The Image of Both Churches in Revelation 2, Title page – To the reader
The seconde part of the Image
Of both churches / after the most wōderfull and heauenlye reuelacy on of Saynt Iohan the Euangelyst. etc.
Compyled by Iohan Bale.
The same disciple whome Iesus loued hath wytnessed and written these thynges / ād we knowe that his testimonye is true. Ioan .xxi.
A small preface vntounto the Christen reader.
IN the first part or volume of this worke (which contayneth the first .x chapters) are al these godlye matters of sai… Iohās reuelacyō in course cōprehēded. First of all is the hygh legacye & massage of the sayd Saynt Iohan vntounto the .vij. congregacions of Asia in the first chaptre mencyoned. Wherin they are also vntounto .vij. goldē cādelstickes cōpared & their peackers vntounto .vij. shynynge sterres in the ryght hāde of Christ
In the seconde and thirde chaptres are the sayd .vij. cōgregatiōs seuerallye yche one by it selfe descrybed and warned / to the vnyuersall premonyshemen… of the whole christen churche in the .vii. partes or clymates of the world. Marke those .iij. chapters dylygētlye / & ye shall perceyue that the true christen churche is alone gouerned by the preachynge of Gods worde / an onlye office of Christ cō maunded / and not by dead Ceremonyes commaunded by the pope / of whom the… is no specyalte.
Cōsydre how those preachers throughout all thys boke / are cōpared vntounto star…es ād angels / their congregacyons ca… led the ryght spouse of Christ. The other be assembled vntounto most filthye locustes / breadynge of the smoke of the pytte bottomlesse / vntounto hatefull byrdes / fowle spretes and deuyls / theyr churche called the proude Synagoge of Sathan & the most execrable whore of Babylon.
In the .iiij. chaptre is heauen made open and the secretes therof manyfested vntounto the christen beleuer / whom Iohan also representeth thys whole boke ouer. For not onlye are the mysteryes therof in the vnyuersall churche perfourmed / but also in the particular churches of nacyons / & in the pryuate cōscyēces o… mē.
In the .v.vi. and .vij. chaptres / the lambe Christ openeth the .vij. seales of the boke of the most hydden mysteryes of God / for the .vij. ages of the christē churche. In the me…ne season are the true seruauntes of God sealed vntounto saluacyon / solaced in their trobles / and releued in their sorowe / not withstandynge the great violēce of the truthes aduersaries
In the .viij. and .ix. chaptres / the .vij. angels blowe their trompettes. Sygnyfyenge the preachers to shewe forth their massages appoynted of God for the .vij. ages of the churche / manye wonderfull plages folowynge in the peple for theyr vnbeleues sake / they obstinatlye resistinge yt or els vnthākefully receyuinge it.
In the .x. chaptre cometh the myghtye Angell from heauen with a boke in hys hande all open / and Iohan deuowreth the same. Which betokeneth the ernest preachers of this lattre age of the churche / wherin the true seruauntes of God shall gredelye receyue and also dygest the scripturs. Take this for a brefe summe of all that is spoken in the other volume / the resydue shall folowe here after in course.
In the mergende of that first part or volume / put I manye allegacyons both of the scripturs and doctors. And there vntounto was I first prouoked by this saynge of Saynt Hierome in a serten Epystle of his ad paulinum monachum. The Apocalyps of saynt Iohā (sayth he) hath so manye mysteries as it hath wordes / or for euerye worde a mysterye whether ye wyll.
I mynded also therby / my labours to ease the readers for serche of the places / ād to sygnyfye vntounto them that I ded nothynge therin without autoryte. And vndoubtedlye the gatherynge of those places was so laboryouse vntounto me / as the makynge of the commentarye / whych neuerthelesse I thought wele bestowed for the confort of my bretherne.
But .ij. cruell enemyes hauehave my iust labours had in that behalfe / of whom the one hauehave thē falsifyed / the other blasphemed. Which hath caused me to leaue them out in all that here foloweth. The printers are the first / whose headye hast / neglygence / and couetousnesse commonly corrupteth all bokes. These hauehave both dysplaced them and also changed their nōbers to the truthes derogacyō / what though they had at theyr handes .i…. lerned correctours which toke all paynes possible to preserue them.
The other is Momus or Zoilus / yea / rather one which playeth both partes vndre the clocke of a christyane. Thys cruell carper and malycyouse quareller leaueth no mannes worke vnrebuked / mynistre it neuer so moche godlynesse. But lyke as rust / mothes / maggottes / cā kers / caterpyllers / with other vyle vermyne corrupteth all that is to the vse of man / so doth this enemye / to destroye both name and worke / onlye for the auauncemēt of his owne preciouse persone.
His workinge toles are soche vnsauerye sophysmes / problemes / clenches / corolaryes / quydditees / subtiltees / seconde intēcyons / intrinsecall moodes / with other prodigiouse sorceryes / whom he sumtyme sucked out of his mothers brestes the vnyuersyte. These hath he not yet all / as vnsauerye morsels euometed for Christ / distyninge rather with Aristotle than with paule in his daylye disputacions.
Of this ryall Rabiys peter iudged a fole / and Iohan an vnlerned Idiote. Yet shall his reader fynde small lerninge at his hande / vnlesse he take an heape of barbarouse termes and vnsowed togyther sentences for matters of excellent lernynge. But surelye Iohan will one daye come from Ephesus to visyte this proude Diotrephes & shewe hym of his arrogant bragges to his displeasure / vnlesse he leaue of in tyme. All Aristotles prouision shall not helpe hym.
Sathan vponupon the pynnacle of the temple neuer bestowed his alleged scripture more peruerselye / than thys Momus interpreted serten of my allegacyōs / nor yet farther from their right vnderstandynge▪ But I forgeue it him with thys fore warnynge for this tyme / though it be not the first lewde poynt that he hath played / in case he so leaue his quarellynge. My secōde allegacyō vponupon the preface .i. Corin. vi. is not sett there to auctoryse the Apocalyps / as he most falsely and all contrarye to my meanynge hath interpreted i… / but affermeth that the christen beleuers are christes members / which ought of necessyte by the holye ghostes appoyntment to heare and to reade the wordes of the sayd boke. For I knowe that the Epistle vntounto the Corinthyanes was written of Paule .x. years at the least before Saynt Iohans Apocalyps. No lesse is he thā a false prophete that resisteth Ieremy rebukynge Babylon for her wyckednesse.
To moche it were to answere hys other quarellynges / and to tedyouse vntounto the christen readers / and therfor I passe them ouer / least I shuld be to plentuouse in answeringe a fole accordinge to his folyshnesse. Thus by these cruell hā delinges of these .ij. vngracyouse enemyes / hauehave I iust occasyon to leaue out the allegacyons in the margende / obseruynge this wh…lsom counsell of Christ concernynge soche as they be.
Geue not that is holye vntounto dogges / nor yet that is precyouse vntounto swyne. For the one of hys churlyshe nature teareth and deuoureth / the other lyke a swyne treadeth it vndre his fylthye feate. The grace of our lorde Iesus Christ be with the euermore (good christen reader) and with all thē that seaketh of the scrypturs the sauynge helthe in them cō tayned without quarellynge.
Amen.
The seconde part of the Image of both churches / after the most wonderfull and heauēlye Reuelacyon of Saynt Iohan the Euangelist / & ce.
¶ Compyled by Iohan Bale.