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book_n	way_n	young_a	youth_n	69	3	8.0610	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07348	Ecclesiastica interpretatio: or The expositions vpon the difficult and doubtful passages of the seuen Epistles called catholike, and the Reuelation Collected out of the best esteemed, both old and new writers, together with the authors examinations, determinations, and short annotations. The texts in the seuen Epistles of Iames, Peter, Iohn and Iude are six and forty. The expositions vpon the Reuelation are set forth by way of question and answer. Here is also a briefe commentary vpon euery verse of each chapter, setting forth the coherence and sense, and the authors, and time of writing euery of these bookes. Hereunto is also annexed an antidot against popery. By Iohn Mayer, B. of D. and pastor of the Church of Little Wratting in Suffolke.	Mayer, John, 1583-1664.	1627 (1627)	STC 17731; ESTC S112551	448,008	564

their leaues for medicine Compare the particulars together and you shall finde an excellent agreement betwixt these places so that I doubt not but in this vision it is alluded vnto that there the graces of the Church militant being represented here the glory of the Church triumphant betwixt which there is a great analogy and correspondency The riuer here is the Spirit of God who is most pure and holy proceeding from the Father and the Sonne who is also as a riuer of liuing waters in the Saints refreshing and comforting them without end The tree of life is Christ for so much as he onely is food to them that liue for euer and hereby it appeareth that this is spoken of the glorified estate of the Church because when a reward in heauen is promised to him that ouercommeth it is vnder these termes To him that ouercommeth I will giue to eat of the tree of life Chap. 2.7 And both in the riuer and this tree it is plainly alluded vnto Paradise out of which a riuer arose and wherein was the tree of life This one tree was manifold both in the midst of the street and on either side of the riuer because there is no want of it to the infinite multitude of Saints but euer ready there to yeeld food vnto them all And to shew the multiplicity of delights that are herein twelue sorts of fruits and fruit-bearing euery of the twelue moneths in the yeere is ascribed vnto it which doth also imply a tree alwayes flourishing neuer fading and the leaues are healthfull to the nations that is not as if sicknesse were now incident vnto them and they needed healing for all sicknesse and paine is done away but to declare their euer healthfull condition there being no lesse vse of medicine to preserue health than to restore it From hence forward all things are easie and need no interpretation vntill v. 10. howsoeuer some expound Iohns falling downe at the feet of the Angell to worship him Vers 8. Brightman vers 8. as an act repeated from Chap. 19.10 and not done the second time but it is plaine that hee was againe to blame herein hauing so soone forgotten himselfe after that admonition whereby we may see what the weaknesse of the best and of the most holy is if they bee not continually propped vp by Gods grace that we all may continually craue it out of an humble acknowledgement of our weaknesse much more and not presume in any case vpon our owne strength Vers 10. But Vers 10. it may bee doubted why Iohn is bidden not to seale vp this Prophecy and what the Angell meaneth by bidding him that is vniust to be vniust still for he saith Vers 11. Let him that is vniust be vniust still c. The common answer here is that sealing being vsed to keepe close writings that they may not be lookt into and read the Lord would not haue this Prophecy sealed because he would haue all his people to looke into it and vnderstand it as setting forth things which were shortly to begin to take effect Whereas Daniel is commanded to seale vp his Prophecy Dan 12.4 it was because it should bee a long time before it should take effect a certaine argument that Antichrist being the chiefe subiect of this Prophecy came long agoe and is not still to be expected Touching the other words Let him that is vniust be vniust still c. they are not spoken as intimating a leauing of euery one to the liberty of his owne will as Popish Writers doe hence collect but come aptly in here after the leauing of this Booke vnsealed mentioned For if it should be thought this will doe more hurt than good the wicked enemies of the truth being rather prouoked against the faithfull professors of it by hauing these things applyed against them the Lord careth not for this for he will soone come to giue them their payment for all so that the faithfull may bee comforted and the more setled in righteousnesse and holinesse● thus some Bullinger Pareus And this indeed doth very fitly agree seeing the Booke left vnsealed to the reading and considering of all sorts is by the wicked but contemned they being no whit the more moued to a reformation Andreas Tho. Aquin. Some will haue these words to be spoken prophetically as if the Lord expected none other euent but a neglect of this prophecie amongst the wicked who would not be reformed at all hereby for thus it is plainly spoken in a like case in the Booke of Daniel Many shall be purified Dan. 12.10 Napier Eccles 11.9 but the wicked shall doe wickedly Some hold it to be ironicall as that in the Preacher Reioyce O young man in thy youth and walke in the wayes of thy heart c. but know that for all this God will bring thee to iudgement It is not amisse to follow any of these Expositions but I preferre the second vnderstanding the words as propheticall and withall I thinke that they haue reference to the former words about leauing the Booke vnsealed sealed for the speech concerneth alike the godly and the wicked and therefore cannot be ironicall Whereas the righteous are bidden to be righteous still Popish Expositors turning it Let the iustified be yet more iustified thinke that they haue a ground here for the increase of iustification after that a man is by faith iustified he may by his good workes make himselfe more iust but for so much as the righteous here is opposed to the vniust spoken of before and the holy to the filthy such righteousnesse must needs be vnderstood as is contrary to vnrighteousnesse viz. righteousnesse in fact and not the righteousnesse which is by faith wherein a man may and ought to grow daily but neither is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus rightly expounded for it is still noting perseuerance herein and not an increase of it for thus this word is vsed Vers 3. There shall be no curse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Chapter 10. the Angell sweareth That time shall not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 3.12 After this the Lord Iesus being described and they which shall be shut out of this City againe mentioned and the contents of this booke confirmed there is an inuitation to drinke of the water of life made to all that will Vers 17. Vers 1● 17. I am the root and the off-spring of Dauid and the bright morning starre And the Spirit and the bride say Come And let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoeur will let him take the water of life freely Christ calleth himselfe the root of Dauid in respect of his Diuinity and his off-spring in respect of his humanity and the bright morning Starre for the light of comfort which wee haue by him before the Sunne of glory ariseth that shall bee reuealed The Bride is the Church the Spirit speaketh in the

Aug. lib. 20. de Ciuit. Dei c. 17. that here the same things are many waies repeated that diuers things may seeme to be spoken when as it may be found out that the same things are spoken diuers waies Wherefore with these my Authors I distinguish this Booke from hence-forward to the end into six visions First of the seales c. to the end of the seuenth Chapter Secondly of the Trumpets to the end of the eleuenth Thirdly of the woman in child-bed c. to the end of the fourteenth Chapter Fourthly of the seuen Vials to the end of the sixteenth Chapter Fiftly of the whore of Babylon to the end of the nineteenth Chapter Sixtly of the Angell binding Satan c. to the end of the Booke To beginne with the vision of these two Chapters Quest 1. Behold a white horse Vers 2. and he that sate on him had a bow c. What is meant by this white horse and by the red and blacke and pale horse and why doth the first beast prepare to the beholding of this the second to the second c. and why in speaking of the third is there a voice out of the Throne heard Vers 5. A measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barly for a penny c. Petrus Aureolus Cardinalis Blas Viegas Ans There is great difference amongst Expositors here Some will haue the Roman Emperours vnderstood at foure times First vnder Caius Caligula in whose time the enemies of Christianity the Iewes were destroied and Caius though not purposely was made the instrument Secondly vnder Nero Domitian who first put out publike edicts for the persecuting of Christians Thirdly vnder Titus whose Empire was a blacke time to the Iewes suffering besides many other things much famine Fourthly vnder Domitianus who moued the second persecution and put Iohn into boiling lead But all these things being past and this vision tending to set forth things to come this exposition cannot stand Primasius Augustine Haimo Beda Arethas Others vnderstand by the first the going forth of the Gospell vnder Christs conduct who with his spirituall arrowes pierceth mens hearts and hath a Crowne to reward the faithfull withall by the second oppositions of the truth stirred vp by the Deuill as the rider of the red horse by the third false Christians and hypocriticall hauing a ballance onely for a colour whom the Deuill also rideth by the fourth persecutions to the death by the sword and wilde beasts c. But neither doth this agree because killing one another vnder the second horse is expresly mentioned and not opposing onely and the exposition of the third is too generall concerning all times whereas doubtlesse the intent here is to set downe the diuers condition of the Church in seuerall ages Bullenger Forbs Brightman Aretius Others vnderstand by the second horse wars wherewith the world was punished for not receiuing the Gospell when the Romans were so full of trouble by the third famins wherewith they were afterwards punished as in the dayes of Seuerus witnesse Tertull. in Apologet. who maketh mention both of a most grieuous famine and of a strange ecclipse of the Sunne in Conuentu Vitcensi By the fourth horse plague and pestilence wherewith they were further punished If by these three last horses iudgements were set forth vpon persecutors how is it that the soules vnder the Altar complaine for want of reuenge this happened in the dayes of Gallus and Volusianus for then a plague beginning at Aethiopia ouerspread almost all the East and West enduring fifteene yeeres as Zonaras writeth and Dionys Alexandrinus in Epist ad Fratres But partly because according to this exposition either the words following of the day of iudgement must bee forced or the greatest space of time betwixt that pestilence and the end of the world will bee left vntouched and partly because these punishments tooke not vp all but some of those persecuting times whereas if it may bee such an exposition is requisite as may agree to the whole tract of time from this Reuelation made vnto the end therefore I cannot see how this may be receiued Richard de Sancto victore Io●chim D. Chytreus Aretius Fulco Franc. Lamb. Pareus Collado The most common receiued exposition is that by the second horse is set forth the bloudy persecution ensuing the preaching of the Gospell which went out conquering vpon the first horse which persecution continued till Constantine By the third horse which is blacke is set forth the trouble which the Church suffered by Heretikes such as Arrius Macedonius Nestorius c. with which trouble the Church was conflicting aboue two hundred yeres And by the fourth horse which is pale is set forth the trouble of the Church by corruption in religion in the Papacy and Mahumetisme destroying a world of people after all which hell the reward of these disturbers of the peace of the Church followeth for almost to this effect many Writers speake And herein as in the most sound exposition of these horses doe I rest for the horse being for warre is fit to set forth either how religion hath preuailed or how it hath beene in countered and hindered I doe not so approue that Christ should bee the rider of the white horse for hee standeth at this time as a Lambe opening the seales but the Christian religion is the rider and hath a crowne in token of victory vpon the red horse rideth persecution red with bloud-shed and in that a sword is spoken of it agreeth excellently to the prediction of our Sauiour Christ I came not to send peace but a sword Vpon the blacke horse rideth Heresie which though it were red through bloud-shed also yet because the most dangerous thing herein was the obscuring of the truth by subtilty of argument it is said to bee blacke Vpon the pale horse rideth corruption in religion said to bee pale like death because that insensibly hereby is brought a deadnesse all ouer the world all pure bloud of religion which maketh fresh and ruddy being wrought out by degrees and when any begin to reuiue as of late yeres thanks be to God there haue beene many they haue beene presently destroyed in innumerable multitudes so that it may well bee said that the third part is thus consumed Touching the beasts in order stirring vp to attention Brightman I doe not thinke with some that either the Apostles in the first age are set forth or Iustin Martyr in the next or Tertullian in the third or Cyprian in the fourth but because a crowne suteth well with a Lion a sword or knife with a calfe a paire of scales with a man and a multitude of dead carkasses with an eagle to which it vsually resorteth I thinke that it is said the first beast like a Lion calleth to the first sight and so the rest vnto the other or perhaps there is no signification at all herein intended but because these

Church making her to long after his comming for her full redemption he that heareth who is inuited to say likewise is euery one that heareth this Prophecie and what a ioyfull estate the faithfull shall be in in Heauen For he cannot but wish and desire for this day Let him that is a thirst come as he longeth after the comming of the Lord to the perfecting of his happinesse so let him come to the Lord by faith and obedience and let him that will this is added to note not that by the power of his owne will he can doe thus but that his will must be sanctified and of vnwilling he must become willing God working in him a new will and new desires before that he can come vnto Christ this Fountaine of liuing water That which followeth is added as a necessary muniment vnto this and to all the bookes of holy Scripture against forgers of the Word of God which the Spirit did foresee would bee in after times Vers 18. For I testifie to euery man that heareth the words of this Prophecie if and man shall adde to these things God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this Booke c. Vers 16. These are the words of our Sauiour Christ who had before spoken of his Angell whom he sent to testifie these things and therefore in the Originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I witnesse together Touching the rationall particle for some omit it as redundant but it is of great force to argue a necessity of attending to and reuerently regarding what is here set forth For that must needs be of great consequence which is guarded with such a caution If testimonies be alleaged onely to proue the truth of a thing it doth not so much moue to consider of it but it being auerred to be such as that it is danger of death to depraue it any way all men will beginne to attend vnto it as handling matter of life and death And what is spoken of this Booke by the like reason is well applyed by our Diuines to all Bookes of holy Scripture for why is it so dangerous to take away or to adde vnto this Booke but because it is of God And is it not as dangerous then to intermeddle in this kinde with any other of the Bookes of God such as all the Bookes of Scripture are But it is well added to this as the last as the charge of not putting to or taking away from the Bookes of Moses is added in the last of his Bookes Bellarmine excepteth against this inference Deut. 4. holding that the threatning pertaineth only to the detractors from or adders to this Booke and necessarily for otherwise with what colour could they obtrude to the people of God vnwritten traditions as being of equall authority with the Word of God How durst they take away the Cup in the holy Communion and the second Commandement out of the Decalogue and with such audacity change our Lord in many places into our Lady with many the like corruptions With what face could they hold and maintaine that all things necessary to saluation are not set forth in the holy Scriptures when as they are so compleat as that there may be no addition made vnto them But this exception will doe them no good when God shall iustifie his care to be a like tender ouer all other Bookes of Scripture as ouer this diuine Booke And that these words may be certainly knowne to be the words of Christ Vers 20. Saint Iohn saith for conclusion Hee which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus For whose comming that we may be the more fit let vs acquaint our selues with the things herein contained sith they are left vnsealed to vs to this end and purpose and being acquainted with these mysteries which being explained as through Gods assistance thou hast them here presented vnto thee doe so euidently shew the Pope to bee Antichrist and his estate together with all that follow him to bee damnable halt not betwixt two opinions but bee a resolute reformed Catholike nothing doubting but certainly expecting their finall ouerthrow and confusion and thine owne deliuerance and euerlasting saluation which let vs all pray with this our blessed Apostle that it may come quickly Amen Trinuni Deo gloria Errata In the Catalogue of Names for Cicillus read Cyrillus PAge 27. for doe reade to p. 31. wandring r. wauering p. 44. or r. 2. p. 60. Ioh. 24. r. 2. p. 78. his r. has in marg p. 92. aninū r. animū in marg p. 104. run r. cun p. 140. was r. as p. 163. Secutoro r. Secuturo in marg p. 177. onus r. vnus in marg p. 183. word r. world p. 434. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. X. p. 485. Pope r. pompe p. 493. vilitate r. venerate p. 5 14. which time r. after which time