Touching the Canonicall authority of the Revelation NOw by these things the divine Authority of the Booke doth necessarily follow For if the Apostle Iohn be the Author the Divine and Canonicall Authority cannot justly bee questioned For the Apostles writings are Apostolicall Besides the Author doth againe and againe testifie that he received his Revelation from Christ and wrote the same by the Augels command This also the testimony of the Ancient Church confirmeth Concil Ancyran in appendice For the Revelation is alledged under the name of John and as Canonicall Scripture by the most ancient Councell of Ancyra which was before that of Nice also in the Councell of Carthage III. Can. 47. and some others following The Revelation also hath bin alwayes of Canonicall authority with the Greeke and Latine Fathers although certaine Graecians before Dionysius Alexandrinus did some what scruple the same as of old some of the Latine Church had their doubts touching the Epistle to the Hebrews because it did seeme to favour Novatus as Ierome writeth unto Dardanus But the scruple of one or a few of the Ancients can no more disanull the authority of any Canonicall Book of Scripture then the scruple of a few now can doe And howsoever Luther in his first Edition of the New Testament in the Germane tongue Published anno 1526. Sixtus Senensis Biblioth Ribera in Apoc. Prooem cap. 1. did not reckon the two latter Epistles of Iohn the Epistles also of Iames and Iude among the Apostolicall and Canonicall Scriptures Not indeed as some Papists write because he could not beare those words Chap. 14.13 Blessed are the dead c. because their workes follow them which verily doe notably overthrow their fiction of the Soules of the Saints going into Purgatory but rather because he thought that such obscure Visions and Figures were not so well agreeable unto the light of the New Testament notwithstanding in another Edition Anno 1535. hee speaketh more liberally in the Preface touching these Bookes neither do they who at this day are called Lutherans any longer question the Canonicall authority of the Revelation Alcas Vestig nota 2. Prcoem For our part we did not judge the Revelation was therefore to bee received that we might abuse the darke and obscure sayings of the Booke to vomit out the venom of our malice against the Pope of Rome as that upstart Interpreter before mentioned hath begun to calumniate us but because the reasons before laid down and many more do confirm our beliefe and because by the Revelation we are manifestly taught that that son of perdition lifting himselfe up against whatsoever is called God and sitting in the Temple of God as if he were God is no other but that Capitoline Iove even to this day treading down all powers under his feet But a man might justly wonder that Popish Writers do not tremble at the very sight of this Booke and how they are not afraid to explicate the Prophesie by their Commentaries Why Papists write Commentaries upon the Revelation but that the thing it selfe speaketh they chiefly doe it seeing they can neither wholly extinguish it nor keepe it any longer from the people at least to deprave the oracles thereof by their false Interpretations the which notwithstanding they labour for in vaine seeing it is as cleare as the Sun at Noon day that under the Image of the Beast and False-Prophet seducing the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the whorish woman committing fornication with the Kings of the Earth and of the great Citie on seven hils ruling over the Kings of the Earth is represented the Monarchicall and Papall Sea of Rome and under the Image of Locusts the innumerable vermine of the Clergy and Monkes under the Type of Merchandize which no man Antichrist beeing discovered shall buy any more are set forth Romish Indulgences and buying and selling of Soules c. CHAPTER III. Of the obscurity of the Booke What it is and whence with the remedies of the same AUGUSTINE writing of the darkenesse of the Revelation saith Lib. 20. de C. D. ca. 17 In this Booke which is named a Revelation are contained many darke things that the Readers mind might be exercised and in it are a few things by the clearnesse whereof the rest with labour may be sought out chiefly because it so repeateth the same things after a diverse manner that whereas it may seeme to speake of different matters by diligent search we shall find that they are the selfe same things diversly expressed And JEROM Tom. 3. ad paul Ep. 1. In the Revelation saith he is shewed a Booke sealed with seven Seales which though thou give it to a man that can rend to read it he will answer thee I cannot it is sealed And afterward The Revelation of Iohn hath as many Sacraments as words I have said but little in regard of the worth of the Booke It is beyond all praise In every of the words are hid manifold understandings So indeed it is for the sharpnesse of mans wit is blinder then beetles in the true understanding as of other divine Scripture so of this also unlesse it be enlightned by the beames of the Holy Ghost but the causes of this obscurity are plain First the whole Booke is Propheticall touching future things Write The causes of the darknesse of the Revelation saith the Angell the things thou hast seene which are and which shall be afterward But future things as future because they are not in any sense are either altogether unknowne or being foreknown are conceived not so much by the understanding as in hope Adde That these future things are not declared by plaine words The difference of Visions neither defined by notes or markes of times places and persons but are revealed unto Iohn and so written in darke and aenigmaticall Visions It is true many Visions in Scripture were plaine as set before the eyes of the mind or bodie Dan. 5.5 1. Kin. 6.17 Exod. 3.2 Act. 10.11 Act. 23.11 so King Belshazzar saw a hand writing upon the plaister of the wall Elisha saw fiery Charrets round about him and Moses the bush burning before him Peter a sheet with foure-footed Beasts let downe from Heaven unto the Earth Paul saw the Lord standing by him in the night c. In these there was no great difficultie But there are other Visions more intricate when the Images or Representations signifying some secret thing are exhibited unto the minds of men either sleeping or awake the mysteries of which except they be revealed are so obscure as that they cannot be found out by the understanding of mortall man Of this kinde were the dreames of Pharaoh Nebuchadnezzar the Visions also of Ezechiel Daniel and Zacharie unto which we worthily may compare the Visions of the Revelation The secrets indeed of the aforesaid dreames God not onely revealed unto the singular benefit of them which dreamt the same but also would have them
make manifest for Iohn being banished in the â—le of Patmos began alreadie to feel the fury of Domitian And here the dream of such is refuted who binde the fulfilling of this prophesie to the last three years before the end of the world 4 Iohn to the seven Churches Those things being forespoken of which served to gain autority attention to this booke John dedicates the revelation to the seveÌ„ Churches of Asia wishing Grace and peace unto them By seven Andreas understandeth all the Churches Because in scripture the number seven is a number of perfection but because the seven Churches in Asia are as it were nominated by a marke to be knowen therefore I understand that it was purposely dedicated unto them not that the revelation belongeth not to others but because the first vision doth directly concerne them the rest generally belongs to the whole Church Of Asia He speaketh of Asia the lesser or that part of Asia Ptolo. lib. 5 geogra cap. 2. which is invironed from the East with both countries of Armenia from the west with the Aegean sea from the North with the Euxine sea from the south with the Mediteranian sea Here Iohn had planted seven Churches of note whereof that of Ephesus was the greatest but after he was banished the teachers carelesly performing their office he is commanded in the first vision to reprove admonish them of their duty Grace to you and peace be or be multiplied as in 1 Pet. 1 2 by a familiar salutation he seekes to gaine the good will of those whom he was afterwards more sharply to admonish The Apostolical salutation hath beene opened in the Epistle to the Romans and Corinthians Grace is that free favor of God from which doth flow all the mercies of God and every good thing which we enjoy The Glosse doth wel understand it of the free forgivenes of sins Peace the effect of Grace is the tranquillity and joy of the conscience Rom. 1.2 of which the Apostle speaketh being justified by faith we have peace with God The Hebrews by the word peace understand all maner of prosperitie and hence the Apostles in the beginning all most of all their Epistles doe not with out cause wish the same unto the faithful Which is and which was and which is to come It is manifest that this is a paraphrase of the name of God who alone is the author and giver of Grace peace But others do interpret it otherwise Some of the father alone from whom the Apostles generally desire grace to the Churches Rom. 1.7 Grace and peace be to you from God our father he is called which IS because he is from none but the beginning of the deity is from him And which was because he was before all time in eternitie And which is to come Iohn 5.12 because he wil come to judge the world by the son that the father is said to judge no man is to be referred to the immediate judgement For the father hath not so given over the judgement to the son as not to keepe the power of judging stil in his owne hand Others refer all to the person of the son For he is he which is because Christ is the same God with the father which was because the word was in the beginning and which is to come because he will come in the clouds to judgement vers 7. Others will have the three persons to be noted by three differences of time attributing the severall times to the severall persons that is which is to the father which was to the son and that which is to come to the holy Ghost his coming in to the Church by proceeding from the father the son so Andreas grace be to you peace from the Godhead which subsisteth in three persons To be short others thinke that God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentially described and doe apply all the words to every one of the persons for the father is he which is which was and which is to come so is the son and so is the holy Ghost What then all these expositions were right and godly if Iohn in these words had ended his prayer but he addeth and from the seven spirits and from Iesus Christ by which hee declareth that he directeth his prayer in the behalfe of the Churches to the holy Trinitie But not indeed in words commonly used yet such as are convenient to his purpose for the stile of this prophesie hath many things proper and excellent fitted to the argument of visions which not being observed by some interpreters they vainly wearie themselves and go astray For seldom the name of God or of the father or of the son or of the holy Ghost is found in the revelation in expresse words But John speaking of God useth for the most part propheticall descriptions Therefore this prayer is set downe in words agreeing to the excellent proprieties of this prophesie and in stead of the ordinarie forme of salutations used of the Apostles Rom. 1.7 as grace and peace to you from God our father and from the Lord Iesus Christ or the grace of the Lord Iesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Iohn useth this kind as more proper and secret Grace and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits and from Iesus Christ c. in which words the true God three in persons one in essence is described as the divine attribute and prayer of the Apostle doe plainly manifest Now I come to the particulars From him which is Thus he describeth the person of the father by attributes proper to the divine essence yet common to every one of the persons Hereupon Christ assumes the same to himself vers 7. which is a most evident argument of his divinity And it is a description of eternity including and exceeding the three differences of the time present past and to come that is from him which is was and shall bee the words which is to come being put for shall be as in that of John 16 13. He will shew you things to come Act. 18 21. that is things that shall be so I must keepe the feast that cometh in Jerusalem And it seemeth that he altogether intended here to expresse that name of God in Exodus Exod. 3.14 EHIEH I wil be from which cometh the name Jehovah in which word as Vatablus wel observeth the Hebrewes take notice of those three differences of time It serveth for the great comfort of the Church in that he prayeth for grace peace not simply from God the father but from him which is which was and which is to come who alwayes remaineth the same and with whom is no variablenes Iam. 1 17. nor shadow of turning Indeed in the world the Church hath experience of diverse changes but in God alone she findeth constant
eyes Secondly spirituall when we behold the appearances of things either a wake or a sleepe yet understand them not thus did Phurao Nebuchadnezar and Peter The third they call intellectuall that is when the minde being illuminated by the holy Ghost understands the mysteries of those things which are presented Thus Ioseph understood the vision of Pharao and Daniel that of Nebuchadnezar this Iohn saw the visions of the revelation in the spirit that is the holy Ghost gave him to understand them Others expound these words in the spirit as opposite to the being present in the body not as if such which saw visions in the spirit did not still retain their real bodies but being ravished they seemed for the present to themselves as out of the body even as Paul in the 2 Corinth 12 3 caught up to the third heaven knew a man in Christ whither in the body or out of the body he knew not This kind of visions is one of the gifts of the new Testament which Christ ascending up on high poured forth upō the Church according to the oracle in Ioel. Ioel 2.28 Your young men shal see visions c. yet was this not given to all but a special grace and bestowed onely on such as the Lord pleased Neither was it perpetual but ceased with the gift of miracles after the doctrine of the Gospel was sufficiently propagated and confirmed in the world and hence we must beware of such who now a days boast of visions Isay 8 20. Luk. 16 29. Ioh. 5 39. as if they were inspired but they are deceivers to the law and testimonie For God hath tyed the church to the written word of the law and Gospel they have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them search the scriptures for though an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel let him be accursed On the Lords day He calleth the first day of the weeke on which Christ rose again the Lords day He saw the revelation on this day which Christians kept holy to God being by the authority of the Apostles set apart for Church meetings in stead of the Iewish sabbaths as we way gather from 1 Cor. 16.1 where the Apostle commandeth that on the first day of the weeke gathering be made in the Church for the brethren in Iudea So Acts 20.7 In one of the sabbaths that is the first day of the weeke the Christians are said to come together to break bread So then the observation of the Lords day is warranted by an Apostolicall tradition Hence Gagneus and Ribera infer that the Church besides yea and contrary to the scripture may impose some things to the observed as divine let no man thinck saith he that those things onely are to be observed which are contained in the scriptures but they do erre For first there is great difference betweene articles of faith and the Lord Mat. 15 9. Isay 29 13. day no man doubteth but the Church may lawfully appoint dayes and outward rites belonging to order and decencie so it be don◠without scandal opinion of worship and intruding upon the liberty and conscience But the question betwixt us and the papists is touching points of faith necessarie to salvation which they affirme that the Church or Bishops may ordaine without the authority of scripture the which thing wee denie For God is worshiped in vain by the commandements of men Besides the authority of the Apostles is one thing and the authority of Bishops and the Romish Church is another For they were not onely divinely inspired in their writings but also in whatsoever they instituted touching Church orders Wherefore they not onely appointed the Lords day to bee kept but also made it apart of scripture now as for other ministers they have not the same authority so that it cannot hence bee gathered that any thing should bee beleeved as necessarie to salvation besides what is contained in the holy scripture For though the Lords day is a matter not of faith but of fact yet the observation thereof is according to the word of God Here it may be demanded whether John saw the whole revelation upon one Lords day Indeed it may seem by the coherence of the matter so to be not withstanding I thinke that Christ did not at one time burden the minde of his servant with so many different and large visions neither is it probable because the like distinctions of time which other prophets had in their visions appears also to be in these visions of John as in Chap. 4. vers 1 2 is evident After this I looked c. and immediately I was in the spirit so that after he had seene the first vision he was come to himself ere he was again ravished saw other visions and in like-lihood this was upon another Lords day The like wee may gather from chapter 17.3 So he carried mee away in the spirit into the wildernesse and often it is said after these things But I doe not conceive all of them import a distance of time but the things which I specially minde are in Chap. 4.2 and 17.3 and 21.1 besides all things were not revealed to John in one place but some things he saw in Patmos some in the heavens some on the sea shore some things in the wildernesse But seeing we cannot certainly determine of the thing I will therefore leave it to the readers choise Heard behinde mee a great voice By this great voice Iohn whither sleeping or waking was stirred up to observe the visions least otherwise he should have neglected them as vain fansies The voice was great either in regard of the great mysterie of the visions or because it was the voice of the great God or lastly in regard of the lowdnesse and shrilnesse thereof As of a trumpet Whose sounde is high loud and heard a great way off signifying that those things which Iohn saw ought continually to sound in the eares and hearts of Gods people And hence the prophets were commanded to cry aloud not to spare but to lift up their voice like a trumpet that all might hear and have no pretence for their ignorance Alcasar untruely affirmes that this voice was altogether like unto the sound of a trumpet But the text saith it was the voice not of one founding but speaking Againe by this voice is signifyed how we should be stirred up to incounter with al our spiritual adversaries as souldiers by the found of the trumpet are imboldened to the battel In that hee heard the voice behinde him is signified that Iohn added nothing to these visions but that they were altogether divine for the things which are behind us we see not Or otherwise he heard a voice behind to denote how the things he heard were suddenly to come to passe even immediately upon Iohns departure 11. Saying I am Alpha Omega the first the last In this great voice are contained three things First the eternity of Christ is testified
from Hel and Satan and therfore ought to be opposed and utterly extirpated I will put upon you none other burthen The meaning is however the deceivers doe again bring in and impose upon you the burthen of the ceremonial law a yoke which neither yee nor the Fathers were able to beare Act. 15.10 notwithstanding I doe not subject you unto it forasmuch I have once freed you from the same for it is sufficient to salvation to maintain the doctrine faithfully delivered unto you by the Apostles Some by burthen understand punishment as if he should say this shall be the heaviest of Iudgements that I will inflict upon you but if it be taken in this sence then the words should import a threatning where as indeed they are a milde admonition and therfore the first exposition is more agreable to the nature of the words Hence it appeareth that humane traditions are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a burthen imposed upon the Church not by Christ but by the instruments of Satan and here we see what to thinke of the manifold traditions of the Prelates to wit that they are burthens not required by Christ but by the fonne of perdition wherfore neyther the Church nor any of the faithfull ought to submit to them nor to hearken unto the voyce of that Antichristian parasite affirming that the yoke which is imposed by the holy sea Gratianus distin 19. is to be borne howsoever it may seem to be intollerable Vntil I come To wit bodily descending from heaven in the cloudes to judgment according to our Christian beliefe confirmed by the scriptures confession of the primitive Church And therfore for men to believe as necessarie to salvation that Christ being come in the flesh is present in or under the sacrament of the Altar or that his humane nature is in all places and filleth all things is a most false doctrine and a burthen not imposed by Christ our Lord. He which overcommeth keepeth The fift part of the narration is a promise with the former conclusion 1. Io. 5.4 he that overcommeth see v. 7. now the victorie by which we overcom the world is our faith and they are conquerours who keep faith and a good conscience Io. 5.36 10.36 14 11. Io. 6.29 My workes Not miracles which generally are called the workes of Christ by which also he proved himself to be God but that worke of faith required Joh. 6.29 To beleeve on him whom God hath sent as also all other workes of pietie and faithfulnesse according to our place and vocation hence as the workes of infidelity Io. 8.41 are called the workes of the Devill so the workes of faith and love are said to be the workes of Christ and hee that persevereth herein unto the end he is that conquerour to whom the present promise is made by Christ Jesus Vnto the end To wit of the warfare or fight for the full victorie is not obtained nor the crowne given before the fight be perfectlie ended And keepeth The worde here used in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to keep Io. 8.57.14.23 15.10.20 c. is often used by Iohn in his Gospel So that this phrase of speech argueth Iohn the Euangelist to be the writer of the Revelation To him wil I give power over the nations A double reward is promised to the conquerour power over the nations and the morning starre Some curiouslie inquire whither or no these things are given in this life But we are to know that so long as w◠remaine here the fight dureth For no man as yet is a conquerour neither is the crowne bestowed we must therfore first persevere in our course unto the end before we can enioy the promised reward not as if we were altogether now deprived of it but because we posses it in hope onely and not in verie deed Now we are the Sons of God 2. Io. 3.2 Rom. 8.34 but it is not manifested what we shall bee we are saved by hope Neverthelesse one and the same thing is signifyed by both rewards here mentioned to wit that glorie and power whereof the faithfull shall partake in the heavens with Christ Power over the nations He alludes to Psa 2.8 where God the Father saith unto the Sonne I wil give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession thou shalt breake them with a rod of Iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessel This power which Christ the head hath received frō the Father he promiseth to communicate unto us his members And as he hath receyved it for himself and for us so he will exercise the same in his owne and our name for the saintes also with Christ shal judge the Angels and the world or wicked men that is the nations here spoken of Even as I receyved This we have expounded v. 23. and there shewed after what manner Christ receiveth it from the Father and how it no way derogateth from his divinitie And I will give him the morning starre That is I will trulie communicate my self unto him and make him conformable unto my glorie so far as it consisteth with the proportion and measure of a member for he saith J wil that they also whom thou hast given me bee with me where J am that they may behold my glorie which thou hast given me c. The morning starre Called in Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the day starre being the brightest of all the starres and when it followeth the Sun going downe is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evening starre Hence Aristotle commending the vertue of Iustice saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is neither the evening nor the day starre is so glorious To this starre Christ is compared for his heavenly brightnesse and glorie 2. Pet. 1.19 Rev. 22.16 see there the sence of this place The Argument parts and Analysis of Chapter III. THis Chapter containes the three latter Epistles unto the Angels of the Church in Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea in which again John doth declare in general what he had seen to wit the majestie of Christ commanding him to write what was eyther good or evil in everie one of them and what was to come to wit what good or evil they were to expect from Christ The bishop in Sardis he reproveth for his hypocrisie and negligence yet comforteth some few that were upright in that Church by promises of reward and stirs up the Pastor himself by threatning to diligence The teacher in Philadelphia is commended for his care praeadmonished of his combats with the Jewes and victorie over them and also is provoked by promises of reward to perseverance The Bishop of Laodicea is sharpelie taxed as an hypocrite being neyther hot nor cold and however he is by others much esteemed of for his worth and holinesse yet Christ threatneth to root him out except he doe repent The fift
4. 3. From the efficacie and authority of their office v. 5. 6. II. Their warre with the beast where 1. we have the description of the beast his hostile invasion and victorie ver 7. 2. The martyrdome of the prophets and place of reproach v. 7. 8. 9. 3. The joyes of the wicked for the slaughter of the prophets with the cause of this their great rejoycing vers 10. III. The avengement of the prophets where 1. we have their restoring to life vers 11. 2. The astonishment feare of the wicked ibid. 3. Their glorious ascending up into heaven v. 12. 4. The shaking and ruin of Antichrists kingdome IV. An acclamatory conclusion of the end of the Churches calamities of judgement at hand v. 14. The latter part the seventh trumpet sounding declares the change of the Churches warfare in three particulars 1. An heavenly triumph because the kingdomes of the world were become Gods and Christs ver 15. 2. A triumphant song of the first companie viz. of the four and twenty Elders whose reverend cariage gratulatorie hymne is recited in which 1. they give thankes to Christ for freeing his Church and kingdom from the tyrannie of the adversaries v. 17. 2. They declare the vain fretting wrath of the wicked hereat v. 18. 3. They proclaime the resurrection of the dead with the last judgement ibid. 4. They denounce rewards unto the godly and punishment unto the wicked ibid. The excecution of judgement on the godly ungodly To the godly heaven is opened that they might see Iesus Christ the Ark upon the wicked are sent lightnings thunders eternal haile The first part of the Chapter Of the reformation of the Church by the two witnesses under the Westerne Antichrist 1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod and the Angel stood saying Rife and measure the Temple of God the Altar them that worship therein 2. But the Court which is without the Temple leave out and measure it not for it is given unto the Gentiles the holy City shall they tread under foot fourtie and two moneths 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes clothed in sakcloth 4. These are the two Olive trees and the two candlestickes standing before the God of the earth 5. And if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed 6. These have power to shut heaven that it raine not in the dayes of their prophecie and have power over waters to turne them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will 7. And when they shall have finished their testimony the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit shal make warre against them shall overcome them and kill them 8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodome and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified 9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues nations shall see their dead bodies three dayes and an halfe shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoyce over them and make merry shall send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth 11. And after three dayes and an halfe the Spirit of life from God entred into them they stood upon their feete great feare fell upon them which saw them THE COMMENTARIE ANd there was given mee a reed This is a generall prophesie touching the restoring of the Church beeing declyned under Antichrist Before Iohn was commanded againe to prophesie But now to measure the temple of God with a measuring reed that is to prophesie of the measuring of the temple of God which should be afterwards in the times of Antichrist The measuring of the temple is the reformation of the Church The measuring of the temple signifies the building repairing thereof as appeares if this prophesie bee compared with that in Ezech. 40.41 c. unto which this place doth allude The Temple of God signifies the Church as almost all interpreters both ancient moderne understand it and indeed the words here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 temple of God are so taken 1 Cor. 3.16 2 Cor. 6.16 2 Thess 2.4 They who apply this to the temple of Jerusalem are refuted by the time it self for when these things were spoken unto John that temple with the city beeing utterly destroyed was never any more to be restored Lyra Lyras frivolous interpretation doting as his manner is applies it to the festivitie of the dedication of temples instituted by Pope Felix about the yeere 525. at which time the Bishop holding in his hand a sprinckling reed goes about the outward walles of the temple as if he were to measure the same and within on the floore from one corner thereof unto another he thwartwise writes downe the letters of the Greek alphabet and so measures the space within The words therefore Rise and measure he will have to be meant of Pope Felix speaking to every Bishop about the dedication of temples the court leave out or cast forth because masse may not be celebrated except the place be consecrated But I passe by these fopperies For Ribera and Alcasar themselves acknowledge that the Temple here signifies the Church of God Now let us see what instrument hee is to use what to doe with it wherefore and when First hee shewes the instrument A reed like unto a rod was given mee to wit by the Angel who before commanded him to eat up the booke and againe prophesie that is by Christ Ribera wel observeth that it was not a writing pen but a measuring reed because it is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like to a rod that is a great measuring staffe with which Architects use to mete plats of ground and buildings a measure of six cubites and a handbreth Ezech. 40.5 The Rod wherewith the Church is measured What is meant by the measuring rod of the Church is nothing else but the word of God the most perfect rule of faith and Church discipline Rupertus acknowledgeth it to be the authoritie of the Evangelical scripture So that this reed is indeed the same little booke which Christ gave unto John to eat it up the which is here againe delivered to him under the type of a reed or rule in regard of the measuring worke here enjoyned Thus also my Anonymus above 260 yeeres agoe The rod saith he is the sense of the scripture because as a rod of diverse colours it chastiseth sinners Rise and measure the Temple of God First he must measure the Temple Altar Worshippers therein Secondly leave or cast forth the inward court The reading of both is somewhat
saying of Christ Render not evill for evill Pag. 461. 82. How it stands with justice to render double Pag. 462. 83. Whether God in commanding to render the double according to Babylons workes doth command rapines theft wickednesse c. Pag. 463. In Chapter XIX 84. Whether Alcasar hath sufficiently demonstrated that properly the Church of Rome is the wife of the Lamb. Pag. 481. 85. Whether Iohn did well in proffering to worship the Angell and whether the Angell did well to prohibit him Pag. 484. 582. In Chapter XX. 86. Of the binding and loosing of Satan what when and how it was Pag. 502. 87. A disputation touching the thousand yeeres of Satans binding 506. whether they be definitely to be understood 507. where they take their beginning and ending 508. what was the condition of the godly in the thousand yeeres 511. 88. Who were the living and reigning with Christ 514 89. After what manner and how long they lived and reigned with Christ 516. 90. Who are the rest of the dead and how they lived not againe 517. 91. Of the first Resurrection how it is to be understood 518. 520. 92. Of the Chiliasts opinion the Authors thereof and its refutation 520. 521. 93. Of the first and second death 519 526. 527. 94. What Satan is said to do the thousand yeers being ended and when he was loosed 530. 95. A disputation with Bellarmine and Ribera about Gog and Magog 539. 96. Of the old and new Goggish war its occasion and beginning 536. 97. Of the perpetuall torments of the damned 540. In Chapter XXI 98. The description of the new Ierusalem whether it bee agreeable to the Church-Militant on earth or to the Romane onely 541. 99. Of the new Heaven and the new Earth 549. 100. Ludovicus his jest on Sophisters about the Lake of Fire 557. In Chapter XXII 101. A Disputation against Sophisters for the authority and perfection of the divine Scriptures 580 c. 102. Of the doctrine of Iustification by Faith 584. 585. A COMMENTARIE Vpon the REVELATION OF IOHN THE APOSTLE The argument parts and analysis of Chap. 1. After the title and Apostolical salutation to the seven Churches of Asia Iohn rehearseth the first vision namely the seven golden candlesticks and Christ his glorious walking in the middest of them and how hee was affected with the vision and received from Christ commandement for to write the same both concerning things present and to come The parts of the chapter are two the former containes the preface to v. 9. The latter the vision of Christ gloriously walking in the middest of the seven candlestickes from vers 9 unto the last THe preface containes the title and thâ—â—postolical dedication of the booke The title shewetâ— first the argument of the booke that it is a â—â—velation of things to come Christ the â—uthoâ— of it as also the ministerie of the Angel vers 1. Secondly it notes the person of the author by a periphrasis or description vers 2. Thirdly it commendeth the profitablenes of the booke from the necessitie of it vers 3. The dedication containes the prosopographie or description of the persons who and to whom he writeth vers 4. Secondly the Apostles wish viz. grace from God and from the seven spirits as also from Iesus Christ whose threefold office he declareth v. 5. Thirdly the celebration of the prayses of Christ and giving of thanks for a threefold benefit received from him v. 5 6 His comming to Iudgement is promised by the words of Zacharie vers 7 and in the last place bringeth him in testifying his eternall Godhead and omnipotencie vers 8. The vision containes the preparation vision it self In the preparation Iohn sheweth the name how hee was affected the place of his banishment and the cause vers 9. Secondly the time and manner of the vision vers 10. Thirdly a command to write the vision and to send it to the seven Churches by name vers 11. Fourthly his Gesture vers 12. In the vision are three things first the form secoÌ„dly the effects thirdly the things following The form of the vision which hee saw is twofold first the seven Golden candlestickes Secondly the form of the Sonne of man in the middest of them whose habit and clothing hee describeth vers 13 His head Hair and eyes v. 14 His feet and voice vers 15 His right hand holding the seven starres his mouth armed with a two edged sword and his face shining like the sun vers 16. The effects are first Iohns Great amazement secondly his falling to the ground v. 17. The things following are first a twofold comforting of Iohn first by Gesture the laying on of the right hand vers 17. Secondly by speech bidding him not to fear and the reason is taken from the person adjuncts of the speaker viz. because hee is eternall God the Lord of life of death of hel vers 11 2 The command of writing the present vision following prophesies 3 The unfolding of the mysterie first of the seven starres that they are the seven pastors and secondly of the seven candlestikes to bee the seven Churches of Asia THE FIRST PART OF THE CHAPTER CONTAINING THE PREface title and dedication of the booke THe Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to passe and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant Iohn 2 Who bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Iesus Christ and of all things that he saw 3 Blessed is he that readeth Exod. 3.14 1 Cor. 15.21 Col. 1.18 and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand 4 Iohn to the seven churches in Asia Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits which are before his throne 5 And from Iesus Christ who is the faithfull witnesse and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen 7 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him even so Amen 8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty A COMMENTARIE VPON THE REVELATION Chap. 1 vers 1. THe revelation this prophetical title doth expresse the argument of the booke called in Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concerning the meaning of which word there is extant in a colledge called wisdom colledge of which I have before spoken a manuscript in way of commentarie on this booke which Giveth us an
hands even so doth Christ lift up Iohn who was sore amazed first by laying his hand upon him and afterward speaking comfortably unto him Hee toucheth Iohn with the same right hand in which hee held the seven starres For by his divine power and love which never faileth hee upholdeth all the Churches with their teachers and every one of the faithfull Fear not I am the first and the last Hee biddeth him not to fear because feare disturbeth the minde unfits men for instruction and therefore the admonition at this time was very seasonable And that he might comfort Iohn the more and lift him up hee expoundeth in order unto him the whole vision First who he is Secondly what he would have him to do And thirdly unfolds the mystery of the starres candlesticks He sheweth him who hee is to the end he might know that he saw no fancie or spirit but Iesus Christ his redeemer He again calleth himself the first and the last that is God eternal as in vers 8 11 which is a seventh argument of Christs divinity Isay 41 40 44.6 48 12. as wee have already expounded For that which the prophet ascribeth to God alone Christ in this chapter three times assumeth unto himself But some heretikes object that Christ is called first as being the first of the Church under the new Testament But I answer that all the adjuncts disproove this glosse For Christ doth absolutely call himself the first and the last by which very words the prophets declare the eternity of Iehovah God Yea Christ saith that hee was not onely before the Church of the new Testament but also before Abraham Ioh. 8 58. 18. I am hee that liveth and was dead These words do clearly manifest that neither man nor Angel but Christ alone is represented here in this vision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the living or he that liveth Christ taketh unto himself not onely the glorious life of his humanity Ioh 5.26 but the essential also of his divinity of which hee speaketh in the Gospel as the father hath life in himself so hath he given to the son to have life in himself For chiefly he calleth himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him that liveth because even then whe he was dead he lived Therefore he saith not I did live and afterwarddy for then there would not have been any thing remarkeable in such an expression for no man can bee said to be dead who formerly hath not been alive but hee saith J living and was dead that is both together for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was is but once in the text is referred to both words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 living and dead In which great and admirable expression he doth openly declare his twofold nature affirming that he lived 1 Pet. 3 18. as he was God was dead as he was man at one time According to that of Peter Christ was mortifyed in the flesh but vivifyed in the spirit that is both dead in the flesh and alive in the spirit together And this is the true meaning of that place which is the same with that common tenet that Christ being dead in the flesh raysed up himself by the power of his divinity This is also confirmed by the following words Behold I am alive for evermore Hee saith not and I lived again but behold I am living or alive by the particle behold hee attributes to himself an admirable divine and everlasting life to distinguish it from that life which he received again after his suffering in the flesh Therefore he saith hee liveth for evermore that is both before his death in his death and after his death which I have expressed in these verses Vivus eram sed eram crudeli morte peremptus En vitam sine fine per omnia secula duco J was alive and did a sore death suffer Yet lo I live and so I shall for ever This is the eight argument 8 Argument of Chr. deity of the Godhead of Christ because he was dead and liveth for evermore Eniedinus the heretike objecteth that Christ is not God because he died and so ceased to be whereas God dieth not neither can he cease from being God But it is a childish objection For though God cannot die as hee is God yet Christ as is he God â—â—nlfested in the flesh 1 Pet. 3 18. suffered death according unto the scriptures mortifial in the flesh Again God hath pâ—â—â—sed the Church with his owne blood Wherefore this onely doth follow that Christ is not God according to the flesh in which hee sunffered which indeed it true although it bee opposed by the Vbiquitisis who therefore have need to consider how they wil answer to what is here by the hereâ—ike objected Further more all this that Christ doth attribute to himself is for the comfort of the Godly For Christ liveth yea is life it selfe that wee also might live through him according unto the promâ—â— Joh. 6 he that eateth me even he shill live by me and again Ioh. 16 28 I give lowy sheep eternall life and they sâ—â—ll never preish And have the keyes of hell and of death That is I have power to cast the enemies into hell Keyes are a signe of power the which Christ Matth. 10.28 doth ascribe unto God fear not them which kil the body c. but rather fear him to wit God which is able to destroy both soule and body in hel This power Christ here assumeth by which he declares himself to be God and Lord of hell and death 9 Argument of Chr. deity This therefore in order is a ninth argument proving the Godhead of Christ Vers 19. Write the things which thou hast seene If this commandement be restrained to the first vision by a threefold division of the things which he had stene which were and which should come to passe then by it the arguments of the seven following epistles are signifyed but I rather refer it to the whole revelation for he is required to write some things already past which he had seene and somethings present the things which are and some things which shall be heerafter So that the matter of the revelation is distinguished inâ—â— a threefold order by Christ himself some things he had seen already from the beginning of the Gospel under Nero and the following Emperors unto Domition some things he now saw but the greater part he was yet to see namely the things that were to come afterward To these three heads we must have regard all most in every one of the following visions The Latine version hath which must be in stead of which shall bee But the Gr. constantly readeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which shall come to passe Moreover this proveth again the divine authority of the revelation forasmuch as it is written by the commandement of Iesus Christ But why did he commande it to bee written questionlesse that the whole Church at
remain after the witnesses are slain But according to their supposition the Beast shal be no more but killed after three yeeres an half Now we have shewed that the 1260 dayes of their prophesie is put indefinitely by an allusion unto the historie of Elias who by prayer shut heaven from raining for so many dayes Therfore also the end of their testimonie is to be taken indefinitely for the time appointed by God therein to fulfill their ministerie And so the sence seemes thus The Beast indeed shal raise up war so soon as they begin to prophesie yet he shal not overcome them before they have finished their testimonie according to the will of God The which serves for the great comfort of the witnesses For as the high-priests could not hurt Christ before his houre was come although they never ceased to lay wait for his life so likewise Antichrist shall not be able to overcome Christs witnesses before the course of their ministery be finished Therfore the words when they have finished are not to be referred to Antichrists rage against them spoken of in the first place but to the two latter hee shal overcome kill them For he shall alwayes war against the witnesses but shal not kill and overcome them before they have finished their testimony This also serves to prove that Antichrist shall have power indeed to kill overcome the witnesses but not their testimony in the least for it is said they shall accomplish their testimonie And therfore the preaching of the Gospel shal endure unto the end Thus we see who the Beast is what time is to bee understood It remaines now to be handled what manner of warre it is what the effect therof shal be Touching the war it is said He shall make war against them Before he had sufficiently declared what the witnesses should doe and effect against the Beast now on the contrarie he shewes what the Beast shall doe and effect against the witnesses for Antichrist will not sit still and suffer his kingdome to be destroyed but with all his power wil fight for the same And therefore as soon as the witnesses shal begin to prophesie against his kingdom he wil prepare himself to war against them and by how much their prophesie is powerfull by so much the warr shall be the greater But what manner of war and victorie shall this bee Rupertus saith such as is usually betwixt truth and falshood The war shal be both ecclesiasticall and civill and therefore such also shall the victorie be His Ecclesiastical war shal be three manner of wayes The manner of the beasts war against the witnesses First by the seditious sermons of the Locusts their venemous writings and sophistical disputations in the behalfe of Apollyon against the witnesses of Christ branding them for most pestilent hereticks They shall preach with great applause to the multitude that the Beast is head of the Church Christs Vicar and armed as with the key of Peter so with the sword of Paul and Caesar crying out with full mouths that his kingdom is the Catholick Church Secondly through the Councils of Locusts by whose decrees the Beast shall establish his kingdom and anathematize as heretical the truth of Christ For it is true Aene. Syl. in histor concil Basil pag. 79. as Julian the Cardinal freely wrote from the Council of Basil unto Pope Eugenius that by the meanes of Councils the libertie and power of Ecclesiastical persons hath alwayes been strengthened and augmented To be short by the bulles and excommunications of the Romish court by which he shall condemne Christes witnesses with their testimony for heresie and delivering them over to the secular power destroy them by fire and sword to wit as unworthy to breath or live in the world Moreover the beast will raise up civill warres and by his subtiltie cause the kingdomes and provinces of the Christian world to fight against the Gospell that so the witnesses of Christ may bee overcom and killed Therfore it followeth The beast shall overcome them and kill them The latter declares the former This very thing doth sufficientlie shew that these witnesses cannot be literallie taken for Enoch and Elias For what godly man will beleeve that those holy prophets whome the scriptures testifie to have been tranflated from death to life eternal should again return into the earth to be cruelly killed by Antichrist Furthermore the Beast shall kill the witnesses in the like manner he overcame them partly by ecclesiastical censure partly by the secular sword so then not by the goodnesse of his cause nor by the holie scriptures for by these the witnesses shall overcome and consume Antichrist but he shall overcome them by outward force and tyranny by the authority of Councils by thundring out his bulles by cruel warre and his hangmen Thus I say he warreth against the Saintes overcoms kills them not by arguments scriptures but by sword fire excommunications So also my Anonymus 260 yeers past wrot concerning the Popes victorie He shall overcome them in reputation of his friendes kill them some corporally eyther by burning or murdering them with the sword other kinds of death others civilly by adjudging them to perpetuall imprisonment against these whom he cannot torment in this manner he will at least thunder out his excommunications insomuch as they shall not be accounted otherwise then dead men in the Church so far as concerneth a spiritual life What would not this author have written had he seen the histories of our time the foregoing age when the Beast anathematized the two witnesses of England John Wickleffe that excellent teacher and opposer of Poperie and his protectour John Earl of Leicestre whose carkeise not long after being taken up out of the grave he caused to be burnt When he overcame burnt contrarie to the publick faith of the Empire the two witnesses of Bohemia John Husse and Ierom of Prage prophesying that the Ecclesiasticall court of priests should he cast forth When by the bloodie inquisition he delivered unto death many thousand martyrs in Italie Spain France England Belgia when he enwrapt almost all the provinces of Europe in cruell warres to suppresse the Gospell when at length in Germanie God restored the slaine witnesses unto life The Iesuites I doubt not may find this litle commentarie of Anonymus in their publick libraries speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainely impartially not respecting persons And thence let them judge whither the Pope of Rome were by us of late first accounted that Beast and Antichrist as Bellarmin falsly affirmeth Lib. 3. de P. R. cap. 21. And their carkeises The particle spirituallie here mentioned shewes that this also is not literallie to be understood as we shall further see by that which followes The cruelty therefore of the Beast against the witnesses falsly condemned for heresie is hereby noted forasmuch as they shall not be satiated by cursing and putting of
an ill speaking mouth Great things blasphemies is put for great blasphemies which are rehearsed v. 6. Here observe that the little horn also Dan. 7. v. 8.20 hath a mouth speaking great things whence it is conjectured that by it Antichrist is shadowed out specially seeing the three following things are also attributed to him as blasphemies against the highest warre with the saints and the time of his rage to be XLII moneths vers 25. Historically indeed that horne seemes to be Antiochus the scourge of the Iewes but Mystically it figured Antichrist For as Antiochus afflicted the Iewish Church so doth Antichrist the Christian Thus we see that the old this new prophesie excellentlie agree both in phrases deeds and illustrate one the other And power was given him to do The first part of his power we have heard now follows the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power of doing The OLD VERSION TO DO OR MAKE some copies adde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 warre which seems to be taken from v. 7. The sense is all one yet it is better to take it absolutely of making but is not making here put for sacrificing I wonder our Sophisters have not observed this that so they might make the beast a sacrificer or masse-priest But TO DO here is put for to rage and destroy according to his pleasure This is given him by the Dragon God permitting the same yet holding the bridle in the midst of the beasts rage And that we might not imagine the beasts fury to be absolute a term is prefixed unto him for the comfort of the godly Fourty two moneths his rage shall continue long but not alwaies What is meant by these moneths I have shewed on Chap 11. ver 2. The Gentiles shall tread down the holy city XLII moneths The time is the same because the History both there and here is all one so that the treading down of the city by the Gentiles is this very rage of the Beast here being to endure XLII moneths and it will clearly appeare by the sixt Vision treating of the destruction of the Whore and Beast that these moneths took their beginning at the Beasts ascention out of the bottomlesse pit and are now for the most part expired 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemie The usurpation of his power followeth both by his mouth in this verse as also in action in the following He opened his mouth in blasphemie that is he began to blaspheme in a horrible manner These are the great things which were given to the Beast to vomit out with open mouth that is publikely and in the very height of pride and malapertnesse Now what are these but those great priviledges the Romish Beast boasteth of as that he is in Gods stead yea a god and Christs Vicar on earth Peters successour having alone the Keyes of Heaven that he is the invincible Monarch of the Christian world the Prince of Bishops the head and spouse of the Church the King of Kings the Lord of heaven earth and hell the alone interpreter of the holy Scriptures chiefe Judge of all religion having all laws and mysteries lockt up in his breast the chiefe decider of the Catholike faith judgeing all men but to be judged of none to whom none may say though he lead thousands of soules with him into hell My Lord the Pope why dost thou so to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth who opens and no man shuts shuts no man opens who loosing no man bindes and binding no man looseth forgiving iniquities taking away the sins of the world with many other blasphemies which proceed out of his lascivious mouth But distinctly or in particular the bent of his blasphemies are against God his name his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven Now to shew again how he blasphemeth God and his name It is by doing that which the Apostle foretold of Antichrist and which we see the Pope of Rome to do even at this day viz. he opposeth and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God for he arrogates to himself the name and honour of God suffereth his Clawbacks to cry out Who is like unto the Beast Who is able to make war with him he challengeth to himselfe all the rights and works of God that he can create God make some thing of nothing make the word of God that he cannot erre that his decrees are of like certainty and authority with the divine Scriptures that it is of necessity to salvation to be subject unto him that it belongs to him to give the kingdoms of the world to set up depose Kings as he lifteth c. All which things if the Pope doth what is left for God Is not this blasphemie against God his name The tabernacle of God is the Church in which God dwelleth this he also blasphemeth for he falsly affirmes himself to be the Head Bridegrom and Lord therof tyrannically oppresseth and infects her by the poison of wicked doctrine seduceth and as much as in him lies thrusteth her into eternall destruction by his lying signes and horrible idolatry Andreas understands this Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the flesh of Christ in which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dwelt with us Ioh. 1.14 This tabernacle of God he also blasphemeth divers waies for what blasphemie is more horrid against the Son of God then that the Pope should boast daily by his Locusts to create Christ of a piece of bread in the Masse to sacrifice and to destroy him What blasphemie more odious against the office of Christ then that the Pope boasting himselfe to be the greatest high Priest proudly should exalt himselfe as above Christ the great high Priest he denies that the alone sacrifice of Christ is sufficient for the expiation of the sins of the Church unlesse it be again and againe iterated by his Masse-priests he denieth that the merits of Christ alone suffice to take away sins the punishment thereof unlesse through his indulgences he adde a supply from the treasure of the Church which is the merits of the Saints Other things I passe by And them which dwel in heaven I see not why we may not understand these heavenly inhabitants properly of the Angels blessed souls triumphing with the Lamb in heaven for against these the Pope also poures forth his blasphemies more waies then one for will they nill they for his own gain sake he obtrudes false honour upon them makes them gods and builds temples altars and images unto them and by this worship exerciseth a most filthy trade and the most of them he forceth to succeed in the places of Heathenish idols and doth weary them as if they were houshold and tutelar gods with diverse troublesome and sordid services setting one over Hogs another Horses another Asses one over
doubt whither Austin ever saw that Platonick Chapter and doe beleeve it was foisted into the Enchiridion by some body else my reason is because Austin in other places doth expresly speak but of two conditions of them that die and of two places after this life altogether denying a third As through one saith he all go to condemnation Lib 1. de peccat Mâ—rit c. 28. Lib. 5. hypogn circa medinm so all by one to justification Neither is there any middle place for any but he that is not with Christ must needs be with the Divell More clearely in another place The faith of Catholicks doth by divine authority beleeve that the first place is the kingdome of heaven from whence as I said the unbaptized are excluded The second GEHENNA or hell where all apostates or infidels shall feele eternall torments A third we are altogether ignorant of for we finde it not mentioned in the Scriptures of God And againe Serm. 14. de verb. Apostoli I have given no divisions of places save ONELY OF TWO c. So likewise There is left no middle place between the right hand and the left To returne to the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 henceforward although it be not applyed in the least to the houre of death yet the assertion of the Saints happinesse remains certaine and true even from the very instant of death not onely by many Scriptures before alleadged but from this place Purgatories fiction resuted for it is not said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they that were dead but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they that die in the present tense Therefore so soone as the godly are dead they are blessed Thus Purgatorie is hence notwithstanding excluded But what then is meant by henceforward We are to observe that the time of this Third Act is the time of the reformation and deliverance of the Church from Popery by the three Angels from henceforward therefore that is The Authors opinion touching the particle hence forward from the time the three Angels published the everlasting Gospell against Babylon and Antichrist Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord that is they not onely are or shall be so but the three Angels shall publish and preach the same refuting the heathenish fiction of Purgatory Satisfactions and Indulgences For these Angels shall not onely teach that Antichrists Bulls are vaine but also prove by the Scriptures of God that the paine of Purgatory is a wicked and feined imagination there being no such place And as hereby the godly shall be freed from that errour and vaine feare so Antichrists gaine shall be much lessened Yea saith the spirit that they may rest This is the third The holy Ghost seems to adde two reasons of their blessednesse ONE is because they rest from their labours to wit which they have suffered in this life for they have attained the end of their labours and combats henceforward enjoying everlasting rest The other because their workes follow them by a metalepsis for because they now have the fruit or reward of their workes which was laid up in heaven for them The merit of workes is not here established but refâ—ted It appeares that both reasons are taken from runners in a race who having attained the marke enjoy a twofold benefit rest and reward So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here put for the causall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they rest c. Their workes are said to follow them or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them as it is in the text being as it were the followers of faith in this life Hence the merits of workes are rather overthrown then established For seeing they follow therefore they merit not otherwise they should goe before as causes Rom. 6.23 Now they draw with them a free reward because the gift of God is eternall life The third Part of the Chapter Of the Harvest and Vintage of the last iudgement 14 And I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sate like unto the Sonne of man having on his head a golden crowne and in his hand a sharpe sickle 15 And another Angel came out of the Temple crying with a loud voice to him that sate on the cloud Thrust in thy sickle and reape for the time is come for thee to reape for the harvest of the earth is ripe 16 And he that sate on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped 17 And another Angell came out of the Temple which is in heaven he also having a â—harpe sickle 18 And another Angell came out from the Altar which had power over fire and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharpe sickle saying Thrust in thy sharpe sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe 19 And the Angell thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepresse of the wrath of God 20 And the winepresse was troaden without the city and blood came out of the winepresse even unto the horse-bridles by the space of a thousand and sixe hundred furlongs THE COMMENTARY ANd I looked and behold a white cloud Hither to we have handled three Acts of the fourth Viston The first briefly to repeat them againe comprehends the condition of the Church in its beginning and growth with her many combats under the Romane Emperours both Pagan and Christian untill Antichrists rising in the first 600 yeeres Chap. 12. The second opposed to the former contains the consolation of the godly under the foresaid conflicts in the same Chapter The third having two parts represents 1. Antichrists persecutions which from his first rising till now have continued more then a thousand yeeres Chap. 13. 2. The Churches preservation under the same and also her future purging from the dreges of Antichrist in the last times Chap. 14. The fourth Ast here followeth describing the joyfull Catastrophe or change of all the Churches afflictions in the day of judgement the forme whereof is figured out in two parables viz. of the Harvest and Vintage in the rest of this Chapter Furthermore The consent of â—nterpreters about the last judgement I see all interpreters a few onely excepted unanimously to agree that the last judgement is here treated of And I wonder that any should dissent in a matter so cleare and evident For by types and words not much unlike the judgement to come is described in Dan. 7. touching the Sonne of man comming in the clondes of heaven to judgement and Mat. 3. 13. of the harvest of the tares and wheat They agree also in the scope that these types serve to comfort the godly and terrifie the wicked For the godly doe groane under their afflictions troubles desiring to know what end at length shall be put to their evils On the contrary Tyrants and Antichrist
the Sea with many waves and confusions It is of glasse Why the sea is said to be glasse so said first because it is clear as glasse that is perspicuous and open to the eyes of God for God sees the secret counsells and hidden endeavours of the world and Antichrist secondly because it is bright like Chrystall for the pompe and lustre of the world bewitcheth Antichristians Thirdly because its weak and brickle as glasse for the world passeth away with the lust thereof The favour and prosperity of the world is glassie for when it most shineth it is then broken Lastly The sea for the most part is like glasse in colour hence the Poets call the Sea Mare vitreum undas vitreas the glassie Sea and glassie waves It is mingled with fire viz. of afflictions and calamities in which the godly also are often involved however they stand as conquerours upon this sea because they trample the world with the delights and baites thereof under feet neither are they of the world nor removed from their station by the fire of affliction but persist constantly in the faith unto the end This indeed the Saints triumphant have fully attained unto and we who are yet in the body in part for it is our duty also to stand on the sea that is to trample the world under our feet Or they stand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nigh or besides the sea because they are not part of the sea or world but separated and redeemed from the world as in Chap. 14. ver 4. And this sense I like best because by the following verse it appears here is an allusion to the red sea by which the Israelites standing saw the Egyptians drowned and rejoicing over their destruction sang songs of praises to God Having the harps of God By an hebraisme the harps of God are put for such as are rare and of a most sweet sound The harps of God for with the Hebrews whatsoever are said to be the things of God are excelling things worthy his high Majesty so the mountaines of God the Caedars of God the City of God that is very high and great It is opposed to the harpes of David and of other Saints by which they sometimes praised God These are infinitely sweeter in sound for these harpers sang a new song which none could learne but they that were marked with the seale of God unknown also to the former Saints viz. touching the weakning and ruine of Antichrists kingdome by these harpes that is by the preaching Prayers and sweet confessions of these Champions 3. And they sing for they sang viz. with their harpes together with their voyces like to joyfull harpers But what sing they The song of Moses the servant of God We have a twofold song of Moses One of thanksgiving which he sang with the Israelites by the red sea for the overthrow of Pharaoh and the Egyptians I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed glorioussy the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea Exodus 15.1 The other of praises celebrating Gods wonderfull benefits unto the Israelites Deut. 32. Both may bee here understood but cheifly the former because of the similitude for as then the Israelites standing by the red sea sang with Moses their leader a triumphant song unto God for the drowning their adversaries under whose bondage they had a long time groaned so the saints being brought thorow the vast sea of this world do joyntly sing praises to God and blesse him for their deliverance from the most cruell bondage of Antichrist And hereby they intimate not obscurely that Pharaoh and the Egyptian servitude was a figure of the Churches bondage under Antichrist And the song of the Lambe that is praising the Lambe for his benefits bestowed on the Church Divers songs we have already heard In Chap. 4.11 The songs of the Revelation The elders sing to him that sate on the throne Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory Chap. 5.9 The Elders againe sing a new song to the Lambe Thou art worthy to take the Booke and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood and hast made us Kings and Priests to our God c. Vnto which song the Angells and all creatures do there by mutuall accord sing Amen Chap. 11.17 they likewise sing to God Wee give thee thankes Lord God Almighty c. A like song wee heard Chapter 2. ver 10. Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God c. Againe in Chap. 14. the company of harpers sang a new song to the Lambe standing on Mount Sion This therefore is the song of the Lamb by which the triumphant Church or the heavenly companies celebrate the Lambes victory and their own over Antichrist Now this title affords a cleer argument to prove the divinity of the Lambe 34. Argument of Christs deity considering that to him this wonderfull worke of the conquest over the beast is attributed by the Saints But now let us hear the song It seemes to be collected out of divers places of the Psalmes and Prophets by which these divine singers commend unto us the authority and dignity of the Scriptures As from Psal 86.10 they publish the great and wonderfull workes of God Great because they fill heaven and earth Wonderfull because they are unsearchable and beyond humane reason such are the works of creation and the government of the world our redemption and preservation of the Church in this life from Psal 25.10 they celebrate the true righteous wayes of the Lord for all his paths are mercy and truth Gods wayes are his counsells and judgements about the Church and the enemies thereof And though he suffers the godly to be afflicted and fore troubled and the enemies to bear sway and flourish which indeed seems unjust to flesh and blood yet the wayes of Jehovah are righteous for he knowes wherefore he doth the same and the event shews that his wayes are all right and good for in the end he performes his promise to the Saints in preserving and delivering the Church and in punishing and destroying the adversaries by which he declareth that he is constant in his promises true and omnipotent in his threatning Lord Almighty King of Saints Thou onely art holy By these Epithites the Saints extoll God above all adversaries and stirre up their own confidence and joy for seeing he is omnipotent he can easily cast downe his enemies If King of Saints then he can strongly defend his holy Church If onely holy or most pure then he alone not the creatures is to be served and cleaved unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O King of Saints so all greek copies read it excepting Montanus who reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King of the Nations and also Andreas from Ierem. 10.7 Who would not fear thee O King of nations The old Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King of
kingdomes Here is treated of such Kings as shall receive their power from the Beast Antichrist Their proofe therefore is nothing to the purpose Neither doth Jerome helpe the matter in applying the Oracle of Daniel to Antichrist Ierom helps not the Iesuits fiction For first Jerome acknowledgeth that the same was in some measure fullfilled in Antiochus Now however we will not contend whither or no Antiochus were a Type of Antichrist but willingly grant it because of their likenesse in Tyranny Notwithstanding it is not necessary to apply all things strictly to the antitype which are spoken of the type for if so there would be no difference betwixt the one and the other Neither is it of necessity that similitudes agree in all particulars Certainely what there is recorded of the three hornes that were plucked up can with no shew of reason be applyed unto Antichrist because the Angell is silent of it which he would not have omitted if the same should have come to passe For why should Christ conceale that from Iohn which before was revealed to Daniel Besides we may not give credit to Jerome in this without the Testimony of Scripture Lib. 1. contra Iovin Rom. 8. no more then to his argument by which he condemned his own parents in their mariage estate They that are in the flesh cannot please God My parents being married are in the flesh Therefore they cannot please God Or to his inconsiderate depriving of such as are twice married from the Grace of Christ where he saith The first Adam was once married The second Adam was unmarried Let such therefore as are twice married shew a third whom they should follow what more unworthy so great a man But he appeales unto the tradition of all Ecclesiasticall writers In cap. 23. Mat. the which we have not and although we had the same yet ought we as the said Jerome otherwhere speaketh hold to this certain truth That whatsoever hath not authoritie in the Scripture may as â—asily be rejected as approved The which is most true touchching this Fiction for a is not taken out of the Seriptures but first delivered by one Papiaâ— a man of small parts as Enschius writeth and afterward with many other uncertain things taken up and divulged by other Fathers as if they were certain Lib. 3. histor cap. 39 In speciall that Fiction is very unsavoury touching the Kings of Egypt Lybia and Ethiopia to be slain by Antichrist for nothing here of is spoken by Daniel but he saith that the little horne shall subdue three Kings not that he shall kill them neither doth he say that they shall be the Kings of Egypt Lybia and Ethiopia But thus be shall rule over the treasures of gold and silver of Misraim and the Lybians and Ethiopiand shall be in his steps as Pagninus renders it but Tremellius the Lybians and Ethiopians shall follow his steps which was accomplished in Antiochus for when he had vanquished Egypt then the Lybians and Ethiopians neighbouring Nations to Egypt who before served Bâ—olomaeus Philometor fell to Antiochus and warred under his banners This Fiction being now sufficiently refuted which Alcasar also likes not we come to his opinion no lesse false then the other Aleasars fable The ten hornes saith he denote the Senatours and chiefe men of the Romane Empire figured out in the Beast himselfe namely ten being put for a great multitude These as he feineth were to fight with the Lamb untill Constantines Empire and then being converted unto the faith they should hate whorish Rome burne her with fire and root out the heathenesse idolatry thereof Onuphr Com in Lib 1 Fastor This is a new glosse false and repugnant to the Text for who taught him to make of the Ten kings two hundred Senatours for so many by Romulus were appointed to be chosen out of Romanes and Sabines besides if the Senatours be the Kings how then could it be said that they had not yet in Iohns time received their kingdom Lastly the lamentation made in the following Chapter will most clearly refute the absurdity of this Fiction viz. that the burning of the whore cannot be understood of her Conversion to the Faith Letting passe therefore both these Fables we will now labour to find out the true meaning And here againe I propound two undoubted truths One that the hornes of the beast are not the heads of the beast The other that the hornes are something growing out of the heads The first appeareth The ten kings are to be distinguished from the seven former because the heads and hornes differ in forme and number hence it followes that these ten Kings are not Christian Emperours viz. Constantine the Great with nine of his Successours as some do thinke for these Emperours do necessarily belong to the sixt or to the seventh head because they reigned before the beast came to be the Eight King or Antichrist and they were true Emperours of the East and West neither received they their power with the beast But these Ten shall receive their power in one houre with the Beast neither shall they be such Kings as the heads formerly were but shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were Kings neither of so great nor of so absolute power and therefore these ten Kings denoted by the hornes may not be mingled with the seven Capitall Kings As for the second supposition that the hornes as they are not the heads so they are something or some part of the heads we know that the horne is an excrementall matter of the creatures skull The hornes sprang out of the seventh head growing hard into a crooked horne hence with Priscian Cornu a horne is quasi curuor crookednesse These hornes therefore did grow out of the heads yet not out of all but in my opinion out of the seventh as springing from the Christian Caesars in place of whom succeeded the Emperours and Kings of the West for after that the Beast had devoured the seventh head belonging unto the Christian Emperours and came to be the Eight King he reserved the Prerogative of Monarchicall power unto himself yet not under the title of a Romane Emperour for this as Bellarmine confesseth Antichrist was not to do so Lib. 3. de P. R. â— 15 least hereby he should seem not to be Christs Vicar but under the Title of Saint Peters Successour Vniversall Bishop Head of the Catholicke Church he createth Emperours and Kings who must as his creatures and Vassalls compose themselves to his pleasure making them the Actors and Ministers of his Monarchicall power The first Parents of which generation as Histories manifest were Steven II. and Leo III. Ten hornes I do not thinke that we are here precisely tyed to the number Ten seeing as Bellarmine confesseth either 10. 100. 1000. Gen. 31. Num. 14.22 or any perfect number in Scripture may be taken indefinitely Therefore by Ten is meant some certaine number of Kings arising out
Therefore the time of joy is not yet come But the marriage shall be in the end of the world for then the Bridegroom shall returne and the Bride shal be prepared in her perfect beautie for the embracing of her bridegroom and then shal be the time of perfect joy Then all Gods servants and all his fearers both small and great shall sing together Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honourto him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her selfe ready This marriage in one word denotes the full and finall redemption and glorification of the Churchof the Elect with Christ in heaven The marriage is come For is neer or at hand Therefore this voyce belongs to the Church of the last times in which we are and therfore we are stirred up to gladnesse that with joyfullnesse we may meet our bridegroom who is comming unto us They adde And his wife hath made her selfe ready This is spoken after the manner of men For the marriage day being come the bride prepareth and adorneth her selfe with nuptiall ornaments that in her full beautie she may be brought to the embracing of her bridegroom They call her wife for bride because of the neerenesse of marriage For now indeed so long as she remaines in the world she is but hetrothed How the espoused and wife differs but then she shall be the wife when she is brought unto the heavenly house of her bridegroom For the betrothed bride is one not yet delivered over to the bridegroome but remaining at her owne house but the wife is delivered and goeth into the house of the bridegroom Or the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a name of the Sex signifying a woman whether it be meant of an unmarried maiden or married wife as mat 1.20 Chap. 19. v. 3.5.8.9 22. v. 24.25 and Luk. 14.20 The which I note because of the place 1. Corin. 9.5 have we not power to lead about a sister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wife where some also of the fathers urge that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any woman nor a wife that so they might maintaine the impure Coelibate of the clergie but it is without authority of scripture or historie Hath prepared her selfe This favours not the Palagian strength preparation of free-will For it presently followeth And it was given or granted her that shee should be arayed in fine linnen c. Therefore the ornament of the spouse is freely given by the bridegroome so that shee hath it not of her selfe Neither doth the Text speake of preparation to grace but to glory Now she prepares her selfe by grace prepared or granted her of Christ her bridegroom For the bride receiveth her ornament from the bridegroome as it is said Hee sanctifyed her with the washing of water by the word that he might present her to himself c. And Eph. 26. Ephe. 2.10 we are created unto good workes which God hath before prepared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that we should walk in them Notwithstanding we also make our selves ready because by faith we put on the ornament of the bridegroome and in holinesse of life declare our faith The multitude therefore thus speake to teach the duty of the bride what shee ought to do and doth al the time of her espousall To wit she must doth make her selfe ready for her marriage at hand Like as the Apostle saith If a man purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell unto honour And Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and Spirit 2. Tim. 2.21 2 Cor. 1. Before we goe forward Alcasars impudent fiction is to be refuted who would obtrude to us the Babylonish strumpet instead of Christs spouse eagerly contending that this wife of the Lambe can be no other save the Romane Church And why First this place alludes saith he unto the history of Hester who alone among many Virgins became wife to Ahasuerus Secondly she is the wife of the Lamb Alcasar Pag. 849. to whose manchild was given an iron rod to rule the nations But this rod is given to the Church of Rome alone above other Churches Thirdly Onely the Queen saith he married to Solomon Ps 45. and Cant. 6.7 unto which places is clearely alluded in this marriage is wife of the Lambe But onely the Romish Church is that Queen Therefore the Church of Rome onely is wife of the Lamb. Who can withhold laughter at such childish fopperies The first allusion is feined and were it granted yet the assumption is false viz. that the Romane Church is that which Hester was In the second he goes altogether from the matter For to rule the nations with a rod of iron is promised to every one that overcommeth Rev. 2.27 But the iron rod with which the Pope smiteth not the nations but all Churches he hath received from the dragon who gave his power and throne to the beast Rev. 13.2 In the third he againe feineth an allusion which is not and if it were yet could it not beare such a sence which this flatterer would hence draw by feined allusions Wherefore to his fopperies we oppose a true and solid demonstration which he hath framed against himselfe not being able to take away the difficultie thereof viz. The demonstration against Alcasars dream Shee is the wife and bride of the Lamb whom the Lamb hath redeemed to himself washed and sanctifyed in his own blood Ephe. 5.16 Rev. 1.5 and to whom he gives life eternall Iohn 10.28 But this onely is the whole Catholick Church of the first borne Act. 20.28 Hebr. 12.23 Therfore she only is the wife bride of the Lamb. Morover the bride wise of the Lamb is no harlot but the Romish Church that now is is the great whore siting on the beast as before we heard who daily commits whordome with her idols and graven images Therefore she is not the Lambs bride and wise but is groslie deceived by this Sycophant Now we goe forward 8 And to her was given that she should be arayed in fine linnen Now he sheweth how the bride hath made her selfe ready First by putting on nuptiall ornaments The old version renders the passive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that shee should be clothed actively that shee might cover her selfe the sense indeed being the same yet not so much the active as passive clothing of the bride is intimated although the active be not excluded For the metaphor is borrowed from an earthly bride who both is arayed by others and puts on ornaments her selfe also Secondly whence she hath her ornaments Not of her selfe For so she is destitute naked and uncovered Ezech. 16.7 But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is given her to wit by her bridegroome He persists in the metaphor of a bride unto whom if poore her rich bridegrome of his owne cost giveth wedding garments that she may become beautiful and adorned for marriage estate
they cause troublesome vapours and smoake neither doe they give light any great distance Therefore we stand in need of the Sunne or Day-light But the servants of God shall not then want any of these things For there shall be no night and therefore no use of lights no not of the light of the Sunne it selfe because the Lord God shall enlighten them with the brightnesse of his majesty as before he said Ch. 21.23 The glory of God did lighten it and the Lambe is the light thereof and the Nations which are saved shall walke in the light of it And they shall reigne for ever and ever This shall be the very height of our glory in Heaven that wee shall reigne with God and the Lambe for ever more Now indeed Christ hath made us Kings and Priests to God and the Father but our Kingdome is yet hid in Christ But then the Kingdome of God shall be manifested in our selves Now is the Kingdome of grace then it shal be of glory Before in Chap. 20. ver 4. they that were beheaded reigned with Christ a thousand yeeres Then we shall all of us reigne with Christ for ever and ever and this is that which he there added in ver 6. touching the rest having part in the first Resurrection They shall reigne with him a thousand yeeres See the exposition there Now we shall so reigne as that God and the Lambe shal be the head of the Kingdome But shall not the Son then deliver up the Kingdome to the Father 1. Cor. 15.28 and be subject to him Yea verily but this he shall not do by laying downe the Kingdome and so cease to reigne For how should the King of kings and Lord of lords of whose Kingdome there is no end Luk. 1.33 ever cease to reigne but by changing the present and mediate forme of the Kingdome into an immediate and by abolishing all the adversaries of the Kingdom as we have elsewhere declared The Second Part of the CHAPTER The Conclusion asserting the profitablenesse and Authority of the whole Prophesie 6. And he said unto mee These sayings are faithfull and true And the Lord God of the Holy Prophets sent his Angell to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly bee done 7. Behold I come quickly blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the Prophesie of this Booke 8. And I Iohn saw these things and heard them And when I had heard and seene I fell downe to worship before the feet of the Angell which shewed me these things 9. Then saith he to mee See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the Prophets and of them which keepe the sayings of this Booke worship God 10. And hee saith unto mee Seale not the sayings of the Prophesie of this Booke for the time is at hand 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he which is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still 12. And behold I come quickly and my reward is with mee to give every man according as his worke shal be 13. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning the end the first the last 14. Blessed are are they that do his commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the Citie 15. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye 16. I Iesus have sent mine Angell to testifie unto you these things in the Churches I am the root and the off-spring of David and the bright and morning Starre 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say Come And let him that heareth say Come And let him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Booke if any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this booke 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the booke of this Prophesie God shall take away his part out of the booke of Life and out of the holy Citie and from the things that are written in this booke 20. Hee which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so Come Lord Iesus 21. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen THE COMMENTARY AND he said unto mee Thus farre of two Parts of the Booke the Preface and the Visions The third or Conclusion remaineth in which somethings respecting the Authority of the Booke are taken out of the Preface and some other things added by which the great utilitie and sacred Authority thereof is further commended as we shewed in the Analysis After the concluding of this Revelation an Angell saith unto John to wit one of the Seven pouring out the Vials who before shewed him the judgement of the whore and the Beast and afterward the magnificence of the Heavenly Ierusalem These words are faithfull and true That is not only what was last spoken but the whole Prophesie as Chap. 19.9 This is the Proposition unto the confirmation whereof the whole Conclusion respecteth that wee might beleeve the Prophesie to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divine true profitable and saving unto the Church and so bee stirred up unto the continuall meditation thereof The Holy Ghost was not ignorant that many would call into Question the divine authority of this Booke for it was a long while rejected as being composed by the hereticke Cerinthus which errour we have before confuted in the Prologue But they ought to have beleeved the Angell saying These words are faithfull and true Faithfull to which we may safely give credit True which shall certainly be accomplished And indeed so it is for we who are now more then fifteen hundred yeers after the Revelation do if not see with our eyes yet certainly feel as it were with our hands the manifest accomplishment almost of all the Visions Here therefore wee have an evident note of divine authoritie and truth imprinted on this Prophesie against the most impudent assertion of BELLARMINE Lib. 4 de verb. cap. 1. which is that it can no way be gathered from the Scripture it selfe that some Scripture is divine What I pray is this but to give the Angell the lie who saith These words are faithfull and true But the liar condemneth himselfe in saying elsewhere that besides other arguments Lib. 1. cap. 2. de verbo the divine authority of Canonicall Bookes of Scripture may be proved from the scripture it selfe The Sophisters and adversaries of Scripture object that this Argument is not sufficient to Faith unlesse it be before proved and beleeved that the Angell or Writer uttering these things spake truth ANSWER First principles are not proved but laid
will I give the Morning-Star for if the Morning-Star be Christ the sense is To him that overcommeth I will give my selfe or communicate my selfe with all my benefits unto him viz. joy and glory in part in this life but perfectly in the life to come 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say Come These kinde of abrupt sentences full of affection serve to stir up like affections desires and wishes in us Here the Lord Iesus commends unto us the studie of this Prophesie by the example of the Spirit and of the Bride They say Come that is from this Prophesie they long for my comming and that I fulfill the same Therefore ye also that heare the Prophesie ought to have the like desire And the Spirit and the Bride By the Spirit and Bride may be meant the spirituall Bride sanctified by the Spirit of God By the Bride I understand the Church especially the Triumphant She desires me to come that is to fulfill the Prophesie and to return to judgement that she might at length be glorified through a finall redemption like as the Soules of the Martyrs under the Altar did desire the full deliverance of the Church from all the miseries of this life Or we may understand the Spirit properly of the Holy Ghost Metalepsis is a figure whereby a word is put from his proper signification who above spake to the Churches in the Epistles of Christ in which it is often repeated Hee that hath eares let him heare what the SPIRIT saith unto the Churches In this sense the Spirit is said to wish the comming of Christ by a Metalepsis because it is the Spirit that makes the Bride to desire Christs comming in which sense also it is said Rom. 8.26 that the Spirit maketh intercession for us that is stirreth us up to make our requests and to cry Abba Father Come Namely to the full glorification of thy Bride This is the reason of the wish for the coming of the Lord shall be the full redemption of the Church the which seeing wee all doe expect wee must also wish for the comming of the Lord for as the Apostle intimates it is a note of Gods children to love his comming 2. Tim. 4.8 And let him that heareth This is the consequent of the former as if he should say If the Spirit and the Bride long for my comming then also let him that heareth the words of the Prophesie say COME that is ardently desire my comming for his redemption Thus hee would have us continually to pray Let thy Kingdome come by which we daily desire that the Lord Iesus by his comming would wholly destroy the Kingdome of Satan and perfectly set up his owne in us in eternall glory And let him that is athirst come He teacheth us what we ought to doe untill we obtaine our desire by a most large promise comforting us against the temptation of delay Let him saith he that is athirst that is that desireth full redemption and glory through my comming Come To wit unto me or unto the studie and meditation of this Prophesie It is an Answer unto the Churches wish as if he should say ye desire that I should come to your deliverance Yee therefore come unto me through Faith What it is to come unto Christ Mat. 11.28 Obedience and true Sanctitie being alwayes as it were girded with the same For to come to Christ is to receive his doctrine trust obey serve and wholly to give ones selfe unto him This is meant in the Gospell where hee saith Come unto mee all yee that are heavy laden AND VVHOSOEVER VVIL According to the promise Chap. 21.6 To him that is athirst I will give of the Fountaine of the water of life freely So here to them that come unto him he promiseth the living water of the pure Chrystalline River of the Heavenly Ierusalem This water is Christ himselfe the Fountaine of Life Or the Holy Ghost filling the Saints with Heavenly consolation This water is drawne or obtained by Faith and Prayer Therefore he saith Let him take That is by prayer beg and by faith obtaine the same It is not thrust into the hands of unwilling slothfull and drowsie persons therefore hee saith Whosoever will Hee saith not that it is in the power of free will but requires the will to receive it The will is ours but the will of receiving is not in us it is the gift of grace 1. Cor. 4.7 For what hast thou that thou hast not received Therefore the will and desire of grace is required to be in us that wee might bee quickned with the water of life Freely The Fountaine of grace which is open to all that desire the same is not to bee bought with the price of any thing but is freely bestowed by the merit and efficacie of the Lord Iesus Away therefore with the merits of Hypocrites 18. For I testifie These also are the words of the Lord Iesus not Iohns as appeares from ver 20. Before he said Blessed are they that keepe the words of this Prophesie Now he threatens a terrible curse unto all such as presume any wayes to adulterate this Prophesie For he foresaw that some would despise question and falsifie the same by their Additions Hee was not ignorant also that Antichrist with his false Prophets Falsifiers of Holy Writ would take liberty to falsifie the Faith yea usurpe to themselves absolute power over the very Scriptures of God Therefore he thought it necessary to defend the Authority of the Revelation and the whole Booke of Canonicall Scripture by this threatning as it were with a Seale that it might bee preserved entire unto the end for the Churches unto whose profit it was dedicated For I testifie The causall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For seemes an over-plus to Ribera by a Graecisme but as we shewed in the Analysis it is a seventh Argument commending the worthinesse of this Prophesie taken from the inviolable authority thereof Andreas for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I also testifie for so it is in the Text simplie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I testifie And so the Kings Copie hath it But all other Copies have it I also testifie neither is it without ground for the Lord Iesus assenteth to his Angell whom he had sent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to testifie these things to his servants as if he should say My Angell hath testified unto you and I also testifie with him For properly Summarturesai signifies to affirme a thing by a religious testimony or to urge it with serious contestation and so oblidge the Hearers upon pain of vengeance to obey the same But let us briefly consider to whom Christ doth testifie what it is and after what manner Vnto every man that heareth the words This Protestation belongs unto all that heare and read the same not one excepted And therefore neither Pope nor Councell have any right to adde or
take ought from the Scriptures but with the hazard of their Salvation If any man shall adde The contestation consists of two heads The first is that this Prophesie may not be adulterated by any Addition To adde What it is to adde to this Prophesie is not soberly and according to the Analogy of Faith to interpret the meaning of the Prophesie but to mixe other things besides what the Lord Iesus hath revealed by his Angell He addeth saith THOMAS which adjoyneth a lye for whatsoever is patched to the Scriptures of mens inventions that it might be accounted as divinely revealed is a lie Such are the Popes Traditions which seeing hee will make of like authority with the written word of God he addeth unto the Scriptures Therefore they are lies The other branch of the contestation is What it is to take away from this Prophesie that none may deprave this Prophesie by taking away from the words thereof He not onely takes away that derogates from the divine authority of the Booke which as Christ foresaw many would do but he also that any wayes changeth or maliciously perverteth or contradicteth any thing here written Of which offence such are not altogether free who obstinately deny that the manifest events of the Types touching the fall of the great Starre from Heaven into the Earth of the Beasts ascending out of the Sea and of the worshipping of his Image and Character of the Romane Babylon of the whore committing fornication with the kings of the earth the like are not yet manifestly fulfilled in the Papacy The summe of the contestation is that the integrity sincerity and sacred Authority of this Prophesie bee faithfully preserved in the Churches and that the contemners falsifiers and corrupters thereof be no way suffered under paine of Anathema or curse unto which as it followeth that man is liable that presumes to adde or take away ought therefrom for he saith Vnto him God shall adde the plagues This is the reason of the contestation the horrible curse of them that falsifie this Scripture by adding or detracting For if Falsifiers of Coine are liable unto the civill curse of the Law much more shall the Anathema of eternall damnation be inflicted upon the Corrupters of the Scriptures which are the word of God To them that adde thereto God will adde all the plagues of this Booke to wit the Seven last plagues and cast them into the Lake of fire and brimstone with the Dragon the Beast and the False-Prophet Chap. 19. 19. And if any man shall take away That the righteousnesse of Gods judgements may appeare he will punish the Corrupters of his word according to the quality of the offence To Impostors he will adde plagues To them that take away God will take away their part out of the Booke of life c. Their judgement shall bee much alike For as the former are threatned with plagues so the latter shall be deprived of all good His part Not what he hath but what he seemes to have He speaketh of the part or portion of eternall life which such shall have as are written in the Book of Life that blessednesse I say and Heavenly joy which the Inhabitants of the Holy Citie shall be partakers of And from the things which are written To wit which in the Epistles of this Prophesie especially Chap. 2. 3. are promised to them that overcome and from the things which in this Book are spoken touching the glorious state of the Saints in Heaven Chap. 7.9.20.21.22 Now they that shall be deprived of Heavenly blessings must of necessity lie under eternall plagues and punishment For betwixt these there is no medium This place is remarkeable against the Popish depravers of the Scriptures For two things are evidently proved First that the Holy Scripture is Authentique in it selfe and that it giveth testimony of its owne divine authority For what is truely said of this Prophesie is rightly by Expositers extended unto the whole Scripture Hence ANDREAS A fearfull curse saith he shall light on them who are not afraid to adulterate divine Scripture SECONDLY That the Holy Sriptures are so perfect in themselves as that the Romanists are to bee held for most damned falsifiers who deny that all Doctrines of Faith and Salvation are contained therein unlesse the traditions of Rome bee added Lib. 4. de ver 80. dei c. 10. Against this Bellarmine objecteth that only the integrity of this Book is established but not the perfection of the whole Scripture ANSWER Yea both this Booke and all the rest of Holy Scripture This appears because this Booke is the last and last written Therefore this threatning annexed is as the Seale of the whole Cannon or of all Bookes of divine Scripture For as God put too this Seal to the Bookes of Moses being the first Cononicall Bookes Deut. 4.2 12.32 Ye shall not adde unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it So to this last Booke he puts the same Seale that nothing might be added made equall or taken away from this or any other part of Canonicall Scripture Bellarmine objecteth to the contrary that it is not said which I have written but which I have commanded But frivolously for Exod. 24.12 God saith expresly Which I have written that thou mayest teach them And Hose 8.12 I have written to him the great things of this Law Adde to this the former reason that all Interpreters do acknowledge this Anathema to be pronounced generally against all falsisiers of Scripture Why the oracles of the Revelation are most taken out of the old Canon and that most justly For the evident argument hereof is that the greatest part of this Prophesie is as it were taken word for word out of the Old Canon so as the Holy Ghost seemes purposely in every of the Visions to allude unto certaine Prophesies of the Old and New Testament Now the reason hereof without Question was First indeed really to demonstrate that there was nothing wanting in the Old Testament unto perfection Secondly that by this apparent imitation hee might shew that in the writings of the Old Testament is contained the state and condition of the Church of the New Testament Lastly he sheweth that the Revelation is as it were a recapitulation of both the Testaments and containeth the summe and agreement of all the Holy Scriptures By the which againe it is plaine that this present contestation or protestation belongeth unto the whole Body of Sacred Writ 20. He which testifieth these things saith Ribera will have these words to bee Johns because of the like sayings in his Gospell Iohn 21.24 But the words following shew that they are spoken by the Lord Iesus for he addeth Behold I come quickly Notwithstanding there is no great matter in it Hee calleth himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Testifier because he testified that is revealed this Revelation unto John by his Angell Hence
all times should continually read it for their comfort and instruction which also is the end and use of the whole scripture Rom 15 4. 2 Tim. 3.16 Vers 20. The mystery of the seven starres After that the Son of man had shewed who he was whom Iohn saw he comes to unfold the mystery of the starres and candlesticks viz. that the seven starres are the seven angels or ministers the seven candlesticks the seven churches of Asia to whom he was commanded to write vers 11. The mistery The vulgar hath it the sacrament of the starres that is the thing figured by them so again chap. 17.7 I will tell thee the sacrament of the woman but it is improperly used for the mysticallsfignification of the same Bishops So he caleth the starres because they ought to shine before others in purity of doctrine and integrity of life like unto starres shining in the firmament they are said to be angels because they are Gods messengers to the Churches and the Churches are compared to candlesticks because like as the candle or light is set up into the candlestike even so the Church ought to hold forth and preserve the shining light of true doctrine that all may behold it least being in darknesse they stumble and perish thorow their ignorance Hence we learn in the first place that the scripture best interpreteth it self for what was before more darkly spoken is now clearly unfolded So Christ opened the parables to his disciples Matth. 13 in like maner this vision which at first seemed obscure is now made plain by its own interpretation For albeit the scripture doth not make clear every thing that is darkely spoken not withstanding if we diligently observe it that of Austin will appeare most true that there is all most nothing abscure in scripture which is not in some other place plainly expounded Furthermore we are to take notice of these figurative and sacramental phrases The starres are Angels that is they signifie the Angels the candlestiks are the Churches Gen. 41 27. 1 Cor. 10 4. Cont. adim c. 12. that is they signifie the Churches according to that in Genesis the seven kine are seven years that is do signifie seven years And the rock was Christ for it signified Christ as Augustine expoundeth it For there is nothing more familiar in scripture then to name signes by the things which they signify which maner of speech is not darke but plaine in regard of the analogie betwixt the signe and the thing signified wherefore it was not obscure but familiar to the scripture that Christ called the bread which was broken at the institution of the supper his body which was crucifyed for us seeing it was a sacrament or holy signe of the same Hence Augustine opening the etymologie or signification of a sacrament applies it to the Lords supper saying that the Lord Iesus doubted not to say this is my body when he gave the signe onely thereof And this is so cleare a truth that even Aloasar a Iesuite confesseth it saying that in the phrase of scripture touching dark sentences and sacraments the word which is used is to be referred to the signification of it and that the bread and wine in the Eucharist which they call the species doth signify the body and blood of Christ because Christ saith this is my body c. Indeed he supposeth there are two sorts of signes some instituted onely for doctrin and signification as in parables and darke sentences the other such as really include and containe the things which they signifie as in baptisme and the supper in which saith he is truly and properly contained as the cleansing of the soule from sinne so the body and blood of Christ and he proveth it First because Christ instituted these signes to that end Secondly the Church so teacheth And lastly because it were an easy thing for any one to institute meere and naked signes wheras it is in the power of Christ alone to appoint such signes as are full of efficacy I answer first Alcasars arguments answered that in the institution either of baptisme or the Lords supper there is no mention made of any including of the things signified in the signes Secondly the primitive Church taught no such inclusion but the new popish Church in so teaching is departed from the institution and doctrin of the primitive times Lastly though it be true that the sacraments are not meere signes yet it followeth not that they are signes including the thing signified For there is in scripture another kinde of signes which as they are signes so they are seales confirming to the faithfull the grace of Christ signified by them For properly the sacraments are signes and seales of the promise of grace which no creature could institute or bring into the Church but God alone Another expositor denieth Hoe in the Revel chap. 1. that these are figurative speeches and why because saith he those candlesticks doe not signify but are really the Churches and the starres doe not denote but are in truth the angels But both is false first because then there should be no mystery in the candlesticks or starres Secondly if the candlesticks and starres were truly Churches and Angels then would not Christ have required Iohn to write his Epistles as being absent from them but he should have delivered his message unto them as there present with him in Patmos Thirdly because then the words the candlesticks are Churches the starres are Angels should be regular expressions But this he denies and truly For they are termes of disparity What then the metaphor saith he is in the subject which doth not import that the copulative IS should be taken for the word signifieth And though it were granted here yet would it not follow that the words of Christ at the institution of the supper were of the same significatiō because Christ did not expound to them a vision but institute asacrament Now howsoever both be true yet doth not this take away the metonymical expression for in typical Sacramental assertions the tipes signes are said to be the antitypes or things signified partly indeed by a metaphor because of the analogie or likenesse that is betwixt the signes the things themselves but chiefly by a metonymia Epist 23. ad Bonif. because of the sacramentall signification For as Augustine saith if sacraments had not some likenesse with the things they represent they should not at all be sacraments for in regard of that likenesse they have the name of the things themselves Therefore as in some sort the sacrament of the body of Christ is Christ the sacrament of the blood of Christ is Christs blood even so the sacrament of faith is faith Againe that is called the soule In Levit. lib. 3.4.5 Genes 41.26 1. Cor. 10.4 which signifies the soule for it is usuall that the thing signifying be called by the name of that which it doth signifie as it is written