happy memory in his Epistle to the Church Militant before his Paraphrase This booke I 〈◊〉 a specialâ—â— anâ— on against the haereticall wall of our common adversaries the Papists And least any sâ—ould obiect tâ—at 〈…〉 is so obscure and allegorique to vse the words of that royall Pen that it is in a manner vnprofitable to be taught or interpreted his Maiesty easily puts it by 〈…〉 that thiâ— booke of it selfe proves how profitable it is for this age seeing it is the last Revelation of Gods 〈◊〉 and propheâ—y that euer was or shal be in the world Being 〈…〉 also saith he to comfort 〈◊〉 that might otherwise 〈…〉 becauâ—â— of the greatnesse of temptation from the 〈◊〉 and his followers and therefore in the vision of the 〈…〉 declared saith the King what plagues shall light vpon the Pope and his followers Nor need we be dismayed with the â—eare of obscurity for the title of the booke is The Revâ—lâ—tion of Iesus Christ. Nor neede we thinke it vnprofitable to be read or expounded for in the very front of the booke is prefixed Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this Prophecy and keepe those things which 〈◊〉 written therein for the time is at hand And if the time were at hand then how much more now This booke being written by the last surviver of all the Apostles and not revealed vnto him till the last of his old age which was neare vpon the hundreth yeare of Christ nor yet generally revealed vnto the Church till so 〈◊〉 time after all arguing that the principall vse of thiâ— booke was specially reserved for vs vpon whom the end of the world are come Now to paâ—â—e by all further circumlocutions or preambles come we directly to our matter intended whereâ—of though the chiefe substance 〈…〉 compriseâ— in the 16. Chapter yet finding the 〈…〉 thereunto and to bee aâ— a key to 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 thereof it is requisite that we take this key along with vs. In the 15. Chapter verse 1. we haue certaine motiues vnto our better attention to this insuing Prophecy as first Iohns testimony Iâ— and the evidence of it I â—aw the fairest witnesse thirdly the obiect a 〈◊〉 and what doth more affect mans curiosity at least then to see signes And this signe in heauen seemes to be that which Christ calleth the signe of the Sonne of man 〈…〉 Mat. 24.30 not only because it appeares after the generall darkening of the Gospell and the falling or Apostacy of many starres in the Church ver â—â— but also because these vialls are the evident fore-runners of the second comming of Christ as will appeare more fully in this insuing treatise And fourthly the place where in heaven namely in the Church of God which both in this booke and throughout the new Testament is vsually vnderstood by heauen as the kingdome of heaven for the Gospell and ministry thereof in the Church And this signe in heaven may well be taken for the signe of 〈◊〉 Sonne of man mentioned Matth 24. as will more and more appeare in the progresse of this Prophecy Fifthly this sign is great and marvellous which if we apply to the admirable breaking forth of the Gospell in the beginning of these 7. Vials we cannot but be amased with the marvailous greatnes of it Sixthly this signe is more particularly described and set forth vnder 7. Angells who are the Ministers of God in his Church as Chap. 1. and 2. and 3. of this booke Ministers are Angells as much to say as Messengers so that the name of Angel and these 7. too may a little awaken our attention and raise the contemptuous world to a more high estimation of this sacred Calling of Gods Ministers lest the disesteeme of their persons may be a stumbling bloâ—k to men to fall fowle vpon a disrespect of the message it selfe Seventhly These 7. Angels bring with them the 7. last plagues because in them is filled vp the wâ—ath of God Extremâ— malorum scire to know aforehand the last and worst of plagues is a good remedy against them if not altogether to prevent yet at least the better to brooke them In the second verse saith Iohn And I saw as it were a Sea of Glasse mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory ouer the Beast and ouer his Image and ouer his marke and ouer the number of his name stand on the sea of Glâ—sseâ— hauing the harpes of God And ver 3. they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and maruailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty iust and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou only are holy for all Nations shall come worship before thee for thy iudgements are mâ—de manifest In these words is plainly intimated the estate of the Church of God when once the 7. Angels begin to powre forth the last plagues Therefore they immediately follow vpon the vision of the 7. Angels vpon whose execution of their message great ioy is brought to the Church of Christ. The glassie Sea mingled with fire is a liuely embleme of this world whose glory is but as glasse bright but brittle dum splâ—ndet frangitur and it is mingled with fire which signifies the consumption of the wicked world which as glasse is molten and melted with fire as Peter speaketh 2 Pet. 3.12 the elements melting with fervent heat Vpon this molten fiery glassy Sea do stand the servants of God who are Victors over the Beast and whereof we read Chap. 13.15 16 17. having the harpes of God to wit instruments of praise 〈◊〉 they sing the song of Moses and of the Lambe This speaâ—â— as is very frequent in this booke 〈◊〉 and directeth our eyes to that solemne thanksgiving of â—oseâ— and Israell for their miraculous victory 〈…〉 and their deliverance frâ— the captivity vpon the â—anks of the red Sea resembled here by the 〈◊〉 Sea mingled with fire which makes it appeare like the red Sea That the song of the Lamb is here added it teacheth vs to apply this to the spirituall-deliverance of the Châ—rch of God from that spirituall Aegypt to 〈…〉 that by the power of Christ the Lamb of God 〈…〉 that Paschall Lamb at thâ— sprinkling of whose blood 〈…〉 Israelâ— typicall deliverance from their corporall â—aâ—tivity And for this cause is this song sung to the 〈◊〉 of God Almighty by whose only power and mercy we with the whole Church reformed were delivered from and are conquerers of the Beast c. This may put vs in mind by the way that as we haue a great share in this deliverance and victory over Popery 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 more carefull to keep this song of thanksgiving 〈…〉 and take those harpes into our hands which our forefathers most of them were faine to hang vp vpon the willowes in Babylon and in stead
shell of faith and so the shell of the Creed They haue the Sacraments What say I The Sacraments No surely among all their seven Sacraments haue they any more but the bare broken shell of Baptisme onely For the sole efficacy and 〈◊〉 of it they â—ang vpon the Priests Intention and not vpon the spirit of God and his word and true faith in the baptized As for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper they haue vtterly abolished it and turned it into mâ—ere Accidents without substance joyned with an imaginary Idol wrought by vertue of the Priests Intention Thus we see that there is no more left of the Church of Rome but an empty crackt shell and therfore it is now no more either a true Church or a true or truly visible Church But to conclude this discourse to the aforesaid allegations a vouching the Church of Rome for a true or true visible Church is added an Apologeticall advertisement to the Reader beginning Nothing can be so said or done but may be ill taken Now God forbid But is it well said or done to affirme that the Church of Rome is yet a true or a true visible Church 〈…〉 the Reverend Author iudge indifferently having well weighed the former reasons whether we doe ill or no in taking this his saying ill or whether we had not reason to haue expected an ingenious Palinody 〈◊〉 Augustinâ— like Retractation rather then such an Apology which whether it be rather to be pittied then any vncharitablenes in the Reader in taking such a saying ill let judicious charity it selfe judge Nor need we stretch the saying to imply that the Church of Rome is a true believing Church Suffice it we except against any being yea or visibility of a true Church in the Synagogue of Rome But the Reverend Author referres Visible 〈◊〉 outward Profession to some essentiall Principles of Christianity neither of them to sound◠〈…〉 Grant the Romanists to be 〈…〉 and we cannot deny them the name of 〈◊〉 Church Answer Now vnder 〈…〉 Profession a sufficient marke of visibility for a Church This is none of those markes which the Church of England takes notice of a Church by 〈…〉 sheweâ— Againe the Scripture calleth 〈…〉 Synagogue of Satan who call themselves Iewes 〈…〉 The Samaritanâ—s sometimes professed themselues to be of the Iewes Religion having their Temple nâ—are the Mount Garisim They had their Priests also who 〈…〉 how they should feare the Lord◠〈…〉 Lord but withall 〈…〉 the manner of the Nations Did they not then 〈◊〉 the worship of the Lord Surely they did 〈◊〉 were they therefore a visible Church Nay saith the Scripture there They neither feare God c. So the Church of Rome professeth to feare the Lord but 〈…〉 like to the Nations so that it will follow she neither feareth God nor doth after his lawes c. Obiect But she holdeth some essentiall Principles of Christianity Answ. So do the 〈…〉 this day they hold the Old Testament Obiect But withall they deny Christ expressely Answ. So doe the Papists implicitly and by their owne expresse doctrines of Trent haue no more communion with Christ then the Iewes haue Nay Papists doe expresly abiure the doctrine of Christ as we shewed before in the Popes owne Bull how doe they then any more hold Christ then the Iewes But Grant the Romanists to be but Christians how corrupt soeuer and we cannot deny them the name of the Church But why should we grant them that which never a Papist is able to demonstrate to vs or yet vndoubtedly to perswade himselfe of He is not certaine of the Priests Intention in his Baptisme no nor yet of the Bishops Intention by whom that Priest was ordeined no nor of that other Bishops Intention by whom the Bishop was ordained Priest Therefore no Papist can be sure whether he be a Christian or no. And why then should we grant them to be Christians Although for the bare name of Christians and of a Church we will not much stand with them so they doe not hereupon nor any for them incroach and challenge the being and reality yea or the very visibility of a true Church No noâ— to say That we are all the same Church by vertue of our outward vocation whosoeuer all the world ouer worship Iesus Christ the only Son of God the Sauiour of the world and professe the same common Creed Nor That which Rome holds with vs makes it a Church Nor That Rome holds the foundation directly Nor That because those things were affirmed twenty yeares ago therefore now they must be true nor that if any be otherwise minded he shall doe more wrong to his cause then to his Aduersary nor that sundry of our iâ—dicious Diuines were of this mind nor In that she holds the foundaâ—iâ—n directly she is a true Church For first doth the Church of Rome worshipp Iesus Christ who for Christ worship the Beast and his Image bearing his marke Secondly doe they hold the same Creed that deny the Faith without which they cannot say the first word of the Creed I beleeue in God Thirdly what foundation do they hold directly with vs For other foundation can no man lay then that which is layd Iesus Christ. Wee shewed before that they haue nothing of Christ but the shell the shadow the Pope is the kernel if any Nay doe they hold more of Christ directly then the very society of Devils doe Yea or so much as they The Devils hold that Iesus Christ is God and man they beleiue and tremble They Devils belieue not that Christs body can be made of a peece of bread hee knowes it well enough to be but one of his owne iuggling tricks which his Romish Disciples learned of him The Devils dare not deny that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh Yea he openly confesseth him to be the Son of God I know thee who thou art even the Holy one of God Doe the Romanists so much No they are of that Spirit of Antichrist that denyeth that Iesus Christ is come in the flâ—sh How He that maketh Christ of a Peece of bread denyeth him to be come of the Virgine Mary If Christ haue a body made of bread and yet this body the same that was borne of the Virgine Mary then it followeth directly that with the Manichees they allow Christ no other but a meere imaginary fantasticall body sliding downe from heaven as Dianaeâ— Image that came from Iupiter For is not that a meere phantasme which they worship in the bread A body naturall it is not which wants both substance quantity dimensions flesh blood and bone and all other properties which a mans naturall body ought to haue Therefore in directly saying This is Christs body they deny Christs true naturall body which he received from the blessed Virgine and so deny directly that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh How doe they then directly hold the foundation And yet this is not simply to hold
or of the creature then the cause of the creatures goodnes is not from Gods will in order of nature and causes but from the creature or I wot not what externall cause out of God And if Gods eternall will be not the prime and absolute cause of all goodnesse in the Creature certainly his eâ—ernall Prescience much lesse And so God who is Causâ— Câ—â—sarum is stript of this honour and prerogatiue and so robd of the glory of all that goodnesse which is in the Creature Thus our Author and those of his minde to auoyd a supposed and misiudged inconuenience fall into a mischiefe yea into most impious blasphemy placing and preferring the Creature before and aboue the Creator and so making the Creature God as hauing a selfe-being least by granting Gods infinitely free wise just good and absolute independent will according to the counsell whereof hee worketh all things saith the Apostle to bee the prime and originall cause of all things in the world as his reuealed will is the rule of all things they should seeme to admit that Gods will were also the cause of Sinne therefore they choose rather to make the Act of Gods will the effect then the cause of the creatures goodnesse sith this they allow to be the obiect preceding Gods will in order of nature and not the consequent effect of it But it is a fundamentall Principle vndeniable Deus ordine naturae nihil praevidit creatum antequam voluit creandum God in order of nature foresaw nothing created before hee first willed it to bee created In the Creation God first gaue vnto the Creature its Beeing and then hee saw that it was good He did not first see them to be good and after gaue them their Beeing But as Reuel 4.11 For his wils sake they are and were created So that Gods will in order of Nature and of causes is before the Creatures beeing or goodnesse his will first makes them the subiect of goodnesse before they become the obiect of his Prescience For nothing can be foreseene before it first bee conceiued to haue a beeing and a beeing of it selfe it cannot haue but from the Will of the Creator the prime efficient cause thereof It is pittie that such as should be good Diuines and would bee esteemed great Scholasticks doe not bend their studies rather to finde out vpon what strong foundation of diuine reason the ancient catholicke and generally receiued Doctrines of God are built then to seeke after I wot not what sublimated speculations and so boldly without the guidance of Scripture as the cleerest Perspectiue aspire to pry into the diuine essence so farre as to make a man more blind It faring with such as with a man who with open eyes daring and outstaring the bright shining Sunne is so blinded that he hath lost the faculty of discerning the difference of obiects and colours of things below Why doe they not rather consider of the sundry distinct Acts of Gods one and the same will As eyther the generall Act of his will dispositiue by which he disposeth and ordereth all creatures in their motions or actions good or bad to hiâ— owne glory This dispositiue Act some call the diuine Prouidence which extendeth it selfe to the least creature as the Sparrow to the least haire of our head for in him saith the Apostle we liue and moue and haue our Being or else other Acts of his will being eyther a lesser or larger latitude as the Act of his will operatiue and productiue as the principall efficient cause of the goodnesse or good actions in the Creature this will of God giuing an habituall being of goodnesse to Adam in his Creation onely leauing him to the exercise thereof according to mans owne power and will whereof he had sufficient but Adam being fallen the gracious will of God not onely rayseth him vp and puts him in a better state then before by working grace and faith in his heart but still goeth on with him working in him preworking to him and coworking with him to bring his worke of grace to perfection In the third place there is an Act of Gods will permissiue and this is properly restrained to all euill morrall actions Aquinas hath an excellent saying Deus neque vult mala fieri neque vult mala non fieri sed vult permittere mala fierâ— hoc est bonuÌ„ God neither willeth euill to be done 〈◊〉 willeth euil not to be done but willeth to permit euill to be done And this is good For saith he though euill to be done euill not to be done be contradictoriously opposite yet to will euill to be done to will euill not to be done are not contradictoriously opposed sith both is affirmatiue But the Author hath quite forgot to bee a practicke president of that to others whereof like a great Master he would prescribe the only rule and way of the attaining to the true knowledge of God For he would haue them to fetch the knowledge of God from the fountaines and not from the trenches I would himselfe had done thus and not rather raked his doctrines out of some puddle eyther of Philosophie or Schoole-diuinitie to which he would reduce and refine Saint Augustine and Saint Gregorie But pardon my digression I proceed The author vpon his former premisses in placing the goodnesse of the Creature in order of nature before Gods absolute will and consequently making the creatures goodnesse onely the preceding obiect and not the consequent effect of Gods will as the supreame and prime cause of all goodnesse in the creature flowing from thence as the streame from the fountaine inferreth many insolent conclusions I will name but some of them and but name them onely with a touch and away For example That God hath an infinite loue to all mankind without difference without exception And surely wonderfull is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or loue of mankind in God But by your leaue there is great difference betweene mankind before the fall and after Before the fall God loued man as a good creature such as he had made him but after the fall man hauing defaced Gods image and receiued the stamp of Satans image is now become of himselfe and of his owne making or marring rather a corrupt creature hatefull to God Againe is there not great difference betweene Gods loue to man considered in the first Adam in the state of innocencie and betweene Gods loue to man after the fall as considered in Christ the second Adam yet our Author puts none at all Againe he bringeth the doctrine of the Church of England as he interpreteth and that in three Collectâ— to proue the infinite loue of God to mankind in that God will haue all men indifferently and without exception to be saued Surely the Author seemes to be very hard driuen and brought to a low ebbe that is faine to fetch his water out of a poore Collect or two What
of singing sate them downe and wept Nor haue we lesse cause to expresse all thankfulnâ—sse to God for our deliverance from Babylons captivity then Moses and Israel had for theirs from Aegypt ourâ—-being no lesse miraculous if we consider the weake meanes whereby it was wrought then that was For what was one poore Luther and â—hose few that seconded him to the whole world of Pontiâ—icians 〈◊〉 Papall power where with he was to incounter Others vnderstand by this glassy Sea mingled with fire the pure Christalline word of God which in the ministry therof is mingled with the fire and efficacie of the Holy Ghost by the means whereof the spirituall Babylonians are overthrown as the Aegyptians werâ— in the red Sea which was a type of Baptisme Let the Reader â—ake his choyce or rather both sith 〈◊〉 are agreeable to the analogy of the Prophecy And if we vnderstand it of the world we may note all so how though Gods servants be compassed about with flames of fire as it were standing vpon this glassy sea yet they do with all their chearfulnesse sound forth the praise of God in the Gospell the Lambes song while Popish fire and faggotts haue prevailed no more vpon Gods servants but to inflame them with greater zealâ— to sing the song of the Lambâ— It followeth ver 5. And after that I looked and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heauen was opened And ver 6. the seuen Angels came out of the Temple hauing the seauen plagues cloathed in pure and white Linnen and hauing their breasts girt with golden girdles And ver 7. one of the foure Beasts gaue vnto the seaven Angels seven golden Vialls full of the wrath of God who liveth for ever and ever and ver 8. the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power and no man was able to enter into the Temple till the seaven plagues of the seaven Angells were fulfilled In these words the Holy Ghost descends more particularly to set forth the full equipage and addressemenâ— of the insuing Prophecy and that in a manner full of maiesty First the Place whence the seaven Angels come namely the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven which vpon their going forth is opened This ought to be well marked as pointing vs to the very particular time wherein these seaven Vials began to be powred out which is a matter of speciall moment Now for the meaningâ— we know that the Temple of Solomon and Tabernacle of Moses were both types of Christ and of his Church but the Tabernacle more properly of the Church Militant the Temple of the Triumphant here â—oyned together the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony to note the Church of Christ Militant whose part is triumphant in the eternall Temple in heaven or else to note the heavenly and triumphant-like estate of Christs Church on earth now vindicated from and made victorious over the Beast The opening of this Temple sheweth a more cleare manifestation of the Testimony of God now revealed in the powring out of these Vials in the Ministry of the Gospel as we shall see anon Well out of this Temple come the seuen Angels hauing the seven plagues being adorned and furnished with all requisite graces indowments fitting for so sacred a ministration They receiue their seven golden Vials at the hands of one of the foure Beasts This referres vs to the Fourth Chapter of this booke which place alludes to the first chapter of Ezechiels Prophecie to the foure Beasts there And it is commonly received of the Auncients that these foure Beasts were a type of the foure Evangelists According to this sense we are to vnderstand that these 7. Angels the Ministers of the Gospell powering out their Vials received their Vials to wit their authoritie and power from the Gospell of Christ whereon all our Ministry is grounded Some vnderstand by these foure liuing creatures or Beasts the ministers of the Gospell who in all ages deliver and propagate the word of their ministry from hand to hand to the succeeding ages Nor wanted there even before Luther euer appeared against the Pope sufficient witnesses in all ages that opposed the man of sin and stood vp for the truth And among many other famous was that Prophecy of Iohn Huss when he was burned at the Counsell of Constance for witnessing the truth against the Church of Rome enough by the way to stopp the clamorous mouthes of Papists who obiect where was your Religion before Luther who at the stake vttered these words That of the ashes of this Goose saith he shall rise a Swan which they should not burne as they wasted the poore Goose adding moreover Post 〈…〉 after a hundreth yeares you shall answer God and 〈◊〉 Now in the Bohemian tongue Huss signifieth a Goose and Luther a Swan And iust a hundred yeares after the end of that Counsell of Constance began Luther publikly to preach against the Popes Indulgences So that here we may note how Luther received his Viall as it were from the hand of Iohn Huss a witnes of the Gospell of Christâ— and that by a remarkable Prophecy And were not Iohn Wicklifes works also burned at the same Councell â— and two other worthy Bohemian Martyrs And did not Iohn Wicklife our Country man by whose meanes the Bohemians received the Gospell instruct his schollar Iohn Huss therein and Huss others as Zizca and so downewards And was not Luther himselfe made Doctor by Andreas Carolostadius at Wittenberge Thus we could goe vp by every Century and age all a long even from Luther to the Apostles times to proue the lineall and vninterrupted descent of that Gospell and truth which we professe The obstrepeâ—ous Iesuits knowe it well enough and might well spare vs that labour but only least they should be drawne so dry as to seeme to be able to say nothing for themselues or against vs. But we build not our doctrines vpon genealogies but vpon expresse and authenticall Records of Scriptures aboue all exception So that from this booke of Scriptures do these 7 Angels take their seaven Vials But what is ment by Vials They are vessells bigger then ordinary drinking cupps such as we call Goblets some take them to be as bigg as Kettles But I take it the Holy Ghost here alludeth to those incense-cups Exod. 23.29 translated Phialae in the vulgar latine which were made of pure gold as here And in chapter 5.8 is mention of Vials full of the odours of the Saints To which comparing the Vials full of plagues here we may note their two fold use one for the benefite of the Church another for the punishment of her enemies as we read of the Censers Chap. 8.3 4 5 out of which went first the odours of the Saints prayers and after that thence were powred forth of the hot coales of the Altar vpon the earth whereupon insued sundry plagues vpon the wicked In