A revelation of the Apocalyps, that is, the Apocalyps of S. Iohn illustrated vvith an analysis & scolions where the sense is opened by the scripture, & the events of things foretold, shewed by histories. Hereunto is prefixed a generall view: and at the end of the 17. chapter, is inserted a refutation of R. Bellarmine touching Antichrist, in his 3. book of the B. of Rome. By Thomas Brightman.

A VIEW OF THE WHOLE APOCALYPSE.

Chap. 1.1 THE Preface sheweth the argument of the book: 4. The Epi∣stle sent in cōmō to the 7. Churches, after the inscription doth tell who hath givē the Prophecy, who hath received it; the things heard; by which it cōfirmeth the authority of it. Chap. 2. The Epistles ar givē seve∣rally. The first cōprehēdeth the languishing disease of the Ephesians: 8. The Smyrneans are confirmed against the strength of the enemy: 12. They of Per¦gamus ar reprehended for permitting Balaam & the Nicolaitans: 18. They of Thyatira ar reprooved of sinn for suffring Iezabell. Chap. 3. The Sardi∣ans ar charged of hypocrisy: 7. The piety of Philadelphia is cōmēded: 14. The lukewarmnes & boasting of the Laodiceans is with weighty words reprehen∣ded. Chap. 4. The cōmon Prophecy propoūdeth the generall type of the holy Church, notable for her centre, God, ver. 2.3. for the cōpassing about of the faithfull ver. 4. for Gods protection ver. 5. for gifts, doctrine, ordinā∣ces ver. 5.6. ministers ver. 6.7.8. & finally for the whole publick worship, ver. 9.10.11. Chap. 5. The first of the things which ar spoken of in special, is the dignity of the Prophecy, which is declared, first by the weakenes of the creature: 6. by the merite of the Lambe: 8. & the celebration of all. Chap. 6. The first speciall events ar the seales. 1. The first is opened & the truth pre∣vaileth under Trajan, Hadrian, & Antoninus Pius, at the voice of the first li∣ving creature, of Quadratus, Aristides, & Iustin Martyr: 3. at the voice of the said Iustin, Melito of Sardis, & Apollinaris, the secōd living creature, the redd horse goeth forth under Marcus Antoninus Verus, troubling all with warres; 5. the third seal being opened, the third living creature Tertullian cryeth out, under Severus the Emperour, whē the blacke horse did afflict the world with famine & scarcity. 7. The fourth seale is opened, & the fourth living creature Cyprian speaketh, Decius being then Emperour when the pale horse wasted all with warre, famine, pestilence, & wild beasts. 9. The fift seale is opened, & ther is given some breathing from the publick persecution under Claudius Quintilius, Aurelianus & the rest, even to the 19. of Diocletian: 12. The sixt seale is opened, & then rage Diocletian & Maximinian Hercule; who finally being driven out of the Empire by the power of the Lambe, for fear of him the tyrants fled & hidde themselves. Chap. 7. The seaventh seale first doth yeild a general patterne of the whole folowing age: 1. Ther being cōtention, ambition, heresy, they trouble all things with warre: they ar repressed by Cō∣stantine the great, untill he sealed up the elect, & provided for the faithfull be∣ing few & base, in that great calamity of the Church, which forthwith followed. ••. In which dolefull time at length ther should be more prosperity then in time past, & a great felicity of the faithfull. Chap. 8. Secondly, of the same seaventh seale there is silence in heaven, peace being obteined by Constantine: 2. the trumpets ar prepa¦red, & constantine gathereth the Nic. counsell to cutt off troubles, whi••h therby are mor increased: 6. The Angels blew, at whose first blowing ther ariseth the cōtroversy

of Consubstantiation: 8. At the secōd, a burning mountaine of ambition, is cast into the Sea, by the Decree tou∣ching the Primacie and dignitie of the Bishop: 10. At the thirde, a starr falleth from heaven; the Arrian heresy being defended by Constance and Va∣lence: 12, At the fourth, the third part of the Sunne is stricken, that is, the Church of Africke by the Vandales. 13, The world is admonished of the neere grievous trumpets, following by Gre∣gory the great.

Cap. 9 1 At the fift blowing the bottomelesse pit is opened, & there come forth swar∣mes of locusts, of religious persons in the West, of Sarasens in the East. 13. At the sixt, the Turkes doe invade the world punished for the Romane Idola¦trie.

Chap. 10.1 At which time the Turkes arise, the desire of the truth is kindled in very ma¦ny of the Vest; 9. By whose labour Prophecy is againe restored to the earth.

Chap. 11.1 Preaching being restored, thereis sōevvhat a more full knowledge of the time past, namely, that the Church frō the daies of Constantine for a thousand two hundred sixtie yeares, was ••idden in the secret place of the Tēple, the Ro∣manes in the meane while boasting of the holy Citie & utmost Court; 7. and

in that in the end of those yeares the Romane Prelat would prepare warre against the Church, cut the throat of the Scriptures by h••s Tridentine Counsell, and make the same mere carkases, & tri∣umphe over them for the space of three yeares & an halfe, tred also under foote the Saints in Germany by the power of Charles the fift, which yet after three yeares and an halfe revived by them of Magdeburg and Maurice, they stroke a very great feare into the enemies, & they overthrew the third part of the Romane dominion: 15 The seaventh Angell bloweth, & about the yeare 1558, new kingdomes are made for Christ, Englād, Ireland & Scotland, coming to the Gos¦pell.

Chap. 12. The first parte of the seaventh Trum∣pet as yet bringeth a fuller light of the time past, the Centuries of Magdeburg being raised up. The thing is repeated & taught from the beginning, 1. That the first Church of the Apostles, was most pure, but very much afflicted by the Dra¦gō, the Romane Heatnish Emperours, who endevoured with all their power least there should be waie opened to any Christian to the chiefe Empire. 5, That Constantine the Great the manchilde of the Church at length was borne; at vvhose birth the first purity flieth into the VVildernes from the eyes of the

vvorld; that this Constantine did cast the Dr••gon from Heaven, the Heathnish Em¦perours being depulsed, least againe they shoulde once beare rule in the Church. 13. the hostile povver being takē avvay frō the Dragō, he persecuted the Church ūder Christs name by Constance and Valence: 15. And endevoured to swalovv her up flying avvaye, by the overflovving of the Barbarians sent into the West. 17. Which floud at length being dried up, raised up the vvarre of the Saracens.

Ch. 13.1 The Dragon being cast out of heaven by Constantine, establisheth his Vicar in the same place; vvhich beast is the Romish Pope, such as he did rise togither vvith Cō¦stantine, made great by the Counsell of Nice: he vas vvounded by the Gothes pos¦sessing Italie: vvas cured by Iustinian and Phocas, also therby made greater then e∣ver before; 11. The seconde Beast is the same Romane Pope, enlarged by Pipine and Charles the great, vvho gave to him as a nevv birth, vvherby he became most vvicked.

Ch. 14.1 For a thousand yeare from Constantine, the Church vvas together vvith Christ hidden in most secret places, but she did nothing of great fame in the vvorld; 6. These thousand yeares being ended, Wic∣kliff preached the Gospell to the vvorld: 8. Iohn Husse & Hierome of Prage succee∣de, vvho threatened the ruine of Rome:

9. After those follovveth Martin Lu∣ther, vvho very egerly setteth upō the Ro¦mane Prelate; 14. Aftervvard there is a harvest in Germany by Frederike the Sa∣xon, the other protestant Princes, and free Cities: 17. Also a vintage in Englād by Thomas Cromvvell & Th. Crāmer.

Chap. 15. Hitherto of the first part of the seavēth trumpet of things past: 1 The preparatiō of thinges to come, is the seavē Angels vvith their Viales; 2 The reformed Chur¦ches disagree betvvene themselves, but all triumphe for the overthrovv of the Pope of Rome: 5 The Temple is ope∣ned, and knovvledge increaseth, & the citizens of the Church are made mini∣sters of the last plagues, the end of which the nevv people of the Ievves expecteth before they come to the faith.

Chap. 16.1 The vials are povvred: the first by our most gracious Queene Elizabeth and o∣ther Protestant Princes, vvherby the vvhole flocke of Papists is full of ulcero us ēvie. 3. The second viale by Martine Chemnin against the Tridentine Coun¦cill: vvherby the sea of the Popish Do∣ctrine, by the Iesuites the masters of the controversyes was made, as it were, the corrupt & filthy blood of a wōde. 4 The third by William Cecill against the Iesui¦tes, vvhich are the welspringes of the po¦pish doctrine; & so farre are our times gone; The rest of the viales are to come,

but shortly to be povvred out: 8. The fourth on the Sunne, that is on the Scrip¦tures, by vvhose light mē shalbe tormen¦ted & shall boile in great anger and con¦tentions; 10. The fift on the citie of Ro∣me, the throne of the Beast: 12. The sixt on Euphrates, vvherby a vvaie shall be prepared to the Easterne Ievves, that af∣ter they shall have embraced the faith of the Gospell, they maie return into their ovvne countrie: vvhen there shall be al∣so a great preparation of vvarre, both by the Turke against these nevv Christiās in the East, and also in the West by the Pope: 17. The seaventh on the aire, wher¦by the mysterie shall be finished, the Turkes & the Popes names being rased out: & then also the Church shall be set¦tled in exceeding great felicitie, as in the earth maie be expected.

Chap. 17. The execution of the fift viale on the throne of the beast, by vvhich it shall be manifested by some one of no great na∣me, by most undenyable argumēts that Rome is the seat of Antichrist, & that she hath bin made his seate, from the time that the Heathenish Emperours vvere driven from thence.

Chap. 18. The second execution of the fift viale is the last overthrow of the citie of Ro∣me by three Angels; 1 descending from heaven, 4 the second exhorting the Ro¦manes to flight, & describing both the

mourning of the ungodly, & also the joy of the godly, 21 The thirde confirming her eternall de¦struction by casting a great milstone into the sea.

Chap. 19.1 There is d••scribed the joy of the saints for the perdition of Rome: 5 The sixt viale is opened, & the calling of the Iewes is taught: 12 Likewise a warlicke preparation, partly in respect of Christ the c••ptaine, & souldiers, partly in respect of the enemies; 20 The seaventh viale is declared by the destruction of the false Prophete of the Ro∣man Pope, of the Westerne enemie & his bādes.

Chap. 20.1 The vvhole history of the Dragō is repeated, as it was in the Gētile Emperours before the im¦prisonemēt: 2 Hovv it was in prison, into which he was cast by Constantine, & bound for a thou∣sād yeares: in al which space the elect had a battel with the Romish Pope, which being ended, there is made at last the first resurrection: many every where in the west aspiring unto the more syncere truth: 7 Toge∣ther with this resurrection the Devill is loosed, & thē ariseth the Turke vvith the Scithians, Gog with Ma∣gog, which now destroying the greatest part of the earth, at length they turne their weapons against the holy citie, that is, the beleeving Iewes, in which war∣fare the name of the Turke shall utterly be abolished: 11 There is made the second resurrection, by the se∣cond & full calling of the Iewes.

Chap. 21.1 The last part of the seaventh viale describeth the fe¦licity of the Church, after the vanquishing of all ene∣mies, by the new Hierusalem descending from hea∣ven, of a most glorious building.

Chap. 22.1 It is shewed how this felicitie both by meat and drinke shall redounde to others, and shall continue for ever: 6 The conclusion confirmeth the whole Prophecy by manie most strong arguments.

Notes

• The particular Prophesy
• The common Prophesy
• The seales from Iohn to Constantine.
• The Trumpets from Constan∣tine to the yeare 1558.
• The first part of the seaventh trumpet of things past.
• The second part of the seaventh trumpet concer∣ning thinges to come.
• The viales from 1558, even to the end.
• An interpretation of the three last viales.