of it These Angels had councell and encouragement given them as you have heard to goe about this worke and were furnished with the wrath of God for this ende but were not effectually stirred up to fall upon the execution thereof till they heare a great Voice of Christ out of the Temple that is in publike Ordinances then they goe to poure out their Vials You shall find this a very ordinary Practise in some things sutable hereunto in Scripture Isaack gave Iacob a Commandement and Instruction to goe to Padan-Aram Gen. 28 6. And thereupon Iacob went on his way Vers 7. But the first night that he lodged out of dores when the Lord appeared to him in the House of God Verse 15. and telleth him That hee will bee with him and keepe him in all places whithersoever hee goeth and will bring him backe againe into this Land Then Iacob Chap. 29 1 lifteth up his heeles and goeth on his wayes Like a Giant refreshed with Wine to runne his Course And the like was the Practise of the same Jacob when they told him that Ioseph was yet alive Gen. 45.27.28 his spirit revived and he said He would goe down to see him but first he goeth to Beersheba and there offereth Sacrifices and consulteth with the Lord Gen. 46.1.2.3 4. and the Lord encourageth him to goâ— downe bideth him not feare He will be with him and there make a great Nation of him and bring him back againe and so he did to be buried thus are his hands fully strengthned in his way The like also was the case of the men of Samaria Ioh. 4. When the woman had told them that Jesus was the Christ because he had told her all that ever shee did they beleeved because of her saying Vers 39. But when they came unto him and talked with him then they said unto her Vers 42. Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heâ—rd him our selves and know that this is inâ—eâ—d the Christ the Saviour of the World Thus the voice of Christ carrieth his people an end in the waies of their callings with effectuall power unto sudden and speedy execution The Reason is taken first from the greater power of the voice Reason 1 of Christ speakâ—ng by his Spirit then when hee speaketh by the gifts of his Servants and therefore Paul putteth a great difference in this case Acts 19.21 The Text telleth us That he purposed in his Spirit to goe up to Hierusalem afterwards going on his way he meeteth with certaine Disciples Act. 21.4 and they by reason of the Prophesie of Agabus concerning Paul vers 11. fell upon him and wept and besought him not to goe up to Hierusalem What meane you saith he to weepe and to breake mine heart for J am ready not to be bound onely but to dye at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus Behold here the Spirit of God had revealed clearely himselfe in the heart of Paul to strengthen him to goe up to Heirusalem these Disciples upon the Prophecie of Agabus that he should be bound at Hierusalem said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not goe up By what spirit By the gifts of the Spirit the spirit of love and their care of the Churches but Paul waves them all for hee had the minde of Christ by the voice of the Spirit himselfe this was indeede in times of extraordinary Revelation but it sheweth you neverthelesse the difference betweene the voyce of the Spirit and of the gifts of the Spirit he giveth the greater power to the Spirit then to the gifts of the Spirit being such kind of Gifts wherein humane frailty might be mingled The second Reason is taken from the greater power of Gods Reas 2 voyce in Publike then in private Administration If one of these Elders speake unto them it may be but a private incouragement Such as the advice of Nathan was unto David to build the Temple 1 Chro. 17.2 But had he come as afterwards he did in way of Publike Administration Hee could not have beene so mistaken as then he was For therein doth the Lord more specially reveale the presence and the power of his Spirit and grace Matth. 18.18.19 20. Therefore it is That when there commeth a great voice out of the Temple it carrieth along the Seven Angels to a speedy dispatch of this great worke of pouring out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth Vse 1 The first Vse may teach us all that have any private inducements or incouragements to any calling or worke of God by any Church-Officer or Church-Member not to sleight the same for these Angels did not sleight the motion when one of the Church Officers gave unto them the seven golden Viols but they tooke the Vials And when they see their time when there commeth a publike Voice out of the Temple then doe they all follow on effectually with their worke in their seasons Sleight not therefore private encouragements to good callings but looke for further provocation and strengthning in them from the publike Ministry even from the voyce of Christ in the publike Ordinances of his Church Private Revelations without the Word are out of date but certaine it is that God doth speake by his Spirit in private Meditation and Prayers and conferences with Bretheren and in all these comforteth his people with the manifestation of his fatherly goodnesse yet speaketh nothing but in his word and according to it Now these be good hints and good encouragements which God giveth his people in them and by no meanes to be sleighted when God sheweth his presence in them God forbid that any of the sonnes or daughters of God should put them away Yet this let me say though such be faire incouragements what private duty soever they come in whether to beleeve on this or that gracious promise of God or to stir us up unto any other Spirituall work the servants of God are hereby led to attend the more upon the publike Administrations of the Church for the further clearing of the mind and will of God There will the Lord more clearely reveale himselfe by his Spirit in every Ordinance of his Worship there doth he delight to poure out all his fresh Springs Psal 87. Last For there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore Psal 133.3 Eternall life doth he give in the Publike fellowship of his Saints there doth hee confirme their callings to them looke unto the Lord therefore for his blessing in this way and so shall you be faithfull followers of these holy Angels of God who being privately incouraged waite for a publike voice to carry them an end in their Administrations wherein the Lord by the mighty power of his Spirit doth confirme al his Promises threatnings and Commandements and more throughly stirreth up the hearts of all his people to take hold of al that is spoken unto them therefore if ever you perceive any voyce or spirit to take off
a man from Publike Ordinances and cause him to sleight them then ever looke at it as a manifest delusion for every dispensation of God doth but enkindle a more earnest longing that the Lord should confirme the same by his broad Letters Patents the Publicke Word and Sacraments in the Church Yea so farre doe the Saints of God stand hereupon that whatsoever is in private onely brought unto them to beleeve they will finde much adoe to rest satisfied in it untill they see it confirmed in publike also As when men have any speciall grant from their Prince and have it confirmed by the Privy Seale they will not rest therwith but will go to the Lord Keeper for the Broad Seale to confirme what was before Sealed to them though either of them apart be sure yet both joyned together will make it more sure Shall men be so carefull for this world and for temporall Patrimonies and shall Christians take up every motion in private and sleight publicke Ordinances Be not deceived whatsoever is brought unto you by the spirit of God in private Will cause you to seeke for more cleare evidence from his loud voice in Publike where his voice goeth on more strongly and powerfully convincing the Conscience and breaking downe all Temptations and discouragements that might hinder the comfort of Gods people The use in the 2. place serveth to reflect a iust reprofe therfore Vse 2 upon any that shall despise or neglect the Publike ordinances of God in the Church for you see here that what is confirmed in the whole Church is the great voyce of God and that without contradiction to the holy Saints and Angels if therefore the Publick ordinances be vndermined and borne witnesse against by any that commeth not from the spirit of these Angels but from some evill roote in the hearts of the sonnes and daughters of men the report of which is a vexation of spirit to heare thereof Thus much for the first note Goe poure out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth And the first Angel went and poured out his viall vpon the Earth c. Here is a world you see discribed having an earth and sea and rivers and fountaines and sunne and aire and they all belong unto the Beast and therefore the first Viall is poured upon them that had the marke of the Beast and the last brought in the fall of Babilon So that from first to last they are the judgments of God vpon the Roman Antichristian state as sixe of the seaven seales brought in judgements upon the Pagan Romane world and the seven Trumpets his Iudgements upon the Christian world as they were ruled by Christian Emperours so are the seven last Vials powred out upon the Antichristian world From hence therefore you may note thus much Doct. 2 That the whole antichristian world or state is but earthly and not heavenly For all these Angels are commanded to poure the vials of the wrath of God vpon the earth and they went not beyond their commission in pouring them upon the sea and Rivers and fountains and vpon the sunne and upon the throne of the Beast and the River Euphrates and the Aire whereby the Holy Ghost holdeth forth vnto us that all these are but earthly the sea is but earthly the fountaines and rivers earthly their sunne an earthly sunne and the throne earthly c. And though it is true as some say poure out any iudgement upon any element and the earth fareth the worse for it yet take the description of the Holy Ghost as it is plaine and it intendeth the antichristian world alone They are of the world therefore they speake of the world and the world heareth them 1 Ioh. 4 5. And he that is of the earth speaketh of the Earth Ioh. 3.31 And so also are all their ordinances earthly Reas 1 The first Reason is taken from the efficient cause of all their frame and state which is but from the Earth all their Doctrine worship and government so farre as it is Antichristian is but humane if not divellish Rev. 13.18 The whole number of the Beast whatsoever is numbred to belong unto him is but the number of a Man humane inventions and will-wisedome men will have it so and this is the Summe of all Popish Religion Reas 2 As the whole frame of their Religion commeth from the earth so doeth it tend to the earth againe for where doth all drive at but the maintenance of an earthly Pompious stately Prelacy nothing in the world but devices to get money they are full of covetousness and ambition both which what are they but an open doore to their earthly libertie these are sensuall saith Iude ver 19. not having the spirit There is nothing spirituall in all their orders nor in their pleasant sights sweet smells delightfull musique and many goodly Feasts they have and what are they but to please the tasts of men and all their carved and painted stocks and stones their goodly Images what doe they but please mens fancies And This you shall finde in the third place that their best devotions Reason 3 doe but leave a man in an earthly and carnall estate and therefore the Holy Ghost speaketh boldly Rev. 13.8 That all that worship the Beast their names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world There is not a man of them that knowing and beleeving no more then what he hath from the Beast can be saved therefore they thought not amisse who have written that a Papist by his Religion cannot goe beyond a Reprobate so then whatsoever is meant by these things in the antichristian world whereon these vials were poured all is but earthly an earthly sea an earthly sunne an earthly light an earthly aire fitter to choake men so farre as it is Antichristian then to breath any life into the soules of Christians To shew you the vanity of all their indeavours that study to reconcile Popish and Protestant Churches together I will Vse 1 say but thus much you may as soone bring Heaven and earth together as you can draw Popish and Protestant Religion together for Popish Religion is all but earthly and all the Churches of Christ are Heavenly and therefore when Heaven and earth meete then will Poperie and Protrolemy meete together In the second place let all men beware lest they have any licourish affection towards the old Religion as they call it if you Vse 2 shall hearken to the voyce of such charmers charme they never so wisely your best Religion will be but earthly your prayers earthly your faith earthly your obedience will bee earthly you shall find nothing therein able to answer an Heavenly and spirituall mind what though they tell you that Protestant Religion loveth case but as for them they have their whippings scourgings and fastings and these they will say are no such earthly dainties Truely these so farre as they are
Earthly Religion and so to the Princes of Earthly religion they goe forth therefore they goe unto the Kings of the Earth And of the whole World They doe not containe themselves in the limits of Christendome but the other Princes the Princes of the whole world that is to say to Pagan Princes They would have power to prevent if it were possible this great mischiefe to themselves that they might crush these Christian Kings that brought in the reformation Therefore they goe forth to the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World To gather them to battell To the battell of that great day of God Almighty That 's not the last judgement as some have thought there will be no warring then but every day of great execution is called a great day of God Almighty But that we shall speake to God willing when we come to it of that great day of God Almighty But what day is that yee have it expounded in the 19. Rev. 17. It is the day of Gods great Supper that yee may eat the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captaines and the flesh of mighty men c. This is the great day of God Almighty on which these worldly and wicked these Popish and Pagan Princes with all their power and all their forces and armies they are able to make shall come forth against the Lord Jesus and against these Christian Princes that have beene serious and studious in the reformation of Religion and in the drying up of these streames of corruption Thus you see the words opened and the plaine and true meaning of them I cannot speake of the comming of Christ now and of the gathering together to the great battell of Armageddon and I would not open more then I am able to finish at this present Therefore now consider the Doctrine againe and the truth of it how it doth plainly arise from the words of the Text. Upon the powring out of the sixth Viall that is to say upon the drying up of the current and streames of the corruption of Antichristian religion or Christian religion for Antichristian religion is but the corruption of religion in Christendome The Dragon that is to say the Devill and the Beast that is to say the Roman Catholique visible Church and the false Prophet that is to say the Pope the head of the Church did send forth out of their mouthes that is to say out of their commands three uncleane spirits that is Cardinalls and Bishops and Jesuites To stir up the Princes of the Earth and of the whole World that is both Popish and Pagan Princes to a great battell To what end ye may see by the occasion of it is was upon the powring out the Viall of the wrath of God upon the streames of corruption of religion therefore they would turne the streame againe to prevent the way of the Kings of the East that is the conversion of the Iewes by bringing in old Idolatry and superstition spirituall Adulteries and Whoredomes and Witchcrafts for the maintenance of the Sea of Rome Thus you see the point plaine from the Text neither is there any difficulty that remaines for the opening of it that I doe discerne Now then for the Reasons of the point and so briefly to come to the use The reasons are two why that upon this drying up of the streames of corruption of Religion these three great commanders should thus send forth such kinde of Emissaries instruments that will bee active and nimble to gather such a fearfull Battell against the Lord and against his servants The first reason is taken from the nature of their Kingdome Rea. 1 Antichrists kingdom is contrary to the Kingdome of Christ his Kingdome is not of the Earth theirs are from beneath his Kingdome is not of this World But theirs are of this World These are of the World saith Iohn speaking of Antichrist in the 1 Ioh. 4. Chapter 6 Verse And therefore minde yee the weapons of their warfare are carnall full of malice and full of envy and devillishnesse their instruments are not spirituall but carnall and worldly And therefore being thus shaken as they are their returne is not to Fasting and Prayer or the power of the holy Ghost or the power of spirituall gifts or so forth these are estranged from them And now they fall to carnall policy and worldly power and devillish engines and instruments these are fit for this use This is one Reason Rea. 2 The other reason is taken from their implacable malice and hatred against the reformation of religion and the conversion of either Iew or Gentile to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus there is nothing more grevious to these spirits then the prosperity of religion they gnash their Teeth for paine in the former Viall this is that will vex them more then all the rest to see these Rivers dried up and these streames dryed up and now the holy City of Rome blasted this doth stirre them up to implacable malice and mischiefe and now they care not who they confederate withall so they may crush the Christian Princes and hinder reformation It was truly prophesied of by the Apostle Paul That evill men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived 2 Timothy 3 13. So it is with these evill men here if they see they cannot get victory over Protestants though they have pretended warre with the Turke for the recovering of the holy Land yet now they will consent with him they sticke not who they agree with so they may mantaine their war To come then briefely to make some use of what ye have heard the use of the point is thus much Vse 1 First it may teach every noble wit and every active spirit and every man of cleanly conveyance not to pride himselfe much lesse to blesse himselfe in such gifts and parts what ever they be pride not your selves blesse not your selves in them you see heere is a Generation of nimble spirits and active wits cleanly spirits spirits of as neat and cleanly conveyance as ever the World saw men full of wit and full of dexterity men good for Church as they count it notable there and not able for the Common-Wealth they are marvelous fit for all kinds of imployment in their owne wayes and that 's very large for their owne ends and yet see they are but made instruments to the Dragon to the Beast and to the false Prophet so that verily if a man now should take pride in his gifts and blesse himselfe in the activenesse of his spirit and cleanly conveyance aplaud himselfe in such kinde of inlargements as these be I tell you the Devill hath as quick wits as you are and as active spirits as you are and men of as dexterous conveyance as you can be And therefore never pride your selves in these they are such as are as fit instruments for the Devill as for Christ and many times the Lord Jesus takes lesse delight
of them and then shall you see the necessity of looking unto your Religion And upon this ground it is that Apostle Iude Vers 1.3 writeth unto all the faithfull and exhorteth them That they should contend earnestly for the Faith once given to the Saints otherwise they shall have the first hansell of Gods Iudgements for they will be soonest corrupted and shall bee soonest punished Doct. 4 That the discovery of the loathsome and shamefull sinnes of men is from the Viall of the wrath of God For what was this Viall which is powred out upon the earth that is upon the common sort of Christians It was their conviction of their damnable Ignorance and Superstition Idolatry and Hypocrisie and this the Lord threatneth as a judgement unto Hierusalem Ezeck 16.37 That hee will discover her nakednesse that those that loved her and these that hated her should see her nakednesse Thus is his wrath revealed against all unrighteousnesse of men For the Lord is the first cause of all the Evill that is done among Rea. 1 the sonnes of Men Amos 3.6 So that is meâ—s wickednesse discovered is their loathsome sinfull carnall corrupt estate laid open The Lord hath done it Because it is the proper worke of the Spirit of God to convince Reas 2 the World of sinne John 16.8 and he worketh it by the Law For by the Law commeth the knowledge of sinne Rom. 7.7 And what the Law doth the same doe the servants of God by the Ministery of it yet all is the worke of the Spirit of God The Vse may be first to teach the Sonnes of men to take Vse 1 heede how you snarle at Instruments of Gods wrath though it may be they may sometimes deale disorderly yet is it your part to see the righteous hand of God and when men walke according to God in discovering your wickednesse there is it the righteous hand of God much more As when the Angels that poured out this Viall were encouraged by the Officers of Christ in his Church and so by the Lord himselfe to show men that they were full of palpable Ignorance and superstition Therefore let men learne in these cases to sanctifie the Lord in their hearts and to acknowledge his hand on them in such convictions of their sinnefull and shamefull estate and course Let it teach all such whose sinnes are discovered at any time Vse 2 to humble their soules under the mighty hand of God that as their sinnes have beene discovered by an Angel of wrath so they may be covered againe by the Angel of peace That the discovery of the sinnes of the Common sort of people Doct. 5 doth inflict a noysome Boyle upon their corrupt leaders and guides that allow them therein There fell a noysome and grievous sore upon the men which had the Marke of the Beast and upon them that worshipped his Image When all this wickednesse is discovered in the common Catholikes then doth the leaudnesse of their leaders also grow notorious what say you now to all their Catholicke Priests Their wickednesse appeareth their Idlenesse Hypocrisie Covetousnesse and wantonnesse breaketh forth A grievous sore lay upon them all to see that all their labours are discovered to be but a building men up in wrath the Spirits of the Popish Leaders were greatly disturbed and troubled to see men so busie with their new Sumpsimus A noysome blemish was it to all their Religious Orders and to all that did countenance theÌ„ in the same Evident this is unto al those that read the Stories of our owne times or the times of our Fathers how this noysome sore fell upon their Guids and Leaders And so it hath done of old Esay 9.15.16 The Leaders of this People cause them to erre So Jer. 5.31 The Prophets prophecie falsely and the Priests beare rule by their meanes and my people love to have it so Thus are their false guides blemished Reason The Reason is taken from the duty of the guides of the Church and People which is to turn them from their evill waies Jer. 23.22 Therefore if they lead them into evill wayes needs must a noysome sore fall upon them when the wickednesse of the people is discovered Vse This may teach all the servants of Christ to whom the Church of God is committed to be the more vigilant in all the Administrations of the things of God in his House that there may remain in it no corruptions that are discerned but that being discerned they may be also borne witnesse against and be seasonably rooted out and the spirits of Gods people healed else the sorenesse will fall upon the guids of the Church the people may perish in their sinnes but their blood will the Lord require at the hands of those that should leade them in the way wherein they should goe It is not enough for the people to say it is the fault of their guides nor for Ministers to lay the blame upon the people unlesse they warne them then indeed have they delivered their owne soules but if the People perish for lacke of knowledge God will require their blood at the hand of their Guides THE SECOND VIALL REVEL 16.3 And the second Angel poured out his viall upon the Sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and every living soule died in the Sea THis Verse describes the pouring out of the Viall of the second Angel For the subject He poures it on the Sea and the effect was the Sea became as the blood of a Dead man and the effect of that on the living soules in the Sea they all dyed The allusion is to a like plague upon Aegypt in the 7. of Exod. 20 21. Where Moses strucke the River Nilus and it was turned to blood as heere The Sea became as the blood of a dead man and all the fish in the Rivers dyed that is of all sorts some Now for the meaning of this second Viall First for the Sea What is heere meant by the Sea And what by the Sea becomming blood and as the blood of a dead man And how is every living soule in this Sea said to dye by this means The Sea cannot be meant the ordinary Sea of waters for you cannot bring any judgement on that sea that can afflict Antichristians more then Christians if you should corrupt all the Sea as the Papists expound it and yet they beleeve all these evils redound to Antichrist What hurt will it be to Antichrist more then to the Church of Christ If all the fish in the sea died What would it hurt Antichrist more then Christian Nations cannot Antichrist be supplyed with other dainties on the shore out of the Flocks and Heards and out of the Fields and Woods and out of the Ayre from the Fowles there though he never had any Fish at his Table That therefore cannot bee the meaning But the sea is the sea of the Antichristian world a distinct world from that heavenly state wherein other Reformed Churches
live better then an hypocrite this is the true meaning of the second viall The first note that we may gather I will not be long in it nor Doct. in this place the matter requires it not in some places it might As upon the corruption of common Christians followes the corruption of religion so by the discovery of the corruptions of Christians or upon the discovery of the corruption of common Christians followes the discovery of corruption in Religion This note followes upon the former words compare this verse with the second trumpet vpon the sounding of the second trumpet there was brought in corruption of religion in the Imperiall Christian world as in the 8. Chapter of this booke and the 7.8.9 ver The first Angell sounded and there followed â—aile and fire mingled with bloud whereby all the green grasse was burnt up c. The first Angell poured out fire and bloud that is vncharitablenesse and contentiousnesse and so corruption grew in the spirits of common Christians and what followed upon that And thereupon the second Angel founded and there fell a great mountaine burning with fire cast into the sea on the contentiousnesse and quarelling of common Christians and their ambition There grew contention about primacy in Church Governours and that so far corrupted the sea A mountaine of high prefermâ—nt being cast into the sea that a third part of the sea became bloud here was a third part a great part of their religion specially that which concernes governement became bloud very noisome both their doctrine and governement so that looke as on the corruption of the lives of Christians presently religion grew corrupt so on the discovery of corruption in common Christians In this second viall follows the discovery of corruption in religion it self in this second viall and looke by what degrees the trumpets sounding brought in corruption into the Church by the same degrees the vials bring forth the discovery of corruption in the Church the vials of Gods wrath discover corruption pollution in Religion The reason of this point is taken from the powerfull efficacy Reason of all religion to transforme the sincere professors of it to the like nature with it selfe looke what the religion is such is the spirit of all that are sincere and serious professors of it and therefore if there come in any corrupt doctrine corrupt religion our Saviour tells us by their fruits ye shall know them for such as their corruption is in judgement such will it bee in their lives in Mat. 7.15 Beware of false prophets c. by their fruits you shall know them a good tree cannot bring â—orth evill fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fâ—uit and so it was with the Pharisees though they were the strictest sect of the Iewists Religion Act. 16.5 Yet as they were corrupt in their lives so their Religion was corrupt and those that were Proselites to it Mat. 23.15 They made them twofold more the children of hell then themselves 2 Tim. 3.13 Evill men and deceivers waxe worse and worse deceiving and being deceived and the ground of that is this the concurrence of the spirit of God with his owne word and the concurrence of the spirit of Satan with his ordinances and instructions there is a spirit goes with both that doth assimulate and transforme a powerfull professor of sincere Religion to be sincere in heart And the Professors of corrupt Religion to transforme them into the nature thereof In the 59. of Esay verse 21. My Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth and for ever Gods spirit goes with his owne Ordinances where ever they are rightly and sincerely received as alway by some they are where ever they have free passage they will have some good issue and some persons or other on whom they will worke such a change in 2 Cor. 3 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of God are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord. Consequently if Antichrist come with his delusions hee shall come with all the power of Satan whose comming saith the Apostle 2 Thess 2.9.10 is after the working of Satan and with all power of signes and lying wonders with efficacie of delusions a signe these delusions are not meerely Nationall but effectuall to transforme the heart like unto the minde their will like unto their judgement and their life like unto both that you shall have the whole frame of their state such as is their Religion if the lives of Catholike Professors be corrupt an evident argument their Religion is corrupt and if their Religion be corrupt their lives cannot bee sound they that live by that Religion must needs be corrupt so that upon the discovery of the corruptions of the lives of Catholikes then men began to scruple their Religion at first it was fairely interpreted of some Catholikes that were reformed and brought to the truth they thought that all abuses found in the Friars Monks was but from the lives of men their religion was better their religion did not teach them so and therfore thought still they might appeale to the Pope himself as Luther did they thought it was the ignorance of the Priests that brought Pardons into the Countrey to sell them for groats and shillings but this was but a charitable opinion and in truth the Priests the ministers of that Religion did but act the spirit of that Religion the whole heart was sicke and the whole head and body mortally distempered The Use is thus much it must be a word of holy admonition and warning to all Professors Vse 1 in this Countrey and Church members to all that professe they came out of England for purity of Ordinances to be very circumspect pure and faithfull and zealous in all their whole conversation for beleeve it you will finde this true and remember it while you live if you bee corrupt in New-England if you be unfaithfull here if you be worldly minded here false of your words and promises here injurious in your dealings here beleeve it one of these two will unavoidably follow either all England will judge your Reformation but a delusion and an invention of some of your Magistrates or Elders or otherwise looke at you as not sincere but counterfeit This unavoidably you will finde true you cannot poure forth a Viall of more wrath on Religion as it is heere reformed and established through the blessing of God you cannot load it with a heavier Viall of Gods wrath then if heere you shall grow worldly and covetous deceitfull and contentious and unbrotherly Are these your Church members such such things were done but I hope it was not your Church Members are we not all brethren Doth our Estates
lie much of them in Common Well what ever things may be though Christian love will passe by much yet beleeve it if men make no conscience of their bargaines but that they doe defraud others If men make no conscience of heavenly mindednesse of purity and zeale and thinke it needs not but rest in meer formes of Church Ordinances you will unavoydably poure a Viall of Gods wrath as much as in you lyes on all the purity of Gods Ordinances and judge you how dishonourable it is to God and holy religion and how blame-worthy it is in such as are faulty herein however you will answer this before the Lord at his comming For you cannot avoide it this will be the issue either we are counterfeit Professors of Reformation or that our reformation is counterfeit you say you came over for puritie of Ordinances But in truth you did but dissemble however you thought it was not in your hearts the event proves the contrary if you be not sincere but hollow Members of the Church and corrupt livers under the governement and worship of God heere established and ordered I say you will force all whose eyes are on you throughout the Christian world to thinke these are but the inventions of men there is no truth no true heartednesse in the Religion here established and for the Religion established in England what ever you talke of humane inventions we know there is no such unfaithful dealing and hollow heartednesse no such bitternesse between Christians A Ministers Presence is amiable and his feet beautifull and where hee comes it is not thought too homely to be regarded of better then himselfe If Religion in our Native Countrey of them that are sincere if it hold foorth more puritie there beleeve it it beares more evident witnesse to the truth of God there so much as is truth then as we doe that professe greater simplicitie these are but the names of things but the reality is wanting It is never to be forgotten the Argument of the blessed Apostle the Corinthians tooke offence at him as they were humerous though godly men yet a generation of them were haughty by their great gifts Paul said he would come to Corinth he promised to come but he did not and they thought he used lightnesse it was an easie thing with him to be Yea and Nay What saith the Apostle When I said I would come did I use lightnesse that with me there should be Yea and Nay Nay saith the Apostle I pray yon marke it and I could wish it were engraven on the tables of godly mens hearts in the 2 Corinth 1.18 as God is true our word toward you was not Yea and Nay How doth hee prove that For the Sonne of God Iesus Christ who was preached amongst you by us was not yea and nay but in him was yea and all the promises of God in him are Yea and Amen What is this to the purpose If the Gospel he preached be not yea and nay then neither are his prâ—mises yea and nay this is his intendment else his inference is nothing I you will say Ministers and Apostles ought to be such but this that followes wraps in all professours Now hee which stablisheth you with us in Christ it is not Elders onely and he that anointed us is God who anointeth with such oile as falls on every member of his body who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts and makes us every way like himselfe therefore saith he I call God to record that to spare you I came not yet to Corinth otherwise as the Gospell preached by him and Silvanus Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him was yea no more was his promise this is the spirit of Christians and Ministers and so of al that are established together with their Ministers anointed and sealed and confirmed in grace with their Ministers and have received the earnest penny to bind the bargaine of eternall salvation to faithfull soules So looke what a Christian doth promise he is bound by the earnest penny of Gods Spirit hee dares no more alter his words to the discredit of his profession then the Spirit of God to lie So that consider if Professors grow corrupt Religion wil grow corrupt and on the discovery of the corruption of common Christians corrupt religion will be discovered else you will be discovered to be carnall professors But there will be these two events either it will cast aspersion on you and so they will say none are better the spirit of the Country is deceitfull in their bargaines there is no constancie in their words Or else that your Religion is corrupt and this will also follow unavoidably though your Religion bee of God and the Lord himselfe will beare witnesse it is of God and according to the true patterne of the Word yet if we in this generation shall defile it by our unfaithfulnesse unspiritualnesse unheavenlinesse and ungodlinesse this will be the issue on the corruption of the lives of Professors followes corruption of Religion and upon the discovery of the one followes the discovery of the other That Religion which by the blessing of God and the power of his grace is dispensed heere in simplicity will bee corrupted in the very next generation you will finde your Children after you of whose state you ought to have as much care and I thinke I may speake it without inconveniency more then of your owne you may know the worst of it for your selves being neere the grave many of you but verely what will befall your Posterity They will degenerate out of measure by the unfaithfulnesse of your lives and unrighteousnesse of our promises they will fall to bee starke nought in point of Doctrine Worship and Government they will utterly degenerate from their Ancestors let but us bee polluted and all the waters that come from us will be polluted it cannot be sweet water that runnes through a poysonous earth if the earth bee unsavoury the Waters and Deepes and Rivers be poysoned what will the issue bee all will bee corrupt and therefore as you desire to leave Religion with a blessing leave it pure in the conversation of Brotherly love and purity and faithfulnesse and fruitfulnesse and heavenly mindednesse that so as Religion always loves to lye cleane as was a grave speech of an ancient Saint it will not lye nasty as a Swine and a Dogge in a kennell it must lye sweet and cleane if the hearts and waies of men be not pure and holy you shall not alway have the Sea cleane but Religion will grow to Apostacy and that which is our glory will be our confusion It became as the blood of a dead man Doct. 2. The faithful Ministers and Professors of Reformed Religion and Churches by powring out the wrath of God on Popish Religion have discovered it not to hold forth the blood of the Lord Iesus but to bee as the blood of a
Princes odious Princes that shall be odious to God and malignant to the people If you still provoke me and for all this turn not to me I will set such over you them that shall be odious to me and odious to you that shall make you more and more to corrupt your wayes And if God at any time give them good Princes he will leade them into temptation for their sin In 2 Sam. 24.1 you read there the wratâ— of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he provoked David against them to say Go number Israel and Iudah The wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he provoked David c. To what end That so a plague might come upon Israel So that minde you how the sins of the time rise from the contagion of the hearts and lives of the people That look as a man catcheth cold on his feet it fils the head with distempers Catch but cold in the lowest part about the ancles or feet or suppose the stomack be somewhat annoyed through ill dyet or ill digestion what then It strikes up to the head presently you cannot annoy the feet ancles or middle parts but the head will feel both So if either Ministers be corrupt or common people the head the Rulers will straightway bee corrupt it will not bee otherwise If the Prophets prophesie lyes and the Priests bear rule by their means and the people love to have it so what will be the end Do you think there will come any Princes that will reform them Do you think the Lord will take any course to reform such great evils as these be As evill first begins with the common people so they are first plagued For a third Reason As evill first begins with the people and they are first plagued and as for them it is derived to the Priests and Princes and they are by that meanes corrupted either are not good or led into some temptation Reas 3 So thirdly the Lord is deeply provoked against the lights and guides of the Church whether Civill or Ecclesiasticall Church-mâ—n or Common-wealths men the Lord is provoked against both for suffering their people to bedable themselves with some corruption in Religion and religious conversation In the 34. Ezek 7 to 10. Heare this O yee Shepheards of Israel and he speakes as best Interpreters expound it both to Ecclesiasticall and Civill Shepheards to the Priests in the Church and the Princes in the Common-wealth he speakes expresly to both Heare O yee Shepheards because you have suffered my people to wander and my flock to be a prey therefore I am against you and he professeth he will rend his people from them and rend the very cause of their heart and execute judgement upon them and he will judge betweene the Rams and the Hee Goats and tender Kids and will deliver them and set them one Shepheard over them that shall be more faithfull to him and his people even his servant David he meanes Christ and they that are of David's spirit that shall in his name rule his people So that mind you the wrath of God is carried an end in this course he begins with the people first because they are first corrupt and then with Rulers for had not they been soon corrupted it had not been possible that the Church should so quickly have become a wildernesse So here he begins with the common sort and then with Ministers and then with the great Lights that rule by day that rules the affaires of the Church and Common-wealth For the use of this point briefly Vse 1 It may serve then to be a watchword and warning to the common sort of Christians First look you to it men and brethren and beloved in Christ Jesus look you to it tenderly and seriously that neither doctrine nor worship of God nor Church Government be corrupt to your best discerning but preserved by diligent examination of all things according to the patterne shewed in the Word as it hath been hitherto held forth to you Looke to it that the Sea you wash and bathe your soules in be not defiled let it be so clear that the vertue of the bloud of Christ may be discerned in it otherwise beleeve it though you may think it least concernes you Let Church-officer look to it and let Civill Magistrates see to it it is their calling to look to Worship and Government in their time and place though that be true they must look to it and God will require it else at their hand yet if you look not to it the wrath of God will be powred out upon you If men unprepared shall most giddily rush into the Church what will the issue be The Lord will powre a cold haile-storme upon you never such coldnesse fell upon men as there wil be when they rush into Churches before they be warmed with the bloud of Christ Jesus Revel 8.7 that was the first Trumpet of Gods vengeance there heavy grievous hailestones great hailestones and which is wonderfull you will think it marvellous but it is true as they were cold in Religion so they were zealous for contention and Coveteousnesse and Ambition and personal respects that if they got an opinion by the end they contended for it as pro aris focis for fire on the hearth as if there were no warmth but in that though the opinion were never so unsavoury when men thrust into the Church and take it very ill if they be examined What will the issue be Nothing but cold shill dead-heartednesse falls upon them and then a wild fire of rage and crotchetly opinions and then grow so zealous therein as if religion lay in some quintessence notions of theirs therefore first look for and beware of corruption in the common people Then secondly let the Lords Ministers I speak to my selfe Vse 2 as much as any other in a speciall manner look to these things that we diligently looke to religion and the purity of doctrine and worship and of every ordinance of God with circumspection and faithfulnesse and diligence and sedulity and watchfulnesse that nothing of the holy things of God may be corrupted that are committed to us for we shall next feele the smart of it For as religion will be corrupt in the people first and so far as that you shall have no power nor life of godlinesse in it and the bloud of Christ will be as the bloud of a dead man So then the Ministers of the Gospell must looke to it for the next thing will bee some heavy judgment or other God will bring upon them if they be not vigilant to see that all things bee done according to the true platforme left to us in the word you know the Prophet Malachy complaines of it in Malac. 1.11 12 13. that men began to waxe weary of sacrifices and snuffed at the cost of it and brought the blinde and lame and any thing for Sacrifice and the Table of the Lord was
moneyes Brethren do you think it is not a judgement of God Is not the silver and gold his and hath he it not for this state as well as for others if we had not some wayes provoked him Did he not take it away from them in Hagge when they neglected Temple work And did not he say The silver and gold is mine 1 Hag. 6. and 2 Hag. 6.7 8 Hath not the Lord blasted us because we grew cold hearted and formall in Church-fellowship and confident and warme and bold-hearted in matters pertaining to our selves and to the world and in matters that tended onely to tumult What then In such a case marvell not if the Lord send forth a Vial of his wrath upon us and curse our blessings that that which within these 4 or 5 years was but a drug and men would not labour for money they would have corne and be glad of it they would have provisions Now provisions are a drug Beef and Butter it is not currant now men will give no money for it they will not part with it Is it not a Vial of his wrath or at least a twig of his rod And is it not meet now to repent and give him glory that hath power over this plague that we be not senslesse and obdurate And doth not the Lord say he will curse our blessings he saith so to Ministers and will any be free Will any prosper when they lay not Gods hand to heart but make a trifling businesse of it but make account the Lord calls men to serious consideration of it To make an end Let this be the last Use Vse 4 To teach you what the nature and practise of Repentance is What is the nature and practise of it It is lively set forth in the Text I might be large herein they repented not to give God glory So there is the proper act of repentance when it runnes right in a right chanell it gives God glory What glory doth it give God First it gives him the glory of his Soveraignty the Text is plain as They gave not glory to God that hath power over these plagues they are Gods plagues and he hath power to send them and we see his hand in them his plagues they are and that is the first thing in repentance to see it is the hand of God in this kind and that kind in any kind that may befall us Give God the glory of his soveraignty who hath sent these plagues and this will help us to repentance 2. Give him the glory of his Justice that hath sent them most justly for his part and on our part most deservedly Neh. 9.33 The faithfull in Israel say Thou art just in all that is come up n us we have dealt wickedly and thou hast done righteously Thus repentance gives God the glory of his Justice as well as of his Soveraignty we have provoked God to plague us in this or that kind whether I speak to publick States or private persons if any evill lyes upon us it is the hand of God whether it come for one end or other and beleeve it it is for us to give him the glory of his justice as well as of his soveraignty We have given him just cause by our worldly mindednesse by our estrangement from the Lord and spirituall work and falling short of our spirituall aimes and ends we cut short our growth in Christianity and the Lord cuts short our outward estate Doe you think a Christians outward estate shall prosper when his inward estate growes leaner and leaner And as you give him the glory of his justice and soveraignty So 3. Give him the glory of his truth which these wicked persons would not give him the glory of To acknowledge their religion was a dead sea like Mare mortuum to acknowledge the bloud-thirstinesse of their Priests and Jesuits they shall drink bloud therefore they would not acknowledge reformation but blasphemed it as hereticall innovation and therefore the Lord had poured a vial upon their great lights in Church and Common-wealth and will doe it more and more till they be consumed they give not God the glory of his truth As Ioshuah said to Achan Iosh 7.19 My son give glory to God and tell me truly what thou hast done And he told him truly there was some hope of some seed of repentance and it is not possible a man should truly repent before God in confessing what hath been wickedly done if he denyes any thing that his conscience tels him is truth Nay some give God the glory and tell me now what thou hast done If a man hide it under his tongue it is not possible hee should repent why for he cannot give God glory he gives him not the glory of his truth and then there is no repentance And 4. What doth repentance give God the glory of as of his soveraignty and justice and truth in making humble confession of it where we are called if we have just occasion so the Lord requires that we should give him the glory of his mercy and grace that we looke for all our pardon and mercy in the bloud of the Lord Jesus and in unfeigned seeking after fellowship with him beleeving on his grace confessing what is sinfull turning from our evill wayes laying hold of eternall life of every gift of the Spirit that might quicken us in every spirituall duty that we might depend upon his grace for pardon and healing of our bottomlesse depth of unbeleefe for the changing of our hearts and quickening of our spirits this gives God the glory of his grace thus repentance doth In the 130. Psal 3 4. If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquity who then should stand There they give him the glory of his justice but there is pardon with thee that thou maist be feared there they give him the glory of his pardoning mercy thus ought all to doe that unfaignedly desire to walk in the serious practise and use of repentance You never repent kindly whiles a spirit of bondage lyes upon you and makes you sensible of the wrath of God and hell that alone will never bring forth kindly repentance but when the Lord helps us to give him the glory of his power that he swayes and rules in all and that wee give him the glory of his justice that hath righteously plagued us and the glory of his truth to confesse truly what is done amisse and the glory of his grace to pardon sin and heale the soule this is repentance and without this there is no repentance It is a wonder to see when people provoke God and the Church how little able they are to give God glory but take glory to themselves still it was thus and thus and might have been interpreted thus and thus it is a wonder to see how little they give God the glory our own glory lyes so neere us And therefore it behoves us as we desire sincerity to repent so to make conscience of
write such things as these openly we speak of the generality of Prelates not of some to whom God hath given a better spirit then the spirit of the throne they sit upon Reason The first ground hereof is taken from the nature of all these judgements they are the last plague Rev. 15.11 The very dreggs and sediments of the wrath of God and there is no grace of Repentance laid up in them for the wrath of God is come upon them to the uttermost wonder not therefore if you doe not heare of many Bishops or Pariters repentance though God may bring some of them to Repentance yet the body and state of them is not like to repent but to belch out blasphemings against the Lord. Rea. 2 Secondly the reason is taken from the cause that moveth God to give men up to such delusions Because they received not the love of the trueth that they might be saved therefore doth God give them up to the efficacy of delusions that they should beleive a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse those that preached the truth and Doctrines of Repentance and reformation they branded them with the name of Puritans they hated them with a perfect hatred they loved not blessing therefore it is far from them it is the nature and common fashion of superstition to leave men besotted in their owne Religion This may teach us to looke at it as a ground of Faith that the Vse 1 Lord will goe on to destroy the throne of the Beast for when God taketh a sword into his hand it is not his manner to put it into his sheath againe according to that which Amos saith Chap. 3.5 Shall one take up a snare from the Earth and have taken nothing at all noe the Lord will either subdue their spirits to unfeigned Repentance or else he will goe on insnaring to insnare them till he have swept them like doung from the face of the Earth For when Israel turneth not to him that smiteth him then is not his anger turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isai 9.12.13 Therefore men cannot more dishonour nor oppose the Lord then by seeking to underprop this sandy building The Second one of this point may be to teach us all in the feare Vse 2 of God what to doe whensoever we feele but drops of wrath powred upons us you see to whom it belongeth to be impenitent to whom it belongeth to blaspheme the name of the Lord even to those that sit upon the throne of the Beast it is an Episcopall sinne anâ— Hierarcâ—icall wickednesse a beastly frame of spirit for men whiles they are under Gods Hand to grow more froward and discontented and filled with indignation If therefore the Lord afflict the whole state of the Country with any drops of his displeasure let us not cry out upon the Lord and his dealing nor upon the Churches but let our unthankfull hearts for his mercies beare the burden and learne we to repent of our deeds that know not how to keepe our selves close to the ordinances of God when we grow not thankfull nor fruitfull under light and liberties received THE SIXTH VIALL REVEL 16.12 13 14 15 16. And the sixth Angell powred out his Viall upon the great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared c. IN these verses the powring out of the Viall of the sixth Angel is described First by the subject upon which it is powred the River Euphrates which is amplifyed by the adjunct of greatnesse The great River Euphrates Secondly by the effects of it which are two 1. First the water thereof was dryed up and that is amplifyed by the end which God aimed at in it That the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared 2. Secondly the warrelike preparations unto a great battell and those are described 1. By the principall commanders in that preparation and war which are said to be three The Devill the Beast and the false Prophet 2. By the instruments and Ministers of it who are certaine spirits and they are described many wayes as 1. By their nature and quality Vncleane spirits 2. By their number three 3. By by their resemblance Like Froggs 4. By their originall descent which is threefold They come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet And that descent is amplifyed by the Cause of it for they are the spirits of Devills 5. They are described by their effects which are three-fold 1. They worke miracles 2. They goe forth to the Kings of the Earth and of the world to gather them to the battell of that great Day of God Almighty Ver. 14. 3. They are efficacious and successefull herein they doe gather them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon Ve. 16. 3. These warlike preparations are described by the watchword which the God of Israel giveth unto his owne troopes and that is a word of watchfulnesse behold I come as a thiefe blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and they see his shame Thus standeth the Text. Now for the meaning of it It is the more darke because it is though not altogether yet in a great part to come and such as shall seriously consider what is the meaning shal happily find it no small difficulty to satisfy themselves and much more to satisfy others yet by the helpe of God let us endeavour to open some such part of the words as we may be likely to finish at this time First what is meant by the river Euphrates Secondly who are the Angels that powre out this Viall upon this river Thirdly what is the drying up of this river Fourthly who are these Kings of the East These things containe the principall difficulties in the partes of this Viall other things may more easily be opened if these things be premised and cleared 1. What is meant by the great river Euphrates Some of our host interpreters to whom God hath given most light in these spirituall mysteries doe understand it properly for the river that did run along by the walles of old Babylon in Chaldea which made the City impregnable and yet by the stratagem of Cyrus was dryed up by turning the Course of the streames to runne in other channels whereby the channell before the City was dryed up and the reedes burnt by the Souldiers and the City sacked when as Belshazzar was quaffing in the vessels of the Temple this was foretold by Jeremy Chap 50.38 A drought is upon her waters and they shall be dried up for it is the Land of graven Images and they are mad upon their Idolls And Ier. 51.31 32. One poste shall run to meete another and one messenger to meete another to shew the King of Babylon that his
bring a man to that estate wherein he was first made which is no gentile-like principle and the greatest preferents among them are of their Bookish men It may be some of the ten Tribes or buried among them yet it is not materiall to the Text though if it be true their Easterne situation will suit wel with the Text but however it be the truth is God doth by Covenant account the whole Nation to be a royall Nation and promiseth the Kingdomes of the World to be their Dominion and that all enemies God will sweepe them off from the face of the Earth as it is prophecied at large Rev. 19. Now then if these be the Kings of the East you will easily understand the evidence of other things in the Text for what is the great stumbling blocke that hindreth the Iewes from closing with Christianity They abhorre Images and the Iuggling of the Fryers and Monkes who are not so cunning to devise miracles as the Iew is cunning to search them out and to discover the legerdemaine of the Priests in them To worship Idols of Gold and Silver is an abomination to them and so are the rest of those five streames of wickednesse which uphold the Turkish state Let Christian Princes once arise and overthrow Images represse their murders remoove away their Fornications Thefts delusions which they put upon Christianity then shall there be a ready way prepared for their conversion no remaining impediment but their own corruption which God will mightily overpower if once Euphrates be dryed up down falls Popish and Turkish tyranny together and the Iewes shall come forth marching to fight that great battell of the Lord God Almighty then shall they see him whom they have peirced and be zealous for God as ever they have beene outragious against him And hereby you shall clearely see the agreement betweene Romans 11.12.15 Where it is said If the casting away of them be the reconcilement of the World what shall the receiving of them be but life form the dead and 25. Where he saith blindnesse in part is happened unto Israel untill the fullnesse of the Gentiles be come in The reconcilement lyeth here The hardnesse of the Iewes lieth upon them untill the Christian Nations of the Gentiles that have with the Pope apostatifed from Christ be come in untill they have dried up this River Euphrates hardnesse lyeth upon the Iewes but then all Israel shall be saved and after that looke for the rest of the Gentiles that never yet received the Gospel to come in also then will God bring them home mightily and not till then Thus you see the meaning of these words wherein I have beene the more large because in such Scriptures the explication is as much to be attended as the application Let us shortly touch upon a note or two Doct. 1 That the dayes are comming wherein Christian Princes and States shall powre out the wrath of God upon Popish superstition and Idolatry and upon all the Fountaines and streames of Turkish Tyranny For this sixt Angell are those 10 Christian Kings spoken of Chap. 17.16 They shall powre out this wrath Therefore those Christian Kings went a wrong way to worke when they thought to have overcome the Turke and regayned the holy Land It is strange to see how the Turkes prospered against them and how much Christian bloud Christian Princes spent to no purpose in fighting against them The way had beene first to have dryed up all those streames of Superstition and Idolatry and to have throwne downe that man of Sinne that had beene the ready way to prevaile against the Turke but the season was not then come it is now comming and how soone it will come I know not the Lord knoweth but comming it is as appeareth by the Context of this Viall with the former yea they are in part fulfilled and like the speare of Ioshua they will not returne nor cease till all the Lords enemies be overcome The judgements of God upon their common Catholickes their worship and government their secular and regular Priests upon the Sunne the House of Austria and the Popes supremacy you have heretofore heard the judgements of God upon the throne of the Beast which is the Episcopacy is already begun as you lately heard darkned it hath beene by the going forth of the Scots and doubtlesse the Lord will not let it rest there untill it have gone over the Seas and come to the Gates of Rome yea to the Bishop of Rome himselfe for after the Lord hath beene pleased to scome the Churches from their Hierarchicall monarchy then the next newes you shall heare of will be that Christian Princes begin to see the lewdnesse that is found in their worship the wickednesse of their Murders Sorceries Fornications and Thefts whereby they robbed their soules as well as their bodies then will they dry up these streames and so Euphrates that did wash this Rome and the Turkish Empire also will be dryed up for this worke will goe on prospering to prosper and though it may now and then be interrupted yet when it beginneth it will also make an end for the Lord is Almighty when he beginneth he will goe on to perfect his worke and he will not leave unto old Eli roote or branch It is easy with the Lord to advance the worke a little higher and then the streames of their maintenance will be dryed up by the hatred wherewith they will hate the whore and make her desolate and naked for the time is approaching The reason why the Lord will thus dry up the streames of Euphrates Reason is that he may untwist his own judgements in the same way wherein himselfe did twist them wee have before heard how his judgements fell upon the Christian World by the sounding of the sixth Trumpet the foure Angels that were bound in the great river Euphrates were loosed and by this meanes the Turkish Tyranny was brought in Now by the powring out of the Viall of the sixth Angell the spirits of Christian Princes are stirred up to dry up the River Euphrates thereby to make way for the subversion of the Turke and Pope and to prepare a way for Gods ancient people to come in that there may be no more wrath upon the face of the Earth Vse 1 In the first place this may serve to provoke us all earnestly to call upon the Lord that he would stirre up the hearts of Princes to consider and open their Eyes to see how needfull their attempts are to rise up against the Pope and for that end that they may see that the jugglings of Popery are but Thefts and Murders and Superstitions For when once those things are throughly discovered the means of the maintenance of the man of sinne must needs be dryed up How much cause therefore have we to wrastle with God for such mercy and that our prayers may be so much the more effectuall strengthen wee our Faith in this that the Lord
will doe it for he hath promised it and hath begun to power out this Viall and will not cease untill he have left the Pope neither roote nor branch Vse 2 Secondly this may serve to teach us the ready way to subdue the Tyrants of the World and to take away all their supportance their walles and Bullworkes How should you take Babylon dry up Euphrates and Babylon is taken with a wet finger as when they dryed up Euphrates they found it but a worke of burning of Reedes to take old Babylon And how shall you overcome the Turkes dry up but the Fountaines of the Corruptions of Religion and you remoove Antichrist and make the Turkes easily Conquerable he will not be defenceable then whereas now he standeth like a wall of brasse and so will doe untill these streames of corruption be dryed up It was a notable practise that which the Lord directed his people unto Iudges 10. When they cried unto the Lord to deliver them from their enemies that oppressed them The Lord recounteth the gratious deliverances which he had shewed them yet saith he Verse 13. you have forsaken me and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more goe and cry unto the Gods which you have chosen and let them deliver you in the time of your Tribulation When they heard that they confessed their sin and put away the strange Gods from among them and served the Lord and his soule was grieved for the misery of Israel then the Lord stirreth up the people to thinke upon Iephthah and they easily goe through the worke of vanquishing the oppressing Enemies In like manner bring but in false Doctrine worship and government into the Church and you bring in monsters of men among you the grand seigniours of the World will oppresse and rule over you On the other side let the Churches be reformed in France in England in Scotland c. Whatsoever other nations there be by that have defiled themselves with Popish doctrine worship and government let them but fall to this worke of reformation and verily the Lords Soule will be grieved for their misery that they are so oppressed with a base Priest and his Clergy who is in the meane while nothing else but a dunghill of corruption and what need have we earnestly to strive in prayer with God for these things and as great Nations are healed so are particular persons also by being purged from their Idolatries Fornications Thefts and Murders they are preserved from those personall evills which by Sea or Land might prevails against them And the Lord is able to doe it for great Nations as well as for particular persons for as he puts it into the hearts of Princes to agree and give their Kingdomes unto the Beast so he can as easily withdraw their hearts from him and cause them to see the vanity of their subjection to him Let us therefore give the Lord no rest untill he have fulfilled his word and overturned all his Enemies That the powring out of the wrath of God upon the Romish Doct. 2 Superstition and Tyranny as it will be the drying up of the Popish and Turkish Tyranny so it will prepare a ready way for the conversion of the Iewes When they shall see Christ riding upon a white horse and going forth conquering to conquer then shall they be gathered unto him Rev. 19. Because popish delusions Idolatry and Superstitions are the Reason greatest impediments of their conversion No man is acquainted with their writings but knoweth that these things stand in their way when the streames of Idolatry Sorcery Martyrdome of the Saints of God Fornication and robbery be dryed up then will there be a prepared way for the glorious conversion of the Iewes together with the rest of the Nations which cannot enter into the Temple untill the seven plagues of the seven Angels are fulfilled and then will they come in as honourable maides attending upon the Queene it will be like unto the resurrection from the dead unto them many devises there are in the mindes of some to thinke that Jesus Christ shall come from Heaven againe and reigne here upon Earth a thousand yeares but they are but the mistakes of some high expressions in Scripture which describe the judgements powred out upon Gods enemies in making a way for their conversion by the patterne of the last judgement Vse This may serve to provoke us and all the Churches of Christ to hold fast the purity of Doctrine worship and government in the Church of Christ let no streames of Idolatry nor love of the world run in our hearts If our Cowes be our Gods the Lord will power out a Viall upon them that from 25l. they shall fall to 5l. price the Lord hath sometimes threatned that he will famish all the Gods of the Earth Zeph. 2.11 So that all the Gods of the Gentiles shall not be able to provide any more offerings to be brought unto their Altars neither Apollo nor Iupiter nor Hercules can have any victuals and so will God deale with our Cattell if they be our Gods they shall either be worth little or else he will deny us todder for them if they devoure our spirits and take off our mindes from the Ordinances of God he will rend away any thing that standeth between him and our soules Therefore as ever we desire that we may prosper and that their may be a ready way prepared for our comfort let no streames of Idolatry be found among us then will the Lord make way for many of his deserved ones to come in among us or else wil make us wel without them For all the silver and gold in the world is his as the Cattell are his on a 1000 Hills Only let us take part with this Angell in powring out Vialls upon the corruptions that are found in our own hearts looke that their be no corruptions in us but such as are stil drying and drying up and see if God be not faithfull and gratious to us aboundantly stir we up our selves therefore and one another hereunto and pray that God would stir up other Nations and People hereunto then shall we see Gods ancient people brought home and the Lord shall be one over al the Earth and his name one which wil prove a Resurrection unto all the Churches of the Saints The second part of the sixth Viall VIALL 16. REVEL 12 Ver. to 14. XII And the sixth Angell powred out his Viall upon the great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared 13. And I saw three uncleane spirits like Frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet 14. For they are the spirits of Devills working miracles which goe forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World to gather them to the battell of that great day of
God Almighty IN these words as ye have heard is described the powring out of the sixth Viall of Gods wrath Described it is by the subject upon which it was powred forth and secondly by the effect which ensued The subject was the great River Euphrates The effect that followed it was first the drying up of the waters thereof and that amplified by the end that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared The second effect was a warlike expedition or preparation thereunto set forth by the principall Commanders the Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet and by the instruments who are here said to be for their nature Spirits for their quality Vncleane for their number three for their resemblance like Frogs for their original comming out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet And that amplified by the cause for they are the spirits of Devills And Lastly they are described by their effects which are three 1 They worke miracles 2 They goe forth to the Kings of the earth and of the World to gather them to Battell and thirdly they doe gather them into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon Thus is this war here especially described by their principall Commanders and instruments It is described also by the watch-word which the Lord giveth unto his servants against the battell in that time B hold I come as a theefe blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest hee walke naked and they see his shame We entred into these words the last day And shewed you whom this Angell was what is meant by the River Euphrates who are the Kings of the East and the way prepared for them in a word onely to make way to that which remaines you heard this sixth Angel that powred out this Viall upon the great River Euphrates cannot well be understood of the Jews powring out the wrath of God upon the Turkish Dominions For it is evident from the last verse of the 15 Chapter that no man can enter into the Temple till these 7 Vialls be powred out The Iewes therefore shall not be called till the seventh Viall be powred out And they that powred out these Vialls were such as came out of the Temple 15 Chapter 6 Verse Out of reformed Churches girt with golden girdles of truth and clothed with pure and white Linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints They that powre out of these Vialls are godly Christians professors of the truth in sincerity Now the Iewes cannot enter into that estate till the seven plagues be fulfilled Againe suppose the Kings of the East be the Iewes as they are more then probably conceived by enterpreters yet they cannot be the Angell that powred out this Viall For the Angel that powred out this Viall he dries up the waters and makes way for their comming in therefore it is not they that powred out this Viall Yee have heard that the River Euphrates cannot be properly meant of that River Euphrates that watered old Babell because the wrath of God is not upon materiall Rivers and Fountaines of waters but onely upon such persons as dwell neare them or may be watered by them but the Râ—ver it selfe cannot be it It is not taken here for one of those Rivers and Fountaines of water which were turned into bloud in the 18 Verse of this Chapter by the third Angell for then if it had been so understood the wrath of God had been powred upon him in the third Viall not in this sixth The rivers there meant are such popish Emissaries and Priests as doe carry the popish Doctrine up and downe the Country now Euphrates washed Babylon and his rivers are dried up when Babylon is taken now Babylon comes to be taken and destroyed in the next Viall not in the sixth Viall as some have hertofore taken it But Euphrates therefore being that which watered the City of old Babell it must be something that doth the like office unto this new Babell unto Rome that waters the throne of the Beast that waters the seat of antichrist And yet mind ye so waters it that if the waters thereof be dried up there is way made for the Kings of the East to come in and consequently way made for the ruine of the Turkish Empire and Monarchy For as yee heard these seven Vialls come in in order as the seven Trumpets did to remove the seven judgements they brought in looke how the seven Trumpets sounded and by their sounding brought in severall graduall judgements so just in the same order are these Vialls powred out and the former judgements removed As the first Trumpet brought a plague upon the Earth so the first Angell powred out a Viall upon the Earth to remove that plague The second Trumpet sounding brought a judgement upon the Sea The second Angell powers out his Viall upon the Sea and so the rest The sixth Trumpet as yee heard let loose the foure Angells the foure Turkish Families bound by the river Euphrates which brought in the Turkish apostacy and tyranny into the World This Euphrates is such a river as waters Babell and the drying it up did of old make way for the ruine of Babell So will the drying up of this Euphrates dry up the force and strength of the new Babylon and so of the Turkish tyranny also In one word yee have heard that which hath been the strength and fence of the Turkish Dominion hath been the streames of corruption and false worship in the Babilonish for so yee read in the ninth Chapter of this booke and the 20 and 21 verse That for all this saith the Text notwithstanding the letting loose of the Turkes from Euphrates yet they repented not of the workes of their hands that they should not worship Devills and Idolls of Gold and Silver and Brasse and Stone and of Wood c. Neither repented they of their murthers nor of their sorceries nor of their fornications nor of their Thefes So that its evident the Turkish Empire was raised up and stands to this day as a scourge of God upon the idolatries and superstitions of the Church of Rome and upon their murthers and witch-crafts and thefts by which the whole Christian world hath been abused these many hundred yeares So that then the Angell that powred out this Viall yee heard to be those ten Christian Kings of whom ye read more at large in the next Chapter that shall dry up this Fountaine that is to say the streames of antichristian worship and pollution shall stop the course of it They shall stop the course of those Murtherous inquisitiones They shall stop the course of those Thefts and indulgences and pennances they shall stop the course of of those Whoredomes wherewith Babylon hath beene made drunke the cup of her Fornication Now when this streame of corruption is dryed up by the reformation of protestant Kings it shall
come to passe that there will be a way made for the Kings of the East to come in for yee heard that by the Kings of the East are properly meant the Iewes as being of old called Kings A royall Priesthood so that way is made for them by this reformation of religion in Christendome The removing of those abuses to wit of the corruption of religion and popish superstition and idolatry way is made for their conversion and doe but dry up those streames and then you leave Babylon dry and you leave the Turkish Monarchy weakened for the staffe of the Turkish Monarchy is the superstition of Antichristianisme From hence therefore yee have heard already these two notes gathered and handled the first is this that the dayes are comming wherein Christian Princes shall dry up the streames of antichristian corruption in Religion And thereby also dry up the Fountaines of the streames of the Turkish tyranny Secondly yee have heard this note also gathered and handled That upon the drying up of the streames of corruption of Antichristian religion and of Turkish Tyranny way is made for the conversion of the Iewes the antient people of God Of these two wee spake the last day and thus much was needfull to be repeated that yee might understand where wee are To proceede to the next note then the third that concernes this Viall but the first at this time Let me first gather the note and then shew you how it rises out of the Text then give some grounds of it and make use of it as the Lord shall helpe the note is this Upon the drying up of the streames of the corruption of religion Doct. 3 in Christendome the Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet shall send forth their choisest instruments to stir up and gather together both Popish and Pagan Princes unto a great battell to withstand the reformation of Christians and the conversion of the Jewes This is the summe See all these points expresly and distinctly delivered and fully in these two Verses the 13 and 14. For further then so I shall not goe at this time And this one note opens both these Verses and all the passages therein First yee see upon the powring out of this Viall upon the river Euphrates and the drying up the streames thereof that is upon the drying up of the corruptions of religion superstition Idolatry Murthers and Whordomes restraining and drying up all such Fountaines what followes He saith the Beast the Dragon and the false Prophet sent out of their mouthes three unclean spirits like Frogs which goe forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battell of that great day of God Almighty To open this doctrine and the words a little First for the Dragon yee have heard it noted before from the 12. Rev. 9. verse him to be the old Serpent Satan but taken chiefly as he doth act and govern and dwell in the Roman state And therefore he is described to have seaven hads and ten Hornes in the third verse of the 12 Chapter But take him as he is Satan spiritually and he hath neither heads nor hornes Take him as he governes Rome and so he hath seven heads and ten hones The seven heads are seven hilles And the ten hornes are ten governments who then is the Beast the Beast as ye have heard he is described by the very same Characters seven heads and ten hornes 13. Rev 9. verse It is said to be him to whom the Dragon hath given his power and his seat and great authority it doth therefore hold forth the Roman state not Rome Pagan nor Rome Christian as yee have heard It remaines therefore to be Rome antichristian which is that The Roman visible Catholique Church that 's the first Beast which claimes all the power by pretence of religion which old Rome and the Roman Monarchy claimed by force of armes Who is then the false Prophet The false Prophet hee is never mentioned before in this booke not by name and yet hee is spoken of here as well knowne It appeares therefore this false Prophet is the 2 Beast in 13 Rev. 11 verse to the end The second Beast there is said to worke Miracles in the 13 Verse he doth great wonders c. And 18 Verse he deceiveth them that dwell on the Earth by the meanes of these miracles c. And the same yee shall reade of the false Prophet in the 19 Rev. 20 Verse The Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the marke of the Beast And them which worshiped his Image c. The description is the same of the false Prophet and of the Beast both of them holding forth the head of the Roman Church The false Prophet Balaam the Bishop or Antichrist of Rome So that it doth imply thus much that the Dragon and the Devill himselfe did stir up not the Pope onely but the whole Catholicke Church to gather into some councill or some other solemne meeting some chiefe concurse of them who by common content shall out of their mouthes that is to say by their commands their Cannons and Decrees for that is out of their mouthes out of their commands out of their edicts out of their injunctions shall send forth their uncleane Spirits Spirits they be for nimblenesse and activity Spirits they bee for impetuousnesse and strength Spirits they be also for close and cleanly conveyance There is no stoping the gates against Spirits yee cannot so stop the Cinque-ports but they will in they will enter into any Court Princes Palaces or great mens Houses there 's no hindering of them they have a cleanly conveyance and secret and close passage And they are also Spirits of Devills It is not the ordinary word Devill but Daemon the which is wont to expresse Spirits for their knowledge and learning They are learned spirits and yet Devills for their deceit and mischeife Ye are of your Father the devill the works of your Father ye will doe Iohn 8 44. Liers for deceit Murtherers for mischeif these are the spirits he sends forth which surely comming as they doe out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet they are not spirits properly so called They are therefore Emissaries sent forth by them men of nimble wits and parts active for nimblenesse and close conveyance and full of deceit and mischiefe And these are the spirits are sent forth and here said to be three spirits comming out of their mouthes not as if one came out of the mouth of one and another came out of the mouth of another but all three of them came out of all their mouthes together at once It is not rightly translated here that he saith he saw them comming out for the word comming out is not in the originall but hee
God It will bee a great Day indeed but a great Day of the Lord God Almighty that hee may offer a great sacrifice to himselfe by the hands of his servants that all the soules of prey and the beasts of prey may all of them come and eate the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captaines and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of Horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bound both small and great It will I say bee a great Sacrifice to the Beasts of prey and the foules of prey It shall be a great day indeed but it shall not be a great day to the Papists not a great day to the Dragon nor to the Romish Catholique Church except it be a great day of their destruction and that it will be indeed as yee shall see when this battell is to be fought in the nineteenth Chapter and they shall never trouble the World more that will be the issue of it The Dragon is reserved to a further day but hee shall bee bound for a thousand yeares and afterwards shall make a great battell with the Saints but after that shall be taken and then cast into the lake forever But this will be a great day of God Almighty wherein hee will powre cut all the Vialls of his wrath upon the enemies of God and his people that the Name of the Lord GOD Almighty may bee praysed from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof And therefore great and wonderfull are the Workes of the Lord that hee doth reserve for after ages wherein the loftinesse of man hee will lay low but his name onely shall be exalted Esay 2.2 Speaking of a farre lesse day then this that I am now speaking of It will bee a great day to the glory of God and the good of his people To the inlargement of the Church of Christ but of destruction to the enemies of the Lord Jesus That they may be overthrowne and taken and cast into the bottomlesse pit never to rise up againe THE THIRD SERMON UPON THE SIXTH VIAL REVELAT 16.15 Behold I come as a theefe Blessed is hee that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walke naked and they see his shame YOu have heretofore heard that these words set forth a description of the pouring out of the sixth Vial. Set forth it is by the subject upon the great River Euphrates By the effects they were double First Immediate the waters thereof were dryed up The second was Accidentall and mediate warlike preparation The former effect of drying up the River was amplified by the end That the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared The accidentall effect which was warlike preparation was set forth by a double argument First by the efficients Principal and Instrumentall Secondly by the watch-word which the Lord gives his people The efficients were principally the Devill the Beast and the false Prophet The Instrumentals were certaine spirits for nature three spirits for number Unclean for quality Like Frogs for similitude Out of the mouth of the Beast the Dragon and the false Prophet For their originall which are described by their effects which are three They work miracles They goe forth to the Kings of the earth to gather them to battell And thirdly They doe gather them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon The watch-word which is the second Adjunct observed in this warlike preparation is the watch-word of the Lord Jesus to his people in the words of my Text there are two parts of it First a description of the manner of his comming by a comparison taken from the manner of a theefe Behold I come as a theefe The second is a word of promise unto such as watch and keepe their garments at that time The promise is first of blessednesse to them And secondly the prevention of the discovery of their owne nakednesse and shame Blessed is hee that watcheth and keepeth his garments left he walke naked and they see his shame Not to repeat what hath been delivered that which offereth it selfe here to our consideration is a two-fold doctrine the first is this Doct. 1 When Frogs and uncleane Spirits that is to say when Popish Instruments shall goe forth To gather the Princes of the earth and of the whole world unto battell And those Princes shall go forth to battell against the Lord and his people It is behovefull for the people of God to behold the Lord Jesus comming against them or comming to them as a theefe That 's the note when the Lord exposes his people to great trials by the busie diligence of those Frogs or by the violent rage of the Beast and Kings of the earth against Religion The Lord then cals his people to behold him comming upon them I meane upon all the professors of the Gospell the Lord cals them to looke upon him comming at them or comming to them as a theefe Behold saith he I come as a theefe When doth he say so when these Frogs were let forth Those unclean spirits of Devils sent forth to stirre up the Kings of the earth and of the world to gather them to battell against the Lord and against his people and against Christian Religion and them that maintaine it Then Behold I come as a theefe They are the words of the Lord Jesus Because the notes are double that the Text holds forth I must be briefe in either of them As a theef The Scripture hath respect to a foure-fould manner of a theefe comming He doth not come as a theefe in Justice or robbery That the holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus cannot be capable of How can hee steale any thing from us which is not his own There is nothing but it is his and therefore in that sense he cannot be said to come as a theefe But yet as a theefe he can come suddenly and he can come secretly and slily yea and he can come also violently and terribly as a theefe Thus he can come and thus he is described in the Scripture to come which though some think it to be at the last judgement yet I cannot so conceive it for here 's a world of businesse that is to be translated after this Vial is poured out above a thousand yeers after this before the coming of Christ to the last judgement but his coming in any notable judgement his coming especially if it be a coming suddenly and secretly and powerfully It is coming as a thief as ye have an instance of it in Rev. 3.3 to the Church of Sardis I will come on thee as a thief How like a thief Thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And so in Luke 12.39 If the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through But coming suddenly and secretly at unawares therefore
shining garments They are such that if the Lord looke upon a man he is pure in his eyes if the world looke upon him he is bright yea it even dazels the eyes of wicked men I say it is the honour of a Christiam it is the comlinesse of his person There is no garment that becomes a Christian so well as to be clothed from top to toe with the pure g rments of Christs righteousnesse imputed Inherent righteousnesse is not so comely save in the eyes of men A tender conscience a spirit easie to be entreated is a comely spirit a man void of passion that hath the bridle and reines of his affections it is a great beauty to a man both righteousnesse inherent and righteousnesse imputed they make us walke so as no man shall see our nakednesse and shame Diligence in a mans calling and trustinesse and faithfulnesse are comely things in Christians A well-girt Christian the Lord wil keepe that men shall not see his nakednesse though in many things he may faile and be ashamed yet the Lord keepes him that men see not his nakednesse That is the first Use And the second is this Vse 2 It must teach us holy watchfulnesse in all our Christian conversation especially in such times when these frogs are croking and these â—â—â—ive spirits are leâ—ping up and down There are many spirits of Errour as it is generally complained of and I fear too justly up and down the countrey Some ye know and more will know and the sooner the better Beware of them look well to your garments keep faith and keep a good conscience Keep them too and you keep all your garments I aith looks to your holinesse and a good conscience to your righteousnesse Be watchfull to Prayer and watchfull to the Word and wathfull to your callings and watchfull to your own deceitfull hâ—art when you see the false Prophets stir when you see â—rrours stir Keep your garments close and so much the closer when you see such spirits stirring and now I doubt not it is a time when evil spirits are busie and stirring in our native country Oh that the people of God might be but watchfull Now Jâ—suits and carnall hearts will be busie Oh that all high and low of all the Nations of the earth were awaked not to be intreated by them that will strive to carry Religion in the old streams of Euphrates that makes glad none but Cardinals and Bishops and carnall hearts whatsoever is a support to new Babylon or old whatsoever maintains Popish Idolatry or Turkish Tyrannie But to bestir themselves like men that so the work of the Lord may go forward and the streams of the River Euphrates may be dryed up what ever maintains Popish Idolatry or Turkish Tyrannie that all this were dryed up What a cause of joy would this be to all the people of God! If ye hear any ill news from our native country you will hear nothing but shamefulnesse discovered If men be not watchfull shamefulnesse in Doctrine and shamefulnesse in Worship and shamefulnesse in Government will be discovered if men be not watchfull at this day For now is the time that God goes about to pour out the Vials of his wrath upon the Throne of the Beast to dry up the Episcopacie And ye shall finde great way made for the drying up of the river Euphrates for it will suddenly be dryed up I say therefore it behoves men in this time especially to be watchfull and therefore let us pray for our Brethren and for our selves in this regard that the Lord would gird them and us close that our lamps may be burning as men that are bound to dry up this river Euphrates that makes glad Rome but sad the hearts of Gods people Last of all to make an end it will be a ground of comfort to Vse 3 all watchfull souls to whom Christ comes as a thief and yet when he doth come he findes them watching and girt If the good man of the house did know when the thief would come he would surely watch and not suffer his house to be broken through c. I say in such a case as this is if the Lord give up the spirits of men as I doubt not but he doth those that are so take it for your comfort yee that are close girt cary it home as an encouragement unto continuall watchfulnesse Such as walke before him spiritually and watchfully marke what the Lord promiseth you for yee see what the blessednesse is which the Lord promiseth He shall not have blessednesse only but he is a blessed man Blessed is he that watcheth he shall enjoy the Lord Iesus Christ and all Soveraigne good He will gird himselfe and will sit downe at table and minister unto you Luke 17.7 A man will not say so to his servants But mind yee here 's a difference that if so be a man have walked with a watchfull frame of spirit the Lord will serve him A man that hath kept his garments without spot the Lord so well approves the frame of his spirit as that he will gird himself and will serve him that is ready prepared to do such a soul good He shall finde him at supper he shall finde him at the ordinances at every spirituall duty he shall finde him at least it will not be long but he shall finde him I set aside extraordinary cases of tryall times of temptation and tryall which may come upon any of Gods servants and these shall not be long The Lord will hide them under the shadow of his wings and preserve them from shamefull fals or will hide the shamefulnesse of them and the Lord will for the present be girt close to you He will be ever and anon helping you in all trials and temptations when you have most need of him then shall ye finde him ready to be most near you And therefore it is a marvellous comfort and stay to a Christian whom the Lord helps to be thus watchfull He will be a Sun and a shield and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk thus uprightly with him Psalm 84.11 THE FOURTH PART VPON THE SIXT VIALL REVEL 16.16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon THESE words are the last part of the description of the Event that followeth upon the powring out the Viall of the sixt Angell and in them is set forth the Efficacy of those three Spirits of Divells who as they are described by their effect of working miracles and going forth to gather men to the Battell of the great day of God Almighty ver 14. So they do prevaile they did gather them together into a field wherein the Battell was fought and that is called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon The place it selfe is of much difficulty and much variety of Interpretations hath beene made of it I may not so much as reckon them up much lesse spend time to refute them