The Seven Vials, Explication 1
Chap. 15. As a Preface to the 16. Chapter.
THis last booke of the holy Bible was purposely penned for these last times, as to forewarne, so to fore-arm Gods people against the last and extremest perills. And sith we of this generation are fallen vponupon the extremities of the world, this booke was never more seasonable for any age to be opened, and applied▪ …hen for this of ours. And so much the rather, because we hauehave survived to see with open eyes the accomplishment of most of the Prophecies of this booke already, so that we may more confidently write or speake of the …hings therein contained, then those that lived in former ages. And seeing of all other parts and passages of …his booke, none are so punctuall and pregn…nt in se… …ing forth the present times, together with the next immediately foregoing, and that which is imminently to ensue, then these two Chapters, the 15. and 16. I hauehave therefore made speciall choyce to spend my best meditations vponupon them, and that for two principall causes. First, for ministring consolation and courage to …he deiected and disconsolate people of God, drooping …nd hanging downe their head, as if they were …he on…y sheep appointed for the slaughter: and for admoniti…n, or else terror to their vowed enemies, or false frends, to bee well advised what they goe about, least they br…ng an old …ou…e vponupon their … plagues and punishments which … to the vtter confusion and perdi…ion of the great Antichrist, and all his confederates. It … the …ying of that royall and pe…r…lesse Paraph…a… King Iames of happy memory, in his Epistle to the Church Militant, before his Paraphrase. This booke I … a special… an… on against the haereticall wall of our common adversaries the Papists. And least any s…ould obiect, t…at … is so obscure and allegorique, King Iames in the Argument of this Booke.(to vse the words of that royall Pen,) that it is in a manner vnprofitable to be taught or interpreted: his Maiesty easily puts it by, … that thi… booke of it selfe proves how profitable it is for this age▪ seeing it is the last Revelation of Gods … and prophe…y that euer was, … ▪or shalbe in the world. Being … also (saith he) to comfort …, that might otherwise …, becau… of the greatnesse of temptation from the … ▪ and his followers; and therefore in the vision of the … declared (saith the King) what plagues shall light vponupon the Pope and his followers. Nor need we be dismayed with the …eare of obscurity, for the title of the booke is, The Rev…l…tion of Iesus Christ. Nor neede we thinke it vnprofitable to be read or expounded: for in the very front of the booke is prefixed, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that heare the words of this Prophecy, and keepe those things which … written therein, for the time is at hand. And if the time were at hand then, how much more now? This booke being written by the last surviver of all the Apostles, and not revealed vntounto him, till the last of his old age▪ which was neare vponupon the hundreth yeare of Christ▪ nor yet generally revealed vntounto the Church, till so … time after:See Be…a his Preface to the Reuelation. all arguing, that the principall vse of thi… booke was specially reserved for vsus, vponupon whom the end of the world are come.
Now to pa…e by all further circumlocutions, or preambles, come we directly to our matter intended: where…of though the chiefe substance & … comprise… in the 16. Chapter, yet finding the … thereunto, and to bee a… a key to … the … thereof, it is requisite that we take this key along with vsus.
In the 15. Chapter,Chap. 15▪ verse 1. we hauehave certaine motiues vntounto our better attention to this insuing Prophecy▪ as first, Iohns testimony▪ I… and the evidence of it▪ I …aw; the fairest witnesse: thirdly, the obiect, a …: and what doth more affect mans curiosity, at least, then to see signes. And this signe in heauen, seemes to be that, which Christ calleth the signe of the Sonne of man … ▪ Mat. 24.30. not only because it appeares after the generall darkening of the Gospell, and the falling or Apostacy of many starres in the Church▪ ver. …. but also, because these vialls are the evident fore-runners of the second comming of Christ; as will appeare more fully in this insuing treatise. And fourthly, the place where, in heaven, namely in the Church of God, which both in this booke, and throughout the new Testament is vsually vnderstood by heauen, as the kingdome of heaven for the Gospell and ministry thereof in the Church: And this signe in heaven may well be taken for the signe of … Sonne of man, mentioned Matth: 24. as will more and more appeare in the progresse of this Prophecy. Fifthly, this sign is great and marvellous; which if we apply to the admirable breaking forth of the Gospell in the beginning of these 7. Vials, we cannot but be amased with the marvailous greatnes of it. Sixthly, this signe is more particularly described and set forth vnderunder 7. Angells, who are the Ministers of God in his Church, as Chap. 1. and 2. and 3. of this booke Ministers are Angells, as much to say, as Messengers, so that the name of Angel, and these 7. too, may a little awaken our attention, and raise the contemptuous world to a more high estimation of this sacred Calling of Gods Ministers, lest the disesteeme of their persons may be a stumbling blo…k to duplicate page duplicate page men to fall fowle vponupon a disrespect of the message it selfe. Seventhly, These 7. Angels bring with them the 7. last plagues, because in them is filled vp the w…ath of God. Extrem… malorum scire, to know aforehand the last and worst of plagues, is a good remedy against them, if not altogether to prevent, yet at least the better to brooke them.
In the second verse, (saith Iohn,) And I saw as it were a Sea of Glasse mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the victory ouer the Beast, and ouer his Image, and ouer his marke, and ouer the number of his name, stand on the sea of Gl…sse…, hauing the harpes of God. And (ver. 3.) they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lambe, saying, Great and maruailous are thy workes, Lord God Almighty, iust and true are thy wayes▪ thou King of Saints: Who shall not feare thee O Lord, and glorifie thy name, for thou only are holy; for all Nations shall come & worship before thee, for thy iudgements are m…de manifest▪
In these words is plainly intimated the estate of the Church of God, when once the 7. Angels begin to powre forth the last plagues. Therefore they immediately follow vponupon the vision of the 7. Angels; vponupon whose execution of their message great ioy is brought to the Church of Christ.K. Iames in his Paraphrase. The glassie Sea mingled with fire is a liuely embleme of this world, whose glory is but as glasse, bright, but brittle, dum spl…ndet frangitur; and it is mingled with fire, which signifies the consumption of the wicked world, which as glasse is molten and melted with fire, as Peter speaketh (2 Pet. 3.12.) the elements melting with fervent heat. VponUpon this molten fiery glassy Sea do stand the servants of God: who are Victors over the Beast, and (whereof we read Chap. 13.15, 16, 17.) having the harpes of God, (to wit instruments of praise,) … they sing the song of Moses, Exod. 15.and of the Lambe. This spea… (as is very frequent in this booke) … and directeth our eyes to that solemne thanksgiving of …ose… and Israell for their miraculous victory …, and their deliverance fr… the captivity▪ vponupon the …anks of the red Sea, resembled here by the … Sea mingled with fire, which makes it appeare like the red Sea. That the song of the Lamb is here added, it teacheth vsus to apply this to the spirituall-deliverance of the Ch…rch of God from that spirituall Aegypt, to … that by the power of Christ the Lamb of God, … that Paschall Lamb, at th… sprinkling of whose blood, … Israel… typicall deliverance from their corporall …a…tivity, And for this cause, is this song sung to the … of God Almighty, by whose only power and mercy, we with the whole Church reformed, were delivered from, and are conquerers of the Beast, &c. This may put vsus in mind by the way, that as we hauehave a great share in this deliverance and victory over Popery … to be … more carefull to keep this song of thanksgiving … and take those harpes into our hands, which our forefathers most of them were faine to hang vp vponupon the willowes in Babylon, and in stead of singing, sate them downe and wept. Nor hauehave we lesse cause to expresse all thankfuln…sse to God for our deliverance from Babylons captivity, then Moses and Israel had for theirs from Aegypt; our…-being no lesse miraculous (if we consider the weake meanes, whereby it was wrought) then that was. For what was one poore Luther, and …hose few that seconded him, to the whole world of Ponti…icians, & … Papall power where with he was to incounter.
Others vnderstand by this glassy Sea mingled with fire, the pure Christalline word of God, which in the ministry therof is mingled with the fire and efficacie of the Holy Ghost, by the means whereof the spirituall Babylonians are overthrown, as the Aegyptians wer… in the red Sea, which was a type of Baptisme. Let the Reader …ake his choyce, or rather both, sith … are agreeable to the analogy of the Prophecy.
And if we vnderstand it of the world, we may note all so, how though Gods servants be compassed about with flames of fire as it were, standing vponupon this glassy sea, yet they do with all their chearfulnesse sound forth the praise of God in the Gospell, the Lambes song▪ while Popish fire and faggotts hauehave prevailed no more vponupon Gods servants, but to inflame them with greater zeal… to sing the song of the Lamb….
It followeth (ver. 5.) And after that, I looked, and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heauen was opened. And (ver. 6.) the seuen Angels came out of the Temple, hauing the seauen plagues, cloathed in pure and white Linnen, and hauing their breasts girt with golden girdles. And (ver. 7.) one of the foure Beasts gaue vntounto the seaven Angels seven golden Vialls, full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever▪ and (ver. 8.) the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power, and no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seaven plagues of the seaven Angells were fulfilled.
In these words the Holy Ghost descends more particularly to set forth the full equipage and addressemen… of the insuing Prophecy, and that in a manner full of maiesty. First, the Place, whence the seaven Angels come, namely the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven, which vponupon their going forth, is opened. This ought to be well marked, as pointing vsus to the very particular time, wherein these seaven Vials began to be powred out, which is a matter of speciall moment. Now for the meaning… ▪ we know that the Temple of Solomon, and Tabernacle of Moses, were both types of Christ, and of his Church; but the Tabernacle more properly of the Church Militant, the Temple of the Triumphant; here …oyned together: [the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony▪ ] to note the Church of Christ Militant, whose part is triumphant in the eternall Temple in heaven: or else, to note the heavenly and triumphant-like estate of Christs Church on earth, now vindicated from, and made victorious over the Beast. The opening of this Temple, sheweth a more cleare manifestation of the Testimony of God, now revealed in the powring out of these Vials, in the Ministry of the Gospel, as we shall see anon. Well, out of this Temple come the seuen Angels hauing the seven plagues, being adorned and furnished with all requisite graces & indowments, fitting for so sacred a ministration. They receiue their seven golden Vials at the hands of one of the foure Beasts. This referres vsus to the Fourth Chapter of this booke, which place alludes to the first chapter of Ezechiels Prophecie, to the foure Beasts there. And it is commonly received of the Auncients, that these foure Beasts were a type of the foure Evangelists.
According to this sense we are to vnderstand that these 7. Angels, the Ministers of the Gospell powering out their Vials, received their Vials, to wit, their authoritie and power from the Gospell of Christ, whereon all our Ministry is grounded. Some vnderstand by these foure liuing creatures, or Beasts, the ministers of the Gospell, who in all ages deliver and propagate the word of their ministry from hand to hand, to the succeeding ages. Nor wanted there, even before Luther euer appeared against the Pope, sufficient witnesses in all ages, that opposed the man of sin, and stood vp for the truth. And among many other, famous was that Prophecy of Iohn Huss, when he was burned at the Counsell of Constance, for witnessing the truth against the Church of Rome, (enough by the way to stopp the clamorous mouthes of Papists, who obiect, where was your Religion before Luther?) who at the stake vttered these words, That of the ashes of this Goose (saith he) shall rise a Swan, Canon. Chronic. lib. 5.which they should not burne, as they wasted the poore Goose; adding moreover. Post … after a hundreth yeares, you shall answer God and … ▪ Now in the Bohemian tongue, Huss signifieth a Goose, and Luther a Swan. And iust a hundred yeares after the end of that Counsell of Constance, began Luther publikly to preach against the Popes Indulgences. So that here we may note▪ how Luther received his Viall as it were from the hand of Iohn Huss, a witnes of the Gospell of Christ… and that by a remarkable *Sundry others also prophecied of this great reformation of Religion, as Nic. Cusanus Card. Ioh. Lich…enbergiu…, Ioachim Abbas, Hildegardis, Brigitta, Andreas Prolus, Iohannes Hil…en, qui quidem & annum mutationis assignasse fertur. See Abrah. Bucholcerus his Chro…ology, Anno 1517.Prophecy. And were not Iohn Wicklifes works also burned at the same Councell … and two other worthy Bohemian Martyrs? And did not Iohn Wicklife our Country man (by whose meanes the Bohemians received the Gospell) instruct his schollar Iohn Huss therein, and Huss others, as Zizca, and so downewards? And was not Luther himselfe made Doctor by Andreas Carolostadius at Wittenberge ▪ Thus we could goe vp by every Century and age all a long even▪ from Luther to the Apostles times, to proue the lineall and vninterrupted descent of that Gospell and truth, which we professe; The obstrepe…ous Iesuits knowe it well enough, and might well spare vsus that labour, but, only least they should be drawne so dry, as to seeme to be able to say nothing for themselues, or against vsus. But we build not our doctrines vponupon genealogies, but vponupon expresse, and authenticall Records of Scriptures, aboue all exception. So that from this booke of Scriptures do these 7 Angels take their seaven Vials.
But what is ment by Vials? They are vessells bigger then ordinary drinking cupps,See Brightman in Cap 15. Apoc. such as we call Goblets; some take them to be as bigg as Kettles. But I take it, the Holy Ghost here alludeth to those incense-cups, Exod. 23.29. translated Phialae in the vulgar latine, which were made of pure gold as here. And in chapter 5.8. is mention of Vials full of the odours of the Saints. To which comparing the Vials full of plagues here, we may note their two fold use: one, for the benefite of the Church, another, for the punishment of her enemies; as we read of the Censers, Chap. 8.3, 4, 5: out of which went first the odours of the Saints prayers, and after that thence were powred forth of the hot coales of the Altar vponupon the earth, whereupon insued sundry plagues vponupon the wicked. In a word then these 7. Vials, here powred forth, doe signifie nothing else, but the ministry of the Gospell, whereby salvation, the savour of life vntounto life is brought to Gods people, but contraly damnation, the savour of death vntounto death, even the wrath of God is revealed vponupon the Beast and his followers, which withhold the truth in vnrighteousnesse. This will appeare evidently, in the proper place anon.
It followeth, (ver. 8.) And the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power, and no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seaven plagues of the seaven Angels were fulfilled.
This verse propounds a matter very remarkable. The smoke here from Gods glory and power filling the Temple, alludes to the Tabernacle of Moses, and Temple of Solomon, which at their dedication were filled with a …isible symbol of Gods presence and glory, Exod: 40.34, …5. and 1 K…ng. 8.10, 11. Here it imports thus much vn…o vsus, that vponupon the powring forth of the Vials, God …halbe present with his Church, in a more conspicuous …anner, and manifestation of his glory and power, in …he revelation of the mystery of his will, then ordinary, God being now about to magnifie his glory and power …n his Church by the ministry of his word in such wise, …hat it shall be as smoke in the eyes of all the enemies of …he truth, so as they shall not be able to endure this glo… of God, being so mightily guarded also with his po…er. The like we read of in Esa: 6. where when the …ord was about to giuegive to Esay a commission, together …th gifts and graces for Propheticall ministration, he … vntounto him a vision of his glorious presence, his … filling the Temple; signifying, the presence of … glory and power doth then fill his Church, when the word of God shines forth in prophecy and preaching. And as it was then vponupon the preaching of that Evangelicall Prophet, or Propheticall Evangelist; so is it here vponupon the execution of these seven Angels ministration.
And (to note the excellent condition of the Church vponupon the first powring out of these Vials) we are to obserue the allusion of this filling the Temple with the glory of Gods presence, to the Dedication both of the Tabernacle of Moses, and of the Temple of Solomon, at which time both of them were thus filled.) This plainly sheweth, that at the great restauration of the Church of Christ, begun at the first Vials powring out, the Church of Christ shalbe, as it were anew dedicated in a most solemne and magnificent state. An excellent and pregnant Type whereof we hauehave in that Restauration of the Temple in Ierusalem, vponupon the Iewes returne from the Babylonian Captivity; whereupon there was a solemn… Dedication of the Temple, the anniversary Feast whereof was kept by that people of God, vntounto the very first comming of Christ, the true Temple. Iust so here. The Church of Christ vponupon the returne of Gods people from the spirituall Babylonian Captivity, is restored, repaired, and anew dedicated, the memoriall whereof shalbe without interruption, solemnly kept of Gods people, vntill the second comming of Christ in his full glory. And the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power, and no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seaven plagues of the seaven Angels were fulfilled.
Againe, it is said here, that none might enter into the Temple, till the seaven Plagues of the seaven Angel were fulfilled. Hereby is signified, not that no man ca… all this while enter into the Church; but that the pre…sence of Gods glory and power shall fill his Church, hi… Gospell and Truth shall prosper and prevaile, … all the malice and might of the enemies, from the … to the last of these seaven Vials; that is, the Gospell shall flourish, in despite of all the maligners thereof open or secret, vntill Antichrist and his kingdome be ruined, which shalbe at the powring out of the seaventh Vial.
Here then is solid and sweet comfort to all the lovers of the truth, that though they see never so many machinations and attempts, either for strong invading, or subtle vndermining of the truth; yet Gods glory and power will not part from his Temple, nor shall the owle eyed enemy be able to seize vponupon it, or to enter into it; but this glory and power of God shall rest and reside in his Church to beautifie and protect it, yea to fill and furnish it with all glorious graces, vntill the wrath of God in these seaven last plagues be emptied vponupon the Beast, and his confederate brood, to their vtter confusion.