A Key of Knowledge to Open Revelation, Part 3 – Part 4
THE OPENING OF SAINT IOHNS MYSTIcall Reuelation. THE THIRD PART.
CHAP. I.
Of the obſcuritie of this booke, to whom it is obſcure, and whence the ſame doth ariſe.
THis holy booke, and all other Scriptures, are the cleereThe Scriptures are obſcure to the wicked. truthes of God, though they become obſcure to men, through our owne default, as this booke doth generally to all the wicked and vngodly, ſuch as are not holpen by the heauenly illumination of Gods diuine ſpirit. For men naturally diſcerne not heauenly things, 1. Cor. 2. euen as Eue beleeued Satan rather then God, Gen. 3. ſo men in corrupt nature louelove darkneſſe more then the light, and till they enter into the Sanctuarie of the Lord, they are but as beaſts, Pſal. 73. 22. 27. Againe, God will not giuegive holy things vntounto dogs, nor caſt pearles vntounto ſwine; therefore muſt we labour and pray for grace; for as Salomon ſaith, Surely Eccleſ. 1. 26.to a man that is good in his ſight, God giueth wiſedome, knowledge, and ioy. And they are they that ſhall know the doctrine of Chriſt, that doe his Fathers will: Ioh. 7. 17.but thoſe that hate to be reformed, are ſo far from expecting a bleſſing in medling with the word of God, as to them the Lord ſaith, What hauehave ye to doe to declare mine ordinances? neither ſhall theyPſal. 50. vnderſtand, Dan. 12. 10.
But more ſpecially this booke becommeth obſcureThis booke is obſcure to ſeuen ſorts eſpecially. to ſeuen ſorts of perſons: as, firſt to all Antichriſtians, and ſubiects to the See of Rome, eſpecially the marked ones of that grand Antichriſt; for elſe how ſhould this prophecie beeTo all the marked ones of Antichriſt. fulfilled vponupon them? how ſhould they performe what heere is foretold of them, and of their damnation? If they ſhould ſee, vnderſtand, beleeue and returne; How ſhould that body and ſtate be blinded, and goe on to deſtruction, chap. 17. 8? I confeſſe, that the learned Papiſts may ſhew great skill in the outſide, the ryne or barke (if I may with reuerence ſo ſpeake) of holy Scriptures, that is, of the Grammer, the Logicke, the Rhetoricke, the naturall Philoſophie of the Bible, and ſuch other things to be foūd here, as wel as in other writings of men, which may be called (as it were) the humanitie of the Scriptures; yea they can ſpeake of morall precepts, of duties, of common honeſty very excellently; neither can we denie their knowledge in the generall heads of the Goſpell, wherein wee and they agree, and by profeſſion whereof they be called Chriſtians; but the ſecrets of the kingdome they know not, neither the working of the myſtery of iniquity among them, theſe things are hid from their eyes; that that might come vponupon them, which is determined on all thoſe, whom the Lord in iuſtice will leaue in that ſpirituall captiuitie, and not call out from among them.
Secondly, to all proud ſelfe-conceited readers,To the proud …nd ſelfeconceited. comming in the ſtrength of their wit, memory, learning, and reading, and not in feare and humilitie; for ſuch proud ones God reſiſteth; this wiſedome of the fleſh is enmitie with God; the key of mans wit, or meere artificiall skill, cannot open the cloſet doore of Gods ſecret counſels, mans corrupt reaſon is too ſhallow to comprehend the deepnes of Gods determinations; to the humble will thePſal. 25 9-14. Lord teach his waies, and to ſuch as feare him will he reueale his ſecrets. Wherfore let men, how learned ſoeuer, come in all humility and reuerence to Gods word, and handle the ſame with ſuch holy ſobriety, as is meet for the ſacred oracles of God, that the Lord may bleſſe them.
Thirdly, to all ſuch as come to theſe true ſayingsTo ſuch as hauehave not the louelove of the truth. 2. Theſſ. 2. of God, (cap. 19. 9.) without the louelove of truth; for it will bee iuſt from God, to giuegive ſuch ouer to beleeue lies; & ſuch are all they which reade it, but not in ſimplicitie of heart, to make it their guide of life, to ſee their errours and miſtakings to bee better informed, and their vices to bee reformed; but force it to maintaine their fore-conceiued opinions, their owne inuentions to the pleaſing of others, and for aduantage to themſelues in outward things; cauſing it to ſpeake according to the preſent times, and what they themſelues doe louelove and like: making the word of God (indeed) their owne will, to ſay, as they would hauehave it ſay, and to approue of what they doe, though it bee neuer ſo vniuſt, wicked or euill. Theſe ſacrilegiouſly rob Gods word of the due honour, and prophanely abuſe it, which the Lord reuengeth vponupon their owne pates, in giuing them ouer to their owne luſts, and to the wantonneſſe of their owne wits, to liue in the errour of their owne waies without repentance, to their confuſion.
Fourthly, to ſuch as reade this booke curſorily,To ſuch as reade it careleſly, and ſuperficially. with a careleſſe and vnattentiue ſpirit, without diligent ſearching and comparing of one place with another. It is not poſſible but that this booke ſhould be hid, and be obſcure vntounto them, who endeauour ſo little to get vnderſtanding of thoſe things which are heerein reuealed; let not the ſlothfull hand thinke to proſper.
Fifthly, to ſuch as come with a too much deiectedTo ſuch as onelyonly and wholly tie themſelues to the opinions of others. ſpirit of feare, without daring to attempt any thing, beyond, beſides, or any whit otherwiſe then other men write or ſpeake before them; ſuch can neuer hauehave certaine knowledge in themſelues, or be ſatisfied: for vnleſſe they can iudge from the text it ſelfe, betweene opinion and opinion, the variety of expoſitions will ouerwhelme their mind, and be as a darke myſt before their eyes, obſcuring rather then cleering the text vntounto ſuch. As it is good not to be preſumptuous, or of too daring and bold a ſpirit in holy myſteries, where great, learned, and many godly men hauehave erred and been miſtaken before vsus; ſo it is not euill, in godly humility, with reuerence of others, by earneſt prayer for Gods aſſiſtance, to trie what the Lord may doe by vsus, for the wind bloweth where it liſteth, and the ſpirit enlighteneth whom he pleaſeth.
Sixthly, to ſuch as be altogether ignorant in theTo ſuch as be altogether ignorant of hiſtories. ſtories of the times, by which there may bee made an illuſtration of the prophecie, and a fit accommodation of the things falling out, according as in the words heere they are foretold to come to paſſe, without which a prophecie cannot bee well expounded, as before I hauehave ſhewed
And laſtly, to ſuch as know not ſome neceſſary and maine points, which greatly ſerue to lay open, and (as it were) to conceale the whole booke, without the vnderſtanding whereof, it will not bee ſo cleere, as otherwiſe it would be: of which things in the next part at large.
CHAP. 2.
THis booke, euen in the things, otherwiſeObſcurers of the text. cleere of themſelues are ſomewhat obſcured by ſome ſort of Expoſitors, which may bee accounted the troublers of the text, muddying the cleere running ſtreame by their interpretations, and they be theſe:
I. The enemies of the truth, the Ieſuiticall ſect,The Ieſuites, and other Papiſts. and others adhering ſtiffely to the ſea of Rome, who of very ſet purpoſe by falſe gloſſes, falſe expoſitions, and by vrging the erronious iudgements of men, ſeeke to obſcure the light of truth, ſhining vponupon them, as cleerly as the Sunne at noone, but that they will needs winke, and alſo maliciouſly will (with the cloud of their owne inuentions) darken, and hide the ſame from the eyes of others. They ſtudy not carefully the text, as their comments doe ſhew, but whatſoeuer they can find deliuered by others, either for their ſtate, or not at all Reade with iudgement Ribera, and Viega's, the Ieſuites commentaries.againſt them, that they greedily take, not at all caring how it can ſtand with the text, and the truth of the word it ſelfe. Let▪ none therefore which deſire ſimply to be informed in the truth, be led with their falſe expoſitions; yea it were indeed very good not to reade them at all, vnleſſe the readers be wel grounded in the truth, and wel acquainted with the text itſelfe, that ſo in reading them, they may trie all by the touchſtone, leſt their words preuaile without authority. Whoſoeuer is throughly acquainted with the truth, cannot but deteſt their damned expoſitions, as farre from the truth, as darkneſſe from light, and falſhood it ſelfe from the truth it ſelfe, in thoſe things which ſet out the Pope, and Papacie.
II. The vaine and faithleſſe Expoſitors, who inThe vaine and faithleſſe. their interpretations, reſpect neither the truth, nor falſhood much, but write not to offend, and ſo balke or obſcure the truth; or to pleaſe, and then they doe writhe and wreſt eueryevery thing to make for their purpoſe; or to get themſelues praiſe, then they labour to bombaſt and ſtuffe vp their writing with all variety of what themſelues hauehave, or would ſeeme to hauehave, and this they doe to the vtmoſt, too much paines to themſelues, and a needleſſe labour for others, if they did intend onelyonly the opening of the truth barely and nakedly, to the true informing of the readers vnderſtanding; or elſe doe write, to try and oppoſe ſome time, in ſome thing their readers, and then, if they hauehave euer an odde conceit, crochet, or queſtion, forth it muſt come, to make (as they imagine) themſelues merrie, while they thinke they can propound a riddle for an Oedipus. Theſe now in ſo doing, ſpend time, and are altogether vaine in their labours, troubleſome to the text, and vnprofitable to the Reader.
III. The ſingularly-opinionated, who hauingThe ſingularly opinionated. fore-conceiued an opinion from themſelues, or otherwiſe, before they learned it from the text, they frame in themſelues a building, and then come to the words of God to vnderunder-prop the ſame, turning all vpſide-downe, to make good what they hauehave fancied; theſe muſt needes therefore obſcure the text, when they thinke to leade the text, and not it them, of whom in reading wee muſt beware; for, they ſeldom write ſoundly, that will be euer writing ſingularly, and going by themſelues, without reſpect of others: Neuertheleſſe it muſt bee yet acknowledged, that ſometimes in expounding ſome part of a prophecie, a man may goe almoſt alone, and yet not bee condemned of pride, and conceited ſingularity. For the truthes of prophecies appeare in the accompliſhment, and the wiſedome of diſcerning, rightly to apply the ſame, is not eueryevery mans gift, nor at one time giuen vntounto all; very plaine things to ſome are hidden, and hidden points, by well obſeruing of ſome circumſtances, become moſt cleere to otherſome. If God therefore affoord this light to one, which hee doth not to another, nay not to many, and hee publiſh the ſame in the ſpirit of humilitie, before others; muſt it be adiudged pride and ſingularitie in him? verily not iuſtly.
IV. Such as doe make this booke dogmaticall,They that neglect the hiſtoricall ſenſe. and make of almoſt all theſe things a ſpirituall ſenſe: theſe draw the readers quite from the hiſtoricall ſenſe, and ſo from obſeruing things to be done, which is the true ſcope and proper ſenſe of this booke; and which in the reading muſt bee moſt carefully attended to, as wee may learne out of cap. 1. 1. and 4. 1. and 22. 6.
V. They doe greatly darken this prophecie,They that miſtake the time. who doe draw backe the beginning of theſe things, which doe concerne the whole Church, higher then that time in which Iohn did receiue the ſame; when theſe things doe follow after the time of the giuing of this Reuelation vntounto him, as chap. 4. 1. with 22. 6. ſufficiently euince: which not being obſerued by Expoſitors, greatly obſcureth the order of the things heere foretold vntounto vsus.
VI. Laſtly, hereunto may be added, the negligenceThe negligent Hiſtoriographers. of Hiſtoriographers, not marking the daily adminiſtration of Gods prouidence, from time to time (euen from the beginning to this day) bringing things to paſſe, as heerein they are foretold: This hath been (and is yet) no ſmall hinderance to the reuealing of this heauenly Reuelation. If this booke (from the beginning) had been obſerued, and made the ground euer to our hiſtory writers; and that in the acts done (which was by them recorded) they had been carefull to hauehave had reſpect to the courſe of this prophecie, how things herein were foretold, to be fulfilled; their hiſtories had been ſo cleere an expoſition, as there had now beene no doubt of the true interpretation of it.
THE OPENING OF SAINT IOHNS MYSTIcall Reuelation. THE FOVRTH PART.
Herein is ſhewed what is to be obſerued and done, to come to the vnderſtanding of this Reuelation; the particulars are in the ſeuerall Chapters.