The Tombstone, Sermon
A RARE SIGHT, OR THE LYON.
REVEL. 5. 5.
Behold, the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah!
AT great Solemnities, and extraordinary confluences of people, it is the ancient uſe, and cuſtome, to bring out ſtrange ſights, and ſhew farrfetched Rarities.
This is a ſolemne day; the Cities great anniverſary Feaſt, for the Inauguration of the cheife Magiſtrate: Here's much concourſe from ſeveral parts. I ſhal therefore at ſuch a time as this, being called to ſtand in the middeſt of ſuch a multitude; produce my Spectacle, and preſent to your view, the godlieſt ſight, that ever Heaven or Earth afforded; a ſtately, and a generous Lion from a farre Countrey. Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Concerning which, I ſhall propound two things to your obſervation, the parts of the Text.
1. The Trumpet Sounded: foreign Behold.
2. The Sight or Shew preſented.
A rare, and ſtrange Living Creature deſcribed from His
1. Species, kinde. foreign A Lion.
2. Originall, pedegree, and Country: the moſt noble, and beſt bred Lion in the WORLD.
foreign. Of the Tribe of JƲDAH.
Theſe are the parts, and particulars of the Text. But I will not tye my ſelfe ſtrictly, and punctually to theſe: or at leaſt, I will lay them aſide a while: and according to my plaine, and uſuall way, I ſhall concerning this Little, yea this great portion of Scripture, diſpatch theſe foure things.
1. I will ſpeak ſomething of the ſence, and meaning of the words.
2. I will give you the ſumme, & ſubſtance of all, in one generall propoſition, in one plaine doctrine.
3. Then, in the third place, I will returne to the parts and particulars: I will review, ſearch, and examine them, for ſuch ſpeciall obſervations, and Inſtructions, as may be profitable: beſides the main, and generall doctrine.
4. And laſt of all, I will (as God ſhall enable me) endeavour to make profitable uſe, and application of all.
I ſtand heer by call, and commiſſion from God. Its my duty to lift up my voice like a Trumpet to Uſher in this rare ſpectacle: Exod. 3. 3.and it is required of you, that with Moſes, you will now turn a ſide, and ſee this great ſight.
Let him that hath an eare, heare, and let him that hath an Eye behold. And let the Eye of the God of Heaven be upon us all for good: and let the Lion of the Tribe of Judah be with us, and help us and bleſſe us, Amen.
1. And firſt I am to open and expound the Text.
Behold!] This demonſtrative, hath ſingular weight, and moment. Aliquid repentinum, et inſperatum demonſtrat. It points to ſomething that is ſudden, unexpected, unhoped for: ſomething that is rare, excellent, and admirable. It hath here in this place a two fold uſe.
1. To excite, and ſtir up attention, and intention: it calls for your ears, and eyes.
2. To command. Thus Chriſt made uſe of it. It was his word of command. He ſaid unto them In his Doctrine, Hearken, Behold. I command you to attend.
So here: it's the ſounding of the Trumpet: it invites, it commands you all to fix your Eyes upon this rare, and excellent ſight which is now comming forth.
Behold then! But firſt, I pray, before you look for the Lion, Lift up your eyes a little higher, to the firſt Verſe. There you ſhall ſee A Throne ſet in Heaven, and one ſitting upon that Throne, in great glory, c. 4. 2.Majeſty, and brightneſſe. That is—God the Father! In his right hand he holds a book, written within, and on the back-ſide, and ſealed with 7. Seals V. I.
Q. What Book may this be?
A. It is none other but this Book of the Revelation.
Would you know the Contents of this Book? It is a Propheticall-Hiſtoricall Decretall.
Not onelyonly decreed, but as it were ingroſſed in the Court-Roules of Heaven: It was a great Roule written on both ſides for the multitude, and variety of matters, as containing a compleat Hiſtory of the Church unto the Worlds end: and therefore took up both ſides of the Book, Volume, or Roule.
It containes the decrees, Counſels, and will of God, concerning the future ſtate, and government of the Church. It contains great Myſteries; Of the Kingdome and Tyranny of Antichriſt: of the perſecutions, troubles, and afflictions of the Church in all Ages, till Chriſt ſhall come the ſecond time, and deliver up the Kingdome to God even the Father. It foreſhews the patience, and conſtancy of the faithfull; the utter ruine of their Enemies: and their eternall glory, and faelicity at the generall judgement, and Conſummation.
Theſe Myſteries are written in a Book. i. e. in Gods eternall Praeſcience, Providence, and Decree.
But this Book is claſped up and ſealed. 1. For matter moſt excellent, and Divine: kept ſecret from the knowledge of al creatures: and with ſeaven Seales: moſt ſurely as myſteries of the greateſt moment, Worth and Certainty.
Therefore behold: verſ. 2. A ſtrong Angel proclaiming with a lond voice: Like a Herauld or Officer. Who is worthy, for the excellency of his perſon, or for his deſerts, To open the Book, and to looſe the Seals thereof? To diſcloſe theſe ſecret decrees, and counſels of God: to dive into theſe moſt deep myſteries, that he may make them know to the Church of God in all ages?
Who? O it's a hard, and difficult matter to open the Book, and to looſe the Seales. Verſe 3. None in Heaven. No Angel. None in Earth: No Saint living. None under the Earth. No Saint departed, whoſe body is under-ground: or more generally, no creature in Heaven, Earth, or Sea, was able to open the Book, to read, underſtand, or divulge it; Neither to look thereon. To have any thing at all to do with it.
Alas! alas! This is a ſad thing! Behold verſe 5. John the Divine weeps much, Becauſe no man was found worthy to open, and to read the Book, &c. He wept much, to ſee himſelfe, and others, deprived of ſo deep, ſo ſweet, and ſo excellent Myſteries; but eſpecially to think, that God ſhould be deprived of the glory of them. What then? Shall the Church never know the Contents of that Book?
Yes; yes, it ſhall. Behold, in the fifth verſe a word of Conſolation. One of the Elders ſaith unto me, weep not. One of the body, of the Councill of State; one of the Aſſeſſors, one of the glorified Saints; repreſenting all the faithfull; one, to whom the ſecret of the Lord was revealed. He ſaid to John, weep not. q. d. This is thine infirmity; what haſt thou forgotten? Art thou a Maſter, and Teacher in the Church of God, and doſt thou not remember, that great Prophet, the onelyonly begotten Son of God, which is in the boſome of his Father; who from the beginning of the World unto the end of it, ever leadeth the Church into all needfull Truths? Weep not then ſo much, cheer up thy Spirits. Order is taken for the opening, and revealing of the Book.
Behold! behold! Lift up thine eyes now; do'ſt not diſcover a rare Sight? a Lion! Behold! That Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, he hath prevailed to open the Booke, and to looſe the ſeven Seales thereof.
I have now brought you down to my Text: your eyes are by this time upon the rare Sight, and I ſhall endeavour to keep them fixed there from henceforth.
The words read, are nothing elſe but an Elegant, Metaphorical deſcription of him, who can, and onelyonly can open, and reveale the Decrees, Counſels, and will of God to the Church.
Behold! with admiration, and joy, this is the Lion. I finde in the Scripture a three-fold Lion. 1. Of the Foreſt. 2. Of the Internall Pit. 3. Of the Tribe of Judah.
1. A Lion of the Foreſt, Jer. 5. 6. bred in the Woods, and Deſarts. This is a rare, and Noble Creature, the chiefe among Beaſts; this is properly called a Lion.
2. The Lion of the Infernall Pit; that is, the Devill, called ſo by way of ſimilitude; becauſe he is like a Lion. In the Hebrew, foreign a Lion, ſprings out of the root foreign decerpere to pluck, rent and teare. Such is the Devill, 1 Pet. 5. 8. Your adverſary the Devill, as a roaring Lion, walketh about ſeeking whom he may devoure.
3. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. What is he? Indeed it is a Male, a Noble, Generous, and Famous Lion: Yet not a Beaſt, (as ſome blaſphemous Hereticks have ſpoken, horreſco referens, in theſe leprous times) no! here we muſt leave the Letter, and underſtand it Metaphorically. It is a Lion not to be found amongſt men, (meere men) nor Angels. Would you know certainly who it is? The next verſe will tell you. Behold! there you ſhall ſee ſtanding in the midſt of the Elders A Lamb, as it had been ſlaine, this is the Lion; for verſe 9. you ſhall finde, it was this Lamb, who was worthy to take the Booke, and to open the Seales thereof. Here the Lion, Iſa. 11. 6.and the Lamb meet in one; plainly therefore, The Lion, or the Lamb, is hee that was ſlaine, and hath redeemed us to God by his own blood, even the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the root of David. He, and none other is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Of the Tribe of Judah. viz. Of the Poſterity of Judah; which excelled all the other Tribes in Courage, Dignity, and Renoune.
You muſt conceive, that here is an alluſion to the Armoriall Enſigne, or Armes of that Tribe.
The Lord commands the children of Iſrael, Num. 2. 2. Every man ſhall pitch by his own Standard, with the Enſigne of their Father's houſe: farre off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation ſhall they pitch. All the while they travailed in the Wilderneſſe, they pitch their Tents as an Army, round about the Sanctuary in a Square. The Iſraelites conſiſted of twelve Tribes. And theſe were divided into foure Regiments: Ezek. 48. 20. Revel. 21. 16.To each Regiment three Tribes, of which every one had a particular Standard or Banner, differing in colour, and forme, and in the Enſigne a Coat of Armes.
In the front were Judah, Iſſachar, and Zabulon.
In the Reare Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manaſſes.Ainſw. Num.
In the North-wing, Dan, Aſer, and Naphtali.
In the South-wing, Reuben, Simeon and Gad.
Judah carried a Lion in his Standard: Reuben a Man-drake, Ephraim an Ox, and Dan an Eagle.
Judah carried a Lion in his Standard. The occaſion of this Coat of Armes you have, Gen. 49. 9. Viz. Jacobs bleſſing. Judah is a Lions Whelp. And here you have the originall of Armes; GOD was the firſt King of Heraulds: He commanded them; alſo the antiquity and uſe.
Armes were tokens, or reſemblances, ſignifying ſome Act, or Quality of the Bearer. In their Banners, Shields, or Targets they did engrave, emboſs, embroyder, or depict ſome Beaſt, Bird, Fiſh, or other thing, whoſe nature and quality did beſt quadrate with their own. There was a kind of ſympathy between the Armes, and their bearers, to note their quality, and diſpoſition. Such Armes were remunerations for Service, beſtowed by Kings, Emperours, and their Generals: Hereditary Teſtimonies of their glorious Merits.
This armoriall Enſigne, the Lion, was given to Judah, to ſhew, 1. The Courage of that Tribe above the reſt; and 2. That it ſhould be the governing, the Law-giving Tribe, 1 Chron, 5. 2. For Judah prevailed above his Brethren, and of him came the chiefe Ruler. And 3. That God had decreed Monarchicall Government for that people, when they ſhould be ſettled in a perfect ſtate. And 4. That (David as the Type, & afterwards) at the fulneſs of time, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt the Antitype, ſhould be born of that Tribe according to the fleſh, and lineally deſcended, through the Loines of many Kings, Succeſſive one to another, as to his humane Nature. And ſo came forth the Famous Lion of the Tribe of Judah. For it is evident that our Lord ſprang out of Judah. Heb. 7. 14.
And thus you have the ſenſe, meaning, and expoſition of the words.
2. I ſhall now in the ſecond place, give you the ſum, and ſubſtance of all in one generall propoſition, which I will give you in no other termes then the very words of the Text.
The Lord Jeſus Chriſt is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. For the evidence and demonſtration Doct.of this Theſis, I will lay it out unto you in three Branches.
1. That the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is a Lion.
2. That he is the Lion.
3. That he is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.