A Key of Knowledge to Open Revelation, Part 4 · Chapter 6 · Notes 1 – Notes 2
Notes vponupon Chap. 4.
HEauen is the true Church, (ſo taken,Verſ. 2. Eſa. 65. 17. and 66. 22. Dan. 8. 10. Luk. 10. 18. chap. 9. 1.) in a heauenly ſtate and condition here vponupon earth, and the Church is called Heauen, firſt, becauſe their names are written in heauen, which are truly of it, Hebr. 12. 23. Secondly, for that their conſolation is in heauen, Philip. 3. 20. Thirdly, becauſe it is a liuely image thereof, heere on earth. Fourthly, becauſe it is the true home of the Church. And fifthly, becauſe the true Church is from aboue, chap. 3. 12. and 21. 1. Here is a deſcription of the true Church militant, which ſhall get victory ouer her enemies, and raigne on earth, chap. 5. 10. Alſo ſuch as bee typed out by the Elders, and beaſts, are continuall actors with the Church in eueryevery eſtate, as appeareth out of chap. 6. and 14. 15. and 19. And this note, that throughout this prophecie, that Heauen, in oppoſition to the earth, is taken for the ſtate of the true Church, as the earth is for the worldly ſort.
Verſ. 4. 24. Elders, type out the whole company of the elect people, chapt. 5. 9. Kings and Prieſts to God, Exod. 19. 6. 1. Pet. 2. 5. being round about him, Pſal. 76. 11. the alluſion is to 1. Chr. 24.
Verſ. 5. Lightenings, thunders and voices. An alluſion to Exod. 19. 16. for the effects whereof in Moſes, ſee Hebr. 12. 21. and the vſe, Exod. 20. 20. theſe words are repeated in three other places of this propheſie, chap. 8. 5. and 11. 19. and 16. 18. which well conſidered doe ſhew, that theſe ſignifie Gods iudgements going forth from God, for the Churches ſafety, vponupon her enemies; for heere they are ſaid to come out from the throne, as being for the Churches good, Ier. 25. 30. Ioel 3. 16. and in the other places of this Reuelation, they be named with iudgements, as earthquakes, and haile, and doe come forth onelyonly againſt the wicked, chap. 16. 18. for lightenings and thunder, ſee Pſalm. 18. 13. 14. for voyce, Pſal. 46. 6. His iudgements are ſwift as lightenings, terrible as thunder, and vnauoidable, alſo not without fearfull ſpeaking to the conſciences of his enemies, as voyces to make them to tremble.
Verſ. 6. A ſea. Though waters in this booke be put for people, nations, and tongues, chap. 17. 15. yet the word Sea, is not here ſo to bee vnderſtood; wee muſt take the words, as may agree with the ſcope of the chapter, and the reſt of the circumſtances ſetting out the Church, and thoſe things which are behoofefull for it; neither will the matter, nor that whereto it is compared, admit that expoſition. This is a Sea of glaſſe like vntounto Chriſtal, which be words of praiſes to ſet out this ſea by: it is alſo ſuch a Sea, as on which the godly ſtand reioycing, and admitteth a mixture of ſire, ch. 15. 2. It is alſo euer with the people of God, they and it neuer ſeparated, ſo as it cannot be meant the ſea properly, nor yet be put, as the word waters be, for multitudes of people of diuers nations; heere in this, as in the other words, is an alluſion to the huge veſſell called a Sea, 1. King. 7. 23. 2. Chron. 4. 3. the vſe whereof was for the Prieſts to waſh their hands and feet, when they went into the Tabernacle, and when they went to the Altar, Exod. 30. 18-21. It is therefore here put for the whole worſhip of God, being that which the Prieſts were firſt to goe vntounto, before they came before God, and for that, water is put for doctrine, Eſay 55. 1. 2. for Baptiſme, 1. Cor. 10. 1. 2. for the Lords Supper, 1. Cor. 10. 4. for prayer, 1. Sam. 7. 5. By which ſanctified means, we are (as it were) waſhed to draw nigh vntounto God, as Dauid ſaid, I will waſh my hands in innocency, and ſo will I goe to thine Altar, Pſal. 26. 6.
Verſ. 6. & 7. Foure Beaſts, an alluſion to Ezra. 1. 5. and 10. 5. they are types of Eccleſiaſticall perſons, their place betweene God and the Elders ſhew it; alſo by this it may be knowne, that they be leaders of the publike actions of Gods worſhip, verſ. 9. 10. chap. 5. 14. Types of men they are, becauſe they be redeemed from among men by Chriſts blood, chap. 5. 9. therefore no Angels. They are alſo ſaid to be redeemed out of eueryevery kindred, tongue, people, and nation, chap. 5. 9. Yea they alſo doe type out ſuch as liue after the deſtruction of Rome, reioycing with Gods people, chap. 19. 4. and therefore cannot bee the foure Euangeliſts: and where doe we finde a man typed out to himſelfe in a viſion, as Iohn needes muſt here ſee himſelfe in a viſion? yea moreouer hee ſhould be made to ſpeake to himſelfe, chap. 6. 1. 3. 5. 7, if by theſe beaſts were ſignified the foure Euangeliſts; but Iohn heere, verſ. 1, is ſhewed things not preſent, nor paſt, but that muſt bee after the reuealing of this Reuelation.
Notes vponupon Chap. 5.
Verſ. 1.—A book. This is this book of this Reuelation, for the book in Gods hand, which Chriſt Ieſus tooke of him, verſ. 18. is that which is called the Reuelation of Ieſus Chriſt, which God gaue vntounto him, chap. 1. 1. Againe, the matter of that and this is one and the ſame; for the things which fell out vponupon the opening of the ſeuerall ſeales, are the particular matters contained in this booke; neither came Iohn to the knowledge of what here is written to vsus, before this booke was opened, to ſhew vntounto him things to be done afterwards. So as this now written booke, called the Reuelation, hath the full contents of this booke in Gods hand, and neither more nor leſſe, and ſo both bookes are one and the ſame. The opening alſo of the booke and opening of the ſeales is one, chap. 6. 1, and heere verſ. 9, for the ſeales are the parts of the booke: neither is there any thing contained in the booke, which is not within the ſeuen ſeales, for out of theſe come the trumpets, and out of the trumpets the vials, as before is noted.