a creature and of so despicable a beginning to such a power as to grapple with the Enemy and overcome him But behold there is yet something more admirable namely that this should not be done by the strength of his Arm but by the breath and power of his Mouth Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast ordained strength because of thine Enemies c. What Enemies Thine saith the Psalmist and such too as are Vltores Avengers the Enemies of both God and Mankind And who are those but Satan and his Angels those Principalities and Powers of the Air those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Rulers of the Darkness of this world as S. Paul speaks For when Mankind is the one party what can the other be but some Power that is not of Mankind Besides who are the Enemies both of God and Mankind but these and of mankind especially I will put Enmity saith God to the Serpent between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed hence he is called Satan the Adversary or Fiend and the Enemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold I give you power saith our Saviour to the seventy Disciples Luke 10. 19. to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the Enemy Your Adversary the Devil saith S. Peter And this is he as I conceive who is here called the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Enemy and the Avenger man's tormentor which words being found again in the 44. Psalm v. 16. may for ought I know by warrant of this place be taken for the same Enemy and the usual distinction altered and the place read thus By reason of the Enemy and the Avenger all this to wit the Calamity and confusion he spake of before is come upon us that is by the malice of Satan Now that such Enemies as these should be subducd by an Arm yea by a Mouth of flesh is a thing which might justly make the Prophet cry out Lord what is man c. Now that this which I have given is the true meaning of this place may be gathered from S. Paul's inculcating the word Enemy when 1 Cor. 15. 24. c. he demonstrates out of this Psalm that Christ before the end shall abolish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all rule and all authority and power For he must reign saith he till he hath put all Enemies under his feet The last Enemy which shall be destroyed is Death and then he alledges for his proof that Corollary in this Psalm For he hath put all things under his feet But in all this Psalm there is no mention of Enemies or subduing them but only in the Verse I have in hand which unless it be thus expounded S. Paul's allegation from hence will be too narrow to prove what he intendeth HAVING thus cleared the words I chose for my Theme I shall not need spend much time to shew you how directly and literally the purport of them was fulfilled in our Blessed Saviour's Incarnation You have in part heard such Scriptures already as do evince it The sum is this The Devil by sin brought mankind under thraldom and became the Prince of this world himself with his Angels being worshipped and served every where as Gods and the service and honour due to the great God the Creator of heaven and earth cast off and abandoned and all this to receive at last for reward eternal woe and everlasting death To vanquish and exterminate this Enemy and redeem the world from this miserable thraldom the Son of God took upon him not the nature of Angels which might have been the Enemies matches but the nature of weak and despicable Man that grows from a babe and suckling Who saith Esay in that famous Prophecy of Messiah hath believed our report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed namely that works such powerful things by weak means For he shall grow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a tender plant or sucker it is the very word here used in my Text for a sucking child and translated by the Seventy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as a root out of a dry ground that is a small and little one This is that whereof S. Paul discourses so divinely in the Epistle to the Hebrews To which of the Angels said he at any time Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool For unto the Angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak but unto him of whom it is said What is man that thou art mindâ—ul of him c Again We see Iesus who was made little lower than the Angels that is was made man that 's the meaning for the suffering of death crowned with Glory and Honour what can be so plain as this It is the Son of man by whom in part we are and more fully shall be delivered out of the hands of our enemies that we might serve the true God without fear as Zachary sayes in his Benedictus It is the Son of man that delivered us from the power of darkness Col. 1. 13. The Son of man that spoiled Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly Col. 2. 15. It was no Angel that did all this but the Son of man even as was prophesied from the beginning when the Devil first got his Dominion that the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpent's head Nor is this all For this Son of man enables also other Sons of men his Disciples and Ministers to do the like in his name The seventy Disciples in the Gospel returned with joy saying Lord even the Devils are subject to us through thy name Yea not these only but as many as fight under his Banner against these Enemies have promise they shall at length quell and utterly subdue them yea at that great Day shall sit with their Lord and Master to judge and condemn them Do ye not know saith S. Paul that the Saints shall judge the world know ye not that we shall judge Angels Lastly This victory as for the event so for the manner of atchieving it is agreeable to our Prophecy Forasmuch as Christ our General nor fights nor conquers by force of Arms but by the power of his Word and Spirit which is the power of his Mouth according to my Text Out of the mouth of Babes c. Hence in the Apocalyps Christ appears with a sword going out of his mouth In the 2 Thess. 2. 8. it is said He shall consume that wicked one that is Antichrist with the Spirit of his mouth Esay prophesies Chap. 11. 4. that the Branch of Iesse should smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips should slay the wicked that is he does all nutu verbo by his word and command as God made the world By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the Hoast
improve himself more near to his primitive temper than now he is But God who had decreed he should ever remain under this malediction appointed also the means to retain him therein DISCOURSE XLII GENESIS 3. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel THE third and last particular remains to be treated of I will put enmity between thee and the woman c. This no doubt intendeth in some things more directly the spiritual Serpent than the brute yet for the general it may and ought as well as the rest to be expounded of the brute Serpent as a Glass wherein to behold the malice and destiny of the other the Devil It containeth two parts The Enmity and the Event and Managing thereof For the Enmity how it is verified concerning the brute Serpent experience telleth It is some part of the happiness of the creature to be the Favourite of Man who is the Lord thereof what honour could betide it greater than this But between the Serpent and Man is the most deadly enmity and the strongest antipathy that is amongst the Beasts of the field such an one as discovereth it self both in the natural and sensitive faculties of them both For the first Their humours are poison each to other the gall of a Serpent is Man's deadly poison and so is the spittle of a Man affirmed to poison the Serpent For the sensitive antipathy it appears in that the one doth so much abhor the sight of presence of the other Man's nature is at nothing so much astonished as at the sight of a Serpent and like enough the Serpent is in like manner affected at the sight of Man and that more especially as the Naturalists affirm of a naked man than otherwise As though his instinct even remembred the time of his malediction when he and naked man stood before God to receive this sentence of everlasting enmity And whereas the words of the Text do in special point out the Woman in this sentence of enmity the Naturalists do observe that is greater and more vehement with that sex than with the male of mankind Insomuch that Rupertus affirmeth That if but the naked foot of a Woman doth never so little press the head of a Serpent before he can sting her both the head and body presently dieth which no cudgel or other weapon will cause but that some life and motion will still remain behind Hoc saith he ita esse ipsorum qui per industriam exploraverunt fidâ relatione comperimus Lib. 3. de Trin. c. 20. You know my Author who affirms that he had this from the faithful report of such as had purposely bestow'd their pains to find out the truth thereof The remaining words of my Text do express the Managing and Event of this enmity which is far more dangerous and unlucky on the Serpent's part than on Man's for Man is able to reach the Serpent's head where his life chiefly resideth and where a blow is deadly but as for the Serpent he shall not be able to prevail against Man otherwise than privily and unawares and that but in the lowest part namely when he shall pass him unseen to sting him by the heel And that this is the nature of a Serpent it appeareth in the words of Dan's blessing Gen. 49. 17. Dan shall be a Serpent by the way an Adder in the path that biteth the horse-heels so that his rider shall fall backward And to make an end of this discourse also it is a thing to be observed in the nature of a Serpent that assoon as he perceiveth man ready to throw or strike at him he will presently roul his body for a buckler to save his head even as though he had some impression of that doctrine which God here read him in my Text Ipse conteret tibi caput He shall bruise thy Head Beware thy head AND thus hitherto I have considered these words as they are the curse of the brute Serpent Now I am to go over with them again to shew how they are propounded unto us by God as a Glass wherein to behold the Devil's malediction the Serpent being made now the discovery of his vileness which once he abused for a mask to hide it from the woman As therefore the Serpent is the most accursed of all the cattel and beasts of the field so is the Devil the most accursed Spirit amongst all orders and degrees of Spirits namely of the highest of Angels become the abjectest of Spirits more base and accursed than the most cursed damned Soul having little or nothing left him of that good which was sutable to a spiritual condition and this is the state of the Devil for the general answerable to that of the Serpent Now for the particulars The first is Vpon thy breast shalt thou go How doth this befit the Devil The Devil hath no bodily breast to go upon But as I shewed in the Serpent that this groveling signified the abasement of his whole nature from its primitive excellency so in the Devil it signifies his stooping down and falling from his most sublime and glorious condition A wonderful stoop this was when that which had been advanced as high as heaven was made to fall down as low yea lower than the earth it self This is the Devil 's going upon his breast this the groveling of that once so highly reared posture according to that description of Iude ver 6. who calls them the Angels that kept not their first estate but left their own habitation agreeable to that of S. Peter 2 Ep. 2. 4. God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to hell The second particular is The dust of the earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life The food wherewith Spirits are fed is analogical spiritual and not corporal we must therefore here seek out that which in them hath the fittest resemblance with corporal food The life of Angels consists in the continual contemplation of the excellent Greatness wonderful Goodness and glorious Beauty of the Essence of God both as it is in it self and as it is communicated unto his creatures This is that which our Saviour intimates Matth. 18. 10. Their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven The food of Angels whereby this their Intellectual life and vegetation is strengthened and continued is that unspeakable joy and delight which accompanies their contemplation of God and which they find in the beholding of whatsoever else hath any conformity and sutableness with him his Power his Wisdom his Glory his Goodness according to that in the Gospel There is joy in heaven and in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that repenteth This is that Manna which feeds the blessed Angels and which makes them unweariable and unsatiable in their contemplation and imitation of
God as corporal food enableth the body for the continuance of corporal actions and works And such as this had been the Devil's fare had he not fallen from his first estate by sin whereas now in stead of that Manna he is fain with the Serpent to feed on a food as course and as base as the dust of the earth For as of a glorious Angel he is fallen to be a damned Spirit so is his diet answerable to continue him in that damnable estate namely a food clean contrary to that of the blessed Angels and a very earth to their heaven a most execrable joy and a malicious delight in whatsoever is opposite to the Power the Wisdom the Goodness the Glory of God his Creator this is that he hungreth and hunteth after and nothing but this If there were no sin no confusion no misery of creatures in the world the Devil would be soo◠starved for this is that he preys after this is that carrion he seeks for when he goeth about as S. Peter saith like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour I have read of a people of America that will eat no flesh before it be stinking rotten and then it seems to them most tender and delicate These are of a diet like unto the Devil for nothing but garbage and carrion are his dainties the more rotten with sin the more pleasing to his palate that which stinks most in God's nostrils that smells the sweetest in his Thus much of the second part of this Curse The last part remains I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed c. In which we will first consider The parties who are to be at this deadly seud Secondly The event and success they have one against the other For the first The parties are on one side said to be the Serpent and his seed on the other side The woman and her seed By the Serpent we are to understand Satan the Prince of darkness and Father of Devils The Serpent's seed in the first place are the whole crue of Devils and damned spirits who are fallen from their first estate and condition These are the Serpent's first-born begotten by him not by corporal generation nor as they are Spirits but by spiritual deformation as they are Devils For it is the opinion of Divines That Satan fell first himself and afterward propagated his Apostasie by drawing others after him over whom therefore he worthily deserveth to have the principality and chiefdom in which respect also were there no other yet he might be called their Father and they his sons or seed as we know the use of the Scripture is to call Princes Fathers and Subjects Sons The latter off-spring of the Devil being a second brood are the whole company of wicked and reprobate worldlings for that such as these are the spawn of that foul Fiend it appears clearly by the words of our Saviour to the Pharisees Ioh. 8. 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do And again 1 Iohn 3. 10. The children of God are opposed to the children of the Devil Therefore Christ calls Iudas a Devil Iohn 6. 70. And Paul Acts 13. 10. calls Elymas the Sorcerer a child of the Devil The case is plain And as the Vanguard consisted of the first crue so these latter are the Rere of Satan's Army Now on the other side against this Army of Hell-hounds stand The Woman and the Woman's seed The Woman though only named excludes not the Man who was to be at enmity with the Devil as well as the Woman But the reason of this unusual Trope which call◠the Kind by the name of the weaker and inferior Sex is because o◠the words following of the seed wherein is contained the great Mystery of Christ's Incarnation under whose colours and in whose power alone this Army is both to march and overcome For this great Captain was to be as you know the seed of the Woman only and not of the Man A Virgin should conceive a Son whose name is called Emmanuel Whence it comes to pass that some by seed will have no other seed to be understood but the person of Christ only both because he is alone that seed of the woman which is not the seed of man and because S. Paul Gal. 3. 16. on those words v. 8. In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed expoundeth seed singularly and individually of Christ himself alone But if it be well observed the case here is not the like for the seed of the Woman is opposed to the seed of the Serpent which seed cannot chuse but be taken collectively for Satan and all his regiments of Devils and Hell-hounds And why should not also the seed of the Woman be understood of Christ mystical that is of Christ the Head with all his members who are incorporate into him by Faith into one mystical body For although they are naturally the seed of Man as well as of the Woman yet spiritually by this incorporation they are the seed of the Woman only as is their Head with whom they are one And this it is which makes them of the party against the Serpent for till they once became the seed of the woman only there was no enmity betwixt them The seed therefore of the Woman I expound to be Christ and his Members He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the seed of the woman by nature they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by their spiritual engrafment into him Hence appears the difference of these two Armies First In Satan's Army all march under their Father who begot them but Christ's Army sighteth under the Colours of their elder brother the first-begotten seed of the woman Secondly In their ranging Christ and his Army are as one body informed by one Spirit the Devil 's is far more disunited Thirdly In their fighting for in Satan's Army every Souldier useth his own strength and fights with his own weapons but in Christ's Army the whole strength lies in Christ their General all our armour is on his back and our weapons guided by the power of his hand So we may learn out of S. Paul Ephes. 6. 11 12. Put on saith he the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil For we wrastle not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places Thus then having seen the marshalling of these two Armies which are at so deadly an enmity let us at last see The success of their skirmishes and of the stratagems which they practise one against the other These are described on the Devil's part very terrible that his head should be mauled but on Christ's side the loss should be very small the Devil prevailing but to the wounding or bruising of his heel But what is this Head of
the Serpent and what the Heel of the Woman's seed Those who understand The seed of the woman singularly of the person of Christ only make his Head to be the Godhead against which the Serpent could prevail nothing but his heel to be the Manhood which the Serpent so bruised at his Passion that the grave became his bed for three days together This indeed is true and no marvel for the Head is as it were the whole Bodie 's Epitome But we who have expounded The seed of the woman collectively of Christ and his Members must also in this mystical Body find a mystical Head and a mystical Heel and so in like manner for the Serpent and his seed The Head therefore or if you had rather Headship is nothing else but Soveraignty The Serpent's head is the Devil's Soveraignty which is called Principatus mortis the Soveraignty of death namely both objectivè and effectivè that is such a Soveraignty as under which are only such as are liable to Death both temporal and eternal and such a Soveraignty whose power consists not in saving and giving of life but in destroying and bringing unto Death both of body and soul. Under the name also of Death understand as the Scripture doth all other miseries of mankind which are the companions of this double Death I speak of This is that damnable Head of the Serpent the Devillish Soveraignty of Satan Now the Sword whereby this Soveraignty was obtained the Sceptre whereby it is maintained or as S. Paul speaks the Sting of this Serpent's head is Sin This is that which got him this Kingdom at the first and this is still the right whereby he holds the greatest part thereof Imperium iisdem artibus conservaâ—ur quibus acquiritur By the same arts and methods is an Empire conserved by the which it was at first obtained This Soveraignty of the Devil which once overwhelmed â—igh all the world the Woman's seed should break in pieces and destroy which according to this Prophecy we see already performed in a great measure and the grounds laid long ago for the destruction of all that remaineth As saith S. Iohn Ep. 1. c. 3. v. 8. The Son of God was manifested for this purpose that he might destroy the works of the Devil And Christ himself said that the time was come that the Prince of this world should be cast out and bade his Disciples be of good chear for he had overcome the world If you would see what a wonderful victory he hath long ago gotten of the Serpent when after a terrible battel he overcame and destroyed the Soveraignty of the Serpent in the Roman Empire see it described in the 12. of the Revelation v. 7 8. where Michael that is Christ and his Angels fought against the great Dragon and his Angels till the Dragon with all his Army was discomfited and their place found no more in heaven that is he utterly lost his Soveraignty in that state whence there was a voice in heaven v. 10. Now is come salvation strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. And what he will at the length do with the remainder yet of the Devil's Soveraignty you may find in the 19. and 20. chapters of the Revelation For he must reign as S. Paul saith until he hath put all his enemies under his feet until he hath destroyed all power rule and authority adverse unto him And then last of all destroying Death by giving immortality to our raised bodies shall surrender up his Kingdom unto his Father as it is 1 Cor. 15. 25 c. But Satan saith my Text shall prevail something against him for the Serpent shall bruise his heel What is this Heel Those who understood the seed of the woman singularly as I told you made it Christ's Manhood But now we expound the seed Christ's Mystical Body what shall we make the Heel thereof I could say that by it were only meant a light wound or the Devil 's assaulting the Body of Christ ex insidiis at unawares for that is his fashion since the great overthrow which our Michael gave him to work his feats underhand and to undermine our Lord in his members But this though true is not full enough It may seem therefore the fittest to make hypocritical Christians who profess Christ outwardly but inwardly are not his to make these the heel of his Mystical Body for against such the Devil we know prevaileth somewhat and by them annoyeth the rest of the Body with his venome though he be far enough yet from impeaching our Lord's Headship and Soveraignty But will you give me leave to utter another conceit If the Blessed souls in heaven be the upper part of Christ's mystical Body the Saints on earth the lower part of the same may not the Bodies of the Saints deceased which lye in the earth be accounted for the heel For I cannot believe but they have relation to this mystical Body though their Souls be severed from them and yet must that relation be as of the lowest and most postick members of all If you will admit this then it will appear presently what was this hurt upon the heel when Christ had once mauled the Devil's head for the Text seems to intimate that the Devil should give this wound after his head was broken I will hold you in suspence no longer Read the 13. of the Revelation and see what follows upon Michael's Victory over the Dragon what the Devil did when he was down He forms a new Instrument of the wounded Roman Empire by whose means under a pretence of the Honour given to the precious Reliques of the Saints and Martyrs he conveyed the poyson of Saint-worship and Saint-invocation into the Kingdom of Christ with which wound of the heel the Devil coming on the blind side the true Church had been long annoyed and limpeth still DISCOURSE XLIII 2 PETER 2. 1. But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction MANY are the Prophesies in Scripture wherein the Holy Ghost forewarns us of a great and solemn Defection and Corruption of Faith which should one day overspread the visible Face of the Catholick Church of Christ and eclipse the light of Christian Verity and Belief S. Paul 2 Thes. 2. 3. foretels us that there should be an Apostasie or Falling away of Christians and the Man of sin be revealed before the coming of the day of the Lord. The same Apostle 1 Tim. 4. 1. tells us that though the great Mystery of Godliness spoken of chap. 3. 16. were then preached among the Gentiles and believed on in the world yet the Spirit spake expresly that in the latter times some should depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and doctrines of Devils or Daemons S. Iohn tells
He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward DISC. XXIV pag. 89. S. Luke 2. 13 14. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly Host praising God and saying Glory be to God on high or in the highest and on earth Peace Good-will towards men DISC. XXV pag. 97. S. Mark 1. 14. 15. Now after that Iohn was put in prison Iesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God And saying The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and Believe the Gospel DISC. XXVI pag. 106. S. Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and believe the Gospel DISC. XXVII pag. 115. Acts 5. 3 4 5. But Peter said Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghost and to purloin of the price of the land Whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thy power why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost DISC. XXVIII pag. 124. Proverbs 30. 8 9. Give me neither Poverty nor Riches Feed me with Food convenient for me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lest I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DISC. XXIX pag. 135. Isaiah 2. 2 3 4. And it shall come to pass in the last days that the Mountain of the Lords House shall be established or prepared in the top of the Mountains and exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it c. DISC. XXX pag. 140. Iudges 1. 7. As I have done so God hath requited me DISC. XXXI pag. 150. S. Matthew 11. 28 29. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls DISC. XXXII pag. 157. S. Matthew 11. 29. ... Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls DISC. XXXIII pag. 164. Acts 10. 4. And he said unto him Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a memorial before God or as it is verse 31. are had in remembrance c. DISC. XXXIV pag. 173. Nehemiah 13. 14. Remember me O my God concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I have done for the House of my God and for the Offices thereof with Verse 22. Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy DISC. XXXV pag. 177. Deuteronomy 33. 8. And of Levi he said Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy Holy One. DISC. XXXVI pag. 187. Ieremiah 10. 11. Thus shall ye say unto them The Gods that made not the Heavens and the Earth even they shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens DISC. XXXVII pag. 199. Proverbs 4. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above all keeping For out of it are the issues of life DISC. XXXVIII pag. 206. Isaiah 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon DISC. XXXIX pag. 213. S. Matthew 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven DISC. XL. pag. 220. Genesis 3. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat DISC. XLI pag. 228. Genesis 3. 14. And the Lord God said unto the Serpent Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life DISC. XLII pag. 234. Genesis 3. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel DISC. XLIII Page 238 2 Peter 2. 1. But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction DISC. XLIV pag. 245 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. And they did all eat the same Spiritual meat And did all drink the same Spiritual drink for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. DISC. XLV pag. 251 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. ... And they did all eat the same spiritual meat And they did all drink the same Spiritual drink DISC. XLVI pag. 255 1 Cor. 10. 5. But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the Wilderness DISC. XLVII pag. 260 Deuteronomy 16. 16 17. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall chuse in the Feast of Unleavened bread and in the Feast of Weeks and in the Feast of Tabernacles and they shall not appear before the Lord empty Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee DISC. XLVIII pag. 265 Deuteronomy 16. 16 17. ... In the Feast of Unleavened bread and in the Feast of Weeks and in the Feast of Tabernacles and they shall not appear before the Lord empty Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee DISC. XLIX pag. 271 Genesis 10. 5. By these the Isles of the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were divided 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their lands every one after his tongue after their families 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their nations DISC. L. pag. 276 Genesis 10. 5. By these were the Isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands c. DISC. LI. p. 284 Psalm 50. 14. Offer unto God praise and pay thy Vows unto the most High DISC. LII p. 295 Revel 3. 19. As many as I love Irebuke and chaslen Be zealous therefore and repent DISC. LIII pag. 303 1 Ep. Iohn 2. 3. Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments THE FIRST BOOK CONTAINING DISCOURSES ON DIVERS TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE DISCOURSE 1. S. MATTHEW 6. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thus therefore pray ye Our Father c. IT was well hoped after the question about the lawfulness and fitness of a set Form of Prayer had been so long debated in our Church that the Sect of those who opposed
looked that that glorious Son of David should have been born of the most rich and potent parentage of that line but behold he was of the poorest and most despised Who would not have thought but Ierusalem the Royal City had been the only fit place for his Birth but he was born at Bethlehem one of the least Cities of Iudah And what in some stately and more convenient Palace there No in a stable and laid in a manger So was David his progenitor the youngest and most despised son of Ishai Samuel thought that brave and goodly Eliab the first-born was the man surely whom God would chuse to make him King But God had set his eye upon him whom the Father so little regarded as he could scarce think of him even the little one which kept the sheep Thus God derides the conceits of men Fools therefore that we are why do we value those things so much which God esteems so little We are wont otherwise to make much account of such things as Kings and Great ones have in esteem and to think but basely of those things which they despise why should not the Example of Almighty God bear the like sway in our judgments to prefer what he prefers and slight what he undervalues Let us therefore considering this set our hearts and affections upon heavenly and spiritual things and say of all the pomp and glory of this world Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity THUS have I spoken of the two first Particulars I propounded the Time when and the Place where our Saviour began the publication of his Gospel I come now to the Third The Summe of what he preached and it was this The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel This was the Summe of what he preached and it contains two parts a Doctrine and an Exhortation The Doctrine is That the Time foretold by the Prophets when the Kingdom of God should begin was come The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand The Exhortation is That therefore they should Repent and believe the Gospel or glad tidings which that Kingdom brings I 'le begin with the Doctrine where I have two things to unfold 1. What this Kingdom of God is 2. What was the Time prefixt for the coming thereof which our Saviour saith was fulfilled when he spake unto them For the first The Kingdom of God is that which otherwise is called The Kingdom of Heaven These two are both one and therefore S. Matthew chap. 4. 17. when he relates this preaching of our Saviour saith that he preached and said Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand namely the same that Iohn Baptist his Harbinger preacht before him For the Hebrews express God by Heaven as we may see Dan. 4. 26. where it is said to Nebucchadnezzar that his kingdom should be restored unto him when he should acknowledge that the heavens bear rule that is God the most High who dwells in heaven The prodigal child in the Gospel saith Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee Luke 15. 21. So Matt. 21. 25. The Baptism of Iohn was it from Heaven or from men that is from God or from men This is the reason why the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven mean one and the same thing Let us therefore now see what is meant by it This Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is the Kingdom of Messiah or Christ foretold in the Prophets the Kingdom of that Seed of the woman which should break the Serpent's head of that seed of Abraham wherein all the Nations of the earth should be blessed For so the Hebrew Doctors before and at our Saviour's coming had termed this Kingdom and taught their people to look for it under that name which they had learned out of the Prophecies of Daniel concerning it who in chap. 2. ver 44. describes it in this manner In the days of those Kings or Kingdoms that is while the days of the four Monarchies there spoken of yet lasted the God of heaven shall found or set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed nor be lest unto another people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever In the 7 ch ver 13 14. he describes it thus I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven And there was given him dominion and glory and a Kingdom that all people nations and languages should serve him His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed From these places the Iews called the Messiah's Kingdom the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven Because in the first place it is said that the God of heaven should set up his Kingdom and in the other places that the Son of man namely Messiah should come in the clouds of Heaven For our Saviour brought not this term of phrase with him but found it at his coming used among the Iews which being fitly given he approved and so taught them the mysterie of his coming in their own language As we may see in so many Parables in the Gospel where our Saviour sets forth the state of his Church and the members of the same continually under the name of The Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven is like a field where a sower sowed good seed c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Merchant c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net and such like In all which our Saviour describes the state of his Church in that language the people were used unto as he doth also in other of his Sermons Hence it is that when Iohn Baptist first and our Saviour after him preached The Kingdom of heaven is at hand the Iews wondred not at that term as at a novelty nor ever askt what it meant but understood it of the Kingdom of Messiah which they had been taught to call by that name then and is still found so called among their Rabbies and Doctors until this day though through their unbelief they have no portion therein but look for it still to come The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven then is nothing else but the Church of Christ or the Christian Church which is no Temporal kingdom like the kingdoms of this world which have power over the Body only but a Spiritual kingdom which reigns over the Souls and Spirits of men The Kingdom of God saith our Saviour is within you that is it is a kingdom of the inward man And therefore this kingdom was not to be founded after the manner of the kingdoms of men by great armies and field-battels but was to subdue the nations and conquer the world by
with cattel and beasts of the field thereby accounting the Serpent one of that number Besides Satan they say was accursed before this time and some of the words in this Curse cannot well be applied to any but the brute Serpent as that he should eat the dust of the earth c. 2. Others would have this Curse pronounced only upon the Spiritual Serpent the Devil because the brute Serpent was only an Instrument abused by the Devil and neither knew what was done nor could do withal and why should it therefore be punished 3. Others would divide the Controversie applying the first part of the Curse in the 14. verse to the brute Serpent the latter in the 15. vers to the Devil or Spiritual Serpent because as the latter words Of the promised seed of the woman which should destroy the Serpent and his seed must needs be meant of Christ and Satan so the former words are most fitly appliable to the brute Serpent only But against this may be said That the same Thou and Thee spoken of in the first part of the Curse is all one with the Thou and Thee in the latter and therefore of whatsoever the first is meant of the same is also meant the latter 4. There is therefore a fourth opinion That this Curse is throughout pronounced upon both both upon the Serpent and the Devil In which though there be some difference about the manner how yet I embrace it as the truest as not only conceiving it may be so by the fitness of all the parts so applied to both but think moreover that this only ought to be the meaning and no other if it be conceived as I am now to shew For in the first place The Devil when he beguiled man came not as a naked Spirit but in the shape and figure of a Serpent as I have shew'd heretofore and therefore that his punishment in the manner might be sutable and answerable to his offence he was to receive his doom likewise under the figure of a Serpent and the style thereof framed unto a Serpent's condition For God useth in his wisdom to brand the Punishment with the stamp of the Sin that the offender thereby might not only know what he felt but also read why he suffered Why were Adonibezek's thumbs and great toes cut off but that he might read therein as he did his former cruelty Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and toes cut off gathered meat under my Table As I have done so God hath requited me Why was Pharaoh with his Host rather drowned in the Sea than slain in the Field but that all the world might read it was for his cruel Edict to drown all the male children of the Hebrews Why did Absalom lie with David's Concubines but to put David in mind that he had lien with Vriah's wife And why was the Curse of the Devil shaped here in and unto the condition of the Serpent but because he had beguiled man in a Serpent's shape Secondly For the Serpent The known excellency and subtilty of the Serpent above all the Beasts which God had made the Devil had abused to gain credit with the woman that he was an excellent and a most sagacious Spirit and therefore might be ably to pry farther into God's meaning than she could which was the cause of her attention and so of her ruin For I have shewed heretofore that the Woman in the state of Integrity knew well enough That as it was the Law of Spirits in their commerce with men to present themselves under the shape of some visible thing so it must be likewise under the shape of some such thing as may more or less resemble their condition And that as the glorious Spirits might take no other shape but of Man the glory of visible creatures so the fallen Spirits could not then afore Man's fall take any other shape but of a Beast thereby to bewray his abasement Yet because the Devil here took upon him the shape of the most wise and most excellent of Beasts he so bleared the Woman's eyes with an opinion of his Excellency and Sagacity that in a manner she forgot or regarded not that he was one of the evil and abased Spirits which was the ground of her miserable ruin and overthrow Now because the Excellency and Sagacity of the Serpent had thus been the occasion of man's confusion by being made the lying counterfeit of the Devil's Excellency and Wisdom and the mask whereby he so covered his vileness that the Woman took him not to be as he was indeed therefore God in his wisdom thought good to change the copy and henceforth to bluâ—and deface that unhappy Physiognomical letter and by abasing the Serpent for the time to come to make him an everlasting embleme and monument wherein man might hieroglyphically read the malice vileness and execrable baseness of that wicked Spirit which had beguiled him to hate him as now we do the Serpent with mortal hatred and by his unlucky fortune to expect the Devil 's deadly destiny In a word that which was once used for a mask to cover the Devil's knavery should for the future be a glass wherein to behold his villany These being the Reasons which have led me to understand this Curse in an equal sense both of the brute Serpent and the Devil and in the literal sense applied unto the Serpent yet therein shaping out the Malediction of the Devil as truly as the Devil had taken upon him the Serpent's shape Let us now come to a more particular handling of the words And first we will consider them As they are the Curse of the unreasonable Serpent Secondly As they include the Devil's malediction But for the better understanding thereof before we can proceed two things are to be resolv'd First How it could be just with God to punish the brute Serpent who was Instrumentum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and had neither will to sin nor yet knowledge of what the Devil had done especially if we suppose as I have done hitherto that the Devil took only the shape of a Serpent which the Serpent could not do withal For this argument hath driven some to affirm That the whole Curse was to be understood only of the Spiritual Serpent and not at all of the Natural But why should this strumble them more as concerning the Iustness of God than that in Adam's censure in the 17. verse where the whole Earth is cursed for Adam's sake Cursed be the Earth for thy sake c. But what had the Earth done or how was it guilty of Adam's transgression Again Chap. 6. v. 5 7. it is expresly said That because God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth he said I will destroy both man and beast and the creeping things and the fowls of the air But how were the beasts the creeping things and the fowls of the air partakers of man's wickedness what had they
Authority of the Dragon blaspeming God by another Idolatrous worship and warring at length against his Saints and overcoming them This I would call Antichristendom Rex Apostaticus The King of this Apostatical Kingdom is the Two-horned False-Prophet the Roman Bishop who also is the Founder thereof forasmuch as by lying Signs and Wonders establishing a new-coined Idolatry therein he made it to be a living Resemblance or Image of the Kingdom of the Caesars in Ethnicism when the Dragon ruled Observe here that in Ch. 13. 14. those last words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not the words of the Beast speaking but of S. Iohn relating the Event of his speech And so the Interpretation will be plain The Metropolis of this Kingdom is Mystical Babylon that is the See and City of Rome of the Spouse of Christ become a Babylonish Strumpet This is the Mother of Harlots that is the Metropolis of the Brothel-Cities and Lady of the Apostatical Kingdom whose Kings commit fornication with her For the Beast she rides upon is the new-formed Beast which arose out of the Sea with Ten crowned Horns the meaning whereof the Angel here expoundeth and thereby openeth an entrance to the whole Prophecy which till now was nothing but an involved Mystery The Whore's Beast Chap. 17. The Whore's Beast is that Kingdom which in S. Iohn's time had Five Successive Heads already past One that of the Caesars in present being but the Last or Seventh wearing Ten Horns which was yet to come was that under which the Where should ride him Hence comes the Angel's Riddle The Beast which was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit The Beast that was and is not and yet shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Beast or State that had then been in the course of Five or Six Seals but in the Seventh was yet to come Some read the last expression of the Riddle thus The Beast that was and is not and yet is that is The Beast that had already been in the course of Five of his Heads was not then in that State of Sovereignty in which the Whore should ride him and yet was even then in S. Iohn's time in present being in the Sixth Head the Caesars then reigning The Seven Heads of the Beast are by the Angel made a double Type both of the Seven Hills where the Woman â—iâ—teth and of the Seven Sovereignties with which in a successive order the Beast should reign This is a pair of Fetters to tie both Beast and Whore to Western Rome The Seven Sovereignties must not be separated from the Seven Hills nor the Seven Hills from as many Sovereignties Constantinople may have so many Hills but those Hills had never so many Sovereignties In other Cities where the Sovereign Roman Name or but the Name hath reigned are neither so many Hills nor ever were those Seven succeeding Sovereignties By these Fetters we shall hold this Proteus-like and flitting Beast fast enough The Last Head of the Beast is indeed but the Seventh for the Beast we see hath no more Heads than Seven in the Vision yet for some respect is an Eighth namely because the Sixth Head the Sovereignty of Caesars that Head which in S. Iohn's time was declined at length to a Demi-Caesar confined to the West beginning with Honorius or if you will sooner till after a short time it failed upon the death of the last Valentinian which being in some sort diverse from the former takes the Seventh place and makes the False-Prophet the Eighth But being as in name so in substance the same Caesar with the former the False-Prophet in whose time the Whore rides the Beast is still in order the Seventh 2. The False-Prophet beginning his dominion as soon almost if not altogether as the Demi-Caesar is therefore in order of time the Seventh as well as he But the Demi-Caesar being soon gone the False-Prophet still surviving and therefore succeeding him is in respect of that time wherein he outlasteth him as it were an Eighth But whether Eighth or Seventh he is the Last Head this Beast shall ever wear When the former Heads failed the Beast still continued by succession of a New But in this he goeth into perdition that is shall utterly be destroyed Object Yea but when the Roman State was a Red Dragon it appeared then also with Seven Heads and Ten Horns as well as now Answ. As the Beast which carrieth the Whore appeareth with all his Heads though Six of them should be past before the Whore should ride him so the Red Dragon which watched the Woman in travail is represented with the whole Roman Cognizance of Heads and Horns though the Sixth Head only the persecuting Caesars were then in course when the bloudy Dragon informed it The Seven Vials The Seven Vials are the Seven several and successive degrees of the Fall of the Apostatical or Pseudoprophetical Beast some whereof are already past for his Declination and Ruine we see is already begun some are still to come They are called the Seven last Plagues in reference to the Seven Trumpets which are the Seven first Plagues the first ruining the Old Beast the last destroying the New which is risen out of his ruine Which is the reason why the Vials are so like the Trumpets For as this Latter Beast was fashioned after the image of the Former so was it fit his Ruine should carry the resemblance of the Ruine of it The Kingdom of Christ upon the Seventh Trumpet That Kingdom of our Lord to follow upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet at the appearing whereof in several Visions the Quire of Wights and Elders sing and worship before the Throne Ch. 7. 11. Ch. 11. 16. Ch. 19. 4 what it means and what shall be therein Posterity will better understand Perhaps we may be as wide of the meaning thereof as our Forefathers were of the State and Condition of the times of Antichrist Yet as they in this missed not of the main but erred in the manner and particular Circumstances so would it be considered whether the conceit the Ancients had of this Regnum Christi contains not likewise some general Truth received from the eldest times though deformed with many erroneous misconceits and idle yea some not tolerable fancies The End of the Fifth Book A TABLE of Places of Scripture not only quoted but illustrated and explained GENESIS Chap. 3. 13. And the Lord God said unto the Woman What is this that thou hast done And the Woman said The Serpent begniled me and I did eat pag. 220 Verse 14. And the Lord God said unto the Serpent Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every Beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou â—at all the days of thy life p. 228 Verse 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the Woman and between thy seed and her seed it
native signification thereof being to answer is also used for to sing as in Psalm 147. 7. where we translate Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving sing praise upon the Harp unto our God in the Hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answer unto the Lord in thanksgiving sing praise upon the Harp unto our God And Esay 27. 2. In that day sing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answer ye unto her And Numbers 21. 17. in Israel's song of the Well Spring up O Well sing unto it in the Hebrew it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answer unto it And Moses speaking of those that were worshipping the golden Calf Exodus 32. 18. It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery nor the voice of them that cry for being overcome but the noise of them that sing do I hear In the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voice of them that answer one another And so in other places But to put all out of doubt look Ezra 3. 11. where it is expresly said The Levites the sons of Asaph sung together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord Because he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Hence was derived the manner of Praying and Praising God in the Christian Service alternis in a Musical way and as it were by way of prophesying and versifying even though we do but speak it only as you know the Poet sayes Amant alterna Camâ—enâ—â— Thus I have taken occasion somewhat to enlarge upon this particular that we our selves might the better understand the reason of what we do and what precedents and whose example we follow therein And thus much of Prophesying I COME now to the Second thing I propounded to speak of namely What was that Fault among the Corinthians which the Apostle here taxeth For the right understanding whereof I say two things First For the Offenders that they were the women and not the men That which the Apostle speaketh concerning men being by way of supposition only and to illustrate his Argument against the uncomely guise of the women à pari This appears because his Conclusion speaks of women only and nothing at all of men Secondly For the quality of the Fault it was this That the women at the time of praying and prophesying were unveiled in the Church notwithstanding it was then accounted an unseemly and immodest guise for women to appear open and bare-faced in publick How then will you say should it come to pass that Christian women should so much forget themselves as to transgress this Decorum in God's House and Service which they observed otherwhere I answer From a phantastical imitation of the manner of the She-Priests and Prophetesses of the Gentiles when they served their Idols as their Pythiae Bacchae or Maenades and the like who used when they uttered their Oracles or celebrated rites and sacrifices to their Gods to put themselves into a wild and extatical guise having their faces discovered their hair disshevelled and hanging about their ears This these Corinthian women conceiting themselves when they prayed or prophesied in the Church to be acting the parts of She-Priests uttering Oracles like the Pythiae or Sibyllae or celebrating sacrifice as the Maenades or Bacchae were so fond as to imitate as that sex is prone to follow the fashion and accordingly cast off their veils and discovered their faces immodestly in the congregation and thereby as the Apostle speaks dishonoured their heads that is were unseemly accoutred and dressed on their head Which he proveth by three Arguments Partly from Nature which having given women their Hair for a covering taught them to be covered as a Sign of subjection the manner of this covering being to be measured by the custome of the Nation Partly by an Argument à pari from men for whom even themselves being Iudges it would be an uncomely thing to wear a veil that is a womans habit so by the like reason was it as uncomely and absurd for a woman to be without a veil that is in the guise and dress of a man And howsoever the Devils of the Gentiles sometimes took pleasure in uncomeliness and absurd garbs and gestures yet the God whom they worshipped and his holy Angels who were present at their devotions loved a comely accomodation agreeable to Nature and Custome in such as worshipped him For this cause therefore saith he ought a woman to have a covering on her Head because of the Angels Lastly he concludes it from the Example and Custome both of the Iewish and Christian Churches neither of which had any such use for their women to be unveiled in their sacred assemblies If any man saith he be contentious that is will not be satisfied with these reasons let him know that we that is we of the Circumcision have no such custome nor the Churches of God For so with S. Ambrose Anselme and some of the Ancients I take the meaning of the Apostle to be in those words Thus you have heard briefly What was the Fault of these Corinthian Dames which the Apostle here taxeth From which we our selves may learn thus much That God requires a decent and comely accommodation in his House in the act of his worship and service For if in their habit and dress surely much more in their gestures and deportment he loves nothing that is unseemly in the one or in the other Which I doubt some of us at least of the younger sort are not so observant of in this place as we should and therefore with those whom it concerns would amend it And thus I conclude my Discourse DISCOURSE XVII TITUS 3. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost THESE words as it is easie to conceive upon the first hearing are spoken of Baptism of which I intend not by this choice to make any full or accurate Tractation but only to acquaint you as I am wont with my Thoughts concerning two Particulars therein both of them mentioned in the words of my Text One from what propriety analogy or use of Water the washing therewith was instituted for a Sign of new Birth according as it is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the washing of regeneration The other What is the proper Counter-type or thing which the Water figureth in this Sacrament I will begin with the last first because the knowledg thereof must be supposed for the explication and more distinct understanding of the other In every Sacrament as ye well know there is the outward Symbole or Sign Res terrena and the Signatum figured and represented thereby Res coelestis In this of Baptism the Sign or Res terrena is Washing with water The Question is what is the Signatum the invisible and celestial thing which answers thereunto In our Catechetical explications of this Mystery it was wont to be affirmed to be the
a more divine way namely by the power of the Word and Spirit as we see it hath done My Kingdom saith our Saviour is not of this world that is not from this world or to be set up by worldly means as other kingdoms are For if my Kingdom saith he were of or from this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered unto the Iews but now my Kingdom is not from hence Iohn 18. 36. Armies and Swords are not fit means to conquer the Souls of men and therefore Christ was to perform his conquests by a more divine and invisible way And as he conquered them so he governs and keeps them in their allegiance to him not by Garrisons and Armed Troops but by the power of the same Word and Spirit Lastly as he governs his subjects so he fights against his enemies not as the Kings of the earth do but by a divine and heavenly working by divine and heavenly ministers by the ministery of Angels who are all at his command For the Enemies of his Church and Kingdom are chiefly Spiritual namely those Spiritual powers those rulers of darkness the Devil and all his troops of Fiends which cannot be dealt withal nor resisted after a corporal manner but by Spiritual means and Spiritual ministers And though the Arms of flesh and bloud are also lift up against the Kingdom of Christ yet is it always by the instigation and under the conduct of those invisible Fiends As for the men employed in such service they are but the horses in the Devil's battels the Devil and his Angels are the riders and therefore to be repelled by a power and forces suitable unto them In a word the whole world by sin was become the kingdom of the Devil Christ came to recover it from him and to erect the Kingdom of God in place thereof Such a kingdom therefore as the one was such must the other be else it should not match it as by the tenor of â—â—e first Gospel it was to do which saith The seed of the Woman should break the Serpent's head I must add one thing more for the understanding of this Kingdom namely That this Kingdom of Christ which I have hitherto described hath a Two-fold state The one Militant consisting in a perpetual warfare and manifold sufferings which is the present state begun at his First coming when he ascended up into heaven to sit at the right hand of God The Second state is a Triumphant state which shall be at his Second appearing in glory in the clouds of heaven at what time he shall put down all authority power and rule and subdue all his enemies under his feet even death it self as S. Paul tells us 1 Cor. 15. 24. and in that great Assizes of the quick and dead shall render everlasting vengeance to his enemies and those who believed not his Gospel and give rewards of glory to his servants who have kept their faith and allegiance to him And that once done and so his Conquest finished he shall surrender up his Kingdom into the hands of his Father that being subject to him who put all things under his feet God may be all in all as S. Paul tells us In both which estates how fitly this Kingdom is called the Kingdom of Heaven or of God appears in three respects 1. Because the King thereof hath his seat and throne in heaven where he sits at the right hand of God 2. Because the beginning thereof is from heaven and not from earth or by earthly means 3. and lastly Because it is governed and administred by the power of heaven and not by earthly power Is not such a Kingdom rightly and truly called The Kingdom of heaven Thus much I thought good to speak for the explication of this speech The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven because this term is so frequent in the Gospel and not always or perhaps not rightly understood Henceforth let him that readeth understand NOW I come to the Second point namely What was the Time designed and prefixed for the coming and beginning of this Kingdom which our Saviour saith here was fulfilled The time saith he is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand The Time of this Kingdom was by the Prophet Daniel two ways foretold first generally and at large secondly more precisely and punctually The general time designed was That it should begin under and during the Fourth Kingdom or Roman Monarchy which at length it should utterly ruin and destroy For Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babel had a Vision of an Image of four differing metals The head of Gold the arms and breast of silver the belly and thighs of Brass the legs and feet of Iron but the feet mingled with clay While he beheld this Image and surveyed it from head to foot he saw a Stone hewen out of the mountain without hands which Stone smote the Image not upon the head or breast or belly but upon the Iron and Clayie feet whereby the Image and all his other metals being mingled with the Iron vanished away and became as chaff before the wind Then the Stone which smote the Image upon the feet became a great mountain and filled the whole earth This Vision Daniel expounded of four Gentile Kingdoms which should succeed one another in order with great extent of dominion The first compared to Gold was the Babylonian which then reigned The second resembled to Silver should be the Empire of the Medes and Persians which subdued that of Babylon The third figured by the Brazen belly and thighs was the Greek which subdued the Persian The Iron legs the fourth and last was the Roman which subdued the Greek and so became possessed of the riches and glory of all the former three During this last Kingdom was the Stone hewn out of the mountain and smote the Iron feet This Stone saith Daniel was the Kingdom of the God of heaven which should be set up before the days of these four Gentile kingdoms should expire namely under the last of them In the days of these Kingdoms saith he that is while these times of the Gentiles dominions yet lasted the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed nor lest unto another people as each of the other were but shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms namely in the last in which the other three were incorporated as it were and it self shall stand for ever Forasmuch as thou sawest saith he unto the King that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands that is without any earthly means and that it break in pieces the iron and the Brass the Silver and Gold mingled with it Now the Roman Empire during which this Prophecy was to be accomplished was in our Saviour's tâ—me come to the height and highest pitch and so next door to a declination and downfall But this
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our Regeneration which from the beginning stirred our hearts gives that great and powerful lift which doth the deed Here and not before now that Faith in the Gospel which applies and reaches hold of Christ first comes in to give life unto Repentance as a Soul unto a Body Which union of Faith and Repentance as I said in the beginning of this Discourse makes the Regeneration of a spiritual man as the union of the Soul with the Body makes the generation of a natural man And as in natural generation the Soul is not infused at the first conception but after the Body hath been in some measure fashioned and formed So in our Regeneration or generation spiritual Iustifying Faith or that Faith whereby the Soul flies unto and relies upon Christ hath no place till Repentance be come to the last degree of Contrition For then our Saviour inviteth a sinner to come unto him and not till then Come unto me saith he all ye that labour and are heavie laden that is all ye that are contrite and groan under the burthen of your sins and I will ease you Till then he invites them not as being not till then fit to be eased For the whole hath no need of the Physician but the sick I speak not of an Historical faith whereby a man believes in general that Christ is the Saviour of mankind nor of a Legal wherewith a man believes the punishments and threatnings of the Law for these may be yea are before Repentance but of a Saving faith which applies Christ as a salve to a sick and wounded soul. BUT now to dwell no longer upon the connexion of the two parts let us see what are the degrees also of this second part namely of Turning and Living unto God by a new and reformed life answerable to the degrees of the former part which was Dying and Turning from sin Where first we are to know that because Turning to a thing and Turning from a thing are motions of a contrary nature therefore the degrees of our Turning unto God are to be ranked in a clean contrary order to those of our Turning from sin For the first degree here is the Act of the Will which as it concluded our Turning from sin by resolving to forsake it so it begins our Turning unto God by a firm purpose of Heart to serve him thenceforth in newness of life After this the Affections begin to act their parts answerably and as it were to eccho the good choice the Will hath made First Love when a man begins to find himself affected and enamoured with this change of life After Love comes Delight when the Penitent takes some pleasure in doing the duties whereby God is served and finds joy and comfort in his favour From whence in the third place springs Hope of the reward namely to be partaker of the glory and life to come promised unto all those who unfeignedly turn to God and set themselves to do his will But we must know that these Affections appear not all at once nor in like measure but according as a mans growth and proficiency in Conversion is more or less Howsoever the inseparable Effects of this second part of Repentance are good works or as the Scripture calls them works worthy of or meet for or beseeming Repentance that is works of Religion towards God and of Righteousness towards men I shewed saith S. Paul Acts 26. 20. first to the Iews and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance Without such works he that saith he is turned unto God and yet doth them not is a lier and deceives his own soul. THUS much of the second part of Repentance I will conclude this whole Discourse with these two excellent descriptions of Repentance in the Prophets Esay and Ezekiel which contain the Sum of what I have hitherto spoken concerning the same For thus saith Esay chap. 1. 16. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from mine eyes saith the Lord cease to do evil This is the first part of Repentance V. 17. Learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow This is the second part Ezek. ch 33. v. 14 15. thus When I say unto the wicked saith the Lord Thou shal◠surely die if he turn from his sin there is Contrition the first part and do that which is lawful and right If he restore the pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the Statutes of life without committing iniquity here ye fee the fruit of a New life the second part he shall surely live he shall not die Believe the Gospel THUS much shall suffice to have spoken of Repentance the first part of our Regeneration I come to the second Faith in the Gospel Repent and believe the Gospel Where first I will shew What this Gospel is secondly What it is to believe it or What is that Faith concerning it which our Saviour here requires For the First The Gospel is the glad tidings of Salvation to be attained by Christ who by taking away of sin reconciles us unto his Father that through him we might turn unto God and perform service and obedience acceptable unto eternal life Before I prove every part of this Description out of Scripture and explain the same as shall be needful for your understanding we will first speak of the Antiquity of this Gospel and shew when these glad tidings were made known to the sons of men Know therefore that albeit the Fulfilling and solemn publication thereof were not until our Saviour's coming yet the Promise of the same was from the daies of old even as ancient as the time of man's sin and afterwards continued and repeated all the time of the Covenant of the Law until the Mediatour of the New Covenant came in the flesh For when the Devil abusing the shape of a Serpent had seduced our first Parents unto sin and so had gotten dominion over them and theirs by this title the Gospel or Promise of a Redeemer that they might not be without all comfort was given them in these words The seed of the woman shall break the Serpent's head The Serpent's head is Satan's soveraignty which is Principatus mortis the soveraignty or principality of death a Soveraignty that whosoever is under is liable to death both temporal and eternal the power thereof consisting not in saving and giving life but in destroying both of body and Soul The Sword whereby this dominion is obtained the Sceptre whereby it is maintained or as S. Paul speaks the Sting of this Serpent's head is Sin This is that which got this dominion at the first and the title whereby he still maintaineth the remainder of his jurisdiction in the world This Soveraignty this Headship of the Devil One to be born of mankind the Seed of the woman which is Christ our
purpose are your sacrifices and burnt-offerings saith the Lord your oblations and incense are abomination Your New Moons Sabbaths calling of Assemblies even the solemn meeting I cannot away with it is iniquity Would you know what was the matter see the words following Learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow Lo here a want of the duties of the second Table Such is that also of Hosea 6. 6. I desired mercy and not sacrifice which is twice alledged by our Saviour in the Gospel against the Pharisee's hypocritical scrupulosity in the same duties of the first Table with a neglect of the second But here perhaps some may find a scruple because that if Sacrifice in this or the like places be opposed to the duties of obedience required in the second Table it should hereby seem that the duties of the second Table which concern our neighbour should be preferred before the duties of the first which concern the Lord himself forasmuch as it is said I desired mercy and not sacrifice that is rather Mercy which is a duty of the second Table than Sacrifice which is of the first I answer The holy Ghost's meaning is not to prefer the second Table before the first taking them singly but to prefer the duties of both together before the service of the first alone Be more ready to joyn mercy or works of mercy with your sacrificing than to offer sacrifice alone To go on The duties of the first Table are by a special name called duties of Religion those of the second Table come under the name of Honesty and Probity Now as a man can never be truly Honest unless he be Religious So cannot that man what shew soever he makes be truly religious in God's esteem who is not honest in his conversation towards his neighbour Religion and Honesty must be married together or else neither of them will be in truth what it seems to be We know that all our duty both to God and our neighbour is comprehended under the name of Love as in that Summe of the Law Love God above all things and thy neighbour as thy self This is the Summe of the whole Law contained in both Tables But S. Iohn tells us 1 Ep. 4. 20. If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a liar which is as much as if he should say He that seems religious towards God and is without honesty towards his neighbour he is a liar there is no true religion in him If you would then know whether a man professing Religion by diligent frequenting Gods service and exercises of devotion keeping sacred times and hearing Sermons be a sound Christian or not or a seeming one only this is a sure and infallible note to discover him and for him to discover himself by For if notwithstanding his care of the duties of the first Table he makes no conscience to walk honestly towards his neighbour if he be disobedient to Parents and lawful Authority if he be cruel and uncharitable if he be unjust in his dealings fraudulent an oppressor a falsifier of Covenants and Promises a backâ—â—ster a slanderer or the like his Religion is no better than an Hypocrite's For such was the Religion of many of the Pharisees whom therefore our Saviour termeth Hypocrites Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites They were scrupulous in the duties of the first Table they paid tithe even of mint and anise they fasted twice a-week they were exact observers of the Sabbath and other ceremonies of Religion but judgment mercy and saith in their conversation towards men our Saviour tells them they regarded not Besides our Saviour's woe denounced against such there are Two dangerous Effects which accompany this evil disease which should make us beware thereof 1. Those who are addicted to Religion without any conscience of Honesty are easily drawn by the Devil to many intolerable acts under colour and in behalf thereof as they imagine We see it in the Papists and Iesuits whose preposterous zeal to their Religion makes them think Treasons Murthers Rebellions or any other such wicked acts are lawful and excusable so they be done for the good of the Catholick cause as they call it And if we search narrowly amongst our selves we shall light upon some examples of indirect and unlawful courses undertaken otherwhile on the behalf of Religion and all through want of this conscionable care of maintaining Honesty towards our neighbour together with our zeal for Religion towards God Even as we see an Horse in some narrow and dangerous passage whilest he is wholly taken up with some bugbear on the one side of the way which he would eschew and in the mean time mindeth not the other side where there is the like danger he suddenly slips into a pit or ditch with no small danger to himself and rider So is it here with such as look only to the first Table and mind not the second whilest they go about as they think to advance the duties of the one they fall most foully in the other 2. The second evil is a most dangerous Scandal which follows profession of Religion without honest conversation towards men It is a grievous stumbling-block and stone of offence making men out of love with Religion when they see such evil Effects from it and those who seem to profess it Those who are not yet come on are scared from coming resolving they will never be of their Religion which they see no better fruits of Those who are entred are ashamed and discouraged forsaking the duties of Religion that they might shun the suspicion of hypocrisie and dishonesty But woe be unto them by whom scandal cometh Let us all therefore take heed to adorn and approve our profession by bringing forth fruits not only of Piety and Devotion towards God but of works of Righteousness and Charity to our neighbour DISCOURSE XL. GENESIS 3. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat THE Story whereof the words I have read are part is so well known to all that it would be needless to spend time in any long Preface thereof Who knows not the Story of Adam's Fall who hath not heard of the Sin of Eve our Mother If there were no Scripture yet the unsampled irregularity of our whole nature which all the time of our life runs counter to all order and right reason the woâ—ul misery of our condition being a Scene of sorrow without any rest or contentment this might breed some general suspicion that ab initio non suit ita from the beginning it was not so but that he who made us Lords of his creatures made us not so worthless and vile as now we are but that some common Father to us all had drunken some strange and devilish poison wherewith the whole race
is infected This poison saith the Scripture was the breach of God's commandment in Paradise by eating of the forbidden fruit for which Adam being called to an account by the great Iudge and laying the fault upon the Woman which God had given him for an helper God vouchsafes as ye hear in my Text to examine the Woman saying What is this that thou hast done And she answers The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat These words contain in them two parts First God's Inquisition accusing Secondly The Woman's Confession excusing her fact The first in the first words And the Lord said unto the woman c. The second in the last words And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me c. For the first words which God speaks being considered absolutely are an Indictment for some crime as they are Interrogative they are an Inquisition concerning the same and therefore I call them an Inquisition accusing So the second are a Confession as the Woman says I have eaten but with an excuse when she says The Serpent beguiled me and therefore I call them a Confession excusing In the Inquisition are two things to be considered First The Author and Person who makes it which is the Lord God himself so saith my Text And the Lord God said unto the woman Secondly The Inquisition it self What is this that thou hast done In the Person who comes and makes this Inquest being the Lord God himself we may observe and behold his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wonderful Goodness and unspeakable Love to mankind which here reveals it self in four most remarkable Circumstances First In his forbearance And the Lord said When said the Lord namely not till Adam had accused her she who was first in the sin was last questioned for the same and that too because her husband had appealed her God knew and observed well enough the first degree and every progress of her sin he needed no information from another yet as though he were loth to take notice thereof as though he were loth to find her guilty yea as though he were loth to denounce the punishment which his Iustice required he comes not against her until now and that as though he were unwilling to come at all If we look back into the Story we shall yet find a further confirmation thereof How long did God hold his hand before he stripped the woman especially of that glorious beauty of her integrity and made her with opened eyes to see her shameful nakedness She had at the first onset of her Conference with the Serpent sinned a sin of Vnbelief of God and yet God spared her In the progress she sinned more in her proud Ambition of being like to God himself and to be wise above what was given her and God yet spared her She sinned when she coveted and longed once to eat of the forbidden fruit when it began to seem more pleasing and desirable unto her than Obedience to God's Commandment and God yet spared her At last she takes and eats thereof and so came to the height and consummation of her sin and yet behold and see the Clemency and Longanimity of our good God he paused yet a while until she had given unto her husband also and then and not till then he opened their eyes to see their woful misery A Lesson first to us men if so be we think the Example of God worthy our imitation to bear long with our brother as God bears with us to admonish him as it is in the Gospel the first second and third time before we use him like an Heathen or a Publican to forgive him seven times yea as Christ says to Peter if he repent and ask forgiveness seventy times seven Secondly This may be a cordial of spiritual comfort unto us sinners Though we make a shift to keep our selves from the execution of sin yet we find our hearts full of sinful thoughts ungodly desires and unclean lusts and such like sinful motions from the infirmity of our flesh which notwithstanding we cannot ever expel or be rid of yet let us hope that God out of his mercy will bear with our weakness and pass by our infirmities who bore with the sin of our first Parents until it came to execution The second Circumstance is The temper of his Iustice in that he vouchsafes first to enquire of the offence and examine the fact before he gives Sentence or proceeds to execution The like example we have Gen. 11. 5. where it is said The Lord came down to see the City and Tower which the children of men had builded afore he would confound their language or scatter them abroad from that ambitious Babel upon the face of the earth Again Gen. 18. 20 21. the Lord says Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grievous I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know He from whom no secrets are hid he that formed the heart of man and knows all the works we do he that trieth and searcheth the heart and reins even he will first examine the fact will first hear what miserable man can say for himself before his Sentence shall pass upon him not out of ignorance of what was done for how should the omniscient God be ignorant but out of his wonderful clemency and unspeakable moderation towards Man I say towards Man for to him alone he shews this favour for as for the Serpent we see he vouchsafes nor to ask him one question nor to expect what he could say for himself but presently without examination proceeds to judgment against him Doth the great God the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth deal with so unspeakable temper with his creature and is vile man a base earth-worm so austere unto his brother It was the height of Eve's whole ambition to be like unto God but her off-spring's ambition is to be most unlike unto him He glories in mercy and clemency we in rage and rash austerity He hears his creature speak before he condemns him we condemn our brother before we hear him speak Be wise be instructed ye Iudes of the earth let this great Example of God be the pattern of your imitation yealet no private man condemn another rashly until he hath heard what he may say foâ— himself as God himself here vouchsafed to go before us The third Circumstance is God's condescent unto man in that he sends neither Angels nor Ministers to examine our first Parents and to make inquisition of their offence but he coâ—â—s himself in person to take notice thereof When men are offended especially great â—en they will not deign to look upon or to admit into their presence those that have offended them How great therefore is this indulgence of Almighty God who deigâ—s here his presence to our most wretched and most naked
to commit it in God's Temple How impudently contumelious was this Sin therefore which was committed in God's very presence-chamber All these Aggravations are common to both our Parents which all laid together make their Sin as great as ever any was saving the sin against the Holy Ghost for so the best Divines do think But Eve adds one Aggravation more to her weight in that she was not content to sin her self alone but she allured and drew her husband also into the like horrible transgression with her whereby she was not only guilty of her own personal sin but of her husband 's also And this added so much unto her former sum that S. Paul 1 Tim. 2. 14. speaks of her as if she had been the only transgressour Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression So great and horrible a thing it is in the Eye of God to be cause or mover of another's sin Wo be unto them who by any means are the cause of another's fall And justly might God say to Eve for this respect though there had been no more What is this that thou hast done NOW I come to the Woman's excuse The Serpent beguiled me In which words are three things considerable The Author The Serpent The Action Guile The Object Me. Concerning the Author The Serpent two things are inquirable First What the Serpent was indeed Secondly What Eve supposed him to be For the first I think none so unreasonable as to believe it was the unreasonable and brute Serpent For whence should he learn or how should he understand God's commandment to our first Parents and how is it possible a Serpent should speak and not only so but speak the language which Eve understood For though some there be who think that Beasts and Birds have some speech-like utterings of themselves yet none that a Beast should speak the language of Men. It remains therefore that according unto the Scriptures it was that old deceiver the Devil and Satan who abused brute Serpent either by entring into him or taking his shape upon him The last of which I rather incline unto supposing it as you shall hear presently to be the Law of Spirits when they have intercourse and commerce with men to take some visible shape upon them as the Devil here the Serpent's whence he becomes styled in Scripture The old Serpent Now for the Second question What Eve took him to be whether the Serpent or Satan If we say she thought him to be the brute Serpent how will this stand with the perfection of Man's knowledg in his integrity to think a Serpent could speak like a reasonable creature Who would not judge her a silly woman now that should think so and yet the wisest of us all is far short of Eve in regard of her knowledg then Again If we say she knew him to be the Devil I will not ask why she would converse at all with a wicked spirit who she knew had fallen from his Maker but I would know how we should construe the meaning of the Holy Ghost in the beginning of this Chapter where he saith The Serpent was the subtillest of all the beasts of the field which God had made and so implies the woman's opinion of the Serpent's wisdom was the occasion why she was so beguiled otherwise to what end are those words spoken unless to shew that Satan chose the Serpent's shape that through the opinion and colour of his well-known wisdom and sagacity he might beguile the Woman For the assoiling of which difficulty I offer these Propositions following First I will suppose There is a Law in the commerce of Spirits and Men that a Spirit must present himself under the shape of some visible thing For as in natural and bodily things there is no entercourse of action and passion unless the things have some proportion each to other and unless they communicate in some Common Matter So it seems God hath ordained a Law that invisible things should converse with things visible in a shape as they are visible which is so true that the conversing presence of a Spirit is called a Vision or Apparition And Experience with the Scriptures will shew us that not only evil Angels but good yea God himself converseth in this manner with men And all this I suppose Eve knew Secondly I suppose further That as Spirits are to converse with men under some visible shape so is there a Law given them that it must be under the shape of some such thing as may less or more resemble their condition For as in nature we see every several thing hath a several and sutable Phisiognomy or figure as a badge of their inward nature whereby it is known as by a habit of distinction so it seems to be in the shapes and apparitions of Spirits And as in a well-governed Commonwealth every sort and condition of men is known by some differing habit agreeable to his quality so it seems it should be in God's great Commonwealth concerning the shapes which Spirits take upon them And he that gave the Law that a man should not wear the habit of a woman nor a woman the habit of a man because that as he had made them diverse so would he have them so known by their habits so it seems he will not suffer a good and a bad Spirit a noble and ignoble one to appear unto men after the same fashion And this also I suppose Eve knew Now from these grounds it will follow That good Angels can take upon them no other shape but the shape of Man because their glorious excellency is resembled only in the most excellent of all visible creatures the shape of an inferiour creature would be unsutable no other shape becoming those who are called the sons of God but his only who was created after God's own image And yet not his neither according as now he is but according as he was before his fall in his glorious beauty of his Integrity Age and deformity are the fruits of Sin and the Angel in the Gospel appears like a young man his countenance like lightning and his raiment white as snow as it were resembling the beauty of glorified bodies in immutability sublimity and purity Hence also it follows on the contrary That the Devil could not appear in humane shape whilest Man was in his integrity because he was a Spirit fallen from his first glorious perfection and therefore must appear in such shape which might argue his imperfection and abasement which was the shape of a Beast otherwise no reason can be given why he should not rather have appeared unto Eve in the shape of a Woman than of a Serpent for so he might have gained an opinion with her both of more excellency and knowledg But since the fall of man the case is altered now we know he can take upon him the shape of Man and no wonder since one falling star
a pit so was it here with our first Mother when thus the Devil beguiled her This first act of the Devil is that wherein we may behold as in a glass the art he still useth to tempt us unto sin and bring us to utter destruction All his method is nothing else but Guile he presents all things fair unto our face and suffers not evil to appear before us in its own ugly shape for so every man would fly from it When he would tempt a man to Covetousness he calls it Thrift when to Bribes he calls them Gratuities when to Intemperance forsooth it is Good-fellowship when to Cruelty it must be called Iustice when to Prodigality it must be taken for no other but Liberality and such like This is that which the Scripture saith The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light when he draws to Vice he would seem to mean nothing but Vertue when he tempts to works of darkness he presents them as the works of light when he plots our ruin and everlasting undoing he bears us in hand that all aims at our welfare and felicity This is that which is meant in the following verse where it it said The seed of the woman should bruise the Serpent's head but the Serpent should bruise his heel as though the Serpent should love to assault at unawares and so as he might not be seen to intend any such matter before he had done the feat and therefore his fashion should be to come behind a man and as it were to catch him by the heel For that this was the Embleme of Guile and deceitful dealing it may be gathered from the story of Iacob and Esau when as Esau being beguiled of the blessing by the craft of his brother Iacob makes an allusion to his name Well saith he may he be called Iacob for he hath beguiled me now these two times Now Iacob had his name in the beginning because he caught his brother by the heel when he came out of the womb for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the heel and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much to say as an Heeler whence the allusion of Esau hath this sense if we take it verbatim My brother may well be called an Heeler for he hath heeled me these two times Now because to come behind a man and take him by the heel was foul play therefore of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heel comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dolus fallacia guile and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a verb signifying to deceive or beguile which is the second sense that Esau would imply by his allusion That his brother might well be called a Beguiler because he had beguiled him now these two times But of this I shall have occasion to speak more hereafter Since therefore we have seen the Devil's practice and learned that he works altogether by deceit how wary should the consideration hereof make us to be in all the ways of our life If we knew we had to deal with a man that used to beguile all that came into his fingers in what continual jealousie and suspicion would we be how would we cast about to find which way he might not circumvent us how wary would we be to entertain any profer from him there could be nothing made seem so fair but we would suspect some foul meaning to be in it If we would be thus disposed in matters of lesser moment how careful should we be in greater if where the ability of deceiving is lesser what manner of men should we be when we know the Arch-deceiver of the world is continually attending upon us labouring to beguile us Should we here adventure upon any action rashly No surely but be first well advised We should not be too confident in our own persuasions lest they may prove the Devil's suggestions And though the reasons we apprehend be never so good and the case seem never so clear and the way we are to walk in never so secure yet ought we to make some pause and act a fit of jealousie afore we adventure AND thus much of the Serpent's action Guile Now I come to The Object Me. Me the weaker of the two Me so much endeared in the affection of my Lord that he could not but do any thing at my request Of these two respects I will speak in order and first of the first The Devil assaults us there where he finds us weakest as here in this first sin he attempts the Woman the weaker vessel The Serpent beguiled me for he knows this is the readiest way to overcome A skilful Commander being to take a City will not make his battery on that part of the wall which is strongly fortified for so he might make his shot in vain but will assault it there where it is least defensible where a breach will be easily made and yet entring he becomes Master of the whole how well fortified soever even so the Devil will be sure to force us there where we are least able to resist if he finds any part not well bulwark'd with resolution there he plants the Canon of his temptation and with an easie breach becomes Master of the whole piece Hence we may learn what to esteem of those imperfect courses concerning the Commandments of God too frequent among the sons of men There are many who resolve firmly against diverse kinds of sins that they will never be drawn by any means to commit them but they have always some one wherein they demur whether they should resolve to yield to it or not if occasion should be offered Many will fortily themselves very strongly against the assaults of bribery of covetousness of theft of promise-breaking of drunkenness but as concerning their lust they are unresolved what to do if a temptation should assault them and so in others there is some other inclination but slenderly guarded when for the rest they could glory how strongly they are fortified But we must know that when the Devil comes to assault us he will pass by us where we are strong and attempt us only there where our weakness lies and then we shall find all our labour lost and all our other strength to have stood us in little stead For what will it boot to guard the walls of our City never so strongly if but one part be left unguarded for the enemies to enter Is not all the enemie's A Ship though in other parts never so sound will sink if but one leaking hole be left unstopped Let us therefore survey our Hearts diligently and finding where we lie exposed to danger there most strengthen our selves with resolution And thus I come to the second respect why the Devil made choice of the Woman namely because of the vehemency of her Husband's affection towards her so that to have gained her was to have gotten him also For he seemed to think that her strength in her Husband's affection was more powerful to
prevail with him than his subtile motives were to overcome him and indeed the Event prov'd he was not much deceiv'd Hence we are to observe That the Devil taketh advantage of the vehemency of our Passions to work our overthrow if he once find these to fasten his hold by he then thinks he may lead us whither he lift To have gained our affections is as it were to have gotten a party within which is a dangerous advantage to further the invasion of an enemy especially when most of our Passions are our Favorites which we can deny nothing they ask and if they be once bribed will work us wholly to the dispose of our Arch-enemy That we may not therefore afford the Devil this advantage and as it were reach him a rope to hang us withal it behoves us so to govern and temper our Passions and Affections that they transport us not into the Devil's jurisdiction which that we may the better do it will not be unfit to set down some Rules for performance thereof First therefore It is best to resist our Passions at the beginning and to use the same policy which Pharaoh did with the Israelites that they might not over-run his Country in killing all their Infants as soon as they were born While the sore is green Chirurgeons seldom despair but festered once they hardly cure it So it is with the Passions of our Mind when they are first growing they are soon curbed but being a little entertained they will hardly be subdued The second means is To inure our selves to cross our Passions when there is no danger and to bridle our selves sometimes from ordinary and lawful desires that we may do it with more ease when we are in danger For how can he hope to be able to master his Passions when dangerous temptations assault him who never used them to it in the time of his security We know that men who would fit themselves for the Wars will practice in the time of Peace when there is no enemy near and will toil and labour when they might be at rest will lie hard when they may command a soft bed will watch when they might sleep and all to make them able to endure the like when they shall have need The like must we do that we may get an habit to cross and subdue our Passions when we shall have need The third means is To fly occasions which may incense the Passions whereunto we are inclined Occasiones faciunt latrones saith the Proverb Occasion makes him a thief which else might have been an honest man Wherefore he that commits himself to Sea in a boisterous tempest is worthy to suffer Shipwrack and he that willingly puts himself in the company of infected persons may blame himself if he fall into their diseases Lastly but chiefly When thy Passions are most vehement then seek for succour from Heaven Fly under the wings of Christ as the Chickens under the Hen when the Kite seeks to devour them Beat at the gates of mercy and crave grace to overcome thy misery He is thy Father and will not give thee a Serpent if thou ask him Fish Humble thy self before him open thy sores and wounds unto him and the good Samaritan will pour in both wine and oyl and thy Passions shall melt and fall away as clouds are dispelled and consumed by the Sun DISCOURSE XLI GENESIS 3. 14. And the Lord God said unto the Serpent Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life THESE words contain in them the Serpent's Doom and Destiny pronounced upon him by the great Lord of Heaven and Earth They contain in them two parts First The Reason of this Sentence in the words Because thou hast done this Secondly The Sentence it self in the words following Thou art cursed above all cattel c. The Reason of this Heavy doom is Because thou hast done this What This namely Because he had beguiled the Man and Woman which God had made and caused them to transgress his great Commandment He therefore that is the cause and occasion of anothers sin is as hateful to God as the doer and is liable to as great or rather a greater punishment than he For the Serpent here for causing hath this doom as well as the Man and Woman for doing Nay which is to be observed his doom is the first read unto him as if he were the Arch-offender and not to the Man or Woman till he was done with What should this mean but that his fault being the mover was more grievous in the eyes of God than theirs which is the reason also why the Woman comes in the next place to have her Sentence because she had been a sin-maker and was guilty not only of her own personal sin but of her husband 's also whence the Man who had sinn'd only himself and not caused others to sin had his judgment last of all I might also confirm the same from the quality of their several judgments in that the Serpent alone is doom'd to be accursed and no such word spoken either of the Man or the Woman But I shall not need to tarry here to prove How horrible and fearful a thing it is to be the Author of another's sin We know they are the words of our Saviour Matt. 18. 6 7. Wo unto the world because of scandals and wo unto the man by whom a scandal cometh it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea And S. Paul 1 Cor. 8. 13. would eat no meat as long as the world lasteth rather than make his brother to offend Would they would consider this who are not content alone to sin themselves but play the Devil in corrupting others It seems they long to be double damn'd I would also they would think of this who make no conscience at all by extremities and vexations and other grievances to drive a man to Perjury and other grievous sins and yet think themselves free when they should know that he that is the Author of another's sin makes another's guilt his own and shall share in the punishment every whit as deep as he But this shall suffice to have observed in the first part The Reason of the Serpent's doom Now I come to the second The doom it self wherein the words as you see have all relation to the Serpent For the Lord said unto the Serpent Thou art cursed c. Thou shalt go upon thy breast c. But because this Serpent was more than a brute Serpent the Devil himself being the chief Agent in this his Instrument it is a thing much controverted Vpon which of these this curse is here pronounced 1. Some would have it spoken only of the brute Serpent because here is a comparison made
done more than been abused by him which they could not avoid he being their Lord and Master And should not we think that Law of God just Lev. 20. 15. where if a man commit abomination with a beast the beast is commanded to be slain as well as the man who only had sinned This proves that Objection to be wholly insufficient But yet the difficulty of the resolution How this may stand with God's justice remains as before which therefore comes now to be resolved 1. We know that all the Beasts of the Field and the Fowls of the Air and the Fishes of the Sea were made for the use and service of Man in one kind or other as he should have occasion to use them 2. If Man had stood in his first creation the service of the Creatures should have been sutable to his excellency and integrity and so far more noble than now it is that even the creatures might be partakers of his happiness then in that sense they yet look for the glorious liberty of the sons of God to come 3. But when man was once fallen the service of the creature was altered and became a bondage of corruption as S. Paul terms it that is ignoble and sutable to the corrupt condition of man under sin Those which should have been imployed excellently for the use of his integrity are now to serve him ignominiously according to his sin and misery namely either to be the means to punish him for his sin or to relieve him in his misery To punish him all the Creatures for his use are become base corrupt and unworthy and so nothing so useful for him as they had been the Earth will not bring forth for him but with his labour and toil and then too when it should bear him corn it brings forth thorns and thistles the Creatures which should serve and honor him do often seise upon him and destroy him And thus are the Creatures imployed for man's use indeed but a woful use to afflict and punish him for his sin all the days of his life Another way notwithstanding they are useful and serviceable for his good as helps to relieve and better him in this his condition of sin as to be made Documents of the wrath of God to move him to Repentance and Emblems to know the condition of his most deadly enemy the Devil and how he ought to abhor and hate him and the hope and expectation of conquering and triumphing over him in the Blessed seed of the woman And for this use and service was the Serpent abased and made vile according to his Curse in my Text That as he was made excellent to serve him in integrity so he was now abased to be made fit to do him the best service in his misery And what Injustice could this be in God when he made him at first he made him so as he made him for the service of man and now when he marr'd him he marr'd him likewise for man's service The second thing to be resolved is Whether this Curse were pronounced only upon one individual Serpent or whether upon all Serpents in general or upon some one only kind which the Devil had thus abused Of one individual Serpent it cannot be because there is mention here of the enmity of the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman which implies a generation of many Serpents and besides this Curse was to be a Monument not only to Adam but to all his posterity as long as the world lasted but one individual Serpent lived not so long Neither is it credible to be spoken of all kinds of Serpents in general Because there is almost as great a variety of Serpents as of four-footed beasts of several kinds and species and why should any kind suffer save that only which had been abused to offend Besides I make no doubt but divers kinds of Serpents went at the first Creation upon their breasts as now they do and were every whit as base as now they are excepting the general decay of all Creatures since the Fall It remains therefore that it was only one kind of Serpent which bore this special Malediction and that such a kind as was not only the noblest of all the kinds of Serpents but as it seems far excelling all the Creation besides Man only excepted for beauty wisdom and sagacity but afterward by this Curse became not only baser than the rest of the beasts of the field but even as base and vile as the vilest kind of Serpent And therefore it could not be the Basilisk as some have held though it be the most poisonful of all others and as it were a King among Serpents as the name imports for if Plinie and Solinus who report the former say true this Serpent here accursed should rather be any other kind than that because the Basilisk upon their report goes with his breast and fore-part of his body advanced erectus à medio incedens saith Plinie or as Solinus mediâ corporis parte serpit mediâ arduus est excelsus but this Serpent here was from the hour of his doom to go for ever upon his breast which I wonder they considered not who from the advanced posture of the Basilisk's body have conceived the clean contrary For as by this example we may believe that the Serpent now accursed did so before his curse so that he should still do so it is a most direct gainsaying of Scripture to imagine But to come to the words of the Doom which as you see are first General then Particular General in these Thou art cursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field What it is to be accursed we shall know if we first understand what it is to be blessed To be blessed or happy is nothing else but an all-fruition of good or to have a sufficient provision and furniture of good both for being and well-being So then that Creature is happy and blessed which hath a sufficiency of all good for the being and preservation of it self which wants neither endowments inward nor means outward for the attaining of that End whereof it is by nature capable To be accursed is to have the contrary to this to be despoiled either of endowments internal or inherent without which it hath no dignity among the creatures or external without which it cannot live and preserve it self but with much penury difficulty toil and danger Whatsoever therefore among the Beasts of the field for with such only is the comparison made is for inherent perfections of all the most unworthy and base or for the outward furniture of means for the preservation of that ignoble Being by unprovision of all others the most wretched and miserable this is that which is accursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field And such was the Serpent's condition to be for the general And now for the particulars let us go on
one and the other were Spiritual or Sacramental namely in being Signs resembling and assuring Christ with the Spiritual Blessings through him 3. In what sense these Sacraments are said to be the same with ours to wit not in the Signs but in the Spiritual thing signified which is the Soul and Essence of a Sacrament We come now to such Observations as these Words and Explications will afford us The first whereof is That if the Seals and Sacraments under the Law were the same with ours then must they also have the same Covenant of Grace with us for the Sacraments are Seals of the Covenant If the Seals then were the same as our Apostle affirmeth how should not the Covenant also be the same and seeing their Sacraments were differing in the Signs from ours how could they be any way the same with ours but only in what they sealed and signified The Fathers therefore were saved by Grace and through Christ as well as we So true is that the Apostle says Acts 4. 12. There is no other name under Heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved For Iesus Christ as it is Heb. 13. 8. is the same yesterday and to day and for ever that is He was a Saviour of old is still and shall be for ever hereafter This is that which S. Peter yet more expresly affirmeth Acts 3. 25. saying Ye are the children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers saying to Abraham And in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Yea not only from Abraham but even from that time when God said The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's head was this Covenant made with men and at length diversly shadowed in the Types and Sacrifices of the Law until Christ himself was revealed in the flesh For the better understanding of this we must know what a Covenant is and what are the kinds thereof A Covenant is as it were a Bargain between God and man wherein God promises some Spiritual good to us so we perform some duty unto him if not then to incur everlasting punishment This Covenant is of two sorts the one is called The Covenant of Works the other The Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Works is wherein God on his part makes us a promise of Eternal life if we on our part shall perform exact obedience unto his Law otherwise to be everlastingly condemned if we fail The Covenant of Grace or of the Gospel is wherein God on his part promises us sinners Christ to be our Saviour and Redeemer if we on our part shall believe on him with a lively and obedient faith otherwise to be condemned The Covenant of Works God made with man at his Creation when he was able to have kept the conditions he required but he through his disobedience broke it and so became liable to death doth Corporal and Spiritual And though the Covenant of Grace then took place as we have said yet was the former Covenant of Works still in force until Christ who was promised should come in the flesh And therefore was this Covenant renewed under Moses with the Israelites when the Law was given in Horeb as Moses sayes Deut. 5. 2. The Lord God made a Covenant with us in Horeb. For all the time under the Law the open and apparent Covenant was the Covenant of Works to make them the more to see their own misery and condemnation and so to long after Christ who was yet to come and at whose coming this obligation should be quite cancelled Yet nevertheless together with this open Covenant there was a secret and hidden Covenant which was the Covenant of Grace that they might not be altogether without the means of Salvation whilst Christ yet tarried This truth is plain Gal. 3. 17 c. where the Apostle affirms That the Covenant of Grace in Christ was four hundred and thirty years afore the Law was given and that therefore the Law could not disannul it or make it of none effect but that the Law so he calls the Covenant of Works was only added to it because of transgressions until the blessed Seed should come v. 19. and that it might be a Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ v. 24. For in the Moral Law of God under whose curse they stood bound they might as in a Glass see their sin their guilt their want of Righteousness and in their Ceremonies and Sacrifices they might again as in Shadows of Heavenly things behold the means of their Reconciliation through his bloud who was to be slain and offered to God for them Now though this Covenant of Grace afore Christ be the same for substance with that under which we are now since his coming yet the circumstances and outward fashion thereof are so varied that the Scripture for this regard makes of this one Covenant two Covenants calling one the Old Covenant for the old manner thereof under the Law and the other a New Covenant for the new manner thereof now the Gospel is revealed Having therefore already seen the agreement and onâ—ness of them for the inward part let us now behold their differences for the outward fashion and so we shall see that as the Fathers ate the same Spiritual meat and drank the same Spiritual drink and yet there was some difference in them so the Fathers were under the same Covenant of Grace with us and yet after a different fashion This difference S. Paul Gal. 4. 1. c. setteth forth thus by a similitude The heir as long as he is a child c. i. e. The difference of the condition of those afore Christ and since is but as the condition of Heirs when they are under age and when they come to full years They are Heirs and Lords of all in both conditions as well in one as the other only the difference is that in the one condition they are in the state of Servants under Tutors and Governors in the other they enjoy the freedom of Sons So the faithful in the Law enjoyed the same Covenant of Grace with us but under the bondage of worldly Elements but we now have the same in a state of freedom as not held under such burthensome Elements and Pedagogies as they were But elsewhere he shews this difference more expresly both on God's part and our part First On our part Heb. 8. and elsewhere thus The Old Covenant which required so many external services is called a carnal Covenant the New wherein no such are required but works of the Spirit only is a Spiritual Covenant whereof God means when he saith v. 10. I will put my Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts and so he will be their God and they shall be his people For in the Old Covenant he wrote a Law as it were upon their hands and fleshly members in that he required so many fleshly washings and sprinklings and
time and gives me no leisure to perfect that whereby I might perhaps prevent a great part of the Objections which now are made Thus hoping you will accept this tumultuary Answer I rest commending your Studies and endeavours to the Divine Blessing Christ's Colledge Iune 17. 1629. Your loving Friend Ioseph Mede EPISTLE VII Mr. Hayn's Second Letter to Mr. Mede about several Prophetical passages in Daniel and the Revelation To the First THESIS BEfore Christ's time all the East as Tacitus saith expected a King to rule over all the world whence could this be but from the expectation of the Iews of the Kingdom which was to spread over all the world after the ruine of the fourth Beast in Daniel and that they now saw the divided Kingdom of the Greeks after Antiochus Epiphanes his time decaying and likely to be extinguished And in Christ's time the faithful the rest were blind guides not to be followed believing Christ and the Apostles preaching the coming of the Kingdom of God against which Hell gates should not prevail must necessarily conceive that the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel was at the last cast and therefore understand the Fourth Kingdom to be the parted Greeks lately expiring in Cleopatra her Brother Ptolemy or others and not the Roman still flourishing and not likely yet to fall For the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel was to fall before the setting up of the everlasting Kingdom of Christ. And if in Christ's time the faithful did conceive thus of the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel then succeeding Ages to those Primitive times so long as they retained a right judgment were of the same mind The Iews in after-times went about to perswade that the Romans calling them Edom also were the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel because they might be thought to hold aright that Messias was not yet come who should be the Stone falling on the toes of the Fourth Kingdom Eusebius and some others have fallen into this trap set by Iews Seeing it is a course to harden Iews against the true Messias already come we shall do well to avoid it If you demand Why then did not Christ and the Apostles use this Argument to prove him the true Messias In effect they did They preached that the Kingdom of God was at hand the coming whereof implies the Fall of the Fourth Kingdom and that was then ocular and to be understood of the Successors of Antiochus falling not of the Romans flourishing And seeing that in the preaching of Christ's Kingdom it was to be taught that his Kingdom was not of this world at which point the Iews stumbled Christ's main Argument was The works which I do they testifie of me To the Second THESIS You affirm that the Roman Kingdom was revealed to Daniel in imagine confusa but explicated to Iohn by specification of the Fates and the order rerum gerundarum This cannot stand good For the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel is more particularly and distinctly set down then any of the other Three And of the other Three be not revealed in imagine confusa but fully enough for the specification of their Fates and the order of their acts then much more the Fourth Kingdom which is far more amply in types and explication set out in Daniel Then secondly It cannot be said to be set down in imagine confusa for it is orderly and in special manner handled First for the Original It rises out of the Sea Then for the power It is strong as iron able to break in pieces and subdue all Dan. 2. 40. It is fearful very strong and hath ten horns It hath iron teeth and nails of brass In conclusion It hath one little horn that pulls away three of the former ten It hath ten Kings and one unlike the rest It in the end shall be partly strong as Iron partly weak as Clay For the stirs it should make and the persecution brought on the Church thereby It subdued and did break in pieces all things as Iron bruiseth and breaketh all Dan. 2. 40. It devours and breaks in pieces and stamps the residue under feet Dan. 7. 7. As the ten horns do mischief so especially the little horn which made war with the Saints and prevailed against them and consumed them It waxed great even to the host of heaven and cast some of the host and the stars to the ground and stamped on them Chap. 8. 10. It thought to alter times and laws Chap. 7. 25. Then also as you hold in your Explication of Dan. 11. ver 36. and after the Roman Kingdom is there prophesâ—ed of that he should conquer Macedon and every King and Nation should persecute mock and crucifie Christ and persecute Christians till Constantine's times Then the Pope should arise worshipping Daemonia and countenancing single life shall not regard any God but magnify himself above all In the Seat and Temple of God should worship Mahuzzims with gold and with silver and precious stones and distribute the earth among his Mahuzzims deal with Saracens and Turks enter into Palaestine c. Chap. 11. Then for the blasphemy of this Kingdom mention is made of the mouth speaking presumptuous things Chap. 7. 8. speaking against the most High Verse 25. and speaking marvellous things against the God of Gods Chap. 11. 36. The Fall also of this Kingdom is plainly expressed Chap. 2. 34 45. Chap. 7. 11 26. by being broken in pieces and blown as chaffe by being destroyed and given to the fire by perishing unto the end Lastly the time of this Fourth Kingdom 's domineering or at least of the chief violence of it is expressed A times time and half a time answerable to the time of the woman's keeping from the Serpent Apoc. 12. 14. Then the time of taking away the daily sacrifice continues 2300. days Thus it is evident how particularly Daniel hath laid open the Original the Acts the Sufferings and Fall of the Fourth Kingdom in Daniel And yet I have not brought all particulars Hence it is manifest that this cannot be a general decyphering of the Roman Kingdom but a particular description of some other Kingdom which fell before Christ's time Here now if you shall object that the Beast Dan. 7. doth shew the very same kingdom that is set out Apoc. 13. because in Original and Power and Persecution and Fall and Time it so much agrees with the same I answer That God is unchangeable and inflicts punishments alike on sinners alike and expresses after-matters by words used in narrations of former matters of like nature which much helps our weakness for understanding of these depths And therefore the Apocalyps is as it were made up with the Allusions Metaphors and Formulae loquendi of the Books of the Old Testament yet do not almost all the Visions of the Apocalyps as one unjustly judges handle imprimis Res Iudaeorum but Res Christianorum in the words of former Prophets So we may express a matter that Tully never
City taken by Totilas and a third part thereof demolished and the rest left for a while memorandum Fortunae ludibrium without an inhabitant and lastly the Ostrogothish Kingdom which a while as a blaze continued the light of the dying Caesars in Italy by Narses utterly extinguished WOE WOE WOE The Fifth Trumpet is the First Woe and brings the Saracen Locusts upon the world proceeding out of the smoaky and darkning Seduction of Mahomâ—t conjured up by the Angel of the bottomless pit who though a warlike people and well armed yet had not power to destroy either the State of Caesars in New Rome or the Papal Principality sprung out of the Empire 's ruine in the Old but only Scorpion-like to torment and vex them as their Tail or hindermost Troups out of Africk did Italy and Western Rome 150 years The Sixth Trumpet is the Second Woe and brings upon the Roman Provinces the barbarous and dreadful â—nâ—ndation of the Turks loosing them from the great River Euphrates where they had been long before prepared and now let go as a plague for the Idolatry of Christians 〈◊〉 only as the Saracen Locusts to plague and torment the Roman State buâ— in part tâ— utterly slay and destroy it as they have done in the Empire of Greece which the Saracens had no power to do The Seventh and Last Trumpet is yet to come the entrance whereof is the Last Woe wherein all the Reliques of the Roman Beast with the last Principality of the City of Rome yet surviving shall together with the rest of the enemies of Christ be utterly abolished in the Great Day of Armagedden that all the Kingdoms of the world may become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Ch. 11. 15. Note that when the Angel comes at the Seventh Trumpet because the Event thereof is the common issue to both Prophecies he therefore suspends it a while till he hath fetch'd up Chap. 11. a transcurrent and through-running Vision of the Second Prophecy unto it and then joyns them together in one and the same close The Kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. The Second Prophecy The Opened Book containing Fata Ecclesiae I. By the Inmost and Measured Court of the Temple I understand the Church in her Primitive Purity whenas yet the Christian Worship was unprophaned and answerable to the Divine Rule revealed from above By the War between Michael and the Dragon about the Woman 's manly Off-spring contemporary with the Measured Court I understand that long and bloudy Combate which Christ our Lord animating with his Spirit his undaunted Souldiers fought with the Devil possessing and reigning in the Ethnick Roman State that is the Times of the Primitive Persecution by the Heathen Emperors a War lasting long and costing the lives of many a valiant Martyr yet at 300 years end when a Christian was installed in the Imperial Throne the old Dragon was dismounted and overthrown and the Souldiers of Christ our Lord prevailed For they overcame him by the bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and loved not their lives unto the death Note that the Description of this Vision is double in the Text 1. more General The Dragon's endeavour to destroy the Woman's Off-spring from ver 1. to the 7. verse 2. more Particular of his Battel with Michael the Woman's Champion For that these two Descriptions are of the same thing and same time is manifest in that one and the same Event The Woman's escape into the Wilderness is the Consequent to them both II. 1. By the Second or Outward Court trampled by the Gentiles and not to be measured I understand the Apostasie under the Man of Sin when the Visible Church being possessed by Idolaters and Idolatry like that of the Gentiles became so inconformable and unapt for Divine measure that it was to be cast out and accounted as prophane and polluted For the Apostasie of the Church is Ethnicismus Christianus 2. By the Witnesses in sack-cloth I understand the mournful Prophecy of God's true Ministers during all that time who when toward the end of their days of mourning they should be about to put off their sack-cloth and leave their lamentation seeing the Truth they witnessed beginning to take place by publick Reformation the Beast which ascends out of the Abyss shall slay them and rejoyce over them as dead three days and an half that is so many years 3. By the Woman in the Wilderness Ch. 12. I understand the condition of the true Church in respect of her Latency and Invisibility to the eyes of man As the Israelites when they had escaped the rage and gotten out of the reach of the Egyptian Pharaoh yet lived a long time after but in a Wilderness an infrequent and barren place where they could not have lived without being extraordinarily fed with Manna from Heaven Such was the condition of the Apostolical Woman and Church of Christ when she had escaped the rage and fury of the Dragon persecuting in the Seven-headed Empire 4. By the Virgin-Company of the 144000 Sealed ones I understand the opposite State of the unstained Church unto the Kingdom of Apostasie in their sincerity of Service and faithful adherence to their Lord and Master whilst the rest worshipped the Beast and his Image These are those who when the Trumpets were to sound were secured by the Mark of Divine protection lest their Society should have been extinguished in those Calamities which then fell upon the Empire How could this Holy Company else but have perished in such Confusions In that place they were represented by the Tribes of Israel for the present Church of the Gentiles is but Israel surrogatus and so by God accounted until the Fulness of the Gentiles come in 5. By the Seven-headed Ten-horned Beast the Two horned False-Prophet and Babylon the Mother of Harlots I understand the State and Kingdom of Apostasie according to three subordinate parts thereof 1. The Body 2. the Head 3. the Seat For Kingdoms especially of the ancient form consisted of three parts Regnum Rex Metropolis Regni So in the Kingdom of Apostasie for such it was to be are Regnum Apostaticum Rex Apostaticus Metropolis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Kingdom of Apostasie was to be the Roman Empire upon a deadly wound of the Caesarean Sovereignty shivered into a Plurality of Kingdoms yet all joyntly as one Body anew acknowledging the Motherdom of the Roman City This is that Seven-headed Beast with Ten crowned Horns upon the Seventh Head whereof S. Iohn speaks Chap. 13. whose description there I understand as if he had said I saw a Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns with Diadems which upon the recovery of a deadly wound in one of his Heads arose out of the Sea and succeeded in the Throne Power and
35 Schism the evil and danger of it 876 Scripture The Holy Scripture is not to be kept in an unknown tongue 190. whether the silence of Scripture be an argument sufficient to conclude against matter of fact 840. an account of some Idioms or Forms of speech in Scripture 161 and 347 349 380 285 and 352 Sea what it signifies in the Prophetick style 462 The Sealing of the 144000 in Apocal. 7. what it means 584 Seed of the Woman meant of Christ's person and Christ mystical 236 Serpent why the Devil took this shape 223 289. the Curse was pronounced upon both the Serpent and the Devil 229. what kind of Serpent was accursed 230. how God could in Iustice punish the brute Serpent 229 230 his Curse was To go upon his Breast and not only on his Belly 231 232. as also To feed on dust 233 234. Enmity between Man and the Serpent 234. The Serpents Seed meant of the Devil and wicked men 236. The Serpents Head or Headship is Principatus mortis 237 Set Forms See Prayer Seven eyes of the Lord are the seven Archangels 41 43 Seven Heads of the Beast signifie both 7 Hiâ—s and 7 Successions of different sorts of Governours 524 Seven Seals in Apocal. 6. what is meant thereby 441 917 c. Seven Trumpets See Trumpets Seven Vials See Vials Seventy Weeks See Daniels Weeks Seventy years See Years Shechinah or Gods special presence in a place is where the Angels keep their station 343 c. Sheep set at Christs right hand 841 Shiloh the name of Messiah 34 it signifies a Peace-maker 35 Silence in holy offices was a point of Religion 458 Simeon Metaphrastes his fabulous Legends 682 c. his design therein 683 c. Sin compared in Scripture to an Heavy Burthen in respect of the Weight of Punishment and of Loathsomness 151. the reason of Sins Loathsomness 152. Conformity between the Sin and Punishment in 4 particulars 144. the hainousness of a Sin to be estimated from the hearts election 350. Commission of one Sin makes way for another 135. what it is to forsake Sin 207. Rules to know whether our purpose to forsake Sin be real 152 153 Sin-offering what 287 Sincerity of Heart what it is how it may be known and attain'd 217 218 Sitting at Gods right hand what it signifies 638 639. that it is a priviledge appropriate to Christ. ibid. Some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word doth not always in Scripture imply a small number 648 c. Socinian Tenets censured 869 883 Son of man whence Christ is so called 764 788 Spirit sometimes in Scripture signifies Doctrine 626 Spirit and truth See Worship in spirit and truth Spirits Good or Evil how they appear and converse with men 223 224 Spiritual blessings were veiled in Earthly Promises under the Law 249 250 Stealing is either by Force or by Fraud both forbidden in the 8 Commandment 132. See more in Theft Sun Moon and Stars what they are according to the Prophetick style in the Political world 449 450 466 615 Synagogues how they differ'd from Proseucha's 66. their antiquity 839 Synchronisms what 491. their usefulness 431 581 T. TAbernack of meetingâ— so call'd from God's meeting there with men 343. Feast of Tabernacles wherein it was a Figure of Christ 266. how it was neglected to be kept from Iosua's time to Nehemiah's 268. what this Omission may seem to imply 268 Table sometimes in Scripture put for Epulum or the Meat it self 386. Table of the Lord in 1 Cor. 10. why so called 375. the name Table not used in any Ecclesiastical Writer before 200 years after Christ 860. Table and Altar how they differ 389 Holy Table Name and Thing 844 Temple what the Gentiles Notion of a Temple was 335 336. why the primitive Christians for the most part abstain'd from the name Temple 336 337 Temple at Ierusalem it s 3 Courts in our Saviours time 44 45. it was the Third or Gentiles Court that was prophaned by the Iews and vndicated by our Saviour 45 46. This Temple is called in Scripture Gods Throne 438 439 917. In what respects it was a Type of Christ. 48 407 263 Temples of the Heathen why they are said by the ancient Fathers to be nothing else but the Sepulchres of dead men 633 Ten Horns signifie in Dan. and the Apocal. Ten Kingdoms into which the Roman Empire was shivered 661. that they belong to the Seventh or Vppermost Head of the Beast 499 737 Ten Kings See Ten Horns Teraphim what they were and how they answered to Vrim and Thummim 183 Terumah or Heave-offering defined 288 the Terumoth or Heave-offerings were either First-fruits or Tithes or Frâ—e-will-offerings 290 Theft in no case lawful 133. the trial of it in doubtful cases was in the Iewish Polity by the parties Oath Hence Perjury and Theft are forbidden together in Scripture 133 Three Kings whom the Little Horn should depress to advance himself 779 Throne to be taken up to Gods Throne what 494 Thummim See Vrim Thunder See Bath Kol Time Times and half a Time what 497 656 744. Times of the Gentiles 753. Times put for Things done in time 737 Tithes How the question of the due of Tithes is to be stated 120 Tituls why Houses and Churches were so called 5 327 328 Tobit's prophesie of the Iews Captivity and Restauration explain'd 579 Transubstantiation promoted by lying Miracles 688 Trees what they signifie in the Prophetick style 460 Trespass-offering how it differed from the Sin-offering 287 Tribes why the 12 Tribes are in Apocal 7. reckoned in a different order than elsewhere in Scripture 455 c. Tribute See Rent Trumpets Seven Trumpets their meaning 595 Turks why described in Apocal. 9. by the army of Horsemen 473 Twelve why each of the 24 Courses or Quires of Singers in the Temple consisted of Twelve 3 Typical speeches often true in the Type and Antitype 285. when what is attributed to the Type belongs to the thing typified 468 V. VEspers See Even-song Vials Seven Vials their meaning 585 923. the agreement between the 7 Vials and 7 Trumpets 585 Vintage what it means in the Propherick style 521 c. Visions Apocalyptick whether represented in the Seven-sealed Book to be seen or to be read by S. Iohn 787 An Vnrepentant Sinner is an Insidel 153 Vnworthy receiving See Sacraments Vows The 3 Vows common to all Monks viz. Vow of Chastity Poverty and Abstaining from meats the Fourth Vew viz. of Obedience not common to all nor so old 689 Vrim and Thummim what they signifie 183. they were a Divine Oracle ibid. the Matter thereof and the Manner of enquiring thereby 184 185. How Vrim and Thummim did typisie something in Christ. 185 186 W. WAldenses See Albigenses White To walk in white To be clothed with white raiment what meant thereby in the Apocalyps 909 Whore and Whoredom meant according to the Prophetick style of Idolatry 645 646. Whoe of Babylon in Apocal. 17. why this Vision only of all