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A57095 The Revelation reveled By two apocalyptical treatises. Shewing. I. How neer the period of the time is, wherein the mysterie of God shall bee fulfilled. II. What things are already fulfilled, and what shall shortly follow thereupon, as they are foretold in the Revelation. Translated out of High-Dutch. With an introductorie preface, shewing that besides the accomplishment of the particular historical events, spoken of in the Revelation, which are com, ... there is a deeper mysterie, and matter of more necessarie and profitable knowledg, to bee reflected upon in the words of this prophesie; whereof also a summarie and a key, ... to bee thought upon by all the Godlie-wise in the three nations. Dury, John, 1596-1680.; Hartlib, Samuel, d. 1662. 1651 (1651) Wing R1190A; ESTC R220789 91,312 257

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the beginning of this book in the place forementioned chapter 1. vers 3. and in the end thereof chapter 22. vers 7. 14 the promise of blessedness is made to another kinde of studie then this and the name and scope of the whole Prophesie which is the Revelation of Jesus Christ and a record of the testimonie of Jesus Christ chap. 1. vers 1 2. doth import to mee somthing more then what is in the outward visible events which everie rational man who can read Histories and understand Symbolical speeches is able to take notice of and discern to bee fulfilled as they were foretold therefore although to manifest the Truth of God the events are very useful if not necessarie to bee look't after yet I am cleer that they are neither useful to us nor necessarie to bee known but as they are subordinate unto this Mysterie of the Kingdom and Testimonie of Christ the knowledg and keeping of which doth give us a right unto the tree of life and an entrie thorow the Gates into the Citie This then is the Mysterie which I look after viz. to finde the Manifestation of the spiritual Kingdom of Christ in the Nature of man and in humane societies so advanced that the works of the Devil are destroied therein and that the salvation of Israël doth there by effectually com out of Sion to bring back the captivitie of the people of the Lord and to make the whole Creâtion partaker of the glorious libertie of the Sons of God for to shew unto the eie of our Faith by what means and waies this is to bee brought to pass in the Regenerate souls of men and by the state of Regeneration in the outward societies and professions of believers I conceiv the visions were mainly sent unto the Prophet and that it was his principal aim by describing of them to declare this unto us if then by the representation of bare outward events wee are not made capable of partaking this Mysterie whereby Christ beeing apprehended in his testimonie doth becom in us the hope of glorie all our discoveries will bee of no great advantage unto our happiness nor shall wee reach the aim which the Holie Ghost had i● sending this Prophesie unto us wee must therefore consider what the keie is whereby the secret of that dispensation which bring 's with ● felicitie doth stand is opened ● shall now briefly till God gran● a fitter opportunitie to bee larger touch this matter onely to let yo● know that as the keie of the Historical Mysterie of the visions is the discoverie of Paralel events by Syncronisms and the understanding of the Symbolical speeches of the Scripture wherein the harmonie between the great and little world is expressed So the keie of the spiritual Mysterie of the visions must be● the discoverie of the paralel perfections which are found to bee between Christ as the head and the Church as the Bodie which is the fulness of him that fi●leth all in all and the understanding of the harmonical properties of things visible and invisible wherein the correspondencie between the outward and inward man the temporarie and eternal natures of things and the state of true life as it is present in the first fruits and as it is to com in the full harvest are expressed Now to finde these keies as they are properly fitted to open the locks of this Prophesie as it should bee our studie so when wee have found them our care must bee to use them discreetly This Prophesie is not shut in respect of the matter but yet that matter is not obvious to the capacitie of everie one in respect of the manner of the dispensation for it is certain that all the counsel of God whereby wee are made partakers of the Divine nature if weelook upon the substance of the Truth it is made manifest by the Gospel without vail and with much plainness of speech as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3. vers 6. till the end of the chapter but here the wonderful waie and manner of dispensing of that nature to the Church and working out the counsel of God in all the world as this world is to bee made subordinate to Christ and his Saints is laid open in the Apocalyptical visions which although they are not covered with anie vail which doth hide the glorie of God's work as Moses's face was yet they represent it onely to us as in a glass with Images wherein the face of Christ doth appear by waie of reflexion and through a medium till wee com to behold directly his glorie face to face without á medium and to apprehend him in it so as wee are apprehended by him wee may not then call those visions dark Mysteries without injurie to the Spirit of Christ but they are livelie figures of the truth of God's presence in his Saints and over the world to represent it to those that have eies to see it and to help our weak eie-sight which may bee dazled at the resplendencie of the glorie thereof wee should make use of the prospective waies which are offered unto us in the word elswhere which are applyable to these visions either as keies to unlock the dispensation of the Mysterie conteined therein or rather as directing and multiplying glasses throug 〈…〉 which our understanding may bee led and enlarged to reflect upon the spiritual objects properly so called which concern the state 〈…〉 the Kingdom which is inwardly everlasting i● it self and to the Reasonings of men invisible and incomprehensible Now the prospective waies to bee made use of for the discoverie of this Mysterie are of two sorts som relate unto the Matter it self conteined in the visions som to the dispensation of that matter by waie of vision the waies relating to the matter it self are the cleer and universal Rules of Scriptural and Prophetical interpretation and the waies relating to the dispensation of the Mysterie by waie of vision are the special rules of Interpretation leading us to take notice of the peculiar characters and circumstances of each vision as they are subordinate unto the Mysterie of the Kingdom which is administred by ●esus Christ unto the end and in the end of this world If I should enter upon these Subiects at large you may perceiv that I would bee obliged to write not a brief epistolical discours as now my purpose is but a whole Treatise therefore I shall onely give you the summarie heads of that which might and somtime must bee more ●argely spoken to that by the hints which shall God willing bee suggested you may exerciseyour thoughts to dive into the Mysterie by ●our self as the Lord shall guid you for none of us can profit in these things any further then God's Spirit doth lead us forth to meditate ●hrough faith upon Christ and to improve practically our talents about the work of the Mysterie of our union with him Thus then in reference to the matter the universal Rules of Prophetical
thereunto WHen I do reflect loving friend upon the passages of Mr Comeniu'ss Letter which hee write's unto you when hee sent you this little Treatise upon the Revelation and consider withal what God's waie is at present in the earth both towards us and other Nations and what the Contents of this book do intend to make out unto those that read it with attention I am much inclined to believ that God doth intend some special advantage to his Church by the publication thereof and that it is an effect of his good Providence towards us to have it put at this time into our hand Therefore let mee discours a little with you about it that not onely the desire of our common friend who doth engage us to this publication of the Treatise and the declaration of our Judgment concerning the same may receiv som satisfaction when wee shall have occasion to write unto him but that others to whom this shall bee imparted may have also occasion to laie the matter thereof more seriously to heart then otherwise perhaps they would intend to do As for M r Comeniu's Letter which doth give mee this opportunitie to discours with you upon this Subject the words thereof concerning this matter are these My Son in Law hath been away these two weeks beeing sent to Wa●saw and to Brieg hee bring 's no news but terrors by reason of the Peace which is to bee feared will afford nothing but new tortures to the consciences of those that are deserted by it and excluded from it Nor are the forerunners hereof wanting Behold here I impart unto you these Germane Treatises concerning the Periods of the Revelation-times drawing to an end God grant they may not bee lost nor fall into other hands but upon this condition that you shall let us know your Judgment thereof for to this effect hee that is the autor of them caused them to bee communicated unto us that whoëver should read should also judg and censure I have heard a little while ago of this book that it is the true Revelation of the Revelations and that which will bee most comfortable if hee hath hit right is that wee are so near the terme prefixed I praie you communicate this to your men if yet you have anie Joseph Medes amongst you but it must first bee translated into English Thus much hee from Lissa in Poland where most of the exiled Bateman's have had their residence since the time of their banishment And in these words I take notice not onely of the opinion which som among them have of this book in approving of it and of the Autor's Modestie and Ingenuitie who sent it to him in concealing his own name and submitting it to the censure of others that by the communion of Saints the measure of light which God hath given to everie one may becom serviceable unto all but chiefly of the good hand of Providence reaching forth this Treatise unto them at this time for it is a manifest demonstration of the Fatherlie care of God over them to support their hearts in their approaching trials that they may not faint under the burden thereof It is a true saying of the Apostle whereunto the experience of all Saints in all ages doth bear witness That God is faithful who will not suffer us to bee tempted above what wee are able but will with the temptation also make a waie to escape that wee may bee able to bear it And as this is a truth in God's waie towards particular Saints in their several occasions so wee may conclude that in the universal dispensation of trials towards the whole Bodie of his Church his cours will not bee different but altogether consonant unto this promise that as the sufferings of christ abound in the Church which is his Bodie so the consolations of the church shall also abound in christ who is her head So that if the trials whereunto particular Saints are put shall bee found unto prais and honor and glorie at the appearing of Jesus Christ far more shall this bee verified of the whole Congregation and general assemblie of the Holie ones whose names are written in Heaven I look then upon this book which doth open to the Bohemian exiled and Germane Churches the counsel of God foretold so long ago in the Revelation and now shortly to bee accomplished as a special cordial sent unto them from heaven in their present affliction and to support their hearts against the approaching visitation wherewith God's Providence will farther visit those parts before hee make an end of his work amongst them And that it is now also at this juncture of time sent from thence unto us to mee it doth fignifie that which is very considerable in several respects which I shall briefly point at before I com to speak of the Treatise it self First then wee may observ from hence that the same spirit who doth rais the exspectation of the Saints in these parts doth also work the like thoughts elswhere as it is observable that about the time of Christ's comming in the flesh there was much waiting for the consolation of Israël and looking for the Redemption of Jerusalem as Luke doth intimate chapter 22. vers 25. 33. So it is now worth our consideration that there is more then an ordinarie looking out for the accomplishment of the promises wherein the Revelation of 1. To confirm us in the exspectation of the fulfilling of the Apocalyptical promises Jesus Christ hath caused us to hope You know that som moneths ago one came of purpose as he said out of Germanie through the Low-Countries into this Citie to make enquirie whether anie were here who did look after the fulfilling of the Revelation his design by this enquirie was that som ground of communication and good intelligence might bee enterteined amongst us for the better understanding of God's waies and the observation of his footsteps in working out his great work for the Churches and to this effect hee left som books here with him whom you know and since his return into the Low-Countries hee hath by Letters promised a further communication with us upon that Subject in the name of his Collegue Thus wee have had a call both from Germanie and Poland to entertein these thoughts is for the Low-Countries you know that there are manie there whose eies are opened to look this waie and in France I know som thoughnot so manie as elswhere whose heads are lifted up becaus their deliverance is at hand Not do wee Christians onely exspect shortly som great change of affairs but even the Jews almost everie where are also made sensible of the approaching change of their condition So that seeing there is an universal concurrence of thoughts towards this object wee may rationally conclude that the Lord is hastening to finish his work in righteousness and becaus it is apparent that on all sides the enemie is about to lift himself up like a flood wee may
our lawful Calling which is our white ●●ors and with an holie blameless personal ●onversation towards all men which is our ●ne linnen white and clean for herein doth ●●ie our whole strength and what application soëver wee make to other weapons which the powers of darkness can make ●se of aswel as wee they will but weaken ●s and in the encountring with the In●abitants of the earth wee shall finde ●●em stronger at those weapons then wee ●n bee so that by such means I exspect ●ot that they shall fall before us although ●●r victories bee never so great therefore 〈…〉 for mine own part till I can perceiv ●●at wee who pretend to bee in the first ●●nk of the Lamb's followers can make ●●tter use of these spiritual weapons then therto wee have don and can in the ●ommunion of Saints join our forces ●●gether otherwise then now wee do 〈…〉 imitate the Captain of our Salvation I shall bee a man of no great exspectation yet becaus I believ that these things shall com to pass and that by the armor of light the Children of light will at last prevail therefore I do speak and because I both believ and speak therefore I am no● inclined to make haste as som who take the shadows of their own conceits for the substance of Christ's Kingdom a●● inclined to do for this caus although 〈…〉 will not contradict the appearances o● Hopes which the autor of this Treati●● doth give unto the Protestant Caus to rise within a few years in a considerable Posture against Poperie yet I must take l●●● to confess that although the splendor o● the Whore and her influence upon th● Kings of the Earth and the power of the Papal Sea as it is Hierarchical were utter●● consumed and abolished by the brightnes● of Christ's appearing in the Spirit on th● one hand and by the hatred of the whore Lovers and the turning of their hearts ● gainst her on the other hand yet that t●● war with the beast aud with the fals Prophet and with the Kings of the Eart● shall continue and that the beast and th● ●als Prophet with the Kings of the earth will bee found to have their friends not onely amongst those who are called Papists but even amongst those that are most ●erce enemies to Poperie and count themselvs the best of Christians and reformed Protestants It is one thing to bee no friend ●● the State and predominant power and ●●aftiness of the Whore as shee appear's ●●om without and in another place at a 〈…〉 istance from us and another thing it is 〈…〉 renounce the beastlie nature and the de●eitfulness by which wee are led to embrace the Image the mark the name and 〈…〉 e number of the name of the Beast within ●ur selvs that is for our own interest and ●e concernments of flesh and blood I ●o not finde in the last battel the Whore ●amed at all I finde onely as leaders of ●he partie opposite to Christ the Beast and ●he Kings of the earth which I take to bee ●he Beast with his horns for the Horns which are in the heads of the Beast are the Kings of the Earth which ●ake use of the Bodie of the ●east and of her strength and ●re made use of by the heads of the Beast to war against the Lamb and I finde that these horns although they fight against the Lamb yet that they are not alwayes friends with the Whore and for their own interest 's sake not onely rob her of her ornaments but feed upon her flesh although for a season whiles it was their supposed advantage they suffered her to ride upon them aud govern them with the bridle of her autoritie but when shee is cast off from the beast's back the Beast and his horns are as strong as ever and more fit to fight in their brutal waie against the Lamb then before I believ therefore that the Whore as shee is alreadie little considerable in comparison of what shee hath been may vanish and bee made desolate by her own beastlie complices before the last battel but I believ not that wee shall have anie great earthlie Potentates at all ever to appear for the Lamb in this battel but that they shall all join alwayes with the beastlie nature of men against the Lamb-like holie nature of the Saints to discountenance to oppose and to destroie it but wee have a promise that although the two Witnesses of the Lamb shall bee killed by the Beast when they have finished their prophesying in Sackcloth yet that the Lamb when hee shall com in his own appearance with more witnesses then two or three even with a whole armie of witnesses not in Sackcloth upon earth but in their fine linnen white and clean and upon their white horses in their spiritual emploiments as Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven following their leader against the powers of the earth when I saie the Lamb shall ●om thus attended the promise is that the Beast and all his horns shall bee over●om by him for there is no power in the world able to resist the united strength of the holie ones and the dints of the sword which hath two edges which ●eeing able to divide between the soul and the Spirit and to discern the ●ubtilest thoughts and the deceitfullest ●ntents of the beastlie heart of man it shall ●ndoubted slaie them therefore although ● finde not the fals Prophet here menti●ned as active in leading on the war whereunto certainly for the contrivance of it on the Beast's part hee cannot bee wanting yet hee is found to bee taken prisoner with the Beast and with him cast into the Lake which burneth with fire and Brimstone The Whore and the fals Prophet are cleerly distinct Mysteries and have their several waies of Acting though with a concurrence for so long as the Mysterie of the Whore doth last which the fals Prophet who is the intellectual subtiltie of the Serpent's nature in man as the Beast is his brutish sensualitie and strength fed with prosperitie and delicacies did beget and set upon the beast's back the said fals Prophet doth make use of her that by her baits and allurements hee may draw the Inhabitants of the earth to drink out of the cup of her fornications but when prosperitie and delicacies ceas by reason of the Phials of God's wrath upon the Beast and the distress of Nations then shee is not of use any more but the fals Prophet which begat her will to serv the Beast's interest destroie her also and will bee active in another waie against the Lamb without her And thus I conceiv the battel will bee or is alreadie formed on the side of the beastlie partie which fight 's onely to maintein the interest of flesh and blood which is self-greatness and the conveniences of pleasure with all outward force and deceit against the interest of the Spirit which is self-denial and the conveniences of serving others in the Kingdom of Christ
Rider the woman sitting upon the Beast which John seeth in a vision Chapter 13. vers 3. doth govern the civil State in the divided Romane Empire as the Beast with ten horns and this is the seventh sort of Government and withal the Ecclesiastical Popish Government also which is the eighth sort But becaus the Woman sit's up on the Beast and both doth make one Complexum or a Rider And the Woman doth after her pleasure ride and govern the Beast therefore both the last forms of the Romane Common-wealth the Ecclesiastical and Political Government in Poperie are counted for One wherefore the Angel saith The eighth is of the seven Whence wee conclude that by the Beast which ascended out of the bottomless pit is understood the Popish Ecclesiastical Government which useth the Temporal sword and the power of worldlie Potentates as a Rider maketh use of the power and and strength of his hors Of this Beast is said here that it shall make war against the two witnesses and shall overcom them and kill them That is there shall bee in the Romane Empire a persecution set a foot against the Evangelical Protestants by the instigation of the Pope and the Prelats towards the end of the appointed time in the last sixtie years from the one thousand five hundred ninetie fifth until the one thousand six hundred fiftie fifth year The two Witnesses shall bee overcom and killed That is they shall bee removed and thrust out of all Ecclesiastical and Political Offices and imploiments Vers 8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great Citie which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified Here is the place described where the persecution shall happen It is not an universal persecution which goe's throughout the whole Romane Empire but a particular Act becaus the dead bodies of the two Witnesses do not lie in all the streets but onely in One in the street of the great Citie By the great Citie is understood the Citie of Rome of which the Angel saith in the 17. chapter vers 18. The Woman which thou sawest is that great Citie which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth Which is called in the 14. chapter vers 8. Babylon the great Citie And that by Babylon is meant the Citie of Rome is granted by the Jesuits themselvs as Blasius Viegas in cap. 17. Apoc. sect 3. Remacius de Vaulx in Harpocrate divino part 1. fol. 235. Bellarm. lib. 2. Pontif. Rom. c. 2. lib. 3. c. 5. But by the Citie with the streets is the whole Romane Popish Empire set forth as it is elswhere compared unto a Beast with ten horns chap. 13. and 17. and unto the Sea with rivers and fountains Chapter 16. Compare also Luc. 14. vers 21. 23. The Citie of Rome is called spiritually that is the Citie of Rome or the Romane Papacie Is among the Hebrews especially the Prophets to bee called signifieth as much as to bee and that in a singular high manner and waie as appeareth by Isaiah chapter 1. vers 26. chapter 7. vers 14 chapter 9. vers 6. chapter 56. vers 7. chapter 60. vers 14. chap. 26. vers 4. Ierem. 3. vers 17. chap. 23. vers 6. Ezech. 48. vers 35. Zach. 6. vers 12. chap. 8. vers 3. Finkius Can. 49. Cent. 11. Spiritually that is Mystically in a mysterious sens and resemblance Another Sodom becaus of their Paederastia and other horrible Sodomitical Abominations and sins which not onely are committed but commended there As Sleidan lib. and Balaeus in Catalogo do write concerning Ioannes de la Cata Archbishop of Benevent that hee published in print a Treatise to commend Sodomie so that this is fully agreeable to that which the Prophet Isaiah saith chap. 3. vers 9. The shew of their countenance doth witness against them and they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not Shee is another Egypt becaus of the great blindness and hardness of heart as also becaus of the Tyrannie and grievous bondage wherewith shee doth afflict the people of God driving and compelling them to a slavish servitude of Poperie Shee is also a true likeness of Ierusalem becaus shee like the Iews doth despise God and his word killeth the Prophets nay refuseth to hear and to receiv the Son of God himself blaspheming calumniating persecuting and crucifying him in his members as by experience is cleerly seen And their dead bodies shall lie in the street These words are spoken as it were with som amazement abruptly and without the concluding word to make up the sens The dead bodies of the Witnesses in this street But which street A Citie hath manie streets and so hath the papal State which is here called the great Citie having under it manie streets and Kingdoms in subjection those wee must reflect upon to discover where such wars and persecutions in these years from the one thousand five hundred ninetie fifth of our Lord are hapned Three principal streets or Kingdoms hath the Oriental Antichrist the Truth in his subjection hee hath not used anie such persecution against the Christians in his Dominions Seven are under the Occidental Antichrist In Italie France Spain and the British Kingdoms no such remarkable persecution did happen within this time nor also in Poland The attempt which was made in Prussia in the one thousand five hundred ninetie fifth year of our Lord was of no long continuance What came to pass in Hungarie and Transylvania in the year one thousand six hundred two and som following was quieted by the Putshkeyish insurrection and cannot bee referred to this The tenth Horn yet remain's Germanie or the Germane Empire which in the whole Beast or Empire cannot bee counted otherwise but one horn and a Kingdom by it self in the whole bodie of the fourth Monarchie This is the principal street in the great Citie the principal horn of the Beast the principal Kingdom in the fourth Monarchie whose head is represented by the Citie of Rome This Germane Empire is here called the street per excellentiam becaus it is the principal street in the Empire which doth appear hence 1. By reason it is called the Romane Empire 2. By reason it is as it were a figure and Image of the old Romane Empire having seven heads in regard of the seven Princes Electors and ten Provinces in respect of the ten Circles into which it is distributed 3. By reason that the head of the Germane Empire hath still the name of a Romane Emperor and hath the the preeminencie above all other Kings adhering to the Papal State Now in this street wee must seek the warr and wee shall also finde it if wee consider what is passed from the one thousand fiue hundred ninetie fifth year until this present hour against the true Professors of the Gospel The Pope indeed hath from the beginning of the Reformation which hapned by Doctor Luther alwaies aimed at this how hee might wholly