sea and hee that poured his Vial upon the rivers and fountains did but pour it out upon earthly rivers and fountains and therefore he that pours his out upon the Sun doth but pour it out upon an earthly Sun not an heavenly Sun I mean not any spirituall Sun of heavenly brightnesse or glory Minde therefore that it cannot be allowed to interpret this Sun to be the Lord Iesus Christ as some good Interpreters have expounded it he is indeed the Sun of true visible reformed Churches but not of Antichristian Now will it be in like sort allowed to interpret it of the Scriptures as some of our best Interpreters have expounded it for these are but one for the Scriptures reveal Christ and the woman cloathed with the Sun that is Christ she is cloathed with him as he is revealed in the Scripture 12 Revel 1. But I do not see how it should well be allowed that that should be the Sun here meant For first the Angels that pour out these Vials are all godly men at least generally so reputed and accounted and acknowledged by the Churches they are cloathed with pure white linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints inherent and imputed They are also girded with gelden girdles sincere profâ—ssors of the truth and how these can be imagined to pour out wrath upon the Lord Iesus or the Scriptures it is not to be beleeved or conceived And besides all these had command to pour out the wrath of God on those subjects upon which they poured out their Vials as in the first Verse Now God forbid we should conceive that any wrath of God should be poured out upon Christ ever since his Resurrection or that any wrath of God should be poured out upon the Scriptures For although they that thus expound this Vial to be poured out upon the Sun do not say that the wrath of God was poured upon the Sun but upon the Antichristian state yet the Text tels us they poured out the Vials of the wrath of God upon that subject that they poured them on they poured them all upon the earth So that all these things are but earthly matters and such earthly matters as have been open justly to the wrath of God It is therefore but an earthly sea and they are but earthly rivers and fountains and it is but an earthly Sun and an earthly air corrupt air an unwholsome Antichristian air upon which the Vials are poured So that I cannot go so freely along with that Exposition that the Sun here is Christ revealed in the Scriptures or the Scriptures revealing Christ If any man shall say but the Sun spoken of in the Trumpets was Christ in the Scriptures or the Scriptures revealing Christ those Trumpets hold forth a like degree of judgement upon the Roman-Christian Empire as here upon Antichristian Rome For upon the sounding of the first Trumpet judgement fals upon the earth common Christians The second Trumpet sounding judgement fals upon the Sea as in the 8 Revel 7 to 12. And the third upon rivers and fountains And the fourth Trumpet sounding did bring an hand of God upon the Sun a third part of the Sun was smitten that is the Son Christ Iesus was much darkned in that degenerated Christian-state and so it was with the Scriptures with the Church state and with humane Learning they were all darkened as it is there described But minde you the Sun is one thing to a Church that hath truth in it though degenerated CHRIST was their light though they were darkened in a third part But now when Religion is wholly corrupt that all the whole Sea is the bloud of a dead man now the world is altered and if you have a new world you must have a new Sun That was a Christian world and CHRIST might still be the Sun and light of that though in many degrees corrupted and the Scriptures might be still the light of the world But now when you come to an Antichristian world so wholly degenerated that there is no power of CHRIST to be seen as they administer any Ordinance now the case is so far changed that you must look for another Sun in another world Here is another earth and another Sea that Sea was not like the bloud of a dead man though corrupt but this is and those waters though their Teachers were corrupt yet it was but a third part but here all is become bloud and they drink of bloud for they are worthy And here is another Sun in this new world and what must that be In a word there be others that interpret it of the greatest and most illustrious light most eminent and glorious light in the Antichristian world And what may that be If you look through all the Antichristian world what should be the most eminent and most glorious and most illustrious light that shines in the greatest glory amongst them all What doth more readily offer it self then the house of Austria the chief governour in the Antichristian state of eminent lustre and hath been so for 200 yeers as they call it the Lumen and Columen of that state the light and pillar of that state And they that so expound it they wrote just in this time when the king of Sweden came forth to represent the Angel he with his followers to pour out a Vial of GODS wrath upon the Imperiall state of Germany and consequently upon the rest of that house that were allyed to them whether Spaniards or others and that to the provoking of so much indignation you know what scornfull derisions they put upon him as if he came in like a Tinker with his Copper money rather then a worthy Generall and you know what indignation and wrath hath been kindled by that means against all Germany what a world of bloud hath been spilt how fire and sword hath pursued those attempts to this very day What might be said against this Interpretation is not much but yet so much as to make some addition to this Interpretation The Papists will by no means bear and acknowledge it that any Civil state should be the most Illustrious light of their Religion they will tell you that the Emperour is but a borrowed light from the Sun and doth owe homage to the Pope for his Imperiall Crown that have translated the Empire from Greece to France and from France to Germany They will tell you the Pope is as much above the Emperour as the Sun is above the Moon And they are not ashamed to speak to the Pope in the amplification of his glory Thou art the light of the world the flower of Paradise the gate of Heaven And if they make the Pope their greatest light their most transcendent and Illustrious light the Sun in the primest and chiefest glory then you must look and search somewhat further for some further Interpretation then meerly the Imperiall state or the state of that same Family combined and united unto it And yet
neither would I wholly wave that Interpretation of the Imperiall state because the matter is not what Papists will acknowledge or what the Church of Rome will own Whether they will own the Emperour to bee the primest and chiefesf light or others for the holy Ghost speaks of things as they be as well as how they are conceived to be Now in Scripture Interpretation the greatest lights are Magistrates that hold forth the greatest lustre and splendor but yet in the Churches and when you speak of spirituall Administrations they that are to derive light from CHRIST to the Church they are the greatest lights for spirituall things But wee come to speak therefore of the great light they set up they set up him as the chiefest and greatest light which derives light to the very Scriptures for they conceive that they should not bee Authenticall unlesse the B of Rome count them so and if he do count them authenticall then they shall be so though they be Apocrypha and no sence of Scripture allowed for the light of truth unlesse it be acknowledged by him nor no Decrees go for currant unlesse he ratifie them So that that which they take for the light of their world is chiefly the Bishop of Rome If then he be their greatest light then this Angel pours his Vial of Gods wrath upon the Pope his transcendent light whereby he gives authority to the Scriptures to Doctrine to Worship to Government to Councels and whereby he gives power to all his Officers to administer Discipline and Church-power in all Christendom as they call it all Christian Churches over Then they are the Angels that pour out the Vial upon that Sun that take from him that transcendent Prerogative of the Sun which is to rule by day 136 Psal 8. Take then from him his rule by day for you must speak of things metaphorically in this place though in the Psalm is meant another Sun but in this Sun take from the Pope from this Sun Popish rule of Religion the rule of all Churches the Soveraign power in all Ecclesiasticall affairs and what then Then you will pour out a Vial of wrath upon him And so did Queen Elizabeth in her time and the Parliament then by making the Popes Supremacie and the defence of it high Treason against her person and the State of the Kingdom and against the Lord Iesus It poured forth such a Vial of Gods wrath upon this great Light the Antichristian State that it rules no more by day neither in England nor Scotland nor Ireland nor divers other neighbour Nations who by her precedent example did abandon the like usurpation the supreme rule of the Pope in Ecclesiasticall affairs which is the very Rule of the Churches of Christ Thus you see take the one or the other both will stand together Let the house of Austria be the Sun as it is in his kinde and Sphaere the greatest light of all their created Civil power and hath been a great light indeed and both an ornament and nourishment to the See of Rome Or take the Pope himself who will be the greatest Church-light and claims to himself Supreme power not onely in Ecclesiasticall causes but Civil too It is no unusuall thing in Scripture to make a graduall Interpretation of dark Scriptures as in the 17 Chapter The seven beads saith the Text are seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth and in the 10 verse they are also seven Kings the same that represent seven mountains doth represent seven Kings And so both these are great lights of that state the Imperiall and the Spanish power combined in that house by bloud and affinitie and the Pope himself in his sphaere are both the great lights of that state and it hath pleased â—od to pour out his Vial of wrath upon them both and both the one and the other suffer and they shall suffer more and more because they do not repent to give God glory of their due and deserved punishment but continue still in their blaspheming against the Lord and his people and when men grow worse and worse both civil state and Ecclesiastical state both growing worse and worse doubtles their plagues will be multiplied Sweden began with one and hath been followed Queen Elizabeth in England and others elsewhere have begun with the other the Lord by sundry instruments in one kinde or other hath gone forth and will go on stil to let them know that the most high hath power over all the earth and will not be driven out When once he begins to execute judgement he will go on destroying to destroy and though the ministers of this wrath may conflict with doubtfull and various events yet the issue will be blessed and Popish Princes and States shall stand a far off and cry Alas alas that great city Babilon that mighty city for in one hour is thy judgement come That will be the finall issue of the great wrath of God upon it and how far both these have proceeded you cannot chuse but know How far queen Elizabeth scorched that Antichristian state with fiery indignation it is universally known which provoked Catholick Princes so much that what with pouring out the former Vials upon the Rivers and Fountains when she decreed it Treason for any to carry Popish Religion to England and to reconcile men to that See the pouring out of that Vial there and this here so far provoked them that they brought in their whole power against her in 88 and would have swallowed her up quick they were so exasperated with heat and fury and had not the Lord by his out-â—â—retched arm and wisdom prevented there had been no hope of preservation but desolation of her and her Kingdom Thus have I shewed you as shortly and plainly as I could what should be the meaning of this fourth Vial and the Angel by whom it was poured out Let us shortly come to gather a note or two from the words and very briefly First this Doctr. 1 When the wrath of GOD is kindled against a State for corruption of Religion he pours out his judgements against them by degrees first upon the common sort of people then upon Church Officers and then upon the principall Rulers and lights of that State That is the first note This is evident in the Gradation of the Text here is the wrath of the Lord kindled against the Antichristian state called here the earth an earthly Kingdom an earthly state brought forth of the earth and minding earthly things and all their Ordinances savouring of the earth of humane inventions and wisdom and power The Lord then when his wrath is kindled and sends forth Messengers of his wrath on that State how begin they They begin first with the earth the lowest Element they begin not with the Sea nor with the Sun nor with the Air but first the Vial fals upon the Earth Common Catholicks they first feel the shame and confusion thereof as you have
THE POWRING OVT OF THE SEVEN VIALS OR AN EXPOSITION OF THE 16. Chapter of the REVELATION with an Application of it to our Times Wherein is revealed Gods powring out the full Vials of his fierce wrath 1. Upon the lowest and basest sort of Catholicks 2. Their Worship and Religion 3. Their Priests and Ministers 4. The House of Austria and Popes Supremacy 5. Episcopall Government 6. Their Euphrates or the streame of their supportments 7. Their grosse Ignorance and blind Superstitions Very fit and necessary for this Present Age. Preached in sundry Sermons at Boston in New-England By the Learned and Reverend IOHN COTTON BB. of Divinity and Teacher to the Church there LONDON Printed for R. S. and are to sold at Henry Overtons shop in Popes-head Alley 1642. To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader Thou hast here presented to thy view a taste of the ordinary Weeke-daies exercise of that Reverend man taken from his owne mouth whose Pen would have more fully answered thy greatest expectations could his time drunke up with continuall waighty and various imployments afforded him more liberty and leisure to have fyled over his owne notions It is hoped they may be of great use unto thee and the rather because of the excellency and seasonablenesse of the Subject to erect thy hopes and to put an edge upon thy Prayers and desires for the more spedier bringing forth of those great workes which this and the following Age are to produce The good that may accrue to thy selfe and the common cause produced this Worke into the light which was not intended when first delivered for any more publike use then of his owne private Auditotie Now the Father of lights and God of all grace fill our hearts with the life and power of faith and zeale to pray for long for speed and write for the most desired ruine and speedy begunne-downefall of that most cursed Kingdome of Antichrist according to the scope and drift of that Prophesie expressed in the powring out of these Seven Vials Thine in the Lord I. H. Viall I. The powring out of the SEVEN VIALS OR AN EXPOSITION with an Application of the 16th Chapter of the REVELATION REVELATION 16.1.2 And J heard a great voyce out of the Temple saying to the Seven Angels Goe your wayes and poure out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth And the first went and poured out his Viall upon the Earth and there fell a noysome and grievous sore upon the men which had the Marke of the Beast and upon them which Worshipped the Image YOu have heard in the former Chapter of the Preparation of the Seven Angels to poure out the seven last Plagues of God upon the Antichristian State In this Chapter you read a large Description of their Execution of that worke which is First Commanded Verse 1. Secondly Performed in the sequell of the Chapter Commanded wherein observe that Commandement set forth First by the Jnstrumentall efficient Promulger of it a great voice I heard a great Voice Secondly By the Subject-place whence this Voice came forth out of the Temple A great voice out of the Temple Thirdly By the matter commanded by the voice Goe your waies and poure out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth This Commandement thus given was accordingly performed by all the seven Angels in this whole Chapter The first Angel poureth out his Viall ver 2. and that is first set forth by the subject upon which he poured it upon the earth Secondly It is amplified by the effect it wrought There fell a noysome and grievous sore upon the men What men They are of two sorts First Such as had the Marke of the Breast Secondly Such as worshipped his Image The words are somewhat darke and there is much variety in the Interpretation of them I shall shortly open to you what by the comparing of this and other Scriptures together I take to be the meaning of the Words First when he saith I heard a great voice It is a voice of Authority and Power And whose can that be but his that hath power over all these Plagues even God himselfe and the Lord Iesus Christ who also have power in the Temple It is not the voyce of one of the foure Beasts the Officers of the Church alone but a further power doth concur with this voice such as carried Majestie and authority with it Secondly Out of the Temple It implieth it was a voyce delivered not by one of the foure Officers in private but came out of Publike Administration where onely the Lord speaking did with Authority set forward these Angels upon this work And it may further Imply that it sprung upon some Prayers of the Church in the Temple for all the voices in the Temple are either the voice of the Church unto Christ or of Christ unto the Church And if the Lord speake graciously in the Temple It is commonly obtained in the Praiers of the Church craving answer from him To the seven Angels That is to say Seven sorts of Gods Messengers whether Magistrates or Ministers or whosoever they be that poure out these Vials they are Angels of God as being the Messengers of his wrath Neither is it meant of seven Individuall persons but seven sorts of Persons that set forward this worke And withall I doe accord with those that say that in all these administrations there is some presence of the heavenly Angels accompaning the men in the worke Goe your waies your waies is not in the Originall but Goe poure out the Vials The Vials are vessels of large content but of narrow mouthes they poure out slowly but drench deepely and distill effectually the wrath of God Vessels they are of full and just measure as all these judgements are dispensed in weight and measure Of the wrath of God That argueth that upon what subject soever these Vials fell the wrath of God fell together with them upon the same And that helpeth not a little to open the place and to shew the danger of some interpretations which doe expound the Sunne vers 8. to be the Scriptures If these Vials be the Vials of Gods wrath how shall any of them be conceived to be poured out upon the Scripture is the wrath of God kindled against the Scripture And for the Earth vers 2. Some conceive it to be meant of the common sort of godly Christians but though some soare plagues might befall some of them yet how can the wrath of God be conceived to be powred upon them It cannot therefore be meant as some of good note say of the Waldenses and Albugenses Hugonets and Lollards but the wrath of God falleth upon such as worship the Beast and his Image And therefore take that for certaine that what things soever the Vials of Gods wrath are poured upon they are such as God is deepely displeased withall Vpon the earth They thought right that thought it to bee meant of the common sort of Catholikes
giving him glory let all run in that streame that we acknowledge his justice and truth and mercy and grace and look up to him for receiving from him whatever is of his mercy and grace needfull for us and then we shall avoid those plagues and judgements which are threatned or gone forth against us and shall recover from under Gods hand like gold out of the fire THE FIFT VIALL REVEL 16.10 11. And the fifth Angell poured out his Viall upon the seat of the Beast or as the word is in the Originall the Thrones and his Kingdome was full of darkenesse and they gnawed their Tongues for paine And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their paines and their sores and repented not of their deeds IN these words you have described the powring out of the Viall of the fifth Angell and described it is First by the subject on which it was powred On the throne of the Beast Secondly by the effect of it which is double 1. Proper and primary His Kingdome was thereby darkened 2. The secondary and accidentall events were three 1. Anguish and indignationâ— They gnawed their Tounges for paine 2. Blasphemy They blasphemed the God of Heaven 3. Impenitency They repented not of their deeds This Scripture and the interpretation of it is the more difficult because it is generally conceived that the execution of Gods judgements upon the Beast hath not yet gone beyond the powring out of the fourth Viall therefore conjectures about it will be the more difficult and it may be more uncertaine yet because the Scripture in it selfe is not darke how darke so ever we may be in our apprehensions The Kingdome of the Beast is darke but not the Kingdome of Christ And the Lord hath promised a gracious blessing upon all that read and heare the words of this prophecy Chap. 1. verse 3. so that by the comparing of one part of this prophecy with another and observing the due poise of every word in his place with holy feare and reverence the Lord is wont to lead his people into truth according to the promise made to the Apostle Iohn 16.13 which is fulfilled to every successour of theirs in some measure Let us therefore goe on in the feare of God to consider of these things First the difficulty chiefely lyeth in opening the subject whereon this Viall will be powred for open that and the rest will be cleare The seat of the Beast is generally taken for the City of Rome and it is confirmed from the like speech Rev. 13.2 Where the Dragon gave the Beast his power and his seat or throne and great authority and therefore they gather from hence the ruine of Rome applying also hereunto some prophecies of the Sibills who in their Language tell us thus much that Rome shall then be desolate and be as if it had never been a state Now though we have much cause to glorifie God for the labours of such of his servants as have giveÌ„ that exposition yet I must confesse I cannot rest satisfied with that interpretation for I finde it cleare in the sequell of this Chapter that Babilon which is doubtlesse meant of Rome As throughout the seventeenth Chapter it is also is said to come up into Remembrance before God in the 19. verse of this Chapter And that is in the powring out the seventh Viall which implyeth that before it came not up in remembrance before God in point of actuall punishment for things are said to come up into â—â—â—â—â—brance before God when he taketh in hand either to shew mercy to them or to powre out wrath upon them a signe that the Viall and fiercenesse of his wrath was not yet powred out upon Rome besides it is expressed in this Text that upon the powring out of this Viall the Kingdome of the beast was darkened but there is a great difference betweene darkning and destroying Egypt was darkened before Pharoh was destroyed or the body of Egypt overwhelmed in the red Sea Upon these grounds therefore I cannot conceive that it is meant of Rome but of something else which in Scripture is to be understood by Throne sometimes it is put for that forme of government and authority which any person or state sitting on that throne doth administer as it is said of Christ that his throne is a throne of Righteousnesse and that is not so much spoken of the place where he governeth as of the government it selfe so in the 89 Psalme 29. 36 37. I will make his throne as the dayes of Heaven and againe his throne shall be as the Sunne before me It shall be established for ever as the Moone and in Psalme 122.5 Thrones of judgement are distinguished from the thrones of the house of David to wit such as David hath erected so by the like proposition it is here meant of that forme of government which the beast exerciseth in the Church both subjectively that which himselfe doth occupy over the Churches subject to him and effectively that which proceedeth from him and is exercised by others in other Churches according to the frame and forme of government received from him and that is such a peerelesse kind of government as wherein one alone doth rule for a throne is such a kind of seate wherein one of peerelesse authority doth governe as a Monarch in his owne Dominion Indeed the universall supremacy of the Pope both in spirituall and temporall things whereby he challengeth transcendent authority over all Kings and Princes that was violated by the fourth Viall of these Angels but yet still here is another throne which yet hitherto remaineth unplagued and that is his singular sole authority and monarchicall government whereby he sitteth chiefe and onely Judge in Ecclesiasticall causes in his own jurisdiction and like unto which he hath established the government of all National Provinciall and Diocesan Churches and so this interpretation doth very fitly suit with the proper effect of the powring out of this Viall expressed in the Text his Kingdome was darkened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what kinde of government is that such as wherein one doth raigne as they are wont to say there must be but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One Prince in a state this forme of government himselfe doth exercise still in his owne jurisdiction inviolately and this he hath brought into all national and Provinciall and Diocesan Churches in the world where popery hath prevailed and which still continueth in some Protestant Churches where though the Doctrine and worship of Popery be abolished and the transcendent supremacy of his government yet the forme of his government monarchicall or sole and singular government by one that is Episcopacy is still continued Who is then the fifth Angel that hath powred out his Viall upon this peerelesse government the Episcopacy Though it be said this Viall is not yet powred out and though it haply was not powred out with the writings of such men who so conceived were under their hands