A Revelation of the Holy Apocalypse, Part 2 · Chapter 17
CHAPTER XVII.
Iohn like Daniel.
And one of the ſeauen Angels which had the ſeauen Cupp… came,This Chap. is a plaine ſpeach opening all the former Viſions. and ſpake with mee, ſaying to mee, come: I will ſhew thee the Iudgement of the great Whoore: which ſitteth vponupon many waters, with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication: and they which dwelt in the earth, were drunke by the Wine of her fornication.
THe wiſe God maketh the Cloud of his word light to Iſrael, and darke to Pharaoh. That the wicked ſhall not be ouer buſie with it: he ſpeaketh to them in Viſions, that they cannot ſee whither they tend: becauſe they know not the ground. Beſides, commorations ſeeme vntounto them new matter, and not a commentarie vponupon former. So to them that be out of the Church, all things are in parables. But they that know the grounds ſhall ſee all eaſie. Ieremiah taught Iſrael in the playneſt propriety of wordes that might bee. Ezekiel ſweetneth the ſame with allegories: when both are compared together, all is plaine. Daniel telleth how Iudah ſhould bee afflicted: by enemies likened to the proportion of a mans body: fiſt ſo, generally: that heathen would not marke the perſecuted: But the Iewes knew: And if at the firſt they had bene told of great affliction, they would hauehave gone before captiuitie into Countries of Grecia. But when they were in Babel, and neere returne: their enimies are beaſts comming out of the ſea, and terrible: but yet reuenged, as the image was by ſtrok from a ſtone; ſo they by fire. But the perſecuters and perſecuted, neither be named: In a new viſion they are expreſly named, what the Ram and Buck meane: and the perſequutour, aboue all that ſhould goe before him, is plainely deſcribed. And laſt of all, a proper ſpeach, expoundeth the Image, expoundeth the ſea beaſtes, expoundeth the Land beaſt. That no booke was euer plainer then Daniel.Iohn like Daniel. Iohn is like him: He telleth, chapter 6. of great plagues to a ſtate; but telleth not to what ſtate. Then he telleth of a falling away, but telleth not by whoſe occaſion; Then he deſcribeth the occaſioner, vnderunder ſeauen trumpets; but hideth from the profane world, what policie hee would hauehave marked: After this, he bringeth the old Caeſares, and Pope with late into one ſerpent: After this he diuideth the ſerpent into two beaſts, with reſonable plaine notes: and ſheweth that the former beaſt cōming out of the ſea ſhould be reuiued, by that which came vp out of the Land: Now that reuiued beaſt, after his particular doings and ſuffrings, is heere to bee ſeene, with the reuiuer. The Angell teacheth Iohn in viſion, the learned men be Angeli Eccleſiae.
The great whoore, is the great Idolatrous City: the many waters, the harlot ſitteth on, be people troupes, nations, and tongues: Kings ſociety, in Idolatry, is the fornication: the dwellers on the earth,Phll. 1. 27. are the Idolous, whoſe foreign or cariage is not in heauen.
And he caried me into the wilderneſſe in the ſpirit.
As the Church was driuen into the wilderneſſe: to hauehave a policie vnmixed with Rome: ſo Iohn ſheweth, that they muſt not be of Romes part, that will condemne her: but abſolute free from her. In Aegypt God could not giuegive lawes for Iſrael: but they muſt be ſeparated from other policies: ſo God brought them into the wilderneſſe. And when God would teach Iuda, that Moyſes Ceremonies were but poore elements, and to praepare them for the reſt of Chriſt, he carieth them into the wilderneſſe of the heathen: And when Iohn Baptiſt praepared a way for the reſt of Chriſt, and calling of the heathen, who in the dayes of Dauid and Salomon were not circumciſed, but baptized: Rambam Aſure Bia. Per. 13. So we muſt goe into a wilderneſſe, & ſimply iudge by Gods word, not by rumors of antiquity and vniuerſality, what is to be iudged of Rome.
And I ſaw a woman ſitting vponupon a ſcarlat beast full of names of blaſphemy, hauing 7. heades and 10. hornes.
So Satan, being incarnate in the Empire of Rome, had ſeauen heades and tenne hornes: and vponupon his head ſeauen Crownes: becauſe ſo many ſtates of Rome afflicted Gods people. In chap. 13. Tenne hornes, had tenne Crownes: to ſhew that ſo many kingdoms, not ſeuerall kings, as in Daniel for Aegypt and Syria belonged to the Empire.
And the woman was clothed in Purple and Scarlat, and golden in Gold, and pretious ſtones, & pearles: hauing a golden Cup in her hand: full of abominations, and vncleanneſſe of her fornication, and vponupon her forehead, a name written, A MYSTERIE: Babylon the great, the mother of fornications, and the abominations of the earth.
Red color, is vſuall for blood: and Lycurgus or Dracoes lawes: and moſt fit for Romulus towne, where hee embrued his handes in the blood of his brother: but moſt of all for the Popes perſequution. The gold reuiueth Babel, and the very phraſe is taken from it, Iſai. 14. And the ſtory is in Dan. 3. where the King made an Image of gold; ſixtie cubites high, ſix cubites broad. So they amazed, fooliſh, with the coſt of the matter: but of Chriſt we are to buy the true gold, Apo. 3. and 21. The golden rules of Faith and Trueth: and not to eſteeme of a crucifix of gold: to crucifie Chriſt againe for the matter. So the picture of Mary, is in diuers places trimmed with chaines of gold, and pretious ſtones: and their Copes wickedly following Aharon, bee of cloth of gold. So the 3. Kings of Colone, that returned from Ieruſalem to their countrey: and were but Perſian ſages, and no Kinges, nor any Perſian that would be called Baltaſar; they are ſaid to be trimmed at ſolemne times, with chaines of great Iewels: I would not ſee it, becauſe I would not goe bare-head into their Temple.
A golden Cup had Babel, to make nations drunke with Idols: making Gods of their Starres: and was ful of lothſome things,Rome paſſeth al the enemies of the Church in cruelty and Idolatrie. and vncleane fornications: So is Rome manifeſtlie; Colon, and Spaine: as if Babylon, a myſtery; were written in the forehead. As the learning of Daniel could doe no good to Babel, but ſtill it would keepe the old Gods; till Cyrus tooke their kingdome: ſo Rome is ſo deepe in Idolatrie, that no learning will make men leaue their places: Pharaoh. & Nebuchadnezar, were neuer ſo hardened. And theſe paſſe all that euer were,So Antio. tooke away Moſes Law. for crueltie in perſecution. The profane Caeſares did not ſo ſtrictly hinder all vſe of religion. They hindred not the reading of Gods word, as the Pope doth, though they feared, leſt the Kingdome of Chriſt ſhould be a bridle to them Romes cruelty told, chap. 11. & 12. & 13. & 14. & 15. is now plainely handled.
And I ſaw the woman dronk with the blood of the ſaincts: and with the blood of the martyrs of IESVS. And when I ſaw her, I marueiled; with great marueile.
Heere the blinde may ſee, that ſince the Empire was reuiued in the Weſt, the perſecutions of them, who ſay, Chriſt freely iuſtifieth, and only heareth prayer, and will hauehave the Idole of him ſelfe (as Plato ſpeaketh of vertue) to bee fetched from his word, were bloody againſt the Saintes and Martyrs of Ieſus. When the Pope contemneth a thouſand times better learned then himſelfe: how can hee looke to eſcape the wrath of God? Iohn marueiled to ſee a womā dronke with blood, therefore the Angel calleth him to conſider the chapters afore, as eſpecially the thirteenth chapter.
And the Angell ſaid to mee: why doeſt thou marueile? I will tell thee the Myſterie of the woman, & of the beaſt which beareth her: which hath ſeauen heades and tenne hornes.
A more perticular deſcription foloweth then was cha. 13. But any may ſee this to be a commentarie vponupon that place: as God is a perfect expounder of his owne worde.
The beaſt which thou ſawest, was, and is not: and hee ſhall aſcend out of the Pit.
The Empire was, and againe is made dead: by the remouing to Bizantium, and it ſhall aſcend out of the Pit, chapt. 9. when the locuſt and their king come out of the pit.
And ſhall go to deſtruction.
This ſpeach is part of Balaams for Italy, Num. 24. which ſhould afflict Heber; that is, the faithfull, and hold on to deſtruction. The ſame he ſpake of Amalek: that he ſhould go on to deſtruction: that was neere a thouſand yeares after Balaam ſpake: that was Amalek was deſtroyed by Iſrael. As a thouſand yeeres, are but as one day with God: ſo Satan was tyed 1000. yea. before the king of Locuſts had the winges of horſes and chariots to vexe the Church, the true Ieruſalem; for the Low to the ruyne of the Weſt.
And they who dwell on the earth will marueile, (whoſe names are not written in the booke of life, from the beginning of the world) when they behold the beaſt that was, and is not, and yet is. Heere is a meaning that hath wiſdome.
The naturall man obſerueth not that when countreyes fall, they riſe no more; Aegypt, Aram, Aſſur, Paras, Graecia: that none would thinke Rome beeing once deſtroyed, ſhould raiſe againe. But the taught of God, ſee a plaine reaſon. That the Weſt in the end ſhould afflict, firſt by ſtrength; and next by ſubtiltie in religion: that Chriſt his ſeruants ſhould be tried, both for body and minde: and he pay the City that crucified him: both with horſe, as chap. 6. and by the ſpirit of his mouth: and diligent ſearching of the Prophets. So for eaſier memory of ſtory, Chriſt would hauehave Rome, that crucified the king of glory, once to bee plagued through their Emperors, and the Empire to be taken away, and the Citie to bee deſtroyed: as by Gothes: and by Lybians, by Giezerichus, a new Annibal. And then an enemie to God in all trueth, to ſhewe himſelfe in the Temple of God, as if he were God: to be conſumed by ſtudy about the Bible: by the word and ſword that commeth from CHRIST his mouth: So the beaſt was, & againe is not, and yet is: God ſpeaketh in the praeſent tempus for things to come, becauſe all things with him are praeſent. This is a meaning that hath wiſedome; as Iobs caſe, and Daniels Image. Therefore wee ſhould flee to God to be the expounder: who openeth what is in darkneſſe: and with whom light doth dwell.
The ſeauen heades are ſeauen mountaines, vponupon which the woman ſitteth: alſo they be ſeauen Kings: fiue are fallen, and the principall is: the other is not yet come: and when he is come, he must tary but a litle while.
The Iewes felt Pompei heauy: that made Iuda prouince to Rome. M. Craſſus was heauy: that ſpoyled the temple of much gold. Iulius Caeſar was alſo heany, who ſtrengthned Cleopatra, ouer Iudea long loſt, to ſet vp Herod at the laſt. Brutus and Caſsius were alſo heauy, with their army. Antonius who married Cleopatra, The ſeauē heades afflicting.(and holpe in Capitolio, Herod to be King) was alſo heauy: all theſe came to deſtruction: for medling with Gods people: and all their ſtate by Ciuill warres: So fiue Kings are fallen: and the principall, is Auguſtus: and the other is not yet come: the Empire reuiued: But at 1000. yer. will the Pope be ſitting vponupon the Empire: by litle and litle. And England at 1200. yer. would not grant him ſupremacy: Sigibert. And good father WICKLIFE, now 200. yeares ago preached, that if the commune lawes of England might ſtand: the Pope ſhould hauehave no ſtroke in England. *Walſingham.And good Lady Margareth, a pearle for a woman, the mother to K. Henry the ſeauenth, when ſhe built Chriſts Colledge & S. Iohns, in both which I was fellow: and owe them this dutie: ſhe in thoſe dayes made lawes to aduance knowledge: to ruinate the Pope. And the valiant Henry VIII. truſt him out, from being head or taile in our Church: ſo the Empire, ridden by the Pope, ſtood but a litle while, in ſundrie places. And all the while of the ariſing, the Grecians; as, Chryſoſtome, Andreas, Oecumenius, taught that the Romane Empire would be reuiued: though in Greek ſtories, Syſimus and the eccleſiaſticall, Alaricus & Giezerichus wrought much harme: and there Antichrist ſhould reigne: And if the Greeke old Doctores had bene well known: the Pope had neuer gotten peny by his Maſſe. Areopagita taketh the worde in the Law ſenſe, the token of the body: ſo Euſebius, the Image and Symbolon: and ſo elder Origene; and later Nazianzene: Antitypes and later Theodorit in a full diſputation: and Macarius the Greeke Monke, calleth it Symbolum: and full many moo. Then the Pope had no auctoritie for turning bread into the body of Chriſt: to make him hauehave 1000. bodies: and to make Religion a ſtage to Angels and men. This long warning of the Popes ariſing was a warning to all ages: that they ſhould not ſuffer the ſtarr falling to make bitter the waters of the Law; nor darken the ſtarrs: and in all ages he had gaineſayers. And both, Princes and People, who contemned the warning of this book, were worthie to be giuen ouer to all force of error.
And the Beast which was, and is not, the ſame is alſo the eight: and one of the ſeauenth.
The Pope ſhall be the eight, & chaleng place aboue all, & follow all heathen ſuperſtitiō in name, ſtaffe, apparel of Caeſares: and Temples: ſetting but a face of Chriſtianity vponupon them.
A plaine deſcription of the Popes comming vp.
And the tenne hornes which thou ſaweſt, are tenne Kings which hauehave not yet receiued the kingdome: but receiue auctoritie as kings one houre, with the beaſt. Theſe hauehave one minde, and ſhall part their power and auctoritie, to the Beaſt. Theſe ſhall make warre with the Lambe: and the Lambe ſhall ouercome them for he is Lord, of Lordes, and King of Kings: and they which are with him, are called, and choſen, and faithfull.
Steuchus againſt Valla reckoning the Countries, which held of the Pope, bringeth them to ten. But we muſt know, that ten, vſually is a great number, about ten, fewer or moo: Theſe kingdoms vnderunder the firſt Caeſares were not ſo parted: as when Iulian the Apostata kept at Paris: who neuer heard that his Fathers brother, the great Emperor Conſtantine, gaue the Weſt to the Pope: and if any ſuch matter had bene, it could neuer be hid from him. But when the Pope of Rome, by long begging for S. Peter: and ſo for Monaſteries in many Countreies, had gotten much wealth: and ready good wills in Rome and the Weſt, to ſet vp againe the Empire at Rome. He picketh quarrels with the Patriarch of Conſtantinople: for proceſsion of the holy Ghost, and Paſcha day, and ſupremacy: & ſtill of old labored to extinguiſh the Greek tongue: and puritie of Latin: and weakneth the Eaſt Empire, that barbarous Gothes reigned: whom to ouerthrow, Princes gladly ioyne with him: and he with them ſtill for great Countreyes: that in the end they ſweare to helpe him to hold Conſtantinus donation: and to bring the Eaſt, the Greeke, to agree with Rome. And after 1000. yea. the king of Locuſtes hath Satans throne in ſuch power, that his winges bee chariots and horſes to cauſe kinges to doe what hee will. As, for Ieruſalem warrs; to ouerthrow all their kingdomes. And in theſe tymes Satan bare ſway, that ſcant any learned were in the Weſt. But Monaſteries and Collegies were built to fortifie haereſie: that Greeke was vnknowen till our age: and Ebrew to this houre, for skill in the tongue able to hold water: and to make a tranſlation of good warrant, to all learned iudgements. In this blindneſſe, ſtill ſome Abates and ſuch fought well by pen: and at the laſt by Martyrs: whom the Pope damned; and the ſecular power put to death. But in the end, Chriſt by his martyrs roareth like a Lion; and ſeauen thunders tell his anger: & ſeauen Angels poure it out: and men eate the little booke of Scripture: and preach to nations and kinges, to bethinke them, how they did ſet vp Rome.
And hee ſaith to mee: The waters which thou ſaweſt, where the Where ſitteth, are people, and folke: and nations, and tongues.
The phraſe is from Babel, Ierem. 51. O thou which ſittest vponupon many waters: Pſalm. 19.and from Dan. 3. Theſe phraſes teach the ſimple how plaine Gods Law is, lightning the eyes: to call old matters into minde: and to teach by old euents, howe other matters will fall out. Moreouer, this open ſpeach of manie waters, to meane people and nations, would (making a commentarie in the margin, vponupon many places of the old Teſtament) inlighten much.
Of the Popes fall.
And the tenne hornes which thou ſaweſt vponupon the Beaſt, theſe ſhall hate the Whoore: and make her deſolate and naked: and eate her fleſh: and ſhall burne her in the fire.
The ſame kingdomes which cleaued to the Pope for profite or deceipt: when they ſee all profit gone: and how he by terror of forged purgatorie gate Princes great lands, wil alter their minde to hate the Pope: Many millions in England, hate his keies in Canterburies armes: as a mockage to the true keies of knowledge: ſo they hate the title grace, in Scotland, as doth the learned M. Meluin; others, hate Leuies Linen, Cope, Prieſt; and Kneeling at receiuing bread, which ſhould bee receiued with moſt holy iudgement, not in the Popes geſture: others, hate the Leproſie of the Apocrypha books: the writers of which ſhew no more faith in Chriſt then did Flauius Ioſephus, nor ſo much. Others, hate the Popes forme of prayer: patched vp for his vſe, to content the people, not to ſpend that tyme in requiring of them opening of the Bible: And many would hauehave our Biſhops caught in praemunire to looſe all. Others, make great ſute to hauehave their lands. Now if in England, most reuerend & right reuerend fathers, ſo learned as they take vponupon them to bee, bee ſo hated, for remnant of Papiſtrie; what hatred ſhall open Popery hauehave, where the Pope dareth excommunicate kinges? Thal. Ieruſal. noteth, that the King might not be excommunicated, nor any chiefe Ruler. But be ſagely warned, to keepe his houſe for a time, and to ſaue his honor. But the high Sacrificer was whipped with as many ſtripes as any other, for his faultes, Ieruſ. in Sanedrin. But our Pope will bee excommunicating kinges, without all color of warrant from God: & ſhew himſelfe in the temple of God as if he were God: beeing in all policie ſinfull, and blaſpeming true teachers: ſo he muſt needes be hated of Princes, that eueryevery one will draw from him all that they can: That is, to eate the fleſh of the Idolatrous towne: and burning it in the fire.
For God hath giuen it vntounto their heartes, to doe his minde: and to doe one minde: and to giuegive their kingdom to the beaſt, vntill the wordes of God be brought about.
Becauſe they did not receiue the louelove of the trueth, vntounto right happineſſe, to ſtudie the Lawes of God day and night; God gaue thē ouer to a fooliſh minde to pull downe the Eaſt Empire, and to ſet vp one in the Weſt: and to ſet the Synagogue of Rome, aboue all: to rule all Empire and Kingdomes. And to this day, that curſed blindneſſe abideth in men, that they thinke it a ſhame for a King to be learned: or for Noble men. True Kingdome, ſtandeth in knowledge of the kingdome of heauen: and Princes of cunning education, might know both Teſtaments in Greek and Hebrew; and veine of ſtorie, in yong yeeres: that their hearts might a thouſand times in a day runne ouer the heauenly frame of Gods booke: and ſee their Anceſtors, from Adam to Noë, the pillars of the world. Then, the noble warrier*Iſa. 41. 2. 3 Abraham, King Moſes, King Ioſuah, King Samuel, King David, King Salomon: and noble Daniel, the mightieſt (ſubiect) in the world, and greateſt warrior; & beſt learned. And his noble Couſins that quenched the fire, refuſing Idols, ſhould hauehave taught nobles, to hauehave in equal ſort hated Babeliſh idolatrie of curſed Rome, that crucified Chriſt, and by the ſerpents biting pierced his footeſtepp and handes: Pſalm. 22.and would naile faſt all feete and handes, from walking in Gods wayes: and working in his trueth. What a ſhame is it for Kings, that they know not the familie of David, penned of purpoſe to make kings wiſe. David & Salomō both wiſe began the glorie: Ioakim & Ioachin, both vnwiſe, ended the glorie: all betwixt are a glaſſe for Kings to ſee their owne caſe. Againe the pompe of this world is eminēt in Daniels Image: afflicting the holy houſe of Nathā, but beatē to pouder for their paines: & that madneſſe of Counſell is expreſſed in Nebuchadnezars open madneſſe. His open madneſſe of ſeauen yeres, was not ſo madd as the Perſians, or Alexander that made themſelues Gods: and the parted Macedonians are a patron of ſlauery to Satan. Heere in one Image all Greek and Latin to Liuie is cō teyned: and Kings might make their teachers, to bring ſuch ſtately matter into commune knowledge, to make a Bridge from the fall of Salomons houſe, vntounto the ſetting vp of Nathans. Nabuchadnezar honored Daniel to Iudahs good; For chiefe heads of this matter: Kings further called, ſhould further delite in this kinde. So, for the Image of the beaſt, Apoc. 13. if Kinges had bene happy, they had learned from ſtorie what Iohn foretold: but becauſe they deſpiſed Gods exhortation to read the Booke: God gaue it into their hearts to giuegive their kingdome to the beaſt: if they would make their people learned in this Booke: the fleſh of the harlot ſhould ſoone be eaten. All true ſoldiers, ſhould be Doctores of Diuinity: ſuch all will conquer with ſmall loſſe, as Iſrael vnderunder Ioſua, which ſtudied Moſes 40. yer. And Dauids Capteins by knowlede of Moſes, were mighty in battell. Doctors in bare title; the Popes, and ours, deſerue ſo much reuerence, as ſo many apes, and all that put any truſt in them, are like vntounto them.
Now commeth a plaine condemnation of Rome.
The woman which thou ſaweſt is the great Citie, which hath the Kingdome, ouer the Kings of the earth.
All be paſt ſhame, that ſee not Rome heere damned vntounto the end of wrath.