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Title:  Hexapla in Danielem: that is, A six-fold commentarie vpon the most diuine prophesie of Daniel wherein according to the method propounded in Hexapla vpon Genesis and Exodus, sixe things are obserued in euery chapter. 1. The argument and method. 2. The diuers readings. 3. The questions discussed. 4. Doctrines noted. 5. Controversies handled. 6. Morall observations applyed. Wherein many obscure visions, and diuine prophesies are opened, and difficult questions handled with great breuitie, perspicuitie, and varietie ... and the best interpreters both old and new are therein abridged. Diuided into two bookes ... By Andrevv Willet Professour of Diuinitie. The first booke.
Author: Willet, Andrew, 1562-1621.
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Blessed Sauiour expoundeth of Iohn Baptist, Matth. 11. who should come in the spirit of Elias, to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children, as the Angel saith, Luk. 1. 17. And the first comming of Christ is there vnderstood to be that fearefull day: for in the same place the Prophet saith, v. 2. vnto you that feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise: which Zacharie applyeth to the first comming of Christ, Luk. 1. 78. whereby the day spring from an high hath visited vs: It shall be a day of health and saluation vnto the faith∣full, but a day of terror to the wicked and vnbeleeuers, as Iohn Baptist saith, Mat. 3. 12. which hath his fanne in his hand, and will make cleane his floore, and gather his wheate into his gar∣ner, but will burne vp the chaffe with vnquencheable sire. 3. And by the shutting of hea∣uen is by an allegorie signified the efficacie of the preaching of the Gospel, in opening the heauens to the faithfull, and shutting vp the same to all vnbeleeuers, as our Sauiour faith to Peter, Matth. 16. 19. whatsoeuer thou shalt bind in earth, shall be bound in heauen, and what∣soeuer thou shalt loose in earth, shall be loosed in heauen.Secondly, concerning these witnesses, there is great difference and varietie of opinion, 1. both for the number of them. 2. and who they shall be. 3. and when they shall preach: for the first: the common opinion is, that they shall be but two: yet Lactantius affirmeth, that there shall be onely one Prophet, lib. 7. c. 17. Some thinke there shall be three, Henoch▪ Elias, and Iohn the Euangelist, and this is one of their reasons: because as in the world there haue beene 3. lawes in force, the lawe of nature, the lawe of Moses, the lawe of grace; so it is requisite there should be 3. witnesses that liued vnder these three lawes, Henoch, Elias, and Iohn: Hyppolit. oration. de consum. secul. Abr. Catharin. in Genes. 2.As great diuersitie there is of opinion, who these witnesses should be: Elias is agreed vp∣on by the most, to be one: but it is doubted who should be the other: Victorinus in Apocal. 11. thinketh, that Ieremie the Prophet shall be the other witnesse: because the Lord saith Ierem 1. 5. I haue ordained thee a Prophet vnto the nations: but then Ieremias onely pro∣phesied to the Hebrewes: to fulfill therefore that saying, he shall come in the ende of the world to prophesie vnto the nations: But Pererius well answeareth vnto this reason: that Ie∣remie is said to prophesie vnto the nations; because he fortelleth the destruction in his pro∣phesie of diuerse nations, the Aegyptians, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistims, with others: Areta vpon the Apocalypse thinketh, that Iohn the euangelist shall be one of the witnesses, whom they suppose yet to be kept aliue in Paradise with Henoch and Elias, because it is said Apocal. 10. 11. thou must prophesie againe among the people, and nations, and tongues, and to many Kings: which was not done in Iohns life time, and therefore he thinketh he shall come in the ende of the world, to prophesie vnto nations: But the meaning of this place is, that Iohn should prophesie vnto nations in the rest of the visions of this booke: and nowe though Iohn be dead, his Reuelation prophesieth still: Pererius also vnderstandeth it of the Gospel, which Iohn did write after his returne from the Isle Pathmos, whereby he prophe∣sieth vnto nations. But it is certaine, that Iohn is not yet aliue in the flesh: as Eusebius proo∣ueth by the testimonie of Polycrates, who was the Apostles disciple, lib. 3. Ecclesi. histor. c. 25. Lyranus thinketh that the two witnesses spoken of Apocal. 11. were Sylverius the Pope and Menna that resisted the Eutychiane heresie. Ioachimus Abbas, and Gagnaeus, vpon the Apocalypse, c. 11. doe thinke that Moses shall be one of these witnesses: that like as he was raised to life to be a witnesse of Christs first comming, when he was transfigured in the mount, so he shall be raised to be a witnesse of his second comming. And this is brought as a probabilitie thereof: because these witnesses are said to haue power ouer waters to turne them into blood, Apocal. 11. 6. which thing Moses had done before.But 1. it followeth not because Moses was seene in the mount talking with Christ, that therefore he shall come againe before his second comming: for by the same reason it may be inferred, that his three disciples also which went vp to the mount, and sawe him transfigured, should also be witnesses of his second comming, & be sent againe into the world to preach: Sure it is that both the Prophets and Apostles shall accompanie Christ in his second com∣ming, and by the doctrine, which they preached, iudge and condemne the world, Matth. 19. 28. But neither the one nor the other shall be raised vp before the generall resurrection, and sent into the world to preach. 2. by the turning of waters into blood, is vnderstood the threatening of Gods iudgements for the contempt of the ministerie of the word.3. A third vncertaintie there is concerning the time of the preaching of these two witnes∣ses: Theodoret thinketh that Elias shall preach 45. dayes after that Antichrist is slaine: and 0