A Letter To The Whole Church Militant
By King James 1 of England
Epistle to the Whole Church Militant, in whatsoever part of the Earth. by King James 1 of England; 6 of Scotland
O whom should I have so fitly directed (Christian Readers) this Paraphrase of mine upon the Revelation, as unto you, who are the very and true posterity of those Churches, to whom the Book it self was dedicated, and for whose instructions and comfort the said Epistle was ended by the Holy Spirit, and written by that great Theologue John the Apostle, whom our Master beloved dearly? I doubt not but it will seem strange to many, that any of my age, calling, and literature, should have medley with so obscure, Theological, and high a subject : But let my earnest desire (by manifesting the Truth, as well to teach my self as others, serve for excuse; considering also that where diverse other in our age, have melded with the interpretation of the Booke, pressing with preoccupied opinions, only to wrest and conform the meaning thereof the their particular and private passions; I by the contrary protest, that all my travails tend to square and conform my opinions to the true and sincere meaning thereof : Which causes moved me to undertake this work; not thereby to despise infinite others, who to the glory of God, and great comfort of his Church, hath given it a great light already, rut rather that by oft perusing and do considering thereof, whereto this work hath led me, I might be the better acquainted with the meaning of the Book, which I esteem a special cannon against the Hereticall wall of our common adversaries the Papists : whom I would wish to know, that in this my Paraphrase upon it, I have used nothing of my own conjecture, or of the authority of others, but only have interpreted it, in that sense which may best agree with the method of the Epistle, and not be contradictories to it self: The meaning whereof I expound, partly by it self, and partly by other parts of the Scriptures, as the work it self will bear witness: And therefore this one thing I must crave of our Adversaries, that they will not refute any part of my Interpretation, till they find out a more probable themselves, agreeing with the whole context, & cum serie temporum; and where their consciences bear them witness that I speak the Truth, that they will yield unto it, and glorify God therein, and this is all the reward I crave for my paints. But of one thing I must forewarned you (Christian Readers) to wit, that ye may understand, that it is for the making of the Discourse more short and facile, that I have made John to be the Speaker in all this Paraphrase; and not that I am so presumptuously foolish, as to have meant thereby, that my Paraphrase is the only true and certain exposition of the Epistle, rejecting all others : For although through speaking in his person, I am only bounded and limited to use one, and not diverse interpretations, of every several place; yet I condemn not others, but rather allow them to interpret it diversely, so being, it agree with the analogy of faith , with the method of the Text, & cum serve temporum, as I said before : for those three being observed, it may fall out that diverse, diversely expound one place, and yet all be according to the truth, and very meaning of the Spirit of God, as may easily be proved ty the Test is self: For in the 17th Chapter the Angel expounding to John, the seven heads of the beasts that came out of the Sea, he saith seven heads which though safest upon the beast are the seven Hills, and they are also seven Kings: here ye see one thing is expounded in two very farce different fashions, and yet both true; And therefore let wise men take their choice in these things, observing always these rules I have spoken of; as specially for example; This Hebrew word Armageddon in the 16th Chapter and fixt Phiale, although I expound it to signify destruction by deceit, as composed of Gnarma & Geddon which may ver well agree with the history, because it is the name of the place, seats John, where the wicked being assembled together by the alluring and deceit of Satan, and his three spirits of Devils to make war with the faithful, were all destroyed by God, and so their destruction came, and was procured by deceipt, yet others interpret it to signify destruction by waters, as composed of Harma & Geddon, which also may very well agree with the History. For waters indeed in this Book signify oft many people and Nations, as appeareth by the very Text in the 17th Chapter; And others take it to be an allusion to the destruction that Joshua made of Gods enemies upon the hill of Mageddon, and therefore the be composed of Harr, with is called a Hill and Mageddon, which may also very well agree with the History.
And as I speak of this, so I speak the like of Gog and Magod in the 20th Chapter, and of all other ambiguous places this Book.
Is rests then that what ye find amiss in this Paraphrase, ye impute it to my lack of years and leaning, and what ye find worthy to be allowed in it, that ye attribute the full praise thereof to GOD, to whom only all praise appertaineth.
Fare Well.