THE SEVEN VIALS Or A briefe and plaine Exposition vpon the 15 and 16 Chapters of the Revelation very pertinent and profitable for the Church of God in these last times By H. B. Rector of Saint Matthews Friday-street Reve 19.19 20. And I saw the Beast and the Kings of the Earth â—nd their armies gathered 〈◊〉 to make warre against him that sate on the Horâ—◠〈◊〉 against his army And the Beast was takeâ— and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had the Marke of the Beast and them that worshipped his Image Thâ—se both 〈…〉 into a Lake of fire burning with 〈…〉 LONDON Printed by William Jones dwelling 〈◊〉 Red-crosse-street 1â—28 TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE CHARLES KING OF GREAT Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. Dread Soveraine DIOGENES the more he was by Antisthenes the Philosopher threatned beaten from his schoole the more ardently he frequented it saying to his Master Do you but beat I will find you a head nor shall you find so hard a club as therewith to driue me away from your Philosophy What hee did suffered for Philosophy's sake the like or more am I ready to sustaine for the service and honour of Your Majesty No discouragements can beat me from this resolution no not death it selfe So prevalent iâ— my affection as my insufficiencies best knowne to my selfe cannot restraine it Yea though I was told Your Majesty was lately offended with me But I answered No J had no reason to belieue it For first J knew well the gentle disposition of your royall breast guided by such a dextrous iudgment is not easily incensed where there is no iust cawse And J am sure I daily inioy the influence of your favour though not the gratious aspect of your face for even the feet doe liue moue though remote by the Heads breathing You are the breath of our Nostrills And as J told my Lord of London at my first examination about Israels Fast All that I had done was for Gods glory the service of my King Country the Church of England whereof wee were members and for which I was ready if need were to lay downe my life And now gratious Soveraine J am bold to present Your Maiesty with such a peece as no Prince in Christendome but Your selfe can iustly challenge the dedication of it if the meannesse of the Presenter doe not extenuate the worth of the Present Jt containes a most divine Prophecy of the pouring out of the seven Vialls Revel 16 which according to that ability vouchsafed me of Christ the least and last of all his servants J haue indeavoured to open Jt pertaineth to Your Maiesty by a proper right The full accomplishment of this Prophecy is like to fall in Your gratious Raigne which God prolong to make it glorious to posterity And surely when J compare the fulfilling of this Prophecy with those many Princely indowments which Your God hath inriched Your Royall Person with J am so much the more confirmed in this my perswasion Such a zeale such loue of the truth such a peerelesse and Princely wisdome such a magnanimous spirit were not planted in Your noble breast for nothing So as I dare boldly conclude as was said to David Your Maiesty shal do great things and prosper Nor speake J by coniecture This Prophecy will clearly evidence the same Cleare it is though for the present it seeme cleane contrary that the destruction of Antichrist with his whole power and confederacy is now neere at hand And for proofe and perswasion thereof J wish it stood with Your Maiesties good pleasure and leisure to read over this Prophecy It is but the expense of a few howers but may exercise Your best meditations and noblest thoughts for many dayes many yeares after This whole booke of the Revelation is a Propheticall Chronologie tâ— the end of the world Of it Christ pronounceth Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand How much more is this verified of this last and most famous Prophecy in this booke towards the full consummation whereof these our present and last times draw on â—amaine Your Royall Father of blessed memory even in his youth wrote a most exquisite Paraphrase of this whole booke from whose bright torch all along I haue beene bold to borrow light for my dimme candle But me thinks I heare some suggest O Sir this booke is not licensed But whose fault is that The Authors Or the Licensers I could wish that such suggesters would confesse the true cawse why Orthodox bookes are so borne downe as they may not be licensed For Popish Arminian bookes are licensed but the contrary such as are writen in confutation of them are according to Gods word the doctrine of the Church of England may not be allowed So that I humbly submit it to your Maiesties vnpartiall iudgement to determine whether the Printer for printing such a booke as this without license or he that should license such Orthodox bookes will not according to authority in that behalf be more worthy of censure And certainly they that suppresse Orthodox bookes would they not also stop Preachers mouthes that they should not speake the truth Yes certainlyâ— For may it please your Majesty to vnderstand how even your Majesties honour suffers in this case For whereas vpon a Proclamation published in your Highnesse name Iune 14. in the second of your Raigne expressely forbidding any preaching or printing of such Doctrines as were repugnant to the Doctrine of the Church of England established we all hoped that all Arminian Popish Doctrines would be husht silenced wee by experience find it quite contrary for the Arminians shamelesly alledging that all their doctrines are according to the Church of England vnder this pretence they wold suppresse all truth as forbidden by your Royall Proclamation Which if it were true it should not be lawfull any more to preach the Gospell then to print books in defence of it So that some are neither affraid nor ashamed to say in plaine termes that they must license no bookes against Arminius Good God what pittifull times doe we liue in how different from former as I was bold to tell my Lord of London But I trust your Maiesty will vindicate your honour herein Gods truth exprest in Scripture is no changeling This is that which wee call the Doctrine of the Church of England and no other This hath beene sealed by the blood of so many Martyrs witnessed by so many Worthies of our Church for almost this fourescore yeares without intermission whose writings no time shall blot out ratified by so many Acts of Parliament as not all the Devills in hell nor all the Arminians on earth shall be able to disanull it The Gospell shall flourish maugre all
Sea of Romes doctrines to be all become as the blood of a dead man which fell out vpon the Councell of Trent and not before The third shewes all their writers and brochers of Romes doctrines as Rivers flowing from that Sea to runne all with blood this was after the Councell of Trent and now comes the fourth Viall poured vpon the Sunne which falls pat vpon the blessed raigne of Queene Elizabeth when now the Sunne of the Gospell begins to be mounted towards his Summer Meridian his direct beames growing more and more potenâ— dispelling the clowds of Popish superstition growing withall so hot as they which beare the Beasts marke are no lesse impatient of it then beasts are of the Suns heat in the height of summer And when the Popes Bulls came bellowing against her his 〈◊〉 here in England as so many Inceâ—diaries labouring not onely to kindle an vnkindly division betweene the Head and Members the Prince and her subjects but often times to attempt her sacred Person the good Queene was forced by Act of Parliament to make strong and wholesome Lawes against such a bloody brood while they grew more and more mad at the bright sun-shine of the Gospell in her glorious and prosperous raigne In that time it was when King Iames of happy memory writing his noble Paraphrase wherein he shewes this Sunne in the fourth Viall to be meant of the flourishing state of the Gospell did as it were with his finger point to that glorious state of the Church wherein 〈◊〉 Princely paire of peerlesse Potentates did raigne And it is added And men were scortched with great heat blasphemed the name of God which hath power ouer these Plagues Now in what age or state of the Church hath the whole hierarchy of Rome beene so nettled and stung so inflamed and fired with envy and rage then in the blessed raigne of that Queene where in with exceeding heart-burning they saw the Gospeâ—l so gloriously to flourish and shine and withall both the Church and state interchangeably and equally partaking of those admirable blessings which began to be so multiplied vpon this land from that time forward Yea what clowd either of any discomfiture or of the least dishonour amidst such numerous and potent enemies of hers did once so much as shadow the glorious beauty of her royall Crowne or of Christs cause maintained by her Notwithstanding all opposition the Sunne holâ—s on his glorious shining to the amazement of the world to the impatient torment of the Sunnes enemies How did their impotent malice vent it selfe in sundry attempts both open and secret abroad and at home by sea and by land against her sacred person and state to have dimmed and darkened yea quite to haue extinguished the glory of all as if they would Giant-like haue pulled the Sunne from his sphere But through his power and protection that giues power to this Sunne to shine and hath power over these Plagues all their proud attempts proved but as arrowes shot against the Sunne and retorted back againe vpon their owne heads They also blaspheme the name of God who causeth his blessed Sun so powerfully to slâ—ine Did they not say vpon that miraculous discomfiture of the Spanish invincible Armado in 88 that God was now turned a Lutheran Was not this to blaspheme the name of God Yea besides what vile and ignominious aspersions did they cast vpon the sacred person and illustrious name of that Excellent Queene and her Religion calling her at the best an Hereticke and her religion heresie Was not thiâ— also a blaspheming oâ— the name of God of his truth of his Gospell of his annoynted Vicegerent and whatsoever thing sacred Gods name is stamped vpon It is added And they repented not to giue him glory even him whose miraculous power they could not but see and acknowledge not only in preserving but in prospering that renowned Queene throughout her whole happy Raigne in all her braue and princely designes for the maintenance of the Gospell and the professors of it at home and abroad for rooting out of Popery and Idolatry but especially of Seminaryes and Iesuits those ring-leaders and incendiaries as neither meet to roost in the sunshine but to be cast out to the 〈◊〉 and baâ—ts those birds of darknes as Esay prophecied of those Idols Esa 2.20 nor yet safe to be harboured in the pure Church of God to provoke the eyes of his glory whose iealosie is there most inflamed where Dagon dare perk vp by Gods Arke For the eyes of the Lord runne to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect towards him How then could her religious raigne but become the obiect of envy to all hers and Gods enemyes How could it but prosper on every side while her maine care and study was with an vpright and vnhalting heart to maintaine the two maine pillars of every well settled Christian state to wit true Reâ—igion and the Lawes of the Kingdome being the strong sinewes which not only combine and fasten vs to Gods protection and favour but vnite the Head and Members Prince and people in one intire body whereby the whole becomes invincible This made her enemyes even madd withall when they saw ioyned with her zâ—ale and her semper eadem for religion her wisdome in a graue and wise Counsel like that of Salomons who for all his wisdome yet had his Kingdome governed by his sage and old Counsellers whose faithfull and mature advise if his sonne Rehoboam had followed he had not hastily lost the greatest part of his kingdome When they saw her equity in her learned and religious Iudges whom not their moneys in buying and selling of Iustice but their better merits advanced to those sacred seats of iudgment when they saw her masculine magnanimity in her captaines and martiall men both for Land and Sea-service being persons picked of purpose for their worth valor long experience religion and loyalty to God their Prince and Countrey When they saw that all their inchantments and Iesuiticall plotts delibeâ—ated vpon in their set and solemne Conclaues whereby they would haue all the world swayed and steered and which cannot work but by Serpentine insinuations into impotent and feminine passions could not once worke or impose vpon her masculine spirit but that it was constantly guided by the Pole-starre of right judgement and wisedome in all her affaires when they saw they could not by all their subtile wiles worke any vnkindly division or disaffection betweene her Majesty and her subjects but that they contended in a sweet emulation her Majesty in a truly majestick and motherly affection to her loyall children they in a sincere and pious obsequiousnesse as well to loue as to obey her when they saw they could not by any magicke spells so worke vpon the time of that virgin-raigne as to beget some sprightfull all-daring sparke who like some Phaeton
senselesse he is as not to discerne these seven last Plagues of Gods wrath to fall vpon his marked ones only even as the ten Plagues fell vpon the Egyptians and not vpon his owne Israelites Gods Israell indeed is sore afflicted and humbled but all the Plagues light vpon the Beast and his Crue Afflictions admonish and occasion Israell to repent to humble themselues to seek reconciliation with their heavenly Father thus afflictions are good Medicines and Monitors for their betterment whereas on the other side the Plagues which fall vpon the brood of the Beast worke in them no repentance at all but cause them to vtter their impatience and to belch out their blasphemies as effects issuing from the filthy source of their superabundant and incorrigible corruptions Shall I say then that this sixt Viall is already begun to be powred out That needs not neither though if we did the former example might stay our faith from falling into the pitt of incredulity in case those two blind guides in divine wayes carnall sense and humane reason should take vpon them to conduct it But yet least so hard a morsell might overcome the weake stomack before it be better concocted proceed wee to that which followeth in this Viall which if we find not plainly enough fulfilled in these our dayes it will be in vaine for the best Oratour to goe about to perswade it The second Branch therefore of this Viall is an Agency dispatched for to prevent the Kings of the East from the surpriâ—all of Babylon Ver. 13. And I saw three vncleane 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 for they are spirits of Divells working miracles which goe forth vnto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battell of the great day of God Almighty In this Agency we haue first the Agents described first by their nature noting their singular activity and agility as also subtilty and pregnancy of wit being called spirits and what place so closse what walls so thicke what sinque ports so well watcht as can keep out spirits Secondly for their numerosity Three a number of perfection it imports abundance of them in the time of this Viall Thirdly by their quality vncleane Fourthly by a similitude like Froggs Fifthly by their commission armed with a threefold authority they 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 Secondly the execution of their Agency which is set downe first in the extent of it they go forth vnto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world Secondly in the intent of it to gather them together to the battell of the great day of God Almighty And lastly by what meanes they perswade the Potentates of the earth to wit by working miracles namely false miracles forasmuch as they are the spirits of Divells Nor are we to omit Iohns testimony concerning this brood saying And I saw c which giues vs to note this Agency as a thing very conspicuous and evident to the view of at least every spirituall Beholder yeâ— so palpable as that the very externall sense the eye may easily obserue it And this invites vs to a speciall attention of this whole matter The drying of the great River Euphrates was not with I saw for that is a matter of faith not of sense Now for these Agents who ever they be the Royall Paraphrast saith they are Ecclesiasticall Factors and Agents as the Divells last brood Every man with halfe an eye may plainly see whom he meant vnlesse the brood of Arminians as later come in to claime their Copy-hold Henry Bullinger writing his excellent Commentary vpon the Revelation about seventy yeares age vnderstands by these Factours the Popes Legates à latere who negotiated in all Kings Courts their Masters cause It was indeed an application very sutable for those times of his wherein this last brood was scarcely hatched Whom if he had lived to see as our times haue done he would no doubt haue recanted his errour he would haue excused the Popes Legates as of a more leaden mertall then to be compared to such actiue spirits as here are and to be too much loaden with their Pontificiall Pomp and traine to act or attempt any rare projects or dexterous atchieuements as we haue seene acted by these nimble froggs The Legates still could not come to Court but in at the broad gate in the view of all but these sprightfull froggs can creep or skip in at the Wicket or back-dore and negotiate more businesse by lurking in some corner or skirt of the Court then the Legate with all his Traine Nor was it so profitable to the Beast to maintaine a pompous Legate in every Kings Court vnlesse as Cardinall Campeiâ—â— he could come with his Sumpters stuffed with old shoes and carry them home againe loaden with old gold England having been of old the Popes best Exchange for such Marchandize but this last brood these vncleane spirits these Froggs what shall I call them vse to come as naked over as a Frogg not sumptuous except when they metamorphose themselues into the Court fashion or like Ruffians thereby to cover colour over their Frog-like nature 〈◊〉 they should bee knowne for â—pyes make bares pragmaticall incendiaries poysoners of the very ayr where they breath and most artificially palliated Traytors and enginers of all mischiefe but nimble to practise all juggling â—eates for their Masters advantage And not vnfitly doe they resemble froggs First the frog is an â—â—nclane creaâ—â—re conversant about the muddy puddles so these Therefore called vncleane spirits both in regard of their originall breathed out of three fowle mouths the fowle Fâ—end the fowle Beast and the false Prophet as fowle as the â—est as also for their owne naturall vncleannesse their very consciences being defiled Thirdly in regard of their doctrine which they breath into their Disciples which for all their false pretences can never purge men from their sinnes but leaues them more vncleane Fourthly in that they doe mingle and meddle themselues with all secular courses but chiefly with State-businesses as King Iames saith which by their wicked counsells clossely inspired they wholly pollute and defile whereby they become sinfull acts and impious resolutions But in the last place not the least they proue vncleane spirits by working a generall effect of vncleannesse and prophanesse in all sorts and rankes of men and that through their audacious and clamarous croaking and crying downe of all piety and sanctitie of life branding not only the true religion of Christ but the power thereof in our sanctification with hypoâ—â—icrisy or some odious nickname of I wot not what heresie Whereby it commeth to passe that he that refraineth from evill maketh himselfe a prey and he that runneâ— riot in all kind of
conclusion of the Chapter and the last Catastrophe of Babylons destruction The last particular judgement vpon the remnant of Babylon is a great 〈…〉 of heaven every stone aboue the waight of a Taleâ—â— This seemeth to allude to Iosh. 10 1â— wheâ—e God cast great stones out of heaven vpon the enemies the Canaanites Or to that in Exod. 9.23 where a fearfull plague of huge hailestones makes havock of the remnant of the trees and hearbs men and beasts of Aegypt that were left of the former plagues those hailestones brake downe trees slew men and beasts that were abroad But loe here hailestones as heavy as a Talent every stone Talents are of sundry waights from 100. pound waight vpwards to 1000. Halestones more like to Milstones So fearfull is Babylons destruction God hath prepared such instruments and weapons for her as never the like But what vse do the rest of Babylons children make of all this Are they not at least wise as wise at last as Pharaoh and his Aegyptians to repent them that they haue dealt so evill with Israel Nay Nothing lesse Instead of relenting of repenting and returning to him that smites they blaspheme God because of the Plague of the Haile it was so great as here it followeth O fearfull condition of Antichrist and his followers 〈…〉 the faster hasteneth on by how much her 〈…〉 Amen FINIS Aelian li. 10 cap. 16. King Iames in the Argument of this Booke 〈◊〉 See Beâ—a his Preface to the Reuelation Chap. 15 K. Iames in his Paraphrase Exod. 15. Canon Chronic. lib. 5. * Sundry others also prophecied of this great reformation of Religion as Nic. Cusanus Card. Ioh. Lichâ—enbergiuâ— Ioachim Abbas Hildegardis Brigitta Andreas Prolus Iohannes Hilâ—en qui quidem annum mutationis assignasse fertur See Abrah Bucholcerus his Chroâ—ology Anno 1517. See Brightman in Cap 15. Apoc. Chap. 5. 6 7. Chap. 8. 4. 10. 11.15 Hist. Concil â—rid Ier. 51.9 * An item by the way to all those that living vnder the Gospell yet refuse to haue their sores cured by it which preacheth Christ who hath healing vnder his wings that such are to be reputed no better but as the corrupt limbs of the Beast * Clement 7. Isidor li. 13. câ— 3. de Lacis Stagnis Barthol de Proprirets lib. 13. cap. 13. Dr. Sheldon in his Miracles of Antichrist ch 8. toward the end Revel 14 9. Revel 18. In the same booke pag. 72. It is the saying of another Author like to the former in the same booke * Bellar. de Iustificatione li. 5. ca 7. Propter incertitudineÌ„ propria iustitiae periculum inaenis gloriae tutissimuÌ„ est fidutiam totaÌ„ in sola Dei Misericordia benignitate repâ—nere By reason of the incertainty of our owne righteousnes the peâ—ill of vain glory it is most safe to put a maÌ„s whole confidence in the sole mercy favour of God Yet hee quallifies this sentence saying Not as though wee were not to trust to our good works as if they were not our tru righteousnesse or were not able to sustaine vndergo the iudgement of God c. * Andreas Vega li. 9. de Intertitudine Gratiae cap. 41. * AEnaeaâ— Sylvius 7. CoÌ„meâ—â— de Concil Basil. * Luther in Epist ad 2. Plâ—b de Anabapt cit a Cremerâ— defalsa relig Iâ—theran * Reade Doct. Field of the Church book 3. chap. 47. Let but him in that place bee the vmpire 〈◊〉 Antiq. 11. câ— 8. 〈◊〉 17.28 33. 34. * See the 7. chapter of the same Session 1 Pet. 2.24 Sess. 6. cap. 7. Can 10.11 Consuetudo sine veritate â—etustas errâ—ris est Quod verissimuÌ„ illud antiquissimum Tertull. * Among whoÌ„ there are who say more to proue the Church of Rome no Church then any true Church as the Reverend Bishop of Chichester in his direction to know the tru Church the Deane of Glocester once Doctor Fâ—â—ld Of the Church book 3 c. 47. Dr Whitakers others famous and learned of â—ur Church Eccles. 1.7 See King Iames his Paraphrase Chap. 8.11 Fama malum quo non aliud velocius vllâ—â—m Mobilitate viget viresque acquirit eundo Parva meâ—u primâ— mox sese attollit in auras Ingrediturque soâ—o caput inter nubila condit Virgil. AEne Revel 18·13 Hero dot in â—â— lib. 1. See King Iames his Paraphrase Chap. 17.6 Mat. 23.35 2 Chron. 2.22 See Calvin on Matth. 23.35 Luke 9 Mr. Patricke Foâ—â—es King Iames wrote his Paraphrase vpon the Revelation before hee was twenty yeares of age * Mal. 4.2 Chap. 9. â— Sanguiâ— Martyrum semen Ecclesiae Nubecula orat pertransibat 2 Chron. 16.9 * Edw. 6 at his Coronaâ—ion being presented with 3. swords told them those wer not enough hee must haue one more wherat they marvailing he told theÌ„ hee meant the holy Bible the sword of Gods Spirit without which quoth he we are nothing nor can doe any thing Remains Vis vnita fâ—rtior To turne the hearts of the Fathers to the Children the hearts of the Children to the Fathers lest I come smite the earth with a curse Mal. 4. If God be with us who can be against us Ro. 8. * 1. King 12.6 7 8 9 10 11 c. * Hen. 8. would vse to wish that when his Counsellers came to sit in Councell they would commit simulation and dissimulation and partiality to the Porters lodge Remains Like Iâ—â—lâ—oes Iudges Mâ—n of courage fearing God dealing vprightly haâ—ing covetousnesse Exo. 18. Like Davids Worthies Iâ—hoshaphats men of valour * As Iezabel Athaliah Hoc Reges habâ—â— magnificum et in gâ—â—s nulla quod â—apâ—â—â—dâ—es prodessemiseris supplices fido lare protegere Sâ—nec Traged 7. Esto mihi soluâ— arbiter verum iure ac nomine â—egio 〈◊〉 de Rege lib. 4. Aliquid hiâ— laxaâ— totum amiâ—tis Eâ— est impâ—ranâ— ratio vt non aliter 〈◊〉 quam si vni reddatur Tacit. â— Annal Communis custodia Principatus neminem vnum magnum facere Arâ—st 5. Polit. SeÌ„per periculosuÌ„ privati hominis nomen supra imo iuxta Principis attolli Tacit. Pauâ—i Reges non Râ—gna colunt Coliâ— hic Reges calâ—et vt omnes Perdaique aliquos nullumque levet Tantum vt noceat cupiâ— esse potens Senec. Traged 10. Sâ—are omnes debemus tanquam in orbe aliquo Reip. qui cum iam versatur eam diligere partem debemus ad quaem nos idius vtilitâ—s salusque converterit Cu. pro Planâ— semper officio fungitur vtilitati hominuÌ„ consulens societati Cic. Offic. lib. 3. Iâ—psius The hearts and riches of the people are the Kings greatest treasure King Iames in his speech 1609. * Hen. 3. King of England his vsuall practise Ne quid insidiose ne quid simulate ne quid fallaâ—â—ter Cic. Offic 3. Iâ—psius Polic. li. 4. Nam per fraudem dolum regna evertuntur Aristot. Polit. lib 5. Presertim si publicus vsus salusque suadeaâ—