A Christian Dictionary, Dictionary 2 · Part 69
M. I.
Michaell with his Angels. sig:
Christ Iesus, that great and strong Prince and Captaine of the hoast of God, head of the Angelles & of his Church. Reu. 12, 7. Michael and his Angels fought, &c. Some by Michael, vnderstand the faithfull, who professe the mighty God, and are assisted with the Angels, in the battel against Satan. Others thinke, Constantine the Great, to bee noted out by Michael, because of the great strength wherewith he was endowed of Christ (who therefore lent his owne name) to fight his battels against Maxentius, & other cruell enemies of the Christian church. We may well vnderstand both him as Instrument, and Christ as Captaine and cheefe Commander, in this battell.
Middest of heauen.
See Heauen. Reuel. 8, 13. Chap. 14, 6. Ch. 19, 17. All these places hauehave one meaning; to wit, of such as hauehave auoyded grosse superstition, but not attained such purity as is meet; and therefore hang in the middle, as yee would say, betweene heauen and earth; purity and impurity.
to be in Middest of the throne, of 4. beasts, and of the Elders. sig:
The equality of Iesus Christ (that Lambe) with the Father, in the essence and glory of the Godhead. Also, his speciall and gracious presence in the assembly of faithfull ones in the middest of his Church. Reuel. 5, 6. And loe, in the Middest of the Throne, and of the foure Beasts, &c. stood a Lambe.
Middest of the 4. beasts sig.
The Company of the Saintes, the Church of Christ, which onelyonly knoweth the Counsell of God in his plagues which he sendeth vponupon the vnthankefull worlde, for what causes they are sent, and what vse is to be made of them. Reuel. 6, 6. And I heard a voyce in the Middest of the foure Beasts, say.
Mightily. sig:
Forcibly, with a strong voyce, and great vehemency of speech, to stirre vp attention, and to note the efficacie and vnchaungeable certainty of the things denounced by this one Angell. Reuel. 18, 2. And he cryed out Mightily with a loud voyce.
Mingled with fire. sig:
The Doctrine of heauenly truth (clear as Christall) coloured with hot contentions and strife (as it were with fire:) or (as others expound it) accompanied with bitter persecutions, as sharpe as fire. For it is vsuall in Scripture, by the tearme of fire, to vnderstand both seruent contention, As Math. 10. Luke 12. and also, fierce tribulations, as in Iob. 1. 1. Pet. 4, 12. Reu. 15, 2. I saw a sea of glasse Mingled with fire. Iunius, by mingling of fire, vnderstands the Treasures of Gods Iudgements, to be dispensed at his pleasure.
Minde hauing wisedome. sig:
The most wise Interpretation of that secret, touching the seauen heads heer mentioned; or a mind endued with vnderstanding from God, wisely to know and marke this secret. Reuel. 17, 19. Heere is the Minde that hath wisedome. It is a Praeface to prepare attention, like to that Reuel. 2. He that hath eares to hear, &c. So heere; Attend to the interpretation of these things, in the vnderstanding whereof, there is wisedome.
a Mysterie. sig;
A Mysticall name, which is discerned & known onelyonly by wisedome. Thus Beda saieth of it. Or a name, which is otherwise to bee interpreted, then the shew and appearance of it is, deceiuing men vnderunder the Title of Religion,S. Hierom, thought this Mysticall name, to be that inscription, Rome aeterna. As it was by Heathens called Vrbe aeterna, & of Papistes the aeternall rocke of the church. being most abhominable indeede. Reuel. 17, 5. And in her forehead a name written: a Mysterie. Some Interpreters thinke, that the name of the Woman is called a Mystery, because her Description is set downe in a figuratiue speech, and not in playne tearmes: And this doth well agree with the former significations. They are deceiued therefore, which read mystery with a great Caracter, as if [Mystery] were the name of a woman; whereas it shewes out the condition of her name, that it is secret and remooued from common, vnderstanding, needing Interpretation.
the Mistery of God. sig:
The restoring of the Iewes, by their calling to Christ, which being a thing farre from all thought and hope of men, is therefore called a Mystery. Reuel. 10, 7. The Mystery of God shall be finished. Some, by this Mysterie, vnderstand the Doctrine of the last Iudgement, touching the rewarding of good and euill. Others, the whole Doctrine of the glorious Redemption of the Church of Christ; which things, because none comprehend, so as they shall be, are therefore called Mysteries. But I preferre the first signification.
the Mistery of ye woman sig:
That which is secret or hid from our vnderstanding (through our negligence and vnskilfulnesse) concerning the Woman and the Beast; that is, Rome; which God promised heere to open and declare vntounto Iohn, and by him to the Church. Reuel. 17, 7. I will shew thee the Mysterie of the woman, and of the beast that beareth her. No maruell then, if so many bee ignorant still of the Woman and the Beast, seeing her name is Mysticall; & what thanks owe the faithfull to God, for deelaring this Mistery of the name vntounto them, to keepe them from being deluded to their destructions, as thousande thousands be.