demonstrated in my Synopsis Prophetica Nor can any man wonder that the Apocalypse affects such high figures as these are if he consider that this is one part of the artifice of Concealment which is so studiously intended in it But if we understand this power given to these Witnesses of the oral denunciation of these Aegyptian plagues that also is very plausible from Jer. 1.10 where God speaks thus to Jeremiah See I have this day set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down and to build and to plant Which is not to do these things but to denounce them CHAPTER XII 1. ANd there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a Woman cloathed with the Sun and the Moon under her féet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars This is the primitive Apostolick Church before the Apostasie Where being clothed with the Sun signifies her being environed with the pure Light of the Gospel or the Sun of Righteousness communicated to her And her being crowned with twelve Stars denotes that it was her Glory and her Crown that she was not yet degenerated from the True Apostolick Faith and practice nor did as yet either Iudaize or Paganize but trod under-foot both the Carnality of the Judaical Rites whose Feasts and Legal Observances were appointed according to the course of the Moon and also the gross Superstitions and Idolatries of the Pagans which are rightly deemed the works of darkness or of the night of which the Moon is Governess 2. And she being with Child cryed travailing in birth and pained to be delivered These sharp throes signifie the cruel cutting persecutions the Primitive Church was under and the many martyrdoms they did suffer before that promise of Christ was made good to them Fear not little stock for it is my Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom This state therefore of the Church is contemporary with that of the earnest Ephesine and bitter Smyrnean succession and with the inward Court where also stood the Altar of Holocausts betokening the Primitive Christians frequent sacrificing their lives in Testimony to the Truth 3. And there appeared another wonder in Heaven namely while this Woman was thus in travail And behold a great red Dragon that is bloody and cruel having seven Heads and ten Horns on his seventh head suppose but without Crowns to intimate they are not yet in being though the heads be said to be crowned as well the five past and that one to come as the present sixth head the better to understand thereby that they are Men or Magistrates not Hills that are intimated in this place that is the reason it is said And seven Crowns upon his heads 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven and did cast them to the Earth that is his Military Train or Armies had subdued in S t Iohn's time the third part of the Kingdoms and Principalities of the then known world And the Dragon stood before the Woman which was ready to be delivered to devour the Child as soon as it was born The Dragon that is the Roman Empire Pagan known by its seven Heads which allude also to the seven Hills Chap. 17. as well as to the sevenfold succession of Government in it but Pagan in that it is in the shape of a Dragon as being under the Dominion not of Christ but Satan and also because seven Heads are only named and the Horns of the seventh Head yet uncrowned Wherefore this Vision belongs to the Empire while it was yet purely Pagan and the sense of that last clause is briefly this That the Roman Pagan Emperours and their Ministers the Devil assisting watched as close as they could that the Church of Christ never should come to such Power as to have an Emperour of their own Religion and so the Roman Empire come into their hands but so soon as any such thing appeared they endeavoured to quash it and defeat it 5. And she brought forth a Man-child who was to rule all Nations with a rod of Iron But notwithstanding all their envious and malicious watchfulness the Woman brought forth a Man-child a Mystical Christ or Christian People that at last would make themselves Masters of the Empire and Rule the wicked persecutive Pagans with such severity as they deserved which is intimated by what follows And her Child was caught up unto God and to his Throne He was advanced to the Imperial Dignity which is called here the Throne of God in such a sense as Supreme Magistrates are called Elohim Gods in the Hebrew Idiom because they are Gods Vicegerents and Representatives here on Earth whence their Majesty is also called Sacred And this was plainly fulfilled when Constantine turned Christian. The watchfulness therefore of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this quick-sighted vigilant Dragon seems to be contemporary with the Travail of the Woman till she had brought forth a Man-child that might rule all Nations with a Rod of Iron 6. And the Woman fled into the Wilderness But a little after this external prosperity of the Church and deliverance from the present Pagan persecution she was yet fain to take shelter in the wilderness the outward Catholick Church becoming little better in a short time For which reason she is said to fly into the Wilderness being more safe in this Christiano-gentilism than in that open furious oppression of the Pagan red Dragon thought in propriety of speech the desart or Christiano-paganism came swiftly upon her rather than she by any will of her own fled into it but it is a Prophetical Hypallage Where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there The Apostolick Church should be preserved by Gods Providence all the time of this her abode in the Wilderness or Christiano-gentilism namely about the time of a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Prophetical that is years Or the time and times and half a time as they are afterward called and sometimes resolved into Dayes sometimes into Months for * particular symbolical meanings and for the embellishing of the Cortex of the Apocalypse but to be understood alwayes seven Semitimes in whatever other disguise expressed whether of Dayes or Months These 1260 dayes therefore is the same time with forty two months of the treading down the outward Court by the Gentiles 7. And there was war in Heaven which betokens the like affair to come upon Earth Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon fought and his Angels which implies the invisible assistances and oppositions of Angels good and bad the one on the Primitive Christians side the other on the Pagan Empires side during that strong conflict betwixt the Church and the Pagans their persecutors in the Ephesine and Smyrnean succession with which the pangs of the Woman in travail also is contemporary 8. And the Dragon and his Angels prevailed not that
and night in his Temple ever thankfully mindfull of the Evil they are delivered from and the great good they enjoy In vertue of the former sufferings of the true Apostolick Church under the Antichristian Tyranny shall the Church in these dayes here described enjoy peaceably their Religion and make their addresses to God continually in safety in his Holy Church which is his Temple And he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them For these are the times of Iehovah Shammah Of the Tabernacle of God amongst Men the times of the New Ierusalem 16. They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more They shall not be false-fed nor hunger-starved by deceitful Teachers that cannot impart to them the bread of Life nor raise the Spirit of Life in them by their Ministry as being devoid of it themselves whereby their thirst may be satisfied Neither wall any Sun light on them nor any heat There shall no Political Power whatsoever tyrannize over their consciences and by their persecution force them as was usuall under Antichrist to a sapless senseless heartless nay grosly Superstitious and Idolatrous Religion against their own judgement and inward sense of things 17. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters that is Christ himself by his Spirit and by true Spiritual Guides and Governours to whom he has communicated his Spirit shall feed them that is guide and govern them and shall lead them unto Living Fountains of waters shall conduct them into and guide them in the Dispensation of Life the renovation of their inward Man into the Living Image of God And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes They shall be no more calamitous by the wrongs and persecutions of bloody Tyrants whether Spiritual or Temporal For the true Apostolick Church shall then be an impregnable City or Polity of it self the New Ierusalem as it is described in the 21 Chapter of the Apocalypse This is the sense of this transition from the six first Seals to the opening of the last and reaches from the beginning of the corrupt part of the Pergamenian Interval to the end of the Laodicean NOTES CHAPTER VII Vers. 2. One of whose Titles is the East This is D r Hammonds sense upon the place and it is I think not only ingenious but true For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the East is with the Cabbalists the Eternal Wisdom of God that is the Eternal Word which is Christ. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the very word in the Text the same that occurrs Luke 1. vers 78. whereby 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Day-spring from on high has visited us which is there understood of Christ as also Zachar. 3.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and chap. 6.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecce vir Oriens nomen ejus And Jerem. 23.5 he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as also chap. 33.14 All which places not only the Christians but the Iews understood of the Messias So plain is it that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Oriens the East or Day-spring is a Name or Title of Christ. And though in those places of the Old Testament it is translated Germen a Branch as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most ordinarily signifies yet being it may also signifie light or shining and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in what sense soever is a Title of Christ and yet does usually signifie the East that the word here may be allusively used to signifie Christ is to me abundantly rational See Doctor Hammond upon Luk. 1. v. 78. CHAPTER VIII 1. ANd when he had opened the seventh Seal there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour This is spoken in allusion to the custome in the service of the Temple where though in the former part of their Service while the Sacrifices were offered the Temple rang again with their loud Musick yet in the time of Incense all were silent and in their tacit devotions 2. And I saw seven Angels which stood before God and to them were given seven Trumpets This he saw during this silence or at the beginning thereof 3. And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of the Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne Things thus represented in Heaven prefigure things here on Earth and these Ceremonies of the Temple the Devotions of the Christians whose prayers are here represented as coming up in remembrance before God Which is expressed in this Judaical way or Ceremony of the Temple by the giving to this Angel as to a Priest much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne answering to the Altar of Incense overlaid with Gold that stood before the Sanctum Sanctorum 4. And the smoke of the Incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand that is the desire of the true Church who are of one mind with God ascended up before God as Incense out of a Priests hand and was known and accepted with him Their prayers in all likelihood were in general for the preservation of the Church and suppression of both the old and new growing abominations of the Empire 5. And to the end that you may know what the will of God was in order hereunto it is further added And the Angel took the Censer and filled it with the fire of the Altar and cast it into the Earth and there were voices and thundrings and lightnings and an earthquake Which things betoken the wrath of God to be poured upon the bloody persecuting Roman Empire against whom the souls of the slain under the Altar had called for vengeance chap. 6.10 The great tempests and commotions that should befall it are thus expressed in the general and as an effect of the foregoing groans and cryes of his aggrieved people 6. And the seven Angels that had the seven Trumpets prepared themselves to sound And therefore those Tempests and Calamities will now more particularly be described in the several soundings of those Angels that have the seven Trumpets 7. So the first Angel sounded and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood that is a thundring hail-storm with fire whereby is signified the furious Invasion of the Barbarians into the Empire And the mention of blood seems on purpose to be added that there may be no mistake as if this storm was to be upon trees and grass and not upon men though it follows And they were cast upon the earth and the third part of trees was burnt up and all green grass was burnt up Which the mention of blood shows not to be understood of earth trees and grass that bleed not but of the men of the
For that this belongs to Rome the wonted character Third plainly shews Therefore under this Trumpet there is no longer at last any King of Rome denoted by the Sun nor Consular Power nor Senatorian nor the Power of other known Ancient Magistrates of Rome denoted by the Moon and Stars but the City at last namely after that from the year 542 in the Ostrogothick War by Belisarius and Narsus Iustinian's Generals it was deprived of the Consular Power and after taken twice by Totilas and burnt and retaken by Narses and a little after struck to the ground by thunder and lightning and tempest being despoiled of all Ancient Ranks of Roman Magistracy sunk to that ignoble and obscure Title of the Dutchy of Rome and after was forced to pay Tribute to Ravenna under the Exarchate a City that before had been subject to her In which inglorious state she continued till the year 750 Which year is the Epocha of that notable Interval of the Kingdom of the Saracens from the beginning of the Caliphate of the Abasidae who first made Bagdad their Imperial Seat to the taking of the said Bagdad by Togrulbeck King of the Turks which was in the year 1055. And this is the easie and natural sense of the fourth Trumpet and perfectly fills up the scope thereof 13. And I beheld and heard an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven saying with a loud voice Wo wo wo to the Inhabiters of the Earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three Angels which are yet to sound These Woes are denounced against the Roman Empire who by this time besides the guilt of the blood of the Primitive Martyrs had in a gross manner lapsed into a kind of Paganochristian Idolatry which they would be found in under these following Trumpets and in cruel persecutions of the Apostolick Members of the Church that would not submit to their Idolatrous Paganochristianisme Wherefore vengeance proportionable to their redoubled wickedness shall be poured down upon them under the voices of the Trumpet of the three Angels that are to come NOTES CHAPTER VIII Vers. 7. As a character of the Roman Empire c. That the third part or subtriple proportion is a character of the Roman Empire will appear from Chap. 12. vers 4. where the Dragon with seven Heads and ten Horns which is undoubtedly the Roman Empire Pagan is said with his taile to have drawn the third part of the Stars of Heaven and cast them to the Earth Which in the Prophetick stile is as much as to say that he had brought down a third part of the Princes or Rulers of the known world in that time and subjected them to himself that is that the Roman Power had subdued a third part of the Powers and Principalities of the World to her self For Heaven and Earth are the parts of a Political World as well as of a Natural And the Stars of the Political World are the several Princes or Rulers thereof But when they are subjected to some other great Potentate then they cease to be fixed Stars but fall to the Earth that is to the low estate of subjection or are utterly extinct And in that they are said to be cast down by the taile of the Dragon by his taile is understood his Retinue his Train Military especially his Armies and Forces whether by Land or by Sea This is a most assured sense of the Prophetick stile and that therefore the amplitude of the Roman Dominion is hinted by the third part of Stars cast down to the Earth by the Dragons Taile as if it were about the third part of the known world in S t John 's time And that consequently this subtriple proportion is an intended character of the Roman Empire whereby we may know that such or such a Vision belongs to it And thus to give characters from Numbers and Proportions is according to the Cabbalistical mode and the very Genius of this Book which is Cabbalistical And it is absurd to think there should be so repeated a mention of a third part so perpetually of things as if Divine Providence had a peculiar pique against the third part of things or persons more than any other part as it may seem in at beast a dozen places in the Apocalypse were it not there were this mystery under it CHAPTER IX 1. ANd the filth Angel sounded and I saw a Star * fallen from Heaven to Earth that is a lapsed Spirit or Angel a Devil if you will For as a Star signifies an Angel so a fallen Star a lapsed Angel And to him was given the Key of the bottomless pit That is he had great Power in the Kingdom of darkness of which a Key is a Symbol 2. And he opened the bottomless Pit and there rose a smoke out of the Pit as the smoke of a great furnace That is there arose a hot and hellish zeal conjoyned with dark Ignorance for the Imposturous Religion of Mahomet And the Sun and the Air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the Pit That is the Gospel of the Sun of Righteousness was endeavoured to be clouded and eclipsed by the over-running force and false pretenses of Monotheisme and of a more pure worship in Mahometisme 2. And there came out of the smoke Locusts upon the Earth That is under this dark ignorant and false pretense the Saracens professors of the Mahometan Religion spread themselves over the Earth And unto them was given power as the scorpions of the Earth have power to have their sting and poison in their taile which deadly sting and poison in the Saracens was the falseness of their Religion which they transfused at the end of their conquests That was the poisonous sting to all conscientious Christians and to others it was at least poison if not a sting 4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the Earth neither any green thing neither any tree Which here in Analogie stand for several orders of Men as the Locusts for the Saracens But only those men that have not the seal of God in their foreheads which intimates that notwithstanding the grassations of these Impostors the truly Apostolick Church would be kept safe And there is mention made of Men to insinuate that these Locusts were also men not mere insects For Locusts do not fall upon Men but upon Grass and Trees 5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them That is that these Saracens should indeed infest the Roman Empire sore but not destroy it quite as after happened by the Euphratean Horsemen But that they should be tormented five months that is during their time of lying upon it called here five months in allusion to the time of Locusts who live about that space of time as Naturalists relate But their continuance in vexing Italy was not much above five months of years if that may be particularly glanced at And their torment was as
consecrated houses disjoyned from the rest as ships are usually separate in the Sea And one part of a 〈◊〉 in that Architecture is called the Nave thereof It seems therefore to give a glance at the Babylonish Churches abused to gainful Idolatries and Superstitions Where they sell the use the sight or possession of several consecrated things exchange Souls out of Purgatory for money and do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turn the very word of God into an adulterate piece of Ware or Merchandise 18. And cryed when they saw the smoke of her burning saying What City is like to this great City Like that of the Mariners lamentation over Tyrus that great City for Merchandizing which I know not that Rome was ever so famous for What City is like Tyrus 19. And they cast dust on their heads and cryed weeping and wailing and said Alas alas that great City that great Sacerdotal Polity wherein were made rich all that had ships in the Sea so to be understood as above By reason of her costliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Greek has it out of that treasure of Honours Dignities Preferments and Offices wherewith she was able to enrich these Merchants For in one hour is she made desolate that is surprizedly and unexpectedly These last three Verses are borrowed out of Ezechiel's lamentation over Tyrus which was a City notorious for Merchandises literally understood but that Rome was ever so I do not remember I have expresly read that she should be so well replenished with all the abovesaid wares to sell to Merchants of other Nations And therefore I conceive it is to be understood of this mystical Merchandise as hath been above declared 20. Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and ye Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her that is Rejoyce ye heavenly minded over these Merchants of the Earth and ye that are the Teachers of the pure Apostolick Doctrine and declare the naked Truth of things to the world be ye glad that the Lord has avenged the blood of your predecessors upon her the blood of the Waldenses and Albigenses and the rest of the Holy Martyrs of Jesus 21. And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great milstone and cast it into the Sea saying Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all The sense is That at last there will be an utter ruine and dissipation of this Idolatrous City or Polity namely at the pouring out of the seventh Vial. And the mighty Angel signifies the mighty Agents under him that shall effect it 22. And the voice of Harpers and Musicians and of Pipers and Trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee and no Crafts-man of whatever craft he be shall be found any more at all in thee And the sound of a milstone shall be heard no more at all in thee 23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee And the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride shall be heard no more at all in thee All this may be nothing else but a Prophetick Hylasmus setting out one single thing namely the destruction silence and vast solitude of this Idolatrous Hierarchy by the privation or absence of such gross and palpable objects as occurre in a City inhabited as the noise of Musicians the hammering and knocking of Artificers the grinding of Mills the light of Candles in the night and the singing and dancing at weddings and the like or else it may have a more mystical sense as if by a Diorismus we should understand rather the Musick at their Idolatrous worship and by these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Artificers such as do technas consuere Sophisticas Politicas viz. in Theology and Church Administration for the interest of their Hierarchy these Artifices Imperii in Imperio and those also that work curious work in the Scholastick Divinity by the sound of the Milstones their fraudulent profit and by the light of a Candle Honour and Prosperity as both those Symbols are interpreted in Achmetes Or Candle may signifie Consecrated Candles or Candles burning on their Altars or before Images And lastly by Bridegroom and Bride their voice being no more heard may be signified that there shall be no more propagating of their Pseudocatholick Religion the end of Marriage being propagation For thy Merchants were the great Men of the Earth For by thy Sorcery were all Nations deceived Hitherto has been described the destruction of Babylon the reasons whereof now follow which are three The two first are couched in the words even now rehearsed the former of them the Riot and Lordliness of these Mystical Merchants they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great Men of the world and greatly worldly ambitious covetous and sensual which is the very essence of an earthly mind which how much it has been amongst the Popes Cardinals Abbots and other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Magnates of the Roman Church History and the mouths of all men are full of it The other is the debauching of the world with Idolatry accompanied and countenanced with a pretense of a power plainly magical of changing the Elements in such a sort as all the Magicians of Pharaoh could never do nor had the face to attempt the like besides other Magical feats of an inferiour rank and Necromantick stories of the apparitions of dead Saints as they pretend them Whence Idolatry is indigitated here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sorcery or Witchcraft as that whereby it is introduced As also that Cup in the hand of the Whore is looked upon as a Philtrum a poisonous intoxicating Love-potion made with Magick Charms and horrid Ingredients And likewise their being said to be deceived by these Sorceries implyes their being seduced to Idolatry whither they tend as appears plainly from what is written of the Miracles of the two-horned Beast Chap. 13. vers 13 14. and the Whore and the two-horned Beast are all one And thus much of the two first Reasons the third and last follows in this last Verse 24. And in her was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the Earth Here is described the bloody Cruelty of the Roman Hierarchy And there is laid to their charge not only the blood of Prophets and of Saints that is of faithful Preachers and Expounders of the Gospel and of other pious men such as out of conscience of their obedience due to the Law of God and Christ could not submit to the Idolatrous profession and practice required of them by Antichrist but the blood of all that have been slain upon Earth So great Incendiaries have the Pope and his Emissaries been and disturbers of the Peace of Christendom NOTES CHAPTER XVIII Vers. 12. No Images or other Utensils c. The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is of so large a sense that Vessel as our English translates it does
death is the death of this body Wherefore it is here a seasonable monition Fear not them which kill the body but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell which is the second death infinitely worse than the former 15. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life that is in the Book of Life of the Lamb as a faithful Soldier and true Member of his Kingdom was cast into the lake of fire and underwent the same doom with the Apostate Spirits which implies that those which were found in that Book of Life were adjudged to the enjoyment of Eternal Life to reign with Christ for ever in Heaven in the Kingdom of his Father as he promises in his Epistle to the Church of Laodicea NOTES CHAPTER XX. Vers. 4. And I saw also those that had not worshipped the Beast c. That the beheaded and these are two distinct sorts of persons methinks is plainly enough insinuated in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. He saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and those who had not worshipped c. David Pareus supposes an Ellipsis which he would supply thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so secure is he that two several sorts are meant If this be not the sense why is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 interposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had been sufficient without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the Text should have run And besides why is it said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they lived and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they lived again if both the Beheaded and the Not-worshippers of the Beast were of the same kind But indeed Interpreters do generally understand them to be of two sorts though otherwise they cannot hit it among themselves about the sense of this place the one sort Martyrs the other Confessours And I add surviving Confessours who with their Successours survive the Cruelty of the Beast and his Image See my Mystery of Godliness lib. 5. cap. 15. sect 6. CHAPTER XXI 1. ANd I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth One would think upon the Conflagration of this Earth immediately mentioned before But this is but the artificial embellishing of the outward Cortex of this Book of Prophecies in this place * by a Lemmatosynechia as it is called in my Synopsis Prophetica For the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away namely the former Heaven and Earth or World in the sense of the Prophetical stile according to which they denote a Polity which therefore intimates here that the Tyrannical and Idolatrous Polity of the Beast and the false Prophet which is the great Whore or great City of Babylon was now abolished as appears by Chap. 19. vers 20. And there was no more Sea no unquiet multitudes of the wicked who are like the raging waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame Tumults War and Bloodshed was under that Polity that is cast into the Lake of Fire Chap. 19. vers 20 which was the Reign of Antichrist But now the Reign of Christ is at hand who is the true Melchizedec King of Salem or Ierusalem King of Righteousness and Prince of Peace This Vision therefore goes back to the second Thunder 2. And I Iohn saw the Holy City New Ierusalem The truly Holy City not pretended Holy Church and the New Jerusalem not that Old Prophet-killing Jerusalem which is also spiritually called Sodom and Aegypt the Roman Hierarchy where Christ in his Faithful Witnesses were persecuted to death This sight therefore of the City Ierusalem is exhibited as a Polity succeeding the great City of Babylon and in opposition thereto Coming down from God out of Heaven which shows it is a Polity here upon Earth and of Divine Institution and to be setled after the utter destruction of the Whore of Babylon by a Council truly Holy and truly Oecumenical being persons of pure and upright Spirits and without all worldly interest and moreover inspired extraordinarily by the Spirit of God This is the meaning of this descent of Ierusalem from God out of Heaven all things then being to be ordered by that Wisdom which is from above when as the Constitution of the City of Babylon was from that Wisdom which is from beneath and is earthly sensual and devilish Prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband Not as a Whore to commit Fornication with the Kings of the Earth as Babylon did This Constitution of things is setled under the second Thunder after which immediately follows the Millennial Reign of Christ and is described in the following Verses 3. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people And God himself shall be with them namely by his Spirit whose presence shall sensibly and feelingly be acknowledged by all the Inhabiters of this New Ierusalem For this is the Reign of the Spirit or the Reign of Christ in the Spirit of which the Apostles of old witnessed Know ye not that your bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost But in the City of Babylon instead of being taught and guided by the Holy Ghost they were forced to follow their blind Guides that led them into all manner of Superstition and Idolatry and gross Disobedience to the Laws of God and Christ unless they would be persecuted and barbarously murthered And be their God that is their Protector and Defender from all manner of Evil As it follows 4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes This Reign of Christ in the Millennium will be with that equity goodness and sweetness that no mans heart that is good shall need to be oppressed with grief or express his grief by his tears And there shall be no more death no more bloody massacrings of the Faithful Witnesses of Christ or burning them at the stake with fire and fagot as was done under the Tyranny of the Great Whore neither sorrow for the loss of Friends thus barbarously and inhumanely murthered nor crying no clamours against gross injustice and cruelty or crying out for the tortures that are inflicted on poor innocent men for keeping a good conscience towards God Neither shall there be any more pain by noisom and wearisom imprisonments or what other hardships they are put to for the testimony of a good conscience For the former things are passed away The bloody Whore or false Prophet with the Beast are now in the Lake of fire burning with brimstone And Babylon the Great like a milstone sunk into the bottom of the Sea never to rise again Such is the state of the blessed Millennium when it comes nor shall Gog and Magog prevail against the Holy City in the Laodicean Interval 5. And he that
Miracles and Kainish Persecutors had they but Power and in the mean time gross Idolaters and either lovers of lying Legends or Inventours of them These unclean Birds are kept out of the New Ierusalem but have their dismal haunts in the rubbish and ruines of the demolished Babylon as has been observed above 16. I Iesus have sent my Angel to testifie unto you these things in the Churches alluding to the Churches in Asia which signifie the whole succession of the truly Catholick and Apostolick Church to the end of the world The Churches therefore for whose use this Book was written are the Churches in Smyrna Pergamus Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea The whole Book of the Apocalypse is as it were an Epistle to them all as they are concerned in their several Successions Which passage is a farther confirmation of the Prophetical sense of the Epistles to the seven Churches in Asia I am the Root and the Off-spring of David * Which may denote his Divinity and Humanity as also his being the Off-spring or Son of David the true Messias his Right to the Kingdoms of the Earth as it is foretold in the second Psalm Ask of me and I will give thee the Nations for thine Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy possession And therefore because of the greatness and glory of his Kingdom it follows And the bright Morning-Star In the Sardian Interval he was onely the Morning-Star here the bright Morning-Star which is a sign this saying glances at the Philadelphian Interval in the commencement thereof under the last Vial which sutes with the saying of S t Iohn in the next Verse 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say Come The Spirit because this is the commencement of those Times that are properly called the Reign of the Spirit by the Cabbalists And the voice of the Bride is added as a Testimony of the Churches desire of the settlement of things into the Glorious Condition of the New Ierusalem upon the destruction of the blood-drunken Idolatrous Babylon And let him that heareth say Come that is Let him pray for the acceleration of so glorious a settlement of things And then our Saviour speaks for this latter part of the Chapter from vers 10. to the end is a kind of Dialogue as both Peganius and Grotius have observed And let him that is athirst come that is He that sincerely hungers and thirsts after Righteousness And whosoever will that is whosoever has a Will and Desire let him take the waters of Life freely Let him enjoy the happy priviledge of this Living City of God and so grow up in all true Holiness and Godliness in Communion of the Spirit This priviledge shall he enjoy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gratis or freely without money as the Prophet speaks 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophecy of this Book If any one shall add unto these things Interpreters and not without reason take this to be a commination to terrifie men from being so negligent as to let any Errata slip into the Copies of this Book of Prophecies where every word was so curiously weighed by the Pen-man thereof or from being so bold as on purpose to alter any thing therein by adding or taking away * But I conceive also there is besides this a 〈◊〉 sense and that it is a prohibition from bringing in their carnal Inventions to add inconsistently with the pure Apostolick Doctrines and Institutes of this City Whosoever would do any such thing God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this Book whether they concern this Life or that which is to come the sulphurous lake of fire which is the second Death 19. And if any man will take from the words of the Book of this Prophecy and be faint-hearted or of little or no Faith and contend there never will be such an Excellent State of the Church upon Earth God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and from the things that are written in this Book He shall never be able to enter into the blessed New Ierusalem state by reason of his unbelief 20. He that testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly that is for the fulfilling of the Visions of the first six Seals and what contemporizeth with them to assist his Church and support them in their Smyrnean Affliction and to defeat the Enemy under the sixth Seal To which Saint Iohn answers Amen Even so Come Lord Iesus This was seasonable for Saint Iohn to say in his time in reference to Christs Coming to subvert the Power of the old Dragon and abolish Paganical Idolatry and Tyranny As it was also in the Pergamenian and Thyatirian Intervals for the oppressed and afflicted Church to say in respect of his coming to judge the Great Whore the Pagano-christian Hierarchy who had been drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus And in the Sardian that he would consummate the Judgement begun to be executed on the false Prophet who is perfectly to be consumed under the seventh Vial. And lastly in the Laodicean Interval it will be again very seasonable by reason of the inclining of things again to worse to pray Come Lord Iesus come quickly to that general judgement when Death shall be swallowed up into Victory and all the Saints shall be translated into the incorruptible state of heavenly Bliss and Glory And this whole Book of Prophecies being as it were one entire Epistle Monitory to the Church of God throughout all Ages of the world as there is mention Vers. 16. of witnessing these things to the Churches in Asia no doubt that is over the face of the whole Earth and successively through all Ages or Intervals from Saint Iohn's time to the end of the world Smyrnean Pergamenian Thyatirian Sardian Philadelphian and Laodicean This whole Book I say being such a general Monitory Epistle it is but sutable that he conclude with that usual form of valediction in the Epistles of the Apostles 21. The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen NOTES CHAPTER XXII Vers. 16. Which may denote his Divinity and Humanity c. This any one that firmly believes the Divinity of Christ and that he is the Eternal Logos united with the Humane Nature will easily admit to be suggested here though Grotius is content to understand no more by Radix Davidis than Surculus Davidis and I must confess that according to the use of the Hebrew word Radix is sometimes the same with Surculus But being that Root ordinarily signifies that from which another grows not that which grows from another and that this sense here is both true and more ample and sublime and therefore more sutable to the Genius of the Apocalypse I thought it was more probable to be meant here as also in the fifth Chapter And generally the Ancients go
Apocalypsis Apocalypseos OR THE REVELATION OF S t JOHN the Divine unveiled CONTAINING A Brief but perspicuous and continued EXPOSITION From Chapter to Chapter and from Verse to Verse of the whole Book of the APOCALYPSE By HENRY MORE D. D. Ecclesiastic Chap. 39. He that giveth his mind to the Law of the most High and is occupied in the Meditation thereof will seek out the Wisdom of all the Ancient and be occupied in Prophecies Ezech. Chap. 43. vers 10. Thou Son of Man shew the House to the house of Israel that they may be ashamed of their Iniquities and let them measure the pattern LONDON Printed by I. M. for I. Martyn and W. Kettilby at the Bell and the Bishops-Head in S t Paul's Church-yard 1680. THE PREFACE TO THE READER READER THat thou mayest with better acceptance peruse my Exposition of this Book of Prophecies the Apocalypse I thought fit to say something by way of Preface First concerning the Book it self not only the Authentickness and Intelligibleness but also concerning the Excellency thereof Secondly concerning the grounds I go upon and the Truth of my Exposition And thirdly and lastly concerning the great Usefulness thereof That this Book is Canonical and of Divine Inspiration is confirmed by the Authority and Suffrage of the Church Universal both Roman and Reformed And though it had no external Confirmation the truth of Predictions in that large comprehension of things that it reacheth to and the holiness of that Spirit that breaths in it to any intelligent Reader will certainly prove it to be a Book Divinely inspired Not to add that the very Wit as I may so say and Artifice in it seems not to be Humane but Angelical It was indeed doubted of at first and the Authority thereof called into question but the occasion of questioning it was because it was in the hands of very few it being dangerous for the Christians to let this Book of the Apocalypse that does plainly predict as it might seem the burning of the City of Rome situated on seven Hills and having Rule then over the whole Earth so freely to go about as those others of the New Testament did And therefore this Book being so generally unknown when they began to determine what Books were Authentick and what not they might very well be at a loss concerning it Besides that Cerinthus and others overmuch Judaizing Christians who drew those things written of the first and second Resurrection and the New Jerusalem and the thousand years Reign of Christ to their Carnal Iudaical conceits made them more shie how they admitted this Book for Authentick Nay some as Gaius an ancient Author in Eusebius relate that Cerinthus the Chiliast was the writer of it Others who yet thought well of the Book that John the Presbyter a Disciple of the Apostle not John himself was the Author thereof The occasion of which might be as Grotius ingeniously conjectures because that John the Presbyter had the Book in his custody whence some out of mistake might deem him the Author thereof But by the Authority of the chiefest Fathers and upon a more narrow search and examination of the business it is now out of question with all Christian Churches that this Book of the Apocalypse is Authentick and Canonical and writ by John the Evangelist and Divine so called for his more plainly and peculiarly declaring the Divinity of Christ beyond any other of the Evangelists Now for the Intelligibleness of the Book Though there is a marvellous artifice of Concealment in it yet there is as sure an artifice of Revealment as I hope will appear by this our Exposition And why Prophecies should be obscurely writ and in what this obscurity consists I have sufficiently elsewhere declared The chief obscurity is in the Prophetick stile which when it is opened to a Man the sense will run clear As he that understands any other Language different from the Vulgar if the Book it is writ in be good sense he without difficulty will find it out And as it would be absurd in him that understands not that language to complain of the obscurity of the Book so it is as childish for him that will not take the pains which is not much to understand the Prophetick stile to complain of the obscurity of the Apocalypse But that it is intelligible all sorts of Christians Reformed and Unreformed have given their suffrage thereto in writing Commentaries upon it And it is no less than blasphemy against the Holy Ghost that inspired this Prophecy to say it is simply unintelligible as if Christ trifled with his Church in a thing so exceeding serious as this Book of Prophecies seems to be The Excellency whereof is notably set out if not also the necessity of reading and understanding it chap. 1. vers 3. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things that are written therein which they cannot do unless they understand them And so chap. 22. vers 7. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book Which is chiefly performed by Faith and Constancy to the True Church of Christ against either the Dragon or Antichrist which he cannot do if these Prophecies were unintelligible nor can there any blessedness accrue to a man from reading a Book he understands not But the sayings thereof understood and kept being so effectual a way to blessedness it must needs argue the excellency of the Book But there is yet a further illustration of the Excellency thereof from what occurrs chap. 5. vers 2. which concerns the greatest part by far of this Book and that which some phansie the only Prophetical part thereof namely the Visions of the Sealed Book and of the Opened Book For what was contained in the Opened Book lay open by virtue of the breaking up of the Seals In that Chapter is the highest Encomium of this Book of Prophecies that the Wit and Rhetorick of men or Angels can invent or utter For first it is said vers 2. And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the Seals thereof And no man in Heaven nor in Earth neither under the Earth was able to open the Book neither to look thereon This therefore must be a most excellent and transcendent Book of Secrets and Predictions that neither Angels Men nor Infernal Spirits can reach to the knowledge of by virtue of their own faculties And then it follows And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and read the Book and to look thereon Which further argues that it is a Book not only of rare secrets and vast comprehensive Predictions but more than ordinary desirable if not necessary to be known And lastly when the Lion of the Tribe of Judah that is Christ the Lamb under another expression and figuration was found worthy and had taken the
the Church in the state of the New Jerusalem of which it is said There shall be no night there and they need no candle nor the light of the Sun For the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign for ever and ever 17. And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead as being exceedingly afraid that this fight might portend some great evil to the people of God And he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me Fear not I am the First and the Last And though there may be some great Afflictions and Tryals of my Church represented to thee in what thou seest yet thou must remember nothing shall come to pass without my Providence who am the First and the Last and will carry you through all Persecutions and Deaths and make you at length more than Conquerours 18. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the Keys of Hell and of Death as if he should say For I am now alive though I was my self dead once and crucified but behold I am alive for Ever Amen This is most certainly true of him whom this Vision represents and that he has the Keys of Hell and Death And therefore no man need fear to undergo martyrdom for his Cause who will certainly make him partaker of a Blessed Immortality and plunge his barbarous persecutors into everlasting perdition Wherefore after this encouragement to Iohn he sayes 19. Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter that is write the things which thou hast seen and known already as being past and the things that are present and the things that are to come after viz. The affairs of the first succession of the Church which is the Ephesine succession the affairs of the present succession of the Church in which S t Iohn wrote these Visions which is the Smyrnean and of the rest of the successions of the Church which are to come afterwards 20. Which affairs thus distributed into seven successions or intervals are indeed the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks For the seven stars are the Angels of the seven Churches that is the seven successions of Bishops and Pastors that are to shine forth in the brightness and purity of their Life and Doctrine in the seven successions of the Churches And the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven successions of the Apostolick Church here called seven Churches NOTES CHAPTER I. Vers. 1. Manifestly shewn already by him or that are past c. This is spoken in reference to the absurd Interpretations of Grotius in the first six Seals and the first six Trumpets who fixes the Scene of all those Visions in Judea and ends them with the sacking of the City which was before S t John wrote the Apocalypse for he wrote it in Domitian's time But what will not prejudiced Wits imagine rather than stoop to the Truth See my Mystery of Godliness Book 5. chap. 16. And Synops. Prophetic Book 2. chap. 2. sect 4 5 c. Vers. 4. Truly Catholick and Apostolick Church c. This I conceive to be comprehended in the name Asia in allusion to the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Asia signifying Fundamentum as if he should say To all the Churches that keep the Apostolical Foundation in Doctrine and Practice that keep in it and swerve not from it by admitting any thing contrary thereto And dispersed on the face of the earth c. This also is comprised in the word Asia by allusion to another Hebrew word of a like nearness of sound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Asia again and is the lowest of those four Worlds notoriously known amongst the Cabbalists Aziluth Briah Jetzirah Asia of which last the lowest part is this Earth we tread upon So evidently is the allusion to the nearness of sound in words made use of in this Book of the Apocalypse See another reason from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my Exposition of the seven Churches Vers. 19. The affairs of the first succession of the Church which is the Ephesine succession the affairs of the present c. That the affairs of the Ephesine succession were past when S t John received those Visions in Patmos is plain from hence because he received them about the end of Domitians Reign But the beginning of the Smyrnean succession is in the tenth of Nero or not long before which is about thirty years before S t John received the Visions in Patmos Besides that the Ephesine succession is described amongst other characters as not yet being stained with the doctrine and deeds of the Nicolaitans But the Nicolaitans appeared in the twelfth year of Nero as you may see in Spandanus the Epitomizer of Baronius Therefore the Ephesine succession was to expire before that time So plain is it that it was past when S t John was in Patmos But hence emerges a difficulty that well may stumble some viz. Being the Ephesine succession was then past why should there be an Epistle directed to it which is as if one should write to the deceased To which I answer That this Book of Prophecies being designed a Representation of the State of the Church or of the Empire in reference to the Church from the very beginning of the Church that the Representation might be the more compleat by not leaving out that little Time that was then past to the end of the world in that way I say it is comprized whether Epistolar or other it is to be begun and continued throughout And therefore in the Prophetical Vision of the Seals as the first Seal is rather an History than a Prophecy though disguised under Prophetick Iconismes For the time of the thing signified there by the Rider of the White Horse which the whole stream of Interpreters understand of Christ guiding and assisting the Apostles and his Church in the Apostolick times was in a manner quite expired when John wrote the Apocalypse So this Epistle to the Ephesine succession of the Church is to be conceived an Historical Description of that State of the Church rather than an Epistle though for conformity-sake it is put into this Epistolar disguise And since it is not so proper to write Epistles to any but those who are in present Being surely they who are satisfied there is no absurdity in writing in this Epistolar way to the successions of the Church not yet come ought to think the using this Epistolar form to a succession already past the more tolerable But supposing the Apocalypse a designed Representation as I hinted above of the affairs or state of the Church set out by a triple Prophecy this of the Seven Churches the second of the Sealed Book and the last of the Opened Book and that the Prophecy of the Sealed Book and of the Opened Book each
against all gainsayers and hast never behaved thy self otherwise than becomes a sound and faithfull Christian and such as is resolved never to dishonour that Profession or Name 9. Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Iews and are not but do lye Behold I will make them that are the Synagogue of the Devil for their pride falsities and murderous cruelties and yet call themselves Iews that is Christians nay Holy Church the Type as above being used for the Antitype but are so far from being so that really they are but Pseudochristians or rather the Synagogue of Antichrist who under pretence of professing Christ do most wickedly oppose him by nulling his Laws and barbarously murthering his true and faithfull Subjects for not committing Idolatry and other abominations they would force upon them whereby it is manifest though they call themselves Holy Church and Christians they are counterfeits and lyars Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy féet and to know that I have loved thée Behold I will make them to come instead of kissing the Popes Slipper to worship before thy feet to be subjected unto thee and to do thee homage And to acknowledge how much I have loved thee and set thee above all the other Princes of the Earth 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will kéep thée from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the Earth Because thou hast showen all along such invincible meekness and patience in maintaining my cause and undaunted faithfulness in that great confusion commotion and temptation under the last Vial which shall come upon all the world to try the Inhabitants of the Earth I will keep thee and protect thee and thou shalt be safe and victorious in all 11. Behold I come quickly Even in this last Vial into which thou art already entred Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown Thou art a Church after my own hearts desire O Philadelphia nor do I accuse thee of any thing thou carriest thy self with that integrity and sincerity only hold fast to that perfection thou hast attained that thou mayst not be deprived of the Crown I intend for thee For in thee shall be accomplished all the glorious Promises concerning my Kingdome upon Earth 12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out To you that overcome to you it shall be given to be Pillars in the Temple of my God you shall be an holy fixt and stable People the true holy Catholick Church that shall never fail but shall endure till I come in the clouds to judgement at the last day All other forms and denominations shall perish but this shall obtain the Dominion unto the end And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God which is New Ierusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new Name And on these lasting Pillars shall the Name of my God be written and the new Nature in you shall be visible and legible as it were to all how heavenly it is and Divine and how you are really that Church represented by the City in Ezechiel which is called Iehovah Shammah God is there For your conversation will be such that every man will be ready to say God is amongst you of a truth and that you are really as well as called the New Ierusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God And lastly I will write upon you my New Name not the Morning Star but the Bright Morning Star or that newly purchased Title in the Battle where the Beast and False Prophet are taken and cast into a lake burning with brimstone and the rest slain with the sword of him that sate on the White Horse which sword cometh out of his mouth viz. the Title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords For it is then that you shall be the greatest Empire upon Earth 13. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches 14. And unto the Angel of the Church in Laodicea write Unto the Bishops and Pastors especially and the charge under them in the Laodicean succession which reaches from the fourth Thunder till Christ visibly appear in the clouds of Heaven * and whose name denotes the nature thereof write thus These things saith the Amen the faithfull and true witness in whom all the Promises are Yea and Amen Whose faithfulness is seen in bringing to pass the Philadelphian Estate that marvellous purity and external prosperity of that succession of the Church and therefore we are to believe his Promises of the Eternal Felicity he reminds us of in this A Blessed Immortality after this Life and his visible coming to judge the quick and the dead and his putting an end to this Terrestrial Scene though in this declining Age of the Church in the Laodicean succession some may be too slow to believe it And therefore these Titles of assuredness and veracity are here used And he is called a Faithful Witness also because he so impartially witnesses of the State of the Laodiceans and does not flatter them The beginning of the Creation of God It may be well understood of the New Creation or Constitution of things under the Gospel which he having carried on all along hitherto according to Prophecy and Prediction he is the more certainly and readily to be believed in this last Catastrophe of things Or taking the beginning of the Creation of God with an higher reference to that Title of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which respects his Divinity or the Eternal Logos without whom nothing was made or created Then the importance of of it is this That as sure as he made this Earth this habitable round world so we may be as sure that he both can by the same power and also will destroy it again in this Laodicean succession by a final Conflagration taking vengeance of the wicked and resetling all true Believers in an Eternal State of Glory 15. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot But that you are careless formal luke-warm Christians Thou retainest indeed still the external form of the Philadelphian Church as to Doctrine and Worship but thou art destitute of that Spirit of Life in the New Birth which was the proper character of thy deceased Sister Philadelphia I would thou wert cold or hot For though it be not better in it self to be quite cold yet it were for thee that thou mightest the more easily be convinced of thine own wants and by repentance and mortification enter into the state of Regeneration and be made partaker of my Spirit 16. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spew thée out of my mouth I will
shew how nauseous and loathsome thou art to me in a torrent of Reproof as a sign of my disgust against thee and upon thy impenitence at length being weary of thee as concerning God it is said before his bringing the deluge of water on the Earth that it repented him that he had made man I will spew thee out from my self who fill all things and exterminate thee out of Being by a deluge of Fire that shall put an end to this Terrestrial Scene of things and the Laodicean Church shall be no more 17. But in the mean time that I may faithfully admonish thee Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have néed of nothing whilst thou considerest that Peace and Plenty that Power and Rule and security from Enemies which thou enjoyest and the purity of Doctrine and Worship free from Superstition and Idolatry and the abundance of both Natural and Divine Knowledge and clear understanding of Prophecies by reason of their completion now and skilfull Interpretations of thy Predecessors and Universal Freedom from all persecution I tell thee notwithstanding all these thou art mistaken in thy condition And knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked in that thou art destitute of the Glories and Treasures of the Inward Man and art ignorant of the mysteries of Regeneration and of the Spirit of Life in the New Birth and art content with a covering but not of my Spirit whereby thou dost but add sin to sin 18. I counsel thée therefore to buy of me Gold tryed in the fire that thou mayest be rich Gold refined in the fire and so pure that it is transparent like glass New Jerusalem Gold which is the New Nature or Creature mine own Image And the price is thy sincere endeavouring and breathing after that state that thou mayest possess those durable Riches which shall not be melted when the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and the Earth and the works therein shall be burnt up namely at the Conflagration And white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear And buy of me white rayment that is groan in thy self O spiritless Laodicea and desire to be cloathed with thy Spiritual Tabernacle from Heaven that being so cloathed thou mayest not be found naked and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear at the last day And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see Clear thy judgement and understanding by a diligent purification of thy Soul from all corruptions of flesh and spirit and perfect holiness in my fear that thou mayest see and have a right discerning in all things 19. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent As many as I love I chasten and I have a love to thee even for thy outward resemblance of thy deceased Sister Philadelphia and therefore I chastise thee with sharp reproofs to bring thee to an inward sense of things and shall further afflict thee by outward straits and distress to awaken thee For thine Enemies Gog and Magog by reason of thy remisness in Religion security and neglect of the Interest of my Kingdom will grow upon thee and at last encompass the Beloved City Be zealous therefore and repent thee of thy dead formality and remisness in the affairs of my Kingdome that so thou mayest recover the Philadelphian love and fervency 20. And do not complain of difficulties Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me I offer my aid unto you and solicit you ever and anon by good monitions and suggestions and if you obey sincerely my dictates and succours of Light and Grace I offer you and by this your sincerity open me the door I will sup with you I will communicate my Nature and Spirit unto you You shall feed on my flesh which is meat indeed and drink of my blood which is drink indeed and that saying shall be fullfilled in you I in my Father and you in me and I in you If any man love me and keep my Word my Father will love him and will come to him and abide with him 21. And that I may the more effectually rouse thee up out of this dead formality and tepidity out of this dulness and lethargy I add further To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne You shall not only enjoy Me and my Father in this life but if you will stand to the conflict and so attain to the state of the Spirit of Life and real Regeneration into the Living Image of my self I will exalt you to the same happiness with my self your bodies being transformed into the Image of my glorious Body and so fitted to ascend into the Throne that he has given me whose Throne is Heaven as Earth his footstool Nay you shall sit with me in my Throne and judge the Apostate Angels at the last day This is a great and stupendious promise but you ought to consider that he has promised it who is the Amen the true and faithfull Witness and the Beginning of the Creation of God and therefore both will and can bring all his counsels purposes and promises to pass Even so Amen 22. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches NOTES CHAPTER III. Vers. I. Whose condition is notified in their name c. Namely by way of allusion to the Lapis Sardius whose vertue is to exhilarate the mind of him that wears it and make him couragious and is an Amulet against witchcraft and poyson Which may intimate the comfortable doctrine of Iustification by Faith and the defeating the poyson of that cup of Fornication in the hand of the Whore of Babylon that the Sardian Church is not infected with that poyson of Idolatry as being out of the reach of that inchanted Cup of the Whore Sardis also signifies Canticum Laetitiae which sutes well with the Ioy of the Reformed Churches at the rising of the Witnesses signified by those Harpers with the Harps of God in their hand ch 15. But being the Sardius Stone is in Hebrew called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odem which sounds near to Edom and by the Latines termed Carnalina this insinuates the defectuousness of the Sardian Church and her Carnality in several points of Doctrine and Practice Concerning which see my Exposition of the seven Churches Chap. 7. Vers. 7. And discovers its nature and condition in its name c. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Love of the Brethren and indeed consequently the Love of God and all Men these Vertues are so nearly linked together when they are sincere and in a due degree See my Exposition of the Seven Churches
a foresight of things communicated to him from God as to endite such a Book of Prophecies as this 3. And no man in Heaven nor in Earth neither under the Earth was able to open the Book neither to look thereon And this proclamation being made there was none found neither of the Angels in Heaven or Men upon Earth or Infernal Spirits under the Earth who are vulgarly accounted so wise and cunning and in whom Witches and Wizards so confide for the knowledge of things to come that were able to open the Book or look thereon i. e. That had so reaching a foresight as to pierce through such a large series of future things as is contained in this Book which intimates that nothing but the holy Power of God could be the Author thereof 4. And I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the Book neither to look thereon That is to say I was sorely grieved that there was none found meet or worthy to have imparted to him so stupendious a faculty of foretelling things to come in such a manner as they are in this Book So useful a gift of Prophecy Where Iohn personates every good Christian that is solicitous for the affairs of the Church and thoughtfull what will become of her 5. And one of the Elders saith to me wéep not Cease to be so grieved and troubled in spirit Behold the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda the root of David hath prevailed to open the Book and to loose the seven Seals thereof Christ hath by his courageously fulfilling the will of his Father obtained this priviledge That he may open the Book and loose the Seals thereof that is to have so wonderfull a comprehension of future things and piercing foresight by the gift of his Father as to foresee all that is contained in this Book and to communicate it to his Church 6. And I beheld and lo in the midst of the Throne and of the four Beasts and in the midst of the Elders That is betwixt God the Father and the Church stood a Lamb as it had been slain and with bleeding wounds upon him the blessed Jesus Mediator betwixt God and Man as he is here placed betwixt the Throne and the four Beasts Having seven horns which are the Emblems of Power as being he to whom All Power is given in Heaven and in Earth And seven Eyes All manner of Wisdom and Counsel and all the Angels of God at his beck to execute his Counsel and his Will which is implied in what follows which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth unto all the Earth 7. And he came and took the Book out of the right hand of him that sate upon the Throne That is it was given to him of his Father to have so vast a foresight of things to come from the beginning of the Church even to the end of the World and Power to effect what was foreknown according to the beginning of this Book of the Apocalypse The Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave unto him c. which shews that the whole Book of the Apocalypse the Epistles to the seven Churches as well as the Visions that follow is a Prophetical Revelation of things to come 8. The consideration of which wonderful Gift and Power signified by this receiving of the Book being made so exceeding manifest in the times of the Spiritual Reign of Christ in the New Ierusalem which Times this pompous Introduction to the Prophecy of the sealed Book does typifie For the four and twenty Elders belong to that state of the Church will raise a wonderful strain of Faith and Devotion in them and admiration of the stupendious Providence of Christ over his Church as it is signified by what follows And when he had taken the Book the four Beasts and four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb having every one of them Harps and golden Uials full of Odours which are the praises and prayers of the Saints 9. And they sing a new Song saying And then will they sing a new Song namely they will then praise their Creator and Redeemer for that new constitution of things in the Reign of the Spirit as it is written Chap. 21. And he that sate upon the Throne said Behold I make all things new And he said straightway to Iohn It is done I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give him that is a thirst of the fountain of life freely that is I will communicate unto him my Spirit here and make him partaker of Eternal Life hereafter in my heavenly Kingdom and they will say as follows Thou O Christ wert worthy to take the Book and open the seals thereof that is to have communicated unto thee so vast a comprehension of the futurity of things as is contained in this Book of Prophecies and Power to carry on things as they are predicted For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation This is but a just reward of thy endearing sufferings upon the Cross for the salvation of Mankind 10. And hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign upon Earth In this blessed Millennium which thou hast long ago shown to thy Church in that admirable Book of Prophecies which by the Ministry of an Angel thou communicatest to thy beloved Disciple Iohn 11. And to show further how holy heavenly and Angelical those Times will be and what an Union and Agreement betwixt the Church of Christ and the Angelical Hosts it is further added And I beheld and I heard the voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders which Beasts and Elders signifie the Church of Christ consisting of men upon the Earth And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands 12. These innumerable companies of Angels joyn themselves to the Quire of the Church saying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing as by whom the State of the Church is brought to such a blessed condition upon Earth according to the predictions of this Book of Prophecies Let all therefore be ascribed to him 13. Nay the completion of this Book of Prophecies in those Times will be such an Universal conviction of the Divinity and Sonship of Christ that he was really and in truth the foretold Messias the Beginner and Finisher of the Works of God to his Church that that will come to pass that follows And every Creature which is in Heaven and on the Earth and under the Earth and such as are in the Sea and all that are in them heard I saying Blessing Honour Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever All intelligent Beings and Spirits whether belonging
to Heaven Earth or Sea even the Infernal Spirits themselves shall in the inward powers of their minds and consciences be forced to break out and confess upon the completion of this Book of Prophecies That all Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power is due unto him that sits on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever 14. And the four Beasts said Amen Unto this the four Beasts that is the Church of Christ here upon Earth we may be sure will say Amen that is consent to such a doxologie And the four and twenty Elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever that is All the Kings and Princes of this truly Catholick and Apostolick Church will fall down and worship him that was dead but is now alive and behold he liveth for evermore that is they will devotionally adhere to him serve him and obey him who according to the promise made to his Church has brought things at last to such an Admirable Heavenly Holy Righteous and Peaceful Constitution So Glorious an Effect will there be of the completion of the Prophecies of this Book both as to Christ and also as to his Church Which shows how detestable the ingratitude is of such either shallow and frivolous or prophane Spirits or cunning obdurate Politicians that phancying it not to sute with their worldly Interest vilifie and decry it when as indeed this Book of Prophecies will prove the most effectual instrument in the hand of Providence that may be for the rooting all Atheism and Infidelity out of the world and Converting all the Kingdoms of the Earth to the Faith and Profession of our Lord Jesus Christ. CHAPTER VI. 1. HItherto the Introduction to the Prophecies of the Sealed Book we come now to the Prophecies themselves And I saw says Iohn when the Lamb opened one of the Seals that is the first Seal And I heard as it were the noise of thunder one of the four Beasts that is the first of the four Beasts the Lion whose place is towards the East saying Come and see Where we may observe how some parts of the Introductory Representation are made use of in this following Vision as some parts of the description of him that was seen amongst the golden Candlesticks are made use of in the Prefaces of the Epistles to the Churches 2. And I saw and behold a white Horse and he that sate on him had a Bow Which Heros on horseback and on a white Horse signifies a great Commander or Emperour Righteous Prosperous and Glorious in his undertaking And in that he is said to appear upon the first Beast the Lion placed on the East side his saying Come and see it is a sign that he is an Emperour from the East part of the World and in a word it is the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda that Captain of our Salvation Jesus Christ who being ascended into Glory was yet present with his Church affording them all succours to carry on their Spiritual Warfare And these Gospel-soldiers came from Iudea in the East And in that he is said to have a Bow it denotes that he aimed at something of no mean importance And this Heros on Horseback with his Bow answers to the Ephesine succession of the Church whose name imports earnest purpose or desire but the thing aimed at or designed is specified in the following words And a Crown was given unto him to wit the right of it even the Roman Imperial Crown and this Bow-man hat the mark when the Emperour Constantine turned Christian This is also the Crown promised to the Church in the Smyrnean succession Be thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee the Crown of Life the Crown of security from Pagan persecution And he went forth conquering and to conquer This Heros on the white Horse went forth conquering and to conquer till he obtained this Crown under the sixth Seal 3. And when he had opened the second Seal I heard the second Beast that is the Calf or Oxe say Come and sée 4. And there went out another Horse that was red a colour significant enough of the effusion of blood as the Oxe also of the great slaughter that was to be under this Seal and what follows plainly implies so much And power was given to him that sate thereon to take peace from the Earth and that they should kill one another and there was given to him a great Sword as a token of exceeding much blood-shed on the Earth under the second Seal This Seal therefore begins with Trajan a Spaniard and therefore an Emperour from the West In his Reign and Adrian's his successor there were so great commotions in the Empire that there were slain in those Tumults and Rebellions at least fifteen hundred thousand men 5. And when he had opened the third Seal I heard the third Beast that had a face like a man and was placed on the South say Come and see And I beheld and lo a black Horse and he that sate on him had a pair of balances in his hand The black colour betokens Gravity Severity Justice which Justice also is intimated by the face of a Man this third Beast is said to have Prudence and Justice being the proper characters of a Man Which sutes well with the last part of the description the pair of Balances in the Riders hand which argues him Severe Just Frugal and Provident 6. Which accordingly is exprest by that voice in the midst of the four Beasts And I heard a voice in the midst of the four Beasts say A measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny and see thou hurt not the oyl and wine that is the Rider of the black Horse will take special care 1. That if one Choenix of wheat be sold for a penny that three of barley shall be sold for a penny 2. That men shall live by their honest labours not by theft or rapine For Choenix signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the food for a day and Denarius the wages for a days labour 3. There shall be no stealing nor robbing but buying by measure though it should prove so hard a time that their dayes labour will but find them food 4. He will provide that they shall have a Choenix for a penny viz. that the price of bread-corn and necessary victuals shall not exceed a dayes wages And so of Wine and Oyl he will take care that there be no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no fraud in buying and selling there neither nor spoil and wast by unruly Soldiers Which prediction was egregiously fulfilled in Septimius Severus an African and therefore an Emperour from the South and in Alexander the Son of Mammea both of them notorious lovers of Justice and severe punishers of Thieves and Robbers To the latter the sight of an unjust Judge was so nauseous that he was ready to vomit at him and he was famous for that Christian Motto Do as
you would be done to Quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris which he caused to be set up in his Palace and other publick places They are both taken notice of for their care and provision in Bread-corn and other necessaries of life 7. And when he had opened the fourth Seal I heard the fourth Beast that was like a flying Eagle and was placed on the North say Come and sée 8. And I looked and behold a pale Horse which colour of the Horse is very sutable to the Name of the Rider For it follows And his name that sate on him was Death And Hell followed him that is the Grave which is made a person here as Death is and as it were his Lackey to follow him And Power was given unto them over the fourth part of the Earth that is over almost all the Roman Empire which upon due compute was then a third part of the Earth as if this Power reached three fourths of the Empire To kill with the Sword and with Hunger and with Death that is with Famine and Pestilence and with the Beasts of the Earth Which ordinarily invade the Land in those Eastern and Southern parts in extream Famines and Pestilences to increase the mortality The beginning of this Seal is from Maximinus the Thracian and consequently an Emperour from the North as the place of the flying Eagle denotes that notable bird of prey and feeder on dead carcasses and therefore significant of the condition of this Seal under which concur so various modes of vast Mortality the Sword Famine Pestilence and wild Beasts Which Pestilence raging and over-running in a manner the whole Empire for the space of fifteen years and ending Anno CCLXIII from Maximinus to this year is the extent of this Seal And now for the Sword in the Interval of this Seal besides that in the Reign of Gallus and Volusianus Emperours the whole Empire in a manner was exhausted with rapine and slaughters by the Barbarians and consequently Tillage did fail and Famine ensue there were not two more bloody Beasts in the world than Maximinus and Gallienus the former for his cruelty being called Cyclops Busiris Phalaris and what not who without accusers or defence caused to be killed and spoiled of their goods no less than four thousand men and the latter his cruelty was such that he killed all the Male Sex of whole Cities and made nothing of slaying three or four thousand of his Soldiers in a day And there are many more examples of horrid cruelty by the Sword under this Seal according to the prediction thereof So admirably fully was accomplished what was predicted by these four Seals of which it is to be noted that not only parts of the Introductory Vision are made use of namely the four Beasts which usher in each Seal I mean the Visions thereof as parts of the description of him that appeared in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks in the salutation of each Epistle are again made use of but as those parts of his description were sutable to the things signified concerning the Church the Epistle was wrote to so each Beast is sutable to the things predicted in each Seal in these four first Seals which strengthens the certainty of the Epistles being a Prophecy reaching from the beginning of the Church to the end of the World as well as this of the Sealed Book 9. And when he had opened the fifth Seal I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held that is he saw them lye at the foot of the Altar as Sacrifices that are slain use to do slaughtered or martyred for their couragiously professing Christianity For by Faith and an invincible Firmness of mind and unspeakable Patience they had made themselves an Oblation or Sacrifice for the carrying on the Affairs of the Kingdom of Christ. Here is predicted the bloody ten years persecution begun by Dioclesian and continued by his successor which was the most terrible that befell the Church of God This is the dregs of bitterness in the Smyrnean succession of the Church where by the ten days of Tribulation this persecution may be more particularly glanced at as well as all the Ten Persecutions usually so called 10. And they cryed with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth that is the Persecution of the Church under this Seal was so exceeding grievous that they called aloud for Divine Vengeance on this persecuting Empire 11. And white Robes were given to every one of them and they were adopted into the Society of the Blessed which white Robes allude to the custome under the Jewish Temple Where after a due search into their Pedigree and the unblemishedness of their body by giving them or putting on them a white Vesture they were admitted into the Court of Priests as these to serve God in Heaven And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled that is till their fellow-Christians under Licinius Iulian and under the Arians should be slain after which due vengeance should be taken of the bloody Empire under the time of the Trumpets 12. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and may have a more general signification and denote a concussion shaking and commotion of the frame of things which things are here the constitution of the Pagan Hierarchy as I may so call it or Gentilism the Religion of the Roman Empire as Pagan And the Sun became black as sack-cloath of hair and the Moon became as blood that is they were both eclipsed both the Dragon himself the Sun as Head of that Religion and the Office of their Pontifex Maximus which is next to the Draconick Majesty and there intimated by the Moon These plainly suffered an Eclipse when the Roman Emperours by professing Christianity renounced Satan with all the wicked crew of evil Spirits under him and would serve him no more nor exercise the Office of his Pontifex Maximus as is recorded of Constantine Constantius Valentinianus and Valens and Gratian would not so much as retain the name of Pontifex Maximus 13. And the stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth even as a Fig-trée casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken with a mighty wind that is all the false gods of this Diabolical Polity the frame of the Pagan Religion they fell from that Religious Honour and Worship which was given them and were trampled under-foot by the prevailing Christians as also their Priests that served them 14. And the Heaven departed as a scrowl when it is rolled together that is this Pagan Hierarchy shrivelled
up with all the false Deities and Priests therein as a scrowl of parchment that hides the letters therein contained as it is rolled up And every Mountain and Island were removed out of their places that is their high places where they sacrificed and their Temples divided from other houses for their supposed sacredness were demolished at last by Theodosius 15. And the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every fréeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains that is all sorts of men from the highest to the lowest were sorely affrighted and dismayed at this terrible storm that came upon the Pagan Hierarchy nor were able to resist the force thereof not Maximianus Galerius not Maxentius not Maximinus with Martinianus Caesar not Licinius nor Iulian the Apostate who all felt the irresistible Power and Wrath of the Lamb and some of them viz. Galerius Maximinus and Licinius their miserable conditions even whether they would or no forced them by open confession to give Glory to God 16. And said to the mountains and rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb like that of Esay 2.20 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for the fear of the Lord and for the Glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the Earth as he did in this shaking of the Pagan Religion of the Empire and abolishing their Idols 17. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Not Galerius not Maxentius not Licinius nor Iulian nor the Tyrants Eugenius and Argobastus with all the Power the Pagan party were able to make could stand against this storm of the wrath of the Lamb. So that the Church upon the Conversion of Constantine to the Faith entred into the state of the Pergamenian succession being exalted out of the dust And O that she had not been thereupon exalted so much in her own mind and become the Pergamenian succession in the worst sense that is proud and cruel as well as exalted in Power CHAPTER VII HItherto the first six Seals which are contemporary with the Ephesine and Smyrnean succession and with the forepart of the Pergamenian while the Church was only exalted out of her Smyrnean affliction in which she had been so trod to the ground not yet grown haughty and Antichristian and persecutive of the true members of Christ nor apostatized into gross Superstition and Idolatry as she was after in the far greatest part of the Pergamenian Interval and in all the Thyatirian in both which the eating things offered unto Idols is mentioned which tract of time is equal to the first six Trumpets which together with the seven Thunders fill up the whole space of the seventh Seal Which seven Thunders are put in the place of the seventh Trumpet on purpose that the six first Trumpets may be noted as a more peculiar space of time wherein as vengeance was taken on the Roman Empire by the Incursion of the Barbarous Nations for the persecution of the Primitive Christians so in the mean time a kind of Paganochristianism and Antichristian Power sprung up in the Church and grew to the height I say this being the condition of things under the first six Trumpets the artifice of the following transition from the first six Seals to them is admirable and of grand consideration The hundred forty four thousand sealed and so taken special notice of by Divine Providence intimating that the true Apostolick Church should be still preserved all this time notwithstanding all the incursions and devastations of the Barbarians and all the gross Apostasie Idolatry and Antichristian cruelty from a wickedly degenerated Church against Christs true members that held to the pure Apostolick faith and practice 1. And after these things viz. after the opening the six Seals I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the Earth holding the four winds of the Earth that is He saw the Ministers of Gods Power in making War and Peace and blusters in the world and that at that time they held all in peace as for any Incursions of the Barbarians into the Empire That the wind should not blow on the Earth nor on the Sea nor on any Tree should not blow down buildings nor cause shipwracks on the sea nor break off branches of trees or tear them up by the root Houses Ships and Trees in analogie signifying Political Fabricks and Constitutions And the Babylonian Kingdom in Daniel is expresly represented by a Tree 2. And I saw another Angel ascending from the East that is from Christ * one of whose Titles is the East having the Seal of the Living God having a Commission from Christ to protect such certain men from the imminent destruction now coming upon the Empire And he therefore cryed with a loud voice to the four Angels to whom it was given to hurt the Earth and the Sea that is to raise tempests of War and Invasion on the Empire 3. Saying Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees that is forbear to bring in those tempests of the Barbarians upon the Empire Till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads That is marked them out for deliverance and protection Which insinuates the assured Providence of Christ over his True Church and living Members of his Body in all that confusion and corruption that would be under the first six Trumpets 4. And I heard the number of them that were sealed which is not numerally to be understood but symbolically noting the condition of the sealed And there were sealed an hundred forty four thousand Which Chiliads or Thousands are Cubical numbers and signifie therefore Stability or Constancy But it is said there were an hundred forty four thousands it being the square number of these Chiliads or Companies of which the Root is Twelve which is the Apostolical number Of all the Tribes of the children of Israel namely the twelve Patriarchs typically or figuratively being put for the twelve Apostles and the children of Israel for the Church of Christ of which the Israelites are here a Type as they are in the Epistle to the Church in Pergamus in which Pergamenian Interval this sealing begins Wherefore briefly by the hundred forty four thousands are meant the faithful constant Apostolick Christians that submitted not to the Tyranny and Idolatry of the Apostatized Church but were preserved pure and safe by Divine Providence during the sounding of the first six Trumpets under which notwithstanding the Empire was broken in pieces and the Tyranny and Idolatry of Antichrist rising and increasing and growing to the height So great was the Providence of God in his preservation and protection of his truly Apostolick Church for all this 5. Of the Tribe of
Iuda were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand The order is much inverted and confounded in this numbring of the twelve Tribes besides that Dan is left out and Ephraims name is suppressed because those two Tribes were the ring-leaders to Idolatry Iudges chap. 17.18 But Iuda is here put before Reuben because Christ was of the Tribe of Iuda but Reuben keeps the second place as by birthright it being fit he should yield to no other especially his courage having been so notable in battles for the Lord Numb 33. and Ios. 4. Gads valour also has purchased him the next place besides that Elias and Iehu the destroyers of Baal and his worship were of the Tribe of Gad. 6. And of the Tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand This Tribe also is notable for the woman of Sarepta that entertained Elias that great Champion against the Baalitish Idolatry and for Anna the Prophetess that gave testimony to Christ when he was presented in the Temple And these are the first four Sons of Leah Of the Tribe of Nephthali were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand Nephthali is here placed and Manasses before their Seniours Simeon Levi Issachar and Zabulon the former because that Tribe is so much ennobled by the story of Barac the Conquerour of Sisera and for Capernaum that See as it were of that great Bishop of Souls Jesus Christ whose residence was so much at Capernaum a City of Galilee that belongs to Nephthali insomuch that he was called a Galilean And the later for the feats of Gideon the destroyer of the Altar of Baal who was of the Tribe of Manasses as was also Elisha upon whom the Spirit of Elias rested and who was sent to anoint Iehu King that sore executioner of Iezebel 7. Of the Tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand 8. Of the Tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand These four last Sons of Leah were ranked according to their birth there being nothing eximious in them or if there was it being blotted again by some contrary miscarriages so that there was no extraordinary merit to break the order of their birth Of the Tribe of Ioseph were sealed twelve thousand Of the Tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand Which two Tribes nominated from the other two Sons of Rachel as the Tribe of Nephthali and Manasses before from her other two are thrust down into this lowest place and the Tribe of Ioseph here put for the Tribe of Ephraim whose name is here suppressed because of the foul faults of that Tribe of Ephraim in Micha Ieroboam and Ahab all Ephraimites And Benjamin juniour of all is rightly placed last But upon the account of the whole we see the ranking and ordering of the names of the Tribes is so fitted as to represent a company zealous for Christ and as zealous against Antichrist as being that very Virgin Company with the Lamb on Mount Sion Chap. 14. and against Spiritual Whoredom which is Idolatry This pure Apostolick Church did Christ seal and keep safe even during all that dangerous time under the sounding of the first six Trumpets 9. After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb Namely before that Throne above described in Heaven For Iohn is supposed to see all these Visions in Heaven though they concern things here on Earth Clothed in white robes and palms in their hands This part of the Vision therefore shoots beyond the Pergamenian and Thyatirian Interval of the Church and begins with the Sardian Which enjoyes that promise to him that overcomes that he shall have power over the Nations that is whole Nations Tongues and People are now become open professors of the pure Apostolick Faith this is the effect of their victory and the sign thereof the Palm-branches in their hands They are the same with them that have got the victory over the Beast his Image and his Mark and the number of his Name and sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb Chap. 15. Which is the commencement also of the Sardian succession which signifies a Song of Joy 10. And it is here said And they cryed with a loud voice saying Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb Namely because he has thus delivered his Israel from the Antichristian bondage and persecution they were under in the Pergamenian and Thyatirian successions 11. And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and four Beasts and fell before the Throne with their fates and worshipped God This may seem to strike further into those Ages of the Church that come near to or are in the Blessed Millennium to those of the Philadelphian Interval which are as it were the Succession and Off-spring of the Apostolick Church that held out in the most persecuting times of Antichrist and are all held as one continued Church but growing and spreading further In which Angelical Times the consent and harmony of Heaven and Earth will be more full and more perfectly united and accorded So that it is no wonder it is said that the Angels joyntly with the Elders and four Beasts did fall before the Throne on their faces and worship God 12. Saying Amen Blessing and glory and wisdome and thanksgiving and honour and power and might by which these happy and heavenly Times are brought upon Earth be unto God for ever and ever Amen 13. And one of the Elders answered saying unto me What are these that are arayed in white Robes and whence came they that is to say how come the true Apostolick Church in these dayes that are here foreseen to be so prosperous and successfull and victorious For to be clothed in white signifies so in the Prophetick stile 14. And I said unto him Sir thou knowest And he said to me These are they which come out of great tribulation and have washed their Robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb that is these times of the Church that are thus prosperous as well as holy it is in vertue of the great tribulation and affliction their predecessors endured under the cruel and bloody persecutions of Antichrist So that they have washed their Robes as it were and made them white in the blood of the Lamb that is the sufferings of Christ in his true and living members under Antichrist were the Instrumental Cause of the splendid and prosperous condition of the blessed Times that are here prefigured in or near the Millennium as the blood of the Lamb in the usual sense is justly deemed the meritorious cause thereof 15. Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day
also upon a pretense then too lamentably true because they had so wretchedly corrupted the Ancient Apostolick Christianity with many intolerable Superstitions and gross Idolatries adding the persecution of all those that would not submit to them and their wicked Inventions For which gross degeneracy of the Church this scourge of the Turks especially was sent in upon them as is plainly implyed in what follows 20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues that is of the Scorpio-Locusts and Euphratean Centaures as I may so speak but were only vexed with them by which is plainly meant the Western part of the Roman Empire which the Turk could never possess himself of yet as he has of the Eastern Yet for all this sad Example of Gods severity for the like crimes this Western part of the Empire repented not of the works of their hands their wicked and impious Inventions whereby they corrupted the Ancient Apostolick Christianity That they should not worship Devils * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Original has it that is Demons or middle invisible Powers betwixt God and Men whether Angels or Souls of men departed And in reference to these Idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and of wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk and yet they lift up their eyes and hands to them and pray before them as if they could see their posture hear what they said and were able to go and bestir themselves to accomplish their requests But in that the mode of their Idolatry here is by Statues not by Pictures this is another insinuation that the Western Church is here understood 21. Neither repented they of their murthers that is of their murtherous persecution of innocent Souls for not submitting to their Idolatrous Rites and Customs nor of their sorceries their imposturous exorcismes and enchantments of several things to holy pretended uses nor of their fornication their unnatural uncleannesses of all sorts upon an Hypocritical profession of a single life nor of their thefts their cunning tricks of cheating the people of their money by setting up Images for them to bring Oblations to their merchandises of hallowed Crosses Beads Medals and the like trumperies and deceits For such like wickednesses as these was the wrath of God poured down upon the Eastern part of the Empire by letting loose the Euphratean Horsemen upon them so as to quite over-run them and vanquish them and yet the Western Church the more the pity did not lay it at all to heart while those Judgments were thundring against the Eastern and these Euphratean Horsemen were let loose upon them Which happened a little before the year 1300 after the Caliphate of Bagdad with which the first Wo expired had in the year 1258 been abolished by the Tartars and the Remainder of the Turks who had Reigned in Persia on the other side of Euphrates were cast out as out of a sling into the parts of the Roman Empire on this side Euphrates by the said Tartars namely in the year 1289 who winning Syria and Palestine and dividing amongst themselves the greater part of Asia minor at last joyning in one Othoman Empire broke also into Europe nor ceased till they took Constantinople and quite abolished the Constantinopolitan Empire and made themselves fully Masters thereof But as for the close of this second Wo-trumpet the most natural extent I discern thereof is the Universal Impenitency of the Western parts of the Roman Empire till some Country or Kingdom appeared converted from such Crimes as the Eastern Empire was destroyed for by these Euphratean Horsemen And so we shall clearly observe with what succession of the Churches this sixth Trumpet or second Wo-Trumpet expires namely it ends with the Thyatirian succession The six Trumpets added to the six Seals reach just so far and no further So that the seventh Trumpet must be contemporary with the Sardian Philadelphian and Laodicean successions and equalize the succession of them all which is worth the remembring for the better understanding what follows NOTES CHAPTER IX Vers. 1. Fallen from Heaven to the Earth c. The Original has it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though our English Translation renders I saw a Star fall from Heaven as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then falling yet I have made bold to translate it according to Grammatical truth fallen from Heaven But I understand it of a fallen Angel according to the warrantable sense of the Cabbalists See my Synopsis Prophetica Book 1. ch 8. sect 14. Vers. 5. The nature of the Scorpion perpetually to attempt to sting c. Semper cauda in ictu est nulloque momento meditari cessat ne quando desit occasioni Plin. Histor. Natur. lib. 11. c. 25. Her taile is alwayes a striking nor ceases she any one moment to endeavour to sting that she may be sure to miss no opportunity Vers. 14. Four Turkish Sultanies or Tetrarchies c. These four Sultanies their number is learnedly and ingeniously made out by M r J. Mede on this Text But besides this if they were not just four and the business is not their Number but their Office what they are to do and when yet by a Prophetick Diorisme they might be called four Four standing for a note of Vniversality in the Cabbalistick Mysteries And D r Hammond on this place would have Four not to signifie just four but indefinitely to be put for the number of the Angels concerned in this affair Which he might the better have adventured on if he had been acquainted with the Cabbalistick stile Vers. 17. Belongs to the times since the Invention of Gunpowder and the use of Guns in War Which Berchtoldus Niger a Franciscan Monk and Alchymist is said first to have divulged to the world about the year 1380 which was after the plague of the Saracens upon the Empire And shews also how vain the attempts of those are who would draw back these Visions to the times of Titus and the besieging of Jerusalem by the Roman Armies Vers. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Original has it c. And this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 has the same signification that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Spirits whether the Souls of Men or Angels and that either good or bad This is certainly the sense of the word in the Greek Language And therefore it is not so justifiably and fitly translated here Devils which none amongst the Pagans themselves are said to worship unless Witches and Magicians and therefore it had been more safe to have retained the Greek word which also the Latines use and called them Demons which signifies as well goods Angels and the souls of good men departed this life as bad Angels or bad Souls or if you will Devils which in all Idolatrous worship are in all likelihood busie Assistants and several times make a show of Miracles and so attract the worship of Idolaters to themselves they worshipping
them that do these miraculous feats when any are done so that the sense is easie enough either way Not to add that by a just reproach to their worshipping of Saints and Angels they are said to worship Devils For who but a Devil would receive Religious Worship or at least to worship false Objects according to that of Psalm 98. v. 5. All the Gods of the Heathen are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the very word here in this verse And the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no gods but vain objects of worship called in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there being no true objects of worship but he that made the Heavens See my Synopsis Prophetica Book 2. cap. 10. And M r Mede 's Apostasie of the latter Times ch 3 and 4 CHAPTER X. THe Euphratean Horsemen having over-run and destroyed and fully seized on the Eastern part of the Roman Empire natural method will prompt us to expect that what follows in this Prophecy of the sealed Book should refer to the Western parts of the Empire and concern the highest Dominion there to wit the Bloody Idolatrous Papal Hierarchy that Antichrist that exalts himself above all that is called God or worshipped the Prophet Balaam Lord of the People and who had made the Secular Power a Balak an empty cypher or an Ahab that is wholly guided or directed by the Prophetess Iezebel So that this Papal Hierarchy in the West being in reality the Highest Power by Usurpation and the Antichrist exalting himself against Christ and above him we may rationally expect that the last Wo-trumpet which contains the residue of the Sealed-Book-Prophecy carries in it such things or alterations as tend to the downfall of Antichrist and restoring and enlarging the Kingdom of Christ in these parts of the Roman Empire and over the whole Earth And therefore accordingly it is said 1. And I saw another mighty Angel come down from Heaven one distinct from the seven Trumpet-Angels cloathed with a cloud that is clouds and darkness were round about him a thick cloud charged with thunder And a Rain-bow was on his head which betokens he came in the Glory of the Divinity even in the Glory of God the Father for the Rainbow in the Vision of Ezechiel so signifies And therefore this mighty and victorious Angel must be Christ and a further intimation hereof is from what follows And his face was as it were the Sun For so he appeared to Saul when he cryed out to him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and such was his description when he appeared in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks And his feet as Pillars of fire as it were coming out of the cloud and reaching to the Earth which are tokens of the great wrath of the Son of God or Christ and his coming to judge and take vengeance of his Enemies His feet was as fine Brass in the Thyatirian Interval here they are like a Pillar of fire 2. And he had in his hand a little book open which contains all the Visions of the Prophecy of the opened Book as we at first noted And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the earth standing in that Majestick manner and laying claim to or seizing himself as it were on his right by Sea and Land See ch 12.9 ch 13.11 3. And cryed with a loud voice as when a Lion roareth which is another intimation that it is Christ the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah And who in this majestick posture and terrible roaring could so well be said to set himself against Antichrist or the Papal Hierarchy as Christ The Roman Empire Eastern and Western too was sorely vext and scourged by the Scorpio-Locusts the Saracens and Eastern quite destroyed after by those Euphratean Centaures the Turks But the Papal Empire or Hierarchy here in the West Christ himself with his Apostolical Legions of Reformed Christians will utterly demolish and destroy as it is elsewhere said of the Ten Horns or Kings that at last they shall hate the Whore make her desolate eat her flesh and burn her with fire This loud roaring therefore of this Lion of the Tribe of Iudah sets off in general the anger and victorious terrour of Christ in assaulting and overcoming the Kingdom of Antichrist or the Papal Hierarchy and glorious Erection of his own Kingdom These in general are the affairs of this last space of the Sealed-Book-Prophecy And whereas it is said when he cryed or while he cryed seven thunders uttered their voices This is a distribution of the aforesaid space into seven parts which will be very serviceable for the orderly disposing of the Visions of the Opened-Book-Prophecy These seven Thunders may be seven Bath-Cols that is seven Oracles or Voices delivered in the midst of a Thunder and the last Thunder which betokens the turning of the Earth into a Lake of Fire by thundering and Lightning might happily send out some such voice as this Go ye accursed into everlasting fire This is the doom of them that adhere to the bloody imposturous and Idolatrous Papal Hierarchy 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices I was about to write namely what they said And I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Seal up those things that the seven thunders uttered with an allusion to this Sealed Book of Prophecies as if he should say Though the seventh Seal be opened yet as to this part thereof let it be as sealed again for it is needless here so particularly to declare things touching the destruction of the Papal Hierarchy which agrees very well with what follows according to the reading of the Biblia Regia Andreas and others And thou shalt write them hereafter not And write them not namely in the Opened-Book-Prophecies where these affairs of the destruction of Antichrist and of the advancement of Christs Kingdom shall be more fully and particularly delivered which is a marvellous manner of transition from the Sealed-Book-Prophecy to the Opened-Book-Prophecy and sutable to the usual majestickness of this Book of the Apocalypse 5. And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven as using that usual Ceremony of posture in swearing 6. And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever who created heaven and the things that therein are and the earth and the things that therein are and the sea and the things that are therein This is a mighty and vehement asseveration but it is concerning a thing that sunk flesh and blood are too too incredulous of which makes Christ in his Epistle to the Church of the Laodicean Interval which includes his coming to judgment and his putting an end to the Scene of things here on Earth use as vehement asseveration as might be by calling himself the Amen the faithful and true Witness
and the beginning of the Creation of God and therefore he who could also put an end to it And so here there is the like vehement asseveration that the stage of the Earth must have an end at the last Thunder which will bring upon it the Conflagration For so he saith That there should be time no longer that is That there shall be here no more time upon Earth 7. Saving in the dayes of the voice of the seventh Angel when he shall sound and the mystery of God be finished as he has declared to his servants the Prophets that is Those predictions be fulfilled which in such a mystical and symbolical stile God hath foretold by his Prophets Isaiah Daniel and Ezechiel and others which reach to the very end of the world or of the stage of things on this Earth And this is the first part of this marvellous Transition from the Prophecy of the Sealed Book to that of the Opened Book 8. And the voice which I heard from Heaven namely at the beginning of the Sealed-Book-Prophecy spake unto me again in the tone of a Trumpet suppose as it did before And said Go and take the little Book which is open in the hand of the Angel which standeth upon the Sea and upon the Earth Namely in the hand of Christ now in the form of an Angel as before in the form of a Lamb but the same person still under another form as it is the same Book though opened now when sealed before But this new change in both denotes a new series of Prophecies from the beginning of the Church to the end of the world as those of the Sealed Book were 9. And I went unto the Angel and said unto him Give me the little Book 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 sweet as honey that is Though the knowledge of future things may be pleasant and tempting to the curious Reader of this Book yet when he shall throughly digest it or understand it it will be bitter by reason of the several sad and bitter things contained in it As the sad persecution of the Primitive Christians in the Smyrnean succession of the Church and the foul Apostasie of the Church into gross Idolatry under the Reign of Antichrist or the Whore of Babylon and the most barbarous persecutions of them that will not submit to her wicked and Idolatrous Tyranny And there is bitterness enough for her too at the last which makes her paramours so loth to understand this Book of Prophecies aright 10. And I took the little Book out of the Angels hand and ate it up and it was in my mouth sweet as honey and as soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter that is my stomach was bitter which is a prefiguration of the condition of those that shall read this Book and rightly digest it that is truly understand it Though there be pleasure in the understanding it yet when these sad things touching the Church were to come it could not but be bitterness to them that is the Book is of that nature that it would so affect a Christian. 11. And he said unto me Thou must prophecy again that is Thou must run over again from the same Epocha of time this race of prophecying that is foretell as before the fate or state of the Empire so now the fate or state of the Christian Church from the beginning thereof to the end of the world Before many Peoples and Nations and Tongues and Kings that is to their faces so that they may all understand how they are concerned in this Prophecy of the opened Book And thus is the Transition from the Sealed-Book-Prophecy to the Opened-Book-Prophecy in both the parts thereof fully finished Now follow the Visions themselves of the Opened-Book-Prophecy and that in a sufficiently natural and rational order those Visions that reach from the beginning of the Church being placed first NOTES Chapter X. Vers. 7. Saving in the dayes of the voice of the seventh Angel when he shall sound c. Instead of But in the dayes I have rendered it Saving in the dayes the sense of this verse in the Original being exceeding imperfect and ungrammatical unless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be supposed to be put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saving or except And that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies so sometimes is abundantly plain out of several instances in the New Testament Mat. 20.22 But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except to those for whom it is prepared of my Father And Mat. 7.8 compared with Mark 9.8 where the former has it And when they lift up their eyes they saw no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 save Jesus only the latter has it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plainly put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our English Translation renders it save Jesus only These and other such like places has Grotius himself noted to our hand which makes it manifest that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except or saving And being the sense is maimed in this place of the Apocalypse unless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be so rendred it is plain that it is the sense of this particle here And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have rendred when he shall sound not when he shall begin to sound as if it were restrained to the beginning of the sounding because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implies no such thing See my Ratio Synchronistica cap. 2. sect 3. Wherefore it is plain that the Angel swears there shall be no more Time on Earth saving in the space of the seventh Trumpet and that therefore there will be an end of this terrestrial Scene of things contrary to the confident conceit of those scoffing Atheists 2 Peter 3.3 And moreover that since we are at the end of all in this seventh Verse that there is a beginning of a new series of Prophecies from the first Epocha afterwards CHAPTER XI 1. ANd there was given to me a réed like unto a Rod and the Angel stood saying Rise and measure the Temple of God and the Altar and those that worship therein That is all that space that is contained within the inward Court. In the first part whereof is the Temple which consists of the Sanctum and Sanctum Sanctorum and in the latter part thereof stands the Altar of Holocausts which whole space therefore is Thysiasterion or the place of sacrificing and was not to be rendred Altar but the place where the Altar stands For the Priests did not worship in the Altar but in the place where the Altar was erected Which place the Greek Text calls Thysiasterion And in that it is said Measure them that worship therein it
is plain that the measuring belongs to the men not to the place This space therefore of ground answers to that space of time which is comprehended in the Ephesine and Smyrnean succession of the Church And the correspondence is admirable betwixt the Smyrnean succession and the Thysiasterion when so many Martyrs as so many Holocausts were sacrificed in testimony of the Truth of the Christian Religion the space where the Altar of Holocausts stands falling in with the space of Time of the Smyrnean persecutions 2. But the Court which is without the Temple leave out and measure it not For it is not commensurable to the Rule of Gods Word and the Apostolick Faith and Practice but contrary or repugnant namely that time of the Church which is comprised in far the greatest part of the Pergamenian succession and all the Thyatirian in which they are said to offer things sacrificed to Idols and were in some kind or other become Idolatrous never go about therefore to measure them for they are incommensurate to the Rule and point-blank contrary thereto such is the outward Court. For it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two months that is a kind of Paganochristianity instead of pure Christianity shall visibly domineer for forty and two months of years that is 1260 years which is the same proportion of Time to the commensurate Time of the Church under the Ephesine and Smyrnean succession and a little further that the proportion of the outward Court has to the inward Court which proportion is as 1260 to 360 that is the outward Court contained the inward three times and an half in quantity 3. And I will give power unto my two Witnesses and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes cloathed in sackcloth The works of darkness were numbred by months the Moon being Ruler of the night but the works of Righteousness by dayes of which the Sun is moderator But by dayes are understood Prophetick dayes here that is years a thing known and usual in Prophecies By these Two Witnesses are understood all that bore witness against the Idolatries and disorders of this time of Apostasie and they are said to be cloathed in sackcloth to denote both the sadness of heart they are in to see such times and also to signifie the low and mean condition of such Holy and Apostolick men in this wicked time of Apostasie But all these mournful Witnesses are said to be two though never so many partly by reason of the Types in the Old Testament to which they allude Moses and Aaron Elias and Elisha Zorobabel and Ieshuah who show'd their Zeal for the purity of Gods Worship against the Idolatry in the Wilderness in the Baalitish Idolatry and in the Captivity of Babylon There may be also an allusion to things in this Division into two viz. to Magistracy and Ministry to the Old Testament and the New or else to the People of the Iews such as are kept out from our Religion by the gross Adulterations of it and to the Virgin Company of Christians 4. Those are the two Olive Trées and the two Candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth A description of the two Witnesses in the sense above declared with a particular allusion to that in Zachary chap. 4.11 where by the two Olive Trees upon the right side of the Candlestick and the left is understood Zorobabel and Ieshuah those faithful Servants in the Babylonish Captivity and the time of the mournfull Witnesses is the very time of the Whore of Babylon 5. And if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their Enemies The allusion is to Moses and Elias who did really bring down fire upon their Enemies but here it is to be understood Mystically of the fire of the Spirit Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts It was the Word of the Lord to Zorobabel who was a Type of these Witnesses and an helper of Gods People in the Babylonish Captivity And it is said of the Man in Esdras coming out of the Sea And he shall destroy them without labour by the Law which is like unto fire In which sense I would understand that which followes And if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed by the power of the Spirit in conviction and prayer these are the weapons of their warfare 6. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the dayes of their Prophecies namely in the dayes of their mournful Prophecy their prophecying in sackcloth This is figuratively spoken by a Prophetical Metalepsis or Zoopoeia of the second kind attributing that to their activity or it may be oral denunciation which is only a consequence of their condition they being put out of power and place in Church and State The allusion is to Elias his hindering it from raining three years and six months in Ahab's time which time exactly answers to 1260 dayes the time of these mournfull Witnesses But the rain that is here hindred is the sound Apostolick Doctrine and Heavenly influence thereof which hinderance is a consequence of these mournfull Witnesses being put out of power and place And have power over waters to turn them to blood because their Apostolick preaching of the Gospel of meekness and peace does not take place And to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will that is as often as occasions offer themselves * For particular occasions answer in analogie to particular acts of will in this Prophetick Zoopoeia and indeed all the ten plagues of Aegypt came upon the Roman Empire because these Witnesses to the Apostolick Truth are not heard it having become a Land of Aegypt to the true Israelites the pure and Apostolick Christians How the plague of Frogs of Lice of swarms of Gnats and Flyes murrain of Beasts Boyles and Ulcers Hail and Locusts in a mystical sense interpreted fell upon this mystical Aegypt as it is called in this Book of Prophecies as a necessary consequence of these Witnesses disgrace affliction and deprivation of power and office were easie here to show if it were not too long for this short Explication we are upon 7. And when they shall be * a finishing their Testimony that is performing their witnessing to the Truth against all the Impostures and Idolatries of this Spiritual Aegypt The Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit that is either out of a pit of the Earth or the abysse of the Sea and so it will signifie either the two-horned or the ten-horned Beast shall make war against them and shall overcome them and kill them shall oppose them and overcome as to the power of this world and kill them so that they shall be politically dead all of them and some as it happened to the Waldenses and Albigenses and others be slain in a natural sense
are equal to the forty two months wherein they are said to have trod it down So that the residue of this Vision runs up into the Sardian succession of the Church into the time of the seven Vials And already I think it is manifest in this Opened-Book-Prophecy that this Lion of the Tribe of Iudah did not roar in vain he having rescued so considerable a prey out of the jaws of Antichrist in the last notable Reformation And behold the third Wo cometh quickly which is the pouring forth of the Vials The first whereof is that intoxicating cup of envy rage and exulceration of spirit against the risen Witnesses by which their enemies being dementated it would make them impotently attempt such things as would render them execrable odious or despicable to all the world Which wrath of theirs and malice so naturally flowing from the prosperity of the Witnesses it is no wonder it is said That the third Wo cometh quickly 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven namely where S t Iohn was wrapt up in Spirit Saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ that is several Kingdoms and Principalities as pledges of the rest are recovered already by Christ out of the hands of the Tyrannical Antichrist by the late blessed Reformation And he shall reign for ever and ever that is whatever chastisements may come upon the Church of Sardis for her neglects and imperfections this Kingdom of Christ which has begun shall for certain take place and he shall reign to the end of the world through the Sardian Philadelphian and Laodicean successions 16. And the four and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God These Princes in Heaven are said thus to do betokening what those Princes and Potentates on Earth that were our Noble Reformers would do or how devoutly they would be affected for so blessed a Reformation which God by his gracious Providence had brought to pass for they were in a manner slaves to the Pope before 17. Saying We give the thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned that is given so glorious a specimen of thy power and that thou rulest in the Kingdoms of men and hast thus happily begun the reign of thy Christ for the subduing utterly at last the Kingdom of Antichrist The beginning of the seventh Trumpet is the beginning of the Sardian succession of the Church and of the seven Vials and the commencement of them all are with praises and acclamations for this first auspicious victory of Christ over the Papal Hierarchy or Antichrist For the word Sardis signifies a Song of Ioy and here is the thanksgiving of the Elders and at the beginning of the Vials there is sung the Song of Moses and of the Lamb. What follows here are some scatterings and obscure hints of the affairs under the seven Vials and plainly ends with the seventh 18. And the Nations were angry that is the Gentiles that had trodden down the outward Court and defiled it by a new kind of Idolatrous Gentilism the minds of these were exasperated and exulcerated with wrath and envy at this sudden resurrection of the Witnesses which is a short glance at the first Vial. And thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that is of those that this Tyrannical Roman Hierarchy had so often and in such multitudes so barbarously murthered for their witnessing to the Truth the time is now come that Christ is to judge and revenge their Cause which seems to allude to the third Vial where it is said Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shall be because thou hast judged thus For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy which is an easie comment upon what follows That they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy Servants the Prophets and to thy Saints and them that fear thy Name small and great The meanest that have died Martyrs and been murdered for the profession of the Truth that thou shouldest judge their Cause though they were despised by this Proud Imperious Iezebel And shouldest destroy them that destroy the Earth that is the men upon the Earth for of this Iezebel or Whore of Babylon it is said And in her was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the Earth into such an Akeldama has that lofty Prelate the Pope ever and anon turned Christendom by his restless ambition and tyranny 19. And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven Out of which the seven Angels having the seven last plagues are seen to come Chap. 15. And there was seen in his Temple the Ark of the Testament Which answers to the great voice out of the Temple of Heaven from the Throne Chap. 16.17 under the seventh Vial So that this time reaches to the very Sanctum sanctorum or Holy of holies betokening a most powerfull pure and Apostolick State of the Church as if we were come into the first Apostolick Times again in the beginning of the Church as the outward Court is an emblem of the latter Apostated Times thereof By which is notified the beginning of the Philadelphian succession which commences with the seventh Vial. To which what follows seems to allude And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail which is plainly a description of the seventh Vial. So that this whole Vision in this Chapter begins with the first Epocha of the Church and endeth with the seventh Vial or first Thunder Which is also the very space of the Sett of Visions comprized in the three following Chapters which are a more ample description of the same state of things in the same time and we shall note what parts answer each other NOTES Chapter XI Vers. 6. By a Prophetical Metalepsis or Zoopoeia c. Metalepsis is a Figure whereby an effect or event is translated or communicated to some Person or Thing because the Place and Time is coincident with them That there is such a Figure and that it is made use of in the Apocalypse I have proved in my Synopsis Prophetica lib. 1. cap. 4. sect 10. But a Zoopoeia of the second kind is when free Actions are attributed to free Agents of which notwithstanding they may be no more the cause than if they were inanimate Beings or not in Being at all This figure also I have proved to be made use of in the Apocalypse as well as in other Authors lib. 1. cap. 3. sect 10. See my Synopsis in the places cited For particular occasions answer in Analogy to particular acts of will c. And the Analogie is very exact the Figure being but once admitted which I have
is they were quite vanquished neither was their place found any more in Heaven 9. And the great Dragon was cast out that old Serpent with whom Christ had had no small combating long before called the Devil and Satan the reproacher and opposer of the Kingdom of Christ in all places and ages which deceiveth the whole world and seduceth them into false and idolatrous worship He was cast out into the earth and his Angels were cast out with him This appearance thus in Heaven signified the destruction of the Empire as Draconick and Idolatrous that none of that foul stamp should be in high places of the Empire but such as were professed Christians 10. And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. This is contemporary to the affairs of the sixth Seal or rather with the close thereof and the commencement of the Pergamenian Interval For the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night What the Devil is said to do concerning Iob accuse him before God the Pagans are here understood to do before the Emperour and other Magistrates of the Empire to raise most wicked calumnies concerning the Christians objecting against them Thyaestean Suppers Incests Adultery promiscuous Lusts Murders Conspiracies against Princes Plagues Famine Mischiefs by Fire or what other calamity happened in the Empire 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb through the merits of Christ crucified on the Cross and by the word of their Testimony and spending their own blood also in way of Martyrdom For it is said And they loved not their lives unto the death This Verse makes it plain that the Battel that is said to be in Heaven denotes a Battel here on Earth betwixt the Christians and their Persecutors 12. Therefore rejoyce ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them Ye Angels and Holy Martyrs not without an intimation also to the Political Heaven in the Roman Empire to those in high Places and Offices under the Christian Emperour Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea that is to the lower multitude For the Devil is come down unto you having great wrath and will stickle to do as much mischief as he can amongst you while he may because he knoweth that he hath but a short time For though the Great Ones of the Empire were turned Christians yet many of the Common People were still Pagans wherefore the Devil will find out a fetch to strengthen those in their Paganism and dissettle the other in their Christian Profession 13. And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth and reduced to such a low base condition He persecuted the Woman which brought forth the Man-child An envious revengefull persecuting temper rose in him against her 14. And to the Woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that is by reason of the Roman Empire becoming Christian and now divided into two parts Eastern and Western and that the Eagle is the Ensign of the Roman Empire is notorious enough which these wings might represent she was in such a state that by a Prophetick Hypallage it might be said of her That she might fly into the Wilderness into her place that is the wilderness condition of the Church would come shortly upon her wherein she should by Divine Providence be ever safe from the red Pagan persecuting Dragon as it follows where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the Serpent That is for three Prophetick years and an half which is seven Prophetical half years or semitimes which are the measures intended as seems to be insinuated by expressing the one thousand two hundred and sixty days vers 6. by a Time and Times and half a Time 15. But before the commencement of the Time as if he had a mind to overwhelm her before she could reach the appointed place it is said And the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a stood after the Woman that is the water of Heresie and Contention that sore division of the Church by reason of that Heresie of Arianisme That he might cause her to be carried a way of the Flood That the Church which stood out the hottest persecutions with invincible valour against the red Dragon may now perish by the over-speading of Heresie and Intestine Division this furious controversie hardening the hearts of the unconverted people and staggering the converted in their Faith and Profession 16. And the Earth helped the Woman and the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth that is the Church was delivered from this overflowing Heresie and Dissension by the Decree of an Oecumenical Council viz. the first Nicene Council their opening their mouth in a Decree against Arianisme and condemning it for an Heresie was like the opening of the mouth of the Earth to a flood that presently sinks and never is seen any more Partly this real Analogie is alluded to and partly there may be an allusion to the title Oecumenical which is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which implies in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Earth For such gentle touches and glances at the signification of words are not unusual in the Prophetick stile 17. And the Dragon was wroth with the Woman and went to make war with the remnant of her Séed which kéep the Commandments of God The former wicked project failing the wrath of the Dragon was again incensed against the Woman viz. the Woman with the Crown of twelve Stars on her head and the Moon under her feet the pure Apostolick Church and went to make war with the remnant of her Seed those namely that she was to bring forth while she abides in the Wilderness which will approve themselves her genuine Off-spring by keeping the Commandments of God who forbids us making any graven Image to bow down to it or worship it and bids us worship serve and pray to himself alone And have the Testimony of Iesus Christ. For the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy in which sense the two Witnesses are said to prophecy as well as to witness The Testimony therefore of Jesus is to witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ not from mere custom or education because others have told us it is true but because we are assured of the truth thereof from the spirit of God and in virtue of the spirit of life in the new birth From this living Principle do these faithful Servants of Christ bear witness of the truth of his Word revealed in the Gospel and witness against the wicked inventions of an Apostatized Church and loath them and detest them For they are not dead vessels that will receive wholesome liquor and poyson alike but the Living Creation of God and therefore have an antipathy against all the
and delusions of his wicked Spirits at their Images or Altars to deceive the people 4. And they worshipped the Dragon which gave Power to the Beast namely which had given him his Armies his Throne and his great Authority that is to say though he appears in the shape now not of the Dragon but of the Leopard or Panther a Beast the Dragon is said so much to abhor that is in the gratefull shew of Christianity yet so far forth as they gave obedience to the Paganical and Idolatrous part joyned with it they indeed worshipped or obeyed the Dragon whose Fiends or Goblins might please themselves to receive that worship at their Altars and Images that they had by their jugling tricks and false Miracles reintroduced into the Church and flear amongst themselves at the Imposture that they made the Church in so gross a sense become the worshippers of Devils as it is said in the sixth Trumpet And they worshipped the Beast that is they yielded obedience to the Beast to the Imperial Power in such a state as it was saying Who is like unto the Beast who is able to make war with him Things are so well setled and strongly this way and so accommodately to all mens liking that neither Jew nor Pagan can be able to dissettle the Peace of the Empire in this point or make war and raise stirs against it 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies that is great and enormous blasphemies which are injunctions for Idolatry of several sorts for Blasphemy in Scripture often signifies Idolatry And Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months the same time the outward Court is trodden down by the Gentiles that is the entireness of his Dominion shall continue till the seventh Semitime till about the fourth month thereof 6. And he opened his mouth in Blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name by giving his incommunicable Name to Idols or Images or Name may signifie his person and so his person is blasphemed by Idolatry committed against him by worshipping any other person besides God or Christ. And his Tabernacle namely the Body of Christ which is the Living Tabernacle of God it is blasphemed more wayes than one both in that they Idolatrously worship a mere Wafer instead thereof and make it also so vile a thing that it shall be at the command of every Priest for whatever uses he will please to fetch it down by his transubstantiating charm to be devoured into the foul stomachs of the People and as it may happen to be eaten by base Vermine such as Rats and Mice And them that dwell in Heaven that is the Saints and Angels they most wickedly blaspheme in that they set up Idols by the instigation of Evil Spirits the Forces or Armies the old Dragon delivered to the Beast who no doubt are busie enough to assist there and play tricks and do call these Idols by the names of the Saints or Angels and impute these tricks there played in the behalf of Idolatry by them to the Saints when they are the mere delusions of these Goblins or Devils Besides it it a gross reproach to the Saints and Angels to suppose they will accept of Religious Worship and so prove Rebels to God Wherefore that Power that established and decreed such enormous things as these Image-worship Saint-worship and Transubstantiation may well be said to open their mouth in blasphemy for publishing such Edicts c. 7. And it was given him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them that is to oppose them and subdue them and keep them under all along that they shall have no power in the Empire as it was said before of the mournful Witnesses that they were Politically dead all the three Times and an half in a manner But in some part of this time the war and slaughter or killing is not mystical but proper For of the Waldenses and Albigenses in France alone there is said to have been slain no less than ten hundred thousand And in the Inquisition within thirty years space no less than an hundred fifty thousand persons were consumed with all manner of grievances and miseries besides infinite numbers more And Sanderus the Jesuite reports that an infinite number of Lothards as he calls them and Sacramentarians through Europe were burnt with fire and fagot but excuses it as not done by the Pope and Bishops but the secular Magistrate which is the thing this Prophecy foretells that it is the Beast with ten horns the Secular Power of the Empire not the Beast with two horns that is the executioner of the cruelty or that dooms to death Iezebel excites but Ahab the Secular Powers execute or command to be executed her bloody suggestions against Naboth that is against those that have the Witnesses of Jesus the Spirit of Prophecy as is elsewhere explained And power was given him over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations namely that he might persecute and force men to Idolatrous worship in all the parts of the Empire 8. And all that dwell upon the Earth that is whose minds are fixed on earthly things shall worship him that is obey his Idolatrous Edicts and Commands whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world that is are not of the number of the Called and Chosen as they are termed Chap. 17. nor of those that are redeemed from the Earth as they are described Chap. 14. For those will ever stand out till they get the victory over the Beast 9. If any man have an ear let him hear For this was a remarkable intimation and worth the observing as also that which follows 10. He that leadeth into Captivity shall go into Captivity He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword that is That Power which now in this forty-two months of years of the Beast domineers so and forces men to their Idolatrous worship shall at last be led captive into the Truth and they that kill now with the sword of persecution shall be slain by the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God answerably to the witnesses slaying their enemies by the fire that came out of their mouth Which victory was obtained in the resurrection of the Witnesses in a degree in the third or fourth month of the seventh or last Semitime viz. in the late blessed Reformation as I have above noted Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints that they may stand to it with these spiritual weapons till it shall please God to give them success as he did in the time even now mentioned 11. And I beheld another Beast coming out of the Earth Why there is two Beasts here since the Empire became Christian in profession I above intimated namely because there is as it were Imperium in Imperio a Secular Empire and Sacerdotal which pretends to an Universal Rule in
ordine ad spiritualia whenas the Pagan Emperours were Pontifices maximi as well as Caesars But that this other Beast is said to come out of the Earth and not out of the Sea implies its more still and quiet growth as of Plants out of the ground or its baser extraction the chiefest in the Sacerdotal Hierarchy being more usually of meaner Parentage Or lastly Earth may signifie here as it does Chap. 12. vers 16. where Oecumenical Councils are glanced at which though laudable in themselves yet this two-horned Beast grew out of them by the abuse of that power of determining Controversies of Religion when once they had got the custom not to mind what was true and Christian but what was for the Interest of Holy Church though never so Worldly and Secular And he had two horns like a Lamb That Apostate Sacerdotal Hierarchy or Prelacy pretend their Power from the Lamb Christ of binding and loosing It may allude also to the Bishops two-horned Mitre which the two-horned Beast wears though it so ill beseems him as also signifie the distribution of the Apostatized Church then into two parts as the Empire was Eastern and Western and betoken the two chief summities of this Sacerdotal Hierarchy the two Patriarchates of Rome and Constantinople And he spake as the Dragon namely in that he made Decrees for Idolatrous practises and for the persecuting of such as would not submit to them This was the voice of the Old Dragon 12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first Beast before him that is his whole power he hath in Religion For the power of approving things in Religion and passing it into a Law is in the Secular Supreme Magistrate not in the Clergy But this Sacerdotal Hierarchy claimed all this Power and exercised it accordingly in the behalf of the former Beast as he succeeded the Dragon in his Dragon-like power and properties And under pretense of this power in sacris in matters of Religion he causeth the Earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first Beast whose deadly wound was healed that is represented so as to have been healed or recovered into its former Paganical or Dragon-like condition but by the Authority of this Sacerdotal Hierarchy which was so prevalent with the people as to effect it and how he effected it now follows 13. And he doth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from Heaven on the Earth which is a proverbial expression of the notoriousness of a wonder alluding to Elias his bringing fire from Heaven upon those fifties But it is as childish to understand this literally here as it would have been to understand the fire proceeding out of the mouth of the Witnesses and their turning the waters into blood and the like literally Fire from Heaven therefore here is the thundering excommunications of this Sacerdotal Hierarchy whereby those that did not obey the voice of this Beast though it was the voice of the Dragon appointing Idolatrous worship * were rent off from the Church and made obnoxious to eternal fire What is a greater wonder-working-power than this And yet this great wonder this two-horned Beast does In the sight of men that is they are such fools as to believe he does it especially when a Pope thunders against a Prince and his Nation for their Heresie viz. the relinquishing the Superstition Idolatry and Tyranny of the Roman Church And Gregory the seventh when he had excommunicated the Emperour Henry the fourth said he was fulmine afflatus thunder-struck by him These things I confess are rather a show of Miracles than Miracles but Antichrist was to come with Lying and feigned Miracles And if there might be any thing extraordinary it is imputable to the forces of the Dragon the Evil Spirits that were bequeathed by the Dragon to the Apostatizing Empire 14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those Miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the Beast that is In the sight of the Lay or Secular Empire before whom he made a show as if he did these Miracles And whatever was in truth extraordinary they are to be imputed to the two-horned Beast For he claiming and accepting the Power of ordering the Empire in matters of Religion the Forces of the Dragon bequeathed to the ten-horned Beast fell naturally to his share And by these assistances are done whatever looks really like something extraordinary or miraculous for the promoting Idolatry and Superstition miraculous Cures and Visions exorcising Spirits and a deal of such stuff whether feigned or true these are justly imputed to the two-horned Beast as they conferr to the bringing the Empire again into a more perfect Pagan-like or Dragon-like condition For by reason of these he was listened to when he made his harangue to the people Saying to them that dwell on the Earth that they should make an Image to the Beast which had the wound by the sword namely in the fight with Michael and the Martyrs who overcame this Beast viz. the Dragon and his pure Paganism But this two-horned Beast revives his Image again by the means abovesaid by the obtruding of the belief of such Miracles on the people And he lived that is the Old Dragon or Pagan Superstition and Idolatry was very lively reintroduced in this Image the two-horned Beast made by making the Empire thus Idolatrous 15. And this Image was no spiritless Image sluggish and harmless like an inanimate Statue For the two-horned Beast had a way to transfuse Spirit and Life into it as it follows And he had power to give Life unto the Image of the Beast that the Image of the Beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the Beast that is would not obey himself the Secular Idolatrous Power of the Empire should be killed Which Power of so commanding to kill which is the Spirit of the Image of the Beast is derived from the two-horned Beast or Sacerdotal Hierarchy the Image of the Beast having no Power to kill any one for matters of Religion but whom the Sacerdotal Hierarchy has declared Heretick then is he delivered up to the Secular Power the Ten-horned Beast For the two-horned Beast kills none himself but delivers up to the Secular Magistrate according to this very Prophecy 16. And he this Image of the Beast causeth all both small and great rich and poor free and bond that is all sorts and degrees of men to receive a mark in their right-hand or in their foreheads as Soldiers or Servants do the name of their General or Master that is they must make open and express profession to whom they belong 17. And that no man may buy or sell save he that had the mark or name of the Beast or the number of his Name viz. of the two-horned Beast the very Antichrist who will have his marked Soldiers as well as Christ hath his that is no man
not markt with the name of this Beast or the number of his name that has not either his name in letters plainly writ or in figures that contain the number that the letters of his name make according to their numeral value for every Greek letter has such a numeral value those that are not thus marked that is profess not themselves of the Faith of this Sacerdotal Hierarchy signified by the two-horned Beast may neither buy nor sell but are excommunicated for Hereticks with whom by the very Sentence of their Synods there is to be no Negotiation Now who this Beast this two-horned Beast or Sacerdotal Hierarchy more particularly is is enigmatically expressed in the following Verse 18. Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast Here is a dark riddle let him that has skill that way number the number of the Beast For it is the number of a Man that is not so strange a number but that it may be numbred by the Art of man And his number is six hundred threescore and six which is to be numbred no otherwise than by the extraction of the square Root which is 25 * which is marvellously applicable to the City and Church of Rome as 12 the root of 144 to the New Ierusalem And that you may be sure this Sacerdotal Hierarchy of Rome is more specially aimed at in this Vision take another easie sense of It is the number of a Man that is of a mans name For above there is mention of the number of his name And his name will prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lateinos for those letters in their numeral value make just 666. And it is notoriously known that the Fathers of this Western Church of which Old Rome was the Head were stiled in subscriptions at Councils the Latin Fathers and the Eastern Fathers Roman from New Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire in those parts So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that name of a Man of that Man of Sin or Antichrist and 666 the number of this Man that is of his name which is a Cabbalistical device and by the Cabbalists called Gematria From whence we see that the pinch of this Prophetick Vision at last lights more particularly on the Pope of Rome and his Clergy NOTES CHAPTER XIII Vers. 13. Were rent off from the Church and made obnoxious to eternal fire c. That thunder is fire from Heaven is plain as also that the Popes Excommunications are compared to Thunder and that Heaven in the Prophetick stile are the high places in any Polity Wherefore his Thundering Excommunications against Princes is very fitly set out by that phrase That he causeth fire to come down from Heaven as if he thundered against them Which Analogy is still more accurate if we consider what Artemidorus saith of Thunder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For thunder and lightning does not unite but disjoyns things that are united So does Excommunication that rives off a member from the Church And there is still a further congruity that Excommunication should be called Thundering and Lightning or fire from Heaven in that it is the Commination of Hell fire of which the destruction of Sodom was a Type which was burnt by fire from Heaven as M r J. Mede has judiciously observed See my Synopsis Prophetica lib. 1. cap. 6. sect 14. Vers. 18. Which is marvellously applicable to the City and Church of Rome c. Concerning this applicableness of this number 25 by way of counter-correspondency if I may so speak to the number 12. see my Mystery of Godliness lib. 5. cap. 16. sect 8. For it were too long and tedious to transcribe those things into these brief Notes CHAPTER XIV 1. THere was mention in the foregoing Chapter of the Wars of the Beast and his marked Soldiers and of his continuance viz. in his entire state to the seventh Semitime of forty two months of years which is one manner of expressing Daniel's time and times and half a time Now in counter-correspondency to those Soldiers and that War in this very first Verse there is exhibited the Lamb and his Soldiers And I looked and Lo a Lamb stood on Mount Sion which is Christ against Antichrist And with him an hundred forty four thousands that is to say an hundred forty four Chiliads or Regiments consisting of a thousand a piece Having his Fathers Name written in their foreheads that is making open profession of Christ and of God his Father against the pretended Holy Father of Rome the Pope as the word signifies Instead of receiving the mark of the two-horned Beast in their right hand or on their foreheads they have the name of God the Father and of his Son Christ marked on their foreheads that you may see whose Soldiers they are And in that they are said to be 144 Regiments it denotes that they are pure Apostolick Christians the square root of 144 being 12. Here therefore the number 144 from its root 12 denotes the Apostolick Church as the number 666 from its root 25 the Church Apostatizing 2. And I heard a voice from Heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder and I heard the voice of Harpers harping with their harps This is a description of the Angelical Musick in Heaven where multitudes of Angels praise God and the Lamb the voice of many waters and thunder being symbols of a multitude speaking or singing together But it is further said of this Angelical Quire 3. And they sung 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 forty four thousand which were redeemed from the Earth This Song of the Angelical Quire which is the Joy that ariseth from the New Nature or the Divine Nature superadded to the Animal Nature and is the same in Men and Angels I mean regenerate men who thereby are made partakers of the Divine Nature as well as the Angels None could learn this Song that is none could know what belongs to the Joys of the New Birth or Divine Life raised in us that state of Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost but the hundred forty four thousand redeemed from the Earth that is from the earthy sense and wisdom that savours only the things of this world and of the flesh 4. These are they which were not defiled with women namely with the Daughters of Babylon that famous strumpet the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth These would not submit themselves to the lewd debaucheries of that Idolatrous Church For they are Uirgins For they have so holy and chaste a sense in the duties of Divine Worship that they abhor from every thing that has any shew of violating that loyalty and fidelity they owe to God or Christ to whom alone they are betrothed These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth These are
they who are only led by his Word and Spirit not by a blind and implicite Faith in a Church not only fallible but fallacious or deceitful most of their corruptions both in Doctrine and Worship being upheld for their own worldly interest These were redeemed from among men were rescued from being carried away with the stream of the rest of the Superstitious and Idolatrous Rabble hood-winked and captivated by the false showes and subtil enticements of the most cunning Polity in the world Being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb namely the first pure Apostolick Christians after the Apostasie and but an handful in comparison of those multitudes that will appear after the dissolution of the Papal Tyranny 5. And in their mouth was found no guile that is there was no hypocrisie nor dissembling in them but they professed the Truth from their hearts and concealed it not For they are without fault before the Throne of God that is in the judgment of God they are holy and upright men though at the Tribunal of Antichrist they are condemned for Hereticks and deemed men not worthy to live or dye an ordinary death Nay besides what they call Heresie in them though according to that they do worship in purity the God of their Fathers as S t Paul speaks even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ they add a multitude of abominable lies to make them odious to the people but the God of Heaven knows they are guiltless whence it is said They are without fault before the Throne of God 6. And I saw another Angel distinct from that Quire of Angels taken notice of before fly in the midst of Heaven that he may be seen and heard over all the Christian world as well the Western as Eastern Empire as is intimated in what follows Having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth and to every Nation and Kindred and Tongue and People that is to preach the Everlasting Righteousness Law or Religion that Christ according to Daniel was to bring in Which is the pure and Apostolick Doctrine unsophisticated with the Superstitions and Idolatries of either Greek or Roman Church which hay and stubble is to be burnt up but that Apostolick Gospel to be Eternal never to fail and to spread over all 7. Saying with a loud voice Fear God and give Glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come And worship him that made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and the fountains of waters And therefore none but God the Father and the Son with the Spirit who Created all things is to be worshipped The Gods that have not made the Heavens and the Earth they shall perish from the Earth and from under the Heavens as the Prophet Ieremiah foretells This is a plain declaration against giving any Religious Worship to any but God alone And therefore a commination against all Saint-worshippers and Image-worshippers or whatever other Idolatry in the Greek or Roman Church That this voice of the Angel respects the Edicts and Degrees of those Greek Emperours that protested so zealously against Saint-worship and Image-worship namely the Decrees of Leo Isaurus Constantinus Iconomaches Leo Armenius Michael Balbus and Theophilus I do not deny but this Angelical Monition was the most loudly and earnestly urged upon the Christian World at the dreadfull siege and storming of Constantinople and the subduing the whole Eastern Church and Empire to the Turk This was a plain manifestation that the hour of his judgement was come against such gross Idolaters And yet though his judgements flew so high and sounded so loud as to give notice to all Christendome yet the Western Church would take no notice thereof as it is predicted Chap. 9. vers 20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues from the Euphratean Horsemen which are the Turks yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship Demons and Idols of Gold and Silver c. And therefore if we hear news of the hand of God upon the Western Church also I mean upon the Idolatrous Hierarchy thereof which is more particularly stiled Babylon we need not be much surprized And thus we read in the next verse 8. And there followed another Angel saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City or Polity bicause she made all Nations the Eastern as well as the Western Church as may be observed in the Popes activity at the second Nicene Council and in excommunicating the Iconoclast Emperours drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication of the Philter she had mingled for them the Love-poison or Love-potion of her fornication by which is plainly understood Idolatry To the voice of this Angel belongs the Reformation when so many Provinces and Principalities fell off from the Church of Rome and was a pledge of her further ruine Here therefore ends the Thyatirian Interval and that of Sardis begins in which is contained the effusion of the Vials all but the last 9. And the third Angel followed them saying with a loud voice If any man worship the Beast and his Image that is give obedience to the Secular and Spiritual Power in such things as are Idolatrous and are the very strokes and lineament of the Image of the Beast and receive his the Beasts mark in his forehead or in his hand that is make profession of or promote and countenance the Romish Idolatrous Religion 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation He shall drink of the cup of bitterness and malediction from the Lord. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever that is all they shall be condemned to those infernal and eternal flames who under the voice of this third Angel shall persist in the gross Idolatries and other foul corruptions of the Church of Rome For under the voice of this Angel the abominations of that Church will be so fully discovered and convincingly that the adherers thereto will be generally deemed uncapable of salvation with any that have any remainders of judgment and conscience in them And they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his Name Truth against the Church of Rome will be then so dear that no man that has any Conscience can be of that Religion and Profession but it will lye exceeding unevenly in his mind it will put him in restless and unsatisfied condition it appearing so manifestly against all sense all reason all honesty and loyalty and against all those sound and sacred Principles that God hath implanted in the nature of man Wherefore in those dayes no honest-hearted man can endure to submit to the Church
was trodden without the City that is this powerful conviction neither began in nor reached to the City of Babylon the Roman Hierarchy or Polity for wood and stone is not here meant but a Polity or Society of men as is observable in the seventh Vial that though the Cities of the Nations fell by those powerful Boanerges's yet this Babylon the great though hail-stones of a Talent weight fell upon them were not converted or convinced in their consciences but blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail it was so exceeding great And in the Vision of the Rider of the White Horse the false Prophet and his adherents were taken and their power abolished as to that Tyranny and Idolatry they exercised before but it was the rest only that were slain with the Sword that proceeded out of the mouth of him that sate on the white Horse it was they only that were converted and convinced by the powerful preaching of the Everlasting Gospel the pure Gospel of Christ cleansed from all the filth and trumperies all the Idolatries and Superstitions of Antichrist And they are the same that are pressed here by Christs Vintagers or Grape-pressers but the City of Babylon proves obdurate and uncapable of any such pressure of conscience or true contrition for her Abominations so strongly is she hardened in her pretense of Infallibility And blood came out of the Wine-press even to the Horses bridles This again shows plainly that the Vision of the Rider of the white Horse and his Company and this of the Wine-press is all one But this signifies a full conviction in the convicted and a perfect victory over the contumacious which is further illustrated by what follows By the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs which signifies the exceeding largeness and universality as it were of the victory if we read as we may sixteen Hecatontads or Centuries of furlongs And then as in the number 666 and as in the 144 Chiliads by extracting the square root we find the symbolical meaning of them so by the extracting the square root of sixteen which is four we find the symbolical meaning of this * For four is the symbol of Vniversality with the Pythagoreans and Cabbalists Which construction sutes wonderfully well with the Visions this is a parallel to namely that of the seventh Vial and the Battel of the Rider of the White Horse Which is the Battel of that Great Day of God Almighty to which the Kings of the Earth and of the whole world are gathered together and the defeat is proportionable For upon this defeat all the Kingdoms of the World will become the Kingdoms of God and of his Christ. NOTES CHAPTER XIV Vers. 20. For four is the symbol of Universality with the Pythagoreans and Cabbalists c. That the Ancient true Cabbalists held the number Four to be a symbol of Universality is plain from the fourth dayes Creation Which is indeed the Creation of the whole world in general according to the Philosophick Cabbala And as for the Pythagoreans it is frequent with them to call their Tetractys that is the number four 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Number as Photius observes because all number is made up in Ten and the putting together of every number in Four viz. 1 2 3 4. makes up Ten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this reason the Pythagoreans called the number four All number or the whole number And Suidas reports the same almost in the very same words concerning the Pythagoreans For the abovesaid reason saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they called the number Four All number as universally comprehending all Number in it And Philo Judaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The number Four is called All number or the whole Number because it comprehends what reaches to Ten and the Number Ten it self Which again he asserts but with that distinction that Ten is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All number or the whole entire Number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 actually but Four 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potentially which Hierocles expresseth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereby he would insinuate that before we make up explicitly Ten by the Numbers contained in Four viz. 1 2 3 4. there is notwithstanding an implicite or complicate entireness of Ten in the Number Four Which is sufficient to make it a symbol of Universality See Meursius his Denarius Pythagoricus This therefore being the symbolical significancy of Four the root of Sixteen I do not doubt but that I have hit upon the genuine sense of the sixteen hundred furlongs But before I was aware of this Mystery I was fain to take up with M r Mede 's conceit that they relate to Stato della Chiesa and to the Holy Land but so as I understood it mystically For the literal sense of sixteen hundred furlongs overflown with blood so that it reached to the horse-bridles never seemed to me either credible or tolerable CHAPTER XV. IN two several setts of Visions the one contained in the eleventh Chapter the other in the twelfth thirteenth and fourteenth Chapters and each of them beginning from the first Epocha of the Christian Church and ending with the last Vial or first thunder have the Prophecies of the Opened Book hitherto been contained as being most general and comprehensive taking in all the five intervals of the Ephesine Smyrnean Pergamenian Thyatirian and Sardian Churches together with the beginning of the Philadelphian Now according to right method some particulars are more copiously or clearly explained As for example the transition out of the Thyatirian condition into the Sardian the Joy and Triumph thereof is competently set out Chap. 11. vers 15 16 17. and more sparingly Chap. 14. vers 8. but most clearly and illustriously in this 15 th Chapter vers 2 3 4. Which plainly demonstrates that before the effusion of the Vials there is a considerable victory over the Beast For that Doxologie Chap. 11. is after the rising of the Witnesses And that triumphant acclamation Chap. 14. vers 8. not before the fall of Babylon And here most expresly of all in this Chapter there is thanks for a notable lately gotten victory over the Beast and over his Image c. before we come to the effusion of the Vials so that these things notably confirm one another To say nothing how the very name Sardis signifies Canticum laetitiae a Song of Ioy. 1. And I saw another sign in Heaven great and marvellous seven Angels having the seven last plagues for in them is filled up the wrath of God Namely against the Beast or Roman Hierarchy that was punished considerably by the Reformation but before there Vials be over In the cup that she has filled it will be filled to her double The seven last plagues which therefore in all reason are to be in the last Wo-trumpet and the second Wo-trumpet was past at the rising of the Witnesses And therefore the effusion of
Potentate as considerable as the German Emperour should be so illuminated with the true knowledge of the Gospel as cordially to resent the cause thereof the general Reformation that he would introduce into his Empire through the light and zeal he has conceived for the Truth will scorch and burn and vex the vassals of the two-horned Beast at the very heart and so will prove the completion of the pouring out the Vial on the Sun in the most proper Political sense 10. And the fifth Angel poured out his Uial upon the seat of the Beast namely of the two-horned Beast or false-Prophet against whom chiefly these Vials are meant In a mystical sense therefore correspondent to the former the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here may be the same that Cathedra the pretended Infallible Chair of that Pseudo-prophet To the detection of whose frauds the Vial poured out on the Sun mystically understood may prepare the way For though the sworn Vassals of the two-horned Beast blaspheme the Name of God by reason of that more than ordinary light of the Word under the fourth Vial yet Providence may so manage things that by virtue of those clear explications of Prophecies under the fourth Vial the people may be generally convinced of the false pretense of the Papal Hierarchy's Infallibility under the fifth The false light of which vain pretense being once removed they must needs find themselves much in the dark their Religion being such as neither Scripture Reason common Sense nor any thing else that has any authority with it can afford any light to Nay it will be found repugnant to all these Wherefore it rightly follows And his Kingdom was full of darkness Which is again one of the plagues of Aegypt And they gnawed their tongues for pain For this cheat of Infallibility being discovered by the clear demonstration of the Apostasie of the Church out of the Prophecies they are quite left in the dark hopeless and helpless and know not now what hank to have over the people who before were made to believe any thing which made for the Churches power and gain upon this pretense of the Infallibility of their Church 11. And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and of their sores The event of so great manifestations of Truth was so vexatious to them that they reproached the Author of it the Spirit of God and the holy Scriptures And they repented not of their deeds The heart of this Pharaoh the King of this Mystical or Spiritual Aegypt it seems is so hardened under these plagues that he will not let the Israelites the true Apostolick Christians go and serve God as he has commanded but forcibly keeps them under to serve his own worldly designs against the Will of God This may be the Mystical meaning of this fifth Vial but there may be also a Political sense And then the Throne or Seat of this two-horned Beast is the same with the Seat of the Whore who is seated on seven-hilled Rome And in this sense it bodes ill to that City as if there would be a sacking of Rome and banishing the Pope from thence or at least as if from the effects of the former Vial politically understood there would be a great deadness of Trade to that greatest Merchant of the great Men of the Earth and so great unfrequentedness obscurity and darkness would seize his Principal Seat 12. And the sixth Angel poured cut his Uial upon the great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared That the Euphratean Horsemen are the Turks we have noted in the sixth Trumpet This Vial therefore seems to intimate such a mutation of affairs in the Turkish Empire as will make for the joyning of the Iews and it may be some other Eastern People with their Princes or Persons of Note with the Church of Christ as being either converted or in a near preparation to conversion to his Gospel as may appear from Chap. 19. vers 7 8. For the Marriage of the Lambs Wife there immediately precedes the battel of the Rider of the White Horse which undoubtedly is the same Vision in effect with the seventh Vial And so much of the six first Vials The Scene of the seventh now begins which contains the Victory of the True Apostolick Church of Christ over the Antichristian Church and the rest of the world that are Infidels Atheists and Unbelievers who are here all gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ but dividable into two parts Antichristian properly so called which contains the Beast and the False Prophet and the Infidel party that believe not in Christ at all And the third party of this conflux are the Pure Evangelical Christians 13. And I saw three unclean spirits like Frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet These are the Emissaries Orators Negotiators or Solicitors of the Affairs of the Dragon and of the Beast and false Prophet the two parties I even now intimated opposite to the Evangelical Party though these Negotiators are called the spirits of Devils in the following Verse according to the usual genius and stile of the Apocalypse putting Angels and Spirits for that company of men that be conceived to be under their guidance But they have the shape of Frogs for their earthliness and slimy uncleanness to betoken that the wisdom they act from is earthly sensual and devillish 14. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles And the Onirocriticks tell us that Frogs in whose shape these Spirits are signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enchanters or Iuglers prestigious deceivers of the People by false Miracles feigned Visions or the like which haply may be more peculiar to the Antichristian party the Beast and false Prophet But the Frog out of the Dragons mouth his Miracles may be besides those of unlawful Magick prestigious demonstrations whereby he would pretend to demonstrate the frivolousness of all revealed Religion at least the better to animate or rather harden the hearts of the Kings of the Earth against the Pure and Apostolick Christian. Which go forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel For as that wisdome which is from above is pure and peaceable so this earthly and devilish wisdom delights in confusion and blood Of that great day of God Almighty under whose conduct are the Evangelical party or the pure and Apostolick Christians 15. Behold I come as a thief This defeat of false and ineffectual Religions will be a surprizing Providence to all those that hypocritically shrowd themselves under them instead of being cloathed with the Everlasting Righteousness of the Gospel of Christ to those that cover with a covering but not of Gods Spirit that they may add sin to sin But all such coverings shall be accounted
as nakedness before God or they will be stript of it and made naked Whence it follows Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame that is who is so watchful over his ways and intent on the work of real Regeneration which will appear also in his outward Conversation that he becomes cloathed in such a garment as shall not be taken from him in this time when God will pluck off the covering from all Nations and the veil of Hypocrisie from off the People as Esay somewhere foretells Which is a plain intimation that this Battel is not Carnal but Spiritual 16. And he gathered them together into one place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon that is by the over-ruling Providence of God they were brought into this place which in the Hebrew tongue signifies the destruction of their Armies but there is nothing yet done toward their discomfiture for the seventh Vial is not yet poured out * And therefore by a Commutation of Iconismes the event of this Congress is set out in another form this huge Camp of all the Armies of both sides being turned into one mighty City which is called the Great City consisting of the Universality of Cities considered as one as it follows in the Prophecie 17. And the seventh Angel poured out his Uial into the Air namely over this great Company and there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven from the Throne saying It is done This is a firm Decree from him that sits on the Throne and a full assurance by his Spirit universally in the hearts of his Servants the Evangelical Party that their Ministry shall succeed And as to the utter overthrow of Antichrist and the enlargement of the Kingdom of Christ by the conversion of the Gentiles the mystery of God shall be consummate under this seventh Vial The thing is as sure as it were done already 18. And there were voices and thunders and lightenings and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon Earth so mighty an earthquake and so great that is there was such a strange Commutation of Affairs in the world as was never known or recorded in any History of former Times Of such mighty efficacy was the preaching of the Gospel in the power of the Spirit by the speaking party of the Army of Christ against the Forces of the Infidels and Antichrist For this is the meaning of those Voices and Thunders and Lightenings that it was the promulgation by these Boanergers's of the Law of the Son of God which is like unto fire as is related in Esdras 19. And the great City was divided into three parts as there were three parts in the great Camp before The Antichristian party the Infidel or purely Heathen party and the pure Evangelical party But this Tripartition is named immediately after this great Earthquake as if it were the effect of it for the more handsom embellishing the outward Cortex of the Prophecy * And the Cities of the Nations fell that is the Heathenish or Infidel party were thunder-struck by these Boanerges's and converted to the Faith of the Gospel of Christ in the simplicity and purity thereof And great Babylon came in remembrance before God that is the Antichristian Hierarchy with her adherents the Whore of Babylon as she is called in the following Chapter To give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath viz. of the wrath of God that is to be arraigned and judged that condign punishment and vengeance may be taken of her 20. And every Island fled away and the Mountains were not found Their Temples and other consecrated places were taken from them and they were deprived of their Dignities or of the Assistances of the great Ones of the Earth 21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of Heaven every stone about the weight of a Talent namely upon Babylon or the Antichristian party So that all her goodly trees were spoiled and stript of their both leaves and fruit their boughs broke down and their stocks beaten bare even to the inmost bark And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail for the plague thereof was exceeding great that is the hearts of this Antichristian party were still hardened even in this last Aegyptian plague inflicted on them and their rage and impatience under their calamity made them speak evil of the ways of God which yet are altogether righteousness and truth Or if in these miseries they took themselves to their devotions * their very prayers were blasphemy in the stile of the Apocalypse they being so mingled with various sorts of Idolatry NOTES CHAPTER XVI Vers. 16. And therefore by a Commutation of Iconismes c. This is called Iconismorum Metallaxis in my Synopsis Prophetica And it is a Prophetick Figure whereby the Image or Representation that is begun with is not continued but changed and yet the same matter still pursued See Synops. Prophet lib. 1. cap. 4. sect 15. But in the mean time the letting go the first Iconisme in this place which is of a Camp and not persuing it to the event of the Battel is here done with great consideration and prospection because this Battel is fully afterwards described and the Commander also or General which is here omitted in the 19 th Chapter vers 11. Which is one of the main pieces of the artifice of concealment intended in this admirable Book of Prophecies Vers. 19. And the Cities of the Nations fell c. There is mention at first but of one great City and yet here besides Babylon there is mention of many Cities viz. of the Nations Which seems to be a destined Key whereby we might understand that by that great City is meant the Vniversality of a number of Cities considered as one in which Babylon it self was also comprized according as we have expounded it Vers. 21. Their very prayers were blasphemy c. This is the sense which that Learned and Pious Author Peganius gives in this place which I thought worth the taking notice of if it may effectually force any one to make a more serious reflexion on the hainousness and horridness of the Romish Religion CHAPTER XVII IN the nineteenth Verse of the foregoing Chapter there was a short glance at the Arraignment Accusation and Condemnation of the Whore of Babylon But the destruction of this Babylon being the main scope of all the Vials this Argument may well seem to deserve a more full and copious prosecution I mean the Arraignment Accusation and Condemnation of the great Whore contained in these two next Chapters namely the 17 th and 18 th And therefore it follows 1. And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Uials and talked with me saying unto me Come hither I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great Whore that is the Arraignment Accusation and
Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie both the bottomless pit and the sea the latter denoting multitudes of people of which this Beast would consist the other the original of this horrid Apostasie into Idolatry again as coming from the pit of hell it self and the deceits of the Devil But to mitigate S t Iohn's wonderment there is at last added And go into perdition This Apostasie shall not continue alwayes but the Empire as to its Idolatry shall perish quite and so cease to be any longer a Beast the Idolatry and Tyranny therein against the Saints of God being utterly abolished Whence it is plain that not the Pagan Empire but the Empire Paganochristian is here to be understood by the Beast and that the Times of the Apostasie of the Church are here prefigured And they that dwell on the Earth shall wonder As Chap. 13. vers 3. And all the world wondered after the Beast which is the same Beast with this in this Chapter that is were so wonderfully taken with the Beast that they were in love with him and enslaved to him and to the Paganochristian Idolatry which he countenanced whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world that is all are seduced unless the elect of God such as are afterwards termed the called chosen and faithful When they behold the Beast that was and is not and yet is Which is the very same Beast that is called the Image of the Beast Chap. 13. vers 14. For the Empire becoming Paganochristian and exercising their Idolatry upon other objects than the old Pagans did could not be properly said to be the same Pagan Empire revived again but rather the Image thereof that is an Idolatrous Empire bearing an analogie or similitude to the old Pagan Idolatrous Empire in a manner in all their strokes of Idolatry From whence it is rightly termed that was as being Idolatrous as the Pagan Empire was and is not that is to say is not that very Pagan Empire their Idolatry now having new objects and yet is viz. because the Idolatry is the same though disguised under new titles and objects This is the easie and natural sense of this description of the Beast and which necessarily imports that the Roman Empire is here understood in that succession of Time wherein it had apostatized from the pure Christian worship into Idolatry And that therefore the Woman that rides this Beast can be no Pagan Polity but the Paganochristian Hierarchy 9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom that is here lies a meaning of a great Arcanum or secret For so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to insinuate For wisdom is according to her name and is not manifest to the vulgar Ecclesiastic 6.22 The seven Heads are the seven Mountains on which the Woman sitteth Which haply has a glance at Constantinople as well as Rome both these Cities having seven Mountains and the Greek Clergy having defiled the Eastern Church with Idolatry as well as the Latine Church the Western And the horns of the two-horned Beast we did above interpret of these two Patriarchates Rome and Constantinople 10. And there are seven Kings viz. seven forms of Soveraignty or Supreme Magistracy in the Roman Common-wealth or Empire the division of the succession of which is naturally made thus The Soveraignty is either in many or in one in many as Consuls Tribuni militum Triumviri in one as Kings Dictators and Emperours Which Emperours may be again divided into Pagan Christian Paganochristian So that according to this distribution the Beast will have just seven Heads of Blasphemy as he is described Chap. 13. vers 1. Kings Consuls Tribunes Decemviri Dictators Pagan Caesars or Emperours and Emperours Paganochristian Five are fallen viz. Kings Consuls Tribunes Decemviri Dictators these Sovereign Magistrates had past away in S t Iohn's time And one is viz. the Pagan Caesars or Emperours these were in being in his time And the other is not yet come viz. the other King for the enumeration now is of Kings in the largest sense Therefore this other King is the Christian Caesar or Emperour who had not appeared upon the stage yet And when he cometh he must continue a short space The succession of the pure Christian Emperours will last but a while the Apostasie not long after being to come in 11. And the Beast that was and is not which above was called the Beast that was and is not and yet is the Head suppose of this Beast he is the eighth King or Soveraign which are the Paganochristian Caesars at least till the Pope make himself Caesar or Supreme Paganochristian for Paganochristian Supremacy constitutes the eighth King or seventh Head of Blasphemy As it follows And is of the seven that is and is of the seven Kings that are the seven Heads of the Beast and consequently Idolatrous For though there be eight Kings yet there are but seven Heads of the Beast the Beast ceasing to be under the Christian Caesars who therefore could be no head of the Beast as being not Idolatrous themselves and the Idolatrous Empire then ceasing And goeth into perdition The Beast that was and is not and yet is or the Image of the Beast though it reign to the last Semitime of the forty two months yet his Jurisdiction about that time was to be cut shorter which happened in the Reformation when so many Provinces Principalities and Kingdoms fell off from him and at last his Idolatrous Power and Tyranny shall be quite abolished As is supposed in several passages in the lamentation over Babylon in the following Chapter 12. And the ten Horns which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdom as yet namely in S t Iohn's time who lived in the reign of the sixth Head under which the Beast fought and was slain by Michael In which battel he is also represented with seven Heads and ten Horns but no Crowns upon the Horns their actual Coronation being not till the seventh Head But Chap. 13. vers 1. there are Crowns on his Horns because the Beast there in that Vision is the healed or revived Beast the same that the Beast that was is not and yet is And yet no mention of any Crowns in this Chapter because it had been a repugnancy to this passage which have received no Kingdom as yet and there are other infallible arguments of this Beast being the Beast under the seventh Head without that so that that indication was needless though fit and requisite in the Vision of this Beast in the thirteenth Chapter But here that which follows supplies the omission of the Crowns on the Horns But receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast that is about the same time that the Church degenerates into paganish superstitions and Idolatries will the Empire be divided into many Kingdoms the entireness of the Empire being a lett to the appearing of Antichrist according
I have given of this Chapter here is true and that the Roman Hierarchy is that Great Whore riding the Beast that was and is not and yet is viz. The Empire since it was corrupted from pure Christianity and relapsed again to a kind of Idolatrous Paganochristianism For what Roman Polity can rule this Empire but what is contemporary to it Wherefore the Woman that rides the Beast is not Pagan but Paganochristian that Paganochristian Hierarchy of Rome NOTES CHAPTER XVII Vers. 8. His Name is c. This I intersert because it is a Prophetical Ellipsis which is one of the Figures that make up the artifice of Concealment in this Book of Prophecies But such an Ellipsis is so natural that it is used where there is no such design as Exod. chap. 3. vers 13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come to the Children of Israel and shall say unto them The God of your Fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say unto me what is his Name What shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I am â—hat I am Where there is plainly an Ellipsis instead of My Name is I am that I am as is obvious at first sight But in this place of the Apocalypse such an Ellipsis is made use of but purposely in such a way as that it is not obvious to discern there is an Ellipsis the sense seeming so perfect and running so glibly without one which therefore is the artifice of concealment in this place and without which it had not been a Prophetical Ellipsis but a common one See Synops. Prophet chap. 4. sect 6. and chap. 13. vers 8. sect 13. Whence you may more fully understand how certain it is that such an Ellipsis is to be acknowledged in this place and that there is to be interserted His name is c. CHAPTER XVIII 1. THe Arraignment and Accusation of the Great Whore was in the preceding Chapter now follows her doom or Condemnation And after these things I saw another Angel come down from Heaven having great power which intimates that those Agents that are prefigured by him and are to effect what he predicts are Persons of high place And the Earth was lightened with his glory that is the Earth was enlightened with his brightness which signifies that these great persons being themselves fully illuminated through the Spirit by the light of the Gospel did most effectually enlighten others of the meaner sort by their example and godly profession of the pure Apostolick Faith 2. And he cryed mightily with a strong voice He predicts the doom or pronounceth the sentence against the great Whore with a strong and strenuous voice in token of the assuredness and certainty of the execution thereof saying Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen which words though they be the same with those Chap. 14. vers 8. yet they are not to be restrained to that time which was but the partial fall of Babylon in the first Reformation at the Rising of the Witnesses but to be extended further to the final destruction of the Whore and the Beast under the seventh Vial when the Beast is to go into utter perdition which time of his final overthrow is not limited in Chap. 17. as it is in the Vision Chap. 13. of his partial overthrow viz. to the seventh Semi-time of the forty two Prophetical months And therefore this doom of Babylon contains both her partial and final destruction And is become the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foul spirit and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird The desolation and destruction of Babylon which is the Roman Idolatrous Hierarchy or Polity not a City of Stones or Brick a thing childish to be conceived is set out by the description of ruined and desolate Cities and particularly of Babylon literally understood Isai. 13.2 And their houses shall be filled with dolefull Creatures and Owles shall dwell there and Satyrs that is shaggie-haired Devils shall dance there c. But the mystical meaning of this place as I conceive is that when the power of this Hierarchy is utterly destroyed yet in the ruines thereof there will be lurking assemblies of such kind of persons as are deciphered by Devils or foul Spirits in that sense that unclean Spirits are said to come out of the mouth of the Dragon Beast and false Prophet and by hateful and unclean Birds The character of whom and who are said to be without the Holy City which appears after the destruction of this Babylon is set down chap. 22. vers 15. For without are Dogs and Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth or maketh a lie This is the Cage of unclean Birds or impure Spirits that the ruines of Babylon are the habitation of who having now no power over others will exercise a power amongst themselves And one Aethiopian or Leopard will wash and absolve another 3. For all Nations have drunk of the Wine of the wrath of her fornication that is of her poisoned Philter or Love-Cup whereby they have been intoxicated And the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication with her She has corrupted the Ten Kings of the Empire with the Abominations of her Idolatry And the Merchants of the Earth that is the Ecclesiastical Merchants that prog'd for great Dignities and Preferments under her which she chaffered for the maintaining or advancing her own interest and greatness who are here called Merchants of the Earth in reproach to their false pretense of spirituality and of acting still in behalf of Holy Church when their designs are really sensual worldly and earthly Are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies that is from the luxuriancy of her wealth and from their accustomed luxury the later an incitement to get wealth that they may be in the mode and the other a supply to their desire 4. And I heard another voice from Heaven saying which therefore is a commission nay a command from Heaven to the first Reformers and all others after to forsake the Communion of the Church of Rome Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins by being at her Masses and other Idolatrous worship And that you receive not of her plagues Whether in this world or in the world to come 5. For her sins have reached unto Heaven and called for vengeance there in the ears of God And God hath remembred her Iniquities and will repay her in part at the Rising of the Witnesses but pay her home under the seventh Vial when her power shall be utterly abolished as it follows 6. Reward her even as she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double that is spare her not but punish her severely for all her abominations and wickednesses which is a prediction of what will come to pass notoriously under the seventh Vial. 7. How much
not reach the latitude thereof For in the Byzantine History Images of Silver and Gold are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy Utensils Instruments or Furniture which made me render the place Images or other Vtensils Vers. 13. Lacqueyes to run by them For by D r Hammonds own acknowledgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the Greek word here does not signifie Slaves but Servants I render it Lacqueyes that attend the Coaches of Great Men in querpo which sutes not unhandsomly with the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodies For they that run can do it most conveniently in querpo without the cumber of unnecessary cloathing suppose of a cloak or the like Vers. 17. What is intimated by ships c. That Ships are not rashly assimulated to Churches or Temples besides what is produced on this place already that in Achmetes out of the Indian Onirocriticks may further confirm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man see in his sleep that he has built a Merchants-ship he shall have a Congregation of Men or erect a Synagogue for the celebrating of Religious Mysteries Which shows plainly that there is a fitness in a ship to represent a Church or Temple in the judgement of others that have had nothing to do with the Apocalypse that we know which yet is nothing at all to the derogation of the sacredness of those places themselves they being no Merchants-ships to any that make use of them out of a good conscience and a desire to gain souls to God not meerly out of the love of money But even the best things may be the most abominably perverted as our Saviour complains of the profanation of the Temple in his dayes It is written My house shall be called a house of Prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves CHAPTER XIX 1. AND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven But a resemblance of what in those Times belong to the True Church on Earth saying Allelujah Salvation and Glory and Honour and Power unto the Lord our God 2. For true and righteous are his judgements for he hath judged the great Whore which did corrupt the Earth the Roman Empire with her Fornication debauching them with Idolatry which therefore cannot be understood of Rome Pagan For the parts of the Empire then were Idolatrous of themselves And hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand the causes of the destruction of the Roman Hierarchy was their Idolatry and Cruelty against the Professors of pure Christianity as it was observed at the end of the foregoing Chapter 3. And again they said Allelujah And her smoak rose up for ever and ever In such a sence as is said of the destruction of Idumaea Isai. 34. vers 10. It shall not be quenched night nor day the smoak thereof shall go up for ever from generation to generation it shall lye wast none shall pass through it for ever and ever 4. And the four and twenty Elders and the four Beasts fell down and worshipped God that is the whole truly Catholick and Apostolick Church praised and glorified him that sate upon the Throne saying Amen Allelujah And this is the triumphal Song and Doxology of the True Church upon the utter destruction of the Whore the Roman Hierarchy in opposition to the Lamentation of her Paramours or Antichristian party And this reaches to the end of all the Vials as the Eleventh Fourteenth and Sixteenth Chapters do But the following verse might very well have been the beginning of this Nineteenth Chapter and the four first Verses been adjoyned to the end of the foregoing Chapter For for the better understanding of things here is plainly a going back to the sixth and seventh Vials which as also the Visions of the Harvest and Wine-press are marvellously illustrated and have their meaning certainly discovered hereby as shall appear by the Explication so that this will be found no vain repetition 5. And a voice came out of the Throne or from the place where the Throne was namely the voice of Christ. This answers to the Son of Man who puts in his sickle and reaps the Harvest Chap. 14. vers 14 16. which immediately precedes the treading of the Wine-press which contemporizeth with the following Vision of the Rider of the White Horse as that with the seventh Vial Saying * Praise our God all ye his Servants and ye that fear him both small and great 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings which are the symbols of multitudes of people saying Allelujah For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth that is his Kingdom begins to appear now most gloriously the waters of Euphrates being dryed up to make way for the Kings of the East to joyn in one Communion with the pure Church of God This therefore synchronizeth with the sixth Vial. 7. Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready that is to say the people of the Jews are now in a readiness to joyn in Communion with the truly Catholick and Apostolick Church of Christ and that is a ground of the greatest joy indeed For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead as the Apostle speaks 8. And to her was granted that she should be arayed in fine linnen clean and white And so shall not be of the number of those that at the seventh Vial shall be found naked to their great shame For the fine linnen is the righteousness of the Saints namely of those that now are to be partakers of the Kingdom of Christ and of God which consists not in meats and drinks or such like superficial and hypocritical cloaking or cloathing with Rites and Ceremonies but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost the Everlasting Righteousness of the Gospel of Christ. 9. And he saith unto me Write as being a thing of great moment and never to be forgotten Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that is O thrice happy they that shall see those Times and partake of them and shall celebrate the Espousals of the People of the Jews with Christ their Bridegroom and true Messias as he will then be acknowledged And he saith unto me These are the true sayings of God as unlikely as it may seem to men that these dry bones shall live again as the Jews are represented in that Vision of Ezechiel yet the thing will certainly come to pass 10. And I fell at his feet and worshipped him This he did being so full of joy and transport at so transcendent good news touching his Countrey-men the Jews for whom Paul also had such a zeal that he could wish himself accursed from Christ that they might be
Cabbalists that saying of R. Moses Corduero will evince Quando Neschamah exit in hunc mundum duas Aves id est duos Angelos custodes ex arbore volitare cum ea And Tertullian himself briefly and smartly Omnis Spiritus ales est hoc Angeli Daemones Every Spirit is a Fowle or Bird whether they be Angels or Devils CHAPTER XX. HItherto none of the Visions of the Opened Book have reached any further than to the last Vial which takes up the forepart of the Philadelphian Interval To which Church it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou hast a little Army so Grotius Which Army is that which is under the Command of that victorious Heros on the White Horse And the effect of his victory will make good what Christ promises to the Philadelphian Church Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Sathan which say they are Iews that is Christians and are not but the slaves of Antichrist Behold I will make them come and worship before thy feet The residue of the Visions of the Opened Book take up the following part of the Philadelphian Interval and the whole Laodicean and so reacheth to the end of all Or for more distinctness it takes up the space of the six last Thunders as the effusion of the Vials did the first 1. And I saw an Angel come down from Heaven whose Commission therefore must be from God having the key of the bottomless pit the supposed habitation or prison rather of Evil Spirits And the having the Key thereof signifies the having Power and Authority to do things there For the very Kingdom of the Devil is subject to the Power of God And a great chain in his hand which is the Power of Legislation or making Laws as some as to the sense well though not so critically derive Lex à ligando which are bonds and iron chains to tye up the wicked from doing mischief By this Angel therefore according to the Apocalyptick stile after the abolishing the Antichristian and Infidel Power are those persons understood that are impowered from God to make Laws for the more sure support of the recovered Kingdom of Christ. 2. And he said hold on the Dragon that Old Serpent which is the Devil and Satan that is the surviving wicked Ones of the Earth for whom the Dragon the Old Serpent and the Devil is here put as the Angel before for those Evangelical Legislators And the Dragon is here explained by the Devil and Old Serpent that the sense might not be restrained to the remainder of Pagans but reach also to those of the Antichristian Party now subdued which were the two-horned and ten-horned Beast to whom the Dragon yet gave his power By these express severe Laws touching the indispensable duties of a Christian not insignificant trifles and superstitions is the Dragon that is the wicked ones of what denomination soever to be laid hold on This is the constitution of the New Polity after the abolishing of the Antichristian Tyranny where it was more safe to serve the Devil and Antichrist than to approve a mans self the faithful Servant of Christ. This Constitution of things being setled which is dispatched within the space of the second Thunder then it follows And bound him a thousand years which is the Time of the third Thunder and of the blessed Millennium properly so called Which reaches to the end of the Philadelphian Interval 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he deceive the Nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled Therefore during the happy Millennium of the Reign of Christ he is as close a prisoner as can be imagined or expressed Which is a demonstration this Millennium is not yet come The Parable is of the Devil but so as to be understood of his Children here on Earth that they shall be kept under with iron or adamantine chains of rigid severe and inviolable Laws nor be permitted to do any thing that is really Profane Wicked or Antichristian nor to tempt or seduce others to do it They shall have no publick permission or connivance for such things And after that he must be loosed a little season namely in the Laodicean Interval the Evangelical Party growing more coole and remiss and the Church degenerating in many from the state of Philadelphia to that of Laodicea of whom Christ complains in his Epistle to her This loosing of Satan is conceived for order and distinctness sake to happen under the fourth Thunder 4. And I saw Thrones and they sate upon them and Iudgment was given unto them This Vision runs back as it was usual in the former to do and commenceth with the second Thunder Then were there Judges sitting upon Thrones and they gave judgement touching the Christian Confessors and Martyrs whether under Antichrist or the Red Dragon as follows And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Iesus and for the Word of God * And I saw also those which had not worshipped the Beast nor his Image neither had received his Mark upon their foreheads or in their hands Of these two distinct sorts it is said in common 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they lived as being true of them both and reigned with Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a thousand years but the thousand year viz. of the blessed Millennium but it is not said where and therefore it is to be understood the Martyrs in Heaven where Christ is personally and visibly present the other with their Successours on Earth where Christ is also present but by his Spirit these in bodies Terrestrial those Revivificated into their bodies Coelestial and Glorified an early priviledge peculiar to the Martyrs And therefore it follows 5. But the rest of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lived not again much less were thus revivificated as the Martyrs were till the thousand years were finished Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being made use of and it being unproper to be said of the Confessours with those that succeed them they being considered as alive on Earth must needs respect those that are said to have been beheaded to insinuate their priviledge or different condition from all others and that though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might be truly said of them as being they that were to be revived into their glorified bodies at the beginning of the Millennium yet it was not to be said of any other men it not being to be fulfilled of them until the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till the thousand years of the Millennium be expired nay till the end of the Laodicean Interval under the sixth Thunder This is the first Resurrection This namely of the Martyrs according to the Opinion of the Primitive Fathers and that intimation to the Church of Smyrna Chap. 2. vers 11. when so many Christian Martyrs suffered He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death as to whom
belongeth the first Resurrection accordingly as here followeth 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power Namely the Lake of Fire vers 14. into which Hades or the whole Region of Mortality is cast the Earth being all on fire But they that have obtained their glorified body as the Martyrs do in the first Resurrection they are sped already and are safe from this fate But they shall be Priests of God and of Christ that is Holy and Divine Souls cloathed in glorified bodies serving God in his Heavenly Temple And shall reign with him viz. with Christ in the Kingdom of his Father not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thousand years of the Millennium but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thousand years symbolically understood which being the Cube of Ten which comprehends all number signifies a steady permanent Reign even to all Eternity 7. But when the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thousand years of the Millennium are expired that is at the expiration of the Philadelphian Interval and the beginning of the Laodicean Satan shall be loosed out of his prison that is to say the ancient zeal of the Philadelphian Church and strictness of Discipline will be much relaxated and wickedness will get head again namely under the fourth Thunder 8. And he shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog that is the whole rabble of men that are disposed to wickedness and have an enmity against the Holy and Just which are the true Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile And Gog and Magog are those notorious enemies of the People of Israel Ezech. Cap. 38. and 39. who therefore here typifie the enemies of the Holy Christian and Apostolick Church of which Israel was a type To gather them together to battel to fight against Israel the true Church of Christ The number of whom is as the sand of the sea So much had wickedness increased by the not still endeavouring with that wonted vigour the amplification of Christs Kingdom and by relaxation of Discipline in the Laodicean State of the Church though purity of external worship was still retained among them neither had they contaminated themselves with course Superstitions and Idolatries 9. And they went up on the breadth of the Earth which indicates the swarming and the spreading of their Forces and compassed the Camp of the Saints about The Camp wherein there were many Saints and right Philadelphian Spirits but all Saints as to the purity of external worship And the beloved City The mystical Ierusalem or pure Church of Christ and beloved of him for the reasons even now intimated Here is an attempt of bringing again the Righteous under the Power and Tyranny of the wicked which attempts are made toward the latter end of the Laodicean Interval under the fifth Thunder But before they could effect their wicked enterprise the Day of judgement overtakes them And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them 10. And the Devil that deceived them was cast together with them into the lake of fire and brimstone even that Lake which is afterwards called the second death where the Beast and the false Prophet the whole Antichristian Rabble shall be and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever 11. For I saw a great white Throne for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And does ordinarily signifie for as the sense may require and him that sate on it namely Christ coming to judgement at the end of the Laodicean Interval in the sixth Thunder from whence the Church of Laodicea also has its name From whose face the Earth and the Heaven fled away and there was found no place for them that is the Glory of his Majesty was so great that Heaven and Earth seemed to vanish before him the eyes of the spectators at first being so wholly filled with the brightness of the presence of his Glory 12. And I saw the dead small and great good and bad stand before God This is the General Resurrection which is not till the thousand years of the Millennium be expired but a good while after it though but a little time compared with the thousand years in the latitude of the sense thereof And the Books were opened the Rolls and Records of their actions this is spoken in allusion to Law-proceedings in Courts of Judicature amongst men And another Book was opened which is the Book of Life An auspicious Title signifying that they whose names were found there should be sentenced worthy of Eternal Life and escape the second death And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their Works As is done in Righteous Courts of Judicature where the Judge gives Sentence according to what is alledged and proved And so it is in this General Assizes none shall be condemned for what he is not guilty of but be judged according to his works 13. And the Sea gave up the dead which were in it The Souls here appear of them that were drown'd in the Sea as being not extinct thereby as some fondly imagine and actuate their bodies And death or pestilence all manner of death by diseases is intimated by it and briefly Hell that is Hades the whole Region of deceased Souls or this sphere of Mortality into which they are congregated at this General Assizes delivered up the dead that were in them that is exhibited them to the view of all And they were judged every man according to their works The Divine Nemesis proportioned punishments or rewards to every one according to their doings Hitherto are the transactions of this General Assizes and the passing of judgement on those that were called to the Bar which takes up the sixth Thunder But in the seventh there is Thundering and Lightening properly so called as is intimated vers 9. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them So here 14. And Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire that is this whole Region of Mortality above which the Spirits of Devils and damned Souls cannot emerge but are chained and confined to this caliginous Atmosphere will be set on fire at the last Thunder which together with eruptions from beneath will cause a dreadful Conflagration and turn the Earth as it were into one great lake of fire This is the sense of these words And Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire Which is a very figurative expression First by a Prosopopoeia making Death and Hell as it were two persons as in Chap. 6. vers 8. and then by an Hypallage casting them into the fire when as the fire is rather cast into them it occupying all this Region of Mortality and putting an end to dying by consuming all the species of mortal Creatures and giving a stop to their propagation This is the second Death As the first
sate on the Throne said Behold I make all things new A New Heaven and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness And he said unto me Write For these words are true and faithful that is what I have told you will certainly come to pass There will be such a blessed Millennium as here has been hinted at 6. And he said unto me It is done The thing is as sure as if it were done already This is a farther confirmation to him of the truth of the things affirmed And this earnest and repeated assertion of this Truth is no more than needs it being foreseen how incredulous not only those would be whose interest it is that it were false the Idolatrous Hierarchy I mean of the Antichristian party but even those that were it not for the carnal sluggishness of their Natures might easily conceive it were their Interest that it should be true I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End I comprehend all within the compass of my Providence and Power Therefore never distrust but that what I have told will come to pass These things reach into the Laodicean Interval In the Epistle to which Church Christ calls himself the Amen the Faithful and True Witness and the beginning of the Creation of God And what follows belongs to the last Judgement of all the Eternal Reward of the Good and the punishment of the Wicked I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountain of the water of Life freely He that does seriously desire and endeavour to obtain Everlasting Life according to the wayes prescribed in my Gospel I will give it him freely He need not buy it by large summs of money or what other gainful conditions imposed upon him by that Merchandizing City of Babylon touching whose Merchandizing it is said Coelum venale Deusque They set Heaven and God himself to sale for money 7. He that overcometh the flesh the world and the Devil shall inherit all things He shall be an Heir of God and joynt-heir with Christ in the glorious Kingdom of his Father and this certainly comprizeth all that heart can wish And I will be his God and he shall be my Son And if Sons then Heirs as I said before Heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ if so be we suffer with him that we may be also glorified with him that is be made partakers of his Heavenly Kingdom and Glory according as he has promised to the Church of Laodicea To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne Where Throne plainly implyes a Kingdom 8. But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyars such as the great City of Babylon abounded withall shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Which therefore undoubtedly is the Conflagration under the last Thunder which plainly shows that from the second Verse to the ninth is a brief description of the affairs of the Church from the second Thunder to the last or to the end of the world Now as after a brief mention of the destruction of Babylon chap. 16. vers 19. there is a large description of her and her destruction in the two following Chapters viz. chap. 17 and 18. so here after a brief intimation of the emersion of the New Ierusalem into Being there is a full and glorious description thereof from this ninth Verse following of this Chapter to the sixth of the next 9. And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven Uials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me saying Come hither I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs Wife It is likely it was the same Angel that before shewed him the Judgement of the Great Whore Whose destroying was in order to the Lambs Wife taking place And therefore the showing him the Lambs Wife was to show him the main end of the effusion of the Vials and therefore a fitting office for one of these Angels to do 10. And he carried me away rapt in the Spirit to a great and high mountain The height of the Mountain denotes the height and power and dignity the pure Apostolick Church is then arrived to And shewed me that great City as being the Church Catholick spread far and wide the holy Ierusalem as being the truly holy Catholick and Apostolick Church not a City of Idolaters and murderers descending out of Heaven from God as whose constitution and institutes are not the carnal invention of men but the pure Laws of the God of Heaven and the living Dictates of his Spirit 11. Having the glory of God not as the Pharisees in the old Ierusalem that sought Glory one of another but were strangers to that Glory that is of God the Glory of true approved Wisdom and unspotted Righteousness And her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Iasper-stone clear as Crystal The Luminary of this City which was instead of a Sun for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Luminary or that from which the light proceeds not the Lumen dispread from the Luminary is likened to a most precious stone a Iasper-stone clear as Crystal By which I conceive is understood the Holy Ghost whose Holiness Purity and Illumination is set out by this Iasper-stone clear as Crystal But the Natural Sun it self is not without its scum and spots wherefore this is the most proper symbol thereof And the Times of the New Ierusalem are Regnum Spiritûs as the Cabbalists call them 12. And had a wall great and high namely for the security of the City And had twelve gates and at the gates twelve Angels and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve Tribes of the children of Israel The number Twelve is sacred in the Holy Scripture for the twelve Patriarchs sake and the twelve Apostles The former are mentioned here the latter vers 14. and both concurr in this New City of Ierusalem it being the time when Iew and Gentile shall accord in one Faith and be one sheepfold The twelve Angels may signifie either the safety of the City by the guard of Angels For if God by his Angels keep not the City the Watchmen wake but in vain or else the Pastours under these twelve Angels who have occasion to admit Converts into the Church from all quarters of the world as it follows in the next Verse 13. On the East three Gates on the North three Gates on the South three Gates and on the West three Gates Three towards every quarter as Grotius and others would have it in token that the Converts are to be admitted to the profession of their Faith in the Holy Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost at their Baptism Nor does this season being Regnum Spiritûs superannuate
bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it The best Spirits and the most Noble and Considerable Persons of all Nations will flow in to them and be proselyted by them be admitted Citizens of the New Ierusalem and Members of this truly Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church of Christ. 27. But for so may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie there shall in no wise enter into it * any thing any person that defileth or is of a scandalous conversation neither whatsoever whosoever worketh abomination that is committeth Idolatry though the Whore of Babylon would admit none but such or maketh a lye No Legend-mongers nor obtruders of absurd and impossible Doctrines such as the Artificers of Babylon forged for filthy lucre-sake no such may be admitted to come into this City whose Gates are pure Pearl But they only who are written in the Lambs Book of Life as breathing after a Life sutable to his But the description of this Glorious City is not yet finished it reaches further into the five first Verses of the following Chapter NOTES CHAPTER XXI Vers. 1. By a Lemmatosynechia as it is called c. Lemmatosynechia is an Apocalyptick Scheme or Figure whereby as the word signifies the Cortex or outward Letter of the Text is held together or continued in such sort as if there were a real connexion and dependance of one part upon the other when as in the inward sense there is no such matter An elegant instance of this is to be found Chap. 16. vers 18 19. where upon the mention of the great Earthquake it is presently said And the great City was divided in three parts as if that Division had been a diruption caused by that Earthquake when as what is meant by that great City were three distinct parties before A like example of this figure is also Chap. 11. vers 7 8 9. where the two Witnesses are said to be slain as it were at the ending of their witnessing and their dead bodies to lye three dayes and an half unburied where the three dayes and an half are set at the end of the One thousand two hundred and sixty dayes as if they were the latter end of them when as they in truth commence as high as the One thousand two hundred and sixty dayes and the same time with them But the Parable runs smooth in the outward Cortex as if they were distinct and the death of the Witnesses for three dayes and an half together occasioned by their One thousand two hundred and sixty dayes prophesying See also Chap. 19. vers 5. But as eximious as any is this present example of a Lemmatosynechia the mention of a New Heaven and a New Earth being immediately made upon the burning of this Natural Earth Which therefore in the Cortex implyes that the destroying of that gave occasion of making a New Heaven and a New Earth when as they are not Natural but Political as both Grotius and Doctor Hammond acknowledge and the Text will extort it from any one that reads this twenty first Chapter considerately Vers. 27. Any thing any person c. It is usual with S t John to put the Neuter Gender for the Masculine as Joh. 6. vers 36 38 40. See Grotius upon the place CHAPTER XXII 1. AND he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb What this River may signifie that in Amos may be a Key to Let Iudgement run down as water and Righteousnesse as a mighty stream Again touching the uttering of Divine and Holy Doctrines it is said of God Ecclesiastic 24.25 He filleth all things with his Wisdom as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits He maketh the Vnderstanding to abound like Euphrates and as Jordan in the time of Harvest c. Wherefore this River of water of Life from the Throne of God is the faithfull and effectual Administration of Justice and pouring forth Holy and Wholesom Doctrines and Monitions in the demonstration of the Spirit by them that are in highest Authority in this City of God which Authority is understood by the Throne of God and of the Lamb who in right of his Father is Supreme Governour over all and the immediate actuator of his Vicegerents 2. In the midst of the street of it that is in the midst of the Forum of the City or broad open place where their meetings were to serve God consult of their Affairs and administer Justice And of either side of the River which ran from thence through the City was there the tree of Life that is Trees of Life else how could they be in rowes on this side and that side the River By which Trees according to the Prophetick stile must be understood Men and that not of the meaner sort but Grandees in Church and State And being they are called Trees of Life it intimates a state quite contrary to that of the wicked Iud. 12. Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead c. beside that it signifies that the Life of the Lamb is in them Which bare twelve manner of fruits and all worthy the profession of the pure Apostolick Faith and yielded her fruit every month of the year So uncessant are they in the bringing forth the fruits of true Faith which are good Works Here seems to be an allusion to the description of the Righteous Man Psalm 1. He shall be as a Tree planted by the Rivers side c. And of these happy times of the Messias in the expected Millennium is that Psalm 72.7 understood In his dayes shall the Righteous flourish like a Palm Tree as it is elsewhere said or like a Cedar in Lebanon The sense therefore is That by the free current of Justice and the countenancing pure Doctrine from the Higher Powers which the Throne of God intimates Holy and Good Men both in Church and State will be in Authority and Esteem to manage the Affairs of Christ's Kingdom obliging all unto them by their Christian Goodness and Equity which is the constant Fruit which they bear And the leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations that is the People of those several Nations which are then brought under the Empire of Christ Which is an insinuation of the gentle but effectual Healing Discipline which will be in this Philadelphian Interval Those are the leaves of these Trees to heal the sores of the People by gently drawing away the corruption whatever may be remaining in them 3. And there shall be no more curse no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No more furious Papal Anathema's or Excommunications to depose Kings and Princes and to involve the Christian World in blood But the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it that is Christ shall be in it The meek Empire of the Lamb of God shall obtain after the Tyranny of the bloody Antichrist or two-horned Beast who wore the
New Jerusalem doth not begin at the destruction of the Beast nor Synchronize with the thousand years but succeed them Which how false it is three or M r Mede's four arguments will give us to understand For the first of them though it be too hard for R. H. to answer yet I will decline as less firm For the marriage of the Lamb Chap. 19. vers 7. preceeds the seventh Vial but the marriage Chap. 21. vers 2 9. does follow the said Vial. But R. H. his answer is That the first marriage is with the Spouse in grace the second is with the Spouse in glory which is pointblank contrary to the text Chap. 21. vers 2. where the New Ierusalem is said to descend from God out of Heaven and his Tabernacle is said to be with men c. M r Mede's second argument is from Chap. 20. vers 9. Gog and Magog their besieging the beloved City at the end of the thousand years c. Here R. H. answers That this beloved City is not the New Ierusalem but that the beloved City is the Church in the state of grace the New Ierusalem the Church in the state of glory whereby he intimates were it not so they would be one and the same City But it is impossible the New Ierusalem should be any other than a state of the Church upon Earth if you consider vers 2 10 24. besides many other considerations which would be too long to mention here The third argument is from Chap. 16. vers 17. compared with Chap. 21. v. 5 6. where IT IS DONE implyes that the same time is indigitated that is the certain bringing in the New Ierusalem that holy City upon the destruction of the City of Babylon that City of Murderers and Idolaters But here R. H. harps still upon the same string that by the first IT IS DONE is meant the finishing of the last Vial and the full state of grace and by the latter IT IS DONE that the state of glory was to begin which Answer how extravagant it is I have already noted The fourth and last argument is from Chap. 21. vers 10. where the Vial-Angel as we may so call him that had shewed S. Iohn the condemnation and destruction of the Whore the City of Babylon shows him the New Ierusalem as a City that should succeed in its place To which R. H. returns this answer That the New Ierusalem does not succeed the destruction of the Beast and Babylon immediately but that there is first the thousand years then the insurrection and destruction of Gog and Magog after that the last judgment and the lake of fire for the cursed and then the New Ierusalem for the blessed For which he has no reason but that they are writ in this order which is so gross and fallible that no Interpreters rely upon it alone And these many Synchronisms of M r Mede so firm and solid are a demonstration against this dull Hypothesis and yet this is all the force of his answer But let me ask him a question or two If this New Ierusalem be a state in Heaven why is it said to come down from God out of Heaven Chap. 21. vers 2 10 And why are the Kings of the earth said to bring their glory and honour into it vers 24 And how comes it to pass that the trees on this side and that side of the River of this New Ierusalem that the leaves of them are said to be for the healing of the Nations Chap. 22. vers 2 shall there be any sores or maladies in Heaven Synchronism VII The Palm-bearing multitudes out of all Nations The seventh Trumpet or space from the destruction of the Beast This Synchronism M r Mede confirms by these two arguments First because these Palm-bearers immediately succeed the Sealed company that Synchronize with the Beast Synch 4. Part 1. Therefore the Beast expiring they must succeed the Beasts expiration partial at the beginning of the seventh Trumpet total at the beginning of the second Thunder The second argument is that these Palm-bearers are the Citizens of the New Ierusalem by comparing Chap. 7. vers 16 17. with Chap. 21. vers 3 4. And the New Ierusalem Synchronizeth with the seventh Trumpet To the first R.H. answers That these Palm-bearers immediately succeed the time of the sealing of the Virgin company not the race of the sealed Which is a wonderful weak cavil if we consider the end of their sealing viz. That they should be kept safe in all the dangers and difficulties they were to grapple withal and preserve their Virginity still against all the force solicitations and persecutions they should find under the six first Trumpets For these sealed ones are the Souldiers of the Lamb. Now compare this true and undeniable Hypothesis with vers 14. which speaking of these Palm-bearers saith These are they who came out of great tribulation c. Could these then immediately succeed the sealing and come off victoriously before the conflict What a shameful cavil was this To the second he answers That these Palm-bearers are not any men upon Earth but the Souls of Martyrs in Heaven while these Companies were sealed on Earth And that the New Ierusalem is after the general Resurrection and that therefore the Palm-bearers cannot immediately succeed the sealed company by their being Citizens of that City But as for this latter supposition how absurd it is I have shown already And as for the former he says it without any ground and against the natural tenour of the Text which compares the great and innumerable companies of the Apostolick followers of Christ after the expiration of the six first Trumpets with that smaller and more definite number of the sealed under them Besides R. H. is to consider that the Apocalypse is a Prophecy of things here upon earth not a description of what is in Heaven and also how harsh a thing it is to make such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thus abruptly to skip from Earth to Heaven in a moment And how ill these things cohere a man may observe from his Paraphrase Chap. 7. vers 9. But lest any saith he should be discouraged from suffering for the cause of Christ because they be not sealed and secured from suffering c. Which in brief is Lest any should be discouraged from suffering by their not being secured from suffering Which implyes that the encouragement they want to suffer is their being secured from suffering and consequently that they are to suffer and not to suffer at once which is very bad sence nay I may say a gross contradiction Such an unfortunate Paraphrast does R. H. prove while he thus profanely sets himself to abuse the holy Oracles of God And thus I have showed throughout how slight R. H. his allegations are against M r Mede's Synchronisms those against the Antimedial and Medial Synchronisms being of no force at all but mere whisles and for the Post-medial his objections are not such
as of a Trumpet made by M r Mede is added with judgment and truth To the second part of his objection I answer briefly and confess that this canorous voice like a Trumpet in this Chapter vers 8. is no more an index that the Prophecy of the little Book doth contemporate with the Prophecy of the Seals than the voice Chap. 4. vers 1. is an Index that the Prophecy of the Seals doth contemporate with the vision of the seven Churches But withal I affirm that the voice Chap. 4. vers 1. is an Index that the Prophecy of the Seals does contemporate with the Vision of the seven Churches and that the Vision of the seven Churches is a Prophecy commencing with the beginning of the Church and reaching to the end of the world as I have made good by no less than twenty firm arguments in the last Chapter of my Exposition of the Vision of the seven Churches So fitly do all things fall in together M r Mede's way But no sense to be made of them any other way Nor is that which R. H. takes notice of Disp. II. Ques 5. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Preface to the Vision of the Seven Churches Rev. 1. but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Preface to the Prophecy of the Seven Seals Chap. 4. vers 1. as if the events of the Seals should be after the events of the Vision of the Seven Churches and begin a good while after them of any validity against the contemporizing of the Vision of the Seven Churches with the Prophecy of the Seven Seals For this is but another notable example of which I have given several in my Notes of that Apocalyptick figure which we call Lemmatosynechia or the holding together of the external cortex of the Apocalyptick narrations But according to the sense of all Interpreters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 has no reference here to the things of the Seven Churches but only signifies things which shall be hereafter which hinders not but that they may contemporize with the future things of the Seven Churches All take it in that sense which Beza translates it in Quae oportet fieri posthac which must be hereafter as our English rightly renders it Which had been good sense though it had been said in the very beginning of the Apocalypse according to Ribera his own interpretation who without any reference to what belongs to the Seven Churches understands by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things which must be hereafter Decursum Ecclesiae à tempore Iohannis ad finem seculi Aperit saith he argumentum sequentis Prophetiae To which I may add that it is a mistake in R. H. that he makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a proper Preface to the Vision of the Seven Churches whenas it is rather a general Preface to all the three Prophecies of this Book and true of them all that they contained some things that were then to come to pass quickly as it is true of them all that they are the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him c. And what I was a going to say That there can be no sense made of the Apocalypse but M r Mede's way a notable pledge of the truth thereof is in that that egregious learned writer Hugo Grotius who so humanely when he saw the Romish Interpreters so foully stick in the mire and make such pitiful sense of things offered his helping hand in their behalf but with so little success that R. H. himself to give him his due has all along notably well confuted the Grotian way though to enemy at all to the Romanists but out of like kindness to them that Grotius seems to have born he to wipe off that charge from the Church of Rome that she might not be taken for the Whore of Babylon by a marvellous invention makes her as innocent and clear of that fault as the Child yet unborn namely by laying the Scene of the affairs of the Apocalypse not in Europe no by no means but in Asia and by affirming that all the Visions are to be fulfilled in their litteral sense and that there is no mystical meaning of them in any place but where they are explained and acknowledged to be such in the very Book it self and consequently that none of these Visions are yet fulfill'd and he adds not to be fulfilled but in such order as they are set And therefore no Whore of Babylon to appear upon the stage no not so much as in Asia it self much less in Europe at Rome in Italy till there be a great shaking and concussion in the Heavens and the Sun it self become as black as Sackcloth made of Goats Hair and the Moon as red as blood and the Stars fall from Heaven in clusters to the Earth and that there be such great Earthquakes that every Mountain in the Earth shall be moved out of its place and every Island in the Sea also which be the events of the sixth Seal Rev. Chap. 6. vers 12. And that there be just 12000. young men of every Tribe of Israel sealed with the Seal of God in their foreheads Chap. 7. Moreover it must rain hail and fire and blood upon the land of Asia and a sulphureous mountain burning with fire must be cast into the Asiatick Sea and the third part of that Sea be turned into blood And a great blazing Star fall from Heaven burning and flaming like a torch which shall break asunder and fall into the third part of rivers and into the third part of the springs of waters throughout the land of Asia And the third part of the Sun shall be smitten with darkness and the third part of the Moon and the third part of the Stars Chap. 8. There shall be also a bottomless Pit opened out of which such a smoke shall arise that men shall not see the light of the Sun in the land of Asia And strange kind of Locusts with tayls of Scorpions heads with crowns of gold on them faces like men and hair like women and with wings that make such a dreadful noise as if it were the noise of Chariots drawn with horses running furiously to battle these shall swarm in the land of Asia and sting and vex men very sore There will also appear in the said Land an innumerable number of strange kind of Horses with their Riders upon them The heads of the Horses in shape like the heads of Lyons and out of the mouths of every one of them shall come forth fire smoak and brimston Their tayls also shall be like Serpents with heads and mouths and by the fire smoak and brimston coming out of their mouths and by the Serpents heads and mouths at the end of their tayls shall the third part of men be slain in Asia about the river Euphrates Paraph. R. H. 9. Furthermore before the Whore of Babylon be in being that Emperess of the World and debaucher of the Kings of the