will afford us very evident Instances thereof By the cunning of which two prevailing Factions the Light of the Gospel was for many Ages together since the Reign of Constantine almost extinguished but that now in latter times God taking pity on the miserable condition of his Church hath raised up sundry Reformers who have detected many of those Errours wherewith the Truth had before been obscured and so given a good Essay to the restoring of our holy Faith to its primitive lustre The reason why Satan is cast by the Angel into the bottomless Pit rather than into another place is because many of the evil Spirits have ever since their Fall lain there bound in Chains of Darkness as both the words of Peter Epist 2. Chap. 2.4 where it is said God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into Chains of Darkness to be reserved unto Judgement And also of Jude Verse 6. where it is said The Angels which kept not their first Estate but left their own Habitation he hath reserved in everlasting Chains under Darkness unto the Judgement of the great Day do perspicuously intimate And therefore certain of them who were permitted to range up and down the Earth for the executing of Gods Judgements having entred into a Man of Gadara and being commanded by Christ to come out of him besought Christ that he would not send him into the bottomless Pit for so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by Luke in the Relation of this Story and which is translated in English the Deep ought to be rendred as it is in this 20. Chapter of the Revelation Vers 4. And I saw Thrones and they sat upon them and Judgement was given unto them and I saw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand Years 5. But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand Years were finished This is the first Resurrection 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand Years That Thrones are the Seats of Kings is evident enough but who they are that shall sit upon the Thrones here mentioned and have Judgement given into their hands is neither of it self evident nor here expressed so that we should be at a great loss to finde it out were it not that Daniel speaking of this matter as I have before in the Exposition of the 17. Chapter of this Prophecy evinced saith that Judgement was given to the Saints of the most High Chap. 7.22 It is the Saints therefore that are invested with the Right of Judicature and placed on the Thrones after the Defeat of the Beast and the Binding of Satan Neither ought this Kingdom to be expected till these two miraculous Events have made way for it Wherefore as they are exceedingly mistaken and fear not to gainsay the plain Words of the Scripture who hold that there shall be no fifth Kingdom or Kingdom of the Saints here on Earth when in the mean time an Angel expresly telleth Daniel Chap. 7.27 that the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High So are they no less out of the way who dream of any humane Force to be used in the Erection of this Kingdom For this would be to transform the People of the Saints into a Company of Thieves and Robbers But as the rise and fall of the Beast the binding of Satan and setting up of the Kingdom of the Saints here on Earth are great and marvellous Works falling out in the Age here spoken of so also is the first Resurrection whereof all they shall be Partakers and so reign with Christ in heaven who being either Prophets for none but such have the Testimony of Jesus or meer Saints do suffer Death for refusing to worship the Beast For John plainly testifieth that onely such are raised up from the Dead to reign with Christ the thousand Years as were for their Piety in the Reign of the Beast beheaded or smitten with the Ax as the Greek word signifieth Which Expression doth either intimate that the Beast shall both in Judicature as the Romans his Ancestors were wont to do also in War make use of such a Weapon as an Ax to kill the Saints as we find in the Scripture that Nebuchadnezzar did to slay the Egyptians Jer. 40.22 where it is said The voice thereof that is of Egypt shall go like a Serpent for they shall march with an Army and come against her with Axes as Hewers of Wood or else under the most frequent and noted kinde of slaughter that shall be in use at that time all other ways of inflicting Death upon the Saints are comprehended For what reason can be imagined why those Saints that are put to Death with the Ax should share in the first Resurrection rather than such as are dispatched with some other Instrument of cruelty But lest any one should think this Doctrine of the first Resurrection taken according to the Letter of the holy Text to be strange though to me it seemeth more strange that Christians should scruple at a thing so plainly and punctually set down in the Scripture for they may as well call into question whatsoever is here spoken concerning the Resurrection that is to be afterwards at the last Day and to which this Resurrection is opposed go to let us confirm this precious Truth so much encouraging Christians to lay down their Lives for the Gospel by other passages taken out of this Book of the Revelation where such an anticipated Resurrection is held forth as belonging both to those Saints that suffer Death under the Reign of the Beast and also to those that dy for Christ and the Gospel at any time whatsoever First therefore it is in the 11. Chapter said of the two Witnesses who are expresly there called Prophets and so must needs be two Men since none but Men are in the Scripture termed Prophets that after they had been slain by the Beast and their dead Bodyes lyen unburied three Days and an half in the Streets of Jerusalem for not Rome but Jerusalem is the great City where Christ was slain The Spirit of Life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet From which words it is undeniably manifest that the two Witnesses are raised from the Dead whilest the Beast reigneth What hinders then but that the other Prophets and Saints put to Death by him may likewise be restored to Life presently after his Defeat as this 20. Chapter doth in
and the Antichrist In the next place seeing it is now manifest that by the Antichrist many deceivers are understood let us search out what manner of deceivers they must be to whom this appellation agreeth If we consult with interpreters and observe how variously they define the Antichrist we shall be at a loss concerning that which wee seek after only we shall finde they so order the business as that if they had a spight against any man upon a Religious accompt they could transform him into Antichrist at their pleasure Wherefore leaving them let us betake our selves again to the touchstone of truth the holy Scripture and see how it defineth Antichrist John the only sacred writer that is to guide us in this as well as in the other particulars describing Antichrist Chap. 2. of this first Epistle verse 22. doth if his words be exactly rendred according to the Greek speak thus Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ this is the Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son And Chap 4.3 he saith thus Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist And Epist 2.7 which place was before quoted to another purpose he saith Many deceivers are come into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh This is the deceiver and the Antichrist From which testimonies it is evident that only he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ or that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is an Antichrist What peevishness is it then that they who make the same confession touching Christ and his coming in the flesh should upon some other difference about Religion reproachfully term one another Antichristians And how contrary is this to the determination of the Scripture it self which all should make the rule of their words and actions These things being unfolded it is an easie matter to perceive my design in writing this Essay which is to enure men more closely to follow the Text of the holy scipture as in other parts thereof so especially in the book of the Revelation where men are wont to be loose and exorbitant in a more then ordinary manner as if they strove who should depart furthest off from the literal sense of that prophecy For bearing in minde continually that rule of interpreting which all that are of a sound judgement readily admit That we are not to recede from the letter of the sacred Text without evident necessity which is when the literal interpretation is repugnant either to our sences or to the scope of the place or to a greater number of plain Texts to the contrary I have as I perswade my self given a sounder and clearer exposition of this difficult prophecy then is commonly to be met withall I have also with the same labour cut off all those forced and factions applications of things mentioned in the said book to the Pope which too justly render the reformed Religion suspected to Papists who are apt enought to think that such violent wresting of the Revelation to disparage them preceedeth from a want of solid Arguments to confute their Doctrine For mine own part there is no man that doth abominate all Popish Superstitions more than my self nor is at a wider distance from them yet doth not the detestation of them so transport me as that I am thereby induced to abuse the holy Scripture to the end I may render Papists more odious For such a way of proceeding is wont to work a contrary effect causing men when they once perceive the Papists to be so palpably wronged to imagine that their Religion is wholly true and harmless otherwise what need was there of so far fetched Allegations to disgrace them I have further observed that there is hardly found amongst us any man of unsound Principles in matter of Religion but presently calleth in the Revelation to his aid torturing the rare Mysteries thereof to get something out of them that may give a colour to his Absurdities Wherefore I made this account with my self that by opening away to the plain and genuine understanding of that Book I might possibly give a check to such groundless fancies and hinder them from pestering the World without controll in the time to come I desire therefore all that shall light on this Essay to peruse it with patience and not pass sentence thereon untill they have read it quite through and well considered the connexion of the several parts thereof and the congruity of the things therein delivered both with Scripture and Reason and if they perceive the worth and sovereign use of the many secrets therein discovered let them give the whole glory of them unto God who is the Father of Lights both of that wherewith the Pen-men of the holy Scripture and also of that wherewith the sound Interpreters of the same are enlightned Reader forasmuch as here remaineth an empty page and some few faults escaped in the printing of this book I have thought sit here to insert them that being taken notice of in the beginning the Book might be run over without any rub in the way ERRATA Pag. 2. for were r. are pag. 14. l. 9. for then r. them pag. 37 l. 21. for not are r. are not AN ESSAY To the Explaining of the REVELATION Chap. 13. Vers 1. And I stood upon the Sand of the Sea and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea having seven Heads and ten Horns and upon his Horns ten Crowns and upon his Heads the name of Blasphemie The Exposition BY the Beast here mentioned is to be understood a Man according to the Exposition of John himself who saith in the 18. Verse of this Chapter Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a Man For if the Number of the Beast be the Number of a Man by the Beast must needs be meant a Man otherwise his Number would be the Number of something else and not of a Man Again the Beast signifieth such a Man as shall be also a King and that an universal one A King because it is said Chap. 16.10 that the fifth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Throne so it is in the Greek of the Beast For if the Beast hath a Throne he is a King it being proper to Kings to sit upon Thrones Thus the four and twenty Elders which Chap. 4.4 are said to sit upon Thrones do Chap. 5.10 acknowledge themselves to have been made Kings Yea it is subjoyned in the fore-cited passage Chap. 16.10 that the Kingdom of the Beast was darkened But if his Kingdom was darkened then it undeniably followeth that he is a King in as much as a Kingdom and a King are Relatives But it is yet superabundantly manifest that by the Beast is meant a King from the Exposition of the Angel Chap. 17.10 11. where he saith
what will become of the emphasis that lieth in the word these it being impossible that any speech proceeding from God should be false but rather to intimate that there was nothing in them obscure and uncertain as it fareth with sundry other sayings of God which are very doubtful and hard to be understood Thus when Daniel had declared to Nebuchadnezzar very plainly both his dream and the interpretation thereof he saith in the close of his speech as the Greek version not varying from the Original Syriack hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The dream is true and the interpretation thereof faithful or sure Chap. 2.45 It is also said Chap. 8.26 after that the visions hapning to Daniel at evening on his bed and in the morning when he was risen up from thence had been fully explained the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true Finally when Daniel Chap. 7. had seen certain visions and was at first troubled about the sence of them but afterwards understood it he writeth thus verse 16.17 18 19. I came neer unto one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this so he told me and made me how the interpretation of the things These great Beasts which are four are four Kings which shall arise out of the earth But the Saints of the most high shall take the Kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast which was diverse from all the others From whence it is evident that to know the truth of visions is to understand the interpretation and meaning of them Wherefore to return to the foresaid passage of the Revelation when it is said These words are true and faithful it is all one as if it had been said These words are plain and certain and to be taken as they sound and consequently such as go about to turn the prophecy touching the New heaven and the New earth and the descent of the New Jerusalem and the making of all things new into an allegory do exceedingly erre from the true and genuine meaning thereof But God hath not yet ceased to inculcate the making of all things new because of the infinite consequence thereof Wherefore to shew how certain the same is he speaketh of it though to come as if it were already past saying it is done he also backeth it with a strong reason the better to imprint the belief thereof in the minds of men whilest he saith that he is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end The connexion of which reason with the thing to be proved thereby is this that seeing God is not wont like frail and fickle man to do his work by halfes but throughly to effect them it cannot be but that having once begun the salvation of the Saints he should at length accomplish the same and in order thereunto make all things new God having thus fully declared his purpose to make all things new doth afterwards invite men to come and partake of the water of life freely without money and without price The fountain where this water springeth is in the beginning of the following Chapter said to be the throne of God and the Lamb and therefore we are not to understand any water figuratively so taken but such as being received into the body causeth eternal Life in those that drink it But the Invitation to drink of this Water is made to none by God save such as thirst after it and so have an ardent desire to enjoy the benefit of the same What shall we then say to those who are so far from longing to drink of this Water that they believe there is no such thing turning all that is said thereof into an Allegory In the next place God promiseth to them that overcome that they shall inherit all things namely both the Heaven and the Earth that now are and also those that are to come For they as I have before shewn being such as lay down their Lives for the Gospel have a Privilege above others that dy in the Lord in that they are admitted to reign with Christ in Heaven long before the general Resurrection and so like him are the Heirs of all things and Sons of God in a more perfect manner than the rest of the Faithfull who though they enjoy eternal Life with Christ yet are not vouchsafed the Honour to sit with him in his Throne See Chap. 3.21 But as God is the God or soveraign Benefactour of those that suffer Death for the Confirmation of the Truth so on the contrary such as dare not out of cowardice to partake in the afflictions of the Gospel or refuse to believe therein or are filthy in their conversation or unjustly deprive others of their Life or defile themselves with Women or use the confederacy of evil spirits to produce marvellous effects or worship either false Gods or the true God in a false manner by Images which they make to themselves or have guile in their mouth not speaking as they mean have their portion assigned of God unto them in the Lake of Fire which is here again said to be the second Death and that suitably enough For if the place wherein the Saints enjoy everlasting pleasure is in the Scripture called by the name of Life as appeareth by the Collation of Mark 9.47 with Math. 18.9 In the former of which it is said It is better having but one Eye to enter into the Kingdom of God In the latter It is better having but one Eye to enter into Life In like manner may Hell-fire wherein the wicked feel everlasting pain be styled by the name of Death Vers 9. And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials full of the seven last Plagues and talked with me saying Come hither I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs Wife 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God John had above said that he had seen the new Jerusalem but neither told us how he came to have a sight thereof nor gave us a particular Description of that goodly Fabrick both which he doth now perform For as to the first he saith that one of the seven Angels that had the seven Vials full of the seven last Plagues and therefore in all likelihood the same that had formerly shewn him the Judgement of the great Whore Chap. 17.1 came and spake with him offering to shew him the Bride the Lambs Wife But here they that do by a mystical Interpretation turn the new Jerusalem into the Church think they have gotten an impregnable place wherein to secure themselves especially seeing the Revelation doth elsewhere confessdly style the Church by the name of the Lambs Wife Chap. 19.7 But they that argue thus do not in the mean time perceive