but shadowes of those better which are aboue The Lord strengthen our faith to beleeue Alway this I haue spoken out of this ground that the Spirit of God not finding one creature on earth meete to represent that variable good which is in Angels doth ioyne foure of the best together which yet all do come farre short of the excellency of Angels VERSE 8. And the foure beasts had each of them six wings and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come THE last of their properties they are said to haue sixe wings euery one of them To what end wings are ascribed to them Esay doth tell vs With two they couer their face with two they couer their feete and with two they flye The wings wherewith they coâ—…er their face are first an humble estimation of themselues next a reuerent and great estimation of the glorious maiestie of the Lord their GOD. They acknowledge his glory greater then that they can behold it they are neerest the throne but fardest from pride Among men we vse to say that Familiaritie engendreth contempt it is not so with the Lord they who are most familiar vvith him doe most of all reuerence and feare him The onely cause why men are so bold to dishonor the Lord and to vse his Name without any reuerence is for that they are strangers from him they know him not and are not acquainted with his Maiestie Hitherto tends that similitude of Saint Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For euen as the quicker our sight is the better we learne and perceiue how farre wee are distant from the heauen whereas to a dimme eye the heauen seemes to be neere-hand and hard vpon it euen so the more we excell in vertue and holinesse the more we perceiue what a great difference is betweene the Lord and vs yea his best creatures are nothing in comparison of his glorious Maiesty Let this serue for a warning to these presumptuous Pharisaicall spirits Semipelagian Papists who dare stand before the Lord and glory of their fastings of their almes of their merits of their iustification by their workes and of their perfit obseruance of the Law The holy Angels couer their faces and acknowledge their insufficiencie in comparison of the Diuine Maiestie and thou vile worme of the earth wilt glory of thy sufficiencie Vae generationi huic miserae cui sufficere videtur insufficientia sua Wo be to this miserable sort of people to whom their insufficiencie seemes sufficient It is not the least part of true Philosophy for a man to knowe himselfe and onely hee knoweth himselfe best who esteemeth himselfe to be nothing Abraham called himselfe dust ashes and Dauid esteemed himselfe to be but a vvorme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Saints saith Saint Chrysostome after this same manner abase and cast downe themselues But they vvho with the Apostat Angels will exalt themselues wil contend with Michael and presume aboue that which indeed they are let them here see of what spirit they are The two wings wherewith they flye note first their sublimitie they are no creeping but flying creatures Vnder the Lawe profane worldlings were figured by vncleane beasts that creepe on the earth with all foure they are cursed with the curse of the Serpent they lick the dust of the earth but Christians should be like vnto Angels not creeping but flying creatures A bird so long as it is flying aboue is in no danger of the snare Many snares hath Satan that crafty Hunter layd for vs the best way to eschew them is that our hearts frequently flie vpward toward the Lord. Next their willing readinesse to execute the will of the Lord without delay S. Bernard makes the two wings of these Angels to bee Knowledge and Deuotion these are also good for vs to flie withall Leuat cognitionis ala sed sola non sufficit the wing of knowledge lifts vs vp but it alone is not sufficient As the bird that hath but one wing the more it striues to flie the more it falleth Ruit citius quae vna tantum ala volare contendit So he that hath knowledge without deuotion the more he seekes to ascend the more he faileth Naturall Philosophers may stand for an example who knowing God did not glorifie him but vanished in their owne cogitations and became fooles And let deuotion againe be neuer so zealous and feruent yet without knowledge it cannot carry vs vpward Zelus absque scientiâ—… quo vehementius irruit eo graâ—…ius corruit for zeale without knowledge the hotter it is the more hindersome it is The two wings wherewith they couer their feete figures their sanctity and modesty they are conuersant with men according as God employes them but communicate not with the sinnes of men they defile not their feete with our pollutions but haue them alwaies couerd As the Sun giueth his light to most filthy places but participates not of their vncleannesse so is it with Angels But alas farre are we from this perfection it is a difficill thing to liue in the company of profane men and not be infected by them If we be not burnt with their fire hardly shall we escape vnblacked with their smoke The other wing for couering their feete is their Modesty whereby they dimit themselues to our capacity they appeare with bodies and colours white sprickled and red hauing indeed neither bodies nor colours yet are men astonished and confounded at their lowest apparitions So farre are we degenerate from our first estate that wee cannot now abide the most modest and base apparition of an Angell And they ceased not day nor night saying In the last place wee haue their function described which is a continuall and vncessant praysing of God they are not weary being alway delighted with new matter of ioy flowing from the sight of God for as many eyes as they haue they can neuer comprehend that infinite goodnesse which is in him new sights make them alway to renew praises vnto God and in this they stand as paterns vnto vs teaching vs to practise these precepts Reioyce euermore Pray continually In all things giue thanks We should alway pray for we neuer want cause we should alway giue thanks for if we can obserue it we neuer want matter Prayer praise are two excellent parts of Diuine worship but of the two praise is the most heauenly and Angelike vertue In prayer a man respects himselfe seeking from GOD that which he cannot want but in praise man respecteth God giuing vnto the Lord that which is due to him Againe prayer pertaines to this life principally et est egâ—…ntium ac miserorum praise pertaineth to the life to come et est beatoruÌ„ ac gloriâ—…icatorum Let vs therefore learne of Angels to
to beleeue his Word we are strong to resist Satan and he is not able to ouercome vs but if we forget the counsell of his Word we easily become a prey to our Aduersarie If we consider that we are called to be Kings to our God and hope to raigne for euer with him in heauen we will thinke shame to render our selues captiues to Satan Let vs looke backe to our first creation Animal es O homo principatu decoratum vt quid seruis affectibus Princeps creaturarum constitutus es dignitatem tuam abiicis Thou art a creature O man in thy first creation decored with Princely power why seruest thou thy affections Thou wast made the Lord of all creatures and castest away thy owne dignity Will we againe looke forward to our future glorification Non sperare potest coeleste regnum cui supra propria membra regnare non datur What hope can he haue to enioy the Kingdome of heauen who reigneth not ouer his owne members vpon earth Thus our first creation our present vocation our future glorification all of them require of vs that like spirituall Kings wee should subdue and ouercome the Deuill the world and the flesh Hee that ouercommeth shall sit with me in my Throne Our Priesthood againe consists in offering vp sacrifices to God and these may be reduced to three sorts first that we offer vp our hearts to the Lord this is the great sacrifice without which the Lord will accept nothing from vs My sonne giue me thy heart Next that we offer vp our bodies vnto him I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that yee giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God and this is done when we make the members of our bodie weapons of righteousnesse to God These are two then Cor Corpus the heart and the body the Lord will haue the seruice of them both Thirdly that we offer our goods vnto him as his glory and the necessity of his Saints do require it and this third sacrifice willingly followeth where the other two go before My sonne honour God with the first fruits of all thy encrease To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased But now the hearts of men are locked vp and their hands are linked they feare to giue lest they haue not enough for themselues and the poore also but it is farre otherwise thy portion shall neuer perish by giuing out in ordinary charitie to the poore Quic quid in pauperes contuleris in coeli thesauris reconditum inâ—…enies what-euer thou bestowest on the poore thou shalt finde it laid vp in the heauenly Treasures Clementia dum licet clementiam acquire by shewing mercy when thou mayst purchase mercy to thy selfe These are all agreeable to holy Scripture Make thee friends of the riches of iniquity that they may receiue you into the euerlasting Tabernacles said our Sauiour So also the Apostle that by distributing and giuing to the poore men lay vp in store for themselues a good foundation for the time to come And we shall raigne vpon earth Vpon this place the Chiliasts ground their errour that after the Day of Iudgement the Saints shall dwell on earth a thousand yeeres at which time that Prophecie and others like it shall bee sulfilled The meeke shall possesse the earth And with this opinion many worthy Fathers in the Primitiue Church were ouertaken The Turkes also dreame of an earthly Paradise But let them passe For vnderstanding the true sense and meaning of this place we are to know that the earth in holy Scripture is sometime taken for the men that are in it Dauid cals them the men of this world these are they who as our Sauiour saith haue their portion in this life Saint Iohn commonly cals them in this Booke The Inhabitants of the earth These men are enemies to the children of God and persecute them with all their power they account them the Off-scourings of the earth and vnworthy to dwell in it But the Lord at length shall exalt his Saints and their enemies shall be made their foot-stoole Yea the soles of their feet the Lord shall lift vp aboue the heads of their greatest enemies for the wicked shall stand still vpon the earth when the godly shall be rauished and caught vp into the Aire yea the wicked themselues shall see it and shall be vexed with horrible feare when they see the man honoured whom they despised and shall say within themselues This is he whom sometime wee had in derision wee sooles thought his life madnesse and his end without honour how is hee counted among the children of God! and his portion is among Saints Now for this benefite which the Saints are sure to enioy to wit their finall victory and glorious exaltation aboue all their enemies they here praise the Lord and so hath his Maiestie most iudiciously expounded this difficult place Wee shall raigne ouer the earth at the last and generall Iudgement And this exposition is both very comfortable for Saints now lying vnder the oppression of their enemies and agreeth well with the Analogie of faith Otherwise if we take the word properly for this same earth wherein we soiourne then S. Peter tels vs that we haue to looke for new heauens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse They lost their originall vertue and beautie by our transgression and shall receiue it againe and more at our restitution So are we taught by S. Paul The feruent desire of the creature waiteth when the sonnes of God shall be reucaled for then The creature also shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God and then both heauen and earth renewed shall bee the proper possession of Saints renewed Where if any man demand To what vse shall this earth and visible heauens serue in that Kingdome of glorie The answer is We shall know it when we shall see it for if the Lord will restore them to stand as monuments and witnesses of that first goodnesse which hee shewed vs in the Creation and we lost in the Transgression and he hath restored againe with much more in our Redemption who can say against it But lest we seeme to pry within the Arke let our care be rather to prepare our selues then before-hand curiously to enquire of it that which now we cannot vnderstand and let vs remember that answer which Photinus the predecessor of Irenaeus gaue to the Proconsull when he demanded of him who God was He answered Et tu si dignus â—…ueris videbis Euen thou if thou be worthy or meet for it shalt see him So we if we be renewed men shall know to what vse in that Day these new heauens and new
but the earnestnesse and great care which the Lord Iesus hath to conserue his Saints He is the watchman of Israel who neither slambers nor sleepes He cryes for vs when wee cannot cry for our selues And againe his absolute authoritie ouer the creature is heereby declared vnto vs he commandeth and forbiddeth as hee pleaseth what he will is done This is it which the faith of that Centurion so highly commended by Iesus acknowledged in our Lord Speake the word onely and my seruant shall be healed for I haue also souldiers vnder me and I say to one Goe and hee goeth and to another Come and he commeth and to my seruant Doe this and he doth it VERSE 3. Saying Hurt ye not the Earth nor the Sea nor the Trees till we haue sealed the seruants of our God in their foreheads NOw followes the Cōmandement it selfe the tenor of it is Let the creatures still continue in their naturall course change them not dissolue not the World for the inferior part of the Vniuerse is here put for the whole and how long hee will haue the world to continue is declared Till we haue sealed the seruants of our God How Saints are the pillars of the Earth that vphold it so long as they are in it we haue shewed in the fist seale If for the Saints sake he wil not let the earth to bee hurt farre lesse will hee suffer themselues to be hurt Now comfortable is it that the Lord speaking to Angels and speaking of Saints speakes in this manner The seruants of our God Inuoluing his holy Angels and his redeemed Saints all in one fellowship and society with himselfe according to that I goe to my God and your God my Father and your Father VVee are made fellowes in a most high and honourable incorporation with Christ and his Angels The Lord giue vs grace to walke woorthy of our calling VERSE 4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed an hundred and foure and forty thousand of all the Tribes of the children of Israel VVHat the Lord propoundeth he disposeth also and what he promiseth that he performeth Now for the further comfort of the Church the Lord Iesus is brought in taking a view of his people and sealing such as are his own as he promised he would doe For the seale thus onely we haue to say more He sealeth his Saints in three places in their heart 2. Cor. 1. 22. in their head or forehead as here and in their arme Set me as a seale on thine heart and as a signet on thy arme I knovv some Diuines take this to bee the voice of the Church to Christ it may as well be the voice of Christ to the Church For vvhat in loue he promiseth to his Spouse in loue also hee requires of her Christus est signaculum in corde in fronte in brachio Christ to his Saints is a seale in their heart in their forehead and in their arme In corde vt semper diligamus in fronte vt semper confiteamur in brachio vt semper operemur in our heart hee seales vs and causeth vs t◅ loue him in our forehead he sealeth vs and causeth vs to confesse him in our arme he sealeth vs and causeth vs to worke in our calling and bring out the fruits of righteousnes for the glory of his Name But alas few are they whose hearts doe loue him few who in time of trouble would confesse him because few in time of peace haue an arme to do any good for his glory The mouthes of most Professors are open to confesse him their hands are closed impotent like him in the Gospel who had the withered hand they can doe no good for him An argument that they are not yet rightly sealed That Saint Iohn saith hee heard the number of them who were sealed is greatly for our comfort The Lord hath the definite number of his Saints He knoweth who are his we may be sure as our Prouerbe is None of them shal be lost in the telling It is written of Cyrus that he knew the names of all them who were in his Armie much more doth the Lord knowe his All the haires of your head are numbred saith our Sauiour Sith he hath numbred our haires and by his prouidence keepes vs that one of them fall not to the ground much more may we thinke that he will keepe our selues for he hath vs in his Register and engrauen on the palmes of his hands so that he cannot forget vs. The persons numbred are distinguished into two ranks Iewes and Gentiles for vnder these two all mankind redeemed are comprehended The Gospel is the power of God to saluation to euerie one that belieueth to the Iewe first and also to the Graecian The Iewes are put first because they are our elder brethren and were first in the couenant before vs. Sixteene hundred yeares dwelt the Lord in the tents of Sem and was first styled The God of Sem now they lie out for a time or to speake with the Apostle Obstinacie in a part is come vnto Israel vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in And now other sixteene hundred yeares hath the Lord bin the God of Iapheth hath perswaded Iapheth to dwell in the Tents of Sem according as Noah prophesieth And heere the Apostle about the end of the seales brings in their Conuersion and Calling againe which seemeth more fully to bee handled by the Apostle in that eleuenth to the Romanes This remaines yet to be done before the second comming of Christ let vs loue them pity them and pray for them that the veile may bee taken from their mind and they may come to the knowledge of the Truth Their number is first generally set downe of all the Tribes were sealed an hundred forty foure thousand and then particularly of euery Tribe were sealed twelue thousand which makes vp the generall number aforesaid of an hundred forty foure thousand not that we are to thinke there is no mo nor fewer of euery Tribe but a definite number is put for an indefinite We see then that of all ranks and states of men God hath his owne suppose vnknown vnto men Eliiah was a great Prophet yet was hee deceiued in this that he thought there was no worshipper of God in his daies but himselfe the Lord told him he had seuen thousand in Israel that is many thousands who had not bowed their knee to Baal And yet howsoeuer there be a great number of Gods Elect yet are they few in comparison of the Reprobate and this is to be collected out of this definite number for what is an hundred forty and foure thousand in respect of all the thousands of Israel In the dayes of Moses there were sixe hundred thousand fighting men who came out of Egypt In the dayes of Dauid they were increased to
the last breath of the Spirit wherewith he inspired the Writers of holy Scripture No Scripture is to be expected after this It is the last Loue-token of our Lord and louing Husband after which he will write no more vnto vs but will come himselfe he hath sent it to vs with the Disciple whom he loued best and who was the last and longest liuer of all the Disciples Kinde children remember best the words spoken by their fathers on their death-bed and if it were possible that after death they could receiue any information from them O in what estimation would they haue it All the words of our Lord should be laid vp in our hearts but specially these which hee vttered in the time of his death and Passion and most of all these by which now after his Resurrection Ascension he speaketh vnto vs. There are many now a daies companions to the rich Glutton and his brethren they will not beleeue Moses and the Prophets but if one came from the dead then would they amend their liues This is a Prouerbe frequent in their mouthes but now this excuse also is taken from them Our Lord Iesus is risen from the dead and after his resurrection witnesses vnto vs what fearefull wrath is reserued for the wicked what vnspeakable ioy prepared for the godly if for all this they will not beleeue nor amend their liues are they not worthy of the greater condemnation In the eighteenth yeere of the Emperour Tyberius our Lord suffered for our sinnes hee rose againe from the dead ascended on high and led captiuity captiue About the foureteenth yeere of Domitian gaue he this Reuelation to S. Iohn in the I le Pathmos so witnesses Irenaeus Non multunâ—… ante temporis Apocalypsin vidit Ioannes sed poene sub nostro saeculo ad finem Domitiani imperii It is not long said he since S. Iohn saw this Reuelation but almost in our owne daies about the end of the Domitian Empire fiftie daies after his Ascension he sent downe that promised Spirit the Comforter So fiftie yeares and tenne after that he sent down this comfortable Booke of Prophecie containing a generall proiect and view of all the estates of his Church vntill the worlds end Doubtlesse this hath proceeded of his louing kindnesse toward his poore Church hee fore-saw the great and manifold troubles that were to befall her he knew it was to be a long time in respect of vs betweene his Ascension and second comming that therefore his Church should not faint our Lord and Loue hath sent vs this Present and Loue-letter that we may runne vnto it as Aaron and the Church of old did to the Oracle to know what shall be the end of all these battels of Saints militant heere on earth specially of these perturbations raised this day against the Church by Mahomet in the East and Antichrist in the West We are not then to suffer our selues to be spoiled and defrauded of the comfort contained in this book by these instruments of the Serpent who either disclaime the authority of this booke or then would scarre vs from it by a pretence of the obscurity thereof for these are the two scandals which offend many and make them if not vtterly to reiect at least too lightly mis-regard this heauenly Present As for the first albeit there need no testimonie of man where Diuine Authority giues out the decree Blessed is he who reads and they who heare the words of this prophecie yet man may very well be brought in against man and what hath beene said by any against it is easily disproued by that which others more ancient and more worthy credit haue spoken for it Iustinus Martyr Reuelationem hanc Ioanni qui vnus erat Apostolorum Christi factam esse testatur Iustine Martyr who wrote about an hundred and fiftie yeares after Christ witnesses that this Reuelation was made to S. Iohn who was one of Christ his Disciples Irenaeus ten yeares after him in the place cited before affirmeth the same With them S. Ambrose and S. Augustine do concurre Nec illud mediocre quod de throno Dei exire sluuium legimus sic enim habes dicente Ioanne Euangelista that which is written Reu. 22. of a riuer of the water of life flowing from the Throne Ambrose takes it vp plainely as written to S. Iohn the Euangelist Augustine as I haue said hath the like But this point I leaue as being sufficiently handled by the Writers of our time namely and at greatest length by Cotterius The other scandall of obscuritie is easily remoued if the exposition of the prophecie runne not before the execution thereof It was hard to the Fathers of the first ages to vnderstand this booke so cleerely as now by Gods grace his seruants may No maruaile though S. Ierome in his time said of it that the Apocalypse had tot Sacramenta quot verba as many mysteries as words for Prophecies before they be accomplished are Aenigmata that is riddles or darke and obscure sentences but when they are fulfilled Tunc liquidam habent certam expositionem then haue they a cleare and sure exposition Yet S. Augustine mitigates that difficulty alledged by S. Ierome and leaues vs some better hopes he grants this In Apocalypsi multa obscurè dicuntur vt mentem legentis exerceant that in the Reuelation many things are difficult whereby the mindes of those who reade it may be exercised yet to encourage vs hee subioyneth Pauca tamen in co sunt ex quorum manifestatione indagentur caetera cum labore that there are some things in it so plainly manifested as that they may leade vs to the vnderstanding of the rest if we take paines to learne them Victorinus Primasius and others who wrote aboue a thousand yeares since vpon this book are indeed to be praised for their paines Glory be to God out of all their labours some light ariseth to this prophecie but let the Reader remember that they are not alwaies to be followed in their sense Certius est sine periculo sustinere adimpletionem prophetiae quà m diuinare It is more sure to await the accomplishment of the prophecie then to diuine of it before-hand What made Iohn the Baptist a greater Prophet then Esay or any other that went before him Nothing but the difference of times for he saw that present and perfected which Prophets before told was to be done and would bee accomplished And the same is the reason why the meanest now in the Kingdome of God is greater then the Baptist And why men now in the holy Calling are able to shew more clearely the meaning of this prophecie then others more famous and worthy Lights could haue done before But to conclude this point In the entry of this booke as I said a blessing is pronounced vpon them that
Lord two hundred and seuentie yeeres I find him at the end of Theophilactus his Commentaries vpon the Epistles and some Prophets printed at Paris in the yeare 1548. He shortly paraphrases the Prophecie according to the order of the Chapters Primasius an Africane Bishop is next vnto him Some thinkes as Trithemius testifies that he was the disciple of S. Augustine Hee liued about the yeere of our Lord 440. and was Bishop of Vtica he diuides this Prophecie into two bookes one conteined in the first twelue Chapters the other in the rest to the end more particularly againe he parts the whole in fine bookes His booke is printed Coloniae anno 1535. Hugo Cardinalis liued about the yeere 1240. he diuides the booke into seuen visions as many other also doe The first vision is in the first three chapters the second from the fourth to the eight the third from the eight to the twelfth the fourth from it to the fifteenth the fift from it to the eighteenth the sixt in the eighteene nineteene and twenty the seuenth in the two last chapters An old Manuscript Folio expressing no certaine Author in most things it is consonant to Hugo Dionysius Carthusianus printed at Paris in the yeere 1555 handles this booke according to the order of the Chapters and warnes the Reader in his Prologue that it is Prophetalis liber a Propheticall booke yet not without good doctrine for albeit saith he in the new Testament some books be Legall namely the foure Euangelists others againe be Historicall as the Acts of the Apostles and others Sapientiall such as the Epistles and this onely Propheticall Certum tamen est in quolibet genere librorum istorum aliqua de aliorum librorum materia contineri yet it is most certaine that in anyone of these sort of books the matter of other bookes is also some-way conteined Lyra hath a short Paraphrase on the Reuelation D. Doctor Chytraeus his booke Printed at Viteberg in the yeere 1571. diuides this Prophecie into seuen Visions The first presents a cleere description of Christ supreme King and high Priest of his Church and openeth vp the state and forme of Church-gouernment in this life this Vision is contained in the first three Chapters The second is from the fourth Chapter to the eight The third from the eight to the twelfth wherein corruptions of doctrine and heresies which were to fall out are by sound of Trumpet fore-told vnto the Church The fourth from the twelfth to the fifteenth foresheweth the battell of the Church with the Dragon and with the new and old Romane Empire wherein we haue also a discouery of Antichrist The fift is in the fifteenth and sixteenth Chapters containing the vials of wrath powred out vpon the worshippers of the Beast The sixt Vision is from the seuenteenth Chapter to the one and twentieth and it intreates of the punishment of Antichrist The seuenth and last is a Vision of the Church Triumphant in the two last Chapters Bullingerus his booke printed at London in the yeere 1573. a iudicious and solid Writer agreeth with them who diuide this Prophecie into seuen Visions Alphonsus Conradus Mantuanus his booke printed Basileae in the yeere 1560. Hee dedicates it to the mightie Monarch of heauen and earth The Lord Iesus Christ and followes them who diuides this Prophecie in seuen Visions D. Guilielmus Fulco Anglus a learned and modest Writer his booke printed at London in the yeere 1573. diuides this Prophecie in three Visions The first is in the first three Chapters the second from the fourth to the twelfth the third from it to the end Aretius Bernensis in the yeere 1584. goeth also with them who parteth this booke into seuen Visions Collado printed Morgiis in the yeere 1584. will haue the Apocalypse to be a collection of threefold sort of signes tending all to one and the selfe-same purpose to wit Seales Trumpets and Vials these three signify al one thing so that in his iudgement the matter of the first Seale first Trumpet first Viall is all one so he thinks also of the rest Iames Brocard his iudgement is that in the Reuelation those things are handled and in distinct order set forth which Moses and the Prophets haue written of the state of the Gospell and of the latter times In a word he cals it a conclusion and summe of the holy Scripture in and about those things which concerne Prophecie and leades them to the end of the workes of God And he will haue this in such soâ—… a Prophecie of things to come that those which are past bee also vnderstood with other things not much pertinent to this Prophecie Leo Iude a Tigurine Preacher translated out of Dutch into English by Edmond Allen about this same time wrote a pretty and godly Paraphrase vpon this booke according to the order of the Chapters Iunius printed at Heidelberg in the yeere 1591. the Propheticall part of this booke saith he beginnes at the fourth Chapter and is distinguished into two Histories whereof the one hee makes to be common and generall pertaining to the whole world from the fourth to the tenth Chapter the other a speciall Prophecie containing the estate of the Church Militant from the tenth Chapter to the two and twentieth Carolus Gallus printed at Leiden in the yeere 1592. will haue the whole time from the daies of S. Iohn to the last Day diuided into seuen ages which by foure sundry pleasant pictures as hee cals them or representations are proposed vnto vs First in the seuen Epistles Next in the seuen Seales Thirdly in seuen Trumpets Lastly in seuen Vials By these foure pictures the liuely image of Diuine Prouidence gouerning his Church through all the seuen ages is figured vnto vs. The seuen ages he diuides this way the first is from S. Iohn his daies to Constantine the second from Constantine to Phocas the third from Phocas to Carolus Magnus the fourth from Carolus to Conradus the first the fift from that to Rodolphus the sixth from Rodolphus to Carolus Quintus the seuenth from him to the second comming of the great King The Lord Iesus Christ. Foxe an Englishman printed in the yeere 1596. contents him with this generall that nothing in time past hath or in time to come shall fall out in the Church whereof wee haue not a liuely delineation in this Booke plainely represented to the eyes and eares of them who look vpon it that it may most iustly be doubted whether this booke be a Prophecie or an Ecclesiasticall Historie wherein things to fall out are set downe as if they were already fallen out neither haue they otherwise fallen out then this Prophecie hath pronounced before-hand for according vnto it things come to passe George Gifford Englishman printed at London in the yeere 1596. he maketh this Booke to be a prophecie which openeth the state of things to
is printed at Amsterdam in the yeere 1615. Richard Barnard Englishman his Treatise printed at London in the yeere 1617. containes some generals which he Intitulates A Key of Knowledge for the opening of the secret Mysteries of S. Iohns mysticall Reuelation The first of his Contents is that the Booke of the Reuelation is to be diligently studied of all sorts in these last times The second that it is an Apocalypsis and not an Apocrypsis but a Mysterie made manifest The third is what hath made this Booke till these latter times so obscure wherein the obscurity lyeth and to whom chiefly it becommeth so hard to bee vnderstood The fourth what is to be done to come to the vnderstanding thereof to remoue the obscurities and so rightly to expound the same Lastly he sets downe an interpretation of all the most difficult things in the chapter throughout the whole Prophecie Iohn Balâ—… Englishman in his Preface hath a short method and summe of the first ten chapters from the eleuenth to the end a larger Commentary which hee intulates The Image of both Churches Where and when his booke was printed is not expressed D. Broughton printed at London In the end of his learned Treatise intitulat Consent of Scripture hath a short discourse vpon this Prophecie wherein hee cleareth the chiefe doubts and difficulties thereof IAMES King of Great Britaine c. was the last of them that came in my hands but with all reason may be reckoned in among the first and the best Among many other his Highnesse workes no lesse Rare then Royall there is a learned Paraphrase vpon this booke of the Reuelation Beside that in his Praemonition to Christian Kings and Princes his Maiestie hath handled the Controuersies of this time concerning Religion like a profound and sound Theolog and by inuincible reasons hath proued out of this Prophecie that the Pope is Antichrist Thus stands his Highnesse in the fore-front of Iehoâ—…ah his battell fighting for Israel like another Dauid he hath giuen that Romish Goliah with Arguments like flinty stones slung out of the Word a deadly wound whereof he shall neuer recouer His Maiestie hath begunne to make naked the Whore and to discouer her filthinesse masked before with the veile of hypocriticall holinesse Hee hath sounded the Trumpet in the eares of the Emperour Kings Princes and Free Estates through all Christendome The Lord waken their hearts to execute the determinate iudgement fore-prophecied in this Booke vpon the Beast and his Babel Pareâ—…s his learned and iudicious Commentarie on the Reuelation came in my sight after that I had neerely absolued this first Prophecie Two Necessarie Cautions or Caueats to bee considered in the exposition of this Booke The first Caution VVEE must beware of two extremities in the handling of this Prophecie first that we limit not these Visions so particularly vnto times and persons as many doe whereby they haue greatly empaired the Maiestie and Amplitude of this Reuelation For example one among many is the first Seale which sheweth our Lord riding on his white Horse like a Conquerour no larger in respect of time then from the Baptisme of Christ to the destruction of Ierusalem I know Forthaeus and others extend it larger and will haue it reach from the daies of Christ to the daies of Constantine but this also is too narrow counting The Church should be depriued of great comfort if the Conquerour riding on the white horse were pinched and bounded within so short a time But the certaine truth is Our Lord Iesus mounted by the opening of the first Seale vpon his white horse shall so continue riding through the world at his owne pleasure till he haue gathered in his Saints till hee Ouercome and make his enemies his foote-stoole This will be manifest if we compare the end of this Prophecie with the beginning thereof In the entry of this Prophecie at the opening of the first Seale The Rider on the white Horse appeares in the end of it there he appeares againe I saw heauen opened and behold a white Horse and hee that sate vpon him was called Faithfull and True and in righteousnesse hee doth iudge and make warre c. Hee was clothed in a Vesture dipt in bloud and his Name is called The Word of God All the time of the battell hee is not knowne vnder this Type shall we therefore thinke he was not sighting nor shooting his Arrowes No his Vesture in the second apparition is a witnesse of his victorie and slaughter of his enemies This might haue told them that the Lord Iesus who comes out in the first Seale riding on a white horse and of whom it is so expresly said that Hee went forth conquering that he might ouercome was to continue so till hee had done the worke for which hee commeth forth that is perfected his Saints and subdued his enemies Wee must not limit so short a time to so great a worke they who do so defraud the Church as we haue said of a great and ample comfort For euen in our owne daies and among our selues blessed be his name for it this Conquerour is riding and shall so continue to the worlds end yet the time of the first Seale lasteth as also of the subsequent Seales following it which shall God willing hereafter be declared that the Seales openeth vp the generall course of things till the day of Iudgement and within narrower bounds should they not be restrained What shall I speake of other grosser interpretations whereunto many are driuen by binding this Prophecie to particular persons Can the foure Beasts be foure Euangelists Then S. Iohn behooued to be one of the foure or else yee must make them fiue Euangelists for euery one of the foure prepareth him Or shall the first Beast bee Quadratus Shall the second be Iustinus c. Shall the Angell comming from the East who hath the Seale of the liuing God be Constantine the Great Or shall the Angell that offers vp the prayers of all Saints be Constantine the Great also He was great indeed but this is to make him too great Shall the Angell comming out of the Temple be Thomas Cromwell Lord of Essex Or the Angell hauing power ouer the fire be Thomas Cranmer Or shall the type of the Haruest and Vintage bee appropriate to England Why hath Brightman broached such opinions without all hope or help of verity I know the persons whom he hath named are famous and honourable and that the Lord hath a flourishing Church in England his name bee praised therefore But I am assured the reuerend Bishops the learned Doctors and Diuines there will not vindicate that to themselues which is common to the whole Church It were tedious to repeat all of this sort whereby common types are accomodate vnto priuate persons which is not the fault of Brightman onely though most part of them be forged in his owne braine but of
eternall felicity of the Church Triumphant in the one and twentieth and beginning of the two and twentieth chapters In this all the Interpreters agree and make no question except that some will haue the fourth and fifth chapters to containe Visions of Prediction as well as the rest which as we haue said cannot be for the opening of the Seales out of which comes the discouery of things to come beginneth at the sixt chapter Now to take vp rightly the Method of the Prophecy of the estate of the Church Militant let vs keepe in minde that ground laid by S. Augustine and Primasius that it is Prophetia saepius repetita not one continuall Prophecie but a Prophecie repeated and that not doubled onely as was the dreame of Pharaoh to shew the certainety of the Vision but tripled all the three Visions foretelling the estate of the Church in a different manner yea and of a different matter one from another except that the last Vision or third Prophecie which is of Antichrist is doubled the one not much different from the other in matter but in the manner of handling The whole Visions of this Prophecie concerning things to come in the Church Militant are three euery one of them diducing in a diuerse manner the state of the Church from the daies of Christ to his second Comming The light that led me to this order did breake out of the bosome of the Book it selfe and the attentiue Reader may easily perceiue that which by diligent reading was conceiued by me that euery one of these three Prophecies is concluded with a propheticall description of the day of Iudgement vnder such Types as it was represented to S. Iohn I would therefore warne the Reader who desires to vnderstand this Booke that when he commeth to the description of the day of Iudgement hee stand there and resolue with himselfe that the Prophecie which followeth it beginneth againe as wee say ab Oâ—…o to shew out the estate of the Church in matter as I said or then in manner different from the former The first Prophecie is Generall and ends in the sixt chapter with a propheticall prediction of the day of Iudgement in the sixt Seale all the difficultie will be about this but we will shew our reasons when we come to it The second Prophecie beginning at the eighth chapter is more Speciall and is concluded in the end of the eleuenth chapter with a propheticall Narration againe of the day of Iudgement which no man can deny The third Prophecie beginning at the twelfth chapter is Particular for it leaueth all other enemies and pointeth at Antichrist and at the end of the twentieth chapter ver 11. it is concluded with a Propheticall Representation of the day of Iudgment so cleerely that I hope it shall haue no contradictor The first Prophecie which is Generall THe first Prophecie in effect is a generall Prognostication proposing a short and summary view of the state of the Church specially vnder violent persecution to the worlds end which is this In the first Seale is declared how Christ shall go through the world riding vpon the Ministerie of the Word preaching the Gospell by his seruants where and when it pleaseth him In the second Seale we are fore-warned that this shall not be without trouble for Satan and his instruments shadowed by the Rider on the red Horse shall in bloudy manner persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell Yet are we told in the third and fourth Seale that they shall not escape vnpunished for thereupon followes the blacke and the pale Horse with their Riders figuring famine pestilence and other horrible plagues of God that shall come on the world for contempt of the Gospell And because the sword famine pestilence do not so go through the world that the godly are exempted from them In the fifth Seale the estate of Saints troubled on earth for the testimony of Iesus is set downe in most comfortable manner and then as they tryed in the fifth Seale for the day of reuenge and iudgement so at the opening of the sixt Seale the horrible day of Doome appeareth to the terrour of the wicked We are not then to binde any of these Seales except the sixt to a determinate time but take them vp as extended to all times during the worlds endurance Farre lesse to expound these Riders on the Horses of Roman Emperours other particular persons as we haue shewed before In this first Prophecie there is no difficultie except about the sixt seale whether or not it doth fore-shew the day of Iudgement and about the seuenth chapter how it followeth and dependeth on the sixt and how it is a pendicle of the first Prophecie Concerning the first we hold thus that the sixt seale containes a propheticall prediction of the last Day Against this there are two opinions Some thinke that it is a Prophecie of heresies apostasies and defections from the faith Others that it is a prophecy of some fearefull temporall iudgement but neither of these are to bee receiued The Text it selfe militats directly against the first opinion that the darkening of the Sunne and Moone the falling of the Starres admitteth not any Allegoricall interpretation of any darkenesse to come by Heresie and Apostasie for it is plainly said in the fifteenth verse that Kings Great Men and Captaines were afraid when they saw the fearefull change of the creatures they hid themselues in dennes Shall we thinke here that it was Apostasie and Heresie obscuring the light of the Gospell that made them to cry out Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs. No so farre were they from all feare for that matter that by the contrarie they reioyced in it Emperours I meane great men and Captaines being themselues chiefe Authors Actors and Allowers of these Heresies which darkened the Sunne Yea it is very well knowne that they either by allurements entised others or by violence forced them to make Apostasie and Defection from the Truth Neither is it to be vnderstood to bee a denuntiation of any temporall or externall iudgement for these reasons First there is here an vniuersall change made of all creatures in heauen and in earth Next all the persons of the wicked not of one Nation or Kingdome but of all are vniuersally here iudged and that vnder seuen rankes Thirdly it is expresly called in the Text The great Day of the Lord his wrath The like stile I know is also giuen to daies of temporall iudgement yet conioyne this with the rest of the Reasons and compare it with other places where wee finde the like phrase the matter shall be cleere Sith the seuen Vials are the seuen last plagues of force we must grant that the last Viall powreth out the last wrath of that great Day which concludeth all wrath in this life and beginnes that endlesse wrath in the life to
praise the Lord beginning that vpon earth which shall be our continuall exercise in the heauen The tenor of their song followes wherein three things are attributed to God 1. Holines 2. Omnipotencie 3. Eternitie The first of these hath one word thrise repeated and that as Esay saith with an Antiphonie or answering of one Angel to another Vnum Iehouam celebrant repetendo vnum idem Sanctus Trinum agnoscâ—…nt ter repetendo quod vni tribuerunt they acknowledge one GOD whom they esteem onely holy and repeating one thing thrice a Trinitie they acknowledge in that blessed Vnitie of the Godhead but this mysterie is better warranted by other and more plaâ—…e testimonies of holy Scripture But to returne the Lord is so holy that he is holinesse it selfe As the Sunne is among the lights of the firmament so is the holy Lord among his Saints or holy ones what light they haue is no light if it be compared with the Sunne they hide themselues when the Sunne shineth and all the holinesse of most holie creatures is nothing in comparison of the thrice holy Lord. At his brightnesse Angels couer their faces they are holy by creation redeemed ones are holy by communication other things are also holy by separation as was Ierusalems Temple of old and now are the elements in both the Sacraments holy but none neither Angel man nor any other creature holy like the Lord. The next thing they ascribe vnto him is Omnipotencie which consists in these two First that he can doe whatsoeuer he will Next that against his owne nature and truth he cannot do for that were impotencie and not omnipotencie He can not lie nor deny himselfe nor come against his owne Word The first of these renders instruction for Atheists the other for Papists It is a common question of profane men whereby they impugne the truth of Gods promises How can this be The Samaritan Prince when he heard Elizeus prophecie of plentie of victuall that should be in Samaria on the morrow though the day before it was sore pinched with Famine most disdainefully answered him Though the Lord would make windowes in heauen can this thing come to passe There the Lord sayes This I will doe and man by the contrary This the Lord cannot doe but the Lord was and will be found true and euery man a lyer Yea the very deare children of God out of the remanents of their infidelitie oftentimes fall into the like transgression When the Angel promised Sara a child she receiued it with the like answer How can this be sith I am waxed old Yea when the Lord promised to giue Israel flesh enough for a moneth Moses distrusted it Shall all the Sheepe and Beeues be slaine for them to find them or shall all the fish of the Sea be gathered to suffice them But they in effect receiued one answere Is the hand of the Lord shortned or is there any thing impossible to the Lord Consider who he is that saith hee will doe and all such doubts shal cease which makes men enquire How can this be done The other renders instruction for Papists they vrge Gods omnipotencie to prooue their new-found and fond transubstantiation but to no purpose for in this they make his power to fight against his will and to reuerse his owne Word the plaine Articles of our faith They inforce vpon vs that we deny Gods omnipotencie but without cause this fault is their owne and not ours They limit the Holy One of Israel and indeed deny his power when they say He cannot giue vs the body of Christ except he create it of bread We verily belieue that in the holy Sacrament there is a real donation made of Iesus Christ to all reuerent and right Receiuers that bread is the body of Christ that wine is the blood of Christ. God is alwaies as good as his Word and giues vs no lesse then he saith he giues vs. But for all this there is no reason why we should bind the Lord to transubstantiate the Bread as if without transubstantiation of the bread hee were not able to giue vnto vs the body of Iesus Now the third and last thing for which they praise the Lord is his Eternitie and euerlasting Beeing Who was and who is and who is to come This is a circumlocution of his Name I am expounded more plainly in the next words Hee liueth for euermore Solus verè est qui nec à fuit praeciditur nec ab crit expungitur crit non tollit illi esse ab aeterno nec fuit tollit illi esse in aeternum Beeing is so proper vnto God that when I say He was it takes not away that hee is will be and when I say that He will be it takes not away that he was and is And this serues greatly for the comfort of the Church of God One generation passeth and another commeth said Salomon The Heauens shall perish but the Lord doth remaine He that was with Noah in the Arke vvith Israel in the Red-sea with Daniel in the den with the children in the fire with Ioseph in the prison with Elisha in Dothan enclosed by Aramites with Ezechia in Ierusalem besieged by Chaldees he is still in his Church this day and will be for euer VERSE 9. And vvhen these liuing creatures gaue glory and honour and thanks to him that sate on the Thronâ—… which liueth for euer-more THe song of Angels is seconded by the song of redeemed Saints one of them prouokes another to praise GOD. It should be with vs on earth as it is with them in heauen euery Christian should prouoke another to pietie so Saint Paul praises the Corinthians that their zeale had prouoked many But now most part of men liue as if they were set in the world to bee censurers of all men examples to none they will neither prouoke others to good nor be prouoked by them yea euen in the holy assemblies there they are silent if not worse exercised when others beside them are praysing the Lord. Three things these liuing creatures are said to giue vnto the Lord Glory honour thanks Where first it comes to be considered how is it that any creature either Angel or man can giue vnto the Lord Who hath giuen to him first and it shall be recompenced But there is a great difference between these two God giuing to the creature and the creature giuing to God When God giueth hee giueth to the creature that which it had not Angels men and all creatures haue their beeing of him but the creatures giuing to God is an acknowledging of that in Him which Hee hath already and this is the sacrifice of praise or then if it be a sacrifice of distribution either to the poore or any good worke wherein the Lord may haue glory as we are commaunded To doe good and to distribute forget not for
he had to shew vnto Israel and was after written in the booke of Ezekiel It a hoc loco per librum Iohanni ostensum intelligitur scientia ◅orum quae Iohanni fuerant de futuro statu Ecclesiae reuelanda quae nunc in hoc Apocalypsis volumine sant descripta So heere by a booke shewed to S. Iohn is vnderstood the knowledge of these things which were to bee reuealed to Saint Iohn concerning the estate of the Church to come and which now are described in this booke of the Reuelation Alway that S. Iohn sees this book written within and without it is to declare vnto vs that it is a complete Prophesie there is no blanke paper in this booke to be filled vp by any other or if there were who is this in heauen or in earth that can reueale that vnto vs which Iesus Christ our blessed Sauiour hath not reuealed None at all wee are not to looke for any other Reuelation or Prophecie after this til the Day come wherein Christ our Lord shall be reuealed in his glory Sealed with seuen Seales The Seales declare first the surety next the secresie of this Prophecie Surety it is the manner of Kings to seale their decrees which they will haue executed so this book is sealed to shew that the Lord will surely accomplish that which is written in it It is a Decree more sure then any of the Medes and Persians Againe the Seales declare the secrecie thereof here are mysteries locked vp from the vnderstanding of Angels and men if the Lord had not opened them and reuealed them vnto vs. The Iesuite Viega carpeth aduantage heere to instifie that calumnie of the Church of Rome whereby they blot the Scripture with obscurity he brings many reasons to proue that it was expedient the holy Scripture should be penned in obscure māner But I pray you lis not this vnsure reasoning The book of the Reuelation is obscure therfore al the books of holy Scripture are obscure And sith they can looke to the Seales wherewith the book is closed complain of obscurity why will they not looke to the Lambe who openeth the booke giue him thankes who of a closed booke makes it an open booke and giues to it the name of a Reuelation Lastly as we haue said before this booke was written not so much to informe vs in the faith as to confirme vs in it that wee should not leaue the faith for these manifold troubles which in this book are foretold vs that were to follow our faith It is sufficient for vs that in these books wherin the Lord teaches vs the way of saluation hee speakes so plainely that the entrance into his Word sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple The waters thereof in some places are so shallow that a childe may goe thorow though in others so deepe that an Elephant may swimme In his quae aperte posita su◅t in Scriptura inueniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi spem scilicet charitatem What neede men carpe at these places which are obscure sith in these which are plainely written all things are to bee found that containe Faith and good manners to wit Hope and Charity said Augustine Num igitur Deus mentis vocis linguae Artifex diserte loqui non potest imo vero summa prouidentia carere voluit fuco ea quae diuina sunt vt omnes intelligerent quae ipse omnibus loquebatur Shall we think said Lactantius that God who is the Artificer and Maker both of the minde and voyce and of the tongue cannot speake plainely No but by the contrary hee hath most wisely prouided that his words should bee plaine without coloured deceit that all men may vnderstand these things which hee speaketh vnto all I will not therefore answere Viega and his associates with Chrysostome Praetextus iste pigritiae vetamen but rather will say it is malitiae velamen this pretext of the obscurity of Scripture is but a couering of their slothfulnes but rather it is a couering of their maliciousnesse because the Scripture rebukes them therefore they rebuke it they doe what they can to obscure it because it obscureth their kingdome VERSE 2. And I saw a strong Angell who preached with a loud voyce Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seales thereof IN the first verse we haue seene the description of this booke now beginnes the second part of this chapter wherein we haue him described who openeth the booke first from his singular supereminence that none other was found able to open the booke this appeares by the Angell his proclamation Who is worthy to open the Booke The answer is subioyned in a negation None in heauen c. So this doth greatly magnifie the glory of Iesus that He and He onely hath done that vnto vs and for vs which none in heauen nor in earth were able to haue done The Offices of the Messias are three hee is the King the Priest and Prophet of his Church If these bee compared among themselues the Propheticall Office will bee found the least As our High Priest hee had to satisfie the iustice of God for vs and make atonement for our sinnes As our King hehath deliuered vs from the oppression of our enemies visible and inuisible and ruleth our hearts by the scepter of his Grace As our Prophet he hath reuealed to vs in his holy Scripture the whole counsell of God concerning our saluation and in this Prophecie hath forewarned his Church of such troubles as were imminent vnto her which none in heauen nor in earth was able to doe Now since the last and least of the three cannot be done by any creature what blasphemy is it to say that men may doe the greatest that is by their owne sufferings and doings make satisfaction to the iustice of God as the Romish Church vainly and wickedly doe affirme For they teach that Christ hath not reuealed the whole counsell of God that the Scriptures are imperfect and are to be supplyed by Traditions quas Ecclesia Catholica suscipit ac veneratur pari pietatis affectu reuerentia scilicet atqui ipsum verbum scriptum which the Catholike Church embraces and honoureth with the same affection of piety and reuerence which is due to the written Word it selfe But I pray them Who is able to teach that which the great Doctor of the Church hath not taught If there be any Seale of the Booke which Christ hath not opened who is this that is able to open it Either they must confesse none in heauen sarre lesse in earth can do it or else they must falsifie this Angell which is impossible or then manifest themselues to bee falsisiers which is euident All Antiquity pleads the perfection of holy Scripture against them Religio vera in scriptis Apostolorum Prophetarum continetur
the right way that he go not where-away he will himselfe but as the rider directs him So is it with Preachers we are many times inclined to faint and loyter in our calling to waken vs some Cananites must be stirred vp to bee pricks in our sides or else within vs God stirreth vp our owne Conscience to put vpon vs. And as to the other he bridles the mouthes of his seruants he opens them to speake how and when he pleases In that houre it shall be giuen you what ye shal say for it is not ye that speake but the Spirit of your Father that speakes in you Againe he closeth their mouth when he sees it expedient So said he to Ezekiel I shall cause thy tongue cleane to the roofe of thy mouth In a word as I said before that hee carries Preachers from place to place according to his pleasure so in preaching hee carries them from purpose to purpose hee puts in their heads that which they intended not to haue spoken hee makes them forget that which they thought sure to haue deliuered and so ouer-rules their memorie and bridles their mouth that still hee makes them his owne purpose Happy yea thrise happie are they who this way are ruled by the Lord. A notable example heereof wee haue in Augustine for Possidonius records of him that in a certaine Sermon his memory failed him and that beside his intention and purpose hee fell out into a discourse against the Manichaeans When he was come home hee demaunded of them who dined with him if they had marked it They said indeed they had to whom he answered Credo quod forte aliquem errantem in populo Dominus per nostram obliuionem et errorem doceri curari voluerit It may be as I thinke that by my obliuion and miscarrying from my purpose to speak against that heresie GOD will haue some among the people to be taught and cured of it Nam in eius manu sunt et nos et Sermones nostri for in his hand are both our selues and our speeches to frame them as he will And so indeed it was as the man of God tooke it for within two dayes Firmus a Manichaean came to him and shewed him how by the same Sermon he had been conuerted Vnde stupentes glorificauimus sanctum eius nomen qui cum voluerit et vnde voluerit et quomodo voluerit et per scientes et nescientes salutem Sanctorum operatur Whereupon they who were in Augustines company much astonished glorified the holy Name of God who when he will and as he will by witting vnwitting Preachers works the saluation of Saints Let this glory be reserued to the Lord he works saluation oftentimes by Preachers that Preachers know not of themselues The Preacher knowes not your troubles your tentations nor the estate of your soules yet euery Professor prepared reuerently to heare thinks that the Preacher speakes vnto him but this as I haue said is the finger of God who by the ministery of one speaketh and worketh in many as he will The third point is the colour of the horse he is said to be a white horse the white colour noteth two things first puritie and holines that should be in Preachers the Lord will not ride vpon vncleane beasts nor haue his Name carried through the world by profane men he will not he cannot worke with an vnsanctified Ministerie A fearfull example whereof we haue â—…in Ophni and Phinees two sonnes of Eli with the wickednesse of their liues they had made the people to abhorre the sacrifices of God yet thought they to couer the iniury vnder the garment of God and to saue themselues in battell against the Philistims by bearing the Arke of God on their shoulders yet was the Lord so displeased with them that hee chose rather to suffer his Arke to be captiued of vncircumcised Philistims then to maintaine it in the hands of so profane men as they were they suffered their iust deserued punishment but the Lord pleaded the cause of his owne glory and brought home the Arke againe Let them therefore be cleane who carry the vessels of the Lord let vs study to be holy the Lord will not ride but vpon white horses Vita munda ipsa est luce fulgentior a holy life is brighter then light it selfe Secondly the white colour signifies the ioyfulnesse of the message which they bring there is no black nor dolefull thing in it In holy Scripture when Angels appeared to bring good tydings we find them clothed in white and among men it hath been customably vsed for a signe of gladnesse The Emperours of Rome in their solemne triumphs had their Chariots drawne with white horses Pomponius writes of the horse which drew Dioclesian his Chariot Quòd candore cum niue certabant that in whitenes they contended vvith the snow So then by the white Horse the Gospell is declared to be a ioyfull message Reioyce O Sion for thy King commeth riding vnto thee and that vpon his white Horse in token of ioy to his owne and triumphant victory ouer his enemies Great ioy was in Ierusalem when Dauid brought the Arke into it Great ioy in Samaria when Philip preached the Gospel vnto them Beautifull are the feet of them who bring the glad tydings of peace But miserable are they who find neither peace nor ioy in the preaching of the Gospel these may be sure that dolefull tydings abide them The fourth point to be considered here is his Armour He had a bowe No mention is made here of arrowes but in the 45. Psalme arrowes are ascribed to him without mention of a bowe Thine arrowes are sharpe to pierce the heart of the Kings enemies Thus collation of Scripture is the best interpretation of Scripture In old time the chiefe weapons vsed in warre were bowes and slings the one we may see out of the Psalmist The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe turned back in the day of battell the other out of the booke of Iudges The Beniamites had seuen hundred chosen men who could sling stones at an haire breadth and not faile Our Lord then is a man of warre an expert Archer he hitteth the mark whereat he shooteth and faileth not it is long ere hee bend his bowe and when he hath bended the longer he drawes the deeper he fastneth his arrow quò diutiùs expectat districtiùs iudicabit Let not wicked men please themselues in their sinnes because the Lord spares to shoote at them The Lord laughes the wicked to scorne because he sees his day comming Let the patience of God lead men to repentance for except they turne he hath bent his bowe and made it readie he hath prepared him deadly weapons will ordaine his arrowes for them that persecute his Saints Two sorts of arrowes shootes the Lord
then may suffice his owne belly And yet it is to be marked that the famine threatned here is not in the highest degree wherwith afterward the sins of men prouoked the Lord to punish them For here Wine and Oile are spared which in greater famines haue been altogether taken away for except smaller iudgements be contemned the Lord proceedeth not vnto grèater Mercie pleaseth him rather then iudgement but if mercy be despised the iudgement is doubled according to that threatning If ye will not for all these things obey me I will punish you seuen times more according to your sinnes and if yee walke stubbornely against me and will not obey mee then will I walk stubbornely against you in mine anger and yee shall eate the flesh of your sonnes and daughters Such was the famine inflicted vpon Samaria and Ierusalem that tender women haue beene forced for hunger to eate their children not of a span long A horrible thing to heare that the Infant new come out of the wombe should bee deuoured at the mouth and sent into the wombe againe yet as I said Ieremie records it to haue beene done at the first destruction of Ierusalem by the Caldeans and Iosephus records the same at the second destruction thereof by the Romanes But since this Prophecy and the time thereof this plague hath increased aboue that which here is denounced Among many others fearefull was that Famine which fell out in the daies of Iustinian hunger ouercomming humane affection forced man to feed vpon the flesh of man It is recorded that two women were found to haue slaine and eaten seuenteene men and men debilitat weakened with famine bowing themselues to creep on their knees and armes that with their teeth they might pull any greene fruit of the earth after the maner of beasts fell downe and tumbled ouer for lack of strength and so died there being none to bury them When we reade of the like of these fearefull iudgements it should stirre vs vp to praise the Lord for his great indulgence and patience toward vs who notwithstanding our great sinnes against his Maiestie yet hath hee not visited vs with the like plagues his holy Name be praised therefore and the Lord giue vs grace that his patience may leade vs to repentance VERSE 7. 8. And when he had opened the fourth Seale I heard the Voice of the fourth liuing creature say Come and see And I looked and behold a Pale Horse and his name that sate on him was Death and Hell followed after him and power was giuen vnto him ouer the fourth part of the earth to kill with Sword and with Hunger and with Beasts of the earth AS the sound of the Trumpet when the Lord by it proclaimed his Law on Mount Sinai waxed louder and louder so here the denunciation of his iudgements waxeth greater and greater for his wrath increaseth like a fire where it is not slackned and quenched with the teares of repentance Hitherto the plague of the sword and famine hath bene threatned to take vengeance on man for contempt of the Gospell now followes the plague of pestilence and deuouring Beasts Yet is it to be marked that mercy is first offered before iudgement the Rider on the White Horse comes with the message of mercy grace peace if men receiue it not then the Lord proceedeth to iudgement Vnder the Law as the people passed ouer Iordan there were six of their Tribes or principal men chosen out of theÌ„ appointed to stand on Mount Gerizzim to blesse the people if they shuld obey other sixe againe to stand vpon Mount Ebal to curse them if they should rebell Vnder the Gospell our Sauior began his preaching first with blessings but after proceeded to denuntiation of woes The Apostle to the same purpose saith We are not come to the Mount that might not be touched But we are come to Mount Sion c. As the Lord allures by mercy so he terrifies by iudgement if mercy cannot moue vs iudgement shall confound vs and that so much the more because mercy was first offered and we refused it In the opening of this Seale we haue first the Preparation Secondly the Vision it selfe and Thirdly an exposition both of this Vision and the proceeding The preparation contained in the seuenth verse is coincedent with the former and I passe it In the Vision it selfe we haue three things first the Horse his colour is pale next the Rider his name is Death thirdly his Page or foot-man following him is called Hell The Pale Horse is a Type of Pestilence and all other strange and vncouth diseases so is it expounded in the vvords following vvhich giue vs a sufficient vvarrant to exclude all other interpretations Pestilence is one of the Lords ordinary iudgements wherby he huÌ„bleth the pride of man When I send my foure sore iudgements vpon Ierusalem the Sword Famine the noisome beast and Pestilence Heere it is threatned afterwards at diuers times executed as the Historie records which iustifies this Prophecie In the yeere of our Lord foure score Vespasian being Emperour such a Pest plagued Rome that for many daies ten thousand people died in a day In the yeere two hundred three fifty Decius a vile Persecuter there was no Prouince in all the Romane Empire no Citie no House which Pestilence pursued not In the yeere two hundred six and fifty Valerian another bloudy Persecuter being Emperour such a Pest inuaded Alexandria that famous Citie of Egypt that in so populous a Towne there were not so many Citizens to be found as before the Pest it had Canos senes ancient men of white haires It were tedious to repeate all we want not domestick warnings the Light of the Gospell hath come among vs but for our vnthankefulnesse the Red Horse the Black and the Pale now and then haue visited vs though we must confesse to the glory of God his mercy that in most gentle manner the Lord hath chastised vs yet haue we need to remember that warning of the Gospell Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing come vnto thee for certainely our forgetfulnesse of the Lords by-past gentle corrections our vnthankfulnesse for his present mercies may iustly feare vs that the Lord is to enter in a sharper course against vs if we amend not And this for the Pale Horse Now he who rides vpon him is named Death we haue here then Death brought in riding on Horseback to signifie the celerity and speed wherewith hee posteth vpon the wicked howsoeuer they sleep in carelesse security and put the euill day fâ—…r from them yea and thinke with themselues that they are in couenant with death and hell yet goe where they will ride where they will go and ride as they please Death goes and rides with them he posteth after them and
signifies the Lord Iesus in whose happy fellowship and societie now they liue sub Altari id est in secretario laudis aeternae quod est sublime Altare triumphantis Ecclesiae vel sub Christi custodia et quiete This Altar is in heauen not in earth it is the high Altar of the Church triumphant their soules are in custody and quiet rest with Christ. Againe another of their owne so expounds it Sub Altari id est sub protectione et confortio Christi Vnder the Altar that is vnder the protection and fellowship of Christ. This Altar is otherwise called Paradise This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and The bosome of Abraham and the hands of the Lord Into thine hands O Lord I commend my spirit It is also called A place before the Throne where the Lord and the Lambe and the seuenfold Spirit is Of it speakes our Sauiour Father I will that those whom thou hast giuen mee be where I am This is the place of glorified soules Neither doe those Diuines reason very diuinely who say Christ cannot be this Altar because he is the Sacrifice for he is both the Sacrifice the Sacrificer and the Altar For he offred himselfe by his eternall Spirit There it is plaine that hee is the Sacrifice or thing offred and the Sacrificer also The Altar in like manner hee must be for the Altar sanctifies the Sacrifice Now by none other was our Sauiour sanctified but by himselfe none other Altar could commend him or make him acceptable to his Father his Diuinitie sanctified his humanity and his humanity was offred by his Diuinitie and vpon it Therefore to say that another not himselfe can sacrifice him or that he can be sacrificed vpon any other Altar but vpon himselfe is as great blasphemy as to bring in another sacrifice whereby the iustice of God may be satisfied Let presumptuous blinded Masse Priests consider this That were killed that is he sawe the soules of those bodies that were killed for the Word of God Death then wee see strikes but the body Feare not them who kill the body and can do no more It is like to Nebuchadnezzar his fire which burnt the cords wherewith the three children were bound but burnt not their bodies so death can do no more but loose our bands and set our soules at liberty What shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or perill or sword No in all these things wee are more then Conquerors through him that loued vs. For I am perswaded neither death nor life can separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ. Let it come and disioyne the soule from the body that it may conioyne vs with Christ. For the Word of God There is no Religion so false but it hath its own Patrones who will defend it yea and dare die for it Satan as he hath his owne Apostles so hath he also his owne Martyrs Martyres Satanicae virtutis wee must alway take heed to the cause of suffering Non poena sed causa facit Martyrem therefore he ioynes these two For the Word and testimonie which they maintained It is nothing to stand to a testimonie nay though thou shouldst die for it vnlesse thou iustifie by the Word that thy testimony is true VERSE 10. And they cryed with a lowd voice saying How long Lord Holy and True Dost thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth NOW followes in this Verse the supplication which these soules of Martyrs send vp to God in the next verse the answer which is giuen thē The voice by which they send vp their supplication is called a crying not vocall but spirituall noting the feruencie of their desires for the words of soules whereby they speake vnto God are their feruent desires Magnus eorum clamor magnum est desiderium tum Resurrectionis tum Iudicii Their great cry is their great desire both of the Resurrection and of the Iudgement to come A small desire makes but a small voice in the Lords eares but a seruent desire causes a lowd voice Animarum igitur verba ipsa sunt desideria si desiderium sermo non esset non diceret Propheta Desiderium cordis eorum andiuit auris tua that is If the desire of the soule were not a speech vnto God the Prophet would not haue said Thou hast heard the desire of their heart How long Lord It is here demanded How is this that Saints cry for vengeance Are we not commanded to loue our enemies and to pray for them To this some Diuines answer that it is not they but the sinnes of the wicked done to them that cryes for a vengeance And they obserue that there are foure crying sinnes first the filthy sin of Sodome Because the cry of Sodome and Gomorah is great I will go downe now and see whether if or not they haue done altogether according to the cry which is come vnto me Next the oppression of the widdow and fatherlesse Thou shalt not trouble any widdow nor fatherlesse childe if thou trouble such and he cry vnto me I will heare his cry Thirdly the detaining fraudulently of the wages of worke-men is also a crying sinne Thou shalt giue an hired seruant his hire for his day for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his life lest he cry against thee vnto the Lord and it be sinne vnto thee And againe The hire of the labourers holden back by fraud cryes and enters into the eares of the Lord of Hosts Fourthly innocent bloud cryes to the Lord for vengeance against them that shed it The voice of thy brothers bloud cryes to me from the ground And so here the bloud of Martyrs cryes But there is here further to be added that this cry of theirs is their own and proceeds not of any passion or desire of their priuate reuenge but onely of a zeale to the glory of God whose holinesse and truth they desire to be manifested as may be perceiued by the titles they giue the Lord in their prayer Non carnali sensu credendum est eos animositate vltionis accendi sed manifestum est contra potestatem regnum peccati or asse Adueniat regnum tuum Wee are not with carnall sense to beleeue that they were kindled with any heat of reuenge it is manifest they pray against the kingdome of sinne And in effect the summe of their prayer is Lord let thy Kingdome come Quid est animas vindictae petitionem dicere nisi diem extremum Iudicii resurrectionem corporum desiderare What else is it that Saints are said to cry for to be auenged but that they earnestly desire the day of Iudgement and Resurrection of their bodies Hoc dicunt non poenam malis optando sed voluntati Dei
se conformando de cuius impletione gaudent ita enim sunt coniuncti Deo vt de omni volito Dei gaudeant etiam in poenis parentum iuxta illud Laetabitur iustus cùm viderit vindictam so they pray not wishing punishment to euill men but conforming themselues to the will of God for they are so conioyned vnto God that they reioyce in euery thing which is his will yea and it were the punishment of their parents according to that The righteous shall reioyce when he sees the vengeance and men shall say Verily there is fruit for the righteous and there is a God that iudges in the earth They giue vnto the Lord two Titles Holy and True It is customable to Saints in their prayers vnto God to giue vnto the Lord such stiles as in effect containe arguments both to moue the Lord to heare them and to confirme themselues in the assurance of a fauourable answer and so do they here Because thou Lord art Holy thou canst not let iniquity escape vnpunished for euer The Lord will not take the wicked by the hand neither hath his Throne any fellowship with iniquitie And because thou art True thou canst not but performe thy word of Mercy promised to thine owne and of Iudgement threatned against the wicked How long Is the voice of them who want something which they would earnestly haue and assuredly expect they want their bodies they want their brethren for these they cry as we haue shewed before They haue now peace and ioy in heauen but not perfect so long as they want these two God hauing so prouided that they without vs should not be perfected Neque enim praestari decâ—…t integram beatitudinem dâ—…nec sit homo integer cui detur nec perfectione donari Ecclesiam imperfectam For it was not seemely that complete felicitie should be giuen till the man be complete to whom it is to be giuen nor yet that an imperfect Church should bee gifted with perfection But because the Iesuite Ribera sees this sentence to destroy the Inuocation of Saints he will haue it Hereticall and spareth not to charge Irenaeus Teytulltan Origen Ambrose Bernard with Luther and Caluin as Heretiques because according to the manifest truth of holy Scripture they maintaine with the Apostle that Saints departed howsoeuer they be glorified yet are not perfected till the day of Iudgement and resurrection come Now concerning prayers made by them who are in heauen wee haue spoken before Iudge and auenge These are two workes proper to the Lord first he iudges this pertaines to Cognition then he auenges this pertaines to Execution This order of processe the Lord alwaies keepes as yee may see in his first Iudiciall Court against Adam Euah Satan Serpent as likewise in his proceeding against Sodome learning all Iudges to try before they giue sentence Abraham called him The Iudge of all the world who cannot do vnrighteously The Psalmist againe stileth him O God the Auenger It is a sacrilegious violation of his glory for any flesh to vsurpe these offices Iudge not lest yee be iudged saith our Sauiour Who art thou that iudgest another mans seruant he stands or fals to his Master saith the Apostle And as for vengeance It is mine saith the Lord and I will repay Yet proud flesh will presume to iudge where it cannot auenge and oft-times is stirred vp to auenge if not with the hands at least with the tongue where they cannot iudge These know not they offer strange fire to the Lord with Nadab and Abihu which at length will not faile to returne and consume themselues On them that dwell in the earth Oftentimes in this Booke are the wicked described to be indwellers of the earth Non solum corporis habitatione sed mentis affectione not onely in regard of their corporall habitation but much more for their affection which is altogether set vpon earth it is their Iericho pleasant for situation but let them remember the waters thereof are deadly their ground barren their diuitiae and deliciae will both deceiue them at length But of this see VERSE 11. And long white Robes were giuen vnto them and it was said vnto them that they should rest for a little season vntill their fellow seruants and brethren that should be killed euen as they were were fulfilled IN the last Verse we heard the prayer of Saints now followes the answer which the Lord giueth them Their prayer is not powred out in vaine when the Lord disposeth the heart to pray it is a sure token of a fauourable answer to follow this is the Lords praise Thou preparest the heart and bendest thine eare vnto them The answer of their supplication is two waies giuen first by a signe long white Robes were giuen vnto them next by plaine speech it was said vnto them that they should rest till their fellow seruants were fulfilled The white Robe is sometime a type of the righteousnesse of Christ and sometime a type of the reward thereof Hee that ouercommeth shall be clothed in white Aray no darkenesse nor sorrow in heauen all is full of light ioy and happinesse and these Robes are said to be giuen vnto them What before they knew by faith now they know by feeling that promised reward is now put in their hand and possession here they had it in spe there they haue it in re and more particularly it is said that the Robes were giuen to euery one innumerable Saints shall be gathered together into heauen euery one of them shall haue a Crown euery one of them shall haue a white Robe none of them all shall be ouerseene but all shall be filled with ioy and glory And it was said vnto them Dictum est id est inspiratum est for the Voice whereby the Lord speakes vnto the soules of his Saints is the inspiration of his Spirit This for the manner of the answer The matter or effect is that they should rest for a little season The whole time from the daies of S. Iohn to the Lords second Comming is called a little Season and by this same Euangelist in his Epistles The last Time it was little then and short it must needs be far lesse now The number of Saints sealing the testimonie of Christ with their bloud hath beene greatly augmented since the daies of Domitian euery Kingdome and Nation that hath receiued the Gospell hath rendred their Witnesses and Martyrs in confirmation of the truth thereof The day of the Lord is not now farre of God prepare vs for it Againe it is cleere out of this place that the onely cause why Christs second Comming is delayed is because the number of his Saints is not yet accomplished The blind world vnderstands not this and therefore persecute they the Saints of God and would haue them cleane rooted out of
the earth But in so doing they are like Samson who pulled downe the house of Dagon vpon himselfe to his destruction by taking away the pillars that vpheld it For as Sodome was spared no longer but till Lot was out of it so if the Lots or Elect ones of the Lord were once fulfilled and gathered out of the world certainely it should continue and endure no longer Two stiles are giuen by this heauenly Oracle to Saints Militant here on earth both very comfortable We are called Brethren and fellow-seruants with them who are in heauen There is one Father of whom is named the whole Family both in heauen and earth All the seruants of that Family are the sonnes of God and all brethren among themselues and their Brother-hood is most excellent for first they are all quickened by one Spirit which cannot be said of any other brethren Among naturall brethren euery one hath his owne spirit but for Spirituall or Christian Brethren they are all quickned with one Spirit Secondly all Christians haue one Father and one Mother Ierusalem which is aboue And thirdly they haue all one inheritance naturall brethren cannot all be the heires of their father but Christians as they are all the sonnes of God so are they all the heires of God neither is the inheritance diminished by communication thereof vnto so many The other is that we are called their fellow-seruants so also doe they acknowledge themselues to be our fellow-seruants Conseruus tuus sum I am thy fellow seruant said the Angel to Saint Iohn Angels then and Saints glorified are not our Patroni sed Conserui they are not our Patrons that by our prayers to them wee should seek protection from them but they are our fellow-seruants and this should stirre vs vp in all carefulnesse to be answerable to our name that wee may serue and praise the Lord our God and euery way doe his holy will in earth as it is done by them in Heauen Againe it is here euident that the number of Saints elected and to be glorified is known vnto God as will appeare more plainely in the subsequent Chapter he hath them all in a roll and it is true of them all which our Sauiour said of his elect Disciples I haue lost none of those whō thou hast giuen me They are not known vnto vs onely the Lord knoweth who are his yet is euery particular Christian bound to make sure to himselfe that he is of that number Proue your selues whether ye are in the faith know yee not your owne selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except yee be reprobates The foundation and ground of our saluation is in God his vnchangeable loue and that remaines sure but the tokens of saluation are in vs this is the seale of his foundation Let euery one that calleth on the Name of the Lord depart from iniquitie And by these tokens are wee to examine our selues whether we be of that number or no According to that of Saint Peter Make sure your calling and election by wel-dooing VERSE 12. And I beheld when he had opened the sixt Seale and loc there was a great Earth-quake and the Sun was as blacke as sack-cloth and the Moone like bloud IN the first foure seales wee haue the generall course of things as they are to continue to the end foreshewed vnto vs. In the last two the generall end of all mankind and that two-fold according to their two ranks and estates the happy end of the godly discouered in the fist seale and at greater length explained in the seuenth Chapter the tragicall and dolefull end of the vvicked foreshewed in this sixt seale And this followes the former very properly In the fist seale the soules of Saints cry to God that he would auenge their bloud there the Lord promised to do it and now the number of Saints being fulfilled and sealed the Lord comes forth in terrible manner to performe it by executing his last full and finall wrath vpon the wicked which iudiciously hath beene obserued by his Maiestie The sixt seale is an accomplishment of that dissolution craued and promised in the fist seale The order lets vs see how the Lord is much mooued vvith the cry of his Saints If that vnrighteous Iudge who neither feared God nor man answered the widow because shee cryed instantly vpon him how much more will the Iudge of all the world who cannot doe vnrighteously heare his Saints who cry vnto him night and day Certainly he will be auenged of their enemies Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints This Vision by some Interpreters is expounded allegorically as if it foreshewed defections Apostasies darkning of the light of the Gospel and obscuring of the face of the Church visible this I confesse is analogall to faith but not to this Prophecie for two causes first because the darkning of the Gospel figured by the darkning of the Sun and the Apostasies of Preachers and Professors figured by the falling of starres is particularly foreshewed in the vision of the trūpets which contain the second Prophecie The other reason is more pungent for it is said here plainly that at the darkning of the Sunne and Moone at the departure of heauen falling of starres Kings Great men and Captaines were terribly afraid and therefore cannot it be vnderstood of Apostasie and defection whereof they themselues were both authors and actors Was it the obscuring of the light of the Gospel that made them to cry out Rocks and Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs It can stand with no sense for so farre were they from all feare for that matter that by the contrary they reioyced in it and did what they could to extinguish the Gospel and erect heresies to force Preachers and Professors vnto defection and in so doing they thought they did good seruice vnto God Others againe take it for a denuntiation of some externall and temporall iudgement such as vvas executed on Persecutors and specially vpon Dioclesian It is true that in the holy Scripture many of the phrases vsed here are vsed also to expresse fearefull temporall iudgements threatned against particular states and persons of wicked men Looke the denuntiation of iudgement against Babel and Egypt to expresse the horror of their plagues mention is made of the darkning of the Sunne and Moone c. And in the Prophecie of the destruction of Samaria idolatrous Apostates are brought in crying Hills and Mountains fall vpon vs and couer vs. The same phrases are also vsed to expresse the terror of the destruction of Ierusalem but these make nothing against our exposition for temporall iudgements beeing types and figures of the great and generall Iudgement properly doth the Spirit of GOD borrow the phrases of holy Scripture vsed in denuntiation of
the one to expresse the horror of the other Now because this is a speciall note and maine point the right vnderstanding whereof will giue light to the method of the vvhole Prophecie we are to know that the reason mouing sundry learned Interpreters to thinke that this seale cannot be expounded of the Day of Iudgement is for that there are many Prophecies following which must be fulfilled before that Day but this difficultie shall easily be remooued if they consider the ground we haue already laid out of Primasius that the Reuelation is Prophetia saepius repetita a Prophecie sundry times repeated and diuers wayes diducing the estate of the Church from the daies of Christ to his second Comming againe And euen they vvho vvill haue it one continued Prophecie the later Chapter beeing alway posterior in time to the matter of the Chapter preceding as they thinke are forced to interrupt that course and change their mind when they come to the twelfth Chapter for there they are drawne backe again to the first beginning of the daies of Christ. But to returne this sixt seale concludes this first generall Prophecie with a Propheticall denuntiation of the Day of Iudgement and so wee expound it for these reasons besides others which we haue shewed before First the seuenth seale hath no proper prediction of it owne as the preceding sixe haue but containes in the bosome thereof seuen Trumpets proclaiming for matter a new Prophecy different from the former Next heere is an vniuersall change of all creatures in Heauen and Earth vvhich neuer was nor neuer will be but at the day of Iudgement Thirdly all the persons of the wicked are here vniuersally iudged without exception no Babylonians nor Egyptians nor Israelites onely but all the wicked Euery free man euery bond man Fourthly it is expresly called in the Text The great Day of the Lords wrath And lastly the like prediction made by our Sauiour serues for a cleer Commentary to lead vs to expound this of the day of Iudgement For after our Lord hath foretold of great persecutions apostasies heresies of false Christs which were to come he subioynes And immediatly after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sun be darkned and the Moone shall not giue her light and the starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken Now that these speeches are not to be taken allegorically but properly as contayning a prediction of that fearefull concussion of this Vniuerse which shall be made in that great Day of the Lord is most euident by that which followes Then shal appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in the heauen c. And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of the Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the foure winds and from the one end of heauen to the other Thus is our Commentary made cleare that this mutation of the creature foretold here shall fall out in that great Day wherein the Lord Iesus shall iudge the quick and dead This terror of the day of Iudgment is described from two-fold terrible effects thereof first vpon the creature insensible Earth Iles Mountaines Heauen Sun Moone Stars ver 12. 13. 14. Next vpon the creature reasonable but reprobate of all sorts ver 15. 16. 17. For the first it is said There was a great Earthquake The word in the Originall imports more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cōcussion of the Vniuerse or whole fabrick of the world As to earthquake it is either ordinary proceeding of naturall causes ayre enclosed in the bosome of the earth or else extraordinary an angry and fearefull God shaking the earth with his powerfull hand as was that when Christ our Lord was crucified The darkning of the Sunne in like manner is either naturall whē by interposition of the Moone between the Sunne and the Earth the light of the Sunne is eclipsed and cut off from some parts of the earth or else it is supernaturall such as vvas that darkning of the Sunne when our Lord was crucified For when the sixt houre was come darknes arose ouer all the Land vntill the ninth Which moueci Dionysius Areopagita then an Ethnick Philosopher but after conuerted by Saint Paul and made a Christian after he 〈◊〉 considered that the darknesse could not be naturall hee guae out this sentence of it Aut Deus nature patitur an t mundi machina dissoluetur Either the God of nature now suffereth or the world now must be dissolued And the Moone was like bloud As the Sunne in that day shall cast downe his countenance vpon the wicked and refuse to giue them light because they refused the most comfortable light of the Gospel so shall the Moone persecure them with the terrible lookes of a bloudy face because they shed the bloud of the Saints of God VERSE 13. And the starres of heauen fell vnto the earth as a fig-tree casteth her greene figges when it is shaken of a mighty wind THe iudgement still increases terror thereof wherin we may see how all creatures both in heauen and earth offer their seruice to the Creator for the execution of his iust vengeance vpon the wicked Euery one of them sights in their course against the enemies of the Lord the earth tembles vnder them and reeles to and fro as vnable any longer to beare the burden of their iniquitie and shall not rest till at length shee open her mouth and swallow them The Sunne the Moone the Starres shall refuse to comfort them with their light Thus at one time shall they finde the Creator and all his creatures against them It is true that euen now the wicked are vnder wrath yet thinke they their estate good enough for they loue the creature more then the Creator So long as they enioy the comfort of the creature feele not the indignation of the Creator as shortly they will doe in their misery they blosse themselues but in the end when all creatures shal forsake them and the Lord the righteous Iudge of the world shall come in anger to pursue them yea and their owne conscience shall also witnesse against them Then shall their vnhappy estate be discouered to themselues and they shall cry as after followes Rocks and Mountaines fall vpon vs and couer vs. And this should serue for a warning to vs sith the comfort of all creatures will faile vs yea thy own heart and flesh will faile thee Let vs seek the Lord in time then shall wee be sure of Dauid his comfort God the portion of my soule will neuer faile mee Set our hearts vpon that which is permanent but let vs not rest in things vanishing Who will dwell willingly in a ruinous habitation Si in habitaculo tuo parietes vetustate nutarent tecta desuper tremerent domus iam fagitata aedificiis
Lord. But consider the end let all flesh looke into this Mirror and in time learne to embrace the counsell of God Be wise now therefore ye Kings be learned ye Iudges of the earth serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath shall suddenly burne Blessed are all that trust in him VERSE 16. And said to the Mountames and Rocks Fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe TWo things here we haue first to whom doe the Reprobates runne in this desperate estate next what doe they craue They run to the creature Rocks and Mountaines But haue they eares to heare or can they protect when the Lord pursues This is their blindnesse they loued the creature more then the Creator In their necessitie they seeke comfort in the creature but can finde none a iust recompence of their error But why doe they not cry to the Lord Surely because they dare not they see nothing in him but vvrath vvhich their owne consciences tell them they haue most iustly deserued they find within themselues a condemnatorie sentence which they knowe cannot be recalled Let vs in time seeke mercy so long as it may be found the day before the Trumpet blowe mercie will be preached vnto men but they who receiue it not yet then shall neuer find it afterward By their folly let vs learne wisedome The onely rocke of our refuge is the Lord Iesus Christ if wee runne to him in time hee shall hide vs and saue vs from that fearefull vvrath which is to come The Romane Doctors vpon this place build vp as they thinke a sure ground for their inuocation of creatures they said to the Mountaines that is to the Saints and to the Rocks that is to the confirmed Angels Hide vs from the Lambe And hitherto they abuse that place of the Psalmist I lift mine eyes to the Mountaines from whence commeth mine helpe that is to the Saints VVhat a grosse ignorance is this Will Saints and Angels goe between the Lord and the wicked when they shall be iudged Shall they not rather assist the Lord in iudging them Know ye not that the Saints shall iudge the world Or what doe they meane to propose that vnto them for imitation vvich is here condemned in the wicked as vttered by them in their desperation These and such like are the sundry foundations vvhereupon stand the pillars of Papistry A twofold error in them is here manifest They lay another foundation then that vvhich is layd vvhich is Iesus Christ. And againe pretend of Christ what they will sure it is they build not vpon him gold and siluer but stubble and hay which will not abide the triall of the fire But now what craue they that the Rocks and Mountaines would fall vpon them and hide them from the presence of him that sits vpō the throne O desperate folly can Mountaines hide thee from the Lord Are they not a part of that Chrystall Globe which is before the Throne and is transparent to the Lord they liued all their dayes out of Gods presence not that his eye did not behold them and marke them in all their waies but their eyes looked not vp to him and therefore now may they not abide his presence Let vs leaue them and learne at Dauid when he had considered with himselfe that there was no flying from the Lord Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy Presence He betooke him to this resolution I set the Lord alway before me hee is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide Sith we cannot flee from the Lord let vs flee to him there is no defence against his vnsupportable wrath but to hide vs vnder the mantle of his mercy There are two feares which trouble two sorts of men the feare of Sin and the feare of Death which is the punishment of sinne the godly in their life feare nothing so much as sinne they fight continually against it they desire nothing more then to be quit of it O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death And therefore is it that hauing ouercome sinne they feare not death when it commeth more then a Serpent that wants a sting The wicked on the contrarie in their life feare nothing but death they flie it as the center of their sorrowes because they cannot eschew it all their care is to prolong it as for sinne they feare it not It is a pastime to a foole to doe wickedly But when their Terme-Day commeth and conscience wakens against them to pursue them for their sinnes and lets them see wrath due to their sinnes then seeke they Death as a remedy of their sorrowes but shall not find it yea they would vndergoe the most painefull death euen to bee pressed quicke to the death by the weight of Mountaines that they might bee freed of the heauie burthen of their sinnes VERSE 17. For the great Day of his wrath is come and who can stand THe day of Iudgement is called A great Day of wrath First because all the children of wrath shall be iudged in that Day none excepted Next because all the Vialls of Gods wrath shall then be powred vpon them an vniuersall deluge of all the plagues of God shall then ouerflow them The wicked put the euill day farre from them the vnfaithfull seruant thinkes his Master will not come Mockers will say Where is the promise of his comming As the kinsmen of Lot regarded not his praediction of Sodoms destruction ab vno dicebatur à multis ridebatur it was spoken by one and scorned by many but they felt the force and fury of that scorching fire shortly after so no lesse assuredly shall all the wicked who repent not feele the weight of that terrible wrath both on their soulos and bodies they shall confesse at length The great Day of his wrath is come that Day which wee despised that Day which we scorned that Day which we thought would neuer be That Day of the Lord is now come Two things perturbe and confound the wicked The one is without them the terrible presence of the Iudge or wrath of the Lambe Hee that is a Lambe to his owne lookes to the wicked like a deuouring Lyon And not without cause is the name of a Lambe here attributed to the Iudge for sure it is that iudgement iustly inflicted will not torment the wicked so much as mercy wilfully despised Terrible will it be to them when they looke to the Lambe who hath giuen mercy to so many and so many times offered mercy to themselues and now see him refuse all mercy to them because they despised it iustly shall the meek face of
the Lambe be turned to them in the terrible face of a Lyon and as I said mercy despised shall torment them more then iudgement inflicted The other thing that perturbes the wicked is within them a sensible infirmity in themselues through the guiltie conscience that makes them vnable to stand before the Lord Who can stand The wicked are as the chaffe which the winde driueth away they shall not stand in iudgement Let vs beware of both these see wee despise not mercy offered let vs carefully purge our conscience Who shall ascend into the Mountaine of the Lord Who shall stand in his holy place He that hath innocent hands and a pure heart So shall that Day of the Lord fearefull to the wicked be vnto vs a ioyfull day of Redemption and of sweet Refreshment The Lord grant we may so finde it CHAP. VII VERSE 1. And after that I saw foure Angels stand on the foure corners of the earth holding the foure windes of the earth that the winds should not blow on Earth nor Sea nor any Tree THIS Chapter is a pendicle of the precedent and appertaines to the first Prophecie of this Booke which we called Generall In it per Anabasin we haue a larger explication of the fifth and sixth Seales with a notable consolation for the godly presently subioyned after the Prediction of that most fearefull desperate and comfortlesse end of the wicked which shortly will come vpon them For there we heard all manner of reprobate men sorrowfully lamenting and crying that Mountaines might couer them Here we are all told that the godly shall not be inuolued with them in their desperate estate the Lord by his owne Seale separates them from the wicked and foreshewes that happy estate wherein they shall liue for euer and euer The Chapter hath two parts the first enlarges that which hath beene briefly set downe in the fift and sixt Seale for in the fift Seale Saints cry for a dissolution of the world and for finall iudgement to auenge their bloud on them who dwell on earth there they are desired to rest vntill their fellow-seruants were fulfilled In the sixt Seale that dissolution of the world and iudgement on the wicked craued by Saints and promised by the Lord is represented to S. Iohn Both these in the first part of this seuenth Chapter are more cleerely expounded For first S. Iohn sees foure Angels standing at the foure corners of the earth ready to ouerturne the world and to fold it vp like an old Vesture as was figured in the sixt Seale and this we haue ver 1. Next these Angels are inhibited and forbidden to destroy the world vntill the seruants of God be first sealed and secured as was promised in the fift Seale and this we haue ver 2. 3. together with the number of them that are sealed till we come to the thirteenth verse From that to the end is described the happie condition of Saints set downe in plaine termes and directly opposite to that wofull condition of Reprobates mentioned in the sixt Seale so this from ver 15. to the end makes vp the second part of this Chapter The first part letting vs see how the world is conserued till Saints be fulfilled and sealed the other part shewing vs their ioyfull and happy estate Wherein it is very comfortable to obserue the opposition which is made betweene the miserable estate of the wicked in the end of the sixt chapter and happy estate of Saints in the end of this seuenth They had shed the bloud of the seruants of God and therefore the Moone with a bloudie face lookes vpon them and all creatures concurre to bee auenged of them Heere the Saints come safe through all these tribulations and make their Robes white in the bloud of the Lambe There the Sunne waxed black and withdrew his light from the wicked heere Saints haue no need of the light of the Sunne for the Lamb gouernes them ver 16. 17. And the glory of God and the Lamb is their light Againe there the wicked flie from the presence of God and may not abide it but here Saints are in the presence of the Throne of God ver 15. There the wicked cry that Mountaines might hide them from him that sits on the Throne but here hee that sitteth on the Throne dwelleth among his Saints and they serue him for euer ver 15. These things thus compared together may let the iudicious Reader see how this Chapter is a proper pendicle of the sixt explaining at length some things shortly and obscurely set downe in the former So that in these two Chapters we haue the first Prophecie of this Booke which I call generall absolued and in the beginning of the eighth Chapter we are to looke for a second Prophecie which continues to the twelfth And I saw foure Angels This Verse as I haue said lets vs see how the Angels standing at the foure corners of the earth are ready to ouerturne the world and to fold it vp like an old Vesture if the Lord did not stay them That they are said to be foure is a certaine number for an vncertaine yet imports it that they are sufficient for one at euery corner of a sheet or vesture as the Psalmist termeth this Vniuerse are able enough to fold it vp What these Angels are whether good or euill is disputed among the Diuines but without a cause for sometime by good Angels the Lord punisheth euill men as was done to the Egyptians Sodomites and Assyrians sometime by euill Angels hee exerciseth good men so S. Paul was buffeted with an Angell of Satan for maruellous is the Lord in working with his Saints Satan in his fighting against them fights for them and destroies himselfe into them But that these are good Angels appeares by the speech which Christ vseth vnto them ver 2. Hurt not the earth till wee haue sealed the seruants of our God in their fore-head hee speakes to Angels hee speakes of Saints redeemed and inuolueth them both in the fellowship of one God with himselfe Beside this the execution of that last Iudgement is commonly ascribed to the holy Angels The Lord shall descend from heauen with a showt and with the Voice of the Arch-Angell and with the Trumpet of God And againe When the Sonne of man shall come in his glory the holy Angels shall also come with him then shall the sheepe bee separated from the Goates That this shall be done by Angels is euident in the Parable of the Haruest The Haruest is the end of the world the Reapers are the Angels And to this same purpose Angels here are brought in as executors of the last Iudgement to ouer-turne the world Holding the foure windes of the earth I leaue here those allegoricall interpretations whereby this is expounded to be the restraint of the Gospell which is the breathing of the holy Spirit
Song they are euerie one of them as I said by themselues beautifull and glorious but so much the more beautifull as they are many and diuers agreeing all in one vnitie As in a Musicall Instrument the sound is sweeter if the strings be many yet concordant Nam sâ—…nus sâ—…auissimus â—…it ex diuersis non aduersis sonis ita sancti habebunt tune differentias suas consonantes non dissonantes So is it with Saints howsoeuer different in regard of many sorts of people whereof they consist yet agree they all in one sweete consonance and harmonie among themselues Saluation In this one word of saluation they comprise the whole benefits of our Redemption the greatnesse of this saluation will best be knowne by looking to that three-fold condemnation from which God hath deliuered vs and whereof wee haue spoken Rom. 8. ver 1. All the glory of our saluation they ascribe to the Lord and to none other they look neither to Angell nor man but giue the glorie of saluation to the mercies of God and merites of the Lamb. The discordance of Popish Hymnes from this Song of Saints shewes them to be Antichristian for in all their songs prayers there soundeth an vncouth voice of the merits of men yea in their Masse-booke they are not ashamed to pray that they may come to heauen by another bloud then the bloud of the Lambe Their distinction of principally and secondarily will not free them of blasphemy Our saluation say they principally is from God and the Lambe but secondarily it must be helped by our owne merites and the merites of others No such word haue we in this heauenly Song If they would sing this Song with vs and say Amen to it as Angels do in the next verse Controuersies betweene Christian Catholiques and them that will be called Catholiques Romane were the more easily ended But heresies must be that such as are approued may be tryed VERSE 11. And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the foure liuing creatures and they fell before the Throne on their faces and worshipped God THE former thankes-giuing of Saints is here seconded by Angels not onely saying Amen and so approuing that which redeemed Saints haue said before but also v. 12. subioyne to this same purpose a new Thankes-giuing of their own where first we haue to obserue the order of the heauenly Court first we haue the Throne vpon which sitteth the blessed Trinitie the Father the Sonne and the seuen-fold Spirit proceeding from both O what a coÌ„fort is it in the sight of Angels and Saints redeemed the Man Iesus Redeemer of Saints sitteth on the Throne with the Father next to the Throne are the soure liuing creatures representing the chiefe and principall order of Angels as we haue shewed chap. 4. Then about them stand the foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Church of Saints redeemed and then in a circle about them stands the whole companie of other Angels What great comfort wee haue of this hath beene declared in the 4. chapter Stood round about the Throne In the ninth verse it hath beene said that redeemed Saints stood before the Throne now Angels are also said to stand about the Throne They stand neuer fell grace preserued them wee fell and were in the transgression but grace raised vs vp againe and makes vs now to stand before the Throne O what a mercy hath the Lord shewed vpon vs If wee would know it let vs looke to the Reprobate Angels Of them so saith S. Iude The Angels who kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation hee hath reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great Day To this same purpose also saith Saint Peter God spared not the Angels that had sinned but cast them downe into hell and deliuered them into chaines of darkenesse to be keps vnto damnation yet man that sinned the Lord hath spared hee fell from his first estate as the Angels did yet did not the Lord cast him downe to hell nor deliuer him to Chaines of darkenesse as hee did them but mercifully hath raised him vp againe and made him to sit in the heauenly places in Christ Iesus And now hee stands before the Throne in the company of these blessed and elect Angels that stand and neuerfell Let vs meditate vpon this mercy which our narrow hearts can neuer sufficiently vnderstand Oh that we were as we should thankefull for it And they fell on their faces Before the Angels were said to couer their faces with wings now againe they fall on their faces noting no other thing then their humble reuerence in praysing God and recommending the reuerence of bodily humiliation to vs in the worshipping of God It is written of S. Iames the Apostle that his knees with frequent kneeling and his fore-head with often bowing it to the ground in the time of prayer obduruisse callo were become so hard vt nihil ferè à Cameli pedibus si duritiem spectes discreparent that they differed not in hardnesse from the knees or feete of a Camel But now men are become so delicate that they thinke it reuerence enough to discouer the head to fall on their face they will not yea scarse bow the knee to the ground to honour the Lord. Now when they fall on their face it is said They worshipped God In all this Court of heauen there is no worshipping of Angels Patriarches or Apostles all the sound of their voices is for to giue the Lord the glory of saluation and all the gesture they vse is to giue worship to the Lord onely and none other VERSE 12. Saying Amen Praise and glorie and wisedome and thankes and honour and power and might be to our God for euermore Amen THE former Song of Saints is now approued by Angels and they say Amen vnto it they will giue no part of the glorie of saluation to any man they will take none of it to themselues The consent of the Catholike Church consisting of Men and Angels we haue in the preceding confession Papists glory in their multitude and call this confession Hereticall which reserues the glory of saluation to God onely but there are more with vs then with them all the Angels of heauen say Amen vnto it Let vs keep the tenor of the heauenly Song choosing rather to be falsly named Heretiques with Saints and Angels then falsly named Catholiques with Papists who can neuer praise the Lord freely and fully but reserue a part of his glory to the creature Concerning the vse of the particle Amen we haue spoken before Praise and glory It contents them not by saying Amen to approue the Song of Saints but they will also praise God by theÌ„selues A warning to many of our cold Professors who will sit in the Church to heare God praised but not
vertue may be learned froÌ„ the Paschal Lambe which was a type of Christ Iesus When God slew all the first-borne in euery house of Egypt by his destroying Angell such houses as had the posts of their doores sprinkled with bloud were spared The Lord Iesus shal be a couering to his Saints to saue them from that wrath wherein the wicked shall perish His pacifying vertue is touched by the Apostle Being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God And againe The bloud of Christ cryeth for better things then the bloud of Abel But let vs take heed vnto our selues vnlesse we feele his purging vertue who naturally are vnclean the comfort of his protecting and pacifying vertue cannot be ours VERSE 15. Therfore are they in the presence of the Throne of God and serue him day and night in his Temple and he that sits on the Throne will dwell among them THe Sâ—…ignior hauing declared to Saint Iohn what these were whom he saw clothed in white garments with palmes in their hands to wit redeemed Saints not militant but hauing ended their warrefare and gotten the victory not vnder tribulation but come out of tribulation Hee now proceedeth and shortly describes their felicitic and happy estate wherein now they are and that in two points First in the affluence aboundance which they haue of al good next in their freedom and exemption from all euill In this verse three things are set downe concerning them First where are they In the presence of the Throne of God Next what doe they there they serue him day and night Thirdly what get they for that He that sitteth on the Throne will dwell among them By this phrase the vnspeakeable ioy communicated to them by the Lord is figured This can not be vnderstood of any estate of the Church militant here on earth neither of Iewes conuerted nor other Christians deliuered from the tyrannic of Antichrist as some Interpreters will haue it These words are not competent to Saints militant they hunger no more they thirst no more God shall wipe away allteares from their eyes In this valley of teares when shall we when shuld we be without teares Blessed are they who hunger thirst now for righteousnesse they shall be satisfied Now we hunger are blessed there they hunger no more but are fully satisfied The Millenaries of old had an opinion somewhat like this that Saints after Christ his comming for a thousand yeeres should possesse the earth by themselues without all tribulation but neither before his comming nor after is any such quiet estate of the Church here vpon earth warranted by the holy Scripture Therefore This is relatiue to the words immediatly preceding They haue made their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe therefore are they in the presence of God There is no fellowship vvith God but by the Lord Iesus Euery man in this presumptuous age saith that he hath Iesus but Iesus is a Physician of great value If thou haue him he will cleanse thee from the filthy leprosie of thy sinnes Art thou not cleansed then hast thou not Iesus and without him thou canst not be admitted into the comfortable presence of God The last Chapter was concluded with the tragicall and fearfull end of the wicked The day of the Lords wrath is come who can stand said they The wicked shall not stand in iudgement but shall bee banished from the presence of his glory But here wee see how the godlystand before the Throne are in the presence of God As their courses in their life are coÌ„trary to other so shal their ends be God giue vs grace to make choice of the best For we see before vs the way wherein they walked and the order which they obserued who now are in the kingdome of heauen first they are washed in the blood of Christ and then they are in the presence of God if we would come where they are let vs keepe the course wherein they walked Before Ioseph was presented vnto Pharao his head was shauen his nailes were pared his garments changed and must not wee cut away from vs our superfluities before wee be admitted into the presence of God Esther was six moneths purified with oile of myrrhe and other six moneths with sweet odors before she was married with Ahasuerus And shall wee thinke to be where the Lord is without a similitude with him Or what similitude can wee haue with that holy One except that first we be washed and cleansed from our naturall vncleanenes In the presence of God There is a threefold presence of God First a presence of his goodnesse next a presence of his grace and thirdly a presence of his glory whereof here is spoken The presence of his goodnesse he grants vnto all men in the vtter Court of his Palace for he maketh the Sunne to shine and the raine to fall vpon the iust and the vniust Who may not see the goodnesse of the Lord in the manifold good creatures which hee hath created The earth is full of his goodnesse yea the inuisible things of God that is his eternall power and godhead are seene in the creation of the world The light of this presence hath learned natural men many things concerning God by it the Platonies saw Deum omnia ista fecisse à nullâ—… fieri potuisse that God had made all these things and could not be made of any other himselfe yea they ascended farre higher to vnderstand much more coÌ„cerning the nature of God as more at large is set down in that same place by Saint Augustine And yet all this knowledge gotten in the court or schoole of the creature did but make them to be without excuse because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God The presence of his grace hee giueth to his Saints specially in their holy assemblies there by the preaching of his Word and operation of his holy Spirit hee sheweth himselfe a gracious mercifull and reconciled God to them in Christ they seeke him and worship him in Spirit and truth and he speakes peace vnto them and secretly by his holy Spirit witnesses vnto their hearts that hee is their Father that is his little Sanctuarie I meane his Church narrower by much then the vtter great court as I haue called it in that wherein all men see his goodnesse in this hee is familiar with his Saints and they onely see and feele his grace Of this presence speaketh Dauid for in his banishment hee longed for it My soule thirsteth for GOD euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God and what presence he meanes of he expounds himselfe That he might goe with the multitude and lead them into the house of God with the voyce of singing and praise for God in a speciall manner appeares in
house for euer Hee had said immediately before He that committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne and then terrible is that which followeth The seruant abides not in the house for euer What then shall the Lambe who is without sinne be in the house himselfe alone Shall no sinners come there Shall hee be a King and Lord without Subiects Cui haerebit caput si non erit corpus Where shall the head be if it haue not a bodie Oh but marke what immediately he subioynes Filius autem manebit in aeternum the Son shall abide in the house for euer Non sine causa terruit spem dedit It is not without cause said S. Augustine that in one sentence hee hath both terrified vs and comforted vs hee hath terrified vs that we should not loue sinne hee hath comforted vs that we should not despaire for sinne If yee demand then where is our hope sith we are sinners and the Lord hath said The seruant abides not in the house for euer for he is a seruant that commits sinne Here is your hope and hearken vnto it The Sonne abideth in the house for euer If we were but seruants and not sonnes wee had cause of discouragement but here is our comfort wee were seruants but now are become sonnes If the Sonne make you free yee shall be free indeed such seruants are wee now as are free-men also And he that sitteth on the Throne will dwell c. This is the third and last part of this verse as they serue him so hee most graciously recompenseth them noted here by this speech that hee dwels among them The phrase imports the communication of all good For among men where Kings haue their dwelling there is the aboundance of euery good thing that can be had in the Kingdome but much more is here signified yea infinitely more Ahasuerus one of the momentanean Monarchs of the earth made a feast to his Princes of an hundred and seuen and twenty Prouinces the feast lasted an hundred and foure score daies and seuen daies againe for the common people all this he did that hee might shew the riches and glory of his Kingdome and honour of his great Maiestie and his Maiesty shortly after turned into dust and ashes Why then do I bring him in To make a comparison No way What is the light of a halfe-peny candle to the Sunne Yet haue I spoken of him that if we can from small things we may ascend to the consideration of greater What a great feast must this bee which the Lord shall make in heauen to his Saints Hee dwelleth among them hee flitteth not hee is their King for euer and they are not gathered out of an hundred and seuen twenty Prouinces but out of all Nations Tongues and Languages This Feast is not for an hundred foure score and seuen daies but for euer and euer O happie habitation O dwelling full of delight The word which the Spirit of God here vseth imports all this and much more then we can conceiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee shall bee as a Tent or Tabernacle to spread ouer them to obumbrate them and protect them The like is promised in other places I will dwell among them and walke there I will be their God and they shall bee my people In this life the Lord dwelleth in his Saints and with them dâ—…rigendo ad finem adipiscendum guiding and directing them to the end whereunto he hath ordained them but in heauen he dwelleth with his Saints Conseruandoeos in fine adepto conseruing them in that end and happy estate whereunto his grace hath brought them But as I said what great glorie and ioy Saints haue by the Lord hsi dwelling among them cannot now be vnderstood Moses was but forty dayes with the Lord on Mount Sinai and his face when hee came downe shined so brightly that his people might not behold him How then shall the glory of the Lord his lightsome countenance illuminate them with whom he shall dwell for euer Alway the vse of all is they serue him and hee dwels among them to satiate and replenish them with his ioyes and pleasures their seruice wants not the owne recompence yea all the benefite of their seruice redounds to themselues where we must obserue a great difference between the seruice of God and of man other Masters seeke and entertaine seruants for some vantage to themselues for who will maintaine seruants but for their owne ease and commodity It is not so with the Lord his seruants can profite him nothing all the benefite redounds to himselfe This Dauid humbly doth acknowledge My goodnesse extends not to thee And againe when he had offered liberally for the building of the Temple then said hee Who am I and what are my people that we should bee able to offer willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine owne hand haue we giuen thee The like of this hath Iob May a man be profitable to the Lord Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou art righteous or is it prâ—…fitable to him that thou makest thy waies vpright But yet more cleerely explaines hee the same in another place If thou sinne what dost thou against him If thou be righteous what dost thou to him Or what receiues hee at thine hand Thy wickednesse may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousnesse may profit the sonne of man But the All-sufficient Maiestie of God is neither encreased by thy good nor empaired by thine euill Why then will yee demand doth hee seek seruice Onely that of his superaboundant goodnesse hee may haue occasion to blesse thee If hee craue any thing from thee it is not because hee needeth thee but because thou needest him hee seeketh to the end that hee may giue Oh that we would consider this and so be encouraged to serue our God! Euen in this life the wages which he hath already payed vs in hand should encourage vs to serue him Hee may iustly demand of vs Who among you all doth open the doore of my Temple for nothing Wee can neuer serue him sufficiently for that which hee hath giuen vs already but the wages payed are nothing in comparison of those which are promised VERSE 16. They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sunne light on them nor yet any heate THE description of the felicitie of Saints in heauen hauing finished their warrefare on earth still continueth They shall hunger and thirst no more In that he saith no no more hee tells vs he is comparing that life which is to come with this which we haue now In this life the dearest Saints of God are oftentimes most hardly handled So S. Paul professes of himselfe that he was oft times in wearinesse and painefulnesse in hunger and thirst in cold and
Why some wicked mâ—… are plagued now and some spared Psal. 58. 11. Corrections of Gods children are with measure Esay 27. 6 7 8. He dealeth not so with the wicked Pâ—…imas in Apoc. Good thingâ—… prepared for good men whereof the wicked shall not be partakers Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 1. c. 8. But the temporall good and euill of this life is common to both Deuouring beasts one of Gods ordinary plagues Hos. 2. 18. Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. Ezech. 14. 2. Kings 17. 25. Plin. lib 8. ca. 29. Examples of base beasts punishing the pride of man One thing God offers to men and men wil not haue it Three things that men would haue from God and God will not giue them A iust recompence Psal. 16. 4. Psal. 32. 10. Comfort to Saints suffering death is brought in by the fift seale A sight which Saints out of the body haue of God and of themselues An answere to them who ask if Saints shall know one another in heauen Mat. 5. 8. 1. Iohn 3. 3. Two examples prouing probably that it will be so Gen. 2. 23. Mat. 17. But our knowledge there shall be far different from that which we haue now An argument for the immortality of the Soule Athanas. Altars honored with relikes of Martyrs haue no warrant here This Altar vnder which soules rest is the Lord Iesus Carthus in hunc locum Hugo Cardinal Luke 23. Luke 16. Psal. 30. Reuel 7. Iohn 17. 24. How Christ is both the sacrifice the sacrificer and the Altar Heb. 9. 14. Death compared to Nebuchadnezzars fire Mat. 10. 28. It burnes our bands but hurts not our selues Rom. 8. 35. 36. No religion so false but it hath some to defend it and dye for it The crying of Saints notes their feruent desire Greg. lib. 2. Moral cap. 6. Ibid. Psal. 10. 17. How Saints cry for vengeance Foure sorts of crying sinnes Gen. 18. 20 21 Exod. 22. 22 23 Deut. 24. 14 15 Iam. 5. 4. Gen. 4. 10. They cry not out of passion or priuate reuenge but out of zeale vnto God his glory Primas in hunc locum Greg. Moral 2. cap. 6. Manuscript Saints are so conioyned to the Lord that to his will and not their own they conforme themselues Psal. 58. 10 11. In prayer Saints giue God such Stiles as may best mooue him and assure them of a good answer Psal. 94. 20. Felicity of Saints Triumphant is not yet complete and why Heb. 11. 40. Bern. in sesto omnium sanct ser. 2 3. Ribera in hunc locum Some worthy Fathers charged by Ribera for Hereticks falsly God first iudges then hee auenges In al his processe cognition goeth before execution Gen. 18. 25. Psal. 94. 1. To iudge and reuenge appertaines to the Lord. Math. 7. 1. Rom. 14. 4. Rom. 12. 19. Why worldly men are called Inhabitants of the earth 2. King 2. A heart set to pray is a forerunner of a fauourable answer Answer to Saints is giuen here first by a signe of white Robes secondly by Speech What their white Robe signifies Reu. 3. 5. Saints know that in heauen by sight and feeling which heere they know by faith God speakes vnto soules by inspiring them Aug. ser. 1. de Sanct. 1. Ioh. 2. 18. Last Day now is not farre off Last day delayed till Saints be accomplished Foolish are the wicked who persecute Saints Iudg. 16. 30. Gen. 19. Saints called brethren for three causes 1 They haue all one Father Ephes. 3. 15. 2 They are all quickned by one Spirit Galat. 4. 26. 3 They are all borne to one inheritance How all Saints are fellow-seruants Reuel 22. 9. Angels are not our patrons but our patterns of whom we should learne Number of Saints is known to God 2. Tim. 2. 19. 2. Cor. 13. 5. Yet should cuety Saint make sure to himselfe that he is of that number 2. Tim. 2. 19. 2. Pet. 1. 1. 10. The summe of the sixt seale In the fist seale 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for iudgement in the sixt God answereâ—… them Iaco. Rex â—…rit For the cry of Saints moueth the Lord much Luk. 18. Gen. 18. 25. Psal. 116. 15. The sixt seale should not bee expounded allegorically for two reasons 1 Because the prophecy of apostasy comes not in here but in the subsequent ptophecy 2 Apostasie could not terrify great men as here themselues being authors and actors of it Neither is this sixt seale to be vnderstood of a temporall iudgement Esay 13. 10. Ezech. 32. 7. Hos. 10. 7. Luke 23. 30. Arguments mouing some Interpreters to thinke that the sixt seale cannot import the Day of Iudgement are answered Arguments prouing that it is to be expounded of the Day of Iudgement 1 The seuenth seale for etels nothing as the rest doc but introduces seuen trumpets to foretell 2 The sixt seale brings an vniuersall change of al creatures 3 All the wicked vniuersally are iudged in it 4 It is plainly said to bee the great Day of the Lord. 5 Collation of this place with the words of our Sauiour proues that it is so Mat. 24. 29. Luke 21. 25. Marke 13. 24. Who can deny this to point out the Day of Iudgement Terrour of the last Day two wayes described 1 From the effects thereof on the insensible creature 2 Vpon reasonable creatures but reprobates of all sorts Earthquake is either ordinary or extraordinary Darkning of the Sunne likewise is either naturall or supernaturall Marke 15. 33. The bloudy Moone what it meanes All creatures conspire to serue the Lord in punishing his enemies Now the wicked are vnder wrath but hauing the comfort of the creature they feele it not Rom. 1. But at last the creature also shall forsake them Psal. 73. Sith comfort of creatures will faile all flesh let vs in time seeke the Creator Cypria de mortal Heb. 12. 28. Starres falling like figges Teaches vs that no state can stand when God shakes it Nahum 3. 12. The world shal fall yet it come to a ripe age Heauen departing like a scrole expounded These creatures shall not perish in their substance but be changed in their qualities Rom. 8. 21. They like seruants shall receiue a new liuery when the Kings sonne shall marry his Spouse Psal. 102. 25 26 This is cleared by the Psalmist and Saint Peter 2. Pet. 3. 10. 2. Pet. 3. 13. Euery losse which man hath receiued from sinne Satan shall be repaired by Iesus This is not to be extended to Reprobates and excrements of the earth The terrour which the last day shall work in the reasonable but reprobate creature Seuen ranks of men contayning all combinations wherein flesh can haue confidence Rom. 2. 11. Yet when they are all ioyned they cannot resist iudgement Exod. 5. 2. 2. Chro. 32. 14. A glasse for proud flesh to looke into Psal 2. 10 11 12 The wicked in their distresse crie to the creature For their conscience they dare not run to their Creator What a sure ground is here for Papists to build their inuocation of creatures
in deedes secrecie in thoughts beseeming a Secretary fidelity in seruice of your Soueraigne surety in friendship modesty in all your behauiour If education of your children in true Religion If good example in the obseruance of God his publike worship euery Sabboth If indefatigable paines in your Calling for the good of the publique State wherein nothing can bee seene all the dayes of the weeke but Catenati labores mutandi semper grauioribus so that iustly it may bee admired how in so weake a body such restlesse labor of mind may be sustained If all these I say may commend any man then hath your Lordshippe witnesses enow to speake for you and needes not the testimony of others Loe now what a heape of good things hath the Lord multiplied vpon you what remaines but that you consider with Dauid What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefites towards mee Hee himselfe will giue you the answere My well-doing extends not to the Lord but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the Excellent all my delight is in them Great cause had Dauid to loue Ionathan hee could not get himselfe to requite his kindnesse but hee enquired if any man were left of the house of Saul that hee might shew him mercy for Ionathans sake and when hee vnderstood that hee had a weake sonne Mephibosheth lame of both his feete he despised him not for his inability but aduanced him for Ionathans sake to eat at his owne table as one of the Kings sonnes My Lord our Ionathan is the Lord Iesus wee haue not himselfe but for his sake wee are bound to shew mercy to his Mephibosheths these are the Leuites the Widdow the Fatherlesse the Poore the Stranger and the Oppressed Let not the Leuite want the comfort of the Law in his righteous cause Look with a tender eye to the vpright action of weake and impotent men God is a righteous Iudge to all men but he hath taken these aboue others vnder his singular protection Thinke it your honour and happinesse also to be a Protector of them So shall your Lordship prosper still and God shall stablish blessings vpon you and your posterity I will pray to God for it and so rest Your Lordships to be commanded William B. of Galloway Of my Lord of Galloway his learned Commentary on the Reuelation TO this admir'd Discouerer giue place Yee who first tam'd the Sea the Windes outranne And match'd the Dayes bright Coach-man in your race Americus Columbus Magellan It is most true that your ingenious care And well-spent paines another world brought forth For Beasts Birds Trees for Gemmes and Metals rare Yet all being earth was but of earthly worth Hee a more precious World to vs descryes Rich in more Treasure then both Indes containe Faire in more beauty then mans witte can faine VVhose Sunne not sets whose people neuer dies Earth shuld your Brows deck with stil-verdant Bayes But Heauens crowne his with Stars immortall rayes Master William Drumond of Sawthorn-denne Another REapers not few did labour in this field And it to them great store of fruit did yeeld But heere comes one apace behinde them all To gather vp what by their hand did fall Peruse his stuffe and thou shalt for thy gaining Find more then others Harust to be his gleaning I. A. PATHMOS A COMMENTARY VPON THE FIRST Prophecie of the Reuelation of S. Iohn conteined in the fourth fift sixt and seuenth Chapters Mine Helpe is in the Name of the LORD THE whole bookes of holy Scripture are of three rankes Historicall Doctrinall Propheticall they being so denominate from the principall matter in them contained Of all these coniunctly arises vnto vs a three-fold fruite the first of Conuersion the second of Consolation the third of Confirmation The first once for all is touched by the Psalmist The Law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule The second by the Apostle Whatsoeuer things are written are written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope It is true indeed Many are the troubles of the righteous yet against euery crosse the Lord hath giuen vs in his Word sufficient consolation The third is set downe by our Sauiour These things haue I said vnto you that yee should not bee offended that when the houre shall come yee might remember that I told you of them And this fruite of confirmation wee haue especially by bookes Propheticall Of this nature is this booke as is cleere by the titles giuen vnto it for in the first verse of the first Chapter it is called an Apocalypse or Reuelation that is an opening or vncouering of things which were hid and secret before and in the fourth verse it is called A Prophecie Thus haue we it not onely a Prophecie or prediction of things to come but a prophecie reuealed and expounded partly by Christ and partly by the Angell And this is to be noted that where other books of holy Scripture are written to instruct vs in the faith and to teach vs what wee must doe if wee would be saued this booke is written not so much to instruct vs in the faith though in part it doe that also as to confirme vs in it that for no violent persecution following it for no fraudulent heresie by deceit impugning it for no externall change befalling the Church for no prosperous preuailing of the enemies thereof as for a time will appeare to the world we should forsake that faith which the Lord Iesus and his Apostles haue taught vs in the Gospell The Author of it is God the Father from him it commeth by this order the Father giues it to the Sonne the Sonne to an Angell the Angell giueth it to S. Iohn and S. Iohn sends it to the Church The matter whereof it entreates is comprised in this short summe In it God sheweth to his seruants things which must shortly be done namely concerning the Church her persecutions by enemies the changes and mutations of the visible state thereof defections of Apostates illusions of Heretikes fearefull eclypses of the light of the Gospell All these were to fall out in that houre of tentation to come vpon all the world for tryall of them that dwell vpon the earth And in this Prophecie are distinctly fore-told by the Lord that his Saints and seruants in all ages might be confirmed against them when they should see them come to passe knowing that they fall not out by accident nor by the will or power of man but according to the determinate counsell of God who hath also letten his Church see before-hand a comfortable out-gate and end of them all And as both for the Matter and Authour this booke should bee welcome to vs so the circumstance of the time doth greatly commend it It was sent vnto vs after the Ascension of our Lord and is
vnder the type of another Beast hauing two Hornes like the Lambe but speaking like the Dragon The plaine and particular Prophecie of Antichrist or Apostate Popes in their Kingdome opponing themselues coueredly and by a consequent for hee as a Mysticall enemy is described from the thirteenth verse of the eleuenth chapter to the end thereof hee is described from his originall from his qualities from his working power from his great successe and from his mysticall name His beginning was base but by degrees he grew to that heighth that He caused all both small and great rich and poore free and bond to receiue his marke in their right hand or in their forehead And that vnder no lesse paine then the losse of life or liberty Here the Pope is at his heighth and in the very top and ruâ—…fe of his pride But from the end of the thirteenth chapter to the end of the twentieth commeth in a Prophecie of the fall and destruction of the Pope In the thirteenth chapter the Beast looking like a Lambe with his two Hornes seemed to ouer-rule all a few excepted whose Names are written in the Lambs booke of Life there wee saw him in such grandeur that all the world followed him wondered at him and worshipped him But in the foureteenth there appeares a party against that counterfeit Lambe to wit the true Lambe of God The Lord Iesus standing on Mount Sâ—…on with his Warriours fewer by many then the followers of the two horned Beast but more worthy And this Prophecie of the Pope his destruction we haue it first in typicall or figuratiue speech to the end of the sixteenth chapter Next in more plaine and simple speeches from the end of the twentieth to the one and twentieth inclusiue for the first the true Lambe enters into battell with the counterfeit and ouercomes him Before the battell there goe first foure Proclamations made by heauenly Heraulds in the foureteenth chapter After them in the foureteenth verse hee who before appeared like a Lamb commeth out a crowned King armed with iudiciarie power against his enemies Then in the fifteenth chapter before hee proceed to iudgement Saints in most comfortable manner are secured first and Angels Messengers and Executors of Gods wrath vpon the Beast are called prepared and furnished for that worke All this preparation being made before then in the sixeteenth followes the execution the Vials of Gods wrath according to the tenour of his proclamation are powred out vpon the Beast and them that worship him There by degrees a man may see the Kingdome of Antichrist to decay as he grew by degrees The seuenth Trumpet brings with it the consummation of all and concludes the first Prophecie of Antichrist his destruction fore-told vnder typicall and figuratiue speeches The other Prophecie of his destruction is in speeches more simple plaine and more pungent then the other and this reacheth from the seuenteenth chapter to the end of the one twentieth It pleaseth the Lord Iesus to double this Prophecie because it concernes vs most in these last times that hee might leaue this comfort with his Church and assure his seruants that Babylon shall fall yea is fallen Rome the Seat and Throne of the Beast shall be ouer-turned and made desolate euen in this present life Naturall men and blinded Papists make a scorne of this when they heare it yea they thinke it impossible considering that the Whore of Babel hath so many confederates euen the mighty Kings and Monarches of the earth who haue deuoted themselues to defend and maintaine the Church of Rome Vpon these hopes the Church of Rome is confident and contemneth this Prophecie In her owne minde she sitteth as her Grand-mother in the East Old Babel did like a Queene and thinks with her selfe I shall neuer be moued But the Lord â—…re hath said the contrarie and not onely hath said it but confirmes it for a mighty Angel taketh vp a stone like a great Milstone and casteth it into the Sea saying Thus with violence shall the great Citie Babylon be throwne downe and shall bee sound no more at all When they raise that Milstone againe out of the Sea then shall I thinke it possible that they may repaire the ruines of their Babel but that can neuer be If they will consider how within these hundred yeeres the Waters of their Euphrates haue beene dryed and how the Lord hath darkened the Throne of the Beast they might learne of that which is past what they may looke for in the time to come Their Dagon is fallen before the Arke they do what they can to set him vp againe but he shall fall more and more and his last fall shall be the greatest Certaine it is that this Babel spoken of in the Reuelation is Rome which the greatest Doctors of the Romish Church are forced to acknowledge and themselues see it will be made desolate and the Pope cast out of it but this Babel is the whoorish Church of Rome which God willing shall be made plaine hereafter They glory in their new conquest of Romane Catholiques among the Indians and our Antipodes they do well in time to prouide a Temple for their Dagon and a new Palace for their Pope sith Rome cannot retaine him If Wickednesse should haue a house it is meetest she build in Shinar not in Sion Their Pope will be most honoured where he is least knowne Not in these parts where the light of the Gospell hath discoured his hypocrisie and declared him to bee a rauening Woolfe vnder Sheeps clothing Let not them therefore flatter themselues in their riches in the multitude of their friends and blind followers or in their confederate Kings and Princes Let them not vpon these motiues put the euill day farre from them For her plague shall come in one day death mourning and famine and she shall bee vtterly burnt with fire Let Papists priding themselues in the power of flesh marke what followeth Strong is the Lord who iudges her Where the Lord pursues is the strength of man able to protect or defend This is the summe of the third Prophecie which wee pray the Lord hasten to performe for the glory of his Name and comfort of his poore afflicted Church THE FOVRTH AND FIFT CHAPTERS HAVE A TWO FOLD Vision of Preparation The sixt and seuenth haue the first Vision of Prediction CHAP. IIII. LEAVING the Interpretation of the first three chapters which are plaine we begin at this fourth and in the entry lay this for a ground that in the fourth and fifth chapters there is no Vision of Prediction but onely a Vision of Preparation for the subsequent Predictions As the first Prophecie of the present estate of the Church described in the seuen Epistles had a conuenient Preparatorie Vision going before it so hath the second in like manner The Preparatorie Vision going before the first Prophecie was
this I saw seuen golden Candlestickes and in the middest of the seuen golden Candlestickes one like the Sonne of man c. This serued to prepare both S. Iohn and the Church to receiue this Reuelation reuerently and certainely to beleeue it considering that hee receiued this Vision not from one who knew not the state of the Church for hee who giues the warning walkes in the middest of the seuen Candlestickes and hath eyes like vnto flames of fire which by no couering can bee holden out from looking and piercing into the heart of euery man And no lesse conuenient is this Preparatory Vision premitted before the second Prophecie if we consider both the parts thereof For in the fourth chapter there is a Vision of the Maiestie of God the Creator who as he made the world so is he heere described sitting vpon his Throne and the glassie Sea figuring the world before him which hee rules and gouerneth at his good pleasure directing all the changes and troubles thereof to his owne determinate end for which the whole Church giues vnto him the praise of a powerfull faithfull and prouident Creator and Conseruer Angels go before and Saints redeemed follow after Thou aâ—… worthy O Lord to receiue glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are aâ—…d were created Againe in the fifth chapter there is a Vision of the Maiesty of Christ the Redeemer exercising his Propheticall Office to the comfort of the Church for hee takes the sealed Booke out of the hand of him who sits on the Throne hee opens it and reueales to his Church such things as in the wise counsell and prouidence of God were concluded to be done concerning her for which the whole Church both of Angels and Men renders vnto him the praise of a glorious Redeemer Thou art worthy to take the Booke and open the Seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed vs to God by thy Bloud In the first Song which is sung to the praise of God the Creator Angels begin and Saints redeemed follow In the second which is sung to the praise of God the Redeemer Saints redeemed go before and their Song is seconded by Angels and all creatures Now these two being ioyned together it shall appeare easily how this preparatorie Vision prepares a way to the Prophecie and renders a complete comfort to the Church He is to speake in the Prophecie following of fearefull troubles tentations and battels by violent Persecutors and fraudulent Heretiques but that the Church should not be discouraged therewith this Vision is permitted wherein first is declared that howsoeuer the world be a turbulent Sea yet all the waltrings and mutations thereof are gouerned by him that sits vpon the Throne Nothing fals out by accident or by the will of man and all these as they are ruled by the Father so are they reuealed to the Church by the Sonne and we are told of them before-hand that when they come to passe wee should not be offended The iudicious and indifferent Reader may cleerely perceiue this to bee the very naturall order and method of these two chapters they containe an Introduction to the Prophecie but they are farre mistaken who seeke a propheticall prediction in them VERSE 1. After this I looked and behold a dore was opened in heauen and the first Voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me which said Come vp hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter AFTER this This is to be referred to the order of the Visions not to the interuall or long distance of time for all these Visions S. Iohn saw them in one day I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day and I heard behind me a great Voice and yet Quaelibet visio suam habuit morulam euery Vision had the owne space of time by order one after another are they reuealed vnto him yet so that vpon one day and in one trance he saw all and this hee signifies in the entry As to the manner of his sight what way S. Iohn saw these Visions because frequent mention is made of it in this Prophecie it is expedient that once for all we speake of it There is a three-fold sight 1. Naturall 2. Propheticall 3. Spirituall The Naturall sight is common both to good and euill this is that sight we haue by the eye of God seene in his workes For the inuisible things of God that is his eternall Power and God-head are seene and vnderstood by the things he hath made The second sight is Propheticall yet common also both to good and euill I meane not to all but some of euery one of them for Balaam had it this is a sight of things to come made by Reuelation Representation or both A sight of things to come by Representation was offered to Pharaoh and to Nabuchadnezzar but they wanted the reuelation of it they could tell what they saw but could not tell what it signified till it was declared to the one by Ioseph to the other by Daniel Sometime againe there is a sight of things to come shewed to the seruants of God by Reuelation without Representation such a sight many of the Prophets had But here to Saint Iohn things to come are shewed both the waies first by Representation next by Reuelation In the manner of his Vision three things must be obserued that it was Interna Imaginaria Intellectualis It was first Internall by the minde for his bodily senses were now asleepe his spirit for a time hauing after a sort derelinquished his body Next it was Imaginary for by types similitudes resemblances and figures of corporall and materiall things formed in his minde were they represented to him Thirdly it was Intellectuall for by heauenly illumination S. Iohn was taught and informed to vnderstand truely what these Types Similitudes and Figures did represent and signifie otherwise hee had not beene a Prophet nor able to shew to the Church that which hee vnderstood not himselfe I marke this to stop the blasphemous mouthes of some Atheists who in disgrace of this Prophecie haue beene bold to say that S. Iohn vnderstood not what he wrote to the Churches The third sight is Spirituall and singular pertaining to Saints onely called and chosen This is a sight of Gods fatherly and mercifull Face shining vpon vs in Christ bringing with it to our foules ioy vnspeakeable and glorious And this sight we haue in this life but in the least degree for now wee see that glory of God but in a mirrour through a vaile darkely so that in comparison of that sight which we shall haue hereafter the Spirit of God accounts this sight to be no sight We walke not by sight but by faith And S. Peter affirmes Wee haue not yet seene him but S. Iohn
seuocate their mindes from their bodies the function of the soule being suspended toward the body that she might intend all her powers toward the Lord. So did hee with Ezechiel and Daniel Yea euen in our daily Christian conuersation we find that as the fish Remora when it cleaues to the side of the ship vnder saile retardeth the course thereof so is it with the body when the soule would ascend and mount vp to the Lord the body drawes it backe and holds it downe therefore Caro animae est Remora said Nazianzen flesh is the stay and hinderance of the soule And this may be best seene in the exercise of prayer when the spirituall life is strongest then is the naturall weake If the desires of the soule be feruently intended toward God the eye sees not those obiects the eare heares not those sounds which are neere vnto them But when againe naturall necessity forces the soule to returne to a familiarity with the body then her familiarity with the Lord relents and is interrupted This lets vs see first that heauenly Mysteries transcend the capacity of man till God make vs able to conceiue them aboue any ability that is in nature if S. Iohn had not beene rauished in the spirit after a diuine manner he could not haue vnderstood these diuine things And againe we may perceiue the truth of that No man can see the Lord and liue This should make vs well content in the day of death to lay aside our bodies that we may ascend to the Lord for as S. Luke said of the death of Christ it is true of all Christians The day of our death is the day of our assumption vp into heauen And behold a Throne Before Godspake to the eare of S. Iohn now hee offers a Vision to his eye This is the Lords order and we must obserue it Wouldst thou see the Lord bee content first to heare him Auditus gradus est ad visum hearing is a step to seeing As we haue heard so haue wee seene If first we heare as we should no doubt but next we shall see what we would They who delight not now to heare the Lord shall not be delighted hereafter with the sight of his ioyfull face And this for the order now to the matter We haue here in a Vision represented the glorious Maiestie of the Ruler of the world gouerning all things therein according to his gracious pleasure And first S. Iohn sees a Throne figuring Kingly Power and Authority Next a Throne in heauen expressing the supremacy and height of his Gouernment his Throne is aboue all the Thrones of Kings in the world By him the decrees of men are established hee ratifies or reuokes them at his pleasure and is countable vnto none His Holinesse also hereby is expressed God will not do wickedly neither will hee peruert iudgement hee renders the worke of a man vnto him and causes euery man to finde according to his wayes said Elihu The Iudge of all the world cannot do vnrighteously said Abraham Thirdly aboue the Throne is a Raine-bow like a stately seeling Fourthly about the Throne are twenty and foure Elders figuring the Church of the liuing God a glorious Court wherein there are none but Seniors and Kings farre surmounting in glory all the Courts of the world Fiftly between the Throne and the circle of Seniors in the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne were foure liuing creatures full of eyes all hauing wings shadowing the company of innumerable Angels Salomon his Throne was of Iuory vnderpropped with carued Lyons but nothing comparable to these liuing vnderstanding and speedily flying Cherubims which execute the will of this great and euerliuing King Sixthly before the Throne there is a glassie Sea like Christall representing this sragill and waltring world which as it was made by the Lord so also is it ruled and gouerned by him hee sees all things in it and gouerneth all the incident mutations and changes thereof vnto his owne determinate end This is the summe of the Vision Which as I said is a preparatoire vision for the subsequent visions of prediction wherein because the Lord is to foreshew sore troubles many changes greâ—…uous accidents that were to fal out in the world for the exercise of his poore Church In the entry he drawes vs vp to looke to himselfe as vnto a glorious King sitting on his Throne ruling the world which is before him with great power and wisedom so that nothing falls out in it by chance but according to his prouidence neither is it satans malice nor man his vvit that carries sway in the world to drawe the euent of things which way they wil. No no satan and men in all their purposes plots are ouer-ruled by the Lord and he worketh all things according to the good pleasure of his owne will for his owne glory and comfort of his Church Thus in the beginning haue wee a strong confirmation of our faith and are conueniently prepared to receiue the Prophecie following vvith faith and reuerence assuring our selues that according to it the euent of things will be because it comes and is reuealed from him who rules the world And doubtlesse if our eyes were opened to see that glorious sight of the supreme Maiesty ruling all things at his will as here saint Iohn saw it or at least if we will looke into it with the eyes of faith it would dissipate all these doubtings and feares which come in our minds arising from the greatnesse of Mahomet the power of the Pope and of blinded Princes enemies to the Gospel of Christ banding and confederating themselues against the Lord and his anointed When the seruant of Elisha was afraid at the huge Army of Aramites which compassed Dothan his Master comforted him Feare not said he there are moe with vs then are against vs. And when according to the prayer of Elisha the Lord opened his eyes then hee saw that the Mountaines were full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha stronger to defend him then the Aramites were to pursue him No lesse should wee be comforted against all terror of flesh if our eyes were opened to see this glorious Maiestie that saint Iohn saw for what are all Kings of the earth compared with him When he pleases he cuts off the spirit of Princes and is terrible vnto them Let vs rest in him God is our hope and strength and helpe in trouble ready to be found Wee will not feare though the earth should be mooued and Mountaines fall in the middes of the Sea For the Throne of our God stands stable It is a pittifull blindnes that wormes of the earth should take vp a banner against him whose Throne is in heauen Their Propositions are proud Let vs cast off the yoke of the Lord. And againe Let vs build a
towre whose top may reach into heauen But their assumption of means to make good their Proposition is but weake they haue but bricke and clay to mount vp their Fort against heauen They are flesh not spirit dust before the wind stubble before the fire Thus of a proud proposition and weake assumption nothing followes in all their intentions but a fals fectlesse conclusion God disappoints their thoughts and turnes all their deeds to the fulfilling of his owne will This Vision in the iudgement of Hugo Lyra whom some of the recents follow is expounded to be a representation of God his constant gracious administration of the Church militant these wil haue the Heauen here to signifie the church the Throne to be true Religion the glassie sea to be Baptisme or as others thinks Doctrine the four liuing creatures full of eyes to be Pastors vvhich hereafter God willing in the particular explanation shall be declared to be farre otherwise This will not bee found the right accommodation of this type we rest in that we haue spoken as being the very truth of this type For the further clearing whereof looke backe and call to minde that which hath been said on the first verse A doore opened in heauen We are not yet come to the Prophecie wherein the state of the Church both militant and triumphant is set downâ—… wee are but in the entry of the prophecie wherein the author of the prophecie God the Father and reuealâ—…r of it God the Sonne are in most glorious manner represented so farre forth as may prepare the Church to receiue and belieue this prophecie considering from whom it comes So that heauen in this place is neither the Church militant nor the Church triumphant nor yet the place thereof but it is that representatiue heauen made to Saint Iohn in his extasie wherein a glorious adumbration of the diuine Maiestie ruling all is made vnto him and from whom hee receiues reuelation in types of such truthes as hereafter were to be performed concerning the Church both militant and triumphant It is needfull for the Reader attentiuely to consider this that hee may vnderstand that which perhaps I haue not sufficiently explaned and yet is most needfull to be knowne Here there is no Vision of Prediction but of Preparation And one sate one the Throne He saies simply he saw one sitting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he tells not who he giues him no name God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without name at least his name is Maruelous no name can tell what he is He cannot said Arethas be defined as hee that is inuisible vnmeasurable and he sees him sitting as a Iudge of a quiet vnperturbed mind not mooued with affections as men are or passions that preiudge equitie These are far from the Lord he sitteth hearing all causes discerning decreeing and working all after his owne most holy will VERSE 3. And he that sate was to looke vpon like a Iasper and a Sardine stone and there was a rainebow round about the Throne in sight like vnto an Emerald VVE haue here first a description of the glorious Maiestie of GOD sitting on his Throne and ruling the world Next of the honorable court that attends him and compasseth his Throne Saint Iohn hath said before that one sate vpon the Throne this doubtlesse is the Lord of whom neither Saint Iohn nor any other creature Man nor Angel can speake as he is but is forced to shadow him vnto vs according to that representation wherby it pleases the Lord to shew himselfe Apparet Deus quibus vult et sicuti vult sed non sicuti est God appeares to whom hee will and as he will not as he is For if hee appeared as he is then should he appeare in one manner for GOD is one but we know that many manner of waies hath he beene represented Concerning the Iasper and the Sardine diuerse things are alleaged by the Interpreters Iaspidis color est aquae Sardii ignis the colour of the Iasper is the colour of water the colour of the Sardine is the colour of fire figuring two great iudgements of God quorum vnum in cataclysmo aliud consummabitur per ignem vvhereof the one vvas made by water in the Deluge the other shall be made by fire Others by these two stones vnderstand the two natures of Christ. Iaspis viridem habet colorem quae supra omnes colores sensus maxime comfortat diuinitatem notat the Iasper hath a greene colour which aboue all colours doth most comfort the senses and it signifies the diuinitie of Christ. Sardius rubrum habet colorem quia humanitas rubricata fuit sanguine passionis the Sardine hath a red colour figuring the humane nature of Christ which was made red and bloudy by the Passion Hitherto agrees that of Epiphanius that Sardius qui Babylonius etiam dicitur rusus lapis est qui sanguinis propemoduÌ„ colorem referat pellucidus est et tumoribus et vulneribus ferro inslictis medetur the Sardine which is also called the Babylonian is a red stone shewing the colour of bloud it is bright and helps tumors in wounds inflicted with vveapons of yron This might properly agree to Christ but he is not here described Yet there are some who will haue the whole three persons of the blessed Trinity shadowed here By the Iasper quae gemmarum est mater which is the mother of precious stones they will haue the Father represented by the Sardine quae carneo colore rubet carneolus dicitur which hath a red fleshie hiew the Sonne is represented and by the Emerald the holy Ghost All these are according to the analogie of faith and not against the truth of this Text. Vnto them we adde with other Diuines this also The Iasper beeing a precious stone of greene colour figureth his eternitie He is euer liuely and flourishing without fading or decaying he changes not yea no shadow of change is in him The heauens wax old as a garment but thou art the same And this liuing and refreshing vortue he communicates to his Saints Hee keepes their soules in life They who are planted in the courts of the Lords house flourish in their old dayes He renewes them then euen when they are decaying they cannot be vndone by death who by grace are in followshippe with him who liueth for euer The Sardine againe is a precious stone of a red colour representing another propertie of the Diuine nature which is his iustice in regard whereof he is vnto the wicked A consuming fire Yet the Naturalist hath obserued Sardium oleo hebetari sic iustitia Dei per misericordiaeoleum mitigatur that the Sardine is blunted by oyle it makes it relent of the rednes and so is the iustice of GOD mitigated with the oyle of his mercie for mercy reioyceth against iudgement therefore
with these two Saint Iohn sees a third And there was a rainbow round about the Throne like a bowed and circular â—…eeling not of many colours as is in the natural rainebow which are caused by the beames of the Sunne striking into the watry cloud iust ouer against it but it is all of one colour like vnto an Emerald which is also a precious stone of a most comfortable greene colour Hereby is figured that our God is alway mindfull of his couenant his mercie endures froÌ„ generation to generation ouer theÌ„ that feare him The glory of his Maiestie the statelinesse of his Throne the terror of his Iustice should not discourage vs for we are vnder the Couenant of his mercy he cannot forget it for it is before him and compasseth his Throne If he keepes the common and temporall Couenant made with all mankind whereof the Rainebowe is a signe much more may we be assured wil he keepe his speciall and eternall Couenant which in Iesus Christ he hath bound vp with his owne Elect. Hitherto tends that most solemne and sweet asseueration of the Lord recorded by Ieremy Thus saith the Lord who giues the Sunne for a light to the day and the courses of the Moone and of the Starres for a light to the night Who breakes the Sea when the waues thereof roare his Name is the Lord of hosts If these ordinances depart out of my sight saith the Lord then shall the seed of Israel cease from beeing a Nation before me for euer It is a proper and comfortable meditation of that worthy man Peter Martyr speaking of the military bowe when the battell is ended peace is made ye shall neither see a string bended on the bowe nor an arrow in it at least the men of warre carrie it so that the hornes therof are downeward to the earth but when they fight it is otherwise then they bend their bowe and draw the hornes of it together that they may shoote arrowes at the face of their enemies Euen so Deus omnibus pacatis neruum coelestâ—… arcui dempsit sagittas abstulit cornua eius versus terram deiecit The Lord peace being now made betweene him and mankind hath taken away both striug arrowes from the heauenly Bowe for we see none of these in it and letteth the hornes of his Bowe hang downeward to the earth in token he comes not in vvarfare against man but walking with him in the way of peace Howeuer it be wee will conclude this point with Bernard Tanta haec formarum varietas et specierum numerositas in rebus conditis quid nisi radij sunt Deitatis monstrantes quidem quià verè sit à quo sunt non tamen quid sit prorsus definientes itaque de ipso vides sed non ipsum This numerous and great varietie of formes and kindes in things created what are they but certaine beames of the Deitie declaring that in very truth he is from whoÌ„ they are and yet not defining what he is in seeing them thou seest some-what of his but not himselfe Sure it is the Lord here dimits himselfe to our capacitie when hee borrowes similitudes from these stones to expresse himselfe they beeing so farre inferior to himselfe as the smallest creature is inferior to the Creator for whatsoeuer beautie these stones or any other creature hath God gaue it vnto them how then should hee borrow beautie from them Indeed the Kings of the earth borrow their glory from creatures and when they are most richly apparrelled they are greatest beggers clothed with that which is not their own and will not continue with them Let theÌ„ be adorned with Iasper Sardine Emerald and such like in the midst of these a man may see death in their mortall faces Man in his best estate is but vanity and their greatest glory is but grasse compared to the glory of our God And here also we are warned how farre by our sin we haue fallen from our originall glory wherein our God created vs. Our father Adam was made Lord of the creatures and by the knowledge wherewith God indued him he knew the Lord the creature also At one court he imposed names to them all according to their nature the knowledge which he had of God led him to the knowledge of the creature it was not by the creature that he learned the knowledge of the Creator but now man is sent to the schoole of the creature put back as we say to his ABC to learne the glory goodnes prouidence of the Creator by looking to the creature and when all is done so voide now by nature is man of the knowledge of God that he cannot conceiue concerning God that which the creature doth teach him Salomon attained not to the knowledge of Adam and yet the quickest Naturalist comes short of the knowledge of Salomon They write of the Iasper Sardine and Emerald but because we know them not as they are therefore can we not fully know what here by them is figured vnto vs which hath beene with great modesty obserued by our Countrey-man P. Forbes of Corse VERSE 4. And round about the Throne were foure and twenty Seates and vpon the Seates I saw foure and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white rayment and they had on their heads Crownes of gold VVE haue heard the description of this glorious King Creator Conseruer and Ruler of the world now followes a description of his Court wherein are three sorts of creatures some in whom he rules these are Saints redeemed of the Lord figured here by foure and twenty Elders some ouer whom hee rules these are the men of the world and all other creatures therein represented by a glassie Sea before the Throne for his Saints are said to stand on the glassie Sea some in whom and by whom he rules these are holy Angels whereof such as are principall are figured here by foure liuing creatures full of eyes before and behind and within c. I am not to darken the mindes of men by variety of interpretations and to make contradiction to such as deserue it here were a tedious labour This one thing seemes most strange to any that considereth the Text and seekes light to expound it out of it selfe how men should haue been miscarried to expound these foure twenty Elders of the foure and twenty Bookes of the old Testament Cotterius brings his warrant from Ierome Haec inquit est antiquissima fides vt videre est apud Hieronymum This saith he is the most ancient faith as may be seene by Ierome hee might also haue said more that Ierome borrowed this interpretation from Victorine an hundred yeeres before Ierome and Ierome also writes the Prologue before Victorines Commentaries on this Booke out of it it is like that Ierome borrowed this exposition from Victorine thus Cotterius might haue made this opinion
hath reueiled out of this Booke to my Saints This is the summe of all The rage of man shall turne to the praise of GOD The LORD shall haue glory his Church victorie and the Enemies therof shame and confusion Three things haue we in this chapter first a description of this Booke of the Reuelation secondly a description of the Lambe of God who openeth it thirdly thankes giuing for it both of men and Angels And I saw Wee may perceiue heere in the entry how new sights and new Reuelations are multiplied vpon Saint Iohn the Lord beganne to be familiar with him and still he continues for whom he loueth he loueth to the end and causes them to encrease with the increasings of God like the Sunne ascending to the noonetyde of the day Balaam and Balac both may conspire to curse Israel but it cannot be Putiphar may imprison Ioseph but God shall be with him Domitian may banish S. Iohn vnto Pathmos from the fellowship of men but not from the fauour of God euen there shall the Lord be familiar with him What Isaac spake of Iacob stands as a sure decree to all the Saints of God I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed Of the manner of this sight wee haue spoken once for all in the beginning of the fourth chapter No doubt many of the Lords deare children wish they could see the like such a sight as S. Iohn saw or S. Paul saw when he was rauished into the third heauens The one tels vs what he saw for it was shewed vnto him that hee might shew it to the Church The other tels not what hee saw yea professes that the sight hee saw is more then euer man heard or saw or man his heart is able to vnderstand and this is to prouoke vs to long for that Day wherin we shall be capable of this sight In the meane time if we see not such sights as they saw let vs reuerence the Lords dispensation now we walke by faith not by sight the time when wee shall see is comming now happy are wee if we do beleeue A Booke We must still remember that in all this Prophecie the Lord dimits himselfe to vse such formes and representations as we are best able to conceiue Properly God hath no booke â—…e needs not any such help of memory but allusion here is made to Kings who haue beside them bookes containing Lawes whereby they rule their people or else the ancient Acts and Monuments of their Kingdom as was that booke out of which Ahasuerus learned what good seruice Mordecai had done vnto him The Lord hath his booke also but farre exceeding theirs for they haue onely a Register of things which'are done they cannot tell what is to be done and farre lesse can they preuent it but the Lord hath in his Booke a perfect record of all things which haue beene are or shal be to the worlds end they are all appointed by himselfe Now what is meant by this book is not agreed vpon by the Interpreters Victorine whom many follow calls it the old Testament Others more generally the whole Scripture But was not that Booke opened till now And is it not plainly told Saint Iohn by the Angel that the things foretold in this booke are such as were shortly to come to passe not such as had beene done before What Cotterius had for him by this booke to vnderstand vitam life and by the strong Angel to vnderstand Legem or the Law which none can fulfill we leaue it to himselfe and his opinion also The matter is so plaine out of the course of the Text that it is strange men will not take light out of Gods hand when he offers it vnto them for doth not the Sonâ—… take this booke from the Father Doth he not open the seales thereof and let Saint Iohn see what was written in it Is it not the very first and authentike volume of this Booke of the Reuelation the copy and transumpt whereof Saint Iohn drawes out as he is commanded and sends it to the Church al the whole circumstances of the Prophecie make it so cleere that it is strange how men too much enamored with their own coÌ„ceptions should not haue perceiued it But because in holy Scripture often mention occurres of sundry Bookes which are ascribed to God let vs once for all remember they are to be reduced to one of these two sorts they are either metaphoricall or materiall the first so called in respect of the metaphor or borrowed speech the other so called in respect of the matter The metaphorike bookes are either vniuersall or speciall vniuersall are two one mentioned by Dauid In thy booke were all things written which in continuance of time were fashioned And this booke is the most large as being a perfect register of all things all persons of all times and this is the Booke of Prescience The other is the booke of Conscience which albeit it be not so large as the first yet I call it Vniuersall because all men without exception haue it they write it with their owne hand haue it in their owne custodie and therefore shall not be able to speake any thing against the testimony thereof Speciall bookes againe are also two one called by Moses The booke of life contayning a roll of all Gods Elect the other called by Malachy A booke of remembrance wherein the Lord registers the words and workes of the wicked this booke God hath in his keeping and it is euery way conforme and varies not from the booke of conscience that the wicked haue The booke materiall is the Bible whereof this booke of the Reuelation is a part S. Iohn sees it first heere in this vision and then as I said extracts the iust copy of it and sends it to the Churches Written within and without For vnderstanding of this wee must know that the forme of bookes they vsed of old was not like ours they were long Roules euery sheet at the end of another extending in length folded and rouled vp about a peece of tree or some other such thing they might conueniently bee distinguished by seales for the seale of the first being opened all written in it might easily haue been read the rest not so vntill the remaining seales were opened also they were commonly written on the one side except where the aboundance of matter forced them to write on the backe then were they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the sixt chapter it is said that the heauens passed away like a scrole for a scrole of parchment beeing opened and spred out in length if it be let goe by him that holds it returns speedily into a round againe Ezekiel makes mention of the like Roule of a booke spred before him written within and without And as to Ezekiel the Lord presented a roule containing that which
the Lord replenish them with his new consolations They went weeping and carried precious seed but they shall returne with ioy end bring their sheaues The matter of his comfort is taken from Christ so long as he looked to the creatures he found nothing but matter of mourning so shall it be with all them who seeke comfort in the creature as it was with that woman diseased of the bloudy yssue she spent all that she had on the Physicians but in vaine she was neuer healed of her disease till she came to Christ. And here we haue Christ two waies described first as Saint Iohn heares of him secondly as hee sees him The Elder who describes him speaketh of Christ out of Moses and the Prophets so do all they who speake by the Spirit of God Nec ipsi quidem Apostoli de suo arbitrio quicquam quod inducerent eligerunt Yea the Apostles themselues tooke not this liberty to bring into the Church anything of their owne but as they receiued from Christ so they deliuered to vs. Hic primum per Prophetas deinde per sâ—…ipsum postea per Apostolos quantum satis esse iâ—…dicauit loquutus est And Christ Iesus first by his Prophets next by himselfe last by his Apostles hath spoken as much as he thought to be sufficient so that now Non relictus est hominum eloquiis de Dei rebus alius praeterquaÌ„ Dei sermo There is no other speech of diuine things left vnto man but the Word of God Let no man be wise aboue that which is written That he calls our Lord The Lyon which is of the Tribe of Iuda hee takes it from Moses and againe that he calls him The roote of Dauid he takes it from Esay He is called a Lyon to the terror of his enemies and comfort of his owne Satan is called also by Saint Peter A deuouring Lyon but like the Lyon which Samson slew and that other which Dauid slew and pulled his sheep out of his mouth These were sigures of our Lord who hath ouercome the Deuill and trampleth Satan vnder the feet of his Saints It was a fearefull sight at the first which Ioshua saw at Iericho a man standing before him with a sword in his hand but when Ioshua demanded Art thou on our side or against vs and receiued this answere As a Captaine of the Lords host I am now come out of all doubt it did greatly confirme him And heere at the first it may seeme fearefull that Christ is called a Lyon but marke that in the next verse he is called a Lambe A Lyon hee is in respect of his enemies to vanquish them teare them in pieces A Lambe hee is in respect of his meâ—…knesse patience and willingnesse to suffer for his owne And therefore he is not simply called a Lyon but A Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda Naturallists haue obserued that Lyons are not cruell against their owne kind yea they spare beasts of another kind that subiect themselues vnto them If we be the true Israelites of God and submit our selues vnto him the Lyon of Iuda his Tribe shall not be terrible vnto vs the greater his power is the greater shall be our comfort The other stile giuen vnto him is The roote of Dauid where it comes to be considered how Christ is called the Roote of Dauid sith by the Prophet Esay hee is called a graffe or branch springing out of the root of Iesse Yea there in one chapter the Messia is called the roote of Iesse and Iesse againe the roote of the Messia but this is in different respects He is a branch springing out of the stocke of Iesse for from him hee tooke his humane nature and he is also a stock into the which Iesse and all his fathers according to the flesh had their being As man he tooke his flesh from them as God he gaue them their beeing This is the question which our Sauior demanded of the Pharises and they could not answer How the Messia could be Dauid his sonne and also Dauid his Lord The Lord said to my Lord Sit at my right hand vntill I make thy enemies thy foot stoole For as Man hee is the sonne of Dauid and so is the branch but as God he is Dauid his Lord and so is the root And that our Lord was made man of the seede of Dauid is most comfortable for vs hee might haue created a new nature which had neuer sinned but now he hath assumed the nature that was once sinful and hath fully separated it from sinne to ioyne it in a personall and eternall vnion with his owne diuine nature for the holy Ghost who ouershadowed the Virgine could very well discerne between the seed of Dauid in the Virgins wombe and the sinfull corruption of that seed He tooke the seed without the sinne and of it formed the body of Iesus and therefore Theodâ—…ret bringing in Flaâ—…anus expounding the Angels words to Mary speakes in this manner Non cogites corporalem contactum nec consuetudinem coniâ—…galem expecta nam tuus Fabricator templum suum corporeum quod ex te nascetur fabricabit thinke not of any corporall touching looke not for any carnall coniunction He that made thee wil make to himselfe a bodily temple which shall be borne of thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this should serue to assure vs that he who hath assumed our nature and sanctified it fully from all sin that it might be vnited to himselfe shall in his own good time free our nature from all corruption of sin and present vs without spot or blame to his Father that wee may liue a happy life in holy fellowship and communion for euer with him The Papists not vnderstanding this doctrine spoyle vs of this comfort in affirming that the virgin Mary of whom our Lord tooke our nature was without sinne A false doctrine vnknowne to antiquitie It began in the dayes of Bernard hee cryes out against it in his Epistle to the Chanons of Lyons as against a noueltie a temeritie and a superstition Lubenter gloriosa Virgo talâ—… carebit honore the blessed and glorious Virgin willingly will want such an honour as this Solus enim Dominus Iesus de Spiritu sancto conceptus est qui et solus antâ—…conceptum sanctus quo excepto de câ—…tero vniuersos respicit ex Adam natos quod vnus humiliter de seipso vâ—…raciter consitetur In miquitatibus inquiens conceptus sum in peccatis concepit me mater mea For onely the Lord Iesus was conceiued of the holie Ghost and hee also onely before conception was holie hee beeing excepted that pertaines to all who are borne of Adam which one of them humbly and truly confesseth of himselfe saying I was borne in iniquity and in sinne my Mother hath conceiued mee Solus Christus dicere potuit Ecce Princeps
a soueraigne preseruatiue against all poyson The Beasts of the field as they record attend till the Vnicorne dip his horne in the water then come they and drink Properly therefore is the Kingdome of Christ expressed by the Vnicornes Horne of all other the most firme and durable the most beautifull the most profitable Hee hath changed the bitter waters of Marah and made them sweete neither is there any thing so deadly which his Horne healeth not and makes it to serue for the saluation of his owne And seuen eyes As in his seuen Hornes his complete power is signified so in his seuen Eyes his complete Wisedome These two do greatly commend the royall authority of our King Hee is wise and will do nothing that he should not for hee sees all and knowes perfectly the quality of euery creature the estate of euery cause Againe he is strong and able to do whatsoeuer he will His Eyes are of two sorts Eyes of Prouidence and Eyes of Grace by his eyes of Prouidence hee lookes vnto all things and there is no place nor people in the world to whom these Eyes are not extended but by the Eyes of his Grace hee lookes to his owne as hee did to Ierusalem restored and sends them this blessing Grace Grace be vnto it And heerein hath the Lord magnified his mercy toward vs aboue many other more mighty Kingdomes in the world that where by the Eyes of his Prouidence hee lookes vnto the rest he hath cast the Eyes of his Mercy and Grace vpon vs The Lord hath not dealt so with euery Nation Yet more plainely In the Text these seuen Eyes are expounded to be the seuen Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth Seuen is the number of perfection noting that fulnesse of grace which is in the Lambe for hee receiued not the Spirit by measure and what hee hath receiued hee retaines not to himselfe but as here is said hee sends it out that of his fulnesse we might all receiue grace for grace And hereof commeth the continuance and conseruation of the Church vpon earth because it is continually furnished with grace frō the Lamb hee hath the seuen Starres in his hand and holds them out to such parts of the world as pleaseth him he furnishes graces of his Spirit to his seruants the Preachers according to the times wherein they liue yea and to euery one of his Saints in particular This same Lord who once according to his promise sent downe the holy Spirit in a visible manner vpon his Apostles in the similitude of fierie clouen Tongues doth daily send him from the Throne of Grace in an inuisible manner And this was properly figured in a Vision to Zacharie wherein hee saw a golden Candlestick with seuen Lampes euery Lampe hauing a seuerall pipe through the which Oyle for intertainement of the light in euery Lampe is conueied from the two Oliues which stand before the Ruler of the world Let therefore Satan and his instruments rage as they list let them labour what they can to put out the light of the Candlestick yea let them presume that it is possible for them to roote out the very name of Israel from vnder heauen yet it cannot be for the stability and continuance of the holy Ministerie in the Church with light and grace in it stands in this that it is furnished from heauen the Eyes of the Lamb looke on his Saints and he sends downe his Spirit vpon them and from the Ruler of the world the oyle of Grace is by secret pipes and conduits conueied to his Candlesticke on earth And who is able to interrupt the course thereof VERSE 7. And he came and tooke the Booke out of the right hand of him that sitteth vpon the Trone HEre in effect no other thing is represented then that which was openly proclaimed from heauen first at Iordan next vpon Mount Tab◅ This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him For by this Type the Lord Iesus is declared to bee the onely Doctor of his Church who receiues the Booke from the Father and out of it reueales to his Church the counsell of God which neither Angell nor man was able to doe As Moses went vp to the Mount and receiued the Tables of the Law and gaue them to Israel so our Mediator who came from the bosome of the Father hath brought downe to vs the knowledge of his Will Let vs not presume to go vp to the Mountaine to enquire any thing which our Moses hath not taught vs left wee die let vs remember our place and stand low wee are disciples bound by diuine Proclamation to heare him whom the Father hath sent vnto vs if we would be saued VERSE 8. And when hee had taken the Booke the foure liuing creatures and the foure and twenty Elders fell downe before the Lambe hauing euery one harps golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints NOw followes the third part of this Chapter containing a three-fold thanksgiuing for the benefit of this Reuelation The first song is sung by Angels and redeemed Saints coniunctly in the eight ninth and tenth verses The second is sung by Angels seuerally in the eleuenth and twelfth verses The third by all creatures in their kind in the thirteenth verse whereunto Angels againe and redeemed Saints say Amen in the last verse Cotterius confesseth that this place did trouble him greatly and no maruell for the foure beastes he expounds to be Veritas Euangelit quadri◅ormis the fourefold verity of the Gospell No maruell therefore as I haue said that both he and others who expound the foure and twentie Elders to be foure and twenty bookes find themselues straited with this place wherin the Spirit of God plainly expoundeth himselfe that the foure and twenty Elders are they whom God hath redeemed by his bloud out of euery kindred tongue people and Nation But leauing them this comes heere first to bee obserued that as before they fell downe and worshipped the Ruler of the World that sits vpon the Throne so now they fall downe and worship the Lambe Saint Paul vseth this as an argument to proue the diuinitie of Christ Iesus taken out of the 97. Psalme Consider how great is hee of whom it is said Let all the Angels of heauen worship him Let Heretiques therefore be silent sith the vvhole Congregation of Angels and Saints redeemed worship him as GOD. In this thanksgiuing these foure circumstances are to be considered First who are the Musicians that sing Next with what gesture Thirdly what are their musicall instruments And lastly vvhat is their song The Musicians are foure liuing creatures representing the principall order of Angels neerest vnto the Throne and foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Church and companie of Saints redeemed By nature Angels and men were at
variance for man hauing become by sin an enemy vnto God had the Angels enemies vnto him a figure whereof wee haue in that Angel who stood with a sword in the entry of Paradise to hold Adam out of it but now man beeing reconciled to God by Iesus Angels are also reconciled with man For it pleased the Father to set at peace through the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in heauen so that now they agree in one harmony to praise the Lord. Yea strange it is that they who before were figured by Lyons Bullocks Eagles and men are now brought in singing one song This is to magnifie the effectuall vertue of the Redeemer who hath reconciled God and man Angel and man yea man with man so that most sierce and barbarous natures are now made peaceable meeke and louing one to another by the power of his grace And this is it which was foretold by Esay of the kingdome of the Messia The Wolse shall dwell with the Lambe the Leopard shall lye with the Kidde the Calfe and the Lyon shall feede together Therefore Clemens Alexandrinus speaking of Christ Iesus calls him Nouum quendam Citharaedum What the Grecians spake of their Orpheus that by the sweet harmony of his musike he did mitigate and tame the most wild and furious beasts is onely and in truth done by our Christ Solus ipse feras mansuefacit for wild beasts of all sorts are tamed by him Volucres flying fowles that is wicked men carried aloft vpon the wings of vanitie them he makes solid and establisheth their hearts by grace Serpentes creeping things figuring deceiuers with their subtill wiles them he makes vpright Hee tameth Leones Lupos Lyons rauening wolues cruell and bloudy men he turneth into meeke and mercifull men Such a rauening Wolfe was S. Paul of the Tribe of Beniamin but Christ Iesus of a Persecuter conuerted him to a Preacher Yea lapides et ligna such as worshipped stocks and stones and had no more spiritual life in them then stones haue hath he raised quickned and made them children to Abraham What then shal we say of these men who for small offences by no means can be reconciled to their brethren Surely they are yet strangers from this grace in conceit they flye higher then Angels in stubbornnesse harder then stones in fiercenes of nature more barbarous then beasts are they who by the grace of Iesus are not tamed and made louing to their brethren The second circumstance is their gesture in worshipping noted in these words They fel down before the Lambe for still Saint Iohn speaketh of these things as they appeared to him in the Vision Alwaies by their example they learne vs with humbled hearts and bodies to praise the Lord which as it is a dutie whereunto we are bound for so saith the Apostle Yee are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and spirit for they are Gods so it renders to our selues very great cōfort for the time is at hand wherein our bodies must be committed to the graue then the tongue will be silenced the eye closed and no member of the body will be able to doe as now it may So long therefore as we haue the vse of them let vs make them vveapons of righteousnesse for the seruice of our God let the eye mourne for sinne and looke vp for mercy let the hands be lifted vp as an euening sacrifice let the tongue speake to his praise let the knees bow vnto him that made thē Thus if we vse them so long as wee haue them to his honor we may rest assured that he will honor them sith his promise is I will honour them that honour me Euen in the graue shal the Lord watch ouer them to keepe the very dust of them And howsoeuer the body be sowne in dishonour yet shall it be raised in glory it was the temple of the holy Ghost and he will not faile to restore and reedifie it If the Spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you hee that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his Spirit dwelleth in you The third circumstance is of the instruments which they vse in his praises It is said Euery one of them had Harps and golden Vials full of odours none of them wants euery one of them haue It contents them not that their companions prayse God beside them euery one of them haue their owne Harpe and praise God for themselues Let vs learne of them how we should behaue our selues in the assembly of Saints Vnder the Law no man might appeare emptie before the Lord it is now a greater sinne vnder the Gospell to come to the House of God and no sacrifice in our heart to offer vnto the Lord. Let vs take heede to our selues the Lord knowes his owne Israelites in whom there is no guile when they sacrifice then hee smelleth a sweet sauour hypocrites he knoweth also that sit in the seate of sacrificers but offer no sacrifice to the Lord they may maske themselues but the Lord cannot be deceiued for hee knowes them as they are and wil deale with them as they deale with him With the vpright thou wilt shew thy selfe vpright and The Lord will doe well to those that be good and true in their hearts But those that turne aside by their crooked waies the Lord will lead with the workers of iniquitie Their Harps note two things first the great ioy they haue in praysing GOD. There is no ioy on earth comparable to that vvhich is found in the praysing of GOD and praying vnto him When our Sauiour prayed then was his countenance changed when Dauid played vpon the Harpe the euill spirit that troubled Saul departed from him and when wee get hearts to pray or praise the Lord doe we not find by experience that then our troubles are mitigated our perturbations pacified then Satan is confounded and we our selues are comforted these are the sweet effects of the soules harping vnto God Againe it noteth the sweet harmonie and concent that is among them They are many and haue seuerall Harpes but all agree in one sound and Song O how good and how comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell together O how great is the glory of Saints when they all speake one thing and all minde one thing This was the happinesse of the Primitiue Church the multitude of beleeuers was of one heart but shortly after were they diuided by an vnnecessarie schisme Some said I am Pauls and some I am Apollos The like preposterous zeale makes a great distemperature and discordant sound in many Professors of our time without any cause The euill is more then we can mend at least let vs mourne for it and pray
Thy will O Lord be done in earth as it is in heauen And let euery man take heed vnto himselfe hee is a sacrilegious renter of the Church who breakes the bond of loue with his brother in whom hee sees no rupture of the vnity of faith But for our further instruction let vs know that the Harpe of a Christian wherewith he praises God is his Heart the strings of the Harpe are the affections of the Heart which must be well tuned and prepared before they can make any melodie to the Lord My heart is prepared and I will sing said Dauid Then is the heart like vnto a ten stringed Instrument when it is inclined to the obedience of God his ten commandements for as a Musicall Instrument makes no pleasant complete sound if any string thereof be broken so the heart of man if it be possessed and thralled with any vice cannot rightly praise the Lord. The truth is we can keepe no commandement of the Law as we should this is the perfection of degrees which in this life no man can attaine vnto yet hath the Christian a begunne obedience to all the commandements of God which is the perfection of parts Both these are true the most perfect Christian cannot keepe one of the Lords commandements as hee should and so we deny vnto him the perfection of degrees and yet hee keepes all the commandements of God by a begunne obedience and so wee grant to him the perfection of parts for there is no grace needfull to saluation but euery true Christian hath some part and measure thereof Bastard Professors cannot make this melodie they flatter themselues because they are free of some sinnes when notwithstanding they are captiued by other great sinnes which raigne in them and command them The commandements of the Law are so linked together that he who transgresseth one transgresseth all If one string of this Instrument be broken all the rest are distempered and therefore do tehy farre deceiue themselues who diuide the Law In some things they are content to subiect themselues vnto it in others vsurpe a liberty to breake it which will neuer be allowed These answer the Lord as an Eccho doth the voice of a man it resounds in part but not wholly or like Naaman are content to serue God but with an exception or reseruation of some sinnes which they cannot nor will not cast siom them There is no man so euill but in some things he will seeme to bee good but this is not the good which the Lord requireth such euill diuiders can make no concord of spirituall Musick to the Lord. Now with their Harpes they are said to haue golden Vials full of Odours and those Odours are expounded by the Lord to be the Prayers of the Saints which openeth a cleere entrance to these words which otherwise had beene more obscure A Viall is a vessell narrow beneath wide aboue now this Viall being also a figure of the Heart sheweth how the heart of man should be inlarged toward things which are aboue but contracted beneath open towards God but closed towards the world and things therein Therefore the Church is compared to a Garden enclosed wherein nothing can enter but that which comes from aboue And the Vials are said to bee of gold because the Heart that praises the Lord should be holy and pure I will that men pray euery where lifting vp pure hands As also to shew that a pure heart praysing the Lord is precious and honourable in the eyes of God For vessels of gold and vessels of honour are put by the Apostle for one and the same These Vials are said to be full of Odours which are expounded to bee the prayers of Saints So were they figured vnder the Law by sweete Incense and such as were spirituall among the Iewes vnderstood this very wel that it was not the externall sweet Odour wherein the Lord delighted they vsed the Ceremoniall Incense but neglected not the Spirituall Incense figured thereby as is euident out of Dauid his prayer Let my prayer be directed before thee as Incense And properly is prayer figured by Incense Quia sursum fertur oratio coelestia quaerit for the fume thereof ascends and seeks heauenly things As also because it is sweete and pleasant to the Lord. The prayers of Saints are odoriferous and pleasant smels vnto the Lord as when Noah sacrificed the Lord smelled a sweet sauour of rest But the Bride and the Bridegroome haue their owne Odours which either of them presents to other The Perfumes and sweet Ointments of Christ are two first his Merits for hee is the Angell hauing a Golden Censor full of Odours and these ascend to his Father secondly his Compassions are called sweet Ointments and these descend vpon his brethren Thy Name is as an Ointment powred out saith the Church to her Sauiour His Compassions are not locked vp in his Treasurie like precious Ointment enclosed in a Boxe but they are compared to Ointment powred out the fragrant smell whereof should allure vs to loue him and runne after him His sweete mercies declared vpon so many stand for examples to vs to confirme vs in assurance of the like mercy if repenting of our sinnes we turne to the Lord. The Lepers came to him and were cleansed the Blind cryed to him and receiued their sight the Paralitique was carried to him and was healed the Adulteresse was brought to him and was absolued the Persecutor of Saints was pardoned his owne disciple that denyed him yea the Iewes who crucified him were conuerted and receiued to mercy In odore horum curremus post te There are sweet Ointments powred out and in the sauour of them will we run after thee Wee are more then senselesse if the sweet smell of them allure vs not also to come that we may be refreshed by them The Church hath in like manner her two-fold Odours First the Odour of Contrition next of Thankes-giuing the ingredients whereof the Odour of Contrition is made are our sinnes and a godly sorrow for them euery childe of God gathers together in one handfull his sinnes not sparing any that he knowes or can remember and in the Mortar of a sorrowfull heart he brayes them with the Pestell of Contrition and with the Publican beateth on his brest whereof a sweete and pleasant sauour ascendeth to the Lord. The other Perfume hath no ingredients but Gods sweet Mercies with a godly reioycing in them Now these Mercies are so many that none can count them in order yet the Saints so farre as of weaknesse they may gather them together in one masse by diligent meditation of them they are stirred vp to thankes-giuing and this is a sweete smelling sacrifice vnto the Lord. The Iesuites of Rhemes abuse this place to proue the lawfulnesse of their prayers vnto Saints departed for so they
write vpon it It is plaine here that the Saints in heauen offer vp the prayers of faithfull and holy persons on earth and that they haue knowledge of our affaires and desires But this Text offereth not any such thing as we shall shew at length These Saints represent the whole Church Militant and Triumphant euery one of them is said to haue their own Viall and no word here of any prayers made by any of them for others beside that the knowledge of our desires appertaineth to none but the Lord who searcheth the reines and the heart This doubt cannot be loosed by saying that the Saints departed offer vp thanksgiuing for the word vsed here is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some make this answere but indeed it taketh not away the doubt for vnderstanding therefore of this place we must know that there are foure sorts of prayer reckoned here by the Apostle the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer for auerting of euill the second is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer for some good that is lacking the third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer whereby one of vs prayes for another and the fourth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prayer whereby we giue thanks to God All these foure sorts are vsed by Saints militant two of them onely are ascribed to Saints triumphant namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanksgiuing and supplication for the good which they want Where if it be asked What good want they who are in heauen for which they haue need to pray The answer is They want a two-fold good which God hath promised and they long to enioy First they want their bodies without which the soules in heauen cannot haue full ioy for by their first creation they were ioyned together as inseparable companions not to be diuided if they had not fallen in the transgression therefore it is that the one cannot be fully contented wanting the other for which to fulfill their ioy they pray for restitution of their bodies Secondly they want their brethren the remanent mēbers of Christ his mysticall body requisite necessarily to their perfection for God hath so prouided that they vvithout vs should not be perfected Abraham Isaac Iacob haue great ioy in heauen but not full ioy because they will not be perfected without their brethren That therefore the mystical body of Christ may be cōplete and so their ioy fulfilled they pray for Christ his second comming which cannot be till the last and youngest of the sonnes of God be borne and brought to the fellowship of Iesus Christ. And this is made cleare heereafter when the soules vnder the Altar are brought in crying How long O Lord how long c For this is the voice of them who want something they would faine haue and yet are sure to enioy it Thus we see then that the prayers of Saints triumphant are generall they pray for their bodies and brethren but to gather of this that they know our necessitios our particular tentations farre lesse our secret desires is but a doting dreame and if we shall a little insist in this same metaplior of Odour or Incense it shall discouer their error more clearely For first Incense offred to God might not be made but in such a manner and with such ingredients as God himselfe commanded teaching vs that prayer vnto God should be made not as we fansie to our selues but as hee hath commaunded vs. Now if wee shall looke to this cōmandement it directs vs to pray vnto God and to none other there is the voice of God the Father Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me There againe is the instruction of God the Sonne When yee pray pray in this manner Our Father which art in heauen and there is the direction of God the holy Ghost hee teacheth vs in our prayer to cry Abba Father No word heere of any prayer to Abraham Moses or Esay to Cherubim or Seraphim to Angels or Saints departed Secondly Incense might not be burnt but vpon the golden Altar onely whereof there was but one figuring the Lord Iesus teaching vs that our prayers may not be offered to God in the name of any other but Iesus Christ onely For there is not any other name vnder Heauen by which wee may be saued and In him onely is the Father well pleased Thirdly it was not lawfull for any man to make an odour for his owne pleasure or priuate vse of those gummes whereof the Lord commanded his Incense to be made and that vnder a most strait penaltie for so stands the Law Yee shall not make vnto you any composition like to this Perfume it shall be holy for the Lord whosoeuer shall make like vnto that to smell thereof euen hee shall be cut off from his people And this doth plainely teach vs that no creature should smell the sauour of our Prayer it is the Incense holy to the Lord and appertaines to our God onely Thus we see how Papists when they seeke patrocinie for their errors from holy Scripture doe it with no better successe then Ioab did when hee made his refuge to the hornes of the Altar hee fled vnto it to seeke the safety of his life but hee was pulled from it and executed to the death so they when they bring in Scripture to defend their errors doe in effect bring it to destory themselues But to leaue them let vs consider for our comfort how our prayer is compared to a perfume All the spices of Myrrhe Cynamon and what is most excellent on earth cannot make such a perfume from heauen it commeth and vnto heauen it returneth O what a great mercy is this wee are not yet able to ascend our selues and yet haue we this liberty and priuiledge as to send our Embassadors in our name before vs which are so welcome to the diuine Maiestie that hee accounts of them as of sweet odour and perfume sent vp vnto him Let vs marke this for many times the weake Christian faints and becomes remisse in prayer because he disesteemes of his own prayer This is a policie and tentation of the old Serpent to make thee neglect that which hee knowes to be most hurtfull to himselfe most helpfull to thee most acceptable to thy God but doe it not Noli vilipendere or ationem tuam quoniam ille ad quem or as non vilipendit Doe not vilipend thine own prayer for he to whom thou prayest vilipends it not it is a sweet odour vnto the Lord. VERSE 9. And they sung a new Song saying Thou art woorthy to take the Booke and to open the scales thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed vs to GOD by thy bloud out of euery kindred and tongue
Professors thinke needlesse now to be required but for mine owne part I would wish them in this and other laudable customes to be lesse nyce and scrupulous then they are The stile they giue vnto the Lord hath beene intreated before Our GOD is a liuing Lord in him selfe In Deo idem sunt viuens et vita and hee giues beeing and life to all things that are and liue A threefold life flowes from the Lord First of Nature Secondly of Grace Thirdly of Glorie Natures life is either Vegetatiue Sensible or Reasonable Little cause haue they to reioyce who haue no more but it For in the Vegetatiue life plants trees of the earth excell man In the Sensitiue life beasts and fowles are quicker in any sense then man And for the Reasonable life Pagans and heathen Philosophers haue farre exceeded euen those who are named Christians All our comfort then stands in this life of Grace now and life of glory hereafter The Lord make vs partakers of them for Christs sake CHAP. VI. VERSE 1. After I beheld when the Lambe had opened one of the Scales and heard one of the foure liuing creatures say as it were the noise of Thunder Come and see THE Vision of Preparation being ended in the two preceding Chapters as we haue declared before now followes the Visions of Prediction fore-telling things which shortly must be done And these are three euery one of them diducing the estate of the Church to the second comming of Christ vnto Iudgement As at more length wee haue shewed in Prolegomenis wherein the generall Method of the Reuelation is shortly set downe The first Propheticall Vision is contained in this sixt and the seuenth Chapter following for the seuenth is an appendix of this and hath in it a larger explication of the fifth and sixth Seale as God willing we shall heare so then the first Prophecie is absolued in six Seales whereof the last concludes with the Day of Iudgement for the seuenth Seale hath in her bosome the seuen Trumpets which make vp the second Prophecie of this Booke beginning at the eighth Chapter for till then the seuenth Seale is not opened and continuing to the end of the eleuenth there it concludeth with the Day of Iudgement The third Prophecie beginnes at the twelfth and continues to the one and twentieth whereof if the Lord please we will speake hereafter This first Prophecie as I said is generall for it containes a generall Prognostication and presents to vs a view of the estate of things as they will be to the worlds end whereof the summe is Christ shall go thorow the world vpon the Ministerie of his Word preaching the Gospell where and when it best pleaseth him This is prophecied in the first Seale like a crowned King and Conquerour hee hath gone out long agoe vpon his White Horse and so shall hee continue till hee ouercome But this victorie let not the Church looke that it shall be without bloud for Satan and his Instruments figured by the Red Horse and one riding on it shall in most cruell manner persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell and this is fore-shewed in the second Seale but they shall not escape vnpunished for the Lord shall send out the Blacke Horse as is told in the third Seale and the Pale Horse who comes out at the opening of the fourth Seale By these two famine and pestilence vnder which all other horrible plagues of God are comprehended shall the Lord be reuenged on the world for contempt of his Gospell And because in these troubles many of the Saints of God shall suffer bodily death it is declared in the fift Seale how their soules rest in peace with God till the number of their brethren be fulfilled and then as they cry for iudgement so the great and last Day of Iudgement shall come as we see in the sixt Seale for we shall see in the next Chapter that the onely cause why Angels delay the execution of the last wrath for which the Soules of Martyrs vnder the Altar cry vnto God is that the seruants of the Lord are not yet sealed which being once done then shall the Lord recompense trouble to them that troubled his Church as in most fearefull manner is declared in the sixt Seale but shall render to his troubled Saints rest when the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels as at length and most comfortably is set downe in the next Chapter from the tenth verse to the end And this any iudicious man that will reade without pre-conceiued opinion may easily consider that the seuenth chapter hath in it no Propheticall Prediction but onely a larger explanation of the fifth Seale in which Martyrs are willed to waite till their fellow-seruants be sealed and the secure and happy estate of Saints euen in suffering yea their glorious and ioyfull estate after suffering is at great length expressed before the comfortlesse estate of the wicked whereunto the sixt Seale deliuers them be touched at all Thus haue we the summe of this first and generall Prophecie Now before the opening of the first foure Seales S. Iohn is prepared where we haue these circumstances first what was S. Iohn doing when this Vision was presented to him to wit Beholding secondly who prepares and wakeneth him One of the foure liuing Creatures and thirdly what saith he to him Come and see The first is noted in these words After I beheld S. Iohn hitherto hath seene many glorious Visions and yet now hee lookes for more Sure it is that euery sight of heauenly things which Saints get prouokes them to a desire of more for there is not a greater argument of grace receiued then a feruent desire of further grace Beside the desire this beholding imports a constant consideration without wearying or wauering a stable and fixed minde with a perfect heart is required in them who would learne things heauenly The naturall eye if it bee closed or if it bee Circumactus tumbling and waltring in the head or then if it looke negligently cannot see nor take vp those things which are before it and so is it with the eye of the soule if it attend not stedfastly and carefully to heauenly things it cannot perceiue nor vnderstand them The second circumstance is by whom is hee prepared that is by one of the foure liuing creatures that is the first of the foure as the learned Interpreters haue sufficiently cleared They who expound these foure liuing Creatures to signifie the vvhole order of Preachers by the first of them vnderstand the first Preachers after the Apostles namely Quadratus and Aristides Ahentenses of the Church of Athens By the second againe Iustinus Martyr and Melito Sardenses of the Church of Sardis But this vnto me with the reuerence I owe to so laborious men seemes an idle speculation or if they will a Diuination without
righteousnesse c. So the Horse whereupon this Conquerour is carryed through the world is the Ministerie of the Word Primasius by the Horse vnderstands Apostles and Preachers Ministers without the Word are not to be receiued and the Word without a Minister able to preach it is not profitable These two the Lord in his most wise dispensation hath ioyned together For it hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to saue them who beleeue The Horse then is the Ministerie of the Word The Gospell preached is the Chariot and Horses whereby this King is carried through the world As in the gouernement of the world hee vseth the Ministerie of Angels so in the gathering and gouerning of his Church hee vseth the Ministery of Preachers Who can heare but by Preaching and who can preach except they be sent These are figured by Horses first for the courage wherewith they are endued This is obserued by the Lord himselfe as a speciall property of the Horse He mocketh at feare and is not afraid hee turneth not back from the sword And doubtlesse Preachers in whom Christ is and vpon whom hee rides are valiant and couragious men Their fore-head is like the Adamant and harder then the Flint They feare no death they faint for no trouble that can follow them in the seruice of Christ. Notable was that answer of Andrew the Apostle when Egeas Gouernour of Patris vpbraided him with the death of the Crosse hee answered that he would neuer haue preached the honour and glory of the Crosse if he had feared it And as the seruants of God are farre from that timiditie which makes men vnfaithfull in the cause of God so are they as farre from temerity whereby men ignorantly zealous are precipitate and carried head-long to accelerate for euery light conceite of their braine trouble on themselues Their zeale is like a fire kindled of stubble or straw which makes a faire blaze for the time but because it hath no matter to maintaine it vanisheth incontinent and endeth in vngracious smoaking I wish we had no example of any such among vs it is a shame to the Gospell to speake the one day and retreate the other A wrong cause will neuer furnish strength in trouble wisedom requires that men before-hand should ponder and consider well the cause for which they will resolue to suffer affliction Againe Preachers are figured by Horses and Christ going forth to conquer appeares riding on a Horse to note the speed and celerity which hee was to vse in propagation of the Gospell And indeed it is wonderfull to see how in a short time the Lord Iesus ranne through the world by the Ministerie of his Word ouercomming and subduing to his obedience most mighty Kingdomes by most weake Instruments This is well obserued by Cyprian Bishop of Carthage and Martyr Ecce à Domini Redemptâ—…ris temporibus anni effluxerunt plus minùs 240. iamque huius vitis palmites latiùs se sparserunt quà m Romanum Imperium It is little more or lesse saith he of two hundred and forty yeares since the daies of Christ the Redeemer and yet in this time the Church hath spred out her Branches larger then the Romane Empire Et quâ—…s nulla ferri vis domare potuit emollit sanguis Agni candidi and they whom no power of the sword was able to daunt are made peaceable and tame by the bloud of the vnspotted Lambe Among many of that sort how the Lord hath beene mercifull to Scotland in that about sixteene hundred yeares this Conquerour with his white Horse entred in among vs and subiected vs to himselfe whom the Romanes could neuer subiect to their Empire I haue at large declared in that Treatise Intituled Six daies conference betweene a Catholike Christian and a Catholike Romane And againe as the Horse is bridled and ruled and turned here or there by him that rides vpon it and is not left to himselfe to wander where-away he will so is it with Preachers of the Gospell they are directed to Countries Kingdomes and Cities at the good pleasure of Christ they neither come nor go by accident but by the prouidence of God A notable example hereof we haue in S. Paul hee was of purpose to go to Bithinia but the Spirit suffered him not yea commanded him to go to Macedonia And albeit now the Lord doth not informe his seruants by such extraordinary reuelations yet doth he still worke with them in the same manner appointing them to such places and people as in his Wisedome hee thinkes most expedient Take heed to the flocke ouer which the Holy Ghost hath made you Ouerseers and they are as starres in the right hand of Iesus they shine not but where hee holds out his hand and sends them This is a warning to Preachers if they looke to haue their Ministry blessed of the Lord let them not goe where the calling of God leades them not Other riders are helped by their horses but heer the horse is helped by the rider for what is a Preacher if Christ bee not with him and worke in him he is like a Pen without a hand it can write nothing a tongue without a heart it can speake nothing a musicall instrument without one to touch it can make no sound at all We are not able of our selues sufficiently to thinke a good thought all our sufficiency is of God Sith it is so our care should be to carry our Lord alway in our Conscience how should we wait vpon him how should wee most carefully keepe him sith without him wee are able to doe nothing It is written of Bucephalus the horse of Alexander that hee would suffer none to ride vpon him but his owne master whether that be true or not sure it is this is most true Preachers should not be Asses like Issachar couching downe to receiue euery burden that any man will lay vpon them but they are horses for Christ onely to ride vpon Yea all other Christians in their callings are also to looke vnto this that the commandement and direction of their waies bee reserued onely to Iesus Christ Beatae animae quae dorsum suum curâ—…arunt vt suscipiant SessoreÌ„ verbum Dei fraenacius patiuntur vt quocunque ipse voluerit flectat eas quia non iam propria voluntate incedunt sed ad omnia ducuntur reducuntur voluntate Sessoris Blessed are the soules which bow their backes to receiue The Word of God to ride vpon them who are content to be bridled by him and turned where-away hee will these walke not after their owne will but are turned hither and thither at the good pleasure of him who rides vpon them But to returne and conclude this second point As there is no horse which needeth not the spurre and the bridle the one to stirre him forward the other to gouerne him in
Tertullian and by the fourth Cyprian Martyr and Bishop of Carthage But we haue shewed before that as these foure liuing creatures cannot be the foure Euangelists because Saint Iohn himselfe was one of the foure Euangelists so no more can they be Preachers for Saint Iohn is here sent to waken vp both Preachers and Professors to the patient suffering of troubles which here are foretold vnto them We adhere therefore to our former exposition that these liuing creatures are Angels adding this vnto it that this first Prophecy beeing generall should neither be bound to particular times nor persons for euen in our owne dayes the rider on the white horse rideth still and the redde horse followes the vvhite to persecute him as the bloudy murthers and treasonable plots in France Germanie England and other parts of Christendome may witnes VERSE 4. And there vvent out another horse that was red and power was giuen to him that sate thereon to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another and there was giuen vnto him a great sword AT the opening of the second seale Saint Iohn sees a sight farre different from the first the first sight was comfortable but dolefull are these which follow Our coÌ„forts on earth are not without crosses nor yet our crosses thanks be to God without comforts Alway we are forewarned here that persecution will follow preaching we must not alway promise to our selues prosperous and pleasant things When Dauid was anointed King all the Philistims came out in battell to seeke him hee was a type of our Lord. When Iesus was borne in Bethleem Herod and all Ierusalem were agast and so soone as he was baptized Satan tempted him It warnes vs saith S. Chrysostome that wee also will giue our names vnto Christ we must prepare our selues both to be persecuted of men and tempted of Satan Ab ipsis vitae initiis ad tentationes praeparamur cùm cernimus ab ipsis Christs incunabilis istud effectum c. Long and maruelous peace haue we had great hath been the Lords mercie tovvards vs vvhere shall wee find that the White Horse hath ridden so long and the red horse not following him as here in this Countrey vvhere hath there been so long preaching without heresie or persecution as among vs Satan a farre off hath shaken his bloudy sword at vs but the Lord hath restrained him and bridled his bloudy beasts that they could not come neere vs. The Spanish Army threatned to execute vpon vs the bloudy decree of the Councell of Trent but the Lord drowned them before our eyes as he drowned the Egyptians in the sight of Israel The remanent of them hee humbled also before vs and brought them into our streets that they who purposed to make vs prooue their mercilesse crueltie might prooue our Christian pitie and compassion as the Syrians vvho came to destroy Samaria by the maruelous working of God were brought within the Ports therof they were refreshed with meat and drinke and sent home againe so moued the Lord our hearts to doe vnto them God make vs thankfull for it and giue vs grace to prepare our selues the more carefully for the day of affliction because the Lord hitherto hath so long and louingly spared vs. As the vvhite horse signifies Preachers by whose ministrie Iesus is carried through the world so the red horse signifies bloudy Persecuters and he who rides vpon them is Satan a lyer and murtherer euer from the beginning The type tells vs that bastard religion is alway cruell examples of all ages proue it Cain a bastard and false vvorshipper he slew Abel a true sacrificer Ismael mocked Isaac and Esau persecuted Iacob Verberari Christianorum proprium est slagâ—…llare autem Pilati Caiaphae sunt officia To suffer is the property of Christians To you it is giuen not onely to belieue but to suffer also but to persecute and scourge are the practices of Pilate and Caiaphas The Iesuit Coster in the Preface of his Encheridion testifies that albeit the Christians of the Primitiue Church were of a sufficient number to giue battel to the persecuting Emperors yet they chose rather to propagate the Gospell by patient suffering the shedding of their own bloud theÌ„by shedding the bloud of their Persecuters Ita Catholicos pia quaedam tenuit misericordia Such was then the tender mercy of Catholiques But I pray him tell mee where was this tender mercy in pretended Catholiques Romane at the murther of Paris Is it not cleare by his own confession that the Church of Rome present is farre degenerate from Rome primitiue If there were not any other argument against them their bloudy teeth may testifie that they are not the Sheepe of Iesus but rauening Wolues But of this we haue spoken elswhere Satan thirsts for bloud and when hee hath gotten it bloud is his destruction Hee thought all should goe well and his kingdome should be in peace if once he had Iesus Christ crucified but Christ by death destroyed him who had the power of death and hee thinks by shedding the bloud of Saints to raze the Christian name out of the earth but he is farre deceiued for it hath proued true in all times which Tertullian by experience marked in his time Sanguis Martyrum semen est Ecclesiae the bloud of Martyrs is the seed of the Church This is the bush that burnes but cannot be consumed by fire it is the Arke tossed by water but still preuailes against the water Continuall were the persecutions of the Church Primitiue yet Christians increased daily deeply rooted in the doctrine of the Apostles and watred plentiously with the bloud of Saints And againe The more cruelty said Iustine is vsed against vs the more the number of Belieuers is increased No otherwise then if a man cut the Vine tree the better the branches thereof growe for the Vine tree planted by God and Christ is his people And power was giuen him This is for the comfort of the Church that howsoeuer her enemies be many and most malicious yet they can do no more then according to the power GOD giues them Yea and all the haires of your head are numbred not one of them can fall to the ground but by the will of your heauenly Father Times ne pereas cuius capillus non peribit Art thou afraid lest thou perish sith a haire of thine head cannot perish When Pilat had bragged of his power to Iesus our Lord gaue him this answere Thou couldest haue no power ouer me at all if it were not giuen thee from aboue Yea Satan himselfe confessed that albeit many times he assaied to haue harmed Iob yet hee could not because the Lord was an hedge vnto him He is indeed a roring Lyon going about seeking whom hee may deuoure but he cannot so much as enter
though thou hadst them were not able to vphold thee if the Lord in his anger look downe vpon thee A fearfull example hereof we haue in Baltasar the last of the Assyrian Monarches who hauing about him all worldly comforts that the heart of man could craue yet when the Lord wakened his conscience and wrote his doome with three fingers of an hand vpon the wall ouer against him his countenance changed his flesh trembled his knees smote one against the other his spirit was perturbed and none of his comforts could comfort him Sith it is so that we cannot endure to want his creatures farre lesse can we liue if wee want himselfe will we still prouoke the Lord to wrath by our sinnes Are we stronger then hee that any way we should be able to beare the force of his indignation Why then are we not more carefull to make peace with him Thou canst not resist him why wilt thou not bee reconciled with him God giue vs wise and vnderstanding hearts that in time wee may consider of it This plague of famine comes in into the third roome and is not to be limited within any definite time for as the course of the white Horse shall continue to the worlds end so where he is reiected the Black and the Pale shall follow ac-according as it pleaseth the Lord to appoint them Cotterius who assigneth seuen yeares and no more to euery Seale confesseth hee cannot proue that this plague of famine threatned heere should be restrained to seuen yeares onely and so it is indeed for where the red Horse followes the White to persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell it is a righteous thing with God to send in the Blacke and the Pale Horses to plague them They who despise the Bread of Life are iustly punished when bread needfull for the body is taken from them Seek first the Kingdome of heauen all other things shall be ministred vnto you And on the contrary where men will not receiue the Kingdome of God offered vnto them all other things which they would haue shall be taken from them They shall not enioy the comforts of the earth who despise the pleasures of heauen proclaimed and preached by the Gospell The blind world blameth the Gospell most wrongfully as if it were the cause why men are plagued with famine and pestilence but we see the true cause is the persecution and contempt of the Gospell So the Iewes of old ignorantly gloried as the Papists do now that there was wealth enough when they worshipped the Queene of heauen And Infidels in the Primitiue Church imputed Famine Pest and such like to the Christians But heere the true causes of wealth and of want are discouered to vs. And yet still they obiect that Famine and Pestilence cannot be plagues sent vpon the world for contempt of the Gospell because Preachers and Professors of the Gospell are not exempted from them But this is easily answered for good men and euill as in one and the selfe-fame action so also in one and the selfe-fame passion are farre different one from another Cain and Abel sacrificed yet was the one accepted the other reiected their hands wrought alike but not their hearts Iudas said I haue sinned in betraying Christ Peter I haue sinned in denying Christ Alike in confession but not in contrition and confidence Two Malefactors crucified with Christ the one continuing in his sinne blasphemed him the other by grace conuerted from his sinne blessed him There yee haue in like action and like passion an vnlike disposition Quicunque boni malique pariter afflictâ—… sunt non ideo ipsi distincti non sunt quia distinctum non est quod vtrique perpessi sunt manet tamen dissimilitudo passorum etiam in similitudine passionum licet sub eodem tormento non est idem virtus vitium Good and euill men are not therefore not distinguished because it is not distinguished which they suffer There is a great dissimilitude of the sufferers euen in the similitude of suffering and vnder one and the selfe-fame torment yet are not vertue and vice one and the same The same answer before him gaue Cyprian to the Ethnickes when they obiected the like to Christians Thinke not saith he that yee and wee because we both suffer in the like afflictions are therefore alike when we are stricken like you yet are we not like Ne putes participem esse poenae tuae quem non vides participem doloris tui thinke him not partaker of thy punishment whom thou seest not partaker of thy paine Now the Rider on this blacke Horse is said to haue a Ballance in his hand first in token of penurie and scarcity he giues bread vnto men not by measure but by weight which is according to the curse threatned in the Law When I shall break the staffe of your bread then ten women shall bake your bread in one Ouen and they shall deliuer your bread againe by weight and yee shall eate and not bee satisfied A token of great scarcity when in one Ouen as much bread is baked as must serue seuen Families and which yet is worse They shall eat and not be satisfied Secondly the Ballance in the hand of him who brings this plague of Famine notes the equity of God in the execution of his Iudgements hee makes his plagues proportionall to the sinnes of men and in punishing them doth nothing vnrighteously Hitherto tend these borrowed speeches of Lines Measures and Cups vsed in holy Scripture to expresse the moderation and equity of God euen in punishing hee keeps a measure a rule and order But in the execution of mercy it is farre otherwise for our best seruice is not worth the least of his mercies our recompence is not by lines nor measures but as our Sauiour speaketh A good measure pressed downe and shaken together and running ouer shall bee giuen vnto you The Lord shall doe to vs aboundantly aboue all wee can aske or thinke Much more aboue all that we haue done VERSE 6. And I heard a Voice in the midst of the foure liuing creatures say A measure of Wheate for a peny and three measures of Barly for a peny and Oile and Wine hurt thou not NOW followes the exposition of the former Type wherein by a Proclamation from the Throne or the Lamb that sits thereon the plague threatned here is declared to be famine dearth The Choenix in the iudgement of all Interpreters is such a measure of dry corne as might serue to be bread for a day vnto one man The penie againe was the ordinary wages of a common Labourer for a day as is cleere out of the Parable of the Vineyard and those who laboured in it So great then shall the Dearth be that a man labouring all the day long shall be able to gaine no more bread
fore-heads and for confirmation thereof they cite Augustine What vse the signe of the Crosse had among the Ancients wee are not now to dispute but to say that the signe of the Crosse is this Seale of the liuing God is a childish and ridiculous folly for the Seale of God here spoken of is proper to Gods Elect and so cannot be the signe of the Crosse wherewith many Reprobates may be marked Qui malè operatur si se emendare noluerit quando se signat peccatum illius non minuitur sed augetur He who liueth euill and amendeth not when he signeth himselfe his sinne is not diminished but augmented And againe Nesciunt miseri quod dum se signant de malo opere se non reuocant includunt in se daemones magis quà m excludunt Those miserable men who will not recall themselues from doing of euill and yet will signe themselues with the signe of the Crosse they know not that by so doing they rather include Deuils within them then exclude them So that the signe of the Crosse cannot bee this Seale of God wherewith none but the seruants of GOD are marked Now that we may know what it is let vs consider that a Seale is a note of appropriation whereby a man marketh that which is his own with his owne marke that it may bee discerned from that which is not his Thus Marchants put their marke on their owne Wares in a Ship and Sheepe-heards likewise put their marke on their owne sheepe to distinguish them from others of the Flock which are not theirs It imports also a conforming of the thing sealed vnto the scale wherewith it is sealed as we shall heare Hitherto tends that of Saint Augustine Signare quid est nisi proprium aliquid ponere Ideo rei ponis signum ne res cum aliis confusa à te non possit agnosci What is it to seale a thing but to put something or some note of thine owne vpon it whereby it may be discerned from others The Father is said to haue sealed the Sonne the Sonne againe is said to seale his Saints and Seruants by the holy Spirit The first is cleere for him hath the Father sealed that is Proprium quiddam dedit ne caeteris comparetur hominibus Hee gaue him something of his owne to distinguish him from other men It is true the Lord Iesus is a Man indeed yet such as hath an incomparable note of super-excellence aboue other men For this Seale of the liuing God Christ hath it first Essentially then Ministerially Essentially hee hath it for hee is the Image of the inuisible God and ingrauen character of his Person Hee hath life in himselfe as the Father hath life in himselfe Hee hath it also as Mediator ministerially to communicate it vnto others not in that degree whereby hee possesseth it himselfe that is impossible but in a certaine similitude for hee giueth life to whom hee will as the Father quickneth whom hee will And thus hee sealeth his owne by imprinting in them his owne similitude and image by the holy Spirit What then is the Seale of the liuing God but the Image of the liuing God which the Lord Iesus by his holy Spirit stampes and engraues in the soules of his Saints This the Apostle tels vs plainely It is God who stablisheth vs with you in Christ and hath anointed vs and hath sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts And againe After that yee beleeued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise And yet againe Grieue not the holy Spirit of God by whom yee are sealed vnto the day of Redemption Of all these it is cleere that as I haue said The Seale of God is the Image of God stamped in the soules of his children by the holy Spirit This was our first glorie that we were created to the Image of our God Satan and our selues did miserably deface it but now by the grace of Iesus in our Redemption it is againe graciously restored They who want this Seale the Lord will not acknowledge them to be his Away from mee yee workers of iniquitie I know you not And if wee our selues would know whether this Seale hath stamped vs or not let vs looke to our owne disposition for euery seale leaues such an imprinted forme in that which it sealeth as it hath in itselfe The Lord is holy hee is light hee is iust mercifull meeke long-suffering if hee hath communicated his Image to vs then will hee make vs some way to resemble our Father we shall become holy light in the Lord righteous toward all men mercifull meeke long-suffering and readie to forgiue for what else is Christianisinus but imitatio diuinae naturae Christianity but an imitation of the Diuine Nature In a word looke the fruits of the Spirit and of the flesh as they are reckoned out and opposed to other by the Apostle If the Lord haue sealed vs with his Seale then shall the fruits of the Spirit be manifest in vs if otherwise the fruits of the flesh be predominant sure it is thou are not sealed by the holy Spirit for such as are sealed by him hee maketh them like vnto himselfe Now this Seale they are said to haue it in their fore-heads because it emboldeneth them to stand to the publike confession of Christ First as I haue shewed hee sealeth them in their hearts and next in their fore-heads No terrour no intreatment can moue them to deny the Lord Iesus Hee that denyes me before men I shall deny him before my Father in heauen I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Iesus said S. Paul Innumerable proofes hereof we haue in Confessors and Martyrs of all times There is a notable example giuen hereof by Sanctus the Martyr in the persecution vnder Commodus when it was demanded of him what his name was Hee answered Christianus sum and to all questions demanded of him of his Countrey and Parents he gaue onely this answer Christianus sum Let vs try our selues whether we haue this seale or not where wee find a beginning thereof let vs carefully conserue it that the lineaments of that image be not defaced by the deepnesse of Satan and deceit of our owne sinfull corruption for the want of this seale will make the Lord deny his owne creature in that Day Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not The siluer which is not strucken with the Kings stampe is counted adulterous and not receiued in his treasure Sic anima que imaginem Christi non habet in coelestes thesauros non ingredietur so the soule which hath not the image of Christ shall not be layd vp in the heauenly treasures And he cryed By his crying with a loud voice nothing else is noted
fifteene hundred thousand and moe of men able to draw sword And here of all ages onely a hundred and forty foure thousand are sealed to eternall life to teach vs they are few in comparison of the rest So Augustine vnderstands that place of Ieremy I shall take you one of a Citie and two of a Tribe and shall bring you to Sion There is a narrow shifting few are taken in respect of them who are left Though the number of Israel were as the sand of the Sea yet shall but a remnant be saued This is more plainely for all spoken by our Sauiour It is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which goe in there at but the gate is strait and the way is narrow that leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it This should waken vs to take heed to our selues the fewer they be who are to be saued the more carefull should we be to make sure our calling and election by well dooing As to the order obserued in the reckoning out of these Tribes wee are to knowe that sometime they are reckoned according to that order which Iacob their Father kept in blessing them Sometime againe they are reckoned according to their excellencie as heere Iuda had the prerogatiue of dignitie for it is certaine The Lord sprang out of Iuda Sometime the order of their natiuity is obserued and so Aaron had them grauen in twelue precious stones vpon his brest to present them vnto the Lord Figuring by a sweer relation the Lord Iesus presenting his Saints to the Father in more effectuall and comfortable a manner and then Ruben is first Simeon second Leui third Iuda fourth but here they are not so numbred for in the kingdome of Heauen prerogatiues of birth or bloud will not be respected It is good reason that in this life such dignities should make a distinction among men and cause one to be preferred before another but it will not bee so there There is neither Iew nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus VERSE 5. Of the Tribe of Iuda were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Ruben vvere sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Gad were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 6. Of the Tribe of Aser were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Nephtali were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Manasse were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 7. Of the Tribe of Simeon were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Leui were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Issachar were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelue thousand VERSE 8. Of the Tribe of Ioseph were sealed twelue thousand Of the Tribe of Beniamin vvere sealed twelue thousand COncerning these Tribes it is needlesse for vs to speake particularly of that which may be found written of them in the holy storie Primasius and others runne out here vpon Allegories not very pertinent to this purpose we wil onely speake a little of the nomination of Leui and the omission of Dan. Leui had no inheritance in earthly Canaan they were dispersed in Iuda and scattered in Israel that they might teach Iacob the iudgements and Israel the Law of the Lord yet now haue they their portion in heauenly Canaan with the rest Let this serue for a comfort to the Lords seruants vvho are set ouer others to teach them the way of saluation and to minister spirituall things vnto them who will not so much as requite them with corporall entertainment of their worldly things what thou wantest at the hands of men the Lord shall recompence it Laban defrauded Iacob of his vvages notwithstanding that he serued him faithfully but the Lord payed him and recompenced all his losses Again albeit the Tribe of Leui as we haue said had the charge to teach all the rest of the Tribes yet are no moe sealed then of other Tribes all were Teachers but all are not sealed Heereof ariseth a caution for Preachers and a comfort for Professors They are not all saued who are of the holy calling not all Priests not all Prophets not all Apostles not all Preachers à profane man may be in the holy calling but will it profit him No more then the Arke did Ophni and Phinees Yet Preachers if they be faithfull shall not vvant their great reward For they vvho turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the Starres for euer Professors againe let them not be discouraged though they be not called to be Preachers they are not of Leui his Tribe yet is it sufficient for their saluation if they be of Iuda his Tribe and called to be Saints Neither shall they be depriued of this dignitie to be Fellovv-helpers of Preachers if they loue them pray for them helpe them counsell them comfort them that they may doe the worke of God vvith ioy and not with griefe So Saint Paul giueth this commendation to Aquila and Priscilla that they were â—…his fellow-helpers in Christ they could not preach the Gospell yet receiue they this praise that they were Saint Paul his fellow-helpers in preaching Now as concerning the omission of Dan the reason of this giuen by Iesuites is because as they alledge Antichrist was to come of Dan. But with as good a warrant might they say that Antichrist shall come of Ephraim for he is omitted also Antichrist say they shall come three yeeres and an halfe before the second comming of Christ and no sooner At this time the Tribe of Dan had not brought out the Antichrist and will Iesuites haue the Lord here to depriue them of their dignity for sinnes to be done it being a common equitie which the Lord keepes in all his waies the sinne is first coÌ„mitted by the wicked before that iudgement by the Lord be executed vpon them Hee hath spared wicked men as he did the Amalekites many yeeres after they had sinned they sinned in the dayes of Moses they are punished in the dayes of Samuel foure hundred yeeres after but that the Lord hath punished a people sixteen hundred yeeres and more before they committed the sinne as this doting diuinitie of Iesuites would make vs to belieue it hath not been heard and is without all example But when the Iewes shall get another Christ for whom they looke to come out of the Tribe of Iuda then shall the Iesuites get another Antichrist for whom they looke out of the Tribe of Dan and that shall neuer be They cite Ambrose for confirmation of their opinion he saith it indeed but shewes no warrant for it we willingly embrace the Fathers gold but will not gather their drosse according to that ancient rule of Vincentius Lirinensis Doctors should be receiued with the Faith of the Church but we must not with the Doctors
multitude for it is said No man could number them Next their varietie they are of all Nations and people Thirdly their vnity in their action and song common to them all These three coniunctly doe greatly augment the glory and felicity of Saints redeemed As for their multitude The Lord promised to make the seed of Abraham in number like the stars of heauen and sand of the sea Some of the Fathers by the starres of heauen will haue Israelites to be figured and by the sand of the sea Gentiles Howeuer that be it is plaine out of this place that the number of elected Gentiles doth farre exceed the number of elected Iewes Multitude as I said doth greatly increase the glory of Saints Euery one of them by themselues are beautifull glorious and maruelous creatures but all of them coniunctly in one multitude and fellowship make their beautie and glorie farre greater For one of them hinders not another one of them derogates not from another it is so with multitudes of men on earth but not so with the multitude of Saints in heauen the moe in nuÌ„ber they be the greater is the ioy glory of all Thus in the first creation the Lord considering euery one of his works seuerally said of them And the Lord saw it was good But when he looked vpon all coniunctly then it is said And God saw all that he had made loe it was very good Their variety is noted here that they were of all nations kindreds people tongues and yet their variety is no impediment to their vnity for they all sing one song as we shal heare shortly Of this we learn that the Church in not bound to any one nation or place as the Donatists of old would haue it included in such places of Afric as pleased them and Papists now will acknowledge no church but Romane Shall Churches of other Nations Tongues be no Churches because they are not Romane I know all Churches are of one communion but the band of their coÌ„munion is their faith in Christ who is the head of them all and not their profession of subiection to the Sea of Rome that is but the Beast his vsurpation and can no way be shewed or proued to descend from Diuine dispensation Shall that most ancient Church of the East composed of Grecians a Nation acknowledged by her aduersaries to be a Mother Church in whose language the new Testament was written of Syrians in which tongue the Son of God pronounced his Oracles of Slauonians Russians 〈◊〉 and others in whose bosome are almost all the Apostolike Seas and in whose Iurisdiction were celebrate souen Vniuersall Councelâ—… shall 〈◊〉 East Church I say be no Church because it speakes not the Romane tongue Or shall the Patriarch of Constantinople President thereof be no Patriarch because he is not subject to the Pope of Rome No sure it is many thousands of good Christians are among them Or shall the South Church which containeth the Nubians the Abyssines subiects of the King of Ethiop otherwise called Prester-Iohn beside many other scaâ—…ered in Egypt Arabia Caldea with their Primate resident in Caire called Patriarch of Alexandria and his deputy or substitute in Ethiop called Abuâ—… that is Our Father who look for the remission of their sins in the bloud of Iesus haue their Leiturgies not so agreeable to the Church of Rome as to the Churches reformed And beside those shall the Christians of Tartaria in the North Persâ—… and the Kingdomes of the East Indies with their Prelate resident at Seleucia Shall all these bee no Churches no Christians Sith they hold the Christian faith suppose with different Ceremonies Shall these be reiected because they are not Romane and professe not subiection to the Bishop of Rome I speake not of the Churches reformed in Germany England Scotland France Flanders Swethia Poland I know the Church of Rome accounts these for hereticall But it is now more then three hundred yeeres since Reinerius an Inquisitor gaue vnto them this testimonie atleast to their fathers and predecessors They called them Waldenses Leonistae and by other such like opprobrious names But this Sect hath beene of longer continuance then any other for some say it hath endured since the time of Siluester others say it hath endured since the Apostles time Secondly it is more generall then any other for there is almost no Land to which this Sect doth not creepe Thirdly all other Sects do bring in an horrour with the haynousnesse of their blasphemies against God but this Sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of godlinesse because they liue iustly before men and beleeue all things well concerning God and all the Articles contained in the Creed Onely they blaspheme and hate the Church of Rome It is not then to be thought that the Christian Church of Gentiles is to be restrained to the Church of Rome No but the Christian Church hath in her bosome some of all Nations Kindreds People and Tongues who keep the faith of Iesus and are not for that no Christians because not Romane Stood before the Throne Their standing notes their firmenesse and stabilitie in glory they shall neuer fall from it againe Adam was created in a happie estate hee continued not long in it hee had his saluation in his owne keeping and he easily lost it but with Saints redeemed it is not so Secondly it notes that they are in great fauour with the Lord gracious and acceptable to him They are not licenced to stand in the presence of Princes with whom Princes are displeased therefore Haman when they saw the King angry with him they couered his face and carried him out to the Gibbet and hanged him In the end of the last Chapter the wicked cryed out Who can stand but heere Saints are brought in standing before the Throne For the Lord loueth them hee delights in his Saints yea he hath promised that hee himselfe shall bee a Crowne of glory and Diademe of beautie to his people But of this God willing more hereafter And thirdly their standing may imporâ—… their promptnesse and readinesse to attend the praise and the seruice of the Lord our God Cloathed in long white Robes The white Robe is ascribed to them to note first that they are holy pure and vndefiled for Christ loued his Church and gaue himselfe for it that hee might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word that he make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame So are the soules glorified in heauen and so shall our bodies be also without any spot of vncleannesse and therefore represented to S. Iohn couered with white Robes Next the white Robe hath in it some signification of their blessed estate in glory immortality
the will and the deed And hereby may yee know that the Lord in mercy is working your saluation when hee worketh in you both a will and a deed to doe all that yee can that yee may be saued sorrowing for sins past euer fearefull for sinnes to come continuall in prayer feruent in thanksgiuing and euery way carefull to keepe your selues in your spirit and so to be at peace vvith GOD and vnder the sence of his loue Their garments or their robes here come to be considered Seeing the garments of Saints is the righteousnesse of Christ according to that Put ye on the Lord Iesus and againe Christ is made vnto vs righteousnes how is it that their garments neede washing Truth it is indeed the righteousnesse of Iesus imputed to vs by which wee are iustified is perfit holy like vnto himselfe without all spot or blemish but our inherent righteousnes which by his Spirit he worketh in vs and whereby we are sanctified in this life is imperfit not without spot but all the defects thereof are destroyed in death by the clensing vertue of the bloud of Iesus and we then shall bee presented blamelesse to the Lord. Our Lord hath fulfilled the righteousnesse of the Law for vs but he shall also fulfill it in vs and this is it which heere is to bee vnderstood by the washing of their garments And made them white in the bloud of c. The Lambe as we haue spoken before is the Lord Iesus who takes away the sinnes of the world his Disciples are also called Lambs Behold I send you forth as Lambs in the middest of Wolues yea all Christians are so called Peter louest thou mee feede my Lambs they are also called the Light of the world but not that true Light which lighteth euery maÌ„ that commeth into the world and so he is called a Lamb in a speciall respect Agnus singulariter solus sine macula non cuius maculae abstersae sunt sed cuius macula nulla fuerit onely without spot not because they are washt away but because he had none to wash away Agnus quem lupi timent qui lâ—…onem occisus occidit a Lambe of whom Wolues are afraid and who being slaine slew the Lyon But of him we haue spoken before As to his bloud the efficacy thereof appeares in this that it is medicinall to them who shed it the same Iewes of whom S. Peter saith that they crucisied Christ by the preaching of his Crosse were conuerted to the faith of Christ three thousand of them at one Sermon Ipsoredempti sanguine quem fuderunt redeemed by the same bloud which theÌ„selues shedde Sic enim Christi sanguis in remissionem peccatorum Iesus est vt ipsum etiam peccatum delâ—…re possit quofusus est For the bloud of Christ was in such sort shed for the remission of sinnes that it is able to put away that same sinne by which it was shed What a wonder is this the Physician comes to cure a frantique patient the frantique slayes the Physician and yet the Phisician of his bloud makes a sufficient medicine to cure the frantique qualis insania eius qui medicum occidit quanta verò bonitas potentia medici qui de sanguine suo insano interfectori suo medicamentum fecit O how great was his madnesse who slewe his mediciner and how great is the goodnes and power of the mediciner who of his owne bloud hath made a healing medicament to him that shed it Yea the very manner of phrase vsed by the Seignior or Elder le ts vs see how the worke of our redemption wrought by the bloud of Iesus is full of miracles for is not this strange that where all other bloud defiles and pollutes that wherevpon it lights this bloud purifies and cleanses them on whom it lighteth Other bloud maketh the whitest linnen vgly vnpleasant and lothsome to behold but this bloud makes a menstruous cloth pleasant white Though your sinnes were as crimson they shal be made white as snow though they were red as scarlet they shall be made white as wooll But to this cleansing of vs there is no need of the naturall or corporall sprinkling of that bloud vpon vs No the sprinkling of that bloud that purifies vs is spirituall Let vs drawe neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience No word here is as we see of any Papall purgations Indulgences or fire of Purgatorie or holy Water these are the Merchandize and wares of whoorish Babel such trumperie is not knowne in heauenly Ierusalem onely the bloud of Iesus must wash thee All other washing pollutes and defiles thee Though thou wash thee with â—…itre and take thee much Sope yet thine iniquity is marked before me saith the Lord God But the bloud of Iesus cleanseth vs from all sinne With Scripture Fathers are consonant to cry out against this blasphemous purgation of sin by any infernall fire Piorum animâ—… recta in beatas seâ—…es impiorum in gehennam abeunt the soules of godly men goe the high way into heauen the wicked straight vnto hell Anima vbicunque eâ—…olauerit è corpore aut à daemonibus in infernum aut ab Angelis in coelum abripâ—…tur the soule so soone as it fleeth out of the body is either reft and carried to hell by Diuels or to heauen by Angels Sinne they grant is forgiuen here but the punishment of it must be sustained there Against this let them mark what S. Cyprian saies Quando istine excessum fuerit nullus iam poenitentiâ—… locus nullus satisfactionis effectus vita hic aut tenetur aut amittitur from the time we go out of this life there is no more place of repentance nor effect of satisfactioÌ„ by suffering here life is either kept or lost Qualem te inuenit Deus cum vocat talem pariter indicat such as God findes thee when by death he cals on thee such he iudges thee Vnusquisque cum causa sua dormit cum causa sua resurget euery man sleepeth with his cause and with his cause shall he rise againe there is no changing nor bettering of it betweene his death and his resurrection PostquaÌ„ discesserimus non est in nobis situm poenitere neque commissadiluere From time we goe out of this life wee are not able to repent nor to wash away the sinnes which we haue done It were tedious to rehearse all And therfore I returne conclude this point In the bloud of Christ there is a threefold vertue First a purging vertue next a protecting vertue thirdly a pacifying vertue What need haue we theÌ„ of any other thing or to seeke any other merit or bloud beside his Of his purging vertue we haue spoken already His protecting
the assembly of his Saints according to his promise but this presence is not perceiued but of his owne secret ones who seeke his face The presence of his glory is giuen to Saints triumphant in the heauen The Lord giueth grace and glory but first grace and then glory from grace in earth yea and by it he leades them vp to glory in heauen Of this presence of glory this place is to be vnderstood according to that In thy face is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore And againe O how excellent is they mercy O God! therefore the children of men trust vnder the shadow of thy wings they shall bee satisfied with the fatnesse of thine house and thou shalt giue them drinke out of the riuers of thy pleasure Here not onely haue we pleasure but riuers of pleasures yet such as can neuer be exhausted for it is subioyned With thee is the well of life So long as the fountaine or spring lasteth the riuer cannot decay God is that great fountaine or bottomlesse deepe from him comes the riuers of pleasures to all that stand about him The Queene of Sheba said of Salomon his seruants Happy are thy men happy are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisedome but much more truly may it bee spoken of the seruants of our God who stand about his Throne Blessed are they who dwell in thine house Now followes They serue him night and day in his Temple We haue heard of the place wherein they are the second part of the verse shortly describes their exercise They serue God and that without all fainting wearying or intermission night and day This imports no vicissitude but a continuance and perpetuitie Dies nox vicissitudâ—…nem sed perpetuitatem significant Because all our time turneth vpon day and night therefore many a time vseth the Spirit of God this phrase Day and night to expresse as much as for euer and euer In the heauens there is nothing but a Day no change of their glorious and lightsome estate by time In the Hell there is nothing but a Night perpetuall darkenesse no change of their horrible and comfortlesse estate by time In the Earth there is a day and a night and a vicissitude and change of euery estate by time That mention is made of a Temple wee are not to thinke there is any materiall Temple in heauen but an allusion is made to the Temple of Ierusalem wherein his seruants serued him day and night And this word of seruice noteth that they are now fully become the Lords they haue resigned themselues altogether to do his will there is not now in them any deed nor desire of any thing that may offend him they waite vpon him they looke stedfastly to him they delight in him they praise him without ceasing this is their seruice Non est laborâ—…osa sed amabilis optanda haec seruitus It is not a painefull seruice or laborious but to be loued and longed for Seruitus hâ—…c dulcissima merces est seruitutis praesentis laboriosae this seruice is a most sweet reward of our present laborious seruice Among men the name of a seruant is counted vnhonorable and a base thing thinke they it to serue another but sith the most honourable creatures elect Angels and Men delight to serue him let vs not be ashamed to professe ourselues his seruants Dauid was a great King yet hee counteth more and reioyces oftner in it that hee was a seruant of God then a King ouer his people And S. Paul was a Chosen vessel vnto God yet his ordinarie stile is Paul the seruant of Iesus Christ. And indeed it is more honorable to be a seruant of Christ then to be a Monarch of the world without him Seruire Deo est regnare In very deed hee is a free-man yea and a King who is Gods seruant Hee trampleth vnder feete the deuill the world and the flesh hee is Lord of his affections yea and of all creatures hee can vse them but will not come vnder the power of any of them and yet so blind are worldlings that they account Christ his seruice to be bondage his Law a yoke whereas in truth it is the Law of Liberty and men without it not subiect to it are in most miserable bondage For he that will not serue the Lord shall bee like cursed Cham a seruant of seruants He shall serue many masters instead of one O quam multos Dominos habet qui vnum non habet and that in a seruice wherein there is no comfort for which there is no reward and after which no time set for manumission or liberty Any other seruant that hath an euill Master sometime may bee sold to another and he will be glad of it But the seruant of sin is so blinded that albeit of all slauâ—… he be the most miserable yet he is content with it and desires not to change his Master And againe any other seruant oppressed with the tyrannie of a Master sometime will deliuer himselfe by flying from him But the seruant of sinne where-away shall hee flee Secum trahit Dominum suum quocunque fugerit non fugit seipsam mala conscientia hee draweth his oppressor with him flee where hee will an euill conscience cannot flee from it selfe And as for a reward of his seruice where is it Voluptas transitâ—… peccatum manet praeterit quod delectabat remansit quod pungat the pleasure passeth the sinne abideth still that is gone which delighted him and for which hee sinned that remaines which disquiets him and torments him to wit guiltinesse the fruit of his sinne that is the worme which gâ—…aweth his conscience what shall we then do but cry out and confesse with the same Father O miserabilis seruitus peccatâ—… O miserable and vnprofitable and euery way comfortlesse seruice of sinne And on the contrarie O happy ioyfull fruitfull and euery way most comfortable the seruice of Iesus Christ our Sauiour Yet concerning this point there is but one question to be moued Said not our Sauiour to his Disciples Henceforth I call you not seruants but friends How then are redeemed and glorified Saints called seruants I answer This noteth their aduancement to a new and high dignity but derogates not from their old debt-bound duetie Familiarity with God takes not away reuerence It it engenders not as our Prouerbe is contempt no there is none who reuerenceth him more then they with whom hee is most familiar and noâ—…e more readie to serue him then they who haue found him most mercifull to them so these two stiles Friends and Seruants are not repugnant the one to the other And againe if it be demanded How serue they him for euer in his Temple Said not our Sauiour The seruant abides not in the
the loue humility and meekenesse of Christ that thereby we may know we are his such as bite one another and deuoure one another are as yet but carnall and strangers from the fellowship of Iesus And hee shall leade them to the Fountaine c. Waters signifie refreshing ioyes which Saints shall haue there in great aboundance Hee that drinketh of the water that I shall giue him shall neuer thirst any more but the water that I shall giue him shall bee in him a Well of water springing vp into eternall life The springing and flowing of the water noteth the aboundance of it according to that I am come that they might haue life and haue it in aboundance therefore is their exceeding great ioy called Riuers of pleasure and againe A pure Riuer of the water of life proceeding from the Throne of God runneth through the streetes of heauenly Ierusalem But here mention is made of the Fountaine from which these waters flow to shew that our ioy there shall not come mediately from the creature as we haue said but immediately from God the Author and Fountaine of all our felicity Shall leade them Euen in this life the Lord leads vs. All the sonnes of God are led by the Spirit of God they all cry to be gouerned by him Send thy Light and thy Truth let them lead mee and now we feele that he leades vs monendo monendo as we haue shewed on the eighth to the Romanes But how hee shall gouerne vs and leade vs there how we shall follow the Lambe where-euer hee goeth we shall best know when we come there it is a ioyfull thing now to be led by him we shall find it more ioyfull then Si sic bonus es quaerentibus te qualis eris assequentibus sith he is so good to theÌ„ who seeke him as we haue all cause to confess how good wil he be to theÌ„ who find him And God shall wipe away all teares c. This manner of speech imports a most comfortable change of their estate from miserie and all cause of mourning to ioy and all fulnesse of felicitie and this the Spirit of God expresseth by a most significant phrase when hee saith Mortality shall be swallowed vp of immortalitie that is it shall be deuoured and vtterly abolished as if it had neuer beene no foote-step of mortality or misery shall be seen there no voice of mourning heard there Some of the Ancients by proper similitudes do illustrate this Sicut stilla aquae modico infusa vino deficere à se tota videtur dum saporem vini induit colorem as a drop of water infused into wine lookes no more like that which it was but takes on it both the taste and colour of the wine Et sicut ferrum ignitum candens igni simillimum fit pristina propriaque forma exutum And as yron put in a hot burning fire becommeth most like vnto the fire and loseth the old and proper forme thereof Et sicut solis luce perfusâ—…s aer in eandem transformatur luminis claritatem adeâ—… vt non tam illuminatus quam lumen ipsum esse videatur And as the Aire when the light of the Sunne is diffunded through it is trans-formed into the brightnesse of his light so that it seemeth to bee not so much enlightned as a light it selfe At midnight the aire is a darke body in the day it is lightsome and lookes as if it were light it selfe so shall the Saints of God glorified in heauen be changed from that which they are now and transformed into the similitude of that glory whereunto they shall be aduanced then Alway mourning heere is meetest for Saints for how shall the Lord wipe away teares from their eyes who neuer shed them and how shall hee gather these teares into his bottell which thou neuer powredst out The world counts it a womanly affection to mourne but our Sauiour hath said Blessed are they who mourne now for they shall be comforted Dauid was a very valiant man hee slew the Lyon and ouercame Goliah the Philistim and yet Hee watered his bedde vvith teares in the night and in the day mingled his cuppe with teares Simon the Pharise at one time made a banquet to the Lord of the best delicates hee had and Marie gaue him a Desart of teares from her penitent heart Our Lord was better pleased with Marie her teares then with Simon his delicates Though wee were not compassed with many miseries and ouerladen with a heauy burden of sinnes in both which we haue great matter and cause of mourning yet our very absence from that great felicity which in this life wee cannot enioy should mooue vs to mourne Non satis futura gandia concupiscis si â—…a quotidie non postulas cum lachrymis minus tibi not a sunt si non renuit consolari anima tua donâ—…c veniant Thou desirest not as thou shouldst these ioyes to come if thou doe not craue them euery day with teares thou knowst them not if thy soule refuse not all other comfort till thou enioy them to replenish thee fruitlesse and vaine yea quickly vanishing are the greatest pleasures of this life Hardnes of heart and senselesse securitie is the Mother-sinne of this age The children of Cain by the light of nature learned how to worke in brasse and Iron and men by their wit and ingene can make the hardest metals receiue impression but cannot in like maner molliâ—…ie their hard hearts to receiue the stampe of holy Impression from the Lord. At the third stroke the Rocke rendred water vnto Moses but alas for many strokes will not our hearts render teares of contrition to the Lord. It requires a continuall care to worke vpon the heart to labour it make it soft that it may yeeld to the seale of God and receiue the portraiture of his image If wee in a good conscience vse the meanes diligently the Lord will not let vs want a blessing but wil graciously performe vnto his children that promise made in the new Couenant I shall take the stony heart away from them and giue them a heart of flesh To conclude all sith we heare so great and glorious things spoken of that Citie of our God that new and heauenly Ierusalem both here and in the twenty one and twenty Chapters of this prophesic is it not a lamentable folly to forget Sion and to sit down and sing by the riuers of Babel wherein we are but captiues Shall we neglect that life for the loue of any thing which we can enioy here It is a pretty meditation of S. Basil If thou had st sayes he two children where of the yonger by certaine knowledge were not able to liue the elder again were most liuely wouldst thou be so foolish as to spend all thy eare thy substance vpon the
are called Elders 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Esay 65. 20. The white rayment of Saints is their two-fold righteousnesse 1 One imputed 2 Another inherent Their Crowns note their Royall Dignity 1. Cor. 9. 26. Rom. 8. A two-fold operation of God here is figured 1 One terrible to his enimies compared to lightning Psal. 18. 14. 2 To Thundring Psal. 18. 13. Exod. 20. Amos 1. 2. Mark 3. Psal. 29. 3. Suâ—… ca. 5. 3 To Voices Psal. 2. 5. The other gracious comfortable to his own children Mat. 3. 11. Acts 2. Esay 11. 2. 1. Cor. 12. 4. The glassie Sâ—…a is a figure of this world Reuel 17. 15. The world sometime figured by the Moone And sometime by the Sea which is euer waltring and neuer standeth in oâ—… estate Ester 7. 2. King 7. It is christalline transparent because all things in it are manifest to the Lord. Heb. 4. 13. Iob. 22. Psal. 139. A dehortation from the loue of this world 1. Cor. 7. 31. ☜ The best pleasures thereof are like the salt waters of the Sea Angels described 1. From their place 2. From their nature 3. FroÌ„ their number 4. From their properties 5. From their function How by the foure beasts some vnderstand the four Euangelists But in truth they figure the company and order of principall Angels This Vision coÌ„pared with the like in Ezechiel will be the more easily vnderstood Ezech. 1. The foure Beasts in the originall are foure liuing creatures And are expounded by the Spirit of God to be Cherubims Ezech. 10. 20. The place of these holy Angels they are in the midst of the Throne and round about it The Throne of God is coÌ„passed wâ—…th Angels not for any need but to shew his glory and to comfort his Church 1. King 10. 20. Esay 37. 36. What Angels are as concerning their nature Psal. 104. 4. Numb 16. 22. August Enchirid cap. 18. Of the number of Angels Dan. 7. 10. Psal. 68. Heb. 12. 22. The properties of Angels Nazian orat 2. de Thâ—…o How they are said to haue eyes before eyes behind and eyes within them ☞ Gregor Moral Lamentable is our estate for the want of this three-fold sight Why Angels are represented by Men Lyons Bullocks and Eagles Ezech. 1. The manifold wisedome of God appeares in the variety of his creatures Not in the great onely but in the smallest also What assurance we haue of good things prouided for vs hereafter Heb. 11. 3. Six wings are ascrybed to euery one of these Angils Esay 6. 2. With two wings they couer their facâ—… these are 1 An humble estimation of themselues 2 A reuerent estimation of the Lord. Chrysost. in Mat. hom 26. Heauenly creatures are most humble Hereby are condemned Pharisaicall and Popish spirits who dare stand vp with vncouered face and glory of their merits Ber. Ser. cont vitium ingratitud Gen. 18. Chrysost. in Mat. â—…om 26. The two wings wherewith they flye 1 Their sublime disposition they are no creeping things 2 Their willing readinesse to obey By the two wings Bernard vnderstands knowledge and deuotion Bern. de verbis Esaiae Serm. 4. To striue to flye with one wing is the ready way to fall Rom. 1. The wings wherewith they couer their feet are sanctity and modesty zach 1. In the last place they are described froÌ„ their function they are not weaâ—…y in praysing God 1. Thes. 5. 16 16 17 18. Prayer and prayse are good parts of diuine worship but praise the most excellent of the two Three things in their song doe they ascribe to the Lord. Esay 6. Ang. de side ad Pet. cap. 1. 1 Holinesse which is so proper to him that there is none so holy as the Lord. 2 Omnipotency consisting in these two 1. That he can do what hewil 2. That against his nature and truth hee can doe nothing Mouthes of Atheists who cal Gods power in question bound vp 2. King 7. 2. Weakenesse of Saints helped by the consideration of God his omnipotency Gen. 18. Numb 11. 22. Esa. 50. 3. Papists abuse the omnipotency of God in making it militant against his truth Psal. 78. 41. 3 They ascribe to him the praise of eternity Bern. in Cont. Scrm. 31. What great comfort commeth to the Church by the consideration of God his eternity Eccles. 1. Heb. 1. 11. The song of Angels is soconded by the song of redeemed Saints 2. Cor. 9. 2. Thus one of vs should prouoke another to plety In their song they giue three things to the Lord. Rom. 11. 35. Great difference betweene these two man his giuing to God Gods giuing to man Heb. 13. 1. Chro. 29. 14. No dishonour to the most honourable creatures to kneele to the Lord. Psal. 95. 6. The true Church worships no creature neither Angell not man Gal. 4. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But giueth to the Lord all the glory of their saluation Psal. 115. 1. Creation was a short Prouidence and Prouidence a long creation Heb. 1. 3. Creation coÌ„mon to all creatures not so the comfort of creation What reason we haue to serue God for our creation Ephes. 2. Loth should we be to displease the Lord who made vs for his owne pleasure Psal. 104. 31. Gen. 1. Gen. 6. The second part of the Preparatoâ—…ie Vision containing a description of God the Redeemer Reuealing things to come for the comfort of his Church Psal. 76. 10. The parts of this Chapter The familiarity of God with his Saints once begun stil encreases Numb 22. Gen. 39. Reu. 1. 9. Gen. 27. 33. We walke not here by sight but by saith 2. Cor. 5. 7. How the Lord is said to haue a Booke Ester 6. 1. In it allusion is made to the manner of Kings who haue their Registers This booke cannot be the old Testament Other strange opinions concerning this Booke But in truth the booke is this same book of the Reuelation Bookes in holy Scripture are of two sorts 1 Metaphorical and these are either vniuersall or special Psal. 139. 16. Vniuersall are two Speciall are al. so two Gen. 32. 32. Malach. 3. 16. 2 The other sort of bookes are materiall The forme of bookes vsed among the Ancients different froÌ„ ours Plin. lib. 3. epist. Ezech. 2. 9. Carthus What meanes the writing of this book without within The booke is sealed for surety and secrecie Dan. 6. 8. Obscurity of Scripture pretended by Papists They looke to the seales wherewith the book is closed but not to the Lambe who opened them Psal. 119. 130. In bookes of Scripture written for our instruction in the faith God speaks plainly Aug. de doct Chr. lib. 2. c. 9. Lactant. l. 6. c. 21. This pretext of obscurity of holy Scripture is but a couering of their misliking Chrysost. hom 3. de Lazaro It is Christ his singular glory none but hee can open this booke The offices of Christ are 3 Kingly Priestly and Propheticall The last and least of the 3. can be done by none but by himselfe Papists derogate from
the perfection of Christ his prophetical office Concil Trident. Ses. 2. But let them tell who can 〈◊〉 that which Iesus hath not 〈◊〉 Iustin. â—…xord in Tryph. Irâ—…n lib. 2. c. 47. Antiquitie pleads the perfection of holy Scripture Ibid. Basil. in Ser. de Fidei consâ—…nsit But most blasphemous are they in affirming that he hath not perfectly done the Office of an High Priest The negatiue answer excludes all creatures Iesuits contrary to their own doctrine expound this of Limbus patrum And no lesse ridiculous are they in expounding these vnder the earth of their Purgatorie How all kinde Christians are affected with the least losse and troubles which befall the Church Pro. 11. 14. Examples hereof in old Eli. 1. Sam. 4 18. In his daughter 1. Sam. 4. 20 21 In Nehemiah Nehem. 1. 2. Nehem. 2. 1. Amos 6. 1 6. To Christians the opening of the Bible is a ioy to Antichristians a griefe Consolation commeth to the godly after their mourning Math. 9. 17. Cant. 1. 1. Psal. 126. 6. All comfort is in Christ none without him in the creature The description of Christ is taken out of holy Scriptures Tertul. de praescrip 〈◊〉 Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 2. cap. 2. Hilar. lib. 7. de trinit â—…om Why Christ is called a Lion 1. Pet. 5. 8. Rom. 16. 20. Iosua 5. 9 10. And yet such a Lyon as is also a Lambe Why Christ is called the Roote of Dauid Esa. 11. 1. 10. How the Messia was the roote of Iesse and Iesse the roote of the Messia Math. 22. 43. Psal. 110. 1. What comfort we haue that our Lord was made man of the seede of man once sinfull Theodoret. dialog 1. cap. 26. Cap. 25. It assures vs that at length he shall separate our nature from all sinne Ephes. 5. 27. Papists not vnderstanding this do foolishly affirme that the Virgin Mary was without all sinne Bern. 〈◊〉 174. Ibid. A new doctrin and a false flatly conuinced by antiquity Psal. 51. 5. Iohn 14. Aug. tract in Ioan. 41. cap. 8. Anselm lib. 2. cap. 16. Iob 14. 4. Many Christians by information not by inspiration 1. Cor. 1. 6. Great coÌ„fort that our elder brother clothed with our nature is in the midst of the throne Christ figured by a Lambe to expresse his meekenesse patience in suffering Esa. 53. 7. And next to expresse the great benefit that from him redounds to vs. Christ was indeed and really slaine The manner of speech as if he had beene slaine imports that hee was surely slaine Ioh. 1. 14. â—… Cor. 3. 18. Christ was slaine but so that hee liued againe Rom. 1. 4. Why hee appeared after his resurrection with the scarres of his wounds This is no argument of impotency in him but rather prooues his mighty power Macar hom 11. Bern. de passione Domini Hornes in Scripture signisie power For these seâ—… Hornes are ascribed to Christ. Zach. 1. Sometime one Horne is attributed vnto Christ. Psal. 92. 10. Three properties of the Vnicorne his Horne Seuen Eyes ascribed to Christ to shew his most perfect wisedome He hath Eyes of Prouidece these looke to all and Eyes of Grace these looke to his own children Zach. 4. 7. Psal. 147. 20. Christ receiued fulnesse of grace that he might giue to his Church Ioh. 3. 34. Hereof commeth the conseruation of the Church on earth because It is furnished from the heauen Reu. 1. 16. â—…ach 4. 2 3. This is figured in Zachary his Vision of the Golden Candlesâ—…lcke Psal. 83. 4. Christ onely authorized to bee the great and publike Doctor of his Church Math. 17. Exod. 32. The third part of the chapter contayning a threefold thanksgiuing 1 Of Angels 2 Of Saints redeemed 3 Of all creatures This verse vexeâ—…h them who expound the some and twenty Elders to be foure and twenty bookes The diuinitie of Christ proued in that Angels doe worship him Heb. 1. 5. Foure circumstances to bee considered in this song of Angels 1 Who are the Musicians figured by foure beasts Gen. 3. 24. Angels and men at variance before now sing one song Colos. 1. 20. Yea creatures of most contrary kind by Christ are made to concord This is that wonderfull peace foretold by Esaiah fulfilled by Messia Esa. 11. 6. Clemens Alex. in exbor ad Gâ—…es Miserable are they who now vnder the Kingdome of Christ cannot be moued to peace 2 The second circumstance notes their gesture in praysing God as it was represented to Saint Iohn 2. Cor. 6. 20. Rom. 6. Bodily humiliation required in the seruice of our God how it is comfortable for our selues so to doe 1. Sam. 2. 30. 1. Cor. 15. 43. Rom. 8. 11. 3 The instruments wherewith they praise God 1. Harpes 2. Vials Euery Angel hath his instrument for Gods praise learning euery man to do the like Ioh. 1. Gen. 8. 21. Psal. 18. Psal. 125. 5. Their harpes doe note two things 1 The great ioy they haue in praysing God Mat. 17. 1. Sam. 16. 23. 2 The sweet harmony concent that is among them Psal. 133. 1. Act. 1. 1. Cor. 1. Sinne of this age that the bond of loue is broken by them who prosesse one faith The right Harpe of a Christian is his Heart Psal. 57. Then is the Heart well tuned when it answers the Lord in obedience to his Law This a Christian doth in perfection of parts not of degrees Bastard Professors reproued Iam. 2. 10. They answer the Lord as the Eccho doth a mans voice With their Harpes they haue also golden Vials The heart should be like a Viall and wherein Cant. 4. 12. It should bee golden that is holy and pure 2. Tim. 2. 8. 2. Tim. 2. 20. Prayers of Saints figured by sweete Odours Psal. 141. 2. Gen. 8. 21. Both the Bride and Bridegroome haue their owne Odours Reuel 8. 3. Christ hath two-fold Odours One that ascends to God his Father Cant. 1. Another that descends to his brethren How the smell of these Odours should allure vs. Bernard How the Church hath also two-fold Odours 1 Odours of Contrition and what are the ingredients thereof 2 Odours of Thankesgiuing and what are the ingredients thereof This place abused by Papists to defend prayer vnto Saints departed Rhemists Foure sorts of prayer mentioned in holy Scripture 1. Tim. 2. Of these foure two only are ascribed to Saints triumphant Saints triumphant want two things for which they pray 1 They want their bodyes 2 They want their brethren Heb. 11. 40. Without these they cannot be perfected Reue. 6. They cannot pray for our particular necessities This same place by three arguments improues praier to Saints Exod. 30. 1 Incense might be made no other way then God commanded so prayer c. Psalm 50. Math. 6. 9. Rom. 8. 2 Incense might not be burnt but vpon the golden Altar so prayer may not be offred to God in the name of any but Iesus Math. 17. 5. 3 Incense made for the Lord might not be applyed to any but to the