not too long a time and that they should in his good and appointed time be changed up into the glory of Heaven and that all the Enemies of the Church should at length by the power of Christ their victorious Captain be thrown into the ever burning Lake of fire and brimstone We may divide the whole Booke briefly Partitio libri for I must not stand long upon this Discourse Divide it I may I come not to expound the whole Book and the Text it selfe affords matter enough for this short time though I eke it out with a borrowed part of another hour into a Preface Paraeus to the ninth verse of the first Chapter the Prophecy it self from thence to the sixteenth verse of the last Chapter and from thence to the end the Epilogue or Conclusion We are now in the midst of the Prophecy and the whole Prophecy may be distinguished into 7 several visions notoriously distinct asunder to them that read them with careful observation which Christ was pleased for the future good of his Church to shew to his beloved St. John whilst he lived a banisht man in the Isle of Pathmos I may not stand now to shew you these 7 Visions with the subject-matter of them I read not a Lecture upon them all nor upon any one intirely This Text is a small part of the fourth Vision which takes up three whole Chapters the twelfth thirteenth and fourteenth It is of the Woman travelling in birth and the Draggon gaping to devour the fruit of her womb of her flight into the Wildernesse and his pursuit after her resisted by Michael and his Angels then of the two Beasts one with seven heads and ten horns the other with two horns like a Lamb which spake as a Draggon both persecuting the Saints then of the victorious Lamb upon that Mount Sion and of the three Angels one preaching the Gospel another proclaiming the fall of Babylon a third denouncing punishment to them that worship the Beast Lastly of Christ upon the Cloud with a sharp sickle in his hand and the Angel proclaiming the last Harvest of the World and the Vintage and Wine-presse of the Wrath of God All this is the subject of the fourth Vision in which the future estate of Gods Church in this World even from the Infancy of it under the Ministry of Christs Apostles unto the end of the World is far more cleerly shaddowed out unto us than in the former Visions The third Angel begins at the 9. verse of this Chapter and continues to the end of the 11. Then in the 12. and 13. verses part of the last whereof I read unto you follows an Epiphonema of exhortation and consolation to the Saints of God that in all these vexations with which Antichrist shall grate them they persevere with patience and constancy in the faith of Christ and obedience to his Gospel that they faint not under their tribulations but hold out to the end being held up with the hope of eternal felicity in Heaven which is here propounded The Exhortation to perseverance is in the 12. verse the Argument for it is taken from that Tragical end that miserable and wofull event which must befall Antichrist and his unsound followers that seeing they shall at last drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God and drink it off the very dregs of it that they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone and shall have no rest day and night here is the patience of the Saints v. 12. Here is an Argument for their perseverance that the Holy ones of God who keep the Commandments of God and the saith of Jesus that they suffer manfully under the bitterest Tyranny of their Adversaries as knowing that it shall at last be guerdon'd to them with the fearfull endlesnesse of insufferable torments in Hell fire Then follows the Consolation in this verse of my Text And I heard a voice from Heaven saying Write blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord The Argument which the Holy Ghost here useth to strengthen and comfort them ready now to droop under the weight of their sufferings is drawn from the assurance of the most inestimable Reward eternal bessednesse in Heaven and that Death it selfe the last and greatest evil with which the faithfull can be afflicted by their most despiting enemies is no evil at all for it is the ready though straight and narrow and severe Way to the certain joy and glory of the Heavenly Kingdome I heard a voice from Heaven from thence we see though through a cloud through the water of that and the tears of our owne eyes our comfort comes 'T is most certain most true were it the voice of God himselfe or of one of his Angels at his command St. John sayes not whether but the voice of Christ himselfe his Sheep are sure it is they know his voice the same in effect which we have heard from him before in his holy Gospel more than once Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you he that hears my Words and believes on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8.1 and there is no condemnation too to them in the ears of whose Souls are the words of Christ and in John 8.51 not without another and another a double Verily I say unto you to cast off all doubt If a man keep my saying he shall nevtr see death the eternall the cursed death The very same to all purposes that this Voice sayes here Write blessed are the dead c. There are three things observable in this Voice from Heaven Divisio Versus first the command to Write Christ will not put his Church to trust to the uncertainty the deceivableness of unwritten Traditions but as in the beginning there was a generall command for the writing of this whole Prophecy Write sayes Christ to the Prophet St. John chap. 1. v. 19. Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter so has he here again a special command for the writing of this heavenly voice concerning the blessednesse of them who die in the Lord he will have our comfort confirm'd to us here as the Divel 's several suggestions were rejected and confuted by himselfe Matt. 4. with a Scriptum est the Scripture the written Word of God shall be the ground as of our Faith so of our Hope our incouragement and consolation through that Faith Secondly the Argument the substance of what he is commanded to deliver to the Church by writing blessednesse And thirdly the assurance and proofe of this blessednesse by two strong Reasons one that they are now gotten to the end of their Race that they enjoy a perpetual rest from all the labours and sufferings which they have sustained under the Sun they rest from their labours and the other that they have so
shall be CALLED the House of Prayer Nay not only the House of Gods Servant but his Field also his High-way his Street his Prison may be a House of Prayer the Dunghill shall serve Job from whence to send up this sacrifice and the Whales belly can Jonah use for a Church Jon. 2.1 the Lions den for Daniel and the Furnace for the three Children do not hinder their requests from ascending to the Mercy-seat God heard Moses from the midst of the Sea Isa 38.2 and Ezekias from his Bed Jeremy from the Mire and the Thiefe from the Cross Lu. 23.42 when they called upon him And therefore St. Paul willeth that men pray every where 1 Tim. 2.8 every where in their private Devotions no place is a bar to one so holily affected for the lifting up his soul and pouring out his heart to God in his secret Meditations for surely the true worship of God is to him in it selfe acceptable who not so much respects the place where as the affection wherewith he is served Yet in regard of us especially then when we are to put up our publick requests to God when we are to joyn our forces together Jon. 3.5 as the Prince and people of Nineveh did like a main Army of supplicants that it shall not be in the power of God because God will not use his adverse power then to withstand us then sure there is great vertue great force and efficacy in the very Majesty and holiness of the place where Gods Name is call'd upon if for nothing else yet for that it serveth as a sensible help to stir up devotion and in that respect no doubt bettereth even our best and holiest actions in this kinde Wherefore else is this called the Holy place Levit. 16.3 but by way of excellence in respect of all other And why does S. Hierom translate it Psal 78.69 not Sanctum but Sanctuarium a place which is not onely made holy by consecration but that makes others holy by God in it For Churches are not only made publick by the solemn dedication of them but that right also which otherwise their Founders might have in them is thereby surrendered up to God and he made owner of them why the separate and holy and religious use notified in the dedication of them to which they shall be put a part from other secular and prophane usages why but that it may be a dumb Instructer of piety when ever we behold a Temple what heart is there will passe by a Church-wall with the same carnall inconsideration of God and Heaven as he walkes a street in which he beholds no such reverend prospect for this cause also at the consecration as well of the Tabernacle Exo. 40. as of the Temple 1 King 8. it pleas'd the Almighty to give a manifest signe that he took possession of both in the one chapter The Cloud covered the Tent of the Congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle v. 34. In the other a cloud filled the House of the Lord v. 10. A Cloud and Glory too and that of the Lord himselfe filled the Lords own House v. 11. God made account his House was sufficiently born witnesse to already for all ages and that he needed not such another Cloud for the place of Christian worship Mat. 12.8 but only to bear record to the Lord of their Sabbath Mat. 17.5 The sensible increase of holinesse from a sensible-holy object this it was made David value at so high a rate the liberty of worshipping God in his House and amongst his people Blessed are they who dwell where thou dost in thine owne House Psal 84.4 One day in thy Courts is better than a thousand otherwhere v. 10. My soul longeth yea and faintâ—th for the Courts of the Lord v. 2. 't was his Vnum petii his one his great suit to God that he might dwell in the House of the Lord that he might there behold the beauty of the Lord and visit his HOLY TEMPLE Ps 27.4 This favour did Hezekias obtain at Gods hands by his prayers and tears when he had heard his prayers and seen his tears and was resolved to heal him he does expresse the greatnesse of his favour to him by adding his singular benefit to his health whereby the more to inhealthen his soul too On the third day thou shalt go up unto the House of the Lord 2 Kings 20.5 Justly therefore may the Churches censure of Excommunication whereby men are as Cain was Gen. 4.16 cast out of that presence of God which is enjoyed in holy Assemblies it may justly be reputed so great a punishment 1 Cor. 5.5 1 Tim. 1.20 as a giving over to Satan it is like a mans being out-law'd in matters of civil government Outlawry is defined by the Lawyers to be the loss or deprivation of the benefit belonging to a subject i.e. of the Kings protection and the Realm Such is the nature of this censure rightly executed it cuts a man off from the priviledges of a Christian I would they were even cut off which trouble you Gal. 5.12 he is out of Gods protection for the time and reckoned as a Stranger and Forreigner as a Heathen or a Publican saies our Saviour Mat. 18.17 What they lose who are deprived of this liberty and what we have by it who enjoy it vouchsafe to hear in a word Here is first Gods more especiall and gracious presence When shall I come to appear before the presence of God was Davids moan Psal 42.2 when in his banishment under Saul or Absalom he was denied access to this presence-Chamber of his great King and to be deprived of that comfort which must needs come to a mans soule by such a presence David knew what a losse it was when he cried in the agony of his soul upon the sight of his great sin Psal 51. O cast me not away from thy presence v. 11. But consider withall further what be the particular blessings we there enjoy through Gods mercy Blessings of that worth in S. Peters account that the Angels do desire even to stoop down to behold 1 Pet. 1.12 there is the Ministery of reconciliation 2 Co. 5.18 Act. 14.27 Rom. 10.14 Eph. 1.10 Psa 50.5 Eph. 4.12 Lu. 10.17 18. 1 Co. 10.4 Act. 20.27 Rom. 4.11 the precious Treasure of Gods holy Word the Word preach'd which is the door of faith the Ordinance of God by which his Saints are gathered and the body of Christ edified the powerfull means by which Satan is made to fall from Heaven like lightning his strongest holds beaten down the Key of knowledge by which is opened to us the whole counsel of God there be the Sacraments Seals of righteousness which is by faith both of them as Glasses by which we see more clearly into the mystery of our Redemption and as Monuments before our eyes of Gods exceeding love to us in Christ Jesus and besides all these
presence is the fulnesse of joy and they who are plac'd on his right hand shall have pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 I shall have no time at all to speak of that which all time and all the tongues and pens of the most ready Writers imployed all that time can never expresse the excellency and dignity of this place so high seated which we may in some sort measure by the stars each of which being so huge a bulk does therefore only seem so small to us because it is so high above us But this Holy City far above them so large in extent that we can never name the height and largenesse of it S. Johns twelve thousand furlongs Rev. 21. and his hundred forty four cubits by the Angels measure was but of that City which descended out of Heaven a small Epitome of this All the several Dominions of all the Princes in the world put all together are not so much as one star there and yet how numberlesse to us are they and what another infinite number of them could it contain O Israel how great is the House of God! and how large is the place of his possession Great and hath no end high and unmeasurable Baruch 3.24 we may a little guesse and but guesse at the surpassing beauty and magnificent structure of it by comparison with this place where we now dwell this Stabulum Pecudum as one cals it this Ox-stall in respect this place of exile this Vale of miseries and fears yet this hath that great Work-master builded of so famous a frame such a goodly aspect to our sense has the large Theatre of this World the roofe of Heaven over us so fairly adorned gilded enamel'd the Pavement of earth under us so spread with Natures Carpets of all colours pleasing to the eye such spacious Seas such sweet Springs and gliding Rivers the Mountains so stately without pride the Valleyes so low without envy the Woods so pleasant with their shade the Fields and Meadows so delightsome and profitable at this Spring time chiefly when the clearnesse of the Sky and the warmth of the Air helps our old Grandam Earth to spin and weave her Tapestry and all Trees to spread forth their Hangings not to speak of the erected Townes the sumptuous Cities and majestical Palaces the artificiall workes of mens hands if there be a meer Worldling that has mistaken his way and is by chance got to Church such a description as this is enough to make him mistake his Heaven too and take this World for it to make him wonder why Christ should ever go from such a Paradise of pleasure to prepare any other place why he is so taken with the shew of these that he could be content to set up his rest here to conclude with Peter Bonum est esse hic these delights do so possesse his heart that he sticks in the gay mire of them lifts not up his thoughts above them But know O thou man of this World all this which is wealthy enough to be thy Heaven is so poor and contemptible for Christs sake that it is scarce worthy to be the Christians Dung-hill however Phil. 3.8 one of the best of them S. Paul will at best bestow no better a name upon it we must learne by these to meditate what far better cost and more unmatchable worke our God and Father has bestowed upon his owne heavenly habitation the Palace of the great King the New Jerusalem the outside of it we can see and that we see bedeckt with so many thousands of thousands of glittering spangles of rich Gems the inside of it the blessed Saints onely and Angels in Heaven behold with God and we cannot immagine the beauty of it Eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the things that God hath prepared there for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 'T is but Humanum loquor that which mans Reason is capable of the description which S. John gives of it the Jasper and pure gold those precious stones the Saphire and Emerald and Sardonix and Sardius and Chrysolite Rev. 21. O quam dilecta Tabernacula O how amiable are thy Dwellings thou Lord of hosts Psal 84.1 Blessed are they that dwell in thy House they will be alwayâ—s praising thee v. 4. And shall we beloved who know there is such a place there whose excellency we cannot know here shall we still so over-please our selves with the Gawds of this lower World as to keep back our Conversation from being in Heaven Shall we spend our time in striving for place here Matth. 23.6 for the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and the cheefe Sears in Synagogues till we shuffle our selves out of this place this uppermost room and great Feast the Supper of the Lamb the Supper of the great God Rev. 19.9 17. This Kingdome if that will inflame our hearts with a longing for it I appoint unto you a Kingdome Luke 22.29 not an earthly Kingdome such as the Mother of Zebedees children dream'd of Matth. 20. No his Kingdome is not of this World v. 20 21. but such as his Father had appointed unto him Joh. 18.36 so are all they who are wash'd from their sins in his bloud made Kings unto God and to his Father Rev. 1.5 not a temporary but an everlasting Kingdome of his Kingdome saies Daniel shall be no end Dan. 4.3 The word Mansion here intimates the durance the perpetuity of it a manendo no fear no danger of the losse of it of trouble in it such a glorious Kingdom saies Solomon and such a beautifull crowne is there to be received at the Lords hands Wisd 5.16 And if this will not I know not what outward expression can make us pray heartily every day Adveniat Regnum tuum adveniat nobis Let thy Kingdome come to us that holy passionate desire which David had to enter into these courts of the Lord Psal 84.2 This place which Christ is gone to prepare for us The Preparation of the place is another branch of this second Generall part Vado parare Vado parare he goes upon an Errand for all his Disciples to prepare this place for them But if this be all the occasion to draw Christ from them one would think he should not need to make such haste for them for if we remember this place needs not now preparing 't was prepared long since What saies Christ to the Guests of it Mat. 25.34 Come ye blessed inherit the Kingdom Paratum vobis à constitutione mundi prepared for you when even from the beginning of the world Surely Man was borne to no lesse than a Kingdome from the begining In the very begining see it Let us make Man Gen. 1.26 saies God in our Image after our likenesse what then why presently in the next words Let them have dominion over the Fish of the Sea and over the Fowle of the Air and over all the Cattell and over all
a Curse from sudden death good Lord deliver us when we have not made our selves acquainted with it and digested in our thoughts the worst that it can do then is it true indeed that S. Paul hath fore-warn'd us 1 Thess 5.2 that the day of the Lord commeth as a Thief in the night Then as the Fishes that are taken in an evil Net and as the Birds Eccles 9.12 that are caught in a snare so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them First therefore we consider how bitter how fearfull and terrible a thing death is in it selfe to all mankinde and how grievous it continues to the Natural man Secondly How the bitterness of it is taken away by Christ to the Faithfull and that to them it is made a way to blessednesse How unpleasing death is in it selfe Part. 1 to mans Nature appears Mors terribilis in that it is so contrary to Nature that it destroys our being in Nature which every thing that hath a being does by an instinct of Nature labour to preserve but those things that have life especially and so a sence and knowledge of their being nothing is so irrecoverably hurtfull to them as death which takes away their being the very Beast trembles at it But Man above all who is indued with understanding to know more than by a sensitive knowledge the benefit of his Being how does he even by Nature shrink at the fear of it Behold Saul the King of Israel the stout and valiant man so train'd up and exercised in war who had slain many men and been so conversant with the face of death in its cruellest and most ugly shapes yet when it came to concern himselfe when he heard from that spirit which the Witch of Endor had raisd in the likenesse of Samuel that to morrow he and his Sons should be with him his courage fail'd him and his heart fainted he was so stricken with a sudden fear of amazement that half-dead already with the news of death he fell all along on the earth 1 Sam. 28.20 I even the best of meer men Gods holy Servant David by the dictate of Nature apprehended this fear and fled from Saul 1 Sam. 26.13 and Eliah feared and fled from the threats of Jezabel 1 King 19. and those holy men those hundred Prophets of the Lord together thrust themselves into Caves for fear of her raging 1 Kings 18. I beyond all these our Saviour Christ himselfe that holy one Gods Righteous Servant Is 53.11 that had done no wickednesse 1 Pet. 2.22 nor was there any deceit in his mouth he as he was Man yielding to the power to the very weakest of humane nature in himselfe did not free himself from this fear of death I speak not of his quitting his place and departing by ship into a desart upon the beheading of John Matth. 14. but when the treason of Judas grew close upon him when he was at hand that betrayed him then did he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 26.37 The word is two significant for our English phrase it signifies such a deadly griefe and astonishment with fear as makes all the spirits faint within being utterly forsaken of help now do the sorrowes of the grave compasse him the snares of death overtake him Ps 116.3.18.4 and the flouds of wickednesse make him afraid Beloved if he suffered the force of Nature to prevail so far to be so strong in him what can the strongest of weak men hope to meet with in his encounter with death if left to himselfe and that help which Humane Nature can afford him but faintnesse of heart and dejectednesse of spirit and a trembling of his best bloud through every joynt 'T is a strong and violent breach of one of the goodliest Frames of Nature for I speak still of the Natural man when the Soul is inforc'd from the body we hear not without a secret compassion the forsaken Oxe bemoaning his owne losse with his lowing when his Fellow that had long drawn with him in the same yoke is haled from him to the slaughter The Turtle does more upon the losse of her Mate mourns in solitarinesse and pines away When two friends who have converst together in amity for some years space are now to be parted and removed into several places far distant where they shall no more enjoy the pleasure of each others familiarity I speak it feelingly and I even weep it he whose remove we now grieve though I alwayes reverenc'd him as my Lord yet he vouchsaf'd even to love me as his Friend what sadnesse is this to them and how pensively do they brook it Think when a man and wife who have spent much time together in that near tie of love and mutual society shall at last be parted by that violent necessity and unkind stroke of death what a heart-breaking it must be to the Husband to have the wife of his bosome whom his soul lov'd so tenderly to be rent from his side by that Iron-hand of dissolution now all his joyes leave him and he refuseth to be comforted because she is not And then think withall what a sad divorce this muct needs prove betwixt the soul and the body who have liv'd long together in a strict neernesse of affection as greater cannot be when the soul must leave the body his so dear Consort to which he gave life and form'd a better being when he must be forc'd to take into his consideration the miserable condition that then attends either of them first for the body that it must after a few hours be shut up in a dark and loathsome Grave and be made food for Worms and Toads that body which now lives and breathes and sees and speaks and hears and stretches it selfe upon a bed of Down presently to be laid forth upon the cold earth blinde and deafe and dumb without sence without speech without life that body which was so lately cherish'd with such variety of food whose belly and palate was courted and serv'd with the riches of Sea and Land which was cloathed with Silks and Purple and was lodg'd in a Couch of Ivory deck'd with Coverings of Tapestry with carved works about it and fine linnen upon it and perfumed with Myrrh Aloes and Cinnamon and was defended from heat and cold and the least unpleasing Ayre with a thousand divis'd curiosities which liv'd in stately Palaces of magnificent structure and costly furniture that delicate body to be so soon clapt up with a Habeas Corpus into so narrow a Prison into a loathsom stinking Grave of dead Carkasses full of bones and rottennesse noysomnesse and Vermine and it more noysom than they What a thought of horrour must this be to the afflicted soul in behalf of the body when he contemplates that sad change Instead of his lofty Palace the homliness of a Sepulchre of his soft bed the harshnesse of the earth of his