A Key of Knowledge to Open Revelation, Part 4 · Chapter 6 · Notes 3
Notes vponupon Chap. 6.
Verſ. 1. Seales are the firſt plagues vponupon the world of heathen, called ſeales, as certaine and irreuocable iudgements, from Gods determined counſell, to reuenge the wrongs of his Church vponupon them, and as aſſurances to the godly to confirme their faith, in the truth of the reſt which follow in this prophecie. Or, they may be called Seales, becauſe they imprint Gods diſpleaſure vpō the parties plagued, making certaine their damnation, except they doe repent: Or, for that the things contained vnderunder the ſeales were hidden, and the reaſon of them vnknowne, till▪ the Lambe Chriſt Ieſus did open them. For though other did ſound the Trumpets, and poure out the vials; yet hee onelyonly opens the ſeales, as containing the whole booke, which hee onelyonly tooke out of his fathers hand, and was onelyonly found worthie to open the ſame, chap. 5. 9.
Sixe ſeales are opened in this Chapter, and are ſo many types of enſuing euils to fall out, after Iohns receiuing of this Reuelation, vponupon the heathen perſecutors of Chriſts Church.
Verſ. 2. A type of a preuailing iudgement, theHabac. 3. 8. If theſe ſeales begin with Conſtantine the Emperour, then the firſt ſeale is his triumph ouer the heathen Emperours conquering to conquer: the ſecond ſeale the bloudy wars following. 3. the famine. 4 the mixture of all, an alluſion to Ezech. 5. a type of peace granted for a ſpace. 6. the furie of the Gothes & Vandales: and ſo after in the Chapters following, the ariſing vp of Antichriſt, which may perhaps ſtand, if truth of ſtorie will go with this order, which I doe leaue to the learned to examine. Horſe here and in the other are an alluſion to Zach. 1. 8. and 6. 2. 3, to ſet out (as it were) the act and carriage thereof by the Horſe, which is ſtrong, Iob. 39. 19, ſwift, Iere. 4. 13, and careleſſe of any oppoſite, not turning backe, Iob. 39. 22, without the commaund of the Rider. White is a colour for triumph and peace, which as in this, ſo in all the reſt, ſheweth the qualitie of the plague, to be a deſtruction quiet, as in peace and triumph without reſiſtance: for if it be marked, a colour is giuen to eueryevery horſe, according to the ſeuerall plagues. The Rider to guide this horſe is not named, yet chap. 19. 11, Chriſt ſo rideth, and it is ſure that the wicked tooke notice of the Lambes wrath, after theſe iudgements came out, verſ. 16. The ſtorie of this time in the latter end of Domitian, and after him would (perhaps) cleer this more to vsus. A bow: an inſtrument vſed in warre, Pſal. 44. 6, it is put for ſome meanes, by which God vſeth to deſtroy the wicked, Pſal. 7. 12. Lam. 2. 4: but with the bow muſt be vnderſtood Arrowes, Lam. 3. 12, which are called inſtruments of death, Pſal. 7. 13. and by ſhooting of an arrow Gods heauie iudgement is noted, Pſal. 64. 7. A Crowne: noting victorie; the words conquering and to conquer giuegive the reaſon thereof, and are added to this firſt plague, as the end why God doth puniſh, to bring men in ſubiection; which if it will not bee, then other and greater plagues ſhall follow, (ſo in Leuit. 26. 18. 24. 28.) as wee may note in eueryevery one of theſe to bee greater degrees of plagues one after another. Whatſoeuer the plague here is, I cannot be induced to thinke it the power of the preaching of the Goſpell, firſt, becauſe the Goſpels power was knowne to all Gods Church, but this not knowne till the ſeale was opened. Secondly, this is one of the things to bee done after the reuealing of this prophecie, chap. 4. 1. Thirdly, the Goſpel cannot be counted, neither is noted any where, as a plague, in Gods word. Fourthly, becauſe the other types following, as alſo the Trumpets and vials are plagues, therefore it ſeemeth to mee altogether an vtter miſtaking, to make this type to differ in nature from them all; and to make that a plague among the reſt, which is in deed and truth the firſt of all bleſſings, howſoeuer the wicked make it to them the ſauour of death. Fifthly and laſtly, this was ſuch a plague, as the faithfull beleeuers need rouſing vp, by the firſt beaſts voyce as thunder, to take knowledge of the ſame. If I may giuegive my coniecture, I ſuppoſe it (with learned Iunius) to be the peſtilence; firſt, becauſe the arrow and peſtilence are together in Pſal. 91. 5. 6. Secondly, it is the iudgement in which God of all other moſt triumpheth, as being his immediate hand, and acted of him, as in triumph, when ſuch as bee ſo plagued doe lie dead before him, and hee riding ouer their heads. Thirdly, becauſe of the degrees of theſe euils, one greater then another; as firſt peſtilence here; the ſecond, ſword, in verſ. 4; the third, famine, in verſ. 5. 6; the fourth, all theſe foure great plagues together, verſ. 8.
Verſ. 4. A type of warre: It is plaine and eaſie, only note here as before in the other, the colour red, is anſwerable to the iudgement, bloudy warres.
Verſ. 5. A type of famine: The horſes colour, the enſignes and the voyce giuegive the explication, and ſhew what is hereby meant. The voyce in the middeſt of the foure beaſts, is the voyce of Chriſt, for he is in the middeſt of them, chap. 5. 6.
Verſ. 8. A type of deadly mortalitie. The colour of the horſe, the name of the Rider, his power to kill by the ſword, doe tell vsus fully the meaning of this type; the alluſion is to the foure great plagues in Ezech. 14. 21.
Verſ. 9. 10. 11. A type of the bloudy ſlaughter of Chriſtian Martyrs calling for vengeance againſt their cruell perſecutors, as Abels bloud did for reuenge vponupon Caine, Gen. 4. 10; as alſo ſhewing Gods iuſtice ready to auenge the bloud of his Saints vponupon the murtherers, ſo as here alſo is giuen a reaſon of the equitie of the great plague in the ſixth ſeale. This is a great plague of God, to bee guiltie of innocent bloud, which ſo loudly crieth in Gods eares, as in iuſtice he cannot, but as a Lord holy and true, iudge and auenge the ſame, verſe 9. an alluſion to Exod. 29. 12, where the bloud of the ſacrifice was poured out, at the bottome of the Altar. Chriſt is our altar, at whoſe feete, he being now in the higheſt heauens, theſe faithfull martyrs hauehave their bloud ſhed and poured out, whoſe perſons are as acceptable ſacrifices to him; but their bloud call for vengeance, as Abels bloud, to which the alluſion is. White robes noteth their iuſtification, and peace obtained. For their robes are only made white by Chriſts bloud, cap. 7. 13. The crying loud voyce, and anſwere thereto, muſt bee well noted, for they ſhew the ſcope and meaning of the type.
Verſ. 12. 13. 14. A type of the wrath and fearefull vengeance of God comming vpō the wicked world, verſ. 17, telleth vsus, that all is to expreſſe the great day of Gods wrath, which none ſhould be able to endure.
A great earthquake: that is, a great change, andEſa. 24. 19. 20. notable alteration of the preſent ſtate in the world by Gods iudgements vponupon the wicked, ſo it is taken, cap. 16. 18. and elſewhere, Heb. 12. 26. Pſalm. 68. 9. becauſe great alterations in high matters, either in the Church or common-weale, cannot be without great ſtirres, mouing eueryevery man in his place and ſtanding, to tremble, as by an earth-quake▪
The blackneſſe of the Sunne, the turning of the Moone into blood, the falling of ſtarres, and the departing away of the heauen, the mouing of mountaines and Ilands, are figuratiue and hyperbolicall kinde of ſpeeches, framed according to the words of the Prophets, Eſa. 13. 10. 13. and 50. 3. and 34. 4. Ier. 4. 23. Ezech. 32. 7. 8. Ioel 2. 31. and 3. 15. onelyonly to expreſſe, as Eſay ſpeaketh, in chap. 13. 9. 11. the day of the Lords comming, cruell with wrath and fierce anger, to make a deſolation, and to puniſh the world for the euils and iniquities therof. The ſtorme and tempeſt, whereof ſhall be ſo boyſterous and terrible, as ſhall make all ſorts to be as at their wits end, not knowing what to doe.
The 15. 16. 17. verſes, with the alluſions, ſhew the ſenſe and ſcope, and that the words are not further to bee extended. They are not meant of the laſt iudgement, for this is … of the ſixth ſeale, the ſeuenth remaineth … theſe to be opened, and the effects thereof … bee ſhewed in the trumpets, and after them the vials before the day of the Lord come. Neither can they bee meant of the decay of the viſible Church, for that matter is handled in the opening of the ſeuenth ſeale, and the ſixe trumpets which bee the parts thereof: alſo the deed and words of ſuch as felt this plague, in verſ. 15. and 16. ſhew, that it is not to bee vnderſtood in any ſort of the Church, for the plagued of all ſorts acknowledge, this horrible vengeance to bee from him that ſits on the throne, and from the wrathfull diſpleaſure of the Lambe, the Churches Sauiour.