being beleeued it is powerfull no might of man or any Prince is comparable Thirdly Christ destroyeth and killeth all our enemies all the aduersaries of the Church this is the principal end of this sword for Christ speaketh these words to comfort his Church in persecutions and for this he is said to haue a sharpe two edged sword for he killeth and slayeth the enemies of his Church partly in this life but deadly in the life to come In this life the word serueth to conuince them of hypocrisie vnbeleefe heresies superstition for Christ he abolished them with the breath of his mouth that is this sword 2. Thess. 2. Secondly when they be touched by the preaching of this word with desperations for when the law and Gospell is preached to them it wounds them to the heart by reuealing all their cursed dealings their vnbeleefe and hypocrisie and sets the conscience on the racke and stirres it vp which is fit of it selfe to accuse them when it hath reuealed their sinnes then it smites them with feare and horror and makes their conscience more fit to accuse terrifie them and then though they run on in sin yet they haue a deadly wound of desperation and this increaseth in this life and slayeth in the next for it cleane cuts them off when Christ shall say Go yee cursed this smiteth them starke dead casting them into eternall destruction for euer We must labour to haue the word of God worke powerfully in vs. to take place in our hearts by faith not onely to shew our sins Gods wrath against the same but withal to wound them slay and kill them and at the first to wound deadly for onely to haue our sins detected and our consciences terrified this is the way to desperation and the first wound to death but we must go further haue our corrupt hearts ript vp wounded crucified haue them reformed and this is the way to wound our soules and the end why Christ hath the two edged sword The second part is the proposition containing two parts first a commendation secondly a rebuke The commendation in the thirteenth verse I know thy workes In these words he commends this Church first in generall secondly in particular generally in these words I know thy workes that is thy waies and doings thy counsels affaires and withall I approue them as Psal. 1. 6. The Lord knoweth the righteous that is he approues them I know thy works Christ he begins with these words in this and euery of these Epistles to teach vs one especiall thing that the feare of God is the chiefe thing to be learned the beginning of all religion and for this cause he beginneth thus I know thy workes three or foure times I know shewing by this that wheresoeuer we be we are in the presence of Christ he sees all our works he heareth and knoweth all we do we cannot go out of his presence and to settle this deepely in our hearts that he is present alwaies seeing and beholding vs he repeates this seuen times in the beginning of euery Epistle Then this should teach vs both Minister and people to labour to haue this perswasion in our hearts that Christ is present seeth and beholdeth all we do when we take any thing in hand he stands at our elbowes looketh on vs whether we do well or ill then we must labour to haue this perswasion in our hearts that we can say now I do this or that my Sauiour Iesus Christ my Lord and redeemer he beholds me lookes on me seeth all my dealings therefore I will behaue my selfe well And the Preacher may spend himselfe in speaking and to no purpose till God giue grace to teach the people this one point which is the beginning and ground of all religion and feare of God for men may haue knowledge and speake much of the words of religion yet they cannot be true Christians till they haue learned this one point to be so perswaded as they can say in their heart Christ seeth and beholds me and till we can do that we shall make conscience of no sinne 2 The particular first commendation And where thou dwellest though thou dwel in a place where the diuel hath set his throne a place most incommodious and vnfit yet thou obseruest and keepest my name and religion thus he commendeth her for her constancie in religion Throne That is any place where superstition idolatrie and wickednesse is practised without controlment and frō whence wickednesse is conueyed to other places for the diuell is the god of this world 2. Cor. 4. 4. and he hath his kingdome throne and seate placed where he can practise sinne and wickednesse where iniquitie is maintained the Gospell despised and from whence he conueyeth his diuellish wickednesse to other places Such a place was Pergamus a citie wherein sinne did abound without controlment religion despised and from whence wickednesse was conueyed to many other cities townes and places Here we may note the diuels pollicie who hath his kingdome here on earth like to God here he placeth his thrones as a Prince and maketh choice to haue the fittest place where he may rule and raigne and practise wickednesse without controlment frō whence he may conuey it to other places he hath euer had hath now will haue his thrones He had in old time the high places the groues and such places where the people committed idolatrie Among the Gentiles there were Oracles to erect his thrones for in them he gaue answers and so conueyed his wickednesse to many In later dayes he had euery church and chappell his throne when Images Saints Roodes and such like were erected to which all men from all parts of the land came to worship In schooles of learning he had his thrones when nothing was taught but superstition and errors And now in our times he hath his thrones and officers to attend on the same as wisemen and these are a speciall meanes to erect his throne for vnto these come men from farre and neare so that he conueyeth his iniquitie to many seeing many seeke to them and so do him homage So dicing and brothell houses seeing in them iniquitie is practised in them is his throne In families where they liue in ignorance in sinne and wickednesse in blaspheming and drunkennesse or any one sinne there is his throne and so many thrones as families where they liue by any vniust dealing Then it is necessarie seeing the diuell hath his throne the Lord should haue his opposite to this as when men haue thrones of iustice both ciuill and ecclesiasticall ciuill to represse all iniustice and wickednesse to punish vice to reward vertue and ecclesiasticall to punish and reprehend those sinnes which ciuill iustice cannot The diuell cunningly and pollitickly chooseth Pergamus not a base towne or village but a huge citie whence many kings proceeded where there was a famous and great king and where was much people So he
of their pride that it was not small but great therefore the word is doubled to shew the strength of their conceipt and the greatnesse of their pride Now what is the cause why they were not onely puft vp but giuen to such an high degree of pride Answ. Knowledge was the cause for no doubt but the Angell of that Church had great knowledge and was a learned man and the people were well instructed Now knowledge puffeth vp it maketh mens hearts to swell with pride therfore it is true that where much knowledge is there is much pride if men want the grace of humiliation and griefe for sinne And haue need of nothing Here is a further marke and token of their pride when a man thinkes thus that he needs no help for his saluation if he stands in no need of Christs blood for the saluation of his soule this is a notable signe of abundant pride in the heart This serueth further to conuince our congregration of this pride for if we be neuer so litle sicke straight we seeke to the Phisitians but though our soules be neuer so sicke none seeke to the Ministers sicknesses we feele but not sins therefore the Phisitian is in request but the Minister is not thought of till the pangs of death be felt This shewes that we abound in spirituall pride therfore marke this you must labour to feele what need you haue of Christ for til you do so there is no grace in the heart If you would haue grace learne this that you want the bloud of Christ and till you feele this neuer thinke your case good but wretched and damnable It is a daungerous case for a man to say he wanteth nothing And knowest not Here he setteth downe the cause of their pride that is ignorance as if he should say Thou knowest not thine owne naturall estate as thou wert borne of Adam thy state out of Christ. Thus we see that ignorance is the cause of pride and pride of lukewarmenesse By this he sheweth what they are ignorant of Hence it may be gathered that pride was not the first sinne nor the roote of all other sinnes as the Papists and some other thinke Indeed it is a great sinne and a mother sinne yet it hath a more inward cause that is ignorance Whereof euen of a mans owne estate before God so much Christ here signifieth The cause why any thinke wel of themselues and swell in pride is the ignorance of their owne estate and because they are ignorant of that therefore they are puft vp with pride By this we must all be admonished to haue care to learne to know our owne estate in which we are by nature without Christ. Euery person that will come to saluation must be throughly acquainted with his owne estate and know his owne sinnes and the curse due to them and therefore it is that the Prophets so often call vpon the people to search and fanne themselues that they might be acquainted with their owne estate Till you know this you shall be but proud peacocks neuer haue grace although you haue otherwise very great gifts of knowledge and grace to conceiue a prayer be able to teach yet you shall neuer haue any grace to turne and repent truly till the ignorance of your state be remoued and then cometh grace true obedience and humiliation and other graces needfull for Gods seruice therefore labour for it If there be any blemish in your face you will see it O then labour to see the spots of your soules Now in that Christ doth thus strike at the roote of their pride and bewray their ignorance he sheweth the state of euery man by nature so that here cometh to be handled the naturall estate and miserie of man The miserie of this Church is propounded two waies first generally secondly particularly Generally in two words wretched and miserable Wretched that is one subiect to misery griefe and calamities so much is signified by the first word That we may know what this miserie is I will enter into a description of mans wretchednesse Where two things must be considered first the roote and fountaine of it namely originall sinne which hath two branches first that very particular offence and trespasse whereby Adam sinned which is not onely the sinne of his person but of mans nature and of euery one that cometh of Adam Christ excepted Secondly from that sinne as a part of it and yet withall as a punishment of it followeth the corruption of mans heart and defacing of Gods image whereby the heart hath got a pronenesse and disposition or inclination to all sinne In these two stand mans miserie for from these do spring al our miseries both in and after this life So much for the first part what mans miserie is Againe we must conceiue it vnder the forme of a punishment All miserie of what kind soeuer is a punishment laid vpon man for that first sinne Now the punishment of sinne must be considered diuerse waies according to the diuerse times of mans being either in this world or departed hence All punishment is either in this life or in the end of it or after and so is miserie in this life in the end of it or after it Againe some miseries concerne the whole man and they are two principally First a subiection to Gods wrath whereby a man is in daunger thereof euery day made a child of wrath This is a miserie of all miseries and so much the more grieuous as a man cannot without some grace see it Secondly bondage to the diuell the Scripture speaketh of it oftentimes You may conceiue it thus The man regenerate saith I sin but I would not sinne the naturall man saith I sinne and I will sinne it is my nature to sinne and my pleasure and in sinne will I liue And these are the two miseries concerning the whole man Now there be miseries which concerne not the whole man but the bodie or soule goods or calling in this life Miseries concerning the soule are these First in the mind and vnderstanding there is blindnesse and ignorance of Gods will Secondly in diuerse persons madnesse and foolishnesse All these are miseries curses and punishments inflicted on mans soule for sin And further that nothing can be learned without paines and difficultie Further in the mind there is a conscience and there is accusation secret feares and terrors and so many accusations so many miseries In the will there is rebellion and in the affections peruersenesse which is not onely a sinne but a plague and punishment And as the soule so the bodie is subiect to his miseries to many paines aches and diseases Yea the diseases of mans bodie are so many that all Physicke bookes cannot record them Besides diseases there is mortalitie that is a subiection to death so as all the art and skill in the world cannot preuent it In our goods the want of necessaries is a miserie and by
must haue our eares opened to become listeners and pliable to the word that when the Lord cals vs to do his wil we may answer with Dauid I am ready to do thy will O God Further after we haue read or heard the word we must practise that we heare in performing true repentance and laboring faithfully in our vocation for as we see men of trades become cunning by the continuall practise of their trades so if we practise true obedience in repentance and our vocation we shal be skilfull in the word It followeth Which are written in the booke of this prophesie The child of God must keepe and remember the whole word of God yet it is his speciall duty to keepe these prophesies which are to come So the Angell bids Daniel seale vp the booke of the Prophesie till the time come that is remember and keepe it diligently So Mathew 24. 15. When they shall see the abhomination of desolation speaking of things to come he would haue them to marke and remember what he saith Mat. 24. 25. Behold I haue told you before where he shewes that when any great things are to befall the Church then we must in these be most carefull to remember them For the time is at hand Here is a reason of the former words Blessed is he which readeth c. Seeing the time of the accomplishing of this Prophesie is at hand and must shortly be fulfilled therefore those be blessed which reade and keepe this prophesie and it is an answer to a secret obiection For they might haue said We need not reade this Prophesie seeing it shal not be fulfilled in our dayes but he addeth The time is at hand and so taketh that obiection away Now seeing these words were in the first verse and here repeated againe he would teach vs that they containe some waighty matter for vs to be considered and to be earnestly thought of Now S. Iohn addes these words for two causes first because the Church though it cannot be ouertaken with deadly sleepe yet it may slumber and be cast into some beginnings of sleepe as the fiue wise virgins though they slept not so carelesly as the other yet they all slept not a deadly sleepe but a slumber for in the Church there may be some remnants of security Cant. 5. 2. The Church sleepes but so as she alwayes listens as awaken being in a light slumber Now least the Church should be carelesse sleeping and drowsie the holy Ghost addes these words The time of the last iudgement is at hand Secondly he addes these words to confirme the Church and all the true members of Christ against afflictions seeing by these words he foretels them that they be to last but a short time the time of iudgement is at hand the affliction cannot long endure Then this should comfort those which suffer for Christ his sake In this that Christ foretels the Church that now in the last age the time is at hand we must be assured that whatsoeuer befalleth the mēbers of Christ shal shortly befal them temtations afflictions the crosse and calamity shall presently befall vs the time of iudgement is at hand it will presently befall vs. And if we had this confidence that the last iudgement is at hand it would make vs do all in good conscience stay vs frō many sins and the want of this is the cause of much mischiefe for so the bad seruant thinking his maister would defer his comming he smites and beates his fellow seruants And the old world liued in sinne and would not beleeue the flood should come though they were foretold of it till they were all swept away by water We then should lay this to our harts euer think the Lord is at the doore he is presently to come to iudgement And we ought the rather to thinke of this for we haue had ease peace and the Gospell flourishing this 8 yeares with all temporall blessings Now the state of the Church is now peace and now trouble and persecution Now then seeing these crosses which must fall on the Church they be to be done presently we cannot but looke for affliction and persecution after so long peace and preaching Iohn to the seuen Churches in Asia grace and peace c. In this fourth verse is the second part of this Chapter which is the inscription of this booke wherein is first the party which writes it and dedicates it secondly the parties to whō it is dedicated first the party which dedicates it is Iohn secondly the parties to whom the seuen Churches in Asia In the inscription are two parts first a dedication secondly a salutation contained from the fourth till the ninth verse In the dedication there be first the party which dedicates it secondly the parties to whom it is dedicated The party which dedicates it is Iohn who here againe in this fourth verse repeates his name yet so as he repeates no more but his bare name without any titles of commendation he repeats it againe to shew and certifie euery Reader of this booke that he was without all doubt the true pen-man of the holy Ghost in writing this Reuelation But though he repeate his name yet he doth not adde any titles of honour as he did in the first verse many titles of praise and commendation This he doth to giue vs a true patterne of modesty and humility which is neuer to speake in our own causes to our owne praises but onely in cases of necessity when Gods glory may be aduanced and the credit of our particular callings maintained This Paul practised who often humbles himselfe and cals himselfe the least of all the Apostles yea the chiefe of all sinners yet when the credit of his Apostleship came into question then he sets out himselfe shewing he was a true Apostle and aboue those which did falsly call themselues so 2. Cor. 11. So may we when the glory of God or the credit of our particular callings be in question set out our selues with titles of commendation The persons to whom he wrote were the seuen Churches in Asia concerning them note two things first he cals them Churches secondly in Asia Why writes he to the Churches rather then to the Church seeing there is but one true Church Ans. The Church may be considered first as it is the whole company of the elect and so it is but one secondly as it is parted and diuersly sundred into parts as in one country there is one Church or one part of the Church is in one city or towne another part in some other And there may be many Churches seeing euery congregation professing the Gospell of Christ is a Church being a member of the true Catholicke Church as the sea is but one yet there be many parts of the sea which lying against other countries are called by their names as the English French Spanish Italian sea So the particular Churches in particular countries townes and
practise this because we bring from our cradles naturall presumption which perswades vs that we be in the fauour of God that we haue his loue to vs. But we must cast off this naturall presumption and take a new course and the first step to come to grace is to see that we want grace we must see that we be lost sheepe prodigall children in our selues the very fire-brands of hell and this to see our owne want of grace is the first step to grace The second step is to desire it when we see that we want it to hunger and long for it Thirdly to lay hold on it to apprehend this fauour and grace by true and liuely faith to apply the promises of saluation by faith in Christ Iesus and this is the last steppe to get this grace Secondly in that he sets downe first grace secondly peace here is the true order of seeking for things and blessings in this life First for grace and Gods fauour secondly for peace and welfare not first peace and welfare but first for grace So Christ bids vs first to seeke the kingdome of God and the rigteousnes thereof and then when we are in Gods kingdome of grace all things needfull shall be ministred to vs. This discouers the bad practise of most men who begin at a wrong end first with peace in their callings to get honour riches pleasure or preferment neuer seeking first for grace and Gods fauour but if we would haue peace we must first haue grace But men if God blesse them in riches health and wealth they say Oh God loues me but alas we deceiue our selues for we may haue peace yet want grace we may haue this welfare health wealth libertie and yet want grace nay the peace of the wicked is no blessing but a curse And though the Lord giue a man health wealth libertie which be but common blessings he may be out of his grace and fauour seeing the Lord bestowes these common blessings on those which be his enemies Psal. 73. 12. But though the wicked haue all these common blessings they be accursed And though a man had grace the fauour and true loue of God and had no other health wealth nor libertie yet he were most happy and blessed Frō him which is was c. Here he sets down the cause efficient and the author of these two Grace and Peace the Author is God distinguished into three persons the Father Sonne and holy Ghost the Father in these words which is was and is to come the holy Ghost is noted in these words And from the seuen spirits which are before his throne thirdly the Sonne in the fift verse S. Iohn in the first place describes the Father by his true nature in these words Which is was and is to come in which he alludes to that Exo. 3. 14. 15. where Moses demaunds of God if the people should aske who sent him what he should answer the Lord tels him say I am Ehjeh Iehouah hath sent me where are two names to one end namely to expresse the nature of God Now S. Iohn he expounds them here where he saith He which is which was and is to come Further these two names Ehjeh Iehouah be two such names as cannot be translated fully in our English tongue but are more significant in their originall Hebrue tongue for they import thus much Grace and peace be from him which is in himselfe and from himselfe a most perfect and absolute substance which was and which is to come a most absolute perfect simple substance and essence so that he is a nature most simple pure and subsisting in and by himselfe 1. Cor. 8. 4. An idoll is not so it is nothing in and of it selfe but onely in mans braine it hath no subsisting and being of it selfe by nature but by mans art and thus the Lord differs from all false gods seeing he hath his being in and from himselfe not of or by any other thing None other hath this propertie but God By this we see the nature of all creatures which is that though they haue their subsisting and being as mans body and soule yet it is not from themselues but from God not taken out of his essence for then they should be God And the Lord hath no parts as we haue but he makes all things out of himselfe of nothing Seeing then we haue all we haue of God our bodies soules and all we inioy we must in lieu of recompence in thankfulnesse and obedience giue our selues soules and bodies to his seruice to do his will and pleasure The Lord is most absolute and eternall euery way without beginning or ending Angels and the soules of men they be eternall but not as absolutely though they be eternall in that they shall neuer die yet had they a beginning Secondly they are eternall not absolutely but by participation for God made them eternall but the Lord is most absolutely euery way eternall From him which is to come That is to iudgement to iudge all his creatures especially men and Angels That God which is was which hath his being of in and from himself he shall come to iudgement This must we remember and thinke of that he which is God of himselfe and by himselfe which giues vs life and being he shall iudge vs and this will be a meanes to make vs do our dutie in conscience But many men flatter themselues saying God will not come in my time to iudgement but though the Lord come not to generall iudgement in this life yet he will come in particular iudgement by death in this life Thirdly if we would alwayes remember this it would bridle out liues and make vs keepe a good conscience before God and all men Act. 16. 24. And from the seuen spirits which are before his throne These words commonly are expounded of the Angels of God which stand and minister vnto him but it cannot be meant of them for two causes First those which are here called seuen spirits from these grace and peace come but it cannot come from the holy Angels which attend to minister before the Lord. Secondly in this verse which is a benediction or a salutation of Iohn to the Church the seuen spirits are set before Iesus Christ the second person of the Trinitie which cannot be true of the Angels who in no respect can be placed before Christ therfore it cannot be vnderstood of the holy Angels But for my part I vnderstand it thus And from the seuen spirits c. that is from the holy Ghost This exposition is most agreeable to all the circumstances of the text and the holy Ghost is called the seuen spirits first because though he be one in substance yet he is seuen that is many in gifts and operations and for this cause the spirit of God cals himselfe the seuen spirits Secondly he cals him so because he sets downe the Father Sonne and holy Ghost as he saw them
creature no not for the Angels which fell as well as man The third degree which is most principall is that whereby he loues his elect and chosen children which is that loue whereby he accepts of them to life euerlasting This third degree hath two parts for it is taken first for the purpose of his decree to loue secondly for the action or declaration of his loue For the first as I haue loued Iacob and hated Esau that is I haue purposed to loue the one and hate the other Secondly for the declaration of his purpose to loue Thirdly for the action and for the declaration of his loue and speciall fauor in speciall benefits 1. Ioh. 3. 1. Behold what singular loue God hath shewed on vs nothing the declaration of his purpose to loue vs in giuing his son for vs. So in this verse is meant Gods special loue or the declaration of his purpose to loue vs in speciall benefits Now whereas S. Iohn placeth this in the first place of all the benefites of Christ That he loued vs he would teach vs that this loue is the very ground of mans redemption the very cause of Gods liking and fauor to man Then there is no foreseene faith away with foreseene workes for he loued vs first and that alone is the cause and ground of our election and saluation But it may be obiected The loue of God as also of man respects the goodnesse of things loued so we loue a thing because it is good and when it is euill we hate it There is great difference betweene the loue of the creature and the Creator The creature loues the thing because he seeth it is good but God the Creator he first loues the creature and hence it comes that it is good because he loues it 2. Whereas S. Iohn and all the Churches of Asia as other true Churches do beleeue and are assured that Christ loues them for that S. Iohn taketh for graunted this should moue all men to haue this care to labour aboue all things to be rooted and grounded in loue seeing he places that in the first place This we do when we are assured in heart and conscience by the working of Gods spirit that he loues vs in Christ so that he which takes away the assurance of Gods loue to vs in Christ takes away the very ground of our saluation Now that we may haue this loue of God we must in all our duties to God and man draw neare to God keeping a good conscience before God all men and so if we loue God he wil come to vs stay and dwell in vs. And if we would haue his loue to be plentifully shed in our hearts then we must draw neare to him by loue and he will draw neare to vs for he louing vs first if we increase in that loue to him then will he double his loue to vs. And washed vs from our sinnes in his blood Here is the second benefit and action of Christ to his Church which is first the remission of sinnes secondly the mortification of sinnes Washed Here he sheweth that the sinnes of men are as filthy spots in their soules and after he confesseth the vile estate of the Church and euery member thereof in that he saith they were so washed For washing presupposeth filthinesse before and a corrupted estate and so should we by their example learne to consider our owne estate how that our soules and bodies be spotted and defiled with sins originall and actuall So did Dauid Psal. 51. most sensibly and excellently feele his owne wants and see his miserable estate when he desired the Lord to wash him thorowly confessing thereby his soule and body was foule stained and polluted with sinne and addes thoroughly not once and so inough bnt wash me againe and againe thoroughly till I be cleane and cleanse me rince bathe swill me in the blood of Christ to be purged and cleansed from all my sinnes In which words he sheweth his exceeding feeling of his own miseries how fouly he was defiled so should we labour to see how the spots of sinne are deeply stucke in our soules they be fast set so that one washing will not serue but we must be rinced bathed and cleansed by the blood of Christ for it is not the hand of any man or Angell which can wash away these spots nor any thing they can giue vs but onely Christ Iesus whose finger alone dipped in his owne blood can wash away our spots of sinne The consideration whereof should make vs consider our wretched estate and often to repent vs of our sins to take heed of sin which staines vs so We must labour to haue our hearts purged and cleansed by the blood of Christ and till we haue them so purged neither our faith obedience loue or any thing we do is acceptable to God The first part of this benefit of Christ containes the remission of our sinnes the taking away of the punishment and the guilt due to them the second part is the mortification of sin Which hath washed vs from all c. He addeth these words to shew that if any beleeue truly he hath pardon of all his sinnes without any restraint or limitation of these or those sinnes By his blood How can blood wash away filthinesse nay it rather defiles a man Answ. This washing stands not in the substance of the blood but in the merit thereof for the blood of Christ shed is lost and God knowes what is become of it whatsoeuer the Papists say but the merite of it washeth away sinnes Obiect But why doth Christs blood rather then any other mans blood as Peter Iohn c Answ. Because that blood was the blood of God not of the Godhead but of him who was both God and man for these two natures being vnited together make but one person and so it may be called the blood of God as Paul saith God redeemed vs by his blood that is Christ God and man God-man or God incarnate and so it being the blood of God is more meritorious then the blood of any creature whatsoeuer Besides I answer Christ was appointed by God to be a publike person to be suretie for all mankind but no man can be so to be in the roome of the whole company of mākind Then damnable is the doctrine of the Papists who hold the blood of Martyrs can merit for other for seeing they be but priuate men they cannot profit any other By blood we must vnderstand the passion of Christ being a part for the whole and withall we must remember his fulfilling of the law for in his suffering he fulfilled the whole law and in fulfilling the law he suffered and these two cannot be seuered so that this containes the whole obedience of Christ partly in suffering partly in fulfilling the law S. Iohn addeth these words and sets downe these two blessings to draw men to loue and like
of great superstition S. Iohn would not haue left all companie of men but that he was compelled to leaue thē then the life of those which voluntarily leaue all companie of men liuing in cloisters and secret places cannot be a life of perfection but of all imperfection man is borne to do good to others Seeing S. Iohn was banished and here receiued his visions we see that those which honour God he will honour them For S. Iohn was banished then which what could they do more to hurt him Yet then because it was for Gods cause God doth most honour him in reuealing to him these visions So when Ioseph was sold of his brethren and most dishonoured of them then God exalted him The same may be said of Daniel who when he was most dishonoured of men then the Lord exalted him aboue all other men and the same is true of all Gods children they which honor him he will honour them 2 The cause for which he came into this Isle For the word of God that is because he was by calling a publisher and preacher of the word of God for which cause he was banished By which we may note that all naturall men as Domitian and the Romaines were and all men are by nature hate all that professe God hate his word they cannot abide it For S. Iohn a most worthie Apostle a famous man for gifts a singular preacher of the word of God yet for this very cause is hunted nay banished not for his owne cause but for the word of God This hath bene seene in all heathen Emperours yea and all men by nature hate the word yet though they hate it in their hearts the same word it winneth them and hath taken place in them to conuert them and to make them to loue it which sheweth that the word taught by the Prophets and Apostles is indeed the true word of God not the inuention of man For if the word which is hated of all men by nature had not some diuine power in it it could neuer make such mē to loue it by grace which hate it by nature For no word of man can make a man which hateth the same to loue it but onely the word of God Seeing Iohn was banished for Gods word all Ministers are to cast their accompts to make a reckoning that they may and must suffer persecution nay banishment for the word of God For that which the principall founders and chiefe builders of the Church haue suffered that cannot be auoyded of them which are ordinarie Ministers Christ he acquainted his disciples with this and telleth them that they are euen accursed when all men speake well of them Luk. 6. 26. They must not seeke to haue all thinke well of them but rather feare if all men like of them they are accursed And witnesse bearing That is for the testimonie of the history and doctrine of the Gospell the summe whereof is that Iesus Christ the sonne of Mary is our Redeemer to procure to vs righteousnesse and life euerlasting Now he addeth after the other this of the Gospell as a doctrine how to come to life euerlasting and righteousnesse in Iesus Christ to shew for what part of the word we are most hated and persecuted not so much for the law as for the Gospell because the law is partly natural the Gospell is aboue nature as to beleeue that God made his couenant with our first parents that the seed of the womā shold bruise the serpents head Now the Gospell is the glad tidings in which there is declared that the promised seed is come and therefore the diuell he hateth this part most of all and laboureth man to hinder the course of the Gospell rather then of the law So three hundred yeares after Christ he laboured by might and maine to extinguish the Gospell to keepe men in ignorance of the Messiah but when he could not preuaile by force might he vsed sophistrie and deceipt and brought in heresies to obscure the truth of the Gospell and to ouerthrow the natures offices and benefites of Christ. Then we are bound to do the contrarie seeing he laboureth to extinguish it we must labour to maintaine and defend it we must labour as much to know it as he doth to keepe vs in ignorance that so we may obey and beleeue it And I was rauished on the Lords day c. In this tenth verse are two circumstances the first which is the third in number is the maner of receiuing this vision and giuing of it to Iohn namely in a traunce the second or fourth the time on that Lords day or that day of the Lord. I was in the spirit Here we see he receiued this vision in a trance I was in the spirit that is I was by the mightie and extraordinarie worke of the spirit of God cast into a traunce This appeareth by comparing this Prophecie with other as with that of Ezechiel who when he receiued any vision was cast into a traunce by Gods spirit To vnderstand this consider two things first what a trance is secondly the end of it A trance is an extraordinarie worke or action of Gods spirit ergo not of the constellation and temperature of the starres nor from the constitution of mans bodie or imaginations of men but wrought by the holy Ghost Secondly it is not euery worke but an extraordinarie work aboue the order of nature a powerfull and mightie work of the holy Ghost wherein the whole man both in bodie and mind is altered and for that cause S. Iohn saith I was in the spirit This action consisteth in two actions one of the mind and the other of the bodie In procuring a trance the spirit of God casteth a man into a dead sleepe whereby all the senses both inward and outward are benummed So Gen. 15. 12. when God renewed the couenant with Abraham he cast him into a trance that is into a dead sleepe the senses all were benummed onely the mind and soule working The other action of the holy Ghost is on the mind to draw it from fellowship with the bodie and all the senses to haue fellowship with God that so the spirit of God may enlighten it with light and knowledge of things which are to reuealed to it And so we see in other extasies and traunces as that of Peter his mind was drawne from the fellowship with the bodie and was in fellowship with God Then a trance is a mightie and powerfull worke of the holy Ghost both in bodie and mind whereby both the mind is drawne from fellowship with the bodie and vnto the fellowship of God and also enlightened with light and knowledge of God to vnderstand things to be reuealed Now followeth the end of a trance The cause why men are cast into trances in receiuing any visions is that as S. Iohn here they might know that the things deliuered were not inuented of themselues but
keepe that day for a Sabbath wherein he rose and the eight day after appeared to instruct his Disciples Now the Sabbath of the Iewes was changed for two causes first to maintaine the liberty of the Church of the new Testament whereof this was a great part that they were freed from the ceremonies of the Iewes for here when this day was changed the Church was no more tied to the Iewes Sabbath day neither had any such regard after of dayes and times Secondly that there might be a more fit time for the remembrance of the worke of redemption for as God in the old Testament appointed the seuenth day to be a day of rest to remember the first creation so there should be a day to celebrate this worke which is a wonderfull creation in which we are made new men so that there is now a new heauen and new earth as Isay speaketh chap. 66. Nay this is a more glorious work then that seeing in that creation Adam was the head in this Christ Iesus he is the head In that Adam was the chiefe in this Christ. In that Heuah was giuen to Adam in this we to Christ his Church to him In that Adam had an earthly paradise in this redemption we haue a spirituall kingdome In that Gods mercy onely in this both his mercy and iustice in punishing of Chirst and giuing vs forgiuenes appeared In that God shewed his wisdome goodnes but in part but herein this he shewed it fully In that he made man of nothing but now he made him of worse then nothing better then euer he was Therfore seeing this day of our redemption is farre passing that and the Lord appointed a day for the remembrance thereof much more should there be one for the remembrance of this now there is no day fitter then that day wherein Christ Iesus rose from death to life to remember his resurrection But may the Church now in the new Testament change the Sabbath to any other day as to tuesday wednesday c. Answ. It cannot I thinke because times and seasons belong to God he alone can dispose of thē Act. 1. 6. the church hath not knowledge of times and seasons much lesse of the ordering and disposing of them for that which the Father keepeth in his owne bosome the Church cannot know but the Father alone so keepeth times and seasons therfore the church cannot know them And as the church of the Iewes had not power to change their Sabbath no more hath the Church in the new Testament to change their Sabbaths Ob. But the Iewes had authoritie to appoint feasts therfore they could appoint Sabbath dayes Hest. 9. 17. they for their deliuerance appoint a day of rest of reioycing So 1. Maccab. 4. 8. They appointed indeed solemne dayes for reioycing and solemne feasts for speciall deliuerance but they appointed not any day for a sabath rest for the whole seruice of God Some hold that the Church hath power to alter it nay to make any day the Sabbath or if it could be conueniently two dayes in a weeke but they haue no warrant out of the word If this day the Lords day be a day to remember the death resurrection and merits of Christ we see three sorts of men here reproued first them which make this day a day of pleasure pastime and delight For most young men and seruants imploy this day wholy on their own delights and pleasures making it a day of carnall reioycing spending it in eating drinking carding dicing riot and excesse so that they turne this Lords day set apart to his worship into a day to offer sacrifice to the diuel The second sort is of them which liue more ciuilly then the former yet they thinke they may do their owne businesse and take iorneys on this day and that vpon this false ground that a man may aswell and with as honest and good an heart serue God in his owne businesse at home as they which go to Church But by this they make the Lords day appointed to his seruice their owne day to do their owne worke and not his The third sort is of those which keepe the Sabbath onely at morning and euening Prayer but as for the rest of the day they may spend it how they will on their owne pleasures and pastimes or their owne businesse and of this sort are many in the world who come to the Church but onely so far as the law of the Land inioynes them and these men part stakes with God they giue him one part and that the lesser and bestow the other on their owne businesse or pleasure whereas it is the Lords day not in part but in whole and so they breake the fourth commaundement Then on the contrary our dutie is to keep this day a Sabbath to the Lord as we are commaunded in the fourth commandement 1. we must rest from all our sinnes secondly from all the workes of our callings and imploy it wholly on the seruice of God sanctifying this day of rest to the worship of God from the morning to the euening Now there is a double sanctifying of the Sabbath first publicke in the congregation when we come to the Church to pray and giue thankes and there to heare the word and receiue the sacraments secondly priuate when men in their owne priuate houses at home sanctifie it in meditating reading and thinking of the word in praying priuatly and giuing thankes for benefits we must not imploy that day in our owne businesse If the Officer should take our seruant from our works set him about the common good we would be grieued And if we take the day appointed to Gods seruice and bestow it on our owne affaires shall not the Lord be offended And the cause why we heare the word publikely and neuer profit is because we sanctifie the sabbath onely publikely and not priuatly so that vnlesse we meditate reade the word pray and sanctifie the sabbath at home we may heare and reade the word publikely but without all increase of grace faith knowledge and repentance but if we performe neither it is not possible to get any grace seeing this day is set apart for that end Now to proceed The reason why the Lord he gaue Iohn these visions rather on this day then another is because though Iohn was absent in body from the Church yet he was present in spirit in praying for it at this time for being absent he would shew his presence in such duties as he could performe in that solitary place as fasting prayer c. Now when he was thus occupied the Lord reuealeth his will to him concerning the estate of the Church to the end of the world Seeing Iohn being in the Isle of Pathmos a desert place yet he kept the Sabboth in all such duties as he could performe hence we see that they which are absent from the Church as in prison sicke of some great disease or
them as he saith Those mine enemies which would not haue me to rule ouer them bring them that I may kill them This may serue to awake many drowsie and secure professors for men now in this barren age liue in sinne and ignorance neuer thinke of the duties of faith and repentance take pleasure in sinne it is meate and drinke to them to liue in securitie not one of a thousand turneth to God by heartie repentance Let these know that though they liue closely in sin yet Christ beholdeth them not as a Redeemer but as a Iudge with fierie and piercing eyes readie to execute iudgement on them for their sinnes They then must consider their owne estate in time and turne to God lest that they going on in their sinnes and snorting in securitie Christ come vnawares and cut them off in his anger for it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of God And his feet like to fine brasse The word signifieth brasse which is shining for substance durable pure the very choice and excellentest kind of brasse This he addeth to signifie the inuincible power of Christ that he is able to encounter nay hath alreadie encountred with sinne and Satan wounded them and bruised their heads to powder for his feete are strong and durable he is of power to ouercome his enemies to tread them vnderfoot and grind them to powder and not onely in his owne person but in his members he is most powerfull Seeing he hath brasen feet strong and durable to ouercome his enemies and tread them vnderfoot this is a singular comfort to the children of God who if they be exercised with any temptation of Satan or with any affliction and griefe they must not be discouraged but seeke to Christ their head he will in vs as he hath before in his owne person bruise the serpents head and breake it to powder Let vs then put our cause to Christ and let him haue the whole ordering and dispensation of it so if sin and corruption hang on vs vexe and oppresse vs we must flie to him make him acquainted with it seeke helpe from him and we shall doubtlesse find it weakened and wounded nay bruised to peeces by his helpe If we see the terrors of death we must not feare too much for Christ is strong and able to ouercome death nay he encountred with sinne and Satan on the crosse ouercame him there and went downe with him to his owne denne and cabine and there vanquished death so that he hath subdued and brought him vnder foote and made him his footstoole And as this is a comfort to the godly so it should be a terror to the wicked whō without repenting liue in their sinnes for Christ hath a foote of brasse he wil bruise them in peeces make them his foote-stoole and with his brazen foot grind them to powder Then they which be as yet enemies to Christ must turne to him leaue their old maister Satan come to him else he will breake them to nothing by his strong and brasen foote Burning as in a fornace The feete of God as of men in the Scriptures often signifie his or their wayes so here the feet of Christ signifie his wayes or workes Burning as in a fornace this sheweth the perfection of Christs wayes they be vncorrupt euen as brasse purified in the fire so be they most pure most vnspotted without all drosse all his wayes his counsels and works either of creation or preseruation all are without fault The way of God is vncorrupt the word of the Lord is tried in the fire he is a shield to all that trust in him Psal. 18. 30. Seeing all his wayes are pure and most holy we must speake and thinke of them with reuerence euen of his secret iudgements whereof we know no cause nor reason we must reuerence them and aknowledge that they are pure of themselues In matters of Religion there is a learned ignorance whereof this is not the least point to content our selues with his wayes and not curiously to search into those things which he hath not reuealed in his word but though they be against reason to man acknowledge them as holy true with reuerence for all Christs waies be holy The blind man cannot iudge of the light because he seeth it not no more can blind man such as all be iudge of workes hidden with God The Lord bids Abimelech giue Sarah to Abraham else he wil punish him and all his what reason is this in mans sight nay it seemeth cruelty to punish his seruants for him So Achan he sinned Ios. 7. and the people are plagued Dauid sinned 2. Sam. 12. the child died and he sinned againe 2. Sam. 24. the people is plagued What reason can mā giue of these These seeme al contrary to reason in mans iudgement but we must reuerence the counsels of God as good pure and holy though we see no cause at all of them The Lord hath determined to saue some to cast off other some now this seemeth crueltie to man nay some hold it an action of crueltie that the Lord should withhold his mercy from one and shew it to another But they sinne seeing it is the doctrine of Gods word that he in his good will and pleasure hath determined to saue some to reiect other for his owne pleasure though we see no reason at all of this we must reuerence it and hold it the truth of Gods most holy counsell And his voice as the sound of many waters This he addeth for two causes first to shew the loudnesse and greatnes of his voice because this voice of Christ in his word hath gone through the whole world for the doctrine of Christ hath bene sounded in all parts of the world Secondly to shew the power force and efficacy of this voice in the eares of his creatures Christ before all things were but spake the word and at his word all things were made Lazarus lay rotting in his graue yet he heard the voice of Christ as of a thousand trumpets sounding in his eares and rose vp nay the bodies of men being dead sixe thousand yeares euen those shal heare the voice of Christ being a loud and great voice a powerfull and effectnall voice Seeing this voice of Christ is so loud and powerfull a voice that the dead are able to heare it this shewes the securitie and deadnesse of those men which though they heare it dayly sounding and crying in their eares as the noise of many waters yet they will not as did the dead bodie of Lazarus heare and stand vp and come forth of their graues of sinne but still snort in securitie and rot in their sinnes This argueth our great drowsines that the dead which haue layne six thousand yeares shall at this voice rise and awake and we hearing it both loud and powerfull and publike in our eares will not put vp our head nor our heart not
mind and in that very maner he would if he were present and if they deliuer any thing els or in any other maner they shal be suspected of vnfaithfulnes Now if Christ were on earth wold he deliuer his word partly in English partly in Latin or vse the authoritie of the fathers Philosophy or of Poets And surely though mē cal this the learned way of preaching yet it is not that Christ commaunded Nay if this were admitted it would bring in Barbarisme and expell the Gospell out of this land and bring in that misery which was among the Schoole-men when all things were brought to needlesse disputations The third thing is the phrase Christ vseth The seuen starres are the seuen Angels c. Not that they signifie the seuen Angels or the candlestickes signifie the seuen Churches but are so Hence we see that the exposition in the sacrament This is my body and blood is warranted and not to be vnderstood literally as the Papists hold For as it is absurd to hold that these were seuen Angels indeed because they are called so so to hold the bread is really transformed indeed into Christs body but being a signe as it is common in Scripture is put for the thing signified this bread is that is represents my body c. CHAP. II. VERSE I. Vnto the Angell of the Church of Ephesus c. IN this second and third Chapters is set downe the fourth action of Christ whereby Iohn describeth him which is that Christ in these two Chapters giueth him 7. particular commandements to write seuen Epistles to the seuen Churches of Asia The first of these seuen particular commandements is in this first verse Vnto the Angell of the Church c. and after the commandement followeth the Epistle it selfe These things c. to the eighth verse Vnto the Angell This word is two waies vsed first it signifieth the Minister or Pastor of the particular Church of Ephesus and so it is taken commonly and of the most Secondly it may signifie a companie of Ministers or gouernours of the particular Church of Ephesus as Paule biddeth thē take heed to the flocke of which they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ouerseers shewing there were many Ministers of the particular Church of Ephesus Aud so this word Angell may signifie the whole cōpanie of Ministers of that Church as we see in Scripture the naming of one man signifieth a whole multitude God biddeth Moses send my sonne c. by which particular he noteth the whole bodie of the Israelites So thogh Antichrist be not one particular man but the whole successiō of Popes yet Paul calleth him that Antichrist and that child of perdition so it skilleth not whether we take it for one man or the whole multitude of gouernors In this particular commandement are two points first the intent of Christ was to write to the whole bodie of the Church of Ephesus yet he directeth his letter not to them all but to the Angell and Minister That he intended to write to the whole Church it appeareth in the former Chapter where he is commanded to write to the Churches and in the end of this where he saith He which hath eares let him heare what the Spirit writeth to the Churches Now in that he directeth his Epistle to the Angell and Minister he intimateth to him his dutie first that he must especially labour to teach the particular contents of this Epistle to the Church of Ephesus secondly that he should not onely teach but be a patterne and example to them of the things contained in this Epistle Secondly he writeth to the Angell of the church himselfe because he especially doth great good or harme to the Church If the minister be good there cometh much good if he be euill there cometh much euill as all examples shew Now Christ writeth for this cause to him that he might be diligent and so the cause of good not of euill The second point is that Christ among all the seuen Churches writeth to the Church of Ephesus first which is not because it had authoritie aboue the rest but because it was in riches and estimation aboue the rest and was the mother citie for they were all candlestickes and all golden candlestickes but because it excelled all other cities in riches and estimation for that he directeth his Epistle first to this Church By which he sheweth that those Churches townes and people which excell either in riches and estimation and other temporall gifts they must also excell in the graces of God And so all men in particular as they excell in riches and estimation they must excel others in godlinesse and religion So then each town must as it excelleth other in that it hath a greater name greater riches or other temporall blessings go before other which want them If they excell other in these and be inferiour in godlinesse and religion it is a shame for them before God and man too The Epistle hath three parts as all ordinarie Epistles haue first a preface secondly a proposition thirdly a conclusion The preface in the first verse Now the preface or entrance is taken out of the former chapter The end and intent of it is to draw the Church of Ephesus to reuerence the admonition of Christ so that Christ propoundeth not that first but makes an entrance to prepare them to receiue the same with reuerence and regard his admonition The third reason which he vseth to do this is thus framed If I be he which holdeth the seuen stars in my right hand that is he which by my mightie power guide blesse protect and defend thee and thy Ministers and if I walke in the midst of the seuen candlestickes that is am alwaies present in the midst of thy Church to guide blesse and protect you then ye should receiue and reuerence mine admonition but the first is true ergo my admonition must be reuerenced and obeyed both of the Ministers and of the people In this preface two things are to be learned first seeing Christ repeateth that againe which he taught in the former Chapter he sheweth this is a most notable point to be learned and practised of all men which is that Christ he is present in his Church being present by his speciall prouidence doth blesse guide and protect it both in Ministers and people This must we labour to learne and to be certainely perswaded of euen of the speciall presence and prouidence of Christ in his Church in the speciall workes of the same And without this we cannot haue sound religion this standeth not in a swimming knowledge in the braine but in a sure perswasion of the same in the heart The second thing is that this perswasion of the speciall presence and prouidence of Christ in his Church is the meanes to draw vs to all duties of our calling seeing Christ maketh this his reason to moue them to obey his admonition So if we think
man from euill actions and affections to renued affections and renued actions By this we see that the common description of repentance is not good in that they say it standeth in contrition which is sorrow and remorce for sinne which is no part of repentance but may be a cause of repentance godly sorrow indeed causeth repentance but is nothing of the nature of it 2. Cor. 7. 9. 10. Or else That is if you will not practise that remedie to wit renew your former loue and repentance I will come against thee or as the words be in the originall I will come to thee shortly The Lord cometh to a people two waies in mercie or iudgement in mercie he cometh when he testifieth his presence to them by shewing mercie as when Christ in spirit came to the old world and preached to them as Peter saith an hundred and twentie yeares Secondly he cometh in iudgement when he testifieth his presence in iudgement So in the second Commaundement I will visite the sinnes of the fathers that is I will come and inquire of the fathers sinnes whether they be in their children and will punish them So here if the Church of Ephesus repent not he will come to her to testifie his presence in iudgement not mercie Out of this first generall threatning we may learne this one thing when any people or Church liue in any one sinne or decay in loue to God his word and religion he then prepareth himselfe to come to them in iudgement Amos 4. 12. he will punish them because they returned not to the Lord but lay in their sinnes therefore he biddeth them prepare themselues to meete him This we must apply to our selues our Church and people for the sinnes of the Church of Ephesus be our sinnes we haue decayed in our first loue since we heard the word first we for the most part want loue to God and to man and besides these sinnes we lye in many fearefull sinnes Atheisme now abounds in iudgement and in practise contempt of the worship of God neglect and contempt of true religion crueltie oppression and want of mercie yet for all this what man is it that prepareth to meete the Lord So that he may iustly say we do decay in loue that it is most true of vs that the Lord hath bene long coming to vs for these sinnes in iudgement in plagues and punishments and so is he coming at this day it hangeth ouer our heads and if we continue still in sinne he will surely come Thus then seeing the Lord hath bene long coming to vs he would haue vs to repent if we will not no doubt he will come and that shortly and remoue his Gospell he will come in iudgements and punishments to destroy vs. The second threatning is more particular I will remoue thy candlesticke Here he sheweth in what particular iudgement he wil come to thē namely to remoue her candlesticke In the former Chapter he compareth the Church to a candlesticke then when he saith he will remoue the candlesticke he meaneth his word and Gospell take the ministerie of the word from her and so make her become of a Church no Church and hauing remoued the Gospell will in stead of it send ignorance and blindnesse If thou repent not that is if thou continue stil in thy sin In this second threatning note three things first concerning the minister secondly the Church and people thirdly euery priuat man First concerning the minister if he decay in loue to God his word and religion if he continue and lie in his sinnes or any one sinne that is a meanes to depriue him of his office and calling and of his gifts for this is especially directed to the Angell Ier. 15. end The Prophet failing in his dutie partly by feare partly by want of patience then the Lord he becomes a Prophet to Ieremy tels him that vnlesse he returne to the Lord and repent the Lord would make him no Prophet so that in him he speakes to all Ministers that if they would haue their callings and gifts to remaine they must not liue in any one sin decay in loue to God or religion for then their callings and gifts shall be taken from them As repentance is necessary for all men so especially for Ministers they must especially renew it seeing that is the onely meanes to continue their callings and gifts The second thing is concerning a church or people if any church or people decay in loue to God or his word or lie in any one sin they then procure the Lord to remoue his candlesticke to take from them his word the Gospel and true religion Ose. 9. 7. The Prophet is a foole the man of spirits is mad a heauy iudgement whereof comes this He saith for the sins of the people the Prophet is ignorant and becometh mad If this be so then we haue all cause to feare that our sinnes haue deserued the Gospell should be taken from vs for in most men there is great decay in loue seeing religion is hated and contemned of most men Therfore we must needs feare and the Lord for this must needs remoue his word take his Gospell away if we meet him not with repentance for he in iustice giues men to beleeue lies when as they will not receiue his truth and Gospell being so long among them Our dutie then is to seeke to preuent this iudgement by hearty and true repentance The third point concernes euery priuate man euery priuat Christian now a daies decayeth in loue to God and man lieth in some one sinne or other c. Now these are the meanes to depriue him of the light of the Gospell and his particular gifts For as a mans loue decayeth his knowledge decayeth and so the Gospell and the loue to it wax cold In a clock if the watch stand all the wheeles stand if it go softly or swiftly the rest of the wheeles go accordingly so if our loue be increased our knowledge is so if our loue decay our knowledge our vnderstanding in religion decayeth And this is the cause of so litle knowledge especially in auncient folke because they loose their loue Heb. 4. 12. First we are deceiued by sin secondly our heart is hardened thirdly we call into question religion 4. we set our selues against religion and so fal from it so that decay in grace is the first cause of apostacy Then if we would increase in knowledge and religion we must seeke to be cleansed from sinne not liue and die in any one sinne neither decay in loue knowledge or affection to religion Some gather hence that a man may fall finally and wholly for if a whole church may much more one man but the reason is not good for there is great difference between one man and a whole church for a church stands of a mixt company good and bad sheepe and goates corne and chaffe wheat and tares Now in the Church the wicked may
fall and become false professors as inded these were and yet the true beleeuers remaine stil. Now hence it followeth not that a priuate man truly conuerted may fall Now followeth the condition of both the threatnings Except you amend that is I come in iudgement to you and take away the Gospell vnlesse you repent Now we must marke that all threatnings in the old testament are with condition So in Ionah Yet fortie dayes and Niniue shall perish that is vnlesse they repent and so are the threatnings in the new Testament with the same condition The wil of God or his good pleasure is one alone no more what distinction soeuer men vse Now his will is partly secret partly reuealed his secret will is of those things which he hath not reuealed in his word or by any work and experience to man reuealed is of those things he hath reuealed in his word or else taught men by experience or euent Now the reuealed will is with condition alway but the secret will is not but by it he willeth all things good things absolutely and permitteth euill And to make this will subiect to condition were to bind God to his creature but his reuealed will is with condition as here in this place Obiect Why doth God giue his reuealed will with condition Answ. Because he reuealeth in mercie so much to man as is necessary to saluation and no more and therefore he reuealeth it in that maner as may be most fit for his saluation Now when he propounds his will with condition that is best for it keepes men more in awe and seemes better for their saluation then if it were with without condition Now marke Christ he repeates this condition in the beginning and end of this verse that he will come to them and he wil punish them vnlesse they repent and amend The reason is to shew that when men lie in sinne or decay to God and religion then it is most necessary to repent and it is so necessarie that there is no other way to stay God from remouing the Gospell then repentance Is this true then it stands vs in hand euerie man in his owne person and in his familie and in the Church publikely to meet him with repentance and so we must thinke of it in that Christ doubles the condition But this thou hast that thou hatest the workes of the Nicolaitanes In these words is a second reason to proue that in the second verse for which Christ commended her that she could not abide them which were euill first because she examined them which receiue false teachers secondly she hated their workes To come to the words Nicolaitanes were a sect of heretickes who held opinion first that fornication and adulterie were no sinnes secondly that a man might keep companie with idolaters in sacrificing in the temple and according to these two opinions they practised fornication adulterie and idolatrie These were so called of one Nicolas chosen of the Apostles to be a Deacon Act. 6. who for a while professed the Gospell but after fell away and became head and chiefe of this sect of heretickes But this note sheweth that these words haue reference to the words of rebuke before as if he should say though this decay of loue be thy fault yet I commend thee for this one vertue c. Here note our dutie we must not which is a common sinne be so readie to blase our brethrēs faults to speake of them paint them out in their colours as we are but we should as well commend their vertues and not obscure them for Christ though he found fault yet finding this vertue commends her so should we Thou hatest Here note this point that it is not sufficient for a man to haue good gifts and graces for he may haue them and be no member of Christ but be in danger to be cut off from Christ. So was Iehu he had great zeale So Iudas had many good gifts no doubt being an Apostle yet fell from Christ. So the Ephesians had an hatred of the sins of the Nicolaitans yet were in danger to be cut off from Christ. Then we must labour for that which is the maine point of all which if we haue we cannot fal which is true heartie and vnfained repentance daily and renewed repentance for daily and new sinnes Thou hatest the workes Here see our dutie we must labour to know the sinnes and heresies of our times and when we know them we must hate them for which Christ commends them and and will commend vs if we do the like The workes of the Nicolaitanes not their persons So then we must moderate our hatred it must be for the sinnes of men we must hate their sinnes not their persons whether they be friends or foes Obiect But Dauid he hated mens persons he prayed for the destruction of his enemies both soule and body Answ. He did it being an extraordinary Prophet and it was no doubt reuealed to him that his enemies were obstinate and would not repent and so prophecieth by speciall and extraordinary instinct for euery imprecation in the scripture is as a prophecie But we which want that extraordinary instinct must keep vs within this compasse that we hate onely their sinnes and not their persons The workes of the Nicolaitanes in whom note the ioyning of two sinnes together adultery and idolatrie for adultery is the punishment of idolatry and idolatrie is the punishment of adultrie the one being carnal fornication the other spiritual and the punishment of adulterie and so in all hereticall churches the Lord he sends these together in iudgement to punish spirituall adultery with temporall fornication If a church become idolatrous then he giues them ouer to commit fornication and vncleannesse So among the Israelites and in the Romish church falling to idolatrie they abound also with adulterie and fornication Thou hatest their workes Here we may learne one lesson for we see many men seeing such diuersitie of opinion in matters of religion they will be of no church they will be of no religion But seeing in the best Churches planted and guided by the Apostles euen in their dayes there were such heresies as these Nicolaitans held no maruell if there be schismes and heresies in our dayes yet these should not make vs leaue the church but seeke to be of the true religion and stand faster to it Which I also hate Christ hauing now commended her would haue her to go on and to encourage her therin he setteth his example for them to follow thou hatest their workes that is well done do so still for so do I. And here we see Christ requireth that we should be of the same mind iudgement will and affection that he is of and there is good cause why we should seeing he is the head we the members we are bone of his bone flesh of his flesh Now then we must see that there be a conformity betweene the head and the
chose Babylon a citie of confusion and abhomination So he hath chosen Rome which is become of a famous Church the throne of Satan So Ierusalem the citie of God the temple of God first began to be a denne of theeues and then the citie fell to wickednesse so the diuell getteth Gods temple and the holy citie to be his throne And in our time he getteth the great cities shire townes for his throne for in thē is greater ignorance and the Gospell more contemned then in small villages in which after litle preaching it is willingly embraced Now the cause of this is because the diuell laboureth especially to haue his throne where he may do the most harme and conuey his doctrine to moe places and liue without controlment If this or any other shire towne or any great citie liue in sin in ignorance and contemne the Gospell take heed for they shall become in time a denne of theeues and a synagogue of Satan he will haue his throne there Now then it is our dutie to labor against him to haue his throne plucked downe to haue him defaced and cast out haue our bodies and soules subiect to Christ renounce our selues relye wholly on Christ forsake our owne waies neuer lend our eares to Satan let him haue no footing in vs neuer suffer him to come to haue his throne begunne but still labour to haue it razed and turned vpside downe and withall suffer Christ to rule suffer him alone to possesse our hearts that so the kingdome of Satan being ouerthrowne the kingdome of Iesus Christ may be increased daily in vs. Wheras the Church of God is gathered out of that place where the diuell hath his kingdome erected we note that the Church of God is a companie of men deriued and taken out of the Synagogue of Satan the kingdome of the diuell though it be a chosen people yet it is picked out of the kingdome of the diuell where he ruleth Col. 1. 12. 13. for all men are by nature the vassals of Satan and subiects in his kingdome Then no man must stand of his gentilitie and of his nobility and bloud but all our true ioy must be in this that we are the members of the true Church of God for what will it auaile a man to haue a golden chaine on his necke and haue his will and affections vnder the slauerie of the diuell or to be the sonne of a Prince and yet to be out of the true Church and to be in the companie of the wicked a slaue and vassall of the diuell But our ioy must be in this that we are members of the Church of God and haue right to the kingdome of heauen Sundrie men thinke a man may be saued by any religion and most of the common people thinke that good meaning will saue them but a man may professe any religion and haue good meaning and yet not know one step to the kingdome of heauen but remaine the vassall and slaue of Satan For a man may haue outward ciuill iustice and ciuill pollicie and meane well yet be the seruant of the diuell We see the children of God gaine a priuiledge aboue all other for in affliction and persecution though they be cast into dangers yet they may assure themselues seeing they be members of Gods church they be freed from the kingdome of the diuell and so from that place of darknesse Seeing the preaching of the word gained a Church in the middle of the kingdome of the diuell we see the word hath a diuine power for there is no creature which hath greater power in earth then the diuell except good Angels yet the preaching of the word draweth one out of the kingdom of the diuel and gathereth a Church in the midst of his kingdome Seeing in Pergamus where the throne of the diuell was Gods children were we see that God will haue his seruants to dwell in the middle of the wicked and mingled with the vassals of the diuell yet so as he doth this for good causes first that their faith obedience and repentance might be exercised secondly that so they might be kept frō many grieuous sins into which else they would fall So when the Lord brought the Israelites into the land of Canaan he would not cast all their enemies out at once but they must be mingled and dwell with the Canaanites for if they should destroy them at once the wild beasts might haue destroyed the land so the Church must be mingled with euill men that the godly may be exercised and that they might be kept from more grieuous sinnes Secondly he will haue his children to dwell with wicked vngodly men that their godly life might shine as lights among them Philip. 2. 17. and so to winne them to the Gospell for a godly life is most effectuall to win men to Christ. Thirdly that the Lord might shew speciall tokens of his loue and fauour to them that when he bringeth his iudgements on the wicked yet he defendeth them Ezech. 9. 4. He marked them which mourned that they might escape the iudgement which was brought on Ierusalem Then if any man dwell among such as contemne and hate religion and the doctrine of the Gospell let them be cōtented seeing it is Gods will they should dwell with the wicked and the Lord will haue his Church on earth proued and exercised by them We see it is lawfull for men to dwell with and by such wicked men but they must not communicate with them in their sinnes but abstaine from their wickednesse as Lot in Sodome and Noah dwelt with the wicked men of the old world and the church of Pergamus in the place where the diuels kingdom was erected For 1. Cor. 7. there is a question whether a seruant hauing a maister which is an infidell may forsake him or not the answer is made he must dwell with him but so that therby he deny not the principall grounds of religion but keepe a good conscience towards God in all things And hence we may see how to answer that old obiection of the Papists Where was our Church fourscore yeares agone before Luther preached when the doctrine of Antichrist was in all Europe By the like I aske Where was the Church of Pergamus when the kingdome of the diuell was there The holy Ghost telleth vs that in the same time when the diuell had erected his throne mightily in that place yet there was the church of God So when the man of sinne had spread his doctrine of wickednesse in all Europe yet there was a Church amongst vs in this and other lands as appeares in that euer there was some which both openly and priuately oppugned his doctrine by word and writing in all ages which shews that though sin ruled in this church many hundred yeares yet the Lord had professors though not so visible as now it is when men may professe openly in euery place without feare And
kept my name Though thou dwellest in a place where the diuel hath erected his throne yet thou maintainest my name and holdest it fast so that neither fraud nor force of enemies can take it from thee My name that is my doctrine of the Gospell Rom. 9. Thou doest constantly hold and maintaine it and my religion thou beleeuest the doctrine of saluation which my seruants haue deliuered to thee So that in these words Christ commends the church of Pergamus for constancie in maintaining the doctrine of saluation We see it is not enough for vs to hold beleeue and maintaine religion but we must do it constantly so the word signifiâ—s we must hold the same fast against all aduersaries not easily turned with any blast of mens doctrine but so to hold religion that no enemy by force or fraud draw it from vs. When Math. 13. the man found the pearle he sold all to buy the field And if a man amongst vs should find in our field by his cunning and skil a golden mine he would not tel it to any but go and sel all he had buy the grouÌ„d that so he might inrich himself So we if we know the doctrine of saluation we must labor to make it ours to haue it made sure to vs to sell all we haue to loose life it selfe rather then to forgo that precious pearle 1. Tim. 3. 9. Faith is compared to a precious iewell which must be laid vp in the treasury of a good conscience which cannot be broken into but must be strong in which store-house and treasury we must haue true religion and faith locked that nothing get it from vs but loose all we haue euen our life before we part with it for if that be sure all is well but if faith and religion be lost all is gone saluation is lost thy soule is perished Now for her further commendation Christ sets out her constancie by two arguments first that she held religion without deniall secondly that she held it in the time of bloudy persecution 1. The Church of Pergamus neuer denied Religion or reuolted from faith in Christ she did not as many men who hold beleeue and maintaine religion yet in time of triall they will reuolt In this we must imitate her else we know not whether the Lord will giue vs grace to repent if he should not we perish Esaw sold his birth-right for a small thing a few red pottage but after he sought it with repentance and teares could not get it We must then hold religion and not in time of affliction and persecution reuolt and deny it lest the Lord giue vs no grace to repent which we know not whether he will or not And hast not denied my faith that is mine owne doctrine of the Gospell and true Religion Religion is called Christs first because Christ with the Father and holy Ghost is author of it all Religion which is good being from aboue secondly because he reuealed it from the bosome of his Father thirdly because Christ is the matter of al religion Christ is the whole subiect of religion in the old and new Testament the end of the law and the scope of the Gospell The second argument whereby Christ sets out her constancie is that she held religion in the time of bloudy persecution when she was thus persecuted she was constant When Antiphas was put to death Who this Antiphas was it is not certainly knowne by any history yet it is thought he was Pastor and Minister of the Church of Pergamus who opposed himself and oppugned the doctrine and idolatry of the heathen in that citie In these words are two points first he commends this martyr Antiphas when he saith That my seruant my faithfull seruant Antiphas he extols him to the Church of Pergamus By this we see that it is lawfull to honour and commend Martyrs which dy for Christs cause and that in two things first in giuing them their due deserued honour and commendation as Christ did to Antiphas secondly by careful imitation of their constancie and vertues and conuersation of life for this cause Christ commends this good Martyr that the people of Pergamus might imitate him in his constancie not to honour him as the Papists do with diuine honour and inuocation Againe he saith That my faithfull Martyr not commending him for his death that he died but for the cause for not the death but the cause makes a Martyr for a man may die for heresie and erronious opinion and yet he is no Martyr But Antiphas he was a true Martyr ergo Christ saith that my seruant nay that my faithfull seruant Antiphas In the end of this verse he setteth downe the authors of this death of Antiphas Some among you some of Pergamus were the cause of his Martyrdome they were such in whom the diuell ruled and raigned and this he repeates to shew that they which haue contemned Christs religion though they pretend good things yet they be the slaues of the diuell he rules and raignes in them they be his holds and castels Obiect But why did the diuell dwell in the citie of Pergamus more then in any other Answ. Because many in this citie were Gentiles they hated and conteÌ„ned the Gospel so became the holds of the diuel we must then take heed we neuer conteÌ„ne the fame For in a family where they liue in ignorance in iniustice fraud and wickednes there the diuell ruleth he hath his throne that is a stable for him to dwell in Then masters of families and parents which gouern families must see they loue and embrace religion and teach it to their family else their houses be but the stables of Satan his place to dwell in Ob. But whether might not Antiphas being Minister and Pastor of that Church haue fled Answ. Persecution is double either directed against the person of the Minister principally or to the whole Church equally if it be against his person he may flie safely if he get oportunitie to preserue his life and haue libertie of the Church to flie but if it respect the whole Church then vnlesse he haue libertie graunted by them he must stay and take part with them in their persecution Now of this sort was Antiphas persecution seeing he was so called of God to suffer But I haue a few things against thee He commended her before but here he rebukes her and this reproofe is first generally propounded then in more particular in generall he tels them that they wanted zeale Thou bearest with them which c. But I haue These words he spake to the church of Ephesus before and here repeates them againe teaching the true members of the Church to enter into their owne hearts to search what is in them that Christ may haue against them to cal themselues to a strait reckoning to consider all the things they haue done from their beginning to their end and al their life narrowly to examine themselues
it is a vertue and work of loue whereby a Christian man becomes a seruant to euery man for his good This is commended and described Heb. 6. 10. Paul Gal. 6. commaunds vs to do seruice one to another by loue 1. Cor. 13. loue seekes not her owne but the good of others So Christ Iohn 13. commaunds his to be seruants one to another in those good things which God giueth vs. As we must do them good in all we can so one speciall dutie here mentioned is to be ready to releeue according our abilitie the want of the Church for we must haue first loue and charitie then seruice as a braunch springing from loue Heb. 6. 10. which is when we are ready to bestow our goods or gifts which God giueth vs to the good of the Church especially the godly in the Church This were to be wished in England but it is not seeing the richest sort bestow their goods in hawks hounds beares buls dogs and other their pleasure and pastime but when any comes to be bestowed on the poore then they be strait handed all comes as hardly frō thē as a rib out of their side We see men can be content yearely to bestow much money in playes pastimes and other delights and that with zeale and earnestnes but come to the poore our owne flesh to our brother who beares the same image of God as we do here we sticke and from winter to winter suffer them to starue for want of that which our dogs haue To moue men to help the poore first see how men in the old testament were charged with offerings first fruites sacrifices and many other ceremonies now these be ended but instead of that altar the poore they be the altar whereon we must offer our burnt offerings our sacrifices Secondly Esay 58. 10. he which imparts his heart to the poore that is seeing him in want hath his heart touched with the bowels of compassion and testifies his loue in releeuing his want this man hath a happie promise his name shall not be put out but shine for euer and this is true religion to visit the fatherlesse and widow to comfort and releeue them Iam. 1. Prou. 25. He which giueth to the poore lendeth to the Lord. Now the Lord he comes in his person to borow he makes the pore his stewards to gather it in wilt thou say him nay to lend him of his owne thou wilt not Wouldest thou haue him stay or send his steward away emptie Again Christ comes in their person he askes an almes he saith in their person I am hungry naked fatherles and motherles and in them he stands crauing at our doores Now if we would escape that horrible sentence of condemnation Away from me c. let vs not say him nay or deny him But if we wil be liberall in any thing and bestow largely on any thing bestow it on the poore our owne flesh and so we lend to God who is the best paymaster and we giue to Christ who will not let it be vnrewarded Now followeth the third particular vertue for which Christ commends the Church of Thyatira which is faith that is fidelitie whereby we are faithfull to God in keeping our promise made to him in baptisme wherein we promise to renounce our selues to beleeue in God three persons one true God to obey him all our life time this is commaunded 1. Tim. 5. 12. Now it would be wished that our Church might be commended for this fidelitie but it cannot for though it be a common thing among vs to sweare by our faith yet there is litle faith in our hearts yea litle care to keepe this fidelitie promised in baptisme for some of vs lie in ignorance neuer knowing what promise we haue made to God and such are many among vs young olde high low rich poore Others they haue no care of goodnes of heauen or heauenly things but of eating drinking sporting in which they spend their days neuer thinking of Christ or of their promise to him A third sort are those which we account honest and wise men but they come short indeed for these set their hearts on riches and the things of this world spend their strength and wit in the getting of them and haue their hearts glued to them They like Molds are euer in the earth We call them I say honest men but indeed they deny God forsake their first faith and fidelitie to God in baptisme and in stead of the true God erect an idoll euen their riches and of these we haue great heapes Then it stands vs in hand often to remember our promise in baptisme to renounce our selues the things of this world to beleeue in Christ to performe obedience to him in al our life for if we go on and stil deny our first faith nothing belongs to vs but condemnation The fourth vertue is patience whereof we haue heard in this and the former chapter Here marke how patienc is ioyned with loue to men faith to God and seruice to men and God The reason is because no good action can be done of any man without patience loue and faith without it are nothing for if a man do his dutie to man he shall be sure to be hated now without patience he ceaseth to do his dutie So if a man beleeue in God and professe the same the world contemnes him now without patience he cānot perseuere constantly Patience is the effect of faith Rom. 15. faith brings forth hope and Mat. 13. the good ground brings forth fruit but in patience All that a man doth if it be done acceptable to God it must be ioyned with patience Then we must in all our gifts and graces ioyne patience with our hope faith loue knowledge c. 2. Pet. 1. 6. No grace can shew it selfe without this a man cannot endure the crosse without it And thy workes Christ before had said the same here he repeateth it againe which is not idle for no word in scripture is idle but by this Christ shewes his exceeding approbation of the workes of this Church of Thyatira that they were such as he liked of not in a meane but in exceeding great measure the cause why he liked them so followeth afterward Now seeing Christ repeates these words after foure worthy vertues he doth it to shew vs what things are required to a good worke namely faith loue seruice patience and fidelity for to do a worke to God we must ioyne these foure vertues and therfore Christ addeth these words both before and after these vertues First faith is required because in doing any actiō euery mā must shew his fidelitie to God which we do when before we do any worke we search the word of God whether it be commanded or forbidden there for no worke we do can please God vnlesse we be perswaded out of the word that it is lawfull nay being not of faith it is sin Rom. 14. Secondly our works
must heare and then be called In this last age only the word is sent to al natiōs it was not so in former ages Againe false it is that God giueth grace generally to all men so that euery particular man hath grace offered to saluation if he wil receiue it but God gaue not the word to all for all haue not heard therefore they could not haue grace The second dutie is to hold fast this signifieth two things first to maintaine the doctrine taught by the Apostles and receiued of them secondly to practise the same in their life but of these before The third dutie is to repent that is though she repented before yet she must restore and renew her repentancce Hence we learne that we must not only begin but often renew our repentance and not onely for great sins but for litle slips and defects in grace as dulnesse of heart want of zeale coldnes in practise of religion c. Now because this Church was ready to die Christ addeth a reason to put life into her if she haue any grace If thou wilt not I will come on thee as a theefe A most terrible threatning if thou wilt not renew thy repentance restore that grace decayed in thee I will come as a theefe sodainly and with speedy destruction that thou shalt haue no time or way to escape it Note here that this threatning is not absolute but with condition and it is the most terrible commination in the whole word of God where Christ threatneth to powre out his whole wrath on a Church so as they shall haue no time or meanes to escape it Then we hauing the same sin that she had being dead in security by reason of our long prosperity we had need of this admonition to moue vs to watchfulnesse to restore Gods graces decayed in vs yet it seemes we make light account of all these things If a man had any sparke of grace this would stirre him vp but if this most fearefull commination will not moue vs then the end of all must needs follow euen the heauy wrath and iudgement of God must lay hold on vs and cast vs into eternall destruction where is no hope of helpe for then a man might haue some comfort if after a long time she should get out but he must liue there for euer without al end of pain when he hath bin there a thousand yeare his paine is still as great and as much nay no end he can haue Then we must awake from our sins repent for our sins our securitie dulnesse and coldnes in religion stirre vp the graces of God in vs shake off our ignorance and that because against these sins Christ giueth out this most terrible and fearefull commination Vers. 4. Notwithstanding thou hast a few names Before Christ had reproued this church of hypocrisie now he commends her for a few which professe his name among them But Christ had said before that the church was dead how then can this be a true church Ans. Though the body of the Church were dead in sin yet a few some of them were true beleeuers and testified their faith in obedience Out of this coherence we haue two instructions to learne first that a particular church and congregation is called a church in regard of the better sort and part and those which beleeue in Christ and haue the priuiledges also in regard of the better part which beleeue for the Catholicke Church is a number of men on earth beleeuing in Christ. Now the particular church is a member of the Catholicke Church so farre as they beleeue in Christ. Those which beleeue not are no part of the true church but as bad humors in the body are no true parts of the body so these are no true parts of the Church Secondly we see a distinction betweene man and man in this church though all be called yet some called be dead some aliue in Christ and continue so Now the cause of this distinction is not from the will of man but from the good pleasure of God Rom. 11. 4. The whole body of the Israelites fell to idolatry yet the Lord had seuen thousand which bowed not the knee to Baal What is the cause of this not the will of man but I haue reserued seuen thousand which haue not bowed to Baal saith the Lord. So then his will and good pleasure is the cause why some stand and some fall So the cause why some in this church of Sardis liued some were dead is because the Lord in his good pleasure left some to themselues and to othersome he gaue his spirit This as before confutes vniuersall grace which derogates much from the grace of God For this why some stand some fall comes from and higher cause euen from the power and will of God which leaueth some to themselues and inableth some to stand by his spirit Thou hast a few names Here is the commendation of the better part of the church there be yet a few persons knowne to me by their names which haue not defiled their garments Here he alludeth to the ceremoniall law for the Lord in the ceremoniall law made a distinction betweene things cleane and vncleane not in themselues but by his appointment Now among the Iewes if a man with his hand or garment touched a thing vncleane he was defiled which ceremony signified to them that they should abstaine not onely from sin but all appearance of euill in that they might not touch any vncleane thing no not with their garments Then here Christ would shew there were sundry in Sardis which did abstain both from sin and all occasions shews and appearances of sin though the body of the church were dead yet many in Sardis made such conscience of sin that they auoided the very occasions of sinne Hence we see that the seruants of God be few in number the bodie of the church is dead in sin but a few be so far frō sin that they defile not their garments that is auoid all occasions of sin Christ prepareth the kingdome of heauen for a litle flocke Esay saith only the best part of the Iewes must be saued the rest hardened and the way to hell is broade and easie and many runne that way the way to heauen is contrary Mark 7. 7. Then seeing the seruants of God be few we must not follow the multitude but this sin carieth many a man to hell and to sin when men desire to do as the most do to liue as the most liue we must rather follow the litle flocke of Christ and not runne after the multitude A few names That is persons knowne to Christ by their particular names they be called names because Christ writeth their names in a bill Then we see Christ knoweth his seruants particularly by their names Luke 10. he knoweth all our haires much more our names Iohn 10. Christ calleth his sheep by their names This is a speciall comfort for
thing to come namely an houre of temptation Here Christ foretelleth a thing not present but to come though not known to the Church and that without the helpe of any creature man or Angel which prophecying of this persecution vnder Traian sheweth that he is true God for it is a propertie and priuiledge of God simply of by and from himselfe without helpe of any creature foreseeing of things in their courses to foretell a thing to come Men cannot foretell any thing vnlesse it be present in the causes not simply Then here we must know the cause why this persecution came to them rather then peace and why Christ foretold it rather than peace The cause why Christ saith this houre of temptation shall come is not any foreknowledge of Christ or because he foretelleth it for things come to passe not because God foretelleth and knoweth them but because they be to come to passe therefore he foreseeth them and foreknoweth them The cause then why things come to passe is the will good pleasure decree of God Act. 2. 23. Christ was put to death by the eternall counsell and decree of God so it was Gods will and pleasure not his foreknowledge or foreseeing that this persecution came on this church and the decree of God in the effecting of all things is the highest cause by which all things come to passe and that giueth being to al other causes Obiect Then God is the author of sin Answ. As Gods will and decree in the effecting of things is in the highest place so must we distinguish of the things he willeth for he willeth some things which he effecteth himselfe as all good things some things he willeth and yet doth not effect them but onely permits them to be done by other as sin and euill things which though they come not from his will yet they be according to his will not against his will for his will disposeth of sin and euill things and in all things good or euill his will disposeth and setteth downe the causes and circumstances of place time maner how the end c. Then their opinion is false which hold that certaine things as sin come to passe God onely foreseeing them not decreeing them to come to passe or permitting them Now to giue God a bare foreseeing without decreeing is to rob him of his Godhead and to take from him his prouidence by which he disposeth of all things seeing euery thing which is done cometh to passe by his will and decree he either decreeing and effecting it as all good things or permitting it as euill things The end why Christ alleageth this prophecie is to expound the former words namely why he called the time of persecution a temptation because it should certainly come to trie the whole earth Where we may note the propertie of any affliction persecution or crosse namely to trie a man to discrie what is in his heart whether there be grace and feare of God or hypocrisie And for this end is the crosse sent to men to make knowne either their faith or hypocrisie And there is nothing better to trie the heart of man then temptation and afflictiō and then though thy heart was full of presumption before thou maist know what is in thee and iudge of thy selfe Verse 11. Behold I come shortly Here is Christs commaundement in it note first the occasion it selfe secondly the reason to inforce it The commaundement Hold fast namely with both hands as for life and death If thou haue receiued a litle measure of grace rather part with any thing then with it keepe it and preserue it till death but of this before The reasons to inforce this commaundement are two one before the other after The first Behold I come shortly I wil come to thee shortly either by generall iudgement or else by particular iudgement by death Now before it Christ puts a word of attentiō to shew that this cōmandement is not to be lightly passed ouer of vs but to be earnestly and often remembred Now seeing Christ teacheth vs that he will come shortly to vs in iudgement general or particular we must beleeue him and often haue it in memory that Christ is not far off but wil come to vs shortly to shew our estate either in heauen or hell Then we must beleeue it haue it written in our hearts and in our memories and not flatter our selues we must not say that Christ will deferre his coming he teacheth vs that he is at the doore he cometh shortly either by generall iudgement of all men or particular iudgement to vs. Then happy were we if we could as that auncient father did thinke we heare his trumpet sound continually in our cares and thinke in our hearts and remember this that Christ wil not be long but will come very shortly And indeed the cause why men liue in sin neuer call themselues to an account is because men beleeue not and haue not learned this lesson that Christ wil thus come shortly If mē were thus perswaded in hart Christ will come to me shortly to iudge me giue me my reward in heauen or hell surely if they belonged to God it would make them turne to him from their sinnes and breake off their wicked life nay though a man were most desperate yet this wold make him tremble to thinke how Christ will come shortly to iudge him yea it wold make mē if they had any spark of grace to labor to get faith and a good conscience Seeing thē Christ is to come to iudge them shortly who would not repent who would not leaue his sins and turne to Christ vnlesse he will cast his soule away Then this is our duty to labour to get faith and a good conscience to iudge our selues that we may preuent Christs iudgement Againe this very consideration will make a man constant in all Christian duties and lastly it wil comfort such as be in affliction for they may be sure their affliction shall not last alway for Christ will come to iudgement shortly and he will free them from all their crosses and he will ere it be long giue them deliuerance Now followeth the reason after the commaundement That no man take thy crowne from thee that is the crowne of glorie word to vse his Sacraments reuerently else he will take them from vs put off our crowne and make vs a barbarous and brutish people giuen to all idolatrie O then let vs hold these fast with both hands let all go honour riches preferment pleasures and our owne life ere we loose our glorious crowne of the Gospell of Christ for if we wil not hold it fast he will giue it to a nation which though now we cōtemne yet they shall scorn hisse at vs. And now that we heare of warres and inuasions let these put vs in mind of greater iudgement and assure vs that if we make not more accompt of the word and Sacraments and not only professe
he vsed meanes to enter when they had barred him out Marke the vnspeakeable mercie of Christ they by their sinnes stopt Christ from entring yet he pursueth them with mercie and offereth mercie to them that refused it and contented themselues to lie and liue in their sinnes When Adam had sinned and fled from God the Lord sought him out and made a couenant of grace with him So Esay 65. the Lord saith he was found of them that neuer sought him they that neuer dreamed of mercie sound mercie In the parable of the lost sheep that sheep which was left as a prey to the wild beasts Christ sought it vp and brought it home All these places tend to one end to shew the infinite mercie of Christ. This is true in all churches yea in this of ours If we haue mercie we haue it before we seeke it nay when we refuse it as much as in vs lieth This should be an occasion to stirre vp our hearts to magnifie Christ for his mercie we should not let passe such considerations as these but rather breake out into praise of Gods loue and mercie which is a bottomlesse sea Quest. It may be demaunded how he knockes Answ. The words precedent shew the sense for these words haue relation to them He said before he would spue them out then he giueth them counsell Now by so sharpe a rebuke they might haue despaired therefore he shewes that by this threatning and rebuke and counsell he knockes that they might perceiue they were not tokens of wrath but of mercie So then this knocking is nothing else but the reproofe threatning and counsell vsed before He knocketh when it pleaseth him to make men see their sinne by such things Here then we are to marke the state of al people which haue the ministerie of the word they haue Christ among them and he standeth at the doore and knocketh at euery mans heart All threatnings of the law reproofes of sin exhortations admonitions and promises they are so many knockes of Christ. A great vnspeakeable mercie that the King of heauen and earth should do this Now then doth Christ knocke thus by preaching promises and threatnings c. then we must not be so dull dead and backward but shew more zeale If any man of great place and calling knocke at your doores what stirring is there that you may receiue him as is meete Then what a shame is this when Christ vouchsafeth to deale thus mercifully with vs Againe in that Christ cometh by the ministery of the Gospell to work our conuersion it serueth to admonish vs to turne with all speed for we know not how long he will stand and reach forth the hand of his ministerie to beate vpon our hearts Marke further this knocking is not a light and soft kind of knocking but it goeth with crying he both knocketh and crieth it is an earnest knocking of one that would faine enter Seeing then Christ standing at the doore of mens hearts knocketh so earnestly to saue mens soules we againe ought to be earnest to receiue and embrace the Gospell He knocketh in good earnest and we must accordingly by Gods grace be as earnest So much for the first token of Christs loue his desire of their conuersion which he sheweth by two signes first his waiting secondly his knocking and that ioyned with crying If any man c. Now followeth the second token namely a promise of fellowship with them after their conuersion These words haue bene much abused therefore I wil stand a litle to set downe the meaning Marke the forme of speech it is such as seemeth to giue a man an action in his owne conuersion whereby he comes and receiues Christ. So it attributes to mans will an action as if he should say I for my part stand and knocke if therefore any man heare c. This may seeme strange that such an action should be attributed to a mā that is dead in sin But this speech is vsed for iust cause for in the conuersion of a sinner there be three agents first the holy Ghost secondly the word thirdly mans will The principal agent and worker is the holy Ghost which changeth the mind and will from euill to good the will by nature willing nothing but that which is against the will of God Secondly the word which is an instrument of the holy Ghost for he works not now ordinarily by reuelation or speciall instinct and inspiration but when a man is reading or hearing the word and applying it to his heart then the holy Ghost workes in and by the word that being the power of God to saluation frō faith to faith Thirdly the wil though it be dead by nature can do nothing of it self yet when the holy Ghost begins to moue it it moues it self and striues to be altered whē God moues it We must not think mās wil is like a peece of wax which hath no actiō but only passiuely receiues and impression but the will being disposed moues and stirres it selfe Euen as fire so soone as it is kindled it burnes and as soone as it burnes is fire so when God hath once giuen grace the will moueth the mind seeth and acknowledgeth sin and the will inclined by the holy Ghost begins a strife against sin and makes a man endeuour to please God so much as he can So the will in the very first conuersion hath his action though not by nature but by grace Now considering these three actions concurre in the conuersion of a sinner hence it is that actions are ascribed to sinners which are to be conuerted as here and in manie other places not that they can do any thing of themselues without Christ but when they are wrought vpon by the holy Ghost Thus a man hath a free will in his first conuersiō by grace as fire hath some effects of fire so soone as euer it is kindled therefore it is said Repent and beleeue to impenitent persons not because they can do it of themselues but because when it shall please the holy Ghost to worke it in their hearts by the word they can turne and vse good meanes This is the cause why the holy Ghost ascribes an action to such persons when God giues grace to receiue Christ then it receiueth Christ when God opens the heart by that grace it is enabled to receiue Christ. This being the true meaning of these words let vs see how this text hath bene abused first by Papists which gather hereupō that a man hath free will in his conuersion by nature that he hath and that is the faith which sets open the heart wide to receiue Christ. Thus if you shall humble your selues and acknowledge your vnworthinesse and lay hold on Christ with true faith and testifie it by feruent loue to Christ and his members then shall your hearts be open indeed and you shall receiue Christ. Thus much for the true meaning of the condition It followeth I
yea though they preach it oftentimes But they must looke that they do it not for ease but for the good of the Church And therefore the hearers hearing the Minister repeate the same doctrine ought not curiously to reprehend him for then they may as well reprehend Christ himselfe as before I haue shewed Here then is a dutie commaunded namely to heare this hearing is the good learning that bringeth true faith saluation and sincere obedience with it But to whom is this commandement giuen To hearing hearers and to such as do not onely receiue the word of God with their outward eares but with the eare that is in the heart Hence we learne first that God doth not giue to all men grace to heare his word to their saluation Secondly that we must so heare that thereby we may be conuerted and changed But what is to be said namely what the spirit teacheth to the Churches That we might heare attentiuely he vseth a double reason one drawne from the speaker another from the auditors to wit the Churches But I haue spoken of these before And to the Angell of the Church of the Laodiceans write c. As before all the other Epistles so before this last Epistle there is a commandement giuen to Iohn to write it And the Epistle hath three parts as the former had first a Preface secondly the matter thirdly a conclusion First of the Preface wherin Christ is described in whose name it was penned by two arguments First by his name and title Amen a faithfull witnesse Secondly by his priuiledge and propertie the beginning of the cratures Amen is an Aduerb of affirmation or asseueration signifying truly verily certainly The reason why he is so called is rendred in the words that follow which are a commentary and full exposition of this The faithfull witnesse c. So that to this end he is called Amen to shew that he is a true and faithfull witnesse See chap. 1. 5. there I expound it And here I will repeate the heads onely of that exposition He is called a witnesse betweene God the father and vs because he doth not onely reueale the fathers will to vs but sealed it with his blood and giueth vs many testimonies inward and outward but of all testimonies that of the Scripture is most certaine And for these three respects he is thus termed first because he doth reueale it and seale it and ratifie it by inward and outward testimonies secondly because he wold accomplish his fathers wil. 2. Cor. 1. 20. All the promises of God are in him yea and Amen that is most certaine and therefore he is a witnesse yea a faithfull witnesse Thirdly he is called a true witnesse because he speaketh the truth that which he reuealeth from his father is the will of his father who is truth it selfe he saith as the thing is without error or falshood nay his will is the rule of all truth This is the meaning of the first argument Now the vse and the end why here Christ is so called if we do but reade the Epistle and marke the contents we may guesse probably at the end which is that he might shew himselfe an example to the Angell of that Church who was slacke and negligent in his ministery therfore Christ instructs him how to cary himself without respect of persons teaching the word of God truly and faithfully See chap. 1. 5. And not only to the Angel but to all the Church yea to all Christians he propounds himselfe an example of two worthy vertues faith and truth he would haue all to be true and faithfull in their life and conuersation euen as he is This faith is a vertue whereby a mans word becometh as sure as an obligation as we vse to speake whereby we make good all our words othes and promises Truth is that whereby a man without lying deceit or fraud speaketh the truth from his heart that I say which is necessary to be knowne for his owne and others good and for the glory of God Set we this example before our eyes and as Christ is a true and faithfull witnesse so let vs be carefull to shew our selues true in all our words and speeches and to be faithfull in all our promises These be excellent graces in Christ and fruites of the spirit in Christians therefore let vs be knowne by these to be like Christ. The second end of this title is to induce this Church to apply it selfe to the word of God effectually for it was faultie in this point therfore that he might bring them to this he saith that he is a faithfull witnesse How should they do this Thus consider in the word the law and the Gospell the commaundements promises and threatnings and apply them particularly euery man to himselfe the commandements to know sinne the threatnings to humble vs and that we may be touched in conscience and made fit to receiue Gods grace see an example of it Luke 15. in the prodigall son I haue sinned and am not worthy c. So Daniel and Ezra humbled themselues No man can truly be humbled till he make this particular application of the word which he readeth and heareth Now the Gospell also must be thus applied we are bound to beleeue the promises of life eternal not onely that they are true but to apply them to our selues The Gospell requireth a further thing which is the foundation of the church for proofe see Phil. 3. 7 8 9 10 11. The summe is this he esteemes all things losse in regard of Christ and desires the righteousnes which is by faith in Christ and to know the vertue of Christs resurrection Now marke the fifteenth verse let so many as be perfect be thus minded teaching euery one of vs our dutie to apply Christ to our owne person Thus are we bound in conscience to apply the Gospell to our selues and whosoeuer doth not so he makes God a lier as much as in him lieth 1. Iohn 5. And this is the principall end and reason why Christ calleth himselfe so that men might not onely beleeue the word in general but apply it in particular to themselues The not doing of this is the cause of negligence in religon of so many luke-warme Christians and professors Therefore let vs all learne this dutie It is not enough to know the word no nor to be able to teach it but aboue al things to lay it to the conscience to apply it that we may be truly humbled and turne to God therefore iustifying faith is that which applieth in particular Now the second title of Christ is the beginning of all creatures Col. 1. 16. By him all things were created in heauen and earth therefore in regard of creation he is so called Yet I doubt not but there is a further cause why he is so called here namely because he is the beginning of the new creatures as Ephes. 1. 10. where it is said we are Gods workmanship created
in Christ to good workes Marke there euery Christian is a workmanship of God To this purpose Esay 53. 10. saith whē Christ shal giue him selfe a free will offering he shall see his seed How Thus All that are borne a new they are the seed of Christ he is the beginning and roote and so much the very scope of this Epistle declareth Now he is such a beginning two waies first as he is the author of regeneration for whosoeuer is borne a new Christ is the cause and author of his conuersion Therefore Esay 9. 6. he is called the father of eternitie because he doth regenerate men to life by his spirit and Esay 8. 18. he saith Loe here I am and the children that thou hast giuen me Secondly as he is the matter thereof Ephes. 5. the Church is flesh and bone of Christ where the Apostle alludeth to the creation of our first parents for Adam was a figure of a man regenerate and as Eue had her beginning from Adams side so the Church and euery Christian haue their being and beginning from Christ from his blood springs the Church of God and all Christians as they are new creatures and regenerate not as they are men and women Now the end why he is so called is to meete with a vice in that and other Churches Men haue more care and desire to seeme to be Christians then to be Christians indeed men set more by a shew then truth shadow then substance Therfore he shewes that their principall care must be to be true Christians indeed not to seeme so only This church was not regenerate in that church and therefore Christ tels them of it that he is the beginning of new creatures And the same is our fault our care is not so much for the power of godlines as for the shew of it therefore I beseech you haue care of this to heare the word and to receiue the sacraments are good things in their kind but they are not sufficient to saluation except thou become a true member of Christ thou hast no good by them 2 He saith this to meete with another vice that is spiritual pride He shewes that there is no excellencie in outward things all earthly excellēcies are nothing without this wherby a man is a new creature therefore we must not stand vpon our pantofles for our birth or gentry but whosoeuer wil reioyce must reioyce in this that he hath Christ for the author of his regeneration Further this teacheth vs an excellent lesson that Christ loueth and preserueth his church for as it was in the first Adam so it is in the second Adam The woman had not her beginning apart from man but of and from him that he might loue her the better and haue care of her preseruation So this is to teach vs that Christ hath a care of vs and that we must honor him Nay which is more Adam was but the matter onely and not the author of Heuah but Christ is both to the church to shew his loue to be endlesse The root neuer hurts the branches nay it strengtheneth it selfe to defend cherish and maintaine the branches it hath no affection inclination or disposition to hurt but to helpe Thus much of these words to note the bond betweene Christ and his church yea his loue and our dutie Hence I gather that the Papists erre in teaching that a man hath the vse of his owne will in his regeneration and that he can dispose himselfe in his iustification for a creature cannot worke nor help to create himself but euery regenerate person is a creature of God and the conuersion of a sinner is here made the creation of a man the creature in his owne creation is able to do nothing If there were no more such sayings in the Bible this one were sufficient to confute that opinion And thus much of the preface Now the matter of the Epistle or contents and substance Verse 15. I know thy workes c. that thou art neither hote nor hote c. The Proposition hath two parts First a dispraise or reproofe Secondly counsell The dispraise is for two faults the first lukewarmnesse the second pride and vanitie of mind Then first I will make the words plaine secondly declare the vse of them I know that is all thy waies and workes be manifest to me and I vtterly dislike them And to lay open their fault the more he borroweth a comparison from water whereof there be these three sorts hote cold and warme Cold and hote water may be receiued into the stomack with lesse hurt and annoyance but the water that is lukewarme troubleth the stomacke and ceasseth not till it be cast vp againe Now with these three kinds of water he compareth three sorts of men By cold men vnderstand the enemies of religion as Iewes and Gentiles Turkes and Saracens Gadarens and Galileans By hote vnderstand men zealous in religion by lukewarm indifferent So the meaning is thou art neither an open enemy of religion nor yet truly religious or a true friend I would c. Christ here maketh a wish but he doth not simply wish that they were enemies of religion but in respect of their estate he wisheth they were either of those rather then as they were Otherwise this absurditie would follow that Christ should wish them to be of a people no people of God By lukewarmenesse he vnderstandeth a people professing the word of God and yet not greatly regarding and reuerencing it This people is a lukewarme people as if he should say a mixture of both neither hote nor cold wanting the heate of grace and the fire of Gods spirit whereby their hearts should be heated and inflamed Vers. 16. Because thou art neither c. The meaning is this Euen as a man that hath receiued such water will cast it vp and cannot keepe it in so Christ being grieued with their sinnes will cast them off from hauing any fellowship with him and make them to be no Church This is the true and right meaning of the words Now in them these things are contained First Christ setteth downe their fault and aggrauateth it Secondly he compareth three kinds of men together The hote man hath the best place and the cold man the second and the lukewarme man the last and lowest So you see the enemie of religion and of Gods grace is better then he that professeth religion and liueth not thereafter As if he should say the ordinarie Gospeller which contenteth himselfe to heare the word and to receiue the Sacraments is not so good before God as the Turke and Iew. The threatning followeth I will spue them out of my mouth Now hauing found the meaning we must examine our selues whether we may not be charged with the same fault and it will be found that we are guiltie of this and euen plaine Laodiceans Which that you may see I will shew diuerse kinds of such lukewarme Gospellers and Christians 1