which is to come Pag. 7. 14. Touching the seven Spirits from whom Iohn wisheth Grace to the Churches whither they be seven created Spirits or the Holy Ghost Pag. 9. 15. Whither in verse 5. there be a soloecisme against certaine Popish Interpreters Pag. 12. 16. The Priesthood of the New Testament whither it bee common to the Faithfull or proper to the Clergie Pag. 14. 17. Wherher Christ be and how hee calleth himselfe Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last against Eniedinus the Samosatenian Pag. 16. 38. 587. 18. Of the Lords day Pag. 20. 19. Whether he that appeared among the Candlestickes were Christ and what it teacheth and whither the ubiquitie of Christs flesh bee thence proved Pag. 23. 20. Whither Hereticks do rightly gather that Christ is not God because he saith that he was dead Pag. 26. 27. 21. How the Candlestickes are the Churches and the starres the Candlestickes and of Sacramentall phrases Pag. 28. 29. 419. In Chapter II. 22. A disputation about the Saints how farre they may fall or not and of their perseverance Pag. 34. 71. 23. Whither the Church must suffer for the sin of her Pastor Pag. 35. 24. Of the Heresie of the Nicolaitans Pag. 36. 44. 45. 25. Whither because the Papacy is not the true Church of Christ there was no true Church before Luthers time and where it was 43. and in the Praeface Pag. 19. 26. Of the woman Jezabel Pag. 48. 49. 27. Whether and how Christ is called the Searcher of the heart and reines which is proved against the Hereticke Eniedinus Pag. 50. 51. In Chapter III. 28. Whether because the Saints are said to bee worthy that they should walke with Christ clothed in white robes or from the promise of the reward of workes or from the future judgement according to works c. it bee rightly inferred that good works are the meritorious cause of Eternall Life Pag. 58. 250. 357. 384. 29. Of the Book of Life and of them that are written in the same Pag. 60. 384. 30. That the Pope of Rome as Antichrist lifteth up himselfe and is lifted up by his followers above Christ Pag. 63. 297. 298. 31. A dispute touching the grace and cause of conversion differencing us from others Pag. 67. 68. 81. 32. Of hot cold and luke-warm persons in Religion Pag. 76. In Chapter IV. 33. Of the four and twenty Elders and of the four Beasts Pag. 90. 92. In Chapter VI. 34. Of the nine persecutions of the Church Pag. 110. 35. A discourse touching the blacke-horse and his Rider Pag. 112. 113. 127. 36. Of the pale-horse and of the mortall palenesse of the Church whence it came and when Pag. 116. 117. 173. 174 c. 37. Of the soules of the Martyrs under the Altar and of their crying Pag. 119. 120. 38. Of Intercession and invocation of Saints Pag. 122. 147. 39. Of the rising of the westerne and easterne Antichrist Pag. 124. 125. 127. 144. 170. 186. 289. 290. c. 304. 40. Of the pride and tyranny of Romane Popes against Emperours and Kings Pag. 130. 163. In Chapter VIII 41. Of the Angell with the Censer at the Altar Pag. 153. 154. 42. Of the analogy of the seven Seals Trumpets and Vials Pag. 137. 374 375. In Chapter IX 43. Of the Locusts and their application unto Antichrists clergy Pag. 177 c. In Chapter X. 44. Of oathes Pag. 203. In Chapter XI 45. Whither the Church could and may erre Pag. 213. 46. A disputation touching the forty two Moneths Pag. 216 c. 47. Of the Fable and Historie of the two witnesses Pag. 221. 222. 48. Of the 1260. dayes Pag. 224. 225. 49. Of Antichrists three yeeres reigne and an halfe Pag. 230. 231. 240. 286. 50. Of the great Citie Babylon that it is not Ierusalem but Rome yea Popish Rome Pag. 235. 236. 343. 344. 349. 399. 443. In Chapter XII 51. Of the woman clothed with the Sun and standing upon the Moone whether shee bee the same with the woman afterward sitting upon the Beast Pag. 257. 258. 52. Of the battle of Michael with the the Dragon Pag. 265. 53. Diverse opinions about the womans flight into the wildernesse Pag. 275 54. What time is noted by time times and a halfe time Pag. 276. In Chapter XIII 55. It is disputed touching the former Beast ascending out of the Sea 282 c. And what the Authour held about it Pag. 287. 408. 409. 415. 56. A dispute about the mortal wound of the Beast Pag. 293 c. 57. Of the second two horned Beast Pag. 304. 58. Of the Image of the Beast Pag. 310. 311. 59. Of the Character of the Beast Pag. 313. 60. Of the number of the beasts name Pag. 316. 317. c. 61. That the Pope of Rome did not now of late begin to be accounted the Antichrist Pag. 318. 319. In Chapter XIV 62. Riberas disputation touching the Sealed ones and of the Virgines standing with the Lambe on the Mountain Pag. 329 c. 63. Of the Angell flying through the midst of Heaven with the Eternall Gospell Pag. 338. 64. A dispute touching the great Citie against Ribera Pag. 346 c. 65. How the dead in the Lord are blessed Pag. 355. In Chapter XVI 66. Of the seven Vials whether they bee the same with the seven Seales and with the seven Trumpets Pag. 375. 67. Of the seven Angels pouring out the Vials who they are and what the pouring out of the Vials is Pag. 376. 68. Of the plagues following the pouring out of the seven Vials Pag. 376. 377. 69. Of the King of the East and the drying up of Euphrates Pag. 390. 70. Of the three Spirits sâ—nt out unto the Kings of the Earth Pag. 394. 395. In Chapter XVII 71. That the woman sitting on the Beast is Popish Rome Antichrists Seat and Antichrist himselfe Pag. 404. 409. 72. Of the Beast which was and is not and shall ascend out of the pit disputed with Ribera Pag. 416. 73. Of the seven Mountains of Rome and the seven Kings Pag. 420 c. 74. Of the Pope of Rome when hee was made chiefe Pontife the eighth King and Antichrist Pag. 428 c. 75. Of the ten Kings signified by the hornes of the Beast Pag. 433. 438. 76. Whether Rome according to Riberas fiction is to bee burned before the comming of Antichrist Pag. 441. 77. How God giveth into the heart that is worketh in mens hearts the liberty of their will remaining Pag. 444. 78. Whither God after the same manner gave good and evill into the hearts of the Kings and whether hence it followes that he is the Authour of sinne Pag. 446. 79. How the Kings in eating the flesh of the whore and burning her with fire did the good pleasure of God Pag. 449. In Chapter XVIII 80. Of the causes of the ruine of Babylon that is of Rome Pag. 456. 81. How the stirring up of the Saints to revenge Render to her is agreeable to the
the publick abuses of the times even unto blood Moreover as this commendation was comfortable to the Godly so it did tend to the great shame of the Pastor Therfore least the faithful should have thought that Christ also was wroth with them they are by name to the others disgrace much commended for their constancie Now what is more dishonorable then that the disciples should in doctrine excel their teacher and the sheep the Pastor in sinceritie of life Names That is persons as Act. 1.15 there were a hundred and twentie names So Reve. 11.13 there were slaine 7000 names A few For manie are called but few are chosen almost in everie congregation We ought not therefore to be offended at the paucitie of the faithfull and the multitude of the ungodly The Papists indeed glory in their multitude and write volumes in praise of the largenes of the Romish Church upbraiding us because of our fewnesse but here we see how in Sardis there were many hypocrites a few names onely who were not defiled Here againe we have a cleare proofe of Christ divinitie in that he is said to know these few names in Sardis the truth is he knowes all the faithful and discerneth them from hypocrites 2. Tim. 2.19 which is a worke onely proper to God for the Lord knoweth who are his see arguments X. and XVIII Who have not defiled their garments Their constant sinceritie is set forth by this Metaphor and by Garments is meant thus much as their bodies were not polluted with the filthie manner and lusts of the Nicolaitans so neither were their soules stained with their impious doctrine Alike Metaphor the Apostle useth 1. Thessa 4.4 That every one should know how to posses his vessel that is his soule and bodie in sanctification and in honour not in the lust of concupiscence for this is the will of God He. 12.14 even your sanctification and without this no man shall see him Now Christ acknowledged them holy and undefiled not as if they were altogither unreprovable but because they persevered in faith and holinesse of life not withstanding the neglect of the Pastor and the manifold evil examples round about them And they shall walke with mee As hypocrites are threatned with punishment so the Godly are incouraged with promises of reward In white What may this bee by this Metaphor is signified a heavenlie triumph a kingdome and glorie to come It is taken from the state of kings the great honour given unto mightie conquerours With such royal apparell Herod was cloathed when he sate on his throne Act. 12.21 and God smote him dead for his pride So in scorne they clothed Christ the king of Glorie Lu. 23.11 It also was ancientlie a custome to cloath the Conquerours with a white garment To be short white garments for their brightnesse were signes of Glorie here then Metaphorically the glorie of the saintes is promised Thus it is said v. 5. He that overcommeth the same shal be cloathed in white raiment Rev. 7.11 White robes are given unto the elect standing before the throne and chap. 19.14 the armies of Christ are cloathed in fine linnen white and cleane But it may be said seeing their garments were now already pure undefiled 2. Cor. 5.2 therefore they needed not to be cloathed in white To this the Apostle answereth we groane earnestly desiring to be cloathed that we be not found naked For the puritie and righteousnesse of the saintes on earth can not abide the judgment of God therefore they must be cloathed with the perfect robes of absolute innocencie ere they can stand before his majestie With me They shal be partakers of my glorie If the raiment of Christ Mat. 17.2 on the mount was white as the light how much more doth he now shine beeing exalted Yet so wil he cloath the saintes for they shall shine as the sunne according to that proportion which is betwixt the head and the members And hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with me may also be translated after me as if he should say ye shal be cloathed in white next unto mee And they shal walke Beza translates it and therfore they shal walke which indeed expresseth the sence but not the words of the text For they are worthie To wit to walke with me in white the argument is taken from the equitie of it Thus doe the messengers of the Centurion beseech Christ to heal his servant because he was worthie Luk. 7.3 But this seemeth to establish the doctrine of merits for dignitie comes by vertue For if we shall walke in white because of our worthinesse then we deserve the same for our workes sake I answer the assumption is false for the scripture no where saith because of our worthines or workes but when soever it mentioneth the judgement of God we are said to receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to workes but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of workes least we should conceive any opinion of meriting by them which Christ expresly denieth Luk. 17. v. 10. When ye have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our dutie to doe We therfore shal walke in white not because of our worthinesse but according to it for the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for doth not signifie any cause of merit but a qualitie agreeing with the justice of God that is shewing not why but who they are that shall walke with Christ according to that in Mat. 5.3 blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of heaven c. as if he had said because unto such the kingdome of heaven is freely promised But againe though the assumption were granted yet would not the proposition be universally true For dignitie in its kinde doth not alwayes proceed from vertue but somtimes from dutie without vertue So Nero had honour and was worthie of honour in regard of dutie but not in regard of any vertue in him So in particular our worthinesse before God is not because of the worthinesse of our workes but of grace by which he maketh us worthy by calling justifying and glorifying of us As the Apostle plainly teacheth us 2. Thess 1.5 where after he had said that the tribulations of the Godly were a manifest token of the righteous judgement of God that they might be counted worthy of the kingdome of God least this should be misaplyed to a worthynesse of merit he prayeth v. 11. that God would count them worthy of this calling As none therfore deserve or are worthy to be called of God so neyther doth our worthinesse prove any thing for the doctrine of merit If they object from chap. 16.6 For they are worthy that as there the deserved cause of punishment is of themselves so here the meritorious cause of reward The consequence wil not follow from the rule of contraries for the comparisons are not alike
of them was broken long ago by the rooting out of Paganisme Adde to this that the guilt thereof was long since expiated by the worship of Christian Religion as also by the punishments inflicted through the Gothes Vandalls Hunni before Antichrists rising at Rome Besides God would not impute to Christian Rome the wickednesse of others for the soule that sinneth it shall die Ezec. 18.4 It remains therefore that this chain or heape of sins is of Papall Rome Furthermore these sins shall be either of Popish Rome or else of Rome invaded by Antichrist who as they seine is to reigne three yeeres and an halfe Of this feined Antichrist they cannot be both because Ribera gloseth Chap. 16.11.14 that Rome before the comming of Antichrist should utterly be destroyed by the Ten Kings As also because in the space of three yeers the sins of their feined Antichrist cannot in any probability encrease to so great an height if we seriously consider what is here spoken of his whoredomes wares merchandize and great wealth so that whithersoever the Iesuites turne themselves this heap of abominations reaching to heaven is meant of none save Popish Rome now extant Thus the Papists themselves except they be altogether brutish may understand what is to be determined of the worship superstitions Idols and universall politie of the Romish Church 6. REWARD Gr. render HER EVEN AS SHEE REWARDED rendred YOV The second Part of the Exhortation that the godly should repay double to Babylon Which God inculcates by divers figurative words 1. That they should render for reward her to wit judgement 2. Double unto her double according to her workes for afflict her twice as much as she hath afflicted the Saints 3. Fill to her double the cup of wrath the sense being one with the former 4. That by how much through pride and luxuriousnesse she had lift up herselfe above all Churches Bishops Kings Princes by so much they should not onely bring down but also afflict her with torment and sorrow In the latter of which he alludes unto that in Daniel Dan. 11.36 Thess 2.4 And hee shall exalt himselfe And to that of Paul And exalteth himselfe above all that is called God By this diversity of Phrases her sins are so much aggravated as no punishment or torment seems to be great enough for them Withall the godly are stirred up in taking vengeance on her to exercise all manner of severity and punishment not out of their own affection but by the commandement of God But here two doubts are to be cleared First how this stirring up of the godly to revengement stands with charity piety and the commandement of Christ Render not evill for evill For the godly are rather to be dehorted from cruelty then to be edged on therto The second how it agrees with equity and justice to render double that is to inflict a heavier punishment then the nature of the fault seems to require Vnto which two a Third may be added seeing he commands us to render to Antichrist according to his workes which were wicked and abominable sins whither then we are commanded to reward wickednes with wickednes theft with theft murder with murder perjury with perjury Thus God should command that which is abominable Now that which God commands is right and just and so it should be no sin to steale commit adultery forsweare kill Christianus Gottlieb c. Which thing of late a Masqued Sycophant did hence labour to maintain But to the first it is answered that the godly are not commanded to take vengeance but to rejoyce because of the same that is they themselves are not bid to burne Babylon but to rejoyce that God by the Kings had brought so heavy a judgement on her as if they should say take vengeance on her with God and gladly subscribe unto his righteous judgement by how much she hath rejoyced in doing injury unto you by so much rejoyce ye over her just punishments In this sense it is said that the Saints shall judge the world and Angels 1. Cor. 6 2.3 and the Twelve Tribes of Israel Mat. 19.28 to wit as approoving of the judgement to be executed by Christ the Iudge This opinion many of ours follow Ribera also holds the same If we take it thus then it is not contradictory to Christs commandement touching shunning of revenge Neither are the Saints bid to rejoyce over evill or the torments of Babylon but the righteous judgements of God But thou wilt say they are not only commanded to rejoyce over her judgement but to take vengeance on her themselves for as by the words Goe out they themselues are commanded to go out so by the words Render unto her they themselves are commanded to do it which seems to contradict the commandement of Christ in the Gospell I Answer This must be understood by a Synecdoche part being put for the whole Therefore my Anonymus refers the command unto Preachers RENDER VNTO HER that is Preach yee that so much be done unto her Thus there is no difficulty Neither is there any though it be referred to the whole Company of the Godly which consists not only of private men unto whom indeed private revenge is prohibited by Christs Commandement But of godly Princes and Kings also Anonymus a true prophet for some of them saith the said ANONYMVS speaking of the ten hornes or Kings who now hold with Antichrist shall at the preaching of the Gospell be turned against him the which thing we have before spoken of So that here is commanded no private revenge to private men but publick to godly Kings and Princes into whose hearts the Lord will put this using them as instruments for the overthrow of Babylon Vnto them therefore and their military forces this part of the Exhortation doth principally belong and the manner is declared how God put that into their hearts namely because by an expresse commandement he stir'd them up to this revengement Vnto the second the Answer is more easie he commands not to render double punishment for a single sin or to afflict Babylon more grievously then she deserved the which should bee contrary to justice but commands them to inflict the double of those afflictions with which she had tormented the Saints and so much her sins did require for he saith expresly Double unto her double according to her workes as if he should say because her sins deserve double punishment For no punishment can be double in respect of sin in the judgement of God that is more grievous then the fault forasmuch as all sin deserves eternall punishment Or we may understand double not Arethmetically but Geometrically that is of a most fearfull punishment agreable unto her deserts And the word Double is thus taken in the Prophets Isa 40.2 God promiseth to the people deliverance out of their Captivity for saith he shee hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes that is she hath grievously
A COMMENTARY UPON THE DIVINE REVELATION OF THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST IOHN BY DAVID PAREUS Sometimes Professour of Divinity in the Universitie of HEIDELBERG And specially some things upon the 20th Chapter are observed by the same Authour against the MILLENARIES Translated out of the Latine into English By ELIAS ARNOLD AMSTERDAM Printed by C. P. ANNO. MDCXLIV To the Christian Reader IT is an usuall saying A good thing cannot bee too common the worth and profitablenesse of this Booke is well knowne of the learned every where being and indeed deservedly esteemed one of the best and choisest Commentaries that is now extant upon the Revelation And if we consider the perillous times wherein wee are I know no worke more seasonable for our instruction and comfort touching the present Commotions and uproares in the world For here we shall find that it is necessary that such things come to passe to the end the words of this Prophesie may be fulfilled we have all need as the Apostle saith of patience now what will more perswade us to be quiet contented comforted then to looke into the Revelation of Iesus Christ where we shall find all the conflicts and combats of the Godly against the Dragon Beast and False-prophet most clearly set forth and none of our sufferings in any way or kind to be otherwise then what was fore-appointed in the unchangeable decree of God Moreover here we have set downe with the finger of God the certaine event and issue of the whole warre namely Antichrists destruction and the glorious and happy victory of the Saints A man of a weake and cowardly Spirit will cheerfully fight if he know before hand that he shall surely overcome This assurance all true Beleevers have that they shal be more then Conquerors through him that loveth them and therefore they have cause enough to stand fast hold their owne fight the good fight of faith seeing it is without question that they shall overcome in the blood of the Lambe But of this I need not here speake considering how largely and sweetly this matter is treated of in this Commentary It is not my purpose to speake any thing in the behalfe of the Translator or in the praise of his worke least that in the Proverbs Chap. 27.14 should be applied to me Wherefore what is here done I leave to the triall and judgement of all sober and godly minded Readers Onely I must needs say that it would be a singular benefit to our Nation if there were more of Pareus his workes translated into our English tongue And for ought I do perceive the Translator of this hath some purpose so to do if this which is the first doe finde a faire and friendly acceptance And I have no reason to thinke otherwise Considering how well Mr. Brightman on the Revelation is approved of Now howsoever I will not speake any thing in the least to his disparagement notwithstanding seeing Pareus was a later Writer an Interpreter one among a thousand a man of an acute and deepe judgement and one that had his thoughts and meditations on the worke 30. yeares in these and other respects the Reader may well make account to meete here with many things more for his satisfaction then hitherto he hath ever had and that he may the sooner see with his owne eyes the trueth of what I speake I shall advise him in the first place carefully to read Pareus his Preface for it will much helpe him to the better understanding of the following Commentary And thus committing the worke to the favourable acceptance of religious and judicious mindes beseeching the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to blesse and prosper it for his glory and for the consolation and edification of all those that seek his favour and desire to feare his Holy Name I rest Thine in IESVS CHRIST J. C. THE AUTHOURS ADVERTISEMENT TOUCHING THE Publishing of this COMMFNTARY I Had thought indeed never to have set forth this Commentary upon the Revelation long since expounded in the Academie in CLXXXVIII Lectures but to have left the same unto my children for their proper use and this for divers causes especially finding that as yet I had not touched the height of the mysteries neither should easily satisfie others having in many things not satisfied my selfe In the meane while I thought it requisite with all diligence to search out the judgements of more learned Interpreters in the harder matters and not to neglect whatsoever might seem in the Commentaries of ancient and modern Interpreters to conduce for the polishing of the work as not being ignorant of the admonition of Horace Membranis intus positis delere licebit Quod non edideris nescit vox missa reverti That a man may alter or blot out his private writings which are not made publicke but the word that is out cannot be recalled Notwithstanding it happened of late I know not by what providence that at length I assented to the publishing thereof at the earnest request of friends who judged it a thing unfit that the Church no weighty reason hindering the same should any longer be deprived of this treasure be it whatsoever it be perswading themselves that by me something more would be published touching these mysteries then as yet was extant And that the things yet hid are perhaps of that nature which either God hath reserved unto his own power or are better not to be known then known by us of which kind some things are Enchir. cap. 17. according to Austin They added that now there was speciall use to vindicate this Prophesie it being publickly depraved by new feigned Oracles and false Glosses as if it did establish Romish Idolatry and Patronize Popish Tyranny from which notwithstanding it portendeth nothing but sad evils unto the Godly and most miserable calamities unto the Church the which the Revelation setteth forth by lively colours as it were the very Kingdome of Antichrist himselfe under the type of a Beast and False-Prophet All which they affirme is made appeare throughout this Commentary by which reasons being over-swayed I gave way to the publishing thereof yet so as this Sacred and last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or gratefull Gift should be dedicated unto none save unto my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ If therefore so it be that in the opening of these mysteries I may seem unto some in any place to come short these I lovingly desire to supply my defect with their greater diligence pardoning in the mean time what is not yet attain'd to being thākfull for what is found out But if there shal be any who wrest my expositions touching the beast or his head or horns or the like mysteries unto the offence and injury of any mans person to these I testifie that I have written nothing to the reproch or scandal of any man but truly and candidly expounded what our Saviour Christ reveald unto Iohn not to the injury but rather instruction and Salvation
vita Malchi in power indeed and riches she became greater but lesse in vertues The third distance was of the Church troaden upon and oppressed by Antichrist especially the Westerne untill the measuring of the Temple which began to be effected by the two witnesses JOHN Husse and JEROM OF PRAGUE who were slaine by the Beast in the Councell of Constans Anno. 1414. and thence untill Luther by whose ministerie the measuring of the Temple broken off or hindred through the Tyranny of Popes began to bee continued Anno. 1517. Lastly the fourth distance is of the church reformed from Popery of the declining of the Papacy to endure untill the end For the Beast goes into destruction whatsoever the gates of hel attempt to the contrarie Lib 3. de P. R. cap. 21 and Bellarmin their Prophet said truely From that time that the Pope began by you to be Antichrist his Empire hath been so farre from encreasing as it hath alwayes more and more decreased This whole period I say of the Christian Church some visions doe represent according to the foure-fold state erewhile declared and these I call UNIVERSAL Visions because they containe the universall Historie of the Church but some shadow out not the entire Vniversall visions but onely the two latter distances of the whole period or the Tragedie of Antichrist and these I call PARTICULAR because they praefigure not the whole Historie of the Church Particular visions but onely the latter part thereof touching Antichrists rage and judgement and of the Churches warfare and victory against him UNIVERSAL Visions I find to bee foure viz. the second touching the seven Seales and the third of the seven Trumpets and the fourth of the woman in travaile and the seventh which is as it were a Recapitulation of all the foregoing touching the binding and loosing of the Dragon c. The PARTICULAR Visions are two viz. the fift of the seven Vials of the last plagues and the sixt of the Iudgement of the Great Whore the overthrow of Babylon and destruction of Antichrist And these things I suppose do suffice to the plaine understanding of the generall Method of this Prophesie CHAPTER X. Of the speciall Method of the Apocalyps WHat concernes the speciall Method because it is more diligently explicated in every of the Visions I shall in this place speake the lesse thereof First We must remember that the forme of this Prophesie is truely Tragicall For it representeth Tragicall motions and tumults of the adversaries against the Church of Christ The forme of every vision is tragicall and at length the Tragicall end also of the wicked themselves Now Writers of Tragedies usually mingle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feigned things with serious both for preparation as for delight sake and to distinguish their Dramaes or Interludes into Acts Scenes and Chores the which also I find to be observed in this Dramaticall Prophesie For most of the Visions besides the propheticall things they treat of have somethings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praeparatorie They also containe certain distinct Acts of Propheticall Types and diverse Chores or Companies beginning or comming in between or ending the Propheticall Action with musicall accord serving to the decorum and pleasantnesse of the Drama Secondly In every Vision I speak of the six Propheticall we must prudently distinguish betwixt what is Dramaticall what Propheticall I cal that Dramatical which is preparatory to the visions The Dramaticall matters are to be discerned from prophetical of which kind is what we have in Vision first Chap. 1. from v. 9. unto the end in the second Chap. 4. 5. in the third Chap. 8. unto ver 7. in the fift Chap. 15. throughout The Chores also and their Prayers Songs Hymmes Praises as are the Chore or Company of the four and twenty Elders in the second third sixt Vision the Chore of the four Beasts in the second and sixt Vision the Chore of Angels in the second vision the Chore of all creatures ibid the uncertain Chore in the fift and sixt Vision the Chore of Harpers in the fourth and fift whose Symphonie and Songs are to bee read in the said Visions Chap. 4. ver 8 c. and Chap. 5.9 c. and Chap. 6.12 c. and Chap. 12. ver 10 c. and Chap. 15.3 c. and Chap. 19. ver 1 c. All these properly serve for the decorum of the Propheticall Drama neither doe they containe Prophesies but propound Morall Doctrine of celebrating the workes of God and his Iudgements unto the Church But they that search for other mysteries in these things seeme to labour in vaine Propheticall I call those Parts or Types of Visions which by word gesture or action represent future events concerning the Church by a certaine similitude of things whither open or hid and for the most part are repeated out of the Acts of the ancient Prophets In the understanding and application of which unto their events past present and to come the true explication of this Prophesie doth consist and principally aime at Thirdly The Method and Explication of the Propheticall Types cannot be gathered more commodiously and safely then from the Argument it selfe namely the generall of the whole Booke The distinct Acts of the visions and the speciall of the Visions in particular The generall Argument as we heard in the foregoing Chapter is specially in two things For the Apocalyps forewarneth the Church of her condition and sorrowes at hand and armes her with comfort against the same The same wee have in every of the Visions For they both foretell future evils as also shew the Godly the remedies thereof yet all shew not the same things nor in the same manner For some praefigure All that is both the first and the second Battles which I called VNIVERSAL some the second onely and latter which I called PARTICULAR The former and latter battles of the church By the first or former battles of the Church I mean the Combats shee had with Tyrants and Romane Adversaries oppugning the Testimony of Jesus as also with Heretickes diversly depraving the word of God By the second and later her Combates with the Easterne and Westerne Antichrists Hence there are as it were foure distinct scopes of the universall Visions The foure Acts of the universall Visions but of the Particular two onely the which I for instruction sake do name Acts. The first Act of the universall Visions hath a proposition of the calamities with which the Church shall bee assaulted by Pagans and Heretickes untill Antichrists rising The second in way of parallell to the first praefigureth comforts opposite to the calamities of the Godly The third shadoweth out an amplification of calamities or new and more glorious Combats of the Church under Antichrist Lastly the fourth parallell to the third sheweth the Catastrophe of all evils viz. the declining of Antichrists Kingdom and the casting of all adversaries into the lake of
by the word of God and manifested and repressed their lyes and deceit For now at this time there were many false teachers among the Churches of Asia as Ebion Cerinthus and others who though they boasted themselves to be Apostles yet in truth were the professed enemies of the Godhead of Christ corrupting true religion and perverting the faith of many Act. 20 29. of whom Paul had forewarned the elders of this Church For it is the duty of teachers to defende the purity of faith and strongly to oppose such devouring wolves so to follow the example of the Angel of this Church who for this cause is greatly commended by Christ our Lord. Vers 3. And hast borne and hast patience He setteth forth more clearly his patience pointing at some special kinde of affliction either imprisonmēt or stripes which he had manfully sustained Before Christ saith he could not beare and here saith he had borne but there is no contradiction for there he spake of his not suffering of impenitent sinners in the Church and here of his patient bearing of afflictions for the Gospels sake And for my names sake hast laboured The vulgar as likewise Montanus doe somewhat differ from these words but without all doubt this is the proper and naturall reading of the place agreeing with the greater and lesser copies of Robert Stephanus imprinted at Paris For it appeareth that his labour and unwearied indeavours in sparing no paines to preach and maintain the faith of Christ is again commended that all might imitate the like diligence and faithfulnes in teaching for in this Angel we may behold a true paterne of a faithfull Bishop But now who would not thinke hearing so great commendations from Christ himself that he had been perfect in every respect and worthy of deserved reward Iob. 15 15 but the following reproofe sheweth the contrary and indeed God the heavenly judge seeth not perfection in the very best of the saincts 4. 2 part of the narration But neverthelesse I have somewhat against thee In the second part of the narration he reproveth him because he had left his former love Ambrose thinketh that he is blamed for a generall remisnesse and omission of his former zeal and indeavour in holy duties For security sometimes doth lessen the zeale even of the Godly so that they have need to be stirred up and provoked to holy duties Andreas understandeth that he is in speciall rebuked for not shewing as he ought◠his wonted love and charity to the poore And indeed it seemeth that he began by little and little to be covetous desiring to heap up wealth and so grew negligent of doing good to the strangers and poore brethren now covetousnes is the roote of all evill and most abominable in the teachers of the word for it is one of the principall vertues in a Bishop to be given to hospitality and to be a lover of it 1 Tim. 3.2 Tit. 1 8. And this seemeth to be the reason wherefore the cannon law allowed to Bishops one forth part of the Church revenues to the end they should be liberall the rest was given to the poore other uses It is probable therefore that this Angel otherwise an excellent teacher is here taxed for coveteousnes From whence we first observe that the godly faile in many things and have need to be stirred up by admonitions and reproose specially when either they grow cold in their good affections or are overcome with the cares of this present world and the desire of wealth and honour For the devil doth chiefly labour to ensnare all teachers by such baits and therefore they ought so much the more to take heed least hereby beeing overcome they become a scandall to the Church of God Observe secondly that ambition and coveteousnesse in ministers are the most lothsome vices that may be and therefore they ought to be the more carefull for to avoid the same We have an example of ambition in the disciples For when Christ spake to them of the crosse they were troubled about preeminency asking who of them should be the greatest Ciprian saith wittily that ambition doth sweetly sleepe in the bosome of the ministers of the Church And as for coveteousnes or desire of filthy lucre by how much it is detestable by so much the more it doth cleave and deeply roote it self in their harts hence it is that Creon in Sophocles saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is The whole priestly generation is given to coveteousnesse And certainly all the sacrilegious sale of holy things simony pride and luxurie which reigne in the Romish Church was ingendred by coveteousnes and at length by little and little overthrew the truth of Christian religion according to the Latine proverb Religion begate riches but the daughter deroured the mother For as Ierom wel observeth In vita Malchi after that the Christian Church had Emperors to be members thereof it increased indeed in power and riches but decreased in vertue and godlinesse giving us to understand that where coveteousnes and pride have gotten the upper hand there vertue and religion is cast off and oppressed Observe thirdly though Christ doth commend the excellent workes labour constancy of the Angel of this Church yet he was so farr from acknowledging any merit in him as that on the contrary he sharply reproves him for many grievous evils and threatneth to cast him off except be repent For Christ doth narrowly see and observe all our actions and strictly weigheth all our workes in the ballance Wherefore God forbid we should imagine to merit by any good we doe though indeed hypocrites commonly so thinke whereas the word of God doth testifie that all the workes even of the most holy men on earth are polluted with sinne and all our righteousnesses are as filthy ragges Isay 64.6 if God should enter into judgement with us Besides we can do nothing but what we are bound to doe for we are debrors to the law And therefore can not by our good works Ro. 8.12 to which we are debtors deserve any thing at the hands of God Observe in the last place that it is not enough to begin wel but if we looke for the recompence of reward we must persevere in wel doing unto the end For hypocrites at first seeme very zealous but afterward they grow luke warm and at last are altogether cold and so receive not the crowne of glory at the last day 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen This is the third part of the narration being matter full of reproofe First the teacher is exhorted to consider his fall Secondly to repent of his many evils Thirdly carefully to practise all his former holy workes of love and charity now neglected So that in this exhortation we have briefly the nature of true repentance propounded unto us First to take notice of the sinne committed A description of repentance for how else should we sorrow for
that the lord is greatly offended with the defilements both of our soules and bodies for he is a pure and holy spirit and requireth the same in them that worship him Hebr. 12.14 And without this no man shall see him 2. The corrupters of the truth shall be grievously punished howsoever they may for a time by subtiltie cover their deceit and draw many into their snares 3. That God is ready to forgive most vile sinners if they truelie repent XVII Arg. of Chr. deity Lastly here we have the seventeenth argument of the deitie of Christ in that he threatneth to punish these wicked deceivers for none but God onelie is able to doe it and therfore it manifesteth his divine omnipotencie That which the hereticke objects concerning Moses striking the Aegyptians with plagues is of no waight neither of Peter his slaying of Ananias Nor Pauls striking Elymas with blindenesse For we know that the Prophets and Apostles wrought miracles not of themselves but by the power of God Wheras Christ threatens to doe this by his owne power Io. 5.19 Mat 10.1 16.17 For whatsoever things the Father doth these also doth the Son likewise Yea the Son giveth power unto others to doe the like things And all the Churches shall know The end and use of Gods vengeance on sinners is to declare both his omniscience of the hidde things of the hart as also his omnipotencie and Iustice in rendring to evry one according to his workes Even as God said to Pharoah Exo. 9.16 Rom. 9.17 And in very deed for this cause have I raysed thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth Thus the lord by threatning cals sinners to repentance by Iudgments punisheth the obstinate and hereby declareth his wisedome power and Iustice unto all Now it is not without cause that Christ attributes to himselfe the knowledge of hidden things for seeing this wicked woman beguiled many by couveringe her uncleane actions under a pretence of holinesse Christ therefore here declares that none of her wayes were hidden from his eyes Hence we observe in the first place that one principal end of Gods exemplarie punishing of the wicked is that all the Churches may acknowledge declare the wisedome power and Iustice of God Thus we se how profitable it is that publike examples are propounded before our eyes to the end we may take notice of the judgments of God beware least by the like wickednesse we stirre up his wrath against our owne soules XVIII Argu of Chr. deity Secondly here is offred unto us the eighteenth argument excellently proving the divinity of Christ For here Christ will be acknowledged to be the searcher of the heart and reynes which the scripture ascribeth unto God alone For the righteous God trieth the heart and reynes Psa 7.9 1. King 8.39 1 King 16 7. Give unto every man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest Thou alone knowest the hearts of all the sonnes of men see also 1. Chro. 28. Iere. 11.20 and 17.10 and 20.12 Eniedinus the Samosatenian objecteth in the first place that the searching of the heart and reines doth not here signifie a knowledge of the thoughts But rather a most equal and just administration of judgment by Christ and so it proveth not that he is true God I answer The antecedent is a manifest and bold corrupting of the text For the divine attribute which elsewhere is ascribed to Jehova is here without any limitation and in the verie same words applied unto Christ not onely in regard of the administration of his righteous judgments but also as he is the searcher of the heart and therefore must necessarily be taken in one and the same sence But again he objecteth That Christ hath received all his knowledge judgment yea and himself too from the Father as he confesseth Io. 5. Rev. 5.11 here v. 27. as I have received from my Father so that he is not the same God with the Father I answer he deceiveth by an equivocation For Christ receiveth all things from the father two maner of wayes Io 1.14 Prov. 8.25 God the sonne hath received his divine essence from the Father by eternal generation for he is the onely begotten of the Father before the mountaines were setled So that with his divine essence he received his divine omniscience But as he is man he received all his power and glorie in time by his reall exaltation so far forth as consisted with the nature and perfection of his manhood in this latter respect we confesse he is not God notwithstanding it is false to affirme that he is not God in the former for howsoever in this respect he hath received all things from the Father yet whatsoever is divine the Sonne hath it by his owne essence even as the Father Because the Father hath given to the Sonne to have life in himself as the Father hath life in himself See Damascenus lib. 4. Orth. fid cap. 19. Thirdly he objecteth that many Prophets and Apostles knew the hearts of men also Io. 5.26 I answer Eyther this or that of Salomon is false Thou onely knowest the hearts of all men 1 King 8.39 God indeed did reveal some things not al things unto Elisha Peter and Paul but not the knowledge of the hearts To be short none of them did or could say that he was the searcher of the reynes and heart as Christ here saith And all the Churches shal know that I am the searcher of the reynes hearts 24. But unto you I say The fourth part of the narration is an exhortation and here he turnes aside from the Pastor before commended and reproved and from the deceivers threatned and speakes to the rest of the Church in Thyatira and exhorts such as were godly among them and had not harkened unto the false teachers to go foreward and continue in the Apostles doctrine And hence again it appeareth that these Epistles were written not to the officers alone but to all the Churches The Vulgar as also Andreas and Montanus read it without the copulative but to you the rest but the other Greeke copies have it to you and to the rest as if he had said to thee o Pastor and to thy fellow officers and to the resâ—â—f the Church But the sence is the same For the Pastor also was one of those which held not the doctrine of Jezabel although indeed he was to negligent in repressing of the same This doctrine To wit of Jezabel and the Nicolaitans concerning fornication and communicating with Idolaters And which have not knowen This is an Hebrue phrase and signifies who have not approved The depth of Satan So these deceivers called their blasphemies as being deep mysteries and hidden wisedome and things more excellent then ever the Apostles taught Now Christ graunteth they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths but such as had their original
and is not communicable to any creature no not unto the Angels Which further confirmeth the X. and XVIII argument before mentioned Secondly we are taught that all who professe the truth and make a shew of holines are not truely faithful and regenerate persons but many of them are hypocrites and deceivers as being farre otherwise then they are accounted of for hypocrisie is an outward shew of inward holinesse or a profession of faith with the mouth beeing in the mean time destitute thereof in the heart And hence we may conclude that a bare profession argues not true faith as the patrones of hypocrites affirme whereby they oftentimes delude themselves others Act. 8.13 Simon Magus is said to beleeve Therfore say they some who professe have true faith may fall away and perish But this place shewes us that many are inwardly dead who outwardly seem to be alive being with Ananias the hie Priest whyted walls Act 23.3 Matt. 23.27 Mat. 8.22 1 Tim. 5.6 with the Pharises painted sepulchres spiritually dead as Christ spake to the yong man let the dead burie the dead And Paul speaketh of some wanton widowes who are dead while they live yea all men considered in their natural condition are dead in trespasses and sinnes To be short many have faith without love which is dead a faith which the Devils also have Thus we se in scripture how they are said not onely to be dead who are deprived of naturall life but also not beeing regenerated to a spirituall or who are sincere in appearance onely and not in truth Let us therfore take notice that all are not godly who seem so to be neyther shall all they who say Lord Lord enter into the kingdome of God for the Church consisteth of a mixture of saintes and hypocrites and this difference is not onely in the laitie but chiefly in the Clergie as they call it that is many who in sheeps cloathing seem to be true Pastors teachers are in truth but mercenarie wolves and howsoever these may deceive men yet Christ knowes them And therfore let not the Bishops of Antichrist thinke to blinde the eyes of Christ with their titles mitres and royal robes The consideration of this informeth us in the first place of the divers condition of the Church in this world For many are called to be members of the Church whereof some are good others bad some saintes others hypocrites like as the net takes in al manner of fishes But howsoever the faintes elected are not knowen of men yet God Christ doe discerne them For the Lord knoweth who are his Therefore let every one try and examine himself whether he be dead or alive for hypocrites deceive not God but man their owne soules Wherfore let us shun hypocrisie even as a pest remembring what Ambrose admonisheth not to rest contented with a bare name in the mean while to be greevously guilty or with the hight of honour while we abound in sins or with a profession of Godlinesse while our actions are devilish For otherwise we should onely have a name to live when in deed we are but dead Lastly observe that the efficacie of the ministry doth not depend upon the goodnes of the minister For God doth sometime vivifie and governe his Church by dead officers as we have here an example which serves to confute the Donalists and Popish Sophisters who maintaine that there was not any Church of the elect untill the time of Luther in the Papacie but themselves except we wil acknowledge their Bishops for other there were none to have been approved of by the Lord. 2. Bee watchfull The second part of the narration is an exhortation admonishing the Angel in Sardis of divers things to the end he might purge himself from the crime of hypocrisie and withal he is threatned to be punished except he doe repent First he is commanded to shake of that hypocritical drowsines into which he was fallen Be watchful that is stirre thy self up for he is not onely required to be more faithfull and careful over the Church then formerly he had been but also called upon as it were to live againe for so faith Christ but thou art dead Now death in scripture is frequently compared to a sleep so that this place and that of the Apostle speaking unto men fallen into a deep sleep of sin is of the like interpretation Ephe. 14 A wake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Not as if wee could of our selves arise from the death of sin for this is a worke of Grace but because the Lord by his precept powerfully worketh in us that which he requireth of us and by the operation of his owne spirit rayseth us up beeing asleep in sin unto newnes of life And strengthen the things Or rather strengthen the rest that is such dying members of the Church as are committed unto thy charge who because of thy negligence decay both in faith and holinesse For it is no wonder that a Church should fal into a deadnesse and securitie while the officers therof are asleep Christ therfore commâ—ndeth him to strengthen them that is to labour by a holie life and doctrine to bring them againe into the way of life That are ready to dy in Gre. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that shall dy that is which are near unto death like as in Luk. 7.2 it is said of the centurions servant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he should dy that is was ready to dy So these here were near unto death though not altogither dead and therfore the Pastor is exhorted carefully and speedily to put to his helping hand for their recoverie This care the Apostle recommendeth unto all the faithful Rom. 14.2 namely to receive them that are weake in the faith And therfore it is a speciall dutie of the ministers of God who are spirituall physitians to applie to Christs weaklings the holesome medicines of Gods word 1 Tim. 2.9 for otherwise God saith unto them by the prophet forasmuch as ye have not strengthened the diseased Ezec. 34.4 nor healed that which was sick nor bound up that which was broken nor sought that which was lost c. Behold I am against the shepheards and I will require my flock at their hand and cause them to cease from feeding my flock Montanus reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which thou art ready to lose that is destroy by thy negligence which is a more heavie expression For I have not found thy workes perfect These words containe a reason wherfore God requires him to be watchfull But it may seem that this reproofe is not equal just 1 Cor. 13.9 considering that no mans workes on earth are perfect before God if he should enter into Iudgment with us for we know but in part we prophesie in part and there is not a just man on earth that doth good Eccle. 7.20 and
befall the Church by a fatall darkning of doctrine and horrible apostasy both of teachers people from the faith under Antichrist unto the end of the world v. 12.13 following at the opening of the sixt seal And lastly in the fourth Act is shewed the end of the troubles of the Church under Antichrist containing his and all other enemies their utter destruction at the day of judgement v 14.15.16.17 The two latter Acts are not fullie ended in this Chapter but are continued in the following wherin is represented unto us the reformation of doctrine final deliverance glorification of the Church obscurely indeed in this present vision but more clearly in the following Thus we have manifested the parts logical resolution of this Chapter Now we come to consider the vision The I Act of vision II. The opening of the first seale concerning the white horse and him that sate thereon conquering 1 And I saw when the Lambe opened one of the seales and I heard as it were the noise of thunder one of the foure beast saying Come and see 2 And I saw and behold a white horse and he that sate on him had a bow and a crowne was given unto him he went forth conquering and to conquer THE COMMENTARIE 1. ANd I saw when the Lambe opened Hitherto the Lambe held the booke shut untill the heavenly companies had made an end of their himne and harmonie And then he opened one of the seales that is the first of them as appears by the opening of the rest in order as the second third c. For the Hebrewes usuallie put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first as in Gene. 1.4 And the evening and the morning was one that is the first day So in the words following And I heard one that is the first of the foure beasts for afterward he heard the second and third c. Opened the seale that is manifested For in opening thereof he revealed unto Iohn and so unto us the counsels of God concerning the future condition of the Church which before were hidden or shut To Iohn indeed he declared the same in types and withall giving him the understanding of them but unto us in types onely concealing the mysteries thereof from us to the end we should be the more exercised in the diligent observation of things both from histories and events One of the foure beasts who had the forme of a Lion Chap. 4.7 We need not here with Lyra and others inquire whither this were Marke Matthew or James the first supposed Bishop of the Church of Ierusalem The other three doe in order invite Iohn to draw neere and behold these wonders for he stood off for reverence sake that he might the more certainly write downe what he saw so that these beasts performe the office of publick cryers whose work it is to call in persons neerer to the throne or judgement seat As the voyce of thunder For such is the roaring noise of a Lion This the other beasts saying unto Iohn and us come and see require hereby great attention and I conceive that herein no other my sterie is contained 2. And I saw and behold a white horse to wit went out as it is in v. 4. also in the words following he went forth conquering But whence came he forth from the booke or seale If out of the booke then this horseman went forth at the very first opening of the margent that is the mysterie of him was there both written and revealed to Iohn giving us to understand that such was the forme of the seales and so set on the margent as they served for the keeping close of the whole booke folded up together according to our manner of sealing letters If he went out of the seale then it seemes these were annexed to the booke like the great seales of princes to their letters pattents the which are usually kept in boxes Now one seale beeing removed some part of the booke was thereby opened in so much as the writing thereof did appeare Behold a great seale out of which went forth an armed horseman But how great then was the booke it self sealed with so many seales how great was he that held so great a booke in his right hand yea how great the Lamb opening it The which may lead us to consider the greatnes of the events and the omnipotencie of God and the Lamb. The generall signification of the seales considered It may also be understood of the time that so soon as the Lamb had opened the seales the spirit caused Iohn to see these enigmatical horsemen and other things Now to speak of the opening of the seales in general Andreas doth justlie reject their exposition who referr all of them to the manner of Christs incarnation as the first seale to his birth The second to his baptisme The third to the signes he wrought after his baptisme The fourth to his unjust accusation before Pilate The fift to his crosse The sixt to his burial And the seventh to his descension into hel seeing saith he all this was alreadie don whereas Iohn speaks eyther of things present or what should come to passe afterward Others more wittilie have distinguished these seales according to the future times of the Church applying the first to the Apostles time and 200 yeares after The second unto the following age viz. the time of Justinian The third unto Phocas the usurper of the Empire The fourth unto Charles the Great when poperie was at the highest The fift unto Ottho under whom the seven Electors were erected The sixt to the counsel of Constans at what time the Church was grievously persecuted by three Anti-popes and the burning of the TWO WITNESSES whereupon the elect were sealed The seventh from that time unto the end of the world during al which time in the diverse cōfusions of the Church the sealing of the faithfull was perfected But it is difficult to define so precisely the moments of the seales Alcasar a new interpreter having numbred up fourteen opinions and rejected all of them at last brings in his own supposing that the conversion of certaine Iewes is praefigured in the foure first seales and the rejection of the rest in the three latter The which interpretation we leave unto himselfe For our part we judge it more safe to refer all to the foure Acts noted in the preface And behold a white horse I see no reason The white horse shadoweth out the puritie of the primitive Church but the common opinion of interpreters is heere to be embraced viz. that this white horse with his rider notes the purity integrity of the Christian Church at first for by whitenes in the revelation purity is signified and the speedie course of the Gospell throughout the whole earth Neverthelesse I binde not this to the first two hundred or three hundred years in which notwithstanding all the cruel oppression
death then with such a dreadfull distraction feare of present punishment enjoy the light any more Three times in scripture we finde these expressions Once in Hosea 10.8 concerning the overthrow of Israel by the Assyrians Secondly in Luke 23.30 touching the destruction of Ierusalem and thirdly in this place about the final punishment of reprobates And this here is rightlie applied to the like miseries because in their causes they are all alike For of old this exclamation was fulfilled in the wicked Israelites beeing cast both into temporal eternal punishment Afterward it was also verified in the destruction of the city and the utter overthrow of the Iewish nation and shall most fullie be accomplished at the day of judgement when the wicked shal hear that fearfull sentence pronounced Goe ye cursed into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devill and his angels Then shall they burst forth into these words of despaire Mountaines fall on us as thinking it better for them once to be crushed by the mountains and brought to nothing then for ever to be tormented in flames of hell fire But here I cannot sufficiently wonder at the false and impious interpretation of Lyra Gagnaeus and others who are not ashamed to applie that unto the martyrs saintes in heaven thereby to establish their blasphemous invocation on saintes departed which the scripture plainly attributes unto reprobates despairing of salvation These cryes they wil have to be made by the martyrs under the Diocletian persecution The mountaines the rockes to be the Saintes called mountaines because of their exaltation unto heavenly things Vnto them the godlie in their straights and anguishes shall cry fall on us that is come to us and help us in our persecution Hide us that is protect us by praying unto God for us But what a horrible depravation of scripture is this We know that the godly martyrs in their persecution by prayer fled unto God sitting on the throne unto the Lambe standing in the midst thereof that is Christ the onely saviour But for any worship to be rendred unto fained saintes the martyrs and others of the faithful were altogether ignorant of For what can be imagined more wicked then that the martyrs in their greatest anguishes leaving God Christ should implore the help of the creature against the expresse commandement of God call upon me in the day of trouble c. From the face of him that sits There are three causes of this their great fear and desperation The sight of God the Lamb the day of judgement and an evill conscience Touching the first no marvaile seeing God is a consuming fire the wicked are as stubble which the fire easely consumeth brings to nothing And from the wrath of the Lamb No where in scripture is wrath attributed unto the Lamb but in this place here it noteth that revēging justice proper to God alone XXXII Argum. of Christs deity which the wicked shall tremble at when the Lamb shall pronounce the sentence go yee cursed c. Now here the Godhead of the Lamb is evidently proved seeing Antichrist and his wicked instruments doe and shall stand in fear of none but of God onely omnipotent as is confirmed by the following reason 17 For the great day of his wrath is come This is the second cause of the wickeds horror This great day of God and the Lamb is the day of judgement For in the day of judgement being asked a reason of their ungodlinesse cruelty cōmitted they shal be mute stand ashamed They who understand this great day otherwise then of the last judgment doe groslie deceive themselves But Alcasar applying this to the Iewish people is more ridiculous who would mingle an historie knowen unto the whole world with these propheticall types In the mean while let the reader observe the relative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his anger evidentlie proving as before we shewed the deitie of Christ For that great day of wrath or of judgements especially of the last judgement is every where in the scriptures called the great day of Jehovah Ier. 30.7 Ioel 2.11.31 Zepha 1.14 Mal. 4.5 Act. 2.20 Now here this day is called The great day of the Lambs wrath And who shall be able to stand The third cause of their trembling is an evil conscience against God Men the spouse of the Lamb. The words are taken out of Ioel 2.11 For the day of Jehovah is great and terrible and who can abide it Even the godlie themselves break forth into the like speeches when they looke upon the rigour of Gods judgements If thou shouldest observe iniquitie O Iehovah who shall stand but this they speake with a filial fear and humbling of themselves and not with horror despairing as doe the wicked To stand in judgement is to rely on the confidence of a good cause and to be absolved or quitted as Cicero saith in his epistles Yesterday we stood well in the Senate Not to stand is to loose ones cause and to be condemned according to the Psalmist the wicked shall not stand in judgement Ps 1.5 so againe the foolish shall not stand in thy sight Psa 5.5 Hence they here cry out Who that is none of Gods enemyes the Lambs shall be able to stand Thus we have heard the Acts of Antichrists tragical end now followes the happie and joyful change of the church the sealed holy ones shal stand before the throne singing to God and the Lamb Salvation bee to our God c. The Argument Parts and Analysis of Chapter VII THe wonders of the sixt seale belonging to the third and fourth Act of vision 2. are continued in this Chapter After the prodigious earth-quake of Antichrists kingdom and the horrible cryes of his supporters under their punishments Now further things are exhibited unto Iohn some to come to passe in heaven and others in the earth In the earth he saw four Angels labouring to hinder the blowing of the windes And another Angel reproving them and sealing of the twelve tribes of Israel a hundred fourty and four thousand saintes in their foreheads In heaven he saw an innumerable multitude before the throne shouting with prayses unto God and to the Lambe one of the four and twentie Elders shewing unto Iohn who they were and their happie condition And thus the second vision is ended The parts are two THe first touching the indeavour of the four Angels and their restraint in the first 8 verses The other containes the harmonious thanksgiving of the heavenly inhabitants and of their felicity from v. 9. unto the end In the former part is set forth the state of the godly under Antichrists kingdome that is howsoever Satan and Antichrist shall labour by all means possible to suppresse the Gospell and tread all things under foot yet some winds shall blow that is some witnesses of the truth shal strongly oppose Antichrist the Lord still preserving certaine
preserve them safe unto himself and hath done so these thousand years Parallel of Act fourth Chap. 6. v. 14.15.16.17 The Antichristian adversaries trembling for fear of Gods judgements shall cry with a horrible howling Mountaines fall on us who can stand because of the wrath of God the Lamb Chap. 7. v. 9. unto the end The martyrs all the blessed sealed ones formerly afflicted in the world now enjoy eternall felicity and stand before God the Lamb singing with joyfull harmonie salvation to our God for God will protect them and the Lamb will feed them By which double antithesis or contrarie position the coherence doth appeare as also hereby we understand both the consolation of the Church militant under Antichrist as of the Church triumphant in the heavens After this I saw The transitory particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewes that this is a different Act from the former therefore these words After this doe denote not onely the order of the vision but also the future time in which it was done Before indeed he saw a great companie which were sealed but afterward he sees this innumerable multitude Moreover the former were sealed viz. during the persecutions of Antichrist on earth but these latter sung a hymne to wit after the enemies were cast into utter darkenesse and the Church taken up into glory Furthermore five things are recorded concerning this multitude 1. Who how great where what manner of multitude it was v. 2.2 What they did they prayse God and the Lamb. v. 10.11.12 3. Who they were The martyrs faithfull before sealed v. 13.14 4. What their happinesse was ver 15.16 5. The cause of this their great felicitie v. 17. A great multitude which no man c. This multitude is a figure of the new triumphant Church so that it consisted both of the soules which Iohn erewhile saw under the altar namely who in this world had fought the good fight of faith from the time of the Apostles for the space of 600 yeeres as also the hundred fourty and four thousand sealed ones preserved by Christ during the troubles and commotions of THAT MAN OF SIN from the sixhundreth yeere unto the end of the world This multitude is great innumerable as consisting of all the forenamed persons viz. both of the martyrs under the altar and of the hundred fourty and foure thousand sealed ones with all other of the faithfull from the Apostles time unto the last day 2 Tim. 2.19 The which number although it be small in comparison of them that perish and certaine and defined in respect of God who knowes who are his yet in it self it is great cannot bee reckoned by any creature Howsoever therefore the greater part shall follow the devill and cleave to Antichrist yet the Lord will have a great multitude and by such he will bee praysed for ever Of all nations Thus also the Church in Chap. 5.9 singeth unto the Lord Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred tongue people and nation Hence we see that the sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel belong to this multitude otherwise they could not bee of every tribe nation So that here is represented the whole triumphant Church of the new Testament Stood before the Throne This shewes that they were in heaven and not on earth for this standing denotes their coelestiall happinesse which consisteth in the perpetuall vision of God the Lambe The queen of Sheba counted Solomons servants happie in that they alwayes stood before Solomon and heard his wisdome but how much greater is the happines of the Saintes in heaven who continually behold the majesty and glory of God and Christ Now this standing of the Saintes is opposed to the dreadfull cry of reprobates who can stand Clothed with white robes Their heavenlie purity brightnesse and glorie is here set forth For the just shall shine as the stars of heaven Hence againe it appeareth that the soules of the Martyrs to whom white robes were given Chap. 6.11 and to whom it was said that they should rest for a little season are joyned to this multitude beeing commanded to come forth from under the altar and placed before the Throne Moreover palms were given into their hands in signe of victorie For as Gregorie observeth these palms which the multitude held in their hands are nothing els but the reward of victorie following the workes of Martyrs Yet God forbid we should with Ribera attribute this reward to any meritorious worke seeing a far other meritious cause thereof is noted unto us ver 14. 17. 10. And cryed with a loude voyce Now followes what this multitude did they together with the Angels Elders Beasts that is with the whole assembly of the heavenly inhabitants sing joyfullie to God the Lambe This joy of the Saintes as I even now said is opposed to the howling of the ungodly under their plagues Mountaines fall on us Here therfore is signified the most certaine change of things as now they are joyfull indeed and desirable unto the godlie now under affliction but dolefull and cursed to the wicked now lifting up their hornes For it is a righteous thing with God saith Paul to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thes 1.6 and to you who are troubled rest with us c. According as Abraham said to the glutton crying in hell Luk. 16.25 Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst good things likewise Lazarus evill things but now he is comforted thou art tormented Salvation to our God This acclamation is not a wishing salvation as is the manner of subjects desiring prosperity to their prince to cry Let the king live but a shouting for joy a blessing of God and the Lambe for mans salvation or blessed immortality and happinesse It is I say no wish but an action of thanksgiving attributing to God that which is dew unto him namely the prayse and glorie of their salvation and the sence is we ascribe not our salvation received to our owne power but to the grace of God merits of the Lambe Therefore Beza to expresse this sence hath rendred the words thus salvation from our God and from the Lambe to wit is given unto us And thus Austin in his 11 sermon concerning the Saintes They sing with a loud voyce salvation to God who acknowledge with much thanksgiving that they have overcome in battle all fierie trials not by their owne power but by his assistance c. The joy therefore blessednesse of the Saintes in heaven shal be an eternal celebration of God of Christ 11. And all the Angels The rest also of the coelestial companie as the Angels Elders and beasts spoken of Chap. 4. doe joyne in singing with the blessed soules of the Martyrs sealed ones And fell before the throne on their faces A gesture of suppliants who humble themselves before the most
rage of Satan Antichrist against the preachers of the Gospell is livelie set forth Chap. 11. unto 15 ver The fourth last Act represents the victory of the triumphant Church and the last judgement in which the militant Church shal be at length freed from all troubles but the wicked who have caused destruction to the world shall now perish for ever from v. 15. of Chap. XI unto the end The Argument and parts of Chapter VIII THe seventh seal beeing opened after halfe an houres silence in heaven there appear seven Angels with seven trumpets But before they sound Christ comes forth with a golden censer offering the prayers of the Saintes upon the golden altar and then he casts the censer filled with fire upon the earth whence arise thundrings voyces lightnings and earthquakes Moreover four Angels sounding in order one after another many wonderfull and fearfull things come to passe At the first trumpet haile fire mingled with blood is cast on the earth whereby the third part of trees is burnt At the second a great mountain burning with fire is cast into the sea turning the third part of the sea into blood At the third a great star burning as a Lamp falleth from heaven upon the third part of the rivers and fountaines of water turning the third part of the waters into wormwood of which manie men died At the fourth the third part of the Sun is smitten of the Moon and of the Stars that they should not give light night nor day After these things an Angel flying through the midst of heaven denounceth wo wo wo to the inhabitants of the earth because of the three other trumpets following THe Chapter therefore containeth 1. The preparation to the third vision 2. Four parts of the vision it self or four soundings of the trumpets with their events unto the end of the Chapter The opening of the seventh seal And a preparation to the third vision 1 And when he had opened the seventh seale there was silence in heaven about the space of halfe an houre 2 And I saw the seven Angels which stood before God and to them were given seven trumpets 3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne 4 And the smoake of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand 5 And the Angel tooke the censer and filled it with fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voyces thunderings lightnings an earthquake 6 And the seven Angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound THE COMMENTARIE 1. ANd when he to wit the Lamb had opened the seavouth seal Rupertus and some others will have this verse to belong to the former vision What is meant by the silence of half an hour understanding the silence here mentioned to be the tranquillity which followeth in heaven after the day of judgement to wit when the soules of the martyrs shal cease to cry for vengeance and the enemies shall no more afflict the Church But that tranquillity shall not bee as here it is said for half an hour but perpetually Others there was silence in heaven that is the Church had a little breathing or freedom from persecution for after Constantine suddenly followed the Arian persecution against the orthodox verity under Constans Iulian Valens c. Anselmus some others applie the silence for the space of half an hour to the time that shal be between the death of Antichrist and the day of judgement which as they say shal be five and fourty dayes To which purpose Ierome seemeth to speake somwhat in his commentarie on Dan. Chap. 12. But this fiction Ribera justly disapproves of albeit there is little waight in his reason Because saith hee that time shal be so quiet as that the wicked casting of all fear of evils to befall them shall live securely say peace peace according to that of Matt. 24.28 1 Thessa 5.1 but this is rather to confirme then any way to confute their opinion for this silence doth note tranquillity according to these interpreters Others suppose that the silence was in regard of the astonishment of the assembly in heaven admiring the weightinesse of Gods judgements set forth in this vision But considering that as yet they had neither seen nor known them how could they be astonished thereat For my part I seek for no mysterie in this silence but take it historically for a short space The Authors opinion in which the former vision beeing fully acted there was a cessation for a little while from further apparitions permission beeing graunted unto Iohn in the mean while to desist from contemplation of these high mysteries For the opening of the sixt seal concluded the foregoing vision of the last judgement After which at the opening of the seventh feal begins a new vision the which that it might plainely be differenced from the former there is silence for the space as it were of half an hour during which time the heavenly assembly ceased from their hymnes John prepared himself for to contemplate on new visions This stilnesse therfore is to bee referred to the order or decency of this apparitional Act and to mee there seemes to be no other mysterie in it 2. And I saw those seven Angels here begins the preparation it is twofold First appear seven Angels for to sound with seven trunpets v. 2. and 6. But before they sound comes forth an Angel with a golden censer casting the same upon the earth as acting the prologue and setting forth the argument of these trumpetters And I saw He sees againe seven Angels shewing themselves on the theatre to whom are given by him that sate on the Throne or by the Lamb Seven trumpets to sound withall And here we are to take notice of the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those seven to wit whom before he saw Chap. 4.5 5.6 Who stood that is their office was to stand before God as heraulds speedily to performe his commandements Or standing that is ministring and ready to sound with their trumpets For as the edicts of princes are published their festival dayes proclaimed and people or armies gathered together by the sound of the trumpet so these Angels by sounding doe publish the secret judgements of God set forth admirable events and provoke the adversaries to wrath and tumult Most interpreters understand by these Angels Who these sounding Angels are the preachers of the word whose office it is like trumpetters to proclaim the will of God unto men now indeed this may not unfitly bee applied to the first six of them but not to the seventh For without all doubt thereby is signified the Archangel with whose voice and trump the
effusion of much Christian blood about the yeere 1300. the which opinion doth well agree to the vision yet it seemeth we are to ascend higher even to Mahumet himself the first author of the Eastern apostasie as Bullinger Illyricus doe rightly in my opinion interpret it For about the same time that the Romane Bishop was created by Phocas VNIVERSAL king of the Locusts and so according to Gregories opinion declared to be the Antichrist there arose in the East a new Mahumetan sect by this occasion Heraclius the Emperour Phocas successour having ended his warre against the Persians The originall of Mahumetanisme dismissed without pay his Saracene souldiers whom he had in his armie under their captaine Homar these beeing returned into Arabia asked counsell of Mahumet the false Prophet at that time famous by a new kind of doctrine patched together of Judaisme Christianisme and Gentilisme For of the Iewes he borrowed circumcision and some other rites of the Christians the doctrine of love and duties between man and man of the Pagans militarie discipline c. Mahumets answer to the Saracens who gave them this for answer My will saith he is that yee executing the commandements of the Law doe in mutuall love and charitie stick close to each other both in riches and provertie that ye pollute not other mens wives by adulterie that yee abstaine from evill your selves and hinder others also doe good and perswade others thereunto wage warre in the name of God by feare and force impose lawes on the disobedient in dooing whereof I certainlie promise paradise unto you This doctrine which Mahumet afterward put into his Alcoran the Saracens with their captaine Homar received and drawing the rest of the Arabians into a societie of warre with them in short time they subdued and brought under their power the neighbouring provinces of the Romane Empire as all Arabia Palestina Syria Aegypt Africa Cypresse and many cities of Asia the lesse even unto Byzantium withall propagating and establishing the impieties and blasphemies of Mahumet and on the contrarie rooting out Christian religion which indeed at that time was every where much corrupted at length they entred into Spaine and held it in their possession untill in the yeere 1488 at which time after most cruell warres and with great difficulty they were driven thence by Ferdinand king of Castile grandfather to Charles the fift To these Arabians and Saracens the Tartars Turks professing the same Mahumetan religion joyned themselves who at length all of them by mutuall consent became one Empire whereof Ottoman a Turk by nation was the first Emperour in the yeer 1300 as hath been said and hence it is called the Ottoman or Turkish Empire unto this day since which time they have by cruell wars praefigured in this trumpet enlarged their borders through Asia Affrica and almost whole Europe even into the very hart of Hungarie Now these things thus briefly premised in an historicall way we may the more easilie understand the types of the following trumpet Aâ—bâ—h◠〈◊〉 Angel sounded In the person of the Angel I seek for no mysterie By his sounding hâ—e gives us a signe well to observe the future events which shall here be represented First he notes the author of the Revelation viz. Christ whose voyce he heard from the four hornes that is out of the midst of the golden or perfulâ—â—tory altar mentioned Chap. 8.3 which under the Law was a type of Christ The hornes thereof are mentioned in Exod. 30.10 where the high priest is commanded once every yeere to make an atonement with the blood of the sinne offering upon the hornes of the golden altar for the sinnes of the people to signifie that their sins should be at length truely expiated by the blood and intercession of Christ It was before God Not as if there were in heaven a golden altar but it is an allusion to the ceremonial type For the golden altar stood before the vaile by the ark of Jehovah The allegory betwixt the four Evangelists and these foure hornes I referre to its place But here it is an allusion to the ancient type as before in Chap. 6.9 Christ is said to be the Altar protecting the soules of the Martyrs XXXIV Argum. of Christs deity Iohn therefore sets forth the author and matter of this Revelation namely that he heard Christs voyce commanding four Angels to be loosed as actors of the future tragedies And here the divine authoritie of Christ appeares who commands as the Angels in heaven beeing Lord of them so in earth stirreth up wicked and tyrannicall men to punish the ingratitude of the world by them 14. Saying to the sixt Angel which had the trumpet This also may literally bee understood that Iohn truely heard the thing here mentioned committed to the sounding Angel that is having ended he should speedily unloose the Babylonian Angels Loose the four Angels He shewes how hitherto they were there bound that they might not exercise their cruelty but now by Gods commandment are loosed to execute his judgements in punishing the Christian world for their idolatry and other wickednesse Here is an argument of the Lords divine providence who holds in and le ts out the enemies of the Church as he pleaseth Hence we should both feare the Lord and pray to him that the enemies bee not loosed for our destruction as also to trust in him seeing against us they can doe nothing contrary to the will of God or without his permission and sufferance This worke of loosing is committed to an Angel because Angels are Gods ministring spirits to execute his judgements whither good or evill Now let us consider who these Angels are Who are these foure Angels bound at the river Euphrates what is meant by the great river Euphrates I have shewed you what other mens opinion is concerning these things Some also take these foure Angels to be the same which in Chap. 7.1 Held the foure windes of the earth from blowing c. But to this I can no way assent True it is as they there so these here are evill and not good Angels as the circumstances shew Notwithstanding neyther the one nor the other are devils For the former were the temporall and spirituall instruments of the Western Antichrist hindring as much as they could the preaching of the Gospell from the Christian world But these are onely secular ministers of the Eastern Antichrist who hindred not so much the preaching of the Gospell In what they differ from the four Angels Chap. 7.1 as by murdering of Christians brought a lamentable destruction upon them They are clearly differenced from the other by the circumstances of the place beeing loosed at the great river Enphrates so that hitherto they were there bound not as devils confined to a certaine place but as cruel barbarous people kept in by the hand of God that they could no sooner break forth to destroy the Christian world Euphratâ—â— I take
event manifested that they were to be taken in a proper sense as Daniel also teacheth Chap. 9.2 Bellarmin granteth that then a certaine number is put for an uncertaine Lib. 3. de ◠R. cap. 8. when the number set down is full and perfect as 10.100.1000 but not when diverse numbers great and small are propounded But this is infirme and false as appeares by Luk. 13.32 I doe cures to day and to morrow and the third day I shall be perfected which is indefinitely spoken And Matt. 18.22 Forgive thy brother seventy times seven indefinitely for verie many times And Revel 7.4 14.1 144000. are said to be sealed indefinitely Rev. 9.5.10 The Locusts shall hurt five moneth in this very Chapt. v. 11. the two wittnesses shall ryse againe after three dayes a halfe Reve. 14.20 Blood flowed out of the Lake by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs all which foresaid places are indefinitely to be understood Yet if I durst speake any thing touching the certaine beginning of these 42. moneths I would as most doe by a propheticall mysterie applie them to 1260 yeeres beginning from the time that the holy city began to be troden under foot by the Romane Gentiles not the old but new that is by Antichristian Popes whom we have shewed to be here noted by the Gentiles They began to tread upon the Church after they were lifted up into the chaire of universall pestilence among whom Boniface was the first in the yeere 606. Then the star of the Church of Rome fallen from heaven upon the earth opening the bottomlesse pit brought forth out of the smoke those mortal Locusts spoken of Chap. 9. From the yeere of Christ therefore 606 untill this time the holy citie hath been troden under foot by the Romane Gentiles which is the space of 1073. yeeres and is yet to be troden down 223 yeeres more to wit untill the yeere of Christ 1866. But let this terme bee indefinite seeing the Lord hath reserved it to himselfe undoubtedly will shorten it for the elects sake Wherefore I will determine nothing of these fourty and two moneths 3. And I will give to my two witnesses I have expounded the generall prophesie touching the future reformation of the Church after that the Companie of priests were departed from the faith unto paganisme and Antichrist had troden downe the holy city by his tyranny Now followes the speciall prophesie touching the instruments manner successe and event of this reformation serving for the comfort of the faithfull for when in appearance Antichrist shall have wholy troden the holy city under foot and thrust Christ as it were out of all his possession then he will shew that he ruleth in the midst of Antichrists kingdome and will renew preserve unto himself a measured Tēple in the city troden under foot viz. by the prophesie of his two witnesses Now this part of the prophesie is also full of difficultie as who these two witnesses are after what manner they prophesied and to what times this history appertaines For here are almost as many opinions as expositours Yet these things will not be altogether obscure unto us if we give heed unto the scope laid down by us in the Argument and Analysis And I will give So Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and adversatively yet it may well be read but I will give because it is as it were an exception as if he had said In outward appearance the whole city shall be troden down all prophesie extinct by Antichrists tyrannie but I will restore prophesie For the word power is not in the Greek but added by the translatours to make up the sense that the city of God may be rebuilded I will give to my two witnesses He neither names the witnesses nor expresseth what he will give them Some therefore gesse one thing and some another Beza here adds the same to wit the holie city which agrees well with the sense because Christ will truelie give that is recommend the same unto his witnesses that so it may be set free from oppression and purged from the filthy smoake of Antichrist Others I will give them to wit a mouth and wisedome which Antichrist shall not be able to resist according to that in Luke 21.15 I will give you a mouth and wisedome which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist Which promise is made to all faithfull professours of the name of Christ Others I will give them to wit my spirit which is all one with the former but it seems rather that the two future verbes are coupled together as noting the end and effect I will give to them and they shall prophesie for I will give unto them that they may prophesie that is authoritie or power to prophesie and somuch such coupling often signifies as Gen. 34.30 They shall gather themselves together against me and smite me and I shall be destroyed For that they may smite me and I and my house shall be destroyed So Ierem. 9.1 Oh wo will give my head to bee waters and mine eye a fountaine of teares and I will bewaile night and day the slaine of my people For that I may bewaile as Pagninus expresseth it They shall prophesie therefore to wit againe according to the commandement Thou must againe prophesie But concerning these witnesses who they are and what time was determined for their prophesying is a difficult question I will briefly speak somewhat of it The Papists taking the whole literallie doe vainly dream The Papists fable about the two witnesses that when the Iewes with their leader Antichrist shall have recovered the citie of Jerusalem then these two witnesses shall be present who by prophesying shall oppose themselves against these perfidious Iewes and Antichrist 1260 dayes that is three yeeres and an halfe The witnesses they say are Enoch and Elias whom they affirme to be yet alive in paradise and there reserved to this end that returning into the world they may resist Antichrist But beeing slaine by him they shall againe be restored to life after three dayes and an half at the beholding of which miracle the Iewes as they faine shall turne to Christ and put Antichrist to death in mount Olivet and thenceforward prepare themselves for Christ who should now come fourty and five dayes after From this fable Bellarmin drew his third demonstration in defence of the Pope that he is not Antichrist neyther that Antichrist is yet come because saith he the two Prophets Henoch and Elias must come before Christ but these are not as yet come whereas the Pope of Rome hath now reigned for many ages Therfore he is not the Antichrist neither is Antichrist as yet come The major of this fable he laboureth to prove first by foure places of Scripture Malach. 4.5 Behold I will send the prophet Elias c. Ecclus 48.10 Elias is written in the judgements of times to pacific the wrath of the
Lord and restore the tribes of Israel And 44.16 Enoch was translated into Paradise that he might give repentance unto the Gentiles Matt. 17.11 Helias shall come restore all things And Rev. 11.3 I will give to my two witnesses c. Secondly by the authoritie of Fathers as Hilarie Hierom Origen Chrisostom Lactantius and Austin who affirm that the two witnesses are Henoch and Elias who shall come against Antichrist Thirdlie by reason because otherwise a reason cannot be given why these two were taken up before their death and yet live a mortall life and must dy at an appointed time But verely that in Luk. The Papistical fable refuted 16.29 doth plainely contradict this fable for Abraham shewes that none are to be exspected to come from heaven and preach unto the world but that Moses and the Prophets are to be heard This whole text also touching the martyrdom of the two witnesses with the events that follow therupon doth strongly make against this fiction For how unlikely is it that those two holy men who were taken up into heaven live with God should againe return into this mortal life to be cruelly murdered by the beast And how should it be that their carkeises lying in the streets of the great city should be seen in the space of three dayes a halfe of all peoples nations tribes tongues what shal all the whole world in so short a time flie like Eagles to Ierusalem to behold two carkeises And how shall they all rejoyce send gifts to each other in three dayes time How can two onely within fourty two moneths by their prophesie torment the inhabitants of the whole earth certainly the thing it self speaketh that this place cannot nor ought to be understood according to the Letter And therefore there is some other mysterie in it which Hierom seeing thus writes in Epist. 46. to MARCELLA if saith he we follow the litteral interpretation then we must rest in the Jewish fables that Jerusalem shal be built again and sacrifices offered in the temple to the weakning of spiritual worship and strengthening of carnal ceremonies To the first I answer that the scriptures alledged make nothing at all for the matter Bellarmins arguments answered For the prophesie of Malachie speakes not of a returne of Elias out of Paradise but of John the Baptists preaching in the power and spirit of Elias for so the Angel interprets it to Zacharie Luk. 1.17 He shall goe before him in the spirit and power of Elias to turn the harts of the fathers to the children c. So Christ himself speaking of John Matt. 11.14 saith If yee will receive it hee is Elias which was to come namely according to the prophesie in Malach. 4.5 teaching us how that prophesie was fulfilled in Iohn the Baptist Bellarmin insists on the contrarie that Elias is to come before Christs last comming For it is said I send him before that great and terrible day of the Lord shall come But this is not of necessity to be understood of the last day of judgement because the first comming of Christ was also great by the mysterie of his incarnation and miracles and terrible to the wicked witnesse Herods and the Iewes trembling But be it granted that Elias shall also come before the last day Yet Malachie saith not that he shall precisely come three yeeres an half before the judgement The former place of Ecclesiasticus makes lesse for the fable both because it is aprocrypha and so proves nothing as also because the Latine reading is faultie as differing from all Greek copies Of Elias it is said Chap. 48.10 Thou art written for reproofes in times to pacifie the anger of Gods judgement in wrath to turn the heart of the father to the child and restore the tribes of Israel The which things he is said to have done not after his translation into heaven of which it followeth afterward in vers 13. but in the time of his prophesying on earth The other place of Ecclus 44.16 is thus in Greek Henoch pleased the Lord and was translated beeing appointed an example of repentance unto the Nations But the old version thus renders it falsly that he might give repentance unto the nations Now while he lived he was an example of repentance unto those of his time The place of Matt. 17.11 doth manifestly speak of the Baptist For Christ there plainlie affirmes that Elias was alreadie come to wit the Baptist whom they acknowledged not but put to death That which goes before Elias indeed shall first come and restore all things doth not make any thing for the fable but the place confirmeth Malachies prophesie that is as Elias was certainlie to come so now he was already come and that the same prophesie was fulfilled in the Baptist It was the opinion of the Scribes that Elias the Thesbite should come before the Messias who because he was not as yet then come therefore they denied Christ to be Messias But Christ declares the false hood of their opinion because not Elias the Thesbite but John the Baptist was prophesied of by Malachie But the Baptist did not restore all things how then is he Elias yea but he did restore all things according to the limitation of Malachie and the Angel in Luk. 1. For he prepared the way of the Lord turned the hearts of the fathers unto the children c. The opinion of the Fathers without the scriptures proves nothing neither do the fathers agree in one some will have the two witnesses to be Elias and Henoch Others Elias Elisha Others Elias Moses Others Moses and Aaron because they turned the waters into blood Others Elias and Jeremie Now if any desire to know more of the dissentions both of the old and latter writers about these witnesses Vestigat p. 578. he may read in Alcasar foure wayes of opinions The FIRST way saith he is interpreted of two men beeing to preach in Antichrists time The SECOND of Antichrists time indeed but not of two men The THIRD of two men but not of Antichrists time To be short the fourth neyther of two men nor of Antichrists time Againe every of these wayes are devided as it were into diverse divisions of Pathes and other things there following Hee himself goes in the fourth way the worst and falsest of all The two witnesses he makes to be two great vertues WISDOM and HOLINESSE as preachers of the Gospel in the primitive Church against the Iewes which new opinion needs no refuting seeing it is manifest that here mention is made not of qualities but men preaching against the Beast or Antichrist They who will have these to be precisely understood of two men would have had more shew of reason in applying the same to Iehoshua Zerubbabel seeing they two Zach. 4.3 are called two Olive-trees two candlesticks unto which these two witnesses are here likened ver 4. To his reason I answer that it is
adversaries who perished by the ruin of the tenth part of the city But how some understand it of the bloody warres commotions which Antichrist to his own hurt hath raysed up against the Gospel For many millions of his followers have been consumed by this meanes to the exceeding losse of the great city But perhaps not lesse but rather more blood of the Saintes hath been shed by Antichristians in the civil warrs of France Spaine England the Low countries and other where Others therfore do rather understand it of the spiritual destruction of the adversaries by the preaching of the Gospel for by it many of the Papists beeing the more blinded hardened and enraged have eternallie perished Brightman interprets it of the Popish Clergy who by the rising of the Gospel being spoiled of the revenues yeerly profits of their Monasteries Colleges were bereaved of their delight former luxuriousnes put to such an exigent as either to labour or starve for hunger But I rather allow the former because of that which followeth And the remnant were afrighted The last effect is good The conversion of many to the faith of the Gospel noting the conversion of the â—est of men from Popery unto the faith of Christ For the ruin of the tenth part of the great Antichristian eity shall be the building of Christs little city Many therfore in the forsaid provinces observing the wonderful work of God in preserving propagating the Gospel were afraid any loÌ„ger to resist the truth but gave glory to God by forsaking the lies idols of the Papacy Now touching these things we may behold them as in a table by which we have a plain description the very events partly in the histories of our times and partly by what we dayly see with our own eyes so that we need not have recourse unto ancient commeÌ„taries 14. The second woe is past This is a transition from the third Act unto the fourth Woe He notes the calamities by the effect for calamities cause woe unto the flesh In Chap. 8.23 an Angel flying through the midst of heaven proclaimed three woes to happen under the sounding of three trumpets The first woe under the fift trumpet were the calamities of the Godlie under the Western Antichrist even from the time of his rising until the Council of Constance The second woe of the sixt trumpet is yet to this day under both Antichrists viz. the Turke in the East and the Pope in the West The first did praefigure the calamities of the godly alone The second the calamities commoÌ„ both to the godly the wicked Now followes the third woe only belonging unto the wicked which shal come to passe under the last trumpet Is past Not in event seeing it was then to come but in vision description as if he should say hitherto I have described the second woe the third remaines to be described Commeth quickly For shall come This he opposeth to the security of the Antichristians as Chap. 1. v. 1.3 And if then they were not far off how much neerer are they now to us after so many ages the seventh Angel being at hand to summon men to judgment by the last trumpet The second part of the Chapter The scound of the seventh Trumpet at the last judgement Containing the fourth Act of this Vision 15. And the seventh Angel sounded there were great voyces in heaven saying the kingdomes of this world are become the kingdomes of our Lord of his Christ he shall reigne for ever and ever 16. And the foure twenty Elders which sate before God on their seates fell upon their faces and worshipped God 17. Saying we give thee thankes O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned 18. And the nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the Prophets to the Saints and them that feare thy Name smal and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth 19. And the Temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seene in his Temple the Arke of his Testament and there were lightnings and voyces and thundrings and an earthquake and great hayle THE COMMENTARIE ANd the seventh Angel sounded Of this Angel interpreters write diversely The fiction of Lyra I passe by Gagnaeus understands thereby the seventh order of good men or preachers Who is this seventh Angel who after Antichrists death and neer about the last day shal preach the Gospel the which he takes from the common fiction that Antichrist shall die fourty five dayes before the last judgment But Antichrist shal be destroyed by none save by the brightnesse of the comming of Christ Alcasar speakes little of him but applies the trumpet to the obstinacie of the Iewes and election of the Gentiles Which thing is unworthy of any refutation For the nations here are not said to be elected but angrie besides the very matter it selfe sheweth that these things appertaine unto the last times Brightman takes this Angel to have sounded anno 1558. when there were great voyces in heaven that is much joy in the reformed Church for the restauration of Christs kingdome in Germanie at what time Q Elisabeth also began to reign restore the sincere preaching of the Gospel in England c. But it is plain the words are to be applyed unto the last day when both the living and the dead good and bad shall come to judgement and therefore cannot be restrained to such a sence More truly therefore Fox Alphonsus Bullinger Tossanus Marlorate The seventh truÌ„pet foretels the last judgement with the rest of our interpreters a few onely excepted acknowledge that the seventh trumpet is the messenger of the last day in which the kingdomes of the adversaries being overthrown and abolished Christ will immediately restore his kingdome casting the wicked into eternall punishment and receiving the elect into endlesse glorie And this exposition of the trumpet plainly appeares to be right from Chap. 10. v. 7. where Christ the strong Angel expresly sweareth that the seventh Angel when he shal begin to sound the mysterie of God should be finished It is also evident from the text For in the last judgement and not before all kingdoms of the earth become Gods and Christs that God may be all in all Then shall be the time of Gods wrath and of the dead that they may be judged that the Martyrs Prophets and servants of Christ may receive an eternall reward of their labours and the wicked who destroyed the earth perish for ever and ever Therefore many of the Ancients as Andreas Bede Aretas A fained anticipation justly reproved Primasius others follow this opinion Ribera also acknowledgeth the same but faineth that these things are here brought in by way of Anticipation
and 5. It containes a thanksgiving a prayer They give thankes to the Lord God almighty which is which was and which is to come that is either to Christ or unto the holy Trinity as before on Chap. 1.8 But for what benefit Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned But what good comes hereby unto the Elders indeed they have great cause to rejoyce for these benefits considering that they serve to the eternal felicity of the Church triumphant Hitherto the Lord in suffering the fury of the adversaries did seem not to exercise his great power that is his omnipotencie and Christ to be overcome by Antichrist but at length by taking that is by exercising and shewing forth his power in casting down the adversaries he delivered the afflicted Church out of all her trouble and by reigning blesseth her with eternal happinesse Rom. 14.17 The kingdome of God is righteousnes peace and joy in the holy Ghost And God shall then perfectly reigne when as he shall give to his elect eternal righteousnesse peace and the joy of the spirit Of this see the description in the end of the second Vision Chap. 7. v. 15.16.17 18. And the nations were angry Now followes their wish or prayer For by putting God and Christ as it were in minde of the time of judgment they humbly beseech him that he would most justly execute the same according to the prophesies of the scripture The nations were angry This is as it were a former reason Because the nations are angrie as if he should say they have bin angry that is raged long enough against Christ and the Church It is time therefore that thou also be angrie that is represse the angrie nations Thus he calleth all adversaries whatsoever whither Jewes Turkes or Christians falsly so named Thy wrath That is thy vengeance and judgement or wrath for punishments by a metalepsis as Rom. 2.5 Is come For let it come And the time namely is come the which thou hast defined in ty eternal counsel Vnknown indeed unto mortal men but then revealed by Christ unto them in heaven For without a speciall revelation no man knoweth that day save God alone But what time Of the dead That is to be raised Some take it of the wicked onely dead in sins But the following distribution of them which are to be judged comprehends all both good and bad For it is added That they should be judged But the godlie shall not come into judgement Jo. 5.24 He that beleeveth on him that sent mee hath eternal life and shall not come into judgement But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 judgement is there put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemnation and therfore Beza hath so rendred it So then the elect shall come to judgment for all must stand before the tribunall seat of Christ however they shall come to be absolved and not condemned And therefore the Elders further adde Two companies of them that are to be judged That thou shouldest give reward They make two sorts of people of such as shal be judged some to be rewarded the other to be destroyed as Christ in Matth. 25. Joh. 5. The reward of their faith shal be given them and of their obedience constancie patience labours and miseries What reward eternal life glorie Vnto whom They make three sorts of such as shal be rewarded Three rankes of such as are to be rewarded First they place Gods servants the prophets thereby comprehending the faithfull of more special note whither under the Law or Gospel as Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Evangelists c. who were Gods servants by a more then orninary vocation Secondly the Saintes to wit confessours and martyrs who eyther by sincere preaching or constant martyrdome have held forth the glory of Christ against Antichrist Vnder whom are comprehended all faithfull teachers and preachers of the word called Saints by an Hebraisme as separated to some special work In the third place they add the fearers of Gods name that is all other faithful ones besides the two former companies who from the beginning of the world unto the end therof have worshipped the Lord in sinceritie What it is to feare the name of God For to fear the name of God is to worship him sincerely to call upon him and love him above all because the feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome godlinesse Great and small They shew that the reward is common unto all without any difference of merit either of greater or lesser condition and state to the end that neyther the great ones should promise unto themselves a greater reward or the others despaire of the same recompence Popish Sophisters dispute much touching the degrees of glorie which rather proceedeth out of their own braine from a false supposed foundation of humane merits then from the Scriptures of God But whither the Lord wil crown his servants with equal or unequal glorie it shal not be according to their merit but merely of his own grace And this is all Jovinian against whom Jerom wrote pleaded for except I be deceived viz. that unto all who kept their baptisme there should be one recompence in the kingdome of God For he seems not to disapprove of a degree of reward but of merit The crown of righteousnes propounded unto all the faithfull Paul the Apostle who was taken up into the third heaven and inferiour to none of the Saintes shewes us that for him was laid up a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous judge would give him at that day and not unto him onely but unto all that love his appearing This same crown of righteousnesse the Elders doe promise unto the Prophets and Saintes and all the fearers of the name of God This sufficeth for our faith and consolation Let us leave disputing in this life touching the differences of the crowne and rather indeavour so to walke as that we may be made partakers therof in the life to come That thou shouldest give reward Here fals in a question For a reward is given of merit and debt Therfore say some the reward of eternall life is given unto the Saintes as a due debt otherwise it would not be called a reward Now it is not onely here so called Mat. 5.12 20.8 1 Cor. 3.8 Rom. 4.4 but in many other places Great is your reward in heaven Give unto them their reward or hire Every one shall receive his own reward according to his own labour But to him that worketh the reward is not given of grace but of debt Thus the mercenarie adversaries of grace dispute But how eternal life is said to be a reward appeares by the words of the Apostle The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is life eternal Rom. 6.23 Ephes 2.9 It is the gift of God not of workes least any man should glorie Now all gifts are gratis and not due debts Forasmuch
therfore as eternal life is a gift Eternal life is mercy not merit it is of mercy and not of merit And it is called a reward not due but freely given such a reward as a father gives to his son not as a master unto his hired servant Neither is it contradictorie that the Apostle denies that a reward is given of grace For he denies it of a reward of workes To him that worketh saith he the reward is not imputed of grace but of workes Now we denie that life eternal is said to bee such a reward For not to workers but to beleevers is this reward given They insist out of Thomas Thom. 1. secundae quaest 114. ad 1. that it is not indeed given of debt in order of justice but yet that it is given of debt by divine ordination in as much as every promise becomes a debt I answer That the divine appointment is not that we should by our merits obtaine eternal life or that eternall life should be given to any of merit but Gods appointment according unto the Gospell is this that eternall life bee given not to them that worke but to them that beleeve not of debt but of grace for the gift of God is life eternall Faith works indeed because it is operative through Charitie but it doth not therefore worke that it may merit but to the end that due obedience may be performed to the Lord. For no debt can be said to be a merit But thou wilt say Howfar a promise becomes a debt every promise becomes a debt This is true amongst men with whom there is a natural and legal obligation But that Gods promise should come under the nature of a debt it is false Both because their is no proportion between God who is infinite and a finite creature neyther any obligation on Gods part as also because as wel the promise as the thing promised is of mere grace For it is of grace I say that he promiseth to give whatsoever he doth give he gives it of grace But they say God by promise becomes indebted unto us This Aquinas himself denies saying It followes not that God simply becomes a debtor to us but unto himself Se Bellarm. castigat lib 5. in prooem cap. 3.14.16 de justif And destroy them that destroy the earth The other sort to be judged are such as shal be destroyed with unquencheable fire and eternall torments For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to corrupt is not so to destroy them as if they should cease to be like as it is in naturall corruption the which is motus ab esse ad non esse a dissolution from a beeing to nothing but to thrust them into punishment so as they shal not be blessed but miserable for ever Who destroy the earth A paraphrase of such as are to be destroyed among the number of whom chiessy are tyrants hereticks and both Antichrists The sonne of perdition destroyes the earth who in a speciall manner destroyed the earth that is the inhabitants of the earth by fire sword by destructive lawes and doctrines by wicked manners and examples This is a most proper note of Antichrist who therefore is called the sonn of perdition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because being lost himselfe and devoted to destruction he destroyes the earth like a robber killing soules and drawing men by all deceiveablenes of unrighteousnes and lying signes with himself into eternal destruction So Chap. 19.2 The whore is said to corrupt the earth with her fornication And therefore as Antichrist is a destroyer so he shal be rewarded with a final destruction Hitherto is the description of the last judgement the which by no shew of reason can be applyed to any other thing neyther is it here put by way of anticipation but repeated in a right order as beeing the last Act of the third Vision the which order they who observe not in this book doe vainly weary themselves with many subtilties 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven Here some begin the following Vision But these things cohere with that which went before For John shewes allegorically the execution of the last judgement viz. the reward of the Saintes and punishment of the wicked The temple of God in heaven That is the Church triumphant in which God dwelleth as in a temple It shall then be opened when the heavenly glorie thereof shal fullie appeare For now indeed it is inward and hid and therefore the magnificence of the temple beeing as it were shut is not perspicuous But then the temple of God shal be opened when the Church shall appear most glorious And the Ark of the testament was seen He persists in the allegory of the ancient temple In the inmost part whereof was kept the Ark of the covenant a type of Christ beeing not to be seen of any save once a yeere by the High priest signifying that Christ of old was hid and as through a lattice the people then had but a smal glimpse of him Vnder the New Testament he appeared in the flesh but in a lowly way neither is his glory yet seen in the Gospel but by faith But after the judgment the Ark of the covenant shall be seen in heaven that is Christ shall so appeare as he is in heavenly glory unto his elect Now we see through a glasse darkly but then we shall see him face to face The sight of God is the Saintes felicity This Vision shal be the Saintes happines viz. when Christ shall present himself to be perfectlie beheld enjoyed and fullie perfect the grace of his covenant And there were lightnings Before Chap. 4.5 in the praeparation of the second Vision there proceeded out of the throne lightnings thundrings voyces and Chap. 8.5 in the praeparation of the third Vision the Censer beeing cast into the earth there were voyces and thunders and lightnings and an earthquake The wickeds pitnishment but in sense far different then it is in the catastrophe or change of this Vision For now John in the description of the last judgement as he shewed the felicity of the Saintes allegorically so he represents the punishments of the wicked metaphorically by the lightnings thunders voyces earthquakes and great haile oppressing them These things shal be the terrible signes of the wrath to come when the heaven earth all the elements shall conspire together to take vengeance on the wicked according to that in the Psalmist Psal 11.6 he will raine upon the wicked snares fire and brimstone wind of burning storms shall be the portion of their cup. Our Tossanus to the same purpose understands here the shaking of the whole frame of this world melting of the elements of which Peter speaketh together with the destruction of the wicked The like is spoken Chap. 16.18 at the powring forth of the seventh Viall in Vision the fift Thus much touching the third Vision
and seven trumpets The fourth Vision followeth touching the Woman the Beasts The fourth Vision Touching the Woman in travaile and flying into the wildernes from the dragon and of the two Beasts c. THE PRAEFACE THey who thinke that in the prophesie of the Revelation a continued historie of the Church is linked together even from Christs first comming unto the second begin the same from this Chapter in which it seems the new birth of the Church is represented But at the verie first they run into a great inconvenience For they are forced to bring in such an hyperbaton and confused order of the history as cannot be defended For that which was first ought not to have been omitted til now but to have been described in the first place Wherefore their opinion is farr better who observe that in this booke the condition of the Church on earth is sundry times shewed unto Iohn in certaine distinct Visions as in the beginning we noted Neither is the iteration to be thought needlesse for however in the nature and kinde of the events most of the visions are alike yet in the species and indiviaduals they represent unto us histories much different in somuch that what is in the former was more darke obscure is in the later clearer fuller set down And hence by diligent comparing of the Visions each with other aman shall have a singular helpe to remove that obscurity which appeares in this prophesie After the three Visions therefore formerly expounded The first wherof specially concernes Christs walking in the midst of the candelsticks and his admonishing the teachers of the Churches in Asia touching their duty The other two generally respect the booke sealed with seven seales The summe of the fourth Vision and opened by the Lambe with the seven trumpets of the Angels Now the fourth is exhibited to Iohn touching the woman in travaile the dragon standing to devour her childe and persecuting her and of the two Beasts warring against the Saintes as also of the Lambe overcomming them and of the Angels preaching at the last harvest and vintage Chap. 12.13.14 In which types the future condition of the Church in this world is much more evidently shadowed out then before even from the first beginning thereof under Christ and the ministerie of the Apostles untill the end For the Church shall have to doe with the Dragon the Beasts be miserablie afflicted and tryed by them yet she sufficiently armed from heaven for so grievous combats at last shall gloriously triumph over all her adversaries This Vision is also universal manifestly consisting of four Acts The four Acts thereof like the two former general visions The first Act containes the proposition of the Churches calamities at her birth and growth under the Iewish and Romane tyrants persecuting the woman as also under hereticks labouring through the instinct of the Dragon to devoure her with the floodes of errours and heresies Chap. 12. It answereth to the four former seales of the second Vision and to the first four trumpets of the third Vision representing the historie of the Church for the space of 606 yeeres viz. from the birth of Christ untill the rising of Antichrist The second Act is opposed to the former containes comfort for the Church against the wrath of the Dragon and floodes of heresies sent forth against her because the childe of the Woman is caught up into heaven and Michael the Archangel fighteth for her against the Dragon The woman with Eagles wings is caried into the wildernes hiding herself from the sight of men The earth swalloweth up the Dragons vomit This Act is mingled with the former in the same Chapter it answereth to the fift seale of the second Vision and to the tenth chapter treating of the mighty Angel standing upon the earth and sea Vision the third The third Act hath two parts The first part is of the Antichristian persecution representing the amplification of the Churches calamities or the new and more grievous conflicts which shee sustained during her abode in the wildernes against Antichrist whose kingdome power crueltie and subtiltie is set forth under the image of Beasts Chap. 13. This part answereth to the sixt seale of Vision the second and to the fift trumpet of Vision the third The latter part is opposed to the former in way of a parallel beeing consolatory to the godly prefiguring Christs presence in his deserted Church and his preserving of the same against the Beasts as also the reformation that should be in the latter times through the Angels that is new teachers of truth and godlinesse who by their preaching should oppose the Babylonish Antichrist and bring men back againe into the right way of salvation chap. 14. unto ver 14. This part answereth to the former part of chap. 7. touching the 144000 that were sealed by the Angel in Vision second and to the former part of chapt 11. of the meting of the temple and prophesie of the two witnesses in Vision third And this whole Act appertaines unto the historie of the Church which now from Antichrists rising hath continued 1035 yeeres and shal perhaps remaine unto the end of the 1260 dayes or yet for the space of 225 yeeres but this is onely known unto the Lord. To be short the fourth Act from v. 14. unto the end of chap. 14. under the type of an Angel gathering in the harvest and vintage of the earth represents the last judgement in which the Church at length beeing freed from all trouble shal be blest with eternal glorie But Antichrist with all his followers cast into the lake of Gods eternal wrath This part answereth to the latter member of Chapter the seventh touching the melody of the Church triumphant in Vision second as also to the latter part of Chapter 11 concerning the joyfull song of the Elders in Vision third Thus we have the whole distribution of this Vision The Argument Parts and Analysis of CHAPTER XII THis Chapter in which as we have said is shadowed out the first and second Act of Vision fourth under the type of a woman in travel and a Dragon opposing of her and of Michael fighting for the woman against the Dragon doth represent the state of the Church even from her infancy with the changes of her after age for at the very first she was cruelly set upon by Satan yet powerfully defended from heaven by Christ so as neither the devils cruelty nor tyrants rage nor the deceits of wicked hereticks could overcome her although she were forced to flee into the wildernes and to withdraw herself from the sight of men The parts of the Chapter are two I. Two great signes are shewed unto Iohn in heaven of a woman in travel and a Dragon standing before her to devoure her child v. 1.2.3.4 II. The history and event of both these signes unto the end In the former part is described the first signe 1. From the
our selves of the clemencie Philantropie of God the judge who wils not the death of a sinner but that he be couverted and live for who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifieth who is hee that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution nay in all these things wee are more then conquerours through him who hath looved us in Christ Jesus Secondly it serves to exhort us considering the spirit saith that our accuser is cast out not troden under foot It is true he can doe nothing against us before Gods judgement seat Neverthelesse he ceaseth not to prosecute the suit against us amongst worldly men whome he stirrs up exceeding lie to wrath and rage therefore we must not give our selves to carnall security but watch and pray having alwayes our loines girt that we enter not into temptation Brightman also interprets these accusations historicallie applying them to the reproaches of pagans against Christians who objected to them that they had their suppers like that of Oedipus that they were incestuous persons and adulterers satisfying their lust in common that they were manslayers and conspiratours against princes cause of all publick calamities as Tertullian in his Apologie witnesseth the which calumnies of whom learnt they them but of the devill that old serpent and father of lies Now howsoever this be true yet is it to be taken in a secondarie sence 11. And they overcame him They to wit our bretheren The third benefit of the victorie and argument of joy is the victorie of the Church militant over the Dragon as if they should say Christ hath overcome him we the inhabiters of heaven rejoyce at the victorie Besides our brethren also have overcome therfore let them likewise rejoyce But how have they overcome By the blood of the Lambe Hence it is apparent in the first place The Lamb Michael is Christ that the Lamb Michael is one and the same viz. Christ Iesus Secondly that the war with the Dragon and the victorie over him was chiefly in the blood of Christ his death resurrection and exaltation in regard therefore the Lamb hath overcome the Dragon the godly also have over come him because they have washed and made their garments white in the blood of the Lamb that is they are justified and sanctified in the blood of Christ so that the merit and victorie of the Lambs blood 2 Cor. 5.14 1 Cor. 15.57 1 Ioh. 5.4 is ours He overcomming we overcome He dying for us we are all dead with him To which purpose is that of the Apostle but thankes be to God which giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ. So Iohn in his Epistles This is the victorie that overcommeth the world even our faith By the blood Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for or by reason of the blood and it seems to be put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the blood as Chap. 4.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the will or pleasure And Chap. 13.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the miracles But whither we read it one way or other the efficient cause of our victory and joy is signified viz. the blood of the Lamb that is the death of Christ by which God is pacified the devill overcome neither doth it unfitlie cohere that it be rendred for or because of the blood in regard it sheweth us the meritorious cause for which the victorie becomes ours And by or for the word of thy testimony Vnto the efficient meritorious cause he addes two instrumental cause by which the Lambes victorie becomes ours ONE is the word of the testimonie Rom. 10.10 that is the Gospel not written or set forth in tables but beleeved and hidden in the hart neither beleeved in the hart onely but also professed with the mouth before the world For with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnes and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Therefore he saith not for the testimonie but for the word of the testimonie that is for the ingenuous profession of the Gospel of Christ which Iohn familiarly sets forth by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testimonie And thus again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the word is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word The other cause is the constancie of martyrdom not fearing to shed their blood for the faith of the Gospel And this is meant by the expression They loved not their soules unto the death that is their life more then death being willing to lay down the same for the glorie of Christ So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they loved not is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they neglected or contemned their life as Brightman hath well observed It is a paraphrase of the constancie of their faith even unto martyrdom for the name of Christ without which constancy the Dragon is not conquered in respect of us not that all are to lay down their lives but all being called therunto by Christ are to be prepared for it For he which looseth his life for Christs cause doth finde it but he looseth it who layes it not down for Christ Now it appeareth that this song of triumph is to bee extended unto the times of the martyrs under the Romane tyrants before Constantine who then indeed put an end to the martyrdoms of Christians Thus much of the Saintes rejoycing containing the first part of the song and first effect of the victory 12. We unto the inhabiters The other part of the song denounceth wo unto the inhabiters of the earth and sea the particle Wo doth denote deadly calamities as before The third wo shall come quickly This shall be the other effect of the Dragons downfall for seeing he could not effect any thing against Michael and his Angels that is against the constant martyrs of Christ who by shedding of their blood a wonder to bee spoken overcame the Dragon therefore he will now poure forth his choller on the children of the earth and sea Inhabitants of the earth Alwayes in this booke the inhabitants of the earth are taken in an evill sense for the enemies of the Church Antichrists associates The inhabitants of the earth worldliâ—â— men and idolaters as we noted on Chap. 3.10 To these therefore the Saintes in heaven threaten woes because of the Dragon to whom also are joyned the inhabitants of the sea Not fishes or Whales swimming in the sea but men living in Ilands and mariners who generally are very profane Thus Satans universal rage both by sea and land is here set forth They adde the cause of the danger For the devil is come downe unto you It is true satan did never cease from raging
of his name to be 888. Hence he infers seeing the greatest controversie that is See Abbot demonst ca. 2. p. 34. sect 17. is touching Antichrists name therefore Antichrist is not as yet come and so consequently the Pope is not Antichrist This he calleth an insoluble argument but there is no waight at all in it for the things he feineth are all false I. It is false that Antichrist being come his name shall then be clearely known by all for his comming shall be with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse 2 Thes 2. Therefore he shall not come openly but by a feined and fraudulent name he shall deceive the world so that it shall be a very hard thing to know him for he will transforme himselfe into an Angel of light Contr Auxent lib. 2. Contra advers leg cap. 12. and come under a feined shew viz. under the name of Christ as Hilarie and Austin affirmed long agoe Therefore his name shall not be openly known unto all men but as the Devill came to sow tares in the Lords field not openly but when men were asleep so Antichrist shall creep in while the world is not aware there of II. It is false that the Prophets foretold any thing of the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And to thinke that God should foretell that by the idolatrous Sybills the which he spake not of by his own Prophets let him beleeve that listeth III. It is also false that after Christ was come his name was most certainely known to all for Iohn expresly speaketh of the Iewes living in the time of his comming Ioh. 1 10. that the world knew him not And that he came unto his owne and his own received him not However therefore they were not ignorant of the name Iesus yet they knew that it was common to many other men but they did not know nor beleeve that it was the name of Christ the Messias therefore the name Iesus who should be the Christ was not known unto the Iewes To this day also the name Iesus who is the Christ is no way known unto the Iewes Turkes and Pagans for however they know indeed the name Iesus yet they neither know nor beleeve that it is the name of Christ the Messias By the like reason we may conclude that although Antichrist is come yet to the Papists and many others Antichrists name is not certainely known for the Papists take not their Pope to be Antichrist for although they well know the number of the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Romanus yet they neither know nor beleeve that it is the name of Antichrist But as the ignorance and obstinate deniall of the Iewes could not hinder the name of Iesus to be the true name of Christ so the ignorance and obstinate deniall of the Papists lets not but that the name Lateinos and Romanus is truely the name of Antichrist IV. That is also false which he affirmeth touching the great controversie about Antichrists name For howsoever the Papists raise a controversie about it yet to us who know Antichrist as being revealed by the Spirit of Christs mouth to sit in the Latine Church his name is no way controvertible for there is none of us but easily assents to the opinion of Jrenaeus that his name is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or RoMANUS which are names of the same number demonstrating the Pope of Rome V. The conclusion of Bellarmine is false that if Antichrist were come there should be no question about his name For this is sufficiently apparent to all who doe not purposely shut their eyes against the light of the Sun And hence the insoluble argument of the Papists is turned upon themselves for as much as the number of the name of Antichrist is generally known so as all do point as with the finger at the Latine Pope It being certaine that Antichrist is now come and that he is the chiefe Priest at Rome VI. And lastly that is false which he gathereth out of Marlorate touching the obscurity of this place viz. that this oracle being most obscure and aenigmaticall is not as yet fulfilled for all prophesies saith he when they are fulfilled are most cleare But O Bellarmine are not the prophesies touching Christs comming in the flesh fulfilled and are they now most cleare unto the Iewes nay they remaine most obscure and aenigmaticall unto them even after their full accomplishment because their mindes were blinded and the vaile of Moses remaines upon their heart even unto this day not to speak of us Christians unto whom many visions of this Revelation undoubtedly fulfilled doe neverthelesse remaine obscure in regard of our negligence like as many oracles touching the abolition of the ceremoniall and judicial Law of Moses about the difference of meats and peoples which were taken away and fulfilled in Christ remained obscure and controvertible even to the Apostles themselves as the Acts Epistles of the Apostles witnes Prophesies therfore become most cleare by the fulfilling of them to wit not to them who maliciously shut their eyes or open them not to receive the light but to them alone who diligently attend unto the accomplishment of them This is the cause that this prophesie touching Antichrist after the fulfilling thereof in some measure for yet it is not fully accomplished remains most obscure unto the Papists who seeing wil not see although an egge is not more like to an egge then the Pope of Rome unto the Beast CHAPTER XIV The Argument Uses Parts Analysis AFter the Beast or Antichrist the seducer of the world appeareth the LAMB standing on mount Sion with 144000 sealed ones singing to God with melody a new song before his throne three Angels in order goe forth to reveale Antichrist Of which the first bad the everlasting Gospell by which men received light to call upon God in the name of Iesus Christ and not in the name of Saints The second threatneth the fall of Babylon that is he shewes that Antichrist sits in Babylon or the Church of Rome The third exhorteth all men to take heed that they worship not the Beast neither his image upon paine of eternall damnation And lastly the harvest and vintage of the earth is gathered in by the Angel sitting on the cloud In which types is shadowed out first Christs presence with his Church oppressed by Antichrist Secondly the purging of doctrine corrupted by Antichrist by the preachers of the Gospel with their combats against Antichrist raised up in our times by the singular mercy of God And thirdly the last judgement is signified in which Antichrist with all other enemies being cast into the lake of Gods wrath shall be eternally punished for their perfidiousnesse and tyranny This whole Chapter therefore is diverse wayes consolatory First howsoever the whole earth for these thousand years hath followed the Beast yet Christ still will have a Church and people because even in the midst of the Beasts reigne the Lamb reserveth unto
royall Priesthood to God and Christ c. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile The sixt title is their integrity they are without hypocrisie both in faith Their integrity word and manners This indeed is truely said of Christ alone Isay 53.9 But attributed to the sealed by participation with Christ their head August hom 11 in Apoc. and by imputed righteousnesse He saith not saith Austine there hath not been but there is no guile found c. for such as the Lord findes a man when he cals him hence such also he judgeth him to be c. For they are without fault before the throne of God These words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kings bible hath not Innocency yet the old Latine and the other Greeke copies have them The last commendation is their innocency and full perfection before God The cause both of this and the former commendation is shewed before viz. because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb Therefore they all are without guile and spot The which if it be referred to the state of this life we must againe understand it that they are such by imputation and and inchoation And then the words before the throne of God signifie not the place but their esteem in Gods judgement as if he should say They are without fault not in themselves and before men but in the eyes judgement of God freely absolving the faithful from all pollution and accounting them as without fault because of the blood of the Lamb If unto the state of the life to come then before the throne not onely signifies the place but also the cause of the blessednes of the sealed ones in heaven for being without fault they shal enjoy the perpetual sight of God which shall be their persect blessednesse And this is that which he said Chap. 7.15 Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve them day and night The second Part of the Chapter Of the three Angels publishing the everlasting Cospell against Antichrist 6 And I saw another Angell flee in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospell to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people 7 Saying with a loud voice Feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters 8 And there followed another Angell saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great citie because she made all nations drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication 9 And the third Angell followed them saying with a loud voice if any man worship the Beast and his image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand 10 The same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God which is powred out without mixture in the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the marke of his name 12 Here is the patience of the Saints Here are they which keep the Commandements of God and the faith of Iesus 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes doe follow them THE COMMENTARY ANd I saw another Angel Here followes the second part touching the Angels preaching against Antichrists kingdome Who these are and to what times the prophesie appertaines is much questioned All agree in this that these Angels represent the Preachers of the Gospell in the times of Antichrist But Popish expositours referre the same to the last foure years of the world in which time they absurdly imagine that Antichrist shall beare the sway For how should all those things which are treated of touching the Beast and the Whore from the 13. Chap. unto the end almost of the whole Book be accomplished in so short a space Ribera supposeth they are three renowned Preachers of the Gospell in the time of Antichrist But Alcasar by his consequence is forced to reject this interpretation of the Papists And therefore he feineth that these are the three principall writers of holy Scripture Peter Paul and John The which foolish fiction is refuted by the very naming of it Our interpreters doe generally acknowledge that these things appertain to the times of the reformation of the Church but by what occasion this vision is here againe demonstrated seeing it was before foretold in Chap. 11. touching the measuring of the temple they expound not By our Method it is plaine seeing here we handle the Third Act of this vision that these things are to be compared with the Third Act of the foregoing vision In the second vision indeed there was nothing answering to this because there onely the preservation of the sealed or elect under Antichrist was manifested to Iohn the which is here also treated of in the first part of this Chapter But in the third vision we have the measuring of the temple and the prophesie of the two witnesses Chapter 11. representing unto us the reformation of the Church that should be in the last times unto which therefore we are to returne for the two that is a few prophesying witnesses there mentioned are here said to be three preaching Angels that is they are more then before And this very thing Anselmus as Ribera reports acknowledgeth taking the first Angell to be Elias the second another Prophet and companion of him rightly indeed according to the scope but he erres in the persons But as before we shewed that the measuring of the temple began about the time of the Councell of Constance or a little before so without doubt these three Angels began to preach from that time forward whose ministery no sooner shall be ended but the Beast shall be thrust into utter destruction I saw another Angell flying No Angell had gone before Therefore he was not one of the Harpers or of the multitude of sealed ones Which signifies that from this time another state of the Church was to be looked for An Angell that is a Preacher of the Gospell as before in Vision first the singular number by an enallage being put for the plurall for there should not be one onely but more although at the first but few should zealously set themselves upon the worke of reformation The first Angell is Wickleffe One therefore is named because one should excell and with an heroicall spirit begin the worke This Angell is John Wickleffe Professour of the Vniversity of Oxford a man noted throughout the whole world For when the whole West admired and followed
will recall a man from his carnall security to the feare of God and working of righteousnesse except he have a heart of steele for as much as in the day of Gods judgement a most exact account of what hath been done in the flesh must be given by all the greatest Kings and Potentates not excepted When without any respect of persons they that have done well shall possesse life eternall They that have done ill shall be cast into everlasting fire The Angell therefore could not use a more forcible reason to deterre men from the contempt of God and his word To this purpose is that in Sirach Chap. 7.40 In all things that thou sayest or doest remember thy end and thou shalt not sin Now if any aske how this prophesie is true and accomplished seeing it is so long since John said 2 Pet. 3.9 Gods judgement was at hand Let him heare Peter answering the mockers of his time The Lord is not slacke concerning his promise as some count slacknesse but is long suffering towards us not willing that any should perish but that all should come unto repentance The Angell saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is come for shall certainly come by an usuall Enallage of the preterperfect tense instead of the future so a little after is fallen for shall certainely fal noting the immutability of the events decreed by God so formerly he often said he will come shortly that is sooner then we are aware of that the deepe fleepe of security might be driven out of us and lest with the wicked servant we should say Luke 12.45 My Lord deferreth his comming But rather let us consider seeing the Apostles did presage the day of judgement to be then at hand how much nearer is it now unto us after so many ages And worship him that made In the third member he recalls the world from popish idolatry unto the service of the true God alone whom he notes by a periphrasis from the worke of the creation of heaven and earth the sea and fountaines of waters The Old version ads and of all things that are in them which words are not in the Greeke but seem to be taken out of Psa 146.9 unto which place the spirit here alludeth The fountaines of waters are reckoned up among the chiefe works of God because the continuance of the fountaines is indeed a very wonderfull worke of the Lord concerning which Phylosophers have much disputed with great admiration Psal 104.10 114 8. And it is also celebrated in the Psalmes He sendeth the springs into the valleyes which run among the hills Which turneth the rock into a standing water the flint into a fountaine of waters Furthermore that religious worship is onely due to God both the Scripture and nature it selfe teacheth For God alone is omnipotent knowes all things and is present in all places He is able to heare and helpe all that call upon him wheresoever they be He alone is the Author of nature governour and Lord of the world wherefore all ought to depend upon him onely in him alone we must beleeve and put our considence Ier. 17.5 But cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme Hence faith and prayer are in Scripture coupled by an individuall tye as the cause and effect Rom. 10.14 Mat. 4.10 How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved Therefore it is an expresse commandement Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Now howsoever this be an undeniable and manifest truth yet the world forsaking the Lord followed and wondred after the Beast all I say both great and small bond and free worshipped the Beasts image kissed his feet and attributed divine honour unto him as though he were God on earth And this the worshippers of the Pope doe not denie according to that of the Poet before mentioned Ense potens gemino cujus vestigia adorant Caesar aurato vestiti murice Reges Nay all have not the priviledge to worship before the Beast and kisse his feet this onely is permitted to Kings and Emperours Others must be content devoutly to worship his image and call upon the Saints that are canonized by the Beast and adore his Crosses Crucifixes Altars set up by him in temples groves and highwaies c. From this beastly worship of idols the Angel here dehorteth the world as calling them to the worship of the true God Neither will he any whit esteeme their vaine pretenses That the Pope is not worshipped as God but as Gods and Christs Vicar for they falsely affirme him to be that which he is not That they call not on the Saints with a worship of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this is a false distinction the religious worship both of Latreia and Douleia being in Scripture onely attributed to God and signifie both one thing That they worship not graven images but God in them this also is false for Images are no gods neither will God be worshipped in or by them Thou shalt not doe so unto the Lord thy God Deut. 12.31 Thus far of the everlasting Gospel published by the first Angel or reformer of Popery The summe of which is in these three things I. That God is to be feared and Antichristianisme to be repented of II. That glory is to be ascribed to God by beleeving in his sonne III. That God is to be worshipped by fleeing the Image of the Beast and performing obedience to God 8 And another Angel followed because the former Angell although he cryed with a great voice did little profit unto the inhabitants of the earth who were drowned with the wine of Babylonish whoredome for after Wickleffe Husse and Jerome of Prague were burnt the Papacy remained stil in its vigour furie Therefore another Angell followed who more forcibly assailing Antichrist weakened his kingdome in many Provinces And here againe by an Enallage One Angell is put for Angels for there shall be divers succeeding each other in divers places But One shall excell and continue the ministery of the former Angell who was a while interrupted Now this Angel if we looke into histories who can he be save Luther This second Angell is Luther who followed 130. yeeres after Wickleffe and 100. after Husse and Jerome he first began in Saxony by word and writing to thunder against the Popes Pardons publikely put to sale soon after against the whole Papacy anno 1517. To him was joyned Philip Melanchton as a most faithfull assistant and soone after many other excellent men who by little and little restored the everlasting Gospell in divers parts of Germany and expelled Popery About the same time Zwinglius and Oecolampadius began together to oppose Popery and 〈…〉 Gospell in Helvetia But let us heare what this Angell publisheth Babylon is fallen is fallen He threatens ruine to Babylon for her wicked fornication by which
doe-tumultuously rage without let or punishment promising to themselves perpetuall prosperity Lest therefore the faithfull should be discouraged seeing the sonne of perdition thus to rage and themselves overwhelmed with divers sorrows and calamities here the last judgement is propounded to John in which shall follow a wonderfull change of things For then the Wheat shall be gathered into the heavenly Barne and the chaffe burned with unquenchable fire This I say is the scope and use of the remaining matter in the Chapter But in the coherence of these things with the foregoing I finde all equally at a stay as not perceiving wherefore the last judgement is here againe represented Touching the Coherence interpreters are troubled seing it was before shewed unto John Chap. 6. towards the end Chap. 11. towards the end and afterward againe in Chap. 16. and most clearely in the end of Chapters 19. 20. Ribera as before Chap. 11 hath nothing to say save that the day of judgement is here described by an anticipation because the context of the things themselves requires that the punishment of the wicked be here described But no reason can be given why these judgements should be so often described and that indeed at the end of every Vision except our method be observed in which we have noted that all the generall visions consist of foure Acts answering each to other This therefore is the true cause why the last judgement is here againe represented because the last Act of the fourth Vision now followeth Let us see the words And I saw This is the last part of the vision The last Iugdement figured out by the Harvest and Vintage The day of judgement is figured out by two types The Harvest and Vintage because there shall be two acts of the same The gathering of the godly into heaven and the casting of the wicked into hell fire The former is set forth by the Harvest in which the wheat shall be gathered into the barne according to the parable of Christ Mat. 13.30 The latter by the Vintage because the wicked shall be troaden downe in the lake of Gods wrath that is be tormented with eternall paines of hell So these types may not unfitly be distinguished Notwithstanding it is not amisse to difference them as the whole and part For the Harvest shall not onely gather the wheat out of the Lords field into the garner but also burne the tares that are gathered as we see in the said parable Mat. 13. Thus the Harvest should represent the whole judgement But the vintage shall cast and tread all the grapes in the lake of Gods wrath Now the godly shall not be cast into this lake for they shall not come into condemnation Ioh. 5.24 But the ungodly onely And therefore by the vintage the punishment of the wicked seemes onely to be represented Thus much of the parables in generall And behold a white cloud The person of Christ the Iudge is gloriously discribed in this verse by foure adjuncts 1. by his forme that he is like to the Son of man 2. by the gesture of body he sits on a white cloud 3. by his habit he hath on his head a Crown of Gold 4. By the Instrument He holds in his hand a sharpe Sicle In these words is no obscurity therefore I will not dwell on them They who deny or doubt as Ribera and Brightman that the Son of man doth here denote Christ because it is not said the Son of man but like to the Son of man Neither with an article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeme in my opinion to ground it on a very slight conjecture For in Dan. 7.13 It is plain Christ is said to be like to the Son of man I saw in the clouds of Heaven as it were the Son of man And Paul Philip 2.7 Being made in the likenesse of men he was found in fashion or habit as a man And Rom. 8. He sent his son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh And Heb. 2.14 He likewise tooke part of flesh and blood and Verse 17. It behoved him to bee made like his brethren In which Phrases the verity of Christs humane nature is not denyed but the priviledge of the Man-Christ is noted that though he bee like unto us in all things yet is he not like us man onely but God also neither as man is he borne a sinner of mans seed but conceived and begotten of a Virgin by the operation of the Holy Ghost being not defiled with any staine of sinne That which they say of the Article is infirme For before also in Chap. 1.13 Iohn saw CHRIST 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like to the Son of man without an Article standing in the middest of the seven Candlestickes Here he sees him sitting as a Iudge on his Tribunall On a white cloud Noting his divine Majesty For God in the Psalms is often said to be carried and ride on the clouds because of his heavenly power This white cloud is that throne of glory whereon Christ saith he will sit Mat. 25.31 The which throne he himselfe interprets of the clouds of heaven Mat. 26.64 Hereafter yee shall see the Sonne of man sitting on the right hand of power and comming in the clouds of heaven according to that in Dan. 7.13 The crown of gold on his head is the ensigne of his Kingly Majesty In Chap. 19.12 he hath many Diadems on his head and on his thigh a name written The King of kings and Lord of lords The Beast also had crownes on his hornes but not of gold and ten onely This Iudge therefore is more powerfull then Antichrist and all tyrants for with an iron rod he will crush all adversaries as a potters vessell in the day of judgement The sharp sickle of a reaper which is in his hand to wit in his right hand denotes Christs judicary and divine power to whom it is as easle to execute his judgement on the whole earth as for reapers with a sharp sickle to cut down the ripe corne ANDREAS the sickle saith he is a symbole of consummation for Christ himself cals the end of the world a harvest Mat. 13. 15. Another Angell came out of the temple This Angell and the other two comming forth out of the temple and altar vers 17.18 are not preachers of the Gospell as Brightman supposeth for at the harvest and vintage of the last judgement preaching shall cease but it is one of the chiefe Ministers of Christ by whom he will execute the judgement He comes out of the Temple to wit of heaven as vers 17. before Chap. 11.19 By and by another comes forth from the Altar of Heaven which is visionally to be taken because properly there is no Temple nor Altar in heaven but formerly in Ierusalem it was fashioned and made according to the heavenly patterne The great cry of the Angell saith ANDREAS denotes the common supplication of all vertues desiring to see the glory indeed of
The scope and use of this vision For First it teacheth that after the beasts kingdom hath flourished and vexed the Saints a long time it shal be weakened by preaching of the Gospell Secondly It shall allwayes notwithstanding remaine in some power not ceasing to make War with the Saints untill the end Thirdly Howsoever it shall tyrannically rage against the Reformation of Evangelicall doctrine yet it shall never be able again to suppresse the same but there shal be many Angels to poure out the vials of Gods wrath on the throne thereof Lastly as the Gospell shal be pleasing and saving to the elect because by it they overcome the beast for which they shall celebrate God with perpetuall praises so to Antichristians it shall be grievous and mortall because being turned into rage in regard of the successe thereof they shall fret and grieve to see their kingdom which seemed immoveable to be weakened lessened and go to ruine untill being wasted with the last plagues they shal be cast according to the threatning of the third Angell Chap. 14.10 into everlasting torments of fire brimstone Now hence the spirit suggests a twofold comfort unto us The first from the often renewed plagues of the beast whose power wealth luxuriousnesse and oftentation was great as we heard Chap. 13. But we need not be offended at those shadowes for she shall receive and feel inward torments and gnawings by the preaching of the Gospell and in the middest of her delights be tormented by Gods wonderfull judgements and severe plagues The second from the finall fall of Babylon the Popes parasites affirm that the seat of Saint Peter shall endure for ever that the Catholick Romane Church being founded and strengthened by God shall stand c. That the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile against her but Babylon shall come in remembrance before God and in a moment be cast down by an earthquake so she shall cease to vexe the Church and persecute the Saints We have heard the Argument Scope and Vse of the Vision now it is partly dramaticall partly propheticall The Dramaticall part containes certaine preparatory apparatitions serving for the Order and preparation of the vision Chap. 15. The Propheticall part foretelleth the kinds and encreasing of the seven plagues on the worshippers of the Beast Chap. 16. CHAP. XV. The Argument Parts and Analysis This vvhole Chapter is a preparation to the follovving Vision for Iohn declares here vvhat vvhat manner of things he savv before the pouring out of the seven Vials The parts here are three I. THe seven Angells with so many plagues ver 1. II. A company of Harpers ver 2 3 4. III. The clothing of the Angells vers 5 c. In the First he expoundeth what he saw I. generally A great and marveilous signe in Heaven II. specially seven Angells with their Instruments having seven plagues The which he describeth by the Epythite Last with the reason hereof because in them is filled up the wrath of God verse 1. In the second he expoundeth I. The place of the harpers A sea of glasse II. The harpers themselves whom he describeth 1. by the effect They had gotten the Victory c. 2. By their station standing on the sea of glasse 3. By the Instrument having the harpes of God vers 2 4. By another effect And they sang verse 3. III. The Argument of the song generally from the Author and subject The Song of Moses and of the Lamb. And specially so far as concerneth the words and the sense consisting of a Preface Proposition and Reasons The Preface is laudatory figured out by an exclamation to God I. They declare his power and Majesty Lord Almighty King of Saints II. His workes by the adjuncts of quantity and quality They are great and marveilous III. His Iudgements by the adjunct qualitie of Iustice and Constancy Just and true are thy wayes ver 3. The Proposition The Lord is to be feared and glorified It is figured out by an Interogation Who shall not feare c. The reason is threefold 1. From the Property of God for thou onely art holy 2. From the worship due to him All nations shall come 3. From the moving cause Thy Iudgements are made manifest v. 4. In the third he rehearseth 1. The receptacle of those Angells The Temple of the Tabernacle opened in Heaven ver 5. 2. Their gesture They went out 3. Their habit having seven plagues 4. Their ornament clothed in white and pure linnen ver 6. 5. The Instruments given them he gave them golden Vialls which he describeth by the number seven And what they contained full of the wrath of God c. verse 7. 6. Two effects 1. The smoake of Gods Majesty filling the Temple 2. A shutting out of all persons from entring into the Temple during the time of the plagues verse 8. The first Part of the CHAPTER The Argument of the Vision seven ANGELS with so many PLAGUES 1 And I savv another signe in Heaven great and marveilous seven Angells having the seven last Plagues for in them is filled up the vvrath of God THE COMMENTARY I. Why the Visions are iterated AND I saw another Signe Iohn is not informed by one Vision but by many touching future things that so by comparing the obscurer types with the plainer the Revelation might the better be manifested The iteration therefore of the Visions is not in vaine Now it is to be observed The following things doe all belong to Antichrists judgement after that the Beast that is Antichrist was once mentioned his tyranny and pompe plainly described in the foregoing Vision the remainder of this whole Prophesie containes descriptions of the judgements by which God will restraine and destroy Antichrist but deliver the Saints from his Tyranny and bestow the rewards of Victory on them both to the end to meet with the scandall of desertion of the godly And to the terrour of the wicked and comfort of the godly least it should be thought that Christ neglects his under the Crosse or to be a sleep or want power to suppresse Antichrists rage as also that in hope of Victory and glory to come they might with the more alacrity resist Antichrist and persevere constant under their long during troubles To this end tend the seven last Plagues which God in the last times will poure out on the Throne and followers of the Beast Let us henceforward keep this use in memory Iohn therefore saw another signe What a signe is that is another Vision signifying events divers from the former for a signe is that which makes something divers from it selfe to come into the cogitation Austin lib. 2. de doctr Christi cap. besides the shape or forme it suggesteth to the senses But as signes are not the things themselves so the things themselves are not to bee sought in the signes as if they were included according to the common errour now adayes touching the Sacramentall signes which
except thou affirme them to be changed into the things they represent or really to containe them presently they are reputed as vaine and empty things But it s enough for the Sacramentall use of signes if they make spirituall things to come into our minde and beleefe But this by the way In Heaven That is as most interpret it in the Church But there is no need of an Allegory for these are heaveny Visions And Iohn saw these sights acted on the heavenly Theatre Great A great signe as Chap. 12.1 shadowing out great things It requires attention as also the following Epithite Admirable representing things worthy of admiration to wit the great wonderfull judgements of God in delivering his Church and casting down Antichrist for it is a thing indeed to be wondred at that the powerfull Kingdom of the Romane Antichrist should be only weakned by such a contemptible and weak meanes as the preaching of the Gospell It is also admirable that the faithfull men despised should fight against and overcome the Beast Thus these Epithites serve to comfort us knowing that the Church shall certainly overcome Antichrist Seven Angells He summarily propounds the whole Vision which he expoundeth afterward Therefore we will not stay long upon it Of seven Angells mention is made in Chap. 1. ver 4. and Chap. 8. verse 2. 16. 1. 17.1 21.9 In all which places they are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seven with the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excepting in this place whence it might be questioned whether these seven be the same with the former that sounded the Trumpets Brightman thinkes they are not the same neither do I dislike his opinion if we take the Angells for the Ministers of the Gospell because the time of the six former Trumpets and these Vialls is different Yet we may rightly understand they are the same because the said seven Angells that is many for a septenary number doth indefinitely signifie perfection doe type out divers persons in sundry Visions The last plagues Having the seven Plagues That is as we have it expounded in ver 7. Seven golden Vialls full of the wrath of the living God c. The Plagues which God in wrath will inflict on Antichristians are said to be the last because they shall happen in the last times For the christian Church hath four periods One under the Rome tyrants The second from Constantine under Christian Emperours untill the times of Phocas The third under Antichrist swaying in his full vigour from Pope Boniface III. unto Leo X. in whose time Antichristian power began to decline The fourth under Antichrists declining from Luthers time to the end Unto this last period belong the last plagues The foure periods of the new Church Thus John himselfe expounds it because in them is filled up the wrath of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is filled up for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be filled up by an Enallage of the Preterperfect for the Future usuall with John because of the certainty of the events he signifies therefore that the plagues should continue unto the end One Plague following another till the last did put an end to Antichrists rage and the Churches troubles They are said to be seven for the number of the Angells that is divers and continuated as we shall see hereafter Ribera moves a Question how Iohn should returne from the Harvest and Vintage of the last judgement even now described A question about the order unto the seven Plagues which are to be before the judgement neither indeed is it a frivolous Question yea insoluble to Ribera and all such who make the Revelation a continued History he himself hath nothing to answer save his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saying that the Prophets do not alwaies observe the order of things as they are done that it was needfull the plagues of the wicked should often be inculcated of which the last indeed is true but for the other there is no reason viz. why the last judgement should so often be anticipated unlesse we observe that all the Visions the first excepted do end in the last judgement because every of them do represent either the generall History of the Church as the three former universall Visions Or else the last times of Antichrist and of the Church as doe the three following speciall ones The second part of the Chapter The Fift Company of Harpers 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glasse mingled with fire and them that had gotten the Victory over the beast and over his Image and over his marke and over the number of his name stand on the sea of glasse having the harpes of God 3. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and marveilous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints 4. Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thou onely art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee for thy Indgements are made manifest THE COMMENTARY II. ANd I saw as it were a sea of glasse Before the Angells pour out the plagues a company of Harpers come forth on the Theatre celebrating the power judgement of God And why so to prevent the thoughts of the godly lest they might think that the following plagues were repugnant to the goodnesse and justice of God and the blasphemies of the wicked that they might not accuse God of cruelty and complaine of injury done unto them It serves also to the decency of the Vision for as in Commoedies musicall interludes are againe and againe iterated at the ending of their Acts to delight the beholders and drive away tediousnesse so in this apparitionall Revelation are heard almost in every Vision a company of singers as it were in distinct Acts least either Iohn in the contemplation of so long a Revelation or we in the meditating thereon should be over wearied We have heard the scope of this apparition Now let us see who these singers are where they were how and what they sang First the place is noted A Sea of glasse mingled with Fire the meaning whereof we shall the better understand when we know what this company of singers is I saw them that had gotten the victory If they got the victory over the Beast then the beast had fought with them Who these harpers are to wit the same who made war with the Saints Chap. 13. verse 7. These Harpers therefore are those Saints there mentioned The successe of the war is not prosperous to the Beast he sought to devour them but on the contrary he himselfe was vanquished though indeed it was a bloody victory to the Saints This divine miracle ought to animate the godly cheerfully to fight against the Beast But how do the Saints overcome the Beast seeing in Chap. 13.15 the second beast caused all that would
the Sea with many waves and confusions It is of glasse Why the sea is said to be glasse so said first because it is clear as glasse that is perspicuous and open to the eyes of God for God sees the secret counsells and hidden endeavours of the world and Antichrist secondly because it is bright like Chrystall for the pompe and lustre of the world bewitcheth Antichristians Thirdly because its weak and brickle as glasse for the world passeth away with the lust thereof The favour and prosperity of the world is glassie for when it most shineth it is then broken Lastly The sea for the most part is like glasse in colour hence the Poets call the Sea Mare vitreum undas vitreas the glassie Sea and glassie waves It is mingled with fire viz. of afflictions and calamities in which the godly also are often involved however they stand as conquerours upon this sea because they trample the world with the delights and baites thereof under feet neither are they of the world nor removed from their station by the fire of affliction but persist constantly in the faith unto the end This indeed the Saints triumphant have fully attained unto and we who are yet in the body in part for it is our duty also to stand on the sea that is to trample the world under our feet Or they stand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nigh or besides the sea because they are not part of the sea or world but separated and redeemed from the world as in Chap. 14. ver 4. And this sense I like best because by the following verse it appears here is an allusion to the red sea by which the Israelites standing saw the Egyptians drowned and rejoicing over their destruction sang songs of praises to God Having the harps of God By an hebraisme the harps of God are put for such as are rare and of a most sweet sound The harps of God for with the Hebrews whatsoever are said to be the things of God are excelling things worthy his high Majesty so the mountaines of God the Caedars of God the City of God that is very high and great It is opposed to the harpes of David and of other Saints by which they sometimes praised God These are infinitely sweeter in sound for these harpers sang a new song which none could learne but they that were marked with the seale of God unknown also to the former Saints viz. touching the weakning and ruine of Antichrists kingdome by these harpes that is by the preaching Prayers and sweet confessions of these Champions 3. And they sing for they sang viz. with their harpes together with their voyces like to joyfull harpers But what sing they The song of Moses the servant of God We have a twofold song of Moses One of thanksgiving which he sang with the Israelites by the red sea for the overthrow of Pharaoh and the Egyptians I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed glorioussy the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea Exodus 15.1 The other of praises celebrating Gods wonderfull benefits unto the Israelites Deut. 32. Both may bee here understood but cheifly the former because of the similitude for as then the Israelites standing by the red sea sang with Moses their leader a triumphant song unto God for the drowning their adversaries under whose bondage they had a long time groaned so the saints being brought thorow the vast sea of this world do joyntly sing praises to God and blesse him for their deliverance from the most cruell bondage of Antichrist And hereby they intimate not obscurely that Pharaoh and the Egyptian servitude was a figure of the Churches bondage under Antichrist And the song of the Lambe that is praising the Lambe for his benefits bestowed on the Church Divers songs we have already heard In Chap. 4.11 The songs of the Revelation The elders sing to him that sate on the throne Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory Chap. 5.9 The Elders againe sing a new song to the Lambe Thou art worthy to take the Booke and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood and hast made us Kings and Priests to our God c. Vnto which song the Angells and all creatures do there by mutuall accord sing Amen Chap. 11.17 they likewise sing to God Wee give thee thankes Lord God Almighty c. A like song wee heard Chapter 2. ver 10. Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God c. Againe in Chap. 14. the company of harpers sang a new song to the Lambe standing on Mount Sion This therefore is the song of the Lamb by which the triumphant Church or the heavenly companies celebrate the Lambes victory and their own over Antichrist Now this title affords a cleer argument to prove the divinity of the Lambe 34. Argument of Christs deity considering that to him this wonderfull worke of the conquest over the beast is attributed by the Saints But now let us hear the song It seemes to be collected out of divers places of the Psalmes and Prophets by which these divine singers commend unto us the authority and dignity of the Scriptures As from Psal 86.10 they publish the great and wonderfull workes of God Great because they fill heaven and earth Wonderfull because they are unsearchable and beyond humane reason such are the works of creation and the government of the world our redemption and preservation of the Church in this life from Psal 25.10 they celebrate the true righteous wayes of the Lord for all his paths are mercy and truth Gods wayes are his counsells and judgements about the Church and the enemies thereof And though he suffers the godly to be afflicted and fore troubled and the enemies to bear sway and flourish which indeed seems unjust to flesh and blood yet the wayes of Jehovah are righteous for he knowes wherefore he doth the same and the event shews that his wayes are all right and good for in the end he performes his promise to the Saints in preserving and delivering the Church and in punishing and destroying the adversaries by which he declareth that he is constant in his promises true and omnipotent in his threatning Lord Almighty King of Saints Thou onely art holy By these Epithites the Saints extoll God above all adversaries and stirre up their own confidence and joy for seeing he is omnipotent he can easily cast downe his enemies If King of Saints then he can strongly defend his holy Church If onely holy or most pure then he alone not the creatures is to be served and cleaved unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O King of Saints so all greek copies read it excepting Montanus who reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King of the Nations and also Andreas from Ierem. 10.7 Who would not fear thee O King of nations The old Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King of
eternity which the interpreter seems to have read for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Saints 4. Who shall not feare thee O Lord An exclamation taken out of Ierem. 10.7 Or rather out of the everlasting Gospell Rev. 14. ver 7. where the first Angell cryed Fear God and glorifie his Name They shew the madnesse of the Antichristian adversaries who lift up their hornes against Almighty God and the Lambe and the stupidity of the world which is not moved by the consideration of the great and wonderfull workes of God to feare and glorifie him To feare God is in true faith and obedience to submit to God To glorifie God is not to make him glorious as if he were not so before but to celebrate his due glory and praise Onely holy They condemne the pride of Antichrist boasting himself to be holy and holinesse whereas God alone is holy and holinesse it selfe purifying the heart and sanctifying the elect For all nations shall come As in Psal 86.9 All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name shewing not absolutely what all shall do but what all ought to do the Antichristian adversaries shall never come for they will not amend by their plagues but persevere in their Idolatry and rage against God as we shall see in the fourth and fift Viall Neverthelesse some remnants of the Christian nations shall come adoring and worshipping God sincerely through Iesus Christ to wit the elect in Italy Germany France England c. The Church therefore celebrates the effect of the Gospell in the last times that she shall not decrease amidst her divers afflictions but be encreased by divers nations who forsaking Antichrist his fraud being discovered shall turne to Christ Which effect the Antichristians have now a long time seen and we yet daily do And God grant that our posterity may see the like more and more For thy judgements are made manifest That is are begun to be manifested for as yet they speake not of the finall judgement nor generally of Gods ancient judgements but they celebrate in speciall those wonderfull judgements of his by which he began in these last times to weaken Antichrists kingdom and bring the Church into the liberty of Christ for it is wonderfull to consider that the power and authority of Antichrist which had so long beene formidable to Christian Emperours and Kings as causing them like so many unreasonable dogs to cast down themselves and licke his feet and as most vile slaves to hold the bridle or stirrup while he mounted on horseback should by the preaching and ministery of a few poor and contemptible teachers be exposed to the common contempt of men insomuch as no man but the Popes sworne vassalls should any more stand in awe of his anathemaes and threatnings Now this worke these Coelestiall harpers do worthily pronounce not to be of man but a wonderfull judgement of God for the which he ought to be praised continually of all creatures The sense therefore is that because God in the last times by the preaching of the Gospell hath manifested Antichrist and by his wonderfull judgement poured contempt upon him it shall come to passe that by degrees one Nation after another shall leave him and be converted to Christ and so indeed it shall be Onely let not us by our sins stop this judgement of God which he hath begun to reveale Thus much of the Triumphant Song The third part of the Chapter The Furniture and clothing of the seven Angells 5 And after that I looked and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Heaven was opened 6 And the seven Angells came out of the Temple having the seven Plagues clothed in pure and white linnen and having their brests girded with golden girdles 7 And one of the foure beasts gave unto the seven Angells seven golden Vialls full of the wrath of God who liveth for ever and ever 8 And the Temple was filled with smoake from the glory of God and from his power and no man was able to enter into the Temple till the seven plagues of the seven Angells were fullfilled THE COMMENTARY 5. ANd after that I looked And the Temple was opened After the coelestiall interlude Iohn returnes to the description of the Angells declaring from whence they came forth in what habit what the Vessells were wherein they bore the Plagues that were to be poured out whence they received them and what he saw in Heaven during the time thereof such was the Furniture of the Angells to declare the judgements of God the which as it appeareth is dramatically inserted to illustrate the order of the Vision Now whether in every of the particulars lie hid such mysteries as some looke after I know not neither do I beleeve it But as in dramaticall shewes the preamble of the singers being ended the Sceenes are opened and other persons come forth in new apparell to act other things so these Angells came out of the Temple that was open in heaven unto a new Act of this Revelation 6. And the seven Angells came out of the temple Who these Angells were we shall more fitly manifest in the following Chapter In that they came out of the temple in Heaven most do hereby understand the holy and irrevocable judgement of God against Antichrist For it shall be most righteous although the wicked shall gnash their teeth against it and gnaw their tongues Some understand hereby to be signified that God judgeth according to the decrees of his word preached by his Ministers the Angells because the ministery here on earth is instituted according to the heavenly patterne Or also that all Antichrists plagues proceed from Christ the high Priest of the heavenly Tabernacle now these things being plous I reject not but leave to the judgement of the Reader Clothed in pure linne◠The old Version hath it having on a pure stone which is a manifest errour as Alcasar the Iesuite acknowledgeth and correcteth Ribera confesseth it also but doth not correct it yea on the contrary he labours to establish or hide the apparent untruth of that version to the end it might remaine authenticke but with what conscience it may easily appear The pure linnen garment some expound of the joy of the Angells because of the judgement of the wicked Others of Angelicall purity With a golden girdle about the breast This some understand of the love of Angells towards such as here on earth exercise themselves in the worship of God Others of their strength in executing the commandements of God 1. Pet 2.13 Eph. 6.14 in which sense a girdle is generally taken in scripture for the garment not being girt up hinders in going They are golden girdles so before in Chap. 1.13 Christ appeared the which we interpreted of the Majesty of Christ Therefore the Angells have golden girdles representing as it were the Majesty of Christ their Lord. But these mysteries in my opinion
have little solidity in them for I judge that this habit Imports nothing else but to set forth the Angelicall decencie Angells have no bodies but are spirits yet they take corporall formes for our sakes neither is it meet they should appear naked but some clothing was requisite for them howbeit not common but holy garments such as God of old prescribed to the Priests Levites which were of linnen long white and girded with a girdle In such habit the Angells commonly appeared so Ezech. 9. verse 2. the sealing Angell appears clothed with linnen so the two Angells at Christs resurrection Luke ◠24 Ioh. 20.11 which appeared to Mary were clothed in white and shining garments And againe at his ascention Acts 1.10 Let this suffice 7. And one of the foure beasts Of these beast we heard Chap. 4.6 5.6 6.1 7.11 14.3 One of them gives to the seven Angells the seven golden Vialls We need not enquire whether it were the first or second or why one and not rather two or all four Also in Chap. 5.8 the Elders and beasts had seven vialls but full of odours which were the prayers and thansgivings of the Saints here they are full of Gods wrath The former I leave and retaine the dramaticall Allegory The plagues of Gods judgements are metaphorically called the wine of the wrath of God Chap. 14.10 Wine is drunke out of cups pots and vialls In Chap. 14.10 the third Angell threatned to the worshippers of the beast a mixt cup and full with the wine of Gods fury here hee sheweth how God will dispense the same unto them That great cup he devideth into seven Vialls that is into divers kinds of punishments to be poured out by these Angells A Viall the Greek phiala as it were piala from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to drinke as Athenaeus will have it containes so much as a man can drinke at a draught and saith it is greater then a cup which agrees not with the place here for out of this cup the seven vialls are filled with the wine of Gods wrath And therefore the Vialls were lesse then the cup. It is needlesse I suppose to seek a mystery in that they are said to be golden ones for they are so called according to the customary use because Vialls are not wont to be made but of gold or of silver The Epithite of GOD living for ever and ever doth amplifie the heavinesse of his wrath as if he should say This shall be a terrible wrath because it shall endure for ever and ever Thus he signifieth that both temporall and eternall punishment doth wait for the wicked 8. And the Temple was filled with smoake John saw moreover two things which put an end to the preparation First The temple was filled with smoak proceeding from the Majesty and power of God And secondly no man could enter into the temple untill the seven plagues were fullfilled Here he manifestly alludes to the History of the tabernacle Ex. 40.33 which in the dedication thereof was wholly filled with a cloud of the glory of the Lord so as Moses could not enter into it And to the history of the Temple 1 King 8.10 which likewise at the dedication was filled with the cloud of the glory of God so as the Priests could not stand to minister so long as the glory of Jehovah filled the house That cloud was undoubtedly a signe of Gods gratious presence in the Temple and Tabernacle Whether the cloud be a signe of grace or wrath of his approving the worship therein and his hearing the prayers there poured out to God But this smoake cannot be any such signe seeing here is not treated of the worship and prayers of the Saints made in the heavenly Temple But of the plagues of the wrath of God to be hence poured forth upon the adversaries Interpreters therefore are of divers opinions and much troubled about it Most will have it to signifie in the thesis that Gods judgements are unsearchable and however they are most righteous yet are they not so acknowledged untill they are accomplished because this smoake hinders the knowledge thereof the which indeed is true but too generall Others confesse that the smoake is a signe not of grace but of the wrath of God because of the disparatie between the cloud and smoake But yet they do not sufficiently expound wherefore the wrath of God filled the Temple in Heaven and who were kept out of the same and how long Ambrose and Arethas expound this latter as Ribera saith that no man in body and soule shall enter into heavenly blessednesse untill the seven plagues are ended that is untill the Day of Iudgement But what is this to the present matter I acknowledge the allusion of the Histories but I gather another sense from the scope viz that the whole serves for the terrour of Gods adversaries The smoake therefore is a symbole of Gods anger in his Temple The authors opinion and ready to inflict smoake that is horrible blindnesse on Antichristians yea even on their quicke-sighted and most acute Doctors and Sophisters The smoake of Gods wrath Psa 18 9. so as none of them could enter into the Heavenly Temple that is understand the just judgements of God and that these plagues were inflicted on them by God in wrath because of their wicked Idolatry and so cannot repent untill the seven plagues were fullfilled that is never For in Psal 73. ver 17 by entring into Gods Sanctuary is signified the acknowledging of his judgements This sense the events of the Vialls and plagues in the following Chapter will make good unto us This smoake therefore denotes the blindnesse of Antichristians under their punishment It comes not out of the bottomlesse pit but from the glory and from the power of God because it shall be inflicted by his most righteous and powerfull judgement according to the threatning of the Apostle 2. Thes 2.11 Therefore God will send them c. for seeing the Pope raised a smoake out of the bottomlesse pit of hell Chap. 9. verse 2. therefore also he shall be punished with smoak for ever and ever The universall No man I restraine to the Antichristian adversaries who onely shall be kept from entring into the Temple that is from the acknowledging of Gods judgements and from repentance as will appeare in the following Chapter The particle Vntill I understand of eternity as in the saying Thou shalt not go out untill thou hast paid that is never He knew her not untill for never And indeed the plagues shall never be ended because they shall proceed from the glory of the living God and from his anger against the Devill and his instruments for ever and ever The obstinacy and finall blindnesse of Antichristians is signified of which we shall heare Chap. 16.9 They repented not to give glory to God And verse 11. They blasphemed the God of heaven and repented not of their deeds
shall torment their bodies to augment the griefe and torment of their ulcerous consciences Brightman doth well observe that the construction it selfe There came a noysome and grievous sore upon men for in men doth intimate an inward ulcer inwardly troubling and vexing the hearts and consciences of men and he addes withall it is nothing else but malice and envy Hora. lib. Ep. 2. then which the Sicilian Tyrants could not devise a more exquisite torment c. By which indeed the Papists were wonderfully tormented at the pouring out of this Viall for as soon as Luther began to oppose popish Indulgences in Saxony Zwinglius and Oecolampadius to extinguish Purgatory in Helvetia It is wonderfull to consider what hatred malice sorrow fury and madnesse these ulcerous Priests Monks Schoolmen Cannonists Bishops were possessed with what arguments and counsells sought they not to extinguish this new flame Certainly this griefe was more tedious and painfull unto them then any Egyptian ulcer The first Viall therefore being poured upon the earth that is on the Regions of Bohemia Germanie and a while after on France England Denmarke c. begate foule ulcers in the minds of the Papists which are so far from being cured as yet as on the contrary we see the Monks and Sophisters of our time more ulcerous then those of old I apply the Earth The first viall chiefly fell on Germany under the first Viall principally unto Germany because I know not by what destiny Antichrist hath more bewitched the Germanes then other people so as they are ready to beleeve do or suffer any thing whatsoever for the sake of the beast yea some have not been ashamed to boast that the Germanes at the Popes Commandement for the redemption of soules would with the beasts of the field have eaten grasse had it not bin for Luther O wretched soile yet by how much Germany was deeply drown'd in the Gulfe of Superstitions by so much the Lord in mercy hath pittied them and vouchsafed the greater grace unto them above other Nations For though it is true indeed that the first Viall being poured out on this earth occasioned a noysome and filthy ulcer on the worshippers of Antichrist yet on others who overcame the beast it wrought the true feare of God encrease of joy and to be short it recalled the greater part thereof from Antichrist to Christ as we may see at this day CHAPTER XVI The pouring out of the second Viall on the Sea 3 And the second Angell poured out his Viall upon the Sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and every living soule died in the Sea THE COMMENTARY III. ANd the second Angell powred out The first plague hath wrought but little effect on the skabbie Monks for as yet they many wayes bewray that ulcer of venome and malice which lies hid in their hearts against the Gospell neither will they suffer themselves to be cured being blinded by a just judgement of God Ex. 7.20 And therefore the second Angell proceeds to poure out the wrath of God upon the Sea which became as the blood of a dead man that is corrupted and filthy and every living soule died c. It is a plaine allusion unto the first Aegyptian plague when Moses turned the waters of Nilus into blood that the Egyptians could not drinke thereof and all the Fishes of the River dyed Now we come to the meaning Some take it according to the letter The litterall exposition of Andreas Ribera that the Sea is to be turned into blood either miraculously by Elias and Enoch as of old by Moses or else by the slaughter of Sea-combats and such as dwell neer the Sea under Antichrist So Andreas whom Ribera followes All things shall be so as is here spoken The Sea shall be like to blood which is poured out when a man is slain or it shall be so red as if it were dyed with the blood of many men and all Fishes in it shall die as in the River of Egypt But the greater part of Interpreters acknowledge that this corrupting of the Sea is mystically to be understood for indeed the turning of the Ocean into blood It cannot hold cannot be a more heavy plague to Antichrist then to the rest of the sonnes of men The losse also of the Fishes would be common to others as well as to him yea his losse would be lesse for being the greatest Monarch he could the easier beare it though there should not be a Fish left alive in the whole Sea seeing the Land can furnish him with infinite dainties Therefore we must not at all keep to the Letter To come therefore to the mystery Lyras opinion first I passe by the historicall glosse of Lyra touching Charles the Great who as he saith poured out this Viall that is the vengeance of God upon the Sea viz. on the Saxons whom he vanquished which are signified by the Sea because of the multitude of that people The conjecture of Gagnaeus I passe by also the conjecture of Gagnaeus the Popish Commentator that the sea signifies the gentiles because of their manifold worshippings of divers gods whose blood whether it be corporally or spiritually taken is largely to bee poured out But they erre from the Scope not observing that here is treated of the plagues of Antichrist Most of our Interpreters understand the sea to be the world or the chiefe men of the world or Ilanders who shall become like corrupted blood because God will bring upon them all kinds of horrible warres pestilence and destruction that every soule that is the greater part of the wicked shall miserably perish or that all that assent to Antichrist in persecuting of the Saints shall perish through finall damnation which opinion is not unfit yet too generall forasmuch as the world was never free from war pestilence and destruction And the godly have allwayes had no lesse share in these evils then others but these plagues shal be peculiar to Antichristians Therefore we are more nearly to consider what this sea is What this Sea is whether that of Glasse which Iohn saw before the throne Chap. 4.6 and on which stood the Conquerours of the beast Chap. 15.2 But it seemes not to be the same because this here is a watery Sea the other of glasse Again whether it be that into which the burning Mountaine was cast Chap. 8.9 It is not for that denoted the world of the faithfull that is the Church which the Mountaine of the Romane Empire had almost overwhelmed But this here is the Antichristian SEA because one of the last plagues is poured upon it Or whether it be that out of which the Beast ascended Chap. 13. ver 1 It seemes to be the same for the sea there spoken of may be taken two wayes either for the pit whence the beast ascended Chap. 11.7 but so it is not here taken Or for the vile assembly of Episcopall
councels by whose authority chiefly after the sixt age the Monarchicall power of the Romish chaire was established thus it should be the same Therefore Brightman doth not unfitly as it seemes determine that this sea is the Councell of Trent into which from the yeer 1545. unto 1563. under five Popes viz. Paulus 3. Julius 3 Marcellus 2. Paulus 4. and Pius 4. the Rivers and Fountaines out of all parts of the Antichristian world did unburthen themselves as it were into a Sea that is thither were gathered 9. Cardinalls 3. Patriarchs 33. Archbishops 233. Bishops 7. Abbats 8. Generalls 4. Counsellours at Law 149. Divines 11. Vicars of Bishops in all 467. together with an infinite number of servants Pages and Scullions out of every Nation Tribe and tongue For the Angells going forward to pour out Gods Vialls that former grievous ulcer compelled the Antichristians to flow to the Latine Sea to get remedy for their disease But what was done The waters of the sea became as the blood of a dead man that is corrupted and mortall hence every soule living in the sea dyed for the Decrees of Trent were bloody that is written and so indeed generally they were with the blood of hereticks But being false and destructive by their filthy and deadly savour they killed the soules of all living creatures swimming or seeking for life in this sea CHAP XVI The pouring out of the Third Viall on the Rivers and Fountaines of Waters 4 And the third Angell poured out his Viall upon the Rivers and Fountaines of waters and they became blood 5 And I heard the Angell of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shalt be because thou hast judged thus 6 For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drinke for they are worthy 7 And I heard another out of the Altar say Even so Lord God Almighty true and righteous are thy judgements THE COMMENTARY 4. ANd the third Angell poured out This Angell poures out the wrath of God on the Rivers and Fountaines of Waters which became blood Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the old version renders and blood was made but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to bee referred to the Rivers and Fountaines of Waters They to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Waters became blood The sense of this effect the Angel will declare verse 6. Thou gavest them blood to drinke for thou didst shed their blood because they shed the blood of thy servants The turning therefore of the waters into blood denotes a bloodie vengeance on bloodthirsty adversaries Hence it appeareth that this plague is divers from the former although in both there be an allusion unto the first Egyptian plague Now we are to see who these wicked are here signified by the Rivers and Fountaines Lyra thinkes Charles the Great to be this Angell Lyras opinion who poured out the Viall that is the vengeance of God upon the Rivers and Fountaines of Waters that is on the Moores or Hunni who anciently inhabited neer the Poole Maeotis where there are many bublings of waters after the manner of fountaines And they became blood because Charles his army killed many of the Hunni But he erres from the scope Ribera also here urgeth the letter but absurdly For have ever the Rivers and Fountaines shed the blood of the Saints according to the Letter Rib. opinion Or hath God given blood to drinke to the Fountaines Gagnaeus therefore doth more rightly apply it metaphorically to the persecutors of the godly Gagnaeus opinion because rivers and flouds of waters do often in Scripture denote grievous persecutions Now it may bee demaunded who these Persecutours are Foxe understands it of the Romane tyrants Foxe his opinion who by Ten persecutions shed the blood of Saints in abundance to whom likewise God gave blood to drinke because scarcely one of them dyed a naturall death But neither is this to the scope for it is certaine this place intends not the punishment of the adversaries of the primitive Church but the last plagues of Antichristians Others of our Interpreters come neerer to the scope understanding the rivers and fountaines of Waters the fâ—â—se Prophets and false teachers of Antichrist Bullinger Marlorate because Peter calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fountaines or wells without water that is deceivers for as dry wells frustrate the hope of the Traveller 2. Pet. 2.17 who thinkes to find water in them and doth not so false Prophets deceive such who looke for sound doctrine and consolations from them whatsoever they promise or make shew of Notwithstanding these also shew not who are here meant nor do they sufficiently unfold the kind of the plague here signified but keep for the most part to the thesis that to Antichristians the waters become blood that is unprofitable yea deadly to drinke of for as to the godly all things yea even their sinnes do work â—â—gether for their salvation so to the ungodly the good creatures of God â—â—come a curse and are turned to their destruction This indeed is true but expresseth not the meaning of the prophesie because that which followeth Thou gavest them blood to drinke doth not cohere with this sense for God gave not blood to drinke to these rivers and fountaines that is layd not a cruell punishment on them in regard they had shed the blood of the godly Therefore such false Prophets are not here simply to be understood who onely by their false doctrine kill the soules which the Sea of Trent did by its filthy and corrupt blood killing all that tooke in the same which was the second plague But such cruell false prophets who either with their owne hands or by their bloody counsells and condemnatory sentences shed the blood of innocent Christians But who are they We must keep to the Allegory of the Sea Rivers and Fountaines The sea hath its continuall course and is nourished by the flowing waters of rivers and fountaines so likewise the fountaines and rivers have their moistnesse from the vapour of the Sea hence they are rightly called the breasts of the Sea because they both suck for themselves and give nourishment to the Sea The Sea was the gathering together of Bishops and Doctors in Councill The Rivers therefore and fountaines of Waters who are they but Bishops and Doctors not indeed belonging to the Councell yet chief Antichristian Pillars and Champions for Popery Thus also in Chap. 8.10 the Rivers and Fountaines were Bishops and Doctors of the Church viz. the successours of Pope Sylvester whom he being corrupted through the favour and liberality of Constantine drew with himselfe from Heaven into the Earth and made bitter the wholsome and sweet Doctrine of Christ by the wormewood of humane traditions as there I declared Therefore here also the Rivers and Fountaines are Bishops and Teachers but in time diverse from them Those were made bitter before Antichrists
other cities of the nations But what Great City is here intended Vndoubtedly The great City broken into parts see chap 11 8. 14 8 17.18 the same in whose streets the bodies of the two witnesses did lie unburied Chap. 11.8 that is the Citie Dominion and Church of Rome which is the Kingdome of Antichrist being as it were one Great City because it is governed by one head the Pope Brightman includes the Turkish kingdome or Empire because here is treated of the totall destruction of all the ungodly But the Mahumetane tyrannie is more rightly comprehended under the Cities of the Nations that so wee might take notice that Rome is set forth by the Great City both formerly here and in the following Chapter also The Allegory of some seems to me not to be proper namely that the great Citie that is the universallity of men shall be divided into three parts that is in the last time there shall be found three sorts of men in the Church Christians Papists and Neutralls for these three sorts shall not then take their beginning seeing they have already bin a long while in the world Ribera following Andreas makes Jerusalem to be this great citie understanding the division of it into three parts to be three sorts of people living in the same Christians Iews and Saracenes But the following Chapter doth evidently shew that not Ierusalem but Rome is this citie as standing on seven Mountaines and in Iohns time having dominion and power over the Kings of the earth and therefore Alcasar doth justly reject this opinion although himselfe doth wholly erre from the scope Neither is it materiall that Ribera supposeth that Rome must be overthrowne before these things do happen unto which also Brightman seemes to assent in his exposition on the fifâ— Viall for of this wee shall see more in the following Chapter however the Iesuite erreth feining that Rome shall be destroyed before Antichrists rising seeing Iohn in Chapter 11. and againe Chap. 17. doth not obscurely make the great City standing on seven hills to be the Seat of Antichrist But how long before the end Rome shall be cut off the Lord knoweth If some time before it makes nothing against the sense by us alleadged For by the great City we are not onely to understand the walles and streets of Rome but all places wherever the Romish Antichrist hath any jurisdiction which as the Iesuite confesseth may stand although Rome bee destroyed before even unto this last Earthquake And the Cities of the Nations fell Wee have heard of the ruine of Rome Antichrist and his kingdom Now is added what happened to the other Adversarie kingdomes They also fell by the foresaid Earthquake for the Cities of the Nations I take to be the kingdoms Provinces Forts and power of the Barbarians not belonging to Antichrists kingdom as Iewes Turkes Saracens and the like dispersed throughout the whole world which shall all at the same time be ruinated And thus it must necessarily be understood for if here we should understand the Nations figuratively viz. of the Antichristian Papists who worshippe God after the manner of the heathens as it is before taken in Chapter 11.1 it would seem to be a tautologie not to be approved of And great Babylon came into remembrance before God That which before he called the Great City here he calles it great Babylon and so much we may plainely gather from the voice of the second Angel Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City Chapter 15.8 18.10 Wherefore I see no reason why we should here seeke for another Babylon to wit a new Rome that is Constantinople as Brightman supposeth for seeing Constantinople to this day and so without doubt shall continue in Mahumetisme and idolatry the same shall fall with the Cities of the Nations But to imagine that the Westerne Christians after Popery shall bee aboâ—shed and also drive the Turke out of the East and recover or overthrow Constantinople the Metropolis of the Turkish Empire this I say seemes to me to be a thing rather to be wished then expected in regard that our owne sinnes shall fight for the Turke even against our selves untill such time that the great Citie Babylon and all the Cities of the nations shall be utterly overthrowne by the universall Earthquake Wherefore then doth he repeat the name of the great City I answer hee doth it by an Emphaticall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or reversion that we may not thinke the division which before he spake of to be small or to happen by chance but understand the just and horrible judgement of God in the destruction thereof for then the Lord will give unto her the cup of the fury of his wrath by which phrase is signified the most fearfull judgement of God executed on her in regard of her idolatry and tyranny according to the threatning of the third Angell Chap. 14.10 as if he had said The great City is broken Babylon I say the great is come into remembrance before God that forasmuch as she hath made drunk the world with the wine of her fornication she herselfe also shall have her fill of the cup of the fury of Gods wrath that is God will punish her in a horrible manner Shee is said to come into remembrance before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or after the manner of men For God did seeme for a thousand years and more to connive and forget her as it were in not punishing her wicked Idolatry and tyranny but at last by his horrible judgements he will make it knowne that she was never out of his remembrance and that he never approved of her flagitious workes Now in what sense and how many wayes both in the good and evill part God is said to forget and to remember and wherefore the Scripture speaketh thus of God we have fully expounded in our Commentary on Genesis touching these words And God remembred Noah Chap. 8.1 20. And every Island fled away The third kind of wonders are in the Sea Signes in the Sea intimating how they that live though never so remote in the Islands shall also be overwhelmed by this fatall Earthquake for every Island shall flee away that is shall vanish away and perish either by water or fire Now by Islands the Hebrews understand all places seated neer the Sea The Mountaines also which are either in the Islands or other mediterranean places shall not be able to shelter the adversaries because there shall none be found but all bee swallowed up by the violence of the Earthquake In the dayes of Noah when the flood came men ranne to the Mountaines for safety and at the destruction of Ierusalem Christ counselled his disciples to flee unto the Mountaines But here now the wicked cannot flee to the Islands or Mountaines because then they shall not be by a like manner of Speech the end of the world is set forth afterward in Chap. 20.11 Before in the Antichristian
election through the last judgement of practicall reason for without such a determination the wil and choice of man should be nothing at all Now howsoever this judgement of practicall reason which the Sophisters confesse is the root of liberty be sometimes also determinated out of it self Act 14.16 that is by God I say sometimes not alwayes for God doth not determinate all acts of the will but oftentimes leaves men to their own wayes and suffers them to run headlong into destruction Notwithstanding this determination is not done without the voluntary judgement of our reason and choice of the will without any coaction yet in a manner to us indeed inexplicable but known to God Who worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Ephe. 1.11 To the second Argument That which is governed by the divine providence acts not freely c. I ANSWER it is false unlesse it be understood with the same distinction to wit if it be governed by a providence without our own deliberation and choice For that which God governeth shewing the object to the understanding and efficaciously moving the will to chuse the same that notwithstanding man doth freely chuse although he be inclined by the will of God to whatsoever he pleaseth What it is to act freely For the creatures freedom in acting is not to act without the government of any but with deliberation and by a voluntary motion of its own will although this motion be raised and ruled by another And that I may return unto the determination of the will It is not repugnant even to morall Philosophie For Aristotle lib. 3. Ethic. Cap. 5. saith That man is the originall of his own actions as of his children and denies not but that in some occurrences the will is determinated to one thing the liberty thereof remaining suppose in vitious men drunkards and incontinent persons who after they have brought a vitious habit upon themselves do indeed commit their vices freely yet also necessarily and determinately because their will by a vitious habit which they are not able to shake off is determined to vice To conclude it is plain from these things in the Hypothesis that God put into the hearts of the Kings the liberty of their will remaining to doe what they did determinately and in the Thesis that the concurrence of God governing and determinating the will of man as he pleaseth doth not at all take away the liberty of the same II. Whether God after the same manner put good and evill into the hearts of the Kings and whether hence it will follow that he is the Author of sin Touching the good there is no question about it for this all that are godly doe willingly grant viz. that God as the Scripture saith workes both the will and the deed without overthrowing the liberty of our will as before we shewed Notwithstanding Pelagius did not grant the same and a Philosopher will no more grant the determination of the will in vertue then in vice But the Philosopher is answered by the doctrine of heathens themselves as erewhile wee heard out of Aristotle Pelagius and such as follow him object the Theologicall knot in evill things touching the cause of sin For if God also determine the evill of man as for examples the hearts of the Kings as touching things evill in their owne nature as suppose to conspire together with Antichrist and to fight against the Lambe hereby God seems to be the Author as it were of their evills and the Kings excusable This indeed Pelagius of old objected to Austin as at this day the Pelagian Relickes in pretence to maintaine the righteousnesse of God as if it could not be otherwise maintained but in the sense of bare permission viz. that God is said to do that because he permits it to be done But first the glosse of bare permission is a manifest abusing of sundry places of Scripture in which it is plainely affirmed that God did and that indeed most holily which men have done most wickedly Joseph touching the parricide of his brethren saith Gen. 45.8 It was not you that sent me hither but God sent me hither before you Touching the hatred of the Egyptians against the Israelites Psal 105. verse 25. God turned their hearts to hate his people to deale subtilly with his servants Touching Shimeis cursing 2. Samuel 16.10 The Lord hath said unto him Curse David Of Absoloms incest 2. Sam. 12.12 Thou didst it secretly But I will do this viz. give thy wives unto thy neighbour before all Israel and before the sun Of the Rebellion of Jeroboam and the ten Tribes 1. Kin. 12.24 This thing is from me And in the same place touching Rehoboams tyrannicall answer ver 15. Wherfore the King hearkned not unto the people for the cause was from the Lord. Touching the spoiling of the Babylonians Isa 10. ver 6. I will give him a charge to take the spoile and to take the prey Touching the seduction of the false Prophets Ezech. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived that Prophet So of the seducement of Ahab by the false Prophets and Satan 1. Kin. 22.20 Who shall perswade Ahab c. and the Lord said Thou shalt perswade them and prevaile also Goe forth and do so Of the Rapine of the Arabians Iob 1.21 The LORD gave and the Lord hath taken away Touching Christs crucifying Act. 4.27 Herod and Pontius Pilate have done those things which thy hand and counsell determined before to be done By these and the like places both the evill works of men and Satan are ascribed unto God not absolutely but in some respect viz. so far as God by the same accomplisheth his secret judgements not as the authour of mans wicked deeds God forbid but as a most righteous performer of his judgements in and by them for to imagine that God executeth not his judgements but barely permits them agrees not with faith and godlinesse Secondly the glosse of bare permission in many places would be blasphemous take for example the place in hand Wilt thou say that God put it into the hearts of the Kings that is permitted it to be put Who then put it into their hearts Thou wilt say the divell and hereby thou makest the divell to put that into the heart which the Scripture expresly saith that God did wilt thou make the devill to be God Besides the divell will never perswade the kings to oppose the whore Consider therfore whither this thy glosse doth not by an open blasphemy attribute satans work to God and on the contrary the work of God to the divell Thirdly the glosse of bare permission imports heresie for under it lies hid the Pelagian denyall of the divine grace and providence and the establishing of humane strength against grace For this glosse hath flowed if not primitively yet chiefly from the School of Pelagius as may be seen in Austin Lib. 5. Cont. Iulian cap 3 against whom Julian the Pelagian
silence their blasphemous mouthes by confessing that the Lord in punishing of them is not tyrannicall in the least but a most righteous Iudge For it is just to give every one his own but in order of justice punishment for wickednesse is due to the ungodly When therefore God punisheth them his judgements are righteous And true that is certainely to be accomplished for though God doth a long while delay the punishments threatned against the wicked yet at length he truly executes the same So Psal 9 v. 9. Jehovah judgeth the world in righteousnesse he ministers judgement to the people in uprightnesse For he hath judged the great whore Specially they celebrate two examples of Gods righteousnesse as it were the neerest matter of their joy the condemnation of the great whore and the vindicating of the servants of God Both being manifestly worthy to be celebrated For that Great whore hath corrupted the earth by her fornication Now what is more agreeable to justice then that such a pest which hath defiled the inhabitants of the earth with her most filthy whoredome should be adjudged unto eternall damnation Moreover with her hand that is tyranically with fire and sword she hath oppressed killed the servants of God Now it is a righteous thing to avenge the innocent blood and such as are uniustly oppressed But God hath avenged the blood of his servants on the whore by rendring unto her such like punishments as she had before exercised For the destruction of the adversaries is the vindicating of the Saints Furthermore who this great whore is what her whoredoms what earth and how she hath corrupted the same need not on this place to be repeated Let us learne to acknowledge and celebrate Gods righteous judgements in destroying the adversaries And continuallie labour to walk with fear and trembling intreating the Lord that the like judgements fal not upon us 3. And again they said They conclude the thankesgiving by repeating the exhortation of Halleluiah to testifie the greatnesse of their joy They adde further And her smoake AND hath here an adversative sense as if he had said Yee praise God But the whore shall burne for ever and Ever Ribera interpreteth the smoake more coldly of the remembrance of the burning which saith he is alwaies to remaine and shall never be forgotten But they amplifie Gods judgement on the whore because the smoake of her burning and torment shall have no end but remaine for ever from Chap. 14. v. 11. And the smoak of their torment shall ascend up for ever and Ever signifying the everlasting torments that attend Antichrist and his followers in hell fire If perhaps the miserable Romanists by feare thereof might bee deterred from their Idolatrie Rose up for ever The present flame of her burning which they shall see with their eyes yeelds matter of joy Now the smoake ascendeth up Therefore Babylons condition is altogether deplorable 4 And the foure and twentie Elders The former Chore desisting another comes in singing that so God might be praised with a most sacred Symphonie of all the heavenly dwellers This was the company of Elders and Beasts often before mentioned Chap. 4.14 and Chap. 5.8 and Chap. 7. 11. and 11. 16. Here they serve as it were for a heavenly senate reverend in gravitie and majesty unto the former promiscuous multitude of the heavenly inhabitants whose joy and celebration of Gods judgements they approue of by their most grave acclamation closing up and as it were sealing the same in two words Amen Halleluiah as if they should say It is so as ye have before sung salvation and glory is truely due to our God His judgements are truely righteous Iust indeed is the condemnation of the whore and the vindicating of the innocent blood of the saints for Amen with the Hebrews is a particle confirming the truth and signifies Truely certainly God therefore is to be truely celebrated with praises Now who these Elders and Beasts are hath been largely declared on Chap. 4. and Chap. 5. The Elders represented the Company or Chore of Patriarchs and Prophets The Beasts the Apostles although as hath bin before shewed these may also be understood of the stationary Angels before the throne of God Whoever they bee certaine it is they are a more honourable company of the Church triumphant what the adoration of the heavenly inhabitants is For the Elders weare golden crownes on their heads and are clothed in white raiment holding harpes and golden vials in their hands c. And they sit upon foure and twenty thrones being as it were honorable administrators of the judgements and counsels of God But for reverence sake in this solemne assemblie they fall downe from their thrones on their faces before the feete of the divine Majesty casting off undoubtedly their crowns also as before Chap. 4.10 and religiously worship and adore God togither with the Beasts This adoration was an admiration of the powers of God a celebration of his judgments and workes a ready publishing of his mercies and lastly a testimony of their religious subjection In which they afford us an example of religious worship and thankesgiving For if the Saintes in heaven who are come to their journeyes end praise God incessantly how much more ought wee poore traveillers to worship the Lord without intermission Neither doe they adore one another but God sitting on the throne And therefore such as direct their worship unto others shall never come to this Chore of which thing the Angell will by and by instruct us 5 And a voyce came out of the throne Both companies had finished their Halleluiah notwithstanding the song of praises was not as yet ended Therefore another Chore is invited unto a new gratulation by another voyce A new voice out of the throne not of God sitting on the throne as before Chap. 14.13 A voyce from heaven and Chap. 16.17 A voyce out of the Temple The author of this voyce is not shewed being uncertaine yet we may easily gather that it was divine because it proceeds out of the throne yet not of God sitting but of the Lambe standing on the throne because he saith Praise our God Now Christ acknowledged God to be his and ours because he is the Lamb and Mediatour as if he should say The prayses of God touching his righteous judgements are not yet ended There remaine other works and benefits farre exceeding these judgements to be celebrated What these are the following Hymne shall teach us Now whom doth he invite All ye his servants The servants of God are all that are and shall be saved both Angels men For also the good Angels are preserved by grace in their integrity hence throughout the Scripturs they are named the servants of God as being spirits most ready to execute the ministries of God But as for men they are Gods servants both such who continually serve him with praises in heaven viz the saints triumphing with Christ as also who yet
and witnesse of the Conscience Rom. 2 5. which shal suggest to every one the exact memory of his Actions whether good or bad the sentence pronounced shall be most just according to the same and Gods judgements shall bee righteous for the Holy Scriptures containe a most exact written rule of righteousnes unto which most righteously all are obliged and whosoever hath conformed himselfe unto the same shall most righteously be acquitted whosoever hath swarved from it Orat. in Plag gran shall most righteously in the day of Iudgemen bee condemned The Booke also of every mans conscience is of such exact righteousnes as it deceives no man doth injury to no man for the conscience saith NAZIANZENVS is a domesticke and true Tribunall And the Poet siath well Prima haec est ultio Iuven Sat 13. quodse Iudice nemo nocens absolvitur improba quamvis Gracia fallacis prae oris vicerit urnam This vengeance takes if judge it bee None that are guilty quitt doth hee Though that the Praetor through falle Grace Sometimes puts wicked men in place How much more therefore shall the conscience in the day of Iudgement bee a righteous rule to judge by The holy Scriptures are the rule of truth righteousnesse By the way observe If God will then judge according to the written word how much more doth he require that faith and our works be now done according to the said rule of Holy Writ According to their workes Good or evill This shall be the other infallible rule of righteousnesse for it is a righteous thing with God to render rewards to the righteous and tribulation to the wicked Every one therfore shall righteously receive either good or evill according to what he hath done It is observeable that here and every where in Scripture it is said Iudgement shall be according to workes we shall be judged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to workes never 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for our workes no man therefore shall be saved for good workes notwithstanding the wicked shall be damned for their evill workes because there is a different reason between good and evill workes Evill workes are the wages of or merit death Eze. 184. Rom 1.28 Good works merit not life eternal for the Soule that sinneth shall dye And It is the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death Good workes merit not life because all are due to God the Creator and Redeemer But no debt comes under the notion of merit I passe by that the best workes of the Saints are imperfectly good polluted with many blemishes so that if God did judge them to his severity they would be found to be nothing but unrighteousnesses as the Church of old confesseth Isa 6.46 We are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Therefore we pray forgive us our trespasses Wherefore least Hypocrites should be bold to inferre if the wicked shall be condemned for evill workes therefore the Iust are saved for good workes The Holy Ghost would have it no where written that the judgement shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for workes which might signifie the meritorious cause but alwayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to workes which signifies the condition But why not according to Faith or infidelity Why the Iudgement shal not bee according to faith infidelitie because Faith and infidelity are hid to the eyes of men But workes whither good or evill flowing from the same shall be conspicuous and open unto all Therefore in that open judgement Christ the Iudge shall alledge the cleare rule of righteousnesse that it may appeare unto all that the wicked are justly condemned having done evill and the Godly righteously acquitted who have done good this is a great encouragement to good workes that we follow after them and touching evill workes that we should shun them because according to them we shall all be judged 13. And the Sea gave up her dead AVGVSTINE by the Sea doth not unproperly understand the world Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 15 which like to the tempestuous Sea is alwayes tossed with waves By the dead is meant wicked men dead in sinnes as is the greater part in the world or all men having mortall bodies Notwithstanding I thinke it is more proper to the sense to understand it of such as perished or were drowned in the Sea or Rivers or whose burnt bodies and ashes were cast into the same in times of persecution For humane reason judgeth it very absurd that the bodies of such as have been devoured by the fishes of the Sea or torne by wild Beasts and eaten by wormes on land should be restored John therefore saw what shall come to passe when all the Elements through the power of God shall render up the consumed Carkeises The Sea shall vomit up as it were out of a Sepulchre the dead she swallowed up The same Death and Hell shall doe that is the Earth which hath received in Sepulchres all the bodies of the dead as it were in her lap or bosome and opening her mouth hath swallowed downe some alive also By death here AVSTIN understandeth the dead bodies of the Godly which the Earth shall render up By hell the damned soules of the wicked which thence shall be brought forth to Iudgement Ribera extends it unto the bodies of such as Hell swallowed downe alive as Corah Dathan and Abiram The summe is by what kind of death soever they perished in this life whatever became of their soules after death all are seen by John as brought forth to Iudgement The Soules therefore of the Saints shall return from Heaven with Christ the Iudge the wicked shall be called forth out of Hell to Iudgement All mens bodies shal be raised up to life and being restored to their own soules shall stand before Christ to be judged 14. And death and hell In a few words hee toucheth the execution of the sentence pronounced against the ungodly The state of the Godly he more largely Treats of in the following Chapters First he sees hell and death to bee cast into the Lake of fire and soone after all that were not found written in the Booke of Life that is reprobates in which again is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or inversion for first the wicked shal bee cast into torments Afterward the last enemies viz. death and hell by which names AVGVSTINE thinks here is signified the devill himselfe as being the Author of death and hellish punishments and the whole company of devils which very thing he had said before by an Anticipation And the devill was cast into the Lake c. So death should be put for the devill causing death 1. Cor. 15.54 1. Cor. 15.26 Hell for the devill drawing men to Hell As by a like metonymia it is said Death is swallowed up in victory And The last enemie that shall be destroyed is
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 still doth in this Prophesie rather signifie continuation of time then the encrease of a thing as in ver 3. There shal be no more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curse or henceforward and Chap. 10.6 The Angel sweareth that there shal be no longer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time and Chap. 3.12 He shall goe no more out where RIBERA himselfe noteth that the Adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more doth onely with the negative respect the future not the time past Thirdly though we should wholly grant it to be understood of the encrease of justification neverthelesse it would not make for their second meritorious justification through workes For it will not follow Let him bee justifyed yet more Rom. 8.1 Therefore through workes meritoriously for he may also be more and more justified by Faith through the grace of God For although we that are justified by faith have the forgivenesse of all our sinnes Lam 3.23 and so are perfectly justified by Faith before God so as there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus yet this Iustification may be said to admit encrease two manner of wayes FIRST in respect of Continuation For seeing we sinne daily wee have need continually of pardon and so Iustification which consists in the remission of sins is daily continued unto the Faithfull being as it were renewed and augmented for the mercies of Iehovah are new every morning therefore Gods children doe daily pray forgive us our sinnes that is quit us and justifie us from our sinnes How farre justification of Faith doth admit encrease Some therefore of our Writers say well that justification is effected in an instant because it comes not by a successive motion as Sanctification but it is to bee understood of an instant flowing or daily renewed through the mercy of God Secondly in respect of our sense for we have indeed Iustification with God by Faith but wee feele it in our hearts through the effects viz. Peace of Conscience Newnesse of Life and desire of New obedience By how much therefore thâ—se do encrease in us by so much also the feeling of our Iustification hath its greater encrease LASTLY this place cannot be understood of actuall Iustification by works for such a Iustification through workes is Sanctification it selfe as the Papists confesse Now of Sanctification it distinctly here followeth And hee that is holy let him be sanctifyed still Wherefore they either accuse John of vaine Tautologiâ— by repeating the same thing twice ore else they must confesse that Iustification here is no actuall Iustification so to speake or Sanctification 12. Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me These are the words of our Lord Iesus unto the midst of the twentieth verse BEZA supposeth that these two verses are transplaced and should come after ver 16. But we shewed in the Analysis that after the manner of Dramaticall Representiations three persons the Angell John and the Lord Iesus speaâ— by course so that an exact coherence is not to be required but the alteration or variation observed Once already the Lord Iesus had promised his sudden comming ver 7. Behold I come quickly to confirme the words of the Angell which must shortly bee done Here again he promiseth the same to confirme the next words of the Angell He that is unjust let him bee unjust still c. And the sense is the Prophesie is not to be sealed neither in respect of the wicked nor of the godly because the former shall goe forward to hurt and to be filthy to their harme the latter shall further be confirmed in their desire after righteousnesse and holinesse to their owne good For behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every one c. The reason is taken from the righteous judgement neer at hand in which every one shall receive of him his reward The righteous and holy keeping the Commandements of this Prophesie blessednesse in the New Ierusalem The unjust and filthy dogs sorcerers fornicatours murderers liars c. torments in the lake of fire and brimstone This is the coherence and sense of the foure following verses My reward Not passively which should be given unto me but actively which I will give as appeares by the Infinitive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to give for that I may give With mee That is in my power and right for the Father hath given to the Sonne all judgement Ioh. 17.2 that is power to judge all men That his judgement shall be righteous he sheweth in that he will reward every one both the unjust and impure as also the righteous and holy as their worke shall be In other places it is said he shall judge men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to workes here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as his worke shall be The reward of good workes shall be good of evill evill because in order of justice good things appertaine to the good to evill men evill things Wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According and As do not signifie the meritorious cause of reward but the rule of righteous judgement For although evill workes shall truely be the meritorious cause of damnation yet the Scripture saith no where except perhaps in some particular that the wicked shall be damned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their workes Rom. 6.23 Eph. 2.8 but alwayes circumspectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to workes least on the contrary good workes should bee thought the meritorious cause of Salvation The gift of God is eternall life By grace wee are saved through Faith not of our selves it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast Wherefore the reward of evill workes shall properly be called reward that is a due damnation de jure But the reward of good workes shal not bee called a reward properly Reward due not due that is not due of right but blessednesse gratis Now wherefore the Lord will rather judge men according to their workes then faith XLVI Argument of Christs deity hath been declared above Chap. 20.13 Futhermore this place doth also most clearly prove the eternal deity of Christ who attributes here unto himselfe that which Isaias ascribeth unto Iehovah Behold the Lord Iehovah will come with a strong hand and his arme shall rule for him Ch. 40.10 his reward is with him and his worke before him And Chap. 62.11 Say yee to the daughter of Sion behold thy salvation commeth behold his reward is with him Psal 9.9 and his worke before him It is proper to Iehovah to judge the world in righteousnesse and the people in uprightnesse For none but God can render to the Righteous life and eternall blessednesse none but God can inflict eternall punishment on the ungodly But the Lord Iesus will doe both for he shall render both to the one and to the other a just reward sutable to their workes
by this place or any other This we must leave to God and to time The same was said before in the last Act of the Fift Vision Rev. 16.20 Rev. 6.14 Every Iland fled and the Mountaines were not found Also in the last Act of the Second Vision And the Heaven departed as a Scrowle rolled together and every Mountaine and Iland were mooved out of their places Which place notwithstanding we interpreted somewhat otherwise because of the circumstances But I see not by what shew of reason this change of Heaven and Earth here can be darkened by an Allegory Now it shall not be till towards the last Iudgement and therefore it remains firme that the same is here described The dead corporally are here understood 12. And I saw the dead small and great He had seen the Iudge girded about with Iudgement Now he seeth the guilty standing before the Iudgement Seat whom hee describeth First from their former state by calling them The dead after the common Law of nature but then raised from death to life by the power of God he speaks not of men dead in sins as in ver 5. but of such as dyed corporally and now were raised up to Iudgement But shall not the living also then be judged Yea verily 2. Cor. 5.10 Rom. 14.9 10. for we must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ That he may be Iudge of the quicke and the dead and be Lord both of the dead and the living By the dead therefore are understood the living also by an Argument from the lesser If the dead shall appeare before the Iudgement Seat how much more the living But the dead alone are named either because the number of the dead from Adam till the last day 1 Cor. 15.52 shall be far greater then such as live on Earth when that day commeth Or because those that remain living shal be accounted as dead because they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye Secondly he describes them from their age and condition for the words may be understood of both Great and Small That is as well the powerfull Tyrants of the world Emperours Kings Princes and Great men as Subjects and men of low condition Or properly Great in Age and stature that is growne men and women Small also that is dying in their child-hood by this partition he sheweth that all and every one without any exception are to be judged for the Iudgement shall be universall no man shall bee so Great as to escape the same none so small as to be excluded 2 Cor. 5.10 but every one shall have right without respect of persons as the Apostle witnesseth We must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Lumb lib. dist 44. SCHOOL-MEN suppose that in the Resurrection all shal be as if they were about 33. yeers old which was Christs age but we leave it as uncertain What they speake of the stature that every one shall receive his owne measure of body is more agreeable to this place Thirdly he describes them from their future state Standing in the sight of God or before God to wit to bee judged as guiltie To stand before God signifies sometimes in this Booke as above the Heavenly Ministery of the Saints and Angels Here it signifies to be brought to Iudgement as appeares by what followeth By the dead standing he meaneth them that were raised from death to life XLI Argument of Christs deitie Before God The Iudge hee absolutely calleth God but CHRIST is the Iudge Therefore Christ is God absolutely And the Bookes were opened The judiciall processe is noted by imitation of humane Courts in which the whole processe is wont to be drawn into Protocols from whence the Iudge at length determineth and pronounceth sentence according to the Acts and Proofes not that it shall bee so really for God from whose eyes nothing is hid will not make use of long examination but the equity of the Iudge is noted by a Metaphor taken from humane Courts where the Iudge pronounceth sentence according to the written Law and the Acts and Proofes agreeing thereunto It is an Allusion unto the words of Daniel speaking thus of this IVDGEMENT Dan. 7.10 The Iudgement was set and the Bookes were opened Origene understands it of the books of conscience Comm. ad Rom. 14. which now are hid not to God but to men For the hidden things of the heart are not now known But then they shall be Opened that is manifested to the consciences of all and every one so as there shall be no place left of excuse or withdrawing Thus no man shall be injured because every one shall either be accused or discharged by his own conscience Augustine takes it a little otherwise Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 14 of the bookes of the Old and New Testament in which God hath prescribed unto all what is to bee done or Omitted in this life which shall then be opened because according to them the Iudge will pronounce sentence Rom. 2.16 When God shall judge the secrets of men Marke 16.16 Io. 12.48 Lib. 20. de C. D. c. 14 by Iesus Christ according to my Gospel He that beleeveth and is baptised shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day And another Booke was opened This Austine understands of every mans Booke of Life what he hath done or not done according to those former Books But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of every one is not in the Text but simply which is the Booke of Life to wit in which God hath written from all eternitie the names of them that shall be saved through Christ of which often mention is made in this Revelation Chap. 3.5 13.8 17.8 c. Not that God hath neede of a Booke but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or by humane affection is noted the certainty of Praedestination viz. that God knowes all and every of the Elect even as men know a thing which for memory sake they set downe in writing This Booke therefore shall also be opened because then it shall appear who were Elect who Reprobates who truely beleeved in Christ who not who truely worshipped God Mat. 25.32 who were hypocrites for then Christ will sever the sheep from the goats who in this life were mixt one amongst another And the dead were judged This shall be the denouncing of the sentence the equity whereof is commended by a two-fold reason both because every one shall be judged out of the things written in the Bookes As also because he shall receive according to his workes For what concernes the Bookes whither we take them for the scriptures which are now the rules of our Faith and actions Or the inward working