A Century of Sermons, Sermon 12
A SERMON UPON
REVEL. vi. 10.
And they cried with a loud voice, ſaying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doſt thou not judge and avenge our bloud on them that dwell on the Earth?
NOthing may ſeem more out of order than theſe words are at the firſt reading, but their true ſcope is, to put that in frame, which the wiſe men of the world did think moſt out of order. Some will ſay in their firſt cogitations upon my Text, Are theſe the Souls of the Firſt-born in Heaven, that make ſuch a clamour againſt their Perſecutors? Can they indeed be ſo eager of revenge? Tantae ne animis coeleſtibus irae? Beſides, Are they ſo paſſionately addicted to their own deſires, that they will not ſtay the prefixed time which God hath ſet, but challenge him for ſlackneſs? Ʋſque quo? How long doſt thou put us off? Again, What imperfection is this which they pretend, as if they knew not how long it were, till Chriſt would take the Kingdom into his hand, and judge the proud after their deſerving? How do they know as they are known, if they be kept ſo ſhort of divine revelation? But to ſtifle theſe Cavillations, take ſpecial notice, that you loſe the whole Chain of this Propheſie, if you hold not faſt by this Link, that St. John was in a rapture, and taken up to the Heaven in the Spirit, where the paſſages which he met withal were not really tranſacted, but he ſeem'd to ſee the ſouls which were ſlain, and he ſeemed to hear the moans which they made, which is nothing elſe but a Proſopopaea, where the Spirits of the Martyrs are imaginarily brought in, as if they demanded the ſuppreſſion of violent men, that had ſpilt their bloud, which doth not evince that any infirmities, or diſorderly affections are in them, which may raſhly be ſuppoſed, but to ſet two things ſtreight in our opinion, which many Philoſophizing heads did champ upon, as if they were crooked in the Divine Providence.
Firſt, The righteous are taken away, and no man regardeth it, as the Prophet ſays.Iſa. 57.1. Their days are cut ſhort by violence and cruelty, and yet their Perſecutors live and are mighty. What did the Heathen ſay to this, who had good report for their Moral Converſation? Is there no Juſtice in heaven? Or doth it ſet no price upon the bloud of Juſt men? Yes, here is the beſt aſſurance that can be demanded, a Scene as it were acted in heaven, wherein is repreſented that the wrongs of the Saints are freſh in memory, and ſhall never be forgotten. Yet this is not all. As this Scale is hoiſed up, ſo there is another that muſt down as faſt, and that is principally aimed at in this Text. An Oppreſſor, whoſe hand hath been very heavy upon another, he is always jealous that in the turn of the Wheel his malice may be requited: For none ſo miſerable, but in the Revolutions of Fortune may call his injuries to an account, if he live. What is the Method therefore of them that are profound Graduates in Malice? Why mortui non mordent. Let not thine Adverſary live, if you love to be ſecure, diſpatch him. As Baſſianus inſulted over his Brother Geta, when he had killed him. Sit Divus frater meus, modò ne ſit vivus, as long as my Brother lives not, I care not though he be among the Gods. Or as Jezebel cheared up Ahab, that the worſt was paſt, Ariſe, eat, and take poſſeſſion, Naboth is not alive, but dead. This is a Maxim then in the Devils Politicks, if you hunt for the deſtruction of any man, your ſafety is in his utter extirpation. This is as falſe as God is holy and true. It is palpable that my Text labours eſpecially with this Doctrine, That the poor oppreſſed is more likely to obtain redreſs againſt his enemy when he is dead, than when he was alive. His Soul is then moſt precious to the Lord, his Prayer moſt flagrant, he is ſo near to Chriſt that he is next to the Altar; his underſtanding is ſo enlightned, that he knows what to ask and never fail. Do their Oppreſſors think that theſe can do no harm, becauſe their bones lie ſcattered before the pit? I would not be in Ahabs caſe, though Naboth be dead and not alive, for no worldly good would I provoke the clamours of ſuch as theſe, for they cry with a loud voice, &c.
Here you have a Petition then put up to a mighty King by ſome perſons that had ſuſtained injury, and after that garb I will divide it. Firſt, As it uſeth to be in ſuch petitory Writs, conſider we to whom the Supplication is preferred, to one from whom there lies no appeal, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And the words are ſo laid together that the Souls under the Altar do beſeech him by his three mighty Attributes, Per potentiam, per bonitatem, per trigam gloriae. He is the Lord, therefore they implore him by that power which can do all things. He is Holy, therefore they ſolicite him by that goodneſs which deteſts Oppreſſions. He is Truth, and therefore they urge him by thoſe Promiſes made, which he cannot but accompliſh. It is the Lord, holy, and true, into his hands they commend their Petition. Secondly, The manner of Petitioning is with vehemency, and importunity. With vehemency, for they cried with a loud voice. With importunity, for they expoſtulate that it is not yet done, How long Lord, &c. Thirdly, Their asking and requeſt, is for no petty injury, but for their bloud, to judge and avenge their bloud. Laſtly, The parties againſt whom they complain are expreſſed by contempt of their condition, They dwell upon earth. And now tell me if the Eagle hath not cauſe to fear, though he hath torn theſe innocent Doves to pieces in his talons? In what peril do thoſe Grantortoes live that have ſlain the poor Servants of Chriſt heaps upon heaps? When ſuch a God is beſought by the ſouls of ſuch dear ſervants, with ſuch zeal and vehemency, upon ſo great an injury, and againſt ſuch worldlings whoſe beſt project is to live upon the earth, what will this come to in the end? But the reſtauration of the afflicted, the deſtruction of their Perſecutors; unto theſe tears for their joy in the nethermoſt Hell, unto the others joy for their tears in the Kingdom everlaſting.
Having thus diſtributed the Text into portions, I go back to that which I put in the firſt rank, the Petition is preferred to the Lord, to the Lord that is holy and true. And thoſe words are both an invocation of praiſe, and an obteſtation by thoſe ſacred properties of the Divine Nature, that their deſire might be effected. He that makes his addreſs to God, let him begin with his praiſe, let him commemorate his excellent greatneſs, let him delight to rehearſe his Titles of Majeſty, without theſe your Petition is headleſs, it hath no Exordium to induct it into the Court of grace; extol him in his noble Attributes, before you begin to exhibite your deſires, and the everlaſting doors will be lifted up to let you in, for the Lord cannot refuſe his own glory. As David bears you up to it in the laſt Pſalm, the Trumpet, the Harp, the Cymbal, the Organ, all Inſtruments of Muſick are in the Tongue of him that doth praiſe the Lord. They were no babies therefore, whatſoever the refractory think, that filled our Liturgie with Te Deums, with Magnificats, with Doxologies; Methinks Prayer were but a drowzy thing without them. When we ask any thing that we need, we ſpeak in the Dialect of men; but when we ſend forth acclamations to the honour of Jeſus Chriſt, we ſpeak with the tongues of Seraphims. In our Petitions we may exceed, and ask too much, in our Doxologies we cannot exceed. It agrees well to the true only God, which Plato aſcribed to his Idols, heap what Epithets you will upon the Gods, you cannot flatter them. Perhaps ſome are of the mind of that Heathen, that asked a Rhetorician, to what purpoſe he penn'd an Oration in praiſe of Hercules, for who did ever diſcommend Hercules? Or if Blaſphemers ſhould detract from God his excellency, it is not made leſs: So all the invocations and Halleluja's of the Saints cannot add on Cubit, not one Inch to the ſtature of his Majeſty, it is uncapable of increaſe, and can never grow greater. But will you be content to open your lips unto the praiſe of the Coeleſtial goodneſs, if it bring your ſelf to honour, though it be no amplification to the glory of God? Agreed then; no man can aſcribe much praiſe to God, but out of a large capacity of faith, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh. No man can ſay, that Jeſus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghoſt. No man can ſpeak of the King of Heaven according to his due honour, but it will procreate devotion and reverence; no man doth advance the name of God in the preface of his Prayer, but it is a tacite Confeſſion, that he prefers the glory of his Maker before his own Neceſſity. Behold now, though Gods honour be in the ſtate that it was before, yet your ſoul is in a better ſtate by Prayer, and Invocation; for a ſpiritual gift in this life is a degree to a reward in the life to come.
Let me not defer it any longer to ſpeak of the ditty of that praiſe which the Souls under the Altar did give unto the moſt High: And the words when they are laid together, are Triga divinae gloriae, as it is called, a Chariot drawn by the three tranſcendent Attributes of the Divine Nature. Who doth excel in Power, but the Lord? Who doth excel in goodneſs, but the Holy of Holies? And He that brings to paſs whatſoever he hath ſpoken, he muſt excel in truth. Power belongs unto the Father, for all things are by him: Truth belongs unto the Son, for all the ſhadows of the Old Law are fulfilled in him: Goodneſs belongs to the Holy Ghoſt, for he is the Sanctification that is diffuſed in our hearts. Therefore more praiſe cannot be couched in three words than in theſe, Lord, Holy, and True. We wretched and ignorant ſinners, that utter theſe words with polluted lips, we cannot apprehend, as the Martyrs in Heaven do, what an eternal weight of glory is in every one of theſe Syllables. Yet we know that he is Lord whoſe authority admits no equal, the Idaea of all goodneſs, whoſe ſanctity admits no queſtion: A Truth which is the meaſure of all truth, whoſe words and ſtatutes admit no contradiction. His Dominion is ſo ſtrong that it cannot be reſiſted, his Holineſs is ſo ſincere that it cannot ſin, and his Truth is ſo firmly coupled to his Holineſs, that he cannot lie. There is no Power but in Him, for all the Foundations of the Earth are weak. There is no Holineſs but in him, for there is none that doth good, no not one: There is no verity but in him, for God is true, and every man a lyar. As for all the Gods of the Heathen, there was infirmity in their protection, for they had no ſtrength. Viciouſneſs in their Sanctions, for they had no ſanctity; Deluſions in their Oracles, for they were nothing but vanity. To contract a world of variety, which may be morallized out of this Triple Crown of God, it is not to be over-paſſed, that theſe are the Titles upon which the Church depends for all its bleſſings, the Hills unto which we lift up our eyes for help, Solium gubernandi, altare ſanctificandi, cathedra docendi; The Throne of his Kingdom, the Altar of his Prieſthood, the Chair of his Prophetical Wiſdom; which afford unto the Church Might to protect it, Grace to purifie it, and Truth to direct it in all things. Or obſerve it how the Enemies of the Church are over-matcht and trodden down by theſe Attributes. We all know they are in three Ranks Tyrants, Hypocrites, and Hereticks: To ſuppreſs Tyrants, he is the mighty Lord; for the deteſtation of Hypocrites, he is the Holy One of Iſrael; for the conviction of Hereticks, Truth hath flouriſht out of the Earth, and Righteouſneſs hath looked down from Heaven. But if theſe be the Flowers of Chriſts honour, if the Martyrs, as ſome Expoſitors ſay, meant of him only, they are Lines, which will eaſily, I am ſure, meet in that Center: Though once he was compaſſed with our infirmities, yet now what Power ſo great as his, to whom the Father hath committed all judgment? What Holineſs ſo perfect as his, which challenged the cenſure of his Enemies, Which of you can reprove me of ſin? Or what Truth ſo praepotent as out of his mouth, which made his Adverſaries confeſs, Never man ſpake like him? Not to leave this Subject without ſome utility to our life; Are theſe Titles of our Father no way hereditary to us by Adoption of Sons? Yes ſurely, after the model of our earthen Veſſel, the compellation of Lord, which is ſo awful and to be adored in the Supreme Majeſty, it claims veneration, and ſubmiſſive obedience to thoſe Powers upon earth, to whom God hath committed the execution of his governance: The other two Attributes are not ſo reſtrictive, but are the Ʋrim and Thummim of every Chriſtian, or like the two eyes in our head, we know not which is deareſt, Holineſs and Truth. Truth is the illumination of our understanding in all points to be believed: Holineſs is the reformation of our will in all caſes of practice. Which of theſe can you ſpare and live, your brains, or your heart? If Holineſs be true, there will be no Hypocriſie: If Truth be holy, there will be no contention. If Holineſs be true, Zeal ſhall be joyned to Knowledge: If Truth be holy, Knowledge ſhall be joyned to action. Where Truth is not holy, Herod, for the engagement of his Oath, will cut off the head of John Baptiſt: Where holineſs is not true, the Phariſees in defence of the Law will Crucifie our Saviour. Wherefore put on the new man which is created after God, foreign, in the holineſs of truth, or in true holineſs, Eph. iv. 24.
Forget not, I pray, that I ſaid, theſe Epithets were not only an Invocation, but an obteſtation alſo, as if the Martyrs had ſaid, As thou art the Lord, as thou art holy, as thou art true, avenge our bloud of them that dwell on the earth. Haec commemoratio eſt quaedam neceſſitas exaudiendi. How can this great King, to whom they ſupplicate, chooſe but grant them their asking, when his own Attributes intercede in their behalf? How can their Enemies chooſe but fall before them, when they ſound out theſe awful names of God as with the blaſt of a Trumpet? As a Chriſtian Poet ſays of Satan, who was caſt out of the Poſſeſſed in the name of Jeſus, Nec fulmina verbi ferre poteſt; that bleſſed word was like Thunder in his ears, he could not endure the noiſe of it: So when the men of the earth have exalted themſelves. To run over the Attributes of God againſt them, is as it were to give fire to a peal of Ordnance, and their Pride will totter before them. Religion hath its name à religando, it binds man to God, and it binds God to man. The Martyrs were bound by their Vow in Baptiſm to ſtand to their Faith to the death, and the Lord hath bound himſelf by his Truth and Holineſs to avenge his Saints that cry day and night unto him. With much confidence may we appeal unto him in the name of the Lord. Magnum nomen ſub quo nemini deſperandum, ſays St. Auſtin. Who can be diſcouraged that can recite that word with a true feeling in the Preface of his Prayer? It is in effect to ſay, Riſe up thou arm of the moſt High, Iſa. li. 9. Stir up thy ſtrength, and come and help us, Pſal. lxxx. 2. Let all the Kingdoms of the earth know that thou art the Lord, Iſa. xxxvii. 20. It is to challenge protection from the relation which can never be diſſolved; as who ſhould ſay, Thou art our King, and we are thy Subjects; therefore we claim our Copy, that thou ſhouldſt guard and defend us, at leaſt that thou ſhouldſt pluck down the arrogance of thoſe that have offended us. But what paſſionate Advocates are the other two ſacred terms that go together with it? Holy and True. Which is in effect to plead, Thou haſt made us holy as thou art holy, thou haſt kept us in the truth, even as thou art truth, thou haſt given us ſuch gifts as are in thine own Titles, therefore we are ſure thou doſt love us with an everlaſting love, thou that art holy and true, wilt pluck thine arm out of thy boſom, to avenge them that are holy and true againſt their oppreſſors. The Holineſs of God calls upon him to hate the ungodly, that have devoured Jacob, and laid waſt his dwelling place. His Truth calls upon him to put them to confuſion, becauſe he hath promiſed to recompence them for the evil which they have done unto his Servants. He that is holy cannot favour their part that are ambitious, bloud-ſuckers, invaders of the Poſſeſſions of the Innocent. He that is truth it ſelf cannot ſupport them that are diſſemblers, truce-breakers, full of fraud and equivocation. The Holy One will be ſanctified, the True One will be juſtified, the Lord will be glorified.
I will hold you no longer in the Porch of the Text, for the Invocation is no more: I come to the Prayer it ſelf, the Souls under the Altar cry out unto the Lord to judge and avenge their bloud. foreign, the Verb to judge, may belong to the ſifting of the Cauſe; the other Verb to avenge, may import the diſpatch of the ſentence againſt the Delinquents, but I take them both to be an amplification of one thing urged, that vengeance may fall upon the head of them that have ſpilt the bloud of the Saints, a Prayer that a mild man perhaps will ſtand amazed at. His Leſſon is, Bleſs them that curſe you, Mat. 5.44.pray for them that deſpitefully uſe you. Whence comes it that the Saints in Heaven take the liberty to perform Chriſts will not ſo charitably as the poor Diſciples on earth? But good words; and all grace and piety be aſcribed to the Spirits which are in the boſom of God. We cannot ſay to them as our Saviour did to the Sons of Zebedee, You know not what ye ask. This is a voice which came not from Earth, but from Heaven, and therefore we muſt maintain it. And it is as eaſie a task as a man can put his Pen to, becauſe it will admit ſuch variety of Apology.
Firſt of all, Vengeance being not uſurpt by the hand of a private man, but proſecuted under the ſhelter of lawful authority, like Ʋſque quo Domine? In this place it is not unlawful. It is pars juſtitiae punitivae, a ſtirring up of that part of juſtice which diſtributes puniſhments to them that deſerve them, and to demand it in a regular way,Aleſ. tom. 2. q. 139. m. 4. is in no wiſe rugged to the Law of charity. The Schoolmen comprize the right uſe and the abuſe of it in one ſhort diſtinction, Velle vindictam ad odium ſaturandum peſſimum eſt, ex amore juſtitiae bonum; It is honeſt ſometimes to claim revenge for wrongs out of the love of Juſtice, it is abominable when we aim at nothing, but to glut our ſpleen and hatred with the ruine of our enemy. St. Auſtin puts it better home with two exceptions. Revenge is ſtrictly repreſſed in the Goſpel, Non ut correctionem hominum negligamus, ſed ne alieno malo animum paſceres; Ep. 154.not quite repreſſed, ſo that offenders muſt not be called to account to be corrected, but when a rankerous mind would be fed and fatted with the penalty of another. Again, ſays he, Non ut praeterita vindicemus, ſed in futurum conſulamus; Ep. 202.The injuries that are paſt and done might be friendly put up, but recompence muſt be required ſometimes, that the times to come may be more peaceably ordered. Many ſtumbled at this Doctrine, becauſe they made not a clear difference between the affections of malice and juſtice. Origen againſt Celſus diſputes, that if is not lawful for Chriſtians to go to war, yet David praiſeth God for teaching his hands to war, and his fingers to fight. The Manichaeans brooked not Moſes for thoſe words, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; yet he ſaith, Thou ſhalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge againſt the children of thy people, Lev. xix. Julian charged the Chriſtians that they were enemies to Civil Courts, and all Political Orders, for they held that no wrong was to be called in queſtion. And they that replied unto him, defended it coldly, that it was a thing adiaphorous, and better let alone.Contra. Fauſt. lib. 22. St. Auſtin in one place ſays, that the Old Law did licenſe the Jews to commence ſuits againſt their Enemies, but it was a permiſſion to the hardneſs of their hearts; this miſtake came upon a ſlip of memory, for he thought there had been ſuch words in the Text of the Old Law, Thou ſhalt hate thine enemy. Hugo taught that the Precepts of ſtrict charity, which Chriſt taught, agreed to the ſuffering times of the Primitive Church, but were now expired. Some of the School Divines would have the Prayer for our Perſecutors to be a Counſel, and not a Precept. Some would have all going to Law to be a repining againſt the will of God, and impatiency againſt his ſcourge, when he takes any thing from us; by the ſame tenure, a ſickneſs being a ſcourge, from God, we muſt not ſeek to the Phyſician to cure it. Finally, The Anabaptiſts think that the Goſpel hath ſo quite cut the Nerves of revenge, that they abhor the Magiſtrate who is the conſervator of peace and juſtice, and repute him to be Gods inſtrument no otherwiſe than as Nebuchadonozor or the Devil. This is a large field of Tares to be cut down, and all with one Sickle, revenge may be proſecuted for the correction of ſin, for the peace of the Church, for the demonſtration of Gods juſtice. So doth our Church in the Collect uſed in the time of War, Aſſwage the malice of our Enemies, abate their pride, confound their devices: So do the Souls of the Martyrs in heaven, Avenge our bloud, &c.
I confeſs it is an hard matter to hit of this way which I ſpeak of, and among thoſe that pray for revenge, not one among a thouſand, I am perſwaded, but tread awry. Howſoever the pure love to Juſtice may ſtir us up to thoſe devotions, yet our frailty can ſcarcely perform it without ſome vindicative paſſions. It is a common error to miſcall our Spleen by the name of Zeal, and to take that hot affection to be a Coal from the Altar, which is a firebrand from the infernal Pit.
But it is a ſecond Concluſion, that the Spirits of good men departed may cry out, to have judgment paſs upon Tyrants, for the effuſion of their bloud, becauſe they can ask nothing inordinately, they that are confirmed in grace, and cannot ſin, they cannot make a Petition that is over-ballanced with the leaſt grain of rancor or partiality. Beſide, as Rabſhekah ſaid to the men of Judah, how untruly let him anſwer it,Iſa. 36.10. Am I now come up without the Lord againſt this Land to deſtroy it? Yea, the Lord ſaid unto me, Go up againſt this Land and deſtroy it: So may the Saints ſay without prevarication, Do we pray for vengeance againſt our Perſecutors without the Lord? Yea, the Lord hath ſaid unto us, Pray unto me for vengeance againſt your Enemies; their Will moves by his inſpiration, and they can wiſh for nothing without it. Ab ipſo bibunt quodcunque ſitiunt, Serm. 3. de Sanct.St. Auſtin ſpeaks it upon my Text; when they thirſt for any thing, they drink it firſt from the Fountain of his pleaſure. Wherefore there is this diſparity in our caſe and theirs. We are ignorant what may become of our Perſecutors: Stubborn ſinners are often called to repentance. Paul was converted in that minute, when he imagined moſt miſchief againſt the Faith. O then let us overcome evil with good, praying that they may turn unto the Lord and be ſaved. This is a fair Chriſtian revenge indeed, to pray againſt their ſins, Hoc ipſum in illis vindicatur, Auguſt.quod periit iniquitas. Now the Saints in glory, as many of the beſt Divines hold, are not at ſuch uncertainty as we are, but it is revealed unto them that their Perſecutors are in a loſt condition, that they will die in their impenitency, therefore in conformity to that judgment,Eſtius. which God hath reſerved for them, they pour out their Imprecations, that deſtruction may take them unawares. They that know how unalterable the Decrees of the Lord are, and by ſpecial impartment, are acquainted with the execution of his Decrees; it is impoſſible that the Saints in Heaven ſhould ſolicite him for the ſalvation of Reprobates, they pray for nothing, but for that which they obtain; they pray for none, but for whom they may be heard. Some of us ask and have not, St. James tells us why, Becauſe we ask amiſs. The drift of this Concluſion is, we ask good things of God for our Enemies, becauſe for ought we know they may become his friends. The Martyrs cry aloud againſt their Enemies, becauſe they know they ſhall be Fiends of Hell. We are reſtrained from curſing our ill-willers, becauſe malice will inject it ſelf into ſuch Prayers; the Citizens which dwell above are liable to no ſuch prohibition, becauſe there can be no defect in their charity.
The third Concluſion is ſo cautious to give no ſcandal, ſo circumſpect not to open the leaſt window to malice and hatred, that it reſents the word Revenge in this place to be of an improper ſignification; and that which the Souls departed ſue for is not revenge, but deliverance. Deliverance? Of what? Not of themſelves, who are out of harms-way, in Abrahams boſom: But of their Brethren afflicted and tormented here beneath. As who ſhould ſay, How long, O Lord, wilt thou not deliver the bloud of our Brethren, the poor Members of the Militant Church, from them that rage upon the Earth? They that are dead in the Lord have not only an exiſtence after this life, but a memory to call to mind what garboyls were in this world when they breathed in it, as the Parabolical Hiſtory of the Rich man and Lazarus may confirm it. This being preſuppoſed as the opinion of others (I preſs it not as irrefragable) it muſt go along with it, that they have a moſt compaſſionate deſire, that the poor Sheep, whom they left in the midſt of Wolves, may have an end of their miſery. And no marvel if their Communion which they had, and ſhall have again, make them clamour, as if they petition for themſelves. How long O Lord, &c. For as young Scholars talk Proverbially of the breaking of Priſcians head, when a Solaciſm is committed, though he be rotten in his grave; ſo unmerciful proceedings againſt them that ſuffer under the Croſs of Chriſt, ſeem to fetch bloud from the Saints in Heaven. You will think, I ſuppoſe, that this Interpretation ſticks at a knot: To deliver is a ſofter, and a more innocent word than to revenge; how will that ſtubborn word to revenge bear ſo mild a ſignification? The Criticks will readily help us in that. David pleading his integrity before Saul, yet miſtruſting that his diſpleaſure was unreaſonable and implacable,1 Sam. 24.12. ſays he, Ʋlciſcatur me de te Jehova; The Lord avenge me of thee. As the Letter ſounds, this had been moſt diſloyal, and moſt dangerous to have curſed Saul to his face, therefore the Phraſe muſt be underſtood in this manner, The Lord deliver me from thy vengeance. Again, 1 Mach. xiii. 6. I will avenge my Nation, and the Sanctuary, and our Wives, and Children, for the heathen are gathered to deſtroy us. What is meant then by avenging the Sanctuary, but delivering it from profanation? To uphold it with another Authority, the Widow invokes the unjuſt Judge to avenge her of her adverſary, Luk. xviii. 3. Camerarius ſays, it is jus exequere, do me right againſt him: foreign, Juris conſulti vocant defenſores; that is, they that defend and maintain the cauſe of the poor, are called their avengers. It cannot utterly be gainſaid therefore, but that the Grammatical words will bear this ſenſe, that the Souls under the Altar pray for deliverance, rather than revenge. For the deliverance of their Brethren that ſuffer, not for the confuſion of thoſe Malefactors that ſpill their bloud. I confeſs, if you take Revenge in the uſual way, for a cankered deſire to ſee the hurt of another, this conſtruction were the ſafer. And for Analogy of Faith it agrees well with that, that the holy Ones in the ſight of God pray, that their Brethren may be pluckt out of the jaws of their Tormentors,Serm. de Immort. and fill up their Society in Heaven. So St. Cyprian, Illic copioſa turba nos deſiderat, de ſuâ immortalitate ſecura, adhuc de noſtra ſolicita; An innumerous company of holy ones in Heaven deſire our coming, reſting ſecure in their own peace and glory,Serm. 3. in feſt. Sanct. but ſolicitous for ours. And Bernard very vehemently, Ʋnde tibi hoc ô caro foetida! How comes this to paſs, O filthy and ſinful fleſh of man, that they in whom Gods Image is repaired, ſhould long for thy fellowſhip, in whom it is defaced? That they who are made white with the bloud of the Lamb, ſhould wiſh for thee that art polluted? So I leave this Point with a probable aſſent, but no more, that the Saints deſire not the vengeance of the ungodly, but the deliverance of the righteous.
It is drawn up more ſolidly in the fourth Concluſion, That vengeance indeed is no part of their Petition in Heaven, it was their love and forgiveneſs of their Enemies which God accepted, when he exalted them thither; and ſurely their Charity is increaſed, and not diminiſhed. But how then will St. Johns Viſion and their Charity hold together? Well enough; directly they pray for that which is fit for the voice of Saints, but becauſe no good thing is good to them that hate the Church, obliquely it brings vengeance upon them. Cajetan is the great abettor of this Interpretation. I ſhall find another Author for it, they are our Saviours words, Luk. xviii. 7. Shall not God avenge his own Elect, that cry day and night unto him? Says he, The aſſiduous cry of the Elect tends formally to this, that the Kingdom of God would come, and that he would accompliſh all things; but foraſmuch as when this Kingdom is come, and the Elect are gathered together from the four Winds, the wicked ſhall be turned into Hell, and all the people that imagined evil againſt his Sanctuary, therefore virtually and indirectly they invocate God that his Foes may be ſwept away with the Beeſom of deſtruction. Affectu orant pro perſecutoribus, effectu pro vindictâ; Their affections are ſweet and tender, that all Infidels, who defie the Goſpel of Chriſt, may be converted, but the effect which follows their Prayers ſhall not be their Salvation, but their Subverſion for ever. The Caſuiſts expreſs this after a pretty manner, that the Will of any man is Mother to ſome effects, and Grandmother to other ſome. Such things as it wiſheth for expreſly, it is the Mother of thoſe deſires; when many things fall out conſequently upon theſe deſires, and quite beſide the intention of the wiſh, they are not the Children of our own Will, but our Daughters Daughters as it were, and our Will is but Grandmother unto them. I deſire fair weather meerly for mine own delight, my fancy covets nothing elſe; but this may hinder the Seeds-man in the Field, or burn up his Flowers that hath planted a Garden, thoſe effects are not begot by my Will, their relation is that they came to paſs out of that which I deſired, they are my Childrens Children, and ſo remotely they are mine. Or as a Ward wiſheth that he were come to Age, and had ſued out his Livery, his aim is to be ſeized of his own Inheritance, yet that deſire cannot be accompliſhed in ſome inſtances, without wringing his Eſtate out of the hand of his Guardian, and leaving him poor and ſuccourleſs.Moral. lib. 2. c. 6. So ſays Gregory the Great to this caſe in my Text, Sancti petunt mundi conſummationem, atque indui corporibus; Theſe bleſſed Souls call for the conſummation of the World, for a joyful Reſurrection, and to be cloathed with their bodies. But woe unto violent men, that have inſulted upon the Righteous, when that ſhall come to paſs, then ſhall their cruelty begin to be requited. The Saints do praiſe God day and night, and the Incenſe of their Prayers is lifted up unto him for a greater amplification of their triumph, yet ſince their honour muſt be the ruine of many, this muſt neceſſarily be derived out of their Petitions, that the Lord would judge and avenge their bloud on them that dwell on the Earth. But you will ſay, I have not yet made it to appear, that the primary and direct Petition of the Saints is, that God will reveal his utmoſt glory in the end of all things, and in the Reſurrection of their bodies. I refer you for that to the verſe which follows my Text; for why had each of them his white Robe given? Or why is it ſaid, That they ſhould reſt for a little ſeaſon, and till all were fulfilled? This is no anſwer to the words of my Text, but an anſwer to their unceſſant Prayer for the future Reſurrection, that the pittance of glory which they had muſt ſatisfie them, and in due time, when the whole body was gathered together, there ſhould be an accompliſhment of their bleſſedneſs. I do not ſay, That the time deferred is irkſom to them, for their heart is ſo devoted to every thing that God pleaſeth to have done, that it is ſweeter to them, ſince the Lord will have it ſo, to have the time adjourned, when they ſhall be cloathed with their houſe which is from Heaven, than if it were now at hand. Yet the Spirit hath ſuch a thirſt to reſume the Fleſh again, that it ſpends their affections in part upon the object, which otherwiſe would freely and intirely, without deducting any ſhare, be conſecrated to the praiſe of the Eternal Majeſty. To diſpatch this Concluſion now, if I look right upon it, it is ſound, and hath no flaw; namely, that the proper ingredients of the prayer of the Saints departed, are for the haſtening of Chriſts Kingdom, and for a ſpeedy Reſurrection, but to the terror of them that are deſtructive and unmerciful, that heavenly ſupplication devoves them by conſequent to the nethermoſt Hell.
There is but one Concluſion more behind, the fifth and laſt, which ſtands upon this firm Baſis, that if any man will be contentious, that revenge is every way to be exploded out of the Prayers of holy Martyrs, though his conſcience receive ſcandal unjuſtly, where none is given: yet there is one interpretation left, which is obnoxious to no exception, namely, that theſe words are not Oratio perſonae, ſed rei; the Martyrs themſelves do not utter ſuch a Prayer in the ears of God, but the wrongs and injuries which they ſuſtained make interpellations before the face of God, that their hoary head may go down to the Grave in ſorrow which afflicted his Servants. The Saints are ſo raviſht with the ſplendour of the Beatifical Viſion, that they have no leiſure to think of the paſſions which they endured in this life, much leſs can they ſpare a minute to caſt away a thought upon their Perſecutors. As Plato replied ſtoutly to Dionyſius of Syracuſa, the Tyrant had entertained him in his Court, and was loath to let him return home, when Plato much deſired it: After much importunity I would diſmiſs you, ſays the Tyrant, were it not that you would talk of me too much in your own Country. Nay, Sir, ſays Plato, I have ſomewhat elſe to do, when I am in Athens among the Academicks, than to talk of Dionyſius. So Stephen, and Peter, and James, ſtoop not ſo low as once to mention the Phariſees, or Herod, or Nero, but their Aſhes in their Graves exclaim againſt them Parriſides that murdered thoſe holy Fathers. Even as Abel being dead doth yet ſpeak by faith, Heb. xi. 4. which is in the words of God himſelf, Thy Brothers bloud crieth unto me from the ground, Gen. x. 4. Not thy Brother, but thy Brothers bloud, that direful Act which thou haſt committed in the effuſion of it, that is it which pierceth mine ear, though his ſoul utter not a word to that effect, becauſe it is never abſtracted from Coeleſtial Contemplations. It is a corrective manner of ſpeaking, when we glance at the ſecret ſins of another, to ſay, If ſuch a Room, or ſuch a Bed could ſpeak, if the Doors or the Hangings could ſpeak, they would tell foul Tales. Spare your ſuppoſitions, I beſeech you, and go roundly to work; for every inanimate thing wherein we have committed any crime or injury, it hath a voice to impeach us, and we cannot eſcape the Accuſation. Job ſays of an Oppreſſour, That his Land will cry againſt him, and the furrows of the field will complain of him, Job xxxi. 38. Habakkuk ſays of him that hath built his houſe by cutting off many people, I ſuppoſe he means Depopulators, that the Stone ſhall cry out of the Wall, and the Beam of the Timber ſhall anſwer it, Chap. ii. 9. So Judas Machabaeus implores God, that he would remember the wicked ſlaughter of harmleſs Infants, and hear the bloud that cried unto him, 2 Mach. viii. 3. Take heed of wrong and rapine, take heed of cruelty, of murdering the Innocent, of beating your fellow-ſervants, Luk. xii. Every violence which you offer hath a tongue to accuſe you, and the ear of the Lord is in every place. It is an eaſie thing by terrours to awe a poor ſimple man, that he ſhall ſuck in his ſpittle, and ſay nothing when he is ruin'd: It is no unlikely thing that he ſhall be brought to Mortification, to pray to the power above to forgive his Oppreſſors, but he is not able to muzzle the wrongs that have been done him, or to pluck out their tongue; when he is aſleep in his Bed, when he is ſtiff in his Grave, they never ſleep, they never die, they never end their clamour, and there is no ſuch diſtance, but that the cry of the Innocent will knock againſt it. This is not meant to weaken the hand of Juſtice, which rewards the wicked after their deſerving. Impenitent Caytives ſhall never come near the Altar in Heaven to moan themſelves, never fear their out-cry, but beware to puſh at an innocent ſoul. No private mans Oppreſſions ſhall be unrepayed, how much more when whole Kingdoms and Principalities are devoured by the Invader? When whole Nations are waſted out of their Inheritance, when whole Rivers of bloud lift up their voice, when the Scepters of Princes do plead for juſtice before his Throne that gave them their Throne and Dignity. The Sun will ſhine upon that day when they ſhall be filled with ſlaughter that have delighted in it. Forget not what Abner ſaid to Joab, Shall the Sword devour for ever? Knowſt thou not that it will be bitterneſs in the End? And let this be the cloſe of this ſecond part of my Text, the Souls themſelves under the Altar make no unquiet interpellations to be revenged, but the wounds, and ſtripes, and marks which they bore in their bodies for the Lord Jeſus, they cry out day and night, how long Lord holy and good, &c.
The next Point is almoſt of the ſame piece, and very conjunct with the Petition it ſelf, it is the manner of preferring it, which, to the greater terrour of them that live by wrong hoſtility, is done with all vehemency and importunity, with a loud voice, and a ſolicitous iteration. The Heathen Poets fancied that the Souls in the Elyſian Fields did utter their mind with audible and vocal ſounds, but with a low whiſpering, as if Reeds were ſhaken with the wind. Sometimes they would ſtrive to ſpeak out, but all in vain, Inceptus clamor fruſtratur hiantes. This is Fiction, and not Philoſophy: For ſeparated ſouls ſpeak not with corporeal Organs, but with their Wills and Affections. Animarum verba ſunt ipſa deſideria; Their words which they utter are their deſires, which they ſend forth; and therefore David ſays. Thine ear hath heard the deſire of their heart. There is no ſuch thing therefore as a loud voice proceeding from the ſouls in Heaven; but fleſh and bloud muſt be ſpoken to as it may underſtand, and becauſe the miſeries are great which the Saints have ſuffered under the impotent rage of Tyrants, and the Martyrs while they lived were wont to roar out for diſquietneſs of heart in thoſe extremities, therefore by Proſopopea they are ſtill ſaid to call upon Heaven to judge their cauſe. So Theophilus Antiochanus, a moſt ancient Author, Secundum eos affectus quos anima aliquando pro neceſſitate corporis generat; ſuch as were their affections in this life, by a figurative tranſlation, ſuch they are ſaid to be in heaven. Then they cried aloud for help, and now they, or rather their bloud and Martyrdom is ſaid to cry aloud for vengeance. Not they indeed, but their injuries do ſo ſtrongly plead againſt their Oppreſſors; but they and their injuries are confounded as if they were but one Plaintiff in Law. Therefore it is in Eſdras, 2 Eſd. 15.8.Behold the righteous and innocent bloud crieth unto me, and the ſouls of the Juſt complain continually.
Having cleared the Doctrine, that this was no vocal clamour, but an imaginary, ſuch as St. John encountred in a Viſion, note theſe few things in it: Firſt, That all thoſe Expoſitors that dare make an exact calculation of thoſe times, when the Seals in this myſtical Book were opened, ſay, that the opening of the Fifth Seal, when the Souls cried out ſo ſtrongly, was the inſtant deliverance from the Tenth, and the greateſt Perſecution. Obſerve from hence rather by experience than by rule, that when God is about to give any thing unto us, he ſtirs up our hearts unto Prayer more than ordinary. Qui timide rogat negare docet; A ſaint Petitioner addreſſeth himſelf as if he meant to be denied: But when you find a robuſtiouſneſs in your Spirit, that you are ſet to wreſtle with God, to cry out, and not to give over, it is an enlightning that you ſhall prevail; but all the while that you are ſluggiſh in asking, it is an ill Preſage that the time of mercy is not come. Yet ſecondly, Though the Lord be but modeſtly, or rather remiſsly called upon for pardons and bleſſins, out of his indulgence he will meet with our deſires, and crown them. Two of Johns Diſciples ſaid unto our Saviour no more but this, Rabbi, where dwelleſt thou? They did ſcarce knock at door,Joh. 1.39. and yet Chriſt invited them into his Train, he bad them come and ſee. But his ſufferance and patience is ſo great, that yellings and clamours muſt awake him, before He be ſtirred up to vengeance. He forgives one injury, connives at another, bears with a third and fourth, it may be a year runs on, perhaps ſeven, perhaps an Age: and Oppreſſors ſlide away without a check, at laſt when their inſolencies make a noiſe over all the Earth, and roar like Bulls of Baſan, then the Avenger awakes out of ſleep like a Giant that is refreſht with Wine. Thirdly, Oppreſſion, and tyrannizing over the poor and helpleſs make the loudeſt clamours of any ſins in the ears of God, they will follow the unjuſt Rulers of the world like an heard of Wolves howling and yelling, and tear up their Carkaſſes out of their very Graves. There are but four ſins that are ſaid to cry in all the Scripture, the bloud of Abel, Gen. iv. and that was for Oppreſſion. The bondage of the Iſraelites in Egypt, and that was for Oppreſſion. The hire of the Labourer kept back by fraud, Jam. v. 4. And that was for Oppreſſion. And the licenciouſneſs of the Sodomites, Gen. xviii. who, among their other crimes, did moſt injuriouſly inſult over Lot, becauſe he was a ſtranger, and ſo you ſee that even their exorbitancy was not without Oppreſſion. Do not the tears run down the Widows cheeks? And is not her cry againſt him that cauſeth them to fall? Eccl. xxxv. 15. You ſee that pious Author aſcribes a crying and a clamour to the tears of the Widow, and that alſo is for Oppreſſion: therefore I am ſure it will be the Oppreſſors own turn to cry at the laſt, in the place where there is nothing but weeping and gnaſhing of teeth.
Caſt your eye back now to the two former Points which I have handled, to bring on the next; the Souls of the righteous that have ſhed their bloud for the Teſtimony of Chriſt, make Prayers that their ſlaughter may be revenged. Fatal tidings to their Murderers; the Martyrs cry out vehemently to have their Petition ſign'd with a Fiat ut petitur, a diſmal exclamation to their Perſecutors. Nor is it one ſhreek and away, but cry upon cry, followed with inſtance and importunity. They will never give over till vengeance light at laſt on their Enemies. Witneſs this Ʋſque quo? How long Lord? The Author of the Second Book of Eſdras, Chap. iv. 35. alludes to theſe words on this manner: Did not the Souls of the righteous ask queſtions of theſe things in their Chambers? Saying, How long ſhall I hope in this faſhion? When cometh the fruit of out reward? Surely he meant, that the Saints begg'd continually for the augmentation of their triumph, by the Reſurrection of the body. Others ſuppoſe it to be a vehement efflagitation, that God would collect his Church into one body in Heaven, and reveal his glory; and that nothing doth hinder this but the deſtroying the man of ſin,Serm 11. de Sanct. and his adherents, who have cruſh'd the Servants of God with a rod of Iron, therefore they preſs it paſſionately, that thoſe that let the ſecond appearance of Chriſt in glory, may be taken out of the way. St. Auſtin in one place exhorts his Auditors to holineſs of life with this perſwaſion, that the Saints in Heaven are hindred of their deſires by our remiſsneſs in Piety. We muſt accompliſh the number of our good works, before the end of all things come, Et dum nos retardamus ſanguis martyrum inultus eſt. While we diſpatch not apace to do our taſque, the wicked flouriſh in their pomp and power, and the bloud of the Martyrs is unrevenged. All that draw this Line, you may note it, they apprehend that the words of my Text are the perſonal complaint of the Souls under the Altar, and not the interpellation of their injuries. I quarrel not the opinion, for it is modeſt and rational: But I will help it out of the briars of one ſcruple. No man is ſo cenſorious to impute it to the Society of the Bleſſed, as if they contended with Gods Juſtice that he delayed them, they are cleared from all ſuch impatiency, or expoſtulation, becauſe they call him holy and true. But we may ask what they mean to ſolicite him with Ʋſque quo's? For they know that his Decrees are fix'd, and that one minute of that time which he hath ſet ſhall not be broken, though all the Angels made interceſſion. The anſwer is to this and ſuch caſe, Preces fidelium antecedenter ſe habent ad Dei decretum, non conſequenter. The Servants of God pray for Mercies or Judgments to be haſtened, abſtracting from the Divine Decrees, for though the Decrees cannot be refixed, yet we are encouraged to beg for that which is conducible to our own neceſſities. But the readieſt way to put off all objections is to hold to my Fifth Concluſion, that not the Martyrs themſelves, but the wrongs which they endured exclaim againſt their Enemies, the atrocity of them doth ſeem to plead, that the Lord ſhould ſend his ſwift thunderbolts againſt cruel men, they ſeem to cry out, a day is too much to let them breath any longer, they deſerve not to be reprieved a minute till they go down to Hell. O well is it for them that have been nurſing Fathers and nurſing Mothers of the Church. They are ſecure among theſe vociferations for vengeance. O how happy will it be for Moſes, and Samuel, Gregor.and Daniel that they have hurt no man, that they have oppreſſed no man! O what quiet of conſcience have they that are clear from the bloud of all men! for it is but a little ſeaſon, and the pride of Tyrants ſhall have a fall. God tells the Martyrs ſo in the next verſe. Quod petendo eſuriunt, praeſciendo ſatiantur; They ſpake thirſtingly to ſee the doom of their Enemies, and here they are ſatiated with this Prediction, that it will be after a little ſeaſon; but a little ſeaſon indeed in reſpect of Eternity, for Chriſt ſhall reign for ever. Neither is God ſlack as men count ſlackneſs, for that which is done in a fit ordination, at the right minute, that is fruit taken in its ſeaſon, and there is no tardineſs at all. Let Sion rejoyce, let the deſolate be comforted; the Heavens move continually, the hours run apace, there is a ſwift Arrow in Gods Bow, and if the Lord prolong the time a little, it is to bring on a greater revenge upon his foes, and to make the reſtauration of the Church more glorious.
A very little remains to conclude all; the parties that are delated to God in this complaint are thoſe that dwell on the earth. Take it thus if you will, The earth is full of violence and oppreſſion, where Juſtice playeth her part beſt, ſome humane vices and affections will creep in, no man knows how, and put it out of order; in every Region, in every quarter of the World, whether it be misfortune or malice that is the cauſe, ſome that have integrity on their ſide come by the worſt. But thy Power, O mighty God, ſtretcheth over all, from the riſing of the Sun to the ſetting thereof, diſſolve therefore the Pillars of this Univerſe, and ſhake it in pieces, avenge thy Saints at once of them that dwell on the Earth. Not amiſs likewiſe in this Key. The very earth upon which they walk groans under the Arrogancy of Tyrants, they are fruitleſs Trees that cumber the ground, they are not worthy to breath in the ſame air with the Servants of Chriſt, therefore cut them off from the Land of the Living, and lay their honour in the duſt. But beſt of all in this ſtrein; Here is no Catalogue or recitation of them, that have bandied againſt the true in heart, for their number is infinite, but they are deſcribed by that wherein all their affections agree, that they dwell on the earth. It is no reviling Accuſation, they are not called Vipers, or Wolves, or Sons of Belial, though theſe names had been no ſlanders, but Per mucteriſmum, they are quipt for their baſe affections, that they are terrae ſilii, clods of dirt, Sons of the Earth, whoſe belly, like the Serpent's, cleaveth to the ground; and when they tread the Saints under their feet, it is ſome earthy Concupiſcence that rageth in them. A petty Cony-catcher ſtrips the Fatherleſs of his right to joyn Houſe to Houſe, and Land to Land. A Nimrod, a mighty Robber, he would ſpread his Kingdom by uſurpation, he knows not whither himſelf. An Oecumenical Biſhop, that would be, ſtruggles for indirect dominion in Temporals, In ordine ad ſpiritualia, all their inſolencies jump in this, juſt as it likes their own ambition, they would dwell upon the earth. Indeed, who would reckon it among the flowers of his fortune that he can cruſh and break all thoſe in pieces that reſiſt him, but ſuch a one as thinks of nothing but his ſhort time upon earth, and never accounts of a world to come? These is nothing that can ſtop rancorous men in their malice, if they take their poſſeſſion here, Tanquam mercedem, non tanquam arrham, as their full reward, and quit claim to all other demand. A miſerable recompence, not ſo much as the value of two Sparrows, will follow the Owner to his Grave, Diſdain theſe movable things beſtowed upon the Sons of Keturah, and labour for the immovable inheritance, which fell to Iſaacs ſhare. The Reubenites, that choſe their Lot in Gilead, on this ſide Jordan, and ſeated themſelves there, they could challenge no part in the Land of Promiſe. What a good title did Peter pretend to a great ſhare in Heaven, when he ſaid, Behold we have left all and followed thee? Rather will I follow him for one drop of his bloud, than retain to the greateſt Potentate, for all that he can give upon earth. It is a bloud that ſpeaks better things than the bloud of the Martyrs, or the bloud of Abel, for it pleads for no revenge, unleſs it be trod under foot. It is a bloud that intercedes for the pardon of our ſins, for grace to be given us in this life, for a Kingdom of happineſs hereafter, &c. AMEN.
FINIS.