required some-what large opening but it is a counsell of God and given of him for this end that it may be expounded and explained And the Lord hath promised blessednesse Chap. 1. to those that read and search this Booke and therefore he would encourage all to search diligently the meaning of it especially as God gives opportunity It was that which John mourned for that he found none worthy to open this book and to loose the seals thereof only the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah I think there is no man shall be diligently studious on this Book depending upon the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah for helpe but he shall find something more then he did expect It is true if a man go in confidence of his own gifts and knowledge he may foole himself but if in modesty of Christian wisdome and in the feare of God the spirit of any Christian Minister or other that layes hold of this Book he shall not be sent empty away What light God hath given me in this particular you have heard opened The use in a word is thus much First it is a word of stay to the soules of Gods people It serves to strengthen our faith that the Lord is exact in his Propheticall expressions Look what he speaks though it be many a yeare or day before he will not faile to bring it to accomplishment in his time It is truly observed if God tarry long a thousand years with God is but as one day till the appointed time come But when his time is come then one day with God is as a thousand yeares God will as soon faile a thousand yeares as one day Indeed till his time be come he thinks it not long though it tarry 1260. yeares but when it is come then he will not faile one day It is a memorable speech that in Exod. 12. 40 41 42. The sojourning of the children of Aegypt was foure hundred and thirty yeares And it came to passe at the end of the foure hundred and thirty yeares even the self-same day it came to passe that all the host of the Lord went out from the Land of Aegypt It is a night much to be observed c. Hee doth not say they dwelt there so long but were sojourners there And it came to passe at the end of the foure hundred and thirty yeares even the selfe same day it came to passe that all the best of the Lord went out from the Land of Aegypt as if God would put some Emphasis upon it The word in the Originall is in the bones of the day It is an usuall Hebraism the strength of a thing they call the bones of it that is in the face of all the people in the strength of the day even when it was full day God kept reckoning to a day he will as well faile a thousand yeares as one day when his time is come and till his time be come we must think it long if he stay a thousand yeares It must therefore strengthen our Faith that God is the same God in the New Testament as in the Old that if we could know times as exactly as God knows them we might write in the bones of such a yeare and day the bones of the Roman Catholick Church is broken and lyes bed-rid as it is foretold Jezebel shall be cast into the bed of affliction and all that commit adultery with her into great tribulation Let it strengthen the faith of Gods people in every time for if God be so exact in every circumstance what time he sets he will keep then it may more strengthen us in substantiall promises and threatnings and what ever the Lord hath spoken be not discouraged the Lord will make good what hee hath spoken he will not faile of a minute of time when his period is come Secondly it may serve to encourage us the more to pray to God for a speedy accomplishment of the power of this great Beast the Roman Catholick visible Church that hath bewitched the world for so many ages together and to grow this way in our prayers for the destruction of him from yeare to yeare and the neerer the time of the accomplishment grows the more earnest should our expectations be to see the accomplishment and the more earnest our prayers should be You read of holy Daniel that when hee understood by books that the Lord had set the captivity for 70. years then he set himselfe by prayer and supplication to seek the Lord in Dan. 9. 1 2 3. He takes this very occasion he found it was written that thereabouts it would be and he found that time was at hand therefore he wrestles with God in fasting and prayer for the accomplishment of that deliverance And so ought we to do and indeed about that time it is that in the Exposition of other Scriptures that holy man of God that hath given light to this Booke some-what after he encourageth to look for no small changes that may befall the State So that it may encourage us to look for such a great mercy It is a great mercy that the Lord hath discovered the vanity of subjection to the Roman Catholick Church from day to day the Lord discovers it more and more to this country and hath given us to see the true platform of a true Church from which the Roman Catholick Church is so far disproportionable to be governed by a supream head instead of a particular Church ordered by Pastors and Teachers there is such a vast distance that well doth the holy Ghost call it a great Beast a lewd Strumpet to undertake such an Institution Therefore as the thing hath been odious in Gods sight long so let us pray that he will go on to break the power of this Beast It hath not been in vain what a blow he hath given to the Image of this Beast by the late stirs in Scotland True it is before great deliverances there will be great afflictions whether here or else-where It is an usuall providence to the most faithfull ones of God But what ever bitter cup the Lord may give us to drink of yet the day of this great Beast is coming wherein he is to go to perdition He hath begun to fall before the Lamb and if he begin to fall before him say the Magicians to the Kings Favourite Haman Esth 6. 13. If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jewes before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not prevaile against him but shalt surely in falling fall that is fall more and more It 's true there may be some pangs as a Beast when he is going to his last gaspe he will fling with his tayle and with his horns but he is falling and leaves not falling till he finally fall though there be pangs as dying creatures to win the horse or lose the saddle but otherwise he will never stand that there may be a Factotum at that time and will grow
heart we are not returned from Babell but every new occasion puts us to a new plantation and when we are there we cannot rest And therefore I feare because we have not judged our selves for our inordinate walking in polluted Churches but have rather sought for our own peace then purity from these pollutions which there have defiled us or do not see any great need of judging our selves in that kinde thence it is that to this day the Lord hath much ado to quiet our hearts in his peace and purity and in power but still we are much destitute of inward purity and power of godlinesse and therefore dead heartednesse hangs about us to this day And therefore as we desire the power and purity and peace of Ordinances stamped upon our hearts so we are to bewaile the contagions we have had in this Image of the beast with Officers or people that so the Lord may give a reviving according to the desire of our hearts Lastly let it be of much praise and thanksgiving to God that hath delivered us and ours from these Contagions and pollutions in which you see all that dwell on the earth have been intangled and polluted in time past That he hath delivered us from the power of this Beast the Roman Catholick Church that he hath freed us from making an Image to that Beast we own none of his Ordinances and that God hath removed us from the marke of this Beast that we desire not to be accounted Catholicks nor Hirarchies nor stand members of a Diocesan or Provinciall or Cathedrall or Nationall Church but beare witnesse against them all And also that he hath freed us in some measure from the number of his name that many things that are of number and account with them are not of any number with us if there be any thing of the Beast in it And therefore it is matter of great praise to God You shall read of the hundred and forty foure thousand that God had gotten victory over the Image and mark of the Beast and over his name and the number of his name or had not left them in any bondage they sung as it were a new song before the Throne It is great matter of praise that here we may enjoy no head but the Lord Jesus Saul indeed was head of the Tribes of Israel but not of the Church 1 Sam. 15. 17. That the Lord hath given us to enjoy Churches and Congregational Assemblies by his Covenant to worship him in all his holy Ordinances that he 〈◊〉 given us to look for no Laws but his word no rules nor forms of worship but such as he hath set downe in his word no platforms of Doctrine but such as are held forth in the word of the Prophets and Apostles It is such a priviledge that for 1260. years the Christian world knew not the meaning of it unlesse it were here and there a few whom God had sealed this was the priviledg of a few sealed ones but this the Lord vouchsafeth to us this day above all Nations that have power of the civill sword It is true there is a great deale of these things in sundry other Churches but yet there is a tang of the image of the Beast that a company of Elders and Ministers they shall have power to impose Officers upon Churches and to excommunicate Officers and Members It is too much the image of the first Beast and too much of the power of both Beasts and therefore it is to be lamented but that the Lord should give us such liberty that all our Churches are not subordinate one to another and none arrogate nor plead Supremacy but are preserved and kept from all contagion of the first and second beast this calls us to abundant thankfulnesse and wee are to desire that the Lord would keep us at such a distance that we may never return to the image of either of the beasts Rev. 13. the last vers Here is wisdome Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred threescore and sixe THese words are some part of the description of the second Beast which arose after the former continued from the 11 th verse of this Chap. unto the end of it The former beast as you have often heard is the Roman-Catholick visible Church described at large from the first verse to the end of the 10 th The latter Beast is the head of the Catholique Church the Bishop or Antichrist of Rome and he is here described 1. By his Originall He came out of the earth 2. By his resemblance which is three-fold To the Lamb in his hornes To the Dragon in his tongue and speech and to the first beast in his power He exerciseth all the power of the first beast 3. As he is described thus by his Originall and by his resemblance so he is described by his great power and his power exerciseth it selfe in divers acts First He exerciseth all the power of the first beast Now the first beast being the Roman Catholique Church he exerciseth all the power of the Roman Catholique Church that look what the Roman Catholick Church can do the Pope can do with them or without them He can call Councels and make their Canons authenticall He can make Lawes to bind Conscience he can make Lawes to bind whole Churches as well as the Aecumenicall power of the whole Councell He can forbid any other doctrine or worship or government but what himselfe establisheth He can adde to the Scriptures the Apâ—crypha and he hath infallible power to judge Controversies Hee can binde and loose Conscience he can depose Kings and dispose of their Kingdoms and he can absolve Subjects from the oath of Fidelity He hath power to pardon sinne and to sell out pardons to them that buy them All that the first beast can do he will do and more but yet he doth it as the Text sayes in the sight of the first beast that is in the face and countenance of the first bâ—ast He is so modest that he will not take all that honour to the head but the whole body and derives all that honour expresly to himself The second act of his power He causeth all that dwell on the earth to worship the first beast The third act of his power He doth great wonders even to call downe fire from Heaven in the sight of men Not the fire of Acceptance which Eliah brought to consume the Sacrifice but the fire of Vengeance upon the Rebellious as the Prophet called for fire upon the Captains that came to attach him 4. He doth by his miracles deceive all that dwell upon the earth 5. He causeth them all to make an Image like unto the first beast The first beast as you heard was the Roman visible Catholicke Church then the image of the beast are all such like models and forms of Churches as are Diocesan
he goeth They kept themselves undefiled of this Antichrist of Rome were not defiled with the whoredome of this great beast in all things they consented with the Doctrine of the Primitive Church and their hypocrisies and whoredomes and coveteousnesse were things that would by no means be borne therefore the Pope who was the great head discerning he was thus contested against and as they say blasphemed he thinks he does nothing though he destroy Turkes and Sarazens and Aegyptians and whoever took the Sepulcher of Christ as long as those Heretickes at home were not subdued therefore he thinks it as meritorious a worke to subdue them as ever to fight for the holy Land But there was another thing that made the war for no warre can be made but by levying of Forces on both part◠And therefore a second was their taking up of Armes in the just defence of their liberties both of conscience and outward man For if the Catholick Church had raised up all these Forces and they had quietly submitted themselves like sheep to the slaughter there had beene no warre then there had been massacres It would have amounted to that as the massacre in Paris that a man did not lift up his hand but they were slaughtered like dogs in the street Though they come with fire and sword yet unlesse they resist with fire and sword it cannot be said to be war Some set in against them though their weaknesse caused them to presume but it was to weak a businesse for flesh and bloud Wee wrestle not against flesh and blood but against Principalities and Powers and spirituall wickednesses They which trust to flesh and bloud shall be deceived as these men they stood out and sometimes prospered while the Earl of Tone and some other Princes joyned together though they were but few they prospered but war is not one Battel or two and in the end they were overcome and this Beast prevailed and that 's the reason of the 2 d part how he came to make warre against the Saints For the 3 d How came he to overcome them Truly not by strength he had very little that way but First he overcame them by their a little too much confidence in the arme of flesh when they see the King of Aragon set on they come to be a little set on by the power of the King and a great Battell recoyled by trusting to the arme of flesh You read in Heb. 11. 34. That by faith the Saints waxed valiant in Fight turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens but when our faith runne in another channell that we grow confident not in the Lord Jesus by trusting in him but on the arme of flesh we know what is said in Jer. 17. 5. Cursed be the man ye though he be a good man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord It withers it cannot stand against the potent Army that rise up against them though their enemies were never lesse in number nor never lesse provided yet they prevailed more then ever before The second Reason was by their attention to politick and deceitfull Treaties of peace for when they saw the men were good Souldiers valient in battell and able to fight it out and they found the 3000. that were to fight for plenary pardon three years had served out their time and they had got as they thought their souls saved they would go home now and they had got peace by this carnall confidence of theirs So they perceived this war would be troublesome and the Hereticks were like to prosper therefore they gather in the cheif Leaders to Treaties about peace and great pitty that such bloud should be shed therefore for the honour of Rome it were needfull to cease the warre and so would draw their cheif Leaders to firme leagues of Peace and then they kept their best Generals in Prison and thus when they had got them to yeild to their pretences then they had their neckes under their girdles and their throats under their axes they might hew them out of measure Insomuch that the King of France hearing of such cruell massacre he sent to know what their Religion was and though he sent expresse charge that none of his Souldiers should offer violence to them yet they concealing his Letters they went on in massacring the poor Saints and scattering them up and down in so much that they prevailed partly by the Saints cleaving to the arme of flesh and by trusting their false pretences And there is a third Reason mentioned in the 10. vers saith he Here is the Faith and Patience of the Saints It was Gods pleasure to make it the season of the Patience of the Saints It was the season wherein Antichrist should swell to his height and the Saints be brought low and their Patience be tryed to the utmost and it being a time of the Saints Patience it must needs be a time of their suffering and suffer they did with much patience but yet they were not utterly exterpated for some fled to France and some to England and so propagated Christian Religion which after turned to the conversion of many John Husse and Jerome of Pragues Doctrine grew and spread more till God raised up Luther to set forward the power of the Gospell Thus you see the truth of the Doctrine For the use then First it may serve to let us see whence is the power of waging war for the Text saith it was given To him it was given to make war with the Saints All men cannot receive this as our Saviour saith in another case but they to whom it is given It is not an easie matter for any to be 〈◊〉 to wage war it requires great store of persons and great store of Treasury and Fountain to maintaine both And besides all this it require◠no small measure of Wisdome and Policy to undertake such designes all these you see the Lord gives and gives them to those that his soul take no pleasure in and to those that in his esteem are men of beastly spirit◠yet he gives them power to make warre He may blesse himself in his rule and bravery that they were able to 〈◊〉 against Infidels and after against Heriticks as they called them but indeed the Saints of God but you see God gave power unto this Beast which is therefore no cause of triumph or glorying that he hath recived such a power for you see it may be given to these that are enemyes to the Lord Jesus Secondly observe this much That the Lord himselfe doth acknowledge even his poor children on Earth to be that which is commonly by priviledge sequestred to the holy Saints in Heaven He calles them Saints We think Saint-ship is a peculiar priviledge to the Saints in Heaven when they have ended their dayes in peace and a good conscience then they are accounted Saints and Angels but the Lord accounts
what I said It hath been a very rare and singular case when any man would acknowledge a particular visible Church depending on no power but Independant within it selfe It is such a rarity that a man may here and there indeed finde it in times of persecution in 3000. years But after the Church come to peace it is very rare to heare such a matter till you come down to the Waldences and Albedences and those poor Churches that were scattered in the Wildernesse It is very hard to finde the Church of Christs Institution to remain in the world whereas this Roman Catholick Church reigns in the world This is a great power and yet this power the Church of Rome had The Harlot reigns over Kindreds Tongues and Nations whereas the true Spouse of Christ hath scarce a subsistance in the world So that consider if it did not smite with our hearts to close with the Inventions of men with satanicall power rather then with Christ it were not possible there should be such aberations from the Institutions of Christ were it not for the impetuous licentiousnesse of the hearts of the Sonnes of men And therefore when there is such a vast swelling that many Congregations shall be but one Church how shall we go home edefied by such discourse This belonges to all the Churches to take the opportunities that we have that we may not runne headlong upon the devices of men or our owne wits to that which is suitable to sence and naturall reason and walking according to the light of naturall conscience Conscience was never so corrupt as in corrupt nature it is and reason never so blinde as in corrupt nature it is and sence never so luxurious A man is ready to please sence his pallat his nostrils his eye and hand and touch and naturall reason and conscience a manis marvellous free that way so free that the lesse a man discerne it the more he is captivated to it And therefore let every man know that we carry about with us a principle of subjection of our selves to the Ordinances of men rather then to Christ If it be to speak to our owne honour and applause we have words at will and hearts that runne full stream that way If it were to set out our selves or our friends we are open hearted and open mouthed that way but if it shall be to give glory to God in the presence of a particular visible Church of Christs Institution there we are marvellous unwilling to submit to edifie our brethren and glorifie God If it were to an Ordinance of man it is a wonder to see how men will runne and ride to give satisfaction to this and that Episcopal Court higher and lower and clear all scores there that we may not be debarred of Christian buriall or Church Communion though it may be we cannot have it with mixture of corruption and can scarse close with it especially those that are enlightned But when we come to sanctifie God his praise and holding forth our own shame there is an inward principle in us to consider whether it stands with our honour and credit with our peace and safety a world of carnall reason and conscience will worke together in this case and inwardly so reply and muzzle the hearts and consciences of men that it is a wonder to see what shifting and daubing there is which they willingly give up themselves to when they are called about the inventions of the Sons of men Thirdly it may teach us if the whole world have runthus mad and wild to give their Crowns and Scepters Churches Common-wealths and consciences to have power put upon all these of their own choise by the man of Sinne every Kindred Tongue and Nation what a shame will it be if we be not as truely devout in our Religion as it is said of Cornelius Acts 10. 1. He was a devout man a Godly man given up to God So should we give up our selves to the Lord and sacrifice our credit and profit and whatever wee have to the Lord. There have been men that have been content to forfit all their Kingdomes to the man of Sin The Emperours in Germany have given their Crowns The Kings of England King John in his time did as much to the Popes Legat And it hath been frequent with him to set the Crowns upon their heads and dash them down with his feet These 42. moneths it hath been frequent with them to give up their Crowns to him but much adoe to runne any hazard for Christ though a petty jurisdiction And yet none did ever truely runne hazard for the Lord but the Lord took up their Crowns and maintayned their cause and honour and recoverd what honour they lost David by making known his Adultery and by his repentance for it did recover what Power and Authority he might seem to loose in the hearts of his subjects It is true he had lost his Kingdome but was it for his Repentance No but for his natural affection to his rebellious Sonne Absolom and his incestuous Sonne Amnon that should have been cut off He lost his Crown not for his Repentance but for want of executing the Law of God upon his own children as upon others there was his Sinne otherwise had he executed judgement upon his rebellious Sonne Absolom as the Lord required thou shalt pluck him from mine Altar that Rebell he had not lost his Kingdome But if so be his naturall affection over-rule him that he doe not execute judgement then no marvaile though they cast him out of his Kingdome and cut his throat at length if God doe not come between as he did to David But belive it no man did ever loose by sanctifying God in his heart by giving honour to him and taking shame to himselfe The Lord hath maintained peace in the conscience hath given it when it hath bin wanting and the Lord hath been pleased to sanctifie their names as they have sanctified his before men whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull Generation of him also shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the holy Angels Mark 8. 38. And it will shortly be the ruine of those things they would preserve the ruine of a mans name and state the ruine of his body and soul together if a man shall dare in the presence of God to give the Glory doe to his Name to a Beast The Lord will be a swift witnesse against all the workers of iniquity Trust God with your honour and estate did he ever â—aile any man to this day Theodosius did submit himselfe and gave glory to God and acknowledged his offence to Ambrose the Pastor of his Church and to the people of God because he had sinned against the Lord to the offence of the Church of God did it weaken his esteem did not all the Churches hear of his repentance
all doe If the Lord be with us who can be against us He that delivered up his owne sonne to death for us how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8. 31 32. So that wee are freed from all annoyance from the curse of the Law the rigour of the law free from desertion and corruption and the Lord hath given us himselfe and his Son and his Spirit and his Câ—venant and Kingdome and his Church and people and Ordinance and all is yours 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. And how comes all to be ours By the blood of the Lamb that hath purchased all good things and the removall of all evill therefore how comfortable may the soules of Gods people be if they did attend to the blood of the Lamb. And therefore let not those that have any part and portion in the blood of Christ Jesus be discouraged let them in Gods feare meditate more of this blood and of the power and vertue of it As you desire your lives may be more comfortable and serviceable to God and man and your death more peaceable so be much in meditation of this blood And if you be doubtfull of your spirituall estate then more seriously meditate of it who hath suffered and what and for what end he layd downe his life and lay all together and see if all will not amount at length to the begetting of Faith where it is wanting and to the reviving of it where it is that we may live fruitfully and holily and dye comfortably Rev. 13. 8. latter part of the vers The Lamb slaine from the foundation of the world HERE is something yet to be handled in this Verse and that is the antiquity of the sufferings of Christ He doth not only say that Christ was a Lamb and slaughtered but his death is described by the antiquity of it From the beginning of the world Or as it is here translated and very fitly from the foundation of the world though I would not put any great weight in the very nick of the foundation for the foundation of the world was laid the first day of the creation when the Lord made the highest heavens and the lowest earth the highest heaven the kingdom of the blessed Saints and Angels of whom it is said Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world There was a kingdome in the foundation of the world and therefore the Angels were created the first day and it is true Christ was slaine even then also else those Angels had not been in that kingdome But whether you take it for the foundation in the creation or in the nick of the creation it is not greatly material for the death of Christ reached both to the fall of Adam and in some respect before it and the explication of that will shew the truth thereof and I would not be exquisite nor curious in opening of it The Note is this The slaughter of Christ was from the foundation of the world So it is said here The Lamb that is Christ The Lamb of God slaine from the foundation of the world the Lamb is Christ evident it is that in fulnesse of time he was slaughtered about 4000. years after the world was made but yet the holy Ghost saith He was slaine from the foundation of the world so that though it was actually accomplished and performed in fulnesse of time yet as time began the suffering of Christ began also slaine he was therefore from the foundation of the world First In respect of Gods eternall purpose who from the foundation of the world and before the foundation of the world appointed Christ to this slaughter We are redeemed saith Peter not with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot who verily was fore-ordayned before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times c. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. Before the foundation of the world and from the foundation of the world many times in Scripture are both one in meaning before the foundation of the world he was ordained to be slaughtered the Apostles words are expreâ—sly so as of a lamb slaine he was ordained and from the foundation of the world implyes long before the time he was slaughtered and then you know not where to put the period but some reference it hath to the foundation of the world Secondly He is truly said to be slaughtered from the foundation of the world in regard of the promise of God made to Adam since the world began the same day that Adam was created he fell or certainly soon after but most probable the same day the same day that he fell it is clear the Lord gave him a promise of the death of Christ in Gen. 3. 15. for that is the meaning of the promise He shall break thine head speaking to the Serpent he shall crush the head of the Serpent For the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Thou shalt bruise his heel Hee l implyes the humanity of Christ which was to be trâ—dâ—n upon and indeed it was all that the tempter could doe but that bruising the heel was the crushing of his humanity his soul and body was rent asunder that was promised from the foundation of the world Thirdly From the foundation of the world Christ was slaine in the foreruning types of him for it is said that Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof and that was a type of this Lamb Gen. 4. 4. the sacrifice of Abel was a type of Christ suffering now because offering that sacrifice was by faith Heb. 11. 4. And faith hath ground from the word of God though there was no written word yet there was from the mouth of God to Adam that taught Adam he and his sonnes to offer sacrifice in type of Christ that was to be slain who should break the head of the Serpent and therefore as a type of the bruising of the heel of the promised seed which God had set before them they were to offer sacrifice to shadow forth that great worke of Christ Abel beleived on Christ how far expresly or distinctly I do not know but had he not beleived he had not sacrificed by faith nor had not been accepted Fourthly He was slaine from the foundation of the world in regard of the virtue and efficacy of his death from thence the lively virtue and efficacy of the death of Christ did express it selfe from the very foundation of the world that Abel did offer a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain it was from his faith what was his faith fastened on by which his sacrifice was accepted for it is said the Lord had respect to him and to his offering it is Christ alone it implyes he looked not for acceptance by his sacrifice it is impossible that the blood of buls should take away sinne but
1639. and the first and second of the yeare 1640. upon his weekly Lecture at Boston in New-England where he went over the other Chapters of the Revelation as he did this thirteenth Chapter and indeed they that were acquainted with his Preaching may easily discern his very spirit in them all along Now that the holy spirit of the Lord may breath in these holy Labours of his precious Servant so as the Reader may experience the truth of that divine sentence mentioned in the beginning The tongue of the righteous is as choise silver is the unfeigned desire of The servant for Jesus sake Thomas Allen. Norwich the 1. day of the 1. month 1654-55 AN EXPOSITION Upon the thirteenth Chapter of the REVELATION Revel 13. 1 2. And I stood upon the sand of the Sea and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea having seven heads and tenne horns and upon his horns ten Crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemy And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard and his feete were as the feete of a Beare and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon and the Dragon gave him his power and his seate and great authority YOU have heard from the last Chapter that when the Dragon that is the Devill as he ruled the Roman Pagan Empire was cast downe out of Heaven that is dethroned from his heavenly and Divine worship he endeavoured by all meanes to oppresse the Church that is the woman that brought forth a Christian Emperour her and her seed 1. By persecution 2. By an inundation of damnable Heresies and barbarous Nations 3. By open War which open war is exprest in the last verse of the former Chapter and here more fully described in this Chapter a whereof hath been now read The warre which is made against the Church is here described to be managed by two beasts which the Devill raised up One he calls a Beast rising up out of the Sea described from the first verse to the end of the tenth Another Beast hee beheld coming up out of the Earth from the 11 th verse to the end of the Chapter Now the former of these Beasts is described by three arguments 1. By his Originall or Fountain from whence he springs he riseth up out of the Sea which is amplified by the place of Johns beholding him I stood upon the sand of the Sea 2. He is described by his shape here is his figure and resemblance For his head he had seven heads and they amplified by honourable Ornaments or rather dishonourable indeed but honourable in the beasts view namely upon his heads the name of blasphemy 2. For his horns he had ten horns and they are set forth by their Crowns which he had on his horns He had so many horns so many Crowns upon his ten horns ten Crowns And as his shape is set forth by his head and horns so also by his resemblance or likenesse the whole shape or bulk of the Beast is like a Leopard The Leopard is of the femenine gender and signifies the female of the Panthers the she Panther spotted and ravenous famous for her speedy race and yet of a good smell by which she allures other beasts to her and as she hath occasion doth devoure them And as his resemblance for his whole shape is like a Leopard so for his feet he is like a Bear And for his mouth he hath the mouth of a Lyon This is the second argument by which he is described 3. The third argument whereby he is described is his state and that amplified by three arguments 1. By the efficient cause 2. By the variable change of it And 3ly by a wise conclusion and observation For the efficient cause of it it is said to be the Dragon he gave him his power and authority For the variable change of it it was 1. Great for it is here called Power and Seate and great Authority 2. One of his heads was wounded I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death And thirdly this wound was healed this is the variable change of it 1. Great authority honourable seate 2. Wounded to death And thirdly healed of that deadly wound And this healing is amplified by five Effects or Consequents The first was the worlds wondering All the world wondered after the Beast The admiration was aâ— this great change so happily atchieved as they thought that he should recover that desperate danger The second effect it wrought was worship both towards himselfe And secondly to the Dragon that gave him power The third effect of this healing was liberty to blaspheme There was a mouth given him to speake great things blasphemies A fourth effâ—ct was Authority and Power to do what First To continue forty two moneths vers 5. Secondly Power to make warre with the Saints and to overcome them that was the fourth effect that followed his healing The fifth effect was amplitude or largenesse of his Dominion Power was given him over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations vers 7. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him vers 8. Which worshippers are described by their estrangement from the number of Gods elect whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb and the Lamb set forth by the eternall efficacy of his death Slaine from the foundation of the world This is the second part of the description of the Beast The third part is a conclusion which contains a word of Caution and Consolation or a word of Attention and Consolation in the ninth and tenth verses If any man have eares to heare let him heare as if it were a matter worthy of observation and diligent attention and of exact understanding and of consolation in the tenth vers He that leadeth into captivity shall goe into captivity he that killeth with the sword must he killed with the sword c. This is the former Beast and his description The latter Beast is in the eleventh verse to the end I beheld another Beast coming up out of the earth c. He is described by his variety from the former beast For his Original he comes not as the other Beast out of the Sea but from the Earth And for his resemblance he hath two horns like a Lamb and he spake lik a Dragon 2. He is described by his power as in the twelfth verse but I will not now speak further of him Now for the meaning of the words It is that which the holy Ghost calls us diligently to attend unto He that hath cares to heare let him heare If any man have an eare to understand any apprehension of spirituall mysteries any capacity of matters of Religion let him heare what manner of beast the Devill stirred up and set against the Church to make war against the Saintâ— as if it were a matter that few would understand but such as were of spirituall understanding and who will listen duly to a diligent observation
very beastly and ugly monsters Fourthly let it be of this use to raise up our hearts in holy thankfulnesse to God that hath delivered us from this Monster both our Fathers from this great beast and our selves from the remnants of the Image of this beast from all Dioceâ—san and National Churches and from Metropollitan Catholick visible Churches that are Images of this great beast You know how much the civill Laws of Christian Kingdoms doe strengthen Ecclesiasticall power that if once a Church excoÌ„municat a man you know the power of the Law if once this or that court excomunicate a man though it be but for not paying fees when it may be he hath no money or thinks it not lawfull to maintain them by his purse yea when he is excommunicate it may be for going to hear a Sermon in another place when he hath nothing but reading at home or if a man fast with his neighbors in his house then what power there is out of such a Court civill Courts of Justice confirme there comes a Significavit that if he shall live so excommunicate and if he continue and stay out a certain time then the Common-wealth apprehends him and never considers whether the cause be just or unjust I confesse there is a liberty to traverse such a cause but if a man want money or want friends he may be taken and carryed to Prison and there he may lie and rott for any of these mishapen Clergy men But I say it is a great liberty to be freed from this great beast that he hath no finger amongst us we are out of his paw and out of his smell It was a matter in question here not long agoe whether the Court should not take a course to punish such persons as stood excommunicate out of the Church if they should stand long excommunicate but it was a good providence of God that such a thing was prevented Let not any Court Ipso facto take things from the Church If such a Law were made the Fathers live not for ever and if such a Law were once established that a Church-member standing so long excommunicated the Common-wealth then should proceed against him were this established it would make a Beast of the Church we are subject to erre and our posterity that comes after us may erre it may be feared worse It is therefore a mercy to be freed from the beast from the paw of the Bear and the mouth of the Lyon It is such a mercy that they that got the victory over these they stood praising God as Chap. 15. 1 2. The Lambs company that stood on mount Siâ—on they stand and praise and wonder at the gracious hand of God in this case And therefore we should in the fear of God be unfeignedly thankfull to God for our present liberties and withall that we may be so Let him that hath an eare to heare heare If you be of Spirituall discerning and know what these mercies mean you will be really thankfull Therefore shew this thankfullnesse not onely in searching the true meaning of the Text and the true nature of this beast described in it but also in standing fast in these great liberties wherewith Christ hath made us free Gal. 5. 1. You shall have many poore creatures that came hither to this Country and will be ready to go back againe they looke at things as mean and poor here believe it such a man hath not an eare nor an eye open he knows not whether he goes Hagar Sarahs maid whether goest thou saith the Lord to her And so may I say to such whether will you goe will you be gone back againe to Egypt God forbid I should count all our Native Country as Egypt but if you goe thither you will have much adoe to escape the paw of of the Bear If you be once incorporated into any of their Parishes you will finde such beastly work in Church Government I may speak it without wrong to any but that I may bear witnesse against what is corrupt that you will then finde the blessing of those that enjoy liberty and piety together you must worship the beast or the Image of the beast A Diocesan or Nationall Church it is but an Image of the great beast it is a plain pattern of the same and you will finde the body of the Church rent from you or you will be rent from the body if you shall walk roundly and sincerely in the ways of God you will finde sad work to have your own officers or others to rise up against you but we have here cause to praise God for our present liberties and therefore you are to be wary what you doe If this be cause of thankfulnesse turn not againe to that from which the Lord by his stretched out arme hath delivered you And this let me say further as it may provoke us to thankfulness so to forego all the Profits of this life rather then to be drawn to subjection to such a Spirituall Government you see what the holy Ghost counts it seven heads ten horns heads full of names of blasphemy horns crowned and here is a beast like a Leopard with feet like a Bear that all the Government of it looks like rapine and robbery catching and snatching rending and tearing this is the sum and scope of it And therefore be not deceived if men shall tender you faire termes that may smell sweet you shall have liberty in this and that and protection of a good State but it is but the smell of a Leopard when you have yielded to such Conditions as may be tendred you will finde such strong hold got of you that you will never get out And then you shall finde what ever Conditions are put in at first the last Edition will be a mouth like a Lyon They will bring you in with subtilty like a Leopard lay fast hold upon you like a Beare and before they have done there will be a mouth like a Lyon And therefore as we are to be thankfull so we are to be faithfull to God that hath purchased these great liberties for us and be no more willing to be intangled with your former state than you would be willing to fall into the mouth of a Lyon or come under the paw a Beare Qâ— But you will say what is this to me I am but a private Christian Answ Private Christians must not live alwayes in a private State for that darkens a mans estate if he knows not the order of Gods house nor addresseth himselfe to it It is true if a man either were in the Temple or looked towards it his prayers were accepted but if a man have no minde to know the orders of Gods house his ignorance of Church matters will darken his own spirituall estate And therefore whosoever thou be Sonne or Daughter If any have eares to heare let them listen to what is here spoken that so by the blessing of God you
admiration of the Nations Nor was it the healing of this wound from the first time it was given that was the admiration of the world Therefore it must be some head that was so wounded as all the world wondered at it and were captive to it You heard it was not the Roman Christian Emperors it must be him that claimes to be head over all the Churches and who is that but Pontifex maximus It was that which Theodosias abhor'd he thought it an unworthy style for a Christian Emperour to be accounted the great high Priest of the Church but what he laid down they willingly took up to be accounted the great Pastor of the Church and therefore he is the head of the Church For if it be neither Pagan nor Christian Emperours it must be the government that succeeded them they were the sixth and hee is the seventh It is the seventh head that was thus wounded and whose wound was afterward healed Qu. 2. Now a second Question will be If he be the seventh head the head of the Church of Rome If he be this head then when was he wounded Answ When the Goths and Vandalls and Hunnes and other barbarous Nations overwhelmed Italy and the western parts 1. Alaricus about the yeare 415. took Rome aâ—d I remember in a Treatise of Hierom saith he The government which then was left of the Church before was wholly taken away as if a man were beheaded and yet it fell after into worse calamity 2. It was after taken againe by Adulphus who thought to change the name of it and call it Gothia 3. It was taken againe by Gensericus Vandalus 4. Odoacer Rugionus reigned in it fourteen years 5. After him Theodoricus King of the Goths having slaine him his Successor Totilas destroyed it and brought it to such desolation that there was neither man woman nor child seen in it for forty dayes Now this was such a wound that all the Bishops in the world that were wont to give homage to him they now began to neglect his Head-ship that was but a servant at home They despised him to be the head of the Church that was a servant to Barbarians Insomuch that the Bishop of Revenna he challengeth universall Supremacy he takes indignation at him that he will be Lord Paramount But so great was the wound that indeed the Roman Bishop was utterly discouraged and this continued for 140. yeares together and though he would have used many meanes for his cure and have called in help from the Emperor of Greece yet he was not willing to help him for they had fallen out before about worshipping of Images he was constant for Images the other was against them and so he might sinke or swim for them so his wound seemed incurable Quest 3. When was this wound cured and how Answ By degrees 1. In the yeare 555. the Lord stirred up Justinian who by his Generalls Belisarius and Morses drove and destroyed the Goths out of Italy 2. By Justinians novell Constitutions we decree according to the Canons of the holy Councels the most holy Bishop of old Rome to be the first or to have the Primacy of all Priests 3. Phocas the Parricide about fifty yeares after about the yeare 606. healed up the wound granting to Boniface the third that he should be universall Bishop not only the first in order but in honour also and that all the whole world should be his Diocesse And this was the healing of his Head which was so perfectly cured that all the world wondered at the preservation of the head of this Church and began by degrees more and more to adore both the Church and the Head of it Obj. There is an Objection made against this exposition That by this means the Bishop of Rome should be healed before he be a head of Beast for this was his headship when he was allowed to be chief Lord over all the Churches and all the rest to be under him and the Pope was not this head till the Act of Phocas Answ I answer He had not the peaceable possession of this Headship till this time but yet it is evident in story that he did claim this supremacy before he sought it ambitiously and it was given him by the devotion of many Bishops and Churches and Nations it was usually rendred to him long before that time Socrates saith that Ballo the Pope had broken forth into the Government over the Churches And Bellarmine himselfe confesseth when he is put to it that the Bishop of Rome would never goe to any Consultation in the East but sent his Legat for saith he it is not meet the head should follow the members A second reason he gives the Emperor saith he is at least Vice-gerent of the East he well may have the materiall Seat that was taken up by the Emperors where shall the Bishop of Rome sit then and this he gathers out of some of their writings So that it is evident that he did ambitiously desire it and the manner was being elderly men all his beloved and dear children they call him Father and so he takes in good part all their honorable Titles and he destributes to them such parcells of respect as may stand with his own Sumpremacy and their subjection and therefore they need not say The wounded head was healed before he was a head of the Beast for it was in conception long before He did from Constantines time seek Supremacy They confesse little respect was had to him in Constantines time But when order was set in Churches he took all advantages for his exaltation and did take all appeals from others that what others did to him in respect of his gravity learning and understanding he takes as done to him as sitting in Peters Chaire and so did challenge headship in those times and they thought it was meet to give it And after this he was ratified and confirmed and established in peace then was his wound healed Come we then to gather a note or two from the word The first note you may observe is this The ambition and arrogancy of Church Officers clayming headship over the Church of Christ the Lord plagues it with a mortall wound and crusheth it even to the death I gather it out of these words I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death It was one of the heads of the Catholick Church As the body was a Monster so was the head to set a head over such a vast body it was a Monster in Gods sight The Lord wil not suffer him to go on in this ambitious designe but will meet him as he did Balaam when he crushed his foot against the wall and if he had gone on he had sleine him Numb 22. 32 33. So doth the Lord here meet the Bishop of Rome if he will be the head of the visible Church and animate such a Body what will the Lord doe He will wound him to death and
slay him and crush his spirituall arrogancy that under pretence of Vicarship to Christ will yet be the Lord of the Church The Reason of the point is From the dishonour put upon Christ to take the headship from him to whom it belongeth This honour to be the head of the Church is the proper right of the Lord Jesus It is his First by guiâ—t from the Father Ephes 1. 22. To be head ever all things to the Church and Col. 1. â—8 He is the head of the body the Church Secondly it is his by Purchase He gave himselfe to death even the death of the Crosse and God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name Phil. 2. 8 9. He dyed and rose again that he might be Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14. 9. So that now when the Lord hath this headship of the Church granted him and also hath purchased it by his own death now for another to claym headship it must needs imply either that the head is a non-resident or else thrust out of his headship he doth administer And though the Lord be not present in body yet in his spirituall presence he is as truely present and more effectually then any that can be devised And therefore in regard of injury done to Christ which the Lord will not bear he will therefore crush and wound such heads 2dly From the sacrilegious injury put upon the Church It is an usurpation of all power from the Church that if a Catholick Church be met they will give power and Lawes to other Churches and look what the second Beast doth he administers all the power of the first Beast Look what power is given to the Catholick Church that doth the Bishop of Rome incorporate to himself and he causeth an Image of that Church to be made in Provinciall Nations which when they have taken hold like a Bears claws they will not easily be rooted out Now this is such injurous usurpation that from that day to this they have never been free That where the Pope hath had to doe the Churches are spoiled of the authority that is given to them by Christ And therefore you must not wonder if the Lord wound the head of such as goe on in their wickednesse Psal 68. 20 21. The jealousie of the Lord riseth against such usurpations For a visible Catholick Church to be set over the world who may make Lawes to rule conscience and make Officers for the ordering of all Churches It is such a Monster and the Government of it is so odious in the sight of God that he wounds it to death For the use of the point It may serve to provoke us all to pray heartily and faithfully for the repressing of all such heads as either the Bishop of Rome is or any Images of him whatsoever they be You read of a little horn in Daniel whose root was stubbed up wherever you read of any horns that will usurpe power over the Church look at it as it is abominable to Christ it provokes the spirit of Christ Soveraign Authority is his If the Lord be set upon the hill of Sion he will wound the Bishop of Rome or any that shall take his Image He will give them a deadly blow especially when they are more arrogant then his Indignation ariseth against them to execute judgement on such The headship of the Church is a singular priviledge to the Lord Jesus and incompitable to any They must either take Christs office out of his hands or think him negligent or non-resident and that he doth not sufficiently discharge his headship and therefore they will usurpe an office in his name but that is abominable to Christ Obj. But you will say So wee shall pluck the Crowne off from the heads of Christian Princes for they challenge that stile to be head of the Church Answ I doe not know any Christian Prince that chalengeth that stile That which was sometimes given to Saul may be given to Princes 1 Sam. 15. 17. When thou wast little in thine eyes wast thou not made the head of the Tribes of Israel That is true and so the King is head of all the Peeres and head of all the Shires and the Churches are in some or other of them that is 1. They have power over the Church in all civill matters 2. And I will say thus much that they have power to redresse and reforme inordinate abuses in the Church provoking Church officers to doe it If they doe not other Churches are to treat with them and if their corruptions be prejudicial either to the doctrine of the Gospell or if they degenerate to any Tyranny they are to look to redresse such things but this gives them not headship over the Church over their persons it doth but not over the Church that is 1. They have no power either to call Church-officers or to depose them 2. They have no power to dispence Church-censures 3. They have no power to suspend Church liberties 4. They have no power to appoint Church-ordinances nor power to administer any matter further then any other member of the Church and this did the Church of England acknowledge and no more then this was due Therefore we allow some power and authority to Princes and Magistrates in the sence spoken of If they claime any further it will so kindle the jealousie of the Lord that the Lord wil certainly wound it to the cracking of the Crowns of all that take it upon them which may be a notable warning to all Church-men I mean Church officers to beware of cleeking into their hands the power which God hath not given them the Lord will wound their heads he will not endure it 't is a priviledge that he hath purchased with his owne bloud I think there is no need here to presse it but this let me say it is a just motive to pray the more ardently and faithfully for the crushing of such heads wherever the Lord findes any arrogant head that any Church-officer will undertake to give Lawes to the Churches in their diocesse that they will put Officers upon them that they will suspend them at their pleasure and put in and put out whether the Church will or no This kinde of insolency in such a state let it look for a wound for a wound it shall have And therefore we are the more encouraged to pray for and to look for deliverance from these Heads for John tells us 1 John 5. 14. that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us And this is according to the will of God that all ambitious heads be wounded What he hath done he will doe There is no new thing under the Sun he spares and changes and wounds in every change Persons are changed but Gods administrations are one and the same If Gods indignation have been ardently kindled against the Bishop of Rome he will certainly visite such powers
Sacrafice to Baal for that was one of the worst dunghill gods It is out of Gods righteous judgement when a man will not be reclaimed when the Lord wounds and crushes him and brings him to the last gaspe if he have a licourish affection still now it is an usuall thing with God to pay men to their own perdition And therefore in Rev. 17. 11. It is said the beast that was and is not shall goe into perdition that 's the head of this Beast that is the next newes you heare of this second beast here in the Text and therefore it is called both the beast and the head of the beast where the first beast is presented in the form of a great whore who is to be brought to the last gaspe A whore she was but he presents her to John as a great beast Now hee gives him leave to rise againe to his own perdition and of many thousands more Thus you see the truth of the point Now for the use of it First it may be a just watch-word and warning to all the Sons of men to beware of Gods checks When the Lord checks you crushes your Crowns and exposeth you to this and that danger in one kind or other beware of this whether you be the children of God or not yet come home effectually to him for this you shall finde if you be in distress and call he is ready to heare He will heare Ishmael and he hears the Lyons that roar and seek their meat of him He will many times once or twice or thrice do thus But if the Lord once strike and almost crush you beware now that you lay aside all carnall ends and ambitious designes for otherwise if you shall recover againe and persist in your former wayes without repentance then the next news is you goe on to perdition And therefore when ever the Lord affects us and afflicts us in any kind it is heavenly wisdome to be warned by the least phylip of his finger be warned by any sicknesses crosses danger by Land or Sea by any thing whatsoever the Lord is pleased to exercise you with this is both childrens bread and the bread of strangers Beware you goe not on still but if the Lord check you then turn back again but if you go forward be sure you go to God-ward and according to Gods will and after Gods ends This is that which God calls for that you walke more exactly and more accurately Ephes 5. 15. See then that yee walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time because God hath thus and thus taken paines with you and hath thus and thus been as a Leopard in your paths It is a strong speech that in Amos 3. 5. Will a man lay a snare and the word is a deadly snare will a man lay a deadly snare and take it up and catch nothing The Lord will catch a prey when he layes a trap for us and he will not leave till he have girded our loynes and our hearts close to him and made us more exact in our way or otherwise if he let us slip it will be to perdition And therefore let all that heare the word ever be sensible of the least wounds checks especially if they grow to some bulky frame I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death and this deadly wound was healed and it was healed to immortall perdition and therefore all that wonder after the Beast they are such as have no part in the Lambs book of Life they have no part in Christ Secondly It may teach us the more earnestly to wrestle with God by faithfull and earnest prayer for any of the Churches of Christ in any parts of the world that if the Lord give them an opportunity to wound the head of any Image of the Beast any of his heads or horns then it will be necessary that all such Churches do take the hint and opportunity that God puts into their hands and that they do not rather close with such heads whom God wounds and be loath to lay hold of those liberties that he procures for them But let this be the constant care of Christians to desire that such heads may not be usurping but if the Lord gives an opportunity the Lord looks that all Christians should improve it to vindicate themselves when the Lord gives any hint thereof When he gives an opportunity then is the time when the iron is hot then strike Intreat God that when he puts a prize into their hands that they then may learn to get wisdome and not in their hearts turn to tolerate arrogant designes and such as are ugly in the sight of God When God wounds the head of Enemies and casts shame upon them and hath rescued his people from them If Churches shal again comply with them then what will the end of that be It is a fearfull thing such kind of Heads goe to perdition and those that dote upon such Heads It is a check especially for this great beast of Rome but it will be dangerous for other States too This will be the finall issue they shall have enough of it they shall be filled with Hirarchicall power and with their Agents in Civill States their feete like a Beare will raven in all that they shall all be weary of the burden and shall be so filled with them as to spew them out of their mouths And therefore how should we help the people of God to traverse that wounded Head that it never rise up more Thirdly this may serve to teach such whose Heads have at any time been wounded As there is none of the servants of God but sometimes he will have them sacrifice their Isaac that which is most deare to them The Lord will rend away our most desirable comforts he will follow us there where we most of all are affected And let this teach the people of God that if the Lord then bow their hearts to unfeigned repentance turning from all evill in their hands and hearts how then If the Lord will restore the wounded head of a beast a beastly head of a beastly shape will he not much more restore the hearts of his servants that seek to him for healing of all their corruptions and scattering all their temptations that they may walke before him according to to his will What saith the holy Ghost Hos 6. 1 2. Hee puts words into their mouths come let us return unto the Lord He hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up after two dayes will he revive us and the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight Wherein he shewes the meanes whereby the Lord will apply this medicine to his own servants namely by the death and resurrection of Christ to which he doth allude that as Christ dyed and rose the third day so shall all that have part and portion in him
is such power as is far above the reach of man None of them all have such power as he not those that are called Gods So they admire his power what he can do to inward or outward man to publique or private States And they do not only admire the Catholick Church and the head of it and adore them but in both these they adore the Dragon that gave all this power to the Beast The meaning may be exprest in two branches 1. The Dragon is expressed as animating heathen Rome for that hath seven heads and ten horns which are the armes both of heathen Rome and of this Beast Now he is called the Dragon as he acted heathen Rome and as he was Lord of heathen Rome he gave all this power to the Pope For they thought it meet since it was the Imperiall City when it was Pagan that therefore it should be the mother of all Churches And being the Imperial City it was the bloud-sucker of many millions of the souls of Gods servants that caused the Dragon to put that honour upon Rome 2. But that is not all There is another branch comes neerer the full meaning of the Text that was for the honouring of the Bishop of Rome and of the Catholick Church viz. taking another doctrine for the Gospell their Idolatry for pure worship their Government for the discipline of Christ their pardons for Justification of sinne by Christ In all this they doe indeed give true worship to the Dragon for what are all these but Images they are none of Gods Ordinances if you referre them to the heads of Scripture they are but Images of Christ In stead of the Ministery of Christ you have doctrines of men In stead of justification by the righteousnesse of Christ you have justification by works In stead of pardon of Sin from Christ you have it from the Pope All things are in another forme an Image of another forme set up devised contrary to what the word establisheth Now you shall finde this to be true if you doe vary from the kingdome of God and Christ then you worship the Dragon You read in 2 Chron. 11. 15. Jeroboam ordained him Priests for the high places and for the Devils and for the Calves which he had made he had no Preists but for the golden Calves and what were they they were but Images and his intendment was not to bring in another object of worship but another manner of worship Jeroboam worshiped Jehovah in Images which God had not appointed and so he worshipped the Divill and not God And you shall read when the Turke was brought in to revenge the Idolatry of Christendome Rev. 9. 20. It is said The people that were not cut off with the plague they repented not of the worke of their hands that they should not worship Devils and Idols of Gold and Silver and brasse and Stone and of wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk which shews that when men worship Images that is God in Images it is not God that is so worshipped but the Divill and all such worship doth not advance the kingdome of God but the kingdome of the Devill therefore it is reall honour to him and therefore this their taking all this vast honour all Churches receiving all from them is none of Gods Institution but the Devils practice for it was the Devill that gave him his power and great authority Therefore saith the holy Ghost they worshiped the Dragon who gave power unto the Beast and they worshipped the beast This worship of the beast they gave it all to him that gave this power to him which was to the Dragon and therfore you read that he had the key of the bottomlesse pit Rev. 9. 1 2. And he opened the bottomlesse pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace and there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth There went out Monks Friars and a rabble of all superstition Now if you shall aske the reason why people upon the healing of this wound did so mightily admire both the visible Catholick Church and the head of it and adore both and Satan himselfe in both The reason was First from the wrong Interpretation of some Scriptures which were very frequent with them in those dayes and are still and that was that the Catholick Roman Church was builded upon a rock and that rock was the Bishop of Rome and into his hand the Lord Jesus by Peter had given the keys of the kingdome of Heaven and these keys had absolute universall power to binde on Earth and upon his binding on earth Christ would bind in heaven this was an error in judgment that did so possesse their hearts that upon the healing of this wounded head all the world did admire him Therefore Bellarmine makes a large discourse Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone and they that trust in him shall never be confounded and so never was there any man that was an enemy to the Catholick Church but was confounded nor never did any man stand for the Catholick Church but was preserved and so they did admire him A great inundation of barbarous Nations were all driven out by the piety of the Bishop of Rome they were able to overturn the Emperors of the East and it was overturned and bring them to his feet and all to be at his disposing This was some confirmation to them that he was the successor of Peter that now whoever is saved it must be by the power of this key or else never look for any saving in this world A second reason may be taken from the correspondency and plausablenesse of such a kinde of Religion and Government to carnall reason especially when it is subdued by any terrors of consceence for it was a season and that held many years together wherein the Priests Friers and Monks had marvellous power to sting the consciences of men with the loathsomnesse of their sinne in the sight of God and they had admirable dexterity therein These foure things were all the matter of their Sermons Vertue and vice Heaven and Hell If you be vertuous then you shall go to Heaven If you be vicious then you must go to Hell Now they would so convince mens consciences and upon conviction binde the conscience under terror as eternally shut out of Heaven for want of virtue which they had not that indeed when these mens consciences are thus perplexed and wounded here is a Religion that findes them so many salves and medicines as ease the power but not remove the cause of the disease that is they set men a course well though you be vicious and though Hell be dreadfull yet Purgatory may ease you by Prayer and you may be dispensed with from going to Hell especially by the Popes pardon or by your own workes by your confessions by selfe-whippings and scourgings or by going a Pilgrimage you may be
head of that Church It is cause of everlasting thankfulnesse and watchfulnesse not to be deluded by fine shewes of worldly men but let us see and know where true worship lies as the Lord hath declared himself in Christ and held him forth in the Gospel of truth Forthly let it teach us all where to bestow our admiration and adoration It was a charge that our Saviour gave to the Devill and which accordingly he himself practised and requires us to doe Mat. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve The Devill askes this of Christ to bow downe to him and worship him The Lords Indignation is kindled his holy Zeale is inflamed against such a Sacriligious request Get thee hence Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve And as we are to worship him alone and no God but him so we are to admire none but him Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders Exod. 15. 11. There is matter of admiration who is a God like unto the Lord that forgiveth Iniquity Transgression and Sinne of which you read Mic. 7. 18. and which the Church holds forth there upon this very ground who is a God like unto thee why what is there in him that you so magnifie him he is a God that forgives Iniquity Transgression and Sinne here is cause indeed of admiration They admire and adore the Pope why Because they had satisfaction to their consciences in their way and an ungrounded hope of a better state in another world and pardon of Sinne in this and now they come to fellowship with Christ by the worship of the Devill But who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity Transgression and Sinne So that here is indeed matter of due admiration and let it be fastned there When a mans soul is brought low with the sence of Sinne and overpoured with the burden that lyes upon his conscience by reason of the guilt of Sinne what is matter of admiration now who is a God like unto thee that passeth by Iniquity transgression sin It is not the Pope of Rome that can take away sin it is not all the cunning of the Dragon that can do it And therefore to what end are all the admirations and worships that are put upon the Bishop of Rome and the Dragon that gave him his power They may please themselves in what satisfaction they apprehend they have but their own principles possesse them that they can never come to see the admirable goodnesse of God in forgiving their Sinnes But now when the Lord sheds abroad a spirit of grace and peace in the conscience and applyes the goodnesse of Christ to the discharge of the burden of Sinne and of quickning the heart in the peace of Christ Jesus this breeds admiration Blessed be God the Father of mercy and God of all consolation that of his aboundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope I say this blessing is worthy of admiration and not onely of wonderment but of acknowledging all glory and blessednes to him When the conscience is not pacified by a sorry duty done from man but by a sealed pardon from the spirit of God witnessed by the breath of the holy Ghost this is such a mercy to the soule as indeed raiseth the heart above all admiration of such a Beast I to a true detestation of this Beast and of the Dragon that hath so long bewitched and carried them captive to the imaginations of their own hearts and in the end to their everlasting perdition But let it be the care of Gods people as ever you desire to be blessed from the admiration of such a worm-eaten Religion so grow to an admiration of the God of mercy and grace and so we shall doe that upon just grounds which our Fathers did without grounds to this Beast and to the head of it Upon this ground this head being wounded and afterwards healed all the world wondred after him Here is an Image of Christ he was wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed and he riseth againe and he proclaims all power is given him in Heaven and Earth Now see how this Vicar of Christ as they call him usurps as Christ was wounded and is risen againe so it is with this Beast he is wounded to death and afterwards healed and restored and now all the world admire and worship him Have they forgotten that Christ dyed for our Sinnes and was raised again for our Justification and doe they stand admiring at this Beast as he that was wounded and healed Therefore let it be a ground of true thankfulnesse to the Lord for the great change that is wrought in Christendome and let us give the Lord the admiration that is due to him that we may be preserved from those delusions wherewith others have been deceived and may goe on in this way constantly which the Lord hath established and called us unto Revel 13. 5 6. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to continue forty and two moneths And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God to blaspheme his name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven THE events that followed upon the healing of the Beast the first was That all the world admired him The second was Vniversall worship given both to the Beast and to the Dragon that gave power to the Beast of which wee have already spoken The third event remains now to be spoken to and that is the deligation of power to this Beast upon his recovery and the power given him is four-fold 1. There was power given him to speak great things and in particular great blasphemies 2. There was power given him to continue that is as the word signifies to be doing to be active to be powerfull and efficacious in his worke 42. moneths 3. There was power given him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them 4. Power was given him of dominion over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations First There was given him a mouth speaking great things Secondly There was power given him to continue 42. moneths and both these Authorities or Liberties they are amplified by the effect it wrought in the Beast He did effectually take that power which was given him and employed it to the utmost As he had a mouth given him so he opened his mouth in blasphemies and that amplified by the object of his blasphemy against God and God distributed his Name his Tabernacle and those that dwell in Heaven The note then that the words do afford first is this That after the healing of the wounded head of the Beast there was given to him power to speak great things even blasphemies which also he did effectually and abundantly exercise or
moneths definite that is determined and â—et and do limit them according to the account of the Prophets that take a day for a yeare A like proportion of 42. moneths of a time times and halfe a time and of 1260. dayes taking a day for a yeare they will all come to the same period to the same computation of 1260. yeares Now that the Prophets do sometimes so reckon them appears from Ezek. 4. 5 6. where the Lord did direct the Prophet to lye upon his side 390 dayes according to the defection of Israel from the house of David in all which time the Prophet did beare the burden of the defection of the People and to represent that Son of man saith he I have given thee to lye so long I have appointed each day for a yeare thou shalt lye so many dayes as their apostacy hath continued in yeares For from the defection of Jeroboam to the captivity of the Land they continued 390. years And after that saith he thou shalt turne thee and lye upon thy other side forty dayes and that was the time of the renewing of the Covenant by Josiah in which the Lord was reconciled with his people but the people falling into apostacy againe it proved forty dayes more And so when the twelve Spyes had gone forty dayes and searched out the Land the Lord saith They shall beare the provocation of their Fathers forty yeares after the number of the dayes in which yee searched the Land even forty dayes each day for a yeare c. Numb 14. 34. So that this is a Propheticall phrase in mysticall Scriptures when Ezekiel is to set out a vision for God to expresse his Justice he sets it down dayes for years Then it is not uncouth but very agreeable to Scripture to say 1260. dayes is so many yeares and forty two moneths being so many dayes is all one and those dayes being three yeares and an halfe if you reckon every day for a yeare they will be just 1260. yeares that therefore I take to be most agreeable to Scripture phrase and the sense of the words But then here grows a second Question Why doth he reckon some of these times by dayes and some by moneths There may be a double reason of that 1. When he describes what the Children of God doe he sums up their actions by dayes Children of light it is meet that their actions should be measured out by the period of dayes The Witnesses prophecying and the womans flight into the wildernesse is said to be 1260. dayes But as God gave the Sunne to rule the day so the Moon to rule the night Psal 136. 8 9. Now therefore when you are to speak of superstitious devotions they are works indeed of darknesse and therefore are best reckoned by moneths by that Creature in Heaven which measures out Night the Moon And therefore it may be and so the holy Ghost useth it if he speak of the Gentiles treading under foot the holy City though it be by day-light yet it is a work of darkness They tread under foot the holy City forty two moneths Rev. 11. 2. And if Antichrist be to continue long all his continuance is but a work of darknesse and therefore he is said to continue 42. moneths But what the Church do and what the Witnesses do is reckoned by dayes but it is the same time the one makes day-work of it and the other night-work There may be also this Reason That the Apostle in these Prophecyes in the New Testament might allude to the like in the old Testament as to Antiochus whose dispensation was only a time and times and halfe a time Now for the third Quest when this may be said to begin and when it may be said to end There I confesse lyes the greatest difficulty 1. Some of our best interpreters pitch the beginning from the beginning of the Reign of Constantine when the Man-child was brought forth that is advanced to Imperiall dignity which some make in the yeare 304 after Christ though it be true of later times they will by no meanes grant his Reigne began then but two or three years after and an easie mistake grows there for when they come to measure out a Princes Reign they begin in such a time and a whole yeare is allowed to it and it may be the next begins in that year and so they bring a variation in Chronologies but you may not wonder in such mistakes if there be foure or five years variation that makes no great difference God knows certainly but through reckoning the last yeare of one and the first of another applying the same to both may sometimes make a yeares difference But holy Brightman makes the beginning of that time to be in Constantines coming to the Crown and thence expires the authority of this Beast in the yeare 1546. Now though his paines have been most serviceable to the Church of all that have written of this Book and God is to be exceedingly magnified for him and his Learning esteemed that having such a Prophetical spirit he spake so homely and plainly that without pregnant reason I would not pervericate his judgment Yet as it falls out ordinarily there is something amisse in the best humane Writers that ever wrote Therefore let me tell you what doth not satisfie me The first is this that neither in the beginning nor end doth it punctually jump and suite with all events described First for the beginning it is sayd the woman fled into the wildernesse and continued a time and times and halfe a time after the Dragon was cast out of heaven and there was place found for him in heaven And it is true Constantine made warre against the Dragon but I cannot say there was no place for him in heaven for this was the failing of the good Emperor that he still allowed the Heathens Idols Temples to continue though he shut the doors and his Successor Julian the Apostate opened them againe and restored the Dragon to spiritual authority stated him in heaven as before with a great part of the Empire And besides this certaine it is till Gracians time they all kept the title of Pontifex maximus which was an honour belonging to the great Priest of Jupiter or to the Devill Onely Gracian and Theodosius after him being tender in conscience refused it then the Senate of Rome sayd if he will not be Pontifex maximus yet they will have him to Rome and call him to Rome and had it not been by a marvelous providence they had wonderfully prevailed for at the same time they did restore all the Temples as Julian had done and established all the Revenues belonging to them restored them all to the Priests and the Devill had the place of worship as before but the Lord putting them down by a mighty providence of his through the prosperity of Theadosius he utterly overthrew that title and through the zeal of his spirit cast
them Saints while they live upon the Earth whiles they are the Church Militant a warfaring Church while men undertake warre against them and overcome them by warre even then they are called Saints And which is wonderfull Saints when they are overcome and that by their owne sinfulnesse for they loose not the Saintship when they loose the victory The Lord looks at his poorest children here as Saints though there be a miserable body of death hang about them that they cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Death Rom. 7. 24. Yea though they complain of their Pride and Passion and Lusts and Hypocrysie and many offences they finde against themselves though they think themselves more flesh then any though they thinke themselves as Paul did Carnall sold under Sinne Rom. 7. 17. yet then the Lord accounts them Saints when they are encompassed about with a body of Sin Yea which is worse then that when they give way to their own Sinnes for a time and doe withdraw their confidence from the Lord in this and that act and put their trust in the arme of flesh When they are so childish as to trust Popish pretences when they are warred against and overcome by enemies and by their own folly as David saith in Psal 69. 5. O God thou knowest my foolishnesse and my Sinnes are not hid from thee The Lord knew it but yet he did not know it to hurt them and loath them and dishearten them but yet they are Saints and such as he account to be his and not onely in regard of Regeneration and the holinesse of Christ but in regard of the fruits of holinesse begun in them as he saith Rev. 14. 4. These are they which are not defiled with women They are sincere in their course and keep faith and a good conscience in the main and where they do fail they judge themselves Indeed in darknesse of Temptation they may be surprised but they judge themselves for it and God looks at them as though they were without fault before his Throne when it comes to the Throne of God the Lord Jesus covers it with the Robe of his Righteousnesse and in the intentions of their hearts and endeavours they are according to God if they be carried aside it is by humane frailty Now this is comfort that the Lord accounts them Saints when they are warred against as here in the Text and all the world thinks it a matter justly deserving Salvation to shed their bloud like water then doth the Lord beare witnesse they are Heriticks So that let every christian soul carry this home with him that it is not every act of unbeleif that makes a man no Saint for these trusted too much upon the forces of others and if they had prevailed for God never failes any that put their trust in him never do the Saints fail in any expedition to men but when they faile in trust to God 1 John 5. 4. This is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith He that believeth in the Sonne of God for Redemption and Protection and turnes not asside whether he go forth with many or with few it is all one for that if it were but David with a sling and a stone he shall prevaile against Goliah The Lord is faithfull never did any faithfull soul perish till his faith failed and shrunk and then when Peters faith shrinks he begins to sinck But it may be a ground of much consolation to any Saint of God the Lord doth not dissaint a man or cast him out of the Catalogue of Saints for this and that failing but still they are Saints a Saint in peace and a Saint in warre even when they are overcome when they are in calamity and the plowers plow upon their backes and make large furrows they are the Saints of God still leaning to the Voice and Councell of the Lord and when they start asside to Popish pretences Onely when they cleave to the Lord and trust steadfastly upon him then they prosper and flourish but if they begin to shrink in their faith and to harken to pretences and terms of peace then wonder not if you see them overcome yet still faith is invincible and their cause and Religion is propagated by their dispertion it was not destroyed And therefore if the Lord accounts us Saints it behooves us to be ashamed of every passage of our lives that doth not become the Saints of God When Religion came low and Antichrist overspread the world the Lord accounted his faithfull ones to be Saints in this battel there was a Generation of Saints whom he owns and therefore how much more should we that live in dayes of peace and liberty bring forth fruits of holinesse in our conversation that the Lord may account us his Saints whoever came to make war against us Thirdly this may serve to teach us the lawfulnesse of christians waging warre in their own just defence You see it evident here the Beast did make warre against the Saints and did overcome them at length though at first the Saints overcame them and killed divers of them they stood upon their own defence and it it is not laid to their charge but still they are accounted Saints while they make warre It is true their confidence in the arme of flesh and listning to Popish pretences was an argument of weaknesse and timerousnesse but it was not their failing to resist and had they not hearkned to those suggestions brought to them by those that lye in wait to deceive had they not leaned to humane policy and trusted to humane strength they had certainly prospered It is true indeed when the Laws of a State are armed against Religion though christians be fewer or more in number they are to submit and not take up armes and that was the constant practice of the Primitive Church the Laws of the Empire being for Idolatry they willingly suffered though they were more then the rest Or secondly when the Laws of a State are ordayned for Religion private christians must lift up their hands to right the abuse of the Laws and therefore David being a private person he would not lift up his hand against Saul the Lords Annointed though he did against Law But yet neverthelesse if the Law be for the maintenance of Peace and Trueth and true Religion and Governours and Princes will against Law and beyond Law and consequently against the Oath which themselves have taken to maintain the Laws and Religion if they will make warre against the Saints and Religion and Truth or against the way of Justice and happinesse which they are sworn to maintain now in such a case as this It is as lawfull to take up armes of defence as it was for these men to take up war in their own just defence Now they are not private persons but in the place of the Country The Lord he put the power of the
Though there were some ruffinly Captains that would have had him cut off Ambroses head no saith he let him alone he does it out of love to God and my soul Therefore with many teares and much dejection of soul he sanctifiâ—d God in his heart and was afterwards received againe into the Church not onely to the great comfort of the Church where he lived but of all others that were under his Government and he never lost the honour of his Government No man ever lost by submitting to the Authority of Christ we may trust the Lord for that Authority is more worth then our haires and yet he numbers our haires and all the comforts of the world are not answerable to it trust him with it as he that is faithfull and he will certainly provide that nothing shall be lost commit your souls to him as to a faithful Creator and the Lord finding his name sanctified in it before the people he will certainly sanctifie us and our names before them as we sanctifie his Let us yeild up our selves to the service of his Kingdome when men have been contrary minded the Lord hath pursued them with fearful judgements You know the case of Nadab and Abihu Lev. 10. 1. They came before God with strange fire and the Lord makes a strange worke and consumes them with fire Annanias and Saphira that dealt deceitfully with the Church some part they delivered but kept back part of their substance what followed upon that The Lord struck them dead you will say those were in those dayes in which God was neere to his Church Beleive it the Lord is as neere to his Church now though not in miracles as then there needs not miracles now The Lord will confirme his Truth Rev. 2. 23. All the Churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reignes and hearts and I will give to every one of you according to your workes As men deal subtilly he will deal subtilly with the faithful with plain hearted with conscionable men he will deal faithfully and all the Churches shall know it the Lord will not have his judicature in his Church bafled down with partiall and Annanias his confession The Lord will set his face against those men and cut them off from the land of the living that shall dis-regard his throne and Crown And therefore it behooves all men whom it may at any time concern to sanctifie his name My sonne give glory to God and tell me what thou hast done Josh 7. 19. And he ingenously tells him from first to last which no body ever could tell but saith hee I saw among the spoiles a goodly Babilonish Garment and two hundred sheckels of Silver and a wedge of Gold of fifty sheckels weight then I coveted them and took them well saith he thou hast troubled Israel and the Lord shall trouble thee but yet this acknowledgement was the valley of Achor for a door of hope Hos 2. 15. for their prosperity and victory over all their enemies So that if all Nations and Languages be thus ready to submit to the inventions of men how justly doth the Lord challenge due subjection to his will to sanctifie him in our hearts to throw down our Crowns if we have them at his feet and glad we may do so It is evident Rev. 4. 10. that all the Church the four Officers and 24. Elders they all cast their Crowns down before him Though they all did weare Crowns all had Authority yet they cast them all down at his feet when they came before him that sate upon the throne and before the Lambe There they stooped In the presence of Christ they threw down their Soveraignty and let the name of Christ be magnified and his Ordinances have free passage but for them let their honour fall down Lastly let it learn us thus much to take to heart in these dayes the estate of our Ancestors and Fathers of old in those dayes For if every Kindred have worshipped the Beast then thy Kindred have done it or Ancestors We speak not in dederision of them but they have all done it the body of them though here and there some may be left out and all their power they have given to the Beast to rule Families Churches and Common-wealths and all our Kindred and especially our Tongues have done it not onely those that speak Dutch and Spanish but we have been more devoted then any Christian Nations in giving such vast revenues and Monasteries and so large devotion to the man of sinne none have been so devout as English It is incredible to tell the great payments they made to the Pope it is not to be numbred And if all Tongues have submitted to the Beast then they that speak English as well as those that speak Scottish or Welsh or Brittish the body of all Kindreds if not to this day It must therefore humble us in regard of this their sinne which will be set upon our score unlesse the Lord humble us for it the contagion of their sinn reaches to us and his jealousie will cut off root branch Gods jealousie is kindled by Images and superstitions I will visit the iniquities of their Fathers upon their children men may suffer much for their Ancestors and for their Kindred Tongues and Nation And therefore it behoovs us all to be humbled for the sinne of our Ancestors and they hoped to be saved by the intercession of Saints c. This provokes the jealousie of God Therefore if we would not have our teeth set an edge by these sour Grapes it behooves us to be humbled that the intaile of Gods curse may be cut off from us though it lay heavy upon them that went before us Rev. 13. 8. And all that dwell on earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lamb c. YOu have heard that upon the recovery and healing of the wounded head of the Catholick Church sundry effects followed the Dragon gave unto the Beast a four fold power Power to speak great things power to continue and to be active 42. moneths power to make warre with the Saints and to overcome them Power of soveraignty and Authority over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations and that even to worship that all that dwell on the Earth shall worship him believing as the Church believes and neither more nor lesse submitting themselves in conscience to all their decrees and expecting their salvation in the fellowship of that Church which is divine worship peculiar onely to the Lord Jesus In the words now read you have these that worship the Beast that is that give this divine honour to the Catholick Church to believe as they believe to submit their consciences to the power of this Beast taking up all their observations for worship for Government from them not from God and looking for their salvation in reconcilement with this Church I say these men that doe thus worship
for our transgressions I mean to dissolution of soul and body And so by the wickednesse of men he was accused condemned and accordingly executed What think you of him saith Caiphas you have heard his blasphemies and they answered and sayd he is guilty of death Mat. 26. 66. And Pilate himselfe though he thought him to be guiltlesse yet delivered him to be crucified Mat. 27 26. And the people sayd We have a Law and by our Law he ought to dye John 19. 7. Thus was he delivered by the wickednesse of men and Pilate knew they did it of envy Mat. 27. 18. So that it was a great wickednesse in Pilate to gratifie the people and to suffer such an innocent Lamb to be crucified yet rather then he will loose the favour of Caesar and of the people he delivers him to be crucified And which is more then so as he dyed by the justice of God and the wickednesse of men so by the malice of Satan for our Saviour saith in Luke 22. 52. This is the very hour and power of darknesse The gates of Hell were opened to powre upon him all the vengence they were able It was fore-tould in Gen. 3. 15. It shall bruise they head and thou shalt bruise his heel The Serpent should bruise his heel that is Christ the seed of the woman His heel you will say that falls far short of death to pinch a man on the heele it may make him go lamely but not kill him but the holy Ghost intends that all the mischief that Satan works against Christ or any of his members it doth but reach to the bruising of the heele It bruised his heele that implies that Christ should have a body like ours and his heele that is the lower part of Christ his humanity Satan should bruise it And he shall break thy head it is the same word and therefore you may take them both for breaking or both for bruising therefore Peter expounds it well in 1 Pet. 3. 18. when he tells you Christ suffered for sinne The just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh His heele was brused that is his flesh So that though the Lord suffered unsupportable misery to be forsaken of his Disciples betrayed by one and forsworn by another to be forsaken of his Father in regard of any comfortable fellowship he had with him Though he suffered all this in inward and outward man to such extremity that made him sweat drops of blood and in the end to gâ—ve up the ghost yet all this was but the heele the lower part of Christ as it were for his personal union is not in the least measure intercepted his head and councel stands sure and all his indeavours will finde a blessed accomplishment Whereas the Lord breakes the head of Satan not onely cuts him off from all hope of fellowship in grace but all his plots shall be disappointed at length and all execution of his designes they shall be brused the Sonne of God comes to dâ—ssolve the works of Satan to undoe them Thus comes the Lamb to be slaine The reason of the point is double First to fulfil all the former types of the Legall Sacrifices The Israelites were to slay the Paschal lamb in the evening at the ninth hour of the day Exod. 12. 6. about the same time he was slain And all other Sacrifices for reconciliation were to be killed necessary therefore he should be slain The daily Sacrifice which consisted of a Lamb in the morning and a Lamb in the evening were both slaine though without blemish and so was Christ But that was but a shadow for Christs suffering was rather the cause of them but it is the Scripture phrase this was done that this and that may be fulfilled because such a thing in after times was fulfilled Secondly the cheif reason why it was requisite Christ should be slaine and why he would be slaine was That he might lay down his life for a ransome or price for his people Mat. 20. 28. The Sonne of man came to give his life a ransome for many A ransome of what or price of what The Scripture holds forth a price of Redemption and a price of Purchase A price of Redemption We are not redeemed with Silver and Gold but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. He paid a price for our redemption that so he might discharge the debt of our sinnes which lay upon us Rom. 6. 23. Gen. 2. 17. What day soever thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye And partly by this means to satisfie the justice of God who had threatned according to the curse of the Law that cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the Law to doe them Behold saith the Lord I set before you life and death obey it and live do it not and dye This is the sanction and ratification of the Law of God throughout the books of Moses And therefore that he might satisfie the Law and the wrath of God Ezek. 18. 20. The soul that sinneth it shall dye that he might discharge the debt wee ran into and satisfie for our defects it was necessary to pay this price of redemption to save us from death and all evils that drew on death And consequently therefore he hath saved us from sinne Rev. 1. 5. He hath loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his bloud He hath redeemed us also from the world Gal. 1. 4. Who gave himselfe for our sinnes that he might deliver us from this present evill world and he hath also given himselfe unto the death that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the Devill Heb. 2. 14. So this is one part of the reason and the sum of the ends why Christ gave himselfe to be slaughtered and his life as a price of redemption to redeem us from evill for redemption is from captivity and bondage from sinne and Satan and the world This was a principal end of his death but it was but part of it Here is a price to redeem us from evil from so many captivities wherein we were overwhelmed But there is a price given of purchase to the praise of his glory Ephes 1. 14. It is a price of purchase of some glorious possession and for that end it was also given in a principal manner Now what is the purchased possession which the Lord hath given his bloud as a price to pay Truly as the Lord hath redeemed us from the three great enemies of our souls so he hath purchased the three greatest blessings the sonnes of men are capable of and they are the greatest blessings they can reach to 1. He hath purchased reconcilement with the Father He hath reconciled us by the death of his Son Rom. 5. 10. God loved us indeed from eternity when he chose us
but we were by nature children of wrath as well as others How came we to be restored and reconciled to the Father from whom we fell as much as we could by the bloud of the Lamb that hath reconciled us to God Secondly by his death he hath paid a price of purchase for union and possession of union with the Sonne So doth the holy Apostle teach us Ephes 2. 13. to 16. You that were sometimes farre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ For he is our peace who hath made both one Jewes and Gentiles both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us So that he hath made Jewes and Gentiles one houshold of God and hath built us upon Jesus Christ the cheif corner stone This is the second purchase which the Lord hath given his blood for the price of We had never been united to Christ nor by Christ been brought to the Father but by the bloud of his crosse his blood hath flain all enmity between God and us Thirdly by the same price he hath also purchased us the holy Spirit These are the three persons in Trinity a possession of Christ to be our head of the Father to be our God and King and our Father as his Father therefore he tels his Disciples in John 20. 17. saith he Touch me not for I go to my Father and your Father to my God and your God As soon as he had by death overcome death now I go to my Father and your Father He hath purchased the possession of Gods fatherly love he hath also purchased union with himselfe and therefore he prayed that his passion might be available to this end that all that should beleive through the Apostles preaching should be one with them John 17 21 23. That they all might be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one So that this is the purchase which the Lord by his blood hath purchased reconciliation with the Father and union with the Sonne and also the inhabitation of the holy Ghost as 1 Cor. 3. 16 17. Know yee not that yee are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you And as he tels us in Ephes 2. 18. Through him we have an accesse by one spirit unto the Father So that this is a purchase of unspeakable blessings which the Lord hath given his blood for It was not meet the blood of the Sonne of God should be spilt in vain it were abhomination to God therefore he gives it to avoyd the greatest evill that can befall us to cleanse us from sinne and Satan and to redeem us from the curse of God and to free us also from death and hell and the world and all the enemies of our souls He gave his blood for all this not to redeem us from crosses but from the curse in crosses and that is the part which drives us from God Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me yee cursed So farre as any affliction might separate us from God he hath redeemed us from it Now from thence as Christ hath given his blood for reconciliation with the Father and for union with the Sonne and for communion with the holy Ghost so he hath given his blood for the purchase of some blessings that flow from these For by communion with the spirit we have 1. First communion with Christ in his death mortifying sinne and communion with him in his resurrection raising us up to righteousnesse Whence the Apostle professeth that he desires to rejoyce in nothing but the crosse of Christ whereby the world is crucified to him and he unto the world Gal. 6. 14. And in Rom. 6. 6. Our old man is crucified with him that the body of death might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne So there is the power of the spirit of Christ applying his death killing and crucifying sinne and the world in us crushing the head of the Serpent and consequently all the power of the Beast of the Catholick Church of Rome and the head of that Beast which is the Pope He did therefore shed his blood that he might destroy all the power of the enemy That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without feare all the dayes of our life Luke 1. 74. This is the mighty power of the spirit applying the warme blood of Christ to our foules 2. The second fruit that flows from union with the blessed Trinity is ratification of the Covenant of Grace And Christ layd downe his bloud for that end to ratifie all the promises that a reconciled God hath made and that is God in a Covenant of Grace That he will write his law in our hearts that he will forgive our sinnes and remember our iniquities no more that we shall know him Jer. 31. 33 34. Christ gave his blood to ratifie this Covenant Heb. 9. 15 16 17. And as the Testament of a Testator stands not in force till the death of him that made it so the death of Christ ratifies this Covenant and as all the Covenants were confirmed by bloud so hath Christs blood done in a speciall manner And when he speaks of ratifying the Covenant he doth not onely speak of ratifying of it in word but cheifly in the hearts of Gods people and no price could have done that but the blood of the Sonne of God by which he hath ratified all the promises of God to the consciences of Gods people That when the heart and conscience of a sinner is overwhelmed with inward agony and fear of the wrath of God and the curse of the Law the fear of death and Hell now what shall satisfie a christian in this but the death of Christ and what shall ratifie it His death hath purchased reconciliation with the Father union with the Son and communion with the holy Ghost now he hath shed his spirit in our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father Gal. 3. 14. This spirit of God works faith in the hearts of Gods people whereby all these promises are confirmed they are all certainly made good because such is the value and virtue of the death of this innocent lamb of God they are now free from the terrour of death It was not possible the bloud of Buls and Goats should take away sinne therefore still they had new sacrifices for the conscience had lost the copy by which it pleaded reconciliation by the spirit of God now he applying the death of Christ to the soul doth fully pacifie the conscience and ratifie the Covenant to the soul that now all the promises of Grace belong to this or that servant of Christ and I pray mark it because it is as weighty as any point of Religion And of all the
he looked to be accepted in Christ Jesus so Enoch is said to have walked with God Gen 5. 24. and no man can walke with God except he be reconciled with God Amos 3 3. And is there any reconciliation but in the blood of the Sonne of God We are reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne Rom. 5. 10. It is said of Abraham that by faith he left his country and his fathers house and his kindred and went out not knowing whether he went Heb. 11. 8. Gen. 12. 1. How comes Abraham to be redeemed and rescued from the blood of his Ancestors and from his fathers house We are redeemed from our vaine conversation received by tradition from our fathers not with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Which argues plainly and evidently that Abraham himself if he had not been washed in the blood of this Lamb he could not have been saved from hankering after the blood of his Ancestors if the blood of Ancestors had been more warme in him then the blood of Christ he would not have been redeemed from his fathers house but now in his old age he leaves his country and goes to seek that seed in whom they all should be blessed in that country It is said in Gen. 15. 6. That he beleived in the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousnesse and all justiffication is by faith saith the Apostle in the blood of Christ Rom. 3. 23 24 25. We all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus c. For all the sinnes that have passed us from the beginning of the world the Lord received atonement for them in the blood of his sonne and our father Abraham if he were justified it was by faith in the sonne of God How came it to passe that Joseph was able to overcome the strong and subtile temptations of his Mistresse in Gen. 39. 9. How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God Can he mortifie a lust by any power of his own No let the Apostle answer it in Gal. 5. 29. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts for so it is it is not affections but all the sinful passions that hang about the soules of men the Lord frees us from them all by the blood of his Sonne So that if you see Joseph crucified to his lust and Abraham 〈◊〉 from his fathers house and justified if you see Abel offering a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain Look at all these as lively fruits of the blood of the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world whence also springs their faith heavenly mindednesse their sanctification their power of godlinesse was as great and in many things greater as in those that have lived since his crucifying on the crosse Now if it had not been as effectuall and reall before his coming as when he did come doubtlesse the efficacy of his death would have been lesse powerfull and more weak in them that lived before his coming but when you see such livelinesse spring from the virtue and power of it then you see the efficacy of it from the foundation of the world onely the manifestation of it was not so clear as afterwards whence it comes to passe that the generality of Christians now are or ought to be more cleare and more pure then the generality of Christians then but in some men you have had them that exceeded those that lived in Christs owne time and since 5. There is a fifth respect in which Christ is said to be slaine from the beginning of the world and that is in respect of the faith of Gods elect who lived from the beginning of the world As soon as there was a man on the earth the same day the Lord put emnity between the seed of the woman and the Serpent now the seed of the woman looks for salvation in the seed of the woman and they did even then look to the Lord Jesus the Messias as much as we do since in John 8. 56. Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day he saw it and was glad that was the day of the coming of Christ into the world to be an attonement for the sinnes of his people If Abraham saw it then Enoch Noah Abel and Adam and Eve and who ever lived by Jesus Christ they all saw Christ afar off yet they saw him notwithstanding they saw his day the day of his Incarnation and Passion and Resurrection and it is said in Heb. 11. 1. That faith is the subsistence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene that is it did give the Fathers before Christ as clearly to see Christ already present to them as if he had been actually come in the flesh and so it is with all the Saints at this day look as we do as really believe the Resurrection of the body that by faith gives it substance as verily as if it were present and as we believe the salvation of our soules as verily as if it were accomplished and it is as clear I meane as certaine as if it were already done and in some measure as evident for so he saith It is the evidence of things not seen he speaks in the Apostle words The confidence and evidence of things not seen Hence it comes That the fathers saw the promises embraced them but did not receive them Heb. 11. 39. That is did not receive them accomplished for they never saw Christ in his death but they were perswaded of them and embraced them and did verily look for them in expectation as if they had been present with them that is if Christ had been come they would not have done nor suffered more then they did which argues that faith gives a basis and subsistence to what it layes hold on and makes it so reall that we shall neither do more nor suffer more if it were present They did believe that the time would come when the Messias being bruised himselfe he would break the Serpents head These are the severall respects in which Christ is said to be the Lamb slaine from the foundation of the world In regard of the purpose of God in regard of his promise in regard of the types of him in the Sacrifices that were shadowes of Christ and did really hold him forth in regard of the vertue of it and in regard of the faith of Gods people that lived from the beginning of the world in regard of all these Christ was slaine from the beginning of the world For the Reasons of the point All the ways and respects I have spoken to are as so many Reasons yet if a man should stand upon a Reason I would first say this the first may be from the eternity of that which is infinite what ever
the Churches and Saints of Christ that have been overcome or have suffered any hard-ship from any of these Those that have been troublesome to Gods Churches and people the Lord will one day visite them all and he will one day root them out of the land of the living They shall one day know what pillars and scourges and fire and faggot meanes what torments meane what bloody inquisitions meane They shall be recompenced seven-fold into their bosomes Here is the patience and faith of the Saints The third note is this The Lord doth as much acknowledg and accept the patience and faith of his Saints that have suffered under the Roman Catholique Church as he did the faith and patience of the Primitive Saints that suffered under the Roman Pagan Emperours against Heathenish idolatry The Papists themselves are full of acknowledgment of the Primitive Martyrs and will write many Legends of them as the Pharisees they did build the Sepulchers of the Prophets and yet killed their Successors Fulfill saith Christ the measure of your fathers You garnish the sepulchers of the dead bodies and yet you kill their Successors They will acknowledg them the Primitive Martyrs but what are those that suffered in Switzerland in France in England in Germany They look at those as Lolards and Hereticks But what saith the Lord of them Even of them as well as of those that suffered in former times the Lord doth accept their sufferings and saith of them Here is the patience and faith of the Saints Wherein the Lord doth acknowledge the faith by which they overcome this Beast and patience to be the patience and faith of the Saints The world saith otherwise but the Lord saith of those that suffered under this Beast Here is the patience and faith of the Saints So in Rev. 12. 13. Here is the patience of the Saints Write blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from hence-forth as well as in ancient times Blessed are they that dye in the faith of Christ Jesus in the hottest and highest times of Popery The Reason is evident First because the faith of such Christians and their patience was the faith and patience of Christ That is to say that which both fastned upon Christ and bore witnsse unto Christ and suffered patiently for Christ as did the Primitive Christians in the ten Persecutions And it was such a faith as by which they overcame the world 1 John 5. 4. It was faith in Christ Jesus even that faith by which they chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season Heb. 11. 24 25. It was that faith by which they despised honour Even the same case of Christ in Moses hand and in their hands and the point is of like nature Roman Idolatry is but another Edition and their Errors are as fundamentall subvertions to that which shouâ—d be the faith of Gods elect And their Government is directly contrary unto the Gospel-government of Christ Jesus as light is to darknesse When their faith in the cause of Christ do carry them along in suffering for him it is then the patience of Christ It was the like faith and patience of Christ to suffer under Annas and Caiaphas as under Herod It is true in the one he suffered as an enemy to Caesar in the other as a blasphemer but the case is all one No matter what the persons 〈…〉 Christian in profession Iâ— the cause be the 〈◊〉 of Christ it is the patience and faith of Christ which is in his 〈…〉 whomsoever they suffer 〈…〉 Reason is from the greater exercise of saith and 〈◊〉 to discern and suffer under Christians against Christians 〈…〉 Pagans 〈◊〉 Heathen persecutors For the use of the point Fiâ—st it cryes downe all the scandalous sentences that Courts have given against the Saints of God they say here are the suffering of Lolards and Hereticks Jesus Christ from heaven saith Here is the faith and patience of the Saints Do not therefore count it obstinacy and contumacy in heresie nor pravity It is the faith and patience of the Saints if Chrâ—st calls it so his word must carry it When they shall all appear before his Judgment-seate whose word shall stand then his or theirs He will say here is the cruelty and outrage of the persecution of Antichrist that puts the Lambs of Christ to death Secondly It may serve to teach us how much the Lord delights to honour his patient and faithfull servants Hee writes upon their Toomb-stones as it were so many Saints or faithfull Martyrs of Christ are those who have thus suffered This doth the Lord Jesus Christ write upon their stakes where they are burned in Smithfield or else-where and upon the chains wherewith they are bound A great encouragement it is unto Christians to be constant in the profession of the Gospel and to contend earnestly for the faith once given to the Saints We must not therefore be afraid to stand fast in the profession of the Truth and to hold it to the death If we should dye in his Cause in a way of persecution to be slaughtered by the outrage of ungodly men what ever the world say of it the Lord will from heaven beare this witnesse to it That it is the patience and faith of the Saints Thirdly it must teach all who would suffer for the name of Christ to be well assured of their cause and then to adde constancy to their suffering in their cause Otherwise unlesse it be the cause of Christ it is no patience but obstinacy blindenesse and ignorance But see that your cause be the cause of Christ and then cleave unto it by the invincible â—aith of Gods elect to overcome the world and look Lyons and Dragons in the facâ— without fear and astonishment and look at punishment and tortour as not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed It looks at them as things that Christ hath endured greater and other of the Saints of God have gone before uâ— in the like or a greater martyrdome Therefore first look to the cause and then believe in the truth of the cause and the faithfulnesse of Christ that will maintaine his servants stable and firme and cause them to hold out unto the end But do not take up your reformation upon custome nor side with any thing for custom of the country where you are because your Magistrates and Elders do commend it to you for it behooves every christian man to know well what he beleives and practise and to know the doctrine of Christ and the Government and the worship of Christ and that not because men say so but because you see light for it from the word of the Son of God Then your next care is to look that you depend upon Christ for strength that as he suffered for you you may be able to suffer for him ther 's the faith of Gods children And for
to blesse God for it And though we may think of mending our selves here or there yet you will finde it a difficult thing to finde 12. multiplyed by 12. in any place under Heaven that is either your foundation shall not be Apostolical institution or your administration apostolick doctrine That christians should be the foundation of Churches as the Apostles require Saints by calling and to build on such and to administer such according to the word of God Yea though the Lord should be pleased to give our Countrey-men free passage of a Parliament as now we have speech of it and though they be a wise Nation yet such is the very frame of the State and of the Sonnes of men that if the Lord give free passage of a Parliament you will find it a very difficult thing to have the State ruled by Apostolical judgment to reject all devices of men to shut out the greatest part of a kingdom from the Lords Table you would finde rebellions multiplyed exceedingly if they were of the spirit that they were of in Edward the sixths time And when you are gone out of the Countrey not that I would flatter the Countrey the Lord knows we our selves here have need to grow more spiritual daily but yet in respect of the Churches of God and administration of things here though we faile and go aside we have the rule to shew us the way back againe I say when you are gone go whether you will you will have much ado to finde materials and more ado to finde forme and administration as that it may be in cold blood you will fit and mourn by the waters of Babilon and hang your Harpes upon the willowes and say how shall we sing the Lords song the song of Zion in a strange Laâ—d Therefore let it provoke us to hold fast what we have received and not to be taken off with faire pretences to turne aside to one hand or the other if we be in a state of wisdome let us keep in it and beleive it whatever takes you to a contrary course to things as they stand if the holy Ghost say this is wisedome then I am sure the contrary of it must needs be folly Fourthly it may teach us in the fear of God to have an eye to our brethren in our native Country to consider those defects that those which reformed religion before us did leave in the recovery of the Country out of the jaws of Antichrist you see what the Lord requires of us that we should have nothing to do with the number of the Beast Though they cut off the head of the Beast from being of any soveraign power to them yet they took too much liberty for forme of worship and for the number of the Popes name and of Government by Canon Laws yea the whole Church discipline by the Popish Canon Law onely with this destinction that whereas the Pope enjoyed it before now the King he claims headship over the Church aswel as the civil State and he deriveth the Church-power to the chief Bishops and they worke upon it more and more and though it be true both Henery the eighth and much more Edward the sixth and Queen Elizabeth all these did set so many Councellors so many Divines and so many common and civil Lawyers to cull out of the Popes Decretals such Canons as were most fit for Government and most of such as cut off Popish supremacy yet they could never agree of it and so they admit them as the Popes Canons only yet so that whereas reference of Ecclesiastical matters was to the Pope now it is to the King as supream head and Governour but the Popes Canons are the government of the Church Now what was the reason There was an unsafe principle in their hearts that they thought it lawfull to take the Laws of the Roman Church and that any King might have power to make Laws to govern the Church as well as the Pope had It is true he hath power to make Lawes as well as the Pope had and better but the truth is neither the Pope nor King hath power to make Laws to rule the Church but it must be by the Laws of Christ Whatsoever is not of the number of 12. is superadded and will never prosper but this principle making them willing to admit such things though they were the chiefest of the Kingdome that were appointed for that worke yet they could never agree But had they received a little more light and wisdome to cut off the number of the Beast aswel as his head it would have prevailed for the liberty of Gods Ordinances and purity of Doctrine I say this being wanting to them let it not be wanting to us but through the mercy of God the servants of God have taken no small paines to clear up such things what the Laws are in the Church of Christ by which Magistrates and others are to be guided how far civil Government may reach and how farre it may not go still reserving this fundamental principle to hold them close to the direction of the holy Ghost by the 12. Apostles and this being the pious care of our Magistrates and of the Churches this wisdome will by the blessing of God be established that that which other Nations have not attained to this day may by the blessing of God be reached by us and yet though the Elders are to enquire and to commend to them such rules as may establish it it pleaseth God not to give as yet passage to our purposes appoint one day a storme of raine hinders appoint the second day fortnight then a storme of snow prevents that it is tough work to establish things of this nature it is difficult as if the Lord would have them established in a spirituall way as Moses the Law by 40. dayes fasting he had the spirit of God and larger measure by much then we yet the Lord requires serious humiliation of him And therefore since I heard that there hath been a seasonable motion to commend such a thing to the State that the whole country do in special maner seek God at such a time against the consultation of the general Court and this weighty point falling in for ripening of mens thoughts for the Laws of the Country and limitation of jurisdictions both of Church and Common-wealth the Lord saith he will be sought unto by the house of Israel Therefore I think the motion is seasonable and was glad to hear of it and thought to commend it to our honoured Governours that sit at Stern and all other Churches but we that are present have no power but in our own Church nor that but with the consent of the Church that if it be thought convenient this day seven-night might be set apart to seek the face of God that we may take time both to ripen our consultations and to prevaile with the Lord to prosper our consultations and administrations that this matter