Exposition on the Catholic Epistles, Revelation · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
IN this Chapter it is proceeded in the deſcription of other commodities of this City, keeping to the allegory of a City, wherein, as a riuer of cleare water running thorow the midſt of it is very pleaſant and comfortable to the inhabitants, and trees by the riuers ſide alwayes greene, springing and fructifying, doe yet adde vntounto the pleaſantneſſe of the place: ſo the heauenly city is ſet forth: For hee proceedeth, ſaying, He ſhewed me a pure riuer of water of life, Verſ. 1.as cleare as Cryſtall, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. And in the midſt of the ſtreet, Verſ. 2.and on either ſide of the riuer was there the tree of life, which bare twelue manner of fruits, and yeelded fruit eueryevery monethmonth, and the leaues of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There is a place not much vnlike to this in Ezechiel, where waters were ſhewed vntounto the Prophet,Ezec. 47.….3.5. increaſing to a great riuer that iſſued out from the Temple,Verſ. 7. & many trees growing on the bankes, on the one ſide of the riuer and on the other, and it was told him, that eueryevery thing,Verſ. 9. where theſe waters ſhould come, ſhould bee healed and liue, and that the trees ſhould bee all ſorts of trees for meat,Verſ. 12. whoſe leaues fade not, and they ſhould bring forth fruit according to their moneths, their fruit being for meat, and their leaues for medicine. Compare the particulars together, and you ſhall finde an excellent agreement betwixt theſe places, ſo that I doubt not but in this viſion it is alluded vntounto that, there the graces of the Church militant being repreſented, here the glory of the Church triumphant, betwixt which there is a great analogy and correſpondency. The riuer here is the Spirit of God, who is moſt pure and holy, proceeding from the Father and the Sonne, who is alſo as a riuer of liuing waters in the Saints, refreſhing and comforting them without end. The tree of life is Chriſt, for ſo much as he onelyonly is food to them that liue for euer, and hereby it appeareth, that this is ſpoken of the glorified eſtate of the Church, becauſe when a reward in heauen is promiſed to him that ouercommeth, it is vnderunder theſe termes, To him that ouercommeth I will giuegive to eat of the tree of life. Chap. 2.7.And both in the riuer and this tree it is plainly alluded vntounto Paradiſe, out of which a riuer aroſe, and wherein was the tree of life. This one tree was manifold both in the midſt of the ſtreet, and on either ſide of the riuer, becauſe there is no want of it to the infinite multitude of Saints, but euer ready there to yeeld food vntounto them all. And to ſhew the multiplicity of delights that are herein, twelue ſorts of fruits, and fruit-bearing eueryevery of the twelue moneths in the yeere is aſcribed vntounto it, which doth alſo imply a tree alwayes flouriſhing, neuer fading; and the leaues are healthfull to the nations, that is, not as if ſickneſſe were now incident vntounto them, and they needed healing, (for all ſickneſſe and paine is done away) but to declare their euer healthfull condition, there being no leſſe vſe of medicine to preſerue health than to reſtore it. From hence forward all things are eaſie, and need no interpretation vntill v. 10. howſoeuer ſome expound Iohns falling downe at the feet of the Angell to worſhip him,Verſ. 8. Brightman. verſ. 8. as an act repeated from Chap. 19.10. and not done the ſecond time: but it is plaine, that hee was againe to blame herein, hauing ſo ſoone forgotten himſelfe after that admonition; whereby we may ſee what the weakneſſe of the beſt and of the moſt holy is, if they bee not continually propped vp by Gods grace, that we all may continually craue it out of an humble acknowledgement of our weakneſſe much more, and not preſume in any caſe vponupon our owne ſtrength.Verſ. 10. But Verſ. 10. it may bee doubted, why Iohn is bidden not to ſeale vp this Prophecy, and what the Angell meaneth by bidding him that is vniuſt to be vniuſt ſtill: for he ſaith,Verſ. 11. Let him that is vniuſt be vniuſt ſtill, &c. The common anſwer here is, that ſealing being vſed to keepe cloſe writings, that they may not be lookt into and read, the Lord would not hauehave this Prophecy ſealed, becauſe he would hauehave all his people to looke into it and vnderſtand it, as ſetting forth things which were ſhortly to begin to take effect. Whereas Daniel is commanded to ſeale vp his Prophecy,Dan 12.4. it was becauſe it ſhould bee a long time before it ſhould take effect, a certaine argument that Antichriſt being the chiefe ſubiect of this Prophecy, came long agoe, and is not ſtill to be expected.
Touching the other words, Let him that is vniuſt be vniuſt ſtill, &c. they are not ſpoken as intimating a leauing of eueryevery one to the liberty of his owne will, as Popiſh Writers doe hence collect, but come aptly in here after the leauing of this Booke vnſealed mentioned. For if it ſhould be thought this will doe more hurt than good, the wicked enemies of the truth being rather prouoked againſt the faithfull profeſſors of it by hauing theſe things applyed againſt them, the Lord careth not for this (for he will ſoone come to giuegive them their payment for all) ſo that the faithfull may bee comforted and the more ſetled in righteouſneſſe and holineſſe… thus ſome.Bullinger. Pareus. And this indeed doth very fitly agree, ſeeing the Booke left vnſealed to the reading and conſidering of all ſorts is by the wicked but contemned, they being no whit the more moued to a reformation.Andreas. Tho. Aquin. Some will hauehave theſe words to be ſpoken prophetically, as if the Lord expected none other euent, but a neglect of this prophecie amongſt the wicked who would not be reformed at all hereby: for thus it is plainly ſpoken in a like caſe in the Booke of Daniel, Many ſhall be purified, Dan. 12.10. Napier. Eccleſ. 11.9.but the wicked ſhall doe wickedly. Some hold it to be ironicall, as that in the Preacher, Reioyce (O young man) in thy youth, and walke in the wayes of thy heart, &c. but know, that for all this God will bring thee to iudgement. It is not amiſſe to follow any of theſe Expoſitions, but I preferre the ſecond, vnderſtanding the words as propheticall, and withall I thinke that they hauehave reference to the former words about leauing the Booke vnſealed: ſealed: for the ſpeech concerneth alike the godly and the wicked, and therefore cannot be ironicall. Whereas the righteous are bidden to be righteous ſtill, Popiſh Expoſitors turning it, Let the iuſtified be yet more iuſtified, thinke that they hauehave a ground here for the increaſe of iuſtification, after that a man is by faith iuſtified he may by his good workes make himſelfe more iuſt: but for ſo much as the righteous here is oppoſed to the vniuſt ſpoken of before, and the holy to the filthy, ſuch righteouſneſſe muſt needs be vnderſtood as is contrary to vnrighteouſneſſe, viz. righteouſneſſe in fact, and not the righteouſneſſe which is by faith, wherein a man may and ought to grow daily: but neither is the word foreign thus rightly expounded, for it is [ſtill] noting perſeuerance herein, and not an increaſe of it, for thus this word is vſed, Verſ 3. There ſhall be no curſe foreign: and Chapter 10. the Angell ſweareth, That time ſhall not be foreign, Chap. 3.12. After this the Lord Ieſus being deſcribed, and they which ſhall be ſhut out of this City againe mentioned, and the contents of this booke confirmed, there is an inuitation to drinke of the water of life made to all that will. Verſ. 17. Verſ. 1…, 17.I am the root and the off-ſpring of Dauid, and the bright morning ſtarre. And the Spirit, and the bride ſay, Come. And let him that heareth ſay, Come: and let him that is a thirſt, come: and whoſoeur will, let him take the water of life freely. Chriſt calleth himſelfe the root of Dauid in reſpect of his Diuinity, and his off-ſpring in reſpect of his humanity; and the bright morning Starre for the light of comfort which wee hauehave by him, before the Sunne of glory ariſeth that ſhall bee reuealed.
The Bride is the Church, the Spirit ſpeaketh in the Church making her to long after his comming for her full redemption: he that heareth, who is inuited to ſay likewiſe, is eueryevery one that heareth this Prophecie, and what a ioyfull eſtate the faithfull ſhall be in in Heauen. For he cannot but wiſh and deſire for this day. Let him that is a thirſt, come; as he longeth after the comming of the Lord to the perfecting of his happineſſe, ſo let him come to the Lord by faith and obedience; and let him that will, this is added to note, not that by the power of his owne will he can doe thus, but that his will muſt be ſanctified, and of vnwilling he muſt become willing, God working in him a new will and new deſires before that he can come vntounto Chriſt, this Fountaine of liuing water. That which followeth is added, as a neceſſary muniment vntounto this and to all the bookes of holy Scripture againſt forgers of the Word of God, which the Spirit did foreſee would bee in after times.Verſ. 18. For I teſtifie to eueryevery man that heareth the words of this Prophecie, if and man ſhall adde to theſe things, God ſhall adde to him the plagues that are written in this Booke, &c. Verſ. 16.Theſe are the words of our Sauiour Chriſt, who had before ſpoken of his Angell whom he ſent to teſtifie theſe things, and therefore in the Originall it is foreign, I witneſſe together. Touching the rationall particle [for] ſome omit it as redundant, but it is of great force to argue a neceſſity of attending to and reuerently regarding what is here ſet forth. For that muſt needs be of great conſequence which is guarded with ſuch a caution. If teſtimonies be alleaged onelyonly to proue the truth of a thing, it doth not ſo much moue to conſider of it, but it being auerred to be ſuch, as that it is danger of death to depraue it any way, all men will beginne to attend vntounto it as handling matter of life and death. And what is ſpoken of this Booke, by the like reaſon is well applyed by our Diuines to all Bookes of holy Scripture: for why is it ſo dangerous to take away or to adde vntounto this Booke, but becauſe it is of God? And is it not as dangerous then to intermeddle in this kinde with any other of the Bookes of God, ſuch as all the Bookes of Scripture are. But it is well added to this as the laſt, as the charge of not putting to or taking away from the Bookes of Moſes is added in the laſt of his Bookes. Bellarmine excepteth againſt this inference,Deut. 4. holding that the threatning pertaineth only to the detractors from or adders to this Booke, and neceſſarily, for otherwiſe, with what colour could they obtrude to the people of God vnwritten traditions as being of equall authority with the Word of God? How durſt they take away the Cup in the holy Communion, and the ſecond Commandement out of the Decalogue, and with ſuch audacity change our Lord in many places into our Lady, with many the like corruptions? With what face could they hold and maintaine that all things neceſſary to ſaluation are not ſet forth in the holy Scriptures, when as they are ſo compleat as that there may be no addition made vntounto them? But this exception will doe them no good, when God ſhall iuſtifie his care to be a like tender ouer all other Bookes of Scripture as ouer this diuine Booke. And that theſe words may be certainly knowne to be the words of Chriſt,Verſ. 20. Saint Iohn ſaith for concluſion, Hee which teſtifieth theſe things ſaith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Euen ſo come Lord Ieſus. For whoſe comming that we may be the more fit, let vsus acquaint our ſelues with the things herein contained, ſith they are left vnſealed to vsus to this end and purpoſe, and being acquainted with theſe myſteries, which being explained (as through Gods aſſiſtance thou haſt them here preſented vntounto thee) doe ſo euidently ſhew the Pope to bee Antichriſt, and his eſtate together with all that follow him to bee damnable, halt not betwixt two opinions, but bee a reſolute reformed Catholike, nothing doubting, but certainly expecting their finall ouerthrow and confuſion, and thine owne deliuerance and euerlaſting ſaluation: which let vsus all pray with this our bleſſed Apoſtle, that it may come quickly. Amen.
Trinuni Deo gloria.
Errata, In the Catalogue of Names, for Cicillus, read Cyrillus.
PAge 27. for doe, reade to. p. 31. wandring, r. wauering. p. 44. or, r. 2. p. 60. Ioh. 24. r. 2. p. 78. his, r. has, in marg. p. 92. aninū, r. animū, in marg. p. 104. run, r. cun. p. 140. was, r. as. p. 163. Secutoro, r. Secuturo, in marg. p. 177. onus, r. vnus, in marg. p. 183. word, r. world. p. 434. foreign r. X. p. 485. Pope r. pompe. p. 493. vilitate, r. venerate. p. 5 14. which time, r. after which time.
End of the text · John Mayer, Exposition on the Catholic Epistles (1627)