saith When hee shall appeare wee shall see him as hee is Yet euen the sight that now we haue by faith sustaines vs that wee faint not yea makes vs to reioyce in him with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious The first sight is no comfort without the third For oh How pittifull is the estate of that man who hath an eye to see the Sunne and hath not an eye to see Him that made the Sunne Yea the second is not comfortable without the third What auailes it to fore-see and fore-tell things to come and not to fore-see that Wrath which is to come that thou maist eschew it Balaam was a great Prophet to point out Iesus Christ vnto others in whom he had no part himselfe Hee fore-saw that the death of righteous men was happy and wished it to himselfe but hee had not true Light to leade him in that life which might bring him to a happy death Thus in the third sight onely stands the comfort of Christians Simeons sight maketh Simeons Song and sendeth away Saints out of the body reioycing in the middest of the dolours of death All these three sights had Saint Iohn but here hee sees these Visions by the second sight Now this sight is relatiue to the sight hee saw before After this I looked and it renders this lesson S. Iohn hauing vsed well the Reuelation hee receiued in the first Vision and hauing deliuered it faithfully to the Church as he was commanded gets now another Vision reueiled to him Two things increase heauenly reuelations in a Preacher First if he vse well the talent receiued already Nec enim alimonia haec distribuendo minuitur sed potius augetur ministrando For heauenly food is not diminished by the distribution thereof but rather is augmented Next if hee looke vp to God by feruent prayer and seek more as here S. Iohn doth hee shall neuer want comfortable matter to deliuer in God his Name to the Church But alack where men come out Prompt◅ docere quod non didicerunt ready to teach that which they haue not learned looking downe to giue vnto people not first looking vp to seek from the Lord what hope of a blessing is there to such a Ministerie And behold a dore was opened By this Metaphoricall speech S. Iohn will signifie vnto vs that an entrance and cleere sight of these heauenly Mysteries was made vnto him by the calling of God which otherwise were hid and locked vp from him like excellent things in the Palace of a King whereof no sight is gotten till the dore be opened and men licensed to enter in So S. Paul by the Opening of a dore of faith to the Gentiles will expresse that entrance to the faith which Gentiles had gotten by his Ministerie and by the great doore and effectuall opened to him at Ephesus and at Troas and by the opened doore of vtterance to speak the Mysterie of Christ for which hee willes the Colossians to pray hee vnderstands that a cleere and easie entrance to these Mysteries may bee made to him by the Lord and a ready way prepared in the hearts of people to conuay these Mysteries as it were in by a doore vnto them In Heauen Hugo Carthusian and others of that sort by the Doore vnderstand Christ and by heauen the Church it is a truth that Christ and his Church sometime are so figured but it is not the truth of this place I maruell what should haue moued Cotterius a iudicious and learned Writer to follow them This Heauen saith hee is Ecclesia in qua Deus habitat the Church wherein God dwels and the Voice which spake vnto S. Iohn Verbum est quo vocamur in Ecclesiam It is the Word by which wee are called to the Church All by purpose for was S. Iohn now in Pathmos to bee called to the communion of the Church But leauing this when wee shall come if the Lord please to such places of this Prophecie where the Heauen is a type of the Church Militant or Triumphant we shall shew the reason thereof But here that we may vnderstand with sobriety let vs consider how Saint Iohn speakes as hee saw He saw not this Vision in the Earth nor in the Aire but in the heauen was it represented to him It is true most part of things prophesied here were to be performed on the earth but they are fore-shewed in the heauens to tell vs that the earth and all things which fall out therein are ruled by the Decree of Heauen To make this yet more cleere let vs be remembred that in holy Scripture Heauen is sundry waies taken First for the Church Triumphant their place and their persons are both exprest by the name of Heauen as when it is said the two Witnesses were taken vp into heauen Next for the Church Militant in the Gospell in this Reuelation cōmonly called Heauen But in this and many other places of this Prophecie Heauen is taken for that typicall representation of heauen made to him in this Prophecie For it is to bee noted and obserued as a necessary rule that in these Visions S. Iohn speakes of things according as hee saw them represented in types as we haue spoken before yet so that euery type hath a truth correspondent to it and it requires great discretion to accommodate euery Type to the owne truth Which is not done by them who in this place expound heauen to be the Church Militant for S. Iohn saw not nor learned not these Mysteries in the Church nor yet from the Church hee saw them represented to him in heauen to be reuealed to the Church In a word he got it indeed for the Church Militant but not from it Neither is there any more reason to say that heauen here is the Church Militant then to say that these things which S. Paul saw when hee was rauished to the third heauen hee saw them in the Church for at this time also was S. Iohn rauished and transported in Spirit Alway we learne here that wee can haue no knowledge of heauenly things vnlesse the Lord open the doore and discouer them vnto vs. The Iewes euery Saturday read in their Synagogues a part of Moses and the Prophets these point with the finger vnto Christ but they cannot see him for a Vaile couereth their mindes till the Lord illuminate them Wee doe therefore pray the Lord our God who opened the doore to S. Iohn through which hee saw these Visions to open a doore to vs also by which we may haue entrance to vnderstand them for the glory of his name and comfort of his Church And the first Voice which I heard c. Vpon this place Victorinus obserues that it was one Spirit which spake in the Prophets of old and in the Apostles now Cotterius in the first Vision saith hee Iohn heard a Voice speaking
more ancient then Ierome But Primasius who liued not long after Ierome considering the Text better followeth none of them as after yee shall heare More reason had our Writers to disassent from Berengandus long after any of them considering that Carthusianus a man of his owne fellowship leaues him as Primasius left Ierome The truth then is these foure twenty Elders represent the whole Church of God Militant and Triumphant this alway being obserued that the spirit of God speakes of this Church not onely as now it is but hereafter also as it wil be Or as now it is in Gods decree or hereafter shall bee in the execution of his decree or then as it was represented to S. Iohn in this Vision As for the number of foure and twenty whether the spirit of God alludes in it to Dauid his policie in distributing such as serued in the Sanctuarie in foure twenty classes and orders or to such as ruled the Kings house who were also agreeable to this order or then which is more probable to the twelue Patriarches and twelue Apostles the matter is all one for sure this certaine number is put for the full and complete yet vncertaine number of his Saints The Spirit of God expounds himselfe so cleerly that I maruell how men haue not marked it for in the song of the foure twenty Elders do they not acknowledge that Christ had redeemed them to God by his bloud out of euery Kindred and People and Tongue and Nation and had made them Kings and Priests vnto God Hereupon haue the learned Diuines of old and later times founded this most sound interpretation that these foure and twenty Elders represent Totum Ecclesie gregem Otherwise how can these words agree to the foure and twenty Books of the old Testament Where if any retire to this refuge that when they speake of the foure and twenty Bookes of the old Testament they vnderstand the writers of these Bookes and Professors of them then I pray them tell me where are the Writers and Professors of the new Testament sith this Prophecie principally concernes them But what shall I say It is not giuen vnto any one to see all Cotterius who with great industry â—…ifteth and searches the words of this Prophecie when he commeth to that place Thou hast made vs Kings and Priests to our God is forced to passe them ouer with silence For how can they agree with to the books of the old Testament Are they made Kings and Priests vnto God What is good in Victorine Ierome or any other of the ancient Fathers wee willingly receiue it and thanke God for it but still reserue this liberty which God hath giuen vs that whatsoeuer is most agreeable to his Word shall be most welcome to vs. The drosse of the Fathers vnder shadow of their antiquity must not alway be intruded vpon the Church for fine gold it should be tryed by the touch-stone of truth more ancient then they And sure it is where the holy Scripture expounds it selfe no authority of man should bee receiued against it But that the Ancients also did see this light of God out of this place that the twenty foure Elders represent the whole Church I onely bring in the testimony of Primasius Per seniores totam Ecclesiam intelligit viginti quatuor autem complexus est simul tanquam duodecim Tribus Israel duplicans propter geminum Testamentum quia in nolio in veteri eadem formatur Ecclesia By the Elders he vnderstands the whole Church where hee conioynes foure and twenty together as it were doubling the twelue Tribes of Israel for the two Testaments because both in the old and new Testament one and the selfe-same Church is formed But to proceed In this Vision S. Iohn sees the Church represented in a circle or circumference in the midst whereof is the Lord sitting on his Throne none of them are excluded from his presence and his fauorable face is manifested to them all So large is this heauenly Amphitheatre that albeit they be to vs innumerable who sit in it yet none of them is any impediment to anothers sight for the Lord is in the midst of his Saints so witnesses himselfe Where two or three are gathered in my name I shall be in the midst of them Such was the forme of Israel their assembly their Courts did circuit but the Temple except vpon the West Vowe and performe your vowes vnto the Lord your God all yee that are round about him When Israel camped in the Wildernesse they were cast in forme of a quadrant three of their Tribes were on euery quarter and in the midst of them was the Arke but here the Church is cast in forme of a circle in the midst whereof God hath his Throne All enioy his presence to their full contentment though there be some neerer his Throne then others for without the circle of the foure liuing creatures representing principall Angels there stands a great number of other Angels singing praise to the Lord. Now as for the foure and twenty Seates let that bee remembred which we haue said of the number of the Elders and the same is to bee vnderstood of the number of their Seats let vs not thinke there are no more seats for Saints but foure and twenty In my Fathers house are many Mansions said our Sauiour Here the doubt is how Seats and Crownes are ascribed to the Church Militant sith we are yet vnder the crosse and not come to the Crowne Of this I gaue warning before that the Church is described here not as shee is simply but as shee will be or as she is in the decree of God and is here in the Vision represented to S. Iohn Now the Saints in their pilgrimage full of wandrings haue no permanent seates they are chased from Cities into the Wildernesse and accounted the off-scourings of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but do Satan and his instruments what they can the Church is and shall bee glorious euery member thereof hath a seate and resting place in vnspeakeable glory prepared for them If therefore wee faint by looking to the Church in her ignominy in her wandrings and persecutions now vnder the crosse let vs looke vp here and take a view of that glorious estate whereunto in Gods counsell they are ordained and which now in part she enioyes and in all her members shall hereafter fully enioy Now one part of her is like the halfe darkened body of the Moone which is obscured when the other halfe shines most brightly but the Sunne of righteousnesse shall illuminate the obscured part also then shall her glory be complete fully No malice of the deuill no weakenesse of Saints militant no power of hell nor pride of persecuting enemies shall be able to hinder this Let this comfort sustaine vs against all bitternesse of our present crosses And vpon Now
to beleeue his Word we are strong to resist Satan and he is not able to ouercome vs but if we forget the counsell of his Word we easily become a prey to our Aduersarie If we consider that we are called to be Kings to our God and hope to raigne for euer with him in heauen we will thinke shame to render our selues captiues to Satan Let vs looke backe to our first creation Animal es O homo principatu decoratum vt quid seruis affectibus Princeps creaturarum constitutus es dignitatem tuam abiicis Thou art a creature O man in thy first creation decored with Princely power why seruest thou thy affections Thou wast made the Lord of all creatures and castest away thy owne dignity Will we againe looke forward to our future glorification Non sperare potest coeleste regnum cui supra propria membra regnare non datur What hope can he haue to enioy the Kingdome of heauen who reigneth not ouer his owne members vpon earth Thus our first creation our present vocation our future glorification all of them require of vs that like spirituall Kings wee should subdue and ouercome the Deuill the world and the flesh Hee that ouercommeth shall sit with me in my Throne Our Priesthood againe consists in offering vp sacrifices to God and these may be reduced to three sorts first that we offer vp our hearts to the Lord this is the great sacrifice without which the Lord will accept nothing from vs My sonne giue me thy heart Next that we offer vp our bodies vnto him I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that yee giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God and this is done when we make the members of our bodie weapons of righteousnesse to God These are two then Cor Corpus the heart and the body the Lord will haue the seruice of them both Thirdly that we offer our goods vnto him as his glory and the necessity of his Saints do require it and this third sacrifice willingly followeth where the other two go before My sonne honour God with the first fruits of all thy encrease To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased But now the hearts of men are locked vp and their hands are linked they feare to giue lest they haue not enough for themselues and the poore also but it is farre otherwise thy portion shall neuer perish by giuing out in ordinary charitie to the poore Quic quid in pauperes contuleris in coeli thesauris reconditum inâ—…enies what-euer thou bestowest on the poore thou shalt finde it laid vp in the heauenly Treasures Clementia dum licet clementiam acquire by shewing mercy when thou mayst purchase mercy to thy selfe These are all agreeable to holy Scripture Make thee friends of the riches of iniquity that they may receiue you into the euerlasting Tabernacles said our Sauiour So also the Apostle that by distributing and giuing to the poore men lay vp in store for themselues a good foundation for the time to come And we shall raigne vpon earth Vpon this place the Chiliasts ground their errour that after the Day of Iudgement the Saints shall dwell on earth a thousand yeeres at which time that Prophecie and others like it shall bee sulfilled The meeke shall possesse the earth And with this opinion many worthy Fathers in the Primitiue Church were ouertaken The Turkes also dreame of an earthly Paradise But let them passe For vnderstanding the true sense and meaning of this place we are to know that the earth in holy Scripture is sometime taken for the men that are in it Dauid cals them the men of this world these are they who as our Sauiour saith haue their portion in this life Saint Iohn commonly cals them in this Booke The Inhabitants of the earth These men are enemies to the children of God and persecute them with all their power they account them the Off-scourings of the earth and vnworthy to dwell in it But the Lord at length shall exalt his Saints and their enemies shall be made their foot-stoole Yea the soles of their feet the Lord shall lift vp aboue the heads of their greatest enemies for the wicked shall stand still vpon the earth when the godly shall be rauished and caught vp into the Aire yea the wicked themselues shall see it and shall be vexed with horrible feare when they see the man honoured whom they despised and shall say within themselues This is he whom sometime wee had in derision wee sooles thought his life madnesse and his end without honour how is hee counted among the children of God! and his portion is among Saints Now for this benefite which the Saints are sure to enioy to wit their finall victory and glorious exaltation aboue all their enemies they here praise the Lord and so hath his Maiestie most iudiciously expounded this difficult place Wee shall raigne ouer the earth at the last and generall Iudgement And this exposition is both very comfortable for Saints now lying vnder the oppression of their enemies and agreeth well with the Analogie of faith Otherwise if we take the word properly for this same earth wherein we soiourne then S. Peter tels vs that we haue to looke for new heauens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse They lost their originall vertue and beautie by our transgression and shall receiue it againe and more at our restitution So are we taught by S. Paul The feruent desire of the creature waiteth when the sonnes of God shall be reucaled for then The creature also shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God and then both heauen and earth renewed shall bee the proper possession of Saints renewed Where if any man demand To what vse shall this earth and visible heauens serue in that Kingdome of glorie The answer is We shall know it when we shall see it for if the Lord will restore them to stand as monuments and witnesses of that first goodnesse which hee shewed vs in the Creation and we lost in the Transgression and he hath restored againe with much more in our Redemption who can say against it But lest we seeme to pry within the Arke let our care be rather to prepare our selues then before-hand curiously to enquire of it that which now we cannot vnderstand and let vs remember that answer which Photinus the predecessor of Irenaeus gaue to the Proconsull when he demanded of him who God was He answered Et tu si dignus â—…ueris videbis Euen thou if thou be worthy or meet for it shalt see him So we if we be renewed men shall know to what vse in that Day these new heauens and new
leaue the Faith of the Church It is Satan his subtilty with a fable of a false Antichrist to blinde the world that they should not know the true Antichrist who indeed is come already The wiser and more learned among them are ashamed of this fable and are forced by the euidence of Scripture to confesse that Antichrist is not to sit in Ierusalems Temple but it may very well be that hee shall sit at Rome as God-willing shall be declared hereafter The true causes of Dan his omission we are rather to thinke to be these two first of all the 12. Tribes they fell first to Idolatry continued therin vntill the day of the captiuity of the Land as is plainely told vs in the eighteenth of Iudges Secondly they were carelesse to prouide for themselues inheritance in Canaan after that the remnant Tribes were all settled yet had they a great part of their inheritance to seeke Now wee must remember that earthly Canaan to them was a type of the heauenly Canaan they were carelesse of the one and now no more remembred in the roule of them that shall be in the other It is a dangerous thing to despise types of mercy when God offereth them for by so doing men depriue themselues of the Truth figured by them Carnall Iewes counted no more of Canaan and regarded nothing but the commodity of the soile for habitation and benefits temporall which they enioyed therein but such as were spirituall loued it much more because it was a type and pledge of better A necessary warning for the men of this age who esteeme it a small sinne or no sinne to neglect the holy Communion wherein the Lord giueth earthly types of heauenly things they thinke little of them with Naaman the Syrian that the waters of Iordan are no better then the vvaters of Damascus but he till hee learned to reuerence the meanes ordained by God was not healed of his Leprosy and they cannot come to the participation of the Truth so long as they despise the types therof Yet as the most generall threatning of iudgement hath included in it an exception so are we not to thinke that here all Danites are excluded froÌ„ the benefit of this seale for Samson of the tribe of Dan had the honor to be a Iudge in Israel and is reckoned by the Apostle in the Catalogue of them who were renowned for their faith Onely the omission of Dan teacheth vs how farre the Lord abhorreth and detesteth Idolatry we are not to stretch it further and to gather out of it a determinate exclusion from mercy and grace of all particular persons belonging to that Tribe Now concerning Ephraim wee know that Ieroboam who first rent the ten tribes froÌ„ the kingdom of Dauid and erected them in a seuerall kingdom in the dayes of Rehoboâ—…m was of the Tribe of Ephraim he founded his kingdome vpon idolatry fearing if the people had reforted to the Temple which was in Iuda they would in time râ—…uolt againe to the house of Dauid Hee raised vp two Calues one in Bethel the other in Dan so not onely became an Apostat himselfe but also drew all the tenne Tribes to defection and therefore is he commonly in holy Scripture remembred with this note to his shame that he caused Israel to sin That sinful kingdome as the Prophet calls it continued but two hundred fifty and eight yeers The number of their Kings all this time vvere nineteen Kings euery one of them more wicked idolatrous then another The Lord for this shooke them like a Reede beateâ—… with the wind and consumed them like a Moth. So that among ninetâ—…en Kings nine or tenne times was the bloud Royall changed yet neuer any one of them learned by example of Gods wrath vpon others to repent of their idolatry and returne to the Lord. They kept precisely the fundamentall Law of the Kingdome layd by Ieroboam and would not forsake the calues of Dan and Bethel but it was to their owne destruction Woe to him that buildâ—… his house by iniquity Ieroboam their first King had a sonne Nadab but none mo of his race enioyed the kingdom 〈◊〉 of another bloud slaieth Nadab raigneth in his stead Ela also his sonne succeedeth after him but Zimri of another bloud cutteth away Elah And hee had scarce sitten downe in the royall chaire seuen dayes when Omri of anoâ—…er bloud dispatched him Omri hath three of his race that succeedes him in his kingdome Achab the son of Omri Ochosiâ—… the sonne of Achab and Ioram the brother of Ochosiah Then commeth in Iehu of another bloud he slayes Ioram and all the posterity of Achab and hath foure after himselfe lineally succeeding him to wit Ioachâ—… his sonne againe Ioas and his sonne Ieroboam the second and his sonne Zacharias he scarce reigned sixe moneths when Shallum of another bloud slayeth him and reigneth in his stead Menahen againe of another bloud he slayeth Shallum after Menaheâ—… reigneth his sonne Pekahiah two yeares then Pekah of another bloud the sonne of Remaliah hee slaieth Pekahiah then Hoshea of another bloud he conspires against him and slaieth Pekah he is the last of the Kings for the Lord raised vp Salmaneser against him who destroyed Samaria the chiefe City of the kingdom of Israel and carried away the whole ten tribes in captiuity to Assyria Thus was their idolatry the destruction of their kingdome where they thought by it to stablish it If any man thinke this cannot be the true cause why Ephraim is omitted in this Catalogue because the other Tribes were involued in the same Apostacy with Ephraim let him consider that their first King Ieroboam of Ephraim led all the rest vnto this horrible defection and therefore as I said is alway remembred with this reproach That hee made Israel to sinne But in this I will contend with no man Sure it is it should be a warning to all States and Kingdomes to beware of Idolatry specially of Apostasie and corruption of Gods vvorshippe and namely in such a Land where God is purely worshipped beside them This sinne shaketh subuerteth houses from the foundation and makes theÌ„ to spew out their old inheritors men of a base and vncouth bloud possesse the place of ancient Nobles Proofes heereof are many in this Land whereof I cease to speake VERSE 9. After these things I beheld and â—…o a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kinreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe clothed with white long robes and Palmes in their hands HAuing spoken of the sealing of Iewes lest we should thinke the saluation of God belonged to the Iewes only here are brought in an innumerable company of Gentiles who do also belong to the election of God Concerning them 3. things are noted vnto vs first their
come The warning premitted to the Viall is the ordinary and accustomed warning before the day of Iudgement Behold I come as a Thiefe Beside that the speech there is like vnto the speech heere Euery I le fled away and the Mountaines were not found But more cleerely in the twentieth chapter where none will deny that hee speaketh of the day of Iudgement where he saith I saw one from whose face fled away both earth and heauen The similitude of phrases vsed in all these places sheweth that this sixt seale also is to be vnderstood of the day of Iudgement But most cleerely of all doth it appeare out of that prediction made by our Sauiour in which after he hath made mention of great Persecutions Apostasies Heresies and false Christs which were to come hee sub-ioynes Immediately after the tribulation of these daies shall the Sunne be darkned and the Moone shall not giue her light and the Starres shall fall from heauen There hee vseth the same speeches which are vsed here and that in them hee pointeth at the day of Iudgement is plaine out of that which followeth Then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in heauen and then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourne and they shall see the Sonne of man comming in the cloudes of heauen with Power and great Glory and hee shall send his Angels with the great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together the Elect from the foure windes from the one end of heauen to the other These places conferred one with another let vs see that the sixt seale is to be expounded of the day of Iudgement The most iudicious Interpreters are of this minde also as God willing shall be declared when we come to the opening vp of the Seales Now as for the other difficultie concerning the seuenth chapter we resolue it thus that the seuenth chapter is a pendicle of the sixt containing per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a larger explication of the fifth and sixt Seales which the iudicious Reader will easily perceiue In the fifth Seale Saints cry for iudgement on their enemies The answer is giuen them that they should rest for a little season tâ—…ll their brethren were fulfilled Incontinent in the sixt Seale S. Iohn sees represented vnto him that terrible day of Iudgement for which Saints cryed The cause why the Iudgement longed for by Saints and seene by S. Iohn is delayed is plaine out of the seuenth chapter For in the beginning of that chapter he sees the Angels executors of that last Iudgement prepared Standing at the foure windes as S. Mathew speakes Or at the foure corners of the earth as S. Iohn speakes ready to fold it vp like an old Garment as the Psalmist cals it but that they are commanded to stay till the seruants of God be gathered and sealed as was answered to the cry of Saints in the fifth Seale This is the onely difficulty in the method of this first Prophecie the like whereof occurres not in any of the rest yet let that be pondered without preiudice which I haue said and the matter shall be plaine Needfull was it that the Seale shewing out the cry of slaine Martyrs and the answer giuen them should be explayned by a more full declaration of their felicity in heauen and that the Tragicall end of the wicked in the sixt Seale should haue set against it the Triumphant estate of the godly in heauen all which at length is done in the seuenth chapter and therefore I count it a pendicle of the sixt To conclude then in the sixt and seuenth chapter we haue the first Prophecy of this Booke and it is Generall The second Prophecie which is more Speciall THE second Prophecie commeth out of the bosome of the seuenth Seale It beginnes at the eighth chapter and continues to the twelfth It consists of seuen Trumpets whereof sixe containe six seuerall Proclamations made from heauen by Iesus Christ the great Captaine of his Church fore-warning his Saints and Souldiers vpon earth of battels which hee fore-saw comming against them hee sends out his Heralds to blow the Trumpet and sound the Alarum that his Saints might be wakened and armed to resist their enemies The seuenth Trumpet in the end of the eleuenth chapter concludes this Prophecie with a denunciation of that great Day of Iudgement which shall decide this Controuersie betweene the Church and her enemies and shall put an end to all This Prophecie I call more Speciall then the former The former hath fore-warned vs especially of troubles by violent persecution that shall follow the preaching and professing of the Gospell Here we are fore-told of somewhat more to wit that the Church hath to fight against sundry fraudulent heretiques by whom Satan shall labour to peruert the faith of Iesus Which I will not so to be vnderstood as if the first violent troubles of the Church were altogether voide of fraudulent heresies or that the second troubles of the Church by fraudulent heresies were without all violence but we so distinguish them because in the one the enemy fights against the Church especially by the sword in the other he fights against it especially by heresie The first ground we laid before is still to be kept wee must not knit this Prophecie to the former according to the course of time I meane as if it were posterior to the other in respect of time For the first Trumpet in respect of time goeth vp as high as the first Seale yet containing a new Reuelation of another matter then that which was fore-shewed in the Seales to wit as I said the troubles which the Church was to suffer euen to the darkening of her light and obscuring of her visible face by deceitfull heresies Where we are to obserue another thing which hath in this point miscarried many learned Interpreters They haue conceited that in the TruÌ„pets the Lord commeth forth in hostility against the enemies of his Church take these things sounded by the Trumpets to be great euils plagues and punishments denounced to the world for contempt of the Gospell whereas in very deed they point out the enemy comming in hostility ranged in seuerall battels to fight against the Church It is true the Lord after this commeth out in open battell against his enemies but not here in this place Marke it yet ouer againe for these grounds wherupon the Prophecy standeth would be deeppondered if once we vnderstand them the Prophecie will be the plainer The Trumpets and Vials differ this manner of way In the Trumpets Satan by his Instruments commeth out in arrayed battell against the Church Lest they should annoy her by suddaine inuasion or secret ambushment the Lord Iesus Captaine of his people warnes them by sound of Trumpet of the enemy approaching hee tels what troupes they are what stratagems they vse what armour they fight with that his Saints
may be armed to resist them In the Vials againe the Lord commeth forth in araied battell against the enemies of his Church rendring plagues proportionall to these sins by which they impugned and corrupted true doctrine This not being considered hath moued many iudicious men to thinke that for time and matter the Trumpets and Vials are both one but in truth they are not For cleering this matter once for all let vs remember how in the most obscure Prophecies of this Booke the Lord hath secretly laid downe a key which if men can finde they shall bee the more able by it to open the Prophecie Reade the fifth and sixt verses of the sixteenth chapter Lord thou art iust because thou hast iudged these things for they shed the bloud of the Saints and Prophets and therefore hast thou giuen them bloud to drinke In the Trumpets the wicked giue battell to the Lord In the Vials the Lord iudges and repaies them with plagues proportionall and correspondent to their sinnes It shall bee made plaine to him that reades without preiudice compare euery Trumpet with the correspondent Viall and yee shall see in the one men impugning the Truth of God and in the other God plaguing them correspondently In the Trumpets Antichrist riseth by degrees till he come to his height in the Vials God casts him downe by degrees To leaue the rest and compare but one In the fifth Trumpet Antichrist following his fore-runners commeth forth like a fallen Starre openeth the bottomlesse pit and bringeth out a smoake which darkeneth both the Sunne and the Aire that is both the light of the Gospell and glory of the Church for which the righteous Iudge in the fifth Viall powreth out wrath on the Kingdome of the Beast and darkneth his Throne the like throughout all the attentiue Reader may obserue comparing euery Trumpet with the correspondent Viall Thus in the Trumpets and Vials haue we seuerall Prophecies of seuerall times and matters yet standing in a relation the one to the other the practices of the enemy against the Church being pointed out in the Trumpets their punishments proportionall comming from God expounded in the Vials I haue the oftner and more plainely repeated this because I know how difficill a thing it is to draw men from their fore-stalled and preconceiued opinions Now the parts of this Prophecie are two first we haue a Preface in the first fiue Verses of the eighth next we haue the Prophecie it selfe continuing to the end of the eleuenth The Prophecie hath two parts first a prediction of the darkning of the light of the Gospell and obscuring of the face of the Church visible by heresies this we haue in the eighth and ninth chapters Next a prediction of the restitution of the Gospell againe and of the Church to her former avowed liberty so I meane for it was neuer nor cannot vtterly be abolished This is comfortably represented by the commandement giuen to S. Iohn to eate the little booke and to go and prophecie againe as also by the measuring of the Temple figuring the building and restitution of the Church defaced before by Antichrist bereft and spoiled of holy Scripture contained in the little Booke and of these spirituall Ornaments which made her glorious in the eyes of God and comfortable to the hearts of men This restitution of the light and reformation of the Church after the horrible darkenesse wherein our Fathers before vs were plunged is a working in our daies praised bee God for it And this second part is contained in the tenth and eleuenth chapters in the end whereof this second Prophecie is concluded with a Propheticall Prefiguration of the day of Iudgement The third Prophâ—…ie which is Particular THE third Prophecie of this Booke beginneth at the twelfth chapter and continueth to the end of the twentieth It is more Particular then any of the former for in it the Spirit of God passing by all other enemies or then in it touching them very lightly insists at more length then hee hath done in any of the two preceding Prophecies to fore-warne his Church of the troubles she was to suffer vnder Antichrist And this the Aduersaries themselues are forced to confesse that this Prophecie from the twelfth chapter forward is a prophecie of Antichrist so Viega and Ribera doe affirme before their Commentarie on the twelfth and it is necessarily to bee obserued for that which God willing after we shall heare The order obserued in this Prophecie is this shortly first the Capitall and Arch-enemie of the Church to wit Satan the Serpent that old Dragon is at length described in the twelfth chapter His restlesse fighting against the Church figured there by a Woman without intermission or yeelding euen when he is ouercome is plainely set downe in fiue seuerall Battels Here let mee remember the Christian Reader for commendation and confirmation of our Methode that those Interpreters who follow on this Prophecie by one continuall course of time when they come to the twelfth chapter are forced to go back againe to the daies of Christ the Booke maketh so plaine and easie methode for it selfe that men cannot winne by it Next in the thirteenth chapter wee haue described Satan his two principall Instruments by whom he fighteth against the Church these are figured by two Beasts the one Beast hauing seuen Heads and ten Hornes described from the first verse to the eleuenth This Beast signifies the Whole State of Rome opposite vnto Christ vnder whatsoeuer Title Head or Name and this manner of way that whole State opposite to Christ being considered in one Incorporation as making vp one Beast the Apostate Pope is described in the first Beast and maketh vp the seuenth and the last Head thereof But here two things are to be considered that albeit the troubles of the Christian Church proceed from the two last heads of the first Beast to wit from persecuting Emperours and persecuting Popes for in the daies of S. Iohn the first fiue Heads of the Beast were gone and away as he witnesseth chapter 17. verse 10. Yet that the Beast might be the better knowne he is described with all his Heads whereof persecuting Emperours gouerning the State Romane opposite to Christ was the sixt Head and persecuting Popes comming in the Emperours place when he was turned away made vp the seuenth Head The other thing to be marked here is that albeit the Pope be described in the first Beast with seuen Heads and ten Hornes as being the seuenth Head of the Beast yea and the Mouth thereof yet because the Lord Iesus fore saw that the Papall Power was to be the last the longest the greatest most dangerous enemy of the Church vnder the shadow of a Christian profession it pleaseth the Lord for the greater comfort and confirmation of his Church to figure that Kingdome of Popes in a Vision by it selfe and that
towre whose top may reach into heauen But their assumption of means to make good their Proposition is but weake they haue but bricke and clay to mount vp their Fort against heauen They are flesh not spirit dust before the wind stubble before the fire Thus of a proud proposition and weake assumption nothing followes in all their intentions but a fals fectlesse conclusion God disappoints their thoughts and turnes all their deeds to the fulfilling of his owne will This Vision in the iudgement of Hugo Lyra whom some of the recents follow is expounded to be a representation of God his constant gracious administration of the Church militant these wil haue the Heauen here to signifie the church the Throne to be true Religion the glassie sea to be Baptisme or as others thinks Doctrine the four liuing creatures full of eyes to be Pastors vvhich hereafter God willing in the particular explanation shall be declared to be farre otherwise This will not bee found the right accommodation of this type we rest in that we haue spoken as being the very truth of this type For the further clearing whereof looke backe and call to minde that which hath been said on the first verse A doore opened in heauen We are not yet come to the Prophecie wherein the state of the Church both militant and triumphant is set downâ—… wee are but in the entry of the prophecie wherein the author of the prophecie God the Father and reuealâ—…r of it God the Sonne are in most glorious manner represented so farre forth as may prepare the Church to receiue and belieue this prophecie considering from whom it comes So that heauen in this place is neither the Church militant nor the Church triumphant nor yet the place thereof but it is that representatiue heauen made to Saint Iohn in his extasie wherein a glorious adumbration of the diuine Maiestie ruling all is made vnto him and from whom hee receiues reuelation in types of such truthes as hereafter were to be performed concerning the Church both militant and triumphant It is needfull for the Reader attentiuely to consider this that hee may vnderstand that which perhaps I haue not sufficiently explaned and yet is most needfull to be knowne Here there is no Vision of Prediction but of Preparation And one sate one the Throne He saies simply he saw one sitting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he tells not who he giues him no name God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without name at least his name is Maruelous no name can tell what he is He cannot said Arethas be defined as hee that is inuisible vnmeasurable and he sees him sitting as a Iudge of a quiet vnperturbed mind not mooued with affections as men are or passions that preiudge equitie These are far from the Lord he sitteth hearing all causes discerning decreeing and working all after his owne most holy will VERSE 3. And he that sate was to looke vpon like a Iasper and a Sardine stone and there was a rainebow round about the Throne in sight like vnto an Emerald VVE haue here first a description of the glorious Maiestie of GOD sitting on his Throne and ruling the world Next of the honorable court that attends him and compasseth his Throne Saint Iohn hath said before that one sate vpon the Throne this doubtlesse is the Lord of whom neither Saint Iohn nor any other creature Man nor Angel can speake as he is but is forced to shadow him vnto vs according to that representation wherby it pleases the Lord to shew himselfe Apparet Deus quibus vult et sicuti vult sed non sicuti est God appeares to whom hee will and as he will not as he is For if hee appeared as he is then should he appeare in one manner for GOD is one but we know that many manner of waies hath he beene represented Concerning the Iasper and the Sardine diuerse things are alleaged by the Interpreters Iaspidis color est aquae Sardii ignis the colour of the Iasper is the colour of water the colour of the Sardine is the colour of fire figuring two great iudgements of God quorum vnum in cataclysmo aliud consummabitur per ignem vvhereof the one vvas made by water in the Deluge the other shall be made by fire Others by these two stones vnderstand the two natures of Christ. Iaspis viridem habet colorem quae supra omnes colores sensus maxime comfortat diuinitatem notat the Iasper hath a greene colour which aboue all colours doth most comfort the senses and it signifies the diuinitie of Christ. Sardius rubrum habet colorem quia humanitas rubricata fuit sanguine passionis the Sardine hath a red colour figuring the humane nature of Christ which was made red and bloudy by the Passion Hitherto agrees that of Epiphanius that Sardius qui Babylonius etiam dicitur rusus lapis est qui sanguinis propemoduÌ„ colorem referat pellucidus est et tumoribus et vulneribus ferro inslictis medetur the Sardine which is also called the Babylonian is a red stone shewing the colour of bloud it is bright and helps tumors in wounds inflicted with vveapons of yron This might properly agree to Christ but he is not here described Yet there are some who will haue the whole three persons of the blessed Trinity shadowed here By the Iasper quae gemmarum est mater which is the mother of precious stones they will haue the Father represented by the Sardine quae carneo colore rubet carneolus dicitur which hath a red fleshie hiew the Sonne is represented and by the Emerald the holy Ghost All these are according to the analogie of faith and not against the truth of this Text. Vnto them we adde with other Diuines this also The Iasper beeing a precious stone of greene colour figureth his eternitie He is euer liuely and flourishing without fading or decaying he changes not yea no shadow of change is in him The heauens wax old as a garment but thou art the same And this liuing and refreshing vortue he communicates to his Saints Hee keepes their soules in life They who are planted in the courts of the Lords house flourish in their old dayes He renewes them then euen when they are decaying they cannot be vndone by death who by grace are in followshippe with him who liueth for euer The Sardine againe is a precious stone of a red colour representing another propertie of the Diuine nature which is his iustice in regard whereof he is vnto the wicked A consuming fire Yet the Naturalist hath obserued Sardium oleo hebetari sic iustitia Dei per misericordiaeoleum mitigatur that the Sardine is blunted by oyle it makes it relent of the rednes and so is the iustice of GOD mitigated with the oyle of his mercie for mercy reioyceth against iudgement therefore
descripta qui soli quid in Deo sit viderunt True Religion is described in the writings of the Apostles and Prophets who onely did see what is in God Credere debemus quod Scripturae perfectae sunt quippe à verbo Dei Spiritu eius dictae Wee ought to beleeue that the Scriptures are perfect as being endited by the Word and Spirit of God His niti firma est Petra his derelictis alijs niti quibuslibet doctrinis est in effusa arena aedisicare To depend on the holy Scripture is to build on a sure Rock but to leaue them and depend vpon any other doctrine is to build vpon sand Si fidelis est Dominus in omnibus sermonibus suis fidelia omnia mandata eius manifesta est elapsio à side superbiae crimen aut reprobare quid ex his quae scripta sunt aut superinducere quid ex non scriptis Sith God is faithfull in all his words and all his commandements are true it is a manifest falling from the faith either to reiect any thing that is written or to receiue any thing that is not written Many more might be added but that it were tedious But their other assertion is much more blasphemous Is the satisfaction that Christ hath made to the Father for vs imperfect Must it be supplyed by humane satisfactions Did not the Cup which our Sauiour dranke for our sinnes in the Garden make his Soule heauy and his Body to sweat bloud Who is it that dare drinke out that which our Sauiour hath left vndrunken If the brimme of the cup so troubled him who is able to drinke out the bottome Certainely none at all If the most holy man that euer liued were appointed to beare the punishment that is due to one of his smallest sinnes it would vtterly confound him If they knew this and were touched with the smallest sense of the wrath of God they would close their blasphemous mouthes from speaking of the insufficiency of Christ his satisfaction or of any help or supply to be adioyned to his merits VERSE 3. And no man in heauen nor in earth nor vnder the earth was able to open the Booke nor to looke thereupon THE answer of the Angels Proclamation is here subioyned in a strong negation that none in heauen nor in earth nor vnder the earth could open the Booke This speech hath in it a Propheticall amplification which makes the amplification the stronger to exclude all creatures from this dignity that it may be reserued to Iesus Christ alone hee onely is worthy to open the Booke The Iesuites of Rhemes shew themselues ridiculous in the exposition of this place these are their words Hee speakes not of the damned in hell of whom there could be no question but of the faithfull in Abrahams bosome and in Purgatorie I pray you is there any question at all when he had said None in heauen could do it what needed him to subioyne Nor in earth Was there any question that could be found on earth worthy to open the Booke sith none in heauen could do it Is this spoken by way of question No but as I haue said it imports a strong negation Now as to your faithfull that you bring in here to be in Limbo which wrongfully yee call Abrahams Bosome was Abraham or any of the faithfull at this time in Limbo According to your doctrine when Christ descended to hell then hee harried hell hee left not a soule there but loosed them all out of that prison This Proclamation was more then fifty yeeres after Christs resurrection and will yee now haue any faithfull soules to bee still there euen contrary to your owne doctrine No better is your other allegation of your faithfull in Purgatorie Sith none in heauen could open this Booke I am sure it was neuer the Angels purpose to seeke any in any house of hell to do it It is your shame that in so impudent a manner against so cleere light yee abuse and deceiue the world with your forgeries VERSE 4. Then I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to reade the Booke neither to looke thereon IN this is declared the louing affection of S. Iohn toward the Church hee mournes for that shee should be depriued of the comfort of this Reuelation all that are true and feeling members of the Church are grieued for the troubles of the Church her wants her losses and the least obscuring of her glorie is the matter of their mourning and of all losses they apprehend this most the want of the comfort of the Word for where no Vision is there the people perish Eli was not so much moued at the report of the death of his two sonnes as when he heard that the Arke of the Lord was captiued Then hee fell from his seate backeward and died And his daughter in Law when she in like manner heard that the Arke was captiued brake her heart through displeasure notwithstanding they comforted her because she had born a son yet she answered not nor regarded it but named the childe Ichabod No glorie saying The glory is departed from Israel Nehemiah was for himselfe in a good estate in the seruice of King Artashaste but when Hanani told him of the desolation of Ierusalem the sorrow of his heart made his countenance sad before the King the welfare of Ierusalem was dearer vnto him then the welfare of his owne estate But now the Church is full of bastard children who haue no compassion of her estate if they as the Prophet speakes of carnall Israelites be at ease themselues they sorrow not for the affliction of Ioseph Againe here is a plaine difference betweene such as are inspired with the Spirit of Christ and others possessed with the spirit of Antichrist the opening of the Bible to the one is a matter of their ioy to the other a matter of their griefe Iohn weepes because the Booke was closed Antichrist and his crue grudge and rage this day because the Booke is opened These are the brood of these Heretiques whom Tertullian of old called Lucifugae they hate the light because it conuinceth them of darkenesse VERSE 5. And one of the Elders said vnto me Weepe not behold the Lyon which is of the Tribe of Iuda the Roote of Dauid hath obtained to open the Booke and to loose the seuen Seales thereof VVE haue heard before S. Iohn mourning now we heare him comforted This is God his order Blessed are they who mourne for they shall be comforted Mourning must go before consolation sorrowfull teares are the seed of plentifull ioy No man putteth new wine into old bottels The consolations of the Lord are better then wine they comfort they refresh they strengthen the soule but the old heart is not capable of them we must therefore by mourning empty our hearts of our old sinnes before
into swine till the Lord giue him licence he is reserued in chaines which hinders and restraines his malice There are two chaines vpon him which bind him and other two which torment him but of these we haue spoken Rom. 8. To take peace from the earth I maruell vvhat moued Brightman to say that in the second seale Non agitur de persecutione Ecclesiae sed de tempestate bellorum qua orbis terrarum concutietur There is no mention of the persecution of the Church but of troublesome warres wherewith the world shall be shaken His reason is from this word The Rider on the red horse hath power to take peace from the earth that is frō the men of the world figured by the earth not from the Church which is figured by heauen as if commotions of Kingdomes imported not a disturbance of the peace of the Church yet in few lines after hee cleane forgets himselfe for thus he writes Marcus Aurelius Antoninus grauem in Christianos persecutionem mouit quam vt compesceret secundum Animal Iustinus scilicet vocem suam edidit that Marcus Aurelius Antoninus mooued a heauy persecution against the Christians to pacifie and stay it Iustine Martyr vttered his voice but it was the bullocks voice it preuailed not as did the first Voice to wit of the Lyon It is a pittie to see learned men miscarried with such idle speculations and Commentaries which neither agree with the Text nor with their owne words but leauing him This peace which the first executor of Gods wrath takes from the earth is peace externall and the Spirit of God purposely so speakes that most cruell persecutors can do no more but take peace from the earth that is peace externall for as for that inward peace of God worldly men neuer had it and so it cannot be taken from them Our Lord hath left it in Legacie to his Church My peace I leaue you and that with assurance that none can take it from them Yet the breaking of peace externall brings in with it persecution of the externall estate of Christians so our Sauiour witnesseth himselfe I came not to bring peace but the sword What shall ensue hereof See of that which he subioynes Brother shall betray the brother to the death and the father the son and children shall rise against their parents and cause them to die Of this it is cleere how the disturbance of externall peace by the sword imports a persecution of the Church As true Religion binds vs to God so it diuorces vs from them were they neuer so neerly bound to vs in respect of nature who are enemies to the Truth of God therefore is Leui praised that in the cause of God he said to his father and mother I know you not And of this it is euident that to procure externall peace in a Kingdome by granting as they call it liberty of conscience is an vnwise policie the Arke of God and Dagon will not both stand in one Temple Iacob and Esau will not agree in one wombe Diuersitie of Religion puts Fathers Brethren and Children by the eares euery one of them against others How then can it make peace And that they should kill one another Persecuters are profitable to them whom they persecute but indeed pernicious to themselues They are as the coales which melteth and sineth the gold but consume themselues they are compared by the Psalmist to a Rasor Nouacula quae non admittitur nisi ad supers◅ua nostra which onely cuts away our superfluities but euen in so doing they are hurtfull and pernicious to themselues which our Sauiour properly expressed when hee said to S. Paul a Persecutor It is hard for thee to kick against the prick Durum calcitranti non stimulo by persecuting my Saints thou procurest hurt to thy selfe Stories of all ages proue this that the wicked drawing their sword against Saints haue turned it in the end either on themselues for the cruelty of the wicked shall fall vpon his owne pate or else one of them against another So Eusebius witnesseth of Pilate Factus est suiipsius iudex vindex he was made both his owne Iudge and his owne Burrio Nero after he had persecuted many Christians to the death is pursued by Galba and sticketh himselfe Galba is slaine by Otho and shortly after Otho is slaine by Vitellius Domitian who banished S. Iohn and employed his seruants and subiects to persecute Christians was murthered by two of his owne Domesticks not without the counsell of his wife Maximinus and his sonne rent asunder by his owne suddarts they all crying with one voice Ex pess◅mo genere ne catu◅um quidem esse seruandum Looke to Valerian and Dioclesian and all the rest of that sort and yee shall see the sword of persecuters in Gods righteous iudgements turned vpon themselues VERSE 5. And when he had opened the third Seale I heard the third liuing creature say Come and see Then I beheld and loe a Black Horse and he that sate on him had Ballances in his hand IN the opening of the third Seale we haue first the Preparation the same which was premitted before the opening of the former two then wee haue the Vision it selfe wherein the Lord threatneth the world with the plague of famine for contempt of the Gospel This plague is first propounded in a type ver 5. next expounded in a plaine speech ver 6. In the Type there is a black Horse and the Rider thereupon hauing Ballances in his hand This is a Vision farre different from the first the white Horse commeth into the world and a crowned Conquerour riding vpon him hee is not receiued but on the contrary persecuted to punish their sinne now comes in the black Horse for sure it is black and dolefull tydings are abiding them who will not receiue the ioyfull tydings of the Gospell This plague of famine is figured by a blacke Horse from the effect thereof for it blackneth the most beautifull countenances of men The Nazarites of Ierusalem which were purer then the snow whiter then the milke their visage is blacker then the coales If the Lord with-draw from man the comfort of his creatures his courage strength countenance and all failes him Alas that foolish man cannot consider this Sith he cannot endure to want the comfort of the least of God creatures how is he able to endure the want of God his own fauourable face If the Sunne refuse to shine vnto thee if the Aire deny thee respiration or breathing if the Earth deny thee her fruits doth not vaine man turne into nothing How then can he be but vtterly confounded if the Lord shall cast downe his countenance vpon him according to that of the Psalmist When thou with rebukes dost chastise man for iniquitie thou as a moth makest his beauty to consume Yea the comfort of all creatures
though thou hadst them were not able to vphold thee if the Lord in his anger look downe vpon thee A fearfull example hereof we haue in Baltasar the last of the Assyrian Monarches who hauing about him all worldly comforts that the heart of man could craue yet when the Lord wakened his conscience and wrote his doome with three fingers of an hand vpon the wall ouer against him his countenance changed his flesh trembled his knees smote one against the other his spirit was perturbed and none of his comforts could comfort him Sith it is so that we cannot endure to want his creatures farre lesse can we liue if wee want himselfe will we still prouoke the Lord to wrath by our sinnes Are we stronger then hee that any way we should be able to beare the force of his indignation Why then are we not more carefull to make peace with him Thou canst not resist him why wilt thou not bee reconciled with him God giue vs wise and vnderstanding hearts that in time wee may consider of it This plague of famine comes in into the third roome and is not to be limited within any definite time for as the course of the white Horse shall continue to the worlds end so where he is reiected the Black and the Pale shall follow ac-according as it pleaseth the Lord to appoint them Cotterius who assigneth seuen yeares and no more to euery Seale confesseth hee cannot proue that this plague of famine threatned heere should be restrained to seuen yeares onely and so it is indeed for where the red Horse followes the White to persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell it is a righteous thing with God to send in the Blacke and the Pale Horses to plague them They who despise the Bread of Life are iustly punished when bread needfull for the body is taken from them Seek first the Kingdome of heauen all other things shall be ministred vnto you And on the contrary where men will not receiue the Kingdome of God offered vnto them all other things which they would haue shall be taken from them They shall not enioy the comforts of the earth who despise the pleasures of heauen proclaimed and preached by the Gospell The blind world blameth the Gospell most wrongfully as if it were the cause why men are plagued with famine and pestilence but we see the true cause is the persecution and contempt of the Gospell So the Iewes of old ignorantly gloried as the Papists do now that there was wealth enough when they worshipped the Queene of heauen And Infidels in the Primitiue Church imputed Famine Pest and such like to the Christians But heere the true causes of wealth and of want are discouered to vs. And yet still they obiect that Famine and Pestilence cannot be plagues sent vpon the world for contempt of the Gospell because Preachers and Professors of the Gospell are not exempted from them But this is easily answered for good men and euill as in one and the selfe-fame action so also in one and the selfe-fame passion are farre different one from another Cain and Abel sacrificed yet was the one accepted the other reiected their hands wrought alike but not their hearts Iudas said I haue sinned in betraying Christ Peter I haue sinned in denying Christ Alike in confession but not in contrition and confidence Two Malefactors crucified with Christ the one continuing in his sinne blasphemed him the other by grace conuerted from his sinne blessed him There yee haue in like action and like passion an vnlike disposition Quicunque boni malique pariter afflictâ—… sunt non ideo ipsi distincti non sunt quia distinctum non est quod vtrique perpessi sunt manet tamen dissimilitudo passorum etiam in similitudine passionum licet sub eodem tormento non est idem virtus vitium Good and euill men are not therefore not distinguished because it is not distinguished which they suffer There is a great dissimilitude of the sufferers euen in the similitude of suffering and vnder one and the selfe-fame torment yet are not vertue and vice one and the same The same answer before him gaue Cyprian to the Ethnickes when they obiected the like to Christians Thinke not saith he that yee and wee because we both suffer in the like afflictions are therefore alike when we are stricken like you yet are we not like Ne putes participem esse poenae tuae quem non vides participem doloris tui thinke him not partaker of thy punishment whom thou seest not partaker of thy paine Now the Rider on this blacke Horse is said to haue a Ballance in his hand first in token of penurie and scarcity he giues bread vnto men not by measure but by weight which is according to the curse threatned in the Law When I shall break the staffe of your bread then ten women shall bake your bread in one Ouen and they shall deliuer your bread againe by weight and yee shall eate and not bee satisfied A token of great scarcity when in one Ouen as much bread is baked as must serue seuen Families and which yet is worse They shall eat and not be satisfied Secondly the Ballance in the hand of him who brings this plague of Famine notes the equity of God in the execution of his Iudgements hee makes his plagues proportionall to the sinnes of men and in punishing them doth nothing vnrighteously Hitherto tend these borrowed speeches of Lines Measures and Cups vsed in holy Scripture to expresse the moderation and equity of God euen in punishing hee keeps a measure a rule and order But in the execution of mercy it is farre otherwise for our best seruice is not worth the least of his mercies our recompence is not by lines nor measures but as our Sauiour speaketh A good measure pressed downe and shaken together and running ouer shall bee giuen vnto you The Lord shall doe to vs aboundantly aboue all wee can aske or thinke Much more aboue all that we haue done VERSE 6. And I heard a Voice in the midst of the foure liuing creatures say A measure of Wheate for a peny and three measures of Barly for a peny and Oile and Wine hurt thou not NOW followes the exposition of the former Type wherein by a Proclamation from the Throne or the Lamb that sits thereon the plague threatned here is declared to be famine dearth The Choenix in the iudgement of all Interpreters is such a measure of dry corne as might serue to be bread for a day vnto one man The penie againe was the ordinary wages of a common Labourer for a day as is cleere out of the Parable of the Vineyard and those who laboured in it So great then shall the Dearth be that a man labouring all the day long shall be able to gaine no more bread
fifteene hundred thousand and moe of men able to draw sword And here of all ages onely a hundred and forty foure thousand are sealed to eternall life to teach vs they are few in comparison of the rest So Augustine vnderstands that place of Ieremy I shall take you one of a Citie and two of a Tribe and shall bring you to Sion There is a narrow shifting few are taken in respect of them who are left Though the number of Israel were as the sand of the Sea yet shall but a remnant be saued This is more plainely for all spoken by our Sauiour It is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which goe in there at but the gate is strait and the way is narrow that leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it This should waken vs to take heed to our selues the fewer they be who are to be saued the more carefull should we be to make sure our calling and election by well dooing As to the order obserued in the reckoning out of these Tribes wee are to knowe that sometime they are reckoned according to that order which Iacob their Father kept in blessing them Sometime againe they are reckoned according to their excellencie as heere Iuda had the prerogatiue of dignitie for it is certaine The Lord sprang out of Iuda Sometime the order of their natiuity is obserued and so Aaron had them grauen in twelue precious stones vpon his brest to present them vnto the Lord Figuring by a sweer relation the Lord Iesus presenting his Saints to the Father in more effectuall and comfortable a manner and then Ruben is first Simeon second Leui third Iuda fourth but here they are not so numbred for in the kingdome of Heauen prerogatiues of birth or bloud will not be respected It is good reason that in this life such dignities should make a distinction among men and cause one to be preferred before another but it will not bee so there There is neither Iew nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus VERSE 5. Of the Tribe of Iuda were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Ruben vvere sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Gad were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 6. Of the Tribe of Aser were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Nephtali were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Manasse were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 7. Of the Tribe of Simeon were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Leui were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Issachar were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 8. Of the Tribe of Ioseph were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Beniamin vvere sealed twelue thousand COncerning these Tribes it is needlesse for vs to speake particularly of that which may be found written of them in the holy storie Primasius and others runne out here vpon Allegories not very pertinent to this purpose we wil onely speake a little of the nomination of Leui and the omission of Dan. Leui had no inheritance in earthly Canaan they were dispersed in Iuda and scattered in Israel that they might teach Iacob the iudgements and Israel the Law of the Lord yet now haue they their portion in heauenly Canaan with the rest Let this serue for a comfort to the Lords seruants vvho are set ouer others to teach them the way of saluation and to minister spirituall things vnto them who will not so much as requite them with corporall entertainment of their worldly things what thou wantest at the hands of men the Lord shall recompence it Laban defrauded Iacob of his vvages notwithstanding that he serued him faithfully but the Lord payed him and recompenced all his losses Again albeit the Tribe of Leui as we haue said had the charge to teach all the rest of the Tribes yet are no moe sealed then of other Tribes all were Teachers but all are not sealed Heereof ariseth a caution for Preachers and a comfort for Professors They are not all saued who are of the holy calling not all Priests not all Prophets not all Apostles not all Preachers à profane man may be in the holy calling but will it profit him No more then the Arke did Ophni and Phinees Yet Preachers if they be faithfull shall not vvant their great reward For they vvho turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the Starres for euer Professors againe let them not be discouraged though they be not called to be Preachers they are not of Leui his Tribe yet is it sufficient for their saluation if they be of Iuda his Tribe and called to be Saints Neither shall they be depriued of this dignitie to be Fellovv-helpers of Preachers if they loue them pray for them helpe them counsell them comfort them that they may doe the worke of God vvith ioy and not with griefe So Saint Paul giueth this commendation to Aquila and Priscilla that they were â—…his fellow-helpers in Christ they could not preach the Gospell yet receiue they this praise that they were Saint Paul his fellow-helpers in preaching Now as concerning the omission of Dan the reason of this giuen by Iesuites is because as they alledge Antichrist was to come of Dan. But with as good a warrant might they say that Antichrist shall come of Ephraim for he is omitted also Antichrist say they shall come three yeeres and an halfe before the second comming of Christ and no sooner At this time the Tribe of Dan had not brought out the Antichrist and will Iesuites haue the Lord here to depriue them of their dignity for sinnes to be done it being a common equitie which the Lord keepes in all his waies the sinne is first coÌ„mitted by the wicked before that iudgement by the Lord be executed vpon them Hee hath spared wicked men as he did the Amalekites many yeeres after they had sinned they sinned in the dayes of Moses they are punished in the dayes of Samuel foure hundred yeeres after but that the Lord hath punished a people sixteen hundred yeeres and more before they committed the sinne as this doting diuinitie of Iesuites would make vs to belieue it hath not been heard and is without all example But when the Iewes shall get another Christ for whom they looke to come out of the Tribe of Iuda then shall the Iesuites get another Antichrist for whom they looke out of the Tribe of Dan and that shall neuer be They cite Ambrose for confirmation of their opinion he saith it indeed but shewes no warrant for it we willingly embrace the Fathers gold but will not gather their drosse according to that ancient rule of Vincentius Lirinensis Doctors should be receiued with the Faith of the Church but we must not with the Doctors
multitude for it is said No man could number them Next their varietie they are of all Nations and people Thirdly their vnity in their action and song common to them all These three coniunctly doe greatly augment the glory and felicity of Saints redeemed As for their multitude The Lord promised to make the seed of Abraham in number like the stars of heauen and sand of the sea Some of the Fathers by the starres of heauen will haue Israelites to be figured and by the sand of the sea Gentiles Howeuer that be it is plaine out of this place that the number of elected Gentiles doth farre exceed the number of elected Iewes Multitude as I said doth greatly increase the glory of Saints Euery one of them by themselues are beautifull glorious and maruelous creatures but all of them coniunctly in one multitude and fellowship make their beautie and glorie farre greater For one of them hinders not another one of them derogates not from another it is so with multitudes of men on earth but not so with the multitude of Saints in heauen the moe in nuÌ„ber they be the greater is the ioy glory of all Thus in the first creation the Lord considering euery one of his works seuerally said of them And the Lord saw it was good But when he looked vpon all coniunctly then it is said And God saw all that he had made loe it was very good Their variety is noted here that they were of all nations kindreds people tongues and yet their variety is no impediment to their vnity for they all sing one song as we shal heare shortly Of this we learn that the Church in not bound to any one nation or place as the Donatists of old would haue it included in such places of Afric as pleased them and Papists now will acknowledge no church but Romane Shall Churches of other Nations Tongues be no Churches because they are not Romane I know all Churches are of one communion but the band of their coÌ„munion is their faith in Christ who is the head of them all and not their profession of subiection to the Sea of Rome that is but the Beast his vsurpation and can no way be shewed or proued to descend from Diuine dispensation Shall that most ancient Church of the East composed of Grecians a Nation acknowledged by her aduersaries to be a Mother Church in whose language the new Testament was written of Syrians in which tongue the Son of God pronounced his Oracles of Slauonians Russians 〈◊〉 and others in whose bosome are almost all the Apostolike Seas and in whose Iurisdiction were celebrate souen Vniuersall Councelâ—… shall 〈◊〉 East Church I say be no Church because it speakes not the Romane tongue Or shall the Patriarch of Constantinople President thereof be no Patriarch because he is not subject to the Pope of Rome No sure it is many thousands of good Christians are among them Or shall the South Church which containeth the Nubians the Abyssines subiects of the King of Ethiop otherwise called Prester-Iohn beside many other scaâ—…ered in Egypt Arabia Caldea with their Primate resident in Caire called Patriarch of Alexandria and his deputy or substitute in Ethiop called Abuâ—… that is Our Father who look for the remission of their sins in the bloud of Iesus haue their Leiturgies not so agreeable to the Church of Rome as to the Churches reformed And beside those shall the Christians of Tartaria in the North Persâ—… and the Kingdomes of the East Indies with their Prelate resident at Seleucia Shall all these bee no Churches no Christians Sith they hold the Christian faith suppose with different Ceremonies Shall these be reiected because they are not Romane and professe not subiection to the Bishop of Rome I speake not of the Churches reformed in Germany England Scotland France Flanders Swethia Poland I know the Church of Rome accounts these for hereticall But it is now more then three hundred yeeres since Reinerius an Inquisitor gaue vnto them this testimonie atleast to their fathers and predecessors They called them Waldenses Leonistae and by other such like opprobrious names But this Sect hath beene of longer continuance then any other for some say it hath endured since the time of Siluester others say it hath endured since the Apostles time Secondly it is more generall then any other for there is almost no Land to which this Sect doth not creepe Thirdly all other Sects do bring in an horrour with the haynousnesse of their blasphemies against God but this Sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of godlinesse because they liue iustly before men and beleeue all things well concerning God and all the Articles contained in the Creed Onely they blaspheme and hate the Church of Rome It is not then to be thought that the Christian Church of Gentiles is to be restrained to the Church of Rome No but the Christian Church hath in her bosome some of all Nations Kindreds People and Tongues who keep the faith of Iesus and are not for that no Christians because not Romane Stood before the Throne Their standing notes their firmenesse and stabilitie in glory they shall neuer fall from it againe Adam was created in a happie estate hee continued not long in it hee had his saluation in his owne keeping and he easily lost it but with Saints redeemed it is not so Secondly it notes that they are in great fauour with the Lord gracious and acceptable to him They are not licenced to stand in the presence of Princes with whom Princes are displeased therefore Haman when they saw the King angry with him they couered his face and carried him out to the Gibbet and hanged him In the end of the last Chapter the wicked cryed out Who can stand but heere Saints are brought in standing before the Throne For the Lord loueth them hee delights in his Saints yea he hath promised that hee himselfe shall bee a Crowne of glory and Diademe of beautie to his people But of this God willing more hereafter And thirdly their standing may imporâ—… their promptnesse and readinesse to attend the praise and the seruice of the Lord our God Cloathed in long white Robes The white Robe is ascribed to them to note first that they are holy pure and vndefiled for Christ loued his Church and gaue himselfe for it that hee might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word that he make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame So are the soules glorified in heauen and so shall our bodies be also without any spot of vncleannesse and therefore represented to S. Iohn couered with white Robes Next the white Robe hath in it some signification of their blessed estate in glory immortality
dead childe and reserue nothing for the other Si melioricuncta dare nolueris diuide saltem ex aequo If thou wilt not giue all to the best and eldest at least diuide it equally between them Thy two children are thy two liues the one temporall the other eternall the eldest is life eternall it was ordained for vs before the foundations of the world were laid this childe is liuely neither subiect to death nor any kinde of disease the yonger childe is life temporall a languishing life deadly diseased is this childe and will not liue Shall wee therefore be so foolish as to care for that which cannot be conserued and neglect the other which endureth for euer and is able if it be ours to conserue vs also in a most happie and immortall fellowship with our God in Christ for euer and euer The Lord make vs wise in time to consider this that we may make choise of the best AMEN FINIS A Table of the principall points of Doctrine handled in this Treatise A ABsolute Authority due to God p. 281 Adam knew the creature by the Creator Now his sonnes are sent to the creature to learne the Creator 88 Eternity is God his proper praise and of the comfort by it cōming to the Church 106 Affliction makes a Christian stronger 302 Altars honoured with reliques of Martyrs 238. Altar vnder which soules rest what it is 239 Amen what it signifies and how vsed in the Primitiue Church Angels described 109. Why they are said to compasse the Throne 103. Their properties 105. their nature and number 104. 105. Why represented by Men Lyons Bullockes and Eagles 107. Their three-fold Eyes 105. Their sixe wings what they are 111. 112. Their function 112. Angels and men were at variance but now they sing one song 151. Angels stand and neuer fell Man fel and is raised vp to stand 180. How they praise God for Redemption 179. What benefit they haue by it Ibid. Their Order 181. Their Place 182. Their Song 183. They are our Patterns 249. Foure Angels at the foure corners of the earth what they signifie 271 Antichrist defended by Papists by such arguments as wherewith the Iewes impugned Christ. 10. He is not to come from Dan. 290. His name hated by Papists but himselfe honored 9. Then shall Iesuites get another Antichrist then the Pope when Iewes get another Christ then Iesus 290 Arrowes of iudgement and mercy 206. 207 Aire a necessary Element for all liuing creatures 273. Angustine his memory how it failed him in a Sermon 203 Atheists answered who cry for one from the dead 4. Their mouthes stopped 104. B BAnquet in heauen 334 Beasts foure signifie not Preachers nor yet the foure Euangelists 193. Two Beasts by which Satan ◅ights against the Church 50. Why the first Beast is described with seuen heads sith two of them onely persecuted the Church 51 Deuouring Beasts a plague and examples thereof 234. 235. The foure Beasts cannot be the foure Euangelists 103. 104. But are Types of principall Angels 103 Bloud of Christ medicinall ◅20 All bloud pollu◅ but the bloud of Iesus cleanseth 321. It hath a three-fold vertue 323 Bodie a burden depressing the soule 76 Booke two waies taken in holy Scripture 126. The opening thereof a ioy to Christians a griefe to Antichristians 136 Booke written within and without what it meanes 128 How God is said to haue a Booke 124. Strange opinions concerning it 125. What it is 126. Two scandals laid on the Booke of the Reuelation 6. Vse Author and time of it 2. 3. 4. 5 Booke of the Reuelation authentike 5. Obscurity thereof 6. A proper methode thereof taken out of it selfe 35. 36. 38 Bread of life 222 Brother-hood Christian. 248 C CAndlestick of gold what it sigureth 148 Catalogue of Writers on the Reuelation 13 Christ his name loued by the Iewes but himselfe hated 10 his Office◅ 133. From him commeth all comfort none from the creature 137. Why a Lyon and a Lamb. 138. 139. His description 137. Hee is the root of Iesse Iesse the roote of Christ. 139. He was made man of the seed of man once sinfull 140. Hee i◅ on the Throne with the Father 143. Christ was really slaine 194. yet liued againe Ibid. Hee hath seuen Eyes 146. Why he appeared with scarres of his wounds 145. No impotencie but power shewed therein Ibid. His Eyes of Prouidence and Eyes of Grace 147. His Diuinity 146. Hee receiued full grace that he might giue it 147. Hee is the great Doctor 149. Christ Angels and Saints redeemed are all in one fellowship 282. How he is an Angell 274 Christ keepes his Fathers priuy Seale 276. How hee commeth from the East 269. His feruent loue 281. Hee repaires euery losse that Satan hath inflicted by sinne 260. Hee is the Sacrifice the Sacrificer and the Altar 239 Christ many waies figured 205. A good Archer and what are his Bow and Arrowes 206. Two waies crowned 208 Christians by information not inspiration 142. None should ride on a Christian but Christ. 201. Hee should make sure his owne saluation 249 Christians are Lambes but Christ is a Lambe in another sense 320. They are Kings and Priests and should not serue sinne 174. 175 Church cannot be consumed by the Crosse. 215. nor hurt by her enemies Ibid. It is not bound to one place 296. 297. Churches professing Christianity in the world 298. The Church is a circle 92. Compared to the Moone 94. Prosperity thereof deare to true Christians 135. The true Church worships no creatures 119. Church on earth conserued from heauen 184 Come and see 192 Comforts and crosses intermixt 212 Corrections 229 Conscience corrupted dare not runne to God 265. 266 Condition of good and euill men contrary in this life and after it 270 Con◅ntine the Great made too great 274 Court of heauen encreaseth daily 313. The comely order of it 89. 314 Conuersion 1 Contrition 160 Concord by Christ made among creatures of most contrary kinds 152 Consolation 2. It followes mourning 137 Confirmation 2 Couenant temporall and common 86 Creatures declare that God is but define not what he is 87. They teach more then man can learne 88. What a voice the insensible creature hath 185. All creatures concurre to punish the wicked 256 Creation is a short Prouidence 120. Creation is common not so the comfort of Creation Ibid. How it bindes vs to serue God 121 Crosse a way to the Crowne 306 Crying sinnes 242 D DAN why omitted 291. 292 Day of Iudgement 247. 248. 264. Scorned by the wicked 266. Delayed vntill Saints be perfected 269. Terrible to the wicked 266 Death figured by an Horseman and why 228. His Page Ibid. 231. It is double Ibid. Comfort against it 236. It is compared to Nebuchadnezzars◅e ◅e ◅40 It ends our misery 331 Doctrine of Christ and Antichrist two Mysteries 10 Doctors of the reformed Church agree all in the matter differ onely in the Methode of the Reuelation 11 Dwelling of God