The Third Part from John Baptists Nativity, Part 17
Epistle
APOCALYP. 7. 2.
Behold, I Iohn saw another Angell, &c.
IN this Scripture concerning the sealing of the Saints and seruants of our God, obserue the
Minister sealing, An Angell ascending from the rising of the Sunne, &c.
Men sealed, I heard the number of them who were sealed, &c.
Behold, I Iohn saw another Angell] In the words immediatly going before, S. Iohn said, he saw foure Angels stand on the foure corners of the earth, holding the foure windes of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, neither on the Sea, neither on any tree. These foure Angels are foure agents of Satan, eBale… Marlorat in loc.Hypocrits with their impostures, Antichrists with their pestilent decrees and traditions, Tyrannous Princes with their bloudie Lawes, Vngodly Magistrates with their ignorant blindnesse. These foure reigne in the foure quarters of the world with lyes in hypocrisie, with errours in superstition, with tyrannie in power, and with crueltie in executing humane Lawes. Or these foure Angels imployed by the prince of darknesse, are foure workes of darknesse, Contention, Ambition, Heresie, Warre. fApocalyp Apocalypsc…s.Contention arising from the East; Ambition arising from the West; Heresie from the South; Warre from the North. Or as gHom. in loc.Ardens, These foure Angels are the spirit of Luxurie, the spirit of Pride, the spirit of Gastrimargie, the spirit of Auarice. For as the hIoel 1. 4.Prophet speaks, That which is left of the palmer worme hath the grashopper eaten, and the residue of the grashopper hath the canker worme eaten, and the residue of the canker worme hath the caterpiller eaten. Luxurie consuming the flesh in which it is bred, resembles the palmer worme; Loftie pride with her low fall the skipping grashopper; Rauenous gluttonie the canker worme; Cutthroat auarice the caterpiller. Now Luxurie doth hurt many trees in the garden of God, and that which luxurie hath left, hath pride deuoured; and that which is left of pride, gluttonie hath eaten; and that which is left of all these vices, is often ouercome by Couetousnesse. iAretius.Or happily these foure Angels, are 4. great powers in the world, the Turke, the Romane Emperour, the Pope, the king of Spaine combined in a bloudie league with other popish Princes, as kGen. 49. 5.brethren in euill. All these furiously raging together against the Lord, and against his annointed, withhold the foure windes of the earth, that the winde should not blow. lBullenger.that is, They persecute the preachers of the word, and hinder the doctrine of the spirit called often in mIohn 3. 8▪ Acts 2. 2.holie bible Winde; least it should blow vponupon the earth, which is the nCant. 4. 16.garden of God, driuing from thence all filth and corruption: Or on the Sea, oBalaeus.that is a wauering conscience, bringing men to a quiet hauen and hold in the Lord: Or vponupon any tree, that is growing here, which are men pPsalme 1. 3.planted by God on earth to bring forth fruit in Christ vntounto the comfort of other. All these wicked angels exercise both head and hand, how to crosse the proceedings of the Gospell, and to driue this Heauenly blast away. The Turke doth infest Christendome with his warre; the Roman Emperor with his edicts; the Pope with his excommunications and Buls; the popish Princes (which hauehave committed abomination with the great whore of Babel, and are qApocal. 17. 2.drunken with the wine of her fornication) hold the windes of the earth by their inquisition, fire, fagot, treachery, rebellion. And for this end they found and feed Monasteries of Fryers, and Colledges of Iesuits, as the Seminaries of sedition and conspiracy.
Or foure, being a rAretius.compleat number, it doth insinuate that all execrable ministers of Satan in the whole world, crosse (so much as may be possible) the blowing of the spirit both in the bookes of holy Scriptures, and in the mouthes of godly Preachers. In nature their is but one winde, yet said to be diuers in respect of the diuers corners of the earth out of which it bloweth, East, West, North, and South; and so called foure windes in regard of the 4. quarters of the world. In like sort the spirit is but one Ephes. 44. But it is termed here foure windes in respect of the sEnglish glosse.foure Euangelists who wrote the Gospell. It is diuerse tBullenger. Marlorat.for that it bloweth on diuers men diuersly, giuing to one the word of wisedome, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another the giftes of healing, to another prophesie, to another discerning of spirits, to another diuersity of tongues; all these things worketh euen the selfe same spirit, distributing seuerally to eueryevery man as he will, 1. Cor. 12. 11. These manifold blastes of the spirit, or (as S. u1. Cor. 12. 4.Paul speakes) these diuersities of gifts, and diuersities of administrations, and diuersities of operations are withstood by reprobate men and Angels in eueryevery corner of the world; by the Papists especially inhibiting the people to read the Gospell in the mother tongue, and prohibiting the Pastors to preach the Gospell in any tongue.
Now while these cursed Angels were stopping the winde, or letting the Gospels free passage, behold another Angell ascending from the rising of the sunne, which had the seale of the liuing God, and hee cryed with a loud voyce to the foure Angels (to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth and the sea) saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, neither the trees, till we hauehave sealed the seruants of our God in their forehead. Albeit the Dragon and his Angels rage neuer so much against the Church, yet the x2. Tim. 2. 19.foundation of God remaineth sure; and hath this seale, the Lord knoweth who are his; and yIohn 10. 28.they shall neuer perish, neither shall any plucke them out of his hand. Indeede the foure foule Angels hauehave power to hurt the land and the sea, but it is limited, a power giuen of God, and God is z1. Cor. 10. 13.faithfull, who will not suffer his elect to be tempted aboue their ability, but sends one good Angel to suppresse foure bad, crying to them, and that with a loud voyce, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees.
Some thinke this Angel arising from the East was aBrightman in loc.Constantine the great; bArdens, Aretius, Meyer.other expound this of Christ; other of the cBa…aeus.Ministers of Christ: it is certaine that Constantine, succeeding immediatly Dioclesian and other persecuting Emperors, was a notable bEsay 49. 23.nourishing father vntounto the Church, vnderunder whose cEzechiel. 31. 6.shadow the Christians dwelt and prospered a long time. He did (according to the tenour of our text) ascend from the dSee Apocalyp. Apocalyps.east, and he had the seale of the liuing God, that is, the true faith of Christ, openly professing it, and eSocrates hist. lib. 1. cap. 8.establishing it also by the consent of three hundred eighteen reuerend Bishops in the Councell of Nice, summoned by him against Arius and other impious Angels holding the foure windes of the earth. This Emperor cryed with a loud voyce to the wicked instruments of Satan, hurt not the earth, &c. He made many fEusebius hist. lib. 10. cap. 5. 6. 7. & de vita Constantin. lib. 2. cap. 43. 44 45.proclamations and edicts in fauour of the Christians, in so much as the whole rable of the hatefull enemies of God (as gHist lib. 10. cap. 1.Eusebius reportes) seemed to bee wiped away from the sight of men, according to that of the hPsalm. 37. 36.Psalmist, I saw the wicked exalted as the Caedars of Libanus, and florishing like a greene bay tree: but I went by, and loe he was gone, I sought his place, but it could no where be found.
Other construe this rather of Christ as being iMalac. 3. 1.Angelus testamenti the messenger and Angel of the couenant, the kMalac. 4. 2.sunne of righteousnes manifesting himselfe in the great darknes of Anti-christianisme. He hath indeed the seale of the liuing God, as being the lHeb. 1. 3.character of his person, and brightnes of his glory, mRom. 1. 4.declared mightily to bee the sonne of God. He cryes with a loud voyce to the foure foule Angels, nAretius.that is, he fights against such as fight against his elect seruants, and deliuereth vsus out of the handes of all our enemies. In the oBullinger.darkenes of blind superstition he doth illuminate his, and seale them in their forehead, making them pEnglish gloss.openly to confesse his faith vntounto saluation qMarke 8. 38.among an adulterous and sinnefull generation. rD. Fulke in loc.This sealing in the forehead is not an allusion to the signe of the crosse, for many reprobates hauehave receiued that in baptisme; the true marke whereby Gods elect are discerned from all other, is a liuely faith in the heart, breaking forth into confession with the mouth, according to that of sRom. 10. 10.Paul, with the heart man beleeueth vntounto righteousnes, and with the mouth he confesseth to saluation.
Now for as much as faith is by hearing, and hearing is not without a preacher, and how shall any preach except they be sent, Rom. 10. 14. 15? Therefore some diuines hauehave conceiued, that the true Prophets and Preachers are this Angell ascending from the rising of the sunne. tBalaeus.They hauehave power to marke the faithfull vntounto life euerlasting, their tongues are the uPsalm. 45. 2.writing pennes of the holy Ghost, by whom the word of God is registred in the heartes of them that beleeue. This Angell had the seale of God in his hand, and the Prophets hauehave the powerfull and effectuall word of truth in their mouth; and they crie with a loud voyce to the wicked instruments of Satan, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees. As if they should say though some hearts are worldly, some consciences wauering, some mindes vnfruitfull and barren; yet they may repent and come to goodnes. When the seed is sowen some falleth vponupon xMat. 13. 8.good ground, and brings forth fruit in abundance, cease therefore from with-holding the sweet blast of the Scriptures, till we hauehave sealed vp the chosen seruants of our God in their forehead, and imprinted a true beliefe in their hearts by his spirit. S. yEphes. 1. 13. Uide Zanchium 168.Paul hath said all this in a fewe words, after that ye heard the word of truth euen the Gospell of your saluation, and therein beleeued, ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise.
zVitorinus com in loc.Some thinke this Angell is Elias the Prophet, imagining that he shall in the latter end of the world come againe to fight against Antichrist, and to seale Gods elect in their fore-head. But our renowned Soueraigne King Iames in his aFrom the 62. page to the 80.premonition hath excellētly discouered the vanity of this idle Iewish fable; besides our text saith in the plurall number till we hauehave sealed, &c. bBalaeus.Insi…uating that by this Angell is not meant one Preacher only but many, yea so many as be both instant and constant in crying with a loud voyce to the le…d Angels, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees. If this one point were well vnderstood and learned, it would make you more diligent in comming to the temple, which is the house of God; in reading the Scriptures, which is the booke of God; in hearing the true Prophets, which are the Ministers of God, appointed for this end to separate you from the wicked of the world, and to seale you with his marke for his kingdome. Hitherto concerning the Minister sealing, I am now to treat of the men sealed, all agreeing in one confession, howsoeuer differing in condition and countrey.
There were sealed one hundred and forty and foure thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel] The Iewes are sealed first, as being Gods cExod. 4. 22.eldest sonnes, a peculiar and pretious people chosen to himself dDeut 7. 6.aboue all other in the world. After them in course follow the Gentiles as the yonger sonnes of God, for there was sealed an infinite number of other nations, as well as a great number of the Iewes. And among both Iewes and Gentiles all sortes of men were sealed, the people so well as the Priest, euen twelue thousand of eueryevery tribe, so well as twelue thousand of the tribe of Leui. And among the people men of all occupations and▪ trades, for eAretius.by the land, he meanes such as till the ground; and by the sea, marriners and Merchants fPsalm. 107. 23.occupying their busines in great waters; and by trees, such as are noble, rich, and potent in a flourishing estate. So that men in gActs 10. 35.eueryevery nation of eueryevery fashion, if they feare God and worke righteousnes, are sealed with his seale for his chosen seruants: hCap. 9. 4.Ezechiel reportes that none are sealed, but such as mourne and crie for all the abominations that are done here, none but such as grieue to see the Gospell of Christ despised, and his Church despited. On the contrary, such as are common blasphemers of his name, contemners of his word, and persecutors of his Prophets, hauehave not the seale of the liuing God, but the iApocal. 13. 16.marke of the dying beast. In that it is said one hundred and forty foure thousand were sealed of the children of Israel, Aretas obserues that eueryevery one of the twelue Apostles multiplied his talent twelue times, a curious and a conscionable conceit too, but how consonant to the text, I leaue to the iudicious examination of the learned and godly, remembring the resolution of S. kLib. 1. de Trinit. cap. 3.Augustine in a case not much vnlike, quisquis haec legit, vbi pariter certus est, pergat mecum: vbi pariter haesitat, quaerat mecum: vbi errorem suum cognoscit, redeat ad me; vbi meum, reuocet me. Nam in his vt in omnibus meis scriptis lAugust proaem. in lib. 3. de trinit.non modò pium lectorem, sedetiam liberum correctorem desidero.