. ·-- . .J, the·t. Chap. of the 7?..!v.el. I 2H · _lf'ji ·vntoEPhe fus and A man can.t<Il who fj•cakes the t~mh,.,;n[.lt may -'--- are tn (!/.l za. r J' ' be that men m !undue mmen hold fund ne I ~· toSmvrna and vnto Perf1ttr~riuatcopinions:yc_tintheChurchofGod,all v!J ~ ' . . • 6 tnc: true members 0t Chnll hold the fame op1..: mui and "Vnto Thyattra~ and nionstonchingthe fourrdation ofrcligion.Bu• ~ ' d' d Ph 'l _/ /. let it·bc granted, That all men on earth were vnto Sar t,an vnto I aue ,.,. ofdiucts opinions touching matters ofrcligi6, h . d L c{c (I fhould religion therefore be vncertcn? God f ta,an VntO ao I e • . . forbid. Forre!igion is certcn vmomen,bythe Thefc words conrainc rhcthtrd defct1pt10n meanes that God bath appolntcd tO ctrrufid ofthis voice, whereby lohnihcart was prep.lthe corHCicucc ofthe truth thereot}Qnd thefc.: red couchino the fub!bncc-and 111atrcr which by might men come to the truth 3nd certentiC wa; vttered ~which confiftcch in two things. of ~·clig,ion taught by the Prophets and Apo:.: The firll is accllimonie, in chcfc vvords: I am flies, thoughall men in d1c vvorld were of diAipha a~J Omega, the (iyft .a"d the !aft. The ucrs opini~ns to~ching the fame. ·Thus much {ccond, a comm:mdcnncm 111 the wordsfol- . , efthcTeHtmome. Iowino: Thttt which e};oufeeft, write,and[ende, 1 B I I. Point. The commandethent giuen to' e:.,'-c. 0 • . Ioh,Jjn thefe words; That which 1hou foeft, I. Touching thetc!l-imcst'.l1t, thefubfiante write i;sa book§, mrdfend ittothefoauenChurthcrcof is fee do~·ne in the 8·. vcrfc,where the chu which are i11 Ajia. This commandcmcnt words v~crc handled, & the meaning fhc~ved. harh t;tvoparts: Firil, towrifoethethJngs foene m· They doe· fcruc directly to pro.oucrhcGoda boul(!.- fccond!y, :ro feud the book$ to thefone~: hcad,an,d etc;.rnitieofChr-dl,wh1ch Chnfl h1m Churcbes here mtmed. And both thcfc mull fclfc ~oth here auouch, eo giue vnto lohn, and Johndoe, becingnow difablcd by his exile to' vnto the Church fulbffuran'Cc, that the things pr.~a,ch ,thefe thing• v,pr,o tbc·m petfonally, for now vttered& dcliuercd, were fromGod: for th~'fe caltfc~.Fir.fl,that th~fe CHurches might be faying,Iam Alph~and Omega, thefiyjf andthe edifi~d i.n the,(aitb, al).d Jlrcngthcncd in thcfe lafl, is as much as if he l~ad-faidc; I U:hichjpea_lt moll ~ri~uous tit~es. of perrccntion. ~ccon~- vntotbceam God,andt~treforethe thrngs I deft-~ ly,~ thae they tnlghu l:iccorn.e keeper.&of this uer,arofom God, · . bookc (orthc good ofo.thers: fot 1 thc Church In thiS reftimonie, tltltcCods fpcciaU care of1.Go£!i! che pii!!J~o/irul~'"; not oncly, foi' in rcgardofhis rruth,hedmh not comem him (: that it publi!hcth Gods cruch, but alfo bcfclfe witH reucaling his w"i1l vnto his Clu~rch: ~aufc it kecpcth it,ancf ~illcth tC"flimonie'"thcr·_. but more fpecially his drc is, to cen:ifie. the unto.. Church of the"truth thtreof, that it is in"?t~dc In this cdmmandenlcnt note !imdty 'things. from God.This hath been Go'ds care fro!'! the Firfl, thiltthc word of God, writtenand penbeginning. When Peterr~t~lued a vHion·ffom ned by the hand of man, is'a rlotaOJt·helpe ea God,withall 'Gods fpirit-affurcd him thai the the 'Ghutch of God, ~nd a \Vortliy meanes tcl things reuealcd thcrcirr wel'c .. ccrten and furc~.. cdifie"!.he fame~ elfe Chritl \Yould neuer hauc And fo when Chrifl pr_caf~ed the will9fhi~ c9mmarided loJJlf toh~uc v\lriuen che~c vififathcramongmen,hc did Y'ltthal work{hang~ om,and fc'nt them to the churches.- Wh1ch fermiracles, ro· canfitmc at1d fcale vp tho ""fh of ucth to !'onfure the blin.d Par,ifl•whlch fay the his doCtrine,thac icw:ts frot'n God.. •" word 'A~rittcn is butaninkje!ctt'er, ind anofo of This fpcdall careof God ouet his Ch.tit'ch, wa.w; 'llecanfc the fen le thereofmaybe turned doth fir!l: confute the P3pifls opinion touch... cuerY';\1\'ay as manv ..•ill. This·:dfo·t:Onfi'ltcth the· fng Scripture~ They hold theSetipturc to be .Anab:ipt)Us,which f9 much magnifie their Rccertcn in it fclfc, bm not v.nco m~u~, ti'll the D uel~tidn,J ·:.nid make- 'ho account of the-word Church giu~ tcflimonie.th'crcunto. Burth1s is writtcrl• .Jfthe Lora llad th~ught. it bc-{1, hcc falfe:lor•gqd euer had this, C3re.ouct·~i>eh~r~h woul<J,hau,,taughr t~efc ChurcheS by Rcuc" not onely to rcuc~lc h1s Vl.itli ~nto' them~ •Hlft lati<m:·-but tli.ey rrfuft learne by the wordwrit-= alfo tovfe mcancs for the .aflurance of·dtt1t un: ' · > r ) '",r a A5r,IO.t:;t. confci~nccs, thar,that which was rcucaicdlWa$ Se(dndly,thatthc reading ofGods '""~r"d-ci-- his vndoubtcd ~nd perfc>itlv;ill. And thc,cforc thcrp\tbhke!y orpriuati:ly, is an otdili~nce of, the word of God is.cerren, aifd eucr ·was~ not God :'fb'f the Lord comrhanding JOhn to write· oncly ln it fdfe.~uttot~felconfcicnccs ofbelc'- thisbQilk'e,and fendh eo.the 'Churchcs,hcreby uars, and th'at without ·the tc~imonie of the impl!C~,·-rhac-tliey.mull read the ~a111'e as they Church: and fo lhould bc\<hollgh thetcllimol did other. b9oke~ ef Scripture. The preaching: r:ric oftheChurch flfould uctJcr comcnh'ercUnof rhe word is in'dcede the mofl wodhic in: to. ,c ..- '·· . nruffitnc'fOr-thc fodnding and confirming o£1 Scconply, herebY arc c<Ynliltecl many canpl Qlods·Church, wlmcby ordinarily i'uil1fyrng men, wl,o "'·ill beof'no rCtigibi1; bccaufe (fay faith is!Wr6t~glh inthe,~ean: and yet reading thcy)thcrc is no ccrtaimic in the matters-ofr~- niUll f1li1e h'is1lo.e>ret!"t"rence, :as a meancs to l~gion:mcns opinions thcrin at-e fo,_diuhs that hmfif).nc,alid·iflctfc0Jc true knowlC~doe faith fo n;_:my mcn;{O many mindCs alm.o!l, __an'd no an,d~r~pcnta-t1CC·,·wi1Ctc it is begUI~ne~ ' ' Z z I Third-
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