The Seven Vials, Explication 2 · Part 5
The Fift Viall powred out. And the fift Angell poured out his Viall vponupon the Throne of the Beast, and his Kingdome was full of darkenesse, and they gnawed their tongues for paine, and blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their paines, and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
We hauehave beheld in the foregoing Viall, the Sunn… mounted to a high pitch, which at the decease of the Royall Lady of ever blessed memory▪ seemed to be come to the summer solstice, entring the signe of Cancer: and now behold, in the pouring out of the Fifth Vial, the sun as it were in his retrograde▪ coming Southward, wherein he redoubleth his heat and luster (never any age producing such a Noble company of reap…s, learned divines and Preachers, vnderunder the auspicious influence of such a Royall Mecenas, as the succeeding K. Iames, of happy memory) having prepared, and now presenting a faire and fruitfull harvest to Him, who is like to the Sonne of Man, comming in with a golden Crowne, and a sharp sickle, and sitting vponupon a white cloud, of a peaceable government, to whom an Angell out of the Temple cryeth, Thrust in thy sickle, and reape, Chap. 14.14, 15.for the time is come for thee to reape, for the haruest of the earth is ripe. Thus is our Sun continued without setting, from that Peerlesse Queene, to a Peerlesse King, in whose peaceable raigne this Fifth Vial comes to be poured out, and that so eminently and remarkably, as there is no place left of making the least scruple of it.
And the fift Angell poured out his Viall vponupon the Throne of the Beast: some turne it, vponupon the … ▪ foreign the vulgar Latine, super sed… Besti… ▪ It mat…ered not much, whether we translated S…a…, or Throne, so as wee vnderstand it right, and not, as some, to …ake the Citty of Rome it self… to be meant by the sea… of the B…ast, and so the darkening of it, to signifi… the vtter demolishing and destroying of it. But first, darkening is not emphaticall, or significant enough to import a finall downefall. A state may bee much darkened, and yet …ubsist still. The darkening of Christs Kingdome and Gospell▪ of the Sunne and Moone (mentioned chapter 9.…) by the smoke out of the bottomlesse pit, did no… i… port the vtter extinguishing o… them, … (blessed be God) we hauehave seene in the former Viall, and still doe see the glory of the Sunne to breake forth in a greater brightnesse, then ever i… did before in any age of the Church. Againe, to take Throne or Seat here, to b…e literally meant of the Citty of Rome it selfe, where indeed the Beast …itteth, were to offer some violence to the whole tenure of this Chapter, which admitteth not of any literall interpretation rigidly, being wholly allegoricall and mysticall: and in those things especially, which either cannot admit of any other interpretation, then mysticall▪ or else, where, though the literall may in some sort be received, yet the spirituall (if any) is to be preferr…d. Besides, the Pope may hauehave his throne, his …eat in any other Citty, then Rome, as once he had for many yeares a… Avignon in France, where the Pope kept his Court: so that by Seat or Throne, here, we must necessarily vnderstand that vsurped soveraignty and supremacy, which the Pope hath assumed, and erected over all imperiall and regall thrones.See the Royall Pa…aphrast K. Iames. This is that throne or seat, which by ye pouring out of the 5. Viall, is darkned. And, that seat signifieth Dominion or Rule, is agreeable to the Scripture phrase else where, as Chapter 18.7. where Babylon saith, I sit a Queene, &c. As much to say, as I raigne and rule as a Queene. And even Platina vseth this Phrase familiarly, in the liues of the Popes, saying, such a Pope sate so long, that is, raigned as Pope so long; so that the seat or throne here hath a larger extent, then to be confined to the walls of the Citty of Rome, since it comprehendeth the whole vnlimited and boundlesse domination of the Pope, which hee hath stretched not only over the whole earth, or Empires thereof, but over hell it selfe. And that the Popes vsurped power is meant hereby, the next words evince; for vponupon the pouring out of this Viall vponupon the seat of the Beast, his Kingdome is darkened. But the sense is cleare enough.
Now, …lthough in all ages (which the Reader must still vnderstand, while we point out the most specall time of the pouring out of each Viall) there hauehave not wanted witnesses pouring out their Vialls in some measure vponupon the Throne of the Beast, to wit, by detecting the Popes vsurped Supremacy, and so convincing him to be the Beast, the Antichrist, whereof if any desire a particular view, I referre him to Catalogus testium veritatis, to Philip Morney, L. du Plessis, his Mysterium iniquitatis, to Henry Bullinger in his Preface to his learned Exposition of the Revelation, and others: yet we hauehave with our eyes seene this fift Viall poured out vponupon the Throne of the Beast most effectually, and apparantly in the time and raigne of King Iames of happy memory. What a clowd of witnesses did that time produce, of learned Divines, who both by their writings and preachings hauehave darkned the Beasts Throne, proving and convincing by evident and invincible arguments, the Pope to be a most egregious vsurping Tyrant, that Man of sinne, that Sonne of perdition, that Antichrist, that Beast? And was it a marvaile to see such a Clowd, when there was such a Sunne, whose influence might raise it vp? Was it a wonder to see so many braue Champions marching in the field, bidding battell, & laying battery to the Beasts Throne, when they had such a royall Generall to lead them, and as it were to giuegive the first and bravest on…e…? Yea, who foreign, may challenge to be the Angel, who poured out this Viall. And who so fit to encounter such a highly elevated, but Mystick Throne, as he, in whom the po…ency of a great Monarch, and the pregnancy of a most judicious Divine, might well stand in emulation, and striue for Mastery? And what a golden Vial… of hot coales hath hee poured out vponupon the Beasts Throne? How hath his royall quill, strucke through▪ dimmed and darkned the Papall Kingdome? And this, no… only by his excellent and peerlesse Par… phrase of this whole booke, but especially (and that which mainly butteth vponupon the Beasts Throne) in that most renowned Premonition; TO ALL MOST MIGH…Y MONARCHS, KINGS▪ F…E PRINCES, AND STATES OF CHRISTENDOME, IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD, &c. Therein every man may see this fift Viall punctually poured out vponupon the Vsurped Throne of the Papacy. Had it beene but a declaration of the state of Antichrist, by some private Person, though a learned Divine, published for the vse of Gods Church in generall, it might well hauehave claimed a great part in this Viall; but being such a Premonition, bearing the name of such a mighty Prince; yea so judicious and learned, that many ages, no nor any can shew the like; and dedicated even to all the mighty Monarchs, and Princes of Christendome whether members of the Church of Rome, and subject to the Beasts Throne, or otherwise Free▪ What a wonderfull dash must such a royall pen impact vponupon all the externall simple-seducing, and tender-eyes-dazeling Pompe of Pontifician or Papall vsurpation? And that, not only if we looke vponupon the front of the Premonition, being imbellished with the most illustrious Names (as the Emperour Rodulph) and Titles of all Christian Monarchs and Kings, enough to quell the Beast, or to make him looke pale with a fearfull jealousie of his Throne: but when we looke within this goodly Garden of Princes independent jurisdiction, but only from God, and his word, and obserue how it is both beau…ified and fortified with Palisadoes, to debarre the Beast from breaking in vponupon it, and so from cropping the strong fragrant *Basil, signifies King.Basil growing therein, or from trampling it down with their proud Paw: When we doe but weigh those excellent arguments, and demonstrations, which his Majesty hath most divinly concluded from sacred Scriptures, Councells, authentick Records and Histories ancient and moderne, proving the Popes vsurpation in it selfe to be most Antichristian, and the very Character and Marke of the Beast, as the Apostle hath described him, 2. Thess: 2. Oh that all Potentates and Prin…s would but once take heart of grace to read and seriously ruminate vponupon that royall Premontion! But as yet it is hid from their eyes. Neverthelesse, when the vaile shall be taken from their eyes, (as shortly it shall) to see the Mystery of iniquity vnmasked, and all the Popes power but as a painting vponupon the wall, then shall they not only discover the Beasts Throne to be (as we already see it) darkened: but shall be principall Agents and Instruments themselues vtterly to demolish the Beasts throne, hating the Whore, and making her naked, eating her flesh, and burning it with fire, Chapter 17.16: through very indignation, that they had beene so long bewitched and besotted with her sorceries, and made drunke with the Cup of her abominations. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and giuegive their Kingdome vntounto the Beast, vntill the words of God shall bee fulfilled. Chapter 17.17.
In the meane time, how mightily is the Beasts throne darkened vponupon the pouring out of this Angels Vial? How is the luster and splendor thereof waxed pale? who, reading this princely premonition (together with other learned Divines writings in that raigne especially) begins not at least to disrepute this glittering Throne? Who doth not discerne it now to be a very Puffe, or Mushrome, growing from the fatt warme soyle of the earth (the place whence the Beast cometh, chapt. 13.) and that in the night time of darke ignorāce, and sleepy security, and now like the Thistle in Lebanon, to strout it selfe over the Cedars in Lebanon, the Kings and Princes of the earth, as the only Lord Paramont, and God over all?
And is it a wonder then, that all they, who beare the Beasts marke, and adore his Image, who so much admire and dote vponupon his glistering Throne, are even madd at the pouring out of this Vial, so as they gnaw their tongues for paine, and with that dogg Becanus, and that distorted Tortus, do belch out blasphemies against the God of heaven, and his sacred Lieutenants here on earth? They gnaw their tongues for very spi…e, that they cannot with any probable, or colourable argumēts vphold the dignity of the Beasts throne, against so cleare evidence of his Antichristian vsurpation. And this we may well deeme to be one reason, that now of late dayes all Ie…uiticall penns hauehave ben so still & quiet; For they are so beaten from all those thickets, wherein the Beast was wont to harbor, and that of late especially by that Royall huntsman, as that they hauehave no more left, but their tongues to gnaw vponupon now, all the painting vponupon the Whoores face, and about the Beasts throne, is so marred by the touch of this fift… Vials fervour poured vponupon them, as that her old rivelled wrinkles, and the rotten posts of the varnished Throne are displayed to all, that hauehave but their eyes open, or in their head. And no doubt, but the while they doe in their …earts blaspheme the God of heauen. And that for two reasons here annexed: 1. because of their paynes. 2. of their sores. We heard of their sores vponupon the pouring out of the first Vial, sores in doctrine, and sores in manners; and now againe their sores are mentioned, and that for two reasons. 1. importing, that their old sores still stick vponupon them, and are not all this while healed: 2. That they come to be more and more discovered, to the greater exasperation of their payne. But yet, for all this, though they be mightily convinced of their desperatly diseased estate, though they see and feele the glory of the Beasts Throne, so darkened, that uneath it is like to recover its former estimation with the world, but is declining, and drawing neere to the vtter downfall: yet (saith the spirit) they repented not of their deedes. O Iewish obstinacy, vponupon whom the wrath of God is come …o the vttermost! O Aegyptian, and Pharaonicall obduration, that having seene and felt the Divine hand, so heavy vponupon you in so many sore passed plagues, and the evidence of Gods word and Angels darkning all your glory: yet you will persist in your impudency, and so fill up the measure of your rebellions, vntil… the remnant of the Vials of the last and vtmost plagues of G…ds wrath be poured, and even emptied out vponupon you.