Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v2

of tbe R EVE LA T I 0 N. 83 ~ He is Crowned; for God (when Chrift firft afcended) made him il King. We~ foe JefM-crowned witb G/01) and Ho11our,-tbough yet we fee not all thi'!g' put 1111 dcr -/;im, Heb. 2. 8, 9· yet we foe hmt crowned; for all mu£1: be fubJecr to Him. He goe1 forth conquerhrg: for whether Men obey, or not, Chrif'c ftiil conquer!!> 'Paul !peaks !\kea ·Conqueror,.2 Cor.2. 14. God ahPapcaufeth lffto triumph in Chrijl: for if Men turn, there ts a trtumph of Grace pardonmg, and to fubdu– ing Traitors; and if not, it is a favour of Death, hke a Box ofVenemous Ointment which poiiOns by the (mell. . . · . . Now if you ask, How the preachtng of the Gofpel can be a f'cep of Ruin,' and a Sealed Judgment, it being in it (elf fo greata Bleffing ~ The Anfwer is, That it was truly a f'cep umo the Rum of Heathemlm m the Emptre, whtch was the firft oppolite that Chrift encountred. When Chnft firft !em his Dilciples • forth, (!peaking of the Event of it) he Gys, I fnv Satan foil from Heaven /ihg Lightning. The Devil was f'cruck dumb in his Oracles, when Chrift began to publilli His: And fo Chrif'c already conquered, in part; but e're he had done, he threw Satan out of Heaven, as the iixth (and lafl) Seal !hews. So that though the Gofpel was a Bleffing to the World, yet it was a Curfe to Centililm ·; as the firf'c Vial, by convening many People's Hearts from Pqpery, is called a Vial on the Earth. Oblerve from hence, . . ·I. The MercifulnetSand Meeknefs of Chrif'c : He goes "not forth firft on a Red Obforv. 'I. Hotfe, but on a Whtte, and makes offer of Peace; but tf Men turn not, he hath other Horles to do that Work of dellroying them. He loves unbloody "Conquells; Who therefore would /land out againrt fuch aSaviour! H. The f'crangenefs of Chrill's courfe to get his Kingdom ·; even by-no other Obferv. 2 ; means at firf1:, but preaching the Word. He takes no Weapons but a Bow, the Tongues of Men to dart Arrows into the HeartS of them that relift. It was a llrange unlikely courle to (et twelve Men (cattered (and fillier-men) 'to con· quer the World, the Roman Empire; as if twelve Men !bould be lent into Turky to conquer the great Turk, and throw down Mahumetanilm, [Not by Power, nor by Misht, but hy my Spirit J .Zech. 4- 6. . Ill. Obferve; That·where Chrill begins to conquer, he will go on to perfect Obforv, 3 . hiS Conquef'c. Fear not the Caufe of God tn Engltmd ; there is a Battel to be <fought, Ch~if'c in his Angels growing more and more:Holy, and fuller of Light; and Satan m hJS growmg worle and worfe, decetvmg, and bemg deceived, 'Chrift comes ·up with fre!b {upplies of new Light, with his Bow and Arrows bears up as hard as they. And it is certain, that Chrill will not be foiled. The Primitive Chrifhans, although their Light grew dimmer and dimmer, yet they conquered Heathenilm ; Thele now muf'c needs conquer much more. After the going forth of this White Horle, there follow three ·others, as Lighr-horfemen, attending this their General. So Zecb. 1. 6. he law a Man up– on a R~d Horfo, and behindhim were other Horji1, Red,.Specf<!ed, and White. Now that Man was Chrif'c, (ve~f8.) who hath always other Horle-men his Attendants to fulfil his Will, as here he hath. Chrifl there was upon a Red Horle, for fo he appeared, as being to revenge himlelf on the Enemies of his Church; but here he is on a White Horle, as being to lend forth the Golpel. But thofe other Horfes that do here follow after him, are indeed Judgments that follow for the contempt of that Golpel, and which plagued the Empire fucceflively. Theit Colour is fuitable.to·the Plague they brought; therefore the lecond Horle is Red, a Colour betokening Blood, lja.63. 2. And anfwerably, this Horle is [War J for his Comrniflion is to take Peace from the Earth; that is, the 'J?!man Empire, the Subject of this Seaf-Prophecy. And ' [Civil War] it is, as ·thofe words note out, that Men fboHld kj/J one another; not Perfecution of the Saints, F (as

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=