The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Proposition 1 – Proposition 4

The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises · Treatise 1 · Proposition 1 – Proposition 4

p. 1THE FIRST PROPOSITION. In propheticall dates of daies, weekes, moneths, and yeares, euerie common propheticall day is taken for a yeare.

THIS Propoſition is proued by apperance, by a law, by practiſe, and by neceſsitie. By appearance, becauſe the common weeke is called a weeke of daies,Gene. 29.27,Gen 29:27 as in Geneſis (according to Ieroms tranſlation) Imple hebdomadam dierum. i. Fulfil a weeke of daies. And the common year is called a year of daies,Iere. 28.3.11,Jer 28:3Jer 28:11 as adhuc duo anni dierum: Within two yeares of daies: 1. Mach, 1.30.and Poſt duos annos dierum: After two years of daies: inferring therby that there is another week of yeares, containing ſeuen yeares, as the common week containes ſeuen daies. And another yeare of yeares, containing 360. years, as the common year (not intercalar) among the Hebrews & Grecians, containedIoſephus Scaliger de emend. Temp, 360. daies. Secondly, by the Leuiticall law, (which is the figure of all propheticall veritie) it was inſtituted, that as in the common weeke, ſix daies were for labour, and the ſeuenth for reſt: ſo ſhuld there alſo p. 2be a weeke of yeares, in the which the land ſhould bee ſix years laboured,Exod. 23. Leuit, 25.Exod 23 and reſt the ſeuenth: Making ſo the common week of daies, to reſēble the figuratiue week of yeares, and ſo conſequently, euerie day to reſemble a yeare. Thirdly, by the propheticall cuſtome and practiſe, eueryevery day repreſented a yeare: as in Numb. Iuxta numerum 40. dierum, Num. 14.34Num 14:34quibus conſideraſtis terram, annus pro die imputabitur, & 40. annis recipietis, &c. After the number of fourtie daies, in vvhichwhich ye ſearched out the land, the year ſhall be counted for a day, and in fourtie years yee ſhall receiue &c. And in Ezech. Ego autem dedi tibi annos iniquitatis eorum numero dierum, &c. And I hauehave giuen thee the yeares of their iniquitie by the number of daies. And afterwardes, Et Aſſumes iniquitatem domus Iudae 40. diebus, Ezech. 4.5.6Ezek 4:5Ezek 4:6diem pro anno, diem inquam, pro anno dedi tibi. And thou ſhalt beare the iniquitie of the houſe of Iuda fourtie daies, a day for a yeare, euen a day for a yeare, I hauehave giuen thee. Fourthlie vponupon neceſsitie of ſaluation, al chriſtians muſt confeſſe, in the ſeventie weeks of Daniel, a day to be taken for a yeare, extending in the whole to 490. yeares; otherwiſe, that prophecie of the Meſsias comming wold not fal vponupon the juſt time of Chriſts comming,Dan. 9.24Dan 9:24 as neceſſarily it ought to do. So then a propheticall day is a yeare, the weeke ſeuen yeares, the monethmonth thirtie years (becauſe the Hebrue and Grecian monethmonth hath thirtie daies) and conſequētly the prophetical year is 360. years.Ioſephus Scaliger de emend. temp. Beſide this common propheticall day, there is another greate and extraordinary day, whereof hereafter ſhall be ſpoken.

2. PROPOSITION. The ſeuen Trumpets of the 8. and 9. chapters, and the ſeuen Vials of the 16. Chapter, are all one.

THis is proued, in that both the ſeuen Vials, and alſo the ſeuen Trumpets are the ſeuen laſt plagues: The ſeuen vials, in that by the text they are called, The ſeuen laſt plagues: theſe ſame being hereafter called, The ſeuen golden Ʋialles, Ap, 15.1. & 7and the ſeuen Ʋials of the wrath of God. p. 3As to the ſeuen Trumpets, the laſt conteineth the day of judgement, as teſtifies the Angels oath, ſwearing,Apoc. 16.…Rev 16 Quod tempus non erit amplius, ſed in diebus vocis ſeptimi Angeli, cum coeperit tuba canere, Apoc. 10.…Rev 10conſummabitur myſterium magnum Dei, &c. That there ſhal be no more time, but in the daies of the ſeuenth Angell, when he ſhal blow the trumpet, the great myſterie of God ſhall be finiſhed. Which myſterie, Paule to the Corinthians, maketh the latter day and reſurrection; ſaying, Ecce myſterium dico vobis, &c. Beholde, I declare vntounto you a myſterie. And againe, In momento, in ictu oculi, 1 Cor. 15.5…1 Cor 15:5in noviſſima tuba (canet enim tuba) & mortui reſurgent: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eie, at the laſt trumpet (for the trū pet ſhall blow) and the dead ſhall ariſe. And ſeeing then the ſeuen trūpets follow one another in order, in the eight ninth, tenth, and eleuēth chapters, and the laſt containeth the day of judgement, and generall reſurrection; Therefore, muſt the ſeuen trumpets be alſo the ſeuen laſt plagues, & conſequently, they and the ſeuen vials muſt be al one. Moreouer, for confirmatiō hereof, they agree in their principall tearmes; the ſecond trumpet with the ſecond Vial; the third trumpet with the third Viall; the fourth trumpet with the fourth Viall; the ſixt trumpet with the ſixt Vial; the ſeuēth trumpet with the ſeuenth Vial: So, that thereby we may be ſure, and conclude both thoſe trumpets, with thoſe Vials, and alſo the reſt of the trumpets with the reſt of the vials, reſpectiue in purpoſe, meaning, time, and in al other circumſtances, to be one and the ſelfe ſame thing.

3. PROPOSITION. The ſtar and locuſts of the fift trumpet, are not the greate Antichriſt and his Cleargie, but the Dominator of the Turkes and his armie, who began their dominion, in anno Chriſti 1051.

BY the former propoſition, the fift vial is al one with the fift trūpet: But in that vial (ſaith the text) there p. 4aroſe ſuch a plague againſt the ſeat of that Antichriſtian beaſt, that his kingdome was darkned, and they did gnaw their tongues for ſorrowe. So that this may no waies be himſelfe that aroſe againſt himſelf, but rather ſome other godleſſe tyrant like him, whome wee ſhall prooue to be the Apoſtate Mahomet, and his locuſtes the Turkes: firſt, by the name of their Cheiftanes: ſecondly, by the length of their raigne: Thirdly, and laſt of all, by all the tokens and circumſtances contained in the text. As to the firſt, they ſhall hauehave (ſaith the text) their King, whoſe name ſhal be in Hebrue Abaddon, and in greek Apollyon, and in Latine (as S. Ierome tranſlateth it) Exterminans: Hier. de int. nominum,& in Engliſh a deſtroier, or a waſter. But ſo it is, that trying frō language to language the names of Princes, ye ſhall onlie find both their temporall and ſpiritual kings names to ſignifie the ſame that Abaddon in hebrue, and Apollyon in greeke doeth: for their temporall king is called Turca, which is aſmuch to ſay, as a Waſter or deſtroyer, as teſtifieth P. Melancton in Carion hisChron. lib. 1, fol. 8. & lib. 5 fol. 107. Chronicles. And their ſpiritual kings name Mahomet Hier. de int. nominum., ſignifieth delens, a deſtroyer or waſter: and beſide that, it ſignifieth alſo a Meſſenger or Angel, moſt agreable with this text, where he is alſo called, the Meſſenger or Angel of the depthes. Therfore, theſe locuſts by the name of their Chieftaine, agreeth certainely to bee the Turks. Secondly, as to the ſpace of their dominion, the Turkiſh Dominators raigned 150. yeares, and ſo long laſted theſe Locuſtes, to wit, fiue moneths: which being prophetically taken, (becauſe this is a Prophecie) maketh juſt 150. yeares, as is prooued by the firſt Propoſition. And ſo long laſted the dominion of the Turks, before they were ſubdued by the Tartarians: to wit, from the daies of Zadok, their firſt Dominator, an. Chriſt. 1051. to the time that Changius Chan of Tartarie ſubdued them, An. Chriſt. 1201. So then, in length of dominion theſe Locuſts agree to be the Turkes. Thirdlie and laſt of all, the whole circumſtances and tokens p. 5of the text, agrees moſt conuenientlie with the Turk, as at length our paraphraſtical & hiſtorical diſcourſe ſhall prooue. Wherefore, the Star that in the fift trumpet fel downe from heauen, and his Locuſts that aroſe, muſt needs be the Mahomet, who fell from his former Chriſtian profeſsion, and became an Apoſtate, and out of the ſmoke of his hereſie, ſtirred vp the Turkes to be his armie.

4 PROPOSISION. The kinges of the Eaſt, or four Angels, ſpecified in the ſixt trumpet, or ſixt vial. Cap. 9. & 16. are the four nations, Mahometanes beyond and about Euphrates, who began their empire by Ottoman, in the yeare of Chriſt, 1296. or thereabout.

FOr proof hereof, there nedeth no other argument, than the perfect concord of the whole tokens of the texts, cap. 9. & cap. 16. agreeing ſo in euerie point with that hiſtorie, that no other hiſtorie can be applied therto. For firſt, cap. 9. they are called Angels; that is to ſay, Meſſengers euill or good, executers of Gods will: So were theſe Mahometanes meſſengers ſent of God, to ſcourge the Chriſtians falling away. Secondlie, cap. 16. they are called Kings of the Eaſt: and ſo are theſe Mahometanes indeed Kinges of the Eaſt. Thirdlie, they were in number foure (ſaith the text) ſo were there of theſe Mahometanes foure chiefe nations; to wit, Turks, Tartarians, Saracens, and Arabians: and foure imperiall or royall families; to witte, Aſſimbeis, Candelors, Caramannes and Ottomannes. Fourthlie, they were hitherto bound (ſaieth the text) about the riuer Euphrates: and ſo hauehave they their reſidence about Euphrates, where they were ſo bound & tied by ciuill & inteſtine warres, that they came not by weſt Euphrates to make conqueſt, till after this yeare of Chriſt 1296. which time the whole Mahometicke Empire ouer the moſt part of the ſaid four nations, came from the other three families, p. 6in the onlie hande of Ottomannus their firſt Emperour. Fiftlie, theſe were appointed (ſaith the Text) at this time to ſlay the third part of men. And ſo did they, what by corporall, and what by ſpirituall death, ſlay, conqueſt, and poyſon with hereſie, all Aſia and much of Europe, euen the large third part of the world. Which propertie can bee attributed to none other hitherto, but to the ſaide Mahometike Armie, which exceeded far, anie Armie hard of in Chriſtian hiſtories. And therfore, ſixtlie, ar they numbred to ſo great a multitude in the text, to wit, two hundred thouſand thouſands horſmen. Seuenthlie, as out of the mouthes of the Deuill, the Antichriſtian beaſt, & this fals Mahomet, proceeded out three vncleane ſpirits, ſtirring vp the world to battel, as the Text ſpecifies: So, by the hiſtorie it is found, that out of their mouthes proceeded ſuch inſpirations of the Deuill, and deuiliſh exhortations, that ſtirred vp (in fierie wrath, in ſmoking hereſie, and in ſulphurious and bitter auarice) the whole worlde to battell: that is to ſay, theſe Mahometanes, Emperors of the whole Orient, againſt the Antichriſtian beaſt, ſupreame head of the Occident, Hier. de int. nominumto fight in Armageddon: that is to ſay, to fight in the mountaine of the choſen fruite, and in the mountaine of the Euangell: euen in Aſia minor, and Europe, and in other landes of the Chriſtians, and among Gods elect fruit, and choſen profeſſors of his Euangell, troubling them on both ſides, which at length and orderlie ſhall be founde in our paraphraſticall and hiſtoricall Diſcourſe, together with all the reſt of the ſmaller circumſtances contained in the text. So, then by theſe perfect properties wee conclude, the ſixt Trumpet or Viall, to bee ſpoken of the great Empire of theſe four nations Mahometanes, which began in Anno Chriſti 1296. vnderunder their firſt Emperour Ottomannus.