of the REVELATION. 9 to fee God's Laws kept. So Chri!t here takes this Book as to deliver it to us, to~ execute the Decrees of it. · ~ .And I 1 vept '!'"eh.] His defpairing_ put him upon weeping: He was called up Verf 4 . to Heaven to fee ViGons, b>ttmeets wtth a !top. Thts was tofetoff the Mercy, to rry his Heart, and to render his Joy great~r. God in greate!t Mercies, may make great~!t Stops~ he m:iy fo bring to de- Obferval. fpair, that no hope !hall be feen, yet at length !hew htmfelf 11~ Mercy. So to John here. So likewife in the fir!t Work of Converfion many ttmes ; and fo in othcrgreatWorks. Johnwascalledtofee Vtrions, yet a fiopand paufewas in his view made. !!ere 'Jolm is comforted; fir!t, by a fiander-by, endeavouring to uphold his Vfe. Heart ; and, fccondly, by thc'ilght of the Lamb, Verf6. Oblerve here the Degrees God ufeth to comfort his People b:y ; firfr, letting fall fomcthing giving hopes of Chnfr, fo to draw the Soul pattently to wait ; then, fecondly, !hewing it Chri!t himfelf. God might have at firfr lliewed John the Lamb, but he fir!t comforts him by a fiander-by (as Job firft heard by the l•eflring of the Ear) and then his Eye fitw the Lamb. Chri!t the only Opener of this Book, and Giver of this Prophecy, is diver!1y expre!fed. r. He iscalled the Root of Da1Jid, out of Ifri. I r. 10. Chrifr put this Riddle to the Pharifces, How Dflvid could call him Lord, if he were his Son? So here it may be ask'd, How could he be called the Root of David, if he were the Son of D,IVid, and fo a Branch of that Root ? The truth is, he is the R.oot of Da– vid, and of all the Saints. He was the Root of his Ancefrors, and the Father of his Mother. The R.oot of any Family, is in Scripture put for the Eldefl: Son in ir, who is as the R.oot of the refi: So lfa. I+ 30. I will kjll thy Root witl Fa– mine ; that is, thy Firfr-Born, the R.oot of thy Houfe; for in oppofition, he Gvs, and the Firjl-born of the Poor fhaU be ftd; So Mal. 4· I. Therefore, in that Chrill is called the Root of David, is meant, that he is the Firfl-born among aU his Brethren, as he is called Rom. 8. 29. and Pfal. 89. 27. So God calls Davidin the Type, but imends Chri!t thereby, when he lays, I will mak.p hi111 my Firfl– bom, higher than the Kings of the Earth; and verf 29. his Seed j!Mil end11re for ev<>-. In this is Chrifr the R.oot of David, that he is the Firfl:-born of every Creature; of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named. 2. He is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; and this in a manife!t Allufion to the Prophecy in Gen. 49· ro. wherein ]11dah (as this place !hews) is made a Type of Chrifr. And it warrants the application of all there unto Chrifr. Now j ud th was called a Lion. r. Becaufe out of Judah came all the Worthies and Lion-like Men, as Jofhua, Othniel, and David, who were all Shadows of Chrifr; Therefore, Gen. 49· 9• He is called an Old Lion, (as the word is) a couragious hearty Lion. So 2 Sa"" I 7· Io. valiant Men are faid to have Hearts like Lions. Such was Chrifr, who durll eng.tge bis Heart to draw near to God, Jer. 30. 2r. . 2. ]udah had the Kingdom (whereof a Lion is the Emblem) ; therefore Scepter and Lttw-giver are attributed to him, verf I O. So that it is as much as to C1y, Chrifr the King by Inheritance (as fudah was) !hall overcome; 3· Jud.th did take the Prey (the Land); it was done by J11dah's Worthies, Jojhuah, Caieb, &c. And when as a Lion they had taken that Prey, they couched, and had reil, as in Solomon's daY", I King. 4· 21. which was al{o prophefied of N11111b. 23. 24. Behold, the People fha/1 rife up trJ a great Lion,and jht!l not lie don>Jt till they have eaten the Prey. And Gen. 49· 9· He COIIched 110 an'old Lion, who jhall raife /;im up? So Chrill, when he had led Captivity captive, fits down quietly in Heaven, as it were, couching and lying in wait, efr>ecially till the DJyof Judge mentj
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