\ ' of the REVELAT I 0 N. tt Kn~wledg ~nd Providence of Chrill:, ~o order all Affairs on Earth for his Chur- ~ che's good ; as m 2 Chron. I 6. 9· and m Zechary before quoted, he ordered the~ Affitirs of the 7)erja" Monarchy for the butldmg of Ius Church. Chnll:, as Man, hath Eyesas well as Horns, to difcern and guide all things here below : his HL!- mane Nature, is the Inll:rument of all God's Power, all goes through his Hands l and all the Works of God's Providence go through his view; he knows whatfoevcr is done in the whole World. But why !hould Chrill: be prefented here in thisChapter, under thefe Notions, of a Lion of Judah's Tribe, and a Lamb, and the Root of David, than any other ? Firft ; In that he fpeaks in the Language of the Old Tefl:ament, and of John the Baptift, who was under the Old Tell:ament, (for Chrifl: is every where lf.'O- ': ken of throughout the Volume of that Book, as appears by Luk§ 24. 27. wli€'re it isfaid, That Cbrift, beginning •t Mofes, and all the ProphetJ, did expound uwp~ them the thing1concerning himftlf). Now Mbft1 called him a Lion, Gen. 49·-9· lfoiab called him a Lamb, Chap.53·7· and the Root of David, in the 1 Ilh Chapter of his Prophecy, verf 10 . and then J ohn Baptift called him the Lamb of God, whichbear~ the Sim of the World. Wherefore, as all other things in this Book are fet forth in allufions to the Old Teframent, fo thefe Defcriptions of Chrifl: alfo. 2dly, He gives Chrifl: thefe Titles in relation to the Work of Redemption, of which mention is made, verf9· . Now to that two things are required ; I . A Price to be paid to God, and fo, a1 a La111bhehath redeemed m to God by hi1Blood, Verf. 9· 2. Power to deliver us out of the hands of our Enemies ; and fo, He is a Lion that overt.'OIJteJ. 3d/y, It bath relation cfpecially to the opening of this Book, and executing the Affairscontained in it ; and fo, thofe Titles are moft proper: For, 1. he needed to die for it, and fo is prefemed as a LanJb jlain. For tha• very Price that Salvation did cofr, the fame mufl: each Revelation to us coO: a fo. And his being limply the Son of God, and fo knowing the Counfe!s of God written in his Decrees, was not enough for him to make them known to us : but to.reveal this Counfel, as in a Book to be opened to us, he mull: need" dte, our Sms otherwtfe htndc1ing it. Hence it le: f."td~ '1Jerf'. 9. Thou. art worthy to open the Boo!;_, for thou waft jlain, &c. So therefore, as a Lamb, he is (aid to take Sin away, that hindered the revelation of it to us. . 2. As a Lio,, he needed courage to encounter God's Wrath; and by break· ing through a con.foming Fire, to approach his Throne, al)d take the .Book. [Who i.r t!Ji.r that bath engaged hi.r Heart to draw near 1mto me! J no Angel .du~lt have prefumed to come fo near God. ' 0. As a Lion he needed to overcome Death, and rife to execute the Contents of this Book. They fay, that a Lion fieeps the firfl: three days after he is brought forth, but then being roufed, by the roaring of the Old Lion, he, after that, fieeps the leafl: of any Creature. So did Chrifr rife by the Power of his:Father, to Oeep no more. . ·' ~~ · 4th!y, Being rifen, he isfet forth 5 . .· , ,, 1. As a Lion of Judah; for that in that Prophecy, Gen. 49· 9· as alh Pfo?.: 6o. i . ]udah, in refpeCl: of his Kingly Office, is called, Gad', Ltw-giver ; not limply, in refpeCl: of giving the Laws (that Moft,, ofthe Tribe ofLevi,did) but becaufe '}11dahexecuted them. Now in that Chrifl: did here take the Book of God's Decrees, and undertook to execute and fulfil them as God'sCommiffioner, therefore he is in this refpeCl: moO: properly here called, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. .2. _He is here fet forth as aLamb, having [even Horn1, and a> many Ey 1; and thiS, m as fit and proper a refpeCl: as might be, to !ignify his being one, not onlJr fit to give this Prophecy, but to effect the things contained in it by his Horm,and C ~ qu, .~.
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