and will be as the Sun to all others even to his Enemies and that whether open or secret For his secret Enemies Hypocrites he shall discover them Even as the Sun rising upon the earth it maketh a discoverie of what lay hid before Thus shall the Lord Iesus when he shall arise upon the earth as he shall doe at his second coming hee shall then make a discoverie of all men of their Persons Actions Counsels though now never so secret So the Apostle layeth it down 1. Cor. 4 5. Iudg nothing before the time untill the Lord come who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsells of the hearts And both secret and open Enemies he shall then confound who shall not be able to looke him in the face at the last day when he shall appeare in his glory no more then a bleare eye can indure to looke upon the Sun shining in his strength But then shall they flye from his presence Even as the Psalmist saith of those beasts of prey Psal. 104. 20 21 22. Thou makest darkness and it is night wherein all the beasts of the forrest doe creepe forth The young lyons roare after their prey c. But the Sun arising they gather themselves together and laye them downe in their dens Thus shall it be with the Enemies of Christ and his Church During the night of the Churches afflictions they forage and make prey of the poore Lambs of Christ exercising all kind of savage crueltie upon the Saints of God But when this Sun shall arise upon the Earth as one day it shall the Lord Iesus appeare in his glory then they will flye from his presence running to their dens So we have it described and set forth Rev. 6 15 16. Where our Apostle speaking of the manner of Christs coming his coming to judgement at the last day as it is commonly looked upon at this day saith he The Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the cheif Captaines those who had before been the most robustious and daring enemies of the Church they shall then hide themselues in the dens and in the rocks of the mountaines saying to the rocks and to the mountaines fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lambe So terrible shall the face of Iesus Christ be â—o his Enemies when they shal see him As see him they shall Every eye shall see him saith the seventh verse of this Chapter And see his face and that as Saint Iohn here doth shining as the Sun And how terrible will this face be then to all those who have formerly done that metaphorically which some of the Iewes did literally Math. 26 67. Spit upon it But I hold back Thus have I done with the first of these particulars I shall be more brief in explicating the two other so put altogether in a joynt Application The face of this Son of man was as the Sun and as the Sun shining So doth not the Sun alwayes Though it be above the Horizon yet it doth not alwayes shine forth being sometimes veiled with a cloud or eclipsed by the interposure of the Moon And such was the estate of this Son of man Iesus Christ here upon earth He was then a Sun To you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise saith the Prophet speaking of the coming of Christ in the flesh Mal. 4. 2. But he was then under a cloud the glory of his Divinity being hid under the veil of his Humanity under a mean outside Insomuch that they who then looked upon him saw nothing extraordinary in him He hath no form nor comliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him So the Prophet sets forth the state and condition of this Son of man upon the earth Isaiah 53. 2. which was so mean and despicable as that there was nothing sightly much less glorious to be seen in him Such it was in his life much more in his death Then was this Sun under a sad and almost total Eclipse Then was this Son of man no other but a ruful spectacle of deformity and misery His face his countenance was then marred So the same Prophet in the Chapter foregoing expresseth the sadness of his condition Many were astonished at him saith he speaking of Christ his visage was so marred more then any man and his form more then the sons of men Isaiah 52 14. So was it with him in his Passion wherein the person of Christ was subjected to the greatest indignity that could be cast upon it His face was then far from shining But now behold this Sun is broke forth Christ being risen from the dead and ascended into heaven now his face shineth So it did in his Transfiguration upon the Mount Matth. 17. 2. His face did shine as the Sun A preludium of that Glory which he was to enter into after his Passion was over Of which he tels those Disciples travelling to Emmaus Luke 24. 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory And what he therefore telleth them was to be done here he sheweth unto his servant Iohn that it was done making him an eye-witness of it shewing him his face which was as the Sun shining Such was the change of his condition In his state of Humiliation mean and despicable none more in his state of Exaltation glorious none so much His Humanity his flesh being cloathed with a singular and admirable clarity and brightness so burnished that it shines like the Sun And herein shall the members be made conformable to the head Whatever the state and condition of Gods Saints here be though never so mean and inglorious yet hereafter shall they be glorious creatures shining yea shining as the Sun So our Saviour himself expresseth it Matth. 13. 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Being exceeding glorious And that even in their Bodies which shall have a singular clarity and lustre put upon them being made glorious bodies It is sowen in dishonour it is raised in glory saith the Apostle of the Bodies of Gods Saints 1 Cor. 15. 43. who shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Phil. 3. last Quest. But what then shall their glory equal the glory of Christ Answ. Not so Head and members shall both be glorious Christ and his Saints shall both be made partakers of the same glory the same for kind but in a different degree So much we may learn from the third Particular which informs us that the face of the Sun of man shined as the Sun yea As the Sun shineth in his strength 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In vigore suo as the Sun at noon day or in
He will fight against them with the sword of his mouth executing upon them those judgements which he hath threatned in his word Temporal or Eternal It may be temporal Thus is he said to slay the Isralites with the words of his mouth in that place forecited Hos. 6. 5. And thus shall he go forth against Antichrist and his party as you have it set forth Revel 19. 15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharpe sword that with it he should smite the Nations Thus shall the Lord Jesus execute upon that grand enemy of his that man of sin and his adherents the judgements denounced and threatned in his Word And thus let all obstinate and rebellious sinners fear lest Jesus Christ whose Word they now contemn should thus come forth against them here thus fighting against them with the sword of his mouth executing upon them Temporal judgements But if not so yet let them know there is a judgement to come which they shall not escape even that last and Eternal judgement And then shall they both see and feel this sword coming out of the mouth of Iesus Christ when they shall hear that terrible sentence put out of his mouth As for those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring them hither and slay them before me as you have it Luk. 19. 27. O how will this sword then pierce through their soul Now thus knowing the terrour of the Lord as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5. 11. taking notice of this sharpe two edged sword going out of the mouth of Jesus Christ the refore we perswade men and that it might take place with all you that hear it that they would stand in awe fearing before him Fourthly And thus standing in awe of his Person now hear and receive his word Receiving it from the mouth of his Ministers The Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth saith the Prophet Malachy Mal. 2. 7. And this let the people do seek the Law of Christ at the mouth of his Ministers Receiving it as his word Though spoken by man yet so have and receive it as coming from the mouth of Iesus Christ. So did those believing Thessalonians receive the word which came from Pauls mouth as he giveth testimony of them 1 Thes. 2. 13. When ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God And thus let the word which is spoken to you by the Ministers of Christ in his Name be heard and received not as their word but as his word as coming out of his mouth Fifthly And being so looked upon let it be heard and received with holy fear and trembling To this man will I look saith the Lord even to him that trembleth at my Word Isai. 66. 2. letting it into the heart labouring to find and feel effectual working of it upon your souls to find it there as it is here represented and set forth as a sharpe two edged sword First Pricking your hearts with Godly communication and contrition for sin Which who so have not in measure felt they may conclude they have not yet heard Iesus Christ speaking to them His word is a sword Secondly And thus pricking suffer it to pierce further even to the dividing a sunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and morrow making a full and thorow discovety of the frame and temper of your hearts and souls so as the secrets of your hearts may thereby be made manifest to your selves that you may be thorowly convinced of the corruption of your natures the lusts of your hearts and errour of your lives Thirdly Thus piercing labour also to find and feel the killing and mortifying property of it as in making you to see your selves dead men by reason of sin so in killing the body of sin mortifying all sinful and inordinate lusts in your souls Fourthly And thus feeling the killing labour also to find the quickning power of it This is the two fold operation of this two edged sword as I told you it both killeth and maketh alive Labour to feel this efficacy of it that whilest you are dead unto sin you may be alive unto God through Iesus Christ. Thus feeling the power of this sword of Jesus Christ the sword of his Word here yea shall then feel of that other sword of his the sword of judgement and vengeance which he is said to whet against all obstinate sinners Psal. 7. 12. and wherewith he will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of every such a one as goeth on in his trespasses Psal. 68. 21. FINIS THE Mystical Sun In the Face of JESUS CHRIST And his Countenance was as the Sun shineth in his strength HEre have we the last branch of this Description which our Evangelist and Apostle giveth of this Sun of Man which appeared unto him in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks Iesus Christ in the midst of the Churches Wherein he giveth us an account of the most noble and principal part of his Body his Face his Countenance That ordinarily sheweth what the the man is And so it here did what this Son of man was No ordinarie person but one far surpassing all other of the Sons of men His face had a radiant Majestie in it such as never was seene in the Face of any mere man It was as the Sun as the Sun shining as the Sun shining in his strength Quest. And what was hereby represented and signified Ans. Here againe I finde different apprehensions among expositors 1. Some looking upon this as a representation of the glorie of the mysticall body of Iesus Christ his Church which is and shall bee Glorious here Thence are called the Glorie Isai. 4. 5. upon all the Glorie shall be a defence saith the Prophet speaking of Gods protection and his Church under the Gospell which is called the Glorie in as much as it is the habitation of the God of glorie as the Arke upon the same account also was called The glorie is departed 1 Sam. 4. 22. where he manifesteth his presence in the midest of his ordinances The Church glorious here much more hereafter As glorious in the Kingdome of grace so much more in the Kingdome of glorie where all the members of the misticall Bodie shall be made conformable to their glorious head when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall ye also appeare with him in glorie Col. 3. 4. And this glorious condition of theirs some looke upon as represented here by this glory in the face of Iesus Christ. 2. One and but one I meete with who in this glass fancies a representation of the splendor and glorie of the Roman Church which in regard of externall pomp and state must be acknowledged to be paramount for
the height of Summer when it is in his greatest vigour and strength Such a difference here is betwixt the head aud members of the mystical body The Saints they shall shine yea shine gloriously shine as the Sun but not so as Iesus Christ doth he shineth as the Sun in his strength Such is the transcendent glory and excellency of the Head above the members as Pareus observes it from this word in the Text. He being as before I said the Head of the Church and the first-born it is meet that he should have a double portion as he had of grace so of glory having the preeminence in all things Here is his Personal property Besides which we may yet conceive some other operations of his hereby insinuated I shall touch upon two or three and that briefly 1. The Sun in his strength dissipates and dispels all mists and fogs which were before upon the earth hiding the face of it And so will the Lord Iesus this Sun of righteousness when he shall shew himself in his strength he shall dissipate and dispel all those mists and fogs of Heresies and Errours which do infect the Church and darken the truth of God So the Apostle tells us concerning Anti-Christianisme in that known Text 2 Thes. 2. 8. Where speaking of that Mystery of Iniquity which began to work as he saith in his time there being then some Errours and Superstitious doctrines held forth which served as materials for the building of mystical Babel he saith Then shall that wicked one meaning that man of sin the Romish Anti-Christ be revealed whom the Lord shall answer with the spirit or breath of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming He shall consume him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wasting him by little and little till he come to nothing as that word doth properly signifie Thus doth the Sun arising on the earth by little and little it consumes and wasts the fogs and mists which were upon it till at length they disappear and come to nothing And thus shall the Lord Iesus do to that man of sin and all those Antichristian mists which have in so great a measure overspread the face of the Church he shall consume them by little and little by the preaching of his Gospel till at length by the brightness of his coming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a powerful manifestation of his presence he shall utterly destroy both him and them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abolish and bring them to nothing as that word signifieth And so shall it be with all other erroneous doctrines It may be for a time they overspread the face of the Church and darken the truth of God but in his time the Lord Iesus shall dissipate them all being unto his Church as the Sun shining in his strength 2. Again the Sun shining in his strength resolveth and melteth what was before congealed and frozen The Summers Sun resolves the Winters Frosts loosing those bands of Orion wherewith the Earth and Waters before were bound And such operation hath the Lord Iesus upon the hearts of poor sinners Though frozen as it were and congealed in sin yet he arising and coming upon them by the powerfull work of his Spirit he thaweth melteth resolveth them bringing them into a relenting temper Such operation had the eye of Christ upon the heart of Peter After he had denied his Master and was grown stiff in his denial standing to it though pressed again and again like the water which being hard frozen bears whoever treads upon it adding Abjuration to his Abnegation forswearing to his denying yet no sooner doth his Master turn and look upon him but presently his heart forgave So Saint Luke expresly notes it Luke 22. 61. 62. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter c. looked upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a benigne aspect a gracious eye even as the Sun looketh upon the frozen earth and Peter went out and wept bitterly Such a suddain thaw there was upon the appearing of this Sun his heart melted And so did the heart of that Mary whom the same Evangelist denominates a sinner Luke 7. 37. a sinner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a notorious lewd woman a trumpet upon her appearing and coming nigh unto Christ vertue also going out of him as it did for the healing of the Bodies of those that touched him Lu. 6. 19. her heart also melted melted into tears wherwith she washed her Saviours feet Such operation hath the spirit of Christ upon the most obdurate and obstinate sinners Though before through long custome and continuance in sin their hearts were hardned even frozen in their wickedness yet he coming to them in the power and strength of his spirit meleth and softneth them making them pliable and tractable fit and ready to receive the impressions of his grace so setting them at liberty from those bonds of sin wherein before they were bound This is the proper office of Iesus Christ as the Prophet sets it forth Isaiah 61. 1. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me c. he hath sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to set them free both from the Guilt and Power of sin which he doth by the Application of his Merit and the communication of his Spâ—rit unto them 3. Againe the Sun in his strength not only looseth softeneth the earth but also warms it heats it whereby it cometh to steame upwards exhaling and sending forth a warm vapour out of the bottom of it towards the Sun from which it hath received that warmth And the like operation hath the Lord Iesus upon the hearts of his people shining upon them giving them some cleare and comfortable euidences of his love and favour some sence and feeling of it there with he Warmeth their hearts So it was with those Disciples forenamed whome our Saviour fell with as they were going to Eâ—â—maus while he talked with them opening to them the Scriptures their hearts as they say burned within them They felt a holy fervour in their spirits kindled there by that Spirit of Christ which accompanied his word And such effect hath the Spirit of Christ where he is pleased gratiously to communicate himself to the souls of his people he causeth a holy fervour in thier hearts Warming them with inward Ioy which is the immediate fruit and effect of the face of Iesus Christ shining upon the soule Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us saith the Psalmist adding Thou hast put gladness in my heart more then in the time that their corne and their mine increased Psal. 4 6 7. No warmth so kindly as the warmth of the Sun No joy like that which is caused by the light of Gods countenance the shining of the face of Iesus Christ upon the soul. And breeding Joy it also produceth Love and Zeale Love to