Treatise on Revelation (Section 2)
The Second Book
Concerning the method & all synchronisms of the Apocalyps & the allusions therein to the Law & History of the Iews
Chap. 1
Of the daily sacrifice spoken of by Daniel & the feast of ye Passover.
The Preface
As the Prophesies of Daniel consist of two parts an enigmatical vision & an interpretation so doth this of the Apocalyps. The AEnigma reaches to ye end of ye seven Thunders & in some respect to ye end of the Trumpets, the interpretation thence to ye end of the Prophesy. The first is a continuall allusion to ye law, the second to ye history of ye Iews: intimating yt by history & ye event of things the types of ye law are at length to be {unf} unridled. For ye Temple & ceremonies of ye law were types & shadows of things to come Coloss. 2.16, 17. Heb. 9.9, 23, 24 & 10.1. The allusions to ye law are partly in describing the Christian worship & partly in predicting things future. The first is done by allusions to ye Iewish daily worship, the second by allusions to ye Feast of ye seventh month. The allusions to ye daily worship are as follows.
Sect. 1
The Lamps drest
The Iewish service a[2] began every morning wth ye sounding of Trumpets & opening of the Temple & killing of ye morning sacrifice together, & dressing of ye Lamps immediately after. The {sic} Lamps were dressed by the Priests in their lots & on ye Fast of ye seventh month & seven days before by the High Priest. In allusion to all this the Prophet in the beginning of ye Prophesy hears a great voice as of a Trumpet (a singular being put for a plural as is usually in this Prophesy) & turning to ye voice sees one like ye Son of man (or great High Priest) cloathed wth a robe reaching down to ye foot & girt about wth a golden girdle For this was the High Priest's habit. In allusion to ye Temples being now opened, for ye people to enter from below, he saith he hath ye keys of Death & of Hades, that is ye Keys of ye gates from death into ye Kingdom of heaven. For they are b[3] afterward called ye Key of David wth wch Christ opens & no man can shut, & shuts & no man can open & opens a door to ye Church of Philadelphia that is wth wch he lets into ye Kingdom of David & shuts out of it whom he pleases. And therefore they are ye Key of ye door in heaven so often opened in ye following prophesy, that is ye Key of the Temple \or Tabernacle/ in heaven wherein God has his Throne & worship. For Keys must respect ye doors of buildings & there is no other building or door in all this prophesy. Now the door of ye Kingdom of heaven represented by this Temple or Tabernacle he had newly opened wth these keys by his resurrection from the dead, & this he intimates by having them in his hand as if he had been newly using them & by calling them the Keys of death & Hades, & saying He was dead & is alive for evermore. In allusion to ye morning sacrifice newly slain he was dead, & in allusion to ye High Priest dressing the Lamps he is alive & walks in ye midst of ye seven golden candlesticks wth seven starrs in his right hand. These Candlesticks {illeg} of ye Temple \in the Temple or Tabernacle./ For as ye Son of Man by his High Priests habit & ye Keys is known to be wthin ye courts of ye Temple or Tabernacle so ye Candlesticks by their being of Gold & sacred ones & placed in their places Apoc. 2.5. are manifested to be ye Candlesticks of ye Temple. The face of ye Son of Man shining as ye Sun & ye seven stars in his right hand have respect to heaven & ye Apocalyptic heaven is ye Tabernacle or Temple. Nor is it any just objection that the Temple is not mentioned here; for tis certainly to be understood in ye 4th & 5t Chapters of ye Apocalyps wthout being mentioned there. The Tabernacle or Temple is ye common scene of all ye apocalyptic visions & therefore to be understood as well here as in other places. Conceive therefore that ye son of man is \appears/ in the Tabernacle \or Temple/ in the region of the Candlesticks, & that ye Apostle \Prophet/ standing before ye Temple sees him there through ye fire of the Altar, with his feet as it were upon ye coals of ye Altar & his face in the bright flames therof. For this the Prophet intimates by describing his eyes like flames of fire & his countenance as ye Sun shineth in his strength & his feet like c[4] amber as if they burned in a furnace yt is like coales of burning fire. The seven golden Candlesticks \you may/ conceive to be \either seven of the ten Candlesticks of Solomons Temple or rather/ ye sevenfold candlestick of the Tabernacle. For as Moses gives ye name of Candlestick to ye middle branch of ye seven Exod 25.34, so may the other six branches be accounted the candlesticks of their proper lamps. These lamps were placed on ye south side of ye holy place at a little distance from ye wall {illeg} in a right line inclined from it so as to front \towards/ ye Ark. Whence ye High Priest in dressing them would stand between them & ye \most Holy/ Ark & so might look wth his face towards ye Prophet standing beyond ye fire of ye great Altar. He is said to be \appear & walk/ in ye midst of these candlesticks that is in their region or over against the midst of them. For so ye Prophet afterwards uses ye phrase when he saith that ye Lamb & two of the four Beasts were in ye midst of ye Throne. He hath in his \right/ hand seven starrs that is the seven lamps of the candlesticks. For these stars are ye seven Angels of ye Churches Apoc. 1.20 that is ye seven spirits of God Apoc 3.1 & consequently ye seven lamps Apoc. 4.5. The candlesticks are ye Churches Apoc. 1.20 & therefore the starrs in being the Angels of ye Churches are the lights of ye Candlesticks & the Churches in being the candlesticks of the Angels Apoc. 2.5 are the candlesticks of the starry lights. These Lamps being viewed at a distance would appear like starrs & therefore in a vision are fitly called so, & that the rather because ye Tabernacle is \made/ the type of heaven. For the starrs of this heaven are no other lamps then are the lamps. They are said to be in his right hand to signify that they appeared on that side of ye tabernacle towards his right hand & that his hand was employed in dressing them. For being almost in a right his hand employed in dressing them all: wch could not have been exprest had they been at a distance from one another in their separated Candlesticks. |he called the Angels of the Churches line with the Prophets' eyes, they might appear \to him/ neare one another so as to seem to be in the right hand of the son of man.| Now these lights he dresses & trims in ye seven Epistles by telling them yt he knows their works & faith & patience, searcheth ye reins & hearts, & by commending, reproving, instructing exhorting & threatning every one according to his condition. As ye Lamps used to be in a decayed condition before dressing, so were ye Angels of ye Churches. One had left his first love, another was infected wth ye idolatrous doctrine of ye Nicolaitans, a third suffered ye woman Iezabel, a fourth was ready to dy, a fift grown luke warm. And therefore he endeavours to correct & restore these to their first lustre, admonishing them to repent & do their first works. Into ye other two wch were faultless, he instills ye oyl of exhortations encouragments and promises for preserving their light.
Conceive all this to be done on ye Lords day, as ye Prophet tells you, yt is a[5] on ye solemnity of his resurrection whether ye weekly or ye annual & so to respect both ye weekly \christian/ worship on yt day, & ye resurrection of Christ on ye first of those days. For therefore he saith, I was dead & behold I am alive for evermore, as if he was just risen; & calls his keys ye Keys of death & Hades rather then of heaven, as if he had newly brought 'em wth him from ye dead. The design of ye Prophesy here is to delineate ye Christian worship by allusions to ye Iewish, & therefore he tells you in ye beginning yt it was on ye Lords day (ye day of our worship) yt these visions appeared. Hereby \First by/ Epistles sent to ye Angels of ye Churches for them to instruct ye people, he describes & gives directions for ye Christian preaching on ye Lords day. And in ye next place he proceeds to describe ye Christian worship in ye Churches as you shal presently hear. For seeing ye seven Angels of ye Churches are here writ unto, & told of their faith, charity, patience, works, and labour in their Churches, & instructed, exhorted, commended, reproved, as men set over them, & afterwards described in the {people} cloathed in white Linnen & girt about their breasts wth golden girdles wch was ye Priests habit {Apoc} 15, 6 & blew ye Trumpets (Apoc. 8) wch none but ye Priests did. {ye} Iewish Priests are alluded unto in these Angels & so ye Christian Bishops are signified by them. The Iews used to call their Doctors of ye Law ye Candles of ye Lord & ye Christian Doctors are ye light of the world (Matt. 5.14) & therefore they are fitly signified by stars & Lamps. But ye meaning of ye Candlesticks & Stars \& of some other visions wch follow/ will best appear by considering ye constitution of ye Churches wch they represent. And this will be best understood by considering ye constitution of ye Iewish Synagogues from whence they were propagated. For ye government of ye Churches {by Bishops} Presbyters & Deacons was not instituted by Christ & his Apostles but by Ezra & approved by Christ, & \afterwards/ used by ye Christian Iews before ye conversion of Cornelius, while they were \yet/ all of them zealous of ye law & continued as much one & ye same Church wth ye rest of ye \Iews/ as ye several sects of ye Iews did wth one another ye nation of ye \unbeleiving/ Iews being not yet rejected from being ye Church of God. Now ye government of ye synagogues was on this manner.[6] A synagogue might be instituted \(say the Iews)/ in any City where there were ten men of leasure & learning in ye Law, whereof three are ye Magistrates & were called Rulers of ye Synagogue & ye Bench of three. This counsel was to those of ye Synagogue what ye great Sanedrim was to ye whole nation nation. They judged of controversies, of crimes, of ye admission of Proselytes, of laying on of hands & ye like. This was ye proper office of ye Presbyters. Whence ye Apostle saith, Let ye Elders yt rule well &c. A fourth person was ye publick Minister of ye Synagogue, whose office was to read ye publick prayers & to take care of reading ye Law, & sometimes he preached when there were not other fit persons at hand to do it. He did not read ye law himself but called any seven fit persons out of ye congregation to do it, every one reading a part & he inspecting ye reader, \&/ correcting him if he read any thing falsly or improperly; whence he was called חזן ye Chazan, yt is ye overseer or Bishop of ye congregation. They called him also שליח ציבזר ye Angel of ye Church. Besides these there were three Deacons or Almoners on whom was ye care of ye poor. Two of them demanded alms of ye townsmen, & ye third distributed it: & these three were called Parnasim, Pastors, & by ye Christian Greeks Διάκονοι Deacons or Ministers from ye ministration of Alms & serving of Tables Act. 6.1, 2. There might be more then three if needfull, as in ye first Christian synagogue, where there were seven, but three was ye usual number, & fewer then three there might not be. And ye same is to be understood of ye Presbyters. There were other \three/ officers of less note to make up ten: one of wch was ye interpreter whose office was to speak aloud to ye people in ye vulgar tongue what ye Reader whispered to him in ye sacred. To him Christ alludes, when he saith, what ye hear in ye ear yt preach on ye house tops. But ye first seven comprehended ye constitution of a Christian Church, & seem to be those whom ye Iews called ye seven good men of ye city, of wch saith Dr Lightfoot there is frequent mention in ye Talmudists. And of these seven ye Bishop being ye Doctor of ye Law, was in their language called ye Lamp or Candle of ye Lord, as well as ye Angel of ye Church. So then ye Bishops of ye seven Churches are ye seven lights represented by ye seven stars. & seven lamps, & called ye seven Angels of ye Churches & seven spirits of God. Thus are they but seven, & yet every Bishop if you either refer to his mystical body ye three Presbyters & three Deacons, or consider him in respect of ye seven Readers, is a sevenfold light of each Candlestick. In several respects you may therefore consider them either as ye seven Lamps of ye Mosaicall Candlestick, or as ye \seven/ sevenfold lights of seven such Candlesticks. In both cases there are seven Churches and seven Bishops, Angels, Spirits or Stars & no more. They are numbred as single persons by ye seven Lamps & Seven Stars & Seven Spirits of God, & to |yet| shew yt they are not merely single persons but have each of them their mystical bodies \of Priests & Deacons & other/ they are subdivided into ye seven Lamps of each Candlestick; & by ye same reason those lamps may again have their mystical bodies of assistants & attendants so yt a star or Angel may signify ye whole body of Teachers & Ministers of every Church. For all single persons in this Prophesy have their mystical bodies. To such Angels as these are the Epistles sent, and not only to them, but to ye whole Churches. For therefore is it said in every Epistle, He that hath an ear let him him {sic} hear what the spirit saith unto ye churches. |This exhortation to hear, being repeated in every epistle is a sufficient insinuation that the spirit preaches in these Epistles. This preaching . . .| This preaching to the Churches consists in stirring them up to works, faith, charity, patience, perseverance under tribulation, & labour for the truth, and mainly in exhorting them against the idolatry of ye the times, & instructing them formost in sacred prophesy, by the study of wch they may learn who ye Idolaters are, and wherein their idolatry consists, and so by avoiding it obtain the eternal reward set before them. This preaching to the Churches on ye Lords day being ended, the divine worship on the same day now follows.
Sect. II.
The morning sacrifice
After this, saith the Prophet; I looked and behold a door [not opening but already] opened in heaven, and I heard the first voice as the voice of a Trumpet talking with me, and saying: Come up hither. This voice being the second sounding of ye Trumpet called the Prophet to see the solemnity of ye morning sacrifice. For the Trumpets every day sounded thrice: first at the opening of the gates of the Temple, then at the morning, and lastly at the evening sacrifice. The door opened in heaven was the door of the Temple. For the land of Iudea \& therein the Temple is the/ is here made the \common/ scene of \all ye Apocalyptic visions: & ye/ the visions. And the Temple as being God's dwelling place, and a representation of heavenly things (Heb. 8.5 & 9.9, 23, 24) is put for heaven & ye rest of Iudea considered as ye earth. This is a view represented: of ye holy place more full & complete \& for a certain reason in a higher reason/ then before. |Conceive that ye Prophet \in ye former vision stood/ stood before without ye temple before ye east gate, & was then shewn only what was \pertinent/ necessary to be noted \observed/; but now upon a fuller shew of all things is called up into the court \court of the Temple & came up into the/ east gate of of {sic} ye outward court to view the whole before him.|
The Prophet being called up ye Mount was immediately \And immediately saith he, I was in th/ in ye Spirit, & saw \behold/ a throne set in heaven, & one \sat on the throne/ in most glorious appearrance sitting upon it. The throne is ye Adytum or most holy place in ye Temple. The seat of ye throne is over ye Ark, between the Cherubims, & he yt sits thereon ye great God of Israel, ye creatour of all things as he is afterwards called. For ye Iewish Church considered God as dwelling amongst them, first in ye Tabernacle, & then in ye Temple (Exod. 25.8 & 25.42, 43, 44 & Levit. 26.11, 12.2 Sam. 7.5, 6. 1 King. 8.13, 17) not in ye holy place wch was enlightened wth lamps, but in ye thick darkness of ye most holy place 91 King. 8.12. 2. Chron. 6.1) over ye Mercy Seat between ye Cherubins (1 Sam. 4.4. 2 Sam. 6.2, 2 King. 19.15. 1 Chron. 13.6. Psal. 80.1, & 99.1. Isa 37.16.) Whither Moses always went to speak wth God (Exod. 25.22. Num 7.89) & therefore ye Iews considered all things done before ye most holy place as done before ye Lord (Levit 24.4, 6. Exod. 30.8. Levit. 1.3. Num. 16.16, 17 &c) & always prayed towards ye Temple as toward ye place of Gods presence (1 King. 8.30, 33, 35, 38 &c. Dan. 6.10.) So Isaiah in a vision like this of ye Apocalyps saw ye Lord sitting upon his throne & his train filled ye Temple (Isa. 6.) And in Ezekiels vision of the Lord Temple the Lord upon a throne of Cherubims entred into the house & filled it with his glory & said: Son of man, the place of my throne & ye place of ye soles of any feet where I will dwell in the midst of ye children of Israel for ever, Ezek. 43. So in And so it is in the Apocalyps the Apocalyptick visions, the throne is in the temple. For the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God & consequently from ye throne within it, ch. 15.8. There came a voice out of the Temple of heaven from ye Throne ch 16.17 & the Palm bearing multitude being before the throne of G serve God day & night in his Temple ch 7.15. Whence also we have ye utensils & parts of ye Temple described about ye Throne, namely the seven Lamps burning before it Apoc 4.5, the sea of gla \Laver or/ brazen sea of crystalline water, called here ye sea of glass because as crystal like unto crystall ch 4 ch. 4.6 & ye golden altar whereon incense is offered before ye Throne wth a golden censer & ch 8.3, 4 & 9.13 the great Altar ch 6.9 & 11.1 the Ark of ye Testament ch. 11.9 & ye outward Court ch. 11.1. All which plainly shew {sic} the Scene of ye Visions to be Iudea & in Iudea, the Temple.
\And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper & a Sardine stone, [the last & first of the gemms in Aaron's Brest plate to shew that he is Alpha & Omega ye beginning ye End:] & there was a rainbow about the throne in sight like unto an Emrauld. By ye rainbow you may know that ye Sun was in ye east before ye throne & consequently that it was ye time of the morning sacrifice. The green colour of ye rainbow & jasper are emblems of vegetation & life, & so is the falling rain wherein it is to be conceived yt ye rainbow is formed, this being the nourishment & \vegetable/ substance of all growing things, & ye red fiery colour of ye Sardine stone denotes ye heat by wch they spring up live & grow. And all this is to represent him that sits upon the throne to be ye eternal author of all things in answer to ye worship wch is afterwards given him, saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory & honour & power: for than hast created all things, & for thy pleasure they are [daily] & were [at first] created./ And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper & a sardine stone [the ful last & ye first of & ye gemms in Aarons brest-plate to shew that he is ye Α & Ω the beginning & & ye end:] & there was a rainbow about ye throne in sight like unto an Emrald By ye rain-bow you may know that ye Sun was in ye East before ye throne & consequently that it was ye time of the morning sacrifice. Thereby you may know also that there was a cloud of \falling/ rain in ye region of ye throne. Clouds suit well with ye throne of God in heaven & rain is ye embleme of his blessings on mankind. Out of this cloud conceive ye thunders to proceed wch are {illeg} afterwards said \together/ ye pro with ye lightnings to proceed out of the throne. The green colour of ye rains rain-bow represents well the vegetable faculty of ye rain. For all vegetables are green & tis by rain that they spring up & grow. To denote that God is ye author of their life & growth his appearance is like a jasper & a Saphire, that is green & red of a celestial green & red the green colour referring to ye vegetable rain, water the mother \or passive principle/ out of wch all things grow \& are nourished/ & ye red to ye naturall fire & heat, ye form & life \or {illeg} active principle/ of all growing things. For ye red is that wch Ezekiel & Daniel in ye like visions describe by ye colour of amber & appearance of fire & this red fiery colour you may conceive to arise from ye fire of ye Altar through wch ye throne appeared. Ezek. 1.27 Dan. 7.10. Now all this is to represent him that sits upon the throne to be ye eternal author \& maker/ of all things in answer to ye title & worship wch is afterwards given him, where pill \where the Elders/ worship him that liveth for ever, saying Thou art worthy O Lor & cast their crowns before the throne saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory & honour & power, for thou hast created all things & for thy pleasure they are [daily] & were [at first] created. For 'twas fit yt ye attributes for wch he is worshipped \& come first of all he described/ nor ye seven spirits signified by ye seven eyes & by ye seven Lamps or Stars being ye seven Angels of ye Churches to whom ye Epistles were sent, are men set over ye Churches & ye two eyes appearing like flames of fire & so being both eyes & lamps have much the same signification.
And in the circuit of the throne were four & twenty seats & upon the seats were four & twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white raiment & they had crowns of gold upon their heads \crowns of gold/. These \Elders/ by their \numbers/ number twenty four, \their position {illeg} signified/ thrones for \by their distinct/ seats about ye throne, by their white garments wch were worn only by the Priests in the Temple, by their crowns upon their heads \wch denote them Princes/, by their \having/ Harps & Vialls of incense ch 5.8 & by their being called Kings & Priests ch 5.10 are the four & twenty Princes of the Priests each with his course \{illeg} body/ of Priests & Levites under him, & their \thrones/ {illeg} are their chambers in the circuit of ye inner court. For the [7] Priests & Levites were divided each into four & twenty courses or families wch served in their turns in ye Temple by weeks each course one week. Only upon festival days they seemed all together. Each course of Priests had its course of Levites under it & over it a Prince, & their chairs seats in the Temple were on this manner. The Court of ye Priests was a square an hundred cubits long & as mann broad within ye building having ye altar in the middle & over against ye middle of ye Altar eastward northward & southward three gates, one in ye middle of each side. The On ye \west/ fourth side was ye separate place being another square equal to ye former & conteining ye Temple. Both squares together made a rectangle an hundred cubits long broad & two hundred long, surrounded with {illeg} ye \buildings of ye/ Priests chambers on the three sides but on ye fourth side wch was west, there were neither chambers nor a Gate but only a wall. The chambers of greatest dignity were before the east Throne on yt b[8] east side of ye court next ye east Gate, & from thence they decreased gradually in dignity in their progress on both sides the court & separate place to ye west end. From the east Gate c[9] on both sides down to ye north & south gates were the Chambers of ye high Pries Priest & his {illeg} chief officers who had ye charge & government of ye Temple & Altar \& whom the d[10] Iews place before ye Princes of the courses./ From those Gates to the separate place were ye four & twenty chambers of ye Princes of ye Priests, twelve on each side, four below stairs with a cloister before them looking into ye court, & eight above. And from thence a[11] on their side the separate place to ye said western wall reached ye chambers of ye four & twenty courses of ye Priests when they ate ye sacred things. I speake of Solomons Temple whose form & constitution is described by Ezekiel & was in some measure preserved in ye second Temple: Concerning wch I may perhaps on some other occasion give a fuller account, those who have hitherto wrote on this subject much mistaking ye form of both Temples. Single persons in this Prophesy every where signifying mystically comprehend multitudes in their mystical bodies. So ye Lamb by his horns & eyes & ye son of man in the High Priests habit by his voice as ye voice as ye voice of many waters \ch 1.15/ represents a multitude. For waters signify multitudes ch. 170.15. & 12.15 But chiefly & most immediately in this High Priests mystical body were included his ministers in ye government of ye Temple, those who being seated in ye Temple with him above ye four & twenty Princes, sat together dayly in Councel in one of his Chambers for ordering ye affairs of ye Temple. These \were/ being ye Counsel of ye Temple as the Sanedrim was ye Counsel of ye Temple nation, & sat in ye seat of Aaron as those did in ye seat of Moses; & so being ye High Priests Counsel & bearing his authority are properly referred to his family & person, {illeg} the High as distinct from ye four & twenty Princes. These Counsellours were T first two fellow officers called Katholikim & then seven fellow officers called Imarcilia: over \all/ wch presided ye High Priests deput vicegerent called ye Sagan. These having ye \whole/ cap{illeg} inspection & care of ye Temple were to ye High Priest instead of eyes. To ye seven answer ye h wth their under officers answer the Lord seven eyes of ye Lamb & to ye two ye two eyes of ye Son of man. \For the ✝/ For as ye And as ye High Priest has his mystical body so have ye four & twenty Elders their several mystical bodies, each comprehending the family or course of Priests under him together wth ye course of Levites under them. For ye Levites were given to ye Priests to minister under \them/ Num. 3.6, 9, 32 & 4.19, 27 & so belong to them as servants to ye parishes of their masters. Whence the Elders have every one of them a harp as well as a vial of incense ch 5.8. As Priests them offer incense & as Levites they handle ye Harp in ye song of the Temple. And thus in ye high Priest & four & twenty Elders together we have represented the whole inward Court.
And out of the throne proceeded high things & thundrings & voices Thundrings are in this prophesy put for loud voices of a multitude. \They are ye voice of a cloud & a cloud signifies a multitude./ So when ye Prophet had heard a great voice of much people in heaven (that is aloft in ye Temple) saying Alleluiah, in describing further what that multitude said he addeth that he heard as it were the voice of a great multitude & as the voice of many waters, & as ye voice of mighty thundrings saying Alleluia, for ye Lord God omnipotent reigneth &c. A ch 19. So again the Prophet heard a voice from heaven as ye voice of many waters & as ye voice of a great thunder & also ye voice of harpers harping with their harps: & they sang as it were a new song before the throne & before the four beasts & the elders |ch. 14.3.| This voice therefore came from the Priests court in the Temple in heaven & so was ye musick of the Temple consisting partly of the voices of singers called the voices of many waters that is of many people & partly of ye noise of harps. The song was sung by the articulate voice of ye many waters accom panied with ye inarticulate Musick of ye Harps. And this articulate voice being called a voice from heaven as ye voice of many waters & as ye voice of a great Thunder shews that thunder is put for the loud vocal Musick of ye Temple. So then the thundrings & voices wch proceed out of the Throne are the thundring voices of ye Temple musick, called thundrings to express the loudness & voices to express the articulateness thereof. Where tis obvious thereof the lightnings are the fire of the Altar wth ye Prophet now now Disturbed by the morning sacrifice laid thereon. At this sacrifice ye Levites sang & the Priests sounded \blew/ the Trumpets by turnes & ye Levites sang by turnes. The Prophet being called up ye mountain by ye voice of ye Trumpets sounding together as one Trumpet \being called up the mountain up into ye temple & having now from ye east gate/ & having now the prospect of ye whole Temple before him, sees the fire of ye Altar over against the throne & heares ye song of ye Levites from ye same region, as if they were lightnings & thundrings proceeding from ye throne, & describes them according to their appearance. Whence we may learn that wherever voices thundrings & lightnings are mentioned they denote a sacrifice accompanied wth ye Temple.
|From this appearance of the throne behind the fire of ye Altar are taken also ♁ see ye backside| also the descriptions of ye throne of God in ye old Prophets. For in Daniel the head & garments of ye Ancient of days appeared white like ye top of ye flame or as smoke useth to do above ye flame, & \under his/ throne under him was like ye fiery flames & \under it/ the wheels of his throne wch were lowest on ye ground as burning fire, & a fiery streame issued [from below] & [ascending upward after ye manner of flame came ascending upward] came forth from before him, Dan 7. And in Ezekiel the Cherubins wch supported the throne appeared like burning coales of fire & sparkled like ye colour of burnished copper & out of the fire went forth lightning (that is a flame flashing like lightning, that lightning wch in ye Apocalyps proceedeth out of ye throne & in Daniel is called a fiery streame \issuing from before him/) & ye wheels of ye throne (whose rings here appeared very high) were like unto ye colour of beryl, that is green or inclining from green to gold inclining to green or ye \faint/ colour of flame on either side; & between the Cherubims wheels under the Cherubims were coales of fire. Upon ye throne was the appearance of a man & within it the colour of amber as the appearance of fire; & about ye throne a brightness like ye bow that is in the clouds in the day of rain. And when Ezekiel stood at the north gate of ye temple the throne stood not in its place in ye most holy but on ye right side of ye house Ezek 10.3 that is on ye south side of ye altar, ch. 47.1, & so still appeared through ye fire of ye altar. All wch compared wth ye appearance of the throne in ye Apocalyps, illustrates & sufficiently confirms or exposition. The sacred fire is an embleme of ye Deity; for God is a consuming fire: & for that reason tis always joyned wth ye ark & cherubins in the description of his throne. For ye same reason also the son of man standing in ye region of ye fire of ye altar is represented in a fiery form, his leggs appearing like pillars of fire burning as in a furnace, his eyes & countenance like or as Daniel expresseth it like burnished copper, his eyes & countenance like flame & his head \haire/ white as is ye top of flame.
And there were seven Lamps of fire burning before ye Throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal. & in the midst of the throne were & round about \circuit of/ the throne were four Beasts ful of eyes before & behind The {illeg} of the golden Candlestick within the temple before ye most holy place, & the great Brasen Laver or Brasen sea of Solomon filled with crystalline water & standing \in the Priests Court/ between the Temple & ye Altar a little to ye South side \Whence this sea appearing in ye region of the fire of the Altar, is afterward said to be mingled wth fire, ch. 15.2./ By the four & twenty Elders or Presbyters, are the Presbyters or Magistrates of the Christian |Churches & by ye seven spirits the Bishops or teachers thereof to be understood. For ye original office of Presbyters was to govern & therefore these Presbyters are crowned as Princes & ye original office of Bishops was to pray & to preach or prophesy & therefore they are represented by ye prophetick spirit of God called ye seven spirits in respect of so many Bishops in wch he prophesies to the seven churches as also \To so/ every Bishop as \again/ represented seven fold by ye seven lamps of every candlestick because he prophesies by ye mouth of seven subordinate readers.|
|And in the midst of the throne & circuit of the throne were four Beasts full of eyes before & behind| And in the midst of ye throne were four beast full of eyes before & behind. The Prophet having hitherto described ye Throne & Temple & inner Court proceeds now to ye outer. For he proceeds in order beginning at the throne of God or most holy place & then describing ye Priests court & lastly proceeding to ye great Court or Court of ye People, represented here by four Beasts in ye four sides thereof. And presented here by four Beasts in ye four sides thereof. And In ye midst of ye throne & circuit of ye throne were four beasts that is two in ye line passing through ye middle one before & another behind \the throne, both wch to ye Prophet standing at ye eat gate appeared in ye midst of the throne/ & two out of this line in ye circuit on either hand. It seems to be an Hebrew way of speaking for so in the arches Gates of ye Temple wch had arches on either hand wth little chambers in their Posts, Ezekiel (chap 40) saith there were windows in the arches round about within. And so the thrones of ye Elders which were only on both sides T|t|he Prophet Iohn saith were in ye circuit of ye Throne \& the wings of these Beasts wch were not in ye middle before & behind but on their sides he saith were about them./ So also ye Lamb who was over against ye middle of ye throne he saith was in ye middle & a[12] Iosephus an Hebrew contemporary to ye Prophet, to expres that the temple was over against ye middle of ye Eastern side of ye outward Court saith it was in the middle of it. These Beasts because they worship God together with ye Elders & say that Christ hath redeemed them to God by his blood out of every kindred & tongue & people & nation &c do plainly signify the Christian Church & so allude to ye people of Israel assembled in ye four sides of ye great Court of ye Temple. Beasts are ye proper type of multitudes & because such multitudes seen from above appeare with heads & eyes all over, these beasts are described full of eyes: wch eyes are said to be before & behind to express ye quicksightedness of ye people of God in discerning divine mysteries in reference to times before & behind us or future & past. But whilst I place the people of Israel in ye four sides of the outward Court I understand it of the first Temple when all ye twelve tribes of Israel were in the land together. For all the tribes are alluded to in these Beasts & the great court which was ye court of Israel in ye first Temple, became ye court of ye Gentiles in the second as shal be shewed hereafter.
The first Beast was like a Lyon, the second like a Calf, the third had a face like a man & the fourth was like a flying Eagle, These representations of ye four quarters of Israel are taken from the standards of ye tribes in ye wilderness. For ye frame of ye Temple is analogous to their encamping there. The Priests & Levites encamped next about the Temple Tabernacle answerable to ye inward Court of ye Temple, And in each & round about them were the twelve Tribes in four quarters to ye four winds answerable to ye outward Court, & in each quarter were three tribes under one standart as you may read in Numb. 1 & 2. The names of ye standarts are not there set down, but ye Iewish Doctors [13] by tradition teach that ye eastern standart was a Lyon, the western an Ox, the southern a man & ye northern an Eagle. So Ezekiel \(chap 1)./[14] looking northward & seing a vision of four beasts each with four faces wch looked four ways & turned not from their quarters; & naming their faces in order, puts first ye face of a man, then ye face of a Lyon to ye right side that is eastward & ye face of an ox to ye left side that is westward & the face of an eagle last. The face he first names was doubtless that most in view & consequently the southern which looked full upon him. Whence ye Eagles face was to ye north. Ezek. 1 These Beasts Ezekiel afterwards (chap. 10) calls Cherubins & describes them to be full of eyes: so that they resemble the Apocalyptick beasts, but \yet/ wth this difference that one Cherubin with four faces to ye four winds signifies what all four Apocalyptick Beasts (each with but one of those faces) do together, that is, all the four quarters of the Church. Whence they are placed not at a distance from the throne to ye four winds like ye Apocalyptick beasts but in the center even in the throne it self as supporters thereof like ye two Cherubins on either end the Ark. For as those two joyn their wings together so do Ezekiels four & as God is said to sit & dwell between those two & ride upon their wings so his throne is placed upon Ezekiels four \his sitting & riding upon them denoting his reigning over Israel/. As those two are called the Chariot of ye Cherubins, 1 Chron 28.18, so these have wheels to signify that they are the Chariot of ye Lord & as those were in ye most holy place so {illeg} Ezekiel sees ye vision of these entering into ye house & God speaking from thence: Son of man the place of my throne Ezek. 43. And as Ezekiels had each of them four faces, so I conceive had those in ye temple, seing ye cherubins carved on ye walls of ye temple had each of them two faces extant, ye other two being (as it were) hid within ye wall, Ezek 41.18. There is a difference also between the Cherubins & Apocalyptic Beasts in their wings. A Cherubin has four wings to signify the distribution of the whole \Church/ into four quarters, a beast six to signify ye subdivision of a greater into six parts.
And ye four Beasts had each of them six wings about him & |{illeg} ye middle before| they were full of eyes within & they rest not day & night saying Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty wch was & is & is to come. Whence I gather these Beasts are the same wth ye Seraphins wch appeared to Isaiah[15] in a vision like this of ye Apocalyps. For there also the Lord sate on a throne in ye Temple & ye Seraphins each with six wings cryed holy, holy, holy Lord {illeg} of hosts. So then they are noble enough to represent ye four quarters of ye Church. They have each of them six wings, that is in all four & twenty And these are the four & twenty stations of the people of Israel answering ye four and twenty courses of the Priests. For f[16] because the morning & evening sacrifices were offered for all the people & they whose sacrifices were offered were re obliged to be present in the temple, the people had their representatives distinguished into four & twenty stations or courses to attend each their week in order & each station had its President calld the President of ye station. Further to signify that these Beasts have internall intellectual eyes tis said that they have eyes within, that is |in their bodies| under their wings. / And they rest not day & night [that is morning & evening at ye sacrifices,] saying Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty. And when they give glory to him that sitteth upon the throne the four & twenty elders fall down & worship him. At the morning & evening sacrifices so soon as ye sacrifice was laid upon ye Altar, & ye drink offering began to be poured out the trumpets sounded & ye Levites sang by courses three times, & every time the trumpets sounded ye a[17] people fell down & worshiped. Three times therefore did the people worship; to express which number the Beasts cry holy, holy, holy; |&| the {sic} song being ended the people prayed standing till ye solemnity was ended. & In ye meane time the ✝[18] Priests went into ye Temple & there fell down before him that sat on the Throne & worshipped.
Sect III. Sect III. The evening sacrifice.
And the Prophet saw in the right hand of him that sat upon ye Throne a Book written within & on ye backside & sealed wth seven seales. This was ye book of ye Law b[19] wch was layd up in ye most holy place that ye c[20] south end \right side or south side/ of ye Ark & so was placed, as it were, in ye right hand of him that sat between ye cherubins. The Book of ye Law ye Iews distinguish into Sections & call some of these sections open others shut up, meaning that some are intelligible others mysterious & scarce to be understood before ye day of ye Messias. So ye last section of Genesis wherein Iacob in blessing his sons, predicts ye actions captivities & returns of their posterity & ye coming of Shiloh, they note for a section shut up. Whence they had this distinction of sections I know not nor of what moment it is. Tis more to our purpose that ye book of ye Law with other prophesies relating to it, \tis considered by/ the old Prophets consider as a book bound up & sealed. So Isaiah: [21] Bind up the testimony, seale the Law among my disciples, And again: The Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep & hath closed your eyes & the Prophets your Rulers hath he covered, & ye vision of all is become as a book that is sealed which men deliver to one that is learned saying Read this I pray thee & he saith, I cannot for it is sealed. So Daniel [22] whose visions concern ye things prefigured in ye Law is bid to shut up ye vision of ye Ram & Goat, & again in his last vision wherein the Angel comes to shew him what is noted in the scripture of truth he is bid to shut up ye words & seale ye book. This book of ye scripture of truth being \continuing/ therefore sealed in the hand of God that is understood by him alone, & being written within & on the back side, within by hidden predictions of things to come, \on the back side/ without by open allusions to things past, the Lamb now comes to receive & open: |whence this Prophesy is called ye Revelation of Iesus Christ wch God gave unto him, being a Revelation or opening of ye scripture sealed up shut up & sealed before.|
For loe in the midst of ye throne of the four beasts & in ye midst of ye Elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain. That is |to the Prophet standing at ye East gate of ye Temple the Lamb appeared in ye midst of the throne & of ye Beasts & Elders.| he stood in the lines passing through ye midst of the throne & Elders & in the two cross lines passing east & west north & south through ye middle of ye four beasts & consequently he stood at the Altar. For this Lamb was \is/ ye morning \daily/ sacrifice \ & therefore stood at ye Altar./ |newly offered & now at ye evening saw Christ was arraigned condemned & crucified appearing slain & rising from ye dead, {illeg} sacrifice of the eucharist. & now \at the evening sacrifice appearing slain./ rising from ye dead.| It had seven horns to signify the /between the morning & evening sacrifices & therefore the Lamb appears slain between them that its death may respect them both It had seven horns to signify the\ seven ecclesiastical dynasties or Churches of Asia, & seven eyes which are their Angels or Presbytery the seven spirits of God that in ye Angels or sent forth into all ye earth, that is the Angels or Presbytery of ye seven churches. For as the Metropolis of ye Apostacy that woman Babylon represents the whole apostate church so ye seven churches of Asia are put a type of ye true church diffused through ye whole earth. /The morning sacrifice was finished before ye appearance of this Lamb & therefore 'tis ye evening sacrifice. Christ died at ye ninth Iewish hour & therefore wch was the time of evening sacrifice & therefore his death is here represented by this sacrifice.\
And he came & took ye book out of ye right hand of him that sat upon ye throne. The high Priest in the Fast of the seventh Month & seven days before as he dressed the Lamps so he offered ye morning \& evening/ sacrifices. That solemnity being finished \Between those solemnities or {illeg}/ /When the evening sacrifice\ /And when he had laid the evening sacrifice upon ye Altar he went thence into ye temple to burn incense & \to/ worship & \also on this day/ as it were to take up\ For ye Lamb & high Priest in ye Apocalyptick language are one & ye same thing. Christ ye Lamb was also ye High Priest, who (as ye Apostle Paul expresseth himself it) offered himself.
[23] Now it was ye custome for ye High Priest seven days before the Fast to continue constantly in ye Temple, & not only to exercise himself in ye service of the Temple all these days but also to study ye book of ye Law that he might be perfect in it against ye day of expiation wherein ye service which was various & intricate was wholly to be performed by himself & of wch service one part was reading the Law to ye people And to promote his studying it there were certain of the Priests appointed by the Sanhedrim to be with him these seven days in one of his chambers in the Temple, & there to discourse with him about ye law & read it to him & put him in mind of reading & studying it himself. And this his opening & reading the Law these seven days is alluded to in ye Lambs opening the seven seales. |In the time of the second Temple when when there was no Ark in the most Holy, the book of the Temple was laid up in an Ark or chest in some other part of ye Temple p place & handed to the High Priest by inferior officers: but how it was taken out of ye most holy in the time of ye Tabernacle & first Temple I do not find recorded.| Whether the book now used was that very book kept in the most holy place or some copy of it is not much material, both being the same book in nobility For ye most holy place was not so strictly shut up, but that workman went in to repair it as oft as it needed repairing, & so did the Ædituus to keep it clean from dust. By the Law of Moses a[24] the book it was to be taken thence upon occasions to copy it for ye Kings use & ye Iews affirm also it was consulted upon disputes arising about ye reading in any other copies. When Moses had wrote it he c[25] charged it should be read every seventh year in ye Feast of Tabernacles & then ordered it to be put in the side of ye Ark to be kept there for a witness against them, that is to be taken out & read upon occasions; for without being read it could no t be a witness And if it was taken out on {sic} certain occasions & particularly at ye feast of Tabernacles much more against ye day of expiation, that being ye greatest solemnity in all ye year & ye only time ye High Priest was enjoyned to peruse it. \Understand this of ye times of ye Tabernacle & first Temple when the Ark was in ye most holy. For in ye second Temple ye book was laid up in {illeg} an Ark or chest in some other place./ The Ierusalem Talmud Iews affirm that ye public minister or Ædibuus took out the book & handed it to ye High Priest at ye solemnity of ye expiation & Barsenorus saith it was this ministers office to take it out of ye Ark when they read & lay it up again. What ye High Priest did to his servant he did of himself And, since so very great care was taken that he should be accurately prepared & {illeg} in every thing against the great solemnity, twas fit he should then peruse what was most authentick & use himself to ye same book he was to read on that great day. |But a book the book & {illeg} \now used/ was {illeg} taken out or whether it was that very book kept in the most Holy, or some copy of it is not much material wch the High Priest now used is not much material both being the same book in reality. It suffices that the High Priest went in now into the Temple to worship before the throne & \(either really) or/ as it were to take the book out of the right hand of God & after the solemnity ended, applied himself to the reading. Twas the Book of ye Temple no question wch he used, & I do not find that there were more such books then one. And if he used ye book of ye Ark, this was ye time for him to go into the most Holy & take it. For on ye day of Expiation, d[26] this was the time that he sat in thither to bring out ye golden golden censer.|
And when the Lamb had taken ye Book ye four Beasts & four & twenty Elders fell down before him having every one of them {sic} harps & golden Vials full of ye wrath of incense wch arethe prayers of Lambs & they sung a new song. \When the High Priest having offered ye incense came out of ye Temple, he poured out the drink offering at ye food of ye Altar & then the trumpets sounded & the people \in the outward cause/ fell down in ye ou & worshipped & ye Priests went into the Temple & there fell down before the Throne & worshipped./ The Vials are the Priest's & ye who who offer incense morning & evening \with the prayers of the people/ & ye Harps are ye Levites for ye Musick of ye Temple \now alternately intermixed with the vices of ye Trumpets/. Every Elder hath a Vial & Harp to signify that he consists of both Priests & Levites. This falling down of ye Beasts & Elders joyned with the Harps & new song & prayers of ye saints, brings us to ye evening sacrifice \a type of the celebration of the Lord's supper among Christians/. The sacrifice it self is not named because Christ ye [27] Lamb dyed but once. The evening incense under the Law was joyned wth ye evening sacrifice e[28] coming in between ye offering of ye \members of ye/ Lamb & ye drink offering \as I now said,/ & therefore it is here joyned wth song.
And they sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take ye book & open the seales thereof. For thou wast slain & hast ye deemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred & tongue & nation people & nation & hast made us to or God Kings & Priests & we shall reign on ye earth. This \is the song of ye Temple at ye song at & worship at the evening sacrifice alternately intermixed with the voices of the Trumpets {illeg} Tis at ye evening sacrifice. Tis/ for all called a new \one/ because an act of worship not payd ye Lamb before our redemption {sic}: \& it/ plainly shews, as I said, that these Elders & Beasts are the men redeemed by Christ out of all nations & consequently that they are ye Church catholick of Christians on Earth represented by the Church of ye Iews worshipping in ye Temple. Where fals Iews of ye Synagogue of Sathan (Apoc 2.9 & 3.9) are all for fals & Antichristian churches |Tis an Eucharistical song & represents the commemoration of the death of Christ in the Lords supper among Christians. As ye Lamb slain is the daily sacrifice of ye Iews so the Lords supper celebrated in this evening worship is the daily sacrifice of Christians. For anciently it was celebrated not only monthly or weekly but even daily in many places.|
And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne & ye Beasts & ye Elders & ye number of them was ten thousand time ten thousand & thousands of thousands. These being so numerous & placed wthout ye Court & superadded to ye worshippers at ye morning sacrifice, denote ye Gentiles called & superadded to ye Church after the resurrection of Christ. Falling down & worshipping signifies conversion to ye true worship. First the Beasts & Elders alone fall down & worship with a song, that is the Iews alone are converted & then all ye angels or Gentiles, are superadded. And by the same type is the final conversion of the Iews & Gentiles signified in other And places of ye Apocalyps, chap. 7 & 19.
And every creature wch is in heaven & on the earth & under the earth & such as are in ye sea & all that are in them &c. Every creature was a[29] a phrase usual amongst ye Iews to signify all men & chiefly the Gentiles, & heaven & Earth & ye sea \that is/ ye whole natural world are put to signify the whole political or Ecclesiastical world. After ye four Beasts & four & twenty Elders had sung a new song to ye Lamb risen from ye dead & then an innumerable multitude of Angels gave glory to him; the whole creation Iews & Gentiles, joyn in giving glory to God & ye Lamb together. And then ye four Beasts say, Amen. & ye four & twenty Elders as at ye morning sacrifice conclude ye solemnity by falling down & worshipping him that liveth for ever & ever. In the b[30] Temple ye people never answered Amen, but said, Blessed be ye name of ye glory of his kingdome for ever & ever: In ye b[31] Synagogues & houses instead of this clause they said Amen, And therefore seeing ye Beasts instead of that doxology say Amen it shews that under ye form of worshipping in ye Temple ye worship in ye Synagogues & houses of Christians is delineated.
Thus under the type of the Iewish daily {sic} worship in the Temple (hitherto from ye beginning of ye Apocalyps set down in order from morning to night is the true Christian \preaching &/ worship delineated \the preaching being deciphered in ye Epistles or sermons to ye seven churches & ye worship in the sacrifices doxologies & Hymns to God & Christ for {illeg} & redemption & in ye prayers of ye saints represented by ye odors wch ye Beasts & Elders offer in golden Vials./. For as ye Beasts & Elders allude to ye Iewish Church and signify the Christian so under ye type of ye Iewish \daily/ worship is the Christian delineated. And hence we may understand that the blaspheming synagogue of Sathan who say they are Iews & are not but do lye (apoc 2.9 & 3.9) are a Synagogue or Church of men who say they are Christians & are not but do lye: a Church Christian in name & outward appearance but in truth & reality not a Christian but a blasphemous that is an idolatrous Church of Sathan. These are ye Gentiles in ye outward Court of ye Temple (Apoc 11) who by worshipping in that court, \the place/ where the people of God used to worship, say they are Iews but do lye. Twas the designe of this Prophesy to describe & distinguish from one another the true Church from \&/ the Synagogue of Satan \that the elect by considering these things might emerge out of the \universal/ idolatry of ye last times & be saved/. Hitherto we have had the worship of the true Church delineated by that of ye Iews & hereafter we shall have that of the fals blaspheming Church deciphered by the name of blasphemy on ye Beast & by his blaspheming God & those that dwell in heaven, by the nations wondring after & worshipping the Beast & his Image, & receiving his mark & ye \triple seven/ number of his name \according to ye {illeg} into {illeg} of his {illeg} in ye Trumpets Thunders & Vials/, & by the Whore riding upon this Beast with the Cup \of ye wine/ of spiritual fornication in her hand & that idolatrous name Mystery in her fore head & committing for spiritual fornication with ye Kings of ye earth & making ye nations drunk wth ye wine of her fornication, \& by their being termed idolaters & abominable & sorcerers & ye {illeg} & by ye Angels forbidding ye Prophet to worship him/ |The understanding of all wch is of so great moment, that it made ye spirit say: blessed is he that readeth & they that hear ye words of this Prophesy & keep those things that are written therein. He that hath an ear let him hear wt ye spirit saith unto ye Churches. For this name & fals worship {illeg} prophesy is the daily sacrifice & ye abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel ye Prophet as shal be here after explained.|
Sect III
The Fast or Day of Expiation, & the Feast of Tabernacles. \The Feasts of ye seventh Month/
< insertion from f 13v >
Chap. II
Of the Feasts of {illeg} the seventh month.
< text from f 14r resumes >
The evening sacrifice was offered about \three hours or/ three houres \as the houres/ & an half after noon. And now the solemnity of ye day being finished the Lamb opens the first Seale. For ye High Priest now betakes himself to ye study of the law as was said) & so on for seven days. The seales are opened therefore in the evenings that is in the beginnings of the Iewish days & the seventh seale is opened in the beginning of the day of Expiation.
\We began the Prophesy with the High Priest's entring into the Temple ✝/[32] We began ye visions of \Prophesy/ wth ye high Priest's entring into ye Temple on ye third day of ye seventh month to dress ye Lamps & receive ye book of ye Law. For in describing ye worship on ye Lords day by allusions to ye Iewish daily worship, the morning & evening sacrifices ought to fall on one & ye same day. The Lord's day is ye day of ye resurrection & ye resurrection is here typified by ye Lamb's rising as it were from ye dead to take ye book out of ye hand of him that sat upon ye Throne & therefore the Lamb's receiving ye book & ye concomitant worship given to him & ye Father together must fall upon ye Lords day on wch he drest ye Lamps & so respect ye evening worship of yt \same/ day. Thus it is in delineating the Christian worship by the dayly worship of ye Iews. But in predicting things future by allusions to ye seventh month, if regard be no longer had to ye Lords worship on ye Lords day, we may set apart ye prophesy of the seven Epistles & consider the Prophesy of ye Seales & Trumpets by it self as interpreters use to do, & begin it wth ye first day of ye seventh month, wherewith ye Iewish civil yeare began. For the Trumpet wch talked wth ye Prophet in the beginning of this Prophesy & said, Come up hither & I will shew thee things wch must be hereafter, & may allude to ye sounding of Trumpets on ye first day of ye month, thence called ye feast of Trumpets. And if the Lamb be supposed slain on this day \whether/ in ye morning sacrifice to wch this Trumpet sounds & \or in the evening sacrifice thereof & to/ rise again on ye third day when he goes to take ye book out of ye hand of him who sat upon ye throne, \the passion & resurrection will be more truly represented &/ the seventh seale will be opened on ye beginning of ye feast of expiation as above. And so far as ye passion & resurrection is hereby represented it may have respect also to ye Feast of ye Passover & \even/ to every Fryday & Lords day in ye year.
When the visions wch follow upon the opening of the first six seales are described & those of the seventh are to follow, the Prophet tells first ye seale of ye Peoples & then ye solemnity performed by ye Priests.
The people celebrating the Fast & Feast of Tabernacles.
The state of ye people he describes in two successive multitudes. First a smaller multitude numbred & sealed out of ye twelve Tribes of Israel, then a numberless multitude with palmes in their hands crying Salvation (that is in ye Hebrew, Hosanna) to or God. The first are sealed in the day of expiation the last cry Hosanna in ye following Feast of Tabernacles.
The sealing of ye first alludes to that place in Ezekiel [33] where ye man \cloathed in linnen/ wth a Writers inkhorn by his side is commanded to go through ye middst of Ierusalem & set a mark upon ye foreheads of ye men yt sigh & cry for all ye abominations done in ye midst thereof; & then other six men, perhaps it ye Angels of the first six Trumpets, are commanded to slay those who are not marked, |& after them them {sic} the man cloathed in linnen, the Angel of the seventh sounding of ye Trumpet is commanded to scatter over the city coales of fire, a type of ye war of that last Trumpet whereby the great city Babylon should be utterly consumed.| The mystical slaughter of ye {illeg} at ye seventh is distant from ye rest, & being more general & done by ye sharp sword of hosts own mouth \& that after the times of the sealed servants of God are expired/ & therefore in an Apocalyps |it is| also {illeg} or from ye first six by ye interposition of other things. Now the men that are sealed being such as sigh & cry for ye wickedness of the people, their condition suits fully with ye day of expiation or great Fast wherein all Israel were to fast from morning to night & humble & afflict themselves for their sins under pain of being cut off, & to have an attonement made them for their sins by the High Priest. This attonement is their sealing. The few who truly lament & mourn for ye sins of ye people are numbred & sealed, that is selected & accepted of in ye attonement & as it were marked out by the spirit for God's elect: the rest being omitted as Hypocrites. For so ye Apostle Paul useth ye phrase.[34] In Christ, saith he, after that ye \believed ye/ were sealed wth ye spirit of promise. And to all this agrees well a passage in Esdras,[35] where he speaks first of a number of those that are sealed for \as in/ ye Feast of ye Lord, that is \in Fasts/ for ye Feast of Expiations \Tabernacles/ and then describes a great people appearing on mount Sion wch he could not number, praising God wth songs, & having palms in their hands, like that numberless palm-bearing multitude in ye Apocalyps wch in like manner follow ye number sealed out of every Tribe.
In the solemnity of this Fast the attonement for the sins of ye people was made by two Goates, the one Gods lot, ye other reprobate. One was to be sacrificed a sin offering to God to make an attonement for ye sanctuary & cleanse it from ye sins of ye people: the other to have ye sins of the people confest over him & put upon his head & so loaden wth their sins of ye people to be let go into ye Wilderness for an attonement for ye people, that is for a cleansing of them from their sins thus carried away by this Goat. The Goates therefore signify the people, the one the elect, the other ye reprobate. For Beasts are always put for multitudes. While the good & bad are together the people are full of sins & defile the Sanctuary. By separating the more sinfull from the Church & as it were ( through schisms & heresies {sic}, as it were sending them away from ye sanctuary, the remaining Church becomes more clean; & this Church (the living Sanctuary of God) is in time of persecution by the sacrificing of ye Martyrs & Confessors attoned for. This Goate, to signify that it refers to ye times of Christianity was burnt without the Camp Heb 13.10, 11. Killing & burning a body of men signifies the dissolving their body as to its outward government, & making war upon them by persecution. Which of ye two Goats should be Gods was determined by lot. The lots were of gold, one wth ye inscription For God, the other wth ye inscription For Azazel. Whence they named ye Scape Goat Azazel. These lots were put into a box & shaken & ye High Priest, one of ye Goats being set at his right hand & ye other at his left, put both hiss hands together into ye box, took out ye Lots & laid ye right-hand lot on ye head of ye left hand Goat. To this taking out of ye lots & laying them on ye heads of the Goats allude ye seale of God & ye mark of ye Beast set on ye foreheads of their worshippers. For ye seale of God is called the name of God in their foreheads Apoc 14.1 & ye mark of ye Beast is called the name of ye Beast Apoc.13 17. The selecting & sealing some with Gods seale implies that others at that time, as reprobates, receive ye mark of ye Beast. For those are relatives by way of opposition & so contemporary. Lots are cast to signify that God makes ye choice {sic}. The sinfull Lot is sent into ye wilderness loaden with the sins of ye people by the flight of ye degenerating Woman thither Apoc 12 & 17, those who do not worship ye Image of ye Beast & receive his mark Apoc 13.15, 16 & consequently have ye mark of God in their foreheads) is sacrificed & burt by \the fire of/ persecution to make an attonement for ye sanctuary Apoc 12.17 & 13.7, 15.
The sacrifices of ye Fast & Feast of Tabernacles.
The solemnity sealed & palmbearing people being described ye Prophet proceeds \next/ to ye solemnity of ye \Fast &/ Feasts performed by the Priests. And when, saith he, the Lamb had opened the seventh Seale there was silence in heaven about ye space of half an hour. The silence denotes ye time of offering incense in ye morning when the Lamps were dressed. For at this time \in the brick of incense/ ye people were \always praying in their court without/ without praying & so in silence. [36] Whence ye incense is here said to be offered wth ye prayers of ye Saints & in another place called their prayers. The Angel who offered it is ye High Priest. For on other days ye Priest brought down fire from ye great Altar in a Silver censer & emptied it into a golden one, & took up ye golden one & went into ye Temple wth him yt was to offer ye incense & there gave him ye fire. But on this day ye High Priest himself took fire from ye great Altar in a golden censer & then being come down from ye Altar took incense of one yt brought it to him & so went to ye golden Altar. And according to this latter way 'tis here said yt ye Angel came & stood at ye Altar having a golden censer (yt is to take fire from thence) & there was given him much incense yt he should offer it wth ye prayers of all Saints upon ye golden Altar wch was before ye Throne. The ceremony therefore shews yt ye Angel was ye High Priest performing ye service of ye Temple, & yt on ye day of Expiation.
And whereas {illeg} tis said, There was given ye Angel much incense & yt ye smoke ascended up before God out of his hand, yt is out of ye censer in his hand: this also seems to point out ye day of Expiation. For on other days, there was an equall measure of incense morning & night; on this day there was an excess for ye most Holy. On other days it being all laid on ye fire upon ye golden Altar ascended only from thence, on this, after it had been offered (wth ye prayers of ye people) upon yt Altar ye incense was offered, ye Angel took a censer & filled it wth fire from ye Altar & cast it into ye Earth & there were voices & thunderings & lightnings & an Earthquake. That is he cast it down to ye Earth from heaven where he was. \As the/ She \As the/ holy Temple, as I said, wth all things in it is in this Prophesy considered as in heaven, The earth is in ye prophane region without. This was yt fire therefore wch was taken from ye great Altar & carried out of ye Temple & thrown down to burn ye Goat wch was ye Lords lot. The High Priest went not thither himself but did it by his Ministers. As tis usuall to ascribe to a Prince what ever he doth by his servants, so here, ye High Priest may be said to do what he doth by ye hands of inferior Priests members of his mysticall body. While ye Goat & a Bullock was offered by ye High Priest for himself was burning ye High Priest {illeg} had ye Law {illeg} to ye People \{illeg} offered a ram for himself & a ram for the people & seven lambs together wth evening sacrifice/: And to his voice & ye fire of the Sacrifices \& the \concomitant/ song of the Levites/ allude ye voices thundrings & lightnings wch followed upon ye casting of ye fire to ye earth.
The solemnity of this day being finished ye seven Angels wch had ye seven Trumpets prepared themselves to sound. They appeared all together before when there was silence in heaven for half an hour yt is in ye beginning of ye solemnity of this day, and by yt appearance shew yt one of ye Iewish great days was then commencing. For they signify ye whole body of ye Priests wch never came altogether to ye Temple but on solemn days. This solemnity being over they prepare for ye next wch is the Feasts of Tabernacles. For as in ye Chapter above ye Saints sealed on ye Fast are followed by ye great multitude with Palms in their hands crying Hosannah, wch solemnity was yt of ye Feast of Tabernacles: so here after ye Fast, is yt Feast described. This Feast lasted seven days & consisted every day of great multitudes of burnt offerings (as you may see described in Numb. 29) wch occasioned an extraordinary blowing of ye Trumpets by ye Priests. And this is signified by ye seven Angels sounding their Trumpets successively. For seeing amongst ye Iews were none blew Trumpets but Priests, these Angels must be Priests & so their sounding seven times will |fitly| signify ye successive soundings of \on/ ye seven days; each Angel being a type of all ye Priests who sounded together, according to ye use of prophesy wch commonly puts a singular for a multitude. |That Angels are sometimes put for Priests is plain by Hagga \Mal./ 2.7 7. & accordingly the ancient Iews delivered yt ye Angel of ye Lord who \came to proclaim/ spake to ye People (Iud. 2.1, 4) was Phineas.|
I said yt ye Prophet in describing ye times of ye seventh seal tells first ye state of ye people & then ye solemnity of ye Priests, ye first in ye sealed servants of God & Palmbearing multitude & second in ye incense & seven Trumpets: whence those two narrations are of things contemporary. The servants of God were sealed in ye day of ye Fast & yt Fast began {sic} at ye opening of ye seventh seale & falls in with ye time of incense & ended {sic} before ye Trumpets began to sound \being the time of incense between them. The sacrifices of the seven days of ye Feast are types of ye slaughters in seven wars to wch the trumpets sound; &/. The four winds wch hurt ye earth & sea & trees are \also/ four wars & hurt ye earth & trees at ye sounding of ye first Trumpet to war & ye sea at ye sounding of ye second & so on, ye sacrifices of ye seven days of ye Feast being types of ye slaughters in seven wars to wch ye Trumpets sound. And therefore |& therefore are ye wars of the first four Trumpets. Whence| ye Angels of ye four winds are ye Angels of ye first four Trumpets & by consequence ye \this/ first appearance \is contemporary to the first appearance of ye seven that \is to the/ opening of ye seventh seal./ of both Angels are contemporary. These appear before ye servants of God are sealed & do not hurt ye earth & the sea & trees till they are sealed, & therefore their sealing must fall in wth ye time between ye opening of ye seventh seale & sounding of ye first Trumpet. After they are numbred & sealed they continue in being while ye Trumpets sound, & at ye last Trumpet end in the innumerable palmbearing multitude. For in ye plagues of ye first Trumpet /The following hosanna {sic} of ye Palm bearing multitude alluding to {illeg} the\ ye hosanna {sic} of ye Iews on ye Feast of Tabernacles, must necessarily fall in wthye times of ye Trumpets sounding in yt Feast on all ye even even days of ye Feast ye Iews during their stay in ye Temple carried palm branches in their hands & every day compassed ye Altar crying hosanna {sic}, or gave now I beseech thee \O/ Lord, O Lord I beseech thee now send prosperity, & while they did this ye Trumpets sounded. But ye solemnity & acclamations were greatest on ye seventh day, & therefore they called yt ye great hosanna {sic}. For on each of ye first six days ye people compassed ye Altar but once, but on ye seventh day they compassed it seven times. Whether the Apocalyptick hosanna {sic} include ye hosannas of all ye seven days or be only palm-bearing multitude \together must/ will end wth yt of ye seventh seale & \seven/ Trumpets, |&| so is synchronal to it from ye beginning to ye end.
Now considering yt in ye plague of ye fift Trumpet none were hurt but those who had not ye seale of God in their foreheads, & consequently yt ye sealed ones continued till then in being; yt numbring amongst the Iews signified fewness, whence a[37] they used ye phrase \Days of number &/ Men of number to signify a contemptible \few passage/ men {sic}, & therefore ye numbring of ye sealed ones is a symbol of their fewness; yt in being numbred they are but few in comparison of ye innumerable multitude; yt they are numbred out of all ye twelve Tribes & therefore signify ye {illeg} true Church & so leave no place for ye innumerable multitude till their times be run out; yt ye desolate times of ye Church signified by ye prophesying of ye two witnesses in sackcloth {illeg} \continue/ almost till ye seventh Trumpet sounds, & then ye witnesses ascend up to heaven in a cloud, yt is in a great multitude, & at ye fall of ye tenth part of ye great city ye Nations are converted, & at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet become universally victorious, & yt at ye numbred Israelites were inconsiderable in respect of ye innumerable multitude, to ye first \six/ hosannas were inconsiderable in respect of ye seventh for these reasons I place ye numbred Israelites in ye times of ye first six hosannas or Trumpets, & ye \innumerable/ Palm-bearing multitude in ye time of ye seventh only. There is but one hosanna of this multitude described in ye Apocalyps, & yt was at ye time of their coming out of ye great tribulation |& no hosanna is doubt the greatest hosanna of the seven is hereby alluded unto| Twas a symbol of great Ioy triumph. For T \The/ compassing of ye Altar once every day wth palm branches & Trumpets for six days, & then seven times on ye seventh day was done in memory of ye like compassing of Iericho wth Trumpets in order to its taking (Iosh 6 as is ye Iews tradition \& therefore it is a symbol of victory & triumph: whence they were to keep this solemnity wth great rejoycing Lev Levit 23.4. Deut 16.14, 15. Nehem 8.15, 17 & ye Macabees \Iews/ upon victories rejoyced wth Palm branches in their hand 1 Mac. 13.51. Iud {illeg}/. The compassing of \Iericho/ ye first six days was but preparatory to its taking, on ye seventh day they became victorious & took it wth a great shout, & in like manner in ye Apocalyps at ye great hosanna of ye seventh Trumpet ye Church becomes universally victorious & triumphant wth great joy ye Kingdoms of this world becoming ye Kingdoms of Christ. The fist six hosannas being but preparatory to ye victory wch was to happen at ye last & greatest, it was sufficient in typifying yt victory to mention ye last \alone/ hosanna in the Apocalyps. Iericho was taken at ye very entrance of Israel into ye land of Canaan, & therefore ye great hosannas kept in memory of ye victory against it is a type of ye future victory of ye Church at her entrance into ye promised land, & this victory happens at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet when ye Kingdoms of this world become ye Kingdoms of Christ & he from thenceforth reigns for ever & ever. The palm bearing multitude after their coming out of ye tribulation does hunger no more nor thirst any more, but ye Lamb feeds them & leads them into living fountains of water, & God \dwells among them &/ wipes away all tears from their eyes wch cannot be said of ye Church before ye last days, yt great day when ye last Trumpet sounds & puts an end to time, & ye great mystery of God is finished & ye dead are judged & ye saints rewarded, Apoc. 10.6, 7 & 11.18. For ye Church continues till {illeg} condition, but then the tabernacle of God begins to be wth men & he dwells with them & wipes away all tears from their eyes & gives unto him that is a thirst the fountain of life water of life freely & feeds them wth ye tree of life & there is no more hurt. Apoc 21.3, 4, 6 & 22.2, 3. And all this comes to pass as The description of this {illeg} multitude coming of out of the great Tribulation respects most plainly that place of Isaiah ch 49.10 where tis said that the Prisoners \that go forth/, & they that were in darkness that shal go forth that & they shal come out of ye great tribulation \shew themselves/ & they shal no more hunger nor thirst neither shal the heat nor sun smite them for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them And this is there conjoined wth the return of the Iews from captivity. When they dead are return from captivity & ye dead are raised then doth God wipe away tears from off all faces & take away ye rebuke of his people from off ye earth Isa 25.8 & then also do ye saints come out of ye greatest of all tribulations Dan. 12.2, 3. For this trib immediately after this tribulation, the kingdoms of ye world fall & Christ comes in the clouds to judgment Matt 24. The souls under the Altar were slain {illeg} at the opening of ye fift seal were to rest \a little season/ until their fellow servants should be killed as they were & God should \at once/ avenge the blood of all his martyrs on them that dwell on the earth, that is until the end of the great tribulation & therefore when they rise again & God avenges their blood, the Palm-bearing multitude come out of that tribulation. And this is at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet when ye time of ye dead is come kingdoms of this world being vanquished become the Kingdoms of Christ & the time of the dead is come that they should be judged & God rewards ye saints & destroys them that destroyed the earth. A A little season in the language of this Prophesy where days are put for years {illeg} is a long time in ye language of ye vulgar \&/ so may reach down \from ye fift seal/ to ye last Trumpet. So then So then ye sealed & numbred servants of God are ye universal Church militant \numbred out of all ye 12 Tribes at sounding open her \ ye opening of ye 4th Seal &/ continue few in number/ continuing from ye opening of ye of ye seventh seal till ye last Trumpet be ready to sound, & \then appears a the two Witnesses ascending up to heaven in a cloud, they grow to a/ ye great multitude wch no man could number of all Nations & peoples & kindreds & tongues are \wth peoples in this & they become/ the Church triumphant \coming out of the great tribulation with palms in their hands &/ beginning their reign at ye \great hosanna/ sound of ye last Trumpet when ye kingdoms of this world become ye kingdoms of Christ, & he begins to reign for ever & ever. Whence in Esdras they are crowned by the son of God at ye same time that they receive palms in their hands. 2 Esdr. 2. I mention Esdras not as a Prophet but as a collector of some old Iewish Traditions.
Sect. V.
The Laws rea \prophesying/ in ye Fast & Feast of Tabernacles, together with ye interpretation thereof.
When six of ye Trumpets had sounded & ye seventh was ready to sound ye Prophet saw a mighty Angel come down from heaven cloathed wth a cloud & a rainbow was upon his head & his face was as it were ye Sun & his feet as pillars of fire, & he had in his hand a little book open. This mighty Angel appearing so glorious above ye other Angels wth a rainbow about his head, can be no other but ye Son of God. You may know him by his face appearing \as/ like ye Sun, & his feet as pillars of fire. For this was ye appearance of ye Son of God in ye beginning Apoc. 1.15, 16. \His face was as the Sun to signify that he is a king & his feet as pillars of fire to insinuate that they appeared in ye region of ye fire of ye altar, like pillars burning in the flame of {illeg} in a fire Apoc. {illeg}/ He calls ye witnesses his witnesses Apoc. 11.3, & they are not the witnesses of any other Angel then Christ. He had before in ye form of a Lamb opened ye Seales of ye book yt he might read it, & now he comes in ye form of an Angel wth ye book opened in his hand to read it. For a Lamb to read was improper & therefore he now appears in ye form of a Man. As ye opening of ye seventh seale he changed his shape from ye form of a Lamb to yt of Angel & stood at ye Altar wth a golden censer inn his hand to do ye High Priests office in ye day of expiation, & now yt Angel appears again in a more glorious form to do another part of his office in reading ye law to ye people on yt day. For ye first appearance of ye book open ought to follow immediately ye opening of ye last seale, & therefore to fall in wth ye day of expiation. At ye times of ye Fast & Feast of Tabernacles were described first by ye sealed saints & Palm-bearing multitude, & then again by ye solemnity of incense & sounding of ye Trumpets, so they are now described a third time by ye reading of ye Law & ye ensuing thunders. Tis usual wth Historians when they have several collateral actions to describe, wch cannot be so well told in order, to describe first one series of things & then another collateral in time to ye former; & ye same method is used in this Prophesy.
And he set his right food on ye sea [of glass above mentioned] & his left foot on ye earth. Conceive yt he is ye High Priest and came down from ye throne of heaven where he had be offering incense & performing other sacred rites on ye day of expiation Chap. 8.3, & came through ye east gate of ye Priests court into ye Court of ye people to read ye Law to them while ye heifer & yt Goat wch was ye Lords lots were burnt without ye Temple, & yt he stood in ye Court without ye East gate upon ye stairs of ye gate or some other conveniently elevated place to read wth his face looking towards ye Prophet & towards ye people whilst ye Prophet standing directly before ye throne saw him over against ye middle of ye throne \& both his feet in the region he feet as it were of ye fire of ye altar like pillars burning in it, as in a furnace Apoc. 8.19./ & ye sea of glass behind his right foot. For, it is to be conceived yt ye Prophet stood so as to see ye fire of ye Altar through ye East gate of ye Priests Court like lightning proceeding out of ye Throne Apoc. 4.5, & to have ye prospect of ye whole Temple before him, all impediments being removed wch make nothing to ye purpose of ye Prophesy. For as he tells us yt ye lightning proceeded out of the throne thô it was upon ye Altar, & yt ye singers stood upon ye sea of glass mingled wth fire Apoc. 15.2 thô ye fire was not upon ye sea but upon ye Altar over against ye sea, & ye singers were neither upon ye sea nor upon ye altar but in a right line between him & them at ye East Gate of ye Priests Court where they used to sing: so by ye same was of speaking he might tell us also yt ye Angel stood on ye sea with his right foot & on ye earth wth his left thô his right foot was only in a right line between ye Prophet & ye sea, & only appeared to stand upon ye sea. For ye sea was between ye Altar & ye Porch & ye Temple, not directly in a right line but verging a little to ye south, & so would appear behind his right foot whilst his left foot stood besides it as it were upon ye earth. And whilst ye Prophet standing eastward saw him to ye west wth a rainbow upon his head, suppose in ye cloud wherewith he was cloathed, you may thence learn yt ye sun was in ye east, & consequently it was in ye morning yt he first appeared in heaven & began to come down from thence. For yt was ye time yt he offered incense on ye Golden Altar & in ye most Holy (Apoc. 8.3) & came down from thence to send away ye scape Goat & then to read in ye court of ye people.
And he cryed wth a loud voice as when a Lyon roareth, yt is in reading ye Law & when he had cried ye seven Thunders offered their voices to ye people. This was ye book of Prophesy wch ye Lamb had received at ye hand of God to open ye seales thereof yt he might prophesy out of it & now having opened all ye seales he prophesies out of it to ye people, & this his prophesying is typified by ye High Priests' reading in ye book of ye Law. For as Christ prophesied in telling ye Angel what he had received of God Apoc. 1.1 & 22.6 & 19.10, & ye Angel prophesied in shewing Iohn what he had received of Christ, & Iohn prophesied in telling it to ye Churches; so every man who reads or truly interprets any Prophesy to others may be said to prophesy to them, & therefore ye High Priest in reading ye Law, whose ceremonies are prophetical, did prophesy to ye people, & yt his prophesying out of it is a proper type of Christ's prophesying out of it to ye world by his mystical body. For here ye mighty Angel represents Christs prophesying to ye people, not in his own person when he sent ye prophesy to Iohn, but afterwards in his mystical body when ye times of opening ye seventh & last seale commence.
And when he had cryed ye seven Thunders offered their voices. These thunders conceive to be ye voices of ye cloud wherewith ye Angel is cloathed yt is of ye multitude about them, & so denote ye song of ye Temple alternately intermixed wth ye soundings of ye Trumpets at ye sacrifices of ye seven day s of ye Feast of Tabernacles. For these thunders speaking articulately so yt ye Prophet understood what they spake they must be humane voices, & we shewed above ye Thunders signify ye land voices of a Multitude singing: & as ye description of ye dayly sacrifice above was accompanied in ye morning wth ye voice of a Trumpet Apoc. 4.1, & in ye evening wth ye voice of singing Chap. 5.9, so ye description of ye sacrifices of ye Feast of Tabernacles is first done by ye voices of seven Trumpets, & then by ye voices of seven Thunders representing ye song of ye Temple And as in ye daily sacrifice ye voices of ye Trumpets & singers are alternately intermixed, so it is here. For Thunder as well as ye sound of a Trumpet signifies war, & therefore ye seven Thunders as well as ye seven Trumpets are seven successive wars, & because these wars end together (as is said a little after) they must be coincident, & so refer to ye same sacrifices.
Yet is there this difference between ye voices of Trumpets & ye voices of thunder yt ye one is prophesying & ye other not. For all praising & glorifying God is prophesying & such is singing in ye Temple. For so ye sons of Asaph & Heman & Ieduthun who were appointed by David for ye song in ye house of ye Lord wth Cymbals, Psalteries & Harps are said to prophesy wth those musical instruments 1 Chron. 25.1, 2, 3, & Heman from having ye charge over his sons in these matters is calls ye Kings seer in ye works of God to life up ye horn vers 5, & so are Asaph & Ieduthun 2 Chron. 29.30 & 25.15. So also where Samuel saith to Paul a Choir of Prophets shal meet thee wth a Psaltery, a drum, a pipe & a harp & they shall prophesy, ye Chaldee interprets it & they shal sing or praise: & again 1 Sam. 19.25, he went forward singing, he put off his garment & sung. So for a man {sic} & woman's praying or prophesying in 1 Cor. 11.4, 5 ye Apostle seems to put praying or prophesying singing in chap. 14.15. For a woman is not otherwise to prophesy in ye Church then by singing. So then thundering in ye Temple is prophesying and ye cloud wch thunders signifies a company of Prophets. The voices of ye Thunders were articulate & all articulate speaking in this prophesy of ye Apocalyps is a part of ye Prophesy. And since ye whole Prophesy is ye Prophesy of ye Book wch Christ received at ye hand of God, & |ye| seven thunders are a prophesying out of yt book. And of this ye song at ye sacrifices of this Feast was a fit type, a[38] it being taken out of ye Law. There is also another type of prophesying in ye times signified by ye seven days of \this/ ye Feast. For such is ye pouring out of water in ye drink offerings of ye morning & evening sacrifices of these seven days, as ye Iews & even Christ himself (in alluding to this pouring out of water) interprets Iohn 7.37, 38. A third type is ye reading out of ye Law by ye King to ye people in their Court on these seven days \The Angel is both King & Priest & stands all the while wth the book open in his hand in a reading posture/. And if ye seven thunders comprehend all ye prophetick voices of ye seven days, the {sic} seven voices \of the King/ as well as ye voices of the singers must be comprehended in them.
When ye Thunders had uttered their voices ye Prophet is bid to seal them up & write them not, to signify yt although ye book of ye Law was opened by ye Lamb & read by ye Angel & proclaimed aloud by ye prophetick thunders to ye people, yet ye whole prophesy is heretofore sealed up in obscurity & needs an interpretation to make it intelligible: ye book being sealed till ye opening of ye last seal, & now ye contents of it being sealed anew. Hitherto therefore ye whole prophesy is a dark obscure ænigma sealed up in difficult types & figures. In ye next words an end is put to this ænigma by declaring yt it is brought down to ye end of time, & then follows ye interpretation.
And ye Angel sware by him yt liveth for ever & ever yt there should be time no longer (yt is after ye Thunders) but in ye days of ye voice of ye seventh Angel when he shal begin to sound ye mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants ye Prophets. This alludes chiefly to ye like oath of ye same glorious Angel appearing in ye High Priests habit in Daniel, [39] who in answer to ye question how long it should be to ye end of ye wonders there prophesied of, held up his hands to heaven & sware by him yt liveth for ever & ever yt it shal be for a time time times & an half, & at ye ending of ye dispersion of ye power of ye holy people all these things shal be ended. The Thunders seing after ym there shall be time no longer, last to ye end of ages, yt is of those times called by Daniel a time times & a half: at ye end of wch ye seventh Trumpet shal sound, & ye great mystery of God wch ye old Prophets have chiefly spoken be fulfilled: ye Iews then returning from captivity & ye greatness of ye kingdom under ye whole end at ye end of those three times & a half (as Daniel chap. 7 describes) being given to ye saints of ye most High whole kingdome is an everlasting kingdom; & ye kingdoms of this world at ye sounding of yt Trumpet (as Iohn tells us) becoming ye kingdoms of our Lord & of his Christ, who shal reign for ever. The prophesies therefore of ye Thunders is {sic} contemporary to that {sic} of ye Trumpets (as I newly affirmed) because it ends together with them.
The interpretation of ye prophesying in ye Fast & Feast of Tabernacles.
The Spirit having under ye types of ye Law brought down ye sealed prophesy to ye end of time, passes on now to give ye interpretation of ye whole under various allusions to ye Iewish history. And ye voice, saith he, wch I heard from heaven (yt is ye first voice of a Trumpet) spake to me again & said: Go take ye little book yt is open in ye Angels hand &c. And I took ye little book out of ye Angels hand & ate it up, & it was in my mouth sweet as honey, & as soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again, before many peoples & Nations & tongues & Kings.[40] This is an introduction to a new prophesy and a repetition of all ye former, & alludes to Ezekiels being sent to ye wicket Iews to prophesy by eating a book \spread open, &/ written within & without, \&/ full of lamentations & wo, but sweet in his mouth. Eating & drinking signify acquiring. For so eating flesh is put for acquiring riches Dan. 7.5, 23. Eating Christs flesh & drinking his blood is beleiving on him & receiving his doctrine Ioh. 6. \& ye leaven of ye Pharisees is their doctrine Matt 16 12 eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledg is acquiring knowledge by doing something interdicted Gen. 3.5, 7. The tree of life & water of life are wisdome & understanding Prov 3.18 & also 13.14 & 15.4 & 14.27 & 16.28./ Drinking ye water of life is receiving ye spirit Iohn. 7.39, & so eating eating ye book is becoming inspired wth ye prophesy conteined in it, & is a type of his prophesying out of it. How ye book in his hand may signify his prophesying out of it needs no explication, but how he should speak out of his belly may seem something strang {sic}, & yet was it a figure \phrase/ used by ye eastern Nations. So Iob,[41] I am full of words, ye spirit of my belly constraineth me: Behold my belly is as is as wine wch hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new bottles. And Solomon:[42] It is a pleasant thing if thou keep ye words of ye wise in thy belly; they shall withall be fitted in thy lips. And Christ:[43] If any Man thirst let him come unto Me & drink: He yt beleiveth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of \living/ water, yt is words of life by vertue of ye spirit \wch/ his disciples were to receive. The Prophet ate ye whole \open/ book & therefore is to prophesy again of ye whole & yt more openly then before, because ye book was now opened & nothing had been hitherto prophesyed out of it as open but what ye Prophet was commanded to seale up. Is |times which to come it being opened & by consequence the ensuing prophesy of the measure Temple & two Witnesses commences wth the opening of the last seal. For this is the prophesy of the eaten book. This book It was| was sweet |in his| in the \Beasts/ mouth & bitter in his belly, |to denote the bitter state of the Church after the Gentiles should begin to tread under foot the holy City. The| sweet is ye first part of it par the new prophesy & bitter in ye latter. The prophesy of ye eaten book is hereby distinguished into two parts, ye fist of ye book in the Prophets mouth; ye last of ye book in his belly; ye first short & introductory, ye last ye main prophesy, for ye sake of wch he ate ye book, ye first sweet & gratefull, & |ye| last bitter & astonishing. The first you have in ye Angels discourse untill ye seventh Trumpet sound ye last begins where the prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets was & is a repetition of ye whole. The first is sweet as honey in describing all yt's good & gratefull namely ye measuring of ye Temple & altar, ye worshipping of ye saints in ye Temple, ye prophesying of ye two witnesses & their great power over their enemies, & after Martyrdom their hidden resurrection so as to put their enemies in fear, & their ascension up to heaven in a cloud, & ye fall of ye tenth part of ye great city, & Mens being affrighted thereat & giving glory to God; & how ye Kingdoms of this world become ye Kingdoms of Christ & he reigns for ever. The second prophesy of yt book is bitter as wormwood. For it begins wth a bitter persecution of ye Church represented by ye pains & crys of ye woman in travail, & then describes ye apostacy of ye Church by xye flight of yt woman into ye wilderness & ye prosperous & universal reign of ye Dragon, Beast, fals Prophet & whore of Babylon. These two parts being prophesies of ye eaten book by vertue of wch he is to prophesy again, are both of them interpretations of what went before. The first coming next after ye Prophesy of ye thunders is an interpretation of yt prophesy: ye second coming after ye whole Prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets is an interpretation of ye whole.
The worship & reading of ye Law in ye first prophesy was done in ye Tabernacle or first Temple, ye interpretation therefore in this new prophesy begins wth ye building of a new one. For ye first had the four Beasts in its outward court, wch Beasts are all ye twelve tribes of Israel & therefore twas either ye Tabernacle or Solomons Temple |Now because the Prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets respected ye worship in ye Temple this prophesying again begins with a new Temple. That respected either the Now because the Prophesy of ye Thunders alludes to ye times when the Law was read in the synagogues history of its building tabernacle or first temple it is as you may know by the throne or Ark withing it & by the four beasts or twelve| but this hath ye Gentiles in ye outward Court, & therefore is ye second Temple built by Zerubabel, Simeon Iustus & Herod. For understanding wch you are to know that ye The |tribes about it & by the sealing ye servants of God out of all the tribes there being in the second Temple no Ark nor any more tribes then two: this begins wth ye building of the second Temple, as you understand by the following history of this Temple. The| Iews at their return from captivity were but few & poor & so needed not all ye great court wch was before built by Solomon for ye whole nation in prosperity, nor were able to rebuild it. Cyrus his decree was only for ye Temple to be built wth three rows of stone & a row of cedar becaus Ezra 6.4, yt is for ye Temple wth ye inner Court 1 Kings 6.36. And instead of ye great Court there was walled in at ye east end of ye inner Court, a little court for the people wch they called ye weomans Court to distinguish it from ye Eastern border of ye inner Court wch border was called ye court of Israel. For into this border Men alone, into ye other Court weomen as well as men were admitted. And ye littleness of this Court compared wth the former great one was ye cause yt they who had seen ye former Temple wept when they saw ye foundation of this new one laid Ezra 3.12, & yt Haggai asked them Who is left amongst you yt saw this house in her first glory & how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Haggai 2.3.
In this state continued this Temple till ye time of ye Greek Empire when Simeon Iustus \ye High Priest/ repaired ye House & built from ye foundation ye perimeter of ye outward Court, being a high double building (Eccles. 5.1, 2) yt is wth double Cloysters and double chambers over ym parted by a row of pillars below between ye Cloysters & a wall above between ye Chambers. This building continued till Herods time who rebuilt part of it more splendidly: but yet ye custome which had long confirmed ye weomens Court to ye Iews & given away ye ground of ye great Court to ye Gentiles, remained as before: so yt ye great Court wch before ye Captivity was ye peoples was now accounted ye Gentiles, & ye people continued to use only ye weomen's Court & Eastern border of ye Priests: Whence God in Ezekiel's vision of ye Temple complains prophetically yt they had admitted strangers & Men uncircumcised into his Temple & tells ym yt this shall be ye Law of ye house: Upon ye top of ye mountain ye whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy, And makes ye wall round about ye four sides of the outward Court, to separate between ye sanctuary & ye prophane place, & places ye people in ye outward Court, & charges yt no stranger uncircumcised in flesh be admitted into his Sanctuary Ezek. 44.7, 9, 19 & 42.20 & 43.12. Where it is to be noted yt Ezekiels outward Court answers in dimensions to ye Gentiles Court; each side being 500 cubits long, viz. fifty from ye outward face to ye inward face of each gate of ye outward Court, 100 from thence to ye outward face of ye gate of of ye inward Court, fitly from thence to ye inward face of ye same gate, & fifty from thence to ye center of ye inward Court; all wch doubled make 500 cubits (Ezek 40) by mistake in some versions called reeds Ezek. 42.
Now to this history & constitution of ye Temple (though not understood by ye Iews & Christians of those ages) alludes ye divine Apocalyps. The Temple & Altar & they yt worship therein, being here opposed to ye outward court, do signify ye Courts of ye Temple & Altar wth their buildings & ye peoples court called ye court of ye weomen. For by ye Temple ye a[44] Iews frequently understood Zerubbabels Temple alone, yt is all ye buildings belonging to ye inward Court wherein they had worshipped from Zerubbabels time. The outward Court they called ye mountain of ye house. And hence 'tis called here ye Court without ye Temple. The inward building therefore ye Prophet is commanded to measure, yt is to build &, let ye outward lye wast. For because builders first sett out the measures of what they build, therefore measuring is used as a type of building. So Ezekiel to signify yt ye Temple delineated by him should be built, measures every part thereof wth a reed. So ye Angel for ye like reason measures ye new Ierusalem in ye Apocalyps. And so Zachary sees an Angel wth a measuring line going to measure Ierusalem, & another Angel tells him yt Ierusalem should be inhabited as towns without walls for ye multitude of men & cattel therein Zech. 2. And so Ieremy (chap. 21.20) describes building by measuring. The command therefore to measure ye Temple & Altar & ym yt dwell therein (yt is their Courts) & to leave ye outward court unmeasured alludes to Ezekiel's measuring ye Temple in ye Babylonian captivity, & to Zerubbabels rebuilding ye inward part of yt Temple while ye outward court was left out & remained unbuilt & open to ye Gentiles. And whilst ye prophesy has hitherto respected ye worship of ye Temple, this building of a new Temple is a plain indication yt Iohn here begins by vertue of ye eaten book to prophesy again.
Now this prophesy of ye Second Temple respects yt same anniversary of ye solemnity of ye seventh month wch was before described in ye times of ye first Temple. For it ends wth ye first day of ye month, but respects only ye solemnity of ye seventh seale, For 'tis an interpretation of ye prophesy of ye vision & voices of ye Angel & thunders immediately preceding it, & yt prophesy being ye prophesy of ye little book opened in ye Angels hand commences wth ye opening of ye last seale thereof & so respects ye times of ye Fast & Feast of Tabernacles as was explained above. The prophesy of ye second Temple commences therefore wth ye opening of ye seventh seale. The building of a new Temple signifies ye building of ye Church anew or in a new state & by consequence implies her fall from her first condition. And to this answers ye descent of ye mighty Angel from heaven wth ye little book open in his hand. For all ascent & descent signifies ye exaltation & depression of ye thing ascending & descending & ye mystical body of this Angel together wth ye thundering cloud wherewith he is cloathed is ye Church.
And yt this is so will more fully appeare by comparing ye measuring of this Temple & ym yt worship therein wth ye numbring & sealing ye servants of God. For this Temple being not wood & stone but ye living Church of God, ye measuring of it & ym yt worship therein & leaving out ye outward Court of unholy Gentiles unmeasured, is a type of ye same kind wth numbring & sealing ye servants of God out of all Israel & leaving ye rest unsealed, & signifies ye very same thing. For as yt signifies ye selecting of a few to be a holy people to God, while ye multitude are rejected: so this signifies ye building up ye Elect a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up sacrifices to God by Iesus Christ (as Peter expresses it)[45] while ye outward Court of unholy nations lies spiritually unbuilt. These therefore are but several types of one & ye same thing, & by consequence this measuring begins at ye same time wth ye numbring & sealing, yt is presently after ye opening of ye seventh seale; & they who worship in ye measured Temple are ye same wth those saints whose prayers ye Angel in ye solemnity of ye Temple worship presently after ye opening of yt seal offers wth much incense upon ye golden Altar. The sealing of ye servants of God alludes to Ezekiels vision of sealing or marking ye best of ye people in ye commencing Babylonian captivity to be preserved & continue ye remnant of Gods Church in ye times of ye second Temple. And therefore ye sealed lived in ye times of yt Temple, & their sealing as well as ye measuring of yt Temple commences \at/ ye Babylonian captivity. For seing ye Church never ceases but is built up in a new form & seale so soon as demolished in an old one, ye interval between ye fall of ye first Temple & building of ye second is not here to be considered.
There are therefore four contemporary prophesies, ye first begins wth ye four Angels holding ye four winds, ye second wth ye measuring of ye Temple. For as they begin together, so we have already proved yt they end all together at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet. The three first are descriptions of contemporary things done in one & ye same Fast & Feast of Tabernacles, ye fourth is an interpretation of those three & more especially of ye third. For as this was most hidden & therefore most needed an interpretation, so it has most affinity wth ye fourth. For ye prophesies of ye seven Thunders & two witnesses are ye prophesy of one & ye same Angel standing all ye while wth his right foot upon ye sea & his left upon ye left, & of one & ye same opened book first held in ye Angels hand to prophesy, & then eaten by ye Prophet to prophesy again, & they are put also together between ye sixt & seventh Trumpets after ye manner of a sentence within a parenthesis, & therefore like two clauses of such a sentence, have a particular relation of one to another. & seing ye first is a prophesy sealed up, & ye second a prophesying again out of ye same book by way of interpretation, ye relation wch they have one to another must be this yt ye second is an interpretation of ye first. And for this reason 'tis yt ye interpretation begins no higher then wth the times of ye seventh seale. The first of these two prophesies begins wth ye same book newly eaten to prophesy again out of it; ye fist is a prophesy of reading out of that book, ye second a prophesy of yt book in ye Prophets mouth a fit type of reading; in ye very beginning of ye first ye Angel came down & stood upon ye earth & sea, in ye very beginning of ye second ye Angel stood again in ye same posture: And ye Angel stood & Said Arise & measure ye Temple of God &c. The Angel did not go to Iohn to give him ye book, but Iohn went to ye Angel to take it. He kept his place, & when Iohn had eaten ye book, stood up as at first & began to prophesy anew.
The persons prophesying are ye two witnesses. For in those his witnesses doth ye mighty Angel (our High Priest & King) perpetually prophesy. And they in being called two olive trees allude to ye two olive trees or anointed ones in Zachary Chap. 4, yt is to Zerubbabel & Ishua ye Prince & High Priest who read ye law, & in their having power over ye waters to turn ym to blood, & to smile ye earth wth a curse as oft as they will, they allude also to Moses and Aaron ye Prince & High Priest who taught ye people ye Law in ye beginning. Yet are not these witnesses single persons but (like all other persons in ye Apocalyps) have their mystical bodies. The mighty Angel (our High Priest & King) begin Christ has his mystical body & is cloathed wth a cloud of Prophets, & all these compose ye two witnesses. For they are called ye two Candlesticks & two olive trees & therefore are two Churches. For Candlesticks are Churches Apoc. 1.70 & so are olive trees Ier. 11.16, Rom. 11.17, 24. And in being Churches they are ye mystical body of yt Angel distinguished into two Churches by ye double prophetical person he bears of Priest & King & by his two leggs. For ye circumstance of setting his two feet upon ye earth & sea is not insignificant, & if it signify any thing his feet must signify some thing, & what they signify may be learnt from Nebuchadnezzar's Image. For as ye two leggs of yt Image were put to signify ye twofold kingdoms of ye last times ye Greek & Latine Empires, so Christ's mystical body being ye Churches his two leggs must signify ye twofold Church of ye last times, yt is ye churches of ye earth & sea upon wch ye Angel stands wth ye book of ye Law open in his hand to prophesy, or ye Churches diffused through yt earth & sea to whose inhabitants ye Devil came down wth great wrath Apoc. 12. The descent from heaven of ye Angel cloathed wth a cloud & ye ascent of ye two witnesses to heaven in a cloud are evidently relatives by way of opposition & signify ye fall & rise of ye Church or beginning & ending of her law & afflicted condition. For ye prophesy of ye two Churches whereby she is represented during yt condition begins wth ye first & ends wth ye last. In ye representation of these two Churches by ye Angel their original is described but not their end; for 'tis not said wt {sic} became of yt Angel, & in ye representation of ye same Churches by ye two witnesses their end is described but not their beginning; for 'tis not said whence those two witnesses were. Both prophesies apart are incomplete & must be conjoyned to make ye description of ye two Churches entire & perfect. These are ye persons prophesying & they prophesy by teaching & interpreting ye apostolick scriptures. προφητεύειν to prophesy signifies not only to predict & foretell but also to interpret things difficult wch relate to religion as you may see in ye Lexicographers. So Achiors religious discourse is called prophesying Iudeth 6.2, & ye Apostle call ye Poet Epimenides a Prophet Tit. 1.12 & in general he calls expounding ye scriptures prophesying 1 Cor. 14 & Rom. 12.6. So Plutarch in his book of ye defection of Oracles & Plato in his Timæus & Festus use ye word prophesying for interpreting of Oracles & others use it for interpreting of dreams.
The people in ye outward court to whom ye mighty Angel prophesies are here called ye Gentiles or Nations to whom yt Court is given. These tread under foot ye holy city & therefore are enemies to ye Church. And since ye Temple is ye scene of all ye visions, ye outward court wth ye Nation therein & ye earth & sea, on wch ye Angel stands to prophesy to them must represent all ye regions of ye Nations of ye whole earth & sea prophesied against in this book. These are they that dwell upon earth whom the two witnesses tormented by their prophesying & who therefore rejoyced at their death. They of ye peoples & kindreds & tongues & Nations who see their dead bodies three days & an half, ye people of ye great city in whose streets they are slain & lye dead, ye many peoples, & Nations, & tongues & Kings before whom ye Prophet is sent to prophesy again. For he prophesies in ye two witnesses to those Nations. The place is either ye streets of ye great city, yt is its dition & provinces, or ye outward court of ye Temple. In respect of ye Angel's standing upon ye earth & sea to read ye Law in all places (as well in ye synagogues as in ye Temple) ye two witnesses prophesy in ye streets of ye great city. In respect of Laws being read in ye Temple ye Nations are placed in ye outward court. For it was read in ye court of ye people, & yt court was ye outward court in Solomon's Temple.
The seven Thunders are not only ye articulate voices of reading & prophesying, but also signify wars, namely those to wch ye Trumpets sound, & those wars are described in ye prophesy of ye two witnesses by fire proceeding out of their mouths. Thunder fire & blowing of Trumpets are all of them types of war; & ye war represented by all these is of one & ye same kind. For it is occasioned by ye loud cry of ye oppressed Church, & is inflicted upon her enemies. For as ye fire proceeds out of ye mouth of ye two witnesses or Churches, so ye Thunders are ye voices of ye cloud wherewith ye Angel or Church is cloathed, & the Trumpets are blown by ye seven Angels of ye seven Churches, their mystical bodies are those Churches. The seven Angels, ye cloud, & ye two witnesses are all of then types of ye same prophetick people, & do all of them send out of their mouths ye symbols of ye wars. Tis in answer to ye two first yt ye fire comes out of ye mouth of ye last. In ye prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets where Christ is represented by Lamb with seven horns & seven eyes which are ye seven spirits of God or seven Angels, his mystical body ye Church is represented sevenfold by those seven Angels sounding ye Trumpets. In ye prophesy of ye open book where he is represented by a mighty Angel standing wth his right foot on ye sea & his left foot on ye earth, his mystical body in respect of his two eyes & two feet is represented (as we said) by two witnesses. In both cases Christ is ye same & his mystical body the Church is the same, thô in several respects represented by several numbers. In what respect this Church is represented sevenfold & in what two fold shal be explained hereafter. This Church thunder & breaths out fire & blows ye Trumpets to these wars not by faction & sedition but by calling for ye divine vengeance upon her persecutors in such a manner ye soules of ye Martyrs under ye Altar cryed out wth a loud voice How long O Lord holy & true dost thou not judge & avenge our blood on them yt dwell on ye earth Apoc. 6.10. For if any Man will hurt ye witnesses fire proceeds out of their Mouth & devoureth their enemies, & if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed, yt is as oft as they are hurt by their persecuting enemies their blood crys out for vengeance. For he yt leadeth into captivity must go into captivity, & he yt killeth wth ye sword must be killed wth ye sword here is ye patience of ye faith of ye saints Apoc. 13.10.
I have here considered ye fire wch comes out of ye mouth of ye two witnesses wth respect in general to ye wars of ye Thunders or Trumpets. But yet it seems to have a more particular respect to ye war of ye first Trumpet. For there this fire is cast upon ye earth & ye third part of ye trees are burnt up. In ye second Trumpet or Thunder ye two witnesses exercise their power over ye waters to turn ym to blood & in ye rest of ye Trumpets & Thunders they smite ye earth wth all plagues as often as they will. And thus in a few words is described both generally & particularly how ye witnesses execute ye plagues of the Trumpets & Thunders upon their enemies. For these enemies in being ye people of ye earth & sea upon wch ye Angel stood wth ye book open in his hand to prophesy, they are ye earth & sea upon wch ye plagues of ye two first Trumpets fell: and in being ye Nations \in/ of ye outward court wch was left out unmeasured they are those of ye twelve Tribes left who were left out unsealed, & on whom ye plagues of ye Trumpets fell as is exprest both in ye fift Trumpet & in Ezekiels vision of sealing or marking a few & learning out ye rest to be slain by ye six men answering to ye Angels of ye first six Trumpets. And thus ye prophesies agree also in ye subject of ye plagues.
So then in all ye times of ye seventh seale there are but two sorts of people described, ye true Church & her enemies; ye first in an afflicted condition, ye last prosperous & potent; & these two are described under various types. They are represented first by ye twelve Tribes of Israel distinguished into two parts, ye sealed servants of God, & ye unsealed multitude; then by ye Angel wth ye book open in his hand & by ye earth & sea upon wch he stands; afterwards by those yt worship in ye measured Temple, & by ye Nations in ye outward unmeasured Court; also by ye holy city & by ye same nations who tread it down; then by ye two witnesses & ye Nations or great city to whom they prophesy; & lastly by Christ crucified & ye same city crucifying him. For in calling ye great city Sodom & Egypt where also our Lord was crucified, ye people of yt city are compared not only to the unclean & persecuting Gentiles of Canaan & Egypt, but also to ye Iews who crucified Christ, & ye two witnesses slain in their streets are compared to Christ crucified.
Sec. IV.
The interpretation of ye Seales & Trumpets
The first part of the interpretation
Hitherto I have explained ye Prophesy of ye Book in ye Prophets mouth. This & ye prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets and both together wth ye sounding of ye last Trumpet, & then begins ye bitter prophesy of ye same Book in ye Prophets belly, wch Prophesy is a repetition of ye whole Prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets by way of interpretation. The last Trumpet sounds to ye day of judgment, & ye description of yt day ends wth these words; Thy wrath is come & ye time of ye dead yt they should be judged & yt thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants ye Prophets & to ye saints & to ym yt fear thy name both small & great, & shouldst destroy ym yt destroy ye earth. And ye repetition begins wth ye next words, And ye Temple of God was opened in heaven. As ye prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets began wth a door opened in heaven through wch ye Prophet might see ye ensuing visions there so doth ye repetition. A door is opened in ye Temple of heaven to let ye Prophet see ye ensuing Visions of ye woman & dragon there. For these appear in heaven & heaven is every where in this Prophesy put for ye Temple of heaven. For it is to be conceived yt ye war between Michael & ye Dragon was above in ye inner court of ye Temple of heaven yt ye Dragon was cast out \thence/ into ye outward court, yt ye heavens & they that dwell in them \who/ are led to rejoyce it this victory are ye Saints who worship in ye Inner court Apoc. 8.3 & 11.1 & are now freed from ye tyranny of ye persecuting Dragon there, yt ye inhabitants of ye Earth & Sea to whom ye Dragon comes down are ye Nations to whom ye outward court is given Apoc. 11.2, & to whom ye Mighty Angel prophesied in yt court standing there upon ye Earth & Sea (Apoc 10.2, 3 & 11.3,) yt ye ten horned Beast & two horned Beast arose in yt court out of ye Sea & Earth upon wch ye Angel stood, yt ye woman fled \through that court/ into yt wilderness into wch ye Scape Goat used to be led, yt in ye beginning of her flight ye Dragon cast out waters as a flood after her \in that court/ thence, & yt ye well of ye abyss out of wch ye Locusts ascended & into wch ye Dragon was cast was ye common sink or shore of ye Temple. For this was an abyss of uncleanness & at ye foot of ye Altar had a mouth like a well wth a stone cover to it.
The woman in heaven is plainly ye Church of God, because her seed keep ye commandments of God and have the testimony of Iesus Apoc. 12.1, 17. By ye Sun wherewith she is conteined; by yt moon under her feet ye Pontifical power of ye kingdom trampled upon by her, & by the twelve stars wherewith she is crowned ye Bishops & Presbyters of ye Church successors of ye twelve Apostles. For ye Sun Moon & Stars together signify all ye powers & parts of a kingdome: & therefore if ye Stars signify ye Princes of ye Church, ye Sun & Moon are to signify ye rest; ye Sun being the King wth his mystical body ye kingdom, & ye Moon being ye Pontifex Maximus wth his mystical body of Priests & others his subjects in religious affairs.
The great red Dragon,, since his heads are crowned, & he makes war & persecutes ye woman or Church, & gives his power & throne & great authority to ye Beast, plainly signifies a Kingdom as Beasts in prophesy generally do, & this kingdom is hostile to ye Church, & by his persecuting her must be yt kingdom through wch she is diffused, signified before by ye Sun. His seven crowned heads signify his reign under seven successive Kings or Dynasties as is explained in ye like heads of ye Beast Apoc. 17 & so answer to ye seven successive Dynasties of ye seven seales. For these in ye Apocalyptic language are Kings. The four first are represented by horsmen, & a horsman in ye prophetic language is a King, riding being put for reigning & ye hors for ye people of ye Kingdom, & therefore if all ye seven heads be of a kind, they are seven successive Kings. And yt they are so will appear by ye prophetical history of ye woman & Dragon, for therein are ye three last seales repeated & described by three successive Kings of ye Dragon whereof ye third is ye Dragons seventh head as you will understand by considering ye repetition of ye whole prophesy in order as follows.
The prophesy of ye seales began wth ye opening of a door in heaven, & wth ye throne of God set in heaven wch ye Prophet saw through ye door, & wth lightnings & thunderings & voices proceeding out of ye throne (Apoc. 4.1, 2, 5) & ye repetition begins wth ye like visions in these words: And ye Temple of God was opened in heaven & there was seen in his Temple ye Ark of his Testament, & there were lightnings & voices & thundrings & an earth quake & great hail. In this repetition & door of ye Temple is put for ye door of heaven, & ye Ark for ye throne of God by way of explication, & so confirms ye interpretation of yt door & throne we gave above. To ye lightnings & thundrings & voices wch there came out of ye throne, & only allude to ye sacrifices of ye Temple, are here added earthquakes & great hail to inculcate yt here they are prophetick, & consequently typifie ye first wars of ye prophesy, yt is ye wars of ye four horsmen wth wch ye prophesy begins. For those horsmen are warriors, the first having a bow, & going forth conquering & to conquer, ye second having a great sword, & all of them having armies typified by ye four Beasts. For those Beasts being squadrons of men encamped each under banners, may when conjoyned with ye horsmen fitly typifie their armies, ye same type in divers respects & circumstances having divers significations. And thus each horsman with his hors & one of ye four Beasts will represent a Soveraign Commander or Emperour wth his Empire & army.
After ye wars of ye Kingdom follow ye affairs of ye Church, & these begin to be described in ye fift seale & in ye vision of ye woman and Dragon. In ye fift seale is described a great persecution of ye Church there appearing under ye Altar (yt is at ye foot of it were ye sacrifices were slain) ye soules of them yt were slain for ye word of God by those yt dwell on ye Earth against whom they cry for vengeance. And this persecution is repeated by ye womans crying in pain of travail, & by ye Dragons drawing ye third part of ye Stars (or Saints) of heaven wth his tail (or army of Souldiers & Magistrates) & casting them to ye Earth: of wch persecution ye woman's being cloathed wth ye scorching hot Sun is also a very proper Emblem. Now where ye history of ye Dragon & woman begins, there ought we to begin ye reign of one of ye Kings or heads of ye Dragon, & so this King falls in wth ye fift seale, & is ye fift King reconing ye horsmen for ye first four.
In ye sixt seale is described ye overthrow of ye persecuting idolatrous Kingdom ye Stars wch there fall like figgs & ye Men wch had hid themselves being Idols & ye Mountains & Rocks idol Temples, & ye Sun & Moon wch are smitten being ye Priesthood Kingdom and Priesthood. And this is repeated by ye overflow & dethroning of ye Dragon (yt old Serpent called ye Devil & Satan who deceiveth ye whole world) & his Angels by Michael & his Angels who overcome them by ye blood of ye Lamb, & by ye word of their Testimony, wch they gave in ye preceeding persecution wherein they loved not their lives unto ye death. And now ye Dragon being cast down to ye earth from his old throne in heaven begins a new reign among ye inhabitants of ye Earth & Sea, whereupon a wo is denounced to them: Wo be to ye inhabitants of ye Earth & Sea, because ye Devil is come down amongst you, here then begins a new head of ye Dragon. For the better understanding of wch it is to be conceived yt ye Manchild succeeded ye Dragon in his throne in heaven, being then caught up to God & his throne, yt is \to/ ye throne of ye kingdom, when ye Dragon was cast down. For so soon as he was caught up ye woman fled into ye wilderness Apoc. 12. v. 5, 6) & thither she fled not till after ye Dragon was cast down v. 14. As every Child is of ye same kind wth his Parents, so ye Manchild must be a body of ye same kind wth ye Woman, ye difference of sex only excepted, & therefore not a single person but a body of men, a masculine body of Christians as she is a feminine, & consequently When therefore the saints enter into ye outward temple to worship God {illeg} {illeg} be sealed with his seale then do the nations enter into ye outward Court to receive worship the Beast & his Image & receive his mark. For things related to one another by way of opposition are always synchronal. In the times In the time of this worship was ye sacrifice of Gods lot offered upon the Altar & therefore the temple & altar & they that worship therein are now measured whilst ye outward court is left mea out & not measured. For this measuring (as I said) {illeg} \denotes/ the same thing with sealing & numbring & sealing ye servants of God & leaving all rest unsealed. >The temple & they that worship therein are the holy City hence forth troden underfoot of ye Gentiles & {illeg} & therefore called ye Wilderness in in ye language of the Prophets, The Altar & the Gentiles wch tread it under foot {illeg} & worship in ye outward Court {illeg} ye {illeg}are woman in that wilderness afterwards described there upon the {illeg} beast The Altar Altar sign frees the presbyters or witnesses of Iesus those that have his testimony & so are ye {illeg} two witnesses or ye two were then {illeg}for not worshipping the Beast & his angel & so {illeg} two witnesses. \{illeg}/ For those witnesses are ye Candlesticks that is the & olive tree that is ye Churches of God & being first mentioned at the measuring of Temple & Altar & them that worship therein that is at ye numbring of & sealing the servants of God commence at ye opening of ye seventh seal, & so are all one wth ye remnant of ye womans seed where ye Dragon now had ye testimony of Iesus & therefore all one wththe holy City Altar & Temple & Holy City \& sealed servants of God & remnant of ye womans seed given to several spirits to/ All these are but several {illeg}of one & the same thing in several respects |And the temple & altar wch were measuring denotes one of ye same thing are mythical & denote one & ye saints sing who worship in it called in thereby made a next words the holy City & the other the martyrs who are sacrificed upon it called in the next words the two {illeg} martyrs or witnesses {illeg} For these witnesses are not single persons but the churches of God because in ye next words they call are called Candlesticks. For Candlesticks are Churches Apoc. 1. So then these witnesses & the Altar & Temple & they that worship therein are all holy City & the sealed servants of God & remnant of ye womans seed are but severall names given in several respects to one & the same people of God & in so many respects| & in so many respects they are opposed to is ye apostasy opposed to them under several names \as many names & considerations./ To ye two \prophesying/ witnesses is opposed the \two horned/ fals Prophet {illeg} to ye holy City the great city \of ye nations wch treads it under foot that great city/ Babylon, to the \measured/ Temple & altar & them that worship therein the unmeasured outward court & the nations who worship in it & by persecutions & murders tred under foot ye holy city, to the sealed servants of God the unsealed twelve tribes \who receive ye mark of ye Beast/ & to ye remnant of ye womans seed seed {sic}. Who keep ye commandmts of God, the \& are slain for not worshipping ye Image/ all those that turn aside from those \commandments/ to he keep ye commandments of ye fals Prophet & \Image/ of that Image wch speaking Image {illeg} wch speaks as an Oracle. All these things are related to one another by way of opposition & therefore are synchronal. The great Apostasy \together with the two wicked Beasts/ arose at the opening of ye seventh seal & therefore the Prophet is very elaborate in ye description of the things wch belong to this period.
Now a \So then the vision of/ ye 144000 sealed servants of God \& of the Lamb opening the seals/ is repeated & interpreted in ye remnant of ye womans seed who receive not ye mark & name of ye Beast but immediately after ye servants of God are {illeg} worshippers of the Beast & of his image have marks received his mark & name receive the ma stand on Mount Sion wth ye \Lamb & have/ name of God in their foreheads, & are in number 144000. By this standing on Mount Sion they are known to be Israelites & therefore were \numbered &/ marked wth ye name of God out of the twelve tribes as ye others were numbered & sealed out of then. Whence the rest who receive the mark of the Beast are ye rest of the twelve tribes, such as say they are Iews & are not & worship in ye outward Court of ye Temple but by worshipping ye Dragon & Beast are become ye Synagogue of Satan \as has been shewed/. The 144000 stand with ye Lamb on mount Sion & by a sequence in ye Temple where the Lamb was, |&| opened ye seals. For there all ye visions appear & there they sing the new song before the throne & before the four Beasts & ye Elders &c. – – – as shall be proved hereafter -- that plague fell upon the men who had the mark of ye Beast & worshipped his Image, & these have this Apoc 16 & therefore the twelve Tribes as many as were not sealed \wch ye seale of God or name of God/ receive the mark \& name/ of the Beast. The \twelve tribes or/ Church there as I said above was b became now divided \separated/ into two parts. \the one Gods {illeg} the other the/ between God & ye Beasts & at the separating of the one from ye other each part received the mark \or name/ of his master in their foreheads, & {illeg} from then forward {illeg} worshipped him whose mark & name he had received. And thence ye worshippers of the Beast are called the synagogue of ye Bea Satan who say they are Iews & are not but do lye.
So then \Now from these things I gather first that it's evident first that/ at ye opening of the seventh Seal there is a great Apostasy of the 12 Tribes & |secondly that ye 144000 are excommunicated by the rest & thereby numbered out & separated from them.| the two horned Beast excommunicates all who will not worship Apostates excommunicate the rest & thereby cause a separation of the one from ye other for the two horned Beast wch hath two horns like the Lamb (that is {illeg} ecclesical ones \like a the \Lambs/ seven Churches of Asia Lambs seven horns/ & so is ye Church of ye Apostates) excom causeth all men to receive a mark & that no man might buy or sell save he that had ye mark or ye name of ye Beast or ye number of his name; that is he excommunicates them, & thereby causeth the \aforesaid/ separation of those who will not receive the Beasts mark from those that do receive it. And therefore the 144000 are membered & separated out of ye twelve Tribes & separated from them by excommunication. The two horned Beast
Now from these things I seem to gather, first that at ye opening of the seventh seale there was to be a great Apostasy of ye twelve tribes twelve tribes.
Thirdly that ye \execution of this excommunication commenced with a dissolution of/ Apostates cause ye bodies ecclesiastic of all ye Apostate be dissolved. For such ye dissolution was necessary in order to punishing \banning/ them of all communion, so it is \here/ expressly described |For| the two horned beast can doth greet miracles so yt he causeth fire come down from heaven (that is war from the throne) in the sight of men, & that ye Image he then sets sets {sic} up should speak as an Oracle {sic} & cause that as many as would not worship it should be killed, that is not by a natural death for so ye true church would have been at an end but by a dissolution of their synchronal \societies/ or bodies ecclesiastick \whether/ civil or ecclesiastic So then those that were killed & those that were prohibited buying & selling & those that immediately after stand on mount Sion are one & ye same men in different respects. For they are all of them the Church whole true Church. And for the same reason they a are \also the same with/ the remnant of ye womans seed whom ye Dragon went to make war upon. |She being the Church catholic her seed \who kept ye vow with God/ were all ye faithfull & all those & none others were killed because all were killed who would not worship ye Image & all worshipped ye beast & his Image whose names were not written in ye book of life.| Fourthly that the temporal sword by which these things are \now/ put in executing is the Dragons. For it was he that at this time went to make war with ye remnant of ye womans seed, And therefore ye martyrs who \& they in that war/ kept ye commandments of God & had ye testimony of Iesus, that is by keeping Gods commandments whilst the multitude fell and of ye twelve tribes fell away to ye worship of the Beast & his Image \by keeping Gods command/ became Gods \his/ witnesses or Martyrs whilst the multitude of the twelve tribes fell away to the worship of the Beast & his Image. |For| the {sic} faithfull martyr Antipas was slain where Satan dwelleth, that is in ye Kingdom of ye Dragon yt old serpent called the Devil and Satan.
So then at the great devastation of ye Church opening of ye seventh Seal the saints fell into \great/ affliction & therefore this time \(as was shewed above) {illeg}/ is represented \there/ by the great Fast or ye day of expiation {illeg} wherein ye prayers of ye \afflicted/ saints are offered \with incense/ upon ye golden altar & in allusion to the two goats on whose heads ye high Priest laid ye names of God & Azazel sending ye lot of Azazel into ye wilderness laden with the sins of ye people, & sacrificing ye Lords lot, the twelve tribes are sealed \in their foreheads/ partly wth ye seale & name of God in their foreheads & partly wth ye mark of the & name of the Beast & whilst the one goes away into the Wildernesse ye other is sacrificed in ye war wch ye Dragon made upon them, |& so becomes the Martyr Antipas..|
\The worshipping God in/ As the seal of God is opposed to ye mark of the Beast so the worship {sic} of God in this Fast is opposed to the worship of the Beast & his Image, & therefore all these are synchronal.
\first/ four Angels \of ye first four Trumpets/ holding ye four winds \there was/ as the th>Fs being done at ye opening of the seventh seale of the first four Trumpets holding the four winds wherewith they were \at ye sounding of those Trumpets/ to hurt ye earth & ye sea & the trees: in those trumpets And these & upon their appearance the {illeg} 144000 servants of God are numbred \out of ye 12 Tribes/ & sealed in their foreheads. And \Now/ these things being done at the opening of ye seventh seal wch is one of ye main periods in all ye Apocalyps, they answer to divers contemporary things & first to ye fl womans flying into ye wilderness & having a remnant of her seed. wch keep the commandmts of God & have the testimony of Iesus For the Woman twelve tribes out of wch are the Church catholic & consequently \answer to/ the Woman crowned wth a crown of 12 stars, & the servants of God numbered \& sealed/ out of the tribes answer to ye remnant of ye womans seed who keep the commandments of God. The numbering & sealing a few out of all the tribes denotes a division of the church into two parts: the maine body select number of sealed ones & ye main body \rest/ left unsealed: & the like division \of ye Church/ is signified by the Woman's flying into the Wildernesse & leaving a remnant of her seed For she fled \from ye face of ye serpent/ into ye wilderness \into her place in ye wilderness/ that they should feed \& nourish/ her there (that is in luxury as ye Merchants fed the great Whore) while her seed kept ye commandments of God into ye wilderness \of the saints/ that t unto her place \of honour there/ that they should feed & nourish her there, that is \she fled from persecution/ into ye region where ye true Church was laid wast \wilderness of the saints barren of that the saints (who are ye green trees )/ unto her dignity place of honour \& glory there/ & glory dignity that they should Merchants of ye Earth should feed |her| luxuriously (as they did ye great Whore) while the remnant of her seed kept the commandments of {illeg} God & under ye under ye persecuting Dragon had ye testimony of Iesus. So then there is ye like division of the Church catholic \into two parts/ in both places prophesies & therefore the prophesies answer to one another.
In the next place appear theIn the next place the \said/ things done at ye opening of ye seventh seal answer to ye beginning of the seventh head of ye Dragon & Beast & consequently to the time when the Beast rose out of the Sea & ye Dragon gave him his throne & power & great authority. For when the Dragon left his old throne his former reign or head ceased & a new one began & the Beast wch rose out of ye abyss or Sea he is ye eighth & of ye seven. But of this more hereafter.
In the third {illeg} place they answer \most plainly/ to the mark two horned Beasts causing all men to receive the mark \or name/ or name of ye Beast or number of his name When the 144000 servants of God were sealed in their foreheads then did the rest receive ye mark \& name number/ of ye Beast \in their foreheads or right hands/. {illeg} For these are opposites & therefore synchronal. And therefore so soon as the Beasts are \servants of the Beast/ are marked the \144000 sealed ones/ other appear on mount Sion wth ye name of God in their foreheads & to ye 144000 & to ye 144000 on mount Sion wth ye name of God in their foreheads. When the 144000 servants of God are numbred wth sealed the {illeg} in their foreheads & numbered, then do the servants of ye beast receive his mark \or name/ in their foreheads or {illeg} \his name &/ number: \for/ & immediately after \do/ the 144000 \sealed ones/ stand on mount Sion wth the name of God in their foreheads. The sealing ye one & marking the other are opposites & therefore synchronal. When ye|The| servants of God were sealed that they might before the \four/ winds {illeg} hurt ye earth & sea & trees \in ye Trumpets/ that they might escape being hurt & therefore ye rest of the Tribes who were not sealed were the men hurt by those winds. Go the For it is exprest that ye plague of ye fift Trumpet fell upon ye men who had not ye seal of God in their foreheads. Now So then \the men upon whom/ the plague of the first wind or Trumpet fell upon the re \were those/ who had not the seal of God in their foreheads Now this plague Now the plague of this Trumpet is the same wth that of the first Vial. a Christian Kingdom. This Kingdom ye Dragon endeavoured to devour so soon as it was born, & thereupon arose ye war in heaven. 'Twas improper to represent a Child a Warrior, & therefore his Angel Michael is put in his stead. For in what respect ye Kingdom of the Dragon is called by ye name of his Angel yt old Serpent ye Devil & Satan in the same respect is ye Kingdom of ye Manchild called by ye name of his between their Angels, Michael & his Angels fighting against ye old Serpent & his Angels. And upon ye Dragon's being cast down to signify yt ye Manchild was then caught up to ye throne, there was heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now is come salvation & strength & ye Kingdom of our God. So then ye succession of ye Manchild puts an end to ye reign of ye Dragon in heaven, & wth his new reign on Earth amongst ye inhabitants of ye Earth or sea begins a new dynasty or head. For ye Dragon a little after gave ye Beast his throne & power & great authority, & therefore reigned on Earth after he was cast down. Seing therefore yt at ye opening of ye sixt seale this fall of ye idolatrous Kingdom is described, ye sixt had of ye Dragon will fall in wth ye times of yt seale.
In ye next place appear ye four Angels of ye first four Trumpets holding ye four winds wherewith they were in those Trumpets to hurt ye Earth & Sea & trees. And their first appearance being synchronal to ye opening of ye seventh seale answers to ye beginning of ye seventh head, & consequently to ye time when ye Beast rose out of ye Sea, & ye Dragon gave him his throne & power & great authority. For when ye Dragon left his old throne, his former reign or head ceased & a new one began. But of this more hereafter.
#are servants of God are sealed that is those who now serve God in his Temple & thereby are opposed to the {sic} \rest/ who now worship the Dragon & ye Beast & his Image & for that reason are left unsealed. For at ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ {illeg} the opening of ye seventh seal there was silence in heaven for half an hour & during that silence the prayers of the saints were offered upon the golden Altar up to God wth incense on the golden altar: & to this worship of God in the Temple is opposed mens beginning now to worship the beast & his Image. For these are the Gentiles or nations the \to whom/ the outward court \of the temple/ was now given for their worship. When therefore the saints enter into the inward Temple to worship God, then do the nations enter into the outward court to worship the beast & his Image. For things related to one another as opposites are always synchronal. At that time the Image spake & caused yt as many as would not worship it should be killed, that is mystically by a dissolution of their bodies ecclesiastic & thereby all the saints became ye martyrs or witnesses of Iesus that is the two Martyrs or Martyrs or Witnesses. For those witnesses are the Candlesticks yt is the Churches of God, & being first mentioned at the opening \measuring/ of the Temple & Altar & them that worship therein that is at ye numbring of the saints whose prayers are offered up wth incense, commence with the opening of the seventh seal. For when the saints worshipped in the temple then were these martyrs offered up a sacrifice to God upon the Altar. For the Temple & Altar wch were measured are mystical & signify the one {illeg} that \saints who/ worship upon in it called in the next words the holy city & the other these that \the martyrs who/ are sacrificed upon it, called in ye next words the {illeg} \two/ martyrs or witnesses of Iesus {illeg} two martyrs or witnesses. Now these martyrs or witnesses are the remnant of the womans seed who kept the commandments of Iesus & when she fled away into ye spiritually barren wilderness, & whom the Dragon then went to make war with. For now at the sentence of the speaking Image it si to be conceived that the Dragon makes that war upon them & kills them. For in that war it is to be conceived they keep the commandments of God & have the testimony of Iesus that is b are his witnesses or martyrs. \As many as would not worship the image are killed & by consequence all the remnant of the womans seed. She being ye Church catholic her seed were all the faithfull & therefore \they were/ all yt were \killed// So then the Prophet after the Dragon went to make war with the remnant of the womans seed is very large in the description of things done at the opening of the seventh seal & spends all his time therein till he has told how the Image of the Beast was made & till by speaking causes the all those to be killed who will not worship it. For this period is a very notable one & therefore deserved to be elaborately described. And having noted the time of all these things I now proceed.
While these Angels hold the winds the 144000In the next place therefore the 144000 servants of God are \numbred &/ sealed -- -- # While those angels hold ye swords ye 144000 servants of God are \numbred &/ sealed# in their foreheads out of all ye tribes of Israel \& there by separated from the rest/ and this is repeated \partly by the separation of the Church into the woman & her seed,/ partly by ye opposite marke or name \& number/ of ye Beast wch ye two horned Beast causeth \all/ ye wicked to receive in their foreheads & right hands \in opposition to the s{illeg} d{illeg} numbered & sealed saints/ & partly by ye 144000 standing immediately after on mount Sion wth ye name of God on their foreheads: wch have ye seale of God \& are numbred by his number/ & those wch have ye mark \& number/ of ye Beast are related to one another by way of opposition: ye one must be sealed when ye other were marked. By their standing on mount Sion they are known |to be Israelites, & therefore were marked with the name of God out of the twelve Tribes, Where the rest who as the others were sealed out of them. Whence the rest who receive the mark of the Beast are the rest of the twelve tribes, such as say they are Iews & are not but & worship in the outward court of the Temple but by worshipping the Beast Dragon & Beast are become the synagogue of Satan. The 144000 stand with the lamb {illeg} \once/ mount Sion & by consequence in the Temple where the Lamb was. For there - - -| to be Israelites. \They stand with the Lamb in the Temple on this mount/ in ye Temple. For {sic} there all ye Visions appear, & there they sing the new ‡ song ‡ song before the throne & before ye four beasts & the elders, wch song no man could learn but themselves. They are therefore ye Quire of the Temple wch sang ye sacred song in ye time of the sacrifices, & so are contemporary to ye sacrifices to wch ye seven Trumpets sound \as the sealed servants of God also are/. For Iohn hears them there as ye voice of many waters & as ye voice of a great thunder & the voice of harpers harping wth their harps, & singing this new song: all wch is a plain description of the musick of the Temple as we shewed above.
In the next place appears an innumerable multitude wth palms in their hands, coming out of the great tribulation; suppose that tribulation wch Matthew describes to follow the preaching of the Gospel to all nations in the end of the world Matt. 24. And in like manner in the repetition after the preaching of the gospel to all nations Apoc 14.6 there is a great tribulation first ushered in wth an inhibition to worship the Beast & his Image vers. 9, & wth these exclamations, Here is ye patience of the saints, here are they that keep ye Commandments of God & the faith of Iesus Blessed are the dead wch dy in the Lord vers 12,13; & then described by ye Harvest of ye Earth vers 14. For ye first fruits of this Harvest were ye 144000 sealed servants of God vers 4, & ye Harvest must be of ye same kind wth ye first fruits, & consequently a holy people reaped or cut down by persecution. And therefore as in ye like Parable of ye harvest in Matt. 13 Christ commands Christ commands ye reapers to gather the wheat into his barn, so here ye Son of man reaps ye Harvest wth a sharp sickle to shew yt it is his. And as ye tribulation is described by the harvest, so the delivery of the Palm-bearing multitude out of it is described by the ensuing vintage of ye wicked who are cut down wth another sharp sickle & whose blood comes out of the wine press of the wrath of God to ye hors bridles of ye Victors. For as the palms in the hands of ye great multitude are an Emblem of victory & triumph, so ye vintage denotes a great victory of ye saints over the wicked obtained by ye armies of him who smites ye nations & treadeth ye winepress of ye fierceness & wrath of almighty God, \(Apoc. 19.15)/ as shall be explained hereafter.
The second part of the interpretation
After this Palm-bearing multitude ye Prophet sees ye seven Angels wch stood before God & to them were given seven Trumpets upon ye sounding of wch there ensued seven great plagues \of war/: all wch the Prophet \(next after ye Vintage)/ thus repeats, I saw saith he another sign in heaven great & marvellous seven Angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up ye wrath of God. For these are called the seven last plagues to signify that they are ye last mentioned plagues wherewith ye two witnesses smite ye earth as often as they will, or ye plagues of ye last times & ye same wth ye prophesy of ye seals & trumpets whereof ye last is inflicted at ye sounding of ye last Trumpet. The seven seales are ye first plagues inflicted upon ye Iews heathens & true Christians & the seven Trumpets or Thunders the last inflicted upon ye Apostates of ye last times. πληγη is properly such a plague inflicted by |striking a stroke or wound & thence is sometimes taken for slaughter: so that ye seven last plagues are plagues of war or plagues of sounding to war |or plagues of trumpets sounding to war| & therefore they are joyned wth them who get a victory thereby. These plagues fall upon ye Beast (chap. 16.2, 10, 13, 19) & tis over him that ye Victors get the victory.|
In the time of ye plagues of ye Trumpets, a mighty Angel cloathed wth a multitude) stood upon the Sea & earth & when the seven thunders of that cloud had uttered their voices, sware that in ye days of the voice of ye seventh Angel when he should begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished, that is the Kingdoms of ye world should then become the Kingdoms of God & Christ & they should be destroyed who destroyed ye earth, as is explained at ye sounding of that Trumpet. And this is repeated in the vision of ye Sea of glass & of them that get ye victory over the Beast & over his Image standing on the sea of glass \with harps/ & singing the song of Moses & the Lamb. For the Trumpets sound to ye wars wherein they get the victory & their song \wth Harps is the Temple musick & by consequence/ the voice of ye seven thunders overthrown For you are to conceive that these Victors stand at ye last gate of ye Priest's court where ye Quire of ye Temple used to stand & yt ye Prophet standing at ye east gate of ye outward Court sees them there wth their feet standing as it it {sic} were upon ye top of the great brazen sea & that this sea appears mingled wth ye fire of ye Altar through wch the Prophet sees it. By ye posture therefore of these victors & by their singing wth Harps you may know that they are ye Quire of the Temple singing at ye burnt sacrifices there offered & by consequence their song is the voice \of one or more/ of the seven thunders & that ye wars in wch they get ye victory are \one or more of/ those signified by the \burnt/ sacrifices at wch ye Trumpets \always/ sounded & |ye| Quire sang alternately, yt is the wars \of one or more/ of ye seven Trumpets here called the seven last plagues, & chiefly the war of the last \expressly/ described in the last, {illeg} where ye spirits of ye Dragon Beast & fals Prophet gather the Kings of ye earth & of ye whole world to ye battel of ye great day of God Almighty & ye cities of ye nations fall as you may understand \also/ by ye song it self wch concludes thus: For all nations shall come & worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest, that is the judgments of ye seven plagues mentioned immediately before This song is called the song of ye Lamb to intimate & sung wth harps to intimate that it is the song of the 144000 wch stand on mount Sion ye Lamb & sing a new song wth harps chap. 14 wch song we told you was that that wch they sung in ye Temple at ye sacrifices of ye Trumpets & Thunders. Tis also called the song of Moses to insinuate that in the Victor's standing on ye sea of glass mingled wth fire whose colour is red, the Israelites standing on \passing over/ the frozen red sea (Exod. 15.8) are alluded unto & yt the Beast over whom they get ye victory is that Beast wch makes war upon the two witnesses in ye streets of ye great city spiritually called Egypt (Apoc. 11.8) & yt ye Victors are ye mystical body of ye two witnesses, Moses & Aaron who turn ye waters of this Egypt into blood & smite the land thereof with all plagues as often as they will (vers 6) untill in the last plague, after ye Beast has hurt them in the war wch he was to make upon them, their enemies be devoured by ye fire wch comes (as it were) out of their mouth (vers 5) & is mingled wth ye sea of glass & then for this victory & final deliverance of Gods people out of bondage they sing the song of Moses. So then they plague their enemies wth many wars but get the victory in the last. For tis \properly/ in respect of ye grea battel of ye great day of God Almighty at ye last Vial \(ch. 16.14)/ that they are said to get ye victory. of over ye Beast For in that Battel & not before the Beast is vanquished & ye cities of ye nations fall, {illeg} as shall be explained hereafter. |Yet do they before this time get a spiritual victory over ye worship of ye Beast & over his image & over the number of his name: For there are those who in all ye Epistles to ye seven Churches are said to overcome it. But in ye last Vial they get a victory both spiritual & temporal & become triumphant the Church triumphant {illeg} represented by the Palm-bearing multitude.|
cloathed wth a cloud (that is ye mystical body of ChristWhen ye Prophet is to describe collateral things, his method is to interweave them. So here to signify that the vision of the Victors is collateral to that of \one or more of/ ye seven plagues \Angel/, he interweaves them, mentioning first ye appearance of ye seven Angels with them, mentioning first ye appearance of ye seven Angels with their plagues & then describing the vision of the Victors & their song & afterwards returning to describe in a new vision the history of ye seven Angels from their very first appearance in these words. And after these things I looked & behold the Temple of ye Tabernacle of ye Testimony in heaven was opened & ye seven Angels came out of ye Temple having the seven plagues. When ye Temple was opened that they might come out & be seen then was their first appearance, & therefore the Victors come after are later then ye opening of ye Temple & so \they/ fall in wch ye Vials, We said that these pla |or with \sing {illeg}/ the last of them follow the wch ye last of them. For tis by the seven plagues that they get the victory.|
We said that these plagues are a repetition of ye plagues of ye Trumpets. For as the Angels sounding the Trumpets are the Priests sounding at ye Iewish sacrifices, so ye Angels \inflicting {illeg} ye seven plagues &/ pouring out their golden Vials of wrath are the Priests \offering seven burnt sacrifices &/ pouring out the drink offerings of those sacrifices out of ye golden vials of the Temple. For by their being cloathed with white linnen & having their Breasts girded wth golden girdles, wch was ye Priests habit & by their coming out of the Temple which none entred into but Priests it is evident that they are Priests serving in the Temple & by consequence that in pouring out their golden Vials they offer drink offerings. For these Vials as they are of gold likea[46] those in ye Temple so they are filled with wine wch was ye b[47] drink offering of ye Iewish sacrifices. For the seventh Vial is called ye cup of ye wine of ye fierceness of the wrath of God & given great Babylon to drink because she made all nations drink out of ye golden cup of ye wine of her fornication, that is in their idolatrous sacrifices to a fals God represented by their worshipping ye Beast & his Image Apoc. 16.19 & 14.8, 9, 10. And hence you may learn that whilst all ye Vials are called Vials of God's wrath, the meaning is that they are vials of ye wine of God's wrath. This wine is called the blood of the grapes troden, in ye great winepress of God's wrath (Apoc. 14.20) & therefore ye pouring out ye Vials of wrath is a fit emblem of effusion of ye blood of the wicked nations in ye wars to wch ye Trumpets sound & hath much ye same signification wth treading out ye blood of grapes in a winepress. For this sense is affixt by ye Prophet Ieremy to both these phrases there where he makes all nations drink of ye wine-cup of God's fury that they may be drunken & spue & fall & rise no more because of ye sword wch he will send amongst them & saith yt ye Lord shall roar from on high & give a shout as that tread ye grapes against allye earth inhabitants of ye earth & ye slain of ye Lord shall be at that day from one end of ye earth to ye other end thereof. |Ier. 25. And whilst ye Vials are ye drink offerings of ye sacrifices ye plagues being slaughters must be the sacrifices themselves. For sacrifices are ye proper type of slaughters in war Isa. 34.6 Ier 46.10. Ezek. 39.17, 19. Zeph. 1.7, 8. And thus you may understand how ye Angels had the seven last plagues before they received the Vials. First they had sacrifices & the one of ye four Beasts gave them the Drink offering. To describe the Temple - musick & drink offerings as is done in ye Trumpets Thunders & Vials & omit the sacrifices themselves would have been improper.|
We shewed that the seven Trumpets allude to ye sacrifices of ye seven days of ye feast of Tabernacles & so do ye \plagues &/ Vials. For considering that immediately after ye seven Angels come out of the temple they received their Vials & then the Temple was filled with smoak from the glory of God & from his power so that no man was able to enter into ye Temple untill ye seven plagues of ye seven Angels were fulfilled: the dedication of ye Temple by Solomon is herein plainly alluded unto. For in that dedication so soon as ye Priests had placed ye Ark in ye most holy & came out thence & lift up their voice wth Trumpets & musical instruments to praise the Lord the Temple was filled wth a cloud (1 Kings 8.10, 11, 12) & fire came down from heaven & consumed ye burnt sacrifices & the glory of ye Lord filled ye house, & ye Priests could not enter into ye house of ye Lord because ye glory of ye Lord has filled ye house (2 Chron. 7.1, 2). Now this solemnity of the dedication was kept on ye seven days of ye feast of Tabernacles. For all Israel assembled at the Feast of ye seventh month to bring the Ark into the Temple (1 Kings 8.2. 2 Chron. 5.3) & kept ye dedication of ye Altar seven days & at ye same time they kept ye Feast seven days & in ye eighth day made a solemn Assembly, & on ye three & twentieth day of ye month wch was ye ninth day Solomon sent ye people away 2 Chron. 7.8, 9, 10. The seven days of ye dedication & seven days of ye feast are indeed in respect of ye different sacrifices of the Dedication & Feast reconed distinctly, & in 1 King. 8.65 summed up as if they were fourteen days in all. And thô the Hebrew now extant, by reason of its' great freedom from various lections, be thought by many to be very accurate; yet all the Hebrew copies now extant seem to spring from the first edition of the Hebrew wth point, & to owe their consent with one another to ye great care of conserveing & following this edition ever since, whereby the various lections of former copies have been lost: & therefore ye seventy following an earlier & by consequence a more correct copy are not always to be despised especially since the present Hebrew is inconsistent with with it self. For if Israel assembled one ye Feast or fifteenth day of the month and departed on the three and twentieth day, they stayed but eight days at Ierusalem. Nor indeed does the fast on the tenth day of the month with its preparation days leave room for other seven days of the dedication then those of the feast. Tis true the dedication of the Second Temple was kept on other days then the Feast of Tabernacles, and thence perhaps might the later Iews think it was so in the first Temple, and make some marginal notes in their books to that purpose which might afterwards creep into the text. But their keeping the Dedication eight days with gladness & palm branches in their hands as in the feast of Tabernacles (2 Mac. 10) is a mark of those Feasts being at first the same. So then the seven Vials as well as the seven Trumpets relate to the sacrifices of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and in that respect also they agree and the one are a repetition of the other. In every burnt sacrifice when the drink offering was poured out the Trumpets began to sound, and so they being contemporary circumstances of the same sacrifices are fitly used for one another as equipollent emblems of those sacrifices, each Angel with his Trumpet or Vial being put for the body of all the Priests with their Trumpets & Vials who serve on the Temple on the same day. For in this prophesy every singular person has his mystical body consisting of many persons. And thus the prophesy of the Trumpets being by this repetition of it affixed to the solemnity of the Feast and Dedication together, is made more Emphatical then before; every Trumpet being put for the 120 Trumpets which sounded on each day of the fast, and the sacrifices at which they sounded being the greatest that ever were. For sacrifices offered by fire are a type of slaughter made by war, and therefore the Trumpets sounding seven times to such sacrifices denote seven successive courses of war, & these being ye seven great plagues of ye last times wherein is filled up ye wrath of God upon his enemies, it was fit yt they should be represented by the greatest solemnity of trumpeting & sacrificing yt ever was. And yt ye prophesy of ye Trumpets is thus repeated illustrated & improved in yt of ye vials will further appear by comparing them as follows.
All ✝All The nations considered in this Prophesy are here \The people prophesied of in the Apocalyps are here/ distinguished into three parts, \& these are/ the inhabitants of ye \Heavens of the Earth & the/ Earth & those of ye Sea. (Apoc 12) rejoyce foreigners from whom peace is taken in ye second Seal & who are represented by beasts of the earth in the fourth seal & by the four winds & locusts & Euphratean horsmen in the Trumpets |Rejoyce ye heavens & they that dwell therein, wo be to the inhabitants of the earth & Sea Apoc. 12|. One of these three parts is in the Vials called the Earth, the Sea, the rivers, the Sun, in a strict sense & in the the Trumpets the third part thereof & the third part of men, & in ye prophesy of ye Woman & Dragon in heaven the third part of the stars.
✝The third part of the Interpretation
Now whilst the seven trumpets & seven thunders {illeg}ppe joyntly represent the musick of ye Temple at ye sacrifices & the seven plagues & seven vials are the sacrifices themselves with their drink offerings: we are to conceive that the two last do joyntly & severally answer to ye two first by way of interpretation. & so we have done wth ye seven thunders. And thus much of ye Trumpets & Thunders \seven last plagues/ & seven vials.
The third part of the Interpretation.
In the next place \the Prophet is called to/ the mighty Angel of ye thunders \calls/ Iesus the Prophet & ye Angel gives him the open book to eat & tells him he must prophesy again & then discourses to him about the Babylonian Gentiles who tread down the holy city \& thereby turn it to a wilderness as Babylon did Zion of old Isa 14.17, 64.12 Ier 12.9 Isa. 64.10 & 14.17/ & so are a City opposed to it |& in whose days it rains not to fresh up the barren earth & about the great City of these not seated where ye Lord was crucified that is in the wilderness wch they had made by washing ye Holy City| & about the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit & killeth the witnesses in the streets of this great city Babylon: & \then follows/ about ye fall of the tenth part of the this city (that is of the City then under one of the ten Kings) & the slaying of seven thousand names of men at her fall (that is the dissolution of so many societies) whereat the remnant were affrighted & gave glory to the God of heaven. And all this is plainly repeated in the Wildernes \prophesy of the/ Angel of ye seven Vials who calls the Prophet & to him & carries him away in {illeg} the barren spirit into the barren Wilderness {illeg} & discourses to \shews/ him the whore of Babylon that great City \drunken wth the blood of the witnesses of Iesus/ & the Beast wch ascendeth out of the bottomles pit & discourses to him about them \cap 17/, & in the \following/ solemn description – – – –
The third part of the Interpretation.
In the next place the Prophet is called unto unto the mighty Angel \of the seven thunders/ & the Angel gives him the open book to eat & tells him he must prophesy again & then discourses to him about the Nations who tread under foot ye Holy City & thereby turn it to a wilderness as Babylon did Zion of old Ier 12.10. Isa. 64.10 & 14.17; & about the two Witnesses in whose days it rained not to fructify the spiritually barren earth of this desolate region; & about the great City of the nations seated where ye Lord was crucified, that is in the Wilderness wch they had made by laying the Holy City wast; & about the Beast that ascendeth out of ye bottomless pit & killeth the witnesses in the streets of that great City Babylon. And all this is plainly repeated in the prophesy of the Angel of the seven Vials who calls the Prophet to him & gives him carries him away in the spirit into ye barren wilderness \whether the Holy City represented by the glorious Woman in Heaven was fled by persecution Apoc. 12/ & \there/ shews him both the Whore of Babylon that great City drunken wth ye blood of the witnesses of Iesus & the Beast wch ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, & maketh war with the Lamb & the waters of the many {illeg} many waters wch are peoples & multitudes & nations & tongues & the Whore of Babylon that great City sitting on these drunken wth the blood of the witnesses of Iesus, & the Beast wch ascendeth out of the bottomless pit & makes war wth ye Lamb; & discourses to him about these things.
Afterwards fo in ye Prophesy follows ye fall of the tenth part of that great \great/ City, (that is of the City then under one of the ten Kings,) & the slaying of ye seven thousand names of men at her fall (that is ye dissolution of so many societies) whereat the remnant were affrighted & gave glory to ye God of heaven. And this is repeated in the Interpretation in the solemn description of - - -
The third part of the interpretation
The voices of ye seven Thunders wch should next be considered are sealed up & yt prophesy was interpreted before in ye prophesy of ye two witnesses, & therefore 'tis not interpreted in ye repetition, unless perhaps so far as ye thunders are ye same wth ye Trumpets & so repeated in ye Vials. Next follow ye Babylonian Gentiles who tread down ye holy city & worship in ye outward Court & ye Beast yt ascendeth out of ye bottomless pitt & killeth ye witnesses in ye streets of ye great city Babylon & ye fall of ye 10th part of this city, (yt is of ye city then under one of the ten Kings) & ye slaying of seven thousand Names of Men at her fall (yt is ye dissolution of so many societies) whereat ye remnant were affrighted & gave glory to ye God of heaven. And all this is plainly repeated in ye whore of Babylon, who is called ye great city, & {illeg} Beast wch ascendeth out of ye bottomless pit ch 17, & in ye solemn description of ye fall of Babylon ch. 18 & subsequent voice of much people in heaven saying Alleluia salvation & glory & honour & power unto ye Lord our God, for he hath judged ye great whore & avenged ye blood of his servants at her hand ch. 19. Here in comparing ye fall of ye tenth part of ye city to ye fall of Babylon I conceive ye tenth part of ye city to signify ye city under one of ye ten Kings. For Babylon falls twice. For ye ten Kings eat ye flesh of ye Whore & burn her wth fire yt consume her riches & destroy her by war, & then ye tenth part of ye city falls by ye Euphratean horsmen. For wth its fall ye second wo concludes, proclamation being then made yt ye second wo is past & therefore its fall is a part of ye second wo & consequently effected by ye Euphratean horsmen. And to signify this double fall of ye great city 'tis every where proclaimed twice saying Babylon is fallen is fallen Apoc. 14.8 & 19.2. To wch double fall answers a double conversion of ye people, ye first at ye resurrection \or ascention/ of ye witnesses ye last at ye fall of ye tenth part of ye Great City. For ye feeding of ye woman in ye wilderness is commensurate to ye prophesying of ye {witnesses} both lasting 1260 days & during her being fed in ye {illeg} she {is} ye {Whore} of Babylon, as shall be shewed hereafter.
In ye last place ye seventh Trumpet sounds to ye {battel} of ye great day, & ye kingdoms of this world become ye Kingdoms of Christ & he shal reign for ever, & ye nations were angry ({suppose} in ye war) & Gods wrath then came & ye time of ye dead yt {they} should be judged, & yt God should give reward unto his servants ye {Priests} & to ye saints & destroy them who {destroyed ye earth. All wch is} repeated at {illeg} in ye {armies} of heaven {testify} ye word of God \who comes to smite the nations wth a sharp sword & thenceforward to rule ym wth a rod of iron/ & in ye Beast & Kings of ye earth wth their armies {making war} upon them, & in ye perdition of ye Beast & fals Prophet \in {illeg} the Lake of fire & smiting ye rest of/ smiting over all ye rest \the nations with the sharp sword & imprisoning the Dragon/ & in ye {thrones} & {shew} ye {illeg} on them to whom judgment was given, & in ye first resurrection \{ye Kings judgment ye} {illeg}/ & reign {illeg} in Christ not only one thousand {years} but for ever & ever |For ye general judgment commences wth ye 1000 years of {only} that judgment in Daniel wherein \that book was opened/ the fourth Beast was condemned to the {burning} flames & the {new} heaven & earth then created {being} the new kingdom founded at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet, & the new Ierusalem| wch \{illeg}/ came down from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband being the Lambs wife who marriage was come at ye battel betw \had made herself ready for marriage before the/ war between the Lamb & ye Beast & whose marriage supper was celebrated in that war.
< text from f 45r resumes >The time of ye reign of ye Beast here {considered} is {here} defined There are, saith ye Prophet, seven King, five are fallen & one is {is} & ye other is not yet come & when he cometh he must continue a short space & ye beast yt was & is not even he is ye eight & is of ye seven & goeth into perdition. Prophesy is not of things past or present but of things to come, & therefore this prophesy is not of ye five heads past & ye one present, nor of ye Beast when he was or is not & yet is; but of ye seventh head wch is to come, & of ye Beast when he shall ascend & become ye eight & of ye seven. \It/ begins therefore wth ye seventh head, & ascent of ye Beast out of ye Abyss or sea, yt is wth ye opening of of seventh seale, & consequently wth ye measuring of ye Temple & Altar & so is synchronal to yt prophesy of ye Temple & altar & two Witnesses from ye beginning to ye end.
If it be objected yt according to this interpretation ye first six seals must be opened before ye Prophets days \age/ & so be a prophesy of things then past; I answer No. For ye sayings in what respect it is said of ye Beast yt he as & is not & yet is in ye same it is said of ye heads yt five are fallen & one is. These sayings five are fallen & one is & ye Beast wch was & is not are relatives & do not relate to any actual time but only one another, they being for yt reason put together in one & ye same sentence. And therefore least it should be said yt, Five are fallen & one is doth not answer to ye Beast wch was & is not, he is a little before called ye Beast wch was & is not & yet is, yt is to say in several respects. When five Kings or heads are fallen & ye sixt is, then ye Beast is called ye Beast wch was & is not; & when ye seventh king comes ye Beast, wch was & is not, shall ascend out of ye bottomless pitt. For he is ye eight King & of ye seven, being a collateral part of ye seventh. And so on ye contrary when it may be truly said of ye Beast yt he was & is not & yet is, then it is to be understood of ye heads yt five are fallen & one is. Now all sober Interpreters take ye saying yt ye Beast was & is not to relate not to ye days of ye Prophet, but to ye future vicissitudes of ye Beast & to be only a character of ye Beast in respect of his being at sometime or other wounded to death wth a sword & reviving. Now This wound they seek for long after ye days of the Prophet, & therefore they are also upon ye same grounds to seek for ye sixt head of ye Beast long after those days. When ye Lamb has opened ye last seale of ye prophetick book, then begin ye times of prophesying out of it in ye visions: & therefore this Angel considers ye times of ye sixt seale as present yt his prophesying may respect ye times of the seventh as next to come.
Sect. VIII.
\Allusions to/ The passing of Israel out of Egypt through ye Wilderness into Canaan; |to| Their Idolatry in Canaan, & to ye Babylonian captivity
The sealed prophesy alluding to ye sanctuary & worship therein, 'tis reasonable to expect yt ye history alluded unto in ye interpretation should be ye history of ye sanctuary. Now ye sanctuary was threefold, ye Tabernacle, ye first Temple built by Solomon, & ye second Temple built by Zerubbabel & to these three belong a threefold history: to ye first yt of Israel's passing out of Egypt through ye wilderness into ye promised land of Canaan, to ye second yt of ye ten tribes revolting & Israel & Iudah growing Idolatrous; to ye third yt of ye Babylonian captivity. In ye interpretation all these are alluded unto. For ye two witnesses or Prophets in being called two Candlesticks & two olive trees respect ye prophesy of Zechary chap. 4, & so allude to Zerubbabel & Ieshua & to Haggai & Zechary who prophesyed at ye building of ye second Temple; in their devouring their enemies by fire proceeding as it were out of their mouths, & in causing yt it rain not in ye \1260/ days of their prophesy they allude to Elijah & Elisha who did those miracles & prophesied in ye time of ye first Temple, \& at whose word their enemies were devoured by fire & it rained not fora[48] three years & an half./ & in their turning ye waters to blood & smiting ye earth wth a curs as oft as they will they allude to Moses & Aaron who turned ye waters into blood in ye first Egyptian plague & in \the/ other nine smote Egypt as often as they would, & erected ye Tabernacles. And so in the repetition of this prophesy, ye great whore in being called Babylon respects ye times of ye Babylonian captivity & second Temple, & in being compared to ye merchandising city of Tyre respects ye time of ye first Temple, & in being placed in ye wilderness respects time of Israels committing spiritual fornication in ye wilderness in ye time of ye Tabernacle. I shall begin with ye history of ye Tabernacle.
A dragon is in sacred prophesy ye great dragon yt lyeth in ye midst of his river.[49] and in another place he is compared to a Dragon in ye sea who troubleth ye waters of other Nations wth his feet. And Isaiah thus describes ye coming of Israel out of Egypt:[50] Art not thou he yt hath cut Rahab (yt is a[51] Egypt) in pieces & wounded ye Dragon? Art not thou he wch dried ye sea - for ye ransomed people to pass over? And in ye Psalms ye coming of ye Church out of Egypt & making a pray of ye drowned Egyptians is thus exprest. Thou didst divide ye sea by thy strength, thou breakest ye heads of ye Dragons in ye waters, thou breakest ye heads of Leviathan in pieces & gavest him to be meat to thy people inhabiting ye wilderness.
Now to this history of many headed Egyptian Leviathan, does ye parable of ye seven headed Dragon allude. The woman in heaven crowned wth a crown of twelve stars, seeing she was persecuted by ye Dragon & her seed kept ye Commandmts of God & had ye testimony of Iesus (Apoc. 12.13, 17) is ye Church crowned wth ye twelve Apostles, & alludes to ye Church of Israel in bondage crowned wth ye twelve Apostles, & alludes to ye Church of Israel in bondage crowned wth the twelve Princes of ye Tribes Num. 1.16. For crying in pains of travail alludes to ye Church afflicted in Egypt & Fruitfull under bondage. The Dragon's standing before her ready to devour her child as soon as it was born, alludes to Pharaoh's command to slay ye new born men children of Israel. The Man child she bare who was to rule all nations wth a rod of iron, to new born Moses who was to rule Israel wth his rod. The childs being caught up to God's throne, to Moses his being delivered from eminent death by Pharaohs daughter & made Ruler over Israel. The war wherein Michael overcame ye Dragon & ye Dragon wth his Angels were cast out of heaven, to ye contest wherein Moses by ye power of God overcame ye magical powers of Egypt, & as it were cast them out of Pharohs court, so yt ye Magicians could not stand before him. After yt victory ye woman fled from ye Dragon & Israel from Egypt, both of ym into ye wilderness, & both of them on Eagles wings, Exod. 19.4, |Deut. 32.11.| Apoc. 12.\14/ 12. Then as ye Dragon cast out waters as a flood and both of them through ye sea: For in allusion thereto are ye people of ye Apocalyptic woman now called inhabitants of both earth & sea Apoc. 12.12. Then as ye Dragon cast out waters as a flood (yt is an hostile multitude) after ye woman, & ye earth opened her mouth & swallowed up ye waters, so Egypt sent out an Army after the Church of Israel & ye earth opened her mouth the alveus or pit pit of ye red sea dried up, & swallowed up those waters. \If you conceive the flood to be swallowed up at ye right foot of ye mighty Angel, as it were into the sea of glass, the mouth of ye earth will answer better to ye abyss of ye red sea. For \as/ every sea is an abyss or mouth of ye earth, so ye round cavity of ye sea of glass may be fitly considered as such. Further/ the {sic} woman fled into ye wilderness yt they should feed her there 1260 days, & so Israel was fed {sic} a long time in ye wilderness wth manna. Then {sic} rise up ye ten horned Beast wth crowns upon his horns, & ye two horned Beast uncrowned, wch are afterwards called ye Beast & fals Prophet, & this fals Prophet dictates yt an Image be made to ye crowned Beast & gives life to ye Image yt it should be worshipped, & in like manner when ye Church of Israel was in ye wilderness, there arose Balac a King wth his confederates, & Balaam a fals Prophet, & by ye counsel of yt fals Prophet ye Israelites were induced to worship ye Idol of Balac called Baal-Peor: whence ye Beast & fals Prophet are in ye Epistle to ye Church of Pergamus called Balac & Balaam as shall be explained hereafter. The beast by his many crowned horns signifies an aggregate of several Kingdoms, & so against Israel conspired a body of many Kings; viz. Balac King of Israel Moab & Evi, Rekein, Zur, Hur, Reba, five Kings of Midian. In ye wilderness ye whore commits fornication wth ye Kings of ye earth, & lives deliciously wth them, & so ye people of Israel in ye wilderness commit spiritual fornication wth ye Kings of Midian & feast on ye sacrifices of their Gods Num. 25.1, 2, & 31.16. Afterwards ye armies in heaven make war upon ye Beast & Kings of ye Earth & in those wars ye Beast & fals Prophet are first taken & destroyed, & ye rest slain wth ye two edged sword of Iesus Christ, & ye saints under his conduct enter into ye promised Kingdom & reign wth him: & to Israel in their entrance into ye land of promise first made war upon ye Kings of Midian & destroyed ym & their people together wth ye fals Prophet Balaam, & then by {sic} the sword of Ioshua or Iesus vanquished ye Kings of Canaan worshippers also of Baal & under his conduct entred into ye promised land of Canaan. Thus full are ye allusions of this prophesy to ye passage of Israel out of Egypt into Canaan. Some little differences there are in their circumstances: but it is not necessary yt similitudes & allusions should agree in all points wth ye things alluded to. In an allusion nothing more is required then an agreement in ye main.
In ye next place we are to consider ye allusions to sacred history in ye times of ye first Temple. In respect of these times ye two witnesses (as we said) are compared to Elijah & Elishah & ye whore of Babylon yt great city to ye Idolatrous merchandizing city of Tyre. Whence ye Apostacy of ye Church of Israel to ye worship of Baal is in these times alluded unto. For of all their {sic} apostacies this was ye greatest, & Baal being ye God of ye Canaanites or Phœnecians, where of Tyre & Zidon were ye head cities, ye whore yt great City who tempted Gods people to Idolatry is fitly represented by Tyre ye greatest of ye cities of ye Canaanites. For in describing ye fall of Tyre ye Babylon ye merchandize & fall of Tyre is in many things alluded unto. The inhabitants of Zidon & Arrad were ye Mariners of Tyre, & all ye ships of ye sea wth their Mariners were employed in her merchandize, & ye Men of Tarshish, Iavan, Tulal, Meshach, ye house of Tagarmah, ye Isles Syria, Iudah, Damascus, Iavan, Dedan, Arabia, Sheba, Raasnah, Haran, Canneh, Eden, Ashur, Chilmad wereher Merchants Ezek. 23, & in general ye merchants of Tyre were Princes, & her {Trafickers} ye honourable of ye earth Isa. 23.8, & so were those of ye great city ye Whore Apoc. 18.23. The merchandize of Tyre was of all kinds of Riches, Gold & Silver, & all precious stones, & a[52] pearles, & find linnen, & purple, & embroidered work, & Silk, & Ebony & Ivory, & Chests of Cedar, & vessels of brass and bright iron, & {cassia} & all sweet smelling spices & b[53] balsom & wine & oyl, & wheat, & Lambs, & rams, & horses, & cloathes for Chariots, & horsmen, & souls of Men Ezek. 27, & such also was ye Merchandize of ye great city Apoc. 18.12. 13. Tyre filled many people & enriched ye Kings of ye earth wth ye multitude of her riches & of her merchandize Ezek. 27.33, & so did ye great city Apoc. 18.3, 15, 19. Tyre was covered wth {fine linnen} & purple {& bearyls}, & adorned wth Gold & all sorts of precious stones Ezek. 27.7 & 28.13, & so was ye great city Apoc 18.16. At ye {fall of} Tyre all ye Princes of ye Isles come down trembling, & take up a lamentation for her, saying, How art thou destroyed yt wast inhabited of seafaring Men, ye renowned City wch was strong in ye sea Ezek. 26.16, 17, & thus also do ye Kings & great Merchants of ye Earth stand far off, & lament ye fall of the great city Apoc. 18.9, 10, 11. Also ye Mariners & Priests of ye {sea} came down from {their ships} & stood upon ye sand, & cast {ash} on their heads, & lamented over her, saying, What city is like Tyrus ye destroyed in in midst of ye sea Ezek. 27.29, 32, & ye like to ye shipmakers and Mariners, & all yt trade by sea at ye foot of ye great city Apoc. 18.17, 18, 19. And least it should be said yt Tyre is not in scripture represented a Whore like ye great city; Isaiah has thus remove ye objection: It shall come to pass, saith he, in yt day yt Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to ye days of one King: after ye end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot, Take an harp, go about ye city, thou harlot yt hast been forgotten, make sweet melody, sing many songs, yt thou maist be remembred. And it shall come to pass after ye end of seventy years, yt ye Lord \will visit/ Tyre, & she shall turn to her hire, & shall commit fornication wth all ye Kingdoms of ye world upon ye face of ye earth. And her Merchandise, & her hire shall be holiness to ye Lord: it shall not be treasured, nor laid up: for her merchandize shall be for them yt dwell before ye Lord to eat sufficiently, & for durable cloathing Ch. 23.15, 16, 17, 18. How \all/ this can \litterally/ agre to old Tyre, I must confess, I do not see; but if it agree to ye great city, 'tis more to our purpose. Nor is there any great difficulty in ye 70 years, ye great city being ye seven hilled city wch in ye time yt Prophet Iohn reigned over ye Kings of ye earth Apoc. 17.9, 18, & there being an interregnum of 70 years between ye desolation of yt city in ye wars of Belisarius, whereby her old imperial government under ye Senate & Consuls fell, & ye setting up her new dominion of ye universal Bishopric by ye grant of ye Emperour Phocas.
The worship of Baal ye God of ye Canaanites was set up in Israel in ye reign of Ahab by ye influence of Iezabel daughter of ye King of Zidon, & lasted till ye reign of Iehu. Iezabel reigning all yt while in Israel. And hence ye great whore is also called Iezabel, as you may see in ye Epistle to ye Church of Thyatira. For there Iezabel is represented to call herself a Prophetess, & to teach & seduce God's servants (yt is by prophesying falsly) to commit fornication, & to eat things sacrificed to Idols, & therefore yt fornication is spiritual, such as is yt of ye whore of Babylon. For carnal whores tempt their Lovers by other arts then prophesying. Iezabel was a whore & a Queen, and reigned over ye ten Tribes all ye time of their worshipping Baal, & seduced ye people by her witchcrafts Apoc. 2.20 & 2 Kings 9.22) & sew ye Prophets of ye Lord & in all these things answers to ye whore of Babylon who committed fornication wth ye Kings of ye earth sat a Queen & reigned over ye ten horned Beast, & deceived all nations by her sorceries, & in whom was found ye blood of Prophets, & of saints, & of all yt were slain upon ye earth.
While Iezabel seduced ye ten tribes her daughter Athaliah ye Grandchild of Omri seduced ye two tribes to ye same worship. For she caused her husband Iehoram & her son Ahaziah Kings of Iudah to walk in all ye ways of ye house of her father Ahab, & caused Baal to be worshipped in Iudah till ye time of her death 2 Kings 8. & 2 Chron. 21 & 22 & 23. And this general defection of Israel and Iudah is alluded unto in ye sealing of only an hundred & forty four thousand out of all ye twelve tribes of Israel. And as ye Idolatrous twelve tribes were distinguished into two tribes ye ten tribes under Iezabel, & ye two tribes under Athaliah; so ye twelve tribes in ye Apocalyps are distinguished into ye ten horned Beast under ye whore & ye two horned Beast. For ye ten tribes are alluded unto in ye ten horned Beast, not only by calling ye whore Iezabel, but also by comparing ye wilderness where ye Beast reigned to ye Kingdom of Israel \under Ahab in saying that/ where it rained not \there/ in ye days of ye {prophesies} of ye two witnesses: & ye two tribes were alluded unto {by ye two} horned Beast, as I gather from its being called {ye synagogue} of Satan who say they are Iews & are not but do lye. For this synagogue of Satan or Church {of} ye Dragon is ye two horned Beast (as I shall shew {ye} matter) & by ye {name} of Iews ye two tribes are alluded unto.
In ye third & last place we are to consider ye allusions to the Babylonian captivity & second Temple. And by what was seen already said its evident yt ye measuring ye Temple & Altar and them yt worship therein alludes to ye desolation of ye first Temple & building of ye second; yt ye leaving ye outward Court unmeasured alludes to ye leaving ye outward court of ye Temple unbuilt during ye reign of ye Kings of Babylon, & that ye Nations who tread down ye holy city & to whom ye outward court is given allude to ye Babylonians captivating & treading down Ierusalem, & after ye rebuilding of ye inner Temple {Priests} entring into ye wast region of ye outward court, thence called ye court of ye Gentiles. So then these Nations or Gentiles are Babylonians, & consequently citizens of ye {g}reat city, in whose streets ye two witnesses lye dead. For ye great city is every where in ye {Apocalyps from these} allusions called Babylon & Babylon ye great, & here it is {called ye} great city where out Lord was crucified, yt is \the city/ where ye Nations were who trod down ye holy city, or ye city of these Babylonian Nations. Th{illeg}, where also our Lord was crucified, & so is not a bare city but a Kingdom, a city wth its whole dominion, Egypt where ye Church was in bondage, The Roman Empire where our Lord was crucified & ye Nations of ye Babylonian Empire wch trod down ye holy city. For Rome is in this prophesy called Babylon, as you may see in ye interpretation, where ye seven hilled city, ye great city, wch in ye Prophets time reigned over ye Kings of ye earth, is yt woman called Babylon ye great. And as here ye Beast wch ascendeth out of ye bottomless pitt makes war in ye streets of ye great city, so there ye great city Babylon & this Beast are conjoyned, yt city being represented to reign over him in ye form of a woman riding upon his back.
Now as old Babylon is alluded unto in this great city, so ye analogy between them is very full. Old Babylon was ye Lady of Kingdoms (Isa. 47.5) cloathed wth scarlet & Gold & precious stones (Dan. 5.29, Esther 8.15 & 15.6, Iudeth 10.21, Ioseph. Antic. l. 10 c. 12 & l. 11. c. 6.) made ye world a wilderness & destroyed ye Cities thereof Isa. 14.17 was seated upon ye many waters of Ephrates {sic}, & is thus further described in ye old Prophets: O thou yt dwellest upon many waters abundant in treasures Ier {sic}. 51.13. A drought is upon her waters, for it is ye land of graven Images, & they are mad upon their Idols Ier. 50.38. Babylon hath been a cup in ye Lords hand yt made all ye earth drunken, ye Nations have drunken of her wine, therefore ye Nations are mad Ier. 51.7. And her fall they describe thus, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, & all ye graven Images of her Gods he hath broken unto ye ground. Isa. 21.9. The wild Beasts of ye desert wth ye wild Beasts of ye Islands shall dwell there, & ye owles shall dwell therein, & it shall be no more inhabited for ever. Ier. 50.39. Flee out of ye midst of Babylon & deliver every Man his Soul. Be not cut off in her iniquity; for it is ye time of ye Lords vengeance, he will render unto her a recompence. My people go ye out of ye midst of her, & deliver ye every Man his Soul from ye fierce anger of ye Lord Ier. 51.6, 45. For her judgment reacheth up to heaven & is lifted up even to ye skies Ier. 51.9. Recompence her according to her work, according to her yt {hath done do} unto her, for she hath been {proud against} ye Lord Ier. 50.29. Thou art given to pleasures & dwelleth {carelessly & sayest} in \thine/ thy heart, I am, & none {else} besides me. {I shall not sit a widow neither shal} I know ye loss of Children. But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day; ye loss of Children & widdowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection, for ye multitude of thy sorceries, & for ye great abundance of thine enchantments. Isa. 47.9. Thou shalt bind a stone to {sic} this book & cast it into ye midst of Euphrates, & thou shalt say, thus shall Babylon sink & shall not rise from ye evil I will bring upon her. Ier. 51.63. In all these circumstances Babylon is alluded to in ye description of ye Whore. She reigns over ye Kingdoms of ye earth, is arrayed in scarlet & decked wth Gold & precious stones, sits in a wilderness upon many waters, abounds in treasures, is a great Idolatress, makes ye Nations drunken wth her cup of wine, her sins reach up to heaven, & according to her deeds she is to be rewarded. She glorifies her sect & lives deliciously & saith in her heart I sit a Queen & am no widdow & shall see no sorrow. Her plagues come in one day: By her sorceries were all Nations deceived: at her fall Gods people are called out of her, & she is thrown down as a great stone into ye water wth a proclamation Babylon is fallen is fallen. And Babylon is thus alluded in ye prophesy as ye Whore both Babylon & ye whore are in most of these things alluded to in describing yt great city where ye witnesses are slain. Apoc. 11. She has ye Beast & peoples & kindreds & tongue & Nations wthin ye dition & dominion of her streets. For there they kill & view ye witnesses. She sits upon waters, ye waters wch ye two witnesses turn into blood; wch waters are those peoples, kindreds, tongues & Nations Apoc. 17. She is in a region where it rains not & wch is therefore barren like a wilderness. Her fall like Babylons is proclaimed immediately before ye Kingdomes of ye world become ye Kingdoms of Christ, in saying ye tenth part of ye city fell: & before her fall ye witnesses call many people out of her so as to ascend up to heaven in a cloud of believers.
These great cities agree also in lasciviousness & uncleanness & in their ruin. For ye great city here to {express} her land uncleanness to ye hight & her perishing by fire is called Sodom. And so in ye following Chapters ye great city Babylon is called ye great whore & mother of harlots wth whom ye Kings of ye earth commit fornications & live deliciously, and who inebriates ye Nations wth her love cup of fornication, & is burnt wth fire yt is perishes by war. And in like manner old Babylon perished by war & was above all other cities addicted {to} whoredome & luxury for so Quintus Curtius[54] mentioning how ye Army of Alexander ye great was corrupted by her soft manners {saith}, Nothing is more corrupt then ye manners of yt city nor more apt to entice unto {sic} immoderate pleasures. Parents & husbands permit for money permit their Children & wives to lye wth strangers. Feasting recreations are ye singular delight of Kings & Nobles throughout all Persia: but chiefly ye Babylonians are addicted to wine & those things wch follow drunkenness. The habit of their weomen in feasts is at first modest, then they put of their upper garments & by degrees profane their modesty & at last throw way the undermost covering of their body, stripping themselves stark naked. Nor is this ye infamy of harlots only but even of their Matrons & Virgins, who account it civility to make vile their prostituted bodies. And Strabo saith of them,[55] yt it is ye custome of all their Weomen to prostitute their bodies in ye Temple of Venus to strangers for money; they sitting there & in the ways wth cords about them till strangers passing by chuse whom they like, & then they reproach their fellows because not thought so worthy as themselves. Baruch 6.43.
Conceive therefore yt ye great city as it is distinguished from ye Beast & represented by a great whore riding upon him alludes to ye Weomen of Babylon reigning over ye hearts of Princes by ye influence of their whoredomes & love-cup wherewith they inebriate ye people in feasting; & yt ye Beast wth his ten horns or kingdomes alludes to ye temporal Kingdome of Babylon compacted of many Nations or Kingdoms called Beasts of ye field Ier. 27.6, 7 & 28.14 one Beast wth many horns in ye Apocalyps being put for those many Beasts; & yt ye worshipping of this Beast alludes to ye divine worship wch those Nations paid to ye Kings of Babylon & Persia. For they worshipped their Kings wth divine worship as Gods falling prostrate on their faces before them. Whence Arrianus (lib. 7 Exped. Alexand.) saith yt Alexander ye great would be worshipped as a God in compliance wth ye Persian custome. And Cleo Siculus (as Q. Curtius lib. 8 relates) in persuading ye Greeks to imitate ye Persians in worshipping Alexander ye great as a God, useth this argument, yt ye Persians did not only piously but also prudently in worshipping their Kings amongst ye Gods: because ye majesty of Empire is ye Princes safegard. And when ye Emperour Domitian had arrogated to himself divine honours & was dead Martial in ye 22th Epigramm of his 10th book banishes such worship of Kings from among ye Romans to ye Persians so Isocrates in his Panegyric inveighs against ye Persians for worshipping a mortal man as a God, & thereby conceiving amiss of ye God more then of Men. And Quintus Curtius (lib. 8. c. 6) saith of Darius, Rex curru paulo auta vectus & Deorū a suis honoribus cultus. And Æschylus saith yt ye Persians had their Kings in ye place of Gods. And ye Author of ye story of Iudeth makes a decree yt all nations should worship Nebuchodnosor only & call upon him as God Iudeth. 3.8. And when King Ahasuerus set Haman in his own seat & commanded he should be worshipped & Mordecai refused to do it; Iosephus (lib. 11. Antic. c. 6) saith yt he refused to give Haman yt worship yt he gave to God. And Mordecai himself (in ye Apocryphal book of Ester ch. 13) saith yt he refused to worship Haman yt he might not prefer ye glory of Man before ye glory of God, & because he would not worship any but God. And to ye same purpose it is yt Nebuchadnezzar when he would honour Daniel as a great man, fell on his face & worshipped him, & commanded yt they should offer an oblation of sweet odours unto him. Daniel. 2.46. Conceive also yt ye Image of ye Beast, whose worship was enjoyned upon pain of death, alludes to ye great golden Image wch Nebuchadnessar sett up in ye province of Babylon for ye peoples & nations & ye languages upon pain of death Lastly conceive yt ye two \horned/ Beast or fals Prophet (opposed to ye two true Prophets & so contemporary to them) alludes to ye Chaldeans or Babylonian Priests, who were generally educated in Astrology and Magick, ye science whereof as divine they wrapt up in Tables of ye Gods to magnifie it, & by these factitious ways of prophesying & southsaying sett up & promoted ye heathen Idolatry of the starrs Elements & Men under ye Names of Gods, & particularly ye worship of Nebuchadnessars Image Dan. 3.8, besides ye lewd & most unclean practices of ye weomen in ye Temple of Venus & other places. For they being ye Priests of those Gods & getting a livelihood thereby, were induced out of interest to use all kinds of fals & cheating Arts & tricks to keep up and promote ye heathen Idolatry.
In describing these allusions I take it for granted yt ye two ten horned Beasts in ye Apocal. ch. 13 & 17 are ye same. For they agree in their heads & horns. The one was wounded to death wth a sword & revived, ye other was & is not & shall ascend. The one rises out of ye sea, ye other out of ye Abyss not out of ye deep well wch was locked up Apoc. 9 but out of an open Abyss, wch may be taken for ye sea. The one has on his head ye Names of blasphemy, & ye other is full of ye Names of blasphemy. The one all ye world wondred after & worshipped ye other all whose Names are not written in ye book of life \wondred/ after. The one was in being at ye end of ye 1200 days Apoc. 11.3, 7, 8 outlived ye Whore or great city Ch. 17.16 & soon after perished, ye Kingdoms of this world becoming ye Kingdoms of Christ, & those being destroyed who destroyed ye earth Ch. 11.15, 18: ye other reigned ye 1260 days or 42 Months Ch. 13.5 & perished also soon after ye fall of ye great city Ch. 14.9, 10, 19 & 19.2, 20. They are therefore alike & universal & contemporary & perish together & so must be ye same. All ye difference is yt in ye 13th Chapter ye Beast is described in ye time of her reign over him in his first rise & reign before ye woman got upon his back, & in ye 17th Chapter he is described in ye time of her reign over him. Lastly yt they are ye same is certain by this yt ye one together wth ye Kings of ye Earth makes war against ye King of Kings & Lord of Lords riding on ye white horse, & against his army & perishes in ye war Apoc. 19 & ye other is yt Beast who wth his horns or Kings makes war wth ye same King of Kings & Lord of Lords, & wth them yt are wth him, & is overcome in ye war Apoc. 17.
lyps several histories of ye sanctuary are together alluded unto. How in ye prophesies of ye two witnesses & whore of Babylon ye histories of all three sanctuaries are alluded unto has been already explained. So ye prophesy of numbring & sealing ye servants of God out of all ye twelve tribes in respect of Ezekiels vision of marking those who sigh & mourn for ye abominations done in ye midst of Israel, alludes to ye times of ye Babylonian captivity & second Temple; in respect of ye number of twelve tribes it alludes to ye times of ye first Temple or Tabernacles whom all ye tribes were together; & in respect of ye Scape Goat, representing ye flight of ye woman into ye wilderness it alludes to ye times of Tabernacle. So ye prophesy of ye two Beasts & ye Image of ye Beast in respect of ye woman flying into ye wilderness & being afterwards found there wth ye ten horned Beast, ye history of Israel, Balac, Balaā, & ye Idols of Baal Peor in ye wilderness, in respect of ye 144000 on Mount Sion & ye twelve horns of ye two Beasts together, & Iezabel reigning over ye ten tribes it alludes to ye Prophets & saints selected out of all ye twelve tribes, & ye division of those tribes into ye Kingdoms or Churches of ye ten tribes & two tribes & their worshipping Baal in ye time of ye first Temple; & in respect of ye worship given to ye Beast & his Image & ye whore of Babylon riding upon him it respects ye Babylonian Empire in ye line of ye captivity & second Temple. And so ye prophesy of ye seven Thunders in ye Victors standing upon a Sea of Glass & singing ye song of Moses alludes to Israel coming out of Egypt {illeg} ye a[56] frozen sea & singing ye song of Moses at ye drowning of ye Egyptians, & in ye seven Angels coming out of ye Temple, & ye Temples being filled wth smoke while they poured out their Vials it alludes both to ye Dedication of Solomons Temple & to ye {illeg}d remaining upon ye Tabernacle from ye time of its dedication all ye while Israel was in ye wilderness. Whence this sanctuary is called ye Temple of ye Tabernacle \in/ allusion to both. The history of any one of ye sanctuaries did not suffice to express all things, & therefore those of all three sanctuaries are alluded unto. And least ye succession of ye things signified should be inferred from ye succession of ye sanctuaries alluded unto, they are all three alluded unto together in ye very same parts of ye prophesy. And yet some respect is also had to ye successive order of ye sanctuaryes For in ye interpretation of ye prophesy of ye seales & Trumpets, wch I told you consisted of three contemporary parts, ye first part conteining ye woman & Dragon in heaven & ye two Beasts respects most ye times of ye Tabernacle. The second part conteining ye seven Vials respects most ye history of ye dedication of Solomons Temple, & ye third conteining ye whore of Babylons reign & fall respects most ye times of ye Babylonian captivity & second Temple, & is an interpretation of ye Prophesy of ye two witnesses wherein ye building of ye Second Temple & treading down of ye holy city by ye Babylonian Gentiles is plainly described.
By what has been said it is manifest yt in ye same parts of ye ApocaSect. VIII.
The two Churches true & fals together with the two Kingdomes whose Churches they are in
By what has been hitherto said, much light is given to the rise, number, & qualities of ye Apocalyptic persons. These at first are only two, the {sic} Dragon & ye woman in heaven cloathed wth ye sun, yt is ye Kingdome prophesied of from ye beginning & ye true Church diffused through yt Kingdome. Afterwards by division of yt Kingdome conjoyned wth an Apostacy, they become six; two Kingdoms each wth their proper Churches as well fals as true. These \Kingdoms/ are ye Dragon & \ten horned Beast & their fals Churches/ Beast, ye two horned Beast & woman in ye wilderness. & ye \seven Churches &/ two witnesses For Churches are ye Churches of Kingdoms, & according to ye number & bounds of Kingdoms are numbred & bounded. [The Catholick Church is distributed into particular hierarchies according to ye number of Kingdoms, provinces, & cities through wch it is diffused, but ye first & principal division is according to ye number of Kingdoms. This Prophesy was given for ye use of Christians & respects no other Kingdoms then such as have to {do} wth ye Church, & all such Kingdoms have their Churches, & therefore ye collateral Kingdoms of ye Dragon & Beast must have theirs.]
The division of the Kingdome & it's church
The division of ye whole Kingdome signified by ye great red Dragon into two collateral parts, called afterwards ye Dragon & Beast, is described by ye Beasts rising out of ye sea & ye Dragon's giving him his throne & power & great authority. For thence it appears yt ye Beast rejoyned in yt seat or throne wch was ye Dragon's before, & consequently was a part of ye Dragon's old Kingdome. Not ye whore but a part, for ye Dragon did not thereupon cease. He was from yt time worshipped together wth ye Beast Apoc. 13.4, & at length when one frog came out of ye Beasts mouth another came out of ye Dragon's, & when ye Beast is cast into ye lake of fire ye Dragon is cast into ye bottomless pitt. They continued therefore both together till ye end, & therefore both together till ye end, & therefore were two collateral Kingdoms propagated from ye Dragons old Kingdome by divisions. When ye Dragon was dethroned by Michael, he came down to reign amongst ye inhabitants of ye Earth & sea. Out of this sea rose ye Beast. The Earth remained to ye Dragon. For wch reason it is represented yt at yt moment of time when ye Beast rose out of ye sea, ye Dragon stood upon ye sand of ye sea, yt is upon ye earth. The Beast is not said to leave ye inhabitants of ye sea & come upon ye land to ye Dragon \for so he would leave his Kingdom wch is all one with himself:/ but ye Dragon stands upon ye shore to give his marine dominion & throne to ye Beast in ye sea, & so both continue in their proper regions for ye future. This is yt earth & sa whose Mountains & Islands {in ye first \sixt/ seale & seventh Vial are moved out of their places, & on wch ye Angel wth ye open book in his hand sets his feet, \& wch were smitten in the two first trumpets & vials./ yt sea wch at ye sounding of ye second Trumpet is turned into blood, & yt earth on wch hail & fire are cast at ye sounding of ye first Trumpet, & wch helped ye woman, & out of wch ye two horned Beast arose, & whose inhabitants he caused to make an image to ye other Beast, & to worship yt Beast & his Image, yt is not by civil obedience as Subjects but in matters of religion.
So then ye Dragon & Beast are one & ye same Kingdom branched into two, & this is further intimated by their having common heads & horns. The Dragons heads & Beasts horns are crowned to signify yt ye Dragon reigns in all ye heads |&| ye Beast in all ye horns. The Beast has ye same heads wthout crowns to signify yt ye body of ye Beast was conteined in ye reigning Dragon from ye beginning though not actually divided from him so as to reign distinctly before he rose out of ye Sea. And ye Dragon has ye same horns without crowns to signify yt those horns once belonged to his body but reigned not actually before ye Beast became divided from him. And this is further confirmed by ye Angels interpretation of ye Beasts heads & horns. The heads, saith he, are seven Kings, five are fallen, & one is, & ye other is not yet come, & when he cometh he must continue a short time space, & ye Beast yt was & is not he is ye eighth & is of ye seven, & ye ten horns are ten Kings wch have received no Kingdome as yet, but receive power as Kings ye \same/ hour wth ye Beast, & give their Kingdome to him. The horns therefore reigned not till after ye sixt head, & then began their reign about ye same time wth ye Beast or eight King. To him they give their Kingdome, & therefore are crowned on his head. In ye raign of ye sixt head he was not, but rose afterwards out of ye abyss and sea, \bottomless pit,/ and therefore ye first six {sic} heads reigned before him & so were the Dragon's. The seventh is also ye Dragon's, for ye Character of his head is, yt he should continue but a short space, & this relates to ye devils or Dragon's coming down amongst ye inhabitants of ye earth & & sea wth great wrath knowing yt he hath but a short time. Apoc. 12.12. Whence you may understand yt ye reign of ye seventh head lasts untill ye Dragon be cast into ye bottomless pitt & shut up. The Beast is the eighth, not ye eighth head but ye eighth king. He is of ye seven & consequently a part of ye seventh. Not a successive part, for so there would be eight heads. He is therefore a contemporary part of the seventh head, & so ye seventh head is a cloven one, ye Beast is reconing his heads being taken in a large sense for ye whole Kingdom including ye Dragon, but in respect of his rise out of ye abyss or sea \bottomless pit/ being taken strictly for but one of ye two contemporary parts of the last head.
Now this division of ye Kingdome was accompanied wth ye like division of ye Church. For when ye woman fled into ye wilderness she left a remnant of her seed behind her. She then fled from ye Dragon, & was nourished a time times & half a time from his face, & he mutually, after ye exercise of his last anger against her, went away from her to make war wth yt remnant & therefore she left yt remnant in his Kingdom, ye only place where he could make war wth them, & went away both from ye Dragon & from yt remnant into some other place where she might live free from his persecution. This place was ye Beasts Kingdome. For she fled into ye wilderness where we find ye Beast afterwards; ye sea out of wch he rose, & ye waters of ye wilderness in wch he reigned being one & ye same people called in different Names in different respects. For as ye Church of Israel by division of ye Kingdom became two churches, & these were signified by two several weomen, Aholah & Aholibah E{zek.} 23, so ye Christian Church by division of ye dragons Kingdome becomes two Churches or Weomen; & therefore ye woman wch at first signified ye undivided whole, is after ye division fitly transferred to signify one of ye parts. So then upon ye division of ye Kingdome wth it's Church, as ye name of ye Dragon was transferred from signifying ye whole undivided Kingdom to signify yt part of it called the Earth, & ye Name of ye Beast is given to ye other part represented by water, so ye name of ye woman is at ye same time transferred from signifying ye whole undivided Church to signify yt other part of it in ye waters & ye rest of ye Church remaining in ye Earth is called ye remnant of her seed. And by means of this pasting of ye woman & Dragon from one another she is said upon his persecuting her to flee (from him) into ye wilderness, & there to be nourished from his face, & he is said to go (from her) to make war wth ye remnant of her seed. All wch will be better understood by considering ye prophetical history of ye division.
The prophetical history of the division.
When ye Dragon saw he was cast down, yt is presently after the opening of ye sixt seal, & consequently upon his first coming down amongst ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea, he persecuted ye woman and to her were given two wings of a great Eagle yt she might fly into ye wilderness. By ye Eagle understand ye Kingdom of ye Dragon. For Beasts & ravenous Birds signify Kingdoms, & an Eagle, as it was ye Ensign of ye Roman Empire, so in 2 Esdras 12 it is used as a type of yt Empire, & may have ye like signification, ye Apocalyps by ye consent of all Interpreters, respecting yt Empire. Wings, as in Daniels vision of ye Leopard, signify ye contemporary parts of a divided Kingdome, such as for instance were ye Eastern & western parts of ye Roman Empire [divided at ye building of Constantinople. For by ye building of yt city, whereby ye Empire became headed wth two imperial seats, each wth its Senate & Consuls raigning, ye one over ye west, ye other over ye East, as founded ye perpetual division of yt Empire into Eastern & Western Empires & there remained nothing more to compleat ye division but two distinct Emperors.] The two wings in being given to ye woman signify yt she participates ye division of ye Kingdome, & by means thereof at length arrives into ye wilderness. But first ye Dragon casts out of his mouth waters as a flood after her, yt is he becomes divided into two Kingdoms, ye flood & himself. For a flow or river is ye type of a Kingdome \& swallowing up & casting or spewing out are types of conquering & setting at liberty again. So ye King of Babylon upon captivating Iudah is said to swallow her up like a Dragō Ier. 51.34. Lam. 2.16, Ezek. 36.3 & upon ye return of ye captivity God brings forth out of his mouth that wch he had swallowed up Isa 51.44. So also swallowing ye nations is put for conquering them. Isa 25.7 & 42.13, 14. So then And so/: & so ye Church of Laodicea after she is spewed out of Christs mouth belongs no longer to his mystical body, but becomes an erroneous {sic} mystical Schismatical Church, so \& in like manner/ ye waters when spewed out of ye Dragons belly become another Kingdom. wch Kingdom might be as big as ye Dragons if ye flood was as big as his emptied body. These waters being cast out towards ye wilderness after ye woman to cause her to be carried away by them, as by a river, seen to have much ye same relation to ye woman here as ye many waters in ye wilderness have to ye Babylonian Whore filling upon them, & consequently to signify ye Beast in his first rise before he was wounded to death by a ye Beast in his first rise before he was wounded to death by a sword. For ye waters on wch ye whore sitteth signify ye Kingdome of her beast. As ye Dragon reigning amongst ye inhabitants of the earth & sea signifies their Kingdoms, ye waters in his belly are the most proper type of ye inhabitants of ye watery Elements, & therefore when cast out of his mouth will signify the Kingdome of ye waters, and ye Dragon Emptied of ye waters will signify ye Kingdome of ye earth alone.
The waters being thus cast out of ye Dragon's mouth, this earth opened her mouth & \by conquest/ swallowed up ye floor, & so ye Kingdom & Church became one again. Then was ye Dragon wrath wth ye woman, yt is ye whole undivided Kingdome persecuted among ye whole undivided Church. For all prophesy is of eternal visible actions, & therefore this anger denotes not a bare internal act of ye mind but an external visible persecution, so yt ye woman was not yet fully escaped from him into ye wilderness. But now upon a new division of ye Kingdom & Church she escaping thither & leaving behind her a remnant of her seed, he mutually went from her to persecute yt remnant, & left this region of ye sea to ye Beast rising out of it.
And hence we may understand how ye Beast was wounded to death wth a sword & revived. When he rose out of ye sea then he lived again, & therefore ye time of his death was in ye sixt head. Whence it is said in ye time of yt head yt he was & is not & shall ascend out of ye Angels. He was before ye earth, swallowed up ye flood, & then he ceased to be till his rise out of ye sea, & so ye wound was made in ye middle of ye sixt head by ye victorious Earth, she wounding & conquering him wth a sword, and thereby subjecting his Kingdom & uniting it to hers wch is called her swallowing up ye waters. For ye wound is not said to be made by chopping off either side of ye head but to be made in it, yt is not in ye beginning or end of ye raign of any head but in ye middle time of ye raign. |We shewed above how ye earth's opening \the abyss of/ her mouth & swallowing up the flood alluded to the opened pit or alveus of ye Red Sea frozen red Sea into which the Egyptians were swallowed up: whence it is to be conceived that the sea or Abyss out of which the Beast arose was that same mouth \or abyss/ of the earth into wch he sank before in the form of a flood into wch he sank before in the the form of a flood. The descent into this abyss|
Hence also may be understood why ye Whore's Beast is said to rise out of ye abyss rather then out of ye Sea. For ye Abyss of a word of an ambiguous signification & signifies not only ye sea (suppose yt sea out of it ye Beast in ye 13 Chapter arose) but also a deep well. And if ye word be always in ye Apocalyps used in ye same sence it must here signify thus. For such a well was yt abyss out of wch ye Locusts arose, & into wch ye Dragon was cast. Now in this sence ye Abyss may be ye mouth wch ye earth opened to swallow ye flood, & so ye Beast will ascend out of yt Abyss into wch he sank before in ye form of a flood; ye descent expressing his descending into Hades at his death & the {sic} ascent his resurrection from ye dead. This {sic} Abyss \out of which he arose/ could not be yt pitt \well/ out of wch ye Locusts arose, for yt was locked up when ye Beast ascended, & there is no other pitt \or Abyss/ in all ye Apocalyps to wchthe Abyss can relate |out of wch the {Beast} should arise|, except yt mouth wch ye earth opened.
From ye division of ye Kingdome & Church we may learn also why ye prophesy of ye seventh seal or head is so often repeated. The prophesy of ye seals & Trumpets descends by one single continual series of things to ye end of yt sixt seale, & then yt of ye seventh is split into collateral narratives, ye affairs of ye Church being described first in ye sealed Israelites & palm bearing multitude, & then again in ye measured Temple & two witnesses, & ye affairs of ye Kingdome {sic} in ye seven {sic} Trumpets & those repeated in ye seven Thunders. The description of both Church & State is doubled to shew yt ye Kingdom & ye Church are both divided during all ye times of this head or seal & division began together. And so in ye Repetition ye Prophesy of ye woman & Beasts is split into two by ye interposition of ye seven Vials, they being described both before in ye 13th & 14th Chapters & after in ye 17th 18th & 19th.
|Of the two fals churches signified by the two-horned Beast & Woman wch fled into ye Wilderness & that this Woman became the Whore of Babylon|
So then at ye opening of ye seventh seal ye Beast rose out of ye sea, & ye Kingdom became divided between him & the Dragon, & ye woman fled into ye wilderness from ye face of ye Dragon, & left in his Kingdom a remnant of her seed. This remnant keep ye commandments of God, & therefore are ye true Church of his Kingdom. At ye same time or soon after, ye two horned Beast rose out of ye earth, yt is out of ye inhabitants of ye earth or people of ye Dragons kingdom, & therefore this Beast is ye fals Prophet Church of yt Kingdome. For in having two horns like ye Lamb (yt is like ye seven Churches of Asia wch are ye horns & mystical body of ye Lamb) & in being called a fals Prophet, & thereby opposed to one or both ye two witnesses, wch are true Prophets & signify Churches, he must be of an Ecclesiastical kind. Whence some understand his imitating Elias in bringing down fire from heaven to be meant of excommunication & yt partly because in ye pronouncing thereof the Bishop swings a lighted torch from above his head downwards, & partly because fire signifies war, & for one Church to excommunicate another is to proclaim an Ecclesiastical war between them. Now the whore, seeing she rides upon ye Beast, is plainly his fals Church reigning over him, & therefore ye fals Prophet must be ye Church of ye Dragon. For this Prophet survives ye whore Apoc. 19.2, 20, & is therefore different from her. He acts before ye face of ye first Beast, Apoc 13, 12, yt is in a neighbouring Kingdom, & there is no other Kingdom described in ye Apocalyps besides ye Dragon's. There is a Synagogue of Satan Apoc. 2.9 & 3.9, yt is an idolatrous Church of ye Dragon, & there is no other idolatrous Church described among ye Apocalyptic persons wch can be his besides ye fals Prophet. These two therefore are belated to one another as a Kingdome & it's Church. And this is further intimated by saying yt ye two horned Beast spake as ye Dragon. The ten horned Beast rose out of ye sea, ye two-horned Beast out of ye earth, & therefore they belong to ye different regions of ye earth and sea, & ye earth is ye Dragon's territory as ye sea is ye Beasts. So then there are two Churches of ye Dragons kingdom, a true one called ye remnant of ye woman's seed, & a fals one called ye two horned Beasts or fals Prophet, & in like manner there are two Churches of ye Beasts Kingdome, a true one called ye saints, whom ye Beast makes war upon & overcomes Apoc. 13.7, & a fals one called ye whore of Babylon. These are ye six persons I told you of. For ye better understanding of wch it remains now yt I shew yt ye whore is yt same woman who before appeared in heaven & fled into ye wilderness.
The flying of ye woman into ye wilderness from ye face of ye serpent must consist in one \or more/ of these four things, either yt ye people of ye woman became few in number so as to escape ye Dragons persecution by flying hid among his people as among trees in a wilderness, or yt she fled by local motion out of ye Dragons Kingdome into some foreign place called ye wildernes, or yt her name without local motion of ye people was translated from signifying ye whole Church in ye whole kingdom before division to signifie afterwards yt part only wch was in ye Beasts kingdom, or yt she escaped ye persecution by changing her religion & fled into a state of spirituall barrenness.
The first of these four ways it cannot be. For whilst ye woman in flying left a remnant of her seed, it is to be conceived yt ye name of ye woman or Church went along wth the greater part, or at the least yt ye woman was not less then ye rem{nant} yt ye remnant were not so few but yt ye Dragon after ye woman was fled from \his/ into ye wilderness could see them, & so to make war upon them, Aop {sic}. 12.17. Nor does ye Dragon only make war upon this remnant, but ye Beast also makes war upon the saints in his kingdom, whilst ye woman rests in her place in the wilderness & is fed & nourished there, yt is grows rich & wealthy. Also ye people of ye two witnesses prophesy to ye Nations during ye 1260 days of ye womans staying in ye wilderness, & by their prophesying torment them, yt dwell upon ye earth, & are so visible yt ye Beast makes war upon them, & they of ye peoples & kindreds & tongues & Nations see their dead bodies & rejoyce at their death.
The second of four ways it cannot be. For ye wilderness is ye region of ye Beast Apoc. 17, & consequently was ye Dragons territory before Apoc. 13.2. For ye people of ye wildernesses they are divided into many kingdoms, are signifyed by ye many waters or streams of Euphrates upon wch Babylon ye great whore {sitteth} Apoc. 1.15 & as they are collected into one body of many kingdoms subjecting themselves to ye whores dominion are represented by ye Beast wth ten horns upon wch ye Whore sitteth. The whore sitting on ye waters & on ye Beast signifies her reigning over ye people signified by ye waters & by ye Beast. The waters signify in general ye peoples or kingdoms of ye wilderness subject to ye whore, & ye Beast wth his ten horns signifies yt there are ten kingdoms in ye wilderness subject to ye whore & no more. Seing then yt ye territory of ye Beast is ye wilderness, & the dragon gave ye Beast his power & seat Apoc 13.2, its plain yt ye wilderness is yt territory wch ye Dragon gave ye Beast, & by consequence possest himself before when he began first to persecute ye woman. Nor can it be said yt ye woman fled from ye Dragon into ye territory of ye Beast to escape persecution seing ye Beast was as great an enemy to ye saints as ye Dragon, making war wth them & overcoming them during ye 42 months or 1260 days yt ye woman rested in her place in ye wilderness free from persecution.
There remain therefore only ye third & fourth ways of flying. And ye third way I have explained & admitted above, but ye fourth way is yt wch I here contend for. It may seem indeed a blessing yt God prepared ye woman a place in the wilderness, & yt she should be fed there 1260 days & yt two things were given her to fly thither from ye persecution & so it might be a temporal blessing ordained of God, & yet her flight thither might be an evil action. For God hardened Pharaoh's heart & put into ye heart of ye ten Kings to agree & give their kingdom to ye Beast, & yet yt agreement was a bad action. Also God raised up a[57] Baasha & b[58] Zimri, & by a Prophet annointed c[59] Iehu to slay & succeed their Kings, & yet David thô annointed as much as Iehu, thought it unlawfull to slay ye Lords annointed what ever is done be it good or evil is done by ye counsel of God, for wch reason we pray dayly yt God would not lead us into temptation & therefore whether it be good or evil is not determined by God's determining it, but must be learned from ye circumstances of ye thing. Now yt ye woman by flying into ye wilderness did evil so as to change her religion, & degenerate into ye whore of Babylon, I gather from ye following arguments.
First because ye woman fled from heaven where she appeared in ye beginning. For heaven, when it respects ye Church, is the symbol of holiness & truth. And secondly because ye place into wch she fled is spiritually called a wilderness. For this is as much as to say a region spiritually barren or wch brings forth no fruits of ye spirit. |For Translation from place to place in ye world natural signifies translation from state to state in ye world politiqꝫ \as we explained above/ & therefore the flight of ye woman from heaven into ye wilderness denotes her descending \passing/ from a {illeg} state of holiness & truth into a state of spiritual barrenness.| In ye days of ye prophesy of ye two witnesses it rainsnot; yt is ye region where they prophesy for want of ye sweet influences of ye spirit or water of life is spiritually barren like a wilderness. So then ye woman in ye wilderness is a Church in a state of spiritual barrenness, & so answers to ye whore of Babylon. For spiritual barrenness is to be understood not of heathens who never were Gods heritage, but of such as being called to ye Gospel do not bring forth ye fruits thereof, such on wch it rained before ye prophesying of ye two witnesses, but rained no longer.
A third reason is because ye persecution of ye woman by ye Dragon is represented to be ye cause of her flight from him into ye wilderness. For a persecution can make her fly but in these three respects, either in becoming thin & few in number, or in shifting her country, or els in changing her religion to escape him, & thereby becoming spiritually barren. The two first ways we have already confuted, & therefore it might be ye third.
Another reason is because ye woman began to fly into ye wilderness upon ye Devils coming down amongst ye inhabitants of the earth & sea. These inhabitants could not be heathens, because the Devil \was/ among them before. \they/ must be such as he was not amongst before yt is Christians: & consequently ye people of ye woman. Upon ye Devils coming down he persecutes ye woman, & to usher in this persecution a wo is at ye same time denounced to those inhabitants. Wo to the inhabitants of ye earth & sea, for ye Devil is come down amongst you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time. And therefore these inhabitants are most certainly the people of ye woman whom he persecutes upon his coming down, & yet are they not all ye people of ye woman. For at ye same time yt ye wo is denounced to these inhabitants ye heavens & they yt dwell therein are bid to rejoyce, & yt because they had overcome ye Dragon by ye blood of ye Lamb, & by ye word of their testimony, & saved not their lives unto death. The inhabitants of ye heavens were therefore Christians as well as ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea: & therefore ye woman was composed of them all; they being one Church outwardly & visibly, but inwardly distinguished into ye inhabitants of ye heavens, & ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea, yt is into true saints & mere external professors of Christianity. Whence a wo is denounced only to ye last. For in persecution ye wo is not to ye faithfull who endure it, but to outward professors who fall away from ye faith to avoid it. 'Tis not agreeable to ye honour of ye scriptures to denounce \a wo/ to martyrs & those who persevere in suffering for ye truth. We are exhorted again & again to rejoyce at such sufferings for ye truth. We are exhorted again & again to rejoyce at such sufferings as in ye greatest happiness Matt. 5.10, 11, 12. Iames 1.3. 1 Pet. 4.12, 13. The wo is to hypocrites who in time of tryal fall away, & therefore implys ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea to be such. So then ye woman in respect of ye saints is here represented in heaven, in respect of ye hypocrites or her communion is below on Earth where ye Dragon persecutes her & consists of ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea, & upon persecution flees into ye wilderness. And therefore her translation from heaven to ye wilderness on Earth denotes her becoming hypocritical and apostate. Now ye devils coming down amongst ye inhabitants below wth great wrath denotes ye coming in of Idolatry and then after when ye Dragon {sic} is called ye Devil 'tis to express the {difference} he is cast out of heaven by his feet {illeg} down amongst ye inhabitants below & {put upon respect} of Idolatry, as appears by ye description of his coming out: The great Dragon was cast out yt old serpent called ye Devil & Satan wch deceiveth ye whole world. A wo therefore is denounced to ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea, because ye Devil or Idolatry is by persecuting ye woman from the in amongst them. And seing those inhabitants are ye hypocritical part of ye Church & ye wo belongs to them all, they all become idolatrous, yt is ye woman so far as she is below on earth & flees into ye wilderness, becomes a Whore such as is ye Whore of Babylon.
Another reason is because there is this distinction put betwen {sic} ye woman & her seed yt they keep ye Commandments of God, & have ye testimony of Iesus: wch is as much as to say yt she in her flight forsakes those commandments & has not yt testimony. Understand this of ye outward profession & form of religion, ye people of ye Sea or Beasts Kingdom being most propense to ye Apostacy, & upon division of ye Kingdom falling {over ym} in outward profession, & those of ye Earth wch helped ye woman justly persevering in ye true outward profession untill ye Dragon make {war upon} them, & partly falling away wth ye whore & by {Dragon coming ye} wo {arises} {illeg} \who rises out of ye earth/ at or soon after ye division of ye Kingdom. {ascends} out of ye Earth.
A sixt reason is yt ye Woman was fed {sic} & nourished in the wilderness all ye 1260 days from ye face of ye serpent. {illeg} and food signify riches, & therefore {to} be fed is to be {supplied} with riches & wealth. It alludes (as I told you) to Israel's being fed in ye wilderness wth Manna & Quailes, & their falling away through fullness of bread. The Lord's portion, saith Moses is his people. He found him in a desert land & in ye wast howling wilderness. He made him to ride on ye high places of ye earth yt he might eat the encrease of ye fields, & he made him to suck honey out of ye rock & oyle out of ye flinty rock. Butter of kine & milk of sheep wth fat fat of Lambs & Lambs of ye breed of Bashan & Goats t|w|ith ye fat of kidnies of wheat & thou didst drink ye pure blood of the grape. But Iesurun waxed fat & kicked, thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick wth fatness: then he forsook God wch made him & lightly esteemed ye rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy wth strange Gods, wth abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed to Devils not to God, to Gods whom they knew not, to new Gods yt came newly up whom your fathers feared not. Deut 32. Now to this feeding of ye wilderness & her concomitant Apostacy to ye worship of Baal Peor does ye Apocalyps (as I {sic} told you) allude. For as in ye 12th Chapter the Prophet tells you how ye woman fled into ye wilderness ye they should feed her there; so in ye 17th & 18th Chapters he goes after her into ye wilderness to shew you how ye Merchants ye earth feed her there of wth all kinds of fruits ye her soul lusted after, & wth all things ye were dainty & goodly Apoc. 18.14, & enrich her wth all things ye were precious vers 12, 13, & how she lives deliciously wth ye Kings of ye Earth, & through luxury commits fornication vers 7, 9. The description of ye affluence & feeding of ye great whore in ye wilderness is nothing else then a commentary on ye feeding of ye Woman wch \in ye 12th chapter/ fled thither. This Woman, seing she fled from ye face of ye serpent into ye wilderness where the whore is, & ye Kingdom {illeg} fals {one}. But ye true Church are of ye Saints whom ye {Beast} all ye {illeg} days makes war upon & overcomes {Apoc.} 13.5, 7. \& by the power given him over all nations oppresses all the time of his reign/ Whilst these are afflicted & opprest she is fed from ye face of ye persecuting serpent, ye is grows rich & continues free from persecution & therefore is a fals Church, a corrupt Woman or Whore in ye wilderness.
Another reason is ye ye Whore in ye wilderness denotes ye Church in a state of Idolatry, & this Church before it grew idolatrous must have been ye pure & true Church of God, & consequently ye same woman wth ye in ye 12th chapter. For ye Church under ye Law did not use to be signifyed by one woman when pure, & by another when corrupt, but by one & the same Woman from first to last, ye wife of God sometimes chast, but very frequently playing ye Whore, as you may see in Ier. 3. Ezek. 23. Hosea 2 & 3. And so under ye Gospel ye Church from ye beginning to ye end is one & ye same woman first chast, & afterwards forsaking her husband, & playing ye Whore wth other lovers ye Kings of ye earth. In ye Church under ye Law a woman is made ye type of ye multitude thereof. Whither pure or impure, & when ye multitude degenerates ye rest cease to be signifyed by ye woman, & are called either Prophets or servants of God, or by some such other Name, & so in ye Church under ye Gospel, ye type of ye Woman goes along wth ye multitude, & when ye multitude fall away the rest are signified by ye Names of {Provosts, {illeg} servants} of God, Witnesses, Martyrs & ye like. {Since} therefore ye Inhabitants of Earth & Sea to whom ye Devil came down were Christians, & by ye coming down of ye Devil degenerated into Idolatry as has been explained, & ye woe is denounced not to some few, but to the inhabitants in general, & consequently ye generality of Christians signifyed by ye first Woman did at her flight into ye wilderness fall into Idolatry, & therefore was a Whore in ye wilderness, & seing also ye Whore is such a Whore, & before she became a Whore was a true Church, & consequently such a woman as ye in heaven, & seing there are not two & ye true Weomen {illeg} \nor/ two Whores described in ye Apocalyps, it remains ye they be ye same. The woman was fed in ye wilderness Apoc 1260 days Apoc. 12.6, & all this while ye Whores Beast \reigned/ made war upon ye Saints Ch. 13.5, & therefore if ye Whore was different from ye Woman, they would have been both together all ye time in ye wilderness, whereas ye Prophet saw but one woman there & describes her to ye universal Church of ye wilderness {sitting} upon ye Beast & when ye when ye many waters there & reining over {ye King of ye Earth {illeg} & signify} the faithfull from her by no other {illeg} then ye of Saints & martyrs or Witnesses of Iesus.
An eighth reason is because this prophesy of \ye/ Woman & Dragon being a commentary upon ye prophesy of ye Seales, ye woman signifies ye Church Catholick in ye prophesy, & consequently is ye same Church wth ye twelve tribes out of wch a few are numbred & sealed. Now ye Church by ye sealing is divided into two sorts of people, ye few sealed out of all ye tribes, & ye tribes themselves out of which those few are selected & sealed. Those tribes are ye Church signified by ye Woman as wel after ye selecting & sealing a few out of them as before: the case being \exactly/ the same as in the Church of Israel divided into ye servants of God which were but few in number & into ye erring multitude represented in the Pro in ye old Prophets by a Woman going a whoring. I told you ye this sealing answers to ye loss of ye two Goats in ye Fast. These sealed are ye Lords lot to be sacrificed, & ye unsealed are ye scape Goat wch bears away ye sins of ye people into ye wilderness; & to these two answer ye Woman flying into ye wilderness, & ye remnant of her seed left behind her to be sacrificed in ye war which ye Dragon at her flight goes to make war upon.
And lastly as ye Beast on wch ye whore sitteth is no new Beast, but was described before in ye 13th Chapter, so by analogy ye Whore is no new Woman out ye same wth her described before in ye 12th & 13th Chapters, & finisheth it in ye 17th & 18th. There he tells ye beginning of both & ye end of neither: here he begins wth ye beginning of neither but goes on to tell ye end of both. There he carries on ye Womans history unto her flight into ye wilderness & so leaves it: here he goes after her into ye wilderness to see her there, & tells us her behaviour in ye place & how she should at length be destroyed by ye ten Kings. There he tells us how ye Beast rose out of ye sea, & began to act, here he goes on to tell us how after ye ruin of ye Whore, ye Beast perished in ye war wth ye Lamb. And so in both places together we have a compleate description of both.
It may indeed seem strange ye so glorious a Woman should degenerate into so vile a Whore, but this strangness is no argumt against ye truth. For ye Prophet himself wondred at it with great admiration. He wondred not at her rich apparell. Such sights are common enough in ye world. The monstrous shape of ye seven headed & ten horned Beast was a much stranger sight, & yet he expressed no wonder at yt. 'Twas at ye Woman's drunkenness wth ye blood of ye Saints yt he wondred. I saw, saith he, ye Woman drunken wth ye blood of ye Martyrs of Iesus, & when I saw I wondred wth great admiration. That ye Church should be persecuted was no wonder, but yt this woman should do it; yt this Woman, whom he had seen before gloriously in heaven suffering persecution under others, should herself turn such a bloody persecutrix of ye Saints, this was sufficient to make him wonder (as he expresses) wth great admiration. And if it seemed so wonderful to him, there is {illeg} \more/ reason we should think it true because wonderfull, then too wonderful to be true.
So then ye Whore of Babylon being yt woman wch fled into the wilderness, there are but four wicked persons in ye Apocalyps, ye Dragon & ten horned Beast & their erring Churches ye two horned Beast or fals Prophet & ye Whore. For ye fals Prophet is plainly ye two horned Beast. For this Beast spake as ye Dragon & a speaking Ecclesiastical body is a Prophet. By speaking he caused ye Earth to worship ye first Beast, & therefore was a fals Prophet. {After} we did miracles in ye sight of ye first Beast, & by those miracles deceived ye|ym| people yt dwell on the Earth & caused them to make an Image to yt Beast & worship it & to receive his mark, & therefore he is yt same fals Prophet wth yt spoken of afterward who together wth ye Dragon & ten horned Beast sent out froggs out of their mouths to gather men to ye battel of ye great day & in yt battel was taken & together with ye ten horned Beast cast into ye ye lake of fire. For this fals Prophet is not only conjoyned wth ye ten horned Beast as ye two horned beast was before but is also expressly called ye fals Prophet who wrought miracles before this beast with wch he deceived them yt had ye mark of ye Beast & then yt worshipped his Image, wch is all one as to call him ye two horned Beast. In the 13th Chapter is described ye rise of ye ten horned Beast & two horned Beast or fals Prophet but not their ruin, & here in ye 19 Chapter is described their ruin but not their rise. In either prophesy apart their description is incomplete, & to complete it they must both be conjoyned. In ye 12th \13th/ Chapters where ye original of ye Apostacy is described, there is described ye rise of four wicked persons & no more; ye Dragon, ye Woman riding in ye wilderness, ye ten horned Beast & two horned Beast \& their history is here left is here left/ \incomplete/ in ye 18th, 19th, & 20th Chapters where ye fall of ye Apostacy is decimated there is told ye ruin of these four persons & no more; ye whore of Babylon is burnt wth fire, & her desolation & fall proclaimed, ye Beast & fals Prophet is cast into ye lake of fire & ye Dragon into ye bottomless pitt. What became of ye four persons is not said in ye 12th & 13th Chapters, & therefore we are to look for yt afterwards in ye 18th, 19th & 20th Chapters where ye end of ye Apostacy is described, & whence those four per; therefore we are to look for yt before in ye 12th & 13th Chapters where ye beginning of these times is described.
Of the two true Churches signified by ye two Witnesses
Now besides these four persons there are ye remnant of ye woman's seed whom ye Dragon makes war upon in his kingdom, & ye saints whom ye Beast \(taken in a strict sense)./ makes war upon in his kingdom & overcomes, & these as I said are ye two true Churches of those Kingdoms. These are two are in all things opposed to ye two fals Churches, & therefore ye fals Churches being called ye fals Prophet & ye Prophetess Iezebel, in opposition to them ye true ones are called ye two Prophets yt is ye true ones. And as ye old Prophets in teaching are said to signify or witness against Iudah & Israel (2 King. 17.13, 15. 2 Chron. 24.19. Nehem. 9.26, 30 \Isa 43.10, 12/) So these two Prophets are also called witnesses. The remnant of ye woman's seed in being said to have ye Testimony of Iesus have ye Character of one witnesses & the saints whom ye Beast makes war upon & overcomes in being called the martyrs of Iesus wth whose blood ye whore is drunken have ye Character of another witness. For ye whore being shew those martyrs by ye temporal sword of ye Beast she rides upon. The \And These are \therefore/ the two witnesses wth prophesy in sackcloth. For those/ two Witnesses are synchronal to ye two fals Churches & are placed ye one in ye Earth & ye other in ye sea \as ye fals Churches are./ For they prophesy all ye 1260 days \that is all the time/ yt ye woman is fed in ye wilderness, & yt ye Beast makes war \reigns/; & they answer to ye two Eagle's wings of ye woman \or two churches/ spread into ye earth & sea, as was explained, & are ye mystical body of ye Angel who sets his right food upon ye sea, & his left foot upon ye earth, & lyes dead in ye streets of ye great City wch is spiritually called Sodom & Egypt yt is ye Whore & ye Dragon or ye sea & the earth. These two witnesses therefore are ye Saints whom ye Dragon & Beast make war upon. For true Churches coincident in time & place are necessarily ye prophesy of ye book sweet in ye Prophets mouth are ye state of ye true Church is more fully & distinctly described then yt of ye fals ones. In yt of ye \{same}/ book bitter in his belly ye fals Churches & erring kingdoms are described at large, & ye state of ye true Church only glanced at; but both being prophesies of ye same book, & ye first an introduction to ye last, ye Churches of ye same times regions and kingdoms are prophesied of in them both.
Some \Those Some/ interpret ye words ὅταν τελεσωσι not when they shall finish their prophesy, but when they shall perform it, & so make them ly dead all ye time of their prophesying in sackcloth. \The interpretation is hard & yet may deserve some consideration. For/ The persons spoken of in ye Apocalyps being not single personsbut bodies of men, killing every where in this prophesy taken not in a litteral sense for killing \of/ single persons, but in a mystical one for dissolving those bodies: & so killing these two Churches is dissolving their Ecclesiastical government, & dispersing their people. When they were thus when they were thus dead mystically dead they were in ye same state wth ye old Prophets in Israel in ye worship of ye two calves, and therefore in allusion to ye Prophets & holy men of those times they are here fitly represented by men prophesying. And to express this ye better, they are said to be in ye funeral habit of sackcloth (black as hair Apoc. 6.12) all ye time they prophesy, & to be not put in graves, but seen of them yt dwell on ye earth all ye time they are dead. During the 42 months yt ye nations trod under foot ye holy city, they worshipped in ye outward Court, yt is, had ye outward face & form of a Church, & ye saints who were expelled ye outward Court & worshipped all yt time worshipped only in ye outward Temple were in a state of dissolution & death as to Ecclesiastical government & polity. And after they were once thus killed they were not \so/ capable of being mystically killed again while their prophesy in sackcloth casted. The witnesses were \might be/ better able to torment ye nations before they put on sackcloth then at any time afterward, & ye Nations more likely to rejoice at ye first mystical killing of ye witnesses, & to continue rejoicing all ye time they were in sackcloth then to begin to rejoice at any time afterwards. So long as ye Kings of ye earth lived deliciously wth ye whore & ye Nations drank of ye wine of her fornication, so long they rejoiced & made merry at ye death of ye witnesses. Their being witnesses in sackcloth & martyrs unburied {illeg} \may be/ signified by one & ye same word μαρτυρες & so may will be taken for one & the same thing.
And thô in allusion to Christ crucified in ye streets of ye great city they are said to prophesy 1260 days or three years & am half, & lye dead only three days & an half, yet may these days be really equall to ye years. For Christ calls his life time his day (Ioh. 5.56) & Iob ye life time of ye wicked his day Iob 15.20, & Ieremy interprets ye day of the visitation of Babylon to ye time thereof, Ier.50.27, 31 & in ye Psalms ye day of temptation in ye wilderness is interpreted to be forty years Psal. 95.8, 9, 10, & Ezekiel calls ye time of Iuda's prosperity ye day of their pride Ezek. 16.56, & ye time of Iuda's captivity & distress is called ye day thereof Obad. 11.12, 13, 14. Lament. 1.12, & latter times are frequently called ye latter days, \& the time of judgment the day of judgment/ & so I take ye six {sic} days in ye creation of ye world to be put {mystically} for six {sic} long times \whether those times be six thousands {sic} years as ye Tyrrhenian historian in Suidas (in voce Τυ᾽ρρ῾ηνια) affirms, or of other lengths/. For ye history of ye creation is not in all things litteral. In yt Paradise ye flaming sword & ye trees of life & knowledge may be as much figurative descriptions of something we now understand not, as ye tree of life is in ye Paradise to come: & in a parabolical description of ye creation a day may be used figuratively as well as other things are. How three natural days & an half are too short a time for those of ye peoples & kindreds & tongues & Nations to see ye dead bodies of ye witnesses in ye streets of ye great city, & for those yt dwell in ye earth to rejoice over them & make merry & send gifts to one another. These things require a longer time, & therefore three days & an half are here put for three times for three years & an half & consequently according to ye language of Daniel & Iohn for three years & an half, for Daniel uses seven times for seven years (Dan. 4) & Iohn interprets \a/ time times & an half to be {illeg} 1260 days Apoc 12.6, 14, yt is three years and an half or so many days as ye witnesses prophesy. [ And this [is still confirmed by ye frequent use of a day for a yeare, as in Amos 4.4 where three days are \in the Hebrew/ put for three years, |in| Isa. 61.2 & 63.4 where a day & a yeare are used one for another, |in| Num. 14.34. where 40 days are made a type of 40 years, |in| Ezek 4.5, 6 where \40 days &/ 390 days are used as types of so many years, in Ionah 3.4 where some conceive ye prophesy of 40 days to have been fulfilled at ye end {of} 40 years, |in| Apoc 2.20 where a tribulation of ten days is put for a persecution of ten years, a persecution of ten days (if there were any so short) being too inconsiderable to be mentioned in this Prophesy. So also Suidas Grammaticus tells us yt ye Egyptians \on the contrary called a day a yeare./ used days for years. And yt ye three days & an half are so many times or years] may be gathered \also/ from ye analogy between ye prophesy of ye two witnesses & yt of ye woman fed in ye wilderness. For these, as true & fals Churches, are related by way of opposition. The time of ye womans being fed in ye wilderness is twice described. First they feed her there 1260 {sic} days, & then she is nourished there a time times & an half. And {sic} so ye time of ye witnesses being in afflictions is twice described. First they prophesy in sackcloth (ye emblem of mourning & death) \1260 days/ then they lye mystically dead above ground in ye sight of men three days & an half. To ye three times & an half in yt prophesy of ye woman ye three days & an half \do/ answer in this of ye witnesses. // Now ye killing of these witnesses by ye Beast in ye beginning of their prophesying {is} {illeg} described in ye 13th {Chapter} of ye Apocalyps. |For the Beast in respect of his heads as sometimes taken in a large, for ye whole dominion of both Dragon & Beast. Stricktly he is the kingdom of ye sea, but by the instance of the two-corned Beast his worship is propagated into ye earth & whore he kills both ye Witnesses he is taken in a large sense for himself & his worshippers together.| together. {sic} When ye two Beasts were newly risen ye one out of ye sea, ye other out of ye earth, ye latter made all ye {Authority} of ye first Beast before him, yt is not his civil & regal power in ye sea, for ye Dragon gave him yt power {illeg} his authority in matters of Religion in ye earth where ye two horned Beast (a body Ecclesiastical) acted. This Beast made ye authority of ye other not within him but before him or in ye adjacent region of ye earth wch lay as it were before his eyes. For he causeth ye earth & them yt dwell therein (ye inhabitants of yt earth out of wch he rose & where he acted) to worship ye first Beast whose deadly wound was healed (yt is to adore his authority in point of Religion to receive & worship his Gods & to commit spiritual fornication with him) And he doth great Miracles, so yt he maketh ye fire (of excommunication & religious war) come down from heaven (of the regal throne) on yt earth in ye sight of Men. And deceiveth them yt dwell on ye earth by means of those miracles wch he hath power to do (not within but) in ye sight of ye Beast, saying to them yt dwell on yt earth yt they should (assemble & by assembling) make an Image to ye Beast wch had ye mortall wound by a sword & revived And he had power to give breath unto ye image of ye Beast yt ye image of ye Beast should both speak (as one of ye heathen Oracles) and (by it's decree as by a sentence of divine authority) cause yt as many as would not (by obey {sic}ing yt decree commit idolatry &) worship ye image of ye Beast should be killed (yt is by ye temporal sword of his worshippers in yt earth) And {sic} he causeth all (in yt earth) both small & great, rich & poor, free & bond to receive a mark or sign in their right hand or in their foreheads & yt (through Excommunication no man might buy or sell save he yt had ye mark or name of ye Beast, (yt mark wch ye people in ye Beast's kingdom had received before or yt name of blasphemy wch was written upon ye heads of ye Beast, yt is ye name of his fals Gods opposed to ye Name of God & Christ written on ye foreheads of ye 144000 Saints on mount Sion) or ye number of his name Χξστ, 666.
This is ye religion & worship of ye Beast & Image propagated by ye fals Prophet into yt earth out of wch he arose & ye true Church in yt earth overthrown thereby. For those who were killed for not worshipping ye Image of ye Beast were ye true Church of ye Earth, because all the rest worshipped it, & since all were killed who would not worship that Image, their killing cannot be litteral least ye true Church case, but must be understood mystically of dissolving ye bodies Ecclesiastical of all their particular Churches by abrogating their government & outward form in every City & Town. For ye time of their killing they were interdicted buying & selling, & appeared on Mount Sion wth ye Lamb, & therefore were killed only mystically. Now all this was done before ye sounding of ye first Trumpet. For ye plague of ye first vial fell upon ye Men who had received ye Mark of ye Beast & worshipped his Image, & is ye same wth yt of ye first Trumpet. When ye servants of God were sealed in their foreheads, then did ye worshippers of ye Beast receive his mark by way of opposition, & this was (as we shewed) between ye opening of ye Seventh Seale & sounding of ye first Trumpet. Whence you may understand yt those who are killed for not worshipping ye Image are ye remnant of the woman's seed whom ye Dragon at ye opening of ye Seventh Seale went to make war upon, & yt their killing is performed in yt war, ye two horned Beast propagating ye worship of ye other Beasts & his Image into ye earth wch is ye Kingdom of ye Dragon, & by excommunication causing ye fire of yt war to come down from ye throne in ye sight of Men. Whence also you may understand yt those who are killed in this war are ye Martyr Antypas. For Antipas was slain there where Satan dwelleth, yt is in ye Dragon's kingdom & (as ye signification of ye word implies) is one Martyr for all or a single person put for all yt were killed. All ye Apocalyptic persons have their mystical bodies, & so Antipas has his, & therefore he is the true Church of ye Dragon's kingdom mystically slain in ye war of ye Dragon. For his being conjoyned wth ye Church of Pergamus & wth Salam, Balac & Balaam, yt is wth ye woman, Dragon, Beast & fals Prophet, shews yt he has relation to ye history of those four described in ye 12th & 13th Chapter of ye Apocalyps. Thus have you ye Martyrdome of one of ye Witnesses distinctly described, & ye Martyrdome of them both seems to be comprehended in these general words yt it was given to ye Beast to make war wth ye saints & to overcome them, & power was given him over all kindred & tongues & Nations & all yt dwell upon ye Earth shall worship him whose names are not written in ye book of life. If any man hath an Ear let him hear. He yt leadeth into captivity shall goe into captivity. He yt killeth wth ye sword must be killed wth ye sword. Here is ye patience & ye ,faith of ye Saints. By ye extent of his power over all Nations in this war so a to cause all yt dwell upon ye earth to worship him, ye war is extended to ye earth as well as to ye sea & so takes in ye Martyrdome of both witnesses, ye Beast in ye description of this war being taken in a general sense so as to comprehend ye Beast & his worshippers or ye whole dominion of both Beast & Dragon together; ye people of ye Dragon being ye worshippers of ye Beast, & in yt respect referred to this mystical body. And in their general sense ye words here it was given to ye Beast to make war wth ye saints & to overcome them & he {yt} killeth wth ye sword must be [in ye end] killed wth ye sword {answers to ye words} in ye 11th Chapter yt when ye Witnesses shall perform their prophesy ye Beast wch ascendeth out of ye Abyss, shall make war against them & shall overcome them & kill them. So then ye witnesses are mystically slain before they prophesy in ye mourning habit of Sackcloth, & this is ye reason why their Martyrdome is described in ye 12th and 13th Chapters of ye Apocalyps rather then in ye in ye 17th & 18th; those conteining ye rise, these ye fall of ye Apostacy.
The 144000 Saints on Mount Sion, in having ye Name of God on their foreheads are opposed to those {who} received ye mark of ye Beast in their foreheads, & worshipped his Image, & therefore are ye true Church wch would not worship ye image & was therefore mystically slain. These are they wch are not defiled wth women, for they are Virgins Apoc. 14.4, yt is they are ye Saints as many as are not defiled wth ye Whore of Babylon, & therefore they they signify ye true Catholick Church in ye reign of ye Whore & her Beast & so are ye two Prophets or Churches killed by yt Beast. Whence 'tis said also yt in their mouth was {sic} found no lye, yt is yt in teaching they do not deceive ye people, (as ye Prophetess Iezabel & ye fals Prophet doth, whose people are therefore called lyars, deceivers & Sorcerers Apoc. 13.14, & 18.13, & 21.8 & 22.15) but are ye true Prophets. These are they who were sealed out of all ye twelve tribes, while ye rest received ye mark of ye Beast, & therefore they are ye whole true Church opposed to those unsealed signifying all ye rest of ye Church in Apostacy wch tribes distinguished into \ye/ two tribes & ten tribes or Church of Iuda & kingdom of Israel, being alluded unto in \the/ two horned Beast & ten horned Beast; ye servants of God sealed out of them are in opposition to them distinguished into two Churches called ye two Prophets or witnesses. The whole we told you was represented by ye two Goats in ye Fast, sealed in their foreheads by ye two lots, ye one inscribed To ye Lord, ye other to Azazel. This word Azazel signifies separation & departing away (as Bochardus derives (from ye Arabic) & ye departing here typified is from ye faith to ye worship of fals Gods. For such Gods (whether the {sic} Idols or ye Dæmons to wch ye Idols were dedicated) are in ye scripture termed Goats Levit. 17.7. And some Iews tell us yt Azazel was ye Name of one of ye Princes of ye Devils. Whence also some ancient Hereticks used it as ye Name of an evil spirit & so do Conjurers to this day, & Iulian ye Apostate took it for an evil Genius or Deus averruncus to whom ye Scape Goat (as he thought) was offered by way of attonement. The wilderness into wch this Goat was sent away was ye wilderness of ye Nations or Gentiles spoken of by Ezekiel Chapt. 20.25: wch wilderness accordingly as ye Beast is taken strictly for ye dominion of ye sea, or generally for ye dominion of both earth & sea may be taken for one or both those regions. And whereas upon ye departure of this Goat ye other Goat was sacrificed, this denotes yt ye sealed servants of God are sacrificed at ye time of their sealing or presently after, yt is yt ye two witnesses are mystically killed in ye beginning of their prophesy. But whether their killing be complete before ye sounding of ye first Trumpet or not till sometimes after deserves further consideration.
And since ye sealed servants of God {sic}, ye measured spiritual Temple, those yt worship therein & ye holy city of those worshippers are all one wth ye two witnesses, & consequently ye whole true Church in ye times of of ye Seventh Seale is comprehended in those witnesses: its evident yt in these six persons, ye Dragon & ten horned Beast, ye two horned Beast & ye Whore of Babylon & ye two Witnesses (representing two collateral kingdoms with their Churches fals & true) ye whole subject of ye Prophesy, during ye times of ye seventh Seale, is comprehended.
|The seven churches are ye Churches of ye seven horns wch renamed after the little horn had rooted up three of the ten.|
Sect. IX
The seven Churches day of Iudgment & world to come.
We explained above how ye prophesy of ye Seventh Seale was described seven times, first in ye sealed & unsealed Israelites & the following Palmbearing multitude then in ye seven Angels appearing & sounding their Trumpets, next in ye mighty Angel roaring like a Lyon & in ye following seven Thunders, afterwards in ye measured Temple & two Witnesses, fiftly in ye prophesy beginning wth ye woman & Dragon in heaven & ending wth ye Seven last plagues & {pouring out} the {Vials} of wrath, & lastly in ye prophesy: of ye Beast & whore of Babylon reigning in ye wilderness. And these seven descriptions of ye {last times are sold} {illeg}, were ye seven Churches of Asia to wch ye Epistles are sent, as I gather from ye following reasons.
First they are to be accounted seven Churches. For ye Church Catholick, as we have shewn, was at ye opening of ye Seventh Seale divided into two Churches both true & {fals}; & to express this division ye Prophesy wch was single & linear during ye opening of ye first six seales, because double in ye Seventh being described first in the twelve Tribes of Israel & Palm bearing multitude, & then in ye seven Angels appearing & sounding their Trumpets. These are ye two first Churches wch repeated in ye Prophesies of ye seven Thunders & two witnesses make four, & three of these repeated in ye general interpretation make seven. |The first Church is the twelve tribes of Israel together wth ye 144000 servants of God sealed out of them, the second is the saints whose prayers the Angel offers wth incense upon the golden Altar, the third is the mystical body of the \mighty/ Angel standing upon the earth & sea, the fourth is the measured Temple of God & they that worship therein, the fift is the woman flying into ye Wilderness together with the remnant of her seed, the sixt is the temple of the tabernacle of ye testimony in heaven O out of which the seven Angels come wth the vials of wrath, the seventh is the \Church of the/ saints & martyrs wth whose blood the Whore is drunken & {who}after ye fall {doth} \called/ the Lamb's wife wch after the fall of Babylon doth make her self ready for marriage.|
Secondly it is to be considered yt Asia signifies mud or earth & yt mountains are ye type of Cities & Temples. And in this respect ye seven Cities & Churches of Asia may typifie ye sevenfold Church of ye whole earth in ye last times & be accounted seven mountains opposite to seven mountains on wch ye whore sitteth in those times.
Thirdly ye Angels of ye Church to wch ye Epistles are sent are ye seven Angels wch sound ye Trumpets & pour out ye Vials, & therefore ye Epistles respect ye times when those Angels appear, yt is ye times of ye Seventh Seale, & \are/ sent to ye Churches of Asia wch those are ye Angels. In ye prophesy of ye first Church four of those Angels appear holding ye four winds, in ye second they appear all seven & sound their Trumpets, in ye third ye plagues of their Trumpets are repeated in ye seven Thunders. In ye fourth ye two Prophets execute ye plagues of their Trumpets & so are in their stead. For ye seven Angels are ye spirit of prophesy & prophesy in those Prophets. {In} ye fift ye Lamb appears on Mount Sion whose seven Eyes are ye seven Angels. In ye sixt ye seven Angels pour out ye seven Vials. In ye last one of ye seven Angels shews Iohn ye Visions in ye wilderness. The seven Churches are ready but one & ye same Church Catholick seven times described & therefore 'tis no wonder if all ye Angels be sometimes to be {illeg} wth in all one of ye Churches. For so also are all ye seven {stars} & seven spirits of God to be met wth in one of the Epistles. Yet there is some analogy between ye several Angels & ye several Churches. For ye Angels of ye first four Trumpets wch hold ye four winds answer to ye first four, Churches in ye prophesy of ye Seales & Trumpets & ye Angels of ye three wo-Trumpets answer to ye three last Churches in ye prophesy of ye eaten Book wch was litter in ye Prophets belly.
Fourthly it is to be considered yt ye seven Angels are ye spirit of prophesy & do prophesy in ye Prophets of ye la{illeg}ines & yt their prophesy is ye {priest Ezekiel. As ye seven} {illeg} one Church seven times described so {their Angels are ye one} one spirit {seven} times repented. For {they are} ye seven Spirits & for ye throne from whom Iohn wishes grace to ye Churches & grace is given by no Spirit inferior to ye Holy Ghost \Whence |in Epist ad Himesium, c. 1. same purpose.| Pope Siricius calls yt holy Ghost spiritum septiformem, & others have {illeg} written to the same purpose./ They are ye spirit which speaks to ye Churches in every Epistle. For Christ sends ye Epistles to ye seven Angels to be communicated or preached by them to their Churches, & in every Epistle commends ye Churches to hear their Angels: He yt hath an ear let him hear what ye Spirit saith unto ye Churches. This Spirit is most most certainly ye Holy Ghost, & therefore by a sevenfold appearance & repetition of his name is called ye seven Spirits or Angels. For they are ye seven Lamps interpreted in Zechar {sic}. in these words: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit saith ye Lord. Zech. 4. They are yt Angel or Messenger wch Christ sent to shew {sic} Iohn ye Revelation wch God had given unto him. For ye Angel wch shewed Iohn these visions (Apoc. 22.8 & 19.10) is called one of ye Seven Angels Apoc 17.1 & ye other six are ye same wth him because Christ sent no more Angels then one. Now this Angel must needs be ye Holy Ghost, because he shewed Iohn this Prophesy, & 'tis ye Holy Ghost by whom all Prophesy is given. 'Twas by ye operation of this Angel yt Iohn was in ye Spirit on ye Lords day, & none but ye holy Ghost could put Iohn in ye Spirit. 'Twas this Angel who in ye form of ye Son of of Man dictated ye Seven Epistles to Iohn, & of whom 'tis said in every Epistle, He yt hath an ear let him hear what ye Spirits saith unto ye Churches. 'Twas this Angel of wch Christ saith: I Iesus have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in ye Churches & ye Spirit & the Bride say come Apoc. 22. This Angel is ye Spirit joined wth Christ ye bride in testifying to ye Churches & of whose Testimony 'tis said: He yt hath an Ear let him hear what ye Spirit saith unto ye Churches. 'Twas this Angel of whom Iohn saith, The Lord God of ye Holy {sic} Prophets hath sent his Angel to shew unto his servants ye things wch must shortly be done, wch is as much as to say, The Lord God who heretofore sent his Spirit to ye Holy Prophets hath sent ye same Messenger to his Prophet Iohn to shew unto his servants things to come. The Holy Ghost could appear in ye form of a Dove or of cloven Tongues & by consequence in any form, as in ye form of a Man or of seven Men together, & in yt respect he might be called the seven Spirits & seven Angels or any one of ye seven |When he inspires the Prophets wthout appearing to them he is called ye Spirit & when he appears in ye form of a man he is usually termed an Angel|. As this Angel received ye Prophesy of Christ & was sent wth it from him to Iohn, so ye Comforter ye Spirit of {truth} spake not of himself, but what he heard, yt he spake & was sent by Christ to ye Apostles to shew them things to come. He received of Christ & was sent by Christ to shew it to ye Apostles Iohn 16 & in respect of his mission is properly called an Angel or Messenger \For an Angel Αγγελος signifies nothing els then a Messenger/. So Christ as he is sent by ye Father is sometimes called an Angel, & so ye old Prophets sometimes call ye Spirit by wch they spake an Angel 1 King. 13.18, 2 King. 1.3, 15, Iudg. 5.23. \And ye Angel of ye Lord wch appeared to appeared to/ Philip Acts 8.26 is afterwards called ye Spirit of the Lord vers 29.39. And in ye first six Chapters of Zechary ye Spirit by wch he prophesyed is called an Angel; & in 2 Esdras 7.60 the Archangel Uriel (so called 2 Esdr. 4.36 & one of ye seven) saith They believed not Mose, nor yet ye Prophets after him, no nor me wch have spoken unto them. And in Tobit one of ye seven saith, I am Raphael When thou didst pray & Sarah thy daughter in law, I did bring ye remembrance of your prayers before ye holy one; I am Raphael \it/ one of ye seven holy Angels wch present ye prayers of ye saints (ye office of none under Christ besides ye Holy Ghost) & go in & out before ye glory \of the holy/ one Tob. 12. And so ye prophetick Spirit by whom Daniel prophesyed is called ye Angel Gabriel, I will shew thee saith \thy/ Angel yt wch is noted in ye Scripture of truth, & there is none yt holdeth wth me but Michael your Prince. Michale ye Prince of God's people (both in Daniel & the Apocalyps) is Christ, & therefore ye Angel who saith there is none yt holdeth wth me in Matters of prophesy, but Michael, can be no Spirit inferior to ye Holy Ghost. As God gave Christ ye Revelation & he sent his Angel wth it to Iohn, so God nev 'tis an universal rule yt God never speaks to us immediately by himself but always by his Son (whence his Son is called ye word of God) & his Son sends his Messenger or Angel ye Spirit to reveale to ye Prophets what he receives of his Father: & besides these two Christ & ye Holy Ghost there are none other yt hold together in Matters of Prophesy. For otherwise it could not be universally true (as it is) yt all prophesy is by inspiration of ye holy Spirit 2. Pet. 1.21, & yt there is but one prophetick Spirit. Now ye Prophesies of Daniel & Iohn are of a kind, & ye Angel wch shewed them appears in ye same form & shape to both ye Prophets: whence you may know him to be ye same prophetick Angel in both cases, & consequently yt ye Angel who was sent to Iohn is yt spirit who alone holds wth Michael ye Prince of God's people in matters of prophesy. As ye Seven Angels & ye Seven Spirits are words of ye same signification, so are a prophetick Angel & a prophetick Spirit, & ye last is ye proper Name of ye Holy Ghost. If all Prophesy be of ye Holy Ghost much more those of Daniel & Iohn wch are ye principal & especially yt of Iohn who expressly saith, he was in ye Spirit, & therefore ye Angel, who was sent by Christ to show it him, & by whose influence he was in ye Spirit, can be no other then ye Spirit of Prophesy. Nor is there any other representation of ye holy Spirit in all ye Apocalyps then by this Angel & by the Seven Spirits or Angels & types ye Seven Lamps & seven eyes of ye Lamb. So then ye holy Spirit being this Angel, & he being one of ye Seven Angels or Spirits, & consequently all of them in a sevenfold appearance, ye office of ye Seven Angels is not only to sound ye Trumpets & pour out ye Vials, but also to prophesy in ye Churches all ye time of their appearance. For during all ye time of their appearance ye true Church (in whom they prophesy) is represented by two witnesses prophesying, & the office of ye witnesses is not only to prophesy, but also to execute ye Iudgments of ye Trumpets & Vials in smiting ye Earth with all plagues as often as they will. They are ye mystical body of ye Angels; & therefore have ye same office, & do ye same things, & by their office ye office of ye Angels is known wchis to prophesy as well as to smite ye earth wth plagues. Now ye prophesy of ye Seven Angels is ye seven Epistles. For therefore are they written to the Angels yt they should teach them to ye Churches, & ye Churches are commanded in every Epistle to hear ye Spirit. These epistles therefore represent ye prophesying of ye Seven prophetick Angels in their mystical body ye prophetick part of ye Catholick Church signifyed by ye two Prophets. That Angel is ye Angel of yt Church, because yt Church is his mystical body: & that Church seven times repeated becomes ye seven Churches described above, wch therefore are ye seven Churches of ye Angels to wch ye Epistles are sent.
In ye fift place it is to be considered yt in ye seven Epistles together wth ye morning & evening Sacrifices ye dayly worship of ye Iews is alluded unto, & ye worship of Christians signifyed, & yt ye description of this true dayly worship is opposed to ye fals worship exercised by ye fals Churches in ye times of ye Seventh Seale, and therefore relates to those times. This dayly worship consisted in preaching, praying, & praising God whereof ye preaching is prefigured by ye seven Epistles as was explained in ye beginning, & therefore ye Epistles are a type of preaching ye Gospel in ye times of ye Apostacy, wch times are those of ye Seventh Seal & for yt reason they are sent to ye Churches of those time. Those are ye times of prophesying (as is signifyed by ye prophetick Angels then appearing, & by ye book of prophesy then open in ye Angels hand, & by Iohn eating ye book to prophesy again to ye Nations, & by ye two prophesying witnesses) & this preaching is yt prophesying.
Sixtly it is to be considered yt ye seven Epistles allude to the dressing of ye Lamps, & yt they were dressed at ye time of ye morning incense five of them immediately before ye incense was offered & two afterwards. Now presently after ye opening of ye seventh Seal, when ye Seven Angels of ye Churches appear wth their Trumpets, this incense is offered, & no where els in all ye Apocalyps, and therefore ye dictating of ye Epistles to ye Angels must respect yt very time of incense, & those very Angels then appearing. As ye dressing of ye Lamps preceded ye morning Sacrifice, & was a part of ye dayly worship described in ye beginning it may indifferently respect all times, because ye dayly worship is perpetual, & for ye reason above it respects ye times of ye Seventh Seal in general: {As} it is conjoyned wth ye time of incense 'tis limited ye time of {incense} immediately following ye appearance of ye Seven Angels, & therefore upon their first appearance {is to be incense} yt the Epistles are written to them & sent to ye Churches.
Sevently it is to be considered observed yt what is declared openly in ye beginning of ye Apocalyps in these words The revelation of Iesus Christ wch God gave unto him to shew unto his Servants things which must shortly come to pass; & he sent or signified it by his Angel unto his Servant Iohn; who bare record of ye word of God. Iohn to the seven Churches &c is repeated several times afterwards: as in ye last Chapter in these words The Lord God of ye holy Prophets sent his Angels to shew unto his Servants things wch must shortly be done, & again in {these} I Iesus have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in ye Churches, yt is in ye Seven Churches. Also in ye prophesy of ye Seven Epistles 'tis repeated by ye Son of Mans dictating or inscribing ye Epistles to ye Seven Angels of ye Churches & sending {them by {illeg} unto} ye Churches & commanding him yt hath an ear to hear what ye Spirit saith to ye Churches. These seven Angels (as hath been shewed) being yt signifyed ye Revelation to Iohn & by {Iohn to ye Churches}. And {sic} again it is repeated in ye prophesy of {ye Seales & Trumpets & ye} Lamb's receiving ye book of {prophesying of ye hand of him yt} sat upon ye Throne & opening ye Seales thereof {& read it &} holding it open while he roared like a Lyon, & ye Seven prophetick Thunders (answering to ye voices of ye Trumpets of ye seven Angels & in some respect to ye voices of ye Son of Man dictating ye Seven Epistles) had uttered their voices & then giving it Iohn to prophesy again out of it before many Nations. So then ye prophesies of ye Son of Man dictating ye Epistle to Iohn and sending him with them in a book to ye Churches is analogous & Synchronal to ye prophesy of ye Son of Man to prophesying to Iohn in ye voices of a Lyon, & of ye Seven Thunders, & sending Iohn wth ye book in his belly to prophesy before many Nations. The Son of Man appears in ye same glorious shape in both cases, & 'tis ye same book in both cases. For ye book wch ye Son of Man held open in his hand alludes to ye book of ye Law, & signifies ye book of ye Revelation thereof, & ye book in wch ye Epistles were written by Iohn & sent to ye Churches is also ye book of ye Revelation. This Revelation wch Christ received of God is twice described: first in ye seven Epistles, & then again in ye prophesy of ye Seales and Trumpets wth its interpretation: & each of these descriptions is ye whole Revelation & signifies ye whole contents of one & ye same Book. I speak not of ye Letter but of ye Sense & substance of ye Prophesy. These Epistles therefore being written by Christ to ye Angels of ye Churches of vertue of yt revelation, wch God gave unto him & sent by Iohn to ye Churches must be dictated & sent to ye Churches after Christ had received ye book of that revelation of God, & opened ye Seales thereof to read ye contents, & consequently after ye opening of ye Seventh Seale. While ye book was in ye hand of God 'tis said yt no Man was worthy to open & to read ye book or to look thereon. The Lamb took ye book, yt he might open ye book in order to read it, & before he had opened it he could not read it, & dictate ye Epistles to ye Churches out of ye Revelation thereof. There were indeed certain visions appeared at ye opening of ye first Six Seales, but no reading of ye Revelation nor dictating out of it could be before ye Seales were opened. When Christ had opened ye book, then he dictated ye revelation thereof to ye Angel wch he sent to Iohn or, wch is all one, then he dictated ye sevenfold prophesy of ye Epistles to ye Seven Angels of ye Churches, & when he gave Iohn ye open book to eat & by vertue of it to prophesy before many Nations, then he sent Iohn wth ye revelation thereof to ye Seven Churches in ye form of Epistles, & both these things (ye first appearing of ye Son of Man with ye book open in his hand, & ye giving Iohn ye book to eat & prophesy out of it to ye Nations or Churches immediately followed ye time of ye opening of ye last Seale.
It being thus manifested yt ye Seven Epistles are sent to the Churches of ye times of ye Seventh Seale, & by consequence to ye Seven Churches of those times described above; in confirmation thereof I shall add but one more consideration. In calling ye two Churches two Candlesticks & two olive trees, ye prophesy of Zechary concerning ye Candlestick & two olive trees is plainly alluded unto. Now yt Candlestick had seven Lamps like yt Candlesticks in ye Temple, & for this reason we are to conceive ye two Candlesticks to have each of them seven lamps & there is ye same reason of all ye Seven Candlesticks, because they spring from ye multiplyed types of ye two as was explained in ye first of these arguments. And this is \Now these lamps, in every candlestick are/ thus represented. In ye beginning or head of ye Epistles to ye first & fift of ye Churches are set down the seven stars & seven Spirits of God. In ye beginning of ye second & sixt Churches appear ye Seven Angels. They appear also in the beginning of ye seventh when one of ye seven Angels leads Iohn into ye wilderness. The third \Church/ is a repetition of ye Second, & ye seventh a commentary upon ye fourth, & these two ye third and fourth are most properly ye two Candlesticks as was explained above. And thus by ye sevenfold light in ye head of each Candlestick, ye seven Candlesticks are known, & these Candlesticks are the seven Churches. The whole Church hath seven lights, & ever Candlestick is ye whole or at least one of ye two Witnesses which in a large sense may like ye Dragon & Beast whose Churches they are) be taken for ye Whole. But as ye Angels & Churches are numbred in order every Angel hath his Church.
So then ye Apocalyps consists of three main parts ye Prophesy of ye Seales & Trumpets wchis ye {middle part ye interpretation} thereof wch is ye last part, & ye prophesy of ye Seven Epistles wch is introductory to ye other two & respects them both those two together making up ye Seven Churches to wch ye Epistles are sent. And all three parts respect ye last times or times of ye Seventh Seal; ye times of opening ye Seales of ye book being only introductory to the times of ye book opened. And as ye dressing of ye Lamps \in the Temple/ was partly to make them burn clearer & partly to supply them wth what oyl was wanting so ye design of these Epistles is partly to illustrate ye prophesies of ye Seven Churches & partly to supply what ever is wanting in them ye Epistles answering to ye Churches in ye order they are named. For by comparing ye Epistles wth their corresponding Churches you will plainly see yt what is mainly wanting in ye prophesy of every Church is supplied in ye Epistle to yt Church: so yt ye Epistles are as necessary to ye lights of their Churches as oyle to a Lamp, & both must be conjoyned to make one complete prophesy.
In ye \prophesy of the/ first Church there appeared but four of ye Seven Angels, & 'tis not said upon what occasion a certain number are sealed out of all ye Tribes, nor what became of ye unsealed multitude or what was their conditions: but in ye Epistle \to this Church/ all {sic} these things are supply'd by ye seven stars in ye right hand of ye Son of God, & by describing a great conflict between ye Church & a sort of fals Teachers termed fals Apostles & Lyars & Nicolaitans, & by ye removal of ye Candlestick out of its place because she had forsaken her first love. When all ye Tribes Unto ye Angel of ye Church in Ephesus (yt is in a state of \commotion &/ remissness) write, these things, saith he, who holdeth ye seven stars in his right hand. I know thy works & thy labour & thy patience & how thou canst not bear them wch are evil, & thou hast tryed them wch say they are Apostles (yt is teachers or Prophets sent from God Christ) & are not, & hast found them lyars (yt is fals Prophets:) & hast born & hast patience, & for my names sake hast laboured & hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have something against thee because thou hast left thy first love. Repent or els I will come unto thee quickly & remove thy Candlestick out of its place. But this thou hast yt thou hatest ye deeds of the Nicolaitans, yt is of spiritually fornicating Christians, ye idolatrous disciples of those fals Prophets Apostles against whom thou labourest, & who for their committing spirituall fornication wth ye whore of Babylon are represented by those carnally fornicating Christians the Nicolaitans. When all ye Tribes excepting ye sealed servants of God were left unsealed & received ye Mark of ye Beast or as is exprest in ye interpretation / When ye woman fled into ye wilderness & the Dragon made war upon ye remnant of her seed then was ye Candlestick of this Church The Lamb took This conflict of ye Church wth these Apostates is also {obscurely hinted} in ye signification of ye Names of ye twelve Tribes out of wch ye 144000 are sealed. For 'tis not without a meaning yt those Tribes are {there represented} in {such an} order as is no where else in {Scripture} to be met wth ye Sons of ye mistresses & handmaids {illeg} in {mixed}, no regard had to ye order of their birth or habitation, & besides Dan & Ephraim omitted, & for them Levi & Ioseph inserted. All wch seems to be done to make up the following sentence by interpretation of ye Names thus noted by Mr. Mede.
Iudah – – – | confitetur | |
Reuben – – – | intuendo filium | Fidelium |
Gad – – – – | Cœtus | cultus |
Aser – – – | benedictus |
Nephthalim | Luctantur [cum] | |
Manasses – – | Obliviscentibus | Lucta |
Simeon – – – | Obedientiam |
Levi – – – – – | Adhærentibus [sc fidei] | |
Issachar – – | Mercedem | |
Zebulum – – | habitaculi [sc. æterni] | Prœmium. |
Ioseph – – – – | adijciet | |
Benjamin – – | filius dextrae. |
At length in this conflict, it is to be conceived yt when all ye Tribes, except a few sealed servants of God were left unsealed or as is exprest in ye Interpretation, when ye woman fled into ye wilderness, & all men were compelled to receive ye mark of ye Beast, then was ye Candlestick of this Church by ye prevailing {sic} of ye fals Apostles removed out of its place.
In ye prophesy of ye Second Church, ye times are described to ye end of ye sixt Trumpet, but ye sounding of ye seventh together wth ye great tribulation out of wch ye Church at yt time comes, is there omitted & in ye Epistle to this Church ye defect is thus supplied. Unto ye Angel of ye Church in Smyrna [yt is in bitterness of affliction. For so Smyrna signifies] write, These things saith ye first & ye last, wch was dead & is alive [& so is a type of ye Martyrs, \both the first wch are the two witnesses the first fruit unto God, & the last wch suffer in the great tribulation:] I know/ now to suffer] I know thy works & tribulation & poverty (but [in grace] thou art rich) & I know ye blasphemy [yt is idolatry] of them who say they are Iews & are not but are ye Synagogue of Satan [yt is who profess themselvs Christians & are not but are ye Church of the Dragon represented by ye two horned Beast or fals Prophet] Feare none of these things {yt thou} shalt suffer [under this persecuting Synagogues] Behold ye Devil [yt is ye persecuting Ægyptian Dragon] shall cast some of you into prison yt ye may be tryed & ye shall have tribulation ten days [yt is a persecution ten prophetick days wch are so many years] Be thou faithfull unto death & [at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet] I will give the a crown of life.
The prophesy of ye third Church is wholly sealed up & therefore in ye Epistle to yt Church 'tis supplied by a complete description of the whole. For there the Church in Pergamus is said to dwell where Satan hath his throne, & to have hold fast ye faith in those days when Antipas was Gods faithful witness, who was slain amongst them in ye kingdom of ye persecuting Satan; & to have those yt hold ye doctrine of Balaam who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before ye Children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto Idols & to commit fornication, & is exhorted to repent least Christ come unto her & fight against them wth ye sword of his mouth, & they yt overcome these temptations to fornication are promised ye hidden Manna & a white stone wth a new Name. All wch plainly answers to ye Woman in heaven where ye Dragon yt old serpent called ye Devil and Satan hath his abode (Apoc. 12.1, 3, 9) & to her holding fast ye faith in those days when ye Dragon persecuted her, & went to make war wth ye remnant of her seed, who had ye testimony of Iesus Christ, yt is who were his faithful witness Apoc 12.13, 17) being killed for not worshipping ye Image of ye Beast (Apoc. 13.15) & to those Apostates who hold ye doctrine of ye two horned Beast yt fals Prophet (as he is afterwards called) who taught ye men yt dwell on ye earth, ye worshippers of ye Beast, to make an Image to him for all men to worship, & to ye Whores committing fornication & yt in ye wilderness where ye Church was fed wth ye sword of his mouth Apoc 19, & to ye following reward of those who do not worship ye Beast & his Image, namely their being made Priests to God & reigning wth Christ Apoc. 20.
Πέργαμον in ye a[60] Ionic dialect signifies in general a city and so may be taken for ye great city so often mentioned in this prophesy. It signifies also any {city} & lofty structure & in either sence the Church & Satan in Pergamus answer to ye Woman & Dragon in heaven. For {seing ye Dragon is in} {illeg} to be ye old Serpent called ye Devil & Satan we are every where in ye Apocalyps by |ye| Devil & Satan to understand ye Dragon. {Hereafter} we shall shew yt the {sic} kingdome of this Dragon was really founded in Pergamus. Antipas, as ye name imports is ye type of all ye witnesses or Martyrs slain in yt persecution by Satan & answers to ye seed of ye woman who have ye testimony of Iesus Christ (Apoc 12.17) yt is are his witness. Then ye Dragon goes to persecute in those days when he had been persecuting ye woman, & their Martyrdome is a little after described Apoc. 13, 15 & said to be done for not worshipping ye image of ye Beast, yt is, for not following ye doctrin of Balaam. This Prophet counseled Balac to entice Israel to ye worship of his Idol Baal Peor Num. 31.16, & so answers to ye fals Prophet who said to ye men yt dwell on ye earth yt they should make an Image to ye Beast. And Balac ye King answers to ye crowned Beast, & those of ye Church of Pergamus who commit fornication, suppose wth ye confederate Kings Moab & Midian, & eat sacrifices offered to Baal Peor, answer to ye whore committing fornication wth ye Kings of ye earth, and living deliciously wth them & to ye peoples worshipping ye Images of the Beast. For this fornication called also ye doctrine of ye Nicolaitans is here made a type of spiritual fornication or idolatry. For seeing Christ here threatens those who held their doctrine to fight against them wth ye sword of his mouth, if they repent not, they cannot be ye old Nicolaitans long since ceased, but must be such a sort of Men as he is at length to fight wth against wth yt sword, yt is worshippers of ye Beast & his Image Apoc 19.19, 20, 21, or rather they must be yt generation of men he then fights against. For prophetical threats of Iudgment to those who repent not are always predictions yt ye judgment to those who repent not are always predictions yt ye judgment shall for want of repentance come to pass upon some or all ye people threatened. Ψηρος signifies {little} stone such as they cast accounts wth, & is used for ye stones by wch Iudges in Courts of Iudicature & in ye Agones gave their votes & sentence, & is thence put sometimes for ye suffrages themselvs {sic}. In Courts of Iudicature ye stones were white and black, ye first for absolution, ye other for condemnation. In ye Agones a white stone was given ye victor with his name & ye reward or prize he was to receive write upon it; & this is alluded to here in giving such a stone to him yt overcometh. The new name here seems to allude to a new title of honour, such as yt of Iudge, Lord, Duke, Priest, Prince, King. For so ye name written on ye garments of ye Rider on ye white Horse is expounded to be King of Kings & Lord of Lords & ye word of God. Apoc. 19. And so Isaiah (Ch. 62.4) to express ye new reign of Ierusalem after her return from captivity, saith she shall be called by a new name, & shall be a crown of glory in ye hand of ye Lord, & a royal Dyadem. So then ye white stone denote ye judging & rewarding ye Saints & making them Kings & Priests to God (Apoc. 1.6) a name wch no man knows ye vertue of but he yt receives it. And here it being promised to him who overcometh in ye conflict wth Balaam & Balac, yt is who doth not commit fornication wth him nor eat things sacrificed to his Idols, it refers to ye reward of those who do not worship ye Beast & his Image described in Apoc. 20.4, 6, namely yt they shall in ye first resurrection be made Priests to God & Christ & reign wth him. And thus in this short Epistle to ye Church of Pergamus is ye whole Summ of ye Apocalyps elegantly comprehended, namely ye woman & Dragon in heaven, ye remnant of her seed and their persecution by ye Dragon, ye Beast, fals Prophet, worship of the Beast & his Image, fornication wth ye Whore in ye wilderness, final destruction of ye fornicators by ye sword coming out of ye mouth of ye River on ye white horse, & ye following reign of ye Saints with Christ.
In ye prophesy of ye third \fourth/ Church ye Angel's setting his fiery feet on ye earth & sea is a sufficient insinuation yt his feet do there signify something: namely ye two Churches of ye last times in a state of persecution. For ye species of fire is a type of war upon ye Churches. To impress ye like signification upon ye same Angel's feet in ye prophesy of ye fourth Church. The Epistle to yt Church begins thus. To ye Angel of ye Church of Thyatira (yt is in Martyrdome) write These things saith ye Son of God who hath his eyes [ye Angels of ye two Churches] like unto a flame of fire, & his feet [ye two Churches] like unto {Calcholimium} [yt is, as is expressed above Chap. 1.15) like molten Mettal \amber/ as if they burned in a furnace] I know thy works & thy charity & service & faith & thy patience & thy works & ye last [in ye great & final tribulation] to be more then ye first [at the {calling} of ye Witnesses \beginning of ye apostasy/] In ye Prophesy of ye fourth Church there is also wanting ye whore upon ye back of ye Beast who there makes war upon ye Witnesses: & to supply this defect ye Whore is described in ye Epistle to this Church, by ye name of ye woman Iezabel, & ye Beast & Kings of ye Earth by them yt commit adultery wth her. This Iezabel as a Prophetess teaches & seduces Gods servants to commit fornication, & to eat things sacrificed to Idols, & therefore her fornication is spiritual. In being called Iezabel she is a Queen like ye whore of Babylon, & her reign lasted a long time. For Christ saith, I gave her space to repent of her fornication & she repented not. Then comes her judgment, Behold I will cast her into a bed [of everlasting torment for {sic} her bed of pleasure] & them yt commit adultery wth her into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her Children with [ye Second] death, & all ye Churches shall then know [by the manifestation of ye secrets of ye hearts of her & her lovers and Children at my coming to judgment] yt I am he wch searcheth ye reins & ye hearts, & [at yt time] I will give unto every one of you according to his works. This lofty & majestick description of ye judgment of ye Whore & her lovers at ye last day so as to make her an example before all ye Churches, shews yt she is no single person but a very great Ecclesiastical body of spiritual fornicators. But unto you I say & unto ye rest of Thyatira as many as have not this doctrine [of committing fornication wth Iezabel {sic} & eating things sacrificed to Idols] & wch have not known ye depths of Satan [ye mysterious religion of yt Devil who came down among ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea] I will put upon you no other burden [then abstinence from those things] but yt wch ye have already hold fast till I come [to judgment at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet] He yt overcometh I will [them] give him power over ye Nations [wch shall then become ye Kingdom of God] & he shall rule them with a rod of iron.
The fift Church or ye Church in Sardis is ye woman flying from heaven into ye wilderness & ye chief things wanting in ye prophesy of this Church are ye seven Angels & a description of ye state of yt woman in ye wilderness. Now these are thus supplied in ye Epistle to yt Church. And unto ye Angel of ye Church in Sardis [yt {is ye woman} adorned wth pretious stones Apoc. 17] Write these things {saith he yt} hath the seven Spirits of God & ye Seven Stars. I know thy works & thou hast a name yt thou livest [an outward {sign} & profession of a glorious Christian Church] and [in ye inward man] art dead. Be watchfull & strengthen ye things wch remain, & yt [in thy flying into ye widening] are ready to dye: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received & heard [ye true faith] & hold fast [ye same from whence thou art departing] & repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch I will [at ye last day] come on thee as a thief, & thou shalt not know what hour I shall come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis [ye Saints composing ye two witnesses] wch have not defiled their garments [with thy whoredom] & they shall walk with me in white &c. By Christs threatening to come upon this Church as a thief in ye night, its manifest yt she is an apostatizing Church continuing till ye last day, & consequently ye Whore {of} Babylon.
In ye prophesy of ye sixt Church ye chief thing wanting is the |a| description of ye great tribulation & kingdome of God commencing at ye pouring out of ye Seventh Vial & ye meaning of ye Temple's standing open. And this is thus supplied in ye Epistle to this Church. And to ye Angel of ye Church in Philadelphia [yt is in charity ye greatest of ye graces] write these things saith he yt is holy, he yt is true [& so a fit type of this Church] he yt hath ye Key of David [to the Temple of heaven] he yt openeth [it to let out ye seven Angels of ye apostacy] & no man shutteth [it till ye last day & then letteth in his Church again Apoc. 15.8] & shutteth [it] & no man openeth [it to turn them out any more for ever] I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door [\the door wch was opened for ye seven Angels to come out of ye Temple Apoc. 15.5 & stands for {illeg}/ to enter into ye Temple or kingdom of heaven at ye last day] & no man can shut it [to exclude thee:] for thou hast not denyed my name. Behold I will \make/ them of ye Synagogue of Satan wch say they are Iews & are not but do lye [ye members of ye fals Prophet yt Church of ye Dragon wch say they are Christians & are not but do lye] behold I will make them [at ye pouring out of ye last Vial] to come & worship before thy feet, & to know yt I have loved thee. Because thou hast [in ye great tribulation] kept ye word of my patience I also will preserve thee out of ye hour of [yt tribulation or {sic}] temptation wch [in ye end] shall come upon all ye world to try them yt dwell upon ye earth [so yt in ye end thereof thou shall overcome thy persecutors & cause them to come & worship before thy foot] Behold [when yt persecution shall begin] I come quickly [to destroy those Antichristian persecutors in yt time] hold yt fast wch thou hast, yt no man take thy crown. Him yt overcometh will I [cause to enter in at ye open door &] make a pillar in \[the court of]/ ye Temple of my God, & he shall go no more out [of ye Temple as ye seven Angels did;] & I will write upon the him ye name of my God. &c. The phrase of entering into an open gate used here for entering into ye Kingdom, you may see used in ye like sense in several other places of scripture Is. 45.1, 2, & 26.1, 2, & 62.10, Psalm 24.
In ye prophesy of ye seventh Church ye chief things wanting are ye original of ye Whore of Babylon & ye true Church opposite to her wch is one of ye two witnesses, & these are thus supplied in ye Epistle to this Church. And unto ye Angel of ye Church in Laodicea [yt is ye Church in a state of judging & reigning over ye people] write, These things saith ye Amen ye faithful & true witness [prefiguring ye witness opposed to ye whore] ye beginning of the creation of God [& in yt respect prefiguring this witness martyred in ye beginning of ye times of ye|this| Church] I know thy works & yt thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm & neither cold nor hot I will [by thy apostacy from ye truth] spew thee out of my mouth [Thy candlestick shall be removed out of its place. Thou shalt be separated from my mystical body & become ye waters in ye wilderness where ye whore sitteth] Because thou [gloriest in thy outward from & splendor as a Church] & sayest I am rich & increased wth goods & have need of nothing, & knowest not yt thou art [inwardly] wretched & miserable & poor & blind & naked, I counsel thee to buy of me [true faith wch endureth like] Gold tried in ye fire, yt thou mayst be rich [1 Pet. 1.7] & white raiment [of righteousness Apoc. 19.8] yt thou mayst be cloathed & yt ye shame of thy nakedness [by committing spiritual fornication] do not appear & anoynt thine eyes wth eye salve yt thou mayst see [ye {illeg} & {illeg} in it] As many as I love I rebuke & chasten, {be zealous therefore} [{illeg} my admonition] & repent. Behold, I {stand at ye door & knock if any man hear} my voice & open ye door, I will come in to him [at ye last day] & sup wth him & he wth me [Blessed are {they wch are} {called} unto ye marriage {supper} of ye Lamb. Apoc. 19.9] To him yt overcometh will I [then] grant to sit down wth me in my throne [& reign with me {illeg}|A|poc. 20] even as I also overcame & am set {down} with my Father in his throne.
Thus do all ye Epistles suit wth their Churches & like oyl poured into Lamps supply their defects, mend their light & make their sense more clear & manifest. And since ye Seven Churches are but repeated descriptions of one & ye same Church catholic during ye times of ye seventh seale, & ye seven Epistles are supplemental descriptions of one & ye same Church catholick in ye times of yt seal. To describe the times of Apostacy was the main design of the Apocalyps, & therefore ye description thereof is many times repeated. For this multiplicity of descriptions {seems} both to hide & obscure the prophesy till ye mystery of the these {illeg} descriptions {illeg} found out least ye understanding ye prophesy too soon should hinder ye fulfilling thereof; & then after it was found out {illeg} & {illeg} ye meaning of ye prophesy by comparing all those descriptions wth one another. For by {such} comparison we may now more clearly understand ye religion rise duration & fall of ye Apostacy then we could before.
Sect. X
The Apostacy of the latter times |described in the Prophesies of the old & New Testament|
By what has been hitherto said it is manifest yt ye designe of ye Apocalyps is nothing else then to describe one great Apostacy in the kingdom at first represented \by the Dragon {illeg} & then/ by ye Dragon & Beast \together/. The qualities of this Apostacy are. // First yt its religion is Christian in outward form & profession, as we have already shewn by many Characters. For ye apostates ye fals Churches of ye Dragon & Beast represented by the two horned Beast & Whore of Babylon, whereof ye two horned Beast \exercises excommunication &/ is called a fals Prophet, yt is a preacher of fals doctrine to Gods people, & has two horns like ye Lamb whose \seven/ horns & mystical body are the Churches of Asia \& therefore is a church composed of two subordinate Churches/ & exercises excommunications & Whore in being called a Whore is an idolatrous Church, She is yt woman who fled from heaven into ye wilderness & left a remnant of her seed who keep ye commandments of God & have ye testimony of Iesus. Those Apostates are ye inhabitants of ye earth & \sea/ sea amongst whom the Devil of idolatry came down & consequently who had him not among them before. They are ye Nations worshipping in ye outward Court of ye Christian Temple or Church \They are/ all ye Tribes out of wch a few servants God are sealed, & ten of wch tribes are ye ten horned Beast & ye other two ye two horned one. They are ye synagogue of Satan who say they are Iews & are not but do lye, yt is ye idolatrous Church of ye Dragon, who outwardly professe themselves Christians & inwardly are not what they profess but do prophesy falsly of themselves. They are Nicolaitans or spiritually fornicating Christians. They are ye disciples of those who say they are Apostles & are not but do lye, yt is who falsly pretend they are Christian teachers of ye Gospel sent by Christ. They are ye Church of Ephesus at length seduced by these fals Apostles, & after seduction represented by ye Candlestick of this Church removed out of its place. They are those of ye Church of Pergamus who hold ye doctrine of ye Nicolaitans & against whom {illeg} threatens to fight wth ye sword of his mouth if they repent not. They are God's servants in ye Church of Thyatira whom ye fals Prophetess Iezabel seduceth to spiritual fornication. They are ye Church of Sardis who is spiritually dead & whose people (a few excepted) defile their garments & upon whom Christ threatens to come at ye last day as a thief if they repent not. Lastly they are ye Church of Laodicea first grown luke warm and then spewed out of Christs mouth. These are the characters of their being Christians.
In ye next place they are a Church very Catholick or universal. For power was given to ye Beast over all kindreds & tongues & Nations, & all yt dwell upon ye earth do worship him whose names are not written in ye book of life Apoc. 13.7, 8 & 17.8, & Babylon made all nations drink of ye wine of ye wrath of her fornication Chap. 14.8 & 18.3, & by her sorceries were all nations deceived chap. 18.23 & ye last persecution or tryal wch ye Churches of Smyrna & Philadelphia suffer under ye synagogue of Satan & their confederates, comes upon all ye world to try them yt dwell upon ye earth Apoc. 3.10. And ye preaching ye Gospel against these apostates is as general Apoc. 14.7.
Thirdly this catholick Church is idolatrous. For this is many ways signifyed, as by ye womans being a great whore & inebriating ye Nations \wth the wine of her fornication/ by ye fals Prophet speaking as ye Dragon. By their people's worshipping ye Beast & his Image. By ye name of blasphemy in ye heads of ye Beast opposite to ye name of God in ye foreheads of ye 144000 saints. By the Devil's coming down amongst ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea with great wrath, because he hath but a short time. By ye Angels preaching ye everlasting Gospel amongst them in these words Worship God yt made heaven & earth &c If any man worship ye beast & his Image ye same shall drink ye wine of ye wrath of God. By their being called ye Synagogue of Satan & Nicolaitans, \that is spiritual fornicators/ & being taught by Balaam & Iezabel to eat things sacrificed to Idols & commit fornication, & lastly by this {sic} idolatry being thus described \description of their idolatry/ in ye times of ye wo-Trumpets. By these three were ye third part of Men killed [yt is ye third part of all men considered in ye prophesy] And ye rest of Men [the other two third parts] wch were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of ye works of their hands yt they should not worship Dæmons [or |ye| souls of dead Men] and Idols of Gold & Silver & brass & stone & of wood wch neither can see nor hear nor walk. They repented not at God's judgments on others for worshipping Dæmons & Idols, & therefore are ye three parts of Men on whom ye plagues of ye wo Trumpets are inflicted, did worship them before in ye times of ye fift Trumpet, & those who were not killed in the plague continued to worship them till they perished at ye sounding of ye seventh \Trumpet/ & great Babylon for her fornication came in remembrance before God Apoc. 15.19. There ye people of yt Iezabel of whom God saith I gave her space to repent of her fornication & she repented not \Apoc 2.21/: Neither repented they of their Murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts \Apoc. 9.21/. By their sorceries you may know them to be mystical members of ye great Whore by whose sorceries all nations were deceived.
In ye fourth place therefore they were sorcerers, yt is addicted to pious frauds, fals miracles & jugling tricks in matters of religion, using all kinds of fraudulent Arts & delusions for deceiving Men into their idolatrous religion & carrying on ye interest of their Church. Whence ye Whore is said to make ye inhabiters of ye earth drunk wth wine of her fornication, & ye fals Prophet to deceive them with fals miracles; three of wch are thus described. First he makes fire to come down from heaven on ye earth in ye sight of men, yt is by a sophisticated excommunication of ye Saints, he makes ye giddy world believe them to be reprobates & hereticks. Secondly he gives breath to ye Image of ye Beast, yt ye Image should speak & cause all yt would not worship it to be killed, yt is he inspired an idolatrous Counsel (such as was ye second counsel of Nice, an Image or representation of ye people of ye Beast taken in a large sense) to decree Idolatry & cause yt as many as would not religiously obey its decree should be expelled ye Churches & dissipated & persecuted as hereticks. This is recconed a miracle in allusion to ye heathen Oracles who by the impostures of their Priests spake as it were miraculously {sic} {illeg} by ye spirit of ye Gods, to ye seduction of ye world & advancement of idolatry. The third miracle is \To these miracles may perhaps be referred/ yt ye fals Prophet caused all men to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. Of this kind is ye Cross or Crucifex adored in ye right hand for \its/ miraculous powers & effect, & ye signe of ye cross when made wth ye right hand in the forehead \or any where els in nomine Pa✝tris et Fi✝lii &/ in nomine Patris & ✝ Filii & ✝ Spiritus |✝| Sancti to scare away ye Devil, or produce any other supernatural effects. /So the consecrating \Images Pictures/ Holy water, Agnus Dei's, Psalters, rings, \Beads/ wooden crosses & ye like by crossing them or touching yt wth religious or performing any other ceremonies wth indications & prayers for endowing them with any kind of supernatural\ powers & vertues is a superstition of ye same kind wth ye Charmes & spells of ye Heathen, & even wthout a figure may be truly called enchantment & sorcery: as may also ye turning a wafer into \a man/ Christ's \natural/ body by ye words Hoc est corpus meum. For sorcery & magick is nothing else then ye making & using certain figures & characters wth ceremonies & invocations to make spirits come & go, appear & disappear & to produce any other supernatural effects. To make ye figures is innocent, but to place a supernatural power in them is sorcery be it in any religion whatever, & Christians who do so are sorcerers, thô they do not know it. For sorcery The fift Church or Church in Sardis had its rise among the many To their sorceries are also to be referred superstitions of the heathen religion & was as well thought of by those yt used it as Christian superstitions are by Christians. To their sorcery are also to be referred ye miracles \whereby the fals Prophet & the three froggs deceive men & those/ spoken of by ye Apostle Paul in his prophesy of ye apostacy & mystery of iniquity wch hee calls ye Man of Sin. For yt mystery (ye mystery on ye Whores forehead) beginning to work in his time & after ye Man of Sin was revealed lasting till ye Lord consume him wth ye breath of his mouth (represented in ye Apocalyps by ye two edged sword) & destroy him wthye brightness of his coming, yt is till ye end of ye world, can be no other then yt one great Apostacy prophesied of in ye Apocalyps. And ye coming of this mystery, saith ye Apostle, is after ye working of Satan wth all power & signes & lying wonders & wth all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them yt perish because they received not ye love of ye truth yt they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send a strong delusion yt they should [fall away from ye belief of ye truth &] believe a lye, yt they all [in erring from ye faith to worship lying Vanities] might be damned who believed not ye truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, or as is expressed in ye Apocalyps ye all who dwell upon ye earth should worship ye Beast whose names are not written in ye book of life. And these miracles are ye sorceries of ye whore & her confederates by wch all nations were deceived Apoc. 18.23.
Fiftly ye Apostates Christians are great persecutors. For ye whore was drunken wth ye blood of saints & in her was found ye blood of Prophets & of Saints & of all yt were slain upon ye earth. The Dragon made war upon ye remnant of ye womans seed & from his persecuting & oppressing ye Church \he/ is termed Egypt. The first Beast also made war upon ye Saints & overcame them & killed ye two witnesses or Churches of God, & ye other Beast made ye Image to speak & cause yt as many as would not worship it should be killed. These are ye great city called Egypt where also our Lord was crucified Apoc. 11, & ye horns of ye Beast who make war wth the Lamb (chap. 17.14) & ye Beast & Kings of ye earth & their armies who are gathered together to make war against ye word of God yt sat on ye white hors & against his army (chap. 19.19) Whence you may understand yt they are Antichristians: For they who make war against Christ & crucify him in his mystical body are Antichristians. So then ye Dragon & Beast wth their Churches ye fals Prophet & Whore being a real Antichristian state & ye only Antichristians prophesied of in ye Apocalyps, they can be no other then ye great Antichrist wch {has} to come. Nor {doth} it hinder yt they are Christian. For Antichrist was to be a Christian state. For Iohn describing ye Antichrists of his time wchwere ye forerunners of ye great Antichrist saith, As ye have heard yt [inye last time] Antichrist {shall} come, even now there are many Antichrists, whereby we know yt it is ye [{illeg} \approaching/ of] ye last time. [approaching] They went from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have conjoyned wth us (1 Ioh. 2) wch is as much as to say yt they were hereticks heretofore members of ye Church but now departed from it. And again, Many deceivers [yt is not ye heathen world but fals Christians or hereticks] are entred into ye {world} who confess not yt Iesus Christ came in ye flesh: this is a deceiver & a heretick an Antichrist.
Lastly these Apostates are guilty of ye greatest immoralities as of Murders, fornication [whether in allowing publick shews or otherwise] & theft Apoc. 9.21. Without are dogs & sorcerers & whoremongers & murderers & idolaters & whatsoever loveth & maketh a lye chap. 22.15. The fearfull & unbelieving & ye abominable and Whoremongers & Sorcerers & all liars shall have their part in ye lake wch burneth wth fire & brimstone chap. 21.8. To ye same purpose Paul writing of ye last times in wch Iohn tells us ye great Antichrist was to come: This know also, saith he, yt in ye last days perillous times shall come. For Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, fals accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those yt are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more then \lovers of God./ having a form of godliness [an outward shew & profession of Christianity] but denying ye power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they wch creep into houses & lead captive silly weomen, laden wth sins, led away wth divers lusts: ever learning [ye Gospel] and [{illeg}ch errors] never able to come to ye knowledge of ye truth-me{illeg} corrupt minds, reprobate [erronious, heretical] concerning ye faith And a little after: Preach ye word, be instant, in season, out of season: reprove, rebuke, exhort wth all long suffering & doctrine, but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, & they shall turn away their ears from ye truth & shall be turned into fables. The Apostle here speaks not of a few (such as there were in his time) but of a general defection of Christians (in respect of faith & manners) to happen in ye last times: & this can be no other then yt one great defection described in ye Apocalyps. The coming of this Apostacy, it seems, made a great noise in ye Church in ye age of ye Apostles. For Iude thus mentions it. Beloved, saith he, remember ye ye words wch were spoken before of ye Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ how that they told you yt there should be mockers in ye last times who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who [through error in ye faith] separate themselves [from ye Church] sensual having not ye spirit. These are ye Apostacy of whose teachers it is said yt In ye lattertimes [ye times of ye apocalyptic defection] some [τίνες not a few as we frequently use ye English word some but a many as ye word τίνες often signifies a sort of men, such a many as are those τίνες some in Rom. 11.7 & 1 Cor. 10 wch were almost all] shall apostatise from ye faith attending to erroneous spirits [ye spirits or doctrines of fals teachers of wch Iohn saith, Believe not every spirit but try ye spirits if they be of God, because many fals Prophets are gone out into ye world, - every spirit yt confesseth not yt Iesus Christ is come in ye flesh is not of God, & this is ye Spirit of Antichrist] & to doctrines of Dæmons [ye old theology of dead mens souls walking about in ye air & influencing ye affairs of mankind, wch therefore ye heathens worshipped by ye name of Dæmons, Dij Manij & Divi, using ye word Dæmon always in a good sense, but Iews & Christians abominated & out of abhorrence used ye word Dæmon for Devils, calling those souls or spirits Dæmons Devils wch ye heathens called Divi & worshipped. These doctrines of Ghosts we see now not in among Christians some worshipping them by ye name of Saints, & others superstitiously believing yt they walk. These are those Dæmons or Devils wch ye Apostates worship in the Apocalyps Chap. 9.20] through ye hypocrisy of liars having seared consciences [in feigning miracles done by Saints alive or by their Ghosts & reliques & in writing legends of them for promoting this doctrine & worship of Dæmons whence in ye Apocalyps they are again and again called lyars & fals Prophets] forbidding to marry [whence tis said in Daniel yt this Apostacy shall not regard ye {illeg}re of weomen Dan 11.37] & commanding to abstain from meats wch God hath created to be received wth thanksgiving of them wch believe & know ye truth. For every creature of God is good [as well fish as flesh] & nothing to be refused if it be received wth thanksgiving. |This is the character of ye great mystery of iniquity opposite to the mystery of godliness spoken of in ye words next before.|
From what hath been said it is obvious yt ye Apostacy was to grow up in ye Roman Empire. For {they were ye Churches of ye} Empire of whom ye Apostle Paul saith yt ye mystery of iniquity worketh & shall work till ye Man of Sin be revealed & ye time shall come when they will not endure sound doctrine & in ye last days perillous times shall come & ye spirit speaks expressly, yt in the latter times some shall depart from ye faith. To ye Churches of this empire Iude in his general Epistle {to those} Churches applies ye tradition of ye Apostles yt there should be mockers in ye last times. And of ye same Churches writes Iohn in his general Epistle where he speaks of many Antichrists then in being the forerunners of ye great Antichrist. These were ye mystery of iniquity yt should work in ye empire till they produced the Man of Sin. By him yt letted or withheld ye appearing & revealing of ye Man of Sin ye first Christians (by tradition surely from ye Apostles) understood ye Roman Empire, & therefore in those first ages prayed publickly for ye standing of this Empire. Where ye revelation of ye Man of Sin was letted, there it was to be. 'Twas Rom of whom ye Prophet Iohn saith, The seven heads are seven Mountains on wch ye woman sitteth. And ye woman wch thou sawest is yt great city wch reigneth over ye Kings of ye earth. For Rome was ye city wch in ye Prophets age reigned over ye Kings of ye earth, & wch was here famous for standing upon seven hills, being thence called Urbs Septicollis ye sevenhilled city. The woman in heaven crowned wth a crown of twelve stars, whose seed keeps ye commandments of Iesus is ye Primitive Church crowned wth a crown of ye twelve Apostles. And therefore seing this Church began in ye Apostacy signified by Roman Empire, & was diffused through it ye flight of this woman into ye wilderness is \a/ general apostacy of ye Churches of this Empire, & ye great red dragon whose Church this woman was & by whom she was persecuted must be yt empire. The prophesy of the Apocalyps was written both within this empire & to ye Churches thereof & therefore must respect it.
The same is also manifest by comparing ye prophesies of Daniel wth ye Apocalyps. For ye Apocalyptic ten-horned Beast is ye same wth Daniels fourth Beast. For he was like unto ye Leopard & his feet as ye feet of ye Bear & his mouth as the mouth of ye Lyon Apoc. 13.2. {Here} Daniel's {three} first Beasts, ye Lyon, ye Bear & ye Leopard are named in order backward & ye Apocalyptic {illeg} Beast to shew yt he {is} of their kindred & number \the fourth of them/ as assimilate to them & put in the fourth place in ye room of Daniel's \fourth./ He was like ye Leopard {sic}, yt is fierce & terrible his feet were as ye feet of ye Bear, yt is flat & fitted to stamp things wth in fighting as a Bear doth. His mouth was as ye mouth of ye Lyon, yt is armed wth real & long teeth to break & devour wth as a Lyon doth, & by partaking of all their qualities he was \neither Lyon Bear nor Leopard but a strange monster of a/ were from each of them \different species, & besides he had ten horns. All wch are ye manifest characters/ All wch is as much as to say yt he of Daniels fourth Beast. who \For that Beast/ was dreadful & terrible \& strong exceedingly/ & had great iron teeth, & devoured & brake in pieces & stamped ye residue with its feet, & {was} divers from all ye Beasts yt were before it & had [{illeg}] ten horns. Dan. 7.7.
That Daniel's fourth Beast was ye same wth Iohns & both of them ye Roman Empire has been ye universal opinion of all Christians in all ages some few of ye present age excepted. For Pophyrius {sic} a heathen {pretending} yt Daniels prophesies were no prophesies but feigned by ye Iews in ye times of ye Maccabees in hatred to Antiochus Epiphanes & fulfilled in him before before it was \they were/ written, represented yt ye fourth Beast was ye successors of Alexander ye great in Egypt & Syria & ye ten horns ye Kings of Egypt & Syria together, numbred down to ye times of Antiochus Epiphanes, & yt Antiochus was ye wicked little horn \wch/ rose up after ye ten. And in our age some\body/ under ye specious pretence of peace & unity, labouring for an accommodation between ye Reformed Churches & ye Church of Rome (yt is in plain terms for a return of ye reformed Churches to ye Church of Rome) & for this end endeavouring to whiten ye Church of Rome, hath revived the interpretation of Porphyrius, as if ye prophesy of Daniel did not at all respect ye Roman Empire. But how extravagant & petulant this fansy is may appear by ye following considerations. The Leopard by four heads & four wings not for nothing but to signify ye four Grecian Kingdoms succeeding Alexander ye great as Daniel describes them ch. 8.22 & 11.4, & therefore ye fourth Beast wch comes after them must be the next empire to those kingdoms & consequently ye Roman. This Beast is described terrible dreadful & strong above ye former Beasts & so has ye Roman Empire above ye former Empires but ye Grecian kingdoms between Alexander & ye Romans were far weaker then any of the {sic} \former/. The number of kings in Syria & Egypt agrees not wth ye number of \the Beasts/ horns. For before ye reign of Antiochus Epiphanes there were seven kings in Syria & five in Egypt wch make twelve horns & not ten as they ought to do. Neither are those Kings such as horns are used in prophesy to signify. For horns denote always not ye persons of Kings but ye number of Kingdoms in ye fourth Beast: wch number of Kingdoms was to be found in ye Apocalyptic Beast but not in ye Grecian Empire before ye Roman. And seing ye little horn came up among the {sic} ten (Dan. 7.8) & they were its fellows (vers 20) & it humbled three of them, they were contemporary kingdoms & so were ye ten horns of ye Apocalyptic Beast (Apoc 17.12, 16, 17) but so were not any ten Grecian Kingdoms before ye Roman. Nor did Antiochus Epiphanes root up three of ye \former/ ten horns. The little horn being of a different kind from ye rest & having eyes & a mouth and speaking great things against ye most High, yt is, being a seer and fals Prophet & blasphemous or idolatrous & a living creature upon ye Beast, answers well to ye woman upon ye Apocalyptic Beast, called Babylon for her idolatrous doctrine & Iezabel ye Prophetess. This living horn reigned a time times & half a time Dan. 7 & so did both ye woman in wilderness Apoc 12.14 & her Beast \after this victory over ye saints Apoc. 13.5/. But Antiochus Epiphanes did not so. He reigned twelve years & polluted ye Sanctuary but three years precisely \1 Mac. 1.54 & 4.52, 54./ Apoc. 13.15 This horn warred against the saints till ye time came yt ye saints possessed ye everlasting kingdome, Dan. 7.22, 26, 27 & so did ye Apocalyptic woman, but Antiochus Epiphanes ceased not only long before any Christian Kingdom but even 190 years at least before Christianity began. Daniels fourth Beast reigned till God sat in judgment & ye books were opened, & ye Son of Man came in ye clouds of heaven to receive an everlasting kingdom yt all Nations should {obtain} & at yt time ye body of ye Beast was given to ye burning flame, & ye rest of ye beasts had their dominion taken over but their times were prolonged & ye kingdom & dominion under ye {whole} heaven was given to ye Saints of ye most High Dan. 8.10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22 & so ye Apocalyptic Beast reigned till the first resurrection & reward of ye dead Apoc. 20.4 when ye Son of Man came in ye clouds Apoc 19.11 & at yt time ye beast was cast into ye lake of fire & ye rest of ye kingdoms were slain wth ye two edged sword, yt is as to their bodies politic by the {sic} taking their dominions away \while their lives in a litteral sense were prolonged./ Apoc 19.20, 21 & then there appeared thrones & {illeg} they yt sat |sat| up them judgment was given Apoc 20.4, yt is {illeg} ye Saints of the most High \received the everlasting kingdom./ was given dominion & rule for ever. For judging in Scripture is put for ruling & reigning So you see ye analogy between Iohn & Daniel is full & accurate, & therefore ye Beast is the Roman Empire.
Now {illeg} Apostles days to work in ye remnant {illeg} & was a {illeg} till his appearance {sounding it} {illeg}at ye opening of ye sixt seale. For ten Dragon are down among ye {illeg} of Iesus and {illeg} wth great wrath knowing yt ye {illeg}a short time {illeg} reign amongst men untill his being cast {illeg} after some strugling between ye Dragon & {ye} woman in ye time of yt {she} be carried to some degree of perfection at ye opening of ye seventh. For can ye woman arrived into ye wilderness & ye Beast or eighth King rose out of ye sea & began his wicked reign, & then begins ye elaborate sevenfold description of ye tribes of ye Apostacy by ye seven Churches & their Epistles. For not yt ye Apostacy arises to its height at ye sounding of ye first wo-Trumpet. For it is to be conceived yt ye plagues of ye Trumpets are proportional to ye wickedness of ye times, & ye plagues of ye Wo-Trumpets are described much greater then ye rest. The Beast after his rise out of ye sea or Abyss first makes war wth ye witnesses for some time till he has overcome them both, then he continues forty two Months (ye time of ye Nations in ye outward court) & ye witnesses prophesy as long in sackcloth. The woman first flies into ye wilderness, & then in ye wilderness she flies into her place where she is vet, yt is she arrives by degrees unto her place upon ye back of ye Beast or unto her state of dominion wherein she grows rich. Does not ye flight of ye {illeg}heaven crying wo, wo, wo &c in some respect allude to the
And as ye Apocalyptic Beast was prophesied of by Daniel, so was also ye Apocalyptic Dragon. For ye Dragon is Daniels Goat in ye reign of his last horn & both are ye Roman Empire. For ye little horn wch came forth out of one of ye four horns of ye Goat & waxed exceedingly great towards ye south & towards ye East & towards ye pleasant land was ye Kingdome of Pergamus, & by consequence ye Roman Empire. For this Kingdom came forth out of ye Kingdom of Asia acknowledge by all Interpreters to be one of ye four horns, & after it had stood an hundred & fifty years was by Attalus King thereof in his last will & Testament wherein he made ye Romans his heir committed to their care & government & continued in their Empire as one Kingdome wth ye rest of their territories & being in respect of Iudea & of ye four Kingdoms or horns of ye Goat a north west kingdom waxed exceeding great towards ye south & towards ye East & towards ye pleasant land of ye Iews: & after yt ye Roman Empire became divided again into ye Greek {sic} & Latine Empires was continued downwards in ye Greek Empire now subject to ye Turks. This Empire of ye Greeks is ye Apocalyptic Dragon & was thus founded. First Philetarus revolting from Lysimachus made himself Governor of Pergamus for 20 years, & then his brothers Son Emmenes succeeded him. By this time they were Lords of ye territories round about, so yt Emmenes beat Antiochus Soler King of Asia in battel. He held Pergamus 22 years & after him Attalus held it 43 years. This Attalus upon beating ye Gallogræci in a great battel \by ye assistance of ye Romans/ was first of all ye Governours {illeg} King, & afterwards assisted ye Romans in beating Philip King of Macedon. Eumenes his Son reigned after him 49 years & assisted by ye Romans beat Antiochus ye great in a very great & {illeg} battel, & took all his countries from him on this side ye mountain Taurus from wch time he & his successors were called a Kings of Asia, {yt is of ye lower Asia. These assisted} ye Romans {in conquering Perseus} King of Macedon. And after him reigned his brother Attalus as Guardian to his son Attalus 21 years, & assisted both Alexander ye son of Antiochus Epiphanes in conquering Seleucus, & ye Romans in subduing Pseudophilippus, & then in an expedition into Thrace took Dieglis {sic} King of Thrace prisoner, & afterwards slew Prusias King of Bythinia placing his son in his Throne> Fof Then ye younger Attalus reigned 5 years, & by his last will & Testament made ye Romans his successors, leaving them as Iustin saith a most flourishing [61] Kingdome, whereby Asia becoming theirs transmitted to them its vices together wth its riches \a proper character of this wicked horn/. The history of this Kingdome you may see in Strabo lib. 13 Eutropius & others. // Concerning ye aforesaid wars; as ye Romans on ye one hand speak most of themselves \their own actions therein/ so {on} ye other hand Mithridates King of Pontus (as Iustin relates)[62] said yt ye Romans were first carried into Asia in ye ships of this Kingdome of Pergamus, & by their arms more then their own beat Antiochus ye great & ye Gallogræci in Asia & Perseus in Macedon. And is deserves further to be noted yt Florus distinguishing ye Roman Empire by ye changes therein, into successive ages, makes ye first age to be yt of their Kings, ye second yt under Consuls within Italy alone, ye third yt of their wars abroad beginning wth ye first Punick war & ending wth ye legacy of Attalus, ye fourth ye following age till Iulius Cæsar, & this fourth age in comparison of ye former he calls an iron age by reason of it's vices & intestine discords. The three first fall in almost wth ye three first Monarchies in respect of time, & ye third (wch alone of ye three deserves here to be considered) began about ye same time wth ye Kingdom of Pergamus. Thus ye Roman Empire was two headed & by their own recconing a new age or Dynasty thereof began when those heads became united. Seeing therefore one of those heads was Monarchichal like ye Grecian Kingdome, wch Daniel by ye type of horns & Name of Kings had been describing, & to ye Romans almost swallowed up ye horn it came out of & then under ye Romans grew exceeding great, & the other head was democratical & far remote from ye Prophets Country & forreign to ye Kingdoms he had been describing before: no wonder if ye Prophet in recconing up all ye considerable horns of ye Goat mentioned this amongst ye rest, & described it by a little horn growing out of one of ye four & waxing great, & took no notice at all of ye other head before he was led to it by ye adoption thereof into this. For in this Prophesy of ye ram and Goat, as ye two successive Kingdoms of ye Medes & Persians by reason yt ye latter reigned over ye people of both, are represented by ye two horns of one & ye same Ram, whereof ye longer horn rose up first & was contemporary to ye Babylonian Monarchy; so all ye great successive kingdoms of ye Greeks were most fitly represented by ye several horns of ye same Goat rising up one after another notwithstanding yt ye Pergamenian {sic} & Constantinopolitan was sometimes contemporary or coincident to ye Roman Empire. For while ye times of ye two first Monarchies are comprehended in ye Ram, 'twas an elegant analogy to comprehend those of the two last in ye Goat: Nor is it any objection to say yt ye kingdom of Pergamus fell to ye Romans & so ceased. For if ye Medes did not cease to be a horn by ye {illeg} of Cyrus, {illeg} they & ye Pergamus though under one common King were till ye reign of ye Greeks represented by two horns upon ye Goat \Ram/: Much less did ye Kingdom of Pergamus by its union wth ye Roman dominions cease to be a horn, seing ye Romans were adopted into this Kingdom as legal heirs & successors of their Kings, Yea ye interpretation we have given is altogether confirmed by yt union. For yt it should be thus is a part of ye Prophesy. His power, saith ye Prophet, shall grow mighty but not in his own power Dan. 8.24, yt is he shall grow great & flourish under anothers power, as did ye Kingdom of Pergamus under ye power of ye Romans.
And yt this interpretation is true will further appear by comparing this Prophesy of ye Goat wth yt of Daniel 11. For there ye last King of ye forth is, by ye {consent} of all interpreters, Antiochus Epiphanes, & ye Prophesy saith yt Arms out of him shall stand up & they shall pollute ye sanctuary of strength & take away ye dayly sacrifice. Out of him yt {illeg} of his Kingdom. For a {King} every where in these Prophesies includes his Kingdom & therefore ye Arms wch pollute ye sanctuary are not those of Antiochus but a power distinct from him wch arose out of ye Kingdom over wch he reigned, & in his reign or soon after began to stand up or grow great. Seing therefore these arms are ye power wch polluted ye Sanctuary, they must be ye little horn, & so yt horn is a power or kingdom risen out of Antiochus his Kingdom & distinct from it. \And/ such was ye Kingdom of Pergamus. For ye four horns were kingdoms \situated/ to ye four winds Dan. 11.4, yt is in respect of Iudea. Of these ye Egyptians & yt of Syria & Asia were by Daniel called ye kingdoms of ye South & North. The western was ye Macedonian, ye Eastern yt of Babylonia & Persia. This \eastern/ founded by Seleucus was at first ye greatest of all, but after a while became united to yt of Syria & Asia founded by Antigonus, & yet as ye united Kingdoms of Media & Persia are represented by two horns of ye Ram, so are these united ones still to be accounted two horns. Afterwards by ye defection of ye Parthians ye northern horn was left alone & descended to Antiochus Epiphanes. out of this horn came kingdom of Pergamus & soon after ye reign of Antiochus stood {up} & grew great but not {in its own} power & took away ye dayly sacrifice. For ye {taking away ye dayly sacrifice} & placing the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel was to be after ye death of Christ Matt 24.15 & consequently under ye Romans. Whence Daniel tells you yt ye Prophesy of the little horn was for many days (Dan. 8.26) yt is for a very long time, & yt it should be in ye time of ye end & in ye last and of ye indignation, Dan. 8.17, 19, yt is in ye end of Gods indignation against ye Iews during their captivity. For so ye Prophets use ye words {anger} & indignation to signify as you may see in Deut. 29.24, 27, 28 & 31.29 {illeg}. 23.10. Psalm 85. Isa. 26.20. Ier. 23.20. Ezek. 5.13. Mica 7.9, 18 & other places. And yt Daniel understands it so is plain by his saying yt ye King who does according to his will (yt is ye arms who took away ye dayly sacrifice) shall prosper till ye end when ye {indignation} be ac{complished} Dan. 11.36 & then adding by way of interpretation yt when God shall have added ye {dispersion} of ye holy people all these things shall be ended Dan. 12.7. Agreable to all this is also ye long continuance of ye vision of ye dayly sacrifice & {transgression whether named} for 230 nights & days wch kind of days Daniel in his 70 weeks uses for years. I might add ye authority of Antiquity. For Ierom in his commentary on this 8th chapter of Daniel tells us yt many Christians refer this {illeg} to Antichrist & this Number I find Origen Cont. Cels. l. 6 Irenaus l. 5. c. 25. Effrem Syrus. Epiphanius. And indeed ye name of Antichrist seems to have been first taken from this horns standing up against ye Prince of Princes. Lastly let those who are for making this horn to be Antiochus {illeg} consider how little it agrees wth him. For he was no new horn but one of ye many Kings of an old one. He did not wax great towards ye east & south nor grow from a little horn to a great one, but was as great at first as at last. He was so far from growing greater then ye four horns (as ye little horn did) yt he was always less & \more/ inconsiderable then most of his Ancestors. He was great in no other power then his own. He reigned not in ye time of his ye end, nor in ye last end of ye indication. Nor did he prosper in his practises against ye sanctuary till ye end of his reign but was beaten & bafled by ye Iews. \And Daniel himself saith yt in his plots & designes to do mischiefe he should not prosper because ye end was not then, Dan. 11.27./ He only took away ye dayly sacrifice & did not cast down ye place of the sanctuary as ye Romans did & as ye little horn is said to do Dan. 8.11: nor did ye pollution of ye sanctuary by him continue so much as 2300 natural days, or six years & four months. It lasted but three years from ye pollution of ye Altar 1 Macc. 1.54, & if it be dated Antiochus his taking away ye vessels of ye Temple wch was two years before 1 Mac. 1.20, 29 it will be but five years but if from Iasons apostacy and setting up a place of exercise for ye heathen customes (1 Mac. 1.11, 14 & 2 Mac. 4.9) it will be above eight. For Iason did yt above three years before Antiochus took away ye vessels of ye Temple 2 Mac. 4.23 & 5.15, 16. So then ye conditions of this little horn do not at all agree to Antiochus, & if he be excluded, ye Kingdom of Pergamus to whom they fully agree must necessarily be admitted.
The Gordian knot of these Prophesies being untied, wch has hitherto been been ye great stumbling block to Interpreters, you may now by comparing Daniel & ye Apocalyps together much better understand them both. For now you may see clearly why ye throne of Satan yt old serpent ye Dragon is said to be in Pergamus Apoc. 2 & yt this Dragon reigning in Pergamus is ye Goat's little horn grown exceeding great. As ye Dragon yt old serpent is ye Devil & Satan & signifies a kingdom addicted to ye worship of Dæmons: so Goats are ye type of Dæmons or Devils worshipped by Idolaters \as you may see in the Hebrew text of/ Levit. 17.7, 2 Chron. 11.15, Isa. 34.14 \Whence grew ye custome of painting Dæmons in the form of satyrs/. A Dragon & a Goat are types of ye same kind, both signifying Dæmons & idolatrous kingdoms, & therefore ye Kingdom represented by Daniel's Goat is in ye Apocalyps most fitly called ye Dragon & yt old serpent ye Devil & Satan. Conceive therefore ye Apocalyptic Dragon to be Daniel's Goat reigning in his last horn & to signify ye Greek Empire first seated in Pergamus, then growing great not in his own power but in ye power of ye Romans, \afterwards reigning apart/ & lately conquered by ye Turks. Now you may understand also yt ye spiritual fornication of ye Kings of ye Earth wth ye Whore in ye wilderness is ye abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. For ye abomination of desolation is as much as to say, ye Idolatry of ye wilderness, or ye abominable Idolatry of those who make desolate ye people of God, & turn ye world into a spiritually barren & desolate wilderness. Now you may also perceive more clearly why ye Roman Empire is described double by a Dragon & Beast participating one anothers heads & horns. For seing it was double & was so represented by ye two leggs of Nebuchadnezzars Image, much more ought it be so represented in ye larger & fuller Prophesy of ye Apocalypse. In Daniels two visions of Beasts 'tis also represented double, ye fourth Beast respecting chiefly ye western Empire of ye Romans \& the Goat/ in ye in ye Apocalyps by ye Names of ye Beast & ye Dragon, as is manifest by their horns compared wth ye Empires. For ye Western Empire was divided into ten kingdoms or horns ascribed to ye Beast both in Daniel & in ye Apocalyps, & ye Eastern was alwayes solitary or Monarchical as is represented by ye Goats left horn, & \also/ by ye ten horns being uncrowned on ye Dragons head & consequently not reigning in his \proper/ body. While ye Eastern & Western Empires were united ye whole was both Beast & Dragon wth common heads & horns but ye horns were then only types of ye kingdoms into wch their people were to be afterwards divided & therefore they are not {crowned} on ye Dragon. \Again you may from the comparison of these {illeg} Visions learn why in ye Apocalyps the region of ye Dragon is called ye earth & ye region of ye Beast ye sea. For in Daniel the Beast rose out of ye sea & ye Hee Goat came from ye west upon ye face of {illeg} the earth. There is also another reason of this distinction. For ye Iews called the western \European/ regions of {illeg} the Isles of the Sea, & Asia wherein the Dragō had his throne in Pergamus, signifies the earth./ Lastly you may hence understand what is meant in ye Apocalyps by ye third part of ye stars, earth, trees, \sea/ rivers, sun, Moon & {illeg}. For ye Goat in his horns comprehends all ye four Monarchies, {illeg} one third part is ye Latin or Western Roman Empire another third part is ye Eastern Roman Empire, & \another/ third \part/ ye more Eastern kingdomes {conquered} by Alexander ye great & so belonging to ye Goats body but not to his left horn because not conquered by ye Romans. For ye better understanding of wch it is to be observed yt as ye two horns of ye Ram continue distinct horns till ye end of ye Medo-Persian Empire notwithstanding their union under one King; so all ye four parts of Nebuchadnezzars Image continue till ye end & then by ye stone smiting ye Image upon \its/ f feet are all of them together (ye God & ye silver & ye brass & ye Iron) broken in pieces & dispersed, & in ye interpretation thereof ye stone is said to be a kingdom wch shall break in pieces all those kingdoms signifyed by ye Image, & so ye four Beasts continue till ye fourth be cast into burning flames & then have their lives prolonged after their dominions of ye four beasts were successive, \yet/ we are not to end each Beast at ye rise of ye next, but to conceive them all still in being in their \conquered/ proper people notwithstanding ye various changes & intermixing of their dominions \& more especially in their proper people & countries wch conquered ye rest./ So then ye Goat in a large sense signifies to ye end of ye world all ye kingdoms at any time belonging to his horns, yt is all ye conquests of ye Greeks & Romans beginning from ye times of Alexander ye great: & therefore while ye Apocalyps in ye prophesy of ye Dragon alludes to this Goat, & this Goat consists of three parts, ye Beast & ye Dragon strictly so called & Persia wth ye rest of yt Goats body not conquered by ye Romans 'twas natural to call these ye third part. In calling them so, some whole consisting of all three parts is alluded unto, & such is ye Goat, ye whole subject of sacred prophesy. The earth or territory of ye Dragon's Kingdom, yt earth out of wch ye two horned Beast arose is ye third part of ye whole earth upon ye face of wch all ye four Beasts came up, & so of ye rest. In a strict sence one third part of ye whole is ye earth, & another third part ye sea; but in a large sence ye whole is both earth & sea in several respects. Whence in ye Vials those regions are called ye earth & sea wch in ye Trumpets are called ye third parts thereof.
Now within this Empire ye Apostacy rose by these steps, first it began in ye Apostles dayes to work in ye forerunners of ye great AntiChrist, & was to work in them till his appearance. Secondly it began to work more vigorously at ye opening of ye first seale. For then ye Dragon came down among ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea wth great wrath knowing yt he had but a short time, yt is a short time to reign amongst them till his being cast in chains into ye bottomless pitt. Thirdly after some struggling \in the time of that seale/ between ye Dragon & ye woman, in ye time of yt seale it arrived to some degree of perfection at ye opening of ye seventh. For then ye woman arrived into ye wilderness & ye Beast or eighth King rose out of ye sea, & began his wicked \reign/ & then begins ye elaborate sevenfold description of ye times of ye Apostacy by ye seven Churches & their Epistles. Fourthly ye Apostacy arises to \reigns in/ its height at ye sounding \in the time/ of ye first wo-Trumpets. For \as/ it is to be conceived yt ye plagues of ye Trumpets are proportional to ye wickedness of ye times, \so/ {illeg} ye plagues of ye Wo-Trumpets are described much greater then ye rest |Hence the twice times & half a time are to be dated not from ye opening of the seventh seale but rather from sounding of ye first Wo-Trumpet. For| the {sic} Beast after his rise out of ye sea or Abyss, first makes war with ye witnesses for some time till he has overcome them both, then he continues forty two months (ye time of ye Nations in ye outward Court) & ye witnesses prophesy as long in sackcloth. The woman first flies into ye wilderness, & then in ye wilderness she flies unto her place where she is fed, yt is she arrives by degrees unto her place upon ye back of ye Beast \where ye Merchants of ye earth free her/, or under her state of dominion where in she grows rich. Whether ye flight of ye Eagle through ye midst of heaven crying Wo, wo, wo, &c may not in some respect allude to the period of ye flight of ye woman upon Eagles wings I leave to be considered. The Apostle Paul tells \us/ yt when yt wch letted should be taken out of ye way, then should ye Man of Sin be revealed, & by ye tradition of ye first Christians ye Roman Empire was yt wch letted. \Now/ The proper symbol of ye overthrow & ruin of kingdoms is ye smiting of ye sun, Moon & stars, & this is twice done in ye Apocalyps: first at ye opening of ye sixt seale, & then follows ye revelation of ye Apostacy at ye opening of ye seventh, & secondly at ye sounding of ye fourth Trumpet, & then follows its farther revelation at ye sounding of ye fift. The first seems to be a succession of ye Apostacy to ye Empire in respect of religion, ye second in respect of dominion. The Empire falls & ye apostacy rises \by degrees, & as ye Empire falls ye Apostacy rises/. For ye religion is \first/ taken out of ye way & then in ye wars of ye four first Trumpets ye earth, sea, rivers, Sun, Moon & stars out of ye Roman world are gradually smitten, & at ye same time ye Apostacy gradually advances till at ye sounding of ye fift ye whore gets upon ye back of her Beast, ye place where she is fed a time times & in half. Whence you may understand why in Daniel ye little horn wch reigns a time times & an half is said to rise after ye ten, & why ye reign {sic} of ye Kings of ye south & ye North (wch inflicts ye plagues of ye wo-Trumpets) is called ye time of ye end, & ye length of ye time defined a time times & an half.
These things are made yet clearer by comparing ye Visions of Daniel & Iohn. For ye ten horns being crowned only on ye Beasts head do not begin their reign before he rises out of ye Sea. At his rise ye waters out of wch he riseth were one undivided Sea & continued so till by ye wars of ye second Trumpet ye Sea was turned into blood; & then by those wars they became divided into ye kingdoms signified by those rivers of water on wch ye plague of ye third Trumpet fell. Here we have ye ten Kingdoms represented by ye horns or some of them, & Daniel tells us yt ye little horn shall rise after them & think to change times & laws & yt they shall be given into his hand untill a time times & ye dividing of time. This is the duration of his wicked reign, & therefore beginning sometime after ye rise of ye ten horns it is to be dated after from some later Epocha then ye sounding of ye second Trumpet. Now this interval of ye time times & an half is ye most signal one in all ye prophesies; & therefore should have a very signal Epocha, & after ye sounding of ye second Epocha Trumpet there is none other more signal one then yt of ye Wo-Trumpet solemnized by ye voice of ye Eagle flying through ye midst of heaven & crying Wo, Wo, Wo to ye inhabitants of ye earth by reason of ye other voices of ye trumpet of ye three Angels wch are yet to sound.
Again in Daniel (ch. 11.40) ye reign of ye Kings of ye South and ye North is called ye time of ye end, & ye question being put How long shall be ye end of ye wonders ye answer is made yt it shall be for a time & times & half a time. Now ye King of ye North who comes against ye Man of Sin like a Whirlwind with Chariots and horsmen & ships & enters into ye countries & overflows & passes over & reigns till ye great tribulation, & then plants ye tabernacle of his palace between ye seas in ye holy mountain of delight, & comes to his end, is ye kingdom of ye Euphratean horsmen in ye time of the Wo-Trumpet. For this kingdom is ye Northern King called in Ezekiel Gog of ye Land of Magog & comes against ye dominion of of {sic} ye Apostates wth a very great army of horsmen & politically slays third part of Men & reigns till ye second Wo be past, & then together wth ye Beast at ye time of ye great tribulation makes war against ye word of God & his armies in ye land of delight & is slain with ye two edged sword, as we shall shew in ye next Chapter. Now so great an agreement in their time & qualities is a sufficient indication yt they are ye same: & thence also ye King of ye South wch precedes ye King of ye North must be ye King or Kingdom of ye Locusts, wch precedes yt of ye horsmen. For Locusts frequent hot southern Countries, & as ye King of ye South only pushed at ye Men of Sin, & did not overflow ye King of ye North; so ye Kingdom of ye Locusts only tormented Men but did not kill them politically as the Euphratean horsmen did. So then ye reign of ye Kings of ye Locusts & Euphratean Horsmen in ye Wo-Trumpets is Daniels time of ye end, & therefore this time of ye end, yt is yt interval of ye time times & half a time begins wth ye Wo-Trumpets.
The King who doth according to his will, & whom ye Kings of ye South & North come against, I called ye Man of Sin. For to him doth ye Apostle Paul allude in saying yt ye Man of Sin opposeth & exalteth himself above all yt is called God or yt is worshipped, so yt he as God sitteth in ye Temple of God shewing himself yt he is God. For all this doth Daniel affirm of ye King yt shall be according to his will. He exalts & magnifies himself above ever God & speaks marvellous things against ye God of Gods yt is (as Paul expresseth it) exalteth & opposeth & opposeth himself. Also \ he takes away the daily sacrificed {illeg} its room in places the a/ in his seat he honours together wth God Protectors, even as a God whom his Fathers (ye true Church) knew not, doth he honour them; \he pollutes the sanctuary of strength & takes away the dayly sacrifices & places ye abomination/ \of desolation/ & therefore he sits in ye Church or Temple of God, & in magnifying himself above every God he shews himself yt he is a God. He prospers also till ye indignation be accomplished, yt is till Christ's second coming as Paul saith of ye Man of Sin, & thence you may understand yt he is ye little horn of ye Goat grown exceeding great. For ye vision of yt horn was at ye time of ye end & in ye last end of ye indignation Dan. 8.17, 19. Thence also you may \certainly/ understand yt 'tis he yt takes away ye dayly worship & places & abomination of desolation. For this is ye Idolatry of ye wilderness \in the Apocalyps placed during/ placed in ye great Apostacy by ye Man of Sin. I here take ye Man of Sin & ye King yt doth according to his will in a large sence for ye whole Apostacy. For in such a large sence ye Dragon is taken sometimes taken, so as to comprehend ye Beast, as you may understand by ye ten horns of ye Beast being also planted upon his head. And in ye same large sence is ye Beast sometimes taken so as to comprehend ye Dragon as we shewed above, & then ye wilderness is taken in a sence as large. Now considering yt this Man of Sin begins his wicked reign at ye opening of ye Seventh Seale, & doth according to his will for some time before ye time of ye end wherein ye King of ye South & North push at him & come against him, it confirms to us yt ye time of ye end begins sometimes after ye opening of ye seventh Seale, & so suits well wth ye time of ye Wo-Trumpets. All ye wars of those Trumpets are plagues inflicted upon this Man of Sin & those of ye Wo-Trumpets are ye greatest. Now such plagues also are ye wars of ye Kings of ye South & North against him & while Daniel describes only these two together wth ye fall of ye King of ye North, ye time of trouble & deliverance of ye Saints by Michael wch is a third, no doubt these three are ye three greatest plagues & consequently ye plagues of ye three wo-trumpets especially since ye third is evidently ye plague of ye third Wo-trumpet, & ye two first precede it in continual order.
may now be comparing it wth other prophesies understood it better. And because we are now describing ye Apostacy of ye latter times, & this prophesy is ye fullest description thereof in all Daniel, it will not be amiss now to explain a little further.
The times of this prophesy of ye Scripture of truth being stated weAs ye prophesy of ye four Beasts is a commentary on yt of Nebuchadnezzars image, so this Prophesy of ye Scripture of truth is nothing else then a commentary on yt of ye Ram & Goat. First ye prophetic Angel names these two Beasts or Kingdoms of ye Ram & Goat in these words, I will return, saith he, to fight wth the Prince of Persia, & when I am gone forth to ye Prince of Greece shall come. Then he shews how ye King of Persia shall make war upon ye King of Greece, & how a mighty King of Greece shall (ye first horn of ye Goat) shall stand up, & his kingdom be broken off & divided towards ye four winds of heaven but not to this posterity nor according to ye greatness of his dominion. These are ye four horns of ye Goat wch rose up when ye first & greatest horn was broken off. Then he tells ye history of ye Kings of two of these horns (ye southern & ye northern) down to ye reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, as Interpreters have sufficiently explained. And of Antiochus & ye King of ye south he tells us yt their hearts shall be to do mischiefe, & they shall speak lies at one table, but it shall not proper {sic} because ye end is not yet (Dan. 11.27) wch is as much as to say yt Antiochus is not ye little horn of ye Goat. For yt horn reigns in ye time of ye end & in ye last end of ye indignation, & casts down ye truth to ye ground, & destroys wonderfully, & practises & prospers, & through his policy causes craft to prosper in his hand (Dan. 8.12, 17, 19, 24, 25) Daniel therefore after he has declared yt Antiochus is not yt King who reigns in ye end nor doth prosper in his designs, he mentions in ye next place his unprosperous indignation against ye holy covenant, & then passes on to describe ye little prosperous horn. And out of him, saith he, arms shall stand up, & they shall pollute ye sanctuary of strength, & shall take away ye daily worship, & shall place ye abomination wch maketh desolate.
It may seem at first sight yt this taking away of ye daily sacrifice or worship might have some relation to ye desolation of ye Iewish Temple by ye Romans. And to make this suspition ye more plausible it may be alledged yt ye Law was not abrogated by Christ's death. He came not to dissolve ye Law but to fulfill it. Some part of it is not yet fulfilled, & therefore not abrogated, & ye wch he did fulfill by his passion was not thereby abrogated, because it might be as reasonably \be/ observed afterwards in commemmoration {sic} of his passion as it was before in prediction of it. \Types are of an eternal nature, being as fit to represent things past as things to come & therefore are not abrogated by their being fulfilled, but require as positive a comand for their abrogation as their was for their institution./ Paul tells us yt we do not make void ye Law through faith Rom. 3.31, & yt ye Law is not sin (ch. 7.7) but holy & good (vers 12,16, & 1 Tim. 1.8) & yt circumcision profiteth if one keep ye Law Rom. 2.25, & yt every man yt is circumcised is a debter to ye whole law, Gal. 5.3. For circumcision is ye seale of a covenant to keep ye law, & every covenant to do any thing wch in it self is indifferent or not unlawfull is obligatory & binding & cannot be broken without sin. Whence ye first Christians of ye circumcision were all zealous of ye law, ye Apostles even Paul himself kept ye law as long as ye Temple stood, as you may see by several instances in ye Acts of ye Apostles. Amongst ye Gentiles they had a dispensation to convers as ye Gentiles for ye Gospel's sake, but amongst ye Iews ye Apostle Paul himself was a Iew & accordingly he commands, If any man {sic} be circumcised, let him not become uncircumcised. And if he any where speak of ye law as dissolved or abrogated, he doth it in one of these respects, either because ye abrogation of it by ye destruction of ye Temple was at hand, or because it was not required yt ye converted Gentiles should by circumcision bind themselves to ye observance of it, or because ye putting trust & confidence in it and resting upon ye fulfilling of it for justification was abrogated by faith in Christ. The Iews were bound to observe it by vertue of their covenant of circumcision, but were not to lay ye stress of their Iustification & Salvation upon ye observance of it; because yt was to frustrate & make void ye faith in Christ. And ye Gentiles were not to be circumcised in order to Salvation, because yt was to lay ye stress of their Salvation upon ye law, & thereby make void ye faith in Christ, by wch alone he is to be saved. This is ye sence & summ of Paul's discourses on this matter. For yt he means nothing more you may know by this circumstance, yt in ye law he disputes against, he includes ye ten Commandments, as you may see in Rom. 2.21, 25 & 7.7. Gal. 5.14 1 Tim. 1.9, 10. For he doth not mean yt ye ten commandments are all of them abrogated but only yt our Iustification by ye observance of them is abrogated by faith. So then ye Law continuing in force to ye Iews \at least/ till ye destruction of ye Temple by ye Romans, it may seem reasonable to think yt Daniel in predicting ye taking away of ye daily sacrifice might have some respect to yt destruction of the Temple: & yt ye rather because ye worship was not only ceremonial but also spiritual consisting in praying & adoring God, not only by ye unbeleiving Iews but also by ye beleiving. Daniel was a Iew & so ye more likely to have some respect to ye nation of ye Iews. But yet when I consider yt ye Iewish Nation upon ye calling of ye Nation Gentiles was rejected ye few beleivers only excepted; yt ye worship in ye Temple was performed by ye unbeleivers, & therefore not acceptable to God unless so far as ye beleivers were concerned in it, yt ye worship of ye beleivers there consisted mainly in praying & praising God, & so ye same wth \that/ of ye Christians in Synagogues & Churches all over ye world, & ceased not by ye destruction of ye Temple, {illeg} yt ye host of heaven wch ye little horn of ye Goat cast down to ye ground, & together wth ye sanctuary trade under foot are Christians & therefore ye daily worship here spoken of is Christian, & yt ye abomination or transgression of desolation was placed in ye sanctuary a long time even untill ye cleansing of ye Sanctuary, wch cannot be understood of ye Temple |all these things incline me to think yt nothing els then ye Christian daily sacrifice or worship in their synagogues or Churches (collectively called ye sanctuary) is here intended & I am confirmed in this opinion by comparing these visions wth ye Apocalyps as follows.|
In ye prophesy of ye Goat, ye little horn first waxed great toward ye South & toward ye East & toward ye land of delight by ye incorporation of ye Romans & |ye| growth of their Empire, then \it/ waxed great to [or against] ye half of heaven & cast down of ye host & of the stars to ye ground & stamped upon them. As it made war upon the South & ye East & ye pleasant land for enlarging its dominion, so now it made war upon ye host of heaven & cast down of ye stars to ye ground. And this came to pass when ye woman in heaven was pained in travail of a Manchild, & ye Dragon drew ye third part of ye stars of heaven, & cast them to ye Earth. Then ye horn magnified himself to [or against] ye Prince of ye host: & this came to pass when ye Dragon & his Angels made war against Michael (ye Prince of ye host) & his Angels Then by him ye daily worship was taken away & ye place of his same {Mary} cast down, & an host was given him against ye daily worship by reason of transgression, & it cast down ye truth to ye ground, & it practised & prospered. And this came to pass by ye Dragon's coming down amongst ye inhabitants of ye earth & sea wth great wrath, & beginning to prevail & take away ye daily worship at ye opening of ye seventh seale, & completely casting down ye truth to ye ground & setting up ye abomination of desolation at or before ye sounding of ye first wo-Trumpet. For against ye host or Church of heaven an host or fals Church was given him when ye two horned Beast rose out of ye earth & ye Woman fled into ye Wilderness. \The worship he \& his host/ took away is the daily sacrifice described in the first five chapters of ye Apocalyps as we explained in the ✝ section of this Treatise./ The idolatrous worship sett up by his host, yt is ye worship of ye Beast & his Image set up by ye two horned beast & ye Whoredom of ye woman in ye wilderness is ye abomination of desolation. They yt embrace it are called ye abominable Apoc. 21.8, & therefore 'tis ye abomination of ye wilderness or as Daniel expresseth it, ye abomination of desolation. This worship ye host begins to set up at or soon after ye opening of ye seventh seale. Then follows a war of ye Dragon & Beast against ye {two} witnesses, & when they are overcome & slain & put on ye mourning habit of sackcloth, yt is {at} ye beginning of ye thousand two hundred & sixty days or sounding of ye first wo-trumpet, ye truth is fully cast down to ye ground, & ye abomination com{illeg} set up in place of ye daily worship. Now ye conflict between this horn & ye host of heaven is in ye prophesy of ye scripture of truth thus described.
And out of him arms shall stand up, & they shall pollute ye sanctuary of strength & shall take away ye daily worship & they shall place ye abomination yt maketh desolate. And ye transgressors of ye covenant shall he cause to dissemble, [t hypocritically to adhere to him] wth flattering speeches: but ye people of those who yt do know their God shall be firm & active. And they yt understand among the people shall instruct many, yet they shall fall by ye sword & by flame by captivity & by spoile [many] days [even to ye end.] And when they shall [by ye Dragons coming down amongst ye inhabitants of ye earth sea & persecuting ye woman wch brought forth ye Man-child, & casting out waters as a flood after her, begin to] fail, they shall [by ye earth helping ye woman & opening her mouth & swallowing up ye waters] be holpen wth a little help: But many shall [hypocritically] adhere to them wth flattering speeches & those of understanding shall [in ye war of ye Beast upon ye witnesses] fall for a tryal amongst them & {to} large & to make them white unto ye time of ye end: for yet [even after ye witnesses are overcome & slain] there is a certain time And ye King [by whom they shall fall] shall do according to his will & he shall exact himself & magnify himself above every God & shall speak marvellous things against ye God of Gods & shall prosper till ye indignation [of God against ye captivated & dispersed Iews] shall be finished for ye determined time shall be fulfilled. Neither shall he regard ye God of his Fathers, nor ye desire of weomen, neither shall he regard any God for he shall magnify himself against them all. And |together a[63]| wth a God shall he honour b[64] Guardians in his seat: even wth a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honour [their] wth Gold & wth silver & wth pretious stones & wth valuable things. And \he/ shall he dem \make/ ye holds [by fortresses] of [his] Guardians w \together with/ a strange God; whom acknowledging he shall increase wth glory & shall make them Lords over many & shall divide ye earth [amongst them] for a \[reward or]/ patrimony. And at ye time of ye end [when he shall have overcome ye witnesses & those of understanding among ye people are fallen] ye King of ye South [at ye sounding of ye first Wo-Trumpet] shall push at him & ye King of ye North [at ye sounding of ye second] shall come against him like a whirlwind - & enter into his countries & overflow & pass over [politically killing or conquering ye third part of Men] and [at ye sounding of ye third] shall go forth wth great fury to {destroy} & utterly to make away many & shall plant ye Tabernacle of his palace between ye seas [of Tiberias & ye Mediterranean] in ye Mountain of delight & holiness but [by ye power of Michael ye great Prince who is set over ye children of thy people & in ye great tribulation of ye Saints shall stand up against him] he shall come to his end & there shall be none to help him - & at yt time thy people shall be delivered [out of his hand & from their long captivity] every one yt shall be found written in ye book & many of them yt sleep in ye dust of ye earth shall awake some to lasting life & some to lasting shame & contempt, & they that understand shall shine as ye brightness of ye firmament, & those yt turn many to righteousness as ye stars for ever & ever. But thou Ô Daniel shut up ye words & seale ye book even to ye time of ye end many shall run to & fro & knowledge [of these things] shall be increased.
- How long is it to ye end of these wonders? [Or, for how long is ye end of these wonders] And I heard ye Man cloathed in linnen who was upon ye waters of ye rivers, & he held up his right hand & his left hand up to heaven & sware by him yt liveth for ever [ yt [from ye time yt ye arms wch stand up out of ye King of ye North shall have fully taken away ye daily worship & placed ye abomination wch maketh desolate untill ye Sanctuary be cleansed] it shal be for a time & times & an half [or 1260 days] & [after yt] when ye dispersion of ye power of ye holy people shall be ended then all these things shal have an end. And I heard but I understood not: then said I what are ye last of theses things? And he said, Go thy way Daniel for ye words are closed up & sealed. Even untill ye time of ye end many shal be purified & made white & tried, but the wicked shal do wickedly & none of ye wicked shal understand but the wise shal understand. And from ye time yt ye daily worship shal be taken away & ye abomination yt maketh desolate set up [until the captivity or dispersion of thy people begin to return] there shal be a thousand two hundred & ninety days. Happy is he yt waiteth \[forty & five days longer]/ & cometh to ye thousand three hundred & five & thirty days [for then shal the great tribulation be ended & thy people as many as are written in ye book shal be delivered & \fully/ return from ye dispersion & ye dead be rewarded] But go thy way Daniel till ye end [of these days] be: for thou shall rest [in ye dust] & stand in thy lot [amongst ye rest of ye dead raised again to life] at ye end of ye days.
Then I Daniel looked & behold - one said to ye Man cloathed in linnenThe end of ye world day of Iudgment & world to come
By what has {been} said it is manifest that the end of the world is described in ye last Chapter of Daniel newly explained. For there is predicted the resurrection of the dead, and that in such a manner that it cannot be interpreted allegorically. 'Tis said that they who sleep in the dust shall rise again some to reward and some to punishment and Daniel himself in person is named for one of those who shall then rise again. At that time is also predicted the end of the King of the North the fall of the great Apostacy, the return of the Iewish captivity and the great tribulation, and therefore in describing the end of the world we are now to give an account of these things as the immediate forerunners thereof. The periods of time we have in Daniel, but the order of ye things is more distinctly described in the Apocalyps, and by comparing them together we shall better understand them both. Now in the Apocalyps the fall of the Apostasy is described by these steps.
At the end of the 120 days the ten Kings burn the whore of Babylon, and at the same time the spirit of life enters into the two witnesses, Prophets or Preachers, and they stand upon their feet, and ascend up to heaven in a cloud of converts, or as is exprest in the fift Church, An Angel flies in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach [or testify] unto them that dwell on the earth and to every Nation & kindred and tongue & people, saying wth a loud voice, Hear God & give glory to him, for ye hour of his judgment [of ye great Whore] is come & [worship no longer ye Beast & his Image but] worship him yt made heaven & earth & ye sea & ye fountains of Waters. This is ye preaching of ye Gospel to all Nations spoken of in Matthew chap. 24 & ye Nations now to be converted are the fullness of ye Gentiles to come in at ye end of ye Iewish captivity when When {sic} all Israel shall be converted and saved, as {sic} Paul describes Rom. 11.25.
In ye next place follows ye second fall of Babylon called ye fall of ye tenth part of ye great city & proclaimed both in ye fift & in ye seventh Church, saying Babylon is fallen is fallen &c. And this fall is followed wth ye conversion of a greater multitude: as is thus briefly exprest in ye fourth Church; The remnant were affrighted & gave glory to God, & in ye seventh Church is thus described at large – After these things [yt is after ye second fall of Babylon] I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying Allelujah salvation & glory & honour & power unto ye Lord out God, For true & righteous are his judgments; For he hath judged ye great Whore &c. At ye same time also are ye Iews converted wch return from captivity as I gather from ye next words. And ye four & twenty Elders & ye four Beasts fell down & worshipped God that sat on ye throne saying, Amen, Allelujah. For I told you yt in ye worship of God in ye Temple, ye Christian Iews are described by ye Elders & Beasts & by ye Christian Gentiles by all ye Angels round about ye throne & round about ye Beast & ye Elders & yt by ye falling down of ye one or ye other, & worshipping God, ye conversion of ye Iews or Gentiles is signified.
In ye next place come three unclean spirits like frogs (croaking Spirits of deceivers out of ye Mouths of ye Dragon, Beast & fals Prophet working miracles to seduce ye Kings of ye earth {sic}, and of ye whole world, & to gather them to the battle of ye great day of God Almighty, perswading them perhaps yt ye new converted Iews are ye great Antichrist wch was to come in ye end of ye world and reign at Ierusalem, & yt ye reformed Christians all over ye world of their Communion are Antichristians, & by such pretences & their fals miracles seducing many to ye worship of ye Beast & his Image. At ye same time therefore it is to be conceived yt in ye fift Church ye third Angel flies through ye midst of heaven, saying, with a loud voice: If any man worship ye Beast & his Image & receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand ye same shall drink of ye wine of ye wrath of God &c. By ye voice of this & ye two former Angels understand ye voice of those that preach ye Gospel. Whether ye three frogs are opposed to the three Angels and so come forth successively or come forth all together at ye flight of ye third Angel time will discover.
In ye next place follows ye time of trouble or great tribulation spoken of by Daniel & Christ in Matthews Gospel, & described in ye prophesies of all ye seven Churches. For this is ye great tribulation out of wch ye Palm-bearing Multitude come in ye first Church, ye tribulation of ten days or prophetick years in ye Epistle to ye second Church, ye war in wch Christ fights against ye Nicolaitans wth ye sword of his mouth in ye Epistle to ye third Church, & ye anger of the Nations in ye fourth Church at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet, thus described: And ye Nations were angry & thy wrath [against them] is come & ye time of ye dead yt they should be judged & yt thou shouldest give ye reward unto thy servants ye Prophets & to ye saints & them yt fear thy Name small & great, & shouldest destroy them [ye Beast & fals Prophet & Kings of ye Nations] wch [in ye great tribulation] destroy ye earth. This anger & destruction of ye angry Nations is yt war to wch ye seventh Trumpet sounds described at large in ye seventh Chapter Church between ye armies in heaven & ye armies of ye Beasts & kings of ye earth. In ye fift Church ye tribulation is ushered in by this acclamation; Here is ye patience of ye saints, here are they yt keep ye Commandments of God, – Blessed are ye dead wch dye in ye Lord, & then is described by ye harvest whereof ye hundred & forty four thousand Saints are called ye first fruits. In ye sixt Church 'tis involved in ye battel of ye great day of God Almighty to wch ye three frogs gather ye Nations: & in ye Epistle to this church 'tis called ye hour of tentation wch shall come upon all ye world to try them yt dwell upon ye earth. In ye seventh Church it is involved in ye war between ye two armies & delineated by ye Angel standing in ye Sun. For this is a type of ye same kind wth ye Womans being cloathed with ye Sun. The mystical body of ye Angel is ye Church, & ye Sun is ye aggregate of kingdoms through wch ye Church is diffused & who by his great heat scorches & burns her, yt is makes war upon her in this great persecution head & fire being ye symbols of war: & ye loud voice of this Angel saying to all ye fowls yt fly in ye midst of heaven come & gather your selves together unto ye supper of ye great God, yt ye may eat ye flesh of kings, &c, is ye voice of ye Church crying for vengeance. This voice is ye same wth yt of ye Angel in ye fift Church who came out from ye Altar & had power over ye fire yt is over ye fire of the Alter where ye Martyrs were sacrificed) & cried wth a loud cry to him yt had ye sharp sickle saying thrust in thy sharp sickle to gather ye clusters of ye Vine of ye Earth.
In ye last place follows at ye end of ye great tribulation an universal Victory of ye Church over all ye persecuting Nations, & this is described in Matthew & ye old Prophets by ye smiting of ye Sun, Moon & stars, & sometimes by other modes of speaking & in ye Apocalyps in ye first of ye seven Churches by ye coming of ye Palm-bearing multitude out of ye great tribulation, at wch time all ye Angels fall down before ye throne & worship God, yt is ye Nations are universally converted. In ye Epistle to ye second Church by this exhortation; Be thou faithful unto death & I will give thee a crown of life; in ye third Church by ye finishing of ye great mystery of God spoken of by ye old Prophets; in ye fourth by ye kingdoms of this world becoming ye kingdoms of God & his Christ at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet; in ye fift by ye Vintage & treading of ye great wine-press of ye wrath of God; in ye sixt by ye voice at ye pouring out of ye last Vial, saying, It is done, & by ye concomitant voices & thunders & lightnings & a greater earthquake then ever was before upon ye face of ye earth, & an exceding great hail ye plague of of {sic} wch caused men to blaspheme God & Babylon's coming then in remembrance before God to give unto her ye cup of ye wind of ye fierceness of his wrath: & in ye Epistle to this Church, by ye door of ye kingdom of David set upon for her to enter & by ye promise to make ye persecuting synagogue of Satan come and worship before her feet: & in ye seventh Church by ye victory of ye armies in heaven against ye armies of ye Beast and Kings of ye earth. This victory being ye great mystery of God mainly spoken of by ye old Prophets & being also ye common period of the seven Churches: for continuing ye synchronism of those Churches, & giving light to ye old Prophets, it will not be amiss now to explain it more fully.
<127r>Now this war between ye word of God & ye Beast will be best understood by comparing it with ye war between Michael & ye Dragon. For Michael or Christ is this word of God, there Michael was represented by a Man-child who was to rule all Nations with a rod of iron & here being grown to maturity he comes to smite them with a sharp word & rule them with a rod of iron Apoc. 19.15. But as by ye Dragon & his armies & by ye Beast & by his armies we do not understand a single person & his armies but a kingdom & its armies: So we shewed yt the Man-child or Michael & his armies not Christ in heaven but his mystical body, a Christian kingdom & its armies is to be understood, & therefore by ye word of God & his armies a Christian kingdom wth its armies is also to be understood. This kingdom to express ye greatness of its dominion & its rise from ye universal preaching of ye word of God by ye two Prophets is rather called King of Kings & ye word of God rather then by any other name of Christ.
Against this King & his army come ye Beast & his the Kings of the Earth & their armies. The Beast & ye Kings of ye earth are not the Beast & his horns but ye Beast & the Dragon. For ye horns of ye Beast go along with him into ye lake of fire while ye remnant called Kings & captains & mighty Men & horses & them yt sit on them & all men both free & bond small & great, yt is ye flesh of ye Kings of ye earth & their people are slain & their flesh given to ye fowls of heaven. The horns of a Beast always signify ye kingdoms of wch ye Beast is composed. They gave their kingdom to ye Beast & so go along with by yt gift ye kingdome was his kingdome, every one gave his kingdom to be one of his members. The ten horns are ten kings wch make war with ye Lamb, but these are kings of the waters comprehended in ye name of ye Beast; & in yt respect differ from ye Kings of ye earth. The three frogs went forth out of ye mouth of ye Dragon Beast & fals Prophet to ye Kings of ye earth & of ye whole world to gather them to this Battle, & therefore ye Dragon is engaged in ye war together with the Beast & fals Prophet, & by consequence comprehended in the kings of ye earth. The earth whereof these are kings is here taken but for a part of ye whole world: & what ye other part is you may know by ye next words: And ever Island fled away & ye mountains were not found. The mountains are of ye earth, & ye Islands of ye sea, & therefore in ye time of this battel ye two parts of ye world are ye earth & sea or Dragon & Beast, The kings of ye earth are to be referred to ye Dragon. These are ye Kings of ye east whose way at ye pouring out of ye sixt Vial was prepared against ye battel of ye great day of God Almighty. For those kings are ye kings of ye Euphratean horsmen by whose serpentine tails you may known them to be of ye Dragons family. By killing ye third part of Men politically, yt is by conquering ye men of ye Dragons kindome, they became Kings of ye earth. And therefore in ye army of Kings & Captains & mighty men to whose flesh all ye fowls of heaven are invited, you have horses & them yt sit on them, yt is the Euphratean horsmen: and when these are slain ye Dragon yt old Serpent called ye Devil & Satan (yt is not ye Men of his kingdome but his fals religion) is cast into yt same bottomless pitt, out of wch ye Locusts (ye predecessors of ye Euphratean horsmen) arose before. This pit was then unlocked & opened to let out ye seduction of ye Locusts & after ye Devil & opened to let out ye seduction of ye Locusts & after ye Devil of seduction was cast into it lockt up again for a thousand years. If yt error wch before arose out of it remained in ye world till ye Dragon was shut up yt he should deceive the Nations no more, its ceasing must be signifyed by its shutting up.
Now ye armies of these Kings were gathered together into a place called in ye Hebrew tongue Ar-ma geddon. By the language of ye people ye country is designed. In ye prophesy of ye fift Church where ye scene of ye visions is at Ierusalem in ye Temple, 'tis said yt ye winepress was trodden without ye City (yt is without) Ierusalem ye phrase alluding to ye wine & oyle presses, wch were without Ierusalem at ye foot of mount Olivel, & blood came out of ye winepress even unto ye hors bridles by ye space of 1600 furlongs, yt is unto ye hors bridles of ye armies of ye word of God, who treadeth ye winepress of ye fierceness & wrath of Almighty God Apoc. 19.15, by ye space of ye region of Iudea. For of yt length do {sic} a[65] \Ierome &/ b[66] R. Menachem on Gen. fol. 60 reccon ye land of Israel. Whence also ye c[67] Ierusalem Talmud in describing ye great slaughter of ye Iews made by Hadrian at ye destruction of ye city saith yt ye horses waded in blood up to ye nostrils by ye space of a thousand & six hundred furlongs. But whether Iudea be here meant literally or as a type of ye region of ye whole Church I leave to be considered. Perhaps ye persecution of ye whole Church may end wth a war upon ye converted Iews.
The armies & ye seat of ye war being described, there remains ye manner of it to be understood of it to be understood. The word of God being put for a Christian Kingdom, ye sharpe sword wch comes out of his mouth must signify ye power of this kingdome. It comes out of ye mouth of ye word of God to express ye rise & growth thereof from preaching. With this sword ye Nations are slain not literally but by dissolving their bodies politic, & then all saints are filled wth their flesh, yt is ye armies of heaven become possessed of their riches & dominions. As upon ye first fall of Babylon ye Gospel began to be generally preached, & upon ye second fall to be more preached, so upon ye more signal judgment of destroying ye Beast & Fals Prophet ye preaching & converting of ye remnant of ye Nations must be much quickened. For ye removal of ye Beast & Fals prophet (ye great enemies of ye Gospel) will give a much greater liberty to its preaching then before, & ye judgment will startle & incline men much more to hearken to it. And when ye truth is grown strong enough ye kingdoms or Cities of ye Nations must fall of course, as is exprest at {sic} |ye| pouring out ye last Vial. And this is their \being/ slain {sic} with ye two edged sword. For slaying is every where in this prophesy used in a litteral sense for killing single persons but mystically for dissolving bodies politic. Then are all ye fowls of ye air filled with their flesh, yt is ye armies of heaven become possessed of their wealth & dominions, & ye Dragon yt old serpent called ye Devil & Satan is bound & cast into the bottomless pitt yt he should deceive ye Nations no more. A violent conquest without ye preaching of ye Gospel would not put an end to error. The conquering sword, to have this effect on ye Nation, must come out of ye mouth of ye word of God. Then ye Prophet saw thrones & they yt sat upon them & judgment was given unto them, yt is ye Dominion of ye new kingdom erected by ye conquest. For judging is often in scripture put for ruling. This is ye kingdom of wch 'tis said at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet, The kingdoms of this world are become ye kingdom of our Lord & of his Christ & he shall reign for ever. And the Metropolis thereof is the beloved city ye new Ierusalem Apoc. 20.9.
The Apostle Paul tells us yt ye Iewish sabbaths & Feasts were of Christ. Is not ye Feast of ye seventh month a type of his second coming? For ye first day of ye month called ye Feast of Trumpets, wherein Trumpets sounded all over ye land, answers well to the first yeare of ye great tribulation, wherein ye war between ye word of God & ye Beast & Dragon begins; & yt tribulation lasting ten prophetick days, wch are years, may end wth ye fast on the tenth day. For yt Fast expresses well ye great affliction & distress of Gods people in ye end of ye persecution immediately before ye Beast & Fals Prophet be destroyed. And on this day began {sic} ye Iubile or year of release, ye Trumpets sounding all over ye Land Levit. 25.19. Then follows four or five days until ye Feast of Tabernacles, wch may be a time of preaching ye Gospel until ye kingdom of ye Nations begin to fall. Then ye Feast lasts seven days, & is a very lively Emblem of war, victory & triumph. For ye dwelling in Tabernacles expresses ye encamping of armies abroad. The great sacrifices of all seven days, & ye great sounding of Trumpets at them express great wars, & so answer to ye killing of Men with ye two edged sword called by Ezekiel a great sacrifice on ye Mountains of Israel Ezek. 39.17. For these sacrifices ye a[68] Iews accounted offered for ye Nations. At ye division of ye earth there were accounted seventy Nations & in all ye seven days seventy bullocks were offered, & ye Iews accounted one bullock offered for every Nation They were burn sacrifices offered by fire & so denote a sacrifice of ye Nations by war. Further ye feasting of Israel on those seven days answers to ye supper of ye great God to wch ye fowls of ye heaven are invited yt they may eat ye flesh of ye slain. The crying Hosanna {sic} with palm branches every day is a type of victory & triumph. The pouring out of water upon ye Altar all ye seven days expresses ye pouring out of Gods spirit upon all flesh until all seduction and error be cast into ye bottomless pitt. And ye \The/ great rejoycing in ye Temple wth musick & singing & dancing in so excessive a measure as to occasion ye proverb among ye Iews, yt he who has not seen ye rejoycing at drawing of water had not seen any rejoycing at all, is a type \full expression/ of such joy as may be conceived at ye conquest of the Nations. And ye great Hosanna of ye last day may express ye completion of {illeg} \their/ victories. Considering therefore yt ye circumstances of ye feast are so well fitted to represent ye war of ye great day, & yt ye Apocalyps wch is a prophesy of Christs second coming alludes to almost nothing else in ye law but this Feast, it inclines me much to suspect yt there is some such mystery in it as I have explained. The truth I must leave to be discovered by time.
types of things to come. The Passover was a type of ye first comingIn ye next place ye Apostle saw thrones, ye soules of ye Martyrs and those who had not worshipped ye Beast & his Image nor received G{ods} mark, & they lived & reigned wth Christ a thousand years, & then Satan is losed & deceives ye Nations Gog & Magog & they compass ye beloved city & are consumed by fire from heaven & ye Devil is cast into ye lake of fire where ye Beast & Fals Prophet are & shall be tormented day & night for ever & ever. Concerning all wch I observe, first yt since ye Dragon is cast into ye lake of fire where ye Beast & fals Prophet were before, therefore ye war of God & Magog is not yt war wherein ye Beast & fals Prophet were cast into ye Lake, but another wch comes after it by ye space of a thousand years. Error reigned in ye Dragon till he gave ye Beast his throne, & then in ye Dragon Beast & fals Prophet till ye two last were cast into ye lake of fire, & therefore ye ceasing of all error for a thousand years signifyed by ye shutting up of ye Dragon must come afterwards. Secondly I observe yt ye Lake of fire into wch ye Beast & fals Prophet are cast is really hell, {illeg} and yt partly because ye Devil is cast into ye same lake of fire where they were before, & all three are therein tormented together for ever & ever, & partly because in ye general judgment described in ye next words, all ye dead as many as are not found written in ye book of life are cast into ye same Lake, & their punishment therein is called ye second death, a phrase used by ye Iews to signify Hell torments|, & certainly used in this sense in other places of ye Apocalyps ch 28.8 & 2.11.| A little before ye Beast and fals Prophet are cast into ye Lake of fire, they are thus threatned. If any man worship ye Beast & his Image & receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, ye same shall drink of ye wine of ye wrath of God wch is poured out without mixture into ye cup of his indignation & he shall be tormented wth fire & brimstone in ye presence of ye Lamb, & ye smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever & ever, & they have no rest day nor might who worship ye Beast & his Image, & whosoever receiveth ye mark of his Name. That Hell is here threatned is indisputably evident, & ye subsequent casting out of ye Beast & fals Prophet into ye Lake of fire burning wth brimstone is ye putting this threat in execution. Thirdly I observe yt ye resurrection of ye dead & day of judgment begin wth ye casting of ye Beast & fals Prophet into ye Lake of fire, & yt for these reasons. First because their enduring ye pains of hell presupposes ye immortality of their {sic} bodys & by consequence either their resurrection or (wch is all one) ye change of their bodies. Th{is is} because their punishment presupposes their being judged: for no man is justly executed before sentence pass. Next because the harvest & vintage is synchronal to the time & is a known type of ye day of judgment Matt. 13, Ioel 3.12. Also at ye Trumpet (wch sounds to this war of ye Beast & Fals Prophet wth ye Lamb) it is said yt ye time of ye dead is come yt they should be judged & yt God should give reward to his servants ye Prophets, & to the Saints & then yt fear his name both small & great. And here after ye resurrection & judgment is exprest by dooming ye Beast & Fals Prophets to ye Lake of fire, tis exprest also by ye reward & judgment of ye Saints. And I saw thrones saith he, & they sat upon them & judgment was given them, & I saw ye soules of them yt were beheaded for ye witness of Iesus and for ye word of God & wch had not worshipped ye Beast nor his Image &c, & they lived [yt is rose again from ye dead] & reigned wth Christ a thousand years: but ye rest of ye dead lived not again till ye thousand years were finished. In what sence ye rest of ye dead were dead & lived again after ye thousand years were finished, in ye same sence these were also dead, & at this time lived again. For these & ye rest of ye dead are here spoken of as two parts of ye same whole both wch rise again but not at ye same time.
Now ye rest of ye dead are acknowledged to rise again really & truly in ye last judgment thus described in the next place. And I saw saith ye Prophet, a great white throne & him yt sat on it from whose face ye earth & ye heaven fled away, & there was found no place for them. And I saw ye dead small & great stand before God & ye books were opened, & another book was opened wch is ye book of life & ye dead were judged out of those things wch were written in ye books according to their works. And ye sea gave up ye dead wch were in it & death & ye grave delivered up ye dead wch were in them, & they were judged every man according to their {sic} works. And death & ye grave were cast into ye Lake of fire. This is so full & express a description of ye last judgment as nothing can be more. But whilst interpreters date this from ye end of ye thousand years & make it respect only ye second resurrection. I find it begins wth ye battel of ye great day when ye Beast & Fals Prophet are cast into ye Lake of fire & so comprehends both resurrections. For it is ye very same judgment wth that described by Daniel in these words: I beheld ye thrones [of ye Kingdoms of this world] were cast down & ye ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow & ye hair of his head like pure wool & his throne was like ye fiery flame, & his wheels [those wheels of his throne described by Ezekiel] as burning fire. A fiery streame came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministred unto him & ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: ye book judgment was sett & ye books were opened. I beheld them because of ye voice of ye great words wch ye horn spoke. I beheld till ye Beast was slain & his body given to ye burning flame.
The general judgment begin is both of ye living & ye dead, & begins wth Christs appearing & his kingdom 2 Tim. 4.1, 1 Pet. 4.5. The first act of this coming & judgment is to destroy ye Man of sin wch is a judgment of ye living & this is done by these steps. First ye whore is burnt wth fire & then ye Beast & fals Prophet cast into ye Lake of fire, & ye rest slain wth ye two edged sword & ye Dragon shut up. For Daniel's begins ye great judgment wth ye end of ye reign of ye little horn. I beheld, saith he, & ye same horn made war wth ye Saints & prevailed against them untill ye ancient of days came, & judgment was given to ye saints of ye most High, & ye time came yt ye Saints possessed ye kingdom. And so in ye Apocalyps at ye burning of ye Whore when ye witnesses rose again & ye Gospel begins to be universally preacht an Angel proclaiming: Fear God for ye hour of his judgment is come Apoc. 14, & then at ye fall of Babylon 'tis said, she shall be unterly {sic} burnt wth fire for strong is ye Lord God that {sic} judgeth her ch. 18.8: & again; Alleluja, for ye Lord God omnipotent reigneth ch. 19.6. This is ye period of time wch Christ speaks in saying, when ye Son of Man comes {sic}, shall he find faith on ye earth? This is, as I may say, ye dawning of ye day of judgment. Then arises & breaks forth ye Son of righteousness in ye clouds of heaven to ye ancient of days & receiving dominion & a kingdom, yt all people Nations & languages should serve him for ever & ever, & in Iohn by ye word of God ye King of Kings & Lord of Lords coming in ye clouds wth ye armies in heaven on white horses. For he comes now in a double power & dominion; in his mystical body of an army & kingdom of Mortals led on & ruled by a mortal king his vicegerent on Earth, & in his own person attended wth an innumerable host of Angels who gather out of his kingdom all things yt offend & them wch do iniquity [ye Beast & fals Prophet] & cast them into a furnace of fire; There shall be wailing & gnashing of teeth: & then shall ye righteous shine forth as ye Son in ye kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13.41) being gathered by ye same Angels from ye four winds, & caught up in ye clouds to meet ye Lord in ye air & reign wth him in heaven Matt 24.31. 1 Thes. 4.16, 17. And now thrones are set & they sit upon them & judgment is given them Apoc. 20: or as Daniel expresses it, The judgment was set & ye books were opened. Now all this is thus repeated in ye general judgment of ye Apocalyps.
And I saw, saith he, a great white throne & him yt sat on it, from whose face ye earth & ye heaven fled away, & there was found no more place for them. Heaven & earth are here taken in such a sence as they use to signify in prophesy & as they are taken at ye opening of ye sixt seale where ye Sun Moon, & stars are smitten, & heaven departs as a scroll {sic} & every mountain & Island are moved out of their places, yt is for ye politic world. This heaven and earth departs away at ye ruin of ye Whore, Beast, fals Prophet & Kings of ye earth, & sending up of ye Dragon: And then follow ye Vision of thrones & them yt sat on them & ye judgment given unto them: & ye resurrection of those who reign wth Christ. And I saw; saith he, ye dead small & great stand before God & ye books were opened &c, & from this judgment commences ye reign of ye Saints wth Christ or kingdom of heaven, And I saw, saith he, a new heaven & a new earth, for ye first heaven & ye first earth were passed away & there was no more sea; & I saw ye holy City ye new Ierusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband The heaven wherein ye Dragon & ye woman were seen, & ye earth & Sea to wch he came down are now passed away, & in their place succeed ye heaven & earth of a new kingdom, whose regal city is ye new Ierusalem. So then every part of ye Apocalyps has its repetition & interpretation. The prophesy of ye Seals & Trumpets is repeated in yt of ye Dragon & Beasts, & ye prophesy of ye fall of Babylon & ye casting of ye Beasts & Fals Prophet into ye Lake of fire, & ye throne & judgment & reign of ye Saints wth Christ is repeated in yt of ye old heaven and earth passing away, ye great white throne & general judgment & the new heaven & new earth & new Ierusalem.
But you will say how can ye general judgment be in ye beginning of ye thousand years, since it is said yt ye rest of ye dead lived not again till ye thousand years were finished. Understand therefore yt there is a first death & a second death, a first resurrection & a second resurrection. The first resurrection is from ye first death, ye second resurrection from ye second death. The first death is of mortal bodies cast into ye grave, ye second of immortal ones cast into ye Lake of fire; & therefore as ye first resurrection is from ye grave, so ye second is from ye Lake of fire. The first resurrection is in ye beginning of ye thousand years, ye second not before ye end. From ye time of ye first resurrection ye Saints lived & reigned wth Christ a thousand years, but ye rest of ye dead [rose not then to live but died ye second death &] lived not again till ye thousand years were finished. Blessed & holy is he yt hath part in ye first resurrection on such ye second wrath [burning ye thousand years] hath no power [as it hath on all ye rest] but they shall be Priests to God & Christ & reign wth him a thousand years. He doth not say yt at ye end of ye thousand years all shall rise again; for ye Beast & fals Prophet remain still in ye Lake to be tormented wth ye Devil for ever & ever. For there are degrees of reward & degrees of punishment. Some are great in ye kingdom of heaven & others are ye least therein Matt. 5.19. It shall be more tollerable for Tyre & Sidon & ye day of judgment then for Charazin & Bethsaida, for Sodom then for Capernaum Matt. 11.21, 23. Every Man shall be rewarded according to his works. If any man build upon ye true foundation Gold, Silver, pretious stones, wood, hay, stubble, ye fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is. If any mans work abide wch he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward: if any man's work be burnt, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire Is it not ye prison out of wch 1 Cor. 3.15. Is not this Christ's baptizing Men wth fire? Is it not ye prison out of wch ye debter comes not till he has paid ye farthing? For so ye ancient Christians understood it as \Clemens Alexandrinus/ Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Cæsarius, also Gregory Nyssen, Ierom, Ambrose, Austin, & from this tradition corrupted might spring ye Purgatory of ye Church of Rome.[69] The souls of Men are often put for men living in ye body (as here where ye Souls of Men lived & reigned wth Christ) wch language being understood by few ye erring multitude made a purgatory of ye Souls of Men before ye resurrection. We are buried wth Christ in Baptism, & therefore ye baptism wth water is a type of ye first death & first resurrection: why may it not be so of ye second also? and why may not Iohn ye Baptist indicate as much in saying, I baptize you wth ye Holy Ghost & wth fire? If it may be so, then ye argument against ye general judgment's beginning wth ye thousand years ceases, & if the general judgment begins wth ye thousand years it must be also.
Now yt it begins wth ye thousand years is further confirmed by ye following considerations. In its beginning ye old heaven & earth flee away from ye face of him yt sits upon ye throne, & then appear new heaven & new earth & a new Ierusalem: & he yt sat upon ye throne said Behold I make all things new. These new things appear after ye first heaven & earth are fled away Apoc. 21.1, & after God begins to sit upon ye great white throne & therefore they begin not before ye general judgment. But they begin wth ye thousand years, for these reasons. First it is said before ye battel of ye word of God & ye Beast, yt ye Lord God omnipotent reigneth, & ye marriage of ye Lamb is come & his wife hath made her self ready Apoc. 19.6, 7, & in answer to this God is represented in ye beginning of ye general judgment sitting upon a great white throne yt is reigning in his new kingdom, & ye new Ierusalem then coming down from God out of heaven is said to be prepared as a bride adorned for her husband Apoc. 21.2. The marriage of ye Lamb therefore did not precede ye descent of ye new Ierusalem, & yet it was at ye beginning of ye thousand years, because it was come, & his wife had made her self ready when those years were commencing. Secondly at ye descent of ye new Ierusalem there is a great voice from heaven saying, the tabernacle is wth men & he will dwell wth them & be their God, & God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, & there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain, for ye former things are passed away. It descends therefore at ye end of ye troubles, afflictions & persecutions of ye Saints in this world when God wipes away all tears from their eyes, & begins to dwell wth Men, & this is at ye coming of ye Palmbearing multitude out of ye great tribulation. For they from thence forward are before ye throne of God & serve him day & night in his Temple, & he that sitteth on ye throne dwelleth [or hath his Tabernacle] amongst them & they hunger no more neither thurst any more, & God wipes away all tears from their eyes Apoc. 7.15. At ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet when ye Kingdoms of this world become ye kingdoms of God & of his Christ, & he begins to reign for ever & ever, then does he yt sits upon ye great white throne place his Tabernacle among men & begin to dwell wth them & to be their God, & to wipe all tears from their eyes. Then are ye former things [ye first heaven & ye first earth] passed away, & God makes all things new. Thirdly ye words, It is done, coming after ye words ye former things are passed away & behold I make all things new, are of ye same signification wth ye words same words It is done spoken at the pouring out of ye seventh Vial & relate to them. This is ye great mystery of God to be finished at ye sounding of ye Seventh Trumpet, & therefore ye new heaven & new earth are then created. Fourthly ye fountains of living water to wch ye Lamb leads ye Palm-bearing Multitude & ye food wherewith he feeds them (Apoc. 7.17) are ye fountains of water of life wch God (at ye descent of ye new Ierusalem) gives to them yt are athirst Apoc. 21.6 ye pure river of water of life wch proceeds out of ye throne, & ye fruits and leaves of ye tree of life ch. 22.1, 2. Lastly ye words wch follow ye descent of ye new Ierusalem, He yt overcometh shall inherit all things & I will be his god, & he shall be my Son: but the fearfull & unbeleiving & ye abominable & whoremongers and sorcerers and Idolaters & all lyars shall have their part in the Lake wch burneth wth fire & brimstone wch is ye second death respect yt overcoming spoken of in ye end of every one of the Epistles to ye seven Churches, & ye punishment of ye Beast & fals Prophet & their people called Idolaters & Whoremongers and Sorcerers & fornicators & theives Apoc. 9.20, 21 & Lyars & fals Prophets ch. 2.3 & 3.9. When therefore ye one are rewarded & ye other punished, then does ye new Ierusalem descend from heaven, & this is at ye beginning of ye thousand years when ye Beast & fals Prophet are cast into ye Lake of fire, & thrones are set & they sit {upon} them, & judgment {illeg}& {illeg} & they who had not worshipped ye Beast {illeg} This is at ye sounding of ye seventh {Trumpet} {illeg} ye {illeg} ye dead is come that they should be judged [{not} a few but all of them] & yt God should give rewards unto his Servants ye Prophets & Saints & them that fear his Name Small & great & should destroy them wch destroy ye earth. The {general judgment} therefore begins at ye Sounding of this Trumpet.
But you will say how then comes it to pass yt in ye thousand years there are Mortals on earth? For ye Nations wch are in the four quarters of ye earth, Gog {sic} & Magog, those whom Satan is loosed out of prison to deceive & gather together to battel &c. are mortal men & therefore ye camp of ye Saints, & ye beloved city wch they compass are also mortals. Doth ye earth last after ye day of judgment & do mortals live on it, & do ye Sons of ye resurrection live among them like {other} Men & reign over them in ye beloved city? I answer yt is true ye beloved city is a city of Mortals & say further yt ye glorious description of ye new Ierusalem under ye types of pretious stones is a commentary upon this City. For ye Kings of ye earth who {bring their} glory & honour into it & ye Nations whose glory & honour they bring into it (Apoc. 21.24, 26) are Mortals. But to conceive yt ye children of ye resurrection shall live among other men and converse with them daily as mortals do wth one another, & reign over them after ye way of temporal kingdoms is very absurd & foolish. Do Men convers wth Beasts & Fishes or Angels wth Men? Christ after his resurrection was invisible to Men unless when upon extraordinary occasions he was pleased to appear to them, since his ascension he has been seen but once, & such as his body, such shall ours be. In ye resurrection they are as ye Angels of God in heaven Matt. 22.30) And as Christ comes attended wth an innumerable company of Angels, & by yt conversation he has wth them sends them whither he will, so ye children of ye resurrection shall have their conversation wth ye Angels. And such as has been ye government of ye world by \ye/ Angels, such may be their dominion over Mortals in ye world to come. Ye are come, saith ye Apostle, unto Mount Sion & unto ye city of ye living God ye heavenly Ierusalem & to an innumerable company of Angels, to ye general assembly & Church of ye first born wch are written in heaven, & to God ye Iudge of all & to ye spirits of just Men [by ye resurrection] made perfect Heb. 12. This is yt general assembly at ye last day before God ye Iudg of all described in the Apocalyps by ye last judgment & ye new heaven new earth & new Ierusalem. For ye new Ierusalem doth not \only/ signify a local city on Earth, but also comprehends mystically ye whole assembly of Christ and his Angels wth ye Saints raised from ye dead & reigning wth him in heaven. If you ask where this heavenly city is, I answer, I do not know. It becomes not a blind Man to talk of colours. Further then I am informed by ye prophecies I know nothing. But this I say yt as Fishes in water ascend & descend, move whether they will & rest where they will, so may Angels & Christ & ye Children of ye resurrection do in ye air & heavens. 'Tis not ye place but ye state wch makes heaven & happiness. For God is alike in all places. He is substantially omnipresent, & as much present in ye lowest Hell as in ye highest heaven, but ye enjoyment of his blessings {illeg} {various} according to the variety of places, & according to this variety he is said to be more in one place less in another, & where he is most enjoyed and most obeyed, there is heaven & his Tabernacle & Kingdom in ye language of ye Prophets. We usually conceive it to be above. When Paul & Stephen saw him in ye clouds he was in heaven. Whether he ascended after his resurrection where he is now wth ye Angels, & from whence he shall together wth them descend to judgment, there may ye saints after ye resurrection & judgment reign with him, & at ye same time invisibly exercise dominion over Mortals on earth. For Paul tells us yt at ye last day ye Lord shall descend from heaven & ye dead shall rise & together wth ye Saints wch then remain alive be caught up in ye clouds (as Elijah was) to meet ye Lord in ye air & so shall be ever wth ye Lord. 1 Thes 4. And Christ us {sic} yt ye Saints after ye resurrection shall reign on the earth. He yt overcometh, saith he, & keepeth my works unto ye end to him will I give power over ye Nations, & he shall rule them with a rod of iron: as ye Vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers. Apoc. 2.26. For Christ has redeemed us & made us unto our God Kings & Priests & {shall reign on ye earth chap.} 5.10 & he himself is ye King of Kings, & ye Prince of ye Kings of ye earth chap. 1.5. {illeg} reign below are replenished with living creatures (not only ye earth wth beasts, & sea wth {fishes} & ye air wth Fowls & Insects, but also standing waters, vineger, ye bodies & blood of Animals & other juices wth innumerable living creatures too small to be seen without ye help of magnifying Glasses) so may ye heavens above be replenished wth beings whose nature we do not understand. He yt shall well consider ye strange & wonderful nature of life & ye frame of Animals will think nothing beyond ye possibility of Nature, nothing too hard for the omnipotent power of God. And as ye Planets remain in their orbs, so may any other bodies subsist at any distance from ye earth, & much more may beings who have a sufficient power of self motion, move whether they will place themselves where they will, & continue in any regions of ye heavens whatever, there to enjoy ye society of one another & by their {own sences} or Angels to rule ye earth & convers wth ye remotest regions. Thus may ye whole heavens or any part thereof whatever be the habitation of ye Blessed & at ye same time ye earth be subject to their dominion. And to have thus ye liberty & dominion of ye whole heavens & ye choise of ye happiest places for abode seems a greater happiness then to be confined to any one place whatever. But ye truth & manner of these things we shall not understand before ye resurrection. I only speak of the possibility.
And thô 'tis become ye common opinion yt ye globe of ye earth shal at ye day of judgment be burnt up & have an end, yet upon considering ye matter I cannot find any sufficient ground for ye concept. The original of it seems to be thus, yt they to whom ye day of judgment was first revealed deciphered it to ye common people in ye prophetick language, representing ye world politic of ye nations by ye world natural of ye heaven & earth & yt ye common people & some of ye heathen Philosophers who understood not ye prophetick language took it in ye litteral sence. The tradition is yt as ye world once perished by water so it should perish again & yt by fire. So some of ye heathen Philosophers & so also ye Author of ye second epistle commonly ascribed to Peter. Now ye world wch perished by water was ye world politiqꝫ, & therefore 'tis ye world politiqꝫ wch perisheth by fire, & as ye Natural heaven & earth remained after ye first perishing, so it may remain after ye second. When ye Whore is burnt wth fire, & ye Beast & fals Prophet together wth all ye world, whose Names are not written in ye book of life, are cast into ye lake of fire, & ye heaven & earth fly away from ye face of him yt sits upon the throne, & God creates all things new; then doth this present world perish by fire & ye heavens pass away wth a great noise, & ye elements (ye Gold, Silver, pretious stones, wood, hay, stubble, as Paul expresseth it) melt wth fervent heat, & then ye Saints according to Gods promise look for new heavens & a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. For as Noah was saved out of ye waters, so in ye judgment by fire a remnant may be preserved to replenish ye earth a second time.
Now ye truth of this & of all ye foregoing interpretations will more fully appear by comparing ye Apocalyps with ye prophesies of ye old Testament to wch it alludes. For since ye mys
And yt you may be assured yt this is ye meaning of this Epistle or else yt Peter was not ye Author of it, hear what Peter himself saith. Ye denyed ye holy one, saith he to ye Iews, & killed ye Prince of life, Repent ye therefore & be converted converted yt your sins [yt is ye sins of your Nation in crucifying Iesus] may be blotted out, when ye times of refreshing shall come from ye Lord, & he shall send Iesus Christ wch before was preached unto you: whom ye heaven must receive untill ye times of restitution of all things wch God hath spoken of by ye mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began. – Peter here describes at ye coming of Christ to judgment, not ye conflagration & final destruction of ye world, but on ye contrary ye refreshing & restitution of all things.
Now ye truth of this & of all ye foregoing interpretations will more fully appear by comparing ye Apocalyps wth ye prophesies of ye old Testament to wch it alludes. For since ye mystery of God, wch is to be finished in ye days of ye voice of ye seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound, hath been declared by him to his servants ye Prophets (Apoc. 10.7) there is no question but we may find it in them, & \that/ very copiously, it being spoken of, as Peter saith, {by} ye mouth of all ye Prophets since ye world began.
<142r>At ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet yt mystery is thus described. The kingdoms of this world are {become ye} Kingdoms of Christ our Lord & of his Christ {& they shall reign} for ever & ever & this alludes to ye prophesies of Daniel (where ye Kingdom wch God sets up at ye end of ye four Monarchies is again & again affirmed to be an everlasting kingdom, wch shal consume all ye former kingdoms & continue from generation to generation (& therefore is to be a kingdom of Mortals) & wch shal never be destroyed nor left to other people, but shal stand for ever; Dan. 2.44 & 4.3, 34 & 6.26. The judgment shall sit & ye kingdom & dominion & greatness of ye kingdom under ye whole heaven shall be given unto ye people of of {sic} ye Saints of ye most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom & all dominions shall serve & obey him. Dan. 7.27. are like the Son of Man [ye world of God leading on ye armies of heaven] came wth ye clouds of heaven & came to ye ancient of days & they brought him neare before him & there was given him dominion & glory & a kingdom yt all people, Nations & languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion wch shal not pass away shal not pass away & his kingdom yt wch shal not be destroyed vers 13.14. For he shall reign over ye house of Iacob for ever & of his kingdom there shal be no end. Luke 1.33. In yt day will I raise up ye Tabernacle of David yt is fallen, & close up ye breaches thereof, & I will raise up ye ruins, & I will build it as in ye days of old, yt they may possess ye remnant of Edom [yt is of ye Roman Empire {sic} whereof Edom (as all ye Iews interpret) is a frequent type] & of all ye heathen wch are called [Christians] by my name, saith ye Lord yt doth this. Behold ye days come, saith ye Lord, yt ye plowman shal overtake ye reaper & ye treader of grapes him yt soweth seed, & ye mountains shal drop sweet wine, & all ye hills shal \be cultivated/ {illeg}. And I will bring again ye captivity of my people of Israel: & they shal build again ye waste cities & inhabit them & they shal plant vineyards & drink ye wine thereof: they shal also make gardens; & eat ye fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, & they shal no more be pulled out of their land, wch I have given them, saith ye Lord thy God. Amos 9.11. 'Tis not ye return from ye Babylonian captivity here spoken of. For they were then soon pluckt out of their land again, but after ye return here spoken of they shal be pulled out no more. Nor did they then possess ye remnant of Edom, & of all ye heathen as they do now, & therefore we are here to understand ye universal & eternal kingdom of God & Christ spoken of by Iohn Daniel. Further ye same kingdom of God is thus described in Micah. Zion shal be plowed as a field, & Ierusalem become heaps {illeg} come to ye daughter of Ierusalem & ye mountain of ye house, as ye high places of ye forrest. But in ye last days [spoken of by Daniel] it shal come to pass, yt ye mountain of ye house of ye Lord shal be established in ye top of ye Mountains, & it shal be exalted above ye hills; & people shal flow unto it. And many Nations shal come, & say come, & let us go up to ye mountain of ye Lord, & to ye house of ye God of Iacob, & he shal teach us of his ways, & we will walk in his paths: for ye Law shal go forth of Zion & ye word of ye Lord from Ierusalem: And he shal judge among many people, & rebuke strong nations afar off, & they shal beat their swords into plowshares, & their spears into pruning hooks: nation shal not life up a sword against nation, neither shal they learn war any more. But they shal sit every man under his vine, & under his figtree, & none shal make them afraid: for ye month of ye Lord of hosts has spoken it. For all people shal walk every one in ye name of his God, & we will walk in ye name of ye Lord our God for ever and ever. In yt day, saith ye Lord, I will assemble {sic} her yt is a[70] dispersed, & I will gather her yt is driven out & her yt I have afflicted: & I will make her yt is is dispersed to be neare, & her yt was cast afar off a strong nation: & ye Lord shal reign over them in mount Zion from hence forth even for ever. And thou, o tower of ye flock, ye strong hold of ye daughter of Zion, unto thee shal it come, even ye first dominion, ye kingdom, shal come to ye daughter of Ierusalem – He shal gather ye Nations as sheaves into ye floor. Arise, & thresh, o daughter of Zion: I will make thy horn iron, & I will make thy hoofs brass, & thou shalt beat in pieces many nations people: & I will consecrate their gain unto ye Lord, & their substance unto ye Lord of ye whole earth. Mica 4. Tis in ye last days yt this is to be fulfilled & then ye captivity shall return & become a strong nation & reign over strong nations afar off, & ye Lord shal reign in mount Zion from thenceforth for ever, & many nations shal receive ye law of righteousness from Ierusalem, & they shall beat their swords into plow-shares & their spears into pruning hooks & Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shal they learn war any more: all wch never yet came to pass.
<144r>Further their return from ye long captivity (not from ye Babylonian but in ye latter days) & ye founding of ye kingdom of God is by Hosea thus described: The children of Israel shal abide many days without a King, & without a Prince, & without a sacrifice, & without an Image, & without an Ephod, & without a Teraphim. Afterwards shal ye children of Israel return \&/ {illeg} seek ye Lord their God, & David their King, & ye fear of ye Lord, & his goodness in ye latter days Hosea 3.4. And how this kingdom shal flourish in righteousness & last for ever is thus described by Ezekiel: Son of Man, take thee one stick, & writ upon it, for Iudah, & for ye children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, & writ upon it for Ioseph ye stick of Ephraim, & for all ye house of Israel his companions. And joyn them one to another into one stick & they shal become one in thy hand. – And be in thy hand before ye eyes of ye children of thy people. And say unto them, thus saith ye Lord God, behold I wil take ye children of Israel from among ye heathen whether they be gone, I will gather them on every side, & bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in ye land upon ye mountains of Israel, & one King shal be King to them all, & they shal be no more two nations, neither shal they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shal they defile themselves any more wth their Idols, nor wth their detestable things, nor wth any of their transgressions, but I wil save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned & wil cleanse them: so shal they be my people and I will be their God. And David my servant shal be king over them, & they all shal have one shepherd: they shal also walk in my judgments & observe my statutes, & do them. And they shal dwel in ye land yt I have given unto Iacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt, & they shall dwell therein, even they, & their children, & their childrens children for ever, & my servant David shal be their Prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace wth them: I wil place them, & multiply them, & wil set my sanctuary in ye midst of them for evermore. My a[71] Tabernacle also shal be wth them: yea, I will be their God; & they shal be my people. And ye heathen shall know yt I ye Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shal be inye midst of them for evermore. This righteous and everlasting kingdom of David will easily I think be allowed to be ye Kingdom of ye Messiah, & consequently to be Christian, & therefore since it is of ye two tribes & ten tribes returning from a long captivity into ye land of Israel wch God gave to Iacob, even into yt same promised land wherein their Fathers dwell, & therein becoming reunited under one King & reigning for ever without apostatizing any more from God: it can be no other kingdom then yt of God & Christ wch commences at ye sounding of ye seventh Trumpet, & is founded by ye conversion of ye Iews & their return from captivity as almost all ye prophets describe. And this prophesy is ye more to be taken notice of & confided in, because in ye Apocalyps upon ye coming down of ye new Ierusalem from heaven it is thus alluded unto: Behold ye Tabernacle of God is with men & he will dwell wth them, & they shal be his people, & God himself shal be wth them & be their God Apoc. 21.3. But let us hear how Ezekiel goes on to describe ye founding of this kingdom by its victory over ye Nations. For Son of Man set thy face against b[72] Gog a in ye land of Magog ye chief prince of Meshech & Tubal & prophesy against him & say – I will bring thee forth & all thine army b c[73] horses & horsmen all of them cloathed wth all sorts of armour even a great company wth bucklers & shields, all of them handling swords Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, & house of Togarmah of ye north quarters & many people |wth thee [Asia & Greece & the isles of the Sea mentioned afterwards & represented in ye Apocalyps by the Beast.]| [{illeg} Beast & other Kings of ye earth] wth thee – In ye latter days thou shalt come into ye land yt is brought back wth|from| ye sword & is gathered out of many people against ye mountains of Israel wch [during ye long Roman captivity] have been always wast but is brought forth out of the Nations & they shal dwell safely all of them. And thou shalt ascend & come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover ye land thou & all thy bounds & many people wth thee. – And thou say: I will go up to ye land of unwalled villages, I will go up to them yt are at rest, yt dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, & having neither bars nor gates; to take a spoile, & to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon ye dosolate {sic} places yt are now inhabited, & upon ye people yt are gathered out of ye Nations, wch have gotten cattel & goods yt dwell in ye midst of ye land. – And thou shalt come \from/ And thy place out of ye d[74] North parts, thou & many people wth thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company & a mighty army. And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover ye land: it shall be in ye latter days, & I will bring thee against my land, yt ye heathen may know me when I shall be sanctifyed in thee, O God, against before their eyes. Thus saith ye Lord God art thou he of whom I have e[75] spoken in old times by my servants ye Prophets of Israel, wch prophesied in those days many years, yt I would bring thee against them? And it shal come to pass at ye same time, yt God shall come against ye land of Israel, saith ye Lord God, yt my fury shal come up in my face \ – & all things f[76] shall shake at my presence & ye mountains shal be thrown down/. And I will call for a g[77] sword against him, throughout all my mountains, saith ye Lord God; every mans sword shal be against his brother. And I will plead against him wth pestilence & wth blood, & I will rain upon him, & upon his bands, & upon ye many people yt are wth him, an overflowing rain & h[78] great hailstones, fire & brimstone. Thus will I magnify my self, & sanctify my self & I will be known in ye eyes of many Nations, & they shall know yt I am ye Lord. Zion shall fall upon ye mountains of Israel, thou, & all thy bands, & ye people yt is wth thee: I will give thee unto ye k[79] ravenous birds of every sort, & to ye beasts of ye field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon ye open field, for I have spoken it saith ye Lord God. I will send a fire on Magog, & amongst them yt dwell carelessly on ye Isles [ye European kingdoms of ye ten horned Beast] & in ye midst of my people Israel: & I will not let them pollute my holy Name any more, & ye heathen shall know yt I am ye Lord, ye holy one in Israel. Behold, l[80] it is come, & it is done, saith ye Lord God, m[81] this is ye day whereof I have spoken. And thou son of Man n[82] speak unto every feathered fowl, & to every beast of ye field, Assemble your selves & come, gather your selves on every side to my sacrifice yt I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon ye mountains of Israel, yt ye may eat flesh & drink blood. Ye shall eat ye flesh of ye mighty, & drink ye blood of ye Princes of ye earth, of rams, of lambs & of Goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, & drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice wch I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be o[83] filled at my table wth horses & chariots, wth mighty men, & wth all men of war, saith ye Lord God. And I will set my glory among ye heathen, & all ye heathen shall see my judgments yt I have laid upon them. So ye house of Israel shall know yt I am ye Lord their God, from yt day and forward. – When I have brought them again from ye people, & gathered them out of their enemies lands, & am sanctified in them in ye sight of many Nations. Then shall they know yt I am ye Lord their God, wch caused them to be led into captivity among ye heathen; but I have gathered them unto their own land, & have left none of them there any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon ye house of Israel, saith ye Lord God. Ezek. 40 & 41. This prophesy I have recited ye more fully because 'tis pointed at in ye Apocalyps by divers allusions (as you may see noted in Margine) & contains a fully & distincter description of ye battel of ye great day of God Almighty then is any where else in scripture to be met with. For by all those allusions it is determined to be ye battel of ye great day to wch ye seventh Trumpet sounds; & more especially by this circumstance yt it presently follows ye return of ye Iews from \their/ captivity, & lays ye foundation of their dominion over ye Nations. Afterwards at ye end of a thousand years follows such another war of ye Nations against ye holy city, whence those Nations to denote ye resemblance wch yt war hath to this are also God & Magog.
Now since Ezekiel tells us yt ye war of Gog described by him was prophesied of by ye former Prophets of Israel, we may expect it in ye other Prophets, & if we look into ye prophesy of Ioel we shal find a very lively description of it there. And first describing ye invasion of Iudea by a Nation strong & numberless & how they lay ye land wast, he adds. Sanctify ye a Fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the Elders & all ye inhabitants of ye land into ye house of the Lord your God, & cry unto ye Lord: Alas for ye day, for the day of ye Lord is at hand, & as a destruction from ye Almighty become: wch confirms what I said above of ye year of this war being represented by ye Fast of ye fourth day of ye seventh month. Then {illeg}ye description of this war Blow ye ye Trumpet in Zion, & sound an alarm in all my holy mountain [ye voice of ye seventh Trumpet] let all ye inhabitants of ye land tremble for ye day of ye Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of judgment darkness & gloominess, a day of clouds & thick darkness as ye morning spread upon ye mountains, a great people & strong, there hath not been ever ye like, neither shal be any more after {illeg} even to ye years of many generations [for this is a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation even to yt same time Dan. 12.1, & after yt shal be no more such insurrection of ye Nations for a thousand years. The earth shal quake before them, ye heaven shal tremble, ye Sun & ye Moon shal be dark, & ye Stars shal withdraw their shining & ye Lord shal offer his {illeg}fore his army. for his camp is very great, for he is strong {illeg} for ye day of ye Lord is great & very terrible & who can abide it – Blow ye Trumpet in Zion, sanctify a Fast, call a solemn assembly, gather ye people, – let ye Priests ye Ministers of ye Lord weep between ye porch & ye Altar, & bid them say Spare thy people, o Lord, & give not thine heritage to reproach, yt ye heathen should rule over them. Wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God? then will ye Lord be jealous for & pitty his people – & will remove far off from them ye northern army – The Sun [of ye Nations] shal be turned into darkness & ye Moon into blood [by ye overthrow of their kingdoms] before ye great & ye terrible day of ye Lord come: & it shal come to pass yt whosoever shal call on ye name of ye Lord, shal be delivered: for in mount Zion & in Ierusalem shal be deliverance. For behold in those days, & in yttime when I shal bring again yt captivity of Iudah, & Ierusalem, I will also gather all nations I will bring them down into ye valley of Iehosaphat & will plead with them there for my people & for my heritage {sic} Israel whom they have scattered among ye Nations & parted {sic} my land – The Children of Iudah & ye children of Ierusalem have ye sold unto ye Greeks yt ye might remove them far from their border. Behold I will raise them out of ye place whether ye have sold them, & will return your recompence upon your own head. – Assemble your selves & come all ye heathen & gather your selves together round about. Let ye heathen be wakened & come up to ye valley of Iehosaphat: for there will I sit to judge all ye heathen round about. Put ye in ye sickle, for ye harvest [of Gods people] is ripe;[84] come get ye down, for ye press [of ye wicked nations, ye great wine-press of ye wrath of God] is full, ye fals overflow [wth bloody for ye space of one thousand & six hundred furlongs] for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, Multitudes in ye valley of decision: for ye day of ye Lord is near in ye valley of decision. The Sun & ye Moon [of ye heathen kingdoms] shal be darkened, & ye stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shal roar out of Zion, & utter his voice from Ierusalem, & ye heavens & ye earth shal shake; but ye Lord shall be ye hope of his people, & ye strength of ye children of Israel. So shal ye know yt I am ye Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shal Ierusalem be holy, & there shall no strangers pass through her any more. And it shal come to pass in yt day, yt ye mountains shal drop down new wine, & ye hills shall flow wth milk, & all ye rivers of Iudah shal flow wth waters, & a fountain shal come forth of ye house of ye Lord, & shal water ye valley of Shittim. Egypt [ye great Apocalyptic Dragon] shall be a desolation & Edom [ye Roman dominions signifyed by ye ten horned Beast] shal be a desolate wilderness [for ye abomination wch maketh desolate &] for ye violence [of ye Greeks & Latines of ye Roman Empire] against ye children of Israel Iudah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Iudah shal dwell for ever & Ierusalem from generation to generation. Thus far Ioel. When ye Iews shal return from captivity (not from ye Babylonian but from among ye Greeks whither they were by ye armies of the kingdom of Pergamus ye Apocalyptic Dragon in ye time of the Roman Empire dispersed ) then, saith Ioel, ye northern army (ye King of ye North in Daniel & Ezekiel) with all ye heathen round about shall come against them & be overthrown in Iudea wth a very great overthrow, & yt immediately before ye great & terrible day of God, ye day of judgment, & from thence forward Ierusalem shal flourish & reign for ever. And it is very observable yt ye mystery of ye harvest & vintage described in ye Apocalyps is here applied to ye slaughters made in ye war, ye people of God falling in ye harvest by ye hand of ye Nations invading them & ye chapters of ye wicked invaders by being gathered & squeezed in the vintage. For ye allusion of ye Apocalyptic harvest & vintage to this of Ioel is so evident yt by this circumstance alone we might be assured yt Ioel here speaks of ye people prophesied of in the Apocalyps. But how ye harvest precedes ye vintage is more distinctly described by Isaiah in his prophesies annexed to those of Zechary chap. 14. Behold, saith he, ye day of ye Lord cometh, & ye spoile shall of ye true kind wth ye prophesies of Ezekiel & Ioel are ye eight last chapters of Isaiah. These are be divided in ye midst of thee For I will gather all nations against Ierusalem to battel, & the city shal be taken [& ye abomination of desolation stand where it ought not, Matt. 24] & ye houses rifled, & ye weomen ravished, & half of ye city shal go forth into captivity, & ye residue of the people shall not be cut off from ye city. Then shal ye Lord go forth & fight against those Nations as \when/ he fought in ye day of battel – And ye Lord my God shal come [to judgment] & all ye saints with thee – & it shal be in yt day yt [ye law of God signifyed by {moving} waters] living waters shall go out from Ierusalem – & ye Lord shall be King over all ye earth – & there shal be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shal be safely inhabited – And this shall be ye plague wherewith ye Lord will smite all ye people yt have fought against Ierusalem, their flesh shal consume – & a great tumult from ye Lord shal be among them – & Iudah also shal fight at Ierusalem – And it shal come to pass yt every one yt is left of all ye Nations wch came against Ierusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship ye King ye Lord of hosts & to keep the feasts of Tabernacles &c. Thus far Isaiah. Now ye enjoyning the feasts of Tabernacles & by consequence ye Fast also) to be from thence forwards kept by ye conquered nations, is plainly in memory of ye victory & foundation of ye new kingdom, & therefore confirms what I said of yt Fast & Feast's being a type of ye conquest of ye Nations at Christs second coming. Tis ye way of all kingdoms to keep anniversary solemnities of signal blessings & great deliverances. The Iews kept ye Passover partly in memory of their coming out of Egypt, partly as an anniversary type of ye passions of ye Messiah to come: & we now keep it in memory of his Passion past. And so ye feast of ye seventh month kept by ye Iews as a type of Christs second coming of of {sic} ye kingdom of God then to be founded may be hereafter kept in memory of yt coming & as ye anniversary or birth-day of the kingdom of God wch from thence forward shal stand for ever. But after what manner it shal be kept belongs not to us to enquire. At yt time God will pour out his spirit upon all flesh (as Ioel tells us) & what he shal appoint yt shall be done.
Of ye same kind wth ye prophesies of Ezekiel & Ioel are ye eight last chapters of Isaiah. These are pointed at in ye Apocalyps by many allusions & therefore tis proper here to note them. For by comparing them & ye Apocalyps together both will be illustrated. The prophesy is long & therefore I will content my self wth noting only some of ye more material passages. According to their deeds, accordingly will he repay fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies, to ye Islands [ye European kingdoms of ye Beast] he will repay recompence. So shall they fear ye name of ye Lord from ye west, & his glory from ye rising of ye Sun: when ye enemy shall come in like a flood ye spirit of ye Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And ye Redeemer shall come to Zion, & unto them yt turn from transgression in Iacob, saith ye Lord. As for me, this is my covenant wth Men, saith ye Lord, my spirit yt is upon thee, & my words wch I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of ye mouth of thy seed, nor out of ye mouth of thy seeds seed saith ye Lord, from henceforth & for ever. – surely ye Isles [whether thou hast been scattered] shall wait for me, & ye ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy Sons from far, their Silver & their gold wth them, unto ye name of ye Lord thy God; & to ye holy one of Israel because he hath glorified thee. And ye sons of strangers shal build up thy wals, & their Kings shal minister unto thee:[85] for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore my gates shall be open continually, they shal not be[86] shut day nor night, ye men may bring unto \thee/ ye forces of ye Gentiles & yt their Kings may be brought. For ye Nations & kingdome yt will not serve thee, shall perish: yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted. – ye sons of them yt afflicted thee shall come bending to thee & all they yt despise thee shall bow down at ye soles of thy feet, & they shal call thee the city of ye Lord ye Zion of ye Holy one of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken & hated {so ye woman went through} thee, I will make thee an eternal excellence a son of many generations. – The Sun shal be no more thy light by day, neither for[87] brightness shall ye Moon give light unto thee; but ye Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light & thy God thy glory. Thy Sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself for ye Lord shall be thine everlasting light, & ye days of {thy burning} shall be ended.[88] Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever. – And they shall build ye old wasts, they shal raise up ye former desolations & they shall repair ye wast cities ye desolations of many generations – And thou shalt be called by a new name wch ye mouth of ye Lord shall[89] name, – thy land shal be married[90] – & as ye bridegroom rejoyceth over ye bride, so shall thy God rejoyce over thee. – Say ye to ye daughter of Zion, behold thy Salvation cometh & his reward is with him, and his work before him. – Who is this yt cometh from [ye Roman Nation typified by] Edom, wth died garments from Bozrah? this yt is glorious in his apparel, travelling in ye greatness of his strength? I yt speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thy apparel, & thy garments like him yt treadeth in ye wine {press} fat? I have[91] troden ye winepress alone, & of ye people there was none wth me: for I will tread them in mine anger, & trample them in my fury, & their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, & I will stain all my raiment. For ye day of vengeance is in mine heart, & ye year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, & there was none to help; & I wondred yt there was none to uphold: therefore my own own {sic} brought salvation unto me, & my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down ye people, in mine anger, & make them drunk in my fury, & I will bring[92] down their strength to ye earth – When thou didst terrible things wch we looked not for, thou cameth {sic} down, ye mountains flowed down at thy presence. For since ye beginning of ye world men have not heard, nor perceived by ye ear, neither hath ye eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him yt waiteth for him. – I said behold me, behold me, unto a \[Christian]/ nation yt was not called by my name. I have spread out mine hands all ye day unto a rebellious people, wch walketh in a way yt was not good, after their own thoughts. A people yt provoketh me to anger continually to my face, yt sacrificeth \in/ [temples built in places inclosed like] gardens, & {burneth} \offereth the/ incense \[of their prayers]/ upon bricks wch remain among ye graves, & lodge in ye monuments, wch eat swines flesh, & broth of abominable things in their vessels: wch say, stand by thy self, come not near to me, for I am holier then thou, these are a smoke in my nose, a fire yt burneth all ye day. Behold, it is written before me, I will not keep silence, but will recompence, even recompence into thy bosome. Your iniquities, & ye iniquities of yor father together, saith ye Lord, wch hath burnt \offered/ incense upon ye mountains, & blasphemed me upon ye hills[93] therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom. Behold my servant shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shal cry for sorrow of heart, & howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for ye Lord God shall slay thee, & call his servants by another name.[94] That he who blesseth himself shall in ye earth, shall bless himself in ye God of truth, & he yt sweareth in ye earth, shall swear by ye God of truth; because ye former troubles are forgotten, & because they are hid from mine eyes. For behold I create new heavens, & a new earth; & ye former shal not be remembred, nor come into minde.[95] But be ye glad & rejoyce for ever in yt wch I create: for behold I create Ierusalem a rejoycing, :& her people a joy. And I will rejoyce in Ierusalem & joy in my people, & ye voice of weeping shal be no more heard in her, nor ye voice[96] of crying. There shal be no more thence an Infant of days, nor an old man yt hath not filled his days: for ye child shal dye an hundred years old, but ye sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, & inhabit them; & they shall plant vineyards, & eat ye fruit of them. They shall not build, & another inhabit, they shall not plant, & another eat: for as ye days of a tree, are ye days of my people, & mine elect shall long enjoy ye work of their hands. – Hear ye word of ye Lord ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren [ye Edomites or Romans] yt hated you, yt cast you out for my name sake, said, let ye Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, but they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from ye city, a voice from ye Temple, a voice of ye Lord yt rendreth recompence to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? shall ye earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. – And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoyce, & your bones shall flourish like an herb, & ye hand of ye Lord shall be known towards his servants, & his indignation towards his enemies. For behold, ye Lord shal come wth fire, & wth his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, & his rebuke wth flames of fire. For by fire, & by his sword, will[97] ye Lord plead wth all flesh: & ye slain of ye Lord shall be many. They yt sanctify themselves, & purify themselves in [ye Temples of ye] Gardens [drawing two lines] one after another in ye middle [of each] eating swines flesh, & ye abomination, & ye mouse, shal be consumed together, saith ye Lord. For I know their works & their thoughts: it shal come, yt I will gather all Nations, & tongues, & they shall come & see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, & I will send those yt escape of them unto ye nations, to Tarshish, Pul & Lud, yt draw ye bow, to Tabal & Iavan, to ye Isles afar off, yt have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; & they shall declare my glory among ye Gentiles. And they shal bring all your brethren for an offering unto ye Lord, out of all nations, upon horses & in chariots, & in litters, & upon mules, & upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Ierusalem, saith ye Lord, as ye children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into ye house of ye Lord. And I will also take of them for Priests, & for Levites, saith ye Lord. For as ye new heavens & ye new earth wch I will make,[98] shall remain before me, saith ye Lord, so shall your seed & your name remain. And it shal come to pass, yt from one new moon to another, & from one sabboth to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith ye Lord. And they shal go forth & look upon ye carkasses of ye men yt have transgressed against me [ye Beast & fals Prophet who shal be tormented in ye presence of ye Lamb, & in ye presence of his holy Angels] for their worm shall not dye, neither shall their fire be quenched, & they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. In this prophesy of Isaiah as there are several passages wch tend to ye illustration of ye Apocalyps so more especially those of ye new heavens & new earth & new Ierusalem, & of treading ye winepress of Gods wrath. For ye meaning of these types is fully explained. The type also of making the Nations drunk wth ye cup of ye wine of Gods wrath is here sufficiently declared to be of ye same signification wth yt of treading ye winepress. But this type is here more fully explained by Ieremiah chap. 25. For he there prophesies of ye cup of \ye wine of/ God's {illeg} fury given first to ye Iews & then to all Nations to drink, saying Drink ye & be drunken, & spue and fall & rise no more because of ye sword wch I send among you – For lo I begin to bring evil on ye city wch is called by my name, & should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished, for I will call fro a sword upon all ye inhabitants of ye earth, saith ye Lord of Hosts. Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, & utter his voice form his holy habitation, he shall mightily roar upon his habitation, he shall give a shout as they yt treat ye grapes against all ye inhabitants of ye earth – for ye Lord hath a controversy wth all nations – he will give them that are wicked to ye sword – & ye slain of ye Lord shall be at yt day from one end of ye earth even unto ye other end of ye earth. Here you see again ye treading of ye winepess, & ye drinking ye wine-cup of God's fury made types of ye same signification. For ye cup of the wine of ye wrath of God is nothing else then ye blood of ye grapes trod out of ye great winepress of ye wrath of God.
In ye aforesaid prophesy of Isaiah ye resurrection & judgment of ye dead about ye time of battel of ye great day is insinuated both in ye flourishing of their bones as an herb, & in ye vision of ye carcasses of ye transgressors whose worm dieth not, and whose fire is not quenched: but ye resurrection at this time is more clearly predicted by Isaiah in another place. In this mountain, saith he, shall ye Lord of Host make unto all people a Feast of fat things, a feast of wine on ye Lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on ye lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain ye face oye covering cast over all people, & ye vail yt is spread over all Nations. He will swallow up death in victory, & ye Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, & ye rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all ye earth; fro ye Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in yt day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, & he will save us: this is ye Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, & rejoyce in his salvation. Open ye ye gates yt ye righteous Nation wch keepeth ye truth may enter in. – Thy dead men shall live, together wth my dead body shall they arise: awake and sing, ye yt dwell in dust: for ye dew is as ye dew of herbs, & ye earth shall cast out ye dead. Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, & shut thy doors about thee; hide thy self as it were for a little moment, untill ye indignation be overpast. For behold ye Lord cometh out of his place to punish ye inhabitants of ye earth for their iniquity: ye earth also shall disclose her blood, & shall no more cover her slain. In yt day ye Lord wth his sore & great & strong sword shall punish leviathan ye piercing serpent, even leviathan yt crooked serpent, & he shall slay ye Dragon yt is in ye sea. You have here ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You have here not only ye time of ye resurrection stated, but also the duration of ye indignation spoken of by Daniel, & ye slaying of the people of ye Apocalyptic Dragon wth ye two edged sword. For ye crooked Serpent or Dragon here spoken of is ye same wth yt in ye Apocalyps. In respect of his religion he is cast into ye bottomless pitt, but in respect of his people he is slain wth ye sword being ye Gog of Ezekiel & the Egypt of Iohn & Ioel. The Iews have a tradition yt at ye coming of ye Messiah they shal feast upon two great Beast, Leviathan & Behemoth, & for this they are much derided by Christians, but their Leviathan is ye Leviathan of Isaiah, & their Behemoth ye dreadful beast of Daniel, called in ye Apocalyps ye Dragon & Beast, & their feeding upon them is ye Feast to wch ye fowls of ye air are invited in Iohn & Ezekiel, & wch in Ezekiel & in this prophesy of Isaiah is called a feast of fat things.
To ye prophesies hitherto explained may be added others to ye same purpose. As ye promise to Abraham to give ye land of Canaan (yt land wch he then beheld, & walked through)_ to him & his seed for ever Gen. 13.16 for an everlasting possession by an everlasting covenant wth his seed in their generations chap. 17.7, 8. Also the prophesy of Moses yt if Israel would not be diligent to keep ye law (as he knew they would not Deu. 31.20) they should be afflicted with great plagues & be rooted out of their land in great indignation & dispersed into all nations, & afterwards when they should repent & turn to ye Lord their God, then ye Lord should turn their captivity & gather them from all ye nations whither he had scattered them & bring them into ye land wch their Fathers possessed, & bless them & their seed therein Deut. 20.29. 30. Other prophesies to ye same purpose there are in ye Psalme (as in Psal 2, 22, 45, 46, 47, 48, 53 and some others) & in Isaiah chap. 1, 2, 4, 11, 15 &c. Ieremiah chap. 3, 16, 23, 30, 31, 34. Ezek 16, 28, 34, 36, 37. Hosea 14 Obadiah, Micah 5, 14, Nahum 1, Habak 3, Zeph. 3. Haggai 2. Zech. 2, Mal. 4. So yt ye great mystery of God to be fulfilled at ye voice of ye seventh Angel when he shal begin to sound is ye main thing spoken of by the old Prophets. But those wch I have produced are sufficient to shew ye consent of sacred prophesy, & ascertain ye truth of ye foregoing interpretations of ye Apocalyps. Yet there are some prophesies of ye new Testament not to be omitted.
The Apostle Paul tells us yt if ye casting away of ye unbelieving Iews be ye reconciling of ye world, ye receiving them again shal be life from ye dead, & yt if they abide not still in unbelief they shal be again grafted into their own olive tree, & yt he would not have us ignorant of this mystery (least we should be wise in our own conceipts) yt blindness in part is happened to Israel untill ye fulness of ye Gentiles enter, & so all Israel shal be saved, as it is written, There shal come out of Sion ye deliverer & shal turn away ungodliness from Iacob, for this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins. Hence I observe these things, first yt ye restauration of ye Iewish nation so much spoken of by ye old Prophets respects not ye few Iews who were converted in ye Apostles days, but ye dispersed nations of ye unbeleiving Iews to be converted in ye end when ye fulness of ye Gentiles shal enter, yt is when ye Gospel (upon ye fall of Babylon) shal be in to be preached to all ye Gospel (upon ye fall of Babylon) shal begin to be preached to all Nations. Secondly yt ye prophesies of Isaiah described above by being here cited by ye Apostle is limited to respect ye time of ye future conversion & restitution of ye Iewish Nation, & thirdly yt ye humour wch has long reigned among ye Christians of boasting our selves against ye Iews, & insulting over them for their not beleiving, is reprehended by ye Apostle for high-mindedness, & self-conceipt, & much more is our using them despightfully, Pharisaically & impious.
Conformable to this of Paul is ye prophesy of Christ as it is reported by Luke. there shal be great distress in ye land & wrath upon this people, & they shal fall by ye edge of ye sword & shal be led away captive into all nations & Ierusalem shal be troden down of ye Gentiles untill ye times of ye Gentiles be fulfilled. But because Luke who wrote his Gospel by ye information ye others doth often alter the order of things, as may be seen in ye mount sermon on ye mount wch he breaks into several pieces & disperses them into several parts of his Gospel as if spoken on several occasions, & because he doth not relate this prophesy of Christ entire but sets down part of it in ye 21th part in ye 12th \part in ye/ 17th & part in ye 19th Chapters of his Gospel & varies ye phrase from what we find it in Matthew, who was an eye-witness of what he wrote & had ye promise of his spirit to strengthen his memory & wrote first of any Man, & seems to keep a good order in ye things & relate them entire, & therefore I had rather take ye prophesy as it lives in Matthew.
The prophesy was in answer to this question, When shal these things be [vizt ye destruction of ye Temple?] & what shal be ye sign of thy coming & of ye end of ye world? & therefore in ye Prophesy we are to expect an answer to all these things. And by consequence these words in ye end of ye prophesy [And then shal appear ye sign of ye Son of Man in heaven & then shal all ye tribes of ye earth mourn & they shall see ye Son of Man coming in ye clouds of heaven wth power & great glory & he shal send his Angels wth a great sound of a trumpet & they shal gather together his Elect from ye four winds from one end of ye heaven to ye other] are to be understand of Christ's coming to judgment in the end of ye world.
The circumstance of sending his Angels wth ye sound of a Trumpet to gather his Elect from ye four winds is yt wch Paul speaks of when he saith yt Christ shal descend from heaven wth ye Trumpet of God, & ye dead in Christ shal rise first, & then we wch are alive shal be caught up together wth them in ye clouds to meet ye Lord in ye air. So in ye parable of ye harvest where ye Master saith ye reapers, Gather ye together first ye tares & bind them in bundles to burn them but gather ye wheat into my barn: & ye harvest is interpreted to be ye end of ye world & the reapers to be ye Angels. As therefore ye tares are gathered & burnt in ye fire, so shal it be in ye end of this world. The Son of Man shal send forth his Angels & they shal [first] gather out of his kingdome all things yt offend & them wch do iniquity & shal cast them into a furnace of fire. There shal be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shal ye righteous [also gathered from ye four winds by those reapers ye Angels] shine forth as ye Sun in ye Kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13. Then shal two be in ye field one shal be taken & ye other left. Two weomen shal be grinding at ye mill & one shal be taken & ye other left. Matt. 24.40 In yt night there shal be two men in one bed ye one shal be taken & the other left – And they answered & said unto him where Lord? and he said unto them wheresoever ye body is thither will ye Eagles [yt is ye Angels] be gathered together. Luke 17.34, 37. Matt. 24.28. And this gathering of ye elect by ye Angels is a second reason why I think ye coming of Christ in ye clouds cannot be understood by any other coming then yt real one in ye end of ye world.
Another reason is ye great mystery yt is made of this day & our being commanded to watch because of it, & yt some are then rewarded others cast into hell. Of yt day & hour saith he knoweth no man, no not ye {illeg} But as the days of {illeg}watch therefore for ye {illeg}Lord doth come – Blessed is he whom the Lord when {illeg} find so {illeg} Verify I say unto you yt {illeg} goods, But & if ye evil servant shal say {illeg} Lord delayeth his coming I shal begin to smite his fellow servants & to eat & drink wth ye drunken, ye Lord of yt servant shal come in a day when he looketh out for him, & in an hour yt he is not aware of & shal cut him off & appoint him his portion wth ye hypocrites, there shall be weeping & gnashing of teeth Matt. 24.36, 42, 48. To these may be added ye three Parables wch follow in ye next chapter & were spoken at ye same \time/ concerning ye same coming. And \he/ yt shal interpret all these things of any thing else then Christs coming to judgment in ye end of ye world, lays a foundation for perverting all ye prophesies of Christ's real coming to judgment & of ye resurrection of ye body and of heaven and hell and of eluding and ridiculing them all.
A fourth reason is ye full & express description of his coming compared wth ye like descriptions in other places of scripture. Then, saith he, shal appear ye sign of ye son of man in heaven & then shal all ye tribes of ye earth mourn & they shal see ye Son of Man coming in ye clouds of heaven wth power & great glory. Can any description of Christs second coming & personal appearance be more exprest? & is not this ye same wth yt in ye Apocalyps? Behold he cometh wth clouds & every eye shal see him & they also wch pierced him & all kindred of ye earth shal wail because of him: Even so, Amen. Those who pervert these prophesies & apply them to ye siege of Ierusalem by ye Romans as if Christ here came only to judgment in ye Roman armies against ye Iews make this mourning of all ye tribes of ye earth to be nothing else but ye lamenting of ye Iews at ye desolation of Ierusalem. But if they would but compare ye Scriptures they might find it otherwise in Zechary. Behold, saith he, I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling unto all ye people round about when they shal be in Ierusalem a burdensome stone for all people ye siege both against Iudah & against Ierusalem. And in yt day I will make Ierusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all yt burden themselves wth it shal be cut in pieces thô all ye people of ye earth I will defend ye inhabitants of Ierusalem & he yt is feeble among them \at/ yt day shal be as David, & ye house of David shal be as God, as ye Angel of ye Lord before them. And it shal come to pass in yt day yt I will seek to destroy all ye nations yt come against Ierusalem. And I will pour upon ye house of David, & upon ye inhabitants of Ierusalem ye spirit of grace & of supplications, & they shal look upon me whom they have pierced, & they shal mourn for him as one mourneth for his only begotten son & shal be in bitterness for him as one yt is in bitterness for his first born – & all ye land shall mourn every family apart – & all ye families yt remain every family apart. Zech. 12. This is ye seing ye Son of Man & mourning for him described in Matthew & Iohn, & this is not at ye captivity of Ierusalem but when all ye Nations who come against it are cut in pieces; not of ye wicked incredulous & captivated Iews but of ye pious converted & victorious; not for their desolation & captivity, but for the piercing of him whom they looked upon: nor was ye Son of Man who here appeared to them a Roman heathen Emperor, but Christ himself whom ye nations of ye mourners had pierced.
Another reason is ye manner of Christs coming which is said to be not after ye manner of fals Christs gathering armies in ye deserts or hiding themselves for a time in ye secret chambers, not after any such humane way but in ye clouds wth great glory like lightning wth cometh out of ye east & shineth into ye west. I would fain understand how any man could by this description of his coming know yt he came in ye Roman armies against Ierusalem.
Another reason is yt in applying this Prophesy to ye siege of Ierusalem, ye great tribulation must be in ye siege, & so Christs coming in ye Roman armies against ye Iews must precede ye great tribulation: which is downright to contradict a prophesy. For his coming described in Matthew is not till some time after ye tribulation be ended. But it is easier to {illeg} men to swallow contradictions then to forego their prejudices.
And lastly this coming of Christ is limited to ye end of ye world by ye whole series of ye things in ye prophesy they being ye same wth those described in ye Apocalyps & old Prophets & succeeding in ye same order. For next before this coming of ye Son of Man in ye clouds is ye smiting of ye Sun Moon & Stars, & shaking ye powers of ye heavens & this is yt wch Ioel saith; The Sun shall be turned into darkness, & ye Moon into blood before ye great & terrible day of ye Lord come. The same is insinuated in ye Apocalyps by ye passing away of ye first heaven & earth before ye resurrection of ye dead, & \before/ a new heaven & earth & new Ierusalem be created, & then adding yt ye new city had no need of ye Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for ye glory of God did enlighten it, & ye Lamb is ye light thereof: yt is ye city had no other King thou God and ye Lamb wth his vicegerent on earth.
Immediately before ye smiting of ye Luminaries is ye great tribulation in Matthew, & therefore 'tis ye same wth ye great tribulation at ye end of ye world in Daniel & Iohn. When ye Palm-bearing multitude come out of ye great tribulation 'tis said yt they shal no more nor thirst any more, neither shal ye Sun light on them nor any heat, & God shal wipe away all tears from their eys. Which is as much as to say yt in yt tribulation they shal hunger & thirst & lament & ye Sun shal light on them, but immediately after ye tribulation (as Matthew expresses it) ye Sun shal be darkened & light on them no more. So again in ye war between ye word of God & ye Beast wch begins (wth begins wth this tribulation) an Angel (ye type of ye Church) stands in ye hot burning sun & calls all ye fowls of heaven to ye supper of ye great God, but after yt war is ended ye new Ierusalem has no need of ye Sun, neither of ye Moon to shine in it. In ye tribulation is ye harvest of ye Saints, & in ye smiting of ye terrestrial luminaries ye vintage of ye wicked & ye harvest immediately precedes ye vintage.
Next before ye tribulation (as well in Matthew as in ye Apocalyps) is ye general preaching of ye Gospel in all ye world, & next before yt ye great apostacy introduced by ye many fals Prophets & the abounding of iniquity & ye waxing cold of ye love of many. All wch will be left understood by perusing ye prophesy in order.
And as he sat upon ye Mount of Olives ye disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? & what shal be ye sign of thy coming [to restore ye Kingdom of Israel Act. 1.6. Luke 24.21] & of ye end of ye world? And Iesus answered & said unto them take heed yt no man deceive you: for many shal come in my name, saying, I am Christ, & shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars & rumors of wars [wherein this nation shal be led captive:] see yt ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but ye end [of ye world] is not yet. For [Ierusalem must be troden down of ye Gentiles till ye times of ye Gentiles be fulfilled, &] Nation shall rise against nation, & kingdom against kingdom, & there shall be famines & pestilences & earthquakes in divers places. All these are ye beginnings of sorrows. Then shal they deliver you up to be afflicted & shal be hated [not only of ye Iews as at ye first preaching of ye Gospel but even] of all nations for my Names sake. And then shall many [of my own disciples] & shal betray one another and shall hate one another, & many fals Prophets [wch say they are Apostles & are not but do lye Apoc. 2.2, fals teachers wch men shall heap to themselves having itching east 1 Tim. 4.3] & wch shall become ye great fals Prophet spoken of in ye Apocalyps, these] shal rise & shall deceive many [& thereby bring in ye great Apostacy] & because iniquity shall abound [in ye Churches, they shall leave their first love Apoc. 2.4 &] ye love of ye multitude shall wax cold, but he yt shall endure unto ye end, ye same shall be saved. And [after those times of deceipt & coldness are run out] this Gospel of ye Kingdom shall be preached in all ye world [Apoc. 14.6 & 11.11] for a witness unto all nations, & then shall ye end [of ye world] come. When ye therefore shalt see ye abomination of desolation spoken of by ye Prophet Daniel [wch shall be sett up in all ye Roman world during ye time & times & half a time, & afterwards when all nations come against Ierusalem shall] stand in ye holy place (whoso readeth let him understand) then let them wch be in Iudea flee into ye mountains, & let him wch is on ye house top not come down to take away thing out of ye house, neither let him wch is in ye field return back to take his cloaths, & wo to them wch are wth child & to them wch give suck in those days. But pray ye yt your flight be not in winter neither on ye Sabbath day [For ye shall not have ye space of some months to fly in as formerly when ye city had been compassed with ye Roman army of Cestus Gallus, but unless you fly speedily wth {sic} staying to order your affairs, or so much as to return into your houses for things necessary, you shall scarcely escape ye enemy] For then shal be great tribulation such as was not since ye beginning of ye world to this time, no nor ever shal be. And except those days [ye days of yt tribulation] should be shortened, there should no flesh [of ye Iewish nation & true Church] be saved, but for ye elects sake [who are ye people yt suffer in yt tribulation] those days [by ye darkning of ye terrestrial Sun & Moon & shaking ye powers of their heaven] shall be shortned. Then [after these signs of my coming are come to pass they shall be in great expectations of it, but] if any man shall say unto you \Lo/ here is Christ or there: believe it not. For there shall [then again] arise fals Christs & fals Prophets, & shall shew great signs & wonders, insomuch yt if it were possible they shall deceive ye very elect. Behold I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold he is in ye desert, go not forth; behold he is in ye secret chambers, believe it not. For [ye Son of Man cometh not after ye manner of a mortal man, but] as ye lightning cometh out of ye east & shineth into ye west, so shal also ye coming of ye Son of Man be [And ye Saints shall meet him in ye air] For wheresoever ye carcass is thither will ye Eagles be gathered together. But immediately after ye tribulation of those days shall ye [terrestrial] Sun be darkned & ye [terrestrial] shall not give her light, & ye [terrestrial] stars shall fall from heaven & ye powers of [their] heavens shall be shaken [so as to fall] & then shall appear ye sign of ye Son of Man in heaven: & then shall al ye tribes of ye earth mourn, [for him whom their fathers have pierced, ye spirit of Grace & of supplication being poured out upon them] & they shall see ye Son of Man coming in ye clouds wth power & great glory. And he shal send his Angels wth a great sound of a Trumpet, & they shall gather his elect from ye four winds from one end of the heaven to ye other [to meet him in ye air] Now learn a Parable of ye figtree. When his branch is yet tender & putteth forth leaves ye know yt summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things [ye preaching of ye Gospel, ye great tribulation & ye smiting of ye terrestrial Sun, Moon & Stars] know yt it is near even at ye doors. Verily I say unto you this [evil & faithless] generation shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven & earth shall pass away \[before I come Apoc. 20.11]/ but my words shall not pass away [till all be fulfilled by my coming] But of yt day and hour knoweth no man &c
The word γενεὰ generation is \here/ ambiguous & may signify either an age or a stock, race & progeny of men. Christ would have his disciples always upon ye watch, & therefore to put his auditors in ye greater expectation {sic} chuses such a word, as by being misinterpreted, might make them expect it even in that age. He went up & down preaching The kingdom of heaven is at hand & sent his disciples to preach the same doctrine, & always worded his discourses so as to put his disciples upon expectation. In ye Apocalyps, he saith, Behold, I come quickly; \& my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be./ When his disciples askt him, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? because ye knowledge of ye time would cross the design of his preaching he tells them ye it was not for them to know ye times & seasons wch God had put in his own bosom. Whom Peter asked what Iohn should do, Iesus answers, If I will yt he tarry till I come what is yt to thee? The ambiguity of wch answer made ye disciples think yt Iohn {sic} should live till ye coming of Christ & by consequence not dye. Yet Iohn informs us yt Christ meant no such thing. Christ doth not say yt Iohn should tarry till his coming, & if he had said so, Iohn might tarry as well after death as before it. Again in sending ye twelve to preach he tells them yt they should not finish ye cities of Israel till ye Son of Man be come. Ὀυ μὴ {illeg}τελέσητε, ye shall not finish, is an ambiguous expression & may signify either yt they should not preach to them all \the cities/ or yt they should not finish the conversion \of all Israel/ before ye Son of Man be come. In ye first sense they finished ye cities long enough before ye siege of Ierusalem, in ye second they have not done it yet nor shall have fully done it before the Son of Man be come. Son in another place speaking of eternal life & eternal death he saith: whosoever will save his life [in this world] shall lose it [by ye tasting ye second death in ye world to come] & whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain ye whole world & lose his own soul? For ye Son of Man shall come in ye glory of his Father wth his Angels & then he shal reward every man according to his work Verily I say unto you there be some standing here wch shal not last of death till they see ye son of man coming in his kingdom. This last sentence is plainly designed to put his hearers in expectation of his coming even while some of them remained alive, & yet ye context plainly shews yt he speaks of ye second death, yt death wch some there should dye when he came to reward every man according to his works, ye death of those who should lose their lives by saving them, ye losing of their soules spoken of immediately before, ye death of which Christ speaks at other times when he said: If a man keep my saying he shal never last of death Iohn 8.51, 52. He yt beleiveth in me shal never dye, Iohn 11.26. Your fathers did eat Manna in ye wilderness, & are dead: this is ye bread wch cometh down from heaven yt a man may eat thereof & not dye. Iohn 6.50. So then in describing his coming to judgment to put them upon ye watch he useth ye ambiguous saying. This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled; & by this generation means this people or progeny of ye Iews; or more strictly this wicked & adulterous generation, this faithless & perverse generation, this generation of vipers, this generation by wch ye Son of Man should be rejected. When all these things shall be fulfilled them shall this generation, by ye finall & total conversion of Israel, pass away, & not before. In a word I do not know why any one place in Against ye foregoing interpretation there is this objection, ye scripture where ye coming of ye Son of Man is taken otherwise there literally for one of his two personal comings.
And what I say of ye coming of ye Son of Man is also to be understood by ye coming of ye kingdom of Heaven. He & his kingdom come together. For he shal judg ye quick & ye dead at his appearing in his kingdom 2 Tim. 4.1. This was ye expectation of ye Iews and Christ never confutes it, thô he sometimes corrects their notions about it. But then there is a great difference between his two comings & the kingdoms belonging to each. For he came not ye first time as a King over Men, & therefore ye kingdom of God or Heaven is never spoken of ye Church at his first coming, but only of ye invisible powers of heaven then commanded by him. This was all ye regal power & kingdom he then came wth & therefore when ever ye kingdom of heaven is spoken of his first coming, wch is but seldome, 'tis to be understood of this invisible one. Thus when ye Pharisees said he cast out Devils by ye Prince of Devils: he answers yt if Satan cast out Satan his kingdom is divided & cannot stand, but if I, saith he, cast out devils by [ye ye {sic} authority not of Beelzebub their Prince, but of] ye Spirit of God [to whom ye Angels are subject] then [tis not ye kingdom of Satan, but ye kingdom of God whose Regal power I exercise in casting them out, & by this you may know yt ye Messias is come & yt I am he because] ye kingdome of God is come upon you. Or els [if I did not use the power of a stronger kingdom then yt of Satan how should I cast not Satan those of his kingdom for] how can one enter into a strong mans house & spoile his goods except he first bind ye Strong Man Matt. 12.28. And in ye same sense Christ tells ye Pharisees yt ye kingdom of God was among them Luke 17. The Iews were of opinion yt ye Messiah should come after ye manner of victorious Kings wth ye pomp & outward shew of a conqueror. To obviate this error Christ tells them yt ye kingdom of heaven [wch they are expectation of] cometh not with outward shew: neither shal they [then] say to here [cometh ye Messiah] or to there [he is] for behold ye kingdom of heaven [wch shal then come, even ye Messias wth his armies of Angels and invisible heavenly powers] is [even now] among you [For I am yt Messiahs & by ye present invisibility of my kingdom you may learn how it shal come hereafter. For my present coming is not yt wch you expect. I must now leave you again &] ye days will come when ye shal desire to see one of ye days of ye Son of Man, & ye shal not see it. And they shal say to you see here [he cometh] or see there: go not after them nor follow them. For as the lightning yt lightened out of one part under heaven shineth unto ye other part under heaven, so shal also ye Son of Man be in his day [when he cometh in his kingdom of ye Angels & Saints] but he must first suffer many things & be rejected of this generation. Luke 17.20. This I take to be ye true meaning of these places & I think these are almost ye only ones where ye Kingdom of heaven is applied to Christs first coming. For when he saith yt ye kingdom of heaven shal be taken from ye Iews & given to another Nation ye meaning is only yt many shal come from ye East & from ye West & sit down wth Abraham & wth Isaac & wth Jacob in ye kingdom of heaven while ye children of ye kingdom are cast out. Where he speaks of ye Gospel of ye kingdome, he means ye Gospel concerning ye future kingdom. Where any Parables concerning ye kingdom of heaven include ye Saints on earth 'tis only wth respect to ye kingdom wch they are to inherit. When he saith ye kingdom of heaven is at hand 'tis nothing more then when he saith, Behold I come quickly & my reward is wth me: or ye Devil came down wth great wrath because he knoweth yt he hath but a short time or ye rerelation of Iesus Christ wch God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things wch must shortly come to pass. That wch is a long time wth us is a short one wth God, for wth him a thousand years is but as one day & as a watch in ye night. Psal. 90.4. So then they are much mistaken who by ye kingdom of heaven in ye Gospels under stand any state of Men before ye Second coming of Christ.
If it be objected yt lathô ye coming of ye Son of Man in the clouds of heaven wth power & great glory (Matt. 24) be his coming to ye last judgment, yet ye great tribulation may be yt of ye Iews in ye siege of Ierusalem. For part of ye description of yt tribelotion is in Luke's Gospel conjoyned wth ye war of ye Romans against Ierusalem. I answer yt another part of ye description of ye same tribulation is by Luke in ye end of ye 17th Chapter of his Gospel conjoined wth Christs second coming, & therefore his Gospel makes as much for as against ye interpretation we have given. 'Tis therefore to be considered yt ye Prophesy is an answer to a double Que'sSion; ye one concerning ye destruction of ye Temple, ye other concorning ye coming of Christ to restore ye kingdom of Israel. The last question as ye most material is most insisted upon by Matthew, ye first as being nearest at hand & perhaps (whatever ye ancients write to ye contrary) brought to pass before Luke published his Gospel, is only proposed by Luke & most insisted upon by him. Both might be described by expressions much of a kind as are ye fals Christs in both comings, & how to distinguish ye expressions may be now difficult, nor can we say how far he kept ye due order of ye sentences & form of expressions.
[1] NB the preceding 8 pages much the same as Ch. 1. viz Synopsis of Prophetic figures
[2] a Maimon. de cultu divino. Tractæ cap. 7. sec. 3, 5 & Tract. 6. c. 6. sect. 1, 3.
[3] b Apoc. 3.7
[4] c. Suidas tells us yt χαλκολίβανον is a sort of Electrum or Amber more valuable yn Gold; being Gold in another form mint wth glass & steel The word is as much as to say, χαλκοειδὴς λίβανος (as Andreas Cæsariensis notes) that is amber of ye colour of Copper & consequently like a coal of fire. For nothing resembles fire so much as amber doth. Whence in Ezek. ye fiery appearance of ye throne of God is also represented by ye colour of Amber.
[5] a Κυριακη της ἀναστεος Χριστου μνημόσυνον φέρουσα Andr. Cæsar yt is ye Lords day is yt wch carries ye memorial of Christ's resurrection.
[6] See Lightfoot's Horæ Hebraicæ description of synagogues out of ye Talmudists in his Horæ Hebr. upon Matth. 4.23.
[7] Chron. 24 & 25 Josephus \Antiq. 6. 11 &/ in vita sua sua sub initio. Maimonides De Cultu Divino tra Tract. 2, c. 3. 8 9 & c 4 3, 4. & tract 6, c. 7 , 5. 12
[8] b Num 2.3 & 3.38
[9] c Ezek. 40.45, 46.
[10] d See Lightfoot's Prospect of ye Temple service, c. 2.
[11] a Ezek. 42.13.
[12] a στὰν ἔχον διπλην ἐν μέσω του νεὼ τετυχη κότος, ἀφορωσαν εἰς τὰς θύρας ἀυτου Ioseph. Antiq. lib. 15. c 14.
[13] See Mr Mede
[14] Ezek. 1
[15] Isa. 6.
[16] f Maimon. Cult. Div. Tract 2. c 6 § 1. 5
[17] a Ecclesiastic 50 17. Maimon. De cultu Divino tract. 6 c. 6. S. 7.
[18] ✝ Maimon. cult. Div. Tr. 2. c. 5 & c. 2. & Tr. 6 c. 6 S. 5. & Tr. 3, c. 2, s. 2.
[19] Deut. 31.26.
[20] Targam Ionathan in Deut. 31.26.
[21] Isa. 8.16 & 29.10, 11.
[22] Dan. 8 & 12.
[23] Maimon. Cult. Div. tract 8. c 1 2. 3, 5. Talmud Hierosol. in Ioma c. 1 {illeg}
[24] Deut. 17.48. a, b. Vide Buxtorfii Vindic. Verit. Heb. p. 906.
[25] Deut 31.10, 11, 26.
[26] Talmud Hieros. Ioma c. 7, 5. 4. Maimon. Cult. div. Tract. 8, c. 4, S. 2
[27] Talmud Hierosol in Ioma
[28] e Mane inter sanguinem et membra suffiebat, vesperi inter membra et libamina. Talmud Hierosol. in Ioma cap 3, 5 sec. 5.
[29] a See Mark 16.19 & Lightfoot upon the place.
[30] b See Lightfoot Vol. 1. p 1139.
[31] b See Lightfoot Vol. 1. p 1139.
[32] See ye backside
[33] Ezek. 9 & 10
[34] Eph. 1.13.
[35] 2 Esdr. 2.38, 40, 41, 42.
[36] Luke 1.
[37] a Scriptores Hebræi paucitatem indicaturi dicunt Numerus sunt. Et viri numeri sunt viri pauci. Sic Dies memini et populus numeri sunt \id est/ paucus. Theocritus quoqꝫ ἀριθματοὺς pro paucis usurpat. Drusius in Apoc. 13.8.
[38] a Maimon. de Cult. div. tr. 2, c. 3, s. 5.
[39] Dan. 12
[40] Ezek. 2 & 3
[41] Iob. 32.18.
[42] Prov. 22.18
[43] Iohn 7.38.
[44] a See Iosephus Antiq. l. 8. p. 265, 26{illeg} & de Bel. Iud. l. 6. c. 14, p. 916 & l. 7. c. 10, p. 949, 950.
[45] 2 Pet. 5.
[46] Maimon
[47] Exod. 29.40. Maimon.
[48] Iames 5.17 1 King. 17.
[49] Ezek 29.3 & 32.2
[50] Isa. 51.9
[51] see Bochart's Geog. sac. l. 4. c. 2. p. 294. Psal. 74.13, 14
[52] vers. 16, כדכד pearls according to ye Chalde Paraphrast.
[53] vers. 17. צרי.
[54] Q. Curt. l. 5. c. 1.
[55] Strabo l. 16
[56] Exod. 15.8.
[57] 1 Kings 4.14 & 15.28, 29.
[58] 1 Kings. 16.2
[59] 2 King. 9.6, 7
[60] a Suidas in Πέργαμον
[61] Iustin lib. 36
[62] Iustin l. 39
[63] לאלה, To or together with
[64] Mahuzzim, strengths, strong ones, Protectors Defenders, Guardians, mighty Patr{ons.} See Medes apostacy of the latter times.
[65] See Mede's computation out of Ierō
[66] See Lightfoot on Rev. 13.
[67] Talm. in Taawith fol 69 col. 1.
[68] See Lightfoot on Iohn 7.37.
[69]
Clem. Alexandr. Strom. 5. p. 549. c {illeg}
Tertull de anima c. 35 &
Origen in Exod 11.10 quæaer 2
Cypr. Epist. 52 Cæsar hom. 7
Greg. Niss. orat. Catech. {8}
Hieron. in Is. c. ult. in fin. & in Oseam c. 14 & in Amos c. 7, & in Matt c. 3.
Ambros in Psalm 118 serm 3 & serm 20 in fin. & in Luk c. 12.
Augustin Enchir ad Lurent. c. 67, 68, 69 & de civit. Dei. 21 c. 13 & sequ. et alibi.
[70] חצלעח \one/ placed {sic} in ye side, the outcast. See ye Chald. Paraph
[71] Apoc 21.3
[72] a \b/ Apoc. 20
[73] b c Apoc. 19.18 & 9.17
[74] Dan. 11.40, 45.
[75] Apoc 10.7
[76] Apoc 16.18, 20
[77] Apoc 19.21.
[78] Apoc. 16.18, 21
[79] Apoc. 19.17, 21
[80] Apoc 16.17
[81] Apoc 16.14
[82] Apoc 19.17, 18
[83] Apoc. 19.
[84] Apoc 14.14
[85] Apoc 21.24
[86] Apoc. 21.25, 26
[87] Apoc. 21.23. & 22.5
[88] Apoc. 7.17 & 21.4
[89] Apoc 22.4 & 3.12.
[90] Apoc 29.7 & 21.2
[91] Apoc 19.15 & 14.28
[92] Apoc 14.10
[93] Apoc 13.1, 6.
[94] Apoc 22.4 & 3.12
[95] Apoc 21.1
[96] Apoc 21.4 & 7.17
[97] Apoc. 19.21.
[98] Apoc 25.1