Chapter II (continued, part 2)
of the Grecian monarchy, and then of the Roman. And Daniel foretold
that this Roman should be the most terrible of all the rest. And therefore
surely God, in this prophecy of the New Testament, doth, according to his manner in the Old, lay out the fates of that fourth monarchy now only left ; as he had done of those others that were gone and past ere Christ ascended.
(3.) This must needs be so, especially seeing the scope of this book is the
instalment of Christ into his kingdom, and so to shew how, in the meantime, he puts down all rule that keeps it from him, and takes it to himself ; so
erecting a fifth monarchy, succeeding the other four. Now then, this Roman
monarchy, in the several successions of it in the east and west, being the
chiefest rule and power that was left on earth for Christ to put down, and which his own kingdom was immediately to succeed, it is therefore fitly made the subject of this book, to shew how he puts down the rule of it, and
preserves his church under it. And so it answers yet more fully unto the
like scope of Daniel s prophecy ; who being to prophesy of the kingdom of Christ, chap. vii. 9, God doth first, on purpose, give him a vision of the
four monarchies that were to precede that of Christ ; and especially insist on the fourth, namely this of Rome, ver. 7, as being that which Christ, after
his ascension, was to encounter with and put down, ere himself take the
kingdom. And then he shews Daniel how Christ will ruin it, ver. 11, and
then take the kingdom to himself. So that this Revelation, which is the
prophecy of the New Testament, doth more largely and particularly set forth
that which Daniel in the Old Testament, according to the dispensation then, saw more generally; even the ruin of the fourth monarchy, which Christ s
monarchy succeeds.
(4.) That this should be the subject of this prophecy, suits also with the
CHAP. III.] AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. 25
chief prophecies delivered by other of the apostles in the New Testament, which were reduced to three heads :
[1.] Foretelling the ruin of the Koman empire, whichj 2 Thess. ii., Paul
calls a taking out of the way him that lets.
[2.] The discovery of the Pope, (who is the last head of that last fourth
monarchy,) and his ruin.
[3.] The kingdom of Christ to succeed. These three things were ordinarily preached by the apostles, as appears plainly by 2 Thess. ii. 2-9, where Paul, having spoken of these three
things, says, ver. 5, Ptemember you not, that, when I was with you, I told you these things 1 So that the apostles did certainly tell the churches of these three things, which surely, therefore, are the main subject of this
prophecy also, but they are more largely delivered unto John. Wherefore
this Kevelation may answerably be divided into these three parts
First, The story of the E-oman empire, and the taking of it out of the way, which is the subject of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th chapters of this book.
Secondly, The discovery of the man of sin, and his ruin, chap. xiii. 14-19.
Thirdly, Christ s coming and kingdom, chap, xx., XXL
4. Now then, the fourth and last consideration shall be spent in an in
quiry after the difference of the subjects of these two prophecies, the seal and book-prophecy. For in this Roman empire, and the several successions and revolutions of it, there are these two things to be considered in the
story thereof :
(1.) The empire, or political body, and the state thereof.
2.) The church under it, and the state and condition thereof.
id therefore some writers have written the ecclesiastical story, or story of the church in all ages, apart by itself. Others have writ the story of the
empire, and its several revolutions. As among us here in England, (to give you this instance only for an illustration,) the Book of Martyrs is chiefly a
story of church affairs, and the conflicts of it with Antichrist, in England ; but Speed s Chronicle is chiefly a story of the affairs civil falling out in that
kingdom, in the several invasions, wars, conquests, and intestine broils of it. Now the like method hath the Holy Ghost been pleased to observe in this
prophetical story of this empire, and the church spread through the territories and dominions of it. These two prophecies before mentioned, namely the
seal and book-prophecy, do share these two between them. The one does
apart contain, more particularly, the several wars, events, and revolutions of
the empire itself ; and that is the seal-prophecy. And the other, which is
the book-prophecy, contains the several conditions and states of the church
of Christ in all ages. Now this difference of the subjects of those two pro
phecies doth appear in the several characters, and in the very place and
situation of the visions themselves.
First, The differing shows or faces of the visions in these representations do argue this difference : for in the first prophecy, you read of seven seals, and four horses, chap, vi., and then of trumpets, chap. viii. and ix., noting sometimes sealed judgments and devastations by plagues, famines, and wars j of which latter, trumpets are in all nations the signal and symbols, and in
Scriptures used to signify wars j and so do note out the several judgments by conquests, and devastations by war, brought upon the civil state of the
empire. But in the book-prophecy, the chief actors are women; fit em blems of the church. Thus, chap, xii., it speaks of a woman with child, ready to be delivered ; and, chap, xiv., of virgins, free from her fornications ; then
of a whore} representing the false church, chap. xvii. and xviii. ; and then, chap.
26 AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. [PART I.
xix., of. a bride, preparing and prepared, personating the state of the church, when Christ shall come to fetch her, and bed her everlastingly in his Father s
house and kingdom. Thus artificial is the Holy Ghost in handling things of
differing nature apart.
Secondly, answerably, the differing situation and place which these two
prophecies had do shew this. The seals which contain the prophecies of the
empire were on the back-side, as containing matters extra ecdesiam, without
the church ; but the book itself contains things within, even as the church
is said to be within, 1 Cor. v. 12, For what have I to do to judge them also
that are without 1 do not ye judge them that are within 1 Whereas those
that are not of the church are said to be without, Rev. xxii. 15, For with
out are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idola
ters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. And so the prophecy thereof
is cast to be, as it were, without the book, even upon the seals of it ; as de
noting that the seal-prophecy treats of things outward, and of the temporal
state of the church : whereas the book-prophecy treats of spiritual things within the church. And as in the general division this appears, so it will
appear in the interpretation of all particulars throughout this book; for John puts things of a sort together, as the best historians use to do. Only take this caution along with you
: that neither in the one nor the other of
these prophecies, the things of the empire or the church are so handled
.apart as that nothing at all of the church affairs were handled in the seal-
prophecy, or that nothing of the affairs of the empire were mentioned in the
book-prophecy. But it is so to be understood as that eminently the ecclesi
astical story is contained in the one, and the imperial story in the other. For
as in the books of Kings and Chronicles, though the first does more eminently .and setly contain the story of the kings of Israel, yet so as matters of Judah are withal intermingled ; and again, in the story of Judah, Israel s
affairs are interwoven ; even so is it here. Some things appertaining to the
church are scatteredly mentioned in the prophecy concerning the empire ; .and some things touching the empire are diffused through the prophecy of
the church, or the book-prophecy.
Now briefly then to sum up all this book :
It is a tragi-comical vision of the occurrences of the world, and of the
church in the world, through all times and ages ; whereof this may truly be
the title, The story of Christ s kingdom, and the removal of the several diffi
culties of his coming to it.
Chap. iv. The stage for this is set up in chap, iv., where there is a repre sentation of the universal church in all ages, set forth according to the
exact pattern of a church visible and instituted ; into which all saints on
earth should be cast.
Chap. v. Then enters the prologue, chap, v., in which is set forth Christ s
taking upon him the kingdom and government, by taking the sealed book ; as thereby shewing he undertaketh to be God s commissioner, to execute the
decrees contained in this book, and to give the vision of it unto John. At
which instalment of him into his kingdom, there is a song of praise sung to
the Lamb, by the four-and-twenty elders and four beasts, who are the
chorus in this show, with a triumphing assurance and expectation of what
will be the happy conclusion of all ; even our reigning on earth with him,
say they there.
Now the scene or place where all was to be acted, which these visions
liere hold forth, is the Roman empire, and the several dominions of it in the
east and west, called o//iou,as^, the whole world.
CHAP. III.] AN EXPOSITION OF THE HEVELATION. 27
Then begins the story itself at chap. vi. ; the general argument of which is : That whereas Christ s government was to be executed and seen, first, in putting down all opposite rule and power that stand in his way, as St Paul speaks, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power
: for he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet; and, secondly, in a visible taking the king dom to himself and his saints, which makes the fifth monarchy: accord ingly here the story of this book
1. Shews how Christ doth put down all the opposite rule, and power, and dominion, whatsoever, in the fourth and last foregoing monarchy of the Romans, in the several successions and revolutions of it, one after another, till that he hath worn them all out that were ordained to stand up in it. And these many difficulties of his coming to and obtaining his kingdom do
exceedingly serve to make the story of it appear the more glorious. Then
2. It closeth and endeth in a glorious visible kingdom which Christ sets up on earth, and peaceably possesseth together with his saints, as the catas
trophe of all.
More particularly the story is this, according to the several contents of each
chapter
: Christ when he ascended up to heaven, found the Roman monarchy, whose room he was to possess, stretched both over east and west, even over all those
parts of the world where he was to seat his church and kingdom ; and all this wholly in the hands, and under the dominion and power of one monarch or emperor ; under whose government all that were subjected were altogether heathenish and idolatrous, and wholly brought under the power of Satan, who was set up therein as the god of this world.
Hereupon, Christ, the designed king, first sets upon the conquest of Satan s dominion and worship in it ; and by the preaching of the gospel, overturns that vast empire as heathenish, throws down Satan from his throne and height of glory in it, and brings it into subjection and acknowledgment of himself as king ; and turns both it and its emperors to Christianity, within the space of three hundred years. This is the sum and mind of the 6th chapter of the
seal-prophecy, and likewise of the 1 2th chapter of the book-prophecy. But this empire, though wholly turned Christian in outward profession, yet having persecuted his church whilst idolatrous, and also after it was Christian, when Arian, therefore at the prayers of the martyrs slain, mentioned chap,
vi. 9, and in vengeance of their blood, he further proceeds to ruin the civil
imperial power of the empire itself, by the trumpets in the 8th and 9th
chapters. And the empire then becoming divided into two parts, the eastern and western empire, as they were commonly called, first he ruins the imperial western state and power in Europe, by the four first trumpets, the wars of
the Goths, by four several steps, in the 8th chapter ; and then the imperial eastern state, which stood after the other, and this by two degrees first, by the Saracens, then by the Turks, (and these two are the fifth and sixth trum
pets,) which two possess all that eastern part unto this day. And this is the
contents of the 9th chapter only. Before these trumpets bring these evils
upon the empire, he seals up a company of a hundred and forty-four thousand
Christians in the eastern part, as chap. vii. 2, to be preserved and continued in
the true profession of his name, under these two sorest and longest (and there
called the woe, woe) trumpets, which were to fall upon the eastern part of the
empire, in which these servants of his there sealed were to be ; as appears by
chap. vii. 4. And this their sealing is the sum of the seventh chapter.
28 AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. [PART I.
Now then, that old Koman empire, as under those emperors, being thus in
both parts of it removed ; yet still, as that eastern part of it is left possessed
by the Turks, chap, ix., so this western part of it, in Europe, being by the
Goths broken into ten kingdoms, they all consented to give their power to
the least, the Pope, chap, xiii, who so becomes a successor to the western
emperors, and possesseth their seat and power, though under another title, and so heals that wound given to the Roman monarchy, and restores
it. And this beast the 13th chapter describes, and gives the vision of his rise,
power, and time of his reign, which the 17th chapter doth expound and
interpret.
Under whose antichristian tyranny, as great as that of the Turks them
selves towards Christians, Christ yet preserveth another like company, of one
hundred forty and four thousand virgins, who are in like manner sealed,
Christians, in the west, (as, under the tyranny of the Turks and Saracens, he had done the like in the east, chap, vii.,) himself so keeping possession
still, by preserving his church under both these parts of the empire, as being
his inheritance. And this company of a hundred and forty-four thousand
Christians, opposite to the whore, are there called virgins ; and their separa
tion from her, and opposition to her, is recorded in chap. xiv. But now these two, the Pope and Turk, both enemies to Christ, thus suc
ceeding in the empire and sharing the two parts of it between them, we see
that Jesus Christ is still as far off from his kingdom designed him, which is
to be set up in these territories, as he was before; for Mohammedanism, under the Turk, tyranniseth in the one, and idolatry, under the Pope, over
spreads the other, even as heathenism had done over the whole empire at
first. And so Christ hath a new business of it yet, to come unto his king
dom, and as difficult as ever.
Therefore he hath seven vials, which contain the last plagues, (for he
means to make this the last act of this long tragi-comedy,) to despatch the
Pope and the Turk, and wholly root them out, even as the seals had done
heathenism, and the trumpets had done the civil power of the empire ; and
the plagues of these vials are the contents of the 15th and 16th chapters.
The first five vials do dissolve, and by degrees ruin the Pope s power in
the west ; then the sixth vial breaks the power of the Turk in the east, so
making way for the Jews, (whom he means to bring into the fellowship of
his kingdom in their own land,) there called the kings of the east. But by these six vials their power and kingdom being not wholly ruined, both the Turkish and Popish party do together join, using thenutmost
forces (and together with them all opposite kings of the whole world) against the Christians, both of the east and west, who, when the Jews are come in
and converted, do make up a mighty party in the world; unto the help of
whom, against those and all opposite power whatsoever, Christ himself comes
and makes but one work of it, with his own hand from heaven destroying them. And so it is done, as the voice of the last vial is, in the 16th
chapter.
The 17th chapter is an interpretation concerning the least, shewing who
he is, and where his seat is.
The 18th chapter sings a funeral song of triumph for the whore s ruin, which is the fifth vial ; after which comes in Christ s kingdom, the New
Jerusalem, and the preparations to it; which new kingdom of his shall be made up
1. Of eastern Christians, who endured the bondage of the two woe-trum
pets, the Saracens and the Turks, yet continuing to profess his name. And
CHAP. III.] AN EXPOSITION OF THE REVELATION. 29
therefore unto those hundred and forty-four thousand in the 7th chapter is said to succeed an innumerable company, with palms in their hands, who have the very same promises of the New Jerusalem made to them that are mentioned in the 21st chapter, which shews their interest therein. And 2. It is made up of western Christians, whose hundred and forty-four thousand, in chap, xiv., do arise to an innumerable company also ; who there
fore, after the rejection of the whore, chap. xix. 1-9, are brought in singing in like triumphant manner, decking themselves for the marriage in fine linen. But
3. And especially, it is also to be made up of Jews dispersed both east and west, and over all the world ; and from them hath this kingdom the name of the New Jerusalem. With whom
4. Come in, as attendants of their joy, other Gentiles too, who never had received Christ before. The glory of the Gentiles is said to be brought into it. And so both east and west, Jew and Gentile, and the fulness of both, do come in, and become one fold under one shepherd for a thousand years, and one kingdom under this Koot of David, their king, King Jesus the con
queror, even as it first was under one heathen idolatrous emperor, when Christ had first set to conquer it. And so that prophecy of this his king dom, in Isa. lix. 19, is fulfilled, where, after the final destruction of all Christ s enemies, foretold ver. 18, he says, They shall fear his name, from the east unto the west, and the Eedeemer shall come unto Sion : which words Paul interprets of the Jews final call, and this restauration of the world with them, Rom. xi. 26. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly !
30 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EEVELATION. [PART I.