small reason for it that name being so particularly and pompously set out for a special name of his And though he has ever had a right unto it yet because the getting into possession of this right will be new and fresh in this Philadelphian Intervall after the battel of the Heros on the white Horse it is rightly termed a new Name and very fittingly writ upon these Philadelphians because they are so instrumental in his Atchievements These are the Boanergesses thundering over the great City divided into three parts and also those Horsemen on white Horses as I intimated before Christ therefore through these becomes King of Kings and Lord of Lords or rather he has made them the greatest Kingdome upon earth The mountain of the Lord's house is exalted upon the top of the mountains and all Nations flow unto it as it is to come to passe under the third Thunder Through which third and second Thunder and seventh Vial is drawn the Intervall of the Succession of the Church of Philadelphia as I have hinted above He that hath an ear to hear let him hear c. We need not here urge the intimation of this Political sense of things from the putting of the Epiphonema last the very nature of the expressions calling for it though we had no such guide But we may rather argue that the things themselves being of so manifest Political sense not moral or spiritual that it confirms our Rule touching the position of this Epiphonema But this by the bye We proceed to the Church of Laodicea CHAP. IX The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Church of Laodicea 1. AND to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write The Intervall of the Succession of the Church of Laodicea is the fourth and fifth Thunders that is from the loosing of Satan to the appearing of Christ coming to Judgement under the sixth Thunder In this Intervall the Scene of Philadelphia is past and Laodicea takes place which is acknowledged a true Church as to Worship and Doctrine but is represented as a lazy lethargical Church in which that former Philadelphian zeal is extinguished as to the generality of the Church though it 's likely this degeneracy comes on by degrees in this Intervall 2. Thus therefore it is foreseen in the series of Divine Providence that after that glorious estate of the Church which is synchronal to the second and third Thunder during which space and a little before the Scene of Philadelphia adorned the Stage had well purged the Christian World from all foolish opinions and superstitions and of that accursed custome of persecuting one another for them and that the truth of the Gospel had clearly shined in the simplicity thereof and so convictively against all the follies and impostures of the former Ages that the Church had no great hazard of being again cheated with them and that they had seen all Prophecies in a manner fulfilled before their eyes so that there could be no doubt to them but that the Philadelphian Church was the true Church nor be in any capacity of any change in faith or worship after this I say as all things are in some sort or other variable under the Sun so it seems this Philadelphian Church was at last to degenerate into this Laodicean state and that which was before the Reign of the Spirit and the living Righteousnesse of God would now become the Church of Laodicea which signifies a more popular or external Politicall righteousnesse or the righteousness of the people An external profession and performance of that Mode that was used by the Philadelphians in a living way and with the power of the Spirit the same will this Church of Laodicea hold on spiritlesly and lazily with little life or zeal and yet applaud themselves by reason of the abundance of knowledge she has because of the completion of the Prophecies and by reason of the purity of the external Worship she still retains as if all was still well with her and as if she wanted nothing 3. This in brief is the condition of this Church as it is significantly intimated in the very name For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as much as the righteousnesse of the people And the people are any multitude of mankind gathered into a body politick as is manifest in that notation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then again in Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore the people being a body politick are ruled by such and such laws which if they observe it is not regarded quo animo or out of what Principle they observe them The new nature Regeneration and the Spirit are quite out of this rode And a National or Oecumenical Religion Doctrine or Worship as they are ab extrà are but as a political law and the Righteousnesse therein but a Laodicean Righteousnesse as has been abundantly inculcated already But besides this meaning of the name Laodicea which I doubt not but is particularly intended there may according to the multifarious Allusivenesse of the Propheticall style another notable meaning be also intimated and that very appropriate to this Church For the ratio nominis in Laodicea may be likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because in the Intervall of this Church God will in that most notorious and terrible manner come to judge the people Because the Closure of this Church brings in the last Judgement properly so called therefore this last Intervall of the Church is called Laodicea The judging of the people all the Nations of the world at the last Day And there is nothing more frequent in the Scripture then the giving of names from some notable externall Accident that respects the thing or person so named 4. These things saith the Amen the faithfull and true witnesse Paul in his second Epistle to the Corinthians says That all the promises of God in Christ are Yea and Amen that is to say they are so sure and certain that no man need doubt but they will be performed Wherefore this Attribute of Christ is seasonably brought in as respecting both the completion of the Promises already performed in bringing his Church to that admirable glorious condition in the Succession of Philadelphia as also the performance of that material Promise at the end of this Epistle touching eternal Life or a blessed Immortality in Christ's Heavenly Kingdome which these Laodiceans or degenerated Philadelphians like our modern Familists that pretend to the Philadelphian Dispensation may some of them it 's likely be prone to distrust But Christ is here also called the faithfull and true witnesse because he does so impartially witnesse concerning the truth of the condition of the Laodiceans and so faithfully discover to them the danger thereof And the declaration seeming so paradoxicall to them it was the more requisite to inculcate into them his own truth and faithfulnesse that he might gain
had forgot what he was about bring in a large Vision consisting of seven parts wherein there is nothing at all Propheticall but onely the Reproof or Praises the Comminations or Promises to a few particular Churches This is not according to the steddy order and method of Divine Wisedome especially in this Book then which there never was nor ever will be any thing more accurately written 10. And he had in his right hand seven Stars Methinks it is extremely harsh to conceit that these seven Stars are merely the seven Bishops of any seven particular Churches of Asia as if the rest were not supported nor guided by the hand of Christ or as if there were but seven in his right hand but all the rest in his left Such high Representations cannot be appropriated to any seven particular Churches whatsoever But seven must signifie all in both Coexistence and in Succession to the end of the world Which is a sense worthy so sublime a Book as this of the Apocalypse and correspondent to the meaning of the rest of the Septenaries that occur in this Book of Prophecy they signifying an entire Succession of some seven things or other which they are brought in to represent 11. The seven Stars are the Angels of the seven Churches and the seven Candlesticks which thou samest are the seven Churches Though according to the Literal sense these seven Churches and the seven Angels are easily applicable to those particular seven Churches of Asia above specify'd yet I cannot but conceive that he not calling them here the seven Churches of Asia but seven Churches in general it is an invitation to the searching out some more large Propheticall sense such as we drive at as also in that he says the Angels of the seven Churches at large and not of Asia nor names the Churches by name but especially in that he calls them Angels in stead of Bishops or Pastours For he continuing so in the Propheticall style proper to this Book that ascribes all to the Ministry of Angels it is a sign that the Letters to the seven Angels of the Churches have also a Propheticall sense as well as a Literal or rather that that is the sense that is most chiefly of all intended 12. All these Intimations put togegether out of this first Chapter toward the Assurance of a Propheticall meaning of the Seven Churches of Asia have that force with me that though I could not my self produce such a continued Mysticall or Propheticall sense which would be all along easie and natural yet I could not but vehemently suspect that there is some such sense though it were not in my power to reach it But if I have through the Divine Assistence light on such a sense as is both continually coherent important and according to the Analogie of the Propheticall style I hope this Preparation will even extort the belief thereof from the Reader But such as it is I shall now present to his view CHAP. III. The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesine Church 1. IT was intimated out of the last verse of the foregoing Chapter that the Omission of the appropriating the seven Churches to Asia by name was a fair invitation to us to suspect a more large and released sense of this Vision of the Seven Churches And indeed this Releasement is more free in the Greek Copy then in our English Translation For the Original runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the seven Candlesticks which thou sawest are seven Churches not the seven Churches which in the Literal sense one might be prone to imagine to be none other then those situate in Asia minor but this Division of the Churches into Seven in the Mysticall sense is rather distributio ex adjunctis then è subjectis the whole Catholick Church in its Succession from the beginning to the end being cast into seven Intervalls according to seven notorious Qualifications or Conditions thereof For so we say the Primitive Church the Apostatized Church the Reformed Church c. denoting not their Place but rather their Time and Quality which the Genius of the Prophetick style if it were to express them would exhibite as so many Churches distinctly situate 2. But besides this it is farther to be noted that the omission of the appropriating these Seven Churches to Asia does also fairly quit the Mysticall Interpreter of giving any account of the signification of that name it being omitted in the Interpretation of the seven golden Candlesticks Which I thought worth the noting tâ—â—â— all pretense of Cavill might be taken from them that may haply prove lesse satisfy'd with our giving an account of that Greek name from an Hebrew Allusion though their Cavill to the more judicious I hope will seem altogether groundless 3. Nor lastly does the returning of the Spirit of Prophecy to the Seven Churches by name in these Epistles written to them determine the Vision solely and adequately to those seven Churches of Asia topically understood forasmuch as the names of all those Churches at least by an easie Allusion have an Appellative signification and manifestly denote their Quality and Condition as we shall see in the process of our Exposition 4. First therefore of the Church of Ephesus which Christ salutes after this manner Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write These things saith he that holdeth the seven Stars in his right hand and who walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks That by Angels according to the Apocalyptick style all the Agents under their Presidency are represented or insinuated I have already noted and it is so frequent and obvious in the Apocalypse that none that is versed therein can any ways doubt of it Wherefore Christ his writing to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus in this Mysticall sense is his writing to all Bishops Pastours and Christians in this first Apostolicall Intervall of the Church And that particularly in this Epistle to this Church I mean in the Mysticall sense thereof he recommends himself to them under the character of him that holds the seven Stars in his right hand and who walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks the sense stripp'd of this Propheticall Pomp is that I am he that supports all my Bishops and Pastours and all that labour for the Interest of my Kingdome from this time for ever I am present with them and uphold them As he said at the first founding of the Church Goe ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the world He is in the midst of his Church where-ever two or three are gathered together in his Name He walks through in the midst of the Successions of the seven Intervalls of the Church the seven golden
Candlesticks till the end of all This is to encourage the beginning of his Church and is methodically put in the first place as being general and running through all the Intervalls thereof till the end of the world But that the Frontispice as I before called it to this Vision of the Seven Churches which was the glorious Character of our blessed Saviour is made use of by piece-meal for an entrance into the parts of this Vision as it is in them all I cannot but take notice how fitly it answers to the Vision of the Seals where the parts of the Frontispice are also made use of to usher in four of the Seals for the four Beasts one after another and that with apposite significancy as here at the opening of the four first Seals are introduced uttering this voice Come and see Wherefore there being the like contrivance in both Visions it is a shrewd intimation that they are Visions of like importance that is very reachingly and comprehensively Propheticall as I endeavoured to evince out of the first Chapter 5. And how accommodate that part of the Character of our blessed Saviour is to this part of the Vision that concerns the Ephesine Church is already declared We shall now confider the fitnesse of the paronomasticall Allusion in the Name For that the Propheticall style does affect such Allusions both Grotius and Mr. Mede and all Interpreters that I know are agreed upon And Grotius does particularly give the reason of the names of all these Churches in his Commentary on the Apocalypse So that there is nothing of Levity or Indiscretion in the attempting of the same In Ephesus therefore for ought I know there may be a double Allusion both to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being one of the three matres Lectionis as they are called contained in it both E and A it does plainly intimate that the sound of E and A are not so extremely different one from another But as for the sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is hugely well and peculiarly accommodate to this Church it being the first Intervall of the Seven as it were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the same the Careeres or Lists from whence the Race begins of the Succession of all the Seven Churches which ends in the end of the world And S. Paul compares the calling of Christians to a Race 6. But as for the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Grotius also expresly takes notice of and pitches upon the Allusion thereto is unexceptionable both as to sound and signification For it denotes that great servour and zealous desire the Church in those first Primitive and Apostolick Times had to the Affairs of Christ and to the Interest of his Kingdome that they did sincerely and earnestly under the conduct of that Heros on the white Horse with his bow and arrow in his right hand aim at and press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus they were inflamed with the desire of enlarging the Kingdome of Christ here and of obtaining that immarcescible Crown hereafter and of eating the fruit of eternall life in the celestiall Paradise of God This was the first love of this Church this was their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their vehement and sincere desire and onely scope of their Actions that they might serve Christ here and enjoy him afterwards in his heavenly Kingdome And therefore out of this fervent love to Christ and sense of their own happinesse they did at first easily devour all Difficulties 7. As it is noted in the two following verses I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear with such as are evil For those that are sincerely and fervently good it cannot but make them have an Antipathy against what is evil and discern them that bear themselves never so Apostolically and yet are not right at the bottome to be but Hypocrites and Liers And thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not That there were false Apostles deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ in the Apostles time within which the Period of this Church is the Apostle Paul takes notice 2 Cor. 11. 13. which therefore is very agreeable to the Intervall of this first Church For when should any pretend to be Apostles sent from God but in that Age there were Apostles sent into the world by him And hast born and hast patience and for my Name 's sake hast laboured and hast not fainted What is here is much-what the same sense and words as were in the foregoing verse but it is not repeated in vain For these words I suppose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have a special correspondence to the reward promised in the 7. verse He that will not labour shall not eat but he that labours very much and breaks not off by reason of any lazy fainting or culpable lassitude is worthy to be fed with the bread of life But besides this labour and patience in the highest circumstances is here repeated the better to set off the present remissness of some in this Ephesine Church as it is in the next Verse 8. Neverthelesse I have something against thee because thou hast left thy first love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grotius and Dr. Hammond expound it because thou hast remitted of thy first love and so allow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie relaxation and remission in a contrary sense to intension of degrees whence there may be another ground of Allusion in Ephesus to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in counter distinction to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that this Ephesine Church may have its name from its first intense Love and its after Remission thereof by this double Allusion But as the Allusion to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is more perfect then that to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so questionless this first Intervall of the Church was more famous for their sincere and real Love to Christ then for their Remissnesse therein Which serves something for the countenancing of the term of this Intervall Because thou hast left thy first love that is to say because thou hast ceased to be so fervent in spirit as at the first Which first Love being according to the measure of Christ's own Prescript was certainly such as made the Ephesine Church love Christ more then Father or Mother or Wife or Children or any worldly Interest whatsoever accordingly as he requires But towards the end of the Intervall of this first Succession of the Church this Love and Courage it seems began to abate and too many began to Gnosticize as it is called in that point and think it a small thing to deny the Faith in the time of Persecution even those that yet professed themselves of the Church and were Believers That this was
not so well as they should be yet they must needs appear to any but an Humorist exceeding much better then in the Church of Rome And thus much of the Sardian Church CHAP. VIII An Interpretation of the Epistle to the Church in Philadelphia 1. AND to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write The meaning of Philadelphia is plain and is no Riddle The word signifies Brotherly love which rightly understood is the fulfilling of the Law So that I understand by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 universal Love for we are all brothers in Adam but especially the love of those of the houshold of Faith that is to say of Christian Believers In the Sardian Church the greatest noise and stir there is about Faith but her Works were not found perfect before God But the Inscription of this Church is Love which is the fulfilling of the Law as I hinted before And his banner over me was Love This is the Ensign of the Church of Philadelphia who elsewhere is said to be beautifull and terrible as an Army with Banners Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Army with Banners Why who can it be but this Church of Philadelphia as famous for feats of Arms as for Love as we shall see in the process For the Intervall of this Church begins in the last Vial and reaches to the fourth Thunder These things saith he that is Holy And speaks to that Church that loves to hear those Instructions Be ye holy for I am holy and Be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect He that is true He that will make good all his Promises and glorious Predictions touching his Church in this state thereof which is figured out by the Church of Philadelphia and writes to those that believe it and have a firm Faith in the Power and Spirit of Christ and of God He that hath the Key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth What Eliakim was to Hezekias who was of the stock of David the same is Christ to God the Father whom S. John calls Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is chief Minister of State under God and carries all as he pleases by the Authority committed to him of which a Key is the Symbol See Grotius upon the place There is nothing so hard and impervious but he can make way through it and open a door to Successe and again shut it against his Enemies 2. I know thy works And that so as to approve of them because they are the fruits of the Divine Love then which there is nothing to me more precious Thou actest not out of bitter zeal and strife or vain ostentation or any secular respect but merely out of love to me and my Righteousnesse and out of love to mankinde whose both present and future Happinesse thou dost sincerely endeavour to promote Behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it Behold I have brought things about so by my Providence and will so effectually second what I have begun by my special assistence that maugre all the machinations of men and Devils thou shalt finde opportunities of most gloriously and successfully carrying on the Interest of my Kingdome This is performed in the last Vial in that great battel of God almighty when also the Beast and the false Prophet are said to be taken See the Divine Dialogues For thou hast a little strength Grotius himself interprets it a little Army and so indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will signifie appositely to the present scope and answerably to the Battel I named before The sense is Because though ye be but a few in comparison of the rest of my Church and Kingdome for the Sardian Church is his Kingdome and Church too out of which the Philadelphian Church is emerging and especially in respect of the Infidel and Antichristian party those under the Dragon and the Beast and the false Prophet yet ye have kept my Word and not denied my Name that is have both kept to what is holy and true in your hearts and professed it in your words and works therefore I will be with you in this glorious manner and make you so successfull in the promoting of the Interest of my Kingdome Of this Church therefore of Philadelphia are those Armies seen in Heaven Apoc 19. following Christ upon white Horses clothed in fine linnen white and clean which implies both the justnesse of their cause and the certainty of their successe As also those Boanergesses in the last Vial synchronal to that other Vision that thunder and lighten over the City divided into three parts whereby the Cities of the Nations fell and Babylon and her daughters were utterly overthrown 3. Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews but do lie Jews as I noted before according to the style of the Apocalypse are Christians and the Jews which professe themselves such and are not but do lie are pseudo-Christians or the Antichristian party but are judged here to be of the Synagogue of Satan because of their abominable lies and bloudy murders For the Devil was a murderer from the beginning and he is also in the same place by our Saviour termed a Liar Besides the Luciferian Pride of that Church like Satans the Prince of the Devils Behold I will make them come and worship before thy feet Even those that before kissed the feet of the Pope that lofty Prelate This answers very patly to that passage in the fore-named Vision where the Beast and false Prophet are taken and put alive into a lake of fire that is to say the Bestian and Pseudoprophetical power as such is burnt and destroyed and abolished and the Philadelphian power then appears above all or rather the Lord alone will be exalted in that day for to this time especially belongs that saying Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts For indeed the struggling of the Sardian Church hitherto against the City that is called Sodom and AEgypt though it has been in its kind laudable yet it has been in a manner Edom against Edom a part something more refined against that which is more impure I mean as to Life and Godlinesse and the weapons of their warfare have not been so spiritual as they ought they have not rid upon white Horses nor have been clothed in fine linnen white and clean they have not endeavoured to be that Church which is without spot wrinkle or any such thing but the Sardian tincture has too much distained them But as it is true in the natural sense that flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God so it is also in the political that those glorious times of the Kingdome of God
purify'd Gold And white rayment that thou mayst be cloathed and that the shame of thy nakednesse do not appear Groan then earnestly in this O thou spiritlesse Laodicea desiring to be cloathed upon with that spiritual house which is from Heaven that being so cloathed thou mayst not be found naked For while thou art in this earthly Tabernacle thou oughtest to account it a burthen and not to set up thy staff in the enjoyments of this life because all things are peacefull and prosperous with thee Not that I would advise thee to shorten thy days here but that being thus cloathed by this spiritual Vestment Mortality might be swallowed up of life And it is the Spirit of life and the Divine Love that worketh in thee this one great thing that thou so greatly wantest and yet art insensible thereof And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayst see That is Cleanse thy self with such a due measure of Mortification and Purification of the inward man from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit that thou mayst attain to the Divinely-moral Prudence which will enable thee to have a right judgement and discerning in all things This therefore is the Collyrion which I would advise thee to anoint thine eye-sight with even the purgation of thy self from all the Animal Corruptions that thou mayst perfect the inward Righteousnesse in my fear For the outward alone carries none to Heaven The Ointment I prescribe will indeed smart but without it thou wilt still continue blind and never finde the way to everlasting Salvation 9. As many as I love I rebuke I deal plainly truly and faithfully with thee and not out of any ill will is it that I thus rebuke thee But it is ex amore benevolentiae though not ex amore complacentiae For as thou art thou art but a nauseous and irksome spectacle to me And therefore I thus rebuke thee and instruct thee that thou mayst amend And chasten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which signifies to chastise and scourge as well as to instruct Which therefore may seem to be the commination of some external Calamity and Affliction that Christ would bring upon the Laodiceans if they did not repent them of their remissness and in such a way as themselves may haply be the causes of through their Remissnesse and Luke-warmnesse For that former Philadelphian Zeal and Activity ceasing which that Church exercised in the behalf of the Interest of the Kingdome of God their enemies may more then ordinarily encrease upon them especially the Devil being let loose and being very active to deceive the Nations whom they should counter-plot by being as active to convert them to the Truth And this may be the time wherein the Prediction of Gog and Magog is to be fulfilled who are said to be gathered together to battel and to encompasse the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City which in this state is termed the Church of Laodicea but in that Vision the Camp of the Saints because there were not onely many Saints amongst them of the old Philadelphian strain but that they were still in their externall frame an holy people and an holy City not prophaned by the Gentiles that is to say not polluted by Heathenish Superstition and Idolatry and Imposture and Cruelty nor brought under their power and dominion that were Which yet was once the condition of the Holy City for a time and times and half a time or forty two months Apoc 11. 2. 10. And it is still called the beloved City also for the same reason but not the new Jerusalem descended from Heaven because so generally that new and Heavenly nature was lost amongst them But this Church of Laodicea is still beloved of Christ partly for her own sake and partly for her deceased Sister's sake the lovely Philadelphia whom she so much resembles in all her externall features that dearest Spouse of Christ. And therefore the Title of the beloved City agrees very well with this passage in the present Text Whom I love I rebuke yea and scourge too For these streights that the Laodiceans are to be cast into by the Siege of Gog and Magog seems the most probable way to rowze them out of their Lukewarmnesse and lazy Formality But that things may not run the hazard of growing worse and worse nor there be an infinite repetition of the vicissitude of Scenes on the Stage of this Earth Providence will knock off at such a time as that the wicked and prophane Rabble of the world shall not again get the dominion over his true Church but he will put a period to the Contest by a deluge of Fire from Heaven as it is intimated in that Vision But this is more then falls to the share of this present verse Be zealous therefore and repent That is Amend thy dead Formality and Lukewarmnesse by attaining to the Spirit of life through Mortification and Regeneration that so thou mayst recover the old Philadelphian Zeal and Love For this is the onely thing thou wantest 11. Behold I stand at the door and knock Do not pretend Difficulties I am ready not onely to assist thee but do also importune thee I suggest good Motions to thee do thou but pursue them and improve them If any man hear my voioe and open the door that is If any man obey those dictates of Conscience and overtures of Light and Grace that Christ ever and anon offers him and so becomes sincere in all things and not willingly offends him in any thing great or small which will not fail to be done where the desire is sincere and this sincere desire is the Door that lets in Christ for he passes into us through an unfeigned hunger and thirst after Righteousness then says he I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me That is I will communicate my Nature and Spirit unto him and he shall eat my flesh which is meat indeed and drink my bloud which is drink indeed that is to say He shall partake of my body bloud not in Symbols onely which ye doe well to keep up till I come but in a true and living way whereby that shall be accomplished I in my Father and ye in me and I in you If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our aboad with him Wherefore being thus replenished with the God of life and the Father of lights thou canst not fail of being full of the Spirit and of all alacrity and readinesse to every good work Thy Luke-warmnesse and Dulnesse will goe away 12. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne And that thou mayst be the more effectually rowzed up out of this Tepidity and Lethargicalnesse thou shalt not onely enjoy me and my Father on this Earthly