A Revelation of the Apocalypse, Title page – Dedication
A REVELATION OF THE APOCALYPS, that is, THE APOCALYPS OF S. IOHN illuſtrated vvith an Analyſis & Scolions: Where the ſenſe is opened by the ſcripture, & the events of things foretold, ſhewed by Hiſtories.
Hereunto is prefixed a generall View: and at the end of the 17. Chapter, is inſerted a Refutation of R. Bellarmine touching Antichriſt, in his 3. Book of the B. of Rome.
BY THOMAS BRIGHTMAN.
Bleſſed he that doeth reade, and bleſſed are thoſe which doe heare the wordes of this Prophecy, and which keepe the things that are written therein.
Iren. 4. Book chap. 43.
All Prophecy before it have his efficacy, be reiddles and ambiguitye unto men: But when the tyme is come, & that, that which is prophecyed is come to paſſe, then have the Prophecyes a cleare and certen expoſition.
AMSTERDAM Printed by Iudocus Hondius & Hendrick Laurenſs. Anno 1611.
To the holy reformed Churches of Britanny, Germany, & France, grace & peace from God our father, & from Ieſus-Chriſt our Lord.
Thincke it not ſtrange, o moſt holy ſpouſe of Chriſt, that a new interpretatiō of the Apocalyps is preſented unto thee: conſidering that among ſo many both of olde & late writers, it is the judgement of all, that the Revelation, needeth ſtil another Revelation: and that theſe wordes be continually ſounding in thyne eares, The Lord hath ſpoken, who shall not prophecy? For the Lord hath not onelyonly ſpoken of old by dreames & viſions, but alſo he ſpeaketh daily, ſo often as he vouchſafeth to illuminate the mindes of his ſervaunts, for to manifeſt the hiddē truth of his word, & to expoſe the ſame openly. And with whō ſoever God doeth thus communicate, he thincketh that neceſſitie is laid upon him, for to manifeſt unto others, that which himſelf hath receaved. And in deed, should the candel be lightned for to be putt under a bushell? should the comon danger of all, be privily declared for the benefitt of one onelyonly? Is it not rather for this, that being put in the watch tower, he muſt give warning to the reſt, for to avoide with all ſpeed the preſent danger? The Lepers knew this well, & they could ſay, that if they had kept the joyfull tydings untill the daye light, evel should have come upō them. But what and if any should conceale the eminent danger, of what punishment should he be guilty? Verely of ſo much the more greater as the difference is between one altogether loſt, and one that is deprived of joy but for a few houres. And therefore having learned from this Apocalyps, that shortly a great tentation shall invade all Chriſtendome, in ſo much as the ſword of the Lord shall be made droncken in heaven, & all the hoſt of them shall be overthrowne, & that you, the Chriſtian Churches of Germany, France, & Britanny, are by name favorably admonished of this tempeſt by written Epiſtles: I finding by the will of God theſe Epiſtles which doe shew this thing, & underſtanding by the inſcriptions, to whom they were written, I durſt not otherwiſe doe, but to render them, to whom they belong: leaſt by the intercepting & keeping of them ſecret by me, I should both betraye your welfare, and be condemned as guilty of treaſon againſt God. There is no godly man but he ſeeth, that the Divine worship deſpiſed, the moſt holy word of God derided, the great ſecuritye & pride of the Paſtors, & the altogether corrupt and diſſolute maners of all, of whas order and condition ſoever they be, doe foretell of ſome horrible calamitye shortly to come. Now theſe Epiſtles doe not foretell the thing by ambiguous cōjecture, but by moſt plaine wordes doe teach a goulf full of miſeries to be at hand & readye to invade us. Thou ſpouſe, ſee, I pray thee, the ſeale, knowe the hand, the wordes, the ſtyle of the writter,; thou knoweſt well the voice of the Bridgroome: yf the letters be ſent unto thee by him, as they doe shewe, it is more then tyme to caſt off thoſe defylements, which thou haſt drawen to thy ſelf, by a to much & to long ſecuritye, leaſt otherwiſe yf thou continue to be negligent unto this thing, thou maieſt at the laſt be ſuddenly purged with great ſorowe by the fyre of the refyner. Notwithſtāding leaſt thou shouldſt thinck that I bring onelyonly ſuch great ſorowe & morning, beholde alſo a great joye & a great triomphe. For after this tempeſt shall preſently followe joyfull dayes, & greatly to be deſired; for what can be more pleaſant unto the chaſte ſpouſe, driven out by the Romish whore (vvho vauntes her ſelf to be the true vvyffe) & by the ſame vexed ſo manye aages by all maner of contumelies & in juries, then to ſee finally that impudent harlott, her noſe ſlit, ſpoiled of her clothing & ornaments, defiled vvith dung & adle egges; & finally butnt & conſumed by fyre? Lift up thyne eares a little & receave of this Prophecy, not ſome obſcure ſignes, but moſt certen arguments of the Bridgroomes short coming to avenge thy greif, & deliver into thine hands the vvhore, that thou maieſt poure out upon her all the heat of jelouſie. And for the increaſe of thy joy, receave vvithall the laſt deſtruction of the Turcks, ſoone follovving the deſtruction of Rome, for this muſt firſt be abolished, the fevvell onelyonly & matter of the barbarous tiranny of them, the ſinevves of vvhichwhich shall altogither be diſolved & cutt off, after that Chriſtendome shall be purged by an exceeding great deſtruction of her, of her hainous vvickedneſſes, as the Apocalyps plainely shevveth. And that thy joy maie be full, knovve alſo the uniting together of the Ievves vvith the Chriſtian nations: and ſo unto the end a moſt happy tranquillitie. Thinges indeede very great, & greatly to be admyred, parte vvherof hath already bin manifeſted in ſome ſorte to the Chriſtian Church, in ſo much as vvas fitting thoſe tymes, yet far from the end of the Prophecy, unto vvhichwhich approching, is reſerved a more full knovvledge: the other parte is ſo ſtrange & ſo unexpected, as I could not ever finde in any, not ſo much as a probable ſuſpiciō of it out of this Apocalyps. All vvhichwhich effects notvvithſtanding, vvill yeilde unto us this nevv centurie of tymes vvhichwhich novv vve enter into, as our expoſition, yf I be not deceaved, doth make plaine. For novv is begun the laſt acte of a moſt long & moſt dolfull Tragedie, vvhichwhich shall overflovv vvith ſcourges, deaths, ruines: But this Scene being removed, shall come in the place of it the pleaſant proſpect of a perpetuall peace, accompanied vvith abondance of all good things. Thus then thou haſt, moſt deare Spouſe of Chriſt, the reſidue of the courſe of thy vvarrfarre, ſtand novv in the hatches, & after long toſſing, at lenght beholde the Iand; hitherto the cloude ſeen a farre of hath deceaved thee, but novv beholde the ſea shore, & knovv the mouth of the haven it ſelf. Let thy eies judge, vvhether I be vvorthie, to vvhō the revvard of good nevves be givē. For ſo farr of is it, that I thinke that vve muſt ſtād to the judgement of Rome alone, as I hope I vvill convince by neceſſarie arguments, that she is altogether by Gods juſt judgement bereft of her lightes; vvherby at length shee shall ſodainly rush into eternall deſtruction
Therefore let her minde & judge theſe things as she pleaſeth, she shall knovv shortly, vvhat it is, by her inchantments, to deceave her ſelf & others. Thou in the meane vvhile, o naturall Spouſe, be mindfull of the tempeſt at hand, & prepare thy ſelf for it; hale in the shoote, be carefull of the helm, look to plie the pūpe; leaſt in the entrance of the haven, vvhichwhich God forbidde, thou make shipvvrake. And novv ſee hovv very acceptable this Revelation ought to be to thee, not onelyonly for the future events of verie great moment indeede, but alſo in regarde of the memorie paſt: to vvhichwhich if thou shalt turne thine eies, thou shalt ſee even from the Apoſtles times, that, that continuall path, in vvhichwhich thou haſt ſet thy foote ſteppes, hath beene marked out vvith ſo plaine paternes, as thou need deſire no plainer hiſtorie; & alſo thou shalt enjoie a moſt pleaſant remembrance of the dangers vvhichwhich thou haſt fuffred, vvhichwhich yeilde unto thee ſo many arguments of the in cōprehēſible providēce, vviſdom, love, truth of God, keeping thee ſafe amidſt great diſtreſſes. Surely this addition vvith the reſt of the Apoſtolicall vvritings adjoined to the old Teſtament, miniſtreth Hiſtories of the vvorlde it ſelf from the firſt beginning unto the latter end thereof: for vvhichwhich cauſe this uneſtimable treaſure ought to be to every one moſt deare. And theſe are the cauſes cō cerning you, o Chriſtian Churches, of my publicke vvriting: There are alſo ſome cauſes that concerne the Prelacie, namely, mercy & vvrath: mercy becauſe I ſavv many ignorant rude and unskilfull in the heavenly truth, as yet to vvorship Antichriſt as a God. Thoſe vvere to be taken out of the javves of hell, yf ſo it should pleaſe God. For vvhichwhich thing I vvill go before to shine unto them vvith ſo great plainenes of truth, that they shall neceſſarily ſee, ſo that they vvill open their eies, that, that Prelate of Rome is that man of ſinne, to vvhom yf they perſevere to cleave, they cānot be ſaved. Truly my indignatiō is kindled againſt the Ieſuites: For vvhen by happe I fell on Ribera interpreting this ſame holy Revelation: Doe, ſaied I, the Papiſts againe take courage, that that booke vvhichwhich of late they permitted ſcarce any mā to touch, they should novv undertake the full handling thereof? Was it a vaine shevv at the ſight vvhereof, yea in dimme light, a fevv yeares agoe they trembled, that novv they boldely endure to looke in to the ſame glaſſe, & crie out that ſome other thing is shevved in it then their Pope? O vve drovvſy men & ſluggards if vve ſuffer it! Therfore I thought that their croaking is in ſome ſorte to be reſtrained, eſteeming that it would be worth the labour, to shew to the Ieſuites, how wickedly they are madde, how fooliſhly they trifle, how they underſtand none of theſe Myſteries, how it cannot be, that here they ſhould be any thing weiſe; that if they deſire the truth, as they make a ſhewe, at leaſt weiſe they may have mee a helper to ſearch it out; or if otherweiſe they doe yet deſpiſe it being offred, an aprouver of their condemnation. But yf they will not be ſilent, for I know that for a ſhort time they shall fill heaven and earth with their noiſe; yet I hope to have given that force of light, wherby they being hereafter bereft of all shew of reaſons, they shall vomit forth no other thing, then their mere blaſphemies againſt God and men. Thou holy mother, by what kindnes & clemency thou art towards thine, pardon, I beſeech thee my ſlendernes, where I shall have ſlipped; chiefly reſpect not, nor regarde the rudenes of my ſtile; the ſcope of us both is the truth onelyonly; let mee ſtemmer unto thee, mother, after what manner ſoever; I bring unto thee Mandrakes ſuch as I could finde; as for the curious, who doe regarde wordes more then the truth, ther are no herbs in our basket for them; unleſſe this, that yf they be diſeaſed with the drowſie ſicknes of too much elegancie, they may fetch hēce, yf they pleaſe, foreign, the perfume of bitumē or earth pitch, and the herbe called Goates beard, Strab. book 16. wherby, as the Sabeans, they may shake off their drouſy diſeaſe, and awaken their dull ſenſes.
I pray God, that you Chriſtian Churches, by underſtanding may profite in godlines, and by true and earneſt repentance, may either quite remove away the evil hanging over you, or be ſo armed with his might, that in al ſtormes you may ſtand invincible.
A Citizen and Nourriſſon of yours moſt unworthy: THOMAS BRIGHTMAN.