comfort but the ioy of God As Iohn banished into Patmos hath in one day the Lordes day more ioy then all the world is worth when darkenesse couered Caesares and obscuritie nations But God shined ouer him and the glory of Christ was seene to him to shew him in wildernesse the state of the Church If he had not beene banished from Ephesus he should not haue had these visiones But now his comfort is the greater As one farre from his Countrey may study more in six yeeres then in 12. among much acquaintance at home and be lesse grieued from quarrelling of the wicked Now Iohn applying Esai vnto the LAMBE sheweth that all his comfortes cary vnto Christ And all the Prophets doe the same so this booke teacheth all the Myriades of Iewes that belieued to expound all the Bible So doe S. Pauls Epistles expounding all the Law and Prophetes how they speak of Christ And the chap. 61. ver 1. is plainly by our L. Luc. 4. of him selfe And the nations the saued shall walke in her light and Kings shall bring their glorie and honor into her Isai 60. And nations shall walke in thy light and Kings in thy brightnesse that ariseth to thee And her gates shall not bee shut in the day for night is not there that they may bring the glory honor of nations vnto her And they shall open thy gates continuallie day and night they shall not be shut that men may bring vnto thee the wealth of nations also their Kings shall be brought Thus God comforteth the xij Tribes from their knowen prophecies to goe forward to winne at the last so many as would furnish a Citie Fifteene hundred miles square in two thousand year Though the ten Tribes were scattred yet Hosea telleth them that as HE raiseth vp the dead so he can call them backe Cyrus called them from 120. nations vpon his owne charges and some of all Israel returned to haue hope in Christ at 490. yeares by holy Daniel And from all nations some were at Ierusalem the last yeare and men 120. receiued spirit to be sufficient to teach all nations many thousandes were turned and of them euery one would turne many thousand And Iohn stirreth vp their hope And there entreth not into it any common and practising lothsomenesse and lies But the written in the booke of life of the Lambe Prophane infidels vncleane in soule and lying in iudgements as all Papistes bee and old heathen estranged from Christ are not of this but they whom Christ hath chosen called and sanctified This matter is eloquently expressed by Manasses-saw-martyr chap 52. Arise arise put on thy glorie put on thy trimme apparell Ierusalem the holy Citie for no vncircumcised and vncleane shall come any more vnto thee This sheweth that they who be truely of the Church haue their minde brauely clothed and will haue none profane of their companie nor auctores of vntrueth vnfit for the Carbuncle walles of Ierusalem as the Apocrypha lies are with the Bible a meere leprous sorte whereby Papistes terme all the Bible lies yet they that can not read one word of the Law as a professor should will fight to keepe those wicked bookes with the holy and fight to hinder explaning of both Testaments in Saint Iohns Carbuncle veine and in Pauls Iaspers As none can be saued vnlesse hee be borne againe of water Isai chapter 55. so puddles of filthy pooles will marre those waters It is marueile that any dare chirpe to hinder the light of Gods worde seeing God is able and readie to reuenge The Pope putteth the wicked fable of Tobie in the heart of the holy Bible But it had beene better a milstone had beene hanged about his necke and that he had beene cast into the mayne Sea It is better to bee a dore-keeper in the holy Ierusalem then in Emperors Palaces in such mixture to the pure waters of Gods worde Iohn and Ezechiel shal be iudge CHAPTER XXII And he shewed me a pure Riuer of water of life so cleere as Christall issuing from the throne of God and of the LAMBE IN the song of songs liuely waters of CHRIST flow from Libanus they be waters of life Ioh. 7. to teach others life and the true MESSIAS commeth by waters blood and spirite 1 Iohn 4. Water of cleere doctrine blood of suffring and miracles of spirite And if a man bee not regenerated of this Water and Spirite he shall not see life And thus speaketh Ezekiel And he brought mee vnto the brim of a riuer and at the brim of the Riuer was much store of trees on both sides and hee said vnto mee these waters goe forth into Galile the first and descend to the plaine to sea of Tiberias then vnto another sea Lacus Asphaltites to the Ocean and those waters are made holesome And surely euery liuing soule which can creepe into any place where these Riuers come shall be liuely and the fish shall be great Thus Ezekiel telleth whence Christ shall begin to teach in Galilee And the Zohar vpon Geneses doth note that And Iohn saw the euent of this for at the sea of Galilee was hee and Iames and Peter and Andrew called to bee fishers of men And after the resurrection Ioh. chap. 21. at the sea of Tiberias Christ appeared to many of his Disciples fishing and all night they had taken nothing And in the morning the Lord commeth to the water side vnknowen and asketh whether they had any thing to eate they said No. Because they had taken nothing all night Then hee made them cast into the right partes and they make a draught of 153. great fishes whose spaume might match the 353000. Proselites in Chanaan Olde and late Prophecie and storie are thus contriued to make easie and sure the doctrine of life And God must needes hate the Pope that bent not all his wealth to haue so many as he could ready in the Law as were the Fishers of Galilee The Disciple whom IESVS loued hath now Apoc. 21. a third sight of Ezekiels prophecie In Iohn from the throne of God and the Lambe cometh the water In Ezekiel from the Temple so the Lord of Hostes and the Lambe bee the Temple In the middle of the streete of it and of the Riuer was a Tree of life bearing twelue fruites bearing his fruite euery moneth and the leaues of the tree did heale the nations Ezekiel chap. 47. And by the Riuer came forth at his brim on either side all kinde of trees for meate the leafe of none faded nor the fruite failed euery moneth they brought forth newe For the waters came forth from the Temple and the fruite was for meate and the leafe to heale The first psalme expoundeth this that the studie of the Law findeth Christ the tree of life and maketh others fruitfull trees to feede and heale An exposition followeth heere Chap. 22. And no Catanathema giuen ouer as cursed shall bee any more But
That is If a heavy day had now first shined vnto me neither had sailed before so troublesome seas there would be iust cause of sorrow c. So sea is Dan. 7. Apo. 12. where Empires arise so the men of the seas policie called fish such as seemed aliue Chap. 3. Forsooke the waters Esa 55. and Eze. 48. which giue life to all where they come turned here to haerefie be turned to death and traffique of ciuill policie is turned to corruption The third blast expounding the second The third explication of the learned great telleth that the messinger of the holy Synagogue or heauen for the kingdome of heauen shall fall from his calling to be as Babilons king Isai 14. A star setting Nemrod his house on fire will soone corrupt the third part of the Bible called waters Isa 55. Ioh. 3. and 1. Ioh. 3. and infinitely in Rabbins Hee shall turne Iustice of faith into Idolatry as Ephraim in Amos. That many men died the second death called fish afore by Idols worship So the Pope turning the holy doctrine into idolous waters is called wormewood Articles of the Popes corruption of Scriptures First He holdeth not the Hebrew and Greeke holy text in vse God owne holy wordes penned by the Eternall Spirit speaking all of life by the SON in dayly esteeme for all in leisure of studie to know and which all of leisure to studie should know But in steed of it brought in a Latin worke of which tongue none is bound to haue regard and brought vnto schooles Latin for Greeke and Ebrew II. The Apocrypha bookes were all made by Men of Iuda And speake not a syllable of CHRIST yet helpe Iosephus for all Israel against Appiones Instim Diodorus Siculus Cornelius Tacitus in madd Antiochus and so far haue their vse The fable of Tobi is made to busie heathen for Assurs captiuitie which heathen neuer mention nor Iudahs deportation to Babel or returne For it Barucs forged Epistles Susannaes allegorie for the whole state King Ioakims wife polluted by the Babilonian Iudges but reuenged by Daniel is wittilie fabled The enuious heathen neuer mention the fire quenched by Daniels most noble Cousins Therefore a Rhetoricall song was formed to shew what in the fyer their cause might speake to Idol-seruers But Daniel recordeth nothing spoken who knew all and would omitt nothing of glorie So no heathen tell as Ieremi of Babell Bels seruants who thought Bell gaue them kindoms that GOD by Cyrus would take out of Bels throte all the kingdomes which he had deuoured therefore the fable of Bell mocked heathens blindnesse No heathen tell of Daniel cast into the Lions den for not worshipping the Persian Emperor or Dragon as Pharaoh is Isa 27. and mouing the K. to renounce that the fable of the Dragon worshipped in Babel and destroyed telleth of their enuy and folly And vpon Darius speach to Daniel that GOD in whom he belieued would saue him and Daniel said he was saued because justice to GOD and the K. were found in him Abbakuks saying the iust man shall liue by faith is enlarged by a fable that Abakuk brought Daniel pottage from Iudea The heathen knew not Gods counsell that God by Iewes would teach in Babels fall how he hated the pompe of this world and hath another world for soules Rest where wicked shal be plagued for euer and telleth that true happinesse standeth in the knowledge of Christ who gaue Cyrus all Croesus gold to send Iewes home from all quarters to preach of their Eternall hope and to confute Greeke sages The 3. of Esdras is much true much in fable to smooch this in a greek stile familiar for heathen and such fables be the additions to Hester The fourth of Esdras was made to keepe Esdras another Moses from contempt amongst heathen who would thinke him base that handleth but Iewes genealogies and the Temples building without telling the reason and diuorcements therefore they faine for him deepe speculations as the greeks Clem. Strom. 1. feigne all the Law was lost and Esdras by reuelation restored all The Persians for religion were a new Nebuchadnezar their warriers one Holophernes Herodotus nameth one so The Iewes states Iudith Gods justice against Elam Iudiths sword And thus heathen that would mocke truth are mocked by fables Wicked Diodorus Sicul. and Tacitus commend madde Antiochus for his endeuor to ouerthrow the Iewes religion Two workes of seuerall Iewes the later very foolish and vnlearned yet good enough for prophane heathen were receiued to stop such mouthes The whole nation is of wicked Tully termed barbarous and superstitious to stoppe such a mouth eloquent Syracides passing him in sentences and shewing all the Lawes glory and eloquent Philo imitating Salomons wisedome for mans good end were receiued to check heathen though one knew not Christ Of these the fable of Toby is by the Pope made Gods word The Thal. Ieru in Ros Hasana for Michael and Gabriel make it a late fable wicked For Manasses caried to Babel by the King of Assur some tryfling declamer would shew what one in his case might speake as doth Homer for Agamemnon Achilles Calchas Nestor and such but it were a ridiculous babishnes to hold that trifling worke better then Tobies fable A plaine fable throughout and no fitter to be read in sadnesse in the Church then Lucians dialogues The Popes ioyning of these to the Bible is wormewood III. Wormewood holdeth not these 3. principles true which all should 1. The text of the old Testam is kept in letter most sure by the orthographie dictionarie or Massoreth that no letter was more nor lesse nor of other orme in Moses tyme with vowels and accents margine reading expounding the text then we haue it at this day 2. That the Rabbins expound all in grammer sense well for our vse 3. That all good for religion and life is in Moses as the Prophets and Apostles draw him foorth at large IIII. The Pope in Bellarmine and others peruerteth or contemneth euery whit of the Bible V. He maketh a whole policie wicked against all points of faith and ciuill lawes and would bee as a God in the Church so set foorth 2. Thes 2. Thus he is wormewood it selfe How he groweth vp to be a great mountaine to be able to vexe the world that followeth in the next Trumpet and keyes of the deepe The fourth expounding the third The fourth Angell sounded and the third part of the Sun Moone and Starres were stricken for their third parte day and night Gen. 37. Iacob expoundeth Sun Moone Starrs for his Church so it is heere day and night are ruled by the starres and meane the tymes more or lesse prosperous scholars and learned falling away corrupted scriptures make an ecclesiasticall mountaine from a burning lampe falling from God The occasions of the Churches fall from heauen The two Testaments shew that CHRIST is the Angell of the Couenant standing by his humanitie at the Altar
voice of Christ from his owne mediatiō biddeth the godly as hauing power like the Angells Dan. 4. ouer Nabuchadnezar tell Machumedists that God will frō the East send them great successe with the Popes supremacy Machmad began and soone turned away all the Contreyes of Daniels Image to shake of the West yoke hated of old vnder Greeks and still resisting and rebelling Of their comming vp and spoiling of Spaine and Italy And ioyning with Turkes I spake in concent of Scripture Euphrates was the old place of fight for the Romans as to M. Crassus army and the Parthians Old stories giue credite to prophecie their armies are infinite and horse many with successe and lions boldnesse to threaten ruine to all that yeeld not as they haue destroyed all ancient townes Fire blew smoke and brimston meane that Machmad his sonnets of victories the false prophet maketh a taile of Lions boldnesse Men in the East worship the Diuel Idols in the West liued by theft in Arabia abounded in witches in Lybia and in Europe Hence GOD sett vp Machmad to be a plague yet men cannot repent CHAP. X. How Christ helpeth his Church by ruling warre guile not to passe boundes which notably appeared in our Albion for the Spannish nauy 1588. And in those home-bred Diuels in the Gunpowder plott 1605. both stirred vp by the Dragon and false prophet Of Angell CHRIST is an Angell the Glory of the Father his Character Exod. chap. 23. Eb. chap. 1. so Chap. 8. MIGHTIE Isa 9. and there in the 70. the Angell of great Counsell Comming downe from heauen Esai 64. Oh that thou wouldst breake the heauens wouldst come downe that the Mountaines might melt at thy presence as fire burneth fewell and maketh waters boile the people would melt at thy praesence when thou commest downe the Mountaines would melt at thy praesence Isai 64. So heere Christ comming downe the Mountaine of Rome and Turke melteth Of the Cloude Isai 19. Behold the Eternall rideth vpon a swift cloude and shall come into Egipt and the Idols of Egipt shall quake at his presence and the heart of Egipt shall melt within him This Ancient speach Iohn expoundeth for spirituall Egipt chap. xi and her Idols cap. 9. So when Israel commeth from Egipt God one day went before them in a Cloude c. And the Rainebow was about his head The Rainebow is Genes 9. 13. a token that the deluge shall not drowne the world againe and Isai 54. Thus GOD speaketh This is vnto me as the waters of Noah For as I haue sworne that the waters of Noë should no more goe ouer the earth So I haue sworne that I will not be angrie with thee nor rebuke thee the reason is in the vers 5. For the Eternall would become a housband to vs Gentiles and he would defend as vers 17. In this place compared with Chap. 12. where the Dragon casteth out waters to sinke the Church this Rainebow drieth vp those waters Of the face like the Sunne When Daniel was taught the fulnesse of Christ by the Angel Gabriel Dan. 9. in Chap. 10. he seeth his face as lightning as the Doctrine was so Saint Steuen handling the same matter matter most cleare had his face like the face of an Angell Actor 7. So Christ Apoc. 1. had his face like the Sun in his greatest brightnesse That place telleth who this Angel is Of the feete like a pillar of fire When the Angell of the Lord went before Israell hee remoued and stood behinde them and so did the pillar of fire which went before them and remoued and stood behinde them and came betweene the Campe of the Aegyptians the campe of Israell So heere CHRIST will stande betwixt Romes Egypt and his Church Of the litle Booke opened The summe of the Bible is short How of Gods eternall counsell the world was made forman Because the sonne of GOD by whom he made the world woud be a man to giue life to them that rested in this wisedome And the story of 4000. yer to Ierusalems fall by Rome hath no more and all should gladly heare of this all their life and see CHRIST his bright face still to this summe The booke is open and easie to be vnderstood This summe I prefixed to Ecclesiastes for such as will not sitt in the seat of the scornefull This Booke is opposite to Idoles that can teach nothing but basenesse of the King of glory crucifie him againe and make him an open spectacle The first crucifying of Christ cost Rome one vtter destruction that Rome standeth not where it stood And the Crucifying of him againe hath sent millions to eternall destruction The litle booke open in the hand of Christ commanded no making of such crucifix and it cōmandeth to doe no more then is commanded They wander wickedly from the mothers wombe that will aduenture their eternall state vpon mans inuentions which all know may be spared Of the right foote set vpon the sea and the left vpon the Land Waters or sea signifie warre toyles Land quieter profanenesse CHRIST Dan. 12. stood ouer the waters of sharp swift Tygris and lift vp his right hande and his left hande sware by him that liued for euer what tyme should be for Antiochus rage so heere he telleth for Turke and Pope that when the 7. Trumpet hath his blastes ended the world shall end Antiochi lost all by the first comming of CHRIST and the Pope shall wast vntill the second comming and till then keepe some stroke Of the litle Bookes eating The voyce like a trumpets chap. 1. and 4. biddeth gracious Iohn goe take the litle booke from the hand of CHRIST so he asketh Christ for it and he biddeth him take it eat it And telleth that it will be sweete in the mouth for studie but bitter in the belly for them that shall heare of it as the rowle that Ezechiel aete it told the Idolatrous Ierusalem of a fall which hastened vpon them So Iohn by his booke sweet for Gods Counsell is bitter for them which shall digest it when he preacheth now to manie people nations tongues and Kinges The roaring of the Lion and seauen thunders shall be handled at the last woe CHAP. XI And a reed was giuen mee like vnto a Rod and the Angell stood by saying Come and measure the Temple of God and the Altar and them that worship in it But the Court which is within the Temple cast out and measure it not for it is giuen to the Heathen THE eating of the booke and measuring of these matters be of one tenor when the soule is full of the Gospell it must shew Christ to bee the Temple and all heigth and depth length and bredth of wisedome to bee therein conteyned in that God would dwell in CHRIST to reconcile the world vnto him selfe And in his death vpon the Crosse he is the Altar and he sacrificed him selfe being as Melchitzedek whom Saint Paul as former
teach there the trueth of saluation That which Ierem. speaketh chap. X. of our Gods prayse against idolls is heere repeated That Egypt and Babel teach the Pope what to look for Thus the holy protest their honor to God and labor to increase the Church that all nations may come and worship him And afterwardes I saw and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of Couenant was opened in the heauen and the seauen Angells came forth hauing the seauen plagues from the Temple and they were clothed with cleane and pure linen and girded about the breast with golden girdles As Angells help Gods seruants to victories so proper Angells considered with men whom they strengthen may heere be meant Their clothing signifie syncere holinesse which men should desire and the golden girdle about the brest signifieth the binding of the minde in golden syncerity of heart Maymo in Beth Bechira handling Aharons garment citeth traditions from them that saw the high sacrificers manner that Aharon was girded about the brest that sheweth Iohn to speake most learnedly chapter 1. and heere 15. and wiser then any who would forge a booke could doe And one of the foure liue-wights gaue to the seauen Angells seauen golden cupps full of the anger of God who liueth for euer and euer The liuely wight is heere as orator of the whole Church and after the acknowledging of Gods goodnesse by Gods charge the Angells take in hand to poure Gods wrath vpon his enimies visibly by men but vnseene as the armie that guarded Elisaeus So as I told the punishment of Nabuchadnezar Daniel chap. 4. commeth by the decree of the watchfull and the petition of the holy What the Angells desire in reuenge for the Church God appointeth them to help forward in assisting men that be the fighters So millions of millions waite vpon Gods throne to rule the foure beasts that the house of Zorobabell afflicted should know that the heauens ruled and tyrants should soone be tamed by them The Pope should from Dan. 7. learne this and from Apo. chap. 6. where the profane Caesares be destroyed and know that after long angring of God hee must haue full payment Mortall Princes soone fade as a floure But God is euerlasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daniel 7. 9. and liuing for euer Dan cha 12. and Apoc. X. and XV. who because men did not receiue the loue of the trueth to be saued sendeth workfull error that they belieue falshood that all may be condemned which belieue not the trueth but delite in badnesse This Booke was penned in such a style that it openeth not onely it selfe but also teacheth how all the old Testament belongeth to Christ And the Temple was filled with a smoke of the glory of God and of his power and none could goe into the Temple till the seauen plagues of the 7. Angells were finished When the Tabernacle of Moyses and the Temple of Salomon were consecrated then Moyses and the Leuites could not goe in while the glory of God filled them Here a cloud of Gods anger filled with defense the Church in the wildernesse that God will not giue the wicked grace to ioyne with them vntill they be cōsumed the sturdy wicked who fight against open light and be of the 666. sonnes of Adoni-kam which had rather haue 666. talents of Cethem from Ophir then all the knowledge of Iohns Reuelation such that striue against the light shall neither be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come but heere haue a conscience stinged as by scorpions and in the world of soules death aeternall CHAPTER XVI As the Popes manner of rising plagued the World in a like manner God consumeth him As the Popes arisinge plagued the world vnder Angells Trumpets as 1. The earth 2. The Sea 3. Fountaines of waters 4. The Sun 5. By kingdom of Locusts 6. By raising vp the Turk 7. By earthquake So to him plagues come vnder the same terms but in another signification as 1. His earth hath boyles 2. Sea blood 3. Fountains blood 4. Susnn parching persecution 5. By darkned throne of spoile 6. By Euphrates by Turke 7. By whole earthquake And I heard a great voice from the Temple saying goe poure out the cupps of the anger of God into the earth In the heauen Christ is the Temple and the Church by him By his commandement and the Churches care the Popes world is plagued spirits being Gods messengers inuisiblie men visiblie And the first went and poured his cup into the earth and there came boiles sore and painefull vpon such as hath the marke of the beast and worshipped his image The plague of Egypt vnder Iannes and Iambres resisting Moyses is now vpon the minds of Papists which resist Law and Gospell the discouery of which Idolatry becommeth a sound meanes for Kings that made the beast a King of Locusts to eate vp the flesh of the beast The West Kings made the Pope mighty to ouerthrow the East weakned so that Machmad and Turcke ouerhtrew it And euer since the Pope came to be mighty he became auctor of haile and troubles and brought haile and fire of warre to be mixed with blood So now he looseth many Countreies vpon Martyrs telling that he held Satans throne and vpon diligent scholes detecting him in euery part bringing the Apocalyps to be dayly read and all the eloquent N. Testament in Greeke founteine of heauenly water to baptise the minde by the spirit into the kingdome of heauen And the second Angell poured his cuppe on the sea and it became blood as of the dead euery liuing soule dyed in the sea When the poore father of Rome forging S. Peters being there became by Saint Peters name of low and poore an high mountaine he became fiery and cast himselfe into the sea of Empires that by all his warres a third part of the liuing in one age were kill'd and destroyed Till a thousand yeeres hee became not a full mountaine till then Satan was tyed but in Ierusalems warre he was loose that 200. y. warres turned the third part of politicall sea and shipps into blood and destruction And what warrs haue bene since in Europe which the Pope hath not kindled So he payeth for it so hee looseth whole countreies as Netherland with the blood of 40. yeeres warres and wast of the Spanish nation That scant a third part escaped death in them that could warre for his killing of K. Philips sonne bent to heale the boyles of his religious This did they dead in blindnesse and known to be such And a third Angell poured his Cup into the riuers and fountaines of waters and blood came of it Heere lesser waters are lesse forces that continually he hath bad successe and great losse The yeare 1588. gaue him an open token of wrath in this sort and Flanders 1600. And if he had gone forward Venice had taught the same and Iuliaque will 1610. if he goe forward dayly litle riuers of 700.