Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v2

of the REVELATION. phane · this bath been another, and a greater ground of hot and violent Op- ~·, pofitio~ againfl thele Witnelfes. And for this ( the latter of the two,as then al. ~ fo it was) thele Witnelfes have all generally flill preached: That only thole who have luch or luch a Work of Grace ul'on their Hearts, and that do en-· deavour to walk thus and thus holily in their Lives; That fuch only are Saints and the Children of God. The flream of their Miniflry in E"glmd hath fliil run in this Channel, thus to diflinguifh Men from Men, and to feparate the Precious from the Vile, (and this occafioned from that promilcuous mixture of all forts): the chief Work and Bent of their Miniflry bath been, to mark out whom God bath chofen, and who only are True Priefls, and Worfhippers of him in Spirit and Truth. And for this (what·ever bath otherwife been pretended) have thofe of the other fide quarrelled, oppoled, and filenced them, faying, asCorah's Company, At·e 110t aU the People holy? Have they not all been baptized? Yo11 tak§ too nmch 11pon ;o11, (you prectle Ones) out of the pride of your Spirits, to lift 11p ;o11r ftlves above the Congregation of the Lord. Or elfe the Qt!arrel bath been about God's own EleClion ofa few to be Priefls unto him, (even as then, that God chofe the Tribe of Levi from the crowd of common Ifraelitu) who are hn, and whom he hath choftn, as verf 5· of N 1 mb. r6; This was the ~arrel then ; and thele now plead the Caufe of all Mankind In Univerlal Grace and Redemption. All the Q!arrcls between the Popifh Party (the Number of the Beafl's Name) and the "':'itneffes, are reducible to thefe two Heads, 1. True purity of Worfhip: And, 2. True Holinels, and peculiar Elellion of Worfhippers. And the Light in both thele Things, bath in our days grown up lo high and clear, as that many of thofc who oppole either or both of thefe, do fin even out of Rebellion and Prefumption in oppofing that, the Truth of which they are convinced of, as Coral/s Company did. And fo their Punifhment rileth to be like to that of Nadab, and thole 2 50 of Corah's Confpiracy, even Fire from the Lord devouring them ; which is (as was faid in the fourth Vial ) a Spiritual Punifhmcnt on their Souls ; and is the effc/.1: of the powerful Convil.l:ion of the Word out of the Mouths of the Wimeffes, who lpit Fire into their Confcien– ces, and begin Hell-Fire afore-band. And this very Allulion is thus interpreted and applied tO that ftarflll expe{lation of Wrath, which thole have in their Con– fciences, Who jin wiljit!ly againft the /znowledg of the Trttth, and fo, againfl the Holy Ghofl, Heb. 10. 26, 27. And indeed, bring but Paul's Expofition there of this very Type, and Exam– ple of thofe lfraelites then, unto this Allufion here made unto it by the Angel ; and that of Paul may clearly expound this of John. The Allufion there, is tt> thofc who died by Mofts's Hand, and that without Mercy, for delpifing the Law which he brought from God to them, and more particularly to thofe who died by Fire, (as that Phrale [the expetJation of fiery Indignation to devow· the Adver– fories J cloth fhew) ; who therein were true Types of thofe that fin wilfully under the Gofpel, and delpife it; they were Types of thefe, both in their Sin and Punifhment. For, 1. their Sin is Rebellion, as the others alfo was. Corah's Company, af– ter Mofts his convil.l:ion of them, came to a delpiteful fcorning of Mofts, and domg opproby to him for bringing them out of Egypt, as you may read, Nm•b. I6.r3,14. And fuch is their Sin mentioned, Heb.ro.26. even a jinning wilfullj, after the receiving of the Truth. And lo here in this I rthof the Reve/dtion, the Emphafis of their Sin is put upon their Wills, [if any Man [will] hurt thetJI]; and again it is repeated, [if any Man [will] hurt them], ver[ 5· , And, 2. As they then were flruck dead by God, upon their def}!(ing Mofts his Law, and convil.l:ion of it under two or three WitnejJes, (as Pmtl interprets it; Heb. 10.) ( Mofts and Aaron themfelves te!tifying again!l: them, and convincing them) ; fo here, the Angel adjudgeth them to this notorious Death, for delpifing the Teflimony of thefe Two Witnejfes, and the Light of the Gofpel in their Mouths. Thus in their Jinning they were true Types of thefe; T 2 And

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