A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 13
Apoc. Cap. 13. 1.
And I ſaw a Beaſt riſe out of the Sea, hauing ſeauen heads, and tenne hornes, and vponupon his hornes were tenne crownes, and vponupon his heads the name of blaſphemie, &c.
THe Prophet hauing ſpoken before, that the ſeed of the woman, to wit, the Church of the Gentiles was perſecuted of the Dragon: hee now declares the manner and meanes of the perſecutions and the troubles which befall the Church. The inſtrumentall cauſe is here ſet out to be the Beaſt, which is the Emperour of Rome, who is ſet forth by him, comming out of the Sea; whereby is meant the great ſtormes, troubles, and tempeſts that the Beaſt ſhould raiſe vp: By which tempeſts, are expreſſed and meant the great tumults which ſhould ariſe both betweene the wicked themſelues, as it came to paſſe in the Empire of Rome, for they had amongſt themſelues many and long warres, and grieuous troubles and diſſentions, as appeareth in the hiſtories; as alſo it noteth the troubles and afflictions, which the Church ſhould receiue by them, for the Church muſt needs be partaker of this miſery (though peraduenture it be not immediately alwaies tended againſt them) yet they liuing vnderunder the Empire where theſe troubles were principally, could not but needs alſo feele the ſmart thereof. Afterwards the troubles are alſo immediately directed againſt the godly themſelues, particularly by the ſword, by fire, and by ſore perſecutions, which are declared to ariſe and come from the Beaſt.
A Beaſt, ſo he is tearmed, being here deſcribed and repreſented vnderunder the forme of a Beaſt, becauſe of the furiouſneſſe and madneſſe of the Empire of Rome, and the Emperors; ſignifying that there was nothing almoſt of humanity in him, but that hee was euen eſtranged from all courteſies of men.
Secondly, hee is more particularly noted, what manner of Beaſt he was like vntounto, to wit, he was like a Leopard; noting his marueilous ſwiftneſſe and readineſſe to doe miſchiefe to the Church, and to deſtroy it; as alſo ſhewing his cruelty towards the people of God.
The Pawes of a Beare; noting his rauenouſneſſe, as being ready, ſo, able to catch, to apprehend and lay hold of the things he deſired.
The mouth of a Lyon; ſhewing that he was cruell and ſtrong to deuoure and to deſtroy.
He had the power of the Dragon giuen him; that is, of the Diuell, ſignifying the greatneſſe of his crueltie, for (as it is in the twentieth Chapter) the Lord that he might ſaue his people, being now in their cradle, from being ouer-runne and deuoured of Sathan, had firſt ſhut vp the Diuell into the bottomleſſe pit, that hee might not practiſe that hee would againſt the Church, which thing the Diuell perceiuing, and ſeeing himſelfe thus ſhut vp, that as it were in his owne perſon, hee could not as hee deſired be employed in the deuouring of the Church at his pleaſure, hee caſts as much of his owne power as he can vponupon an other, to wit, vponupon the Romane Emperour, who was as it were, his deputy, to the end he might doe that iniury he could, in proſecuting the Chriſt.
Seauen heads; ſignifying his exceeding wiſedome and pollicie to doe hurt, which ſhould be very great, according to his authority, whereby hee ruled ouer the whole world. His hornes ſignifie his power to doe that hurt: And his Crownes ſignifie that great effect which that great wit and power of his ſhould take, in preuailing againſt men, to wit, that hee ſhould vanquiſh and ouercome in his miſchiefes: Notwithſtanding there is great difference betweene his Crownes and the Dragons, for the Dragon had them on his heads; that is, the Diuell hath this power of himſelfe properly to doe hurt, exerciſing it as from himſelfe: the Beaſt hath them vponupon his hornes, that is, the Emperour doth not exerciſe his authoritie and power againſt the Church immediately from himſelfe, but doth borrow his power from the Dragon. Which is ſpoken after the cuſtome and manner of thoſe Kings and Princes, which hauing abſolute authority, weare their Crownes on their bare heads, thoſe that be Viceroyes, and hauehave an abſolute authoritie, weare Coronets indeed but on their Caps, as it is vſed in forraine Countries, and as it was the practiſe in thoſe dayes.
After, he is ſaid to hauehave the name of Blaſphemie, declaring, that the Emperours ſhould be ſuch as ſhould blaſpheme God, in calling themſelues Gods, and taking the worſhip of God vntounto themſelues, as Caligula and others moſt wretchedly and blaſphemouſly did, like to Alexander the great in the Monarchy of the Grecians, which did arrogate this title to himſelfe, to be called God.
In that hee ſaith, he had vponupon his head the name of blaſphemy written; hee oppoſeth to that contrary cuſtome of the Prieſt, who had written vponupon his head, honor to the Lord; ſo contrariwiſe, this Beaſt had written on his head blaſphemy againſt God. And hee did not onelyonly blaſpheme the name of God, but alſo his Tabernacle, that is, did ſpeake euill of the Church of God, and contemned it. And whereas it is ſaid, he blaſphemed thoſe that dwell in heauen; it noteth, that not onelyonly in generall hee did ſpeake euill of Gods Church, but he did euen maligne the particular perſons which make profeſſion of the truth of God, as appeareth in the hiſtories.
After, this Beaſt is ſaid to hauehave a wound in one of his heads; that is, thought to be accompliſhed in the time of Nero, who was the laſt of the chiefe Emperours of that race, which was wounded, being euen cut off by their euill and wicked liuing, and eſpecially by the cruelty of Nero, inſomuch that they thought their Empire was like to come to confuſion; which indeed had come to paſſe, if it had not beene vpheld and maintained by the diſcreet counſell of thoſe that followed, which were more wiſe, politique, and ſubtill then the other, notwithſtanding they were wicked men: So that by theſe it was reſtored againe, yea, though it were euen almoſt paſt hope; yet it was ſuddenly reuiued, and that in ſuch ſort, that all men wondred at it; and hereby they attained ſuch credit as they did, for it was maruellous in the iudgement of men, that a Kingdome ſo neere the fall, was ſo ſoone and ſo ſtrongly fortified, wherupon they are moued to worſhip the Beaſt, and to ſay, who is like the Beaſt?
And theſe that wondred, are drawne away to follow the Beaſt; which are deſcribed to be thoſe which were liuing in that time, whoſe names were not written in the Booke of life of the Lambe, which was ſlaine, which Booke is from the beginning of the world: not that it is here meant of Chriſt, to be ſlaine from the beginning, for that cannot be ſo directly gathered out of this place.
Theſe things thus deſcribed, hee warneth them of the iſſue, and firſt hee moueth attention; If any man (ſaith he) hath an eare to heare, let him heare; willing them thereby, to take heed to that which is ſpoken, and which after he is to ſpeake, to the terror of the wicked, and the comfort and good of the Saints, and of the godly. And he ſaith, if any leade into captiuity, he ſhall be led into captiuity, &c. to ſhew, that what meaſure they hauehave meted to others, the ſame ſhould be meaſured to them, and as they hauehave dealt with others, ſo they ſhould be dealt withall themſelues.
And in this point (ſaith he) ſtandeth the faith and patience of the Saints; faith, to beleeue that God will bring this iudgement on the wicked; their patience, in that vponupon this aſſurance of this iuſtice of God vponupon the wicked, they ſhould patiently beare thoſe corrections and troubles which ſhall befall them, and patiently alſo wait for the accompliſhment of thoſe iudgements of God vponupon their oppreſſors.
And thus farre of the iudgements which the Church of the Gentiles ſhould ſuffer by the crueltie of the Roman Empire.
Afterward follow the troubles that befall the Church, by the Biſhop of Rome, who is hereby noted and ſet forth vntounto vsus: namely, in that it is ſaid, there appeared another Beaſt like a Lambe; ſignifying, that howſoeuer this other Beaſt of Rome be moſt brutiſh and voide of humanity and vertue: And this is to be vnderſtood of the Pope, for he profeſſeth himſelfe to be the ſeruant of ſeruants, but in deed and practiſe he maketh himſelfe Lord of Lords, and this is not onelyonly to be vnderſtood of one in that ſeat, but of all that ſucceed him, and that take his part, and which are of his Hierarchy.
His effects doe follow, to wit, firſt that hee ſpake like a Dragon; noting, that the chiefe miſchiefe which ſhould come to the Church by him, ſhould be by his teaching and inſtructing them in that falſe doctrine which hee ſhould receiue from the Dragon, which ſheweth that he is a falſe and lying Prophet, as receiuing his office and doctrine from the father of lyes, which is the Diuell. In that hee cauſed the earth to worſhip the firſt Beaſt, is meant, that ſubiection which he did pretend to the Empire in outward ſhew, and ſo farre forth onelyonly as his profit would ſerue, albeit indeed he doth exalt himſelfe aboue the Emperours.
And he did all that the firſt Beaſt could doe before his face, ſignifying, that he makes but a ieſt and mocke at the Romane Empire; for towards the end, the Romane Empire ſhould fall before him and decay; ſo that albeit in ſhew they would pretend to giuegive ſubiection to it, yet the Emperour had onelyonly the name and title of authority to be called Lord, which we ſee indeed is, and was, but of ſmall reckoning; for the Pope ſeemed rather to be Lord to himſelfe, as wee ſee in the Hiſtories, that the Emperours tooke many reproaches and abuſes of the Pope; yea, the Pope did tread on the necke of the Emperours, vſurping that ſaying of the Pſalmiſt, Thou ſhalt tread on the Ader and the Aſpe, &c. yea, the Pope and thoſe that were vnderunder him, did as it were make an Anatomy of the Empire, for as the Anatomiſts doe firſt take away their fleſh and then ioyne the bones and the other parts of the body together, & ſo make him like a man againe, euen ſo did the Pope deale with the Empire.
This Beaſt alſo made an Image in fauour of the firſt Beaſt; to which hee put a ſpirit, and the dead image did ſpeake: As it hath appeared to hauehave beene done by them, that the Diuell ſometimes did ſpeake in their images, to the illuding of the wicked: ſometimes by other deceits and illuſions to beguile the ſimple.
He alſo brought fire from heauen; alluding as it were, to the two good Prophets before, who are ſaid to hauehave cauſed fire to come downe from heauen, which is verrified of this falſe Prophet; who did and doth for the confirming of their falſe doctrine, worke many counterfeit and fained miracles in the world.
And laſtly it is ſaid, he ſhould ſo preuaile in the world, that none ſhould traffique, but ſuch as ſhould hauehave the marke of the Beaſt; which ſeemeth to be the ſigning in the forehead at their Sacrament of confirmation, which the Papiſts doe ſo eſteeme of, as that they preferre it before the Lords Sacrament: or elſe they ſhould hauehave the name of the Beaſt, which is thought to be their confeſſion which they make to their Biſhops and Prieſts.
The ſingleſt thing is the number of the Beaſt, wherein is the ſpeciall wiſedome of Popery, and it is ſaid to be the number of a man; that is, hee muſt be a learned man among them that muſt come to the knowledge of it. Of which, diuers are of diuers opinions; as namely, that it ſignifieth foreign latinus, but that is too Caballiſticall, the meaning whereof being not as certainely yet attained vntounto, though very probably gueſſed at by many, is to be pretermitted.