nothing concerned thē Hereunto is added that the nomber of seaven is an universall nomber by whose revolution all times are made all times being winded upon this Pole even as the whole heavenlie frame is turned upon the seaven starres Wherefore as being full of mysterie it is used afterward the whole booke through in describing of all things Yet all Churches are not so to be considered as yf nothing indeede had bene sent to them which by name are afterward noted but togither with the signification of the misterie the truth of the historie is to be reteined Seing therefore these seaven Churches stretch further than their names declare whether in them the estate of all times even to Christes comming is to be considered No verily but onely of that time wherein the Church shal be among the Gentiles Which thing shal be manifest by those things that follow and also so plaine a desciphering of the Churches of Asia seemes to grant that the Synagogue of the Iewes is not to be mixt with them Which thing hath caused that in the resolution we have distinguished the whole Propheticall narration into that which is proper to particular Churches and into that which is common to all Churches ¶ Grace be to you and peace from which is He commeth to the praier wherby the third person of the Inscription is declared And he setteth downe the fountaine of grace and peace to be one true God three in person whos 's first person these words declare Arethas thinkes that these three times doe specially bolong to the three persons Because the Father saith he is otherwhere called which is Exod. 3.14 the Sonne which was Iohn 1.1 the Holy Ghost which cometh Iohn 16.8.13 Act. 2. But the distinction so cleare which forthwith followeth gainsaies it which challengeth this description of that J will be Exod. 3.14 common to the whole Deitie here to the alone person of the Father Wherby also we are given to understand that this threefolde difference of time belonges to the unchangeable and stedfast truth of God concerning his promises For there is the same force of this circumlocution as of that abreviation Exod. 3.4 which we know was used that he might teach Moses that the time was come that he woulde perfourme the promise once made to Abrahā of delivering his seed out of Egipt From whence is also that name of Iehova wherby God was not knowne to the Fathers Exod. 6.2 because they had not yet obteined that promise Certaine minde that this is a name of being no portion of which a created spirit can understand as yf God should take to himselfe such names onely for his owne sake and not for ours Wherefore these things are as yf he should say From God the Father most true and constant in all his things which presently giueth most plentifull experiments of his truth by sending at length his Sonne into the world who in former times never failed in any one of those things which he had promised who lastly so hath caused hope of things as yet to come that daily he endevoureth the performance of them and hasteneth the acomplishment of his whole truth For which cometh hath this force as a present future that I may so say For that which cometh is not yet present nor yet altogether absent Therefore it is much more significant then if he had said which will come or which is about to come as commonly it is turned For this which cometh declareth that he will no further deferre his promises but that now forthwith he is imploied in fulfilling of them an excellent confort for them which through wearines of delay doe fainte But thou wilt say is truth attributed to the Father onely Verilie it is common alike to all of them but seeing the partes of the Sonne and Spirit are chiefly imploied in executing the decrees it is mentioned as proper to him alone whome order of doing maketh to be the Authour of promising and the fountaine of goodnes Gentile impietie hath imitated this division with their tripos which they report that Apollo used for three commodities of things which he had very much tried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which saw things to come to be before they were as in the Scholiaste of Aristophanes on Plut. ¶ And from the seauen spirites The second welspring of peace is the Holy Ghost most plentifully enriching replenishing his Church with every kinde of giftes for which cause such a circumlocution is used For he which togither with the Father the Sonne is the giver and causer of peace and grace cannot be counted amongst the creatures Of which matter see that most learned man Francis Iunius Neither proves it that this is a creature as the Iesuite will have it because he is saide to stand in the sight of the throne after the maner of those that rather serve God himselfe than that he is God himselfe Wheras by this reason neither the Sonne should be God which being a lambe came and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sate on the throne hereafter chap. 5.7 And more plainely in Daniell 7.13 and before him that is setting in his throne they presented him to wit the Sonne of man What then is the Sonne to be beteft of his Godhead Wherfore we must know that the words mentioned thorough this booke both here and else where both universally of God as the chiefe and highest Governour in which regard a throne is attributed to him and also of the Sonne Holy Ghost as ministers By whose more neare working all things are done Wherfore they are sayd to stand as in a readines before the throne and as it were expecting the commaundement and becke of the Chiefe Governour So was the Revelation given to the Sonne ver 1. and therefore the Spirit seemeth in this place to be noted more by his giftes by which he workes in his saints then by his proper name But the things onely of order are not to be drawne to destroy the natures 5 And from Jesus Christ which is that faithfull witnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and from Jesus Christ that faithfull witnes that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is that faithfull witnes the want of the relative being supplied very often used in this booke after the manner of the Hebrewes These things apperteine to the thirde fountaine Christ which we call the thirde in regard of the place which here he susteines not in order of person Hitherto hath bin differred the describing of him because it was more at large to be insisted upon and frō him to be derived the thankesgiving by whose alone merite we are made partakers of all good things And first he mentioneth his Propheticall Office calling him the faithfull witnes that is which hath faithfully truly and fully taught the whole will of God as farre as appetaines to mans salvation For the whole doctrine of the Gospell is wont to be called a testimony as Iohn 3.11
the mysterie shall be finished the Turkes the Popes names being rased out then also the Church shall be settled in exceeding great felicitie as in the earth maie be expected The viales from 1558 even to the end Chap. 17. The execution of the fift viale on the throne of the beast by vvhich it shall be manifested by some one of no great name by most undenyable argumeÌ„ts that Rome is the seat of Antichrist that she hath bin made his seate from the time that the Heathenish Emperours vvere driven from thence Chap. 18. The second execution of the fift viale is the last overthrow of the citie of Rome by three Angels 1 descending from heaven 4 the second exhorting the Romanes to flight describing both the mourning of the ungodly also the joy of the godly 21 The thirde confirming her eternall destruction by casting a great milstone into the sea Chap. 19.1 There is dâ—scribed the joy of the saints for the perdition of Rome 5 The sixt viale is opened the calling of the Iewes is taught 12 Likewise a warlicke preparation partly in respect of Christ the câ—ptaine souldiers partly in respect of the enemies 20 The seaventh viale is declared by the destruction of the false Prophete of the Roman Pope of the Westerne enemie his baÌ„des Chap. 20.1 The vvhole history of the DragoÌ„ is repeated as it was in the GeÌ„tile Emperours before the imprisonemeÌ„t 2 Hovv it was in prison into which he was cast by Constantine bound for a thousaÌ„d yeares An interpretation of the three last viales in al which space the elect had a battel with the Romish Pope which being ended there is made at last the first resurrection many every where in the west aspiring unto the more syncere truth 7 Together with this resurrection the Devill is loosed theÌ„ ariseth the Turke vvith the Scithians Gog with Magog which now destroying the greatest part of the earth at length they turne their weapons against the holy citie that is the beleeving Iewes in which warfare the name of the Turke shall utterly be abolished 11 There is made the second resurrection by the second full calling of the Iewes Chap. 21.1 The last part of the seaventh viale describeth the felicity of the Church after the vanquishing of all enemies by the new Hierusalem descending from heaven of a most glorious building Chap. 22.1 It is shewed how this felicitie both by meat and drinke shall redounde to others and shall continue for ever 6 The conclusion confirmeth the whole Prophecy by manie most strong arguments CHAP. 1. A REVELATION OF THE APOCALYPSE THE Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shewe unto his servaÌ„ts things which must shortly be done which he sent shewed by his Angel unto his servant Iohn 2 Who bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw 3 Blessed is he that readeth they that heare the wordes of this Prophesie keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand 4 Iohn to the seaven Churches which are in Asia Grace be with you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seaven Spirits which are before his throne 5 And from Iesus Christ which is that faithfull witnesse and the first begotten of the dead and Prince of the Kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his blood 6 And made us Kings and Priests unto God even his Father to him be glory and dominion for evermore Amen 7 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him yea even they which perced him through and all kinreds of the earth shall waile before him even so Amen 8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come even the Almightie 9 I John even your brother and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdome and patience of Jesus Christ was in the Yle called Patmos for the word of God and for the witnessing of Jesus Christ 10 And I was ravished in spirit on the Lords day and heard behind me a great voice as it had bene of a trumpet 11 Saying I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last and that which thou seest write in a book and send it unto the seven Churches which are in Asia unto Ephesus and unto Smyrna and unto Pergamus and unto Thyatira and unto Sardi and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea 12 Then I turned backe to see the voyce that spake with me and when I was turned I saw seven golden Candlesticks 13 And in the mids of the seven Candlesticks one like unto the Sonne of man clothed with a garment downe to the feet and girded about the paps with a goldeÌ„ girdle 14 His head and haires were white as whitewooll as snow and his eyes wer as a flame of fire 15 And his feete like unto fine Brasse burning as in a fornace and his voice as the sound of many waters 16 And he had in his right hand seven starres and out of his mouth went a sharpe two edged sword and his face shone as the Sunne shineth in his strength 17 And when I saw him I fell at his feete as dead then he laid his right haÌ„d upon me saying unto me feare not I am the first and the last 18 And am alive but I was dead and behold I am alive for evermore AmeÌ„ and I have the keyes of hell and of death 19 Write the things which thou hast seene and the things which are and the things which shall come hereafter 20 The mysterie of the seven starres which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks is this The seven starres are the Angels of the seven Churches and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven Churches The prayer I entring into a matter beyond the strength of man pray thee O Father of lights together with thy Sonne the Chiefe Prophete and the Holy Spirit the leader into truth make plaine to mortall men the way not as yet sufficiently knowen Our minde seeth not the thinges thar are before our feete How little or nothing perceiveth it high and hidden things And how great danger is there from hence eyther of preasing rashly into thy secrets or of passing by true things and faining things absurd contrary Neverthelesse thou who hast made thy word a light to our feet who callest the most simple to the searching out of thy hidden mysteries and who dost chuse for the most parte fisher men before the wise of the world Be thou I say present and helpe this my slendernes graunt me a prosperous voyage between these dangerous Ylands Cause that I no where runne upon the high rockes of pride nor sticke in the shalowe of blind ignorance but the next way by thy
guidance arriving at the very truth I may holily and religiously reverence maintaine it being found out not conceale it through any shamefull fearfulnes corrupt it for any eyther hatred or favour but may bring it forth purely and syncerely into the viewe of every man to the glory of thy most great name and consolation of thy Church yet grievously mourning graunt this through our Lord Iesus Christ AmeÌ„ The Resolution THE Revelation after the Proheme is included whole in an Epistle The Proheme in the three first verses declareth the Argument Authours both principall and also Ministers and the Fruit. The Epistle is speÌ„t about an Inscription Propheticall narration and conclusion The InscriptioÌ„ is excellent for the person of the wrighter and of those to whom he writeth of him especially from whom salvation is wished the eternall verity of which one God the Father the manifold grace of the Holy Spirit vers 4. of the Sonne as the triple office vers 5. so especially his very great benefitâ— on the elect both present vers 6. to be expected in his glorious comming is celebrated which the kinreds of the earth shall receive with wailing and the saints in the meane time desyre most earnestly as is expressed in those wordes even so Amen vers 7. The Propheticall narration respecteth eyther the particular Churches or the whole Them partly jointly in the rest of this chapter partly severally in the two next The thinges which are declared ioyntly are to the end that the seaven Churches may knowe that Iohn undertooke not this wriring at his owne pleasure but was called and commanded of God Wherof the person calling may cause a full persuasion which cannot be of any other but of God himself vers 8. Lykewise the person called vers 9.10 Lastly the manner of calling him by hearing vers 11. theÌ„ by visioÌ„ The type wherof is shewed v. 12.13.14.15.16 certeyne things following therof are declared on Iohns parte a great feare and astonying on Christs part a consolation ver 17.18 then a commaunding to write ver 19. and the interpretation of the vision ver 20. A shorte exposition ver 1. Apocalyps The Argument of the booke signifying a Revelation made of God the coverings being taken away which before did hinder the eyes of mortall men Which sort of thinges were wont to be called in old time visions and prophesyes but in the writings of the Apostles the word of Revelation is more frequent I will come saith Paul to Visions and Revelations of the Lord 2 Cor. 12.1 And againe that J should not be lifted up above measure with excellency of Revelations ver 7. So whosoever of you hath a song hath doctrine hath a tongue hath a Revelation 1 Cor. 14.26 Furthermore the knowledge of the Gospell is attributed to Revelation of seeing which there is no greater power before it shall be revealed then of understanding future thinges I give thee thankes saith Christ O Father because thou hast hidden these thinges from the wise revealed them to babes Mat. 11.25 Whether is then this not the sense of this word that no new thing is published but as the Gospell is an open revealâ—d lawe so the coverings being removed that onely to be shewed which before lay hydde under the olde shadowes And so it might paradventure be thought unlesse this were also a word of the olâ—e testament The saying of him saith Balaam that heareth the wordes of the strong God which seeth the vision of the Almighty falling downe but having his eyes opened or revealed Num. 24.4 So the man of God spake unto Heli in the name of the Lord Did not I reveale my selfe playnâ—ly to the house of thy father 1 Sam. 2.27 Wherfore there is no argumeÌ„t from heÌ„ce to this purpose This may be without doubt that this kinde of speaking used as well here as there doth shewe that it neither was in the beginninge nor yet is proper to the witte of mortall men to finde out such mysteries by searching Neverthelesse that now all things are easy to be passed through by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ so farre as is behoveable for his Church Doe thou therfore most high Day-starre open our eyes that we may behold thy wonderfull things ¶ Of Iesus Christ Who is one of the chiefe authours of the Revelation the Mediatour betweene God and men All the olde Prophecies flowed alwayes from the same Christ but in these last dayes God hath spoken unto us by his Sonne after a singular and speciall manner Heb. 1.1 Wherupon there is a difference betweene the auncient inscriptions of the the Prophecies and of this There the vision of Isaias the vision of Obadias the booke of the vision of Nahum The Prophecy which Habbakuke saw never before the vision or Revelation of Iesus Christ This Prophecy must needes be most full of maiesty which is notable before others for the title neither is it to be doubted but that according to the proportion of the light of the Gospell all things are delivered here more distinctly and more clearely then ever before ¶ Which God gave unto him To wit the Father the authour fountayne of all things And he gave these thinges to Jesus Christ in asmuch as he is Mediatour not as to his coessentiall Sonne For these thinges doe shewe rather the order in which God doth give knowledge to his Church then the originall of knowing in respect of his Sonne as Th. Beza declareth most learnedly He is the pipe by vvhom is derived unto us men from the unmeasurable depth of his goodnes whatsoever may be profitable for us Although the verbe to give ioyned with the infinitive mode signifyeth often to permitte as thou wilt not give thy holy one to see corruption that is thou wilt not suffer him to see Psal 16.10 And Edom râ—fused to give to passe through that is permitte Num. 21.21 After which manner Demosthenes speaketh the word of permitting being ioyned with it Give and permitte me to speake of these thinges unto you But it comes all to one whether we make it the beginning of knowledge or of power Therefore we must rest in the first answere ¶ That he might shewe to his servants Therefore the understanding of those thinges is peculiar to these You prophane be ye farre o be ye farre fâ—om hence Why o ye Iesuites doe ye touch this booke These mysteries are shutte and sealed to you whatsoever diligence in interpreting you may pretend Here is nothing for the sworne slaves of Antichrist Leave off to trouble your selves and to deceave others Yf yee desyre indeed to understande these thinges renounce the Lord whom yee serve to the end that he whose name ye counterfaite may impert these secrets to you returning againe into his family ¶ Which must shortly be done An explication of the thinges whereof it is a Râ—velation not of those which were past a good while since but which should be done afterward and shortly For he
used in the scriptures to signify the invasion of the enemy but seeing the next words have respect hitherto neither shalt thou know in what houre I will come against thee peradvēture he meaneth some other thing to wit a certen force violence such as thieves use in robbing houses Who often times not onely doe spoile the maysters of their goods but also committe adultery with their wives and defloure the virgins and compell by torments to confesse where the mony is hidden which having once gotten that their wickednes may not be bewrayed they kill all without difference either of sexe or age Therefore Christ seemeth here to threatenē the like outragious fiercenes of some cruell enemy Of whose comming wee may not define by the iudgement of the flesh seeing it shall not be knowne in what houre he shall come Neither must we labour much to search out who this enemy should be The Spirit who hath determined that his comming shal be sudden would not have him knowen by name It may be that it is the Turke to whom the raynes may be loosed a while till they be lookt unto which are to be punished But whether it shall be he or some other wee may not sleepe securely and neglect reformation because wee see noe danger at hand but we must thinke how it may come upon us in a moment And it is to be feared that this which is threatned shall no more be avoided then that of removing the Candlesticke from the Ephesine Church chap. 2.5 These thinges depende on the condition of repentance to which the eares of men are deafe even the greatest part 4 Yet thou hast a few persons in the greeke it is a few names that is a fewe men as Act. 1.15 and after in this booke chap. 11.13 In these wordes he cometh to the other part of the narration which perteineth to commēdation Which alwayes at other times is wont to take the first place But this new disposition setting in order is not done rashly teaching that in the latter times shal be some who refusing errours should embrace the trueth As we knowe was done when the booke of Concorde began frō this occasion and so many visitations undertaken that the Calvinists as they speake might be rooted out utterly For such men followers of true godlines and iudgement were conversant in the most inward bowels of this Sarden state Beside many free Cityes Strasburg Heydelberg Marpurg Newstadt Breme the peopell Anhaltine c. who opposed themselves against the forgeries of the rest In every one of those places famous lights now and then did shine which driving farre away that darkenes gave a ioyfull day to their flockes ¶ Which have not defiled their garments The garment is Christ himselfe the comon clothing of all the faithfull of which in the parable Friend howe camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment Mat. 22.12 And Paul more plainly For all yee that have bin baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 But it hath a diverse signification according to the diverse respect of thinges into which it is referred In respect of God it belongeth to iustification in respect of other men to sanctification and profession in respect of our selves to honour glory triumphe ioy c. Therefore these Sardens kept their profession of Christ sincere and entyre from all the filth and pollutions of those monstrous opinions Although they also which by repentāce did awake frō those errours may be said to keepe their garments also pure For they that are in Christ are not esteemed according to their former foulnes but according to their present apparell wherewith all their fomer uncleannesses are covered ¶ And therefore they shall walke with me in white to wit garments These are the same garmēts with the former but a little differing in respect for those were of profession wherby the valiant souldiers of Christ did appeare to others these are of glory triumphe and ioye which they shall enioy both in themselves from the feeling of Gods love shed abroad in their harts and also which they should receive frō the praysing of others who shall prayse God in their name who hath bestowed on thē fortitude victory A white and pure gowne in a solemne mirth is commendable both among the Gentiles and also the people of God From whence the wise man alluding to this manner Let saith he thy garments be white alway Eccl. 9.8 But especially I thinke that of Marke is to be regarded where some steppe of this celestiall glory appeared in the shining garment so white as snow such as no fuller can make on earth ch 9.3 At which sight Peter beeing overwhelmed with unmeasurable ioy minded this one thing which way he mought have bin able to enioy it alway So this shal be a most āple reward for the saints in which they shall so hartely delight that they shall desyre no greater thing in this life And if any should aske the brethren themselves whose these garments ar I doubt not but they would answere that this ioy is of more value which they obtayne by Christ in retaining his truth thē that they would chaunge it with all the delight of this life Certenly great is their glory among all the godly which wee pray with all our harts to be perpetuall to them ¶ For they are worthy The Papists are glad in their owne behalfe for this words as an excellent patron of their merit of condigne worthines but let them remember that this merit is attributed to the garmēt not to the body that is to the imputation of the righteousnes of Christ wherewith we are clothed as with a garment not to our inherent holines For not to defile the garment cannot be of more estimation then the garment it selfe And seeing there be sundry significations of the garments as wee have shewed the worthynes ariseth not either from profession of good workes wherby the saints are seen of others neither from the ioy of the Spirit which wee our selves feele within us but from this alone that the father counteth us righteous being clotheth with his sonne He therefore is worthy that is clothed though not of every use of garments but onely of that peculiar respect wherby we are presented blamelesse in the presence of God even as a man seeth although not the whole man but onely that part to which the faculty belongeth 5 He that shall overcome c. Some copies and the comon translation read thus He that shall overcome shal be so clothed But the reddition of a similitude is unusuall where there is no question unlesse peradventure they be referred to the former verse as though he should say as they that at all have not assented to errours shall walke with me arayed in white apparell so they that after some striving shall departe from the same shall be clothed with white As though the first reward were perteining to them that fell not this to them
that repented forsooke their errours with which they were possessed before time Of which sorte were many in Germany before the booke of Concord was published when in most universityes the chiefe teachers understood the true doctrine of the supper of the Lord and the opinions of Vbiquitie corporall presence in the supper every where were contemned as witnesseth Georg. Sohnius in his exposition of the August Cōfes which appeareth more clearly from the Synode of Desdrense in the yeare above 1571 where it was ordained by the comon consent both of all the Superintendants of the Dukedome of Saxonie and also of the Doctours of the Vniversityes of Lypsia and Wittemberg That the Vbiquitie of the body of Christ was an horrible prophanation of all the articles of the Creed and a renewing of all Heresyes Gallobel in the yeare 1592. And since that time a perfitter light breaking forth every day many were raysed up from their drowsines and opened their eyes to the truth Whom also even as well as the other he adorneth with white garments who gave a penny to them that were hyred at the eleventh houre Mat. 20.9 Such then is the first reward two yet doe remayne ¶ And I will never put his name out of the booke of life The second reward applyed to the times For because very many in these tymes should fall from the trueth and many cityes peoples provinces regions should cōsent to errour as at this time it is evident how farre and wide the contagiō spread abroad flying also over the sea and infecting those Northern regiōs Gotia and Suetia by which their approving of errour they should blot their names out of the register of the saints and should cut of from themselves the hope of life unlesse they should repent least I say the falling away of so many should trouble the saints he biddeth his conquerours to be of good courage Christ himselfe would set them free from falling howsoever they should see infinite nūbers to rush downe violently on their right and left hand For it is he alone who first calleth us backe from errour then sanctifyeth confirmeth us in the trueth least at any time we should revolte from it Therefore howsoever this reward be full of confort yet it teacheth that the time should be lamētable through the fall of many For to betray and forsake the trueth is not a light matter as many suppose who easily are caried away with every winde of doctrine but it is an argument of a man of no reckonning with God But how wilt thou say can they be blotted out which once were written in the booke of life especially seeing that this booke is the booke of the Lambe as in the chap. 13. 8. that is wherein those that are written the Lambe acknowledgeth them for his counteth them heires of eternall life neither is there any of those that are given to Christ that can ever perish Ioh. 6.37.39 17.12 I answer that these things are spoken in respect of us For there is a twofolde booke of life one as I may say of vocation an other of election Into the first are put all who by the preaching of the Gospell are taken into the fellowship of the Church who rightly doe seeme unto us to be partakers of life and endued with the hope of eternall salvation For the scriptures are wont to speak so generally giving thankes to the Father who hath made us meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light Who hath delivered us from the power of darknes and translated us into the kingdome of his deare sonne in whom we have redemption by his blood the forgivenes of sinnes c. So the Apostle speaketh of the multitude of the Colossians without difference chap. 1.12 And after the same manner every where in other places Yet men may be put out of this booke For many are called but few chosen Mat. 22.14 And it is declared after in the 7. chap. by an exemple Dan and Ephraim being passed over in the rehearsing of the tribes as souldiers put out of wages and cassed out of the register For God of old as in a certen visible shadow of this booke cōmaunded the genealogies of each tribe among the people of Israell to be kept diligently Wherto also perteined that of raysing up seed to the dead that his name should not be put out from his people Deut. 25.6 In which respect also the Psalmist wisheth to certen reprobates who held a place in the Church like true citizens that God at length would separate them frō the congregation of the Saints and manifest them to be meere hypocrites Psal 69.29 Wherefore all are put out of this kooke of life who forsake the fellowship of the holy Church either through errour and heresy or wickednes or other cause whatsoever not that for this cause they are blotted out of the booke of Election but because by this way they make manifest that they were never written in this booke as Iohn saith they went out from us but they were not of us 1 Ioh. 2.19 But the other booke to wit of Election is never spotted with any blottes but the names once written in doe cōstantly remayne in the same without rasing out Although these bookes are not so open and evident that they can be read of all men without difference but it is declared to every one severalty by the Spirit that is found in this register in what estimation and account he is ¶ But J will confesse his name The third reward is of confessing their name Which sheweth not onely the falling away of many but also that others shal be compelled by force So as there is great neede of the power of the Spirit least any weakened by the iniuries and threats of adversaries doe forsake the trueth For the confession of their name before his father is for the confort of confessing Christ and his trueth boldly and without feare So sending his Apostles to preach furnisheth and instructeth them against the feare of affliction Mat. 10.32 And who knoweth not to what inhumanity cruelty proceeded the hatred of them who call themselves Lutherans against the professors of the truth In the yeare 1580. was obtruded upon the Ministers of the Churches and Schooles the booke of Concorde avouching the execrable errour of Vbiquity A subscriptiō was commaunded in the name of the Princes the refusers were proclaimed Sacramētaryes or put out of their places In the yeare 1591. Christiā Duke of Saxony being dead Paul Kreilius Chaunceler suspected of Calvinisme as they speake was cast into prison Vrbanus Pierius Professor of Wittēberg was lead captive into prisō Gundermānus of Lipsich cōmitted prisōner In the yeare following was appointed a newe visitation they went through all Saxony they that would not subscribe to the articles were removed from their offices What should I rehearse the broyle of Lipsich the yeare following when all the university men on every side assembled
restored Philadelphia finde it to be longe before all these things be performed Within two hundred yeares after shee was borne againe shee shall see the issue end of all these things as the Prophesy following shall declare with God his helpe ¶ Holde that which thou hast that no man may take away thy crowne Goe on couragiously in the rase wherein thou hast begunne keepe thy sanctity of manners purity of wholesome doctrine severity of heavenly discipline least if thou shalt beginne to relent any thing in this matter an other take thy crowne from thee But what crowne is this The honour which shee shall receive from the enemyes brought under her and worshipping before her feete ver 9. Which manners of rewards doe depende on the dutyes of godlines unto which they are propounded and are taken away some time from the saints for a correction of their cowardlinesse Wherefore they doe unskilfully who transferre these things unto eternall life as though that could had ben taken away from the elect or at the least wise as though they should alwayes waver as for an uncerten and doubtfull thing of which they could have no sure hope as long as they dwell on earth It may come to passe and allwayes it cometh to passe that the wicked may deceave themselves with a false persuasion But the elect have the Spirit who witnesseth that they are the children of God neither can he the authour of all trueth either deceave or be deceaved Rom. 8.16 Although if any thinke that there is the same reason of the earthly and heavenly reward of which they will have that to be at least a type the same thing may be answered truly and rightly which wee have sayd before touching the booke of life ver 5. That many are called but fewe chosen Now the crowne may be taken away from them that are called not persevering the which for a time they did hope for in which respect it is called not without cause their crowne But how doe they tryfle who wrest unto the elect that which perteineth to the called onely because they invy that others should have that certenty or asseurance of salvation which themselves feele not As touching the wordes take it is here the same with that of Mat. 5.40 and take thy coate that is take away 12 Him that shall overcome I will make a pillar word for word in the greek He that shall overcome I will make him for the overcomer I will make or as touching the overcomer J will make him an Hebraisme of the nominative case absolute such as we have observed in the chap. 2.26 The reward is that he shal be like a pillar in the Temple of God that is he shall abyde firme stable in the Church of God neither shall he feare any ruine or fall in what manner soever the rayne shall fall the flouds shall come and the windes shall blowe all things at one brunt shall fall upon it He alludeth unto those two brasen Pillars placed in the Temple by Salomon which did figure out the stability of the children of God 1 King 7.15 And so is this Church by the grace of God not defiled with schisme and fowle apostasy as lately wee have seen the Sarden Church which taking noe care of a full reformation by the iust iudgement of God lost many cityzens losing them as a figge tree her unripe figges so farre of is it that they should be a Pillar Philadâ—lphia should be free of this sorowe not because shee should see some Apostates who should fayne godlines for a time but because those fewe should more commende her faythfullnes in trying and casting out of Hypocrites then cast upon her any blot of schisme and defection ¶ Neither shall he goe out any more The pillar is declared by a double property one of continuance an other of a name written upon the first is signifyed in these wordes and he shall goe out noe more the force of which seemeth to be this that they may meet with a secret doubt which peradventure might trouble some bodyes minde because when the city was takeÌ„ by Nebuchadnezzar those pillars were broken and the brasse of them was carryed to Babylon Ier. 52.17 Least any should feare that the same should befall him namely that although for a time he shall be placed in the Temple yet at length he should be banished away he biddeth them to be of good courage For he promiseth that this pillar shal be such as no Nebuchadnezzar shall ever breake in peaces neyther ever carry away by any force The Sonne abideth in the house for ever Ioh. 8.35 The bond woman with her soÌ„ne ist cast out but the heire shall live allwayes in the sight of his father Gal. 4.30 and c. ¶ And I will write upon him the name of my God The name written is three fould of God of the newe Ierusalem and a new name of sonne All which are spoken according to the manner of the Pillars in the Temple the figure wherof the Spirit here declareth pointing unto it as with the finger by the same thing teaching by the way that nothing was ordained there in vaine although it might seeme to be of never so small moment Salomon adorned the two erected pillars with two names The one on the right hand he calld IACIN that is he shall stablish That on the left hande BOAZ that is in him is Strength 1 King 7.21 not onely shewing by the matter it selfe of the pillars but also by the names in what firme estate the elect doe stand before God both present and future For the present the children of God have strength in themselves for the time to come God will so stablish them by his grace that they can never fall away from him altogither Although that I may put you in minde also of this further that they seeme to signify the two Churches by that on the right hand Jacin the Church of the Jewes which God at length in his time should stablish having not yet gotten stablenes because of their harneded heart wherby they should refuse Christ when he should come by that on the left hand Bohaz the Church of the Gentils because of the present strength which should be in it when shee should embrabce Christ at the first hearing So Christ would write names upon those Pillars better then those Jacin Bohaz For first he will imprint the name of his God that it may be manifested to all men that they have bin set at liberty to be Gods chiefe treasure and riches as it cometh to passe in things marked openly which doe shew by their titles to every one that looketh on them whose they are In which sense it was said in the 9. ver and they shall knowe that I have loved thee In which respect also holines to the Lord is written upon the belles of the horses in Zachary 14.20 The second name is of the newe Jerusalem of which in ch 21.2 to
false friends open enemys coūterfait Sosiae who should vaunt themselves under the shewe of her and many other things of that sorte were to be declared with which shee should contende and have to doe it was needfull that first a certen forme and image of her should be pourtrayed which is the principall point of the treatise following lest peradventure in so great sturres and troubles wee should suppose her to have ben wholy extinguished and abolished or at least wise her face being not knowne wee should be the more hindred from acknowledging of her Werfore wee shall finde this Type to be common to all ages as of which there is mention made in the fourteene chapter of this booke and thirde verse Where the companions and followers of the Lambe sing a newe songe before the foure Beasts and the Elders And againe nearer to the ending of the Prophesy the foure and twenty Elders and the foure Beasts fall downe and worship God as may be seene in the nineteene chapter of this booke and in the fourth verse So in other places as speach is made of the true Church so farre as any thing is to be done in the publike assembly shee is noted alwayes after the manner of this type For wee may not thinke that any congregation on earth is to be found of so absolute purity and sounde perfection as is here described but that all the holy assemblyes of the elect are counted such in Christ before God the Father although much terrene dregges be sprinckeld upon them according to that The Church to be sanctifyed by Christ to be purged by the washing of water through the word made also glorious without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but to be holy and without blame Ephes 5.26.27 An exemple of which description wee have here set before our eyes And for that purpose besides that wee should conforme all our assemblyes unto this rule even as Moses was commaunded to make the frame of the Tabernacle and all his implements altogither as was shewed to him in the mount Exod. 25.9 But the type of our Church is shewed in the very heavens according to the more plentifull glory wherewith the Gospell shyneth above the Lawe But howe much the more diligently all things are to be considered Seeing therfore wee knowe the drift of the vision let us search out the exposition of the severall things First the head it selfe of the Church is described such as the true members doe alwayes confesse and worshippe both by his sitting in a Throne in this verse and also by the similitude following The sitting declareth the maiesty and glory of the most high God and noe lesse his steddy and stable dwelling among the Saints in whose assembly he hath placed his throne of dignity to goe to noe other place And because there is but one throne and one that sitteth on it wee knowe that God is one in nature power maiesty glory and that there is not any other beside who ruleth in the middes of the saints Therfore the holy Church worshippeth and prayseth with all honour and reverence the one onely supreme Iehovah 3 And he that sate was to looke on like Aretas the Complutent edition and the Kings Bible doe not reade these first wordes and he that sate was but they adde by and by to the ende of the former verse these following wordes like in sight Our bookes and the comon latine translation doe distinguish more playnly the sitting and the similitude which thing in describing the true God seemeth that it ought not to be omitted This verse sheweth a little more fully of what sorte this one God is of whom yet it setteth forth noe image but onely a certen kinde of colour after those auncient representations made once to the olde people You saw sayth Moses noe similitude in the day that Iehovah spake to you in Horeb out of the middes of the fyre Deut. 4.15 For the same is that one true God reigning in the Christian assemblyes whom from the beginning the primitive Church worshipped And seeing that in the infancy of the Church he shewed noe image of himselfe much lesse is any similitude to be expected in this up growen and ripe age This is a more familiar fuller manifestation seeing beside one and the same essence which the common glory noteth the incomprehensible distinction of the three persons is in some sorte revealed by the three pretious stones the Iasper Sardin and Emerald For it pleaseth the Spirit to use the delightfull Iewels to disclose these mysteryes because the grace and beauty of these doth most of all excell in this world belowe whereupon they may be most fitte images of that pleasantnes which exceedeth all created understanding especially seeing the representation is rather of the vertue then of any forme The first sight of the Iasper resembleth the person of the Father this Iewell is greene and not without cause called the mother of Jewels the kindes of it are so many and the honour so auncient And what more fitly among pearles could shadowe out the Father who is the first in order alwayes of a flourishing eternity of whom the other persons have their beginning and originall The second sight is of the Sardin wherby the Sonne is represented This Iewel is redde of a fleshly colour frō whēce also it is called a Carneole fitly in deede being in his stead who tooke upon him flesh for our sake and was made a man like unto us The third sight is of a rainebowe of the colour of an Emerald wherby the H. Ghost is noted He compasseth the Throne round aboute as in the booke of wisdome chap. 9.4 compassing the whole circuit of the divine maiesty with an unutterable sweetnes For the Emerald doth shewe so acceptable pleasant and shining greenes that the eyes beholde nothing more gladly Yet this Raynebowe is not like that which is comonly so called For this is not over against the Throne but about the Throne neither is it an halfe circle but whole and full on every side For it is rounde about the throne finally it is not of three colours as the true Rainebowe but of one onely and simple colour of the Emerald Such therfore is that God one in nature three in persons the head and centre of the Church whome alone the faithfull are in love with and doe worship taking pleasure most sweetly with all their hartes in his incomprehensible sweetnes ¶ And rounde aboute the Throne So is the Head nowe he adioyneth the body like the circumference of this centre as wee have sayd Which is described by the place the number of members age apparell and crownes The place is double common about the hyghest throne and proper the peculiar throne of every one The comon rounde about the throne is before behinde at the right hand and at the left that it may parte the Raine bowe which compassed also the Throne but with a contrary situation above beneath and
he reproveth also Kings for their sakes saying touch not myne annointed and doe my Prophets noe harme Psalm 105.14.15 For the Lord shall roare out of Zion and his voyce out of Ierusalem Amos 1.2 Why thē is not the world wise at last when it seeth that this is the fountaine of all evills because it doth entreate so contemptuously and unworthyly the Church And the lightnings and terrible thunders doe signify punishments and not to be avoided by any meanes as which doe fall violently upō men from heaven But to what ende are voyces added Surely voices doe note out often times the craking of thunders as Exod. 19.16 And there were voices and lightnings and a thicke cloude upon the mount and the voyce of a trumpet very lowde So in chap. 20.18 And all the people did perceive the voyces and the voice of a trumpet But seeing in this place there is expresse mention of thunders the voices are referred to some other thinge namely to the sounde of the trumpet For he doth allude unto that fearfull sound of the trumpet in giving of the lawe wherby the Israelites were summoned to appeare at the Tribunall seat and iudgement The sounde whereof when it continued and waxed very stronge Moses sayd I doe feare and quake Exod. 19.19 Heb. 12.21 For the expectation of iudgement did more abash and trouble their minde then the present horrour of some terrible spectacle the feare of which the minde can susteine in some sorte unlesse it be troubled with the conscience of sinne when it shall be cast downe with the feeling of this it quaketh at every shewe of evill as if torments were prepared and by and by to be undergone The voices then here are some strange things betokening some evill to come or stinges of conscience with which the mindes are allwayes tormented with expectation of some more grievous thing to come This feare shal be as a torture to the wicked tearing and vexing with greater torment of minde then any present though grievous calamity Such then are the weapons which are layd up in this armory which in deede are drawne out and brought forth in a readines for taking of vengeance even as the use either of the whole Church or the necessity of any of the saints privatly doth require Wherfore there is no caufe why they should feare the wicked world for whose defense so grievous punishments are prepared ¶ And seaven lampes of fyre After the grace of protection are declared the giftes of sanctification of which the inward are signifyed by the seaven burning lampes after the account of the seaven spirits which are before the throne chap. 1.4 For by the flame of these those lampes doe burne with that difference onely wherby the river differreth from the fountayne The which thinge the lampes doe signify vessels of a certen and limitted measure whereas the Spirit himselfe is unmeasurable and cannot be included in any straight vessels For which cause he was before most free not limited by any addition of any measurable quantity where mention was made of him as of the third person of equall glory and maiesty with the Father and the Sonne chap. 1.4 And these lampes are called the seven spirits of God both because they are gifts that flowe from the Spirit and also there is a most straite ioyning togither of the effect with his cause For they be most sweete fruites which the Spirit created in the hearts of the saincts in giving them faith hope charity peace ioye praye and the other things with which the elect are sanctifyed They are likened to lampes of fyre according to the custome of the lightes in the Temple which were to be lighted every day of Aaron and his sonnes Exod. 27.20 For the Spirit will have them to be kindled in the hartes of the elect by the labour of the Ministers through the worde and sacraments and not to be expected contrary to the order delivered to us of himselfe There is the number of seaven because of the manifold varietie of giftes wherewith he adorneth the faithfull as every where that number is used to note an infinite number Last of all these giftes are compared to fyre for the lampes are of fyre burning before the throne because they inlighten the minde burne up the stubble of the inbread corruption and kindle a desyre of all godlines which Iohn calleth the Babptisme of fyre Mat. 3.11 And howe great confort ariseth from thence that the name of the Spirit himselfe is attributed to those giftes Which are saith he the seaven Spirits of God From which the faithfull may understand that that force which they feele in their hearts raysed up of God is a most sure pledge of God dwelling in them Such then are the inward giftes of which the Church shall never be destitute but some congregation of the Godly shal be remayning alwayes in which those seaven lampes shall burne 6 There was also before the Throne a Sea of glasse The first outward gift which serveth for those inward as the instrumentall cause is the Sea of glasse which seemeth to be some very great vessell and huge lake after the likenes once of the Sea in the Temple of which 1 King 7 23. Likewise he made a molten Sea This Sea is to be understood of such a vessell For howe can that which is before the Throne compassed with a company of Elders standing rounde aboute be spred abroad on every side like the sea properly so called The circuite in deede of the Elders may extende so farre as the compasse of the earth yet it behoveth us to remember that the thinge was shewed to Iohn in a type that wee should not thinke of any such unmeasurable space Both the name and the largenesse of the vessell doe shewe the fulnes of all giftes which the Church doth drawe from Christ unto her salvation who received the Spirit without measure and from whose infinite riches it is bestowed upō us Iohn chap. first ver 16. For to what ende otherwise was there so bigge a vessell at which Aaron and his sonnes should wash their handes and their feete For cleansing whereof some small pitcher or cruse would had sufficed And in deede this Sea sheweth very fitly a certen resemblance of the whole outward worship which is to be performed to God The doctrine often time is compared unto waters Hoe saith Isaiah whosoever thirsteth come yee to those waters For the carrying away of which he commendeth no other buckets to be brought then the eares Jnclyne your eare saith he chap. 55.1.3 From whence the Ministers are called waterers 1 Cor. 3.6 Baptisme also is signifyed by the Sea through which the Fathers passed and were all baptised unto Moses in the cloude and in the Sea 1 Cor. 10.1.2 Furthermore the water noteth the spirituall drinke of the holy Supper And all sayth he dranke the same spirituall drinke ver 4. By the same also prayers are signifyed as the Israelites being
Antichrist with his Prelates hath ceased long agoe in many ages past to be in the number of these Beasts Howe farre also are our Bishops from them who have forsaken prayers the administration of the word not that they may looke to the poore but that they may handle civill affayres and enioy the honours of this world Whom thou mayest see oftener in the iudgement seat then in the Pulpite and to differre nothing from the Politike Magistrates but onely in name and apparrell Doe they day and night extolle our God with meet prayses of his holines God open their eyes that they may see howe excellent things they leave for thing of no value that at length acknowledging their errour they may returne to better things al trifling lets being cast away The Psalmist telleth openly that they are blessed which dwell in the house of the Lord and that in this respect because they prayse God continually Psal 84.5 What then shall wee chaunge with this office which so great King being destitute of envied that I may so say to others through a godly zeale But too much it may be is already spoken of this matter too much in deede to him that speaketh the trueth but to all that love their errours I doe feare that they will not be enough The office of these Beasts is declared not onely by this care but also by the forme it selfe of the thankesgiving for they cry Holy Holy Holy by which thrise repeated crying togither they prayse the one onely Iehovah seeing in repeating they say one certen thinge which one also they acknowledge to be three in repeating thrise that which they gave to one wherby likewise they esteeme every each one person of equall honour commending each with equall prayse For holines containeth within it all prayse which signifyeth such a purity which is sprinkled and mixed with noe spotte or blemish And this the Beasts doe give to God not onely setting forth the same soe in words but also in making the people holy or at least in using that labour wherby to their utmost power they may make them From whence of all the testimonialls of Gods prayse this chiefly doth sounde and ringe againe in the lyppes of them that serve God Some bookes doe repeate these wordes six times but Aretas agreeth with our copyes and these wordes are in other places of Scripture Isay 6.3 So is the title of holines this the Beasts doe set forth by a double kinde of Power and Trueth wherunto perteineth that distributive nowne which is and which was and which is to come as was declared before chap. 1.4.7 And they mention first of all the Power shewing the incōprehēsible glory of holines which is most hard where one hath liberty to doe what he will He that can doe all thinges and yet in the least thinge abuseth not his power and authority it must needes be that his glory exceedeth the comprehending of every minde Againe howe hard is it to keepe the promise which thou hast made when they to whom thou hast promised doe breake their promise almost every moment O therfore the unmeasurable holinesse of our God whose truth mens infidelity doth not hinder 9 And when those Beasts shall give Hitherto the giftes with which God doth notably adorne his Church nowe the worship is described to which the Beasts and Elders togither doe earnestly bende themselves The māner whereof is such that the Beasts have the chiefe doing in the action and goe before the Elders with their voice as the Ministers are wonte in the assembly of the people For these thinges are spoken according to that order which God hath appointed in his Church wherby all the people doe give worship to God the Minister being the leader But it is to be observed that this action of giving glory doth differ in a respect from that of the former verse For that perteined to private care which is continuall their whole office tending to this onely ende this is proper to their publike function and at certen time as is manifest from those thinges which followe in the next verse As touching the wordes Theod. Beza translateth when they did give and so the other wordes they did fall downe they did cast of by the imperfect tence but the property of the time is to be kept seeing a future thinge is here foreshewed and not a thing past reported 10 The foure and twenty Elders shall fall downe The action of the people governed by the conduct of the Ministers And it consisteth in two thinges in gesture in this verse and in words in the following The gesture is threefolde of casting downe themselves before him that sitteth on the throne of worshipping and casting of their crownes The first signifyeth their cheerfull hast that at the voyce of the Beasts they fall downe by and by The second the iust worshippe given to him to whome alone it is due The third the sincere trueth of their minde in performing this adoration in that putting off their owne dignity they acknowledge themselves his servaunts before whose throne they cast their crownes But how wilt thou say doe the Elders fall downe when the Beasts doe give glory seeing the Beasts are employed in this labour day and night without ceasing Doe the Elders never sit in their thrones but fall downe alwayes prostrate on the groūde Wee must remember that which I said even nowe that the private care of the Beasts is one thing their publike action an other That hath noe intermission this is performed with certen respites to this alone this throwing downe of themselves perteineth From whence there is a double argument that all these thinges belong typically to the Christian assemblyes on earth There are noe set times of worship in the heavens but all that eternity is bestowed about this thing Secondly neither shall there be any neede of leaders and rulers to performe the worshippe For Prophecy shall then cease 1 Cor. 13.8 much more the Ecclesiasticall Policy which is ordayned in respect of this but every one being a Priest thē not onely by right but also in practize shall prayse God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost without the mediation and helpe of any other then himselfe Seeing therfore this type is proper to the Church on earth let every one consider with himselfe earnestly howe greatly it belongeth to them to frequent the publike assemblyes with all diligence that as often as the Beasts give glory to him that sitteth on the throne he may fall downe before the throne and worshippe him that liveth for ever Certenly they that contemptuously sit at home and neglect the congregations of the faints or in the meane time make iourneyes and withdrawe themselves in any other unnecessary manner shewe openly tha they belonge not at all to that most honorable company of the Elders And let not any deceave himselfe by his honours dignityes and excellency as though the publike assemblyes were either of the
were 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixt seale and loe there was made a great earthquake the Sunne became blake as sack cloth of haire the moone was like blood 13 And the starres of heaven fell to the earth as a figge tree casteth her greene figges whē it is shaken of a mighty winde 14. And heaven departed away as a scroule when it is rolled every mountayne Yle were moved out of their place 15 And the Kings of the earth the Peeres the rich men the Tribunes the mighty men every bondman every free man hid themselves in dennes among the rockes of the mountaines 16 And sayd to the mountaines and rockes fall upon us and hide us from the presense of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe 17. For the great day of his wrath is come and who cā stande The Analysis SVCH is the Excellency of this Revelation The Events doe follow which first are the Seales secondly the Trumpets lastly the Vials For all the rest of the Prophecy is distinguished into three notable periode◠which containe the chiefe alterations to come in the world even unto the coming of Christ every one of which againe is divided into seaven points so as from the last of the former aryseth alway the whole sequent period As touching the Scales there is in every one a certen preparation afterward the type of the future thinges And the preparation is partly common wherby the Lambe openeth each one in order partly proper to the foure first which besides have an inviting by one of the foure Beastes to come and see There be sixe types of this chapter for so many seales are opened a white horse ver 2. a read ver 4. a blacke ver 5. a pale ver 8. The cry of the soules ver 9.10.11 and great earthquake to the ende of the chapter Analysis After J beheld when the Lambe had opened the first of the seales Nowe the Spirit entreth into the events which will instruct us touching all the changings succeeding by course in the world as farre as is expedient for the Church and which are of any moment unto the last end of all thinges A great matter and chiefly necessary to be knowne but such as into which noe understanding of mortall man can penetrate Therefore whom in the beginning I have prayed unto him doe I call upon againe having gone forward in some part by his alone grace that he will graunte mee happily to make an ende of the thinges that remayne who hath graunted mee so to beginne as I am persuaded is agreeing with his trueth Thou therfore most holy and most wise Lambe who alone hast deserved to take unscale the booke and not to that ende that thou shouldest have these secretes for thy selfe alone but that thou shouldest communicate them with thy Church as farre as shal be for her profit graunt I pray thee unto mee thy most unworthy servant according to thy bounteousnesse that perceaving cleerely what hidden and secrete things these seales conteine I may reveale the same holily unto the world to the edification of thy Church the ruine of Antichrist and the glory of thine owne name to be published unto all ages Amen In that wee have distinguished the Events into three rankes wee have the Spirit himselfe for our authour ioyning the trumpets to the seales the vials to the trumpets in such sorte as that alwayes the first thing of that which followeth doe aryse out of the last of that which wente before Therefore they bring in darkenes upon themselves who doe thrust togither into one the seales the trumpets the vials and also the seaven Candlestickes so as each one of every order should be ioyned one to another in equall degree as if the Father the Sonnes should be equall should runne togither the same terme of yeeres Furthermore seeing the seales ar as it were promises of future thinges the trūpets adversities approaching with great noise the vials things that are powred upon men by little and little and come upon them unwarres as wee shall after see overwhelme them it seemeth not to be convenient to cōfounde these contrary things togither so that the thinge should be promised and accomplished all at once and that the same thing should be done openly and secretly at the same moment of time but let us come to the wordes ¶ When he had opened saith he one Seale that is to say the first as Theod. Beza translateth it for after followeth the second third c. And so the Hebrewes every where use to speake But before I proceede to the thinges that are behinde that cold comment of the Jesuite is to be removed who thinketh that the opening of the booke is something diverse from opening of the seales as though nothing in the booke could be read and shewed unto us before that all the seales should be opened Which opinion verily faineth unto us I knowe not what booke of which wee have received never a word written neither doe wee understand from thence ought touching thinges to come For the Revelation hath nothing more besides the opened seales For out of them the trumpets come forth and againe out of them the vials as wee have advertised in the resolution so as all the rest of the Prophecy is limited with those thinges that are conteined in the seales as wee shall proove by manifest argumēts in their places If therfore after all the seales opened he hath found out some booke to be read it is Apocryphe that is a hid booke the originall and authority whereof is not known which peradventure may lie hid in the coffer of the breast of their Pope but which to reade and knowe the Church hath nothing to doe Furthermore it is needfull for the clearer understanding of the periodes first the termes of time wherein thinges are finished and every severall article of them to set downe some entrāce from whēce wee must begin which surely wee iudge to be by and by after this writing of John For that saying of the fourth chapter ver 1. I will shew thee the things that must be done hereafter calleth backe Iohn both to that moment of the Revelation given also teacheth to count from thence all thinges which are delivered in the booke following Therefore there is noe neede to have recourse unto the first ages of the world nor unto the Monarchies nor unto the times of Christ or the Evangelists or in any such thinge of the age past but John writing this Revelation by the commaundement of God about the ende of the Empire of Domitian as Ireneus sheweth in his 5 booke against heresies Eusebius out of Ireneus in the 3 booke of his Ecclesiasticall History chap. 18. At the ende of the raigne of Domitian about the ninety seaventh yeere from the birth of Christ wee thinke the beginning of the Seales to wit of
translation and some other Copies and so it seemeth that it should be read both that the greatnes of the evill may be the more perceived and also that those thinges which follow may be understood the more easily this first being set downe which is the chiefe He commeth nowe to the second effect which was hurtfull onely to the wicked the sealed being well defended from the evill of it For saith he they were cast into the Earth which wee have taught to signify Earthly men wholy addicted to the thinges of this life But this showre rained not upon the whole earth but onely upon the third part But he calleth it the third after the common manner the whole being distributed in to three parts Which third part was the East to wit Asia and the bordering places EVROPE and AFRIKE understood it rather by hearing then in very deeded VALENS and VRSATIVS Bishops the one of the city Mursia in the country of Pannonia the other of Singidon a city in the Superior Mysia did endevor and laboured much to fill those parts with this poison But God who is mercifull did in his kindnesse restrayne and represse this mischiefe within the boundes of the third part of the world least that in overwhelming the whole Church it would at length destroy and overthrowe the same utterly ¶ And the third part of the trees was burnt The trees are the foster children of that Earth of which I spake even nowe and those more stronge tall then any of the rest as after in the 7. chap. but the Greene grasse signifyeth the newe borne Infants of the Church and the common multitude But the tēpest seemeth to rage more grievously against the Grasse then against the trees for of these the third part onely is on fire but all the grasse is burnt up But this whole grasse belongeth to that third part onely even as that third part of the trees are all trees of the East from whence the condition of the trees is nothing better then of the grasse These things teach that all of the Christian name as well the highest as the lowest who lived in those countryes of the third part of the world and were not in trueth grounded and built upon Christ should be so miserably smitten with this storme that they should make shipwracke of their salvation But you will say that they were destroyed before that is true doubtlesse in Gods councill yet it often cometh to passe that reprobate men doe flatter themselves for a time with a certaine false hope and doe with very great care delight to followe some outward religion which afterward the time doth prove manifestly to have ben meere hypocrisy and a vaine appearance of holines so those burnt trees grasse should make shipwracke of their counterfait god lines dashing themselves against the rockes of so great ungodlines of the Bishops And howe could it be but all in whose hartes the trueth hath not taken deepe roote either should be carryed into errour or which is worse should contemne all religion should revolte from Christ himselfe should hate the worshippers of him whom they should see to be bent to this onely thing that they may rayse up strifes contentions and troubles Well wrote Constantine in an Epistle to the Councill gathered togither at Tyrus he upbraided the Bishops in that they did nothing else but sowe dissentions and hatreds and those things which did tende to the utter ruine of man kinde Socrat. booke 1. 34. But there needeth noe witnesses in a matter not doubtfull The exceeding great mercy of God is rather to be praysed which kept a fewe safe from this storme 8 Afterward the second Angell blewe the trumpet as it were a burning moūtaine The first effect of the sounding of the trumpet of the second Angel is a great mountaine burning with fire cast into the Sea The second effect is the death of the third part of the creatures that lived in the Sea As touching the first Mountaines in the scriptures are Princes States of a Realme Loftie minded all of that sorte as Isaiah saith that the day of the Lord shal be upon all the high mountaines and upon all the hilles that are lifted up and upon every high tower and upon every stronge wall chap. 2.14.15 From whence it seemeth here to note Kingdomes Principalities Honours Dignities the Pompe of the world and Traine folloing great men and the Ambition of such thinges This Mountaine burneth with fire as Vesuvius or Aetna because the desyre of honour and riches is fervent neither are men wont to be occupyed coldly in getting such thinges It is throwne into the Sea because the ambition of these things is cast into the doctrine a newe decree of the Councill being made touching order and honour of which their Ancesters never had a thought For wee have shewed before the Sea to be the most pure doctrine of the true and heavenly Church chap. 4.6 but of the earthly and false the foule and grosse chap. 7.1 Seeing then that this is the meaning of the words wee shall finde that the second Angell by and by after the first sounded the trumpet among the same Nicene Fathers For after that sentence was given touching the coessentiall nature of the Sonne of celebrating the Easter upon one and the same day of Miletium they turned themselves unto the making of Canons by which the Ecclesiasticall Discipline should be ruled Amonge other Canons they make a Decree touching the Primacy of the Metropolitanes that the Bishop of Alexandria should have authority over all the Churches in Egypt or Lybia and Pentapolis because the Bishop of Rome had the like custome Likewise as in Antioch and the other Provinces let the honour of every Church be reserved And that no man ordained without the will and knowledge of the Metropolitane should be counted a Bishop that honour also be given to the Bishop of Ierusalem and consequently that he may receive honour the dignity neverthelesse proper to the Metropolitane City remaining Surely this burning Mountaine was cast into the Sea when from this beginning there was strife among the Church men about dignity and honour as for the maintenance of religion and their private sustenance Indeede the obscurer Churches were wont in former times to goe to the learned and skilfull Bishops of more famous cityes and to aske their advise if any doubtfull thing had fallen out and to crave their aide to whom the excellency of the place procured more authority but that which they did before of their owne accord nowe must be done necessarily and those whom lately they saluted as their brethren and felowes in office they were now to be acknowledged by higher titles From hence came into the Church exercising of authority and having dominion by which in a short time after all thing were turned up sidowne Constantinople thought that shee was regarded nothing according to her worthines by this Nicene Decree wher fore a fewe yeeres
heaven not so called properly for what hath the Dragon that is the Devill to doe in the heavenly pallace from whēce he is banished for ever but in the heaven which is in earth But this Dragon is not onely the Devill in his owne proper person but also men being the Ministers of his furie especially the Romane Emperours whom from that time in which Iohn wrote persecuted most grievously Christ in his members as Traiane Hadrian Antoninus Pius and Verus Commodus Severus Decius and at lēgth Diocletianus open enemies who make a professed warre are called in this booke Dragons of which sort is at this day the Turke Others who in name are Christians but fight against the truth secretly and by indirect subtilities are called Beasts which doe prey upon men onely for to satisfy their hunger whereas the Dragons forced by noe want of meat are carried to our destruction because of that hatred which is betweene man kinde and them This Dragon was once in heaven as long as the open enemies held the Empire of the world exercising dominion over men named Christiās which wer dispersed through all places of their Empire He is called Great being the highest Prince on earth and red being most furious against Christians wholly red with their blood The seaven heads are seaven hilles and seaven Kinges after chap. 17.9.10 unto which place wee deferre the more full handling of these thinges In the meane time for this matter which is in hand it shal be sufficient to understand that by this circunstāce of wordes the city is noted where he should place the seate of the Empire to wit Rome famous for the seaven hilles and Kings For the Beast receaved the Throne from the Dragon chap 13.2 Therefore if her seat shal be at Rome so shal be his The tenne hornes are so many Kinges or Provinces governed of Pretors like to Kings So Strabo declareth it in the last wordes of his last booke of Geographic That Augustus Cesar devided the whole Romane Empire into two partes the troublous and warlike Provinces of which he tooke to himselfe the other peaceable and quiet ones he gave to the people Who devided theirs in ten Pretories the exterior Spaine and her Ilands The interiour containing Baetica now called Granata and the countrey of Narbon in France even unto Alencem Sardinia with Corsica Sicilia Illyricum Epyrus being adioyned Macedonia Achaia even unto Thessalia Aetolia and Acarninia and certaine nations of Epirus to the borders of Macedonia Creta with Cyrenaica Cyprus Bithynia with Propontide and certaine parts of Pontus Suetonius also maketh mention of the like disposing of the Provinces but telleth not the number to Aug. in chap. 47. Moreover the same Strabo reporteth that Dicharchies doe and alwaies have belonged to the Emperours portion For Cesar held the rest distinguished also in tenne Prouinces to wit Afrike France Britannie Germany Dacie Mysie Thracie Cappadocie Armenie Syrie Palestine Judea and Aegypte And this is the same thing which Cyprian writeth to Successus that Valerianus wrote an answer to the Senate that all belonging to the Emperour whoso ever had confessed before or shall now confesse should be seised upon and bound shoulb be sent enrolled into the Emperours possessions that is into those farre countries which wee spake of belonging to the Romane Empire Therefore whither wee respect the countryes which the Emperour held in his owne possession or those which he yeelded to the people they were the tenne hornes the power and strength of the Dragon in which all his might consisted Yet the number remained alwaies the same but was altered according to the present occasion But it was sufficient for the Spirit to describe the enemy by any certen marke then which there is none more cleare then the largenesse of this dominion and this so notable a decree of the Provinces devided But he beareth the crownes on his heads not on his hornes because the supreme maiesty did abide at Rome to which all the rest of the Provinces submitted their dignities 4 Whose taile drewe Considering that the Dragon is of such a disposition how doth he carry himselfe towards the Church Two effects of him are rehearsed one upon the Starres the other against the woman As touching them he shall cast downe many from the heavenly profession by sharpe persecutions who ought to have shewed light to others For this is to cast the starres of heaven to the earth see Euseb booke 6. chap. 41. See also before in chap. 6.13 ¶ But the Dragon stood before the woman He watched her diligently that noe maintainer of the Christian religion should be borne He rolled every stone for to cut of this hope Add certenly assoone as Maximinus the Dragon sawe Alexander of Mammea to be somewhat favourable to Christiās so as he was thought to have ben instructed in their ordinances he forthwith devoured him Decius also the Dragon did swalowe downe the Philips both the Father and the Sonne he himselfe shortly after being swalowed up in a marsh But the thing is made manifest most clearely in Cōstantine at whome chiefly the Spirit pointed the finger Diocletianus Galerius with whom hee lived being a yong man in the East perceaving his singular towardnes and vertue left nothing untried that they might kill him privily So Eusebius writeth upon his life in his first booke Pomponius Laetus reporteth that he was sent with an army against the people of Sarmatia most fierce nations and accustomed to murders from whom when contrary to the opinion of Galerius he brought backe not death but the victory by the persuasion of the same man under a colour of exercising his valour he fought on the Theatre with a Lion For Galerius sought to destroy the unwarie yōg man as of olde Euristheus did Hercules Neither was ther here an ende of the treacheries Maximian Herculius that red Dragon devoured him almost afterward by snares set to intrappe him But he which laide a snare for an other through the iust iudgement of God perished himselfe in the snare Constantine escaped many other privie assaults not by humane wisdome but by divine revelation from God as Eusebius writeth upon Constantines life in his first booke For the Dragon knewe that it concerned him much that no such a one should arise whēce it is no marveile if he did labour so greatly to devoure this childe assonne as it should be borne 5 And shee brought forth a male childe The event of the persecution at length the Church howsoever the Dragon strove against her with all his might bringeth forth a male and strong defender by instructing Constantine the Great in the Christian faith For he was that male childe who first of all the Romane Emperours tooke upon him the defence of the trueth Wee have made mention of the Philippes both Father and Sonne which were both Christians Although if wee must beleeve Pomponius Laetus fainedly and not truly but onely that they might cover their wickednesses with a honest
condition is double the first is of an host where the happy lot of the Saincts is declared from the Captaine the Lambe standing upon mount Sion Likewise from the souldiers both defined and also selected ver 1 furthermore from the ioy of the Spirit expressed by a newe song ver 2.3 and the holines wherewith they are endued ver 5. And this multitude of the Saincts is that seed of the woman scatered here and there in the world whith whom the Dragon made warre after that the woman in flying into the wildernes disappeared chap. 12.13 The second condition is of fighting wherby they goe forth into the army wher some ar Emissaries who the breaking in being made do skirmish with Antichrist and first by the word which is done three manner of waies by three Angels following one an other in order The first of which doth cast upon the earth a generall light of the Ghospell ver 6.7 The second foresheweth the ruine of Babylon ver 8. The third dispoiled the Beast of his coverings and setteth him in the open light by threatning a terrible iudgement against them who setting light by the judgement doe neverthelesse cleave unto him ver 9.10.11 But when as the weake are apaled at the afflictions and torments which they are coÌ„strained to undergoe while they returne to the trueth a double consolation is added one of Iohn ver 12. The other of a voice sent from heaven whereby the former is confirmed ver 13. And so the first coping is performed by the word The second skirmishing is by deed which is also double The Harvest and Vintage unto the harvest the servant is furnished with an instrument ver 14. with a commaundement ver 15. and goeth about the worke ver 16. Vnto the grape gathering the Angel cometh forth prepared and in a readinesse ver 17. received the commaundement from an other Angel ver 18. and dispatched the businesse ver 19.20 Scholions Then I looked and behold there was a Lambe standing This Prophecy beginneth at that time wherein the Dragon being cast into the earth drove away the woman into the wildernes chap. 12.13 c. where more fully the condition of the Church lying hid is declared in regard of the clearer knowledge of the seventh trumpet as hath ben observed at the beginning of the 12. chap. The eleventh chapter toucheth the state of former thinges as it were in one word spending all the rest of the Prophecy in the sufferings of two witnesses as the chiefe members but here more largely is unfolded in what state the affaires of the whole body wer in the meane time both as touching the safety and also in respect of the fortitude of some by whose coÌ„duct a ioyfull victory is begun Iohn therefore repeating the matter from thence saith that he sawe a Lambe standing on Mount Sion Which Lambe is Christ the Sonne of God as is manifest from his correlative in this verse his Fathers name He playeth the Lambe all this time patiently sufferring the Dragon and the Beast neither punishing them with that severity that both he was able and also they had deserved And yet notwithstanding he lyeth not downe carelesse neglecting the safety of his people but standeth in readinesse to defend them covering under his winges the woman and her scattered seed that they should receive no hurt from the enemies Mount Sion on which the Lambe standeth as on a tower or high hill is the Church it selfe which standeth firmly like Mount Sion against all the force of adversaries Before it was the Temple and the holy Altar but a small covert to hide in chap. 11.1 Afterward a wildernes and desert because it had noe cleere outward face on earth chap. 12.6.14 Now it is called Mount Sion because it persisteth invincible in the middes of these teÌ„pestuous stormes A notable confort against either the paucitie or deformity ¶ And with him an hundred fourty and foure thousande This bande of men is the same which was before of the sealed chap. 7.4 Aretas thinketh it to be an other because the article having relation thereto is wanting But it is wonte to be omitted in things very well knowen as the woman in Iohn J knowe that the Messias shall come which is called Christ chap. 4.25 and many the like Verily these beside the concurrence of the number have also a name written in their foreheads but what is this else then to be sealed further more they sing also a song which no man could learne but they ver 3. Therefore they are chosen out of the whole company of them that perish upon whom alone while those troubles of the Church continued Christ bestowed the wholesome knowledg of himselfe Wherefore in all things they are those sealed ones togither with the measured temple and the womaÌ„ slying into the wildernes to be referred unto that time of the seaventh chapter From hence then see with how great a traine the woman was in the wildernes and how great a company of Saincts were in the temple with the two Prophets chap. 11.1.2 Although it be very small if it be compared with that which possessed the holy city and the court But as before time there were unknowen to the world seaven thousand men whiâ—h never bowed their knee to Baal so of late in these last ruines of the Church there were an hundred and foure and fourtie thousand Saincts in Mount Sion who when the rest of the whole world ran after the Dragon and the Beast were conversant alwayes together with the Lambe never departing from his side ¶ Having his Fathers name Aretas the Complut edition and another to the same ende read thus having his name and his fathers name so also the old Latine translation Which reading as being more expresse seeing wee are by Christ adopted to be sonnes so many copies agreeing I thought is rather to be followed As touching the chiefe point of the matter there is no difference yet one is more significant then the other But from hence there is light to illustrate that in the 7. chap. ver 3. where mention is made of sealing but no shewing what manner of maâ—ke was imprinted from this place wee learne that there was writteÌ„ in their foreheads that God by Christ was their Father For iust cause is this made the badge of the Saincts wherby most of all they are discerned from the wicked of the world whose maÌ„ner is as wee see in the Papists blaspheming the sacred trueth to condemne of arrogancy the filial confidence But thou must observe that there was not any sensible marking or if that were granted that yet it was not the signe of the Crosse but his Fathers name written in their foreheads 2 And J heard a voice from Heaven from Mount Sion where the Lambe stood with this multitude from the Temple to wit from the Church The same thing is signifyed by divers names In this Mountaine onely they did bend themselves with all their power to praise God
that is in stead of a Captayn as H. Stephen sheweth in Thes Graec. even the same that Hypostrategos is with Appio in Anabaic and the same that Propraetor as Budaeus teacheth from Demosthenes Antuputhos is the Deputie or Proconsul In al which Anti signifyeth subordination But say you Hypostrategos is an equal Captaine even as with the Latines Propraetor and Proconsul signifyeth not the vicar of the Prator or Consul but he that is the same in a Province which a Praetor or Consul is in a City and that herein Musculus was deceived who because he read that Antistrategos signifyed a Propraetor thought that it signifyed a Vicar of the Praetor which is false I answer the first Proconsuls had but a deputed Magistracie in sted of others as witnesseth L. Fenestella de Magistr Rom. lib. 2. cap. 11. All which time saith he the Proconsul exercised not an ordinary but a delegated jurisdiction though after through custome it came to passe that this Magistrate got a proper jurisdiction And this is that which Dionys Halicarnas sayth in Ant. Rom. lib. 11. that the first Proconsuls were created in the third yere of the 84. Olympiad though he had before made mention of T. Quintius created Proconsul in the second yere of the 79. Olympiad that is 21. yeres before lib. 9. To weet because these Proconsuls as T. Quintius and the like exercising but a power of thrust were not to be reckned among the ordinary Magistrates but those that after the limits of their governance proroged had proper authority And then of right caried they the dignitie granted the name of Magistrate Yet those Proconsuls of-trust were called Anthupatoi as appeareth by Dionysius speaking of this T. Quintius Wherfore Musculus was not deceived in this as you say but your selfe are egregiously beguiled who through affection of oppugning the trueth see not the thing that is most certen Secondly you prove it by scriptures from which you rightly judge the signification of this name is to be cheifly fetched And first you alledge that he is caled Antichrist which is exalted above all that is caled God 2 Thes 2.4 which certes say you is not to be the Vicar but the enemy of Cgrist the true God I answer First seing here is the same aequivocation in the word Vicar which was before this argument hath like force with the former that is none at al. Secondly I say that to be exalted above all that is caled God is figuratively spoken not properly For the true God is never caled al God but one as th'Apostle sayth 1 Cor. 8.5.6 For though ther be which ar caled Gods both in heaven and in earth as there are Gods many and Lords many yet to us ther is but one God even the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ The other Gods which are many are often caled all as Psal 97.7 worship him all ye Gods Therfore to be exalted above every God is not above the one God in heaven but above every God on earth that is above the civil Magistrate to whom the Scriptures doo attribute the name of God VVhich also is evident by the word which foloweth Sebasma worship For if God be takē properly how is that set after which is lesse In distributions that which is lesse is wont to be set before so that one can not rightly say who is exalted above every King or every subiect but contrary he that is exalted above every subiect or Ring But taking God figuratively the speech encreaseth elegantly thus who is exalted above al Magistrates and not onely the inferiour sort but also above every worshipful Maiestie among men even the highest Caesars which are caled Sebastoi Sebasmoi 1. venerable Finally as touching the true God how should Antichrist acknowledging no God but himselfe sit in the Temple of that God as the Apostle teacheth 2 Thes 2.4 Doubtlesse he would abolish the Temples of all those whose names and much lesse their worship and honour he cannot abide Neither should he be subtile if he boasted himselfe superiour unto God in heaven but in al mens iudgement most doting and fanatical Wherfore by these words Antichrist should exercise his pride against the civil Magistrate whom he would tread under his feet as by too many lamentable examples your Pope of Rome hath doon But this supreme eminency above al earthly powers makes no necessity of open warr against Christ but may very wel consist togither with the feigned humility of his Vicar The second place is from 1 Iohn 2.22 that he is caled Antichrist which denieth Jesus to be the Christ that is say you which denieth Jesus to be the Christ that he may vaunt himselfe to be the Christ I answer this interpretation is Iesuitical that is quite from the purpose of the holy Apostle You wil have this denyal to be open manifest impudent the Apostle seemeth to signify no such matter but rather al things contrary For it was of men which newly and privily had crept in of whom the faithfull scarsely suspected any such thing but had need to be warned that many Antichrists were come already ver 18. It was of them which went out from us but were not of us ver 19. that is which bare the name of Christians as did Ebion Cerinthus and others of that leven who reteyning Christs name could not openly deny him but onely privily and trecherously Finally it was of such an Antichrist as should deny alike the Father and the Son as ver 22. But he would not openly deny the Father for so he should manifest himselfe unto al to be altogither Godlesse contrary to that which the Apostle teacheth that he should sit in the Temple of God Therfore when the Apostle speaketh of a privie denyal and you would wrest it unto that which is put before al mens eyes you shal get nothing from this place but a proof unto us of your egregious skil to conclude from any thing whatsoever you lyst The third place is from Mat. 24.5 For many shal come in my name saying J am Christ and againe vers 24. For ther shal arise false Christs from which you gather that he shal affirme himselfe to be Christ which surely say you is not the part of a Vicar but of an adversary I answer this Vicar is very fertile unto fraud that corrupteth so many arguments with the ambiguity thereof For here it dallyeth as it did before with the divers acception of the word But besides that why doo you not observ that many shal come in Christs name and that false Christs shal arise Our Lord treateth not of one singular man but sheweth that many shal arrogate to themselves his name of Christ If these things therfore be spoken of the very Antichrist then surely he shal be no one singular man So this place in sted of gayn which you hoped for turneth to your dammage Our Lord chiefly noteth out the Antichrists of the Iewes whose impudency though it should be greater
and Elias who are yet you say alive and doo live for this that they may set themselves against Antichrist when he cometh and keepe the elect in the faith of Christ and at length convert the Jewes which notwithstanding it is certain is not yet fulfilled In this cause you deal by three arguments first from the Scriptures secondly from Fathers thirdly from reason The scriptures you bring are four Malach. 4.5.6 Ecclesiasticus 48.9.10 and chap. 44.16 Mat. 17.11 Apoc. 17.11 As touching Malachy his words are Behold I wil send you Elias the Prophet before that great day of the Lord shal come and he shal turne the harts of the Fathers unto the children and the harts of the children unto their Fathers which cannot you say be understood of anie Doctors whosoever as of Luther Zwinglius the like For Malachie sayth that the Jewes shal be converted by Elias and for the Jewes he shal chiefly be sent as appeareth by those words I wil send to you and in Ecclesiasticus to restore the Tribes of Jakob but Luther and Zwinglius converted none of the Jewes And neither can they be understood of Iohn Babptist literally but onely of Elias I answer first here is no word of Henoch whose conioyned coming was propounded also Secondly no mention neither is here of Antichrist but that he shal come togither with him that wholly dependeth on a false supposition of which we wil speake in due place This therfore is a notable Demonstration that propounding to it self the coming of three is altogither silent of two of them But let us discusse him whom it speaketh of The Prophesie you say can not be understood of Luther and Zwinglius and the other Ministers of the Gentiles Church which I also readily acknowledge For I doo not thinke it to perteyn unto us which are Gentiles But why may it not be expounded of the Iewes because it agrees not you say unto Iohn the Baptist which is as if you should say eyther it is to be expounded of the Baptist or of none which maymed and unnecessary disiunction no adversarie can grant unto you But to pardon you also this third trespasse why perteyns it not I pray you unto the Baptist Because say you Malachie speaketh of our Lords second coming which shal be for to iudge I answer if we granted that he speaks of the second coming may he not withall speake also of the first Most certayn verily it is that Malachie dooth so for he speaks generally of the Lords coming which comprehēdeth as wel the first as the second And wheras your selfe confesse it of the second neyther doo I deny it of the first we have Christ interpreting the words of the Prophesie where he speaketh of the Baptist this is Elias that should come Mat. 11.14 Seing therfore the words are so behold now how I fetch from hence a true interpretation against that literal of Elias He that speaketh in the same words of two times he as he is to be understood of the one time so is he to be understood of the other But Malachy speaketh of a twofold coming of the Lord and of the first he is to be understood figuratively for so Christ interpreteth it saying that the Baptist is the Elias that was to come Therfore he is to be understood also figuratively of the second and such an Elias is to be looked for as the Baptist was before the first coming But whither he shal be one singular man or no is not so evident it may be ther shal be one chief and excelling amōg the rest although the whole company of Prophets when it shal please God to gather his reiected people shal be so furnished with the plentiful gifts of his Spirit that for the notable godlines and zele wherwith every of them shal be inflamed Elias may wel seem to be alive agayn in every one For these abiding watchmen on the walls of the Citie Ierusalem al the day and al the night continually shal not hold their peace neither shal they that make mention of Iehovah keepe silence nor suffer silence to be of him as saith Esaias chap. 62 8.9 Surely these new preachers of the Gospel shal burn with so great a desire of godlines that as consecrating themselves wholly to the glory of God and salvation of his people they wil doo this one thing onely nothing at al esteeming in respect hereof even the necessarie regard of their body by sleep and rest And what a fervencie shal ther be in the Ministers when among the common people a father mother which hav begotten a son shal strike him through when he is found a false Prophet Zach. 13.2.3 But whither this Elias shal be one singular man or more he shal not be Elias properly but so as the Baptist was as we are taught by this necessarie reason which I have alleged But you insist and contend that this coming in Malachie is the secōd onely although the interpretation of our Lord ought to have stoped your mouth for so say you Malachie saith before the great and terrible day of the Lord come For his first coming is not caled a great and terrible day but an acceptable time and day of salvation Wherupon also ther is added least coming J smite the earth with cursing But in his first coming our Lord came not to judge but to be iudged nor to destroy but to save I answer you have brought nothing which necessarily proveth it the second coming onely the same things which you mention the Iewes and Disciples knew also who neverthelesse did then look for Elias before our Lords rising from the dead And hereunto perteyneth that question when the Lord had made mention of this matter Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come Mat. 17.9 And as for the great and terrible day why doth it not agree unto his first coming Loe saith Malachy the Lord shal come speedily into his Temple And who shal abide the day of his coming and who shal endure when he appeareth for he is like a Finers fyre and like fullers sope Malach. 3.1.2 c. And these things are spoken of his first coming And is not that day terrible wherin the axe is laid to the roote of the trees and they that are unfruitful are cutt down and cast into the fyre How fearful is it to have among them him whose fān is in his hand who wil purge his floor gather his wheat into the barn and burn the chaff with unquenchable fyre Mat. 3.10.12 But he came not to iudge but to be iudged He came not indeed to iudge solemnly in a tribunal seat as he shal doo at length in the last iudgment yet in the meane while the father hath given al iudgement to him Iohn 5.22 which he both exercised of old and dayly now exerciseth upon al contemners of the truth as we may see in the Iewes that crucifyed him upon whom even to this day abideth the longest and
shal come to passe between that signe given this thankesgiving The first gratulation is of a great multitude in heaven that is of the mixed multitude of the Church conversant on earth for we keepe in the common signification of this word which beareth not that these things should be referred to any knowledge which the heavenly soules have of things done with us The citizēs therfore of this militant Church in every countrey where the fame shal come they shal leape for ioy and shal breake forth into this grateful commemoration ¶ Hallelujah Halleluiah is an Hebrew word praise ye the Lord wherby the faithfull exhort one an other to give thākes and prepare their minds as it were with this preface True joy suffereth not it selfe to be contained in the bosome of any one but taketh to her selfe fellowes to whom shee may both impart her selfe and also may be more stirred up by the joint affection of others This one word containeth large matter of very great ioy But why doth the heavenly multitude speake now in Hebrew Is ther more holinesse in these lettres and syllables than in other They ar toyes Are then some Hebrew words kept as Osanna Amen Abba and the like which we shal use as tokens of our cōcord with the ancient Church that both wee beleeve in the same God and invocate him alone This indeed is a profitable cause of retaining these words but especially this seemeth to be the reason in this place that the Church of the Gentiles after Rome be overthrown shal provoke their brethrē the Iewes to the faith that impediment being taken away which most of all hindred their conversion it could not be that the crucifyers should acknowledge the same Lord while this flourished or was at all which gave leave to crucify him This is the cause why the Hebrew word now soundeth againe so often Praises were not in these words before time but whē the conversion of the Iewes is at hand ioyned next to this reioycing for iust cause now the Saincts doe speak with the tongue of one sheepfold ¶ Salvation and honour and glory That is the prayse of salvation honour and glory and praise of power be given to our Lord. Glory is a certaine very excellent opinion which a man hath of any ones excellency therfore called of the Grecians doxa Wherfore in this destruction of Rome so bright a beame of Gods goodnes and power shal shine forth that al the faithful shal admire it and be astonied Honour is that worship both inward and outward wherby we doo reverence so great excellency It is ought alwaies to be ioyned with glory otherweise vaine is that estimation of one which no dutie accompanieth the vulgar latine readeth prayse glory and powr be to our God The Complut and the Kings Bible have Salvation and power and glory of our God 2 Because true and righteous The truth in iudgments respecteth the promise righteousnes rewarding according to their deserts The credit of both these falleth into utter decay with the world because of delaying frō whence now for good cause God is praised of his people in both these respects wheras he hath proved sufficiently to the world that he dooth punish naughty acts and that he neglecteth not the iniuries which are done to his 3 And againe they said An other thankes giving the thing being more certenly known The first tidings of the taking of the city shal cause the first as it seemeth but when the faithful shal have learned that the same is utterly overthrown without al hope of renewing they shal renew their ioy and shal give new thankes a fresh The second is done in fewer words than the former peradventure according to our disposition whose first brunt is most vehement ¶ And her smoke rose up That is now is shee delivered up to eternal punishment to be tormented For an everlasting fyre is shewed by the smoke ascending for evermore by which kind of speaking is signifyed that the continual remembrance of her punishment shal be with al the godly alwayes A token wherof they shal have continually before their eyes the smoke ascending without intermission least perhaps they should forget it He alludeth to the eternal torment of the wicked Therfore the eternity of the punishment shal give a new cause of gladnesse And not without cause when they knowe that the insolency of the wicked whore shal not onely be restrained for the present but also that none shal have any feare of her for the time to come 4 And those fowr and twenty Elders fell down Such was the reioycing of the mixed multitude ther followeth the assembly of the faithfull gathered togither solemly which doo labour openly and ioyntly to the same duty of thankes giving For this multitude of Elders and Beasts giveth a shew of an Ecclesiastical assembly which God the Father for his sonnes sake coūteth such as this most holy company representeth And therfore as oftē as any thing is performed by a common name that is shewed by this sacred Senat as we have shewed in chap. 4. Such therfore shal be the order of giving thankes that the end and conclusion of the common thankes giving be reserved to the publike congregations And so it hath come to passe that private reioycing alwayes goeth before the common publik Any blast of report is wont to stirr up that first this is not undertakē but when the things are throughly known and undoubted But the foure and twenty Elders fall down when the Beasts give glory and thankes to him that sitteth on the throne It belongeth to these to moderate the whole action in the publike assembly the rest of the congregatiō ought to ioine their praiers and to testify their consent by a common voyce in the ende According to this custome there are rehearsed here onely two words Amen Allelujah As though that former were of the Elders this latter the summe of the thankes giving which the Beasts utter in conceived words But this order hath bin declared more fully in chap. 4. from whence this ought to be understood the same which now is shewed briefly But observe that the last songs of the Church of the Gentiles shal be gratulatory which yeeld no other song then Halleluiah Even as the book of the Psalmes is concluded with songs of praises Shee sunge in time past many lamentable songs and hymnes of a mixt kinde but the last part of the Comedy shal be doubtlesse a most joyful tryumph And these are the funerals of the city of Rome and the rites by which her burial shal be celebrated The day and yeere cannot certenly be set downe in which her funeralls shal be yet from other scriptures I think it to be clear that they shall not be differred at the furdest beyond three score yeeres The sixeteenth chapter hath taught that next after that the vial is powred out upon the throne Euphsates shal be dryed up that is after Rome destroyed
the Iewes shal be converted And other places seeme to confirme that their first calling shal be about the fiftieth yeere above one thousand sixe hundreth But how much Rome preventeth that time it is uncertain it is like but a very litle considering that the choosing of a new people followeth it at the heeles We have seen how farr the vials have proceeded The next is now to be powred out on the Sunne which is shortly to be expected by the heate wherof after Rome hath bin very hot a short space shee shall approch the flamme of fyre by the fift vial which shal burn her altogither then the throne shal be destroyed and this gratulation prepared for the godly Doest thou then ô Rome keepe now a yeere of Iubilé when thy funerall rather were to be provided for In very deed within the space of one Iubilé that is about fifty yeres hence thou shalt keepe Iubilé in truth not so much thy selfe by reioycing as by giving occasiō of exceeding great ioy to al the saincts by thy destruction Doest thou then with Balthassar abandon thy selfe to eatings and drinkings Cyrus compassing abou thy walls and being already entred into the chanell of Euphrates which is turned aside I know that the admonition of an Heretique as thou will have mee to be with thee is of no force but consider diligently the man or the thing it self if hatred wil suffer thee least peradventure whom thou countest an Heretique thou finde him too late a true Prophet yet if thou despise my voyce let the holy remnant here if any lie hid in thee Awake yee elect come yee out make hast to flee away yee have lyen too long in the bedds of Sodome a showre of brimstone will fall by and by unlesse yee depart quickly you cannot be safe Obey the Spirit who would have you to be warned by this sacred Revelation Why doo yee hange upon this purpled company whose eyes God hath blinded by his iust iudgmēt If my admonition shal have place with you yee shal refresh greatly the mindes of the brethren but the fruit shal be your owne to weet the salvation both of soules and bodyes 5 Then a voice came out from the throne Hitherto the fift vial now the sixt is handled For this exhortation belongeth to new praises not to the destruction of Babylon For to what end should ther be a commaundemēt againe touching this thing and a new triumph Therfore now it is declared how the waters of Euphrates shal be dryed up This folowed next the overthrow of the throne chap. 16.12 Because the great river shal be turned into drie ground from hence we learne that nothing should be a let to the guests or rather to the new bride as is plainly confirmed in verse 7. ¶ Because the marriage of the Lambe is come Which surely was the reason why wee hav interpreted that sixt vial cōcerning the calling of the Iewes First therfore the efficient cause of this calling is set forth a voice coming forth from the throne Which yet is not of the Father himselfe but of the Sonne as it is cleare from that which followeth praise yee our God It came out of the throne because the Sonne shal effect this wonderfull thing rather by his own power than by any aide of man He shal take to himself alone the duties of this thing and shal performe all wholly by himselfe VVhich way also otherweise should the Easterne Iewes beyōd Euphrates first embrace the faith which are furthest off from hearing of the Gospel Yet no sound thundring from heaven is to be expected but this voice is the efficacy of the Spirit whom God now shall send into the harts of his people that being turned to him with all their harts they may acknowledge praise and celebrate the one onely true God his Sonne Iesus and the H. Ghost Now God powreth upon the house of David and upon the inhabitans of Ierusalem the Spirit of grace and of prayer Zach. 12.10 Now he wil build the Virgin of Israel and shal adorne her selfe with her timbrels and shal goe before in the dance of them that praise now he shal say reioyce with gladnesse for Iacob showt for ioy openly before the very Gentils publish prayse and say save o Lord thy peo-people the remnant of Israel Iere. 31.4.7 But it is to be observed how this calling is ioyned togither with the destruction of Rome It is severed frō it by no other transition but as rising from thence forthwith from her fall becometh cleare to the world The Temple was full of smoke that no man could enter in untill God had satisfyed his anger upon the whore but after he hath punished her according to her deserts then as it were with a quiet minde he shal cōvert himselfe wholly to accomplish the salvation of all his elect and to receiv againe his people sent away from him by so longue a banishment VVherfore if we have kept a true account of this calling we shall not wander much from the last destruction of Rome ¶ Praise yee our God No man cā praise God but he that knoweth him neither al generally but the whole multitude of the elect on earth endued with the knowledge of God may consent to praise him Therfore this provocation declareth that calling and the same general when as al are bidden to praise both universally and particularly as well the smal of the Iewes who because of their new comming to the faith might seeme at that time to have bin scarce borne as also the great of the Gentils who being more growen in Christ have obtained a ful maturity by a long profession who shal praise God for their brethrens conversion when they shal see that which hath not bin told them and shal understand that which they hav not heard Isay 52.14 But the Iewes themselves then with ioyful glad minds shal heare that favour at length is shewed them that their eyes are opened for to know the truth that they are reduced againe built multiplyed stablished more then before time so as they shal satisfy themselves with no praises Then faith Ieremy shal proceed out of them voice of thankes giving and the voice of them that laugh then shal the virgin reioice in the dance the yong men and old men togither chap. 30 19. and 31.13 and many the like things perteining to the ioyfulnes of that most pleasant time 6 And I heard as it were a sound The voice of a new people converted to Christ and praising God for this unexpected bounteousnes This is an exceeding great voice by reason of the multitude of the people then also making a noise in the beginning by obscure reports and more easy to be understood what it meaneth then the noise of waters roaring confusedly which yet notwithstanding a while after shal be terrible and apaling like thunder It may be doubtful whither this be the voice of the Gentiles as it were the friends of the
he borrowed out of Strabo in whoÌ„ are many things touching this stone in his 16. book Some from hence coniecture that it tooke the name from the Hebrew word Pazaz as though at the first it had bin to Paz or in greek to Pazion and at length by the ignorance of the printers to have grown togither and made one word topazion The Chrysoprâ—sus also as the name sheweth doth resemble a certaine kind of Gold but as it were be smeared with the iuice of leekes The eleventh twelfth foundation is the Iacynth Amethyst both of a purple colour but the first shining more brightly the second of a a more wanne and weake colour as Dionysius sheweth and the sweet Amethyst shining as asaied purple India and Aethiopia doo afford these two Therfore these last sixe belong to the East and South Our West part as it seemeth shal minister citizeÌ„s even as other countreys but shal give few or no Iewels for the building up of the wall It may be that God wil so set forth his power the more in raising up teachers from those places which are most repugnant to his truth The foure last gemmes are like gold and purple which colours are of a very great price and dignity which the Spirit seemeth to have put in the last places for a certain purpose and that by a course twice doubled as though he would teach by the same thing that those teachers shal never be loathed but shal alwayes flourish in very great authority At the first the truth is wont to be acceptable and the ministers of it are iudged worthy of al honour but in time the good wil of men waxeth cold theÌ„ the authority of the teachers decayeth after that men beginne to be full But here no such thing shal come to passe The end shal be answerable to the beginning The dispensers of the word shal be no lesse honourable after the truth through many ages hath waxed olde then when at the first it began And for this cause I thick was so great a plenty of golden and purple colour put to the last place I know that other doo seek out an agreement of other properties in these stones but seeing authours varie greatly about this what is the proper force of every one neither is the thing as yet sufficiently cleared I had rather follow things that are plain and of a known signification and also the congruency of the Prophecy then loose my labour in doubtful things So therfore that which Daniell hath comprehendeth briefly in one word they that instruct shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that iustify many shall be as the starres for ever and ever chap. 12.3 the same we have here declared peculiarly and more at large by sundry kindes of Iewels 21 And the twelve gates are Hitherto hath bin the matter of the walls The gates are made of pearles which signify Christ who is the way doore to life if any shall enter in by him he shall be saved and he shall goe in and out and finde pasture Iohn 10.9 But how notably doo the pearles represente the Sonne of God conceived in the wombe of the virgin which are not bred of any earthly copulation but ingeÌ„dred of a celestial dew as of a husbaÌ„d For they report that the shell fishes at a certain time of the yeere with a certain gaping after that they have drunke up a dewing from heaven doo conceive and become great with yong and the more that they have bin tossed with great tempests after the dew received the more noble fruit doo they bring forth so the Holy Ghost came upoÌ„ Mary and the power of the most high overshadowed her and Christ scarce brought forth into the light was sought for to be put to death and by an horrible storme was driven into Aegypt After the same manner the first entrance into this city shal be very laborious but of so much the more aboundant praise account after they have entred There are twelve gates but every one of one pearle because there is but one Christ and but one onely name given under heaven by which we must be saved Act. 4.12 ¶ And the street of the city was pure golde In the last place he addeth the matter of the city which before he said was golde but there he made meÌ„tion of the whole city in general here in special of the streets These are the publik wayes wherin the citizens doo meete if one have ought to doo with an other Even as therfore the wayes of man are the actions in which man is occupied so the streetes of the city are those publike offices of life and buyings and sellings in which the citizens doo take paines The Spirit saith that al these things shal be holy pure cleane pretious For the place of assembling where these businesses are handled is pure gold and shining through as before ver 18. How holy and unblameable shal this city be where the common life then which nothing is wont to be more foule and polluted shal be free from al filth of wickednes Righteousnes now as a river shall run through the streetes and godlinesse shal shine in all affaires 22 Neither saw I any Temple in her Hitherto we have seen the inward essential glory of the city as farre as is given us who doo not behold froÌ„ a hie mountaine but a farre off from a low and pressed down valley wher hilles and trees doo much hinder our eyes that we caÌ„not yet see the thing cleerly Yet it delighteth mee as once Daniell to opeÌ„ his window twards Hierusalem so to looke from farr off into this holy city whose cloudie and blackish toppes to behold a farr off it much recreateth my soule Now the Spirit teacheth how great dignity shall come from things outward First God the Father and the Lambe his Sonne in stead of a Temple that is then shal the worship be most simple and most pure darkened with no legal ceremonies which once God ordained until the time of reformation much lesse with any humane inventions but such as shal exhibit Gods presence most simply and familiarly How then doth this agree with Ezechiel who in eight whole chapters from the fourtieth to the end of the Prophecy speaking of this very time describeth so exactly the temple the city and whole legal worship Very wel for that whole description tendeth to that ende not to teach that the old ceremonies are to be restored but that at lenght they being wholly abolished Christ shal be worshipped most purely and exactly according to his owne ordinances alone For what other thing mean the new measurings of the walles gates porches and the whole building the new distribution of the holy land and the new portions given to the tribes Priests Levites Prince then an abrogation of Moses and al the legal ceremonies But that time was not otherweise capable of any spiritual worship then under those shadowes Iohn speaketh
accomplished wherof hope is given in this book For as the soules under the altar cryed with a loude voice desiring deliverance ch 6.10 so the faithful through hope of the future marriage leap for joy greatly desire that day to be shortned ch 19.7 For the word Spirit signifyeth here every faithfull in whom the Spirit dwelleth the word bride the whole Church cōpany of the faithful The godly al of thē both severally ioyntly desire the same by prayers ¶ And he that heareth saith come As though he should say this is not only the desire of the Church present but also of it proceeding from day to day even unto the last ende Every of the elect at the first knowledge of these things shal be inflamed with the same desire with their ancetours ¶ And let him that thirsteth come Neither doo these things serve onely to inflame but also to satisfy the mindes which is the peculiar property of Gods word And that nothing may be wanting to certenty thou must understand that this Prophecy doth give hope of salvation to men not by expectation of a due reward but by the grace and mercy of God alone It publisheth a free salvation onely as all the rest of the sacred scriptures not due to our desertes A notable rule of the heavenly truth 18 19 For I testify togither Hitherto the rehearsing of the former testimonies and arguments which were used here and there in this precedent book Now Iohn addeth a certaine newe one but of the same divine authority with the former to wit that this Prophecy is most true and unviolable which it is not lawfull to violate eyther by adding or taking away even the least thing without extreame punishment Which being proper onely to the word which cometh down from heaven this Revelatiō must needs be put into the same degree Deut. 4.10 and 12 32. 20 He that c. Christ himselfe who is called that witnesse both in respect of the Gospel which he hath brought into the world also of this Prophecy which is grounded on his authority onely In conclusion the whole matter is sealed up both by his testimony repeated Iohns pryer 21 The grace c. The usual forme of concluding Epistles such as is this whole Prophecy sent to the 7 Churches by the commandement of Christ himselfe chap. 1.11 Come L. Iesus Glory praise be to God for ever Amē I give thee thankes Almighty and everlasting God because thou hast lead mee blind and unskilful man of no reputation of no iudgement of no wit by thy onely mercy for Christs sake through this unbeaten wildernes hast made mee to view many secret corners and hast given mee a safe iourney by the dennes of the Dragon and wilde beasts Even so ô Father for such is thy good pleasure Thou chusest the unnoble base men of the world hast foūded strēgth from the mouth of babes sucklings that no flesh should reioyce How incōprehensible is thy wisedome how admirable thy truth How iust holy at al thy wayes Who shal not fear thee I would gladly tell thy prayses but my tongue doth lacke wordes the words a minde Whither soever my mind shal turne it selfe it is swallowed up of thy infinitnesse If it shal ascend into heaven thou art hyer if it shal cōsider thy workes thou art greater if it doth meditate on thy holinesse thou art purer then the very Sunne O wonderful deepnes unmeasurable bottomlesse pit how dost thou compasse us about on everie side art comprehended no where What mortal sight cannot be overwhelmed with this so infinite brightnesse Therfore my sight turneth frō the light that no man can come unto that it may consider thee through the cloud of the creatures Chiefly it delighteth much to behold thy most pleasant face in thy Sonne But as in this glasse thou art most visible so art thou most admirable so farre surpassing our understanding as thou dost abasse thy self neer to our sense Thou art great ô Lord abov al that can be either said or thought grāt that we may reverēce thy exceeding greatnes which the world cōteineth not that we may feare thy presence which the eyes see not that we may adore thy maiesty in cōparison of which the universal creature beneath is nothing that we may embrace thy goodnes wherwith thou followest us most unworthy men Accomplish at length thy great mystery let the world acknowledge thy long delay to hav bin for thy onely mercy not of forgetfulnesse or neglect of thy promise Destroy the Romish Beast and the Constantinopolitan Dragon build up thy new Hierusalem wherin Christ shal raigne and the saints shal beare rule togither with him to enioy for a time a blessed raigne on earth and most happy and eternal with thee in heavens Heare ô Father to whom no thought of the mind is unknown Be thou present who art no where absent but heare the prayers before whom thou hast gone before by thy decree Then will wee bring forth our harpes sing praises to thee celebrating thee the one three God the Father the Sonne Holy Ghost to whom be all honour praise and glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS