A37035:1513
A commentary upon the book of the Revelation Wherein the text is explained, the…A commentarie upon the book of the Revelation Wherein the text is explained, the…
A commentary upon the book of the Revelation Wherein the text is explained, the series of the several prophecies contained in that book, deduced according to their order and dependence on each other; the periods and succession of times, at, or about which, these prophecies, that are already fulfilled, began to be, and were more fully accomplished, fixed and applied according to history; and those that are yet to be fulfilled, modestly, and so far as is warrantable, enquired into. Together with some practical observations, and several digressions, necessary for vindicating, clearing, and confirming many weighty and important truths. Delivered in several lectures, by that learned, laborious, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, James Durham, late Minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. To which is affixed a brief summary of the whole book, with a twofold index, one of the several digressions, another of the chief and principal purposes and words contained in this treatise.A commentarie upon the book of the Revelation Wherein the text is explained, the series of the several prophecies contained in that book, deduced according to their order and dependance on each other; the periods and succession of times, at, or about which, these prophecies, that are already fulfilled, began to be, and were more fully accomplished, fixed and applied according to history; and those that are yet to be fulfilled, modestly, and so far as is warrantable, enquired into. Together with some practical observations, and several digressions, necessary for vindicating, clearing, and confirming many weighty and important truths. Delivered in several lectures, by that learned, laborious, and faithfull servant of Jesus Christ, James Durham, late Minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. To which is affixed a brief summary of the whole book, with a twofold index, one of the several digressions, another of the chief and principall purposes and words contained in this treatise.
Edinburgh: printed by Christopher Higgins, 1658
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. This explication holdeth forth the particular weapons, as it were, by which that great murder is to be executed, to wit, Sword, Famine, (which two were made use of in the second and third seals) death, and the beasts of the earth. By death may be understood the Pestilence, called the mortality, because so many ordinarily die by it. And these four here do certainly allude to Gods four great plagues, under which ordinarily is holden forth by the Prophets, Gods singular Judgement. For this end also beasts are added; which we conceive is not so much properly and literally to be understood, as it is with allusion unto the expression of the Prophets formerly mentioned; and may point at these three here, 1. At the greatness of this strait, wherein such a deluge should at once set upon the Church, as if Gods four plagues were let loose together, there being but one under each of the former seals, to wit, Sword, or Famine; here these evils continue, and two moe are added, to wit, Death, and the beasts of the earth: which doth certainly hold forth a greater degree of persecution than was before. 2. By beasts, we may understand absurd, unreasonable, and beastly men, as 2 Thess. 3.2. Such Paul fought with at Ephesus, 1 Cor. 15.32. Of this sort was Nero, 2 Tim. 4 and of such the faithful Martyr Polycarp complaineth in his Epistles, apud Euseb. who thought long for the Lions and beasts, unto which he was condemned to be cast, that he might be freed from these beasts (his keepers) which were worse than the former. 3. By beasts we may understand that kind of death frequently used by persecutors, (especially in the last persecutions) their hungering of ravenous beasts, and then, for a sport, casting Christians unto them. It being thus understood, it may hold out that plague of beasts, as it doth peculiarly relate to the Church, in which also men were instrumental, committing that murder by beasts under this seal, as by Famine under the former. However, this is certain, that this pointeth at some dreadful condition of the Church beyond the former, wherein persecution is at an height (malice leaving no mean ⟨p. 357⟩unessayed for undoing of the Church (and wherein the Saints are pressed to double their cries to God for vengeance, as in the following seal; and so it appeareth to be at, or immediately before, the fall of the Heathenish persecution.