----,,------~------------ ----~-------- An Expo{rtion vpon Abr,riJ:~m of the !tone::, bm he .. ,·ould not: he could h3uc dc.!iucrcd Chril1 from de;Hh, but hce would not. NowChnHs omnipotcncic is not to be vndcrtlood of h1s potcntiall pov•cr here princip;\lly,but rather ofhis aelu3l power i .whereby he bringcth to p:lf\~ without let and l illlpcdimcnt whatfocuer he dt:nccth, wJllcth, or promi(cth. Frorn this nmnipotcncic of .Chrifl :uifcth a double eomfun to hi<o church:FirH,that what– (ocucr he hath promi!Cd in his Goft1cl, t~'Jf•!, and .dmeJt: dlJ.t is, f11all be brought to pafic cffcttually '.\'ithout llop(c and lee, as affurcdly as he promi(cd ic.Now Chrifi lls.th pronuiC:d in his Gofj)cll to all penitent (i.nnc~rs rcmiffion of finncs, mortific:uion, iutlific:uion, and life e– ucrlatling:cuery one ""hcrcof,ll1al in due time be done to cuery tyuc belccucr, "'hieh IS a lln– gular comfon to El: cm;for all men anJ Angels cannot giue one of there to any one man, but Chrifl he is e_nmipotcnt, and he both <an and will eflcc't'them all w his cletl. The fccond comfort; that Chrill bo.th can and,, ill giuchis Church Cufli.cicnr iCcuritic& protcdion through all the \1.1ilcrics ofthis life: he can defend and guard her againfl all the fury and m:tlicc of S:uan, and all her enemies: he is aboue them, and can bridle their might, when and how he plra.t'Cth. Hence allo, dur Chrifl is Almightie,weare taught two dutics.Fidl,vnder the croefe and in tribul:Jtion to humble our tC!ucs vnder his mightic h:1nd: for it is he which corrctleth V!', who is Almightic, able to doewhat he Wl,and more then hcc ..,·ill, rdlfia11CC or repi11ing ""ill doe vs no good. Se-condly,this llwuld moouc vs toperforme hcartie obe-dience vmo Chrifl: in ::111 things, both in our gcnerall & particular calling to walkc vprip,htly before him,for he is Almiglnic, & lceth "'hether we walk finccrely befotchim or not; if "''C doe not,hc is abiC' to ptmifh vs. By this Argument God pcrfwadcth Abrah•m to \\'like vprightly before him, be– cmlc he i1 .Afm;{htie,ablc to corrctl- & deHroy thoiC which rc(ufc to obey him,Gcn.17.t. v. 9·1/ohn, euenyour hro; ther, and companion in tribu; lation, and in the kjngdome and patience of lefUJ (}rijl, lMJ in the 'fjle called Patmos, or the 'Jiord of Qod, and for theYPitnefi ing of fefUJ Chrifl. Hitherto we haue entreated of the Preface _of this bookc,containing the tide a11d in(crip– tion thereof, No~.,. ti·om this ninth vcr(e,to the A 1 fi.rH vifion t\\'O things arc to be notcj.: firJl, the 1 nrcum!lanccs:fccondly, the p<~rtsihcrcof.l he ' ClrcumHanccs in the ninth and tenth vcrlcs·d•c 1 pans, fi-orn thence to the end ofthe ).chap.tcr. ( The circumH:mccs of this vi lion arc tOurc ' firH,thc pcrfon to\\ hom t.his vilio.H \\as fh<"w~· cd, namely, John.· The iCcond, the place\\ here, at Patmos: The third, du~ m<~nncr how it was propounded; It w:ts dcliuereJ V/Jto bimbtin« r~ud];ed m r!Jrfpir.it:Thc follnh,thc time\\ he~ 011thcLordJday. i For the firll:/ohn is the pcrfon ro .,.,·hom this vtfion bcfc!;,,·hodoth thc:rforc name himtClfc, ; to !hc:wc, that it \\'as giuen him of the Lord; 1 for as the Lord hath his vdiom :md reuelations j (as bath beene fatd) fo the dcuil hath his: but vcrf.1, B thry may be di(lhiguiOmi by the perfons to 1' whom ~hey be g1uen. God giucth his vifions not to '3ll me~, ,but vnto thotC whid~ arc mofl l fit for them; iuc~ as be moll holy men for life, endued ~vith exceedinggifts ofGod>a~know::. .· lcdgC, wifedomc> conllancic,z.calc, pictic,and · religion. So in the old Tdbment he dcliucrcd ' not them to all, butto his fcru~mts the Pro- l phets men of lingu~ar gifts and graces, <~nd of cKcccding holindic <1nd pietic. Indcedc the I.ord.reuenlcd fom partiwlar things bywicked mcn,as by Baa!~tm,and Ca;phm,but they 11curr knew "'hat thole things meane '"'·hich were {hewed vnto them. It is apropertie belonging to the feruants of Gotl,to rccciue a vifion:,and to kno\ovthct~me to their comfort. ·And for both thefewoslohn throghly qualified, he was C aman of cxcerdin~ holindfe oflifc(fot Chrifi loueJ him)and off,ngular and rare gifti, fall of z.calc, 1oue,and pi-ctic,and alfo had the know.. ledge of this vihon made knowne v·mo him~ but the dcuil maketh nofuch choife;his<vi-fions– bcfal men which arc Hcrctickes,wickcd noto– rious finncrs,who hauc no fuch r:1re and fpcd:... all gifcs as the othc·r hauc; fo that we mnfi e– flccmc of this, as afingular gift of God to his ownc ApoHicS.Iolm, · 1 '' · Now lohn. hauing n:~.mcd himfclfe robe 1he rcceiuer ofthis vi!lon: .for the ·greater credit hereof, hee dclcribrs himfclfe by two modcft tearmcs: Fir(t,~Abrothrr: (econdly,A'rothfRnl– on: FirH, he calls himfdfe their 6rothtr;that.i.s, of them who by faith were all members o£the D myllicall bodie of Chrilt for the Chur:Ch,of God is a family,WherofGod the fatherls-bc-~d and houfe-holder,lcfus£hrill is theeldn br.o– thcr,and all bclceucrs :lrcfcllow brcthencn in and by Chrifl, beeing by faith_the adopted fonnes ofGod, members-of thatfamilie, and brethren c3ch to other. By rhis title(;o11r bror1Jt"r)fir0 he (ettcth out bis humilitic,nnd grcJt mod:fl,c. For.hSM'as a man at thar.ti.l:n: :1boue aH .~~l.Cil"\'hi~h liucd,in I regard of his g1frs.and holinct'fe ofhfc;hc was the lafi Apo'!llc, and had the Apollolicall 'authoritic; ·bccing a moff :l.calous and con- \ !lam pl'ofdfor,yct he callcrh.himt'clfc abrother to all true bd~cuers; and makcth himfdfe but \ J cntlcofchc third cb<~pter, is contained one of tho(c f(ucn vifion~ \vhich were {hewed vmo 1 ~ [olma1:~ ~::!:~downe in thisl>ooke. ln r.his '-"'~- _ , ------- (~~~~~\___ __
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=