in the earth when they overcome the world by faith and subdue Satan and sin by the power of grace Now where it is said that John saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus c. It is to be understood of those which in the time of the persecuting Empire and growing of the Papacie were slaine for the truth For the second beast which is the dominion of Popes reigned not in those thousand yeers in the which Satan was bound but yet did grow by degrees towards their height and used great tyranny against the servants of God before Satans full loosing The Chiliasts or Millinaries doe fondly gather from this Scripture that after the overthow of Antichrist the Lord Jesus would come and reigne with the faithfull here a thousand yeers upon the earth and that in this time that Christ did so reigne as a great and glorious King upon the earth his subjects should enjoy all maner of earthly pleasures and delights This foolish error is confuted by the words that follow in the text as wee shall see afterwards Whereas hee saith The rest of the dead shall not live again It is to be understood of such as were spiritually dead that is such as despised the Gospel which was preached those thousand yeers and were not thereby revived and quickned unto eternall life but did still remain as men dead in sinnes and trespasses Therefore the meaning of Saint John is that as in the thousand yeers many that heard Christ and his Apostles and their successors were raised up from the death of sin to the life of righteousnesse so many others were not quickened by their doctrine but still dwelt in their sinnes whom hee calleth the rest of the dead and hee saith These shall not live again meaning the life of God or the life of grace And whereas he addeth untill the thousand yeeres be finished hee meaneth never or not at all for so the word untill is often taken in the Scriptures and it is sure that after the expiration of the thousand yeers they did not live the life of God and the life of the Spirit For then the Divell was let loose upon the world to work his pleasure and to seduce with all efficacy of error and iniquity Whereas it is said This is the first resurrection hee meaneth the rising from sin to the life of righteousnesse which was in the thousand yeeres of the Gospels preaching and therefore he addeth that he is blessed that hath part in the first resurrection c. and saith that all such shall reigne with Christ a thousand yeers Which is meant of the reigne of the faithfull even upon earth for the space of the thousand yeers in which Satan was bound but yet excludeth not their eternall glory in the heavens And when the thousand yeers are expired Vers 7.8 Satan shall be loosed out of his prison And shall goe out to deceive the people which are in the foure corners of the earth even Gog and Magog to gather them together to battell whose number is as the sand of the sea Verse 9. And they went up unto the plain of the earth and they compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloved city But fire came downe from God out of heaven and devoured them Now Saint John telleth us that after the determination of a thousand yeares Satan shall be let loose upon the world for their unthankfullnesse and contempt of the Gospel to seduce and deceive even as much as ever he did No marvaile therefore that the two great and monstrous Heresies of Popery and Mahometry did now begin mightily to grow and increase in the world For what other thing can be looked for after this setting loose of Satan But we are to observe that as Satan was bound by degrees through the Ministry of Christ and his Apostles and in their immediate successors so also he was loosed by degrees by the prevailing of Heresies till the great Antichrist was hatched and brought into the possession of his cursed Chaire For Satan was not fully loosed till the yeare of our Lord 998. At what time Silvester the second came to be Pope who was in league with the Divell Stories doe report that at his death he called for the Cardinals and confessed that hee had familiarity with the Divell and how hee had given himself unto him body and soule so that he might come to the Papall dignity After him succeeded sundry other Popes which were notorious monsters some of them murtherers some poysoners some sorcerers some conjurers by whom the Divell was fully loosed all light of the Gospel and â—rue religion being in a manner cleane put out and most abominable idolatry and all manner of villany spreading over the face of the earth and hereof Saint John saith that Satan being fully loosed hee went forth to deceive the people which were in the foure corners of the â—arth even Gog and Magog c. This seducing by Satan here spoken of is the same with â—hat which is spoken chap. 13. onely this exâ—epted that this of Gog and Magog is more generall Wee read there how all nations â—indreds and tongues were made to worship â—he image of the beast and to receive his mark but that is to be extended no further â—hen to those kingdoms which were subject â—o the Papacy But here by these armies of Gog and Maâ—og are understood all the chiefe enemies â—f the Church in these last dayes since the loosing of Satan both open and secret both Turk and Pope for the Turk is an open enemy the Pope a more close enemy Gog signifieth covered Magog uncovered whereby is noted the Turk For the Pope cometh covered under the name of Christ and Christs Vicar Peters successor c. But the Turk cometh uncovered for hee openly denyeth and impugneth Christ Moreover the names of Gog and Magog are here set downe to note of what countries these chiefe enemies should spring to wit out of Scythia Syria Arabia Italy and Spaine for Magog was the son of Japheth Gen. 10. ver 2. of whom came the Scythians Gog was the name of a great Captaine in the lesser Asia which built a city and named it after his own name Gogkartah that is the city of Gog and it is put in the Prophecie of Ezekiel for the whole region of the lesser Asia and Syria whereby the Prophet did fore-tell that the great enemies of the Church should arise out of those coasts And in very truth they did for out of Egypt Scythia Syria and the lesser Asia did spring up Ptolomeus Seleucus Antigonus Cassander and the rest of Alexanders successors which vexed and oppressed the Jewes by the space of 294. yeers even untill the coming of the Messias at what time the divided Greek Empire was overthrown and translated to the Romans Furthermore it is to be noted that the Prophet Ezekiel saith That Gog is the chiefe Prince of Mesech and Tubal By
this chapter is most fully to describe that infinite glory and endlesse felicity to the which all the 144000 that is all the elect of God shall be advanced when both the beast and all that have received his mark shall be cast downe into the infernall lake This chapter may very fitly be divided into four parts The first is Verse 1. a description of the renovation of the world and the restauration of the creature The second is Ver. 2 3 4. a laying forth of the most glorious estate of the Church when it shall be freed from all misery The third is Vers 5 6 7 8. a protestation from God himselfe concerning the renovation of all things the felicitie of the elect and the endlesse paine and torment of all reprobates The fourth is Ver. 9 10.11 12 13 14 c. a lively description of the very kingdom of God and the unspeakable joyes of heaven under the figure of a great city called the holy Jerusalem which citie is here most gloriously described in her walles gates foundations streets height length bredth brightnesse matter forme persons and inhabitants The TEXT Verse 1. AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea Verse 2. And I John saw the holy city new Jerusalem come downe from God out of heaven prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband Verse 3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be their God Verse 4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more paine For the first things are passed By a new heaven and a new earth is meant the renewed estate of heaven and earth after this life in their quality not in their substance For wee do beleeve according to the Scripture that this visible heaven and this visible earth shall continue for ever as touching their matter and substance but shall be greatly altered and changed in condition and quality 1 Pet. 3. For Saint Peter saith Wee look for new heavens and a new earth according to his promise wherein dwelleth righteousnesse that is such heavens and such an earth as is free from all corruption and sin Which thing also the Apostle Saint Paul doth plainly teach saying Rom. 8.19 that the creature doth fervently expect when the sonnes of God shall be revealed that is when Gods children shall be made known to be as they are the very heires of infinite glory which in this life doth not appear And hee yeelded two reasons of this desire of the creature one is because in the meane time it is subject to vanity and corruption the other is that then it shall be free from both And for this cause the Apostle saith that the creature groaneth with us and earnestly desireth and longeth after that day wherein it shall be set free from the bondage of corruption Rom. 8. and redintegrated and restored to that pristine estate wherein it was before the fall But whether this is to be understood of heaven and earth onely or of heaven and earth with their adjuncts and particular creatures I will not here goe about to discusse howbeit I doe greatly incline to their opinion which hold that heaven and earth with all their furniture being redintegrated and restored to their first estate shall remaine for ever to set forth the glory of the Creator and for that use of glorified men which now the Angels have of them Chap. 4.6 Chap. 8.8 Chap. 13.2 Now whereas Saint John added that there shall be no more sea Hee meaneth that there shall be no more any troublesome and confused estate of this world no more broyles waves tempests and storms as it falleth out in this life For the word sea is so taken twice or thrice before By the holy city new Jerusalem hee meaneth the Church triumphant which therefore it is said to come downe from God out of heaven Verse 2. because it hath all his newnesse and holinesse from God and from heaven whereby it is now prepared and made ready to be married unto Christ even as a Bride tricked and trimmed up for her Husband And for this cause Saint John heareth a voice from heaven Verse 3. saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shall be his people and hee will be their God Meaning thereby that Jesus Christ will keep house with his glorified Spouse and be at bed and boord with her for ever in the heavens at what time shee shall be freed from all teares Verse 4. woe and misery as the next verse declareth yeelding also a reason hereof which is that the first things are passed that is the state wherein the world is now being subject to many afflictions temptations vanities and corruptions And hee that sate upon the Throne said Verse 5. Behold I make all things new And he said unto mee Write for these words are faithfull and true And hee said unto mee It is done Verse 6. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give to him that is athirst of the well of the water of life freely Hee that overcometh shall inherit all things Verse 7. and I will be his God and hee shall be my Sonne But the fearfull and unbeleeving Verse 8. and the abominable and murtherers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and lyers shall have their parts in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Here the omnipotent God which sitteth upon the most glorious throne doth protest that hee will make all things new that is restore the world to that excellent estate wherein it was before Adams fall and his elect to a state and condition farre more excellent in heaven for the greater certainty and assurance of it willeth and commandeth John to write it Verse 5. and record it as a thing most certaine and infallible and to set it downe as a thing already done For things to come which are decreed in the councell of God are as certaine as if they were past for God cannot erre alter nor change and therefore he saith I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last the unchangeable and immutable God Verse 6. And addeth that hee will give freely to every one that is athirst of the well of the water of life that is without all regard of our deserts hee will give to every one that earnestly seeketh after heaven and heavenly things his fill thereof And moreover Verse 7. that whosoever overcometh in the spirituall battell shall have the full fruition of all good things both in this life and the
and habitation of the just for evermore He needs must be a very block that is not moved with the consideration of this endlesse felicity For this city is described unto us in so glorious and admirable a manner to bring us into love with it and to work in us an unquenchable thirst and desire after it Oh therefore let us spend many thoughts upon it let us enter into deep meditations of the inestimable glory of it let us long till we come to the fingring and possession of it even as the heire longeth till hee come to the possession of his lands let us think every day ten and every yeere twenty till we be in possession let us with the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.2 sigh and groane desiring to bee clothed with our house which is from heaven Let us in the meane time cast away all things that may hinder us in our Christian course let us shake off every burden and runne with patience the race that is set before us let us as they which prove masteries abstaine from all lets and hinderances and sith we strive so exceedingly for a corruptible crowne how much more ought wee for an uncorruptible For what pains what cost what labour can be enough for a kingdome Let us therefore strive and straine to get into this golden city where streets walls and gates and all is gold all is pearle yea where pearl is but as mire and dirt and nothing worth Oh what fooles are they which deprive themselves willingly of this endlesse glory for a few stinking lusts Oh what mad men are they which bereave themselves of a roome in this citie of pearle for a few carnall pleasures and delights Oh what bedlams and straught beasts are they which shut themselves out of these everlasting habitations for a little transitory pelse Oh what intolerable sots and sops are all such as will willingly be barred out of this palace of infinite pleasure for the short fruition of worldly lucre and trash Let us therefore in all time to come make more reckoning of heaven and lesse reckoning of the earth let us mind heavenly things and despise earthly things let us presse hard unto the things that are before and forget the things that are behind let us strive hard for the price of the high calling of God and contemn even the glory of this world CHAP. XXII IN this chapter Saint John proceedeth yet more largely to describe the blessed estate of all Gods Saints in the kingdom of glory and the principall scope and drift of this chapter is yet more to enlarge the joyes of Gods people after this life and to ratifie the authority of this prophecie This chapter containeth foure principall parts Ve. 1 2 3 4 5. The first is an amplification of the joyes of Gods kingdome Vers 6 7 8 9. 16 19. The second is a confirmation of the authority of this book Ve. 9 10 c. The third is an exhortation both to spread abroad the knowledge of this book and also for every man to prepare himselfe for the coming of Christ unto judgment The fourth is a fervent desire of the Church for the second appearing of Christ The TEXT Verse 1. ANd he shewed me a pure river of the water of life cleer as Crystall proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middest of the street of it Verse 2. and of either side of the river was the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and gave fruit every moneth and the leaves of the tree serve to heal the nations with And there shall be no more curse Verse 3. but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his servants shall serve him And they shall see his face Verse 4. and his name shall be in their foreheads And there shall be no night there Verse 5. and they need no candle neither light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign for evermore The Angel doth yet further shew unto John a pure river of the water of life Whereby is signified the overflowing abundance of good things which the righteous shall enjoy in the kingdome of glory This river is said to proceede out of the throne of God and of the Lamb because God in Christ is the originall of all this life and happinesse Further it is added that in the midst of the golden street of this new Jerusalem and of both sides the river there was the tree of life Which representeth Christ now in his heavenly Paradise as in former time was represented Christ in the earthly Paradise and also that eternall and blessed life which our first parents should enjoy if they did continue in the obedience of God This tree standeth not in an out-corner of the city but in the very middest of the street and of both sides of the river that all the citizens of the new Jerusalem might have free accesse unto it and taste of the most dainty fruits thereof in great variety for it beareth twelve manner of fruits that is in Christ all variety of pleasure and endlesse light is to be found This tree beareth fruit every moneth as well in winter as in summer for here every moneth is autumne The sense is that in Christ the new and fresh fruits of immortal joy without any satiety or loathing are for ever to be found The leaves of this tree are very medicinable and sanative for they serve to heale the nations with that is to preserve them from all diseases and griefes which argueth a most blessed life not subject to sicknesse or any other infirmity For Christ is our never failing Physitian which in this life healeth all our spirituall diseases and infirmities and after this life will preserve us in perpetuall health and happinesse There shall be no more curse that is in the heavenly Paradise we shall no more be subject to any curse as Adam was in the earthly Paradise which also argueth the perfection of happinesse after this life and yet for further amplification of this most glorious estate it is said that the throne of God and of Christ shall be erected in the middest of this golden street and all his chosen people shall there accompany him dwel with him be alwayes about him yea and serve him without wearinesse for ever yea all his faithfull worshippers shall come so neer his throne that they shall see his very face and be ravished with his glory having his Image his Name his Wisdome and Mercy imprinted in their foreheads yea his unconceiveable light and glory shall be so resplendent that there shall be neither night nor need of candle but in his glittering and most glorious chamber of presence shall all his elect reigne and triumph with him for evermore in infinite felicity and the very fruition of eternall delectation where shall be mirth without measure and solace without sorrow as the
to cover their faces two to cover their feete and two to flye withall And they have two wings to cover their faces withall because they are not able to endure the unconceiveable brightnesse and glory of God for he dwelleth in unapproachable light They have two wings to cover their feete withall because mortall then are not able to looke upon the brightnesse that is in Heaven For we reade that many have beene astonished and dazled with the glory and brightnesse of Angels so glorious creatures are they They have two wings to flie withall to note their prompt obedience and readinesse to execute the commandements of God as formerly was shewed Moreover the Angels are said to have wings and to flye swiftly because God by them doth speedily dispatch many purposes actions and services here below and for this cause the Scripture affirmeth that he rideth upon the Cherubins that hee dwelleth betweene the Cherubins and that hee maketh the Clouds his Chariots and walketh upon the wings of the winde For as earthly Kings are in their progresses carried in their most sumptuous coaches drawne by the most excellent Coach-horses to dispatch great businesses and many weighty affaires within their dominions so the Visions in Ezechiel do shew that the immortall King is carried most swiftly in his Chariot of triumph drawne by the Cherubins as it were by beasts to direct and over-rule all actions under the Sun Moreover these Angels are said to be full of eyes within Verse 8. to note not onely their fulnesse of knowledge but also their inward sight into all heavenly things yea even such as are most secret and hid for they are of all other creatures most inward with God None of his Children know so much of his counsell as they Furthermore the Angels are heere said to prayse God uncessantly Verse 8. day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and which is to come where we may cleerely see that the Angels prayse and worship God in a burning zeale without wearinesse For they are not as men which through their great corruption are full of dulnesse and wearinesse in Gods worship but they do alwaies serve him with infatigable desires and therfore are called Seraphins because they burne in the zeale of God and Cherubins because their delight is to approach neare unto him and to be alwaies about his Throne yea even in his chamber of presence They doe double and treble this word holy and warble much upon it because they know full well that he is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his works and that all his proceedings and judgements are even then weighed in the ballance of Justice and equity when to mans sense and the judgement of reason they seeme nothing lesse For his judgements are as a great depth which mans reason cannot sound Further wee see that when these beasts that is the Angels gave glory and honour and thanks to God c. the 24. Elders also fell downe before him and worshipped him that liveth for evermore Where we may see that both Saints and Angels doe joyntly prayse and magnifie God and him alone Even that GOD that liveth for evermore even that GOD which was which is and which is to come that is the eternall and everlasting God For the Scripture sayth Praise him O yee Saints and praise him O yee Angels that excell in strength And the 24. Elders cast their Crownes before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour c. Wherein we see that all the Elect do empty themselves of all worthinesse to have any glory acknowledging that their Crownes of glory are Gods free gift and that the praise thereof belongeth only to him and nothing to themselves And this in very deed is the right manner of worshipping God frankly to ascribe all glory to him and all shame to our selves to give all to him to whom all is due and nothing to our selves which have nothing for nothing can be given or taken out of nothing Now then to conclude and winde up this 4. Chapter we do clearely see the summe and drift of all is that Heaven doore was opened unto John and that he was let in and called up into the Chamber of presence by a very loud voice there to take notice of the future estate of the Church and that the person which thus called him up was the very immortall God himselfe who is so gloriously described of his Throne his troopes and traines of Saints and Angels as we have heard And all this is to commend and set forth the authority of this booke whose Authour is so excellent yea super-excellent CHAP. V. AFter this Vision containing the glory of the divine Majesty was shewed unto John that he might know from what fountaine this Prophesie was derived now in this fift Chapter is taught and shewed by what meanes and by whose mediation the knowledge of such hidden mysteries were revealed unto the Church namely by the meanes and mediation of Jesus Christ in whom onely the counsels and secrets of God the Father are opened and made knowne unto men For he is the great Prophet and Doctor of the Church which is come down from the bosome of his Father and hath made knowne unto us whatsoever he hath received of his Father as he himselfe testifieth And the Church is commanded by a voice from Heaven to heare him and him alone This fifth Chapter containeth three things generally Ver. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. First a description of the booke which was in the right hand of God Secondly a description of Jesus Christ which receiveth it at the hand of his Father and openeth it Thirdly a description of those most glorious praises which are given to Christ by the Angels Saints and all the creatures in Heauen and earth I saw in the right hand of him that sate upon the throne a book written within Verse 1. and on the backe side sealed with seaven seales By this booke here mentioned is meant this present booke of the Apocalyps or Revelation as it shall plainely appeare in the next chapter when we come to the opening of the seaven seales thereof For the things which fall out upon the opening of the severall seales do plainely declare that all is meant of the particular matters contained in this present booke This book is said to be in the right hand of him that sitteth upon the throne because all the secrets revealed in it come from the counsell and decree of the most high God and are ordered by his meere direction providence It is called a written booke to shew that the things contained in it are so firmely decreed in the counsell of God that none of them shall faile but come to passe and be fulfilled â—n their season They are such as we may write of as we use to say and therefore for the cerâ—ainty of them they are here said to
blessed for ever For otherwise the Angels of Heaven both Cherubins and Seraphins would not thus fall down and worship him ascribing unto him both deity and divine honour Consider then how great he is of whom it is said Let all the Angels of God worship him Psal 97.7 Moreover these Angels and Saints are sayd to have every one Harpes and golden Vials Verse 8. full of Odours which are the prayers of the Saints These Harpes doe signifie the sweet consent and harmony both of men and Angels in sounding forth the praises of the Lambe for herein the whole Church both militant and triumphant do accord and tune together as many harpers harping upon their harpes Apo. 14.2 as is written also in another place Hereby also they do plainly testifie that inward peace and spirituall joy which all the faithfull have through Christ which is more sweet and delightsome to the soule then any musick is unto the eares The Vialls full of Odours are expounded to be the prayers of the Saints which are therefore compared to odours because they smell sweet in the nostrils of God and are more fragrant then any nosegay or perfume whatsoever for he taketh great pleasure in the prayers of his people especially when they came out of golden vials that is sanctified hearts and consciences for every sanctified heart is a golden heart in the sight of God and every regenerate conscience is a Jewell of price guilt with gold and enameled with pearle For this cause the holy man David wisheth earnestly that his heart might be so renewed and cleansed inwardly that his prayer might be directed as incense in Gods sight Psal 14.1 and the lifting up of his hands as a sweet smelling sacrifice Furthermore these Saints and Angels do sing a new song That is they do sing to the prayses of the Lambe with renued affections and unwearied desires Their inward joy continueth alwaies fresh and greene as the Bay-tree They never wither or waxe weary of the service of God Their song is evermore new and therefore evermore delightsome For the more new any thing is the more pleasant and delactable for men are not affected with old but altogether with new things Now then Jesus Christ having taken this booke into his hand to open and expound is applauded unto by the generall consent and voyces of the whole Church for say they Thou art worthy to take the booke and to open the seales thereof Wherein they do all with common consent give their voyces unto Christ acknowledging him to be the onely fit person in Heaven or earth to take upon him the function of opening a booke so closed so clasped so shut so sealed and they do yeeld a reason of their proceedings because say they thou wast killed and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation Meaning hereby that he was put to death to pay the price of our redemption in whom all beleevers both Jewes and Gentiles are saved Their reason then is this he that hath died and risen againe and is now exalted farre above all principalities and powers c. is the most fit instrument to open and interpret this booke but thou O Christ the Lambe of God art such an one therefore thou of all others art most meete to take the matter upon thee and to enter into this businesse Further they amplifie their reason thus Verse 10. that he hath made us of slaves and servants Kings and of prophane persons Priests unto the most high God And last of all that we shall raigne upon the earth Not meaning hereby that we shall raigne as earthly Kings or onely enjoy an earthly Kingdome For out of all doubt the Saints shall raigne with Christ in the Heavens for evermore But heere is mention made of raigning in the earth because after this life Gods Children shall have the fruition and inheritance both of Heaven and earth that is to say that new Heaven and new Earth 2 Pet. 3.12 wherein dwelleth righteousnesse for the Heavens and the earth being redintegrated and purged from corruption shall be the portion of the Saints and the habitation of the Elect for evermore After all this Ver. 11. John heareth the voice of innumerable Angels besides the foure Beasts That is the Cherubines and Seraphins or chiefe Angels that is Angels deputed to chiefe offices round about the throne which all with a loud voice doe acknowledge the Lambe which was killed Ver. 12. to bee worthy of all honour glory and praise c. And not only these innumerable Angels being 20. thousand times ten thousand but also all other creatures both in Heaven and Earth As the Sun Moone and Starres the fishes in the Sea and the beasts in the earth do all in their kinde sing the same song acknowledging all honour and glory praise and power to belong unto him that sitteth upon the throne Ver. 13. and unto the Lambe for evermore For although the creature is as yet subject to the bondage of corruption and therefore groneth and travelleth in paine waiting when the Sonnes of God shall be revealed yet it standeth in assured expectation of restitution to liberty and incorruption and therefore here all the creatures do praise the Lambe for that restauration which they had so lovingly and wishly looked for And the foure beasts said Amen That is they do subscribe to those prayses which the creature yeeldeth to their Creator And not onely the Angels do subscribe and consent unto it but the foure and twenty Elders also that fall downe and worshp him that liveth for evermore So that the Lambe is praysed and worshipped of all hands both of men and Angels and all other creatures as God everlasting and blessed for evermore CHAP. VI. IN the fourth Chapter wee have heard the description of God the Father which holdeth the sealed booke in his right hand In the fift Chapter we have also had the description of Jesus Christ the opener and interpreter of this seven sealed Book Now in this sixth Chapter wee are to understand of the mattter and contents of this Booke and of the strange accidents and events which followed upon the opening of every severall Scale For in this Chapter sixe of the Seals are opened by the Sonne of God and the Mysteries thereof disclosed unto John that he might declare them to the Church for the comfort and instruction thereof This Chapter containeth sixe principall things arising from the severall opening of the sixe seales and they are these The spreading of the Gospell Great persecutions following therupon Famine Pestilence Complaints of the Martyrs Ver. 1.2.3.4 c. Fearefull revenge upon the world for shedding the blood of Gods Saints After Verse 1. I beheld when the Lambe had opened one of the seales and I heard one of the foure beasts say as it were the noise of thunder Come and see Now after all these former
upon the blacke Horse so here death and hel are said to be upon the pale Horse for pestilence and death maketh men look pale but being dead he saith Hell followed For assuredly Hell doth alwayes follow the death of the body excepting those onely whom Christ hath delivered from hell and damnation by the power of his death Thus then it is the red Horse with bloud the black Horse with famine the pale Horse with pestilence have power given over the fourth part of men to murther kill and slay as all Stories doe shew that for the rejecting of Christ and his Church and his Gospell these plagues were carried as it were on horse-back over a great part of the world Now as touching this famine and pestilence which fell out upon the opening of the third and fourth seales they are to be referred unto those times especially wherein the Hunnes Goths and Vandals and other barbarous Nations which were the wasters of the world did waste and decay the Romane Empire both farre and neere Whereupon grew this famine scarsitie and pestilence and strange diseases heere spoken of about some 300. yeares after Christ and somewhat more And when he had opened the fift Seale I saw under the Altar the soules of them that were killed for the word of God and for the testimony which they maintained c. Here is discovered the state of the Martyrs after this life and the condition of the spirits of all just and perfect men For whereas it might be demanded what became of all those heapes and multitudes of men which were slaine for the testimony of Jesus in the ten persecutions it is here answered That they were under the Altar John in a vision seeth them under the Altar That is under the mercifull protection of Christ in Heaven who for them and for us all was made both Altar Priest and Sacrifice This Altar Christ is afterwards called the golden Altar which is before the Throne of God Chap. 8.3 So then it is cleare that the soules of the Martyrs were with Christ in glory For he saith to his disciples Where I am there shall you be also Joh. 14.3 And in another place he sayth John 12.32 If I were lift up from the earth I should draw all men unto me that is all beleevers Then it followeth that the soules of these just and righteous men were in Paradise and in Abrahams bosome which is the very Port and Haven of salvation For although the persecuting Emperours and other tyrants of the earth had power to kill their bodies yet had they no power over their soules as our Lord Jesus affirmeth And they cryed with a loud voice saying How long Lord holy and true verse 10. doest not thou judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth Heere we see plainely that the soules of the Martyrs doe very vehemently cry for vengeance upon these cruell Tyrants which shed their blood Moreover they cry for it speedily and seeme to be impatient of delay But it is to be observed that they do not this in any hatred or private desire of revenge in respect of any wrong or cruelty shewed to them but in a very love and burning zeale of the Kingdome and glory of Christ and whatsoever desire they have it is wholly to that end Wherefore they are here under a figure brought in crying for vengeance rather to expresse what judgement of God tarrieth for the cruell persecuters then to shew what minde they beare towards them For it is indeed their cause that cryeth for vengeance And as Abels bloud so their bloud cryeth aloud in the eares of the Lord of Hoasts for revenge Moreover we may not imagine or gather out of this loud crying of the Martyrs in Heaven that they have any disturbance impatience disquietnesse or any discontentment there But this they doe in a fervent desire of that fulnesse of glory which they assuredly hope for and looke for in consummation of all things when both their souls and bodies shall be joyned together Ver. 11. And long white robes were given unto every one and it was said unto them That they should rest for a little season untill their fellow servants and their brethren which should be killed even as they were were fulfilled These white robes doe signifie that honour glory and dignity whereunto not only the Martyrs but also all other faithfull beleevers are advanced in the chambers of peace for so white Robes are to be understood in sundry other places of this booke And this doth plainly prove that the martyrs were now in glory with Christ Now as concerning the answer to their complaint and cry it was this That they should be content and have patience for a little season for the time remaining to the end of the World was but as a day with God and as a moment in comparison of eternity and the reason of the delay is yeelded which is this that there were numbers of others their brethren in the World which should bee martyred and slaine for the truth as well as they under the great Antichrist of Rome and the bloudy Turke at and upon the opening of the seventh seal And therefore in consideration that the most wise God had decreed and fore-determined with himself in most secret and hid counsell to bring multitudes of others to glory by the same way and meanes that themselves were brought that therefore in the meane time being so short a time they should rest satisfied and contented And here by the way we see what stayeth the comming of Christ unto judgement namely this that the number of the Martyrs and Saints and al such as he hath chosen unto life are not yet accomplished And behold when he opened the sixt Seale and loe there was a great Earth-quake ver 2.13.14 and the Sunne was as blacke as sacke-cloth of haire and the Moone was like blood And the starres of Heaven fell unto the earth as a fig-tree casteth her greene figges when it is shaken of a mighty winde And Heaven departed away as a scrole when it is rolled and every Mountaine and I le were moved out of their place Upon the opening of the sixt Seale very dolefull and fearefull things doe follow As earth-quakes the darkning of the Sun the obscurity of the Moone the falling of the Starres the rolling together of the Heavens the remooving of mountaines and Iles out of their places the howlings and horrors of Kings Captaines and other Potentates of the earth which are all things very terrible and fearefull to behold and all these doe represent and figure out unto us the most fearefull tokens of Gods high displeasure and most heavy indignation against the wicked World Very grievous things fell out upon the opening of the second third and fourth seales but they are farre more grievous which follow upon the opening of this sixt seale for this sixt Seale contayneth an aggravation and increase of
all the former judgements For now after the cry of the Martyrs for vengeance God the avenger of the bloud of the Righteous doth shew himselfe from Heaven and declare his wrath in more fearefull manner then before even to the great astonishment of all the creatures in Heaven and Earth So horrible a thing is the shedding of the blood of the Christians For now we see plainely that God heareth the cryes of his Martyrs and commeth as a Gyant or an armed man to take vengeance of all their enemies For Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and he is much mooved with the cry of their blood as here we see And therefore now threatneth to hold a generall Assize wherein he will make inquisition after blood and arraigne and condemne all such as are found guilty thereof according as the persecuting Emperours and many others did finde and feele by wofull experience For if God be angry but a little who may endure it Now although the Stories do report that in those dayes which was above 300. yeares after Christ there were many great and fearfull Earth-quakes in divers nations and Cities of the World yet it is apparant that the Earth-quake here spoken of cannot bee taken litterally nor any of the rest here mentioned For there was never any time neither is it mentioned in any Chronicle that ever the Sunne was as blacke as sack cloth of haire or the Moone turned into bloud or the Starres fell from Heaven or the Heavens rolled together like a scrole or that Mountaines and Ilands were moved out of their places Therefore of necessity all this must be understood metaphorically that is that God did in so strange and fearfull a manner manifest his wrath from Heaven by tumults commotions seditions and alterations of Kingdomes as if these things of the Sunne Moone and Starres had been visibly represented to the eye An earth-quake in this booke and other bookes also of the Scriptures doth by a borrowed speech signifie commotions of Common-wealths troubles tumults uprores and great alterations of States and Kingdomes The darkning of the Sunne Moone and Starres and rolling together of the Heavens do by a metaphor in the Scripture signifie the wrath of God which they being not able to endure are said here to blush at to cover themselves to hide themselves to be ashamed of themselves to remove out of their places no more to do their office c. For as birds do hide themselves and thrust their heads into bushes when the Eagle commeth abroade And as all Beasts of the Forrest doe tremble and couch in their dennes when the Lyon roareth And as the subject doth hide himselfe and dare not shew his head with whom the King is displeased So here it is said that the whole earth doth tremble and all the celestiall creatures are amazed and confounded with beholding the angry face of God against the world in so much that they do as it were draw a canopy over them hide themselves under a cloud and surcease to do their offices The darkning of the Sunne and Moone is taken in this sense in the second or Joel and also in the second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles For there God promising and foretelling that in the last dayes he would abundantly powre forth of his Spirit upon all flesh which is to be understood of the plentifull preaching of the Gospell in the Apostles time and the abundance of grace that was given with the same addeth that for the contempt of so great grace and mercy he would shew wonders in Heaven above and tokens in the earth beneath Blood and fire and the vapour of smoke the Sunne shall be turned into darknesse and the Moone into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come The meaning of the Prophet is as Peter also doth expound it Acts 2. that God from Heaven will shew such apparant signes of his wrath against the World that men should be no lesse amazed then if the whole order of nature were inverted And this was performed when as the Jewes for the contempt of Christ and his Gospell were most miserably destroyed by the Romanes Even so here under the opening of the sixt seale God doth threaten That for the murdering of his Sonne Christ and his Apostles and innumerable Christians he would bring strange judgements and extraordinary calamities upon the world according as all stories do shew that those times were full of bloodsheds commotions famine pestilence and miseries of all sorts I am not ignorant that the darkning of the Sunne and Moone and the falling of the Stars from Heaven are sometimes in this booke put for the obscurity and corruption of pure doctrine and the falling away of the Pastors of the Church from their sincerity and zeale But in this place the circumstances will not beare that sense First because here the darkning of the Sun and Moone c. is joyned with an Earth-quake the rolling together of the Heavens and the moving of Mountaines and Islands out of their places which argueth a most horrible confusion of all things Secondly because afterward in the eight chap. he doth of purpose speake of the corrupting of pure doctrine and the falling away of the Ministers referring it to that Chapter as his proper place Thirdly because the Kings and Captaines of the earth here immediately mentioned would never have been cast into any such perplexities and horrors upon any corruption of doctrine and the ministery as here we reade of For commonly men are not any whit touched or moved with that or such like things Last of all because the scope and drift of the holy Ghost under the opening of this sixt Seale is to describe corporall not spirituall visible not invisible judgements For he doth orderly and of purpose handle them in the next Chapter Now whereas it is sayd in the last three verses that the Kings of the earth and the chiefe Captaines Ver. 15.16.17 and the mighty men and every bond-man and every free-man hid themselves in dennes and amongst the rockes of the mountaines and said to the rockes and mountaines Fall on us c. the sense and meaning of all is this that these visible judgements should be so horrible and extraordinary that all sorts of men then living upon the face of the earth should even wish themselves buried quicke or that they might run into a mouse-hole or awger hole to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lambe For being both outwardly terrified with the sensible judgements and inwardly griped and tormented with the fury of their owne consciences they are at no hand able to endure it CHAP. VII THis Chapter doth wholly appertaine unto the opening of the sixt Seale It sheweth generally how God in the middest of all the broyles which hapned under the opening of the sixt seale yet did preserve his owne Church and mercifully provide for his owne people This
all Popish proceedings which is here meant by the two witnesses For assuredly these two witnesses doe not signifie Enoch and Elias as the Papists and some others doe dreame but they signifie all the faithfull Preachers and Professors of the truth which in all ages both former and later have opposed themselves against the Pope his Clergy his doctrine his religion and all his abhominable proceedings They are called witnesses because they should beare witnesse unto the truth They are said two in number for three reasons First because they were very few in those dayes when Poperie did so generally prevail for two is the smallest number Secondly because the law of God doth admit of no lesse number in witnesse-bearing as it is written In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word stand Thirdly it is an allusion to Zorobabel and Jehoshua which were the two restorers and builders of the Temple after the captivitie Hag. 2.5 Christ saith here that he will give power to his two witnesses for no man hath any power in heavenly things except it be given him from above and especially to stand fast to the truth in the heat of persecutions and troubles It is said that these two witnesses shall prophesie that is preach declare and speake For so Prophesie is taken in the former chapter and last verse so also in other places of the Scripture The time of their prophesying being 1260 dayes hath been expounded before These two witnesses are cloathed in sackcloath which signifieth that they should lead a sorrowfull life here in this world For in old time when men did fast and mourne they did use to put on sackloath It followeth then that these faithfull Preachers and witnesses of the truth did not spend their dayes in mirth jollity and worldly pompe and bravery as did the Popes Clergie and pompous Prelates of Antichrist Now if any man will demand how this may appeare that there have been alwaies some raised up of God to write preach declare and speake against the whore of Babylon even then when shee was aloft and raigned as the Queene and Lady of the world I answer that Histories are very plentifull in this point which at large doe shew that in all countries and kingdomes of Europe there were ever some stirred up to impugne and resist the whore of Babylon As In England Robert Grosted Bishop of Lincolne An. dom 1293. An. 1400. John Wickliffe supported by Edw. the 3. and divers of the Nobility in England In Germany Taulerus a Preacher An. 1354 1356. 1357. 1359. 1359. 1360. Franciscus Petrarcha Johannes de rupe scissa Conradus Hager Gerhardus Rhidor Petrus de Corbona Johannes de Poliaco 1420. John Zisca In Bohemia John Husse An. dom 1414. 1416. 1370. Jerome of Prague Mathias Parisiensis In Spaine An. 1250. Arnoldus de nova villa In Italy An. 1500. Jerome Savanarola a Monke Silvester a Frier In France An. 1160. An. 1252. An. 1290. An. 1290. Waldas of whom came the Waldenses or poore men of Lyons in France Guilielmus de sancto amore Robertus Gallus Laurentius In Ireland An. 1362. Armachanus an Archbishop In Suevia An. 1240. Many Preachers at once In Grecia An. 1230. All the Churches of Grecia renounced the Church of Rome for their abominable Idolatry It were too tedious to recite all which the Stories doe report to have withstood both Pope and Popery even when it did most of all beare the sway these may suffice for the understanding of the Text. As for those which have been raised up since the decay and fall of Popery I meane since Luthers time they are so many and so well knowne that I need say nothing These are two Olive trees and two Candlesticks standing before the God of the earth vers 4. Here the two witnesses are compared to two Olive trees because that as the Olive tree doth drop downe his oyle and fatnesse so the faithfull Ministers doe droppe downe upon the Church the sweet oyle of the Spirit which is all heavenly and spirituall graces as the Metaphor of oyle is often so taken in the Scriptures They are also compared to two Candlesticks because that as the candlestick beareth up the candle set upon it so the Ministers of the Gospell beare up and hold forth the light of Gods word even in the greatest darknesse These candlesticks are said to stand before the God of the Earth because God beareth rule not only in heaven but in earth also even then when all things in the earth seeme to be most troubled and the Church militant â—nder greatest persecutions as now it was And if any will hurt them ver 3. fire proceedeth out of their mouthes and shall devoure their enemies for if any will hurt them so must he be killed vers 6. These have power to shut heaven that it raine not in the dayes of their prophesying and have power over waters to turne them into bloud and to smite the Earth with all manner of plagues as oft as they will Here is shewed that if any despise the simplicity of these two winesses and offer them wrong because of their basenesse and contempt in the world that there is a fire commeth out of their mouth that is the fiery and mighty power of the word of God uttered out of their mouthes which overthroweth and overturneth their enemies nay as fire it consumeth them to ashes for the Ministers of the Gospell are armed with ready vengeance against all disobedience 1 Cor. 10. Therefore they be starke mad and know not what they doe which oppose themselves against the true Ministers of Christ For the sword which they fight with slaieth the reprobates in their soules though not in their bodies for the ministry of the word is the savour of death to all unbeleevers That which is here spoken of shutting the heavens that it raine not and turning the waters into bloud 1 King 17. is an allusion to Elias and Moses whereof the one by his prayer shut the Heavens the other by his rod turned the waters into blood Now the faithfull Ministers of the Gospell are compared to these two not because they should worke such outward miracles as they did but because they should be furnished with spirituall power which is farre greater For most sure it is that the invisible and spirituall power where with the Ministers of the Gospell are armed is very great and glorious though the world see it not nor know it not For the Apostle saith The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but spirituall 2 Cor. 10.6 mighty through God to cast downe holds casting downe the imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God c. And when they have finished their testimony ver 7. the beast that commeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them and kill them Here is set downe the greater cruelty
and bloudy tyranny which Antichrist should use against these faithfull witnesses of our Lord Jesus For although they overcome him with the spirituall sword which is the fire that commeth out of their mouthes yet for a time power was given to this Beast that commeth out of the bottomlesse pit that is the Pope and his adherents to murther Gods Saints with the materiall sword but yet note that Antichrist can doe nothing till the two witnesses have finished their testimony such is Gods care and providence for all his faithfull servants And their corps shall lie in the streets of the great City which spiritually is called Sodome and Aegypt where our Lord also was crucified By the great City here is meant Rome and yet not the City onely of Rome but all the Romane Empire power and jurisdictions as afterward shall be made manifest Now the corps and dead carkasses which were murthered and massacred in all Nations by Antichrists tyranny are here said to lie in the streetes of Rome that is to bee cast forth into the open fields as not worthy the honour of buriall in all places countries and kingdomes within the Roman Empire or jurisdiction of Rome as we read to have been in England Scotland France Ireland Germany and Spaine And as the Holy Ghost saith The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat to the fowles of the heaven and the flesh of thy Saints unto the beasts of the earth Moreover it is to bee observed that Rome is here compared spiritually or by a trope to Sodome and Egypt To Sodome for filthines for what City ever was or is more filthy than Rome Chap. 12. the mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth And to Egypt for Idolatry and keeping Gods people in spirituall bondage Last of all it is here said That our Lord Jesus was crucified at Rome which may seem strange sith all men know that Christ was crucified at Jerusalem But to answere this doubt we are to understand that in respect of the place our Lord Jesus was crucified at Jerusalem but if we respect the power and Authority that put him to death he was crucified at Rome for Christ was put to death by a Roman Judge by Roman lawes by Roman authority by a kind of death proper onely to the Romanes and in a place which then was within the Romane Empire And for this cause is here said that Christ was crucified at Rome And they of the people and kindreds tongues ver 9. and Gentiles shall see their corps three dayes and a halfe and shall not suffer their corps to be put in the grave Hitherto we have heard of the rage of Antichrist against the two witnesses Now further we are to understand of the malice and fury of all his adherents that is all Papists Atheists and the rest of the blinde people and seduced multitude which did allow the Popes cruelty in shedding the bloud of the Martyrs and they doe testifie the allowance and approbation of the Popes fact and also their owne malice and madnesse against them in this that they will not vouchsafe them the honour of buriall but cast out their dead bodies as carrion or as the dead bodies of Dogges or Swine thereby shewing that they esteemed them no beter than so Nay we read that their hellish rage and madnesse was so great and outragious that they wreaked their malice upon the dead bones and carkasses of Gods Saints and Martyrs For their bloudy and most malicious mindes could not be satisfied except they digged up the bodies of Gods witnesses out of their graves and burnt them to ashes Whereas it is said They shall see their corps the meaning is that all the blinde people within the Romane Empire should bee eye-witnesses of these things and not only so but even great Agents also in the slaughter of Gods people By three dayes and a halfe which is halfe a weeke he meaneth all the time of Antichrists raigne and tyrannicall goverment as before hath been shewed For these three dayes and a halfe being in propheticall computation three yeeres and a halfe signifie the same things that the two and forty moneths and a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes before And they that dwell upon the Earth shall rejoyce over them and be glad vers 10. and shall send gifts one to another for these two Prophets vexed them that dwelt on the Earth Here we see how the inhabitants of the Earth that is the seduced multitude and blinde people in the time of ignorance doe greatly insult and triumph over the death of the Lords witnesses and they doe expresse their joy by sending gifts and presents one to another as if they had received some great benefits or had heard the most joyfull newes in the world And the reason is added because they vexed and tormented them meaning thereby that the preaching of the truth and the reproving of their errors Idolatries and manifold impieties was a dagger and a corsey unto them they could at no hand endure it for the preaching of the Gospell is the torment of the World and the Preachers the tormenters These few Preachers thundring against their superstitions and abhominable service of Antichrist did vex every veine in their heart and inwardly so wound and lance their consciences that they could have no rest till they had rid them out of the world But now having dispatched them and made riddance of them they are very crank and jocund vers 11. But after three dayes and a halfe the spirit of life comming from God shall enter into them and they shall stand upon their feet and great feare shall come upon them which saw them Notwithstanding the rage and savage fury of the Pope and his followers yet here is shewed that they could not prevaile as they desired for within three dayes and a halfe that is when the date of Antichrists raigne was expired and the time come that Popery must be disclosed by the light of the Gospell breaking forth there followeth a great alteration For these two Prophets or witnesses are raised up againe For he saith the Spirit of life which came from God shall enter into them and they shall stand upon their feet This may seeme somewhat strange but it is not to be understood that they should be raised up bodily in their persons till the last resurrection but that God would raise up others endued with the same spirit which should mightily defend both the doctrine cause and quarrell which their Predecessors had maintained and sealed with their bloud in whom they should after a sort revive and live againe even as Elias did revive and as it were live againe in John Baptist who is said to be endued with the power and the spirit of Elias as it was foretold by the Prophet and as our Saviour himselfe doth avouch Now blessed be God that we live in these dayes wherein we see with our eyes all
these things fulfilled For when the Pope and his Clergie had murthered Gerbardus Dulcimus Navarrensis Waldus Nicholaus Orem John Picus John Zisca Visilus Groningensis Armerias Wickliffe Husse Jerome of Prague and many Preachers in Suevia and one hundred holy Christians in the Country of Alsatia and many other Countries and of all conditions of men yet for all that spight of their hearts God raised up others in their stead as Luther Calvin Zuinglius Peter Martyr Peter Viret Melancthon Bucer Bullinger and their successors yea the thousands of excellent Ministers and Preachers which are dispersed over all Europe at this day in whom all the former witnesses doe revive and as it were stand upon their feet againe And now a great feare is come upon the Pope and his Clergie and all his favourites for they did never so much as dreame of such an alteration but this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes And they shall heare a great voyce from him saying unto them vers 12. Come up hither and they shall ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud and their enemies shall see them Here the Lords witnesses whom Antichrist had murdered and called and taken up into heaven that they may be crowned with glory and immortality having in the earth fought so excellent a fight of faith as they had for even as Christ their head was taken up in a cloud to the Heavens even so his faithfull members are here taken up in a cloud to raigne with him for ever Moreover it is here said that their enemies shall see them ascending up they shall as it were ascend up in their fight for from the fire and faggot swords and speares of their enemies they went directly unto God and the very consciences of their persecutors did witnesse so much nay some of them being in horrible convulsions of conscience did not stick to utter it avouching the innocency of Gods Martyrs as sometimes Pilate and the Centurion did of Christ But though they had not beene justified by their enemies yet are here justified by a great testimony for the voyce from Heaven the voyce of God doth justifie them and cleare them accounting them worthy to bee called up from the Earth to Heaven and received to eternall glory For howsoever the Pope and his Clergie condemned them for Heretickes and Schismatickes yet here they are justified and cleared by a voyce from Heaven which is more than the voyces suffrages and approbations of all men in the World And the same houre there shall bee a great earth-quake and the tenth part of the City shall fall and in the earth-quake shall be slaine in number seven thousand and the remnant were sore feared and gave glory to the God of Heaven As he hath shewed before that the world was very joyfull and jocond when they had made dispatch of Gods witnesses but afterward full of feare and terrour when they saw what followed So here in this Verse is shewed that at the same houre that is about the same time when they have persecuted the Saints see thousands of others raised up in their stead and as it were out of their bloud that there should immediately follow a great earth-quake that is horrible commotions seditions tumults and open warres among the Kingdomes and Nations of the world and amongst all people which should live after the breaking forth of the light of the Gospell as this day we see with our eyes For who now in these dayes doth not see and feele this Earthquake Who knoweth not what stirres there have beene and are every where about Religion Who is ignorant that all the warres seditions treacheries treasons rebellions that are this day in Europe betwixt one Kingdome another are especially concerning the matter of Religion But mark what followeth Behold the effect of this Earth-quake It is said that the tenth part of the Citty shall fall By the City here hee meaneth the great City of Rome mentioned before vers 8. which is therefore called the great City because it was the chief city of the Roman Empire and the very seat of Antichrist Now then the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost is that when there once beginneth to be an earth-quake that is broyles contentions alterations questions and disputations about religion and that the Popish doctrine which had so long prevailed in the world should be called in question yea openly preached against convicted and condemned that then Rome shall begin to fall and Romish religion to suffer a great eclipse yea the tenth part that is some part of the city of Rome I mean the doctrine and authority of Rome shall bee overthrown Now this falling of the tenth part of Rome was fulfilled within some few yeers after the broaching of the Gospel by Luther and his immediate successors but since it is gone back many degrees and hereafter it shall still ebb and consume away by degrees even till it come to nothing as God willing shall be plainly proved hereafter Moreover here is set downe another effect of this earth-quake which is that thereby shall bee slaine in number seven thousand that is many thousands for the number of seven is a perfect and universall number as formerly hath been declared But the sense of this clause is that all such as will not yeeld to the Gospel after matters once come in question and the light thereof breaketh forth but continue still in their blindnesse and hardnesse standing out sturdily against the truth shall feel the heavie judgement of God upon them and come to miserable and wretched ends as did here in England Stephen Gardiner bloudy Bonner and many other such open persecuters in other nations and countries as the book of Martyrs doth plentifully witnesse Last of all it is said that the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven that is the elect of God seeing these horrible judgments upon the persecuters of the Gospel and having their eyes opened through these contentions and broyles about religion should repent of their former idolatries blindnesse and ignorance should yeeld to the truth and give glory to the God of heaven Chap. 9. as at this day we see thousands doe God be thanked Wee heard before in the time of the Turks murthering army when the third part of men were slain that the rest repented not of their idolatry But now God be praised for it many doe repent every day and turne from dumb idols to serve the living God And therefore although the times wherein we live be sinfull and troublesome yet are they golden times and dayes in comparison of former ages wherein Antichrist did reign and rule over all Moreover from this place may plainly and strongly be concluded that the Gospel shall prevail more and more in all the kingdomes of Europe even untill the end of the world For here wee see it fore-told and prophesied that in the very last age of the world and even
which they witnesse professe love and stick unto even unto death Verse 12. Therefore rejoyce ye heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea for the Divell is come downe unto you which hath great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time Here againe the Saints and Angels and all the blessed company of heaven are called upon and exhorted to rejoyce because the Divell and his angels are cast out and the elect have the victory over him through the blood of the Lamb and because the salvation of the Church is sealed up and God onely reigneth through Christ Which all are matters of so great moment that not onely the Church militant is stirred up to rejoyce herein but even the Church triumphant also that is the spirits of just and perfect men But on the contrary here is fearfull woe denounced against the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea that is all Papists Atheists worldlings and reprobates For sith hee cannot have his will of the Church yet hee will have his will and wreak his malice upon them by hardning their hearts and blinding their eyes and making them his slaves and vassals to fight for his kingdome against Christ against his Church against all goodnesse and all good men Therefore is added why the Divell is in such a rage with the world and cometh upon them in so great wrath and fury to wit because hee hath but a short time that is because his kingdome draweth to an end therefore he doth so bestir him Verse 13. And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which had brought forth the man child Now the Divell seeing himselfe cast out of heaven so as he cannot impeach the salvation of the Church he raiseth up horrible persecutions against her by his instruments here in the earth labouring to root her out if it were possible for being overcome of the head he doth now with might and main set upon the body and what horrible storms he hath in all ages specially in these last daies raised up and daily doth raise up against the Church both the Scriptures and all Church-stories do abundantly declare Verse 14. But to the woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flye into the wildernesse into her place where she is nourished for a time and times and halfe a time from the presence of the Serpent These two wings do signifie all the waies and means of evasion which God gave to his Church when he delivered her from the hands of her pursuers and persecuters and also her swift flight from them and all their malicious practises For although the Church cannot absolutely fly from the presence of the Divell with her Eagles wings being so unspeakably swift as he is yet after a sort shee is said to fly from him and his presence when the power of the tyrants and persecuters which he raised up cannot overtake her to murder and kill her But as touching her flight to the wildernesse and her lodging and nourishment there by Gods providence in the middest of all penury and extremity wee have sufficiently heard before in the sixth verse and therefore here I surcease to speak any further of it As concerning the space and continuance of her nourishment in the wildrenesse which is here set downe to be a time and times and halfe a time it is the same with the thousand two hundred and threescore dayes mentioned in the sixth verse and the twenty four moneths mentioned chap. 11. verse 2. and the three dayes and an halfe mentioned chap. 11. verse 6. as before hath been shewed And the Serpent cast out of his mouth water after the woman like a floud Verse 15. that he might cause her to be carried away of the floud Now the Church being secretly hid and nourished by Gods providence in the wildernesse so as the Divell and his instruments cannot find her out or come at her hee taketh another course and casteth about another way to annoy her and that is by casting a floud of water after her to drown her withall whereby is meant the innumerable lies reproaches and slanders which hee raised up by sundry hereticks against her in all ages as the Arrians Donatists Papists and such like and all to bring her into the hatred of Princes Potentates and all that were in love with her that sith otherwise he could not prevaile against her yet at least he might utterly sink her in this gulf of reproaches Verse 16. But the earth holp the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the floud which the Dragon had cast out of his mouth The same God which first delivered the Church from the violence and fury of Satan and afterwards cast him out of heaven and gave her victory over him and after that again miraculously hid her and preserved her in the wildernesse doth not now at a dead lift forsake her nor suffer her to be drowned in this floud of reproaches and unjust calumniations which the Dragon cast up after her but causeth the earth to help her and to swallow up the floud That is he useth all creatures in the earth to help his Church and not only so but also he stirreth up many earthly and carnall men to defend the Church and to take part with her against her enemies as sometimes hee did Cyrus Ebedmelech Nebuzaradan Gamaliel and sundry others whose power and policie hee used for the good of his Church and for the drying up of that floud of reproaches which Satan hath in all ages cast up against her And God be thanked we see at this day that this floud of slanders and calumnies which Papists and Atheists cast out against the Church and her particular members doe dry up daily and shall dry up more and more being drunk in by the earth And the Church doth stand still unmoveable and shall stand and continue even unto the end of the world Then the Dragon was wroth with the woman Verse 17. and went and made warre with the remnant of her seed which kept the commandements of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ Here we see there is no end of the Divels malice he is infatigable in mischief though he have never so many foiles yet he will never give over but begin again For whereas he could not prevaile against the woman to cast her out of heaven by impeaching her election and salvation in Christ nor yet root her out of the earth by persecutions being hid in the wildernesse and locked up in the privie chamber of Gods providence as sometimes young Joash was locked up in the Priests chamber from the fury of Athalia 2 King 11.2 now hee goeth another way to work and setteth upon her in her seed and posterity which remain in the earth unto this day So that now sith he cannot do what
above all things in this world but also did reach even to heaven and hell For they imagined that the Pope might carry to heaven whom hee would and whom he would he might cast down to hell And therefore who could warre with the beast And thus we see the reason of their wonderment and of their speech All stories and experience it self do shew that there was never any power in the world so wondred at as the usurped power and majestie of the Pope after hee came to bee the head of the Roman Monarchy For then the world supposed that hee had power even as God and that he might depose and set up Kings and Emperors at his pleasure Then it is clear that under the dominion of the Popes Rome hath been in her highest exaltation and glory For the Papacy was the seventh head of the beast whereby the Whore of Babylon was supported in her most magnificall pomp and pride Verse 5. And there was given unto him a mouth that spake great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to doe fourty two moneths And hee opened his mouth unto blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name Verse 6. and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven Here are set down the proud and blasphemous speeches both of the old and new Roman Empire and of the old and new Roman Emperors For this beast as I said before comprehendeth all the Roman Empire both under the heathen Emperors and the Popes Touching the great things and blasphemies which the old persecuting Emperors have belched out against the God of heaven it would require a volume to set them down in particulars I will therefore onely mention two or three for examples sake As first that of Caius Caligula which would have his image set up in Temples to be worshipped as God and that the people should swear by his name Nero also did openly blaspheme the Name of Christ required divine honour to be given unto him Domitian commanded that hee should be called God and Lord. Many others required the like things and so all the world wondred and worshipped this blasphemous beast Now as the sixth head which was the old Empire of Rome was full of the names of blasphemy so the seventh head which is the new Empire under the dominion of the Popes which he here chiefly speaketh of did most of all blaspheme For the Pope did challenge to himself all power both in heaven and earth hee would be worshipped as God hee usurped authority over the Word of God hee did take upon him to forgive sins hee did most blasphemously incroach upon all the offices of Christ as King Priest and Prophet he hath commanded the Angels hee hath erected blasphemous images and caused pictures to be made of the Godhead he boasteth and cracketh great things of his papall power of Peters keyes of Peters chair of Peters succession of his miracles of his two swords and of his manifold prerogatives royall One of the Popes poysoned his god another cast his god into the fire another would eat his peacock in despite of God Some of them counted the religion of Christ a tale or fable some drank to the Divell some said they could do as much as God It were infinite to set down all their blasphemies for it is said of the whore of Babylon that she was full of the names of blasphemy Let this suffice for the understanding of this text that as the old heathenish Emperors did blaspheme so the Popes being heads of the Empire did most of all blaspheme And as it is here said they did not only blaspheme the Name of God but also did open their black and blasphemous mouthes against his tabernacle that is his Church calling it a company of hereticks schismaticks apostates and such like and also against them that dwell in heaven that is the spirits of just and perfect men which are in heaven as Luther Calvin Melancthon and such like Moreover it is to be noted that this mouth was given unto this monstrous beast thus to blaspheme and speak great things But this is to be understood that it was given in the wrath and just judgment of God upon the world to plague them withall because they regarded not the knowledge of the truth But it is added that this power of the beast thus to work his actions was limited to 42 moneths so that although he rule and rage for a time yet shall he not long continue And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them Verse 7. and power was given unto him over every kindred and tongue and nation Verse 8. Therefore all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world These two verses doe set forth the great power which was given to this beast both in fighting agaiâ—st Gods people and also overcoming of them and murthering of them by heaps As we read of thousands murthered in the first ten persecutions and ten thousands by the Popes since they came to exercise the civill authority and jurisdiction of the Roman Empire and that in all countries and kingdoms of Europe as it is here said that power was given unto him over every kindred and tongue and nation And it is added that all that dwell upon the earth that is all the subjects of the Roman Monarchy shall worship the beast and make a God of him as we read they have done And the chiefe motive thereof was his blasphemous mouth boasting and threatning great things if any did withstand him and also his mighty power and authoritie whereby hee bare down all before him For if any did mutine against him hee was sure to smart for it And thus through his tyrannicall power hee subdued all nations under him and made them stoup and fall downe and worship him But it followeth that for all this none of Gods elect did worship him or submit themselves to his religion and authority but only those that dwell upon the earth that is earthly men as Papists Atheists and Reprobates and all such whose names are not written in the book of life Christ is called the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world because the saving power of his death was from the beginning of all beleevers although he was not actually exhibited untill the fulnesse of time If any man have an ear let him hear Vers 9 10. If any lead into captivity hee shall goe into captivity if any kill with a sword hee must be killed by a sword Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints Here is shewed that the things spoken of this great beast are very secret and mysticall and can be understood of none but those only whose eares and eyes God openeth to hear and see and understand that is the very elect of God as for all papists and
men and bought from the earth as it is said before that is they are redeemed and bought with a price from the currupt lump of mankind and cursed race of Adam that they might be the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb that is wholly consecrated to his worship and to serve him in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies of their life In their mouthes was found no guile that is they do declare their innocency and uprightnesse both in their words and works as those which Christ hath chosen out of this world and bought with a price through his bloud in whom they are without spot or speck before God Verse 6. Then I saw another Angel flye in the middest of heaven having an everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Saying with a loud voyce Fear God Verse 7. and give glory to him for the hour of his judgement is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters Hitherto the holy Ghost hath taught us how the Church was preserved under the tyranny of Antichrist and greatest waves of persecutions and that even then they did purely and faithfully worship the true God Now he proceedeth to foreshew the ruine and downefall of Antichrist and plainly to prophesie the utter decay of the kingdome of Babel This doctrine therefore wee are to hearken unto with great attention and cheerfulnesse because it doth so much concerne our good and the good of the whole Church also because wee live in the dayes wherein we see it is in part fulfilled First therefore wee are to understand what is meant by this Angel here mentioned to wit not any celestiall Angel or invisible spirit as it is sundry times taken before but by this Angel and the two Angels following are meant all the faithfull ministers of the Gospel which should be raised up in these last dayes for the overthrow of Rome and the delivering of the Church from under the captivity of Antichrist which may plainly appeare by this that is said this Angel preacheth the everlasting Gospel unto them that dwell on the earth which cannot properly agree to the celestiall spirits We have heard out of the tenth chapter that Jesus Christ did open the little book which is the Bible and did give authority to his faithfull ministers to goe preach and publish the doctrine thereof to many nations Chap. 10.11 countries and kingdomes now unto that agreeth this which is here spoken of and is a further opening and declaring of that which is there set downe For as there Jesus Christ cometh downe from heaven and openeth the little book which had been long shut up under the darknesse of Popery and the smoak which came out of the bottomlesse pit so here Christ Jesus raised up his faithfull ministers and preachers to publish and proclaime the doctrine of the Gospel which had long lain hidden under outragious persecutions of the two monstrous and most hideous beasts To this also agreeth that which is written in the eighteenth chapter of this book where Saint John seeth an Angel come down from heaven having great power so that the earth was lightened with his glory By which Angel is meant all the preachers of this age And the Angel is said to have great power for what is more powerfull then the ministery of the word And moreover it is said that the earth was lightened with his glory that is with the brightness of the preaching of the Gospel whereby the darknesse of Popery was dispersed and driven away and Babylon falleth upon it as there you may read and as here wee shall see the like effect by and by Moreover it is here said that this Angel flyeth in the middest of heaven that is very swiftly carryeth this everlasting Gospel through all the Church For when Gods appointed time was come wherein hee would goe about the overthrow of Popery hee caused his everlasting Gospel to be set abroach and to spread over many kingdomes and nations as we see this day Now because those kingdoms where God would have the knowledge of his Gospel divulged were many and great therefore here is expedition required and this Angel doth carry it not standing but flying And all this we see perfectly fulfilled with our eys when God raised up Luther Zuinglius Melancthon Peter Viret Calvin Bucer Bullinger Peter Martyr and all their worthy successors unto this day which have spread the everlasting Gospel very far and carried it very swiftly over England Scotland Germany Denmark Polonia Swevia Russia and many parts of France and Flanders Another reason why this Angell is said to flie in the middest of heaven is because no power of man shall ever be able to stay the course of this everlasting Gospel which this Angel carrieth abroad no more then men are able to stop the course of the Sun in the heavens or a cloud in the skie For this Angel flyeth in the midst of heaven far above the reach of the beast and all kings and potentates that stand for the kingdome of the beast Therefore let them doe all what they can they shall never be able to stop the course of the Gospel for it is called the arm of God and his very arm holdeth it forth to the world and who is able to bend it in or to turne it backward There be three reasons why the Gospel is called everlasting First because it is in his own nature everlasting as it is written 1 Pet. 1.25 The word of the Lord endureth for ever Secondly because it putteth us in possession of everlasting things as it is written Thy word O Lord Psal 119. endureth for ever in heaven Thirdly and principally because as it was long before Antichrist was hatched so it shall continue when he and his kingdome is dead and rotten Saying with a loud voice Fear God Verse 7. and give glory unto him c. Here is set down the doctrine which this Angel preacheth with a loud voice that is with great zeale The sum whereof is this Fear God and give glory unto him and worship him that made heaven and earth c. The sence is that the true and everliving God should onely be feared and worshipped and all glory should be given unto him alone through Christ and none to Antichrist none to Cardinals and Legats none to Angels none to Saints none to images roodes crosses and crucifixes Here then is set downe an abridgement of the doctrine of this everlasting Gospel namely that men should onely feare God and worship him and give all glory to him alone and not to any creature And the reason is yeelded because the houre of his judgement is come that is the time of the manifestation of the Gospel or lawes of the most high God for so the word Judgement is often taken in the Scriptures Here are wee to
Mesech he meaneth Arabia and by Tubal Italy and Spaine noting thereby the countries and kingdomes from whence the great persecuters of the Church from the return out of the captivity of Babylon untill the coming of the Messias should arise for assuredly their enemies were collected of divers nations but served chiefly under the Princes of Asia the lesser of Syria and of Scythia Now then to conclude Gog and Magog in Ezekiel are put for the Princes of those countries which were the chiefe Captains in gathering great and mighty armies unto battel against the children of Israel after they were come out of the captivity of Babylon And the Prophet there in one summe under the armies of Gog and Magog comprehendeth all the enemies that fought against them from time to time after the captivity unto the coming of Christ And now for the application of this unto the enemies of the Church under the Gospel wee must first note that through this booke the figures and phrases of speech are taken out of the Law and the Prophets Now therefore when the Lord would set forth in one summe all the enemies of the Church which Satan mustereth after the time of his loosing out of prison before the coming of Christ to judgment there is no one place more fit to set forth all these armies then those armies of Gog and Magog and therefore the names even Gog and Magog are here brought in to set forth these huge armies of the Turk and of the Pope and of all the enemies of the Church in these last dayes which should gather themselves to battell being in number as the sand of the sea as Saint John saith yea did cover the whole face of the earth with their multitudes and compasse the tents of the Saints about and the beloved citie that is did make warre against the Church and people of God which in comparison of them were but as a few tents or some little citie But mark what followeth and consider the issue of the battell The holy Ghost saith expressely that fire came downe from God out of heaven and devoured them which doth plainely shew that the armies of Gog and Magog though never so huge shall be destroyed by the fire of Gods wrath Now from this I gather that as the armies of the Pope shall goe downe still more and more as formerly hath been shewed and as experience in many yeeres good successe both in Ireland Netherland and against Spain also hath partly proved Gods most holy Name be praised so also the armies of the Turk shall be overthrown so far forth as they fight against the true Church or at least be so kept back that they shall not be able to compasse the tents of the Saints as we see and feel this day God be thanked And the Divel that deceived them Verse 10. was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are and shall be tormented even day and night for evermore Here is set down the Divels doom to wit that he shall be cast down into the infernall pit as well worthy both for his seducing all nations and stirring up the armies of Gog and Magog against the Church even to rooâ— it up if it were possible Therefore Saint John telleth us that forasmuch as hee is the authour of all mischiefe and he that hath set all the rest a work therefore both hee and his instruments the beast and the false Prophet Gog and Magog shall all drink of the same cup of Gods eternall wrath and be all thrown down together into one close prison which is that gaping gulfe and infernall lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever Lo then what shall be the end of the Divell the Turk the Pope the Emperour the King of Spain the Cardinals and all other the Divels instruments which here on earth have persecuted the Church and compassed the tents of the Saints and the beloved city Now after all this in the five last verses Saint John entreth into a lively and cleere description of the last judgment first noting the terror and majesty of the Judge himself Verse 11. in this that from his face both heaven and earth fled away that is no creature shall be able to endure his angry countenance in that day and yet withall setting downe the purity and uprightnesse of his judgment and judgment-seat calling it a white Throne And after this the generall citing and personall appearing of all men before him of what degree estate or condition soever For both death and hell Verse 13. sea and grave did deliver up their dead and all without exception came to judgement and the bookes of their consciences were opened for every mans work is ingraven upon his conscience as it were in letters of brasse or with the point of a diamond as the Prophet speaketh Jer. 17.2 Verse 12. And they were judged of those things which were written in the books according to their works and according to the testimony of their own consciences Verse 14. And death and hell that is all the heires of death and hell even all the society of reprobates both Papists Atheists and all unbeleevers yea whosoever were not found written in the book of life Verse 15. were cast into the lake of fire which is the second death Now here I would have it diligently observed that the holy Ghost hath three severall times in this book described the last judgment to wit in the latter end of the eleventh chapter in the latter end of the fourteenth chapter and now in the latter end of this chapter And moreover I would have the order and causes of these descriptions well weighed For in the eleventh chapter having before described the kingdome of the Pope and the Turk with their overthrow and also the preaching and prevailing of the Gospel in these last dayes hee cometh to describe the last judgement In the fourteenth chapter having set downe that the everlasting Gospel should bee plentifully preached in this last age and the overthrow of Babylon immediately following forthwith hee proceedeth to the description of the last day In this chapter having before concluded of the utter overthrow of Rome and of the beast and false prophet of Gog and Magog and all adversary power at length he proceedeth to this description of Christs second coming which wee have heard of And out of all this I do gather that the utter overthrow of the Pope and all his adherents shall be in this life a little before the coming of Christ to judgment CHAP. XXI AS wee have heard before the utter overthrow of the beast and the false prophet and all their adherents and also of the everlasting condemnation of the Dragon that old Serpent which set them all awork So now in this chapter we are to hear of that most happy and blessed estate which the faithfull shall dwell in for evermore so that the maine drift of
and receive a greater largnesse of supernaturall things for Daniel in prison Peter in a Tanners house Paul in a broken ship received a superabundant measure of grace more to bee esteemed then all the Gold of India Some write that this Isle of Pathmos is accounted amongst the Islands called Sporados which lie over against Asia and the City of Ephesus and was in the sight both of Europe and Affrica so that it sâ—emed to bee as it were a middle seat or Holy chaire out of the which CHRIST preached by John from heaven to the whole world And indeed the counsels of God are wonderfull and his goodnesse unspeakeable which revealeth so great mysteries to his faithfull as it were out of the Romish prison and Babylonicall captivity Moreover John declareth the cause of his comming into the same Iland for he sayth he was there for the word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ that is for the preaching and constant profession of the Gospell of Christ Histories do report that John was apprehended in Asia and by Souldiers led to Rome that he might pleade his cause before the Emperour Domitian who most savagely and cruelly condemned the innocent and caused him to be put into a cauldron of hot boyling Oyle out of the which when he by miraculous providence escaped without harme he was carried and conveied into the Isle of Pathmos But immediatly after Johns banishment God met well enough with this persecuting Emperor Domitian For in the fifteenth yeare of his raigne he was cruelly and most shamefully murdered by his owne Servants And thus much for the third circumstance Now it followeth to speake of the fourth circumstance which is the persons to whom this prophesie is written and that is set down in the first Chapter and first verse to be all the servants of God As many therefore as be the servants of God must attend unto this booke heare it reade it and remember it for to all such it is dedicated by the holy Ghost to all such it belongeth for all such it is written and recorded Some do falsely and foolishly imagine that it was given onely to John and that it might likewise bee given to some speciall men as to some great Scholers or deepe Divines which could tell how to use it and how to weild it But wee see how grossely they erre for the holy Ghost saith it belongeth to all the Servants of God And moreover John is willed and commanded to write all the things which hee saw in sundry visions in a booke together Cha. 1.11 and to send it to the seven Churches which is in Asia be-because the Lord would have it remaine in perfect record unto the use of the whole Church both that the Church might have the custody of this booke and allso that it might be a faithfull witnesse unto the end of the world that this booke was written and penned by Iohn the Apostle of whose truth sincerity the church had sufficient experience True it is indeed that there are but seven Churches named but under these 7. Churches all others are comprehended It had bin an infinite matter to reckon up all the particular Churches which were then in the world to have opened their severall estates therefore under these seven Churches of Asia and their particular severall estates the state of the universall Church militant is layd open I conclude therefore that the whole doctrine of Saint Iohns Revelation appertaineth to the Universall Church of Christ throughout all the World and in all times and ages since it was written and recorded And that as all Scripture is written for our instruction and comfort Rom. 15.4 2 Ti. 3.16 and as all Scripture given by divine inspiration is profitable to teach and convince c. so this booke of the Apocalyps is written for the speciall comfort and instruction of the Church in these last dayes And so I doe conclude this fourth point The fift circumstantiall point is the end and use of this prophesie Chap. 1.1 which is to publish and blaze abroad the things which must shortly come to passe that is all things prophesied in this booke and to be fulfilled even to the end of the World and whereas hee saith that these things must come to passe he doth us to understand how great the stablenesse and assurednesse of Gods determination is For looke what things are fore-appointed by Gods determinate purpose they are altogether unchangeable for the Lord is God and hee is not changed And he saith My determination shall stand Mal. 3.6 Esay 45 1â— Ma. 24.35 And Christ sayth Heaven and earth shall passe away c. It is therefore most certaine that every particular thing contained in this prophesie shall be fulfilled in Gods appointed time For GOD hath disclosed these things to hâ—s Sonne CHRIST not to the end he should shut then up againe in himselfe but that he should shew them forth to the Godly that the whole Church might fare the better by them It doth then stand us all upon to enquire and search into these things which must so shortly come to passe that thereby we may be strengthned and comforted against all future dangers And Christ saith Behold I come shortly Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the Prophesie c. Apo. 22.7 But how shall wee keepe them except wee know them And how shall we know them except we reade them and studdy them If therefore wee meane bee partakers of this blessednesse we must not onely esteeme this booke to bee very profitable but absolutely necessary for all the servants of God to be exercised in And if ever there were any time wherein it behoved to set forth to urge and to beare in this Doctrine to all the people of God then it is chiefly necessary to be done in this our time For this age of ours hath in the Popes Kingdome many sharpe and quicke wits which commend with marvellous praises both the Pope and the popish Church and buzze into the eares of the common people and unlearned sort many things cleane contrary to the Doctrine of the Scriptures The Jesuites and Priests are growne exceeding crafty and cunning The Papists are rich wealthy and full of armour and munition Popery seemeth to make a head againe and the Papists looke for a day It stands us then upon which love Christ and his Gospell that we should be well appointed and thorowly armed against them And for this purpose the Revelation of Saint John is of great use and necessity As I said before so I say againe that it is the Prophesie of our time written to this speciall end that by it wee might be both fore-warned and fore-armed If wee doe consider the whole matter of this booke we shall easily finde out the use and end of it For the excellent matter of it doth argue the excellent end and use of it Now then as concerning the generall matter of this
be writâ—en in a booke This booke is sayd to be written within and without for the multitude and variety of matters contained in it For there were both many and great things which should fall out in the World from the time that John received the Prophesie unto the end of the World This booke is sealed with seven seales that is to say perfectly sealed because the things contained herein are counsels and secrets only known to God till it pleased hiâ— to reveale them to his Church by his Son The elect Angels knew nothing of the things written in this booke before the seales were opened Verse 2. And I saw a strong Angell which proclaimed with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the booke and to loose the seales thereof Heere is Proclamation made to all creatures that if there were any manner of persons in Heaven or earth among men or Angels that would take upon them to open and expound this booke that they should comâ— forth and shew themselves and be very willingly and gladly heard Verse 3. But alas the next verse doth shew that none in heaven oâ— earth was able to open the booke and expounâ— it whereupon John wept very much becausâ— no man was found worthy to open and interpret this booke The cause of Johns weeping and lamenting was for feare the Church should be deprived of such profitable and excellent things as he knew were contayned in this booke Such was his love to the Church such was his zeale and care for the people of God An example worthy of all imitation to mourne and weepe for the concâ—â—ling of the book of God and to rejoyce in the opening of it But Papists and Atheists are of a contrary minde for they rejoyce in the concealing and keeping close of the Scriptures and are much grieved with the opening and revealing thereof because thereby their hypocrisie and villany is detected and discarded Vpon this one of the Elders sayd unto John Verse 5. Weepe not Behold the Lion which is of the Tribe of Judah the roote of David hath obtained to open the book and to loose the seals thereof Heere we see how Iohn is comforted and cheered up by one of the Elders being now very pensive and sad and is willed to plucke up a good heart and to be of good cheere for he could tell him good newes to wit of one that could open and expound this booke and all the secrets in it and that is Jesus Christ the great revealer of secrets and onely expounder of all riddles and hidden mysteries as before hath been spoken Jesus Christ is here said to be of the Tribe of Judah because he is lineally descended of that Tribe according to the flesh and his humane nature He is compared unto a Lyon by allusion unto Jacobs words in his last will and testament concerning Judah namely that he should couch as a Lyon and as a Lyonesse and none should stirre him He is fitly compared to a Lyon for his great and admirable power and strength for he raigneth and must raigne over all his enemies and in the middest of all his enemies till he hath troade all his enemies under his feete He is called the roote of David both here and also in the 22. Chapter of this Booke verse 16. because he sprung out of David the Sonne of Ishai as a branch out of his roote as the Prophet did fore-tell that A rod should come forth of the stock of Ishai and a graft should grow out of his rootes And the Apostle sayth that Christ was made of the seede of David according to the flesh Then sayth John I beheld and loe Verse 6. in the middest of the throne and of the foure beasts and of the Elders stood a Lambe as though he had beene killed which had seven hornes and seven eies which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the world Here John taketh a view and sight of Jesus Christ from the very middest of the throne and of the foure beasts and the Elders Christ doth not appeare about the throne as do the Saints and Angels which are but ministers and ministring Spirits but in the very middest of the Throne and the foure beasts c. because he is God everlasting coequall and coeternall with the Father in whom as the Apostle saith dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily or essentially And here afterwards the same worship and honour is ascribed unto him both by the Saints and Angels which before is ascribed unto God the Father Christ is heere compared to a Lambe for his innocency for the Scripture sayth He was a sheepe dumbe before his shearer Hee is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Hee is the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world He is compared to a Lyon for his great and incomparable strength in conquering Hell Death and damnation and all infernall power And to a Lambe because he hath dispatched all this upon the Crosse by the sacrifice of himselfe once offered for he did never more lively shew forth his Lyon-like power then when he was as a Lambe slaine and sacrificed upon the Crosse This Lambe Christ is here sayd to have seven hornes which signifie his manifold power or fulnes of power or perfect power according as this metaphor or borrowed speech of horne is usually so taken in all the Scriptures This Lambe also is sayd to have seven eies which are interpreted to be the seven spirits of God that is the manifold graces and gifts of the Spirit which he giveth unto his Church Now then to conclude this point for asmuch as the number of seven in this booke is a number of perfection and alwaies noteth perfection therefore by Christs seven hornes and seven eyes we may and that soundly understand his perfect power and his perfect sight and knowledge in all things For his seven eyes are so taken in the third Chapter of the Prophesie of Zachary where it is said a Vpon one stone shall be seven eyes Meaning that Jesus Christ the corner stone of the Church should be full of eyes to looke out for the good of his Church and to give light to all others for he is the life and light of the World And he came and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sate upon the throne Ver. 7. Here Jesus Christ takes the booke out of his Fathers hand purposing both to open it and expound it For he is the only expounder of the law and the best interpreter of his Fathers will Hereupon it is sayd that the foure beasts Verse 8. and 24. Elders fell downe before the Lambe to testifie their thankefulnesse and inward joy and rejoycing that the Sonne of God would take upon him this office which none other would or could performe Moreover by their falling downe and worshiping him they doe plainely testifie that he is God over all to be
seventh Chapter may very fitly be divided into three parts First it sheweth that as God did most fearefully punish the World with visible and sensible Judgements as we have heard before So now he would set upon them with invisible and spirituall plagues which are of all other most grievous and intolerable Secondly it sheweth the state and condition of the Church militant here in earth as before was shewed under the opening of the fift Seale Verse 2 3 4 c. the state of the Church triumphant in the Heavens namely that it is sealed and set in safety from all dangers Thirdly it sheweth the blessed and happie estate of all Gods elect and their fervent prayses and zealous worship of God who thus mercifully did provide for their security in the middest of greatest perils and extremities Ver. 10 11 c. And after that I saw foure Angels stand on the foure corners of the earth Verse 1. holding the foure windes of the earth that the windes should not blow on the earth neither on the sea neither on any greene tree These foure Angels are Angels of darknes or foure divels which is proved by this reason that they hold the 4. winds from blowing on the Earth that is stoppe the course of the Gospell which is a spirituall plague They are sayd to stand upon the foure corners of the Earth because power was given them to plague not some one or two Countries but the Universall World both East West North and South The blowing of the winds doth very fitly represent the preaching of the Gospell and that heavenly inspiration and breathing of the Holy Ghost which goeth with it Wind is so taken Joh. 3. where our Lord Jesus sayth The wind bloweth where it listeth c. So is every man that is borne of the Spirit And againe in the fourth of the Cantic in these words Arise O North and come O South and blow on my garden that the spices thereof may flow out Where it plainely appeareth that the Church craveth the inspiration of the Spirit that her fruits may abound For what can be meant by these winds which she wisheth to blow upon her garden but the breathings of Gods Spirit and Word It followeth then that if the blowing of the winds in the Scriptures do signifie the breathing of Gods grace and holy Spirit that the stopping of the winds by a reason of the contraries doth here signifie the stopping of the same and the deprivation of all heavenly blessings So that it is cleare that a spirituall plague is heere represented which also is the more apparant because heer is such a speciall proviso and care had for the Churches safety that it might not be infected with this spirituall contagion Now all this doth plainely fore-prophesie not only the stopping of the course of the Gospell but even the utter taking of it away from the World for their great contempt thereof and the horrible murthering and massacring of all the true professors of it according as it came to passe afterward in the prevailing first of Heresies and afterward of the Popish and Mahometish Religion as in the two next Chapters following shall plainely appeare And I saw another Angell come up from the East Ver. 2.3 which had the Seale of the living God and he cried with a loud voyce to the foure Angels to whom power was given to hurt the earth and sea saying Hurt ye not the earth neither the sea neither the trees till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads This Angell is Jesus Christ who by the Prophet is called the Angell of the covenant That Angels do represent and sustaine â—he person of Christ their head is so common and usuall a thing in the Scriptures that I sâ—â—ll not need to stay in it That this Angell is Christ it doth â—â—â—nely appeare by the things heere â—â—â—ibuted unto him which can agree to â—o â—â—her First in that he hath the Seale of â—â—e living God which is the Spirit of adoption to set upon all the elect for he is thâ—â—â—ely keeper of this great Seale and â—â—is privy Seale He onely hath authority to set it upon whom he will Secondly because he is said to come up from the East that he is the only Sun of righteousnesse which ariseth upon his Church every morning and with his bright beames expelleth all darknesse from it According to that of Zacharias in his propheticall song Through the tender mercy of our God Luke 1.70 the day spring from on high hath visited us Thirdly because he holdeth a soveraignty and command over the Divâ—ls for he chargeth them heere to stay their hands from doing any hurt till he had provided for his elect Whereas it is said verse 2. that power was given to these Divels to hurt the earth the Sea and trees that is the number of Reprobates we may note that the divels have no absolute Power but only by permission as appeareth in this that they could neither â—ouch Job nor enter into the heard of Swine without licence Job 1. Whereas it is said Verse 3. â—ill we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads it doth plainely shew that the punishment of the wicked are deferred till provision be made for the Elect. The floud came not upon the old World till Noah and his family were received into the Arke The Angels destroyed not Sodom till Lot was set in safety The plaguing Angell spared the first borne of Egypt till the posts of the Israelites houses were sprinkled with the blood of the Paschall Lambe Ezec. 9. The sixe Angels sent to destroy Jerusalem are charged to stay the execution till the servants of God were marked in their foreheads All these examples do manifestly declare what tender care the Lord in all ages hath had of his owne people that they might be delivered and set in safety in the midst of all extremities Even so heere we see that God is very carefull that his owne children might not be infected with those damnable heresies which now already upon the stopping of the course of the Gospell began to be hatched and afterwards did spring and grow up in the Church both thicke and three-fold Verse 4. And I heard the number of them that were sealed and there were sealed an hundred forty and foure thousand of all the Tribes of the children of Israel Of the Tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand c. Now John heareth the number of them that were sealed and he reckoneth up the whole Church militant consisting both of the Jewes and Gentiles He saith that of the Church of the Jewes there were sealed 144000. Wherein he putteth a certaine number for an uncertaine and a definite number therewithall also for an indefinite for his meaning is not that there were just so many and neither moe nor lesse sealed but this number doth arise of 12. times 12. in that he saith of every
presence of the Throne of God c. to hunger and thirst no more c. to have all teares wiped from their eyes and to bee led by the Lambe unto the Fountaines of living waters All which doth very plainely and plentifully expresse that infinite glory and endlesse felicity which is prepared for all the true and faithfull worshippers of God Many good lessons and observations might be gathered out of all this But I do of purpose omit them because in this work I do chiefly and almost altogether aime at interpretation therein also studying brevity soundnesse and plainenesse CHAP. VIII VVE have heard out of the seventh Chapter how the divels and their instruments the Romane Emperours did stoppe the course of the Gospell Now in this Chapter we are to heare the wofull effects of the stopping thereof which was the springing up and prevailing of manifold errours and heresies in the World So that the principall scope and drift of this Chapter is to shew that God for the contempt of his Gospell and great indignities offered to the true professors thereof did give up the World to blindnesse to errour to superstition and heresie and as the Apostle sayth Because they received not the love of the truth 2. Thes 2. therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should beleeve in lies For as before we have heard how the world was most fearfully punished with externall plagues and judgements So heere we are to understand how the same was punished with judgements spirituall and internall as formerly hath beene sayd upon the stopping of the foure winds For although that spirituall plague was very great yet these spirituall plagues which follow upon the opening of the seventh seale are far greater For now we are to heare and understand not onely of the errours and heresies whereby a way and passage was made by degrees as it were by certaine staires for Antichrist to climbe up into his cursed chaire and to take possession thereof but also we are to understand of his very tyranny and Kingdome it selfe and also of the Kingdome of the Turke and the last judgement For the things contained under the opening of the seventh Seale do reach unto the end of the world For the booke sealed with seven seales containeth all the whole matters which were to be revealed This Chapter containeth foure principall things as it were the foure parts thereof ver 1.2.3.4.5 6 c. First the reverent attention and silence with admiration which was in the Church at and upon the comming forth of this most horrible vengeance Secondly before the execution of these most execrable plagues the Church is remembred and set in safety with all her Children by her great Mediator Christ Jesus Thirdly the execution of this vengeance which commeth forth at the blowing of the seven trumpets by seven Angels Fourthly the vengeance it self contained in the prevailing of errour and heresie the falling away of the Pastors of the Church and the universall darkenesse that followed thereupon And when hee had opened the seventh Seale there was silence in Heaven above halfe an houre By Heaven in this place he meaneth not the Kingdome of glory after this life but by Heaven is meant the Church heere upon earth as it is so taken Chap. 12. Verse 1. and Chap. 14. Verse 2. There may be three reasons yeelded why the Church is called Heaven First 1. Joh. 5.1 because the birth thereof is from Heaven for it is borne of God Secondly because the inheritance thereof is from Heaven and therefore is called Col. 1.12 Phil. 3.20 The inheritance of the Saints Thirdly because the conversation thereof is in Heaven as the Apostle sayth To this may be added that our Lord Jesus in his Gospell doth so often call his visible Church the Kingdome of Heaven by a Trope Mat. 13. because CHRIST beginneth his raigne in the faithfull therein whom afterward he translateth actually into the very Kingdome of glory By silence here is meant the great attention of the Church because great things were now at hand For now upon the opening of the seventh Seale far greater matters are threatned then any before and therefore the Church doth listen unto them in deepe silence and as it were in horror and trembling through admiration for now there appeare such dreadfull judgements of God to be executed upon the earth that all the heavenly company are astonished and amazed to behold it and do as it were quake and tremble to thinke upon it For as when heavy newes commeth down from the Prince to be proclaimed in open markets all good subjects do listen and give eare with silence and trembling so it fareth in this case By halfe an houre he meaneth that short time wherin the minds of the godly were prepared fitted and disposed wisely to consider of these matters and to make good use of them I know right well that this Verse is far otherwise interpreted of some but I take this to be most sound and simple and best agreeing to all that followeth for the next Verse is joyned unto this by a conjunction copulative to note a coherence of the matter and to draw the sence together for he sayth And I saw seven Angels which stood before God verse 2. and to them were given seven Trumpets These seven Trumpets signifie that God would proceed against the World in fearefull hostility and come against it as an open enemy unto battell proclaiming open warre against it as it were with sound of Trumpet and Drumme setting up the flag of defiance against it And hereupon groweth this silence and trembling in the Church which only mooved with the signes of Gods wrath when as all others sit still in security as the Prophet Zachary saith in a like case To stand in this place signifieth to administer as it is said of the Priests and Levites that they stand before God and before the Altar that is minister So heere the Angels doe stand before God as ready to administer and execute these Judgements For they are ministring spirits and heere they do sound the alarum at the commandement of God These Angels are popounded as seven in number because it pleased God at once to powre down his wrath upon the rebellious World but at divers times and by piece-meale Whether these were good or bad Angels it is not materiall to dispute seeing God executeth his judgements both by the one and the other 2 Sa. 24.16 Moreover it is specially to be observed that the blowing of these seven Trumpets do all belong to the opening of the seventh seale are as it were the seven parts thereof for the things which fall out upon the blowing of these seven Trumpets do reach even unto the last Judgement as the Angell sweareth Chap. 10.6.7 Then another Angell came and stood before the Altar ver 3. having a golden Censor and much odours was given unto him that he should offer with the prayers of
all Saints upon the golden Altars which is before the throne We heard before that when the course of the Gospell was stopt by the divell and his instruments yet God was very carefull for the safety and sealing up of his owne servants so likewise we are now to hear of the like care and providence for now that errours and heresies were to be sowne in the World whereby many were corrupted and that He himselfe from Heaven doth proclaime open enmitie against the despisers of his Gospell by giving them up to blindnesse and errour he doth double his care and providence to all his faithfull worshippers For heere we do plainely see that the Church hath a mediator and that he which keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And therefore when the wrath of God doth most of all breake forth upon the world for the contempt of his graces yet the Church is remembred and set in safety with all her Children For her prayers come up before God and are accepted through the mediator And this is the sence and drift of this third verse By this Angell is meant Jesus Christ the Angell of the covenant as we have heard before who is not an Angell by nature but by office It is manifest that in the old law there was a golden Altar and a golden Censor on which the Priest did burne sweet incense before the Lord which did figure the mediation of Christ in whom the prayers of the Saints are accepted Now heere the holy Ghost alludeth to that sacrificing Priest-hood of the old Testament where incense was offered at the Altar which now is the sweet savour of the death of Christ through whom both we and all our sacrifices are seasoned and sweetned Who therefore is this Angell but Christ What are the sweet odours with the which the prayers of all Saints come before God but the most sweet mediation of the Lord Jesus What is meant by the smoake of the odours which with the prayers of the Saints went up before God out of the Angels hand Surely the sweet incense of Christ mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet incense of Christs mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet smelling sacrifices in the Nostrils of God For as water cast into a fire raiseth a smoake so the teares of the faithfull besprinkled in their prayers make them as sweet incense acceptable to God through Christ The summe of all is this that in the middest of all these heresies and those hellish troubles which should be raised up by the Pope and his Clergy the Turke and his armies as in the next Chapter we shall see the elect have their prayers heard for their preservation by the merits of CHRIST verse 5. And the Angell tooke the Censor and filled it with the fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voyces and Trumpets thundrings and lightnings and earthquakes Heere we see how Jesus Christ taketh the Censor and filleth it with the fire of the Altar that is the graces and gifts of the Spirit for so the fire of the Altas is taken in Esay In this sense it is sayd that our Lord Jesus should baptize with fire and the holy Ghost that is the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost In this sense also the holy Ghost did rest upon the Disciples in the likenesse of cloven tongues like fire whereupon they were all filled with gifts and graces The holy Ghost is compared to fire because he burneth out our drosse purgeth the hearts of the faithfull and setteth them on fire with the burning love and zeale of Gods glory So then it followeth that as before there was provision had for the safety of the Church by her Mediator so heere many heavenly gifts and graces are bestowed upon her For Christ casteth this fire of the Altar upon the earth that is upon his dwelling in the earth Hereupon it is sayd that there were voyces and thundrings c. that is all manner of broyles tumults uprores slaughters and divisions For after the Gospell was sounded forth in the Church by the power of the holy Ghost the divell is disturbed and the World molested And hence spring all these broyles and tumults thundring and lightning and we must looke for such stirres after the preaching of the Gospell whilest there is a world and a divell Therefore our Lord JESUS saith he came not to bring peace into the Earth Mat. 10.34 but fire and Sword and to set a man at variance against his Father and likewise the Daughter against her mother c. For divisions and civill dissensions do alwayes follow the preaching of the Gospell which thing is not yet simply in the nature of the Gospell of peace but accidently through the frowardnesse and corruption of mans nature which will not yeeld unto it but most stubbornely rebelleth against it Then the seven Angels which had the seven Trumpets verse 6. prepared themselves to blow Now beginneth this open warre to be proclaimed against the World for their great ungodlinesse and rebellion against the truth So the first Angell blew the Trumpet verse 7. and there was Haile and Fire mingled with blood and they were cast into the earth and the third part of trees was burnt and all greene grasse was burnt It were absurd to imagine that any thing in this Verse is to be taken literally seeing in the literall Sense there was never any such matter Therefore of necessitie it must be expounded mystically and allegorically Therefore by this Hayle and Fire mingled with blood is meant Errors and Heresies For as Hayle doth beate downe Corne and destroy the fruits of the Earth Fire doth consume and blood doth corrupt and putrifie So false doctrine and Heresie doth annoy consume and corrupt the soules of men For it is sayd that all these things mingled together were cast upon the earth that is the inhabitants of the earth and the third part of the trees that is the numbers of men or a very great part of the World was corrupted For trees in the Scripture signifie men and all greene grasse was burnt that is Esa 61. the fresh fruits of grace did wither apace and dry up for as error and heresie did prevaile so truth and godlinesse did decay All this hath relation to the Heresies of Sabellius Manicheus Marcion Fotinus Paulus Samosatenus Nestorius Novatus Diodorus Apolinaris Pelagius and many others which about this time being foure hundred yeares after Christ began to spring up and grow apace And the second Angell blew the Trumpet and as it were a great Mountaine burning with fire was cast into the Sea and the third part of the Sea became blood c. Upon the blowing of the second Trumpet by the second Angell heere appeareth a great Mountaine burning with fire whereby is meant some great and notable heresies as that of Arrius which
troubled and wasted the Church for the space of three hundred yeares being greatly favoured of sundry Emperours and other great Potentates in the Earth by meanes wherereof it continued and overspred so long Also this may be referred to other great and notable Arch-heresies as that of Donatus Macedonius Eutycheus Valentinus and such like which all are heere compared to a mountaine for their hugenesse and greatnesse and to a burning Mountaine because the Church was almost burnt up thereby For this word Mountaine is sometimes in the Scripture put for any let or hinderance to true Religion as is errour and heresie Zach. 4.7 Luke 3.5 Therefore it is sayd that it was cast into the Sea that is these great heresies are cast upon the World in Gods wrath and heavy indignation for the Sea is put for the World Chapter 4. Verse 6. Chapter 13. Verse 1. Chapter 12 Verse last for as the Sea is full of Rocks sands sirts waves stormes and tempests so it fareth with this present evill world Moreover it is sayd that the third part of the Sea became blood that is all Europe or some great part of the World was corrupted and infected with these great heresies And he saith in the next verse that the third part of the ships were destroyed that is ver 9. a great number of mariners and ship-masters as well as land-men were infected with these heresies and dyed of them and in them Then the third Angell blew the Trumpet and there fell a great Starre from Heaven verse 10. burning like a Torch and it fell into the third part of the Rivers and into the Fountaines of waters Starres in this booke are put for the Ministers of the Gospell as we have heard out of the first Chapter and the reasons why Then followeth that the falling of this Star from Heaven doth most fitly signifie and set forth the declining and fall of the Pastors of the Church and their corrupting of the true Doctrine which is meant by the fresh Rivers and pure Fountaines into which it fell This Starre hath his name of the elect For it is called Wormewood because through the fall of it the sweet waters into which it fell were turned into bitternesse and men dyed of them that is the doctrine was corrupted which turned to the destruction of many ver 12. And the fourth Angell blew the Trumpet and the third part of the Sunne was smitten and the third part of the Moone and the third part of the Stars so that the third part of them was darkned c. This darkning of the Sunne Moone and Starres doth signifie that great darkenesse which was brought upon the Church by such teachers as did daily more and more degenerate Three things are generally to be observed in the blowing of these first foure Trumpets First that the plagues here mentioned are specially to bee understood of spirituall plagues Secondly that there is a progression from lesser to greater in these plagues Thirdly that in every one there is mentioned but a third part destroyed which plainly sheweth that although the Church was greatly annoyed and pestred with these errours and heresies yet it was not destroyed and brought to utter desolation for the full setting up of Antichrist was not yet come All these errours and heresies which were cast upon the World and did spring and grow apace in all places did as it were make way for Antichrist and as it were by stirrops hoist and helpe him up into his cursed Chaire By the Stories of the Church and course of times it seemeth that the holy Ghost pointeth at those manifold heresies which sprung up in the Church after the first three hundred yeares especially after the death of Constantine the Great who procured peace to the Church destroyed idolatry and set up true Religion in his dayes Now after his raigne and the raigne of Theodosius that good Emperour Constantius Julianus Arcadius Honorius and many other wicked Emperours succeeded by whose meanes all things in the Church grew worse and worse yet this one thing is to be observed that all truth of Religion was not utterly extinct and put out till the full loosing of Satan which was a thousand yeeres after Christ as we shall plainely see when we come to the 20. Chapter concerning the binding of Satan for a thousand yeares For sure it is that the maine principles and grounds of Religion continued in the Church till this full loosing of Satan which was about the time of Silvester the second that Monster as afterward we shall heare But now in the meane time we see what heresies sprung up what corruption grew and increased more and more what darknesse beganne to over-spread a third part of the world and these things grew worse and worse even till by these meanes the great Antichrist came to be possessed of his cursed seat and Sea of Rome which was about some 600. yeares after Christ And I beheld and heard one Angell flying in the midst of Heaven ver 13. saying with a loud voyce Woe Woe Woe to the Inhabitants of the earth because of the sounds to come of the three Angels which were yet to blow the trumpets Because the judgements which were to be executed hereafter upon the blowing of the next three Trumpets were farre more dreadfull and horrible than any were before therefore heere is a speciall Angell or Messenger of God sent of purpose to give warning thereof and to proclaime openly in the Church three fearefull woes which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth that is all earthly minded men as wordlings Papists and Atheists at such time as the next three Angels should blow the Trumpets The first of these three great woes is to be understood of the Papacy The second of Turcisme The third of the last Judgement As if he should have sayd Woe unto the world because of Popery Woe unto the world because of Turcisme Woe unto the world because of the last Judgement Woe unto the world for Popery because thereby men should be punished in their soules Woe unto the World for Turcisme because thereby thousands should be murthered in their bodies by the Turkish Armies Woe unto the world because of the last Judgement for thereby all worldlings should be plagued both in body and soule in hell fire for evermore Sith then these three last plagues which were to come upon the world are more fearefull and terrible than any of the other foure no marvell though heere is sent of purpose a speciall messenger to give intelligence thereof that every man might looke to himselfe seeing such great dangers were at hand And for this cause also it is said before that there was silence in the Church for the space of halfe an houre CHAP. IX THe principall scope and drift of this Chapter is to paint out both the Pope and his Clergie and also the Kingdome of the Turke and his cruell Armies For having already set downe
how a way and passage was made for the Pope to climbe up into his cursed Chaire by the prevailing of heresies the falling away of the Pastors of the Church and the great over-spreading of darknesse and ignorance now he commeth to describe the Pope in his full heighth and greatest exaltation being now universall Bishop and in full possession of his Seat and Sea of Rome which was about some six hundred yeeres after CHRIST as formerly hath been shewed At wat time Pope Boniface obtained of the Emperour Phocas that murderer which slew his Master Mauritius the Emperour that the Bishop of Rome should be called the Universall bishop and the Church of Rome the Head of all Churches This ninth Chapter may very fitly be divided into two parts In the first 12. verses The first is a lively description of the Pope himselfe his Kingdome and his Clergy The second is a description of the Kingdome of the Turke and his most savage Armies so that this Chapter is a full opening of the first two great woes mentioned before concerning the Papacy and Turcisme And the fifth Angell blew the Trumpet and I saw a Star which fell from Heaven verse 2. and to him was given the key of the bottomlesse pit Warning was given before that when this fifth Angell should blow the Trumpet a most fearefull woe should come upon the World surpassing all that went before which is the setting up of Antichrist in his pride that man of sinne that sonne of perdition The Pope is here compared to a Starre as well as other godly Ministers in this booke because the Bishops of Rome at the first were godly and excellent men for amongst the first thirty of them there were some Martyrs But it is heere sayd that now this Starre was fallen from Heaven unto the Earth that is the Bishops of Rome were greatly degenerated and fallen cleane away from heavenly things to earthly for they declined from time to time and grew worse and worse so farre as to become the great Antichrist But some man may say Why may not this Starre falling from Heaven upon the earth be understood of other Pastors falling from the truth as well as the Pope as it is taken in the former Chapter and in the twelfth Chapter and the fourth verse I answer that the circumstances will not heere beare it Therefore to perswade every honest mans conscience that this must needs be understood of the Pope in his pride let us give eare to these three reasons following First we are to consider that the maine drift of the holy Ghost in the opening of the seven Seales and blowing of the seven Trumpets is to lay out the state of the Church in all ages till the comming of Christ Further we are diligently to observe that the things contained under the opening of the seventh Seale whereof the blowing of the seven Trumpets are as it were parts and do all belong unto it do stretch even to the end of the world so as there is no strange accident or any wofull condition of the Church in any age but it is set forth under the opening of these Scales and blowing of these Trumpets But the Papacy was a state of the Church and that most woefull and lamentable therefore it is described under the opening of the Seales and blowing of these Trumpets But it is not described under the opening of any other Seale or blowing of any other Trumpet Therefore of necessity it must be referred to this seventh Seale and the fifth Trumpet And this is my first reason If any man object that the Pope and his Kingdome are most lively described in the Chapters from the twelfth to the last I answer that all those Chapters belong to a new vision wherein some things propounded under the opening of the seven Seales are more fully opened and expounded But this I say that in the second vision the whole estate of the Church in every age is layd open even untill the last judgemet and therefore when the seventh Angell here doth blow the seventh Trumpet immediately followeth the last Judgement as appeareth chap. 10. vers 6. and chap. 11. vers 15.16 My second reason is drawne from the course and consideration of times for the great prevailing of errours and heresies mentioned before which made way for Anti-christ was from the first 300. yeeres untill the 600. yeere and so forward But now immediately upon this great increase of errour and darknesse commeth the description of a speciall Star fallen from Heaven at this time which was about 600. yeeres after Christ and therefore it must needs be understood of the Pope And this is my second reason My third and last reason is drawne from the description of the Pope and his Clergy in the firste leven verses of this Chapter For he is so lively described and painted out in particulars that all men that know him or ever heard of him must needs say it is he For this description heere set downe by the holy Ghost can fitly agree to none other The Papists themselves do confesse that this Starre here mentioned must needs be understood of some Arch-heretike and full wisely forsooth they apply it to Luther and Calvin But we affirme that it is to be understood of the Pope For was there ever any such Arch-heretike as he which opposeth and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God and against all imperiall powers as the Apostle saith But now let us proceed to the description of him First he is sayd to have the key of the bottomlesse pit which agreeth well to the Pope for he hath power given him to open hell gates to let in thousands thither but no power to open Heaven gates to let in any thither for he furthereth many to hell none to Heaven He doth indeed falsely challenge to himselfe the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven to let in and shut out at his pleasure But here we see the holy Ghost doth attribute no such power unto him but only telleth us that his power and jurisdiction is in hell and over hell and as for Heaven he hath nothing to doe with it It were needlesse to shew how this Metaphor of keyes is taken for power and jurisdiction in the Scriptures as hath been proved before Chap. 1. vers 18. and as needlesse to prove that by the bottomlesse pit is here meant hell as appeareth Chap. 11. vers 7. Chap 20. vers 1. And he opened the bottomlesse pit and there arose the smoke of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace and the Sun and the Aire were darkned by the smoke of the pit Here we see how the Pope openeth hell gates with his Key and a most horrible grosse and stinking smoke ascendeth up into the ayre presently upon it insomuch that both the Sunne and the Ayre were darkened with it Which all is to be understood of that spirituall darknesse ignorance superstition and Idolatry wherewith the whole Church
was over-spread after the great Antichrist came to the possession of his cursed Chaire and was in his pride and height ruling and raigning over the Kings of the earth For then indeed the Sunne was darkned and eclipsed that is the light of the Gospell was almost cleane put out For that which is spoken heere of the darkening of the ayre and the Sunne is to be understood of a greater and more generall darknesse than that which was mentioned in the former Chapter wherein but a third part of the World was darkned But now the Antichrist invadeth the Church all is overspread with grosse and palpable darknesse all is as darke as Pitch no man can see where he is or which way he goeth For the whole aire is filled with this thicke smoke which came out of hell pit And there came out of the smoke Locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power as the Scorpions of the earth have power By these Locusts is meant the Popes Clergie as Abbots Monkes Friers Priests Shavelings and such like vermine which are therefore compared to Locusts because they wast and destroy the Church even as Locusts destroy the fruits of the earth For both Historiographers and Travellers do affirme that whole fields of greene Corne new come up have been wasted and eaten up in one night as bare as the earth by swarmes of Locusts in the East-countries For in those parts of the World multitudes of this little vermine are to be found even so the Popish Clergy consumeth and devoureth all greene things in the Church Moreover it is to be noted that these Locusts came out of the smoke of the pit that is they were bred out of it for Monkes Fryers Priests and such like Caterpillers were bred of ignorance error heresie superstition and the very smoke of hell for from hell they came and to hell they will They are descended of the blacke horse of hell and thither they will returne Moreover it is sayd that power was given them to sting like Scorpions For whom have they not stung with their most venemous stings I meane their damnable errors and divellish devices Whom have they not wounded with their corrupt doctrine and divellish authority They are the forest soule-stingers that ever the World had who have left their venemous stings in the soules of thousand thousands where with they have been poisoned and stung to death And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth verse 4. neither any greene thing neither any tree but only those which have not the Seale of God in their foreheads It may be demanded what became of the Church when as the whole earth was full of these crawling and stinging Locusts This question is now here answered to wit that these Locusts are charged and commanded that they should not hurt any of the Elect for this Woe and this plague extendeth no further than to the inhabitants of the earth as we heard before Their power is limitted onely to the Reprobate they have nothing to do with Gods chosen people And here againe we see what great care God hath for his in the midst of the greatest dangers as hath been twice noted before Chap. 7. Chap. 8. For now Antichrist raigning in his full pride yet his Elect are preserved in the midst of these Scorpion-locusts flying about their eares like swarmes of Hornets not one of them is stung to death Christs little flock is alwaies defended and set in safety And to them was command verse 5. that they should not hurt them but that they should be vexed five moneths and that their paine should be as the paine that commeth of a Scorpion when he hath stung a man Some write that such as are stung of a Scorpion do not die forthwith but have a lingring paine wherewith they are miserably vexed three or foure daies before they dye of it Now unto this lingring paine is this spirituall stinging compared for these Locusts are commanded of God that they should not kill the very Reprobates outright and at once but torment them with a lingring death for the space of 5. months that is 500. yeers for so long did the Papacy continue in his height and pride full strength and vertue and so long did the Pope and his Clergy sting men with lingring and Scorpion-like paine verse 6. Therefore in those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to dye and death shall fly from them This verse doth shew that all Papists being thus stung and tormented in their consciences with this lingring paine of Popish doctrine shall wish themselves out of the world and buried quicke that they might be rid of their spirituall stinging and hellish torments which they had in their conscience For the Popish doctrine hath no sound comfort in it it leaveth men in desperation in sicknesse and upon their death-beds For alas what comfort can a poore distressed conscience have in Popes pardons Indulgences Masses Dirges Merits Workes Pilgrimages Purgatory Crosses Crucifixes Agnus Dei's and such like trash and trumpery These alas are too weake remedies for any spirituall diseases they are not sufficient to procure pardon at Gods hand for any sinne Alas the poore blind Papists did know and feele that they were vile sinners they knew they must come to judgement they knew that the reward of sinne was death even the second death they knew all this full well and therefore had horrible convulsions in their consciences and knew not how to winde out of them For the doctrine of free justification in the blood of Christ was hid from them they knew it not and therefore all assurance of Gods favour all peace of conscience and all joy in the holy Ghost was utterly taken from them and therefore many of them dyed in most desperate and uncomfortable manner And for this cause it is heere sayd that they sought death and desired to be rid out of the world one way or another for a tormented conscience who can beare it it is a kind of hell torment And the forme of the Locusts was like unto Horses prepared unto battell verse 7.8 and one their heads were as it were Crownes like unto gold and their faces were like the faces of men And they had haire as the haire of women and their teeth were as the teeth of Lions Hitherto we have heard of the pedigree and poysoned stings of these vile Locusts and how they vexed the Inhabitants of the earth all the time of the great Antichrist Now we are to understand of their forme and likenesse For the Spirit of God doth here paint them out in their colours that all men may discerne them and beware of them First it is said that they were like unto horses prepared unto battell that is they were as strong and fierce as barred horses to rush and runne upon all such as should but once mute or mutter against them
or their Authority Moreover they have Crownes of gold upon their heads which sheweth and signifieth that they were the Conquerours of the Earth and Lords of the World and who but they for in those dayes no man nay no Lord or King durst quitch against a Monke a Frier or a pild Priest for if any did they were sure to smart for it They had also faces like the faces of men that is they set faire faces upon matters and pretended great devotion in Religion flattering the people and making them beleeve that they could give them pardon of all their sinnes and bring them to Heaven when as in very truth for their bellies and for their gaine they did cunningly smooth with the Nobles the rich and the mighty setting faire faces upon their proceedings and as Saint Peter saith Through covetousnesse with fained words 2 Pet. 2.3 they made merchandize of mens soules and did closely winde themselves into the hearts of the simple people by their fawning insinuations being in very deed nost notable flatterers and hypocrites They had haire as the haire of women that is they were altogether effeminate being given to delicacy lust and wantonnesse they were drowned in whoredome and all kinde of beastlinesse being a shole of most filthy villaines Their teeth were as the teeth of Lions to catch and snatch at all they could come by They devoured all the fat morsels every where they got the Church-livings into their hands they first made impropriations they incroached upon temporall mens lands they swallowed up all every where If we looke upon the Abbeyes Priories and Nunneries we may easily judge what teeth they had Moreover it is sayd they had Habbergions like to the Habbergions of Iron that is they were so strongly armed with the defence and countenance of the Pope that no Secular power durst once quitch against them Their wings were like the sound of Chariots when many Horses runne unto battell that is with flattering noise and terrible threatnings they strove to uphold their Kingdome Also in Churches and Pulpits they make a roring noise and take on terribly to maintaine their abhominable Idolatry They had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tailes For with their poysoned Doctrine and stinging authority like Adders and Snakes they stung many to death Moreover power was given them to hurt men five moneths that is all the time of Antichrists reigne as before hath been shewed ver 10.11 They have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomelesse pit whose name in Hebrew is Abbadon and in Greeke he is named Apollyon that is destroying As the Fowles have a King over them which is the Eagle and the Beasts the Lion and mortall Men some Chiefe Governour under whose protection and subjection they live so heere these hellish Locusts are sayd to have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomlesse pit that is the Divell or the Pope which you will under whose Ensigne they fight and under whose defence they live Their Kings name in Hebrew is called Abbadon and in Greek Apollyon The words are both of one signification that is destroying for both the Divell himselfe and his Vicar the Pope are destroyers and wasters of the Church of God One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this We have heard at large what this first Woe is namely the plage of the world by the Pope and his Clergie Now we are to heare of the second woe which is the most huge and murthering army of the Turkes wherein the third part of men were slaine Some do expound this second woe of the kingdome of Antichrist and his armies but that it is not so may appeare by these reasons following First the Angell denouncing woe woe woe denounceth three severall woes and therefore it is said One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this It followeth then that this is a distinct and severall woe from the former and therefore cannot be the same Secondly this woe containeth specially a bodily slaughter of the third part of the world and of the wicked reprobates but the first woe was specially a plague of mens soules as we have heard and therefore this cannot be the same with the first Thirdly we are to understand that this booke describeth all the greatest calamities and plagues thaâ— should come upon the world in any age after Christ and therefore we may justly thinke that the kingdome of the Tuâ—ks is not left out seeing it was one of the greatest plagues that ever came upon the world But the kingdome of the Turks is described in no other part of this Revelation and therefore must of necessity be here described ver 13.14 Then the sixt Angell blew the Trumpet and I heard a voice from the foure corners of the golden Altar which is before God Saying to the sixt Angell which had the Trumpet loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great river Euphrates Now we are come to the description of the Second woe which followeth upon the blowing of the sixt Trumpet by the sixt Trumpet by the sixth Angell And first of all he sayth He heard a voyce from the foure corners of the golden Altar By the golden Altar is meant Christ as before hath been shewed with the reasons thereof From this Altar the voyce commeth to the Angell which blew the sixth Trumpet Chap. 8.3 that we might know it is the voyce of the mighty God and the commandement of our Lord Jesus The voyce commandeth the sixth Angell to loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great River Euphrates By these foure Angels which are thus bound at Euphrates is meant many Divels or Angels of darkenesse as we have heard before Chapter 7 Verse 1. Their binding signifieth their restraint by which they were held backe from doing that mischiefe which they desired to do Their loosing signifieth that power was given them to performe that which they wished They are sayd to be foure in number because they should raise an horrible plague in the foure corners of the Earth both East West North and South The sense is that the Divells have yet farther and greater scope given them to plague and destroy the inhabitants of the Earth These Divells had exceeding great power in the Kingdome of Antichrist but they are unsatiable in mischiefe and so after a sort lye still bound till they have their desire The place where they lye bound is Euphrates wherein is a mystery for Euphrates literally taken is a great River which ran so night the City Babylon in Chaldea that it was a mighty defence unto it so that the City could not be taken untill they that laid siedge unto it cut out trenches and derived the waters another way Now for the mystery it is this Rome in this book is called Babylon by a metaphor and after the same manner the great River Euphrates as we shall
might is Christ as appeareth by the description of him and by all the consequents following Mat. 24. for he is said to be cloathed with a Cloud which signifieth his great glory and Majesty For he shall come in the clouds of heaven to judge the world that is with great pomp and glory The Raine-bow was upon his head which signifieth the covenant of peace with his Church as before Chap. 4. verse 3. His face was as the Sunne which signifieth comfort and deliverance to his Church and the dispelling of all the smoake of the bottomlesse Pit as the Sunne Scattereth and driveth away the thick mists His feete are pillers of brasse which signifieth that he should tread downe all his enemies under his feet 1 Cor. 19. both Pope and Turke For he must raigne till he have destroyed them all The Pope along time kept all the Kings of Europe in awe The Locusts were of great power The Turkes prevailed exceedingly But what are they all to this mightie and glorious Angell Christ What is their power to withstand him What can Abaddon the King of the Locusts do against this mighty King of Sion What can the Turkes most terrible Horses and Horse-men doe against this Angell which sitteth upon the white Horse Alas alas they are able to do nothing They must all be trodden down under his feet of brasse ver 2. And he had in his hand a little book open and He put his right foot upon the Sea and his left upon the earth This little Booke signifieth the Bible It is called little in respect of the great and huge volumes of Popish bookes though in it selfe it be large It is sayd to be open that all men might looke into it because it had been shut a long time before even during all the time of the darkning of the Sunne and Aire by the smoke which came out of the bottomlesse pit But although it was long shut up in the time of Popery and lay buried in a strange tongue yet now it is opened and publikely preached unto all the servants of God And all this no doubt is to be understood of Luthers time and all the times ever since the Gospell was spread abroad after the great darkenesse For some hundred yeares agoe it was hard to finde an English Bible but now God be thanked there are thousands to be found in the hands of Gods people And therefore the things here Prophesied of are fulfilled in our daies for we live under the opening of the seaventh Seale and the blowing of the sixth Trumpet and the powring foorth of the sixth Viall as here doth partly appeare and shall God willing bee made more manifest when we come to the sixteenth Chapter Now we are diligently to obserue that as the opening of this Booke and the preaching of the Gospell by Luther and his successors hath dispersed the former darknesse and beaten down Popery so also hath it driven backe the Turke and taken from us all feare of him which in former ages was the terrour of the World for since men have looked into this book repented of their Idolatry and turned unto God with all their hearts the Turke and his power hath not been feared especially in these parts where the Gospell is preached For God in his mercifull providence towards his Church hath diverted his power another way and set him a worke else where So that if men cannot be brought to beleeve that God raised him up as a scourge for Idolaters and a plague for Idolatrie and other soule sinnes according to the words in the former Chap. where it is said They repented not of the workes of their hands c. yet when they see that at the opening of the Booke of God and forsaking Idolatry the feare of him is removed let them beleeve it What can be more plaine than that this open Booke in the hand of the Angell hath delivered us from the Pope and from the Turke A most happy opening of this blessed booke More it is said that he put his right foot upon the Sea and his left on the Earth The setting of Christs right foot upon the Sea signifieth that he is ruler of the Sea and standeth as firmely upon the Sea as upon the Land The setting of his left foot upon the Earth doth signifie that he is Lord of the Earth and true heire to all things in it And cryed with a loud voice verse 3. as when a Lion roareth and when he had cryed seven thunders utterd their voyces This crying with a loud voice like the roaring of a Lion doth signifie the manifestation of the wrath of Christ against all his enemies for now he beginneth to roare against them as a Lion when he is hungry roareth for his prey Therefore now both the Scorpion Locusts and the fierce Horses and horsmen are like to goe to the pot By the seven thunders which uttered their voyces is meant those perfect and exquisite judgements which now were to be inflicted both upon the Kingdome of the Pope and the Turke We have heard before that seven is a perfect number in this book and that thunder is put for the thundring of Gods wrath and all such broiles and plagues as follow thereupon and this is the reason of this interpretation verse 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voyces I was about to write but I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Seale up these things which the seven thunders have spoken and write them not It should seeme these seven thunders did so speake as they might be understood for John was about to write the things which they spake thinking that they were uttered for that end and purpose that he should deliver them in writing to the Churches But he receiveth a commandement to the contrary for he is willed not to write them but to conceale them untill the appointed time But some man may say Why were they uttered seeing they must be concealed and kepâ— close I answer it was not in vaine for first though the particulars be not expressed what the thunders speake yet here we are taught that there remaine most fearfull Judgements against all the oppressors of the Church which Christ hath thundred out with terrour against them And when the time determined is come they shall be seene and understood but in the meane time they be sealed up and kept close according to that of Job Why should not the times be hid of the Almighty so as they which know him should not perceive the times appointed of him and that of Daniel These things are Sealed up untill the time determined And the Angell which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven verse 5. And sware by him that liveth for evermore ver 6. which created heaven and the things that therein are and the earth and the things that therein are and the sea and the things that
therein are that time should be no more But in the daies of the voice of the seventh Angell ver 7. when he shall begin to blow the trumpet even the ministery of God shall be finished as he hath declared unto his servants the Prophets The summe of these three verses is that Christ giveth warning of the last judgement that men might awake and looke out in time Amo. 6 1. And because men for the most part are carelesse and secure putting the evill day far from them as the Prophet speaketh therefore here Christ bindeth it with a solemne oath and solemne gestures thereunto annexed as was the lifting up of the hand in antient time Genesis 14.22 The thing that our Lord Jesus disposeth is that time shall be no more that is Time as it is now or the state of things as they be now but he telleth us flatly that as six Angels have already blowne their Trumpets so when the seventh Angell should blow the Mystery of God shall be finished that is the time of punishing the wicked and rewarding the godly should come which is therefore called a Mystery because the world understandeth it not They thinke there is no such matter Mal. 3.14 They imagine there is no reward for the just or punishment for the wicked as the Prophet saith But the holy Ghost saith Verily there is a reward for the righteous Psa 58.18 doubtlesse there is a God which judgeth the Earth And here it is said that God hath declared it to his servants the Prophets And the voice which I heard from Heaven spake unto me agine verse 8. and said goe and take the little booke which is open in the hand of the Angell which standeth upon the Sea and upon the Earth So I went unto the Angell and said unto him give me the little booke vâ—rse 9. And he said unto me take it and eat it up and it shall make thy belly bitter but it shall be in thy mouth as sweet as hony Then I tooke the little booke out of the Angels hand and eat it up ver 10. and it was in my mouth as sweet as hony but when I had eaten it my belly was bitter And he said unto me verse 11. Thou must prophesie againe among the people and nations and tongues and to many Kings The briefe sence of these foure verses is that the Preachers of the Gospell being called allowed and authorized by Christ unto their ministery should study the Scriptures with great diligence even untill they had eaten up the booke of God and they should preach and publish unto all nations and Kingdomes that truth of God and doctrine of the Gospell which now a long time had lien hid in the raigne of Antichrist It is to be observed that John in this place representeth the person of all the ministers of the Gospell which should be raised up in these last daies for the overthrow of Antichrist and the restauration of true Religion for John himselfe did not live to these times Further it is to be noted that all godly Students and zealous Ministers do eate up the booke of God by reading study prayer and meditation and they find it sweet in their mouth that is they find and feele great joy and comfort in the study and meditation thereof especially when God revealeth therby great and hid secrets unto them and giveth them to understand the mysteries of the Gospell and counsels of his will which are locked up from the wise and prudent of this world This I say is sweeter unto their mouth than hony and the hony combe Concerning their phrase of eating up the Booke looke Ezek. 2.9 for here the holy Ghost alludeth thereunto This booke being so sweet in the mouth yet being eaten and digested is better in the belly There may be three reasons yeelded of this bitternesse First because it being once taken downe into our soule by godly meditation doth mortifie our corrupt nature and bring under our lust and therefore seemeth bitter to flesh and blood Secondly because afflictions and trialls do alwaies necessarily follow the sound digestion of the Gospell Thirdly because the doctrine of the Gospel being swallowed by the ministers therof must not be kept to themselves as it were closed up in their stomacks but they must out with it againe as if it were some loathsome and bitter thing which must needs be cast up againe And for this cause it is sayd in the last verse that they must prophesie againe among the people and nations and tongues and many Kings Now blessed be the name of the Lord our God who hath given us to live in this age wherein we do with our eies behold and see the fulfilling of all these things let us therefore praise God for this great worke which we see wrought in our daies and let us still more and more magnifie this little Booke which will utterly destroy Popery and bring downe the proud Antichrist do all that fight for him what they can CHAP. XI VVE have heard that the little Booke should be opened and the Gospel preached and published to many nations and Kingdomes after the great darknesse of Popery and that this was done by Luther Melancthon Calvin Peter Virit Peter Martyr Bullinger Bucer and all their faithfull successors unto this day Now in this Chapter we are to understand the effect and good successe of their preaching and publishing the Gospell which was that the Church should be restored reformed and built up thereby which a long time had been wasted and oppressed by the tyranny of Antichrist and that many should embrace this Gospell forsake their Idolatries and turne unto God with all their hearts yea whole Nations and Kingdomes in Europe should be converted to the faith as we see this day God be praised So then the principall drift of this Chapter is to shew those things which yet remaine to be fulfilled under the blowing of the sixth Trumpet which is the preaching and prevailing of the Gospel even unto the worlds end and also the things which follow upon the blowing of the seventh trumpet which is the resurrection and last judgement This Chapter containeth six principall things as it were six parts thereof First it sheweth how the true Church should be gathered together ver 1.2 and built up by the preaching of the Gospell and all the wicked refused and cast out ver 3.4.5.6 Secondly it describeth the builders that is all the faithfull Ministers which had and should resist Antichrist Thirdly ver 7.8 it sheweth how Antichrist should persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell unto death and murther them by heapes Fourthly it sheweth that Papists Atheists and wicked worldlings ver 9.10 should rejoyce in the death of Gods people and not vouchsafe them so much as the honour of buriall but sends gifts one to another for joy that they were rid out of the Earth Fifthly it sheweth that
the blowing of the seven trumpets that is all notable things which were to fall out from the Apostles times unto the end of the whole world CHAP. XII NOw having finished the second vision we are come unto the third contained in all the chapters following even unto the end of this book Wherein divers things which were obscurely and darkly set down in the former vision are more plainly and fully opened and expounded so that this third vision is as it were a Commentary or more cleare exposition of sundry things contained in the second vision Chap. 6. But especially of the persecuting Roman Empire mentioned in the opening of the second seal and also of the Papacy mentioned at the blowing of the first trumpet Chapt. 9. But the generall sum of this third vision is a lively painting out of the malignant Church and the great upholders thereof the Divell the Roman Emperor and the Pope It sheweth also the rising and falling of the Roman Empire and the rising and falling of the Papacy It sheweth also the utter overthrow of both together with the eternall condemnation of the Divell which set them all awork to fight against the Church Last of all it sheweth the eternall felicity of the Church and the unconceivable happinesse of all Gods chosen in the heavens for evermore The principall drift of this twelfth chapter is to set forth the nature of the true visible and militant Church here on earth whose head is Christ Jesus and also the false malignant Church whose head is the Divell together with the continuall enmity and war which is alwayes betwixt them This chapter may very fitly be divided into five parts The first is a description of the Church The second is a description of the Divell the Churches enemy The third containeth the Churches battel with the Divell and her victory The fourth sheweth the joy and triumphs of the godly in the Churches victory over Satan The fifth and last sheweth the fury and malice of Satan who although he was foiled in battel by the Church yet would not give over but continued persecuting the Church in her members and making war against the remnant of her seed And there appeared a great wonder in heaven Verse 1. A woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon was under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars First the holy Ghost calleth the matters of this chapter a great wonder to stir us up to attention for men are much moved with wonders and a wonder indeed it is in the literall sense to see a woman clothed with the Sun c. but a far greater wonder in the spirituall sense as we shall hear and the greatest wonder of all that a poor weak woman should encounter with a great red Dragon and overcome him It is said to be a wonder in heaven because the Church here in vision appeareth not upon the earth but in heaven in as much as her birth is from heaven her inheritance in heaven and her conversation in heaven The Church is here compared to a woman as in the 45. Psalme and the whole booke of the Canticles and that for three reasons First as a woman is weak and feeble and in law can doe nothing of her selfe without her husband so wee of our selves are weak and feeble and in matters of Gods law and worship can doe nothing without our husband Christ as hee saith Without me yee can doe nothing Secondly as a woman through the company of her husband is fruitfull and bringeth forth children so the Church by her conjunction with Christ and his word doth bring forth many children unto God Thirdly as the love and affection of a woman is to her husband as Genesis chapter 2. verse 16. so the love and affection of the Church is altogether to Christ and Christ to her This woman is clothed with the Sunne that is the Church is clothed with Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse Mal. 4.2 as the Prophet speaketh The Moon was under her feet Whereby is meant that the Church treadeth under her feet all worldly things which are compared to the Moon for their often changes waxings wainings and increasings decreasings continuall mutations and uncertainties The Church treadeth all transitory things under her feet that is shee maketh light account of them she regardeth them not in comparison of heavenly things For he that is clothed with the Sun careth little for the light of the Moon Shee hath upon her head a crown of twelve starres which signifieth that the Church is adorned and beautified with the doctrine of the twelve Apostles that is the doctrine of the Gospel as it were with a crown of gold of pearl and precious stones For the doctrine of the Gospel is the crown of the Church And shee was with child Verse 2. and cryed travelling in birth and was pained ready to be delivered The Church is said to be with child after shee hath conceived the immortall seed of the Word by the ministery of the Gospel as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.15 In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel And to the Galatians O ye little children of whom I travell in birth againe till Christ be formed in you It is not onely said that this woman waâ— with child but also that she was very neeâ— her time ready to bring forth and to be delivered and that she cryeth in travell Now the child which she bringeth forth is Christ Jesus Gal. 5.19 as appeareth in the fifth verse for there it is said of him that he should rule all nations with a rod of iron Now although Christ was born but of one member of the Church which is the Virgin Mary yet may it be said that the whole Church which was before his coming did even travell with paine to bring him forth because they had through faith in the promises a longing and fervent desire and expectation of his coming For from the first promise made to Adam and afterward renewed to Abraham and his posterity the Church stood in a continuall expectation of the promised Messias looking wishly every day when hee should be actually exhibited to the world For which cause here she is said to cry travelling in birth And not unfitly also may the Church be said to cry travelling in birth when through many persecutions and afflictions shee bringeth forth children unto God by the ministery of the Word For the Church bringeth forth no children at ease but with hard travell and much ado having so few friends to help her and so many enemies against her as anon we shall hear And there appeared another wonder in heaven Verses 3.4 For behold a great red Dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his head And his taile drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth And the Dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered Now
wee are come to the description of the Churches great and capital enemy which is the Divell who because he studieth and laboureth continually to impeach the good estate of the Church in heavenly things to deject her from her dignity and dispossesse her of her inheritance therefore here in a vision he is said to appear in heaven for he meddleth with the Church in and about heavenly things practising to pull her out of heaven from whence shee came and whither she must return even to cast her into hell and condemnation with himselfe if it were possible The Divell is compared to a Dragon for his fury and felnesse to a great Dragon for his power and might and a red Dragon for his bloudy cruelty malice and madnesse against Christ and all hiâ— members His seven heads signifie his manifold sleights and subtilties wherein he is a crafts-master His ten horns signifie his dreadfull power For who knoweth not that hee is stronger then any other creature having not lost his strength by his fall but remaineth as strong as an Angel of light His seven crowns upon his heads do signifie his manifold victories over the world For he hath from time to time and from age to age got so many conquests of the world through his sleights and power that now he is the god of the world as the Apostle saith and reigneth as king over them The Dragon hath a monstrous tail both for length and strength for it is so long that it reacheth up to heaven and so strong that it brusheth down many stars from thence That is the Divell through ambition and covetousnesse and other fleshly lusts doth pull down many ministers which shined in doctrine and life as the starres of heaven even unto the earth where they have lost their brightnesse and glory and shine as much as the Moone in a mist Moreover it is said Verse 4. that the Dragon stood before the woman in travell to devoure the child as soon as it was born Wherein wee are to observe the malice and fury of Satan in that he watcheth so narrowly to devour the blessed Seed even the Saviour of the world so soon as he was born And for this cause he stirred up Herod the king subtilly to seek him out by the wise men that hee might kill him and afterward most cruelly practised the same by murdering so many innocents But this is alwaies a generall truth Matth. 2. that Satan seeketh to smother not onely Christ but every member of his in the cradle yea to blast them in the bud before ever they come to fruit or flower So shee brought forth a man-child Verse 5. which should rule all nations with a rod of iron and that her child was taken up to God and his throne Notwithstanding the malice and watchfulnesse of Satan yet the Church bringeth forth Christ which should rule and over-rule all nations with a rod of iron that is the scepter of his Word as it is in the second Psalme and with the rod of his mouth as the Prophet speaketh Isa 11.4 Moreover it is said that this child was taken up unto God and his throne That is Christ by his resurrection did take possession of his chaire of estate in despight of Herod Pontius Pilate the Priests the Pharisees and all other his enemies which sought to keep him down and now he being ascended unto heaven doth draw all his members unto him in despight of the Divell and all his imps Verse 6. And the woman fled into the wildernesse where shee hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Now after the womans child was set in safety here is shewed what became of the woman her selfe to wit that shee was so sore pursued by the Scribes and Pharisees and by the Priests and Elders that shee was fain to fly into the wildernesse The naturall sense and meaning of this place is that when the Church began to grow after Christs ascension and the number of the Disciples to increase exceedingly as wee read in the second of the Acts Satan did so greatly maligne it and began to be in such a rage that he would have eaten them up all at a bit and rooted them out at once that so the woman might have no more being in the earth And therefore we read Acts 8. that after the stoning of Stephen there was such a persecution raised up against the Church by the high Priests the Princes of the Jewes the Pharisees all that cursed crew that all the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were scattered and dispersed here and there in the heathen countries and amongst the heathen people which here are called the wildernesse that is to say a ground untilled desolate and barren of all fruits of godlinesse But now may some man say How shall the Church do in the wildernesse how shall she live how shall she be sustained There is no tilling no sowing no planting there groweth no corn there is nothing to be had either for food or raiment Here it is answered that God prepared a place for her where she should be fed God took up an inn for her shee wanted neither food nor raiment in her persecutions and troubles Which teacheth that God doth alwaies provide for his own even in great miseries scarcities famines banishments and persecutions as sometimes hee did for Elias in the time of dearth and for the children of Israel in the wildernesse The time wherein the Church was fed in the wildernesse was a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes that is during the time of her persecutions as before hath been shewed chap. 11. verse 2. Vers 7 8. And there was a battell in heaven Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon and his angels fought But they prevailed not neither was their place found any more in heaven Now wee are come to the third part of this chapter which is the battell betwixt Christ and the Divell For whereas the Dragon could not smother Christ in the cradle as hee endeavoured and so deprive the Church of all her happinesse for ever now he proclaimeth open war both against Christ and all his members plotting and purposing to oppugne the very salvation of the Church though it be founded in Christ Wherein hee sheweth both his impudency and furious madnesse Michael here signifieth Christ as in Daniel chap. 10. verse 13. This name is given to Christ in Daniel because hee is the first of the chiefe Princes that is hee is the head of the Angels Col. 1.16 who are chiefe Princes as the Apostle affirmeth That Christ hath his Angels joyned with him is not to note any weaknesse or want of strength in Christ alone to overcome his enemies but to shew that as Christ effecteth great wonders in the world so for the most part he doth it by instruments and meanes as sometimes Angels sometimes
men But here specially it meaneth the Apostles and their successors yea and at this day all Christian kings princes and potentates of the earth and all others which take part with Christ against the Divell and his instruments Well here wee see that these two Generals and grand Captains Michael and the Dragon doe muster both their armies joyn battell and fight a pitched field the event and successe whereof is this that the Dragon and his Angels goe downe O blessed successe may wee say For if the Divell had prevailed it had been woe to us sith this battell was about and concerning the very salvation of mankind by Christs death and resurrection We know how the Divell set upon Christ alone to tempt him unto sinne that so hee might overthrow the worke of our redemption supposing in this combat or monomachie to have got the day but he prevailed not Afterward how strongly did hee oppugne him by his Angels I mean the Scribes and Pharisees the high Priests and Elders of the people yea all the Divels in hell and his whole infernall army not only in murthering and crucifying his naturall body but also in using all forcible and cunning meanes to keepe him downe that hee might never rise up again as the great stone upon his tomb the sealing of it the watch set to keep it For the Divell knew right well that if Christ rose againe he should lose the field For the resurrection of Christ is our actuall justification And Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 4.25 Well doe the Dragon and his angels what they can yet Christ is risen again and hath spoiled principalities and powers yea all the infernall army and hath made a shew of them openly and hath led them all in triumph upon his crosse so that we see in this first and greatest battell the Divell hath the foyle And it is further said that this Divell and all his angels were cast out of heaven and their place was no more found which is not to be understood of their first casting out of heaven immediately after their creation for at that time they were no Divels nor enemies to the Church but Angels of light but now since their fall and since they were Divels they are said to be cast out of heaven not because they ever came in heaven since they were Divels but because they can no longer impeach the Church touching her blessed estate in heaven They are without all hope to dispossesse her of her inheritance for that is ratified made sure unto her in the death and resurrection of Christ And for this cause it is said that the Divell hath no more to doe in heaven that is hee cannot for his heart overthrow the salvation of Gods children Rom. 8.33 For who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemn It is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe c. True it is indeed that this battell is said to be in heaven that is about heavenly things yea about the highest points of heaven which is salvation or damnation for the Divell upon this very point hath from the beginning mightily wrestled and struggled with the Church and doth even untill this day but blessed be God that hee cannot nor shall not prevail against any one of Gods elect For our Lord Jesus saith I give unto them eternall life John 10.28 and they shall never perish neither shall any take them out of my hand my Father which gave them mee is greater then all Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand Againe All that the Father giveth mee shall come unto me And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which hee hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up againe at the last day Now further wee are to observe that as Christ in his own person hath once prevailed in the main battell against the Divell so his Church militant shall likewise alwaies prevail through him For it is written The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. Verse 9. And the great Dragon that old serpent called the Divel and Satan was cast out which deceived all the world He was even cast into the earth and his Angels were cast out with him Now because the divel cannot overthrow the salvation of Gods elect he is said to be cast out of heaven into the earth that is amongst earthly and carnall men that he may exercise his tyranny and wreak his malice upon them For he hath power given him to tyrannize over them at his pleasure and the Apostle saith Ephes 2. he worketh in the children of disobedience and taketh him captive to do his will Then I heard a loud voyce in heaven saying Verse 10. Now is salvation and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast downe which accused them before God day and night Here is the triumphant song of victory which all the Saints and Angels do sing unto God praising and magnifying his power and the power of his Son Christ for overcoming the Dragon and giving the victory to the Church through Christ For now with great joy and loud voices they sing and say that the Churches salvation is sealed and made sure unto her for ever It can never be shaken The divell is foiled and cast down into the earth These songs of joy after great victories are of great antiquity in the Church as we read of the children of Israel after the overthrow of Pharaoh and his army in the red sea of Deborah after the great victory over Sisera of the women that sung after the victory of Goliah by David The Divell is called the accusey of the brethren for two causes First because hee accuseth Gods elect of much sinne and calleth for justice against them day and night at Gods hands that they might be condemned upon such articles as he is able to prove against them for hee knowing right well that the Judge of all the world is a just God and must needs deale uprightly doth daily urge him to doe justice unto sinners being willingly ignorant that all Gods people though sinners are cleared and discharged in Christ Another reason is because of the calumniations reproaches and slanders which in all ages at all times and in all places and countries he hath alwayes unjustly raised up against the true worshippers of God Verse 11. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death Here is shewed that the Churches victory over Satan and hell is not through any power or might of her owne but by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony that is the word of God
worldlings their ears and eyes are sealed and shut up they cannot understand them but doe still worship the beast ascribing unto him divine power and honour In the tenth verse the judgment and vengeance of God is denounced against the Roman Monarchy both former and later which as it hath long oppressed the Church with cruell bondage and drawne thousands into perpetuall captivity so it selfe also should be cast down with all the adherents thereof both in this life and that which is to come For as the Roman Empire did tyrannize over the world led millions into spirituall captivity and bondage so here it is avouched that according to the just law of quittance it should be brought to the same lore And as this beast had murdered many by the sword so hee himself must be murdered by the sword also as the Apostle saith 2 Thes 1.6 God is just and therefore will recompence tribulation to them that trouble his Church Now all this seemeth unto mee to be a cleer prophesie of the fall and finall destruction of the Roman Empire which indeed considering the pitch that it was at may seem a thing strange and incredible and therefore the holy Ghost stirreth us up to attention in the 9th verse as to a thing of great wonderment and admiration for if the Roman Monarchy fall the Papacy must of necessity fall with it For the Roman Empire is that beast which beareth up the whore of Babylon as appeareth in the seventeenth chapter of this Prophesie where wee shall God willing plainly and at large hear of the joint destruction of them both together It is added Here is the patience and the faith of the saints That is here is required great patience of all Gods children to wait tarry till the performance and accomplishment of those things and also faith and full assurance to beleeve that they shall in Gods appointed time come to passe For few do beleeve these things therfore wait not with patience for the accomplishment thereof And I beheld another beast coming out of the earth which had two horns like a lamb Verse 11. but he spake like the dragon Having described the first beast which is the Roman Empire now the holy Ghost cometh to describe the second beast which is the Papacy or the kingdome of the great Antichrist for although he be described before in regard of his Monarchy that is the civill jurisdiction which he exercised as he was the seventh head of the beast and head of the Empire yet here he is described after another sort that is according to this ecclesiasticall authority and therefore he is called another beast or a beast differing from the former in that he exerciseth another power beside the power of the heathen Emperors of Rome which is his spirituall jurisdiction in which respect he is called the false prophet The second beast riseth out of the earth as the former rose out of the sea then it appeareth that Antichrist is by his breed a son of the earth obscurely born and by little little creeping up out of his abject estate as did the Turk It is here most truly said that the kingdome of Antichrist ariseth out of the earth and is the very breed of the earth for assuredly it never came from heaven It was first hatched out of covetousnesse ambition pride murders treasons poysoning sorceries enchantments and such like For all stories do shew that from these roots the Papacy grew to his exceeding height and altitude This second beast hath two horns like the Lamb Whereby is meant his Civil and Ecclesiastical power or his Kingdom Priesthood which hee falsly pretended to come from the Lamb and therefore he giveth in his armes two keyes and hath two swords carried before him So Boniface the eighth shewed himself one day in apparel as a Pope and the next day in armour as the Emperor and the two horns in the Popes Mitre are signes hereof But the holy Ghost here telleth us that these two hornes are not the horns of the Lamb but only like the horns of the Lamb for he received not his power from the Lamb Christ but from the Divell that is the Dragon with ten hornes Then thus it is The Papacy is the seventh head of the first beast that is the Empire and yet a beast by it selfe with two horns like the Lamb in respect of his joint power and authority both Ecclesiasticall and Civill in which respect he is called even the Eighth and one of the seven chap. 17.11 Although this second beast have two horns like the Lambe yet he spake like the Dragon that is all his words and works practises and proceedings lawes and decrees are for the Dragon of whom hee hath his power and throne and great authority So that whatsoever he pretendeth in religion and matters of Gods worship as though hee would be like the Lamb yet assuredly hee is altogether for the Dragon and the Divell hee is assured unto them as all experience doth manifestly witnesse Verse 12. And he did all that the first beast could do before him and he caused the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed Here is shewed that this second beast was as mighty and strong as the first beast and could doe as much as hee even in his presence Whereby is noted the great power and authority of the Papacy in performing as much in the service of the Dragon against God and his Church as ever the Empire of the heathen and those wicked Emperors could doe yea hee did much more against Christ and his religion then ever the persecuting Emperors could doe even then when they were at their highest pitch And all this hee did in his presence that is in the sight and open view of the whole Empire or whole world And he caused the earth and them that dwell therein that is all Papists and worldlings to worship the first beast that is to receive the worship and religion of the old Roman tyranny which set up and maintained idolatry so then although the power in the Papacy came under the name of Christ yet in truth it was the same with the power of the persecuting Empire for the heathen Emperors condemned the true worship of God and set up false worship even the worship of Divels which is idolatry so do the Popes also So then wee see that this second beast is all for the first beast that is he levyeth all his power and authority to set up the worship and religion of the old Roman tyrants and to force all men by cruell lawes and decrees to receive and embrace the same So this second beast is nothing better then the first nay in truth a great deale worse And he did great wonders Ver. 13 14. so that hee made fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men And deceiveth them that dwell on
the earth by the signes which were permitted him to doe in the sight of the beast saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make the image of the beast which had the wound of a sword and did live These two verses containe two speciall things the one is the false and fained miracles of Antichrist the other is the cursed effect thereof To the first which is the wonders and miracles which Antichrist should work it is here said that hee should make fire to come downe from heaven as Elias did The meaning whereof is not that the Pope could indeed cause fire to come down from heaven as Elias did but in the opinion of the blind world they seemed to have as great power as Elias had For partly by counterfeit miracles and partly by some strange things done by the power of Sathan the seduced world hath verily beleeved that the Pope and his Clergy had as great power to work miracles as ever had Elias Touching the second thing which is the effect of these wonders It is here said that the inhabitants of the earth that is Papists and worldlings were grossely deceived and deluded by them even by those lying wonders which were permitted him to do in the sight of the beast that is in the face and open view of the Empire According as the Apostle fore-told 2 Thes 2. that the coming of Antichrist should be by the effectuall working of Sathan with all power and signs and lying wonders and in all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse among them that perish c. But concerning the Popish counterfeit signes and wonders it is needlesse to write being so well known unto all men as they are and so common and notorious in all stories Saying to them that dwell on the earth Verse 14. that they should make the image of the beast which had the wound of a sword and did live Now Antichrist having gotten the world under him by his counterfeit miracles doth lay his commandement on them to make the image of the beast Now what is here meant by the image of the beast is somewhat hard to discuss some think that by the image of the beast which had the wound of the sword and did live is meant the repairing and the restoring of the decayed estate of the Empire by the Popes to his full strength and vertue Wee do read that the estate of the Empire under Nero Otho Galba and Vitellius was weak and feeble in comparison of that which was before under Augustus Tiberius and Claudius We doe read also that the Gothes and Vandals made horrible rents and dissipations in the Roman Empire We do further read that the Empire was divided and rent in pieces so that there was the Emperor of the East and the Emperor of the West yea at last the Empire of the West fell quite down so that for the space of 300 yeares and more there was no Emperor of the West till the Bishop of Rome Leo the third made Charles the great the king of France Emperor Then was the Empire of the West again erected and in time grew to as great a height under the dominion of the Popes as before yea far greater Now I say some do take this restoring of the decayed estate of the Empire by the Popes to his former strength and power to be the making of the image of the beast which had the wound of a sword and did live But for my own part I cannot be of that opinion and my reason is that the restoring of the decayed estate of the Empire to his former condition was the setting up of the beast himself for the Empire is the beast and not the image of the beast for wee must needs grant that the beast and the image of the beast are two severall things But the Popes in recovering the Empire to his pristine estate set up the beast againe and therefore not the image of the beast Therefore the image of the beast cannot be understood of the restauration of the decayed estate of the Empire Besides this it is here said that the inhabitants of the earth had a great hand in the making this image But the inhabitants of the earth bare small sway in the recovering and erection of the Empire For therein the Popes were all in all after it came into their hand Therefore this cannot be understood of the Empire but of some other things let us then diligently search out what may be the true meaning of this place It must needs be granted that by the beast which had the wound of a sword and did live is meant the recovered estate of the Empire as before ver 12. And by the image thereof I understand the form of government for an image doth signifie a likenesse a similitude a figure or form of a thing And as in all civill and ecclesiasticall regiments there is both a substance and a form a matter and a maner so here having before set down that Antichrist had erected the substance and matter of the Roman tyranny now he sheweth that he would also set up the image and form of the same For before ver 12. it is said that Antichrist this second beast caused the world to worship the first beast that is to receive and imbrace the lawes worship and religion of the old heathenish Roman tyrants as before hath been shewed now here is added that he did not content himself with causing the inhabitants of the earth to worship the old beast in the substance of his religion but also hee layeth commandements upon them to make his image that is to erect an externall forme of Ecclesiasticall government after the very pattern and forme of the government of the old Empire yea so like it that it is called the very image of the same For as the form of government under the old Emperors was cruel and tyrannicall and altogether bent against the Church so the forme of Ecclesiasticall government under the Popes was cruell and tyrannicall and altogether bent against the Church and therefore here it is called the image of it for it is as like it as it can look Then it followeth that Antichrist hath set up that externall forme of worship which the idolatrous Romans of old used and that he hath renewed the persecuting Empire not onely in substance of matter but also in forme of government and therefore I conclude that the Popish Church policy and externall regiment is the very image of the beast Here the inhabitants of the earth are said to make the image of the beast because they gave their consent to the making of it for indeed the Popes themselves were the chief agents and doers of it Verse 15. And it was permitted unto him to give a spirit unto the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should speake and should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed
it up at their hands but will up and maintain the womans cause and bear her out against them all nay he will make ready his bow that he may shoot off and make his arrows drunk in the bloud of her and his enemies and wil whet his glittering sword that he may sheath it in the heart of Antichrist and all his adherents Therefore now let both the great beasts and their fire look to themselves for here comes in one that will knock them all down and lay them in the dust that they shall never rise up again For this cause now at length S. John in a vision seeth a Lamb stand upon mount Sion that is Christ present with the Church For mount Sion was an antient figure of the Church as it is written Mount Sion lying north-ward is faire in situation Psal 48.2 it is the joy of the whole earth and the city of the great King And again The law shall goe forth of Sion Mich. 5.2 and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Moreover Saint John seeth here with the Lamb an hundred fourty and foure thousand that is the particular members of the Church putting a certain number for an uncertain and specially alluding to the sealing of the twelve tribes of Israel as before hath been shewed For it might be demanded where the Church was when all the world wondred and followed the first beast And also when all Chap. 7 4. both small and great rich and poor received the mark of the second beast Saint John answereth that even then in the midst of the heat of persecutions God had his hid and invisible Church whom Jesus Christ did protect and preserve even in the very flames of persecutions being alwaies present with them and amongst them as he said to his disciples a little before his bodily departure from them Loe I am with you even unto the end of the world And here he is said to stand upon mount Sion with his hundred fourty and four thousand And it is added that this number of Gods faithfull elect children had his Fathers name written in their foreheads that is they did professe and practise the doctrine and religion of God their Father only utterly renouncing and abhorring the worship religion of the beast For the Fathers name in this place is set opposite to the mark of the beast to signifie that as the worshippers of Antichrist received his mark so the true worshippers of God received his brand which is his Spirit and the fruits therof whereby they were perfectly discerned from those which had the beasts mark So then it cleerly appeareth from this place that God preserved many thousands of his true worshippers even in the daies of the great Antichrist when there seemed to be very few or none remaining upon the earth as it was in the dayes of Elias In vain therefore do the Papists ask us where our Church was before Luthers time sith the holy Apostle here stoppeth their mouth and telleth us plainly that Christ had his little flock in the wildernesse even then when it was in greatest streights and as we say driven to the walls And therefore visibility is no sound note of the Church as the Papists do most ignorantly dispute For it is a fond and absurd kind of reasoning to say there is no Church at all because it doth not visibly appear as if a man should reason that there is no moon in the heavens because sometimes there is none seen as in the change And I heard a voice from heaven as the sound of many waters and as the sound of a great thunder Verse 2. and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps Here is set forth how his company of true worshippers doe magnifie and praise God for his great mercies towards them First John heareth a voice from heaven that is an heavenly voyce or the voice of the Church praising and glorifying God For we have heard before Chap. 8.1 that Heaven in this booke is sometimes put for the Church upon the earth and the reasons thereof Wheresoever therefore the Church is assembled to hear the word and to pray and give thanks there is a voice from heaven or an heavenly voice Now this voice is compared to three things first to the sound of many waters Secondly to the sound of a great thunder Thirdly to the voyce of harpers harping with their harps It is likened to many waters because it proceedeth from sundry sorts of people of sundry nations countries and kingdoms as the word waters is taken afterwards in this Prophecie Chap. 17.1 Chap. 17.25 It is compared to thunder because the prayers and invocations of the true Church are as loud in the eares of God as any thunder-crack It is compared to harpers harping with their harpes both because their spirituall worship and service is as sweete unto God as any musick unto men as also because all Gods faithfull people doe tune together among themselves and in their worship as the strings of a wel-tuned instrument of musick or as many musicians playing together which make a sweet harmony and most melodious ditty Verse 3. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the Elders and no man could learn that song but the hundred fourty and foure thousand which were brought from the earth Now it sheweth how this holy society of the faithfull do continue their praying and glorifying of God they are not weary of well doing but hold on constantly in the course of Gods worship having new songs of thanksgiving in their mouthes and serving God daily with renewed affections as men inflamed with the zeale of Gods glory and all this they do performe before the throne before the foure beasts and the Elders that is in the presence of God and his Angels and his holy congregation And no man could learn that song but the hundred fourty and four thousand that is none of the reprobates and ungodly worldlings could inwardly feel and understand this spirituall worship but only the elect to whom it is given to understand the secrets of God and the mysteries of his Sons kingdome These are they which are not defiled with women Verse 4. for they are virgins these follow the Lamb wheresoever hee goeth these are bought from men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouthes was found no guil Verse 5. for they are without spot before the throne of God This holy company are not defiled with women that is with grosse and divers sins or rather with idolatrous pollutions For they are virgins that is chast worshippers of God which are not polluted with the defilements of Antichrist These follow the Lamb Christ whithersoever hee goeth They hear his voice they professe his worship and obey his doctrine they abhor Antichrist they follow not the beast nor receive his mark They are bought from
observe one speciall thing to wit that the Gospel which this Angel flyeth withall containeth the brief summ of all the doctrine which Luther Calvin Peter Martyr and the rest have taught out of Gods Word and agreeth in all points with it For what other thing did they all preach teach and write but that men should turn from idols to the living God from fearing glorifying and worshipping creatures to feare worship and glorifie God alone which hath made all things What other thing doe all the preachers of this age publish and proclaime in all their Sermons but this Feare God and give glory onely to him Is not this the Epitome and short sum of all the doctrine of the Preachers of England Scotland Germany France Denmarke and all the rest and therefore I conclude that this Angel must needs be understood of the Preachers of this last age which now these fourscore yeeres have sounded the trumpet of the Gospel against all the inventions of Popery And blessed be God wee see these things fall out in our dayes and are eye-witnesses of the fulfilling of them And there followed another Angel saying Verse 8. It is fallen it is fallen Babylon that great city for she gave to all nations to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication Here is set down the blessed effect of the preaching of this everlasting Gospel which is the downfall of Babylon For as when the cleer Sun ariseth upon the earth the thick mists and clouds are dispersed even so when the bright beames of the Gospel doe shine forth unto the world Babylon that dark kingdom vanisheth away incontinently And as it is written in the eighteenth chapter so soon as the earth was lightened with the glory of this everlasting Gospel Babylon immediatly falleth Therefore now before I go any further my purpose through the assistance of God Five maine points is to prove these five points out of this verse and that which followeth unto the twentieth chapter to wit First that Babylon here signifieth Rome Secondly that Rome shall fall and how Thirdly that Rome shall fall finally and come to utter desolation in this life Fourthly by whom and when it shall be overthrown Lastly the causes of the utter ruine and overthrow thereof How Rome is to be taken But before I go about to prove that Babylon here is Rome I would have it carefully observed what is meant by Rome viz. not the topography of Rome that is so much ground only as is compassed within the wals of that city but the regiment government and prerogative that is claimed by vertue of that Monarchy whereof Rome is the head By Rome is meant the power and authority of Rome or to speak plainly by Rome is meant the Roman Monarchy Further we are here to observe the reason why the holy Ghost calleth Rome Babylon for Rome literally and properly taken is not Babylon in as much as they were two divers cities one in Italy the other in Chaldea but Rome is called Babylon mystically figuratively and as the holy Ghost speaketh spiritually and by a kind of allusion Chap. 11.8 A reason why Rome is called Babylon For as the old Eastern Babylon did a long time oppresse the Church of the Jewes so Rome this Western Babylon hath long oppressed the Church of the Christians As the Eastern Babylon did many yeers hold down the people of God in miserable bondage and servitude so the Western Babylon did a long time keep the Christian Church in spirituall thraldome and misery In which respects Rome is spiritually compared to Sodom and Egypt to Sodom for filthinesse and to Egypt for idolatry and keeping Gods Church in spirituall bondage and slavery And thus we see the reason why Rome is called Babylon which is not simply and properly but after a sort that is by a phrase of speech or Trope which they call a Metonymie or changing of names when that is given to one thing which is proper to another for the likenesse of quality that it hath with it or adjoyned unto it Now having shewed the reason why Rome is called Babylon and what is meant by Rome we are to proceed to the first point which is to prove that Babylon in this place signifieth Rome which although it be granted of all sound Divines and avouched in the writings of the best learned both new and old so as it shall need no great proof yet will I add three or foure reasons out of this book to make it more plain and apparant First therefore I do thus reason out of the seventeenth chapter and last verse Babylon is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth But there was no other city which did reigne over the kings of the earth when John wrote this book but onely Rome Therefore Rome is Babylon For as for Jerusalem it was at that time made an heap of stones The first proposition is avouched by the Angel of God expounding unto John what is meant by the great whore whose damnation hee had shewed him before and by the woman which sate upon a scarlet coloured beast The woman which thou sawest Chap. 17.18 saith the Angel to Saint John is that great city which raigneth over the kings of the earth that is to say Rome or the Romish synagogue and malignant Church For the Angel could not speak more plainely except he should have named Rome then to say thus The woman the great whore of Babylon is the great city which raigneth over the kings of the earth For if one should say The great citie of England every man knoweth that thereby is meant London if one should say The great citie of France every one knoweth that thereby is meant Paris so when the Angel saith The great citie which reigneth over the kings of the earth all that lived in those times knew that thereby was meant Rome Babylon is Rome for Rome was the chief citie of the Monarchy and is put in this book for the whole Monarchy and the religion thereof as hath been said before My second reason is this Chap. 17. Babylon is the mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth Babylon is that great whore with whom have committed fornication the Kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth made drunk with the wine of her fornication But Rome and none but Rome is such a one Therefore Rome is Babylon My third argument is this Babylon is that city which hath had seven severall governments But only Rome hath had seven severall kinds of government Therefore Rome is Babylon The proposition is proved from the words of the Angel expounding unto John what is meant by the seven heads of the scarlet coloured beast whereupon the woman sate The seven heads saith hee are seven kings Chap. 17.9 that is seven orders or states of kingly government for seven kings in this place are not put for seven severall men which were kings
hel-hounds against all such as set the Gospel abroach whereby their Babylon began to shake For at the first when the Gospel began to peep forth they did despise it as a thing which they could easily suppresse but within a short time they found that neither by excommunication wherewith in former times they had even as it were with lightning and thunder caused kings and nations to tremble neither by force of wars and bloudy slaughters neither by any skill in learning nor by treacheries they could any thing prevaile but that the Gospel did still more and more lay open their filthinesse and shame then did they become and so do they continue unto this day even as mad-men in sorrow and rage which the holy Ghost expresseth in saying Chap. 16.11 that they gnawed their tongues for sorrow and blasphemed God c. whereby it is evident that the beast and all that received his mark are full of fiery hatred and malice and cannot tell which way to be revenged For the more they strive the more they lose Faine would they have Popery restored to his ancient credit and dignity and they devise what they can to bring it about but it will not be For their kingdome waxeth darker and darker weaker and weaker and that is a dagger unto them and a griefe of all griefe which maketh them gnaw their tongues and gnash their teeth for sorrow Chap. 16.11 But yet for all this they repented not of their works saith Saint John and therefore God is more incensed against them and causeth the sixth Angel to powr out another viall upon the great river Euphrates and the water thereof dryed up as wee have heard Now then observe carefully Note this and note it diligently that the frogs came forth upon the darkning of the kingdome of the beast and the drying up of their Euphrates For who knoweth not the Pope and his complices perceiving the weakening and diminishing of their kingdom have sent out these Jesuits and seminary Priests into all parts of Europe to repair the ruines of Rome if it were possible and this is one circumstantiall reason to prove these three frogs to be understood of the Jesuites But let us proceed to open the whole description of the holy Ghost that it may yet more plainly appear First Chap. 16.13 these frogs are called unclean spirits because they are the very limbs of the Divell full of all filthinesse and uncleannesse Secondly they are called spirits because they come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet Thirdly they are called three in number being in truth neerer three thousand because they proceed out of three severall mouthes the Dragon the beast and the false prophet that is the Divell the Roman Empire and the Papacy three horrible monsters three terrible bug bears which with one consent conspire together against the Gospel to uphold their Babylon and to stop the leak of their Euphrates Now these three frogs are said to come out of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false prophet because they come with the very minde and message of the Pope and the Roman Empire and so consequently with the very mind and spirit of the Dragon For they are the very breath of the Pope and the spirits of the Divels as like him as if they had been spit out of his mouth They are sent on the Divels errand and the Popes embassage into all countries and kingdomes and are taught their lesson what they shall say and instructed what they shall doe and what courses they shall take with men both kings Nobles and the meaner sort and for this cause the holy Ghost saith they came out of the very mouth the very heart and the very bowels of the Pope and of the Divell And although these Jesuits and seminary Priests are called of the favourites Catholick Doctors The holy Ghost calleth the Jesuits the spirits of Divels Chap. 16.14 holy Fathers c. yet the holy Ghost saith flatly they are the spirits of Divels working false and fained miracles and with great efficacy of error deluding and deceiving the simple and blind multitude We see then that the holy Ghost in all this description doth plainly note out the Jesuites and seminary Priests for to whom can these things here spoken of agree but onely to them And do not wee which live in these dayes sensibly see and discern the fulfilling of all these things Surely wee cannot but see and feel them unlesse wee be wilfully blind and do of purpose blind-fold hoodwink our selves But the holy Ghost goeth yer further and doth more fully and as it were demonstratively point them out unto us describing them by their office which is to go unto the kings of the earth Verse 14. and of the whole world to gather them to the battell of that great day of God almighty Who is ignorant that the Jesuites and seminary Priests are sent out to all Kings and Nobles of the whole world that favour them and their proceedings Are they not croaking in corners thick and threefold in all parts of this land Are they not practising of treacheries and treasons against our most gracious King and the whole state Are they not plotting the destruction and subversion of this Church common-wealth Nay as the holy Ghost saith the chiefe end of their coming abroad is to solicite gather the kings of the earth unto battell against God against Christ and against all true professors of religion The battell betwixt them is here called The battell of the great day of God almighty that is that battell wherein the Almighty God will have the day and goe away with the victory For it followeth The Jesuites by their crafty perswasions shall bring the popish kings and their armies to a place where they shall be destroyed that the Jesuites and seminary Priests did prevaile with the seduced kings of the earth so far as to gather them together to a place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon that is to say a place where they shall be destroyed and that with such an horrible slaughter that the place shall take a name thereof For it was an usuall thing among the Hebrews to call the place where any famous thing fell out by a name which did report the same to all posterity as Kibroth Hataavah Numb 11. the graves of Concupiscence Hamon Gog Ezek. 39. the multitude of Gog and divers such like And so here Armageddon the destruction of an army because the kings of the earth and their armies which shall fight against the Church at the instigation of the Jesuites shall come to a place where they shall have a notable overthrow This word Armageddon may fitly be derived of two Hebrew words that is to say Cherem which signifieth destruction and Gedudh which signifieth an army that is the destruction of an army or as some say and that very judicially it may come
of Genermah Gidnon which signifieth the subtilty of destruction because the blind Kings and Nobles of the earth shall by the subtilty and crafty perswasions of the Jesuits and seminary priests be intised to fight against the Protestants in a place where they shall have a famous foyl Some derive Armageddon of Har which in Hebrew signifieth a Mountain and Megiddo which is the place where the godly king Josias was slaine and so this place should be called Armageddon the Mountain of Megiddo for the slaughter of kings that shall be there To the which the Prophet Zecharie alludeth Zech. 12.11 saying In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Well we do see that all these significations and derivations of Armageddon come to one thing in effect which is that the great armies which assemble themselves in battell against the Lord shall be destroyed and therefore it is not much materiall to dispute which is the more likely signification of the word But this let us observe for our comfort that whensoever wee shall see the Kings and Captains Nobles and Potentates of the earth being solicited by the Jesuites Priests and the false Prophet to levie great armies and make great powers to fight against the Gospel and the true professors therof for the maintenance of great Babylon they shall not prevaile but be utterly overthrowne and destroyed as in part wee see fulfilled in the yeer of our Lord 1588 when the great and invincible Armado of the Spaniards as they thought which was long in preparing against us and at last by the instigation of the Jesuites brought upon us came to Armageddon as we know GOD be praised And in all time to come in the like case let them look for the like successe Well now to grow to some conclusions of this point we do plainly see that Rome falleth their kingdome waxeth dark their Euphrates dryeth up and they espy it The Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet send out their frogs into all countries and kingdomes hoping to prevent it by the help of the kings of the earth and especially the king of Spaine but alas all in vain for they must come to Armageddon when they have done all that they can For God fighteth from heaven against them God bringeth them down and no power of man is able to uphold them But now let us proceed to prove the third maine point which is that Rome shall fall finally and come to utter desolation For all sound Divines are perswaded of the fall of Babylon and doe grant that it falleth and is in falling but all are not so throughly perswaded of the finall fall thereof in this life Therefore now I will prove by manifest Scripture that Rome shall fall finally Rome shall fall finally First if the things be deeply considered and narrowly looked into which S. John saith shall fall out upon the powring forth of the seventh viall of Gods wrath by the seventh Angel they do fully portend a deadly downfall and utter overthrow of Rome For the seventh viall is not powred upon the earth or sea or fountains of waters or on the Sun Chap. 16.17 as the first foure vials were which signified some particular judgment but it was powred forth into the very air which signifieth the universality of it and containeth the most generall and most grievous judgment and vengeance of Almighty God upon the whole body of the kingdome of Antichrist a little before the last day The text saith that upon the powring forth of this viall Verse 17. there was a loud voyce heard out of the Temple of heaven from the throne that is from the very presence of God saying It is done it is dispatched the utter overthrow of Rome is fully concluded of and all things finished which belong to the powring forth of the seven vials which containe the seven last plagues wherein the whole wrath of God is fulfilled as appeareth chap. 15. As before it is said Babylon is fallen Chap. 15.1 because it should certainly fall so here God himselfe saith It is done because it shall certainly be done For whatsoever God hath determined to be done is as it were already done because it shall most certainly be effected Sith then the Lord hath pronounced this of Rome there remaineth nothing but a daily accomplishment of it and let all the Papists know for a certainty that they must goe to their geere they must come to their payment there is no way of evasion For hath the Lord spoken it and shall it not come to passe Now upon this that God saith It is done followeth presently that there were voyces and thundrings Chap. 15.18 and lightnings and there was a great earth-quake such as was not since men were upon the earth even so mighty an earth-quake Chap. 6.12 What is meant by thundrings lightnings and earth-quakes in this book I have before shewed to wit commotions seditions tumults uprores and alterations of states kingdomes and common-wealths and then the meaning of this place is that there shall be horrible shakings concussions tumults and great alteration of state in all the kingdomes which are subject to Antichrist none of them shall escape For this seventh viall of Gods wrath upon the kingdom of the beast is compared to a most horrible and blustring tempest raised up in the whole aire that is in all places of Antichrists dominions And it is specially to be noted as a thing of great moment that the holy Ghost saith there was never such an earth-quake as this since the world began and since men were upon the earth For assuredly so soon as the seventh Angel powreth forth his viall the kingdom of Popery shall goe down amaine which shall not be long before the end of the world as all circumstances here doe shew After all this Saint John telleth us the effect of this thundring lightning and extraordinary earth-quake which is Chapt. 16.19 that the great city was divided into three parts that is there shall be a most horrible rent and division in the city of Rome and throughout all the Popes dominions What this rent and division is and how it shall be I cannot determine being a thing to come as all the rest comprehended under the powring forth of the seventh viall But this I am sure of that Rome shall goe down and there shall be such tumults uprores rents divisions disputations and concussions in Rome and throughout all the Romish jurisdiction as never were heard of nor read of since the world began For Saint John addeth Verse 59. that Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of his wrath that is God doth now at length call to mind all the wrongs done to his people and all the righteous bloud shed for the space of seven or eight hundred yeers by the whore of
never set Popery here in England to stand and continue do what they can I must needs confesse that our sins being so horrible and outragious as they are and being grown to such an height and ripenesse doe deserve some fearfull vengeance and that God hath a just controversie against us as sometimes hee had against Israel Hos 4. because there was no mercy nor truth nor knowledge of God in the land but swearing lying killing stealing and whoring and bloud toucheth bloud and therefore saith God The land shall mourn c. But yet I hope for his covenant sake for his great mercies sake for his names sake for his glory sake and for his Churches sake he will be gracious and favourable unto us and not bring upon us that vengeance which our sins have deserved or at least wise though he correct us as indeed he hath just cause and we may justly fear it yet hee will doe it in mercy for our amendment and not in wrath to our destruction as hee saith by his Prophet I will not utterly destroy thee Jer. 30.11 46.28 10.24 but I will correct thee by judgment and not utterly cut thee off But howsoever it shall please the most wise God to deale with us yet this I say and am perswaded of that Popery shall never be established again in this kingdom my reason is because the everlasting Gospel carried abroad by the Angel that flyeth in the middest of heaven shall spread still more and more throughout all the kingdomes of Europe as appeareth chap. 14. v. 6. for otherwise how shall Rome fall how shall the Jewes ever be converted Rom. 11.24 how shall fire come down from heaven and devoure both Gog and Magog Chap. 19. as the holy Ghost fore-telleth shall come to passe and as we shall hear more anon Moreover S. John telleth us plainly Chap. 10.1 that in these last dayes the Gospel shall be preached to many people and nations and tongues and to many kings And further hee saith that in this age wherein we live many shall renounce idolatry repent and give glory to the God of heaven But some man may say How prove you that this kingdome is one of them which Saint John speaketh of and which hee meaneth wherein the Gospel shall be preached unto the end of the world I answer that it is proved out of the seventeenth chapter of this Prophecie where the holy Ghost telleth us flatly that those ten kingdomes of Europe which had a long time been the ten horns and strength of the beast Chap. 19.13 and being of one mind had given their power and authority unto the beast should now in these last dayes rise up against the whore of Babylon Verse 16. make war against her hate her and make her desolate But this kingdome is one of those ten hornes and one of those ten kingdomes which a long time had given her power and authority to the beast Therefore as this kingdome hath happily begun to hate the whore and to make her desolate and naked so undoubtedly she shall continue unto the end of the world * England other kingdoms which have forsaken the beast shal so continue unto the end of the world For if this kingdome and other kingdomes which now hate the whore doe not continue how shall she be made desolate and naked c. Then it should seem the beast shall revive and recover himselfe again and so St. John shall be found a false Prophet But God is true and all men are lyers and St. John shall be found a true Prophet and therefore these kingdoms of Europe which have begun to hate the whore shall continue and never give her over till as the holy Ghost saith they have eaten her flesh and burnt her with fire that is till they have utterly devoured her But here it will be objected that in the latter dayes iniquity shall have the upper hand I answer first that I find no such place of Scripture But this I find that our Lord Jesus fore-telleth his disciples that very shortly after his death and resurrection many seducers and false teachers should arise which should deceive many and draw them away from the love of the Gospel and saith he Mat. 24.12 because iniquity shall be increased the love of many shall be cold But this speech of our Saviour doth not properly concern our times but yet it must needs be granted that the wicked shall wax worse and worse and the world shall not amend but still be worse and worse and grow to a greater height and ripenesse of sin as appeareth in this Prophecie Yet for all this we must note withall that the number of true beleevers in those last daies shall be very many Ch. 11.1 11 13. as this book doth also teach But it may be objected How can this geare stand together that in the last dayes there shall be multitudes and millions of reprobates and most wicked and abominable persons and yet withall a great increase of true beleevers I answer that the world will be alwaies like it selfe impious and unbeleeving But the Church shall purely worship God and that with daily increasing even unto the end But now me thinketh I heare some man say What likelyhood is there of all this which you write touching the overthrow of Rome Doe wee not see that Rome is yet strong Doth not Italy Spaine the greatest part of France and Netherland and Germany stand for her defence Hath not the whore still many and great bearers and upholders What likelyhood is there then that ever she shall be brought so low as you speak of I answer that in this case wee must not ask the question We may not say What likelihood is there of this What likelyhood Wee must not consult with flesh and bloud wee must not take counsell of humane reason For God is marvellous in his devices and when he hath once decreed and determined of any future event hee will compasse it by means far surpassing all humane reach and capacity yea by such plots and devices as mans wit could never have once dreamed of For hee hath all means in heaven and earth in his hands and is admirable in all his proceedings and therefore wee may not ask this question What likelyhood or how can it be or how can it possibly come to passe What likelyhood was there an hundred yeeres past when Rome was in her delight and all the kingdomes of Europe stood for her that ever she should have been forsaken of so many of her old friends as at this day she is What likelyhood was there that when the Pope could command the Emperor and all the Kings of Europe and their kingdomes that ever hee should have been brought so low as at this day he is God be thanked What likelyhood was there that ever poor Martin Luther should stand out with the everlasting Gospel in his mouth against the
Pope Emperor and as it were the whole world and yet die in his bed in a good old age What likelyhood was there that King Henry the eighth of famous memory should renounce Rome oppose himsefe against the Pope and suppresse the Abbeyeâ— Priories and Monasteries in this kingdom and take their lands and livings into his owne hands Therefore I conclude that when God hath decreed the utter overthrow of Rome wee must not ask this question How can it be or which way shall it be brought about For the Scriptures do teach that God in all ages hath done the greatest exploits either by himselfe alone without means or else by weak means or contrary to all means 2 Chron. 20. By himselfe without meanes hee overthrew the Moabites Amorites and them of Mount Seir which made war against good king Jehosaphat Exod. 14. By himselfe he destroyed Pharaoh and his army in the red sea Josh 6. By himselfe hee overthrew Jericho that great city 2 King 19. By himselfe he slew the huge army of the Assyrians that made war against Ezekias 2 Chro. 14. By himselfe he smote the great and dreadfull army of the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah 2 King 6. By himselfe hee smote the Syrians which besieged Dothan the citie where the Prophet Elisha was Judg. 7. By weak meanes he overthrew the innumerable army of the Midianites even by Gideons three hundred By weak meanes hee slew a garrison of the Philistims 1 Sam. 14. even by Jonathan and his armour-bearer By weake means hee overthrew the kings of Sodom and thereabouts Gen. 1â— even by Abraham and his family He overthrew Goliah by David 1 Sam. 17. Judg. 4. Judg. 6. Sisera by Jael Abimelech by a woman Contrary to means hee saved the three children Dan. 3. from burning being in the fire Contrary to means Jonas 2. he saved Jonas from drowning being cast into the sea Contrary to means Dan. 6. he preserved Daniel from devouring being cast into the lions den Contrary to means Exod. 14. hee kept the Israelites from drowning being in the bottome of the sea Contrary to meanes and all expectation Josh 1â— hee caused the Sun to stand still at noon day whilest hee overthrew the five kings of Canaan by Joshua Therefore I conclude that forasmuch as God in aâ—l ages hath effected the most strange and admirable things The 〈◊〉 overthrow of Rome concluded of either by himself without means or by very weak means or contrary to all means â—herefore it is in vain to ask this question How or by what means shall Rome be destroyed For it is enough for us to know that it shall be destroyed and come to utter desolation And in my judgment the holy Ghost hath so often and plainly affirmed this that no man should any more make any doubt of it or once call it into question For what can be more plain Chapt. 14.8 Chapt. 16.2 Chapt. 17.8 Chap. 17.11 Chap. 18.21 Chap. 18.8 then to say Rome is fallen Rome shall fall Great hail-stones like talents shall fall upon it It shall goe to perdition It shall fall to destruction It shall be cast downe like a great mil-stone into the bottome of the sea It shall be burnt with fire Chap. 17.16 Chap. 18.22 It shall be made desolate and naked It shall be without inhabitants All the Popish sort Chap. 18.9 both high and low shall with great mourning and lamenting bewaile the desolation thereof Chap. 16.16 Their armies shall come to Armageddon Chap. 19.28 The beast and the false prophet shall be taken and their Captains and souldiers slain by infinite heapes and their carcasses made meat for the fowles of the air If all this be not plain enough I cannot tell what can be plaine enough True it is indeed the holy Ghost doth not name Rome but it is apparant by the circumstances that all these places must needs be understood of Rome of Romish power and of thâ—â—omish armies For there can no other sound sense be given of them as all divine writers and interpreters doe affirme both new and old And therefore I conclude that Saint John in this prophecie could not speak more plainly except hee should have named Rome for hee nameth Babylon he nameth the great city which then reigned over the kings of the earth he nameth the city situate upon seven hils he nameth the city which had seven severall governments And therefore out of all doubt he meaneth Rome Well then sith it is so that Rome and all Romish power and authority shall fall flat down and come to utter destruction and desolation in this life let all men take heed how they joyn with Rome how they joyn with the Romish Church and how they receive the beasts mark for assuredly they shall all be destroyed together both in this life and that which is to come as wee shall hear by and by Let all the wise men therefore and all such as have any care of their salvation follow the wholesome counsell and advice of the holy Ghost which saith Chap. 18.4 5. Go out of her my people that yee be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues for her sins are come up to heaven and God hath remembred her iniquities Our only wisdome then will be to separate our selves from the whore of Babylon that is from the Church of Rome and to joyne our selves with all speed unto the Church of God that is the Church of the Protestants for this shall stand and flourish the other shall fall down and perish But what then shall we be sorry for the fall of Babylon Gods people are to rejoice in the overthrow of Rome Chap. 18.20 and the ruine of Rome No no the holy Ghost counselleth us greatly to rejoyce in her destruction and overthrow saying O heavens rejoyce over her and ye holy Apostles and Prophets because God hath given you judgement on her Wee are therefore to be so far from mourning and lamenting for the desolation of Rome the kings merchants mariners and other her friends as that it ought to be the very joy and rejoycing of our hearts For Saint John saith that not onely the holy Angels Prophets Apostles and Martyrs shall rejoyce at the destruction of Rome but also all the Saints and all the whole body of the Church And therefore he saith that after the utter overthrow of Rome Chap. 19.1 2. Hee heard a great voyce of a great multitude in heaven saying Hallelujah that is praise yee the Lord for hee hath condemned the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the bloud of his servants shed by her hand And againe saith Saint John they said Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah thrice together thereby expressing the great joy and thanksgiving for the destruction and overthrow of the great whore and even so ought all that love
Acts 1.7 It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put into his owne power Yet even in this point I will by Gods assistance set downe so much as is revealed and so much as God hath given me to see First I doe confesse that God in his word hath set downe a just period and precise determination of all the greatest afflictions and persecutions that ever came to his Church before the coming of his Sonne in the flesh for the comfort thereof as that of Egypt after the expiration of four hundred and thirty yeers that of Babylon after the date of seventy yeers Dan. 8. that of the Medes and Persians after the determination of an hundred and thirty yeers that of Alexanders state Dan. 11. after six yeers that of Magog and Egypt after 249 yeers So likewise that of Christs death and resurrection after seventy sevens or seventy weekes which make 490. yeers Dan. 9.42 as the Angel Gabriel foretold unto the Prophet Daniel But concerning the just period and precise determinations of the persecutions of the Church since Christ by the Roman Empire and the Papacy we find not the like set down and hereof there may be two reasons yeelded First because the Church of the Jewes was not under so cleer and precious promises as wee are therefore it was needfull for the better strengthening of their hope and comfort in afflictions that they should know the very time determined but because the Church of the Christians liveth under most cleer and comfortable promises of deliverance therefore God according to his deep wisdome would have our faith exercised in an assured expectation of the accomplishment thereof though the precise time be concealed Another reason may be this the utter overthrow of Rome falleth out to be but a little before the coming of Christ to judgement as appeareth in this Prophecie Now then if we knew the day or yeer certainly when Rome should fall finally it would give us too much light unto the knowledge of the last day which God in great wisdome hath of purpose hid from the knowledge of all men yea and of Angels I know right well that a certain learned Writer doth precisely determine the utter destruction of Rome to fall out in the yeer of our Lord 1639. Napier in Apoc. 14. pag. 183. But by the favour of so excellent a man be it spoken I see no sufficient ground thereof But touching this matter of the time of Romes finall fall I will deliver mine opinion and my reasons submitting my selfe to the judgement of the learned for I would be loth in this or any other thing to goe beyond my compasse or passe the bounds of modesty and humility and therefore do refer all to be tried by the shekel of the sanctuary I doe therefore thus judge that the utter overthrow of Rome shall be in this age I mean within the age of man my reason is this Wee in this age live under the opening of the seventh seale the blowing of the sixth trumpet and the powring forth of the sixth viall For the first it is manifest because the opening of the seventh seale containeth all things that shall fall out to the end of the world as hath been proved and shewed before For the blowing of the sixth trumpet that is also plaine because under the blowing thereof the little Book was opened Chap. â—â— and the Gospel preached as wee see in this age Chap. 10.2 10 11. For the powring downe of the sixth viall of Gods wrath that also is most cleer because thereupon the great river Euphrates dryeth up and the Jesuites are sent out to solicite the kings of the earth to battell against the Church as wee see fulfilled in these our dayes Then I reason thus Chap. 14 6 8. Rome must fall downe finally in that age wherein the little Book is opened and the everlasting Gospel preached But in this age the little Book is opened and the everlasting Gospel preached Therefore in this age Rome must fall downe finally And again I reason thus Chap. 16.16 Rome must fall down finally in that age wherein the river Euphrates that is the fortification of Rome dryeth up and the Jesuites are sent forth to stop the leak thereof But all this falleth our in this age as wee see with our eyes Therefore in this age Rome shall fall downe finally It is very probable that Rome shall fall finally in this age The reason of the proposition is for in this age the Popish armies shall come to Armageddon Moreover this I say and not I but the Lord when the seventh Angel bloweth the seventh trumpet then cometh the end of the world But the sixth Angel hath sounded the sixth trumpet long agoe as appeareth by the effects Therefore it cannot be long ere the seventh Angel blow But Rome must fall downe finally before the seventh Angel blow as hath been shewed before Therefore the utter fall of Rome cannot be long deferred I do not determine either of day moneth or yeer because it is not revealed But I ghess at an age because the holy Ghost pointeth us unto an agent If any man see further I will easily yeeld unto him thank God for light But all these things I set downe for the comfort of Gods Church not desiring to understand above that which is meet to understand but to understand according to sobriety Now it resteth to speake of the last main point which is the causes of Romes utter ruine and overthrow which first of all are set down foure severall times for failing Chap. 14.8 Chap. 18.3 Chap. 19.3 Chap. 17.2 to be because she made all nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication They which outwardly make others drunk or commit fornication with others are worthy to be severely punished How much sorer punishment are they worthy of which doe the same spiritually and therefore wo be to Rome Another cause of the destruction of Rome Chap. 16.6 Chap. 18.24 The causes of Romes utter downfall is for that she hath shed the bloud of all the Prophets Martyrs and Saints as it is written In thee was found the bloud of the Prophets and of the Saints and of all that were slaine upon the earth What is hee worthy to have that is a most cruel bloud-sucker nay what is hee worthy to have that shall murther a kings children yea that shall murther his eldest son and heir apparant to the crown But Rome hath murthered thousands of the King of heavens children yea Rome hath murthered the great heire of heaven and earth I meane the very Son of God Chap. 11.8 for Christ was put to death by the Roman power and authority and by a Roman Judge as before hath been shewed Therfore let all men judge what Rome is worthy to have Moreover Saint John telleth us Chap. 18.23 that Rome with her inchantments
life to come as having speciall right and interest therein through Christ God being his Father and hee his Sonne and heire But on the contrary hee willeth it to be written and recorded as a thing most certain and sure that all reprobates all atheists worldlings and all unbeleevers shall have their part and portion in the lake which burneth with sure and brimstone for ever Verse 8. And there came unto mee one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials full of the seven plagues and talked with mee Verse 9. saying I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs Wife And hee carryed me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain Verse 10. and showed me that great citie that holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God Having the glory of God Verse 11. and her shining was like unto a stone most precious as a jasper stone cleer as crystall Here one of the Angels mentioned in the sixteenth chapter which had a viall full of Gods wrath talketh with S. John and telleth him that hee will shew him the Bride the Lambs Wife that is the triumphant Church in her glorified estate being united and married unto Christ in the kingdome of glory And therefore Saint John saith that this Angel carryed him away in the spirit to a great and high mountaine and shewed him that great citie holy Jerusalem c. We read in the seventeenth chapter that when this Angel shewed John the whore of Babylon hee carried him away into the wildernesse in the spirit because the whore of Babylon should make the Church barren and desolate as the wildernesse But now that hee is to shew him the Spouse of Christ in her glory and to describe the everlasting Jerusalem hee carryeth him in the spirit unto a very high mountaine that hee might take a sight of it as Moses was carryed up to the top of mount Nebo that from thence hee might take a view of the holy land Which teacheth that none can take a right view of heaven and heavenly things but only such as flie an high pitch and mount far above this earth in holy affections and heavenly contemplation Moreover Saint John telleth us that as soon as hee tooke a sight of this new Jerusalem farre passing all Sinai's sights forthwith hee espyed in it the very glory of God If hee had said hee had espyed the glory of an Angel it had been more But that hee espyeth the very glory of God it is most of all For who can conceive or expresse what the glory of God is being infinite The Apostle saith that God dwelleth in unaccessible light or such light as none can approach unto Then this is one word for all touching the beauty and super-excellency of the new Jerusalem that it comprehendeth in it the very glory of God but yet for amplifications sake it is compared to a Jasper stone for never-fading greennesse and to a Crystal stone for bright shining and glittering for ever And had a great wall and high Verse 12. and had twelve gates and at the gates twelve Angels and the names written which are the twelve tribes of the cheldren of Israel On the East-side there were three gates Verse 13. and on the North-side three gates on the South-side three gates and on the West-side three gates And the wall of the city had twelve foundations Verse 14. and in them the names of the Lambes twelve Apostles Now Saint John proceeds to the description of the wall and gates of this great city This we all know that a strong wall serveth for the defence and safety of a city â—nd for the security of such as dwell in it â—or if it be so high that none can scale it and â—o thick that none can batter it then it is inâ—eed impregnable and the citizens in great â—ecurity But the wall of heaven is so high â—s none can scale it as it is set downe in this welfth verse and so thick that no double cannon can pierce it as appeareth verse 17. therefore all the inhabitants of this new Jerusalem are out of all fear of danger Moreover this citie hath twelve gates to signifie an hard accesse for enemies to break in and an easie passage for the citizens themselves to goe in and out And at those twelve gates twelve Angels at every gate an Angel as it were a porter to see that none be let in but the true citizens and free denizens and such as have to do there which are here named to be the twelve Tribes of Israel that is all the elect of God both of the Jews and Gentiles Moreover it is said that there were three gates on every side of the citie both East West North and South to note that out of all quarters of the earth the redeemed should be gathered Matth. 8. and as our Saviour saith Many shall come from the East and the West the North and South and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God So that it is not materiall what countrey or nation a man is of whether English Scottish French or Spanish so he be a beleever for then hee shall be sure to be let in at one gate or another either at the East-gate or the West-gate the North-gate or the South-gate Moreover the wall of the city hath twelve foundations that is to say it is surely founded And in every gate the name of an Apostle so that all the gates had the names of the Lambes twelve Apostles to signifie that the ground and foundation of this city is laid upon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Ephes 2. Jesus Christ himself being the chiefe corner-stone And hee that talked with mee had a golden reed to measure the city withall Verse 15. and the gates thereof and the wall thereof And the city lay foure-square Verse 16. and the length is as large as the breadth of it and he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equall And hee measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four cubits by the measure of man Verse 17. that is of the Angel Now St. John telleth us that the Angel which talked with him had a golden reed to measure both the city and the gates and the wals thereof Measuring with reeds was a thing of great use in ancient time as we read in the Prophecie of Ezekiel and Zachary and as we have heard in the eleventh chapter But because all things belonging to this celestiall Jerusalem are super-excellent and glorious therefore the very measuring rod and reed is of pure gold This great and glorious city is said to lie four-square to note unto us that it standeth fast and unmoveable for round things are easily rolled and moved this way or that way hither and thither but square things are not apt to roll or move This everlasting
notwithstanding the rage and fury of the World ver 11.12.13 in persecuting them to death God should not only receive their soules to glory but also raise up others endued with the same spirit which should preach professe and witnesse the same truth constantly and continually even unto the end of the World Lastly it sheweth ver 14. c. that after the preaching of the Gospell some good time in this last age the seventh Angell should blow the trumpet and the world should end And there was given unto me a reed like unto a rod and the Angell stood by saying Arise verse 1. and measure the Temple of God and the Alar and them that worship therein Here Jesus Christ giveth a reed unto John like unto a rod and hereupon he is commanded by an Angell to goe about the measuring of the Temple the Altar c. By this measuring with a reed like a rod is signified the restoring and building up of Gods house which now was greatly ruinated and runne into decay through the long prevailing of Popery Measuring with a reed is taken for the building up of Gods Church after the decaied estate thereof both in Ezekiel Zachary and this Prophesie John in the persons of all faithfull Ministers hath this measuring rod given him because the Church was to be restored and built up by the Ministers and Ministery of the Gospell The thing to be measured is the Temple the Altar and them that worship therein This is an allusion to the legall worship whereby our spirituall worship is represented For by the materiall Temple is meant the spirituall Temple or Church of God By the Altar of stone is meant the spirituall worship By them that worship therein with carnall sacrifices is meant all the true members of the Church which worship God in spirit and truth Now then both the Church the true worship and worshippers were all to be measured repaired and built up by Ministry of the Word which all were decayed and almost laid waste by the Popes tyranny But the Court which is without the Temple cast out and measure it not verse 2. for it is given to the Gentiles and the holy City shall they tread under their foot two and forty moneths John is here forbidden to measure and build up the Court which is without the Temple Whereby is meant all Heretickes Hypocrites worldlings and all such as have a place in the Church but are not of the Church This phrase of speech is taken from the old shadowish worship as the rest before For in the Temple of Jerusalem there was an outward Court which was common to all good and bad the holy place which was proper to the Priests and Levites and the holy of holiest or most holy place where none might come but the high Priest only Here is a reason added why the Lord God refuseth all Papists and Hypocrites and all such as belong to the outward Court only and it is this that this outward Court is given unto the Gentiles that is to all false Christians and counterfeits in religion which are members of the visible Church but have nothing to do with the invisible These are compared to Gentiles in two respects First in regard of prophanesse for they are as prophane as the Heathen Secondly in respect of persecuting the truth for Hypocrites and Atheists are as forward in persecuting the people of God as the Heathen Emperours which persecuted the Church by the space of 300. yeares All comes in this that when the Church should be gathered and built by the preaching of the Gospell God would have all Papists Atheists and Hypocrites shut out Moreover here is the second reason yeelded why the outward Court should be cast out and not measured to wit because they should tread the holy City under foot forty and two moneths that is they should persecute the Church all the time of Antichrists raigne For forty two moneths in this Verse and 1260. dayes in the next Verse and three dayes and a halfe Verse 9. and time times and halfe a time in the twelfe Chapter the foureteenth Verse and 1260. dayes the twelfe Chapter the sixth verse do signifie all one thing which is the short raigne of Antichrist for these moneths these dayes and these times do every one of them make three yeares and an halfe For who knoweth not that forty two moneths make just three yeares and an halfe and that 1260. dayes maketh even so much also and by time he meaneth a yeare bytimes two yeare and by halfe a time halfe a yeare Now the reason why Antichrists raigne is numbered by dayes moneths and halfe times and all amounting but to three yeares and a halfe is to note the short continuance thereof for the comfort of the Church as appeareth more fully and plainely in sundry places of this Prophesie where it is set down in plaine words that Antichrist should raigne but a short time for what is five or six hundred yeares in comparison of eternity But here the Papists do shew themselves most sottish and ridiculous in that they would gather from hence that the Pope is not Antichrist for say they Antichrist shall raigne but three yeares and an halfe but the Pope hath raigned many yeares therfore the Pope is not Antichrist Now to answere the proposition of their argument taken from this place First it may be answered that this place is not to be understood literally but mystically as many other things in this booke Secondly here is a certaine number put for an uncertaine a definite number for an indefinite which also is usuall in this booke as we heard before concerning the sealing of the Tribes of every Tribe 12000. which maketh 144000. Now no man is so mad as to thinke there were just so many sealed and neither more nor lesse Thirdly here is an allusion to Daniels weekes and other propheticall computations wherein somtimes a day is put for a yeare a weke for seven yeares as in Daniels sevens and a moneth for thirty yeares So then I conclude that it is extreme folly to interpret this place litterally The curious and frivolous interpretations of this place and such like in this booke by some writers I do of purpose omit as matters untrue unsound and unjudiciall for I only in this book seeke the sense that is and not the sense which is not as hath been said before verse 3. But I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesie 1260. dayes cloathed in sackcloth Having set down how Antichrist and his company being those Gentiles which possesse the outward Court should tread downe the holy Citty that is the true Church of God for a short time now he commeth to shew that even in the height and pride of the Popes power and governement yet the Church was not utterly extinct God did never utterly forsake it but in all ages and at all times God raised up one or other to withstand