The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 3 · Verse 17
Verſ. 17. Becauſe thou ſayeſt I am rich, and encreaſed with goods, and have need of nothing, and knoweſt not that thou art wretched, and miſerable, and poor, and blinde, and naked.
Laodiceas ſin of luke-warmneſs, had a two-fold ground or riſe. 1. Proceeding from a falſe perſwaſion of her own worthineſs. 2. From the ignorance of her own miſery. Her vain perſwaſion of her own worth, proceeds from the conſideration and conceit of her great wealth and riches, not only ſpiritual, which ſhe wanted, and Chriſt adviſeth her to buy of him in the next verſe, but temporal and worldly; ſhe boaſts her ſelf not only to be rich, and abounding in riches of both ſorts, but alſo to want nothing, ſhe had ſuch a fulneſs, that her contentation was compleat: Many perſons may abound, and be rich, and yet want much of fulneſs of ſatisfaction and contentation: but the church of Laodicea, it ſeemed, abounded to contentation, in her own conceit, which is the higheſt pitch of riches; for, ſhe had need of nothing: and hence grew that ſin of hers, luke-warmneſs, and half chriſtianity. From hence Note,
Obſerv. 1. That the moſt rich and abounding wealthy churches, are apteſt to become the more remiſs, moderate, indifferent, and luke-warm chriſtians.
In the primitive times, when the churches were poor and low in the world, they were pureſt, more zealous and eminent for truth and martyrdom; but when the church was indulged, and lull'd in the lap of Conſtantine the great, ſhe grew more remiſs, and as riches and preferments were heaped on her, ſhe grew dayly more luke-warm, till at the laſt ſhe became key-cold, as unto the truth as it is in Jeſus, and ſo ſhortly became purely Antichriſtian: when the great preferments of Epiſcopal Lordſhips, Deanries, Arch-deanries, Prebendaries, &c. were on foot among us, Chriſt's Paſtors became ſilken Prieſts, and where was then true zeal for the truth? That was driven into corners, among ſome poor Puritans, Browniſts, Anabaptiſts, ſo ſcornfully called, and the like, but for the reſt, they were but half chriſtians, a medley of moral civilians, half Romiſh, half Reformed: and this proceeds from the nature of riches and proſperity, which is apter to choke the ſeed of grace, then adverſity, and to bring a forgetfulneſs of God, and a luke-warmneſs upon the hearts of thoſe that do abound therein: and therefore the children of God are ſo often warned in the Word, that they take heed to themſelves, leſt when they are full, and cloyed with God's bleſſings, through over-fulneſs they ſhould forget the Lord.
Thou ſayeſt thou art rich, &c.
And knoweſt not that thou art wretched and miſerable, &c.
The other cauſe of Laodiceas ſin, is the ignorance of her miſery, which ſhe could not ſee and perceive, by reaſon ſhe, was blinded by her outward proſperity and riches. From whence Obſerve,
Obſerv. 2. That the moſt ignorant, and wretchedly miſerable Church, is the most boaſting, and higheſt pretending to ſpiritual riches and graces.
Doth not the church of Rome this day vaunt, that ſhe is the only rich one, increaſed with goods, and have need of nothing? And 'tis true, if ſhe only meant of worldly goods, ſhe is moſt pompous and replete therein, but that is not all, ſhe vaunts too of her ſpiritual riches, ſhe calls her ſelf Roma ſancta, the only Mother church, the holy catholique church, and no ſalvation without her pales, the only Keeper of the Treaſures of the Spirit, and diſpenſeth them where ſhe pleaſeth; and yet notwithſtanding this high claim and pretence, who more truly wretched, miſerable, blinde, ignorant, naked, and deſtitute of all true graces then ſhe? Laodicea was ſo vain-glorious, that ſhe could boaſt of her riches, and yet ſhe was the pooreſt of the ſeven of all the Reformed churches. Our Engliſh (under Epiſcopacy) was wont to bear the Bell for outward ſplendour and glorying, not only in her external riches, but alſo of the magnificence of her worſhip beyond all others; and yet among them all, who nearer and dearer to her Siſter Rome then ſhe? She was then looked upon as the firſt returning daughter to her Mother Harlot; as the Apoſtate Bayly in his Epiſtle to the Reader of his book called End to Controverſie, teſtifies, page 67. where he ſays, That there were no other difference between them, but that the Tapers upon their Altars wanted light, and their Altars Prieſts, and their Ceremonies purpoſe. But the Lord ſince hath made a wider breach, his name be praiſed for it, and rendered her more irreconcileable to Rome then ever heretofore, and we truſt, never more to be made up between them.
For further deſcribing the wretchedneſs of the highly pretending church of Rome, which may be truly parallell'd to the church of Laodicea in this particular of vain-glorying and boaſting, ſhe hath here five degrees aſcribed to her. The two firſt are as common affections or accidents of her diſeaſe▪ in reſpect of her ſelf, or of others, ſhe was in a pitiful, lamentable, and miſerable ſtate and condition: The three latter declare the very nature of her diſeaſe; ſhe was poor, blinde, and naked: you know to be poor, is to be beggarly, ſo the word foreign in the Greek ſignifies, a beggar: She was not poor in ſpirit and in her own eyes, which is a bleſſed poverty, Mat. 5.3. but ſhe was a poor beggarly miſerable one, one that is proud and beggarly, which is hateful, odious: She is a true beggar, beg ſhe will, and never leave begging of the Kings, Princes, Nobles, and Potentates of the world, till ſhe have gotten the choiſeſt fat things of the earth to become her patrimony. She is a ſtout ſturdy beggar; if you will not give, ſhe will take: Beggars lye in the croſs lanes, and high-ways, to beg of all they meet; ſo beggars of this rampant church lye cloſe to all great Aſſemblies, to Dyets, Parliaments, Counſel-Tables, Great Mens houſes, to beg the Advowſons, and to catch the ſcraps of preferments that fall in their way: I could wiſh there were none of this beggarly poverty among us at this day▪ Chriſt's true Miniſters ſhould be of a nobler temper and Spirit then to ſerve at Tables for lucre ſake; their maſter will provide for them in a more honourable way, if they can but truſt on him for their ſuſtentation and livelyhood. It was a wiſe obſervation of M. Brightman's concerning our Engliſh clergie in his days under Epiſcopacy, That the Angel of England in plain terms grew wealthy by begging, and as he further ſays, neither is he in very truth, nor is to be called ought, ſave my Lord Beggar. In the next place, blindneſs is added to her beggarlineſs, to make it the more grievous: a blinde beggar is the moſt deplored and miſerable of all beggars, for being neceſſitated to ſeek and beg for his living abroad, yet want of ſight will not let him ſeek; ſo blindneſs of minde, want of true ſpiritual underſtanding, where true riches lies, is a great addition of miſery to a poor beggarly church that makes her to ſeek amiſs, and to call that riches which is not truly riches; from this ignorance and blindneſs it proceeds, that the church of Rome, and others that follow her ſteps, do beg and ſeek greedily after riches, honours, and preferments, that are meerly tranſitory and vain, and leaves alone the true riches, the treaſure which is from above, that never periſheth: yea they are ſo blinde, and obſtinately blinde, that they are ready to ſtrike at him that endeavoureth to convince them of blindneſs, and to ſhew them the way unto everlaſting treaſure. In the laſt place there is added Nakedneſs, as an aggravation of the miſery of this church. When one is ſtript of his garments, and rendered naked, his ſhame is laid open to the view, according to that of Nahum 3.5. It is not ſufficient that ſhe is a poor blinde beggar, but ſhe is a naked blinde beggar, the moſt contemptible of all ſorts: We have ſeen the poverty, the blindneſs and ignorance of the church of Rome, and Chriſt hath alſo diſcovered her nakedneſs unto us, we know her ſhames, and wherein her ſecret abominations does conſiſt: it is in vain for her now to boaſt of her ſpiritual pomps and trumperies, whiles Chriſt hath diſcovered her skirts, and ſhown us that ſhe is a beggarly one, void of all true ſpiritual riches, that ſhe is a blinde one, ignorant of the ways of true happineſs, that ſhe is naked, that is, for want of ſpiritual garments about her, ſhe is left open and bare to all ſhame and reproaches that are caſt againſt her for her deformities, which are obvious to every ſpiritual diſcerning eye. O that God would make the Reformed churches amongſt us, to diſcern between true riches, and thoſe which are not ſo, but only in pretence; that he would put a nobler ſpirit into them then that of Laodicea, a beggarly poor one, waiting for the crums of preferments at the Tables of the Great ones of the world: Is not their Lord and Maſter the Lord and Soveraign of the whole creation, and ſhall he provide for the Ravens, and the Lions whelps, their meat in due ſeaſon, and will he forget the members of his own body? God forbid! Oh Chriſt, which art the true light of the Father, anoint our eyes with eye-ſalve, that our blindneſs may be done away, and diſcover our nakedneſs unto us, that we may ſeek unto thee for a covering, for gold that is tryed, and for a rayment, that we may be clothed, that our nakedneſs may not appear before thee, to our utter ſhame and confuſion, Amen.