Devill of whose Synagogue they were the chiefe rulers ¶ Feare none of those things which thou shalt suffer Now he instructeth them against the future evills which were apparent to be more grievous then those that were past Those thinges with which the Iewes did trouble them at the present then also those false accusations of the Bishops while Constātine lived were light skirmishes of a sharper battaile following by and by after Therefore he describeth diligently all the manner of this combate who should be the chiefe Captaine of it with what kinde of cruelty he should rage to what ende and how long The Prince is the Devill whom after we shall learne to denote the Heathen Emperours open enemies of the truth as chap. 12.9 This doth comprehende also the Heretiques Christians in name but in very truth wolves devouring the flocke The kinde of punishement is the prison under which as the history teacheth is comprehended proscriptions confiscation of goods banishmēt slaughters fires tortures With all these thinges the Devill should greatly torment to drawe men from the truth But this persecution should endure for ten daies onely And a day in this booke is taken for a yeare The nūber also of ten some time signifieth properly some time by Synecdoche noteth out some uncerten number I thinke that both are here used that certen number should be of the Type and uncerten of the Antitype Therfore as touching Smyrna it selfe this persecution fell out in the times of TRAIAN which Devill a professed enemy of the truth did reigne next after this writing very fierce against Christians delivering men into prison and death that he might make them to renounce the profession of Christ Smyrna could not be free from the comon calamity especially when Bythynia being nigh to it did altogether abounde with the murders of the Christians as the Epistle of Plinius Secundus to Traian doeth shew From whence also it may be gathered after a sorte of what continuance the persecution was For in the fourteenth yeare of Traian Plinie relating to him the multitude of those that were slaine was an occasion of staying that rage and of obtayning some breathing What yeare it began it is not plainly set downe by the History-writers Some suppose that it was at the very beginning of his reigne but in the fourth yeare triumphing over the Daces and Scythians he seemeth to have had first his Kingdome hindred so as he could not have leasure to afflict the Christians But it is certen that he exercised his cruelty ten yeares at least It is likely that the end of that warre gave the beginning of tormenting Christians Neither is it needfull that this affliction be referred to Smyrna onely but that it was that generall of which he maketh mention in the Church of Philadelphia which should come upon the whole world Chap. 3.10 As touching the Antitype Constance and Valence Emperours in name Christians in deede noe lesse fierce against the orthodoxe and true godly people then once the Ethnike Devills were In which account also are holden the inferiour ministers of that wickednes of the people Syrianus a Captaine and Sebastianus Governour of the armies Manicheus Of the Bishops Eusebius once of Nicomedia then of Constantinople Macedonius Georgius Alexandrinus and others of that sorte not Bishops but monsters whose barbarous cruelty was scarce matched by any Tyrant Of old the matter was handled with brawles chidings and calumnies of all sortes But after the death of Constantine the Devill was to come forth on the stage and what broiles were raised up It was a light thing to drive holy men into banishement to cast very many into prison to kill almost an infinite number They tyrannised with torments and all manner of contumelious punishments Some were beaten with stripes unto death some marked in the forehead with prints of hotte iron some tormented with other tortures Yea the brestes were cut of from holy women Vnto some they were burnt of with a hotte iron to many with egges rosted in the fire to an exceeding great heat Who would beleeve that any such thing could have bin inferred upō Christians from men of Christian profession It cannot be shewed in fewe wordes how full of calamity those times were but see Socrat. book 2. and 4. Theod. book 2. and 4. Sozom. book 3. 4. 6. And although this tyranny did continue above fourteene yeares yet notwithstanding it doth make those ten daies of the same manner that we have sayd ¶ Be faithfull unto the death He provoqueth unto fortitude the reward being propounded to be Eternall life It is a profitable losse which is recompensed with so great gaine What should nor the godly undergoe most willingly being sure of such a reward It is fitted to the times ministring comfort against the losse of this present life To which purpose he spake before that he was alive which had bin dead that by his exemple they should learne not to feare death which they should know to be a meane between God and them of eternall happines 11 He that hath an eare The wonted conclusion warning all men to hearken diligently to these instructions touching fortitude and courage of minde in afflictions We were instructed before against the sluggishnes which is inbread in us here we are armed against outward violence The reward which is added to the end He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death is common to the whole Church That which was before belonged properly to the Angell the knowledge whereof notwithstanding was very necessary to the people as hath bin said before But seeing that this conflict was to be undergone as well of the people as of the Pastours confort also is given them by name to the same purpose that the former was but in a divers respect For there are two things which are wont to kindle the desire unto every excellent acte hope of reward and contemning of the perill that first was proposed to the Postours whose courage is wont to be more ready and valiant by looking into the reward This second to the People whom the feare of danger chiefly withdraweth from their duty suffereth them not to undertake any thing worthy commendation He teacheth therefore that they must not feare to spend their life if need be for the truth sake for there shall be no feare of the second death by which the body and soule perish for ever according to that of Christ Feare not them that kill the body but cannot kill the soule but feare him rather who can destroy both soule and body in hell fyre Mat. 10.28 This in hell fyre is this same which he calleth second death By the which the whole man shal be no lesse deprived of all solace in God as the body is destitute of all helpe being separated from the soule by the first death This is that horrible death to be feared in deede from which he that hath overcome death doe deliver his from which he
the first period is to be set at that time from whence wee shall see every ech thing which followeth to flowe with a ready course stopped and stayed with noe uneven places The event in the unfolding will shewe what is the limite of every Periode These things being thus established let us returne unto the declaration of the wordes afterward wee shall see the thing it selfe and coherence thereof The first preparation is of the Lambe opening the first seale For he is the word of the Father who doth minister unto us whatsoever understanding wee have of Gods will And the events are called Seales both because they containe a mystery most hidden from the understanding of the prophane multitude Isay 8.16 and also because these first experimeÌ„ts should be pledges of future thinges Not that wee should undersâ—aÌ„d these to be bare forshewings of things and empty promises who doe onely denounce the troubles in word the execution whereof is coÌ„manded in some other place in this booke for that is no where to be founde but that they are signes of that kinde which bring togither with them their eâ—ecution and doe give a firme pledge of future things He openeth the sealeâ— in order one after another and not all togither with one labour both because the manner of the thinges to be donâ— did so require that also the whole Prophecy was not to be uttered at once but to be drawen 〈◊〉 peece-meale as it wâ—re for abâ—â—â—ty of a dâ—yly pâ—ttance The second pâ—â—pâ—â—tion is of one of the foure Beastâ— calling Iohn to come and see And this one Beast is the first to wit a Lion Chap. 4. â— But the â—â—â—stâ— are Goâ—â—â—â—â— of the Churches as hath ben observed in the foresaid plâ—ce â—hoâ—e laboâ—â— Gâ—d useth to instruct others These call men to see and obsâ—â—â—e â—ot onâ—ly bâ—caâ—se it is their office to forewarne the Chuâ—ch of thâ—â—â— that â—re to â—oâ—e to passe whether good or bad but especially â—ee◠〈…〉 thingeâ— next to come should be notable through their faithfulnes diâ—â—â—â—nce in this â—â—â—ter But the Lion speaketh first because they wâ—ich firâ—t â—hâ—â— begâ—â—ne the coÌ„bate should have like courage successe noâ— lesse prâ—vâ—iliâ—g in thâ—â— tâ—ey goe about then Lions making their pray The voice is â—n it 〈…〉 â—â—der penetring very farre that it might be heard of many Câ—â—â— saith he see speaking to Iohn representing nowe the person of the faithfull who likewise should be stirred up by the voice of the ministers to observe thâ—se wonderfull events which thing also is common to the three sâ—â—es following that being once spoken here it may be understood in the rest 2 J behelde therefore and loe a white horse The first type is a white horse and the sitter on him with a bowe and a crowne As touching the horse he is a warlike and swift beast to which worthily God compareth his actions both here in other places because with great courage swiftnes they will breake through whatsoever men shall make against Zach. 6. The white colour is ioifull proper to some famous solemnity as in the triumphe of Diocletian and Maximian After saith Pomponius Letus the chariot of the triumphers of golde and pretious stones which foure horses drewe comparable in whitnesse with the snowe But a rider is attributed to this and the rest that wee may knowe that they wander not up and downe rashly at their pleasure but are ruled and governed by the raines of Gods Providence And it may easily be gessed what manner of sitter it is from the analogie of the 8. verse For there he is noted by name that sitteth on the pale horse whose name seeing it is death his name may be life or trueth that hath so noble and pleasant a forme But whereas he is furnished with a bowe and crowne and went forth conquering that he might overcome by the same thinges is signifyed that an assault farre of shal be made and that a notable victory shall ensue thereof which should not vanish away with the present successe but should even also flourish with future happines For a bowe is a weapon of that kinde as with which the enemyes are hiâ—te both farre and neare But the Crowne is a token of victory so as both in the horse sitter on him all things are ioyous prosperous So is the interpretation of the wordes wherwith the History doth agree so wonderfully that noe picture doth more lively represente his paterne then the type of this seale the condition of those times Wee know that while Traiane was Emperour after Iohn was gone from Paâ—mos to Ephâ—sus that is by and by after the Revelation was written a most lamentable persecution waxed very hotte and fierce which raging even unto the fourteenth yeere at length by the letters of Pliny second Proconsull of Bâ—thyâ—ia it was some â—hat quenched and mitigated Neverthelâ—ssâ— the first Beasâ— had not yet spoken For Pliny was a heathen man and noe member of the Châ—rch much lesse the chiefe ruler Neither sâ—â—â—d the trouble wholy through his admonition onely this was obtayned that the Christians should not be searched for unto punishement but onely should be punished wheÌ„ they were brought unto the Governours accused Eus Feel Hist book â— 33. Wherfore the fight yet coÌ„tinued TraiaÌ„ being dead a fewe yeares after it waxed more fierce under AdriaÌ„ who at leÌ„gth going on with rage unto the destructioÌ„ of the name of ChristiaÌ„s the Lion roared out even the first Beast as the thuÌ„der For God raysed up Quadratus the Bishop of Athens also Aâ—stides a Philosopher citizen of the same city who as lioÌ„s stoutly regarding not the daÌ„ger of their life in respect of the good of the Church spake to AdriaÌ„ by Apologies then also in face pleaded the cause of the Christians By which the mindes of the faithfull were raised up with attente of the eveÌ„t not in vaine seeing froÌ„ thence followed a great change forthwith For the white horse his sitter with a bowe crown weÌ„t forth that is the truth triuÌ„phed ioyfully wheÌ„ the Emperour being overcome by the oration of those godly men did ordaine that noe Christian should be condemned unlesse he were convicted of some crime punisheable by the Civile lawes This was a manifest victory of the trueth and a greate token of future hapines Euseb Hist booke 4 ch 3. But her power was more excelleÌ„t under the next Emperour Antonin Pius about the beginning of whose Empire the Christians being againe miserably oppressed from the former hatred at length Iustin Martyr Leo administring the word of God in the habite of a Philosopher as sayeth Euseb booke 4.11 wrote Apologies for the Christians unto Antonin to his sonnes and to the Senate of Rome wherby he effected God working togither with him that it was enacted by publike decree that noe man should trouble Christians in that respeâ—t because they were Christians but if any would proceede to molest them the acâ—usâ—d
should come to passe might be more famous Aâ—â—â—â—us his father governed the whole world by his sole authority noe warre being made for the space of three and twenty yeeres Sextus Aurelius Vulâ—r Hadâ—ianus also had peace the whole time of his empire except that once onely he fought by his Vice-Roy Eutrop. Brev. booke 8. Was not the thing worthy observatioÌ„ that after the peace of 44. yeeres all places should be suddenly troubled with the burning flame of warres Every man seeth that there is so great agreement of all things namely of the Prophecy Time and Event that it cannot be doubtfull but that the Spirit pointed as it were with the finger to this onely thinge Tertul. in his Apol. that a notable peace was granted at length to the Cristians by this Emperours decree but this came to passe after the warre of the Marcomanes in which having tryed the singular helpe of God against the enemyes by the prayers of the Christians who were souldiours in his army he could not but provide at leÌ„gth for their safety who had brought health both to him selfe and also to his Empire And yet he lived not longe after this warre the next yeere after the triumphe departing this life 5 And when he had opened the third seale c. The Beast of the third seale is a man chap. 4.7 mighty in reason experience of things Not but that the former Beasts were of this same force also and power but because this should be the chiefe thing wherein the third Beast should excell The voice also of this is more obscure then was that of the first which yet should be sufficient to teach the faithfull what punishement God would take of the world for their sake ¶ Tâ—â—â— I behâ—ld â—â—d loâ— a blaâ—ke horse The third type is a blacke horse the sitter on wâ—â—â— he â—â—â—th in â—iâ— haâ—â—â—â—â—es being commanded to bring in a dearth alâ—◠〈◊〉 the Bâ—â—â—s yet so as he should not hurt wine and oyle Therefore as â—oaâ—â—ng this â—orse the blâ—â—â—olour sitly agreeth to the hunger starveÌ„ who 〈◊〉 a body â—ithout blood â—ithout iuyce without colour as Ier. Lam. 〈…〉 pure thâ—â—â—oâ—â—ow is their bewâ—y become more darke then 〈…〉 8. Also through hunger the eyes are dimme covered with daâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 eyes receâ—ed light wheÌ„ he had put his haÌ„de to his mouth 1 Sâ—â— â—â— 28 〈…〉 which the sâ—â—ter hath in his haÌ„des is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wâ—◠〈…〉 to wit the beame of the balaÌ„ce on which the sâ—oles doe haÌ„ge 〈…〉 the whole A sâ—â— instrument for famine seeing 〈…〉 as weighed 6 Aâ—d I 〈…〉 Thâ—s vâ—â—â—â— is the 〈◊〉 being in the middes of the Beasts ch 5 6 〈…〉 uniâ—â—sâ—ll administratioÌ„ of thinges beiâ—g 〈…〉 Bâ—t seâ—â—ng this voice is â—â—â—â—d amoÌ„g the Beaâ—â— neither as 〈◊〉 goâ—â— out froÌ„ 〈…〉 â—lace by the same is signifâ—ed thâ—â— the very 〈…〉 but yet which alone should knowe the coâ—â—ll 〈…〉 ¶ A measure of wheâ—â— c. The Interâ—â—◠〈…〉 he â—â—â—en quaÌ„tity of this measure some give to it 3 〈…〉 8. â—â—esichius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are as it were â—ood divided which in one word 〈◊〉 called coÌ„monly Demâ—nsâ—on a sâ—â— mâ—â—â—â—re of corne Atheneus speaâ—eth â—ore dâ—â—inctly of it in his 3 booke Dâ—â—opsi shewing for how long a tâ—me this allowancâ— was calling it the sâ—stenance for one day Aristophanes in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringâ—th somewhat a more full light where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 twitting the servants sayth whom I have taught to fashion foure loaves of bread to a Choenix to wit a measure of corne Therefore Chocnix conteineth so much corne as would suffice to make foure loaves The Scholiast addeth that foure great loaves were made of a Choenix and 8 small ones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signify corne in generall in this place wheate or meale of wheate a dearer provision then barley three measures of which are not solde for more then one of wheate for a peny understand shal be folde or some like word Denarius is a latine word being worth ten pieces of silver The auncient writers make it equall in weight value to the Attike drachma that is seven pence It is of three kindes as some will have it one of which is worth after our accounte seven pence an other eight an other ten And thus much of the corne as touching the other sustenance he sayth and oyle and wine hurt not The latine translations reade the wordes being displaced thus and wine oyle hurt not the meaning is yet wine and oyle hurt not after the manner of the Hebrewes the copulative being put discretively The wordes wine oyle caÌ„not be referred unto those that went before as though he should say a measure of wheate shal be sold for a peny and three measures of barly for a peny likewise wine and oyle for a peny Iunius on this place thou shalt not doe uniustly for the wordes oyle wine are the accusative case of the following wordes thou shalt not hurt and not the nominative going before the verbe as the wordes measure and measures are Wherefore all succour for life should not be taken away but onely necessary things should be diminished Oyle and wine which serve for delicious dainties should be left unhurt because it had seemed good to God to punish the poorer sort first the Princes and states being reserved as dainties from famine to the pestilence For whom the famine could not consume because of their riches and aboundance those the pestilence should eate up and should kill with a speedy death as in the seale following So are the wordes The event is not so playnly mentioned of the History-writers as were to be wished who doe gather onely the more notable thinges and doe easily passe over for the most part thinges vulgar and common especially when as this famine consisted onely in the scarcity of corne not in a dearth of all victualls Yet God would have some tokens of it to be apparent as farre as might suffice to set out of danger the trueth of the Prophecy Commodus the sonne of Antoninus did succeede his father who being Emperour there was given by the mercy of God some breathing I thinke because froÌ„ the Emperour himselfe alone man kinde should have plague and pestilence enough Pertinax Iulian followe both of a short raigne and therefore lesse hurtfull At length Severus enioyeth the Dominion a cruell authour of a most grievous butchery whether of his owne accord or by the instigation of other men Then the third Beast cryed out admonishing the faithfull that God would punish the wicked loathing spirituall foode with a great penury of the sustenance of this life For Tertullian whoÌ„ by right thou mayest call a Man excelling in witte in good iudgment and in learning who hath almost as many argumeÌ„ts as wordes who through anger falling away unto the Heresy of Montanus by his infirmity also shewed that nothing perteining to a man was alienate from him this
of the cruell enemyes wherewith the sixt chapter was concluded For the common type of which sorte was the whole seaventh chapter doth not interrupt the order of things And indeede such quiet dayes followed by and by after those trumpets For Maxentius being overcome at Rome by Constantine and Maxentius in the East by Licinius howe glad a day appeared to the Church through the whole world Howe great delectation howe great ioy howe great triumphe was ther of all degrees How pleasant was it that the prisons were opened that men were called backe from the mines that their feete were loosed from boundes that their neckes were delivered from the axe Neither onely to have these thinges but also an Emperour of which never any man before did so much as dreame who endevoured exceedingly to adorne by all meanes that he could every one of the meanest that was named a Christian Eusebius triumphed not without cause singing with the wordes of the Psalmist Goe to see yee the workes of Iehova how he maketh desolatioÌ„s in the earth causing warres to cease unto the ende of the earth howe he breaketh the bow and cutteth in peeces the speare he burneth the chariots with fire booke 10. 1. Nowe both the Augustes as well Licinius as Constantinus with one minde did procure diligently not onely the peace of the Church but also the ornaments of peace as it is apparaÌ„t from the Decrees published in the name of them both Euseb booke 10. chap. 5. c. But this was a short peace and in very deede but of halfe an houre continuance For first the Augustes themselves were at concorde scarse one three yeeres space afterward when they were reconciled Licinius assaileth openly the Christians and attempteth a generall slaughter There came more over civill warre which waxed fierce among the rulers of the Church the Bishops themselves who being voide of all feare of the coÌ„mon enemy did fall one upon an other with the weapons of wordes as if they had ben weary of peace even assoone as they had tasted the sweetnes of it with the top of their lippes See Aurelius Victor of Cesar part 2. Euseb booke 10. 8. 9. and upon the life of Constantine booke 1. to the ende beginning of the second Furthermore those thinges which wee have noted before at the first verse of the seaventh chapter 2 And I saw those seaven Angels Such hath ben the Silence from which at length proceedeth the second periode distinguished from the former because the entrance into this began not but at the ende of the seales For shall the TruÌ„pets be aunswerable to the Seales which are brought to their last ende before the Trumpets be prepared to sound More over take away the TRVMPETS from this seaven Seale that which wee leave unto it beside and above the Silence of halfe an houre is a certen small thing and more slender and baren then beseemeth the dignity of it I see that such an opinion hath pleased some learned and Godly men but he that shall marke and observe the thing diligently shall perceave that the same is quite coÌ„trary to the methode of the REVELATION The Heralds of this Periode are the seaven Angels Trumpeters The words themselves doe not shewe playnely whether these Angels were good or noe They are sayd to stande before GOD but this is a doubtfull kinde of speaking in so much as it may be attributed as to the evill so to the good Angels and therefore it is sayd that SATAN presented himselfe togither with the Sonnes of GOD before the Lord as wee reade in the Booke of Iob first chap. ver 6. But the proportion of the BEASTS in the Seales and of the seaven ANGELS Ministers of the Viols every one of which was clothed with Pure Linnen as wee shall see in the fifteenth chapter of this booke and at the sixt verse may cause us to esteeme and iudge these Trumpeters in the same number of Holy ones especially seeing that the article those seaven ANGELS hath also the force of nothing some that were knowne of which wee had none before unlesse the finger be pointed unto those seaven SPIRITS of God sent forth into all the world of which wee have seen in the fift Chapter and at the sixt verse Wee sayd that the foure ANGELS of the seaventh Chapter are the foure first Trmmpets but wee meane not the TRVMPETERS themselves but the events which followed when they blew those their Trumpets But the parts of this Periode are distinguished by Trumpets because these events should be more notable more famous and manifest to all men and as it were sung with the publike and lowde voice of a Trumpet In receaving of which there is a certen preparation before they beginne the worke it selfe because by and by after the silence made there should be given some token of the troubles to come before the rage should waxe hotte and be kindled To which is to be referred that Schime betweene Cecilianus and Donatus of Afrike of which wee made mention before the Apostasy of Licinius and his wicked entreprise against the Church The Contention in the East touching the Lords Supper or Passeover But especially the infection of the Arian Heresy the which assoone as it sprung up began to spred quickly farre and neare and to kindle so great close and secrete hatreds that neither the scorning of the enemyes on the theatres nor the most earnest desire of the EMPEROVR himselfe testifyed both by his letters and teares and also by the Embassage of Holsius Cordubensis a most famous old man could not avayle any thing at all to quench the flame for this see the second book of Eusebius upon the lyfe of Constantine in his letters to ALEXANDER and Arius All these thinges as Trumpets were given in the sight of all men as bâ—ing indeede sorrowfull presagies of the future blowing of the Trumpets 3 Then an other Angell came Hitherto the preparation of the seaven ANGELS Nowe followeth what manner of entrance was made to the events following in one ANGEL Whom wee may not suppose to be any Spirituall substance such as are the ANGELS properly so called that is to say GABRIEL or any of that sorte as the Iesuite would have it but a Man according as this Booke of the Revelation is wont to speak in the which there is nothing more common and ordinary then to give attribute the name of an Angel unto Men. Furthermore this heaven is the Holy Church on earth the Altar the more inward holy place of the same the Ministery of the High Priest which the Angels properly so called doe never execute but the trueth of which belongeth onely to Christ the type unto men onely who have a nature fit for sacrifice about which thing the office of the Priest is chiefly occupied of which nature seeing the Angels are voide neither can they represente the Priest Neither any where in the scriptures are these dutyes attributed to them Furthermore the ministery
seventh whose Analysis shal be after ver 14. Scholions 1 A reede was given mee After the preparation made as wee have heard in the first times of the trueth springing a fresh and many excellent men bending themselves diligently to the study of good letters whose fervency was such that for the space of two hundreth yeeres after one thousand three hundreth they might seeme to eate up bookes After I say this preparation at length about the ende of the sixt trumpet the matter came to this conclusion proposed in these wordes That is the Prophecy did shine more plainly and a more plentifull knowledge of the times both past and present the learned men sawe by the booke which they had received of the Angell that the Church nowe many yeeres had bin much afflicted so as it could not be seen of the world then also at that present to be wonderfully vexed of Antichrist For this Prophecy is a repeating of a long time past as Moses wrote Prophetically the first beginning of the world which name howe great estimatiō procureth it to the History But to com to the matter this Prophecy I say calling to minde the time past containeth all the space of the former trumpets as it appeareth from the specifying of the time which is added in the next third verse For if will coūt backe the two and fourty moneths in which the Church should be in the temple they conteine not onely that houre day moneth and yeere of the sixt trumpet of which wee have spoken in chap. 9.15 but also beside the five moneths of the fift Trumpet in the same place ver 5. those foure times repeated to all which neverthelesse there remaine yet nine moneths reckened over and besides which to what other thing cā they be referred then to those foure first trumpets of the eight chapter But peradventure thou wilt say these fourtie two moneths take their beginning at the end◠of that houre moneth and yeere of the foure Angels chap. 9.15 both thes◠spaces togither may perteine to the sixt Trumpet which thing cannot be by any meanes For the whole sixt trumpet is troubleous to the wicked in which respect it is called the second woe chap. 9.12 11.15 But if the times be disposed in this manner it hath little misery for them who by the space of two and fourty moneths triumphed in all mirth when in the meane while the Godly are afflicted What so great hurt should the sixt trumpet bring them if after that short trouble of one yeere moneth day and houre they should have a threefolde longer felicity and more It is most certen therefore that this Prophecy reacheth backe even to the first beginning of the trumpets but that it is set in this place because the whole race of this time could not be perceived before that it should be brought to an ende And nowe indeede God raised up learned men Philippus Bergomensis Franciscus Guicciardinus Martin Luther John Carion Philip Melancthō Gaspar Peucer Henry Bullinger Iohn Sleidan John Functius others who linking togither the histories of things that were done represented this face of the Church in their writings Which Prophecy doubtlesse was to be added at lēgth necessarily For not without cause some might aske what was done with the true Church when the Haile smoke the third part of the grasse the burning Mountaine turned the Sea into blood the Locusts and the other fiendes tyrannized In all these Trumpets hath ben a wonderfull silence concerning it Nowe therefore the Spirit sheweth by this Prophecy revived of what sorte the condition of that time was in the meane while least that alone should be passed over for whose sake this writing was undertaken Therfore this chapter is to be ioyned with the seaventh where the Prophecy touching the Saincts ceased To the same perteineth that sealing and this that I may so say Temple measuring and it is the same wholly and all one thinge except that that belongeth to every severall cityzen this to all iointly and to some chiefe members Nowe as touching the wordes the reede given is the power graunted of the trueth wherby the Saincts should measure the length and breadth of the true and lawfull worship least in a wonderfull confusion of things they should swerve from a due proportion In so much as it is like a rod it teacheth that the trueth shal be much holpen and borne up by the authority of head rulers For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is very often taken for an ensigne of honour the Scepter which Kinges beare in their handes by which name also are called the roddes which are carried before the Magistrates likewise an instrument of exercising power as in the Poete Circe accomplished her charmes with a rod and Mercure with his white wande The Temple therefore was to be measured by the labour of some chiefe man as wee heard it came to passe in the seventh chapter where Constantine the Great was the Minister of scaling For while he provided for the peace of the Church and maintained the trueth carefully he procured a safe place of refuge for a fewe holy men from the contagion of the times ¶ And the Angell stood by which wordes are wanting in Aretas and by that meanes he maketh the reed it selfe the bidder arise and mete But the labour of Angels conioyned elsewhere where the like businesse is done seemeth also to require here that nothing should be done but in the presence of the Angell see Ezech. 40.3 and after Revel 21.16 Wherefore Theod. Beza hath well restored this place from the Complutent Edition ¶ Mete the Temple The true Christian Church is shadowed by the type of the olde temple every severall part of which was described once most exactly and measured by the commaundement of God himselfe to the ende that men should knowe that this house is framed of God that it is not of humane building and therefore they should not take ought upon them in changing things at their pleasure as though the celestiall wisedome had not sufficiently provided for the most convenient maner of every thing The things to be measured are the Temple the Altar and the Ministers of the worship The Temple was devided into the most holy and the holy place which had the altar of the burnt offring set at the doore He biddeth him to mete these onely of the whole building small partes of the whole and onely the more secret roomes For the tabernacle before time being thirtie cubits long and twelve broad was sixteen times and more lesser then the court Afterward the temple enlarged by Salomon and by the Angell in Ezechiell had farre more spatious courts The temple then alone being measured sheweth that the true Church shal be brought into very narrowe straights limited with small boundes and remooved wholly from the sight of men For the holy place was not opened to the people but the Priests alone ministred in that place of which sorte
the counsels of godly men about the end of the first yere of her raigne she removed many most worthily out of their Prelacies and other ecclesiastical dignities and benefices who glorying onely in the mark of the Beast denyed due obedience to their lawful Prince Among them was the Archbushop of York the B b of London Elie and 14. others besides men of meaner note Deâ—ns Archdeacons Parsons Vicars and the like How needs must men be vehemently burned when they saw their dignities lands fearms faculties honours to bâ— bâ—â—towed on their adversaries and themselves in the meane time to 〈◊〉 desâ—ised and contemned Many could not bear the sorow but flâ—d â—ver sea because therof to sâ—ek so much ease as not to behold it otherâ— at home payning away with greif in secret places al of them sleeing the light and sâ—ght of men whom to behold so merry and joyful was as yll â—s a bitter death And though they changed the aier yet was not their payn asswaged when the Pope himselfe and that whole nation by but hearing it onely were very sorely tormented Which he abundantly testified by his Bulls against our most noble Queen severely commanding all subjects to forsake their allegeance unto their Prince neyther could they be stayed by any religious regard of oath wherof that violatour of al Law both of God and man did discharge them But thanks be to God he yet laboured in vayn wherby his torment is much the more increast For thus sayd he with himselfe as Saul did of old Have ye al conspired against me Js ther none of you that is sory for my sake Wil no man ease my boyle with the blood of that Queen which hath wrought me so much woe Have patience good Pope this is the time of thine ulcer not of thine ease But his sicknes suffreth him not to rest Therfore he rageth felly with venemous libells he incenseth the Kings with al earnestnes to wage warr he privily sendeth Iesuits the bellowes of al seditions to betray their country he secretly suborneth ungracious cut-throats to kil their sacred Prince finally he applyes himselfe by whatsoever means he can to styrr up troubles wherby he may work the utter destruction of the realm and of us all But having tryed all wayes in vayn through the mercy and goodnes of our God these two and fourty yeres both he the Prince and head of mischeefs and his desperate children doo scarce refrayn from tears because they nought worth tears doo see In France about the same time that we may see this soare was universally spred among the Papists when Charles the 9. began his reign and dayly the Papists authority did more and more decay a great part of Nobility joyned themselves to the purer doctrine of the Peers of the realm very many the Queen mother for fear I suppose of her English neighbour was much busied about religion and not obscurely favoured the professours therof or at least feigned it some of the Papists weÌ„t more seldom to their woÌ„ted temples many which stuck more fast to their old opinions kept themselves so within their private wall that they durst scarce be seen in publik meetings For what other disease I pray then for the payn of this ulcer Germany had angred the Thracian stock long before But at the same time the wounds erst inflicted now growing more full of atter were changed into ulcers The decree of Charles as we sayd before was heavy wherin peace and liberty was granted to religion but the lesse hope they had to repele the same the sharper did it prick theÌ„ dayly For Emperour Ferdinandus succeeding his brother thought it best to rest in the former decrees wherto he had consented at Augusta before he was Emperour Maximilian his son did alwayes mislike that manner of propagating Christian religion with armes or compelling any to receive it that were unwilling How untollerable was this moderation to the ulcerous Papists that burned with desire of revenge But now let us see in a word how this ulcer wil not be touched Which the Council of Trent verily shewed in the second session under Pius 4. in the yere 1562. where this busines was committed to some chosen men for to consider of divers censures and books eyther suspected or pernicious that is that by al meanes they should have care ther went out nothing among the people that nipped the Popes authority and Romish superstition in any one word Doubtlesse the ulcer is very egre and virulent that can indure nothing that is rough or hard Therfore whatsoever is layd to it let it be tender and soft For this cause did Pius the 4. set forth an Index of the forbidden books which Sixtus the 5. afterwards augmented and Clemens the 8. lately recognized VVherin it is appointed which books men must quite absteyn from and which one may use so they be corrected Certainly the Pope prescribes a diet for his botchie patients Among other rules of correcting this is one that al things be wel lookt to and attentively noted not onely the things that offer themselves manifestly in the course of the work but if ther be any that secretly doo lurk in the Scholies in the summaries in the margins in the tables of the books in the prefaces or epistles dedicatorie Instruct de correct book D. 2. How suspicious is sicknes Verily this fear of running upon any thing that may offend hath shred off in many late writers whatsoever was in them of soundest iudgment and more free truth But the bookes are in al mens hands wherby they may perceive what it is that payneth these brand-marked persons and where Although one purging Index set forth by Philip the 2. King of Spain in the year 1571. may be in sted of many And least thou mightest think perhaps that they are troubled coÌ„cerning late writers onely or the marginal notes of others they doo violence to the very words of the ancient Fathers For example in a certaine edition of Augustine which Iohn Gibbon an English Iesuite Doctor of Div. Professor at Trevers perused in the disputatioÌ„ about Saincts Thes 207. there these words are no more read yet doo not we constitute temples preisthoods holy things and sacrifices to the Martyrs c. as the ancient true copies have in the 8. book of the City of God chap 17. but contrary thus we doo constitute temples preisthoods holy things and sacrifices to the Martyrs because not they but their God is our God c. O impudent falsers which make Augustine to affirm that which he openly denyeth that I speake not how unapt you feyghn his words to be that sacrifices are to be constituted to the Martyrs because they are not God The Ratts doo perish by their own bewraying Francis Iunius in the yeere 1559 saw at Lions with Trellonius some pages of the true Ambrose cancelled and rased by two Franciscan Friers and other new ones substituted in place of the former after their own wil
shall beare the sway And cast into the sea the gold and silver with disdayn And cast the brasse of brittle men and yrn ' into the Mayn Then shall the wordly elements all desolate remayn Sibyll prophecieth that after the death of Antichrist which we have had set forth in the former chapters the soveraigntie of things through the whole world shal be in the power of a woman But what manner of one Is it such a one as wee properly so call Nothing lesse This woman is the Church the spouse of Christ which shee calleth a widow not because she is a widow by the death of her husband as this word is wont to signif usually but because shee is on earth farr from him For shee is also a widow which after marriage dwelleth not togither with her husband for what cause soever it be Or shee may be called a widow because before her restoring shee sat a widow so long as in Hosea Sit still for my sake many daies neither be married to any other For the children of Isâ—ael shall remaine many dayes without a King and without a Prince without an offering withtout an Image and without an Ephod and without Teraphim afterward they shall returne c. ch 3.3.4.5 So Isayas So that he shall say in his heart who hath gotten mee these seeing I have bin baren and a desolate captive and a wanderer too fro c. chap 49.21 This then is that widow which after shee hath governed for a time at length shal deliver all her subiects to be translated in to heaven whither at length they shall goe when this whole world is destroyed with fire Seeing therfore that these things are so those are not to be understood of the future state after the resurrection For what Kinges shal then bring their glory thither Vnlesse peradventure as the Iesuite writeth ridiculously by building and inriching temples by sending predicatours into sundry countreys and by restreining the nations that are enemies to the faith Did the man dreame waking when he wrote these things that he would hav any such thing to be desired in the future state But I wil not vexe the man being as it seemeth sick of an ague 25 And the gates of it shal not be shut All danger shal be so farre away that no feare therof shal trouble them Ther shal be no enemy that shal invade but the gates shall be open alwayes to receive new strangers who in great companies shal flow thither continually Isay 60.11 Blessed is that city which shal enioy so happie so glorious and secure peace ¶ For then shal be no night there These words are somewhat otherweise then in Isaiah who speaketh thus and they shal open thy gates continually neyther day nor night shal they be shut c. that is they shal be opeÌ„ alwayes Ther is the same sense of this place but the mention of the night being omitted as unprosperous and wholly unmeete for the happines of this city as though he should say the gates shal never be shut for they are not wont to be shut in the day time neither shal it be needful to add nor in the night because ther shal be no night there 26 And glory shal be brought We spake of this matter at the 24. verse but the repetition is not in vaine which teacheth that the Gentiles shall have this continual desire to enrich and store this city Not because they shall give themselves to the gathering of riches or to ambition but because their good will shal be most gratefull who shal alwayes wish very wel unto it Or as the words doo sound and they shal bring the glory and honour of the Gentils unto it that is the Iewes themselves as though now he would shew how much they should doo by their owne strength when he hath shewed sufficiently what should come to them by the benefit of others Wherby not onely they shal be advanced but also shal be augmented with great glory by their owne riches 27 There shall not enter into it any thing that defileth This glory shal remain no lesse pure and undefiled than secure and without feare of enemies For the most part it commeth to passe that the rivers flowing beiond the bankes doo carry with them very much durty filth wherby the whole water becometh foule so for iust cause it might peradventure be feared that in this very populous assembly of the Gentils many wicked men shall assemble togither by whose contagion the most cleare purity at length should be defiled But the Spirit biddeth them to be secure as touching this point God wil provide that no filthy and impure thing shal enter in wherby the flower of so great dignity may be distained never so little ¶ But they which are written in the book ei me unlesse they which are written But the elect are not among the uncleane who through Christ have no spot wrinkle or any such thing Ephes 5.27 Therfore ei me is not to be translated as an exceptive by nisi unlesse but as a discretive by sed but as Theodore Beza hath noted Vnlesse perhaps ther be a respect to the former time as Paul concerning the elect and such were yee every one but ye are washed but yee are sanctified 1 Cor. 6.11 as though he should say no uncleane person shall enter into the city unlesse they which are written in the book of life who before their caling were uncleane but being sanctified by faith in Christ cease to be so CHAP. 22. AFTER he shewed mee a pure river of water of life cleare as Chrystal proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lambe 2 In the middes of the street therof and an the one and other side of the river was the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruit and gave fruit every moneth and her leaves are for the health of the nations 3 And ther shal be no more curse against any man but the throne of God and of the Lambe shal be in it and his servants shall serve him 4 And they shall see his face and his name shal be in their foreheads 5 And there shall be no night there neither have they any need of the light of a candle nor of the light of the Sunne for the Lord God giveth them light and they shal raigne for evermore 6 Then he said unto mee these words are faithfull and true and the Lord God of the Holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew to his servants the things which must shortly be fulfilled 7 Behold I come quickly Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this booke 8 And J John am hee which have heard and seen these things And when I had heard and seen I fell down to worship before the feete of the Angel which shewed mee these things 9 But he said unto mee see thou doo it not for J am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the Prophets and of
them which keepe the wordes of this book Worship God 10 After he said unto mee seale not the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand 11 He that hurteth let him hurt still and he that is filthy let him be filthy stil and he that is iust let him be iustifyed stil and he that is holy let him be holy still 12 And behold I come quickly and my reward is with mee to render to every one as his worke shal be 13 J am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending the first and the last 14 Blessed are they that doo his commaundements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city 15 But without shal be dogges and enchanters and whoremongers and murtherers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh lies 16 J Iesus sent my Angel to testify these things unto you in the Churches J am the roote and that generation of David that bright and morning starre 17 And the Spirit and the bride say come and he that heareth saith come and let him that thirsteth come and let him that will receive of the water of life freely 18 For I testify there withall unto every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book if any man shall add unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this book 19 And if any man shall take away of the words of the book of this prophecy God shal take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from those things which are written in this book 20 He which testifyeth these things saith ye I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Iesus 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you al. Amen The Analysis THVS farr the two first outward arguments wherby the glory of this city is set forth the two last follow the aboundance of things necessary continuance The first handleth two things which comprehende all other plenty the most pure water proceeding out of the throne ver 1. and the tree of life ver 2. whose fruite is described and how many foulde it is partly in the kinde for thete are twelve fruits partly in the time bearing every moneth and how profitable which appeareth from thence that also the leaves are for the health of the Gentils ver 2. and thus much of the aboūdance the continuance is declared by remooving of the corrupting causes ver 3. and by setting downe of the preserving causes ver 3.4 5. And hitherto hath bin a prophetical narration both of special things and also of common things to the whole Church There foloweth the conclusion of all the Revelation and of the Epistle partly consisting in a confirmation partly in a salutation The confirmation first takes in hand a recounting and collecting of things before spokē that being put as in a patterne ūder one view they might have greater force for credit And this recounting is cōtinued even to the eighteen verse relating the authour of the Revelation ver 6. the happines of the keppers ver 7. the ministers ver 8.9 a publishing commanded wherby ther should be a free examination ver 10. with an answer of a secret obiection ver 11. the upright nature of the revealer ver 12. eternall ver 13. the thing revealed ver 14.15 the plaine testimony of Iesus ver 16. and lastly the desire of the Spirit and bride ver 17. Every one of which apart is of great weight to establish the authority of this Prophecy but al togither are very much greater Next Iohn of his owne part addeth some new thing when he uttereth certain destruction to them which shall corrupt this prophecy never so little ver 18.19 then testifying his most earnest desire of a speedie finishing ver 20. The salutation lastly concludeth the whole Epistle with a praier ver 21. Scholions 1 Afterward he shewed mee That wholesome fruite dooth more declare the excellent glory of this city which not onely the citizens but also forreiners doo receive Wherunto also apperteine this river and tree of the which both they drinke and also are fedde unto life both which the Angel sheweth to Iohn For he saith he shewed mee But who is he that shewed That sevēth Angel which manifested the city to him in the former chapter ver 9.10 and therfore neither as yet are we come to the heavenly blessednes of the saincts after the last resurrection when we shal not use Angels or any other masters But as touching the water it is not some litle fountaine but a river neither corrupted and troubled as Nilus but flowing with most pure waters as Kidron Gallirrhoe making glad the citie of God Psal 46.5 Furthermore it is a river of water of life not onely because of the continuance for it runneth alwayes with new waters as is the water of a fountaine or spring which also in the Scriptures is called living but because it bringeth life to the drinkers Iohn 4.14 The river is shining as Chrystall farre exceeding the clearnes of the fountaines Lastly it proceedeth out of the throne of God and of the Lambe which it hath for chiefe fountaines and to which againe as a companion it doth leade or rather being a forerunner goeth before as a streeme to the sea In Ezechiel the same flood issueth out of the temple altar chap. 47.1 But in this new Ierusalem there is no temple as hath bin spoken in chap. 21.22 therfore the throne of God is set in the place thereof Whether it runneth here is no mention but the Prophets plentifully teach it namely towards the East from the South side of the altar first towards Galily and into the plaine then the waters come to the Sea and by emptying themselves into the same sea the waters therof are healed Ezech. 47.1.8 So in Ioel there shal issue forth a fountaine from the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim chap. 3.18 That is the plaine of Moab where the Israelites committed whordome with the Moabitish wemen Numb 25.1 Zacharie also There shal be saith he in that daie waters of life going forth out of Ierusalem part of them to the East sea and parte of them to the uttermost sea which shal be both in somer and winter chap. 14.8 This river is the most fruitfull doctrine of Christ which shall flowe forth towards the East because the people watered with the moisture hereof shall grow and at last true life shall budde forth For every living creature that creepeth whersoever these rivers come shall live and there shal be a very great multitude of fishes for by the comming of these waters thither they are cured and live whersoever this river commeth Ezech. 47.9 For this Prophet and Iohn speake of the same things and times of the state and condition of the Church in earth as those things which in so many places we have
A REVELATION OF THE APOCALYPS that is THE APOCALYPS OF S. IOHN illustrated vvith an Analysis Scolions Where the sense is opened by the scripture the events of things foretold shewed by Histories Hereunto is prefixed a generall View and at the end of the 17. Chapter is inserted a Refutation of R. Bellarmine touching Antichrist in his 3. Book of the B. of Rome BY THOMAS BRIGHTMAN Blessed he that doeth reade and blessed are those which doe heare the wordes of this Prophecy and which keepe the things that are written therein Iren. 4. Book chap. 43. All Prophecy before it have his efficacy be reiddles and ambiguitye unto men But when the tyme is come that that which is prophecyed is come to passe then have the Prophecyes a cleare and certen exposition AMSTERDAM Printed by Iudocus Hondius Hendrick Laurenss Anno 1611. To the holy reformed Churches of Britanny Germany France grace peace from God our father from Iesus-Christ our Lord. Thincke it not strange o most holy spouse of Christ that a new interpretatiō of the Apocalyps is presented unto thee considering that among so many both of olde late writers it is the judgement of all that the Revelation needeth stil another Revelation and that these wordes be continually sounding in thyne eares The Lord hath spoken who shall not prophecy For the Lord hath not onely spoken of old by dreames visions but also he speaketh daily so often as he vouchsafeth to illuminate the mindes of his servaunts for to manifest the hiddē truth of his word to expose the same openly And with whōsoever God doeth thus communicate he thincketh that necessitie is laid upon him for to manifest unto others that which himself hath receaved And in deed should the candel be lightned for to be putt under a bushell should the comon danger of all be privily declared for the benefitt of one onely Is it not rather for this that being put in the watch tower he must give warning to the rest for to avoide with all speed the present danger The Lepers knew this well they could say that if they had kept the joyfull tydings untill the daye light evel should have come upō them But what and if any should conceale the eminent danger of what punishment should he be guilty Verely of so much the more greater as the difference is between one altogether lost and one that is deprived of joy but for a few houres And therefore having learned from this Apocalyps that shortly a great tentation shall invade all Christendome in so much as the sword of the Lord shall be made droncken in heaven all the host of them shall be overthrowne that you the Christian Churches of Germany France Britanny are by name favorably admonished of this tempest by written Epistles I finding by the will of God these Epistles which doe shew this thing understanding by the inscriptions to whom they were written I durst not otherwise doe but to render them to whom they belong least by the intercepting keeping of them secret by me I should both betraye your welfare and be condemned as guilty of treason against God There is no godly man but he seeth that the Divine worship despised the most holy word of God derided the great securitye pride of the Pastors the altogether corrupt and dissolute maners of all of whas order and condition soever they be doe foretell of some horrible calamitye shortly to come Now these Epistles doe not foretell the thing by ambiguous cōjecture but by most plaine wordes doe teach a goulf full of miseries to be at hand readye to invade us Thou spouse see I pray thee the seale knowe the hand the wordes the style of the writter thou knowest well the voice of the Bridgroome yf the letters be sent unto thee by him as they doe shewe it is more then tyme to cast off those defylements which thou hast drawen to thy self by a to much to long securitye least otherwise yf thou continue to be negligent unto this thing thou maiest at the last be suddenly purged with great sorowe by the fyre of the refyner Notwithstāding least thou shouldst thinck that I bring onely such great sorowe morning beholde also a great joye a great triomphe For after this tempest shall presently followe joyfull dayes greatly to be desired for what can be more pleasant unto the chaste spouse driven out by the Romish whore vvho vauntes her self to be the true vvyffe by the same vexed so manye aages by all maner of contumelies in juries then to see finally that impudent harlott her nose slit spoiled of her clothing ornaments defiled vvith dung adle egges finally butnt consumed by fyre Lift up thyne eares a little receave of this Prophecy not some obscure signes but most certen arguments of the Bridgroomes short coming to avenge thy greif deliver into thine hands the vvhore that thou maiest poure out upon her all the heat of jelousie And for the increase of thy joy receave vvithall the last destruction of the Turcks soone follovving the destruction of Rome for this must first be abolished the fevvell onely matter of the barbarous tiranny of them the sinevves of vvhich shall altogither be disolved cutt off after that Christendome shall be purged by an exceeding great destruction of her of her hainous vvickednesses as the Apocalyps plainely shevveth And that thy joy maie be full knovve also the uniting together of the Ievves vvith the Christian nations and so unto the end a most happy tranquillitie Thinges indeede very great greatly to be admyred parte vvherof hath already bin manifested in some sorte to the Christian Church in so much as vvas fitting those tymes yet far from the end of the Prophecy unto vvhich approching is reserved a more full knovvledge the other parte is so strange so unexpected as I could not ever finde in any not so much as a probable suspiciō of it out of this Apocalyps All vvhich effects notvvithstanding vvill yeilde unto us this nevv centurie of tymes vvhich novv vve enter into as our exposition yf I be not deceaved doth make plaine For novv is begun the last acte of a most long most dolfull Tragedie vvhich shall overflovv vvith scourges deaths ruines But this Scene being removed shall come in the place of it the pleasant prospect of a perpetuall peace accompanied vvith abondance of all good things Thus then thou hast most deare Spouse of Christ the residue of the course of thy vvarrfarre stand novv in the hatches after long tossing at lenght beholde the Iand hitherto the cloude seen a farre of hath deceaved thee but novv beholde the sea shore knovv the mouth of the haven it self Let thy eies judge vvhether I be vvorthie to vvhō the revvard of good nevves be givē For so farr of is it that I thinke that vve must stād
to the judgement of Rome alone as I hope I vvill convince by necessarie arguments that she is altogether by Gods just judgement bereft of her lightes vvherby at length shee shall sodainly rush into eternall destruction Therefore let her minde judge these things as she pleaseth she shall knovv shortly vvhat it is by her inchantments to deceave her self others Thou in the meane vvhile o naturall Spouse be mindfull of the tempest at hand prepare thy self for it hale in the shoote be carefull of the helm look to plie the pūpe least in the entrance of the haven vvhich God forbidde thou make shipvvrake And novv see hovv very acceptable this Revelation ought to be to thee not onely for the future events of verie great moment indeede but also in regarde of the memorie past to vvhich if thou shalt turne thine eies thou shalt see even from the Apostles times that that continuall path in vvhich thou hast set thy foote steppes hath beene marked out vvith so plaine paternes as thou need desire no plainer historie also thou shalt enjoie a most pleasant remembrance of the dangers vvhich thou hast fuffred vvhich yeilde unto thee so many arguments of the in cōprehēsible providēce vvisdom love truth of God keeping thee safe amidst great distresses Surely this addition vvith the rest of the Apostolicall vvritings adjoined to the old Testament ministreth Histories of the vvorlde it self from the first beginning unto the latter end thereof for vvhich cause this unestimable treasure ought to be to every one most deare And these are the causes cōcerning you o Christian Churches of my publicke vvriting There are also some causes that concerne the Prelacie namely mercy vvrath mercy because I savv many ignorant rude and unskilfull in the heavenly truth as yet to vvorship Antichrist as a God Those vvere to be taken out of the javves of hell yf so it should please God For vvhich thing I vvill go before to shine unto them vvith so great plainenes of truth that they shall necessarily see so that they vvill open their eies that that Prelate of Rome is that man of sinne to vvhom yf they persevere to cleave they cānot be saved Truly my indignatiō is kindled against the Iesuites For vvhen by happe I fell on Ribera interpreting this same holy Revelation Doe saied I the Papists againe take courage that that booke vvhich of late they permitted scarce any mā to touch they should novv undertake the full handling thereof Was it a vaine shevv at the sight vvhereof yea in dimme light a fevv yeares agoe they trembled that novv they boldely endure to looke in to the same glasse crie out that some other thing is shevved in it then their Pope O vve drovvsy men sluggards if vve suffer it Therfore I thought that their croaking is in some sorte to be restrained esteeming that it would be worth the labour to shew to the Iesuites how wickedly they are madde how foolishly they trifle how they understand none of these Mysteries how it cannot be that here they should be any thing weise that if they desire the truth as they make a shewe at least weise they may have mee a helper to search it out or if otherweise they doe yet despise it being offred an aprouver of their condemnation But yf they will not be silent for I know that for a short time they shall fill heaven and earth with their noise yet I hope to have given that force of light wherby they being hereafter bereft of all shew of reasons they shall vomit forth no other thing then their mere blasphemies against God and men Thou holy mother by what kindnes clemency thou art towards thine pardon I beseech thee my slendernes where I shall have slipped chiefly respect not nor regarde the rudenes of my stile the scope of us both is the truth onely let mee stemmer unto thee mother after what manner soever I bring unto thee Mandrakes such as I could finde as for the curious who doe regarde wordes more then the truth ther are no herbs in our basket for them unlesse this that yf they be diseased with the drowsie sicknes of too much elegancie they may fetch hēce yf they please 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perfume of bitumē or earth pitch and the herbe called Goates beard Strab. book 16. wherby as the Sabeans they may shake off their drousy disease and awaken their dull senses I pray God that you Christian Churches by understanding may profite in godlines and by true and earnest repentance may either quite remove away the evil hanging over you or be so armed with his might that in al stormes you may stand invincible A Citizen and Nourrisson of yours most unworthy THOMAS BRIGHTMAN A VIEW OF THE WHOLE APOCALYPSE The particular Prophesy Chap. 1.1 THE Preface sheweth the argument of the book 4. The Epistle sent in cōmō to the 7. Churches after the inscription doth tell who hath givē the Prophecy who hath received it the things heard by which it cōfirmeth the authority of it Chap. 2. The Epistles ar givē severally The first cōprehēdeth the languishing disease of the Ephesians 8. The Smyrneans are confirmed against the strength of the enemy 12. They of Pergamus ar reprehended for permitting Balaam the Nicolaitans 18. They of Thyatira ar reprooved of sinn for suffring Iezabell Chap. 3. The Sardians ar charged of hypocrisy 7. The piety of Philadelphia is cōmēded 14. The lukewarmnes boasting of the Laodiceans is with weighty words reprehended The common Prophesy Chap. 4. The cōmon Prophecy propoūdeth the generall type of the holy Church notable for her centre God ver 2.3 for the cōpassing about of the faithfull ver 4. for Gods protection ver 5. for gifts doctrine ordināces ver 5.6 ministers ver 6.7.8 finally for the whole publick worship ver 9.10.11 Chap. 5. The first of the things which ar spoken of in special is the dignity of the Prophecy which is declared first by the weakenes of the creature 6. by the merite of the Lambe 8. the celebration of all Chap. 6. The first speciall events ar the seales 1. The first is opened the truth prevaileth under Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius at the voice of the first living creature of Quadratus Aristides Iustin Martyr 3. at the voice of the said Iustin Melito of Sardis Apollinaris the secōd living creature the redd horse goeth forth under Marcus Antoninus Verus troubling all with warres 5. the third seal being opened the third living creature Tertullian cryeth out under Severus the Emperour whē the blacke horse did afflict the world with famine scarcity 7. The fourth seale is opened the fourth living creature Cyprian speaketh Decius being then Emperour when the pale horse wasted all with warre famine pestilence wild beasts 9. The fift seale is opened ther is given some breathing from the publick persecution under Claudius Quintilius The seales
saith that the time is at hand because the things should be begun forthwith and from that time should proceede in a perpetuall course without interruption Although the last acomplishment should be at length for many ages after ¶ And he signifyed That is which also he signifyed when he had sent by his Angell to his servante John Twoo instrumentall causes are rehearsed the Angell and Iohn Christ useth his ministery not because he disdayneth himselfe to speake to us for he giveth himself to be seene in his owne person in this very chapter but because both our weaknes cannot endure the beholding of so great maiesty as it appeareth by and by after in John who fell downe dead at the sight of him ver 17. And also that he may shewe that he doth rule and commande to the Angels and all other thinges 2 Who bare record As touching John he describeth playnly himselfe unto us shewing that he is no other theÌ„ the Apostle himselfe of which two certeÌ„ and proper markes are rehearsed one the testimony given to the word of God and to Jesus Christ The other an eye beleefe of those thinges which he testifyed For Christ chose twelve out of all his Disciples who should be with him continually and should be present at all his miracles and conferences of which they should be witnesses afterward even unto the furthest parts of the earth Act. 1.8 by which double marke Luke doth note them out writing thus Who from the beginning were beholders themselves and ministers of the word Chap. 1.2 By which arguments also Iohn himselfe doth maintaine his authority in an other place That which we have heard which we have seene with our eyes which we have looked upon and our handes have handled of the word of lyfe 1 Ioh. 1.1 And the thinges seen which are here mentioned are not the visions of this booke which followe but the actes and miracles of Christ at which whyle they were done Iohn was present Otherwise howe could those thinges have procured authority to the writer which thing onely the mentioning of these respecteth in this place which were not yet made knowne to the Church Wherfore that John who wrote the Revelation was the Apostle unto whom those markes doe agree by which the Apostles were knowen famous in the Church above others neither is there any other John besides to whom these same thinges can agree And indeede he hath declared himselfe to be such by very good advise when as it would be very much avaylable for the credit of the Prophecy that men should be perswaded of the authority of him that did write it I mervayle therefore that Dionysius of Alexandria regarded these things so little that he would dispute against them so egerly But his foolish coniectures have bene confuted by others most leardnedly He then being let passe from hence it may be understood that those wordes which Aretas testifyeth to be added herein in some bookes wee see to have ben put in by Plantine and Montanus out of the Compluten translation And whatsoever he heard and whatsoever thinges are whatsoever must be done hereafter that these words I say have crept in wrongfully and into an unmeet place for thinges not knowne have no authority themselves much lesse can they bring it to an other 3 Blessed is he that readeth Hitherto of the Authours the Fruict of the Prophecy is the happines of them that reade or shall give eare to others that reade to them yf truly they doe observe the thinges that are written therin knowledg and workes are to be ioyned togither in sâ—ch order that that may go before so at lenght men come to that happines But no word unlesse that which is inspired of God can conferre such fruict to men But who are those blessed ones that read Are they those that shal be alive in that space of the last three yeeres wherein Antichrist shall exercyse cruelty tyraÌ„ny a little before Christ shall come to iudgement as the Papists doe imagine In deede Frauncis of Ribera the Iesuite doth thrust togither this whole Prophecy almost into these narrowe straites prudently verily as touching his Pope but in respect of the truth it selfe very perversly For were men utterly voyd of this felicity by the space of those whole thousande five hundred yeares which are now past since the Revelation was given Or can any be happy eyther in reading or keeping those things which perteine no thing to him If all these thinges are to be thrust into this three yeeres space they shall in no wise be blessed But they have bin curious in vaine who eyther hitherto have searched out those things or have used diligeÌ„ce in effecting them Which same thing must needes also come to passe in future tymes wee know not for the space of howe many ages But the whole handling of the thinge shall convince this invention eyther of very great fraude or ignorance and unskilfulnes Let us know in the meane tyme that such a fruite is here praysed which is common to all ages since this divine Revelation came forth to be seen of all meÌ„ which sheweth severally and one after an other the condition of every tyme even unto the last ende as shall be manifested with God his helpe by this exposition of ours ¶ For the tyme is at hand Wherin these thinhs shal be put in execution But seeing the whole prophecy doth denounce a battaile rather then put on a crowne the reason seemeth to be fetched from the danger nigh at hand as though he should say blessed are they that are fortified with some firme aide against the evils haÌ„ging over their heads But huge great evils staÌ„de at the doores of which this prophecy is full therefore they are blessed that shall take heed and keepe faithfully the way of escaping them 4 John to the seaven Churches Hitherto the Proheme The Epistle followeth the person of the wrighter of which namely Iohn was knowne sufficiently by the thinges before spoken They to whom he writeth are the seaven Churches in Asia that is the universall Churches in every place as Aretas and Beda doe well affirme and all as I thinke Interpreters with one consent doe iudge Neither can invery deede the thinges here rehearsed beare to be restrained to these seaven Churches We shall heare in the Epistles sent to every one an admonition that all should heare what things were written to the Churches Secondly it belongeth to these seaven Churches to knowe as well of future things as of present the charge of both namely of writing and sending he shewes afterward to have bin committed to him And the last conclusion of the whole booke which wished the grace of Christ to them all shewes that this whole Prophecy was sent to the seaven Churches for an Epistle chap. 22.21 But whaâ— had it availed these seaven cities which were to remaine but a litle time to have understanding of such things that after many ages should be which
nothing concerned thē Hereunto is added that the nomber of seaven is an universall nomber by whose revolution all times are made all times being winded upon this Pole even as the whole heavenlie frame is turned upon the seaven starres Wherefore as being full of mysterie it is used afterward the whole booke through in describing of all things Yet all Churches are not so to be considered as yf nothing indeede had bene sent to them which by name are afterward noted but togither with the signification of the misterie the truth of the historie is to be reteined Seing therefore these seaven Churches stretch further than their names declare whether in them the estate of all times even to Christes comming is to be considered No verily but onely of that time wherein the Church shal be among the Gentiles Which thing shal be manifest by those things that follow and also so plaine a desciphering of the Churches of Asia seemes to grant that the Synagogue of the Iewes is not to be mixt with them Which thing hath caused that in the resolution we have distinguished the whole Propheticall narration into that which is proper to particular Churches and into that which is common to all Churches ¶ Grace be to you and peace from which is He commeth to the praier wherby the third person of the Inscription is declared And he setteth downe the fountaine of grace and peace to be one true God three in person whos 's first person these words declare Arethas thinkes that these three times doe specially bolong to the three persons Because the Father saith he is otherwhere called which is Exod. 3.14 the Sonne which was Iohn 1.1 the Holy Ghost which cometh Iohn 16.8.13 Act. 2. But the distinction so cleare which forthwith followeth gainsaies it which challengeth this description of that J will be Exod. 3.14 common to the whole Deitie here to the alone person of the Father Wherby also we are given to understand that this threefolde difference of time belonges to the unchangeable and stedfast truth of God concerning his promises For there is the same force of this circumlocution as of that abreviation Exod. 3.4 which we know was used that he might teach Moses that the time was come that he woulde perfourme the promise once made to Abrahā of delivering his seed out of Egipt From whence is also that name of Iehova wherby God was not knowne to the Fathers Exod. 6.2 because they had not yet obteined that promise Certaine minde that this is a name of being no portion of which a created spirit can understand as yf God should take to himselfe such names onely for his owne sake and not for ours Wherefore these things are as yf he should say From God the Father most true and constant in all his things which presently giueth most plentifull experiments of his truth by sending at length his Sonne into the world who in former times never failed in any one of those things which he had promised who lastly so hath caused hope of things as yet to come that daily he endevoureth the performance of them and hasteneth the acomplishment of his whole truth For which cometh hath this force as a present future that I may so say For that which cometh is not yet present nor yet altogether absent Therefore it is much more significant then if he had said which will come or which is about to come as commonly it is turned For this which cometh declareth that he will no further deferre his promises but that now forthwith he is imploied in fulfilling of them an excellent confort for them which through wearines of delay doe fainte But thou wilt say is truth attributed to the Father onely Verilie it is common alike to all of them but seeing the partes of the Sonne and Spirit are chiefly imploied in executing the decrees it is mentioned as proper to him alone whome order of doing maketh to be the Authour of promising and the fountaine of goodnes Gentile impietie hath imitated this division with their tripos which they report that Apollo used for three commodities of things which he had very much tried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which saw things to come to be before they were as in the Scholiaste of Aristophanes on Plut. ¶ And from the seauen spirites The second welspring of peace is the Holy Ghost most plentifully enriching replenishing his Church with every kinde of giftes for which cause such a circumlocution is used For he which togither with the Father the Sonne is the giver and causer of peace and grace cannot be counted amongst the creatures Of which matter see that most learned man Francis Iunius Neither proves it that this is a creature as the Iesuite will have it because he is saide to stand in the sight of the throne after the maner of those that rather serve God himselfe than that he is God himselfe Wheras by this reason neither the Sonne should be God which being a lambe came and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sate on the throne hereafter chap. 5.7 And more plainely in Daniell 7.13 and before him that is setting in his throne they presented him to wit the Sonne of man What then is the Sonne to be beteft of his Godhead Wherfore we must know that the words mentioned thorough this booke both here and else where both universally of God as the chiefe and highest Governour in which regard a throne is attributed to him and also of the Sonne Holy Ghost as ministers By whose more neare working all things are done Wherfore they are sayd to stand as in a readines before the throne and as it were expecting the commaundement and becke of the Chiefe Governour So was the Revelation given to the Sonne ver 1. and therefore the Spirit seemeth in this place to be noted more by his giftes by which he workes in his saints then by his proper name But the things onely of order are not to be drawne to destroy the natures 5 And from Jesus Christ which is that faithfull witnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and from Jesus Christ that faithfull witnes that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is that faithfull witnes the want of the relative being supplied very often used in this booke after the manner of the Hebrewes These things apperteine to the thirde fountaine Christ which we call the thirde in regard of the place which here he susteines not in order of person Hitherto hath bin differred the describing of him because it was more at large to be insisted upon and frō him to be derived the thankesgiving by whose alone merite we are made partakers of all good things And first he mentioneth his Propheticall Office calling him the faithfull witnes that is which hath faithfully truly and fully taught the whole will of God as farre as appetaines to mans salvation For the whole doctrine of the Gospell is wont to be called a testimony as Iohn 3.11
first particle is properly of one affirming shewing the certaintie of a thing in which yet maie be understoode the wishing verbe Let it be done or some such like worde For so it is in the end of the booke Yea come Lord Iesus as if he should saie I beseech thee come so as thou hast promised chap. 22.20 It is like that both the particles are used in the same sence otherwise the diversitie both of tongue and signification woulde not note out any coniunction of all people to which end this twofolde proper forme of spech seemes to be used Amen not onely apperteines to one assevering but also supplicating and earnestly striving that the thing maie come to passe as in Ieremy chap. 28.6 Amen so doe it the last expunding the former 9 J am Alpha and Omega Hitherto hath bene the Inscription of the Epistle now he entreth into the narration it selfe where first for the authoritie of the writing undertaken there is set downe a threefold propertie of the person calling the excelling power of creating truth in his promises and exceeding power of governing The power is first declared metaphorically and afterwards in proper wordes For the beginning ending doe expounde what Alpha Omega meane of which that is the first and this the last letter of the Greeke Alphabet by a metaphore they are applyed to any beginning and ending whatsoever The wordes are plainely of a certeine order and relation to the creature In which respect they can not properly note out eternitie which thing is absolute nor in any regard is to be measured according to the creature Therefore I am Alpha and Omega have this meaning to wit the maker of all things and againe the end whereunto all things are to be referred who in the beginning have made all things and that for my owne glory It is the abridgement of that which the wise man saieth the Lord hath wrought all things for himself yea the wicked for the daie of evill Prov. 16.4 The constant veritie of God in his promises is declared by a distribution of a threefolde time as we have shewed out of ver 4. His Allmightines in the end of the verse seemes to appertaine to that excellent power of governing all things according to his will in which there shines no lesse his incomprehensible maiestie then in the first creation of things For this teacheth that his strength was not spent in his first worke but for ever is of force without any lessening which is not tired with any wearines nether oppressed with the weight of busines but remaines infinitely beyond all power of any created spirit in doing all things Such a one is he from whome the commaundement of writing proceedeth a most mightye creatour a most faithfull promiser and the chiefe hovernour of all things 9 I John The person also called hath great weight for credit I John an Apostle a brother and companion in affliction banished into Patmos for the word of God ravished from heaven in the spirit on the Lords day Why should not this man speake most certaine truth ¶ And the patience of Jesus Christ The comon translation hath and the patience in Christ Iesus So also Montanus the interpretour of Aretas by Chr. Iesus Therehy the sence is nothing at all or but litle changed whether any reade it according to the construction as Th. Beza or as these with a preposition All tende hereunto that the communion of the faithfull be it either of affliction or of a Kingdome leane on Christ the alone head as upon the grounde and foundation We must take heede lest with the Iesuite we doe interprete in Christ Jesus for the end for Christ Jesus for so the communion of the Kingdome amongest the faithfull should be established without Christ as if all shoulde not together grow up in him but shoulde as it were be ioined together betwene themselves into some outward thing a part from him Patmos an Iland of the sea Icarium thirtie miles in compasse at this daie it is called Palmosa as the latter Geographers would have it But in Strabo it hath nothing memorable except the name He is wont to mention carefully even the very woodes of Palme trees if there be any much more woulde he have mētioned so great plentie wherby the Iland should be worthie to be renowmed whereupon this name maye iustly be suspected unlesse perhaps the succeeding age caused it to be more happie in fruitfulnes Munster supposeth that Patmos is that Possidium of which Ptolemaeus speakes in his tables of Geography booke 5. chap. 2. but Possidium in the same place is a Promontorie of the Isle Chios not farre of from the city Chios from thence they saile about the Yland and leave it on the right hand Str. book 14. But Patmos lies together with Corasius towards the west of Icaria but this towards the west of Samos Strab. book 10. But thou must observe that Ihon doth not plainely mention his banishement but onely that he was in the Isle soberly bearing his misery not proudely augmenting it by vaine boasting ¶ For the word of God That is for having preacht it not for to preach it For Iohn of his accord went not thither to preach but because he had preached at Ephesus and elswhere in Asia Domitian the tyrant as Ireneus and others record banished him thither The same Isle seemeth to have bin almost desolate and voide of inhabitants considering especially that the neighbour Iland Icaria much more renowmed because of the scarcity of inhabitans as Strabo reportes did bestowe the use and commoditie of their pastures on the soraine Samians 10 And I was ravished in the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was in the Spirit that is I began to be moved in the spirit for to see and understand those things which doe farre surpasse mans capacity as of old the auncient Prophetes being led by the same spirit did pronunce of things to come with no lesse certainty then of things present or past After the same maner Marck speaketh of another kinde of spirit And there was in their Synagogue a man with an uncleane spirit chap. 1.23 And againe there met him a man out of the sepulchres in an uncleane spirit chap. 5.2 but altogether contrarie in the maner of operation not onely in respect of holines or unholines but also of the sweete and quiet motion seing that the agitations with which the most wicked spirits doe tormente men are violent and fearfull whence the Possessed are most comonly depryved either of all their senses or at the least of some of them but those who are filled with the holy Ghost they are more strenghtned in all the faculties of the soule Both have them obediēt to thē whō they doe possesse but the one by gracious inclining the other by cruell constraining as the exemples of the one and of the other doe make it plaine ¶ On a Lords day see of this Th. Bezam It is verie like that
there was not any holy assemblie in this daie in the Jland otherwise Ihon would not have walked alone in the shore bin solely occupyed in receaving the heavēly visions after chap. 12.18 Neither is there any mention that these Prophecies were receaved by distinct times as it is wōt in the other Prophets whensoever there is occasion but they seeme to have bin given all in the same day and so to have flowed with a continuall course that there was no intermission after that the faculty of seeing was once given The commaundement also of writing unto the Churches seemes to require the same For if there had bin any space of time between he would have had written by parts and peces to the Churches not waiting for the thinges that would follow unlesse paradventure he should have bin otherwise admonished which we doe not reade in this Prophecy to have bin done But all these things are gathered in one Epistle and not divided in divers But the solitarines of Iohn was well recompensed having for teacher God him selfe when it may be he had none whom he might teach These thinges being thus expounded he goeth on into that which concernes his calling by which it doth appeare that this charge was imposed upon him by God ¶ And I heard behind me This worde behind me is wont to shadow out the free mercie of God which recalleth us being carelesse not regarding negligent nor thinking of any such thing for to receave most worthy things In Isaiah amongest other instructions of the heavenly grace there is made mention of this as of a chiefe thing thy eares saith he shall heare a word behind thee saying this is that way walke through it when thou shalt go to the right hand or to the left hand chap. 30.21 Wherfore neither Iohn altogether in heavenly contemplations preventeth the heavenly grace but as it were one of the comon people heareth a voice behind him warning of the comon unadvisednes of us all For we are all unapte to comprehend heavenly things untill unwares we be endued with the faculty of them which none of our owne dignity doeth procure to us but Gods mercie alone And the voice was great as of a trumpet least we should thinke that any thing being whispered somewhat softlie was paradventure hiddē from Iohn Nothing here coulde be hidden or passed by when the eares rang with so loude and shrill a voice it is a great argument of the certainty of the things which are to be uttered 11 Saying I am Alpha and Omega These wordes were above ver 8. But there of Iohn describing the person whose authority he followed in writing this Prophecy here these wordes are of Christ himselfe uttering the same with his owne voice Therefore Iohn above using this forme drew it not forth out of the shoppe of his owne braine but brought it from heaven from whence ther can come nothing but most holy Aretas the comon translation and the Complutensis reade not these wordes but they seeme to be rashly rased by some man because perhaps they were repeated having so few things interlaced But there was to be a dictinctiō betweene Iohn and Christ neither are these things to be accounted superfluous which do teach by what authour these wordes were first used ¶ What thou seest write in a booke that namely which by and by thou shalt see and likewise also heare This expresse commaundement of writing also to whom by name he should write sheweth that this was not a voluntary message but commaunded and appointed of God ¶ Which are in Asia in Ephesus c. Above in the fourth verse onely universally it was saide in Asia but by naming of these cities we understand that the whole continent is not meant which by this name is celebrated for the thirde parte of the world but onely certeine litle part thereof which usually is properly so called Which lying in an Iland to the Sea Euxinum Aegaeum and Pamphileum is bounded on the North with Bithynia on the west with the sea Hellespontus and Aegaeum on the South with Licia on the East partly with Licia partly with Pamphilia and Galatia In this part of the world flourished of olde tyme these seaven most famous cities representing here the whole Church amongest the Gentiles As touching Ephesus Ephesus it is a very noble citie by the sea shore of Icarium not farre from the river Caister the head citie of Ionia the greatest marte of all Asia within Taurus famous because of the Temple of Diana very well knowne to Christians for the three yeare labour of Paule Act. 19.20 and 20.31 for an heavenly Epistle written to this people and for Timothy their Pastour bestowed on them and also afterward for many yeares most fruitfull watering of John the Apostle Smyrna Smyrna a city also of the sea coast of Ionia on the North of Ephesus being distant from thence three hundred and twentie furlongs a Colonie of the Ephesians with whom in former time they dwelt together mightie in olde time and having iurisdiction over certeine cities neere adioining as also Ephesus in which the meetings of the subiect cities were See pli book 5. chap. 29. Pergamus Pergamū is a citie of Aeolia towardes the North of Smyrna very glorious and being the chiefe amongest the middleland cities once the seate of the Kings of Attalia which at length became the Romanes they being appointed the heires by the last Attalus which brought the countrie into a Province and called it Asia by the name of the Continent swallowing up by hope doubtlesse from this small beginning that whole parte of the world as though Attalus had not onely bequeathed to them Pergamum but also all Asia by his testament whence unlesse I be deceaved was the first distinction of lesser Asia Thyatira Thyatira is the last citie of the Mysians a Colonie of the Macedonians towardes the south of Pergamum to whose iurisdiction it likewise apperteineth In time past it was called of Seleucus the sonne of Nicator Thugatheira for the ioyfull newes of a daughter that was borne to him hereof Lydia the purple seller was a citizen of whom there is mention made Act. 16.14 a stranger of Philippi as it seemeth Sardis Sardis is from Pergamum towardes the South about sixe hundred furlongs Once the chiefe citie of the Lydians happy by reason of the rich mountaine Tmolus and Pactolus that yeeldes gold which runneth through her fieldes Shee was also of great dignity in the latter ages having chiefe iurisdiction taking from thence the name of Sardinia see Plin. booke 5. 29. Philadelphia Philadelp of which there is here mention made for there are three of this name is of Lidia or rather of Cecaumena that is of the burnt country in the very borders of Lidia and Mysia Of old a city not populous even when it most of all florished because of the dangerous dwelling by reason of often earthquakes the most parte live in the
country but saith Strabo we maie iustly mervaile at these few who for desire of the place are carelesse of danger and heedelesse of sâ—ffetie or rather what the builders of the city minded Laodicaea Laodicaea by the river Lycus one of the greatest cities of Phrygia which reacheth to Caria neare to Colossie to whom Paule a prisoner at Rome wrote commaunding that the Epistle should openly be read in the Church of Laodicaea Whose letters also he commaundeth that the Colosians should reade Col. 4.16 A citie in time past of great wealth partly thorough the liberality of the cityzens who by their Testaments gave to it great riches partly by reason of selling of excellent soft woole and blacke as a raven for which causes their neighbours did much desire it Such are the seaven cities to whom this Prophecy was by name delivered described as in a table Some man perhapes maie mervaile where Rome then was to whome in steede of all it might have bin written very breifly as to her who bragge that shee is the head of all Verily Christ forgate himselfe who passed over his vicare nor would not send him so much as one letter who onely seemed to have bin spokeÌ„ unto But there is a ready answer why he wrote not to him he knew that he could not erre nor had neede of an admonisher Let therefore this omissioÌ„ be one of the prerogatives of Rome 12. I turned me therefore that J might see To see is taken sometimes by synecdoche for to perceive as Exo. 20.18 The whole people saw voices great lightenings the sounde of a truÌ„pet c. that is perceaved But here it remaines in his proper signification wheÌ„ he had sufficiently perceaved by hearing he now turned himselfe that he might use the benefite of the other seÌ„ce Therfore the other worde is chaÌ„ged froÌ„ his native significatioÌ„ noting by a voice the man whose voice he thought it was ¶ And being turned c. So was the hearing the things seene are partly thinges partly a person The thinges are seaven golden candlestickes the interpretation whereof we shall learne beneath at ver 20. In the meane while let us note that every godly endevour receaved greater fruite theÌ„ was loked for Iohn doeth turne himselfe that he might see the man beholde moreover seaven candlestickes of which he suspected nothing 13. And in the middes c. The person seene is Christ himselfe as is understoode out of ver 17.18 like the sonne of man because in a new shape taken unto him he caused himself to be seene not in that native forme which he tooke of the Virgine in which full of glory he sitted at the right hand of the father which may be the reason why the articles are not prefixed as in other places as Th. Beza hath observed This fourme is put on for the present condition of the Church therefore an other is taken where an other estate of the bride is described ch 19.11 12. c. EveÌ„ as also it coÌ„meth to passe elswhere in many places for Christ alwaies is one unchangeable neither for his owne sake doeth he so often change his fourme to whoÌ„ no alteration befalleth nor any shadow of turning but when according to his divers administration he useth a divers condition of the bride wherby he may both testify his conionctioÌ„ with her also may shew that he in those alterations of tymes forgettes her not he takes upon him fourme fit for the thinges He suffereth when shee suffereth he also triumpheth together with her what mervaile is it then in so neare a society if he susteine also a comon shape According to the same meaning Ireneus expoundeth this divers fourme So saith he the word of God alwaies hath as it were the proportion of things to come and shewed forth to men as it were the fourme of his fathers disposition teaching us what are the thinges of God book 4. ch 37. Neither is it without cause that he is with this habite in the middest of the caÌ„dlestickes manifesting by the same that this adorning doeth not simply absolutely beloÌ„g to him but as farre forth as he is coÌ„versaÌ„t with the Church for speciall time Wherefore in such visions we must not so much seeke what a one Christ is in himselfe as what his administration is what a one the bride is therby which he setteth forth to be viewed in himselfe as in a glasse Therefore as touching the interpretation of the speciall thinges the long garment is the perfect imputed righteousnes of CHRIST wherewith the bride is wholy covered from top to toe so as no filthy nakednes appeareth For this garment is not necessarie to Chr. but serveth to cover the bride which notwithstaÌ„ding Chr. weareth on his bodie declaring how comely for those times in this regard shee should be Neither lesse often than significantly is the righteousnes of faith set forth by a garment Blessed saith the Psalmist is the man whose sinne is covered Psal 32 1. And the guest wanting this garment is cast into utter darkenes Mat. 22.12 Afterward in this booke they are pronounced blessed which watch and keepe their garmeÌ„tes lest they walke naked their shame be seene ch 16.15 ofteÌ„ times so in other places And what doeth more fitlie reseÌ„ble the righteousnes of faith which loatheth our inherent righteousnes as a menstruous clothe neither can rest in any other thing except in this one garment of Christes righteousnes ¶ And girded about the pappes with a golden girdle made of silken threeds covered with golde But was the girdle made of such threeds onely But the Priestes girdle was made of embroidered worke pictured with scarlet purple violet and yellow flowers Exod. 28.39 Whose stuffe was onely of silke as Iosephe of the Antiquities book 3. chap. 8. And this girdle was comon to all the Priests There was another appertaining to the high Priest differing onely in this one thing that it was wrought with golde as Iosephus there speakes This then is a golden girdle not that it was wholly of golde but because the girdle of the High Priest was for this difference excellent Neither is this girdle proper to Christ but to the Bride for which cause this same is the girdle of the Angels beneath chap. 15.6 The which we doe atteine by Christ alone which hath not onely made his elect Priestes but also hath brought them to the honour of the chiefe Priest Seing therefore that this girdle is ours it signifieth most pretious faith in the heart And it is of Golde because what is more Golden and pretious than true faith Yea whose triall is much more pretious than golde that perished 1 Pet. 1.7 This girding is about the pappes because except faith hath her seat in the heart it is no faith And therefore the seaven Angels are girded after this maner chap. 15.6 because otherwaies it is wont to belonge to the loines especially under the law when faith was
not plainely delivered but lustes were restreyned by the instruction of the ceremonies rites But now the bride having obteined more plentifull grace should remove the girdle froÌ„ the loines to the pappes straitly tying and binding to her those garments by a true faith of the heart lest being loosed and ungirded they slide downe and spread abroade 14 And his head and haires c. The garment and girdle are comon to all memhers in the head the haires there is a certeine distribution wherof the former concerneth those which rule in the Christian assemblies and are to them as heades the haires do signifie the comon Christian people which dependeth on the holie teachers drawing nourishement and ornament from them and they bestowing againe on them decking and defeÌ„ce Both of them is white flourishing in the seaven Churches or rather in the first of the seaven Churches by a singular puritie For we shall see that this order of the meÌ„bers hath refereÌ„ce after a sorte to the order of the Churchches Although those thinges which are related here in the last place in the Epistles are attributed to the first which reversing of order doe teach that those properties are in such sorte agreeing to some as that also according to the occasioÌ„ they are proper to others But the whitenes is of wooâ—l snow of the former for the simplicity of maners wherewith the saintes are endued which every where are called sheepe and not without cause seing our head is a lambe of the latter because this puritie and whitnes is not naturall but borowed For wooll by nature is filthie in greasines full of dust many other defylings but being thoroughly washed in the most cleare fountaine of Christs righteousnes it exceedeth snow it selfe or whatsoever excelleth in the glory of whitnes So great a thing is it to seeke righteousnes not in our selves but in another that the Spirit contentes not himselfe with one similitude of the garment but also adioineth the similitude of snow and many other reasons in other places shewing howe greatly he would have us to minde this doctrine that on every side it should souÌ„de in our eares ¶ And his eies as a flame of fire Overcoming darkenes from which eies no darkenes takes awaie the sight Which kind of eyes did especially shine in the first of the seaven Churches in which we shall see that the truth shined so clearely that no craft of heretikes coulde darken the same All their vaine shewes were consumed as stubble with these fierie eise or as coverings of waxe they do melt forthwith and do openly bewraie their hidden deceit 15 And his feete were as fine shining Brasse Wherefore passeth he so quickly from the heade eies to the feete especially seing there follow the voice handes mouth and face It is not rashly done but in that order the members are described which doeth most fitly agree to the Churches Now therefore he teacheth after that first what is the estate of the next Churchches where the faithfull are feete like to Brasse of Lebanon for they were the head haires eies in an other respect and maner One member could not declare the whole estate of the Bride for which cause there are more used and so much the more because he whom Ihon saw was like to the sonne of man As touching Lebanons Brasse Th. Beza doeth well reteine the greke worde in his translation Copper is manifest to the Latines neyther do I beleeve that it sufficiently expresseth the singular elegaÌ„cy of this Brasse digged out of Lebanon For Aretas yeildeth the same reasoÌ„ of this word And we know that a possession which engendred metalles befell to the tribe of Asher who had his seate at the foote of this mountaine For so Moses speaketh Iron and Brasse shall be thy shoe speaking of that coast where this tribe was seated Deut. 33.25 Some had rather that here it should have the signification of Frankincense the authour also of which iudgement is Aretas as it were doubtfull betweene both all be it he plainly relateth not that this signification is as it were drawne from use or taken out of any approved authour but as though the composition of the word should signify some such thing But Anthoine Nebrissensis bringes somewhat of weight for this point writing as it is recorded of Frauncis de Ribera that this title is frequent in Orpheus amongest his hymnes Chalcolibanus for Apollo for Latona and other Gods that is as he interpreteth the male Frankincense or the sacrifice of the male Frankincense as in Virgile in his Bucolickes and offer for sacrifice the fate vervin and male Frankincense But I thinke that the wordes which follow contradict it burning as in a fornace Similitudes are wont to be fetcht from usuall accoustumed things but we reade no where of such a prodigall wast of Frankincense noe not when Alexander himselfe sacrificed that it should be burned in an oven or fornace which onely was to be burnt on an altare Therefore that first significatioÌ„ of metall seemeth to be better chiefly seing the visioÌ„s alreadie before made are according to this maner recorded In Ezechiel his feete are like to shining brasse ch 1.17 of shining brasse in Dan. ch 10.6 As touching Orpheus let the learned coÌ„sider whether Chalcolibanus for Apollo may not be an image of brasse of Lebanons for Apollo as if he should saie that he by his verse did as it were erect an image of most pretious brasse for Apollo They wer wont in ancient time to coÌ„secrate to their Gods other things besides fraÌ„kincense according to which custome Synesius a ChristiaÌ„ Poet nameth his Hymnes crownes garlandes J make for thee this garland from the holy meadowes Hym. 3. Such a thing therefore is this Lebanons brasse whose feete burning in a fornace being like shew the afflicted spouse in the Churches of Smyrna Pergamum which yet receaved no damage by affliction but through the strength of brasse should continue invincible should shine much more cleare than fire The comoÌ„ latine translation for Lebanons brasse readeth copper The Iesuite according to his wont that he might by some probable reason hide the errour thinketh that the olde Interpretour first translated it Lebanons brasse as it is in the greeke that afterwards this word was corrupted by printers or unlearned But what needs this defeÌ„ce Wherefore hath not the translatour here as alwaies followed the best corrected copies if the greeke bookes are corrupted It is foolishnes to bring a thing to the rule which is righter thaÌ„ the rule it selfe But the power of the truth carrieth the maÌ„ that gainesaies it froÌ„ his iudgement drives him into coÌ„trarie opinioÌ„s ¶ And his voice as the voice of many c. This similitude is often for the most parte noteth an huge tumult in this booke as it seemeth it is of a large signification declaring besides the greatnes of the noise a certaine unconceavable as I may so
being conversaÌ„t on earth did seeme the basest among men Asthough he should say feare not at the sight of my glory which is augmented above that you caÌ„ think yet not for your destruction but salvation And as once yee have known me the most humble of all men so in this unmeasurable glory I reteine my former minde doe not despise or neglect you dust and earth Words full of confort but in this sense they were to be changed I am the last and first because the humility did goe before glory neyther now should that be placed in the latter place which hah bin swallowed up of the maiestie coming upon it unlesse peradveÌ„ture they have this sense I am now the first who of late was the last or the order of the wordes being kept I which was the first in the beginning being with God equall to the father at length taking upoÌ„ me the forme of a servant became in the account of the world the last Both which sentences make for the secoÌ„d interpretation make it more probable ¶ And who am alive Specially he maketh mention of his victory over death that he might erect his minde against the greatest feare in life These thinges confirmed that he was Christ that appeared to Iohn Never of any creature is any thing uttered in the person of God without all signification of ministery least peradveÌ„ture men should thinke him to be God and should give that to the creature which is proper to God ¶ Amen This is most certain which I say that I live for ever for confirmation whereof take not onely a naked affirmation but also a solemne word of sealing up Amen The comon translation readeth not Amen which neverthelesse is found in all the Greeke bookes and is found beneath chap. 3.14 To which wee must hearken rather then the Tridentine fathers establishing onely this edition authenticall and of authority ¶ And I have the keyes of hell and of death There is a transposition of the words in Aretas the Complutense and the vulgar and I have the keyes of death and hell And in the conioining of these words hell is wont to be put after death as death and hell did follow him chap. 6. ver 8. so death and hell were cast into the lake chap. 20.14 And so the order of things requireth seing that hell is the last stinge of death But seeing those keyes are as well to open as to shut for because he liveth that was dead he hath power to make others alive from the dead here hell is not of the damned which is wont never to be opened that any should be fetched from thence as neither in ch 20.13 For how can the hell of the damned be cast into a lake of fyre Therefore these two doe seeme thus to be distinguished that death be the very separating and sundring of the soule and body Hell the state and condition in which the body is after the sundring 19 Write those things that thou hast seen and which are c. The commandement of writing is repeated but explaned more at large In the eleventh verse it was commaunded onely write that which thou seest in a booke Now he teacheth wherto that perteined which he saw to wit to things both present and to come For these both ioined together doe expound that what thou hast seene And in every of the Epistles unto which the partes of this visioÌ„ are fitted according to the diverse condition of every one wee shall finde predictions of future things so as those words which thou hast seen can not be restrained to thinges onely present Seeing therfore the seaven Churchches conteine as well future things as things present the whole Prophecy is not rightly distributed into things present and future For these two meÌ„bers come together as after wee shall see in the singular explication and unfolding of the things Let us holde therefore that which the wordes plainly teach that this vision proper to the seaven Churches is touching things both present and future The observation of which small thing hath opened a way to me to understand as I thinke the particular Epistles which I will that the godly iudge 20 The Mystery of the seaven starres In the last place is the interpretation which onely teacheth of two things of the starres and candlestickes Why doth he give no expositioÌ„ of other pointes Because these few were ynough to open his counsell of the whole For after the same maner the rest are to be applyed to the condition of the Church And so will the Spirit helpe our weaknes that he may leave some parts of diligence to us Although the things that remaine of the vision shall easily be made manifest froÌ„ the Epistles which teach by the condition of every one whâ—t meaning the rest have which now are kept in silence as shall be shewed in their places As touching the words Mystery is of the fourth case folowing the verbe Write which is to be repeated asthough he should say write the mystery of the seaven starres And likewise in the member following and write the mystery of the seaven candlestickes For he interpreteth the starres to be the Angels The seaven starres saith he are the seaven Angels of the Churches that is signify the seaven Angels Which let them observe who hold fast as it were with the teeth the letter of the worde in other places Neither are these Angels spirituall substances but men Pastours and Bishops to whoÌ„ the scripture attribute this name as although the Angell of the Lord had come up from Gilgal to Bochim Iudg. 2.1 So in the Prophet Hagg. Then spake Haggai the Lords messenger ch 1.13 And Malachy speaking of the Priests For he is the Angel of the Lord of hostes chap. 2.7 How great therefore is the dignity of true Pastours who both are starres fixed in no other firmament then in the right hand of Christ and also Angels What skilleth it though the wicked skoffe at them with reprochfull names seeing they be in this reckoning and estimation with God ¶ And the seaven candlestickes are seaven Churches Very well compared to a candlestick wherein the everlasting light of trueth shineth kindled of Christ the Priest morning and evening continually This similitude is fetched from the candlestick of the Tabernacle which was made of pure golde of worke beaten with hammar of one shaft and seaven branches The multitude of branches signifieth the multitude of particular Churches as well of Iewes as of Gentiles The comon originall from one shaft the most strait coniunction of particular Churches all which come forth from that one of the Jewes as from the shaft Which shaft was more adorned then the other branches in one bolle knop and floure because as it seemeth the Iewes Church at leÌ„gth shall become more aboundant in the gifts of the spirit then this ours of the Gentiles Exod. 25.31 They are then the candlestickes of the Church but which by their most pretious matter doe
For what other thing were so many skâ—rres and prints with which many Bishos were marked who after the tempest of tyrannicall persecution driveÌ„ awaie did meete in the Nicene Counsell then so many triumphant bowes of the victory gotten against the enemies Paulus Neocesariensis was bereft of the use of both his hands the sinewes being shrunke and cut by the persecutours with a whote iron Others had both their eyes put out Others their right handes cut of by the elbowe among which was Paphnutius Aegyptius In summe a man might have seen a company of famous and picked Martyrs gathered togither Theod. book 1. chap. 7. He was an Angell of an invicible courage whom so many calamities could not breake yea not bowe never so litle Now therefore if we shall gather all these things into one summe we shall see a most beautifull image of any excellent Church For beholde an Angell sparing noe trouble of his owne in the labout of teaching administring the disâ—ipline most religiously suffering none that should offende the Church with his naughtines either keeping farre away the leven of heretiques or taking it away most carefully at the very first And last of all for all these thinges undergoing boldly whatsoever the wicked enemies were able to inflict upon him Doth he in any thing need amending In nothing in deede if onely he had continued in his integritie but godlines fainteth by little and little unlesse it be kindled continually and often times a certen naked profession remaineth where all his power is utterly dead lyeth quenched as we shall see by by to have happened here As touching the wordes Montanus and the vulgar translation doe distinguish this verse otherwise also they put out and change some wordes And hast borne a burden and hast patience for my name hast not fainted So Aretas but the first words set out of order And hast patience and hast borne a burden But these readings want expresse signification which our kookes have which conioine togither burden trouble and perseverance The sentence becometh much more weake where this worde trouble is taken away 4 But I have somewhat against thee Hitherto was the praise The reprehensioÌ„ is for the leaving of their first love Of which even a light slaking had not wanted great faulte But to put of the same wholy how great wickednes For so the word thou hast left soundeth as if the Ephesine Angell were like to those widowes given to riot which Paul saith are to be condemned because they have cast awaie their first faith 1 Tim. 5.12 Although this losse of love was nothing to the heinous offence of the widowes For their Apostacy was manifest his onely a faint or rather no care and a very great negligence of godly duties the profession of the truth being kept But the Spirit speaketh of divers tymes as it appeareth from this that he saith that thou hast left thy first love and in the verse folowing biddeth them to doe the first workes FroÌ„ which it is perceaved easily of what sorte was this coldnes to it that the Angell who in the first times of the Gospell receaved faithfully executed the office of teaching observed diligently every on s maners to which forthwith he applyed a remedie by ecclesiasticall discipline afterward in the latter yeares did so languish that he was negligently occupied in the first labour permitted some of his floke to perish through ignoraÌ„ce some through the infirmity of the flesh to be carried headlong into destructioÌ„ no lawfull curing undertaken This is that love which Christ taketh grievously to be layd aside so shamefully For he sheweth that he is then truly loved when his sheepe are fed faithfully and with a syncere minde Wherto perteineth that thrise repeated commandement to Peter Yf thou lovest me feede my sheepe Ioh. 16.17 But in processe of time in this Church this fervency waxed colde or rather altogither vanished away as is manifest by the reprehension Such is our infirmity rushing a pace no lesse to the losse and destruction of spirituall life then our bodies hast continually to the graves Wherfore then is there too much cure of this none of that The Ephesians reteined an outward profession neither were any calamities able to take it from them as the former verse even now taught yet in the meane time they decayed by little and little neglecting those thinges without which true godlines cannot consist And this leaving of love seemeth to have come to passe then when Iohn had bin sent away into Pathmos Doubtlesse while he abode at Ephesus he suffered not either doctrine or discipline to decay but being at length bereft of so vigilant a watchman they fell into this detested drowsines The Bishop may be for an example although not of that city yet of a neighbour place who thorough the negligence of holy discipline suffered a certen yong man delivered to him of Iohn to be kept to become a thiefe and a robber Wherefore Iohn did worthily hit and cast in his teeth his good keeping Euseb Hist booke 3.23 But howsoever the history be silent in this matter it is certen that the Ephesine Angels fell together into shamefull negligence about these tymes Of which sort also wee finde the carelesnes of the Church growing in use by little and little In the first times while it had the Apostles for presidents and eye witnesses of all things the diligence of the Elders was fervent who did both preach the word of God faithfully and also further the godlines of their flocke carefully by discipline but at length after two hundred yeares froÌ„ Christs birth they suffered all things to waxe worse and worse by a manifest declining How began the discipline to be loosed and corrupted wheÌ„ the Martyrs Confessours gave rest to those that had falleÌ„ not onely without the Bishops counsell but also against their willes How this outragious disturbance of the heavenly rule troubled Cyprian we may see from his Epistles from whence among other causes of the incumbent persecution many of which he rehearsed at length he descendeth to this And what plagues what stripes doe we not deserve when noe not the Confessours doe keepe discipline who ought to have bin an exemple to others to good manners Epist book 4. 4. And not many yeares after Eusebius relating the condition of the Church in which it was a little before Diocletian began his persecution They saith he which were thought to be our Pastours reiecting the bond of godlines were busily occupyed in mutuall contentions among themselves These thinges onely increasing beiond measure contentions and threatnings and emulations and mutuall grudges and hatred folowing with all their might preheminence and dominion as it were kingdomes book 8. of Hist chap. 1. It must needs be that the edge of holy discipline was made blunt in wonderfull manner which was of no force to cut of such noxiour herbes But Ambrose who rehearseth that the divine rule was vanished
in Christ What should I speake of Melanthon Peter Martyr John Calvin and the rest of the valiant Herolts Bucer being buried a fewe yeares before at leÌ„gth turned to dust was digged out of his grave or rather an other buried there latelyer that they might shew their cruelty even in the burning of his ashes whom they could not nor durst not hurt while he lived Who then hath not seene the starres in the right hand of Christ so wonderfully defending his servants against all force of adversaries And ought not the fresh memory of these things to give constaÌ„cy and courage unto all that reposing themselves in the same protection they may goe boldly to the deffense of the truth every one according to his calling There is not indeed the same expresse promise of other times yet there is alwayes the same crowne for them that fight lawfully ¶ J know thy workes that thou art sayd to live but art dead A reprehension for their counterfit lyfe of which the Angell beareth a shewe being voide of trueth from wheÌ„ce Sardis may be called Hypocriticall The force of which notation is manifest from the name it selfe For Sardis as Sardian laughter such rather in shew then in very truth so called of the city Sardis even as the Sardonian laughter of the Iland Sardonia as Erasmus noteth from Plutarch For that kind of herbe ranunculus in English trowfoot by which the mind is taken away may grow as well in Lydia as in the Ilâ—nd This Church was counted alive but was dead like unto this laughing which feigneth ioyfulnesse in the meane tyme full of deadly sorowe And from hence it is evident howe Sardis is opposed to Smyrna This found all outward things most troublous so as shee was almost held of all for dead yet in the mean time live a true life and was most acceptable to God That abroad in the iudgement of men livâ—th and flourisheth excellently yet within death reigneth true godlines being banished From whence is made the second payre of contraryes as was observed in the comon analysis of the seaven Epistles But in what thing consisted this fayning as farre as concerneth the city Sardis it is not cleare to us from the history there flourished in the same place not very long after the famous Melito celebrated by Euseb in his 4. booke chap. 26. But hence it appeareth that the matter was brought to that case when Ihon wrote that although the Angell seemed to himselfe and peradveÌ„ture to some others excellently well furnished with all things unto salvation yet that he wanted many things necessary and abounded in the contrary Wee knowe that they which are alive outwardly may be dead either in ignorance of doctrine and corruption or through carelesnes of Godly dutyes as Christ calleth them dead which were voide of faith and knowledg of salvation Iohn 5.25 And the Apostle calleth the wanton widow dead when shee is alive howsoever shee had given her name to Christ 1 Tim. 5.6 In which respect also workes are called dead Heb. 6.2 as declaring that they ar in deede dead that give themselves up to the study love of them It may be that partly through neglect of godlines partly by corruption of doctrine the Angell of Sardis fell into this dead life If the doctrine had bin quite extinguished which in deede is the soule of the Church shee could not have obtained even the name of any life We have sayd that the Antitype because of the following order of things was the first reformed Church springing up in Saxâ— when Luther began to teach For the ThyatireÌ„ Church have some blaâ—me for suffering the Romane Iezabell This first as Iehu laboured that the painted shameles whore should be cast out of the window so as shee did sprinke the earth with her braine From whence it cometh to passe that shee is not rebuked so much as in one worde in respect of this This Church then hath the name that shee is alive for the truth restored which in wonderfull manner shee hath manifested and also for the excellent courage wherby shee weakened and trode under foote the Romish tyranny shaking of the same not onely from her owne necke but also giving the same to be derided of the whole world yet shee is dead having some errours and corruptions of no small importance chiefly that consubstantiation of the body of Christ in the sacrement of the supper which many other absurdities followed which doe spred like lepâ—osy and take away the life of the members living by themselves Notwithstanding these thinges are not to be understood of every man but of the whole police and forme of the Church which is apparent to the world the image and proportion wherof the Spirit purtrayeth to us Which also is to be observed in the rest 2 Awayke and strenhthen the things that remaine ready to dy The first remeâ—y is of diligence in confirming the rest who if it were not with all speed lookt unto should rush into the destruction of death By the which it is taught that if the Teachers would bestowe faithfull and diligent paines in cleansing the whole doctrine and godlines they should take away from many the occasion of falling but if they shall carry themselves over negligently in this matter there would be a lamentable ruine of many In the Antitype the thing is so cleare that any man may bewayle it with teares rather then to prosecute it in wordes For how many excellent men hath that monster of Vbiquity cast headlong into death The seedes whereof Luther sowed in the yeare 1526. and 1528. in a disputation against Zuinglius OecolaÌ„padius But they ought to had bin pulled out againe of his bookes at least after the controversy was brought a sleepe least lurking as it were in the furrowes they should breake forth at length into deadly hemlocke But Luther himselfe was carelesse thereof providing after the manner of men rather for his owne estimation then as was meet for the safety of the brethren Moreover I doe finde lacke of thy faithfulnesse and diligence o holy Philip because thou hast not thrust through so foule an errour according to his desert Peradventure thou thoughtest that it was to be haÌ„dled more gently of thee partly in favour of thy friend partly because thou supposedst that it might be abolished by silence more easily then by sharpe inveiging of wordes But the errours which are not refuted seeme to be allowed and their estimation groweth so much the more as they are dealt with more gently for they are gangrenes which gentle remedies doe not heale but make worse While therefore neither of you watcheth nor doth his duty many dy how many I pray and how great men An huge number in deede of all degrees of which the principall as standerd-bearers wer Iohannes Brentius Iacobus Andreas Selnecerus Kirchnerus Chemnitius and others of that sorte who have encreased this monster of Vbiquity of it selfe horrible with so many and
notable errours that there hath bin scarce at my time any other more foule and deadly Lamentable in deede is the fall of the famous men whose labour was once courageous and no lesse profitable against the comon enemyes And what a crowne had they received if they had continued in the same warrefarre and had not as cruell Elephants turned back of the enemyes wasted their owne friendes But my office is of an Interpreter and not of a quereller and therefore I leave of these things This death invaded not onely some perticalar men but also many whole cityes and provinces as may appeare by the booke of Concorde published in the yeare 1580. which is not of so great force to stablish the errour with the consent of so many as to testify this miserable calamity of the brethren And to this errour touching the Supper of the Lord and person of Christ were many other also added to wit of Originall sinne of Free will of Iustification of Good workes of the Lawe and Gospell of Indifferent things and of Predestination Therefore death assaileth with a manifoulde dart how great must the slaughter be seing shee casteth to ground even with one great troupes of men ¶ For J have not founde thy workes perfit The reason why so many fell into death The Church of Sardis as farr as it seemeth admitted not the syncere truth of God but reteined some Ethnike superstition The Church of Germany did indeede cast away many Popish errours yet in the Sacrament of the supper shee sticke still as it were in the clay of bodily presence not as Rome dreaming of a changed substance of bread and wine into a true and reall flesh and blood but no lesse contrary to and disagreeing from the trueth conioining the true flesh and blood togither with the outward signes affirming that he is present here on earth This leaven Luther never cast out but contended fiercely with Zuinglius Oecolampadius for to defend retaine the same Neither would God which afflicted so grievously the Corinthians for the prophanation of this sacred mystery so as many were weake and sicke and many slept 1 Cor. 11.30 have goe away unpunished the neglect of amending in this point Of which punishement to come some proofe was made whâ—n Luther was constrained for the defense of an uniust cause to fly for succour to Vbiquity and to confirme many other things touching the manhood of Christ which are contrary to the truth But for the heat of contention he could not so well consider and minde that froÌ„ those beginnings and flourishes he should understand God to be angry How did he not beware of that errour which did draw with it so great a multitude of wicked opinions Why feared he not what might have happened to others having tryed in himselfe into what case he himselfe was brought in disputing But his eyes were holden that he could not forsee for the time to come and turne away this so grievous punishment froÌ„ his people Wherfore their workes were not perfit because a full reformatioÌ„ was not used but onely one errour chaunged into an other noe lesse grievous And God is wont often times to punish sinne with sinne 3 Remember therefore c. The second remedy is to remember and repent Theod. Beza translated thus remember what thou hast received And so indeede some time the worde pos seemeth to be taken For that of Mark take heed what thou heare chap. 4.24 Luke hath it thus take heed how you heare chap. 8.18 But when he saied even now that theire workes were not full before God he seemeth not so much to exhorte that they would reteine those thinges which they had received for so they should have continued in their former errours as that they should remember the manner of receaving So as pos in this place ought to remaine in his owne proper signification denoting rather the quality then the substance of the thing He warneth therfore the Sardenses that they goe backe to the first institution and amende things fallen into decay after the rule of that alone Even as also the Germane Church that they minde what Luther propounded to himself at the beginning and make their reformation according to that rule But he regarded noe other thing at the first then that all humane inventions driveÌ„ away onely the divine truth revealed in the scriptures inspired of God might prevayle For so in the preface of his assertion of the artickles coÌ„demned by the Bulle of the Pope Leon x. First saith he J will that they beare mee witnesse that I will not be compelled with the authority of any at all how holy a father soever unlesse as farre as he shal be approved by the iudgement of divine scripture Againe Let the first principles then of Christians be none other but the word of God but all men conclusions be fetched from hence and againe to be reduced thither and tryed therby Those first of all ought to be knowen of every one not sought out by men but men to be iudged by them Whereupon also he rehearseth that of Augustine in his 3. booke of the Trin. be not bound unto my Epistles as unto the Canonicall Scriptures c. Therefore wee may not cleave in the bookes of Luther as the Vbiquitaries doe and they which corrupt the Sacrament by the late devised consubstantiation but as he thought he must be wise onely out of the scriptures so all his writings are to be brought backe to these holy balances Why doe wee give greter authority to his bookes then either he to the bookes of others or himselfe would have to be given to his owne A matter indeede of great moment and in which alone consisteth the turning away of the eminent evill Vnlesse men turne their eyes to these things and have their eares bent to heare their voice and also those things performed which they shall commande an other scourge remayneth for Germany more bitter then that which even hitherto hath afflicted her not lightly What godly man taketh not great griefe minding the destructioÌ„ of so many brethren by a pernitions errour so long conteÌ„tions of minds so sharpe battels both of wordes and weapons But he must needes be more vexed when he considereth with himselfe that there is not yet an end of these evills but some greater thing to hang over their heads unlese they repent betimes I could not but warne the brethren of the danger least I should heare with my great griefe them to be afflicted and full of calamity whoÌ„ I desire in Christ Iesus to flourish And I hope that howsoever my iudgment shal be troublesome yet my good will shall not be ungrate ¶ Yf thou shalt not watch I will come c. The perill that he threatneth is his coming as a thiefe and that in an unexpected time He doth not expressely mention what kinde of evill shall come although in some parte it may be gathered from the similitude which often times is
that repented forsooke their errours with which they were possessed before time Of which sorte were many in Germany before the booke of Concord was published when in most universityes the chiefe teachers understood the true doctrine of the supper of the Lord and the opinions of Vbiquitie corporall presence in the supper every where were contemned as witnesseth Georg. Sohnius in his exposition of the August Cōfes which appeareth more clearly from the Synode of Desdrense in the yeare above 1571 where it was ordained by the comon consent both of all the Superintendants of the Dukedome of Saxonie and also of the Doctours of the Vniversityes of Lypsia and Wittemberg That the Vbiquitie of the body of Christ was an horrible prophanation of all the articles of the Creed and a renewing of all Heresyes Gallobel in the yeare 1592. And since that time a perfitter light breaking forth every day many were raysed up from their drowsines and opened their eyes to the truth Whom also even as well as the other he adorneth with white garments who gave a penny to them that were hyred at the eleventh houre Mat. 20.9 Such then is the first reward two yet doe remayne ¶ And I will never put his name out of the booke of life The second reward applyed to the times For because very many in these tymes should fall from the trueth and many cityes peoples provinces regions should cōsent to errour as at this time it is evident how farre and wide the contagiō spread abroad flying also over the sea and infecting those Northern regiōs Gotia and Suetia by which their approving of errour they should blot their names out of the register of the saints and should cut of from themselves the hope of life unlesse they should repent least I say the falling away of so many should trouble the saints he biddeth his conquerours to be of good courage Christ himselfe would set them free from falling howsoever they should see infinite nūbers to rush downe violently on their right and left hand For it is he alone who first calleth us backe from errour then sanctifyeth confirmeth us in the trueth least at any time we should revolte from it Therefore howsoever this reward be full of confort yet it teacheth that the time should be lamētable through the fall of many For to betray and forsake the trueth is not a light matter as many suppose who easily are caried away with every winde of doctrine but it is an argument of a man of no reckonning with God But how wilt thou say can they be blotted out which once were written in the booke of life especially seeing that this booke is the booke of the Lambe as in the chap. 13. 8. that is wherein those that are written the Lambe acknowledgeth them for his counteth them heires of eternall life neither is there any of those that are given to Christ that can ever perish Ioh. 6.37.39 17.12 I answer that these things are spoken in respect of us For there is a twofolde booke of life one as I may say of vocation an other of election Into the first are put all who by the preaching of the Gospell are taken into the fellowship of the Church who rightly doe seeme unto us to be partakers of life and endued with the hope of eternall salvation For the scriptures are wont to speak so generally giving thankes to the Father who hath made us meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light Who hath delivered us from the power of darknes and translated us into the kingdome of his deare sonne in whom we have redemption by his blood the forgivenes of sinnes c. So the Apostle speaketh of the multitude of the Colossians without difference chap. 1.12 And after the same manner every where in other places Yet men may be put out of this booke For many are called but few chosen Mat. 22.14 And it is declared after in the 7. chap. by an exemple Dan and Ephraim being passed over in the rehearsing of the tribes as souldiers put out of wages and cassed out of the register For God of old as in a certen visible shadow of this booke cōmaunded the genealogies of each tribe among the people of Israell to be kept diligently Wherto also perteined that of raysing up seed to the dead that his name should not be put out from his people Deut. 25.6 In which respect also the Psalmist wisheth to certen reprobates who held a place in the Church like true citizens that God at length would separate them frō the congregation of the Saints and manifest them to be meere hypocrites Psal 69.29 Wherefore all are put out of this kooke of life who forsake the fellowship of the holy Church either through errour and heresy or wickednes or other cause whatsoever not that for this cause they are blotted out of the booke of Election but because by this way they make manifest that they were never written in this booke as Iohn saith they went out from us but they were not of us 1 Ioh. 2.19 But the other booke to wit of Election is never spotted with any blottes but the names once written in doe cōstantly remayne in the same without rasing out Although these bookes are not so open and evident that they can be read of all men without difference but it is declared to every one severalty by the Spirit that is found in this register in what estimation and account he is ¶ But J will confesse his name The third reward is of confessing their name Which sheweth not onely the falling away of many but also that others shal be compelled by force So as there is great neede of the power of the Spirit least any weakened by the iniuries and threats of adversaries doe forsake the trueth For the confession of their name before his father is for the confort of confessing Christ and his trueth boldly and without feare So sending his Apostles to preach furnisheth and instructeth them against the feare of affliction Mat. 10.32 And who knoweth not to what inhumanity cruelty proceeded the hatred of them who call themselves Lutherans against the professors of the truth In the yeare 1580. was obtruded upon the Ministers of the Churches and Schooles the booke of Concorde avouching the execrable errour of Vbiquity A subscriptiō was commaunded in the name of the Princes the refusers were proclaimed Sacramētaryes or put out of their places In the yeare 1591. Christiā Duke of Saxony being dead Paul Kreilius Chaunceler suspected of Calvinisme as they speake was cast into prison Vrbanus Pierius Professor of Wittēberg was lead captive into prisō Gundermānus of Lipsich cōmitted prisōner In the yeare following was appointed a newe visitation they went through all Saxony they that would not subscribe to the articles were removed from their offices What should I rehearse the broyle of Lipsich the yeare following when all the university men on every side assembled
meane time let us knowe that this shal be a fearfull punishement for first Christ will take great pleasure in reiecting from himselfe this Angell For what can be more pleasante to a man that hath a disposition and will to vomit then to be eased by and by of the cause of his griefe Even as Moses threatneth to the Apostate Iewes that Iehovah will so reioyce in destroing and rooting them out as before he reioyced to doe them good Deut. 28.63 Secondly because he will cast out this Angell with greate dishonour For an uncleane place is sought for vomiting howsoever Antonius in the assembly of the people of Rome governing the publike businesse filled his owne bosome and the tribunal with gobbets of meate Thirdly that the Angell shall never recover his former dignity For farre be it that the Prince and Authour of all cleannesse should ever returne to his vomit But this punishement was not to be inflicted to the whole Laodicean Church but to the Angell alone that is to all lukewarme Pastours partly because of that which wee spake even nowe partly because the Church is wont to be mentionned expressely where shee is intreated of As unto the Ephesine Angell I will remove thy candlestick out of his place chap. 2.5 It shall therefore be peculiar to the Ecclesiasticall men without the destruction of the whole Church Neither is it to be doubted but the same at length happened to the Laodicean Angell which here is denounced The which thinge is also certenly to be expected in his Antitype unlesse shee shall prevent it by repentance For it shall come to passe that that faithfull witnesse shall overthrowe this whole Hierarchy and not alwayes suffer men seeking onely honours and riches not those things which are Christ to enioy even this false fâ—licity Certenly a great and reprochfull iudgement abideth those lukewarme on s Of which though they be troubled with noe feare as having with their terrour put to flight all the noyse there of yet though all shall hold their peace he will not deceive who hath threatned that he will punish It is also to be feared that the Church may feele some adversity through contagion and consenting to Such as are the Angels such becometh shee for the most part and none is so ignorant of the matters who seeth not plainely that the whole body is sicke of the same disease But have mercy upon us o thou beginning of the workmanshippe of God deale not with us according to our sinnes thou knowest our making that wee are dust and ashes How should not earth wax cold Rayse up in us the burning heate of thy love dissolve J pray thee our yce neither suffer us to please our selves in our miparted godlines but kindle us with thy heavenly fire unto a full heate and fervency that wee may both avoide thy lothsomnes of us and may alwayes enioy that pleasantnes which thou givest to them whom thou lovest Amen ¶ For thou sayest I am riche Thus was the nature of the sinne The cause is double a false perswasion of their owne worthynes and ignorance of their misery That grew from their wealth which was of earthly and not spiritual riches for against these he opposeth the riches which he biddeth the Angell to buy of him in the next verse Neither could he have ben lukewarme if he had expected spirituall riches from any other then from Christ alone but rather throughly cold and altogither a stranger from grace being become voyd and separated from Christ Gal. 5.4 But he seemeth to have abounded in earthly riches because of the wealth of the city which wee spake of chap. 1.11 For which cause peradventure Archippus was more negligent of his ministery whereupon Paul would that he should be admonished Col. 4.17 although small fruit seemeth to have followed thereof seeing that even unto these times of this Revelation there was so great matter of boasting and that also not newly bred but gathered from old time The abondance therfore of things for this life begate this lukewarmnes And it is noe newe thing that prosperity doth steale away our mindes draw men away from God This warning is often in the lawe that they should take heede to themselves least being fullfedd and filled with good things they should forgeth Iehovah And the boasting is threefolde the first of the present wealth The second of long continuing The third of a perfit and absolute to every use For so the wordes require that J am rich should be referred unto the present riches I have ben rich unto those that are past I want nothing unto a certen fulnes From which further must needs spring a certen persuasion of a permanent state and also constant felicity for the time to come And it is to be observed that he bringeth in this Angell boasting in his owne wordes otherwise then was done hitherto yet this not in vaine seeing nothing is uttered rashly of the H. Ghost But as touching the Anghel of Laodicea a clearer application offereth not it selfe In our England the congruency is so manifest that nothing could have bin expressed more lively For what other cause can wee bring of our lukewarmnes the Popish gouvernement mingled with the pure doctrine then the love of riches honours Men suffer not this hope to be taken from them but they had rather have a halfe godlinesse togither with the inioying of their riches then a full and perfit reformation with the losse of them Yet least they should seme to preferre any thing before the trueth with dishonour they prayse some what proudly our present happines in the published bookes and in the assemblyes as wee may see from the writings of many men which have come forth in these last yeares Not without cause therfore the Spirit maketh this Angell vaunting him selfe but in the same setting before our eyes our notable glorying And wee have said that the first bragging was of the present riches Howe doth our Angell triumphe in this respect and lifteth up the head above all other reformed Churches In other places there are poore and basse Pastores almost of a vulgar state condition nor of any greater authority then their godlines and learning can procure unto them But our Bishops are Peeres of the Realme superiour in honour to many great states also in riches company of men and mayd servants in magnificence of houses and all the other pompe of the world equall to any even the greatest Earles Howe riche is the reste of the Clergy The Deanes Arch-Deacons Prebendaries Chaplaines heaping and gathering togither many benefices as they call them doe match Squires at least in early revenues Doe not this amplify and encrease very greatly the glory of the Church that her ministres doe shine in garments of silke and Velvet doe walke in the streetes with the retinue of noble men so drive farre off the contempte of the ministery Where canst thou see after the Pope expelled a Church
false friends open enemys coūterfait Sosiae who should vaunt themselves under the shewe of her and many other things of that sorte were to be declared with which shee should contende and have to doe it was needfull that first a certen forme and image of her should be pourtrayed which is the principall point of the treatise following lest peradventure in so great sturres and troubles wee should suppose her to have ben wholy extinguished and abolished or at least wise her face being not knowne wee should be the more hindred from acknowledging of her Werfore wee shall finde this Type to be common to all ages as of which there is mention made in the fourteene chapter of this booke and thirde verse Where the companions and followers of the Lambe sing a newe songe before the foure Beasts and the Elders And againe nearer to the ending of the Prophesy the foure and twenty Elders and the foure Beasts fall downe and worship God as may be seene in the nineteene chapter of this booke and in the fourth verse So in other places as speach is made of the true Church so farre as any thing is to be done in the publike assembly shee is noted alwayes after the manner of this type For wee may not thinke that any congregation on earth is to be found of so absolute purity and sounde perfection as is here described but that all the holy assemblyes of the elect are counted such in Christ before God the Father although much terrene dregges be sprinckeld upon them according to that The Church to be sanctifyed by Christ to be purged by the washing of water through the word made also glorious without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but to be holy and without blame Ephes 5.26.27 An exemple of which description wee have here set before our eyes And for that purpose besides that wee should conforme all our assemblyes unto this rule even as Moses was commaunded to make the frame of the Tabernacle and all his implements altogither as was shewed to him in the mount Exod. 25.9 But the type of our Church is shewed in the very heavens according to the more plentifull glory wherewith the Gospell shyneth above the Lawe But howe much the more diligently all things are to be considered Seeing therfore wee knowe the drift of the vision let us search out the exposition of the severall things First the head it selfe of the Church is described such as the true members doe alwayes confesse and worshippe both by his sitting in a Throne in this verse and also by the similitude following The sitting declareth the maiesty and glory of the most high God and noe lesse his steddy and stable dwelling among the Saints in whose assembly he hath placed his throne of dignity to goe to noe other place And because there is but one throne and one that sitteth on it wee knowe that God is one in nature power maiesty glory and that there is not any other beside who ruleth in the middes of the saints Therfore the holy Church worshippeth and prayseth with all honour and reverence the one onely supreme Iehovah 3 And he that sate was to looke on like Aretas the Complutent edition and the Kings Bible doe not reade these first wordes and he that sate was but they adde by and by to the ende of the former verse these following wordes like in sight Our bookes and the comon latine translation doe distinguish more playnly the sitting and the similitude which thing in describing the true God seemeth that it ought not to be omitted This verse sheweth a little more fully of what sorte this one God is of whom yet it setteth forth noe image but onely a certen kinde of colour after those auncient representations made once to the olde people You saw sayth Moses noe similitude in the day that Iehovah spake to you in Horeb out of the middes of the fyre Deut. 4.15 For the same is that one true God reigning in the Christian assemblyes whom from the beginning the primitive Church worshipped And seeing that in the infancy of the Church he shewed noe image of himselfe much lesse is any similitude to be expected in this up growen and ripe age This is a more familiar fuller manifestation seeing beside one and the same essence which the common glory noteth the incomprehensible distinction of the three persons is in some sorte revealed by the three pretious stones the Iasper Sardin and Emerald For it pleaseth the Spirit to use the delightfull Iewels to disclose these mysteryes because the grace and beauty of these doth most of all excell in this world belowe whereupon they may be most fitte images of that pleasantnes which exceedeth all created understanding especially seeing the representation is rather of the vertue then of any forme The first sight of the Iasper resembleth the person of the Father this Iewell is greene and not without cause called the mother of Jewels the kindes of it are so many and the honour so auncient And what more fitly among pearles could shadowe out the Father who is the first in order alwayes of a flourishing eternity of whom the other persons have their beginning and originall The second sight is of the Sardin wherby the Sonne is represented This Iewel is redde of a fleshly colour frō whēce also it is called a Carneole fitly in deede being in his stead who tooke upon him flesh for our sake and was made a man like unto us The third sight is of a rainebowe of the colour of an Emerald wherby the H. Ghost is noted He compasseth the Throne round aboute as in the booke of wisdome chap. 9.4 compassing the whole circuit of the divine maiesty with an unutterable sweetnes For the Emerald doth shewe so acceptable pleasant and shining greenes that the eyes beholde nothing more gladly Yet this Raynebowe is not like that which is comonly so called For this is not over against the Throne but about the Throne neither is it an halfe circle but whole and full on every side For it is rounde about the throne finally it is not of three colours as the true Rainebowe but of one onely and simple colour of the Emerald Such therfore is that God one in nature three in persons the head and centre of the Church whome alone the faithfull are in love with and doe worship taking pleasure most sweetly with all their hartes in his incomprehensible sweetnes ¶ And rounde aboute the Throne So is the Head nowe he adioyneth the body like the circumference of this centre as wee have sayd Which is described by the place the number of members age apparell and crownes The place is double common about the hyghest throne and proper the peculiar throne of every one The comon rounde about the throne is before behinde at the right hand and at the left that it may parte the Raine bowe which compassed also the Throne but with a contrary situation above beneath and
gathered togither to Mizpa drew water and powred it out before the Lord to wit rivers of teares with earnest repentance wrunge frō them 1 Sam. chap. 7. ver 5. And noe lesse is it a signe of thankesgiving as in the Revelation they that got the victory over the Beast stood at the glassy Sea having the Harpes of God wherewith they sunge his prayses chap. 15.2 Therefore this Sea sheweth by right the whole worship which in respect of the lāpes is like a Sea of oyle wherewith their heavēly fyre is nourrished cōtinually But what māner of one this Sea is wee must see frō the Epithets the first of which he sayth that to be glassy How is this Is it in respect of the colour There is a glassy colour agreable to the Sea Wherupon Virgille describing the Fairies attributeth the same to the Godesses of the Sea The Nymphes did spinne the fleeces of woll of Miletus dyed with a deepe colour of glasse Geor. 4 And againe a little after and all in their glassy seates were astonished glassy not in respect of the matter but of the colour clearnes So Ovid. There is a cleare river more bright then glasse a sacred fountaine Epist Sapph But glassy in this place is even as of glasse shewing rather a shining matter that one may see through then a colour without matter wherto serveth the other Epithet like unto Chrystall Glassy to wit for a difference from the legall Sea Which being made of brasse a thick darke matter could not be seen through of any sight 1 King 7 23. The face of God did shine upon his but under those rites ceremonyes somewhat darkly which thing also Moses declared putting a vayle over his face that the children of Jsraell should not looke into the ende of that which was to be abolished 2 Cor. 3.13 But contrarywise all wee beholde with uncovered face the glory of the Lord as in a glasse In the same place ver 18. Therefore their Sea is of Brasse and ours of Glasse and great is the dignity of the Christian Church in comparison of that under the Lawe considering that our worship doth shew us the most pleasant face of God as it were through a most cleare glasse how amiable are thy Tabernacles cryed the Psalmist in that darknes Psal 80.1 But how admirable ought the most sweete countenance of Christ to be unto us whom wee with Peter and those two disciples doe see shyning as the Sunne his garments made white as the light Mat. 17.1.2 O wee blessed men if wee could have allwayes our eyes fixed on this glasse There is a certen incomprehensible maiesty of God to be seen in that very creature but this knowledge is common to the reprobate there is noe where any meanes to enioy a saving sight unlesse by this glassy Sea God hath replenished it with most pure waters both of knowing and worshipping him truly of both which he hath layed up such aboundant plenty in this sea that there is no neede to fetch any thing from any other ditches And this ought to be the scope of all worship that it may shewe us GODS face By howe much the more eyther the doctrine or the ceremonyes doe hurt or stop up our eyes in this matter by so much the more doe both of them swerve from the right The other Epithete is Like unto Chrystall What neede is there of this seconde In deede that he may teach that that Glasse is not onely bright but even also most purely bright which noe other mixed colour doth in noe sorte darken For Chrystall is as it were voyde and free of any colour approaching the neerest to the purity of the ayre which the eyes doe pearse through almost as easily Therefore noe humane devise and invention is powred into this Sea but it is pure from all filth added to it and also perfite and absolute without any thing detracted from it As it is taught in Deut 4.2 Such is the worship of the Saints in Christ in whom God the Father beholding his elect faithfull findeth noe thing in them coloured nothing maymed and imperfect nothing filthy and defiled All worship ought to levell hereto and be framed after this patterne Others doe interprete these things otherwise some doe referre this Sea to the iudgements of God but enough was fore shewed touching them in the thunders and lightnings Others thinke that it signifyeth a multitude of men living on the earth But if this multitude be holy it was noted before in the foure and twenty Elders But if it be wicked what doth it before the throne or howe may the purity of Chrystall agree unto it There is noe need that I should confute other mens interpretations in many wordes The very order of the thinges doth shewe easily what cometh nighest to the trueth This onely I will say which is common to this whole booke in every allegoricall interpretation before all thinges the purpose of the allegory it selfe is to be regarded without which every interpretation shal be doubtfull and uncerten and of noe weight but if wee shall knowe that well and shall adde to it prudently the other circumstances wee may drawe noe lesse constant sense from an allegory then frō any other playne place ¶ And in the middest of the throne and which compassed the throne foure Beasts The second outward gift are Beasts whose qualityes come first to be considered which respect the preparation to their office if in a fewe wordes wee shall first see of what sortes the beasts are Which is heard to be knowē from the iudgement of the Interpreters they are in so manyfold difference wee will propounde in a word as wee have begun and intended that which seemeth to be most neerly ioyned with the trueth They are servāts and Ministers of God all whose labour is bestowed in preaching the word and in looking to the other things which belonge to the Ecclesiasticall policy For first it is manifest that they are men for so they sing together with the Elders thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood chap. 5.9 Secondly seeing there is two sortes of Redeemed one of the people another of the Ministers the very place in which they serve sheweth that they belonge to this second degree For they are conversant betweene the hyghest Throne and the Elders set rounde aboute Therefore they approch neerer unto God and are as his messengers betweene both Hereunto is added that they are leaders of the publike action as is manifest after at the ninth ver Lastly they are represented so in winges eyes and their whole shape that they may be most furnished to performe this office Neither are they any of the excellent men of the age passed but Ministers to come to which sorte of thinges this whole Prophecy is applyed as that of the first verse hath taught I will shewe thee the things that must be done hereafter They are called Beasts because of that lively force of the Spirit
Antichrist with his Prelates hath ceased long agoe in many ages past to be in the number of these Beasts Howe farre also are our Bishops from them who have forsaken prayers the administration of the word not that they may looke to the poore but that they may handle civill affayres and enioy the honours of this world Whom thou mayest see oftener in the iudgement seat then in the Pulpite and to differre nothing from the Politike Magistrates but onely in name and apparrell Doe they day and night extolle our God with meet prayses of his holines God open their eyes that they may see howe excellent things they leave for thing of no value that at length acknowledging their errour they may returne to better things al trifling lets being cast away The Psalmist telleth openly that they are blessed which dwell in the house of the Lord and that in this respect because they prayse God continually Psal 84.5 What then shall wee chaunge with this office which so great King being destitute of envied that I may so say to others through a godly zeale But too much it may be is already spoken of this matter too much in deede to him that speaketh the trueth but to all that love their errours I doe feare that they will not be enough The office of these Beasts is declared not onely by this care but also by the forme it selfe of the thankesgiving for they cry Holy Holy Holy by which thrise repeated crying togither they prayse the one onely Iehovah seeing in repeating they say one certen thinge which one also they acknowledge to be three in repeating thrise that which they gave to one wherby likewise they esteeme every each one person of equall honour commending each with equall prayse For holines containeth within it all prayse which signifyeth such a purity which is sprinkled and mixed with noe spotte or blemish And this the Beasts doe give to God not onely setting forth the same soe in words but also in making the people holy or at least in using that labour wherby to their utmost power they may make them From whence of all the testimonialls of Gods prayse this chiefly doth sounde and ringe againe in the lyppes of them that serve God Some bookes doe repeate these wordes six times but Aretas agreeth with our copyes and these wordes are in other places of Scripture Isay 6.3 So is the title of holines this the Beasts doe set forth by a double kinde of Power and Trueth wherunto perteineth that distributive nowne which is and which was and which is to come as was declared before chap. 1.4.7 And they mention first of all the Power shewing the incōprehēsible glory of holines which is most hard where one hath liberty to doe what he will He that can doe all thinges and yet in the least thinge abuseth not his power and authority it must needes be that his glory exceedeth the comprehending of every minde Againe howe hard is it to keepe the promise which thou hast made when they to whom thou hast promised doe breake their promise almost every moment O therfore the unmeasurable holinesse of our God whose truth mens infidelity doth not hinder 9 And when those Beasts shall give Hitherto the giftes with which God doth notably adorne his Church nowe the worship is described to which the Beasts and Elders togither doe earnestly bende themselves The māner whereof is such that the Beasts have the chiefe doing in the action and goe before the Elders with their voice as the Ministers are wonte in the assembly of the people For these thinges are spoken according to that order which God hath appointed in his Church wherby all the people doe give worship to God the Minister being the leader But it is to be observed that this action of giving glory doth differ in a respect from that of the former verse For that perteined to private care which is continuall their whole office tending to this onely ende this is proper to their publike function and at certen time as is manifest from those thinges which followe in the next verse As touching the wordes Theod. Beza translateth when they did give and so the other wordes they did fall downe they did cast of by the imperfect tence but the property of the time is to be kept seeing a future thinge is here foreshewed and not a thing past reported 10 The foure and twenty Elders shall fall downe The action of the people governed by the conduct of the Ministers And it consisteth in two thinges in gesture in this verse and in words in the following The gesture is threefolde of casting downe themselves before him that sitteth on the throne of worshipping and casting of their crownes The first signifyeth their cheerfull hast that at the voyce of the Beasts they fall downe by and by The second the iust worshippe given to him to whome alone it is due The third the sincere trueth of their minde in performing this adoration in that putting off their owne dignity they acknowledge themselves his servaunts before whose throne they cast their crownes But how wilt thou say doe the Elders fall downe when the Beasts doe give glory seeing the Beasts are employed in this labour day and night without ceasing Doe the Elders never sit in their thrones but fall downe alwayes prostrate on the groūde Wee must remember that which I said even nowe that the private care of the Beasts is one thing their publike action an other That hath noe intermission this is performed with certen respites to this alone this throwing downe of themselves perteineth From whence there is a double argument that all these thinges belong typically to the Christian assemblyes on earth There are noe set times of worship in the heavens but all that eternity is bestowed about this thing Secondly neither shall there be any neede of leaders and rulers to performe the worshippe For Prophecy shall then cease 1 Cor. 13.8 much more the Ecclesiasticall Policy which is ordayned in respect of this but every one being a Priest thē not onely by right but also in practize shall prayse God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost without the mediation and helpe of any other then himselfe Seeing therfore this type is proper to the Church on earth let every one consider with himselfe earnestly howe greatly it belongeth to them to frequent the publike assemblyes with all diligence that as often as the Beasts give glory to him that sitteth on the throne he may fall downe before the throne and worshippe him that liveth for ever Certenly they that contemptuously sit at home and neglect the congregations of the faints or in the meane time make iourneyes and withdrawe themselves in any other unnecessary manner shewe openly tha they belonge not at all to that most honorable company of the Elders And let not any deceave himselfe by his honours dignityes and excellency as though the publike assemblyes were either of the
singular ioy and thankesgiving of the whole Creature but apart first of the Church ver 8.9.10 and of the Angels ver 11.12 After of the rest of the Creature ver 13. Last of all the Church togither subscribing to the common ioy reioycing of all thinges ver 14. Scholions Afterward I saw at the right hand the cōmon translation hath In the right hande as also the Interpreter of Aretas but all the Greeke copies with one consent have at the right hande They peradventure have put it in the ablative case because it followeth after in the seavēth verse that the Lambe tooke the booke from the right hand But this is noe sufficient cause to departe from the naturall property of the wordes when it may be that the weaknes of the creatures might be made to appeare the more the booke at the first was not in the right hande but at the right hande from whence if there were noe power to open it being offered and layd before without asking much lesse would there have ben any if he had held it in his handes Afterward when the debility of the Creatures was found out the booke was taken into his handes that the dignity of the Lambe might be the better knowne not taking it up hastily lying at his side but receaving it from hande to hande As touching the intent of this vision it seemeth good to the Spirit after the lively representation of the true Church in the former chapter which was to be layd as the fundamēt of all the building following before that he should come to the particular Prophesyes to put men in minde of the incomprehensible excellency of this Prophecy For wee are wont such is our slouthfulnes to passe by very greate and excellent thinges carelesly and sleepingly unlesse peradventure some body pull us by the eare and require instantly diligence mentioning the greatnes of the thing Least perchance the same thing should fall out in this place he setteth before our eyes that this is a Prophecy of that kinde which conteineth in it all the dāgers that at to be undergone of the Church through her whole race on earth yet wrapped in so great obscurity that no created minde can beholde it a farre off much lesse unfolde the same to others An argument in deede most worthy to be knowen and farre most pleasant of all thinges opening to us the hidden Mysteries with exceeding great desyre whereof men are inflamed or otherwise in searching out of them they torment themselves rashly and in vayne And yet neverthelesse it is not to be desyred onely for this cause to knowe it but because also it conteyneth events of that moment that it would be very hurtfull and for rowfull to the Church if they should wholy be concealed Therefore Iohn wept being privy to the dangers and togither therewith also minding the lacke of a guide And in deede the Church hardly holdeth on her course though this lampe be given her Howe miserable had shee ben left utterly in darknes and not perceiving sufficiently eyther which waye shee should goe forward or where to set her foote safely Iohn therefore had had iust cause to weepe if there had ben hope noe where of opening the sealed booke But the sudden assault of griefe bereft the holy man of understanding and suffered him not to thinke in whom there was ability while at length he knewe by the putting in minde of an other Therefore this Prophecy is famous for the worthynes of the argument excellency of the Mystery plēty of fruict but farre way most excellent because he alone was founde worthy to open the same who by his death founde out a redemption for the elect This is that thing for which the Church on earth the Angels in Heaven lastly the universall Creature reioyceth greatly and that not for a glorious shewe without the trueth of the thinge as the manner is in humane writinges in which the thinges are amplifyed for to adorne and set them forth but from a true feeling and iust cause of reioycing as hereafter wee shall see through Gods his helpe In the meane time shall not this exceeding great ioye of Heaven and Earth kindle in men a diligence to reade a desyre to understand and an endevoure to observe It is in deede a thing worthy of our serious meditation into which I have digressed and discoursed in many wordes because I see that the Interpreters eyther not to have marked the intendement of this chapter or at the least otherwise then was meete to have spoken nothing at all of a matter very needfull and necessary ¶ A Booke written within and on the backeside The first commendation of the Prophecy is from a Booke a copious writting and Seaven Seales in this verse That which is recorded in a Booke must without all controversy be certē being a faithfull helper of the memory whereas that which is noe otherwise grounded then onely upon the memory may easily in continuance of time eyther be utterly extinguished or at the least wise corrupted Whereupon GOD biddeth Ieremy for the greater credit of that Prophecy to write all the wordes that he spake unto him in a Booke in the thirty chapter of Ieremy and in the 2. verse So carefull is he to provide against our doubting that wee should not thinke otherwise of the things then of such as are written in publike bookes graven as it were in brasse so as they can neyther be altered nor forgotten The plenteous writing is shewed in that the booke was written within and on the backe side on both sides of the leafe And he speaketh after the olde māner of writing in somewhat lōge parchments which afterward were wounde about some rounde smooth peece of wood frō whence they were called volumes Christ is sayd to have unrolled the booke and rolled it up againe as in Luke chapter 4 verse 17. And the outside that I may use the wordes of the most learned Theod. Beza alway remayned cleane unlesse the inside was not able to containe the whole writing for then they wrote on the outward part which sorte of writinges were called exteriour writings as being written on the backe side This so great prolixitie therefore did containe not onely the chiefe points which peradventure might be included in some narrow place but also every most small thinges so that neither is there any neede to seeke and fetch ought from any other place which perteineth to the knowledge of future thinges and that wee knowe also that nothing can be done without the will of God The Complutent edition and some others read without but on the backe side is more often used from whence is written on the backe side as wee have shewed a little before Finally howe pretious are these Mysteryes which God hath with himselfe sealed up with so many seales The creatures could not so much as to looke on the BOOKE as is in the fourth verse much lesse was there neede of seales for to hidde
from them But by these meanes he will declare and manifest howe greatly wee ought to reverence his secrets 2 And J saw a strong Angell publishing There is a great dignity of the Prophesy from the certenty largenes scaling up but nowe a greater appeareth seeing the highnes thereof surmounteth every created Spirit For it is not of that kinde which the more prudent sorte of men can comprehende by any skilfull foreknowledg but wherein all must needes confesse their ignorance The which for to shewe he alludeth to the manner of Princes who in difficult thinges are wont by great rewards to provoke their subiects by the voyce of a Cryer to try their strength and there is almost none whoÌ„ in such businesse some small hope will not thrust forward to make tryall If so be that noe man cometh forth what is this else than an open confession of their imbecillity So the Angell is sent to enquire who is worthy to opeÌ„ the booke If noe man offereth himselfe let us acknowledge our owne impotency and the power of our Mediatour and togither also let us honour with due reverence these holy mysteryes for which cause God causeth in us this feeling of our owne want of power as of old in Adam before whoÌ„ ere he gave him a wife he set all creatures that noe fit helper being found he might make the more accounte of the wife given him ¶ Who is worthy He maketh not inquiry of the power and strength but of the deserte and worthynes For even all the creatures if they should coÌ„spire togither are able to doe nothing to wringe out perforce the things from God Whatsoever wee obtayne wee enioye it at his will and pleasure and by entreaty and the Lord being iust in giving his thinges regardeth their worthynes upon whom he bestoweth his benefits whom unlesse either their owne or an others iust dignity shall commende they can hope for noe good thinge from him But if a bare foreknowledge of future thinges shal be of so greate importance in what estimation is the knowledge of salvation to be had 3 And noe man was able A free confession of the creature that it is able to doe nothing herein Let them therefore looke to it who doe make her a patronesse for theÌ„selves in matters of greater moment Why then should wee mervayle if noe man understandeth any of these thinges not onely among the Gentiles although the most quickwitted of them but also not in the whole Kingdome of the Papists noe not that blasphemously unerring Pope himselfe with all his Seraphicall Doctours arrogating to them selves the victory of all knowledge learning prudence and wisdome These thinges surmount all humane sharpenes of witte least peradventure thou reiect rashly that which shall not please those our maisters And the distribution of thinges in heaven in earth and which are under the earth may be understood froÌ„ the proclaiming of the Angell he made enquiry who was worthy Therfore the inquisition perteined not to the Devils and soules punished for sinnes For what hope or shewe of worthynes could be here Therfore the thinges in Heaven are the Angels they in the earth Men living they which are under the earth are the Saints sleeping in their graves Whom he signifyeth in this manner by that one part which cometh neerer to our sense In which respect Iacob sayeth and I shall goe downe to my sonne mourning into the grave Gen. 37.35 In these alone their might be some question Therfore that place is to colde for to kindle a Purgatory ¶ Nor looke thereon for so hath Theod. Beza the common translation hath looke upon I should rather turne looke in For so the sentence encreaseth seeing this is greater then not to open The booke could not be looked in so long as it did remaine sealed whereupon the addition would be superfluous in this sense 4 J wept therefore It is a lamentable thing in deede that the Church should wante the gift of Prophecy But Iohn bewrayed his infirmity having forgot or at least wise not minding that nothing is so hidden that could be unknowne to our chiefe Prophet of which he would not teach his Church so farre as should be expedient for his Wherefore one of the Elders warning him that he should not weepe doth togither with gentlely reprove his ignorance or rather forgetfulnes as though it were a shamefull thinge for a teacher not to knowe that which the common sorte of the faithfull should not be ignorant of 5 Beholde he hath obtayned Many as it were contending but one obtayning the victory before the rest He seemeth to speake after the manner of the former proclamation wherby the thing was put as it were to a publike strife and tryall and in which Christ bare away the chiefe prayse yea the whole ¶ That Lyon of tâ—e A circumlocution of Christ the King fetched from Gen. 49.9 But what hath the Lyon to doe with seales Our sinnes did remove farre froÌ„ us all the mysteries of God Which when Christ hath by his mighty power abolished and conquered for ever the enemyes the Devill and death worthyly with this name as a badge of the victory he cometh forth to obtayne that for us which our enemyes kept away ¶ The roote of David So hath Th. Beza translated rightly the Hebrewe word to which the Greke worde answereth and is some time taken for a roote as is in Isaiah He groweth up as a tender plante before him and as a roote out of a dry ground chap. 53.2 But a roote properly groweth not out of the ground but that which springeth from the roote neverthelesse this in deede is such a roote that also togither it is the roote of David that is the fountayne and welspring from whence salvation and life flowe unto David so that nothing can be more significant then this word neither hath there bene at any time any roote besides of this kinde See Psalm 101.1 Mat. 22.43 c. 6 Then J looked and beholde betweene the Throne Word for word in the Greeke is in the middes of the Throne as before in chap. 4.4 c. The Lambe is in the middes of the Beasts and Elders to wit in the assembly of the faithfull in the middes of the Church ¶ A Lambe standing as though he had ben killed The Lambe is described by his triple offâ—â—e These wordes as thâ—â—gh he hath ben slame perteine to his Priesthood being eternall through the eternall power of his death Seaven hornes declare him to be a Kinge Seaven eyes which are so many Spirits and the taking of the booke shewe him to be the chiefe Prophete The skarre of a deadly wound is a token that he once dyed and teacheth that the Father doth give all things to his Church for the merite and through the beholding of it For this is it wherby our Priest once entring into the holy place hath obtained eternall redemption Heb. 9.12 And in that he hath once gat redemption for the
were 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixt seale and loe there was made a great earthquake the Sunne became blake as sack cloth of haire the moone was like blood 13 And the starres of heaven fell to the earth as a figge tree casteth her greene figges whē it is shaken of a mighty winde 14. And heaven departed away as a scroule when it is rolled every mountayne Yle were moved out of their place 15 And the Kings of the earth the Peeres the rich men the Tribunes the mighty men every bondman every free man hid themselves in dennes among the rockes of the mountaines 16 And sayd to the mountaines and rockes fall upon us and hide us from the presense of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe 17. For the great day of his wrath is come and who cā stande The Analysis SVCH is the Excellency of this Revelation The Events doe follow which first are the Seales secondly the Trumpets lastly the Vials For all the rest of the Prophecy is distinguished into three notable periode◠which containe the chiefe alterations to come in the world even unto the coming of Christ every one of which againe is divided into seaven points so as from the last of the former aryseth alway the whole sequent period As touching the Scales there is in every one a certen preparation afterward the type of the future thinges And the preparation is partly common wherby the Lambe openeth each one in order partly proper to the foure first which besides have an inviting by one of the foure Beastes to come and see There be sixe types of this chapter for so many seales are opened a white horse ver 2. a read ver 4. a blacke ver 5. a pale ver 8. The cry of the soules ver 9.10.11 and great earthquake to the ende of the chapter Analysis After J beheld when the Lambe had opened the first of the seales Nowe the Spirit entreth into the events which will instruct us touching all the changings succeeding by course in the world as farre as is expedient for the Church and which are of any moment unto the last end of all thinges A great matter and chiefly necessary to be knowne but such as into which noe understanding of mortall man can penetrate Therefore whom in the beginning I have prayed unto him doe I call upon againe having gone forward in some part by his alone grace that he will graunte mee happily to make an ende of the thinges that remayne who hath graunted mee so to beginne as I am persuaded is agreeing with his trueth Thou therfore most holy and most wise Lambe who alone hast deserved to take unscale the booke and not to that ende that thou shouldest have these secretes for thy selfe alone but that thou shouldest communicate them with thy Church as farre as shal be for her profit graunt I pray thee unto mee thy most unworthy servant according to thy bounteousnesse that perceaving cleerely what hidden and secrete things these seales conteine I may reveale the same holily unto the world to the edification of thy Church the ruine of Antichrist and the glory of thine owne name to be published unto all ages Amen In that wee have distinguished the Events into three rankes wee have the Spirit himselfe for our authour ioyning the trumpets to the seales the vials to the trumpets in such sorte as that alwayes the first thing of that which followeth doe aryse out of the last of that which wente before Therefore they bring in darkenes upon themselves who doe thrust togither into one the seales the trumpets the vials and also the seaven Candlestickes so as each one of every order should be ioyned one to another in equall degree as if the Father the Sonnes should be equall should runne togither the same terme of yeeres Furthermore seeing the seales ar as it were promises of future thinges the trūpets adversities approaching with great noise the vials things that are powred upon men by little and little and come upon them unwarres as wee shall after see overwhelme them it seemeth not to be convenient to cōfounde these contrary things togither so that the thinge should be promised and accomplished all at once and that the same thing should be done openly and secretly at the same moment of time but let us come to the wordes ¶ When he had opened saith he one Seale that is to say the first as Theod. Beza translateth it for after followeth the second third c. And so the Hebrewes every where use to speake But before I proceede to the thinges that are behinde that cold comment of the Jesuite is to be removed who thinketh that the opening of the booke is something diverse from opening of the seales as though nothing in the booke could be read and shewed unto us before that all the seales should be opened Which opinion verily faineth unto us I knowe not what booke of which wee have received never a word written neither doe wee understand from thence ought touching thinges to come For the Revelation hath nothing more besides the opened seales For out of them the trumpets come forth and againe out of them the vials as wee have advertised in the resolution so as all the rest of the Prophecy is limited with those thinges that are conteined in the seales as wee shall proove by manifest argumēts in their places If therfore after all the seales opened he hath found out some booke to be read it is Apocryphe that is a hid booke the originall and authority whereof is not known which peradventure may lie hid in the coffer of the breast of their Pope but which to reade and knowe the Church hath nothing to doe Furthermore it is needfull for the clearer understanding of the periodes first the termes of time wherein thinges are finished and every severall article of them to set downe some entrāce from whēce wee must begin which surely wee iudge to be by and by after this writing of John For that saying of the fourth chapter ver 1. I will shew thee the things that must be done hereafter calleth backe Iohn both to that moment of the Revelation given also teacheth to count from thence all thinges which are delivered in the booke following Therefore there is noe neede to have recourse unto the first ages of the world nor unto the Monarchies nor unto the times of Christ or the Evangelists or in any such thinge of the age past but John writing this Revelation by the commaundement of God about the ende of the Empire of Domitian as Ireneus sheweth in his 5 booke against heresies Eusebius out of Ireneus in the 3 booke of his Ecclesiasticall History chap. 18. At the ende of the raigne of Domitian about the ninety seaventh yeere from the birth of Christ wee thinke the beginning of the Seales to wit of
And in deede it might easily be understood that the time was not farre of when an ende should be put unto publike murders seeing all degrees of men did encline with so great gentlenes to the trueth But this Seale hath both some thing proper in the rest of this chapter and also common in chap. 7. That is the last triall of the Seales the first part of which conteineth the going on of the sorrowfull Tragedie and all the former calamityes ver 12.13.14 The secōd the ioyfull isue in subduing the enemyes and appeasing all hurliburlies ver 15.16.17 As touching that Aretas reporteth from the monuments of Andreas that very many sayd that this earthquake was a passage from the persecutions which were brought upon them for Christ his sake unto the time of Antichrist And so the scriptures are wont to call some notable alteration an earthquake as where it is sayd yet once more I will shake the earth Heb. 12.26 It signifyeth the remooving of those thinges that are shaken as Saint Paul declareth And in the olde Testament the going of the children of Jsraell out of Egipt is called an earthquake as Psal 68.9 The earth was moved and the heavens dropped at the presence of God Those Interpreters have touched the point according to the trueth but onely they did misse in this that living under Antichrist they expected him yet to come not knowing that he was come longe a goe Which errour of the auncient Fathers as who being further of from the last event were lesse able to perceive the matter it selfe the Papists snatch to themselves greedily and here they make a very great gaping and distance of time leaping over from the times of Traiane in which they conclude the former Seales unto the last ende of the world which they reserve to their Antichrist as though by this earthquake all iudgement of that which is right had fallen unto them But whether is it likely that a whole thousand and five hundred yeeres and yet to come wee knowe not how many more have bin passed over with silence and that all the rest of the Prophecy was stuffed togither into the narrow straites of 3. yeeres and an halfe as Fraunces of Ribera the Jesuite will have it It is indeede a profitable abridgement and a short way to set free his Lord the Pope from a very great feare For it could not be but as often as he should beholde his face in this glasse he would seeme to himselfe to be Antichrist unlesse the Iesuite now did make it apparant that all that was but a phantasme which made him afraid That nothing is here spoken of the present time neither of that which is past through many ages but that all the speech following is of the time yet to come But wee will put away this smoke mist through Gods his helpe neither will wee suffer that the Pope seeming to himselfe a triksy felow should love himselfe to destruction also will make playne that the Jesuites doe not interprete but moke the scriptures ¶ And the Sunne became blacke These figurative and hyperbolicall speeches doe shewe that there should be a persecution the most fierce of all those which the Church endured at any time from Christs birth till nowe For so the Prophetes are wont to speake when they pointe at any great calamity as Isaiah He will clothe the heavens with blacknes he will make their covering as a sacke cloath chap. 50.3 And Ieremy When I beholde saith he the heavens they have noe light ch 4.23 and the heavens above shal be blacke ver 28. but most playnly in Ezechiell speking of the overthrowe of the Egyptiās When I shall put thee out I will cover the heavens and make the starres thereof darke I will cover the Sunne with a cloude and the moone shall not make her light to shine all the cleare lights in the heaven I will make darke upon thee and bring darkenes upō thy land saith the Lord ch 32.7.8 Many such places doe teach that these speeches are not to be refferred to the last iudgement onely as some doe expounde but also to other times which those auncients did see of whom spake Aretas even now who would have these thinges to be understood of the passing over to Antichrist This blacknes of the Sunne the other disturbance of the creature perteineth to that horrible slaughter wherby those wicked men Diocletian Maximinian endevoured to roote out the Church For wee shall see that the Sūne Moone doth note stably through this booke the chiefe ornaments of the congregation of the faithfull so that the Sunne may signify the Scriptures the Moone that excellent glory of godlines wherby the saincts doe shine after they have borrowed light frō thē That both these should be miserably defyled by this common calamity this seale sheweth it The accomplishement whereof is recited by Eusebe booke 8.2 For when the Emperours in the nineteenth yeere of their reigne ordained by publik decrees that the bookes of the holy scriptures should be committed to the fire in the middes of the marked wee sawe sayth Eusebius with these very eyes that the sacred Scriptures inspired of God were cast in to the fire in the middes of the market place and in the same place a little after the Kinges letters patents did fly to fro in every place wherby it was commaunded to abolish the scriptures So this Sunne as a sacke cloath of haire noteth not onely generally that the publicke ioy should be turned into very great sorrow but also especially that outragiousnes wherby cruelty was exercised against the sacred scriptures Neither could it be otherwise but when the fountaine of light was darkened the Moone which hath her light onely borrowed should fade away into the darke colour of blood as almost alwaye it happeneth when shee is kept from having society with the Sunne 13 And the starres from heaven fell to the earth The starres were Ministers Pastors of the Churches chap. 1.20 In which signification they are used both here in other place afterward Many of thē through feare should revolte from the trueth which is shewed by the falling from heaven to earth Neither that onely after many dangers and divers calamityes wherby being weakened they should yeeld but in the very first assault they should fall downe as greene figges that is with very little adoe even at the first rumour of perill for the figge tree most easily looseth her fruit before maturity neither tarrieth almost for the violence of stormes but with any light blast of winde maketh an untymely birth that I may so say Plin. booke 16.26 Of which thing the Spirit maketh mention in so fine a similitude that the faithfull being forwarned should not be discouraged with the so easy falling away of many Eusebius sheweth that the thing fell out altogither as it was here foreshewed For after that first decree of demolishing the temples burning the scriptures there was added an
the doore and doe knocke chap. 3.20 Of which sorte are many in other places It fell from heaven unto the earth by revolting from the holy Church to a degenerating company of ungodly men But this fall nowe first began to be marked after the sounding out of the fift trūpet For that which is done leisurely and privily is not perceaved to be a doing before that it be manifestly come to passe The key of the bottomelesse pit given is a power granted over infernall darkenes which was shutte up in the bottome of the pit of hell for that is the bottomelesse pit Now first this power was granted to sende forth the smoke howsoever the fall from heaven was before that the trumpet sounded Nowe that wee may finde out who this starre is the thing is not to be measured by one or two circūstances for so wee shall finde very many to have fallen from heaven but all things are to be taken togither which surely whomsoever they shall fitte he doubtlesse is that very man whom this Prophecy painteth out unto us it cannot be that the holy descriptions should be generall and common so as they may be applyed to divers things contrary to the meaning of the Spirit But it is to be observed that this trumpet is not limited within any certaine boundes of the third part as the former but to have free liberty to spread farre abroad in what place soever it will as in the common proheme the Angell cryed out in the ende of the former chapter woe to the inhabitans of the earth as though the calamity should be contained within noe other limits then of the whole earth from whence it cometh to passe that the latter trumpets exccede the former not onely in the very kinde and continuāce of the evils but also in the space and largenes of the countries thēselves to which they should bring dammage These thinges being thus layd wee shall finde that this trumpet sounded immediately within three yeeres after that Gregory died whom evē nowe wee shewed to be the Angell flying from the middes of heaven about the yeere from the birth of Christ sixe hundreth and seaven At which time Boniface the third obtained of Phocas the parricide that the Bishop of Rome should be universall then also Mahumet in the East whom Robertus Cetenensis and Bibliander refer unto the same time in the eleven table albeit I thinke that others more truly doe reffer him to a fewe yeeres after as touching the summe of the thing there is noe difference was beleeved of his owne people to be a greate Prophet Both starres fell from heaven before this time The Romane defection is manifest in the Idolatrous worshipping of reliques in attributing that to the Saincts which is proper to God alone that I may not recite many other wicked superstitions when as it would aske a longe time even for to number them Gregory that middle Angell whom by right thou mayest call holy in comparison of many other that were to come in howe plaine words doth he bewray the impiety of this seate herein The holy Martyrs sayth he our defenders are present they will be asked and they require to be sought Therefore in your prayers seeke yee these helpes finde yee out these defenders of your guiltines in his Homilies on the Gosp Againe Which Holy Peter of late could be your helper in all things and more over he is able to forgive your sinnes booke 4. Epist 34. Againe let him put his trust in the grace of the omnipotent God and in the helpe of the blessed Apostle Peter in the booke 4. chap. 39. Moreover from the crosse in which is the wood of the Lords crosse and the haires of John Baptist wee have alwayes confort of our Saviour through the intercession of his fore runner booke 7. Epist 126. Neither was he the first authour of this Idolatry neither did they which followed indevour to overthrowe it but rather increased it with all their power And not without cause indeede the fall of this starre became thē first knowen when the Bishop began to be called universall then yet the eares of all men might ring with the late crying out of Gregory He is Antichrist who chalengeth to himselfe the name of universall Bishop Frō which also it is manifest howe both they deceive and are deceived who require instantly the testimonies of Ambrose Hierome Chrysostome Augustine or of any other Father by which expresly it may be proved that the Pope of Rome is Antichrist seeing his fall could not be so plainly discerned before the blowing of the fift trumpet which doubtlesse sounded not before these holy men ceased to be among the living The fall also of Mahomet from heaven is evident The Saracenes had received the true faith of Christ by the instruction of Moses a certaine Bishop of that people when Mavia the Queene reigned as in Socrates booke 4.36 or Mania as Sozemene calleth her booke 6. 38 At which time Valens governed the Empire of Rome in the East From this beginning or peradventure from Zacomus the Prince who flourished a fewe yeeres before the trueth seemesh to have ben spred among them unto the times of HERACLIVS corrupt without all doubt with much filth and corruption as is wont to come to passe in processe of time yet not quite abolished as it is cleare frō Mahumet himselfe who acknowledged the Scriptures and tooke to himselfe companions or rather had for maisters Sergius of Constantinople a Nestorian Monke and Iohn of Antiochean Arian Wherefore it is plaine that both of them had fallen The key was given to the Bishop of Rome in that manner which I have said For an ordinance of the Emperour being established that the Bishops of Rome should have full power to assemble generall Councills and to disolve them to confirme and disanull the thinges which should be decreed in the Councills and that the City of Rome should be the heade of all holesome life when before Constantinople was so esteemed because of the seate of the Emperour as writeth Pomponius on Phocas what could not this key open Doth not the Pope worthyly boast of the Keyes and carrieth them an ensigne for his armes least perhaps any should be ignorant that he is the same whom Iohn sawe should come And this is that difference betweene the other superstitious men and the Pope of Rome Many others did give more to the Saincts departed then was meete and defiled themselves with the most grievous sinne of Idolatry yet to noe other was given the key to open the pit but to this universall Bishop Let noe man therefore to hide the Antichrist call forth the defense and fellowshippe of others that erred but let him ioyne togither all the properties nor iudge of him for one alone But as touching Mahomet what could not he obtaine of the simple multitude being counted of all a great Prophet Whose sowning from a disease the rude multitude beleeved to have bin
asssembled Indeede Martin Agatho Bishops of Rome condemned also the same Heresy who yet cannot be counted among this haie being tied to the earth by other veines to wit a most fowle Idolatry of which the Church of Constantinople was more pure which received not true and expresse Images before the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coūcill a fewe yeeres after under Iustinianus second as sheweth Antonius Contius in the third part of the Decrees in the third chap. of distinctions the sixt holy Councill and Polydor. Virgil. in his 6. booke and 13. chap. concerning the Inventours In the times of Leo Isaurus the same Locusts came flying againe about the yeere 719. with a farre greater number of shippes and more hurtfull armies But God sufferred them not to hurt his haie which he himselfe doubtlesse had moved in stirring up Leo to prohibite that wicked Idolatry which haie time became yet more evident when Gregorie the second excommunicated the Emperour and deprived him of the Empire and of his felowshippe that is cut him of frō the wicked earth because he had ordayned that holie images and pillars should be throwne downe and destroyed Therefore the Locusts are driven away by battaile by famine by a sea-fire by tempest and haile mingled with fire that they might acknowledge God to be the defender of his haie and the whole navie of shippes tenne onely excepted did perish of which tenne five also were intercepted of the Emperours souldiers the rest at length arriving at Syria that they might be tidings bringers of that horrible slaughter It was Doubtlesse a manifest example of the haie saved from the iniurie of the Locusts Besides these Locusts the whole East was also full of Monkes but as the scorpions in some landes doe not hurt as in the Jlande Pharo in the Norike Alpes and elswhere so in very many places they bring death without any remedy and as the Locusts destroy very often whole nations with famine some time also they are for meate so the poison of the Monkes was more sharpe in the West part in that it did not enter into the East neither were they much hurtfull in the West to the cut grasse Discreete men to whom the trueth did shew it selfe more clearly despised the hypocrites without feare and sufferred not themselves to be devoured of them as the other unskilfull multitude which through a shewe of Godlines became a pray ¶ Neither all greene thing neither all trees but onely those men which have not c. The meaning is that some greene thing and some trees should be delivered from this vexation of the Locusts all the rest being yeelded up to their cruelty who had not the seale of God in their foreheades In the former chapter and seventh verse the third part of trees was burnt and all greene grasse to wit of that third part because all that part of grasse and of trees should be of the cōpanie of the cast awayes But unlesse some trees should be counted in the number of the elect the foure Angels should not have bin forbidden before to stay their rage even for one moment of time ch 7.1 Here therefore a fewe are taken out of a great number as the naturall force of the wordes doth shewe sufficiently The wordes doe beare doubtlesse that interpretation which the most learned Theod. Beza bringeth thus neither any greene thing nor any tree but onely the men c. For the universall signe all is taken some time for any as chap. 7. ver 1. neither upon all tree that is upon any where the Complutent edition readeth upon any tree and chap. 21.27 any thing that defiled or any defiled thinge as hath the Common translation Also the particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be understood by way of opposition but onely the men c. as but they onely which are written in the booke of life of the Lambe chap. 21.27 But here I thinke that it is rather to be translated according to the proper signification of the wordes by way of exception thus except onely the men which have not the seale c. The difference is that exception is alwayes of a thing of the same kinde opposition may be of any divers thing whatsoever And this placeth every greene thing and every tree in the number of the sealed that attributeth the same thing to some certen trees and onely to some greene thing counting the rest of the grone in noe place of those that are to be saved more agreably to that which wee mentioned before chap. 8.7 Neither is it needfull in the other places alleadged to departe from the naturall property of these particles if wee shall consider the matter diligently From these thinges then it is prooved that there are some within the compasse of the false Church whom God chalengeth to him selfe by a privie sealing and that this greene thinge and trees are men as wee have interpreted chap. 7.1 the exception requiring it which noteth expressly men sealed that also the greene thinge and trees should be men out of the number of which men are excepted And surely there were many men yea some Kingdomes England Denmarke Germanie c. whether the rage of the Sarracenes came not and in those places where they raged did they exercise tyranny over any other then those men who had not the marke of salvation What other strife doe the History-writers of those times and places report then about the sepulchre and the crosse of the Lord and such vaine things wherewith Christians were bewitched Neither did superstitious Locusts vexe any other men but those which were addicted to their superstition as even nowe wee said 5 And to them was commanded that they should not kill them Howe great is their power wee may perceive from the degree of torment from the continuance of it estimation of death as a lighter thing As touching the first it was not permitted them to kill but to tormente Howe may this agree to the Saracenes who shed so much Christian blood These thinges seeme to be spoken not simply but in comparison Yf consideration be had of that slaughter which in the next trumpet was to come the Saracenes may well be thought not to kill At their first beginning the Christian name was not so much hated neither was there neede of any great murder when the nations which they set upon gave out their vanquished handes yeelding almost of their owne accord to have fellowshipe in that ungodlines In the latter times there was a more fierce and bloody victory by howe much the battell was more eger But the Spirit did purposely chose out that kinde of speaking which might agree very well to both the troupes of Locusts For those in the West should not be so fierce and cruell in killing the bodies But this comparative speach noteth both the cessing of these in this respect neither taketh from the other all killing though farre lesse then that which was to come ¶ But that
very fewe being left there In the next ages wee shall finde the History very silent as touching the making mention of Churches in those places But wee doe limit this first invasion within the space of an hundred and fifty yeeres not because at the ende of this time they were dispoiled straiteway of the countries which they subdued but because afterward they fought with ill successe against the Romanes often times vanquished killed put to flight hardly keeping that which had ben gotten much lesse getting any more At the yeere 780. about the ende of Leo Copronimus that is after the hundreth and fifty yeere since which time they first grewe stronge their insolency was restrayned by almost continuall received slaughters by domesticall discordes Leo hanodraco brought them under in Asia Constantine who raigned with Irene his mother put them to flight Nicephorus was beaten by Leo Armenius The same did Theophilus Michael the sonne by Basilius Petronas and Andreas Captaines and the other following Emperours founde noe lesse good sucesse against them so that nowe there being a manifest decay of their former prosperity not without cause their florishing sommer may be thought to have ended in the East they began to braunch out in the Mediterrane Ilands in Italy Peloponnesus all which places by the space of an other hundred and fifty yeeres they cruelly spoyled and destroied The inhabitans of Cyprus being thrust out of their dwelling places and transported other where about the yeere 807. at length by the prosperous conduct of Zimisca recouvered their native countrie after an hundred and three score yeeres This space is greater by a fewe yeeres but some weakening and infirmity is wonte to goe before the last destruction so as the vigour may agree very well unto the number set downe They bring in subiection to them all Sicilia assailed often before about the yeere 867 neither could they be expelled wholly froÌ„ thence before that Georgiê° Mamaces destroyed them utterly about the yeere 1060 more or lesse Zonaras reporteth that not longe after they returned under the power of the Agarenes but Ambustus Catacalon many thousandes of them being killed repressed them so that they neither durst nor could bring much hurt to the Christian inhabitans This space also is longer theÌ„ the determined monethes unlesse peradventure the dwelling of the Saracenes was not so troblesome to the inhabitans in those yeeres numbred over and beside But in Italy the thinge is more cleare About the yeere 830 the Saracenes being called out of Babylon for aide shee felt destruction by and by from them whom shee sent for to be her helpers for they brought a very grievous desolation upon the chiefe part of that country neither was there any pause of the vexation Otto second being Emperour in the yeere 980 that is by a plaine accounte in the hundreth and fifty yeere after the spoiling begun killed them with so great a slaughter that from thence he got a name and was commonly called the Death of the Saracenes Here is so great a consent of the time as if the Spirit had respected this country alone and in it had ordained an example of his wrath in delivering her up for to be spoiled of these Locusts which was the teacher of impiety to the whole earth and out of which an other kinde of Locusts did spring noe lesse noisome then that former But touching them wee shall see by by let us prosecute those thinges which remayne concerning the former Therefore this first company which by a limited space of an hundred and fifty yeeres did robbe and slay in sundry places by a certen interchangeable course at length newe troupes of Turkes followed Who at first were troblesome not so much by the dammage which they brought by themselves as that in taking by force the countries of the Saracenes who abode in heapes togither in the East they drove them forth more into all the West But after the poison of the Agarenes waxed olde least the Christian name should enioy even a very little peace the Turkes tooke upon them their office which they performed more cruelly then they themselves whom they succeeded For beginning at Romanus Diogenes in the yeere 1073 who being taken of the Turkes and againe sent away having his eyes first put out was killed of his owne people The Turkes not enduring that their good turne should thus be nothing regarded of the Romanes vexed and tooke away the whole East untill a newe invasion of the Scythians made them feare and constrained them to devise howe they might defende themselves rather then to molest others wherby they were brought to seeke peace of Iohannes Duca Emperour of Rome who then lived at Nice Byzantium being lately taken of the Latines Which fell upon the yeere 1223. see Niceph. Gregoras in the second booke of the Romane History For so it pleased God the supreme governour that the Turkes as Locusts Scorpions should vexe before that after the manner of cruel Lions they should make horrible slaughters without any difference of sexe or of persons And therefore worthily their assayling untill the yeere 1300 was called robbing by the History-writers rather then warre undertaken rather with a minde to take booties then with anie hope to possesse the places which they had taken This rehearsall hath ben some thing full of wordes but my desire is to bring light unto the History which that I may doe I regarde nothing my owne trouble The other kinde of Locustes are our Religious ones in the West part of the world who as longe as the Saracens were in their chiefe strength had not yet attained their perfection They overflowed indeede before through great abondance but the sommer was not yet very hotte wherein they should most of all tyrannize untill in the times of Innocent the third the Dominicans Franciscans the Poore The Penitent the Observants the Trinitaires the brethren of the Holy Ghost and other infinite of scowring of that kinde arose with full power to vexe men at their pleasure There was noe age so abounding with religious as Polydore Virgil and other learned men have observed Neither did some writers thinke that all the orders were even to be reckoned up both because they would have regard to brevity and also because they were wonte often to spring up after the manner of todstooles as saith Polydore Virgill in booke 7.3 And certenly nowe was the Power of darknesse the Locusts being armed with their stinges Hildegardis the Abbesse sawe from God and bewayled a fewe yeeres before the misery to come by the begging Fryars and hungry Locusts and not longe after experience taught the world that her sorrowe was not in vaine This plague dared longue neither left it any thing uneateÌ„ up wholly untill about the yeere 1360 to wit and hundred and fifty yeeres after their power receaved at length a West winde began to blowe by Wickleffe and other godly men which shaking them of from the boughes ceased
sinne they must needes finde more stubborne and spitefull The condition of that time could not be shewed more briefly and manifestly I therefore tooke the little booke Althoug Iohn heareth howe great trouble this meate will bring him yet obeyeth he willingly the Angell and eateth up the booke as he was commanded There was a better love in him to Gods word then any regard of lothsomnesse or wringing in the belly frō bitternesse Such excellent fortitude was in those learned men of that age before spoken of it could not be but that they knewe certenly howe great trouble they should procure to themselves by avouching the trueth yet neverthelesse they laboured valiantly setting more by the sweetnesse which they received from the ioy of the Spirit thē by all the bitternes of perill By whose example all Ministers of the word must goe on boldly neither is the office to be forsaken because of the troubles It is noe newe thing for that to be found bitter by experience which being tasted a little at the tongues ende seemeth sweete Therefore let every true Prophet have this lesson well meditated least peradventure lighting upon unexpected evils he be overcome at length through infirmity 11 Thou must Prophecy againe Nowe in fewe wordes he sheweth to what ende the former signe was used that it may be understood that Prophecie was to be restored againe to the Church in those times The preparation whereunto was the receaving and eating up of the booke to wit a burning desire of learning which gave hope of a more perfit light to appeare daylie But their opinion is foolish who will from these wordes have John to be expected about the ende of the world with Enoch Elias These things belōg not to the last time but to the sixt trumpet which wee will declare manifestly hereafter to be past And Iohn is set forth onely as a type not described by any office which in his owne person he should beare in the last times CHAP. 11. AND a reed was given mee like unto a rode and the Angell stood by saying rise and mete the Temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein 2 But the court which is without the Temple shut out mete it not for it is given to the Gentiles they shall treade under foote the holy city two and fourtie moneths 3 But I will give to those my two witnesses and they shall prophecy a thousande two hundreth and threescore dayes clothed in sackecloth 4 These are two olive trees and two candlestickes standing before the God of the earth 5 And if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouthes which shall devoure their enemyes For if any man will doe them wronge so must they be killed 6 These have power to shut heaven that it raine not in the dayes of their prophecying and have power over waters to turne them into blood and to smite the earth with all maner plagues as often as they will 7 Moreover when they finished their testimony the Beast that commeth out of the bottomelesse pit shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them 8 And their corpses shall lie in the streetes of the great citie which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified 9 And men of Tribes of peoples and of tongues and nations shall see their corpses three daies and an halfe and shall not suffer their carkases to be put in graves 10 And the inhabitans of the earth shall reioice over them and be glad and shall send giftes one to an other because these two Prophets vexed the inhabitans of the earth 11 But after three dayes and an halfe the Spirit of life comming from God shall enter into them and they shall stande up upon their feete and great feare shall fall upon them that shall see them 12 After they shall heare a great voice from heaven saying unto them come up hither and they shall ascende up to heaven in a cloude and their enemies sawe them 13 And the same houre was made a great earth quake and the tenth parth of the city fell and in the earthquake were slaine seven thousande men the remnant were feared and gave glory to the God of heaven 14 The second woe is past and behold the third woe commeth quickly 15 And the seventh Angell blewe the trumpet and there were great voices in heaven saying the Kingdomes of this worlde are the Lords and his Christs and he shall reigne for evermore 16 Then those foure and twenty Elders which sate before God on their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God 17 Saying wee give thee thankes Lord God almighty which art and which wa st and which art to come for thou hast received thy great might and hast obtained thy Kingdome 18 And the Gentiles were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be iudged and that thou shouldest give a reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saincts and to them that feare thy name small and great shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth 19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the Arke of his covenant was seene in his temple and there were lightnings and voices and thundrings and eaarthquake and much haile Analysis SVCH is the preparation unto the newe Prophecy as was observed in the eight verse of the former chapter the Prophecy it selfe followeth in the first fifteene verses of this chapter which belongeth either to the whole bodie of the Church or some chiefe mēbers of it As touching that The Church is either true or false the true should lie hid this whole periode of fourtie moneths small very secret narrowe which is shewed by the temple measured ver 1. the false in the meane time very ample and spatious ver 2. The chiefe members are two Prophets whose divers condition is shewed according to a threefold difference of time the first by a thousand two hundreth threescore dayes all which space being black they should goe in monrning apparell ver 3. Who yet in the meane while should be like Olive trees Candlestickes ver 4. neither should be hurt of any without punishement ver 5. and endued with great power ver 6. The second time is of three dayes and an halfe in which being slaine ver 7. they should lie unburied in the streetes of Sodome and Egypt ver 8.9 and should make their enemies merrie with their death ver 10. The third time is not determined after the three dayes and an halfe in which they should rise againe lifted up by the Spirit first upon their feete which should strike a feare into their enemies ver 11. Afterward into heaven at which the tenth part of the citie should fall many should be slaine the rest should be made afraid ver 13. Last of all a transition is used declaring the ende of the sixt trumpet and the beginning of the
Councell he seemeth not to have ben able to speake more plainely By the same providence of God it come to passe that the Emperours forces were gathered from sundry nations Germanes Hungarians Italians Spaniards and others that the corpses of the Prophets should be set for a thing to be looked on of all meÌ„ as it were in the scaffold of the whole world Sleid. in the yeere 1547. 5 Three dayes and an halfe Some will have this to be the same space with that of two and fourty moneths and a thousand two hundred three score dayes But the wordes doe shewe plainely that they are diverse spaces For this distaÌ„ce of three dayes and an halfe taketh not his beginning before the thousand two hundred and threescore daies be accomplished For so before in ver 7. And when they have finished Afterward these three daies and an halfe the Prophets lay slaine and unburied But that space of a thousand two hundreth and three score daies is a time of Prophecying in sackcloth so as by no meanes they can be referred to the same time Let us therefore give unto them their owne place and set them next to the moneths Which after the likenes of the former dayes doe signify three yeeres and an halfe in which the Papists should reioyce in their owne behalfe for that the Scriptures were vanquished and the Churches subdued as they thought to their Angell of the bottomelesse pit as it came to passe partly at Tridentum and Bonnonia partly in Germany There after the deadly sentence was given against the Scriptures in the yeere 1546 the 8. of Aprill from thence for three whole yeeres and an halfe the Fathers triumphed in the mixed assembly of all nations as if the matter had ben executed manfully and excellently and prepared themselves to suppresse the rest of the trueth untill at length by the death of Paul the third the Conventicle was interrupted Which thing fell on the yeere 1549. the 9. of November that is on the third yeere and an halfe after the Scriptures were trode under foote The very fewe weekes that remaine hinder not the agreement seeing the Spirit thought not good to devide the matter into smaller portions then into three daies and an halfe In Germany the Church which by the confederate armies of the Emperour and Pope seemed to have ben put downe for ever in mens opinion lay as it were halfe dead for the same space to wit from 22. of Aprill in the yeere 1547 unto the first day of October of the yeere 1550. when at Maidenburg it began to lift up the head againe being nothing afraid neither of the Emperours proscription or conspiracie of the Princes or whatsoever any enemies could doe against them Sleid. booke 22. and 23. You may observe further how vaine a thing that is and in noe place agreeing with it selfe which every where is spread abroad concerning the three yeeres reigne of Antichrist For these three daies beginne not before that the two and fourty moneths shall be finished both which spaces yet neverthelesse he shall raigne From whence after their owne account that wee may graunt unto them the moneths to note three ordinary yeeres and an halfe he shall rule seaven yeeres at the least Although this be small also to coÌ„taine so great tyranny as wee before have declared But wee see how almost every word by it selfe doth disproove that invention ¶ And shall not suffer their carkeises to be put in graves They shall deprive them of all common honour which wee owe one to another by the right of humanity And surely when the Ministers of the Ghospell desired earnestly that all things might be done according to the rule of Gods word the Emperour obtrudeth to the world that ungodly Interim the Scriptures commaunded to be silent and not to mutter against it But in what a chafe was the Bishop of Artois when the men of Auspurg Trevers and Basell alledged for their excuse that they had not receaved the forme of doctrine because it disagreeth from the sacred scripture Doe you thinke saith he that the Emperour may not make lawes and prescribe a certen rule as of civill so also of holy thinges Sleid. booke 23. In the very Councell of Trent what in the name of the rest aÌ„swereth Pictavius to the MaÌ„cilane Ambassadours For when they required that the same order might be taken for them which before time was for the Bohemians according to the forme of the decree of Basell That the Scriptures in every controversy might be in stead of a iudge Pictavius obiected to them againe that the Scripture was a vaine and duÌ„be thing as also are the other politique lawes and that unto it must be added the voice of the Iudge that it may be wel understood Sleid. booke 23. He graunteth that the Scripture nowe is nothing but a vaine and dumbe thing that is altogither a carkeise And why should he not so boast being privie to himselfe that it was lately slaine by his labour and of the rest of the Tridentine Fathers But while they deny to give this honour to the Scriptures that they would not suffer them to obtaine that authority which a fewe and contemned worshippers would have given them willingly it was like as if they should forbidde their corpses lately thrust through pitifully to be buried Pilate when Ioseph Nicodemê° asked the body of Christ gave them leav that they should bestowe what cost they would upon it But when the Protestants made humble request that they might at least wise burie the car keises of the Scriptures among themselves although not in any solemne grave but onely under the simple turffe of their cottages the Scarlated Fathers denyed it stiffely The Church was handled in the like manner For after that the Duke of Saxonie and the Lantgrave were taken prisonners the cities put to a fine and very many noble men utterly cast out of favour the Emperour proscribeth the people of Maidenburge by writings spred abroad the sentence whereof after the usuall forme is this let noe man aide them by any meanes whatsoever neither acquaint him selfe with their case they which shall doe otherwise shall put themselves in perill of their goods and life What is this else then that noe man should dare to make the funerals of the wretched Church cruelly murdered Maidenburg was left as a remnant of the poore miserable where assemblies of the faithfull were kept But might noe man helpe this firebrand reserved from the burning without danger of his life Doubtlesse it is apparant seeing they suffered not the duties touching burials to be performed to their slaine carkeises 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall reioice over them The citizens of the false Church as before chap 7.1 c. These should reioice over them and be glad and should sende gifts one to an other as in common ioy And surely not without cause being nowe freed from the great trouble wherewith the Scriptures and the most
his scourges These seven thousande Papists are slaine their bodies being not killed but they deprived of their great revenues of Monasteries Collegies and such yeerly rents without any hope of recoverie Was it not as death to those idle bellies to be bereaved of their delights that men who lately gave their mindes to feede themselves onely should be constrained nowe to feede others by word life or some profitable labour or themselves to be an hungred But by the Angustane decree the right of such possessions was confirmed to the Princes of the Protestants and that afterward without danger the same might be bestowed upon the Ministres of the word Schooles the poore and other godly uses without any feare of extortion This doubtlesse was the thing that slewe them that nowe they should be brought to poverty in trueth who before abounding in all riot onely counterfaited the same But to what ende is the number of the slaine lesse then according to the certaine portion of the falling city For seven thousande onely were killed but the tenth parth of the city falleth surely because the calamity of the ruine should be greater then that of the death For that perteined to the whole multitude of the Popish name the killing was peculiar to the Ecclesiasticall men whom this alteration vexed most of all bringing with it the losse of their goods The common people who suffered the losse onely of their former opinion bare it more patiently Therefore whose griefe was small noe death of theirs is mentioned Howe doeth the Spirit declare unto us these events one after an other and conveniently He doth all things alone who before the things come to passe doth tell the condition of them so distinctly and exquisitely The rest of the Popish religion before acknowledging the iust vengeance of God in the destruction and calamity of those Church men gave glory to the God of Heaven that is were converted to the true creatour in whose stead they worshipped late Images made of some matter and Idols And who knoweth not that almost an infinite number of men stirred up by these scourges opening their eyes to the shining light did forsake their former superstitions Wee see thē from the beginning to the ende howe this whole Prophecy agreeth exactly with the event The seven last bookes of Sleidans Commentaries doe afforde a more full declaration both of the battell and death and resurrection of the Prophets The whole Prophecy is of about a thousand two hundred fifty Julian yeeres from Diocletian unto the yeere 1555. how farre also Sleidane proceeded both in writing and living Analysis And thus farre is the sixt trumpet second Periode the last followeth declared by the seventh trumpet which is declared summarily in the rest of this chapter afterward particularly through al the rest of the booke The summarie exposition commendeth the Kingdome of Christ partly by word partly by a signe that is both of the Rulers of the Christian assembly ver 15. and also of the foure and twenty Elders whose gesture is mentioned in ver 16. Secondly their speach ver 17. which setteth forth the glory of this Kingdome by the rage of the enemyes the manifest wrath of God in subduing them and finally by the rewarding of the good and evill ver 18. Last of all the signe is the temple open the Arke seene lightnings sent forth and voices ver 19. Scholions The second woe is past A transition from the second more grievous trumpet to the last But whereas he saith that the second woe is past it is not to be understood as though nothing of it at all should nowe remayne but onely that the strength of it was broken and much weakened which should decay more also every day while at length it should be utterly destroyed For those foure Angels of the ninth Chapter whom wee have shewed to be the Turkes are not altogither destroyed at the sounde of the seventh Trumpet but are onely hastening to destruction So they came after the LOCVSTS not expecting till not one Locust should remaine but when they waxed olde rushing in furiously as wee have shewed in the ninth chapter at the 12. verse And beholde the third woe willcome anon Why is the last Trumpet called a voice which shall give a full and right forme to the Church In regard of the wicked whose ende nowe appeareth and the rewarding of all their sinnes both by punishements begun on earth and also eternall in hell It is said to come anon because of that small delay which should come betweene that resurrection of the Prophets which even nowe he spake of and the last sound of the Trumpet and also because shortly the last calamity of the wicked is brought to passe which shal not stay so long a time as the former Trumpets but shall come quicly with swift winges 16 Therefore the seventh Angell blewe the Trumpet and there were great voices in heaven Blewe the Trumpet to wit in the yeere 1558. as the events doe make manifest for then were there great voices in heaven that is great ioy arose in the reformed Church for so the word heaven doth signify as often before neiter are these voices terrible such as are ioyned with the thunder and lightnings after and else where but of praise and thankesgiving as their argement is shewed in the next following wordes Whose voices they are is gathered from that which is said by and by that when they were heard the Elders fell downe upon their faces in the next verse which they are wont to doe at the voices of the foure beasts chap. 4.19.20 Therefore they are the Rulers of the Churches who for some notable benefit which the sound of the seven Trumpet brought doe provoke their flockes to the praysing of God They shewe what manner of benefit this is when they say the Kingdomes of the world are become our Lords and his Christ c. What meaneth this Doth Christ nowe first reigne Surely he shall reigne alwayes even in the middes of his enemies But nowe chiefly his Kingdome is to be praised when he maketh his maiestie visible after a sorte in the very Kinges in so fashioning and forming their harth that they cast downe their crownes and scepters at his feete and wholly doe give their minde to the promooting of his glory But neither is this any newe thing He raigned so in olde times by Constantine and other godly Emperours Also in these last ages those famous Princes of Germany had restored this Kingdome long since Tho whom may be ioyned Gustavus King of Suevia and Christian King of Dennemarke who in the yeere a thousande five hundred thirty eight changed away the Antichristian impiety for the Ghospell I answere that the Prophecy meaneth not that the Kingdomes nowe first became of the Christian name but onely that they should be greatly encreased at the sound of this Trumpet for then especially wee doe say that one doth raigne when wee see the boundes of his
heaven not so called properly for what hath the Dragon that is the Devill to doe in the heavenly pallace from whēce he is banished for ever but in the heaven which is in earth But this Dragon is not onely the Devill in his owne proper person but also men being the Ministers of his furie especially the Romane Emperours whom from that time in which Iohn wrote persecuted most grievously Christ in his members as Traiane Hadrian Antoninus Pius and Verus Commodus Severus Decius and at lēgth Diocletianus open enemies who make a professed warre are called in this booke Dragons of which sort is at this day the Turke Others who in name are Christians but fight against the truth secretly and by indirect subtilities are called Beasts which doe prey upon men onely for to satisfy their hunger whereas the Dragons forced by noe want of meat are carried to our destruction because of that hatred which is betweene man kinde and them This Dragon was once in heaven as long as the open enemies held the Empire of the world exercising dominion over men named Christiās which wer dispersed through all places of their Empire He is called Great being the highest Prince on earth and red being most furious against Christians wholly red with their blood The seaven heads are seaven hilles and seaven Kinges after chap. 17.9.10 unto which place wee deferre the more full handling of these thinges In the meane time for this matter which is in hand it shal be sufficient to understand that by this circunstāce of wordes the city is noted where he should place the seate of the Empire to wit Rome famous for the seaven hilles and Kings For the Beast receaved the Throne from the Dragon chap 13.2 Therefore if her seat shal be at Rome so shal be his The tenne hornes are so many Kinges or Provinces governed of Pretors like to Kings So Strabo declareth it in the last wordes of his last booke of Geographic That Augustus Cesar devided the whole Romane Empire into two partes the troublous and warlike Provinces of which he tooke to himselfe the other peaceable and quiet ones he gave to the people Who devided theirs in ten Pretories the exterior Spaine and her Ilands The interiour containing Baetica now called Granata and the countrey of Narbon in France even unto Alencem Sardinia with Corsica Sicilia Illyricum Epyrus being adioyned Macedonia Achaia even unto Thessalia Aetolia and Acarninia and certaine nations of Epirus to the borders of Macedonia Creta with Cyrenaica Cyprus Bithynia with Propontide and certaine parts of Pontus Suetonius also maketh mention of the like disposing of the Provinces but telleth not the number to Aug. in chap. 47. Moreover the same Strabo reporteth that Dicharchies doe and alwaies have belonged to the Emperours portion For Cesar held the rest distinguished also in tenne Prouinces to wit Afrike France Britannie Germany Dacie Mysie Thracie Cappadocie Armenie Syrie Palestine Judea and Aegypte And this is the same thing which Cyprian writeth to Successus that Valerianus wrote an answer to the Senate that all belonging to the Emperour whoso ever had confessed before or shall now confesse should be seised upon and bound shoulb be sent enrolled into the Emperours possessions that is into those farre countries which wee spake of belonging to the Romane Empire Therefore whither wee respect the countryes which the Emperour held in his owne possession or those which he yeelded to the people they were the tenne hornes the power and strength of the Dragon in which all his might consisted Yet the number remained alwaies the same but was altered according to the present occasion But it was sufficient for the Spirit to describe the enemy by any certen marke then which there is none more cleare then the largenesse of this dominion and this so notable a decree of the Provinces devided But he beareth the crownes on his heads not on his hornes because the supreme maiesty did abide at Rome to which all the rest of the Provinces submitted their dignities 4 Whose taile drewe Considering that the Dragon is of such a disposition how doth he carry himselfe towards the Church Two effects of him are rehearsed one upon the Starres the other against the woman As touching them he shall cast downe many from the heavenly profession by sharpe persecutions who ought to have shewed light to others For this is to cast the starres of heaven to the earth see Euseb booke 6. chap. 41. See also before in chap. 6.13 ¶ But the Dragon stood before the woman He watched her diligently that noe maintainer of the Christian religion should be borne He rolled every stone for to cut of this hope Add certenly assoone as Maximinus the Dragon sawe Alexander of Mammea to be somewhat favourable to Christiās so as he was thought to have ben instructed in their ordinances he forthwith devoured him Decius also the Dragon did swalowe downe the Philips both the Father and the Sonne he himselfe shortly after being swalowed up in a marsh But the thing is made manifest most clearely in Cōstantine at whome chiefly the Spirit pointed the finger Diocletianus Galerius with whom hee lived being a yong man in the East perceaving his singular towardnes and vertue left nothing untried that they might kill him privily So Eusebius writeth upon his life in his first booke Pomponius Laetus reporteth that he was sent with an army against the people of Sarmatia most fierce nations and accustomed to murders from whom when contrary to the opinion of Galerius he brought backe not death but the victory by the persuasion of the same man under a colour of exercising his valour he fought on the Theatre with a Lion For Galerius sought to destroy the unwarie yōg man as of olde Euristheus did Hercules Neither was ther here an ende of the treacheries Maximian Herculius that red Dragon devoured him almost afterward by snares set to intrappe him But he which laide a snare for an other through the iust iudgement of God perished himselfe in the snare Constantine escaped many other privie assaults not by humane wisdome but by divine revelation from God as Eusebius writeth upon Constantines life in his first booke For the Dragon knewe that it concerned him much that no such a one should arise whēce it is no marveile if he did labour so greatly to devoure this childe assonne as it should be borne 5 And shee brought forth a male childe The event of the persecution at length the Church howsoever the Dragon strove against her with all his might bringeth forth a male and strong defender by instructing Constantine the Great in the Christian faith For he was that male childe who first of all the Romane Emperours tooke upon him the defence of the trueth Wee have made mention of the Philippes both Father and Sonne which were both Christians Although if wee must beleeve Pomponius Laetus fainedly and not truly but onely that they might cover their wickednesses with a honest
Prosper witnesseth in his booke de Ingratis in these wordes Rome is the Seate of Peter which is become the Head of Pastorall power to the world whatsoever shee holdeth not by force of armes shee holdeth it by religion And againe in his second booke of the calling of the Gentils chap. 6. Rome by the soveraigntie of Priesthood is more increased by the tower of religion then by the Throne of power Vnto which is added Ammian Marcellin in his 27. booke as he is cited by Bellarmine that he marvaileth not though men contend with so great desire for the Romane Popedome seing the riches and maiestie of it are so great But that the Dragon gave him this power appeareth from hence that the name of Rome was honourable to all men because of the auncient Empire of which once it was the Seate and therefore that they easily yeelded to any promotion of hers but of this more largely at the 6. verse 3 And I sawe one of his heads as it were deadly wounded Montanus Plantines Edition doeth omit I saw as though the Dragon togither with the throne power had given also one of the heads wounded which is contrary both to the faithfulnesse of the other Copies for Aretas the Common translation read I saw all other also to the truth of the history For the Beast had not a wounded head at his first beginning For first he was afterward he is not in chap. 17.8 as at that place wee shall shewe more fully In these wordes he commeth to the second condition of the BEAST The dammage consisteth in the wounding of one of his heads which now once or twice wee have advertised to be seveÌ„ hills and Kings from chap. 17.9.10 VVhether then of these kindes should suffer this calamity Surely if the wounde inflicted be to come into the power of the enemy scarce can one of the hilles receive a wound but all wil be wounded togither VVherfore more properly it beloÌ„geth to the Kings any one of which being afflicted with this wounde the rest abide whole from the same Although this hurt cannot be so proper to a King that it should not also be common to the Hills And these Kings are seven Governements or Principalities by which the City of Rome hath ben governed to wit those celebrated by all Kings Consuls Decemviri Dictatours Tribunes Emperours Popes as wee will make plaine at the 17. chap. If now it be demaunded to which of all these this calamity should happen the place which even now wee spake of declareth it evidently to the seaven head namely the Popes For so speaketh the Angell and another that is the seventh is not yet come and when he shall come he must continue a short space being hurt with a wound as it were quite killed with the same for Iohn saith as it were wounded to death as Aretas well puts us in minde for he should not be altogither destroyed by this blow But now after that it is manifest touching the Heads this wound was inflicted when Rome forsaken now a good while of the Emperours abiding partly in the East at Byzantium partly in the West at Ravenna beginning againe to flourish under a newe GovernemeÌ„t of Popes was smitten with an exceeding great storme by the Gothes Vandals Hunnes and the rest of the Northern people Which vexed most miserably the whole VVest part In this common calamity that late Empresse of the nations Queene of the whole world escaped not scotfree but sufferred a greater destruction then almost any City besides oftener taken by assault sacked wasted for an hundred two and thirtie yeeres at the lust of the Barbarians First Alaricus about the yeere 415 besieged and tooke it Of which thing Hierome speaking but after he saith the most famous light of all countries is cleane put out yea the head of the Romane Empire cut off and to speake more truly the whole world is destroyed in one Citie c. In his Proheme of Ezech. But in more wordes eloquently in an Epistle to Principia a Virgin The Citie is taken which tooke the whole world c. In what lamentable manner would he have bewailed if it had befell him to heare of the ofteÌ„ conquerings and spoiling thereof which followed For Rome now was consumed not once but was taken a second time by Adaulphus who gave her such a deadly wound that she was minded to change her name and to be called afterward Gothia The third time Gensericus the Vandal tooke it The fourth time Odoacer Rugianus reigning there fourteene yeeres Theodoricus the King of the Gothes slewe him whom at length Totilas followeth by a cerâ—en order of succession He the fift time overthrew and rased it bringing it to that wildernesse that neither any man nor woman could be found in it by the space of fourty dayes according to that of the Sibyll Rome shal be a perpetuall ruine and shee that hath ben seen shall not be discerned Albeit I thinke not that shee hath yet endured that calamity which Sibyll speaketh of although that now past may be a notable proofe of that which is to come Who in those times would not have thought that the seven hilled Citie had utterly perished VVho would not have supposed that the dignitie of the Popes to wit the seventh head had bin past remedy Therefore the Constantinopolitane Bishop and he of Ravennas the authority of Rome being as it were utterly gone laboured greatly as the next heires to drawe the same to their Churches But they were both much deceaved The head was not wounded unto death but as it were unto death Therefore the wound waxing more fierce Zozimus Bonifacius Celestinus about the yeere 420. having supposed a Nicene Councill chalenged the Primacy and they did moove so much as was sufficient to shewe that some life was left but they had a shameful repulse because this was the time of the wound on every side Pelagius also not long after before the skarre had closed altogither wrested the scriptures to the same ende but his endevour comming to no proofe declared that both the head remained alive and also that it was of no power For the raigne of the Gothes darkened the light of the Popes dignity neither could now any acknowledg her the chiefe who at home being the basest and servant of the Barbarous people scarce had a place where to abide For at once the Emperours dwelling at Rome at what time the Apostles were in authority restreined Antichrist that he could not come forth to be seen abroad so the new erected Kingdome of the Gothes in Italie was an other thing with holding which did repell his put out hornes for a time compelled him againe to hide him selfe in his shell Rightly therefore now the head did seeme to be wounded which was not able to shake off the yoke neither by any strength of his owne neither by any hope that he had from the East seing the Emperour
destruction But let no godly man be offended if hee see the reprobate to returne to their Beast the Spirit hath foreshewed that this loade stone shall draw unto it this refuse that hereafter they may not marvaile Why all of ungâ—dly and dissolute life are more prone to the Pope thâ—n to the trueth ¶ Of that Lambe which was slâ—ine from the beginning of the world VVithout cause Aretas will have a transposition of the wordes to be here so that this should be the sense Whose names are not written from the beginning of the world in the booke of life of the Lambe which was slaine He will have the names to be written from the beginning of the world but not the Lambe to have ben killed from thence But the things are not well devided which the Spirit ioyneth togither For if the Lambe be from the beginning of the world it must needes be also that he was slaine from the beginning of the world But CHRIST is not a Lambe but for sacrifice neither can he be a sacrifice otherwise then by death As therefore by the eternall Decree of God he was the Lambe appointed for to save the Elect so by the same Decree he was slaine from before the foundations of the world VVose force was noe lesse available to deliver the Elect before his death was accomplished in the flesh then after he had endured and sufferred the same in the crosse and in the grave 9 Let him that hath an eare heare An acclamation the sense whereof is That this Beast is to be knowne with all diligence howsoever there shall be many who will not hearken and will deny a thing so perverse are they more cleare then the Sunne at noonetide But all yee elect give eare and with as great diligence as you can flie from this plague Which by these markes is so proposed before your eyes as that you may see her not as by the nayles but by the whole frame of her body 10 Yf any leade into captivity These things pertaine to the consolation of the godly who were to fight with this monster the first confirmation is taken from a certeÌ„ punishment which shall come in his time that is to say although they shall see the Beast mighty for a longe time and carying many by companies into bondage yet they should be of good courage For at length they should see him also ledde into captivity He shall perish with the sword although now he kill with the sword whom he will The confort is like to that in Esay Woe to thee that spoilest who thy selfe is not spoiled and to thee traiterous man against whom they dealt not traiterously when thou shalt cease to be a spoiler thou shalt be spoiled c. chap. 33.1 ¶ Here is the patience and faith of the Saincts A second consolation All those thinges serve for the Saincts for the exercise of their faith and constancy And surely a great courage is required in so great daungers but by how much the dangers shal be greater so much the more shall the praise of the godly be brighter therefore let no man quake for feare of the danger but let him minde that this Beast is the occasion for him to get glory by 11 Afterward I saw an other Beast Thus farre of the first Beast the second followeth an other indeede in beginning and originall but in nature and disposition altogither the same Whereupon the seventeenth chapter maketh mention of one onely under one comprehending both as was observed at the fift verse of this chap. For which cause also the Spirit doth not make a particular description of every member but rehearseth those thinges onely which are proper to the new rising other things as farre as it seemeth being common to this with the former First he ascendeth out of the earth both augmented by the authority of earthly men and those of the laity as they call them whom chiefly the earth signifyeth and also exceeding in honours those very men by whom he was advanced For that which commeth up from the earth is lifted up above the earth having it put under his feete by whose weight he was lately oppressed So the former Beast rose out of the Sea having sea men put under him out of whose company he came and plunged up This ascending fell out upon the times of Gregory second about the yeere 726 when the Pope trusting in the aide of the Longobardes smote with the lighâ—ning of excommunication Leo Isaurus the Emperour and withdrewe Rome it selfe and Italy and all Hesperia from hiâ— obedience For now indeede the Beast began upon the earth who not onely exercised a powre over the Ecclesiasticall route but also bridled the lay men by his authority their chiefe head the Emperour who although before time he had given a great power to the Pope over the Clergie yet he pressed downe the same even till now by his maiesty as it were by a certen weight more heavie theÌ„ the Hill Aetna that he should not lift up his crests above the Emperour But now the earthly dignity yeeldeth to the Beast to be troden under foote of him at length who grew up so farre onely by the favour of the Emperours Therefore Zacharias the next that it might be manifest to all men that the Popes were now loosed from the prison of eartly dignity deposed Childericke the King of France and commaunded Pipine the Father of Charles the Great to be created King in his stead But yet it was more cleare in Leo the third who translated the Empire froÌ„ the Grecians to the Germanes and annointed Charles the Great for Emperour VVhat a more great proofe can there be of the supreme power on earth then to take away the Empire from whom he will and to bestowe the same againe upon whom he shall thinke good The Popes following persisted in the same steppes esteeming the Emperours as it were balles in reiecting the same from their office and appointing other in their roome at their pleasure VVhereby Bellarmine being moved wrote indeede truly and agreable to this Prophecy All the Emperours who have ben since Charles the Great are bound to the Pope for their Empire in his 5. booke of the Pope of Rome chap. 8. For ever since that time the Beast rose up from the earth being higher then all earthly power to which are added earthly dominioÌ„s and possessions of landes ioyned with this originall which the Pope before time either wanted altogither or at least enioyed but small fewe as great as were sufficient to maintaine a Bishop not which should make any shew of a Kingdome For in former ages Italy was tributary to the Emperours which at length the Gothes possessing made it to pay tribute to them when they were slaine under Iustinian it returned againe to the Empire administred by Captaines The Romane Pope had yet noe Provinces untill this earthly rising up had given him landes sufficiently For is it likely that the Pope by
the glory of Christ in destroying this Kingdome As touching the wordes And maketh all that he may give them a marke c. It is a short kinde of speaking but very significant all one as if he should say he bringeth all into that case that they willingly receive the marke from his hande Wherefore in the translation I thought that I was not to departe from the very wordes ¶ That he may give them a marke in their hande c. Montanus that they may give them markes so Aretas As though the Beast should compell men to imprint the markes in theÌ„selves but to make this sense good it should be written that they may give themselves Yet Aretas maketh no other sealer then the Beast But after he hath shewed who are to be marked now he declareth in what parte to wit either in the right hande or in the foreheads In the right hand to the ende that they should fight valiantly for the Beast to their power For the marke is not to be received in the left hande but in the right hande being the stronger and more ready member In which manner are marked Emperours Kings and all Magistrates furthermore the whole Clergie also the universall troupe of religious men Professours in Schooles Canonists Lawyers c. All these are souldiours set in the rereward of the bande garding the Captaine and the principall champions of the Beast The marke is set in the foreheads that all may see playnely to whom obedieÌ„ce is due In which part all the rest of the common sorte beareth the marke For although they be not of so great streÌ„gth as the former to defend the Beast yet it is needfull that they confesse him openly to whose tuition they belong VVherefore the marke in the right hande is a bond of nigher familiarity both because defence is some greater thing then a bare professioÌ„ and also because it goeth before it in order and honour Although the order is changed in the chapter following in the 9. verse but as it seemeth to aggravate the thing as wee shall see there 17 And that no man might buy c. The force of this marke is that it may be a passeport for entercourse of marchandise among meÌ„ How great losse then must they needs suffer who because they shall want this privie token may have to doe or make any bargaine with no maÌ„ VVhich thing is ratified expresly in the Decrees That no man ought even to speake to these meÌ„ to whom the Pope is an enemy Caus 11. q. 3. Yf an enemy And againe Distin q. 3. Gratian That obedience is due from all men to the chiefe Pope that none may have any fellowship with him to whom he shall be an enemy for his actes neither shall he be able to remaine in the Church who forsâ—keth his chaire To confirme which things a forged Epistle of Clemens is alleaged Neither must wee here tarry till one be excommunicated but if that Clemens be an enemy to any for his naughty acts doe not you expect that he should say unto you c. That is his beckes are to be observed that without warning wee turne away our selves froÌ„ them with whom wee are able to conjecture that the Holy Fathâ—r is angry VVhat more plaine prohibitioÌ„ can there be to bargaine with them which wante the marke The practise of this time confirmeth the same but more evidently the former times when the whole earth wondred at the Beast for then he that wanted the marke had no leave to exercise marchandise with any man ¶ Save he that had the marke or the name c A distribution of the marke into three kindes the marke being put for all as it commeth to passe in divisions the name of the Beast and the number of his name The marke is the first and principall token proper to his defenders and such as are familiar with him as it seemeth consisting partly in ordaining the Clergie men in whom is imprinted an indelebile marke of their perpetuall Romish bondage the divine providence so governing their tongues that they should note the strength of their forged sacrament in those wordes by which the marke of the Beast might be plainely seene of all meÌ„ Partly in the othe wherby the chiefe Emperours Kinges the other Magistrates and every condition of men of something a superiour degree is bound to the humble service of the Romish Pope So Otto the first in the yeere 942. sware to Pope Iohn the XII That he would exalte to his power the holy Church of Rome and Iohn the Râ—â—tour thereof Distinct 63. chap. To thee Lord. More fully in the booke of Pontificall wherein expresse words the Emperour promiseth freely undâ—rtâ—kâ—th and warranteth and sweareth before God and blessed Peter that he from henceforth would be the Protector Proctour and defendour of the chiefe Pope and the holy Church of Rome c. Clement booke 2. Title Of the Othe The Name is the proper naming of the Beast given to the rest of the people as a name derived from the Fathers or Ancestours to whom the othe and ceremonies of ordaining did lesse coÌ„pete For the marke eyther of the othe or ordination and such rites is not printed in all the people for these belonge to the Clergie Great States and others who execute a publike office but there is an other easier and readier way wherby the multitude may professe themselves to be among the proper goods of the same Lord to wit so taking upon them his name as in olde time servants did that even as the Prince himselfe is called Catholike Prelate Pope so they Catholikes Bishopists Papists Of olde some of these names were common but at length the Pope chalenged them to himselfe neither will he have any other to be Catholikes now save those that are of his heard And although these names doe flow to all his subiects withot difference yet the common sorte are knowne by this badge onely the other being marked with a peculiar marke beside But what need is there nowe of a third note The two former containe the whole company of vile persons of this Kingdome There is an other kinde of men somewhat further removed from the Empire of the Beast then that which even nowe I spake of VVhich unlesse it will be marked at least with the number of his name must knowe that they are restrained from the use of any kinde of marchandise with the subjects of this Beast But these seeme to be the Grecians who unlesse they would take upon them the number of this name should be esteemed banished men from this Empire and all the emoluments which might be gotten in the same The Number of his name is the very same that a name expressed by a number or that I may so say a name of number VVhich seeing it shal be made manifest to be Latinus from those thinges which shal be spoken on the next verse the trueth of this Prophecy is wonderfully well knowne
men to blaspheme ver 21. Scholions 1 And J heard a great voice out of the Temple In the commandement we ar to consider whence the voice cometh to whom and to what ende It commeth out of the Temple as it did in chap. 9.13 from the foure hornes of the altar sometime from the Throne as after in chap. 19.5 The difference is that the voice from the Throne cometh as it were immediately from God from the Temple wheÌ„ any thing is obteyned by the prayers of the saincts who here are sayd to command that we may know how great force faithful prayers have which as if they were authors of the thing to be doon doe so boldly bid the matter to be taken in hand And in deed it could not be that men inlightned with so great light of the truth should not earnestly strive with God in prayer to destroy Antichrist very speedily Aretas hath not these words out of the Temple but al our books agree as doth also the vulgar Latine and in other places it is usually told wheÌ„ce any voice cometh They to whom it came are the seven Angels But what need was there of it may some say seing they were appointed before unto this busines and furnished with things needful in the former chapter Verily they stood ready at the barrieres and wayting for a signe but unto a coÌ„mon commandement ther must also come a special if any would have ful power to doo a thing For this therfore doo they wayt shewing that not so much as a finger may be moved without Gods wil providence wherby al things are governed The commandement is that they goe and power out their vials upon the earth But some of them are poured upon the sea rivers sun aier It is true yet al their force redoundeth upon the earth The other elements have not a chaunge for their owne sake but to affect the earth therby as that which is the common basen for the liquour powred out But how then is this proper â—o the first as the verse folowing sheweth which is common to all We shal see in the particular explication that the first belongeth indifferently to the common multitude of the inhabitans of this earth the other unto some certayn sorts of chief note 2 And the first went and powred out his vial upon the earth We have seen the commandement now beginns the particular execution Where the effecting of the work is the powring out of the vial upon the earth VVhich words must not be taken properly For the vial is not any material vessel nor full of very liquour but of Gods wrath as in the former chapter ver 7. Neyther is the earth this ground which we tread upon but first it signifieth men and then not alâ— but Antichrists marked servants onely as the event straightway teacheth for ther came a soare on the men that had the Beasts mark In which sense it hath been often used before which we doo therfore coÌ„stantly reteyn in al out explication that therby we may the better see how the whole prophesie agreeth with it selfe The event giveth a noysome grievous soare that is malignant and incurable as Physicians use to cal it wher ther is so much ranckling and venimous matter in it as it wil never suffer it to heal up But neither is this a soare truly and properly so caled whose procreant causes we see are figuratively borowed And like events must we minde to be in the other vials also for to expound them according to strict property of speech as doth the Iesuite is not to explayn but rather to confound al things so as the light of the truth shal never appear They which have this ulcer on them ar men There came an ulcer against the men as Th Beza translateth it or in the men as the vulgar Latine saith in homines according to that phrase of sitting in the Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thes 2.4 But the preposition with the fourth case signifyeth as if the boyles tormented them not so much by cleaving in the body as by afflicting it outwardly which doth more agree to figured soares as if he should say those things shal be doon against Antichrists bondmen which shal prick and vexe them no lesse then noysome soares Of what condition these meÌ„ are is declared by the mark of the Beast and worshiping of his Image VVe have shewed before chap. 13.17 from the threefold note wherwith the Beasts worshipers are signed that the first hath the name of the whole is called a Character or Mark the place wherof is in the right hand VVhich was the propre note of his chief worshipers the Noble men Clerks Scholars c on whom as upon propps the Beast doth chiefly lean VVherefore these should specially be plagued with this soare But not they onely that have his mark but also they that worship his Image And this is chiefly of the learned men and such as are wiser then the common sort as is shewed on chap. 14.9 although the worshiping of the Image is in some sort common to al chap. 13.15 and therfore should this soare molest the whole crewe of them yet specially those which think they ar furnished with the coÌ„sent of al antiquity for to give that honour to the Beast But hence we may observe how it can not be that the first vial should be alone with the first trompet seing the vial is powred onely on this kind of men wheras there were not any such before the second Beast whose beginning is not ancieÌ„ter then the fift trompet which point we noted on the first verse of the former chapter These things thus explayned doo al lead unto this that this ulcer is nothing else but spite envie then which no greater torment could Siculâ—an tyrants feel as sayth the Poet. And herewith were the Papists marvelously tormented when the vial was powred out Which sicknes is rightly caled an ulcer the nature whereof it resembleth by a twofold accident For it forceth them that ar troubled therwith to keep in and not come abroad so that they flee the sight of them for whose prosperity they ar striken sick as of old the Aegiptians who togither with their Sorcerers had by the sprinkling of the ashes so many blisters al over theÌ„ that they could not stand before Moses Exod. 9.10.11 Then also in private they are so afrayd to be touched that they use al the means they may to keep the soare least it be squised Which kind of evil came upon the men that bare the Beasts badge straight after the opening of the Temple chap. 11.19 to which these vials as I have shewed are to be joyned which the repetition of things past hath severed with so long a space between namely about the yere 1560 where the former Prophesie ceased For then our gracious Q. Elizabeth being bidden by the voice out of the Temple to powr out her vial upon the earth that is being admonished by
against all faithful evidence of other books An unhonest prank and an impious but not new with the Romists who shewed themselves such artizens long since in the Council of Nice But what doo they mean by adulterating the writings of the ancients Would they stop the mouth of this age They cannot ther are left thanks be to God true copies by which their sacrilegious impudency is coÌ„vinced Or as is more likely doo they provide for time to come Foolish Popelings which now get ancieÌ„t writers to succour you when shortly ther shal not a Papist be left for them to yeild succour unto Your cause within these few yeres shal be tried not by the Fathers but by fyre and sword as this Revelation wil manifest In the mean while we may observe both how daÌ„gerous it is to depend now on the Fathers imprinted by others and how ful of botches the Popish crew is which is so afrayd of nayles as it pareth them to the quick not herewith content wrappeth woll also about the Fathers fingers that they may the softlyer handle their scabby bodyes 3 And the second Angel powred out his vial upon the Sea The second vial puts forth his force against the sea to weet figurative as was the earth for ther is the same respect doubtlesse of every one And seing the overthrow of Antichrist is here in hand what great dammage should he suffer more then al other men by the sea properly so caled turned into rotten blood For this is the first effect of this vial neither would the second hurt him any whit more wherby al living things dye in this sea The earth affordeth him infinite daynties so that he may easily bear the want of fishes though they should dye every one Wherfore we must not stick in the native signification but take that which we have seen often used before It meaneth therfore Doctrine the notable change wherof should fall out under this vial of corrupt being made most corrupt In former ages verily it was turned into bloud but now it changeth into much more grosse and royled filthinesse then ever before until at length it becometh like the bloud of a dead man that is rotten clammy grosse black bloud not liquid and fresh such as floweth from a living body The first Council of Trent therfore is this sea being no lesse conpounded of a hotchpotch of al Popish errours then the natural sea is of the gathering togither of many waters VVhich Council was begun some yeres before as we have shewed chap. 11.7 but at length was made an end of and confirmed by the definite sentence of P. Paul the 4. at the request of the Cardinals Moronus and Simoneca in the name of the rest of the Council in the yeare 1564. Into this sea of errors the yere after and the eight next folowing the second Angel Martin Chemnitius powred out his vial who began and composed a Trial of this Tridentine Council and found it to be nothing but an horrible confused Chaos of many monstrous opinions But this occasion forthwith upstarted many doughty Papists to mainteyn the same who behaved theÌ„selves so fortunatly in this service that by defending the bloud they turned it into rotten bloud that is heaped up many more pestilent errors to theÌ„ that were before Among the rest there rose up handlers of controversies at Rhenes Doway Loven as frontier Captaynes by whose industrie it came to passe that al the durt which lay stinking about here and there in many ditches was scraped togither into one channel that therof at length mought exist this rotten sea But above al the heaping togither of waters most fowl with carrayn bloud was playn to be seen when P. Gregory the 13. in the yere 1571. procured two ample Colleges to be built at Rome for to corrupt youth beyond the Alpes and made Robert Bellarmine master of this worke that he should uÌ„fold the controversies of faith unto the students of those Colleges For he that he might the more provide for his auditors that is the sooner destroy them thought it not best to labour about any one point two or three as many others had doon before but to bring al controversies into one body as it were which he saw was yet waÌ„ting as himselfe confesseth in his Epistle to the Pope Wherby through Gods good providence it came to passe that an intyre and perfect body of Popish doctrine absolute in al points which never was before being largely disputed in these books of controversies did now come forth in publik that they which willingly shut not their eyes might see the Sea playnly turned into filthy bloud ¶ And every living soul dyed in the Sea But how can this be may some say seing every sowl liveth not in the sea This it may be caused Theod. Beza to transplace the words thus and whatsoever thing lived in the sea dyed But the natural order of the words hath a meaning agreable with al other of this book and of this kinde For we are to know that the whole crew of the malignant Church is divided eyther into the Clergie or into the rest of the Laitie Those clergie men are the proper living things of this sea these laie folk are cheifly earthly and denoted by the earth Now if he had sayd every sowl living in the sea dyed some would perhaps have gathered that this death was proper to the Clergie Doctours but when he sayth every living sowl dyed in the sea he teacheth that the popish lâ—itie people perish in this blood togither with the Clergie But thou wilt say the words perteyn alike unto al which any way live therfore this death seemeth to be common unto al. I answer al verily which before seemed to live so soon as they came down into this sea straight way were choked dyed But al the elect have their dwelling in the Temple and the Temple is placed in heaven chap. 15.6 so that they need not to be afrayd at al of this earthly sea whose rotten bloud shall kill onely the men of the same kind And here all unlesse they leave their earth that is unlesse they forsake the Popes religion shal finde destruction in this sea for no other waters shal they have to drink but these thus filthy nor be informed with any other doctrine then that is drawen out of the Council of Trent and controversal books of the Iesuites How can they then but dye presently if they drink of those waters wherin al the foundations of salvation are turned into deadly poyson Most miserable therfore is your estate ô yee Papists which drink in filthy bloud as most sweet heavenly liquour and settle your salvation in most certayn destruction But it is Gods just judgement that they which despise the pure waters of life should miserably perish in this bloud draw out ô highest God those whom thou hast destinate to the prayse of thy mercy But besides let us know that it is not safe
the future tence but in the present because admiration belongeth not to a future but to a present dignity From which let us observe what wondring is a token of reprobation to weet of a Beast reviving after the hurt received which is the second Beast in chap. 15.11 Even until that time he was not so desperately impious but that he might easily deceive the Saincts but at length he came to that naughtinesse that he must be banished from the Kingdome of God who will acknowledg him to be such an one by admyring as he professeth himselfe to be But wheras the Angel in these words prosecuteth not his variable condition beyond the third time therby he sheweth that he shal be openly knowne to the world before his last ende shall come 9 Here is the mind Thus farre the Beast hath bin shewed us according to his whole now he entreth into the interpretation of some chiefe parts wherunto he prepareth himselfe a way by this Preface Which yet is uncertaine whither it is to be referred to that which went before or to this which followeth it seemeth being set in the midst to have respect to both alike for to cause attention The speach seemeth defective and to be supplyed after the manner of that in chap. 13.18 Here is wisdome let him that hath wit count c. So here is wit let him that hath wisdome understand as in the Epistles to the seven Churches let him that hath eares heare or it may be a perfit sentence of it selfe here is the minde that hath wisdome as though he should say consider the foresaid chaunges likewise consider the interpretation the understanding of which things is true wisdome indeede wherby a man may avoide eternall destruction But these are the wordes not onely of exhortation but also of Prophecie which declare that in the most open light in which the Beast shal be set every one shall not acknowledge him but they onely who are endued with wisedome and have their eyes inlightened of God The Beast is like in this thing to the whore whose name written in her forehead was a mysterie which should be hidden from very many no lesse then some obscure and inexplicable riddle For Prophecies fulfilled become not manifest to all men as we wil after shew that Bellarmine trisleth but unto some certaine men to whom it is given to understand the rest remaining in their former blindnes Which short admonition confuteth a threefold errour of the Papists one touching the common name Antichrist the other of the doctrine the third of the publique persecution of which wee will speake more at large in the refutation at the ende of the Chapter ¶ The seaven heads are seaven hilles upon which the woman sitteth as touching the partes first he teacheth what are Heads both permanent in this verse and transitory in verses 10.11 wherby it may be knowne what is this whore in regard both of the place and of the time Those heads are seaven moūtaines upon which the woman sitteth that is seven hilles of the city of Rome Palatinus Quirinalis Aventinus Caelius Viminalis Aesquilinus Janicularis by which this City is renowmed through the whole world and thereupon called of the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seaven hilled by Varro And this circumlocution seemed fitter for the eloquent kind of speaking of the Poets then the specifying of a proper name Virgil in the second of his Georgiques toward the end hath these wordes to weet Rome is become the most beautifull of things which hath enclosed her seaven towers with one wall Likewise Ovid in his first book de Trist Eleg. 4. speaketh thus of it But Rome is the Seate of the Empire and of the Gods which from seaven Mountaines vieweth the whole world And againe in the third book ver 7. And while Rome the victorious shall beholde the subdued whole world from her seven Mountaines I shall be called Martia And God would have the thing testifyed not onely by the verses of Poets but also by a publike festivitie For the Romanes kept the Fest called Septimontium because of the seventh mountaine ioyned to the city and Rome become therupon Septicollis as Plutarch relateth in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These things are so manifest that the Papists themselves ar now cōstrained will they nill they to confesse them We have shewed that Bellarmine preferreth this sense before the rest in his 3. book ch 13. of the Pope of Rome Ribera the Iesuite yeeldeth also the same cōfirming it with many words on the 14. chap. of the Revel num 30. frō whēce no cōtroversie could now remaine of this thing if onely men were in their right wits but wee hav touched before their madnes who doo separate the things which ar ioyned togither by an ūdivided bād They grāt that the whor is Rome yet by no means doe they abide her to be the seate of Antichrist as though they could be sundred of which the one sitteth upō the other carryed but if this cōjoyning be too weake behold a straighter yea a most straight such as of the head with the body so as they which shal remov the Beast to any other place thē to Rome must make him to be without his heads Frō hēce therfore I thus cōclude demōstratively The city where remaine fixed the heads of the Beast or of Antichrist is the seat of Antichrist Rome is the city wher remaine fixed the heads of Antichrist Therfore Rome is the seate of Antichrist By no meanes can yee giv mee the slippe ô ye Papists This argument must needs be as firme sure as ar the very mountaines of your Rome Yet what you ar able to obiect against it we wil discusse by by in confuting your devised Antichrist 10 And they are also seven Kings Such ar the permanent heads the transitorie which ar seven Kings doo follow Ther is a double application of this one type teaching that ther is an inseparable ioyning togither of the mountains and Kings From whence is ministred an other necessary proof of the seate of Antichrist thus The seate of seven Kings is the seate of Antichrist Rome the citie of 7. mountaines is the seate of 7. Kings for the heads are both mountaines Kings Therfore Rone is the seate of Antichrist But who ar these 7 Kings not so many singular persons as Victorinus would have it but soveraignties regimēts For if every several head should note out singular mē 5. of which wer fallē in Iohns time to wit Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasianus Titus Titus Domitianus the 6. ruled then Nerva the 7 was to be expected whom remaining alive but for a little space should succeede straighway Traianus the 8. togither also the 7. If I say the heads ar to be so counted it must needs follow that this Beast should have ceased in his last head Traiane that the world should not now feare that he should doo any mischiefe Vnles perhaps we think whē all his
the Apocalyps Moreover wher you make those 1290 dayes in Dan. 12. to be also of Antichrists reign besides that which we have shewed in the former chapter how it can no way be referred hereunto see how great a new contrariety you make in the account For neither dooth this number fall under the reckning of the time times and halfe a time seing it cānot be divided into three whole ones and a halfe neither agreeth it with Iohn who numbreth precisely 1260 dayes But say you this number is of the death of Henoch and Elias whom Antichrist shal survive one moneth Vnto this I say then Antichrist shal reign not onely three yeres and six moneths as Ireneus saith expressely in the end of his 5. book neither three yeres and a halfe onelie with an exclusive particle as Cyril speaketh Cateches 25. but a moneth over the number shal now be added and for 6. moneths ther shal be 7. Neither shal the halfe of a time prefigure six as Ierom saith on Dan. 7. but seven And thus while you goe about to make Daniel Iohn agree you set the Fathers against them both But let us leave these disagreers and draw the truth out of the true fountains I confesse that the number of 1290 dayes is not of Antichrists whole reign but is ended at the death of the two Prophets whose names I now stād not upon that Antichrist shal survive they two being slain but not one moneth onely as you falslie suppose but manie yeres the number wherof we have gathered elswhere which thing verilie is from hence manifested For the two Prophets are killed under the sixt trumpet chap. 11.8.14 and Antichr perisheth under the last which comprehendeth 7 other plagues caled vials under the last wherof he is quite abolished Shal therfore al the seven vials have their effects in those your 30. dayes So four daies shal be attributed for the execution of everie one for they are not powred out al togither and confusedly but the same order and course is kept doubtlesse in the executing that is kept in the declaring Wherfore to let passe the five first vials those unclean Spirits of the sixt which come out of the mouth of the Dragon of the Beast and of the false Prophet and goe forth unto the Kings of the whole earth to gather them togither unto battel shal they effect al this in the four daies next before the last We have heard of Antichrists incredible swiftnes going over the whole earth in so smal a space of his reign but greater shal be the speed of these his ministers who shal both survey the whole earth in foure daies and bring forth unto battell verie populous armies Verilie this expedition is most expedite or soon dispatched and such as onelie deserveth properly the name of an expedition Doo you not yet perceive how false absurd trifling and mere ignorance the things are which you babble about these matters When yow shal prove that the seven last plagues shal be al to be accomplished in 30. daies we wil assent unto you that Antichrist shal survive the two slain Prophets one moneth onelie as also that ther is an agreement of these numbers in Daniel and Iohn in the meane while we wil determine that these two have their divers intendements and doo not Prophesie of the same things by these numbers Thirdly I say although that whol indefinite space did consist with most exact agreement of those eyther moneths or daies yet are yow never the neerer for obteining your purpose For the question is whither those moneths or daies or yeres be to be taken properly or no not whither the account doo agree which may agree alike whither they be taken properlie or figurativelie seing there is the same proportiō in the type and the truth though neither the type be the truth nor the truth the type How therfore doo you prove that they are to be taken properlie By testimonie you say of the Fathers some of which you bring forth in the answer to Chytreus and the men of Maydenburgh I answer those ancient Fathers are to be pardonned that being ignorant of the event thought they should hold fast unto the letter but seing manie things are now made clear by the issue whosoever dooth abuse the patronage of their names to confirm himself in errour he shal procure on his own head just condemnation Therfore you must eyther bring forth some thing of greater weight or freely confesse that that reign of 3. yeres and a halfe hath no defense from these Scriptures Secondly you prove it by this that the time of the Divil loosed and of Antichrist should be verie short as Apoc. 12.12 Woe to the land and sea for the Divil is come down unto you having great wrath knowing that he hath but a little time I answer a little and indefinite time concludetht nothing at al for a certain and definite reign of 3. yeres and a halfe so that little help or none rather you get from this place Moreover that which you cal the time of the Divil loosed is the time of the Divil bound who so soone as he was cast out of heaven was cast into prison For everie place is to him lothsome like a prison without the assemblie of the Saincts among whom he most coveteth to converse for greater oportunitie to his wickednes wherupō the Lord saith that the unclean Spirit being cast out of a man walketh through dry places as in which ther is no pleasure for his minde Mat. 12.43 c. But these things we have made evident in explayning the Prophesie Seing therfore the Divils prisonment is for 1000 yeres here that time is spoken of wherunto you wil have Antichrists durance to be equal his reign shal be much longer by this place than you are willing to grant But say you how can so manie yeres be a little time I answer if the words be rightly interpreted here is no mention of durance but of opportunitie For wher you read knowing that he hath but a litle time it is properlie thus knowing that he hath litle opportunity So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properlie signifieth noting the qualitie of time not the quantitie wherby it is distinguished from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ammonius sheweth And reason convinceth that so it is to be taken in this place If it should be understood durance the Divil should be angry for the thousand yeres of his prison in which he liveth by those words as we have said as being bound for a lesser space than he would Which how farr it is from his disposition his diligence night and day to destroy men dooth sufficiently shew The time therfore was longer than he desired but the opportunity litle leav being now given him onelie over his own whō he had rather spare and shew his crueltie on the elect Wherfore this place is nothing to the matter for many causes The second is Apoc. 20.3 he bound him for
would have them exercised by her onelie authoritie For when she had bereft Leo Isaurus of the Empire of the VVest for being against her Idolatrie she made manifest unto all both what her marke was for which she so egerly contended and with how great perill men did refuse to receive the same Of these signes therfor some indeede are before the second Beast in the beginning of their superstition but in force of binding to Rome they be eyther al equal or in age a litle after But because to the former marks we have adioyned the numeral name Latinos least perhaps you should here object the same thing which you doo in the other I wil speak of it a few words This name is most ancient who knowes it not which notwithstanding lay dead for many ages til the Emperours translated their seat to Constantinople Then it somwhat revived and began to be famous as appeareth by Epiphanius in his book De mensur pond speaking of the Romans which are not stil caled Romās saith he but Latines But this name was not yet so commonly used or so obtruded on the Churches as to have the dignitie of a mark VVherupō Socrates Theodoret Sozomen Evagtius doo use the same very sparingly or no where rather to my remembrance but so often as they speak of Rome they cal it Old Rome the Provinces they distinguish by the names of the East and West onely But after when at length the second Beast turmoiled al things and a partition of the Empire was made limits were appointed by Nicephorus of Constantinople Charles the Great then did the name of the Roman Provinces remayn in the Eastern countries the VVestern were by a common name caled Latin as appeareth by Zonaras Nicetas Gregoras and Chalchocondilas Neither was it ynough thenceforward for the Greeks to submitt themselves unto the Roman Patriarch for they chalenged this name of Romans to themselves but now the chieftie was to be yeelded unto the Latin Bishop or Bishop of Old Rome or otherweise no reconciliation could be made as appeareth by the Council of Lions under Gregorie 10. However therfore these and many other superstitions were in use many yeres before Antichrist was known to the world yet after they were made bonds to tye men for to defend the errours of the Church of Rome then put they on the nature of Brands Marks These things doo you dispute against the true Mark stablishing rather our opinion by your empty oppugnation than doing it the least hurt But what Mark doo your selfe now feign unto us forsooth some positiv Mark which Antichrist should devise but what it is shal not be known until he come I answer if it be a positive mark and al must receive it as the Spirit evidently saith then Antichrist must eyther goe to all or at least must cōpell al to come to him VVhither of the two we make it here wil come againe that admirable journey into al lands in his three yeres space a litle more of which we spake in the 6. chapter of this Refutation against the publik persecution Or though the performance hereof be committed to his Legats ther wil I beleev be more travel and busynes than can be dispatched in so litle a space Chapt. 12. Of Antichrists generation TOVCHING the generation and stock of Antichrist you rehearse the opinions of certain Fathers some of which you say are erroneous some probable othersome sure and certayn Erroneous are the opinions of the Author of the treatise of Antichrist among the works of Augustine of Hippolitus Martyr of Origen and Sulpitius Probable are those of Damascen Irenaeus Hippolitus Ambrose Augustine Prosper Theodoret Gregore Bede Rupertus Aretas Richard and Anselmus The catalogue of whom I now therfore repeat to put you in mind upon what authors you rely in this matter For when you see these whom you esteem for chief witnesses in al questions partly to be in manifest error partly to confirm their opinion with no sure arguments why doo you wholly depend I pray you upon their words as it wree upon some divine oracle that could not be deceived It is no wise mans part willingly to folow blind guides especially such as himselfe ackowledgeth to be blind Awake then at last and learn to know Antichrst rather from the truth it selfe than from them which have scarcely seen anie shadowing pourtraiture of him But to let these passe let us come to those things which you count most certayn of which the one is that Antichrist shal chiefly come for the Jewes and be received of them as the Messias The other that he shal be borne of the Jewes stock and be circumcised and observe the Sabbath at least for a time Both which the time of Antichrists coming teacheth to be most false For seing he hath reigned now manie ages at Rome to weet since the hethen Emperours were expelled and yet the Iwes submitt not-unto him it necessarilie foloweth that he neither is to be received of thē as the Messias neither shal he come chiefly for them Yea neither was he to be as appeareth by the testimonie of al memorie past which never relateth any Iew to have sitten in the chaire of the Pope of Rome and it is in some sort certayn that ther never shal For he shal not invade by open force and bring in a new regiment For so he should not be the seventh head or the eight which is the same but the ninth wheras so manie heads the Beast hath not And it is not likely considering the sagenes of the Cardinals especially being holpen by the Porphyrie seat that ever they willingly wil choose such a one whiles things remayn as they are Al these your trifles fal to the ground by those engins which the Spirit ministreth and we applyed in the beginning of this treatise But let us examine what you bring to the contrarie First you confirm that Antichrist shal come ciefly for the Iewes and shal be received of them as the Messias from the place often cited J am come in my Fathers name and ye receive me not if an other come in his owne name him ye wil receive Iohn 5.43 I answer it is true that an Antichrist should be received of the Iewes but the question is of the Antichrist properly so caled not taken commonly The proper Antichrist they would never acknowledge as is most sure by manie arguments which may be gathered from the things fore spoken the other they would readily and studiously folow as came to passe as we read in Seder Olam Zuta of one Cuziba and a certayn Syrian mentioned by Paulus Diaconus lib. 21. rerum Rom. and elswhere of other such like deceivers which vaunted themselves to be the Messias That therfore which is spoken of the Antichrists of the Iewes is wrongly wrested to the great Antichrist whom the Apocalypse and Apostles doo describe Secondly you bring that in 2 Thess 2.10 Because they received not the
which so solemne commandement he teacheth that there is in it a great and strange matter We commit to writing things the credit wher of we will have to be confirmed unto all posterity for which cause lawes were graven once in Brasse and set up in a publike place Also God speaking to Ieremy concerning this same thing Write saith he for thy selfe all the words which I speake unto thee in a book chap. 30.2 As if God providing for our infirmity should give us sealed writings from which wee might cal upon him for helpe more freely and boldly if peradventure he should seem to forget his promise But not onely Iohn is confirmed hereby but also the event is respected as we have seen from the like places before as if it should come to passe that by the authority of some holy man some publike writing should be set forth which most plainly should cōfirme this thing not to be new but foreshewed of God from the furthest times and that therfore the goodnesse and truth of God is to be acknowledged and praised in the same But the time wil manifest what at length is to be thought concerning this matter But what is it which he is commanded to write That they are blessed which ar called to the marriage supper of the Lābe a thing indeed wonderful never heard off before that al should be blessed which are called Before time this rule was in force many are called few chosen which thing example also hath prooved true when the calling fell not out prosperously to the auncient ghests who being called refused to come But now it shal be otherweise Al the called shal come gladly neither shal alledge for their excuse things of smal importance as did those former Mat. 22. So great now shal be the efficacy and grace of the Spirit that they shal obey at the first hearing Before saith Isaiah shee travailed she brought forth and before her paine came shee was delivered of a man childe Who hath heard such a thing Who hath seen such things Shal the earth be brought forth in one day Or shall a nation be borne at once For assoone as Zion travailed shee brought forth her children c. So Psal 110.3 Thy people most voluntary of all men in the time of thine armies in the beautiful places of thy holinesse frō the wombe of the mourning shal be to thee dewe of thy youth Many such things might be brought and peradventure it would be profitable at least weise that occasion might be given to our men to consider diligently of those places from the true meaning wherof I feare that wee erre by interpreting the things that are to come as if they were past This sentence therfore which is commaunded to be written taketh away al scruple frō Iohn He might have minded the former obstinacy of the nation and for that cause have doubted of their conversion But the Angel commandeth this care to depart There shal be so great diligence of the people that it shal be sufficient for them to be called away It is to be observed that the Iewes both here and elsewhere in many places are called keclemenous in the preterperfect tence by a certain prerogative of calling as it seemeth as who were called ever since the first times of the world Mat. 22.3.4.8 But the Gētiles kletous Mat. 22.14 because they were first called at Christ coming or rather after his death Which difference seemeth to be observed in this revelation from whence chap. 17.14 they who the Lambe being their Captaine doo subdue the tenn Kings are named called and chosen whom it is manifest to be the faithfull among the Gentiles ¶ These words are true The second confirmation taken from the principal authour as though he should say respect not mee as reporting any thing of mine owne but be so perswaded that this is the decree of the most High God as thou thy selfe heardest even now with thyne own ears ver 5. but the natural placing of the words hath an emphasis as it is in the Greek which by the displacing is lost these are the true words of God himselfe that is of most divine most excellent and most certen truth True are also some words of men but there is some infirmity in our most true things Wee alwayes speake from the earth Iohn 3.31 Therfore some preferment is attributed to this truth which appeareth not if we change the order of the words It is no strange thing that the words of God should be true 10 And I fell down before his feet VVhy now more then before VVas he abashed with the maiesty of the Angel But he had bin accustomed now a long time to wonderful sights Or was it for ioy of the conversion of his nation so in deed it seemeth For Iohn being ravished as it is clear frō the answer of the Angel with the sweetnesse of this Prophecy for sudden ioy wherwith he was carried away would give more worship then was meet to so welcome a messenger ¶ See that not to weet that thou worship mee not a defective speach noting out the grievousnesse of the naughty act for he maketh speed and finisheth not the sentence for hast Even as wee are wont to prohibit a thing eyther by sudden crying out or by the hand when the thing permitteth not any time for words He confirmeth the prohibition by two reasons first from the equal dignity of the Ministers of Christ J am saith he thy felow servant and not onely of the Apostles but also of thy brethrē which have the testimony of Iesu Al our office is equal they who preach Christ salvation by him are in equal dignity with them which reveale things to come The office of preaching is equal to the office of revealing this is the meaning of that which is said in the ende of the verse For the testimony of Iesu is the Spirit of Prophecy The second reason is because adoration belongeth to God onely Worship him saith he to whom alone such worship is due Doo not ye ô Popish Idolaters tremble at these words Ye take great paines about devising reasons why the Angel prohibited adoration as though he himselfe hath not rendred most cleare ones in his own words But what reasons bring yee To weet that after our flesh taken of Christ the Angels are greatly afraid to see the same prostrate before them as Gregory the Great wil have it Moreover because beside this dignity men are also Ministers of Christ Prophets and messengers of the Evangelical doctrine and Martyrs for the same Be it so doo ye not perceive that you are killed with your owne swords If they feare much to see our nature prostrate to them after the same taken of Christ why do ye cast down your nature to stones and painted Images and put the holy Angels in feare If they wil not be worshipped of the Ministers of Christ either at length cease to doo wickedly or at least confesse
playnly to Christians al coverings being removed as on whom the noone Sunne of truth shineth and all things are naked and open And indeed he openeth most significantly in one word that long obscure description in Ezechiel saying that that temple so magnifically gloriously prepared is in truth none at all not as though the Prophet had uttered so many words vainly but to shewe that we must not stick in the bark of the lettre but that the kernell of the Spirit is to be found out Let the Iewes heare neither let them expect a renewed temple as hitherto they doo amisse and obstinately but let them with minds and harts aspire in that right way which shal need no temple Let them look for the omnipotent God and the Lamb to dwel among them in comparison of which glory whatsoever can be built of men shal be vile 23 Neither hath this city any need of the Sunne or Moone For in very deed the Moone shall be ashamed and the very Sunne shall blush when the Lord of hosts shall reigne in mount Sion and Hierusalem and shall be glorious before his auncients Isaiah 24.23 And why may it not be ashamed of her former darkenesse when the light of the Moone shal be as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne seven folde as the light of seven daies Isay 30.23 Which thinges are not spoken to that ende as though there should be no use then of the Scriptures but because all shall so understand Gods will as if they had no need to learne wisdome from books Full saith the Prophet shall this land be of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters covering the chanell of the Sea Isay 11.9 Neither shall they anie more teach everie man his friend and everie man his brother saying know yee the Lord for they shall all know mee from the least of them even to the greatest of them saith the Lord that J doo forgive their inquity and remember their sinne no more Ier. 31.34 From hence let us observ that that Church is most glorious in which the sunne of righteousnesse shineth with most open face covered with no cloudes of ceremonies therfore let them see in how great errour they are whom bring in a pompous shew of ceremonies to procure authority to religion with the people Furthermore let us note to what times Iohn applyeth the sentences of the Prophets that we may know the things are yet to come which we interpret commonly to be past and not onely in the heavenly countrey whose happinesse needeth the words of no man but here in earth in that restoring wherof we have spoken ¶ And the Lambe is the light therof Therfore this light the most bright of all godly times shal not yet be perfit as it shal be after this life but a candle onely in respect of that least peradventure wee should rest in our iourney as if we had come to the last ende 24 And the Gentiles that shal be saved The second outward argument is glory from the Gentils Before time the Iewes have alwayes found the GeÌ„tiles most hatefull who left no meanes unattempted to doo them hurt now contrariweise ther shal be no cause to feare that they will doo them any harme yea rather why should they not expect all good at their hands who shal apply al their forces to the advancing of them But these Gentiles are not al generally but are limited with a certain kinde which saith he shal be saved which word is inserted for an exposition The place is taken out of Isaiah 60.3 where it is thus and the Gentiles shall walke to thy light which Iohn draweth to the elect by putting in of one word least any should think it was spoken of every one generally And see how Iohn traÌ„slate that seÌ„teÌ„ce they shal walke to thy light thus they shal walke in the light of it the senteÌ„ce being well expressed For to walke at the light is not to come only to the light which one may doe depart again by by being at once both seen despised but to walke after or according to the light as to walke at the feete is alone with to follow serve one 1 Sam. 25.42 Neither-hath this place in the heavens that the people should walke at the light of the Church when Prophecyings shal be abolished and tongues shall cease and God shal be all in all 1 Cor. 13.8 and 15.28 But it may be doubtful how it can have place on earth For shal this difference remaine of some people which are saved and of other that are lost in this most happy government of the Church It seemeth indeed that there shal be many which yet still shal contemne the truth obstinately for the day of the Lord shall come cas a share upon all that dwell on the face of the earth Luke 21 35. But the children of the Church are not in darkenesse that that day should take them as a thief in the night 1 Thess 5.4 Moreover it was said before that the haile of a taleâ—t weight of the last vial shall drive men to blasphemy chap. 16.21 Neverthelesse those despisers shal be of so feeble strength that wil they nil the they shal be compelled to yeeld their necks The Complut edition and the Kings bible doo omit these words which are saved and so doth Aretas and the vulgar Latine neither doo they reade in the light of it but by the light ¶ And the Kings of the earth shal bring their glory unto it Then the Kings borderers on the Ocean and of the Yles shall bring a present the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring a gift finally all Kings shall worship him and all nations shall serve him Psal 72.10.11 And Isay The labour of Aegypt and marchandize of Aethiopia and of the Sabean Princes shall come unto thee and they shall be thine and shall follow thee they shall come in chaines and shall fall down before thee and shall make supplications unto thee saying onely the strong God is in thee there is none besides no where else is God chap. 45.14 Againe Kings shal be thy nurcing fathers and their Queenes shal be thy nurces they shall worship thee with their faces toward the earth and shall lick the dust of thy feet chap. 49.23 For then shal be given unto Christ a dominion and glory and Kingdome that all people nations and tongues should serve him whose dominion is an everlasting dominion which passeth not away his KingdoÌ„ a KingdoÌ„ which shall not be destroyed Dan. 7.14 It shal not also be from the purpose to add here in what words the Sybille hath described this same thing that at least wee may help tthe Iesuite if he will who in expounding the same is cleane out of the way thus therfore shee Prophecyed in the 3. book of the oracles of Sibyll And then the world by womans hands shall rul'd be and obey But when the widow over all the world
alone but also it shal be writteÌ„ on the horses belles Holines to Jehova as are the pottes of the house of Iehovah as the bolles before the altar Zachar. 14.20 he wil undertake their patronage and defense of all their things even of the least 5 And ther shal be no night They shall not be afflicted as in the former ages neither shal they need light coÌ„forts of the light and the lik things which before they were wont to use but they shall receive of God himselfe exceeding joye neither shall they care for or seeke other meanes to ease their griefes Isay 60.19.20 But how saieth he they shall not neede the light when above he said the Lambe shal be their light chap. 21.2 here he denieth not altogither that they shall not neede the light but onely no other but the Lambe ¶ Because the Lord God giveth them light they shall reigne for ever ever Ther shall appeare greater kindnes of God than can be attributed to any meanes For so great shal be the increase of knowledge that men shall seeme to be made wise not so much by hearing of the word as by divine inspiration The like shal be of all other giftes whose excellency shal farre exceed all meanes which they might use in getting them In the ende of the verse there is set downe in plaine words what is the summe of these 3. verses to weet that this kingdome of Saints shal be eternal which shall be begunne in the earth neither shal it ever be interruptep but shall be finally translated into heaven 6 Then he said to mee Hitherto hath bin the propheticall narration now ther foloweth a conclusion of the Epistle the shutting up of the whole Revelation which in few wordes mentioneth certaine chiefe heades whereby every one maye confirme and strengthen himselfe of the credit and authority of this Prophecy It is a most profitable conclusion and full of heavenly maiesty The Spirit knew how this Revelation should not be regarded of men and certaine should call into question the credit thereof beyond his wonted manner he labourâ—th in a few more words to take away all this doubt But who is this Angel which now talkes with Iohn An other as it seemeth than he who in the beginning of the chapter shewed the river of the water of life or that manifested the city For thiâ— is the seaventh Angell that is of those to whom the busines was committed of administring the seven last plagues chap. 21.9 whose charge was certaine and conteined in the limites of a certaine parte not endued with power of the whole Revelation But this confirmation is common to the whole booke and therfore seemeth to be of that Angell which was sent in the beginning that manifested these things to Iohn Next also it is likely that here are not againe words uttered by the voice of the samâ— ngell but they are related of Iohn under the person of the Angel of whom first he had received them Certainly the coniunction of things without any copulatives or any necessary coherence between themselves seemeth to approve of such an account Which meaning if we follow the words ar not to be translated then he said to mee which declare the time of a new speach begunne after the sight of the city but and he said to mee as though he should say seeing that now I have fully delivered to you al things which are revealed to mee that shal be now ther remaineth nothing but that with sure faith ye embrace the same which that you may the more easilie doo bethinke ye how holily and religiouslly the Angel hath confirmed the same to mee those words are faithfull and true Wherfore this confirmation of the Angel apperteineth not onely to those things which went next before of the new Ierusalem although the demonstrative proouune be so used often but likewise to the whole booke as also that threatening which followeth ver 18.19 universally challengeth credit to the whole Prophecy and not for the authority of some certaine part of it These things are repeated out of the 19 chap. ver 9. by the words of Iohn speaking which the Angel had before spoken they are applyed to approve the whole Revelation ¶ And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angell Neither did the Angel of his owne accord utter these words are faithful true but by the coÌ„maundement and authority of God the sander The same God which inspired the auncient Prophets that they might most certenly forespeake of things to come he sent this Angell which might reveale those thinges to Iohn for the use of the Church These things are repeated out of the 1. chap. 1 ver which Revelation he signified when he sent by his Angell to his servant Iohn But thou maiest observe that this latter member of the verse is so inferred that it may clearly shew that these now are not the words of the Angell speaking but of Iohn repeating the arguments of this Prophecy delivered from heaven 7 Behold I come quickly The testimony of Iesus concerning the speedy execution of these things fetched out of the 11. chapter which must shortly be done and againe the time is neare ver 3. The event of things next past should give credit to things that follow and therfore he maketh mentioÌ„ of a speedy execution as if he should say take every one of you for every of your ages a pledge and as it were a fuerty of things to come by the present things which thou shalt see to come to passe These things assure you that the things to come are no lesse certain But we who now for a thousand and five hundred yeares to weet from Iohn have seen the consent of the event and Prophecy may not any more doubt of these few other things which as yet remaine See how these things are heaped up togither as but now we saied without any bandes of speach as for the most part it is done in numbring of things ¶ Blessed is he that keepeth A confirmatioÌ„ of the happines of them which keepe this Prophecy which nothing can bestow on man but the truth in spired from heaven as before in chap. 1.3 from whence these are fetched 8 And J Iohn A confirmation from the Ministers It is a most sure prophecy whose Minister the Angel was and of so great maiesty that Iohn the Apostle thought to worshippe him and of that holines that he forbad the worshippe offered Iohn telleth what first befell chap. 19.10 he falleth not downe againe into the worshippe forbidden him ¶ But he said to mee in the greek it is and he saieth to mee for he said to mee or hath saide as well the interpreters do translate it he relateth not a new but a thing past But we must marke that which he spake before and of thy brethren which have the testimony of Jesus chap. 19.10 here it is uttered in other words and of thy brethren the Prophets of them
which keepe the words of this book Therfore to keepe the words of this book is to have the testimony of Iesus ¶ Seale not The publishing of a commaundement wherby ther should be free power to every one to examine and by the successe to iudge of the Prophecy Iohn might not have it for himselfe alone but should offer it to the trial of a publique examination as forthwith from the beginning he was bidden That which thou seest write in a booke and send it to the seven Churches chap. 1.11 And againe write these things which thou hast seen which are and which shal be that is hide it not from others but publish it But if the publicke publishing of it be onely respected how was Daniell commaunded to shut up his words and to seale the booke who also brought into open view his Prophecy Therfore this prohibition of not sealing includeth some other thing namely that things to come are in such sorte set downe that men by the events present and neere at hande might be ledde as by the hand fully to understaÌ„d the same Prophecie which chauÌ„ced otherweise to Daniell who was not manifest to every age for he lightly touching things interlaced is chiefly imployed in things that should lastly come to paste and therfore should expect the appointed time before which it was not to be unfolded which partly is to be understood of those more difficult visions partly of the people of the Iewes whom that Prophecy doth chiefly respect That which followeth confirmeth this interpretation for the time is at hand as if he should say shutte not up this Prophecy because the time neare at hand shall reveale it but Daniels was sealed up for the event farre to comme caused that for a great time it should lie hidden Therfore these words have the same force as the former Behold I come quickly 11 He that hurteth let him hurt still A preventing of a secret doubt wherby the mindes of the weake might be weakened for they see that the ungodly goe forward in their ungodlines and their punishment for many ages is differred Therfore they might demaunde how he would come quickly who so long forbeareth the wicked He then meetes with it and warneth that no man take this in ill part but minde that the ungodly will continue in their wickednes and the righteous will follow after righteousnes but that there are certen boundes set them beiond which they cannot goe neither must they wonder that a certaine increase of wickednes is permitted for a determined time for the greater condemnation of the ungodly but they are to leave those men and to turne their eies to the elect whose constant study of godlines ought to strenghten our wavering mindes against all stiffenes of the reprobate Therfore these are not the words of one exhorting but of one conforting and admonishing that by those scaÌ„dales our expectatioÌ„ be not diminished seeing that ther shall be such a state of things even to the last end ¶ And he that is iust shal be iustified still Let him be imployed in those workes wherby he may prove both to himselfe and others that he is iust but he doth not so much exhort as shew the perseverance of the saincts which being planted in Gods house bring forth more planteous fruites in their old age 12 And behold I come quickly But it was repeated before in the seventh verse but againe it is now pressed as an excellent remedy against the offense of the extreeme hardnes of the reprobate as if he should say as often as the wickednes of men doth stirre up the minde be thinke yee that shortly shal be the coming of the Lord. He hath promised it that cannot deceive nor measure you not the delay by your owne sense but beleeve stedfastly that that which he hath promised shall not be so long differed Yee consider that the Lord is present in those same things which are dayly done see that he now forthwith hasteneth his promises that ye may not complaine of his overmuch delay or may thinke that those things whiâ—h have bin foretold shall not come to passe Therfore these things doo very well accord with the former nor by any meanes are they to be referred to an other place albe it if this coupling togithe were not wee ought not to be much troubled about the consequence The rehearsall made which we have spoken off may containe in one full sentence divers things sundry persons without any light of bandes and transitions ¶ And my reward is with mee These words belong to the same comfort and set before our eyes Christ the rewarder against the offense both of the felicity of the wicked also those troubles which in the meane time the saincts doe finde God is iust neither can it be but that it shal goe well at length with the good ill with the wicked as hath bin declared in this same book in expresse words chap. 13.10 and 14.13 13 I am Alpha Omega They ar the words of Christ but not speaking in this place in his owne person but rehearsed by Iohn They confirm the Prophecy froÌ„ the eternity of Christ or rather froÌ„ his power as before wee have interpreted How should we not credit him so wel in pronouncing of things to come as past who is eternal or who hath given beginning to al things and at his pleasure caÌ„ reduce them to nothing chap 1.8 14 Blessed are they c. These things belong to the authority of Christ testifying to whoÌ„ whosoever obey is blessed He hath power over the tree of life the liberty wherof he giveth to them that obey him ch 2.7 of this ver 2. Moreover he giveth a right to enter into the city by the gates by which alone the way is open seing the wall is so hie that there is not any hope ever to climbe over chap. 21.17 15 But without shal be doggs Men of doggish impudeÌ„cy virulency who alwayes barke at every good things it shal be a grea felicity to be delivered from their society Concerning the troupe of the excluded see ch 21.8 16 I Iesus c. A confirmatioÌ„ froÌ„ a manifest testimony of Iesus himselfe not spoken here by his owne voice but by Iohns repeated froÌ„ ch 1.1 Christ speaketh never in this book in his own person without some significatioÌ„ of his most great maiesty wherby he may testify his presence ¶ That bright c. The morning starre is most clear sheweth the day following at her backe so Christ in this life shineth most brightly to the faithful being also a pledg to theÌ„ of a greater light shortly to coeÌ„ But morover he shineth to them by the first fruits of the truth of which he wil giv them shortly a ful abuÌ„ndaÌ„ce This praise is takeÌ„ froÌ„ ch 2.28 see mor there 17 But the Spirit c. A confirmation from the desire of the sanctified to whom nothing is so deare as to see these things
living heads ar cut off he yet remaineth alive or they being cut off other as it were a new Hidra spring up of which yet Iohn made no mētiō But that we may not thinke that those 7. are taken figuratively where are the ten Kings that arose togither with Nerva It must needs be that these were togither with the seventh head in the twelft verse beneath or how when Nerva was dead seemed the Beast not to be especially seing before his death he had adopted Traiane or for what cause wer they rather reprobats that wōdred at Traiā then those former for such is the cōditiō of the seventh head that the followers of him are reprobates before in ver 8. Many things of this sort doo not suffer any peculiar men to be meant Hereunto is added the manner of speaking which is such that it bewrayeth that the Kings are so long the heads of the city as long as the mountains ar Otherwise for some short time perhaps the heads wer both the mountains Kings but to a farre longer time they neither were nor should be if there should be made a separation of the heads which the Spirit ioyneth togither the mountaines onely remaining after the other be dead Therfore the Kings howsoever they al wer not togither as the mountains yet shall obtaine as long continuing a name of heads as those But concerning the person the time shall yeeld a demonstration in the eleventh verse But if the Kings be Dominions of what sorte are they Ribera the Iesuite being privie to himselfe that the thing cannot be touched so lightly but that the soare wil be renewed therewith flyeth unto the seven ages of the world the first of which he maketh from Adam to Noe The second from Noe to Abraham The third to David The fourth to the transmigration into Babylon The fift to the comming of the Lord The sixt from thence to Antichrist The seventh from him even to the day of iudgement Which wit of his bringeth into my remembrance that of the Poe◠If the foolish Painter will conioine unto a mans head The neck of a horse so of birds feathers over spred c. For to see being let in freinds keepe your selves from laughing The Iesuite passeth the Painter who hath framed an head which may be applyed alike to all and every city of the whole world The Spirit would deliver a certaine marke wherby the Throne of the Beast might be known the Iesuite as the houpe faineth the griefe to be in an other place that he may withdrawe from the neast I know notwhither But understand Ribera that the seven mountaines belong to the city of Rome alone But that those seven Kings appertaine to the same city to which the mountaines For the heads are both mountaines and Kings and therefore that these Kings belong to Rome alone so doo we free thee from the great labour of seeking proving by a most certaine argument that he is found at Rome to finde whom thou hast compassed all landes in vaine But the time is spent to no profit in confuting thy toies which yet I could not passe over wholly but would admonish the Papists at least by this small labour that they should not suffer themselves to be deceived any longer by the trisles of the Iesuites The thing it selfe is thus These dominions are proper to that city whereunto belong the mountaines the seven regiments are those by which the citie hath ben no lesse famous then for her seven mountaines And Cornelius Tacitus in the beginning of his history nūbreth these regiments in this wise Kings held the City of Rome at the first L. Brutus instituted freedome the Consulshippe the Dictatourshippes were taken up for a time neither continued the power of the office of the Decemviri above two yeeres nor the Tribunes authority pertaining to Consuls was of force any long time c. The power of Pompey and Crassus went quickly to Cesar By which wordes he declareth plainely that sixe kindes of government had held at Rome from the building of the City even unto his time Kings Consulls Dictatours Decemviri Tribunes of the souldiers Emperours the seventh of Popes he knew not being taken away from the living before he could see it ¶ Five are fallen Kings Consuls Dictatours Decemviri Tribunes For those five kinds of ruling had ceased wholly and vanished away before Iohn his time ¶ One is the sixt kinde of governing by Emperours in whose power was the chiefe rule of things when Iohn lived ¶ And an other is not yet come The seventh King the Pope was not yet a Governour of Rome when the Apostle lived And not without cause hath he shunned the adjective of order for he saith not the seventh is not yet come but an other is not yet come by the same signifying that this seventh shal be very greatly unlike the former All these were Political Kings the seventh should be spiritual or of a mixt kinde unlike to every one before from whence it is manifest that the Christiā Emperours are not the sevēth King For they differred nothing in civill governement from the former onely they tooke unto them the Christian religion And in auncient times new religions were often added the forme of governement in the meane time nothing altered Furthermore the seventh King ought to governe in the same place where the seven mountaines are as hath bene declared in the former verse But the Christian Emperours never had the seate of their Empire at Rome But the whole use of the citie was the Popes from whom alone after the seventh King began her glorie did grow That member is not yet come teacheth that there was a very short time remaining to the cōming of the seventh King For so we are wonte to speake of things that will come not very long after Therefore foolish is Ribera the Iesuite who assigneth the sixt kind of governing after the comming of Christ even unto three yeeres and an halfe more or lesse before the last day and together with him all the Pastists who will not have Antichrist to be expected before that same very time as though the Angel saying is not yet come should speake of a man whom the world yet seeth not after a thousand five hundred yeeres ¶ And when he is come After the seventh Kingdome to weet of the Popes shal be begunne the Dragon being cast out of heaven and Constantine the Great being Emperour ¶ He must tary but a short time About an hundred yeeres after Constantine then to be overwhelmed for a time by the overflowing of the Goths and Vandals who so evil entreated Rome the tower of the new dominion that it might seem to hav perished utterly Gensericus bereaved it wholly of every dweller see Blond in his second book of his first Decad. And Totilas againe brought it to a wildernesse so as neither man nor woman was left in it as the same Blond writeth in his second book of his
first Decad. See chap. 13.3 11 And the Beast which was and is not That is and that seventh King the Pope which had come and was as touching the rising and originall of his power for the space of an hundred yeeres after Constantine And is not after that time utterly perished in mens opinion by the invasion of the Barbarians this Beast I say is the eight and one of those seven Wherby it is to be observed that the seventh King by himselfe alone doth obtaine the name of the whole and to be called that Beast whose description was in the eight verse by foure succeeding courses of times All which chaungins are proper to this one from wheÌ„ce now at lenght after the second mutation wherof he made mention in the former verse he addeth a double condition of him in the very words of the first description shewing in the same that these words and when he coÌ„meth he must continue a short space are all one with these the Beast which was and is not ¶ And he is the eight to wit King For here octavus the eight agreeth not in gender with Bestia the Beast The common translation translateth amisse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the eight Beast For there are not eight Beasts but eight Kings the seventh of which is this Beast The pronoune relative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee seemeth in this place to be a demonstrative as sometime also else where he is the eight King that is the eight King Also the whole antecedent member of the senteÌ„ce maketh the supposite of the verbe substaÌ„tive as though he should say The Beast which was and is not is both that eight Kinge and also is one of the seven This eight King is the same Pope after his dignity recovered from that maine overthrowe which the Barbarians did make when his wounded head wâ—â— câ—â—ed as in chap. 13.3 or when the Beast which is not did asceÌ„d from the bottomlesse pit as at the 8 verse of this chapter or when the second Beast arosâ— from the earth chap. 13.11 When Gregorie the second his next successours did appeare with two hornes Pipine and Charles the Great For we have shewed already before that all these things perteined to that third mutation But from whence then is this eight hath the Beast eight heads which even now were but seven In no wise but this eight is the same with the seventh of the same nature purpose soveraignty wherupon it is added and is one of those seven onely of a greater impiety blasphemy and sacrilege wherin he passeth the seventh The Popes in their beginning after Constantine were not so wicked as after Phocas But more lesse doo not distinguish the kinde Therfore the Pope revived is the eight most worthy of all to be pointed at with the finger and to be sayd that it is hee From which now the reason may be apparant why in chap. 13. one Antichrist is painted out by a double Beast to wit because he is the seventh King the eight ¶ And goeth into destruction To be destroyed utterly in his due time this last member is the fourth time of the Beast fetched from the general interpretation in ver 8. And so that which there is sayd was and is not and shall ascend out of of the bottomlesse pit and shall goe into destruction here is expressed in words some what divers so as to the first member these are answerable when he shall come to the second he must continue a short space to the third and he is the eight King and one of the seaventh the fourth is the same in both places Wherfore that which was spoken generally of the Beast wee may see perteineth to the speciall mutation of the seventh head Seing then this Beast is the seaventh King who should have the next place after him who bare rule in Iohn his time and the regiment of the Popes at Rome followed by and by that Heathen Empire by a second most sure demonstration wee have found out both Antichrist himselfe and also the time wherin he was borne Which that it may become the clearer may be proponded after this manner The seventh King succeeded next after the Heathen Emperours who made the sixt King reigning at that time when Iohn wrote ver 10. Five are fallen one that is the sixt is But Antichrist is the seventh King ver 10.11 Therfore Antichrist succeeded next the Heathen Emperours and seeing the Pope of Rome after the time of the Heathen Emperours is that seventh King as before we have manifested it followeth also necessarily that the Pope of Rome from the time of the Heathen EMPEROVRS is that chiefe Antichrist of whom the Scripture forewarne us so diligently and that the City of ROME from the same is the whore See now yee Iesuites from how necessary principles the argument proceedeth apply what engins you can to overthrow the same you shall doo more good then if you should bring ladders to conquer heaven But your things which you doo treate off concerning the time of Antichrist are divised are absurd and more foolish then any toyes as wee shall after declare 12 And the tenne hornes which thou sawest are ten Kings Thus farre touching the Heads Now followeth the Hornes which by their consent doo bring yet a more full light of time For by how much thinges are neerer togither they are so much the more clearer and the more perceived and observed Therfore to the end that that seventh head might become knoweÌ„ by more tokens and his first beginning more undoubted it is furnished with these hornes as it were with a certen pompe and company of servants by whose noise as it were we should be stirred up to regard his comming The Angel expoundeth these hornes to be tenne Kings which afterward are described of what sort they are both by their Kingdome in this verse and mind in verse 13. and the warre which they shall make verse 14. Their Kingdome is declared by a double or twofold time the first of it not yet received Who sayth he have not yet received a Kingdome The second of it received but they shall receive power at one houre with the Beast The first meeteth with a doubt wherby some body peradventure might thinke that these Kings reigned at the very same time in which Iohn wrote no saith he they reigne not yet but shall reigne shortly For otherwise the warning had bene superfluous if they should not come but about three yeeres and an halfe before the last day The second time exhibiteth yet a clearer knowledge of the thing by a certaine mutual bewaying which the hornes and the Beast doo one for an other They shall receive power as Kings at one houre with the Beast for so I translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the accusative case in which these words are taken some time for the space of time as these last have wrought but one houre Mat. 20.12 Also watch with me one houre