more comfort and support from hence than from any booke of the holy Scriptures besides And for mine owne part I must needs confesse that almost twenty yeeres are now past since my entrance into the Ministery before I durst attempt any thing about so great a worke Amongst all the best Writers that I haue seene it is generally agreed that the scope of this booke is to set forth both the estate of the Church of God then vnder the figure of those Churches in Asia and thenceforth to the end of the world Onely some doe so vnderstand all things after the fourth Chapter to bee spoken of that which was to come as that they admit of no mixture of things past whereas others vnderstand in some of the visions a representation of some things past also for the more orderly proceeding to things to come Againe some expound the Epistles to the seuen Churches as Propheticall others only as Historicall granting that in them all are indeed admonishished whose case is alike Lastly some hold that euery succeeding vision almost setteth forth a new thing to come but others that the whole period of time to come from the daies wherein this booke was written with the most notable euents are comprehended in euery vision and so the same things are againe and againe iterated vnder diuers similitudes the former setting them forth obscurely the latter more plainly But whether coniecture be most probable we shall see in the proper places as we shall come to them in order Concerning the title of this booke with the singular commendation thereof in the three former verses there is no difference amongst Expositors For all agree that the Apocalyps in Greeke or Reuelation in English is an opening of hidden things such as all things to come are and therefore though they bee but darkly reuealed yet not so darkly but that wee may by diligent search vnderstand them else how is it a Reuelation Neither is it lost labour to take great paines to vnderstand what is here reuealed Vers 3. seeing they are pronounced blessed that reade and heare and keepe that which is here written And whereas it is intituled Vers 1. The Reuelation of Iesus Christ which God gaue vnto him it is by all agreed that this title is put vpon it for the honour of the worke and because it was not Iohn but Iesus Christ that reuealed these things by his Angel vnto Iohn and it is said to bee giuen him of God in respect of his humanity Lastly whereas it is added The time is neere it is to be vnderstood in respect of God to whom a thousand yeeres are but as one day That which followeth Vers 4 5 6. vers 4 5 c. giueth more occasion of question Why doth Iohn direct this booke to the seuen Churches in Asia and not to all Christian Churches in generall Quest if these things concerne all To this one saith Answ Fox That this haply is not done without a mystery the number of seuen being a number of perfection and so all Christian Churches wheresoeuer are saluted vnder their name or else because the Holy Ghost foresaw the power of Satan in persecuting to be first exercised against them as the euent also declared And this exposition is followed by Brightman and some others But because here is not only the number of seuen generally set down but also a particular enumeration of these seuen by name shewing that these are principally and first meant here others only by way of consequence or deduction laboring with the like vices or endued with the like vertues I rather subscribe to Pareus with whom also Gorran saith the same That this first vision doth directly concerne those seuen Churches only the rest all in generall This Asia was the lesser a part of the greater Asia in the seuen principall Cities whereof Iohn had founded Churches but being now banished hee is directed to admonish the Bishops left behind him of their duty And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of these Churches here whether they be typicall and how shall be considered in the proper place I hasten now to another question in this salutation Quest whom he meaneth when he saith Which is which was and which is to come and by the seuen Spirits and Iesus Christ If the three persons in the Trinity why is eternity appropriated to the Father onely and if the Spirit is but one why is he called the seuen Spirits and why is Iesus Christ the second person in the Trinity placed last contrary to the order of all other Scriptures It is agreed by all Answ that here are set forth the three persons of the Trinity but how there is some difference Brightman telleth of one Arethas Brightman that by the first words Which is which was and which is to come vnderstood the three Persons of the Trinity because the Father is elsewhere also set forth by this name Which is Exod. 3.14 the Sonne by this name Which was Ioh. 1.1 and the Holy Ghost by this name Which is to come Ioh. 16.8 but this hee disclaimeth because there is such a distinct enumeration of the three Persons as that this must needs be vnderstood of the nature of the Deity ascribed onely to the first Person to set forth his constant and immutable truth in his promises vnder the Gospell which is vnder the Law which was and at the end of the world which is to come Some referre this description to Gods Essence onely but it is most probable that God hath thus set forth himselfe for our sakes that wee might haue comfort in his certaine accomplishment of his promises and therefore a word is vsed to set him forth already comming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this truth present past and to come is ascribed to the first Person onely as to the fountaine and Author respect being had to the order of doing but it is common to all three persons onely because the Sonne and the Holy Ghost execute these things it is not ascribed here vnto them Againe touching the seuen spirits the same Author saith that the holy Ghost is thus called respect being rather had vnto the gifts of the spirit in the Saints than vnto his nature and thus he is said to stand before the throne not as inferiour but for orders sake here and elsewhere the Spirit and the Son are spoken of as ministring to the Father because by them the things here set forth are immediatly executed Lastly the Sonne is put in the last place in regard of the large description of him intended as by whom wee are made partakers of all benefits Pareus reckoning vp diuers expositions of these words which is which was and which is to come Pareus some vnderstanding them of the Sonne which is one God with the Father which was in the beginning and is come to iudge all men and some of the Father which is of
Elias but this needeth no refutation both for that the time of 1260. daies whereby are meant so many yeeres according to the exposition already giuen of the two and forty months being the same time doth not agree as experience sheweth the greatest part of this time being expired and Enoch or Elias not yet heard of and also because it is plainly against the reuealed will of God to send any from the dead to preach to the liuing as the Lord sheweth in the Parable of Diues and Lazarus when Diues made request that Lazarus might besent to warne his fiue brethren liuing Abraham denieth this request Luk. 15. and the ground of his deniall is If they will not beleeue Moses and the Prophets neither will they beleeue if one rise from the dead againe If it be said Enoch and Elias neuer died but are preserued aliue for this purpose the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes confuteth this for hauing reckoned vp many faithfull persons amongst whom Enoch was one Heb. 11.13 he concludeth All these died in faith c. He confesseth indeed that Enoch saw not death because he suffered not the separation of soule and body but was extraordinarily changed as the faithfull shall be at the last day yet according to our vsuall phrase whereby we say of the dead hee is departed out of this life he is rightly said to haue died And if this kinde of change in the propriety of speech will not beare this word dying 1 Cor. 15. for we shall all be changed but not all die yet it is as strange for them being so long agoe departed hence to come againe in person as if men should come from the dead againe which shall neuer be Lastly the description of these two doth not agree to Enoch and Elias but rather to Moses and Elias who in their times did such miracles as are here set forth Mat. 17. Vers 2. and these two are also ioyned together in the transfiguration of Christ vpon the Mount and Moses is oftentimes said to be one that did witnesse of Christ and the Scriptures are they that testifie of me Ioh. 5.39 Which Scriptures being resolued into their parts are called Moses and the Prophets Luk. 16. a most famous man amongst whom was Elias and therefore well by him may bee vnderstood all the Prophets Reiecting therefore that of Enoch and Elias Brightman Beda Tyconius as a vaine fable I hold with them that by these two witnesses vnderstand the holy Scriptures consisting of Moses the Prophets as they were of old vnder which the Euangelists and Apostles writings come also as an exegesis or illustration of them For these witnesses must bee well knowne anciently as the words doe imply and in taking these to bee the Lords two witnesses we doe but follow the plaine euidence of the Word of God ascribing persons thus to the two parts of holy Scripture And consequently they which sincerely and rightly preach Moses and the Prophets for so much as they doe but act the same persons may well bee vnderstood by these two witnesses also And thus wee shall ioyne together two different expositions of those who vnderstand by these two the holy Scriptures as hath beene already said and of those that vnderstand some few persons that haue giuen testimony to the truth in all the parts of this whole tract of Turke and Pope Bullinger Grasserus Pareus Fulke c. who of late time haue bin much increased in number but yet may well goe vnder the name of two witnesses because all euer represent but two Moses and the Prophets seeing they hold and preach set forth none other thing but what they held and taught Fox There are that particularly apply this to Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague who were ill intreated by the Councell of Constance three yeeres and a halfe and being killed had their dead carcases for a time throwne out into the streets but they were reuiued againe as it were when the Bohemians stood couragiously for the truth by them maintained which was greatly preiudiciall to the City of Rome the tenth part thereof thus falling and 7000. slaine that is many vpheld in an idle course of life by the Pope in Monasteries and other pretended religious places being thus turned out and losing their liuelihood whereupon their life consisted According to this exposition two and forty moneths are counted a seuerall time by themselues of the Turkes tyranny these 1260. daies another seuerall time consisting of iust so many daies and the three daies and an halfe a third seuerall time so short as the words sound There are also wonderfull iudgements reckoned vp which fell vpon their enemies in this time of their trouble so that the History doth notably agree vnto this Text. This I confesse hath much affected me and I would willingly haue imbraced it for so the rest of the doubts here might easily haue beene resolued But seeing the two and forty moneths are by the same Expositor resolued into 294. yeeres in which hee hath failed as hath beene already shewed I cannot see how 1260. daies can bee vnderstood precisely of daies this being the whole time in all likelihood before set forth by two and forty moneths for why should Gods witnesses mourne 1260. daies onely of this time there being the same cause of mourning all the whole time for the holy City so many yeeres trodden vnder foot Againe although the Bohemians stood manfully for the truth and did somewhat preuaile yet they were suppressed againe and the whoorish City flourished till Luther who gaue a farre greater blow vnto it Lastly Pareus relaâ—eth an opinion of some who thinke that in the last times there shall be stirred vp two famous Doctors in the spirit of Elias in whom this shall bee accomplished but according to this the time should not be yet begunne and the phrase here doth plainly make against it in that he saith I will giue vnto my two witnesses not I will stirre vp two witnesses as it must haue beene said if it had beene thus meant I conclude therefore that by these two witnesses are to be vnderstood the holy Scriptures anciently consisting of two parts together with the faithfull Preachers and adherers vnto them These haue neuer beene wanting all this time of 1260. yeeres of Turke and Pope as for so much of this time as hath beene yet expired For euen in the daies of Boniface who vsurped this antichristian supremacy ouer all or immediatly after when Columbanus and Gallus were sent out as his Legats ann 617. to bring other Churches to the obedience of the Roman two Councels were called one in Bauaria and another in Matiscon vnder King Lotharius Anent annal Baiorum lib. 3. Vincent Balaeus in all likelihood to stop their proceedings For of such Councels Writers make mention but what was done is passed ouer in silence Not long after Ardanus a Bishop of the Northumberland opposed himselfe
dangerous and the enemies of the truth haue of late yeeres greatly preuailed and still they vnite their forces like Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck and these of Tyre but God who is the patron of the truth hath shewed that he will put an end to these troubles and one day these incendiaries of warres shall haue a battell wherein they shall fight their last euen in Harmageddon Jn the meane season yet were J a Daniel though to speake before so great a King as Nebuchadnezzar or a Ioseph though to speake before a King as renowmed as Pharaoh J would not only present the explication of these darke mysteries but giue counsell also what is to be done by your Royall Maiestie who by the Grace of God are the most potent and chiefe Defender of the truth at this day in Christendome But J am a childe in vnderstanding neither haue J the spirit to be able to giue counsell in State affaires Onely J pray God from whom is the spirit of such deepe vnderstanding to inspire your Maiesties noble Councellors that they may giue the Counsell and your Royall Heart that you may accept of it whether it tendeth to the animaduersion against sinne and all notorious sinfull persons and to the discountenancing of them to the embracing with loue and fauour of the most godly and zealous for the truth or to a more strict proceeding for the disabling if not for the rooting out of those whose cause is common with the enemies that threaten danger and ruine to vs all And touching my present worke my humble suit vnto your Maiesty is that you would accept of it at your vacant times peruse it and suffer it to passe vnder your Royall Patronage though not for his sake that publisheth it being indeed vnworthy of such a fauour yet for the sakes of those Worthies with whom hee comes accompanied euen almost all the most famous Instruments that God hath euer vsed to giue light to these obscurities My desire and first purpose was to haue presented together to your Maiesties view the whole new Testament expounded and handled in this manner in all the passages that most need exposition a Worke of that sort that I know not any yet that hath laboured in it but as I conceiue such as may be of great vse and benefit to all that are studious of the holy Scriptures and herein by the Grace of God J haue proceeded so farre that I want not much to the perfecting thereof But for so much as partly through my bodily infirmities and partly through my many weekly anocaments in my pastorall charge I must be a long time in doing à little in this wherein so many Authors must be perused I haue made bold to come with this Modell that I haue ready till the whole shall be finished which if it may be acceptable shall be altogether then at your Maiesties seruice Jn the meane season crauing pardon for this my presumption I doe out of a true and most affectionate desire commend your Maiestie to the Grace Blessing and Protection of the Highest beseeching him to make you as happy as any of your Progenitors in a truly Religious and fruitfull Queene wise Counsellors learned and holy Ministers loyall and obedient Commons and in victorious proceedings for the defence of the distressed Gospell and after this life ended to which may it long be in the participation of an vncorruptible Crowne of glory Your Maiesties most humbly deuoted John Mayer THE EPISTLE TO the READER COurteous Reader it is about foure yeeres since I promised as my first worke done in this kinde should be accepted to put out something of like nature vpon other mysticall and darke places of the holy Scriptures Now I cannot but acknowledge my selfe herein a debter vnto thee for thy good acceptation both of that and of some other Bookes of mine also and therefore as my weaknesse would giue me leaue and the manifold distractions of sicknesses remouings worldly incombrances and ministeriall Offices lying vpon me permit I haue prepared another part of the intended Treasury which thou here seest Not as haply is expected vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul which are next in order but vpon the seuen smaller and more neglected Epistles and the Reuelation For I obserued that faith without relying vpon workes for iustification is not so needfull to bee pressed now adaies which is a chiefe thing insisted vpon in the Epistles of Saint Paul but true loue and works flowing here-from together with an holy and vnblamable life to stirre vp vnto which if we speake of the first the Epistles of Saint Iohn are excellent of the second the Epistle of Saint Iames and if of the third those of Saint Peter Againe there are few that haue written vpon these Epistles in comparison of the other and therefore for a supply of this defect I thought it would be more acceptable seeing I cannot doe all together to doe some thing first hereupon Lastly because of all the Bookes of Scripture the Reuelation is least vnderstood and therefore is least read and meditated vpon and yet most necessary comforts in these tumultuous times are to bee fetchted here-from as singularly pointing at them and a finall deliuerance of the Church of God from all her troubles my speciall aime in anticipating the proper time of it hath beene that thou mayest not be longer left without the knowledge of this common place of comfort but be stayed and stablished in an assured expectation of a ioyfull and blessed end through the certaine and speedy downfall of the Romish Antichrist and the vniuersall preuailing of the truth that then shall be and the great triumphs that shall be made amongst the faithfull in all places therefore In this Worke I haue not persisted barely to explicate the difficulties of the Texts vndertaken laying onely together what I finde in my Authors and briefly concluding vpon my Exposition imbraced But in the seuen Catholike Epistles which are handled according to the method of my former worke I haue supplyed which was there wanting First a Preface to each Epistle Secondly an Analysis of each Chapter Thirdly choice Latine sentences opposed in the margine Fourthly a confutation of those Expositions which I follow not Fiftly a paraphrasticall Exposition of the verses comming betweene Text and Text wherein there is some but lesse obscurity Sixtly some short Annotations at the end of euery Text. Touching the Reuelation because after the three former Chapters it is all most obscure Hicronim Epist ad Paulim for according to Ierome Quot verba sunt tot sunt mysteria there are as many mysteries as words I haue therefore altered my order before vsed handling it thorowout by Questions as Augustine sometime did many parts of the Scriptures Augustine And because if I should here haue brought in my Authors speaking the worke would haue growne too great the mysteries to bee expounded being so many and the Expositors so many I haue spared this
labour and onely shewed the diuersity of their expositions so proceeding to examine and determine about euery question And whereas in my determinations I haue sometimes gone from such Authors as many of good iudgement and zeale doe approue of and sometimes from all venting mien owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Mr. Fox dis his Fox I must intreat the friendly Reader to pardon me in so doing For I hold it vaine for any man to write vpon any place of Scripture if he propoundeth to himselfe to square all his Expositions according to that which some other haue done before him Ansel as Anselme is a strict follower of Augustine in all things and Gorran of Thomas Aquinas Gorran though Anselme be for this vsefull because hee hath collected his expositions out of diuers workes of Saint Augustine and fitted them so to the Epistles which he hath written vpon that hee hath thereout made a iust Comment vpon them The liberty taken by that Greeke Expositor Oecumen Oecumenius liketh mee better who though hee followeth Chrysostome much yet hee spareth not oftentimes to frame a different sense of his owne as the Latine Interpreter Marlorat hath also done It is a true saying Marlorai Bernardus non vidit omnia No man how intelligent soeuer but may bee weake sighted in some things and therefore the Lord hath appointed by his Apostle 1 Cor. 14.29 that when some Prophets haue spoken others should iudge and after their prophesyings ended if God hath reuealed any different matter to them to speake also Now though wee haue no Reuelations in these times yet being by our calling Lights of the world Mat. 5.14 the Spirit leaueth not such as study and pray with assiduity without illuminations by the benefit whereof diuers in diuers ages haue giuen great light to many obscurities many yet remaining vnsufficiently cleared that still in these times there might not be wanting doubts about the dissoluing whereof we might bee exercised And it is not to be condemned in vs though much inferiour to the Worthies that haue gone before vs if hauing beside the assistance of the same Spirit of Light the helpe of their labours and of more experience by reason of the time wherein we liue wee in all modesty refusing some of their Expositions deliuer something new and of our owne so that we haue alwaies respect to the analogy of Faith and the consent of the holy Scriptures as Saint * August Cum diuinos libros legi nus in tanta multitudine verorum intellectuum qui e paucis vâ—rois eruunter sanitate Catâ—olicae fidâ—â— muniuntur id pâ—tissimum deligamus quod certum apparuerit eumsentisse quem legimus si auteÌ„ hoc latet id certè quod circumstantia Scripturae non impedit cum sana fide concordat Six ex circumstantia Scripturae discuti nequit saltem id solum quod sacra fides praescribit Etsi enim voluntas scripteris incerta sit tamen sana fidei congruam non inutile est eruisse sententiam Augustine excellently directeth saying When wee reade the Bookes of God amongst so great a multitude of true Expositions which goe vpon few words and are warrantable by the soundnesse of the Catholike Faith let vs choose that Exposition chiefly which shall certainly appeare to be his meaning that wrote it But if there be no such certainty then that which the circumstance of the place hindreth not and which agreeth with sound faith but if from the circumstance of the place it cannot be discussed then that onely which the sacred Faith prescribeth For though the meaning of the Writer be vncertaine yet it is not vnprofitable to frame an Exposition agreeable to sound faith For mine owne part I am so conscious to my selfe of mine owne weaknesse and want of iudgement that howsoeuer that which I haue written seemeth to mee most probable of all other Expositions in these darke and doubtfull passages yet I force it not vpon any man but now that I haue aduentured it to the publike view I doe in all humility submit all to the iudgement of the learned crauing for the good successe of that which is here done and for the seasonable and most sufficient perfecting of that which is further to bee done in this kinde the helpe of thy most feruent and faithfull prayers The Texts handled in this BOOKE TExt 1. Iames 1. Vers 9 10. Let the brother of low degree reioyce in his exaltation but the rich in his humiliation because as the flower c. pag. 6. Text 2. Chap. 1. Vers 13 14. Let no man say being tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted of euill and he tempteth no man c. pag. 9. Text 3. Chap. 1. Vers 18. Of his owne will begat he vs with the Word of truth that we might be a cetaine first fruits of his creatures c. pag 15. Text 4. Chap. 2. Vers 1 2. Haue not the faith of our Lord Iesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons For if there come into your Synagogue c. pag. 23. Text 5. Chap. 2. Vers 14. What profiteth it my brethren if one saith that he hath faith but hath no works can that faith saue him c. pag. 27. Text 6. Chap. 3. Vers 1. Be not many Masters knowing that we shall receiue the greater condemnation c. pag. 34. Text 7. Chap. 3. Vers 2. If any man offendeth not in word the same is a perfect man able to bridle also the whole body c. pag. 36. Text 8. Chap. 3. Vers 14. If ye haue bitter enuying and strife in your hearts glory not nor lye against the truth pag. 43. Text 9. Chap. 4. Vers 1 2 3. Whence are wars and fightings amongst you are they not euen hence from your pleasures that warre in your members c. pag. 46. Text 10. Chap. 4. Vers 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the amity of this world is the enmity of God or thinke ye that the Scripture saith in vaine the spirit that dwelleth in vs lusteth vnto enuy pag. 49. Text 11. Chap. 5. Vers 14. Is any man sick amongst you let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for him anointing him with oile pag. 55. Text 12. Chap. 5. Vers 19. If any man hath erred from the truth one turneth him let him that hath turned him know that he saueth a soule c. pag. 63. Text 13. 1 Peter 1. Vers 1. To the strangers scattered thorow Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithinia Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father c. pag. 69. Text 14. Chap. 1. Vers 10 11. Concerning which saluation the Prophets enquired and searched who prophesied of the grace giuen vnto vs c. pag. 72. Text 15. Chap. 2. Vers 6. Behold I put in Zion a chiefe corner stone elect and pretious and he that beleeueth in him shall not be ashamed
all Countries who were the first people of God and had the Gospell first preached vnto them whereas the other of the Catholike Epistles are to the Gentiles that beleeued in all parts of the world Wherefore Ierome setteth them in this order also Hieron prolog though the Latines respecting the dignity of Peter placed his Epistles first Pareus Pareus holdeth that they should rather bee put in another order first 1 Peter and then Iames because Peter wrote that Epistle first and then Iames following Peter in the same after both which Paul wrote to the Hebrewes Howsoeuer this matter needeth no great dispute seeing order in the placing of the Bookes of holy Scripture is not so precisely obserued yet in reason seeing Saint Iames his Epistle is nominatim to the twelue Tribes but Saint Peters is not so and his second Epistle is to all Christians if any preference be giuen to an Epistle in the placing thereof in respect of them to whom it is written this of Iames should be first and then those of Peter together it being neuer vsed to separate the Epistles of one and the same Author but to place them together This Epistle is said to be of the Apostle Iames and so it is intituled by Beza both in Greek and Latine Euseb Eccl. â—ist lib. 3. cap. 25. Hieren Epist 41. ad Paulin. Cypr. lib. ad Nouat Aug. Epist 29. and both Eusebius and Ierome doe testifie that this Epistle was counted Apostolicall in their times Cyprian also citeth it as Apostolicall and Augustine and Concilium Mileuitan Can. 7. Pareus also subscribeth to this Yet some thinke it was written by Iames surnamed Iustus or Oblias that is Mute who according to Epiphanius was called the Brother of our Lord because hee was the sonne of Ioseph by a former Wife Epiphan in Haeres Antidicomarianorum and hee was one of the 70. sent forth by our Lord being afterwards constituted Bishop of Ierusalem To this Luther subscribeth Luther and the Lutherans following him who doe not therefore hold it to be canonicall Scripture But for as much as it hath anciently beene receiued as Canonicall and Apostolicall not onely by the forenamed Authors but also by Origen Athanasius Orig. Hom. iâ— Ios Athan. in Synops Epiph. lib. 3. haer 76 Isid Hisp lib. 6. Etymol cap. 1. Niceph. lib. 2. hist cap. 46. Damasc lib. 4. de fide cap. 11. Epiphanius Isidorus Hispalensis Nicephorus and Damascen and the very directing of it to all parts after an Apostolicall manner doth argue it to be written not by a Bishop of any particular place but by an Apostle who was sent vnto all I hold it without doubt to be the Epistle of the Apostle Iames and consequently Canonicall as the Epistles of other Apostles are If it be demanded which Iames wrote it for there were two of that name Iames the sonne of Zebedeus and brother of Iohn and Iames the sonne of Alpheus a Kinsman of our Lord and therefore called his Brother also as Iames Oblias before spoken of was I answer with Pareus and others that the consideration of the time when it was written argueth that the first of these Iames the brother of Iohn cannot be the Author of it but Iames the sonne of Alpheus otherwise called Iames the lesser Act. 12. for the elder Iames was slaine by Herod before the dispersion of the Iewes the second yeere of Claudius Sucton in Claud. cap. 25. who did afterwards cast the Iewes and Christians out of the City and then in the time of their dispersion was this Epistle written vnto them as appeareth by the superscription thereof Enseb lib. 2 c. 22. Hieron in Catal. If it be obiected that Eusebius and Ierome both doe report that it was anciently doubted of whether it be Canonicall or no I answer that they did onely mention such a thing but they did not doubt hereof themselues If it be further obiected that he doth not call himselfe an Apostle but the seruant of Iesus Christ I answer that Paul in some of his Epistles in ituleth himselfe likewise the name of an Apostle being omitted and neither Iohn nor Iude write themselues Apostles but only Peter Lastly if it bee obiected that here is something deliuered contrary to that of Saint Paul touching iustification not by saith onely but by workes and anointing with Oile is mentioned which none of the other Apostles speaketh of I answer that I haue already shewed vpon Rom. 3. that the seeming contrariety betwixt Saint Paul and Saint Iames is nothing they being rightly vnderstood and touching the anointing with Oile it shall be considered in the proper place As for any thing else obiected it is not worth the naming and therefore I come directly to the Epistle it selfe wherein after a salutation he comforteth them as the present occasion of their distressed estate did require and hauing called their troubles herein temptations he taketh occasion to speake also of inward temptations tending vnto euill vers 13. prouing that they come not from God one speciall reason of which is that euery good and perfect gift is from him vers 17. and to proue this hee doth instance in the great gift and grace of our regeneration which is of God by his Word vers 18. and therefore inferreth a readinesse to heare this Word remouing the ill effects that through mens owne corruption follow of hearing wrath and speaking in wrath verse 19. c. and setting downe the right vse and end of hearing verse 22. c. And lastly to driue all men from speaking in wrath he sheweth the vanity of his religion that doth so verse 26. and to perswade to loue and pure affections in hearing the contrary to which he had commanded to lay apart verse 21. he commendeth charity whereby our loue is most declared and of which it is said Giue almes of that yee haue Luk. 11.47 and all things shall be cleane vnto you and purity from the inquinations of the world to which a man is subiect by ouerualuing the things thereof verse 27. How the other Chapters of this Epistle doe cohere each one with the former and in it selfe shall bee shewed as wee come to the expounding of them in order CHAP. I. THe former words of this Chapter haue little difficulty in them and therefore I will runne them ouer briefly Vers 1. Verse 1. The twelue Tribes vnto which hee writeth said to be scattered abroad or in dispersion are the beleeuers of euery Tribe now expelled from Ierusalem by CLAVDIVS CESAR as hath beene already touched But it is to be vnderstood that ten of the twelue Tribes were still in that banishment vnder Salmanasar King of Assyria for wee reade not of the returne of any 2 Kings 17. but of the two Tribes and an halfe in the dayes of Exra and Nehemiah or at any time since and therefore it is likely that the Apostle had respect to that dispersion also if happely
the imputed righteousnesse of Christ Iesus but Workes make a mans Faith euident and conspicuous to the world it being hereby proued that a man is a true beleeuer and so accepted for iust and righteous before God Ob. Hypocrites haue good workes and therefore it seemeth Obiect that good workes are no certaine euidence of Faith and consequently on one iustified Sol. Their workes are not truly good Sol. for such are the proper effects of Faith but because they are the same which the faithfull doe and it is hidden from man oftentimes who is an Hypocrite if wee shall iudge one to be faithfull because hee doth good workes we may bee deceiued Yet good workes doe manifest the truly faithfull because such a one is not without good workes though hee that hath good workes in our thinking is not alwaies faithfull but God seeth accuratly of what sort euery mans worke is He that desireth to reade more about iustification by Faith and Workes may haue recourse to Rom. 3.28 Touching the particular passages here verse 18. Vers 18. But some man may say thou hast faith and I haue workes shew we thy faith by thy workes c. Here such as trust to bare Faith are confuted by the bringing in of two speaking together the one seeming to himselfe to be faithfull the other manifested to bee such by his workes But that is but I will oppose thee by this prosopopeia Admit that a man truly faithfull challengeth thee thus Thou saist that thou hast Faith but how dost thou proue it hauing no works I can proue my Faith by my workes here the conscience of him that wanteth workes must needs bee conuinced Thou beleeuest that there is one God Vers 19. thou doest well the Deuils beleeue also and tremble To beleeue this though it be an Article of our Faith and likewise to beleeue and hold aright the other Articles doth not make one a true beleeuer though to beleeue this be to doe well because here is not all required to a sauing Faith Faith what which is to beleeue to the hauing of the affection moued to all due obedience vnto him in whom it is beleeued for loue as Oecumenius hath partly touched already and as Augustine sometime speaketh Faith with charity is a Christian faith August Fides cum charitate est fides Christiana fides sine charitate est fides daemonis Faith without charity is a faith of Deuills that is Faith inclining the heart to obey the Law of God the substance whereof standeth in loue Pareus and others of our Writers generally teach that a sauing Faith is to beleeue with application to a mans owne soule in particular This I confesse is true if we speake of that Faith which is growne to more perfection Iob 19.25 such as was in Iob saying I know that my Redeemer liueth Gal. 2.20 c. and in Paul saying I liue by the Faith of the Son of God who hath died for me But the Faith necessary to saluation commended vnto vs in the holy Scriptures is a beleeuing with loue and affection ioyned hereunto Such was the Faith of the Samaritans said to be Ioh. 4.42 Such a Faith Philip told the Eunuch if he had he might be baptized Act. 8.37 and such was Abrahams Faith Rom. 4.21 And this is such a Faith as none but the Elect can haue the Deuill cannot haue it for he beleeueth with an auersation the wicked cannot haue it for there is the like auersenesse in them also or at the least a deadnesse of affection for their Faith worketh not by loue of which they are void Here is also a certainty without wandring or doubring which is set forth as a property of true Faith for it is without all doubting assented to Iam. 1.5 that Iesus is the Sauiour of the world and that whosoeuer rightly beleeueth on him shall haue euerlasting life But as for certainty of a mans owne particular estate in grace I suppose that is not so of the Esse of Faith as the hee should bee said to haue no Faith who is not able for the present to apply Gods promises without doubting vnto himselfe for then wofull were the case of many true Christians who in time of temptation finde many feares and perplexities in themselues in so much that they are ready to say with Dauid they are cast out of Gods presence though afterward they see their weaknesse and recouer their hold againe Besides this particular assurance is a thing that is to increase daily as men grow vp in Christ and therefore no maruell if in those that are yet children in the Faith it be not so strong as it should be Certainly true loue is an inseparable companion and fruit of a true Faith and then who can deny it to be a liuely Faith wherwith true loue concurreth though such assurance touching a mans owne particular estate be not yet atrained vnto Thou seest that Faith wrought together with his workes Vers 22. c. that is for so much as I haue spoken of his iustification by his worke I would not haue it vnderstood but with reference to his Faith whereby he brought forth this worke so that Faith as the cause and worke as the effect did perfectly iustifie him so that his worke was in no part cause of his iustification as though his iustice stood herein but hereby his Faith was perfected because without it his Faith could not haue beene a perfect and liuing Faith as it is not in any other man Euen as he that from his heart without any dissimulation assenteth to any thing that is iust and equall is in that instant honest and iust but this assent of his is perfected by his act when he doth accordingly And the Scripture was fulfilled saying Vers 23. that Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse that is by this fact he shewed that he beleeued and in his beleeuing whereby he did it stood his iustice and not in the doing of this thing nothing can be plainer for iustification by Faith and to declare that what is attributed to worke in Abraham is meant of a working Faith as hath beene touched already Touching the conclusion Vers 24. v. 24. it must not be vnderstood but according to the Premises that when a man bringeth forth the fruit of Faith he is iustified and not when he doth barely beleeue not being able to shew his Faith by any such fruits Vers 26. And to this also do the last words v. 26. agree as the body without a spirit is dead so is Faith without workes Faith only iustifieth not because being alone without Workes it is dead and vnprofitable as a Carkasse without a soule Note Note that to beleeue only in Christ doth not auaile vnto saluation but when with the apprehension of the loue of God toward a man in Christ which is the greatest loue that euer was doth concurre the loue
of our Neighbour for his sake for this is a liuely and working Faith the other Faith onely And therefore this hearty loue vttering it selfe in the acts of mercy is most necessary vnto saluation not because saluation is hereby merited but because the life and soule of a true Faith lieth herein So that they are wonderfully deceiued that thinke to be saued by beleeuing onely hauing their hearts hardened in sinne in the meane season and hauing no regard to doe good workes and we are vniustly taxed by the Papists as crying downe good workes when we teach iustification by a true and liuely Faith and deny it to bee in part by Workes For we presse vnto good workes as much as they but that we doe it vpon a true ground holding that it is no liuely Faith that wanteth Workes they vpon a false holding that Workes together with Faith doe iustifie or that Faith maketh a man iust but Workes more iust that of iustification by Workes in part being a presumptuous inlargement of that which of old was taught touching Abraham who beleeued God and this was counted to him for righteousnesse this being made more iust a wicked inuention of their owne braines without all ground in the holy Scriptures Note againe Note that a man may beleeue the Articles of the Christian Faith and hold much truth in fundamamentall points and yet be in no better estate than the Deuill so that it maketh nothing for the credit of the Iesuites that in many points they hold the truth for so much as their practises are deuillish and damnable and it may be said likewise of the whole rabble of Papals seduced by them CHAP. III. HOwsoeuer there may seeme to bee no coherence betwixt this Chapter and those that went before yet if we looke backe to Chapter 1.19 and Verse 25. it will appeare that it cohereth very well For hauing there fallen vpon an Argument concerning speech and the abuse of the tongue vnto which he ioineth an exhortation to doe the Word and not to heare it onely and specially by emptying out all maliciousnesse and filthinesse and putting on meeknesse and exercising mercy towards the poore and not contempt hee keepeth as we may well obserue within these bounds thorowout the residue of his Epistle First more largely treating vpon that of vsing the poore contemptuously and vpon workes of mercy chap. 2. Secondly in a like large manner returning to speake of the misgouernment of the tongue chap. 3. after which thirdly in the same Chapter he also resumeth his exhortation vnto meeknesse and against maliciousnese vers 13. vnto the end of the Chapter Fourthly he returneth to speake against filthinesse also against which he had giuen a touch chap. 1.21 and this hee doth chap. 4. mixing his reproofe of this together with that other of malice and enuy whence strife ariseth a certaine Argument of pride and therefore hee toucheth vpon that also vers 6. Touching the residue of that Chapter wee shall see more when we come to the handling of it Here then are two points first against the abuse of the tongue seconly against strife and contention arising from the want of meeknesse in the heart which strife doth also vtter it selfe by railing and cursed speaking Touching the first he reproueth it first more obscurely vers 1. then plainly vers 2 c. IAMES Chapter 3. Verse 1. My brothren be not many masters knowing that we shall receiue the greater damnation Vers 2. For in many things we slip or stumble all THere were many Iewes in the daies of the Apostles who went Tho Aquinas Gorrans Glos â—ord before they were well instructed in the doctrine of Faith from Ierusalem to Antioch preaching the necessity of circumcision and other errors Against these hee opposeth this speech Be not many masters that is because the knowledge requifite in a Teacher is but of few bee not yee that are vnlearned and ignorant Masters and Teachers neither by ye many by your diuisions through ignorance into many opinions for it is not a thing reprehensible that there by many Masters which are sufficient and teach all one truth because thus they do altogether performe but the office of one Master Christ as he calleth himselfe Mat. 2â— Such shall receiue the greater damnation because it is a greater sin to set forth false doctrine than for a mans owne particular to hold it though he shall also perish for so doing In many things we offend all that is we that teach the Truth onely haue yet our frailties and sinnes and therefore no need that we should rush further in by vsurping such an high Office vnto which sufficient skill is wanting he speaketh thus of himselfe together with them that he might the more freely reproue them in this fault This speech is directed against rash iudging of the speeches and deeds of othes Pareus Piscator alike vnto which is Luk. 6.37 Now it is an vsuall Catachresis in any Language to call such supercilious persons as will take vpon them to censure and to speake euill of others Masters Be not many that is let there be no such the speech being framed according to the occasion because there were many faulty this way he biddeth Be not many Masters Hee saith We shall receiue the greater damnation for thus iudging others because the euill in our selues is aggrauated hereby before God and as it is iust with him hee will prouide that we shall haue the like measure meeted vnto vs againe and he numbreth himselfe amongst them lest he should seeme guilty of that which he taxeth if he should speake of others only exempting himselfe In many things we offend all that is hereby we should be staied from iudging of others because in iudging we condemne our selues who are many waies offenders also Ioh. 8. Gal. 6.1 Obiect By this reason none can censure the faults of others Obiect Solu It followeth onely Sol. that none can rightly doe thus without a calling wherein he that iudgeth standeth as Gods Deputy to censure for him for thus he iudgeth not but God iudgeth by him Secondly hauing a calling he ought not to be swaied by corrupt affections in censuring others in spleene and hatred orbeing proud ouer poore Malefactors as though there were nothing worthy of censure in himselfe but out of a conscience of his owne guiltinesse before God censure with mercy and clemency Faber Mayer Faber Gagneus Beda Luther August Ne sitis multi magistri i. dissentientes à doctima vnici Magistri Christi Beza Iunius and Gagneus and Saint Augustine also and Beda follow the first exposition and Luther likewise See August prolog in lib. 1. retract Be not many Masters saith he dissenting from the Doctrine of Christ our onelyl Master Beza and Iunius and others follow the newer exposition For my owne part I see no reason to goe from the old receiued interpretation That which Pareus obiecteth against it that thus vnderstood it should
be against a multiplicity of Doctors which is rather commended Numb 11.29 Mat. 9.38 is answered already that hee impugneth not a multiplicity of able Teachers but of intruders into this Office without sufficiency That indeed which some Sophisters turne it to that there ought not to be many censurers in Ecclesiasticall matters but one viz. the Pope of Rome is absurd It may agree well vnto Teachers both by the method here vsed this being one of the greatest abuses of the tongue to vsurpe a teaching Office to the reprehending whereof hee returneth now againe and in regard of other places from which we may gather that this vsurpation was then vsuall and taxed likewise by other instruments of God as Act. 15.1 1 Tim. 1.7 But if it should be taken for iudging as Luk. 6.37 the name of Masters would not so well agree and it should rather haue beene said Be none of you Masters it being a thing vtterly vnlawfull in this sense Note Note that it is a most dangerous thing to aspire to the Office of a Teacher when a man is not sufficiently grounded in knowledge and learning Rom. 10.15 For this is not the office of euery one but of such as are called and singularly inabled vnto it If any rashly intrude themselues their condemnation shall bee the greater because hereby ambition is added to their other sinnes as in Saul and Vzziah sacrificing being thus puft vp 1 Tim. 3.6 they fall into the condemnation of the Deuill Note againe Note that if God should marke straightly the doings of the best all must needs be found sinners and that in many things and so liable to his iudgements wherefore wee had need to be circumspect and wary against sinne being assured that when we haue done the best that we can we shall still haue sinnes enow to answer for and therefore in our greatest circumspection and best doing we ought to acknowledge our imperfections and because sinnes haue beene in the very best it will not be safe for vs shrouding our selues vnder any example to aduenture vpon any sinne CHAP. 3. VER 2. If any offendeth not in word the same is a perfect man able to bridle also the whole body c. This is not spoken to teach Pareus that any are so perfect that they are without out sinne but rather on the contrary side to conuince all of sinne for hauing affirmed immediatly before that all of vs sinne in many things what better proofe can there be hereof than to instance in the sinfulnesse of the tongue so little a member for if a man hauing a whole body to gouerne well cannot so much as gouerne this little member but that hereby he sinneth so much how can he be counted perfect and without all sinne He is farre also from instifying hereby such as steale murther or commit adultery if they can well gouerne their tongues for his onely drift is to shew by the sinnes of the tongue that all sinne in many things If any sinne not in word he is a perfect man is no more therefore but as if hee should haue said hereby it appeareth that none are so perfect but that they sinne in many things because if but this one way of sinning viz. in speech be considered there is not one but is guilty for to proue a generall vnrulinesse of the tongue tendeth his whole discourse here So the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things Verse 5. As the bridle in the horses mouth and a little rudder in the hand of the gouernour of a ship so the tongue but little in comparison of the body boasteth great things in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth magnifically lift vp it selfe saith Beza is a word that is no where else vsed in the holy Scriptures and it may haue reference both to good and euill according to the examples of good going before and of euill following after these words The tongue is a world of wickednesse that is Verse 6. because it hath in it all manner of vices as the world hath all kinds of things Setteth on fire the whole course of nature that is the whole course of this life that is infected with it and is set on fire of hell that is of the deuill who as he is a lyer and slanderer so he corrupteth the tongues of men vnto the like The whole nature of beasts and birds c. that is Verse 7. some of euery kinde are tamed by man yea Lions and Beares and Panthers Non vniuersaliter de singulis generum sed restrictè de generibus singulorum intelligendum c. haue beene brought to dance to follow men vpon a line and to make letters as Pliny writeth Fishes are brought to take meat at their Masters hands and Serpents haue beene tamed so that their keepers could handle them make them without hurt to twine themselues about their neckes That he might deterre them from the desire of prelation to teach in the Church of God Th. Aquinas Gorran he sheweth the incuitable offences of speaking so that hee is a rare man that offendeth not Eccl. 19. There is no man that offendeth not with his tongue of such offending at large it is not spokē here but of offending in teaching of which a man may beware or of offending in a more hainous manner by lying railing and slandering according to the glosse Now that there are some perfect-men though but few that offend not thus he sheweth by two similitudes of a bridle guiding an horse and of a rudder guiding a ship His reason is this he that can turne about and guide his whole body to a good worke is perfect but he that can gouerne his tongue well can doe thus Ergo the minor is proued because he can put a bridle vpon it The tongue being little Verse 5. exalteth great things that is either the soules of men to great rewards or to great punishments Behold how much wood a little fire kindleth Hauing hitherto spoken of the vertues of the tongue now he speaketh of the vices It is called a fire because it enflameth others a world of wickednesse because hereby we sinne against God blaspheming against our Neighbour by railing c. and against our selues by vaine boasting All are said to be tamed by man Vers 7. Pliny Marcellinus because some of all kindes Pliny telleth of an huge Aspe in India that came daily out of his hole to receiue meat at a mans table Marcellinus telleth of a Tygre that was made tame and sent from India to Anastasius Or according to the Glosse this may be vnderstood metaphorically by beasts men that are theeues and murtherers by Birds instable persons and by Serpents such as are cunning to hurt for these may be conuerted sooner than the tongue tamed Hauing shewed that he which is able to order his tongue aright Faber Stapul in teaching nothing but the truth is a perfect
enuy Oecumenius and Gagneus both affirme Gagneus that there are some Greeke Copies wherein it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which if it bee so I could easily assent to the pretended fault of the Scribe otherwise to reade it ye kill may well stand as Thomas Aquinas hath expounded it ye kill by hating 4 Touching this that they are said not to haue when the worst worldlings get riches it is also well resolued already by Pareus 5 Touching asking whereunto he seemeth to counsell them he speaketh not so as intimating that being thus ill disposed they should preuaile if they did aske but to teach the right way of obtaining Gods blessings which they needed viz. if they would seeke them not by euill lusting after them in a worldly manner but by right prayer vnto God 6 Touching the asking and not hauing this is not contradictory to that Mat. 7. Aske and you shall haue Faber in â—ac 4. Spiritus sâ—â—â—â—enus Orat rupâ—d Deum 〈◊〉 â—â—â—es autem carnis malus but rather an exposition thereof if ye aske rightly that is with a spirituall and heauenly minde To which purpose one speaketh notably The Spirit of Faith is a good Oratour before God but the sense of the flesh an ill one He that hath this Spirit is mortified together with Christ and so doth not fight striue enuy but what he needeth he asketh in the Spirit of Faith and receiueth as much as is sufficient for his spirituall life Now the minde that is spirituall doth not aske worldly things for the loue which it hath to abound herein to liue the more deliciously to the pampering of the body but for necessary vses that a man may liue to glorifie God and to doe good herewith They which doe otherwise shall not speed though they aske and beg most importunately To spend vpon their pleasures then is not onely for necessity or that they may haue wherewithall to doe deeds of charity but that they may haue superfluity and so maintaine themselues according to the pompous manner of this world which who so hath being a worldling and without grace rusheth into fleshly pleasures properly so called as the Sodomites whose state is described to be such Ezech. 16.49 as that they had fulnesse of bread And thus I assent vnto Piscator that these kinde of pleasures are principally meant here though I see all others goe another way expounding the words following of adulterers and adulteresses by the spirituall adultery Note that the originall of all troubles and stirres in the world are the worldly and euill affections of men Note which are ingendered through an ouer-great pleasure taken in worldly things that we may not suffer our minds to be taken vp with such delight herein but acknowledging their vanity bee mortified in this regard so shall we be free from the hellish affections of enuy and hatred with which whosoeuer is tainted can haue no comfort to God-ward seeing he is a carnall man and so in the way of perdition Note againe Note what great deceit there is in worldly pleasures though they fawne vpon vs and there appeareth nothing but delight yet they worke our owne members against our soules for hereby they fight against them and therefore let no man that loueth his soule bee bewitched with them or let them haue place in him no more than he will receiue a deadly enemy into his house or bed-chamber Note lastly Note that the onely sure way to obtaine what wee need for this life is to pray for it and that with a sincere heauenly end and not a carnall they that by tugging and striuing by wrangling and coueting seeke it haue it not either being frustrated of their desire by a iust iudgement or being without the vse of it because they are mancipated to the world and so haue no comfort thereof but onely toile care and sorrow according to that saying Inopem me copia fecit CHAP. 4. VER 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know yee not that the amity of the world is the enmity of God c. Vers 5. or thinke ye that the Scripture saith in vaine the spirit that dwelleth in vs lusteth vnto enuy c. Mayer All Expositors almost agree in the sense of these words except it be about the place of Scripture alleaged Ye adulterers this they expound by spirituall adultery as I haue already touched though I see no reason but that hee may meane this vice properly according to Piscator because hee speaketh so much of pleasure as well as of bitter enuying and strife for they altogether warre against the soule though I grant indeed that his maine scope here is to impugne a maleuolous and spleenaticke disposition yet there is nothing to hinder but that they which were so sensuall might be libidinous and therefore it was not impertinent but tended to the aggrauating of their sinne 2 Pet. 2.14 the more to call them adulterers and adulteresses as Saint Peter taxeth corrupt professors to haue eyes full of adultery and as we may gather from thence and Saint Iudes Epistle it was an vsuall blemish of such kinde of persons But he proceedeth no further here but onely nameth them by this vice and then goeth forward in his argument against being so worldly minded the amity of the world is the enmity of God Oecumenius yeeldeth a good reason of this Oecumen because that he which is so intent to the world must needs neglect God and godlinesse and to neglect or remisly to carry a mans selfe towards any is to hate him for this is a fruit of hatred Th. Aquinas Pareus so that the loue of the world here is to loue it in excesse or to loue the corruption that beareth sway here which is vnderstood also by the world 1 Ioh. 2.15 for this is an enemy to God and maketh him Gods enemy that is infected with it Touching the place alleaged Verse 5. because there is no such sentence to be found diuers haue coniectured diuersly some that it is alluded to Numb 11.29 where Moses saith to Ioshua Iuninus paral Enuiest thou for my sake some vnto Gen. 6.5 All the imaginations of mans heart are onely euill continually as Pareus reporteth and some that these words are to bee referred to those that went before Th. Aquinas Gorrâ—n the amity of the world is the enmity of God for by the words following he proueth this the spirit that dwelleth in vs lusteth vnto enuy For this is as much in effect as if he had said is an enemy to Gods Spirit for as much as the Spirit of God is against enuying but our owne spirit which is worldly is carryed to enuy And then the Scripture alleaged is brought to this purpose as if he had said Thinke yee that the holy Scripture doth in vaine disswade from the loue of the world for in this kinde it speaketh Deut. 7.3 Thou shalt make no leagues with them
directed to goe Touching confession of sins to the Priest we hold that there is no ground for it here to proue that it ought yeerely to be vsed or vpon necessity to the Priest in the time of sicknesse but onely that he being acquainted with the state of the sicke may the better commend his case vnto the Lord in prayer and minister fitting instructions vnto him for so saith Perkins Perk. de monst problem sub titulo Confes sacrament Pareus in Iac. 5. Faber Stapul the Ancients counselled confessing to the Priest as a commodious and profitable meane to reape comfort And Pareus comming to set downe the true meaning of this place saith The Apostle hauing commanded the sicke to send for the Elders and to poure out into their bosome their necessities and sinnes not that they might absolue them but pray for them hee doth extend this doctrine now to all the faithfull commanding them to confesse one vnto another and to pray for one another as their present case and necessity did require He granteth also that it may be vnderstood more restrainedly of confessing how we haue iniuried one another for pacification when offence hath beene giuen but he preferreth rather the other Lyra and Beda and others Lyra. Beda teach out of this place a necessity of confessing to the Priest by whose hands as men were wont to offer their sacrifices so by them now they should seeke to be commended in prayer Tho. Aquinas saith Tho. Aquinas that vnder the old Testament it was sufficient to confesse to God onely but now since God became man confession must bee made both to God and to man who is Gods Vicar in spirituall things And this is intimated when Christ biddeth the leprous man goe shew himselfe to the Priest Luke 17. because sinne is the leprosie of the soule and when he gaue to Peter the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and to the rest of the Apostles and said Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted But that neither this place nor any other in all the holy Scriptures was thought anciently to impose any such necessity of confessing to the Priest is plaine because in the Greeke Church confession hauing beene formerly in vse Histor tripart lib. 9. cap. 35. was abolished an 396. for whoredome which a certaine Deacon committed with a Noble woman vnder the colour of this priuate confession And since that time it was neuer vsed againe in the Greeke Churches vnto this day Neither was it any where required till about an 800. at what time Alcuinus is the first that maketh mention of it as necessary And Cubilonense Concil 2. cap. 32. And Concil Moguntin cap. 26. in the time of Gregory 4. the one requiring a full confession the other a pure confession to be made by the sicke But it was first decreed Concil Lateran about an 1200. in the time of Pope Innocent 3. And now confessions are made otherwise than in times past viz. that the Priest hauing taken them may absolue the offenders direct them to a course of satisfaction for their sins To conclude this point it is certaine that the Popish auricular confession is not directed to here and diuers of them confesse that it is vncertain by what authority it is required that men should thus confesse In the a Glos de paenit dist 5. c. 1. Melius dicitur eam institutam suisse à quadam vniuersalis Ecclesiae traditione potius quà m ex noui vel vet testamenti authoritate Glosse it is said It is better to hold that it was instituted rather out of the tradition of the Church than by the authority of the old or new Testament Scotus in Sent. 4. distinct 17. saith that either it was ordained by Christ giuing order hereabout to the Apostles or else it was appointed by the Apostles without all Scripture onely by word of mouth Rhenanus b Rhenan in Tertull de poenit Clancularia confessio quantum conâ—cimus nata est ex ista exomologes per vitroneam hominum pietatem Nec cnim vsquam prâ—ceptam olim legimâ—â— saith that this priuate confessioÌ„ did arise as farre as wee can coniecture out of that voluntary confession which godly men were wont to make of their owne accord for it is no where prescribed that we can reade of Caietan likewise denieth it to be of Christ and so to be necessary Iohn 24. yet it seemeth to me that in the time of sicknesse it is good and profitable for the sicke to confesse his sinnes freely to the Minister of Gods word that by him as by Gods instrument appointed to speake comfort vnto him in respect of the remission of his sinnes he may be comforted and confirmed in this regard and that being well acquainted with his case hee may the better stirre him vp to repentance and the more effectually commend his case vnto God in his prayers For confesse your sinnes one vnto another me thinkes may be better expounded thus men vnto men that is to the Elders who are of your selues and are appointed for your comfort both corporall and spirituall for of such he had spoken before and it is most to the purpose to interpret this as spoken de issdem as directing the sicke not onely to send for them but to confesse vnto them also that knowing what sinnes in particular trouble their consciences they may herein pray to God for them and obtaine pardon For expound it of other common Christians and this absurdity will follow that they which are lesse able to aduise and to comfort a distressed soule should haue the sores thereof opened vnto them they to whom it properly belongeth to apply medicines being neglected Againe they who are most ready to confesse their sinnes to Gods Ministers are the most penitent whose consciences are troubled herewith Others that are neuer pressed with the burthen of their sinnes either say nothing in this kinde at all or else their confessions be very generall and sleighty so that the practice of such as are best affected who no doubt are moued hereunto by the spirit of God sheweth that it is of God to confesse a mans sinnes to his seruants in the time of sicknesse and therefore hee doth enable them accordingly to minister comfort to such as from a true penitent heart doe thus saying Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted Confesse thy sinnes then first and chiefly to God and confesse in time of sicknesse one vnto another that is the priuate Christian vnto the faithfull Minister of God and pray one for another that is the Minister for the priuate man being in extremity through sicknesse being assured that as Eliah by prayer preuailed mightily for the common good so a godly Minister shall preuaile for the releefe and comfort of him that is in distresse One reckoneth vp nine effects of feruent prayer Gorran in Iac. 5. 1. It dissolueth bands Act. 12. 2. It putteth to flight the deuill Matth. 17. 3.
hidden as to mention that to set forth hereby the excellency of this worke of conuersion Note Note that a man in errour or in sinne is out of the way of life and in the way of death yea he that is deceiued onely with errour in fundamentals is in a damnable estate though his life be otherwise vnblamable and full of good workes Let the seduced Papist then consider this and tremble to goe on in his errours Note againe Note that although there be sinne euen in those that are conuerted yet no sinne appeareth all is couered and cast behinde Gods backe he looketh now only vpon the studie care which they haue to doe his will this comming betweene his sight and their old sinnes whereas the impenitent and vnconuerted is full of sinne blemishing and deforming him in the sight of God so that he is all vgly and vile in his eyes as any lothsome leaper is in ours which should make a wicked man out of loue with himselfe and to turne from this estate seeing howsoeuer he thinketh that he hath but such or such a sin to answer for the truth is that he hath a multitude of sins Faber pelagus peccatorum yea a sea of sinnes as one speaketh Note lastly Note because Prou. 10.12 from whence this is taken it is said Loue couereth a multitude of sinnes that in loue we ought to endeuour all that possibly we can one to conuert another from sinne The excellency of the worke here mentioned should pricke vs forward to this most Christian dutie and the loue of our brother should constraine vs vnto it 1 Cor. 13. seeing if we be without loue we are without all substance THE FIRST CATHOLIKE EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE PETER THis Epistle is held by some to haue beene written before that of Iames as by Pareus Baron Annal. tom 1. and Baronius saith that it was written at Rome An. Dom. 45. when Marke was there with him whose salutations he sendeth And his second Epistle an 68. when Peter was now neere vnto his end as is intimated 2 Pet. 1.14 If this were written so soone it was before all the Epistles of Paul the first written of which was the first to the Thessalonians which came forth an 52. Others thinke that these Epistles were put out according to their order as Lyra Iames writing first Lyra. and then Peter Augustine speaketh of all these smaller Epistles as written after Pauls Epistles wherein Faith iustifying without Workes had beene so much set forth vpon which some gathered that good workes were not necessary to saluation August tem 4. de fid opere c. 14. and therefore both Iames Peter Iohn and Iude doe mightily vrge Workes affirming Faith without Workes to be vnprofitable Thus I haue related what I finde touching the time of this Epistle and the rest but as I said before vpon that of Iames. This dispute is not much materiall but either because Iames his Epistle was first written or because to the Iewes who were Gods first people it is placed first And this of Peter after because to such as being Gentiles became first Iewes and then were conuerted to the faith of Christ Hugo Card. as Hugo Cardinalis coniectureth and after Peters the Epistles of Iohn because they were written to the Gentiles conuerted to Christianity Touching this it was neuer doubted of to be Canonicall yea it hath beene alwaies accounted a most excellent Epistle and worthy to be written in letters of gold for Boniface the Bishop of Rome Baron â—om 9. annal that was a Martyr as Baronius faith desired by his Letters of Eadburga an Abbesse and kinswoman to the King of Kent to send him the Epistles of Peter written in letters of gold The maine scope of this Epistle is to comfort and to confirme in sufferings for the Gospels sake And therefore after the scattered Christians named to whom he writeth verse 1. hee comforteth them first by setting forth their estate Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God c. vers 2 3 4 5.2 the benefit of afflictions the praise of God and the saluation of their soules vers 6 7 8 9. And confirmeth them touching this saluation to be attained in a Christian profession from the ancient prophesies set forth in the holy Scriptures wherein thus much is declared vers 10 11 12. Making vse of this consolation to stirre vp to holinesse and righteousnesse vers 13 14 15 16 17. Which that it might be the more effectuall there is a commemoration made by what a price wee are redeemed to this excellent estate vers 18 19 20 21 22. And what is the instrument of our being begotten again hereunto viz. the word of God which is not as flesh which fadeth like grasse but endureth for euer vers 23 24 25. And hauing spoken of this being borne againe hee vrgeth them as now borne babes to desire the milke of the Word c. Chap. 2. Wherein as in the rest how things cohere together we shall see when we come to handle them in order CHAP. I. 1 PETER Chapter 1. Verse 1. To the strangers scattered thorow Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia Vers 2 Elect according to the fore knowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the spirit vnto obedience and sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ c. THe Countries here mentioned are all towards the East and are large Luther in 1 Pet. 1. being now vnder the Dominion of the Turke Pontus is a great Countrey neere to the Sea Cappadocia is next vnto it for their borders ioyne together Galatia is seated behinde these Asia and Bythinia before Strangers he calleth the Christians there because although they were Gentiles inhabiting in those parts yet they were strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel by their originall and in this respect are said to be strangers though being conuerted they ioyned with the Iewes that were Christians and became one people According to the fore-knowledge of God the Father This is the cause of our election Gods preordaining of vs and not any free will in vs. In the sanctification of the spirit that is that we might be holy and spirituall which holinesse flowing from election is the onely true holinesse opposed here to the many kinds of externall sanctification which the Iewes had vnto the obedience and sprinkling c. that is then haue we part in this sanctification and are truly Saints when we obey the word of Christ in beleeuing in his name being thus sprinkled with his bloud for this which is here spoken in other words is no more but what S. Paul saith We are saued by faith for this maketh vs obedient and subiect vnto Christ So that to obey the word of God to be subiect to Christ to be sprinkled with his bloud and to beleeue is all one The phrase of sprinkling is borrowed from Psal 51. being an allusion to the sprinkling of the Tabernacle
Note that it concerneth euery one be he learned or vnlearned to reade and studie vpon the holy Scriptures that he may not be to seeke in his answers about the doctrine of faith Hom. 16. in Iohan when he is required thereunto Chrysostome doth sharply reproue Christians that labour not for knowledge that they may vnderstand the reason of the Christian faith alleaging how Artificers will fight in the defence of their profession and the Gentiles will argue strongly for their superstition and against the Christian religion and yet hee saith that many Christians are so ignorant that they cannot giue an answer what the Trinity is what the resurrection or why Christ was incarnate at such a time And lastly he refuteth that tenent that a simple soule is blessed that is one that is ignorant and knoweth nothing Oh how contrary to this is the teaching of the Papists at this day who commend ignorance and speake against reading of the Scriptures as most dangerous CHAP. 3. VERS 18 19 c. Being put to death in the flesh but quickened in the spirit Vers 19 Wherein he went preached to the spirits in prison which had sometime beene disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah c. As Christ was both God and man so he dyed as man Occumen in 1 Pet. 3. and as God rose againe to deliuer vs from death and corruption For he was raised by the power of his deity to shew that we shal rise againe raising vp the bodies of many that were dead also for our further confirmation herein In which he went c. Here is shewed how the benefit of his passion extended to the vniust not onely liuing but dead long before because hee had said He suffered the iust for the vniust Wherein therefore is as much as for which cause that there might redound benefit from him to such as were dead long before as well as to the liuing namely to so many as liued well and would haue beene ready to embrace the faith of Christ if hee had come amongst them hee went and preached to them that they might bee deliuerd by him And that it might appeare that there haue beene alwaies meanes of comming to faith and obedience so that the condemnation of the vnfaithfull is iust he maketh mention of Noah who was long agoe euen almost from the beginning by whom they might haue beene conuerted And hauing spoken of the Arke and those that were in it saued by the waters he applieth it vnto Baptisme for as the waters then drowned the wicked world but those that fled into the Arke were preserued so by baptisme the wicked and vnbeleeuing deuils are drowned but the faithfull are saued as water washeth away the filthines of the flesh so baptisme cleanseth the soule in a mysticall and wonderfull manner and it is called the interrogation of a good conscience towards God because they only which apply their minds to an holy life are wont to make questions and to seeke vnto God by what meanes they may be saued and so vnderstanding that baptisme is the meanes they haue recourse thereunto Christ is said to haue died once it being implied Th. Aquinas Gorran Glos Ordin that hee shall die no more against those heretikes that held that he suffered in the aire for the deuils after that he had done suffering here vpon earth and to rouze vp the secure from sinne because if now after that Christ hath suffered they liue in sinne there will be no more redemption for them Mortificatos car ne vtuificatos autem spirtus seeing Christ dieth no more That he might offer vs vp vnto God being quickened in the spirit that is either the holy Ghost or our spirit because the true Christian dieth to the flesh but liueth to the spirit In which he went that is in a spirituall manner by internall inspiration euen before that he was incarnate preaching by Noah by his Angels whom he vsed as his Mâ—nisters to declare his will in those times To those that were in prison that is of the flesh of sin errour according to that Ps 141. Take my soule out of prison in one translation therefore it is To them that were shut vp in the flesh When they expected Gods patience that is thinking that God would still with patience beare with them They were saued by the water because the water lifted vp the Arke and eight persons are mentioned as alluding to him that should rise againe the eighth day and to the time of the generall resurrection which some thinke shall be vpon the same day Baptisme is like vnto the Arke and so is tribulation through which a Christian must goe in diuers things First The Arke was made of boords hallowed so the Church consisteth of persons afflicted Secondly The Arke was of incorruptible wood so are Christians such as will not be corrupted Thirdly They that were saued in the Arke were saued by Noah signifying rest so the Church is saued by Christ Fourthly Out of the Arke none were saued so neither out of the Church Fiftly The waters being increased the Arke was borne vp higher so the Church grew greater by tribulations But the Baptisme that saueth is not any Baptisme for there is no such thing in the Iewes baptizings or in Iohns baptisme or in that of heretikes in which there is onely water but not the spirit but the baptisme vsed in the true Church wherein the Minister demandeth whether he beleeueth and renounceth the deuill c. exacting a pure conscience in him that commeth to be baptized which good conscience tendeth to God and he that comming with such a conscience is baptized Iuther in 1 Peter 3. is saued by the resurrection of Iesus Christ that is exemplariter rising from sinne to vertue as he rose againe Rom. 6. Christ is said to be put to death in the flesh when the man Christ died vpon the Crosse his naturall faculties ceasing he not liuing by meat and drinke and rest any more as is vsuall amongst men that are liuing here And he was quickned in the spirit that is was raised vp againe to a spirituall life wherein he liueth for euer both in soule and body And liuing this life now he preacheth not vocally as hee did but spiritually when his Apostles and other Ministers preach being spiritually present with them vnto the end of the world The spirits vnto which he is said to preach are they that were sometime disobedient in the daies of Noah not that they precisely are meant but such as they were for when hee preacheth in wardly to mens hearts and spirits now hee may well be said to preach to the spirits in prison because some are such as they that now are in prison were so that they are in the number of rebellious spirits to whom it is daily preached Here is therefore a Synecdoche whereby the part is put for the whole The eight
persons preserued are said to be saued by the water because when all others perished in the water they were borne in the Arke vpon the waters and escaped drowning So likewise by Baptisme whatsoeuer is carnall naturall is destroyed and we are made spirituall when we are hereby receiued into the Church as into the Arke depending vpon Christ by faith But it is nothing outward in baptisme that saueth vs but the couenant whereupon a good conscience doth comfortably rest being able to say This thou hast promised Lord vnto me and therefore wilt performe it By the resurrection of Christ that is it being by faith apprehended not onely that Christ died for vs but that he rose againe to make his death effectuall vnto vs. Luther acknowledgeth this place to be so obscure Mayer as that he is not fully satisfied about the sense of it but preferreth this as seeming to him the best that yet could be found out Caietan saith that Christ went and preached to the spirits in hell and that not vnfruitfully But this is worthily reiected by Luther because there is no comming out of that place Gagneus And Gagneus a Papist also derideth it asking who told him of any that were there conuerted He also confesseth that he cannot attaine to any satisfying resolution of this place Some he saith expound it of Christs comming once before his comming in the flesh euen in Noahs time to preach whilest the Arke was in building but as they disobeying not flying into the Arke were drowned so now that Christ hath come in the flesh if any obey not to fly to the Sacrament of Baptisme they cannot but perish The Greekes reade that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirits in hell which we read in prison holding that he went to preach vnto them not to saue them but to vpbraid them with their infidelity and sinnes notwithstanding the long warning which they had by Noah Beda Beda is altogether for preaching to men in this world and therefore readeth it either in prison that is to such as were shut vp in the body as in a prison or in the flesh that is such as were greatly oppressed with fleshly desires But to examine and determine in order the doubts or this place first what is meant by being put to death or mortified in the flesh and quickened in the spirit The old Latine translation followed by Tho. Aquinas and Gorraâ— readeth it Mortificatos carne c. as I haue shewed already and it is expounded by them accordingly of our being mortified and quickened But the Latine translation hath beene amended according to the Greeke as Lorinus acknowledgeth being by the fault of the Writer corrupted according to Gagneus and Augustine Ierom and Cyprian and Ruffin follow this reading He being quickened c. But it being agreed about this reading yet there is a question what is meant by Christs being quickened in the spirit 〈◊〉 An answer to certaine obiections against Christs descent Some contend that his soule was preserued aliue when he was bodily dead and that nothing else is meant And one taketh great paines in alleaging other places of Scripture where to quicken doth signifie to keepe aliue as Luke 17.33 Luke 9.24 Marke 8.33 Iohn 12.25 Exod 1.22 1 Sam. 27.9 c. And the Syrian Interpreter who readeth these words here Gecumen August Thâ— Aquin. Euther He died in body but liued in spirit Some would haue his diuine power meant quickening others that were dead who came out of their graues Some vnderstand his reuiuing againe to a spirituall life after his bodily death the quickening spirit comming againe into his dead body Some lastly vnderstand his diuinity wherein he liued â—â—â—d ras 〈◊〉 and alwaies liueth because the Godhead is a spirit expounding his being quickened in the spirit of his being restored to life by the power of his diuinity Beda citeth Athanasius taking the spirit here for the holy Ghost Athanesues as if it were meant that he was quickened in the faithfull his members in the spirit comming into them I subscribe to that of Augustine and Luther as seeming to me most genuine he died the naturall death but liued againe the spirituall life in soule and body For although the word here vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be often put for preserued aliue yet here it being opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it agreeth better to vnderstand it of that which is opposite to being put to death that is being raised to life againe in the spirit that is by the power of the Deity his very body is now become spirituall as ours shall also be And thus it agreeth excellently with that which went before that we should patiently suffer any wrongs because as the Lord Iesus did not so neither shall we lose any thing no not though we should be put to death for we shall but exchange as Christ did a naturall life for a spirituall and heauenly which is for euer Secondly What is meant by Christs going in the spirit to preach to the spirits in prison c. To this it is answered diuersly by diuers some of which answers I haue shewed already First It was a generall receiued opinion amongst most that Christ descended into hell there in person to preach to such spirits as were departed out of this world before his comming Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. 6. Athanasius Epist ad Epâ—ctet Epiphan Haeres 77. Cyrillus Alex. in Iohan. cap. 36. lib. 12. Hillar in Psal 118. Ieronym in cap. 54. Esa Ambros in Rom. 10. Iustin in tryphon Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 23. And the last of these two alleageth a place out of Esay the former of Ieremy in these words The holy Lord of Israel was mindfull of his dead which slept in the earth and descended to preach saluation to them that he might saue them Which words are not now extant any where but are thought by Irenaeus through the hatred of Christianity to haue beene put out by the Iewes yet they that agree in the generall of Christ his descent doe greatly differ about the effect thereof Some holding that hee saued all that were in hell before by his preaching as Hilary and Hermes in his booke entituled Pastor but the disobedient in Noahs time are named onely because they were the greatest number that perished together This is mentioned and reiected as an heresie by Augustine August lib. de Hares cap. 79. and that worthily because so contrary to the holy Scriptures Esa 66.24 Matth. 18.8 Luke 16.26 Some agaâ—ne hold that hee saued onely those that were worthy who led a good life and would haue beleeued if he had before come amongst them but vpbraided the rest by their disobedience and infidelity as Occum Gregory Nazianzen c. or that there were some penitent amongst them that were drowned by the floud whom he had saued as Lyra teacheth And it is a thing generally held amongst the Papists that there were
in Limbo patrum the soules of the faithfull who died before Christs incarnation who were by his descent deliuered Some againe and they be the Diuines of our side which teach a descent of Christs soule hold that he went downe to vpbraid the incredulous in Noahs time and such like with their infidelity shewing them what he had suffered for the saluation of the faithfull of the benefit whereof they were altogether depriued through their owne default to their greater terrour Touching the distinction which is made of Christs preaching as if it had beene partly to such as were appointed to life when it is spoken onely of the disobedient in prison it is a plaine wresting of the place and therefore Lorinus himselfe a Iesuite calleth it in question how it can stand Touching the penitency supposed to haue beene in some that were drowned it is a meere coniecture without all ground and if any such were they went not with the rest doubtlesse to this prison but to Abrahams bosome or as the theefe vpon the crosse to Paradise Touching the last it seemes to be implied in an article of our Church determined in a Synod * Synod Angl. Quemadmodum Christus pro nobis mortuus est sepâ—ltus iâ—a â—tiam credâ—ndus est ad inferos deseâ—ndâ—sse Nam corpuâ—â— sque ad resurrectâ—oâ—â—m in sepulchro iacuâ— spiritus ab illo commissas cum spiritibus qui in carcere vel inserâ—o detinebantur fuit illisque praedicanâ—t quemadmodum â—â—statur Petrilocus assembled in King Edwards daies An. 1552. Artic. 3. Euen as Christ died for vs and was buried so he is also to be beleeued to haue gone downe into hell for his body lay in the graue to the time of his resurrection but his spirit that went out of him was with the spirits in hell or in prison and preached vnto them as Peter testifieth Secondly Some hold that Christs preaching in a spirituall manner by Noah is meant herein Thomas Aquinas followeth Augustine August epist 99. In this also ioyne Beda Hugo Carthusianus Beza c. Thirdly Luther Some vnderstand his preaching by the Apostles to whom he sent the holy Ghost Hessilâ—uâ— and herein they went and preached to the Gentiles being in the prison of the flesh who are described as bound in chaines Psal 106. Esa 42.49 And to shew that of olde they were bound with the chaines of infidelity he mentioneth the imprisoned in the daies of Noah and they are called spirits to intimate the immortality of the soule Fourthly Some vnderstand by the prison here Purgatorie Francis Turria Fiftly and lastly Some most absurdly apply this preaching to the eight persons in the Arke Aâ—ias Montan Caluanstu lib. 2. cap. 16. §. 9. as in a prison for the time And yet there is another interpretation of Caluin by his going and preaching vnderstanding his making them to feele the power of his passion who died long agoe and yet remained in their soules expecting the Lord Iesus and he saith that it should not be read in prison but in a watch-tower in specula as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth For my owne part I subscribe to those that hold this to be the most obscure place in all the Epistles for no Exposition that hath hitherto beene giuen doth so fully satisfie but that some exceptions will lie there against That of Arias Montanus falleth of it selfe because they in the Arke were obedient whereas this preaching was to the disobedient 2. That of Purgatory is a meere fiction there being no such place in rerum natura 3. That of Caluin applying it in part to the soules of the faithfull seemeth to be improbable because these were the disobedient and it is not onely said that hee preached but went and preached intimating a locall motion and not onely a vertuall penetration 4. To expound it of his preaching by Noah is to peruert the order of the Text according to which this his going must be after his inclining againe and why should he call the men liuing at that time spirits which is a word no where vsed to set forth liuing men by but either Angels good or bad or soules departed 5. Much lesse can the Gentiles bee vnderstood by the spirits in prison amongst whom the Apostles came because they were such as liued in the daies of Noah not men of like quality but those very men 6. The Popish Limbus is but an imaginary place and to hold that any being in hell were deliuered againe seemeth to be contrary to the holy Scriptures as hath beene already shewed There remaineth then onely that of his descending to triumph ouer the Deuils and to vpbraid the damned spirits with their infidelity and impenitency shewing how iustly they were for euer therefore shut vp in that place of torment and because they of the old world were the most noted for their great multitude that went downe thither together hee mentioneth them but in them vnderstandeth all other then damned spirits also And this is the most probable of all other expositions and most consonant with the rest of the holy Scriptures For this is one part of Christs preaching to conuince the impenitent as iustly and certainly reprobate and damned as appeareth Mat. 11.21 Mat. 12.41 c. What is meant when Baptisme is said not to be an outward washing Verse 21. but the request of a good conscience vnto God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ What others haue said hath beene already set downe Piscator Scholia Piscator to this speaketh most fully and excellently Baptisme standeth not so much in the outward washing of the body as in the remission of sinnes by the bloud of Christ which is the washing of the soule and conscience which being by faith apprehended the conscience becommeth good and so the faithfull in the confidence hereof boldly questioneth with God about his fauour reconciled vnto him by Christs death and testified by his resurrection saying Hath not Christ reconciled thy fauour vnto vs by his death to endure for euer Certainly it is so for his resurrection doth testifie it seeing that vnlesse he had made a perfect expiation of our sins by his death reconciled thy fauour vnto vs he could not haue risen againe to life and heauenly glory So that these words by the resurrection of Iesus Christ haue not reference to the word saueth but to the request of a good conscience for this ariseth from Christ his resurrection August contra Faustum cap. 12. Beda Gagneus Angustine and Beda say the same with Thomas Aquinas and Gagneus also setting it forth more fully thus The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a stipulation or promise conceiued in words whereby he that is baptized couenanteth to beleeue and doe as hee is in baptisme required Act. 8. as the Eunuch answered Philip. And this beleeuing and renouncing of sinne and Satan saueth and not the washing with water by the resurrection of
day waxing light and the day-starre arising vnderstanding by the one the open knowledge of Christs diuinity by the other the open knowledge of his humanity or by the one the knowledge which the Saints haue before the iudgement be past by the other that is the day waxing light their knowledge afterwards This howsoeuer it hath great and learned Authors yet seeing this speech is directed to them that did not yet so esteeme of the Apostles and rest in their testimony touching Christ doth not agree so well because they should grow to be more fully informed by the light of the Gospell in time and therefore I preferre rather the former exposition For so much as they did not yet giue such certaine credit to the Apostles the Gospell hauing not yet so fully inlightened them he saith that they did well to attend to the Prophets till the day of Euangelicall knowledge should come and the day-starre Christ should arise in their hearts by his holy spirit inlightning them so as that they should perfectly know these things Touching the next words Knowing this first Vers 20. that no prophesie of Scripture is of any priuate interpretation c. The meaning is now that ye haue the Prophets and attend vnto them before yee receiue any interpretation that shall by false Prophets be offered vnto you as their priuate phantasies leade them ye must know that no such prophesie is to be receiued with such interpretation but as it hath pleased Gods spirit from whom prophesies come to explaine and make manifest the obscurities thereof because as the prophesie is not of man but of the spirit of God so that is not to be receiued as the meaning thereof which man deuiseth but which the same spirit mouing the Apostles and apostolicall men to expound it declareth to be the meaning The true interpretation Luther as Luther hath it is that which is approued by other places of holy Scripture and that which cannot hence be proued is a priuate interpretation how ancient how great a name soeuer he hath that is the author of it The Papists oppose a priuate interpretation to the common exposition giuen by the Church wherein the Pope is the chiefe and so would haue none exposition receiued but what the Church of Rome swayed by the Pope is pleased to giue But in contending thus for a publike exposition they make way for the priuate phantasies of ignorant and sensuall beasts such as many Popes haue beene A priuate exposition is opposed to that of men holy and learned in the Scriptures and so able to make good thereby the exposition brought by them If any wicked or prophane man shall bring an interpretation or though he be well affected if he be ignorant and wanteth iudgement it is to be reiected as a priuate interpretation that which is brought by the godly and learned who are called to the expounding of the Scriptures being made euident by other places of Scripture is to be receiued If it be obiected thus there can be no certainty seeing one bringeth one exposition and another another I answer that in fundamentall points the godly and learned that proue their expositions by the Scriptures cannot differ and if they should a Councell met together to reconcile the difference chusing one for president by a ioynt consent the assistance of the spirit being first craued could not differ and in the meane season what exposition we are by the spirit directed vnto hauing by prayer recommended our selues vnto God is to be embraced so that we haue euidence of Scripture therefore In points of lesse moment the differences shall not need to trouble vs wee may follow that which is most probable to vs seeing as Augustine speaketh herein Quisque suo sensu abundat Note Note what a time of light we liue in now vnder the Gospel so many as haue heartily embraced it Before there was no more but as it were the light of a Candle in a darke place a small light was giuen in the mysteries of saluation by the Law and the Prophets able to inlighten but one Nation as Theodoret speaketh But now it is the cleare day-light extending into all parts And therefore it behoueth vs to walke in the light lest it turne to our greater condemnation Iohn 3.19 Note againe Note that whatsoeuer any man bringeth out of the Scriptures is not truth and to be embraced but what is to be approued by the Scriptures and therefore the new Creed and all the superstitious and idolatrous worship of the Church of Rome is vtterly to be reiected as comming from false Prophets and not from any moued by the spirit of God seeing it is altogether without ground in the holy Scriptures especially the chiefe point of the Popes head-ship and infallibility whereupon all the rest hangeth CHAP. II. HAuing in the end of the former Chapter giuen them a caueat against the priuate interpretations of prophesies he doth here prosecute that argument foretelling how they should be assaulted with false Teachers who would obtrude vnto them their owne phantasies in stead of Gods truth In speaking of whom hee sometimes sheweth their qualities and conditions and sometime their most fearefull and horrible destruction Their first propertie is to denie the Lord and to blaspheme the truth verse 1 2. The second couetousnesse verse 3. The third and fourth fleshlinesse and contempt of gouernment with those effects which it produceth verse 10. which vices hee repeateth againe verse 14. hauing first aggrauated that of the contempt of gouernment and euill speaking from the contrary example of Angels verse 11. And then setting them forth by diuers comparisons taken from Balaam and from wells and clouds without water hee sheweth how vaine they are in their owne hopes and promises vnto others vers 15 16 c. Their destruction is set forth to be such as shall come suddenly vpon them verse 1 3. which is illustrated by examples of the Angels that fell the old world Sodom vers 4 5 6. secondly in regard of their like deceiuing condition by the example of Balaam vers 15. and then particularly shewing by what iudgement they shall perish vers 17. namely in vtter darknesse for euer vers 17. he aggrauateth their iudgement the more in regard of their apostasie from the similitude of a dog or swine vers 20 21 22. 2 PETER Chapter 2. Verse 1. Which shall bring in heresies that destroy denying the Lord that bought them c. THese words were easie enough to be vnderstood Mayer but that the word heresies needeth some explication and how false Teachers who hee saith shall be damned are called such as the Lord hath bought And lastly Vers 4. that passage of the Angels that sinned being kept in chaines of darknesse vnto iudgement Touching Heresies it is a word comming of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to choose and hath beene commonly taken for any sect of Philosophers which followed that kinde of discipline which
each one chose vnto it selfe And this word is often vsed without contumely not only amongst prophane Writers but euen in the holy Scriptures as where Paul saith that hee worshipped God according to the most exact sect of their religion the word translated Sect Act. 26. is heresie Againe he saith according to that way which they call heresie I worship God Act. 24. and by others we know Act. 28. that this sect or heresie is euery where spoken against But sometime it is vnderstood of a kinde of doctrine contrary to the truth which men haue chosen to follow and will not be here-from reclaimed as here and Titus 3. Gal. 5. 1 Cor. 11. c. if such doctrine be simply held it is error but if obstinately cleaued vnto it is damnable heresie Touching that saying Denying the Lord that bought them none are properly said to be bought by the Lord but the Elect yet in a large sense all to whom the Gospell commeth are said to be bought by him yea all men because the price by him payed is sufficient to ransome all neither is it by any defect therein that any perish but through their owne wickednesse and vnbeleefe If the question be who these false teachers are amongst Christians that deny the Lord Lorinus telleth you that they be the Lutheran and Caluinist Heretiques as well as the Arrians Manniches Eutycheans and Nestorians of old for in speaking things vnworthy of Christ they doe saith he in effect deny him when they teach that he despaired and suffered the paines of the damned and that his redemption is ineffectuall to Infants because originall sinne is not taken away in them and lastly by deuising such doctrine sacraments and meanes of saluation as are contrary to that which was by him propounded But the Iesuice doth greatly wrong both Luther and Caluin herein for they haue no such doctrines but they are his owne imaginations Only because as he that is charged with theft hauing nothing to say to cleare himselfe is wont to call him a theefe that impeacheth him so the Papists being by vs iustly charged by their doctrines to deny the Lord they reply and say That we doe so Whereas indeed their doctrine is a denying of such a Christ as is set forth in the holy Scriptures For he is our onely Mediator and Aduocate and by the merit of his death alone we are saued and that which he hath suffered doth fully satisfie for all our sinnes but they teach more Mediators the merit of our owne workes and that by our owne sufferings here and in Purgatory we must satisfie in part for our sinnes The Scriptures set forth such a Christ as is Lord ouer all but they doe in effect subiect him to the Pope ascribing to him power to make more Lawes than Christ hath made and to dispense with his ordinances as in the Lords Supper when Christ hath appointed to take the cup as well as the Bread the Cup shall be permitted only to such as the Pope thinketh fit Yee your selues therefore O ye popish Doctors are here taxed to deny the Lord Iesus and to be the Authors of damnable heresies Touching the Angels that sinned the question is what was their sinne whether they sinned irrecouerably and why Vers ◠seeing there is redemption for man they are thrust into hell without redemption and where this place of darknesse is in which they are said to be chained It is commonly agreed though their sinne be no where expressed that it was most probably pride Tertul. lib. de patient Basil Homde inuidia Cyprian de inuid c. and aspiring to bee like vnto God in power and authority ouer all the creatures and being free from the empire of a Superiour as most Expositors agree and vnto this some light is giuen in diuers places of holy Scripture as Esay 14.11 Ezech. 28.12 Iob 41.25 Luk. 10.18 1 Tim. 3.6 Now the sinne of the Angels is thought not to bee so plainly declared because God hath not prouided for their restitution but onely for the restitution of man Athanasius telleth of some Athan. euaest 6. ad Antioch that held the sinne of the Angels to be their refusing to worship Adam being by God commanded so to doe but this is a fiction and ascribed to Mahumet by Carthusianus and to certaine doting Iewes by Galatinus What sort of Angels fell and whether the rest were lead by one diuers coniecture diuersly It is most probable that some euen of the highest ranks fell because they are set forth by such names Ephes 6.12 and Lucifer is spoken of as a ring-leader vnto them Esa 14.11 Reuel 1.2 As for the possibility of recouering some are of opinion that sinning all in one instant betwixt the time of their sinne and this punishment Scotus Gabriel Salmeron Nissen Nemesius Damascen Quod bominibus mors hoc angelis lapsus fuit post quem non est paenitentiae locus vt neque homini post mortem Greg. 2. Mor. c. 3. Deus apostatam spiritum ad paenitentiam nequaquà reuocat Fulgent de fide cap. 3. August Enchir. cap. 28. Greg. Mor. 4. c. 10. Isidor de summo hono c. 12. Prosp lib. de dimid temp cap. 2. there was a space of time wherein they might haue repented if they would as a man that is in a dangerous way hath power to returne But most are of the contrary opinion as Nissenus Damascen and Nemesius whose saying it is The fall of the Angels was the same with death to men after which there is no place for repentance as after death there is none for men And Gregory saith God calleth not an apostat spirit to repentance and with them consent Isidorus Fulgentius Prosper c. yeelding also some reason for it as the good Angels cannot fall because God vpholdeth them by his grace so the euill could not recouer because grace is denied vnto them But why is grace denied vnto the Angels falling more than vnto man Saint Augustine answereth because the Angels sinned without any suggestion mouing them thereunto but man by the suggestion of the Serpent Gregory that the Angels were stronger and wiser and perfecter than man and therefore for them to fall it was more odious Proster and Isidorus that man falling all mankinde was liable to perdition but though the Angels that fell bee without redemption destroyed yet many stood still and for a supply of them that fell the Elect amongst men are taken into their roome Touching the place into which the Angels falling were thrust the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thrusting them into hell he deliuered them to chaines of darknesse The vulgar Latine translation hath it rudentibus inferni detractos in tartarum tradidit cruciandos he deliuered them to be tormented being drawne downe into hell by the cable ropes of hell And Th. Aquin. Tho. Aquinas following this saith That by the cables of hell are set forth their attempts in pride against God
to all these acceptions I thinke is the right vnderstanding of the place Touching vers 15. The long suffering of the Lord is called saluation because it is a meanes of saluation when by being yet spared from iudgement the sinnes is moued in this time to repentance and so the more are saued who otherwise if the world had beene sooner destroyed must needs haue perished As our deare brother Paul hath written to you Here are three questions moued First whether Peter doth alleage Paul to confirme his doctrine or wherefore Secondly what Epistle of Paul is meant Thirdly in what part of his Epistle to them Paul speaketh to the same effect with Peter here To the first Occumenius answereth Oecumen that Peter being the chiefe of the Apostles doth alleage Paul here in humility not that he needed the approbation of his consent And indeed both great humility and loue appeareth in this one passage Paul hauing charged Peter so much in some part of his writing with doing amisse and being worthy to be blamed Gal. 2 11. yet Peter not stomaking this giueth him his due that hee was a man of great wisdome And indeed as some rightly note Tho. Aquin. that Peter alleageth Paul to confirme that which he had written because being called extraordinarily there might be some question of his Apostleship and againe the truth being confirmed by more witnesses hath the more force in the hearers Luther Some doubt hath beene made as Luther noteth in regard of this citing of Paul whether this Epistle be Peters or no but as hee well concludeth there is no reason to doubt of it being so long agoe without contradiction receiued into the Canon there being also so good reason of alleaging Paul To the second some hold that no particular Epistle is meant vnto the Iewes Occumen Beda Th. Glos Ordin but his Epistles in generall in any of which what is written of the last Iudgement and the state to come is written to all Christian people But because his other Epistles are spoken of in the next verse it seemeth plaine to me that the Epistle to the Hebrewes in particular is meant for Peter in writing here to all the faithfull includeth also the Hebrewes that beleeued intending their consolation and instruction as being chiefly of his cure for the ministry of the Circumcision was committed to him and therefore he speaketh here vnto them as the chiefe Beza pointing at the Epistle by Paul written to them as Beza hath also noted And so to the third whereas Oecumenius and some others will haue that place Rom. 2.4 meant here I thinke rather with Beza that Heb. 10.24 c. is the place here intended As also in all his Epistles Vers 16. speaking of these things in which things some are hard to be vnderstood c. Here also are diuers questions First of what things Paul speaketh in all his Epistles To this it is easily answered that hee speaketh of the iudgement to come and of Gods long suffering and the vse to be made hereof to be wonne to repentance and a study of holinesse for the places are easie to bee found wherein hee speaketh of all these things Secondly to what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein hath reference whether to the Epistles or to these things Robertus Stephanus saith that there are three copies wherein it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which if it be so the Epistles are plainly meant Beza approueth of this because if the argument in hand be meant Peter hath spoken more mystically hereof then Paul euer did But the copies generally receiued haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore without altering the word I thinke that both Epistles and the contents of them are meant as also Beza first expoundeth it Thirdly wherefore did Paul write in such manner that he is hard to be vnderstood Th. Anglic. and not rather plainly Some thinke that this was done because he would not haue the Heretikes to vnderstand his writings but for such as were rightly affected he sent some Disciple or other to expound all things vnto them as appeareth in some of his Epistles where mention is made of them by whom they were sent Irenaeus li. 3. c. 7. Hieron Epist 50. Nissen Tractat. in 1 Cor. 15. Chrysost Hom. 9. in 1 Cor. Some say that the profundity of the matters by him handled is the cause why they are so hard to be vnderstood and because through celerity of speech he vseth many Hyperbatons Some because hee could not expound in the Greeke tongue which hee did not so well vnderstand such profound matters and therefore he vseth certaine peculiar idotismes and phrases of speech But that one reason yeelded by our Sauiour Christ of his speaking darkly and by Parables seemeth to me to be a reason sufficient of all the obscure passages both in Saint Pauls writings Mat. 13.12 and in the rest of the holy Scriptures viz. that the wicked in hearing might not vnderstand this obscurity being as a spirituall iudgement against them to their damnation as is also intimated in this place and that euen hereby we might be moued to craue the assistance of Gods holy Spirit and the more willingly resigne our selues to be guided thereby in a spirituall and holy life which is the way to vnderstand these mysteries Other reasons may be yeelded but this is the principall and therefore I rest herein Fourthly seeing the Scriptures are hard to be vnderstood is it damnation to mis-vnderstand some hard passages of them I answer to mis-interpret any hard passage so as to make it a ground of such errors as ouerthrow the Christian Faith in any part is damnable but not simply to mis-vnderstand any hard place whatsoeuer As for example when Saint Paeul teacheth iustification by Faith without the workes of the Law to vnderstand this as if no regard were to bee had vnto good workes when he teacheth election to be of Gods meere grace and mercy to vnderstand it so as to cast away all care of being such as may haue the comfort of election and when Christ affirmeth vnto Peter Vpon this rocke will I build my Church c. to vnderstand it as a ground of the Popes infallibity of iudgements so as that whether he be good or bad learned or vnlearned his dictates shall be accounted as God Oracles these I say and the like mis-vnderstandings for their dangerous consequences are wrestings of the Scriptures vnto damnation in stead of milke sucked bloud being thus pressed herefrom which nourisheth not but destroyeth the soule Whether were it not better to debarre the ignorant multitude from reading of the Scriptures seeing there is such danger in the mis-vnderstanding of many passages therein So indeed hath the Church of Rome thought but because in other places all are inuited to reade and to meditate euen in the darkest places of the Scriptures Keuel 1.3 no such inferēce ought to be made but
rather the people are to be exhorted in reading not to follow their owne sense and not once to incline to any exposition contrary to faith and good manners and therefore to reade that whereby they may vnderstand the true faith and morall Lawes neuer grounding any Tenent vpon an obscure place vnlesse it be also plainly taught in some other place of holy Scripture which is the onely approued way of interpreting Scripture as I haue shewed 2 Pet. 1.19 That anciently all were exhorted to reade the Scriptures I haue shewed vpon Luk. 16.19 Note hence Note that vnity of Doctrine was amongst the Apostles and it was the ioy of one to follow another in teaching the same things holding that by their vnanim consent the truth taught by them was the more confirmed which maketh against those that loue to be singular in their teaching they take the very way to Schismes and diuisions Note againe Note that the Scriptures are not so easie but that there is need of study and helpe of learning to vnderstand them rightly and yet such as belong to God shall vnderstand them how hard soeuer they be according to that Mat. 13.12 Note lastly Note that to be ignorant and vngrounded in Religion is the cause of wresting the Word of God to a mans owne destruction which was appointed for his saluation So that it standeth euery one in hand to get knowledge and to be stedfastly resolued and to take great heed in what sense hee taketh the Word of God in any part thereof seeing that if this sense proue a wresting of it it tendeth to damnation THE FIRST CATHOLIKE EPISTLE OF THE Apostle IOHN THat this is the Epistle of Iohn the Apostle it was neuer doubted by any Aug. tract 7. in 1 Iohan. Canonica est ista epistola per omnes gentes recitatur erbis terrae autoritate retineturorbem terrarum ipsa aedificauit Saint Augustine hath left this famous testimony of it This Epistle is canonicall it is recited amongst all nations it is held canonical by the authority of the whole world it hath edified the whole world But of the other two Epistles there hath beene some doubt Hieron de Scrip. Eccles in Iohan. For as Ierome saith there was another Iohn besides the Apostle called by the name of the Elder Eus l. 3. c. 25. Historiae Cyprian lib. 2. sentent Concil Carthag c. 81. Tert. depraesae 33 Dyonis de Eccles hyrarch c. 3. Hieron Epist 85. Epiphan haer 51. and Eusebius citeth Papias for two Iohns saying that Origen doubted of the two latter Epistles But that these two haue beene receiued for canonicall Scripture and the Apostles writings appeareth by Cyprian who alleageth the second and so doth Tertullian and Ireneus And Dionysius citeth both second and third and so doth Ierome And Epiphanius maketh mention of the Epistles of Iohn the Apostle and not of one Epistle onely which he saith as Iohns Gospell and the Reuelation were imparted to vs by the same gift of the holy Ghost Ambros in Ps 30. Cùm refugeret Apostolum se scribere seniorem se scripsi se Beda comment Sed nunc gen Ecclesiae consensus habet quòd has quoque Iohannes Apost scripsit Ambrose saith that Iohn being now an old man wrote the Gospell and Epistles and therefore hee wrote not himselfe Apostle but the Elder Dydimus wrote vpon Iohns three Epistles and Beda hauing examined this doubt concludeth but now the generall consent of the Church is that Iohn wrote these Epistles also And therefore howsoeuer it hath beene formerly doubted yet now there ought to be no further question made hereabout especially the phrases vsed in the other two Epistles being the same with these in the first plainly declaring the same Author as will appeare if we compare 1 Ioh. 2.7 and 2 Ioh. 4. 1 Ioh. 2.23 and 2 Ioh. 5.9 1 Ioh. 3.9 3 Ioh. 11. 1 Ioh. 4.2 3. 2 Ioh. 7. 1 Ioh. 5.2 2 Ioh. 5. Touching the time when this Epistle or the rest were written I finde no certainty Baron tom 1. but that some hold it to haue beene written last of all euen after Iudes and some according to the order in which it is placed Lyra. It is certaine that Iohn liued longest of the Apostles to a very old age and therefore in those Epistles wherein he giueth himselfe a title hee writeth himselfe The Elder 1 Pet. 5.1 not Apostle as also Peter calleth himselfe an Elder together with the Elders haply vsing this inscription that his writings might haue the more force comming from him now after so long a time of experience he being the only ancient liuing that had followed the Lord as an Apostle Touching those to whom this Epistle is written here are none named neither doth the Author name himselfe But Augustine citeth it as written to the Parthians August 2. quest Euang. cap. 39. Idac. de Trinit pos de indiculo librorum Aug. and so doth Idacius and Possidius Higinus Papa also Epist 1. and Iohn 2. Epist 1. ad Valer. cite it as written to the Parthians If euer it were so directed those words are now lost and indeed it is not likely but that it was directed after the manner of all Epistles to some people and most probably to the Parthians as Baronius contendeth affirming Baron Tom. 1. Annal. that this title perished in the continuance of time for Iohn preached amongst the Parthians In that he nameth not himselfe herein hee doth but as Paul to the Hebrewes that his Epistle might the rather passe he being then in banishment in Pathmos and it being not likely that any thing written from him would haue beene suffered if it had carried his name For the scope of this Epistle it is to confirme the Diuinity of Christ against Ebion and Corinthus and his humanity against Basilides and to instruct in the true loue that ought to bee in Christian people euen to the suffering of death for Christ his sake contrary to another error of Basilides Epiphan Haer. 24 who held that Martyrdome was not to be vndergone for Christ CHAP. I. IN the first Chapter he beginneth with a periphrasis of Christ much like to that which he speaketh of him in his Gospell wherein he setteth forth his Diuinity in calling him The Word of Life which was from the beginning and his humanity in saying which we haue seene and handled c. vers 1 2 3. This Christ he sheweth that he declared vnto them for their spirituall ioy and comfort to bee attained hereby through the communion with God the Father which the true Christian hath by him vers 3 4. But lest they should be mistaken about this Communion he teacheth that God is light that is righteousnesse and holinesse and therefore hee that walketh in the light of a godly life only hath communion with him and not he that walketh in the darknesse of sinne vers 5 6 7. Neither is
he contradicteth him saying That there are many of them that are predestinated vnto life that goe out of the Church and some that are in the Church and in grace are Reprobates What will not these men dare to say that are of such impudency to disgrace and gaine-say what an Apostle of Christ hath written if it maketh against their conceits But against this slander be it knowne that the going out of those that were not truly faithfull that it might appeare that they were such was mentioned to very good purpose both for the comfort of such as truly beleeue and vpon due consideration embrace the Gospell and for the credit of the truly faithfull For it is a great comfort to the true Christian to be assured that he shall keepe his standing and not be giuen ouer when he hath embraced the truth to such blindnesse as that he should afterwards be led away after error and of a Christian proue Antichristian and it maketh much for the credit of the truly faithfull that no such are thus mutable but only some intruders that lurke amongst them for a time that were neuer indeed of their number therefore might turne to any thing And lastly this may serue to warne euery man to take heed how he embraceth the Christian Religion lest not being an hearty and serious professor of it he be in iudgement giuen ouer to be an Antichrist to his greater condemnation What is meant by the anointing from the holy one and their knowing of all things This anointing is the inward illumination of the holy Ghost Gre. 5. Mor. c. 19. allocutio intimae inspirationis quae humanam mentem contingendo subleuat Iren. l. 4. c. 43. Chrysma doctrinae so Gregory saith saith that it is the allocution of internall inspiration which by touching doth eleuate mans minde Ireneus calleth it the anointing of doctrine Some haue wrested this place to proue the vse of Chrisme in baptisme whereas indeed it is not any external thing which he meaneth here but internall seeing by nothing externall we attaine to the knowledge of diuine mysteries but by an inward illumination Yet it cannot be denied but that the anointing of those that were baptized Cypri Epist 70 72. Tertul. l. de resur carnis is very ancient for Cyprian maketh mention of it ascribing too much vnto it and so doth Tertullian and Cyril Catech. 3. and Basil de sp s cap. 28 c. But Iustin Martyr maketh no mention of it whereby it appeareth that it was not in his time Athan. Orat. 2. contr Arrian And Athanasius saith plainly that Christ was not anointed with oyle and bestowed the spirit without any such Ceremony Euseb lib. 1. Hist cap. 4. Platina de Syluestro Eusebius saith that Christians are no more anointed with types and figures but by the naked vertues themselues And Platina saith that Syluester was the first that instituted this anointing Wherefore S. Iohn doubtlesse doth not insinuate any such Ceremony here but onely the inward anointing to vnderstand Touching the holy one some with Tho. Aquinas hold him to be Christ Beda Oecumen Faber Stapul Piscator as Beda some the holy Ghost as Oecumenius and some both as Carthusianus and Faber Stapulensis I subscribe with Piscator vnto the first for of the fulnesse of Christ we all receiue of the holy Ghost Iohn 1.16 and he often promised to send the holy Ghost Ioh. 14.26 that should instruct his in all things Their knowing of all things was of all fundamentall points of faith wherein these Antichrists did labour to seduce them as all agree and not such a knowledge as vnto which nothing more could be added 2 Pet 3.20 for wee are still to grow in knowledge and grace What is meant by saying that he is a lyar who denieth Iesus to be the Christ nay he saith Who is a lyar but he Vers 12. Is there none other lye but this or can he not truly be said to be Antichrist who doth not plainly deny Iesus to be Christ Beda Faber Sâ—â—â—â— To the first Beda answereth that this lye is so great that others are nothing in comparison of it but Faber better if such an one be not a lyar who is a lyar because to deny Iesus to be Christ is a most notorious lye To the second it is commonly answered that it is chiefly spoken against the Iewes who denied Iesus the sonne of Mary to be Christ and against Simon who said that there was another Iesus who descended from Heauen into Iordan as Oecumenius hath it Oecumen For this was a chiefe reason of S. Iohns writing both of this Epistle and of his Gospell to declare that Iesus is the Christ as he expresly speaketh Iohn 20.31 But it cannot hence be collected that none can be rightly said to be Antichrist but he that directly denieth Iesus to be the Christ and the Sonne of God for there is a denying of him euen by those that in word acknowledge him they confesse Christ Tit. 1.26 but in their deeds they denie him And I haue already shewed that by the consent of all the Fathers any heretike or wicked person is an Antichrist Valentinus is condemned by Oecumenius for a notorious Antichrist because hee said that besides God the Father of Christ there is another Father that cannot be named Cerinthus is held to haue beene Antichrist because he taught that Iesus began to be the Sonne of God in his baptisme not before and that afterwards the Spirit went away from him againe and then he suffered death and they who haue denied Christ to be God are also censured as denying the Son And by the like reason the Pope denying such a Christ as is set forth in the holy Scriptures is Antichrist for he denieth him to be our only Mediator and Aduocate he denieth the merit of his passion to be such as that hereby we are perfectly saued from our sinnes and the punishments thereof seeing he teacheth a necessity of our satisfying for temporall punishments he denieth his ordinance of his blessed Supper in both kindes and he denieth his body to be a true humane body for such a body is in one place at one time onely c. If the Antichrist should directly deny the Father and the Sonne he were easie enough to be knowne neither could he possibly deceiue so many Christian people as it is said that he shall Reu. 13. Hee must therefore be onely couertly denying Christ but openly making a profession of him By what consequence can it be proued that he that denieth the Sonne hath not the Father Verse 2â— and so on the contrary side It is commonly answered that the Father and Son are Relatiues and therefore if the Son be denied the Father is also denied seeing he cannot be a Father vnlesse he hath Iesus to his Sonne because he is the onely begotten Sonne of the Father Againe the Father is denied because hee hath
faithfull person liueth not as the naturall man doth though he cannot but through humane frailty sinne yet his heart is against all sinne and his life is such a continuall practice of repentance and the Spirit of Christ doth so sway and carry him as that he falleth not so often as the naturall man doth and he doth daily wash and cleanse himselfe from sinne by the teares of true repentance and that when there is no worldly shame or losse to moue him hereunto Neither can I see but that the regenerate must needs be of such an holy life as not at any time to fall into any great sinne as of adultery murther theft drunkennesse or the like although vnder the Law most holy men haue fallen for the Spirit is now giuen in a greater measure than it was in those daies and the force of corruption is more abated as is cleare from sundry passages of holy Scripture Whereas vers 8. it is said Vers 8. that the Deuill sinneth from the beginning and the Sonne of God appeared that he might dissolue the workes of the deuill the meaning is that he was euer the Author of sinne by his temptations so preuailing amongst men as that the world hath hitherto beene full of sinne but now the Sonne of God comming hath giuen a contrary Spirit into the hearts of his people whereby they are sanctified to leade an holy and new life The Deuill had them before as it were in the chaines of sinne fast bound for stirring to forsake those superstitious and riotous courses but now these bands are loosed and they are set at liberty to walke in the waies of Gods Commandements because free will which was lost in Adam is restored in the regenerate by Christ that we may now striue against and resist euill temptations Note that the most certaine marke of a childe of God Note is to leade an holy life and truly to endeuour to refraine from all sinne out of an inward affectation of holinesse and the dislike and hatred of euery sinne be it neuer so pleasing or profitable to the outward man and not in any by-respect and being ouertaken with sinne by infirmity to be humbled therefore and to beg for mercy and pardon and that toties quoties The comfort of those that doe thus is that they are not now accounted sinners but are iustified here-from Luke 13. as it is said of the poore Publican that hauing knocked vpon his breast and humbled himselfe he went away iustified The penitent person sinneth not because he doth daily that which is righteous in calling himselfe to account for his sinnes and iudging himselfe therefore as Beda saith Beda in Luc. 10. Seruos nos inutiles fatcamur vt in sortem vtilium veniamus Hieron Vnica iustitia nostra est iniustitiam fateri In confessing our selues to bee vnprofitable seruants we come to be profitable and Ierome Our only righteousnesse is to confesse our vnrighteousnesse For whoso doth thus and bewaileth it daily in secret cannot but haue his heart set against sinne and so sinneth not in will and desire CHAP. 3. VER 21. If our heart condemne vs not wee haue boldnesse towards God and receiue what wee aske of him because we keepe his Commandements c. In commending brotherly loue Mayer Vers 14. which he had often done before he saith Hereby wee know that wee are translated from death to life if we loue the brethren vers 14. By the loue of brethren all vnderstand here the loue of one another which is vsually expressed by the word neighbours in the old Testament but by the word brethren in the new Brotherly loue is a signe of true grace which is the beginning of the spirituall life that is eternall it is not the cause of life as euen the Iesuit condescendeth orinus Hereby a man may know that hee is raised from the death of sinne to the life that is by grace if he hath true loue in him because all that are partakers of this life haue this loue in them and consequently a man may know that euerlasting life is his and not only haue a probable coniecture hereof as popish writers teach For to put it out of doubt that we may know certainly he saith vers 24. We know that he abideth in vs by the Spirit that he hath giuen vs Verse 19 20 21. and in vers 19 20 21. he argueth from the heart and conscience of euery man which vpon this ground of actuall loue comming to be quiet and free from any accusation argueth most certainly that wee are in his fauour He that loueth to the exercising of charitable actions keepeth Gods Commandements which stand but in two things the loue of God and the loue of our neighbour God is said to be greater than our conscience that is more able to iudge and condemne because all things are most euident vnto him so that if our conscience condemneth vs hee will condemne vs much more And this is his commandement Vers 23. Oecumen that we beleeue in the Name of his Sonne Iesus Christ To beleeue in the name of Christ here saith Oecumenius is to giue credit to his will for by his Name is set forth sometime his glory and sometime his will Now his will whereunto he would haue vs giue credit is that we should loue one another But this exposition is forced for hauing spoken of loue hitherto and how necessary it is because God hath commanded it hee now goeth somewhat higher and sheweth that in commanding vs to beleeue in the Name of his Sonne hee commandeth loue also seeing that loue is inseparable from a liuely faith Therefore hee addeth This is his command that we beleeue and loue one another as if he should haue said For so much as I haue spoken of the Commandements of God affirming that he which loueth keepeth thē hereby it plainly appeareth to be so because that in commanding to beleeue in Christ he inioyneth vs both to beleeue and to loue loue being vnto faith as the soule is to the body which is but a dead carkasse if it be away And so hee commeth aptly to mention the Spirit giuen vnto vs in the next verse whereby we know that we are in God that is The. Aquin. Gorran Beza this grace of the Spirit loue And hereunto doe others consent Note here Note because he maketh the keeping of Gods Commandements the ground of our confidence to God-ward so as that we may pray with certaine expectation to be heard that none but such as are of a godly life charitable to the poore can haue any assurance of Gods fauour All wicked men and hard-hearted cannot but haue an accusing conscience if it bee not cauterized and therefore their hope to God-ward is vaine though they call and cry to him for mercy they shall not preuaile Iam. 5.16 Mat. 7.22 CHAP. IIII. HAuing spoken in the last verse of the former Chapter of knowing
of an horrible sinne viz. making God a lier which he cannot but seuerely reuenge CHAP. 5. VERS 16. If any man seeth his brother sinne a sinne not vnto death let him aske and he shall giue life vnto him to those that sinne not vnto death There is a sinne vnto death I doe not say concerning that that he should aske c. The sinne which is vnto death here spoken of Oecumen in 1 Iob. 5. is that sinne from which there is no shew of conuersion and to retaine in the minde iniuries done for the wayes of those that keepe iniuries done in their mindes tend vnto death saith Salomon Prou. 12. because such alwaies keeping anger in their mindes against their neighbours are neuer led with true penitencie but sinne impenitently And lest some such sinne as hee speaketh of should be thought incident to the children of God hee cleareth them not onely in respect of the sinne which is vnto death but of that which is not vnto death saying Vers 18. Euerie one that is borne of God sinneth not But that none such should grow secure he immediately subioyneth that this commeth to passe because hee keepeth himselfe so that if hee should not daily haue a great care of himselfe hee should be subiect to sinning By the world which is said to lie wholly in sinne Vers 19. the vnconuerted are to be vnderstood such as wee sometime were and like vnto whom still wee are through aptnesse to sinne Vers 20. but that God hath giuen vs to vnderstand and so to auoyd that which others runne vnto This place by the confession of Saint Augustine Mayer is one of the hardest of all the Bible August ser 11. de verb dâ—ami and therefore diuers Expositors haue expounded it diuersly Augustine himselfe after that hee had deliuered one exposition Sâ—ym in â—onte cap 21. Retract l 1 c. 19. Siquis in sâ—chrata mentis peruâ—rsitaâ—e hâ—ne vitam sinâ—erit that the sinne vnto death is the enuying of our brothers grace retracteth giuing another that it is the finishing of this life in the wicked peruersnesse of his minde and this is followed by many Hieronym in cap. 14. Ierem. Glos interlin Lyranus Magister sent 2 sent d. 43. And hereupon some Popish writers inferre prayers for the dead that haue not died in obstinacie but shewing penitencie before their death Lorinâ—â— in 1 Ioh. 5.16 But this collection is worthily reiected by one of their owne side because it is not spoken as of sinnes done heretofore but now in doing and therefore whilest a man liueth If any man seeth his brother sinning not hath seene him to haue sinned Some vnderstand by the sinne vnto death a mortall sinne by that not vnto death Glâ—ss Cassianus Call 1â— c 10. Oâ—ig Hâ—â—â— 12. iâ— Exâ—d a veniall that is a smaller and lighter offence such as idle words vaine behauiour or wanton lookes and hereupon the Popish found the distinction of mortall and veniall sinnes teaching that some grosser sinnes onely deserue death and that lesser sinnes doe not make the soule subiect to death Now because it is absurd the sinne vnto death being thus vnderstood to expound this sentence as the words run the glosses say that common persons are not to pray for such but the Priests onely to whose censure they are to be referred But this also is worthily reiected by one of their owne side Lorinâ—â— in 2 Ioh. 5.16 because it is added that he shall giue life to those that sinne not vnto death whereby is intimated that the sinne to be prayed for maketh the sinner subiect to death also And it is a poore shift to say that the Priests might pray for such as sinned vnto death but not the common people seeing Saint Iohn enioyneth a vacation from prayer to all in this case That there are some sinnes not worthy of death is also contrarie to all true Diuinitie See Iam. 2.10 Deut. 27. vers last Matth. 5.19 Matth. 12.36 Some againe vnderstand the sinne against the Holy Ghost which is out of malice to impugne the knowne truth Beza Piscator Carthâ—s Faber Stapul when the Spirit enlightning the minde to vnderstand the truth yet it is of spight and malice impugned as the Scribes and Pharisies contrarie to their knowledge did maliciously set themselues against Christ when any commit this sinne they say we are not to pray for it Matt. 12.31 32. because our Sauiour Christ hath pronounced that it shall neuer be forgiuen Hil. in Psal 140. Neere vnto this exposition commeth Hilary expounding it of sinne committed out of certaine knowledge and malice and Chrysostome Chrysan Psal 49. And to this indeed doe I subscribe if a man sinneth out of infirmitie raise him vp by prayer and by good counsell Gal. 6.1 but hee that is a brother and maliciously leaueth his Christian calling doing presumptuously contrarie to his knowledge deriding all admonitions and scorning them cast not holy things to such dogs Matth. 7. neither admonish nor pray for them any more And neere vnto this commeth that of Oecumenius expounding it of such as are not led with any penitencie But the meerely impenitent are not to be excluded from our prayers for by praying a mollified heart may haply bee obtained for them as for Saul by Steuens prayers otherwise no persecutors might haue beene prayed for Matth. 5. which notwithstanding was vsuall and is commanded Some vnderstand adulterie after Baptisme which shall neuer be forgiuen Tertull. de Pudicitia c. 2. 19 but there is no ground for this in the holy Scriptures Some vnderstand blasphemy against God the punishment whereof was death and touching which it is said Anastas Nicenus quaest 58. in Script 1 Sam. 2.25 If a man sinne against God who shall plead for him But the contrary vnto this is plainly taught by Christ saying Euery sinne and blasphemy against the Father and against the Sonne shall be forgiuen Some vnderstand it of those that leaue the faith falling againe to infidelity and idolatry or of excommunicate persons Gagnous Turrian but such as in time of persecution haue beene beaten from the faith haue returned againe and seeing the end of excommunication is to bring the offender home by repentance I cannot see how such as are excommunicate may be reckoned amongst those that are not to be prayed for There is a sinne not vnto death The vulgar Latine hath it Vers 17. Caictan Salmeron There is a sinne vnto death But by Popish Writers themselues it is acknowledged to be corrupted herein though some thinking that this being granted will make much against them will by no meanes yeeld vnto it Yet all ancient Writers who haue had occasion to mention this Text reade it according to the Greeke as Tertullian Ierom Ambrose and Pactanus and later Writers as Varablus Iohannes Benedictâ—us Clarius c. Touching him that is borne of God Vers 15. who
is sayd not to sinne enough hath beene spoken of this alreadie 1 Ioh. 3.6 7. c. Some thinke that the sinne vnto death before spoken of only is meant Beda Hugâ— Glâ—sserdin from which they are free But according to Oecumenius and others I hold that other sinnes are meant also whereby they sinne not in heart and minde which is set against all sinne He that is borne of God keepeth himselfe In the vulgar Latine it is The generation of God keepeth him which howsoeuer it doth better point at the fountaine of the diuine vertue by which we are preserued yet an alteration in the reading is not to be admitted And being read as in the Greeke nothing is hereby ascribed to the libertie of a mans owne will before grace commeth but onely it is taught that a man regenerated by the Spirit that is in him persisteth in a continuall care of auoyding sinne for in naming him one borne of God hee doth plainly referre vs to his new birth as the originall of this godly care and not to any thing naturally in him which is to be considered against those that from hence maintaine free will The euill one toucheth him not that is the Deuill as the word here vsed is commonly taken He is said not to touch him because though hee may tempt him yet seeking thus to hurt him he profiteth him neither can he tempt him without Gods permission for his good at the last The whole world lieth in euill Vers 19. that is as Oecumenius hath already expounded it the vnregenerate company such as the most are are not onely tempted and at some times preuailed against by Satan but are wholly mancipated vnto wickednesse and to doe his will Vers 20. Christ is sayd to be eternall life that is the Author of eternall life to those that beleeue in his name Babes keepe your selues from Idolt Vers 21. Daâ—â—mas One moueth a question why S. Iohn writing to those that were so well grounded in the truth addeth this admonition and answereth that this was added for their sakes that were not so grounded but were newly turned from Heathen idolatrie lest they should relapse againe and moreouer that false doctrines Beda Hugo because they are fictions are a kinde of Idols and so some others But the most receiued and best interpretation is to vnderstand Idols literally as Oecumenius doth and Lyranus Glossa ordinaria Caietan c. And so this admonition is most aptly added after Christ set forth vers 21. to bee the true God therefore the Christian religion is to be adhered to neither ought wee by any meanes to be drawne backe to idolatrie againe as most opposite vnto it So that considering what hath fallen out amongst Christians since the writing of this Epistle it may iustly be counted a propheticall admonition needfull for these times to take heed of Poperie as being through the grosse idolatrie thereof nothing else but â—enued Gentilisme But they dally with the word and say that it is an Idoll that we are to take heed of not an Image that is a representation of some god that neuer was not of any diuine thing that is But the vulgar Latine reading it simulachrum ouerthroweth this distinction and taketh away the benefit of it Epiphan epist ad Ichan Hierâ—s Episc And so Epiphanius long agoe conceiued For saith he Entring into a Church at Anablatha to pray I found there a cloth hanging vpon the doore painted as it were with the image of Christ or of some Saint which when I had seene in the Church of Christ against the authoritie of the Scriptures I cut it in peeces and aduised the keepers of that place rather to winde vp some dead bodie in it This Epistle was translated by Ierome out of Greeke into Latine shewing what his iudgement also was herein Note here that according to these Ancients the image of Christ set vp in a Church is against the holy Scriptures and not images of heathen gods only Note that Christian loue bindeth vs Note as to pray for the remission of our owne sinnes so for the remission of the sinnes of others also that by infirmitie are at any time ouertaken with sinne And prayers in this kinde made by the faithfull shall be heard that we may be excited the more to desire the prayers of one another and the more ready in loue to put in practice this dutie Note againe Note that some kinde of sinning is most dangerous viz. to sinne wilfully and willingly contemning all admonitions As the case of Saul was wofull when God forbade Samuel to pray for him so is the case of such the benefit of the prayers of the faithfull is hereby taken away Heb. 10.26 If we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne THE SECOND CATHOLIKE Epistle of St. IOHN TOuching the Authour of this Epistle I haue spoken already in my Preface to the first prouing it by manifold testimonies to be the Epistle of Iohn the Apostle and so Canonicall Scripture I haue also there shewed the reason why hee writeth himselfe Elder and not Apostle or Seruant of Iesus Christ as others haue done Oecumenius thinketh Oecumen that he had respect herein to their first receiuing of the Gospell in those parts by the Ministerie of Paul after whom he came to preach vnto them and therefore not being the first there he would not write himselfe Apostle nor Seruant because of the singular loue of the Lord towards him exempting him from the feare of seruitude How these two Epistles being directed to particular persons may beare the name of Catholike I haue also shewed in my Preface to the Epistle of Saint Iames. The argument of this Epistle is an exhortation to loue and an admonition against heretickes To the exhortation hee maketh way by congratulating the faith and obedience of her and of her children vers 1 2.3 4. Then he exhorteth to loue commending the precept hereabout from the antiquitie of it vers 5. and shewing that the true loue of God consisteth in obedience vers 6. Then he inueigheth against deceiuers giuing warning against all familiaritie with them vers 7 c. to the 11. And lastly hee concludeth with the intimation of a purpose to see them shortly and with salutations vers 12 13. 2 IOHN Verse 1. The Elder to the elect Ladie and to her children THere is much difference amongst Expositors about these words Mayer the elect Ladie who should bee meant hereby Clemens Alex. Athanas in Synopsi Th. Aquinas Some will haue Electa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee a proper name or that her name was Electa and being a person of high qualitie she was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ladie as amongst the Turkes he which is next vnto the Emperour is called as by a particular name Despotes or Lord And amongst the French the next to the King
opinion that the faithfull should liue here with Christ in all manner of pleasure a thousand yeeres But the Greekes were neuer of that opinion neither can it possibly stand seeing nothing is more plainly in this Booke set forth than the eternity of Christ which was by Cerinthus impugned holding that Christ was not before the Virgin Mary Euseb l. 3. c. 39. The same Eusebius also writeth of another Iohn a Diuine whose Monument was seene at Ephesus together with the Monument of Iohn the Apostle whom to haue beene the Author of the two last Epistles of Iohn and of the Reuelation Dionysius Alexandrinus consenteth But this title The Diuine could not so rightly be giuen to any as to Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist seeing he excelled all others in writing of the Diuinity of Christ And therefore Arias Montanus to put it out of all doubt that the Apostle Iohn and not any other was the Author of this Booke hath prefixed this title The Reuelation of the holy Apostle and Euangelist Iohn the Diuine For though this bee not in the title yet so much in effect is in the Text chap. 1. vers 2. Iohn which witnessed the Word of God and the testimony of Iesus Christ and the things which he saw For this is plainly a Periphrasis of Iohn the Apostle seeing he gaue testimony to Christ by this name Ioh. 1. The Word In the beginning was the Word c. and here speaking of his comming to iudgement he setteth him forth by the same name Reuel 19.13 1 Ioh. 1. His name is the Word of God And he beginneth this Epistle with What wee haue seene with our eyes and haue beheld c. And in concluding the Gospell he is spoken of as a witnesse and his writing as a testimony This is the Disciple witnessing these things Ioh. 21.24 and wee know that his testimony is true Againe the circumstance of the place speaketh plainly that Iohn the Apostle and not any other was the Author of this Booke for this Iohn was banished for the Gospels sake into Pathmes by Domitian the Emperour Euseb 3. c. 18. Wherefore by the consent of all the best Writers the Author of this booke was Iohn the Euangelist and Apostle so saith Iustin Martyr dial cum Tryphone Iren. lib. 4. c. 37. Clemen Alex. Pedagog lib. 2. cap. 12. Orig. Hom. 7. in Ios Athanas in Synopsi Epiphan Haeres 51. Chrys Hom. 5. in Psal 91. Tertul. lib. 4. Contra Marcion Cyprian exhort Martyrij cap. 8. Ambros Psal 50. August 39. in Iohan. Hieron Catal. Scriptorum illustrium c. Grasserus comparing this booke with Daniel saith that they are alike in their Authors for as Daniel so Iohn was a man greatly beloued of the Lord If it bee demanded when he wrote this Booke Invita Ioan. Ierome answereth that hee wrote it when Domitian moued the second persecution after Nero the fourteenth yeere of his reigne And with him agreeth Ireneus a most ancient Writer Iren. l. 3. cap. 25. saying Iohn wrote the Reuelation almost in our time towards the end of Domitians Empire For Iohn liued longer than any other Apostle euen to the third yeere of Traian which was 102. from the birth of Christ according to Ierome which was six yeeres after hee wrote this Booke which was written Anno 96. And for this cause it is placed after all other bookes of holy Scripture because it was written after them all in time Reuel 22. and is as it were the seale of them all being fenced with a charge of adding no more as the first Bookes written by Moses were Deut. 4. Secondly touching the authority of this Booke Grasserus sheweth that it was sometime refused for canonicall amongst Christians as Daniel was amongst the Iewes because of the obscurity through which it was thought little beneficiall to the Church to be read But as Daniel was after the captiuity receiued into the Canon and afterwards had Christs owne testimony Rab. Samuel prooemio in Comment Dan. Mat. 24.15 though the Rabins doe still dispute whether it ought to be reckoned amongst the immediate workes of the holy Ghost so this reuelation was very anciently receiued into the Canon witnesse the Councell of Ancyra in the appendix which was before the Councell of Nice and the third Carthag Councell Can. 47. And good reason seeing it was written by an inspired Apostle and is testified by the Author to be the Reuelation of Iesus Christ Neither is there any doubt made of the authority of it at this day no not amongst the Lutherans themselues though Luther sometime in translating the new Testament left it out for the obscurity Touching the scope of this booke the ancient Fathers haue giuen vs little or no light into it For howsoeuer some of them haue written vpon it as Iustin Martyr Ireneus Lugdunensis Ieron in vita Iohan. Eus l. 5. c. 25. and Melito Sardensis as testifieth Ierome and Eusebius yet we want their bookes but onely that Ireneus hath something touching it lib. 5. cap. 21 23 25. and Augustine lib. 20. de Ciuit. Dei cap. 7. vsque ad 18. yet so many of later times haue written hereupon as that one a popish Writer numbreth 100. Alcasar But they of that side haue rather written to bleare mens eyes from seeing the truth than to inlighen them herein They generally referre the things here foretold to the end of the world when Antichrist shall come and tyrannize but three yeeres and a halfe whereas the Author of this booke testifieth that these things must shortly come to passe Vers 1. The obscurity of the things here deliuered hath deterred men anciently from writing vpon it For so Saint Augustine confesseth saying In the Reuelation there are many obscure things that may exercise the minde of the Reader Lib. 20. De ciuit Dâ—i c. 17. Obscura multa leguntur vt mentem legentis exâ—râ—â—al pauca in co sunt ex quorum manifestatione indagentur caetera cum labore maximè quia sic eadem multis modis repetit vt alia atque alia dicere vidcatur cum aliter atque aliter haec ipsa dicere inuâ—stigatur Epist ad Paulin. and there are few things in it by the manifestation whereof other things may be found out with labour chiefly because he doth so repeat the same things many waies so as that he may seeme to speake diuers things when as indeed he is found out to speake the same things diuers waies And with him Ierome consenteth saying The Reuelation of Iohn hath as many Sacraments as words in euery word many vnderstandings lie hid For this cause euen they which haue written vpon it haue generally acknowledged that they were a long time afraid to aduenture vpon so difficult a worke but sith experience in these latter daies doth helpe much to enlighten these darknesses they haue professed that they haue with great assurance set forth their expositions reaping rather
out vnto the end Gorran One noteth many acceptions of this word the tree of life Sometime the holy Scripture is called the tree of life as Prou. 3. sometime patience Prou. 11. sometime deuout preaching Prou. 15. sometime Christ himselfe and sometime the chiefe felicity which is meant here and it is said to be in the Paradise of God because in a place of delights not as the world counts delights but according to God And to the same effect almost speake others the thing promised here is Christ with that eternall happinesse which he bringeth with him to all true beleeuers that hold out vnto the end The promise is the same with that He that endureth to the end shall be saued Matth. 24.13 2 Tim. 4.7 Ioh. 6.54 and henceforth remaineth the crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous God will bestow c. It is alluded vnto the tree of life in Paradise because as that would haue conferred immortality vpon Adam if he had eaten of it so he that eateth of Christ by faith shall liue for euermore and this is the true meaning of that Touching the variation of the title of this reward promised in euery Epistle One saith Gorran that there are seuen vices against which we are to make spirituall warre and to such as ouercome euery of these the blessednesse to come is propounded in a seuerall title sutable The first vice is gluttony and drunkenesse the victory ouer which is first propunded because it is in vaine to striue against any other sinne vnlesse this be subdued which was shewed in the combate of our Sauiour Christ his first temptation was in this kinde To the victory here to eat of the tree of life is promised which Adam could not because he was this way vicious this is to bee refreshed spiritually here and hereafter The second vice is feare of worldly miseries to him that ouercommeth this not being driuen from the faith hereby it is promised that he shall not be hurt of the second death The third is the loue of pleasure to him that ouercommeth this the hidden Manna is promised diuine consolation The fourth is enuy against which is opposed the ruling ouer nations The fift is lechery against which white garments are opposed The sixt is pride against which is opposed I will make him a pillar in the house of God which is most comely The seuenth is idlenesse against which is opposed I will giue him to sit in my Throne Brightman Others either obserue nothing vpon this variety or else apply all to the seuerall conditions of the Church in seuerall ages and so say that as Adam in Paradise was the first man so in speaking of the first Church it is alluded to him But me thinkes that the eternall reward of their constancy should not be so variously propounded for nothing and touching the Churches in seuerall ages although there be some likelihood in the first being so applied yet in the rest it faileth Wherefore I hold that the obseruation of the seuerall vices against which we haue to fight is not impertinent here although haply in the number and particularizing of them there may bee ouermuch curiosity But certainly eternall happinesse doth counteruaile all the pleasure and profit of sinne and whatsoeuer detriment or danger may accrue through piety shall fully be made amends for thereby and it doth not a little helpe to vnderstand this to propound it diuers wayes If then we be tempted any way let vs resist considering that thus we shall prouide for our owne welfare for euer euen in those things wherein wee are moued by temptation THe second Epistle is to the Church of Smyrna in foure verses The second Epistle Vers 8. viz. 8 9 10 11. wherein nothing is taxed Quest Who was the Angell in this Church that it hath so rare commendations Answ The most probable opinion is that Policarp the disciple of Saint Iohn was chiefe minister here Iren. lib. 3. cap. 3. For both Ireneus and Eusebius agree that hee was by the Apostles constituted Bishop in Smyrna whereas all of them but Iohn were dead before Domitians time And all things in the Epistle agree to him a most holy man there being nothing reproued in him and the exhortation to constancy intimating his persecution to come for he was most cruelly martyred vnder Antoninus Verus and the mentioning of the Iewes for by their instigation hee was murthered Onely it may bee doubted for so much as betwixt Domitians foureteene yeeres when this was reuealed and Antoninus Verus were threescore seuen yeres But this is againe resolued by the consideration of Policarps confession of himselfe that hee had serued Christ fourescore and six yeeres as Eusebius sheweth This Smyrna is put second because next to Ephesus Quest 2. Why is the Lord here intitled The first and the last which was dead but is aliue Answ It is spoken for the comfort of him that was in danger of death for the Gospell Gorran according to the argument of this Epistle for if life for euer followed Christs death what need any member of Christ to feare death Brightman Or else because in this Epistle he is said to be rich yet affliction and pouerty is mentioned vnderstand by this title Christs maiesty by which hee is first and his humiliation whereby he was last wherein this Angel is comforted against the base esteeme of the world I know thy pouerty but thou art rich Quest 3. Who were they that called themselues Iewes Vers 9. and what was their blasphemy Answ Some thinke that such are meant Glossa ord as made a profession of Christ and yet were enemies than which there could be no enemies more grieuous But others more rightly Pareus Brightman that they were Iewes indeed glorying in that name as the onely people of God who stood so earnestly for the old ceremonies and legall seruice that they hated most deadly all Christians for we reade in the Acts of the Apostles of their fury and seeking to stirre vp the people in all places against the Christians and in particular against Policarp as hath beene already touched Their blasphemies were all the most opprobrious names that they could deuise against Christians they called Christ a cousener Impostorem suspensum necromantum Cruciarios asinarios sarmentarios semassios Apol. cap. vlt. a crucified man and a Negromancer and Christians cruciaries asinaries Sarmentaries and Semassies as Tertullian sheweth Quest What is meant by the affliction which it is said they shall haue for ten dayes Answ About this number of dayes there is great difference amongst Expositors Vers 10. Most hold that some short time is hereby meant Bullinger Chitreus Franc. Lamb. Pareus but a certaine number of dayes put for an vncertaine * Beda Haimo Gorran Ribera Rupertus Some say that the number of ten is a number of perfection containing in it all other numbers and therefore setteth forth a
lib. 3. c. 11. Ieron in proem in Matth. Aug. Lyra Grasser Others vnderstand the foure Euangelists ascribing to Matthew the face of a Lion to Marke of a calfe to Luke of a man to Iohn of an eagle Of this opinion though there bee graue Authors yet vpon the same consideration it falleth to the ground also to say nothing of the absurdity that would follow that Iohn the spectatour of this should see himselfe thus represented to himselfe Petrus Aureolus Others vnderstand the foure Patriarkes of the Christian world as of Ierusalem Antioch Alexandria and of Constantinople and bring their reasons of all but not worth the naming or confuting Ambros lib. 3. de Virgin Arethas Others vnderstand the foure Cardinall vertues fortitude set forth in the Lion iustice in the bullocke because he laboureth for what he eateth temperance in the eagle which eateth nought but what prey himselfe hath taken though neuer so hungry and prudence in a man Orig. Hom. 1. in Ezech. Rupertus Ansbertus Others vnderstand the foure faculties of the minde as anger concupiscence reason and conscience Others vnderstand the foure degrees thorow which Christ passed his incarnation set forth by a man his passion by a bullocke his resurrection by a lion and his ascension by an eagle Some vnderstand it onely as a representation of the homage done vnto God by all sorts of creatures men beasts and birds Lastly some not to weary my selfe with more relations Marlorat Fulke vnderstand the Seraphims Esa 6.1 those Angelicall spirits which the Lord vseth in the gouernment of the world vnder the figure of whom being full of eyes and wings his prouidence extending euery whither and his omniscience is declared And to this I subscribe both because the description doth so well agree and the forme of praising God and that which is further set forth Ezech. 1. where they are called animals as here and haue such appearances but onely that each one had these foure faces whereas one here is said to haue one and another another wherein there is no more difference but that what was there represented ioyntly in each one is here represented seuerally viz. in what maiesty the Lord sitteth his Chariot being drawne there his Throne supported here not onely by one kinde of creature as is the manner of earthly Princes but by diuers and those the chiefe made to agree together to doe seruice vnto him declaring hereby how in and about his throne and in his kingdome there is a sweet harmony and consent to the praise of his name amongst those that be of most different natures as is further expressed Esai 11. And for their being in the midst of the throne and round about it is easily also resolued from this conferring of places for in Ezech. 1.14 They are said to runne and returne and so they might well bee sometime in the midst and sometime about it The maine exception against this exposition is that Chap. 5.9 they are brought in together with the Elders praising God for their Redemption by the bloud of Christ and therefore it seemeth cannot bee Angelicall spirits But to this it may easily bee answered that though the beasts are said to fall downe with the Elders yet it doth not necessarily follow that they ioyned with them in their new song nay rather by some circumstances it seemeth necessary to vnderstand that musicke and song to be made by the Elders only both because they could handle viols which the beasts could not and the orderly performing of each ones part requireth that as the foure beasts had before ascribed holinesse to the Lord to which the Elders said Amen So now the Elders haue sung praise to the Lambe they should ioyne and say Amen neither are the beasts said to haue crownes as they must haue to whom the singing of this song can agree for they praise the Lambe because by him they are made Kings and Priests vnto God this the beasts cannot say but onely the Elders who weare the crownes of gold in token that they are Kings As for those opinions of the vertues and affections of the minde they being no subsistences of themselues as these beasts are they doe easily fall to the ground And for that about the mysteries of our Redemption if any such thing had beene intended the likenesse of a man should haue beene put first then of a bullocke c. CHAP. V. A Representation of the Lords sitting in maiesty hauing been made in the former Chapter here is shewed in what manner hee proceedeth to reueale the things to come He holdeth a booke in his right hand written within a without sealed with seuen seales which when none could open the Lord Iesus tooke and opened it and vpon the opening of each seale there is some representation of that which should afterwards be done What booke this was I thinke there needeth no great question to bee made for the most reasonable coniecture is that it was a booke containing the things herein reuealed which were so many as that they could not bee set downe without writing on both sides of each leafe and not on one side onely according to the ancient manner of writing for to what end were the sealing if it were written on the backe side that it on the couer of the booke it is sealed with seuen seales which none could loose because it exceeded the power of any creature to declare them onely the Lambe of God can doe it neither vpon the opening of one can any declare the rest but he must open each one in order that we may attaine to this vnderstanding Others anciently haue expounded this Booke of the holy Scriptures containing the old Testament which is the writing within because more obscure and the new which is the writing without because the mysteries of saluation are herein more plainly reuealed but this is altogether without ground here for what should the Booke of the holy Scriptures doe now in the Lords hand when hee was not about to explaine the mysteries thereof but only to reueale things to come hitherto kept secret so as the mysteries of holy Scriptures were not I passe ouer therefore the first fiue verses and come to the sixt Quest 6. In the midst of the Throne and of the beasts and Elders stood a Lambe c. Vers 6. Why doth a Lambe appeare after speech of a Lion that should open the seales and why standing and with seuen hornes and eyes Answ It is agreed by all that this is the Lord Iesus but why a Lambe appeared after that one of the Elders had told Iohn of the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah who had obtained power to open the Booke I finde no reason rendred It seemeth to me that he is called a Lion by one of the Elders Gen. 49. Esa 11. because by that name and by the name of the root of Dauid hee was anciently prophesied of and therefore most fit for one of elder
minister about God first one and then another acteth his cryer vntill these foure seales be opened without respect vnto what was contained vnder each of them Lastly touching the voice comming out from the midst of the beasts it was as my Authours agree the Lambs voyce as was most fit for he giueth a charge as hauing authority wine and oile hurt thou not but what is meant hereby and why this rider is set forth hauing ballances and wheat is proclaimed at a peny a measure and barley at a peny three measures is a great question They which vnderstand by the black horse a famine wherewith the world was punished for infidelity will haue these words to sound a great dearth of corne but wine oile which are not of that necessity they say that the Lord in commanding to spare them meaneth that they should not be altogether left destitute of all comforts How this can any way stand I see not for in a sore famine as in the dayes of Ahab nothing that groweth is spared and truly me thinks if a measure of the finest graine be to be bought for a peny of courser three measures men should not be afraid of such a famine though the measure be but enough to make foure loaues sufficient to keepe a man a day as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is commonly expounded here the peny be as much as a man could yearne in a day according to the parable where it is said they receiued euery one a peny for the day Matth. 20. 2 King 7. By a like phrase plenty is promised elsewhere a measure of fine floure for a shekell c. but that there the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a measure of aboue halfe a bushell at fifteene pence this of three pintes at seuen pence halfe-peny of our money which though it cannot be interpreted of plenty yet neither can I by any meanes be perswaded that it is meant of famine which in reason if it be threatned to terrifie must needs bee a farre other manner of dearth than can bee collected hence Yet euen they that vnderstand this of heresie expound it of a famine of hearing of the word of God allegorically set forth vnder the termes of wheat and barley For they say that heresie commeth with ballances pretending to weigh euery doctrine by the weight of truth but the Lord giueth warning that true doctrine and good teachers shall then bee very scarce yet the fundamentall points meant by the wine and oyle shall remaine vnshaken And Pareus contendeth much to make Christ the rider of this black◠horse because heretikes pretend Christ as being by him directed For mine owne part I am not satisfied with any of these expositions and therefore desire a can did interpretation if I shall put in my coniecture I thinke then that the voice in the midst of the foure beasts is the voice of the cryer of this Captaine riding vpon the blacke horse for each horse commeth out from amidst the beasts seeing the booke at the opening whereof they all appeare is held by the Lambe in the midst of the beasts as was before shewed That which he crieth is neither plenty nor scarcity but as hee maketh shew that rideth by his ballances a iust and equall price of these necessary graines and because wine and oyle are not wont to be weighed in the ballance men are secured that they shall not bee herein wronged and these are mentioned as the chiefe commodities of those countreys whereby the life is maintained according to the Psalmist Psal 104. He giueth the staffe of bread wine to make glad the heart of man and oyle to make him a chearefull countenance Now in all this it is alluded vnto the doctrine of truth the hereticke professeth to teach nothing but what hee can approue for truth being weighed by the ballance of holy Scriptures and euen as in buying and selling they are accounted honest dealers that sell a peny worth for a peny and make no mixtures in their liquid commodities but serue the buyer of them pure and vnhurt by such mixing so he seeketh to approue his dealing in the teaching of his heresies by professing equity and iustice and freedome from all deceit and if his corne shall be thought somewhat deare hee will make you amends in his wine and oile for it is not vnusuall to compare diuine instructions to corne and sometime to milke and wine Thus it appeareth what tragicall times the Church hath had but it is by Gods owne appointment and the last hath now beene long in acting neither shall wee need to feare professed enemies vnto Christ any more for wait but a while till the present corruptions be purged out and then commeth the liuing with Christ when there shall be nothing to annoy vs and in the meane season the comfort is that of all these riders the truth onely weareth the crowne wherefore persecutors heretikes and corrupt Christians shall be put downe and such as imbrace the truth shall reigne finally in glory for euer Quest 2. And when he had opened the fift feale Vers 9. I saw the soules of them that were slaine for the word of God vnder the Altar c. What place was this how could he see mens soules vpon what occasion doe they cry thus for reuenge and how warrantable is this what be the robes giuen them and what meaneth the stay till the rest of their fellow-seruants were slaine also Answ Before we come to resolue these doubts it may bee questioned also why no voyce to come and see is heard at the opening of this the next seale as in the foure seales past About this it is agreed that the apparitions past being but dumb representations it was necessary that by some voyce Iohn should be excited to behold them but here the soules appearing make a cry themselues which is enough to stirre vp to attention and therefore no other preparing voyce was needfull and the like may bee said of the sixt seale such things were acted and with such noise that it was in stead of an exciting voyce Touching the place where the soules are said to lie viz. vnder the Altar I preferre that exposition Brightman Arethas whereby their sacrificing in their martyrdome is held to be alluded vnto in this phrase they appeare lying vnder the Altar signifying what death they had died and how precious vnto the Lord the death of martyrs is which giue their liues in being faithfull vnto him And whereas sacrifices are wont to bee laid vpon the Altar not vnder it the reason why they are said to be vnder may be because they were not now in sacrificing but had been already sacrificed and therfore as the ashes of the sacrifice being burnt fall thorow a grate vnder the Altar so they are said to lie vnder Beda Haimo Pareus Bullinger Thom. Aquin. Some will haue Christ meant by the Altar and so expound
mountainous places and Ilands were sought out to be destroyed which is expressed in saying the mountaines and Ilands were remoued out of their place then all professours of the Christian religion sought to hide themselues from the anger of him that sitteth vpon the throne thinking God and the Lambe to bee angry with them set forth in the last words Bullinger Pareus Others will haue the corruption in the time of Antichrist meant which time say they began when Constantine aduanced Syluester the Bishop of Rome and his successours and continueth in the Papacy to this day then began a great earthquake by the change of the state of the Church into Pontificall then the Sunne the doctrine touching Christ was darkened through the interposition of traditions the Moone the Church was turned into bloud either by murthers committed by Antichrist or by the corrupt worshipping of God the starres the ministers of God fell from heauen by apostatising from the truth the heauen the Church was folded together as a booke when it appeared not any where or the holy Scriptures were shut vp from the people the mountaines Emperours and Kings were remoued by Popes the Ilands the people were remoued out of their place by being made beleeue vpon paine of damnation that the Pope is the head of the Church And being brought to this estate of corruption as there can be no sound peace but terrors of conscience out of the truth so all estates are set forth as terrified by a conscience of Gods iudgement and some indeed fulfilled this according to the letter going into wildernesses and Monasteries seeking by applying themselues to perpetuall deuotion to quiet their consciences accusing them for former offences but could not effect it But herein Pareus differeth from Bullinger for hee applieth this of the generall feare of all estates and degrees to the last day of iudgement which shall follow after that the world hath beene so corrupted in the time of Antichrists reigne Lastly some vnderstand by this earth-quake Forbs c. the great alteration that came vpon the Romane Empire by meanes of the Gothes and other barbarous nations which was so great as that the whole world seemed to be changed But I subscribe to the first exposition because most agreeable to the letter and where the literall sense may stand there is no vse of allegories And indeed without straining no time but the day of iudgement can be rightly called the great day of Gods wrath wherein all the wicked of all estates and degrees are filled with terrour at Gods presence If it bee taken as an allegory there are so great differences that there will bee no certainty of truth Besides that it doth no way answer the precedent cry for vengeance so fitly as being literally vnderstood of the last day for whatsoeuer commotions there be in states and kingdomes yet euery one is not at such times so seuerely animaduerted against but many escape whereas here euery one is said to tremble and feare Whereas Pareus includeth both the persecution vnder Antichrist and the day of iudgement also I cannot see how that can stand for the fleeing away of all estates and degrees for feare is an effect of those stupendious accidents in heauen and in earth as in reason it is likely when such things shall come to passe no lesse can be expected but horrible feare Let vs then study to pacifie Gods anger before this day commeth by true repentance and humiliation that wee may not finde it a day of wrath but of euerlasting mercy to vs. CHAP. VII THE dreadfull manner of Gods comming to iudge and to take reuenge vpon the enemies and corrupters of his truth hauing beene set forth in the sixt Chapter lest there should arise anxiety in the minds of the faithfull about the Lords care touching them in the midst of all the miseries before described for that it hath not yet appeared how they are prouided for when all things shall be so full of dread feare he doth apart here set forth Gods care ouer them during all those troubles and affrighting apparitions they were marked in the forehead that no hurt might hereby seize vpon them but these tribulations might be to them a way to future glory and the inuestment with white robes washed in the Bloud of the Lambe at what time all teares shall be wiped from their eyes for euer For the meaning of the particular passages here Quest 1. Vers 1. After this I saw foure Angels standing vpon the foure corners of the earth holding the foure winds that they might not blow vpon the earth c. What is meant by these things Rupertus Caelius Pannon Answ Most Expositors vnderstand by these winds the Spirit of God in the Preachers of his Word diffusing it selfe in all parts of the world but the euill angels the Deuils which rule in the Antichristian Sect seeke to hinder these winds by suppressing the pure preaching of Gods holy Word in all places Dionys Bullinger Pareus Brightman to the corrupting and decay of all true Religion They keepe the winds from blowing vpon the earth that is the vulgar sort the sea that is Doctrine the trees that is men of more eminency or by the earth they vnderstand men dwelling in any part of the earth by the sea the inhabitants of Ilands by trees such as lurked in woods or they take the earth for earthly ones the sea for the worship of God and trees for people good and bad which professe to worship God Againe there is difference also about these foure Angels for some vnderstand the foure Monarchies Primas Haimo Ambrose Amsbert Lyra. in the time whereof the truth was hindred Some foure persecuting Emperours who after that Dioclesian and Maximianus had forsaken the Empire did together persecute the Christian Religion in the foure parts of the world viz. Maximianus in the East Seuerus in Italy the west Licinius in Alexandria in Egypt the South Maxentius at Rome and whereas all others vnderstand Christ by the Angell with the seale he vnderstandeth Constantine the great who suppressed these tyrants And some againe by the Angell in the East vnderstand the Mahumetans in the West the Pope in the North the Germane Empire in the south Spaine For mine owne part when I consider the premises of great and horrible miseries to come vpon the world I cannot but thinke as I intimated before in generall that comfort against these euils is here intended to the godly and therefore I subscribe rather to those that vnderstand these things literally of foure Angels appointed by God as his Ministers herein for it is said To them it is giuen to hurt c. to destroy all things Arethas Ribera Fox and this is fitly set forth by holding the foure winds because in wind and breath consisteth the life of euery thing in this world things of the earth as men and beasts of the sea as fishes and fowles and the trees
ancients before named and Origen Hom. 6. in Numeros and August Serm. 98. de tem others vnderstand his precious passions as Bullinger c. The odours which were giuen vnto him they expound of the sights and groanes of Gods seruants or of his graciousnesse which is as sweet odours added to our prayers to make them the more acceptable One hath a strange conceit Brightman that Constantine is meant by this Angell who was the Author of gathering together that famous Councell of Nice wherein that confession of saith so acceptable to God was concluded vpon but it became an occasion of much contention by reason of Arrius and his sect Lyra. Another more strangely vnderstandeth Pope Damasus ann 384. who instituted Psalmodies and glory to the Father c. which were added to the common prayers Rupertus Ribera Some vnderstand it properly of an Angell such as he that was present to Iaacob in his iournying or Gabriel that appeared to Mary For mine owne part I see so much against the most common vnderstanding of this of Christ as that I cannot thinke him to bee meant here For first he appeareth still as a Lambe secondly this is said to be but another Angell thirdly Odours are giuen vnto him as Trumpets to the rest intimating an equality betwixt them fourthly that the Priest the Altar and the Censer should be all one it seemeth very improbable fiftly the prayers of the Saints are spoken of by the same phrase that Chap. 5. where the foure and twenty Elders are said to haue golaon Vials full of Odours which are the prayers of the Saints Where by the prayers of the Saints their praising of God in Heauen and praying for our good in generall being vnderstood and not the prayers of the godly vpon earth why should it not be vnderstood here likewise I thinke then that nothing else is here meant but as before any vision of future things a preparation was made thereunto by a representation of Gods Maiesty and of the Lambe delighted in the deuotions of his seruants as in a sweet persume but terrible to the wicked and therefore issued thunders lightnings and voices from before him so now the second particular vision being prepared vnto it is set forth in the figure of this Angell standing at the Altar and offering Odours with the prayers of the Saints which come vp before God how acceptable the seruice is which by the godly is done vnto God and in the fire taken and cast vpon the earth producing voices thunders c. how terrible he will be to the wicked of this world For the Altar and Censer it is beyond the intent of this place particularly to descant vpon them the seruice which is done vnto God being doubtlesse thus set forth in allusion to the old manner of worshipping In the former representation Prayers are called Odours here Odours are added vnto them Odours to Odours to shew yet further their extraordinary sweetnesse their voices and thunders c. issue forth here is shewed by what meanes viz. coales taken from the Altar signifying that howsoeuer the holy fire with sweet Odours maketh a pleasant smell yet without Odours it yeeldeth a thundring and terrifying noise the wicked that pray not can expect nothing but terrour and affrighting from the Lord who is most comfortable to the godly frequenting him with their prayers As for that exposition of some Beda Haimo Bullinger Pareus c. vnderstanding the sending downe of the holy Ghost in the likenesse of fiery tongues whereupon some were terrified as by thundring some instructed as by voices some conuerted as the earth is moued in an earthquake I cannot see how it agreeth to the terrible things following Fox some way whereunto is made in this passage I assent therefore to those rather who expound it of terrour as I haue already said neither is it strange that the prayers of the Saints comming vp before God the fire of his anger should be stirred vp against the wicked world occasioning so many sighs and grones to come from them Quest 3. And the first Angell sounded Vers 7 c. and there was haile and fire mingle with bloud c. Because there is a noted distance betwixt the foure first Trumpets and the other three and these foure doe immediatly follow one after another it will be fittest to handle these together What therefore is figured out by the things appearing at the sounding of these foure Answ Some will haue these seuen Angels to represent the Ministers of the Gospell at seuerall times and ages of the world for as they sounded forth the Word of truth aduersaries soone sprung vp who sought by their fierce oppositions to suppresse it Haime Caelius Pannonius Richard de Sancto Victore Zeger c. The first were the Apostles at whose preaching there was great tumult in the world to the shedding of the bloud of many set forth by haile and fire and bloud mingled with them the trees grasse burnt vp were such as for feare fell frō the Religion which they had imbraced or else by the haile c. they vnderstand a mixed company of good and bad Christians gathered together from the rest of the world of which the bad which are the third part are burnt vp that is perish by Gods iust iudgement and are called trees because of their instabilitie in times of winds and grasse for their frailtie The second ranke of Preachers set forth by the second Angell where the successours of the Apostles in the next age against whom the Deuill as a great burning mountaine falleth and the third part of the sea is turned into bloud by the destruction of the faithfull the fishes die by the reuolting of the wauering and many teachers who as ships had carried on others through the greatnesse of the persecution fall away The third ranke set forth by the third Angell are the Preachers of the next age to trouble whom Heretikes rise vp these are the Star falling from Heauen giuing light in times past but now making bitter by their hereticall doctrine the fountaines of holy Scriptures and the riuers of the Fathers by corrupting them to maintaine their heresies thereby The fourth ranke set forth by the fourth Angell are the Preachers of these last times who are troubled by Hypocrites and false Prophets that vnder a pretext of holinesse broach new opinions whereby it commeth to passe that a good part of the true knowledge of Christ is obscured which is the darkning of the Sunne to the third part and the true Church which is the Moone much distminished and the Doctors which are the Starres giue not so cleare light through this meanes as before Lyra. Bullinger Aretius Some vnderstand Heretikes and heresies of seuerall ages to encounter with whom the faithfull are stirred vp by these Trumpets sounded For first Arrius infected the third part of the world with his heresie Secondly Macedonius infected the Sea with
his heresie denying the holy Ghost to bee God the Sea is the Church so called by reason of baptisme the fishes Christians who died by this heresie c. Thirdly Pelagius fell like a Starre from preaching the truth to that heresie of free will which was as bitter worm-wood as being contrary to the sweet Doctrine of iustification by the grace of Christ Fourthly Eutiches darkned the third part of the Sunne by reaching that there was but one nature in Christ obscuring thus his Diuinity Bullinger differing somewhat from this maketh the first Angels sounding to be in the time of the Nazarens and Hebionites who maintained that iustification was not by faith onely but partly by the Law the haile of corrupt doctrine being thus mingled with the fire of pretended zeale The second in the time of the Valentinians Mannichees and Montanists who as a burning mountaine sought to ouerwhelme all things The third in the time of Arrius and Samosatenus The fourth in the time of Pelagius Others parallel these Trumpets with the Seales at the opening whereof Pareus Glossa issued first a white horse here is fire and haile mingled with bloud as the effect of the Apostles preaching amongst the wicked Iewes Secondly a red horse here is a burning mountaine hot persecution stirred vp by the Heathen Emperours to the destruction of many Thirdly a blacke horse here a Starre falleth from Heauen setting forth the Authors of bitter heresies Fourthly a pale horse here the Sunne Moone and Starres are said to be darkned all things growing corrupt in the Church Some interpret these seuen Trumpets of seuen great iudgements which haue beene vpon the world since the beginning first by the Floud secondly by fire in Sodome thirdly by the red Sea drowning Pharaoh and his host fourthly of the Canaanites expelled c. as Aretius saith Some vnderstand them of the degrees by which Antichrist grew vnto his height of impiety Forbs first there were hot contentions secondly great ambition thirdly corrupting of the holy Scriptures by false glosses and interpretations fourthly grosse ignorance like darknesse following after this euery of these euils being more dangerous than the preceding one as the sea is not so grosse as the earth and the riuers are purer than the sea and the Sunne Moone and Starres yet aboue all so in the corrupting of one of these there is more danger than in the other When fire and haile are cast vpon the earth it is grieuous but when a burning mountaine is cast into the Sea it is more grieuous c. Some particularly referre the haile and fire to the contentions in the Councell of Nice Brightman the burning Mountaine cast into the Sea to the Canons made in the same Councell touching the dignity of Archbishops and Metropolitans c. the Starre called Worm-wood to the reuiuing of Arrianisme after Constantines time and the darkning of the third part of the Sunne c. to the most bloudy persecution of the Vandals in Affrita vnder Gensericus ann 438. Lastly not to weary the Reader with more varieties some vnderstand the iudgemets of God at foure speciall times executed vpon the Iewes and wicked Heathen for persecuting the Church and seruants of God first Fox the destruction of Ierusalem secondly a fearefull pestilence wasting many Prouinces in the time of Antoninus Verus a bloody persecutor chiefly Rome and Italy and warres thorowout all the East Beda Aurelius Victo Eusebius and Illiricum at the same time with earth-quakes plagues ouerflowings of waters c. so that nothing which might make the world miserable was wanting in his daies Thirdly the Pestilence of ten whole yeeres raging all ouer the world in the daies of Galitenus who together with his father Valerianus had beene a most bloudy persecutor It beganne in Ethiopia Pomponius and hauing consumed the people in the south it spred into the East and other parts of the world exhausting the greatest part of the inhabitants and leauing some places altogether without inhabitants At the same time also great stirre was in all parts of the Roman Empire except Italy Eusebius Sabellicus so as it was not a long time before Cilicia Syria Cappadocia were wasted by the Persians Pontus Asia Macedonia and Grecia by the Gothes The Pannonians by the Quadi and Sarmatians c. and vnto these he ioyneth the miseries in the daies of Dioclesianus and Maximianus who stirred vp the greatest persecution that euer was after that the Church had enioyed liberty foure and forty yeeres viz. from the death of Valerianus to the nineteenth yeere of Dioclesianus All the ten yeeres of this persecution there were great commotions of peoples Eusebius and such a famine accompanied with pestilence that an infinite multitude died hereof Then they would giue their most precious things for a little food and selling their possessions for food became very poore Some are grasse and hurtfull weeds and some noble women went out of Cities into the country to beg Some going about like shadowes ready to fall here and there stretching out their hands craued something to be giuen to them who were ready to die for hunger and the streets and market-places lay full of dead bodies there being none to bury them And such of the wealthier sort as escaped the danger of the famine were consumed by the Pestilence Fourthly the irruptions of the Vandals Goths Longobards and of other barbarous people into the East and West from the yeeres 475. destroying the Emperours and preuailing till the time of Carolus Magnus Amongst so many varieties it is hard to determine But seeing it is most apparant that the iudgements which should come vpon the wicked world are here figured out in that vnder the fift Trumpet they only are said to be hurt by the Locusts who had not the seale of God in their foreheads and vnder the sixt that notwithstanding all which they suffered they repented not of their idolatries and murthers c. whence it may be more than probably gathered that the foure first Trumpets tend to the setting forth of the like I cannot assent to their expositions which apply these things either to persecutions or heresies or hypocrisies or to the degrees by which Antichrist arose And seeing the purpose of these visions is not to shew things past but to come that exposition referring the great iudgements of former ages hither is to bee reiected I doe therefore partly assent to the last exposition applying these terrible euents vpon the sounding of these foure Trumpets vnto the grieuous punishments inflicted vpon wicked persecutors at foure most remarkable times first at the destruction of Ierusalem secondly in the time of Antonius Verus thirdly of Galienus fourthly of Dioclesianus For whereas he maketh the two lastone and bringeth in the Vandals and Goths for the fourth I hold that there being such a distance of almost forty yeeres there should be a distinction of these iudgements also But how doe these
and minaciously than hee hath beene wont to doe Their powers are in their mouthes and in their tailes The Locusts power was in their tailes onely for they spake not against Christianity in generall but were ready though in a corrupt manner to entertaine it but these as professed enemies defie Christianity and make war against it and by cruelty and deceiueablenesse seeke to draw as many to Mahumetisme as they can and thus they destroy both soules and bodies And because they are said to haue lions heads as the Locusts Lions teeth and it is the property of a lion to kill with his taile they kil also with the taile as they did being first called vpon for aid but turning to be destruction to such as called them as the serpent proueth to him that receiueth it Vers 20. The rest neither repented that they should not worship Deuils nor images of gold c. Vers 21. Neither repented they of their murthers c. In these words is set forth the obstinacy of the Papists and it is made yet more euident that the Turkes were sent for a plague of their superstitions and corruptions And the euent answereth the prediction for they are as great worshippers of images as great murtherers fornicators as euer they were Neither can this be applied to any but them seeing they onely of late dayes haue beene notorious for their idolatries and massacres and whoredomes also which haue beene obserued by all the world And whereas Deuils are mentioned the worshipping of whom it seemeth cannot be charged vpon them let their delusions by apparitions and voyces vttered at the Sepulchres of Saints and by images be considered and I doubt not but the indifferent arbiter will acknowledge that these things come from Deuils who are worshipped vpon an imagination that they are the Saints Againe an idoll is nothing saith the Apostle but what is sacrificed to idols is to Deuils Wherefore let not vs that haue repented and so are spared from the Turkes inuasion make a relapse againe but praise God for this mercy and pity their obstinacy and blindnesse which know not the time of their visitation CHAP. X. ANd I saw another strong Angell comming down from heauen compassed with a cloud Vers 1. and a rainbow vpon his head c. Who is this Angell What little booke open is it that he holdeth in his hand Why doth he stand so strangely one foot vpon the sea and another vpon the land What meaneth his loud cry and the seuen thunders vttering their voices thereupon which must not be written And why doth hee sweare so seriously that time shall be no more but during the sounding of the seuenth Angell And what is meant in that Iohn is bidden to eat that little booke c. for all these things doe so hang together that they must needs be expounded together Answ It is to be vnderstood that all these things come vnder the fixt trumpet and therefore are to bee referred to the same times though perhaps beginning somewhat after the iudgements before declared Hitherto hath beene nothing but matter of terrour by fierce enemies in infinite multitudes destroying a world of people for idolatry murthers fornications c. Now because the Lord had some people in these most corrupt times which read and cleaued vnto the Scriptures and impugned hereby those grosse corruptions though with danger of their liues and prospered in respect of their cause in so doing it seemed good vnto the Spirit of God by some figure to shew this also and the figure is an open booke in the hand of a strong Angell eaten vp by Iohn which was sweet in his mouth but bitter in his belly And againe in the next Chapter a reed giuen vnto him to measure the temple the outward Court being left vnmeasured as being trampled vâ—der foot by the Gentiles two and forty moneths in all which time the two witnesses of God prophesie in sackecloth c. Câ—yâ—raeâ—s Bullingâ—r Aretâ—â—s Augâ—st c. Brâ—ghtman Forâ—s c. This being thus generally premised I come now to the particular Quaeres This strong Angell by the consent of most Expositors is the Lord Iesus who hath a rainebow about his head to shew the security brought vnto men by him is cloathed with a cloud that is the nature of man his face shineth as the Sunne because he is the light of the world his feet like pillars of fire to shew that his ministers propagating the Gospell kindle a fire of feruent loue where they come one foot being set vpon the earth and the other vpon the sea set forth his dominion ouer sea and land Lyâ—a Lyra vnderstandeth the Emperor Iustinus and his Nephew Iustinianus about the yeere 518. who held a little booke open when he wrote his Epistles against the Arrians in fauour of the Orthodox Lastly some vnderstand an Angell properly either Gabriel or some other perhaps the same that was before so desirous to haue the booke opened Chap. 5. but all the seales now being opened and men not being moued to repentance it is precisely noted in the Chapter before going he commeth againe roaring as a Lion so loud as that thunders Eccho-like are heard Arethas Andreas Abbas Ioach. Fox and protesteth that time shall be no more c. that men might hereby at the least be awakened made to repent And vnto this doe I subscribe because I see no necessity of vnderstanding Christ by an Angell here but rather as the word soundeth for it is expressed in none other termes but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another Angell that is another such as the Angels blowing the trumpets When Christ is set forth by this name it is alwayes with some addition as the Angell of the Couenant c. Moreouer what need was there that Christ should now leaue his royall throne in heauen to come downe to the earth when hee had many ministers fit for this seruice and indeed this cannot well be applied vnto Christ seeing it is expresly said Act. 3. The heauens must containe him till the time of restoring all things Whereas the apparatus of a cloud rainebow c. may seeme not to agree to an Angell indeed let it bee considered that the Angels in heauen doe partake with Christ in his glory as the Saints doe and then it will not seeme absurd that an Angell should bee set forth thus descending all making for the honour of God and of Christ to whom they are ministers being glad with so great glory The little booke opened Pareus some will haue to be the same which before was said to be sealed Some the holy Scriptures the opening and right vnderstanding whereof Aretius after that they had beene long kept shut in the time of Popery is here figured out And this seemeth to mee to agree best for the other booke must needs be very great out of which so many horses issued and other things appeared this of the Scriptures
is but a little booke in comparison Moreouer the contents of the other booke were before declared and therefore superfluous it was to propound it againe Pareus Bullinger Forbs One foot set vpon the sea and the other vpon the land some vnderstand to haue beene done to shew Christs dominion ouer sea and land euen in the time of persecutions when he might seeme to haue beene cast out of his possession Others allegorically Brightman Tho. Aquin. Beda by his feet vnderstand the instruments of rearing vp the Gospell againe and so apply his right foot vnto the most famous and the left to others of lesse note these were set vpon sea and land when all sorts of people were admonished by them But there needeth no such curiosity here for what doth he come to foretell of but the approach of the end of the world Which for so much as it consisteth of sea and land how could hee addresse himselfe more fitly to tell of the destruction of it than by this gesture of setting his feet vpon sea and land and lifting vp his hand to heauen Touching his loud cry and the seuen thunders hereupon vttering their voyces which Iohn must not write these things serue further to declare the terrour of this messenger sent from heauen for when the Lion roareth the beasts of the forrest tremble so when this Angell is set forth roaring so loud that a thundering noise reboundeth againe from the sound of his voyce the Lord would haue men to tremble at it and repent and turne to the Lord from their sinnes wherein they are noted hitherto to haue persisted The things vttered by the thunders the Lord will not haue written because in all likelihood they were copiously set forth in other parts of holy Scripture nothing being more frequent than to admonish to repent and to threaten the impenitent And the thunders are said to be seuen which is a number of perfection to shew that many terrours should come vpon the world if haply they would be rouzed vp hereby Others by these thunders vnderstand the ministers of these times Brightman who like sons of thunder cry aloud to moue men to repentance and the number of seuen is vsed to shew that they are guided by the Spirit with his seuen-fold gifts neither doe they vtter any thing but from Christs mouth whose ecchoes they are What they vtter must not be written because there are some mysteries which should not be knowne now Pareus but are reserued for after times Pareus as he referreth all things here in common to all the six trumpets before going as matter of consolation to the godly so hee vnderstandeth the ministers in the time of persecution who did not forbeare to vtter their thundring voyces against Tyrants though vnto deafe eares which is noted in that Iohn is forbidden to write for when any thing is spoken or writteÌ„ but not regarded it is as if it were not written And this is spoken that Gods ministers might not be discouraged but account of their ministery as most precious therefore sealed vp though vnprofitable to saluation to the wicked world Let the reader follow which of these he wil but the first seemeth to me most naturall and lesse strained Pareus Pareus mentioneth other words here vsed in some copies as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Andreas and Bibliaregia pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but all commeth to one After these things write againe and write not these things Touching the oath here taken it is to assure vs that it will not bee long before Christs comming to iudgement but vnder the sound of the seuenth Angell that none might deferre the time of their repentance And yet for so much as the time of this Angels sounding is vncertaine Napieâ— though we may know when it beginneth the iust time of the Lords comming to iudgement cannot hence bee gathered Wherefore that straine of some which make the seuen seales and trumpets to parallel one another and to containe euery one an equall portion of time viz. either two hundred and fifty yeere more or lesse and from this ground determine of this time of iudgement is to be declined as erroneous seeing these times haue appeared to bee vnequall some one being as long as two or three others And he calleth the Lords comming to iudgment the consummation of this world the mysterie of God by the Prophets foretold because it is hidden from most men and yet apprehended by faith onely but the Prophets did not cease from time to time to speake of it Thus all Expositors agree but onely Brightman who expounde h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delay Brightman and the mystery of God of the calling home of the Iewes and of their flourishing estate after this their calling foretold by the Prophets So that he will haue this booke to extend no further but to the accomplishment of this mystery But for so much as plaine mention is made of the rising of the dead vnder the seuenth trumpet to come to iudgement Chap. 11. vers 18. it is euident that the mystery to be finished here mentioned is the consummation of the world and not the vocation of the Iewes Touching the eating of this little booke Iohn is herein made a figure of those instruments whom God meant to vse to set open the Scriptures Ezech 3. after that they had beene so long shut vp For by earnest studying they did euen deuoure this booke taking great pleasure in this study but afterwards it was an occasion of much suffering set forth by the sweetnesse in the mouth and bitternesse in the belly Thus most Writers agree Rupertus Thom. Aquin. but some vnderstand this of the person of Iohn who was to returne from banishment and to preach the Cospell againe But the extent of his preaching here mentioned is so great as that it cannot agree to his person who preached onely in Ephesus a few yeres after this Againe it is vnder the sixt trumpet long before which Iohn was departed Andâ—â—aâ— Some thinke that Iohn shall liue againe in the dayes of Antichrist and come and prophesie with Enoch and Elias But this is a fond phantasie the truth hath already beene shewed whereupon wee may build because confirmed by experience The word of God being shut vp in the time of Popery hath long agoe beene set open againe by the hand of a strong Angell and it hath beene prophesied againe to many Kings Peoples and Nations and although it be opposed to this day and Popery oft getteth the vpper hand in sundry places yet herein the truth suffereth but as in the time of the Primitiue Church it was aboue three hundred yeeres before that it was generally receiued then so that the time of iudgement when an end shall be put to all things cannot be farre off and this should moue euery one of vs to turne speedily to the Lord by true repentance and to beare patiently any
and after him ann 670. Fannanus and Colmanus then Adelbertus Gallus Clemens Scotus and Samson Scotus ann 714. and with them Virgilius and Sidorius c. who so desireth to see more of the witnesses of the truth may looke into my Catechisme vnder the title The Church is Catholike or into Catalogus testium veritatis Thus the Lord hath euer had his witnesses hitherto and wee doubt not but as Antichrist shall consume more and more so their number shall hence forward rather increase than be diminished Whereas these witnesses are further called Two Oliues and Candlestickes vers 4. the same phrase almost is found touching Iehoshua and Ierubbabel Zach. 4.11 vnto which place therefore it is generally held that it is alluded Golden Candlesticks the Churches were called before chap. 1. and therefore the same appellation is giuen to these witnesses for holding out the light of truth And Oliues they are for their participating with the Lord Iesus the true Oliue Rom. 11. 5 Touching their miracles they are the very same which were wrought by Moses and Elias Exod. 5. for Moses turned the waters into bloud and smote the earth with many plagues in Egypt 2 King 1. and Elias destroyed his enemies by fifty in a company with their Captains by fire from Heauen 1 King 17. and at his prayer the Heauen was shut vp from raining three yeeres and a halfe But how these things are performed by the holy Scriptures and the Preachers of the truth against Turke and Pope there is great question It seemeth to me to be spoken onely by way of allusion and that the meaning is nothing else but as before at the sounding of the Angels fire rained downe and waters were turned into bloud chap. 8. setting forth such terrible iudgements as were executed vpon Egypt as hath already beene expounded so here the wicked enemies of the truth are terrified by commemorating what Moses and Elias did to the confusion of their enemies for they may bee well assured to drinke of the same cup whosoeuer they be at any time that dare to oppose the truth and to persecute the Preachers of it though no such visible miracles bee wrought as then yet strange iudgements being executed to their destruction as hereby many enemies of Moses and Elias were destroyed This Fox doth particularly apply to the iudgements executed vpon the enemies of Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague but it may be obserued that there haue beene many remarkable iudgements at sundry times against the Papals for their tyranny against such as haue withstood their superstitions for which I referre the reader to other Histories lest I should dwell too long vpon this place Brightman Gorran Some say that fire commeth out of the mouth of the Scriptures because they denounce fire and brimstone against the wicked which shall indeed come vpon them And the waters are turned into bloud in that they are carried away with errors because they receiued not the truth And the Heauens are said to be shut from raining in that there was a long time so little dew of heauenly Doctrine distilled from the lips of learned Preachers because there were no such Pareus Or because the enemies of the truth were void of all dew of grace whereby they should haue been mollified still continuing hardened in their superstition And by the fire going out of their mouthes is to be vnderstood the consuming of corrupt Doctrines as of stubble by fire through the setting forth of the truth And for the waters turned into bloud wars and plagues other iudgements wasting so many people since that heresie was opposed may be vnderstood and they may be said to turne the waters into bloud because it was an effect of their preaching the truth Bullinger Bullinger vnderstandeth altogether the denouncing of iudgement and condemnation for the wicked resisters of the truth shall bee destroyed by fire Heauen is shut against them that they cannot enter there and whereas they might haue reaped comfort by the truth preached if they would haue embraced it set forth by waters their waters are turned into bloud because this is turned into their destruction and all this these two witnesses are said to doe because they denounce them and they follow vpon their preaching according to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.16 We are a sweet smelling sauour in those that perish of death vnto death Here is no great difference from that which I haue already said for all agree that iudgements are here set forth following vpon the opposing of the truth preached but that some referre them only to spirituall some to temporall and some to both to which I subscribe holding that the fire comming out of their mouthes is the fire of hell threatned by them to the wicked the shutting vp of the heauen famines the turning of water into bloud warres the smiting of the earth with plagues strange diseases Let the Reader consider and follow which of these he pleaseth But certaine it is that the literall sense is not to be held for then men should Chimera-like vomit fire out of their mouthes to destroy such as were neare vnto them and then there should be no raine all the time of this prophesying and of the Gentiles treading the Court and holy City vnder foot a very vnlikely thing when as Antichrist must as they suppose that follow the letter leade so great armies to destroy Christians Touching the beast out of the bottomlesse pit that killeth them when they haue finished their testimony and exposing their dead bodies in the streets of the City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt where the Lord was killed three daies and a halfe here is such a world of darknesse yet as that it is most hard to resolue what is meant hereby It is agreed by all that Antichrist is this beast afterwards more amply described Chap. 9.11 and many will haue the King of the Locusts called Abaddon or Apollyon whom also they take to be Antichrist to bee the same and that he is here spoken of as already well enough knowne by his preceding description I grant that this beast is the same there described but as I said vpon that place so I hold still that the generall great Antichrist the Deuill is meant by Apollyon and Abaddon and not a succession of Antichristian men for their opposing of Christ in his truth called that Antichrist And so here the beast comming out of the bottomlesse pit is the Deuill in his instruments whatsoeuer they be that impugne the truth whether Mahumetans or Papals for both fight against and kill the seruants of God for giuing testimony and standing to his truth and because herein they follow the Deuills instigation and doe his worke he is said to doe it for hee doth it in them vsing their hands and weapons thus to fight and to destroy When any instrument of the Deuill is spoken of in particular he is said to come vp
out of the Sea or out of the earth as chap. 13. and not out of the bottomlesse pit as in this place Touching the time it is said When they shall finish their testimony he shall make warre Pareus c. This is well resolued by those which hold that howsoeuer he shall oppose them all the time of their prophesying yet he shall not preuaile to kill them till they haue finished the worke for which they were sent namely to giue testimony to the truth For it cannot be imagined that these instruments of the Deuill would permit quietly the witnesses of the truth so long a time as was before set downe viz. 1260. daies but so soone as euer they began to prophesie these beginne to fight against them although the Lord for whom they stand will not suffer them to bee ouercome and slaine till they haue fully ended that worke for which he sent them So that this is not to be vnderstood as it may seeme at the first to be done at the end of the fore-described time of a 1260. daies but within the compasse of this time as each witnesse hath finished his testimony which hee was sent to giue And therefore it is to be noted that he saith not when the time of their prophesying shall be expired but when they shall finish their testimony The whole succession then of witnesses is to be vnderstood by these two who are all this time their office being done some martyred after other some to the end of the time intimated in the 1260. daies Some applying all this passage another way vnderstand by the finishing of their testimony the end of the whole time Brightman Fox which is vnreasonable and discrepant from all types and descriptions of the Antichristian rage For in all numbrings both here and elsewhere there is an admirable consent about three mysticall yeeres and an halfe sometime called 42. moneths sometime 1260. daies sometime three daies and an halfe sometime a time times and halfe a time that Antichristianisme should buckle with and preuaile against the truth but after this time ended there is not a syllable of any more hostility so that if this be taken of some time after these three yeeres and an halfe ended murdering and killing must be expected still this storme being quite blowne ouer which is far from the Lords meaning who hath expressed most plainly the contrary Elias his shutting of the Heauen was also three yeeres and an halfe Antiochus Epiphanes his causing of the daily sacrifice to cease three yeeres and an halfe the time of Christs preaching here three yeeres and an halfe an Antitype or Parallel to which is all the time of the Antichristian rage and of the witnesses prophesying in sack-cloth And hereby it appeareth further that no two particular men are meant here because thus Antichrists time must be somewhat longer than the allotted two and forty moneths for otherwise hee could not kill them after his testimony finished which they are giuing all this time nor insult three daies and an halfe ouer their dead bodies But the foresaid Authors conceiue another meaning of this place as hath beene already shewed Fox One saith that the time of the Councell of Constance is here measured out which was three yeeres and an halfe at the end of which the two famous witnesses of the truth Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague were slaine being vildly intreated all that time and had their dead bodies cast out vnburied according to the Letter for three daies and an halfe their enemies all this time triumphing for their victory but hearing of the constancy of the Bohemians in cleauing to their doctrine they were stricken with feare as if they had beene reuiued againe Brightman The other expoundeth it of the time from Constantine the great till the Councell of Trent at which the holy Scriptures were put downe whereas the Papals had great ioy for a time this was done ann 1546. and certaine moneths and ann 1550. the Magdâ—burgians shewed some life and spirit againe opposing the said Councell and so manfully behauing themselues that the enemies were put into great feare I haue already shewed my reasons why I cannot consent to either of these expositions Sleid. lâ—b 22. It is threescore and ten yeeres agone and vpward since the Councell of Trent and much longer since the Councell of Constance and yet the Court of the Temple is trodden vnder foot by the Gentiles and great Massacres haue beene in France and England and other places in this time so that if this were the meaning it should also haue beene set forth how the Witnesses of God had beene put to death againe and againe since that time whereas the next thing that followeth is the ruine of the City and the transferring of Kingdomes to the Lord certainly the Court and holy City should thus long agone haue ceased to haue beene trodden vnder foot and not haue continued in this afflicted estate as they doe still As for their exposing of the dead bodies in the street vers 8 9. for the space of three daies an halfe Bullinger Pareus Fox they resolue it wel that apply it vnto the vsage of the dead bodies of many of Gods faithfull seruants at sundry times which they haue not suffered to be interred as the dead bodies of Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague the dead bodies of those that were massacred in Paris when they had made the poore Protestants secure vpon a marriage the bodies of such generally amongst them as haue not by auticular confession by penance and extreme vnction reconciled themselues vnto them before their death for they deny them all Christian buriall The time of three daies and an halfe as all consent is put for a short time and the rather is this short time thus set forth to keepe Analogy with the other descriptions of this time halfe a mysticall weeke of dayes with halfe a mysticall weeke of yeeres This then is the very same time with the two and forty moneths and 1260. daies but varying in word as best befitteth the keeping of dead bodies vnburied The sense is that in the time before set forth by 42. moneths and 1260. daies as the faithfull should be killed so they should be kept vnburied in greater detestation Brightman Brightman contendeth that this must needs be a different time but he taketh for granted which I cannot yeeld that by that passage going before when they haue finished their prophesie c. is meant the finishing of their whole time But seeing it is clearely meant another way as I haue shewed already there is no such necessity to make three daies and an halfe a diuers time but another description of the same time wherein their cruelty should not be determined in killing only but in exposing the dead bodies of the faithfull vnburied The place is said to be the street of Sodome and Egypt Vers 8. spiritually so called where our Lord
was crucified Here the Papals triumph as if by no meanes the Pope could be counted an instrument from the bottomlesse pit killing the Lords Witnesses and exposing their bodies without buriall seeing it is plaine they thinke from hence that these things shall be done at Ierusalem and not at Rome for Ierusalem is the great City where Christ was crucified and which the Prophets were wont to vpbraid by the name of Sodome and Egpyt for their vncleannesse and idolatries there But who so shall attentiuely consider the whole passage here shall easily finde that by Ierusalem must be vnderstood necessarily a farre larger place than that City seeing that vpon the entrance of this prophesie that which shall be trodden vnder foot by the Gentiles is called the holy City which no man can deny to be the Christian Church in all parts of the world whereof that holy City was a type and therefore according to the vsuall phrase of holy Scripture it is set forth by that name This then being taken for granted the same prophesie still continuing about that which should befall the seruants of God in this City being a long time at the will of their enemies it cannot with any probability be denied but that this spirituall Egypt and Sodome where the Lord was crucified is the same holy City of the vniuersall Church destined yet to the treading vnder foot of the Gentiles this being one most tyrannous act executed by them to expose the murthered bodies of Gods faithfull seruants vnburied euen here But this Church becommeth first another Sodom for vncleannesse an Egypt for idolatries and yet is old Ierusalem for crucifying and putting to death the Lord Iesus in his members This great City then is the vniuersall Church before called the holy City trodden vnder foot by wicked enemies not in respect of all the parts for the Temple and the Altar are exempted but in respect of those parts which are oppressed by the enemies of the truth both Turke Pope and chiefly the Pope whose iurisdiction is most infamous for vncleannesse and therfore called Sodom and for idolatry being therefore called Egypt and for murthers being therefore here set forth by a Periphrasis Where the Lord was crucified Ierusalem I grant is properly the City where our Lord was crucified but seeing all that hath beene said hitherto of the place is allegoricall this cannot be in any reason taken properly but allegorically also the City where our Lord was crucified that is Ierusalem imbrued in the most innocent bloud for the Roman Church so full of innocent bloud Ierusalem another Sodom and Egypt for the Roman Church a very Sodom and Egypt for the vncleannesses and idolatries as much reigâ—ing here as euer they did in those two cursed places Our Diuines doe all generally in effect say the same for they agree vpon the popish Church here meant But that some apply it vnto Rome Brightman as from whence the authority to crucifie Christ was deriued and so the great City where the Lord was crucified setteth forth the Roman Empire for which cause it is not only called Sodom a City but Egypt a Country and whole dominion which is now vnder the Pope as it was then vnder heathen Emperours Pareus Bullinger Some repeating the word spiritually say that it is meant where the Lord was crucified spiritually in his members neither can it be meant properly of Ierusalem because all nations and tongues shall see these dead bodies which could not be in one City againe this is doubtlesse the same City ruling ouer the Nations afterwards more amply described which the learned amongst the Papists themselues cannot deny to be Rome Touching their rising againe whereupon a great feare fell vpon those that saw them vers 11. and their being called vp into Heauen and ascending in a Cloud their enemies beholding it vers 12. Some vnderstand hereby other men of the same zealous spirit that they were of which were slaine Bullinger whom God stirreth vp to abate the ioy and to strike new terrour into the Antichristian Sect who are finally receiued vp into Heauen at the last day in the sight of their enemies the Kingdome of Antichrist being first much ruined by their meanes great warres being stirred vp called an Earth-quake by which many thousands are shine here called 7000. and the state in a great part commeth to ruine here said to bee the tenth part of the great City whereupon men suruiuing who were formerly deluded returne vnto God giuing all glory to him alone not making others partners with him any more as in their ignorance they had before done With this consenteth Pareus Paâ—â— but that he will haue their ascending to bee the honour and esteeme which the Teachers of the truth come into when their true doctrine is againe reuiued and preuaileth by meanes of such as God stirred vp in the roome of those that were formerly slaine by the enemies of the truth for thus Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague being killed and their tenents condemned for hereticall liued againe in Luther and Melancthon and Caluin c. and were highly honoured and esteemed of together with their doctrine as also these and other their successors maintaining the same wherby great terrour was stricken into the Papals and that state being much ruined many were turned to the truth Brightman Brightman will haue this ascending to be of their doctrine concerning which a decree was made by Cesar Ferdinand and other Princes Sleid. lib. 26. that the Religion of the Augustane confession should bee free for all men ann 1555. sept Calend. Octobris Hereupon followed a great change in the state called here an Earth-quake the Pope loseth a great part of Germany the tenth part of his reuenue and the religious lose their meanes whereupon their life depended But these are said to be but 7000. the generall losse the fall of the tenth part of the City because this losse by the supressing of superstitious houses was not so great extending but to particular persons as the vilifying of the Pope for hereby the state in generall was greatly shaken For mine own part I consent with these learned Authors in that wherein they all agree that by the two Witnesses reuiued is not meant properly the raising againe of two particular persons Enoch and Elias as the Papists hold for this hath beene sufficiently confuted already but the stirring vp of others in the roome of such witnesses of the truth as haue been slaine during the reigne of Antichrist Yet I doe not thinke that this is to be brought within the compasse of the 1260. daies as already accomplished but that this shall be in the last declination of Antichristianisme at what time the enemies of the truth shall haue no more power to persecute and destroy as yet they haue For within the compasse of that time of their power as any haue beene stirred-vp they haue not stood still as affrighted hereat but they haue
eft soones prepared for their suppression though many thankes be God in such Nations as wherein the liberty of the truth hath beene maintained haue beene out of their Gunshot Neither haue their preparations been in vaine for they both haue and still doe daily kill many And therefore I cannot see how any time already past can agree to that which is here figured out here being no intimation of any more opposition destruction but of fearing and fainting on the Antichristian part till they come to ruine In my poore iudgement therefore here is set forth what shall bee at the end of the halfe weeke before described by two and forty moneths and by 1260. daies making halfe a mysticall weeke of yeeres and three daies and an halfe being as all know halfe a weeke for so the Text precisely saith at the end of the three daies and an halfe And what shall be then Verily an exaltation of the truth no where to bee trodden vnder foot any more In the time of the Gentiles power when some witnesses are slaine others are raised vp but for so much as they are also impugned and many of them slaine I vnderstand the whole succession of witnesses by the two who were made Martyrs some after other some But when this tragicall time shall be ouer they shall be raised vp not to be sought against and to fall any more but to terrifie the aduersaries to propagate the truth finally to be made partakers of the kingdome of Heauen here signified by their being called vp and ascending in a cloud a speech plainly alluding to that of the Apostle 1 Thes 4.17 We that are aliue shall be caught vp together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall euer bee with the Lord. Now this ascending is subioined immediatly after their being raised vp and before the fall of the great City not for that these things shall be done in this order for then some which see that fall and repent should bee conuerted at the day of iudgement which is no time for that but the Argument touching the exaltation of the faithfull is prosecuted together to the last according to the vsuall manner of Scripture ioyning all things touching one and the same Argument together though happening at diuers times and then commeth in that of the iudgement of enemies It is therefore to be vnderstood that the seruants of God shall preuaile and the true Religion shall flourish whereat feare shall come vpon the enemies neither shall they haue power to make resistance any more but in stead of being murthered as in times past they shall to their comfort stand in expectation of the great Day of the Lord when they shall be taken vp in the Clouds and euer remaine in blisse with the Lord. And thus their ascending is also vnderstood by Bullinger and Fox Bullinger Fox After this it is proceeded to the iudgements against the aduersaries when the truth shall be thus exalted a great Earthquake shall shake the great City there shall be a wonderfull commotion in the world they which are for the truth taking courage vnto them and assaulting the contrary part of the Papals and Mahumetans and then their hearts failing them for feare being vnable any longer to withstand the force of the Orthodox the tenth part shall fall away from that City whereof they held before becomming professors of the truth Hest 8.17 as in the daies of Mordecai men became Iewes for feare and of those which yet harden themselues 7000. that is a great multitude shall be slaine Ios 10.11 God fighting against them as hee did sometime against the Canaanites The residue seeing this shall relent and acknowledging their errors embrace the truth thus giuing glory to God Ios 7. as once Ioshua bade Achan giue glory to God and tell the truth All which they suffered before could not make them that suruiued repent as was shewed Chap. 9. v. 20. so that here it being spoken of them in another phrase their repentance must needs be intimated and in this particular most Interpreters agree The whole drift of St. Augustine de Ciuitate Dei is to shew that here haue alwaies beene two Cities the City of God and of the Deuill this city of the Deuill comprehendeth the whole state of the Gentiles in the present sense a Catastrophe whereof shall be when the two and forty moneths appointed are ended no professed enemies to the truth bearing rule in any place being any more after this fatall blow to bee found but as there is one God so there shall be one Religion all ouer the world There will bee perhaps some peruerse sectaries still being frozen in the dregs of superstition till the glorious comming of the Lord to iudgement which cannot then be farre off and of this remainder it may bee that the Apostle speaketh 1 Thes 2.8 that the Lord will destroy by the brightnesse of his comming And thus haue I by the grace of God gone thorow this long darke and obscure way let the learned consider iudge and if I haue erred herein I shall willingly vpon demonstration of such error retreat but if nothing of moment can be obiected let vs stand in a comfortable and assured expectation of this issue glorious to the now despised and mistermed witnesses of the truth but terrible to the aduersaries that now for a time triumph ouer the dead and subdued to their lusts The day of the bitter enemies to the truth shall not last alwaies the time of their Sunne-set shall come shortly and then it shall gloriously arise to vs neuer to goe downe any more till the comming of the Sunne of righteousnesse to glorifie vs with heauenly glory for euer And in all this there is no contradiction to the Lords prediction of the ouer-spreading of sinne at his comming as in the daies of Noah and Lot for when one religion is externally imbraced by all all are not by and by reformed according to the same but rather trusting to the forme of godlinesse most shall giue themselues ouer to licentiousnesse louing the darknes in the midst of this light till the Lord come vpon them as a theefe in the night to their vtter vndoing and confusion For by the consent of all Historians Christians neuer were so licentious as in the time of peace and freedome from persecution of enemies which maketh that which I haue said the more probable and so free from any note of contrariety to other passages of holy Scripture Quest 2. And the seuenth Angell blew his Trumpet Vers 19. and there were great voices in Heauen saying the kingdomes of the world are become our Lords Vers 17 18. c. What is meant by this and in that the foure and twenty Elders in praising God doe further speake of the anger of the Gentiles and the time come of Gods anger and of iudging the dead and rewarding the godly And lastly what is figured
not in a corner but in all countreys and nations of Christendome and shall wee doubt not be diffused into all other parts ere long This is the same in effect with that Chap. 10. Thou must prophesie againe to Nations and Kings and many peoples Feare God Vers 7. and giue glory to him c. this is all the effect of our preaching now and the speech is adaptated to the present occasion for in the time of Popery men feare the beast Pareus giue him glory and worship him as most admirable as was shewed Chap. 13. The chiefe thing therefore now to be pressed is to feare God and to worship him by giuing ouer that fond admiration of the Pope whereby they were drawne after him trusting in him and receiuing his Dictates as the Oracles of a God which indeed is the worshipping of him And the phrase here vsed giue glory to God doth fitly answer that in Chap. 11.13 where it is said that the great city being fallen and seuen thousand slaine the rest trembling gaue glory to God that is were conuerted from that superstition The time of his iudgment is come that is is at hand so that wee may gather hence as Chap. 10. where after the open booke appearing the Angell sweareth that time shall be no more c. that now since these things haue come to passe the destruction of the Pope and Papacy and of all wicked ones is very neere euen at the doores Touching the second Angell proclaiming the fall of Babylon Vers 8. it is plaine that by Babylon here the old city of the Assyrians so called is not meant both because this Babylon is described to be such as had dominion in the time of Saint Iohn ouer the Kings of the earth Chap. 17.18 and because the people of God are bidden to come out of this Babylon where they had not beene fiue hundred yeeres before the time of this Prophecie But some haue held that by Babylon the world is meant wherein there is so much confusion by reason of the Deuils reigning in it But this cannot stand Ambros Beda Arethas Haimo Primasius Ansel because this Babylon is spoken of but as a part of the world for with her all nations haue committed fornication and when it is fallen yet the world of the wicked remaine for they are threatened with euerlasting torments by the next Angell And lastly wee are bidden come out of Babylon which we cannot doe if by Babylon the whole world be vnderstood If wee looke backe to Chap. 11.8 we shall finde a great city mentioned which before was called the holy City vers 2. trodden vnder foot by the Gentiles two and forty moneths in which city it is said the Lord was slaine and his two witnesses their dead carkasses being cast out and all nations and kindreds beholding them which city all men know according to the letter is Ierusalem but spiritually the Text saith it is Aegypt or Sodome This city I shewed there setteth forth the Church of the Gentiles sometime holy but by Popery and Mahumetisme in time corrupted wonderfully and therefore called Aegypt or Sodom and the fall of it in part is also there spoken of vers 13. Now the same is called Babylon another great city and of great note for rule and dominion and of infamy for idolatry and cruelty and because Rome is the head of this corrupted Church and the chiefe city of the world the Papall Empire residing there but extending it selfe into all parts it is meant by this Babylon the name being aptly changed from Aegypt or Sodom to Babylon Ribera to expresse this imperiall Babel-like power Ribera the Iesuite acknowledgeth Rome to be meant by Babylon here alleging many worthy Writers who affirmed the same As Augustine August de Ciuit. Deid 8.6.22 who saith that Babylon falling Rome was built the daughter of Babylon and another very Babylon so likewise Euseb lib. 2. cap. 14. Beda Oecumen Victorinus Ieronym in Esa 24. Tertull. lib. 3. contra Marcion Sixtus Senensis Ludonicus Viues Lindanus Bellarmine c. But hee will not haue Rome as the state thereof now standeth to be Babylon but as it was vnder the persecuting heathen Emperours But this is a most vaine defence 1. Because Antichrist was not come whilst heathen Rome stood who by the consent of all must be come before this fall of Babylon 2. Because from this Babylon spirituall fornications that is idolatries are deriued to all countreys and nations whereas it was neuer so with heathen Rome for then all countreys were suffered to enioy their owne religions but the Christian onely 3. Because none of the Authors alleged except Tertullian liued whilst heathen Rome stood and therefore could not call Rome Babylon meaning heathen Rome Lastly because this Babylon is afterwards called The great Whoore noting a state apostatizing from the truth sometime receiued to goe after Idols for in the holy Scriptures Israel only and Iudah are taxed for whoredome and not either Countries because they were married as it were vnto the Lord and yet they fell from him to the seruing of Idols Other Nations which were neuer taken in for Gods peculiar though they were full of Idols could not properly be said to goe a whooring no more could heathen Rome but the Popish state now iuling there may justly be thus charged Ribera seeing that it is but a shift to apply this to Heathen Rome at the last leaueth it and saith That Rome is meant as it shall be when in the time of Antichrist it shall forsake the Pope and the Catholike Religion as he laboureth to make it probable that it shall doe But who so is wise will easily see that this is but a shift to elude a plaine euidence To Rome that now is and to the Pope who hath his seat there all circumstances doe so agree as that we are sure this Prophesie thus taken is already verified a state falling from the Pope there and returning to their old heathen idolatry is but a phantasma like the man in the Moone which none but fooles will beleeue to be so indeed Here is now the Empire ouer Kingdomes and Nations here are miracles and shewes that draw the world after the Pope After a long time of delusion by faire pretences the eternall Gospell is come to light againe and this state hath beene much shaken this thousand yeeres and vpward and is in a great part fallen but yet murthereth and destroyeth the Saints according to their old manner from hence are idolatries and superstitions deriued into all Countries and lastly now standeth that reuiued head which was deadly wounded being the seuenth which was to come after Saint Iohns time for of the seuen fiue were fallen one that is Emperours then stood and the seuenth that is the Pope was to come And the Iesuite in yeelding that Rome shall fall away to heathen idolatry from the Catholike Religion doth quite forget himselfe of that grand Maxim that
Brunswicensis c. by the first Angell comming out of the Temple Iustus Ionas Melancthon Ambrosius c. who were a meanes to stirre vp those Princes to abolish the Masse and to restore the truth vnto the yeere 1530. By the other Angell with a sickle the Lord Cromwell here in England in the time of King Henry the eight who did much against Popery and by the Angell comming out from the Altar Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury in those daies who is said to haue power ouer the fire because hee triumphed in his suffering in the fiery flames for the truth and hee stirred vp the Lord Cromwell out of his great zeale to put downe superstition And the distance of the place where the bloud out of the Wine-presse ouer flowed being 1600. furlongs doth notably agree for in our English miles this is two hundred for although the length of England be three hundred miles yet one hundred in respect of the coldnesse and barrennesse may well be cut off as where there was no such great Vintage of religious persons who still gathered to the fattest places of the land I cannot approue of any of these expositions because not particular iudgements but the generall iudgement which at last shall be executed vpon Babylon is here figured out vnto which also all the circumstances may be very well fitted as by and by shall bee shewed And where any thing in words agreeing with the generall current of the holy Scriptures may well beare a sutable interpretation it is but curiosity to inuent singular interpretations Brightman hath beene much taxed for his making one like the Sonne of man comming vpon a cloud to be an earthly Prince neither doth that of his touching Cranmer agree ouer whom the fire did rather preuaile than he ouer the fire in that for feare he recanted for a time though afterwards hee constantly suffered martyrdome to say nothing of the hundred miles more in England than the space here set forth which in vaine he seeketh to reconcile Others that are for the last iudgement of Babylon when Christ shall come at the end of the world expound these things diuers waies Some will haue Christ represented here twice first like the Sonne of man secondly by the name of an Angell with a sickle because he is the Author of the destruction of the wicked and this vindicatiue power is originâ—lly and vertually in him but instrumentally in the Angels which are implored therein The Angell comming out of the Temple calling to him to put in his sickle into the haruest they expound of some prime Angell who entreateth him thus to doe and so likewise the Angell comming out from the Altar who hath power ouer the fire that is to execute Gods vengeance by fire as it shall be at the last day This is mentioned by Fox in part who also addeth that they hold that two similitudes are here vsed to set forth one and the same thing that of the haruest to signifie the gathering together of the Elect this of the Vintage to signifie the gathering together of the reprobate Pareus And part of it is Pareus his who will haue a prime Angell meant euery time that an Angell is mentioned here also he doth iustifie that exposiâ—ion of the Angell with a sharpe sickle of Christ before considered in himselfe here in the Ministers of his iudgement as Ioh. 4. Christ is said to baptize more Disciples than Iohn though he baptized not but his Disciples Fox Fox holdeth that two sickles are mentioned though thence be but one and the same sickle of Christ in allusion to that in Ioel 3.13 where sicklâ—s are spoken of and whereas an Angell speaketh vnto Christ to put in his sickle hee holdeth that nothing else is hereby signified but that Christ commeth to iudgement at the last day by the counsell and appointment of the Father of whom hee said that of the day and houre knoweth no man but the Father And that two similitudes are vsed the more amply to set forth the proceedings which shall be at this great day of iudgement I will not weary the Reader by producing more expositions but rather come directly to shew what I conceiue by comparing all their expositions together to bee the true meaning of this apparition I thinke it to be without doubt that Christs comming to iudgement is meant by one vpon a white Cloud like the Sonne of man and specially against Babylon whose case more particularly is acted here for Fox affirmeth that this was constantly held by all without contradiction till his time Act. 1. Mark 13.26 It was said that he should come so as he went vp into Heauen that is in a Cloud and that he should come in the Clouds and his golden Crowne is a plaine demonstration that hee is the King of Heauen In that an Angell comming out of the Temple biddeth him put his sickle into the haruest for the time is come Bullinger seemeth to me most rightly to resolue it that this is spoken parabollically Bullinger wherein all things are not to bee streined but only the scope to be respected and so an Angell is brought in telling him that the haruest is ripe as if a mans seruant comming out of the Corne field should tell him it is time to set on workemen to cut downe his Corne for it is ripe and beginneth to shed in the field and if any man will needs goe further in expounding all particulars here Fox that of Fox is the most probable that hereby is set forth that the particular appointing of this time is at the will of the father who because when hee declareth himselfe hee is wont to doe it by sending an Angell is said to send out from his presence an Angell here for he commeth out of the Temple a fit type of Gods presence Touching the other Angel comming out of the Temple also with a sharp sickle Vers 17. I assent vnto them that hold the same thing to be the second time hereby represented for the more ample declaration of the proceedings which shall be at the day of iudgement a thing not vnusual in the holy scriptures particularly in Ioel 3.13 whereto it is alluded here It is intimated therfore by this double description that as men doe in the time of haruest and in the Vintage time they cut down their Corne they cut their Grapes so all the people of the earth shal be cut down at the last day Now whereas amongst them some are good some bad it is left to be sought out elsewhere what shall become of the good and according to the scope of this place which is to terrifie the wicked adherers to the Whoore of Babylon the proceedings against them only are described they shall be cut downe as the Corne in the time of haruest and as the Grapes in the Vintage time that is they shall be destroyed from out of this world neither shall that be all but
to draw any to the Roman religion thus seeking to alienate their hearts from their lawfull Prince for hereby many riuers setting forth their Popish Doctours came to run with bloud when they were for this executed The fourth such as haue illustrated the darke places of the holy Scriptures which are as the Sunne and the more they come to be explained as it is now to be expected that they shall be daily more and more this being the time wherein knowledge shall increase the more as with the heat of the fire shall the Romanists be vexed and tormented but rather to their obduration than to their conuersion The fift some greater calamity than euer that shall come vpon Rome it selfe to the vtter ouerthrow thereof according to that prophecie of the Sybil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then thou shalt bee all desolate as if thou hadst neuer beene The sixt a Diuine power that shall bring the Iewes home vnto the truth â— Esdras 13.43 who as Esdras saith went thorow the straight passages of Euphrates for of their returne Esayas prophesieth saying I will say vnto the deepe be dry and I will dry vp thy flouds Chap. 51.10 they are called kings because they shall reigne all ouer the Eâ—st parts Then the Turke and the Pope set forth by the Dragon and false prophet and beast shall bestirre themselues by their agents Bassaes Iesuites and the like sparing for no cost to suppresse the truth and the powers which they shall assemble shall be in these Westerne parts where the Gospell hath most preuailed being called Harmageddon the mountaine of delights of Har a mountaine and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maggedim delights The seuenth is according to this exposition applyed as in the exposition before going all the prophecies of holy Scripture haue now taken their effect The great City is diuided into three parts the three before spoken of viz. the Dragon beast and false prophet that is the Turke and Pope being destroyed but yet no end of the world Some a little different yet for the most part subscribe vnto this Pareus holding that the first viall was powred out by Luther and Zwinglius laying open the sores of Popery to their great vexation the second when the Councell of Trent set down such corrupt Canons of religion the third which is not yet fulfilled when the Bishops and Doctors and chiefe vpholders of the Roman religion shall haue the same measure meted vnto them which they haue measured vnto others by the shedding of their bloud the fourth when by the light of the truth increasing the Papals shall bee heat and troubled and blaspheme it out of their anguish the fift when the state of Popery shall yet become more abominable the foggy darknesse thereof appearing more and more by the comming on of the light the sixt when the reuenues of the Popedome decaying new kings set forth by the kings of the East because they shall be conuerted to the truth shall bee a meanes of the destruction thereof This was Bullingers before and is subscribed vnto by Aretius and Illiricus and by Pareus his Auonymus as he saith who wrote aboue two hundred and threescore yeeres agone This decay in the Papail reuenues hath beene these hundred yeeres but how doth the Pope seeke to helpe himselfe There are three vncleane spirits like frogs comming out of his mouth which are the Popes Legats the Bishops who direct them and the Iesuites who draw into their league the Kings of America India and Persia for the defence of the Popedome so that there are like to bee great stirres in the world and a great conspiracy to oppresse the truth but their gathering together shall be to their owne destruction because into Harmageddon where Iosiah fell an occasion of much sorrow and mourning For the seuenth Angell shall then powre out his viall the great day of iudgement being come the terriblenesse whereof is set forth by many fearefull euents of thunder lightening earthquake and haile More ancient Expositors vnder these Angels with their vials doe thinke that the Preachers Primas Richard de Sancto Victore Hanno Ambsbert Pannonius Ioachim c. who at seuerall times haue threatened Gods iudgements are set forth By the first the Apostles threatning the Iewes for their infidelity which as an incurable sore remaineth vpon them to this day By the second the Preachers which threatened the sea of the Gentiles By the third such as opposed heretikes By the fourth such as reproued the Clergy and chiefe Bishops for their corruptions By the fift such as opposed the followers of Antichrist and that Antichrist By the sixt such as reproue the Kings and Princes adhering to Antichrist By the seuenth such as threaten the destruction of the prince of the aire the Authour vnto Antichrist of all his tyranny after which hee shall be throwne downe to his place of torment Diuers Popish Writers follow this also as Gorran and Gagneus c. Yet Viegas will haue all to be literally vnderstood holding that as the Aegyptians were visibly and sensibly by diuers iudgements confounded before the Hebrewes Blas Viegas so Antichrist and his followers shall be before the Catholikes There are other expositions also as that by the sea and riuers turned into bloud Mason the slaughters made of the Papists by the Turkes are to be vnderstood by the viall powred out vpon the Sunne the turning of their Bishops Friers and other religious persons out of their dens here in England c. making them boile in heat at it By that vpon the beasts throne the taking away of the Popes reuenues to the great darkening of his glory consisting so much in worldly pompe and riches By that vpon Euphrates the remouing of all impediments that the kings which haue formerly giuen honour to the beast may now come and destroy her By that into the aire producing thunderings c. the vtter destruction of Popery by the powerfull preaching of the word when all flie away that is turne from Popery to the embracing of the truth Another applying the foure former vials onely in generall to the life and doctrine of the Papists being discredited holdeth that by the fift viall the going downe of the pompe glory and honour of the Pope is set forth in that being before time adored as a God he is now vilified and abominated as a monster By the sixt the decay of his reuenues which in time shall come to be so poore and meane as that hee shall bee easie to be inuaded as old Babylon was when Euphrates was dryed vp whereupon the Iesuites haue done their vttermost endeuour to stirre vp Popish Princes to succour this languishing state but by a secret prouidence they haue beene brought together into Harmageddon that is to their destruction so that the place may well be called from hence by this name signifying the destruction of an army as the Hebrewes were wont from any notable accident to giue the name to
but by the Westerne Kings who set vp the Whore she must be made desolate againe as is plainly shewed Chap. 17.16 and it were strange that such a poore runnagate people as the Iewes should haue the title of Kings of the East where they are the basest and of the least account I subscribe therefore to them that expound it as altogether Allegoricall by Euphrates the reuenues of the Popedome being meant and by the Kings of the East such Kings as God would stirre vp in these parts to be her vtter ruine and ouerthrow the great defence which is in the riuer of worldly wealth being taken away as sometime Euphrates was dreaned whereby Babylon was taken by Cyrus and Darius Easterne Kings And because the wealth of Spaine is so great a meanes to strengthen this kingdome yet I thinke it not amisse to bring that in also within the compasse of this great riuer In that part where the Popes reuenues runne the water is very shallow at this day there is great probability that the other will be much diminished shortly if not cleane dryed vp if the Indian treasure be once cut off which is very powerfully attempted And hitherto I thinke that these vials haue taken effect for the most part already onely we are to expect the drying vp of this Euphrates more and more and then that such Kings and Princes as abominate Rome for the wickednesse therof should vniting their forces giue the on-set vnto her desolation Touching the seuenth Angell I hold it best to go with the common streame of them that expound this of the finall iudgment 7. Angell not only of the beast and his followers but of the whole world that of the beast being againe re-assumed to bee more fully declared in the Chapters following as being the most remarkable thing pointed at in this booke For without wresting and straining the passages here in such manner as that there is no president for it in other places of holy Scripture it cannot be applied otherwise It is done Babylon came into remembrance to giue vnto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of Gods wrath and euery Iland fled away and the mountaines were no more found What else can these speeches set forth but the full and finall recompencing of the Whore of Babylon and of others enemies of the truth which cannot be said to haue beene done but at the last day For then onely it may be rightly spoken it is done it being till then but in doing and it is at that time onely that there is flying away to hide themselues from the wrath of God and that the fashion of the world is altered It should seeme to make against it that the great city is not said to fall Vers 19. but to be diuided into three parts I answer with Pareus that hereby the vtter ruine of it is set forth seeing three parts which may well be taken for all the parts of a building are said to be diuided or rent in sunder and in speaking of three it is alluded to the three before spoken of as the founders of this city the Dragon the beast and the false prophet the three vncleane spirits like frogs comming out of their mouthes Againe the nations are immediatly said to haue fallen that is to be quite ouerthrown and therfore it is not likely but that the vtter ruine of Rome is meant also though deliuered in a diuers phrase Or if by the great city we vnderstand all the countries where the Christian religion hath beene planted as I haue expounded it before vpon Chap. 11. then the city of Rome is not so much meant but the whole dominions of Turke and Pope for it is likely that Rome shall be destroyed before the riuer Euphrates the defence thereof being dryed vp yea it must needs bee so by reason of the lamentation made by such as haue had trafficke there for the desolation of that city Chap. 17. which cannot be after the great day of iudgement And if the great city bee thus taken then by the nations other countreys which are neither Mahumetane nor Popish are to be vnderstood which for their sinnes shall come to ruine also this being plainly set forth and the fall of the city by a periphrasis taken from such a fal as is by diuision as Ierusalem fell before the Romans by a triple faction therin to which in particular it is to be thought that it is alluded for so much as Ierusalem trodden vnder foot by the Gentiles is a type of Christendome vnder the dominion of Turke and Pope as hath been shewed more at large vpon Chap. 11. Vers 21. If it should seeme to make against this exposition that a great haile like talents is said to follow after all this whereupon men blaspheme God which as Brightman saith is not to bee thought shall be at the day of iudgement because all mouthes shall then be stopped the generall silence of all arguing their consent to the iustice of Gods proceedings and none blaspheming any more I answer with Pareus againe that howsoeuer the wicked shall subscribe to this iudgement in their owne conscience as most iust and so shall not mutter any word of reason against those proceedings yet the sense of the extremity of torment from which they shall despaire euer to be deliuered will so inrage them Exod. 6. as that like the Aegyptians when haile fire mingled therwith came down from heauen or like the Canaanites vpon whom God hailed with exceeding great hailestones to the destroying of most of them to which I think it is rather than to the other alluded here as they I say being moued with anguish did doubtlesse bitterly take on against the God of Israel so here the wicked at the last day are brought in blaspheming to expresse the sense of intolerable pangs vpon which wicked men are wont thus to do And haply their tongues will thus rebell against God as the tongues of persons inraged euerlastingly These things being thus explained wee see that there is no reason why any should be offended and doubt whether Popery shall euer goe downe altogether or no because it is still vpheld after so many yeeres since it first receiued a blow for it must fall by degrees as it rose by degrees and as it had a long time of rising to the full height so it must bee long in falling into vtter destruction And seeing fiue of these Vials haue so manifestly taken effect already and the sixt in a great part why should wee not by faith assuredly expect the full accomplishment of it as well as wee see the accomplishment of those foregoing by experience O yee foolish and blinde Papists why are ye so hard to beleeue the things that this Prophet hath foretold touching your Babylon if ye loue your soules open your eyes and by that which hath beene hitherto done be assured of a full destruction and therefore come out of Babylon in
euery one rising in that stature of body wherein he fell against the Iesuites conceit that all shall be of such a stature as one is ordinarily at his full age The bookes that are opened are according to some the bookes of men consciences according to others the bookes of holy Scripture but according to Augustine both which I thinke to be rightest for euery mans conscience shall then be made manifest whether it be good or euill foule or cleare and according to the bookes of holy Scripture all shall be iudged as they haue receiued and obserued the things therein contained or not The other is according to some Napier Parâ—us the booke of predestination for then it shall be made manifest who were elected and who reprobate according to some Bullinger the booke of faith for he that beleeueth hath life to beleeue is to liue the booke of life then is the booke of faith for he in whomsoeuer a true faith is found shall then liue the rest shall be cast into hell I subscribe to the booke of Predestination for this of faith was spoken of before amongst the bookes and because it is hidden from vs who are written in this Booke God only knoweth that a thing well knowne to vs is further spoken of viz. Workes euery man is iudged according to his workes for good workes alwayes are in such as bee written in this booke It is not said according to their faith because that is more latent and there is more deceit in it neither is it said for their workes but all that were not found written in the booke of life that is that were not elected are cast into the lake of fire but yet iustly for their euill workes deserue it on the contrary side therefore they which are saued are such as be written in the booke of life here is the originall of their saluation God hath elected them and good reason there is in respect of men that they should be saued for their works haue beene good whereas the workes of the reprobate haue beene euill and to good workes God hath promised a reward as he hath threatened iudgement to euill workes yet in respect of God there is no reason of merit in the best works because it is our duty to doe them and being examined by the rule of Gods righteousnesse they are defectiue when wee doe them in the best manner that we can but there is good reason of merit of death in euill workes because vpon paine of death they are forbidden so that he shall be well worthy to die that committeth them euen as a murtherer or robber is worthy to be hanged but on the other side he that doth good workes is not well worthy of euerlasting life though it bee promised that he shall be thus rewarded no more than a dutifull subiect is worthy for that seruice which his Prince commandeth him and promiseth to reward with the marriage of his daughter and making him his sonne can be said to be worthy of it For it was of grace that his Prince made him such a promise to whom he ought that seruice without a reward neither could it bee worthy of so great a reward though greatly deseruing and therefore it came of grace not of his merit But if of merit yet there is a great disproportion betwixt the seruice of any subiect to his Prince and the actions of a Christian towards God for the Prince doth meerely command and furnish his subiect with necessaries to doe that seruice which hee putteth him vpon but it is his owne valour and wisdome whereby he performeth it without any inabling further from his Prince in the very doing for notwithstanding his furnishing of him hee may as well miscarry as effect that which hee goeth about But God inableth his to that which he requireth He worketh the will and the deed of his owne good pleasure Philip. 2.13 Againe the greatest reward of a Prince is but the reward of a man to a man a temporany reward and so happily the benefit that redoundeth to him by that seruice may be equall to the reward but euerlasting life which is the reward of God is farre more excellent than any thing that any man can doe or the benefit hereby redounding vnto God which is none for If thou be righteous thou art righteous for thy selfe Prou. 9.12 if thou bee wicked thou alone shalt suffer The Papists therefore that from hence and from the like places seeke to establish the merit of good workes doe greatly straine and force such places against all sense and reason By death and hell which are said to bee cast into the lake of fire some vnderstand the Deuill August Napier who by his temptations becommeth death and hell to the wicked for that he draweth them on to such a course as tendeth to death and damnation Dent. Bullinger Pareus Some vnderstand all such as to whom death and hell belongeth all the reprobate and wicked and some whatsoeuer is obnoxious and hurtfull so that after this nothing remaineth to hinder the perfect blessâ—dnesse of the new Ierusalem which commeth next to bee spoken of And this seemeth to bee most probable because the Deuils damnation was spoken of before vers 10. and the reprobates damnation vers 15. Here therefore may fitly be brought in the vtter destruction of death and hell in respect of the faithfull so that they should not be in any feare of them any longer for according to this it is promised 1 Cor. 15.16 The last enemy which shall be destroyed is Death Cha. 21.4 Death is said to be no more after this this casting into the lake then is but a periphrases of destructioÌ„ But me thinkes there may be another more agreeing sense yet rendered if by a Metonymy we vnderstand by death and hell such as death and hell were said before to giue vp the wicked which hitherto lay dead and buried the continent being put for the content as wee call the inhabitants of an house the house For if hell should bee meant as the word soundeth then hell should bee said to bee cast into hell which cannot stand if the heires of hell then the same word should be vsed in another sense as it were with the same breath that is not likely but being taken as I haue said it doth well correspond vnto the words before going and the argument of the wickeds destruction which onely is here set forth is fitly prosecuted the comforts of the faithfull being reserued to be spoken of in the next Chapter Touching death and hell which are said to giue vp their dead R bera I hold it not amisse with Ribera to expound it of such as haue died ordinarily or extraordinarily haue beene swallowed vp and gone aliue as it were into the pit St. Augustine will haue it meant of the bodies in the graues and of the soules of the wicked in hell This is a notable place
Church making her to long after his comming for her full redemption he that heareth who is inuited to say likewise is euery one that heareth this Prophecie and what a ioyfull estate the faithfull shall be in in Heauen For he cannot but wish and desire for this day Let him that is a thirst come as he longeth after the comming of the Lord to the perfecting of his happinesse so let him come to the Lord by faith and obedience and let him that will this is added to note not that by the power of his owne will he can doe thus but that his will must be sanctified and of vnwilling he must become willing God working in him a new will and new desires before that he can come vnto Christ this Fountaine of liuing water That which followeth is added as a necessary muniment vnto this and to all the bookes of holy Scripture against forgers of the Word of God which the Spirit did foresee would bee in after times Vers 18. For I testifie to euery man that heareth the words of this Prophecie if and man shall adde to these things God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this Booke c. Vers 16. These are the words of our Sauiour Christ who had before spoken of his Angell whom he sent to testifie these things and therefore in the Originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I witnesse together Touching the rationall particle for some omit it as redundant but it is of great force to argue a necessity of attending to and reuerently regarding what is here set forth For that must needs be of great consequence which is guarded with such a caution If testimonies be alleaged onely to proue the truth of a thing it doth not so much moue to consider of it but it being auerred to be such as that it is danger of death to depraue it any way all men will beginne to attend vnto it as handling matter of life and death And what is spoken of this Booke by the like reason is well applyed by our Diuines to all Bookes of holy Scripture for why is it so dangerous to take away or to adde vnto this Booke but because it is of God And is it not as dangerous then to intermeddle in this kinde with any other of the Bookes of God such as all the Bookes of Scripture are But it is well added to this as the last as the charge of not putting to or taking away from the Bookes of Moses is added in the last of his Bookes Bellarmine excepteth against this inference Deut. 4. holding that the threatning pertaineth only to the detractors from or adders to this Booke and necessarily for otherwise with what colour could they obtrude to the people of God vnwritten traditions as being of equall authority with the Word of God How durst they take away the Cup in the holy Communion and the second Commandement out of the Decalogue and with such audacity change our Lord in many places into our Lady with many the like corruptions With what face could they hold and maintaine that all things necessary to saluation are not set forth in the holy Scriptures when as they are so compleat as that there may be no addition made vnto them But this exception will doe them no good when God shall iustifie his care to be a like tender ouer all other Bookes of Scripture as ouer this diuine Booke And that these words may be certainly knowne to be the words of Christ Vers 20. Saint Iohn saith for conclusion Hee which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus For whose comming that we may be the more fit let vs acquaint our selues with the things herein contained sith they are left vnsealed to vs to this end and purpose and being acquainted with these mysteries which being explained as through Gods assistance thou hast them here presented vnto thee doe so euidently shew the Pope to bee Antichrist and his estate together with all that follow him to bee damnable halt not betwixt two opinions but bee a resolute reformed Catholike nothing doubting but certainly expecting their finall ouerthrow and confusion and thine owne deliuerance and euerlasting saluation which let vs all pray with this our blessed Apostle that it may come quickly Amen Trinuni Deo gloria Errata In the Catalogue of Names for Cicillus read Cyrillus PAge 27. for doe reade to p. 31. wandring r. wauering p. 44. or r. 2. p. 60. Ioh. 24. r. 2. p. 78. his r. has in marg p. 92. aninū r. animū in marg p. 104. run r. cun p. 140. was r. as p. 163. Secutoro r. Secuturo in marg p. 177. onus r. vnus in marg p. 183. word r. world p. 434. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. X. p. 485. Pope r. pompe p. 493. vilitate r. venerate p. 5 14. which time r. after which time