yet came upon the back of an Angel Such honour have all his Saints to stand before him in this Noble Clothing peculiar to them in the House and Family of this great King of Heaven 3. It intimates Beauty and Glory This is also set out by the colour of white so when Christ was transfigured on the Mount his face did shine as the sun and his raiment was white as the light that is it shined with an extraordinary splendour and brightness Mat. 17.2 We find the countenance of the Angel Mat. 28.3 to be like lightning and his raiment white as snow and two other called men appearing in humane shape in white apparel that is very glorious and beautiful Acts 1.10 Thus Overcomers shall be clothed in white Raiment they shall walk with me in white saith Christ Rev. 3.4 in great Beauty and Glory The Kings Daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of wrought gold Psal 45.10 Yea they are said to be clothed with the sun Rev. 12.1 Cloth of Gold is accounted very glorious but if a man were clothed with the natural Sun he would be much more bright and beautiful How renowned for beauty are they then who are clothed with the Sun of Righteousness Some who have no natural beauty yet appear amiable by their fine shining Garments They are for Ornament and are to the Body as rich Hangings or costly Varnish over a wall of Clay which make it look better than else it would as the Poet saith Viro vestis magnum decus addit honesta Such a garment is Christ he adorns the Soul and gives it a rich and perfect beauty He is set out by the wedding-garment Mar. 22.12 The High Priests garments of old were but types of this which were made for beauty and glory Exod. 28.2 All the comliness of the Saints is by reason of this beautiful dress in which they are attired This is that Raiment of Needle-work which is a great Ornament to them though outwardly in rags or mean clothing He is a Crown and Diadem upon the head Signified by that fair Miter which was set upon Joshua's head Zach. 3.5 which hath its name from compassing about because it invironed the High Priests head It had a holy Crown with it Exod. 29.6 signifying the Deity and Dignity of Christ It had also upon the forefront of it a plate of pure gold with this engraving Holiness to the Lord who is said to be glorious in Holiness All shews what excellent beauty and glory is put upon the Overcomer clothed with this white Raiment 4. It signifies festivity and rejoycing Black is the mourning colour white is the colour of delight and joy They used white Garments at Feasts and joyful Solemnities Hence that of Solomon Let thy garments be always white Eccl. 9.8 Not absolutely but in all proper seasons of rejoycing The very beasts on which they rode in triumph to praise the Lord for victory over their Enemies were of this colour They rode on white Asses Judg. 5.10 That great mercy of Absolution is set out to us under the notion of a white stone Rev. 2.17 To signify what ground of spiritual joy they have whose sin is pardoned The sense then is Overcomers shall be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 Glorious because this joy is a taste of future Glory or else because it made them glorious in the eyes of men The Kingdom of God is joy in the Holy-Ghost Rom. 14.17 When they are worsted by their Enemies they are filled with heaviness but if at any time they lead captivity captive and can get their feet upon the neck of those that hate them then their sorrow is turned into joy and their joy shall no man take away from them When Israel or rather God for Israel overcame Pharaoh and his Hosts Then sang Israel a joyful song unto the Lord Exod. 15. Thus shall all victorious Souls have their mouths filled with laughter and their tongues with singing and say The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Great is the shouting and rejoycing of Soldiers when they get a Victory and with much better joy shall they be clothed and filled who conquer in this holy war This is the first thing here promised 2. Rea. Overcomers names are indelibly recorded by Jesus Christ who here assures them of it saying I will not blot out his Name out of the Book of Life A Metaphorical expression also we read of the book of Scripture the book of Nature the book of Conscience and here and in other places of the book of Life and that the names of men are written there and those once engraven never shall be obliterated Phil. 4.3 Rev. 13.8 There we find the Lambs book of Life wherein are names written from the foundation of the world The phrase is taken from the enrolling of Citizens and Soldiers that they may be known to be such The promise implies That Overcomers are dear and precious in the eyes of Christ It is in matters of some concernment that things are committed to writing which men will carefully keep that nothing be expunged or blotted out This is seen in Jeremiah and others who caused Writings to be drawn and preserved upon weighty occasions Christ hath an high esteem of Valiant and Conquering Christians they are written before him yea they are written within him engraven in his Knowledg and Remembrance and in his Love and Affections as very dear unto him As the Names of the Tribes were written upon Stones which the High-Priest bare on his Breast-plate when he went into the most holy Place Even so the names of all Believers are written upon the heart of Christ to shew how precious they are to him Queen Mary said If she were opened after her Death they should find Calice written in her heart Were Faith duely exercised we might see Believers engraven upon Christ's heart and this Book shall never admit one of the Names in it to be crossed out If a Pilate could say Quod scripsi scripsi What I have written I have written Christ much more There are no Errata and therefore no Deleatur in the Book of Life And who should blot them out Not Men or Angels for it is a Sealed Book to them not their Sins which yet they fear more than the former for they themselves are blotted out by the hand of Free-Grace I even I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for mine own sake Isa 43.25 As a Creditor takes his Pen and blots out the Debt or as men cancel Bills of Indictment so doth God to speak of him after the manner of men dip his pen in the Blood of his Son and dashes out the Hand-writings against them and cancels all those large Bills And this not as men blot things out that are written upon Paper where great blurs remain and they may possibly be read again but as a Cloud as a thick Cloud Isa 44.22 The Sun so
scatters and blots out the Clouds that there is nothing of them to be seen their sins are so done away as not to he remembred any more are as if they had never been As a table-Table-Book wash it and there is no appearance of any thing written there so hath the Lord removed their Iniquities and having blotted out their sins for his Name 's sake will not blot out their Names for their sins sake So then it remains that none but Christ can blot out their Names for he is the Master of the Rolls and keeps this Book in his own possession and he hath prevented all fears of it by his own solemn Promise in the Text. Object Against this some object these two Scriptures Exod. 32.32 33. Moses said Blot me out of thy Book Whosoever hath sinned against me saies God him will I blot out of my Book especially that Rev. 22.19 It any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life Answ As for that place in Exodus some carry it as if Moses desired in the former verse to lose his part in a better Life than is here to be enjoyed even Eternal Life rather than God be thus dishonoured and blasphemed but think it a sinful desire or great zeal at the best with a mixture of corrupt passion in it But others understand it of the Book of Records in which mens names were Registred Princes use to keep such Books in which were set down the Names of those that had done them any special Service Mordecai's name was recorded in such a Book and how he acted to preserve the King's Life Esth 6. And this was much Self-denial in Moses to be willing to have his Name razed out thence for the Peoples good Moses rather desired not to live than that all the people involved in that sin should dye willing to have his Name blotted out of the Church Records than the people come under this great Judgment Like that wish of St. Paul Rom. 9.3 who wished himself accursed from Christ for his Brethren and Kinsmen according to the flesh Some say Such was his Love to his Kindred that if it had been consistent with the Will of God he desired to have redeemed the casting away of the Israelites with the loss of his own Soul for ever But besides that this desire was impossible to be accompliâ—hed it would have been sinful By this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or being Accursed from Christ he means only to be Excommunicated from the Church which is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 Which argued a high Affection to his Relations And as to the other place God's taking away their part out of the Book of Life is no more than to manifest they have no part therein and hence we find the Scripture speaking of some Whose Names were not written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 God will declare them to be such as were not Predestinated from all Eternity to be saved by the Death of Christ Some there are not written in this Book but none written there shall be blotted out That 's the Second Particular 3. Rea. Christ will confess the names of Overcomers before his Father and before his Angels as if he had said I will own and acknowledg him as he hath owned and acknowledged me They have confessed him before men and he hath promised to confess such before his Father Mat. 10.32 The meaning is that Christ will publickly own them in the great Day of Judgment and will openly profess their well-tried Faith and other victorious Graces and they shall be found to Honour Praise and Glory at his appearing 1 Pet. 1.7 Then he will avouch them to be his Children saying Father Behold I and the Children which thou hast given me Isa 8.18 Esther though advanced to Honour with the King own'd her Relation to Mordecai and told him what he was unto her Esth 8.1 Joseph though advanced to great Dignity and a chief Favourite in Pharaoh's Court yet owned and confessed his poor Relations even before the King and his Courtiers Gen. 47. Even so will Christ at that day own his victorious Servants and Soldiers before the King of Kings and all those glorious Courtiers of Heaven the holy Angels A taste of this he gave when he was here on Earth When some told him his Relations stood without desiring to speak with him he pointed to his Disciples and said Behold my Mother and my Brethren For whosoever doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Mother and Sister and Brother Mat. 12.49 50. Here he freely owns and confesses his Spiritual Kindred and prefers them before his bare natural Relations So we find him making a report of their excellency who were his Disciples unto God his Father saying I have manifested thy Name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world and they have kept thy word Joh. 17.6 Here he makes an honourable mention of their laying up his words in their hearts and keeping to it in their lives And though as yet they were but weak yet he doth notably commend their good beginnings to his Father What will he do then at last when they shall have perfectly overcome We find it recorded of John the Baptist that he confessed and denied not but confessed I am not the Christ and after owned him and pointed at him saying Behold the Lamb of God vers 29. John is plain and bold ingenuous and constant in his testimony of Christ renonuncing the honour due to his Master and confessing and declaring Christ in the dignity and excellency of his Office shewing them how he was to execute the same for their good and benefit which was by Suffering and therefore points him out as the substance of the Passover and daily Sacrifices who by the Merit and Vertue of his Death takes away the sin of his own both Jews and Gentiles And did John lose by this his resolute Confession No not even here for Christ did as freely confess and make an honourable mention of him For saith he among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist Mat. 11.11 Because he was Christ's immediate Forerunner now the nearer to Christ the more excellent He prefers him not only before all the Prophets but all others that were born before him This is but the beginning of what Confession shall be more fully made of the Names of all that overcome in the great day of the Lords coming to Judgment The Vses follow Vse 1. See hence the miserable estate of all who overcome not but are fatally and finally overcome in their warring against these enemies of our Salvation They have neither part nor lot in these precious Promises yea the quite contrary things will be their Portion Instead of being clothed in white raiment in token of Purity Dignity
20.27 That they have not shunned to declare unto us all the Councel of God And whilst others are daubing with untempered morter sowing of pillows under their elbows and healing the hurt of the Daughter of my people slightly crying peace when there is no peace yet we have some who are found faithful Moniters as to our approaching imminent dangers by whom instrumentally the silver Trumpet of the Gospel giveth forth a most certain sound causing the Saints and people of God to see and understand that now it is high time to prepare to the Battel Amongst whom this worthy and faithful servant of Jesus Christ the Author of these excellent ensuing discourses diservedly ought to be reckoned and rancked not in the meanest place whose design herein next unto the glory of God I doubt not confidently to affirm is the spiritual good and benefit of all his people whilest it evidently appeareth that he endeavoureth the good of all but especially the houshold of faith of some he hath compassion making a difference others he saveth with fear pulling them out of the fire that if possible he might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus To this end our Reverend Author in delivering the mind of God in this Discourse so speaketh as stooping down to the meanest capacity so manifesting much of a sweet Self-denying and Soul-saving Spirit whose Preaching is not with inticeing words of mens wisdom but in the demonstration of the Spirit and with Power who though he could speak with Tongues God having given him the Tongue of the Learned that he might know how to speak a word in season to every weary soul yet I am sure that in the Church of Christ he had rather speak five words with his understanding that all might he edified and comforted than five hundred in an unknown Tongue But I need not say any more in this matter the Work that is before thee Christian Reader doth sufficiently speak for him wherein he as a good Steward of the manifold Grace of God doth labour to give to every one a portion for here thou hast both milk for Babes and strong meat for strong Men in Christ Such as are yet strangers to Christ he labours to bring them into a measure of Spiritual Acquaintance with him and such as do in measure savingly know him he labours to put them into a more full enjoyment of him In order hereunto in the first place he wisely and faithfully acquaints all who desire to set their faces Zion-ward what things they may meet withal in travelling thither letting them understand the worst first that meeting with such things in the way they might not be discouraged so as to be turned out of the good way of the Lord. Moreover in those sweet Discourses he as a Son of Consolation doth speak comfortably labouring more and more to confirm and encourage all the godly to keep on in their way considering that all who are now in Heaven that Haven of Rest and Happiness have more or less trod in the same path viz. of Active and Passive Obedience Yea our Lord himself who is the Captain of our Salvation in his bringing of many Sons to Glory was made perfect through Sufferings and is through Sufferings entered into Glory In which way all that will be found good Soldiers of Christ must be willing to follow him Now as a strong enducement or as a mighty encouraging and perswasive argument hereunto our reverend Author doth hold out in these divine discourses many sweet promises as being proper and peculiar to all and only to such as shall be found overcomers Thereby intimating unto us first That here while we are in the body is the time and place for managing of this spiritual combat and conflict and then secondly here is laid before us what these Enemies are with which we are to encounter in this spiritual combat namely Sin and Satan the World and the Flesh Thirdly by what means every Christian shall be enabled so to manage the great engagement as they may undoubtedly be Conquerers in the end I more then Conquerers viz. Through the faith of Christ who loveth all that are his which love of his being shed abroad in a soul will be in it such constraining love as will be stronger than death causing the soul so to exercise faith in Christ that through the strengh of Christ it shall certainly prevail and wholly overcome and so come in the end to see and share in the comfort of those sweet promises viz. 1. To eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God 2. Not to be hurt of the second death 3. To eat of the hidden Manna and to have that white stone c. 4. To have power over the Nations and to have the Morning-star 5. To be cloathed in white rayment c. 6. To be a pillar in the Temple of God and to go no more out c. 7. To sit with Christ in his Throne yea to inherit all things Now good Reader That thou maist be helped to do thy duty faithfully so as thou maist obtain all these things promised effectually and so be made happy in the Lord everlastingly is the earnest prayer of him who is thy sincere well-wisher in the Lord. T.W. SERMON I. REV. II 7. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God THE order of giving this Book of the Revelation is very observable For God the Father gave it to his Son Jesus Christ Christ to his Angel the Angel to John and John to the Seven Churches in Asia Rev. 1.1 4. It 's observed that this John was honoured to be an Evangelist in his Gospel an Apostle in his Epistles and a Prophet in his Revelation It is a Book of singular use to Christians to the end of the world And though many things in it are very mysterious which Christ will reveal to his Servants in their proper seasons yet many things are more clear and obvious The Epistles to the Churches though directed to the Angel of each Church yet concern the whole body and each member and therefore it 's said He that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit speaks unto the Churches This is spoken to each particular Church which plainly shews they were all bound to attend the voice of the Holy Ghost in all that is delivered yea all the Churches that have been since now are or ever shall be are concerned in it for all that is written is for our learning upon whom the ends of the world are come Rom. 15.4 The Text is the conclusion of that Epistle directed to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus By the Angel some understand the Ministers so stiled to shew both their dignity and duty This Ephesus was that famous City Acts 19. where the great goddess Diana was so much esteemed in which a Church was planted at first vigorous and