of some temporal punishment or to obtain the pardon of her sins for 40. 50. or a 100. years I would account them vain and superstitious but it is clear that she doth not do it for all that the Church of England doth intend in her repetitions as I conceive is to inflame our zeal and affection towards God as the Prophet David left us an example that we might conform our selves to it repeating many times the wonderful favours of our God towards the humane kinde and saying Psal 136. in every verse for his mercy endureth for ever But this is not all which the Authours of our divisions condemn for the signe of the Cross made upon the forehead of the baptized Infants passeth for a superstition and a rest of Papism as the commemoration of the principal mysteries of our redemption observed at certain days of the year with the Festival days of the Blessed Virgin the Apostles and Martyrs nay more then that they cannot endure to hear any thing about the bowing to the Name of Jesus But for the signe of the Cross those that have perused the antiquity know that it was used in the Christian primitive Church for a signe of the Christian profession as it appeareth by Tertullian Cyprian and Augustine de verbis Domini the eighth Sermon and that is granted by our Learned Peter du Moulin in his little Tractate of the Traditions Chap. 25. and I will not omit our judicious Bucer who saith in his first Book De Regno Christi cap. 12. I think that the signe of the Cross is neither indecent nor unprofitable non tam quod est in Ecclesia usus antiquissimi quam quod est admodum simplex praesentis admonitionis crucis Christi not so much because it is of an ancient use in the Church as that it is very innocent and of a present admonition of the Cross of Christ I confess that the signe of the Cross is superstitiously used in the Church of Rome for they make use of it with their holy water for the expiation of their venial sins which are not to be found in the Scripture nor in antiquity nor in nature they make use of the signe of the Cross to drive away the devil and scare him they use it before a Cross because it hath been cause as they say of great wonders and occasion of the conversion of S. Christopher who as some of them say was before engaged in the service of the devil although it is very true that there was never such a man as they imagine him to be nay they make use of the signe of the Cross before and after their meat some being of that perswasion that their meat and drink cannot profit them without that signe but the Church of England admits none of these Superstitions for she onely makes use of the signe of the Cross for a mark and token of the Christian profession as it was used in the Primitive Church And do not tell me that it was upon occasions which are not now to be found among us for I will tell you that now the occasions are as great if not greater being among those who under the profession of Christ endeavour to ruine his Church and if that were no sin to do it in the Primitive Church as I hope the contentious will confess I may certainly say that it is none now to do it but those that condemn the signe of the Cross should not at all speak against it for if they are persecuted as they say let them according to the custom of the Church Primitive make the signe of the Cross among themselves As for the Festival days or the commemoration of the principal mysteries of our Redemption and other special favours of God which gloriously shined in the Blessed Virgin the Apostles and Martyrs observed at certain days of the year it is well known to such as are but meanly read that it was the custome of the Christian Church before the Apostatick seat of Rome as you may see by Jerome in his Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians cha 4. adding there further that soon after the Apostles time the Histories of their lives and deaths were read in the Church and their godly examples commended to the people and although Antiquity is not sufficient of it self to justifie this or that Observation yet next unto the Holy Scriptures it is to be reverenced according to that of S. Austin Epist 118. tom 2. post sacras Scriptur as ea nobis sunt observanda quae vel ab Apostolis profecta esse per traditionem vel ab universalibus consiliis desinita esse judicantur those things are by us to be observed next unto the Holy Scriptures which are judged to come from the Apostles by tradition or to have been desined by general Councils Indeed we must acknowledge that many superstitions are used these days in the Church of Rome for in the Festival dayes of the blessed Virgin and holy Apostles those of the Church of Rome pretend to merit before God in their sinfull devotions before such an Altar and no other and in such a Chappel they offer unto them Vows present them their prayers and give them an honour which is due unto God which if these Saints had any knowledge of they without doubt would implore the Divine Majesty to punish their presumption for if they could not endure such an honour upon the earth Act. 10.14 as being onely proper to God much less will they suffer it in heaven being indued with a greater charity toward the God of glory whom they must reverently adore therefore the Church of England admits not these Superstitions in her Festival days she doth nothing but meditate these days on the wonderfull graces of God which did appear in these Saints of whom she celebrates the commemoration and desireth of God that she may imitate them in the holy life and pious conversation which they did leade upon the earth and so she saith with S. Austin lib. de vera relig cap. 55. Sancti honorandi sunt propter imitationem sed non adorandi propter religionem the Saints are to be honoured for imitation but not worshipped for Religion for although these days are kept holy in Commemoration of the Saints yet they are not kept holy to the Saints but to God For the bowing at the Name of Jesus I confess that at first coming from the Church of Rome I thought it was superstitious but having seriously examined the thing I see that it can be done without superstition for we owe to our blessed Saviour an outward and inward reverence because Christ hath redeemed not onely our souls but also our bodies from eternal corruption and indeed we may observe that in Phil. 2.10 where it is said that at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven things in earth and things under the earth for although the Apostle speaks immediately of the glory and authority
England had taken her Liturgy out of the Mass-book it would not follow that the Liturgy should not be good except they shew me that all which is in the Mass is false and erroneous which cannot be for if it were so the Creed and the Lords Prayer which is said with the Mass should not be good nay should be erroneous but let me tell you that it is a false aspersion and calumny which the contentious of this Nation put upon the Liturgy of the Church of England when they say that it is drawn from the Mass for in the Mass they shall not finde the manner of the confession and absolution of our sins as it is inserted in the Liturgy of the Church of England they shall not finde in the Mass the Te Deum or song of S. Ambrose the Benedicite or Song of the three Children as they are to be found in the English Liturgy they shall not finde in the Mass many prayers that are to be found in the Liturgy of the Church of England nor the Litany which she makes use of they shall not finde in the Mass the ten Commandments nor the Commination or threatning made unto those who persevere in their iniquities nor many other things which are piously and truly set down in the English Liturgy but they shall finde in the Mass the superstitious invocation of creatures of Angels men and women the prayers for the souls of those who as the Church of Rome saith are in Purgatory grounded upon the merits of the Saints or on some bones which they call Reliques and above all they shall finde in the Mass a new sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered unto God the Father for the living and the dead but you shall not finde these things in the Liturgy of the Church of England for the Church of England condemneth all these Superstitions and abominations in 22. and 31. of her Articles Moreover the Liturgy of the Church of England is not onely different from the Mass in its matter and form but also in the manner of its celebration and use of it for the Mass is onely celebrated in the morning and after 12 of the clock there is no Mass private nor soleninal to be said in a Cathedral Roman Church 20. or 30. Masses are sometimes celebrated at the same time in the several Chappels thereof and one Mass being said a Priest cometh in the place of the other that hath finished his Mass to celebrate his having afore confessed some of his sins to another Priest and so sometimes about an hundred Masses will be celebrated in a morning in the same Cathedral In the Mass the Priest begins with a great signe of the Cross upon his forehead his stomack and his shoulders and then joyning his hands afore his breast he saith Introibo ad altare Dei c. and after the ending of the Introite after the Consiteor to God to the Virgin Mary to Michael the Archangel to John the Baptist to the Apostles Peter and Paul and to all the Saints the Priest goes up to the Altar to perform the Mass speaking sometime in secret sometime with a low voice and sometime with a loud one except it be a solemn Mass where the voice is higher for the most part and the Priest that celebrates it doth many things that are not observed in the private Mass and speaks to the Incense and blesses it in that manner saying be blessed Incense through him in whose honour thou shalt be burned and that in Latine as the rest of the Mass sometimes the Priest turneth himself and shews his face to the people to say Orate fratres Pray ye brethren or Ite missa est go ye this is the leave or dismission at that part of the Mass called the Offertory the young man or childe who answereth to the Priest and serves him in a private Mass or the sub-deacon which serveth the Priest with a Deacon in a solemn Mass goes up to the corner of the Altar where he takes two little bottles in one of which there is wine and the other water he gives them to the Priest that came to him who takes them to pour into the Chalice or cup wine and water after that the Priest draws himself to the middle of the Altar right against an Image of Christ upon the Cross or of some Saint where he makes the Signe of the Cross with the Chalice which he after puts upon the Altar and covers with the cloth called the Corporass then the Priest comes again to him that serveth at the Mass to wash his hands saying when the young man pours water upon his fingers Lovabo manus meas inter innocentes c. I will wash my hands among the innocents c. in the canon of the Mass before the consecration of the Host the Priest makes many signes of the Cross and after the consecration many more that the assaults of the devil may not prevail against it as Innocent the third Pope teaches lib. 2. de Myster Missae cap. 58. towards the ending of the Mass the Priest stretches out to the young man or other that serves him the empty Chalice who pours wine into it where with the Priest washeth his mouth because it is the wine of Purification a little after he washeth his singers wipes them and drinks that washing and then kissing the Altar he bows and inclines his head towards the Cross and turning himself to the people he finisheth the Mass saying Benedicat vos c. except it be a Mass for the dead where the Priest saith in lieu of it Requiescant in pace let them rest in peace As for the Vestments which they use in the Mass they are also different from those of the Church of England they make use of no Surplice in the Mass for when the Priest dresses himself first he puts the Amice which covers the Priests head in the form of a hood after the Amice the Priest puts the Albe which is like a white shirt about the borders whereof there is some light work with green or red silk upon the Albe the Girdle is put which is white and adorned with two tossels of the same colour the Stole comes after which is for the most part very glorious and hangs on the right and on the left hand of the Priest who after the Stole puts the Maniple in the fashion of a napkin upon the left arm and for the last Vestment he takes the Chasuble which is a most rich Vestment that covers all the others that are upon him except the Amice which especially is seen when a Friar celebrates the Mass besides these Vestments when a Bishop of the Church of Rome saith a Mass he hath Sandals which they call Apostolick shoes he hath the Episcopal breeches the Tunique and the Dalmatique he hath also the Episcopal Gloves the Rings and the Cross c. which are as many enigmatical ornaments and of an abstruse intelligence which we
not know which way to turn our selves so in the matter which I have now in hand I do not know whether I shall speak or keep silence me thinks that S. John tels me that I must stay to contemplate the great wonders that are seen in heaven at the opening of the seventh seal it seems that I must keep silence because the sacred Angels do not speak themselves and dare not sound their trumpets lest they should hinder the great agitations of heaven which appear in this silence indeed I could speak at the opening of the first second third and fourth seals of the book in which is written within and on the back-side the great mystery of our redemption the conservation of the Church and the punishment of prophane and wicked men for at the opening of these seals there was no silence kept as you may evidently see in the 6. Chapter the beasts be Angels or Evangelists as some learned men will have it crying Come and see I could break silence at the opening of the fifth seal because you may easily perceive that there was no silence at the opening of it hearing under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God crying with a loud voice and saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud Moreover I could speak at the opening of the sixth seal for at the opening of it a great noise was heard behold there was an earthquake which learns us that we must not keep silence but at the opening of the seventh seal I do not see how I may speak for at the opening of that seal there was silence I am at a stand not knowing which is best for me to do whether to speak or keep silence but seeing that I came to this place to inform you about that heavenly silence I must break it and implore the assistance not of angels nor of men but of our blessed Saviour who hath prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof for you know that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is he that can give me leave to speak in this silence which S. John speaks of saying there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour which are the words that I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit but for a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my text into two parts where in the first part I shall speak of the silence which was kept in heaven in these words there was silence in heaven and in the second part I will shew you the duration of it about the space of half an hour The first Part. To know well the silence which S. John speaks of we must first enter into the place where it was kept heaven there was silence in heaven but as that place is something obscure by reason of its several acceptions we must observe that here by heaven is not understood the air which the Scripture calls heaven Gen. 8.2 the place of generation of many imperfect mixt bodies ice dew clouds rain hail blazing stars and other moist and siery impressions as if these productions should cease in its breast or the air should rest from its agitation neither is it understood by heaven the skie that shining and bright heaven adorned with an insinite number of glorious stars as if there were a cessation of the motion of those shining bodies nor is it meant the supream or highest heaven the place of habitation of the sacred angels and blessed souls which the Scripture calls the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.2 as if there should be a suspension of the heavenly actions of the Citizens of that glorious palace nor is heaven to be understood in this place of the triumphant Church a glorious part of the mysticall body of our dear Saviour which sometimes the Scripture calls heaven Eph. 1.10 Col. 1.20 as if these glorious natures should cease to render their Hallelujahs and Thanks-givings unto the Almighty God who is set upon his throne of majesty and glory For here we must understand by heaven the militant Church upon the earth as it clearly appears by the preceding Chapter where you hear an angel cry with a loud voice to the four angels which did represent the four illustrious kingdoms of the earth with their Monarchs or the devils to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads after which S. John beheld a great multitude of men who were to suffer martyrdom for Christ and wash their robes white in the bloud of the Lamb nay whom Christ was to lead unto the living and eternal fountains of waters and immediately after the Church of God admires the great mystery of our redemption in Christ for which she suffereth for it followeth and when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven and indeed the Scripture calls not seldome the militant Church heaven as you may see Dan. 8.10 where it is said that the little horn which did represent the power of a Potent but wicked King intra extra Ecclesiam within and without the Church waxed great even to the host of heaven that is the militant Church so in the Revelation 12. chapter 4. verse we reade that the great red dragon the devil with his well affected creatures by his fraudulent allurements drew with his tail the antichrist that follows the devils steps the third part of the stars of heaven that is the great persons of the militant Church which are eminent in learning humane wisdom nobility and riches and in my text there was silence in heaven the militant Church which obligeth me to tell you that there are three considerations for which the militant Church is called heaven First because the birth of the militant Church is from heaven for she is born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 and so I may say with S. John I saw the holy city the militant Church coming down from God out of heaven She is so called because the inheritance thereof is an inheritance of heaven and therefore it is called the inheritance of the Saints Col. 1.12 The militant Church is called heaven because her conversation is in heaven as the great Apostle tels us Phil. 3.20 and so our blessed Saviour calls often his visible Church the kingdom of heaven which agrees with our assertion of that word heaven the militant Church of which it is spoken when S. John saith there was silence in heaven But having seen the place where silence was kept the militant Church let us now consider the silence and give me leave to make a reslection upon it Silence brethren which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cheresh and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if we consider it in general is nothing else but a
the angel that came and stood at the altar is our blessed Saviour as the best of interpreters teach us God manifested in the flesh an object which angels and men are not us'd to behold Christ the angel of the great council and the messenger of the covenant as the Prophet Malachy tels us Mal. 3.1 Christ our high-Priest who offered a sacrifice not of beasts but of himself upon the altar of the Cross and therefore at his coming into the world to assume our humane nature to satisfie the divine justice for mens sins he caused a great admiration unto angels and at his manifestation procured in heaven the militant Church a profound silence But that you may have a greater satisfaction I beseech you look upon the 3. verse of our Chapter and you will easily see the cause of this silence to be Christ our Redeemer for it is said in that verse that another angel Christ our Priest and Mediatour came having assumed our humane nature and stood at the altar to shew us that he was offered in sacrifice for our sins where you must observe that Christ is our Priest according to both his natures our altar according to his divine nature for as the altar sanctified the oblation Mat. 23.19 so Christ as God sanctified himself in his humane nature according to which humane nature Christ properly is our sacrifice as you may see in the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians 22. ver and in 1 Pet. 4.1 although the principal vertue of his sacrifice did depend on his divine nature Moreover it is said that the angel had a golden censer to teach us that Christ gave God the Father a perfect and eternal satisfaction that we might be delivered from the eternal slavery of the prince of darkness which our sins had made us subject to and further it saith that much incense was given him to shew us that the peculiar office of Christ is to present God the Father the prayers of the righteous and make them acceptable unto him through his intercession which alone without the intercession of the departed Saints is sufficient for all those that he redeemed by his precious bloud as you may see in the 4. verse where it is said that the smoak of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the angels hand all which things could not but cause silence in heaven the militant Church and ravish with admiration all the intelligent creatures in the opening of so great a mystery which the angels desire to look into 1 Pet. 1.12 Moreover seeing that the angel Christ took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar as we reade in the 5. verse and cast it into the earth to prepare by that sacred sire the Ministers of the holy Gospel to preach one Jesus Christ and him crucified as he did after his ascension into the glorious palace of his Father as we reade Act. 2.3 the Church could not but keep silence and further hearing voices thundrings lightnings and earthquakes at the opening of the great and sublime mystery of our redemption for the confirmation of it she could not but admire with a profound silence such prodigious effects as many for certain do in this world at the hearing of this great mystery and I hope many in this company cannot but wonder at it and say being ravished in admiration with S. John at the opening of so great a mystery there was silence in heaven but I am afraid of abusing of your patience seeing that this silence should continue but half an hour there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour which leads me to the second part of my Text. The second part As the intelligent creatures are limited and finite so is their contemplation which doth not permit them to consider several things at once for their understandings present them the objects one after another according to the capacity of their natures and indeed God alone is he who can at once comprehend all things because he alone compasseth about all the creatures of the Universe and which is most admirable in the knowledge which God hath of all things is that to know them he doth not look upon them but upon himself for in his wisdom he sees the eternal models of all things and in his will the efficient cause of all the events so that by the knowledge that God hath of himself he knoweth all things but it is not so with the intelligent creatures for they must alternatively and by degrees consider several natures whether they look upon them Intuitivè intuitively as angels or discursivè discursively as men or consider them with admiration as both angels and men as you may see in our Text there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour because the sacred attendants of the militant Church could not at once in a moment perceive all those wonders which we have told you were seen in heaven during the celestial silence of which S. John speaks saying there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour But this duration of time half an hour hath some difficulty in its explication for some learned men will have it to be the duration of the external peace of the Church of God under Constantine the Great which seemed to have lasted but about the space of half an hour for soon after that peace heresies and schisms did spring up in the Church as it did appear by the Arians against whom the great Council of Nice was held being called by Constantine the Emperour Lyranus will have the space of half an hour to be the duration of the persecution of Julian the Apostate who imposed silence unto the Church and commanded her not to instruct her children nor give them any consolation grounded upon the merit of our blessed Saviour which continued but a little while about the space of half an hour for soon after he died in the wars which he did undertake against the Persians where this monstrous Apostate vomited out a damnable blasphemy against our blessed Lord whom he used to call Galilean for he dying took some of his bloud cast it up in the air and said Vicisti Galilaee vicisti thou hast overcome Galilean thou hast overcome at last but Leaving those interpretations with many others give me leave to tell you that by the space of half an hour is understood all the time of the actings which S. John saw in heaven the militant Church at the opening of the seventh seal from the 2. ver of our Chapter to the 7. for the things which are represented unto that verse did seem to Saint John to have continued but a little while about the space of half an hour so short a time that S. John was nothing weary in the contemplation of them and indeed if you observe our Chapter you will easily perceive a perfect silence kept in the
from hence which manifestly contradicts the Chiliasts or Millenaries opinion for if Christ as they say will govern at that time as earthly Monarchs do in a worldly visible and earthly glory how is his kingdom not of this world Moreover if there were such a kingdom given to our Saviour we should have heard in the Scripture of a third personal coming of Jesus Christ which we do not for the Scripture makes onely mention of two personal comings of our blessed Saviour where the first is his coming in humane weakness to make us strong against our powerfull enemies the devil the flesh and the world the second his coming in majesty and glory to give judgement to the quick and dead after their resurrection and we confess in our Creed that from thence that is heaven where Christ now is he shall come to judge the quick and the dead which is confirmed by the Athanasian and Nicene Creed to whith we must keep close as being the saith which was once delivered to the Saints And if some Millenaries will not understand that Monarchical kingdom of our Saviour personally then that kingdom fals of it self for Christ now reigneth by his Spirit in the hearts of his regenerated Subjects as they will confess with us and they reign with him for as our Text saith and they lived and reigned with Christ But further that Monarchical Kingdom of Christ cannot stand without two general corporal resurrections the one of those Saints which were dead before that personal coming of Christ at which he shall take the administration of his Monarchical kingdom the other at the end of the world at his sinal coming to judgement as they themselves acknowledge which is a thing that the Scripture makes no mention of for the Word of God makes onely mention of one general corporal resurrection at the end of the world as you may see Job 19.25 where it is said by that most patient Patriarch I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God nay Martha as you reade S. Joh. 11.24 confesseth to Christ that her brother shal rise again in the resurrection of the last day and not at the day of the administration of Christs Monarchical kingdom and you know that S. Paul 1 Cor. 15.52 saith that in a moment in the twinkling of an eye we shall rise at the last Trumpet and so in our Creed we confess the refurrection and not the resurrections of the flesh and that will not serve the Millinaries to say that in our Chapter in the 5. ver it appears clearly that there are two general resurrections of the flesh when we hear of a first resurrection which insinuates a second one for that first resurrection which is mentioned there is the resurrection not of the body but of the soul from the death of sin to the life of grace as S. Aust did well observe I know that some take that first resurrection for the glorious happiness of the soul by which she alone passeth by the death of the body into eternal life and that by the preceding words of the 1. verse which are but the rest of the dead that is the wicked and reprobate lived not again c. because they experimented in hell the first death and damnation which is of the soul alone which obligeth S. John to say in regard of the Saints departed who are opposed to the wicked this is the first resurrection and blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power for those that live with Christ in heaven in regard of their souls onely shall live with him eternally in regard of both bodies and souls in the celestial Jerusalem but although this explication be true in it self yet you must observe that it is not proper in this place of Scripture which considers the wicked and godly men not as departed from this world but as living upon the earth and so S. John considers the wicked as dead in their sins and having part in the first spiritual death and the godly men as living by grace and having part in the first spiritual resurrection I could raise many more Arguments against the doctrine which the Millenaries hold concerning that Monarchical kingdom but I will not be tedious I shall pass by the three several assensions of Christ which they hold for we know no such thing in the Scripture I shall also omit the place which some Millenaries maintain besides heaven and hell where the souls of them are who shall rise to reign with Christ a thousand years for you know that the Scripture makes onely mention of two places after death the one of which saith S. Austin in his hypognost is according to the Catholick faith the kingdom of heaven and the other according to the same faith saith this Father and Doctour of the Christian Church is hell Etenim tertium locum penitus ignoramus for we are wholly ignorant of a third place which is confirmed in his Book de precat merit cap. 28. and insinuated in the 22. artic of the Church of England I will not trouble you with the several passages of Scripture which they bring to prove that Monarchical kingdom which they will have with Christ it is enough to tell you that they put a meerly literal construction upon the Prophesies and promises of Scripture which the holy Ghost intended to be spiritually understood for if the Prophets speak concerning the kingdom of Christ the re-edifying of the Jewish Cities the pomp and magnificence of restored Israel and their large priviledges they draw those things to a gross corporal and syllabical sense which the judgement of the whole Christian Church seconded by the event hath upon good ground ever construed not of the letter but of the spirit to shew the comfortable condition great advantage of the Evangelical Church under Christ manifested in the flesh which evidently teacheth us as I said before that Christ had onely two several kingdoms of which the one is providential and the other spiritual in which the Saints live and reign with Christ as you may see in my Text where S. John speaking of that kingdom saith and they lived and reigned with Christ But for a clear illustration of those kingdoms you must observe that the providential kingdom of Jesus Christ is his essential universal and natural kingdom which he administreth as God over all his creatures in Majesty and glory with his Father and the holy Ghost and obtaineth as the onely Son of his Father jure naturali which kingdom is mentioned in Daniel the Prophet 4.34 and 6.26 but the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ figured by the kingdom of Judah is the donative personal and oeconomical kingdom which the Son of God received from his Father as you may see in Psa 2.6 8. where
God having set his Son for our King upon his holy hill of Sion saith to him Ask of me and I shall give thee the Nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession as having in any Countreys some that are to be saved as we see in Rev. 5.9 where it is said that Christ hath redeemed us unto God by his bloud out of every kindred tongue people and nation Moreover you may see the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ Dan. 2.44 where it is written that in the days of the Kings of the fourth divided Kingdom which was the Roman Empire the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that is the spiritual kingdom of Christ which shall never be destroyed in which kingdom the Saints living a spiritual and celestial life reign with Christ for as you read in my Text which speaks of that kingdom and they lived and reigned with Christ But for a clear intelligence you must observe that the spiritual kingdom of Christ is distinguished into two wise by reason of its two several administrations into the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory where the kingdom of grace is the Soveraignty which Christ exerciseth in this world over the Elect governing his people by the Scepter of his holy Word and defending them against their enemies the devil the flesh and the world by the mighty vertue of his blessed Spirit which is that kingdom which S. John in chap. 3. ver 5. speaks of saying Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God and Rom. 14.17 the grand Apostle saith that the kingdom of God which is the kingdom of grace is not meat and drink but righteousness peace and joy in the holy Ghost the kingdom of glory is that Royal Government and Empire which Christ the King of kings most gloriously exerciseth over the triumphant members of his Church after this life and shall exercise for ever in his glorious Palace of heaven over the bodies and souls of all the blessed of his Father after the universal Resurrection which is that kingdom which is mentioned Mat. 8.11 when Christ saith that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit down with â—braham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven and S. Mat. 26.29 when he saith I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom But leaving the kingdom of glory give me leave to tell you that in our Text S. John speaks of the kingdom of grace when he saith and they lived and reigned with Christ for you may observe that here is described the happy condition of the militant Church all the time of the shutting up of Satan in which the faithfull will reign with Christ over the devil the flesh and the world overthrowing their enemies in their very death and most cruel tortures as you may observe by the words that precede my Text where S. John speaks of those that suffered for the word of God and for the witness of Jesus after which he addes and they lived and reigned c. Moreover the seditions battels and seductions which follow that happy condition of the Church as you may see in the 8. ver where it is said that Satan after the expiration of the thousand years shall go out to deceive the nations and gather them together to battel evidently shews that it is of the kingdom of grace which S. John speaks of which obligeth me to say and they lived that is the life of grace which is mentioned in Gal. 2.20 where the Apostle S. Paul saith I live that is the life of grace yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that is of grace that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God and indeed it is onely in that gracious kingdom of Christ that we live that celestial and spiritual life for the life and kingdom of grace are inseparable he that liveth the life of grace reigneth with Christ and he that reigneth with Christ lives the life of grace and so S. John joyns them together saying and they lived and reigned with Christ And if you regard the Martyrs who died under Domitianus and other cruel Emperours enemies of the Church of God we may say and they with the rest of the Saints lived and reigned with Christ for the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church by which many come unto the saving knowledge of Christ to reign with him in his kingdom of grace and in regard of those Saints that are born of them we reade in the 6. verse and they in their seed shall reign with Christ where you may observe that here there is no mention of the Millenaries Monarchical kingdom and indeed without such a kingdom the Saints reign upon the Earth with Christ by grace they reign with him by faith by hope by patience and by all the rest of the Christian vertues then let us say and they lived and reign'd with Christ a thousand years which leads me to the second part of my Text The Second Part. That number 1000 is taken in Scripture definitely and indefinitely definitely for a certain limited number as you may see Judg. 15.15 and 1 King 3.4 indefinitely for a great but not limited number as you may see Dan. 5.1 where a 1000. lords signifie a great multitude of nobility and so a great but not limited number is designed by many thousands Rev. 5.11 according to which sence we shall take that number of a thousand years mentioned in our Text for S. John speaking of the time of Satans binding in which the Saints should reign with our Lord and Saviour with progress although not without affliction saith and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years and that is confirmed by the Royal Prophet Psa 90 4. where he saith that a thousand years are as yesterday in the sight of the Lord and after him S. Peter 2 Pet. 3.8 tels us that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day to shew us that any long time whatsoever is as one day even as a moment before the Lord because the eternity of God admits no succession as the eternity of angels and men for in the eternity of God nothing is passed and nothing is to come all things are present unto him which is not to be found in the eternity of angels and souls of men where there is succession to be found and indeed to distinguish the eternity of God from that of angels and men which hath a beginning and no end Boeth lib. 5. de consol Philosoph saith that it is possessio totalis perfect a vitae sine termino a total and absolute possession of a life without any limit and so S. Austin lib. 1. de ver relig cap. 44.
world from thence came the Scythians Tartarians and other Barbarians from thence came the Hunnians Vandals and Goths and therefore it is not without reason that those people are said to be as the sand of the sea in the latter end of the 8. ver of our chapt for they have supplied the world with almost an infinite number of people which caused some Learned men to say that the North was the shop of all Nations from thence come also Turks who by violence took away the Saracenical Empire as for Gog you know that it is the proper name of one of Joels sons of the posterity of Reuben 1 Chron. 5.4 who inhabited Eastward and filled the Little Asia with his posterity which was called Gog. But these Nations which came from Gog and Magog having degenerated from their ancestours became cruel enemies unto the people of God as you see by Ezech. 38. and from thence the Scripture speaks of Gog and Magog to represent the open and secret enemies of the Christian Church as you see by the 8. ver of our Chapter with a part of the 9. ver which shews us that those Nations Gog and Magog compassed about the Camp of the Saints to sight them then we cannot but understand the Turks by Magog and the Pontificial Tyranny with the cruelty of the Sectaries by Gog as for Magog from Miggag revealed and discovered it becomes well the Turks for they are manifest enemies of Jesus Christ and open persecutours of his poor members they publickly esteem Mahomet that grand Impostour the son of the Prince of darkness before our Lord and Saviour who is the Son of God and prefer their Alcoran full of Gentilism Judaism and Arianism compiled by men of impiety before the sacred Scripture inspired by the holy Ghost the essential piety as for Gog let me tell you that it becomes well the tyranny of the Church of Rome with the cruelty of the Sectaries for Gog from Gag is the same as covered and hidden which is very fit for them for they cover and hide their tyranny and cruelty under the cloak of Religion professing one Jesus Christ and him crucified when they crucifie and hand the true members of our Saviour in all their wicked designes they pretend the good of the Church when they rend and defile it and so by a damnable hypocrisie cover all their profanations and wickednesses as you have in this Realm beheld with your eyes where the Jesuites with the Sectaries erected a black Tribunal for a most pious and Christian King and his faithfull Subjects under a pretext of a good Conscience And indeed as Gog did degenerate from his Predecessour Jacob and his father Joel who with humility and reverence adored the Almighty God of Israel and followed his orders so did the Church of Rome with the Sectaries degenerate from their Ancestours who acknowledged with all humility and obedience the Church of God and its orders or if you will as Gog did imitate Reuben who defiled his fathers bed so the Church of Rome with the Sectaries imitate Satan who defileth the Church of God with Schismes and heresies which makes you clearly see that the devil is loosed out of his prison and that the thousand years are expired and finished they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years not that I will say that the Saints do not now reign with Christ for I know that they do reign with him when they are his regenerated Subjects but that now they reign not with Christ with such progress as they did before the expiration of the thousand years of Satans binding for we seldom now see a true conversion or a sincere repentance of our sins but rather often obstination appears in our errours we will not change them because we defended our sins openly and so by our ambition we destroy the Church of our blessed Saviour there is no fear of God amongst us nor sincere love one to another nor charity towards our poor afflicted brethren as there was in the time of Satans binding we are as hard as Pharaoh as cruel as Cain and as profane as Esau it seems that all the Christian vertues are vanished amongst men and that all vices have took their places to give way unto the prince of darkness who is now loosed out of his prison for they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years Perhaps you will tell me if the thousand years are now sinished or as you said expired at the formal manifestation of the Antichristian Jurisdiction how can it be said that Satan is loosed out for a little while or season as it is spoken in the 3. ver To that I answer and say that this may very well be said in regard of Satans eternal binding which followeth after his loosing out of his prison for a while indeed if you consider the thousand years binding of Satan I confess that his loosing out will seem a great while but if you look upon Satans eternal binding his loosing out is but a little season which makes me wonder at the Millenaries opinion who expect now a visible and earthly reign for in the expectation of such a reign they loose the spiritual kingdom of our Saviour and in their pretended happiness they may finde a true unhappiness But I will stay no longer upon that imaginary kingdom for the kingdom that I proposed unto you is a true and spiritual kingdom the kingdom of our Saviour which is of grace without which it is impossible to obtain the kingdom of glory for you know that we must first reign here in grace before we can reign hereafter in glory then let me tell you that the Saints who now reign with Christ in glory lived and reigned before with him in grace by many years for as you read in my Text and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years Conclusion and Application But let us conclude with application to learn from our Text that the Saints who are actual members of our Saviour live with him in this world the life of grace the onely life of Gods children who are not born of the flesh but of the Spirit Joh. 3.6 not of corruptible but incorruptible seed the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1. Pet. 1.23 not of the prince of darkness but of the Father of lights for as we read and they lived and reigned with Christ indeed there is none but those that are light in the Lord that possess it for this spiritual life changes our darkness into light and our vices into shining vertues and makes us like unto the Sun of righteousness by the gracious brightness which the life of grace procures unto us which is a life that the Scripture cals the life of Christ because the life of grace looks on Christ as on its sacred object and its meritorious cause and by excellency the life of God not as if God were not the authour of the natural life of the