The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Proposition 19
19 PROPOSITION. The foure beaſts are the foure Evangelles with all the true writers and profeſſors thereof.
THat theſe four beaſts are on earth, is alſo proued by the 17. propoſition, in reſpect the glorie of the whol throne (whereof they are one coherent part) is vponupon earth. Wee ſay now farther, that they do repreſent the four Euangelles for theſe reaſons. Firſt ab officio, for that theſe foure beaſts doeth here decore the throne, and neuerApoc, 4.8 ceaſed from prayſing God day and night. And what thing on earth doth more adorne Gods true throne and Chriſtian religion, then doeth theſe foure Euangelles and their true profeſſors, who neuer ceaſe from praiſing God continuallie? Secondly, they agree in number, for there be foure beaſtes; ſo are there foure Evangelles. Thirdly, in their particular and diſtinct titles or faces, they agree, hauing conſideration of the cuſtome of the auncients, that vſed for to intitle the bookes according to the beginning thereof, as in Hebrue, Geneſis is called Bereſchith, becaus it beginneth Bereſchith bara Elohim, &c. and ſuch like other books: as wee alſo entitle our booke of lawes, Regiam Maieſtatem, becauſe it beginneth ſo. Then in compariſon, the faces of theſe Beaſts, are compared to the titles or beginnings of theſe bookes: becauſe, as men or beaſts are readilieſt knowne and diſtinguiſhed by their faces: ſo are bookes by their titles, and beginninges. And to come in particular; like as in the Reuelation, the Beaſts, and in Ezechiel, their faces were, one like a man, another like a Lion, the third like a Bullocke, the fourth like an Eagle. So, of theſe foure Evangeliſts, Matthew begins his firſt face or leaf, at the Genealogie of Chriſt, as he is a man: and Marke begins his firſt face or leafe at the voice, crying (like a roring Lion) in the wilderneſſe, Prepare the vvay of the Lord, &c. And Luke beginneth his firſt face or leafe, at Zacharias offering incenſe (as it were a Bullocke) at the alter. And Iohn begins his firſt face, or leafe, at the high and diuine eſſence of Chriſts God head, flying ſo high in his ſtile, that he is compared to an Eagle. Fourthlie, in their order of prioritie, according as they firſt wrote, they agree with Ezechiels order, where the firſt was a Mans face, that is Matthew, who firſt of all wrote, and that in Hebrew. The ſecond was a Lions face, and that is Marke, who was the ſecond that wrote, and that in greek. The third in Ezechiel, is a Bullockes face, and that was Luke, who was the third that wrote, and that in Greek. The fourth was the Eagles face, who is Iohn, that wrote the fourth Euangell, and that in Greeke. And ſo the order of their firſt editions, agrees preciſelie with Ezechiel his order. Fiftlie, their order of tranſlation or edition in Greeke, doeth agree with the order that here Sainct Iohn (who wrote both in Greeke, and to the Greeke Churches) ſetteth them into: to wit, The Lion, Mark wrote firſt of all in Greek. The Bullocke, Luke wrote ſecond in greek: Than was the mans face, that is, Matthewes Evangel, trāſlated in greek, who now is the third, & before was the firſt: Afterwards, laſt of all, the Eagle, Iohn (as before) wrote the fourth Euangel. And ſo correſpondentlie, as Ezechiel, the hebrew Prophet, writing to the Hebrews, preferreth Matthewes hebrew Euangell, for that it was firſt written. So Sainct Iohn, a Graecian Prophete, writing to the Graecians, ſpake of Matthewes greek Euangel, and ſetteth it in the third order, for that it came after both Markes and Lukes. Sixtlie, the preciſe time of their firſte writing, and occaſion why they did write theſe foure Euangelles, agreeth with the hiſtory and time of the foure firſt Scales, where their firſt comming is mentioned. For firſt, when the word of God paſſed out on the white horſe in the firſt ſeale, betwixt the yeare of Chriſt 29. and 36. then (ſaith the text) one of the four beaſts ſaid, come and ſee, &c. that is, Matthew the Apoſtle, who came that time, and wrote his firſt Euangel in hebrew, exhibiting the ſame to be ſeen of the Iewes expreſly, for conuerting thē, that Gods word of his new couenant might victoriouſlie go out among them, to conquer & ouercome (as ſaith the text) Then, in the ſecond ſeale, when S. Steuen and S. Iames were martyred, and greate perſecution roſe againſt the Church of God, viz. betwixt the 36. and 43. year of Chriſt, then (ſaith the text) the ſecond Beaſt ſaith, Come and ſee: that is, the ſecond Euangel was at that time ſet forth by Mark, to be ſeen & read, in comfort of the afflicted Church. Afterward, in the third ſeale, when hunger and dearth aroſe, betwixt the 43. and 50. year of Chriſt, the third Beaſt ſaith, Come and ſee, and this is Luke, whoſe Euangell came to light at that time, and was ſet forth to be ſeen, and alſo writeth of the ſame dearth, in his booke of the Acts of the Apoſtles. Laſtly,Act, 11.28 in the fourth ſeale, when deadlie hereſies aroſe againſt the Diuinitie of Chriſt, betwixt the 50. and 57. yeare of Chriſt. Then (ſaith the text) came the fourth Beaſt: and ſo indeed at that time did Iohn write the fourth Euangell, beginning at the deſcription of Chriſts Diuinitie, expreſlie againſt the ſaid Heretiks. Seuenthly, theſe foure Beaſts wings, eies, and all their other tokens and circumſtances, contained both in Ezechiels Prophecie, and here in the Reuelation, doeth ſo properlie agree with the foure Euangeliſts, that they cannot be ſo conuenientlie attributed to anie other, as ſhal be ſhewed at length in the principall Treatiſe. Eightlie, it appeareth by Hierome and others learned, that theſe indices and tokens, ſo aptlie agreeing to theſe foure Euangeliſts, and to their faces, hauehave confirmed the ancient Fathers of the Church, both to receiue theſe foure Euangelles true and certaine, as alſo to repell manie falſe Euangelles, written in the name of Thomas, Matthias, Bartholomaeus, and other Apoſtles. Alſo the Evangels of Baſilides, Luk. 1.1Apelles, and Nicodemus. For Luke teſtifieth, that manie pretended to write Euangelles. Then certainlie, ſeeing there could not, nor cannot redounde to the Church of God ſo greate a commoditie, by interpreting theſe foure Beaſtes anie other waies, we hauehave great occaſion, by all theſe aforeſaid reaſons, to repoſe vsus alſo vponupon this interpretation. As to the ſeconde part of this propoſition, that vnderunder the name of theſe foure Beaſtes or four Euangels, both the writers and the profeſſors thereof are metonymicè included: it is certaine, otherwiſe (as in the diſcourſe of the former propoſition is declared) they could not ſay, that Chriſt hath redeemed them, or yet that there aroſeApoc. 5.9. Apoc. 6 6 famine among them, for neither can that redemption, nor ſuch famine properly convene to any but to men.