Exposition of Revelation 13, Title page – To the reader
AN EXPOSITION UPON The Thirteenth CHAPTER OF THE REVELATION.
By that Reverend and Eminent ſervant of the Lord, Mr. JOHN COTTON, Teacher to the Church at Boſton in NEW-ENGLAND.
Taken from his mouth in Short-writing, and ſome part of it Corrected by himſelf ſoon after the Preaching thereof, and all of it ſince Viewed over by a friend to Him, and to the Truth: wherein ſome Miſtakes were amended, but nothing of the Senſe altered.
LONDON, Printed for Tim. Smart, at the Hand and Bible in the Old-Bayly. 1656.
TO THE READER.
Chriſtian Reader,
THE tongue of the juſt, or righteous (ſaith Solomon, Prov. 10. 20.) is as choiſe ſilver. The words that fall from the tongue of ſuch are very precious and profitable. And truly ſuch are the words that dropt from the tongue and lips of this holy and righteous man Mr. Cotton: As he himſelfe had by his owne bleſſed experience found the tongue of that righteous man (Dr Sibbs) as choiſe ſilver, yea better then the choiſeſt gold of Ophir, by which the Lord was pleaſed to convey heavenly and eternall treaſure into his ſoule: Even ſo alſo have many precious ſoules (ſome now above in glory, others ſtill here below) found the words that have diſtilled from his tongue to be above much fine gold, and of more weight and value then the greateſt treaſure of this whole world. Divers that are yet alive, and do remain unto this preſent, may & can hear witneſſe to the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. But I ſhall crave leave to name only one now amongſt the Saints at reſt, who was indeed one of a thouſand in his time and place, viz. that great and eminent man, Dr. Preſton, whoſe heart the Lord wrought powerfully upon by the tongue of Mr. Cotton, and that not long after his heart had been ſeized upon by the tongue of that ſweet Singer before mentioned. And becauſe the ſtory is ſo remarkable, I ſhall be willing to relate in briefe the ſubſtance of what I had ſometimes in private from the tongue of this our Reverend Author himſelfe. He being according to his courſe to Preach before the Univerſity & Schollars in Cambridg, had a great conflict in himſelfe about the compoſing of his Sermon, viz. whether after the plain & profitable way, by rayſing of Doctrines, with propounding the Reaſons and Uſes of the ſame. Or after the mode of the Univerſity at that time, which was to ſtuffe and fill their Serm…ns with as much Quotation and citing of Authors as migh… p…ſſibly be. On the one ſide 'twas ſuggeſted to him, that if he ſhould not go the former way, he ſhould not be faithfull to the Lord in ſeeking his glory, but his owne, &c. And on the other ſide, if he ſhould not ſhew his Learning, it would not onelyonly be a diſparagement unto himſelfe, but alſo unto the Colledg which had ſo lately choſen him out of another to be Fellow (for he was choſen Fellow in Emanuel Colledg out of Trinity, where according to his yeare it fell out ſo as he could not be capable of a Fellowſhip) What? is this that Cotton that was ſo famous, and had ſuch a name, for a great Schollar? what a poore choiſe hath Emanuel Colledg made? Thus he was toſſed too and againe, pro and con in his thoughts (as I thinke he ſayd) about a fortnight, the Lord ſeeming to try his ſincerity at the firſt; but at length he came to a reſolution to deny himſelfe, what ever the world might judge or ſay of him: His Text (if I miſtake not) being in 2 Cor. 2. 16. And who is ſufficient for theſe things? Two or three Doctrines (as it ſeems) he raiſed from the words. The Schollars came generally with great expectation to heare a more then ordinary learned Sermon from him that was ſo famous throughout the Univerſity: and thereupon the Maſters of Art at the beginning ſtood up, erectis auribus, amongſt whom Mr. Preſton was one; but ſoone perceiving which way he went, which was ſo extreamely contrary to their expectation, they ſate them downe in great diſcontent, pulling their hats over their eyes, thereby to expreſſe their diſlike of the Sermon: but before 'twas ended, ſomething dropt from the tongue of the Preacher, which the Lord made unto Mr. Preſton to be as choiſe ſilver indeed; whereby hee was ſo affected, that he was made to ſtand up againe, and change his poſture, and attend to what was ſpoken, in another manner then he and the reſt had done. Theſe things Mr. Preſton afterward, getting to be acquainted with Mr. Cotton (by coming to him under pretence of borrowing a Booke of him, which he might have eaſily had elſewhere, & returning it againe) related particularly unto him.
Thus our Reverend Author by denying himſelfe for the Lord, had that caſt in upon him (viz. the gaining of ſuch an eminent perſon to Chriſt) which was a thouſand times better then the airy applauſe of the world, in being accounted a learned man: Yet neither did he looſe that way, but had the repute of that too (and not without cauſe) to his dying day; notwithſtanding his continuall care to avoyd all appearance of affectation in the courſe of his Miniſtry, either in regard of ſhewing Learning, or in the manner of expreſſing what he did deliver: whereby the power and effect of his Preaching did appear to be wholly of God, being deſirous to ſpeak to the underſtanding and capacity even of the meaneſt, and by manifeſtation of the Truth, to commend himſelfe to every mans conſcience in the ſight of God, A taſte whereof we have in theſe Sermons of his here publiſhed.
It were too great arrogance for mee to thinke to adde any authority to theſe or any other of his precious labours by my commendation of them, I might as well go about to adde to the light of the Sunne by my Candle: The very name of Cotton is enough to ſet an high price upon what ever hath that ſtamp: O…ely (being earneſtly deſired by the Chriſtian brother, the publiſher of this Expoſi…ion, who having the pen of a ready Writer, did take thoſe Notes from the mouth of the Preacher, to give my teſtimony to the world that theſe were indeed the very Sermons of that holy Servant of the Lord, whoſe name they bear) I ſhall willingly affirm and teſtifie (having lived in that American wilderneſſe about 13. or 14. yeares in the Towne next adjoyning to Boſton, and ſo had thereby the happy priviledg of enjoying the benefit of the precious labours of Mr. Cottons, in his Lecture upon every fifth day in the week) I ſay I do here declare and teſtifie unto the world that theſe Sermons upon the 13th. Chapter of the Revelation, for the ſubſtance of them (giving allowance for ſuch defects of the Amanvenſis, which cannot but be expected ordinarily, and yet I confeſſe are but very few in this Treatiſe) were publiſhed by that faithfull ſervant of the Lord, Mr. John Cotton, about the 11. and 12. moneths (if I miſtake not) of the year, 1639. and the firſt and ſecond of the yeare 1640. upon his weekly Lecture at Boſton in New-England, where he went over the other Chapters of the Revelation, as he did this thirteenth Chapter: and indeed they that were acquainted with his Preaching, may eaſily diſcern his very ſpirit in them all along.
Now that the holy ſpirit of the Lord may breath in theſe holy Labours of his precious Servant, ſo as the Reader may experience the truth of that divine ſentence mentioned in the beginning, The tongue of the righteous is as choiſe ſilver, is the unfeigned deſire of
The ſervant for Jeſus ſake, Thomas Allen. Norwich, the 1. day of the 1. month, 1654-55.