Page images
PDF
EPUB

the Reformed Church, in which neither fe zabel, nor Balaam, nor the Pope nor Popery are any longer tolerated, because the broke with the Roman Church. But why would we have the Ages of our Reformation fince Luther to be branded with fo black & fatal a Character, Thou haft a name to live, but art dead? Be watchful, & ftrengthen the things which remain, & are ready to dy; for I have not found thy works perfect before God. I think our Reformation deferved at least as much praise as that of the Albigenfes. The Zeal thereof was great, & the Doctrine pure.

Philadelphia is the fixth Church, & fignifies according to Forbes, the Church that fhall carry the Reformation to its greatest height, that fhall have but a small number of members, but they shall be very Zealous.

Laodicea is the laft Church or the last Period. The Holy Spirit terribly blames it. Thou art neither hot nor cold. Thou faist I am rich, & have need of nothing, &c. & doft not know that thou art wretched, & miferable, & poor, & blind, & naked. According to Forbes this is thofe Churches that making all their glory to confift in their having quitted Babylan do fall back, & make Religion to con fift in nothing but duties purely external. This laft Period must be placed at the end of the World. Thus you have Forbes's system. Let us proceed to that of Cocceius. According to this later Author, the Church of Ephesus is the Apoftolical Church, i. e.

that

plication

ftery of

the feven

The Ex that wherin the Apostles preached. So that this Period must be extended to the death of St. John. The Nicolaitans fpoken of in this Churches firft Epiftle, are Hereticks in general. Niaccording colaos in Greek fignifies the Conquerour of the People. 'Tis the Character of Hereticks to make themselves mafters of the people by feducing them.

TO Cocceins.

The Church of Smyrna fignifies the Church fuffering in all places, & efpecially that of the three first Ages. The perfecution of ten Days according to this, muft fignify the ten Perfecutions, which the Church fuffered during those three Ages under the Pagan Emperours. This doth not fallout ill; but I fear it was chance that made this hit; for the reft doth not fall out in the fame manner. The holy Spirit faith, Some of you shall be caft into Prifon, that ye may be tryed. This is very feebly to exprefs the great number of Martyrs, and the cruel Sufferings to which the Church was exposed during thefe three firft Ages of the Church. 'Tis much more probable, that this fignifies fome light Perfecution that was to befal Smyrna, in which Perfecution the Evil fhould not go beyond the imprisoning fome perticular Perfons.

The Epiftle to the Church of Pergamus is the third, & according to Cocceius, 'tis the Church From Conftantine's time to the birth of Antichrift. Pergamus is the name of a famous fortrefs of Troy. Rome fignifies ftrength or fortrefs. 'Tis in Rome that fatan's feat is. But why should the feat of fatan be fixed in Rome

con

converted by Conftantine? It had been much better to have fix'd it in Rome Pagan, orto reserve it for Rome Antichriftian that was to follow immediately after. Antipas the martyr fignifies (faith he) the Orthodox that maintain'd the confubftantiality of the Son. Antipas for Antipatros, & Antipatros for Ifopatros; equal to the Father. I have nothing to fay hereupon, but it doth not please me very well.

The Church of Thyatira is the fourth, & fignifies according to Cocceius the Church under the reign of Antichrift. Jezabel that appears in this Epiftle is the Antichriftian Church. They that fuffer fezabel the Prophetess are the elect mingled among the Antichriftian Idolaters. That fickness that God would fend on Jezabel in cafting her on her bed, are thofe mortifications which Antichriftianifin was to receive by the feveral difafters that befel the Roman Church till the Reformation. This falls out pretty well, but 'tis by meer chance; for how can that magnificent Élogy be applied to this period of the Antichriftian church, I know thy works, thy charity, & thy patience, & that thy laft works are more than the first? Never was the church fo void of faints & of good works as in this fad Period.

Sardis is the fifth Church & the fifth Period, & according to Cocceius as well as according to Forbes 'tis the Reformed Church. But I fay hereto as I faid before on occafion of Forbes,why fhould we fay of our Reformation thou hast a name to live, & behold thou art dead; ftrengthen the things which remain & are ready to dy.

[ocr errors]

Philadelphia fignifies brotherly Love, this is the fixth Church which carries in its name the character of a Church yet to come, wherein. love and charity fhall reign, but among a very fmall number of people. This church fhall be perfecuted. Attempts will be made to fhut the door against its converfions. Yet after this the Kings of the Earth shall submit themselves to it. This is in after ages. So that we have nothing to fay about it.

Laodicea fignifies the Church that fhall immediately precede the time wherein God fhalk pafs that judgment spoken of in the 11th. ch. v. 18. i. e. when the reign of J. Christ shall come to be establisht on the Earth. That is to fay, that immediately before the Kingdom of J. Chrift comes on the Earth, the Church muft fall into that dreadful decay meant by these words, Thou art neither hot nor cold, thou art poor, blind & naked. I do not well understand how all this hangs together. The Church of Philadelphia,which is the fixth,after it hath been perfecuted fhall remain victorious over all the Kings of the Earth, which fignifies, that all the nations of the Earth fhall be converted, fee here the reign of J. Chrift on the Earth. And yet after this comes a feventh Period, wherein religion fhall almost entirely perifh before the Kingdom of J. Chrift comes on the Earth. Befides all other inconveniencies this fyftem hath this further, viz. that befides these seven Periods an eighth must be added for the reign of the Church on the Earth. This is a thing that was never heard of, & the times

were

were never in any prophecy divided into eight.

The my

the feven

Dr. Henry More is one of the laft that hath ftery of fpent his Labours on the Revelation. He be- Churches lieves also that these feven Epiftles are my- according ftical & prophetical, & fee how he under- Hen. More. ftands them..

The Church of Ephesus is the Period that ran out from J. Chrift's time to the tenth year of Nero's Empire. See here a Period short enough. There is not ufually fo great an inequality between the Periods that divide the times in the Prophecies. Moreover one may be affured that there is not fo much as one word in this Epiftle, that may not as happily be applyed to the two following Ages, as to the firit: fo that this Application is purely Arbitrary, and without any Ground.

The Church of Smyrna is the Period from the tenth year of Nero, to the year 324. i. e. to the Reign of Conftantine and the Council of Nice. This falls in with Cocceins's Notion; wherefore I cannot approve of it for the Reason above-mention'd.

Pergamus, according to Dr. More, fignis fies the Church from the year 324. to the year 1242. during which time the Empire of Antichrift was establifht, taking in the time in which the Waldenfes and Albigenfes appear'd in the World, and were extinguifht. The Foun dation of this Explication is the Seat of Satan. Iknow where thou dwelleft, even where Satan's Seat is. And the Martyr Antipas, that fignifies, according to this Author, Anti-Pope, or

to Dr.

con

« PreviousContinue »