all the former judgements For now after the cry of the Martyrs for vengeance God the avenger of the bloud of the Righteous doth shew himselfe from Heaven and declare his wrath in more fearefull manner then before even to the great astonishment of all the creatures in Heaven and Earth So horrible a thing is the shedding of the blood of the Christians For now we see plainely that God heareth the cryes of his Martyrs and commeth as a Gyant or an armed man to take vengeance of all their enemies For Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and he is much mooved with the cry of their blood as here we see And therefore now threatneth to hold a generall Assize wherein he will make inquisition after blood and arraigne and condemne all such as are found guilty thereof according as the persecuting Emperours and many others did finde and feele by wofull experience For if God be angry but a little who may endure it Now although the Stories do report that in those dayes which was above 300. yeares after Christ there were many great and fearfull Earth-quakes in divers nations and Cities of the World yet it is apparant that the Earth-quake here spoken of cannot bee taken litterally nor any of the rest here mentioned For there was never any time neither is it mentioned in any Chronicle that ever the Sunne was as blacke as sack cloth of haire or the Moone turned into bloud or the Starres fell from Heaven or the Heavens rolled together like a scrole or that Mountaines and Ilands were moved out of their places Therefore of necessity all this must be understood metaphorically that is that God did in so strange and fearfull a manner manifest his wrath from Heaven by tumults commotions seditions and alterations of Kingdomes as if these things of the Sunne Moone and Starres had been visibly represented to the eye An earth-quake in this booke and other bookes also of the Scriptures doth by a borrowed speech signifie commotions of Common-wealths troubles tumults uprores and great alterations of States and Kingdomes The darkning of the Sunne Moone and Starres and rolling together of the Heavens do by a metaphor in the Scripture signifie the wrath of God which they being not able to endure are said here to blush at to cover themselves to hide themselves to be ashamed of themselves to remove out of their places no more to do their office c. For as birds do hide themselves and thrust their heads into bushes when the Eagle commeth abroade And as all Beasts of the Forrest doe tremble and couch in their dennes when the Lyon roareth And as the subject doth hide himselfe and dare not shew his head with whom the King is displeased So here it is said that the whole earth doth tremble and all the celestiall creatures are amazed and confounded with beholding the angry face of God against the world in so much that they do as it were draw a canopy over them hide themselves under a cloud and surcease to do their offices The darkning of the Sunne and Moone is taken in this sense in the second or Joel and also in the second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles For there God promising and foretelling that in the last dayes he would abundantly powre forth of his Spirit upon all flesh which is to be understood of the plentifull preaching of the Gospell in the Apostles time and the abundance of grace that was given with the same addeth that for the contempt of so great grace and mercy he would shew wonders in Heaven above and tokens in the earth beneath Blood and fire and the vapour of smoke the Sunne shall be turned into darknesse and the Moone into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come The meaning of the Prophet is as Peter also doth expound it Acts 2. that God from Heaven will shew such apparant signes of his wrath against the World that men should be no lesse amazed then if the whole order of nature were inverted And this was performed when as the Jewes for the contempt of Christ and his Gospell were most miserably destroyed by the Romanes Even so here under the opening of the sixt seale God doth threaten That for the murdering of his Sonne Christ and his Apostles and innumerable Christians he would bring strange judgements and extraordinary calamities upon the world according as all stories do shew that those times were full of bloodsheds commotions famine pestilence and miseries of all sorts I am not ignorant that the darkning of the Sunne and Moone and the falling of the Stars from Heaven are sometimes in this booke put for the obscurity and corruption of pure doctrine and the falling away of the Pastors of the Church from their sincerity and zeale But in this place the circumstances will not beare that sense First because here the darkning of the Sun and Moone c. is joyned with an Earth-quake the rolling together of the Heavens and the moving of Mountaines and Islands out of their places which argueth a most horrible confusion of all things Secondly because afterward in the eight chap. he doth of purpose speake of the corrupting of pure doctrine and the falling away of the Ministers referring it to that Chapter as his proper place Thirdly because the Kings and Captaines of the earth here immediately mentioned would never have been cast into any such perplexities and horrors upon any corruption of doctrine and the ministery as here we reade of For commonly men are not any whit touched or moved with that or such like things Last of all because the scope and drift of the holy Ghost under the opening of this sixt Seale is to describe corporall not spirituall visible not invisible judgements For he doth orderly and of purpose handle them in the next Chapter Now whereas it is sayd in the last three verses that the Kings of the earth and the chiefe Captaines Ver. 15.16.17 and the mighty men and every bond-man and every free-man hid themselves in dennes and amongst the rockes of the mountaines and said to the rockes and mountaines Fall on us c. the sense and meaning of all is this that these visible judgements should be so horrible and extraordinary that all sorts of men then living upon the face of the earth should even wish themselves buried quicke or that they might run into a mouse-hole or awger hole to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lambe For being both outwardly terrified with the sensible judgements and inwardly griped and tormented with the fury of their owne consciences they are at no hand able to endure it CHAP. VII THis Chapter doth wholly appertaine unto the opening of the sixt Seale It sheweth generally how God in the middest of all the broyles which hapned under the opening of the sixt seale yet did preserve his owne Church and mercifully provide for his owne people This
these things fulfilled For when the Pope and his Clergie had murthered Gerbardus Dulcimus Navarrensis Waldus Nicholaus Orem John Picus John Zisca Visilus Groningensis Armerias Wickliffe Husse Jerome of Prague and many Preachers in Suevia and one hundred holy Christians in the Country of Alsatia and many other Countries and of all conditions of men yet for all that spight of their hearts God raised up others in their stead as Luther Calvin Zuinglius Peter Martyr Peter Viret Melancthon Bucer Bullinger and their successors yea the thousands of excellent Ministers and Preachers which are dispersed over all Europe at this day in whom all the former witnesses doe revive and as it were stand upon their feet againe And now a great feare is come upon the Pope and his Clergie and all his favourites for they did never so much as dreame of such an alteration but this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes And they shall heare a great voyce from him saying unto them vers 12. Come up hither and they shall ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud and their enemies shall see them Here the Lords witnesses whom Antichrist had murdered and called and taken up into heaven that they may be crowned with glory and immortality having in the earth fought so excellent a fight of faith as they had for even as Christ their head was taken up in a cloud to the Heavens even so his faithfull members are here taken up in a cloud to raigne with him for ever Moreover it is here said that their enemies shall see them ascending up they shall as it were ascend up in their fight for from the fire and faggot swords and speares of their enemies they went directly unto God and the very consciences of their persecutors did witnesse so much nay some of them being in horrible convulsions of conscience did not stick to utter it avouching the innocency of Gods Martyrs as sometimes Pilate and the Centurion did of Christ But though they had not beene justified by their enemies yet are here justified by a great testimony for the voyce from Heaven the voyce of God doth justifie them and cleare them accounting them worthy to bee called up from the Earth to Heaven and received to eternall glory For howsoever the Pope and his Clergie condemned them for Heretickes and Schismatickes yet here they are justified and cleared by a voyce from Heaven which is more than the voyces suffrages and approbations of all men in the World And the same houre there shall bee a great earth-quake and the tenth part of the City shall fall and in the earth-quake shall be slaine in number seven thousand and the remnant were sore feared and gave glory to the God of Heaven As he hath shewed before that the world was very joyfull and jocond when they had made dispatch of Gods witnesses but afterward full of feare and terrour when they saw what followed So here in this Verse is shewed that at the same houre that is about the same time when they have persecuted the Saints see thousands of others raised up in their stead and as it were out of their bloud that there should immediately follow a great earth-quake that is horrible commotions seditions tumults and open warres among the Kingdomes and Nations of the world and amongst all people which should live after the breaking forth of the light of the Gospell as this day we see with our eyes For who now in these dayes doth not see and feele this Earthquake Who knoweth not what stirres there have beene and are every where about Religion Who is ignorant that all the warres seditions treacheries treasons rebellions that are this day in Europe betwixt one Kingdome another are especially concerning the matter of Religion But mark what followeth Behold the effect of this Earth-quake It is said that the tenth part of the Citty shall fall By the City here hee meaneth the great City of Rome mentioned before vers 8. which is therefore called the great City because it was the chief city of the Roman Empire and the very seat of Antichrist Now then the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost is that when there once beginneth to be an earth-quake that is broyles contentions alterations questions and disputations about religion and that the Popish doctrine which had so long prevailed in the world should be called in question yea openly preached against convicted and condemned that then Rome shall begin to fall and Romish religion to suffer a great eclipse yea the tenth part that is some part of the city of Rome I mean the doctrine and authority of Rome shall bee overthrown Now this falling of the tenth part of Rome was fulfilled within some few yeers after the broaching of the Gospel by Luther and his immediate successors but since it is gone back many degrees and hereafter it shall still ebb and consume away by degrees even till it come to nothing as God willing shall be plainly proved hereafter Moreover here is set downe another effect of this earth-quake which is that thereby shall bee slaine in number seven thousand that is many thousands for the number of seven is a perfect and universall number as formerly hath been declared But the sense of this clause is that all such as will not yeeld to the Gospel after matters once come in question and the light thereof breaketh forth but continue still in their blindnesse and hardnesse standing out sturdily against the truth shall feel the heavie judgement of God upon them and come to miserable and wretched ends as did here in England Stephen Gardiner bloudy Bonner and many other such open persecuters in other nations and countries as the book of Martyrs doth plentifully witnesse Last of all it is said that the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven that is the elect of God seeing these horrible judgments upon the persecuters of the Gospel and having their eyes opened through these contentions and broyles about religion should repent of their former idolatries blindnesse and ignorance should yeeld to the truth and give glory to the God of heaven Chap. 9. as at this day we see thousands doe God be thanked Wee heard before in the time of the Turks murthering army when the third part of men were slain that the rest repented not of their idolatry But now God be praised for it many doe repent every day and turne from dumb idols to serve the living God And therefore although the times wherein we live be sinfull and troublesome yet are they golden times and dayes in comparison of former ages wherein Antichrist did reign and rule over all Moreover from this place may plainly and strongly be concluded that the Gospel shall prevail more and more in all the kingdomes of Europe even untill the end of the world For here wee see it fore-told and prophesied that in the very last age of the world and even
of Genermah Gidnon which signifieth the subtilty of destruction because the blind Kings and Nobles of the earth shall by the subtilty and crafty perswasions of the Jesuits and seminary priests be intised to fight against the Protestants in a place where they shall have a famous foyl Some derive Armageddon of Har which in Hebrew signifieth a Mountain and Megiddo which is the place where the godly king Josias was slaine and so this place should be called Armageddon the Mountain of Megiddo for the slaughter of kings that shall be there To the which the Prophet Zecharie alludeth Zech. 12.11 saying In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Well we do see that all these significations and derivations of Armageddon come to one thing in effect which is that the great armies which assemble themselves in battell against the Lord shall be destroyed and therefore it is not much materiall to dispute which is the more likely signification of the word But this let us observe for our comfort that whensoever wee shall see the Kings and Captains Nobles and Potentates of the earth being solicited by the Jesuites Priests and the false Prophet to levie great armies and make great powers to fight against the Gospel and the true professors therof for the maintenance of great Babylon they shall not prevaile but be utterly overthrowne and destroyed as in part wee see fulfilled in the yeer of our Lord 1588 when the great and invincible Armado of the Spaniards as they thought which was long in preparing against us and at last by the instigation of the Jesuites brought upon us came to Armageddon as we know GOD be praised And in all time to come in the like case let them look for the like successe Well now to grow to some conclusions of this point we do plainly see that Rome falleth their kingdome waxeth dark their Euphrates dryeth up and they espy it The Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet send out their frogs into all countries and kingdomes hoping to prevent it by the help of the kings of the earth and especially the king of Spaine but alas all in vain for they must come to Armageddon when they have done all that they can For God fighteth from heaven against them God bringeth them down and no power of man is able to uphold them But now let us proceed to prove the third maine point which is that Rome shall fall finally and come to utter desolation For all sound Divines are perswaded of the fall of Babylon and doe grant that it falleth and is in falling but all are not so throughly perswaded of the finall fall thereof in this life Therefore now I will prove by manifest Scripture that Rome shall fall finally Rome shall fall finally First if the things be deeply considered and narrowly looked into which S. John saith shall fall out upon the powring forth of the seventh viall of Gods wrath by the seventh Angel they do fully portend a deadly downfall and utter overthrow of Rome For the seventh viall is not powred upon the earth or sea or fountains of waters or on the Sun Chap. 16.17 as the first foure vials were which signified some particular judgment but it was powred forth into the very air which signifieth the universality of it and containeth the most generall and most grievous judgment and vengeance of Almighty God upon the whole body of the kingdome of Antichrist a little before the last day The text saith that upon the powring forth of this viall Verse 17. there was a loud voyce heard out of the Temple of heaven from the throne that is from the very presence of God saying It is done it is dispatched the utter overthrow of Rome is fully concluded of and all things finished which belong to the powring forth of the seven vials which containe the seven last plagues wherein the whole wrath of God is fulfilled as appeareth chap. 15. As before it is said Babylon is fallen Chap. 15.1 because it should certainly fall so here God himselfe saith It is done because it shall certainly be done For whatsoever God hath determined to be done is as it were already done because it shall most certainly be effected Sith then the Lord hath pronounced this of Rome there remaineth nothing but a daily accomplishment of it and let all the Papists know for a certainty that they must goe to their geere they must come to their payment there is no way of evasion For hath the Lord spoken it and shall it not come to passe Now upon this that God saith It is done followeth presently that there were voyces and thundrings Chap. 15.18 and lightnings and there was a great earth-quake such as was not since men were upon the earth even so mighty an earth-quake Chap. 6.12 What is meant by thundrings lightnings and earth-quakes in this book I have before shewed to wit commotions seditions tumults uprores and alterations of states kingdomes and common-wealths and then the meaning of this place is that there shall be horrible shakings concussions tumults and great alteration of state in all the kingdomes which are subject to Antichrist none of them shall escape For this seventh viall of Gods wrath upon the kingdom of the beast is compared to a most horrible and blustring tempest raised up in the whole aire that is in all places of Antichrists dominions And it is specially to be noted as a thing of great moment that the holy Ghost saith there was never such an earth-quake as this since the world began and since men were upon the earth For assuredly so soon as the seventh Angel powreth forth his viall the kingdom of Popery shall goe down amaine which shall not be long before the end of the world as all circumstances here doe shew After all this Saint John telleth us the effect of this thundring lightning and extraordinary earth-quake which is Chapt. 16.19 that the great city was divided into three parts that is there shall be a most horrible rent and division in the city of Rome and throughout all the Popes dominions What this rent and division is and how it shall be I cannot determine being a thing to come as all the rest comprehended under the powring forth of the seventh viall But this I am sure of that Rome shall goe down and there shall be such tumults uprores rents divisions disputations and concussions in Rome and throughout all the Romish jurisdiction as never were heard of nor read of since the world began For Saint John addeth Verse 59. that Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of his wrath that is God doth now at length call to mind all the wrongs done to his people and all the righteous bloud shed for the space of seven or eight hundred yeers by the whore of
Acts 1.7 It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put into his owne power Yet even in this point I will by Gods assistance set downe so much as is revealed and so much as God hath given me to see First I doe confesse that God in his word hath set downe a just period and precise determination of all the greatest afflictions and persecutions that ever came to his Church before the coming of his Sonne in the flesh for the comfort thereof as that of Egypt after the expiration of four hundred and thirty yeers that of Babylon after the date of seventy yeers Dan. 8. that of the Medes and Persians after the determination of an hundred and thirty yeers that of Alexanders state Dan. 11. after six yeers that of Magog and Egypt after 249 yeers So likewise that of Christs death and resurrection after seventy sevens or seventy weekes which make 490. yeers Dan. 9.42 as the Angel Gabriel foretold unto the Prophet Daniel But concerning the just period and precise determinations of the persecutions of the Church since Christ by the Roman Empire and the Papacy we find not the like set down and hereof there may be two reasons yeelded First because the Church of the Jewes was not under so cleer and precious promises as wee are therefore it was needfull for the better strengthening of their hope and comfort in afflictions that they should know the very time determined but because the Church of the Christians liveth under most cleer and comfortable promises of deliverance therefore God according to his deep wisdome would have our faith exercised in an assured expectation of the accomplishment thereof though the precise time be concealed Another reason may be this the utter overthrow of Rome falleth out to be but a little before the coming of Christ to judgement as appeareth in this Prophecie Now then if we knew the day or yeer certainly when Rome should fall finally it would give us too much light unto the knowledge of the last day which God in great wisdome hath of purpose hid from the knowledge of all men yea and of Angels I know right well that a certain learned Writer doth precisely determine the utter destruction of Rome to fall out in the yeer of our Lord 1639. Napier in Apoc. 14. pag. 183. But by the favour of so excellent a man be it spoken I see no sufficient ground thereof But touching this matter of the time of Romes finall fall I will deliver mine opinion and my reasons submitting my selfe to the judgement of the learned for I would be loth in this or any other thing to goe beyond my compasse or passe the bounds of modesty and humility and therefore do refer all to be tried by the shekel of the sanctuary I doe therefore thus judge that the utter overthrow of Rome shall be in this age I mean within the age of man my reason is this Wee in this age live under the opening of the seventh seale the blowing of the sixth trumpet and the powring forth of the sixth viall For the first it is manifest because the opening of the seventh seale containeth all things that shall fall out to the end of the world as hath been proved and shewed before For the blowing of the sixth trumpet that is also plaine because under the blowing thereof the little Book was opened Chap. â—â— and the Gospel preached as wee see in this age Chap. 10.2 10 11. For the powring downe of the sixth viall of Gods wrath that also is most cleer because thereupon the great river Euphrates dryeth up and the Jesuites are sent out to solicite the kings of the earth to battell against the Church as wee see fulfilled in these our dayes Then I reason thus Chap. 14 6 8. Rome must fall downe finally in that age wherein the little Book is opened and the everlasting Gospel preached But in this age the little Book is opened and the everlasting Gospel preached Therefore in this age Rome must fall downe finally And again I reason thus Chap. 16.16 Rome must fall down finally in that age wherein the river Euphrates that is the fortification of Rome dryeth up and the Jesuites are sent forth to stop the leak thereof But all this falleth our in this age as wee see with our eyes Therefore in this age Rome shall fall downe finally It is very probable that Rome shall fall finally in this age The reason of the proposition is for in this age the Popish armies shall come to Armageddon Moreover this I say and not I but the Lord when the seventh Angel bloweth the seventh trumpet then cometh the end of the world But the sixth Angel hath sounded the sixth trumpet long agoe as appeareth by the effects Therefore it cannot be long ere the seventh Angel blow But Rome must fall downe finally before the seventh Angel blow as hath been shewed before Therefore the utter fall of Rome cannot be long deferred I do not determine either of day moneth or yeer because it is not revealed But I ghess at an age because the holy Ghost pointeth us unto an agent If any man see further I will easily yeeld unto him thank God for light But all these things I set downe for the comfort of Gods Church not desiring to understand above that which is meet to understand but to understand according to sobriety Now it resteth to speake of the last main point which is the causes of Romes utter ruine and overthrow which first of all are set down foure severall times for failing Chap. 14.8 Chap. 18.3 Chap. 19.3 Chap. 17.2 to be because she made all nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication They which outwardly make others drunk or commit fornication with others are worthy to be severely punished How much sorer punishment are they worthy of which doe the same spiritually and therefore wo be to Rome Another cause of the destruction of Rome Chap. 16.6 Chap. 18.24 The causes of Romes utter downfall is for that she hath shed the bloud of all the Prophets Martyrs and Saints as it is written In thee was found the bloud of the Prophets and of the Saints and of all that were slaine upon the earth What is hee worthy to have that is a most cruel bloud-sucker nay what is hee worthy to have that shall murther a kings children yea that shall murther his eldest son and heir apparant to the crown But Rome hath murthered thousands of the King of heavens children yea Rome hath murthered the great heire of heaven and earth I meane the very Son of God Chap. 11.8 for Christ was put to death by the Roman power and authority and by a Roman Judge as before hath been shewed Therfore let all men judge what Rome is worthy to have Moreover Saint John telleth us Chap. 18.23 that Rome with her inchantments
The Ruine of Rome OR An Exposition upon the whole REVELATION VVherein is plainly shewed and proved that the Popish Religion together with all the power and authority of Rome shall ebbe and decay more and more throughout all the Churches of Europe and come to an utter overthrow even in this life before the end of the World Written especially for the comfort of Protestants and the dancing of Papâ—sts Sâ—minary Priests Jesuâ—tes and all that cursed rabble Published by Arthur Dent Preacher of the word of God at South-Shoobury in Essex To which is added an Epitome of Reverend Mr. Brightman his Exposition upon the Revelation LONDON Printed by T. H. and I. Y. for Jo. Waterson and are to be sold by Charles Greene at his shop in Ivie Lane 1644. TO THE RIGHT Honourable his very good Lord ROBERT Lord RICH everlasting consolation and good hope through Grace TO be a father to the fatherlesse is properly the vertue of the most high and therefore meet for those who beare his name and office upon earth Among whom Right Honourable seeing it hath pleased his Majesty to count your Lordship faithfull and to put you in so high a service it shall I assure my selfe be matter of rejoycing unto your Lordship to take the Patronage of this poore Orphane which knoweth not whither to flye for succour but to you who did so many waies commend your favour to his late deceased Father that if he had lived to the birth of this his last off-spring it was his full purpose as many can witnesse to have committed it unto your Lordships protection as most meete among many to take this Patronage upon you that this young Infant growing up under your roofe may in time effect that indeed whereof it beares the name to be The ruine of Rome To speake of the excellent parts thereof and of what hope it is like to be in the Church of Christ I thinke needlesse and I feare the note of partiality it shall speake for it selfe I doubt will commend to all posterity his worthy fathers memory Now for my selfe right Honorable being so straightly bound to this duty in regard of my neere conjunction with my late Brother Master Dent and great importunity of his poore Widdow was the more willingly drawne hereunto in two respects The one to give some publike testimony of my love towards him and reverence of the rare grace which we all who injoyed his sweete society did continually in our comfort behold in him Whose learning his labours do shew whose diligence yea extreme and unwearied paines in his ministery publikely privately at home and abroade for foure and twenty yeares at least all our Countrey can testifie All which being adorned with so speciall humility do make his name the greater and our losse the more grievous I may not leave out this which I avow to be as certaine as it is singular that besides all other his great labours he had with the Apostle a speciall care of all the Churches night and day by study and fervent Prayer procuring the prosperity of Syon and the ruine of Rome And to end with his blessed end his life was not more profitable to others then his death is peaceable to himself scarce a grone to be heard though his Fever must needes be violent which dispatched him in three dayes And having made a pithy confession of his Faith this Faith said he have I Preached this Faith have I lived in this Faith I do live in and this Faith would I have sealed with my blood if God had so thought it good and tell my brethren so and drawing neere his end he sayd I have fought the good Fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith and now is that Crowne of righteousnesse layd up for mee the which the Lord that righteous Judge shall give me in that day and so gave up his last breath with these words I have seene an end of all perfection but thy Law is exceeding large The other respect my speciall good Lord for the which I am the more willing to come thus upon the Stage though my part be small full sutable to my ability is that I might be as the mouth of many to publish to posterity what high account all that know the truth among us at least do make of your Lordship that I dare say not the loynes onely but the soules of thousands do blesse you and God for you praying for a riâ—h reward to be given you of the Lord and that with your ancient predecessor honourable Nâ—hemiah the Lord would remember you herein and wipe not out all the kindnesse you have shewed on the house of you God and on the Ministers thereof For in the zeale of God and uprightnesse of my heart not to give titles unto men which is not my wont but to provoke all of like honorable condition to follow your Godly practice this I say that as your pure Religion is the Crowne of your nobility so this is the Crowne of your Religion that besides your ordinary presence in the publicke assemblies of the Church your zeale to God and lovâ— to his people hath herein especially bin manifested to the world in your continuall câ—râ— to plant faithfull Preachers in all those livings which have been in your Lordships gift or which by all your friends you could procure What is the worthy fruite thereof cannot indeede be valued much lesse by me now uttered yet this I say with common consent of all found-hearted Protestants that if the true Prophets of God be the chariots and horsemen of Israel then may we refer to this honourable practice of your Lordship and of other like Christian Patrones as to a chiefe meanes under God and under the Religious regiment of our gracious Soveraigne the safety of his Highnesse person this admirable tranquility of the Realme that notable ruine of Rome which is so worthily with us effected and shall be assuredly elsewhere in due time accomplished And to say all in few words to this may we referre the safety of soule and body of many thousands in the Land who though they doe and shall live by faith yet doth their righteousnesse farre exceed the righteousnesse of all Popish hypocrites both in duty to God and to their dread Soveraigne our noble King Whereupon I may conclude that I scarce thinke of any service more honourable to God and profitable to his Church then this care to bring into the Lords Temple such painefull Labourers as both by life and Doctrine do faithfully build up the same Goe on therefore Right Honourable and cease not to shine out in this darke World with such light of good example And withall rest upon his word who cannot lye that you shall shine in the Kingdome of light where into shall enter no uncleane thing neyther whatsoever worketh abomination or lies but they which are written in the Lambs Booke of life To which blessed inheritance immortall undefiled and that
was so great for his Church being in her ward-shippe and minority then much more now being come to her ripenesse and full age If then it was lesse glorious then much more now being farre more glorious Therefore now unto us he foretelleth by his servant John what shall be the estate of the Church unto the end of the world and therefore Blessed is he that heareth and readeth this booke sith it foretelleth of the Churches affliction in this age by the whoore of Babylon and of the full end and determination thereof It sheweth justly and precisely what the Church hath suffered since the Apostles time in severall ages and what it shall suffer and also how all the enemies thereof shall shortly bee troden under foote What can be more joyfull or comfortable to all the people of God then to know afore-hand that Babylon shall fall Rome shall downe Antichrist the great persecutor of the Church shall bee utterly confounded and consumed in this world notwithstanding all plots and policies crafts and devices to the contraâ—y notwithstanding all forces and armâ—es cunningly contrived and raised up against the Chuâ—ch by Seminary Priests Jesuites Pope Cardiâ—all and King of Spaine For all these in this age do very busily bestirre them and ransacke all corners of their wits to repaire the ruines of Rome and to make up the breaches which are made in the walles of Babylon their great City But alas all in vaine for it shall fall It shall fall it shall as Dagon before the presence of the Arke doe what they can spite of their hearts maugre their beards it shall without all hope of recovery For hath the Lord spoken it and shall it not come to passe or any word of his ever fall to the ground Sith therefore the Jesuites and Secular Priâ—sts do so fiske about and croake in every corner as greatly fearing the fall of their Babylon and the drying up of their Euphrates it stands us all in hand to bee of resolute for Christ as they are for Antichrist and as studious to uphold the Kingdome of God as they are to uphold the kingdome of the divell And for this purpose it is very requisite and necessary that all the Lords people should bee acquainted with this Booke and armed against them with the things revealed in this Prophesie For this booke is a most precious Jewell which God hath bestowed upon his Church in this last age and it is great pitty that all the servants of God are not better acquainted with it especially in these times for now in this age is and shall bee the very heat of the warre and brunt of the battle betwixt Papists and Protestants betwixt God and Belial betwixt the armies of Christ and the armies of Antichrist Now this Prophesie layeth all open and plainly telleth us what shall be the issue and successe in the day of battell which side shall have the victory and which side shall goo downe And therefore very needfull it is that it should be expounded againe and againe and all the Lords people made throughly acquainted with it For in this age wherein we live this Prophesie can never be enough opened and beaten upon that all good Protestants may bee armed with it against future times even as it were with an armour of proofe Saint John plainely telleth the people of his time even the Churches of Asia that they should be blessed by reading and studying this Booke because they should thereby bee fore-warned and fore-armed against many eminent troubles and future dangers For saith he The time is at hand that is to say some things were even then to bee fulfilled For some matters foretold in this booke did begin to bee fulfilled even presently after they were shewed unto John for the Mystery of iniquity did even then begin to worke The Church in the Apostles time had her conflictes The Tenne great persecutions began even then to bee raised up Heresies shortly after began to spring and sprout Afterwards by degrees the great Antichrist did aproach toward his cursed seat And after all this Saint John foretelleth how hee should take possession of his abhominable and most execrable seat and sea of Rome How hee should raigne and rule for a time as the Monarchy of the world How hee should prevaile against the Church and make warre against the Saints How he should raigne but a short time and afterward come tumbling downe as fast as ever he rose up and decrease as fast as ever he increased Therefore Blessed is he saith S. John that diligently readeth and peruseth this booke that thereby he may foresee all these things and be armed against them For as the heathen man saith Levius laedit quicquid previderis ante Foreseeing dangers doe least hurt Now to apply all this to our times I say they are twice happy that are studious and painefull in searching out the true sense and meaning of this Prophesie that thereby they may be strengthned against all the assaults of the Papists our professed enemies and the enemies of Gods Church and sticke fast to the everlasting truth of God knowing for a certainty that the sonnes of Belial shall not long prevaile Apo. 9.11 The date of their raigne is almost out and the time draweth on apace wherein both they and their King Abbadon shall bee laid in the dust But I will now proceed to a new reason to prove that this Booke of the Revelation ought not to be concealed but openly preached and published to the whole Church of God in this age My reason is taken out of the 22. Chapter of this Booke verse 10. in these words Seale not the words of the Prophesie of this Booke for the time is at hand Here is a flat commandement from God that this Booke and Doctrine of it may not bee sealed up that is to say kept close from the knowledge of Gods people but it must lie alwaies unsealed that all men may open it reade it and see what is in it for it is a borrowed speech taken from sealing of Letters For we all know that wooing Letters are sealed none may open them or reade them but onely those whom it doth concerne but if they bee of purpose left unsealed then any man may reade them without danger So the Lord willeth and commandeth that this Booke of the Revelation should of purpose bee left unsealed that all the people of God might reade it study it and know it If any man doubt whether the Metaphor of sealing be thus taken in the Scripture let him reade the places quoted in the Margent and in all those places hee shall finde it taken in this sense Whereby it doth evidently appeare that the mind and meaning of God is that this Booke should bee proclaimed and published in all the Churches And upon this ground Esa 29.11 Dan. 1â— 9 Apoc 4 1. Apo. 10.4 I hold that every Minister of the Gospell standeth bound as much as in him lyeth to
this booke Secondly the time when he writ it Thirdly the place where he received it Fourthly the person to whom he writ it Fiftly the end and use of his writing this Prophesie Lastly the authority of it As touching the first it is agreed upon amongst the soundest Divines that John the Apostle or Evangelist John the Disciple whom Jesus loved was the Author and Instrument of penning this Prophesie as hee himselfe testifieth Apo. 22.8 Apo. 1.19 saying I am John which saw these things and heard them And hee received a commandement from Jesus Christ which hath the keyes of hell and death that hee should write the things which hee had seene and heard and set them all down together in a booke Now we all know that the testimony of John is of great weight Apo. 1.11 though he be but a man for he is such a man as is firmely to be beleeved in all that he speaketh He is an Apostle an Instrument of the holy Ghost and so guided by the Spirit of God that he speaketh and uttreth nothing that is his owne He was well known and approved For we must consider that what an Apostle did utter he did utter it as the instrument of the Spirit which cannot erre For the Prophets and Apostles did not write the holy Scriptures as they were men onely but as they were the immediate and certaine instruments of the holy Ghost of purpose chosen and set apart to pen and publish the holy bookes of God This Saint Peter confirmeth saying 2 Peâ— 1 Verse 21. Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they mere moued by the holy Ghost The Apostle Paul also affirmeth the same touching his Gospell which saith Gal. 1.12 Hee was not after man neither received hee it of man but by the revelation of Iesus Christ Therefore when his our Apostle saith I am Iohn which saw these things and heard them he gives us to understand that he was both an eye and an care-witnesse He bringeth not matters which he hath heard by uncertain report hee delivereth this Booke to the Churches they which received it at his hands did know him to bee a most faithfull servant of the Lord even a great Apostle which delivereth not any thing but that which hee had received of the Lord and therefore he testifieth â—hat he saw and heard all the things which â—e hath written in this booke Moreover he â—estifieth of himselfe that he was called and authority by Iesus Christ to write this Prophesie and did nothing herein of his owne braine For saith hee I John heard behind me a great voice as it had been of a trumpet saying I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last and that which thou seest write in a booke and send it unto the Churches Heere we see how Iohn is called by Alpha and Omega that is Jesus Christ to write this doctrine of the Apocalyps But may some man say was not John cald before was he not one of the Lambs 12. Apostles had he not many years executed the office of the Apostleship must he now have a new calling and a second calling what needs he being an Apostle to bee called and authorised againe To this I answere that this matter now in hand was a new worke and therefore requires a new and speciall calling It is a strange revelation and therefore requires a new authority to meddle in it For in this Prophesie God dealeth with John as hee did with the old Prophets For when he would foreshew unto any of them especiall matters he called them by glorious visions as wee may reade what a goodly vision Esay had what a vision full of glory Ezechiel and Daniel had even in majesty like unto this of John Thus then it is to bee considered Iohn now is as one of the old Prophets to foreshew things to come therefore the Lord appeareth unto him in a vision and calleth him thereunto as he appeared unto them and called them Let this then suffice for a reason of Johns now calling to his new Worke and office And thus much touching the first circumstance Now followeth the second circumstance which is the time when Iohn received this Prophesie which is noted to bee upon the Lords day It is the day which S. Paul to the Corinthians calleth the first day of the weeke in which the Churches did meete for the holy exercises in Religion which is also evident because he sayth they came together to breake bread Now the observation of a seventh day is of divine institution Acts 20.7 even from the beginning It is naturall morall and perpetuall for God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it We are therefore to thinke that although Iohn now in his exile was absent in body from the Church assemblies yet he was present with them in spirit commending them most earnestly unto God in his holy prayers and meditations and therefore it is sayd that he was ravished in the Spirit upon the Lords day So we read that the like befell unto Daniel when he was prisoner in Babylon the like befell unto Ezechiel who was taken by the Spirit in the visions of God Act. 10.10 and carried to Ierusalem the like to Peter the like to Paul But the speciall reason of Iohns ravishment in the spirit at this time was that thereby he might be made more fit and capable to receive and understand all those great mysteries and heavenly visions which now should be shewed unto him And withall let us observe that all men are alwaies most capable of heavenly things when they are most in the Spirit For God doth evermore most reveale himselfe to such as are most in prayer reading and meditation and to such as make greatest conscience to spend his Sabaoths Christianly and religiously according to his great commandement And let us alwayes be sure of this that the more fervent and zealous we are in religious duties the more familier acquaintaince wee shall find with God and he will at all times be the more open-harted unto us and will hide nothing from us that may be for his glory and our good For such as are much in heavenly contemplation he doth reckon not amongst his servants Ioh. 15.15 but amongst his dearest friends to whom he will make known all things that he hath heard of his Father But now let us proceed to the third circumstance The third circumstance is the place where Iohn received this Prophesie and that is set downe to bee the Isle of Pathmos which as the Geographers write is a little desart Island lying in the Aegean Sea wherein it is reported that Iohn the Apostle was banished by the Emperour Domitian about the yeare of our Lord 96. and there received and writ this Booke of the Apocalyps where note by the way that there is no place so obscure or vast wherein a Godly minde may not aspire up vnto heaven
Booke heere are to be found very large and lively descriptions of the most glorious Person of Christ Chap. 1. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. and all his excellent offices both of King Priest and Prophet and also most notable descriptions of the Church and of the Ministers of it and of the persecutions and afflictions which it must of necessity passe through in the World Also of Gods mercifull providence for his Church and most vigilant care over it in the middest of all extremities Here are set before our eyes very lively descriptions of the Churches deadly enemies both of Satan himselfe and his three great instruments the Roman Emperour the Pope and the Turke Here are set down all their cruell persecutions of the Church and their utter overthrow in the end Here are described Hell Death the resurrection and the last judgement Here also the very Kingdome of Heaven is at large described with all those great rewards infinite glory and endlesse felicity which remaine for all the faithfull worshippers of God I conclude therefore that for as much as this Prophesie is of such excellent contents therefore the use and necessity of it must needes be very great And for this cause Iohn is willed and commanded by Alpha and Omega to write the things which he had seene the things that were and the things that shall come hereafter By the things which he had seene is meant that glorious vision mentioned in the first Chapter wherein Jesus Christ did appeare unto him in the middest of the seven golden Candlesticks â—erse 13. â—4 15.16 in most glorious manner as is there described And all this was in the Isle of Pathmos where Iohn was first called and authorized to this worke and therefore he is willed first of all to record this vision which hee had already seene By the things that are hee meaneth the present state of the seven Churches of Asia which were then the most flourishing Churches in the World as they are described in the second and third Chapters and in them the estate of all other Churches By the things that shall be he meaneth all the prophesie of this booke which were to be fulfilled in their time and all those strange accidents which should come to passe in processe of time and the severall ages of the Church even unto the end of the world Thus we see how Iohn received a precise commandement from the Sonne of God to write things past present and to come that they might stand in record unto all posterities from generation to generation Thus much touching the fift circumstance which is the end and use of this booke Now followeth to speake of the last circumstantiall point which is the authority of this Prophesie which is strongly confirmed from the Author of it which is JESUS CHRIST and therefore it is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ which GOD gave unto him And againe it is written I Jesus sent mine Angell to testifie these things in the Churches Here wee see plainly Chap. 22.16 that Jesus Christ the very Sonne of God the Alpha and Omega is the Author of this booke for he subscribes his name unto it and set his hand and seale unto it Needs therefore must the authority of it be very great which commeth from so great a personage for looke what dignity and auâ—hority he is of from whom the booke commeth of the same dignity and authority is the book it selfe Another strong argument to confirme the authority of this book may be taken from the protestation of Jesus Christ in these words I protest unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Booke Cha 22.18 if any man shall adde unto those sayings God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this Booke And if any shall diminish of the words of the Booke of this Prophesie God shall take away his part out of the Booke of life Heere we see how Jesus Christ maketh the authority to this Booke equall to all other the Oracle of God to the which it is not lawfull for any man to adde or detract under paine of condemnation It maketh much also for the authority of this booke that S. John doth so often repeat reiterate and inculcate his owne name I John I John I John I John the Apostle I John the Evangelist I John the Divine shewing by all these repetitions how needfull a thing it was that the faithfull should bee throughly instructed who he was even one of the Lambs twelve Apostles and therefore to be void of all suspition and doubt concerning the authority of this booke and not once to imagine it to bee any invention of man or feigned device sith it was penned by so great an Apostle Moreover the authority of this Prophesie is confirmed by foure reasons in the last Chapter The first is the affirmation of the Angell who saith The words are faithfull and true Chap. 22.6 7 8. The second is the authority of the most high GOD himselfe in these words The Lord GOD of the holy Prophets sent his Angell to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be fulfilled The third is the testimony of Jesus ver 6 7. who pronounceth them blessed which keepe the words of this Prophesie For saith he Behold I come shortly Blessed is he that keepeth the words of this Prophesie The fourth and last is the witnes of John in these words I am John which heard and saw these things Now it may bee demanded what is the cause that here are so many things heaped up for the confirmation of the authority of this Booke Surely we must thinke there is some speciall cause and reason of it For the Holy Ghost doth not use to deale so much and so earnestly in a matter but upon great cause Wee may easily gather what the cause is The Booke painteth out the Whore of Babylon and the whole Kingdome of the great Antichrist together with all Sathans cunning and fleight therein and for this cause Sathan hath laboured especially to weaken the credit and authority of this Booke He by some meanes in old time prevailed thus farre that even among some Churches of true Christians the authority and truth of it was doubted of The Holy Ghost did well foresee the practice of Sathan and therefore bringeth the more reasons for the confirmation thereof If the credit and authority of this Booke should never have been impugned there needed not any such speciall confirmation But now God be thanked there is no question or controversie concerning the authority of this Prophesie It is received as authenticall by the common consent of all the Churches Almost all the ancient Fathers doe acknowledge it to be canonicall The new Writers doe with one voyce give their consent and approbation unto it The Papists themselves doe acknowledge it to be the sacred and undoubted Word of God though of all Scriptures they cannot endure it should be medled withall
because it cutteth them so neere the bone Moreover it may not be omited that God is called the Lord God of the holy Prophets which proveth that this Prophesie is of equall authority with the Prophesies which were of old in as much as the same God is the Author of it And this Book is to be held in the same account with the Books of Moses and of the Prophets for all things contained in it shall as certainly be fulfilled in their times as theirs were In Esay in Jeremy in Ezechiel in Daniel and in the rest we finde many things which the Lord shewed by them long before they came to passe Even so there bee many things fore-shewed and fore-prophesied in this Booke which in their time shall be assuredly fulfilled Nay we see and know that many things here fore-told are already fulfilled and some things are come to passe even in these our dayes He that shall look into the times that are past since this Prophesie was given shall finde that all things have fallen out agreeable to the Prophesie of this Booke And surely if there were none other thing to perswade us touching the authority thereof this might suffice that every thing hath fallen out just and jumpe as the Prophesie did fore-shew It is our great negligence that wee doe not cleerly see so much And I doe humbly entreat all the people of God to looke more diligently and narrowly into it in all time to come And thus much as concerning the circumstances Now as concerning the Booke it self it may very fitly be divided into three visions as it were into three generall parts The first vision is contained in the three first Chapters The second vision is contained in the next eight Chapters following from the fourth to the twelfth Chapter And the last vision is contained in all the Chapters following from the twelfth to the end As concerning the first vision my purpose is not to stand much upon it because it is plain and easie to understand and because it containeth no Prophesies of things to come but only openeth the present state of the Church at that time and also because I have already touched the summe of it in handling the circumstantiall points I will therefore content my self with a very briefe opening and resolution of it beginning at the first Chapter CHAP. I. The summe of the first Chapter THe first Chapter containeth foure principall things The Title of the Book The salutation of the Churches The manner of Johns calling to receive this Prophesie The description of Christ the person that called him The Title of the Book is set downe in these words The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him It containeth three things First the Author of the Booke which is Jesus Christ receiving it from God the Father Secondly the end and use of this Booke Ver. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. which is to shew unto all the Servants of God the things which must shortly bee done Thirdly the singular fruit and benefit which the Church shall receive by it in these words Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this Prophesie c. The salutation is in these words John to the seven Churches which are in Asia Grace be with you and peace c. It containeth a description of the Trinity or three Persons in the Godhead The Father is described of his eternity namely to be Hee which is which was and which is to come The Holy Ghost is described of his divers gifts and operations and therefore is called the seven Spirits which are before the Throne or which proceed from the Throne but S. John speaketh here of the holy Ghost according to the vision shewed him in the fifth Chapter where Christ is said to have seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the world Of the which afterward Jesus Christ is described of his three great offices of King Priest and Prophet and also of his glorious power and eternity First touching his Kingly office he is called the Prince of the Kings of the earth that is King of Kings for he is King of Sion He is a King to rule and governe his Church He must reigne over the house of Judah for ever Hee must reigne over all his enemies and in the middest of his enemies even till hee have trode them all under his feet And this benefit wee have by it that we are made Kings in him in this life to reigne over our corrupt affections and after this life to reigne as crowned Kings for ever with him in infinite glory and endlesse felicity Secondly touching his Priest-hood Ver. 5. he is said to love us and wash us from our sinnes in his bloud For he is our only high Priest which by his owne blood hath once entred into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for us Hee onely it is Heb. 9.12 which through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without fault to God to purge our consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So then by vertue of his Priesthood and sacrifice we are reconciled unto God have free accesse unto the Throne of Grace and are made Priests in him to offer us spirituall sacrifices acceptable to GOD through him Verse 6. For he hath made us Kings and Priests unto God even his Father Thirdly Veâ—se 5. concerning his Propheticall Office he is called that faithfull witnesse For He is said to Pilate John 18.37 For this cause was I borne and for this cause came I into the World that I might beare witnesse unto the Truth And the Apostle saith Hee witnesseth under Pontius Pilate a good confession Tim. 9.13 So then Jesus Christ is one of those three great witnesses which beare record in Heaven Jesus Christ is the Prince of Prophets even that great Prophet that should come into the world through whom all the counsells of God are revealed to us He is that only begotten Sonne which is come downe from the bosome of his Father and hath made knowne unto us whatsoever he hath received of his Father Hee both by his Doctrine Life and Miracles hath borne witnesse unto the truth and by the vertue of his Propheticall Office the whole will of God is made knowne unto us For GOD hath sent him as the great Prophet to instruct the world in Righteousnesse and hath revealed himselfe to us in him and therefore he is called the Image of GOD the brightnesse of his Glory Col. 1.15 Heb. 1.3 and the ingraven forme of His Person And therefore Hee said to Philip Hee that hath seene Mee hath seene my Father also John 14.7 And if you had knowne Mee you should have knowne my Father also Mat. 11. â—7 And againe No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and hee to whom the Son will reveale him Thus we see that Jesus Christ is that faithfull witnes and Prince
to cover their faces two to cover their feete and two to flye withall And they have two wings to cover their faces withall because they are not able to endure the unconceiveable brightnesse and glory of God for he dwelleth in unapproachable light They have two wings to cover their feete withall because mortall then are not able to looke upon the brightnesse that is in Heaven For we reade that many have beene astonished and dazled with the glory and brightnesse of Angels so glorious creatures are they They have two wings to flie withall to note their prompt obedience and readinesse to execute the commandements of God as formerly was shewed Moreover the Angels are said to have wings and to flye swiftly because God by them doth speedily dispatch many purposes actions and services here below and for this cause the Scripture affirmeth that he rideth upon the Cherubins that hee dwelleth betweene the Cherubins and that hee maketh the Clouds his Chariots and walketh upon the wings of the winde For as earthly Kings are in their progresses carried in their most sumptuous coaches drawne by the most excellent Coach-horses to dispatch great businesses and many weighty affaires within their dominions so the Visions in Ezechiel do shew that the immortall King is carried most swiftly in his Chariot of triumph drawne by the Cherubins as it were by beasts to direct and over-rule all actions under the Sun Moreover these Angels are said to be full of eyes within Verse 8. to note not onely their fulnesse of knowledge but also their inward sight into all heavenly things yea even such as are most secret and hid for they are of all other creatures most inward with God None of his Children know so much of his counsell as they Furthermore the Angels are heere said to prayse God uncessantly Verse 8. day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and which is to come where we may cleerely see that the Angels prayse and worship God in a burning zeale without wearinesse For they are not as men which through their great corruption are full of dulnesse and wearinesse in Gods worship but they do alwaies serve him with infatigable desires and therfore are called Seraphins because they burne in the zeale of God and Cherubins because their delight is to approach neare unto him and to be alwaies about his Throne yea even in his chamber of presence They doe double and treble this word holy and warble much upon it because they know full well that he is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his works and that all his proceedings and judgements are even then weighed in the ballance of Justice and equity when to mans sense and the judgement of reason they seeme nothing lesse For his judgements are as a great depth which mans reason cannot sound Further wee see that when these beasts that is the Angels gave glory and honour and thanks to God c. the 24. Elders also fell downe before him and worshipped him that liveth for evermore Where we may see that both Saints and Angels doe joyntly prayse and magnifie God and him alone Even that GOD that liveth for evermore even that GOD which was which is and which is to come that is the eternall and everlasting God For the Scripture sayth Praise him O yee Saints and praise him O yee Angels that excell in strength And the 24. Elders cast their Crownes before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour c. Wherein we see that all the Elect do empty themselves of all worthinesse to have any glory acknowledging that their Crownes of glory are Gods free gift and that the praise thereof belongeth only to him and nothing to themselves And this in very deed is the right manner of worshipping God frankly to ascribe all glory to him and all shame to our selves to give all to him to whom all is due and nothing to our selves which have nothing for nothing can be given or taken out of nothing Now then to conclude and winde up this 4. Chapter we do clearely see the summe and drift of all is that Heaven doore was opened unto John and that he was let in and called up into the Chamber of presence by a very loud voice there to take notice of the future estate of the Church and that the person which thus called him up was the very immortall God himselfe who is so gloriously described of his Throne his troopes and traines of Saints and Angels as we have heard And all this is to commend and set forth the authority of this booke whose Authour is so excellent yea super-excellent CHAP. V. AFter this Vision containing the glory of the divine Majesty was shewed unto John that he might know from what fountaine this Prophesie was derived now in this fift Chapter is taught and shewed by what meanes and by whose mediation the knowledge of such hidden mysteries were revealed unto the Church namely by the meanes and mediation of Jesus Christ in whom onely the counsels and secrets of God the Father are opened and made knowne unto men For he is the great Prophet and Doctor of the Church which is come down from the bosome of his Father and hath made knowne unto us whatsoever he hath received of his Father as he himselfe testifieth And the Church is commanded by a voice from Heaven to heare him and him alone This fifth Chapter containeth three things generally Ver. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. First a description of the booke which was in the right hand of God Secondly a description of Jesus Christ which receiveth it at the hand of his Father and openeth it Thirdly a description of those most glorious praises which are given to Christ by the Angels Saints and all the creatures in Heauen and earth I saw in the right hand of him that sate upon the throne a book written within Verse 1. and on the backe side sealed with seaven seales By this booke here mentioned is meant this present booke of the Apocalyps or Revelation as it shall plainely appeare in the next chapter when we come to the opening of the seaven seales thereof For the things which fall out upon the opening of the severall seales do plainely declare that all is meant of the particular matters contained in this present booke This book is said to be in the right hand of him that sitteth upon the throne because all the secrets revealed in it come from the counsell and decree of the most high God and are ordered by his meere direction providence It is called a written booke to shew that the things contained in it are so firmely decreed in the counsell of God that none of them shall faile but come to passe and be fulfilled â—n their season They are such as we may write of as we use to say and therefore for the cerâ—ainty of them they are here said to
upon the blacke Horse so here death and hel are said to be upon the pale Horse for pestilence and death maketh men look pale but being dead he saith Hell followed For assuredly Hell doth alwayes follow the death of the body excepting those onely whom Christ hath delivered from hell and damnation by the power of his death Thus then it is the red Horse with bloud the black Horse with famine the pale Horse with pestilence have power given over the fourth part of men to murther kill and slay as all Stories doe shew that for the rejecting of Christ and his Church and his Gospell these plagues were carried as it were on horse-back over a great part of the world Now as touching this famine and pestilence which fell out upon the opening of the third and fourth seales they are to be referred unto those times especially wherein the Hunnes Goths and Vandals and other barbarous Nations which were the wasters of the world did waste and decay the Romane Empire both farre and neere Whereupon grew this famine scarsitie and pestilence and strange diseases heere spoken of about some 300. yeares after Christ and somewhat more And when he had opened the fift Seale I saw under the Altar the soules of them that were killed for the word of God and for the testimony which they maintained c. Here is discovered the state of the Martyrs after this life and the condition of the spirits of all just and perfect men For whereas it might be demanded what became of all those heapes and multitudes of men which were slaine for the testimony of Jesus in the ten persecutions it is here answered That they were under the Altar John in a vision seeth them under the Altar That is under the mercifull protection of Christ in Heaven who for them and for us all was made both Altar Priest and Sacrifice This Altar Christ is afterwards called the golden Altar which is before the Throne of God Chap. 8.3 So then it is cleare that the soules of the Martyrs were with Christ in glory For he saith to his disciples Where I am there shall you be also Joh. 14.3 And in another place he sayth John 12.32 If I were lift up from the earth I should draw all men unto me that is all beleevers Then it followeth that the soules of these just and righteous men were in Paradise and in Abrahams bosome which is the very Port and Haven of salvation For although the persecuting Emperours and other tyrants of the earth had power to kill their bodies yet had they no power over their soules as our Lord Jesus affirmeth And they cryed with a loud voice saying How long Lord holy and true verse 10. doest not thou judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth Heere we see plainely that the soules of the Martyrs doe very vehemently cry for vengeance upon these cruell Tyrants which shed their blood Moreover they cry for it speedily and seeme to be impatient of delay But it is to be observed that they do not this in any hatred or private desire of revenge in respect of any wrong or cruelty shewed to them but in a very love and burning zeale of the Kingdome and glory of Christ and whatsoever desire they have it is wholly to that end Wherefore they are here under a figure brought in crying for vengeance rather to expresse what judgement of God tarrieth for the cruell persecuters then to shew what minde they beare towards them For it is indeed their cause that cryeth for vengeance And as Abels bloud so their bloud cryeth aloud in the eares of the Lord of Hoasts for revenge Moreover we may not imagine or gather out of this loud crying of the Martyrs in Heaven that they have any disturbance impatience disquietnesse or any discontentment there But this they doe in a fervent desire of that fulnesse of glory which they assuredly hope for and looke for in consummation of all things when both their souls and bodies shall be joyned together Ver. 11. And long white robes were given unto every one and it was said unto them That they should rest for a little season untill their fellow servants and their brethren which should be killed even as they were were fulfilled These white robes doe signifie that honour glory and dignity whereunto not only the Martyrs but also all other faithfull beleevers are advanced in the chambers of peace for so white Robes are to be understood in sundry other places of this booke And this doth plainly prove that the martyrs were now in glory with Christ Now as concerning the answer to their complaint and cry it was this That they should be content and have patience for a little season for the time remaining to the end of the World was but as a day with God and as a moment in comparison of eternity and the reason of the delay is yeelded which is this that there were numbers of others their brethren in the World which should bee martyred and slaine for the truth as well as they under the great Antichrist of Rome and the bloudy Turke at and upon the opening of the seventh seal And therefore in consideration that the most wise God had decreed and fore-determined with himself in most secret and hid counsell to bring multitudes of others to glory by the same way and meanes that themselves were brought that therefore in the meane time being so short a time they should rest satisfied and contented And here by the way we see what stayeth the comming of Christ unto judgement namely this that the number of the Martyrs and Saints and al such as he hath chosen unto life are not yet accomplished And behold when he opened the sixt Seale and loe there was a great Earth-quake ver 2.13.14 and the Sunne was as blacke as sacke-cloth of haire and the Moone was like blood And the starres of Heaven fell unto the earth as a fig-tree casteth her greene figges when it is shaken of a mighty winde And Heaven departed away as a scrole when it is rolled and every Mountaine and I le were moved out of their place Upon the opening of the sixt Seale very dolefull and fearefull things doe follow As earth-quakes the darkning of the Sun the obscurity of the Moone the falling of the Starres the rolling together of the Heavens the remooving of mountaines and Iles out of their places the howlings and horrors of Kings Captaines and other Potentates of the earth which are all things very terrible and fearefull to behold and all these doe represent and figure out unto us the most fearefull tokens of Gods high displeasure and most heavy indignation against the wicked World Very grievous things fell out upon the opening of the second third and fourth seales but they are farre more grievous which follow upon the opening of this sixt seale for this sixt Seale contayneth an aggravation and increase of
all Saints upon the golden Altars which is before the throne We heard before that when the course of the Gospell was stopt by the divell and his instruments yet God was very carefull for the safety and sealing up of his owne servants so likewise we are now to hear of the like care and providence for now that errours and heresies were to be sowne in the World whereby many were corrupted and that He himselfe from Heaven doth proclaime open enmitie against the despisers of his Gospell by giving them up to blindnesse and errour he doth double his care and providence to all his faithfull worshippers For heere we do plainely see that the Church hath a mediator and that he which keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And therefore when the wrath of God doth most of all breake forth upon the world for the contempt of his graces yet the Church is remembred and set in safety with all her Children For her prayers come up before God and are accepted through the mediator And this is the sence and drift of this third verse By this Angell is meant Jesus Christ the Angell of the covenant as we have heard before who is not an Angell by nature but by office It is manifest that in the old law there was a golden Altar and a golden Censor on which the Priest did burne sweet incense before the Lord which did figure the mediation of Christ in whom the prayers of the Saints are accepted Now heere the holy Ghost alludeth to that sacrificing Priest-hood of the old Testament where incense was offered at the Altar which now is the sweet savour of the death of Christ through whom both we and all our sacrifices are seasoned and sweetned Who therefore is this Angell but Christ What are the sweet odours with the which the prayers of all Saints come before God but the most sweet mediation of the Lord Jesus What is meant by the smoake of the odours which with the prayers of the Saints went up before God out of the Angels hand Surely the sweet incense of Christ mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet incense of Christs mediation wherewith our prayers are spiced and perfumed that they might be as sweet smelling sacrifices in the Nostrils of God For as water cast into a fire raiseth a smoake so the teares of the faithfull besprinkled in their prayers make them as sweet incense acceptable to God through Christ The summe of all is this that in the middest of all these heresies and those hellish troubles which should be raised up by the Pope and his Clergy the Turke and his armies as in the next Chapter we shall see the elect have their prayers heard for their preservation by the merits of CHRIST verse 5. And the Angell tooke the Censor and filled it with the fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voyces and Trumpets thundrings and lightnings and earthquakes Heere we see how Jesus Christ taketh the Censor and filleth it with the fire of the Altar that is the graces and gifts of the Spirit for so the fire of the Altas is taken in Esay In this sense it is sayd that our Lord Jesus should baptize with fire and the holy Ghost that is the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost In this sense also the holy Ghost did rest upon the Disciples in the likenesse of cloven tongues like fire whereupon they were all filled with gifts and graces The holy Ghost is compared to fire because he burneth out our drosse purgeth the hearts of the faithfull and setteth them on fire with the burning love and zeale of Gods glory So then it followeth that as before there was provision had for the safety of the Church by her Mediator so heere many heavenly gifts and graces are bestowed upon her For Christ casteth this fire of the Altar upon the earth that is upon his dwelling in the earth Hereupon it is sayd that there were voyces and thundrings c. that is all manner of broyles tumults uprores slaughters and divisions For after the Gospell was sounded forth in the Church by the power of the holy Ghost the divell is disturbed and the World molested And hence spring all these broyles and tumults thundring and lightning and we must looke for such stirres after the preaching of the Gospell whilest there is a world and a divell Therefore our Lord JESUS saith he came not to bring peace into the Earth Mat. 10.34 but fire and Sword and to set a man at variance against his Father and likewise the Daughter against her mother c. For divisions and civill dissensions do alwayes follow the preaching of the Gospell which thing is not yet simply in the nature of the Gospell of peace but accidently through the frowardnesse and corruption of mans nature which will not yeeld unto it but most stubbornely rebelleth against it Then the seven Angels which had the seven Trumpets verse 6. prepared themselves to blow Now beginneth this open warre to be proclaimed against the World for their great ungodlinesse and rebellion against the truth So the first Angell blew the Trumpet verse 7. and there was Haile and Fire mingled with blood and they were cast into the earth and the third part of trees was burnt and all greene grasse was burnt It were absurd to imagine that any thing in this Verse is to be taken literally seeing in the literall Sense there was never any such matter Therefore of necessitie it must be expounded mystically and allegorically Therefore by this Hayle and Fire mingled with blood is meant Errors and Heresies For as Hayle doth beate downe Corne and destroy the fruits of the Earth Fire doth consume and blood doth corrupt and putrifie So false doctrine and Heresie doth annoy consume and corrupt the soules of men For it is sayd that all these things mingled together were cast upon the earth that is the inhabitants of the earth and the third part of the trees that is the numbers of men or a very great part of the World was corrupted For trees in the Scripture signifie men and all greene grasse was burnt that is Esa 61. the fresh fruits of grace did wither apace and dry up for as error and heresie did prevaile so truth and godlinesse did decay All this hath relation to the Heresies of Sabellius Manicheus Marcion Fotinus Paulus Samosatenus Nestorius Novatus Diodorus Apolinaris Pelagius and many others which about this time being foure hundred yeares after Christ began to spring up and grow apace And the second Angell blew the Trumpet and as it were a great Mountaine burning with fire was cast into the Sea and the third part of the Sea became blood c. Upon the blowing of the second Trumpet by the second Angell heere appeareth a great Mountaine burning with fire whereby is meant some great and notable heresies as that of Arrius which
or their Authority Moreover they have Crownes of gold upon their heads which sheweth and signifieth that they were the Conquerours of the Earth and Lords of the World and who but they for in those dayes no man nay no Lord or King durst quitch against a Monke a Frier or a pild Priest for if any did they were sure to smart for it They had also faces like the faces of men that is they set faire faces upon matters and pretended great devotion in Religion flattering the people and making them beleeve that they could give them pardon of all their sinnes and bring them to Heaven when as in very truth for their bellies and for their gaine they did cunningly smooth with the Nobles the rich and the mighty setting faire faces upon their proceedings and as Saint Peter saith Through covetousnesse with fained words 2 Pet. 2.3 they made merchandize of mens soules and did closely winde themselves into the hearts of the simple people by their fawning insinuations being in very deed nost notable flatterers and hypocrites They had haire as the haire of women that is they were altogether effeminate being given to delicacy lust and wantonnesse they were drowned in whoredome and all kinde of beastlinesse being a shole of most filthy villaines Their teeth were as the teeth of Lions to catch and snatch at all they could come by They devoured all the fat morsels every where they got the Church-livings into their hands they first made impropriations they incroached upon temporall mens lands they swallowed up all every where If we looke upon the Abbeyes Priories and Nunneries we may easily judge what teeth they had Moreover it is sayd they had Habbergions like to the Habbergions of Iron that is they were so strongly armed with the defence and countenance of the Pope that no Secular power durst once quitch against them Their wings were like the sound of Chariots when many Horses runne unto battell that is with flattering noise and terrible threatnings they strove to uphold their Kingdome Also in Churches and Pulpits they make a roring noise and take on terribly to maintaine their abhominable Idolatry They had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tailes For with their poysoned Doctrine and stinging authority like Adders and Snakes they stung many to death Moreover power was given them to hurt men five moneths that is all the time of Antichrists reigne as before hath been shewed ver 10.11 They have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomelesse pit whose name in Hebrew is Abbadon and in Greeke he is named Apollyon that is destroying As the Fowles have a King over them which is the Eagle and the Beasts the Lion and mortall Men some Chiefe Governour under whose protection and subjection they live so heere these hellish Locusts are sayd to have a King over them which is the Angell of the bottomlesse pit that is the Divell or the Pope which you will under whose Ensigne they fight and under whose defence they live Their Kings name in Hebrew is called Abbadon and in Greek Apollyon The words are both of one signification that is destroying for both the Divell himselfe and his Vicar the Pope are destroyers and wasters of the Church of God One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this We have heard at large what this first Woe is namely the plage of the world by the Pope and his Clergie Now we are to heare of the second woe which is the most huge and murthering army of the Turkes wherein the third part of men were slaine Some do expound this second woe of the kingdome of Antichrist and his armies but that it is not so may appeare by these reasons following First the Angell denouncing woe woe woe denounceth three severall woes and therefore it is said One woe is past and behold yet two woes come after this It followeth then that this is a distinct and severall woe from the former and therefore cannot be the same Secondly this woe containeth specially a bodily slaughter of the third part of the world and of the wicked reprobates but the first woe was specially a plague of mens soules as we have heard and therefore this cannot be the same with the first Thirdly we are to understand that this booke describeth all the greatest calamities and plagues thaâ— should come upon the world in any age after Christ and therefore we may justly thinke that the kingdome of the Tuâ—ks is not left out seeing it was one of the greatest plagues that ever came upon the world But the kingdome of the Turks is described in no other part of this Revelation and therefore must of necessity be here described ver 13.14 Then the sixt Angell blew the Trumpet and I heard a voice from the foure corners of the golden Altar which is before God Saying to the sixt Angell which had the Trumpet loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great river Euphrates Now we are come to the description of the Second woe which followeth upon the blowing of the sixt Trumpet by the sixt Trumpet by the sixth Angell And first of all he sayth He heard a voyce from the foure corners of the golden Altar By the golden Altar is meant Christ as before hath been shewed with the reasons thereof From this Altar the voyce commeth to the Angell which blew the sixth Trumpet Chap. 8.3 that we might know it is the voyce of the mighty God and the commandement of our Lord Jesus The voyce commandeth the sixth Angell to loose the foure Angells which are bound in the great River Euphrates By these foure Angels which are thus bound at Euphrates is meant many Divels or Angels of darkenesse as we have heard before Chapter 7 Verse 1. Their binding signifieth their restraint by which they were held backe from doing that mischiefe which they desired to do Their loosing signifieth that power was given them to performe that which they wished They are sayd to be foure in number because they should raise an horrible plague in the foure corners of the Earth both East West North and South The sense is that the Divells have yet farther and greater scope given them to plague and destroy the inhabitants of the Earth These Divells had exceeding great power in the Kingdome of Antichrist but they are unsatiable in mischiefe and so after a sort lye still bound till they have their desire The place where they lye bound is Euphrates wherein is a mystery for Euphrates literally taken is a great River which ran so night the City Babylon in Chaldea that it was a mighty defence unto it so that the City could not be taken untill they that laid siedge unto it cut out trenches and derived the waters another way Now for the mystery it is this Rome in this book is called Babylon by a metaphor and after the same manner the great River Euphrates as we shall
the wicked Religion of Mahomet For partly by externall violence and partly by a subtill shew of Religion and devotion they destroyed thousands both in their Soules and bodies And therefore it is sayd Their power is in their mouths ver 19. and in their tayles For their tayles were like unto Serpents and had heads wherewith they hurt But for the better understanding of these things I thinke it not amisse a little to open and lay forth the rising up and increasing of the power of the Turke About the yeare of our Lord 591. was Mahomet borne in a certaine Village of Arrabia called Itrarix for so Histories do report This Mahomet by fraud and coozenage grew into great credit and fame among the seditious Arabians and Aegyptians insomuch that they made him a Captaine over them to warre against the Persians After this he married a rich wife and by that meanes he wonne the hearts of many with gifts In the dayes of Heraclius the Emperour which was in the yeare of our Lord 623. he grew to be very mighty After this he fained himselfe to be a Prophet and said that he had visions and revelations and talked with Angells And so by the helpe of Sergius a Monke he framed a new worship and Religion a patched part out of the old Testament partly from the Papists and partly from the Heathen He raigned nine yeares and so dyed After him succeeded in the Kingdome of the Sarazens Ebubezar who raigned two yeares Haumar who raigned twelve yeares Muhavias who raigned twenty foure years All these made great warre against the Persians and sundry other Nations and overcame them and set up the Religion of Mahomet amongst them and so the Kingdome of the Sarazens grew mighty but in processe of time the Kingdome of the Turkes grew great and the Kingdome of the Sarazens diminished Within a short time after this the Tartarians a barbarous people waxed strong and made warre against the Turkes and prevailed greatly for a time But about the yeare of our Lord 1300. the Empire of the Tartarians was over-throwne and the Empire of the Turkes did flourish more than ever before for now came the greatest monsters and most Savage and cruell tyrants of all The first of them was Ottomanus The second Bajazethes The third Amurathes These made bloody warres against the Christians I meane the Papists in Europe and enlarged the Turkes dominions very farre They did from time to time so cruelly murther and massacre the inhabitants of the West with their huge and bloody armies that at last both the Pope the Emperour the King of Hungary the King of Polonia the King of France the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Venice and almost all the Potentates in Europe did joyne together to make warre against the Turkes so huge leave huge armies but yet could not prevaile so strong were the Turkes so huge and dreadfull were their armies Then we see that verified which here was foretold to wit That the monstrous armies of the Turkes with their horses and horse-men should slay the third part of men that is the Idolaters in Europe by heapes and Infinite numbers To set downe the particular battels betwixt the Turkes and the Christians in Europe and their horrible blood-shedding would require a volume but this which I have brifely set downe may serve to give some light unto it and may suffice for the understanding of this Text. Now it is sayd in the next verse That notwithstanding this heavy hand of God which was upon the Papists in Europe and these fearefull Judgements and massacres they repented not of their Idolatries but waxed worse and worse for no Judgements no plagues can make the wicked any whit the better as we see in the examples of Pharaoh and Saul ver 20. And here it is sayd That the remnant of men which were killed by these plagues repented not of the workes of their hands that they should not worship devills and Idols of gold and silver and of brasse and of stone and of wood which neither can see nor heare nor goe Also they repented not of their murther and of their sorcery neither of their fornication nor of theft ver 21. And thus we see how the Divells which were bound at Euphrates being let loose upon the World in the wrath and just judgement of God did fearefully plague both the Turkes in their Soules and the Papists in their bodies The one with false Religion the other with bloody swords and so was the desire of the Divell fully satisfied CHAP. X. HAving opened and expounded the two first Woes which fell out upon the blowing of the fift and sixt Trumpet containing the two great plagues of Popery and Turcisme wherewith the World was punished many hundred yeeres now in this Chapter we are to heare of good newes and great comfort after so much sorrow For heere Jesus Christ commeth down from heaven to deliver his poore afflicted Church and to be revenged of all his cruell enemies For now before the third and last woe containing the greatest plague of all upon the World which is the last Judgement wherein the wicked shall be tormented in hell fire for ever both in body and soule I say before the blowing of the seventh Trumpet by the seventh Angell of which we shall heare in the next Chapter Now in the meane time is shewed in this Chapter what care God had for his little flocke which no doubt were hid in those daies and did not appeare and yet were scattered in corners even in the middest of the darknesse of Popery and the most furious and hellish rage of the Turkish armies And therefore the principall scope and drift of this Chapter is to shew how the Gospell should be preached in many Kingdomes now after this generall darkenesse for the discovering and overthrow both of Popery and Turcisme and to shew what should fall out in the Church now in the middle time before the seventh and last Trumpet blow for then commeth the last Judgement as the Angell sweareth in this Chapter verse 6 7. This Chapter doth containe foure principall parts The first is a description of Christ and his glory ver 1. The second sheweth how the Gospell should be preached ver 2. in many Nations and Kingdomes by the Ministers of this last age whereby all adversary power should be overthrowne The third is a watch-word ver 6.7 given to the World by Christ that when the seventh Angell should blow the Trumpet the World should end The last doth shew ver 9.10.11 how all faithfull Preachers being called and authorized by Christ should travell and take paines in the study of Gods Booke and afterward should publish the knowledge thereof far and neere And I saw another mighty Angel come down from Heaven cloathed with a cloud ver 1. and the Rainebow upon his head and his face was as Sunne and his feet as pillars of brasse This Angell of
therein are that time should be no more But in the daies of the voice of the seventh Angell ver 7. when he shall begin to blow the trumpet even the ministery of God shall be finished as he hath declared unto his servants the Prophets The summe of these three verses is that Christ giveth warning of the last judgement that men might awake and looke out in time Amo. 6 1. And because men for the most part are carelesse and secure putting the evill day far from them as the Prophet speaketh therefore here Christ bindeth it with a solemne oath and solemne gestures thereunto annexed as was the lifting up of the hand in antient time Genesis 14.22 The thing that our Lord Jesus disposeth is that time shall be no more that is Time as it is now or the state of things as they be now but he telleth us flatly that as six Angels have already blowne their Trumpets so when the seventh Angell should blow the Mystery of God shall be finished that is the time of punishing the wicked and rewarding the godly should come which is therefore called a Mystery because the world understandeth it not They thinke there is no such matter Mal. 3.14 They imagine there is no reward for the just or punishment for the wicked as the Prophet saith But the holy Ghost saith Verily there is a reward for the righteous Psa 58.18 doubtlesse there is a God which judgeth the Earth And here it is said that God hath declared it to his servants the Prophets And the voice which I heard from Heaven spake unto me agine verse 8. and said goe and take the little booke which is open in the hand of the Angell which standeth upon the Sea and upon the Earth So I went unto the Angell and said unto him give me the little booke vâ—rse 9. And he said unto me take it and eat it up and it shall make thy belly bitter but it shall be in thy mouth as sweet as hony Then I tooke the little booke out of the Angels hand and eat it up ver 10. and it was in my mouth as sweet as hony but when I had eaten it my belly was bitter And he said unto me verse 11. Thou must prophesie againe among the people and nations and tongues and to many Kings The briefe sence of these foure verses is that the Preachers of the Gospell being called allowed and authorized by Christ unto their ministery should study the Scriptures with great diligence even untill they had eaten up the booke of God and they should preach and publish unto all nations and Kingdomes that truth of God and doctrine of the Gospell which now a long time had lien hid in the raigne of Antichrist It is to be observed that John in this place representeth the person of all the ministers of the Gospell which should be raised up in these last daies for the overthrow of Antichrist and the restauration of true Religion for John himselfe did not live to these times Further it is to be noted that all godly Students and zealous Ministers do eate up the booke of God by reading study prayer and meditation and they find it sweet in their mouth that is they find and feele great joy and comfort in the study and meditation thereof especially when God revealeth therby great and hid secrets unto them and giveth them to understand the mysteries of the Gospell and counsels of his will which are locked up from the wise and prudent of this world This I say is sweeter unto their mouth than hony and the hony combe Concerning their phrase of eating up the Booke looke Ezek. 2.9 for here the holy Ghost alludeth thereunto This booke being so sweet in the mouth yet being eaten and digested is better in the belly There may be three reasons yeelded of this bitternesse First because it being once taken downe into our soule by godly meditation doth mortifie our corrupt nature and bring under our lust and therefore seemeth bitter to flesh and blood Secondly because afflictions and trialls do alwaies necessarily follow the sound digestion of the Gospell Thirdly because the doctrine of the Gospel being swallowed by the ministers therof must not be kept to themselves as it were closed up in their stomacks but they must out with it againe as if it were some loathsome and bitter thing which must needs be cast up againe And for this cause it is sayd in the last verse that they must prophesie againe among the people and nations and tongues and many Kings Now blessed be the name of the Lord our God who hath given us to live in this age wherein we do with our eies behold and see the fulfilling of all these things let us therefore praise God for this great worke which we see wrought in our daies and let us still more and more magnifie this little Booke which will utterly destroy Popery and bring downe the proud Antichrist do all that fight for him what they can CHAP. XI VVE have heard that the little Booke should be opened and the Gospel preached and published to many nations and Kingdomes after the great darknesse of Popery and that this was done by Luther Melancthon Calvin Peter Virit Peter Martyr Bullinger Bucer and all their faithfull successors unto this day Now in this Chapter we are to understand the effect and good successe of their preaching and publishing the Gospell which was that the Church should be restored reformed and built up thereby which a long time had been wasted and oppressed by the tyranny of Antichrist and that many should embrace this Gospell forsake their Idolatries and turne unto God with all their hearts yea whole Nations and Kingdomes in Europe should be converted to the faith as we see this day God be praised So then the principall drift of this Chapter is to shew those things which yet remaine to be fulfilled under the blowing of the sixth Trumpet which is the preaching and prevailing of the Gospel even unto the worlds end and also the things which follow upon the blowing of the seventh trumpet which is the resurrection and last judgement This Chapter containeth six principall things as it were six parts thereof First it sheweth how the true Church should be gathered together ver 1.2 and built up by the preaching of the Gospell and all the wicked refused and cast out ver 3.4.5.6 Secondly it describeth the builders that is all the faithfull Ministers which had and should resist Antichrist Thirdly ver 7.8 it sheweth how Antichrist should persecute the Preachers and Professors of the Gospell unto death and murther them by heapes Fourthly it sheweth that Papists Atheists and wicked worldlings ver 9.10 should rejoyce in the death of Gods people and not vouchsafe them so much as the honour of buriall but sends gifts one to another for joy that they were rid out of the Earth Fifthly it sheweth that
men But here specially it meaneth the Apostles and their successors yea and at this day all Christian kings princes and potentates of the earth and all others which take part with Christ against the Divell and his instruments Well here wee see that these two Generals and grand Captains Michael and the Dragon doe muster both their armies joyn battell and fight a pitched field the event and successe whereof is this that the Dragon and his Angels goe downe O blessed successe may wee say For if the Divell had prevailed it had been woe to us sith this battell was about and concerning the very salvation of mankind by Christs death and resurrection We know how the Divell set upon Christ alone to tempt him unto sinne that so hee might overthrow the worke of our redemption supposing in this combat or monomachie to have got the day but he prevailed not Afterward how strongly did hee oppugne him by his Angels I mean the Scribes and Pharisees the high Priests and Elders of the people yea all the Divels in hell and his whole infernall army not only in murthering and crucifying his naturall body but also in using all forcible and cunning meanes to keepe him downe that hee might never rise up again as the great stone upon his tomb the sealing of it the watch set to keep it For the Divell knew right well that if Christ rose againe he should lose the field For the resurrection of Christ is our actuall justification And Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 4.25 Well doe the Dragon and his angels what they can yet Christ is risen again and hath spoiled principalities and powers yea all the infernall army and hath made a shew of them openly and hath led them all in triumph upon his crosse so that we see in this first and greatest battell the Divell hath the foyle And it is further said that this Divell and all his angels were cast out of heaven and their place was no more found which is not to be understood of their first casting out of heaven immediately after their creation for at that time they were no Divels nor enemies to the Church but Angels of light but now since their fall and since they were Divels they are said to be cast out of heaven not because they ever came in heaven since they were Divels but because they can no longer impeach the Church touching her blessed estate in heaven They are without all hope to dispossesse her of her inheritance for that is ratified made sure unto her in the death and resurrection of Christ And for this cause it is said that the Divell hath no more to doe in heaven that is hee cannot for his heart overthrow the salvation of Gods children Rom. 8.33 For who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemn It is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe c. True it is indeed that this battell is said to be in heaven that is about heavenly things yea about the highest points of heaven which is salvation or damnation for the Divell upon this very point hath from the beginning mightily wrestled and struggled with the Church and doth even untill this day but blessed be God that hee cannot nor shall not prevail against any one of Gods elect For our Lord Jesus saith I give unto them eternall life John 10.28 and they shall never perish neither shall any take them out of my hand my Father which gave them mee is greater then all Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand Againe All that the Father giveth mee shall come unto me And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which hee hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up againe at the last day Now further wee are to observe that as Christ in his own person hath once prevailed in the main battell against the Divell so his Church militant shall likewise alwaies prevail through him For it is written The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. Verse 9. And the great Dragon that old serpent called the Divel and Satan was cast out which deceived all the world He was even cast into the earth and his Angels were cast out with him Now because the divel cannot overthrow the salvation of Gods elect he is said to be cast out of heaven into the earth that is amongst earthly and carnall men that he may exercise his tyranny and wreak his malice upon them For he hath power given him to tyrannize over them at his pleasure and the Apostle saith Ephes 2. he worketh in the children of disobedience and taketh him captive to do his will Then I heard a loud voyce in heaven saying Verse 10. Now is salvation and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast downe which accused them before God day and night Here is the triumphant song of victory which all the Saints and Angels do sing unto God praising and magnifying his power and the power of his Son Christ for overcoming the Dragon and giving the victory to the Church through Christ For now with great joy and loud voices they sing and say that the Churches salvation is sealed and made sure unto her for ever It can never be shaken The divell is foiled and cast down into the earth These songs of joy after great victories are of great antiquity in the Church as we read of the children of Israel after the overthrow of Pharaoh and his army in the red sea of Deborah after the great victory over Sisera of the women that sung after the victory of Goliah by David The Divell is called the accusey of the brethren for two causes First because hee accuseth Gods elect of much sinne and calleth for justice against them day and night at Gods hands that they might be condemned upon such articles as he is able to prove against them for hee knowing right well that the Judge of all the world is a just God and must needs deale uprightly doth daily urge him to doe justice unto sinners being willingly ignorant that all Gods people though sinners are cleared and discharged in Christ Another reason is because of the calumniations reproaches and slanders which in all ages at all times and in all places and countries he hath alwayes unjustly raised up against the true worshippers of God Verse 11. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death Here is shewed that the Churches victory over Satan and hell is not through any power or might of her owne but by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony that is the word of God
Babylon that he may be fully revenged and execute the fiercenesse of his wrath both upon her and her whole kingdom yea and that in such terrible and wrathfull manner that there shall be no place of refuge no place to flie into for succour for Saint John saith Verse 20. Every I le fled away and the mountaines were not found Meaning that the Papists in that day shall have neither mountain nor Iland to fly unto And last of all the holy Ghost saith that there fell a great haile like talents out of heaven upon the Idolaters Chap. 16.21 insomuch that they blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail for the plague thereof was exceeding great A talent was about the weight of threescore pound as some write Then it followeth that this hail of Gods wrath upon the Papists shall be most terrible and fearfull and beat them down to the ground as it were an haile of mil-stones or plough-irons Now when this hail of talents cometh as assuredly come it shall then shall the kingdome of Popery be beaten to dust and powder and therefore no marvell though the Idolaters seeing all this be in a most horrible rage and blaspheme God Verse 21. as Saint John saith because of this exceeding and most extraordinary plague which shall then come upon them But now to conclude and wind up all together for as much as this last viall is powred into the aire God saith It is done an extraordinary earth-quake followeth the great citie of Rome is rent Babylon called into question and fearful hailstones of wrath powred downe upon the Idolaters I doe conclude that Rome shall fall finally and come to utter destruction in this life Now let us proceed to further proofe In the eighteenth chapter of this book the whore of Babylon saith in heart I sit being a Queen and am no widow Chap. 18.8 9. Isa 47. and shall see no sorrow Therefore shall her plagues come at one day death and sorrow and famine and shee shall be burnt with fire for that God which condemneth her is a strong Lord. First here Rome is described as shee was in the height and top of her pride and security when shee held the dominion of the kings of the earth and boasted that she was the head of the Catholick Church carrying her selfe very insolently above all kings and Emperors treading upon their necks and making them attend at her gates bare-foot in the middest of winter as the stories report Yea and that shee was no widow that is no solitary or desolate person but one that had many lovers which were strong to defend her so as she should feel no want nor see any sorrow But the time will come and draweth on apace wherein shee shall be throughly punished for her haughtinesse and intolerable pride and security For the holy Ghost saith her plagues shall come in one day that is suddenly shortly and speedily even death sorrow and famine and shee shall be burnt with fire for that God which condemneth her is a strong Lord. If this be not plain enough to prove an utter overthrow of Rome I know not what can be plain enough For if death famine and fire will not pull her downe I know not what shall pull her downe But Saint John saith flatly that God himselfe who is a strong Lord will oppose himselfe against Rome and condemne her Who can uphold her Can the king of Spaine can the Cardinals can the Emperour can all the Dukes of Italie and all the potentates of the earth that take part with her No no they are all too weake For if God take against a man Job 23. who can reclaim him saith the holy Ghost For hee doth whatsoever hee will And againe God is wise in heart and mighty in strength who ever hardned his heart against him and prospered If God call not back his anger the most proud hearts are bowed under him And God saith in Ezek 22. Can thy hands be strong or can thy heart endure in the day that I shall have to doe with thee Then it followeth that though Babylon fit as a Queen and all her lovers take part with her yet because the strong Lord is against her therefore shee shall come to utter destruction Some of good judgement in the truth have gathered from this place that the very city of Rome shall be burnt with fire which assuredly may well be but this I am sure of that the phrase of burning with fire doth in the Prophets alwaies signifie an utter destruction and desolation of a city or a kingdom Amos 5.6 and therefore it followeth that Rome shall be utterly destroyed But behold yet a stronger and plainer proofe For Saint John saith Chap. 17.21 A mighty Angel took up a stone like a great milstone and cast it into the sea saying With such a violence shall that great city Babylon be cast downe and shall be found no more All men know that old Babylon in Chaldea was destroyed by the Medes and Persians long before Saint John wrote this book and therefore that is not here meant but the new Babylon which is Rome as before hath been proved The phrases of speech and the signes which the Prophets used to declare the destruction and desolation of old Babylon are here alluded unto the destruction of Rome For wee read in the Prophecie of Jeremie that the Prophet having written in a book all the evil that should come upon Babel for holding Gods people so long in most miserable captivity Jer. 51.61 said to Serajah When thou comest unto Babel thou shalt reade all these words and when thou hast made an end of reading this booke thou shalt binde a stone to it and cast it into the middest of Euphrates and shalt say Thus shall Babel be drowned and shall not rise up from the evill that I will bring upon her although they weary themselves Now let us consider how this agreeth with the same which is here set down and wee shall find that all things are here set down with greater force to expresse as it were a deeper vengeance and a more heavie and unrecoverable destruction First there is a man here is a mighty Angel there the man taketh up a stone here the Angel taketh up a great stone like a mil-stone there the stone is cast into the river here into the deep sea All these circumstances being applied to Rome do greatly aggravate the matter and very plainly shew that it shall fall without all hope of recovery Rome shall fall without all hope of recovery For the Lord declareth by this forcible signe of casting a mil-stone into the sea that the citie and kingdome of Antichrist shall bee cast deep down into perdition and shall lie overwhelmed and drowned in the same for ever For if old Babylon was utterly destroyed and came to a finall desolation in this life much more shall Rome as the holy Ghost disputeth But
fellowes passe by the great Monasteries and Abbeyes and see them made ruinous heapes and withall remember the fat revenues the good cheer the pleasure and delight which sometimes they have had in those places it cuts their hearts and maketh them shake their heads at it saying Alas alas Verse 16. that great city that was clothed in fine linnen and purple and scarlet and gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls for in one hour so great riches are come to desolation Mark then that the ruine of their great city with all the pomp pleasure and riches thereof is that which doth yet stick in their stomacks Thirdly the mariners doe greatly mourn and lament for the losse of their profit and commodity For while Rome had dominion over the kingdomes and the Pope ruled over all even us God upon the earth there was nothing but trudging over the seas to Rome out of all Lands and againe from thence there was carrying and recarrying insomuch that multitudes of mariners and ship-masters were continually set on work and gained greatly thereby No marvell then though these mariners are brought in amongst other friends of Rome bewailing her destruction even with dust upon their heads weeping and crying and saying Alas alas that great city wherein were made rich all that had ships on the sea by her costlinesse For in one houre shee is made desolate Thus wee see how the kings and merchants and mariners shall bewaile the utter ruine and great desolation of Rome for the losse of their pleasure their gain and their profit Moreover wee are to observe that that which is spoken by the old Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah as touching the utter desolation of old Babel is applyed by Saint John no new Babel which is Rome Touching the Easterne Babylon the Prophet saith thus Babel the glory of kingdomes Isa 13.19 the beauty and pride of the Chaldeans shall be as the destruction of God in Sodom and Gomorrah It shall not be inhabited for ever neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent there neither shall the shepherds make their folds there But Ziim shall lodge there and their houses shall be full of Ohim Ostriches shall dwell there and the Satyrs shall dance there that is fairies hobgoblins night-spirits and such like whereby is signified the utter desolation of old Babylon Chap. 18.2 Now Saint John applyeth all this to Rome saying Babylon that great city is become the habitation of Divels and the hold of all soule spirits and a cage of every unclean and hatefull bird Noting hereby both the filthinesse of Rome and also her utter desolation But now let us proceed to our last and greatest argument to prove the finall fall and utter destruction of Rome and all Romish power and authority In the nineteenth chapter of this Prophecie our Lord Jesus is described sitting upon his white horse which is the ministery of the Gospel as hath before been proved and is most gloriously brought in by Saint John as grand Captain and Generall of the field fighting with all his army against Antichrist and his souldiers S. John giveth him goodly names and titles Chap. 19.12 13 14 c. calling him the Word of God the King of kings and the Lord of lords and saith that hee hath a Name written that no man knew but himself which is his infinite glory and majesty And moreover that his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head many crowns and a sharp sword in his mouth and clothed with his warlike garment dipt in bloud and all his heavenly souldiers followed him upon white horses meaning thereby all Christian kings dukes lords nobles captains preachers and professors of true religion This grand Captain with all these worthy souldiers saith Saint John shall muster together and prepare themselves to fight against the beast and the false prophet and all their forces and at last hee seeth them joyn battell Verse 19. I saw saith Saint John the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make battell against him that sate upon the white horse and against his army Now all this is to be understood of the battels betwixt the Papists and the Protestants in these last dayes But may some man say Who shall have the victory What is the successe What is the issue let us hear of that The holy Ghost answereth The Protestants shall have the day that the beast and the false prophet were taken foiled and overcome using a warlike phrase because in the wars they use to take their greatest Captains and Commanders alive and to put them to their ransomes The like unto this we have in the seventh chapter where Saint John telleth us that when the Popish kings and potentates shall make war against Christ and his Gospel they shall have the like successe unto this For saith hee These have one mind Ch. 17.13 14. and shall give their power and authority unto the beast they shall fight with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings But may some man say When the Leaders and Commanders of the Popish armies shall be taken captives and set at their ransomes what shall become of the inferiour Captains and souldiers The holy Ghost answereth that the remnant were slaine with the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse that is they were put to the sword and all the fowles were filled full with their flesh And for this cause Saint John saith Chap. 19.21 that he saw an Angel stand in the Sun who cryed with a loud voice saying to all the fowles that did fly by the middest of heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the supper of the great God Now to make this plain We know that they which proclaim any matter seek some market-crosse or high place to stand in where they may be heard so this Angel which proclaimeth the victory against Antichrist before any stroke be strucken because of the certainty of it standeth in the Sun as it were in the theater and middest of the world as in a place most fit for the purpose that hee may be heard throughout all the earth Now this proclamation is directed to all the fowls of the ayr to bid them to a supper which is here called the supper of the great God But it may be demanded What cheer shall they have The holy Ghost answereth Verse 18. that they shall eate the flesh of Kings and the flesh of great Captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of hors-men and the flesh of all free-men and bond-men and of small and great This wee know that when men are slain in great numbers in the wars their bodies lie scattered as meat for the fowls of the air And therefore here all fowles are invited and bidden to a great supper made them by the great God whose hand is in all
never set Popery here in England to stand and continue do what they can I must needs confesse that our sins being so horrible and outragious as they are and being grown to such an height and ripenesse doe deserve some fearfull vengeance and that God hath a just controversie against us as sometimes hee had against Israel Hos 4. because there was no mercy nor truth nor knowledge of God in the land but swearing lying killing stealing and whoring and bloud toucheth bloud and therefore saith God The land shall mourn c. But yet I hope for his covenant sake for his great mercies sake for his names sake for his glory sake and for his Churches sake he will be gracious and favourable unto us and not bring upon us that vengeance which our sins have deserved or at least wise though he correct us as indeed he hath just cause and we may justly fear it yet hee will doe it in mercy for our amendment and not in wrath to our destruction as hee saith by his Prophet I will not utterly destroy thee Jer. 30.11 46.28 10.24 but I will correct thee by judgment and not utterly cut thee off But howsoever it shall please the most wise God to deale with us yet this I say and am perswaded of that Popery shall never be established again in this kingdom my reason is because the everlasting Gospel carried abroad by the Angel that flyeth in the middest of heaven shall spread still more and more throughout all the kingdomes of Europe as appeareth chap. 14. v. 6. for otherwise how shall Rome fall how shall the Jewes ever be converted Rom. 11.24 how shall fire come down from heaven and devoure both Gog and Magog Chap. 19. as the holy Ghost fore-telleth shall come to passe and as we shall hear more anon Moreover S. John telleth us plainly Chap. 10.1 that in these last dayes the Gospel shall be preached to many people and nations and tongues and to many kings And further hee saith that in this age wherein we live many shall renounce idolatry repent and give glory to the God of heaven But some man may say How prove you that this kingdome is one of them which Saint John speaketh of and which hee meaneth wherein the Gospel shall be preached unto the end of the world I answer that it is proved out of the seventeenth chapter of this Prophecie where the holy Ghost telleth us flatly that those ten kingdomes of Europe which had a long time been the ten horns and strength of the beast Chap. 19.13 and being of one mind had given their power and authority unto the beast should now in these last dayes rise up against the whore of Babylon Verse 16. make war against her hate her and make her desolate But this kingdome is one of those ten hornes and one of those ten kingdomes which a long time had given her power and authority to the beast Therefore as this kingdome hath happily begun to hate the whore and to make her desolate and naked so undoubtedly she shall continue unto the end of the world * England other kingdoms which have forsaken the beast shal so continue unto the end of the world For if this kingdome and other kingdomes which now hate the whore doe not continue how shall she be made desolate and naked c. Then it should seem the beast shall revive and recover himselfe again and so St. John shall be found a false Prophet But God is true and all men are lyers and St. John shall be found a true Prophet and therefore these kingdoms of Europe which have begun to hate the whore shall continue and never give her over till as the holy Ghost saith they have eaten her flesh and burnt her with fire that is till they have utterly devoured her But here it will be objected that in the latter dayes iniquity shall have the upper hand I answer first that I find no such place of Scripture But this I find that our Lord Jesus fore-telleth his disciples that very shortly after his death and resurrection many seducers and false teachers should arise which should deceive many and draw them away from the love of the Gospel and saith he Mat. 24.12 because iniquity shall be increased the love of many shall be cold But this speech of our Saviour doth not properly concern our times but yet it must needs be granted that the wicked shall wax worse and worse and the world shall not amend but still be worse and worse and grow to a greater height and ripenesse of sin as appeareth in this Prophecie Yet for all this we must note withall that the number of true beleevers in those last daies shall be very many Ch. 11.1 11 13. as this book doth also teach But it may be objected How can this geare stand together that in the last dayes there shall be multitudes and millions of reprobates and most wicked and abominable persons and yet withall a great increase of true beleevers I answer that the world will be alwaies like it selfe impious and unbeleeving But the Church shall purely worship God and that with daily increasing even unto the end But now me thinketh I heare some man say What likelyhood is there of all this which you write touching the overthrow of Rome Doe wee not see that Rome is yet strong Doth not Italy Spaine the greatest part of France and Netherland and Germany stand for her defence Hath not the whore still many and great bearers and upholders What likelyhood is there then that ever she shall be brought so low as you speak of I answer that in this case wee must not ask the question We may not say What likelihood is there of this What likelyhood Wee must not consult with flesh and bloud wee must not take counsell of humane reason For God is marvellous in his devices and when he hath once decreed and determined of any future event hee will compasse it by means far surpassing all humane reach and capacity yea by such plots and devices as mans wit could never have once dreamed of For hee hath all means in heaven and earth in his hands and is admirable in all his proceedings and therefore wee may not ask this question What likelyhood or how can it be or how can it possibly come to passe What likelyhood was there an hundred yeeres past when Rome was in her delight and all the kingdomes of Europe stood for her that ever she should have been forsaken of so many of her old friends as at this day she is What likelyhood was there that when the Pope could command the Emperor and all the Kings of Europe and their kingdomes that ever hee should have been brought so low as at this day he is God be thanked What likelyhood was there that ever poor Martin Luther should stand out with the everlasting Gospel in his mouth against the
Prophet saith In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore Verse 6. And hee said unto mee These words are faithfull and true and the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be fulfilled Verse 7. Behold I come shortly Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the Prophecie of this book Verse 8. And I am John which saw and heard these things and when I had heard and seen I fell downe to worship before the feet of the Angel which shewed me these things Verse 9. But he said unto me See thou do it not for I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren the Prophets and of them which keep the words of this book worship God In these foure verses are four principall reasons brought to confirme and ratifie the authority of this book The first of them is the affirmation of the Angel The second is the authority of the most high God The third is the testimony of Jesus pronouncing them blessed which keep this Prophecie The fourth is the testimony of Saint John who heard and saw these things But because in the Epistle to the Reader I have more at large handled this Argument and these same verses therefore here I doe of purpose relinquish them and that also of Johns adoration and the Angels refusall being things most manifest and easie to understand And hee said unto mee Verse 10. Seale not the words of the Prophecie of this booke for the time is at hand Hee that is unjust let him be unjust still Verse 11. and he which is filthy let him be filthy still and hee that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still And behold I come shortly Verse 12. and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be I am Alpha and Omega Verse 13. the beginning and the end the first and the last Blessed are they that do his commandements Verse 14. that their right may be in the tree of life and may enter in thorow the gates into the city For without shall be dogs and enchanters Verse 15. and whoremongers and murtherers and idolaters and whosoever loveth or maketh lies Here is first an exhortation to publish and proclaime the knowledge of this book to all people and in no wise to conceale it or keep it close as formerly hath been shewed in the Epistle Here is a further admonition that they which are unrighteous should be unrighteous still c. Which is no allowance or encouragement granted unto wicked men to continue in their evill wayes but is rather a terrible threat if wee take all the words together in this and the next verse as if hee should say If men will needs continue in their filthinesse yet certainly Christ will come shortly and reward them according to their works Or else it may be a phrase of speech which they call an ironicall concession as in another place the holy Ghost saith to the yong man Eccles 11. 1 Kin. 22.15 Matth. 6.45 Walk in the wayes of thine own heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgment So likewise in other places After this here is blessednesse pronounced upon all such as keep the commandements of God as it is said that their right is in the tree of life not meaning thereby that their keeping of the commandements is the cause of their right in Christ but onely an effect or consequence For our good works do not go before as causes of our justification but follow after as declarations of the same For by doing we are not made just in the sight of God but only declared to be just in the sight of men And as for the keeping the commandements wee do it not in such perfection as Gods justice requireth but in such measure as his mercy accepteth through Christ And here the holy Ghost saith that all they which have a right in Christ which is the Tree of life and endeavour to keepe the commandements shall enter in thorow the gates into the new Jerusalem But on the contrary all the rout of reprobates whom hee calleth dogs enchanters whoremongers c. shall be utterly shut out as having nothing to do in the everlasting citie their portion being allotted in the infernall lake I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie unto you these things Verse 16. I am the root and generation of David and the bright morning Star And the Spirit and the Bride say Come Verse 17. And let him that heareth say Come And let him that is athirst come And let whosoever will take of the water of life freely For I protest unto every man that heareth the Verse 18. words of the Prophecie of this booke If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book Verse 19. And if any man shall diminish of the words of the book of this Prophecie God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from those things which are written in the book of life Verse 20. He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Jesus Verse 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen The authority of this book is here again ratified from the person of him who is the Authour of it that is Jesus Christ who is here called The root and generation of David both because hee is descended of the house of David according to the flesh and also because the eternall kingdome which all the Prophets did fore-tell should spring out of the house of David was indeed and in truth established in Christ who is our true David and our righteous branch and as it is here said the bright morning Star which hath most gloriously risen upon the world to dispell all darknesse and to bring the great and everlasting light Moreover here is great protestation made in the 18 and 19 verses of great plagues to be inflicted upon all such as shall add any thing unto this booke or take away any thing from it Which also maketh greatly for the confirmation of the authority of this book For that to the which nothing may be added and from the which nothing may be taken away must needs be absolute and perfect But this book is such a one Therefore this book is absolute and perfect being a part of Gods everlasting truth Last of all here is set down the fervent desire of the Bride after the Bridegroome for she being inflamed with the Spirit desireth him to come and make up the match betwixt them that shee may be joyned to him in marriage celebrate the solemnization and live together