written for the understanding of all But the my steries of the Visions although he revealed them to his servants and Prophets yet hee kept them secret from all other men namely that indeed prophane men might alwayes set light by things so obscure but the godly even by the obscurity thereof be the more stirred up to the searching out of divine mysteries The obscurity ought not to keepe us from searthing And although we can scarcely and with much difficultie come unto the understanding of all the secrets of this Booke notwithstanding the difficultie ought not to affright or to keep us from searching but rather stir up a more diligent enquiry into the same Many things in the Booke are without any shadowes of darke Types as speaking plainely of the punishments of the ungodly of the blessednesse and reward of the Saints c. in which lies no obscurity In many Types also the signification is plaine and the Analogie with the things signified not obscure as the Analogie of the seven Candlestickes with the seven Churches of the Lamb with Christ of the woman with the Church of the Dragon with Satan of the Beast and False-Prophet with Antichrist of the Locusts with the devouring Monkes of Babylon and the Great Whore with Rome of the seven heads of the Beast with the seven hils of Rome In the other more obscure Visions we have three helps by whch in some measure wee may dive into the understanding of them viz. the Propheticall Scripture Historie and experience For first after we have compared the Types of the Revelation with the Visions and Phrases of the ancient Prophets Remedies of the darknes in speciall with Ezechiel Daniel and Zacharie we shall find a great likenesse in them and thence receive much light for example In Chap. 4.5 it is said there were seven Lamps of fire burning before the throne which plainly appeareth to be taken out of Zach. 4.10 where the seven Lampes are said to be the seven eyes of Iehovah running too and fro through the whole Earth By which undoubtedly is signified the ubiquitie of Gods power and providence Out of the same Chapter is taken that in Chap. 11.4 two witnesses are said to be two Olive trees and two Candlesticks standing before the face of the Lord of the Earth Examples of which kinde we shall observe many more in the course of our Interpretation If from Johns time we diligently run over the History of the Empire and Romane Church and precisely compare the principall events with the Types of the Revelation certainly we shall see much light to come unto these Visions The Romane and Ecclesiasticall Historie testifies that diverse storms of persecutions were raised against the Christians by Romane Tyrants Eusebius recordeth out of EGESIPPUS Lib. 3. hist cap. 32. that the Church did not long after the Apostles time remain an undefiled Virgine but by little and little through the ambition and contention of Priests declined from Apostolicall sincerity But after CONSTANTINES time In vita Malchi saith JEROM shee became greater indeed in wealth but lesse in vertues After-Histories also testifie that the Romane Bishops by pride and subtiltie namely under a pretence of the primacy left by the Apostle Peter as also of Christs Vicar-ship bequeathed unto them they through the connivency or neglect of the Emperours not onely usurped power over the City of Rome but also took into their owne hands the very spoile of the Empire and at last established this Sacred Empire of the West the direct or indirect power whereof should wholly be in the Popes Holinesse All which things do not obscurely teach us what is meant by the opening of the Seales The arrogance and subtilty of Romish Bishops by the stars falling from heaven to the earth by the Beast speaking great and blasphemous things what is intended by the Beast False-Prophet and Image of the Beast what lastly by the whorish woman sitting on the Beast and ruling over the Kings of the Earth in the great Citie upon seven Mountaines Lastly if we rightly consider the experience of the present times two nuts are not more alike then is the Beast and Purpled Whore to the Papacy then the Locusts unto the Popish Clergy then the impure Frogs proceeding out of the mouth of the Dragon Beast and False-Prophet unto the Popes Messengers being hooded like to Frogs viz the Iesuites cracking miracles and running too and fro by Sea and Land unto the Kings of the Earth Rev. 16 13 14 to gather them unto the Battell of that great Day of God Almighty These things I say will in some measure bee remedies against the darkenesse of the Booke Vnto which in the last place wee must adde diligent meditation and ardent prayer that the Spirit of God who revealed these mysteries to Iohn do enlighten the eyes of our mindes with heavenly knowledge to finde out the wisedome of this Booke For blessed is hee that readeth Rev. 1.3 22.7.14 and blessed are they that heare the words of this Prophesie and keepe them that is which diligently meditate and labour exactly to weigh these oracles in an equall ballance with the events past present and to come CHAPTFR IV. Touching Ancient and Moderne Interpreters of the Revelation and of the manner of Interpreting observed by them I Have spoken of the Authour and Canonicall Authority and obscurity of the Revelation and shewed that in these things is nothing to hinder us from the interpretation thereof The objection about the Interpreters is of no weight I confesse that not a few Divines of great account as Luther Melanchthon Bucer Martyr Calvin Beza and others have abstained from the Interpretation of the Revelation But this neither doth lessen the authority of the Booke neither doth it prejudice other Interpreters for who knowes whither the darkenesse of the Book or their other waighty labours or want of time did occasion the same certaine it is they no way questioned the authority of the Booke In the meane while in all Ages there have beene excellent Teachers of the Church who have laboured to illustrate the secrets of this Booke by their Commentaries The Ancientest that have written upon the Revelation are Iustine Martyr In vita Iohannu and Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons and Melito of Sardis as Ierome and Eusebius record But their Commentaries have not been preserved untill our times Eus lib. 5. hist. ca. 25. save onely that some few fragments of this nature touching the ten hornes of the Beast the two horned Beast of the image Character Number and Name of the Beast arising out of the Sea are found in IRENAEUS Lib. 5. Cap. 21.23.25 Among Augustins workes wee finde a few Homilies upon the Revelation which notwithstanding are ascribed to Ticonius by Bede who himselfe also hath commented some things upon the Apocalyps But Austine in that divine Commentary de Civitate Dei endeavours to search not a few mysteries of this Booke touching
example of their monastical ignorance the author tells us a monasticall exposition upon the word Apocalyps that the word apocalyps is compounded of apo re and clipsor velare O the miserable barbarisme of that age attempting to unfold these high mysteries and in the mean time ignorant of the very name of the title The verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifyes to reveal a secret from which commeth apocalypsis a revelation of a secret such as are all future things For it is not man but God who foreseeth and revealeth things to come But the events which were to befall the Church under the new Testament were hidde both from Iohn and us but are revealed in this booke and therefore it is rightly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which wee may ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a revelation of things to come Afterward it is sometimes called a prophefie from the argument of it which is a prediction of future things revealed by God And the title answereth to the title of the ancient prophets as the vision of Isaiah the vision of Obadiah the prophesie of Niniveh which Naum saw the prophesie which Habacucsaw the word of tâ—e Lord that came to Hosea to Joel to Micah c. so that it sheweth the divine authoritie of the booke For to reveal things to come is from God onely so that this booke being a revelation is inspired of God which argument Iohn afterwards doth more fully confirme For as Ierom wel observeth this mystical booke is intituled a revelation to give us to understand that we have need of the knowledge and explanation of it that wee may say with the prophet open my eyes and I will consider the marveillous things of thy law Psal 119.18 Of Jesus Christ that is which Christ revealed unto Iohn â— argument of the deity of Christ So that Christ is the author of the revelation which is the first argument to proove the God-head of Christ in this booke For God by the prophet doth assume it as a thing peculiar to himself to reveal secrets Isai 42 9 41 23 Behold the former things are come to passe and new things doe I declare before they spring forth I will tell you of them and confounds by this argument all Idols that they are no Gods because they are ignorant of future things But the words following which God gave unto him seem to weaken the argument For to whom God doth reveal things to come hee is not God but God hath revealed these things to Christ therefore Christ is not God The answer is twofold first the whole may bee granted if it bee taken in a good sence as namely that Christ albeit he is true God yet wherein God his father hath revealed these things to him that is according to his humanitie hee is not God For the humanitie of Christ not foreknowing things to come but by revelation is not God but the man Christ Iesus is God because by his divinitie hee fore knoweth all things of himself Secondly the assumption is not in the text and may bee denyed for Iohn saith not that God revealed these things to Christ but gave this revelation to him as to our mediator that hee might reveal the same to us his servants for it is his proper office to reveal the will of the father to the Church So that 〈◊〉 speaketh of the office of Christ as hee is our mediator which doth not 〈◊〉 the â—qualitie of the son with the father but supposeth it because as he was meere man or a creature of what power soever hee could not have performed the workes of a mediator But it behooued him also to bee God But Thirdly there follows no absurditie to understand it as spoken of the Godhead of Christ for such as is the order of existence such also is the manner of working betwixt the father and the sonn For as the somexisteth not of himself but as hee is the first begotten of the father so the soâ— revealeth things to come not of himself but as hee receiveth from the father and as the father Giveth unto the son his Essence so is also his divine wildome communicated unto him from the father by Eternall Generation Lyra and others understand God in this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Essentially of the whole trinitie and taking it in that sence then the revelation is given to Christ by God as unto a mediator onely but understanding it of the person of the father then God is said to give it unto Christ both as to the sonn and mediator also To shew unto his servants the end that God Gave the revelation to Christ was not that hee should have it for himself But as being the messenger of the father to reveal it to his servants By servants is meant Iohn with the pastors and teachers yea all the faithfull of all ages to all which the mysteries of this booke were to bee revealed by Christ First to Iohn that hee should write it and then to all the rest both to read and understand it meditate teach explain it to the Church of God The Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his noteth the servants of Christ for it cohereth with the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew which noteth the office of Christ and not of God So that Christ sheweth this revelation 2 argument of Ch. deity to his owne servants which is a second argument proving the Godhead of Christ For hee certainly is the Lord of the Church yea God Eternal to whom Iohn the teachers and all the faithfull of the Church are servants for God alone is the Lord of the Church according to that of the psalmist Iehovah our Lord c. Psal 8.10 For albeit Christ in that hee is our mediator is exalted to bee head and Lord of the Church notwithstanding except hee had been God hee could neither have been mediator or Lord of the Church So that we plainly see that Christ Jesus is God seeing John and all the faithfull are his servants Which must shortly come to passe this noteth the subject of the booke which containes an historie of things not allready past but of things to come afterward both to the Church and enemies thereof Must come to passe not by a fatall or absolute necessitie 1. Cor. 11.19 but hypothetically or supposedly according to that of the Apostle scandalls and heresies must come Besides God hath so decreed it whose counsell is unchangeable and therefore the events must happen according to the same as also because of secondarie causes as the malice of satan the rage of the enemies against the Church which though they bee changeable in themselves yet they are not changed so that if accidental events bee not altered by the counsell of God and secondarie causes they necessarily come to passe though the contingencie bee not taken away Shortly but how shortly seeing after so many ages they are not as yet come to passe and
are the angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches I Iohn who am also your brother and companion in tribulation Hitherto wee have treated of the preface now followeth the preparation to the vision Lib. 7 hist cap. 20. with the vision it self I Iohn Dionysius Alexandrinus as Eusebius witnesseth draweth hence a reason for to weaken the authority of this booke as if the author were excessive in publishing of his owne praise for saith he the Prophets Apostles used not to mention so ofteÌ„ their owne names as Iohn doth in this booke saying many times J Iohn as if he had been writing not a booke but an obligation or acquittance But Iohn herein doth nothing more then what is very seemly yea necessary Five times indeed he names himself in this booke which wil not seeme strange if wee minde that it is one thing to write a historie another thing to write a prophesie The truth of an historie requireth not the authority of the writer but so doth a prophesie Therefore we read that the old prophets as Jeremie Daniel and others did usually prefix their names to their prophecies whose example Iohn seemeth here to imitate Yea Paul himself expresseth sometime his name in his Epistles I Paul with my owne hand c. And touching the repetition of his name here it was very necessarie For otherwise it might have been thought that Christ who before called himself Alpha and Omega had also spoken the words following I am your brother c. therefore his name is seasonably inserted I John who am your brother c. by which epithites hee seekes to win their good wil also comforteth the Churches to whom he writeth Your brother Not by blood but by faith and in the communion of Christ for there is betwixt the members of Christ a spirituall brotherhood straightly tying them together in the bond of love he calleth himself their companion in three respects because they who are the members of one head must mutually partake together in all conditions First in affliction for even then the Christians were grievously persecuted under Domitian and Iohn himself banished into Patmos Secondly in the kingdom that is a spirituall kingdom For we being made kings and priests to God do now with Christ our Lord maintain the same against all enemies and in the end shall fully injoy it with him in the heavens by this fellowship Iohn the beloved disciple doth not a little rayse up the spirits of Christs afflicted ones because he requireth constancy no otherwise of them but as he himself desired to be a companion with them in their common sufferings yea assureth them that after their afflictions they shall enjoy an everlasting kingdom Thirdly he was their companion in the patience of Jesus Christ or sufferance as the word importeth shewing that in the kingdom to come we shall not suffer but reigne according to that of Paul 2 Timoth. 2 Timoth. 2 12. 2 12. To which purpose is that saying of Tertullian we triumph being overcome being slaine we conquer when we are kept downe we escape howbeit we are no otherwise esteemed then malefactors and worthy to be burnt c. Of Iesus Christ this may be referred as wel to the afflictions kingdom as to the patience or suffrance of Christ which is very comfortable to the Godly for herein the Apostle giveth us to understand that not onely hee but even Christ himself also doth partake with us in our troubles and as the kingdome is Christs so also is our affliction and our suffrance Thus is he afflicted and suffereth with us that wee also might reigne with him I was in the I le that is called Patmos He sheweth where he saw and wrote the Revelation which addes authoritie to the history Patmos is an Island in the sea Aigeum in circuit 30 miles as Plinie writeth For what cause Lib. 4 chap. 12. Lib. 3 hist cap. 14. and in what condition he was being there he mentioneth not Euschius Hierâ—m and others say that he was banished thither in the fourteenth year of Domitiâ—â— â—â—d there he received this revelation from Christ Tertullian addeth that he was apprehended at Ephesus by the governor of Asia Lib. de prescript and sent to Rome where he was boyled in oyle but receiving no hurt afterwards was banished into this Island It is further reported that Domitian did cast him into a caldron of boyling oyle in way of scorne because he had heard that the Christians tooke their name from Christ that is the anointed Domitian being slain his acts for their cruelty recalled by the Senate Iohn under the Emperor Nerva returned from his banishment to Ephesus and ministred to the seven Churches in Asia to whom he wrote the first vision Epiphanius recordeth that John was in Patmos in the dayes of Clandius Cesar But it is a manifest error Claudius being put for Domitian as the computation of the time sheweth For the word of God He closely notes the cause of his banishment least it might bee scandalous and taken as if he had been there as a malefactor for not the punishment but the cause maketh a martyr whereas it was for his constant profession of the doctrine of Christ which the Romans would neither suffer in their city or other territories which caused the first great persecution against the Christians under Nero and the second under Domitian at which time many thousands of them laid downe their lives for the cause of Christ For the word of God and the testimonie of Iesus Christ Both are joyned as here so in vers 2. By the word hee understandeth the son the essentiall word of God Ioh. 1.1 By the testimonie he meaneth the doctrine of Christ Thus by banishments and sufferings the primitive Christians did triumph over their enemies though scandalised as fooles and Galileans by the men of this world and esteemed worthy of nothing but whipping torturing and hanging therefore saith Turtullian that which the enemies chalenge over us is our joy who had rather be candemned then forsake God this is the Palme of our clothing This is the Chariot of our triumph and the reason why wee submit not to these whom thus we have overcome Thus much for the time and the place when and where this prophesy was revealed to Iohn I was in the spirit He sheweth how he saw this revelation viz. not with mortall eyes but being ravished in spirit his mind was carried beyond it self So we read that Peter and Paul praying earnestlie fell into a trance and conversed with God Acts 10 10. 15 16.9 18 9. The which againe confirmeth the divine authority of this booke For the following visions and the mysteries of them were revealed unto Iohn not by the power of any humane wit but by the holy Ghost Interpreters observe three kinds of visions First corporall when we behold the objects preserued with our bodily
world Now whereas the Lord hath hitherto spared the same it is to be ascribed to the prayers of the godly groaning under the dregs of Antichrist to the reformed Churches who with their whole hart doe loath his idolatrie dissipating to the uttermost of their power the smoake of Antichristian darkenesse by the light of the Gospell that so the glory of Christ and true godlinesse lost among the false Christians may againe be restored and flourish Hitherto hath been treated of the first Act of the third vision concerning the calamities of the Church under the Romane tyrants heretickes and hypocrites and of the Western Antichrist king of Locusts as also of the Eastern Angel with his armie of horses Which Act indeed so far as concerned the king of the Locusts was ended about the time of the Councill of Constans but as for the other namely the Turkish destroyer he shall continue unto the sound of the seventh trumpet which shal be bee heard in the last day Now followes the second Act of this vision as opposite to the former shewing remedies for these so great calamities or comforting the godlie under so long continued afflictions THE X. CHAPTER The Argument Vse Parts Analysis THe first Act of the vision was a declaration of the Churches calamities and a beginning of the amplification thereof during the time of the foure trumpets part of the fift sixt The second Act followes beeing consolatorie and opposed to the former calamities A mighty Angel defcends from heaven holding in his hand a booke open standing upon the earth and sea crying with a loud voyce as when a Lyon roareth insomuch as seven thunders uttered their voyces which Iohn went about to write but was commanded to seale the same The said Angel sweareth by God that the time of so great calamities should continue no longer the end and sound of the last trumpet now being at hand but first Iohn is commanded to cat up the little booke which he received of the Angel to prophesy againe All which are so many mysteries of consolation For the godly are taught that in the greatest disturbances and calamities of the Church which she hath still doth suffer by the Romane tyrants by hereticks and hypocrites and chiefly by both Antichrists that Christ I say will not be wanting unto her but will allwayes hold in his hand the booke of his doctrine open and set the foot of his kingdome upon the earth and sea by the roaring of his lyonlike voyce wil cause some faithful teachers to thunder out their voyces although during the most grosse darknesse of superstitions they shal be sealed and neglected untill at length according to Christs oath Antichristian tyrannie hastening to its end and the accomplishment of the divine mysterie beeing at hand God shall rayse up other witnesses of his truth who shall eat up the booke of the Gospell received out of the hand of Christ and againe strongly prophesying against Antichrist shall labour the reformation of the Church concerning which it followes Chap. 11. Thus the whole Chapter consists meerely of consolations for the afflicted Church the which beeing reckoned are sixe in number 1. Christ descends from heaven unto the Church afflicted by Antichrist therefore she shall not be left an orphant 2. He holds in his hand a booke open therefore his word shal not be suppressed 3. He sets his foot upon the earth and sea therefore both by sea land he will reserve some remnants unto himself neither shall his whole possession ever fall 4. By his Lyonlike roaring he makes the thunders to utter their voyces although they remained sealed therfore he will allwayes raise up some faithfull teachers however for a time they shall profit but little 5. Christ swâ—ares that the time sbalbe no longer therefore Antichrist shall not rage perpetually but the calamities of the Church shall have an end 6. Iohn is commanded to eate the booke therfore before the last trumpet sound the Gospell shall againe be openly preached the Church purged from the dreggs of Antichrist The scope of all is that the Church faint not under the crosse but in confidence of the presence of Christ her judge and in hope of an happy issue allwayes rayse up her selfe The Chapter may be divided into two partes 1. TOuching the strong Angel unto vers 8. 2. Of the booke that was eaten up unto the end The first againe hath two parts First the Angel is described by six Epithites v. 1. Secondly foure Acts of the Angel are expounded 1. He holds in his hand a booke open vers 2. 2. He sets his right foot upon the earth and his left upon the sea ibid 3. He roares like a Lyon v. 3. The which is illustrated from the effect of the roaring viz. seven thunders thence utter their voyces as it were an Echo ibid and from a double consequent First Iohns desire to write the voyces and secondly the prohibition not to write but to seale the same vers 4. 4 He sweareth wherein we are to consider 1. The person of the swearer An Angel standing upon the sea and on the earth 2. His gesture He lift up his hand to heaven vers 5. 3. The forme of the oath By the living God the creator of all things vers 6. 4. The two things confirmed by oath That the time of troubles should be no longer ibid and that the seventh Angel sounding the mystery of God should bee consummated vers 7. The other part consists of a divine commandement with Iohns obedience the effect thereof In the commandement note 1. the efficient cause the voyce before heard from heaven vers 8. 2. A double argument that hee should take the booke out of the hand of the Angel ibid and to eate it v. 9. 3. A prediction of the the effect ibid Johns obedience 1. He takes the booke out of the Angels hand v. 9. 2. Having taken it he eates up the same v. 10. The effect of his obedience is twofold 1. internal a sweetning of his mouth but making his belly bitter vers 10. and external a new vocation to prophesie The which is amplified both from the efficient Thou must prophesie and from the forme againe prophesie as also from the object before many peoples nations and kings vers 11. The first part of the Chapter Of the strong Angel holding the booke 1. And I saw another mighty Angel come downe from heaven clothed with a cloud and a rainebow was upon his head his face was as it were the Sun his feet as pillars of fire 2. And hee had in his hand a little booke open and hee set his right foot upon the Sea his left foot upon the earth 3. And cryed with a loud voyce as when a lyon roareth and when hee had cryed seven thunders uttered their voyces 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voyces I was about to write and I heard a voyce from heaven
it shall not bee so for the end is neere at hand as Christ swearing by himself confirmes to the end we might no way doubt thereof so that this Oath serves both for the confirmation of his promise and for our consolation also neyther indeed doth Christ use on oath without waighty cause for Antichrist had so established his possession as that it seemed impossible that his kingdom should be overthrown Therefore Christ sweareth that there should bee no more time to wit sad and mornefull unto the Saintes as hitherto it had been under tyrants and especially under Antichrist who onely bearing swaye tyrannized over all insomuch as no man might contradict him unlesse he meant to die for it by fire or sword But there shall follow other times wherein shal be a reformation of the Church the last down fall of Antichrists kingdome The mysterie of God shall be finished When In the dayes of the seventh trumpet that is so soon as it shall begin to blow then shall be the end of the sixt trumpet the end of the Churches calamities the end of Antichristian tyranny Alcasar applies the mysteries of God to the casting off the Iewes and election of the Gentiles But the most on the contrarie understand it of the mysterie of all Israels conversion unto Christ which shal to come to passe neer the last times of which the Apostle Rom. 11.25 seems to treat and indeed the prophets of old have often prophesied of their calling But because in this place the comfort of the Church militant under Antichrist is onely aimed at unto which the calling of the Iewes doth not directly much belong therefore it is rather better to be taken of the resurrection and day of judgement even when the power of tyrants and all adversaries shall be abolished of which mysterie the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 15.51 Behold I shew you a mysterie wee shall not all sleepe but wee shall all bee changed in a moment in the twinckling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet shall blow and we shall be changed This is that which Christ here sweareth that at the sound of the seventh trumpet the mysterie of God is to be finished the Church delivered and glorified but the enemies eternally to be punished according unto that in the Prophets Isa 24.26.27.66 Daniel 7.11.12 Zacha. 14. Mala. 3. 4. Hence we plainely see that the sound of the sixt trumpet shall continue unto the end of time that is of this world and that at the beginning of the sound of the seventh trumpet an end shall be put to the afflictions of the Church and cruelty of the adversaries The seventh trumpet therefore is no other then that of the Archangel by which the dead shal be raised out of their graves and brought to judgement As in the following Chapter we shall hear so that without all doubt this trumpet respects the end of the world They therfore doe erre from the scope who extend the time of the seven Vialls and of the following visions beyond the seventh trumpet The second part of the Chapter Of the booke eaten up by Iohn 8. And the voyce which I heard from heaven spake unto me againe and said Goe and take the little booke which is open in the hand of the Angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth 9. And I went unto the Angel and said unto him Give mee the little booke And hee said unto me Take it and eate it up it shall make thy belly bitter but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as hony 10. And I tooke the little booke out of the Angels hand and ate it up it was in my mouth sweet as hony and assoone as I had eaten it my belly was bitter 11. And he said unto mee Thou must prophesie againe before many peoples and nations and tongues and Kings THE COMMENTARIE THe other part of the Chapter concerning the booke eaten by John is a preparation to the following Act touching the combat of the two witnesses with the beast about the end of the fift sixt trumpets which yet remaine founding in this present age John as he is commanded eats up the little booke he tooke out of the hand of Christ the which was sweet in his mouth but bitter in his belly And he is commanded to prophesie againe before kings and nations Now what is this but that towards the last times prophesying shall be renewed against Antichrist after which indeed there shall follow new combats notwithstanding Antichrists kingdome shall be greeviously shaken the which beeing donne there shall be no more time that is like the former when Antichrist raged according to his lust and pleasure over the Church This is the summe Now we are well to take notice that this part of the vision is taken out of the prophesie of Ezech. Chap. 3. where an hand from heaven reacheth unto the prophet a roule to eat it up beeing in his mouth as hony for sweetnesse whereupon he is commanded to denounce judgements against the Israelites It shadowed out the heavenly call of Ezechiel as also his readines to obey God in reproving the vices of the people and threatning punishment against them for the same All things are here alike But that Ezechiel felt not the booke as John bitter in his belly that he was sent to prophesie against the house of Israel but Iohn against Antichrist Let us briefly consider who commandeth what is commanded and what followed upon the doing thereof 8. And the voyce which I heard To wit that heavenly voyce mentioned in ver 4. write not but seale the voyces of the thunders c. The same voyce therefore who before forbade him to write doth now command him to eat up the little booke and to prophesie by which is signified the admirable dispensation of the divine grace for Antichrist bearing sway in the Church during the times of the fift sixt trumpets the thunders indeed uttered their voyces that is some faithfull teachers publickly thundered against the idolatrie and tyranny of Antichrist But with little profit The voyces remained sealed and Antichrists power entire yea increased dayly by suppressing those teachers bringing kings and nations under his yoak Now whence came this I answere Christ as yet had not given to John the open booke to eat it up neither commanded him againe to prophesie because he reserved this special grace unto the later times of the fift sixt trumpets Let us therefore acknowledge this singular mercie of God that now unto us the open booke of Christs doctrine is given to be eaten up and prophesie against Antichrist againe revived in the world Take the little booke The heavenly voyce commands two things First that Iohn should take the open booke out of the hand of Christ Secondly eat it up The little booke on the outside contained the revealed written doctrine of the Gospell within the secret counsels of God touching the future
Papists on the foreheads of Romane Tyrants as if they made Alexander the Great Priest of Cybele The cruelty therefore of Papall Rome horriblie exercised above six hundred yeeres hath made the whore drunke But here they will demaund which of the Saints the Popes have killed with their own hands or with whose blood they have bin made drunke As if forsooth the woman be not therefore drunke with blood because shee her selfe hath not with her owne hands made the gallowes swords fires and other deadly weapons wherwith the Saints have bin taken away Histories do witnesse by what cunning endeavours the Romish Antichrist hath stirred up Christian Kings and Princes to rage even against their owne bowells and those chiefly whom under the name of Waldenses Albigenses Leonists Wiclevists Hussites Lutheranes and Hugonots they condemned as Heretickes because they refused to take in the vemone of her whorish cup. Read the bookes of Martyrs of the French Germanes and English and principally the Acts of the Spanish Inquisition and not to be tedious See Abbat demonstra Antichri Chap. 7. where Bellarmines subtilties touching the future persecution of the Church under Antichrist are refuted Read I say these and thou shalt sufficiently understand the bloody surfet of this whore which to this day wherever she hath any footing doth vomit and breath out cruelties and still thirsteth after more blood and so will untill the heavenly Iudge put an end to her fury And I wondred with great admiration Hitherto the Vision the interpretation followes occasioned by Iohns admiration He wondred with great admiration that is very much But at what was it at the monstrous beast nay this he had seene before At what then Is it at the woman riding on the beast yes verily as at that so also at all other wondrous things in the woman viz. her attire whorish luxury the title on her forehead and bloody drunkennesse Iohn wonders not with an admiration of worship as did the inhabitants of the earth Chap. 13.3 but it was an humane astonishment at so horrid a sight and desire to know the mystery for as yet he knew not what was meant by the woman neither by her riding on the beast The third Part of the CHAPTER The VISION Interpreted 7 And the Angell said unto me Wherefore didst thou marveile I will tell thee the mysterie of the woman and of the beast that carrieth her which hath the seven heads and ten hornes 8 The Beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomlesse pit and goe into perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names are not written in the booke of life from the foundation of the world when they beheld the beast that was and is not and yet is 9 And here is the minde which hath wisedome The seven heads are seven mountaines on which the woman sitteth 10 And there are seven kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he commeth he must continue a short space 11 And the beast that was and is not even he is the eight and is of the seven and goeth into perdition 12 And the ten hornes which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdome as yet but receive power as Kings one houre with the beast 13 These have one minde and shall give their power and strength unto the Beast 14 These shall make war with the Lambe and the Lambe shall overcome them For hee is the Lord of lords and King of kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull 15 And he saith unto me the waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth are peoples multitudes and nations and tongues 16 And the ten hornes which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and give their kingdome unto the beast untill the words of God shall bee fullfilled 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the earth THE COMMENTARY AND the Angell said to mee Here we have fullfilled the promise hee that seeketh findeth To him that desireth wisedome it shall be given Of old admiration begate Philosophy here it begets prophesie The Angell observing Iohns desire by his countenance doth of himselfe open the mystery to him Why didst thou marveile He blames him not Mat 7 8 Iames 2.5 but shewes his desire to reveale the secret as if he should say I see thou art astonished at the wondrous sight but go to I will open the whole mystery now unto thee The mystery of the woman The old Version The sacrament which Ribera approveth because both words signifie somewhat that is secret and lies hid in another thing And the Church saith he hath seven such Sacraments But why then do they not also reckon the purple and cup of the whore among their sacraments And why did they not render also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mystery in ver 5. by the word Sacrament that so Babylon herselfe might become a sacrament unto them 8. The Beast which thou sawest was and is not The Interpretation of the Beast followeth first of the whole secondly of the parts that is of the seven heads and ten hornes lastly of the woman but aenigmatically touching which perhaps thou maist say as Aristotle said of riddles or deepe sentences Gel lib 20 cap. 4 that they are so published as if they were not at all published so this Vision is so expounded as if it were not in the least expounded And so it is neither did it otherwise beseeme the Prophesie Why the explication of the beast is darke It was enough that the spirit did declare the future events by such signes as might not provoke the wicked And by which the godly through continuall searching might attaine some knowledge of the Mysterie Vnto the wicked the matter ought certainely to remaine obscure least foreknowing the events they might furiously presume to hinder the same and their rage bee the more encreased But as for the godly the holy Ghost would stir them up by an aenigmaticall interpretation to the end they should the more carefully attend to the events and histories of their times Notwithstanding all things are not ininvolved with such darke sentences but that he doth bewray with Characters evident enough to such as do not willingly shut their eyes both the beast that his seven heads are the seven hills of the City Rome and the woman that she is the Romane City and Church These Characters therefore are as it were the Touchstone of our interpretation because they will point out unto us as with the finger the beast and the woman To the Beast he ascribes foure conditions or states according to the times He was and is not and shall ascend
he bee deprived of understanding deny that these things are couched in the Text. And if credit be given unto their fiction Ribera in Apoc. c. 12. Num. 11. c. 13. Num. 10. there shall at Antichrists comming be no more then ten Kings in the whole world signified by the hornes of the Beast and of these three being slaine seven shal fight for Antichrist Therfore either these shal be Christian Kings or else there shall then be no Christian Kings under the Sun the falsitie whereof the Revelation doth shew Chap. 21.24 Now tel me what harshnesse or dishonour is there in it that as Paul confesseth he was sometime a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious but ignorantly and so obtained mercy the ten Kings have given their power unto the Beast against the Lamb but of ignorance and being overcome by the Lambe have repented God putting it into their hearts to hate the whore Tell me I say should this be to the dishonour of Kings which is to their great glory to have sinned indeed through ignorance but repented through the mercy of God Or is not rather the fiction of these Prophets very reproachfull scandalous and fatall who say that toward Antichrists rising there shal be no where any Emperor or Romane Empire that there shal be no King in any place save those seven that remaine of the ten fighting for Antichrist And seeing they every hour expect their Antichrist to arise as they say out of the tribe of Dan what do they but threaten an utter destruction both to the Emperor Romane Empire and all Christian Kings For according unto these mens doctrine as then there shal bee no Emperor no Empire so neither King of France Spain England Poland Hungary c. or if there be any they shall be Antichrists Life-gard and vassals Now tell me who they are that cast reproaches upon Christian Kings set their Crownes awry and menace them with eternall damnation Wherefore blessed shall ye be if ye hear and keep the Commandements of this Prophesie that ye may have right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the City But he that wil hurt let him hurt still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still Amen Even so come Lord Iesus and sanctifie us in trueth Thy word is trueth Amen PROVERB 27.6 Better are the wounds of a friend then the deceitfull kisses of an enemy The Authours PREFACE UPON THE REVELATION OF THE APOSTLE AND EVAGELIST IOHN HAPPILY BEGVN AND PROPOVNDED VNTO HIS AVDITORY IN THE VNIVERSITY Ann. 1608. IF any of you my Hearers admire wherefore after the Exposition of Pauls Epistle unto the Hebrews I should passe by so many excellent Bookes of the New Testament and take in hand the Interpretation of the last viz. the Revelation the Authour and Canonicall authority whereof hath long since variously bin disputed of and which being replenished with great secrets types and darke sentences is scarcely intelligible unto any The Objections against the Revelation and though it be entitled a Revelation yet seemeth not in the least to be a Booke revealed but rather shut up and sealed which seemeth also to bee the reason that it is placed at the end of the New Testament from the interpretation whereof because of its obscurity not a few of the ablest Divines have hitherto abstained and lastly seeing it hath long since bin held that it doth contain some things contrary to Apostolicall Faith and favour the heresie of the Chiliasts If I say any man wondreth at this my purpose such a one I would have with me to acknowledge that these very objections besides other causes which now are not requisite to be related with which this most Heavenly Book is injuriously charged offereth occasion unto me to interpret the same that ye might understand that the Revelation of John is so farre from the guilt of these accusations which do not a little weaken the Canon of our Faith that we rather may say of it what Jerome most truly said of the Prophesie of Isaias Whatsoever is in Holy Writ whatsoever can bee uttered by the tongue or received by the senses of mortall man is contained in this Booke which least it might seeme to be spoken by me without ground Prooem in Isa I thought good to praemise a few things in way of Preface in which I will handle somethings more briefly by other Interpreters more largely handled and somethings properly belonging to our purpose I shall more diligently explicate CHAPTER I. Of the Authour of the Revelation WHo was the Authour of this Booke Lib. 7. hist c. 25. Haer. 51. would never in our times have beene questioned unlesse Eusebius and Epiphanius had left in writing that some of old time did scruple the thing For Eusebius recordeth that in his time it was diversly on both parts disputed touching the Revelation Afterward he saith there were some who supposed from the Bookes called De Repromissionibus of one DIONYSIUS an Alexandrine Bishop and also from one Caius an old Writer that the Revelation was not written by John the Apostle but forged by the Hereticke Cerinthus who feined an earthly Kingdome to Christ in which the Saints should have their fill of corporall pleasures a thousand yeeres into which sense some whom they called Chiliasts men in other respects of note in the Church drew the twentieth Chapter of the Revelation But other Divines and worthy Fathers have alwayes demonstrated that there is no such thing in that Chapter and we also will shew it on the place But so farre is it from trueth The Revelation not written by Cerinthus that the blasphemous Heretick Cerinthus could be the Author of this Booke as nothing is lesse credible or more unlikely For Cerinthus blasphemously maintained that Christ was not before Mary But the Revelation throughout teacheth and proveth the Eternall Deity of Christ by such evident Arguments against Cerinthus Ebion Photinus and such like enemies of Christ as almost no Scripture affirmeth the same more clearly However therefore it is no marveile Lib. 4. adversus Mar. that the Marcionites as Tertulian recordeth as also the Alogian and Tatian Heretickes as Epiphanius Augustine and Philastrius testifie did reject the Revelation as being contrary to their heresie Yet the Grecians of old had no reason neither to this day hath any man a just or probable cause Iohn the Apostle author of the Revelation to call into question the Authour or Canonicall Authority of this most Sacred Booke That John the Apostle whose Gospell and three Canonicall Epistles are extant is the Author may be proved by solid and undoubted reasons First the Title it selfe sheweth that he is the Author 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Revelation of John the Divine But thou wilt say it is not said John the Apostle or Evangelist Lib. 3. hist cap. 13.
but John the Divine touching whom it seems to be uncertaine who he was because as Eusebius recordeth there were two Iohns whose Monuments were then at Ephesus viz. Iohn the Evangelist the Writer of the Gospell and of one Canonicall Epistle and Iohn the Presbyter or Elder the Author of the two latter Epistles and of the Revelation unto which opinion also Dionysius Alexandrinus in the fore-alledged place doth assent But verily that Presbyter is not called the Divine which Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in way of eminency was most deservedly by the Ancients attributed unto Iohn the Evangelist The title of Iohn the Divine whence it arose because none of the Apostles or Divines wrote more heavenly of the Deity of Christ Therfore the Kings Copie of Montanus expresseth the whole Title thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Revelation of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Iohn the Divine the which whither it were prefixed by John himself or afterward by the Church is of no great consequence seeing it sufficiently appeareth that it is taken from ver 1 2. Besides it is not credible neither can it bee proved that the Lord Iesus after the death of the Apostles sent his Angell unto another Iohn then unto Iohn the Apostle But that a certaine upstart Interpreter supposeth that Iohn beginning with that other Title The Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave unto him would not have the Title of the Booke to beare the Name of the Author Alcasar Vestigat Not. 4. prooem almost after the same manner by which saith he the Author of our Society would have the same to be called the society of Iesus not of IGNATIUS I doubt not but all sound men do understand that this is not onely more then insolently spoken as if forsooth there could or ought to be an equalitie betweene the Apostle Iohn and Ignatius the Souldier the Revelation of Iesus Christ and the Iesuiticall Society of Yesterdayes hatching but that also it is altogether inconvenient and contrary unto the purpose of the Author For Iohn in the very first verse saying The Revelation of Iesus Christ which he signified by his Angell unto his servant Iohn doth put too his name and the Church hitherto hath alwayes called this Book the Revelation of Iohn and not the Revelation of Jesus The Iesuites therefore ought not by this example to dissemble the Name of their Author but should be called the Society of Ignatius and not the Society of Jesus The Periphrasis of the Authour confirmeth the same thing Chap. 1. ver 2. who bare record of the word of God and the testimony of Iesus Christ which sheweth plainly that the Writer of the Revelation and of the gospel was the same for who hath more clearly borne record of the word of God and the testimony of Iesus Christ then the Apostle Iohn in his Gospell which beginneth In the beginning was the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and in his first Epistle Chap. 1. v. 1. That which was in the beginning c. touching the word of God c. we have seen it and beare witnesse and Chap. 5.9 This is the witnesse of God which hee hath testified of his Sonne c. like unto which is that in Chap. 19.13 where hee calleth Christs comming unto judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of God and the stile of Iohn the Apostle whatsoever others may judge doth plainly appear throughout the whole Book as we shall observe in the course of our Exposition Adde that this Author saw and wrote the Revelation in the I le Patmos I was saith he Chap. 1.9 in the I le that is called Patmos for the word of God Iohn banished into patmos Lib. 3. hist cap. 18. and the testimony of Iesus Christ which Circumstance doth not obscurely denote the Apostle Ioh. Neither read we of any other Iohn banished into Patmos for the word of the Lord and the witnesse of Iesus Christ then Iohn the Apostle who as Eusebius recordeth was condemned for the Gospels sake and banished into Patmos by the Emperor Domitian Lastly we have the Authorities of most ancient Writers confirming the same with full consent both of Grecians Iustin Martyr Dial cum Tryph. Irenae Lib. 4. Cap. 37. Clemens Alexandrin Paedag. Lib. 2. Cap. 12. Origen Homil. 7. in Iosu Athanas in Synops Epiphanius Haeres 51.54.76 Chrysostom Homil. 5. in Psalm 5. Damascen Lib. 4. Orth. fid Cap. 18. also of Latine Writers Tertullian Lib. 4. contra Marcio Cyprian de exhort Martyr Cap. 8.10.11.12 Ambros in Psal 50. Lib. 3. de Spir. Sanct. Cap. 21. Augustine Tract 39. in Ioh. Lib. 2. de doct Christ Cap. 18. de Haeres Cap. 30. Et Lib. 20. de C. D. Cap. 7. Hierom. Catal. Script Illustr c. The Arguments usually alledged to the contrary I will not now for brevity sake set downe Erasmus hath painfully collected the same And by Theodore Beza in his Annotations upon this Book are solidly refuted One thing onely I will touch Whither the style of Iohn be diverse which some do pretend touching the difference of the stile of the Revelation and the writings of Iohn the Evangelist but with no great reason for an egge is not more like an egge then Iohns stile is like to himselfe here and there How often to passe by other things doth hee say that wee are washed from our sinnes by the blood of Christ which also hee saith 1. Epist Chap. 1.7 But to grant what they say that the stile doth differ was the same kinde of speech to be used in writing the Gospell and a Prophesie what marveil that an unlike matter is explicated by a different stile Besides it is to bee observed that Iohn wrote most part of the Booke not in his owne words but in Phrases and words dictated by the Angell Where he useth his owne hee plainly retaineth the Phrase which hee hath in his Gospell and Epistles as we shall see in its place Besides some do observe Ioh. Foxus in Apoc. pag. 458. that although Iohn indeed wrote the Prophesie in Greeke yet it seemeth the Angell uttered the same in Hebrew it being Iohns native language This appeareth by manifold Hebrew expressions throughout the Booke as Abaddon Harmageddon Hallelujah Gog Magog and the often Repitition of the number Seven touching the seven Spirits seven Candlestickes seven Churches seven Angels seven Seales seven Trumpets seven Vials seven heads of the Beast seven hornes of the Lambe c. Lastly the whole Phrase or forme of expression seemeth rather to incline to the Hebrew then the Greek The Greek letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make 666. Romanus Hence the said writers suppose that the number of the Beasts name expressed in Greek by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be interpreted by the Hebrew letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precisely expressing the number 666. But of this no more at present And thus much of the Authour CHAPTER II.
Touching the Canonicall authority of the Revelation NOw by these things the divine Authority of the Booke doth necessarily follow For if the Apostle Iohn be the Author the Divine and Canonicall Authority cannot justly bee questioned For the Apostles writings are Apostolicall Besides the Author doth againe and againe testifie that he received his Revelation from Christ and wrote the same by the Augels command This also the testimony of the Ancient Church confirmeth Concil Ancyran in appendice For the Revelation is alledged under the name of John and as Canonicall Scripture by the most ancient Councell of Ancyra which was before that of Nice also in the Councell of Carthage III. Can. 47. and some others following The Revelation also hath bin alwayes of Canonicall authority with the Greeke and Latine Fathers although certaine Graecians before Dionysius Alexandrinus did some what scruple the same as of old some of the Latine Church had their doubts touching the Epistle to the Hebrews because it did seeme to favour Novatus as Ierome writeth unto Dardanus But the scruple of one or a few of the Ancients can no more disanull the authority of any Canonicall Book of Scripture then the scruple of a few now can doe And howsoever Luther in his first Edition of the New Testament in the Germane tongue Published anno 1526. Sixtus Senensis Biblioth Ribera in Apoc. Prooem cap. 1. did not reckon the two latter Epistles of Iohn the Epistles also of Iames and Iude among the Apostolicall and Canonicall Scriptures Not indeed as some Papists write because he could not beare those words Chap. 14.13 Blessed are the dead c. because their workes follow them which verily doe notably overthrow their fiction of the Soules of the Saints going into Purgatory but rather because he thought that such obscure Visions and Figures were not so well agreeable unto the light of the New Testament notwithstanding in another Edition Anno 1535. hee speaketh more liberally in the Preface touching these Bookes neither do they who at this day are called Lutherans any longer question the Canonicall authority of the Revelation Alcas Vestig nota 2. Prcoem For our part we did not judge the Revelation was therefore to bee received that we might abuse the darke and obscure sayings of the Booke to vomit out the venom of our malice against the Pope of Rome as that upstart Interpreter before mentioned hath begun to calumniate us but because the reasons before laid down and many more do confirm our beliefe and because by the Revelation we are manifestly taught that that son of perdition lifting himselfe up against whatsoever is called God and sitting in the Temple of God as if he were God is no other but that Capitoline Iove even to this day treading down all powers under his feet But a man might justly wonder that Popish Writers do not tremble at the very sight of this Booke and how they are not afraid to explicate the Prophesie by their Commentaries Why Papists write Commentaries upon the Revelation but that the thing it selfe speaketh they chiefly doe it seeing they can neither wholly extinguish it nor keepe it any longer from the people at least to deprave the oracles thereof by their false Interpretations the which notwithstanding they labour for in vaine seeing it is as cleare as the Sun at Noon day that under the Image of the Beast and False-Prophet seducing the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the whorish woman committing fornication with the Kings of the Earth and of the great Citie on seven hils ruling over the Kings of the Earth is represented the Monarchicall and Papall Sea of Rome and under the Image of Locusts the innumerable vermine of the Clergy and Monkes under the Type of Merchandize which no man Antichrist beeing discovered shall buy any more are set forth Romish Indulgences and buying and selling of Soules c. CHAPTER III. Of the obscurity of the Booke What it is and whence with the remedies of the same AUGUSTINE writing of the darkenesse of the Revelation saith Lib. 20. de C. D. ca. 17 In this Booke which is named a Revelation are contained many darke things that the Readers mind might be exercised and in it are a few things by the clearnesse whereof the rest with labour may be sought out chiefly because it so repeateth the same things after a diverse manner that whereas it may seeme to speake of different matters by diligent search we shall find that they are the selfe same things diversly expressed And JEROM Tom. 3. ad paul Ep. 1. In the Revelation saith he is shewed a Booke sealed with seven Seales which though thou give it to a man that can rend to read it he will answer thee I cannot it is sealed And afterward The Revelation of Iohn hath as many Sacraments as words I have said but little in regard of the worth of the Booke It is beyond all praise In every of the words are hid manifold understandings So indeed it is for the sharpnesse of mans wit is blinder then beetles in the true understanding as of other divine Scripture so of this also unlesse it be enlightned by the beames of the Holy Ghost but the causes of this obscurity are plain First the whole Booke is Propheticall touching future things Write The causes of the darknesse of the Revelation saith the Angell the things thou hast seene which are and which shall be afterward But future things as future because they are not in any sense are either altogether unknowne or being foreknown are conceived not so much by the understanding as in hope Adde That these future things are not declared by plaine words The difference of Visions neither defined by notes or markes of times places and persons but are revealed unto Iohn and so written in darke and aenigmaticall Visions It is true many Visions in Scripture were plaine as set before the eyes of the mind or bodie Dan. 5.5 1. Kin. 6.17 Exod. 3.2 Act. 10.11 Act. 23.11 so King Belshazzar saw a hand writing upon the plaister of the wall Elisha saw fiery Charrets round about him and Moses the bush burning before him Peter a sheet with foure-footed Beasts let downe from Heaven unto the Earth Paul saw the Lord standing by him in the night c. In these there was no great difficultie But there are other Visions more intricate when the Images or Representations signifying some secret thing are exhibited unto the minds of men either sleeping or awake the mysteries of which except they be revealed are so obscure as that they cannot be found out by the understanding of mortall man Of this kinde were the dreames of Pharaoh Nebuchadnezzar the Visions also of Ezechiel Daniel and Zacharie unto which we worthily may compare the Visions of the Revelation The secrets indeed of the aforesaid dreames God not onely revealed unto the singular benefit of them which dreamt the same but also would have them
Gog and Magog Lib. 20. de C. D. à cap. 7. usque ad 18. touching the thousand yeeres of Satans binding and loosing of the first and second Resurrection of the Saints reigning with Christ a thousand yeers of the fire falling from heaven and devouring the ungodly of the casting of the devill and his followers into the lake of fire of the dead which the Sea Death and Hell shall give up to be judged and lastly touching the New Heaven and the New Earth c. Wee have also some what upon the Revelation under the name of Ambrose but it may plainely bee gathered from the worke it selfe that it is later then Ambrose In the latter Ages among Monkes and Schoolemen almost no Booke hath had so many Interpreters as the Apocalyps seeing no man but thought it a fine thing to exercise his wit in the opening of such dark Aenigmaes either for ostentation sake or to delight himselfe with Allegories a long Catalogue of which even above an hundred as well of such as are extant as not Alcasar Vestigat Not. 26. Prooem that upstart Interpreter before mentioned hath reckoned up And among these hee commends foure Manu-scripts which he found in the Libraries of Spaine Vndoubtedly our Germany hath more I have seene a compendious Exposition of Iohns Revelation written in the yeere 1486. by Iohannes Hilten a Franciscane who also as they say foretold many other things At Heidelberg in the Librarie of WISEDOMS Colledge is extant a Commentarie of two big Volumes written a little before that time by Richard Faber of Laudenburg an Augustinian Luther also published a short Commentary upon the Apocalyps at Witeberg Anno. 1528. sent unto him out of Livonia having no name unto it the which Conr. Gesnerus in his Bibliotheca ascribeth unto Iohn Husse But it plainly appeareth to be more ancient The Postill of Lyra ascribes the prologue of that namelesse Authour which beginneth thus All that will live godly c. unto Gilbertus Pictaviensis who flourished under the Emperour Cunradus about the yeer 1140. But by the 20th Chapter it appears not to be so ancient for the Authour there disputing touching the thousand yeeres testifies that hee wrote in the yeer from the Incarnation of Christ 1357. Which saith he is our present date He often expresly interpreteth the Papacy for Antichrists kingdom the Pope for Antichrist which therefore I rehearse least any might imagine that wee were the first Authours of this opinion Yea Pope Gregory above a 1000. yeers ago doubted not confidently to say that that Priest should be Antichrist or his Forerunner who should arrogate the Title of VNIVERSAL unto himself which a while after as is knowne the Bishops of Rome themselves did doe But of this more in its place Alcasar also hath raked together many latter Writers upon this Booke of his owne order But of ours not a few Divines of excellent learning Protestant Interpreters of the Revelation have in the foregoing age put their hands to this Prophesie among whom notwithstanding in my judgement Henry Bullinger of Helvetia is most eminent whom almost all do follow as David Chytraeus Alfonsus Cunradus Franciscus Lambertus Sebastianus Meyerus Nicolaus Collado Johannes Foxus Benedictus Aretius Matthias Illyricus Augustinus Marloratus Petrus Artopoeus Franciscus Iunius Daniel Tossanus And of late in this our age Iohn Napier a Scotchman Thomas Brightman an Englishman Raphaël Eglinus Conradus Graserus a Germane Iohannes Piscator Matthias Hoë Matthias Cotterius a French man with others whom I have not seene But thou wilt say to what end are all these named To wit to shew what I purposed that nothing of the authority of this Booke is hereby diminished because as hath bin objected some worthy Divines have abstained from interpreting the same Touching the manner of interpretation which every of them hath followed and whether being so many they have effected what they desired and ought to have done would be too long to explicate neither is it to the purpose in hand This one thing perhaps may be affirmed without injurie to any of them all that to this Booke hath happened what the Evangelist Marke writeth of the woman diseased with an issue of blood Mar. 5.26 that shee had suffered many things of the Physitians and it availed her nothing but she became much worse perhaps not so much by reason of the Physitians unskilfullnesse as the incurablenesse of the disease namely the healing thereof being reserved for to illustrate the glory of Christ For while so many every one following the force and reason of his own wit have uttered such various things touching these aenigmaticall Visions piously indeed as I suppose yet little cohering with themselves or with the scope or meaning of the Holy Ghost it is come to passe that indeed there are extant an heap of Commentaries upon this Booke every of which promiseth a new light unto the Prophesie The different manner of interpreting whereas the obscurity thereof is not onely not lessened thereby but in some places also more darkened For some applie the Aenigmaes of the Revelation unto the History of the Ancient Church Others diversly unto the continued period of the New Church Others in every particular have imagined unto themselves mysticall meanings thinking as the saying is that under every stone gold lay hid Others turned all things into tropes and morall Allegories Others have laboured prophetically to praesage and find out future things even more then was lawfull for men to know yea hardly among so many which commonly is said of Chronicles thou shalt find two or three agree which disagreement verily argues that the difficultie of the Booke is not yet by so great variety of Authours wholly taken away but rather encreased not so much by a blame-worthy ignorance of Interpreters as in regard of the incomprehensible wisdome of the Prophesie it selfe the full revelation whereof is undoubtedly reserved unto the manifestation of Christ our Lord. Notwithstanding I write not these things touching Interpreters as if I would detract any thing from the labours of so many learned men or thought that by their labour nothing of these mysteries were brought to light or explicated and that I at length in all these Aenigmaes had as the saying is hit the naile on the head Far be it for I doubt not in the least but that a great part of these Types by foregoing and present events are so manifestly brought to light that the trueth of them may daily bee seene and felt of such who as the Holy Ghost requireth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have understanding Yea I ingeniously professe that I have bin very much helped by the Commentaries of most of them especially Bullingers and Brightmans Now what I further judge touching the whole form method and manner of interpreting the Revelation I will by and by shew CHAPTER V. Of the dignity time profit and scope of this Prophesie I Have spoken of the Authour and authority of the obscurity
and Interpreters of the Revelation and thus I have freed this Booke from a three-fold slander first as if it were not Canonicall secondly obscure as not to be understood thirdly of neglect as if for this cause the worthiest Divines had hitherto shunned the interpretation thereof There remaine two other scandals to be taken away one of the order that this Booke is the last of the New Testament the other of errour that it containes somethings not agreeable to Apostollical Faith both these clouds will be dispersed by the consideration of the dignity of this Prophesie which like the Morning Starre above the rest shineth most clearely among the other Bookes of the New Testament What therefore respects the Order so farre is it from diminishing the worth of the Booke in any kind as it the more commendeth the same For it is in very deed a divine Seale by which the Holy Ghost was pleased not without-reason to close up both the Old and the New Canon of the divine Scriptures which manifestly appeareth from that propheticall Protestation at the end of the Booke by which such are pronounced blessed who observe the words of this Prophesie the falsifiers on the contrary that presume to adde or take ought there-from are threatned with curses for unto them that adde Rev. 22.18 God shall adde the plagues that are written in this Booke to them that take away The Canonicall authority of the Revelation confirmed from the order thereof God shall take away his part out of the Booke of Life and out of the HOLY CITY and from the things that are written in this Booke What could be expressed more honourable concerning this Prophesie for if it be unlawfull to adde ought therto then certainly in all respects it is absolute perfect divine and the word of God unto which nothing without impiety may bee added by men Againe if nothing may be taken away from the same then it is Sacred inviolable divine and the word of God which onely cannot bee broken Ioh. 10.35 Thus we see that the Canonicall dignity of this Booke is established by the order it selfe And hereby it is plainly made equall with the divine Bookes of Moses himself Deut. 4.2 12.32 the Prince of Prophets For as those because they are the first of the Sacred Canon are often confirmed with this Seale Ye shall not adde unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it c. So this Booke as it were closing the Holy Canon is confirmed with the like Seale that nothing may bee added to it nothing taken away from it As Moses therefore was the Chieftaine of the Prophets leading the first rankes So John was chiefe of the Prophets closing up or leading the last rankes and here I willingly assent to Bezas opinion most solidly and truely affirming that it seemed good to the Holy Ghost to gather into this pretious Booke In praefat Apoc. those things which remained to be fulfilled after Christs comming of the praedictions of the former Prophets and also to adde some things so farre as concerned us to know Praefat. in Daniel A like honourable Title that worthy Divine JOHN OECOLAMPADIUS giveth unto this Booke That it is the best Interpreter of all the Prophets Neither will I speake more touching the order save this one thing that in it appeareth also a manifest reason of time When the Revelation was written For it is the last Booke of the New Testament not because it is last in dignity but in time For Ierome writeth that Domitian raising after Nero the second persecution against the Christians Iohn wrote the Revelation in the 14. yeer of his reigne in the I le called Patmos In vita Iohannis With whom Irenaeus a most ancient Writer doth agree affirming that John saw the Revelation not long before his time but almost saith hee in our age towards the end of Domitian his Empire Lib. 3. c. 25 Wherefore the Apocalyps was written in the ninety sixth yeer of Christ after all the other Bookes of the New Testament were written For Iohn out-lived all the Apostles and Canonicall Writers and lived as Sophronius records untill the third yeere of Trajane which from Christs birth was Anno 102 and after his passion as Ierome recordeth 68. In vita Iohannis and from the destruction of Jerusalem 25. Now whereas some affirme that Iohn wrote his Gospell after the Revelation it is without any probabilitie But we come to speake of the utility of the Revelation This Booke doth excellently shine forth in point of doctrine for it truely teacheth the Propheticall and Apostolicall Faith and much illustrates many articles of the Gospell The profitablenes of the Revelation or common places In speciall it proveth the eternall Deity of Christ with such weighty arguments as scarcely more excellent are to be found in any other part of Scripture absolutely ascribing unto Christ many attributes which are onely proper unto Iehovah viz. that he is Alpha and Omega the first and the last the beginning and the end the Almighty that the Lambe standing in the Throne of the Deity equall in majesty with the Father is worshipped by all the Heavenly Inhabitants that he judgeth the adversaries rules the Nations with an iron rod that hee is the King of kings and Lord of lords c. It plainely also maintaineth the Doctrine of Christs Mediatorship and work of our Redemption through his blood calling him the faithfull Witnesse the First begotten from the dead Redemption of christ the Prince of the kings of the earth the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world who hath washed us in his blood from our sins and made us Priests and Kings to God and the Father c. It sets forth the afflicted state and condition of the Church in this life especially in the latter times by evident types viz. that the woman bringing forth a Man-Child the Ruler of the Nations shall be driven into the Wildernesse by the Dragon and the Beast where she shall remaine hid from the sight of men when the two Witnesses shall prophesie against the Dragon and the Beast and shall indeed be slaine but being againe raysed to life they shall bee taken up into Heaven c. By which verily it is manifest that nothing else is signified then that the Church in Antichrists reigne shall bee obscure and secret in the wildernesse being oppressed in Babylon it selfe the Seat of Antichrist The flight of the Church into the wildernesse untill at length Babylon decaying shee being commanded to come out of her shall againe come forth and be seen of men By which that cavill is easily answered Where the Church was before Luthers time if the Papacy were not The Papacy indeed was the Apostaticall Church it was Babylon having nothing but the bare Name of the Holy Citie But the true Church lye hid as captivated and oppressed in the same
other on a Camel which two are the Angels that in the Revelation denounce the ruine of Babylon before whose feet Iohn fell downe to worship and other strange mysteries which he having first found out doth now flatteringly applie to the Pope being lift up with incredible joy if not madnesse and folly or to say truely with blasphemous impiety and sacrilegious boldnesse I know not whither thou hast seen D. N. I suppose you have seene and read him forasmuch as hee adorneth Commentaries on that prophesie It s the worke of a Spanish Divine of Granata fairly printed at Antwerp An. 1614. the Author also being an eloquent Interpreter of his owne mind and sense One thing I know that of mad men he will make them more mad by his glozing Exposition of Aenigmaes such flatterers are the Iesuites of their Antichrist being void of truth full of deceit and wanting no words The sum is a two-fold warre of the primitive Church the first against Iudaisme in the two first Chapters the other against Paganisme in the eight following the Citie and world being converted to the Faith of Christ and hence a four-fold Hallelujah Lastly a long during peace to the Church Antichrist being to bee overcome under the names of Gog and Magog and in the last place the most glorious triumph of the Romane Church in the Heavens at the day of Iudgement a worthy cover to the pot March 10. 1615. Yours to command N. N. Behold a lively Idea of the Inquirie the which being communicated unto me by a friend I thought good here to rehearse it least happily the beautifulnesse of the new worke might deceive any one For he coyneth new Oracles hence I call him an upstart his worke otherwise being of much labour and more then vulgar wit and not unpolished which I could wish the Author had more rightly placed Enough both of the true and the false Argument of the Apocalyps Wee come to the Parts CHAPTER VII Touching the parts of the Revelation THe Booke ordinarily is variously divided I shall not much differ from the common partition but distribute the same into a Preface Prophesie or Visions and a Conclusion I. The Preface containes the Title and Dedication of the Booke Chapter 1. unto verse 9. II. The Prophesie I distinguish into seven Visions clearly enough and distinctly shewed by Christ unto Iohn in the Spirit in the I le Patmos from thence unto ver 6. of Chap. 22. But those that suppose and urge that the Booke consists of one continued Vision do wholly stray from the Scope and in vaine wearie the Reader as I shall shew by and by The first Vision is of Christ gloriously walking among the seven golden Candlestickes and commanding John to write certaine Commandements unto the seven Churches of Asia and also the following Visions for the perpetuall doctrine instruction and consolation of the Faithfull from ver 9. Chap. 1.2.3 This Vision is not propheticall of future things as the six following but wholly doctrinall confirming Iohn in the function of teaching and commending his Apostolicall authority unto the seven Churches of Asia The second is touching Gods majesty sitting in the Throne and of the Lamb standing in the Throne and of the Booke sealed with seven Seales and of the opening of the Seale and of the Book by the Lamb and diverse wonders thence proceeding Chap. 4.5.6.7 The third is of the seven Trumpets of the Angels and wonderfull apparitions following thereupon Chap. 8.9.10.11 The fourth is of the woman in travell of a Man-Child and of the Dragon persecuting the Man-Child and woman of the womans flight into the wildernesse and of the rage of the two Beasts against the Saints Chap. 12.13.14 The fift is of the seven Angels pouring forth the Seven Vials of the last plagues upon the adversaries and throne of the Beast Chap. 15.16 The sixt is of the Iudgement of the great whore and ruine of Babylon and of the casting of the Beast and False-prophet with all his followers into the Lake of fire and brimstone Chap. 17.18.19 The seventh and last is of the binding and loosing of the Dragon at the end of a thousand yeers and lastly of the Iudgement of the Divell Death Hell and all reprobates that were not written in the Booke of Life and of the figure and glorious state of the Heavenly Ierusalem Chap. 20.21.22 unto ver 6. III. The conclusion of the Booke commends the profitablenesse of the Prophesie and by an Anathema establisheth the divine authority thereof from verse 6. unto the end CHAPTER VIII Touching the Forme of the Revelation THe things hitherto praemised have beene treated of by many Interpreters That which remaines touching the forme and method of the Revelation hath as yet beene observed but by few nay to speake it with modesty I scarcely find the same explicated by any one The forme indeed seemes to be Epistolarie having an Epistolarie Inscription and Subscription and is shut up with an Epistolarie wish common to the Apostles all the Acts also of the first Vision are Epistle-wise But that which beginneth at the fourth Chapter which is the first propheticall Vision and the following unto the end if you well observe them have plainly a Dramaticall forme The Apocalyps a prophetical interlude hence the Revelation may truely be called a Propheticall Drama show or representation For as in humane Tragedies diverse persons one after another come upon the Theater to represent things done and so again depart diverse Chores also or Companies of Musitians and Harpers distinguish the diversity of the Acts and while the Actors hold up do with musicall accord sweeten the wearinesse of the Spectators and keepe them in attention so verily the thing it selfe speaketh that in this Heavenly Interlude by diverse shewes and apparitions are represented diverse or rather as we shall see the same things touching the Church not past but to come and that their diverse Acts are renewed by diverse Chores or Companies one while of 24. Elders and four Beast another while of Angels sometimes of Sealed ones in their foreheads and sometimes of Harpers c. with new Songs and worthy Hymmes not so much to lessen the wearisomnesse of the Spectators as to infuse holy meditations into the mindes of the Readers and to lift them up to Heavenly matters The which thing not having been hitherto observed by most Interpreters they have wondred what was meant by so many Songs Hymmes and change of Angels and Personages renewed in diverse Visions and what by the often iterated Representations of the Beast Babylon and the last judgement which caused them to seeke and imagine Anticipations Recapitulations and unnecessary Mysteries in those things which either served onely to the Dramaticall decorum or else had a manifest respect to the method of the Visions concerning which I will speak by and by What Origen therefore wrote touching the SONG OF SONGS In Prologo Cant. Homil. 1. that it seemed to him Solomon wrote a
fire and on the contrary the Churches Victory and Eternall Glory The particular Visions are finished with the two latter Acts The two Acts of the particular Visions because they onely represent Antichrists tragedie rage declining and destruction the which notwithstanding the former touching the seven Vials doth more briefly the later touching the whore riding on the Beast more largely and clearly therefore this also is to be distinguished into foure Acts yet answering to the two latter Acts of the universall Visions Now although the Parallell-Acts both former and latter are not alwayes divided by whole Chapters like as Tragedie-writers use to doe but sometimes are joyned together and as it were mingled in the same Chapters because they shadow out Histories or things by the same periods and walking as the saying is with equall steps yet every where if thou well observe the Method they have traces evident enough as wee have diligently shewed in every of the Visions where also wee have noted the Markes and Periods of every of them CHAPTER XI The manner of interpreting observed by PAREUS FVrthermore by the things hitherto spoken touching the Argument and Method the manner of interpreting observed by us will not be obscure To every vision wee have praefixed its proper dispensation or order with as much brevity and light as could be the Chapters we have illustrated with Arguments Parts and Analysis The Doctrines which in this Prophesie are many and excellent we have so laboured to expound and applie unto the Scope of divine Scriptures shewed by the Apostle Rom. 15.4 2. Tim. 3.16 being profitable for reproofe for correction for instruction in righteousnesse and lastly for the patience comfort and hope of the Saints that this Booke may with no great labour profitablie be propounded unto the Churches by the Ministers of Gods word Now seeing in the beginning I said that the eternall Deity of Christ is thorowout in this Prophesie proved with such evident Arguments against Heretickes as scarcely any other Scripture doth it more clearely I thought it worth the labour to note above XL. Arguments of that nature in their severall places vindicating them from the depravings of Eniedinus the Transsilvanian Hereticke which he cals Explications that it might so much the more appeare that those Ancients who as Eusebius recordeth denyed the Canonicall Authority of this Book as not written by the Apostle John but the Hereticke Cerinthus Lib. 7. hist cap. 25. did either not looke into the Booke and so sinned through grosse ignorance or else were carried away with more then humane affection What Method I have taken in explicating Propheticall things hath already been said and the Praefaces of the Visions shall shew in which I have not onely laboured to declare the Argument Scope Coherence Order and Period of every one but in speciall clearly to shew the Harmonie and consent of the foregoing and following Types and of the darker and more clear each with other and with the Types and Phrases of the ancient Prophets that so I might illustrate the Revelation by the Revelation It is most safe to expound the Revelation by the Revelation which manner of interpreting cannot bee but most safe and certaine For seeing it is evident that the darker Types go before and the clearer follow after and are notwithstanding Analogicall or agreeing with each other undoubtedly the more darke must bee sought out by the clearer Now the more cleare have no extraordinary difficult application unto the things signified by them And therefore wee may thence with some labour draw the understanding of the darker which also I have laboured to doe In summe following Austines advice I have shewed these two things that the same things are so many wayes repeated in this Booke as it may seeme to speake of different things whereas we shall finde that the same things are diversly related And that a few yea not a few but many things are in the Booke Aug. lib. 20. de C. D. cap. 17. by the manifestation whereof the rest might with labour be found out which again I say not as if I thought that all the mysteries of the Revelation were by me unfolded Far be it I come short in many things Throughout where I sticke and where bounds seeme to be set Eph. 4.7 there I ingenuously professe a man must stand and goe no further For here is wisedome 2. Cor. 12.8 To them that earnestly call upon God the Spirit is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. It befell even the Apostle Paul that he obtained not the thing hee petioned of God How much more may the same befall us and me the least of all especially in these things of which the Lord hath as yet reserved much in his owne power Wherefore to interpret the Revelation What it is to interpret the Revelation is not to untie all the knots of Aenigmaes to leave unsifted or be ignorant of nothing at all in the same or by precisely interpreting the meaning of the Image Character number of the Beasts name the Beast himselfe the woman on the Beast the eating of her flesh the seven the ten Kings that shall burne her Gog and Magog to make all gain-sayers to bee silent For who hath ever attained unto this by interpretation or commenting on any part of Holy Writ They therefore that require the same are wiser then Christ the Apostles and God himselfe And on the contrary such are wise against God who make a mocke of the Oracles they understand not because of their obscurity or because of the diversity of Interpreters Many types of future things remaine secret and are known to God onely untill they be fulfilled The whole fourth Act with its accomplishment is secret because the seventh Trumpet hath not yet sounded neither is the seventh Viall yet poured forth into the Ayre A great part also of the third Act is reserved unto posteritie which in time shall see the full gathering together of the Kings of the Earth into Harmageddon the devouring and burning of the whorish woman the desolation of Babylon and the event of the Goggish Warre c. The beginning we see and further shall see In the two former Acts and the better part of the third the accomplishment whereof hitherto Histories and dayly experience do so plainly shew that if we held our peace the very stones would cry out it is the part of a Faithfull Interpreter not to draw the Readers from the scope neither to send them from those things which are done at home before their eyes to seek for Chymeras in the Hyperborean Mountaines which thing almost all the Iesuiticall brethren at this day do in their Commentaries least happily Antichrist should bee found in the Mountaines of Rome for the discovery of whom the greater part of the Apocalyps was of old revealed and circumscribed with such apparent oracles that after the Historie and experience of so many Ages we may
which is to come Pag. 7. 14. Touching the seven Spirits from whom Iohn wisheth Grace to the Churches whither they be seven created Spirits or the Holy Ghost Pag. 9. 15. Whither in verse 5. there be a soloecisme against certaine Popish Interpreters Pag. 12. 16. The Priesthood of the New Testament whither it bee common to the Faithfull or proper to the Clergie Pag. 14. 17. Wherher Christ be and how hee calleth himselfe Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last against Eniedinus the Samosatenian Pag. 16. 38. 587. 18. Of the Lords day Pag. 20. 19. Whether he that appeared among the Candlestickes were Christ and what it teacheth and whither the ubiquitie of Christs flesh bee thence proved Pag. 23. 20. Whither Hereticks do rightly gather that Christ is not God because he saith that he was dead Pag. 26. 27. 21. How the Candlestickes are the Churches and the starres the Candlestickes and of Sacramentall phrases Pag. 28. 29. 419. In Chapter II. 22. A disputation about the Saints how farre they may fall or not and of their perseverance Pag. 34. 71. 23. Whither the Church must suffer for the sin of her Pastor Pag. 35. 24. Of the Heresie of the Nicolaitans Pag. 36. 44. 45. 25. Whither because the Papacy is not the true Church of Christ there was no true Church before Luthers time and where it was 43. and in the Praeface Pag. 19. 26. Of the woman Jezabel Pag. 48. 49. 27. Whether and how Christ is called the Searcher of the heart and reines which is proved against the Hereticke Eniedinus Pag. 50. 51. In Chapter III. 28. Whether because the Saints are said to bee worthy that they should walke with Christ clothed in white robes or from the promise of the reward of workes or from the future judgement according to works c. it bee rightly inferred that good works are the meritorious cause of Eternall Life Pag. 58. 250. 357. 384. 29. Of the Book of Life and of them that are written in the same Pag. 60. 384. 30. That the Pope of Rome as Antichrist lifteth up himselfe and is lifted up by his followers above Christ Pag. 63. 297. 298. 31. A dispute touching the grace and cause of conversion differencing us from others Pag. 67. 68. 81. 32. Of hot cold and luke-warm persons in Religion Pag. 76. In Chapter IV. 33. Of the four and twenty Elders and of the four Beasts Pag. 90. 92. In Chapter VI. 34. Of the nine persecutions of the Church Pag. 110. 35. A discourse touching the blacke-horse and his Rider Pag. 112. 113. 127. 36. Of the pale-horse and of the mortall palenesse of the Church whence it came and when Pag. 116. 117. 173. 174 c. 37. Of the soules of the Martyrs under the Altar and of their crying Pag. 119. 120. 38. Of Intercession and invocation of Saints Pag. 122. 147. 39. Of the rising of the westerne and easterne Antichrist Pag. 124. 125. 127. 144. 170. 186. 289. 290. c. 304. 40. Of the pride and tyranny of Romane Popes against Emperours and Kings Pag. 130. 163. In Chapter VIII 41. Of the Angell with the Censer at the Altar Pag. 153. 154. 42. Of the analogy of the seven Seals Trumpets and Vials Pag. 137. 374 375. In Chapter IX 43. Of the Locusts and their application unto Antichrists clergy Pag. 177 c. In Chapter X. 44. Of oathes Pag. 203. In Chapter XI 45. Whither the Church could and may erre Pag. 213. 46. A disputation touching the forty two Moneths Pag. 216 c. 47. Of the Fable and Historie of the two witnesses Pag. 221. 222. 48. Of the 1260. dayes Pag. 224. 225. 49. Of Antichrists three yeeres reigne and an halfe Pag. 230. 231. 240. 286. 50. Of the great Citie Babylon that it is not Ierusalem but Rome yea Popish Rome Pag. 235. 236. 343. 344. 349. 399. 443. In Chapter XII 51. Of the woman clothed with the Sun and standing upon the Moone whether shee bee the same with the woman afterward sitting upon the Beast Pag. 257. 258. 52. Of the battle of Michael with the the Dragon Pag. 265. 53. Diverse opinions about the womans flight into the wildernesse Pag. 275 54. What time is noted by time times and a halfe time Pag. 276. In Chapter XIII 55. It is disputed touching the former Beast ascending out of the Sea 282 c. And what the Authour held about it Pag. 287. 408. 409. 415. 56. A dispute about the mortal wound of the Beast Pag. 293 c. 57. Of the second two horned Beast Pag. 304. 58. Of the Image of the Beast Pag. 310. 311. 59. Of the Character of the Beast Pag. 313. 60. Of the number of the beasts name Pag. 316. 317. c. 61. That the Pope of Rome did not now of late begin to be accounted the Antichrist Pag. 318. 319. In Chapter XIV 62. Riberas disputation touching the Sealed ones and of the Virgines standing with the Lambe on the Mountain Pag. 329 c. 63. Of the Angell flying through the midst of Heaven with the Eternall Gospell Pag. 338. 64. A dispute touching the great Citie against Ribera Pag. 346 c. 65. How the dead in the Lord are blessed Pag. 355. In Chapter XVI 66. Of the seven Vials whether they bee the same with the seven Seales and with the seven Trumpets Pag. 375. 67. Of the seven Angels pouring out the Vials who they are and what the pouring out of the Vials is Pag. 376. 68. Of the plagues following the pouring out of the seven Vials Pag. 376. 377. 69. Of the King of the East and the drying up of Euphrates Pag. 390. 70. Of the three Spirits sâ—nt out unto the Kings of the Earth Pag. 394. 395. In Chapter XVII 71. That the woman sitting on the Beast is Popish Rome Antichrists Seat and Antichrist himselfe Pag. 404. 409. 72. Of the Beast which was and is not and shall ascend out of the pit disputed with Ribera Pag. 416. 73. Of the seven Mountains of Rome and the seven Kings Pag. 420 c. 74. Of the Pope of Rome when hee was made chiefe Pontife the eighth King and Antichrist Pag. 428 c. 75. Of the ten Kings signified by the hornes of the Beast Pag. 433. 438. 76. Whether Rome according to Riberas fiction is to bee burned before the comming of Antichrist Pag. 441. 77. How God giveth into the heart that is worketh in mens hearts the liberty of their will remaining Pag. 444. 78. Whither God after the same manner gave good and evill into the hearts of the Kings and whether hence it followes that he is the Authour of sinne Pag. 446. 79. How the Kings in eating the flesh of the whore and burning her with fire did the good pleasure of God Pag. 449. In Chapter XVIII 80. Of the causes of the ruine of Babylon that is of Rome Pag. 456. 81. How the stirring up of the Saints to revenge Render to her is agreeable to the
saying of Christ Render not evill for evill Pag. 461. 82. How it stands with justice to render double Pag. 462. 83. Whether God in commanding to render the double according to Babylons workes doth command rapines theft wickednesse c. Pag. 463. In Chapter XIX 84. Whether Alcasar hath sufficiently demonstrated that properly the Church of Rome is the wife of the Lamb. Pag. 481. 85. Whether Iohn did well in proffering to worship the Angell and whether the Angell did well to prohibit him Pag. 484. 582. In Chapter XX. 86. Of the binding and loosing of Satan what when and how it was Pag. 502. 87. A disputation touching the thousand yeeres of Satans binding 506. whether they be definitely to be understood 507. where they take their beginning and ending 508. what was the condition of the godly in the thousand yeeres 511. 88. Who were the living and reigning with Christ 514 89. After what manner and how long they lived and reigned with Christ 516. 90. Who are the rest of the dead and how they lived not againe 517. 91. Of the first Resurrection how it is to be understood 518. 520. 92. Of the Chiliasts opinion the Authors thereof and its refutation 520. 521. 93. Of the first and second death 519 526. 527. 94. What Satan is said to do the thousand yeers being ended and when he was loosed 530. 95. A disputation with Bellarmine and Ribera about Gog and Magog 539. 96. Of the old and new Goggish war its occasion and beginning 536. 97. Of the perpetuall torments of the damned 540. In Chapter XXI 98. The description of the new Ierusalem whether it bee agreeable to the Church-Militant on earth or to the Romane onely 541. 99. Of the new Heaven and the new Earth 549. 100. Ludovicus his jest on Sophisters about the Lake of Fire 557. In Chapter XXII 101. A Disputation against Sophisters for the authority and perfection of the divine Scriptures 580 c. 102. Of the doctrine of Iustification by Faith 584. 585. A COMMENTARIE Vpon the REVELATION OF IOHN THE APOSTLE The argument parts and analysis of Chap. 1. After the title and Apostolical salutation to the seven Churches of Asia Iohn rehearseth the first vision namely the seven golden candlesticks and Christ his glorious walking in the middest of them and how hee was affected with the vision and received from Christ commandement for to write the same both concerning things present and to come The parts of the chapter are two the former containes the preface to v. 9. The latter the vision of Christ gloriously walking in the middest of the seven candlestickes from vers 9 unto the last THe preface containes the title and thâ—â—postolical dedication of the booke The title shewetâ— first the argument of the booke that it is a â—â—velation of things to come Christ the â—uthoâ— of it as also the ministerie of the Angel vers 1. Secondly it notes the person of the author by a periphrasis or description vers 2. Thirdly it commendeth the profitablenes of the booke from the necessitie of it vers 3. The dedication containes the prosopographie or description of the persons who and to whom he writeth vers 4. Secondly the Apostles wish viz. grace from God and from the seven spirits as also from Iesus Christ whose threefold office he declareth v. 5. Thirdly the celebration of the prayses of Christ and giving of thanks for a threefold benefit received from him v. 5 6 His comming to Iudgement is promised by the words of Zacharie vers 7 and in the last place bringeth him in testifying his eternall Godhead and omnipotencie vers 8. The vision containes the preparation vision it self In the preparation Iohn sheweth the name how hee was affected the place of his banishment and the cause vers 9. Secondly the time and manner of the vision vers 10. Thirdly a command to write the vision and to send it to the seven Churches by name vers 11. Fourthly his Gesture vers 12. In the vision are three things first the form secoÌ„dly the effects thirdly the things following The form of the vision which hee saw is twofold first the seven Golden candlestickes Secondly the form of the Sonne of man in the middest of them whose habit and clothing hee describeth vers 13 His head Hair and eyes v. 14 His feet and voice vers 15 His right hand holding the seven starres his mouth armed with a two edged sword and his face shining like the sun vers 16. The effects are first Iohns Great amazement secondly his falling to the ground v. 17. The things following are first a twofold comforting of Iohn first by Gesture the laying on of the right hand vers 17. Secondly by speech bidding him not to fear and the reason is taken from the person adjuncts of the speaker viz. because hee is eternall God the Lord of life of death of hel vers 11 2 The command of writing the present vision following prophesies 3 The unfolding of the mysterie first of the seven starres that they are the seven pastors and secondly of the seven candlestikes to bee the seven Churches of Asia THE FIRST PART OF THE CHAPTER CONTAINING THE PREface title and dedication of the booke THe Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to passe and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant Iohn 2 Who bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Iesus Christ and of all things that he saw 3 Blessed is he that readeth Exod. 3.14 1 Cor. 15.21 Col. 1.18 and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand 4 Iohn to the seven churches in Asia Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits which are before his throne 5 And from Iesus Christ who is the faithfull witnesse and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen 7 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him even so Amen 8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty A COMMENTARIE VPON THE REVELATION Chap. 1 vers 1. THe revelation this prophetical title doth expresse the argument of the booke called in Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concerning the meaning of which word there is extant in a colledge called wisdom colledge of which I have before spoken a manuscript in way of commentarie on this booke which Giveth us an
Secondly Iohns commission to write the vision And lastly a commandment given him to send the same to the seven Churches And hence it is very cleare that Christ is that Son of God who spake in vers 8. For both there and here he taketh the same things to himselfe And there is no question to be made but that in this place hee speaketh himselfe and of himselfe Eniedinus the Samosatenian objecteth that these words are not in all copies nor yet in the Latin version and for this citeth the Annotations of Beza I answer though Aretas and Montanus have them not yet Andreas and the Editions of Paris have them with other approved copies Beza also confesseth that the repetition agrees well with the style of Iohn for Christ being to command John to write this vision declares his authority from his Godhead to the end he might not doubt but what he did was truely divine In these very words Christ speaketh of himselfe verse 17. and Chap. 21.6 22 13 so that it seemeth some hereticke adventured to blot this out of the vulgar version thereby to darken the divinity of Christ or els some presumptuous person did it who thought this repetition needlesse And what thou seest write in a booke The command of writing confirmeth the authority of this booke For John wrote this prophesie not of himselfe but by the commandement of Christ for though here the commandement bee particular to write this first vision yet in vers 19 it is Generall not onely of the things which are but which shall bee hereafter Write what thou seest This serveth for the authoritie of the booke for the Apostle is to write not the things which he thought fit but what God gave him to see And send it to the seven Churches in Asia By seven Rupertus understandeth all the Churches but it is to be taken restrictively of the seven greater Churches of Asia the lesse because they are expresly named Chapt. 2 chap. 3. Mark 13 37. and epistles directed to every one of the Bishops or Pastors thereof yet so as that saying of Christ appertaineth to this place what I say unto you I say unto all Ephesus Situated neer the sea was the head city of Ionia a famous mart towne and the more in respect of the temple of Diana which perished with the seven wonders of the world Here a tumult being raysed against Paul the towne Clerke cryed out yee men of Ephesus what man is there that knoweth not how the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great Goddesse Diana and of the Image which fell downe from Iupiter Here the Apostle Paul taught and constituted a Church to whom afterward he wrote an Epistle And to Smyrna A sea coast towne in Ionia and a colonie of the Ephesians taking its name from Smyrna the wife of Thessalus and builder thereof In it was the porch and temple of Homer who as is said was born here it is probable that either Iohn or some other Apostle gathered a Church to Christ in this place And to Pergamus Or Pergaâ—â—â— a city of Troas or Phrygia famous because of the Trojane tower Ovid. Lib. 13 metamor called Pergamus of which the poet mentioneth it was the country of Galen the phisitian from this place came store of that paper which we call parchment there is mention made no where of this place in the history of the Apostles unles it bee Acts 20 vers 6 where Paul remained seven dayes at Trods and raysed up Eutichus being fallen dead through the window so that it seemeth this Church also was planted either by John or the Apostle Paul Thyatira The Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plurall it is a city of Lydia neer Pergamus seated on the river Lycus Act. 16 14. Acts 20 28. Of this city mention is made in the historie of Lydia a seller of purple of Thyatira it seemeth that Paul preached the Gospel in the place though when Lydia was converted to the saith shee heard him teach at Philippi To Sardis Gr. to those in Sardis a city of Lydia also by the mountain Tmolus of old the royall Lib. 5 cap. 29. and famous city of Croesus Plinie calleth it Moeonia Philadelphus A city of Mysia there was also a city so called in Aegypt another in Coelesyria but this Philadelphia was in Asia the lesse And unto Laodicea A city as Ptolomie saith of Caria But Plinie and Strabo affirme it to bee in Lydia For divers cities were so named as in Syria and Caria Lydia and Media but John was commanded to write unto Laodicea of Jonia which was neere Ephesus it seemeth that Paul had preached in this place because he willeth that the epistle which he wrote to the Colossians should be read in the Church of Laodicea The Angel or pastor of this place was an hypocrite being neither hot nor cold against whom Christ being highly offended threatneth destruction chap. 3. But happily it may seeme strange to some saith a learned interpreter where Rome was at this time to which for saving further labour this epistle might have been written in stead of all other Churches seeing she boasteth herself to be the head of all indeed Christ seemeth to have forgot himself in passing by his viear not so much as in one word to mention him who as it seemes should onely have been spoken to but the answer why Christ wrote not to him is at hand he knew he could not erre neither had neede of admonition therefore let this omission be one of the prerogatives of the holy sea And I turned to see the voice To see him who spake behinde him to the end hee might obey his commandement It is a figurative speech the effect being put for the cause for a voice is not seene but heard but Iohn being turned about comes to describe who and what maner of person he saw speaking unto him Thus much concerning the preparation to the vision now followeth the vision it self which first is described afterward explained And in the midst of the seven oandlesticks There appeared to Iohn seven golden candlestiks and in the midst of them one like unto the Son of man giving commandement to him to write the following visions and to send seven epistles to the seven Churches in Asia Christ himself propounding unto Iohn the arguments therof all which served for Iohns encouragement in his banishment and that the neighbouring churches might take notice of his Apostolical authority Interpreters dispute who it was that appeared to Iohn like unto the Son of man Some take it indefinitely for any man others for an angel others for Christ but the scope drift of the matter doth manifest it was Christ that appeared in this likenesse both because he commandeth Iohn to write this revelation vers 19 revealed the following visions to John chap. 4.1 which onely Christ did as also because he is said in vers 18 to have been dead but
to the Churches for he is the author of al these Epistles and Iohn his penman or scribe Which further proveth the authority of this book for without doubt after Christ had made an end of revealing the mysteries of this booke unto Iohn he faithfully wrote to every one of the Churches according to the commandement of Christ These things saith he that holdeth The first Epistle hath three parts namely an inscription a narration and a conclusion In the inscription Christ is brought in speaking to the church of Ephesus by a description of his person taken from the foregoing vision which serveth both for the authority of the Epistle and to stirre them up unto attention The manner of the stile is propheticall For so usually the prophets in stirring up to attention bring God in speaking thus to the people thus saith Jehovah So Iohn these things saith hee that holdeth c. not simply these things saith Christ but these things saith he that holdeth the starres c. Thus by degrees two things are repeated which he saw before One of the starres another of the candlesticks Which holdeth the seven starres That is which holdeth the seven Pastors of the Churches in his right hand as chap. 1 vers 16. This as we have already shewed may be taken either in the better part that is of Christs loving and caring for his faithfull teachers his governing and preserving of them by the right hand of his power with precious promised rewards Or in a contrary sence it signifies that Christ detesteth and by his right hand suppresseth and rejecteth all slowbellies hirelings and wolves And so much here he threatneth to some of these teachers unlesse they did repent Who walketh in the midst of the candlesticks First he saw him standing but now walking in the midst of the candlesticks signifying hereby that Christ our Lord sitteth not still in the heavens but is present by his providence in the midst of the Church beholding all things proving our faith and obedience and recompencing the same with great rewards disliking our slothfulnesse and other corruptions punishing the ungratefull by taking away their talent from them and bestowing it on others Levit. 26 24. This walking therefore imports Christs gracious presence with his Church according to that promise I will walke among you and I wil be your God So Christ I will be with you at all times unto the end of the world This being so it is our duty to walk reverently in the sight of God and of Christ that so they not being offended may walke and abide with us Ioh. 14 23. according to the promise if a man love me he will keepe my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him 2. I know thy workes In the narration are five things First their great diligence and constancy is commended for Christ prayseth and rewardeth the labour and faith of his servants because he delighteth therein I know thy workes This he speaketh not onely to this Church but to the rest yea to Laodicea also Here I take workes indifferently to be either good or bad vertues or vices of which as nothing is hidde from him so nothing shall passe without reward or punishment For it is the part of him that is the admonisher and judge to pronounce sentence of nothing but what is well knowen unto him He taketh unto himselfe not onely the knowledge of what is outward but also a cleare and perfect sight of men and all their inward actions the which Iohn often in the Gospel ascribes unto Christ He knew all men Ioh. 2 24 25. Ioh. 21 17. and needed not that any should testify of man for he knew what was in man and so Peter said unto him Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee But who knoweth all things save God alone for he seeth all things searching the heart and reynes of man So that this is the tenth argument 10 Argument of Chr. deity to be added to the former proving the Godhead of Christ taken from his omniscience or knowledge of all things And thy labour patience The first copulative and is put for to wit thy labour and patience so the like in vers 9.13 18. Moreover he commendeth three sorts of vertues in this Bishop labour in doctrine constancy in suffering Zeale in discipline which vertues he doth in many words commend in this and the following verse by a contrary order First his labour that is his sincere and unwearied paines in preaching the word 1 Thes 5 12. 1 Tim. 5 17. For the scripture in many places cals the office of teaching 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a labour as being full of wearisomnesse and trouble This is the first and principall vertue and honour of a faithfull Bishop the which Christ attributeth to this teacher But what would Christ now say of the mitred Bishops of these dayes who neither know the word of God and for the most part regard it not But being idle and dumbe are unfit to preach and so spend their time either in warre sports or following of their filthy lusts The second is sufferante that is patience in induring and constancy in overcomming the dangers injuries and afflictions with which they were exercised both by the Iewes and Gentiles for the sake of Christ For the crosse is an inseparable companion of the Gospel 1 Corinth 1 18. and therefore is called the word of the crosse both because it sheweth us the way to salvation through the crosse esteemed foolishnes by the world As also because satan doth stirre up his instruments to hate persecute and put to death the constant professors and teachers thereof as being the greatest opposers of his kingdome All which things the Angel of this Church patiently induring Iam. 1 12. is for the same highly commended of Christ for blessed is the man that indureth tentations for when he is tried he shall receive the crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him And canst not beare them which are evill The third vertue for which Christ prayseth him Matth. 18 17. 1 Cor. 5 5. Apolog. 2. Apolog. chap. 39. Treat 35. in Matth. Rom. 7. is his singular Zeal in observing Church discipline namely his strong opposing of such vices as violently brake in upon the congregation and his due administration of Church censures against scandalous persons casting them out of the communion of the Church as Christ commanded And indeed Church censures were in full force in the primitive time to the great good of the Church as Justin Tertullian Origen and others of the ancient writers testifie And hast tried them Now he repeateth and declareth the particulars shewing in the first place who those evill persons were and wherefore he could not beare with them But vehemently withstood the false Apostles seeking to creep into the Church examined their false doctrine
Because in order of justice al evil workes whatsoever deserve punishment for the soule that sinneth shall dy But good workes how great-soever beeing debts duties can-not merit at the hands of God 5. He that overcommeth the same shall be cloathed Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he but the old translator reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so shall he be cloathed The conclusion containes a promise with an Epiphonema as formerly The promise is extended not onely to those few in Sardis spoken of but to all who overcome the world Satan c. se chap. 2. v. 7.11.12.26 Thus by a threefold promise all are stirred up to hope for victorie the two former are metaphorically propounded the third properlie yet all seem to signifie one thing for what can be given to them that overcome more then the crowne of life eternal however in the reward promised we may note a certain gradation First He shall be cloathed with white raiments This by a metaphor signifies the heavenly glorie with which we shall be cloathed as with a royal garment What more I wil not blot out his name out of the booke of life This further notes the eternitie of glorie for not to have our names blotted out of the booke of life is to have them allwayes remaine therein that is to enioy eternal glorie What more I wil confesse his name A further degree promising to make knowen the constancie and faith of every one by name even before the throne of the blessed trinitie and in the presence of the holy Angels A glorie indeed surpassing mans opprehension For what is more honourable then when a general doth by name before the whole armie declare the valiant exploites of this or that souldiour But this Christ promiseth here to doe and in Mat. 10.32 Whosoever therfore shall confesse me before men him will I confesse also before my father which is in heaven but whosoever shall denie me before men him will I also denie before my father which is in heaven And before his Angels As beeing the most holie ministers of God and witnesses of our glorie Hence we note first that the saintes are said to have a two fould cloathing for as we heard before some in Sardis were commended for not defiling of their garments and yet promised besides to have other white garments given unto them the former are said to be ours not as proceeding from our selves but because we are enioyned to have them meaning both morall endowments of bodie and mind as also the grace of faith and love and other spiritual gifts which we must have and preserve cleane and undefiled 2. Cor. 5.3 that so we may be cloathed hereafter in white According to that of the Apostle If so be that being cloathed we shall not be found naked For no man shall be cloathed in white in the heavens who hath not been indued with faith and true repentance in this life Secondlie we are to take notice that in scripture God is said metaphorically to have a threefold booke The first is the booke of his providence which is the knowledge and counsel of God concerning the actions and events of all things first and last of this the prophet speaketh Psa 139.6.16 c. all things are written in thy booke The other is the booke of Gods universal judgment which is his knowledge concerning all those things which everie one hath don whither it be good or evil and to be judged accordingly in the last day as in cha 20.12 and the bookes were opened The third is the booke of life that is Gods praedestinating both of the elect and reprobates Ps 69.29 Isai 4.5 Dan. 12.2 Phili. 4.3 Reve. 18.8 17.8 22.19 the first are said to be written in this booke the other not but blotted out of this the scripture speakes in many places yet that in Rev. 20.12 then the bookes were opened may be understood of them all for in the same verse the booke of life is expresly mentioned Thus God is said to have bookes metaphoricallie Not as if eyther he hath or stood in need thereof for so it cannot bee but by an Anthropopatheia he speaketh to our capasitie For God doth all things without such help or meanes even by his eternal foreknowledge counsel government and judgment But thus men cannot doe for whatsoever is don in their counsels cities families contracts c. for memory sake is set down in writing that so as there is occasion they may looke it over and call to mind such things as they desire Now concerning the elect Luk. 10.20 two things here are spoken of them First that their names are written in the booke of life Phil. 4.3 or in heaven as Luk. 10.20 by which manner of speech we are taught that true beleevers doe not obtaine salvation by chance but were elected of God to life in Christ before the foundations of the world and known from them that perish Secondly their names are never blotted out of this booke as it is here testified J will not blot out his name out of the booke of life By which phrase is signifyed that the salvation of the Elect is certaine and sure and that they shall never perish according to the promise no man shall plucke my sheep of my hand It is impossible the elect should be seduced All which serves not for curiositie but for our comfort that we being certaine of our salvation might joyfullie persevere in weldoeing unto the end Of infidels and reprobates two things are also spoken First that their names are not written in the booke of life as appeares Rev. 13.8 Rev. 13.8 17.8 20.15 Secondly they are blotted out of the booke of life Ps 69.28 and cast into the lake of fire Let them be blotted out of the booke of the living and not be written with the righteous And whosoever was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire by which is signified that they who are not predestinated shall certainlie perish But this seems to imply a contradiction as not to be written yet to be blotted out I answer that this is taken in a double sence 1 Eyther of such who in the Eternal counsell of God are thus written and so are never blotted out Or 2 according to the appearance and boasting of hypocrites For thus they are said to be blotted out that is declared never to have been written therein we see there are many hypocrites in the Church who are taken for a while to be the elect of God whereas in truth they are not Therfore when their hypocrisie is discovered and they justlie cast out of the church then they are said to be blotted out As Ambrose Augustine have wel observed Matt. 24.24 Io. 10.28 Not withstanding it followeth not that any of the Elect shal be blotted out For this is contrarie to that promise of God It is impossible the Elect should perish none
up our desire and by his spirit inableth us to performe his will Austin saith wel God commandeth us those things which we cannot doe that we may know what we ought to aske of him And in another place O man observe from the commandement what thou shouldest have by reproofes what thou art deprived of by thy owne default and in prayer acknowledge whence to receive what thou desirest to have And againe other where the Lord ascribes the whole worke of our conversion unto himself alone and commandeth us so to acknowledge it As I will make you to walke in my wayes and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Turne thou me and I shall be turned No man can come unto me except the Father draw him without mee yee can doe nothing fee the like Ephe. 2.1 and 1 Col. 2.13 1 Cor. 2.14 Rom. 8.7 2 Cor. 3.5 Luk. 24.45 Act. 16.14 Act. 11.18 All which testimonies doe plainly evince that the grace of conversion is not indifferent or universall but as our sufficient so also our effectuall help doth wholy depend upon the generall and particular pleasure and motion of God Which difference of the scriptures and the cause thereof because the Pelagians and their adherents have not observed But â—â—ther abused the former places as if they were absolutely spoken And corrupted the latter by their equivocations about grace calling it as they also do to this day a swasorie indifferent and resistible grace limited by the will of man eyther to that which is good or evill they have most falsly wrested the same for to establish their Idoll of free-will Now herewithall they must of necessity embrace all other Pelagian heresies and impieties also as namely 1 That faith and good workes foreseen doe goe before Gods predestination and so are not from Gods predestinating of them whereupon it will follow that predestination beeing an effect of causes and conditions foreseen is not to be called a predestination but rather a postdestination 2 That faith going before predestination must also bee before vocation seeing we are elected before we are called And by this ground not God but man should be the author of faith contrarie to that of Rom. 9.16 Jt is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercie 3 That the will eyther co-working or not co-working with foregoing grace doth make men to differ which is contrarie to 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another And what hast thou that thou didst not receive And so the increase of faith and grace should be given according to the merit of congruitie 4 That mans will is not corrupted or made worse by the fal of Adam And so eyther there should bee no originall sin at all or els but in name onely wheras The heart of man is deceitfull above all things 5 That the law is not above mans strength but that he may absolutely fulfill the same and bee altogether free from sin in this life if he would wheras the scriptures on the contrary teach That there is not any one just man in the earth which doth good and sinneth not All which errors establish merits of condignity overthrow the grace and merits of Christ and so consequently the truth of Christian religion beeing nothing indeed but in name onely and in a word confirmes pagan divinity and philosophy For in all these positions the names onely excepted there is nothing but what philosophie it self teacheth both concerning the beginnings and reward of vertue which to philosophers is faith righteousnes and workes To him that overcommeth will I grant to sit with mee He shuts up the epistle with the accustomed Epiphonema or acclamatorie conclusion beeing a promise and as it were a third reason of the exhortation And it is twofold 1. from the reward of the victorie I will grant to him to sit with mee on my throne And 2 from his example Even as I also overcame and am set downe with my father c. Or els this may be a reason of the former promise wherefore Christ will grant or give power and part of his throne to him that overcommeth to wit because hee now as a conquerour sitteth on the throne of his Father For often in scripture the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used is causal as in Io. 17.2 As thou givest him power For because thou givest c. And Luk. 4.36 bee yee mercifull as your Father For because your Father is mercifull c. The Throne is the seat of glorie and power Christs throne is the glorious power of his exaltation the which he promiseth to make us reallie partakers of if we overcome for we shall be coheires with him yet so as there shall alwayes remaine a remarkeable difference between Christ the head and us his members And therefore he saith not I will grant to him to sit in the throne of my Father that is at the right hand of the Father which dignity is indeed onely proper to Christ the head 22 Hee which hath an eare to heare c. See Chap. 2. v. 7.11.17 THE PREFACE OF THE SECOND VISION Of him that sate on the Throne And of the booke sealed with seven seales And concerning the Lamb opening the booke HItherto Iohn hath recorded those things which he had seen received of Christ to be written by name unto the seven Churches of Asia The things which follow in the rest of this booke are of a higher nature and concerne the future condition of the whole Church The condition and lot of the Church in this world but especially the churches of Europe And all tends to teach that the Church ought not to expect a flourishing estate in this world seeing it should be tossed and tryed first with manifold persecutions of tyrants afterward by heretickes And at last should bee oppressed by Antichrist with a more heavy servitude both spirituall and corporal then formerlie shee ever had been afflicted by open enemies and tyrants Now least the hearts of the Godly should faint under the burden The comforts of the godly under the crosse fower kinds of comfort are contained in this prophesy beeing taken 1. FROM GODS PRESENT HELPE who will not sorsake his in the battell 2. FROM THE TIME OF THEIR TROUBLES they shall neyther bee allwayes or ouerlong upon them 3. FROM THE END OF THEIR ADVERSARIES which shall bee tragicall and mortall And lastly FROM THE HAPPIE CHANGE OF THEIR WARFARE Christ will powerfully revenge the cause of his Church in this world and at length glorifie her in the heavens Moreover these things are premonstrated by Iohn The following visions are distinct in sixe distinct visions And they are partlie universall representing the entire historie of the Church from her first beginning untill the last judgement Of this nature is the second third fourth and seventh vision And partlie particular onely shadowing out the battels of
sung unto the Lamb 1. By both companies representing the Church triumphant who celebrate the benefit of their redemption glorification obtained by the blood of the Lamb. v. 8.9.10 2. By a third apparition or companie of Angels celebrating the worthinesse power and divine glorie of the Lambe v. 11.12 3 By a fourth apparition of all creatures rendring prayses and blessings unto God on the throne and unto the Lambe v. 13. And last of all the two first apparitions of the 24 Elders foure beasts closing up the thanksgiving by a divine adoration v. 14. The first part of the Chapter A description of the booke sealed 1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sate on the throne a booke written within and on the backside sealed with seven seales THE COMMENTARIE ANd or then I saw I will not here repeat all the diverse opinions of interpreters concerning this book who rather obscure then unfold the obscurity thereof but onely will cite some of the most probable The common opinion about the booke Most interpret it either of the booke of the old Testament or els the whole volume of Gods booke both old and new which is in the right hand of God because it is inspired by the holy Ghost and the contents thereof are in the hands of God alone This booke is written within that is obscurely in the old Testament without that is openly in the new or within as respecting the mystical sence without the litterall It is sealed with seven seales because the mysteries thereof are hid from humane reason 1 Cor. 2.14 It cannot be opened by any creature because the naturall man receiveth not the things which are of God The Lambe alone is worthy to open it because he onely hath fulfilled the scriptures and he onely doth reveal unto us outwarly by his word and inwardly by his spirit the hid things thereof These things in themselves are true and according to godlines but I judge they serve little to the purpose in hand because here he treats not about the obscurity or manifestation of legal types neyther are the mysteries thereof revealed in this booke but things of another nature and which concerne the condition of the Church under the Gospel Neither can it be said that the old and new Testament was as a sealed booke unto all creatures untill the time of Iohn seeing it would then follow that both the Prophets and Apostles were ignorant of the writings of Moses and the Prophets Besides all the bookes of the new Testament were then already written and so not shut but knowen unto all such as had their sences exercised in the scriptures of God even as the preaching of the Apostles opened a doore unto the faith of the Gospell unto every creature And therefore this interpretation seems to be repugnant to the holy scriptures and injurious to the Apostolicall Churches They seem to come neerer the marke Another opinion of the booke who understand it of the booke of Gods providence For the scriptures attribute three sorts of bookes to God 1. Of his providence 2. of life and 3. of universall judgement of which we have treated Chap. 3.5 But these also differ in opinion Some take it in a generall way for the booke of Gods decree concerning the governement of the world which interpretation is to large seeing not all Gods secret judgements but onely such which concerne the state of the Church are here intended Therefore I rather assent to them The booke is the Revelation it self who understand it litterally of the booke in which all these things were contained which Christ was pleased to reveale unto Iohn concerning the last times the which he afterward penned and left the same unto the Churches This booke I say is the revelation it self not as if he saw a materiall booke but a visionall booke so to speak wherin was written Gods secret decree touching the future event of the Church and her enemies Thus also Andreas Ribera expound it For first this is the same booke which Iohn after it was opened is commanded to eat up that is fully and clearly to take knowledge thereof And which was sweet in his mouth like hony that is he was much delighted with the knowledge of so high mysteries but by and by it became bitter in his belly as gall that is he was much greeved in foreseeing the great calamities of the Church as we shall see Chap. 10. for the booke there mentioned is the Revelation given unto Iohn Furthermore the contents of the whole Revelation is taken out of this booke For at the opening of the seventh seale seven Angels are said to come forth sounding with trumpets signifying thereby the diverse changes of the Church in the third vision At the sounding of the seventh trumpet the Dragon and two beasts are raised up against the Church in vision the fourth Presently here upon follow seven Angels powring forth the vials of the last plagues upon the earth in vision the fift Afterward one of these seven Angels pronounceth with a mighty voyce the judgement of the great whore and ruin of Babylon in vision the sixt At length the new Ierusalem with the marriage of the Lamb is represented unto John in the last vision whence we see that the whole matter of the Revelation was comprehended in this booke not included in a few Chapters viz. from 6. to 11. as Alcasar supposeth To be short the circumstances of this booke doe altogether agree with the former preface For as Christ is there said to receive the Revelation of God and by an Angel to deliver it unto Iohn so this booke was in the right hand of him that sate on the throne taken out of his hād by the Lamb opened delivered unto the Angel who gave it to Iohn commanding him to eat it Chap. 10. Forasmuch therefore as all things thus agree together there is no question but this booke here spoken of is the revelation it self delivered unto the Apostle These things observed the three following circumstances will bee the lesse obscure 1. The booke is held in the right hand of him that sits on the throne because God is the author of the revelation in Gr. it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the right hand and is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hand as appeares v. 7. where the Lambe takes the booke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of his right hand therefore it was In and not at his right hand as some will have it Now he is said to have it in his right hand to the end to give it unto Christ to open As men reach out with their right hands what they give unto others And I suppose we need not seek for any other mysterie in this expression 2. It is written within and without that is there was no place emptie in it For we are to understand this litterally This booke was not made as
are our bookes consisting of diverse leaves and so folded together but it was one volume of parchment written within and without according to the custome of the ancients who wrote in rolles and hence volumen a volume comes from convolvendo rolling Like as the Iewes to this day at Wormes Franck ford c. have their Torah written out in one volume of parchment These parchments because they were rolled up were commonly writ on the inside onely Wheras this on the contrarie was written within on the backside also which manner of rols were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is writings within and without of which see Plinie lib. 3. Epist 5. and Iuvenal Sat. 2. I therefore judge that this writing within and without signifies nothing els but the multitude of matters that is all such things as were exhibited unto John in this Revelation Origen saith that within were written the promises made to the Church and without or on the backside the punishments of the wicked But this to me seems frivolous A like booke written within and without was seen by Ezechiel Chap. 2.9 but it differs from the other both in matter and forme In that were written the lamentations because of the calamities to befal the people of Israel in their captivity wheras this booke containes the secret counsels of God concerning the last times That of Ezechiel was spread open before him but this was seen of Iohn rolled up Ierom understandeth that by both these bookes which were written within and without is signified the litterall mysticall sence of the scriptures But there is no solidity in it for neyther of these bookes doe signify the booke of holy writ neither doth every part of the scriptures admit a mysticall interpretation Sealed with seven seales This is the third circumstance touching the booke The number seven is not here put for many but is to be taken properly for after these there were no more seales opened We need not search what manner of seales they were it sufficeth to know that the booke was closely kept shut by them For there is a twofold use of seales first to keep things secret from the vew of others as letters doores cabinets chiests and the like and secondlie for the confirmation of writings as for example to authorise the edicts of princes sentences of magistrates and wills of the dead the seales of seven witnesses make these things altogether authentick Now this booke was not sealed in this latter respect but in the former as beeing shut or kept close from the understanding of men And therefore it could not be opened or read before the seales were taken away which was not don until the seventh seale was removed Let this suffice for the present that the contents of this booke so fast sealed were most obscure hid untill the seales beeing opened they were revealed unto Iohn by Christ The second part of the Chapter The difficulty about the opening of the Booke and of the seales 2 And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voyce Who is worthy to open the booke and to loose the seales thereof 3 And no man in heaven nor in earth neither under the earth was able to open the Booke neither to looke thereon 4 And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book neither to looke thereon 5 And one of the Elders saith unto mee Weepe not behold the Lyon of the tribe of Iuda the root of David hath prevailed to open the booke and to loose the seven seales thereof 6 And I beheld and loe in the middest of the Throne and of the foure beasts and in the middest of the Elders stood a Lambe as it had beene slaine having seven hornes and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent foorth into all the earth 7 And he came tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sate upon the Throne THE COMMENTARIE 2. ANd I saw a strong Angel The difficulty in opening of the sealed Booke now followeth The circumstances thereof are five First an Angel proclaimeth with a loud voyce if any one be worthy to open the booke and to loose the seales by which this Angel both stirs up a desire in Iohn and others of the heavenly inhabitants after the knowledge of these secrets as also gives them to understand as hereupon it presently appeared that no creature could find out the hidden and secret counsels and judgements of God concerning things to come but it was in the power of the Lamb onely to reveale the same Lyra affirmes that this was the Angel Gabriel who is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong from the Hebrew geber hence God is called Elâ—gibbor Isal 9. But this to Ribera is ridiculous seeing the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong is put without an article but how then would he have wondred at Alcasars opinion had he seen it who makes him to bee Hosea In Chap. 10.1 a mighty Angel stands upon the sea and upon the earth sweareth by him that liveth for ever ever And Chap. 18.21 a mighty Angel casts a milstone into the sea Which some understand to be Christ others a created Angel and indeed it appeareth he was not Christ seeing he was not worthy to open the Booke Besides all the Angels of God are called Gibborei choach mighty in strength Psal 103.20 This therefore was a created Angel called mighty because he cryed mightily so as he was heard throwout the heaven Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preaching with a great voyce because with a mighty courage he proclaimed the questioÌ„ about the opening of the booke before the whole company in heaven Who is worthy he saith not who can but who is worthy signifying that not skill or strength onely but worthines is also required For men out of curiositie may violently howbeit unrightly break open that which is sealed What is meant by opening the booke But this booke could not be opened eyther by violence or for curiosity sake but onely by worthinesse or merit He that opens it must bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy that is indued with authority and divine power Now to open the booke is to make knowen the secret counsell of God about things to come 3. And no man Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none in heaven c. This is the second circumstance Vpon the proclaiming of the Angel there is a deep silence in heaven For all creatures are dumbe as unable and unworthy to open this booke In heaven that is Angels and glorifyed saintes In earth men and beasts Vnder the earth Fishes or sea monsters Some also foolishly imagine that the divels in hell the soules in purgatory are here called upon But the scriptures by things under the earth meane that which is in the sea according to the second commandement or that is in the water under the earth c. Thus all created things are altogether
the fulnes of his power and his eyes his divine insight this is set forth unto us that we should beleeve that the Lamb beholdeth governeth all things by his infinite wisedome providence The seven eyes are said to bee the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth which is taken from Zacha. 4.10 signifies the same thing For seeing the Lamb is Lord of the spirits or Angels and sends them forth into all the earth as a master doth his servant it plainlie proves that he is true God XXVIII Argum. of Christs deity For the Angels have no other Lord but Jehovah see Chap. 4.5 And hence the seven eyes of Jehovah in Zacharie are here called the seven spirits of God Seeing therefore so many hornes and eyes are attributed unto the Lamb let the godly know that he wants neyther power nor knowledge for to preserve them And let the wicked fear and tremble before him for he sees all their ungodlines and is able to represse theyr tyrannie Let us also brieflie take notice how Antichrist Chap. 13.11 hath two hornes like unto the Lamb signifying that he like an Ape imitates the Lamb. But he is much inferiour For the Lamb hath not two onely but seven And therefore can easily destroy him by the spirit of his mouth 7. And he came and tooke the booke After the description of the Lamb now followes what he did He came That is he came forth out of the midst went to the throne and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that â—â—te thereon viz. to open the same By which action he sheweth that he both can and will unseale the booke of God that is reveale this prophesie unto Iohn and unto the whole Session in heaven Thus we have here fulfilled what is spoken Chap. 1.1 to wit that God gave the Revelation to Christ Christ to Iohn For this Lamb that is Christ tooke the Revelation out of the right hand of God on the throne not unwillingly but freely giving it him to the end it might be revealed unto Iohn and unto the whole Church I will not be curious in disputing what this taking of the booke was They who understand by this booke the whole counsel of God interpret this taking thereof a commission to reveal the secret mysteries of salvation unto the Church But we have shewed v. 1. that the booke denotes the Revelation Wherfore this taking and opening of it signifies nothing else but the exposition thereof But this seems to contradict the interpretation touching Christs sitting on the Throne For the Lamb sits not on the throne but takes it from him that sate theron Now he cannot be both giver and receiver I answer It is true he cannot give and receive in one and the same respect but there will follow no absurdity to say he doth it in a diverse respect to wit if we consider his person and office Christ gives the booke as he is God and takes it as he is God-man the mediatour Thus he is both author and opener of the booke even as he is said in diverse respects Heb. 1. v. 9. 9. v. 11.14 13.10 to be priest sacrifice altar the anointer anointed But if any wil contend that God absolutely is he that sits on the throne it comes al to one thing as I have formerly proved For the Father sits and reignes in the son to whom he hath given all judgement The third part of the Chapter The hymne sung unto the Lamb. 8 And when he had taken the booke the foure beasts foure twenty Eldels fell downe before the Lambe having every one of them harpes golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of Saints 9 And they sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the booke to open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and Priests wee shall reigne on the earth 11 And I beheld and I heard the voyce of many Angels round about the Throne the beasts and the Elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands 12 Saying with a loud voyce Worthy is the Lambe that was slaine to receive power riches wisedome strength honour glory blessing 13 And every creature which is in heaven on the earth under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever 14 And the foure beasts said Amen And the foure and twenty Elders fell downe and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever THE COMMENTARIE 8. ANd when he had taken the booke Now followes the heavenlie thanksgiving for the taking of the booke 1. Of the beasts and Elders 2. Of the Angels 3. Of all other creatures which is the IV Apparition 4. Againe of the beasts and Elders every one of them singing a peculiar himne unto the Lamb and unto God gratulating the Church because of the revelation First the cause of their rejoycing is noted And when the Lambe had taken the booke The cause of joy in the heavenlie inhabitants Here now the griefe of the creatures as also the teares of Iohn doe cease for in this booke is contained the whole counsell of God concerning the good of the Church the salvation of the elect and destruction of the adversaries unto the end of the world The latine version reads when he had opened the booke which is a manifest corruption of the text for how could he have opened the booke while the same was shut and sealed Ribera purposelie passeth it by But Alcasar seekes to excuse the matter by manie shifts but sayes at last that he had seen it written in a Greek copie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he had opened boldlie affirming that it was by some one or other changed into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he had taken which shamelesse assertion of his is confuted in the first verse of the following Chapter Secondlie the gesture and habit of the beasts and Elders is set forth somwhat diverse from what we heard before The gesture and habit of the beasts and Elders They fall downe before the Lamb humblie submitting themselves unto his will rendring not a civill but a divine worship to Christ whence againe is proved his deity forasmuch as religious adoration is due to none but to God onely Having harpes Musical Instruments XXIX Argum. of Christs deity wherewith the holie Prophets kings were wont to prayse the Lord not as if God were delighted with any such thing but because it stirred up the religious affection of the saintes to God-ward And golden vials ful of odours The priests of old made odours for
befall the Church by a fatall darkning of doctrine and horrible apostasy both of teachers people from the faith under Antichrist unto the end of the world v. 12.13 following at the opening of the sixt seal And lastly in the fourth Act is shewed the end of the troubles of the Church under Antichrist containing his and all other enemies their utter destruction at the day of judgement v 14.15.16.17 The two latter Acts are not fullie ended in this Chapter but are continued in the following wherin is represented unto us the reformation of doctrine final deliverance glorification of the Church obscurely indeed in this present vision but more clearly in the following Thus we have manifested the parts logical resolution of this Chapter Now we come to consider the vision The I Act of vision II. The opening of the first seale concerning the white horse and him that sate thereon conquering 1 And I saw when the Lambe opened one of the seales and I heard as it were the noise of thunder one of the foure beast saying Come and see 2 And I saw and behold a white horse and he that sate on him had a bow and a crowne was given unto him he went forth conquering and to conquer THE COMMENTARIE 1. ANd I saw when the Lambe opened Hitherto the Lambe held the booke shut untill the heavenly companies had made an end of their himne and harmonie And then he opened one of the seales that is the first of them as appears by the opening of the rest in order as the second third c. For the Hebrewes usuallie put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first as in Gene. 1.4 And the evening and the morning was one that is the first day So in the words following And I heard one that is the first of the foure beasts for afterward he heard the second and third c. Opened the seale that is manifested For in opening thereof he revealed unto Iohn and so unto us the counsels of God concerning the future condition of the Church which before were hidden or shut To Iohn indeed he declared the same in types and withall giving him the understanding of them but unto us in types onely concealing the mysteries thereof from us to the end we should be the more exercised in the diligent observation of things both from histories and events One of the foure beasts who had the forme of a Lion Chap. 4.7 We need not here with Lyra and others inquire whither this were Marke Matthew or James the first supposed Bishop of the Church of Ierusalem The other three doe in order invite Iohn to draw neere and behold these wonders for he stood off for reverence sake that he might the more certainly write downe what he saw so that these beasts performe the office of publick cryers whose work it is to call in persons neerer to the throne or judgement seat As the voyce of thunder For such is the roaring noise of a Lion This the other beasts saying unto Iohn and us come and see require hereby great attention and I conceive that herein no other my sterie is contained 2. And I saw and behold a white horse to wit went out as it is in v. 4. also in the words following he went forth conquering But whence came he forth from the booke or seale If out of the booke then this horseman went forth at the very first opening of the margent that is the mysterie of him was there both written and revealed to Iohn giving us to understand that such was the forme of the seales and so set on the margent as they served for the keeping close of the whole booke folded up together according to our manner of sealing letters If he went out of the seale then it seemes these were annexed to the booke like the great seales of princes to their letters pattents the which are usually kept in boxes Now one seale beeing removed some part of the booke was thereby opened in so much as the writing thereof did appeare Behold a great seale out of which went forth an armed horseman But how great then was the booke it self sealed with so many seales how great was he that held so great a booke in his right hand yea how great the Lamb opening it The which may lead us to consider the greatnes of the events and the omnipotencie of God and the Lamb. The generall signification of the seales considered It may also be understood of the time that so soon as the Lamb had opened the seales the spirit caused Iohn to see these enigmatical horsemen and other things Now to speak of the opening of the seales in general Andreas doth justlie reject their exposition who referr all of them to the manner of Christs incarnation as the first seale to his birth The second to his baptisme The third to the signes he wrought after his baptisme The fourth to his unjust accusation before Pilate The fift to his crosse The sixt to his burial And the seventh to his descension into hel seeing saith he all this was alreadie don whereas Iohn speaks eyther of things present or what should come to passe afterward Others more wittilie have distinguished these seales according to the future times of the Church applying the first to the Apostles time and 200 yeares after The second unto the following age viz. the time of Justinian The third unto Phocas the usurper of the Empire The fourth unto Charles the Great when poperie was at the highest The fift unto Ottho under whom the seven Electors were erected The sixt to the counsel of Constans at what time the Church was grievously persecuted by three Anti-popes and the burning of the TWO WITNESSES whereupon the elect were sealed The seventh from that time unto the end of the world during al which time in the diverse cōfusions of the Church the sealing of the faithfull was perfected But it is difficult to define so precisely the moments of the seales Alcasar a new interpreter having numbred up fourteen opinions and rejected all of them at last brings in his own supposing that the conversion of certaine Iewes is praefigured in the foure first seales and the rejection of the rest in the three latter The which interpretation we leave unto himselfe For our part we judge it more safe to refer all to the foure Acts noted in the preface And behold a white horse I see no reason The white horse shadoweth out the puritie of the primitive Church but the common opinion of interpreters is heere to be embraced viz. that this white horse with his rider notes the purity integrity of the Christian Church at first for by whitenes in the revelation purity is signified and the speedie course of the Gospell throughout the whole earth Neverthelesse I binde not this to the first two hundred or three hundred years in which notwithstanding all the cruel oppression
saying unto mee Seale up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not 5. And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven 6. And sware by him that liveth for ever ever who created heaven the things that therein are the earth the things that therein are and the sea the things which are therein that there should be time no longer 7. But in the dayes of the voyce of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets THE COMMENTARIE 1. ANd I saw another mighty Angel saying I finde all interpreters Alcasar onely excepted who contrary to the drift of the history applies it to the Iewes to agree in the general argument and scope namely that here are inserted as it were soveraigne medicines or consolatory remedies in regard of the sad calamities and miseries of the Church under their manifold enemies but especially under the Easterne Westerne Antichrist by which the godly beeing provoked to constancy may be certainly perswaded that Christ the judge will alwayes take care for his people in the midst of their greatest persecutions and preserve them in safety unto the end But yet they much differ about the time most restraine it to the times of the sixt trumpet But for my part I take it that this consolation is opposed to the evils of all the trumpets which we have formerly heard beeing as it were the second Act of this vision as I have shewed in the argument of the Chapter As the fift seal therfore in the former Vision contained the comforts of the martyrs under the altar so respected the evils of the foregoing seales so in this Vision the history of this Chapter annexed to the sixt trumpet doth containe consolations against the evils of all the foregoing trumpets Another Angel All interpreters for the most part consent in one that by this Angel is represented Christ the mediatour and revenger of his afflicted Church some few indeed are of another minde whose opinions I wil briefly set downe Andreas Cesariensis supposeth him to bee one of the holy Angels Andreas Riberas opinion gathering it from the cloud rainbow light of the sunne here mentioned But these adjuncts rather argue the contrarie as beeing of an higher nature then to bee applied unto a created Angel Ribera following him understands this mighty Angel to be the same who in Cha. 5.2 desired to open the book that was shut For seeing men repented not by the plagues of the six trumpets therefore he saith that now a mighty Angel is sent who by an oath protests unto the world that the end thereof and the last judgement is at hand But this is neither the principal scope neither are his reasons of force to prove that this ought not to be understood of Christ And therefore Alcasar also rejects them His arguments indeed would have seemed the more probable if he had made this mighty Angel to be Gabriel so called from his strength and Psal 103. where all the Angels of God are said to excell in strength moreover that Christ shall not descend from heaven untill the day of judgement according to the scriptures Also that this Angel sweareth by the living God as by a greater then himself But neither are these reasons of waight For Gabriel doth not signifie a mighty Angel but the mighty God Now Christ properly is El Gibbor the strong or mighty God It is true indeed that all the Angels of God are mighty but Christ is stronger then they as beeing the Lord of them all Now the descention of this Angel from heaven must not be understood of Christs incarnation or any corporal descent on earth but visional that is signifying his continuall presence with the Church Hee and God also is said to descend and ascend by his presence and manifestation of his grace and help To be short he sweareth by the living God greater then himself as he is man but not as he is the living omnipotent God whom we have often before proved so to bee Lambertus thinkes that some excellent ministers of the word are here noted Lambertus opinion whom the Lord sent into the Church at the beginning of the sixt trumpet yet he shews not who they are or shal be But the description of this Angel cannot agree to any such ministers of the word Lyra doting Lyras opinion as his manner is makes this Angel to be the Emperour Iustinus and his nephew Justinianus about the yeere 518. who held in his hand a little booke open that is wrote letters to all places in favour of the Catholicks against the Arians But these acts divine description are to unsolidly ascribed unto a secular man We therefore assent unto the common opinion This mighty Angel is Christ that this Angel is CHRIST the revenger of his Church because both the description of the person all the acts here mentioned doe plainly make good this sense as also the scope requires the same For without Christ the Churches consolation would bee verie little in all these things Besides undoubtedly this mighty Angel is the same who in Dan. 12.7 is called Michael standing upon the waters swearing by the living God from whence this part of the vision seems to be taken But Michael the great prince standing for the people was certainly Christ Therefore this Angel is either Christ himself or one representing his person Now we will consider the Epithites Mightie Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong able for Christ is truely El Gibbor the mightie God having two natures who hath vanquished the devill that strong armed man taken possession of his palace and devided the spoile See Chap. 5.2 18.21 Descending from heaven This is farre different from that he saw Chap. 8.10 a starre falling Chap. 9.1 fallen from heaven Now Christ descended from heaven for the salvation of man-kinde in taking our flesh upon him but that descension is not here intended Againe he ascended into heaven corporally and sits at the right hand of God where he is to remaine untill the day of judgement Notwithstanding Iohn saw him descending not by a locall motion but by visionall grace inasmuch as he commeth down by the presence of his spirit and special help to relieve the afflicted condition of his Church not leaving her comfortlesse according to the promise where two or three are gathered together in my name I am in the midst of them Matt. 18 20. 28 20. I am with you unto the end of the world So Chap. 1. he appeared to Iohn walking in the midst of the Churches not by a corporal motion but a visional presence of his grace and spirit Now the likenesse of the description shewes that the same is here intended Clothed with a cloud Some understand this cloud to be meant
of Christs flesh hiding or covering his divinity Others for the obscure knowledge by which he revealed himself unto the world in the time of the sixt trumpet beeing as it were as yet covered with great darknesse making the sense thus hee appeared clothed with a cloud that is he manifested himself in an obscure or darke way unto the world For my owne part I take it according the manner of the scripture to be a signe of divine majesty For Iehovah was wont to appeare unto the people in a cloud 2 Chro. 6.1 the cloud also leading the people in the wildernesse sheltering them from the heat of the sunne was Christ Therefore he is clothed with a cloud to shew that he is Lord of a heavenly nature And the rainebow on his head The rainebow signifies grace beeing sett by God as a signe Gen. 9.13 that he would not send the floud any more upon the earth Christ therefore appeares crowned with a rainebow as the messenger of grace peace for he is our peace Eph. 2.14 the prince of peace Isa 9.6 This signe was very fit for the time confirming tidings of peace with God to the afflicted Church shortlie to rest from all her troubles and enjoy future happinesse His face was as the Sunne Thus also in Chap. 1.16 it is said Christs face shone as the sunne shineth in his strength that is it was most cleare shining in ful brightnes For hee is the sun of righteousnesse illuminating his Church clearing up the stormes of afflictions For as the sunne in its vigour dissipates the cloudes drives away cold alayes the windes and brings a serenity so Christ by the brightnesse of his spirit of grace will asswage the stormes of afflictions dissipate the tempests of calamities and bring unto the faithfull a quietnesse of conscience in the midst of all their troubles at last by the cleare beames of his countenance will dispell all manner of adversitie His feet as pillars of fire In Chap. 1.15 Christs feet were as fine brasse burning as in a fornace by which metaphor the power and strength of Christ is signified for pillars by their strength underprop support the house Fire consumes chaffe other things so Christ appeares here with such feet who by his power and strength will stand fast against the adversaries Antichrist the Church he will purge defend but consume the enemies like stubble Hitherto we have heard the description of the Angel who doth in this manner shew himself unto Iohn that the Church groaning under the burden of afflictions might know that Christ will come to revenge and relieve her deplorable condition especially under the fift and sixt trumpets for hee will be present with his Church in all her troubles because hee is crowned with a rainbow as also he is powerfull to asswage the tempests of calamities as having a face like the sunne whom the scorpionlike Locusts with their horses and Lyons heads and tailes like serpents shall no way terrifie or overthrow because by his feet as with fiery pillars he so settles his kingdome as it cannot be moved to be short hee easily can destroy Antichrist with all his Locusts arising out of the pit seeing he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mightie powerfull This is the scope and use of the description of the Angel 2 And he had in his hand a little booke open Now follow the Acts of the Angel which tend to the same purpose The first is that he holds in his hand a booke open This booke open is the same which before was shut Here it may be demanded whither this open booke bee the same with the former shut with seven seales I suppose it is the same because Christ under the forme of a Lambe received the booke that was shut unsealed and opened the same neyther doe wee read that he gave the booke being opened to any Now who can better hold the booke open then he that opened it here therfore Christ under the figure of a mighty Angel holds that book open in his hand which before he opened Neither is it any way cōtradictory that there it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a booke but here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little book seeing both words are derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a booke besides the book beeing opened was lesse then when it was shut or els it seemed to be lesse in waight when the seales were taken off or lastly it was lessened in regard many events were now revealed unto Iohn so that it contained not so many secret mysteries as it did before But what may bee the meaning Why Christ holdeth the booke open in his hand that Christ holds this little booke open in his hand The book was written within without within were contained the secrets of future things to bee revealed unto Iohn without was writtē the doctrine of the Gospell before published penned by the Apostles Christ opened the whole booke both because the Apostles were by him inspired and sent forth to preach the Gospell to the whole world as also because he revealed these mysteries unto Iohn Now least it might have been thought that by the great stormes tumults cruel devises of Tyrants Locusts the armies of horsemen the booke of the Gospell had been wrung out of the hands of Christ in regard that almost throughout the whole world the doctrine of free grace justifying faith and the certainty of salvation had of a long time been buried especially under Antichrists kingdom Therefore Christ now appears holding the same open in his hand thereby teaching us first that not withstanding the perfecution of tyrants the superstitions and lyes of Antichrist by which he darkened the doctrine of Gospell yet he held forth in his hand the booke of his word that is raised up continually some faithfull professours and teachers of the truth who maintained the same against all tyrants and Antichrists And indeed the bookes of martyrs and other ecclesiastical histories doe abundantly witnesse that there have been multitudes of such not onely during the persecution of the Romane Emperours and hereticks but also these thousand yeeres many under Antichrist condemned cruelly put to death for heresie But secondly it teacheth us that at last he will also purge his booke from the pollutions of the Locusts dregs of Antichrist by fit witnesses of his truth whom in the last times he will raise up for that end in the midst of Antichrists kingdome And he set his right foot upon the sea The following actions of the Angel illustrate the matter going before For in that he set his feet upon the sea and earth cried as when a lyon roareth caused the thunders to utter their voyces and sware by the living God all this tends to give us to understand that Christ suffered not the booke of his doctrine to bee wrung out of his hand neither by the Romane tyrants
events of the Church For it was written within and without as we heard Chap. 1.7 and Ezech. 2.10 This little booke Christ both opened and held open teaching us that as Iohn so all the teachers of the word must ask of Christ and receive out of his hand the doctrine of salvation which they are to propound unto the Church but not from the hand of Satan or Antichrist Now he exhibiteth a booke open because the holy scriptures doe open and manifestly set forth the mysteries of our salvation Thus we see the decrees of the Romish Antichrist the traditions of Popes and Councils the humane Philosophie and subtilties of Sophisters are to be quite banished out of the Church It is expressely added Of the Angel that stood upon the earth and sea that we might confidently rest on the power of Christ and acknowledge him alone to be the revealer of the heavenly truth and so desire nothing as necessarie to salvation but what we take out of his hand 9. Take it and eat it up This is the other commandement Bookes of paper or parchment are not to be eaten properly as not beeing fit food for man but they are said to be eaten up metaphorically when they are so carefully read and throughly taken notice of that we are able promptly to rehearse and discourse of the contents thereof So a man is said to have devoured Virgil Cicero who is fullie acquainted with them and hath them as it were by heart So Cicero called M. Cato a devourer of bookes because he was an insatiable reader Thus as the Prophet in Ezech. 3. so John here is commanded to eat up the booke he received of Christ that is well to understand and as it were hide the same in the bowels of his heart that so he might deliver no other doctrine unto the Church but what hee had received from Christ Now whether this booke were eaten up trulie or in a vision onely makes little to the purpose the latter is most probable For all these things were don by a vision Here the ministers of the word are taught earnestly to devoure or eat up the doctrine of salvation divinely written received from Christ that is diligently to read understand search meditate as it were to turne it even into their verie moisture blood For such onely can faithfully instruct the Church in the knowledge of the truth who after this manner meditate in the law of the Lord day night On the contrary their sluggishnesse is condemned who though they love to be called Bishops Archbishops Patriarchs of the Church yet in the mean while are little or nothing acquainted with the scriptures of God And it shall make thy belly bitter He preadmonisheth Iohn of a double effect of the booke sweet in the mouth bitter in the belly Sweet things are delightfull to the palate bitter things provoke to vomit Hereby signifying that one effect thereof should be sweet the other troublesome the nature whereof is expounded in the following verse He fore shewes it should be sweet to stir him up the more earnestly to eat up the booke he tels him also that it should be bitter that he might not afterward bee offended thereat but know that this bitternesse should bee recompensed with much sweetnesse Then I tooke the booke He shewes his readinesse in eating the book for neither the difficulty of the command nor the bitternesse of the book dishartens him shewing us that we are readily to submitt unto the command of God not to be dismayed at any hardships or difficulties whatsoever Now he ate the booke not really but in vision onely as I said before signifying that he most readily accepted the worke imposed upon him of which it followeth And it was sweet in my mouth Here the foresaid effects follow This booke being eaten was sweet in the mouth and bitter in the belly the first signifies the sweetnesse of the word as Psal 119.103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter then hony to my mouth Ierem. 15.16 Thy words were found I did eat them thy word was unto mee the joy rejoycing of myne heart This is the proper effect of the word it brings joy to the heart comfort to the conscience yea by how much faithfull teachers doe feel this sweetnesse by so much the more they preach the Gospell chearfully But the effect thereof is bitter by accident because the preaching of the word occasioneth most painefull grypings of the belly as the hatred of the world persecutions banishments martyrdomes This effect Christ foretold unto his disciples They shall put you out of their synagogues Ioh. 16.2 whosoever killeth you will thinke that he doth God service But what use was there to reveale this in a type unto John seeing it was long before plainely foretold in the written word It was altogether needfull considering that this bitternesse doth not properly denote the calamities already past under the four trumpets but to come in the end of the fift sixt under the kingdome of Antichrist the which we shall heare in the following Chapter namely the combats of the third Act of this Vision He foretold them therefore unto Iohn that he might not bee offended for he had already experience hereof beeing sent into exile by Domitian notwithstanding Christ doth not properly intend this here but praefigures in his person the future calamities of the witnesses of the truth 11. And hee said unto me To wit the former voyce from heaven Thou must againe prophesie This commandement is taken diversly Lyra thou must write downe more prophesies to wit those which follow in this booke But to write more things is not againe to prophesie c. Thomas Rupertus and some others understand it historically of Iohns beeing restored unto his Church as if he had said Thou must after the death of Domitian returne from Patmos the place of thy exile unto Ephesus and preach againe the Gospell or as if it were a promise of writing his Gospell after the Revelation The which Ribera refuteth This saith he I approve not of for to put prophesying in stead of preaching the Gospell is new which reason is not solid he adds another that seeing John was gifted with the fulnesse of the holy Ghost therefore he needed not to eat up the booke eyther for to preach or to write the Gospell wherefore he saith the sense is thus that although Iohn hitherto had prophesied many things concerning the last times notwithstanding there remained as yet many things of the same nature which he was to prophesie of against the gentiles c. The which is one with the opinion of Lyra which Alcasar also with his subtilties doth at last come unto But hee needed not to eat up the booke in this respect seeing before he had received a commandement to write the whole Revelation allthough I grant that Lyras opinion touching the promise of Iohns restitution is
which Alcasar justly reproveth For what probable cause can there be imagined of an anticipation or reason that Iohn by by should return again by a regression unto the warr of Antichrist This inconvenience they al run into who observe not the order and method of these Apocalypticall visions the which being neglected we must needs wander as in a wood So then here is described the fourth and last Act of the third Vision The fourth Act of the third Vision containing the third Woe that is Gods horrible judgments which shall be powred out in the last day universally upon all wicked men adversaries tyrants hereticks hypocrites Antichrist and his locusts the which indeed shall be an happie change of the Churches calamities Now touching the seventh Angel he is no other but that Archangel Who is the seventh Angel and what the seventh trumpet the publisher of Christs comming with a shout and great voice The seventh trumpet is that last trumpet of God with which Christ shal descend from heaven and call both living and dead unto judgement 1. Thes 4.16 and 1. Cor. 15.52 The members of this Act as we shewed in the analysis are three The first is the heavenly triumph because the kingdoms of the world are become Gods and Christs v. 15. The second is a triumphing song of the four and twenty elders rendring thanks and praises to Christ for the deliverance of the Church and intreating him to bridle the wrath of the adversaries by his judgement and render rewards unto the godly and due punishments unto the wicked ver 16.17 18. The third is the execution of judgement on both ver 19. The scope is to set forth the consolation of the godly at last for howsoever the Church on earth be in warr against Antichrist yet she shall at length triumph with Christ in heaven And there were great voyces in heaven These are not the voyces of mourners Great voyces of rejoycings but of them that rejoyce tow it of the blessed Angels and soules of the Saintes in heaven as appeareth by the subject of the matter But did not John threaten the third Woe Yea he did so but not to the heavenly inhabitants nor unto the servants of God but to the adversaries not in heaven but upon the earth Before the Woes therefore of the enemies called in other places of scripture gnashing of the teeth the worme that dies not unquencheable fire tribulation and anguish and here are named lightnings voyces thunders earthquakes and haile c. Iohn heard the joy of them that were in heaven celebrating with songs the equity and righteousnes of the judgement to come So then the third Woe shal fall not upon the godlie as the two former woes did on both Antichrists but upon the adversaries whom Christ will cast into the lake of fire and brimstone And thus the first apparition or companie of the 24 Elders shall with songs of triumph put an end unto this third Vision The kingdomes of this world are become Montanus in the kings edition hath it in the singular number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the kingdome of this world is made or become but al other bookes have it in the plural according to our translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sense beeing all one Now it is as I said the triumph and joy of Angels and Saintes in heaven because the mysterie of God was finished according to the praediction in Chap. 10.7 that is because at last Christs kingdome was delivered out of all danger and the power of the adversaries troden under foot The sense is thus The adversaries had violently taken into their possession the kingdomes of the world thrusting out as much as lay in them Christ But now the kingdomes are returned unto Christ who henceforward all enemies beeing destroyed shall reigne alone Of our Lord and of Christ And here is declarative for of our Lord who is Christ So often the Apostle God and the Father for God who is the Father But doth not Christ even now also reigne Psa 2.6 Heb. 2.8 Phil. 2.9 Yea verily for he sits at the right hand of God God hath set his king upon his holy hill of Sion And put all things under his feet And unto him is given a name above every name But then at length he truely shall reigne that is declare that he reigneth when having thrown down the Pope Turke and all other tyrants and adversaries from their thrones he shall alone with the Father and holy Ghost rule the elect Angels and Men. The best interpreter of this place is Paul 1 Cor. 15. ver 24. Then commeth the end when CHRIST shall have delivered up the kingdome to God the Father shall have put downe all rule all authoritie power For he must reigne till he hath put all enemies under his feet and when all things shal be subdued unto him then shall the son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all But thou wilt say How Christ shal deliver up the kingdome to the Father yet reigne for ever how shal Christ reigne for ever and ever if as it is there said he shall deliver the kingdome to God and the Father I answer he shal deliver the kingdom to God not by resigning up the kingdome but by ceasing to reigne after that manner as hitherto he had done Now he reignes by the meanes of his word sacraments and ministers gathering to himself and sanctifying the Church here on earth Then he shall reigne by immediate illumination and glorification of the Saintes in heaven Now he ruleth in the midst of his enemies Psal 110.2 1 Cor. 15.25 Then he shall reigne alone without enemies Now Antichrist Christs corrival with all deceiveablenes of unrighteousnesse and by the power of Satan doth subject the kingdoms of the world unto himself Then he shal be thrown down and abolished by the brightnes of Christs comming Now God and Christ have a divided empire so to speake with Satan the Pope and other tyrants who chalenge much unto themselves But then all enemies shall be abolished God and Christ shall have a full and entire kingdome over all because they shal be all in all things Christ the Son therfore shal reigne with the Father and holy Ghost for ever and ever and not for a thousand yeeres onely as the Chiliasts dreame of which afterward 16. Then those four and twenty Elders The company of the four and twentie Elders doe also with the other heavenly inhabitants give thankes to God for the vindication and deliverance of the Church and kingdome of Christ beseeching him to execute his last judgement Touching the Elders we have heard Chap. 4.4 One of them Chap. 7.23 concluded the second Vision and expounded to John the glory of the blessed Martyrs Here all of them shut up this third Vision with a song of triumph not much unlike unto that in Chap. 4.
that of the Apostle In all these things we are more then conquerours through him who loved us This victory in overcomming the world and the Beast is the faith of the Saints against which the Beast shall never prevaile The same thing speaks Daniel touching the little horne and the issue of the war made with the Saints He prevailed against them saith he untill the Ancient of daies came and judgement was given to the Saints of the most high And therefore the Beast shall not alwaies prevaile against the Saints but at length they shall judge the Beast for his power shall endure no longer then XLII moneths which serves for the comfort of the godly lest fainting under their long-during calamities they should cast away their hope of victory If thou enquire after the time of the warre When the war began it began to be made of old when the Beast first trod down the holy city and tyrannically persecuted al opposers by fire and sword In speciall the warre was at the height after the measuring of the temple which through the great mercy of God was effected in these last times By this warre the Councill of Constance tooke away the two witnesses Iohn Husse and Jerome of Prague and was afterward strongly prosecuted against the Saints by the Councill of Trent and yet is to this day And power was given him over all kindreds and tongues We have heard the declaration and usurpation of the power The universal power of the Beast Now he addes the largenesse and greatnesse thereof for that which in vers 3. was generally spoken The whole earth wondred after the Beast is now distributively spoken Power is given him over every tribe and tongue and nation It is therefore an amplification of his power from the largenesse of the territories in subjection to the Beast His power is universall so as none whither high or low in the Christian world but do either desire or are forced to submit to the Romish yoke Behold here again whither the spirit of God doth not point at the Catholike state of Rome that so Antichrist Christs adversary might be known even by the largenesse of his kingdom Psal 2.6 Psal 72.8 Hebr. 1.2 Rev. 5.9 For as CHRIST is appointed by the Father to be heire of all things from sea to sea He it is that hath redeemed us to God by his blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation so on the contrary the DRAGON hath given power to the Beast over every tongue and kinred and nation c. Yet lest we should think that Christ was wholly thrust out of his possession by Antichrist a limitation is annexed 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him He much amplifies the dignity and worship of the Beast but withall limits the same He shall be worshipped as God in vers 4. it is said in preterperfect tense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have worshipped Here in the future 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall worship So that the Beasts maiestie shall not be for a short time but shall long endure untill it be fully manifested Notwithstanding the holy Ghost comforts the godly by a twofold restriction first in that he calleth the worshippers of the Beast inhabitants of the earth And therefore none but earthly men shall worship him for the Elect are not the inhabitants of the earth Phil. 3.20 but Citizens of Heaven in regard that their conversation is there So that Gods chosen shall not adore the Beast neither shall their salvation or Christs Kingdom be in jeoperdie but theirs onely who follow the Beast for they shall all of them be cast with him into the lake Chap. 19.20 The other restriction is more expressely set downe viz. that they onely shall worship the Beast Whose names are not written in the Book of life c. that is who were not elected in Christ unto salvation but reprobated unto death before the foundations of the world THEREFORE NO MAN CAN BE SAVED IN THE ANTICHRISTIAN CHURCH because all who are not written in the Book of life shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone Chap. 20.15 Let all therefore who love their salvation forsake the Popish Church The names of the Elect are said to be written in the Book of life The Booke of life by an usuall metaphor for we commonly write down the names of such who are deare unto us that we may continually remember them so God having in his eternall counsell elected some to salvation hath written their names in the Book of life so saith Christ Rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven The metaphor also may be understood of the Sonship of the Elect so that to be written in the Book of life shews that they are heires of glory for we know that such are to inherit whose names are written in the last will or testament of men The Booke of life is Christ for in him God hath elected us Therefore it is called the Booke of life of the Lamb that is of Christ because election is made in Christ hence none shall obteine eternall salvation but such who are ingrafted in him through faith the Lamb also is said to be slaine because election includes the blood and death of Christ for the sins of all true beleevers for God hath so decreed to save the Elect as that Christs satisfaction comming in as a ransome for their sinnes his justice might stand with his mercy From the foundation of the world This may be referred either to the next foregoing word slaine or else to the words before who are not written And so Aretas How the Lamb is slaine from the beginning of the world Ephes 1.3 Rupertus and some others take it because of another place not unlike to this Cha. 17.8 They that dwell on the earth shall wonder at the Beast whose names are not written in the Booke of life from the foundation of the world And Paul saith that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the World Notwitstanding the spirit doth not without cause immediately joyne the words from the foundation of the world with the Lamb slaine For he would commend unto us the sufficiencie and largenesse of Christs sacrifice in as much as the efficacie of his death and passion is extended to the very first beginning of the world and so unto all the faithfull from Adam untill the end thereof to shew that no man living shall obtaine eternall life except he be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. But how could the Lamb be slaine before he was I answer 1. Pet. 1.19.20 Gen. 3.15 Heb. 11.1 Act. 9.4 It is true he was onely slaine once on the Crosse some sixteen hundred yeares ago by a reall suffering yet he is in divers respects said to be slaine before 1. in Gods eternall preordination viz. that he should be slaine in the appointed time 2. by promise that the seed of the woman should
ο σ  30. 1. 300. 5. 10. 50. 70. 200. 666. This numerall name of the Beast is not of my invention neither was it of late thought upon by our Interpreters But Irenaeus a most ancient writer 1400. yeeres ago by a divine insight found out and discovered the same unto us as being very agreeable unto this mystery his words are these The name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lateinos containes the number six hundred sixty six and it is very likely because the truest kingdom hath this name For they are Latines that now reigne but in this we will not glory Now who possibly can be marked out unto us by this name except the Latine or Romane high Priest for he long ago hath possessed the kingdome of the Latines and Rome the seat of the Latine kingdome The Popes Latine Church His Church the Graecians call the Latine Church and indeed it is altogether Latine for their Letanies Masses Prayers Exorcismes Indulgences to be short their whole service is in Latine insomuch as with them it is unlawfull to performe the same in any other language but the Latine Wherefore undoubtedly this is that numerall name of the Beast which here the holy Ghost bids us number after the computation of the Greekes But if the Spirit would have us to count the same not in Greeke but rather in Hebrew Characters we are again by the like name led as by the hand unto the Pope of Rome for as John Fox a most diligent searcher into this mysterie hath found out the Latine name Romanus expressed in the Hebrew letters ×©×•× ×¢×ž×¨ doth represent the number of the Beast 666. after this manner ש ו × ×¢ מ ר 300. 6. 50. 70. 40. 200. In this nothing is forced or obscure for who these many ages hath been this Romanus that is Lord and head of Rome but the LATINE MONARCH possessing the kingdom and the royall Metropolis of the LATINES viz. the Pope of Rome of which thing if any be ignorant or doubt let them read the history of Carolus Sigonius who either by entreaty or for lucre sake was hired to set forth the affaires of the Romish Popes touching the kingdome of Italy Carol. Sigo de regno Ital. after the Lumbards and Graecians were expelled out of Italy in his third and fourth booke unto the end Certainly it is not without the singular counsell of God and intention of the spirit that both the Hebrew and Greek reckoning should aime at one and the same thing and point out by the finger as it were him onely who is LATINUS and ROMANUS the Latine and Romane Monarch Him therefore we cannot but confidently judge to be the Antichrist for as much as in him all the markes of Antichrist do evidently concurre and agree together Neither are we the first who have held this opinion but many in the ages before us and indeed in the midst of grosse darknesse have observed and constantly affirmed the Papacy to be Antichrists kingdom and the Pope Antichrist Gregory surnamed the Great The Pope long agoe called Antichrist Lib. Regist Epist 8. Lib. 6. Epist 30. perceiving that Antichrist was at hand brake forth into these words a thousand yeeres agoe The king of pride is neare and that which is not lawfull to be uttered an army of PRIESTS is prepared for him because the CLERGIE who should goe before others in humility fight or strive for mastery Gregory therefore foresaw that Antichrist should be a King of Priests that is some Bishop or Pope who should call himself or desire to be called UNIVERSALL prophetically as it were pointing at Boniface the third Successor of Sabianus who manifested himself to be the Antichrist by arrogating the wicked foolish idle perverse proud vaine-glorious for by these Epithites it is there set forth title of Vniversall Bishop Arnulphus Bishop of Orleans spake these words 600. yeeres agoe in the Rhemish Council What thinke ye him to be who sits in his lofty throne glittering in purple and embroydered garments Verily if he be destitute of Charity and onely puffed and lifted up by knowledge he is the ANTICHRIST Bernardus Clarevallensis an Abbot above 464. yeers agoe wrote such invectives against the luxuriousnesse of the Pope Bishops and Clergie of his time that if any man now did the like he should be accounted as an Arch-heretick Anno 1240. a Councill of the Princes and Bishops of Germany was held at Ratisbon where Eberhardus Archbishop of Salisburg spake these words We feele saith he except we be blinde under the title of the highest Priest a most cruell wolf cleathed in the skin of a Pastor The Romane Popes warre against all Christians and being become great by their bold attempts deceits and sowing wars they kill the sheep c. HILDEBRAND 170. yeeres agoe and more first laid the foundation of ANTICHRISTS Empire he first began this wicked warre which is continued to this day by his Successours And a little after Babylons highest Priests desire to reigne alone cannot endure to have an equall beleeve me who am taught by experience they will not cease untill having brought under the Emperour and loosed the honour of the Romane Empire oppressed true Pastours they by this way extinguish all things tread all things under their feet and sit in the temple of God and are lift up above all that is worshipped He that is servant of servants desires as if he were God to be Lord of Lords This wretched man daily meditates how to set up an Empire proper to himselfe he alters the lawes establisheth his owne sinfull devices robs spoiles and defraudeth every one him they usually call the ANTICHRIST in whose forehead is written I am god I cannot erre he I say sits in the temple of God ruling far and near c. These things he See Aventinus lib. 7. annal fol. 685. About those times lived the Abbat Joachin Calaber who affirmed that the Pope was Antichrist and illustrates the Revelation with propheticall pictures and short expositions in the Italian tongue My Anonymus in his Booke written 260 yeers agoe doth many times in expresse words call the Pope of Rome Antichrist Page 78. The first Angel saith he whosoever he were did first of all declare the Pope of Rome to be Antichrist And a little after It came to passe by great boldnesse that euery one durst declare the Pope who is called Apostolicall to be apostaticall and Antichrist Page 108. No man except he become a spirituall temple of the holy Ghost in evangelicall conversation and doctrine hath received grace to interpret the mysteries of Christ and Antichrist his adversary or to understand that that great Praelate the Pope of Rome should be the great Antichrist And page 115. In Pope Vrban VI. all the mysteries of Antichrist are fulfilled And page 117. Antichrist is a Libard spotted with divers heresies also because he saith he is Christs Vicar on earth although he oppose Christs Law more then any and so is an adulterate
but that the mountaines of Rome and Rome it selfe are a part of the devill yea his strength and dwelling place which is worse then the former See verse 3. 10. And they are seven Kings Now that wee might not sticke in the bare Mountaines of Rome He addeth another mystery viz. that the seven heads are also seven Kings thus of one type he makes two antitypes But what Kings Ribera that wee should not seeke them at Rome and so perhaps find the Pope amongst them saith that they are the Kings of the whole earth This is wonderfull before he said that the beast was the devill therefore either the whole world is the devill or else these are not the Kings of the whole earth unlesse perhaps he would rather say that the devill reigneth on his heads the mountaines of Rome and that Rome rides upon the devill out for shame with so vile and wicked a fiction For whose the mountaines are the same are the Kings also but the mountaines are of the woman Rome therefore the Kings also are of the woman Rome Let this once for all be minded as a sure position But who are these kings Wonderfull Riddles are propounded by the Angell Five are fallen One is the other is not yet come and when he commeth he must continue a short space This is a Gordian knot and not to bee untyed had we not the benefit of histories Now passing by the opinion of many I will record three of the principall the comparing of which will somewhat ease us First that of Victorinus whom our Bullinger and Iunius follow 1 The opinion of Victorinus about the seven Kings that these are the seven Kings which reigned at Rome after Nero. Five are fallen viz. Vitellius Otto Galba Vespasianus Titus ONE WAS viz. Domitian who in Iohns time reigned at Rome The other was not yet come Namely Nerva his Successour who being come was to remaine a short time because hee reigned not full two yeeres Which opinion howsoever backt with the authority of these great men I cannot follow Why it is rejected First because before Iohn not onely five Caesars were fallen at Rome but six others besides Fulius Augustus Tiberius Caius Claudius and Nero neither can any reason be given why these should be excluded Secondly because these seven Kings are not singular persons otherwise those seven being dead all the heads of the beast should have perished and the Beast either should have remained without heads or new heads must have growne upon him as Apollidorus fabulously writes of Hydra or else being without heads he should have bin extinct All which things are contrary to the prophesie for the beast yet lives and is reserved unto the last judgement This Ribera saw and doubted not to affirme that all Expositors In chap. 17 S. 25 except Victorinus understood that in every of these seven many were comprehended although he joynes a foolish fable that not the Kings of Rome are meant but of the whole world which Fiction we erewhile refuted Notwithstanding as if hee forgot himselfe he affirmeth and strongly proveth that it is not unusuall to the Scriptures that in one king many like as it were of the same body are signified which saith he is carefully to be observed alledging for example the Ramme and Goat in Daniel of which two the first denotes the Kings of the Medes and Persians the other all the kings of the Macedonians But good Sir this say I is carefully to be observed against your selfe for by this reason of yours is manifestly refuted or wholly weakened your Fiction that Antichrist shall be onely one singular person and that because hee is said in the singular number to be the man of sin the son of perdition the Beast False Prophet c. for behold what followes If Antichrist be one of these Kings then verily he shall not be one singular man but a king having others succeeding him in his kingdome as had the Kings of Medes Persians and Macedonians in their kingdomes But thou thy selfe makest the seventh of these kings to be Antichrist The other saist thou is not yet come that is Antichrist who shall come in the seventh age Now to come to the second opinion which is Riberas out of Gagnaeus viz. 2 Riberas opinion about the beast that the seven kings are the seven ages of the world or seven kingdomes adversarie to the Church The first age from Kain to Noah The second from Noah to Abraham The third from Abraham to David The fourth from David unto the transportation into Babylon The fift from the transportation unto Christ The sixt from Christ unto Antichrist The seventh from Antichrist unto the end Of these saith he five are fallen because five ages were past before Christs birth One was because the sixt age of Christ did then run on One is not yet come because the seventh age of Antichrist was not as yet When he is come he shall remaine a short space because Antichrist shall onely reigne three yeeres and an halfe A wonderfull Metamorphosis of kings into ages But what reference have the ancient ages unto the heads of the beast that is unto the mountaines and kings of the Citie Rome for it cannot be denyed but that the Angell precisely speaketh of these These kings therefore are not to be sought any where but there even where the mountaiues are because the heads are mountaines and kings Now the mountaines are at Rome and therefore the kings are there also But truely the Iesuite doth subtilly send us to Kain Nimrod Nebuchadnezzar c. The subtilty of the Iesuite least we should find Antichrist at Rome Nay but the kings are to bee sought in Romes mountaines for here they sate reigned and at length have also born up the woman I passe by that there is no proportion of the seventh age with the six former For what are three yeeres and an halfe to the former ages which all of them dured many hundred yeers By which very thing the fiction of Antichrists three yeers reigning is refuted III Opinion touching the seven kings Now I come unto the third opinion viz. of Aretius Napier Brightman and others to whom the seven kings are not seven Emperors nor seven ages but they wil have them to be seven kinds of goverment of the Romane Monarchie six whereof Tacitus mentioneth in his first booke Kings saith he at the beginning governed Rome Libertie and Consulship was set up by Brutus The Dictatorship was onely taken up for a time Neither did the power of the Decemviri last above two yeeres Neither did the Consulary authority of the Tribunes of Souldiers remaine long The power of Cinna and Sulla was but short Pompie and Crassus soone gave place to Caesar And Lepid us and Antony to Augustus who received the Empire all things being confused through civill discords under the name of a Prince He reckons up Castig Brightman pag 110. I say six sorts
SAINTS or of the Beloved-City I answer The occasion of the warre is distinguished from the warre it selfe The occasion indeed of the Holy Warre begun by the Christians is in this Prophesie silently passed over and touching this it is true what is objected but false of the warre following thereupon For it cannot be denyed that the Easterne People being first provoked by the Christians have by Satans impulsion compassed about the Campe of the Saints above these five hundred yeeres not ceasing to trouble the same unto this day Secondly it is objected That the Gogish warre shall not begin till the end of the thousand fatall yeeers But these thousand yeers are not as yet begun Answer The former is true the latter is false for as we have shewed in the foregoing consideration those thousand yeers are expired long agoe Thirdly they object That this Gogish warre shall continue but a little while because in ver 3. Satan shall be let loose but for a short season I Answer It s a fallacie figurae dictionis as it is termed for the time of Satans loosing is called a short or little season not that it shall be but for few yeers for so great a warre cannot be undertaken and finished in a little time but in respect of the thousand yeeres then which it shall be shorter because God for the Elects sake will shorten those dayes of which see more ver 3. Wherefore the Gogish warre as undoubtedly it seems is not indeed that very same Holy Warre raised in Syria by Hildebrand and Turbanus Romish Pontifes but the TVRKISH WARRE against Christendome which arose a while after out of the other and continueth unto this day The Catastrophe or issue whereof now followeth The Third Part of the CHAPTER Declaring the issue of the Gogish war the wonderfull slaughter of the adversaries and the casting of the devill himselfe into the Lake of Fire With a Type of the last Iudgement 9. And fire came downe from God out of Heaven and devoured them 10. And the devill that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the Beast and the false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever 11. And I saw a great white Throne and him that sate on it from whose face the Earth and the Heaven fled away and there was found no place for them 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Bookes were opened and another was opened which is the booke of Life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes 13. And the Sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their workes 14. And death and hell were cast into the Lake of fire This is the Second Death 15. And whosoever was not found written in the Booke of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire THE COMMENTARY AND fire came downe Here begins the last Act. The event of the Gogish Warre shall bee joyned with the last Iudgement at Christs comming the which is set forth by a most evident Type First specially briefly shewing what was done to Gog and Magog with their Army and what to the devill in this and the following vers Afterward generally what unto all in the last Iudgement unto the end of the Chapter The Gogish Army was at length consumed by fire It is an allusion unto the Oracle of Ezechiel 38.22 against Gog of old I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood and I will raine upon him and upon his hands an overflowing raine and great hailestones fire and brimstone So here against the new Gog Fire came downe from God out of Heaven and devoured them by which Phrase the Scripture usually sets forth the wonderfull and horrible Iudgements of God upon the Adversaries by which at length the wicked are so suddenly destroyed and the Church delivered out of distresse and oppression as the Victory cannot be ascribed but to the Divine Power as in Psal 11.6 Vpon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest shall be the portion of their cup. This serves greatly to comfort the Church for although our sinnes doe too too much fight against us this Oracle notwithstanding sheweth Gods benignity to bee so great as wee may undoubtedly believe that the Turkish power shall sooner bee overthrowne by the most powerfull hand of God from Heaven then that the Church of Christ should be extinguished by the same There are some who thinke that this kinde of destruction by fire from Heaven shall litterally be accomplished upon the Adversaries But I rest in the allusion mentioned for as God himselfe overthrew the enemies from Heaven when as the strength of the Iewish people was nothing to resist the Asian Tyrants so when the power of Christians shall be no way able to chase away or overthrow the Gogish Armies of the East God will suddenly as it were reach out his arme from Heaven to fight for the Church and extinguish the adversaries if not before yet certainly at the brightnesse of Christs coming to Iudgement for untill then this Gogish war as likewise that other of Antichrist shall continue This fire therefore comming from Heaven and devouring the adversaries what shall it be but that sharpe sword proceeding out of the mouth of Christ the Iudge and killing all the wicked Chap. 19.15.21 that is that flame of fire 2. Thes 18. Lib. 20. de in which the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from Heaven to take vengeance on them that know not God 10. And the devill that deceived them AVGVSTINE confesseth that in this description are certaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is C. D. c. 14 some things are before repeated that were done after Among these the first seemes to be that the Enemies being devoured with fire from Heaven by and by the devill also is said to be cast into the Lake of fire For it seemeth that this shall not be till the last Iudgement be past which followeth after This verse therefore by a certaine Anticipation cohereth with ver 14. where Iohn saw Death and Hell to be cast into the Lake of fire Now he joyneth the casting of the devill next with the slaughter of the wicked aversaries to teach us that the devill shall not goe free for seducing the Nations and raising Gog and Magog to battle against the Church but at last bee punished for his great malice together with other adversaries See also 1. Cor. 15.24.25.26 By the devill wee cannot with reason understand any other then that wicked Spirit himselfe for he is the same here who verse 2. is called the Dragon the old Serpent and Satan But the Emperour of the Turks whom BRIGHTMAN here understandeth by the devill belongs in my Iudgement unto the Gogish army devoured with fire
by this place or any other This we must leave to God and to time The same was said before in the last Act of the Fift Vision Rev. 16.20 Rev. 6.14 Every Iland fled and the Mountaines were not found Also in the last Act of the Second Vision And the Heaven departed as a Scrowle rolled together and every Mountaine and Iland were mooved out of their places Which place notwithstanding we interpreted somewhat otherwise because of the circumstances But I see not by what shew of reason this change of Heaven and Earth here can be darkened by an Allegory Now it shall not be till towards the last Iudgement and therefore it remains firme that the same is here described The dead corporally are here understood 12. And I saw the dead small and great He had seen the Iudge girded about with Iudgement Now he seeth the guilty standing before the Iudgement Seat whom hee describeth First from their former state by calling them The dead after the common Law of nature but then raised from death to life by the power of God he speaks not of men dead in sins as in ver 5. but of such as dyed corporally and now were raised up to Iudgement But shall not the living also then be judged Yea verily 2. Cor. 5.10 Rom. 14.9 10. for we must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ That he may be Iudge of the quicke and the dead and be Lord both of the dead and the living By the dead therefore are understood the living also by an Argument from the lesser If the dead shall appeare before the Iudgement Seat how much more the living But the dead alone are named either because the number of the dead from Adam till the last day 1 Cor. 15.52 shall be far greater then such as live on Earth when that day commeth Or because those that remain living shal be accounted as dead because they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye Secondly he describes them from their age and condition for the words may be understood of both Great and Small That is as well the powerfull Tyrants of the world Emperours Kings Princes and Great men as Subjects and men of low condition Or properly Great in Age and stature that is growne men and women Small also that is dying in their child-hood by this partition he sheweth that all and every one without any exception are to be judged for the Iudgement shall be universall no man shall bee so Great as to escape the same none so small as to be excluded 2 Cor. 5.10 but every one shall have right without respect of persons as the Apostle witnesseth We must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Lumb lib. dist 44. SCHOOL-MEN suppose that in the Resurrection all shal be as if they were about 33. yeers old which was Christs age but we leave it as uncertain What they speake of the stature that every one shall receive his owne measure of body is more agreeable to this place Thirdly he describes them from their future state Standing in the sight of God or before God to wit to bee judged as guiltie To stand before God signifies sometimes in this Booke as above the Heavenly Ministery of the Saints and Angels Here it signifies to be brought to Iudgement as appeares by what followeth By the dead standing he meaneth them that were raised from death to life XLI Argument of Christs deitie Before God The Iudge hee absolutely calleth God but CHRIST is the Iudge Therefore Christ is God absolutely And the Bookes were opened The judiciall processe is noted by imitation of humane Courts in which the whole processe is wont to be drawn into Protocols from whence the Iudge at length determineth and pronounceth sentence according to the Acts and Proofes not that it shall bee so really for God from whose eyes nothing is hid will not make use of long examination but the equity of the Iudge is noted by a Metaphor taken from humane Courts where the Iudge pronounceth sentence according to the written Law and the Acts and Proofes agreeing thereunto It is an Allusion unto the words of Daniel speaking thus of this IVDGEMENT Dan. 7.10 The Iudgement was set and the Bookes were opened Origene understands it of the books of conscience Comm. ad Rom. 14. which now are hid not to God but to men For the hidden things of the heart are not now known But then they shall be Opened that is manifested to the consciences of all and every one so as there shall be no place left of excuse or withdrawing Thus no man shall be injured because every one shall either be accused or discharged by his own conscience Augustine takes it a little otherwise Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 14 of the bookes of the Old and New Testament in which God hath prescribed unto all what is to bee done or Omitted in this life which shall then be opened because according to them the Iudge will pronounce sentence Rom. 2.16 When God shall judge the secrets of men Marke 16.16 Io. 12.48 Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 14 by Iesus Christ according to my Gospel He that beleeveth and is baptised shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day And another Booke was opened This Austine understands of every mans Booke of Life what he hath done or not done according to those former Books But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of every one is not in the Text but simply which is the Booke of Life to wit in which God hath written from all eternitie the names of them that shall be saved through Christ of which often mention is made in this Revelation Chap. 3.5 13.8 17.8 c. Not that God hath neede of a Booke but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or by humane affection is noted the certainty of Praedestination viz. that God knowes all and every of the Elect even as men know a thing which for memory sake they set downe in writing This Booke therefore shall also be opened because then it shall appear who were Elect who Reprobates who truely beleeved in Christ who not who truely worshipped God Mat. 25.32 who were hypocrites for then Christ will sever the sheep from the goats who in this life were mixt one amongst another And the dead were judged This shall be the denouncing of the sentence the equity whereof is commended by a two-fold reason both because every one shall be judged out of the things written in the Bookes As also because he shall receive according to his workes For what concernes the Bookes whither we take them for the scriptures which are now the rules of our Faith and actions Or the inward working
and quarrels shall be farre from thence but on the contrary we shall sing to God everlasting Songs of joy Nor paine Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labour which may be taken for any kind of trouble and metaphorically for Griefe as BEZA renders it after the Greeke Phrase Sophocl in Antig. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 griefe by griefe brings griefe But then there shall be no labour trouble paine or griefe of body or mind occasioning teares death sorrow or crying There shal be no cause of evill but on the contrary everlasting joy and pleasure at Gods right hand For the former or first things are passed away That is the miserable state of this present life in which all those evils doe abound because of sinne Then they shall passe or vanish away There shal bee a new heaven and a new earth A new state full of joy and happinesse Vnto the illustration of this place that in Chap. 7.15 helps very much where in the end of the second Vision one of the foure and twenty Elders explicated the Heavenly felicity of the Saints almost in the same words They are saith he before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sunne light on them nor any heat for the Lambe that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountaines of waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes This place doth plainly confute their opinion who hold that here is treated of the state of the Church Militant in this world for it is certaine that this removall of all evils from the Church neither is nor shall be in this world neither is any such happinesse to be hoped for in this life but it is reserved for the Church in the world to come These things therefore cannot be applied unto the state of the Church on earth gathered of Iewes and Gentiles Neither do the Futures will dwell will take away contradict what wee say For these are retained emphatically out of the Prophesie as if he should say the things which Isaias foretold should come to passe shall bee then fulfilled the which the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are passed away in the Praeter Tense doth easily evince 5. And he that sate upon the throne Here followeth the voyce of the Sitter on the Throne of whom above Chap. 4. where wee shewed it was either the Holy Trinitie or the Son of God gloriously reigning at the right hand of God in Heaven because he saith I am Alpha and Omega which above in Chap. 1 8. was the voyce of Christ I am Alpha and Omega the First and the Last Now he confirmeth unto Iohn the things before seen and heard All things were new a New Heaven a New Earth a New Ierusalem Least we should doubt or aske whence this innovation should come Behold saith hee I make all things new This innovation of things shal be effected by the divine power Neither speaketh he of the spirituall renovation of the Church which began long agoe by the grace and power of Christ but of the super-naturall change of the whole universe which shal be at Christs last coming 2. Pet. 3.13 as Peter sheweth And hee saith to mee write The Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith in the present Tense being the proper stile of the Evangelist Iohn argues that he was Authour of this Booke He is commanded to write this Vision of the future renovation and in speciall the most sweet voyce of Gods eternall abode with men and the future blessednesse of the godlie that it might allwayes remaine extant to future times for the Churches consolation for Christ knew that the Churches condition should unto the end be mournefull by teares death sadnesse paines c. Least therefore she might faint in her warfare the Lord would have this most joyfull Catastrophe of all evils to be set down in Holy Writ For these words are true and faithfull Above Chap. 19.9 after a like Commandement of writing Write blessed c. He annexed a like reason These words are true Here he addeth faithfull that none should doubt of the future happinesse Hee understands by WORDS here Gods future dwelling with men as also the eternall rewards of the faithfull and everlasting punishments of the wicked 6. And he said to mee It is done Above Chap. 16.17 the Angell of the seventh Viall in the same phrase proclaimed the end of Babylon and the whole world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IT IS DONE It is a weighty asseveration that the thing is as certaine as if it were already accomplished I am Alpha and Omega As above Chap. 1.8.11 I will give unto him that is a thirst Hee confirmes eternall rewards unto the faithfull out of the Gospell For this is the voyce of Christ Ioh. 7.37 whence he that sate on the throne is knowne to bee Christ the Author of this Prophesie To them that thirst he promiseth the water of life freely that is everlasting joy without any desert of ours But then no man shall thirst any more But these Future Verbes I will give shall inherit and as before shall wipe away seeme to make against our opinion but they doe not as erewhile I shewed For because it is a Prophesie of future things he rightly useth Verbes of the future Tense He therefore that thirsteth to wit after righteousnesse in this life to him Christ will give the water of Life now in a beginning onely then fully as if hee should say then I will truely fulfill the Evangelicall promise of which I now grant a tast to the faithfull He that overcommeth shall inherit all things Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 receive it by inheritance Not therefore of merit but freely All things As it were an only Heire that possesseth all the substance of his Parents But all the Elect are heires and yet every one shall receive the whole inheritance Therefore this shall not be after the manner of other inheritances Now the inheritance is promised to him that overcommeth to wit the world the Beast and Satan because before the victory there must needs be a fight Therefore the Faithfull are here exhorted to fight couragiously against all their Adversaries See Chap. 2.10 And I will bee his God From 2. Sam. 7.14 He then at last promiseth to them that overcome the fulfilling of the promise of adoption which now by faith they possesse in hope Now are wee the sonnes of God but it doth not yet appeare what we shall bee but we know that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as hee is This is Johns owne most true interpretation of this divine voyce 1. Ioh. 3.2 8. But the fearfull and unbeleeving From the contrary he extols the felicity of the Godly because contraries being set one by another
they are the more apparent Therefore he could not more effectually set forth the excellency and worth of Heavenly good things erewhile promised unto the Conquerours viz. eternall abode with God his everlasting amitie absence of all evill abundance of all good things the Eternall and Heavenly refreshing and last of all the coinheritance with Christ in the new Heaven and the new Earth and of all things that are then by giving a touch on the contrary of the miserable and unhappy portion of the ungodly But the fearefull saith he and unbeleevers shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone whose horrible judgement hee repeateth from the end of the foregoing Chapter Whosoever was not found written in the Booke of Life was cast into the Lake of fire This part of the judgement he expoundeth more fully that the godly may the more contentedly beare the troublesomnesse of their warfare and miseries in this life which shall shortly be turned into joy and the lesse be grieved at the successe and delights of the ungodly who shortly shall be cast into the torments of Hell fire Furthermore he reckons up eight rankes of reprobates whose names are not written in the Booke of Life unto which all the wicked belong in speciall the worshippers of the Beast and his Zealots are set forth in their colours For of these chiefly it is said Chapter 13.8 That their names are not written in the Booke of Life And truely these wickednesses have notoriously born sway in the Papacy Fearefull These he opposeth to Christs strong champions and Conquerours Fearfull understanding indeed generally those delicate professours who for feare of danger would have nothing to do with Christ nor suffer any trouble for his sake But chiefly noteing those most base Vassals of ANTICHRIST unto whom a servile dread and spirit of fearfullnesse is proper For they are never taught certainely to trust in the mercy of God touching the remission of sinnes of faith and salvation but torment themselves with perpetual doubting false conjectures and feare of beeing deceived all their life time standing in dread of Purgatory and Hell fire Vnbeleeving Such indeed bee all that are Alients from the Faith of Christ Vnbelievers Iewes Pagans barbarous Infidels of whom it is said Hee that beleeveth not in the Sonne of God Ioh. 3.36 the wrath of God abideth on him Yet none are more bitter enemies of justifying faith then Antichrists Zealots for these both by Arguments and force of armes furiously oppugne free justification by Faith They therefore are principally these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnbeleeving seeing the Scriptures of the new Testament usually call other faithlesse men The abominable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disobedient and obstinate Abominable Both actively who abhorre God and Christ and passively who because of their abominable wickednesses are odious to God and men Andreas reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abominable sinners such indeed are blasphemers out of the Church But principally it agrees to the worshippers of the Beast for they imitate the nature of the Beast and his blasphemous mouth against God his Tabernacle and those that dwell in Heaven But what more cursed abomination can there be Cha. 13.6 then for Popish Priests really to sacrifice and kill the Sonne of God under the species of bread in the Masse mortifying destroying and offering him unto the Father if they be beleeved Murderers Such indeed have been all the robbers from Cain Murderers and Nimrod the Tyrants time cruelly spilling mans blood but none are more cruell man-slayers then Antichrists zealots and actors in the Inquisition who for many Ages have indeed by fire and sword killed innumerable bodies of the Martyrs but infinite soules of men by their devilish doctrine Whoremongers Such indeed are all impure adulterers and fornicatours whom God will judge Notwithstanding the Romane Clergy are the chiefe Adulterers and whoremongers who under pretence of vowed chastitie have long agoe polluted the Christian world with whoredomes adulteries sodomie and filthy secret lusts Sorcerers Or such as mingle poysoned cups Sorcerers or serving the devil by magical Art and so are hurtfull unto men Many Popes and Monks have excelled in this kind of wickednesse never was Magicke more used or esteemed of then in the Papacie Never were Kings and Princes in such danger of beeing poysoned as by these men Idolaters Among these indeed are comprehended Pagans who worship false Gods Idolaters for the true Govetous men whose Mammon is there God Epicures who make a god of their belly For all these are Idolaters but no Idolatry is so horrible as is in the Papacie where under the Image of God and Christ and of the Saints Idols of wood stone gold and silver are religiously worshipped and adored All Lyars That is Lyars Pro. 12.12 Iohn 8 44. all Liars and framers of lyes in generall adversaries of trueth of whom it is said Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord Every lyar is of the devill the father of lyes But the Papacy is as the very sinke of falsehood Their head the Pope is a lyar falsely affirming himselfe to be Christs Vicar Peters Successour Monarch of the Christian world Head of the Church and Lord of Kings and Emperours Their Religion and whole worship is false Their doctrine of meritorious works of Purgatory of satisfactions is false Their Doctors are lyars To bee short their blasphemies and calumnies by which they continually defame the Gospell of Christ are most false Thus we see whom the threatning respects Now for the punishment They shall have their part in the Lake An Hebrew Phrase Psa 11.6 Psa 16.5 Psa 63.10 Act. 8.21 Fire and brimstone is the part or portion of their cup Jehovah the part of my portion and of my cup. They shall be the portion of Foxes So PETER to Simon Magus Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter By an Allusion unto Heires among whom the inheritance is divided into certaine parts that every one may have his due portion Now because he had said that such as overcame should inherit all things Here on the contrary he saith the portion of the wicked shall be in the Lake of fire that is this shall be the inheritance of the ungodly Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the part of them The Relative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of them is after the manner of the Hebrews a redundance or over-plus And the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is or shall be is wanting Beza rightly Is assigned to wit the sentence being now pronounced For erewhile he said all that were not written in the Booke of Life were cast into the lake of fire The lake of fire Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 14 Touching this Lake of fire and brimstone we need not with idle Sophisters dispute what kind of Lake it is and where and what kind of fire Elementary or not AVGVSTINE This fire saith he in what
they cause troublesome vapours and smoake neither doe they give light any great distance Therefore we stand in need of the Sunne or Day-light But the servants of God shall not then want any of these things For there shall be no night and therefore no use of lights no not of the light of the Sunne it selfe because the Lord God shall enlighten them with the brightnesse of his majesty as before he said Ch. 21.23 The glory of God did lighten it and the Lambe is the light thereof and the Nations which are saved shall walke in the light of it And they shall reigne for ever and ever This shall be the very height of our glory in Heaven that wee shall reigne with God and the Lambe for ever more Now indeed Christ hath made us Kings and Priests to God and the Father but our Kingdome is yet hid in Christ But then the Kingdome of God shall be manifested in our selves Now is the Kingdome of grace then it shal be of glory Before in Chap. 20. ver 4. they that were beheaded reigned with Christ a thousand yeeres Then we shall all of us reigne with Christ for ever and ever and this is that which he there added in ver 6. touching the rest having part in the first Resurrection They shall reigne with him a thousand yeeres See the exposition there Now we shall so reigne as that God and the Lambe shal be the head of the Kingdome But shall not the Son then deliver up the Kingdome to the Father 1. Cor. 15.28 and be subject to him Yea verily but this he shall not do by laying downe the Kingdome and so cease to reigne For how should the King of kings and Lord of lords of whose Kingdome there is no end Luk. 1.33 ever cease to reigne but by changing the present and mediate forme of the Kingdome into an immediate and by abolishing all the adversaries of the Kingdom as we have elsewhere declared The Second Part of the CHAPTER The Conclusion asserting the profitablenesse and Authority of the whole Prophesie 6. And he said unto mee These sayings are faithfull and true And the Lord God of the Holy Prophets sent his Angell to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly bee done 7. Behold I come quickly blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the Prophesie of this Booke 8. And I Iohn saw these things and heard them And when I had heard and seene I fell downe to worship before the feet of the Angell which shewed me these things 9. Then saith he to mee See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the Prophets and of them which keepe the sayings of this Booke worship God 10. And hee saith unto mee Seale not the sayings of the Prophesie of this Booke for the time is at hand 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he which is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still 12. And behold I come quickly and my reward is with mee to give every man according as his worke shal be 13. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning the end the first the last 14. Blessed are are they that do his commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the Citie 15. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye 16. I Iesus have sent mine Angell to testifie unto you these things in the Churches I am the root and the off-spring of David and the bright and morning Starre 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say Come And let him that heareth say Come And let him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Booke if any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this booke 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the booke of this Prophesie God shall take away his part out of the booke of Life and out of the holy Citie and from the things that are written in this booke 20. Hee which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so Come Lord Iesus 21. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen THE COMMENTARY AND he said unto mee Thus farre of two Parts of the Booke the Preface and the Visions The third or Conclusion remaineth in which somethings respecting the Authority of the Booke are taken out of the Preface and some other things added by which the great utilitie and sacred Authority thereof is further commended as we shewed in the Analysis After the concluding of this Revelation an Angell saith unto John to wit one of the Seven pouring out the Vials who before shewed him the judgement of the whore and the Beast and afterward the magnificence of the Heavenly Ierusalem These words are faithfull and true That is not only what was last spoken but the whole Prophesie as Chap. 19.9 This is the Proposition unto the confirmation whereof the whole Conclusion respecteth that wee might beleeve the Prophesie to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divine true profitable and saving unto the Church and so bee stirred up unto the continuall meditation thereof The Holy Ghost was not ignorant that many would call into Question the divine authority of this Booke for it was a long while rejected as being composed by the hereticke Cerinthus which errour we have before confuted in the Prologue But they ought to have beleeved the Angell saying These words are faithfull and true Faithfull to which we may safely give credit True which shall certainly be accomplished And indeed so it is for we who are now more then fifteen hundred yeers after the Revelation do if not see with our eyes yet certainly feel as it were with our hands the manifest accomplishment almost of all the Visions Here therefore wee have an evident note of divine authoritie and truth imprinted on this Prophesie against the most impudent assertion of BELLARMINE Lib. 4 de verb. cap. 1. which is that it can no way be gathered from the Scripture it selfe that some Scripture is divine What I pray is this but to give the Angell the lie who saith These words are faithfull and true But the liar condemneth himselfe in saying elsewhere that besides other arguments Lib. 1. cap. 2. de verbo the divine authority of Canonicall Bookes of Scripture may be proved from the scripture it selfe The Sophisters and adversaries of Scripture object that this Argument is not sufficient to Faith unlesse it be before proved and beleeved that the Angell or Writer uttering these things spake truth ANSWER First principles are not proved but laid
take ought from the Scriptures but with the hazard of their Salvation If any man shall adde The contestation consists of two heads The first is that this Prophesie may not be adulterated by any Addition To adde What it is to adde to this Prophesie is not soberly and according to the Analogy of Faith to interpret the meaning of the Prophesie but to mixe other things besides what the Lord Iesus hath revealed by his Angell He addeth saith THOMAS which adjoyneth a lye for whatsoever is patched to the Scriptures of mens inventions that it might be accounted as divinely revealed is a lie Such are the Popes Traditions which seeing hee will make of like authority with the written word of God he addeth unto the Scriptures Therefore they are lies The other branch of the contestation is What it is to take away from this Prophesie that none may deprave this Prophesie by taking away from the words thereof He not onely takes away that derogates from the divine authority of the Booke which as Christ foresaw many would do but he also that any wayes changeth or maliciously perverteth or contradicteth any thing here written Of which offence such are not altogether free who obstinately deny that the manifest events of the Types touching the fall of the great Starre from Heaven into the Earth of the Beasts ascending out of the Sea and of the worshipping of his Image and Character of the Romane Babylon of the whore committing fornication with the kings of the earth the like are not yet manifestly fulfilled in the Papacy The summe of the contestation is that the integrity sincerity and sacred Authority of this Prophesie bee faithfully preserved in the Churches and that the contemners falsifiers and corrupters thereof be no way suffered under paine of Anathema or curse unto which as it followeth that man is liable that presumes to adde or take away ought therefrom for he saith Vnto him God shall adde the plagues This is the reason of the contestation the horrible curse of them that falsifie this Scripture by adding or detracting For if Falsifiers of Coine are liable unto the civill curse of the Law much more shall the Anathema of eternall damnation be inflicted upon the Corrupters of the Scriptures which are the word of God To them that adde thereto God will adde all the plagues of this Booke to wit the Seven last plagues and cast them into the Lake of fire and brimstone with the Dragon the Beast and the False-Prophet Chap. 19. 19. And if any man shall take away That the righteousnesse of Gods judgements may appeare he will punish the Corrupters of his word according to the quality of the offence To Impostors he will adde plagues To them that take away God will take away their part out of the Booke of life c. Their judgement shall bee much alike For as the former are threatned with plagues so the latter shall be deprived of all good His part Not what he hath but what he seemes to have He speaketh of the part or portion of eternall life which such shall have as are written in the Book of Life that blessednesse I say and Heavenly joy which the Inhabitants of the Holy Citie shall be partakers of And from the things which are written To wit which in the Epistles of this Prophesie especially Chap. 2. 3. are promised to them that overcome and from the things which in this Book are spoken touching the glorious state of the Saints in Heaven Chap. 7.9.20.21.22 Now they that shall be deprived of Heavenly blessings must of necessity lie under eternall plagues and punishment For betwixt these there is no medium This place is remarkeable against the Popish depravers of the Scriptures For two things are evidently proved First that the Holy Scripture is Authentique in it selfe and that it giveth testimony of its owne divine authority For what is truely said of this Prophesie is rightly by Expositers extended unto the whole Scripture Hence ANDREAS A fearfull curse saith he shall light on them who are not afraid to adulterate divine Scripture SECONDLY That the Holy Sriptures are so perfect in themselves as that the Romanists are to bee held for most damned falsifiers who deny that all Doctrines of Faith and Salvation are contained therein unlesse the traditions of Rome bee added Lib. 4. de ver 80. dei c. 10. Against this Bellarmine objecteth that only the integrity of this Book is established but not the perfection of the whole Scripture ANSWER Yea both this Booke and all the rest of Holy Scripture This appears because this Booke is the last and last written Therefore this threatning annexed is as the Seale of the whole Cannon or of all Bookes of divine Scripture For as God put too this Seal to the Bookes of Moses being the first Cononicall Bookes Deut. 4.2 12.32 Ye shall not adde unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it So to this last Booke he puts the same Seale that nothing might be added made equall or taken away from this or any other part of Canonicall Scripture Bellarmine objecteth to the contrary that it is not said which I have written but which I have commanded But frivolously for Exod. 24.12 God saith expresly Which I have written that thou mayest teach them And Hose 8.12 I have written to him the great things of this Law Adde to this the former reason that all Interpreters do acknowledge this Anathema to be pronounced generally against all falsisiers of Scripture Why the oracles of the Revelation are most taken out of the old Canon and that most justly For the evident argument hereof is that the greatest part of this Prophesie is as it were taken word for word out of the Old Canon so as the Holy Ghost seemes purposely in every of the Visions to allude unto certaine Prophesies of the Old and New Testament Now the reason hereof without Question was First indeed really to demonstrate that there was nothing wanting in the Old Testament unto perfection Secondly that by this apparent imitation hee might shew that in the writings of the Old Testament is contained the state and condition of the Church of the New Testament Lastly he sheweth that the Revelation is as it were a recapitulation of both the Testaments and containeth the summe and agreement of all the Holy Scriptures By the which againe it is plaine that this present contestation or protestation belongeth unto the whole Body of Sacred Writ 20. He which testifieth these things saith Ribera will have these words to bee Johns because of the like sayings in his Gospell Iohn 21.24 But the words following shew that they are spoken by the Lord Iesus for he addeth Behold I come quickly Notwithstanding there is no great matter in it Hee calleth himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Testifier because he testified that is revealed this Revelation unto John by his Angell Hence
the comforter 49. The Moon red with blood what it signifies 128. It is the Church ibid. The Moon receives its light from the Sun ibid. The Moon under the feet of the woman 259 The Morning Star 52. 53. Moses his twofold song 368. The Mother of fornications who 41◠Mountains removed 130. They denote Emperors and Christian kings ibid. The Mountain cast into the sea what it noteth 160. MYRIAS what 189. Mysteries of the faith whither four 92. The Mystery of the Angel with the Golden Censer expounded 154. Mysticall famine proclaimed 114. N. NAturall misery of all men 78. The Name of God written on the faithfull 73. The Name of the City of God ibid. The Name of Christ ibid. The Name of God the Father Son and holy Ghost is seldom absolutely expressed in the Revelation 8. The Names of the Elect written in the book of life shall never be blotted out 61. The new Name no man knoweth but he that hath it 46. The Name of the Generall how known unto no man 490. why he hath his name written on his thigh 492. The Names of the Apostles why written on the foundations of the city 561. The Nations that were saved how they are both the city and the citizens 569. The nations possessing the inward court 215. New heaven and the new earth whither taken allegorically or properly 549. 550. The New Jerusalem how it descends from heaven 551. It s originall ibid. Etymologie 560. walles and gates 561. foundations ibid. foursquare figure 562. quantity ibid. it glitters with gold 563. the matter of the gates 566. court ibid. temple 567. light 568. citizens 569. her peace and tranquility 570. glory 571. pleasantnesse 574. puritie and majesty 576. her governour ibid. her felicity 577. The New opinion of some learned brethren touching the thousand yeers examined 510. 511. Nice taken by the Turks 192. Nicolaitans their doctrine 36. 44. What their heresie was according to Antichrists opinion 45. The Nicolaitans openly tolerated in the Church of Pergamus ibid. Number of the Beast what it is 315. The Numeral letters denoting Antichrist whither Greek or Hebrew letters 317. O. OAthes how lawfull 203. Occasion of rejoyceing over Babylons destruction 475. Old and new Romes cruelty against the Godly 471. 472. The Old and new Gogish warre 536. One and the same thing why oftentimes represented under diverse types 109. Open books denote judicial proces 544. Opinion of the Fathers about the said books ibid. Opening of the book what it signifies 98. Opening of the seales 106. Open door what it signifies 65. Christ Opening no man can shut 64. The Open door in heaven what it is 86. OPinions of the Fathers without scripture prove nothing 223. Opinion of the authour touching the book that was closed or shut 96. 97. Opinions about the star fallen from heaven 168. 169. Opinions about the sea-beast 282. 283. Opinions about the book written within without 95. 96. Opinions about the womans flight 275. Opinions touching the trumpet of the sixt Angel 185. Oppression of the Church under Antichrist 106. It came not all at once but by degrees 225. Oracles of the Revelation why for the most part taken out of the old testament 596. Apollos oracle to Augustus 503. Oracles of the Devill wholy ceased at Christs suffering on the Crosse 502. 503. Order of existence betwixt the Father and the Son 7. Order of the tribes not observed 143. Ottoman the Turks first Emperor 186. The Out-spread firmament how created 130. Out of every tribe of Israel how to be understood 142. 143. P. PAngs of the Church in travell 259. The Pale horse diversly interpreted 116 It denoteth the Church being sick even to death toward Antichrists rising 117. The Papacy a filthy sinck of all manner of lies 361. Papacy established in the West and Mahumetisme in the East 124. 125. How Christ the Son of righteousnesse is darkned in the Papacy 127. The Papacy acknowledgeth not Christ for the onely Mediatour 128. The Papacy must be left separated from 484 Papists by their Idolatry draw the armies of the Turks upon Christendome 194. the Papists fable of the two witnesses 221. refuted 222. their opinion of the 2660 dayes refuted 224. the true and safest opinion 225. the Papists crucifie Christ 320. their glosse refuted 356. Papists glory in their multitude objecting to us the paucity of Orthodox Christians 58. Parabolicall declaration of the harvest 361 Parallel of the third and fourth Act 145. Pastors duty 56. They are spirituall Physicians ibid. Patmos where 18. 19. Paul hath set forth Antichrist in his colours 288. The feined Epistle of Paul to the Laodiceans is Apocrypha 74. Peace what it is 7. The Pleasantnes of the caelestial city 574. The Pelagian Heresie 82. 83. Pergamus a city of Troas 22. A Periphrasis of Hell 495. Persecution The first persecution of Christians under Tiberius Nero 5. 19. the second under Domitian ibid. the nine persecutions under the Romane tyrants 110. A new persecution 272. by the ambition and riot of Bishops 273. A new civill persecution by Emperours 273. 274. Antichristian persecution how long it dured 358. Perseverance commended unto us by a consolatory argument 61. Perseverance under the Crosse is to overcome 72. The Pharises being hypocrites were worse then if they had been blinde 70. Philadelphia a city of Mysia 22. 64. Phocas gave the key of the bottomlesse pit unto the Pope of Rome 171. A Piece of Ordnance of incredible bignesse 190. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what kinde of garment it was 24. Polycarpus Iohns disciple 38. The Pope is Antichrist 63. 320. 346. He lifts up himself above Christ 63. Arrogates the title of Vniversall contrary to their own Canons ibid. He impudently assumes to himself what is proper to Christ 64. He deceitfully selleth pardons and heaven for money 78. How he causeth fire to come down from heaven 310. Why he is not expresly named by the holy Ghost 321. He causeth his God to be carried on a white horse 489. The Popes pride 63. He is author of most cruell warres among Christians 129. He not content with his spirituall lightnings draws the temporall sword also against Kings and Emperors 128. His cruelty against the Martyrs 129. He vaunts himself to be Christs Vicar and Monarch of the Church on earth and will be worshipped as God 174. The Pope long since called Antichrist 318. 319. He is the Babylonish Strumpet 320. How he came to be the Eight King 428. He assumed the Augustall title of Pontifex Maximus Which of old was the title of heathenish Emperors 428. 429. He condemneth all for hereticks who oppose his tyrannie and Idolatry 129. Why he would never be present at the Eastern Councils but by Legates 289. His Latine Church 317. Pope Silvester 163. Pope Zachary deposeth Childerick King of France 130. He condemnes married Bishops and Priests as Nicolaitans 45. Popish heathenisme 215. Popish excommunication is that evil ulcer 379. Diverse opinions about the same ibid.
Popish Rome is the woman sitting upon many waters 443. And the seat of Antichrist 444. Popish idolatry is fornication 456. The Powring of the first Viall on the earth 378. Of the second Viall 380. Diverse opinions about it 381. Of the third viall and divers opinions about it 382. Of the fourth Viall 385. Of the fift Viall 388. Of the sixt Viall 390. Of the seventh Viall 398. Power received from the Dragon 298. Six effects of the Beasts power 308. 309. Preachers of Gods word how they inflict plagues 376. Praedestination must be taught though many abuse this doctrine 584 The Praerogative of being the first fruits to God is an allusion unto the first fruits of the Law 336. Praetence of Antichristian tyranny is false 241. The vain pretence of Idolaters 242. Priesthood common to all the faithfull 14. Priscilla a false Prophetesse 49. Priscillian declared an heretick by the Pope 129. The Prison is put for all kinde of torments 40. Priviledges of Antichrists marked ones expressed in the Bull of Pope Martin V. 314. Promises how far they become debts 250. The Prophets and Apostles wrought not miracles by their own power 50. To Prophesie again 208. To Prophesie is to Preach Propheticall and Apostolicall Doctrine 224. A Prophesie of the future condition of the Godly under Antichrist 121. A prophesie found in the house of the Governour Salezianus 440. The Prophesie why sealed 583. A Proverbiall description of the ungodly despairing 133. Punishments of the wicked 251. 252. Purgatory 357. Puritie of the Saints whence it cometh 90. Q. QVadratus a disciple of the Apostles 64. A Question concerning the order of the Revelation 365. Quintilla a false Prophetesse 49. R. REligious worship of Angels expresly condemned in Scripture 9. Religious worship unto the Creature simply denied 582. It being a most horrible unpiety 486. The Reasons of the Angel against the worship of Angels cannot be taken away by Idolaters 486. The Red horse is the Church of Martyrs 110. On whom Christ is said to ride 111. To Render the double to Antichrist how it agrees with Equitie and Justice 461. 462. Remedie of pride 77. 78. Repentance described 34. 49. If true comes never to late 79. Why it is necessary 387. Representation of the state of the Primitive Church 106. Reprobates divided into Eight rancks 555. 556. The Rest of the dead who 517. The Rest of the womens seed who they are 279. Their Epithetes ibid. The Revealing of future things is proper to God alone 3. The Revelation It treateth of future things 5. How Iohn received it ibid. It was written by the Evangelist John ibid. It is an holy canonicall book of divine scripture 6. Containing excellent doctrines precepts and promises of the Churches deliverance and of the marriage of the Lamb 6.7 It hath many phrases proper to it self and excelling 8. Where John saw and wrote the same how and on what day 18. 19. Whither the whole was revealed in one Lords day 20. Revenge in the Saints how it can stand with piety and charitie 461. 462. Reward due and not due 586. Reward of the just is blessednes of the unjust exclusion out of the heavenly city 591. 592. Reward in heaven or degrees of glory may be different seeing there shall be degrees of punishment in hell 71. Rewards propounded unto them that overcome 72. Of whom there are three rancks 249. Ribera taxed 14. 20. His opinion of the four Angels 137. His argument not solid 138. His litterall exposition cannot stand ibid. His opinion of the Angel with the Censer 153. His reasons answered 154. His salving of Papall Rome 346. His eschappatories answered ibid. His new fiction in the Popes behalf refuted 347. His reasons touching Romes falling away examined 348. He commits crimen laesae majestatis against the Pope ibid. Contradicts himself and actuseth the Pope of extreme negligence ibid. His fiction refuted 409. 410. 411 c. His false opinion of the beast refuted 416. With the common opinion of expositors about the same ibid. His quaere why evill spirits rather frequent the deserts then populous places 455. The true cause thereof laid down by the Author ibid. Ribera refuted 514. He refuteth Bellarmins fiction 535. He confesseth the Pope shall be thrust out of Rome 441. A Ridiculous Etymologie of the word Apocalyps 3. The true Etymologie thereof ibid. Rivers and fountains are the breasts of the Sea 383. Romane Legions of how many soldiers they consisted 132. Romane Merchants buy and sell the souls of men 456. 457. Rome had no Epistle sent her from Christ and why 22. She is the calamity and destruction of the Christian Church 215. Her relapse to Paganisme 347. She must be burnt not before but after Antichrists comming 441. Whether Antichrist shall be abolished at Romes burning ibid. The Ruine of Old and New Babylon set forth by the same type 470. Ruine of the tenth part of the great city 245. The Rule of Articles with the Greeks is not alwayes observed 100. 307. 406. 410. 437. The Rule of finall causes 448. Rupertus opinion of the four Angels 136. He by winds understandeth teachers of Christian belief 138. His opinion of the Angel with the Censer 153. S. SAbinian a proud Bishop 127. Sackcloth of hair 127. Signifies Romane traditions 128. The Saints weaknesse at the beholding of the Divine Majestie 25. How farr the Saints may fall away how not 34. The Saints shall with Christ judge the world 104. How they require vengeance on the wicked 120. They may not be called upon neither do intercede for us 122. nor pray for the Church Militant 147. The Papists transform them into tutelar Idols ibid. How the Saints have right to Christ 591. Saladin Emperor of Egypt 190. Saphyr a Gemme of India 564. Saracens invading the provinces of the Romane Empire 186. Sardica a city of Illyria 54. The Sardine its colour and vertue 87. 565. Sardonix 565. Satan His proper domicile 44. He dwelleth in the children of disobedience ibid. His casting down into the earth is mysticall 266. 267. His Epithetes ibid. His action against the Saints 269. Why he was bound 502. 503. How he must be let loose again 505. 531. His twofold attempt 531. The Scripture must be read of all 583. It s twofold effect 584. The Scriptures are authentick and perfect 596. The Sea of Chrystall is the world 90. Diverse opinions about it 91. Why a third part of the sea was turned into blood 160. The Sea swalloweth up the great mountain 161. The Sea out of which the Beast ascended 288. The Sea of glasse is the world of wicked men 368. Why said to be of glasse ibid. The Sea into which the second viall was powred 381. The Sea renewed 551. The Sea-beast who it is according to Pareus 287. Seales their twofold use 97. The generall signification of the seales 107. The Seal of the living God 140. imprinted on the Elect 141. 142. The Sealed ones distribution according to the severall tribes of
understood 226. Their contemptible habit 227. Their dignity ibid. Their power to turn water into blood 230. Topaze a precious Gemme 565. Torments of Hell 353. To Tread under foot signifies to destroy and wast in hostile manner 215. The Tree of life 37. It is in the middest of the street 575. and on either side ibid. It is one onely viz. Christ ibid. What fruit it alwayes beareth ibid. Trees denote the Apostles and chief teachers 158. The Tribes of Israel not reckoned according to their naturall order 143. The Tribe of Dan why lest out 144. Turkes cruelty 188. Their horses are excellent 189. With what forces the Turks Emperors commonly do ride a hunting ibid. Their successe in Graecia Thracia Hungary 191. The Vetians gave them a great overthrow 190. They notwithstanding took Cyprus from the Venetians ibid. The Two witnesses whither the two Testaments 223. They are indefinitely taken 224. How they shall smite the earth 230. They lived not again Pythagorically 242. Vnder the two witnesses and olive trees are comprehended Godly Princes 228. Two Eagles wings given to the woman 274. The Twofold garments of the Saints 60. Two rancks of such as shal be judged 249 Tyrants can do no more then what is permitted them 111. Why God suffers them ibid. V. VBiquitie of Christs flesh refuted 15.23 It is a burden not imposed by Christ 52. Vials by a double trope are the prayers of the Saints 102. Vials in the Greeke whence derived 372. Victorie of the Saints fourfold 366. The Virginitie spoken of in Chap. 14. is not to be understood of carnall virginitie 334. Visions are threefold 19. Visions why so often iterated 364. Volumina 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were bookes written within and without 97. Voyces and thunders what they note 156. Voyces of great rejoycing 247. The Voyce of Christ the revealer of the Revelation 86. Voyce of the Herauld touching the opening of the book 98. Vrbs and Civitas how they differ 560. Vse of examples in punishments 50. Vse of the rejoycing over Babylons ruine in the Thesis and in the Hypothesis 475. The Vse of the Saints sealing 142. W. WAlles called moenia a muniendo 561. The Walles of Romish Babylon 392. VValking in the middest of the Candlesticks what 31. The Warre of Michael with the Dragon 266. The Waters east out after the woman by the Dragon are Heresies 278. Waters signifie peoples 130. Waters of Euphrates 392. The most deep Waters of the Romish Babylon 393. The Way to amend errours of Doctrine and corruption of manners 57. What things the Church may appoint 20. Which is which was and which is to come expounded 8. VVhite raiment of fine linnen belonging to whom 58. What White robes Iohn intendeth 79. How we are made White in the blood of the Lamb 148. VVhitenesse what it noteth 79. Whitenesse of the horse what it noteth 489. the VVhite horse whence it came forth 107. 108. It figureth out the first face and purity of the Primitive Church ibid. It hath Christ for his rider ibid. It was made black in the first 200. yeers 112. The White stone what it is 45. 46. Whither the Church built upon the Rock can be removed out of its place 35. Whither the Church may suffer for the sinne of her Governour ibid. VVho are blessed after death 355. Whoredome punished with filthy diseases 49. Whoredomes and luxuriousnesse of Popes 411. The Whore how she sitteth upon waters the beast and upon peoples 438. The VVhore hated forsaken made naked and burnt 439. VVho they were that lived and reigned with Christ 514. VVhy the 1260. yeeres are not reckoned from Constantines time 277. VVicked men abuse the long suffering and benignitie of God unto carnall securitie 49. VVindes withheld from blowing what it denoteth 139. The VVildernesse signifies Popish desolation 275. VVings of the 4. beasts why full of eyes 93. VVings of the locusts 183. VVine and oyl what they signifie 115. The VVine of fornication 407. The VVoman clothed with the sun 256. A difficult question about it ibid. The Woman is a tipe of the Church in its beginning ibid. an Historicall comparing of this type with Marie and Christ 256. 257. The VVoman sitting on the beast is Rome 409. This woman sitteth upon waters upon the beast and upon the mountaines 420. The VVomen of Susia beastlie strumpets 407. VVonderful copulation of the woman and the beast 420. VVonders litterallie to be understood 125 and allegorically ibid. The diverse kinds of wonders as particular universal Ominous c. 126. VVonders in the aire and in the earth 399. In the Sea and on men 401. The VVord of patience is the Doctrine of the Gospell 69. VVormwood not naturally but theologically taken 163. The VVorship of the Heavenly inhabitants what it is 478. VVorship due to God belongs not to Angels 486. VVorshippers in the temple who they are 213. A VVorthy observation of the Authour 276. All our VVorthinesse is from God 59. Y. YEares with a numerall Epithete are never indefinitely taken 507. Z. ZEale Or to be Zealous what it is 79. The end of the Table ERRATA PAge 17. Line 3. blot out Onely p. 21. l. 45. for perished read was reckoned among p. 44. l. 23. for comparitively read comparatively p 49. l. 38 for consequence read consequent p. 56. l. 28. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 59. l. 7. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 67. l. 32. for which sheweth read He addeth p. 62. l. 14. for more of this in its place read this conjecture we leave p. 80. l. 4. for philantropie read philanthropie p. 87. l. 13. for manificent read Magnificent Page 115. lines 20.21 Read He is bidden not to hurt the wine and the oyl That is not to overthrow certain fundamentall heads of the faith in which is founded the faith hope and consolation of the Church touching the person and office of Christ makeing the sence thus Howsoever Hereticks shall involve all things with their darknesse and shall also draw the Orthodox teachers either by force or deceit on their side yet they shall not be able to hurt the wine and oyl of the Catholick Faith but there shall be some to maintain the same that the whole be not obscured with Hereticall blacknesse And such c. p. 122. l. 8. for His read Antichrist p. 131. l. 31. After the words Diocletian persecution adde but as throughout in the Scriptures of the day of judgement p. 285. l. 20. for war read And the holy war p. 186. l. 40. for Cypresse read Cyprus p. 189. l. 21. for Vailachia read Walachia p. 145. l. 5. for behold read beheld p. 194. l. 17. for Mutters read Muttering p. 323. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and adde in the line following under the Gr. 1. the figure 5 which will make just 665. p. 324. l. 10. IS is left out p. 360. l. 14. for judicary read judicatory p. 363. l. 9. for apparations read apparitions p. 476. in the margent for Second vision read Sixt vision p. 490. l. 39. for despare read despaire p. 492. l. 48. for worship read worshipped Number of Folioes mistaken 17. for 19. 64. f. 62. 66. f. 68. 188. f. 196. 185. f. 285. 378. f. 379. After Page 408. 4 leaves and an half are amisse quoted Pages twice quoted 360. 361. 362. 363. These and other like defaults through the mistake of the Printer the Courteous Reader is intreated to correct FINIS