The Church readeth this booke at Matins, in the 3 weeke after the octaues of
Easter.
The 1 part. Seuen Epistles to the Churches.
9. S. Iohn being banished in the Ile Patmos, is commanded to write to the seuen Churches of
Asia (signified by the seuen candlestickes) that which he saw vpon a Sunday, round about the
Sonne of man: 13. whose manner of apparition is described.
1.
⋮
The epistle vpon Michelmas day Septemb. 29, & on the Apparition of S. Michael May 8.
THE Apocalypse of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ which God gaue him, to make manifest to his
seruants the things which must be done quickly: and signified, sending by his Angels to his
seruant Iohn,
2. who hath giuen testimonie to the word of God, and the testimonie of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ
Christ, what things soeuer he hath seen.
3. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecied: and
✟
There be many (specially now a-daies) the be great readers, hearers & talkers of Scriptures.
But that is not enough to make them good or blessed before God, except they keep the things
prescribed and taught therein according to our Sauiours saying Luc. 11. Blessed
are they that heare the word of God, & keep it.
keepeth
those things which be written in it. For the time is nigh.
4. Iohn to the seuen Churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from
*
Exo. 3,14,
him that
is, and that was, and that shal come, and from the seuen Spirits which are in the sight of his
throne,
5. and from Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ who is the faithful witnes, the
*
Col. 1,
First-borne of the dead,
and the Prince of the Kings of the earth, who hath loued vs, and
*
Heb. 9,
1. Pet. 1.
washed vs from our sinnes in his
bloud,
6. and hath made vs
*
1. Pet. 2.
a Kingdom and Priests to God and his Father, to him be glorie and
empire for euer and euer. Amen.
7. Behold he commeth with the clouds, and euery eie shal see him, and
*
Zac. 12.
they that pricked
him. And al the Tribes of the earth shal bewaile themselues vpon him. Yea, Amen.
8.
*
Esa. 44.
Apoc. 21.
22,13.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, saith our Lord God, which is, and
which was, and which shal come, the Omnipotent.
9. I Iohn your brother and partaker in tribulation, and the Kingdom, and patience
in Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ, was
✟
Banished thither for religion by Nero, or rather by Domitian, almost 60. yeares after
Christes Ascension.
in the Iland, which is called Patmos, for the word of God and the
testimonie of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ.
10. I was
✟
I had a vision, & not with my corporal eyes, but in spirit I beheld the similitudes of
the things following.
in spirit on the Dominical day, and heard behind me a great voice as it
were of a trompet
11. saying: That which thou seest, write in a booke: and send to the seuen Churches
which are in Asia, to Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamus, and Thiatira, and Sardis, and
Philadelphia, and Laodicia.
12.
✟
The 1. General Vision of the 7. according to S. Ambrose.
And I turned, to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned I saw seuen
candlesticks of gold:
13. and in the middes of the seuen candlesticks of gold, one
✟
It seemeth not to be Christ himself, but an Angel bearing Christes person, & vsing
diuers speaches proper to Christ.
like to the Sonne of man,
vested in a
✟
' podere.
Sap. 18,24.
priestly garment to the foot, & girded about neer to the paps with a girdle of gold.
14. And his head & haires were white, as white wool, and as snow, and his eyes as
the flame of fire.
15. And his feet like to latten, as in a burning fornace. And his voice as the voice
of many waters:
16. and he had in his right hand seuen starres. And from his mouth proceeded a sharpe
two-edged sword: and his face, as the sunne shineth in his vertue.
17. And when I had seen him, I fel at his feet as dead. And he put his right hand
vpon me, saying: Feare not.
*
Esa. 41,4. 44,6.
I am the First and the Last,
18. and aliue, and was dead, and behold I am liuing for euer and euer, and haue the
keies of death and of hel.
19. Write therefore the things which thou hast seen, and that are, and that must be
done after these:
20. The Sacrament of the seuen starres, which thou hast seen in my right hand, and
the seuen candlesticks of Gold. The seuen starres, are the Angels of the seuen Churches.
✟
S. Irenæus alluding to this saith, The Church euerywhere preacheth the truth, & this
is the seuen-fold candlesticke, bearing the light of Christ &c. Li. 5. aduers. hær.
And the
seuen candlesticks, are the seuen Churches.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. I.
1. APOCALYPSE.)
Of the Apocalypse thus writeth the auncient father Denys. Bishop of Corinth as Eusebius
alleageth him li. 7 c. 20 hist. Eccl. Of this booke (saith he) this is my opinion, that the
matter thereof is far more profound then my wit can reache vnto, and I doubt not but almost
in euery sentence of it, there lieth hidden a certaine sense exceding mystical and maruelous,
which though I vnderstand not, yet I conceiue that vnder the wordes there is a deepe
meaning, and I measure not the matter by reason, but attribute al to faith, taking it to
be more high and diuine, then I can by cogitation comprise: not reprouing that which I
vnderstand not, but therfore I admire with reuerēce, because my wit can not attaine to
it. Againe S. Augustine saith, that in the Apocalypse many things are obscurely spoken,
to exercise the minde of the reader: and yet some few things left euident, that through
them a man may with labour searche out the rest, specially for that the author so
repeateth the same things in diuers sortes, that seeming to speake of sundry, matters,
in deede is found bus to vtter the same things diuers waies. li. 20 de Ciuit. Del c. 17.
Which we set downe here in the beginning, to warne the good Christian reader, to be
humble and wise in the reading both of al other holy Scriptures, and namely of this diuine
and deepe prophecie: giuing him further to vnderstand, that we wil in our Annotations,
according to our former trade and purpose, onely or cheefely note vnto the studious, such
places as may be vsed by Catholikes, or abused by Heretikes, in the controuersies of this
time, and some other also that haue special matter of edification, and that as breefely
as may be, for that the volume groweth great.
4. To the 7 Churches.)
That certaine numbers may be obserued as significatiue and mystical, it is plaine by many places
of holy Scripture, and by the auncient Doctors special noting of the same to many purposes. Whereby
we see the rashnes of our Aduersaries, in condemning generally al religious respect of certaine
numbers in our praiers, fastes, or actions. Namely the number of Seuen, is mystical; and prophetical,
perfect, and which (as S. Augustine saith.) the Church knoweth by the Scriptures, to be specially
dedicated to the Holy Ghost: and to appertaine to spiritual mundation, as in the Prophets appointing
of Naam in to wash seuen times in lordan, and the sprinkling of the bloud seuen times against the
tabernacle.li. 4 qust. in numer. q. 33, See li. 5. c. 5 de Gen. ad lit. & li. 5 quest in Deuter.
q. 42. Al these visions stand vpon Seuens. seuen Churches, seuen Angels, seuen starres, seuen
spirites, seuen candlestickes, seuen lampes, seuen trumpets, seuen vial, seuen horne of the Lambe,
seuen hilles, seuen thunders, seuen heades of the Dragon, signifying the Diel: seuen of the beast
that is Antichrist: seuen of the beast that the harlot rid vpon: finally the number also of the
visions is specially marked to be seuen, in this booke, and euery time that this number is vsed in
this prophecie, it hath a mysterie & a more large meaning, then the nature of that number is
precisely and vulgarly taken for. As when he writeth to seuen Churches. it is to be vnderstood
of al the Churches in the world: as the seuen Angels, for al the Angels or gouernours of the
whole Catholike Church: and so forth in the rest, because the number of Seuen, hath the perfection
of vniuersalitie in it, as S. Augustine saith li. 5 qust. in Deuter. q. 42.
4. From the 7 spirites.
The Holy Ghost may be here meant, and so called for his seuen fold giftes and graces, as some
expositours thinke. but it seemeth more probable that he speaketh of the holy Augels, by comparing
this to the like in the 5 Chapter folowing: where he seemeth to call these, the seuen spirites
sent into al the world, as S. Paul to the Hebrues (c. 1. 14) speaketh of Angels. and so the
Protestants take it in their cōmentaries: which we note, because therevpon they must needes
confesse that the Apostle here giueth or wisheth grace and peace, not from God onely, but also
from his Angels: though that benediction commeth one way of God, and an other way of his
Angels or Sainctes, being but his creatures. And so they may learne, that the faithful often
loyning in one speache, God and our Lady, our Lord and any of his Saincts, to helpe vs or blesse
vs, is not superstitious, but an Apostolical speache. and so the Patriarch said (Gen. 48. v. 16.)
The Angel that deliuereth me from al euils, blesse these children. See the Annot. Act. 25, 28.
6. A kingdom and Priests.)
As al that truely serue God, and haue the dominion and superioritie ouer their concupiscences and
whatsoeuer would induce them to sinne, be kings: so al that employ their workes and them selues
to serue God & offer al their actions as an acceptable sacrifice to him, be priests. Neuerthelesse,
as if any man would therevpon affirme that there ought to be no other earthly powers or kings to
gouerne in worldly affaires ouer Christians, be were a seditious Heretike, euen so are they
that vpon this or the like places where al Christians, be called priests in a spiritual sort,
would therfore inferre, that euery one is in proper signification a Priest, or that al be Priests
alike, or that there ought to be none but such spiritual priests. for it is the seditious voice
of Corè, saying to Moyses and Aaron, Let it suffi you, that al the multitude is of holy ones,
and the Lord is in the. why are you extolled ouer the people of the Lord! Num. 16.
10. On the Dominical day.)
Many notable pointes may be marked here first, that euen in the Apostles time there were
daies deputed to the seruice of God, and so made holy and different, though not by nature, yet by
vse and benediction, from other profane or (as we call them) worke-daies.
Secondly, that the Apostles and faithful abrogated the Sabboth which was the seuenth day, and
made holy day for it, the next day folowing, being the eight day in count from the creation: and
that without al Scriptures, or cōmaundement of Christ that we reade of, yea (which is more)
not onely otherwise then was by the Law obserued, but plainely otherwise then was prescribed
by God him self in the second commaundement, yea and otherwise then he ordained in the first
creatiō, when he sanctified precisely the Sabboth day, & not the day folowing. Such great power
did Christ leaue to his Church, and for such causes gaue he the holy Ghost to be resident in it,
to guide it into al truthes, euen such as in the Scriptures are not expressed. And if the Church
had authoritie & inspiration from God, to make Sunday (being a worke-day before) an euerlasting
holy day: and the Saturday, that before was holy day, now a common workeday: why may not the
same Church prescribe & appoint the other holy feasts of Easter, Whitsuntide. Christmas, and
the rest? for the same warrant she hath for the one that she hath for the other.
Thirdly, it is to be noted that the cause of this change was, for that now we Christians
esteeming more our redemption, then our first creation, haue the holy day which was before for
the remembrance of Gods accomplishment of the creation of things, now for the memorie of the
accomplishment of our redemption. Which therfore is kept vpon that day on which our Lord rose
from life to death, which was the day after the Sabboth, being called by the Iewes; vna or
prima Sabbathi, the first of or after the Sabboth. Mat 28. Act. 10. 1 Cor. 16. Fourthly, it is to
be marked, that this holy day by the Apostles tradition also, was named Domini die, our
Lordes day, or, the Dominike, which is also an old Ecclesiastical word in our language. for the
name Sunday is a heathenish calling, as al other of the weeke daies be in our lāguage: some
imposed after the names of planets, as in the Romans time: some by the name of certaine Idols that
the Saxons did worship, & to which they dedicated their daies before they were Christians. Which
names the Church vseth not, but hath appointed to call the first day, the Dominike, after the
Apostle here: the other by the name of Feries, vntil the last of the weeke, which she calleth by
the old name, Sabboth, because that was of God, and not by imposition of the heathen. See the
marginal Annotation Luc. 24, 1.
Lastly obserue, that God reuealeth such great things to Prophets, rather vpon holy daies, and in
times of contemplation, sacrifice, and praier, then on other profaue daies. and therfore as S. Peter
(Act. 10) had a reuelation at the six: houre of praier, and Zacharie (Luc. 1) at the houre of
incense, and Cornelius (Act. 10) when he was at his praiers the ninthe houre, so here S. Iohn
noteth that he had al these maruelous visions vpon a Sunday.
13. Vested in a Priestly garment.)
He appeared in a long garment or vestment proper vnto Priests (for so the word, poderes, doth
signifie, as Sap. 18, 24) and that was most agreable for him that represented the person of
Christ the high Priest, and appeared to Iohn being a most holy Priest, and who is specially
noted in the Ecclesiastical historie for his Priestly garment called, péalon or lamina. Euseb.
li. 3 hist. Eccl. c. 25. & li. 5 c. 23.
20. The seuen starres.)
The Bishops are the starres of the Church, as the Churches them selues are the golden candlestickes
of the world: no doubt to signfie, that Christ preserueth the truth onely in and by the lawful
Bishops and Catholike Church, and that Christs truth is not to be sought for, in corners or
conuenticles of Heretikes, but at the Bishops handes, and vpon the candlesticke which shineth
to al in the house.
20. The Angels of the Churches.)
The whole Church of Christ hath S. Michael for her keeper and Protector, and therfore keepeth his
holy day onely by name, among al Angels. And as earthly kingdoms haue their special Angels
Protectors, as we see in the 10 Chapter of Daniel: so much more the particular Churches of
Christēdom. See S. Hierom in 34 Ezech. But of those Angels it is not here meant, as is manifest.
And therfore Angels here must needes signifie the Priests or Bishops specially of the Churches here,
and in them, al the gouernours of the whole & of euery particular Church of Christendom. They are
called Angels, for that they are Gods messengers to vs, interpreters of his wil, our keepers and
directors in religion, our intercessors, the cariers and offerers of our praiers to him, and
mediators vnto him vnder Christ, and for these causes and for their great digniie they are here
and in other places of Scripture called Angels.