contempt of Godly teaching Christ was great Noe Sem Arphaxad Selah Eber Phaleg brother to Ioctan hath cast thē of hitherto The West-Indians seeme to come of the East as both speake some Ebrew Now God driueth vs to both Indians not for Pepper and Tobacho but in tyme to shew his name And the Iesuites in teaching the holy Trinity Person and Iustice of Christ may saue many and the Pope shall haue an outward reward of longer successe and some hundreths of yeares must be spent this way Of the old opinion of 6000. yeares God hath cast old ages into a pleasant frame of measures of them for Iewes and from Iewes I dedicated an Ebrew worke to the Landtgraue of Hessia Now thousandes I will touch In 3000. exactly the Temple was fully furnished euen to the Arke In 4000. exactly the Romanes destroyed the seconde Temple if without it Messias dayes haue 2000. yeares from the yeare of Christ 1609. of Adam 5536. One as Heber may come to the worlds end by 464. yer The trueth God only knoweth reason telleth affaires in worke require such tyme But no particular person is sure of one day but all should watch when the Bridegrome commeth And to destroy them that destroy the earth Although no Creature but Angells and men know God yet the close bent of all Creatures is framed to serue man for Christ God bending them so And in that sense euery thing is weary of their toyle Eccl. 1. and groneth looking for the Redemtion of the Children of God Rom. 8. and being turned to seruice of Idolls grone in Gods estieme as corrupted such was the old world in corrupting their wayes such were Babel builders till heathen came to God and almost all to this day And Apoc. 5. All creatures giue glory to the Lambe in seruice of Christians But alas men to this day would neuer search Gods word the wealthie and principall of state but remit that ouer vnto others as a base worke for themselues to regard whereby God cast off the world And the Temple of God was open in the heauen and the Arke of his Couenant was seene in his Temple and there were lightnings voices thunders earthquake great haile After papistries ouerthrow Christ who is the Temple and the Arke who hath the Law within him is the mercy seat shall be opened to the few saued and God will pay Papists with warres for the haile and fire that they mixed with blood troublesome meteores eloquently expresse troubles of state as before our Lordes first comming the Romans miseries destroying themselues were a wonder to historiques because Crassus robbed the Temple and Pompei afore made Israel serue Rome and Brutus with Cassius and Antonius with Cleopatra and againe Iulius so Rome that still will crucifie Christ shall haue as great stirrs to warne them of vtter ruine But by warres profanesse breedeth to all sides that when the SON OF MAN commeth he shall scant finde faith vpon the earth The best way to keepe faith is to exercise our vniuersities in the Ebrew and Greeke Testament and to leaue ciuill gouernement to sage courtes fitt for it as Zuricke in Zuitzerland doth that Scholars tyrannie make not new papistrie And thus once all is reueiled vnto the end New visions tell the same matter for better clearnesse CHAP. XII A description of the Church AND a great signe was seene in the heauen a woman clothed with the sun With the moone vnder her feet and a crowne of 12. starres vpon her head and beeing with child cried in trauaile and peigned to beare child THE woman is the church through the song of songes and there pure as the sun heere clothed with Christ the Sunne of Iustice And the state of the faithfull is called through this booke heauen and they are a great signe to the profane world to wonder at The Moone and all vnder the Sunne is contemned of the faithfull and the doctrine which the 12. Apostles equall in knowled and authoritie deliuered to the world is the Crowne and they be 12 starres Iudas Iscariot fell a starre from heauen and Matthias became a sonne of consolation in his stead to keepe still the number of XII for the XII tribes and as S. Paul trauailed of the Galathians that is of Christ to be formed in them that they frustrate not the Gospell by holding circumcision nowe abrogated So the faithfull trauailed in soule to haue Christ brought forth to heathens knowledge that all might knowe that all this world was made obedient to a man At the first which man fell from God his first day and then God opened his Counsell that the Sonne Eternall would be made man of a woman to destroy the workes of the Angels that fell who all are collectiuely satan the enemie Satan brought Adam to lose the life of his soule and his body to death and dust and all this world to corruption Christ kindled light in Adams soule and after 930. yeares heauinesse for sin tooke it to his ioy and will raise vp the body and make a new world that all men who will receiue the abundance of grace of the gift of iustice may reigne by Christ and all who will not regard this mercy so cleare as the sunne they all by Adams fall dead in sin shal be damned for euer with the Diuils This is the trauaile of the Christian minde Speach of this is in all books of the Old Testament in Adams tongue in all the newe in Greeke made most common for this Gospell And Lawe with Gospell expounded by groundes of art which enemies grant should bee the trauaile of our minde And if Academies had brought vp their scholars in Ebrew and Greek exercises for the holy eternall Trinitie in Vnitie and for kissing the SON to happinesse Psal 2. By likely-hood of mans reason the world had benefull of true Christians where as now our Papes Archbuyshopps and Buyshopps know not one letter prick accent of the Law what authoritie it hath from God A pitifull matter that such blinde should bee leaders But the blinde will no other leaders So God cannot pittie them who will make knowen them that be his and despise them that despise him that they poore Caytifes shall perish for euer and feele the aeternall wrath of him whose mercy they haue despised while they counted the mercies offred in Christ to be but folly Of the Prophane Caesar and Pope reuiuing of him both comprised in the body and taile of one Dragon Another signe was seene in the heauen For beholde there was a great ruddie Dragon with 7. heades and ten hornes and vpon his heades seauen diademes And his taile draweth a third part of the Starres of heauen and cast them vnto the earth Iohn saw with his eyes in Vision that which hee and all the Apostles as S. Paul 2. Thess 2. saw in their minde That from Rome the Ruler should rule till hee were taken away After thence man of
as a lampe is kindling of wrath the waters be the Scriptures falling into them is wresting of them to mainteyne his kingdome so the sense is bitter and the D. is wormwood that many finde deadly haeresies by this wormwood The fourth trumpet Great fall They which were principall as the sun moone and stars Iacobs familie in Iosephs dreame lose much light Gagnaeus a Papist telleth this to touch Popes Cardinals Bishops A preparation to marke triple woe vpon this An Angell flyeth in the open sky telleth of three woes vpon this CHAP. IX The V. common place The Angel or Doctor falling from heaven the Church hath giuē to him not S. Peters keyes of knowledge but keyes of a deepe pit to darken sun and ayer the office of Christ and law by which we see him So infinite millions of mōkes and fryers come forth locusts for devouring the earth with scorpions stings to torment harts when Christ is obscured and Scripture that men find no comfort but bee worse for their soule then Iob for his body Iob 3. To make warres their wealth will make many horses and they have authority as Kinges with their crownes though they pretend to be as private men Dan. 7. The Chaldean stript of Kingdome is so termed And Antiochus having no right to the kingdome and they keep within doores as of womens hayre but they have Lyons teeth to hold fast all forged and wringed giftes openly forged as Constantinus donation and wringed of kingdomes which they help vp and from deceived by terrour of purgatory They have brest plates of iron to defend themselves and the noyse of their wings is like the noyse of horses running to warres while stil they set Kings by the eares for the first common place that haile and fyre be mixed with blood And their scorpion stinges sting men five moneths till Princes compell them by a cold winter to hide themselves in hedges as Nahums Locustes of Ninivy hide them by enemies An excellent name of the Pope THE ANGEL OF THE PIT KING OF LOCVSTS ABANDDON APOLLYON Our common name which we give the Pope is Daemon in Greek for Popes be Daemones in Eustathius from the Commentaries of old Aristarchus and Didymus and others His Commentaries are from ancient Heathen not from himself as Erasmus well noteth in his observations vpon the Apocalyps Whereas I cited Homers Commentary followed by S. Peter D. B. the learned thought that a foolish oversight as though I must mean Eustathius who was of late And he doubteth whether S. Peter read Homer I am out of doubt he never read him But the holy Ghost gave words of old for S. Peters vse afterward by instinct not by reading And so much a simple Doctor might have knowen B. L. shewed himself in his vnlearned skophing most Athean And as Iannes and Iambres Symon Magus Elymas and Alexander the Coppersmyth are for eternall memorie in the hart of the Bible so deserve such for to be Now as wee vnawares and Papists call the Pope Daemona a Divel vnawares we call him so GOD ruling our tongues that is specially worthy noting When Iulian the Apostata was kild and Libanius commended him that he now was with the Daemones the Greek Doctors took him vpon his word and what an asse he was to speak that which the enemy would wish D. Iohannes Pistorius the Popes chalenger wrote to me that IOHN CALVIN was Dactylodeictes of Antichrist Who shewed by the finger who was Antichrist I took his graunt that so the Pope was For Calvins finger aymed at him So the Popes chalenger overthrew the Pope The same wrote to me the Anathema But God dealt with him as with Balaam the son of Beor in Italy pronuntiation of Bosor in Chaldean where S. Peter kept where the Galilaean his voice told he wrote not from Rome The Doctours Anathema was this to me I Anathematize thee as Paul did Barnabas I take it sayd I. And so thou makest me better then any Pope that ever was at Rome Paul thought him of the same faith and happines But I anathematize D. Iohn Pistorius as S. Paul did Anathematize Elymas Magus Vpon this he yeelded as Helvetia knoweth And to his dying day spake most reverently as some English heard of his checker So here we must mark not what men call the Pope Holy father and vicar of Christ and head of the Church and King of Kings and Lord of Lords but what GOD doth call him and God taught Adam to give fit names Here the Popes names be many One is the Angel of the pit as the star falling had the keyes of the Pit to bring forth his Locusts And the King of Locusts is the fittest name for him In Ebrew he is called Abaddon Num. 24. and Abdan in the Thalmud is the worst name Aruch will teach the place Also he is called Abaddon chiefly for remembrance of Num. 24. where Balaam endeth his prophecy in Italy going on to destruction Iohn Chap. 17. 8. 11. translateth Balaam most properly as D. Kimchi in hard Grammer Adey obed goeth on to destruction In Greek he is another Apollo a Divel of Delphos destroying such as seek to him as Apollo destroyed rich Craesus deceiving him to war against Cyrus He knew well enough that Cyrus should have the victory Esay had told him so and though Craesus gave to Apollos temple very great gifts yet when he asked him whether he should fight with Cyrus he answered Craesus passing over Halys shall overthrow a great King So he did in hope of good But overthrew his own kingdome and rich Craesus became poore Irus So the Pope maketh but a mock of Kings Thus one who of the sixt seale is fully described what the Pope is and what he meaneth to do as Chap. 11. shall tell And this first of the three woes thus set forth reacheth from the Popes supremacy after the yeare of our Lord 600. vnto Ierusalems war ended at 1200. For which 600. yeares the Pope still made haile and fyre to be mixed with blood Now the second woe is in his punishments by the Turk and by the Gospell and Martyrs teaching Princes to cast him off The sixt trumpet and common place Of the Turks comming vp and dealing Cedrenus and Volaterranus in Arabia triplici teach of the Turks and Saracens conjunction and sundry others how they afflicted Spain and Italy Their history I have touched in my book of Scripture Concent I would any of cleane spirit that rageth not against the Concent which GOD gave to Scripture I do but shew to have my best help thence There is a full explication of the second woe Bibliander in Chronologia sheweth that after the Popes supremacie graunted by wicked miserable Phocas to impudent Boniface the third Machumed began to be as gratious a Father as the Pope in Rome Machmad is in Cant. the title of Christ Graces it self And Chamudoth partaker of graces to rare Daniel Chap. 9. by the Angel Gabriel
as a Citie brent from heauen for many plagues by Egypt for good note a broad Citie as Romes policie was broad and large And for a most sure note the Citie policie and authoritie large in which the Lord was crucified This name striketh the naile vpon the head Of the Citie which crucified the LORD Thalmud Ierusalemy noteth in Sanedrin and Maymonie that fouretie yeares before the destruction of Ierusalem causes of life and death were taken away from Israell so they teach that Christ was not crucified in the policie of Ierusalem but vnder Pontius Pilate in the Roman policie as the foure Evangelistes record carefullie When the Sanedrin concluded to kill Christ they brought him to Pilate he cleared him yet whipped him and deliuered him to bee crucified And the Romā soldiers shewed all wickednesse 1. They brought him into the Common hall 2. They gathered the whole band against him 3. They put off his owne apparell put in mockage a scarlat robe vppon him 4. They platted a crowne of thornes and laid it vpon his head 5. They kneeled in mockage and said All haile King of the Iewes and spate vpon him with a reed they stroke him on the head and when they had ended mocking of him they put off the robe and put his owne clothes on him and brought him to be crucified and pierced his handes and his feete and pierced his side with a speare and cast lotts for his coate These so great contempts from Romanes the vilest in the world against the Lord Eternall could neuer be put vp But that Rome should bee the miserie in tyrannie while the world stoode Pilate kill'd him selfe and the Emperours for 300. yeres were miserable And Rome by many spoiled and since Popes supremacie a new Egypt Now as the Iewes who betrayed Christ are slaues ouer the earth so Rome that went further was to bee revealed to haue all curses the old serpents poyson chap. 12. Cains murder of Abel chap. 13. a Deluge chap. 12. Biting of tongues chap. 16. consumption as the cursed brent Cities cha 11. Egypts miserie told aboue Iosuahs haile cha 16. Siseraes fall at Mageddon chap. 16. Iezabels miserie from Elias chap. 11. Daniels beasts miserie chap. 13. and the Romans miserie by Pompei and Iulius Psal 97. handled in Appian fullie and as the Pope knew more then the Caesares so his sinnes were more strong against the holy Ghost and he should be openly Man of sinne to all sage in this world The foure Euāgelistes might teach the simplest this much That seeing Rome grieued Christ as he complayned Isai 49. Psal 22. and felt too most high griefe Rome should bee Sathans throne while this world stood and all reliques of theirs a curse And people tribes tongues and nations shall see their Carcases three dayes and a halfe So this Citie must meane a very large Common Weale and Kingdome and the two in generall may be full many thousandes in particular And as all the time of persequution of the liuing is three yeares and a halfe the bodie is heere three dayes and a halfe And they shall not suffer their carcases to be put in graue This plainely sheweth the burning of Martyrs whose bones and ashes may be seene three dayes and a half and are not put in graue So good Bucers bones in this honor were taken out of the graue not to rot there but with pure fire to haue consumption as Elias in his fierie chariot had his body consumed and our Father Henoch that in his life matched the dayes of the sunne 365. was without paine dissolued when God tooke his soule to heauen and Moses had not mans buriall God prouiding somewhat better for the ancient that they with out vs were more perfect and for rare honor to their persons though by the doctrine of the Gospell aboue the Law we haue the perfecter but no whit to soules ioy But as they with smaller helpes passed vs farre in following God so their minde heere was infinitely fuller of graces then ours though the ioy of aeternall life is aequall to all In not suffering the best men in the world to be buried the Citie that crucified Christ is openly the throne of Satan And they that dwell on the earth shall reioyce ouer them and be glad and send giftes one to another because these two prophetes tormented the dwellers vpon the earth The dwellers on the earth are the Locustes their friends earthly minded and feared the companies of sound Christians because they taught Princes to hate the Popes religion and Pride and Wealth Monasteries The Hypocrites immitated the Iewes who vpon the death of Amalekites kept in open Townes the xiiij of Adar with ioy and banquet and wake day and sending of giftes one to another These two Doctores of Diuinitie Prophet is heere in that sense were such a torment to the Papistes as the first martyrs to the prophane Caesares who taught that they were not Diui and had no religion but from vncleane spirites And after three dayes and an halfe spirite of life from God entred into them and they stood vpon their feete and great feare fell vpon them that beheld them In his Vision of the Lordes day he hath by light and darknesse three dayes an halfe resembled vnto him for viewing of the martyrs from the eye-sight to the minde thus we must turne it When men behold the bones and ashes of the martyrs they hold them not dead but passed from death to life because they died for honor to Gods plaine religion teaching to honor GOD onely and to receyue aeternall life onely by his mercie in CHRIST the onely Rocke and to pray onely to GOD and to haue a sure faith in him and to lothe all proceeding that is not agreeable to Gods holy worde and that it hath a plaine and sure meaning The old Martyrs for these groundes were in honor with the Pope these two armies of Doctores died in the same cause therefore their enimies heartes must needes confesse that they are gone to heauen euen as if they had heard them called vp and seene to ascend as followeth And they heard a loud voice from heauen saying vnto them Come vp hither and they went vp to heauen and their enimies saw them As the case of Elias was to the body so the Martyrs is to the soule expressed bodily in this vision Of all soules passage at death It is appointed for all men once to die and then cōmeth iudgement Eb. 9. so all soules must when they leaue the bodie returne to God that gaue them to iudgement for euery hid thing good or euill Ecc. 12. 2. Cor. 5. so all ascend Ecc. 3. And onely the soules of the beast descend The commune place is called in Greeke Haides and the happie part of it is heauen to Abraham Eb. xi Luc. 18. And a place of burning torment to the wicked The faithfull went hence to Gods eternall tabernacle Leuit. 26. 2. Cor.
milde And S. Paul borne to be a Bishop of Rome in Tarsus free in Rome told the same Rom. 13. as he told from 2 Thes 2. howe thence man of sin would arise If 2 Thes 2. had bene read of all Children since S. Paul wrote aged moo then the Starres of Heauen a million for a Starre had knowen what the Pope is and equall giltie Cardinales And our Archbuyshopps in his canones damned by common Lawes following the light of Gods engrauement in soules All Scholars that will bee ouerruling Ciuill matters vnable to shewe skill in the Lawe of one Iod or Prick as our Lordes speach requireth Mat. 5. and will Archbuishopps be and vrge athean othes and imprison better lettered by many yeares studie then themselues and pine in Prison vnto death full many which hold the trueth of redemtion in trades life better then they are in the Popes Giltinesse heere and speake from the Dragon And are sure to goe with both into aeternall flames The learned know that they to whom I now giue the Anathema Maran Atha will sooner goe to Bantam to fetch pepper then replie And as Ouid. speaketh that while the Romane Empire standeth his fables should stand so while the world standeth our reuiuers of Dracons bloody lawes others to profane God shall stand in this my blame in my defence for our King and nations integritie Si quid habent veri vatum praesagia By what Iudaique cursedly reuiued Ceremonie the chiefe diuinitie D. of Rome bewitched Emperors to giue a spice of countenance that the Pope was aboue the Emperor In Iudah Kinges were annointed with oyle praescribed by God to Moses and it was death to imitate that oyle The Thal. hath a full treatise of that Thence all of witt will fetch it No King was euer annointed with this but Kings in hazard King Moses was not King Iesus was not King Samuel was not Saul not accepted was Dauid not accepted was Salomon in hazard by Adonijah was and Ioash for Athalias stirre was All this God alloweth By the Peoples autoritie wicked Ioachaz two yeares yonger then his brother more wicked Ioakim was all these to auoid dissention So annointment was still the token of a person doubted whether the people should accept him or not Now the Patriarke of Constantine beginning annointement of Emperours as in Iustinius the vncle of Iustinian fame goeth chalenged heerein no superioritie but would haue the Emperores that requested the Churches fauor If they were stayned in open blame to want that good will till open repentance came This had zeale and mans witt but God forbiddeth to imitate Aharons ceremonies namely in oinctments No chest might bee made like the Arke no candlesticke no Table no curtaine no building like the holy Touching our manner in England thinke it began in token of freedome as not vnder the Emperor but equall But seeing Priests were the annointers Locusts NOW in flames aeternall it should with sacrifice Aharons cope Leuites linen and name of Priest be left off If my poore opinion were worthie of accompt if quietly they might otherwise ceremonies of force were broken as in Dauids eating of the shew-bread and beeing deadly for vse as circumcision for Galatians yet in Timothie was repeted So the wicked bookes of the Apocrypha whereof none haue one syllable of Christ though Galatinus would bring Baruc to him In God will bee seene vpon earth because the fables spake of Iewes stories whose trueth heathen denied were receiued for mens weaknesse But when Greeks would make iarring sayinges true diuinitie Iewes told Hagarenes their iudgement was weake and so there the Gospell found contemt since the Pope annointed Emperores of weake autoritie after hee deceiued the Empire For 200. yea warre that weakened West Kinges the oinctment was pleaded for a token of superioritie that the beast comming out the earth might haue two hornes like Christs And he doth great signes that he causeth fire to come downe from heauen into the earth before men and he deceiueth the dwellers on the earth before the beast When Israels state came farre badd holy Elias made fier come downe from heauen In memorie of that storie Iohn saw in his vision fire come downe from heauen betokening thereby any signes Saint Paul told this in proprietie that by false signes wicked Romylus Esai 11. in the Venice Chaldy should deceiue if possible the very elect because they would not receine the loue of the trueth as Salomon warneth Ephraim Prov. 3. the Emperors strife was with the Popes for Auctority litle or nothing for Diuinity where they should haue beene of best iudgement as Charles the great was of great iudgement that the Popes for feare of fall by resisting a learned Emperor decreed for him and his successors as I shewed confirmation of Popes that should serue in Rome Of Papists miracles Neuer any commented vpon any text Bible or Law as the Papists doe vpon their Miracles The Iesuites in the Indianes doe such strange Miracles that Lucian de vera historia would as well seeme true as noble learned Saddeel nippeth Turrianus And at dinners and suppers in stead of the Bible they read the stories of their owne Miracles So the Lady of Hales made Iustus Lipsius of a quicker spirite to his stile as Bacchus made Ennius And creeples come to Hales but goe away leaping So at Colen in a stage play creeples came to S. Laurence and went a way leaping So in Walsingam The Host was caried in Cambrige ouer the market place in a coffer by two strong men and praesently became so heauie that both they could not cary it alone And when they put drakes fresh blood to the wine all but Heretiques may see the very wine liuely blood That men sware by the blood of Hales I heard a man in the ende of true faith and fatherlie cariage Rich. Meneuensis say how his conscience pricked him when to Masse he vsed drakes blood I know not but by confession whether this be true or noe At Mentz townes end Eastward in the brim of the fieldes standeth a lowe crosse of stone That way I walked with two Iesuites and a proselyte whose commendation from the Pope to the Bishop and they then sitting with mee on a greene desired to read from Latin to Ebrew for to plead for a principall Cardinalship Of that stone crosse Pater Nicolaus Serarius said thus Once a man drunke armed with a sword stroke this crosse and it poured out blood and pursuite was made after the man and hee was executed Then said I let the Bishop and all his Canons that be not Lutherans I know they will not try take swordes and strike all the crosse and if it shed one drop to my sight I will accept the Cardinalship offred and be of your faith as I am of Saint Peters faith already and belieue no more then Epiphanius that hee was euer at Rome as he cared no more for Clemens Alexand. then did Patriarch Photius and lesse of
of GOD and for the testimonie which they had he saw them vnder the Altar who is Christ. The Thalmud of Rabbi Nathan in Moyses saith that his soule and all the iust are vnder the throne of God So as Saint Paul saith Rom. chap. 10. The Apostles doctrine is confirmed by Thalmudiques directly in all thinges sauing the Person and office of Messias Chap. 7. The martyrs haue white garments and palmes in their hands they be before the throne of God c. Chap. 11. They are called vp into heauen and their enimies see them going vp in a cloud Hence purgatorie is confuted which hath no ground from the old Testament as any Talmudique did euer expound it For Leuit. 26. telleth that hence men goe to Gods tabernacle to ioy or before his throne to feele aeternall anger Reuenge for Christ his Iustice And I saw and behold a white Cloud and one rode on the Cloud like the SON OF MAN hauing on his head a Crowne of gold and in his hand a sharpe sickle The cloud is Gods chariot Isaiah 19. as I told chap. 1. and this place telleth what Person was there described Heere he hath a crowne of gold as in Psalm 20. a token of victorie by death so chap. 6. In Maym. Poenit. the iust haue Crownes in the World of soules So to Talmudiques the New Testam would bee cleare The sharp sickle in Ioel is Gods vengeance vpon Iudahs enimies Assur the Image yea and the Image of the beast heere For he speaketh of all enimies The roaring like a Lion and the 7. thunders tell the same thing and chapter X. and the earthquake and destroying of them that destroyed the earth Reuenge for the prayers of the Church Another Angell came forth from the Temple crying with a great voice to him that road vpon the Cloud cast fourth thy sickle and reape tyme is come to reape for the haruest of the earth is ripe The Church be the faithfull the Angell is the representer of their state So Nebuchadnezar saw one watchfull and holy Who telleth that his punishment of 7. yer beastlinesse came by the prayers of the iust Spaine perceiued in the Low Coūtries the force of this is like to feele as good at home What shall befall our Buuy-shop that vrgeth better learned to othe then himselfe neuer heard of in Iuda by either Testament and imprisoneth better learned then himselfe that will not profane the name of God pineth vnto death in cruel prison them who deny him to be lawfull Buy-shop and put by Teachers of saluation from their maintenance 400. What shall become of this man from whom the heart of a man hath bene taken 7. yer Nabuchad dyed two yeares after hee came to himselfe so may this man How prayers of the iust be heard the next verse telleth And he that roade vpon the cloud cast forth his sickle into the earth and the earth was reaped So the crye of the poore ascendeth into the eares of the Lord of Hostes Reuenge by the iniuried themselues And an other Angell came out of the Temple which is in heauen hauing also a sharpe sickle The faithfull heere haue equall strength and try combat with Pope as this yeare for Clieue and Iuliaque All the Protestāts against the Pope Oh that our Albion would thrust in the sickle of good Laws against those Popoi lest they be still prickes in our eyes thornes in our sides as they haue bene And an other Angell came forth from the altar hauing authoritie vpon the fire and cried with a great voice to him that had the sharpe sickle saying Cast forth thy sickle cut the clusters of thr earth for her grapes be ripe In Daniel the Angell telleth chap XI that in the first yeere of Darius the Mede chap. 5. hee was a strength and might to him Iacob had a campe of Angells which story Dauid turneth to all faithfull One paid Sanacharib one strengthneth our Lord One saued Peter Act. 12. So heere the liuely speach of the Angell is an open token of assistance from the Angells of Christ as they be all ministring spirites sent foorth to seruice for them that shall inherite saluation Angells rule fire as that which brent Sodom Gen. 19. and Babel in Xenophon compared with Dan. XI And water in S. Pauls voiage So all anger from God is fire and Angells his seruants The sure euent So the Angell did cast his sharpe sickle into the earth and snapt off the Vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine-presse of the anger of God and the wine-presse was troden out of the Citie and the blood came forth from the wine-presse vnto the horse bridles ouer stadia furlongs a thousand six hundred The Citie is the assembly of the holy the place out of it is the dwelling of the faithlesse The stadia or furlongs 1600. are taken from the quantitie of Chanaan which Talmudiques calling to a square make Ris that is Stadion euery way The place I haue cited in my Concent where I abridge the Apocalyps CHAP. XV. A plaine exposition of the Womans fleeing into the wildernesse And I saw another great and maruelous signe seauen Angells hauing seauen the last plagues for in them the wrath of God is finished Chap. 6. expoundeth this and how when the Church hath a seate in the wildernesse and their Citie there they make the wine-presse of Gods anger out of the Citie And I saw as it were a sea of glasse mixed with fire and them which ouercome from the beast and from his image and from his marke and the number of his name standing by the sea of glasse hauing the harpes of God and they sing the song of Moyses the seruant of God and the song of the Lambe saying great and wonderfull are thy workes O ETERNAL the God of Hostes iust and vpright are thy wages O King of saints who would not feare thee O Lord and giue glory vnto thy name for thou only art gratious for all nations shall come and worship before thee for thy iudgements are manifested Sea signifieth troubles as Dan. 7. glasse clearly considered of God the allusion is to the Red sea at which Israel was persequuted by Pharaoh The addition by fire is an open distinction for the Popes sea of fire and faggott the song of Moyses Exod. 15. is a thankesgiuening for deliuerance from Pharaoh by the blood of the Lambe and the songe of the Lambe conteyneth all the songes in the Bible But most directly they of his incarnation and soules passage from the body to heauen and resurrection and sitting on the right hand of God The workes of God be great and wonderfull that the wicked whom he hath sett vnto wrath beare sway heere for a tyme but soone come to aeternall flames And they who in short affliction professe his name cary away an aeternall peise of glory wicked Babel worshipping creatures had a great reigne that Gods seruants might
and cast him into a Lake burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death Chapter 19. But the Romane Dragon shall be tyed 1000. yeeres before the King of Locusts deceiveth generally But then hee makes a new Gog and Magog for the old Ierusalem and thereupon shal be destroied as the old was by the first coming so he by the second of CHRIST from a throne of iudgement as the old Gog and Magog was Chapter 20. As Iohn in Patmos saw the heavenly Ierusalem so Patmos the Church tossed with Aegean waves shal be in Gods fight such as Isaiah Ezechiel Aggei and Zacharie spake of CHRIST saluteth vs poore heathen with his owne most gracious voice To him that loued vs and hath washed vs from our sinnes by his blood be all honour glory for ever Amen Isaie 25. And hee the ETERNAL will destroy in this mountaine the covering that covereth all people and the vaile that is spread vpon all nations THE ARGVMENTS OF THE REVELATION THe Apocalyps may be divided into speach vnto the present age and into prophecies for time to come Common to both are the nations and places and the times The nations to whom the book is commended are cities of old Gyges kingdome called the Land of Gog where the Lagidae and Seleucidae had parted Asia the lesser betwixt them Ezechiel told that when they were overthrowen for scattering his people into all quarters God would be glorified over them and in wrath remember mercy As over Antiochos in that the Land of Magog Antiochia first bare the name of Christians Over both in these seven townes whereof Philadelphia beareth plainly the name of Ptolomie Philadelphus Sardis was the Court of rich Craesus whose wealth God gave to Cyrus the great that sent Israell home from 120. nations and built the temple vpon his owne charges In it the old memory of Ggy or Gog is continued The nations called are from all people The damned for deadly hinderance of the Gospel is Rome plainly described by full many arguments vndeniable The whip of Romes Idolatrie be the Saracenes The time in trope is taken from the time of Christ his persecutions three years and an half But therein is meant the qualitie of state not length of yeres that men should be afflicted the afflictions of Christ So the Dragon Caesars afflict a yeare two yeares and halfe a yeare and the Dragons tayle the Pope and the old Romane Empire monethes 42. and the Vicar of the Lambes hornes the king of Locustes dayes 1260. They who thinke to get any certeyntie hence deceyve them selves and the truth is not in them The allusion is most heavenly calling Christ still into mind The thousand yeares come neare proprietie telling when the Popes authoritie should come to the highest These points may commonly be considered CHAP. I. The present age is saluted with narration of particular place and day and vision of Christ and in seaven epistles the partes of it be applied vnto playne experience CHAP. II. Ephesus learneth how remission of studie loseth the Church Rome continually practised that still shaking off Greek and Hebrew and skill in Gods word Smyrna is told that Iewes not right Iewes whose praise is of God would seeme to be Iewes but should bee found lyars So Rome would chalenge the true Iew. Rom 2. but they that seemed to stand shall fall Pergamus heareth of idolatrie and fornication Rome and Venice be deaf Thyatira hath a new Iezabel with witchcraft and whoredome and Baal Papists are full of charming Nunnes full wanton and Goddes of their owne making CHAP. III. Sardis the court sheweth how the pompe of court hath hardly lively religion yet still some be there So Rome the court towne seemed vnder Iohn alive but had forgotten S. Paul Rom. 11. 13 2. Thes 2. Philadelphia had true love and tryeth who be the sound Iewes and shal be as Salomons pillers in the heavenly Ierusalem Such were full many Monasteries of learned men which knew well what S. P. Q. R. meant when stultus populus quaerit Romam Laodicea followeth the common maner neither hoat nor cold but holdeth on what negligent custome hath once brought in So antiquitie and vniversalitie are the Papistes answer They never plead better skill in the Ebrew Law and Greek Gospell so thar Turkes and Iewes may see how they build not vpon a rocke by sure grounds but flee to custome never allowed of God This from obscure Patmos on the Lordes day Iohn teacheth that the base corners shall have truth when they receive the holy banished and Rome the banisher shal be left in Satans throne to pester the yeare with Popes holy dayes honouring creatures with religion of dayes as Rome did to Iulius and Augustus and as ill in March May Ianuary and February and in all Ovids fastis The stories of times which God writeth be more then yet men would ever learne The Lords resurrection day is surely taught vs and that wee should keepe But his birth day he would not have vs to know and when men would after three hundred yeeres seeke it out God gave them over into a deceived minde to misse 3. moneths that of 1300. yeres that dotage was not espied vntill this age searched about found better matter Yet Laodicea will follow custome and cared not for grace from him who was and is wil be and from the seaven spirits the one Eternall that giveth seaven lampes of oile to his servants and from Iesus Christ that is above all the Kings of the earth Psal 89. Dan. 2. 7. Apoc. 6. and 19. whom Rome pearced with spear and nailes But they shall feel whom they pearced and whom they crucifie agayne to have him counted a base and bare man not as on Tabor when the Godhead made the humanitie shinelike the Sunne Now for times to come CHAP. IIII. When the voyce of Christ like a trumpet making them happy which know the sound Psal 89. behind vs calleth vs from our owne course we shall see God in the heaven of the Church like Beniamins Iasper building his Church in Paules Shebet and like Rubens red Sardius fighting against Hagarenes for the Tribes with the Rainebow of the covenant like Levies Smaragd teaching the brightnes of the Gospell Thus we shall see God sitting vpon a throne whē Christ from obscure Patmos sheweth that heaven is not best seene from great cities which alwayes overflow in wickednes but from place where fewest be to disturbe So shal be seene 24. Bishops or Elders that can apply the Patriarkes storie vnto the Apostles Gospell all these clothed with the iustice of Christ being to the soules as white linen is to the body Seven lampes of oyle grace beatē with much affliction as beaten olive the seven graces of the spirit make this and the whole company be afore the throne a sea cleare and blameles iustified freely by the grace of God And the Church shall not want rare wightes full of
eyes whereof one shall see more then millions of Papists full of courage readines to be sacrificed as Timotheus at Ephesus and Polycarpus at Smyrna and at Pergamus Antipas and full of wise pleading as Paul to King Agrippa and of high flight into the heavens carying soules thither not as in Campus Martius when for the Caesars funeral a summer house is made and full of spice and in a corner an eagle is and when it is set on fyre the eagle is let out and fleed high and is sayd to cary the Caesars soule to the Gods Herodian lib. 11. These have a true hight and have six wings two to cover their face from looking into Gods counsell aboue reach two to cover their feet that their wayes be not called into sight two to flee in their course as Vzielides expoundeth Es 6. And the whole bent of these tendeth to honour God And by their examples the common congregation acknowledgeth the holy Trinity and the Creator where the heathen have no lamp of grace not the best learned of them not one spirit of seven Their sage as Pythagoras in tongue confessed God to be one But they knew not the trinity and that the Sonne would be manifested in the flesh to come a man looking through our walles and to come a Iudge of all nor that he framed the world for man because he would dwell in a tabernacle in vs. In the heavenly policy of the Gospell this must be proper to true Christians who finding a victory cast down their crownes when they come before God The Scribes confesse all that we cōfesse The trinity of old confessed they as their workes yet shew which might have broken the Arians necks if Greek pride had submitted them to learne Thalmudique studies One errour in the root maketh a million in the branches CHAP. V. The counsel of God is hid how he will vse the prophane Caesars and how man of sin will afterwardes exalt himself in the Temple of God Moyses by Balaam tould but briefly that Italy should afflict Heber be perishing vnto the end Daniel speaketh nothing of the Romans afflicting the faithfull But shewing that the Image and four beastes being cōsumed by our Lords first comming into the world by implication he sheweth that Italy should kill Christ destroy Ierusalem and so breed a new Image of a beast But his pictures end in the Macedonians Our Lord in Math. 24. only toucheth deceit and vexation and S. Paul 2 Thes 2. sheweth that Emperour shall hould on till he be taken away then shall man of sin shew himselfe in the Temple as if he were God Adoni kam a Lord standing sure But how the Emperour should be vsed and Pope come vp and fall that Daniel meddled not withall who dealt most of kingdomes And proclamation that none in heaven nor on the earth could open the book telleth that he medled not with Antichrist nor Caesars punishment Iohns weping that none could open the book telleth that the matter is of great vse that they shall have weeping and gnashing of teeth which contemne the matter Now one of the 24. Bishops hearing the person of a Doctor said to him being in his traunse now as a child that the Lyon of Iuda spoken of through the Prophets and specially Num. 24. how he should vnwall and subdue al the sonnes of Seth and is the roote of David his figure who conquered all resisters set vp religion he will tell what Esay spake of his conquests So Christ standeth at the mids of Gods throne in a playn description a lambe Iohn 1. as one that had been slain Mat. 27. slain by Rome vpon whom the revenge must goe having seven horns of power to revenge Satan with his sevē heads and seven eyes which be seven spirits of his providence sending Angels over the earth as in building Ierusalem Zach. 1. and 2. and 6. And he taketh the book from God as Chap. 1. 1. as Mediatour now though he were in the glory of GOD and held it no robbery to be equall with God and then the rare wightes and 24. Doctours pray him to open the state to come and all creatures shew that they shall serve Christ when Idolaters be destroyed CHAP. VI. The Lyon harted the pacient ox the wise man the high fighted eagle tell how by his martyrs he buildeth the Church and for their prayer the Caesars shall have war stil bloudy warre great famine that corne wil be as deare as spice that a bath choenix a pottle wil be sold for the Romane Denarius about half a french crown though GOD strike not vines and olives but in wrath remembreth mercy Such warre that bloud death famine and pestilence shall make a riddance of the fourth part of men This cometh in revenge of the martyrs In Aboth Rab. Nathan in Moses life all the just soulesly vnder the throne of glory Here the terme Altar teacheth that by Christ the Altar they have justice Neyther Scribes nor Apostles knew purgatory Covetousnes bred the teachers slouth and contempt of truth the beleevers They are told that they must have patience a while till martyrs blood be seed to make a Church of a sufficient number to have a Christian empire Then the prophane policies shall have an earthquake their sun of stately empire shal be turned to blacknes their moone of Princes into blood their starres shall fall as olives shaken their heaven shal be lapped vp as a rowl al Ilands and mountaines shal be changed for them Iohn from Esa 2. and 14 and 34 and Ose 10. seeth a vision fitted to their speches that by considering Iudaes fall the ten tribes fall Assurs fall and Daniels Image we may be sure of the Caesars fall and he expoundeth himself the Prophets That Kings great men rich and Coronelles the mighty shall hide themselves and wish as Samaria that mountaynes might hide them from the anger of the Lamb. And so he teach Iewes that for contempt of Christ their destructions came The five seales are not distinguished in time but in common place of victory war famine and both with plague and martyrdome all these in times come sometimes at once The sixt toucheth Constantines dayes Then an vnspeakable riddance was made after Dioclesians persecution that twelve Augusti and Caesars consume one another till all came to the sonne of our Helena who in the ends of the earth made the possession of Christ cometh to York to Constantius his Father that had Christians his chief men and by him is made his heyr of empire and by them and our nation and the neare in the end is alone the Emperour of the world and leaveth the Rome that crucified by the Gospell and 2. Thes 2. where in 100. yeares the slothfull Popes could not make Caesar good but were caught in their lying that Peter should long sit at Rome who expresly writeth that he kept about Babylon Rome in Italy is hated for Idolatry
Now this false Prophet forging himself taught by the Angel Gabriel taketh Daniels terme in the highest sense Machmad delite it self Rashi telleth that because he humbled himself before GOD in fasting and prayer he was so called But Turk and Pope will have the holynes of Apollo past repentance CHAP. X. Now commeth a most lively description of Christ opening himself from Esa 19. and 54. and Genes 9. and Apoc. 4. Daniel 10. and Exod. 14. and Dan. 12. and Es 31. and Iob for the thunder of his power which is past vnderstanding and shall not be perceived of the Pope till the next trumpetter or common place teacher soundeth and endeth the world Now the Angel biddeth Iohn take from Christ the litle book of the Gospell and to eat it which was sweet in his mouth in preaching but bitter in affliction and to the enemy also as Ezekiels book CHAP. XI Iohn sheweth that the Church shall be built as Ierusalem freed from Babel vnder Zorobabel and Iesus when Zachary seeth an Angel with a reed meating the length breadth So Iohn hath a reed to meat the tēple and altar that is from the litle book to shew the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in Christ Christ himself is the temple Therefore to check Thalmudiques which to this day look for a third temple as sheweth Rambam whom vpon Koheleth Salomon the oratour I have cited and translated to check them he sheweth court of sacrificing is geven to the heathen and Ezekiels goodly citie is a city of affliction as Christ was afflicted 42. monethes Zacharies olive trees Zorobabel with Israel and IESVS with Levi and candelstick of Gods fauour Churches Chapter 1. revived Here is a new Elias a new Moyses to call fyer from heaven and to stay all dew of grace and successe and to turne their waters of armies into blood to plague their enemies with all kind of plague The experience followeth The combat of the King of Locusts with the Martyrs When the Martyrs begin to revive the Gospell the city which is called for spiritual vncleannes of religion spiritually Sodoma for cruelty against Israel Aegypt setteth fourth the King of Locustes who commeth with his Locustes winges of chariots and warre horses and fighteth in all nations with these two captaynes of Martyrs and killeth them and their case is playne how they are murthered as if a Crowners quest went vpon the policy that crucified Christ after his preaching 42. moneths or dayes 1260. or yeares three and an half Now as Beda and Carthusianus well note in three yeares and an half all time of preaching Christ in memorie of his preaching so long so the time of their noted death while their ashes may be seen and they are not put in grave is in a proportion called three dayes and an half Now that all may know that two yeare is not proper twise one but as all the returned from Chaldea Babylon be two Zach. Ch. 4. and 5. So the witnesses of truth that leave spirituall Babel all are in that sense called two and the citie which killeth them in peoples tribes tongues and nations is not a building of houses but a building of policie So the two be not two men but two companies and the dwellers in earth would not reioyce and send giftes one to another as Iewes against Haman in Ester for two but for the companies of two sorts rare wightes full of eyes 24. Bishops and the troupes that give glorie to God and the Lambe and pray onely to the Lambe the great God and Saviour these in all nations where the king of Locustes tyranny reacheth are the two Prophets who vexe them whose mindes dwell on earth and cannot see the heavenly policy of Christ In that sense after three dayes an half spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood vp and feare fel vpon their enemies and they heard a great voice from heavē saying vnto them come vp hither and they ascēded vnto heaven in a cloud and their enemies saw it Iohns vision went vpon two and vpon one city one beast But Romes policy the king of pit keyes with his Locustes and the states that write and fight against them must be meant of whom when one is dead an other is alive iump in the same veine as though it were the same man and their enemies see they goe vp to heaven and the beast which is ascended out of Abyssos that is all his corporatiō millions of millions these visions represent corporations and vnder one millions of men be told all Papistes goe from their Abyssos of black ignorance vnto Abyssos Luke 8. and Zohar vpon Genes 1. 2. whither the Divels shall come in their time but are yet in this world to be tormented for ever and ever After this teaching and fighting a great earthquake shaketh a tenth part of the king of Locusts city which crucified Christ and prayeth to the virgin Mary to commaund her sonne the Eternall God by the right of a mother as though she were mother to the godhead because shee was mother to the Person one of two natures And they are very wise who thinke the mother of God in schoole phrase can finde no better speculation in heaven then to listen to the Citie that crucified the Lord of glory Iscariot the traitour confessed his fault yet Christ gave him over to hang him selfe Rome that kild Christ after justifying him sinning so against the holy Ghost and sinning more then if they had kild all the men in the world yet is worse then Iscariot and wil not cōfesse sin but clayme right to rule the world because once they durst crucifie the maker of the world and pray to the Virgin Marie to forgive the Popes holynes the Vicar of Pilate In Elias 7000. bowed not the knee to Baal and live In this Citie 7000. that bow the knee to Baal dye are kild in vision 7000. in storie seaventie millions of thousandes with this 120. yeares of the Gospell revived And full many give glory to God and leave the virgin Mary alone to be happy as other faithfull Bathshebagh Ruth Thamar and Sarah al her mothers and who more in sin yet stayed vpō her sonne who was then in their loynes Thus the second woe is past The Popes fall the seaventh trumpet of common place Since Kingdomes match the Pope in strength and have brought him that he dare not queck but be content to hold his owne An open voice is in kingdomes that whereas the Pope hath been once cast out and now God reigneth wee looke for no chaunge till the resurrection at 6000. by old guesse Hence at 463. For our Lord was borne at 3927. adde 1610. then now Adams soule and dust hath 55 37. at 463. the gesse will shew it self At 3000. the Arke was brought into Salomons Temple at 4000. exactly the Romanes destroyed Zerobabels temple And as the Pope falleth by steppes as he
of incense and in his golden Mediation receyuing the prayers of the holy that with his incense they come before God so he sitteth a sacrificer for euer figured in Sem described as God without father without mother without beginning of dayes without ende of life witnessed in Moses description that he liueth for euer a King of Iustice and a King of peace so S. Paul to Scribes after their owne manner yet extant in Zohar and Menachem and others describeth his Vicar Sem the great as Rabbins terme him to haue figured the Redeemer to the world now of Noahs house The SON thus knowen in our Sonne How the old Testament came turned into wormewood Of the age before the flood God said I repent me that I made man therefore water tooke their bodies prison aeternall their spirits The tower-masons making Gods of starrs in contempt of SEM the high sacrificer and prating daylie against his faith were cut off froÌ„ Sems tongue to let it alone and in Babels captiuitie ended it from commune vse and soone after Daniels age from speach of all but schole learned But Moses by Sabbath reading was some what knowen to the people Besides God made Sems tongue so hard that a mans whole life will hardly catch it and left no authors of it but Sems prophets to make vs search how rare wordes in them open themselues and they vsed but once by the argument So Sems tongue is an hid pearle of it Iob cost me more paines alone then all Greeks who now coÌ„meth to open iudgemeÌ„t Churches had no Hebrew Rabbins for graÌ„mer of yer neare 1000. nor graÌ„mars or dictionaries Origen did put forth Ebrew in Ebrew letters and spell'd in Greeke much cited in Epiphanius with six Greeke translations The 70. hid their minde much specially in 3600. yeres alteration of liues from Moses truth as thus Adam liued 230. yeares and begate Seth. And afterwardes 700. for 130. in Moses and 800. our notes say Moses omitted 100. y. before Seths birth they may as well say he gaue 100. too many afterwardes and so in 3600. yeres Yet though Arabique were neare Hebrew and Aethiopian they translate the 70. And not the Ebrew and Greekes with Muscouia follow them But if Princes had allowed in euery land so big as Canaan 42. great Cities for Hebricians only they had beene Ezdrae for readinesse in the Law and had beene Atlantes to beare vp heauen God saw that his justice could chose but few and of eternitie did set many to anger and therefore gaue not Princes that iudgement nor to scholars one of a thousand millions a minde to such hard paines but to be such monachos as Nazianzenus taunteth giuen all to feed them selues and to enuie all paines and Athanasius Gregorie and his deare brother Basil felt for the holy Trinitie And West Monachos rested in Ierome for text and in S. Augustin for explication Of the New Testament The New Testament penned in Greeke by the H. Spirit is to be esteemed in Greeke better then all the world can euer conceiue Part I hope to vtter but conceiue more The preparation to bring Greeke ouer the world must heere be knowen To Iapheths Iauan God left it and spread his race from Cilicia ouer the West that Bardi Caesar CoÌ„ in France and our Cambria kept Greeke Philosophi And when God meant in open action to end by Babel Sems tongue which he kept in Canaan 500. yeares that Babilons coÌ„fusion hurt not the Kings house but the Chananean dialects twelue came neare his when God would end this tongue in holy Daniels age when hee had shewed the strict yeare and Pascha day of Christ his Pascha who being the first from the dead would shew light vnto the world And Aggei Zacharie and Esdras Malachi had commented vpon holy Gabriels oration when God would haue no more Diuinitie written all being spoken that could bee told he sheweth a miraculous prouidence to fiâ—t the Greeke tongue to the Gospell by Athenes and all Grecia Pisistratus of holy Iosiahs time brought noble Homers wit into more reuerence then Monkes the holy Gospell that children should learne him euery whit without booke and parted him twice in Iliade Odissea into Alpha Beta c. As the vnknowen God dealt Psal 25. 34. 37. 111. 112. 119. 8 tymes 145. Pro. 31. Lamen 6. tymes And Aristarchus made a commeÌ„tarie vpon his hard wordes so that S. Peter by Gods reuelatioÌ„ vseth his noble phrase and him not Eustathius I cited though Bil. and Bar. would win spurres to prick their owne sides Didimus elder then S. Peter kept Aristarchus remnants and froÌ„ Didimos not from Eustathius I brought Aristarchus and Homer whom I am sure S. Peter neuer read but the holy Ghost read him and led Peter This honor to Homer set on Solon to write senteÌ„ces and Theognes Phocillides Minermus that ciuill groundes were made pleasant in braue Greeke to make all eloquent in speach Then arise tragiques Aeschylus an Heroique equall to Homer or old Corinnos of Troyes age and P Alamedes scholar who in other warres gaue Homer his timber Euripides the painter of mans lot and Lyriques rare and Commediques as witty Aristophanes Phisitians Historiques from Hesters age Hellanicus and Herodotus and Plato and Aristotle and tenn Oratores and Theopompus innumerable of all sortes while Iuda was in Babilon and vnder Persian taught Dan. 10. that soone they should bee vnder Grecia till Christ came in some parte and therefore they taught their children Greek that the 70. flaunted in store setting 80. seuerall Greek sometime to one Hebrew tree as to Shub 70. 60. 50. 40. 30. 20. 10. and so to very many Now Macedonians of Selleucus Nicatores people being in 72. Kingdomes East and North were forced to knowe Greeke and by the Ptolomies South learned Greek and the Iewes scattred by them brought the 70. ouer all and mention of Moses So before our Lordes redemption tyme all nations as Tully for Archi saith knew Greek when Latin was kept in a narrow compasse And thus a fundation was laid for elegant timber to the N. Testament The Iewes note in Ierusalemi Megila that Noah prophecied how Sems house should bring Iapheth to faith in the tongue of Iauan the Greeke And Midras Rabba citeth the same and in Megilah theysay that no tongue but Greeke can giue Hebrew fitt termes Christians should vrge their owne testimonie that as a Tribe failed not from Iuda till Messiah came so all nations then spake Greek but not many ages after that And as Abben Ezra confesseth vpon Dan. 9. that the 70. seauens are 490. yeres from Daniels prayer to sealing of Messias the holy of holy wherein not one of a hundreth thousand millions speaketh so truely for our victorie as the sharpest enimy doth So Ierusalemi should haue confessed that the fishers of Gallile were to write in Greeke from Ierusalem after 490. yeres And before it should be destroyed as we see Actor 15. Of the
Talmudiques in description maketh a figure of the eternall wight He as Aharon went through the veile of his flesh into the holy from the Altar of the Crosse and performed all measures of justice That is heere taught by measure with a line of Temple and Altar Matters visible were to expresse the inuisible So Christ telleth that he is the Temple saying Destroy this Temple and I will build it againe in three dayes This Law Ye shall reuerence my Tabernacle Leuit. chap. 19. 30. and 26. 2. Commaunded to reuerence infinitly the Tabernacle of Christ And Ben Arama noteth truely vppon Exod. Port. 52. That God soone did cast off Moses Tabernacle and Salomons Temple to shew that he would rest in the Tabernacle or temple of Christ Now the Iewes to make Christ Aharon and Melchitzedek make this death that Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will build it vp againe The highest grace for life the slaues of Sathan turne to death whereupon they were neither forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come Profane states bee commonly forgiuen in this world as the Epicure Luc. chap. 16. though in the world of soules they parch for euer but the Iewes sinning against the light of the holy Spirite and grace of saluation perish openly in this world surer of eternal woe in Haides the world of soules in which Abraham in Haides in the kingdome of heauen will tell them that they are not his sonnes For he in Izhak receiued from death saw the resurrection of Christ and reioyced But the Iewes gaue money to Souldiours to haue the resurrection of CHRIST denied Of measuring the faithfull The Curtaines in Moses Tabernacle were made fitt for the number and the number of men aged twentie and aboue was thus the sonnes of REVBEN 1. 46500. 151450. SOVTH Summa totalis 603550. Simeon 2. 59300. Gad. 3. 45650. IEHVDAH 4. 74600. 186400. EAST Issachar 5. 54400. Zabulon 6. 57400. EPHRAIM 7. 40500. 108100. WEST Manasses 8. 32200. Beniamin 9. 35400. DAN 10. 62700. 157600. NORTH Aser 11. 41500. Nephtaly 12. 53400. Thus God in Num. 1. and 2. twise reckoned his chosen of the XII tribes besides Leui. And the Curtains were fitted to such a number So heere Iohns Doctrine shall teach a certaine number such as God hath chosen and no more the other will folow the God of this world A man by mans witt might maruaile why Princes would suffer such a deceiuer as the Pope to stand one yeere his doctrine being altogether against all light and each Prince being able to cast him from his territories But God hath chosen a few only and none can come to Christ vnlesse the Father draw him Of the Court within the Temple to be cast out in condemnation of Iudaisme Maymonides in Bethabechica or treatise of the Temple about 430. yeer agoe wrote how the Iewes yet look for returne to Ierusalem and to haue a temple like Ezekiels or Salomons For Ezekiels Saint Peter telleth Chap. 1. 2. Epist That euery Prophecie is not to be expounded properly because the holy men of God spake as they were caried by the spirit of God Now Dan. 9. telleth that the Iewes Temple should be vtterly destroyed and all sacrifice ended So by Daniell they should know that the Messias should be the building wherein God would delite as the very Iew Izhak Ben Arama noted aboue in Port. 52. Iohn preuenteth Iudaisme in shewing that this Temple hath no Leuites court to sacrifice nor separation for Israell But all be heere kings and sacrificers and their Court reacheth ouer all the Citie And old Iudaisme is now profanenesse A digression to compare the old Temple or Tabernacle with the spirituall The Temple of Salomon imitateth Moses Tabernacle and all Ierusalem within the walles the space within Israels curtaines as the Thalmud noteth Christ is the Temple Ioh. 3. High sacrificer Heb. 3. who went through the vaile of his flesh by his own blood into the Holy He is the Arke golden within and without and conteyning the Law grauen in him And all growen into Christ should haue the Law in their heart and looke for the crowne of the Law In the outer Tabernacle or Temple were the Candlestick of gold lightned with beaten pure oile by the high sacrificer and the table of xij loues set openly that had crowne worke and the Altar of incense couered with golde The Candlesticke the golden people beaten pure oile the spirit of grace that commeth by afflictions the kindler CHRIST him selfe Shem Tob the Iew commeth in words thus farr though he knew not God to be in Christ The Table expresseth the gouernor who prouideth bread for the xij Tribes the xij monethes And that paines findeth a crowne So King Ioseph feeding Israell held the xij Tribes in his Beryll on Aharons shoulders King Moses King Iesus King Samuel King David and King Salomon ware the Crowne for this Table The Altar of incense was proper to Aharons sonnes high Sacrificers and lower as Zacharie of Abia the eighth of 24. courses This worke had his crowne Now Christ is our Angell only to stande at the golden Altar that our prayer as incense may come before God In the court an altar was of sacrificing where daylie sacrifice the Pascha of flocke beast Kidd or Lambe a duetie to all and voluntarie Pascha of Oxe and Ram voluntaire and of two dayes feast Ioh. 18. were killed had their fatt brent on the altar and blood shed at the foote of the altar where pypes conueied it away Christ is our Lambe Oxe and Altar and when he ended sacrifice he gaue bread and wine which his Disciples did eate and drinke in tast like other bread and wine to be his body and blood for our soules Symbolon Typus Antitypus Icon in Greekes who durst not looke for a knot in a bulrush Of the holy Synagogues The Synagogues sauing in 48. Leuites townes vsually were of Israel no Leuite and they were Bishopps all the Ancient learned one Sergeant of the cōgregation he read the Law and the Archbishop requested the other in estieme to speak to the Law how all tended to MESSIAS So a sabbath dayes iourney would draw all the Law vnto Christ And all were holden wicked who being of wealth brought not vp their children frō 7. year in the law Their cōmentaries to this day in peecemeales agree with the marrow of the New Testam Abben Ezra is wōderful Dan. 9. speaking better for our maine battel thē any of ours Where he saith the 70. seauens are from the beginning of Daniels prayer vnto the sealing of Messias the holy of holy Our Acadamiques might be ashamed that a Iew in Rhodes now 500. year ago spake better thē they for our Gospel Zohar on Gen. 1. Elohim in these words Let vs make man may be likened to a father a mother of the work The father saith what wilt thou make man he will rebell and an ill
5. Mat. 8. Luc. 13. our Lord Ioh. 15. and 16. Luc. 23. Eb. 9. Of Purgatorie The impudencie of them which would establish Purgatorie is vnspeakable Moyses hath not one syllable that way therefore it can not be in religion They that wrote in Iudah for the Maccabees storie make but two states as resurrection to honor and shame from Dan. 12. Saint Paul professing difference from Scribes but in the incarnation and resurrection of Christ where they hold but Paradise and Gehenna concludeth that he helde no moe places for soules Where Saint Paul handleth a commune place of teachers what doctrine will abide sound what fire of iudgement will consume as stubble they that hence would haue soules fier out of this world little regard Paul He taught nothing but what Moses and the Prophetes taught But no Thalmudiques who best knew their tongue could finde a purgatorie in thē therefore Saint Paul taught it not Of the second of the Maccabees The second of the Maccabees doth the Pope must aestime chap. 12. for sacrifice for the dead but litle considereth the vilenesse of that booke Iewes would tell him that it was Hagada a fable made vpon phrases as where they sacrifice Ezr. 2. and no mention is of fire he feigneth a most ridiculous fable of fire hid by the sacrificers when they were caried to Persia forsooth not Babilon and found by their posteritie turned into a thicke water which when wood and sacrifice was brought Nehemias bade them annoint both with this water and the Sunne shone and kindled a great fire Who would not iudge this to be a most ridiculous fable By what witt could the sacrificers dreame of such matter that fire could be turned into water or by shun-shining kindled please God It must be kept vnquenched The whole consent of Iewes in the chaine of their Cabala saith fire from heauen kindled the sacrifice A man would thinke the whole Nation in a sensible matter should be of more credite then obscure Iason of Cyren Moreouer Zorobabel of Salathiel not Nehemias of Chilkia was gouernor at the returne But iesters vpon phrases in Iarchi make Cyrus and Artax all one because Cyrus end is not recorded So in Iarchi they make Zorobabel and Nehemias to be all one for memorie of phrase that Zorobabels remoning is not recorded They that cannot iudge betwixt a ridiculous fable and a sad storie are in great darknesse So the fable of Ieremias hiding the Tabernacle and the Arke and Altar of Incense in mount Choreb is not heard of in the Thalmud nor agreeable to reason And the Law of the eternall God not to regard Iewes fables heere taketh place and they bee lawlesse that breake that Law This much for the whole booke made one frō fiue of Iason of Cyren that little knew Moses or yet Ierusalems storie Of Iudahs sacrifice In Iudahs sacrifice the Writers speach doteth Iudah doubted not but that they slept in godlinesse Chapter 12. 45. And what foole euer spake so senselesse as this is if hee had not hoped for the resurrection it had beene in vaine to pray for the dead vers 44. Now what sense can bee in that speach that sacrifice should helpe the resurrection The storie durst not touch any ease to the soule for that had strouen with all Talmudiques Maymony sheweth they offred for the dead the heir did in Siphra Col. 31. But no otherwise then as paying a debt which the predecessor should haue payed heere And that when they doubted not of the others saluation but honouring him in paying that which the other should haue payde And Iason of Cyren harped at such a string but could not bring his minde about Now the Popes Purgatorie is holpen nothing hence from a trifling booke and sencelesse speach and wrested beyond all religion of the Iewes Epilogue As the two Prophetes were seene called vp into heauen in vision so all faithfull soules by scripture trueth are to be seene called hence into the ioy of Christ What the Greeke Fathers thought of Purgatorie The Greeke Fathers should bee thought to vnderstand the Greeke Testament better then Latin and none of them could finde Purgatorie there but grant all holy a passage hence to the Kinglie Palaces some staggered at the speach Ebr. chap. xj They without vs were not perfected Saint Paul in all that heauenly Epistle disputeth of the Gospell perfection to the Law and of perfection of Doctrine in this world and he had shewed in the same Chapter That the Fathers desired the heauenly Citie God prepared that for them so they who denie the Fathers perfection by S. Paul marke him not well Basill did once vpon Psal 49. but called himselfe backe vpon Psal 15. and often And Chrysostome who seemed to stagger placed Lazarus and Abraham in the kingdome of heauen 2. Corinth homil 6. Mat. 8. Luc. cap. 13. and the principall Diuines in Theophyl vpon Luc. chap. 23. and vpon the Psalmes and in Photius Librarie Philo in Greekes and Iosephus I haue cited and Azarias who turned into Ebrew Philoes wordes And the Greekes bee greatly iniuried when Limbus Patrum is fastened vpon them Hegesippus and others that wrote the Maccabees martyrdome doubted not but that they went hence to saluation Dan. 12. And it had beene an infinite disgrace to our Greeke Doctores if they could not see so much by the New Testament Now let vs returne to the text And at that houre there was a great earth quake and a tenth part of the Citie fell and there were killed by the earth quake 7000. persons of men and the rest were afraid and gaue glorie to the God of heauen When the Popes persequution came to ripenesse then Princes by warres shake him off as in Germany Englande Zwitzerland and Netherland And Christ heere roareth like a Lion and the 7. thunders tell the thunder of his power In Venice he is now a mockage and hath but Spaine to his strength Queene Maries persequutiō is now turned against the Pope and his stirring Irish to rebell vndid Ireland And now his men the chiefest in learning sticke litle to him and speake to his ouerthrow not much lesse then we doe And now the Dukedome of Cleaue will make him weake in Germanie If Geneueans would leaue their Gehēnean torment and our side prophecie soūdly we should weakē him more by learning then by strength of speare seeing the best learned of his owne side labor for vs as Arias Montanus hath done in much about Plantines great Bible the best learned Papistes reioyce to see Daniel his 7. fold comfort of Nathans house and the certen yere of the Lordes supper to haue no more the body and blood of a Lambe his body and bloud of Couenant but Bread Wine to shew that no more flesh bloud may bee in sacrifice In Ebrew Greek Latin they saw Iewes request answered and were very thankfull in speach and letters and shew that now they would soone cast off the king of
locusts if they might haue good maintenance to hold vp better truth and liberall artes that serue trueths honor Of the third woe and last Trumpet The second woe is past behold the third woe commeth And the seuenth Angell sounded the Trumpet and there were great voices in the heauen saying the Kingdomes of the world are now of our God and his Christ And he shall reigne for euer and euer Where the kingdome of the beast Abyssigena bred from the Pit is gone all the Church proclame that CHRIST will haue no more alterations vntill he shew heauen to all his So the speach passeth to the worlds end The Prophets communely passe ouer matters of cōmon state as needlesse to be handled specially and stepp from one thing of plague presently to Messiahs kingdome as notably in Hosea after mention of Israels scattring the kingdom of Messias is ioyned So wen Esay had spoken of Babels fall after Sanecheribs then he steppeth thence to CHRIST his preaching By the voice of a crier in the wildernesse So Daniel telleth of his kingdomes their comming vp their vrging of Idolatrie their chastisement their ouerthrow omitting matters of ordinarie course where the present age would looke to it selfe So Apoca. 6. handleth the prophane Caesares and thence omitteth the Churches sliding away till it come to an absolute fall And then telleth of tyranny and after tyrannies end steppeth to the worldes end The third woe is the plague of the enimies by Kings of good religion continually vnto the end The summe of the Bible Great voices expresse the voice of whole nations and the Kingdome of God Christ the matter of all the Bible Adam had that theme to preach 930. yeares Sem the great by S. Paul and Gamalies likened to the eternal author of iustice peace figured this matter and confirmed Abraham in this 75. year reioyced in Elam troden downe by Abraham And all the large writings breathed by the holy Trinitie teach no other matter but this and punishments for contempt of this and nothing should be suffred in the Church but to this summe In the prayer which our Lord prescribed for a cōmon forme to the whole Congregation this conteyneth all Thy Kingdome come thy will be done on earth as it is in heauen So when Iohn Baptist opened the kingdome of Christ when the Leuiticall policie was to cease and all nations should serue God by Lawes writtē in the heart Rom. 2. Ier. 31. Then the kingdome of heauen is said to come when men humble themselues to receiue the iustice of Christ and to be clothed with the SVN The fulnesse of kingdome cōmeth when the holy soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leaueth this world goeth to God and there reigneth for euer and seeth the Locusts pitt-bred in Haides torment fryed in fire for euer and euer The pitt-bred beasts had sunne and aire much darkened when they knew not whether mans soule ascendeth or descendeth and whither the holy goeth to heauen or to hell This saying Caterchesthaeis haidon is neither more nor lesse then to goe to God when the godly haue a light place of ioye and the godlesse a darke place of torment And this exposition cutteth off at the least fifteene bad opinions direct bad for this article by consequents fifteene score The Kingdome heere spoken off is termed Haides in the Creede and wee may not put Hell for Heauen nor descending for going to God Purgatorie falleth when Haides hath but two partes Heauen and Hell and with it all Poperie Satan entred into many vnthankefull Caytifes that could not suffer the holy soules going into the kingdome to be most eloquentlie spoken in the Greeke Creede if they descend not to Hell as our Lord did in the Creede they shall ascend vp and before Gods throne haue an hell for euer and euer And the 24. Elders which sate on their thrones before God fell vpon their faces and worshipped God saying Wee praise thee O Eternall who is and who was and who will bee that thou takest vpon thee thy great power and doest reigne As the Nations haue kept a stirre thine anger is come and the tyme of the dead to be iudged and to giue rewardes to thy seruants the Prophetes and to the holy and to such as feare thy name The Elders be the Gouernors of Gods people in all offices specially in sage vsage of Scripture on assembly dayes all learned in the scriptures and able to giue faithfull exhortatiō out of it and all borne in wealth are brought vp amisse that are not gronuded in yong yeares to read with delite in the holy Booke Albion seeth who hath opened that way and faithlesse Iewes cōfesse though Atheā pāches for enuy burst These haue thrones before God not Buyshops and Archbuyshops of Papists But chosen of the holy congregation to teach what God telleth but as Moses gaue no commandement of his owne head nor Christ in the flesh but as he taught in Moses so these speake all frō scripture few wordes by old playne warrant and yet in few lines shake of all poperie all errores In number they be 24. as knowing the XII tribes story how the tribe should not depart from Iudah till his childe came and how the XII Apostles gathered the XII tribes to make them the foundation of the heauenly Ierusalem These are not many but 24. yet a resonable good number Many nobles in Albion and others that liue by their owne reuenues studie the Bible with as good dexterity as any feed-men and know it better then some after 42000. Brabant Gilders charges againe 40000 crownes charges such be humble and know Iehouah who is who was who will bee still the same to rule all ages to one summe of saluation in Christ how in him GOD was manifested in the flesh and taken vp in glory and the saluation of all ages Enosh age the flood Babel Ieroboam felt the price of despising this life And after the great saluation begun by the Lord himselfe to be spoken and confirmed by his hearers with all guiftes of the spirit for contempt the world was soone giuen ouer to Arius Pope and Turke yet God sealed a few and at length placeth them in open kingdomes to be seene though stil the greater part in open policy careth but for this life as in Salomons dayes all were of great shew but soone after his death Ephraim turned all but Iuda to worship calues not God So great Constantinus holpe Christians but few of his men cared for God So heere Popes Idols murder of the saincts cause God to shake him to dust as he shoke the Macedonians after Antiochus Epiphanes persequution That the Iewes receiued their owne kingdome vnder the Maccabees and that meanes the psalmes 97. and 99. and others about them howe the power of Christ breaketh Idoll kingdomes that God should take the protection of all into his owne handes So heere Elders shewe Popes strength cast of that others be so
sin should arise Both be heere in one dragon which the profane Caesares and the Popes can not perceiue They who be of the heauenly state they all do see the Dragon is the Diuill or accusar of God the great is the Diuells power by Rome the ruddy bloodie persecution His seauen heades are seauē states of Rome ouer THE FAITHFVL as the Iewes knew their story full well Pompei by Rome was an Emperour in the East But perished neere in the land of Cham. So in Iudah M. Crassus was after him armed ouer Iudah as a King for Rome who robbed the Temple of Salem of Abrahams house but at Abrahams Charan he and his army had a most famous destruction Iulius Caesar made Cleopatra Lady of Iudah who perished in Capitolio for that Brutus Cassius force after was a King for Rome They by Antoni perish Antoni hath the East and marieth Cleopatra and ruleth Iuda and both perish So fiue diademes of the Dragon perish The 6. state is the wholle power which crucified Christ and his members till our Helenaes sonne left Rome and New Troy to be a pillage to Alaricus Giezerichus Theodoricus Totilas for old persecuting of martyrs The seuenth is the Popes wealth getting landes by S. Peters forged supremacy and setting vp the Empire in the West These be the seauen diademes spoken to the Iewes plaine vnderstanding Heathen stories may fitt Romes 7. other states The more fall out fitt as often many do to one speach the more Rome that crucified Christ is condemned when GOD turneth continuall reuolution to haue Rome called into minde Moreouer the allusion is to Daniels foure beastes which had 7. heades The Lion one the Beare one the Leopard foure the fourth beast one The Roman state winning all those contreyes of the East are fitly noted by their armes And specially by the then hornes The Seleucidae by fiue kinges vexed Iudah by warres against Lagidae and Lagidae by so many againe wasted Iuda So that Greeke beast in one parted Kingdome had 10. hornes From that beast the Roman beast hath also ten Kingdomes at the least and vnder Augustus and vnder the Pope rekoned to that number Strabo 17. Steuch contra Vallum Lib. 2. so these matters be all most plaine Of the tayle The prophane Caesares persecution moued few Christians the starres of heauen to fall But the taile of the Empire the false prophet that speaketh lies he as Antiochus Daniel 8. maketh many fall from heauen praetending religion with much praetense and no substance The combat of the Roman Empire with the Church And the Dragon stood before the woman beeing in trauaile that when she bore her childe he might deuour it And she bare a manly sonne which will rule all nations with a sceptre of yron And the child was taken vp to God and to his throne The allusion is from the dayes of Christ borne in Bethleem when Satan by Herodes swords would haue deuoured him but his mother fled with him to Egypt after that Satā hoped to deuour him in the graue he was taken vp into heauē so when Christians soules trauailed to breed Christ the Emperors stormed to deuour that doctrine as Dauid told Ps 2. But they brought forth into the light of the world the SON would bruse all nation-with an yron sceptre as he did bruse the image in Daniel And shewed that his throne is in heauen being taken vp vnto the aeternall King And the Christians fled into the wildernesse as CHRIST did in the tyme of his preaching or halfe seauen Dan. 9. and often handled in the Gospell in Eusebius handled and of Beda who cited the Apoc. allusions M. Scaliger and others that make mo yeares of our Lordes preaching spent ill good houres All tyme of affliction is sweetly termed by our Lords affliction to be as his of dayes 1260. though it were of 300. yer vnder Caesares resistance and 600. vnder Popes enimies to Iohns Apocalyps The speach is full of comfort calling vs vnto the afflictions of Christ himselfe who reckoned all his owne dayes and will haue all our teares in his bottle and pay all dogges and Doegs for Cerberean barking A Commentary vpon the former vision And there was warre in heauen MICHAEL and his Angells made warre with the Dragon and the Dragon and his Angells made warre but held not strength neither was there place found any more for them in the heauen And the great Dragon the old Serpent called the Diuell and Satan who deceiueth the wholle world he was cast out againe I say he was cast and his Angels were cast with him into the earth The state of the faithfull heere is sweetly called hēauen to shew our certeinty of hope for the propre heauen as the word of Law and Gospell is as sure to vs as if we saw the third heauen that aboue the ayer and aboue the starres as S. Paul did at his first calling to a comfort against all his following afflictions so the holy Daniel that in one image made abridge from the end of the old Testament vnto the beginning of the new called the state after abrogation of Moises the Kingome of heauen Iohn Baptist doth begin with his tongue The kinddome of heauen is come And the aeternall WORLD the essentiall WORDE who spake and all was made he confirmeth the same speach to shew that Daniels Image was ended and the GOD of heauen setteth vp a kingdome that cannot be corrupted The obseruation of this speach had kept Daniel in a cleare meaning and not brought the West Empire of Christians for East Greeke Seleuco-Lagides athean Nor tymes after Christ for stories teaching when he would come The termes of the Bible be pearles still beate vpon the open story for noblest matters So Saint Paul Ebrew XI speaking of the Maccabees martyrs famous in the Talmudiques and after his dayes historied by Greeke Iewes saith from Daniels last speaches of double resurrection That they would not be deliuered because they looked for the better resurrection So he sheweth that Antiochus persequutions were the last mentioned in Daniel The Romans hindred not the Iewes holy religion till by the Pharisees they vexed our Lord himselfe when he opened the kingdom of heauen dayes 1260. They who without knowledge of Daniel would know the Gospel are as men that would goe from one Land to another parted by great waters without a shipp All that care for the kingdome of heauen will care for him And my paines in a third commentary an English a Latin a shorter in English came forth by my care and charges By the third milliones of our simple might haue knowen the Prophets whole heart But that Bargulus Illyricus would cast him into the Lions den If Lions rent not his bones I will commende him to the God of Daniel and the firy flames streaming from his throne for his fighting for the dragon against MICAEL and his Angells Of MICAEL Michael and Gabriel are the only holy
Seleucolaegidae in ten hornes fiue of each side vexing Iuda But there were tenne particular Kinges heere Kingdomes noted by a crowne vpon euery horne Now exactly fiue Seleucidae are not notable but fiue Lagidae bee So for the strict number God would not haue all the world vexed in men not worthy strict regard of storie But aboueX Kinges of old Kingdomes now be noted And Strabo lib. 17. noteth that Augustus diuided all Proconsulships into X. And Steuchus against Vallu diuideth the Popes in the same sort As I haue in Con. Scr. shewed The color of Leopard is from Alexander Beares foote from Paras Lions mouth from Babell Hornes color feete mouth meane all tyranny demeanour course lawes alike As Babel deified the Image Dan. 2. Paras their King Alexander would bee a God And Antiochus would haue Iupiter Olympius So the Caesares would still be Diui And termed the Christians Atheists as when martyrs were moued to abiure Christ this was the recantation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is away with the Atheists As a speach vnto Caesar to hold Christians Atheists and to request their destruction Eus Eccl. Histor In this sort the Caesar hath a name of blasphemy holding Gods seruants whose conuersation is in heauen to be not Gods seruants but wicked men as the text will shew anon And the beast which I saw was like a Leopard and his feete as a Beares and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion the Dragon gaue him his owne power and his owne throne and great auctoritie Heere we see why Satan bare armes from the Romanes armes Euen because Satans autority was executed by them The god of this world had such auctority giuen to trye the elect that the Gospell might be knowne to be hid to none but to whom the God of this world blinded vnderstanding This farre reacheth the profane Empire which our great Constanstine made dead when he left old Rome and made Bizantiū new Rome By the death of one head the exposition following sheweth the whole beast once dead Pompei with Romes force oppressed Gods people there Iuda felt one head and he perished in Aegypt M. Grassus with Romes army made another head and robbed the Temple of Abrahams sonnes who came from Charran or Carrae At Carrae the Parthians ouerthrew his whole army to the aeternall shame of the Empire Iulius Caesar tamed Aegypt and disposed Cleopatraes Gouernement to haue Iudae vnder a toe of that legge a third head he was kild in the Senate house Brutus Cassius the chiefest of his murtherers their Romane host oppressed Iuda and they made a fourth head Antonius he with the Romane force being made a mighty King in the East maried Cleopatra and made Herod for Her King of Iuda that Daniels Image might haue some remembrance till Christ came He as Pompei perished in Aegypt a fift head Then came the state of Rome to one Person and so continued one head from Augustus vnto great Constantine And in that head when he left cursed Rome the beast there was dead So the sixt head had beene and was not and yet was restored to be a seauenth head and the Pope is in that head with all his power and also will be a seuerall power aboue all and make also an eight head chap. 17. That is heere once told And I saw one of his heades as slaine vnto death and his deadly stroke was healed that admiration was through the whole earth after the beast they worshipped the Dragon which gaue his power vnto the beast and they worshipped the beast saying who is like to the beast Who can warre with him And a mouth was giuen him speaking great thinges and blasphemies and auctority was giuen him to be doing 42. moneths and he opened his mouth to blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his Tabernacle and them whose Tabernacle is in heauen And it was giuen him to make warres with the sainctes and to ouercome them And power was giuen him ouer euery tribe tongue and nation That all who dwell in the earth should worship him they whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb which was slaine fromt the beginning of the world Heere the tyrannie of the profane Caesares caried by the spirite of Diuell is fully described well knowen by Diuus Nero Diuus Domitian and the rest of Diui or Diuels vnto Diocletian That Christians reading this might looke for such troubles as the holy in Daniel susteined This needeth no exposition but it selfe expoundeth chap. 12. for the vpper part of the Dragon And as Dan. 7. God sate vpon a fiery throne shewing a reueng vpon all the afflicters of his people So Apoc. 6. warre bloody black and pale and a gulfe of a graue was opened shewing how the Caesares warred and perished miserably 300. year with their great armies The Romane stories tell all most plentifully and Rome after their destruction felt it by Alaricus in Zozimus by Giezricke in the Eccles story from Lybia a new Hanniball by Theodoricus Totilas THAT AS STEVCHVS CONFESSETH ROME HAD BEENE MADE A MOST FILTHY LODGE OF OXEN AND HOGGES BVT FOR THE POPES Now the Caesares punishment followeth with a seuere taunt of dulnesse to them that will not marke stately speaches From Mat. 13. and Apoc. 2. and 3. If any man haue an eare let him heare Hee that carieth captiuitie shall goe into captiuitie Abb. 1. 2. for the Chaldean if any kill with sword hee shall bee killed with sword Gen. 9. When Antiochus the vile slew Iewes faithfull to God had affinitie with Egypt God plagued both houses more notablie then any families that euer were before Heathen did note it though they knew not that they made a cōmentary to make Daniel a most cleare booke so Aurelus Victor commonly read with Iustine in Grammar scholes sheweth howe the Caesares were plagued to the astonishment of the world since Rome crucifyed the Lord of Glory And Herodian handleth an Iliad of their plagues for 70. yer how the Emperores were so vile as dogges Sozimus sheweth litle better successe And before our Lordes dayes in the fleshe when their Empire made an head ouer Iuda Pompei Crassus Iulius Brutus Antonius and their Ciuill warres were wonders of misery And Plini recordeth what miseries made Augustus weary of his life full often These rules should be a bridle for Buyshopps of Rome and all of their Caius Heere is the faith and constancie of the holy Our gratious aeternall Spirite here meeteth with the weak that they should not iudge of Gods fauor by prosperitie in this world From Cain to Tuualcain or heathen smith Vulcain the wicked bare sway Which Spirite went and preached in the dayes of Noe to them that are now Spirits in Prison Nemrod the Rebel had first dominion and Niniueh and Babel at the last Nemrods house and in Dan. 11. 35. and 12. 10. the faithfull are told what God meant to let wicked Magog so afflict his
place gainesaid This sheweth that Peter was neuer at Rome And Saint Pauls iourney telleth Rome that God hated them If he had not beene sought to bee killed Lysias had not sent him to Caesarea and if the Iewes had not againe there sought to haue killed him hee had not appealed to Caesar God would not that hee should come to Rome but vpon extreamities So the iourney thither shewed that Christ hated the Citie that crucified him was strange in calamities and Paul was brought thither as a prisoner and kept in prison though somewhat free CHAPTER XIIII And I saw and behold a Lambe stood vpon mount Syon and an hundred fourty foure thousand were with him hauing the name of their father written in their forehead THEY which were called afore two Prophets are now 144000. hauing the name of God written in their forehead the same number is said before to be sealed ch 7. by a speach from Ezekiel ch 9. 4. There in the 70. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the terme of chap. 13. in Kimchy a signe or writing S. Paul expoundeth the speach that God will make them knowen who be his that they who professe the name of God shall depart from wickednesse So they who haue Gods name are made knowen who bee his and expound his word and follow trueth of worship due to him bearing a marke in open profession as sacrificers such as Aharon had In this sort the holy Church still had some nūber to professe the summe of saluation though on mount Sion a small hill for the mountaines of the world not one to a million of ADONIKAM and his Children of three fold as storie 666. that number chap. 13. to beare the number of his name was vsed for any number of Apostatique profession So heere the 144000. twelue tymes twelue is vsed for any Company that trusteth in Christ as the Patriarches did And I heard a voice out of heauen as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harpes and they sing as it were a new song before the throne and before the foure liuely wightes and the Elders The heauen commonly in this booke is the Church waters voice is continuall so heere continuall singing is meant harpes signifie song with agreement the new song is for mans praeseruation euery day The foure wightes are the rare as Daniel Ananias Azarias and Misael and all the Euangelistes and S. Paul full of courage of Lions so were all the Apostles of rare patience ready to be sacrificed euery day and they were the true Philosophers thinking what should befall them after death and they were the Eagles of high flight sight The Elders are the Bishops or Teachers the sage in gouernement and skill in the holy Hebrew and Greek Testaments The song none could vnderstand but the 144000. as no Papist soundly thinketh of all things made for Gods glorie in Christ and how by him wholy iustice commeth and he onely must be worshipped When this is told them they are like vnto men that dreame and know not who they are that are bought from the earth not what their religion meaneth Thereupon it is written And none could vnderstand the song but the hundred fourty and foure thousand which were bought from the earth What this songe was Through the whole scripture this song is one and the same that IEHOVAH our GOD IEHOVAH is ONE The FATHER the SON the Holy Spirite be one Coaeternall and Coessentiall the SON is called the WORD by the WORD the Father made the World and by the Spirite beautified the heauens And because the WORD would become flesh the World was made to serue once Adam the first The Angells that grudged at that fell for euer and deceiued Adam and made him dead in sin and brought him to be turning dayly to dust vntill he dyed and for him the whole frame of the Creature was pronunced corrupt But he belieued that Christ made of a woman made vnder the Law God being in him to reconcile the World to himselfe should giue Adams soule iustice by faith should raise vp his Bodie and make a new World by his power whereby hee can subdue all things to himselfe This is the summe of the song tolde through all Bookes of the Bible A Digression to shew the Concent of all the holy Bookes Geneses sheweth how by the WORD of IEHOVAH the heauens were made and all the settled army of them by the Spirite of his mouth and when man fell the WORD telling that to destroy the workes of Satan he would be made flesh and haue a Tabernacle in vs. In which point the Fathers faith vnto the charge of Iosephs bones to bee caried vnto the Land wherein our Lordes resurrection should be a Testimony of a new World taught by Ioseph in his bones long after his death By faith he taught by his dead bones of the new world and therein Geneses end hath a new Geneses All simple should learne CHRIST from the Gospell of Geneses wher 's his Godhead so familiarly delited in the holy Prov. 8. and shewed in appearances that he would be man All yong men brought vp to be Bishops of the Kings armies or Church would reioyce to haue learned Geneses in Ebrew by heart In old age they should gather the fruit Obiection of them that are not bought from the earth S. Ierome saith Iewes read not the three first chapters of Geneses till they be 30. yeeres old Answere None should cite Ierome to make him a foole or to win the Whetstone Maymony in Morch Nebuchim hath this sentence that none did Darash read as a Doctor expoundeth Genes 1. and 2. and 3. and Ezech. 1. before he was aged 30. So S. Ierom meant Iewes all teach their Children from seauen to read all Moyses It were better that Rome were with Helice and Bura then Popes should be suffred so to bring most wickedly the word of life into a deadly hatred Of Iob. Iob is a booke for all holy to take notice of for instructing their families in the knowlede of Christ which Abraham carefully did as God testifieth the comfort of it their posterity shall finde as the booke setteth forth the faith and loue the effects of the Gospell 1. Thes 1. of his posterity euen before the Lawe was giuen to shewe that the godly had alwaies the Law written in their hearts 2. Cor. 3. Ier. 32. Rom. 2. Iob is a patron to all the faithfull in prosperitie for loue compassion iustice and equity c. in his afflictions his faith and hope in the Redeemer the seed promised whom he knew would take our nature vpon him to dy for him and by his Godhead rayse himselfe from death and that by his resurrection he should be raysed in the last day be made like his glorious body and that he euer liued to make intercession for him these thinges were his comfort in his greatest
kinges without all color of warrant from God shew himselfe in the temple of God as if he were God beeing in all policie sinfull and blaspeming true teachers so he must needes be hated of Princes that euery one will draw from him all that they can That is to eate the flesh of the Idolatrous towne and burning it in the fire For God hath giuen it vnto their heartes to doe his minde and to doe one minde and to giue their kingdom to the beast vntill the wordes of God be brought about Because they did not receiue the loue of the trueth vnto right happinesse to studie the Lawes of God day and night God gaue thē ouer to a foolish minde to pull downe the East Empire and to set vp one in the West and to set the Synagogue of Rome aboue all to rule all Empire and Kingdomes And to this day that cursed blindnesse abideth in men that they thinke it a shame for a King to be learned or for Noble men True Kingdome standeth in knowledge of the kingdome of heauen and Princes of cunning education might know both Testaments in Greek and Hebrew and veine of storie in yong yeeres that their hearts might a thousand times in a day runne ouer the heauenly frame of Gods booke and see their Ancestors from Adam to Noë the pillars of the world Then the noble warrier Abraham King Moses King Iosuah King Samuel King David King Salomon and noble Daniel the mightiest subiect in the world and greatest warrior best learned And his noble Cousins that quenched the fire refusing Idols should haue taught nobles to haue in equal sort hated Babelish idolatrie of cursed Rome that crucified Christ and by the serpents biting pierced his footestepp and handes and would naile fast all feete and handes from walking in Gods wayes and working in his trueth What a shame is it for Kings that they know not the familie of David penned of purpose to make kings wise David Salomō both wise began the glorie Ioakim Ioachin both vnwise ended the glorie all betwixt are a glasse for Kings to see their owne case Againe the pompe of this world is eminēt in Daniels Image afflicting the holy house of Nathā but beatē to pouder for their paines that madnesse of Counsell is expressed in Nebuchadnezars open madnesse His open madnesse of seauen yeres was not so madd as the Persians or Alexander that made themselues Gods and the parted Macedonians are a patron of slauery to Satan Heere in one Image all Greek and Latin to Liuie is cōteyned and Kings might make their teachers to bring such stately matter into commune knowledge to make a Bridge from the fall of Salomons house vnto the setting vp of Nathans Nabuchadnezar honored Daniel to Iudahs good For chiefe heads of this matter Kings further called should further delite in this kinde So for the Image of the beast Apoc. 13. if Kinges had bene happy they had learned from storie what Iohn foretold but because they despised Gods exhortation to read the Booke God gaue it into their hearts to giue their kingdome to the beast if they would make their people learned in this Booke the flesh of the harlot should soone be eaten All true soldiers should be Doctores of Diuinity such all will conquer with small losse as Israel vnder Iosua which studied Moses 40. yer And Dauids Capteins by knowlede of Moses were mighty in battell Doctors in bare title the Popes and ours deserue so much reuerence as so many apes and all that put any trust in them are like vnto them Now commeth a plaine condemnation of Rome The woman which thou sawest is the great Citie which hath the Kingdome ouer the Kings of the earth All be past shame that see not Rome heere damned vnto the end of wrath CHAPTER XVIII The King is Angelus to cause the word to be sounded After this I saw an Angell comming downe from heauen hauing great auctority and the earth was lightned by his glorie and he cried mightily with a great voice saying BABYLON the great City is fallen is fallen and is become a dwelling of Diuells and a prison of euery vncleane spirit and a prison of euery vncleane and hatefull bird because she hath caused all nations to drinke of the wine of the anger of her fornication and the Kings of the earth committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth became rich by the might of her wealth c. THE like speach is in Ezekiel chap. 47. where the glorie of the Gospell shineth from Christ and waters of doctrine flow with life And the Angels glorie lightned the whole earth cha 10. taught this same matter where Iohn eateth the litle booke And Christ is the Angell he cōmeth downe when he setteth vp the light of his word by which hee shineth ouer the earth Though in vision sundry Angels expresse him And when Ierusalem is builded Babylon must needes fall and where the mighty Gospell is taught of millions there Christ speaketh with a great voice Anabaptistes be the chiefe helpe that the Papists haue to dispute that it is dangerous for the common people to medle with Gods word But a learned officer would with sagenesse soone teach them how they misse burning in fire the obstinat in haeresie Maymo in the treatise Chagigah Perek III. sheweth how the King should read the Law before the people in the feast of Tabernacles and in what sage reuerence A pulpit of wood was made for him in the court where all might come men and women and the synagogue keeper brought forth the booke of the Law gaue it to the Archisynagogue and he to Sagan of the Temple Strategos Act. chap. 4. 1. Chancelor we may terme him he to the high sacrificer and hee to the King and hee read Deuteronomie and of the King he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is The King is Angelus to cause the word of GOD to be sounded If the Iew could thus honor the Law and shew the Kings duty which Iew saw not the true glorie of it by the SON of GOD how much more should wee bring vp our Kings to honor the holy Gospell to read speciall places as the first of Saint Matthew of 1800. yer story and 3. Luke of 3957. or Act. 7. or 2. Thess 2. or some speciall place to stirre nobles a learned reading would be as good as a commentarie And chapters expounding one another and Psalmes might so be chosen that by bare reading great light would come So millions would say that Babylon the great is fallen and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Daemones be all one and Rome is a dwelling of Diuels and Cardinals bee vncleane spirits and Archbuy-shopps be vncleane and hatefull birdes and their keies be keies of the pit and their Idolatry making Peter the Rock against this THERE IS NO ROCK BVT THE ETERNALL had made the Kings of the earth madde in Idols from one error that
in the world now of 900. Chanaans sinne was growing to ripenes Amalek of 1000. came not to Amans pride as Israel bred not Sadducees of 1000. yer nor Rome gate rule to deceiue whole states of a thousand yeres Now the text will be cleare The Pope deceiued not generally till 1000. yerees And I saw thrones on which men sate and iudgement was giuen to them and the soules of them that were beheaded for the testimony of IESVS and for the word of God and which worshipped not the beast nor his Image nor tooke the marke in their forehead or vpon their hand but they liued and reigned with CHRIST the 1000. year The rest of the dead did not reuiue of the 1000. year This is the first resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection The second death hath no power ouer them but they shal be sacrificers of GOD and CHRIST and reigne with him a 1000. year Heere then be martyrs and holy for 1000. year But the starre-worme-wood and the darkened starres and the locusts they continued in profane heathen lot and the Diuels were in their pit helping them to sett him loose to vex the holy Church for the old Ierusalem which Christ pronunced that it should be Iebus or troden downe for euer And when the thousand yeres are finished Satan shall be let loose out of the Prison and shall goe foorth to deceiue the nations ouer the foure corners of the earth Gog and Magog togather them vnto warres whose nūber is as the sand of the sea The Pope to weaken Princes did set them on to recouer the holy land which God would haue to abide cursed that Iewes might see their sinne killing Christ this would the Pope haue recouered and Rome in a thousand yeeres could not learne this one chapter nor remember old Gog and Magog how the Pope now reuiueth that warre in my Concent I haue shewed the termes meaning Thence the Reader may fetch it The Iewes Ierusalem was holy but now the Christian Church is the beloued Citie and the tents of the holy which to besiege and weaken hee stirred this warres for desolate Ierusalem The Pope weakened the West in superstition prouoking to warre for as he termed it the holy Land And they ascended ouer the breadth of the earth and compassed the Tent of the holy and the beloued Citie All the strength of the West was deceiued by superstition to goe fight in the East for Antioch in the land of Magog and other soiles neere Ierusalem and all the force of Machmad from the East assembled and 200. yea the poore Church was afflicted that afterwards Popes might set Kings vp and down as they would And Machmad still since hath vexed the West and the king of Locusts now hath 300. yeares beeing a new Gog and Magog vexed the Church And a fire came downe from heauen and ate them vp As Satan dealth with Iobs sheepe he dealth with the Popes sheepe to eate them vp with fire Euen thence to the worlds end chap. 19. which matter is heere briefly repeated and in that which followeth The Pope is a Beast of Empire by his might And the Diuell which deceiued them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the Beast and false prophet and they shall be tormented day and night for euer and euer The Pope is a Beast of Empire by his might and so the eight is also the seauenth and hee with his Clergie is also the false prophet Heere Papists may see what shall become of them A liuely description of the latter Iudgement And I saw a great white throne and one sitting vpon it from whose presence the Earth and the Heauen fled and no place was found for them and I saw the dead small and great standing before God and bookes were opened All mens doings are in record before God as written in bookes the like speech is in Daniel chap. 7. And another Booke was opened which is of life and the dead were iudged by the things written in the bookes according to their workes All that put not on Christ are condemned for their works Now the sea had giuen vp her dead and death and the graue had giuen vp her dead And they were iudged euery one according to his workes and death and Haides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death Death and Haides are expounded in Arethas sensible Men which commit matter worthie of death destruction And if any were not found written in the booke of life hee was cast into the lake of fire This sheweth that only the chosen in Christ haue life euerlasting and what there companie is euen the heauenly Ierusalem in this world the chapters folowing doe shew And I saw a new heauen and a new earth for the first heauen and the first earth passed and the sea is no more This speach may well be referred to the new world which for vs to search of what sort it shall bee the Law Deut. 29. to leaue hid things to the Lord our God forbiddeth vs to search curiously Of the heauenly Ierusalem I haue made a treatise in Greeke alone at large which I made turne to other tongues This worke is made to conuict Rome to be damned through all and I hastened in the beginning to that and I would not draw the Readers minde from that The last end may bee handled best seuerally So this paines shall heere haue an end AN EXPLICATION OF THE HEAVENLY IERVSALEM SHEWED APOCAL. CHAPTER 21. AND 22. BEING of larger discourse then the former Commentarie made by the same auctor to shew Romes condemnation and with small strife against Rome and such as Rome will not refuse to reade By H. B r. After the destruction of Babylon Let vs behold the saluation of Sion A Commentary vpon the Apocalyps Chapter 21. and 22. CHAPTER XXI The second discourse of 21. and 22. Chapters And I saw a new heauen and a new earth for the first heauen and the first earth passed away and the sea was no more ISAIAH chap. 66. compareth the Gospell hauing the rest of Christ for the Iewes Ceremonies vnto a new heauen and the earthly heathen state called to the church a new earth as God will make indeed a new world And ioyneth the doctrine of both together So heere after mention of heauen and earth passed the wordes import the new world and praesentlie turne to the Gospell in saying the sea shall be no more that is a troubled state shall be no more For the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding guardeth our heartes in the loue of Christ that no sufferings for him is a griefe or trouble and we read chap. 16. that his Angels haue seauen cups of wrath to poure vpon the helhounds that bite his seruants they shall not care for the sea whence the Romane beast ariseth And I Iohn saw the holy City Ierusalem new comming downe from God
no studie so good as this nor so much desired of all sortes Hee knew neither the Low nor High Ierusalem that would threaten to hinder this studie and is worthy to be recorded foreuer for an example to others The treatise of Dauids family and Nathans comforted through all Daniel of the Rome-Beast one made of foure sauage vnto Constantinus the great This shewed more thē any Academique in Ebrew and Greek or either euer the way to the heauenly Ierusalem The right honorable S r. Iohn Fortescue reading the workes told the bearer thus Tell the auctor I will obtaine of the King a very great stipend for him The honorable Gentleman knew what a priuy Counsellor should doe death praeuented him yet as it seemeth from his motion the Kinges kingly promise came and for Ierusalem his memory shall not die Dressed as a Bride trimmed for her husband The Citie for a ruler is trimmed as a Woman to be married for her husband Esai 52. Rules of saluation are a greater trimming for the minde then any outward trimming can bee for the body The holy Prophets wordes haue all trimnesse that speach can conteyne in language The promises of Christ all trimnesse of sharpe wisedome the stories of contemners endlesse to destruction and of Embracers few to saluation all trimnesse of storie and so the New Test for the age heere meant all trimnesse of wisedome and learning and cariage rules of faith haue wisedom passing all heathen and Christian true policie is more ciuill then all heathens So the Citie is trimmed for a Citie as a bride for the bridegrom And I heard a great voice from the heauen saying Beholde the tabernacle of God is with men he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe will bee with them their God and God will wipe all teares from their eyes and death shall be no more nor mourning nor crye nor paine shall be any more for the first thinges are past In Leuiticus 26. God telleth that if they keepe his Lawes God will haue his Tabernacle with them and they shall be his people and he shall be their God So before the captiuitie of Babel they that conquered the lande with Iosuah and the Iudges and vnder Dauid and his house many were And Ezekiel telleth that after they haue bene in Babylon to teach the Creation of the world and returne from Babel in the hope of Messias they should be the people of God and the same is heere spoken for vs heathen comming vnto CHRIST And now that men be taught of Christ plainly no affliction will make them weepe as in Babylon they wept at the Riuer sides Psal 137. not knowing cleerly Gods counsel how the Lord sent them thither to teach by Babels punishment that ONE the God of heauen ruled all and when men see the death of Christ to giue life that they who belieue in him die not but passe from death to life then death mourning cry paine will be nothing as the first case is altered Andrew was Petros before Symeon in Photius because he first acknowledged Petram all who do so are sure that the courtes to kill Christians the gates of Haides shall not preuaile against them When they knew that in Haides God hath Paradise for the Godly So Athanasius telleth that the Martyrs feared not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The going to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he that sate vpon the throne said Behold I make all things new Isai 43. and 2. Cor. 5. Turne this to a new life heere and in that sense Christ about fourteene yeares after Ierusalems fall spake to Iohn in this vision that although the Church in the sight of the world should be base it should be a new heauē The Iewes see a new light in Moyses and the new Testament calleth vs from the toile of Moses to the rest in Christ that Daniel chap. 9. 24. shineth as Saint Stephens face as the face of an Angell and the minde which by the new Testament doeth see the old seeth a new world aboue that which was seene in Poperie Where Bellarmine and his labor to disgrace the scripture the waters from which they that be not baptized by the spirit shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen And he saith vnto me write for these wordes bee true and sure When the Apostles were all dead but Iohn and the Disciples were in great affliction and the God of this world was mightie in persequution the naturall man would thinke it harde to looke that the Bible should bring a new world Therefore the WORD who made this worlde and will make a new world would haue this written that in this world first he will make a new world And he saith vnto mee it is done I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end The learned note Ebrewes as Kimchi and Greekes as Eusebius that the Prophets spake in the praeterperfect temps for things to come because with God all is praesent and as sure as thinges past So should men haue regarded this booke that all in it though strange should come to passe That the Romane Emperours should bee plagued to ouerthrow that a new Rome should bee built for Empire neere old Troy that a beggerly scholar by lies and false miracles should set vp an Empire making himselfe as if he were God and deceiue the world men feared not this But Christ what hee spake in the beginning bringeth it to passe in the end Of ALPHA and OMEGA In that Christ nameth himsefe by the Greeke letters the first and the last he giueth great honor to the Greek tongue that they who seeke not from his words but from barbarous Latin his wisedome should be guilty Many Latin termes haue greatly deceiued as sacramentum for mysterion dispensator for Oeconomus Descendere ad inferos for Cateltheim eis Haidon and such hence come seauen sacraments dispensing with Gods word and going downe to Hell Briefly the smoke from the Pit is bred by wrested Latin as that an Image may be worshipped not an Idoll When Papae Cardinales Arch-buyshopps and Buyshopps rule the sheepe ignorant of Gods words they become wolfes and the most deadlie enimies to the truth The Pope hath an auctor in opusculis patrum which by the LXXII reiecteth the Ebrew truth adding an hundred of yeeres more then Moyses gaue at Seths birth and he allowed this blasphemie That Moyses omitted an hundred of yeeres His notes for soules 75. Act. 7. teach by Gregorie Martyn that either the old Testament or New faileth and his translation not the Septuagint taught that the dwelling of Israel which they dwelt in Aegypt was 430. year And their translation checking S. Pauls Greeke for 450. after a sort made Beza and our BB. after Bibliander and others hold the text corrupt and their rude translation made Achaziah two yeeres elder then his father and 20. yeer elder then himselfe And their barbarousnesse not knowing
manifold and vnsearchable is the wisedome of God The Iewes seeing Ioseph gone for Ieroboam might feare lest Iuda should fall more for killing of Christ that now only Saint Pauls Bishopricke of the West is best in Christianitie he foretold how Rome would deceiue and bad them not to be proud but feare and not ouerrule the ciuill officer but be subiect all this is vaine to many Iosephs Beryll the glorie of Paradise is now abiect Of the Topaz Simeon hath the ninth place to be very base yet afore manie of the handmaides children Of the Chrysophrase The Chrysophrase is a white Achate with a golden lace and part greene Achate simply is in Exod. 28. for Nephtaly Iohn giueth the trimmest of Achates as God shewed him And Nephtali is set before Dan because Dan first fell away Of the Hyacinth Leshem was Dan his stone and in notation it is Folow God and in the partition of the lande Leshem the Towne was giuen to Dan as prophecied in the name of his stone though it were farre from the other soile of his where Samson dwelt Semel is an idole Alpha and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mega gaue him warning that he turned not the Letters But none can stand longer than God stayed him Ionathan the some of Manasses of Gerson of Moses who would thinke it he and his house were Priests to the idole till the remouing of the glorie from Ephraim and Ieroboam regarding not that set vp a Calfe in Dan. The Antichrist by imitation of idoles is Dans childe Barbarous Rome cannot auoid that but by a ridiculous distinction of Idole and Image Of Gads Amethyst God of ordinarie course should folow Dan and Aser the yonger being set before him for Anna the daughter of Phanuel Thus Iohn comforteth the 12. tribes in their owne veine of speach calling all their stories of 1700. yeeres often reuolued in the same desert to shew the Constancie of God to encourage the 12. tribes not to be amazed that Rome hath crucified Christ and destroyed the lowe Ierusalem but to know that it also shall be destroyed after vnwilling furthering of the Gospell by martyring and when ease and wealth bringeth blindnesse and error it shall vnder praetense of holinesse and by persequution cause more study of Law then all former ages had The Iewes soone would climme into the mountaine of Tabâ—r in minde to acknowledge this description to be all from the Prophets and most easie to vnderstand And this cutteth off all Iudaisme which the Rabbins haue to this houre who from Ezekiel 40. looke still for a returne to Canaan But against that S. Peter told them that euery Prophecie of Scripture is not to bee expounded properlie And the twelue gates were twelue pearles euery one seuerall gate was of a pearle The wordes of the holy Apostles open the way into the Citie and the spirit of God spake in them and no one could be aboue the other but euery one stood a foundation vpon the Rocke By them which haue written we know that the others had wordes also as pearles When the Pope buried the stile of the Apostles and brought in Romes tongue and neither that pure then the pearles lost their gaynesse And the street of the Citie was pure gold as cleere glasse The open lawes are agreeable to the soules frame in iudgment from God and rules of faith bee cleere Rome hath scant one rule of either But their lawes crosse commune reason and their speaches of faith be either false or litigious And a Temple I saw not in it for the Lord God of hostes is the Temple and the Lambe Earthly buildings profit not as all S. Stephens oration telleth and the faithlesse Iew Izhak Ben. Arama Port. 52. shewing how the Tabernacle thrise described and set vp did litle helpe they presently misbelieuing And Salomons Temple after his death was robbed by Shisak King of Egypt and rejected of the tenne Tribes And this as the Iew confesseth to shew that God rested in CHRIST a goodlier Temple the heauen and the earth whose teÌ„ple when it should be once pull'd downe he would raise it vp the third day Moyses Law ye shall stand in reuerence of my Tabernacle tooke effect for punishment in Ephraim for Elies sonnes defiling of women waiting there that God foresooke his Tabernacle in Shiloh and Ephraim fell in the day of battel 34000. 1. Sam. chap. 4. and Psal 78. Nabuchadnezar that destroyed the Temple was so many yeeres like a beast as the Temple was in building And his Babell for the holy Temple was destroyed The carnall Iewes vrged Moyses Law against Christ as to death That he said destroy this Temple and I will build it againe in three dayes He spake of his owne Temple For which the Law of Moses was made and the Tabernacle and the frame of the world and because they stood not in reuerence of his Temple hee destroyed them By the former Law as they martyred S. Stephen for saying Iesus of Nazareth would destroy the Temple And they meant as much for S. Paul for speaking teaching against the Temple and they thought he had brought Trophimus a grecian of Ephesus into the Temple and so polluted it But the true Temple they saw not till theirs was destroyed And here Iohn expoundeth Moses That God the Lord of hostes the Angels and goodly frame of the world That CHRIST in whom all fullnesse it selfe dwelleth is the Temple And they that crucifie a picture as his making him vile or worship a piece of bread as his body being a mockage to Angells and men shall finde no place in Ierusalem The Temple of the Lambe must be vsed as hee teacheth It sitteth in shining light in heauen and may not be made base in this darke ayer by our foolish inuentions his owne commanded works as Salomons Temple cannot conteine God 1. King 8. Act. 7. Esai 66. This one rule ouerthroweth all Talmudiques by the Prophets whose words they reuereÌ„ce A plaine conclusion from Esai 60. and 51. and Ezeck 47. of the Gentiles Ierusalem And the Citie shall haue no neede of the sun to giue light in it for the glory of God lightneth it and the Candle of it is the LAMBE Isai 60. Arise be lightned for thy light is come and the light of the ETERNAL riseth ouer thee Ephes. 4. He saith arise thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall shine to thee Many Rabbines as S. Paul draw Esaies words to Christ and when Iohn wrote 144000. Iewes faithfull would so take it Isai 60. The Sun shal be no more thy light on the day and the brightnesse of the Moone shall not giue light vnto thee But the ETERNAL shal be thy continuall light and thy GOD shall bee thy honor Thy Sun shall no more sett and thy moone shall not be hid for the Eternall will be thy continuall light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be gone worldly ioy shall not bee thy
the throne of God and the Lambe shall bee in it and his seruants shall serue him and shall see his face and his Name shall be in their forehead They that were cursed are healed by the waters of repentance and by the leaues of the tree of life and their seruice to God only and sight of his fauor is meat and drinke to them and they haue Gods marke in forehead as Papistes haue theirs They Gods worde and Baptisme and breaking of bread Papist prayers to saintes and images and profaner theirs And night shall be not there neither shall they neede candle nor light of the Sunne for the Lord God lightneth them and they shall reigne for euer and euer They who know God in Christ shall not bee to fearch Philosophi for better happinesse in natiue studie nor Iewes Talmudique studie wherein they aduenture their soule But seeing Christ they see all and reigne with Christ first heere and shall reigne for euer The Epilogue The Angells speach And he saith vnto me These wordes be faithfull and true The Lord God of the holy Prophetes hath sent his Angell to shew what is to come quicklie Because this booke applieth all the Prophets vnto Christ and taketh away all couering from their meaning he calleth the Lord the God of the holy Prophetes This conuicteth all to be godlesse who contemne to know the Prophetes and to make them plaine by Iohn How the Reuelation would force any Iew or Gentile of learning without rancor to yeeld vnto faith First the learned stile of Iohn should be shewed and infinite fulnesse of eyes howe euery phrase from first to last is couched with circumspection admirable for common Greeke for readinesse in expressing the 70. for ouermatching Talmudiques in their kinde and prouing the Gospel by their grant and visions passing mans wit expressing plaine matter from 2. Thes 2. by all plainesse and maiestie that heauen can affoord This beeing granted the sequel foloweth The sequel by any Iewes grant When the visions are seene to passe the wit of men as Esai chap. 60. as Ezekiels as Daniels and Zacharies and all drawn to Christ with a commentary from God Iohn being a simple fisher and in transe no Iew nor Gentile could denie but that this booke hath Gods authoritie and expoundeth it selfe and sheweth how all the old Test speaketh of Christ A Digression to Iewes desire to know the proofe of the New Test by the Law Twentie yeeres ago I disputed in Francfurt Synagogue with a Rabbin the Iewes chosen for skill with this promise that I would make him confesse that Moyses draweth vnto Christ or speake against his conscience and we both agreed to call God to strike him presently that spake vntruely I requiring nothing of him but that which I well knew he perceived and might iudge all past denyall He was content and neuer crossed mee But desired a large treatise And ten yer agoe at Basill requested a full treatise and all the New Test translated in such Hebrew as I spake to him and the Apocalyps applied in order of bookes to all the old Test Also hee moued the Iewes of Germanie to request the same who haue made him their Orator they of Hanau that if hee yeeld they all will And the Iewes of Wormes and Mentz beeing commanded by the Bishops to read my Books said that they could deny nothing But requested Moyses the Prophets opened at large to full measure of their 613. Lawes shewing which stand still for all nations and ages and which were giuen as vnto children to be remoued in riper knowledge The Rabbi my friend chiefe requester of Catechese their Orator is called Rabbi Eliah Why nowe I accomplish not request I will tell omitting their particular iniuries because when all this age is dead this description of Ierusalem may stand The greatnesse of the Iewes request in due articles 1. The translating of the New Testament into Ebrewe should haue with it a Dictionary of foure Dialectes and I should haue many Scribes learned who by direction may helpe me much to speed 2. Faire Copiers of my translation and learned Printers will require States helpe 3. A treatise of MESSIAS from Gen. 3. to the end of Malachi from all Rabbins of whom often I neede but line out what I would haue copied that would require much money for learned Scribes 4. The comparison of all Moses 613. making a commentary from the New Testament vpon them and a table from them to the New Test this will bee of greater paynes then my goodly recompense can heartely take in hande 5. Iewes request me to require our owne side first to yeeld to mee which I could make them doe or refuse with shame enough But that I cannot force superiors to iustice 6. To these positions I must require consent that the text of both Test is pure that of the tongue the enemies may best be made iudges to their ouerthrow and our victorie For all speaches hard in the New Test to vs are easie to them That for gouernement of the Church to make many learned in the Law they and the Apostle haue yet to eye-sight the same rules 7. As the Iewes grant all that I haue yet printed in Ebrew I would request Princes to force their Scholars to yeeld from their crossing of their owne Gospell or to combat with me brieflie 8. Because vnlearned wightes shall not prate against any thing but that many nations may iudge I would haue abilitie for helpers to turne all that I doe into other tongues many Princes helping in this I would hasten the workes and till then I leaue all hinderers as murtherers of soules out of Ierusalem the holy Citie The speach of Christ Behold I come quickly c. vnto c. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ bee with you all Amen Chap. 1. 23. needed no comment nor the chap. 18. nor this Epilogue Therefore I may not with idle wordes weary the Reader ΤÎλος A BRIEFE TABLE FOR THE MORE READY FINDING of the Chapters in their pages and some principall matters in the same Chapters handled THE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Chapters are handled in the 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. pages The 8. Chap. beginneth to be handled in the 59. page conteyning these things principall as foloweth The sum of the Bible contempt of which caused God to cast off the open Church 59. Of the 7. Trumpets generally 60. The first Trumpet there handled ibidem Of the names Papas and Pope handled 61 The second trumpet expounding the first 62 The third trumpet expounding the second ibid. Articles of the Popes corruption of scriptures 63 The 4. trumpet expounding the third pag. 66. The occasions of the Churches fall from heauen ibid. How the old Testament came turned into wormewood 67 Of the new Testam 68 Of the new Testam elegancie 70 How the Papes of Graecia vsed the Bible and the Popes refused it pag. 76 A Cry expounding the first trumpets warning of fire