Book have the same Title since the reason in all points is the same So plain is it every way that those words of the Voice Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter respect not the Visions of the Book Chap. 6. but those that immediately follow the said words in Chap. 4.2 3 c. viz. the Vision of the Throne and the rest that follow If therefore the Vision of the Throne with the Sitter on it the Elders and Beasts praising him the Book in the Sitter's Right-hand the strong Angels proclaiming c. I say if these things be not some of those which the Voice points at Vers 1. telling the Prophet he would shew him things that must come to pass hereafter it will be impossible to prove that any part of the Revelation is a Prophecy Come up hither says the Voice and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter And immediately says the Prophet I was in the Spirit and saw such and such things And are not they the things then which the Voice said he would shew him Which things since the Voice says they are future things or things that must be hereafter it is plain the Vision of them is a Prophecy But notwithstanding this mighty Evidence of Truth the Reverend Dr. M. is pleased to express his
represented as comforting him with the joyful News of the unfolding of it in these words Weep not Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah the Root of David hath prevailed to open the Book v. 5. As who should say Behold through the assistance of Christ whose Merits are ever prevalent with God for the good of his Church I have set forth an Explication of it Whence it undeniably follows That the time of the Church presigur'd in that Chapter is the very time wherein it would please that Lion of the Tribe of Judah to impart the first true Exposition of that Book to his People And the Book is the same which the Lamb takes Chap. v. 7. and opens Chap. vi where also the Contents of it are particularly rehearsed If therefore that Book be truly expounded as no doubt it is already then is the time prefigur'd in Rev. v. 5. past And the Person that has done it being one of the four and twenty Elders was a Member of that glorious Church describ'd Chap. iv 4 c. So that that Church or state of the Church must needs be come also which Observation will be of great use to us when we come to the particular Explication of the Prophecy FINIS III. More Arguments to shew That by the Throne Rev. iv v. is meant a Throne of God on Earth and not in the highest Heaven With Answers to Objections TO the two Arguments made use of in the former Sheet to prove that by the Throne Rev. iv v. is meant some Throne of God on Earth and not in the highest Heaven I now add Thirdly That it is certain and confest by all Interpreters that by Heaven in some places of the Revelation as also in other Prophecies of Scripture is meant an Heaven upon Earth As in Rev. xii where we have mention of a Woman in Heaven and of a great Red Dragon there also persecuting her which Dragon is call'd at ver 9. the Devil and Satan and the Woman afterwards flying into the Wilderness c. Who can be so sensless as to interpret this Heaven otherwise than of an Heaven upon Earth where the Woman the Church is persecuted by her profest Enemy the Devil Since therefore it is so demonstrably certain that in this Prophecy Heaven is sometimes taken for an Heaven upon Earth and it cannot be made out clearly that Heaven where it is spoken of as the Scene of any Action is ever used there in any other sense it follows that the Heaven we speak of Rev. iv v. is an Heaven upon Earth too and consequently the Throne there spoken of an Earthly Throne But Fourthly If it could be made appear that Heaven where it is made the Scene of Action is any where us'd in this Prophecy for the highest Heaven Yet here it were a most unreasonable thing to take it in that sense For then the Sitter on the Throne with the Book sealed in his Right Hand Rev. v. 1. must be God Almighty And whereas it is said in the next Verse that Proclamation was made by a strong Angel Who is worthy to open the Book c. In the 3d Verse it is return'd thereupon That no Man in Heaven nor in Earth neither under the Earth was able to open the Book neither to look thereon The meaning of which if by Heaven be meant the highest Heaven must be That Christ himself was not able to open the Book neither to look thereon which were most absurd And the more because it is certain that God had given his Son the Revelation whereof the Book we speak of is confest to be a part before ever this Vision was exhibited to St. John. For Christ would not have sent his Angel to signify it to his Servant John Rev. i. 1. if God had not signified it to Christ before Wherefore when it is said That no Man in Heaven was able to open the Book the meaning cannot be that no Man in the highest Heaven where Christ sitteth at the Right Hand of God was able but it must be expounded as it is certain that it ought in other places of an Heaven upon Earth To this the Doctor answers That Christ is excepted according as is answered by St. Paul in a like Case 1 Cor. xv 27. But I reply That let the Doctor understand it how he pleases it is certain that St. John did not understand it with exception of Christ viz. as if it had been said No Man in Heaven but Christ was able to open the Book And this appears from what follows in the iv ver where St. John tells us He wept much because no Man was found worthy to open and read the Book neither to look thereon For if the Sitter on the Throne were God Almighty on the Throne of Glory with a Book in his Right Hand sealed how odly would it have look'd in St. John to weep and that much because no Man but Christ was found worthy to open it For whom could he expect or desire should do it besides But the Doctor adds Par. Proph. Chap. xxxiv resp ad 5. That St. John did not know as yet that Christ was worthy to open the Book and read it nor so much as to look upon it Repl. I wonder the Doctor should venture to say so For this is to make that great Apostle and beloved Disciple a very ignorant Man indeed For did not St. John know the Worthiness and Abilities of Christ as well as any Man The Prophet had cause to weep then indeed if he were so weak as to think that Christ himself was not worthy to read the Book But how could he be ignorant of that which every Christian is suppos'd to know Besides St. John must needs have known what the Book was or else he would not have wept that no Man could open it But it is confest on all hands that the Book was part of the Revelation So that St. John of all Men could not be ignorant of Christ's Worthiness to open the Book when he knew that Christ had call'd him on purpose to communicate it to him Object But if St. John's ignorance of Christ's Worthiness had not been the cause of his Weeping how comes the Elder ver v. to comfort him in these words Weep not behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah the Root of David hath prevailed to open the Book c. For by this it should seem that St. John did not know that Christ could do it Answ I have before prov'd this Vision to be a Prophecy and that by Opening the Book is prefigur'd the Explaining of it So that the meaning of the Elder 's words is plainly this Not that Christ in his own Person hath given out an Exposition of the Book but that some Member of his Church on Earth hath done it through the prevalence of his Intercession As if the Elder had said Behold I through the Merits of Christ have been enabled to Expound the Book So
Reader It is therefore to me one of the greatest Wonders in the World that the Doctor who cries up the Apocalyps for a Book so throughly symbolical that he will by no means allow Hail-stones or Earthquakes to be interpreted literally See Par Proph. Chap. xlviii p. 444. should be here so stiff for the literal sense of opening the Seals of a Prophetick Book which as God would have it has no literal sense at all But certainly one would be surpriz'd who has heard to what a degree the Doctor both derides and pities R.H. of Salisbury Epilogue to Apoc. Apocalypseos p. 297. for doting on the literal sense of the Apocalypse to sind him caught in the same snare himself and become as zealous an R. H ian as the Gentleman he oppos'd even in a Type or Symbol which is never known to have been us'd in such a sense For a further Confirmation of the Sense of which Phrase I will instance but in one plain case which we have Dan. xii 4. where the Prophet is commanded to seal the Book even to the time of the end For if opening the Seals of a Book be no more than exposing the bare words without sense to view how can the Book of Daniel be said to have been sealed to the time of the end when the words of it have been visible from the time of his receiving them If you say That opening the Seals of a Book may signify only exposing the bare words tho not in that place of Daniel I desire but what is very fair That you would shew me then some other place where the Phrase signifies what you contend or else confess that you have err'd about it But if it could be shew'd which I believe can never be that opening the Seals of a Book is somewhere found to have a literal sense yet such a sense not only would be dissonant from the stile and genius of the Apocalypse but in the Vision we are now upon impossible to be true For in the literal sense the Seals were open'd by the Lamb in the presence of St. John 1600 Years ago at the time of his seeing this Vision whereas I have before manifestly proved this Vision to be a Prophecy of things that were to come to pass after From whence it follows that the Representations made to St. John in it whereof that of opening the sealed Book is the most insisted on of any are meerly symbolical and to be consider'd only as Images of those future things Moreover there are two other things which make the literal sense of the Seals open'd in St. John's time impossible One is That no such loud Proclamation was ever heard before that opening as is expresly said to have been made before the true opening of them Rev. v. 2. I saw says the Prophet a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the Seals of it And this Proclamation is represented as made in the hearing of all the World as plainly appears from the Return given in upon it in the next Verse viz. That no Man in Heaven in Earth or under the Earth was able to open the Book c. Whence we may certainly conclude that if no Man living in St. John's time did ever hear any such Proclamation made then was not that which is meant by opening of the Seals transacted in St. John's time For it seems very absurd to infer that no Man was able to open the Book because upon loud or publick Proclamation made no Man appear'd to do it if no Man then in being ever heard the Proclamation To this Dr. M. answers That the Proclamation was never made but only in Vision Par. Proph. Chap. xxxiv Resp ad prim And he there also gives this reason why it was not needful to be fulfill'd because the Vision is Dramatical i. e. in the nature of a Stage-play And he explains his Sentiments of the Vision yet more clearly Chap. xxi p. 189. lin 19. where speaking with respect to the Vision in Rev. iv v. he tells us that it is the priviledg of the Angelical Kingdom that they can exhibit Prophetical Shows or Plays when we Mortals can exhibit only Historical Ones So that according to this account the ivth and vth Chapters of the Revelation are a Play or Show exhibited by the Angelical Kingdom and for that reason there needs be no completion of them To this I reply 1. That I have prov'd those Chapters to be as much a Prophecy as any part of the Revelation can be prov'd to be and that from the clear Testimony of the Spirit himself who has prefix'd the Title of Things that must be hereafter to them 2. If Rev. iv v. be a Play that was really acted in Heaven I desire to be inform'd 1. Who acted the Sitter on the Throne and the slain Lamb which are the chief Parts in it The Doctor tells us Par. Proph. Chap. xxxiv about the beginning that by the Sitter on the Throne is meant God and by the slain Lamb Christ Jesus But it were absurd to say either that they act Plays or that any Creature acts their Parts Therefore the Vision is not Dramatical 2. It is manifest that those under the Earth by whom the Doctor on the place understands Wizards c. have a part in this Play too as may be seen Rev. v. 3 13. But none of the Angels in Heaven could have such a part put upon them therefore the Vision is not a Play acted by Angels but like other Visions prefigurative of things to come But now as to the reason why there needs be no completion of this Vision viz. because it is Dramatical this is so far from being a reason of it that if it were true it would be a good reason for the quite contrary For 1. How can this be a Prophetical Show or Play as the Doctor calls it if it be not to be fulfill'd in some real thing to come 2. It is the nature of all Plays to represent real things so far is it from all reason to imagine a Play acted by Angels to be only a Fiction as the Proclamation we speak of must needs be if it were never made nor to be made but only in the Vision 3. If the Vision of the Angel proclaiming needs not to be punctually fulfill'd as being a part of a Dramatical Vision since it is certain and confest by the Doctor himself that the Vision of the opening the Seals whereof that of the Angel proclaiming is part reaches to the end of Rev. xi It will follow that from the first mention of the opening of the Seals Rev. v. to the end of the whole Relation of it Rev. xi the Visions are Dramatical and therefore need no punctual Completion So that the Doctor has bestow'd a great deal of pains to little purpose in interpreting the Visions of the Book Rev. vi when it may be alledg'd that they were