Clavis apocalyptica ex innatis & insitis visionum characteribus eruta & demonstrata: una cum commentario in Apocalypsin (Clauis apocalyptica) [AND] Paraleipomena Remaines On some Passages in the Revelation. [AND] The Apostasy of the Latter Times. [AND] A paraphrase and exposition of the prophesie of Saint Peter

Joseph Mede; Josephi Medi; Joseph Meade

Cantabrigiae : apud R. Daniel celeberrimae Academiae typographum, 1644

[Early English Millenarianism: A Rare Collection of Apocalyptic Writings] Sammelband of four works by Joseph Mede (printed in 1649, 1650, 1644, 1649) bound in one volume.  Contemporary boards. Rebacked with modern leather spine.  All edges stained red. Collation: [2], 36, [4], 290, 7; [4], 63; [16], 152; [2], 22 pages.  Includes the fold out diagram from Clavis Apocalyptica.  "In S. Joannis Apocalypsin commentarius:" has separate dated title page and pagination; but the register is continuous.  Mede's Clavis Apocalyptica was first published in 1627, (English ed., 1643).  It was an influential interpretation of the Book of Revelation and predicted the coming end times.  In it Mede projected the end of the world by 1715, possibly by 1654.  Mede was a professor at Cambridge and was influential on Thomas Goodwin, Pierre Jurieu, Isaac Newton, Aaron Kinne, Richard Kidder, Henry More, John Milton, etc.  "Mead's posthumous fame rests on his 'Clavis Apocalyptica' and kindred writings. He has the merit of perceiving that a thorough determination of the structural character of the Apocalypse must be a preliminary to any sound interpretation of it. He decides that its visions form a connected and chronological sequence; the key to the discrimination of an earlier and later chain of events he finds in Rev. xvii. 18; he makes no claim to write history in advance by help of prophecies which remain for fulfilment.  His millennial speculations are based on the theory that the 'day' of judgment is a period of a thousand years, preceded by the resurrection of martyrs and their admission to heaven. He describes it as a period of 'most blissful peace' for the church on earth, but expressly rejects a terrestrial reign of Christ." - DNB, vol. 37, 178-180 pp.   Interestingly, Mede was also the originator of the rationalistic view of demoniacal possession.  While he admits no distinction between demoniacs and maniacs, but he leaves an open question whether all maniacs are not possessed.  Some of his writings on demons are included this volume.  

The titles of the works in this nonce volume include: 1. Clavis apocalyptica, 1649; 2. Paraleipomena. Remaines on some passages in the Revelation. Whereunto are added Severall discourses concerning the holinesse of churches; 3. The apostasy of the latter times. In which, (according to divine prediction) the world should wonder after the Beast, the mysterie of ininquity should so far prevaile over the mysterie of godlinesse, whorish Babylon over the virgin-church of Christ, as that the visible glory of the true church should be much clouded, the true unstained Christian faith corrupted, the purity of true worship polluted. Or, the gentiles theology of daemons, i.e. inferior divine powers: supposed to the mediatours betweene God and man. Revived in the latter times amongst Christians, in worshipping of angels, deifying and invocating of saints, adoring and and templing of reliques, bowing downe to images, worshipping of crosses, &c. All which, together with a true discovery of the nature, originall, progresse, of the great, fatall, and solemne apostasie, are cleered.; 4. A paraphrase and exposition of the prophesie of Saint Peter, concerning the day of Christ's second coming, described in the third chapter of his second Epistle. As also, how the conflagration, or destruction of the world by fire, (whereof Saint Peter speaks) and especially of the heavens, is to be understood.  References: v.1: Wing M1594; ESTC S112504; v.2: Wing M1604; ESTC R2396; v.3: Wing M1592; ESTC R19597; v.4: Wing M1606, ESTC R9095.  Additional references: Sarah Hutton, "Mede, Milton and More: Christ's College Millenarians", Jeffrey Jue, "Heaven Upon Earth: Joseph Mede (1586-1638) and the Legacy of Millenarianism."