fourth Trumpet only a Third part of the Sun was Darkned Now there is a total Eclipse and a thick Mist upon the Face of the whole Earth the petty Antichrists that preceded did only Corrupt and Adulterate some Truths and Ordinances Thus all His Smoak is as the Smoak of a great Furnace a complex Body a Flood and Inundation of all manner of Errors and Heresies He calls all that endeavour a Reformation in Doctrine Worship and Discipline Hereticks and Schismaticks but indeed he is the great Heretick 2. Out of this Smoak came out Locusts Verse 3. i. e. the Romish and Antichristian Clergy called Locusts 1. Because there are such numerous swarms of them that were never of Divine Institution Popes Cardinals Patriarchs Metropolitans Arch-Bishops Lord-Prelates c. some do reckon 35 orders of that Hierarchy to which Alsted says do belong 225044 Monastaries 2. Because of their hurtfulness to Souls as Locusts to Trees and Grass They are further described from verse 4. to the end of this Trumpet the Spirit of God hereby pointing to us That this Romish Hierarchy is one of the greatest Pillars of Antichrists Kingdom where you may mark these properties in them 1. They have power to String i. e. to torment the Souls and Consciences of Men and Women Verse 3 5 6. They shall so put them on the Rack That in those days Men shall seek Death and shall not find it they shall desire Death and it shall flee away They Preach that they must believe as the Church believeth that they must perfectly keep the Law of God otherwise they are Damned and having thus wounded the Remedy is worse than the Disease they put Men upon satisfying God's Justice at least for some sins and procuring Peace of Conscience by their own good Works and Merits that no Man can be assured of his Salvation in this Life that after Death their Souls go into Purgatory out of which they are to be redeemed by saying so many Soul-Masses for them for which they must endow the Church with a good part of their Estates This their Stinging was like unto a Scorpion a dangerous kind of Serpent that goes waywardly and Stings when it seems not to do so Their Power thus to torment was but for five Months this is in allusion to the Locusts who continue from April to September to destroy Trees and Grass Verse 5.2 As to their shape they were like unto Horses prepared unto Battle i. e. they are swift nimble and active strong and well fed meer belly-Gods 3. On their Heads they have Crowns as it were like unto Gold i. e. they live in such State Pomp and Grandure that they are more like Monarchs than Gospel-Ministers though indeed they are neither for their Crowns are not Gold but like unto it they plead that their Church Government is of Divine Right their Authority is from Jesus Christ but all is not Gold that glisters pretend what they will they came out of the bottomless Pit 4. Their faces were as the faces of Men. Verse 7. i. e. They shew themselves very sociable and affable meerly to insinuate into the Affections of others or they plead its reason by which they are regulated in all their Administrations is it not reason that all things should be done decently and in order that the Church should have a Power in Ceremonies and Matters indifferent to determine the Practices of People how can their be any peace without Uniformity Non conformists can be no other but a company of proud Persons that affect Novelty and Singularity 5. Their hair is like the hair of Women Verse 8. i. e. They are Spiritually Effeminate and with their whorish Deckings and Attire they allure others to commit Spiritual Fornication 6. Their teeth are as the teeth of Lions Verse 8 i. e. They are very cruel but cunning the teeth lie hid in this they are distinguished from the Turks in the following Trumpet Whose heads are as lions i. e. They openly profess their Cruelty 7. They had breast-plates as it were of iron i. e. They arm themselves so that none can do them hurt either they get Magstirates to be on their side or to be privileged with immunities from the jurisdiction of Magistrates 8. The sound of their wings is as the sound of Chariets of many horses running to battle i. e. Their Church Censures Bulls and Excommunications is with great noise horror and dread by which Emperors and Kings themselves have been greatly awed 9. They have stings in their tails Verse 10. i. e. With their flattering Speeches and plausible Pretences they captivate poor simple ones Lastly They have a King over them which is the Angel of the bottomless Pit whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon destroyer i. e. Though they have many several orders and degrees amongst themselves yet they are all of them subordinate to one supream Head the Pope though some may pretend very fair yet their Offices Orders and Degrees came Originally from him that is the Angel of the bottomless Pit The goodness of God under this trumpet is in the 9th Verse Though their Commission was very extensive in having power to hurt all yet it did not reach the Sealed Ones and to say no more but this the greater the judgment was the more did the goodness of God appear in securing his hidden Ones from it And thus of the 5th Trumpet The Scope of the sixth Trumpet is to show that Idolatry and Superstition being now so rife amongst those that were called Christians the Righteous God was resolved to raise up the Sarazens and Turks as a scourge for the same the judgment of this Trumpet not being a Spiritual but a Temporal one Most Expressions may be understood literally I will cursorily run over the whole Upon the sounding of the sixth Angel a voice was heard from the 4 Horns of the Golden Altar which is before God saying Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great River Euphrates which was accordingly done Verse 14.15 i. e. Whereas the forementioned barbarous People were hereto by God's Providence restrained from breaking in upon the Western part of the World and kept on the other side of Euphrates now they are commissioned from Jesus Christ to come against the Christians for their Idolatry The number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand i. e. Of all People in the World none comparable to the Turks for Horses they are infinitely numerous v. 16. And the riders that sat on them have breast-plates of fire of jacinct and of brimstone and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions i. e. they are terrible and cruel and profess themselves to be so and out of their mouths issued fire and smoak and brimstone Some understand hereby their great Guns and Cannons which Instruments of War were first invented by them v. 17. And by the fire smoak and brimstone which issued out of their mouths the third part
Heavenly-minded and insisted much on such things as might make the Christians Dead to all things here below such a one was Polycarpus who thus answered the Proconsul pressing him to deny Christ These Eighty Six Years I have served a good Master and why should I now deny him At another time thus I do even long for the Teeth of the devouring Beasts they 'll only grind us in a Mill that we may be Wheat fit for our Masters Table And Ignatius thus I covet nothing that can be seen with Bodily Eyes so that I may but enjoy Jesus Christ Let the Fire the Cross the Beasts the breaking of Bones convulsion of Members bruising of the whole Body and the torments of the Devil seize upon me provided I may be partaker of Christ 2. The evidence of this may be evinced if we consider how that through their means the Gospel did so triumphantly conquer and captivate the Hearts and Affections of so many hundreds and thousands to the obedience of Christ that of Rev. 6.2 was applicable to their times I saw and behold a white Horse and he that sat on him had a Bow and a Crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering and to conquer The Gospel was then spread abroad into many several Nations There was almost no place where the Christian Religion was not profest Plinius reports That the number of Christians did so encrease notwithstanding of Persecution that few or none did frequent the Idols Temples and Sacrifices Tertullian said all the other Monarchies have their Bounds and Limits only Christ's Dominion was spread over all and had no Bounds whence he proved That Christ could be no other but the Son of God And as the same Author relates If they had all forsaken the Towns of the Heathens they had left them almost desolate Sanguine fundata est ecclesia Sanguine crevit 3. The greatness of the Mercy did appear in this That the Lord did raise up some of very great eminency to plead their Cause against Enemies of all sorts 1. Quadratus Aristides Apollonius Melito Asianus Justin Martyr and Tertullian did learnedly plead against Persecutors and Presented their Apologeticks to the Emperors 2. Origen and Celsus did manage their cause against the Heathens 3. Justin Martyr against the Jews in his Book called Dialogus cum Tryphone 4. Tertullian both against Jews and Gentiles 5. Irenaeus and Tertullian against Hereticks 4. As they strenuously contended for the truth against all Enemies so they laboured mightily to keep the Churches at peace among themselves especially Irenaeus and Polycarpus who kept the Western and Eastern Churches in concord notwithstanding of their difference about keeping of Easter the one pleading it should be kept on the Sabbath the other on the same Day that the Jews of old did observe let it fall to be the Sabbath or ay other Day of the Week in this Pacificatory Work they prevailed much and were very successful till Victor Bishop of Rome took upon him to excommunicate them of the East Anno 200 5. They were such as did with all seriousness call aloud upon the Churches to consider the things that were of greatest concernment to them in that Estate Rev. 6. At the opening of every Seal they called thus Come and see 1. That this was nothing but what was Prophesied of before 2. Come and see i. e. consider that these things do not befall you by chance or Fortune but take special notice of the Hand of God in all these providential Occurrences 3. Come and see that Persecutors are limited they cannot go beyond their Commission no further than Providence permits A Horse and a Rider is the Type of every one of the four first Seals to signifie that the reins of Persecutors are not upon their own Necks but were wisely ordered and guided by the Hand of a skillkful Rider 4. Come and see your own sins as the procuring cause of all these Persecutions and Punishments inflicted upon you Cyprian Lib. 4. Epist 4. Quicquid patimur peccata nostra meruere dum viam domini non tenemus nee data nobis ad salutem caelestia mandata servamus fecit dominus noster voluntatem patris at nos non facimus domini voluntatem patrimonio lucro studentes superbiam sectantes aemulationi ac dissentioni vacantes There were these particular sins which he acknowledged to be amongst them 1. In general they did not walk so close with God as they should have done nor did they study exactness in keeping the Commands of God according to the pattern of Christ 2. They did with two much eagerness pursue after the World 3. They were Proud 4. There were Emulations Dissensions Envyings and Divisions amongst them 5. They were not so plain-hearted and faithfull in their dealings as they should have been Simplicitatis fidei negligentis 6. They denied themselves of the World in Words only but not in Deeds saeculo verbis solis non factis renunciantes 7. Every one sought to please himself displeasing others Unusquisque sibi placentes aliis non placentes 5. Come and see the ends of God in all this 1. It is to declare his Holiness and Righteousness he cannot away with Sin in any how near or dear so ever to him 2. To humble them for their Sins 3. To exercise their Graces 4. To discover Hypocrites 5. That the Truths of the Gospel might be sufficiently confirmed and commended to after Ages and succeeding Generations After the Martyrdom of so many there needs no new Miracles to make us believe the Gospel 6. That they might be Patterns to us in point of Suffering demeaning our selves as they did 6. Come and see the ends of God in delaying so long to give them deliverance 1. Because Wicked Men had not yet filled up the measure of their Sins 2. He had a mind to honour some more of his Servants with the Crown of Martyrdom Rev. 6.10 And it was said unto them that they should rest for a little season until their fellow servants also and brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled When the scrowl of them that God had marked out for Sufferings was made up then they might expect Deliverance Histories do relate that in these purer primitive times before the Apostacy of Rome all their Ministers were Martyrs till Sylvester the first in Constantine's days 4. God was very good to his People in those days in giving them now and then some breathing time and respite from the heat of Persecution as after Domitian's Death they were not troubled for one whole year's time under Commodus and Heliogabalus they were free from Persecution after Decius they had Peace for forty years together It 's very observable That their Sufferings were little or nothing at all under some that were otherwise most notoriously Wicked and they suffer'd greatly from some that were otherwise morally good Magistrates to wit Hadrian that was called Restaurator Orbis and Trajan call'd
those times before you as Patterns for imitation 1. As I would not have you decline Sufferings for the Gospel and Righteousness sake when indeed called of God thereunto so be careful not to suffer as Busie bodies or Evil-doers Mattyrdom for Christ was accounted so honourable amongst them that the Names of all that were Martyrs indeed were register'd and kept upon Record and such as did Suffer either not for Truth or without a Call out of an itching appetite for Honour were not Enroll'd 2. In all your Sufferings own Magistracy and honour the Authority of Magistrates I am sure this was the Doctrine and Practice of Christ the Apostles and the purer primitive Churches 3. Shew all Meekness towards your Persecutors that they may be convinced it is not through a peevish humoursomness or Pride but really for Conscience sake because you dare not sin against God that you do and suffer what you do condescend to them in all things civil unless they impose upon your Consciences something contrary to God's Word 4. Shew Love to the Souls of those that hate you with a most cruel hatred in praying sincerely heartily and constantly for them Matth. 5. end 5. Do not use any sinful or unlawful means to deliver your self from sufferings Heb. 11.25 26. 6. As I would have none to venture upon sufferings in their own Strength a Fleshly confidence will fail you in an Hour of Temptation so let not the sense of thy own weakness cause discouragement and a despondence of Spirit but rather act dependance upon this good God that when ever he gives the Call he will proportion thy Strength in some measure to thy Sufferings 1 Cor. 10.13 7. These primitive Martyrs were not only patient but of a chearful Spirit in all their Sufferings they Sung Psalms to one Jesus Let this be the Gospel-Frame of Spirit you are of in every thing give thanks for this is the will of God your Heavenly Father 1 Thess 5.18 8. Be much in Prayer in the exercise of Repentance and of Faith in applying particular Promises to your own Souls and in realizing the Glorious things of Eternity 9. In all your Sufferings be public Spirited i. e. Let Gods Glory the honour of the Gospel the Edification of Churches and Christians and thy own Souls Advantage be aimed at Do not think how thou mayest get Honour and a Name to thy self but rather 1 Cor. 10.31 whatsoever thou dost do or suffer let all be for the Glory of God 10. Think it not enough to begin well but resolve in the Lord's Strength to continue faithful to the Death and thou shalt be sure of the Crown of Life 7. God was good to his People from Constantine's time and the first beginning of Antichrists Rise to his full height and to put the two last in one he has been good to them ever since he began to decay and will continue his Goodness to them more and more to the end of the World And here it will be necessary for your better understanding of this Subject to premise a few things 1. No sooner was the Church delivered from a Persecuted State but immediately upon the back of that a new Storm did arise 2. The Churches Tryals now are of a different Nature from what they were formerly as then they Suffered from professed Pagans so now they are exercised with Spiritual Judgments they were pestered with Heresies and Errors from within and such as by Profession were Christians 3. This is not so to be understood as if they shall not now suffer Persecution but the Denomination of the Churches State is from that which is Chief and Principal of the two Evils Heresies were the greatest 4. The Instruments by whom they suffered were Antichrist and his Adherents 5. In treating of these things I shall take it for granted that the Churches sufferings in this Age is contained under the Trumpets 8. and 9. Chap. of the Revel 6. I understand the 7th Chap. of the Revel to be only a preparative to the sounding of the Trumpets and intervenes between the opening of the 6th and 7th Seals as also that the 10th Chap. and beginning of the 11th is no new Prophesy distinct from the Prophesy of the Trumpets but only intervenes between the 6th and 7th 7. I must speak particularly and more largely than I intended of the evils of this Age that so the Goodness of God in preserving them from the same may appear to be the greater and so for methods sake I shall summarily give you the substance of the 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th Chap. of the Revel as they lie in order Revelations Chap. Seven 1. Take notice that the Nature of the Evil to ensue is hinted at v. 1 2. There were Four Angels standing on the four Corners of the Earth holding the four Winds that they should not blow upon the Earth nor on the Sea nor on the Trees This was the Judgment that was to come upon earthy unstable and self-conceited Professors of the visible Church even a suspension of the influences of the North and South-Wind of the Spirit throughout all the Corners of the Earth 2. It is observable that this nor any other kind of evil can befal Creatures by chance but by the Hand of an over-Ruling Divine providence Four Angels are Empowered and Commissioned from above before the thing be put in Execution 3. From verse 2.3 Observe Such is God's Goodness and Christ's tender Care towards his poor People that he suffers not these Commissioned Executioners of Divine Justice to go on hastily with their Work till they were sufficiently prepared and guarded against it 4. The Great Lord Chancellor the Keeper of the Great Seal of Heaven is pleased to set his own Mark upon his chosen Ones whereby they may be ensafed and secured against this ensuing Evil Hurt not till we have Sealed the Servants of our God in their Foreheads He gives them that excellent Unction 1 John 2. and anointing of the Spirit that though Antichristian Calamities may reach their Bodies yet they shall never be able to do their Souls any considerable hurt 5. herein is the Goodness of God yet further that during Antichrists Rage the Sealed Ones are exactly Numbred to a Man in the Court-Rolls of Heaven One Hundred Forty Four Thousand out of all the Tribes of Israel i. e. as the Twelve Tribes of Israel were but few in respect of other Nations and the Elect of God among themselves were but few in respect of those that were called Israelites so the Number of those that are preserved from Antichristian Pollutiones shall be few in respect of a world of carnal Professors that shall wonder after the Beast 6. From verse 9. to the end you have an excellent prophetical hint of their deliverance from Antichristianism and then their Condition shall be glorious comparatively i. e. in respect of her Wilderness condition and prophesying in Sackcloath then shall there be a multitude which no Man can
our treating of this Subject we are not to restrict it to them only 2. That we may the better know who those of a clean heart are this distinction is necessary 1. There is a Legal cleanness of heart which is a perfect and compleat purity according to what the Law requires 2. There is an Evangelical or Gospel cleanness of heart which is 1. A godly sorrow and humiliation from heart-uncleanness 2. A holy detestation hatred and abhorrence of every sin 3. A constant endeavour every day more and more to be rid of sin 4. A sincere cordial love to holiness and heart purity 5. A fervent and earnest praying with David Psal 51. Create in me a clean heart and renue a right spirit within me 6. An unfeigned faith whereby a humbled soul does notwithstanding of the guilt and filth of sin lay hold on Christ for Justification and Sanctification It 's of this later and not the former the assertion in the Text is verified Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose sins is forgiven and whose transgression is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guil By this time you may perceive that my Text points at these three things 1. The goodness of God here mentioned it not that common providential bounty whereof the whole Creation are made partakers but the specialties of Gods love and favour 2. Though there are many titular Christians that go under the name of Church-members Saints and Professors yet the specialty of Love is the peculiar priviledge and portion of upright-hearted ones only 3. It is a most infallible certain and undoubted truth that God is good to his Church and people especially such as are sincere souls amongst them O how sweet is it to speak of this goodness of God but how much more sweet to taste of it O its sweet to know it but much more sweet to feel it experimentally and to have a lively sense of his goodness to my own soul in particular For the opening of this more fully I shall propose this method 1. Give some few Scripture-proofs of this truth God is good to his people 2. Some demonstrations thereof from what has been common to his people in all ages 3. From some particular blessings bestowed upon the Jews under the Old Testament 4. What the goodness of God was to the Gospel-Church as in contradistinction to the Jews 5. What were the peculiar blessings of God to the Primitive Church in Christ and the Apostles days 6. Wherein the goodness of God appeared to the Church for the first Three hundred years after the death of Christ and his Apostles 7. What from the first rise of Antichrist till he came to his full height and during his reign 8. What the good providence of God is like to be from the first remarkable beginning of Antichrists ruin to the time and period of his utter destruction from the beginning of the work of Reformation to the end of the World Here 's Work enough carved out for me to speak and you to hear of we may well say Who is sufficient for these things We might be greatly discouraged even at our first entrance upon it were it not for this one thing That God with whom we have to do and whose work we are about is of infinite goodness grace mercy love and bounty abundant in goodness and truth he giveth liberally and upbraideth no man Jam. 1.5 First For Scripture proofs take these few instead of many Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which â—hou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men Zech. 3. last ver Psal 103.11 12 13 15 16 17 c. Psal 107. this is four or five â—imes reiterated O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the sons of men and Psal 136. this is 26 times repeated The mercy of the Lord endureth for ever and 145.7 â— 9. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy â—reat goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness the Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger â—nd of great mercy the Lord is good to all and his tenâ—er mercies are ever all his works Secondly The consideration of such blessings as â—re common to the upright hearted ones in all ages 〈◊〉 a farther demonstration of this truth and they â—re these 1. There 's none of them but it was upâ—n the heart of God to do them good before the â—oundation of the world Eph. 1.4 5 6. 2 Tim. 1. â—0 2. That unspeakable and unparallell d mercy 〈◊〉 God in promising and sending his dear Son to work redemption for his people is a confirmation â—f this Joh. 3 16. God so loved the world 3. There 's one of Gods peculiar ones but in due time have â—een effectually called from darkness to light he â—…kes the heirs of hell wrath and damnation and â—dopts them for his own children 1 Joh. 3.1 Beâ—old what manner of love and goodness this is 〈◊〉 Pardon of sin is that that all the people of God have been partakers of Micah 7.18 O who is a God like unto our God that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Isa 43.25 Ezek. 36.22 5. All such have had the soul-saving and sanctifying graces of the spirit bestowed upon them 2 Pet 1.4 6. They have had Ordinances and means whereby grace and all spiritual blessings may be communicated to them Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his word to Jacob his statutes and his judgments to Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation 7. Whatever blessings they have all is by the tenure of a Covenant of Grace 2 Cor. 1.20 .. All promises are Yea and Amen in Christ to them that believe O the never-enough-admired goodness of this God that has condiscended so far as by a voluntary Contract and Covenant to make himself a Debtor to such undeserving wretches Psal 34.3 O come let us magnifie the goodness of the Lord together 8. God is so good that he has in all ages furnished his people with what he knew to be most convenient for them if the light of his countenance was best for them than they had if the joys and consolations of the Holy Ghost if the hidings of his face if poverties iâ— aches if Ordinances or if sometimes the want of Ordinances was good for them if persecution or deliverance from it He has sanctified every state and condition making all things work for their good Rom. 8.28 in one word Psal 84.11 The Lord is a Sun and a Shield he giveth grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly and 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright behold the end of that man is peace Isa 64.4 Psal 40.12 Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast
God in transmitting this prophetical Piece of holy Writ to us that it might be a Lanthorn to our Feet to direct our steps in a dark Place Let 's not slight this good providence so as not at all to peruse it only for the Lord's sake study Sobriety Self-denial Humility and Spirituality in your perusal and then there will be no great danger otherwise there may and will Rev. 3.1 3. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep these things 2. God's good Providence so ordered it that their sufferings were for Righteousness sake Rev. 6.9 They were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held Their Testimony was this The Devil is not to be Worshipped nor any other Creature whatsoever This enraged the Dragon who was then Worshipped to raise a persecution against them Rev. 12.7 Their Testimony was that their present way of Worship though practised by the Emperors and established by the publick Laws of the Empire yet it was idolatrous sinful and detestable to God this enraged the Emperors against them they testified that Jesus Christ was the only Son of God and Saviour of the World The Senate of Rome refused to acknowledge his Divinity till first by some Act or Law of theirs it should be so approved of and ratified Rom. 1.21 22. Herein the Romans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 became vain in their imaginations and their foolish Heart was full of darkness when they professed themselves to be wise they became fools From all this it is evident that they suffered in a very righteous Cause 2. From this also that they refused conformity to their way of Worship and would not do any the least thing that might but seem to honour their Idols tho' much sollicited thereunto both by promises of great rewards on the one hand and threatnings of sore punishments on the other Eustachius a Christian Souldier with his whole Family was put to Death though otherwise he had done great service meerly because he would not on the day of Triumph Sacrifice with the Emperor Dioclesian's own Wife being a Christian suffered on the same account Marcus Arethusius not only refused to build the Idols Temple which himself had pulled down but also chused Death rather than to contribute one Farthing towards it They would not deliver up their Bibles they would not give so much as a Clout or Rag they would not so much as throw a little incense on their Altars A certain Christian Souldier would needs carry his Garland in his Hand when his fellows did wear it on their Heads in Testimony of Honour to their Idols 3. They suffered because they would not persecute their fellow Christians A memorable instance is of that Christian Legion of Souldiers who after an excellent Oration made by Mauritius their Commander to the Emperor Maximinianus after they had been twice decimated were afterwards all of them Slain upon no other account but because they would not fall upon their fellows 4. That they suffered for Righteousness sake may appear from the many false calumnies and accusations that were brought against them Rev. 12.10 When the Dragon in the persecuting Emperors had his deadly Wound it 's thus exprest The accuser of our brethren is cast down 1. They were accused for being Enemies to civil Government upon a twofold account 1. Because of their non-conformity to such edicts of the Empire as were contrary to the Law of God 2 Because they talked so much of the Kingdom of Christ that in matters of Conference and Worship they acknowledged no Soveraignty nor Laws but his Trajan's Persecution did arise upon Euaristus's exercising of Discipline in the Churches without dependance upon the civil Power The Emperor Domitian did diligently search for all that were any kin to Christ according to the Flesh least happily some of them might lay claim to his Crown that the primitive Christians were Enemies to Magistrates and civil Government was a notorious falseshood both their Principles and Practices do abundantly testifie for sometimes when there were many hundreds of them Burnt in Churches and thousands of them that were Soldiers in Arms able enough to defend themselves destroyed they chused to suffer rather than sinfully to make resistance 2. They were most abominably slandered by Magicians Idolatrous Priests Jews and other Apostate Christians as guilty of the most horrid sins that could be named at their Meetings to wit Incest Adultrey Drunkenness Inhumanity 3. Whatever Plagues were inflicted upon Persecutors the blame of all was cast upon the Christians as if they had been the only cause thereof whereas indeed it was their own Sin of Persecuting God's People and contempt of the Gospel that occasioned all their judgments 4. That they suffered for Righteousness may appear from the Laws which were made against them to wit these 1. That all their Bibles should be delivered up and destroyed 2. That they should not meet together for Religious exercises unless it were Men apart and Women apart and so Women were to teach Women contrary to Christs Law 3. That no Ministers should meet together in any Synod or otherwise and that wherever they were apprehended they should be carried away to Prison The Laws made by Julian for the extirpation of Christianity were these 1. That no Children of Christians should be trained up in Schools that so being ignorant they might be incapacitated to plead for the Christian Religion 2. That none should be beneficed with any place civil or military but they that would Sacrifice to Idols 3. That no Ministers should have any maintenance 4. Meerly in spite to the Christians he enacted a toleration to all sorts of Religion whence the Jews were encouraged to lay the Foundation of the Temple that abomination of desolation against which God did so miraculously appear from Heaven above and Earthquakes beneath that there was not one Stone left upon another according to what was prophesied by Christ Matth. 24.2 3. God was good to them in this respect That during their Persecuted Estate he furnished them with Ministers and others singularly qualified for the Service and Sufferings of that Day as may appear 1. By comparing Rev. 6.1 3 5 7. with 4.7 By the Beasts which cried Come and see at the opening of the Seals the Ministers of Christ are signified the first was like a Lion i. e. they did deliver their Masters Message and do his Work with an undaunted Lion like Courage and Boldness The second was like a Calf i. e. they were fitted with a Spirit of Patience and Meekness contentedly to undergo the Yoak of hard Labour and sore Pressures The Third had the Face of a Man i. e. they were furnished with a great measure of Heavenly Wisdom and Prudence in all their administrations The fourth like a flying Eagle i. e. some of them did soare aloft in searching into and discovering of the great Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven they were very
Princeps Optimus insomuch that it afterwards became Proverbial in Congratulating new Emperors with this Salutation Foelicior Augusto melior Trajano so also under Antoninus Pius and Severus Morality without Grace is sometimes a greater Enemy to the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ than open Atheism and Prophaneness However let the Persons and Instruments under whom they had respite be what they will all was still to be attributed to the goodness of God who did accomplish and bring it to pass by such wonderful means some whereof are these 1. Antoninus Pius was taken off from Persecuting them by that extraordinary act of Providence in hearing the Prayers of a Legion of Soldiers that were Christians whereby his whole Army in a great strait for Rain were abundantly refreshed and his Enemies miraculously defeated God from Heaven fighting with Thunder and Lightning against them for which that Legion was called Legio fulminatrix the Thundring Legion This wrought so upon the Emperor that presently he commanded the Christians should neither be sought for nor punished if presented but that their Accusers should be punished For saith he my own safety and the safety of my Empire dependeth upon their Prayers 2. Aurelianus having issued forth an Edict against the Christians was so terrified with Thunder that he recalled it 3. Alexander Severus was perswaded by his Mother Mammea to shew them favour she hearing of the Learning of Origin sent for him and was instructed by him 4. Hadrian's Persecution was something mitigated by the Apologies which were presented to him by Aristides and Quadratus 5. Antoninus Pius was made to relent by Justin Martyr's Apologetick 6. Under Trajan the Persecution was staid by Plinius Secundus who writ to the Emperor concerning their Innocence That they were not Guilty of the Crimes charged upon them in regard the Law of their God was very strict against such Sins and that they used to meet before Day to Sing Psalms and to Worship one call'd JESUS 5. God's goodness to them was in respect of the remarkable Judgments which he brought upon most if not all of their greatest Persecutors I 'll give you a Summary Survey of the Tragical ends of all of them throughout the Ten Persecutions The First was under Nero Anno 67. Who being hated of Men and persued by the Senate of Rome killed himself Second under Domitian Anno 90. His wife and Friends finding a Roll of the Names of Christians which he had marked out for suffering and their own amongst the rest they killed him Third under Trajan Anno. 100. who was all his Life time vexed with great troubles and commotions and at last cut off by a strange Disease Fourth under Hadrian and Antoninus Pius Anno 126. Hadrian Died in great horrour of Conscience it was he that cryed out O animula vagula blandula Pius Died of a Fever in three Days after he Sickned Fifth under Antoninus Philosophus and Verus I find nothing recorded of their Death but Antoninus knew much trouble in his Life-time from the Germans Samaritans Avidius Cassius and others Sixth under Severus Anno 208. He was slain at York by the Northern Men and Scots and in his time a certain Judge that pronounced Sentence against Agapetus a holy Martyr fell from the Bench and Died suddenly Seventh under Maximinus Anno 236. He was killed by his own Son and Soldiers in his Tent at the Seige of Aquileia Eighth under Decius Anno 251. Being overcome by the Scythians or Gothes he threw himself into a Pit where he ended his Life and his Body could never be found Ninth under Gallus and Volusianus Anno 258. A sad Pestilence in his time was slain by Aemilianus one of his own Captains together with his Son Valerianus being overcome by the Persians Sopor trod upon him while he took Horse The last was under Dioclesian and Maximinian Anno 300. Both of them in one Day divested themselves of the imperial dignity and chused to live in Dens and Caves Dioclesian afterwards Poisoned himself rather than he would see Constantine and Maximinianus hanged himself 6. God was good in giving them a glorious deliverance from this their persecuted State and that by the Hands of Constantine where these passages of Providence are remarkable 1. He had a kind of immediate Call from Heaven both to embrace the Christian Religion as also to go against that Persecuting Tyrant Maxentius witness the voice which he heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Christ thou shalt overcome Eusebius that lived in his time tells us That he heard himself relate this confirming it with an Oath 2. God preserved him for this Service from the treacherous Design of his Father in Law Maximinianus his Wife having discovered it to him 3. Maxentius had made a device to drown him and his Men when he passed over a Bridge by which Maxentius himself was afterward drowned and he escaped for which the Christians sung Psal 9.16 And 7.15 4. Having giving himself to Fasting and Prayer he obtained Victory over Maximinus and Licinius and though Licinius had once greatly reproached Christ and Christianity yet being brought to condign Punishment he was made to confess that great was the Christians God and great was Constantine's God Let 's make some Application of the Premises in these few Particulars 1. This calls upon us highly to esteem of the glorious Truths of Christ in regard they have been Sealed and Witnessed to with the Blood of so many Millions of Martyrs O how wonderful are the Ways of God that would take such a Course to commend the Gospel of the Son of God to us who knows but they of that Age suffered that we and others might at least in a great measure be excused 2. Though they excused us so far that the Church is never like to be in a Persecuted State for Three hundred Years together yet there is no Age in which this or t'other particular Person can promise an exemption from Persecution to himself and therefore it sounds an Alarm to us in the times of our greatest Peace and Prosperity to prepare for Persecution Lay in a stock of Suffering Graces before that so it may never surprize you unawares but come when it will you may be ready for it Take special notice of these three things 1. Persecution has been in all Ages an inseparable Concomitant of the plain and faithful Preaching of the Gospel Matth. 10.34 35. 2. It was never better with the Church and People of God than in times of Persecution there was never a more glorious Lustre and Beauty upon Ordinances Ministers never more Lively and Spiritual the Conversation of Christians never more in Heaven and the number of Converts never more encreased 3. Be confirmed in this That the speciality of God's Love in Christ to his People may very well stand with their being in a Persecuted Condition so that it may be always said Truly God is good to Israel 3. In all your Sufferings set the Martyrs of