onely but here a Voice speaking with S. Iohn quo non obscurè innuitur verbi quod personam suam habet nostri communio whereby the communion of the Word with vs is not obscurely declared Both these are good points of Diuinity but too hardly picked out of this place The more soberly wee handle the Prophecie we shall vnderstand it the better S. Iohn heere tels vs no more but that by a Voice sounding lowdly in his hearing hee was prepared to behold these things which God was to shew him How God did vtter this Voice to him it were but curiosity for vs to enquire Deo namque qui nostris loquendi legibus astrictus non est liberum est loqui quomodocunque voluerit The Lord is not bound to our manner of speaking as Cotterius hath well obserued it is free to the Lord to speake what manner of way hee will This we may be sure of and it should content vs that his seruant vnderstood very well what the Voice said to him which we may perceiue by his owne declaring of it vnto vs. And now out of this the lesson ariseth The Apostle looked vp to God in the beginning of this Verse desirous to see more and now the Lord offers not onely new sight to his eye but new information to his care Wee neuer turne our hearts truely to the Lord but hee is readie to meete vs All his children finde this in experience Certainely if wee would be more homely with our God we should soone finde him more familiar with vs. But alas our sinne is we wait not vpon him and intertaine not a spirituall fellowship with him How shall wee see that delight not in the light And how shall we bee replenished with that grace which ouerflowes in him so long as we are carelesse and negligent to come to him This is the ground of all our euill neglect of the spirituall worship neglect to waite vpon the Lord. God giue vs eyes to see it and hearts to mend it As it were of a Trumpet The Voice soundeth said one like a Trumpet Quia inuitabat Ioannem ad praelium contra diaboli temptamenta contra mundi blandimenta contra carnis oblectamenta because it inuites S. Iohn to battell against the tentations of the deuill the allurements of the world the pleasures of the flesh No question S. Iohn was a good Souldier of Iesus and had fought these battels couragiously but this goes further hee is stirred vp by this Trumpet to heare a Proclamation made in heauen of such battels as his Saints had to fight vpon earth to the worlds end that hee might fore-warne the Church of them The lesson here arising is that the Voice whereby God speakes to his owne is loud liuely and powerfull to waken them out of the dead sleepe of their sinne That same Word of the Lord preached which to a naturall man is but foolishnesse and a dead letter which he vnderstands not to the childe of God is the power of God it is liuely and mighty in operation The houre shall come and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue O how miserable are they to whom this Voice sounds and they heare it not and the Trumpet of the liuely Word wakneth them not For if they continue in this estate and their sleepe bee vnto death what remaines but a fearefull Trumpet of doome which whether they will or not they shall be forced to heare denouncing to them the iudgement of endlesse condemnation But to returne our ground is God in his mercifull dealing with his seruants what euer hee haue to doe with them speakes to them in such sort that hee causes them both to vnderstand and also to obey him This S. Iohn declares when hee saith the Voice was like the voice of a Trumpet because by it hee was wakened moued and stirred vp to heare attentiuely and with reuerence Saying Come vp hither Non corporis motu sed mentis intuitu Come vp not by motion of the body but attention of the mind Here then Saint Iohn his calling is renewed to him againe he must be a separate man and after a sort go out of himselfe and go vp vnto God to bee familiar with him who would see the things of God This is required of euery Christian if hee would be the Spouse of Christ ioyned in marriage with him Forget thy owne people and thy fathers house so shall the King haue pleasure in thy beauty How much more then is it requisite in Christian Preachers Did Moses see the patterne of the Tabernacle till he went vp to the Mount Or did the Lord talke familiarly with Ioshua and Moses till first they put off their shooes And shall any Preacher now thinke to be familiar with God and powerfull with his people vnlesse he learne this lesson first that here first is giuen to S. Iohn Come vp hither Againe the voice of God when he talkes to his people is Come vp Satans voice on the contrary Fall downe Cast thy selfe downe That presumptuous Beast durst speake so to our Sauiour what maruell then he dare speake so to his seruants The Lord would haue thee to come vp and enioy all the good which hee hath to communicate to thee Satan would haue thee to go downe that thou mayst be partaker of his remedilesse condemnation He himselfe for his sinne was cast out of heauen He is now reserued in chaines vnder darkenesse to the iudgement of the great Day And he knowes that when the time of his complete iudgement shall come he will bee cast into vtter darkenesse and all his care is to draw man downe-ward with him into the same condemnation There is no restitution for him mercy neuer was neuer will be preached to him neither can he seeke it neither will he get The most that euer he craued was a Supersedere Why wilt thou torment vs before the time he is condemned in his own conscience and knowes that intolerable ineuitable torment abides him We reade that the Lord talked with Satan but neuer called vpon him to come vp since that first he fell down But blessed be the Lord it is his voice to his owne Come to me notwithstanding yee haue fallen from me yet Come to me yee haue sinned but if yee be weary of sinne I will refresh you It was the answer of Christ to the Disciples of Iohn Baptist when they asked Master where dwellest thou Come and see said our Lord and still hee speaketh vnto all his beloued as here hee doth to one of his beloued Come vp hither not to get new reuelations to be shewed vnto others but Come vp hither to get a new and a full sight of my promised glory to your selfe Yea such is the goodnesse of our God that not onely hee cals vpon
praise the Lord beginning that vpon earth which shall be our continuall exercise in the heauen The tenor of their song followes wherein three things are attributed to God 1. Holines 2. Omnipotencie 3. Eternitie The first of these hath one word thrise repeated and that as Esay saith with an Antiphonie or answering of one Angel to another Vnum Iehouam celebrant repetendo vnum idem Sanctus Trinum agnoscâ—…nt ter repetendo quod vni tribuerunt they acknowledge one GOD whom they esteem onely holy and repeating one thing thrice a Trinitie they acknowledge in that blessed Vnitie of the Godhead but this mysterie is better warranted by other and more plaâ—…e testimonies of holy Scripture But to returne the Lord is so holy that he is holinesse it selfe As the Sunne is among the lights of the firmament so is the holy Lord among his Saints or holy ones what light they haue is no light if it be compared with the Sunne they hide themselues when the Sunne shineth and all the holinesse of most holie creatures is nothing in comparison of the thrice holy Lord. At his brightnesse Angels couer their faces they are holy by creation redeemed ones are holy by communication other things are also holy by separation as was Ierusalems Temple of old and now are the elements in both the Sacraments holy but none neither Angel man nor any other creature holy like the Lord. The next thing they ascribe vnto him is Omnipotencie which consists in these two First that he can doe whatsoeuer he will Next that against his owne nature and truth he cannot do for that were impotencie and not omnipotencie He can not lie nor deny himselfe nor come against his owne Word The first of these renders instruction for Atheists the other for Papists It is a common question of profane men whereby they impugne the truth of Gods promises How can this be The Samaritan Prince when he heard Elizeus prophecie of plentie of victuall that should be in Samaria on the morrow though the day before it was sore pinched with Famine most disdainefully answered him Though the Lord would make windowes in heauen can this thing come to passe There the Lord sayes This I will doe and man by the contrary This the Lord cannot doe but the Lord was and will be found true and euery man a lyer Yea the very deare children of God out of the remanents of their infidelitie oftentimes fall into the like transgression When the Angel promised Sara a child she receiued it with the like answer How can this be sith I am waxed old Yea when the Lord promised to giue Israel flesh enough for a moneth Moses distrusted it Shall all the Sheepe and Beeues be slaine for them to find them or shall all the fish of the Sea be gathered to suffice them But they in effect receiued one answere Is the hand of the Lord shortned or is there any thing impossible to the Lord Consider who he is that saith hee will doe and all such doubts shal cease which makes men enquire How can this be done The other renders instruction for Papists they vrge Gods omnipotencie to prooue their new-found and fond transubstantiation but to no purpose for in this they make his power to fight against his will and to reuerse his owne Word the plaine Articles of our faith They inforce vpon vs that we deny Gods omnipotencie but without cause this fault is their owne and not ours They limit the Holy One of Israel and indeed deny his power when they say He cannot giue vs the body of Christ except he create it of bread We verily belieue that in the holy Sacrament there is a real donation made of Iesus Christ to all reuerent and right Receiuers that bread is the body of Christ that wine is the blood of Christ. God is alwaies as good as his Word and giues vs no lesse then he saith he giues vs. But for all this there is no reason why we should bind the Lord to transubstantiate the Bread as if without transubstantiation of the bread hee were not able to giue vnto vs the body of Iesus Now the third and last thing for which they praise the Lord is his Eternitie and euerlasting Beeing Who was and who is and who is to come This is a circumlocution of his Name I am expounded more plainly in the next words Hee liueth for euermore Solus verè est qui nec à fuit praeciditur nec ab crit expungitur crit non tollit illi esse ab aeterno nec fuit tollit illi esse in aeternum Beeing is so proper vnto God that when I say He was it takes not away that hee is will be and when I say that He will be it takes not away that he was and is And this serues greatly for the comfort of the Church of God One generation passeth and another commeth said Salomon The Heauens shall perish but the Lord doth remaine He that was with Noah in the Arke vvith Israel in the Red-sea with Daniel in the den with the children in the fire with Ioseph in the prison with Elisha in Dothan enclosed by Aramites with Ezechia in Ierusalem besieged by Chaldees he is still in his Church this day and will be for euer VERSE 9. And vvhen these liuing creatures gaue glory and honour and thanks to him that sate on the Thronâ—… which liueth for euer-more THe song of Angels is seconded by the song of redeemed Saints one of them prouokes another to praise GOD. It should be with vs on earth as it is with them in heauen euery Christian should prouoke another to pietie so Saint Paul praises the Corinthians that their zeale had prouoked many But now most part of men liue as if they were set in the world to bee censurers of all men examples to none they will neither prouoke others to good nor be prouoked by them yea euen in the holy assemblies there they are silent if not worse exercised when others beside them are praysing the Lord. Three things these liuing creatures are said to giue vnto the Lord Glory honour thanks Where first it comes to be considered how is it that any creature either Angel or man can giue vnto the Lord Who hath giuen to him first and it shall be recompenced But there is a great difference between these two God giuing to the creature and the creature giuing to God When God giueth hee giueth to the creature that which it had not Angels men and all creatures haue their beeing of him but the creatures giuing to God is an acknowledging of that in Him which Hee hath already and this is the sacrifice of praise or then if it be a sacrifice of distribution either to the poore or any good worke wherein the Lord may haue glory as we are commaunded To doe good and to distribute forget not for
a soueraigne preseruatiue against all poyson The Beasts of the field as they record attend till the Vnicorne dip his horne in the water then come they and drink Properly therefore is the Kingdome of Christ expressed by the Vnicornes Horne of all other the most firme and durable the most beautifull the most profitable Hee hath changed the bitter waters of Marah and made them sweete neither is there any thing so deadly which his Horne healeth not and makes it to serue for the saluation of his owne And seuen eyes As in his seuen Hornes his complete power is signified so in his seuen Eyes his complete Wisedome These two do greatly commend the royall authority of our King Hee is wise and will do nothing that he should not for hee sees all and knowes perfectly the quality of euery creature the estate of euery cause Againe he is strong and able to do whatsoeuer he will His Eyes are of two sorts Eyes of Prouidence and Eyes of Grace by his eyes of Prouidence hee lookes vnto all things and there is no place nor people in the world to whom these Eyes are not extended but by the Eyes of his Grace hee lookes to his owne as hee did to Ierusalem restored and sends them this blessing Grace Grace be vnto it And heerein hath the Lord magnified his mercy toward vs aboue many other more mighty Kingdomes in the world that where by the Eyes of his Prouidence hee lookes vnto the rest he hath cast the Eyes of his Mercy and Grace vpon vs The Lord hath not dealt so with euery Nation Yet more plainely In the Text these seuen Eyes are expounded to be the seuen Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth Seuen is the number of perfection noting that fulnesse of grace which is in the Lambe for hee receiued not the Spirit by measure and what hee hath receiued hee retaines not to himselfe but as here is said hee sends it out that of his fulnesse we might all receiue grace for grace And hereof commeth the continuance and conseruation of the Church vpon earth because it is continually furnished with grace frō the Lamb hee hath the seuen Starres in his hand and holds them out to such parts of the world as pleaseth him he furnishes graces of his Spirit to his seruants the Preachers according to the times wherein they liue yea and to euery one of his Saints in particular This same Lord who once according to his promise sent downe the holy Spirit in a visible manner vpon his Apostles in the similitude of fierie clouen Tongues doth daily send him from the Throne of Grace in an inuisible manner And this was properly figured in a Vision to Zacharie wherein hee saw a golden Candlestick with seuen Lampes euery Lampe hauing a seuerall pipe through the which Oyle for intertainement of the light in euery Lampe is conueied from the two Oliues which stand before the Ruler of the world Let therefore Satan and his instruments rage as they list let them labour what they can to put out the light of the Candlestick yea let them presume that it is possible for them to roote out the very name of Israel from vnder heauen yet it cannot be for the stability and continuance of the holy Ministerie in the Church with light and grace in it stands in this that it is furnished from heauen the Eyes of the Lamb looke on his Saints and he sends downe his Spirit vpon them and from the Ruler of the world the oyle of Grace is by secret pipes and conduits conueied to his Candlesticke on earth And who is able to interrupt the course thereof VERSE 7. And he came and tooke the Booke out of the right hand of him that sitteth vpon the Trone HEre in effect no other thing is represented then that which was openly proclaimed from heauen first at Iordan next vpon Mount Tab◅ This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him For by this Type the Lord Iesus is declared to bee the onely Doctor of his Church who receiues the Booke from the Father and out of it reueales to his Church the counsell of God which neither Angell nor man was able to doe As Moses went vp to the Mount and receiued the Tables of the Law and gaue them to Israel so our Mediator who came from the bosome of the Father hath brought downe to vs the knowledge of his Will Let vs not presume to go vp to the Mountaine to enquire any thing which our Moses hath not taught vs left wee die let vs remember our place and stand low wee are disciples bound by diuine Proclamation to heare him whom the Father hath sent vnto vs if we would be saued VERSE 8. And when hee had taken the Booke the foure liuing creatures and the foure and twenty Elders fell downe before the Lambe hauing euery one harps golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints NOw followes the third part of this Chapter containing a three-fold thanksgiuing for the benefit of this Reuelation The first song is sung by Angels and redeemed Saints coniunctly in the eight ninth and tenth verses The second is sung by Angels seuerally in the eleuenth and twelfth verses The third by all creatures in their kind in the thirteenth verse whereunto Angels againe and redeemed Saints say Amen in the last verse Cotterius confesseth that this place did trouble him greatly and no maruell for the foure beastes he expounds to be Veritas Euangelit quadri◅ormis the fourefold verity of the Gospell No maruell therefore as I haue said that both he and others who expound the foure and twentie Elders to be foure and twenty bookes find themselues straited with this place wherin the Spirit of God plainly expoundeth himselfe that the foure and twenty Elders are they whom God hath redeemed by his bloud out of euery kindred tongue people and Nation But leauing them this comes heere first to bee obserued that as before they fell downe and worshipped the Ruler of the World that sits vpon the Throne so now they fall downe and worship the Lambe Saint Paul vseth this as an argument to proue the diuinitie of Christ Iesus taken out of the 97. Psalme Consider how great is hee of whom it is said Let all the Angels of heauen worship him Let Heretiques therefore be silent sith the vvhole Congregation of Angels and Saints redeemed worship him as GOD. In this thanksgiuing these foure circumstances are to be considered First who are the Musicians that sing Next with what gesture Thirdly what are their musicall instruments And lastly vvhat is their song The Musicians are foure liuing creatures representing the principall order of Angels neerest vnto the Throne and foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Church and companie of Saints redeemed By nature Angels and men were at
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
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
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
write vpon it It is plaine here that the Saints in heauen offer vp the prayers of faithfull and holy persons on earth and that they haue knowledge of our affaires and desires But this Text offereth not any such thing as we shall shew at length These Saints represent the whole Church Militant and Triumphant euery one of them is said to haue their own Viall and no word here of any prayers made by any of them for others beside that the knowledge of our desires appertaineth to none but the Lord who searcheth the reines and the heart This doubt cannot be loosed by saying that the Saints departed offer vp thanksgiuing for the word vsed here is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some make this answere but indeed it taketh not away the doubt for vnderstanding therefore of this place we must know that there are foure sorts of prayer reckoned here by the Apostle the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer for auerting of euill the second is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer for some good that is lacking the third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer whereby one of vs prayes for another and the fourth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer whereby we giue thanks to God All these foure sorts are vsed by Saints militant two of them onely are ascribed to Saints triumphant namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanksgiuing and supplication for the good which they want Where if it be asked What good want they who are in heauen for which they haue need to pray The answer is They want a two-fold good which God hath promised and they long to enioy First they want their bodies without which the soules in heauen cannot haue full ioy for by their first creation they were ioyned together as inseparable companions not to be diuided if they had not fallen in the transgression therefore it is that the one cannot be fully contented wanting the other for which to fulfill their ioy they pray for restitution of their bodies Secondly they want their brethren the remanent mēbers of Christ his mysticall body requisite necessarily to their perfection for God hath so prouided that they vvithout vs should not be perfected Abraham Isaac Iacob haue great ioy in heauen but not full ioy because they will not be perfected without their brethren That therefore the mystical body of Christ may be cōplete and so their ioy fulfilled they pray for Christ his second comming which cannot be till the last and youngest of the sonnes of God be borne and brought to the fellowship of Iesus Christ. And this is made cleare heereafter when the soules vnder the Altar are brought in crying How long O Lord how long c For this is the voice of them who want something they would faine haue and yet are sure to enioy it Thus we see then that the prayers of Saints triumphant are generall they pray for their bodies and brethren but to gather of this that they know our necessitios our particular tentations farre lesse our secret desires is but a doting dreame and if we shall a little insist in this same metaplior of Odour or Incense it shall discouer their error more clearely For first Incense offred to God might not be made but in such a manner and with such ingredients as God himselfe commanded teaching vs that prayer vnto God should be made not as we fansie to our selues but as hee hath commaunded vs. Now if wee shall looke to this cōmandement it directs vs to pray vnto God and to none other there is the voice of God the Father Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me There againe is the instruction of God the Sonne When yee pray pray in this manner Our Father which art in heauen and there is the direction of God the holy Ghost hee teacheth vs in our prayer to cry Abba Father No word heere of any prayer to Abraham Moses or Esay to Cherubim or Seraphim to Angels or Saints departed Secondly Incense might not be burnt but vpon the golden Altar onely whereof there was but one figuring the Lord Iesus teaching vs that our prayers may not be offered to God in the name of any other but Iesus Christ onely For there is not any other name vnder Heauen by which wee may be saued and In him onely is the Father well pleased Thirdly it was not lawfull for any man to make an odour for his owne pleasure or priuate vse of those gummes whereof the Lord commanded his Incense to be made and that vnder a most strait penaltie for so stands the Law Yee shall not make vnto you any composition like to this Perfume it shall be holy for the Lord whosoeuer shall make like vnto that to smell thereof euen hee shall be cut off from his people And this doth plainely teach vs that no creature should smell the sauour of our Prayer it is the Incense holy to the Lord and appertaines to our God onely Thus we see how Papists when they seeke patrocinie for their errors from holy Scripture doe it with no better successe then Ioab did when hee made his refuge to the hornes of the Altar hee fled vnto it to seeke the safety of his life but hee was pulled from it and executed to the death so they when they bring in Scripture to defend their errors doe in effect bring it to destory themselues But to leaue them let vs consider for our comfort how our prayer is compared to a perfume All the spices of Myrrhe Cynamon and what is most excellent on earth cannot make such a perfume from heauen it commeth and vnto heauen it returneth O what a great mercy is this wee are not yet able to ascend our selues and yet haue we this liberty and priuiledge as to send our Embassadors in our name before vs which are so welcome to the diuine Maiestie that hee accounts of them as of sweet odour and perfume sent vp vnto him Let vs marke this for many times the weake Christian faints and becomes remisse in prayer because he disesteemes of his own prayer This is a policie and tentation of the old Serpent to make thee neglect that which hee knowes to be most hurtfull to himselfe most helpfull to thee most acceptable to thy God but doe it not Noli vilipendere or ationem tuam quoniam ille ad quem or as non vilipendit Doe not vilipend thine own prayer for he to whom thou prayest vilipends it not it is a sweet odour vnto the Lord. VERSE 9. And they sung a new Song saying Thou art woorthy to take the Booke and to open the scales thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed vs to GOD by thy bloud out of euery kindred and tongue
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
the earth But in so doing they are like Samson who pulled downe the house of Dagon vpon himselfe to his destruction by taking away the pillars that vpheld it For as Sodome was spared no longer but till Lot was out of it so if the Lots or Elect ones of the Lord were once fulfilled and gathered out of the world certainely it should continue and endure no longer Two stiles are giuen by this heauenly Oracle to Saints Militant here on earth both very comfortable We are called Brethren and fellow-seruants with them who are in heauen There is one Father of whom is named the whole Family both in heauen and earth All the seruants of that Family are the sonnes of God and all brethren among themselues and their Brother-hood is most excellent for first they are all quickened by one Spirit which cannot be said of any other brethren Among naturall brethren euery one hath his owne spirit but for Spirituall or Christian Brethren they are all quickned with one Spirit Secondly all Christians haue one Father and one Mother Ierusalem which is aboue And thirdly they haue all one inheritance naturall brethren cannot all be the heires of their father but Christians as they are all the sonnes of God so are they all the heires of God neither is the inheritance diminished by communication thereof vnto so many The other is that we are called their fellow-seruants so also doe they acknowledge themselues to be our fellow-seruants Conseruus tuus sum I am thy fellow seruant said the Angel to Saint Iohn Angels then and Saints glorified are not our Patroni sed Conserui they are not our Patrons that by our prayers to them wee should seek protection from them but they are our fellow-seruants and this should stirre vs vp in all carefulnesse to be answerable to our name that wee may serue and praise the Lord our God and euery way doe his holy will in earth as it is done by them in Heauen Againe it is here euident that the number of Saints elected and to be glorified is known vnto God as will appeare more plainely in the subsequent Chapter he hath them all in a roll and it is true of them all which our Sauiour said of his elect Disciples I haue lost none of those whō thou hast giuen me They are not known vnto vs onely the Lord knoweth who are his yet is euery particular Christian bound to make sure to himselfe that he is of that number Proue your selues whether ye are in the faith know yee not your owne selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except yee be reprobates The foundation and ground of our saluation is in God his vnchangeable loue and that remaines sure but the tokens of saluation are in vs this is the seale of his foundation Let euery one that calleth on the Name of the Lord depart from iniquitie And by these tokens are wee to examine our selues whether we be of that number or no According to that of Saint Peter Make sure your calling and election by wel-dooing VERSE 12. And I beheld when he had opened the sixt Seale and loc there was a great Earth-quake and the Sun was as blacke as sack-cloth and the Moone like bloud IN the first foure seales wee haue the generall course of things as they are to continue to the end foreshewed vnto vs. In the last two the generall end of all mankind and that two-fold according to their two ranks and estates the happy end of the godly discouered in the fist seale and at greater length explained in the seuenth Chapter the tragicall and dolefull end of the vvicked foreshewed in this sixt seale And this followes the former very properly In the fist seale the soules of Saints cry to God that he would auenge their bloud there the Lord promised to do it and now the number of Saints being fulfilled and sealed the Lord comes forth in terrible manner to performe it by executing his last full and finall wrath vpon the wicked which iudiciously hath beene obserued by his Maiestie The sixt seale is an accomplishment of that dissolution craued and promised in the fist seale The order lets vs see how the Lord is much mooued vvith the cry of his Saints If that vnrighteous Iudge who neither feared God nor man answered the widow because shee cryed instantly vpon him how much more will the Iudge of all the world who cannot doe vnrighteously heare his Saints who cry vnto him night and day Certainly he will be auenged of their enemies Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints This Vision by some Interpreters is expounded allegorically as if it foreshewed defections Apostasies darkning of the light of the Gospel and obscuring of the face of the Church visible this I confesse is analogall to faith but not to this Prophecie for two causes first because the darkning of the Gospel figured by the darkning of the Sun and the Apostasies of Preachers and Professors figured by the falling of starres is particularly foreshewed in the vision of the trūpets which contain the second Prophecie The other reason is more pungent for it is said here plainly that at the darkning of the Sunne and Moone at the departure of heauen falling of starres Kings Great men and Captaines were terribly afraid and therefore cannot it be vnderstood of Apostasie and defection whereof they themselues were both authors and actors Was it the obscuring of the light of the Gospel that made them to cry out Rocks and Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs It can stand with no sense for so farre were they from all feare for that matter that by the contrary they reioyced in it and did what they could to extinguish the Gospel and erect heresies to force Preachers and Professors vnto defection and in so doing they thought they did good seruice vnto God Others againe take it for a denuntiation of some externall and temporall iudgement such as vvas executed on Persecutors and specially vpon Dioclesian It is true that in the holy Scripture many of the phrases vsed here are vsed also to expresse fearefull temporall iudgements threatned against particular states and persons of wicked men Looke the denuntiation of iudgement against Babel and Egypt to expresse the horror of their plagues mention is made of the darkning of the Sunne and Moone c. And in the Prophecie of the destruction of Samaria idolatrous Apostates are brought in crying Hills and Mountains fall vpon vs and couer vs. The same phrases are also vsed to expresse the terror of the destruction of Ierusalem but these make nothing against our exposition for temporall iudgements beeing types and figures of the great and generall Iudgement properly doth the Spirit of GOD borrow the phrases of holy Scripture vsed in denuntiation of
the one to expresse the horror of the other Now because this is a speciall note and maine point the right vnderstanding whereof will giue light to the method of the vvhole Prophecie we are to know that the reason mouing sundry learned Interpreters to thinke that this seale cannot be expounded of the Day of Iudgement is for that there are many Prophecies following which must be fulfilled before that Day but this difficultie shall easily be remooued if they consider the ground we haue already laid out of Primasius that the Reuelation is Prophetia saepius repetita a Prophecie sundry times repeated and diuers wayes diducing the estate of the Church from the daies of Christ to his second Comming againe And euen they vvho vvill haue it one continued Prophecie the later Chapter beeing alway posterior in time to the matter of the Chapter preceding as they thinke are forced to interrupt that course and change their mind when they come to the twelfth Chapter for there they are drawne backe again to the first beginning of the daies of Christ. But to returne this sixt seale concludes this first generall Prophecie with a Propheticall denuntiation of the Day of Iudgement and so wee expound it for these reasons besides others which we haue shewed before First the seuenth seale hath no proper prediction of it owne as the preceding sixe haue but containes in the bosome thereof seuen Trumpets proclaiming for matter a new Prophecy different from the former Next heere is an vniuersall change of all creatures in Heauen and Earth vvhich neuer was nor neuer will be but at the day of Iudgement Thirdly all the persons of the wicked are here vniuersally iudged without exception no Babylonians nor Egyptians nor Israelites onely but all the wicked Euery free man euery bond man Fourthly it is expresly called in the Text The great Day of the Lords wrath And lastly the like prediction made by our Sauiour serues for a cleer Commentary to lead vs to expound this of the day of Iudgement For after our Lord hath foretold of great persecutions apostasies heresies of false Christs which were to come he subioynes And immediatly after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sun be darkned and the Moone shall not giue her light and the starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken Now that these speeches are not to be taken allegorically but properly as contayning a prediction of that fearefull concussion of this Vniuerse which shall be made in that great Day of the Lord is most euident by that which followes Then shal appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in the heauen c. And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of the Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the foure winds and from the one end of heauen to the other Thus is our Commentary made cleare that this mutation of the creature foretold here shall fall out in that great Day wherein the Lord Iesus shall iudge the quick and dead This terror of the day of Iudgment is described from two-fold terrible effects thereof first vpon the creature insensible Earth Iles Mountaines Heauen Sun Moone Stars ver 12. 13. 14. Next vpon the creature reasonable but reprobate of all sorts ver 15. 16. 17. For the first it is said There was a great Earthquake The word in the Originall imports more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cōcussion of the Vniuerse or whole fabrick of the world As to earthquake it is either ordinary proceeding of naturall causes ayre enclosed in the bosome of the earth or else extraordinary an angry and fearefull God shaking the earth with his powerfull hand as was that when Christ our Lord was crucified The darkning of the Sunne in like manner is either naturall whē by interposition of the Moone between the Sunne and the Earth the light of the Sunne is eclipsed and cut off from some parts of the earth or else it is supernaturall such as vvas that darkning of the Sunne when our Lord was crucified For when the sixt houre was come darknes arose ouer all the Land vntill the ninth Which moueci Dionysius Areopagita then an Ethnick Philosopher but after conuerted by Saint Paul and made a Christian after he 〈◊〉 considered that the darknesse could not be naturall hee guae out this sentence of it Aut Deus nature patitur an t mundi machina dissoluetur Either the God of nature now suffereth or the world now must be dissolued And the Moone was like bloud As the Sunne in that day shall cast downe his countenance vpon the wicked and refuse to giue them light because they refused the most comfortable light of the Gospel so shall the Moone persecure them with the terrible lookes of a bloudy face because they shed the bloud of the Saints of God VERSE 13. And the starres of heauen fell vnto the earth as a fig-tree casteth her greene figges when it is shaken of a mighty wind THe iudgement still increases terror thereof wherin we may see how all creatures both in heauen and earth offer their seruice to the Creator for the execution of his iust vengeance vpon the wicked Euery one of them sights in their course against the enemies of the Lord the earth tembles vnder them and reeles to and fro as vnable any longer to beare the burden of their iniquitie and shall not rest till at length shee open her mouth and swallow them The Sunne the Moone the Starres shall refuse to comfort them with their light Thus at one time shall they finde the Creator and all his creatures against them It is true that euen now the wicked are vnder wrath yet thinke they their estate good enough for they loue the creature more then the Creator So long as they enioy the comfort of the creature feele not the indignation of the Creator as shortly they will doe in their misery they blosse themselues but in the end when all creatures shal forsake them and the Lord the righteous Iudge of the world shall come in anger to pursue them yea and their owne conscience shall also witnesse against them Then shall their vnhappy estate be discouered to themselues and they shall cry as after followes Rocks and Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs. And this should serue for a warning to vs sith the comfort of all creatures will faile vs yea thy own heart and flesh will faile thee Let vs seek the Lord in time then shall wee be sure of Dauid his comfort God the portion of my soule will neuer faile mee Set our hearts vpon that which is permanent but let vs not rest in things vanishing Who will dwell willingly in a ruinous habitation Si in habitaculo tuo parietes vetustate nutarent tecta desuper tremerent domus iam fagitata aedificiis
senectute labentibus ruinam proximam minaretur nonne omni celeritate migrares If in thy habitation the vvalles through age vvere nodding dovvneward the rooffe aboue thee vvere trembling and the whole house now wearie and vvorne with length of time vvere presently like to fall vpon thee vvouldest thou not without delay remooue and flitte out of it and in time seeke for a better Such a building is this World all the powers thereof shortly vvill be shaken let vs striue for that Kingdome vvhich cannot be shaken and let vs haue grace vvhereby wee may so serue GOD that vvee may please him vvith reuerence and feare But to come to the point the falling of the Starres is illustrated by a similitude They fall as a a figge-tree casteth her greene figges when it is shaken with a mighty wind Noting to vs two things first the absolute and dreadfull power of God ouer all his creatures the Starres sixed by the hand of God in the firmament how easily are they shaken out by the same hand Oh foolish is that man who thinks to stablish to himselfe a state on earth without the Lord sith Starres in the heauen and Mountaines of the earth are remoued out of their places at his displeasure What is the strength of a man if the Lord lay his hand on him but like a fig shaken with a mighty wind The like hath Nahum in his Prophecie against the Assyrians All thy strong Cities shall be like the first ripe figges of the fig-tree if they be shaken they fall in the mouth of the eater The other thing here pointed out is that where it is said the Stars shall fall like greene Figges it noteth vnto vs that the world shal not fall through maturitie or ripe age as though it were not able to continue longer if the Lord would let it but it shall fall like fruit vnripe violently cast downe And this is it which our Sauiour signifies vnto vs when he saith that for the Elects sake these dayes shal be shortned VERSE 14. And Heauen departed away as a scrole vvhen it is rolled and euery Mountaine and I le were moued out of their place THe lights of these visible Heauens Sunne Moone and Starres which are principall ornaments thereof being remooued it is now said that the Heauens thēselues departed like a scrole which once rolled vp and then extended if it be remitted and let goe runnes againe together It is now spred out like a curtaine couering the earth but shall then be drawne by that the angry face of God against the wicked may be discouered For the better vnderstanding of this wee are to know that these creatures shall not be destroyed in respect of their substance but changed as concerning their quality The Apostle S. Paul makes this cleere The creature shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Now they are subiect to vanity then shall they be deliuered from vanity and bondage vnto the which our sins subdued them and be restored vnto liberty A new Liuery shall be giuen them in that day wherin the Son of the great King shal marry his Spouse and the sonnes of God shal be possessed in their Fathers promised inheritance They as seruants shall be changed into a better estate then this is wherein now they are And this exposition is confirmed also by the Psalmist Thou hast laid the foundations of the earth and the heauens are the works of thine hands they shall perish but thou shalt endure they shall wax old as doth a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them they shall be changed In like manner Saint Peter when he hath said that The heauens shall passe away with a noyse and the elements shall melt with heat and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp incontinent after subioynes by way of an exposition But vvee looke for new heauens and a new earth according to his promise wherein dwelleth righteousnes All these make it cleere that a change shall be of their qualitie not a destruction of their substance GOD made them of nothing to shew his glorious power and will not suffer them to be annihilate or turned into nothing but still will haue them reserued and renued for declaration of his greater glory For sure it is that euery losse which by Satan and sinne hath befallen vnto man or to the creature by Gods ordinance appointed to serue man shall be restored by Iesus the Sauiour hee shall cure euery vvound that our Aduersarie hath giuen vnto vs or to them vvhich are ours so shall the power and vvisedome of our GOD bee magnified and the impotencie and malice of the Deuill bee manifested I speake not here of Reprobates nor of the curses and excrements of the earth to these the promised deliuerance appertaines not But of this he who pleaseth may see more in our Treatise on the eighth to the Romans where that question To what vse can heauen and earth serue vs in that day is also someway touched VERSE 15. And the Kings of the earth and great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines and the mighty men and euery bondman and euery freeman hid themselues in dennes and among the rocks of the Mountaines VVE haue here the terrible effects which the last Day will produce vpon the creatures vnsensible and vnreasonable now it followes how it shall affect the reasonable creature also yet such onely as are reprobate with terrible horror and feare Seuen ranks are here reckoned out contayning all the combinations wherein flesh can haue any confidence for first here are Kings GOD will iudge them before others whom now he hath set aboue others vvith the Lord there is no exception of persons Kings haue with thē their great men or Princes these also are not without rich men yet more is required to resist a pursuing power they haue also with them chiefe Captaines or Captaines ouer thousands but because Captaines cannot do much without souldiers there is heere also following them bands of mighty men with these all sorts of common people both bond and free Here is all that flesh can afford to defend themselues against the power of any who would pursue them But how weake man is in his best estate when he hath gathered all his strength and combined all his forces may be seene here What do they what resistance make they when the Lord comes to iudge them they are but like Modiwarts or beasts of the earth running to hide themselues in holes in dennes and rocks of the Mountaines In the ruffe of their pride they seeme to themselues to be matchlesse Pharaoh dare aske Who is the Lord and Rabsache will blaspheme Is your God able to deliuer you Iezabel Antiochus Iulian and such like thinke it nothing to wage battell with the
the Lambe be turned to them in the terrible face of a Lyon and as I said mercy despised shall torment them more then iudgement inflicted The other thing that perturbes the wicked is within them a sensible infirmity in themselues through the guiltie conscience that makes them vnable to stand before the Lord Who can stand The wicked are as the chaffe which the winde driueth away they shall not stand in iudgement Let vs beware of both these see wee despise not mercy offered let vs carefully purge our conscience Who shall ascend into the Mountaine of the Lord Who shall stand in his holy place He that hath innocent hands and a pure heart So shall that Day of the Lord fearefull to the wicked be vnto vs a ioyfull day of Redemption and of sweet Refreshment The Lord grant we may so finde it CHAP. VII VERSE 1. And after that I saw foure Angels stand on the foure corners of the earth holding the foure windes of the earth that the winds should not blow on Earth nor Sea nor any Tree THIS Chapter is a pendicle of the precedent and appertaines to the first Prophecie of this Booke which we called Generall In it per Anabasin we haue a larger explication of the fifth and sixth Seales with a notable consolation for the godly presently subioyned after the Prediction of that most fearefull desperate and comfortlesse end of the wicked which shortly will come vpon them For there we heard all manner of reprobate men sorrowfully lamenting and crying that Mountaines might couer them Here we are all told that the godly shall not be inuolued with them in their desperate estate the Lord by his owne Seale separates them from the wicked and foreshewes that happy estate wherein they shall liue for euer and euer The Chapter hath two parts the first enlarges that which hath beene briefly set downe in the fift and sixt Seale for in the fift Seale Saints cry for a dissolution of the world and for finall iudgement to auenge their bloud on them who dwell on earth there they are desired to rest vntill their fellow-seruants were fulfilled In the sixt Seale that dissolution of the world and iudgement on the wicked craued by Saints and promised by the Lord is represented to S. Iohn Both these in the first part of this seuenth Chapter are more cleerely expounded For first S. Iohn sees foure Angels standing at the foure corners of the earth ready to ouerturne the world and to fold it vp like an old Vesture as was figured in the sixt Seale and this we haue ver 1. Next these Angels are inhibited and forbidden to destroy the world vntill the seruants of God be first sealed and secured as was promised in the fift Seale and this we haue ver 2. 3. together with the number of them that are sealed till we come to the thirteenth verse From that to the end is described the happie condition of Saints set downe in plaine termes and directly opposite to that wofull condition of Reprobates mentioned in the sixt Seale so this from ver 15. to the end makes vp the second part of this Chapter The first part letting vs see how the world is conserued till Saints be fulfilled and sealed the other part shewing vs their ioyfull and happy estate Wherein it is very comfortable to obserue the opposition which is made betweene the miserable estate of the wicked in the end of the sixt chapter and happy estate of Saints in the end of this seuenth They had shed the bloud of the seruants of God and therefore the Moone with a bloudie face lookes vpon them and all creatures concurre to bee auenged of them Heere the Saints come safe through all these tribulations and make their Robes white in the bloud of the Lambe There the Sunne waxed black and withdrew his light from the wicked heere Saints haue no need of the light of the Sunne for the Lamb gouernes them ver 16. 17. And the glory of God and the Lamb is their light Againe there the wicked flie from the presence of God and may not abide it but here Saints are in the presence of the Throne of God ver 15. There the wicked cry that Mountaines might hide them from him that sits on the Throne but here hee that sitteth on the Throne dwelleth among his Saints and they serue him for euer ver 15. These things thus compared together may let the iudicious Reader see how this Chapter is a proper pendicle of the sixt explaining at length some things shortly and obscurely set downe in the former So that in these two Chapters we haue the first Prophecie of this Booke which I call generall absolued and in the beginning of the eighth Chapter we are to looke for a second Prophecie which continues to the twelfth And I saw foure Angels This Verse as I haue said lets vs see how the Angels standing at the foure corners of the earth are ready to ouerturne the world and to fold it vp like an old Vesture if the Lord did not stay them That they are said to be foure is a certaine number for an vncertaine yet imports it that they are sufficient for one at euery corner of a sheet or vesture as the Psalmist termeth this Vniuerse are able enough to fold it vp What these Angels are whether good or euill is disputed among the Diuines but without a cause for sometime by good Angels the Lord punisheth euill men as was done to the Egyptians Sodomites and Assyrians sometime by euill Angels hee exerciseth good men so S. Paul was buffeted with an Angell of Satan for maruellous is the Lord in working with his Saints Satan in his fighting against them fights for them and destroies himselfe into them But that these are good Angels appeares by the speech which Christ vseth vnto them ver 2. Hurt not the earth till wee haue sealed the seruants of our God in their fore-head hee speakes to Angels hee speakes of Saints redeemed and inuolueth them both in the fellowship of one God with himselfe Beside this the execution of that last Iudgement is commonly ascribed to the holy Angels The Lord shall descend from heauen with a showt and with the Voice of the Arch-Angell and with the Trumpet of God And againe When the Sonne of man shall come in his glory the holy Angels shall also come with him then shall the sheepe bee separated from the Goates That this shall be done by Angels is euident in the Parable of the Haruest The Haruest is the end of the world the Reapers are the Angels And to this same purpose Angels here are brought in as executors of the last Iudgement to ouer-turne the world Holding the foure windes of the earth I leaue here those allegoricall interpretations whereby this is expounded to be the restraint of the Gospell which is the breathing of the holy Spirit
the assembly of his Saints according to his promise but this presence is not perceiued but of his owne secret ones who seeke his face The presence of his glory is giuen to Saints triumphant in the heauen The Lord giueth grace and glory but first grace and then glory from grace in earth yea and by it he leades them vp to glory in heauen Of this presence of glory this place is to be vnderstood according to that In thy face is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore And againe O how excellent is they mercy O God! therefore the children of men trust vnder the shadow of thy wings they shall bee satisfied with the fatnesse of thine house and thou shalt giue them drinke out of the riuers of thy pleasure Here not onely haue we pleasure but riuers of pleasures yet such as can neuer be exhausted for it is subioyned With thee is the well of life So long as the fountaine or spring lasteth the riuer cannot decay God is that great fountaine or bottomlesse deepe from him comes the riuers of pleasures to all that stand about him The Queene of Sheba said of Salomon his seruants Happy are thy men happy are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisedome but much more truly may it bee spoken of the seruants of our God who stand about his Throne Blessed are they who dwell in thine house Now followes They serue him night and day in his Temple We haue heard of the place wherein they are the second part of the verse shortly describes their exercise They serue God and that without all fainting wearying or intermission night and day This imports no vicissitude but a continuance and perpetuitie Dies nox vicissitudâ—…nem sed perpetuitatem significant Because all our time turneth vpon day and night therefore many a time vseth the Spirit of God this phrase Day and night to expresse as much as for euer and euer In the heauens there is nothing but a Day no change of their glorious and lightsome estate by time In the Hell there is nothing but a Night perpetuall darkenesse no change of their horrible and comfortlesse estate by time In the Earth there is a day and a night and a vicissitude and change of euery estate by time That mention is made of a Temple wee are not to thinke there is any materiall Temple in heauen but an allusion is made to the Temple of Ierusalem wherein his seruants serued him day and night And this word of seruice noteth that they are now fully become the Lords they haue resigned themselues altogether to do his will there is not now in them any deed nor desire of any thing that may offend him they waite vpon him they looke stedfastly to him they delight in him they praise him without ceasing this is their seruice Non est laborâ—…osa sed amabilis optanda haec seruitus It is not a painefull seruice or laborious but to be loued and longed for Seruitus hâ—…c dulcissima merces est seruitutis praesentis laboriosae this seruice is a most sweet reward of our present laborious seruice Among men the name of a seruant is counted vnhonorable and a base thing thinke they it to serue another but sith the most honourable creatures elect Angels and Men delight to serue him let vs not be ashamed to professe ourselues his seruants Dauid was a great King yet hee counteth more and reioyces oftner in it that hee was a seruant of God then a King ouer his people And S. Paul was a Chosen vessel vnto God yet his ordinarie stile is Paul the seruant of Iesus Christ. And indeed it is more honorable to be a seruant of Christ then to be a Monarch of the world without him Seruire Deo est regnare In very deed hee is a free-man yea and a King who is Gods seruant Hee trampleth vnder feete the deuill the world and the flesh hee is Lord of his affections yea and of all creatures hee can vse them but will not come vnder the power of any of them and yet so blind are worldlings that they account Christ his seruice to be bondage his Law a yoke whereas in truth it is the Law of Liberty and men without it not subiect to it are in most miserable bondage For he that will not serue the Lord shall bee like cursed Cham a seruant of seruants He shall serue many masters instead of one O quam multos Dominos habet qui vnum non habet and that in a seruice wherein there is no comfort for which there is no reward and after which no time set for manumission or liberty Any other seruant that hath an euill Master sometime may bee sold to another and he will be glad of it But the seruant of sin is so blinded that albeit of all slauâ—… he be the most miserable yet he is content with it and desires not to change his Master And againe any other seruant oppressed with the tyrannie of a Master sometime will deliuer himselfe by flying from him But the seruant of sinne where-away shall hee flee Secum trahit Dominum suum quocunque fugerit non fugit seipsam mala conscientia hee draweth his oppressor with him flee where hee will an euill conscience cannot flee from it selfe And as for a reward of his seruice where is it Voluptas transitâ—… peccatum manet praeterit quod delectabat remansit quod pungat the pleasure passeth the sinne abideth still that is gone which delighted him and for which hee sinned that remaines which disquiets him and torments him to wit guiltinesse the fruit of his sinne that is the worme which gâ—…aweth his conscience what shall we then do but cry out and confesse with the same Father O miserabilis seruitus peccatâ—… O miserable and vnprofitable and euery way comfortlesse seruice of sinne And on the contrarie O happy ioyfull fruitfull and euery way most comfortable the seruice of Iesus Christ our Sauiour Yet concerning this point there is but one question to be moued Said not our Sauiour to his Disciples Henceforth I call you not seruants but friends How then are redeemed and glorified Saints called seruants I answer This noteth their aduancement to a new and high dignity but derogates not from their old debt-bound duetie Familiarity with God takes not away reuerence It it engenders not as our Prouerbe is contempt no there is none who reuerenceth him more then they with whom hee is most familiar and noâ—…e more readie to serue him then they who haue found him most mercifull to them so these two stiles Friends and Seruants are not repugnant the one to the other And againe if it be demanded How serue they him for euer in his Temple Said not our Sauiour The seruant abides not in the
house for euer Hee had said immediately before He that committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne and then terrible is that which followeth The seruant abides not in the house for euer What then shall the Lambe who is without sinne be in the house himselfe alone Shall no sinners come there Shall hee be a King and Lord without Subiects Cui haerebit caput si non erit corpus Where shall the head be if it haue not a bodie Oh but marke what immediately he subioynes Filius autem manebit in aeternum the Son shall abide in the house for euer Non sine causa terruit spem dedit It is not without cause said S. Augustine that in one sentence hee hath both terrified vs and comforted vs hee hath terrified vs that we should not loue sinne hee hath comforted vs that we should not despaire for sinne If yee demand then where is our hope sith we are sinners and the Lord hath said The seruant abides not in the house for euer for he is a seruant that commits sinne Here is your hope and hearken vnto it The Sonne abideth in the house for euer If we were but seruants and not sonnes wee had cause of discouragement but here is our comfort wee were seruants but now are become sonnes If the Sonne make you free yee shall be free indeed such seruants are wee now as are free-men also And he that sitteth on the Throne will dwell c. This is the third and last part of this verse as they serue him so hee most graciously recompenseth them noted here by this speech that hee dwels among them The phrase imports the communication of all good For among men where Kings haue their dwelling there is the aboundance of euery good thing that can be had in the Kingdome but much more is here signified yea infinitely more Ahasuerus one of the momentanean Monarchs of the earth made a feast to his Princes of an hundred and seuen and twenty Prouinces the feast lasted an hundred and foure score daies and seuen daies againe for the common people all this he did that hee might shew the riches and glory of his Kingdome and honour of his great Maiestie and his Maiesty shortly after turned into dust and ashes Why then do I bring him in To make a comparison No way What is the light of a halfe-peny candle to the Sunne Yet haue I spoken of him that if we can from small things we may ascend to the consideration of greater What a great feast must this bee which the Lord shall make in heauen to his Saints Hee dwelleth among them hee flitteth not hee is their King for euer and they are not gathered out of an hundred and seuen twenty Prouinces but out of all Nations Tongues and Languages This Feast is not for an hundred foure score and seuen daies but for euer and euer O happie habitation O dwelling full of delight The word which the Spirit of God here vseth imports all this and much more then we can conceiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee shall bee as a Tent or Tabernacle to spread ouer them to obumbrate them and protect them The like is promised in other places I will dwell among them and walke there I will be their God and they shall bee my people In this life the Lord dwelleth in his Saints and with them dâ—…rigendo ad finem adipiscendum guiding and directing them to the end whereunto he hath ordained them but in heauen he dwelleth with his Saints Conseruandoeos in fine adepto conseruing them in that end and happy estate whereunto his grace hath brought them But as I said what great glorie and ioy Saints haue by the Lord hsi dwelling among them cannot now be vnderstood Moses was but forty dayes with the Lord on Mount Sinai and his face when hee came downe shined so brightly that his people might not behold him How then shall the glory of the Lord his lightsome countenance illuminate them with whom he shall dwell for euer Alway the vse of all is they serue him and hee dwels among them to satiate and replenish them with his ioyes and pleasures their seruice wants not the owne recompence yea all the benefite of their seruice redounds to themselues where we must obserue a great difference between the seruice of God and of man other Masters seeke and entertaine seruants for some vantage to themselues for who will maintaine seruants but for their owne ease and commodity It is not so with the Lord his seruants can profite him nothing all the benefite redounds to himselfe This Dauid humbly doth acknowledge My goodnesse extends not to thee And againe when he had offered liberally for the building of the Temple then said hee Who am I and what are my people that we should bee able to offer willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine owne hand haue we giuen thee The like of this hath Iob May a man be profitable to the Lord Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou art righteous or is it prâ—…fitable to him that thou makest thy waies vpright But yet more cleerely explaines hee the same in another place If thou sinne what dost thou against him If thou be righteous what dost thou to him Or what receiues hee at thine hand Thy wickednesse may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousnesse may profit the sonne of man But the All-sufficient Maiestie of God is neither encreased by thy good nor empaired by thine euill Why then will yee demand doth hee seek seruice Onely that of his superaboundant goodnesse hee may haue occasion to blesse thee If hee craue any thing from thee it is not because hee needeth thee but because thou needest him hee seeketh to the end that hee may giue Oh that we would consider this and so be encouraged to serue our God! Euen in this life the wages which he hath already payed vs in hand should encourage vs to serue him Hee may iustly demand of vs Who among you all doth open the doore of my Temple for nothing Wee can neuer serue him sufficiently for that which hee hath giuen vs already but the wages payed are nothing in comparison of those which are promised VERSE 16. They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sunne light on them nor yet any heate THE description of the felicitie of Saints in heauen hauing finished their warrefare on earth still continueth They shall hunger and thirst no more In that he saith no no more hee tells vs he is comparing that life which is to come with this which we haue now In this life the dearest Saints of God are oftentimes most hardly handled So S. Paul professes of himselfe that he was oft times in wearinesse and painefulnesse in hunger and thirst in cold and
the seuenth head of the first beast and yet the second beast also 51. His opposite is Christ. ibid. Q QVestion for Papists 168. R RAinebow 86 Redemption is maruellous and what benefits wee haue by it 170. 171. It 〈◊〉 vâ—… debtors to Christ in more then wee are worth 169. It is not vniuersall 171. wonderfull many waies 321 Religion bastard is alway cruell 204. wants not its owne Martyrs 241 Recusants rebuked 292 Righteousnesse imputed and inherent 319. 320 Romane Doctors cannot vnderstand the Reuelation and why 80. How they are to be handled in handling this booke 11. They are rauening Wolues 214 Roman state opposite to Christ vnder Emperours is the first beast vnder Popes the second 50. 51 S SAluation the glory thereof is the Lords 300 Sanctus the Martyr 280 Saints sealed in their harts and foreheads 280. 283. Particularly they are known to God 284. their stability in glory fauor with God 299. Felicity of Saints glorified 224. 328 329. They need no creature 339. Saints are both seruants and sonnes to God 333. How they shall know others in heauen 237. 238. Saints some neerer the Throne then others 93. Militant Saints how they are said to haue crowns 93. 94 Saints triumphant not yet perfected 161. 162. How they pray 158. How said to reigne vpon earth 177. 178. Al Saints are fellow-seruants 249. Their number ibid. Sanctification 326 Sacrifices of a Christian are three 175 Sardine stone 83 Satan a restlesse enemy 50. His predictions 72. None should consult with him ibid. Hee is a sore enemy to our Peace 213. He is a Lyon but chayned 216 Satan thirsts for bloud and bloud is his destruction 214 215 Seale what it is in generall 274. Seale of God what it is ibid. How Christ is sealed of the Father 278. He hath the seale of God two wayes ibid. How wee may know if God hath sealed vs. 279. 280. Such as want his Seale are not his 281. Seale internall Christ keepes it his seruants haue the externall 276 Seales seuen contain a generall prognostication of things to come 39. The first seale too narrowly limited by some 29. 31. It continues to the worlds end 30. None of al the seales but the sixt is bound to a particular time 40. Sixt seale how to be accoÌ„modated 40. 41. 251. 252. Summe of the seales 190. Fist sixt seales explaned in the seuenth chapter 43. Seales limited to seuen yeares 221 Seuenth chapter a pendicle of the sixt 43. 268 Seruice of God commended 329. 330 Seruants of Satan and sin how 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The profit of all seruice we doe to God redounds to our seluâ—… 335. Not to God ibid. Yet hee craues it that he may doe vs good for it 336 Scripture hath three sorts of bookes 1. Obscurity thereof 128. Why Papists call it obscure 129. Perfection of it 132 Sight three-fold 161. Naturall sight is no comfort without the spirituall 63. Sight which S. Iohn saw was internall imaginary and intellectuall 61. Sight of God what it doth 79. Who shall get it 178. Sight that Saints haue â—…ur of the body 237 â—…igne of the Crosse. 277 Similitudes of holy Scripture are from most excellent things in Nature 300 â—…inne an vncleanenesse 317 Song of Saints why called a new Song 165 Soules immortality 238 Spirit how S. Iohn was in the Spirit 75 Spanish Army handled not vnlike the Syrians of old 213 Starres falling like figges what they signifie 258 Sunne darkened 249. The heat thereof hurtfull to mâ—…ny 340 T THankesgiuing 160. 310 Throne of God 77. Court about it and before it 78 Threatnings most generall admit exceptions 292 Three things men would haue from God and hee will not giue them 235. Because men will not receiue one thing which God offereth to men Ibid. Tribulation in this life 315. It is Nebuchadnezzars fire Gods Flayle and Wine-presse 314. As it hath an in-gate so an out-gate 305. It is measured by God 307 Trinity in the God-head 84. 113 Types should be rightly accommodated 77. 78 V VAriety with vnity makes the sweeter Harmony 305 Victory cannot be without fighting 302. Figured by the Palme-tree 294 Victory is sure to Saints yer euer they fight 209. 210 Vision preparatory in the fourth and fifth chapter 57. Properly preparing for the Visions of Prediction 59. 79 Voice of God calleth men vpward Satans on the contrary 70. Voice of Gods mercy sounded to apostate man neuer to apostate Angell 71 Now it is a Trumpet and a Thunder 194. 68. The Voice which S. Iohn heard how it was vttored 67. Loud and liâ—…ely 69. Miserable are they who heare it not 67 Vials and Trumpets how they differ 46. 47 W WAlking here is by faith not by sight 1â—…4 Washing three-fold whereof we stand in need 317. How is it that Saints need washing sith Christ is their garment 319. And how Saints are said to wash themselues 318 White Rayment 95. 247. 299. 300 Wicked men why some of them are plagued now and some spared 233. They want the Creator now and shortly shall also want the creature 256. 257. In their trouble they runne to the creature 256 Words last of our Lord should be best remembred 4 Worke with God should we in the worke of our saluation 319 World figured by a glassic Sea and the Moone 98. 99. Best pleasures thereof like waters of the salt Sea 101. It shal fall yer it be ripâ—… â—…58 How all creatures in it shall bee changed in the lost Day 259 Worldlings called Inhabitants of the earth and why â—…46 Worship due to God onely 308 Wrath of God is a fire 227 FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebr. 1. 3. Luk. 1. 78. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioseph Antiquit lib. 3. c. 12. Sigon de repub Heb. lib. 5. Psalm 127. 3. Psalm 116. 12. Psalm 16. 2. Sam. 9. 1. 2. Vers. 11. 13. The bookes of holy Scripture are of three rankes rendring a threefold fruit 1 Of Conuersion Psal. 19. 7. Rom. 15. 4. 2 Of Consolation Psal. 34. 19. 3 Of Confirmation Ioh. 16. 4. This booke of the Reuelation is Prophetical And it serues especially to confirme vs in the faith This book the Father giues to the Son the Son to an Angel and the Angel to Saint Iohn that hee might giue it to the Church Reuel 1. 1. The generall matter of this Prophecie Reu. 3. 10. The time wheÌ„ this book was written commends it greatly to vs. The last words of our Lord should be best remembred Luke 16. 31. An answer to Atheists who will haue one from the dead to teach them About threescore yeeres after his ascension our Lord sent this Reuelation Ephe. 4. 8. 〈◊〉 lib. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bucholâ—…er chronol To keepe his Church from fainting vnder trouble till he come himself By two scandals would satan scarre vs froÌ„ this book 1 By denying authority of it Reu. 1. 3. Iustin. Marâ—…n Dialog 〈◊〉 tryph cont Iudcos Iren. lib. 5. cont Valen. Ambros. lib. 3. de S. Sancto cap. 21. Aug. de
PATHMOS OR A COMMENTARY ON THE REVELATION of Saint IOHN diuided into three seuerall Prophecies THE FIRST PROPHECIE contained in the fourth fift sixt and seuenth Chapters By Mr. WILLIAM COWPER Bishop of Galloway Abacuk 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the last it shall speake and not lye though it tarry waite for it shall surely come and shall not stay LONDON Printed by George Purslow for Iohn Budge and are to be sold at the signe of the greene Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1619. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LORD my Lord of Binning President of the Colledge of IVSTICE Secretary to his Maiesty and one of his Highnesse most Honorable Priuy Councell in both the Kingdomes MY LORD THIS Prophesie was properly cōpared by Primasius to a precious Gemme or Orientall Pearle not found in the clifts of rockes or shels of fishes but sent from Heauen for a Present to the Church on Earth by Iesus the splendor of the glory of his Father and that bright Orient which hath visited vs from on high He giueth it in a Loue-token to his Church who for it gaue himselfe to the death Doubtlesse it must bee some great Present which is sent from so great a King by the hand of that Seruant whom he loued best in the world This Iewell hath come in the hands of many who being strangers not acquainted with Canaan from which it came haue out of wrong conception iudged it to bee adulterine But all the Lords Lapidaries who haue seene the precious stones wherwith the walls of Heauenly Ierusalem are garnished haue easily perceiued this to be from heauen also yea and among all the rest most admirable for it partakes with all these both in color and vertue and serueth Saints not for decoration onely but declaration also of many secrets which greatly concerne their state Of old Vrim and Thummim were placed by God in that Pectorall of the high Priest called by the Iewes Hosen by the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what it was or how by it God gaue answere to his people Israel many Diuines in that point are diuinators speaking more out of coniecture then certaine knowledge Iosephus records that these stones by change of their colour gaue signification of things to fall out eyther aduerse or prosperous Sigonius in his Treatise of the Hebrewes Republick seemes to haue followed him The report that Suidas brings from an vncertaine Author is as vncertaine as the Author that if battell was imminent the stones turned red if death was foretold they turned black if no change of estate was to ensue then the stones changed not their colour at all One thing is sure God by them gaue answere to his seruants that sought him as may bee cleared by many places of Scripture But of this booke wee may boldly affirme that it is indeed a heauenly Oracle foretelling in types the truth of things as they were to fall out to the worlds end at the first it sheweth a white colour importing comfortable grace by the Gospell now and immortall glory hereafter Incontinent it turneth to a red colour foreshewing bloudy persecutions which Saints must suffer before they enioy the Crown Then againe it appeareth with a blacke colour to declare that blackenesse of wrath temporall and eternall which abideth the enemies of the Church In some parts it looketh darke in others cleare like the Christall yet through all more or lesse transparent and therewith variable with sundry sheddes among which most apparant are three seuerall rankes of Seuens stretching themselues in most comely order through this Iewell and wherein the Lord hath secretly inclosed treasures of manifold wisedome In the Seales vnsealed secrets are disclosed In the Trumpets battels are denounced In the Uials plagues are powred out The purpose in these three is not one yet by a comely proportion and correspondence doe they answere one to another Many haue handled this Iewell not to finde it by their labour that were impossible but to finde themselues by the valew of it For that cause among others I haue also looked vpon it truely for none other end but that I might learne from it and now what I haue seene I shew submitting my selfe to the Church for whose profit I haue taken these paines If the light of the booke hereby be any way encreased and comfort arise to the good Christian the praise is the Lords and vnder God thankes is due to your Lordship for by your louing counsell care I haue beene relieued of many intricate matters of Law and found the greater leysure and liberty both to attend my studies Thus hath your Lordship beene a Mecaenas to me indeed Good men oftentimes are forced to expresse great affections by small meanes and so now it fareth with me yet I trust your Lordship will esteeme of mee not as I am but as I desire to be on your behalfe But it is no reason I should requite deeds with words I know your Lordship doth neyther like them nor need them Where Vertue giueth out her beames euen her enemies are forced to acknowledge her glory yet thus much out of duty must I speake that by many Coards of loue hath your God bound you to be thankefull to him Vertue is weake without some aduersity neither can that felicity bee found on earth that communicates not with some crosse Some are raised to wealth but the lesse regarded by reason of their base Linage Some Noble by parentage but depressed with pouerty many beautified both with Nobility and riches who want the delight of children others haue the comfort of children but with the turning of a few yeares they turne crosses vnto them there is no estate so prosperous against which there is not iust cause of complaint Thus runneth the common currant of worldly courses here on earth But will your Lordship turne your eyes a little from others and looke to your selfe you shall see what cause your Lordship hath aboue others to say with Dauid Many wayes hath the Lord beene beneficiall to his Seruant beeing for Linage descended of a wise and worthy Father of an Honourable Family famous among many others of that most flourishing Trybe of Hammilton Honourable also for the places of honour which you possesse but much more for the vertue whereby you haue worthily deserued them for it is a greater thing to deserue Honour then to haue it but where by Vertue it is obtained by Wisedome encreased and by good Gouernement reteined all which are euident in your Lordship What can be more Your children thankes be to God no crosses but comforts like branches of the Oliue promised to such as feare God they stretch out themselues from the sides of your Tabie and without disparagement are matched with the mighty Cedars of the Land For your selfe I haue nothing to say but that which I know no man can gaine-say If quickenesse of ingine vigour of ready witte wisedome in words discretion
in deedes secrecie in thoughts beseeming a Secretary fidelity in seruice of your Soueraigne surety in friendship modesty in all your behauiour If education of your children in true Religion If good example in the obseruance of God his publike worship euery Sabboth If indefatigable paines in your Calling for the good of the publique State wherein nothing can bee seene all the dayes of the weeke but Catenati labores mutandi semper grauioribus so that iustly it may bee admired how in so weake a body such restlesse labor of mind may be sustained If all these I say may commend any man then hath your Lordshippe witnesses enow to speake for you and needes not the testimony of others Loe now what a heape of good things hath the Lord multiplied vpon you what remaines but that you consider with Dauid What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefites towards mee Hee himselfe will giue you the answere My well-doing extends not to the Lord but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the Excellent all my delight is in them Great cause had Dauid to loue Ionathan hee could not get himselfe to requite his kindnesse but hee enquired if any man were left of the house of Saul that hee might shew him mercy for Ionathans sake and when hee vnderstood that hee had a weake sonne Mephibosheth lame of both his feete he despised him not for his inability but aduanced him for Ionathans sake to eat at his owne table as one of the Kings sonnes My Lord our Ionathan is the Lord Iesus wee haue not himselfe but for his sake wee are bound to shew mercy to his Mephibosheths these are the Leuites the Widdow the Fatherlesse the Poore the Stranger and the Oppressed Let not the Leuite want the comfort of the Law in his righteous cause Look with a tender eye to the vpright action of weake and impotent men God is a righteous Iudge to all men but he hath taken these aboue others vnder his singular protection Thinke it your honour and happinesse also to be a Protector of them So shall your Lordship prosper still and God shall stablish blessings vpon you and your posterity I will pray to God for it and so rest Your Lordships to be commanded William B. of Galloway Of my Lord of Galloway his learned Commentary on the Reuelation TO this admir'd Discouerer giue place Yee who first tam'd the Sea the Windes outranne And match'd the Dayes bright Coach-man in your race Americus Columbus Magellan It is most true that your ingenious care And well-spent paines another world brought forth For Beasts Birds Trees for Gemmes and Metals rare Yet all being earth was but of earthly worth Hee a more precious World to vs descryes Rich in more Treasure then both Indes containe Faire in more beauty then mans witte can faine VVhose Sunne not sets whose people neuer dies Earth shuld your Brows deck with stil-verdant Bayes But Heauens crowne his with Stars immortall rayes Master William Drumond of Sawthorn-denne Another REapers not few did labour in this field And it to them great store of fruit did yeeld But heere comes one apace behinde them all To gather vp what by their hand did fall Peruse his stuffe and thou shalt for thy gaining Find more then others Harust to be his gleaning I. A. PATHMOS A COMMENTARY VPON THE FIRST Prophecie of the Reuelation of S. Iohn conteined in the fourth fift sixt and seuenth Chapters Mine Helpe is in the Name of the LORD THE whole bookes of holy Scripture are of three rankes Historicall Doctrinall Propheticall they being so denominate from the principall matter in them contained Of all these coniunctly arises vnto vs a three-fold fruite the first of Conuersion the second of Consolation the third of Confirmation The first once for all is touched by the Psalmist The Law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule The second by the Apostle Whatsoeuer things are written are written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope It is true indeed Many are the troubles of the righteous yet against euery crosse the Lord hath giuen vs in his Word sufficient consolation The third is set downe by our Sauiour These things haue I said vnto you that yee should not bee offended that when the houre shall come yee might remember that I told you of them And this fruite of confirmation wee haue especially by bookes Propheticall Of this nature is this booke as is cleere by the titles giuen vnto it for in the first verse of the first Chapter it is called an Apocalypse or Reuelation that is an opening or vncouering of things which were hid and secret before and in the fourth verse it is called A Prophecie Thus haue we it not onely a Prophecie or prediction of things to come but a prophecie reuealed and expounded partly by Christ and partly by the Angell And this is to be noted that where other books of holy Scripture are written to instruct vs in the faith and to teach vs what wee must doe if wee would be saued this booke is written not so much to instruct vs in the faith though in part it doe that also as to confirme vs in it that for no violent persecution following it for no fraudulent heresie by deceit impugning it for no externall change befalling the Church for no prosperous preuailing of the enemies thereof as for a time will appeare to the world we should forsake that faith which the Lord Iesus and his Apostles haue taught vs in the Gospell The Author of it is God the Father from him it commeth by this order the Father giues it to the Sonne the Sonne to an Angell the Angell giueth it to S. Iohn and S. Iohn sends it to the Church The matter whereof it entreates is comprised in this short summe In it God sheweth to his seruants things which must shortly be done namely concerning the Church her persecutions by enemies the changes and mutations of the visible state thereof defections of Apostates illusions of Heretikes fearefull eclypses of the light of the Gospell All these were to fall out in that houre of tentation to come vpon all the world for tryall of them that dwell vpon the earth And in this Prophecie are distinctly fore-told by the Lord that his Saints and seruants in all ages might be confirmed against them when they should see them come to passe knowing that they fall not out by accident nor by the will or power of man but according to the determinate counsell of God who hath also letten his Church see before-hand a comfortable out-gate and end of them all And as both for the Matter and Authour this booke should bee welcome to vs so the circumstance of the time doth greatly commend it It was sent vnto vs after the Ascension of our Lord and is
Lord two hundred and seuentie yeeres I find him at the end of Theophilactus his Commentaries vpon the Epistles and some Prophets printed at Paris in the yeare 1548. He shortly paraphrases the Prophecie according to the order of the Chapters Primasius an Africane Bishop is next vnto him Some thinkes as Trithemius testifies that he was the disciple of S. Augustine Hee liued about the yeere of our Lord 440. and was Bishop of Vtica he diuides this Prophecie into two bookes one conteined in the first twelue Chapters the other in the rest to the end more particularly againe he parts the whole in fine bookes His booke is printed Coloniae anno 1535. Hugo Cardinalis liued about the yeere 1240. he diuides the booke into seuen visions as many other also doe The first vision is in the first three chapters the second from the fourth to the eight the third from the eight to the twelfth the fourth from it to the fifteenth the fift from it to the eighteenth the sixt in the eighteene nineteene and twenty the seuenth in the two last chapters An old Manuscript Folio expressing no certaine Author in most things it is consonant to Hugo Dionysius Carthusianus printed at Paris in the yeere 1555 handles this booke according to the order of the Chapters and warnes the Reader in his Prologue that it is Prophetalis liber a Propheticall booke yet not without good doctrine for albeit saith he in the new Testament some books be Legall namely the foure Euangelists others againe be Historicall as the Acts of the Apostles and others Sapientiall such as the Epistles and this onely Propheticall Certum tamen est in quolibet genere librorum istorum aliqua de aliorum librorum materia contineri yet it is most certaine that in anyone of these sort of books the matter of other bookes is also some-way conteined Lyra hath a short Paraphrase on the Reuelation D. Doctor Chytraeus his booke Printed at Viteberg in the yeere 1571. diuides this Prophecie into seuen Visions The first presents a cleere description of Christ supreme King and high Priest of his Church and openeth vp the state and forme of Church-gouernment in this life this Vision is contained in the first three Chapters The second is from the fourth Chapter to the eight The third from the eight to the twelfth wherein corruptions of doctrine and heresies which were to fall out are by sound of Trumpet fore-told vnto the Church The fourth from the twelfth to the fifteenth foresheweth the battell of the Church with the Dragon and with the new and old Romane Empire wherein we haue also a discouery of Antichrist The fift is in the fifteenth and sixteenth Chapters containing the vials of wrath powred out vpon the worshippers of the Beast The sixt Vision is from the seuenteenth Chapter to the one and twentieth and it intreates of the punishment of Antichrist The seuenth and last is a Vision of the Church Triumphant in the two last Chapters Bullingerus his booke printed at London in the yeere 1573. a iudicious and solid Writer agreeth with them who diuide this Prophecie into seuen Visions Alphonsus Conradus Mantuanus his booke printed Basileae in the yeere 1560. Hee dedicates it to the mightie Monarch of heauen and earth The Lord Iesus Christ and followes them who diuides this Prophecie in seuen Visions D. Guilielmus Fulco Anglus a learned and modest Writer his booke printed at London in the yeere 1573. diuides this Prophecie in three Visions The first is in the first three Chapters the second from the fourth to the twelfth the third from it to the end Aretius Bernensis in the yeere 1584. goeth also with them who parteth this booke into seuen Visions Collado printed Morgiis in the yeere 1584. will haue the Apocalypse to be a collection of threefold sort of signes tending all to one and the selfe-same purpose to wit Seales Trumpets and Vials these three signify al one thing so that in his iudgement the matter of the first Seale first Trumpet first Viall is all one so he thinks also of the rest Iames Brocard his iudgement is that in the Reuelation those things are handled and in distinct order set forth which Moses and the Prophets haue written of the state of the Gospell and of the latter times In a word he cals it a conclusion and summe of the holy Scripture in and about those things which concerne Prophecie and leades them to the end of the workes of God And he will haue this in such soâ—… a Prophecie of things to come that those which are past bee also vnderstood with other things not much pertinent to this Prophecie Leo Iude a Tigurine Preacher translated out of Dutch into English by Edmond Allen about this same time wrote a pretty and godly Paraphrase vpon this booke according to the order of the Chapters Iunius printed at Heidelberg in the yeere 1591. the Propheticall part of this booke saith he beginnes at the fourth Chapter and is distinguished into two Histories whereof the one hee makes to be common and generall pertaining to the whole world from the fourth to the tenth Chapter the other a speciall Prophecie containing the estate of the Church Militant from the tenth Chapter to the two and twentieth Carolus Gallus printed at Leiden in the yeere 1592. will haue the whole time from the daies of S. Iohn to the last Day diuided into seuen ages which by foure sundry pleasant pictures as hee cals them or representations are proposed vnto vs First in the seuen Epistles Next in the seuen Seales Thirdly in seuen Trumpets Lastly in seuen Vials By these foure pictures the liuely image of Diuine Prouidence gouerning his Church through all the seuen ages is figured vnto vs. The seuen ages he diuides this way the first is from S. Iohn his daies to Constantine the second from Constantine to Phocas the third from Phocas to Carolus Magnus the fourth from Carolus to Conradus the first the fift from that to Rodolphus the sixth from Rodolphus to Carolus Quintus the seuenth from him to the second comming of the great King The Lord Iesus Christ. Foxe an Englishman printed in the yeere 1596. contents him with this generall that nothing in time past hath or in time to come shall fall out in the Church whereof wee haue not a liuely delineation in this Booke plainely represented to the eyes and eares of them who look vpon it that it may most iustly be doubted whether this booke be a Prophecie or an Ecclesiasticall Historie wherein things to fall out are set downe as if they were already fallen out neither haue they otherwise fallen out then this Prophecie hath pronounced before-hand for according vnto it things come to passe George Gifford Englishman printed at London in the yeere 1596. he maketh this Booke to be a prophecie which openeth the state of things to
eternall felicity of the Church Triumphant in the one and twentieth and beginning of the two and twentieth chapters In this all the Interpreters agree and make no question except that some will haue the fourth and fifth chapters to containe Visions of Prediction as well as the rest which as we haue said cannot be for the opening of the Seales out of which comes the discouery of things to come beginneth at the sixt chapter Now to take vp rightly the Method of the Prophecy of the estate of the Church Militant let vs keepe in minde that ground laid by S. Augustine and Primasius that it is Prophetia saepius repetita not one continuall Prophecie but a Prophecie repeated and that not doubled onely as was the dreame of Pharaoh to shew the certainety of the Vision but tripled all the three Visions foretelling the estate of the Church in a different manner yea and of a different matter one from another except that the last Vision or third Prophecie which is of Antichrist is doubled the one not much different from the other in matter but in the manner of handling The whole Visions of this Prophecie concerning things to come in the Church Militant are three euery one of them diducing in a diuerse manner the state of the Church from the daies of Christ to his second Comming The light that led me to this order did breake out of the bosome of the Book it selfe and the attentiue Reader may easily perceiue that which by diligent reading was conceiued by me that euery one of these three Prophecies is concluded with a propheticall description of the day of Iudgement vnder such Types as it was represented to S. Iohn I would therefore warne the Reader who desires to vnderstand this Booke that when he commeth to the description of the day of Iudgement hee stand there and resolue with himselfe that the Prophecie which followeth it beginneth againe as wee say ab Oâ—…o to shew out the estate of the Church in matter as I said or then in manner different from the former The first Prophecie is Generall and ends in the sixt chapter with a propheticall prediction of the day of Iudgement in the sixt Seale all the difficultie will be about this but we will shew our reasons when we come to it The second Prophecie beginning at the eighth chapter is more Speciall and is concluded in the end of the eleuenth chapter with a propheticall Narration againe of the day of Iudgement which no man can deny The third Prophecie beginning at the twelfth chapter is Particular for it leaueth all other enemies and pointeth at Antichrist and at the end of the twentieth chapter ver 11. it is concluded with a Propheticall Representation of the day of Iudgment so cleerely that I hope it shall haue no contradictor The first Prophecie which is Generall THe first Prophecie in effect is a generall Prognostication proposing a short and summary view of the state of the Church specially vnder violent persecution to the worlds end which is this In the first Seale is declared how Christ shall go through the world riding vpon the Ministerie of the Word preaching the Gospell by his seruants where and when it pleaseth him In the second Seale we are fore-warned that this shall not be without trouble for Satan and his instruments shadowed by the Rider on the red Horse shall in bloudy manner persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell Yet are we told in the third and fourth Seale that they shall not escape vnpunished for thereupon followes the blacke and the pale Horse with their Riders figuring famine pestilence and other horrible plagues of God that shall come on the world for contempt of the Gospell And because the sword famine pestilence do not so go through the world that the godly are exempted from them In the fifth Seale the estate of Saints troubled on earth for the testimony of Iesus is set downe in most comfortable manner and then as they tryed in the fifth Seale for the day of reuenge and iudgement so at the opening of the sixt Seale the horrible day of Doome appeareth to the terrour of the wicked We are not then to binde any of these Seales except the sixt to a determinate time but take them vp as extended to all times during the worlds endurance Farre lesse to expound these Riders on the Horses of Roman Emperours other particular persons as we haue shewed before In this first Prophecie there is no difficultie except about the sixt seale whether or not it doth fore-shew the day of Iudgement and about the seuenth chapter how it followeth and dependeth on the sixt and how it is a pendicle of the first Prophecie Concerning the first we hold thus that the sixt seale containes a propheticall prediction of the last Day Against this there are two opinions Some thinke that it is a Prophecie of heresies apostasies and defections from the faith Others that it is a prophecy of some fearefull temporall iudgement but neither of these are to bee receiued The Text it selfe militats directly against the first opinion that the darkening of the Sunne and Moone the falling of the Starres admitteth not any Allegoricall interpretation of any darkenesse to come by Heresie and Apostasie for it is plainly said in the fifteenth verse that Kings Great Men and Captaines were afraid when they saw the fearefull change of the creatures they hid themselues in dennes Shall we thinke here that it was Apostasie and Heresie obscuring the light of the Gospell that made them to cry out Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs. No so farre were they from all feare for that matter that by the contrarie they reioyced in it Emperours I meane great men and Captaines being themselues chiefe Authors Actors and Allowers of these Heresies which darkened the Sunne Yea it is very well knowne that they either by allurements entised others or by violence forced them to make Apostasie and Defection from the Truth Neither is it to be vnderstood to bee a denuntiation of any temporall or externall iudgement for these reasons First there is here an vniuersall change made of all creatures in heauen and in earth Next all the persons of the wicked not of one Nation or Kingdome but of all are vniuersally here iudged and that vnder seuen rankes Thirdly it is expresly called in the Text The great Day of the Lord his wrath The like stile I know is also giuen to daies of temporall iudgement yet conioyne this with the rest of the Reasons and compare it with other places where wee finde the like phrase the matter shall be cleere Sith the seuen Vials are the seuen last plagues of force we must grant that the last Viall powreth out the last wrath of that great Day which concludeth all wrath in this life and beginnes that endlesse wrath in the life to
and are neuer at rest So is it with men in this world vncertaine and vnstable is thâ—…ir estate rich this day poore to morrow now a King incontinent a captiue highest in the Court this day like Haman highest to morrow on the gallowes This day the King leanes on the shoulder of the Samaritane Prince the next day the people tramples him vnder their feet Neither is it simply represented by a sea of which type see more chap. 16. verse 3. but by a glassie sea to declare the fragilitie thereof it hath a faire splendent shew but no solidity the best thing in it is man yet is he but like a vessell of glasse most easily broken as daily experience declares And thirdly it is said to be like vnto Christall which is transparent so that a man looking into it sees through it and euery moâ—…e therein is manifest vnto him This doth properly expresse that cleere and liuely sight which the Lord hath of most secret things done in the world All things are naked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and manifest vnto his sight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opened vp and as it were spelled out Naturall men may restraine his prouidence within the heauen This is the voice of Atheists The Lord walks in the circle of heauen the cloudes hide him that hee cannot see They are like vnto foolish children who if they hide their owne face that they see not doc thinke that none sees them But they haue an answere from the Psalmist The Lord hath his dwelling on high yet he abases himselfe to behold things in hoauen and in earth the darknes is no darknesse but to him darknes and the light are both alike This also should waken vs to the practise of that Apostolike precept Vse this world as if 〈◊〉 vsed it not Sith the world is resembled to a sea let vs coÌ„sider how the sea is a good element for nauigation and transportation of men from one Countrey to another but euill for habitation Men are gladdest when their course is shortest on the sea and their hearts are at their hauening place long before their Barks can carry their bodies vnto it Wee should so liue in this world as passing through it to our heauenly harbour soiourning in it but not dwelling in it The greatest pleasures of this world are like the waters of the sea salt bitter and vnwholsome to drinke Hee is in the worst estate that hath his belly most full of them Let vs looke to them with lothsomnesse but aboue all beware we drinke not of them with greedines for they will proue deadly at the length And in the midds of the Throne and c. Followes a description of the third and most excellent sort of creatures pertayning to the Court of the great King these are holy Angels in whom and by whom God ruleth and they are described first from their place next from their nature which is to be taken out of their name thirdly from their number fourthly from their properties and lastly from their function Some by these foure beasts vnderstand the four Euangelists It were easie to shew whom they follow in this opinion but needlesse It was hard for the first Fathers such as Victorine and others who wrote vpon this booke to vnderstand it so long before the accomplishment thereof And as for others in the middle Age wherin the Church was darkned with Popery they are not much to be regarded for no man indued with the spirit of error shall vnderstand this booke yet all these trot on in this common Commentary and will haue these foure beasts foure Euangelists But this is to be lamented that now in so cleare a light so many worthy men should haue been miscarried by them out of the way But leauing them we haue first to cleere that these creatures figure Angels and such Angels as in precellencie of dignity and prerogatiâ—…e of place are neerer vnto the Throne then other Angels be for in the fifth chapter ver 11. after the song of the foure liuing creatures followes the song of many Angels that are said to be there in a circle without them and in the 15. chapter ver 7. one of the foure giueth vnto the seuen Angels their Vials full of the wrath of God their first testimony proueth that the foure being namely put for the whole order haue the precellencie of place the other proues they haue the prerogatiâ—…e of dignitie Yet to come neerer many of the Interpreters do agree that in this Vision allusion is made to that which Ezechiel in his first chapter setteth downe for in this Prophecie the Spirit of God euery where followeth the phrase and alludes to the Visions of Prophecies in the old Testament and of this iudgement are Iunius Foxus Merchiston Grasserus Ribera with many others Now in that Vision is shewed to Ezechiel how hee that sits on the Throne ruleth all by the ministerie of his holy Angels there they are figured the same manner of way to wit by the Lyon a Man a Bullock and an Eagle except that there euery one of them is figured all these foure waies these that here are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liuing creatures and that in all the English Translations whatsoeuer they are translated Beasts the cause seemes to be in the penury of our Language that hath not any proper word to distinguish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alway that these are Angels Ezechiel expounds himselfe chap. 10. ver 20. And the Beast that I saw vnder the God of Israel I vnderstood that they were Cherubims Ezechiel saw his Vision in the captiuity of Babel at the Riuer Chebar and S. Iohn saw his Vision being banished by Domitian into the I le Pathmos one truth by the same types is represented to both so the one very well may serue for a Commentarie to the other to let vs see that these creatures are indeed neither Beasts nor men but Cherubims or Angels Now to come to their description we haue first to consider the place wherein S. Iohn sees them In the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne For vnderstanding of this take vp the Throne to appeare a little lifted vp from the earth in the midst vnder it are the bodies of these creatures and at euery corner looke out their faces so are they both in the midst of the Throne and round about it This glorious Ruler hath his Throne compassed with holy Angels not that he needs any of them but for the greater comfort of his Church as also to shew the great glory of his Maiestie Many Aramites came against Elisha in Dothan his seruant was discouraged so was not himselfe There are more said he with vs then are against vs. And many may we say are our enemies visible and inuisible
but more and stronger are the seruants of our God who stand for vs. Salomon builded a Throne the like of it was not in any Kingdome it ascended by sixe steps and on euery side were grauen Lyons ouer-guilt with gold but they were without life and could not punish the Kings enemies But our King his Throne is compassed with Angels more terrible and strong then Lyons to teare his enemies in peeces at his commandement He sent but one of them against Senacheribs Army and another against the Kingdome of Egypt no power of man could resist them This for their place the second thing in their description is their nature to be taken vp as I said out of their names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liuing creatures figured by Men and Lyons but indeed as I haue shewed are Angels Their name here is generall and common to all creatures that haue life but compare it with other places and yee shall see they are Spirits Hee createth his Spirits his Messengers An Angell then is a Spirit but Spiritus creatus completus When I call him a Spirit I distinguish him from Lyons Bullockes Eagles that haue bodies without spirits when I call him a created spirit I distinguish him from God who is a Spirit but the Spirit the Creator of all or as Moses cals him The God of the Spirits of all flesh And when I say that an Angel is a spirit complete it is to distinguish him from the spirit of man which to the complete subsistance thereof requires a bodie which Angels do not called therefore by Augustine Personae The third thing pointed at in their description is their number they are said to be foure to shadow their sufficiency for their administration and execution of Gods will through all the foure corners of the world but not as if they were onely foure and no more for thousand thousands minister to him and ten thousand thousands stand before him The Chariots of God are twenty thousand yea The company of Angels is innumerable saith the Apostle and so they are indeed in respect of vs howsoeuer to the Lord their number be definite and certaine The fourth thing in their description is their properties many manner of waies figured to vs they are said to haue eyes before eyes behind and in the eighth verse eyes within figuring their manifold knowledge for which also Nazianzen called them Secundaria lumina secondary lights there is a three-fold sight which they neuer want a sight of God a sight of themselues and a sight of the creature by their eies before they looke vnto God delighting to behold his face continually from it are they styled Aphnim By their eyes within they looke alway to themselues by their eyes behind they looke to the creature whereunto God sends them they know and vnderstand them and what they haue to do with them If at any time according to the commandement giuen them they come forth to execute their message either of Mercy or Iustice on the creature then do they in such sort looke to the creature that their eye is neuer turned from the Lord their Creator Nunquam sic for as exeunt a diuina visione vt internae contemplationis gaudijs priuentur they neuer come out in such sort from the sight of the Diuine Maiesty that they are depriued of the ioyes of internall contemplation which they haue by beholding him Oh! that we had these three-fold eyes that we might know the Lord and delight continually to behold him that we might know the creature so that in looking to it we were not intangled with it and thirdly that we might know ourselues But alas here is our misery our eyes are behind vs wee see the workes of God better then we see God himselfe whereof it comes to passe that we delight our selues more in the creatures then in the Lord who made them we looke so to the creature that we lose the sight of the Creator yea by beholding things without vs we forget those which are within vs. Salomon saith A wise mans eyes are in his forehead and his heart is at his right hand What wisedome then can be in vs who are still looking back to those things which of force we must leaue behind vs and will not look forward to the Lord with whom we hope to remaine for euer VERSE 7. And the first Beast was like a Lyon and the second Beast was like a Calfe and the third Beast had a face like a man and the fourth Beast was like a flying Eagle HE insists still in the description of their properties he saith that they were represented to him like Men Lyons Bullockes and Eagles not that Angels haue any such shape of themselues as I haue shewed before but to declare vnto vs that whatsoeuer is excellent in the best creatures of the world Angels haue it they haue vnderstanding like Men they haue animositie and courage like Lyons strength for labour like the Bullocke or Oxe celerity and swiftnesse like the Eagle thus are they vnderstanding couragious laborious and agill creatures And it is to be obserued that these properties which are seuerall in the creatures are coniunct in the Angels and therefore in Ezekiel his Vision to euery one of them all these foure faces faces of these creatures are ascribed The manifold wisedome of God appeares in the variety of his creatures All the Naturalists in the world haue not shall not attaine to this one thing to know how many sorts of creatures the Lord hath made but this doth yet much more commend his wisedome that hee hath distinguished euery one of them from another so that euery creature hath in it a seuerall stampe of the singular goodnesse and wisedome of God not they of the greater sort onely such as the Elephant in the Land and Leuiathan in the Sea but the smaller sort such as the Bee and the Emmet for our God is not mole sed virtute magnus in his biggest creatures he hath left some token of his incomparable strength in his smaller creatures againe hath he left some shadow of his maruellous wisedome But as I said all these sparkles of diuine goodnesse and wisedome which here are scattered seuerally among the creatures on earth are all to be found amassed and conioyned together in the Angels of heauen All which should leade vs vp further to consider Sith such variety of good things are prouided for vs and we see them in this world what shall we looke for in the world to come Through faith we vnderstand that the worlds were framed by the word of God Let vs not thinke there is not a world after this far be that from vs but let vs look for a better we see the beauty of this world but let vs be assured the beauty of the other is such as the eye saw neuer Our best things here are
he had to shew vnto Israel and was after written in the booke of Ezekiel It a hoc loco per librum Iohanni ostensum intelligitur scientia ◅orum quae Iohanni fuerant de futuro statu Ecclesiae reuelanda quae nunc in hoc Apocalypsis volumine sant descripta So heere by a booke shewed to S. Iohn is vnderstood the knowledge of these things which were to bee reuealed to Saint Iohn concerning the estate of the Church to come and which now are described in this booke of the Reuelation Alway that S. Iohn sees this book written within and without it is to declare vnto vs that it is a complete Prophesie there is no blanke paper in this booke to be filled vp by any other or if there were who is this in heauen or in earth that can reueale that vnto vs which Iesus Christ our blessed Sauiour hath not reuealed None at all wee are not to looke for any other Reuelation or Prophecie after this til the Day come wherein Christ our Lord shall be reuealed in his glory Sealed with seuen Seales The Seales declare first the surety next the secresie of this Prophecie Surety it is the manner of Kings to seale their decrees which they will haue executed so this book is sealed to shew that the Lord will surely accomplish that which is written in it It is a Decree more sure then any of the Medes and Persians Againe the Seales declare the secrecie thereof here are mysteries locked vp from the vnderstanding of Angels and men if the Lord had not opened them and reuealed them vnto vs. The Iesuite Viega carpeth aduantage heere to instifie that calumnie of the Church of Rome whereby they blot the Scripture with obscurity he brings many reasons to proue that it was expedient the holy Scripture should be penned in obscure māner But I pray you lis not this vnsure reasoning The book of the Reuelation is obscure therfore al the books of holy Scripture are obscure And sith they can looke to the Seales wherewith the book is closed complain of obscurity why will they not looke to the Lambe who openeth the booke giue him thankes who of a closed booke makes it an open booke and giues to it the name of a Reuelation Lastly as we haue said before this booke was written not so much to informe vs in the faith as to confirme vs in it that wee should not leaue the faith for these manifold troubles which in this book are foretold vs that were to follow our faith It is sufficient for vs that in these books wherin the Lord teaches vs the way of saluation hee speakes so plainely that the entrance into his Word sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple The waters thereof in some places are so shallow that a childe may goe thorow though in others so deepe that an Elephant may swimme In his quae aperte posita su◅t in Scriptura inueniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi spem scilicet charitatem What neede men carpe at these places which are obscure sith in these which are plainely written all things are to bee found that containe Faith and good manners to wit Hope and Charity said Augustine Num igitur Deus mentis vocis linguae Artifex diserte loqui non potest imo vero summa prouidentia carere voluit fuco ea quae diuina sunt vt omnes intelligerent quae ipse omnibus loquebatur Shall we think said Lactantius that God who is the Artificer and Maker both of the minde and voyce and of the tongue cannot speake plainely No but by the contrary hee hath most wisely prouided that his words should bee plaine without coloured deceit that all men may vnderstand these things which hee speaketh vnto all I will not therefore answere Viega and his associates with Chrysostome Praetextus iste pigritiae vetamen but rather will say it is malitiae velamen this pretext of the obscurity of Scripture is but a couering of their slothfulnes but rather it is a couering of their maliciousnesse because the Scripture rebukes them therefore they rebuke it they doe what they can to obscure it because it obscureth their kingdome VERSE 2. And I saw a strong Angell who preached with a loud voyce Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seales thereof IN the first verse we haue seene the description of this booke now beginnes the second part of this chapter wherein we haue him described who openeth the booke first from his singular supereminence that none other was found able to open the booke this appeares by the Angell his proclamation Who is worthy to open the Booke The answer is subioyned in a negation None in heauen c. So this doth greatly magnifie the glory of Iesus that He and He onely hath done that vnto vs and for vs which none in heauen nor in earth were able to haue done The Offices of the Messias are three hee is the King the Priest and Prophet of his Church If these bee compared among themselues the Propheticall Office will bee found the least As our High Priest hee had to satisfie the iustice of God for vs and make atonement for our sinnes As our King hehath deliuered vs from the oppression of our enemies visible and inuisible and ruleth our hearts by the scepter of his Grace As our Prophet he hath reuealed to vs in his holy Scripture the whole counsell of God concerning our saluation and in this Prophecie hath forewarned his Church of such troubles as were imminent vnto her which none in heauen nor in earth was able to doe Now since the last and least of the three cannot be done by any creature what blasphemy is it to say that men may doe the greatest that is by their owne sufferings and doings make satisfaction to the iustice of God as the Romish Church vainly and wickedly doe affirme For they teach that Christ hath not reuealed the whole counsell of God that the Scriptures are imperfect and are to be supplyed by Traditions quas Ecclesia Catholica suscipit ac veneratur pari pietatis affectu reuerentia scilicet atqui ipsum verbum scriptum which the Catholike Church embraces and honoureth with the same affection of piety and reuerence which is due to the written Word it selfe But I pray them Who is able to teach that which the great Doctor of the Church hath not taught If there be any Seale of the Booke which Christ hath not opened who is this that is able to open it Either they must confesse none in heauen sarre lesse in earth can do it or else they must falsifie this Angell which is impossible or then manifest themselues to bee falsisiers which is euident All Antiquity pleads the perfection of holy Scripture against them Religio vera in scriptis Apostolorum Prophetarum continetur
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
earth shall serue vnto vs. Now there remaines one doubt to be cleared here how is this Canticle conuenient for Angels seeing they fell not how can they praise God for Redemption by his bloud The answer is first in the Song the Thankes-giuing may be distinguished from the reason of the Thankes Thou art worthy to take the Booke and open the Scales thereof there the thankes-giuing which is fitting both for Angels and redeemed Saints to giue vnto the Lambe but the reason Because thou wast killed more proper for redeemed Saints Secondly the Angels are also members of the Church they call themselues our brethren I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren which haue the testimonie of Iesus And againe by the Apostle to the Hebrewes they are reckoned to be of one body and one fellowship with vs Wee are come to the coelestiall Ierusalem and companie of innumerable Angels Now as in the naturall body all the members haue their owne mutuall compassion when one is wounded the rest mourne with it and for it and againe all of them haue their owne mutuall contentment and congratulation in the good of others so that if one member be restored which was hurt the rest albeit they were not hurt reioyce with it So may we thinke that it is in the Mysticall Bodie and that the Angels being of one fellowship with vs glorifie God for our restitution for sith our Sauiour teacheth vs that they haue ioy in the conuersion of one sinner much more may we think they haue ioy in the Redemption of the whole company of Gods Elect. Thirdly the Angels haue their owne interest in the benefite of Redemption As all things were created by him which are in heauen and in earth visible and inuisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers so by him are all things reconciled and set at peace by the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and things in heauen Caluin expounds this both of Angels and Men let the iudicious Reader wisely consider his words and hee shall see that albeit there was no enmitie betweene Angels and the Lord because they sinned not yet for the setting of them at a perfect peace it was needfull they should bee made sure of their perseuerance in the state of innocencie which benefite they had not by their creation for the fall of some of them proues that of their owne nature they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutable by will but that same grace of Iesus which raised vp Elect Men when they had fallen confirmes Elect Angels that now they cannot fall Qui erexit hominem lapsum dedit Angelo stanti ne laberetur I leaue that of Cyrillus Dicimus nos ex parte quadam de Deierga nos bonitate sed nescimus quanta ille Angelis condonauerit indulget enim illis quandoquidem ipse tantùm vnus est qui peccare non possit who thinkes that the Lord vseth his owne indulgence toward Angels it being his owne onely and proper glory that hee cannot sinne Fulgentius agrees with Bernard none other keepes the Angels that they fall not but the same grace which restored man when he had fallen Vna in vtroque gratia operata est in hoc vt surgeret in Angelo ne caderet One grace wrought in both in Man that he might rise and in the Angell that hee did not fall Thus are Angels benefited by the death of Iesus Christ. VERSE 11. Then I beheld and heard the voyce of many Angels round about the Throne and about the liuing creatures and the Elders and they were thousand thousands THe second part of the thanksgiuing is sung by Angels onely where we haue these foure circumstances First who they are that sing Secondly in what place of the Heauenly Court appeare they to Saint Iohn Thirdly their number and lastly what is their song They who sing this part are plainly called Angels different both in place and as it seemes in dignitie from the foure liuing creatures whom we expounded to be a principall chiefe company of Angels neerest to the Throne And S. Iohn ranketh them as they appeared vnto him That there is order among Angels is out of question Some hath been bold to set downe the manner therof out of Dionysius Areopagita whom the learned iustly suspect for the Fathers of that age had not so soone forgotten that Apostolike precept Let none presume aboue that which is written Elias who comments vpon Nazianzen distinguisheth the whole company of Angels into three ranks and placeth three orders in euery one of them In the first Cherubims Seraphims and Thrones In the second Dominions Armies and Powers In the third Principalities Archangels and Angels But these are naked speculations neither warranted by Scripture nor reason It had been better for him to haue kept the bounds of Nazianzen his modestie Angelis pro suae naturae et ordinis ratione tanta pulchritudinis copia est impressa vt secundaria quaedam lumina sint There is imprinted in Angels according to their nature and order such abundance of shining beautie as maketh them secondarie lights he acknowledges among them a distinction and an order yea diuersitie of orders but takes not vpon him to determine it And the like modestie vseth Augustine Qui fatetur se rationem huius distinctionis ignorare who confesseth that hee knowes not the reason of this distinction Their place is described to be about the Throne because they are the Gard of the great King which attend him not for his defence but for the execution of his will For thousand thousands minister vnto him and tenne thousand thousands stand before him But about the Church represented by foure and twenty Elders are they placed as a Gard appointed for our protection and defence The Angels of the Lord pitch their tents round about them who feare him These compassed Elisha in Dothan to keepe him from inuasion of the Syrian horses and Chariots How great their power is the destruction of Pharao his first borne by one Angel and of Senacherib his Armie by another may witnesse vnto vs. Dauid had a strong gard of Cherethits and Pelethits but the best of his Worthies were not comparable to one of these Warriers Here then is our comfort that as Damones Ecclesiam circumeunt ad deuorandum ita Angeli eam circumeunt vt custodiant As Satan with his legions of wicked spirits goeth about seeking to deuoure vs so these Angels and heauenly Armies stand about vs to defend are as an inuincible hedge between Satan and the Saints The third circumstance is of their number of it we haue spoken Chap. 4. 6. VERSE 12. Saying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receiue power and riches and wisedome and strength and honour and glory
and praise THe fourth circumstance in this second thanksgiuing made by Angels onely is the song it selfe wherein we haue to consider two things the matter and the manner For the manner of their singing it is said to be with a loud voice How voices are ascribed to them they being spirits we haue spoken before onely now the loud voyce noteth their intention readinesse and great feruencie in praising the Lord. The matter of their song is subioyned Worthy is the Lambe Where still it is to be remembred how both Angels and elect Men denude themselues of all worthinesse and ascribe it to the Lambe to the great shame of these wretched wormes vpon earth who dare vsurpe to themselues the praise of worthinesse and glory in the merite of their works These Angels differ in place and order from the first company but all agree in one song Worthy is the Lambe And againe that Angels worship the Lambe but refuse to be worshipped of men condemnes that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the blind Papists who will inforce a worship on Angels which they refuse and acknowledge onely to be due to the Lord. As before the Lambe appeared with seuen Eyes and seuen Hornes so now a seuen-fold praise doe Angels giue vnto him 1. Of power 2. Riches 3. Wisedome 4. Strength 5. Honour 6. Glory and praise They vnderstood the types which they saw they make their song respondent to his apparition In his Eyes they acknowledge his wisedom in his Hornes power and strength and riches and for these praise and honor and glory they giue vnto him Hee is a full and complete Sauiour woorthy of seuen-fold praise because of his seuen-fold that is his manifold yea his full and complete grace which superabounds in him and is powred forth abundantly vnto vs. He hath not loue but hee hath also power what craue we more but that he is most willing because of his loue He was killed for vs and most able because of his power to helpe vs in all our necessities Againe this redundant speech in praysing of God naming one thing many manner of waies is to teach vs how Saints inflamed with the loue of God cannot find words enow nor satifie themselues in praysing of God And this was shadowed before when it was said They sung with a loude voice for what is the loud voice of a spirit but â—…ruens desâ—…erium the feruent desire of it et tantò maioreÌ„ voceÌ„ in aureÌ„ incircumscripti spiritus exprimit quantò se in eius desiderium plenius â—…undit And here that one thing is named many manner of waies as power and strength praise honour and glory their like feruent desire in praysing God is declared And all this may most iustly rebuke our coldnesse in praysing God we discharge all that whole seruice many a time with one word which were yet tolerable if our affections were greater though our words are few but in these exercises how readily faint we we pray as if we desired not to preuaile and wee praise as if wee were not carefull whether the Lord heare or not and therefore wee send our thanksgiuing away but our feruent affection goes not with it such a prayer cannot pierce the cloudes farre lesse bring downe an answere Is there any thing thou shouldest thinke more vpon in prayer then that thou art speaking vvith God or is there any thing thou shouldest desire more then to finde thy selfe accepted of him Quomodo te à Deo audiri postulas cùm te ipse non audias How canst thou desire the Lord to hear thee in praying when thou hearest not thy selfe Vis Deum memorem esse tui cùm rogas cùm tuipse memor tui non sit wilt thou haue the Lord mindfull of thee when thou requestest him and thou in requesting him hast no mind of thy selfe This is a common sin of this age the Lord remoue it VERSE 13. And all the creatures which are in heauen and on the earth and vnder the earth and in the sea and all that are in them heard I say Praise honour and glory and power be to him that sits on the Throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore THe third part of the thanksgiuing is sung by creatures and that of all sorts and vvith one common consent for this distribution of the creatures in these which are in heauen in earth vnder the earth and in the sea is a propheticall amplification frequently vsed in Scripture to shew the coÌ„course of all creatures to praise God in their kind as ye may see Psalme 148. Now these creatures here are such as are without sense or reason to wit the Sunne the Moone the Fire the Aire the Water the Earth and all that in them is after their sort doe praise the Lord and they haue a voice of their owne which is well enough vnderstood by him that made them As they grone for the bondage vnder which our sin hath subdued them so long they to see the sonnes of God restored to their liberty for then shall they be restored also and for this benefit the creatures haue by our Redemption as they were cast into bondage by our transgression they haue their owne reioycing and praysing of God But for this we referre the willing Reader to that which we haue written on the eighth to the Romanes and now proceed to the conclusion of this Song VERSE 14. And the foure liuing creatures said Amen And the foure and twenty Elders fell downe and worshipped him that liueth for euermore NOw are wee come to the conclusion of the Song they who beganne it to wit Angels and redeemed Saints coniunctly doe also conclude it In all this heauenly action we still see that the example of one prouokes another to prayse God teaching vs our dutie not to be silent when others beside vs are praising the Lord. If we cannot with our mouthes at least let vs with our harts make melodie to the Lord and say Amen to the song of our brethren The Angels ratifie the praises giuen to God by saying Amen This particle is sometime a note of affirmation as when our Sauiour saies Amen Amen I say vnto you all these things shall come vpon this generation that is certainly and without doubt they shall come Sometime againe it is a note of confirmation or comprecation as when the Apostle reproues preaching or praying in an vnknown language he vseth this reason How shall hee that occupies the roome of the vnlearned say Amen at thy giuing of thanks seeing he knowes not what thou saist Of this it is cleare that in the Primitiue Church after preaching and prayer the custome of the people was to say Amen in token that not onely they consented but also wished from God the same good things which hee before had either mentioned in the Preaching or desired in the Prayer But this many of our
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
not be esteemed the greatest good and such euill as godly men suffer should not be esteemed the greatest euill That great good prepared for the godly wicked men shall neuer see it and that great euill prepared for the wicked shall neuer come vpon the godly The last plague threatned here is the plague of deuouring beasts one of God his ordinary iudgements wherby he punisheth the pride of man The creatures are appointed to serue vs yea al of them from the Angell to the creeping worme offers their seruice to vs if wee will serue the Lord our God so hath he promised I will make a couenant for them with the wilde beasts and with the fowle of the heauen and with that which creepeth vpon the earth Otherwise if we rebell against him they are all armed against vs to execute his vengeance vpon vs. This plague of deuouring beasts we shall find threatned in the Law executed also on the idolatrous Samaritans on the disobedient prophet on the two and forty children who mocked Elisha two Beares out of the wood deuoured them And since the time of this Prophecie how God hath punished men by most contemptible beasts see Plinius he records that a towne of Spayne was vndermined by the Conies another in Thessalia by the Modewart a towne in France oppressed with Paddocks they forced the inhabitants to forsake their own houses and in Gyaro a Citie in the I le of the Ciclades the inhabitants were so persecuted with the Mice that they were also faine to leaue it Thus can the Lord by his basest creatures abase the high and lofty conceits of men Now to conclude these first foure seales this is to be obserued there is one thing which God offreth and the world will not receiue it there are three things for this that the world would haue and God will not giue them The Lord offers by the ministery of his Gospel mercy and grace this is one thing and yet such a one as hath all needfull things following it but the worldly sort careth not for it Instead of it three things they seek 1. Outward peace 2. Worldly wealth 3. Bodily health But none of these three shall they enioy They will not accept of peace offred from heauen and the Lord takes from them the peace of the earth they disdaine and lothe the bread of life and God takes from them the bread of corne they care not for the health of their soule and the Lord takes from them the health of their bodies Let vs be wise and welcome the first message for they who despise it multiply sorrowes vpon themselues VERSE 9. And when hee had opened the fift seale I saw vnder the Altar the soules of them that were killed for the Word of God and for the testimony which they maintained BEcause both good men and euill are inuolued in the same externall calamities the sword famine and pestilence which are sent vpon the wicked ouertakes also many a time the children of God therefore for their comfort their happy state after this life is here discouered by the opening of this seale and a difference is declared between their death and the death of the wicked euen when their death to the iudgement of man seemeth to be one for where Hell followes the death of the one the other by the same death are transported to a blessed fellowship with Christ in heauen I saw the soules Hee saw not this sight with his naturall eyes his bodily senses at this time were suspended and he was rauished in the Spirit and by it he saw this sight A strange maner of speech that a soule should see soules yet comparing this sight with the sight vvhich Saint Paul saw vvhen he was rauished to the third Heauen it teacheth vs that there is a sight vvhich Saints out of the bodie haue of GOD and a mutuall sight also vvhereby soules know one another which wee are not able to conceiue nor know till we learne it by experience It is commonly asked by many vvhether if or not vve shall know one another in heauen but it were better for vs all carefully to purge our hearts in time and prepare them for that sight Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God and Whosoeuer hath this hope in him purges himselfe as God is pure Let it be an answer to vs all which Photinus Bishop of Lyons gaue to the Proconsull when hee demaunded who God was the other answered Et tu si dignus fueris videbis Thou if thou bee meet for it shalt see who he is Adam was sleeping when God formed Euah of a ribbe of his side hee knew it not but when he wakened incontinent he knew her albeit none informed him what she was This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and in the transfiguration wherein our Lord gaue to his disciples a glance of the glory to come Peter Iames and Iohn knew Moses and Elias whom they had neuer seene before By these examples learned Diuines haue beene induced to thinke that Saints shall know other in Heauen yea Adam Abraham and that blessed fellowship of Patriarchs and Prophets shall not be vnknowne to vs. The Lord shall let vs want nothing that may increase our ioy yet so that our knowledge shall be without all carnall affection and all our ioy shall euer be in God the fountaine and Father of mercy to them and vs also Alway here we haue an euident argument for the immortality of the soule it dyes not with the body it sleepes not but liues without the body a blessed life albeit not perfit without it Yea euen when it is in the body to giue life vnto it we may perceiue by experience that it hath a life of it owne without it for when the body is asleep and lyes vnder the shadow of death and all the senses thereof are suspended from their naturall functions the soule hath its owne liuely operation meditation and discoursing And sith so is that Connexa corpori extra corpus viuit when it is knit to the body it liueth without the body why shall we doubt but that when it is dissolued and separate from the body it shall still liue by it selfe The place wherein he sees them is noted to be Vnder the Altar by which the Iesuit Viega wandring cleane frō the truth vnderstands the places where the bodies of Martyrs lye buried It contents him not to haue their superstitious Altars honoured with the bones or reliques of Martyrs he will haue their soules there also at least comming to it when they are inuocated and called vpon But this Altar is called in the next verse A place of their rest or residence from which they haue not a going nor a returning againe vnto it But to leaue such Doctors with their doting dreams this altar
signifies the Lord Iesus in whose happy fellowship and societie now they liue sub Altari id est in secretario laudis aeternae quod est sublime Altare triumphantis Ecclesiae vel sub Christi custodia et quiete This Altar is in heauen not in earth it is the high Altar of the Church triumphant their soules are in custody and quiet rest with Christ. Againe another of their owne so expounds it Sub Altari id est sub protectione et confortio Christi Vnder the Altar that is vnder the protection and fellowship of Christ. This Altar is otherwise called Paradise This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and The bosome of Abraham and the hands of the Lord Into thine hands O Lord I commend my spirit It is also called A place before the Throne where the Lord and the Lambe and the seuenfold Spirit is Of it speakes our Sauiour Father I will that those whom thou hast giuen mee be where I am This is the place of glorified soules Neither doe those Diuines reason very diuinely who say Christ cannot be this Altar because he is the Sacrifice for he is both the Sacrifice the Sacrificer and the Altar For he offred himselfe by his eternall Spirit There it is plaine that hee is the Sacrifice or thing offred and the Sacrificer also The Altar in like manner hee must be for the Altar sanctifies the Sacrifice Now by none other was our Sauiour sanctified but by himselfe none other Altar could commend him or make him acceptable to his Father his Diuinitie sanctified his humanity and his humanity was offred by his Diuinitie and vpon it Therefore to say that another not himselfe can sacrifice him or that he can be sacrificed vpon any other Altar but vpon himselfe is as great blasphemy as to bring in another sacrifice whereby the iustice of God may be satisfied Let presumptuous blinded Masse Priests consider this That were killed that is he sawe the soules of those bodies that were killed for the Word of God Death then wee see strikes but the body Feare not them who kill the body and can do no more It is like to Nebuchadnezzar his fire which burnt the cords wherewith the three children were bound but burnt not their bodies so death can do no more but loose our bands and set our soules at liberty What shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or perill or sword No in all these things wee are more then Conquerors through him that loued vs. For I am perswaded neither death nor life can separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ. Let it come and disioyne the soule from the body that it may conioyne vs with Christ. For the Word of God There is no Religion so false but it hath its own Patrones who will defend it yea and dare die for it Satan as he hath his owne Apostles so hath he also his owne Martyrs Martyres Satanicae virtutis wee must alway take heed to the cause of suffering Non poena sed causa facit Martyrem therefore he ioynes these two For the Word and testimonie which they maintained It is nothing to stand to a testimonie nay though thou shouldst die for it vnlesse thou iustifie by the Word that thy testimony is true VERSE 10. And they cryed with a lowd voice saying How long Lord Holy and True Dost thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth NOW followes in this Verse the supplication which these soules of Martyrs send vp to God in the next verse the answer which is giuen thē The voice by which they send vp their supplication is called a crying not vocall but spirituall noting the feruencie of their desires for the words of soules whereby they speake vnto God are their feruent desires Magnus eorum clamor magnum est desiderium tum Resurrectionis tum Iudicii Their great cry is their great desire both of the Resurrection and of the Iudgement to come A small desire makes but a small voice in the Lords eares but a seruent desire causes a lowd voice Animarum igitur verba ipsa sunt desideria si desiderium sermo non esset non diceret Propheta Desiderium cordis eorum andiuit auris tua that is If the desire of the soule were not a speech vnto God the Prophet would not haue said Thou hast heard the desire of their heart How long Lord It is here demanded How is this that Saints cry for vengeance Are we not commanded to loue our enemies and to pray for them To this some Diuines answer that it is not they but the sinnes of the wicked done to them that cryes for a vengeance And they obserue that there are foure crying sinnes first the filthy sin of Sodome Because the cry of Sodome and Gomorah is great I will go downe now and see whether if or not they haue done altogether according to the cry which is come vnto me Next the oppression of the widdow and fatherlesse Thou shalt not trouble any widdow nor fatherlesse childe if thou trouble such and he cry vnto me I will heare his cry Thirdly the detaining fraudulently of the wages of worke-men is also a crying sinne Thou shalt giue an hired seruant his hire for his day for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his life lest he cry against thee vnto the Lord and it be sinne vnto thee And againe The hire of the labourers holden back by fraud cryes and enters into the eares of the Lord of Hosts Fourthly innocent bloud cryes to the Lord for vengeance against them that shed it The voice of thy brothers bloud cryes to me from the ground And so here the bloud of Martyrs cryes But there is here further to be added that this cry of theirs is their own and proceeds not of any passion or desire of their priuate reuenge but onely of a zeale to the glory of God whose holinesse and truth they desire to be manifested as may be perceiued by the titles they giue the Lord in their prayer Non carnali sensu credendum est eos animositate vltionis accendi sed manifestum est contra potestatem regnum peccati or asse Adueniat regnum tuum Wee are not with carnall sense to beleeue that they were kindled with any heat of reuenge it is manifest they pray against the kingdome of sinne And in effect the summe of their prayer is Lord let thy Kingdome come Quid est animas vindictae petitionem dicere nisi diem extremum Iudicii resurrectionem corporum desiderare What else is it that Saints are said to cry for to be auenged but that they earnestly desire the day of Iudgement and Resurrection of their bodies Hoc dicunt non poenam malis optando sed voluntati Dei
for the saluation of the Elect. This agrees to the Analogie of faith but comes not in pertinently here for these spirituall plagues are seuerally and distinctly fore-told by themselues in the second Prophecy beginning at the eighth chapter whereas this first generall Prophecie denounceth plagues corporall or externall sword famine pestilence beasts whereby the Lord punishes the contempt of his Gospell Preached to the world by him who rideth vpon the White Horse We still keep our former ground that by the holding of the winds that they blow not a dissolution of the world and destruction of all creatures therein is here declared for if we shall compare the foure Elements among themselues albeit at all we can want none of them yet the most necessarie at least which wee may want shortest space is the Aire for it is by respiration that euery thing liueth which is endued with sense take breath away from man and beast they perish incontinent and such as haue the vegetatiue life as trees or plants without motion of the Aire they wither and decay yea without it the fire burneth not the Sea moues not but putrifies and stinkes and the creatures which are therein die So much worth to man and the creature is this one among the smallest of Gods benefites euen the benefite of the Aire which Pisida properly called a gift that could not be gotten for siluer But man not considering what he hath cannot bee thankefull Alway this with-holding of the winds that they blow not which the Angels are ready to doe if they were not stayed by a superiour power imports as we haue said the destruction of the world and all creatures therein contained which shall stand no longer then the Saints of God be once accomplished VERSE 2. And I saw another Angell come vp from the East which had the Seale of the liuing God and hee cryed with a lowd voyce to the foure Angels to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth THE Angels being thus in readinesse to fold vp the world like an old Garment as S. Dauid cals it and it being as easie to them to do it as it is for foure men hauing the foure ends of a sheete to fold it together are now discharged by a commandement from Iesus Christ till the seruants of God be sealed in their fore-heads In it we haue first a description of him who sorues the inhibition and next the inhibition it selfe Concerning him three things are noted vnto vs first that hee is an Angell next that hee commeth from the East thirdly that hee hath the Seale of the liuing God By this Angell we vnderstand the Lord Iesus Christ called by the Prophet Malachie The Angell of the Couenant It is a ridiculous thing to expound it of Constantine the Great He was a Monarch great indeed but this greatnesse is more then can be competent to a creature And this stilo is giuen to Christ not to expresse his Nature for hee assumed not the Nature of Angels but to expresse his Office for hee is that Wonderfull Counsellour The Prince of Peace the great Embassador come from the bosome of the Father to declare vnto vs the whole counsell of God concerning our saluation O how should we loue him who hath so deerely loued vs how should we honour him who hath so highly honored vs when he made vs he beautified vs with his owne Image when he redeemed vs hee assumed man his Nature not Angels Nature neither did he refuse to come downe to vs with the ambassage of mercy grace and peace from the Father The condemnation of the Iewes was great enough because they beat and stoned and killed such Messengers as God sent vnto them but much greater because they also killed his Son Hath the Lord any greater to send vs Or may we look for any other message then this Take heed we despise him not Secondly hee is said to come from the East Alluding to that which Malachie speaks of our Lord Vnto you that feare my Name shall arise the Sunne of righteousnesse and as Zacharie the father of Iohn the Baptist cals him he is that Anatole Orient or Day-spring which hath visited vs from on high Our Lord is indeed that bright shining Sunne euer rising neuer going downe whose light-some countenance euer lookes on his Church to conserue beautifie and illuminate her If the Lord should stay the light of this naturall Sunne with our Antipodes and not suffer it euery morning to arise to vs from the East as it doth how comfortlesse were our estate Palpable and heauie darkenesse should still couer the face of our earth But much more miserable had our condition beene if this Sunne of Righteousnesse had not shined vpon vs but now praised be the Lord The people which sate in darkenesse sees great light and to them who sate in the region and shadow of death light is risen vp Many famous Countries lying East are vnder horrible darkenesse but to vs now from the East light is come vnto the West long may it continue with vs. It is reported of them who dwell neere vnder the North-pole that they haue darkenesse halfe a yeere together when the Sun returneth to them they run to toppes of Mountaines where they may get the first sight thereof and welcome it with great ioy How then should we welcome this Angell comming from the East to illuminate our soules with his heauenly light which makes vs a ioyfull day which shall neuer any more be interchanged with a night Oh that we could as we should reioyce in this light Oh that we would walke in it and cast away the works of darkenesse for now the night is past and our day is begunne But alas we know not the day of our visitation this is the condemnation of many in this age That the light is come but they loue darknesse better then light Thirdly hee is said to haue the Seale of the liuing God The allusion is made here to Kings of the earth who haue their owne Secretaries and Keepers of their Seale Our Lord Iesus is priuy to all the secret counsell of his Father and hee is the keeper of the priuy Seale of the great King and with it hee stampeth none but such as are in the Booke of Life which is the Roll of Gods Elect. He hath also externall Seales such as are Baptisme and the Sacrament of the Supper with these hee marketh all that are in the Church visible The Ministerie of the externall Seales hee concredits to his seruants but the inward and priuie Seale hee reserueth to himselfe Paul may plant Apollo may water but God giueth the increase Iohn may Baptize with water but Christ is hee who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost The Iesuites of Rhemes will haue this Seale an allusion to the signe of the Crosse which the faithfull beâ—…re in their
but the earnestnesse and great care which the Lord Iesus hath to conserue his Saints He is the watchman of Israel who neither slambers nor sleepes He cryes for vs when wee cannot cry for our selues And againe his absolute authoritie ouer the creature is heereby declared vnto vs he commandeth and forbiddeth as hee pleaseth what he will is done This is it which the faith of that Centurion so highly commended by Iesus acknowledged in our Lord Speake the word onely and my seruant shall be healed for I haue also souldiers vnder me and I say to one Goe and hee goeth and to another Come and he commeth and to my seruant Doe this and he doth it VERSE 3. Saying Hurt ye not the Earth nor the Sea nor the Trees till we haue sealed the seruants of our God in their foreheads NOw followes the Cōmandement it selfe the tenor of it is Let the creatures still continue in their naturall course change them not dissolue not the World for the inferior part of the Vniuerse is here put for the whole and how long hee will haue the world to continue is declared Till we haue sealed the seruants of our God How Saints are the pillars of the Earth that vphold it so long as they are in it we haue shewed in the fist seale If for the Saints sake he wil not let the earth to bee hurt farre lesse will hee suffer themselues to be hurt Now comfortable is it that the Lord speaking to Angels and speaking of Saints speakes in this manner The seruants of our God Inuoluing his holy Angels and his redeemed Saints all in one fellowship and society with himselfe according to that I goe to my God and your God my Father and your Father VVee are made fellowes in a most high and honourable incorporation with Christ and his Angels The Lord giue vs grace to walke woorthy of our calling VERSE 4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed an hundred and foure and forty thousand of all the Tribes of the children of Israel VVHat the Lord propoundeth he disposeth also and what he promiseth that he performeth Now for the further comfort of the Church the Lord Iesus is brought in taking a view of his people and sealing such as are his own as he promised he would doe For the seale thus onely we haue to say more He sealeth his Saints in three places in their heart 2. Cor. 1. 22. in their head or forehead as here and in their arme Set me as a seale on thine heart and as a signet on thy arme I knovv some Diuines take this to bee the voice of the Church to Christ it may as well be the voice of Christ to the Church For vvhat in loue he promiseth to his Spouse in loue also hee requires of her Christus est signaculum in corde in fronte in brachio Christ to his Saints is a seale in their heart in their forehead and in their arme In corde vt semper diligamus in fronte vt semper confiteamur in brachio vt semper operemur in our heart hee seales vs and causeth vs t◅ loue him in our forehead he sealeth vs and causeth vs to confesse him in our arme he sealeth vs and causeth vs to worke in our calling and bring out the fruits of righteousnes for the glory of his Name But alas few are they whose hearts doe loue him few who in time of trouble would confesse him because few in time of peace haue an arme to do any good for his glory The mouthes of most Professors are open to confesse him their hands are closed impotent like him in the Gospel who had the withered hand they can doe no good for him An argument that they are not yet rightly sealed That Saint Iohn saith hee heard the number of them who were sealed is greatly for our comfort The Lord hath the definite number of his Saints He knoweth who are his we may be sure as our Prouerbe is None of them shal be lost in the telling It is written of Cyrus that he knew the names of all them who were in his Armie much more doth the Lord knowe his All the haires of your head are numbred saith our Sauiour Sith he hath numbred our haires and by his prouidence keepes vs that one of them fall not to the ground much more may we thinke that he will keepe our selues for he hath vs in his Register and engrauen on the palmes of his hands so that he cannot forget vs. The persons numbred are distinguished into two ranks Iewes and Gentiles for vnder these two all mankind redeemed are comprehended The Gospel is the power of God to saluation to euerie one that belieueth to the Iewe first and also to the Graecian The Iewes are put first because they are our elder brethren and were first in the couenant before vs. Sixteene hundred yeares dwelt the Lord in the tents of Sem and was first styled The God of Sem now they lie out for a time or to speake with the Apostle Obstinacie in a part is come vnto Israel vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in And now other sixteene hundred yeares hath the Lord bin the God of Iapheth hath perswaded Iapheth to dwell in the Tents of Sem according as Noah prophesieth And heere the Apostle about the end of the seales brings in their Conuersion and Calling againe which seemeth more fully to bee handled by the Apostle in that eleuenth to the Romanes This remaines yet to be done before the second comming of Christ let vs loue them pity them and pray for them that the veile may bee taken from their mind and they may come to the knowledge of the Truth Their number is first generally set downe of all the Tribes were sealed an hundred forty foure thousand and then particularly of euery Tribe were sealed twelue thousand which makes vp the generall number aforesaid of an hundred forty foure thousand not that we are to thinke there is no mo nor fewer of euery Tribe but a definite number is put for an indefinite We see then that of all ranks and states of men God hath his owne suppose vnknown vnto men Eliiah was a great Prophet yet was hee deceiued in this that he thought there was no worshipper of God in his daies but himselfe the Lord told him he had seuen thousand in Israel that is many thousands who had not bowed their knee to Baal And yet howsoeuer there be a great number of Gods Elect yet are they few in comparison of the Reprobate and this is to be collected out of this definite number for what is an hundred forty and foure thousand in respect of all the thousands of Israel In the dayes of Moses there were sixe hundred thousand fighting men who came out of Egypt In the dayes of Dauid they were increased to
open their mouth to praise him themselues And further sith Angels reioyce and giue thankes to God for our saluation yea at the conuersion of one sinner they are said to reioyce how much more should we reioyce in our owne saluation They are ioyfull that we are adioyned to their fellowship from which many of their fellow-Angels in respect of creation fell away and shall not we reioyce that the Lord hath raised vs vp and made vs companions to the Angels The heap of words which they vse noteth againe their zeale and as it were insatiable delight in praising God there can neuer enough be said to his praise but we must beware of babbling and idle repetitions then are the words of our mouth acceptable vnto God when they are thrust out by the affections of our heart Otherwise let vs remember Salomon his warning Bee not rash with thy mouth nor let thine heart be hasty to vtter a thing before God for God is in the heauen and thou art on the earth therefore let thy words be few VERSE 13. And one of the Elders spake saying vnto me What are these who are arayed in long white Robes and whence come they IN the remanent of this Chapter wee haue the felicity of sealed Saints some-way described vnto vs The occasion hereof is offered by a question moued by one of the twenty foure Elders and S. Iohn his answer vnto it The Senior moues the question to S. Iohn Who are these not that he was ignorant who they were but that hee might teach S. Iohn as after followeth this is the end of all diuine Interrogatories The Lord demanded of Adam Where art thou And of Caâ—… What hast thou done Hee knew where Adam was and what Cain had done better then themselues but he asketh not to get knowledge but to giue it to them of whom he asketh Concerning the Senior let the Reader who pleaseth look backe to the fourth Chapter VERSE 14. And I said vnto him Lord thou knowest and hee said to me These are they which came out of great tribulation and haue washed their long Robes and haue made their long Robes white in the bloud of the Lambe IN S. Iohn his answer we haue two things his humility in acknowledging his own ignorance Lord thou knowest as for me I know not He was an Apostle best beloued of Iesus hee was excellent for the notable reuelations which he had from the Lord yet wee see glorified Saints doe farre exceed in knowledge the most excellent men that are vpon earth for we doe but know in part wee walke by faith not by sight but they behold the glory of the Lord with open face Let vs hasten and prepare our selues to be in that company whom the brightnesse of the Lord doth fully illuminate where no errour no darkenesse is no ignorance of any thing which is either needfull or comfortable for them to know In the meane time if we would grow in knowledge let vs with S. Iohn professe our ignorance It is for such onely who are meeke schollers to learne heauenly things Them that bee meeke will the Lord guide in iudgement and teach the humble his way Conceite of knowledge is a fore enemie vnto true knowledge Wisedome cannot enter into a proud heart We see none more emptie of heauenly knowledge then are they who in their owne conceite and opinion excell others in it Againe his reuerence may bee seene in the stile which hee giues him Lord thou knowest Hee knew hee was one of these Elders whom hee heard confesse before that they were redeemed by the bloud of the Lambe hee saw Crownes vpon euery one of their heads and therefore giues him a stile of honour properly competent vnto him Indeed glorified Saints are truely Kings and Lords They are freed from all seruitude and bondage they triumph victoriously and are more then Conquerours ouer the Deuill the World the Flesh and all their spirituall enemies And hee said vnto mee That is Ad animâ—… meae admirationem seu dispositionem conuenienter loquutus est hee spake conueniently to the disposition of my soule and I did cleerely vnderstand him Hee told mee that those whom I saw cloathed in white with Palmes in their hands were redeemed Saints who had come out of great tribulation This cannot as Ambrose hath obserued on these words be vnderstood of Saints Militant as some do expound it for so long as their warfare lasts they are still in tribulation and cannot be said in this life to come out of tribulation Man is borne vnto trauatle as the sparkes sâ—…ye vpward but vnto the godly death puts an end to all their troubles Neither can this bee meant of Martyrs onely as some will haue it but of all blessed Saints washed and cleansed in the bloud of the Lambe Qui etsi Martyrium non in publico actu habere videntur coram Deo tamen habere probantur in habitu who albeit in respect of the publique act they seeme not to haue the honour of Martyrdome yet in respect of the habit and their willing disposition to it they are approued before God to haue it as saith Primasius Which came The word being read as it may be in the present time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that come leades vs to consider that in all ages froÌ„ all parts of the world there is an ascending of soules vp into heauen that Court of the great King encreaseth continually till the number of his Saints be fulfilled the Mansions of our Fathers house be plenished Some Angels forsooke their first Habitation but we see the Lord wants not seruants to praise glorifie him His Court shall not be the thinner though reprobate men desperatly forsake him and comfortable is it to meditate heere what great ioy elect Angels and glorified Saints haue in the continuall comming and increasing of others their fellow-seruants to praise and serue the Lord with them Out of great tribulation There is the Lords working with his Owne from the crosse hee carries them to the Crowne from tribulation to the Throne hee intreates them most hardly on the earth whom hee intends to exalt most highly in the heauen Let vs not therefore feare nor be offended at our afflictions For by many tribulations must we enter into the kingdome of God Tribulation is like that furnace of Egypt wherin the Lord fined his Israelites and Nebuchadnezar his Ouen the fire whereof burnt their bands but not themselues It is the Lords Flayle whereby he beats away the chaffe from the wheat he threshes it that he may purge it prepare it make it meet to be layd vp in his Garner It is the Lords Wine-presse out of which hee presseth wine and oyle for himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sicut pondere praelorum adhibito oleum diligenticura conficitur et per trituram
vertue may be learned froÌ„ the Paschal Lambe which was a type of Christ Iesus When God slew all the first-borne in euery house of Egypt by his destroying Angell such houses as had the posts of their doores sprinkled with bloud were spared The Lord Iesus shal be a couering to his Saints to saue them from that wrath wherein the wicked shall perish His pacifying vertue is touched by the Apostle Being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God And againe The bloud of Christ cryeth for better things then the bloud of Abel But let vs take heed vnto our selues vnlesse we feele his purging vertue who naturally are vnclean the comfort of his protecting and pacifying vertue cannot be ours VERSE 15. Therfore are they in the presence of the Throne of God and serue him day and night in his Temple and he that sits on the Throne will dwell among them THe Sâ—…ignior hauing declared to Saint Iohn what these were whom he saw clothed in white garments with palmes in their hands to wit redeemed Saints not militant but hauing ended their warrefare and gotten the victory not vnder tribulation but come out of tribulation Hee now proceedeth and shortly describes their felicitic and happy estate wherein now they are and that in two points First in the affluence aboundance which they haue of al good next in their freedom and exemption from all euill In this verse three things are set downe concerning them First where are they In the presence of the Throne of God Next what doe they there they serue him day and night Thirdly what get they for that He that sitteth on the Throne will dwell among them By this phrase the vnspeakeable ioy communicated to them by the Lord is figured This can not be vnderstood of any estate of the Church militant here on earth neither of Iewes conuerted nor other Christians deliuered from the tyrannic of Antichrist as some Interpreters will haue it These words are not competent to Saints militant they hunger no more they thirst no more God shall wipe away allteares from their eyes In this valley of teares when shall we when shuld we be without teares Blessed are they who hunger thirst now for righteousnesse they shall be satisfied Now we hunger are blessed there they hunger no more but are fully satisfied The Millenaries of old had an opinion somewhat like this that Saints after Christ his comming for a thousand yeeres should possesse the earth by themselues without all tribulation but neither before his comming nor after is any such quiet estate of the Church here vpon earth warranted by the holy Scripture Therefore This is relatiue to the words immediatly preceding They haue made their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe therefore are they in the presence of God There is no fellowship vvith God but by the Lord Iesus Euery man in this presumptuous age saith that he hath Iesus but Iesus is a Physician of great value If thou haue him he will cleanse thee from the filthy leprosie of thy sinnes Art thou not cleansed then hast thou not Iesus and without him thou canst not be admitted into the comfortable presence of God The last Chapter was concluded with the tragicall and fearfull end of the wicked The day of the Lords wrath is come who can stand said they The wicked shall not stand in iudgement but shall bee banished from the presence of his glory But here wee see how the godlystand before the Throne are in the presence of God As their courses in their life are coÌ„trary to other so shal their ends be God giue vs grace to make choice of the best For we see before vs the way wherein they walked and the order which they obserued who now are in the kingdome of heauen first they are washed in the blood of Christ and then they are in the presence of God if we would come where they are let vs keepe the course wherein they walked Before Ioseph was presented vnto Pharao his head was shauen his nailes were pared his garments changed and must not wee cut away from vs our superfluities before wee be admitted into the presence of God Esther was six moneths purified with oile of myrrhe and other six moneths with sweet odors before she was married with Ahasuerus And shall wee thinke to be where the Lord is without a similitude with him Or what similitude can wee haue with that holy One except that first we be washed and cleansed from our naturall vncleanenes In the presence of God There is a threefold presence of God First a presence of his goodnesse next a presence of his grace and thirdly a presence of his glory whereof here is spoken The presence of his goodnesse he grants vnto all men in the vtter Court of his Palace for he maketh the Sunne to shine and the raine to fall vpon the iust and the vniust Who may not see the goodnesse of the Lord in the manifold good creatures which hee hath created The earth is full of his goodnesse yea the inuisible things of God that is his eternall power and godhead are seene in the creation of the world The light of this presence hath learned natural men many things concerning God by it the Platonies saw Deum omnia ista fecisse à nullâ—… fieri potuisse that God had made all these things and could not be made of any other himselfe yea they ascended farre higher to vnderstand much more coÌ„cerning the nature of God as more at large is set down in that same place by Saint Augustine And yet all this knowledge gotten in the court or schoole of the creature did but make them to be without excuse because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God The presence of his grace hee giueth to his Saints specially in their holy assemblies there by the preaching of his Word and operation of his holy Spirit hee sheweth himselfe a gracious mercifull and reconciled God to them in Christ they seeke him and worship him in Spirit and truth and he speakes peace vnto them and secretly by his holy Spirit witnesses vnto their hearts that hee is their Father that is his little Sanctuarie I meane his Church narrower by much then the vtter great court as I haue called it in that wherein all men see his goodnesse in this hee is familiar with his Saints and they onely see and feele his grace Of this presence speaketh Dauid for in his banishment hee longed for it My soule thirsteth for GOD euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God and what presence he meanes of he expounds himselfe That he might goe with the multitude and lead them into the house of God with the voyce of singing and praise for God in a speciall manner appeares in
Thy will O Lord be done in earth as it is in heauen And let euery man take heed vnto himselfe hee is a sacrilegious renter of the Church who breakes the bond of loue with his brother in whom hee sees no rupture of the vnity of faith But for our further instruction let vs know that the Harpe of a Christian wherewith he praises God is his Heart the strings of the Harpe are the affections of the Heart which must be well tuned and prepared before they can make any melodie to the Lord My heart is prepared and I will sing said Dauid Then is the heart like vnto a ten stringed Instrument when it is inclined to the obedience of God his ten commandements for as a Musicall Instrument makes no pleasant complete sound if any string thereof be broken so the heart of man if it be possessed and thralled with any vice cannot rightly praise the Lord. The truth is we can keepe no commandement of the Law as we should this is the perfection of degrees which in this life no man can attaine vnto yet hath the Christian a begunne obedience to all the commandements of God which is the perfection of parts Both these are true the most perfect Christian cannot keepe one of the Lords commandements as hee should and so we deny vnto him the perfection of degrees and yet hee keepes all the commandements of God by a begunne obedience and so wee grant to him the perfection of parts for there is no grace needfull to saluation but euery true Christian hath some part and measure thereof Bastard Professors cannot make this melodie they flatter themselues because they are free of some sinnes when notwithstanding they are captiued by other great sinnes which raigne in them and command them The commandements of the Law are so linked together that he who transgresseth one transgresseth all If one string of this Instrument be broken all the rest are distempered and therefore do tehy farre deceiue themselues who diuide the Law In some things they are content to subiect themselues vnto it in others vsurpe a liberty to breake it which will neuer be allowed These answer the Lord as an Eccho doth the voice of a man it resounds in part but not wholly or like Naaman are content to serue God but with an exception or reseruation of some sinnes which they cannot nor will not cast siom them There is no man so euill but in some things he will seeme to bee good but this is not the good which the Lord requireth such euill diuiders can make no concord of spirituall Musick to the Lord. Now with their Harpes they are said to haue golden Vials full of Odours and those Odours are expounded by the Lord to be the Prayers of the Saints which openeth a cleere entrance to these words which otherwise had beene more obscure A Viall is a vessell narrow beneath wide aboue now this Viall being also a figure of the Heart sheweth how the heart of man should be inlarged toward things which are aboue but contracted beneath open towards God but closed towards the world and things therein Therefore the Church is compared to a Garden enclosed wherein nothing can enter but that which comes from aboue And the Vials are said to bee of gold because the Heart that praises the Lord should be holy and pure I will that men pray euery where lifting vp pure hands As also to shew that a pure heart praysing the Lord is precious and honourable in the eyes of God For vessels of gold and vessels of honour are put by the Apostle for one and the same These Vials are said to be full of Odours which are expounded to bee the prayers of Saints So were they figured vnder the Law by sweete Incense and such as were spirituall among the Iewes vnderstood this very wel that it was not the externall sweet Odour wherein the Lord delighted they vsed the Ceremoniall Incense but neglected not the Spirituall Incense figured thereby as is euident out of Dauid his prayer Let my prayer be directed before thee as Incense And properly is prayer figured by Incense Quia sursum fertur oratio coelestia quaerit for the fume thereof ascends and seeks heauenly things As also because it is sweete and pleasant to the Lord. The prayers of Saints are odoriferous and pleasant smels vnto the Lord as when Noah sacrificed the Lord smelled a sweet sauour of rest But the Bride and the Bridegroome haue their owne Odours which either of them presents to other The Perfumes and sweet Ointments of Christ are two first his Merits for hee is the Angell hauing a Golden Censor full of Odours and these ascend to his Father secondly his Compassions are called sweet Ointments and these descend vpon his brethren Thy Name is as an Ointment powred out saith the Church to her Sauiour His Compassions are not locked vp in his Treasurie like precious Ointment enclosed in a Boxe but they are compared to Ointment powred out the fragrant smell whereof should allure vs to loue him and runne after him His sweete mercies declared vpon so many stand for examples to vs to confirme vs in assurance of the like mercy if repenting of our sinnes we turne to the Lord. The Lepers came to him and were cleansed the Blind cryed to him and receiued their sight the Paralitique was carried to him and was healed the Adulteresse was brought to him and was absolued the Persecutor of Saints was pardoned his owne disciple that denyed him yea the Iewes who crucified him were conuerted and receiued to mercy In odore horum curremus post te There are sweet Ointments powred out and in the sauour of them will we run after thee Wee are more then senselesse if the sweet smell of them allure vs not also to come that we may be refreshed by them The Church hath in like manner her two-fold Odours First the Odour of Contrition next of Thankes-giuing the ingredients whereof the Odour of Contrition is made are our sinnes and a godly sorrow for them euery childe of God gathers together in one handfull his sinnes not sparing any that he knowes or can remember and in the Mortar of a sorrowfull heart he brayes them with the Pestell of Contrition and with the Publican beateth on his brest whereof a sweete and pleasant sauour ascendeth to the Lord. The other Perfume hath no ingredients but Gods sweet Mercies with a godly reioycing in them Now these Mercies are so many that none can count them in order yet the Saints so farre as of weaknesse they may gather them together in one masse by diligent meditation of them they are stirred vp to thankes-giuing and this is a sweete smelling sacrifice vnto the Lord. The Iesuites of Rhemes abuse this place to proue the lawfulnesse of their prayers vnto Saints departed for so they