Domitiano consulare imperium that is to him namely Vespasian with Titus his son the consulship was voted to Domitian the pretorship and consular authority ib. cap. 16. Mox ejurante Frontino Caesar Domitianus praeturam cepit Ejus nomen epistolis edictisque proponebatur Vis penes Mucianum nisi quod pleraque Domitianus instigantibus amicis aut propria lubidine agebat that is Not long after upon the resignation of Frontinus Caesar Domitian took the pretorship his name was prefixt to all Letters and Edicts The power and sway of affairs was in Mucianus save that Domitian either at the instigation of his friends or upon his own pleasure transacted very many things ib. cap. 20. Vespasianus in Italiam resque urbis intentus adversam de Domitiano famam accipit tanquam terminos aetatis concessa filio egrederetur that is Vespasian being intent upon Italy and the affairs of the City heareth an ill report of Domitian as if he had passed the bounds of his age and carried himself with more state then became an Emperours son Suetonius also saith of him in the description of his life Cap. 1. Post victoriam demum progressus Caesar consalutatus honorem praeturae urbanae cum consulari potestate suscepit titulo tenus quam jusdictionem ad collegam proximum transtulit Caeterum omnem vim dominationis tam licenter exercuit ut jam tum qualis futurus esset oslenderet Nec exequar singula contrectatis multorum uxoribus Domitiam Longinam Aelio Lamiae nuptam etiam in matrimonium abduxit atque uno die super viginti urbana officia atque peregrina distribuit mirari se Vespasiano dictitante quod successorem non sibi mitteret that is Domitian after the victory going out and being saluted by the name of Cesar assumed the honour of the City Pretorship with consular authority as to the Title transferring all the jurisdiction to the next Colleague howbeit he did so licenciously exercise all the power of Sovereignty as that he even then shewed what manner of Prince he would afterwards prove For to omit the rest of his actions having abused the wives of many Citizens he took away Domitia Longina that was maried to Aelius Lamia and made her his own wife and distributed in one day above twenty offices belonging either to the City or to foreign parts Vespasian in the mean time ever and anon crying out that he wondred that his son did not also send him a successor ib. chap. 13. Principatum vero adeptus neque in senatu jactare dubitavit patri se fratri imperium dedisse illos sibi reddidisse Pari arrogantiacum procuratorum suorum nomine formalem dictaret epistolam sic coepit Dominus deus noster sic fieri jubet Unde institutum post hac ut ne scripto quidem ac sermone cujusquam appellaretur aliter that is Domitian having obtained the Empire doubted not to boast in the very Senate that he had given the Empire both to his Father and to his Brother whereas they had only restored it unto him with like arrogancy as he endited a formal Letter in the name of his procurators he began thus Our Lord and God commandeth it so to be done whence it was afterwards injoyned that none should either in writing or in speech give him any other Titles This shifting of the Kingly power in Domitian seemeth to be a proof or essay of what shall hereafter happen to him in the same kind For as he was sometimes recalled from a private condition to the Empire so shall he in future ages arise from the dead to be a King as I have before evinced By what the Angel hath here spoken to declare the Mystery of the Beast it is manifest that by the Beast is meant a Man who was alive when this Vision happened to John For the Angel saith expresly Verse 8. that he is It is also manifest that the Beast had already been a King at Rome and should after the decease of his two immediate Predecessours reign there again But who was there in the time of this Vision to whom such a thing doth agree save Domitian about the end of whose Empire Irenaeus saith lib. 5. cap. 3. that this Book of the Revelation was seen Neque enim ante multum temporis so are his words visum est sed paenè sub nostro saeculo ad finem Domitiani imperii Which may be so far true as that perhaps it was not published and commonly known before that time Nevertheless it appeareth from those words of the Angel Five are fallen and one is that it was written in the Reign of Vespasian These things being so I rightly reckon the Kings from Claudius for if you begin either before or after him the words of the Angel will not suit with the truth of the History as it is delivered by sundry grave Writers that lived in or about those times And it is likely that the Angel so ordered the Vision that the computation should begin from Claudius inclusively because he was the first Roman Emperour that imployed his Authority to molest the Christians For Suetonius in the History of his Life cap. 25. telleth us that he expelled the Jews out of Rome as making continual Tumults by the impulsion of Christ whom he as it seemeth doth out of an heathenish malignity call in Latin Chrestus and not Christus as doth also the Authour of that profane Dialogue called Philopatris which is found among the Works of Lucian see Page 1003. of the Salmurian Edition However certain it is out of the sacred story that Claudius expelled the Jews out of Rome by which means Aquila and Priscilla his Wife both believing Jews being forced to quit Rome betook themselves to Corinth Acts 18.2 It is further manifest from what hath been before discoursed that the Beast Domitian is aptly represented with seven Heads because of his relation both to the seven Mountains and also to the seven Kings that were signified by them For he had not onely sometimes reigned in Rome the seven-hilled City but was also born there for so saith Suetonius in the beginning of his Life Domitianus natus est regione urbis sexta ad Malum Punicum that is Domitian was born in the sixth Ward of the City at the Sign of the Pomegranate He was also Son to one of the seven Kings and Brother to another as hath before been shewed Vers 12. And the ten Horns which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdom as yet but receive Power as Kings one hour with the Beast 13. These have one minde and shall give their Power and Strength unto the Beast 14. These shall make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and King of kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful Hitherto the Angel hath spoken concerning the Beast and his seven Heads now he cometh to the
and the Antichrist In the next place seeing it is now manifest that by the Antichrist many deceivers are understood let us search out what manner of deceivers they must be to whom this appellation agreeth If we consult with interpreters and observe how variously they define the Antichrist we shall be at a loss concerning that which wee seek after only we shall finde they so order the business as that if they had a spight against any man upon a Religious accompt they could transform him into Antichrist at their pleasure Wherefore leaving them let us betake our selves again to the touchstone of truth the holy Scripture and see how it defineth Antichrist John the only sacred writer that is to guide us in this as well as in the other particulars describing Antichrist Chap. 2. of this first Epistle verse 22. doth if his words be exactly rendred according to the Greek speak thus Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ this is the Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son And Chap 4.3 he saith thus Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist And Epist 2.7 which place was before quoted to another purpose he saith Many deceivers are come into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh This is the deceiver and the Antichrist From which testimonies it is evident that only he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ or that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is an Antichrist What peevishness is it then that they who make the same confession touching Christ and his coming in the flesh should upon some other difference about Religion reproachfully term one another Antichristians And how contrary is this to the determination of the Scripture it self which all should make the rule of their words and actions These things being unfolded it is an easie matter to perceive my design in writing this Essay which is to enure men more closely to follow the Text of the holy scipture as in other parts thereof so especially in the book of the Revelation where men are wont to be loose and exorbitant in a more then ordinary manner as if they strove who should depart furthest off from the literal sense of that prophecy For bearing in minde continually that rule of interpreting which all that are of a sound judgement readily admit That we are not to recede from the letter of the sacred Text without evident necessity which is when the literal interpretation is repugnant either to our sences or to the scope of the place or to a greater number of plain Texts to the contrary I have as I perswade my self given a sounder and clearer exposition of this difficult prophecy then is commonly to be met withall I have also with the same labour cut off all those forced and factions applications of things mentioned in the said book to the Pope which too justly render the reformed Religion suspected to Papists who are apt enought to think that such violent wresting of the Revelation to disparage them preceedeth from a want of solid Arguments to confute their Doctrine For mine own part there is no man that doth abominate all Popish Superstitions more than my self nor is at a wider distance from them yet doth not the detestation of them so transport me as that I am thereby induced to abuse the holy Scripture to the end I may render Papists more odious For such a way of proceeding is wont to work a contrary effect causing men when they once perceive the Papists to be so palpably wronged to imagine that their Religion is wholly true and harmless otherwise what need was there of so far fetched Allegations to disgrace them I have further observed that there is hardly found amongst us any man of unsound Principles in matter of Religion but presently calleth in the Revelation to his aid torturing the rare Mysteries thereof to get something out of them that may give a colour to his Absurdities Wherefore I made this account with my self that by opening away to the plain and genuine understanding of that Book I might possibly give a check to such groundless fancies and hinder them from pestering the World without controll in the time to come I desire therefore all that shall light on this Essay to peruse it with patience and not pass sentence thereon untill they have read it quite through and well considered the connexion of the several parts thereof and the congruity of the things therein delivered both with Scripture and Reason and if they perceive the worth and sovereign use of the many secrets therein discovered let them give the whole glory of them unto God who is the Father of Lights both of that wherewith the Pen-men of the holy Scripture and also of that wherewith the sound Interpreters of the same are enlightned Reader forasmuch as here remaineth an empty page and some few faults escaped in the printing of this book I have thought sit here to insert them that being taken notice of in the beginning the Book might be run over without any rub in the way ERRATA Pag. 2. for were r. are pag. 14. l. 9. for then r. them pag. 37 l. 21. for not are r. are not AN ESSAY To the Explaining of the REVELATION Chap. 13. Vers 1. And I stood upon the Sand of the Sea and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea having seven Heads and ten Horns and upon his Horns ten Crowns and upon his Heads the name of Blasphemie The Exposition BY the Beast here mentioned is to be understood a Man according to the Exposition of John himself who saith in the 18. Verse of this Chapter Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a Man For if the Number of the Beast be the Number of a Man by the Beast must needs be meant a Man otherwise his Number would be the Number of something else and not of a Man Again the Beast signifieth such a Man as shall be also a King and that an universal one A King because it is said Chap. 16.10 that the fifth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Throne so it is in the Greek of the Beast For if the Beast hath a Throne he is a King it being proper to Kings to sit upon Thrones Thus the four and twenty Elders which Chap. 4.4 are said to sit upon Thrones do Chap. 5.10 acknowledge themselves to have been made Kings Yea it is subjoyned in the fore-cited passage Chap. 16.10 that the Kingdom of the Beast was darkened But if his Kingdom was darkened then it undeniably followeth that he is a King in as much as a Kingdom and a King are Relatives But it is yet superabundantly manifest that by the Beast is meant a King from the Exposition of the Angel Chap. 17.10 11. where he saith
And there were seven Kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space And the Beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven When he here saith after he had spoken of seven Kings that the Beast is the eighth it must of necessity be meant the eighth King Now that this King is to be an universal one appeareth from the 7. Verse of this Chapter where it is said of him disguized under the name of the Beast that Power Greek Authority was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations Yea the universal Monarchy of the Beast is sufficiently hinted to us by his rising out of the Sea For if by Waters according to the Interpretation given by the Angel Chap. 17.15 are meant Peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues then suitably by the Sea which is the general confluence of the Waters ought to be understood the universality of Mankinde concurring to the advancement of that universal Monarch decyphered by the Beast This Interpretation of mine is further confirmed by the seventh Chapter of Daniel where the Angel explaining to him the Vision of the four great Beasts that came up out of the Sea saith Vers 17. These great Beasts which are four are four Kings which shall arise out of the Earth But those four Kings as every one that is acquainted with History can tell are the Founders of the four universal Kingdoms namely Nebuchadnezzar of the Caldean Cyrus of the Persian Alexander of the Greek Julius Caesar of the Roman When it is further said that the Beast had seven Heads and ten Horns by the seven Heads according to the Interpretation of the Angel Chap. 17 9,10 are meant seven Hills whereon Rome the Birth-place of the Beast as I shall hereafter prove is seated and by the ten Horns as the same Interpreter goeth on to explain it Verse the 12. of the fore-said Chapter are meant ten Kings which shall receive authority as Kings for a while with the Beast And indeed the Crowns that are upon the Horns do of themselves without any Interpretation sufficiently signifie that by the Horns Kings are understood But of these things more largely when we come to the explication of the Chapter aforesaid Finally as for the name of Blasphemy that was upon the seven Heads of the Beast had it been the will of God that we should know it he would have caused John to set it down But seeing it is neither here nor elsewhere expressed or so much as hinted we should be content to be ignorant thereof and not betray the impatient disposition of our mindes by ghessing at it Vers 2. And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard and his Feet were as the Feet of a Bear and his Mouth as the Mouth of a Lion and the Dragon gave him his Power and his Seat and great Authority So great is the fierceness of the Beast whereby as I before proved an universal Monarch is understood that it is composed of sundry Beasts his Body being like to that of a Leopard whose swiftness in seising on the Prey is noted in the Scripture Hab. 1.8 Their Horses are swifter than the Leopards as also his lying in wait Hos 13.7 As a Leopard by the way will I observe them His Feet or Paws are like to those of a Bear whose chief strength consisteth in his Paws 1 Sam. 17.37 The Lord that delivered me from the Paw of the Bear His Mouth is like to that of a Lion whose ravening with his Mouth is also marked in the Scripture 2 Tim. 4.17 I was delivered out of the Mouth of a Lion Neither is this all but the Dragon whereby the Devil is to be understood as John himself expoundeth it Chap. 12.9 giveth to the Beast his Power which being a Power above Nature the Beast is thereby strengthened to atchieve such things as no natural and humane Power can reach unto The Devil also imparteth to the Beast his Throne and consequently his Dominion over the other evil Spirits of whom he is called the Prince Matth. 12.24 But of this also we will speak more in our Exposition of the 16. Chapter Finally the Devil bestoweth on the Beast great Authority which being different from those things that went before is to be understood of Authority and Dominion over all the World according to that of the 7. Verse where it is said that Power Greek Authority the same Word that is used here in the 2. Verse was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations Where by the the way it is to be observed that the Authority of the Beast is no lawful Authority nor Ordinance or God as being given to him by the Devil and therefore Men are no more obliged to submit out of conscience unto him than unto the Devil that set him up and accordingly when the Saints levy Arms against the Beast and wage war with him though with ill success as being vanquished by him in fight they do not sin against God nor break that holy Commandment of his delivered to them by the Apostle Paul Rom. 13.1 2 c. Vers 3. And I saw one of his Heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly Wound was healed and all the World wondred after the Beast It appeareth by this passage that the Beast shall receive a deadly Wound whether in Battel or by some other accident is uncertain and that the healing of this Wound shall cause all the World to admire him For who would not wonder at such a King as being wounded unto death is notwithstanding afterwards cured seeing this cannot be effected but by supernatural means Thus when King Hezekiah being sick unto death was restored to his health the Cure was not wrought without a Miracle Neither is there any sufficient Reason can be rendered why we should depart from the Letter in the Interpretation of this place But if it be here objected that the Wound which the Beast receiveth in one of his Heads seemeth not to concern him and therefore neither is the Cure thereof likely to draw all the World into the admiration of him in as much as the Heads are seven other Kings I answer that though the Heads do principally denote seven other Kings yet this hindereth not but that one of them may in a less principal manner signifie him also Yea that it doth so we are assured by the Angels Interpretation Chap. 17.11 who saith that the Beast is the eighth King and is of the seven The expounding of which divine Riddle I reserve for the Comment upon that place where I will make it appear that it is the sixth Head that representeth the Beast and consequently we must here understand that Head to be wounded with the Sword Nor is this any whit more strange than that the great Horn between the Eys of the He-Goat Dan. 8.5 should signifie one and the
they repented not to give him glory The sin of them that worship the Beast and receive his Mark as it is greater than that of evil Men in former times so is it also of a new kince and unheard of in the World before And therefore God provideth here for it a new Plague the like whereof is not to be found in all the Scripture For the fourth Vial being poured out upon the Sun causeth it to scorch Men with fire and that in a very grievous manner But it any one here object that should the Sun the common Luminary of the World but destitute of life and understanding have such a Power given to it the Saints also would not be untouched I answer that the words of the Text imply the contrary saying that such as were scorched by the Sun blasphemed the Name of God and repented not to give him glory whereby it appeareth that none but impenitent sinners do feel this Plague the Sun by the marvellous direction of God sending down fire upon them but casting out a chearing light upon the righteous Thus we read Exod. 14.20 that the cloudy Pillar did at the same time cause darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites We read also Dan. 3.22 27. that the fiery Furnace which killed the Caldeans that did but approach thereunto did not so much as singe an Hair of the three pious Jews that were thrown into the midst thereof And let this consideration be taken along with us in reading the story of all these Plagues that they are so ordered as that no hurt redoundeth to the righteous from them God making a way for their escape As we see it did happen to the Israelites who though dwelling in Egypt were yet untouched with any of the ten Plagues thereof For albeit their immunity be not mentioned till the fourth Plague which was that of Flyes concerning which God saith I will sever in that day the Land of Goshen in which my People dwell that no Swarms of Flies shall be there to the end thou maist know that I am the Lord in the midst of the Earth Exod. 8.22 yet reason sheweth that the same is to be understood in all the foregoing Plagues for as much as they were sent of purpose to punish the Egyptians for their cruelty towards Gods people In like manner though it be not here expresly said that the Sun did not scorch the Saints but onely the wicked yet must it in reason be supposed to have so fallen out and the aforesaid intimation out of the Text sheweth as much Vers 10. And the fifth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Seat of the Beast and his kingdom was full of darkness and they gnawed their Tongues for pain 11. And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores and repented not of their deeds As some other of the Plagues that God inflicted upon the Beast and his Worshippers are the same with those that he formerly inflicted upon Pharaoh and his People so also is this For the fifth Angel pouring out his Vial upon the Throne of the Beast which is without question as suitable a means to procure darkness as the stretching out of Moses hand towards Heaven his Kingdom that extendeth it self over the face of the whole Earth is thereupon darkned The extremity of which Plague is such that it causeth Men to gnaw their Tongues for pain For consider how grievous a thing it is to be bound for several days together in chains of thick and palpable darkness for it would be unreasonable to think that this darkness of the Beasts Kingdom should be inferiour either in duration or grosness to that of Egypt so as neither to see one another nor to arise out of their places Howbeit we are not to imagine that the Saints of this time as well as the Israelites heretofore during this dismal Fog that bespreads the face of all the Earth have not light in their dwellings seeing this Plague together with the rest is ordained of God for the punishment of their Adversaries and so ought not to involve both alike And this is sufficiently hinted according to the observation on the pouring out of the fourth Vial by the blasphemies that these Prisoners of darkness are said to vent against God the Authour of this and the other Plagues whereas to blaspheme God is so enormous a crime that it is impossible it should be incident to the Saints Wherefore I may truly bespeak the People of God that shall be in the Reign of the Beast with the words of Isaiah Chap. 60.2 of his Prophecy Behold the Darkness shall cover the Earth and gross Darkness the People but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee Vers 12. And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Euphrates and the Water thereof was dried up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared Vers 13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet Vers 14. For they are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of that great day of God Almighty Vers 15. Behold I come as a thief Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Vers 16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Ar-mageddon By Euphrates must needs here be meant that River which runneth by Babylon properly so called and emptieth it self into the Persian Gulph For this River rising in Armenia and traversing all Mesopotamia and Caldea lyeth as a bar in their way that come out of the eastern Countreyes of Persia Tartaria India and China towards the land of Israel whither the kings here spoken of are to march with their Armies Neither is it a new thing that a river should be dryed up to give way to Princes and their hosts For we read in the scripture that Jordane was turned back to the end Joshua and the Israelites might in a terrible manner go over without interruption into the land aforesaid Jos 3.17 But as the River Euphrates is miraculously dryed up by the Angel for the speedier passage of the eastern Kings so cometh not it to pass without a miracle that they are drawn to undertake so desperate a design as to fight against Christ and his Saints for three unclean spirits do by working miracles incite not onely the foresaid Eastern Kings but also all the Kings of the world to the performance of this exploit And for as much as these are seen to proceed out of the mouth of the Dragon and of the Beast and of the false prophet this argueth that not onely the Dragon but also the Beast to whom the Dragon is said
ten Horns that are upon him which be expresly telleth us as you see here that they are ten Kings who did not yet reign but should receive Authority together with the Beast Nevertheless out of what particular parts of the World these Kings shall arise he doth not shew or intimate So that we must of necessity be ignorant of that circumstance either till the thing it self be accomplished or at least till God be pleased to make a Revelation thereof Onely it appeareth out of Daniel Chap. 7.24 25. that they shall start up out of the fourth universal Kingdom that is the Roman For that this Prophecy of the Beast and his ten Horns is the same with that of Daniel in the Chapter aforesaid will easily appear if you diligently compare both the passages together By so doing you will finde that the Beast in the Revelation is in Daniel called the little Horn in as much as the Actions the Confederates and the time of their Tyranny are exactly the same in both Howbeit the time is but short that these ten Kings shall reign together with the Beast for the Angel saith it shall be one hour which Expression of one hour though it be not strictly and properly taken for the twelfth part of a Day it being impossible for the ten Kings to perform all that is here foretold of them in the space of such an hour yet doth it confessedly signifie a short period of time as other like passages of the Scripture will inform us Thus Paul 1 Thess 2.17 saith We Brethren being taken from you for a short time time Greek for the time of an hour in presence not in heart endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire And Philemon 15. Perhaps he therefore departed for a season Greek an hour that thou mightest receive him for ever Now for as much as I have before evinced that the Beast doth personate Domitian the Roman Emperour and no such thing as the starting up of ten new Kings and their Confederacy with him is said in History to have yet happened to him I judge I may firmly and undoubtedly conclude that this must hereafter be fulfilled when he shall arise from the Dead to rule again The next thing that the Angel mentioneth is the agreement of the ten Kings not whereby they stand well affected towards one another but whereby they all give their Power and Authority to the Beast who setteth himself against Gods people For as to any good correspondence between them in relation to their particular estates they are so far from it that they can no more cleave together than Iron be mixed with Clay Yea though an union be endeavoured by Alliance yet can it not be effected as we are taught by the famous Vision of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2.43.44 For that these Kings mentioned in this second Chapter are the same with those of the seventh is apparent as from other circumstances so from the Universal Kingdom out of which they rise and also from their very number in that they are designed by ten horns in the one Chapter and by ten toes in the other Lastly he saith of these Kings that they shall make war with the Lamb Not that they use hostility against the very person of Christ for he being glorified with his Father in the heavens is altogether uncapable of having violence offered to him but because they are armed against the Saints of whom Christ is the head and Captain Thus Abijah the King or Judah exhorteh Jeroboam and the house of Israel from fighting against God when they were about to assail his people 2 Chron. 13.12 Behold saith he God himself is with us for our Captain and his Priests with sounding Trumpets to cry alarm against you O children of Israel fight ye not against the Lord God of your Fathers for ye shall not prosper Moreover that the Saints also put themselves in aray against those Kings appeareth not only from what is plainly affirmed hereof Chap. 19.19 where it is said I saw the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with him that sat on the horse and against his army but may sufficiently be deduced from that very expression of making war which is here simply and without limitation used by the Angel as I have before proved in mine exposition on Chaep 13.7 But in vain is hostility used by those Kings against Christ for he being as the angel further saith a King of Kings and Lord of Lords can easily subdue them as we see it come to pass in the foresaid nineteenth Chapter Again they that are with him that is on his side as this form of speech doth elsewhere sometimes signifie see Luke 11.23 He that is not with me is against me are called to the Communion of the son of God 1 Cor. 1.9 and chosen to salvation 2 Thes 2.13 and faithful in Christ Jesus Ephes 1.1 and therefore such as the fidelity and goodness of Christ will not suffer so cruelly to be cut off at a blow by these Kings who gather their forces to Armageddon to that purpose But these words aswell as that of warring before used imply that the Saints do muster and imbody themselves in an army namely that they may when their Captain Christ Jesus hath defeated the Beast and all the Kings of the earth with the sword of his mouth erect the fifth Kingdom according to that of Daniel Chap. 7.21 22. I beheld and the same horn that is the little horn whom I before proved to be the same with the Beast in the Revelation made war with the Saints and prevailed against them until the antient of days came and Judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom Vers 15 And he saith unto me The waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues The waters where the harlot sitteth are not only with truth but also with great fitness and elegancy said by the Angel to be Peoples and Nations both because of the violent rushing of men when they are once stirred and likewise of the noise which they make resembling that of waters when they dash against the rocks Thus. Isa Chap 17.12 saith Wo to the multitude of peoples which make a noise like the noise of the Sea and to the rushing of Nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters And Jeremiah saith of old Babylon the Type of Rome as it seemeth by the Revelation Chap. 51.55 The Lord hath spoiled Babylon and destroyed out of her the great voice when her waves do roar like great Waters a noise of their voice is uttered Whence it is that the stilling of the Tumult of the People is well ranked by the Psalmist with the quieting of the noise of the Seas Psalm 65 7. Now Rome is said to sit upon these Waters because being the Seat of
the fourth universal Empire it was the City to which all Nations were subject and whither they were wont continually to resort Vers 16. And the ten Horns which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with Fire 17. For God hath put in their Hearts to fulfill his Will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the Words of God shall be fulfilled Here the Angel declareth what the ten Kings aforesaid should do to Rome namely that they should sack and burn it with fire But for as much as that City is here described according to the manner of the Scripture as an Harlot it is therefore suitably said that they shall make her naked and eat her flesh both which are done by pillaging the place and slaying the Inhabitants thereof Thus God saith of Jerusalem under the name of Aholibah the Harlot Ezek. 23.29 They shall deal with thee hatefully and shall take away all thy labour and shall leave thee naked and bare And David saith of his enemies that they came upon him to eat up his flesh namely with the mouth of the Sword Psal 27.2 But the reason why so many Kings otherwise at variance amongst themselves should yet agree herein and give their Kingdom to the Beast which two things here concurring to the destruction of Rome do by the way clearly intimate that it is the Beast who setteth the Kings upon this Work is because God putteth the same into their hearts to the end he may accomplish his words that he to wit had spoken touching the fall of Rome Chap. 14.8 wherefore in as much as the Angels words are so perspicuous concerning this matter they must needs be exceedingly mistaken who expect that Rome shall be destroyed either by other persons than the ten Kings aforesaid or at another time than after the seven Vials of Gods wrath have been poured out upon the Earth during the space of three years and an half that the Tyranny of the Beast over the Saints shall continue But neither is the Beast yet risen nor the ten Kings his Confederates nor those prodigious things come to pass that are mentioned in the 13. Chapter nor so much as one of the Vials poured out as will easily appear to any man who being acquainted with the Histories of former Times and finding no such occurrences there recorded had rather adhere to the plainness of the Scripture it self than follow the obscure and uncertain imaginations of men Vers 18. And the Woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth This is the Close of the Interpretation which the Angel vouchsafeth unto John wherein he discovereth who the Woman is whom John saw in the Wilderness namely the great City that reigned over the Kings of the Earth which all that are skilled in the History of those Times wherein John wrote this Prophecy know to be Rome For she commanding over the whole World must needs reign over those Kings that governed in any part of the same A Proof confirming the Truth of this matter may be seen in Tacitus who in the second Book and twenty third Chapter of his History saith Accessere cum regno Sohemus haud spernendis viribus Antiochus vetustis opibus ingens inservientium regum ditissimus Mox per occultos suorum nuncios excitus ab urbe Agrippa ignaro adhuc Vitellio celeri navigatione properaverat That is Sohemus who was a King of considerable Forces and Antiochus who was mighty for his ancient wealth and of all the subject Kings the richest sided with that party namely to make Vespasian Emperour Agrippa also upon secret Messages of his Friends quitted the City unawares to Vitellius and speedily sailed thither Thus much for the Key here given by the Angel to unlock the Mystery of the Beast which if our men had rather chosen to use than vainly attempted to break up this divine Cabinet with their own forced Interpretations neither had they so much wrested this excellent Prophecy of John nor exposed the Religion of Protestants to the contempt and scorn of her Adversaries who in likelihood measure what Protestants speak in other Points of Religion by the Standard of their Expositions concerning the Beast I should now proceed to the Explication of the eighteenth Chapter But that being onely a Relation touching the manner how Rome shall be destroyed and containing in it self little or no difficulty I judge it better to pass it by and hasten to the nineteenth Chapter wherewith the History of the Beast endeth Chap. 19. Vers 1. And after these things I heard a great Voice of much People in Heaven saying Alleluja Salvation and Glory and Honour and Power unto the Lord our God Vers 2. For true and righteous are his Judgements for he hath judged the great Whore which did corrupt the Earth with her Fornication and hath avenged the Blood of his Servants at her hand Vers 3. And again they said Alleluja And her smoke rose up for ever and ever The Exposition NO sooner is Rome sackt and burnt by the ten Kings aforesaid but this Judgement is entertained with a great shout from Heaven where a vast multitude cry Alleluja ascribing Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord their God Of what persons this Multitude consisteth whither of Angels or of Men though it be not here expressed yet may it by a diligent disquisition be found out For first of all they cannot be Angels because the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be rendred here in English a Multitude is never used in the Scripture to design a great company of Angels but is on the contrary peculiar to Men as may be seen Chap. 17.15 where Multitudes in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are ranked with Peoples and Nations But all will confess that Peoples and Nations consist of Men onely Secondly this Multitude doth attribute Salvation unto God which the Angels are not any where found to do For they being by the perfection of their nature exempted from death or any other tribulation whatsoever are thereby also incapable of sharing in the salvation of God and accordingly use no such form of praising him Whence it followeth that they be men Not holy men upon the earth for they are denoted by the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures mentioned afterwards in the fourth verse of this Chapter it remaineth therefore that the multitude aforesaid consists of holy men already raised from the dead and glorified in the Kingdom of heaven when Rome is destroyed and so differ from them who after that destruction shall be made partakers of the same anticipated resurrection as may be seen in the twentieth Chapter of this prophecy and consequently are that great multitude of Saints afore mentioned in the seventh Chapter verse 9. For that those Saints are such as being risen from
the dead triumph in the Kingdom of heaven is evident from the description there given of them For it is said that they were come out of the great tribulation so it is emphatically expressed in the Greek and therefore intimateth that they weee set free from death the chiefest of all tribulations and also were clothed in white Robes and stood before the throne of God being put into such a condition that they should no more hunger nor thirst because the Lamb should feed them and lead them unto living fountains of water No one of which things agreeth either to men here living on the earth or to the souls of such as are departed this life Now the reason that inciteth these Saints in heaven with loud and redoubled voices to cry Allelujah that is Praise the Lord for so this word originally Hebrew doth signifie see Psal 146.1 is the justice of God who as it is here said had both judged that great Harlot which with the lewdness of her whoredome corrupted the earth whereof we have before spoken in our exposition on the seventeenth Chapter and also had avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and this vengeance is taken in so strange a maner that it is not to be parrallelled in all the holy scripture save in the prediction concerning the judgement of God against Bozrah and the land of Idumea whereof we read Isa 34.6 7 8 9 10. and which is not yet come to pass for though many Cities have been burned with the fire of men yea Sodom and Gomorrah with the fire of God from heaven yet hath it not been known that any City after it was once fired did send up the smoak of her burning for ever and ever as it is here affirmed of Rome Which circumstance alone doth sufficiently prove that the prophecy held forth in this book concerning the destruction of Rome is not yet fulfilled forasmuch as she notwithstanding all the sackings and firings that have since hapned to her is yet standing and that in great state and splendor so far is she from being made a desolation and perpetual burnings Vers 4. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne saying Amen Alleluja The action of the Saints in heaven who give honour and glory to God for executing judgement upon Rome is seconded by the Saints on earth who prostrating themselves before God declare their approbation of what the others had done by saying Amen Alleluja For though the Saints here spoken of are in the vision introduced as being in heaven yet this hinders not but that the true place of their abode is the earth no more then the ascent of John into heaven in a vision and his viewing the things therein contained Chap. 4.1.2 make him in the mean time cease from being a true and real inhabitant of the Isle Patmos for these four and twenty Elders together with the four living creatures I have already proved in mine exposition of the fifteenth Chapter to be the Disciples of Christ in the four quarters of the world Howbeit the four and twenty are both here and else where in the Revelation distinguished from the rest because as the very name of Elders given to them doth import the Pastours of the Church are by them signified And this number of the Elders seemeth to be modelled from the four and twenty Orders of the Priests under the Law 1 Chron. 24.7 8. into whose room the Ministers of the Gospel are come that the people of God might never want some to watch over them in relation to the good of their souls Vers 5. And a voice came out of the throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear him both small and great The praising of God is a thing so comely in the Saints that they are here though upon a new accompt as will appear from that which followeth incited by a voice from the throne to do it again which voice is not to be ascribed to God himself although it proceedeth from his throne but to some other person that is under or about the same and hath him that sitteth on the throne for his God as the voice it self doth intimate when it saith Praise our God all ye his servants If it be further demanded what maner of person the author of the voice should be whether a glorified Saint or an Angel I answer that it rather seemeth to be an Angel because we finde the like exhortation used by an Angel Chap. 14.6 7. As for the Servants of God whom the voice speaketh unto seeing they are distinguished from those that fear God this sufficiently hinteth that they are not meerly pious men but such as besides their piety are imployed by God in the work of the Ministery and in particular bear the office of prophets in the Church for so the servants of God when differenced from them that fear God are elsewhere understood in this book of the Revelation see Chap. 11.18 where it is said That thou shouldest give the reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that fear thy name small and great Now that many Prophets will then exist when these things are to be accomplished I have before shewed in the exposition of the fourteenth Chapter Vers 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundrings saying Alleluja for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth Vers 7. Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready Vers 8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints Though the destruction of the wicked be an inducement to praise the name of God and to rejoyce yet is the salvation of the righteous as being in it self a work more excellent and glorious of far greater efficacy to stir up the Saints to the performance of these two things Hence it is that the acclamation here made is more loud and solemn then the others that went before For John saith That he heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundrings saying Alleluja The reason of which unusual Exultation that I may confirm what I even now asserted is in the first place said to be the Reign of God namely upon the Delivery of the Kingdom into the Hands of the Saints For though God was long before said in the Scripture to be the King of all the Earth Psal 47.7 yet in as much as to reign if you speak properly is to rule and govern by Laws the Reign of God over all the World may in this sense be rightly said to commence with the Kingdom of the Saints And that
this Notion of Reigning is true and grounded on the Scripture is manifest in that God is then said never to have born rule over the Heathen the Adversaries of his People Isai 63.18 19. which can be no otherwise true than because he had not prescribed them Laws Whereas the Jews on the contrary own God for their King because he had been their Law-giver as may be seen in those Words of the same Prophet Chap. 33.22 The Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us But when upon the Defeat of the Beast who as I have shewed before is the same with the little Horn in the seventh of Daniel The Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Saints of the most High the World shall be ruled by them according to the Laws of God which he hath given by Christ Jesus and the Laws of all Nations shall for the common good be conformed unto that Standard whereas now they are for the most part subservient to the Lusts and Interests of a certain sort of Men. So that God to whom the Saints are subservient in the Kingdom will then of right be said to reign more perfectly and truly than he had ever done since the World began The second ground here alleged for this Triumphing of the Saints is Because the Marriage of the Lamb was come and his Wife had made her self ready By which Wife of Christ now ready to be married is neither to be understood the Multitude of those Saints that shall be raised in glory at the Judgement of the great Day for that Judgement shaâ—l happen above a thousand Years after this Marriage as appeareth from the following Chapter nor of those Saints that shall be found alive on the Earth when the great things mentioned in this Chapter shall be accomplished for the Saints are not in this World married to Christ but onely espoused as the Words of Paul 2 Cor. 11.2 do intimate who saith of the Corinthian Church I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you a chaste Virgin unto Christ nor of those Saints that are here brought in shouting rejoycing for they openly distinguish themselves from this Wife of Christ it remaineth therefore that by Her must of necessity be understood those Saints who having suffered Death in the time of the Beast for not worshipping his Image nor receiving his Mark have this Privilege vouchsafed to them above others that being restored to Life they reign with Christ a thousand Years before the rest of the Dead are raised as is expresly declared in the following Chapter And this is sufficiently implyed by the fine Linen wherewith they are arayed for though it be an Emblem of their Righteousness to which they attained in this World as the Words of the Text affirm yet is it indeed the Habit of such as are risen from the Dead and glorified as is evident from Chap. 3.4 where Christ saith to the Angel of the Church in Sardis Thou hast a few Names even in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy And also from Chap. 7.9 where John saith I beheld and lo a great Multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb clothed with white Robes and palms in their hands For that these here mentioned are such as had been raised from the dead and glorified I have before proved in the beginning of mine exposition upon this Chapter Vers 9. And he saith unto me Write Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me These are the true Sayings of God Seeing the Angel doth here command John to set down in Writing what he himself was about to deliver this argueth that it was a thing very remarkable and therefore not to be trusted to the memory which is so slippery and fleeting but to remain upon record for ever And this Injunction is like to that of the fourteenth Chap. Verse 13. and conversant about something of the same import For as they are there pronounced happy who should thenceforth die in the Lord namely under the Reign of the Beast and for the confirmation of the Truth as I have in mine Exposition of that place evinced so are such here reckoned to be in the sâ—me blessed condition who have the honour to be invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb who is to be inseparably united in the most intimate and sweet familiarity of love to those very persons when raised from the Dead and glorified For as Marriages are wont to be solemnized with a Feast so also is this of the Lamb and therefore mention is made here of a Wedding Supper which Supper if we consider what Christ himself speaketh of eating and drinking at his Table in his Kingdom Luke 22.30 And how in the 22 Chapter of this Prophecy Verse 14. they are by an Angel termed happy who keep the Commandments of Christ that they may have a right to the Tree of Life will be found to have more literal truth in it than is commonly believed especially if you add what the Angel saith to John in the Close of this Verse namely that these are the true Sayings of God For this as I intend more largely to discourse in mine Exposition on Chap. 21.5 is all one as if it had been said These are the plain and perspicuous Sayings of God which are to be understood as the words sound As for the Guests invited to this Wedding Supper of the Lamb for as much as they cannot be either the Angels who being meer Servants are no where in the Scripture admitted to such familiarity with Christ nor the married persons themselves who would absurdly be said to be invited to their own Marriage they must needs be the Saints that are here brought in exceedingly rejoycing at this Marriage and consequently such as had formerly been raised from the Dead and then reigned with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven and so were capable of having a part in the Delicacies of this Feast Vers 10. And I fell at his Feet to worship him And he said unto me See thou do it not I am thy fellow Servant and of thy Brethren that have the Testimony of Jesus Worship God for the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy John is so transported with the favour that the Angel had done him in revealing these sublime Mysteries unto him that he is not able to contain himself but falleth down before his feet and worshippeth him Thus Cornelius being admonished in a Vision to send for Peter who should speak such things unto him whereby both he and his House should be saved is ravisht with the sight of Peter coming to him and adores him Which Instances do teach us thus much that we should hold in high esteem
describing the warlike power of Christ for there remain three other particu ars belonging thereunto The first whereof is the ruling of the Nations with a rod of Iron Which though it may with congruity to the tenor of the Scripture be taken only for the irresistible power of Christ whereby he is able to crush all his Enemies yet seeing we ought not to depart from the letter of the Scripture when it yieldeth a fair and commodious construction I propose it to the wise and learned to judge whether it may not with probability be thought that the Saints into whose hands Christ will at length miraculously deliver all the Kingdoms of the world and so rule over the Nations by them as subordinate to himself shall both in their judicature and warfare the latter of which is likely to continue till that generation be extinct use such an instrument as an Iron rod to break implacable enemies and capital offenders in pieces Neither is this sence contrary to the other but doth include the same shewing how that irresistible power of Christ shall at length put forth it self The second point is the treading of the wine-press of the wrath of God Almighty which I cannot sufficiently wonder to see how it is so often applied to the sufferings that Christ himself did undergo when the Text speaketh of the time present saying he treadeth the winepress and not of the time past But Christ by the confession of all is now exempted for ever from any further sufferings Again when any one treadeth a winepress he himself doth not thereby suffer any thing nor is bruised but maketh the grapes to suffer bruising And therefore if Christ tread the winepress of Gods wrath he himself must not be considered as enduring the wrath of God but as inflicting it upon others And indeed the words of the prophet Isaiah Chap 63. to which this passage seemeth to allude do plainly evince this interpretation of mine to be true and genuine For he that is there seen coming from Edom Red in his apparel and like to one that treadeth in the winefat sheweth the reason of this strange attire verse 3. saying I have trodden the winepress alone and of the people there was none with me For I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments and I will stain all my raiment Doth not this demonstrate beyond all gainsaying that to tread the winepress of Gods wrath is to execute his judgements upon others and not to feel the same himself The third thing is the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords that is written both on the vesture and also on the thigh of Christ which likewise apparently belongeth to the warlike power of Christ because he that is a King is wont also to command the sword for the defence of his people and the destruction of his Enemies whence it was before Chap. 14.17 rendred as the reason why Christ should vanquish the ten Kings confederate with the Beast who together with all the rest of the Kings in the world do here make war against Christ namely because he was Lord of Lords and King of Kings For this implieth that Christ hath dominion over all the Kings in the world and so is stronger then they and therefore no wonder if he doth subdue and crush them Thus Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2.37 is called a King of Kings because God had given into his hand all the Earth and the Kings thereof Thus also Artaxerxes Ezra 7.12 is stiled a King of Kings in the beginning of the gracious Commission he granteth to Ezra because he had now gotten into his hands the Kingdom whereof Nebuchadnezzar was sometime seized Vers 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the fows that flie in the midst of heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the supper of the great God Vers 18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of Captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great Christ as we have already said is about to make a slaughter of his enemies Wherefore an Angel crieth with a loud voice to all the fowls of heaven to betake themselves to this supper of the great God that Christ is preparing for them and which will be furnished suitably to the Majesty of the great God with all sorts of flesh both of men and horses for their entertainment This invitation seemeth unlikely to have been made by an Angel were it not that God intendeth to use his ministery in drawing all his guests together which must needs appear to the Nations very ominous when they behold Eagles Ravens Uultures and other birds of prey flying in shoals towards the land of Israel where this great supper is to be made for that it shall so come to pass is evident from the close of the Chapter wherein it is said that all the fowls were filled with the flesh of the slain nor will the darkning of the Sun less amaze them which seemeth also likely to happen at this time and hath been known to be a forerunner of great slaughters For seeing the Angel is said to stand in the Sun which cannot be done without obscuring the light thereof nor is here put for nothing to me it is probable that this denoteth a miraculous Eclipse of that luminary by the interposal of the same Angel that draweth all the fowls of heaven together Vers 19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army Vers 20. And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone Vers 21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh We are now at length arrived at that battel for which so much preparation hath been made which is the greatest that ever was struck since the world began putting a period both to the Tyranny of the Beast the forest enemy of all righteousness that ever was raised up and also to the sufferings of the Saints The place where it is fought is here indeed omitted but was in the sixteenth Chapter said to be called in Hebrew Armageddon which I in the Exposition of that Chapter have accordingly proved to belong to the Countrey of the Hebrews The persons that shall fight it are here said to be the Beast and the Kings of the earth with their Armies on the one side
will afford us very evident Instances thereof By the cunning of which two prevailing Factions the Light of the Gospel was for many Ages together since the Reign of Constantine almost extinguished but that now in latter times God taking pity on the miserable condition of his Church hath raised up sundry Reformers who have detected many of those Errours wherewith the Truth had before been obscured and so given a good Essay to the restoring of our holy Faith to its primitive lustre The reason why Satan is cast by the Angel into the bottomless Pit rather than into another place is because many of the evil Spirits have ever since their Fall lain there bound in Chains of Darkness as both the words of Peter Epist 2. Chap. 2.4 where it is said God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into Chains of Darkness to be reserved unto Judgement And also of Jude Verse 6. where it is said The Angels which kept not their first Estate but left their own Habitation he hath reserved in everlasting Chains under Darkness unto the Judgement of the great Day do perspicuously intimate And therefore certain of them who were permitted to range up and down the Earth for the executing of Gods Judgements having entred into a Man of Gadara and being commanded by Christ to come out of him besought Christ that he would not send him into the bottomless Pit for so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by Luke in the Relation of this Story and which is translated in English the Deep ought to be rendred as it is in this 20. Chapter of the Revelation Vers 4. And I saw Thrones and they sat upon them and Judgement was given unto them and I saw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand Years 5. But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand Years were finished This is the first Resurrection 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand Years That Thrones are the Seats of Kings is evident enough but who they are that shall sit upon the Thrones here mentioned and have Judgement given into their hands is neither of it self evident nor here expressed so that we should be at a great loss to finde it out were it not that Daniel speaking of this matter as I have before in the Exposition of the 17. Chapter of this Prophecy evinced saith that Judgement was given to the Saints of the most High Chap. 7.22 It is the Saints therefore that are invested with the Right of Judicature and placed on the Thrones after the Defeat of the Beast and the Binding of Satan Neither ought this Kingdom to be expected till these two miraculous Events have made way for it Wherefore as they are exceedingly mistaken and fear not to gainsay the plain Words of the Scripture who hold that there shall be no fifth Kingdom or Kingdom of the Saints here on Earth when in the mean time an Angel expresly telleth Daniel Chap. 7.27 that the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High So are they no less out of the way who dream of any humane Force to be used in the Erection of this Kingdom For this would be to transform the People of the Saints into a Company of Thieves and Robbers But as the rise and fall of the Beast the binding of Satan and setting up of the Kingdom of the Saints here on Earth are great and marvellous Works falling out in the Age here spoken of so also is the first Resurrection whereof all they shall be Partakers and so reign with Christ in heaven who being either Prophets for none but such have the Testimony of Jesus or meer Saints do suffer Death for refusing to worship the Beast For John plainly testifieth that onely such are raised up from the Dead to reign with Christ the thousand Years as were for their Piety in the Reign of the Beast beheaded or smitten with the Ax as the Greek word signifieth Which Expression doth either intimate that the Beast shall both in Judicature as the Romans his Ancestors were wont to do also in War make use of such a Weapon as an Ax to kill the Saints as we find in the Scripture that Nebuchadnezzar did to slay the Egyptians Jer. 40.22 where it is said The voice thereof that is of Egypt shall go like a Serpent for they shall march with an Army and come against her with Axes as Hewers of Wood or else under the most frequent and noted kinde of slaughter that shall be in use at that time all other ways of inflicting Death upon the Saints are comprehended For what reason can be imagined why those Saints that are put to Death with the Ax should share in the first Resurrection rather than such as are dispatched with some other Instrument of cruelty But lest any one should think this Doctrine of the first Resurrection taken according to the Letter of the holy Text to be strange though to me it seemeth more strange that Christians should scruple at a thing so plainly and punctually set down in the Scripture for they may as well call into question whatsoever is here spoken concerning the Resurrection that is to be afterwards at the last Day and to which this Resurrection is opposed go to let us confirm this precious Truth so much encouraging Christians to lay down their Lives for the Gospel by other passages taken out of this Book of the Revelation where such an anticipated Resurrection is held forth as belonging both to those Saints that suffer Death under the Reign of the Beast and also to those that dy for Christ and the Gospel at any time whatsoever First therefore it is in the 11. Chapter said of the two Witnesses who are expresly there called Prophets and so must needs be two Men since none but Men are in the Scripture termed Prophets that after they had been slain by the Beast and their dead Bodyes lyen unburied three Days and an half in the Streets of Jerusalem for not Rome but Jerusalem is the great City where Christ was slain The Spirit of Life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet From which words it is undeniably manifest that the two Witnesses are raised from the Dead whilest the Beast reigneth What hinders then but that the other Prophets and Saints put to Death by him may likewise be restored to Life presently after his Defeat as this 20. Chapter doth in
what will become of the emphasis that lieth in the word these it being impossible that any speech proceeding from God should be false but rather to intimate that there was nothing in them obscure and uncertain as it fareth with sundry other sayings of God which are very doubtful and hard to be understood Thus when Daniel had declared to Nebuchadnezzar very plainly both his dream and the interpretation thereof he saith in the close of his speech as the Greek version not varying from the Original Syriack hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The dream is true and the interpretation thereof faithful or sure Chap. 2.45 It is also said Chap. 8.26 after that the visions hapning to Daniel at evening on his bed and in the morning when he was risen up from thence had been fully explained the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true Finally when Daniel Chap. 7. had seen certain visions and was at first troubled about the sence of them but afterwards understood it he writeth thus verse 16.17 18 19. I came neer unto one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this so he told me and made me how the interpretation of the things These great Beasts which are four are four Kings which shall arise out of the earth But the Saints of the most high shall take the Kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast which was diverse from all the others From whence it is evident that to know the truth of visions is to understand the interpretation and meaning of them Wherefore to return to the foresaid passage of the Revelation when it is said These words are true and faithful it is all one as if it had been said These words are plain and certain and to be taken as they sound and consequently such as go about to turn the prophecy touching the New heaven and the New earth and the descent of the New Jerusalem and the making of all things new into an allegory do exceedingly erre from the true and genuine meaning thereof But God hath not yet ceased to inculcate the making of all things new because of the infinite consequence thereof Wherefore to shew how certain the same is he speaketh of it though to come as if it were already past saying it is done he also backeth it with a strong reason the better to imprint the belief thereof in the minds of men whilest he saith that he is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end The connexion of which reason with the thing to be proved thereby is this that seeing God is not wont like frail and fickle man to do his work by halfes but throughly to effect them it cannot be but that having once begun the salvation of the Saints he should at length accomplish the same and in order thereunto make all things new God having thus fully declared his purpose to make all things new doth afterwards invite men to come and partake of the water of life freely without money and without price The fountain where this water springeth is in the beginning of the following Chapter said to be the throne of God and the Lamb and therefore we are not to understand any water figuratively so taken but such as being received into the body causeth eternal Life in those that drink it But the Invitation to drink of this Water is made to none by God save such as thirst after it and so have an ardent desire to enjoy the benefit of the same What shall we then say to those who are so far from longing to drink of this Water that they believe there is no such thing turning all that is said thereof into an Allegory In the next place God promiseth to them that overcome that they shall inherit all things namely both the Heaven and the Earth that now are and also those that are to come For they as I have before shewn being such as lay down their Lives for the Gospel have a Privilege above others that dy in the Lord in that they are admitted to reign with Christ in Heaven long before the general Resurrection and so like him are the Heirs of all things and Sons of God in a more perfect manner than the rest of the Faithfull who though they enjoy eternal Life with Christ yet are not vouchsafed the Honour to sit with him in his Throne See Chap. 3.21 But as God is the God or soveraign Benefactour of those that suffer Death for the Confirmation of the Truth so on the contrary such as dare not out of cowardice to partake in the afflictions of the Gospel or refuse to believe therein or are filthy in their conversation or unjustly deprive others of their Life or defile themselves with Women or use the confederacy of evil spirits to produce marvellous effects or worship either false Gods or the true God in a false manner by Images which they make to themselves or have guile in their mouth not speaking as they mean have their portion assigned of God unto them in the Lake of Fire which is here again said to be the second Death and that suitably enough For if the place wherein the Saints enjoy everlasting pleasure is in the Scripture called by the name of Life as appeareth by the Collation of Mark 9.47 with Math. 18.9 In the former of which it is said It is better having but one Eye to enter into the Kingdom of God In the latter It is better having but one Eye to enter into Life In like manner may Hell-fire wherein the wicked feel everlasting pain be styled by the name of Death Vers 9. And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials full of the seven last Plagues and talked with me saying Come hither I will shew thee the Bride the Lambs Wife 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God John had above said that he had seen the new Jerusalem but neither told us how he came to have a sight thereof nor gave us a particular Description of that goodly Fabrick both which he doth now perform For as to the first he saith that one of the seven Angels that had the seven Vials full of the seven last Plagues and therefore in all likelihood the same that had formerly shewn him the Judgement of the great Whore Chap. 17.1 came and spake with him offering to shew him the Bride the Lambs Wife But here they that do by a mystical Interpretation turn the new Jerusalem into the Church think they have gotten an impregnable place wherein to secure themselves especially seeing the Revelation doth elsewhere confessdly style the Church by the name of the Lambs Wife Chap. 19.7 But they that argue thus do not in the mean time perceive
Vers 17. And the Spirit and the bride say Come And let him that heareth say Come And let him that is a thirst Come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely In this verse there are three things remarkable the first whereof is the desire that both the holy Spirit and the Church had to see the coming of Christ before promised inasmuch as it would openly shew both his severity towards the wicked and his goodness towards those that had walked closely with him The second is the command here imposed upon every one that should hear of this coming to wish for it The third is the invitation made to every one that is athirst and earnestly aspireth unto happiness to come and drink of the water of life freely All which are of themselves plain and need no further interpretation Vers 18. For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book If any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him all the plagues that are written in this book Vers 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book Moses in the law enjoyned the children of Israel that they should neither adde to the word which he had commanded nor diminish from it Deut. 4.2 So doth Christ here deal with Christians in relation to the book of this excellent prophecy ratifying his injunction with the greatest penalty that can be imagined Now to add to the words of this book or to diminish from them if perhaps any man be ignorant of so easy a matter is to insert something thereunto which was not written by John or to race out something that was there written by him This being so what will become of them at the last day who have rejected this whole book from the Canon of holy scripture pretending it was written not by that holy Apostle John but by some vile person when in the mean time the name of John is often there expressed as the penman thereof and the divine excellency of the things contained in the book sufficiently demonstrateth that it came originally from God what likewise shall we think of those who have so shamefully abused the book of this prophecy as that they durst to make it subservient to their own passions and worldly interests imposing such glosses on the same as have no hint or footstep in the holy Text and that on purpose to blacken some either person or party with whom they are angry and render them odious in the sight of all men Certainly this is little less then adding to the prophecy and argueth so small reverence to the pure and undefiled word of God at which we ought to tremble and withal bewraieth so great malice towards men as that the fifteenth verse of this very Chapter sheweth that such interpreters will at length be excluded out of the Kingdom of heaven Vers 20. He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Jesus The Lord Jesus doth here the third time mention his speedy coming of which we have sufficiently treated and John following the direction that was before given him in the seventeenth verse doth beseech the Lord Jesus that according to his promise he would come Which passage is diligently to be observed as strongly pressing them who dare to deny the invocation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ For it can with no forehead be denied that here is a direct prayer adderssed to him since his ascent into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God Vers 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen As the foregoing verse yielded us a direct prayer made to Christ so this affordeth an oblique one For John here requesteth that the favour of the Lord Jesus might still be put forth towards the Saints that were in Asia to whom he directed the book of this prophecy Wherefore let us after the example of so holy a person pray earnestly that the same Lord Jesus would continue and multiply his favor towards all his Saints that are dispersed through the whole world that he would shelter them under the shadow of his wings against the rage of their enemies and supply them as their several necessities shall require and finally so fill them with the Spirit of grace that they may abound in love towards one another and towards all men FINIS