all Saints upon the golden Altars which is before the throne We heard before that when the course of the Gospell was stopt by the divell and his instruments yet God was very carefull for the safety and sealing up of his owne servants so likewise we are now to hear of the like care and providence for now that errours and heresies were to be sowne in the World whereby many were corrupted and that He himselfe from Heaven doth proclaime open enmitie against the despisers of his Gospell by giving them up to blindnesse and errour he doth double his care and providence to all his faithfull worshippers For heere we do plainely see that the Church hath a mediator and that he which keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And therefore when the wrath of God doth most of all breake forth upon the world for the contempt of his graces yet the Church is remembred and set in safety with all her Children For her prayers come up before God and are accepted through the mediator And this is the sence and drift of this third verse By this Angell is meant Jesus Christ the Angell of the covenant as we have heard before who is not an Angell by nature but by office It is manifest that in the old law there was a golden Altar and a golden Censor on which the Priest did burne sweet incense before the Lord which did figure the mediation of Christ in whom the prayers of the Saints are accepted Now heere the holy Ghost alludeth to that sacrificing Priest-hood of the old Testament where incense was offered at the Altar which now is the sweet savour of the death of Christ through whom both we and all our sacrifices are seasoned and sweetned Who therefore is this Angell but Christ What are the sweet odours with the which the prayers of all Saints come before God but the most sweet mediation of the Lord Jesus What is meant by the smoake of the odours which with the prayers of the Saints went up before God out of the Angels hand Surely the sweet incense of Christ mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet incense of Christs mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet smelling sacrifices in the Nostrils of God For as water cast into a fire raiseth a smoake so the teares of the faithfull besprinkled in their prayers make them as sweet incense acceptable to God through Christ The summe of all is this that in the middest of all these heresies and those hellish troubles which should be raised up by the Pope and his Clergy the Turke and his armies as in the next Chapter we shall see the elect have their prayers heard for their preservation by the merits of CHRIST verse 5. And the Angell tooke the Censor and filled it with the fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voyces and Trumpets thundrings and lightnings and earthquakes Heere we see how Jesus Christ taketh the Censor and filleth it with the fire of the Altar that is the graces and gifts of the Spirit for so the fire of the Altas is taken in Esay In this sense it is sayd that our Lord Jesus should baptize with fire and the holy Ghost that is the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost In this sense also the holy Ghost did rest upon the Disciples in the likenesse of cloven tongues like fire whereupon they were all filled with gifts and graces The holy Ghost is compared to fire because he burneth out our drosse purgeth the hearts of the faithfull and setteth them on fire with the burning love and zeale of Gods glory So then it followeth that as before there was provision had for the safety of the Church by her Mediator so heere many heavenly gifts and graces are bestowed upon her For Christ casteth this fire of the Altar upon the earth that is upon his dwelling in the earth Hereupon it is sayd that there were voyces and thundrings c. that is all manner of broyles tumults uprores slaughters and divisions For after the Gospell was sounded forth in the Church by the power of the holy Ghost the divell is disturbed and the World molested And hence spring all these broyles and tumults thundring and lightning and we must looke for such stirres after the preaching of the Gospell whilest there is a world and a divell Therefore our Lord JESUS saith he came not to bring peace into the Earth Mat. 10.34 but fire and Sword and to set a man at variance against his Father and likewise the Daughter against her mother c. For divisions and civill dissensions do alwayes follow the preaching of the Gospell which thing is not yet simply in the nature of the Gospell of peace but accidently through the frowardnesse and corruption of mans nature which will not yeeld unto it but most stubbornely rebelleth against it Then the seven Angels which had the seven Trumpets verse 6. prepared themselves to blow Now beginneth this open warre to be proclaimed against the World for their great ungodlinesse and rebellion against the truth So the first Angell blew the Trumpet verse 7. and there was Haile and Fire mingled with blood and they were cast into the earth and the third part of trees was burnt and all greene grasse was burnt It were absurd to imagine that any thing in this Verse is to be taken literally seeing in the literall Sense there was never any such matter Therefore of necessitie it must be expounded mystically and allegorically Therefore by this Hayle and Fire mingled with blood is meant Errors and Heresies For as Hayle doth beate downe Corne and destroy the fruits of the Earth Fire doth consume and blood doth corrupt and putrifie So false doctrine and Heresie doth annoy consume and corrupt the soules of men For it is sayd that all these things mingled together were cast upon the earth that is the inhabitants of the earth and the third part of the trees that is the numbers of men or a very great part of the World was corrupted For trees in the Scripture signifie men and all greene grasse was burnt that is Esa 61. the fresh fruits of grace did wither apace and dry up for as error and heresie did prevaile so truth and godlinesse did decay All this hath relation to the Heresies of Sabellius Manicheus Marcion Fotinus Paulus Samosatenus Nestorius Novatus Diodorus Apolinaris Pelagius and many others which about this time being foure hundred yeares after Christ began to spring up and grow apace And the second Angell blew the Trumpet and as it were a great Mountaine burning with fire was cast into the Sea and the third part of the Sea became blood c. Upon the blowing of the second Trumpet by the second Angell heere appeareth a great Mountaine burning with fire whereby is meant some great and notable heresies as that of Arrius which
this booke Secondly the time when he writ it Thirdly the place where he received it Fourthly the person to whom he writ it Fiftly the end and use of his writing this Prophesie Lastly the authority of it As touching the first it is agreed upon amongst the soundest Divines that John the Apostle or Evangelist John the Disciple whom Jesus loved was the Author and Instrument of penning this Prophesie as hee himselfe testifieth Apo. 22.8 Apo. 1.19 saying I am John which saw these things and heard them And hee received a commandement from Jesus Christ which hath the keyes of hell and death that hee should write the things which hee had seene and heard and set them all down together in a booke Now we all know that the testimony of John is of great weight Apo. 1.11 though he be but a man for he is such a man as is firmely to be beleeved in all that he speaketh He is an Apostle an Instrument of the holy Ghost and so guided by the Spirit of God that he speaketh and uttreth nothing that is his owne He was well known and approved For we must consider that what an Apostle did utter he did utter it as the instrument of the Spirit which cannot erre For the Prophets and Apostles did not write the holy Scriptures as they were men onely but as they were the immediate and certaine instruments of the holy Ghost of purpose chosen and set apart to pen and publish the holy bookes of God This Saint Peter confirmeth saying 2 Peâ— 1 Verse 21. Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they mere moued by the holy Ghost The Apostle Paul also affirmeth the same touching his Gospell which saith Gal. 1.12 Hee was not after man neither received hee it of man but by the revelation of Iesus Christ Therefore when his our Apostle saith I am Iohn which saw these things and heard them he gives us to understand that he was both an eye and an care-witnesse He bringeth not matters which he hath heard by uncertain report hee delivereth this Booke to the Churches they which received it at his hands did know him to bee a most faithfull servant of the Lord even a great Apostle which delivereth not any thing but that which hee had received of the Lord and therefore he testifieth â—hat he saw and heard all the things which â—e hath written in this booke Moreover he â—estifieth of himselfe that he was called and authority by Iesus Christ to write this Prophesie and did nothing herein of his owne braine For saith hee I John heard behind me a great voice as it had been of a trumpet saying I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last and that which thou seest write in a booke and send it unto the Churches Heere we see how Iohn is called by Alpha and Omega that is Jesus Christ to write this doctrine of the Apocalyps But may some man say was not John cald before was he not one of the Lambs 12. Apostles had he not many years executed the office of the Apostleship must he now have a new calling and a second calling what needs he being an Apostle to bee called and authorised againe To this I answere that this matter now in hand was a new worke and therefore requires a new and speciall calling It is a strange revelation and therefore requires a new authority to meddle in it For in this Prophesie God dealeth with John as hee did with the old Prophets For when he would foreshew unto any of them especiall matters he called them by glorious visions as wee may reade what a goodly vision Esay had what a vision full of glory Ezechiel and Daniel had even in majesty like unto this of John Thus then it is to bee considered Iohn now is as one of the old Prophets to foreshew things to come therefore the Lord appeareth unto him in a vision and calleth him thereunto as he appeared unto them and called them Let this then suffice for a reason of Johns now calling to his new Worke and office And thus much touching the first circumstance Now followeth the second circumstance which is the time when Iohn received this Prophesie which is noted to bee upon the Lords day It is the day which S. Paul to the Corinthians calleth the first day of the weeke in which the Churches did meete for the holy exercises in Religion which is also evident because he sayth they came together to breake bread Now the observation of a seventh day is of divine institution Acts 20.7 even from the beginning It is naturall morall and perpetuall for God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it We are therefore to thinke that although Iohn now in his exile was absent in body from the Church assemblies yet he was present with them in spirit commending them most earnestly unto God in his holy prayers and meditations and therefore it is sayd that he was ravished in the Spirit upon the Lords day So we read that the like befell unto Daniel when he was prisoner in Babylon the like befell unto Ezechiel who was taken by the Spirit in the visions of God Act. 10.10 and carried to Ierusalem the like to Peter the like to Paul But the speciall reason of Iohns ravishment in the spirit at this time was that thereby he might be made more fit and capable to receive and understand all those great mysteries and heavenly visions which now should be shewed unto him And withall let us observe that all men are alwaies most capable of heavenly things when they are most in the Spirit For God doth evermore most reveale himselfe to such as are most in prayer reading and meditation and to such as make greatest conscience to spend his Sabaoths Christianly and religiously according to his great commandement And let us alwayes be sure of this that the more fervent and zealous we are in religious duties the more familier acquaintaince wee shall find with God and he will at all times be the more open-harted unto us and will hide nothing from us that may be for his glory and our good For such as are much in heavenly contemplation he doth reckon not amongst his servants Ioh. 15.15 but amongst his dearest friends to whom he will make known all things that he hath heard of his Father But now let us proceed to the third circumstance The third circumstance is the place where Iohn received this Prophesie and that is set downe to bee the Isle of Pathmos which as the Geographers write is a little desart Island lying in the Aegean Sea wherein it is reported that Iohn the Apostle was banished by the Emperour Domitian about the yeare of our Lord 96. and there received and writ this Booke of the Apocalyps where note by the way that there is no place so obscure or vast wherein a Godly minde may not aspire up vnto heaven
because it cutteth them so neere the bone Moreover it may not be omited that God is called the Lord God of the holy Prophets which proveth that this Prophesie is of equall authority with the Prophesies which were of old in as much as the same God is the Author of it And this Book is to be held in the same account with the Books of Moses and of the Prophets for all things contained in it shall as certainly be fulfilled in their times as theirs were In Esay in Jeremy in Ezechiel in Daniel and in the rest we finde many things which the Lord shewed by them long before they came to passe Even so there bee many things fore-shewed and fore-prophesied in this Booke which in their time shall be assuredly fulfilled Nay we see and know that many things here fore-told are already fulfilled and some things are come to passe even in these our dayes He that shall look into the times that are past since this Prophesie was given shall finde that all things have fallen out agreeable to the Prophesie of this Booke And surely if there were none other thing to perswade us touching the authority thereof this might suffice that every thing hath fallen out just and jumpe as the Prophesie did fore-shew It is our great negligence that wee doe not cleerly see so much And I doe humbly entreat all the people of God to looke more diligently and narrowly into it in all time to come And thus much as concerning the circumstances Now as concerning the Booke it self it may very fitly be divided into three visions as it were into three generall parts The first vision is contained in the three first Chapters The second vision is contained in the next eight Chapters following from the fourth to the twelfth Chapter And the last vision is contained in all the Chapters following from the twelfth to the end As concerning the first vision my purpose is not to stand much upon it because it is plain and easie to understand and because it containeth no Prophesies of things to come but only openeth the present state of the Church at that time and also because I have already touched the summe of it in handling the circumstantiall points I will therefore content my self with a very briefe opening and resolution of it beginning at the first Chapter CHAP. I. The summe of the first Chapter THe first Chapter containeth foure principall things The Title of the Book The salutation of the Churches The manner of Johns calling to receive this Prophesie The description of Christ the person that called him The Title of the Book is set downe in these words The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him It containeth three things First the Author of the Booke which is Jesus Christ receiving it from God the Father Secondly the end and use of this Booke Ver. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. which is to shew unto all the Servants of God the things which must shortly bee done Thirdly the singular fruit and benefit which the Church shall receive by it in these words Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this Prophesie c. The salutation is in these words John to the seven Churches which are in Asia Grace be with you and peace c. It containeth a description of the Trinity or three Persons in the Godhead The Father is described of his eternity namely to be Hee which is which was and which is to come The Holy Ghost is described of his divers gifts and operations and therefore is called the seven Spirits which are before the Throne or which proceed from the Throne but S. John speaketh here of the holy Ghost according to the vision shewed him in the fifth Chapter where Christ is said to have seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the world Of the which afterward Jesus Christ is described of his three great offices of King Priest and Prophet and also of his glorious power and eternity First touching his Kingly office he is called the Prince of the Kings of the earth that is King of Kings for he is King of Sion He is a King to rule and governe his Church He must reigne over the house of Judah for ever Hee must reigne over all his enemies and in the middest of his enemies even till hee have trode them all under his feet And this benefit wee have by it that we are made Kings in him in this life to reigne over our corrupt affections and after this life to reigne as crowned Kings for ever with him in infinite glory and endlesse felicity Secondly touching his Priest-hood Ver. 5. he is said to love us and wash us from our sinnes in his bloud For he is our only high Priest which by his owne blood hath once entred into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for us Hee onely it is Heb. 9.12 which through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without fault to God to purge our consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So then by vertue of his Priesthood and sacrifice we are reconciled unto God have free accesse unto the Throne of Grace and are made Priests in him to offer us spirituall sacrifices acceptable to GOD through him Verse 6. For he hath made us Kings and Priests unto God even his Father Thirdly Veâ—se 5. concerning his Propheticall Office he is called that faithfull witnesse For He is said to Pilate John 18.37 For this cause was I borne and for this cause came I into the World that I might beare witnesse unto the Truth And the Apostle saith Hee witnesseth under Pontius Pilate a good confession Tim. 9.13 So then Jesus Christ is one of those three great witnesses which beare record in Heaven Jesus Christ is the Prince of Prophets even that great Prophet that should come into the world through whom all the counsells of God are revealed to us He is that only begotten Sonne which is come downe from the bosome of his Father and hath made knowne unto us whatsoever he hath received of his Father Hee both by his Doctrine Life and Miracles hath borne witnesse unto the truth and by the vertue of his Propheticall Office the whole will of God is made knowne unto us For GOD hath sent him as the great Prophet to instruct the world in Righteousnesse and hath revealed himselfe to us in him and therefore he is called the Image of GOD the brightnesse of his Glory Col. 1.15 Heb. 1.3 and the ingraven forme of His Person And therefore Hee said to Philip Hee that hath seene Mee hath seene my Father also John 14.7 And if you had knowne Mee you should have knowne my Father also Mat. 11. â—7 And againe No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and hee to whom the Son will reveale him Thus we see that Jesus Christ is that faithfull witnes and Prince
a beast by themselves that is an eighth in respect of their ecclesiasticall power Now the Angel saith flatly they shall both go together into destruction that is both the Empire and the Papacy For as the dominion of the Popes goeth down so also their worship and religion goeth down with it and for this cause it is expressely set down in the nineteenth chapter that the beast and the false Prophet that is Chap. 19 2â— the Roman Empire and the Papacy were both destroyed together Sith then the holy Ghost hath spoken it twice for failing that Rome shall go into perdition and shall go into destruction I take it to be a very sound consequence that Rome shall fall and shal be destroyed But how shall it fall may some man say Or wherein shall it fall I answer that it shall fall in the credit and estimation of her doctrine How Rome shall fall it shall fall in wealth and riches it shall fall in power and authority And in all these it shall fall by degrees as it did rise up by degrees it shall not fall at once as it did not rise up at once Chap. 16.12 This is set down in the sixteenth chapter where the fall of Rome is compared to the drying up of the river Euphrates which was dryed up by degrees Thus it is Euphrates was a great river which did run very neer unto the old Babylon in Chaldea and it was the wall and fortification of the city in so much that Cyrus and Darius the kings of the Medes and Persians laying siege against it could not take it till by policy they digged water trenches and turned the waters another way and so dryed them up that the holy Ghost saith The way was prepared for them to passe over Now as this Euphrates was the strength and fortification of old Babylon so the honour wealth riches power and authority of Rome is the very fortification of it Chap. 16.12 But the punishing Angel is commanded to powre down the vial of wrath upon this Euphrates that is upon all that upholdeth or fortifieth Rome and forthwith it dried up that is all the credit power riches and authority of Rome did diminish daily doth diminish and shall diminish by degrees unto the end of the world For the utter destruction of Rome is not yet come but it is greatly decayed from that it was fourscore yeers ago and if it continue decaying eighteen yeers more as assuredly it shall then will it be brought to a low ebb Since Luthers time we know how the Popes Euphrates hath dryed up but there is yet much water left and it is yet too deep for the kings of the earth to passe over and take it But it shall ebb so low that the kings of Europe shall easily passe over and take it as wee shall heare anon But in the mean time we see that it falleth and that it is in falling and the work of God goeth forward every day For now in this age God be thanked many Kings and Princes with great multitudes of their subjects have their eyes opened to behold that the Romish religion is abominable and that the Papacy is the very kingdom of the great Antichrist And whereas before they worshipped the beast The kings of the earth in this age renounce the Pope now they hold up their hands only to the God of heaven and glorifie him in his Son Jesus Christ Now wee see that many lawes are made in sundry kingdomes and provinces to abolish that usurped power of the Bishop of Rome Many acts edicts and injunctions are set forth in sundry nations and kingdomes of Europe to destroy root out and deface all monuments of idolatry and superstition which Antichrist had erected in all kingdomes Now the Popes which were honoured as gods in the earth are counted and adjudged as the most vile and abominable creatures that live upon the earth Doth not all this experimentally shew that Babylon is fallen and that Babylon doth fall by degrees It is very palpable wee need no further proofe for this second point But here wee are further to observe that the Jesuites perceiving the great decay of Rome and the continuall drying of their Euphrates do bestir them to stop the leake The Jesuites bestir them and why that it might not dry up altogether Even as when men let out the waters of great fish-ponds so as the water waxeth low we see the fishes skip and plunge and take on wonderfully So the Jesuites perceiving the waters of their Romish Euphrates to empaire and dry up daily do mightily take on digging and searching every day to open the springs and to find out some fresh fountains to maintain their great fish-pond and to keep the waters deep enough that there may be no safe passage over for the kings of the earth to come and take their great Babylon All this doth appear out of the 16th chapter of this Prophecie where S. John in a vision seeth three unclean spirits like frogs Chap. 16.13 coming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet By which frogs the holy Ghost meaneth the Jesuites and seminary Priests The Jesuites compared to frogs and why which are compared to frogs for three reasons First that as frogs delight in filthy lakes and puddles so the Jesuites delight in the filthy puddles of idolatry and superstition Secondly as frogs make a great croaking in their marish grounds so the Jesuites make a great croaking in kings Courts in Noblemens houses and Gentlemens houses and almost every where where they can get any entertainment croaking and cracking of the Popes supremacy the Popes holinesse the Popes blessing the Popes keyes the Popes power Peters chair Peters successors Christs vicar and many good morrows I know not what Thirdly as frogs are all of one nature and quality delighting in croaking and living in puddles so the Jesuites are all of one mind and disposition in evill croaking every where to maintain their Euphrates and living daily in whoredome Sodomitry and all kind of outragious beastlinesse But that I may more fully perswade the conscience of the reader that by these frogs are meant the Jesuites and seminary Priests let us seriously weigh that which goeth before and that which followeth after in this text and we shall discern it to be very cleer and apparant First it is said Chap. 16.10 verse 10. that when the fifth Angel powred out his viall of Gods wrath upon the throne of the beast by and by his kingdome waxed darke that is the majestie power pomp credit and estimation of Antichrist began to be diminished obscured and to suffer a great eclipse which thing was fulfilled shortly after Luthers preaching And presently it followeth that they gnawed their tongues for sorrow that is they were full of fury and rage barking and grinning like mad dogs or rather like
hel-hounds against all such as set the Gospel abroach whereby their Babylon began to shake For at the first when the Gospel began to peep forth they did despise it as a thing which they could easily suppresse but within a short time they found that neither by excommunication wherewith in former times they had even as it were with lightning and thunder caused kings and nations to tremble neither by force of wars and bloudy slaughters neither by any skill in learning nor by treacheries they could any thing prevaile but that the Gospel did still more and more lay open their filthinesse and shame then did they become and so do they continue unto this day even as mad-men in sorrow and rage which the holy Ghost expresseth in saying Chap. 16.11 that they gnawed their tongues for sorrow and blasphemed God c. whereby it is evident that the beast and all that received his mark are full of fiery hatred and malice and cannot tell which way to be revenged For the more they strive the more they lose Faine would they have Popery restored to his ancient credit and dignity and they devise what they can to bring it about but it will not be For their kingdome waxeth darker and darker weaker and weaker and that is a dagger unto them and a griefe of all griefe which maketh them gnaw their tongues and gnash their teeth for sorrow Chap. 16.11 But yet for all this they repented not of their works saith Saint John and therefore God is more incensed against them and causeth the sixth Angel to powr out another viall upon the great river Euphrates and the water thereof dryed up as wee have heard Now then observe carefully Note this and note it diligently that the frogs came forth upon the darkning of the kingdome of the beast and the drying up of their Euphrates For who knoweth not the Pope and his complices perceiving the weakening and diminishing of their kingdom have sent out these Jesuits and seminary Priests into all parts of Europe to repair the ruines of Rome if it were possible and this is one circumstantiall reason to prove these three frogs to be understood of the Jesuites But let us proceed to open the whole description of the holy Ghost that it may yet more plainly appear First Chap. 16.13 these frogs are called unclean spirits because they are the very limbs of the Divell full of all filthinesse and uncleannesse Secondly they are called spirits because they come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet Thirdly they are called three in number being in truth neerer three thousand because they proceed out of three severall mouthes the Dragon the beast and the false prophet that is the Divell the Roman Empire and the Papacy three horrible monsters three terrible bug bears which with one consent conspire together against the Gospel to uphold their Babylon and to stop the leak of their Euphrates Now these three frogs are said to come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet because they come with the very minde and message of the Pope and the Roman Empire and so consequently with the very mind and spirit of the Dragon For they are the very breath of the Pope and the spirits of the Divels as like him as if they had been spit out of his mouth They are sent on the Divels errand and the Popes embassage into all countries and kingdomes and are taught their lesson what they shall say and instructed what they shall doe and what courses they shall take with men both kings Nobles and the meaner sort and for this cause the holy Ghost saith they came out of the very mouth the very heart and the very bowels of the Pope and of the Divell And although these Jesuits and seminary Priests are called of the favourites Catholick Doctors The holy Ghost calleth the Jesuits the spirits of Divels Chap. 16.14 holy Fathers c. yet the holy Ghost saith flatly they are the spirits of Divels working false and fained miracles and with great efficacy of error deluding and deceiving the simple and blind multitude We see then that the holy Ghost in all this description doth plainly note out the Jesuites and seminary Priests for to whom can these things here spoken of agree but onely to them And do not wee which live in these dayes sensibly see and discern the fulfilling of all these things Surely wee cannot but see and feel them unlesse wee be wilfully blind and do of purpose blind-fold hoodwink our selves But the holy Ghost goeth yer further and doth more fully and as it were demonstratively point them out unto us describing them by their office which is to go unto the kings of the earth Verse 14. and of the whole world to gather them to the battell of that great day of God almighty Who is ignorant that the Jesuites and seminary Priests are sent out to all Kings and Nobles of the whole world that favour them and their proceedings Are they not croaking in corners thick and threefold in all parts of this land Are they not practising of treacheries and treasons against our most gracious King and the whole state Are they not plotting the destruction and subversion of this Church common-wealth Nay as the holy Ghost saith the chiefe end of their coming abroad is to solicite gather the kings of the earth unto battell against God against Christ and against all true professors of religion The battell betwixt them is here called The battell of the great day of God almighty that is that battell wherein the Almighty God will have the day and goe away with the victory For it followeth The Jesuites by their crafty perswasions shall bring the popish kings and their armies to a place where they shall be destroyed that the Jesuites and seminary Priests did prevaile with the seduced kings of the earth so far as to gather them together to a place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon that is to say a place where they shall be destroyed and that with such an horrible slaughter that the place shall take a name thereof For it was an usuall thing among the Hebrews to call the place where any famous thing fell out by a name which did report the same to all posterity as Kibroth Hataavah Numb 11. the graves of Concupiscence Hamon Gog Ezek. 39. the multitude of Gog and divers such like And so here Armageddon the destruction of an army because the kings of the earth and their armies which shall fight against the Church at the instigation of the Jesuites shall come to a place where they shall have a notable overthrow This word Armageddon may fitly be derived of two Hebrew words that is to say Cherem which signifieth destruction and Gedudh which signifieth an army that is the destruction of an army or as some say and that very judicially it may come
one of a City and two of a Tribe and will bring you to Sion and I will give you a Pastor according to my heart which shall feede you with knowledge and understanding Now then if a good Minister bee so great a blessing of God and so peerelesse a Pearle how great is the sin of those which contemne them and tread their Ministery under foot as vile and nothing worth Our Lord Jesus saith of all such He that despiseth you despiseth me Luke 10.16 Let those scoffers and scorners therefore take heed how they despise Christ for assuredly he will not long put it up at their hands If any man demand a reason why all these Epistles are specially sent and directed to the Angels or Pastors of the Churches seeing Iohn before chap. 1.11 is commanded to write them to the Churches of Asia I answer that he writing to the Pastor excludeth not the Churches but in them or under them he writeth to the whole Churches as plainly it appeareth in the conclusion of every Epistle when he saith Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches Then that which is spoken to the Angel of the Church spoken to the Church The reason why the speech is specially directed to the Pastor of every Church is because the good or bad estate of the Church for the most part dependeth upon the Ministers For commonly we see it commeth to passe Such a Pastor such a People Such a Shepheard such Sheep Such a Husbandman such husbandry And as the Prophet saith Hos 4.9 Like Priest like People For we may observe in all these Epistles that where the Minister is commended the people are commended and where the Minister is discommended the people are discommended also So that they stand and fall sinke and swimme together As concerning the Person from whom these Epistles are sent it is Jesus Christ who is very gloriously described of his divers qualities in the entrance of every one of these Epistles First in the Epistles to the Church of Ephesus it is said These things saith hee that holdeth the seven Stars in his right hand and which walketh in the middest of the seven Candlestickes Secondly in the Epistle to the Church of Smyrna These things saith he that is first and last which was dead and is alive Thirdly to the Church of Pergamus Thus saith hee which hath a sharpe sword with two edges Fourthly to Thyatira These things saith the Sonne of God who hath eyes like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brasse Fifthly to the Church of Sardis These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and seven Stars Sixtly to the Church of Philadelphia it is thus said of Christ These things saith he that is holy and true which hath the key of David which openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth Lastly to Laodicea it is thus said These things saith Amen the faithfull and true witnesse the beginning of the Creatures Now then we doe plainly see how gloriously Jesus Christ is described of his severall properties in every one of these Epistles and what honourable and magnificent titles are given unto him and to all this end to move attention and to worke in us a reverence of so great a Personage that wee might more seriously regard and deepely ponder the things which proceed from so great a Majesty For we see and know by common experience that almost every mans words are heeded and regarded according to the opinion and reverence which is had of his Person Sith then that every one of these Epistles fronted with this great authority Thus saith the Sonne of God Thus saith Christ Thus saith Alpha and Omega therefore we ought to give diligent heed to the things herein contained So like wise we read in the Hebrewes that after the Holy Ghost had very notably described the Person of Christ and extolled him farre above the Angels and all other creatures he giveth the use of it in the beginning of the second Chapter saying Therefore we ought to give more diligent heed to his doctrine And thus much concerning the Exordium or entrance of these seven Epistles touching the person to whom and the Person from whom these Epistles are sent Now it followeth to speake a word or two of the generall proposition contained in these words I know thy works We read in all these Epistles how the Sonne of God praises some of the Churches and dispraises others commends some Pastors and discommends others Now he that will praise or dispraise must especially looke to this that he be upon a good ground and therefore Jesus Christ before he enters into any praysing or dispraysing commending or reproving doth first protest that he knoweth their workes and is privy to all their particular actions yea their very thoughts and therefore cannot erre or be deceived in his censures True it is indeed that men may erre in their opinions and censures of others because they know not mens hearts and with what affections things are carried Men I say may praise or dispraise too much or too little But Jesus Christ whose eyes are a flame of fire and which searcheth the reines cannot faile one jot nor erre a haires breadth as we say either in commending or discommending and therefore he stoppeth their mouths at the first dash so as they can have nothing to reply when he saith I know thy works I know well enough what thou art and what thou hast been I am not deceived in thee I know thy sitting downe and rising up and am accustomed to all thy wayes And this briefly of the proportion The narration as is aforesaid contained in the matter of the Epistles consisting of praises and dispraises admonitions reprehensions threats and promises Touching the first we finde that some Churches are highly commended others wholly discommended others partly commended partly discommended As for example The Pastor and people of Smyrna and Philadelphia are generally commended for all things and discommended for nothing there is no fault found with them that is no grosse fault as in others for they were not without common corruptions and infirmities The Minister of Smyrna was a very rare and excellent man although a poore man to the world ward For Christ saith thus unto him Apo. 2.9 I know thy poverty but thou art rich that is rich in grace and the manifold gifts of the Spirit Thou hast done great service to the Church Thou hast imployed thy gifts to the good of many Thou takest great paines in the Ministery and art greatly blessed in thy labours for thou hast an excellent flock a notable good people and therefore I cannot but greatly commend both thee and them The Minister of Philadelphia was also a very worthy and notable man For although his gifts were not so great as some others yet was he very painfull and faithfull in a little of whom it is said Thou hast a
other place but not destroyed For God doth remove but not destroy his Candlesticks Pergamus is threatned that unlesse they did speedily repent Jesus Christ should come shortly and fight against them with the sword of his mouth Thyatyra is threatned that except they repent them of their workes they should be cast into a bed of affliction and all their favorites should be slain with death Sardis is threatned that if they did not watch and awake CHRIST would come suddenly upon them as a Thiefe and they should not know what houre hee would come Concerning promises they be very great and large for everlasting joy and the very fulnesse of glory is promised to all that fight the good fight of faith and overcome in the spirituall battle against the flesh the world and the Divell Ephesus is promised that if they fight it out couragiously and constantly to the end they should eate of the tree of life which is in the middest of the paradise of God Smyrna is promised in like case that they should not be hurt of the second death Pergamus likewise is promised to eate of the Manna that is hid to have the white stone of victory given them Thyatira is promised to have power given them to rule over Nations and to be lightned with heavenly brightnes like the morning Star Sardis is promised to be cloathed with white array that is with heavenly glory and to have their name continued in the booke of life Philadelphia is promised to have a piller made in the Temple of God that is a firme and unmoveable place of eternall glory Laodicea is promised to sup with Christ and to sit with him upon his throne for evermore Thus we see what great and precious promises are made to all Churches that fight and overcome in this their spirituall battell and conflict Concerning the conclusion it is one and the same to all these seven Churches Wherein they are exhorted that such as have eares to heare should heare ponder and consider all the aforesaid praises and dispraises admonitions reprehensions threats and promises And it is therefore said such as have eares because they are very few to be found that have circumcised and sanctified eares to heare and understand heavenly things This is proper to the elect this is but to whom it is given And thus briefly and generally we see what was the present state of every one of the Churches of Asia unto which this Prophecie was to be sent so that by them we may see in what estate the universall Church militant was at that time For as some of these seven as yet stood firme and others had much declined so was it with all other Churches Hitherto concerning the first vision containing generally the inscription of this booke Johns salutation to the Churches Johns new calling The excellency of Christ which called him And the present estate of the Church Now we are to proceed to the second vision contained in the next eight Chapters to the twelve wherein is shewed what should be the future estate of the Church in all ages even unto the end of the world CHAP. 4. THe principall thing contained in this fourth Chapter is a description of the person of God the author of this booke who is most gloriously described of that excellent glory that is in himselfe and of his royall throne which hee sitteth upon and of his goodly retinue and troopes of Saints and Angels attending about his most glorious throne Whereunto is added the diverse qualities both of Angels and Saints both in themselves and their owne natures as also in their manner of praising and worshipping of God This is the generall summe and sense of this Chapter But for the better clearing and more full opening of I will come to the words of the text and open them as they lie in order After this I looked and behold a doore was open in Heaven and the first voice I heard Verse 1. was as it were of a Trumpet talking with mee saying Come up hither and I will shew thee the things which must bee done hereafter These words After this have relation to the first vision spoken of before as if he should say after I had received the former vision concerning the present estate of the Church now I had another vision concerning the future estate therof and therfore he saith a doore was opened in Heaven that he might come in and see all these things which should be revealed to him For the opening of the doore in Heaven doth here signifie the unlocking of heavenly things unto Iohn or his entrance into them for so the word doore is taken 2. Cor. 3.12 Apoc. 3.8 After the opening of the doore he is called up with a loud voice like a Trumpet saying Come up hither for although the doore was opened yet durst he not enter in till he was called and commanded to come in For in these cases he doth not presume in any thing as of himselfe without speciall warrant and direction As the Scripture saith No man taketh this honour unto himselfe Heb. 5.4 but he that is called of God as Aaron was The voice that calleth him is like a Trumpet that is loud and shrill that he might be stirred up more diligently to attend unto the contemplation of these great secrets which should be revealed unto him This voice commandeth him to come up hither which sheweth that Iohn was rapt up in the Spirit unto the Heavens to see this vision This voice promiseth to shew him things which must be done hereafter that is that he should be made acquainted with the future estate of the Church as already he was with the present estate thereof And immediately I was ravished in the Spirit Verse 2. and behold a Throne was set in Heaven and one sate upon the Throne Upon this suddaine and extraordinary calling by so heavenly and loud a voice Iohn was forthwith ravished in Spirit For as the Prophet Ezechiel was by the spirit in the visions of God carried from Caldea to Ierusalem So this holy Apostle is carried by the Spirit in the visions of God into Heaven and by the same Spirit is made fit and capable of all these heavenly visions which should be shewed him So that in all this we do plainely and cleerely see that Iohn hath as it were a further calling and admittance from Heaven to to behold and see these wonderfull secrets which now are to be imparted unto him Behold a Throne c. Here beginneth the description of the most high and glorious majesty of God who is described after the manner of earthly Kings and Judges sitting upon their thrones and judgement seats For he is King of Zion and Judge of all the world And he that sate was to look upon like unto a Jasper stone Verse 3. and a Sardine and there was a Rainebow round about the Throne like an Emeraud God for his admirable glory and beauty is
seventh Chapter may very fitly be divided into three parts First it sheweth that as God did most fearefully punish the World with visible and sensible Judgements as we have heard before So now he would set upon them with invisible and spirituall plagues which are of all other most grievous and intolerable Secondly it sheweth the state and condition of the Church militant here in earth as before was shewed under the opening of the fift Seale Verse 2 3 4 c. the state of the Church triumphant in the Heavens namely that it is sealed and set in safety from all dangers Thirdly it sheweth the blessed and happie estate of all Gods elect and their fervent prayses and zealous worship of God who thus mercifully did provide for their security in the middest of greatest perils and extremities Ver. 10 11 c. And after that I saw foure Angels stand on the foure corners of the earth Verse 1. holding the foure windes of the earth that the windes should not blow on the earth neither on the sea neither on any greene tree These foure Angels are Angels of darknes or foure divels which is proved by this reason that they hold the 4. winds from blowing on the Earth that is stoppe the course of the Gospell which is a spirituall plague They are sayd to stand upon the foure corners of the Earth because power was given them to plague not some one or two Countries but the Universall World both East West North and South The blowing of the winds doth very fitly represent the preaching of the Gospell and that heavenly inspiration and breathing of the Holy Ghost which goeth with it Wind is so taken Joh. 3. where our Lord Jesus sayth The wind bloweth where it listeth c. So is every man that is borne of the Spirit And againe in the fourth of the Cantic in these words Arise O North and come O South and blow on my garden that the spices thereof may flow out Where it plainely appeareth that the Church craveth the inspiration of the Spirit that her fruits may abound For what can be meant by these winds which she wisheth to blow upon her garden but the breathings of Gods Spirit and Word It followeth then that if the blowing of the winds in the Scriptures do signifie the breathing of Gods grace and holy Spirit that the stopping of the winds by a reason of the contraries doth here signifie the stopping of the same and the deprivation of all heavenly blessings So that it is cleare that a spirituall plague is heere represented which also is the more apparant because heer is such a speciall proviso and care had for the Churches safety that it might not be infected with this spirituall contagion Now all this doth plainely fore-prophesie not only the stopping of the course of the Gospell but even the utter taking of it away from the World for their great contempt thereof and the horrible murthering and massacring of all the true professors of it according as it came to passe afterward in the prevailing first of Heresies and afterward of the Popish and Mahometish Religion as in the two next Chapters following shall plainely appeare And I saw another Angell come up from the East Ver. 2.3 which had the Seale of the living God and he cried with a loud voyce to the foure Angels to whom power was given to hurt the earth and sea saying Hurt ye not the earth neither the sea neither the trees till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads This Angell is Jesus Christ who by the Prophet is called the Angell of the covenant That Angels do represent and sustaine â—he person of Christ their head is so common and usuall a thing in the Scriptures that I sâ—â—ll not need to stay in it That this Angell is Christ it doth â—â—â—nely appeare by the things heere â—â—â—ibuted unto him which can agree to â—o â—â—her First in that he hath the Seale of â—â—e living God which is the Spirit of adoption to set upon all the elect for he is thâ—â—â—ely keeper of this great Seale and â—â—is privy Seale He onely hath authority to set it upon whom he will Secondly because he is said to come up from the East that he is the only Sun of righteousnesse which ariseth upon his Church every morning and with his bright beames expelleth all darknesse from it According to that of Zacharias in his propheticall song Through the tender mercy of our God Luke 1.70 the day spring from on high hath visited us Thirdly because he holdeth a soveraignty and command over the Divâ—ls for he chargeth them heere to stay their hands from doing any hurt till he had provided for his elect Whereas it is said verse 2. that power was given to these Divels to hurt the earth the Sea and trees that is the number of Reprobates we may note that the divels have no absolute Power but only by permission as appeareth in this that they could neither â—ouch Job nor enter into the heard of Swine without licence Job 1. Whereas it is said Verse 3. â—ill we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads it doth plainely shew that the punishment of the wicked are deferred till provision be made for the Elect. The floud came not upon the old World till Noah and his family were received into the Arke The Angels destroyed not Sodom till Lot was set in safety The plaguing Angell spared the first borne of Egypt till the posts of the Israelites houses were sprinkled with the blood of the Paschall Lambe Ezec. 9. The sixe Angels sent to destroy Jerusalem are charged to stay the execution till the servants of God were marked in their foreheads All these examples do manifestly declare what tender care the Lord in all ages hath had of his owne people that they might be delivered and set in safety in the midst of all extremities Even so heere we see that God is very carefull that his owne children might not be infected with those damnable heresies which now already upon the stopping of the course of the Gospell began to be hatched and afterwards did spring and grow up in the Church both thicke and three-fold Verse 4. And I heard the number of them that were sealed and there were sealed an hundred forty and foure thousand of all the Tribes of the children of Israel Of the Tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand c. Now John heareth the number of them that were sealed and he reckoneth up the whole Church militant consisting both of the Jewes and Gentiles He saith that of the Church of the Jewes there were sealed 144000. Wherein he putteth a certaine number for an uncertaine and a definite number therewithall also for an indefinite for his meaning is not that there were just so many and neither moe nor lesse sealed but this number doth arise of 12. times 12. in that he saith of every
life to come as having speciall right and interest therein through Christ God being his Father and hee his Sonne and heire But on the contrary hee willeth it to be written and recorded as a thing most certain and sure that all reprobates all atheists worldlings and all unbeleevers shall have their part and portion in the lake which burneth with sure and brimstone for ever Verse 8. And there came unto mee one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials full of the seven plagues and talked with mee Verse 9. saying I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs Wife And hee carryed me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain Verse 10. and showed me that great citie that holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God Having the glory of God Verse 11. and her shining was like unto a stone most precious as a jasper stone cleer as crystall Here one of the Angels mentioned in the sixteenth chapter which had a viall full of Gods wrath talketh with S. John and telleth him that hee will shew him the Bride the Lambs Wife that is the triumphant Church in her glorified estate being united and married unto Christ in the kingdome of glory And therefore Saint John saith that this Angel carryed him away in the spirit to a great and high mountaine and shewed him that great citie holy Jerusalem c. We read in the seventeenth chapter that when this Angel shewed John the whore of Babylon hee carried him away into the wildernesse in the spirit because the whore of Babylon should make the Church barren and desolate as the wildernesse But now that hee is to shew him the Spouse of Christ in her glory and to describe the everlasting Jerusalem hee carryeth him in the spirit unto a very high mountaine that hee might take a sight of it as Moses was carryed up to the top of mount Nebo that from thence hee might take a view of the holy land Which teacheth that none can take a right view of heaven and heavenly things but only such as flie an high pitch and mount far above this earth in holy affections and heavenly contemplation Moreover Saint John telleth us that as soon as hee tooke a sight of this new Jerusalem farre passing all Sinai's sights forthwith hee espyed in it the very glory of God If hee had said hee had espyed the glory of an Angel it had been more But that hee espyeth the very glory of God it is most of all For who can conceive or expresse what the glory of God is being infinite The Apostle saith that God dwelleth in unaccessible light or such light as none can approach unto Then this is one word for all touching the beauty and super-excellency of the new Jerusalem that it comprehendeth in it the very glory of God but yet for amplifications sake it is compared to a Jasper stone for never-fading greennesse and to a Crystal stone for bright shining and glittering for ever And had a great wall and high Verse 12. and had twelve gates and at the gates twelve Angels and the names written which are the twelve tribes of the cheldren of Israel On the East-side there were three gates Verse 13. and on the North-side three gates on the South-side three gates and on the West-side three gates And the wall of the city had twelve foundations Verse 14. and in them the names of the Lambes twelve Apostles Now Saint John proceeds to the description of the wall and gates of this great city This we all know that a strong wall serveth for the defence and safety of a city â—nd for the security of such as dwell in it â—or if it be so high that none can scale it and â—o thick that none can batter it then it is inâ—eed impregnable and the citizens in great â—ecurity But the wall of heaven is so high â—s none can scale it as it is set downe in this welfth verse and so thick that no double cannon can pierce it as appeareth verse 17. therefore all the inhabitants of this new Jerusalem are out of all fear of danger Moreover this citie hath twelve gates to signifie an hard accesse for enemies to break in and an easie passage for the citizens themselves to goe in and out And at those twelve gates twelve Angels at every gate an Angel as it were a porter to see that none be let in but the true citizens and free denizens and such as have to do there which are here named to be the twelve Tribes of Israel that is all the elect of God both of the Jews and Gentiles Moreover it is said that there were three gates on every side of the citie both East West North and South to note that out of all quarters of the earth the redeemed should be gathered Matth. 8. and as our Saviour saith Many shall come from the East and the West the North and South and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God So that it is not materiall what countrey or nation a man is of whether English Scottish French or Spanish so he be a beleever for then hee shall be sure to be let in at one gate or another either at the East-gate or the West-gate the North-gate or the South-gate Moreover the wall of the city hath twelve foundations that is to say it is surely founded And in every gate the name of an Apostle so that all the gates had the names of the Lambes twelve Apostles to signifie that the ground and foundation of this city is laid upon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Ephes 2. Jesus Christ himself being the chiefe corner-stone And hee that talked with mee had a golden reed to measure the city withall Verse 15. and the gates thereof and the wall thereof And the city lay foure-square Verse 16. and the length is as large as the breadth of it and he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equall And hee measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four cubits by the measure of man Verse 17. that is of the Angel Now St. John telleth us that the Angel which talked with him had a golden reed to measure both the city and the gates and the wals thereof Measuring with reeds was a thing of great use in ancient time as we read in the Prophecie of Ezekiel and Zachary and as we have heard in the eleventh chapter But because all things belonging to this celestiall Jerusalem are super-excellent and glorious therefore the very measuring rod and reed is of pure gold This great and glorious city is said to lie four-square to note unto us that it standeth fast and unmoveable for round things are easily rolled and moved this way or that way hither and thither but square things are not apt to roll or move This everlasting