Apocalypse — Chapter 1

not of thefe onely of our age.For there were many fegregace that fortooke Gods Church and fégregatedsbems felnes from the fellow(hip of the faithful them felues euen iu the primitive Church : that vve may the Jeffe maruel ac thefe mens fegregating them felues,and going out from the reft-into feueral fectes, which §. Auguitine thertore calleth Segregassons, THE THE ARGVMENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF S.1OHN. HAT vyvbichthe old Teftament foretold of Chrift him felf , the OE BRL Apoffles could report the falfilin ‘thereofin the nevy Teftament , ae 4 by vyay of an bifforie,enen from bis Conception to hss Glorsfication. ie But of bis Church, they could not doe the like: becaufe in their S time it did but beginne : being to continue long after them, enen to the end of the vvorld, and then at length to be glorified, as Chrift her Spaufe al~ readie is. Hererpon God vould bane S.Luke to report inthe Alles of the A poftles, the lorie of the Churches begsaning. and for the reft of ittotbe end,( tbat vve might receine this benefite alfoby the Apoftles handes ) he vvould S.lolm to tell vs of at in this booke by way of « prophecir. Hier.ad Pau- Of vybich booke S$. Hierome faith : The Apocalypfe of $,lohn hath as iin. many facraments or myiteries,as vvordces. Yea more then tbat, In cuery vvord thereare hid manifoldand fundric fenfes. rherfore it is very litle that can bere be noted,in re/pest. Yet to give the good Catholske ( vybofe comfort is bere ) forme litle belpe,the booke may be densded into fine partes. Cael. 265. The firf (after the Proawme) conteineth feuen Epifiles from Chrift navy in * part. glovie,to fexen Churches ef Afia, or (for , thefe be maketh al one) to the fenen Bi~ {hops of thofe Churches:meaning not to thofe only, bust to al bis Churches ex Bifbops throughout the vvorld : faying therefore in euery one of them, toal in general: He that hath an eare,iet him heare vvhat the Spirit faith to tne Chur- ches. As alfoineuery one he exhorterh ys to fight manfully (in this fptritual vvarfare of ours againft jinne) for the wiftorie and in excry one accordingly pro~ mifeth vs avevvard in beauen.But before this,in the beginning of enery one , be partly commendeth, partly veprebendeth, and exborteth 10 penance. Vvbere this is amusch to be noted and feared, that among fo many , be reproneth fomevybat in al, fane only sn tevo,vvbich are the fecond eo the jext.in the beginning alfo of encry one, beraketh fome peece out of the apparition going before , to frame thereof lis fiyle agreably to the matter of eche Epiitle. Ca. 4.tothes. — After this admonttion to Paftors and sheir flockes : the fecond part folovy- 2 eth, yvberein the Church and vybole co:irfe thereof from the beginning to the end, is exprefled in tise opening of abaoke in Gods band, and the feuen feales thereof, by Chrift. for the vybich, be feeth praife fang novy in beanen and earth, not ouly tothe Goniead, as before. but aljo (aftera nervy manner ) to Chrift ac- cording to bis Manhoa. And bere, yvhen be ss come to the opensig of the laft feale, fignifying Domefa.ty, be letteth that matter alone fore vybiic,and to fpeake mort Gas.tothera fully yer of the said conrfe of rhe'Church , be bringethin an ober pagent (4s it vrere ) of fewer Angels vrith fenen Trumpets. The effect of borh rhe Seales eo Trumpets, 15 this: That the Church begining and proceding , there bould be railed again[ is,cruel perfecutions, and peftilent berejics zandat length after al berefies, a certaine wioft blalpbemens Apoflafie,beimg the next preparatsuc to the comming fo VAR av 697 tomming of Antichrift : After al-vybich, Autichraft bim felf in perfon fhal ap- peare in she ime of the fixe feale,and fixt tramper, perfecuting and feducing ( for the fhort time of bis reigne) more then al before bins, The Church norvvith tading Sbal fiill continne, and vrade sbrough al, bevsufe Chrift her Spoufe 45 ftronger then al thefe aduerfaries. vvbo aljo fivaight after the paid fixt time, {bal wt the Jenenth,come in maieftic and suage al. 3 Of the vvbich iudgement, differring yer avybile tofpeake at large, be dorb C. 12.13.14. firft intheehird part mereate more fuliyof tbe Denils vvorking by Antichrift and hiscompanie again® the Courch, that the suftece of Chrift afteryvard im ind- ging, may is morersanifc(t. 4 _ Atlength thercfore sn the fourth part be commeth ro the feuen laff piagues.the C.15-to the 20. fenensh of themconteining the final damnation of the vybole multitude socicrre or corps of the vvicked, trom the beginning of the vrorld tothe end. Pvhici mui- titude,in the Gofpel and firf} Epiftte of this fame S. Tobn (as adfo im the other Scriptuves commonly ) is often calied Mundus, the yvorld. and bere be caller * TO-26 it partly Meretricem,a vvhore er harlot, becanfe vvith ber conenpilcence Powys {be entifeth the carnal and carthly men avvay from God : partly Ciuitatcm Ba- byloa, the Citic of Babylon, becaufe it maketh vyarre aganf Hierufulen the Gitte of God.and laboureth to bold Gods people captine im finne , at st vyas Sbadovyed in Nabuchodenofor cr bis Babylonias,leading and holding the Levves y vith cheiy Hrerufilem,in capteustic, vnril Cyrus (an fgure of Chrift) deliuered them.Bat vwbether al thefe feuen plagues { bould be wnderftood ( as she fenenth) of Domefday it felf, itis bard to define.More Like itis, that the firft fixe are to oe before Domejday : but vybether corporally and literally, (foas Meyfes pla- gued Egypt ) or rather Spiritually tt 1s more bard to define. Yet it feemeth more ealit. to vnderftand them corpor ally, as alfo the plagues veberevyith Elias and bis fellow fhalin the time of Anticbrift plague the wvicked ( ywhich perad. wenture {lal be the fame laft plag nes ) vvbereof yve veade in this beoke c.1t. ve