stians bea

ven upon earth. Rev. 5.cha. opened.

ta quatuor

Mediation of Christ, and affistance of the *The chri- Spirit. Eph.2.1S. 2 Cor. 13.14. 1 Pet. 2.5° I fob.1.3,4. Ephef.4.5. It is our* happiness, our heaven upon earth to beleeve, adore, and live to Father, Son, and holy Spirit by maintaining an holy Communion with all three as The foure one God, and our God, in the use of all OrdiBeasts. Repræfen nances and Duties required of us. This is the tandis ni- mystery of Godliness, the Art of living mirum ec- unto God; this is the Leffon which all clefiisChri- Members of the Church univerfall must ftianis jux learne; the foure beafts (who joyne with plagas Angels and Presbyters in adoring the Lamb) are (as learned Mr. Mede, and direfpon- vers others conceive) the Catholike Church dentque of Chrift in the foure quarters of the world, caftris If profeffing and embracing the Doctrine of the racliticis, foure Evangelifts; thefe Beafts are full of corundem eyes, full of the knowledge of the mysteanimalium ries of Christ,and their spirituall experimen vexilliferis tall knowledge moves them to worship Jesus clefiis quas Chrift. Mr. Mede makes this InterpretaAnimalia tion the Key to open very many Types in repræfen- the book of the Revelation,and doubts not tant, funt but every one who doth seriously perpend oculatiffi- the old Caftrametation in the wilderness, mi, & fci- and compare it with the Apocalypticall

mundi;

quatuor

-In ec.

homines

entiæ myfteriorum Dei pleniffimi. quoties ecclefie facras Synaxes faciunt,toties 24. Presbyteri pro muneris ratione Animalibus præeuntes, dicunt dignus es Domine,&c. Presbyteros Levitis & Sacerdotibus,quatuor Animalia quatuor Caftris Ifraelitis Cis refpondere.&c. Clavis Apocal. ad cap.4.pag.8,9,10.

Types

Types, will fubfcribe to this Interpreta

tion.

*

I know divers learned men do conceive that the foure Beasts are foure Angels, and fome prefume to name the Angels; but I * Michael, cannnot embrace their opinion, because I Gabriel, find that the Chorus is made up of Angels, Raphael, Beafts and Elders; and these three forts are Vriel. cleerly distinguished, Rev.5.11. And I beheld and I heard the voyce of many Angels round about the Throne, and the Beafts, and the Elders. That the Angels do joyn with the Beasts in worship is granted; That the Angels do protect thefe Beafts with eyes in The foure all quarters of the world, Eaft, Weft,North Beats reprefent and South, is likewife granted. But that the Beafts are Angels, that is it which is,and Church must be denyed, and therefore I do con- univerfal. ceive that Mr. Mede is in the right, and the Forme good man was forry that he had not time quatuor to cleere that point at large; and there- um diver fore I am the more willing to proceed up- fæ colleon this Argument, and perform that fervice &tionem to the Church, which he would have done novæ Ec with more dexterity. Let us then contider,

the

animali

clefiæ ex

quatuor orbis pla gis diver

fifque nationibus,populis,linguis fignificant. Pareus in Com in c. 4. Apocalyp.

1. That upon Chrifts mediation his Fa- I. ther gave him the heathen for his inheri- The Pro tance, and the uttermoft parts of the mife made

earth

to Chrift.

II.

to the

univerfal.

earth for his poffeffion; Aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen, &c. Pfal.

2.8.

2. Let us confider that promife made to the Church the myftical body of Christ, If. The Pro- 43. Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I mifemade have called thee by thy name, thou art mine; I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Church Ifrael thy Saviour; Since thou waft precious in my fight thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee,-fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy feed from the Eaft, and gather thee from the Weft. I will Say to the North give up, and to the South keep not back, bring my fons from farre, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by my name. This is the fubftance of the feven firft verfes of Ifa. 43. Behold the Church univerfall gathered from all parts of the world, into one mysticall Body, that all may be united unto Chrift the Head by faith, and to one another by love, that fo they may all joyne in beleeving, adoring and obeying the Lord Jefus,his Father, and the Ho ly Spirit.

III.

3. Confider how these precious promiThe ful- fes are fulfilled by Gofpel-difpenfations filling of and Chriftian exercifes. For by one Spirit mifes. are we all baptized into one body, whether we

thefe Pro

be Lews or Gentiles, bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit, 1 Cor.

12. 13.

12.13. Chrift did grace the folemnity of his triumphant afcenfion, with that choice gift of the miniftry, for the edifying and perfecting of Saints, till we [All] even all the members of the Church univerfall come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the ftature of the fulneffe of Chrift, Eph. 4. 8, 11, 13. Chrift myfticall is deficient untill the Saints are gathered from all quarters into the unity of Faith, and knowledge of the Son of God, becaufe this is a fundamentall point; for Chrift built his Church upon that Fundamental Confeffion,thon art Chrift the Son The founof the living God, Mat.16. 16, 18. and other dation of foundation can none lay, I Cor.3. 11. And the Cathe fuperftruction must be agreeable to the tholick foundation, that we may attain unto the measure of the ftature of the fulneffe of Christ, every part making some confiderable fupply for the increase of the body, by growing up in all things into Chrift the Head, Eph. 4. 13, 15, 16. Chrift is the only Head and Mediatour, and therefore The CoefJemes and Gentiles both have acceffe through Trinunity Christ by one Spirit to the Father, Eph. 2, acknow18. Here's an acknowledgement of the ledged by bleffed Trinunity made by the Catholike the caChurch in Gofpel-worship. And the Apo- Church in ftle directs his Epiftle to the Church of GofpelGod at Corinth, with all that in every place worship.

eall

church.

fentiall

tholike

Thronus ifte in me=

tus eft

liud innu

call upon the Name of Christ our Lord both theirs and ours, 1 Cor. 1. 2, and concludes his fecond Epiftle with The Grace, &c. 2 Cor.13.14.

4. Compare what hath been spoken with the Song of Angels, Presbyters and dio Pres- Saints full of eyes in the book of the Rebyterorum velation. Thefe foure beafts were in the & Anima- midst of the Throne and round about the lium pofi- Throne, Revel. 4. 6. The Forme of the Templum Throne is quadrangular, and one beast plaautTaber ced in the middle of every one of the foure naculum. fides. Mr. Mede thewes how these foure Quid a Beafts obferve what is done by God in ere volunt the foure quarters of the World; and how Quatuor they fpeake in order upon the opening of cornua al- the foure firft feales, Rev.6. and the 7 firft taris aurei verfes; and a voyce proceeds from the in confpe- midst of the foure Beafts, Revel. 6.6. Fi. Apoc.9.13. nally, the Virgin-church,Revel.14.fings the Templum fame fong that the foure Beafts did,which Taberna- is called a New Song, fung in the praise of the Lambe and his Father; And in fome monii a. pertum in copies which are of credit, we read that the Calo. A Virgins had the * Lambes Name, as well as pocal.15.5 his Fathers, written in their foreheads, M. Mede Revel,14.1. and they.are the firft fruits to God and to the Lambe, Revel.14. 4

&u Dei?

culi Tefti

Com. ad

cap.4.pag.

6,7.

*Habentes nomen Agni. Primafius, Aretas, Andreas, Syrus Interpres, &c. Vide M. Mede Com. ad cap. 14 pag. 115.

5. This