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A L L

The

Chief H E

E A A D S

OF THE

Moft DIVINE MYSTERIES,

Plainly open'd, in the several Chapters of this Book.

T

CHAP. I.

HE firft chapter of the Revelation of John doth speak of things which must shortly come to pass.

John calls it The Revelation of Jefus Chrift, which God gave unto bim, to fhew unto his Servants things which must shortly come to pass. John might well fay that God did give it unto him, because Jefus Chrift is God, as he doth make it appear in his following discourse in this chapter.

Also thofe fervants which he was to declare this Revelation of Jefus Chrift unto, I declare it was unto the minifters of those seven churches in Afia, and from them to the churches themselves.

Alfo John doth speak much of this book of the Revelaton by way of vision, as well as revelation; and that doth make this book of the Revelation to be the more difficult, and hard to be understood, or to be interpreted.

Therefore many wife and learned men have gone about to interpret fome places of it, but have left the greatest part of it as a fealed book, which cannot be opened, and have left that which they have writ upon, as dark to the reader as it was at firft.

And the cause is, they do not know what revelation, which doth arise from the feed of faith, is; neither can they diftinguish between revelation and vifion; many other reasons might be given why, but I fhall let that pass now.

But to the matter in hand: it is faid that the knowledge of thefe great myfteries should be fignified by his angel unto his fervant John.

Now what this angel was, I fhall fpeak fomething of it hereafter.

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But

But John was to bear record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jefus Chrift, and of all things that he faw; and this record which John bear, it was to the feven churches in Afia.

Therefore he directed his Revelation to them, and his Revelation was this, Grace be unto you, and peace from him, which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the feven fpirits which are before his throne.

First, what is meant by him which is, and which was, and which is to come. This he, I declare was no other but the Lord Jefus Chrift, this is he that is, because he is now become flesh, therefore he is called the word of God, that is, the word became flefh, according to John's faying, In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

And this word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us, and this was Christ, which is that word of God, which is God, and is in heaven in that very fame flesh, which the eternal spiritual body became, and fuffer'd death in.

And in this regard John did fay, grace and peace unto the feven churches, from him that is, because he is now become flesh, and is now in heaven in that same body, as aforefaid.

Secondly, it is faid, and which was; this Jefus Chrift is he that was also, as you may fee Exodus iii. 14. A little before, in that chapter, God doth fend Mofes to Pharoah; Mofes defiring in whofe name he muft go, God giveth him this anfwer, God faid unto Mofes, I am that I am: and thus fhalt thou Say to the Children of Ifrael, I am, hath sent me unto you.

This I am, I declare, by revelation, is no other but Jefus Chrift, and this is he which was; that is, he was without a body of flesh at that time when he fpake to Mofes and the prophets, yet he had a body when he spake to Mofes, in the form and likenefs of a man.

Elfe man could not have been the image and likeness of God; but God's body, though it was like a man, yet it was a fpiritual fubftance clear as chryftal, and as I may fay, fwifter than thought, brighter than the fun.

Therefore Mofes could not fee his face and live, for a mortal eye-fight cannot fee an heavenly and fpiritual glory; therefore there is no feeing nor knowing of God before he became flefh, nor now he is afcended up into the fame glory, where he was before, but by faith only.

For no man can fee the face of Jefus now he is in glory, and live, no more than Mofes could fee his face and live, before he became flesh.

And this Jefus was that I am that spake to Mofes, and that Jehovah, and that God which was; that is, he was from eternity, and revealed to mankind from the beginning.

Thirdly, This Jefus is he which is to come, that is, he is to come to put an end to all time, that there might nothing but eternity remain; for as there was a beginning of time, fo likewife there fhall be an end of time; and as eternity had no beginning, fo fhall it have no ending.

But here lyeth the great mystery, that eternity became time, and time became eternity again.

The meaning is this, God became flesh, and flesh was in time, and Christ, he

being that nein of God, therefore called by the Revelation of John, be which was, before he became flesh, he was God then under the title of God the Father.

And after he did become flesh, the Revelation of John doth fay he is, that he is God now under the title of God the Son, and as he is to come, he is God under the title of God the Holy Spirit, yet thefe three are but one perfonal glory. They are all call'd by the Revelation of John, but be that is, which was, and which is to come.

And as Mofes and the Prophets did fee by the eye of faith, that God was a fpiritual body in the form of a man, and that this God would become flesh, this I fay they did fee by the eye of faith, and fo were very well fatisfied: the truth of this may be understood by the eye of faith, from that faying of Mofes unto the Children of Ifrael, where he fayeth God will raise you up a prophet like unto me, bim fhall you hear.

That is, God will become flesh himself, fo that he may be capable to be a prophet, that you may be the more capable to hear him; fo likewife that place, the ninth of Ifaiah, he prophefieth of God becoming flesh, in that he fayeth, To us a child is born, unto us a fon is given; and the government shall be upon his fhoulder, and he shall be called the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace.

This Ifaiah did fee by the eye of faith, that God should become a little child. Great is this mystery of God, but few that understand it!

For this Jefus is the only wife God, which is, which was, and which is to come, which hath washed every true believer's foul in his own blood; neither can any thing cleanfe and purge the confcience of man from the guilt of fin, and fear of eternal death, but the blood of a God.

But I fhall fhall speak more of that hereafter. What should be the meaning of those seven spirits, which are before his throne? I declare, by revelation, that thofe feven fpirits which were before the throne of God, they were those gifts and bleffings of grace, which Chrift gave unto the ministry of the feven churches after his afcenfion, as may plainly be read in the fecond chapter of John's Revelation.

Where he beginneth to write to the feven churches, and the angel of every feveral church; which angel was the minifter; I fay they had every one of them a feveral reproof, and a feveral gift and blessing; therefore I shall let the reproof alone, because it would be too large to interpret.

Only I fhall name the feveral bleffings, because the feed of faith may the better understand the interpretation of them, therefore I fhall fet them down in order. 1. The firft gift and bleffing is fent unto the angel of the church of Ephefus, which is as followeth, To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradice of God.

2. The bleffing of the church of Smirna. burt of the fecond death.

Him that overcometh fhall not be

3. The bleffing of the church of Pergamos. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna, and will give him a white ftone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, faving he that receiveth it.

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4. The

keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he fball rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to fhivers, as I received of my father, and I will give him the morning Star.

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5. The bleffing of the church of Sardis. Him that overcometh, the fame fball be cloathed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but will confefs his name before my father, and before his angels.

6. The bleffing of the church of Philadelphia. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerufalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him

my new name.

7. The bleffing of the church of Loadicea. To him that overcometh will I grant to fit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am fat down with my father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit of Revelation in John hath faid unto all the feven churches of Afia.

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CHAP. II.

The interpretation of the feveral bleffings.

HIS Tree of life, in the midst of the paradice of God: the tree of life is no other but the person of Chrift, and the eating of it is believing in him to be the only God, this is, to eat the flesh, and drink his blood.

2. He that overcometh fhall not be hurt of the fecond death. This fecond death is an eternal death, that is, a living death, and a dying life, that is always dying, yet never dead; this is call'd by the fpirit the second death, which all true believers fhall be freed from, so that they shall not be hurt of the second death.

3. He that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white ftone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, faving he that receiverb it.

This hidden manna is that peace and fatisfaction every true believer hath in his mind, in believing in the true God, fo that the mind or fpirit doth feed upon thofe fweet refreshments that floweth from their faith in the true God. For thofe motions of faith that doth arise in the mind, it feedeth affurance of everlafting life, for eternal life is that hidden manna, which every true believer doth eat of.

upon the

So that the fpirits of true believers doth eat of this hidden manna of eternal life, even as the Jews did eat of that manna that Mofes gave them in the wildernefs; which manna is call'd angels food.

That manna Mofes gave them to eat, it did fignifie the law by which the holy angels did live by, and by that holy law the angels do live, that law being written in their natures of pure reason.

And by their feeding upon that law, that is, by their perfect obedience to God their creator, they do live in his prefence for ever.

So

So that the manna that came down from heaven, it was but a type or figure of the angels law written in their natures, by which they live in the prefence of God to eternity.

So likewife there is a law written in the nature and feed of faith, that is to fay, in every true believer, and by this law written in his heart, he cometh to perfect obedience of faith, and fo liveth by the faith of the son of God, as Paul faith. But I fay true believers now they live by the faith of God himfelf, and so it be called the faith of God's elect.

may

So that every true believer doth eat of the hidden manna, that is, they eat the flesh of Chrift, for he is that bread that came down from heaven, that whofoever doth eat thereof fhall never dye.

So that to speak properly, the flesh of Chrift is that hidden manna, and those refreshments and affurances of eternal life, as I faid before, are but types and figures, as the other manna was to the Jews.

So that every one that doth truly believe in the true God, he doth eat of the hidden manna: it may well be call'd hidden manna, for indeed it is hid from the greatest part of the world, and very few there are that do eat of it at all.

For none do eat of it but thofe to whom it is given, but the angels manna is eaten of by every man and woman in the world. And as for this white ftone, this white ftone fignifies clean hearts; as thus, whereas the heart before it was a heart of stone, or a ftony heart, and not only fo, but it was a black stony heart, defiled with ignorance, blindness, darkness and unbelief.

So that the heart was compaffed about, and covered with the fear of hell, and torment of foul, and now this black or red ftony heart, it is purified by faith in the blood of the lamb.

It having a new law written in it, that is the law of faith, and so causeth men to walk in God's ftatutes; which statutes of God is to believe those whom he sends, and that faith will purifie the heart of that ignorance, darkness, and unbelief.

So that in fpiritual matters the heart of man will become a whith stone; it is called a white stone; because it is cleanfed from those things aforefaid, and made white by faith in the blood of the lamb.

So that this white ftone is no other but a new heart, or the old heart made new by the power of faith.

And as for the new name that is written in this white ftone; this new name is a fecret knowledge and affurance, that he is one of the redeemed of God.

So that he hath the name of the second Adam written in his heart, even as all men have the name of the firft Adam written in their hearts; because all men are in the fallen ftate, by nature, children of wrath.

And fo every man can read his name, in that he can read it in his own heart, they all being under the name of the first Adam.

But the name of this fecond Adam, which is called A new name, which none knoweth faving he that receiveth it, this experience will witnefs that no man can know that fecret knowledge and affurance of his own redemption by the fecond Adam, but he that hath it written in him by the finger of faith.

So that all that do receive this white ftone, they have this new name written in

it,

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