to the exact rule of justice contrary to Iob. 3. 9. None can answer God one for a thousand Neither can he blinde us as he doth himselfe by saying accedente gratia Dei for Gods grace and satisfactory works are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can never stand together Rom. 11. 6. if of grace not of workes 5 That a Priest may properly forgive sinnes as Tecellius the Popes pardoner openly proclaymes in Churches and elsewhere that although a man had layne by our Lady the Mother of Christ and begotten her with child yet he was able by the Popes power to pardon the fact This horrible blasphemy was the ground of Luthers revolt from Popery 6 That a man having true faith in Christ may be damned Bellarm. de baptis l. 1. c. 14 Against the Apostle in Eph. 2. 10. Wee are saved by faith and Rom. 5. 1. by faith wee have peace with God and our Saviours promise that the gates of hel shall not prevaile against it To these sixe I could adde sixe hundred more to make this flood of Antichristian heresies swell but I content my self with a taste I I. A flood of slaunders and gulfe of reproaches and hellish devises imputing to the Woman and true profession of religion most scandalous opinions and hainous enterprises and all to keepe the Woman under water to get the secular sword drawne against her and to make the Princes jealous fierce and severe against her as the greatest enemie of their estates and royalties Instances of the former Doth not Antichrist out of his mouth send out most false and slaunderous lies as that our doctrine teacheth 1 That the Church hath fayled from off the earth many hundered yeares till Luther 2 That wee condemne all Councells Fathers Antiquity and will onely be tyed and tryed by Scripture whereas wee refuse not to bee judged by men judging according to Scripture and allow the Churches approbation and consent of Antiquity onely holding it absurd that the authority of Scripture should depend upon the approbation of the Church which is the question And this were to make the shine of the sunne dependant on the light of a candle 3 That wee teach God the author of sin even of that treacherous sinne of Iudas Rhem on Act. 2. sect 9. Whereas wee only teach as Scripture doth that Christ was delivered up according to the determinate counsell of God and that God hardneth evill men not as an author of evill but as a righteous judge and not by bare permission but by actuall with-holding his grace and giving them over to the divell to be hardned as a just judgement 4 That wee are enemies to all good workes and hold only faith necessarie nay that we condemne good workes as sinfull pharisaicall hypocriticall Rhem. on Rom. 2. sect 3. whereas wee teach that to justification before God faith is only necessarie but such a faith as worketh by love and that good workes are inseparable fruits of faith signes of justification and a way in which Christians must walke to salvation And many more imputations there are not needfull to be all rehearsed For the latter Have not the Papists in all ages prooved themselves to be the very mouth of the dragon breathing out nothing but their owne poysonfull inventions against our religioÌ„ and sincere Preachers and Professors of the same Have they not published to all the world and do that no sort of men are such enemies to Princes and governement none such disturbers of a setled State and common peace no sect so bad none so unworthy of common favour none such enemies to Laws orders Kingdomes Have they not licked up the spettle of the father of lies and infinitely shamed themselves with lyes and slaunders as blacke as the waters of Styx the river of hell as that Luther learned his Divinity of the devill was borne of the devill and dyed of drunkennesse That Calvin was eaten up of wormes and dyed blaspheming and invocating devills whose life and death was so holy and happy as the dragon must open a wide and impudent mouth to staine the same That Beza dyed reconciled to the Pope and cursed the day he ever knew Protestant doctrine which Beza himselfe lived to confute That Mr. Bucer denyed at his death that Christ was come the whole country and D. Redman preaching at his funerall knowing the contrary and as true as that Mr. Perkins dyed in despaire of whose happy life and death my selfe was an eye-witnesse as true as that those whom they called Puritanes had blowne up the Parliament house III. Another part of this flood is the cruell and bloody Edicts the cruell Constitutions and inhumane Rescripts which they furiously breath-out with such violence and rage as a strong current and flood which hath broken out of the bankes Such as are their Trent-curses for every slight difference in opinion from them Such as are their Spanish barbarous Inquisitions which are as the sharp teeth in the mouth of the dragon Such as their Romish Bulls and cursed excommunications their degradations c. Such as are their six Articles their horrible execrations and abrenunciations and all of that kinde to destroy root out and for ever to drowne the very name and memory of the woman and sound Christian Religion For the third The end of the dragon in sending out this water was to drowne and carry away the woman First The end of all the dragons furie is the destruction of the Church nothing will serve him but drowning his malice stints not it selfe in any mischiefe or hurt he can bring upon her Secondly His wrath once caryed her out of Paradice now he would carry her out of the way to heaven also he envyes not onely her safety and quiet in earth but her salvation in heaven Thirdly It notes a difference betweene the waters sent out by God upon the Church and these of the dragon The floods of God do but water or if any more do but wash the City of God The floods out of the dragons mouth are to wast and destroy the woman and to cary her away from the earth The dragon had made sundry assaults upon the woman before and still Michael had crossed him and against this last hid the woman safe yet so great is his furie and rage and so blind his malice that not observing Gods providence towards his Church he bolts on forward to new enterprises against her Whence learne that Satan and his instruments will never give over their malice against the godly though they have never so ill successe in the same Psal. 1â— 4. Do not workers of iniquity know that they eat up my people as bread q. d. though they do know them Gods people and see by many arguments that God is their God yet they oppresse them with desire and delight even as desirously and greedily as they eate bread when they are hungry Did not Phar 〈◊〉 see that none of his devises succeeded against â—srael
CHRISTS VICTORIE OVER THE DRAGON OR Satans Downfall SHEWING The glorious Conquests of our SAVIOVR for his poore CHVRCH against the greatest Persecutors In a plaine and pithy Exposition of the twelfth Chapter of S. IOHNS REVELATION Delivered in sundry Lectures BY That late faithfull Servant of God THOMAS TAYLOR Doctor in Divinitie and Pastor of Aldermanbury LONDON Perfected and finished a little before his death Melior causa est corum qui Diabolum persequentem fugiunt quim qui praeeuntem sequuntur quia utilius est eum bostem habere quà m principem August LONDON Printed by M. F. for R. DAWLMAN at the signe of the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Churchyard 1633. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIP FVLL and others the worthy Inhabitants of Aldermanbury Parish LONDON All happinesse both in Earth and Heaven CHRISTIAN FRIENDS I Am I suppose a stranger to most of you unlesse peradventure you tooke notice of me in preaching the Sermon at the Funerall of your worthy Doctor the Author of this Booke and so I hope you will conceive that I present not this Worke unto you in mine own name but onely in behalfe of the Widow whose modestie permits her not to come in Print To you her worthy Friends Neighbours shee desires to have these Labors dedicated as to whom shee judgeth them most properly due and wisheth you the same profit and comfort in reading as did her deare Husband in preaching By faith Abel being dead yet speaketh faith the Apostle to the Hebrewes By faith also and these works of Faith doth your late worthy Pastor yet speake unto you and here while you reade you may imagine hee still calleth to Faith Obedience Repentance Growth in the Knowledge and Feare of GOD with all courage wisedome humilitie heavenly-mindednes and unblameableness of living His reward is now with the Lord whose hee was and whom he served His Name in the Church sweet and precious and ever will be while a Church remaines on earth to worship GOD aright and to distinguish Beleevers from unbeleevers or misbeleevers The Instruction is yours to follow his holy Doctrine and Example And happy shall every Soule be which heedfully followeth The Clowd of Witnesses For the Worke it selfe I have not much to preface onely our hope is that for supply of defects or connivence at them the untimely decease of the Author and your owne ingenuity will yeeld abundant Apologie The substance is the same with his owne Notes the Tables mine other things the Printers Let the benefit be yours and wee have our desire And certainly hee that falls to the matter with love and hearty affection shall reape some benefit For while hee reades hee will easily understand that in this life the Church and faithfull members of it must ever be encountring with spirituall wickednesses which calls to watchfulnesse and yet is sure of victory hath help enough well led by an able Captaine and furnished with armour of proofe which calls to chearfulnesse in fighting the good fight of faith And when hee that understands it shall carefully addresse himselfe to the practise of it he shall well redeeme his time in reading honour his Captaine who hath chosen him to bee a Souldier performe his vow made against the devill in his Baptisme prepare by smaller skirmishes for great and fiery tryals when they shall come and so having striven lawfully shall receive the Crowne which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give him at that day with all that love his appearing Plentifull Encouragements wee have both to enter these lists and hold out to the end Deale couragiously and the Lord shall be with the good Feare not nor be dismayed goe out against these your spirituall enemies and the Lord will be with you And all hands here may be brought together to the fight even every one that is an Angell of Michael wee must strive together for the faith of the Gospel and our united forces shall be much the more puissant and unresistable Especially while wee help one another by our prayers which is my request for my selfe from you all and I rest Isleworth Feb. 25. 1632. Yours in the service of your Faith and for the help of your Ioy WILLIAM IEMMAT THE ANALYTICALL TABLE OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER With the severall Verses and Arguments The Chapter hath six principall Parts I. A Description of the true Church v. 1. 2. Where 1 The Preface In which 1 What is the Wonder 2 The Greatnes of it 3 The manner of appearing 4 The place whence Heaven 2 The Vision of one of the Combatants Described 1 By her person A woman Described 2 By her properties foure 1 Her Apparell Where 1 The Garment The Sunne 2 The Application Clothed 2 Her Place The Moone under her feet 3 Her Ornament The Crowne of twelve stars on her head 1 Why Crowned 2 What the 12. stars 3 Why on her head 4 Her fruitfulnes being with childe c. 1 Her Conception 2 Her painful travel II. A Description of the Devill another of the Combatants v. 3 4 5 6. Two wayes 1 By his Adjuncts five 1 Magnitude Vers. 3. 2 Cruelty Vers. 3. 3 Subtiltie Vers. 3. 4 Power Vers. 3. 5 Victory Vers. 3. 2 By his Effests 1 Against the Stars He threw downe a third part with his tayle 2 Against the Woman 1 Assailing ver 4. Where 1 His Action He stood before the Woman 2 His Intention to devour the childe c. 2 Disappointed in respect of 1 The woman described 1 By her childbearing v. 5. she brought forth a manchilde 2 By her flight v 6. where 1 The place prepared of God In the wildernesse 2 Her sustentation to feed her there 3 Her continuance there 1260. daies 2 Her Issue whose 1 Sex Amanchilde 2 Office To rule the nations with a rod of Iron 3 Advancement taken up to God and his throne III. A fierce Battell betweene those Combatants vers 7. Where 1 The Battell And there was a Battell 2 The Armies 1 The Actors On one side Michaell and his Angels On the other The Dragon and his angels In both 1 The Generall of the Field Michael or the Dragon 2 The Band or Army The Angels of eyther 2 The Action They fought IIII. The successe of the Battell ver 8. 9. The Dragons overthrow 1 Expressed 2 Interpreted 1 He prevailed not 2 He was so prevailed against that he had no more place in heaven 1 In a description of the party overthrowne 1 By his names titles foure 2 By his effect he deceiveth the whole world 1 The great Dragon 2 That old Serpent 3 The Devill 4 Satan 2 For the maner of his overthrow he was cast out 3 The place whither he was cast the earth 4 His assotiats in the overthrow his angells with him V. The Triumph of the godly for this victory verse 10 11 12. Where 1 The Preface In it 1 What Voyce this was 2 Whos 's Why lowd 2 The Parts Two 1 The
whereof wee must know that Christ is put on either in regard of his satisfaction or of his sanctification Now although we have put on Christ once for all in respect of his satisfaction which faithfully applyed to us is our justification yet in respect of sanctification he is put on e-every day more and more seeing that the life of beleevers is a daily profiting and encreasing in spirituall graces unto full holinesse 2 This putting on of Christ in this world is in much weaknes 1 In respect of the weaknes of the instrument This instrument is faith which is feeble at the best as knowledge is as all other graces are the more we can encrease in knowledge and stirre up our faith the more firmely we lay hold on Christ and his righteousnesse for life and salvation and so in respect of us we more certainly and feelingly put on Christ. 2 In respect of the strength of the opposites These are the security and corruption of flesh which is still working against grace In the dayes of peace and prosperitie as in a warme sunshine wee are willing to hang our garment loosely and lightly about us and it is ready to fall off we must therefore daily strive against flesh and fasten Christ unto us This is done when by daily confession of sinne striving against sinne prayer for pardon of sinne assent of the promises and purposing to sinne no more the poore beleever fastneth Christ unto him and by daily renewing faith and repentance he layes faster hold on Christ then before This every baptized person doth not yet this putting on of Christ should be the work of every day Many cōmēd this garmēt but few put him on It may be doubted that a little tryall wil manifest it in multitudes that either they never put on Christ or hung him loosely in a vaine profession The second duty The Church must labour to expresse the bright shining and purity of Iesus Christ with whom she is clothed A man that weares a great mans cloth will be seene and made knowne to others that he belongs to such a Master Quest. How may a Christian expresse the shining of the Sunne of righteousnesse Answ. First in purity of nature by regeneration and sanctification of nature which healeth in part and chaseth away native darkenesse and bringeth a new saving light So the Apostle Yee were darknes now ye are light in the Lord. The sunne shineth by the lightsomnesse of his owne nature so the Sunne of righteousnesse was in his nature more pure and shining then the sunne And every one clothed with this Sunne is renewed and hath attained a glorious and divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. yea the so clothed are new borne of God and as sonnes of God shining c. Phil. 2. 15. Secondly in the puritie of the shining and new gifts and graces of the Spirit within Such as are 1 Illumination the light of knowledge Iudgement and discerning Can a man be clothed and compassed with the sunne and not be enlightened 2 Love which is as a warme flame shewing and shining a farre off such was in Zacheus such was in the laylor 3. Zeale which is a fervent and fiery affection He shall want no heate that is cloathed with the sunne We see how in our Sunne Iesus Christ the zeale of his Fathers house consumed him and so in the rest of the faculties As the sunne shines in every part so it is not enough to have one part graced but grace must be in all Thirdly in shining and lightsome conversation without The sunne shines not onely within but from within shines outwardly so must a Christian clothed with the sun manifest his clothing as well by shining and lightsome actions as by renewed nature 1 The commandement is Let your light so shine before men As the sunne shines to men from within his owne substance so did our sunne of righteousnesse and so must his be that are clothed with the sunne their life must be as a light in a lanthorne not a glistering on the outside onely as a civill mans or an hypocrites may but a light within shining outwardly on every side 2 Iesus Christ shined in all innocency and graces and wee must labour to shine as he did that we may appeare to whom wee belong Can any man be clothed with this Sunne and not shine both in purity of grace within and gracious conversation without His words were so gracious as never man spake so Do thou expresse Christ in all thy words let them be savoury fruitfull and for God and his glory as all his were from God and for God he walked in lightsome pathes 3 His life was wholly heavenly as the sunne shines from heaven If thou beest clothed with the sunne thy conversation must bee heavenly thou must direct all thy thoughts that way and in all thy actions ayme someway to further that end 4 He kept himselfe from the impurity and darknesse of the world and age in which he lived though a most wicked generatiō So must thou be like the Sunne of the world and of the Church walke and move as lights in the midst of a froward and crooked generation 5 He brought light unto the world as the sunne doth so must thou if clothed with the sunne to thy power and in thy place enlighten all round about thee How dare men mocke at purity and holinesse and cast myre and durt upon so precious and costly a garment For what is it they scorn but even Iesus Christ himselfe whom God hath given for the clothing of his Church How doe the Papists and enemies of grace and religion undermine our religion and make their advantages on us but under such titles and imputations of purity precisenesse scripturers and the like And must wee needs learne of them to blow up our owne religion Let the land of Aegypt be darke there shall be light in all Goshen There cannot be a truer note of a false Church then to shunne the light and love the night of darke ignorance and feare and scorne nothing so much as the sunshine upon themselves or others But against the scorne of prophane ones hold before thee 1 The commandemēt to be as pure as the sunne Phil. 1. 10. for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken from the splendor of the sunne which is called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This purity must bee from all corruption in doctrine and manners as the sunne is not mixed with any staine or impurity Do not thou joyne with the prophane ones who here object Wee like not this purenesse such strictnes is naught and to stand so precisely as not to yeeld a little to the fashions of the times c. Answ. Will they moderate the holy Ghost set him to schoole teach him to speak if he over-reach bring him to their scantling But hee tells thee thou must either be pure or
the woman drunke with blood of the Saints That religion which is so fiery and fierce must be from the Devill a man-slayer from the beginning unknowne of Christ and his Apostles and all their true Disciples and followers 4 A fourth note of this woman is her Marriage A good way to know one by is the head and how can wee know the Church better then by her head Jesus Christ whose wife she is of whom all the Children of the Church are begotten by vertue of the eternall Covenant of grace as in Lawfull wedlocke Our Mother scornes to be the Popes Concubine she hath betaken herselfe onely to Christ and professeth of him Cant. 2. 16. My welbâ—loved is mine and I am his Christ is he whom her soule loveth and is in her eyes the chiefe of ten thousand Cant. 5. 10. To him she hath plighted her troth and cleaves onely and undividedly unto him in life and in death The whore of Rome holds not Christ the head For 1 By Image-worshiping and many other Idolatries they are fallen from Christ this is plaine in Colossians 2. 18. 19. 2 They set up the Pope in Christs place Bellarmine on the 1 Pet. 2. 8. by the stone understandeth the Pope And Catharinus by head mentioned in Colos. 2. 19. will have the Pope to be meant Ob. But they professe Jesus Christ. An. Union is either Sacramentall so they are joyned by profession or Mysticall so they are not joyned The fift marke of the true Mother is her carriage and behaviour First to her husband to whom in all her behaviour shee expresseth foure vertues As 1 She is chast and faithfull unto him she keepes herselfe onely to her husband and preserves the marriage band She forgets not the guide of her youth nor the commandement of her God nor playeth false with any other lover any secondary head or Vicar generall she thinkes it strange that an husband should have a Vicar She abhorres that foule and spirituall adultery by grosse Idolatry and false worship which the whore of Rome impudently acteth and defendeth Neither Angels nor men nor merits nor Saints nor Images doth she bow unto nor any other alluring harlot can unsettle her from him whom her soule loveth 2 She is subject to her husband in all things content to be tryed and ruled in all cases by his will and word in the Scriptures What will we say to a woman that laies claime to a man to be her husband but rejecteth and disgraceth his directions and cleaveth wholly to her owne will and to other mens counsels and decrees Who will not suspect and conclude her to be an harlot But so doth the apostaticall Romish Synagogue 3 She depends onely on her husband and no other for the meanes of her welfare and all needfull supplies She scornes to seeke to any other Advocates or mediators whether Saints or Angels either for redemption or intercession her husband that can supply the greater can the lesser much more She cares for no pardons nor merits but her Lords She scornes to marry one and seeke maintenance of another 4 Shee honors her husband onely and will give his honor to none other If she did derogate from his glory in the worke of redemption by the doctrine of free-will justification by workes humane satisfactions she were an arrant strumpet and no wife But our Church ascribes all the worke of salvation to God onely from first to last Teaching that we are wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes till he quicken us and that good workes are the way to the kingdome not the cause of it and follow a person justified but goe not before to justifie him and are necessary by a necessitie of presence not by a necessity of efficiency Thus men and Angels are excluded from any part of Gods honor Secondly her behaviour to her children 1 She nurseth them at her owne breasts puts them not forth to suck strange milke of traditions Councels Decretals 2 She instructs them and teacheth her children The vertuous woman opens her mouth with wisdome Prov. 31. 26. Eunica taught Timothy the scriptures of a child 3 She provides for her children as the vertuous woman for all her family Prov. 31. 15. The Church upholds the meanes of salvation to keepe the beleevers in good state She is not the naturall Mother that starves her children that shuts up the breasts from them that hideth the Scriptures and counts it heresie to reade them that corrupteth the Sacraments that a man can see nothing lesse then the institution in them But Popery leadeth her children directly to perdition whatsoever shewes they make to the contrary For 1 They runne after it whose names are not written in the booke of life 2 All the children of that mother are without comfort in life and death because they are the sons of Agar and not of the true Mother and therfore no inheritance belongeth unto them II. Having found out the true Mother in herselfe we are now to enquire how or by what markes we may find this Mother to be our Mother and our selves her children A man may know himselfe the sonne of this Mother by sundrie notes 1 As a child borne comes into a new world and findes a marveilous change in the estate of it So a sonne borne of this mother comes into a new estate is separated from the world and the corruptions of it brought out of the corruption of nature and practise as out of the waste and wombe of the world and set into a new condition in grace and is in all things contrary to himselfe in his old nativity The change especially appeareth in five things 1 Thou wast borne of flesh and after the will of the flesh but now thou art borne of God This is called a birth of water and the holy Ghost because in this the spirit supplies the office of water in washing away corruptions and defilements of flesh 2 In thy old nativity thou wast borne in sinne now being borne againe thou sinnest not 1 Joh. 3. 9. because the seed of God is in thee thou canst not sinne raigning sinne wholly and finally thou hast now a new or renewed nature 3 In thy old nativity thou wast borne dead in sin Eph. 2. 1. but now borne of this mother thou art quickned with a new life of grace called the life of God Now thou livest not but Christ liveth in thee Now maiest thou say as Christ himselfe said Rev. 1 18. I was dead but now I am alive 4 In thy old nativity thou wast as a dead man bound hand and foot without all motion of grace nay all thy motion was downeward for nature with contempt of grace But now a new motion in spirituall things attends spirituall life Now thou movest upward towards heaven according to the command of grace whereto thou wast before an open enemie 5 In thy old
language Now to discover satans wile herein is a part of the cure Thirdly He assailes us in our sleepe For then we are weake and exposed to all danger The envious man sowes tares while men sleepe In sleepe Iaell easily slew great Siserah with a nayle a hammer And the dragon knowes how easie a conquest he obtaineth in our sleepe of securitie David in his ease and rest was soone cast downe wherefore we must watch and pray Fourthly In our nakednesse as 1. When wee are out of our way and calling Israel by sin had made themselves naked to the darts of the dragon and of God himselfe 2 When wee are impotent and inordinate in our naturall desires cares and corrupt affections Salomon saith A man that cannot refraine his appetite is as a Cittie without wals Prov. 23. 28. naked and exposed to all dangers and as a captaine where the wales are lowest or weakest there laies his battery So the great dragon markes our inclination and thrusts us downe the hil where we are ready to runne headlong of our owne accord And as he findes dispositions set he baites his hook and fits them with temptations and objects fit for their ambition or voluptuousnesse or covetousnesse and so findes strength enough in our selves to overthrow us Esau by his broth Lot by his Wine Iudas by money a roote of evil fel upon many temptations and snares Hence are those many exhortations to take heed that our hearts be not oppressed with surfeiting drnnkennesse or cares of this life 3 When wee are in idle or evill company we are naked and then the dragon hath us at advantage When was Peter set upon Not so long as he was in the company of Christ and his disciples whose presence might have bin meanes to uphold him But when he runnes among the high Priests servants and sits downe by a warme fire Now he is fit to be wrought upon he will now be brought easily to deny and forsweare his Lord. Fiftly In the day of our death which is most unfit for resistance seeing now the body is sick pained and hath many other things to thinke upon many feares many terrors many things to settle c. To teach us to pray before hand for the day to die daily to pull out the sting of death bereave our sins of life before hand Secondly Concerning actions we shal observe the dragons subtilties 1 In respect of good actions 2 Of evill actions 1 In good actions or duties he sets all his seaven heads on worke 1 To hinder 2 To blemish 3 To disgrace them 4 To frustrate them First Because there is nothing but it stands in the dragons way He is restlesse in hindering all that is good and the better it is the more buisy to prevent it As 1 The greatest worke that ever was wrought was that of mans redemption How craftily did he seeke to hinder this in Peter Master pitty thy selfe 2 The greatest duties that the Lord hath injoyned us are those which we are to performe in his publique ordinances as preaching hearing praying and all parts of publique worship Hence he raiseth persecutions against the Church to hinder these and disperse the Saints Acts 11. 19. And he can hinder the free passage of the gospell and stop the Apostles themselves in the course of their ministry 1 Thes. 2. 18. But I speake not here of his force but see how finely his heads can contrive it He can pretend unitie and peace and order decency and obedience and every thing that is good to stop the course of the Gospell and hinder it So he did in Q. Maries daies He can hinder hearing of the word and reading the scriptures by undeniable reasons Why doe not you thinke that men may be saved without all this preaching and running to sermons And is it not unreasonable to urge every common man to know the deepe points which belong to Divines to Church men and booke learned men but for private and unlettered men a little knowledge is best and the heart may be good where the skill is but small Besides you have a calling to follow a charge of children perhaps live of your labour how can you spare time for such occasions And who sees not that the world was better when there was lesse preaching men were more devote lesse contentious And one Sermon well learned is better then all this preaching and many learned men wish there were more praying and lesse preaching for so much preaching brings but preaching into contempt Never were these seven heads more beaten then in beating downe preaching the onely hammer against the kingdome of the devill and never were they more busie working in this subject in mans memory then at this day never were his subtilties and wit more applauded and more approoved then now 3 He strives subtilly against all grace because it makes us like unto God As in Peter Satan winnowes to shake all grace out of our hearts and to hold it out Especially those of faith repentance and holinesse First Our faith is a sweet morsell to Satanâ— because we cannot resist him unlesse we be stedfast in faith His incessant worke is either to hinder us from attaining or retaining it for if he can hold off or wrest from us this sheild he hath devoured us already and this he can contrive nimbly What seeft thou in thy selfe worthy of the fauour of God a man of so many so great sins for thee to assure thy self of thy salvation is boldnesse and great presumption Discernest thou not how many doubts afflict thee how many crosses are upon thee for thee to say thou hast faith is but to feed a fancy as if sinnes doubts and crosses could not stand with faith in our Father Secondly Repentance for this cuts him short of all He cannot perswade that it is not necessary to salvation where the word is taught but he will firmely perswade not to repent yet but deferre it till a more convenient time for now thou art in thy youth and pleasures of the world or in the profits of the world for thee and thine and these thou must now enjoy and conveniently enough repent afterward Old age and sicknesse is fitter for sad thoughts and religious exercises are tedious and unpleasant And God hath mercie in store when ever thou returnest unto him he will put away all thy sins if they be never so many And Christ hath store of blood and merit and thy sinnes cannot be so many or heynous as to exceed his merits And therefore seeing thou mayest enjoy both the pleasures of this life and of the other refuse neither Thirdly Holinesse and exercise of all good works and vertues He can tell how to undermine all good duties most subtilly 1 Mountaines of feares losses crosses and difficulties 2 What need such care and watch and working doth not faith alone justifie You will live like
it selfe to submit it selfe onely to the will of God The affections are wrought by the word earnestly to embrace things which they most deadly hated Oh what a mighty power of Christ is in that word whereby thou now lovest Gods word and Ministers who most bend themselves against the swindge and streame of thy naturall desires and customes whereby thou art now wrought to heavenly-mindednesse who wast so wedded and hand-fasted to the world as thou didst thinke thou couldest never be divorced whereby thou canst now hate sinne and workes of the flesh which before were as meat and drinke and as delightfully drawn in as the fish draweth water and held fast as sweete morsels under thy tongue not to let them goe who can deny this to bee a prevailing power of Christ casting downe such Turrets and Bulwarkes of nature of corruption which would have yeelded to no other force or battery The blast of the rams-hornes seemes a weake and foolish thing but nothing else can cast downe the wals of Iericho but this 4. Hast thou found the power of the Word outwardly reforming thy life hath it beene of power to call thee from thy bad customes and companionships doth it order thy speeches with grace and wisedome doth it worke a redresse in thy wayes and make all thy steps right and cleane doth it change thy course into it selfe and make it gracefull to thy profession and fruitfull to thy brethren Here is the power of Christ attending his Word and the worke of his Spirit changing us into the image of it from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. But what power of Christ is in him that is a sot without understanding of the Word after so long hearing or that shuts his eyes lest hee should bee enlightned or in him that will not beleeve beyond that he seeth with his eyes or may touch with his fingers or in him who is not a whit altered from himselfe when hee was at the worst not quickned with the life of God Hath the Word beene too weake to stirre in thy conscience to change thy heart to reforme thy speeches but thou must rap out oathes at pleasure to conforme thy life to it but thon must drinke and game and doe as the company is accounting holy obedience but a needlesse strictnesse and precisenesse and exemptest thy selfe from obedience farther than thou listest To thee I say the regall power of Christ hath no place in thee who art as yet no subject but a rebell and resister of it II. Know the power of Christ in thee by the power of faith The worke of faith is a worke of mighty power a worke of such power as neither man nor Angel nor the bare Ministery can effect it is the Arme of God and the operation of him that raised Christ from the dead Coloss. 2. 12. Finde in thy selfe the power of faith and thou hast found the power of Chrst for faith makes Christ and all his power to become ours Quest. How may I finde in my selfe the power of faith Answ. 1. The power of faith bewrayes it selfe in powerfull and fervent prayer which is powerfull and prevailing with God himselfe who suffers himselfe to bee overcome by the wrestlings of faithfull prayer as we see in Iacob and the Canaanite 2. In chearfull obedience to the will of God Faith cannot but work by love to God and man and therefore the obedience must be both generall having respect to all Commandements and chearfull and ready in all even the most difficult and dangerous as holy Abraham was in leaving his Countrey circumcising his family offering his sonne all done by faith Heb. 11. 3. In patient induring and suffering Gods will and pleasure revealed for faith is powerfull to inable and undershore the beleever under a great burden it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a strong post or stud to stand under and beare up a man in grievous temptations it is our victory against the world it will wrestle with Iacob till he have never a limbe left It is a powerfull fence against Gods keenest weapons yea against death it selfe as Iob said If the Lord kill mee yet hee shall not kill my faith I will still trust in him Now what power of faith is there when a man cannot or cares not to pray or if hee doe his prayer is without life and motion dead and formall when he hath no respect out of conscience to any Commādement but occasionally can swear or lie or deceive or breake the Sabbath c When a man will suffer nothing for Christ no not the breath of vaine men nor part with a graine of his name or estate for Christ and in his sufferings and sorrows is impatient murmuring despairing III. This regall power of Christ is discerned by the power of godlinesse and this both in publike and in private The power of godlinesse is discerned 1. By the ground which is true love of God with all the heart which is the marrow of the first Table Christ loved his Father with all his heart and his neighbour as himselfe nay above himselfe and where his power comes God is loved for himselfe above all 2. By the subjection of the will to the obedience of the Law A mighty worke of Christs power was his perfect fulfilling of the Law if thou partakest of this power thy will is perswaded and bowed to Gods will thou aymest at the perfection of the Law and settest it before thee as the rule of thy life and if thou esteemest it not necessary to thy justification yet is it necessary in sanctification 3. By sincere affection and exercise of holy things when a man makes Gods Ordinances his Sabbaths the Ministery and worship of God his delight hee is a true worshipper in the House of God one day in GODS House is better to him than a thousand besides 4. He is a Jew within as wel as without in the spirit as wel as in the letter in his own house as wel as in Gods house he will walke wisely in the middest of his house and make that a little Church by upholding the worship of God there yea in the midst of his heart hee will walke with God as Enoch did But if a man place his affections below God if the lawes and discipline of the Word bee too strict hee must have more liberty than the rule of Christ allowes him if hee content himselfe with a forme of godlinesse and deny the power nay hate the power of religion in himselfe and others if Gods Ordinances bee a burden to him and hee as heavy to them as a Beare to a stake if hee come to Church to pray but pray not at home nor sets up religion in his family what is the power of Christ in such a one none at all IV. Christs power in us is discerned by powerfull prevailing against spirituall enemies in the Christian combate The principall enemies to be resisted are 1. Satan in his temptations 2.
his good service and change his minde ere morning How impudently and instantly did Ieremies accusers pursue him The false Prophets and Priests accuse Ieremy to the Princes and all the people saying This man is worthy of death for he hath prophesied against this City as yee have heard with your eare Ier. 26. 11. Hee is charged that hee sought not the wealth but the hurt of the people that hee discouraged the people by his preaching and weakned the hands of the men of warre But when they could not by slandering and false accusing impeach his innocency nor get the law passe upon him they come basely to the King and besought him to put him to death Ier. 38. 4. 1. This comes of extreme hatred of grace and incessant wrath against the light whether in doctrine or in practice for all wicked men are carried by the same wicked spirit and Prince of darknesse and all of them plot and contrive how to disparage and discourage both the one and the other This extreme malice makes them shamlesse in accusing as in Satan whose malice against God made him accuse GOD himselfe to Adam There is no light so bright and shining but they will darken no conversation so cleane and unspotted but without all shame and feare they can traduce Now what an impudency is it to barke aganst the Sunne 2. Tyranny of sinne where it raigneth carrieth a man beyond all humanity and all bounds of modesty to act and pursue whatsoever gracelesse fact the devill moveth against all lawes of God and nature It carrieth Cham away to deride his owne fathers nakednesse and Absolon to rise in rebellion against his owne indulgent naturall father and to take his wives in the sight of Israel putting off all shame and forehead and all but the name of a man The reason hereof is because a slave must not contest with his Lord nor stand reasoning the case with himselfe but must doe what the devill will have him to doe hee must be ruled at his will beside the similitude betweene the devill and a man given up to this sinne of accusation for many other sinnes men have common with beasts fiercenesse craft indociblenesse filthinesse but this sinne men have peculiarly common with devils and participating with his sinne participate in his name called Diaboli 2 Tim. 3. So as when the devill groweth modest and moderate and out of the goodnesse of nature is ashamed of any sinne which hee can either act or get acted then may wicked men cease to bee impudent in accusing but not before 3. Satan and his instruments have alwayes bad causes in handling and accordingly must bring them about by bad and wicked meanes such as most shamefull lyes and slanders and most impudent accusations which the lesse ground or colour of truth they have the more clamor impudence and instance must they thrust them forward withall If so then take no offence against the truth or true religion because it hath beene and alwayes is exposed to false accusations by the father of lyes and his lying of-spring who all know that if the Gospell succeed and flourish their kingdome cannot stand if the light approach darknesse is chased away So long as may bee verified of Satan and his fellow-accusers what is said in Ier. 3. 3. Thou hast an whores forehead and couldst not be ashamed so long the Church must bee as it hath beene in all ages and times of the world stifly and instantly accused of rebellions insurrections seditions treasons and the most grievous scandals that hell can devise Here for the better proceeding consider three things 1. The markes of impudent accusers and accusation 2. Motives to beware of this sinne 3. Meanes by which godly men may fence themselves from the same I. The markes are sundry 1. It is a diabolicall impudency to accuse of that whereof the accused are not onely guiltlesse but to which they are cleane contrary Were it not an high impudency to accuse the Sunne of darknesse or piety it selfe of the highest wickednesse to accuse the godly of that which their whole course actually confuteth How blacke was the devill faine to appeare in the dayes after the Apostles when the Heathens cryed out of Christians as the causes and authors of all publike calamities and plagues If Nilus overflowed not their field if earthquakes pestilence or famine came on them presently the poore Christians were cast unto the Lyons How like unto those Heathenish cryes are those of this day that godly persons keepe no lawes disobey Princes are seditious enemies to the State c. But is not all cleane contrary for if there bee any true peace in any Land it is for and by the Gospell which is a Gospell of peace How like unto those were those horrible slanders cast upon the Protestants of Paris to make them odious Priests and Fryers in their Sermons perswaded the people that the Lutherans met at banquets in the night and putting out the Candles went together Jacke with Jill after a beastly maner Other Sorbonists accused them that they held there was no God that they denyed the humanity and divinity of Christ the immortality of the soule the resurrection of the dead and the whole body of religion and all this when the confession of their faith was extant to the contrary How is the government of Jesus Christ thrust away by most impudent pretexts that Christian policy is an enemy to civill policy whereas the Kingdome of Christ not being of this world incroacheth not into matters of civill government and civill policy is so farre from being abated or abolished as that it is strenthened and stablished by the preaching of the Gospell The Romanists to shew their brood and off-spring and the Jesuites the first-borne of Satan are attained to such an impudence as they may teach their Tutor to accuse 1. In that they fasten impudently on us hundreds of wicked doctrines which our religion is a flat enemy unto as That wee require onely faith to salvation That we condemne all good workes That we say the Church hath failed many hundred yeares till Luther and Calvin That we teach God the Author of sinne That wee wrest the sword out of Princes hands c. and infinite more which they write and print with such invincible impudency as shewes them to have lost with truth all forehead and blushing 2. In their devillish devises and accusations of holy and godly men bothliving and dead That Calvin called upon the devill That Bucer at his death denyed Christ to be come That Master Perkins dyed in despaire of whose gracious and happy end my selfe was an eye-witnesse What marvell if they could devise such Cart-loads of slanders after their death who could not stay till they were dead Of Beza they wrote a booke that hee dyed a Catholike with many strange stories of his death which booke himselfe being alive confuted with great zeale Of Luther they published an horrible miracle
Aegypt that went before it the darknesse was most grievous and so is this no plague in the world before this was comparable to it 2. The Lord restrained from them not the light of the Sunne onely but of fire and Candle and withdrew his blessing and comfort from all his creatures so in this spirituall Aegypt and Antichristian Kingdome is a miserable palpable blindnesse they see nothing of Christ savingly nor of the Scriptures which witnesse of him nor of sound interpreters the Candles in the CHVRCH consuming themselves to give others light nor are guided or comforted by the Spirit who is as fire warming and inlightning beleevers God hath laid a curse on all their means of light that they get no sound or saving light from them no not their greatest schollers unlesse they bee enlightned to sinne against their consciences 3. Yet had the Israelites light mingled among the Aegyptians Even so the true Church hidden in Babylō hath light and knowledge and great blessing on weak means though the Aegyptian cannot discern or see it as among our selves a Recusants house hath nothing but darknesse and superstitious ignorance when a Protestants house perhaps next to it hath light of knowledge holinesse and saving grace 4. That darknesse was next to the death of their first-borne even so here the pale horse followes the blacke Revel 6. 8. and this darknesse fore-runnes everlasting darknesse in hell as that did death in the Aegyptians houses But with this difference that this is a more miserable darknesse 1. In the kinde because it is spirituall as it is called Aegypt spiritually a blinde body is miserable a blinde soule is damnable 2. That was a darknesse of the ayre but not of their eyes this is of both and the blackest darknesse is within them as theirs was without them 3. The Aegyptians by their darknesse knew the benefit of light the better and saw their plague and mourned under it but these Aegyptians are pleased with their darknesse and fight against the light the more and are not more fearefull or watchfull against any thing than that the light should peepe in amongst them Thirdly next as Antichristian Apostasie is blackest so is it most generall of all heresies even the Catholike heresie into which all other heresies of the New Testament runne as into a sinke One cals it an abridgement of all old heresies For it is not against any one Article of faith as other particular heresies are but First against the holy Scripture which is the Scepter of Christ infinitely disgracing it calling it a nose of waxe a sheathe for every sword insufficient obscure the booke that makes heretikes and The Scriptures have no authority but from thē no sense but from them they forbid the reading of them they preferre Apocryphals traditions Church-determinations above them c. Secondly against the whole Gospell which is a doctrine of free justification and salvation by the onely righteousnesse and merits of Christ imputed by faith but they teach to seeke salvation in our owne merits and satisfactions here or hereafter Thirdly against the whole person and offices of Christ They appoint infinite Priests to repeate his onely sacrifice a number of mediators against this one Mediatour that men may bee heard by their prayers and saved by their merits They appoint the Pope a King of Kings by whom all Kings raigne who hath all power in heaven and earth yea the Head and Husband of the Church which is proper to Christ. Fourthly against all the foundation of religion and Catechisme For although they hold in word and outward profession the Creed of the Apostles the Lords Prayer the words also of the ten Commandements yet indeed and by direct consequent they reverse and renounce every Commandement of the tenne every Article of the twelve if wee except that of the Trinity and every Petition of the sixe as sundry godly writers have cleared and my selfe have in a readinesse to prove Thus of Antichristianisme considered in it selfe II. Now consider the tyranny of it comparatively with the tyranny of temporall enemies and the wrath will bee infinitely greater and that in three respects 1. For secrecy of working 2. For transcendency of the danger 3. For hopelesnesse of recovery Of the first open mischiefe a man may avoid or prepare for but here is a more secret and undiscernable mischiefe a great adversary but slie and under a contrary profession of friendship the greatest wounder of Christian Faith under pretext of Christian Faith whether wee consider his person or his worke For his person hee is a sonne of perdition a sonne must resemble his father the dragon his father buildeth up his Kingdome rather by fraud than by force so doth his eldest sonne Antichrist Hence is this great Adversary compared to a Whore who hunteth the precious life of man not by open force but by secret and faire pretenses sugred speeches and alluring flatteries shee hath a cup in her hand full of abominations the draught is deadly poyson but shee hath put it in a golden cup Revel 13. 11. the second beast which is Antichrist speakes like the dragon that is breathes out devillish doctrines and thundereth hellish curses against the true Professors of Christian Faith but hath two hornes like the Lambe that is a counterfeit shew of humility and meeknesse For his worke it must bee a mysterie of iniquity Hee must sit in the Temple of God hee must not bee a Turke to destroy by fire and sword and open defiance of Christ the profession of Christianity but an Herodian who pretending to worship him intendeth to kill him Hee must denie Christ to bee come in the flesh but in a mysterie not openly and directly for then all Christians would abhorre him and renounce him but indirectly and by expresse consequence and saith the Father Whosoever denyeth Christ in his deeds the same is an Antichrist Of the second this tyranny of Antichrist is more inward spirituall than the furious persecutions of other tyrants and inward plagues are a thousand times more deadly than outward It is true that as the dragon is extremely tyrannous against the bodies of Saints so is Antichrist but yet the cruelty of both is more spirituall than temporall and aymeth more at the death of the soule than the body and it is most true that one saith Open tyrannies and outward oppressions are torments of sinfull men but these inward are the increasers of sinnes and vices Pharaohs hard heart was a more deadly stroke than all the ten plagues beside It was a more grievous plague to give up the Idolatrous Gentiles to their owne lusts and vile affections Rom. 1. then to give over the Idolatrous Samaritans to bee torne with Lyons 2 Kings 17. Let heathen tyrants come upon a Christian they can take but his externall lower and sensitive part but let this Ecclesiasticall tyrant come hee winneth the highest towers and faculties of man his minde judgement affections
to God to teach him to number his dayes Psal. 90. 12. For by nature a man is never the wiser by any chastisement he sees or heares except God nurture and teach him It is true that the dim light of nature could highly prizetime for some outward profit as the usurer husbandmen Merchant occupyers and the heathens No day without a line and Titus could say Heu diem perdidi Alas I have lost a day But it must be the teaching of grace that makes us to reckon the minutes and moments of our present precious time so as therein to make our selves gainers of something more precious then it selfe And how few are thus taught by grace appeares seeing few hold it a seed-time to go forth to sow in teares few hold it such a moment as on which eternity dependeth few hold it a time of trafficke till the Master come but as if the Masters absence were for eating drinking and smiting the fellow-servants few know the worth of their time before the want of it Many are niggardly of their wealth but prodigall of their time Many complaine of the shortnesse of life but not of lósse of time Many utterly cast away this short time by doing nothing or as good as nothing And as little children who have spent their candle in play are glad to go to bed by darke and never till too late see their folly so these None of all these ever had their hearts taught by God of the shortnesse of their dayes 3 Knowing that our time is short we must make another use of this knowledge then Satan doth His knowledge provokes his diligence in all mischiefe the shortnesse of his time whetteth and sharpneth his wrath But our knowledge of the shortnesse of our time must make us industrious in grace that wee may make a quicke and profitable returne thereof to our selves Thus our Lord commanded Ioh. 12. 35. worke while the light lasteth the darknesse hasteth when none can worke And thus he practised Ioh. 9. 4 I must worke the worke of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke The same did his Apostles 2 Pet. 1. 13. Knowing that shortly I must lay downe this my tabernacle I think it meet to stirre you up Reasons hereof are these 1 It is a signe of a good man to be best and busiest at last Psal. 92. 14. the just are more fruitfull in their age Revel 2. 19. The Church of Thyatira her works were more at last then at first For though no part of the life of a Christian converted be fruitlesse yet is it the autumne of his life that yeilds most fruit and as to him that hath more is still given so the more he hath given the more is his employment and the more receipts the more returne 2 Christian wisdome teacheth the Beleever that this short time is alotted to worke not to loytering and to worke the greatest worke in the world both in performing acceptable service to God in doing good unto his brethren according to their needs spirituall or temporall and in gathering up his owne comfort by making his election sure both by increase of graces and fruits of faith in abundance of good workes All which call for a wise husbanding and improoving of his time and a diligent hand so much the more as the time or season hastneth from us or we from it as in harvest the fairer the day and nearer night the more busie are the carefull workemen so must it be here 3 It argueth a heart zealous of Gods glory to do all the good he can while he may and is only grieved that he hath done so little good and can do no more A good heart still complaines of the unprofitablenesse of it to will is present with it it loveth obedience and purposes of obedience shal not perish when performances often fayle 4 It bringeth comfort to the heart when the conscience witnesseth to a man that he hath not slipped his opportunity but done the businesse he had committed unto him Our Lord himselfe thus comforted himselfe toward his death Ioh. 17. 4 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name and I have done the worke which thou gavest me to do And the Apostle Paul neare death rejoyced that he had fought a good fight and finished his course and now was layd up for him a crowne of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 46. 1 This reprooves idlenesse in all men whose time is so short Gods word teacheth that he that sleepeth in harvest is the sonne of confusion Prov. 10. 5. and that the harvest is not to last alwayes neither will God hold out his grace alwayes when he is held off with delayes The unreasonable creatures who have no reason to perswade them none to call on them or admonish them know their times and seasons the silly Ant knows and labours in summer a creature of no account or respect yet men are sent to her to learne her wayes Our owne experience hath knowne many cry out of themselves in the end of their time because they knew not their time and have not received answer or comfort which they could ever expresse because God had often cryed and called and they would not in time answer Now it were well if at length such as would never learne this lesson from God and his word nor from his workes and creatures nor from their owne experience would learne it of the divell to be busie in their proper worke as he is in his because his time is short But of all men old men especially who must either now worke or never who if they spare not at the bottome of the vessell of their time are for ever hopelesse and desperate 2 Let us provoke our selves to diligence in wel-doing The divell knowes if this short time be shut in he cannot do any more mischiefe and therefore plyes it while it lasteth So if thy day be shut in and thy short time expired thou art taken away and canst returne no more to do any good and therefore seeing none of us have any long time it stands us in hand to supply the shortnesse of our time with diligence in dispatching our principal businesse Eccl. 9. 10. Whatsoever thou hast to do do it with all thy power for there is neither wisdome nor invention in the grave And as the dragon the more mischievous his worke is the more active he is in it so the better our worke is we must be so much the more earnest in it for shall the divell be earnest in mischiefe and wee slacke in good The worke of the Ministery is an excellent worke and therefore the Minister whose time is commonly shorter then other mens the shorter his time grows the more earnest must he be in preaching writing counselling comforting the people of God Many resolve to take their ease when they grow into yeares but then is true grace most active the
an eternall Kingdome of glory 4 Obedience is the onely true testimony of love to God as the second commandement implyes In them that love me and keepe my commandements Measure thy love to God by the love of his commandements Peter lovest thou me feed my lambes He that keepeth my word is he that loveth me Ioh. 14. 15. This makes the godly invincible in labour and sufferings under rebukes and evill report and for all this they turne not aside nor deale unfaithfully in the covenant And there is no love lost for their love upholding them in obedience that obedience upholds them in Gods love as our Saviour saith Ioh. 15. 10. If yee keepe my commandements yee shall abide in my love as I have kept my Fathers commandements and abide in his love And have the testimony of Iesus Christ. This is the second property of this remnant Where consider 1 What is this testimony of Jesus 2 What it is to have it The testimony of Jesus is the word and Gospell of Jesus Christ Rev. 1. 9. Iohn was banished into Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ where one is expressed by the other Now the Gospell is called the testimony of Jesus First Because it is revealed by Jesus Christ by him brought from the bosome of his Father an hidden mysterie to men and Angells none was worthy to open this booke but he in which regard he is called the true and faithfull witnesse Rev. 1. 5. Secondly Because the subject of it is Christ revealing Christ the Gospell is the true faith and doctrine concerning salvation wrought by Jesus Christ and him alone Rom. 1. 2. concerning his Sonne c. 3 Because it was testified unto by Christ not only by revealing it by his divine doctrine but by his holy life his mighty miracles his faithfull profession before the Jewes Pharises Pontius Pilate the whole Councell and by his most innocent death by which he set his seale to his testimony 4 Because the end of it is Christ it aymes only at his glory Act. 2. 36. But what is it to have this testimony Answ. The phrase is taken two wayes 1 To have the Gospell is to preach the Gospell so Iohn bare record of the testimony of Jesus Rev. 1. 2. and most plainly chap. 14. 10. I am thy fellowservant and of those that have the testimony of Jesus The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy 2 To have the Gospell is to professe the Gospell to uphold and maintaine it to give witnesse unto it and to hold it in life and death as Rev. 20. 4. the soules of Martyrs beheaded for the testimony of Jesus And so it is taken in this place This remnant as they abide in the dutie which the word commandeth for they keepe the commandements so they sticke to the faith and doctrine which it teacheth they hold it fast against all the slights and intrusions of the beast or Antichrist and testifie unto it both by life and by death The truth of the Gospell is an hold which Antichrist cannot winne from the Saints Note hence that the keeping of the commandements of God and having the testimony of Jesus must go together 1 Tim. 1. 19. having faith and good conscience and chap. 3. 9. holding the mystery of faith in pure conscience For 1 The law and gospell Christ and Moses though in matter of justification before God they can never be reconciled no more then most abhorring contraries fire and water light and darknesse yet in Christian conversation profession and practise they may never be divorced there must be light within and shining without 2 In all Christian conversation wee must joyne faith and love 2 Tim. 1. 13. Because neither of these can stand alone faith without love is dead and love without faith is at best but Civility Beside all duties of love without faith are sinne and whatsoever we doe without love suppose suffering of martyrdome is all nothing Papists then slaunder our doctrine who say wee teach only to beleeve and destroy good workes we say contrarily with our Saviour what God hath joyned together let none put asunder But they sunder what God hath joyned in that they pretend to magnifie good workes and set up the law but cast out the doctrine of faith and preaching of Christ insomuch as the word may not be had or read in a knowne tongue neither in publicke nor private This also shews that protestants disgrace the doctrine of grace while they content themselves with a profession of faith but are barren and fruitlesse in good workes of piety and mercy Beware of the curse of the fruitlesse figtree that kept the ground barren notwithstanding all the show and leaves Againe note hence who they be that the dragons wrath most aymeth at and is bent against such as keepe the commandements and have the faith of Jesus Christ such as abide by the word and will not be pulled aside by any imposture or delusion And why 1 He needs not warre against conquered slaves whom he hath pulled away already The strong man hath the hold and things are at peace Beside what have they to lose who have already lost the faith and love of the Gospell and with it their owne salvation 2 These are likest to Christ and the residue of his body who must be conformable to himselfe he was a butt and signe of contradiction in the dayes of his flesh and is so still being ascended in the persons of his members who are inspired by the same spirit quickened with the same life ruled by the same word fight against the same enemies and walke in the same steps to the same inheritance and Kingdom whereof he is gone to take possession They have the word of faith in them which the dragon most hateth as the greatest enemie of his kingdome For being light no marvell if the prince of darkenesse resist it It is the sword of the spirit which cuts off his temptations Being a rule of righteousnesse it is the sentence of his condemnation No marvell then if he hate it and all that love it They have also the faith of truth which he deadly hateth as the shield which quencheth all fiery darts It makes us so strong as that the gates of hell cannot prevaile Only faith crosseth the dragon getting power from Christ and makes all Gods Ordinances profitable all weake obedience acceptable And hath he not reason to seeke to winne this hold from us seeing when the foundation is overthrowne the building must fall and the root overturned the branches must wither Such therefore as set themselves to keep the commandements of God and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ let them make account of the incessant malice and madnesse of the dragon He never rests opposing those that will not be driven from the testimony Some of them he casts into prison some he tryes by mockings and scourgings some he
the two witnesses are 315 Withstand Satan sixe rules 258 Wiues duties to their husb 18. c. Wizzards no good Christian that seekes to them 506 Woe what note it is 6â—6 Woman the Church militant so called 16 17 Word of God by it wee overcome spirituall enemies how 611 treachery of Papists disarming us of it 613. word neglected or despised leaves wicked sinners 614 World must not get our affections conformity patronage 14 Y Youth taxed for slipping their time 723 Z Zeale meeknes how to be tempered in Ministers others 661 ERRATA Pag. 14. read it lyeth in wickednesse p. 38. r let the light make us ashamed p. 75 r. in the full and all is gone p. 103. r. personall and doctrinall and they have not the succession of Peter who have not the faithof Peter p. 112. r. may well mistrust their conversion p. 135 r. in Iohns time having command c p. 199. r. must not touch Iobs life p. â—74 r. either of their faith or salvation p. 282. r. meditate often on Gods promises p. 285 r laudatorie oration p. 310 r. word of salvation p. 522. r. Nathan or Gad p. 607. r. dead workes Heb. 9. 14. p. 7â—5 r. more easily drawne p. 803 r. all these happie meanes p. 837 r. Oh how love I thy Law FINIS Hebr. 11. 4. Hebr. 12. 1. 1 Tim. 9. 12 2 Tim. 2. 5. 4 8. 2 Chr. 19. 11 20. 17 Phil. 1. 27. Parts of the Chapter 1 What is this Wonder The greatnes of the wonder in 3. things The manner of apperance of this vision Sundry ends why God thus revealed himselfe Spiritus Deâ— alli cit Satanae cogit vi The place where this wonder appeareth By heaven commonly in this booke is meant the militant Church For 3. reasons 1. 2. 3. Attention affection incited by sundry arguments 1. 2. 3. The modesty of this holy Evangelist His fidelity 1 To his Lord. 2 To the Church True members of the Church are in heaven upon earth 1 In expectation 2 In inchoation Saints in heaven fully freed from all evils 1 From the evill world foure waies 2 From the corruptions of the world 3 From wicked persons societies Conformity of Saints in earth with Saints of heaven 1 In vision of God 2 In framing to the Charter of heaven 3 In keeping a perpetuall Sabbath 4 In fruition of the presence of Christ. 5 In enjoying God the meanes of their lives Vse No true members of the Church 1 That have no birth but from earth 2 That have no inheritance but in earth 3 That have no conversation but in earth * 4 That have no delight but in earth Discernable by 4 notes Vse The Christian is in the world not of the world The world may not gaine our affections 2 Nor our conformity 3 Nor our patronage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Woman in this mysticall booke signieth 3. things 1 Idols 2 City of Rome 3 The true Church This woman is not the Church triumphant for 3. reasons Church compared to a womâ—â— 1 In respect of her selfe 3 Causes 2 In relation to others 1 To God 2 To Christ. 3 To Christians The spouse of Christ 1 must cleave to her husband 1 In person for 4. reasons 1. 2. 3. 4. 2 In affection 3 In affliction 2 She must depend upon her husband 1 For direction 2 For protection 3 For provision 3 She must honour her husband 4 She must please her husband In 1 Not pleasing her selfe 2 Nor pleasing men 3 Observing what will best please him 4 By decking the soule with graces 5 By respecting his friends 6 By delight in his presence Sixe priviledges of the spouse of Christ. 1 Free election 2 Divine pacification 3 Gracious assimilation in 4. things 1. 2. 3. 4 Free donation in 4. things 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 High exaltation in 3. things 1. 2. 3. 6 Eternall consolation Answereth all objections 1 In things which might prevent our happinesse 2 In things that might discontinue to our happinesse In posse non peccare In non posse peccare Christ the Sun is there opposed 1. to shadowes of the ceremoniall Law 2 To our naturall darknes 1 Vnity 2 Light Solis Jubar in vegore miridâ—aâ—o oculos intueÌ„lium perstringit et talis est gloâ—ia Christi summa et inaspectabilis 3 Purity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multioculum 4 Power 5 Participation Effects of this Sunne of the Church 1 Illumination 2 Direction 3 Refection 4 Distinction of seasons Vse The Sunne of the Church infinitely surpasseth the sun of the world in 6. things 2 Rejoyce in our Sunne 3 Be thankful for our Sunne risen 4 Imitate our Sunne 5 Walke beseeming our sunne 1 Warily 2 Watchfully 3 Decently 4 Diligently Vse The Sunne of the Church never setteth Christ a garment why Necessitie of a garment in 3 things 1 To cover the body 2 To sence the body 3 To cherish the body 2 vse of garments is for ornament 3 For distiction This garment differeth from other garments in 5. things 1 The author 2 The matter 3 The price 4 The vse 5 The duraÌ„ce The woman cloathed with this Sunne 1 On Gods part by imputation 2 On mans part by application Quidam induunt Christum tantum quoad Sacramenti perceptionem alij et ad vitae sanctificationem Five graces requisite to the clothing of a christian â— Repentance 2 Faith 3 Prayer 4 Holinesse 5 Hope 1 Duty hence to put on this garment is necessary 1 To save from evils Cant. 1. 7. The Church wold find Christ at noone in the heat of the the sun of persecution to be refreshed by him 2 To procure us all good 2 wayes The putting on of this garment is a continuall act of this life And in much weaknesse for 2. reasons Christians must expresse the bright shining of this garment 1 In renovatioÌ„ of nature 2 In the shine of spirituall graces 3 In shining conversation Reasons 5. 2. 3. 4. 5. Vse Not to cast dirt upon so pretious a garment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to leave it off for the frown of men 4. reasons 2. 3. 4. We must keep cleane this costly garment for 3. reasons 1. 2. 3. How to keepe our garment cleane 3. rules 1. 2. 3. Vse 7 Sorts of men defile their garments 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. 7. Vse Beware of stayning thy holy profession 1. 2. 3. 4. Saints by calling be Saints in conversation Six helps to keep our garments cleane 2. 3. 4. 5. Property 2. The world compared to the Moone in 4. things 1 In inferiority 2 In mutabilitie 3 In obscurity 4. In the use The treading of the Moone under feet is the contempt of the world A sound Christian despiseth the best of the world And the worst of the world And all the world in comparison of Christ. Reasons 5. 1. 2. 4. Sound judgment holds earthly things good with 4 Cautions 1. 2. 3. Why the christian prizeth Christ above all the world
a Papist as if you were to be justified by your workes 3 He can make one vertue or duty shake out another for he cā in hearing gods word cast in a serious good meditation which were profitable at another time to hinder hearing to distract the minde and make a man heare without profit Or set him on reading or praying things good in themselves and at another time but now hurtfull and unseasonable 4 He can cunningly make one of Gods decrees crosse another whereas they are all dependant and strengthen one another What needs all this strictnesse and study of holinesse and all this businesse in mortification sorrow forgoing delights change of life If God have predestinated thee to salvation thou shalt be saved without all this adoe And if thou beest not ordayned to life doe what thou wilt or canst thou shalt never be saved as if God who decreed the ends had not also decreed the meanes But his seaven heads to a carnall man can by Gods election overthrow sanctification whereas the Apostle saith plainly He hath chosen us that we should be holy and unblamable Fourthly He can by one ordinance of God make void another as Acts 13. 50. Devout women raise persecution against Paul contrary to Prov. 289. He that turneth his eares from hearing the law his very prayer is abominable These ordinances must not be divorced 11 If he cannot hinder good duties he will do what he can to blemish them and this especially two wayes First By thrusting them forward by evill meanes and causing men to doe good things in an evill manner and then all the grace of them is lost He cares not if Saul sacrifice so he reserve the fat beasts against the commaundement Peter hath a care to preserve himselfe but it must be by lying and denying his Master He hath a care not to offend the Jewes Gal. 2. But if he do therefore dissemble and deale deceitfully with the truth here is a good matter marred in the handling Iudas hath a care to be rich but it must be with selling and betraying his Master And now men must provide for their families but with prophaning of the Lords day lying swearing forswearing they must seeke to recover their goods and health bfit it must be by running to the devill and by witches as Asa to the god of Ekron Ministers must be hospitable and keepe good houses and live to the credit of the Ministry but it must be by heaping up of coines without measure ambition and base arts of flattery and opposing the truth of grace which is the ladder many raise up to themselves to rise by Servants would be liberall and charitable but it must be by deceiving their Master Secondly By propounding to good actions bad and unwarrantable ends and now though the thing be done yet all the recompence is lost Popish persons doe a great many good workes materially good give almes and fast and found hospitals and Churches c. But while they doe all this to merit all is lost Protestants do duties in themselves good give almes part freely from their money to pious and charitable uses come to Church heare diligently speake feelingly professe forwardly uphold the Ministery carefully if the end of this be to be seene or approoved of men as our Saviour saith of the Pharisees almes verily they have their reward Absolom is very civill curteous and pleasing in his carriage but it is to undetermine his Father and steale mens hearts from David The dragon cares not how good thou either art nor how much good thou doest if it be not for goodnesse sake III What good he can neither hinder nor thus blemish he will openly disgrace and revile for he rageth against goodnesse so that he never ceaseth to cast false and scandalous reproches and imputations against it Whether the goodnesse be personall or sociall 1 For personall goodnesse he can blacke and staine it he can charge Christ himselfe that he casts out deuils by Belzebub And Job that he serves not God for nought he is very devoute but a very hypocrite and Annah that while she prayes within her selfe she is drunke Ioseph thinkes Maries conception of Christ to be adulterous He can and doth at this day make hatefull the very show of religion under termes of puritie precisenesse and hypocrisie He can scorne men for coming to Church and carrying Bibles as Pharaoh yee are too idle when Israel spake of worshipping their god He can scorne men for reading Scriptures prayers and singing of psalmes in their houses for are not these manifest markes of hypocrites and dissemblers for to be zealous against sinne and corruption is not to know what spirit he is of or what he would have nay he hath his teachers to disgrace forwardnesse in religion and warne men to beware of such hot courses which onely a few haire-brained men take up Thus wee know heare and see this sect every where spoken against which is the sect of Christ himselfe and the holy Apostles who for all their holinesse could not avoid the rebukes of holy religion Much lesse can we 2 For sociall goodnesse which is the practise of goodnesse in societie Here above all the dragon shewes himselfe the accuser of the brethren for as in the primative Church he oppressed the truth with malicious reports and slaunders that the poore Christians in their private assemblies were incestious conspirators sacrificers of infants and putting out candles went promiseuously to all kinds of barbarous lusts So also in latter dayes the Priests and Friers in their railing Sermons Anno 1558 perswaded the people that the Lutherans of Paris assembled together to make banquets in the night and putting out the candles went together after a beastly manner And the Sorbonists accused them that they maintained that there was no God no immortalitie of the soule no resurrection of the dead and denyed the divinitie and humanitie of Christ and all articles of true religion Fox pag. 927. And at this day as nothing is more fruitfull then the communion of saints and holy societie by brotherly fellowship so nothing is more reviled disgrased censured 3 The dragon can easily meete with godly Christians if they joyne in any good duty though in their owne houses privately among themselves in prayer conference repetition of sermons and cry downe those as unlawfull combinations but let never so many combine in drunkennesse dycing carding swearing from one weekes end to another there is nothing made of such neighbourly meetings Nay let hundreds and thousands meet on the Lords day at footbals cudgels fightings there is no evill in such meetings the dragon that drawes them together makes no complaint and why should wee marvaile that hee whose industry is to hinder every thing that is good should so far prevaile in that which is contrary and mightly buildeth up his owne kingdome IV Hee hath notable devises to frustrate such good actions and duties as he