A Revelation of the Holy Apocalypse, Part 2 · Chapter 7
AN EXPLICATION, OR REVELATION, OF THE HOLY APOCALYPS.
AFTER that the Romanes had killed Chriſt, & perſequuted his ſervants, ſtirred vp by faithles Iewes, whoſe rebellion ouerthrew their City & ſtate: Domitian raiſing a cruell perſecution, and baniſhing Iohn into Patmos, Our Lord and Sauiour reueleth the ſtate of the heauenly IERVSALEM:2. Theſſ. 2. how it ſhal be afflicted by the Prophane Caeſares, till they be taken away: and, when power of ſtate returneth to Rome, a policy all wicked ſhould be ſet vp: to deceiue if it were poſsible the very elect: ſo mighty ſhall it be to deceiue, becauſe men would not receiue the louelove of the truth. The ſtile of the booke, is taken all from the old Teſtament, to be plaine for learned Chriſtians: and darke to wicked that they ſhould not ſee Gods counſels. In my booke of Scripture Concent, I opened the tropes: and in my Advertiſement, I applyed the XII. pretious ſtones to their tribes: whereof Iewes called vntounto Chriſt, in all Countries, taught vsus heathen the way of life. Now, my bent, is to tell properly the ſumme of the booke. And firſt, generally, who be the perſequutores. Heere, as often as we read, that Christ was kill'd, as Chap. 1. and 2. and 5. we muſt ſagely conſider, Pilate, and the Romane policy, where Chriſt was crucified: That Rome, muſt be the ſtate heere damned: firſt for Tyrannie, when their Ciuil lawes were good; that S. Paul by Lyſias the humane Chiliarch; and by Festus the Proconsul; and Iulius the noble Captaine, found Neroes auctority long a defenſe. But, afterwardes, a ſtate all ſinfull, ſhould come to Rome: and deceiue and vex the Church vntounto the end. That Domitian, Chap. 1. Chap. 2. and 3.baniſhed Iohn, Euſebius writeth it. That Satans throne by Rome tryed in the Churches, who would in Chriſt ouercome; the ſeauen Epiſtles teach. And where God ſitteth vponupon a throne of iudgement to builde his Temple by S. Paul of Beniamin his Iaſper: (in Beniamin the old Temple was buit) & to defend his folke, like the ruddy Sardius of Reüben, Iſai. 54. 9.ſett a frontier againſt the Hagarenes; to teach by the rainebow of his couenāt, the ſumme of Leuies Smaragd, & Law. This deſcription,Chap. 4. is for terrible might againſt Rome, & their Idolatry.Chap. 5. So the Lābe as killed, to whom all creatures (whom Rome made Gods) promiſe ſeruice for his Chriſtians; He being the Lion of Iuda, by that name, telleth of warrs, greater then Dauid made: From Pſal. 18. & 45. & 110. & Iſai. 31. That the Romanes now, 2. Pet. 1.be the enemies: they who pierced the handes, & the feete, of the morning ſtarre: Pſ 22. by Kimchies expoſition, from all the Thalmud: and Apoc. 2. & 22. So the Prophecie there, for Creatures, to refuſe worſhip, is bent againſt Rome, which ſtil would worſhip Creatures. None told ſo diſtinctly Romes caſe: as now it is handled. Balaam, in Nu. 24. but generally: So S. Mat. 24. S. Paul a litle more at large, for the preſent poſseſſor, Caeſar: till he were gone: and then for new Antiochi, frō Daniel 11. to bring al to heathen folly. But none told, that Chriſt would plague the Caeſares infinitely more, thē euer gouernors were plagued: & that a King of Locuſts, idle bellies deuouring the fruites of the earth, ſhould come to reuiue the empire. Theſe things were ſealed, for the LAMBE himſelf to open: how he would vſe Hypocrites, Pilates, Murtherers; & yet waſhers of handes, as innocents in depth of miſchiefe: murtherers of the king of glory: Chap. 6.and yet confeſſors that Ieſus of Nazaret, is King of the Iewes. The revenge is fitted to this cruelty and Hypocriſie: againſt Diuos Caeſares, & a new Empire of ho…ineſſe in title; & of boldneſſe, to make Diuos, & Diuas. Chriſt by his holy martyrs, ſheweth white, might and ſpeede: they are a white horſe, hee gaue them crowns, as he wan a crowne; Pſal. 21. a crowne through thornes,Pſal. 21. and thorny in this world; but golden for the ſoule, in the world of ſoules. And he hath a Bowe,Pſal. 45. (with arrowes ſharpe, in the heart of the kinges enimies:) to make people fal vnderunder him. That is one ſealed cōmune place. 1. Seale.The reuenge of the Diui Caeſares is three fold: in ſpeedy might,2. Seale. a red horſe, and his rider hath a great ſword, and auctority to take away peace, that men ſhould kil one another. The Romane ſtories tell how miſerable the Emperors were, and often in hazard to ouerthrow the Empire, euen at the firſt perſecutions.3. Seale. A ſtep further, commeth in the black horſe, on whō the rider bare a balance in his hand, to ſel corne as deere as ſpice: ſhewing what famine ſhould come: greater then was in Claudius dayes. Aurelius Victor ſheweth of 30. choſen Emperors, at once: by their ſoldiers: who kill'd one another till all came to one: and ſo in warres famine muſt be as Virgil ſaith:
Quippe vbi fas verſum atque nefas: tot bella per orbem.
Tam multae ſcelerum facies; non vllus aratro.
Dignus honos ſqualent abductis arua colonis.
Et curuae rigidum falces conflantur in enſem.
For where right's ouerturned, and wrong takes place
So many warrs through th'world, ſo many a face
Of wickedneſs (appears:) no due regard
Is then vouchſaf'd the plough: the fieldes are marr'd,
The Husbandmen drag'd thence: now forged are
The crooked ſithes, into ſtiffe ſwordes for warre.
A vehementer degree of miſerie, followeth in the fourth common place,4. Seale. or Seale: where the ſpeedie and deadlie vengeance of God, is a pale horſe, death ſitting vponupon him: and the gulfe of the graue, following of him, and he had power to kill the fourth part of the earth, with ſword, famine and peſtilence, and with the beaſtes of the earth: That, was the puniſhment of Ieruſchalami, vnderunder Tzedekiah, when the whole ſtate periſhed. The cauſe of all this vengeance is expounded in the fift ſeale.5. Seale. In Aboth R. Nathan. The holy martyrs ſoules lay vnderunder the Altar Christ our Altar, calling for vengeance. The Rabbins vniuerſall ſway, placeth holy ſoules going hence, immediatly as Moſes ſoule, vnderunder Gods throne: This ſpeach vnderunder the Altar, is in matter the ſame, but diſtinctly ſheweth that by Christ our Altar, and ſacrificing of our ſelues, wee hauehave place of reſt in Paradiſe. Purgatorie, was vnknowen to Iewes and Grecians: that, was kept for the ſtarr, that ſhould turne the waters of Scripture into wormwood.
This calling for vengeance againſt the beaſtes of the earth, Diuos Caeſares; hath an anſwere, that they muſt be content a while, till moo martyrs blood becommeth the ſeed of the Church; till the greater part of the commune weale be true Chriſtians: an Emperor fauorable, ſhould bee too much troubled with Heretiques; as Arrians proued that true. VnderUnder Martyrdome, the zeale was an white horſe: & the Church was holy and cleere: and heretiques, holden heretiques. But yet, now the martyrs prayer cōmeth in ſhort tyme to paſſe: that the Emperors, and their great, and all idoll policy, is ſhaken: their ſunnes, their moones, their ſtarres, all their heauen, as of old, Iſai 34. come to nothing; That vnderunder the Goſpell by Constantine, commeth a new world; of al Creatures ioy, that they ſhall ſerue Christ: That ſtarres, be no more Gods: Nor Caeſares, come of Venus, nor Ayer, be Iuno, nor Aeolus, God of winde, nor Neptune of Sea, nor Apollo of graſse, nor Pan, of ſheep, &c. But God ſhall be One, in holy Trinitie and Vnitie. This went currant 300. yeares. But, that, Satan blinded euen the learned; not to ſee the Eternall ſonne, Eternall God, Creator of all thinges, to bein Adams ſeed, by Dauid, Nathan, Zorobabel, Ely, Mary, Redeemer of the world, Iſcariotae in quietneſſe, would be kicking against our Great GOD, and Sauiour, CHRIST himſelf; therefore at the laſt he caſteth of the outward power of the Church; and returneth all to the badneſſe of old Rome.So the Iſraelites in Aegypt were ſealed. Exod. 12. 7. 13. 22. 13. And ſheweth that the true Church, ſhall be hid in Gods ſealed; as in Tzedekiahs dayes, Ezeck. 4. that the windes which in Cant. 4. 16. blew north and ſouth, vponupon the ſpices of the garden, ſhould be ſtayed in all quarters, that the church ſhould be hid; in Gods ſealed: in all quarters; but in men not of ſway in commune weales: obſcure in the world: knowen to God, and brethren, holy and few. This commune place reaching to the end of Popes glorie, is handled before the fall of the Church, yet in time it commeth when the Pope is full King of his Locuſts: after Satan had beene bound after a ſort for generall deceit 1000. yeres. The commune place ſhall be handled in a ſeuerall title.
The fall of the Church to be hid; is handled in Chapter VII.
Four meſſingers of Gods juſtice; Empires wicked, ſtay the ſpirits of grace, from blowing vponupon men; to be trees which the hand of God planted. In the Eaſt, Machmad; in North, Tartaria, in South, Abyſsines reuolted in the Weſt, Italy ſtayeth. The Iewes of old, were ſcattered by the Macedonians, and Aſſyrians, South, Eaſt, North; & planted there the Goſpell; that the reuolters vponupon open ſtrēgth for the belly, ſhould be caſt off for euer, as the builders of Babel. Daniels Image ruled in theſe parts; & felt the power of CHRIST; the Stone that brake the image to duſt: and ſeeing they would (to ſhake of Weſt gouernement,) ſhake of the Goſpel alſo; thoſe Arabi que contreies are ſhaken of for euer, from open cleere ſway. But the Weſt that laſt heard of GOD, ſhall hauehave vnderunder combat, fight by ſcripture, and in all quarters Iewes and Gentiles knowen to God, a company innumerable, ſhalbe witneſſe to the truth; martyrs in hartes ſadneſſe, as if they had ſhead their blood: Why Dan, is omitted, is ſhewed in Scripture Concent: Thence, they that deſpiſe not the work, wil fetch a reſolutiō.
How in the West, the Church falleth.
Six ſeales, ſhewed the Romans violence, againſt CHRIST & his ſeruants; plagued with warres, death, & peſtilence, and ouerthrow of Empire.7. Seale. The ſeauenth ſheweth a ſinful ſtate in al Satans might deceiuing the Weſt, wherof 7. trumpets giuegive warning, which the ſealed before will take; others will not.