First , for the Writer . That he was named John , the Book often declareth ; But whether he were St. John the Apostle , the Text doth not declare , nor do the Ancients agree therein ; in so much , that in consideration of former disputes concerning the Writer , and also , of the style , phrase , form , or manner of speech therein used , a a Prolegom in Apoc. Beza is inclined to conjecture , that , if it were not written by St. John the Apostle , yet , that it was written by St. Mark the Evangelist , who was also named John , because we read of John , surnamed Mark , Act. 12. 12. and Act. 15. 37.

But Beza's conjecture disagreeth with the History of St. Mark , who is recorded by b b Hier. in Marco . St. Jerome , to have suffered death , in the eighth year of Nero , ( c c Origines , Alexand. p. 38. Mr. Selden's Eutychius saith , he died in the first year of that Emperour ) whereas , the Apocalyps was first shewed , long after , in the Reign of Domitian , by whom , St. John the Apostle was sentenced to death , in a vessell of flaming oile , as Tertullian , and Jerome , and Euseb. Emis . report , and that he came out of that vessell unhurt : And because , that sentence was executed near the Latin gate at Rome , ( as other Writers say ) therefore , the Church Kalender recordeth this Porta Latina , on the sixth of May , and in memory thereof , a feast is held yearly on that day , ( or for it ) in St. John's Colledge in Cambridge .

After this , St. John was exiled to the I le of Patmos , where this Revelation was ●●ewed ; and after the death of Domitian , he was recalled from banishment , and retired to Ephesus , and there lived , and died in the Reign of Trajan , and was there buried , and his Sepulcher remained there in the dayes of St. Jerome .

Now because there was another , named John , of that time , who was also buried at Ephesus , and that , two Monuments were there shewed , and both superscribed with the Name , or Title of John ; and both remained there , untill the dayes of the said , a a Hier. de Script . in Joanne . St. Jerome , as himselfe saith , and so also saith b b Hist. l. 3. c. 39. Eusebius , who further addeth , Fortassis , secundus hic , erit Joannes sub cujus nomine Revelatio habetur . And Dionysius , the Famous , and Learned Bishop of Alexandria , although he was Confident , that it was written by inspiration of the divine spirit , yet , saith he , c c Euseb. Hist. l. 7. ●ap. 23. Non liquidò videtur , quodillius Joannis sit , qui Evangelium scripsit . And addeth , Fieri potuit , in illis temporibus , fuisse alium aliquem Joannem ex sanctis , cui haec revelaverit Deus . i. e. That it did not clearly appear , that St. John the Evangelist was the Writer of the Apocalyps ; but possibly , that some other holy man in those times , named John , was he , to whom God revealed those things : thus he . Neither need it seem strange , that this Revelation should be unduly attributed to St. John the Apostle , seeing , we find other Revelations , as Early as this , which went abroad , untruly , under the name of St. Peter , and also of St. Paul , as d d Hist. l. 3. c. 3. Eusebius , and e e in Joan. Tract . 98. Austin , and f f lib. 7. cap. 19. Sozomen report .

Secondly , for the obscurity of this ● . book ; it is confessed on all sides , and particularly by a a Proleg . in Apocal. Beza , who acknowledgeth himselfe to be one of those , Cui haec mysteria val●è obscura videntur ; And both Mr. Selden , and Mr. I. Gregory of Oxford , two Learned men , have affirmed , from the Testimony of Bodinus the Learned French-Writer , that Calvin acknowledged , that He knew not what this obscure Writer meant . So our late Reverend Diocesan , Bishop Hall , called this Apocalyps , A Revelation unrevealed : and this he said particularly , in respect of the Mystery , of the Thousand years of Martyrs reigning here , with Christ , Revel. 20. 4. The like he reporteth of the most Learned , and Reverend Bishop Andrews , that he profess'd , that he had not proceeded so far , as to understand it ; much lesse can we Pygmy-Theoiogues . It is now fifteen hundred years old , and not yet understood ; Mr. Brightman hath not cleared it , nor hath Mr. Mede's Key unlockt it . Nor will it ever ( I suppose ) be perfectly understood , untill such a Commentary be made thereon , as Divines say of other obscure Prophecies , viz. b b Irenaeus l. 4. cap. 43. Prophetiae priùs aenigmata sunt , sed peractae intelliguntur . And , c c Aug de Civit l. 18. c. 31. Prophetiae obscurae sunt , antequam fiunt : sed factas , quis non agnoscit ? And , d d Euseb. Emiss . hom. de Nat. Martyr . Prophetiarum adimpletio est earum expositio . ( i. e. ) Prophecies are Riddles : the onely or best Expositor of them is their fulfilling .

Amongst the many obscurities of this Apocalyps , this may go for one ; viz. What day of the week or year the Writer meant by Dominica dies . That he meant our Sunday , or anniversary Easter , ( which is so called , from the Rising of Christ ) will be hard to prove . It may possibly signifie the day of the Nativity , or of the Ascension of our Lord , or the day of Pentecost , for ought can appear ; for none of these are inferior to his Resurrection , either in mystery , or value , or benefit to man . Or he might mean the day of the Passion of our Lord ; of which , possibly , Christ spake , when he said , Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day . For indeed , the Joh. 8. ● Passion of the Redeemer was shewed to Abraham , in a mysterious Scene , or dumb-shew ; as , when he acted the resemblance of Christ's Passion with his son Isaac , laying first the wood on him , Gen. 22. then , him upon the wood ; just as was afterwards really done to Christ . As for his rejoycing , it is no marvell if he rejoyced , for his own and his Abrahamites Redemption . Nor is it strange , that Christ should call the Passion-day , His day ; it was indeed , the day of the Jews , of which it is said , Haec est hora vestra ; Luk. 22. 53 ▪ but it was also the day of the Lord . We find both , Tradidit Judas , and , Tradidit Deus , Rom. 8. 32. And , Filius Dei tradidit seipsum , Gal. 2. 20. Ephes. 5. 2. Judas , for mony ; but Christ gave himself for us . The day of his Passion was a day of sorrow , and also a day of joy , in severall respects . We know , that the Primitive Church solemnized the Natalitia , ( so they called the passion dayes of Martyrs ) with joy and feasting ; and so they did also the Parasceue , or day of Christ's Passion , in St. Austin's time , as himself saith , in one of his Passion-Sermons , a a Aug. de Temp. Ser. 130. Propter hanc crucem , Diem festum agimus , & Epulamur . So St. Paul gloried in the Crosse of Christ , Gal. 4. 16. And seemeth to appoint a Festivall for the Passion of Christ , when he said , 1 Cor. 5. 7. Christ our passeover is sacrificed . Therefore let us keep the Feast . Which St. Jerom reads , Itaque Epulemur . So , it is no novelty , to apply the word Dominica to the Passion ; for we know , that there is another Dominica , which hath been called by the Church , more than twelve hundred years together , Dominica Passionis ; as we find in St. b b Ambr. To. 5. Ser. 44. Ambrose , and in c c Aug. de Temp. Ser. 107. St. Austin , and ever since in the middle-age Writers , and later Postillers : And even in our time , and at this day it is called , Passion-Sunday , which is the fifth Sunday in Lent ; and is so called , onely in a memoriall of the attempt of the Jews to stone Christ in the Temple , recorded , Joh. 8. 58. which passage formerly was , and now is , appointed to be read in the Gospell for that day . Therefore it may reasonably seem questionable , whether the Dominica in the Revelation may not possibly relate to the grand Passion of our Lord . Lastly , This Dominica might possibly point at the old Sabbath-day , which was really a day of the Lord 's appointing ; which yet , the Writer abstained from calling it Sabbath , 〈◊〉 the Day-Sabbath was then utterly dissolved with the City and Temple , and long before this Revelation was written . And if there were not something of greater concernment to be considered in the Sabbath-Law , than Hallowing of a day , there can be no sufficient cause alleaged , why the antient Sabbath-day was not still retained ; which yet ought not to be in any wise , albeit some Sabbatarians would have it , and others would have our Sunday to be the Sabbath .

These two disagreeing in the day , yet agree in misunderstanding and abusing those words of Christ , Pray that your flight Matth. 24. 20. be not in Winter , neither on the Sabbath day . By which words , each party would have their severall Sabbaths confirmed and continued .

To this we answer , First , This was said to the Apostles , when as yet they were but Disciples ; and they were all dead ( except only St. John ) before the time he spake of came . Therefore this monition was intended , as to be declared to the Jews , whom Christ knew to be intangled in Sabbaticall superstition , and that they would so persist , ( as that people do to this day ) for it had been no sin to fly for life on that day , even when it was a Sabbath really in force , much lesse afterward , when it was abrogated .

2. It is said , Pray that it be not in the Winter ; surely no Jew would think it a sin to fly for life in winter , ( onely because 't was winter ) . But Winter and Sabbath are here joyned , to shew the reason of both to be the same , and that , not to be sin , but onely danger , trouble , and inconvenience . First , for Winter ; Because the daies would be short , the waies foul , the season cold , and dangerous to themselves and their little ones , especially to abide in desolate Mountains , unto which vers. 16. they are directed to flye . Secondly , for the Sabba●h ; Because their fellow Jews , being involv'd in that superstition , would account them enemies to their Religion , and so neither joyne with them , nor afford them any succour ; and moreover kill them , as they did many , upon pretence that they were flying to the Romans .

3. ●●is monition was meant onely to the Jewishly-affected Sabbatarians , because ( as it is remarkably observed by Eusebius ) * * Hist. l. 3. c. 5 de Dem. l. 8. at the time of begi●●ing Jerusalem , not one Christian was left in that great City : they were all departed before to Pella beyond Jordan , to which they were warned by that Divine Oracle , Migremus hinc , as Eusebius thought .

4. It is observable , that Christ upon the same occasion then said , Woe be to them that are with child , and give suck in 〈◊〉 . 19. those daies . he woe must signifie temporall woe of affliction , and not eternall woe ; for no man will say , that child-bearing , or giving of suck , are sins , because in Scripture , both are accounted blessings . So that praying against this Sabbath-Hight , or Winter-flight , is but to pray against temporall calamities .

5. If to fly on the Sabbath-day at that time had been a sin , Christ would not have said , Pray that it may not be ; but he would absolutely have forbidden it , as he did all transgressions of the Morall Law .

6. The meaning of Christ was , to forewarn the Jews , to d●sist from their vain Sabbatizing ; as if he had said , The Jews , who so much dote on their Sabba●h day , and hate me , and seek my life for dissolving it , as Joh. 5. 18. What will they do when their enemies invade them on the Sabbath day ? for then , they must either break their Sabbath by flight , or else die in their sloath and superstition . Therefore they have need to pray , that this pressure come not on them , upon their Sabbath day .

7. They that urge ●his place for a now-Sabbath , should first agree , which day they will insist on , whether Saturday or Sunday . 1. If Saturday , we ask , Why themselves do not keep it . 2. If Sunday , we say , This place will appear miserably invalid to prove , because Christ never at all mentioned it , nor did any Apostle command it , ( as is shewed before ) nor did any of the Sabbatizing Jews then apprehend it , or to this day believe it .

For these , or for better reasons , the late Learned and Reverend Bishop of Worcester , ( my most dear Country ) when he was Professor of Theology in Oxford , doubted not to conclude publickly upon this very place : That it is ridiculous for any to argue for a confirmation of a Sabbath Dr. Prideaux , de Sab. Orat. An. 1622. from these words , which Christ foretold but onely as an inconvenience , which would arise from the Judaicall superstition .

I find also another pretty argument used of late , to prove our Sunday to be a Sabbath ; for , The word Sabbath signifieth Rest ; therefore Sunday being a day of Rest , ought to be called Sabbath . If this will hold , Why should not our late frequent Fasting-dayes , and Thanks-givings , be called Sabbaths , which were enforced by watch-men , and under penalties , with as great caution as our Sundayes , from working and travelling ? Or why should not Nights , the time of generall Rest ; and our Beds , the place thereof ; and even our Graves , be called Sabbaths ? But if the Inventer of this Argument had considered , that the Fourth Commandment , or Scripturall Sabbath , doth not signifie onely the corporall Rest of man , but onely his spirituall Rest ; and moreover , and most principally , the mystesterious Rest of God , ( as it is said , God Heb. 4. 4. Rested ) he might easily have answered his own argument with a better . For the true Sabbaticall Rest cannot otherwise be rightly understood , but onely of the Rest both of God and Man ; and this Rest can no where be found , but onely in Christ the Saviour .

There is yet another scruple , occasioned by our translation of the fourth Commandment , which either ha●h , or may divert men , from the right understanding thereof ; for thus our English read it , Remember to keep holy the Sabbath , &c. Hence some imagine , that to keep holy relateth onely to a Day , and not to Christ . But the more clear , and true , and unscrupulous Translation might have been , by our old English word , Hallow , or by the word , Sanctifie , borrowed from the Latine ; thus , Remember that thou Hallow ( or Sanctifie ) the Sabbath day . This doubt will be plen●ifully cleared , by the perusall of the Chap. 9. ninth Chapter of this Book .

Notwithstanding all this ; it may be granted , that Christ giving that monition to pray , did fore-see and relate to some kind of Law , whereby the Jews of that time would be girt and obliged , to keep the old Sabbath . But if we enquire by what Law , we shall find it to be neither the Moral , nor the Ceremonial Law of God , but onely a popular Club-Law , or Law of Arms ; which was indeed the tyrannicall and superstitious Law , of those grand Zelots and Rebells , which cruelly insulted over their Country-men the Jews , as Simon , John , and Eleazer , ( of whom we read much in a a Jos. de Bello . lib. 8. Josephus ) who then rebelled against Caesar , their Lawfull Prince at that time , ( though Nero ) and thereby caused the utter and finall ruine of their Ci●y and Country .

If we now examine the Jewish superstitions , and compare them with the practises or commands of some sabbatizing Christians , we shall find them running parallel , Buxdo f. as they are recorded , bo●h by our own , and by forrain Writers ; as 1. If a Jew fell History of the Sab. short of home on a Sabbath-Eve , he must stay there , in wood , wildernesse , or high-way , till the Sabbath were past . 2. A blind Jew might not carry a staffe . 3. A wounded man might not wear a plaister , nor a woman a fan . 4. A Jew might not carry mony in his purse , nor knock at a door with an Hammer , or Ringle ; nor wear Clogs or Pattens ; nor a Taylor his Needle ; nor milk Kine , nor lift a beast out of a ditch , nor kill a flea on that day .

So some Christian Sabbatarians have Mr. Tho. Roger's Preface on the 39 Artic. taught publickly : 1. To work on Sunday , ( Lord's day , they call it ) or throw a boule , is a sin as great , as to kill a man , or commit adultery . 2. To kill a cock , as bad as to kill a servant . 3. To make a Feast , or dresse a Wedding-dinner , as bad as for a father to cut his own child's throat . 4. To ring more Bells then one , as to commit murder . They say , one may not carry provender to an Horse ; a Maid-servant would not sweep her Kitchin , nor wash her Dishes ; a zealous sonne would not ride for a Bone-setter , when his Father's bones were broken . Some school-men among the Romanist's , have bin as eager in this superstition as ours ; They taught , that it is as great a sinne to stitch a poor Man's broken shoe on Sunday , as to kill a Thousand men , a a Advers. Concil. Trident . as Doctor Tuppius reporteth . Besides all this , some of our own Sabbatarians have laboured , to revive , and bring in the old Jewish saturday-Sabbath . Thus hath this Sabbaticall Law , and our Christian Sunday been abused by schismaticall Demagogues , who , notwithstanding , have bin of late both permitted , and encouraged for such politick ends , as we see , are now fully effected . The consideration whereof , moved me to endeavour a right understanding , and vindication of the Divine Sabbath Law .

I have also addressed this discourse to you , My most Honoured Lord , and Lady , for an acknowledgement of your many favours , to my self , and to my more dear Consort in these hard times ; and for a Testimony of my most thankfull apprehension thereof ; And also , for that I am well assured , that you , My Lord , in your love to Truth , and Piety , have taken pains to inform your selfe in this very Mystery , by carefull attention in hearing , and by your more private readings , and conferences , besides your secret Meditations , ( best known to your self ) . Of which Christian imployments , because I was in some part , Conscious ; it stirred me the more , to hasten this Work , wherein , I trust you will find satisfaction , when your leisure will permit you to read it through .

I beg both your pardons for my tediousnesse in this addresse , being not so much Epistolar as Isagogical , which I so designed , to be instead of an Introduction , needfull for the more easie , and unscrupulous perusall of the ensuing Treatise ; which I have cloathed with ordinary and coorse Apparrel , in a low , and vulgar style , as to be the more fitly accommodated , to the ordinary , or middle sort of Christians : just so , as the Books of our Sabbatarians are , whereby they have gained too much upon the easinesse , and credulity of their adherents ; This book is therefore of the like alay with theirs , as one saith , b b Mart. l. 7. ep. 89.

In old time , Writers were thought to procure a kind of immortality to them , whose Names they recorded in their Books ; therefore , a a Plin. l. 7. ep. 33. Plinius the younger , ( a man of singular worth , who procured a stay , and mollifying of the persecution under Trajan ) desired Tacitus ( his contemporary ) to record his Name in his History , because he thought that so , it might continue as long as the World : And before him , Ovid , by the same way , promised the like to himselfe , and to his Wife , b b Ovid. Met & Trist. l. 5 eleg. 15.

So when Picus Mirandula wrote a book , and dedicated it to Politian ; he returned this answer , c c P lit . lib. 12. Epist. 5. Ago tibi gratias ob immortalitatem . Just so did d d ●ips . cent . ep. 65. Lipsius to another .

But I may not promise , or hope for any such production , or issue , by these papers , to you , or to my Lady , though I wish I could ; yet I am well assured , that the Doctrine herein delivered , ( being of the greatest concernment , and comfort for Christians ) is such , as ought to continue in the Church , as long as it is Militant .

Neither do either of you need any such immortalizing Pharmacum , or paper-charm for that , which your owne eminent , and shining vertues may by themselves procure ; your piety to God , your sincerity , and constancy in true Religion , your mercifullnesse , and charitable compassion , and bountifull reliefe of the poor Members of Christ ; your generall goodn●sse toward all sorts of people , and particularly to the now oppressed Church-men in these ●ad times , will be your Testimonialls , or Epistles ( as the Apostle speaketh , a a 2 Cor. 3. 2. ) and Comforts to your Consciences whil'st you live here , and Monuments or Trophies to posterity , when both of you , in a full and good old age , shall follow those Prayers , and Almes which are gone up before you , for a Memoriall before God , Act. 10. 4. with whom I trust , you will find your names recorded with an everlasting Character , in the blessed Registry of the Book of Life . In the m●an time , whil'st my now aged life shall last , I will not forget to recommend you , and yours , in my Prayers to the Mercifull protection of our Lord Jesus , and remain . My Noble Lord , and Lady ,