1. Foure seales of the seuen being opened, there follow diuerse effects against the earth. 9.
When the fifth seala was opened, the soules of martyrs desire that the iudgement may be hastned: 12.
and at the opening of the sixt, there are signes shewed of the iudgement to come.
1. AND I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seuen seales, and I heard on of the foure
beasts, saying, as it were th voice of thunder: Come, and see.
2. And I saw: And behold a white horse, and he that sate vpon him had a bow, and there
was a crowne giuen him, and he went forth conquering that he might conquer.
3. And when he had opened the second seale, I heard th second beast, saying: Come, &
see.
4. And there went forth an other horse, redde: and he that sate thereon, to him it
was giuen that he should take peace from the earth, and that they should kil one another, and a
great sword was giuen to him.
5. And when he had opened the third seale, I heard the third beast, saying: Come, and
see. And behold a black horse, and he that sate vpon him, had a balance in his hand.
6. And I heard as it were a voice in the middes of the foure beasts saying: Two pounds
of wheat for a penie, and thrise two pounds of barley for a penie, and wine and oile hurt thou not.
7. And when he had opened the fourth seale, I heard a voice of the fourth beast, saying:
Come, & see.
8. And behold a pale horse: and he that sate vpon him, his name was death, and hel
followed him. And power was giuen to him ouer the foure parts of the earth, to kil with sword,
with famine, and with death, and with beasts of the earth.
9. And when he had opened the fifth seale: I saw vnder the altar the soules of them
that were slaine for the word of God, and for the testimonie which they had.
10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long Lord (holy and true) iudgest
thou not and reuengest thou not our bloud of them that dwel on the earth?
11. And white stoles were giuen, to euery one of them
✟
This one stole signifieth the glorie or blisse of the soule only: but at the day of
iudgement they shal haue it doubled by adding the glorie of their body also.
one; and it was said to them,
that they should rest yet a litle time, til their fellow-seruants be complete, and their Brethren,
that are to be slaine euen as they.
12. And I saw, when he had opened the sixt seale, and
✟
The tribulation that shal fal in the time of Antichrist.
behold there was made a great
earth-quake, and the sunne become black as it were sack-cloth of haire: and the whole moon became
as bloud:
13. and the starres from heauen fel vpon the earth, as the figge-tree casteth her
green figges when it is shaken of a great wind:
14. and heauen departed as a booke folded together: and euery hil, and Ilands were moued
out of their palce.
15. And the Kings of the earth, and Princes, and Tribunes, and the rich, and the strong,
and euery bond-man, and free-man
*
Osee. 10,
hid themselues in the dennes and the rockes of mountaines.
16. And they say to the mountaines and the rocks:
*
Lu. 23,50.
Fal vpon vs, and hide vs from the
face of him that sitteth vpon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17. because the great day of their wrath is come, and who shal be able to stand?
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. VI.
9. Vnder the altar.)
Christ as man (no doubt) is this altar, vnder which the soules of al Martyrs liue in heauen,
expecting their bodies, as Christ their head hath his body there already. And for correspondence
to their place of state in heauen, the Church saieth commonly their bodies also or relikes neere
or vnder the altars, where our Sauiour: body is offered in the holy Masse: and hath a special
prouiso that no altars be erected or consecrated without some part of a Saincts body or relikes.
Con. Asrican, can. 50. Carthag. 5. can. 14. See S. Hierom cont. vigilant c. 3. S. Augustine de
ciuit. li. 8. c. 27. S. Gregorie li. 5. ep. 50. li. 1. ep. 52. li. 2 ep. 58. Wher vnto the
Prophet seemeth here to allude, making their soules also to haue their being in heauen, as it
were vnder the altar. But for this purpose note wel the wordes of S. Augustine (or what
other auncient writer soeuer was the author thereof) Ser. 11 de Sanctis. Vnder the altar
(saith he) of God I saw the soules of the slaine. What is more reuerent or honorable, then
to rest vnder that altar on which sacrifice is done to God, and in which our Lord is the
Priest: as it is written, Thou art a Priest according to the order of Melchisedec? Rightly
do the soules of the iust rest vnder the altar, because vpon the altar our Lordes body is
offered. neither without cause do the iust there call for reuenge of their bloud, where
also the bloud of Christ is shed for sinners. and many other goodly wordes to that purpose.
This place also the wicked heretike Vigilantius (as S. Hierom writing against him witnesseth c.
2) abused to proue, that the soules of Martyrs and other Saincts were included in some certaine
place, that they could not be present at their bodies and monuments (where Christian people vsed in
the primitiue Church to pray vnto them, as Catholike men doe yet) nor be where they list, or where
men pray vnto them. To which the holy doctor answereth at large, that they be wheresoeuer Christ
is according to his humanitie: for vnder that altar they be. Part of his wordes be these, that you
may see how this blessed father refuted in that Heretike the Caluinistes so long before they were
borne. Dcst thou (saith he) presribe sawes to God? Doest thou fe•ter the Apostles, that they may
be kept in prison til the day of iudgement, and be kept from their Lord, of whom it is written,
They folow the Lambe whither soeuer he goeth. If the Lambe be in euery place, then they that he
with the Lambe, must be euery where. And if the diuel and wicked spirites gadding abrode in the
world with passing celeritie, be present euery where: shal holy Martyrs after the sheading of
their bloud, be kept close vnder an altar, that they can not sturre out from thence? So answereth
this learned doctor.
Which misliketh our Caluinistes so much, that they charge him of great errour, in that he saith,
Christ according to his humanitie is euery where, as though he were an Vbiquetarie Protestant.
Where, if they had any iudgement, they might perceiue that he meaneth not, that Christ or his
Saincts should be personally present at once in euery place alike, as God is: but that their motion,
speede, and agilitie to be where they list, is incomparable, and that their power and operation is
accordingly. which they may learne to be the holy doctors meaning, by the wordes that folow of
the Diuel and his ministers: whō he affirmeth to be euery where no otherwise but by their
exceding celeritie of being and working mischeefe now in one place, now in an other, and that
in a moment. For though they be spirites, yet are they not euery where at once according to their
essence. And for our new Diuines it were a hard thing to determine, how long Satan (that told our
Lord he had circuited the earth) was in his iourney, and in the particular considera¦tion and
tentation of Iob: and how many men he assaulted in that his one circuite. No, no. such curious
companions know nothing, nor beleeue nothing, but that they see with corporal eies, and teach
nothing but the way to infidelitie.
10. And they cried.)
S. Hierom also against the said Vigilantius reporteth, that he vsed an argument against the praiers of
Saincts out of this place, for that these Martyrs cried for reuenge, and could not obtaine. But we
wil report his wordes, that you may see how like one heretike is to an other, these of our daies to
those of old. Thou saiest in thy booke (saith S. Hierom c. 3.) that whiles we be aliue, one of vs may
pray for an other: but after we be dead, no mans praier shal be heard for an other: specially seing
the Martyrs asking reuenge of their bloud, could not obtaine. So said the Heretike. Against which the
holy Doctor maketh a long refuation, prouing that they pray much more after they be in heauen, then
they did here in earth: and that they shal be much sooner heard of God, then when they were in the
world.
But for the Heretikes argument framed out of these wordes of the Apocalypse thus, These Martyrs did
not obtaine, ergo Saincts do not pray for vs: it was so friuolous, and the antecedent so manifestly
false, that he vouchsaued not to stand about it. For it is plaine that the Martyrs here were heard,
and that their petition should be fulfilled in time appointed by God (wherevnto they did and do
alwaies conforme them selues:) for it was said vnto them, That they should rest yet a litle time,
til &c. And that Martyrs praiers be heard in this case, our Sauiour testifieth Luc 18 saying, And
wil not God reuenge his elect that crie to him day and night? I say to you, he wil quickly reuenge
them. And if God do not heare the Saincts sometime nor graunt their requestes, is it therfore
consequent that they do not or may not pray? Then Christ him self should not haue praied his father
to remoue the bitter cuppe of death from him, because that petition was not graunted.
10. Reuengest thou not?)
They do not desire reuenge vpon their enemies for hatred, but of charitie and zeale of Gods honour,
praying that his enemies and the persecutors of his Church and Saincts, that wil not repent, may be
confounded: and that our Lord would accelerate his general iudgement, that so they might attaine the
perfect crowne of glorie promised vnto them, both in body and soule: which is to desire the
resurrection of their bodies, which then shal triumph perfectly and fully ouer the persecutors that
so cruelly handled the bodies of the elect, which shal then appeare glorious to the enemies cōfusion.
11. Til their fellow seruantes be complete.)
There is a certaine number that God hath ordained to die for the testimonie of truth and the Catholike
faith, for conformitie of the members to the head CHRIST our cheefe Martyr, and til that number be
accomplished, the general condemnation of the wicked persecutors shal not come, nor the general reward
of the elect.