The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, To the reader
To the miſliking Reader whoſoe…er.
SVch is the miſerie of theſe latter daies, through ſelfe louelove, and coldnes of charity (as Chriſt foretelleth) that every man envying other, aſpires by reproching his neighbours godly workes and good exerciſes, to get him ſelfe a name, ſo that no mans workes, howe godly ſoeuer, lacketh ſome one or other deteſtable calumniator and envious reprocher: Neither look I more, than others more learned to eſcape the ſame. To thee therefore whoſoeuer, miſliker hereof, and opponer againſt this work, I hauehave thought good to direct this gentle admonition, crauing thee earneſtlie, in the fear of God, Reade ouer, ponder well, print all in minde, confer places, leaue off partialitie. So truſt in God you ſhall finde in the ſame nothing either greatlie, worthie of blaſphemous reproche, or able juſtly to be-refelled: For firſt, as touching the opponing againſt theſe preſents, by blaſphemous reproches: becauſe that raylings, reproches, and invectiues, exceedes the boundes of brotherly louelove & Chriſtian charitie, I truſt you, nor no Chriſtian profeſſor will borrowe theſe manifeſt dartes of the Deuill, and armour of Sathan to fight againſt any man, euen not againſt a reprocher, and far leſſe againſt me, who reprocheth no man that euer wrote hereof: but judging them al to hauehave done faithfullie as they could, doth therefore but ſimplie, without injury to them, ſet out this my preſent worke, confirming the ſame by conference of ſcripture expreſlie, (as the Lorde knoweth) to glorifie God thereby, and to profit thee, O Reader, in repelling of errours, and diſcouering the trueth, without partial louelove to Proteſtant, or hatred to Papiſt, as to this houre, neuer hauing receiued worldely injurie of Papiſt, nor fleſhlie commoditie forbeing Proteſtant: yea, I ſpare not in this work to blame, the negligence of ſuch profeſſed Proteſtants, as in theſe daies are waxed cold, careleſſe, and without charitie: as againe, I ſpare not to purge and excuſe the Pope and Papiſtes of ſome texts in this booke, which others applies againſt them: namely, in that (contrarie the opinion of many learned) I purge the Pope from being the Apoſtat of the fift trumpet: And whereſoeuer I accuſe the Pope in this work, by admoniſhing of his errors, & threatning the decay of his ſect, ſeate and kingdome: I do nothing more thereinto, nor the very euidence of the text, harmony of other ſcriptures, and the truth of God enforceth me vntounto. This doing then being offenſiue to no good man: I am … no profeſſed Chriſtian, will by blaſphemous reprochings, raylings, publ… ſlaunders, priuat backbitings, or ſuch other dartes of the Deuill oppone againſt this book. But if ſecondly, leauing theſe Ethnick invectiues and detractions, thou thinkeſt by pretended arguments, to refute this worke and forme of interpretation therein contained: be ſure, that canſt thou not juſtly, nor by no good reaſons perform, ſeeing the grounds and ſubſtance hereof ar prooued, both by ſure teſtimonies and very probable arguments: by ſure teſtimonies (ſay) both of ſcriptures interpreting ſcripture: whereof, our whole Paraphraſticall expoſition, and diuers notes are compoſed and made vp: And alſo by the teſtimony of vnſuſpect writers, euen of Papiſtes, where they wrote of themſelues, & of Ethnicks, where they wrote of themſelues, and of theſe vnſuſpect hiſtories (verely credible againſt themſelues) is the hiſtoricall application of this worke compoſed, and diuers amplifications amongſt the notes made vp. Then reſteth our propoſitions and the reſones that are among the notes, and theſe I ſay we prooue by very probable arguments: yea, euen by arguments as neceſſarie, as true religion (which falles not vnderunder the capacitie of man, nor neceſſitie of mans reaſon) will ſuffer and permit: For theſe arguments are founded vponupon the moſt evident reaſones, cleareſt tokens, and plaineſt ſcriptures, and thereafter eueryevery argument followes one another, frō the plainer text, to the obſcurer text, til the whole be diſcouered. So then of our Propoſitions, Paraphraſticall expoſition, Hiſtoricall application, Notes, Reaſons, and Amplifications: and conſequently, of this our whole worke, nothing is mine, or of my only aſſertion, to God be the glory, true teſtimonie and reaſon yeeldeth all: Think not therefore to refute the veritie, for ſtrong and mightie is the protectour thereof. And whereas I hauehave ſaide, that our Paraphraſticall expoſition, is not onelyonly grounded vponupon the preſent text, but compoſed of the conference of many texts and ſcripturs interpreting others: that hauehave I purpoſely & by al means poſſible preſſed to do, expreſlie, becaus many interpreting the preſent text onelyonly by it ſelfe, and according to that ſenſe that to them ſeemed moſt proper in that place, they hauehave greatly erred, for to others another ſenſe doth ſeeme more proper, and ſo infinite and repugnant interpretations do ariſe: for as in the diſciphering of cyphered letters, hee who judged ſuch a marke or Character to ſignifie ſuch a letter, for that it ſo agrees and ſpells in ſome one place, he may be deceiued, and therefore he muſt take that Character for ſuch a letter as it ſpells and agrees with, not onelyonly in that one place, but in all places where it is founde throughout that whole Epiſtle. Euen ſo in Prophecies, who by an onelyonly texte judged ſuch a propheticall tearme or phraſe to hauehave ſuch a ſenſe, for that it ſo appears there to agree, he may be deceiued: and therefore he muſt take that propheticall tearme in ſuch a ſenſe, as not onelyonly doth agree with that one preſent text, but with diuers other texts where the ſame tearme is to be found, and ſo ſhall all interpreters agree, and no man varie from other: for ſcriptures interpreting ſcriptures, furniſheth one onelyonly veritie, and though ſometimes diuerſe interpretations, yet not diſagreeing nor repugnant, but in a manner all one: and after this maner of interpretation do I proceede, ſo farre as God hath giuen … judgement, memory, and ſight of ſcriptures, referring the reſt to whomſoeuer God doth bleſſe with moe talents and greater benefites. If then thou O Chriſtian Reader hereof, firſt laying aſide blaſphemie, invectiues, and reproches againſt me: ſecondly, caſting of all captious ſophiſmes againſt the trueth, doth now think this forme of Paraphraſticall interpretation, by ſcriptures interpreting ſcriptures, after the maner of diſciphering of letters, and this form of hiſtorical application be approued, & vnſuſpect writers, and this forme f gathering our gro…ndes by moſt probable judices and arguments, to be the perfiteſt way to d…ſcouer the myſteries of this holy Reuelation (as in trueth tis) and yet doth think that I hauehave not ſo accuratly followed that order my ſelfe, as I hauehave here preſcribed t to others: Then and in that caſe, I am not onelyonly conte…ted, but earneſtly I craue and exhort the…, and all other ſu…p…cters hereof, whome God hath endued with greter benefits, to put hand to work, & follow this moſt perfect order, more accuratelie then I may attaine to: for verely, I do ack…owledge myne own imperfection, euen my tender memory and hard vtterance: but ſure I am, & experience ſhall declare, that whoſoeuer by this moſt perfect way and manner of expoſition ſhall proceed, he ſhall fal vponupon the ſame interpretation in ſubſtance, that I hauehave here ſet downe, and though now thou diſagreeſt, yet then ſhalt thou accord herewith in one veritie without any ſubſtantial difference in effect or matter. I graunt indeede, and am ſure, that in the ſtyle of wordes and vtterance of language we ſhall greatlie differ: for therein I do judge my ſelfe inferiour to all men▪ So that ſcarcely in theſe high matters could I with long deliberation, finde wordes to expreſſe my minde: but this imperfection, ſeeing God perchance ſendeth it, to make the …reater perfection in humilitie, and to beate downe vaine glorie, and that Moſes & many great men hauehave lack…d the eloquence of tou…g: I truſt charitable Chriſtians ſhall not diſdaine me therefore, but rather amende the ſame in their owne editions. Finally, by this my brotherly admonition, I hope you wil not giuegive place vntounto thy firſt conceiued wrath: ſo, that howſoeuer you at this firſt approching diſdained theſe preſents: yet now at thy more reſolued revewing hereof, I hope, and alſo proteſteth, that in the feare of God you caſting of all blaſphemous reproches againſt me, and all captious ſophiſmes againſt the trueth, muſt either yeeld to the aſſured veritie of this worke, or then thy ſelfe ſet out the better expoſition hereof, vponupon theſe or more ſurer grounds: And I beſeech the Almightie, the God of trueth and vnitie, to bleſſe that thy godly enterpriſe, and to vnite it with his trueth: So ſhall we alſo pleaſe one an other, and ab…de vnited in him, who in Trinitie is Vnited, and abides bleſſed for euer and euer. So fare you wel in the Lord, and growe in him, from rankour and reproche to Chriſtian charitie, for euer. Amen.
Your louing Friend in the Lord. I. N.