A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 9
Apoc. Cap. 9. 1.
And the fift Angell blew the Tumpet, and I ſaw a ſtarre which was fallen from heauen vntounto the earth, and to him was giuen the key of the bottomleſſe pit.
THe former iudgements in the Chapter going before, are eſpecially, concerning the things which appertaine to men; theſe which here follow, concerne the perſons of the men themſelues.
And firſt; after the blowing of the firſt Trumpet, it is ſaid there was a Starre fallen from heauen: By Stars is meant (as the holy Ghoſt interpreteth in the firſt Chapter) the Miniſters of the Word, who vnleſſe they be vpholden by the hand of God, they fall from their holineſſe of life, and integrity, wherein they ſhould liue.
To this Starre is giuen power ouer the keyes of the depth, that is, of Hell; ſignifying, that to the Biſhops of Rome this power was giuen, who before were ſometimes as cleare ſtarres and ſhining lights in the Church of God, euen in the time of the Apoſtles, and long after, being perſecuted for the truth; yea, many of them being martired: but at the length, by ambition, they fell from God, and became exceeding euill. And vntounto them the Lord gaue this power (not as they ſay, and arrogate to themſelues, to doe what they liſt in heauen and hell) but ſo much onelyonly ouer hell as is granted them, as namely, in that from thence they drew out, by the procurement of Sathan, many wretched and abhominable things, to the great offence, fall, and ouerthrow of many.
To him was giuen power to draw out ſmoake from hell, as from a Furnace, ſo that the Sunne was darkened thereby; great darkeneſſe is cauſed ouer all the earth: As before, in the former Chapter in part, the third part of heauen being onelyonly darkened; ſo now it is in whole and altogether darkened. And this noteth that great blindneſſe and ignorance which ſhould come vponupon all the earth by that man of Rome.
Out of this ſmoake, there came Locuſts; ſignifying, that by reaſon of this ignorance, there ſhould ariſe in the world many Deceiuers, of diuers ſorts, which ſhould be ſent amongſt men for the puniſhment of the ſins of the earth, which ſhould deceiue them and leade them into errors; as namely, the Monkes, the Fryers, and ſuch like vermin, as it hath ſince come to paſſe, which could not hauehave ſo greatly preuailed, neither hauehave had ſuch credit, except there had beene ſo great ignorance.
They are ſet downe and expreſſed by Locuſts, in regard of the great number and multitude of them, comming together by troupes, as appeareth by their practiſe; whereſoeuer they be, or hauehave beene, for they vſe to liue in great companies together, which is yet contrary to the profeſſion of Monkes; whoſe names are giuen them of ſolitarineſſe, as wee hauehave ſeene in this Land, in their Abbies, Fryers, &c.
They had power giuen them: Shewing, that by reaſon of the ſinnes of men, God in his righteous iudgement giues them power to hurt and deceiue. And yet hereby comfort may ariſe vntounto the children of God, that they can hurt no more then God enioynes them, for they hauehave power onelyonly to hurt Men; the Corne, the Wine, and the Fruits of the earth they cannot hurt.
Which ſheweth, that in the time of Popery, there ſhould bee plenty of all thoſe, nothing hurt of the greene things, as of the hearbs, the graſſe, the corne, &c. Which confuteth that which is commonly alledged of the Papiſts, who count their worſhip to be good, becauſe in the time of Maſsing (as they call it) all things were cheape, and there was ſo great plenty of all outward things: And indeed by this it appeareth that it muſt needs be ſo, for otherwiſe they could not hauehave beene ſuch as Saint Iohn ſpeaketh of heere. Againe, in that they hurt men, it is onelyonly of thoſe that hauehave not receiued the Marke of God in their foreheads: And againe, this hurt is not in regard of their liues, by taking away their liues, but this hurt they did them was in their Conſcience, by reaſon of terrour, for they were ſtung by them as with Scorpions, in that they tooke away from them the knowledge of God, leauing in them the ſting of an euill Conſcience.
Their power being thus limited, he after commeth to deſcribe the faſhion of theſe Scorpions, to wit: Firſt, that they were as Horſes prepared to battell; ſignifying, that they were altogether ready, prompt, and fit for all manner of miſchiefes they liſted, according as God vſed them in his iuſt iudgement.
Secondly, They had Crownes; ſignifying that they ſhould conquere and preuaile, and proſper in that they were ſent for, and which they went about.
Thirdly, They had faces like men; noting, that they ſhould be crafty and ſubtile, to bring their deceits & deluſions to paſſe, and that they ſhould be apt to abuſe men, and lead them into errour.
Fourthly, Their haire like womens; ſhewing their effeminateneſſe, in regard of their faces, the ſhearing of their beards, and their long haire on their heads, and eſpecially their effeminate and filthy manners, in that they were womaniſh, filthy, and vncleane, hauing no manly manners any wayes.
Fiftly, Their teeth like Lyons; ſignifying, their greedineſſe and cruelty.
The time of their continuance to ſting, is fiue moneths; that is, (according to the account in the ſecond Chapter, and as Daniel alſo expoundeth it, whom Iohn Chap. 2. 10.alſo followeth in this numbring) is for the ſpace of an hundreth & fifty yeares, eueryevery day in the monethmonth being counted for a yeere: Which is thought to be in the time of Hildebrand, called Gregorie the ſeauenth, which was to begin when Sathan was let looſe, after that a thouſand yeeres after Chriſt was runne out, and which beginning then, ended in the time of Gregorie the ninth, in whoſe time they had gotten the authoritie of the Sword, which the blaſt of the ſixt Angel ſetteth forth, & which the blaſt of the fourth Angel ſheweth they would not hauehave during the hundred and fifty yeeres, otherwiſe called fiue moneths.
They were harniſed with habergions, as of iron; noting, that by their priuiledges and prerogatiues they were ſo defenced, that none could almoſt touch them, by any occaſions; as the Biſhop muſt hauehave about ſixtie witneſſes againſt him, to accuſe him, otherwiſe hee is not to be conuinced; the Prieſts muſt alſo hauehave a great number of Accuſers, and they muſt not be iudged by any Maieſtrate of the Temporality, but by one of the Clergie.
The noiſe of their wings like the noiſe of Charriots: ſignifying their great pompe, which appeareth by their ſumptuouſneſſe in riding with many Horſes, and troupes of men attending on them, which make a great noiſe and ruſhing whereſoeuer they come, ſo as eueryevery one may heare and behold them; contrary to the practiſe of our Sauiour Chriſt, who is ſaid not to hauehave beene heard in the ſtreets.
This is the firſt Woe, the two other woes are to come.
The other Trumpet followeth to be blowne.
And firſt, to declare the certainty of it, hee ſaith, there came a Voice from the corner of the Altar which was in the holy place, which commanded that they ſhould looſe the foure Angels: by foure, is meant a ſufficient and competent number (as before wee hauehave heard) to execute Gods iudgements. And theſe are ſaid to be bound in the Riuer Euphrates, which was that Riuer that runneth through Babilon, where the people of Iſrael were held in captiuity. And it is vſed to ſet forth that ſpirituall captiuity of the Church of God, whereby the Whore of Babilon keepeth in bondage both their ſoules and alſo their bodies.
Now, theſe foure Angels, the Executers and Miniſters of Gods fearefull iudgements, were prepared to goe at an houre, at a day, at a monethmonth, at a yeare; noting their readineſſe and promptneſſe to execute any iudgement that God ſets them about; yea, though they ſhould be ſent forth for a whole yeare long, they would be willing to doe it, declaring that they did it without wearineſſe.
Their effects be farre otherwiſe then the former, for they hauehave authority to kill the bodies of men.
This ſeemeth to bee in the time of Gregory the ninth, when the Church of Rome had gotten the Kings and Princes of the world, and the Emperours to aſſiſt them, and to take their part; and therefore now thoſe that would not worſhip the Beaſt, and yeeld to their ſpirituall Whoredome and Idolatry, ſhould be killed and put to death by the wicked Magiſtrates, whereas before they had not power to hurt the Bodies, but only to ſting the Conſciences of men.
Theſe are deſcribed to hauehave heads like Lyons; noting, that they were fierce and cruell. Their Tayles like Serpents; ſignifying their craft. Which ſheweth, that the Church of Rome ſhould promote her Kingdome both by violence and alſo by their craft and ſubtilty.
Laſtly, is ſet downe a concluſion, wherein is ſhewed, that for all theſe fearefull iudgements, the people of the earth (whereas they ſhould hauehave feared and hauehave beene bettered by theſe iudgements, and learned to turne vntounto God by repentance) yet they continued vnrepentant in their Idolatries, Murthers, Witchcrafts, and all other their abhominable wickedneſſes.