That vvhich the old Testament foretold of Christ him self, the Apostles could report the fulfilling thereof in the nevv Testament, by vvay of an historie, euen from his Conception to his Glorification. But of his Church, they could not doe the like: because in their time it did but beginne: being to continue long after them, euen to the end of the vvorld, and then at length to be glorified, as Christ her Spouse alreadie is. Herevpon God vvould haue S. Luke to report in the Actes of the Apostles, the storie of the Churches beginning. and for the rest of it to the end, (that vve might receiue this benefite also by the Apostles handes) he vvould S. Iohn to tell vs of it in this booke by vvay of a prophecie.

^noteOf vvhich booke S. Hierome saith: The Apocalypse of S, Iohn hath as many sacraments or mysteries, as vvordes. Yea more then that, In euery vvord there are hid manifold and sundrie senses. Therfore it is very litle that can here be noted, in respect. Yet to giue the good Catholike (vvhose comfort is here) some litle helpe, the booke may be deuided into fiue partes.

^{note note}The first (after the Proœme) conteineth seuen Epistles from Christ novv in glorie, to seuen Churches of Asia, or (for, these he maketh al one) to the seuen Bishops of those Churches: meaning not to those only, but to al his Churches & Bishops throughout the vvorld: saying therefore in euery one of them, to al in general: He that hath an eare, let him heare vvhat the Spirit saith to the Churches. As also in euery one he exhorteth vs to fight manfully (in this spiritual vvarfare of ours against sinne) for the victorie, and in euery one accordingly promiseth vs a revvard in heauen. But before this, in the beginning of euery one, he partly commendeth, partly reprehendeth, and exhorteth to penance. Vvhere this is much to be noted, and feared, that among so many, he reproueth somevvhat in al, saue only in tvvo, vvhich are the second & the sixt. In the beginning also of euery one, he taketh some peece out of the apparition going before, to frame thereof his style agreably to the matter of eche Epistle.

^{note note}After this admonition to Pastors and their flockes: the second part folovveth, vvherein the Church and vvhole course thereof from the beginning to the end, is expressed in the opening of a booke in Gods hand, and the seuen seales thereof, by Christ. for the vvhich, he seeth praise sung novv in heauen and earth, not only to the Godhead, as before, but also (after a nevv manner) to Christ according to his Manhod. And here, vvhen he is come to the opening of the last seale, signifying Domesday, he letteth that matter alone for a vvhile, and to speake more fully yet of the said course of the Church, he bringeth in an other pagent (as it vvere) of seuen Angels vvith seuen Trumpets. ^note The effect of both the Seales & Trumpets, is this: That the Church beginning and proceding, there should be raised against it, cruel persecutions, and pestilent heresies: and at length after al heresies, a certaine most blasphemous Apostasie, being the next preparatiue to the

comming of Antichrist: After al vvhich, Antichrist him self in person shal appeare in the time of the sixt seale, and sixt trumpet, persecuting and seducing (for the short time of his reigne) more then al before him. The Church notvvithst&abar;ding shal still continue, and vvade through al, because Christ her Spouse is stronger then al these aduersaries. vvho also straight after the said sixt time, shal in the seuenth, come in maiestie and iudge al.

^{note note}Of the vvhich iudgement, differring yet a vvhile to speake at large, he doth first in the third part intreate more fully of the Deuils vvorking by Antichrist and his companie against the Church, that the iustice of Christ aftervvard in iudging, may be more manifest.

^{note note}At length therefore in the fourth part he commeth to the seuen last plagues, the seuenth of them conteining the final damnation of the vvhole multitude, societie or corps of the vvicked, from the beginning of the vvorld to the end. Vvhich multitude, in the Gospel and first Epistle of this same S. Iohn (as also in the other Scriptures commonly) is often called Mundus, the vvorld. and here he calleth it partly, Meretricem, a vvhore or harlot, because vvith her concupiscence she entiseth the carnal and earthly men avvay from God: partly, Ciuitatem Babylon, the Citie of Babylon, because it maketh vvarre against Hierusalem the Citie of God, and laboureth to hold Gods people captiue in sinne, as it vvas shadovved in Nabuchodonosor & his Babyloni&abar;s, leading and holding the Ievves vvith their Hierusalem, in captiuitie, vntil Cyrus (in figure of Christ) deliuered them. ^note But vvhether al these seuen plagues should be vnderstood (as the seuenth) of Domesday it self, it is hard to define. More like it is, that the first sixe are to goe before Domesday: but vvhether corporally and literally, (so as Moyses plagued Egypt) or rather spiritually, it is more hard to define. Yet it seemeth more easie, to vnderstand them corporally, as also the plagues vvherevvith Elias and his felovv shal in the time of Antichrist plague the vvicked (vvhich peraduenture shal be the same last plagues) vvhereof vve reade in this booke c. 11. v. 6. But not content to haue described thus the damnation of the vvhole adulterous & blouddy societie, he doth also expresly report of their three gr&abar;d Captaines damnation, vvhich are these, Antichrist, and his Falseprophet, and the Deuil him self the author of al this mischiefe.

^{note note}Finally, on the other side, in the fifth part he reporteth the vnspeakeable and euerlasting glorie, that the Church after al this suffering, shal by Christ her glorious Spouse be assumpted vnto. And so he concludeth the booke.

THE APOCALYPSE OF IOHN THE APOSTLE. ^note

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