being exactly conform as was clear in the 8. Chap. doth confirm this The Serpent is said to cast this floud out of his mouth which importeth 1. that the originall of all error is from the devil the father of lies And what kind of waters can these be that proceed out of such a mouth this is to make men loath all declinings from Truth for the devil hath as it were disgorged himself by sending abroad such a thing 2. It importeth a suddennesse in the rise and a vehemencie in the driving on of such errors that he did not only spew these out of his mouth but he did cast them with a kind of violence and force Lastly It sheweth also his malice that throweth such flouds after a fleeing woman This agreeth well also according to the former application under the first four trumpets unto the primitive errors which indeed were like a floud and were most violently carried on to the great hurt of the Church This letteth us see how impetuous error will be for a time and what height in the justice of God it may come unto 3. It is said to be casten after the woman which doth not only import his lavelling it at her and his seeking thereby to infect the Ordinances and the Mother that bringeth forth and the true Spouse of Jesus Christ for the rest of the world he doth not much value them But also it doth import 1. That the woman was moving And 2. that he took the advantage of her moving as it were to carrie her the more easily away before she could settle this is clear from the fourth thing which is his design to wit that he might cause her to be carried away with the floud It is not said that he might drown her with the floud but that with such errors he might drive her from Truth and stedfastnesse therein and carry her away in that floud with the rest of the unstable world and so in a word that he might undo her that she should be no Woman and no Church We conceive the event to be answerable in these two 1. The Church by temporall pomp and grandour and multiplying of ceremonies and such like did begin the flight of the true Church and did someway by that declining obscure her 2. When spirits were grown somewhat carnall and had fallen from their former simplicity then the devil took advantage to raise up abominable errors and did drive them on impetuously intending thereby to destroy all and involve the few that keep their garments clean in these abominations which two are clear in story as hath been formerly said In the 16. vers we have the remedy and covert provided against this storm whereby the devils design is disappointed it is said And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the floud which the Dragon cast out of his mouth In the generall this seemeth hard to be expounded or applied yet we must follow the simple scope and strain of the allegorie which is this that as the devil casteth out errors like flouds to carrie away the Church as proper flouds of water do carrie things before them so the Lord doth provide means to drain and drie up these flouds of errors as effectually as the earths opening of its mouth will soon dry up a floud And it being somewhat certain what the flouds are it will be safest to look to the means which in the event were made use of for the restraining of these abominations The verse hath two things 1. The mean or instrument of the womans help and the earth helped the woman 2. There is the manner how the earth administereth this help she openeth her mouth and swalloweth up the floud which the Serpent had cast out of his mouth By earth here we cannot understand the world as contradistinguished from the visible Church because there is no way conceivable of their helping the woman against errors Neither in the event will any thing of that be found Truth for these Goths and Vandals that invaded the Empire did altogether befriend the Arians and were enemies to the pure Church We must then by earth understand the visible Church at that time which was declining from the simplicity of the Gospel and becoming earthly in her services and administrations as we heard Chap. 7. she is called the earth which the wind was to blow upon That it must be so understood here to wit of the declining visible Church as contradistinguished from the pure Members therein these things will clear 1. Because it must necessarily be understood of the visible Church and yet it is expresly contradistinguished from the woman and her seed that comprehendeth the pure Members Therefore by earth here must be understood that part of the visible Church which was declining fast from its purity 2. There is no way of applying of the earths opening its mouth and drinking up of that floud but to understand it of that declining Church as is said 3. The event also will clear it as somewhat was said Chap. 8. and what we may now hint will further evidence Lastly There is no other thing will suit the allegorie as the application will make appear If it be asked how the visible Church can be called the earth during the first four trumpets Answ. 1. We must not have respect only to the first four trumpets but to the whole period of all the six and therefore as the woman is contradistinguished from the visible Church and said to be hid for the space of 1260. dayes because her low condition came to a height in that time though for a time she wanted not liberty even so in opposition to that the declining part of the visible Church during that time is called earth because in that period her earthlinesse came to a height although for a time it was but advancing And upon this ground Antichrist and his followers are said to tread the outter Court Chap. 11.2 3. during all that whole period though for a considerable time he came not to a height And this answer must be admitted otherwise there is no agreeing of these prophesies which speak of the whole period as at its height when notwithstanding they have many degrees to passe before they come to that â— That visible Church may be called the earth because of its earthly pomp and grandour having great titles contests for precedencie ample temporall governments in her officers and such like whereby she looked more earthly-like in her carriage and proceedings than the first primitive Church which appeared clothed with the Sun and in a heavenly frame in the beginning of the Chapter 3. She may be called the earth that helped the woman because of the countenance that oftentimes she had of civil Magistrates and the concurrence that was between the then visible Church and the Magistrates at that time for the suppressing of errors 4. It may be said the earth helped the woman because
that respect of His Essence Again these expressions that the one is called the Father and the other the Son and yet both One God do clearly hold forth that there are real relations in that Godhead subsisting in a distinct manner and so there must be Persons as Heb. 1. the Son is called the expresse Image of the Fathers Person which plainly sayes that the Father considered as distinguished from the Son is a Person and subsists and that the Son as distinguished from the Father and as so lively and expresly representing His Person must be a Person also having this from the Father and what is said of the Father and Son must also be true of the holy Ghost who is God equal with both yet different from Them both as They differ from each other though not in respect of that same incommunicable property yet he who proceedeth must differ from those from whom he proceeds as he who is begotten must differ from him that begat him For Their operations we may find here that in some things They concur joyntly yet some way differently Some things again are attributed to one which cannot be to another as their personal properties the Son is begotten and not the Father or the Spirit therefore He is allanerly the Son the Father begets and the Spirit proceeds These are called Their personal properties and Their works ad intra or amongst or in reference to Themselves of this kind is the incarnation of the Son which can neither be said of the Father nor of the holy Ghost Again in things ad extra or that relate to the Creatures simply whether in making or governing of the World They joyntly concur the Father createth all so doth the Son and holy Ghost the Son from the Father by the holy Ghost the holy Ghost from the Father and the Son as those expressions of God sending His Son the Son 's sending the Spirit from the Father c. do declare Ioh. 14.26 and 16.7 Gal. 4.6 To the third This Truth concerning the blessed and glorious Trinity being so often insisted on here and coming so near to the nature of God Himself it cannot but be exceedingly necessary for Christians to be through in the faith thereof yet it is questioned of late whether it be to be accompted a fundamental point of Faith or not I say this of late is questioned by Socinus and the favourers of a boundless untolerable Toleration for of old it was most sacredly received as such amongst the Ancients as the Creeds that are called Apostolick Nicene and that of Athanasius do manifest But this Engine the Devil drives first to make the most necessary Truths indifferent that then he may the more easily engage opposers to quarrel the very Truth of them it self but we conceive whatever it was of old before Christ yet now it is to be looked on not only as a Truth which is clear from the Word but also as a fundamental Truth which being shaken would overturn Christianity and the way of Salvation that the Lord hath revealed in His Gospel This is not to be extended to a rigid degree of knowledge in this wonderful Mysterie but to so much clearness in this Truth from the Word as may be a ground to Faith in the thing it self And that this is necessary as a fundamental we think ariseth clearly from these three grounds 1. That Truth without which the true God cannot be taken up believed in and worshipped is a fundamental Truth but this Truth of the Trinity of Persons and Unity of the Godhead is such that without it that God which is proposed in the Word and is the only true God and the object of all Worship can neither be taken up believed in nor worshipped rightly Ergo c. because the true God is One and yet Three Persons and as such hath proposed Himself to be known and worshipped 2. That Truth without which the work of Redemption would be overturned is fundamental But this is such for by taking away the Mysterie of the Trinity they take away the Godhead and Personality of the Mediatour and so do enervat His satisfaction And as on the former accompt the true God is otherwise conceived than He is in Himself so in this respect the Mediatour is made a quite other thing And can any thing be fundamental if this be not 3. The way that God hath laid down in His Worship requireth this seing in Baptism there is particular and expresse mentioning of these Three the Father Son and Spirit as the Superiour to whom they that are Christian Souldiers should be lifted and inrolled and so we may accompt of all after-worship seing God requires us to honour the Son as we honour the Father and seing these Three equally witness from Heaven 1 Ioh. 5. the Father Word and Spirit all which Three are One can their Testimony be received as of Three or can they be accompted as One God without this And yet there can neither be one in Faith engaged unto in Baptism or one whose Testimony we may receive but He who is God and can any think but it's necessary for a Christian and that fundamentally to know to whom they are devoted whom they are to worship whose Testimony it is that they receive whose operations they feel whom they are to make use of c And therefore it 's necessary to know the Trinity of Persons in that One Godhead It may be the exercise of some tender soul that they know not how to apprehend this Object rightly when they come to worship and that often they are disquieted while their minds are unstable Concerning this there is need here to distinguish betwixt what may satisfie us as to the Object in it self and what may be sufficient to us in directing of our Worship to that Object If we take up God as in Himself here is a depth that cannot be searched out to perfection He is broader than the Sea Who can know Him higher than the Heaven What can we do Iob 11.8 But yet we have footing in His Word how to come before this God with fear reverence holy admiration c. and such affections and qualifications as a true Worshipper that worships in spirit ought to have and in this the pure Worshippers who believe this Truth of One infinit God and Three Persons ought to be taken up rather that they may be suitable in their worshipping and have becoming effects on their own hearts than to be disquieting themselves by poring too curiously on the Object worshipped except in so far as may serve to transform the heart into a likeness to Him And it is not aiming to comprehend the mysteriousness and manner of these incomprehensible Mysteries that doth work this but the real through and near impression of the general which is revealed clearly in His Word We would therefore commend these three in Worship 1. That folks would satisfie themselves in the general with the solid faith
would not dally with them It sheweth also how easily He can overturn a Church and make no Church of it He hath often gathered Churches quickly and can He not dissolve them when they look to be in their prime Who having read the commendation of Ephesus in the former verses would have expected such a threatning in the close The words now being opened we may enquire 1. How this threatning of un-Churching a Church useth to be executed Answer We conceive it doth not necessarily imply the overrunning wasting and destroying of such a City or Land that it should be no City but that it should be no Church Sometimes indeed God will even by such a mean bring about this thing threatned But here we take it to hold out some other thing than if He had threatned Sword or Pestilence upon them It is the same upon the matter with that Math. 21.43 The kingdom of God shall be taken from them c. which was Christs word to the Iews and is especially these wayes brought to passe The first is sinfull that is when a Church fell themselves to false Doctrine which overturneth the foundation in which sense Hos. 2. the Lord denies Ephraim to be His Wife because of her spirituall whoredoms whereby she had broken her tye thus a people may be said to un-Church themselves by their unbelief confusions and errours unconsistent with the foundation according to that Isa◠50.1 And Rom. 11. the Iews are said to have broken themselves off by their unbelief The second way is penall that is when the Gospel hath not fruits among a people the Lord removeth the Light and His Ordinances from them taketh down His hedge from about them and as it were sendeth them a bill of divorce refusing to own them afterwards as a Church not by giving them up to outward enemies oppression which for a time they may be free of but by ratifying their own sentence of rejecting of the Gospel as it is Act. 13.46 and thus the Kingdom of God was translated from the Iews and they became no Church when the Gospel was taken from them and sent unto the Gentiles A third way may be mixed partly sinfull partly penall a people upon the one side not receiving the love of the Truth and therefore upon the other side God gives them up to strong delusion whereupon they proceed from evill to worse in the believing of lies as it is 2. Thes. 2.10 However this is certain this flourishing Church of Ephesus hath now long since been a proof of this Truth for errour growing to an hieght and delusion and ignorance following upon the back of despising the Gospel hath brought that Church into the estate that it is now into For the second Question Why the Lord peculiarly threatens the Church of Ephesus with these punishments Answ. It is not because His discontentment was more with her than with other Churches But 1. It 's like they thought outward honesty and reformation enough for their Church-estate and that there was no cause of fear of un-Churching so long as they continued pure in profession and zealous in purging c. And therefore to beat down this conceit and to shew the necessity of power as well as of form for continuing of a Church-estate He doth subjoyn this threatning of un-Churching especially to this Church 2. Because these here threatned would lay more weight on this threatning and be more affected with shoring to be un-Churched than with either Sword or Pestilence c. The Lord therefore applieth wisely that which He thinks most conduceable to this end 3. It 's like their outward Church-estate was something thought of by them and the externall frame of Ordinances in purity and that of Discipline in vigour might be rested on and too much esteemed of especially by the Ministers it being too ordinary for men to think too much of external forms The Lord therefore in this threatning toucheth the fault that might stick secretly to them even in their zealous prosecuting of externall reformation 4. Because He would have all men knowing the respect He hath to sincerity and the influence which the exercise or not exercise of grace hath upon keeping or loosing of externall Priviledges Therefore doth He so threaten this Church when no outward cause of such controversie seemeth to be before men If it be asked further Why this Church is called the Angels For Thy hath reference to the Angel and by the Candlestick is meant the Church it self Or 2. How this becomes a threatning to the Minister it being liker a plague upon the People Or 3. How the People can be plagued for a sin in their Minister We shall consider the first by it self after we have gone through this Epistle And now to the second question we say This threatning becomes his plague 1. Because of his interest in them and affection to them nothing can come on a People but it affects the Minister their stroak is his yea often it 's sorer which is on them than what is on himself 2. Cor. 11.29.30 Who is weak and I am not weak Who is offended and I burn not was Pauls touch of the infirmities of the People 2. It 's the nearest stroak can be on a Minister to be stricken in his Charge or blasted in his Ministery c. in this he is smitten as a Minister in things peculiar to a Minister other stroaks are common to all men yea thus to be smitten in the un-Churching of his Flock is striking at his Crown and his Joy 1 Thess. 2. ult for a faithfull Minister will so account it 3. It 's probable it was some contentment to him to see things go right in his outward Ministery Censures to be weighty Discipline vigorous the People to give him credit and countenance c. without reflecting on his own spirituall condition or aiming at the inward warming of love in the hearts of his People but thought all well and who but he that had such a well ordered Church The Lord therefore threatneth to take that ground of boasting or self-pleasing from him It 's a sad thing when a Minister cannot carry even when things go well and cannot look to himself and the people also and be humble when he is countenanced want of this spilleth many hopefull beginnings in Ministers hands And this relation thy is particularly mentioned here to make the threatning touch him the more it is not the Candlestick but thy Candlestick which was to be removed For there be two things that make a thing to be in esteem with men and the losse thereof to affect them The First is That it be in it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a thing lovely and desireable The second That it be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a thing which is a mans own These two going together That it is both an excellent thing in the self and withall a mans own when once evill befalls that thing it doth
thing but he may continue to bear it in and to use motives drawn from seeming reason to ingage the will to yeeld to it as he did to Adam and Eve at the first and thus he stirreth not only natural humours of the body but natural corruptions engaging all the lusts as they may have influence to prevail with the will for yeelding to these tentations So Iudas his covetousnesse is engaged to deal with him to sell his Master for the devil though he infuse no covetous humour yet he may act on what there is and he stirreth the Pharisees envie to concur and make them accept of that offer And in this doth lye a main part of the tentation and the devils wiles and devices whereby he deceiveth to wit in making seeming reasons to have weight as if there were force in them and true grounds to be rejected as not for such a time c. nor of such weight Thus he prevailed with Eve presenting the tentation with its plausible though false reasons And this way though indirectly as the Apostle saith 2 Corinth 11.3 he continueth to deal with Adams successors to prevail with them as he did with Eve by his subtilty and thus he leadeth men at his pleasure by proposing to them what he will otherwise he could have no such dominion over men in the world as he hath and thus many sins are born-in on men without any connexion with their natural complexion and if it were not thus one man might prevail in some respect more with another for he can deal by reason with him than the devil could if he had no objective influence on them and the tentations being often unto particular designs it sheweth that the dâ—vil â—ath a moral objective way of dealing with men otherwise it were no more to say that the devil put it in Iudas heart to betray his Master than to say he stirred him up to love money but this sheweth that to him who loved money formerly the devil proposeth this as a fit mean to gain somewhat of it Also Acts 5. it said to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie c. so that as it were when it was objected within themselves what if it be asked whether the Lands were sold at so much the devil furnisheth the answer say saith he iâ— was and he maketh it probable that none should know it seing both man and wife were to agree in their answers and so he presenteth that to them by which their covetous and distrustfull humours prevailed with them and they both yeelded therefore it is also said Acts 5.4 Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart And v. 9. How is it that ye have agreed together The seed as it were cometh from the devil who injected it the conceiving is from our corruption which entertaineth the motions stirred up by him And how can it be otherwise said that he blindeth mens eyes that they should not understand the Gospel for if it were only by a natural stirring of humours it would distemper them for every thing but here lieth the tentation that they are wise in all other things but in spiritual things the devil blindeth them and maketh the Gospel seem foolishnesse to them Thus he â—etteth on Ahab by entysing him without by his prophets and swaying him within out of pride and he prevailed with the false prophets by stirring them up to lie and that in reference to that particular design which no mere influence on the body could have done By all which we may see that it is not without good reason said that the devil goeth about seeking whom he may devour he is near the heart is often upon folks counsel when they are not aware And this sheweth what need there is of watchfulnesse that we give not place to the devil and that he get not occasion to tempt for with much subtilty can he make use of it and act men in executing of his orders when they know not what he is doing as likely it was with these persecuters whom he engaged thus to persecute these Ministers which way of his being frequently mentioned in this Book we have once for all said this of it From this we may also gather how little weight is to be laid upon the testimonie of this devil whose work it is to suppresse the Truth of Christ and to traduce His Servants for which cause our Lord and His Apostles would not suffer him to speak even when he pretended to confesse Him because he was a liar from the beginning and the father thereof It 's therefore not unworthy the observing how contrary to our Lords way the Jesuites are in this who to supplie the defect of other testimonies for their way against the Calvinists as they call them do carefully and industriously gather and heap up testimonies from the devils mouth and insult therein as a proof incontrovertible for this end Lâ—rinus in cap. 5. act v. 16. having cited some pretended Histories holding forth the little weight the Lutherans had with the devil doth subjoyn this as an infallible confirmation of their compliance with him Sed ex ore energumenae Laudunensis tota Gallia ac toto orbe Christiano celebratissima Calvinianos daemâ—n irridâ—ns nihil sibi ab illis timendum claâ—â—â—bat â—â—nctis audientibus Anno 1566. quoniam amisi essent foederati sicut â—estantur actâ— Gallicè samma fide scripta c. It is in sum this That the devil out of the mouth of one that was famous for being possessed by him did mock the Calvinists crying out and that openly before all that there was nothing to be feared from them for they were friends and confederates and for confirmation of this he asserteth the thing to be with great faithfulnesse recorded as if the weight did only lye in the matter of fact and that there were no cause to question his faithfulnesse who gave this testimonie But of this enough we have reason to thank God that our faith in the Truths of God and our clearnesse of the Errors of their way are built upon a more sure foundation and that our controversie with them is not at the devils decision from whom indeed the Calvinists might expect no favourable sentence But the Lord is judge Himself To Him be praise for ever LECTURE V. Vers. 12. And to the Angel of the Church in Pergamos write These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges 13. I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satans seat is and thou holdest fast my Name and hast not denied my faith even in those dayes wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth 14. But I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and to commit fornication 15. So hast thou
odiousnesse of corrupt doctrine on the heart than of grosse outward practices because grosse practices offend nature more directly and are hatefull even to naturall men and even some good men are ready to foster such an opinion as if grace were more consistent with error than with profanity Upon this ground the Lord Himself and the Apostles do more frequently give people warning to mark and abstain from them that cause offences contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel than they do in matters of grosse practice 2. Persuing of persons that are erroneous hath often little fruit with it as to the persons themselves there being but few that are recovered out of that snare of the devil and to whom God giveth repentance who once deliberately oppose themselves to the Truth but on the contrary they seem to be more bold and to make a greater stir than if they had not been taken notice of as we see in Corinth and Galatia the more that Paul pressed them the more they seemed to despise him and they go on in their contradiction and blasphemy as in the History of the Acts and instances of Hymeneus and Philetus is clear This maketh that even sometimes good men out of fear of the inconveniences that may follow and the difficulties that accompany such a work may be too prone to oversee and forbear them 3. Sometimes respect to the persons of some who may be carried away may have influence on this as suppose some persons for a name of piety sometimes favorie should be seduced preposterous tendernesse to those may make men cruelly to spare them to their prejudice This fault the Lord seemeth to quarrel in Thyatira that they suffered his servants to be seduced 4. There may be also a design by more gentle means to restrain such an errour and recover such as are fallen whereby they may come to exceed and turn to be defective in not using the means appointed as if such censures had been needlesly appointed or as if the Lord did not make use of mediate means for the restraining of errour 5. Such businesses also have often their own mistakes among many tender members of the Church some whereof may be too favourable constructers of the most grosse seducers and so fear to offend them and love to keep all in peace oftentimes may steal in to have weight to the prejudice of the Lords Ordinance It is written of the Schism in Phrygia which arose for Montanus that many did construct too well of him as not thinking it impossible but he might be a good man who therefore could not go alongst in the thoughts that others had of him There is readily something of this amongst the weakest sort where deluders come which getting way for a time doth rather increase than diminish and so leaveth this duty in a greater none-entry than at first We come now to the remedy or duty exhorted to which is laid down and pressed vers 16. It is in short Repent that same which was proposed to Ephesus vers 5. The Lord hereby signifying 1. That when sins are fallen into it is not enough to forbear them but there must be an exercising of repentance for them 2. That there is no expectation to be keeped free from wrath where there hath been sin without repentance 3. That ommissions are sinfull and to be repented of even as commissions are And 4. That sinfull ommissions in a mans publick Station such as this is which is reproved are to be repented of as grosse personall faults are The threatning annexed is in these words or else I will come unto thee quickly and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth It hath two parts The first respecteth the Church or Angel of Pergamos I will come unto thee quickly that is if thou repent not I will one way or another come in judgement against thee We conceive it relateth to the Angel especially it being in the singular number because this fault being a defect in Discipline is not so to be imputed to the People as to him whose place it was to take order with such corruptions which will appear more clearly afterward The second part respecteth these grosse members that were suffered to be in the Church to wit the Nicolaitans I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth that is seing ye are guilty of defect here if there be not repentance for it I will come in an extraordinary way and my self punish those whom ye have suffered For clearing of this threatning we may consider 1. Wherein it consisteth 2. How it can be a threatning to the Angel 3. Wherefore he is so peculiarly threatned To the first It is clear here that the party immediately threatned is the Nicolaitans whom the Lord threatneth to fight against with the sword of His mouth which looketh not to any external or corporal plague for the sword of His mouth is not the weapon that inflicteth such But it looketh especially to these 1. To a discovery of their wickednesse and of the hatefulnesse of their way by His Word 2. To a censuring threatning and sentencing of them by the same 3. To a fruitlesnesse of such discoveries threatnings and sentences as to any spiritual or saving work upon them but that they should be by such clear convictions and sentences in Gods secret Wisdom and Justice more hardned convinced irritated and affected with spiritual plagues than if they had not been so dealt with in this respect often in the Scripture we have mentioned hewing by the Prophets and slaying by the words of the Lords mouth as Hosea 6.5 and fighting with Antichrist and destroying him by the Spirit of His mouth 2 Thess. 2.8 and elsewhere the like expressions to that purpose This is a sad plague when the Table of the Gospel becometh a snare and when through mens own corruption they become more drunk with their own delusions even under convincing Light and when the Word of God which is the only Weapon whereby they may offend their enemies is through their opposing the Light thereof turned to fight against them as they have turned themselves to fight against it the event here as to them cannot but be desperate For the second It may be questioned how this can be a threatning to the Church or Angel that the Lord would take such course with these corrupt Nicolaitans It might rather look like a favour to them Answer If we consider it more particularly we will find it a threatning in these respects 1. That it implies Christ to be angry at their neglecting of their duty and that this extraordinary way doth insinuate His esteeming of them not to be worthy to have this employment therefore he taketh their duty off their hand and provideth Himself of some others for the performing thereof Thus when Paul is threatning the Corinthians 1 Epist. Chap. 4. vers 21. What shall I come unto you with a vod c. whereby he sheweth himself to be
such Hereticks associating with women that thereby there might be the greater facility to seduce the simple of both sexes Sometimes also they were helpfull by their means and credite to further Sect-masters in their designes and to hold them on in them sometimes again they were exceeding dexterous and diligent in venting and spreading false reports upon honest Ministers and to beget a favourable opinion of these that were erroneous All which tend exceedingly to the promoving of Error and to the hurting of the truth And we will find Augustine often complaining of the malicious reports that this Lucilla used to spread upon them whereby the calumnies of the Donatists were strengthened Upon which grounds and the like we may see what the devils design is in seeking to engage such in the head of such a design This then is the first fault charged on her that contrary to truth and without warrand from God she did call her self a prophetesse even though she had not proposed any Error Her second fault is that she teacheth this was forbidden 1 Cor. 14 34. and 1 Tim. 2.12 And it appeareth that even these Prophetesses who had an extraordinary Gift from God as Philips daughters had Acts 21. Yet were not publickly and Authoritatively to Preach for Paul commands them silence 1 Cor. 14. even when he is speaking of extraordinary Prophets And we will not find in the New Testament at least any ground for a woman publickly to officiate in the Ministrie of the Gospel as an Authorized Office-bearer The third part of her challenge is that by her Teaching she did seduce which is a challenge to her though she had been guilty of none of the former two This to wit seduction and leading of people out of the way of Truth doth ever almost follow upon persons usurping a Calling to themselves or upon persons stepping without their own bounds and station to Teach and we will seldome find persons to run unsent in any of the former respects but itching after some new thing hath had influence upon them to carry them without their bounds as we may see in Iezebel here and ordinarily through the Scripture and Church-historie The particulars wherein she seduced her hearers are two The first is to commit fornication that is by her asserting fornication to be no sin she occasioned and stirred them up to take liberty therein which possibly otherwayes they would not have done The second is to eat things sacrificed to Idols that is by propounding the indifferencie of meats and pretending to Christian-liberty she induced them without all respect to scandal to eat of these things to the stumbling grieving and wounding of others that were weak and tender which two are the very doctrines and practices of the Nicolaitans as was shown in the Epistles to Ephesus and Pergamos But it is a different quarrel from this which the Lord hath with the Angel it 's expressed thus because thou sufferest that woman Iezebel c. that is not that they countenanced her in her Errors or did hear her in her Teaching but that they suffered her and did not impede her If it be asked How they can be quarrelled for suffering of her seing they were not Magistrates nor had civil Authoritie to restrain her Answ. That is not the quarrel but this that they being invested by Christ Jesus with Church-power to censure corrupt Ministers and cut off rotten Members did not exercise the same in censuring and Excommunicating of this false Prophetesse and these that adhered to her as Ephesus had censured the false Apostles vers 2. So on the matter it 's the same fault which is condemned in Pergamos vers 15. who had such corrupt Members in their societie and did not by Excommunication cut them off which sheweth that the Church is invested with such a Power for no civil Power can be alledged here and that the neglecting of the exercise thereof is exceedingly displeasing to Christ Jesus If it be asked 1. How Church-censures when backed with no civil Authority can impede one to teach 2. Why the Lord is so displeased with Church-rulers their suffering of corrupt teachers 3. If this relate any way to civil Powers as well as Ecclesiastick To the first we answer Although Church-censures have no civil compulsion with them or bodily violence or strength to restrain any from corrupt teaching yet they have a threefold weight when rightly gone about they have an authority and weight as to the conscience of the gain-sayer because censures being the Ordinance of Jesus Christ and as it were a seal put by His Authority to a conditionall threatning they have a stamp of His Majesty upon them and so they serve to humble men or to revenge their disobedience and therefore these who seemingly professe to despise sentences want not an inward apprehension of the terrour of Excommunication and would gladly not have that sentence past upon them 2. If men obstinately suppresse the weight of the censure upon the conscience as well as of the Word yet being a mean appointed of God for the restraining of such evils it 's oftentimes countenanced by Him if not to the humbling yet to the blasting of such persons in their designes whereby in His secret Providence and Justice it often cometh to passe that sentences against such persons are eminently owned and countenanced by Him with some concurring dispensation evidencing His ratifying of the same as sometimes such are in Justice given up to more vile delusions sometimes to grosse out-breakings in practice sometimes their very natural judgement and senses are blasted their credit and reputation evanisheth and it may be some way He doth signally follow them with His own immediate Hand by some stroak upon their Estates Persons or Families even when they seem to be countenanced by civil Power as it is written in Church-story He did to Simon Magus Arrius after he was Excommunicated by taking him away in the very height of his insolency who having again recovered Court and being in a solemn manner with many attendants coming to appear for his pretended vindication was smitten as he thought with a desire to ease himself and for that end withdrawing to a retiring place in one of the streets of Constantinople he did instantly expire and having been waited-for long by his attendants was at last found dead in the seat his intestines being dissolved and voided That little Book formerly cited of the Rise and Reigne of the Familists c. hath some dreadfull instances of this Thus the Lord hath often made such a way to stink by smiting the head thereof in some extraordinary manner And though this be not the proper end of Excommunication yet when it meeteth with mens corruptions it is often a just consequent thereof And these or such like wayes of disappointment cannot be so warrantably expected where this Ordinance is not improven because it hath the promise and is a mean appointed for this end that men may learn
no ill but it hath a party in them to take part with it 3. The many warnings that are given in Scripture even to Believers to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadduces to beware of false Prophets that come in sheeps cloathing c. shew that they are not without the reach of the hurt of such a tentation 4. Experience also doth confirm this for it seemeth that in some measure Solomon wanted not his accession to this evil if we consider what is recorded not only of his suffering of corrupt worship to be within his Dominion but also of his countenancing of the same by building altars and otherwayes although we cannot particularly determine Neither can it be denied but that some of these that were seduced by false Teachers in Corinth and Galatia might be gracious and in after-times also it hath been out of question To the second to wit wherefore Satan aimeth to seduce Christs Servants unto Error rather than others We may answer in these reasons 1. He doth it because his hatred is most at such and it 's their ruine which especially he hunteth for 2. Because men that are in Error and profanity already are his own and it 's no gain for him to take pains to seduce them unto such delusions so long at least as they continue such 3. He hath other more sutable baits for other men that are given to grosse ills therefore he reserveth this for others 4. In some respect these who have a form of Religion or some inclination towards it especially if weak in knowledge are in some respect more obnoxious to this tentation than grosly profane men are for they like Gallio care not what be Truth and what be Error but one who hath some tendernesse and withall weak is more ready to debate and inquire for Truth and so not being strong enough to rid himself of difficulties he is the more easily intangled 5. Grosse tentations to profanity are not so taking with them therefore the devil assayeth them by this that under the colour of some new discoverie of Truth or some more perfect way of Christianity or such like he may draw them to Error and by this more subtile tentation whereby he transformeth himself to an Angel of light he doth often prevail when other tentations would not 6. It 's most advantagious to his way to have some eminent for piety and parts engaged for it for by this he gaineth credit to it and maketh it the better digest with others who often respect an opinion as they respect these who own the same thus he aimeth at this as a main engine whereby he may prevail with many whereas the engaging of profane men bringeth no credit to such a way neither is it his advantage to divert them from their profanity It was a great stumbling in old especially in the case of the Novatians that many confessors and eminent men were drawn away with that Error and this was often cast-up to the Orthodox as a matter of great weight whereupon Cyprian in his book De unitate Ecclesiae taketh occasion particularly to Answer this Objection that people be not prejudged at Truth because of some mens name especially considering that there were many moe more eminent of the contrary mind And by the way this slight of the devil may be observed that men will make more work and greater noise in commending Error by the name of one or two that favoureth the same as if that were of so great weight than they will allow to Truth though it have many moe eminent names standing for it 7. When men are aiming to be serious in Religion the devil casteth this stumbling in their way that if he prevail not to draw them to Error he may at least mar them or divert them by putting them through other in making them debate such and such needlesse Questions and so keep them from the more serious and profitable exercise of Repentance self-examination making of their Calling and Election sure c. Hence it is that while men lye in security or profanity they are not much troubled with this tentation but being once awakened then he setteth upon them if so be he may extinguish that wakening or give them a wrong set before they be fully formed and setled And this is one reason why Errors and delusions do often accompanie the first rise of the Gospel amongst people 8. By seducing of these that appear to be Godly the devil bringeth most reproach upon the Name of Christ and Religion and maketh it the more to be stumbled at by these that are in nature as being but some fancie and conceit which would not follow upon the fall of many profane men therefore he aimeth rather to seduce them that are Christs Servants and appear to be Godly To the third We may see why the Lord especially aggregeth His quarrel from this 1. Because His Servants come more near to Him than others 2. He will have us knowing that Error is not to be extenuated or commended nor false Teachers to be tolerated even though many of His Servants should come to countenance the same yea on the contrary it is the more aggreged and to be abhorred 3. He doth by this shew the Church-officers that the moe that are engaged to love Error or follow false Teachers they ought to be the more stirred up with zeal in their duty against seducers that they have prevailed with many of His Servants And by this He sheweth His tendernesse to affectionate Professors rather to censure for their sake corrupt Teachers whom they respect than to forbear them 4. This is also mentioned to shew this woman and all corrupt Teachers what they gain by having most successe against Christs Servants to wit this that they have the more guilt and are the more obnoxious to Christs quarrel 5. The moe advantages the devil hath to his kingdom by the seduction of Christs Servants it concerneth Him the more in that to oppose him as in a thing which in a speciall manner reflecteth upon His honour which maketh Him so to quarrel for Iezebels practice and the toleration of the same From all which what we have said is confirmed to wit that corrupt Teachers are not to be tolerated in a Church even when civil Powers do take no notice of them it is well known from the History of the Primitive times that severall Godly and zealous men have censured yea and even Excommunicated many Hereticks as Arrians and others when they have been sure to be instantly persecuted for the same and it is recorded of some who though they were threatned before hand that yet having first provided their Churches with well qualified Successours they did afterward proceed to pronounce sentence thereby shewing their readinesse to undergo what ever trouble might follow upon that same account and withall their zeal and tender care of the Churches edification We come now to the second aggravation which is in vers 21.
and this ground maketh the devil especially aim to engage such into persecution and therefore in the first ten persecutions we will find that the Church suffered never more nor oftner than by such men Obs. 3. A thriving estate of the Gospel doth not usually long want errors and offences from within following it as well as persecution from without The black horse followeth the white almost as soon as the red as Christ hath foretold a sword should follow the Gospel so doth Paul of heresies that they must be in the Church 1 Corinth 1.19 1 Tim. 4.1 How soon in the Apostles dayes crept in false teachers and deceitfull workers in the Church of Corinth and Galatia Hymeneus 1 Tim. 1.20 Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2.17 The Nicolaitans and Iezebel Râ—vel 2.3 After followed Ebion and Cerinthus The devil in Gods righteous judgement keeping this way as it is Revel 12. to spew out a stood of error after the Church when the sword of open persecution by the Dragon doth not devour her The devils aim in this is 1. to carry many away by that snare who have stood firm against externall violence Experience teacheth us that many have continued constant in the time of persecution and have not ceded to any terror yet have been withdrawn from truth by error 2. By this he maketh the Church more hatefull and odious to onlookers when he obscureth her beauty by error and schism from within her self than can be by persecution from without as in the event is clear Hence it is that our blessed Lord Ioh. 17.17 21 22. prayeth more for truth and unity amongst His followers as conduceing more to their native beauty than He doth pray for outward peace and prosperity to them Gods end again in overruling this trial of the Church is that these who are approven may be made manifest 1 Corinth 11. Obs. 4. That no trial darkeneth the Church more nor maketh her blacker than error and schism within her self this striketh at the soul and life of Religion Amos 8.11 with 13. maketh the fair Virgins to faint and fail with thirst this maketh darknesse where there was light confusion where there was order envying and strife where there was love and giveth much occasion to others to speak evil of the Church of Christ. Obs. 5. There are some speciall times when Ministers and others ought to improve their parts for the advantage of the Church and when they must not only suffer as calfes but dispute as men which is especially called-for when light is in hazard to be obscured in the Church LECTURE V. Vers. 7. And when he had opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth beast say Come and see 8. And I looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sat on him was Death and hell followed with him and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to hell with sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth WE have already opened three seals now followeth the fourth which at the first appearing holdeth forth some terrible event more sad than any of the former as the particular description will clear It hath as the former these three 1. A word calling Come and see 2. A type representing something to come 3. A word added for explication For the first it is common with the rest When the Lamb had opened the fourth seal I heard the fourth beast say Come and see This Preface is the same save that he is the fourth beast which Chap. 4.7 is like an Eagle whereby is holden forth the sharp sightednesse and learning with a heavenly high fleeing so to speak strain of spirit called-for amongst the Ministers of the Gospel This fourth beast is reserved for this type because then such qualifications amongst Ministers should be most necessary and also should be by God bestowed upon them during this time while death was so frequent in the Church and temporary contentments so blasted Therefore Ministers were to soar on high themselves and to call others upward with them this fleeing and mounting being a speciall property of the Eagle Isa. 40.31 Ier. 40.16 Ioâ— 39.27 Prov. 23.5 2. For the type it self the matter of it is the same with the former a horse and a rider But in every other circumstance different 1. His colour is pale pointing forth a further degree of the Churches affliction she was before fainting and swooning but now draweth near to death as the words afterward clear 2. The rider is named with a terrible name 〈◊〉 that sat on him was Death which holdeth forth 1. A spreading of death to many so it is expounded a fourth part of the earth shall be killed 2. That there should be many sorts of death and many wayes to put an end to mens lives as Sword Famine Pestilence c. 3. He getteth this name of Death to import the cruel kinds of death which Christians should be obnoxious to under this horrid and barbarous persecution beyond what formerly they felt The third thing peculiar to this rider is his convoy which is suitable to his name and further expresseth the terriblenesse of the event and hell or the grave followed with him The meaning is that death and mortality was so frequent that in every place were graves and that this dispensation brought men so frequently to death that where ever it came there was need of graves to receive them 1. We expound it rather of the grave than hell in this place not only because the same word in Hebrew and Greek doth signifie both but because it is ordinary to them in expressing a desperate-like condition to joyn death and the grave together Iob. 17.1 and 13. And 2. because this death especially relateth unto the Church and therefore must be understood of the grave rather than of hell The third thing is a word added for explication To them was given power over the fourth part of the earth to kill with Sword Famine Pestilence and Death and with the beasts of the earth In which explication these things are implyed 1. A Commission that this rider getteth he is not absolute to go and do as he pleaâ—eth but it is said power was given unto them whereby Gods Soveraignity and active Provideâ—ce over the sadest dispensations of the Church is holden forth This power is said to be given to them in the plural number either because 1. It looketh both to death and the grave Or 2. rather to this horse with the former two seing all these seem to be running together in this seal and the grave is rather to receive men dead than to kill according to this Commission 2. The Commission it self which they get and the extent of it is to kill a fourth part of the earth To kill holdeth forth the â—arrand horrid acts of cruelty and murther A fourth part this doth both shew the extent and limitation of their Commission that it should
expressing the nature of the Judgement is set out to be fire casten c. Casting of fire Ezek. 10.2 is holden forth to be a denunciation of Judgement coming and the Lords departing from His Themple and so we take it to signifie here some sad Judgement of a spiritual nature coming on the Church 3. It is said to be taken from the altar to shew what sort of fire or contention it is or whereabout it should rise not about externall civil things but spirituall according to Christs word Luk. 12.42 I came to send fire on the earth c. which being compared with Mat. 10. is clear to be divisions and variances about Religion kindled by a mistaken and misguided zeal in some and by passion pride and enmity in others it is kindled in the Church and sloweth from the altar and these that serve at it and spreadeth in others This is otherwise expounded by some as Christs sending forth His Spirit and Grace like fire in the hearts of His people But 1. this agreeth not so to the scope for immediately the Angels prepare themselves as taking the word to be given them by this Nor 2. doth it agree so to the event or effect which certainly is terrible and expounded so through the Book Chap. 9. and 11. ult voices thunderings and earthquakes set out Gods terrour especially consideirng how they are linked together with Judgments And 3. It agreeth best to the signe of casting down fire from the altar which is opposed to His gracious sending up incense added to the prayers of all Saints in the Versâ— before and this followeth as His rejecting and casting back such services as it were of others beside His Saints there being a great difference between incense ascending and fire descending and Christs using the same instrument as the censer for both sheweth His doing it as Mediator having all power in Heaven and Earth and therefore it is said Luk. 12. He came to send it not only occasionally but by His overruling guiding and timeing of it and expresly as it is a Judgement it is said 2 Thess. 2. He will send them strong delusions c. 2. The effect of this is answerable in the close of the Verse There were voices lightnings c. which shew some terrible effect and stir that followed for though thunderings c. may sometimes be as an evidence of Gods hearing prayer 1 Sam. 12.16 Yet considering how other wayes it is taken in this Book See Chap. 11.14 and 16.18 and that they follow the casting of fire on the earth and that the Angels immediately sound who till now were restrained we cannot but look upon it as a word given to them to make ready immediately upon the back of this sign the seven Angels prepare to sound upon which fire and other judgements followed c. And if it be asked why not before it is insinuated they waited for orders and the signe and command which now they get 2. Further Observe There is in these effects a gradation and the sharpest and sorest is hindmost and these steps may be for a little sum of what was to follow by the sounding of the first four trumpets especially as will appear Observe 1. In this with its order comparing it with what went before Christs intercession and the Saints praying That Judgements even spirituall Judgements of Errour Schism Division c may follow a praying time and a praying frame of Gods people I mean on the visible Church while the Godly are serious in prayer and hypocrites but dissemble There may follow very great spirituall Judgements on a Church after a praying spirit hath been on the Lords People in that Church All the Saints have been praying before though they were not acceptable but through Christs intercession and yet upon the back of that followeth this Judgement Experience hath proven the truth of this and it floweth partly from the malice of the devil that worketh and rageth the more the more instant and earnest they be with God partly from the Judgement of God plagueing godlesse and formall hypocrites who in a praying-time joyn with the Godly but as it is 2 Thess. 2. have not the love of the Truth nor a practice suitable to it and the more that such pray they draw on the more guilt accidentally and there is the more giving up to be discovered and partly God may be forewarning and forearming His people by such a frame against such a storm What marvell if after our purity and praying such a Judgement come to discover a multitude of gracelesse profane hypocrites and counterfeit dissemblers and to give them a fill of their own wayes that were not in love with His Beside Gods peoples praying for Christs Kingdom flourishing and His peoples prosperity will hasten judgement on them who do not grow in it Often inward enmity at the right way when it is not received in love though it may be in profession is plagued with outward out-breaking in wrong wayes more than if there had never been profession 2. This fire cometh from the altar Observe That there is a fire that cometh from the altar that hath â—ight terrible effâ—cts i.e. by such instruments concerning such a subject as belongeth to the altar and followed that way Or thus Contention and strife about spiritual things amongst Church-men and flowing from them to others is a very sad Judgement and hath very terrible effects it most marreth the beauty of the Church it obstructeth the spirituall growth of Gods people and burneth up all their spirituall life Lord save us from this Judgement and make all His servants and people warrie of the kindling of it and make us more earnest in prayer that God would quench what of it is begun lest it go on to consume us Observe 3. That these spirituall Judgements are ordered and timed by Christ who setteth bounds to them His soveraignity reacheth these things the fire cometh not till He cast it the trumpets sound not till He give them orders 2 Thess. 2. He sendeth strong delusion Luk. 12. I came to send fire on the earth though the sin be lying on them and others be instrumentall in it yet the delusion cometh not by guesse and when God in Judgement plagueth He hath His own way of ordering and timing it as He thinketh meet and were not His bridle is in the mouth of this Judgement we had been more consumed with it ere now The 6. vers sheweth to what purpose this was and in it it is said the seven Angels prepared themselves to sound Why not at first when the trumpets were given them Answ. Because as we said they waited for orders and now orders being given they delay not but fall to do their duty Yet 1. by preparing either themselves or their instruments for it 2. By keeping due order and not confounding their commissions and the timing of these neither precipitating without commission though furnished with gifts nor rashly and confusedly going
little interruption made to Iohn to prepare him for it An Angel flying through the midst of heaven that is so as he might be best heard having a sad proclamation Wo wo wo repeated thrice according to the number of the Angels that were yet to sound that every one of them were to bring an harder and greater wo to the men of the earth than any thing that had befallen them under the former four and whether we take these woes as denouncing judgement or as lamenting over the earth for what was coming as if he did say Alace alace alace it turneth to one thing there were great woes coming It is clear here 1. That interruptions for Iohn's clearing are not inconsistent with this prophesie 2. That there is an order of time in the woes of the trumpets these three have order and follow the former four 3. That the next trumpet is not the Saracens neither do the former look mâ—inly to the Goths c. because it will appear in story that the Empire suffered more from the Goths and these other barbarous Nations than it did from the Saracens as they are distinguished from the Turks so in that way of interpretation there is not that remarkable and palpable gradation to be found which is implyed amongst these woes Some apply this to Gregorius because of his prediction foresaid and the words agree well to his time but this Angel foretelleth three woes and he did but foretell one at most It is like therefore that no person is signified by this Angel in particular but the Lord by it giveth Iohn and by him others warning that there were sadder things coming after the first four had come Hence Observe 1. The nature of Truth and Error the one is like light the other like darknesse the one comfortable and profitable the other comfortlesse and hurtfull Obs. 2. The nature of declining among Ministers and Professours in a Church is such that when once begun it groweth Obs. 3. The nature of judgements when once inflicted they ordinarily pursue a person or people and the greatest come last when people abuse the light it draweth on the darkening of it by degrees and it resteth not till it come to a height Unthankfulnesse for the Gospel and not receiving the Truth in love provoke God to give up to strong delusion to believe lies 2 Thes. 2.11 12. Obs. 4. Gods way of dealing with His people in giving warning before the judgement come that these three great plagues come not on them unawares He warneth that folks may repent and His own may be armed ere judgement come 5. The Angel pronounceth a wo thrise Observe That spirituall judgements or offences have many woes in them and warnings against them would be doubled and tripled and cryed with a loud voice for when once such judgements sease upon people they get not easily out from under them and are not easily affected with them Therefore is the wo proclaimed thrise and so loud LECTURE I. CHAP. IX Vers. 1. ANd the fifth Angel sounded and I saw a Star fall from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the bottomless-pit 2. And he opened the bottomlesse pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace and the Sun and the Air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit 3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power 4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth neither any green thing neither any tree but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads 5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them but that they should be tormented five months and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man 6. And in those dayes shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them 7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battell and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold and their faces were as the faces of men 8. And they had hair as the hair of women and their teeth were as the teeth of lions 9. And they had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battell 10. And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five moneths 11. And they had a king over them which is the angel of the bottomlesse pit whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon THe fifth Angel soundeth here where the first of the greatest woes is brought in of what dreadfull nature it is the woes that are prefaced to the sounding of it may declare It will concern the opening of all to consider of what wo this judgement speaketh particularly and to what it relateth It is more largely described than any of the former because the tentation of it was most dangerous and the effects thereof of more concernment to the Church 1. The object of this judgement is the same Church or Christian world whereupon the effects of the former trumpets did fall for these last three do signifie greater degrees of wrath upon these who had despised and abused the former lesser woes 2. The Christian world is obscured by the trumpets and the Antichristian brought in its place as was said at the entry to the trumpets for the Antichristian world is in being after the sixth trumpet when the vials begin it must therefore have attained that being under the trumpets and especially under the immediate foregoing trumpets seing the seventh fiâ—deth it at its height and so consequently the Christian world i.e. the pure Church must be decaying under these trumpets where the Antichristian cometh to its being seing two of these worlds cannot consist together yea the Church must be lowest and decline most under these trumpets wherein Antichrist groweth most and cometh to the greatest height as under these first two great woes it must be Whence we may gather 1. That the Church is here the object of this plague 2. That Antichrist must grow under these trumpets and particularly under this it being a further step of the same kind of plague and the sixth finding Idolatry under Antichrist at a height which it plagueth it must then grow here 3. This first great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bringeth spirituall plagues and tyranny upon this world by this King and his Armies who advance that Idolatry The sixth bringeth temporall judgements on the same persons for whoring from God and receiving this idolatrous worship For further clearing of this we say 1. It is not any temporall judgement by Armies such as the sixth trumpet holdeth
whereby they shifted that absurdity of worshipping the works of their hands yet is it by the Fathers on this ground born in upon them See August in Psal. 113. nobis 115. where having asked the Question why the Scripture insisteth so much to clear that the Images of the Gentiles can neither speak nor hear c. which could not but be known to a childe the reason is saith he Because by erecting such Images people are ready to conceive some Godhead to be in them Hence when they were prest with this absurdity of worshipping the work of their hands they did deny it saying that they worshipped not the Image but the numen or God which dwelt in it and was represented by it and that after its dedication If some of them were prest further that that numen or god was but a devil they would answer nec simulachrum nec daemonium colo sed per effigiem corporalem ejus rei signum intueor quam colere debeo I neither worship an Idol nor a devil but by a bodily Image I behold the sign of that thing which I should worship If Christians prest yet further that the things represented were but creatures as Tellus Neptune Vulcan Lucifer c. or some Star or this or that creature which was a body yet saith he they durst answer non se ipsa corpora colere sed quae illis regendis praesident numina that they worshiped not the creatures but the gods that ruled in them In consideration whereof he citeth that place Rom. 1. of changing the truth of God into a lie and serving the creature more than the Creator as if by the first part the Apostle did condemn Images of God and by the second their interpretations of the worship given to them because it is there counted a serving of the creature whatever their pretext was for saith he who praying or worshipping beholding an Image is not so affected as if he thought to be heard by it and hoping to have what he desireth performed by it Therefore saith he men involved in such superstitions turn themselves to pray to that Image which they call the Sun or Neptune c. as if they could affect them with their sighings and give that same respect to them as to the thing signified by them and pray to the Image before they pray to the thing it self This saith he cometh and someway is extorted by that visible Image as thinking that readiest to hear which it in shape likest to our selves c. where many other things are further to this purpose Also in Psal. 96. nobis 97. where he bringeth in the Heathen giving this answer Non illud colo seu adora quod video sed servio ei quem non video quis est iste Numen quoddam invisibile quod praesides illi simulachro where they distinguish betwixt adoro and servio as Papists do between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If it were objected further to these heathens that they worshipped devils they would answer They worshipped good Angels and virtutes Dei It is replied in the same place If they worshipped good Angels they would reject their worship as that Angel did to Iohn Rev. 19 c. This way of shifting also may be found in Lactantius de origine erroris Lib. 2. Cap. 2. apud Chrylost in Eph. 5. hom 18. From all which we may gather that the heathens wanted not the same shifts for excusing their worshipping of Images yet was it still charged upon them that they worshipped Idols which neither saw nor heard c. although still they denied it 2. Thus we argue If the people of Israel were accounted guilty of Idolatry and worshipping of devils and the works of their hands because of their worshipping Images which they professedly erected to the true God and even when they pretended the abhorring of false gods and the adhering unto the true God Then must the same guilt be justly charged upon the Papists who worship Images as is said But the former is true Ergo c. The connexion of the major dependeth on this that the inhibition of Idolatry and manner of worshipping God under the New Testament is as strict and spiritual as it was under the Old And therefore these who say that such making of Images of the Godhead and worshipping them was unlawfull before Christs coming but now is made lawfull must shew some repeal of that Law before that can be granted Beside these Images being pleaded-for as Books for the rude and ignorant it is unreasonable to say that there is more use of such Books under the light of the Gospel than during the Law which stood in types The weight of this also will ly then upon the Assumption to wit that the people of Israel were charged with Idolatry in their worshipping of Images even then when they pretended the worshipping of the true God by them For clearing this we shall consider these four Instances 1. Exod. 32. 2. That of Micah Iudg. 17. 3. That Idolatry of Ieroboans which the Tribes of Israel continued long in 4. That worshipping in the high places condemned in the Tribe of Iudah 2. Chron. 33.17 In all which places we suppose these two to be clear 1. That these worshippers intended not the worshipping of false gods or of the Images which they had made but to worship the true God by these And 2. that yet they are still condemned as Idolaters and that sin of Ioroboam's is expresly called worshipping of devils 2 Chron. 11.15 For the first instance Exod. 32. it is clear 1. that they were not utterly forgetfull of the true God though practically that might be charged upon them especially considering Aaron's uncontroverted going alongst with them 2. That that Image is called JEHOVAH which brought them out of Egypt which being a deliverance past before these Image had a being must certainly be understood to be the representation of that God which brought them out of the Land of Egypt 3. It can hardly be thought they should have esteemed these to be gods themselves and so soon to have passed from them 4. The service is service to the Lord vers 5. To morrow is a feast not to the Calf but to JEHOVAH The worship performed vers 6. is not that which they used to give to Idols but to the Lord Himself the peoples end in requiring it that they might have something to supplie the want of Moses presence by some visible sign and to have these to go up before them to Canaan whether the Lord called them and not back again to Egypt doth make it appear that their sin charged on them vers 8. of turning out of the way looketh to point out their failing to have been in their manner of worshipping the true God by an unwarrantable mean especially if we compare this with Acts 7.40 41 42. where this Idolatry is made the cause of Gods giving them up to worship the host of
the Ravens when he durst not be seen in Israel 2. This that she is nourished holdeth forth the Lords kind manner of communicating this provision to His Church in her strait so that although she be not feasted as sometimes a stranger will do another yet doth He nourish her as a Mother or Nurse do their sucking childe 3. It implieth the Lords continuing of Ministers with her during that time who should be for number and qualifications fitted for feeding of her Therfore vers 6. it is said that she hath a place prepared of God where they should feed her c. that is the Prophets mentioned in the former Chapter 4. The time of her stay is for a time and times and half a time that is the same with what was mentioned vers 6. and Chap. 11. and in the following Chapter It is here repeated 1. to shew the certainty of this event 2. To shew that it is the same with that mentioned vers 6. and contemporary with these of the same extent Chap. 11. and 13. And 3. it is mentioned in these words with allusion to that of Daniel 7.25 wherein the tyrannie of Antiochus over the Church of the Iews is expressed almost in the same terms a time that is one year times that is two years and the dividing of a time there sheweth some odd number of dayes but here being half a time it is to make it agreeable with the other reckonings of fourty two moneths three years and an half c. In sum it is to shew that while her Prophets prophesie in sackcloth and Antichrist possesseth the utter Court she is to be in the wildernesse 5. The end of this fleeing is from the face of the Serpent that is to be preserved from his fury and rage as if she had been convoyed out of sight To apply this of the Churches fleeing more particularly 1. We will find it the same thing and belonging to the same time with that sealing mentioned Chap. 7. and that measuring that is described in the former Chapter both which shew a low condition of the Church in respect of the paucity of Professors her latentnesse and inconspicuousnesse as to the former beauty and visible protection and the respect protection and carefulnesse that is upon the Lords side in reference to these few Therefore 2. by this fleeing of the womans we are not to understand any locall mutation of the Church but a disappearing of the true Church in respect of what she was for the sealed ones continue under the storm with the rest and are preserved from that hurt Chap. 9.4 not by any locall transmigration from one place to another but by Gods secret protection and sealing and the Temple standeth where it was even when it was measured by for the Lord Chap. 11.1 although by the addition of humane inventions superstitions and ceremonies and especially by the swarmes of locusts mentioned Chap. 9. who were so numerous in the outter Court that the Temple and these few in it who yet retained the true Altar were scarce discernable and that field of the Church which was pleasant before by their corruption is made like unto a wildernesse as to the spirituall beauty which formerly she enjoyed and thus the Church is said to flee when by Antichrists fitting down on her and overspreading her she doth not appear as formerly but he and his followers who tread the outter Court are seen to fill the room where she was And thus even Papists expound and apply this place as we hinted at in the former Chapter illustrating it thus that as now in England the Church say they may be said to be fled to the wildernesse because that conspicuous Catholick Church which was once in her it is obscured by the overspreading of Hereticks as they called them although there be yet within the same bounds a number of true Catholicks who remain a part of the true Church so say they the Churches generall flight under Antichrist is to be conceived to be her generall obscuring by the numerousnesse of his followers whileas there shall be still even in these severall bounds over which he governeth such a number of true Catholicks as shall still make up a true Church And this we conceive being rightly applied to the corruption of the true Antichrist is the very same thing mentioned here 3. This inconspicuousnesse and latencie iâ— not any change on the persons who continue Professors of the true Church as Papists absurdly impute to us but here the devils design being against the purity of Ordinances and the Church as considered complexly as a Woman and Mother it is in that respect that she is said especially to flee because that although the persons continue still visible yet the former purity of Ordinances Truths of the Gospel and simple way of Church communion which formerly made her conspicuous is now made exceeding undiscernable and she in that respect is made as it were to flee so that now partly through the multitude of corruptions superstitions c. that infect the Church and partly through the fear of Professors and hazard that there is openly to disown these it becometh exceeding difficult to discern purity of Doctrine and the simple way of Worship and these who sincerely adhere thereto although such indeed continue still to be free from the corruptions of Doctrine superstitiousnesse of Worship and these who were infected therewith but these lâ—st become so predominant over the face of the Christian world that the former is conceived to be removed and all are accounted to be of this one corrupt way the harmonie therein is so generall And what the Papists plead-for in the pretended universality of the Romish Catholick Religion is from this found to be in a great part truth and to be acknowledged so it being the very fulfilling of this prophesie 4. We are not to conceive that these who obscure the beauty of the Church and are said to possesse the outter Court are indeed persons simply extrinsick to the visible Church but extrinsick as to the corruptions stealing in and infecting the generality of the Members of the visible Church by whom the Ordinances of Doctrine Worship and Government are corrupted which again have influence upon the corrupting of her Members this fleeing then of the Womans is an inward infection whereby her former Church-state is quite altered and turned to be another thing as if she were not in the same place where she was even as under the Law it is said of the Iews that by their whoring from God and defections the holy flesh passed from them Ier. 11.15 when they were and appeared to be unsuitable to their federall relation to God although they keeped still the pretext thereof so here the Church is said to flee from the generality of these that professe Christianity when they become by their corruptions unsuitable to it even although they pretend still to a profession thereof it being as inconsistent with the
and name have his number but all that have his number have not his mark and name and because by searching this we come to know his name this is the right order of searching yet if any think meeter to reckon from a name suppose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which almost since Iohn's dayes hath been followed as appeareth by Irenaeus who was heaâ—â—â— of Polycarp disciple of Iohn vid. lib. 5. adversus haeres Cap. 30. pag. 250. edit Eras. Sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nomen habet 666. numerum valde verisimile est quoniam novissimum regnum hoc habet vocabulum Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant sed non in hoc nos gloriabimur that is The name Lateinos hath the number of six hundreth sixty six and it is very like for the last Kingdom hath that name for they are Latines who now reign but we shall not glory in this Yet the wisdom of God hath ordered so that the sum or result of both reckonings turn to one and pointeth at the same Antichrist hinted before for both the forenamed words compleatly exhibit that number 666. and point out the same party where the doctrines rested before Neither will this destroy but confirm our former exposition for this name is brought but as an accumulative argument and evidence of the Antichrist Thus he that hath all the characters of Antichrists doctrine and hath a name which in the numerall letters make up 666. he is Antichrist But to the Pope both these do agree Only as is formerly hinted there is this odds The name will not prove Antichrist without the other marks for it may agree to many and the other marks will prove him without the name for they can agree to no other and are proper to him quarto modo Besides the former conclusion that this reckoning yeeldeth to wit that by this beast is clearly pointed out the Pope for out of this Chapter may be reckoned a proposition that who ever stands marked with these properties is the Antichrist But the story and knowledge of the papacy yeeldeth the assumption that it is the Pope to whom all these will agree Ergo c. Besides this I say these other conclusions may be drawn 1. That the conceit of a Danitish Antichrist invented by Papists to vindicate their Pope is foolish and vain 2. That Mahomet is not the beast intended here 3. That Antichrist is no open professed enemy but a false counterfeit pretended friend 4. That he is already come and so must be the Pope 1. To shew the vanity of that fond Antichrist which they say shall be a Iew one single person of the Tribe of Dan from these two Scriptures Gen. 49. v. 17. and Ier. 8. v. 16. exceedingly abused which yet Bellar. dare not lay weight on and that he shall come three years and an half before the end of the world subdue all the world making himself a Monarch of it sit in Ierusalem be acknowledged by the Iews as their Messias build that Temple do something miraculous giving life as to an Image making fire come down from Heaven c. and be destroyed by Christs second coming c. after he hath killed Enoch and Elias whom they call the witnesses Chap. 11. We oppose to that conceit these truths in this Chapter 1. The time of Antichrists rise is immediately after the sixth head of the Roman beast is wounded to wit when Heathen Emperours are put from their throne Ergo it is long before the end of the world 2. The seat that Antichrist hath to sit on is the seat of the Dragon to wit that seat where the devil by Roman Emperours sate and persecuted the Church before But that is not Ierusalem but Rome Ergo c. That therefore is a truth of Chrysostoms that he sitteth in the Temple of God that is not at Ierusalem but in the Church pretending to have a prime place in it 3. He is not one single person he is the seventh head of this beast yea he is a beast But by none of the former heads of the Roman Governours can be understood any single person but a series of Governours in one state likewise by beasts are understood a series and not one single person Dan. 7. Ergo Antichrist is no single person 4. His continuance is longer than fourty and two noneths literally taken which may be thus made out 1. If his rise to his height be so slow and by so many degrees till he be up and if his standing be so long as to bring and hold all the world under and that by a sort of willing subjection to fight with the Saints and overcome them and other such things as cannot be done in such space if also his decay and ruine be by a long tract of judgements as is under the vials Then he must be of larger standing than fourty and two moneths But the former is true Ergo c. 2. It is clear from this that it beginneth so soon as the Churches fleeing which is about Ann. 300. and continueth till the vials come which comprehend the time of the six trumpets which certainly are more than fourty and two moneths for the vials do bring the first judgements on him 3. If his time had been no longer than fourty and two moneths it had been no great argument for Paul 2 Thess. 2. to prove that the day of Judgement was not neer if fourty and two moneths had been the longest time of his reign for that was Paul's Argument The man of sin is not revealed therefore it is not at hand for that could only have proved it was not within three years and an half 5. He is to be discovered before the end for the first vial cometh on them that have his mark and Chap. 14. they are threatned by publick preaching with judgement before it come 2. For Mahomet this cleareth him also not to be that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. This Antichrist hath horns like the lamb sitteth in the Temple of God looketh like Christ but so is not Mahomet who was never a Christian. 2. This Antichrist sitteth at Rome and by a new sort of Idolatry healeth the wound the sixth head had gotten i.e. by worshipping Idols Images c. But Mahomet abhorreth that and pretendeth to worship one God only 3. This Antichrist doth great signs and wonders But Mahomet claimeth to none and pretendeth no signs but to cover that saith that Christ was sent with signs and he with a sword 4. This Antichrist carrieth on and driveth all his designs under a resemblance of making use of Christs power as having horns like the lamb and by a pretext of and claim unto a vicarship and deputation from him so doth not Mahomet 3. Hence also we may conclude that Antichrist is no open opposer or denier of Christ to be Christ or one that calleth himself Christ but an intruder of himself in what is Christs due
imputation of Christs Righteousnesse Justification by Faith c. are things so essentiall unto the up-making of a sinners breach with God and that yet all of them are so great strangers even in the very name to the Popish way of justification and materially inconsistent with the same it cannot be of God More particularly we will find it overturn 1. the nature of Justification and at best it doth put in Sanctification in the room thereof and there is never any distinct ground laâ—d by which a sinner may come to receive a sentence of absolution before God but this to wit Justification is lost by the former Doctrine and they acknowledge no such thing distinct from Regeneration or Sanctification as if no such act as Justification were needfull or mentioned in Scripture as distinct from these and in effect it leaveth a sinner to a way of Salvation that wanteth Justification in it and therefore cannot profit him For by denying that which is the formall cause of Justification they deny it self seing that giveth it a being 2. It derogateth from the nature of Grace and that in severall respects 1. As to graces efficacie that it hangeth at mans free-will 2. As to its Soveraignity that it boundeth it to mans disposing of himself 3. As to its freedom in that it appointeth mans own satisfaction for the removing of punishment and his own merit for the obtaining of reward and as to its spirituall sublime way of working making it carnally to be conferred ex opere operato 3. It enervateth the merit of Christ For at the best it attributeth to that only the restoring of a Covenant of Works which may be entered keeped and broken according to mens working and as it were the procuring to men a new stock of habituall Grace with which they are to trade and procure their own happinesse by their after merit In reference to which if they fail Christs merit and their habituall Grace will not profit them Therefore the weight of obtaining life is laid there But the removing of the punishment and the obtaining of the reward they ascribe to humane satisfaction and good Works and that by reason of their own intrinsick worth without the imputation of Christs merit except in respect of the generall influence formerly alleaged yea they fear not to call Saints their Redeemers in so far as by their works of Supererogation they suppose them to have satisfied in some thing for them as Bellar. asserteth lib. 1. de indulg cap. 4. col 1161. and at most they are sanctified by Christs merit but after that they do for themselves 4. It wrongeth the Lord Himself 1. In His Grace as hath been said 2. In His Justice as if He were to be satisfied by creatures satisfaction and that in such things as many men would not be pleased with yea they scare not to affirm that such holinesse could not but have satisfied Him and merited although Christ had never suffered which sheweth also how little they respect Christs merit as the forcited Suarez pag. 484. and 486. afterteth 3. It wrongeth His soveragnity in that it tyeth Him in proper Justice to be mans debter and that not by vertue of His promise only but from the consideration of the intrinsick value and merit of mens good works that He were not just if He did not reward them 5. It wrongeth Gods Covenant for either it alloweth no Covenant at all or quite altereth the nature and tearms thereof and turneth it to Works as hath been said For it doth still make the stipulation on mans part the same which doth constitute the form of the Covenant of Works however one be enabled to perform that stipulation which certainly was by Grace even to Adam 6. It enervateth Faith excluding altogether that Faith that receiveth Christ and taketh hold on Him and closeth with the Covenant of Grace and leaveth no more to a Believer but a naked assent to the Truth of God which is in the devils and utterly secludeth Faith from any particularity of application in the making of our peace with God in any respect 7. It overturneth the Truth concerning mans naturall estate in giving him a free-will in reference to spirituall good and that before the infusion of Grace and in making this acting of free-will a necessary disposition to Justification and a necessary condition of merit 8. It corrupteth the holy Law of God 1. In its end as if now it were to be the condition of Gods Covenant upon which life is to be attained 2. In its meaning as if it did not condem naturall concupiscence and many other things are exempted by them from it that they may make the fulfilling thereof possible 9. It denyeth the true nature of sin and maketh many things that are contrary to the Law of God to be no sin as by its excluding of the remainings of originall sin and many others by that fond distinction of venial and mortal sins from being accounted sins that make men lyable to eternal wrath 10. It overturneth the nature of the Sacraments 1. In making these to be Sacraments which are not as Pennance Extream unction c. 2. In attributing other ends and another manner of attaining to these ends than agreeth with the Word or can quiet a conscience in reference thereto as the conferring of Grace ex opere operato 11. It doth not leave Discipline undestroyed for it abuseth the power of the keyes in this absolution to make up a Sacrament and confer grace and give Indulgences and such-like which no sober man will think a sufficient way for founding of his peace or to be a defence against a challenge in the day of Judgment 12. It doth altogether overturn that consolation that God alloweth His people For 1. there is great anxiety in the supposed way of attaining it 2. No certaintie of having of it and so it can yeeld comfort to none 3. According to their principles it may be lost and one that is justified to day may be in a stare of damnation tomorrow 4. It maketh their recovery difficult and almost desperat for as Bellar. in the forecited place asserteth it may have with it 20000. years continuance in purgatory Of this uncomfortablnesse and of all this matter more may be seen on Chap. 9. Lect. 1. 13. It excludeth knowledge and cryeth up ignorance So that Bellar. lib. de Iustific doth not fear to say that Faith ought rather to be defined by ignorance than knowledge per ignorantiam potius quam per notitiam 14. It overturneth and corrupteth the nature of holinesse and good works and all spirituall worship putting in I cannot tell what will-worship externall rites c. in the place of all practice mumbling and muttering unknown words for prayer afflicting of the body for mortification and many such like things have they These are but a part of the horrible absurdities of this way and yet we suppose are sufficient to demonstrate the truth of what we assert to
and 18.9 But there is no other such apostasie that is universall spoken of in Scripture but Antichrists which singularly is the falling away 2. All the characters of Antichrists defection agree to this Rome 1. She commandeth over Nations so doth he 2. Both spread far and wide 3. Both are guilty of the bloud of Saints and great persecution 4. These who give their power to him commit fornication with her 5. They belong to one time and the beast Antichrist supporteth this city while it is a whore and therefore he must be thought to strengthen her in her whoredoms Beside what was said that Rome is Antichrists seat doth clear this also And wherefore should Rome perish in Antichrists ruine which is carried on principally by the vials Chap. 16. or be lamented by his friends Chap. 18. if she did not partake deeply of his sin neither could she be called the mother of abominations in the earth if yet she should have no hand in Antichrists abominations whereof the world will be guilty at the time of her ruine as the most learned of themselves grant And to what end should there be still such connexion betwixt Rome and Antichrist all alongst if an especiall relation between Rome and that defection were not demonstrated by it 3. We say that this defection whereof Antichrist and Rome are found guilty is not a totall falling from Christianity in the profession of it but such as failing in the matter and corrupting the principal Truths of Christianity shall yet stick boldly to a proud profession of Christianity as claiming a speciall relation to Christ above others for 1. Antichrists defection is such as we shew Chap. 13. and they are one 2. This great Antichrist is some way proportionable to the petty Antichrists that were in Iohn's time and were his fore-runners but these were not simply Heathens but such as under the name of Christianity and pretending to be eminently for it so as to cry down true Apostles did wrong Christ. 3. It is that defection spoken of 2 Thess. 2. which is a giving up to believe lies even while he sitteth in the Temple of God and boasteth of being a prime instrument in the Church 4. His defection is such as was letted by the standing of the heathen Emperours whereas if heathenish Idolatry were his sin Antichrists design had not then been working under ground but had been palpable in them 4. It is observable that when-ever the Scripture speaketh of Antichrists defection it distinguisheth it alway from heathenish idolatry and speaketh of it as of another thing so 2 Thess. 2. Antichrists mysterie of iniquity is opposed to that that was then among Heathens for the time and by comparing the last part of Chap. 12. of this Book with Chap. 13. it will appear that Antichristianity succeedeth to Paganism as a new design of the devils to recover what he lost by the fall of the former Add that here it is called whoredom which supponeth it to be against a marriage-tye Ezek. 16.36 38. which could not otherwise be Again If Antichrists or Romes defection were thus grosse why should it be called a mysterie 2 Thess. 2. and here ver 5 and what need were there of so many marks to discover Rome under that state what deceiveablenesse would there be there The Scriptures insisting so much in this is certainly to make Believers warie and to shew there will be need of spiritual wisdom to discern her or him Lastly It is said that all the World except the Elect wondered after this beast and can it be thought that all Christians shall turn Pagans except the Elect and that there shall be no hypocrites in the Church yet this contradistinguishing of Antichrists followers not from the Church visible but from the Elect who invisibly are so saith that this defection will make a narrower search in the Church than Paganism can do We do therefore take this assertion for truth that Romes defection under Antichrist is a spreading of lies under the pretext of Christianity not simply striking against God but against Christ in his Offices as Mediator and the end of them and derogating from them in the spreading of which the city of Rome as a mother hath a speciall influence and claim 4. We would say concerning the continuing of Antichrist or this defection and the time of its close that it is not to be confined to one person and that within three years and in half and to finish but fourty five dayes before the end of the world but is to take up a longer time Of this we spoke somewhat Chap. 11. and Chap. 13. and also before on this And now we further add that Antichrist hath a proportionablnesse in his continuance to the great effects which his dominion hath on the world But that cannot be within three years and an half 2. Antichrist is one as the series of the heathen Emperours was one for he is the head next succeeding and he is opposed to him 2 Thess. 2. He that letteth must be removed before he that is Antichrist should come Now seing he that letted was not an Emperour personally but the series and time of them in their continuance Therefore Antichrist who succeedeth as the other was removed is not one person but a succession and would the Scripture so frequently and pressingly speak of Antichrists kingdom and that defection if it belonged only to the case of the Church for three years and an half immediately before the end of the world certainly many other trials of the Church had been of greater concernment beside Antichrists hurt being principally to souls it cannot be effectuated so in such a time which can have influence at most but upon some of one generation For that part of their opinion that faith that Antichrists coming is but to preceed the end of the world three years and seven or eight moneths and Romes destruction to be within that time of his reign there is for this no probable shew for 1. Are there not many that lament Babylons ruine and rejoyce over her and will that be but for a year or such a time 2. Is not the battel of Armageddon Chap. 19. posterior to this where the beast is taken Again Is not that overthrow of Gog and Magog posterior to that Chap. 20. when they are cast in the lake where the beast is before they come there Beside Is it probable that in the end of the world when all especially the Jews shall give themselves to Christ that universally they shall again make defection And doth it not appear that a glorious Church shall be on the earth after Antichrists height I desire it may be considered that the Jews are in the body of that Nation generally to be converted after their blinded estate which is yet to be fulfilled Now when shall that conversion be It must either be before this Antichrist or after his destruction But neither can be said It cannot be before his destruction
Pallace and the first-born shall be gathered together By Called here are understood 1. those who are effectually so for they are blessed and glorified Rom. 8.30 Yea 2. called even outwardly Now they of the Jews that shall be called to the Supper are more happy than those who were called at the first to the Dinner for God shall make them generally more obedient and the iron sinew shall be taken out of their neck and the vail from off their eyes and they shall generally yeeld to this Call and flow like doves to their windows to this Gospel therefore are they blessed and happy Thus these who are called by this happinesse are not only opposed to these who are not called at all or only to such who are called and not chosen Matth. 20. But this second Call of the Jews is opposed thus to the first Mat. 22. which is in a word that the Jews after their re-ingrafting shall be generally more blessed by being made to yeeld to the call of the Gospel than those who did live under the first offer thereof So the things prophetically confirmed are two 1. That there is a second calling of the Jews or feast of Christs Marriage to come beside what was at first at the Dinner a new offer to be made to the Jews before the end of the world and a new and most beautifull lustre to be put upon the Church 2. That they shall be blessed and happy beyond the former Jews that shall be called to this as is said This truth is confirmed two wayes 1. by a speciall command to write Write saith he as Chap. 14.13 importing a singular excellency in the thing 2. A great certainty in it that it may be recorded ad futuram râ—i memoriam as Paul signifieth in expressing that of the Jews calling Rom. 11. 3. A difficulty in believing or receiving the truth so pressed And a second way he confirmeth this is These are the true sayings of God it is from the Author of them and His nature and the nature of all His sayings they are saith he not Mens nor Angels words for there might be a lie in both these but they are Gods all whose words are Truth He Himself being Truth He Himself being God who cannot lie and yet as in these sayings concerning the happinesse of these called there is as it were a singular eminency of His faithfulnesse so in speciall these are His true sayings and will take effect The 10. ver is notable by expressing the infirmity of an eminent Saint and the Angels rejecting of that worship intended to him by Iohn with severall reasons as if purposly he would rectifie men in that point of will-worship in giving that religious adoration to creatures though most excellent which alone is due to God Iohn's infirmity is set down in these words And I fell at his feet to worship him Worship implyeth three things 1. An act in the judgement taking up an excellency in the object worshipped 2. An act of the will yeelding it conformly to that apprehended excellency 3. An externall act of the body This may be common to all sorts of worship Further we may consider a twofold adoration or worship mentioned in Scripture that is allowable one is Religious and is a speciall duty due to God and commanded in the first Table of the Law the other is Civil which is due to creatures and commanded in the second Table Again this second sort is twofold the first is that which proceedeth from a reverencing of men for their stations or relations whatever their qualifications be as Magistrats Ministers Parents great Men c. The second is a reverentiall worshipping of men for their qualifications of wisdom and holinesse so we respect good men though they be not great as Act. 2.47 Such living Saints get and in a greater measure Angels may have when they appear such was that which Abraham and Lot gave to the Angels Gen. 18. and 19. supposing them to be men All these are lawfull There is also an idolatrous and sinfull worship and that is when what is due to the Creator is given to any creature and that either more grosly to Idols Images c. called worshipping of devils or more subtil to Saints as that of Cornelius to Peter Act. 10. and that to Paul and Barnabas Act. 14. and is also of diverse sorts This here is not of the first two sorts for it is not condemnable to worship God nor to give holy Men and Angels due reverence But it is this third sort an unlawfull worship as appeareth by the Angels rejecting it with so much zeal and earnestnesse these two wayes expressed 1. By a vehement prohibition See thou do it not there is no more in the Originall but See no an abrupt cutted expression such as is used when men hasten to prevent something they abhor and would fain prevent 2. It is expressed by the pressing arguments he useth which are two 1. This is not my due to be so worshipped I am saith the Angel thy fellow-servant not thy Lord and the fellow-servant of thy brethren that have the testimony of Iesus and are imployed in his Ministery we have but one Ministery 1. The Angels to the Prophets then the Prophets to the Church Therefore are Ministers called Angels and Angels Ministers The second argument is taken from Gods prerogative to whom only such worship is due Wâ—rship God saith he I am not God and that is alone due to Him therefore give it not to me but to Him allowing by the one argument no such worship to creatures and by the other appropriating it all to God He confirmeth in the close his arguments especially the first thus For the testimony of Iesus is the Spirit of Prophesie which may be thus understood the Spirit of Prophesie and revealing of these things is not mine but it is Jesus Christs hence it may be called the testimony of Iesus as belonging peculiarly to Him therefore worship is not due to me who am but a servant with thee Or to the same purpose reading the words as they lye I am thy fellow-servant for the testimony of Jesus or the ministery of the Gospel called so for its bearing witness to Christ in which respect Ministers are often called Witnesses See Chap. 22.8 is the Spirit of prophesie that is is also His gift and way of revealing secrets and edifying of others as this more immediat message which I bear is they are of the same nature and kind of service and therefore from these who are imployed in one of them religious worship is not due to the other they being fellow-servants For more clear opening the doctrine contained in the words it may be asked 1. If Iohn sinned 2. What sort of sin 3. How he being such an eminent servant of Christ and in the midst of such revelations fell into it First That he sinned we suppose is clear 1. in that he never fell to worship an Angel before
have law for them In which respect Chap. 12.9 it is said the Kingdom of our Lord is come when heathen persecution is stopped and Religion is countenanced and Kings become nursing fathers to the Church all the Saints do not become Magistrates but God maketh Magistrates Saints or friends to them who are so 6. The sixth thing wherein this good condition consisteth is the length of time it continueth which at least is a long time beyond any former cessation and peace they have ever had It is a thousand years In these we suppose the good condition here holden forth to consist the particulars whereof will appear more in opening of the words We would only understand it with these caveats lest we extend it too far in our expectation beyond what the Scripture in this place giveth warrand for and these three extreams are to be guarded against It is not therefore 1. an absolute freedom in an height of superiority in temporall or spirituall priviledges but in a good degree being compared with the Churches condition at other times It is the most free and longest time of the Churches peace with greatest light holinesse and number of Professors but cannot be extended so as we may warrantably think that there should be no crosses nor hypocrits nor offences amongst the people of God during that time 2. That good condition cometh not instantly to an height and to the chief top of it but by degrees from lesser to greater from a day of small things to greater for even as the Churches low condition under Antichrist and her prophets prophesying in sackcloth and Antichrists dominion came not to an height at once though all these conditions be accounted for such a definit time to wit from their beginning and first working till they come to their height so is it here The Saints good condition is to be reckoned from the beginning and rise of their reign though it come on by degrees to an height 3. We would not think during this time but that there may be some partiall interruptions of this good condition and seeming if not reall in part at least declinings from it for that is not understood in any condition that it shall continue alway alike the Church may have difficulties now as Antichrist had opposition during the time of his reign But it is meaned 1. that during that time enemies shall never universally eclipse the face of a visible Church as at other times so as to make her flee to hide her self and that in the upshot the Saints shall ever be gainers even here though for a time they may be straitned and wrestle yet it shall not be now as Chap. 13. where the beast maketh war and overcometh them but as it is Chap. 17. the Lamb with the chosen and faithfull that are with Him shall make war with the enemy and overcome in end though they want not enemies even then It is not then wholly uninterrupted and constant This being the truth of the good condition holden forth here we may see how unwarrantable it is either with some of old or others of late to abuse this place unto an absolute dominion and that we may be put from the expectation of such a strange thing from this Text though the expressions be strange and that what ever be meaned by it yet we may be sure no such uncouth thing especially temporall is contained in it as men dream of We would have you considering beside what is said before these three 1. Consider that this what ever it be is contemporary with some of the principall Prophesies going before it being an explicatory vision it must belong either to the time of the seals trumpets or vials for the seals begin after Christ and continue till Antichrist begin under-hand at least to work this is certain 2. The trumpets follow and continue till Antichrists begun fall this is also certain 3. That the vials succeed the trumpets and carry on Antichrists ruine and the state of the Church to the end of the world is also cleared before Chap. 11. and Chap. 16. So that for the period of this vision the devils finall overthrow is the same with the period of the vials for the sixth overturneth the beast and the seventh vial bringeth with it the next more universall overthrow to the devil which can be fixed at no other term but the end of the world when the devil is cast in the lake where the false prophet was which knitteth the casting down of these enemies together in an immediate successive way as the last two full victories which Christ shall have which confirmeth what is said Now this being truth it must follow then that these thousand years are contemporary with one of these prophesies seing they go before the end of the world and are at some certain time Therefore we must understand so this kingdom and dominion of the Saints and binding of Satan as must be agreeable and competent to one of these prophesies and the events foretold in them But if we will look through all these prophesies we will find the Church having enemies and the Saints having their difficulties under the seals there is open persecution under the trumpets there is Antichrists tyrannie and under the vials look but the fifth vial Chap. 17. these Kings war against the Lamb and see the sixth Chap. 16. there are in much vigour against the Church the beast false prophet and dragon sending out unclean spirits that with many do prevail to bring them up to battell against the Lord. See also the seventh and last the devil is not yet taken till the end he hath a fresh loose not long before it by Gog and Magog Now if so be where will this absolute dominion of the Saints for such a time appear This one consideration well grounded will overturn that conceit for this dominion is either contemporary with these and so not absolute or it is successive to these which to say 1. doth contradict that truth that the vials bring the end 2. It contradicteth this truth that by this vision that prophesie of the vials especially the seventh is explained otherwise the seventh vial is left without any particular event 3. By this the world will be lengthened long we being yet but about the beginning of the fourth vial three vials being to come then a thousand years after that and Gog and Magog before the end it would seem exceedingly to lengthen these dayes which for the Elects sake are shortened We conclude then it is such a good condition as must consist with some of the difficulties of the Church mentioned in the former prophesies for though the Saints good condition here only be set down yet are we to read the state of the enemies in some other place it being ordinary in this prophesie to set down first one event as it is by the vials told what is become of enemies and then to set down another contemporary with it as
evidenced his purpose in so doing to be the exalting of His own Glory in his destruction 3. If it were so what might be said of such as the Lord doth not forbear nor give time to repent but taketh away in their sin as he did Zimri and Cozbi It cannot be said on this ground that He willeth their Salvation and so not the Salvation of all 4. It will not follow Christ willeth persons to repent Therefore He willeth their Salvation because He may be said to will them to repent when he requireth it of them as their duty and thus their duty of repenting is the immediate object of His revealed and preceptive will but a persons Salvation is the proper object of His will of good-pleasure or of His decreeing and purposing will And no otherwayes can He be said to will such persons Salvation because He commandeth them to repent than this to wit that in His Word He hath signified Repentance to be such a persons duty and that He hath appointed a connexion between Repentance and Salvation which still relateth to His revealed will even as when God made the first Covenant with Adam it might be said that He willed Adam to be holy and that by that Covenant He had made a connexion between holinesse and life yet it is not proper to say that the Lord willed life to Adam upon that condition because that looketh to the event and respecteth the Lords will of purpose which cannot but be effectual And if the Lords willing of men at least such as are under His Ordinances to be saved be thus understood as including only the duty which God layeth upon men and the connexion that He hath made between it and Salvation in His Word It may be admitted but if it be extended to any antecedent will in God Himself distinct from that which is called His revealed will This place and such like will give no ground for such an Assertion If it be asked then Why did He give her space to repent if He intended not her Salvation Answ. To forbear deciding of what might be His purpose to this particular person who haply may be an Elect because nothing is decided of her final condition in the Word These reasons may be given 1. thereby the Lord commendeth His Grace that doth so condescend to such a person 2. The aggravation of her guilt and inexcusablnesse are the more clear as hath been said and thereupon He hath the more accesse to manifest the spotlessenesse of His Justice as is in the threatning vers 23. 3. It doth the more comfort and encourage a penitent sinner to step forward in the hope of Mercy seing even such a person as Iezebel hath had such an offer and that she if penitent and believing would have been accepted The third thing in the Body of the Epistle is the threatning vers 22 and 23. Whereby He again wonderfully presseth her and these who were seduced by her to the exercise of that much slighted duty of Repentance The threatning hath three parts 1. Somthing is threatned 2. An exception is put in leaving a door open to Mercy 3. The scope or effect of the Lords executing this threatning is set down The thing threatned is threefold according to the several parties that He threateneth 1. For Iezebel Behold I Will cast her upon a bed which pointeth out some remarkable stroak or plague threatned to be inflicted upon her whereby she should become a spectacle to others and yet not be instantly removed 2. For them that commit adultery with her I will cast them into great tribulation that is I will bring upon them that partake of her sin whether in respect of spiritual or bodily adultery for she was guilty of both grievous and publick temporal stroaks And 3. I will kill her children with death for her children it 's like were children begotten in their unclean conversing together them the Lord threatens to remove and thereby to give an evidence of His displeasure at their way as He did Davids child for his adultery For we conceive the children of her spiritual whoredom are understood under that expression these that commit adultery with her From which we may see that grosse Errors may procure many temporal and bodily crosses as was formerly said Yet secondly as is said even this threatning hath a door open in it and is not absolute but conditional except they repent c. which doth indeed exceedingly set forth and commend the Grace of God The third thing is the Lords end which is the manifesting of Himself in two or three of His Attributes to wit His Omniscience Justice and Power as was hinted in the entry When the Lord forbeareth wicked men He is either thought not to see or know such things or not to be just and powerful to redresse and avenge the same and when He severely and publickly inflicteth judgment upon such then He is known not only to be Omniscient but also Just and Powerful and this is that which He aimeth at especially in His Churches The last thing is the mitigation of this threatning vers 24 25. Wherein we may consider these two First To whom it is directed Secondly What is the mitigation it self 1. It 's directed to you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to you in the plural number that is to the companie of Ministers who were designed by the Title Angel at the entry And to the rest in Thyatira that is the Members of the Church contradistinguished from the Ministers It 's added that have not this Doctrine and have not known the depths of Satan c. This is to dinstinguish the Church-members that were pure and clean from these that were corrupted with Iezebels doctrine So there are three parties implied here 1. The Ministers 2. The pure Members To both these this consolation is directed 3. There are some led away with these corruptions which are not included The pure Members are qualified and distinguished by these two 1. They have not this doctrine that is they own not nor maintain nor approve this corrupt doctrine 2. They have not known the depths of Satan that is they have not loved nor approven the same nor in their practice experimentally meddled therewith They that is corrupt Teachers counted such doctrines and practices depths and high mysteries and attainments in Religion therefore they gave them this name of depths And it 's not to be thought that they called them depths of Satan but the Lord addeth this to shew indeed what kind of depths they were they are saith He depths indeed as they speak but they are the devils depths or depths of Satan Which expression holdeth out these two 1. The great subtilty of the adversary of mans Salvation the devil he hath depths in his way all his designs are not obvious he can vail and cover things and make them appear far otherwayes than they are and he exerciseth his subtilty most especially and deeply in the carrying on
of Error and drawing of souls from the Truth these are his depths here and his subtilty is spoken of 2 Cor. 11.3 his wiles and cunning craftinesse and special slight Ephes. 4.14 whereby it cometh to passe that he intangleth and as it were bewitcheth Gal. 3.1 many with the most grosse delusions 2. It holdeth out what influence delusion will have upon poor creatures it will even make them cry up the most absurd Errors for mysteries and depths as if there were nothing in Religion so excellent as these The mitigation it self is in two expressions the first is negative vers 24. I will put upon you none other burden that is in sum I will not give you any other direction nor prescribe to you any new duty beside what formerly ye have had given unto you and to which ye have submitted for though burden somtimes signifie some weighty threatning or denunciation or judgment as may be gathered from Ier. 1.23 Yet in this place it cannot be so understood but must be understood as it implieth some new duty beside what formerly was imposed upon them as the exposition in the next verse doth clear And so somtimes in Scripture duty is compared to a burden and yoke not because of its burdensomnesse and troublesomnesse in respect of it self but because every duty hath some obligation with it which in respect of our corruptions and infirmities are burdens though by Christ Jesus they become light The second part of the mitigation is positive vers 25. and will help to expound the former But that which ye have already hold fast till I come which doth imply First That they had some duties prescribed unto them already whereby it appeareth that an other burden did signifie some other duty for that was the thing they had already Secondly It sheweth That by having of such duties to speak so is not only understood the having of them prescribed unto them but their being a great length in the obedience thereof as may he gathered from the like Phrase chap. 3.11 where hold that fast which thou hast doth signifie their endeavour to keep what they had attained to And thus the meaning of this mitigation here is I have prescribed to you that are pure in Thyatira no other duty or direction but that with all sincerity and zeal ye keep the directions prescribed unto you and continue to walk in the way which hitherto ye have followed unto the end This is pressed by Christs second coming 1. To let them know He was to come again 2. To let them know that at his second coming He will reckon with His Churches according as they obey or disobey His directions 3. To teach all to walk so in making use of the Word especially in corrupt times as they may with confidence appear and reckon for the same before Jesus Christ at His second coming 4. To shew That Believers ought to set no other tearm to their persevering in duty but Christs second coming From what is past we may Obseve 1. That in these Epistles expresse difference is made between Ministers and People to you I say relateth to the Ministers and to the rest relateth to the Members of that Church And therefore in the application of things contained in them we would distinguish them also 2. That by Angel in the Inscription is understood Ministers collectively to you is in the plural number and yet it 's to these that the Epistle was directed under the name of Angel in the singular and therefore are they contradistinguished from the rest which looketh to the Members of that Church you and the rest being the same thing here upon the matter that Angel and Church were in the Inscription save that the rest even as many c. distinguisheth the pure Members from the impure the Church comprehending both 3. That a Ministers guilt or the guilt of Officers in not secluding scandalous persons from Church-communion doth not lye on the people as upon the Ministers therefore the duty common to the Ministers and people is commended to both whereas that reproof was peculiar to the Ministers and the rest are taken-in only in the mitigation or consolation but it was Thou sufferest in the reproof 4. Christ thinketh much of zealous executing of Discipline and would not have Ministers sparing it against Hereticks or corrupt Teachers more than other scandalous persons yea the reasons from the hazard of infecting the Flock and the examples of it in Scripture are most pressing in reference to them 5. Here also we may see That there is a Church-power and Authority distinct from what is civil and censures to be inflicted by Church-officers on scandalous persons even where Magistrates are Heathen 6. That delusion may come to a great height As 1. That a woman Preacheth 2. That she calleth her self a Prophetesse 3. That she seduceth Christs Servants and they are seduâ—ed by her 4. That this is immediatly after Christ while Iohn the beloved Disciple liveth 5. That all these Errors and abominations are covered with the title of mysteries and depths what may we expect in our times when such was the lot of those who lived at that time 7. The writings even of the Apostle Iohn could not prevail so far as to make them renounce and abandon them 8. See here how Christ accounteth of Members of a visible Church He stileth such as were seduced to adultery and Error His Servants and they were Servants still who were seduced and are afterward threatned as Iezebel is Whereby it appeareth that these Titles go more upon the relation that Church-members stand in and the obligation that lieth on them than upon the qualifications that are alwayes to be found in them 9. Our Lord Jesus is no approver nor countenancer of separation from a true Church for the faults of some Members in it neither do faults in some Members and defects in Ministers and Officers in executing Discipline pollute the Ordinances in themselves or to others who are free of that guilt and so do not necessitate a separation from such a Church or any Ordinance thereof for this and the former Epistle being compared together these things are cleâ—r 1. That there were grosse Members in the Church Adulterers Nicolaitans Seducers c. 2. That they were continued in Church-communion thou hast them and sufferest them clearly import this for that Angel no otherwayes had them but as Church-members under His charge 3. That this Angel sinfully permitted them to continue Church members and therefore is reproved Yet we conceive also it 's clear in matter of fact 1. That many who were free continued in Church-fellowship with this Angel in that Church notwithstanding thereof so the words to you and to the rest aâ— of that same Membership import it being but one Church And 2. That our Lord did not reprove them for their so continuing even when He reproveth the Angel for his fault of being defective as to his censuring of Iezebel Yea