Pathmos: or, A commentary on the Reuelation of Saint Iohn diuided into three seuerall prophecies. The first prophecie contained in the fourth, fift, sixt and seuenth chapters. By Mr. William Cowper, Bishop of Galloway.

VERSE. 1.

And I saw in the right hand of him that sate vpon the Throne, a Booke written within, and on the backe-side sealed with seuen Seales.

THE first part of the Preparato∣rie Vision, preceding the Pro∣phecies which are to follow, wee haue heard in the former chap∣ter: wherein S. Iohn sees the Ma∣iestie of God the Creator, sitting on his Throne, ruling the world* 1.1 according to his holy will. Nothing therein fals out by fortune, or accident, but all comes accor∣ding to his Decree, written and registred in his Booke. Now followes the other part of the Pre∣paratorie Vision; wherein S. Iohn sees the Maiesty

of God the Redeemer, take the Booke out of the hand of him that sits on the Throne; and open it, that he might reueale to his Church, her trou∣bles and battels that were abiding her vnto the end of the world. The Vision Preparatory is ve∣ry* 1.2 proportionall to the Prophecie following: As if the Lord this way did prepare his ser∣uant; I am to let thee see fearefull changes, sore troubles by fraudulent and violent enemies, that shall persecute my poore Church; but warne thou them, that they be not discouraged; Thou seest, who sits at the Rudder of the world, and ruleth all the tumultuous waues of the glassie Sea therein: Nothing fals out but according as I haue de∣creed, and the euent of things shall bee accor∣ding as my Sonne hath reueiled out of this Booke, to my Saints. This is the summe of all: The rage of man shall turne to the praise of GOD:* 1.3 The LORD shall haue glory, his Church victorie, and the Enemies therof shame and con∣fusion.

Three things haue we in this chapter: first, a de∣scription* 1.4 of this Booke of the Reuelation: second∣ly, a description of the Lambe of God, who ope∣neth it: thirdly, thankes giuing for it both of men and Angels.

And I saw.] Wee may perceiue heere in* 1.5 the entry, how new sights, and new Reuelati∣ons are multiplied vpon Saint Iohn; the Lord beganne to be familiar with him, and still he con∣tinues: for whom he loueth, he loueth to the end,

and causes them to encrease with the increasings of God, like the Sunne ascending to the noone∣tyde of the day. Balaam and Balac both may con∣spire* 1.6 to curse Israel, but it cannot be; Putiphar may imprison Ioseph, but God shall be with him.* 1.7 Domitian may banish S. Iohn vnto Pathmos from the fellowship of men, but not from the fauour of God; euen there shall the Lord be familiar with him. What Isaac spake of Iacob, stands as a sure decree to all the Saints of God, I haue blessed him,* 1.8 and he shall be blessed.

Of the manner of this sight, wee haue spoken* 1.9 once for all in the beginning of the fourth chap∣ter. No doubt many of the Lords deare children wish they could see the like; such a sight as S. Iohn saw, or S. Paul saw when he was rauished into the third heauens: The one tels vs what he saw; for it was shewed vnto him, that hee might shew it to the Church: The other tels not what hee saw; yea, professes that the sight hee saw is more then euer man heard or saw, or man his heart is able to vnderstand; and this is to prouoke vs to long for that Day, wherin we shall be capable of this sight. In the meane time, if we see not such sights, as they saw, let vs reuerence the Lords dispensation: now we walke by faith, not by sight; the time when* 1.10 wee shall see, is comming; now happy are wee, if we do beleeue.

A Booke.] We must still remember, that in all* 1.11 this Prophecie, the Lord dimits himselfe to vse such formes, and representations, as we are best

able to conceiue. Properly God hath no booke, •…•…e needs not any such help of memory; but allusi∣on here is made to Kings, who haue beside them bookes containing Lawes whereby they rule their people, or else the ancient Acts and Monuments* 1.12 of their Kingdom, as was that booke, out of which Ahasuerus learned, what good seruice Mordecai had done vnto him. The Lord hath his booke al∣so, but farre exceeding theirs; for they haue onely a Register of things which'are done, they cannot tell what is to be done, and farre lesse can they pre∣uent it: but the Lord hath in his Booke a perfect record of all things, which haue beene, are, or shal be to the worlds end, they are all appointed by himselfe.

Now what is meant by this book, is not agreed* 1.13 vpon by the Interpreters. Victorine, whom many follow, calls it the old Testament. Others more generally, the whole Scripture. But was not that Booke opened till now? And is it not plainly told Saint Iohn by the Angel, that the things foretold in this booke, are such as were shortly to come to passe, not such as had beene done before?

What Cotterius had for him by this booke to* 1.14 vnderstand vitam, life, and by the strong Angel to vnderstand Legem, or the Law, which none can fulfill, we leaue it to himselfe, and his opinion also. The matter is so plaine out of the course of the Text, that it is strange, men will not take light out of Gods hand, when he offers it vnto them: for doth not the Son•…•… take this booke from the Fa∣ther? Doth he not open the seales thereof, and let

Saint Iohn see what was written in it. Is it not the* 1.15 very first and authentike volume of this Booke of the Reuelation, the copy and transumpt whereof Saint Iohn drawes out as he is commanded, and sends it to the Church? al the whole circumstances of the Prophecie make it so cleere, that it is strange how men too much enamored with their own cō∣ceptions should not haue perceiued it.

But because in holy Scripture often mention* 1.16 occurres of sundry Bookes which are ascribed to God, let vs once for all remember, they are to be reduced to one of these two sorts; they are ei∣ther* 1.17 metaphoricall, or materiall; the first so called in respect of the metaphor or borrowed speech; the other so called in respect of the matter. The metaphorike bookes, are either vniuersall or spe∣ciall; vniuersall are two, one mentioned by Dauid,* 1.18 In thy booke were all things written, which in continu∣ance of time were fashioned. And this booke is the most large, as being a perfect register of all things, all persons, of all times, and this is the Booke of* 1.19 Prescience. The other is the booke of Conscience, which albeit it be not so large as the first, yet I call it Vniuersall, because all men without exception haue it, they write it with their owne hand, & haue it in their owne custodie, and therefore shall not be able to speake any thing against the testimony thereof. Speciall bookes againe are also two, one* 1.20 called by Moses, The booke of life, contayning a roll of all Gods Elect: the other called by Malachy, A booke of remembrance, wherein the Lord registers

the words and workes of the wicked: this booke God hath in his keeping, and it is euery way con∣forme, and varies not from the booke of consci∣ence that the wicked haue. The booke materiall* 1.21 is the Bible, whereof this booke of the Reuelation is a part. S. Iohn sees it first heere in this vision, and then, as I said, extracts the iust copy of it, and sends it to the Churches.

Written within and without.] For vnderstan∣ding* 1.22 of this, wee must know that the forme of bookes they vsed of old, was not like ours; they were long Roules, euery sheet at the end of ano∣ther extending in length, folded and rouled vp about a peece of tree, or some other such thing; they might conueniently bee distinguished by seales: for the seale of the first being opened, all written in it might easily haue been read; the rest not so, vntill the remaining seales were opened al∣so: they were commonly written on the one side, except where the aboundance of matter forced them to write on the backe, then were they called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In the sixt chapter, it is said that* 1.23 the heauens passed away like a scrole: for a scrole of parchment beeing opened and spred out in length, if it be let goe by him that holds it, returns speedily into a round againe. Ezekiel makes men∣tion of the like Roule of a booke spred before him, written within and without. And as to Ezekiel the* 1.24 Lord presented a roule, containing that which he had to shew vnto Israel, and was after written in the booke of Ezekiel, It a hoc loco per librum Iohanni* 1.25

ostensum intelligitur scientia •…•…orum, quae Iohanni fue∣rant de futuro statu Ecclesiae reuelanda, quae & nunc in hoc Apocalypsis volumine sant descripta: So heere by a booke shewed to S. Iohn, is vnderstood the knowledge of these things which were to bee re∣uealed to Saint Iohn concerning the estate of the Church to come, and which now are described in this booke of the Reuelation.

Alway, that S. Iohn sees this book written with∣in* 1.26 and without, it is to declare vnto vs, that it is a complete Prophesie, there is no blanke paper in this booke to be filled vp by any other: or if there were, who is this in heauen, or in earth, that can reueale that vnto vs, which Iesus Christ our bles∣sed Sauiour hath not reuealed? None at all: wee are not to looke for any other Reuelation or Pro∣phecie after this, til the Day come wherein Christ our Lord shall be reuealed in his glory.

Sealed with seuen Seales.] The Seales declare* 1.27 first, the surety, next, the secresie of this Prophecie; Surety: it is the manner of Kings to seale their de∣crees which they will haue executed: so this book is sealed, to shew that the Lord will surely accom∣plish that which is written in it. It is a Decree more sure then any of the Medes and Persians.* 1.28

Againe, the Seales declare the secrecie thereof: here are mysteries locked vp from the vnderstan∣ding of Angels and men, if the Lord had not ope∣ned them, and reuealed them vnto vs. The Iesuite Viega carpeth aduantage heere, to instifie that ca∣lumnie of the Church of Rome, whereby they

blot the Scripture with obscurity, & he brings ma∣ny reasons to proue that it was expedient the holy Scripture should be penned in obscure māner. But I pray you lis not this vnsure reasoning, The book of the Reuelation is obscure, therfore al the books* 1.29 of holy Scripture are obscure? And sith they can looke to the Seales wherewith the book is closed, & complain of obscurity; why will they not looke to the Lambe who openeth the booke, & giue him thankes, who of a closed booke, makes it an open booke, and giues to it the name of a Reuelation? Lastly, as we haue said before, this booke was writ∣ten, not so much to informe vs in the faith, as to confirme vs in it, that wee should not leaue the faith for these manifold troubles which in this book are foretold vs, that were to follow our faith. It is sufficient for vs, that in these books wherin the Lord teaches vs the way of saluation, hee speakes so plainely, that the entrance into his Word sheweth* 1.30 light, and giueth vnderstanding to the simple: The* 1.31 waters thereof in some places are so shallow, that a childe may goe thorow, though in others so deepe, that an Elephant may swimme. In his quae aperte posita su•…•…t in Scriptura, inueniuntur illa omnia, quae continent fidem, moresque viuendi, spem scilicet, & charitatem. What neede men carpe at these places which are obscure, sith in these which are plainely written, all things are to bee found that containe Faith and good manners; to wit, Hope and Charity, said Augustine? Num igitur Deus, &* 1.32 mentis & vocis, & linguae Artifex diserte loqui non

potest? imo vero summa prouidentia carere voluit fuco ea quae diuina sunt, vt omnes intelligerent, quae ipse omnibus loquebatur: Shall we think (said Lactantius) that God, who is the Artificer and Maker both of the minde and voyce, and of the tongue, cannot* 1.33 speake plainely? No, but by the contrary hee hath most wisely prouided that his words should bee plaine, without coloured deceit, that all men may vnderstand these things which hee speaketh vnto all. I will not therefore answere Viega and his asso∣ciates, with Chrysostome: Praetextus iste pigritiae ve∣tamen,* 1.34 but rather will say it is malitiae velamen; this pretext of the obscurity of Scripture is but a coue∣ring of their slothfulnes, but rather it is a couering of their maliciousnesse: because the Scripture re∣bukes them, therefore they rebuke it; they doe what they can to obscure it, because it obscureth their kingdome.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The second part of the Preparato•…•…ie Vision, con∣taining a de∣scription of God the Re∣deemer:
• * 1.2

  Reuealing things to come, for the comfort of his Church.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 76. 10.
• * 1.4

  The parts of this Chapter.
• * 1.5

  The familiari∣ty of God with his Saints once begun, stil encreases.
• * 1.6

  Numb. 22.
• * 1.7

  Gen. 39. Reu. 1. 9.
• * 1.8

  Gen. 27. 33.
• * 1.9

  We walke not here by sight, but by saith.
• * 1.10

  2. Cor. 5. 7.
• * 1.11

  How the Lord is said to haue a Booke.
• * 1.12

  Ester 6. 1. In it allusion is made to the manner of Kings, who haue their Re∣gisters.
• * 1.13

  This booke cannot be the old Testament
• * 1.14

  Other strange opinions con∣cerning this Booke.
• * 1.15

  But in truth the booke is this same book of the Reuela∣tion.
• * 1.16

  Bookes in ho∣ly Scripture are of two sorts.
• * 1.17

  1 Metaphorical, and these are either vniuer∣sall, or special.
• * 1.18

  Psal. 139. 16.
• * 1.19

  Vniuersall are two.
• * 1.20

  Speciall are al. so two. Gen. 32. 32. Malach. 3. 16.
• * 1.21

  2 The other sort of bookes are materiall.
• * 1.22

  The forme of bookes vsed a∣mong the An∣cients, diffe∣rent frō ours.
• * 1.23

  Plin. lib. 3. epist.
• * 1.24

  Ezech. 2. 9.
• * 1.25

  Carthus.
• * 1.26

  What meanes the writing of this book with∣out, & within.
• * 1.27

  The booke is sealed, for surety and se∣crecie.
• * 1.28

  Dan. 6. 8. Obscurity of Scripture pre∣tended by Pa∣pists.
• * 1.29

  They looke to the seales wherewith the book is closed, but not to the Lambe who opened them.
• * 1.30

  Psal. 119. 130.
• * 1.31

  In bookes of Scripture writ∣ten for our in∣struction in the faith, God speaks plainly. Aug. de doct. Chr. lib. 2. c. 9.
• * 1.32

  Lactant. l. 6. c. 21.
• * 1.33

  This pretext of obscurity of holy Scripture is but a coue∣ring of their misliking.
• * 1.34

  Chrysost. hom. 3. de Lazaro.