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John fpeaks of him as he is a Son, and that he hath fuffered death, and redeemed his people.

And fo John calls him the First and the Laft, as he was a Son, and fuffered death, but is now alive for evermore, Amen.

Yet all but one God, even the man Chrift Jefus, who is that Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Laft, he who was dead, and is alive, and behold he is alive for evermore.

And no other God hath the keys of hell and of death, but Christ only, which he hath purchased by his own blood; his blood being no less than the blood of God, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Laft, as aforesaid.

CHA P. VII.

N verfe 19 of this chapter, John is commanded to write the things which he bad feen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. To whom he was to write, it was to the feven churches of Afia, and in verse 20, which is the laft verfe of this chapter, he interprets what the seven stars, which he faw in Chrift's right hand is, and what the feven golden candlesticks are, therefore I fhall fay no more of it here.

And as for what John did write to the feven churches of Afia, it is fet down in the two chapters following; those two chapters treating only upon the seven churches of Afia, and the chief things in thofe two chapters I have interpreted already, and the chief things which are of moft concernment in the first chapter I have alfo interpreted; therefore I fhall go to the fourth chapter; but I fuppofe it will be neceffary to the reader for me to fhew what a resemblance and likeness there is between the feven churches now in Europe, in these our days, and the feven churches of Afia.

And how the angels of the feven churches, which are the minifters or speakers, do agree with the feven angels of the feven churches of Afia. I have fpoken something of them in the Interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation, but I fhall speak a little more of them here, because it is fomething neceffary to inform the reader.

Therefore mind the distinction between the one and the other.

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We read that the feven churches of Afia had seven several names, as may read, and according to their good practice, or their bad, they were either reprooved or commended, as I have fhewed before.

So likewife the ministers of the seven churches of Europe, may be call'd feven angels, for the ministry of every church, let it be one or more, it is called but one angel.

And every one of these feven churches hath a feveral ministry, therefore diftinguished by these several names, as followeth.

1. Papift. 2. Epifcopacy. 3. Prefbytery. 4. Independent. 5. Baptift. 6. Ranter. 7. Quaker. Now the miniftry of these seven churches of Europe, tho' they be angels, yet they are but anti-angels, in oppofition to the seven true angels. Neither are the feven churches themselves true churches, but anti-churches, in oppofition to the feven true churches in Afia.

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And the reason why these churches are not true churches, is, because they have no true miniftry; and the cause why they have no true ministry, is, they have no commiffion from God to preach the everlafting gofpel, as the angels of the feven churches of Afia had.

For there can be no true church without a true minifter; for a true minifter having a commiffion from God, maketh a true church.

But thofe that receive their commiffion from man, which is not fent of God, is no true minifter, neither is his church any true church.

And as for those who take upon them to be minifters of the gospel, without a commiffion either from God, or from man; when I fay man, I mean from the king, or head magiftrate, who gives commiffions to men to be preachers.

I fay that these men who take upon them the miniftry by reading the letter of the fcriptures, or by any natural learning, wit, or light within, or gift whatfoever, without a commiffion from God.

I fay, they are worse than those who have their commiffion from the magiftrate, as the Baptift, Ranter, and Quaker; thefe three have no commiffion to preach the everlasting gofpel, neither from God nor from man.

Yet they are minifters of thofe three churches, and fo called angels; fo that there are feven angels of the feven churches of Europe, as there were of Asia. That is to fay, the angel of the church of the Papift, the angel of the church of Epifcopacy, the angel of the church of Prefbytery, the angel of the church of Independents, the angel of the church of Baptifts, the angel of the church of Ranters, and the angel of the church of Quakers. These feven churches having all of them a miniftry differing one from the other in point of practice and difcipline; but in point of doctrine they all agree.

For as to that, they are all ignorant of the true God, therefore cannot preach true doctrine, they having no commiffion from God, as aforefaid.

Likewife the angels of the feven churches of Afia, they did all of them differ one from the other in point of practice and difcipline, but did all agree in point of doctrine.

They having the knowledge of the true God. And why did they know the true God? Because they had a true miniftry to preach unto them. And why was their miniftry true any more than these now a-days?

Because the angels or minifters of the feven churches of Afia, received their authority and commiffion to preach from heaven, which was from Chrift himfelf, after he was afcended, as you may read in the Acts, and as I have largely open'd in the Interpretation of the Eleventh chapter of the Revelation.

But the feven angels or miniftry of the feven churches of Europe, take up their ministry by tradition, imitating the true miniftry as aforefaid.

Therefore but anti-angels, feeming to be true, but are not; neither will that ministry which taketh it up by tradition, having no commiffion from God, receive that blessed reward as the angels of the feven churches of Afia shall, but altogether to the contrary.

For when they fhall fay, Lord, we have preached in thy name, and prayed in thy name, and caft out devils, and have done many wondrous things in thy name; Chrift

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Chrift will fay, Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not; for Christ will not know thofe which he doth not fend.

For it is a dangerous thing for a man to take upon him to be a minister of Chrift, when as he fent him not; but this hath been the practice and custom of men fo to do thefe thirteen hundred and fifty years.

And this traditional miniftry of the feven churches of Europe, are the fevent anti-angels which were to found after the ten perfecutions, whereof fix of them have founded already, and the feventh doth now found; the Quakers ministry being the seventh and laft anti-angel that will found till time be no more.

Their ministry seeming to carry the most pure fhew of righteousness of life, but the worst and most curfed of all the feven churches in Europe, in point of doctrine.

For their miniftry doth deny both the Father and the Son to be a person in the form of a man without them; for they have got God and Christ all within them, fo that they mind no perfon of Chrift without them.

As I have open'd more large in the Interpretation of the eleventh chapter of the Revelation, and in the Quakers neck broken, where I have fhewn that they are led and guided by the fpirit of Anti-chrift more in point of doctrine, than any other of the fix churches aforefaid.

And the Quakers ministry being the seventh and last anti-angel that will found in oppofition, or by way of imitating the feven angels of Afia; for there must be feven anti-angels, as well as feven true.

That is, there was a miniftry that had a commiffion from Chrift, to preach unto the feven churches of Afia, and that was a true miniftry; there is also a ministry of the feven churches of Europe, which have no commiffion from Chrift to preach, therefore not true.

Yet called feven angels, by the Revelation of John, in chap. x. ver. 7. where he faith, But in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, when he shall begin to found, the mystery of God should be finished, as he bath declared to bis fervants the prophets.

I would have the reader to understand, that John did not mean when the feventh angel of the church of Afia founded, that then the mystery of God fhould be finish'd; for the feven angels of Afia founded many hundred years ago, and yet the mystery of God was not finished then.

But his meaning was when the feven anti-angels founded, who have no commiffion to preach, then the mystery of God fhould be finished, as he had declared by his prophets.

Now I would have the reader to understand, that preaching is called, by the Revelation of John, a founding: And doth not the miniftry of the feven churches of Europe lift up their voices, as with a trumpet?

As if they were true minifters of Chrift, when as they do but imitate the true angels founding; for the miniftry of all the feven churches of Europe are falfe, because they have no commiffion from Chrift to be preachers, as aforefaid. Yet the miniftry of every church is called an angel, but they are but antiangels, as aforefaid.

But

But fome may fay unto me, if the minifters and fpeakers of the feven churches of Europe be all falfe for want of a commiffion from God, What what will become of all the people who are congregated and joyned to their feveral ministries?

To this I anfwer; That there is a remnant of the elect feed in every one of these seven churches of Europe that will be faved, because the election of God ftandeth fure; but this I must tell you, that there is no man or woman that is congregrated or joined to any of these feven churches, that can have the affurance of eternal life abiding in them, while they live in this world.

For how is it poffible that the fheep fhould know their eternal happiness, when as the fhepherds do not know their own falvation, no not one of them? Therefore according to my revelation and faith, I cannot fee by the rule of fcriptures, that any of the minifters or fpeakers of the feven churches of Europe now a-days, that can be faved, though fome of their members may.

This may, and will be thought an hard faying of me, but I cannot help it, neither do I speak it out of any ill will to minifters or speakers, but could rather be found a liar in this point.

But I being commiffionated of God, and finding the prophets and apostles of old to fpeak fo much against thofe, who take upon them to be meffengers, ministers, ambassadors, and preachers of the everlasting gofpel, without a commiffion form Chrift, they are more guilty of spiritual high treafon than any other men; fo according to the faith of the prophets and apoftles, and my faith, I cannot fee how any counterfeit minifters of what church foever, fhould be faved in the day of account,

For if it be fuch a dangerous thing to be a falfe prophet, or a falfe Chrift, why fhould it not be as dangerous a thing to be a falfe minifter, to go before he is fent? And let ministers take this by the way, and though the civil power doth uphold and maintain them, yet when they die, God will not uphold them in it. Neither will their confciences juftify them in it; but you must lay down your lives under the fear of eternal death, because you went to preach the gofpel, and was not fent of Chrift.

Likewise you see that falfe Chrifts, and falfe prophets have been punished in all ages, by the civil magiftrates and the priests together.

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And fo they ferved the true Chrift, and the true prophets; all of them were perfecuted as falfe.

But it is feldom known that a minifter was perfecuted as he is a minifter, not by the magiftrate, but for fome other misdemeanor, or for fpeaking evil of the civil power, but not for his preaching without a commiffion from God.

Therefore his punishment will be no lefs than eternal damnation.

I fpeak this not only to the miniftry of the nation, but to the ministry of all the feven churches now in Europe; for they do all of them preach without a commiffion from God, and run into the miniftry before they were fent, which will be counted by the Lord Jefus but a work of iniquity.

And what will be the wages of fuch a work but eternal damnation? I know I fhal offend the ministers and speakers of all the feven Churches aforefaid, but feeing they be all false, they may bear the better with me, and with one another; for they will have wages all alike. C 2

For

For as I faid before, according to the faith of the prophets and apostles, recorded in the scriptures, and according to the faith which I have in the fcriptures, there will be no falvation found for none of the minifters and fpeakers of the seven churches aforefaid; except any of them be perfuaded in their own minds to lay it down before they die, and fo come to the knowledge of the true God. For this I do affirm, that no man fo long as he doth exercise the office of a minister without a commiffion from God, he cannot be in the state of falvation ; then of neceffity he must be in the state of condemnation. And this will be the condition of all the minifters and speakers of the seven churches aforefaid.

And the Quakers miniftry being the feventh and laft anti-angel that will found, until the end of the world.

And when the voice of this angel did begin to found, the mystery of God is finished, as he hath declared by his fervants the prophets.

That is, the declaration of the mystery of God is, and will be finished in the days of the voice of the feventh angel.

Which voice is the minifters of the Quakers, as I have opened in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation, therefore I fhall fay no more of those feven churches now; that being the pureft angel of all the feven in respect of righteousness of life, though the worst of all in point of doctrine.

And the Quakers miniftry doth deceive more than any of the other fix; for they are fo angel and God-like, that if it were poffible would deceive the very elect. For every one that hath but one eye, that is the eye of reason, may see that all the other churches, hath fuch a deal of corruption, fuperftition, unjustness, idolatry, and many other wickedneffes, which reafon itself doth judge cannot be the way of God. And that is the very caufe that when people have been unfatisfied in the way of worship in the other churches, they have declined from them, and have turned Quakers, they being more pure in life; for pureness of life giveth more peace to the mind of man than wickednefs doth.

For every action hath a reward in itself, whether it be good or bad; for he that doth fuffer perfecution for his confcience, is more to be justified than he which perfecuted for confcience fake.

Yet nevertheless the reward of eternal life, it belongeth only unto the act of faith in the true God, which the Quakers miniftery doth not teach, notwithstanding their purity of life, &c.

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CHAP. VIII.

OW I have opened fomething what is meant by the feven churches, and the agels founding; in the next place I fhall come to open or interpret fome chief fayings in the fourth chapter of John's Revelation...

In the firft verfe of this chapter, John looked, and behold, a door was opened in beaven, and the first voice which he heard, was as it were of a trumpet talking. with him, which faid, Come up hither, and I will fhew thee the things which must be bereafter.

I would have the feed of faith to mind the interpretation of this chapter, and they

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