A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 17
Apoc. Cap. 17. 1.
Then there came one of the ſeauen Angels, which had the ſeauen Vials, and talked with mee, ſaying vntounto mee, Come: I will ſhew thee the damnation of the great Whore that ſitteth vponupon many waters, &c.
OF the things that were reuealed in the laſt Vial, that which followeth is a part. Wee hauehave already heard of the ſumme of Chriſts iudgements on the City, and the men thereof. Now the Prophet proceedeth to declare the contents which further enſue of that Viall.
Firſt he ſaith, that an Angell (which was one of them that poured out the Viall) came to tell Iohn what ſhould befall the Harlot. Which teacheth vsus, that the ſelfe ſame Angels that are Executioners of Gods iudgements vponupon the wicked, are alſo Miniſters of Gods merciemercy for the comfort of his Children.
He expounds the iudgement of the Harlot, which is the Whore of Rome; who is called a Harlot, in regard of her abhominations and whoredomes, eſpecially ſpirituall, in her Idolatries, as alſo bodily in her beaſtly fornication: that City being the very puddle and ſinke of all filthineſſe and vncleaneneſſe.
She is called the great Harlot, becauſe all the Kings of the earth ſhould goe a whoring to her, eſpecially by committing ſpirituall fornication, which is Idolatry. And all the people alſo of their Nations, and all the inhabitants of the earth ſhould alſo take part in her filthy abhominations: and therefore Shee muſt needs be a notable Strumpet, with whom all the Princes of the world, with their people and ſubiects muſt commit adultery, vncleaneneſſe, and all kinde of villany.
In that Iohn was carried againe by the ſpirit into the Wilderneſſe; is meant, that albeit hee had receiued all theſe things (which were reuealed to him before) by the ſpirit, yet for the further aſſurance of the things now to be deliuered, he ſaith, that he is carried againe in the ſpirit; that is, hee is lift vp by a more ſingular hand of God, that he might the more notably vnderſtand and attend, by the ſpeciall direction of Gods ſpirit, to the things now to be reuealed.
And he ſaith, he ſaw a woman ſit vponupon a Beaſt.
By the woman is meant the City of Rome, the Beaſt ſignifieth, firſt the Emperours only which were ciuill gouerners: and ſecondly, the Pope, which tooke vponupon him both ciuill and eccleſiaſticall gouernement: ſo that vponupon this Beaſt ſhee is ſaid to fit; and therefore whereas he ſaith, he ſees the Harlot ſitting on the Beaſt, it is meant, that the honour of the City and Church of Rome was to be maintained and vpheld by the Emperours, the gouernours ciuill, and by the Pope, which had both Ciuill and Eccleſiaſticall authority, for both theſe are in this place ſet downe to be but one Beaſt.
The Beaſt is ſaid to be coloured like Scarlet; ſignifying, either he was aduanced to great honour, or elſe nothing his crueltie in murthering the Saints: but this thing afterward, Saint Iohn more notably ſetteth downe, in that the Whore her ſelfe is ſaid to be red with the bloud of the Saints; noting, that as this was her Liuery, ſo the chiefeſt colour wherin this Church and this Beaſt delighteth, is Scarlet, as appeareth by their vſage; for they vſe to weare this, that they might be knowne to be bloudy and cruell.
It is further ſaid, that this Beaſt is full of names of blaſphemie; it is meant, that whereas before it was ſaid, that the firſt Beaſt had a name of blaſphemy, that is, was very cruell & very blaſphemous, when he firſt roſe out of the Sea, which was verified by the example of Caligula and others, that tooke on them the honour of God; yet this doth farre exceede him, for he is full of the names of blaſphemie, viz. blaſphemous throughout, ſignifying an high degree of blaſphemie.
He ſpeakes alſo of the Harlot her ſelfe, whom hee ſaith to be arrayed in Purple and Scarlet; ſignifying, that ſhe was clad royally, purple being a moſt coſtly and Princely apparell; her Scarlet bedecked with gold, precious ſtones and Pearles; note the exceeding great riches of that Church of Rome.
Then followes that which ſhee did, viz. Shee had a cup of Gold in her hand, but within full of abhominations, and filthy whoredomes and fornications; noting, that without ſhe had a gorgeous ſhew, & was beautifull to behold, but within full of al vncleanenes, as our Sauiour Chriſt ſaid of the Phariſies, that they cleanſe the out ſide of the cup, but are all filthy within; which we ſee in the Church of Rome; that without they hauehave moſt faire ſhewes to looke to, but looke into them, and into their actions, there is nothing but vncleaneneſſe.
Shee had in her forehead a name written, a Miſtery; ſignifying, that the chiefe thing ſhee profeſſeth, is a Miſtery, namely, that ſhee hath the Miſteries and ſecrets of God; yea, ſhee profeſſeth that all knowledge and vnderſtanding of Gods will is ſhut vp onelyonly in her breaſts, as in a cloſet: and therefore (ſay they) the Pope can change the Articles of the faith; yea, that he can alter the Scriptures, and make them no Scriptures, and that he can make the Euangeliſts to be no Euangeliſts, and thoſe that are not, to be.
She is called great Babilon, becauſe of the reſemblance of that Babilon in the Eaſt, to this in the Weſt, principally in regard of her great cruelty againſt Gods Children.
The Mother of Harlots; that is, the chiefe Harlot of all, ſetting out her abhominable fornications, both ſpirituall and bodily.
After, in that ſhe is ſaid to be drunke with the bloud of the Saints; is ſet forth her cruelty and barbarouſneſſe againſt the witneſſes of Gods truth, in that ſhe is defiled, beſpotted, and embrued with the bloud of the Saints: As Chriſt is ſaid to come out of Edom, coloured with the bloud of his enemies; noting thereby the reuenge he ſhould take of the Edomites; euen ſo the Whore of Babilon is dyed with the bloud of Gods children; yea, ſhe is ſaid to be drunke with their bloud, as with drinke; ſhewing, that ſhe makes no more account of ſhedding the bloud of the ſeruants of God, then the drunken man makes of pouring in drinke, or the fiſhes water.
Iohn wonders at her; to wit, not after that ſort which thoſe doe which follow after, whoſe names were not written in the Booke of life; but hee wonders after another manner; namely, at the ſtrangeneſſe of the thing, and at the ſtrangeneſſe of her abhominations. But the Angell askes him, wherefore marueileſt thou at it? I will (ſaith hee) tell thee the miſtery, viz. the meaning of the Harlot, and of the Beaſt. And taking in hand to handle and declare the miſtery of them both, hee begins (after the manner and cuſtome of the Hebrewes) with that which hee named laſt, viz. the Beaſt, and ſaith, that he was, and is not: It is ſaid he is not, which hath been declared by the wound he receiued, accompliſhed in the time of Nero: after whoſe time, the manner of gouernement, in regard of the familie which then ruled, was no more, all that family being worne out, and therefore the gouernement was ceaſed; and yet notwithſtanding ſhould riſe againe out of the depth, out of the bottomleſſe pit, viz. out of hell, by the ſubtiltie and pollicie of Sathan and his craftie inſtruments: and ſhould goe to deſtruction, that is, ſhould for all this ſuddenly be deſtroyed, and not hauehave a continuall gouernement. And it is ſaid, that at the Beaſt all ſhould wonder, not as Iohn did, but with an admiration of it, the reaſon is, becauſe it was, and is not, and yet is; that is, albeit it ſhould hauehave ſo many changes and alterations, in that the Emperours ſhould be ſo often put downe and ſlaine (as appeareth by the hiſtories) and others raiſed vp, neuertheleſſe, the gouernement ſhould continue ſtill; wherfore the men of the world, not knowing Gods prouidence in the ordering of theſe things, ſhould hereby be drawne with admiration of the Beaſt to cleaue vntounto it, conſidering that albeit hee had receiued ſo many wounds and ſo great puſhes, as it were, to deſtroy him and ouerthrow him, and yet did continue and was able to ſtand, and thinking that it was by his own power, they ſhould therefore ſay, who is like to the Beaſt? So that wee ſee that this Empire which is here vnderſtood by the Beaſt, was the ſame, but in other families, as is ſaid before.
Then it is ſaid, here is the minde that hath wiſedome; that is, here is matter wherein thoſe that are wiſe ſhould occupie their wits and vnderſtandings.
After, he declareth what the ſeauen heads are, to wit, ſeauen hils; namely, that place where the City of Rome is ſituated, and amongſt all writers, both Latine & Greek, which ſpeake of it, it is called the City of the ſeauen hils, and none but it, is ſo named in any, either old or new, Latine or Greeke Author. And therefore howſoeuer the Papiſts would poſt it ouer to Conſtantinople, where the Turke is, as hauing thirty hils, yet that was of no account in the dayes when this was written: Againe, that was neuer gouernour of the world as this is called, and as it was in thoſe dayes.
The ſeauen heads hauehave another expoſition giuen them by the Angell, to be ſeauen Kings, that is, ſeauen Gouernours and Emperours of the City, whereof it is ſaid, fiue are fallen, that is, were dead: one was then, that is, Domitian, who at that time had baniſhed Iohn into Pathmos; and he that was to come, was the next after Domitian, and he ſhould indure but a ſmall time: and therefore thoſe that liued in thoſe dayes might eaſily ſee the truth of it. And this therefore ſet forth thus, that men prouing and ſeeing this to be true, might giuegive the more credit to the reſt.
And the Beaſt that was and is not (that is, is not of the ſame ſort as he was, being now changed by another family) is the eight, to wit, in number, which was the ſeauenth alſo, for hee was admitted by the ſeauenth, while the ſeauenth was aliue; for the other being aliue, this eight in his dayes was choſen Emperour, and was ioyned in gouernement with him, as was the cuſtome of Kings, when that Kingdomes were doubtfull, the Kings tooke their Succeſſors, whom they would to hauehave raigne next in their roome, and would in their owne life eſtabliſh them in their Kingdomes, as did Dauid with Salomon, who while he yet liued, ſetled his Sonne in the Kingdome, taking him as it were, and ioyning him in ſocietie with him, and ſetting him by him as it were on the Throne.
Hauing thus expounded the ſeauen heads, hee comes to tell what is meant by the tenne Hornes; which are ſaid to be tenne Kings, which had not as yet receiued their power; which ſhould ioyne with the Beaſt, to wit, ſhould not raigne there where the Beaſt did, but ſhould onelyonly lay their power and authority with his, but while he had the ciuill authority alone in the rule of the Emperour, as alſo afterward when the Pope ariſing, ſhould ioyne the ſpirituall iuriſdiction with the temporall gouernement; and theſe tenne Kings it is ſaid ſhould ioyne with this Ciuill and Eccleſiaſticall Beaſt.
By theſe tenne, it is no great matter whether wee vnderſtand a certaine or vncertaine number, but it ſeemeth rather to note an vncertaine number: Howſoeuer it were, true it is, that theſe, the Beaſt ſhould ioyne with him to take his part, to wit, they ſhould giuegive their power to him, to ride and runne at his pleaſure. And theſe fight againſt the Lambe, who ſhould ouercome them by the power of his word: for hee muſt needes, being King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and therefore cannot but breake thoſe Hornes that ſet themſelues againſt him; for they receiue of him, and hold but of licenſe their Kingdomes from him.
The Waters are plainely expounded by the Angell, to be the great multitudes of people, and diuers Countries that ſhould be ſubiect to that City and Church of Rome.
Further, he declares, that as there was a time that the Kings of the earth ſhould ioyne themſelues with the Beaſt to maintaine it; ſo time ſhould come, that thoſe Kings and Gouernours as they had ſuffered themſelues to be as it were trodden on by the Beaſt, and to be ſubiect to the Whore, ſo they ſhould fight againſt the Beaſt, and againſt her, and moſt bitterly venter themſelues in fight againſt her; yea, they ſhall eate her fleſh, that is, be in mortall hatred with her to conſume her, and ſhould burne the Harlot; that is, deſtroy her vtterly, and ſo puniſh her as a Harlot; for burning was the vſuall death for a Harlot.
Laſtly, in that hee ſaith the woman is the great City that had dominion ouer the Kingdomes of the earth; hee ſheweth plainely that it is the City of Rome, ſeeing there was no ſuch great Monarch as that ſince the time of Iohn, but onelyonly Rome, and Shee was euen then the chiefe Citie in the world.