no Edict against them as Christians at the least none for the putting of them to death as the plea of S. Paul before Felix and Festus his appeal to Caesar which was at the beginning of Nero make it plain And accordingly we finde that when S. Paul came to Rome Act. 28. he preached there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all boldnesse or publicknesse and was not forbidden And at the writing of his Epistle to the Romans their faith saith he was famous in all the world Rom. 1. and he had oft desired to come to them Rom. 15. 22. and that for many years v. 23. And all this in Claudius's time before his going to Rome which argues also that this woman was not yet fled that is banish'd into the wildernesse And therefore of Nero it is Tertullian's phrase that he first dedicated persecution primum Neronem in hanc sectam ferociisse Nero was the first Emperor that persecuted Christian Religion V. 9. Great Dragon The Hebrews call Satan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the old serpent so again c. 20. 2. And the casting him out at this time is the prospering of the Christian faith consequent to this discomfiture of Simon Magus and the manifestation of the power of Christ So faith Arnobius 1. 2. Non distulerunt res patrias linquere veritati coalescere Christianae viderunt enim currum Simonis c. They delayed not to leave all their worldly possessions and to cleave to Christianity which was now under interdict For they saw Simons chariot and fiery horse dispelled by the breath of Saint Peter's mouth c. And as by this means the Heathens were converted to the faith by seeing the power of Peter so were the Gnosticks discomfited seeing their leader Simon destroyed V. 10. Accused them The accusation that Satan brings against sincere Christians appears by his dealing with Job c. 1. 9 11. to be to this effect that they are Hypocrites and will only serve God as long as he protects and defends them This it hereby appears that Satan looks on as the charge of all others most for his turn to bring against men and therefore that which he most desires to have truely said of them Now the chief doctrine of the sect of the Gnosticks the followers of this Simon who is called the first-born of Satan was this that in time of persecution it is lawful to denie and forswear Christ which was the very thing that the Devil laid to Job's charge and consequently all that were by him seduced into that doctrine Satan might justly accuse before God day and night as really guilty of that accusation But when the doctrine of the Guosticks and the professors of it were now cast out of the Church then this is here truly said that the accuser of the brethren that is of Christians is cast out that is Satan can no longer with any justice accuse the Christian Church or if he doe he is found to be a false accuser V. 16. The earth helped the woman The solemn notation of Judaea by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the land hath often been taken notice of and is very pertinent to this place the seditions that were raised there about this time of Nero's reign diverting the malice designed against the Christians and the same continued all the time of Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian and Titus and in all this space the Romans being wholly taken up about the Jews the heathen Emperors did nothing against the Christians till Domitian comes who is the subject of the Vision in the next Chapter CHAP. XIII 1. AND I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his head note a the name of blasphemy Paraphrase 1. And I was in the island Patmos upon the sea shore when I saw the vision that I am now to set down viz. concerning the execution of that â—designe of Satan of bringing persecution on the Christians at Rome ch 12. 17. And here the first thing I saw was a beast representing the heathen worship as it stood at Rome rising out of the sea as that is all one with the abysse or deep that is introduced among them by Satan see note on ch 11. c. and thriving and prospering by the strength and power of the Roman Emperors that heathen worship represented by this first beast and the Roman Empire by the seven heads either as seven Emperors ch 17. 10. or else as referring to the seven hills of Rome the seat of this Idol-worship usurping to its self that blasphemous title of being a Goddesse and the ten horns ten Kings noting those that complied with Rome in this deifying of their Emperors and in the rest of their Idol-worship viz. the many Kings that were by the Roman Emperor set over other places who therefore are said to have ten crowns 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard and his feet were as the feet of a bear and his mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him his power and his feat and great authority Paraphrase 2. And this Idolatrous heathen worship thus assisted by the power of the Empire began to be very cruel and cannot sufficiently be express'd by one cruel beast but having variety of all kinds of gods in it from which 't is represented by a speckled leopard it exercises all the cruelty both of bear and lion as was manifest by their persecutions of Christians And to the sustaining of this beast the Idolatrous heathen worship the Devil that laboured to destroy Christianity ch 12. 3. contributed all his power and skill did all that he could to hold it up by prodigies and by all other means 3. And I saw note b one of his heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondered after the beast Paraphrase 3. And though one prime Temple on one of the seven hills of Rome the most stately of all the rost and so call'd the Capitol from a Latin word signifying Head were burnt down by lightning and esteemed to be smitten by God from heaven and so Idolatry conceived to have received a fatal blow yet that was soon rebuilt by Domitian the Emperor of Rome and that gave a great confirmation to Idolatry among all that lived in the Roman dominions and took notice of it See note k. 4. And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast and they worshipped the beast saying Who is like unto the beast who is able to make war with him Paraphrase 4. And they worshipped the Devil who had thus upheld the heathen religion when the Jewish was destroyed resolving from hence that the God of Israel was not able to contend with their Devils nor his religion abole to maintain it self against their Idol-worship 5. And there was given unto him note c a
like him in holinesse and like him in blisse and that blisse shall consist in seeing of him as he is a fountain of all that is desirable to our natures 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Paraphrase 3. And whosoever hopes or depends on God for any such future state if he expect to receive it from him according to his manner of promising not absolutely but conditionally or indeed whosoever sets his heart on the vision of God a pure and blissful state not any sensual paradise but a spiritual state of blisse made up of sinlesnesse and purity will in all reason set a purifying here be a practising and aiming after that excellent copie that he may be capable of that perfect purity hereafter 4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law for sin is the transgression of the Law Paraphrase 4. Sin is a contrariety to the Law of God an act of disloyalty to our King and he that deliberately committeth any act of sin doth proportionably commit a rebellon and disloyalty against Christ 5. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin Paraphrase 5. And Christ both by his example being sinlesse never guilty of any act of sin and by all that he hath done and suffered for us hath designed this special end to himself to purifie our lives and cleanse us from all deliberate acts of sin 6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him Paraphrase 6. He that adhereth fast to him that as a member of his continueth in him falleth not indulgently or deliberately into any act of sin he that doth so disclaims all true knowledge of God is no Gnostick properly called or conversation with him 7. Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousnesse is righteous even as he is righteous Paraphrase 7. My young tender Christians let not the Gnosticks seduce you to your ruine he that continues in all righteous actions that actually performs the will of God and not onely in intention of mind and that through his whole course of life and if he fail therein returns again speedily by repentance this person and none but this is the Christian righteous man he and none else is accepted by God as righteous under the Gospel in like manner and proportion as Christ doing righteousnesse is said to be righteous upon that and not any other ground of denomination 8. He that note a committeth sin is of the devil for the devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil Paraphrase 8. He that deliberately committeth any act of known sin is in that or so farre an imitator of the devil for at the beginning soon after his creation he acted rebellion against God and hath done so ever since And to take off all men from following of him was the very designe of Christ's coming into the world 9. Whosoever is note b born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he note c cannot sin because he is born of God Paraphrase 9. Whosoever is a true child of God keeps himself strictly from all deliberate sin and the reason is clear because that principle of sonship that from whence he is said to be born anew or of God to wit his sincere resolute conversion to God if that continue to have any energic or life in him is directly contrary to and incompatible with the committing any sin and therefore he cannot thus sin because he is a child of God a regenerate person that is such sinning is unreconcileable with that state 10. In this the children of God are manifested and the children of the devil whosoever doth not righteousness note d is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother Paraphrase 10. This is the character of difference between pious and wicked regenerate and unregenerate men he that lives an impious and uncharitable life is no regenerate child of God's whatsoever he flatter himself of his state 11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another Paraphrase 11. For this of charity is the grand fundamental doctrine which was so often and so earnestly commanded by Christ when he was here on earth 12. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother And wherefore slew he him because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous Paraphrase 12. And how contrary is this to that emulation and maligning of those that are better then they which was the affection that put Cain on killing his brother and doth the like in the Gnosticks now abroad who hate and persecute all the orthodox Christians to death and can have no other quarrel to them but that their own works are evil and the others good 13. Marvel not my brethren if the world hate you Paraphrase 13. But this you pure Christians have no reason to wonder at if it prove to be your lot 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death Paraphrase 14. We know that we are regenerate Christians see note on Luc. 15. c. by our charity to other men which he that hath not is clearly an unregenerate unchristian person 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murtherer and ye know that no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him Paraphrase 15. The hating of others is by interpretation the killing of them because it is so in intention of heart did not some outward restraint curb it and he that is such is acknowledged by all men to be quite contrary to the Evangelical temper the regenerate state from the having spiritual life abiding in him which the Gnosticks that are so malitious doe yet so much talk of 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren Paraphrase 16. Christ's love to us was expressed in this that he was willing to incurre the utmost hazard even to venture his life to reduce us and agreeably Christian charity obligeth us to venture even our lives for other men after the manner and upon so noble a designe as Christ did that is to bring unto the Christian faith as the martyrs did any one or more enemies of Christ and so likewise in other cases proportionable to this 17. But who so hath this worlds good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Paraphrase 17. But how contrary to this is the practice of the world when rich men that have to spare for others have yet no compassion or charity to them which he that doth how can he be said to
were the first day and the last of the feast of Tabernacles the first and seventh of the feast of Unleavened bread and the day of Pentecost is by the Jews writing in Greek called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great day So it is rendred by the Greek Isa 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where we read calling of assemblies Hence is that of Tertull. cont Marci l. 5. Dies observatis c. Ye observe dayes among them he names jejunia dies magnos fasts and great dayes so Job 7. 37. the last day of the feast of Tabernacles which was a day of calling assemblies is there call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great day of the feast See Scal. proleg de Emend Temp. p. 7. 6. V. 35. Saw it This speech of this Evangelist and his so much care in the testifying of this fact from his own sight of it is an argument that he looked on it as a very weighty and considerable passage And so 1 Job 5. 6. he makes use of it as such This is he that came with water and blood not by water onely but by water and blood and v. 8. There be three that bear witnesse on earth the Spirit and the water and the blood and these three agree in one What the particular is wherein the weight of this passage lies will be worth considering And first it is ordinarily affirmed that there is a capsula on the left side of the heart called the pericardium wch hath water in it of continual use for the cooling of the heart and that the coming out of water with the blood here was a testimony of the wounding his very heart the entring of that iron the spear into his soul Against this others have framed an objection that it was not the left but the right side of Christ which was at this time wounded by the souldier and that the Arabick texts generally expresse it so see Kirstenius Arab. Gram. p. 5. and consequently that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the waters flowing out together with the blood could not be any natural effect of that wound But that objection is of little force for 1. such is the posture of the heart in the body rather in the middle then enclining to the left side and 2dly so great is that pericardium as Anatomists find especially after death when the water much encreaseth that if the right side were pierced so deep as to the heart it would send out water And therefore this may first be resolved that this being an evidence of the wounding of the heart and the Physicians Maxime being certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that is wounded in the heart must certainly die and Sanantur nullâ vulnera cordis ope wounds in the heart are absolutely incurable this flowing of water with the blood was an evidence and demonstration of his being truely dead this one wound being sufficient to secure that if he had not been dead before v. 33. and so the confutation of most Hereticks of the first ages which affirmed him to have suffered death onely in appearance But beside this another conclusion S. John in his Epistle is willing to draw from it viz. that believing Jesus to be the son of God is an effectual means of overcoming the world 1 Joh. 5. 5. for to the proving of that it is that this observation is made use of by him This is he that came with water and blood v. 6. And that argument lies thus The baits or temptations which the world useth are of two sorts allurements of carnall pleasures and terrors from apprehension of persecutions the Gnosticks at the time of his writing that Epistle made use of both these to seduce the Orthodox Christians the all kind of carnall pleasures which they profess'd was one bait and the persecutions from the Jewes upon the Orthodox Christians which the Gnosticks by complying with them avoided was the other temptation Against these two S. John sets up purity and patience as the two prime doctrines and commands of Christ which every true beleever is strictly concerned in exemplified by himself who was 1. pure and sinlesse and yet 2 ly suffered death the death of the crosse and most lively adumbrated by the water and blood which he had observed to come from Christs side in this place The water that was the embleme of all spotlesse purity and the blood was the evidence of his fortitude and constant patience laying down his life for the truth of God and these two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testifie and declare the necessity of these two and so of overcoming the world in every one that believes aright in Christ And whereas 't is there added that the Spirit testifies also and that the Spirit i. e. the Spirit as a witnesse i. e. the testimony of the Spirit agrees in one with these two i. e. with the testimonies of the water and blood that is thus to be interpreted not only that the Spirit coming down on Christ who was after crucified by the Jewes did testifie that he was the beloved son of God in whom he was well pleased i. e. perfectly innocent though he suffered for sinne but also that the Spirit after the resurrection of Christ coming on the Apostles came as Christs advocate to defend him and convince the world both in that action concerning righteousnesse proving that Christ was a most innocent and righteous person and that other concerning judgment in punishing and retaliating his crucifiers the Jewes and Satan himself destroying their kingdome for their destroying of him see Note on c. 16. a Beside this importance of the water and blood the ancients have observed another also that by a speciall act of Gods providence there flowed at this time from Christs side the two Sacraments of his Church Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. V. 37. They shall look on him whom This is one of the places in which as also Rev. 1. 7. the Evangelist quotes the testimony of the Old Testament not from the Septuagint but from the Hebrew text For in the place of Zach. 12. 10. the Septuagint or Greek translators read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reading it seems 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the mistake of the two letters which are so like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V. 40. Linen cloths 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hesychius signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by him rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a band or swath so ch 20. 7. and so the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the story of Lazarus c. 11. 44. which word is by Grammarians derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mors and so signifies peculiarly those swathes that belong to dead men wherein their whole body was wound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Nonnus In relation to which it is that Act. 5. 6. they are said to wind
are here named distinctly in the following verses first the power of working signs ver 14. secondly of giving breath to the image of the beast ver 15. For that is the denotation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in those two and very ordinary in other places It was given to him that is Power was given to him or he had power see Luk. 1. Note p. Now the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signs doth acknowledgedly denote miracles and so it is specified ver 13. He dth great signs so that he makes fire come down from heaven c. and so that is the first horn of this second beast the Magicians and Sorcerers power of working some prodigies like unto those that Christ the lamb himself and in his Apostles afterwards had wrought resembling them but not truly such false deceitfull miracles And for the power of giving breath to the image of the beast that is express'd in the next words to be the enabling the image of the beast to speak which clearly denotes the receiving responses from the Devil or the Devils giving of Oracles foretelling things to come which is another imitation of what the Lamb or Christ had done who left the power of prophecie in his Church after his Ascension as he saith of the Paraclete he shall shew you things to come and as S. Paul saith Ephes 4. 11. that for the founding and confirming a Church Christ gave some Apostles some Prophets c. V. 13. Maketh fire come down The first of these horns or powers being shew'd to be the power of miracles wrought by the Magicians through the power of the Devil contains under it all the deceitfull wonders wrought by Sorcerers in those times and the strangest of all these that were by any of them pretended to was this of making fire descend from heaven in imitation of Elias as Jannes and Jambres did by their magick some miracles after Moses And this is particularly related by Philostratus of Apollonius Tyaneus l. 5. c. 5. that he called down fire from heaven And this is a signal evidence that these Sorcerers were this second beast V. 14. Make an image to the beast The designe of these Sorcerers to advance Heathenisme by that means and to oppose Christianity and the successfulnesse of their attempt so far as to incense the Emperors against the Christians and to engage them to favour and encourage Heathenisme or Idolatry is sufficiently known in story and appears by that book of Hierocles to which we have Eusebius's answer though the book it self be not extant wherein he compares Christ and Apollonius the Evangelists the writers of Christs story and Philostratus the writer of Apollonius's life and preferres Apollonius and Philostratus very much before the other And this is the meaning of ver 12. he did all the power of the first beast before him that is he confirmed men in the belief and practice of all the heathen worship which was then a-foot and as it follows makes all the inhabitants of the land that is the generality of the Roman Empire to worship the first beast whose wound had been cured that is to continue those heathen worships of Jupiter Capitolinus and the like which seemed to have been shaken by the burning but were setled again by the re-edifying of the capitol And not only so but as here 't is added he saith to the inhabitants of the land that is commands them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword and lived That that beast which hath the stroke of the sword and yet lived is the beast v. 1. one of whose heads was wounded to death and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mortal wound all one here with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stroke of the sword was cured is manifest and that hath been cleared to denote the heathen worship as it then stood at Rome the prime part of which was the worship of Jupiter Capitolinus The only difficulty then is what is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 image of this beast And first it may signifie the inventing and introducing of some other heathen worships or temples besides those yet agreeable and like unto those which they had already And to that sense may be applied what we read of Domitian his adding of new Deities and erecting Flavia templa Flavios Sacerdotes of which saith Martial l. 8. Epigr. 80. Sic nova dum condis renovas Auguste priora Debentur que sunt quaeque fuere tibi Whilst he built new temples and re-edified the former both were to be acknowledged due to him what now are and where were before But there is one objection against this interpretation viz. that as this second beast Sorcery or the Magicians is said at the beginning of the verse to deceive those that dwell on the land so this beast saith to the inhabitants of the land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should make the image And there is no reason to think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inhabitants of the land should denote Domitian the Emperor What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies we have oft explained not the earth but the land that is the whole region or dominion and that to be defined by the Context While the discourse was about the Jewes there it signified constantly Judaea and the rest of the Tetrarchies all Palaestine and now in this chapter see Note b. the discourse is about the Romans it must by analogie signifie the whole Roman Empire as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world which sometimes signifies Palaestine elsewhere signifies the Roman Empire see Note on Mat. 24. e. And consequently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inhabitants on the land will signifie ver 7 and here the Princes and people of the other regions within the compass of the Roman Dominion and then most probably the meaning of the verse will be that by the deceits of these Magicians Apollonius c. who as Philostratus makes it evident went about all the regions and did their wonders and drew men after them the people of all those countries were perswaded to admit the like worships and build the like Temples to those in the Capitol at Rome which may be meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wonder after the beast see Note b. that is to receive universally the worship of Jupiter and to build Temples to him As for the conceit that Achilles's ghost which Apollonius in Philostratus is said to have raised should be the image of the beast here or that the image of Apollonius himself which his scholars appointed to be worshipped should be it there are many inconveniences which lie against either of those interpretations This which we have set down is the most simple and agreeable to the Context V. 15. Life That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies breath not life is sufficiently known and consequently to give breath must be to