The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 2 · Verse 6
Verſe 6. But this thou haſt, that thou hateſt the works of the Nicolaitans, which I alſo hate.
Chriſt goes on, and tells the church of Epheſus, that though ſhe was juſtly faulty for her defection in her firſt love, yet ſhe had this commendable point in her to be added unto her other commendable graces, That ſhe abhorred the abominations of the Nicolaitans both in judgment and practiſe, which alſo was moſt hateful and abominable unto Chriſt himſelf. Now the Sect of the Nicolaitans, as all Eccleſiaſtique hiſtory teſtifies, took the denomination from Nicholas, a Deacon of Antioch; but whether he was their leader himſelf, or whether they falſly pretended him the firſt founder of their hereſie, is diſputable: Indeed Ireneus, Tertullian, and Epiphanius, are of opinion, that he himſelf was their leader; yet Clemens Alexandrinus, and Euſebius. lib. 3. do ſay, That the Nicolaitans had falſly pretended the name of Nicholas to their hereſie, as M. Baxter aſſerts in his book of Infidelity, p. 132. However, we ſee their hereſies were abominable; for Chriſt hated them: and their heretical practiſes and opinions conſiſted (as Antiquity teſtifies) under the name of chriſtians, to hold and practiſe all manner of corporal obſcenities and adulteries lawful, and all manner of ſpiritual fornication and idolatries alſo; and which they grounded on this wicked principle, That there was no difference in good or evil, but only in opinion; and therefore took liberty to all ſorts of wickedneſſes. And that theſe were chief heads of their hereſies, is ſomwhat evident from verſe 14, & 15. of this chapter, where the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans are joyned and compared. Now we know, that Balaam's wicked doctrine was, To lay a stumbling block before the children of Iſrael, to entice them to offend God both in corporal and ſpiritual whoredom, in the buſineſs of Baal Peor, that ſo by offending him, they might periſh. Numb. 25. compared to 31.16. The Nicolaitans were this falſe Prophet's true diſciples, and were true branches of the Gnoſticks of old, who pretended ſtrange and unknown high myſteries, and diſcoveries of light, which plain and orthodox chriſtians never heard of; as many of the ſame ſpirit now a days pretend unto, on purpoſe to amuſe the ſimple, and to draw them into the ſnare of Satan: and how well theſe filthy dreamers amongſt us, do correſpond with their elder Brethren, the Nicholaitans, compare the hereſies and blaſphemies of ſome of theſe times, with that deſcription of the Nicholaitans, made by M. Baxter out of hiſtorical Antiquity, page 129. of his ſaid book of Infidelity: ſpeaking of the Nicholaitans, whoſe inhumane filthineſs (ſaith he) was ſuch, and their diveliſh conceits ſo many and vile, that I will forbear to mention them; only this, They made themſelves like Chriſt, and ſome of them to be equal to him, and ſome the ſame with him: That good and evil differed not in deed, but in mens opinions; they worſhipped Images, they lived in ſuch horrid ways in luſt and filthineſs, as is not to be named: Epiphanius himſelf unhappily fell in amongſt them, and knew their ways from their own mouths and actions, but happily eſcaped when they would have drawn him to their luſts; They have multitudes of amazing words and notions, like our Behmeniſts, that would bring a man into a ſuſpition of witchcraft to read them: They uſed witchcrafts, and ſeveral ſorts of inchantments, and kept divels in familiarity with them, that by their means they might encreaſe their knowledge and power, Thus far M. Baxter. And he profeſſes afterward, that it is not one, nor two, but all church hiſtories of thoſe times, that makes mention of them, do ſay the ſame things; and if they will read Epiphanius himſelf, who once fell in amongſt them, they will ſee much more. Having thus far deſcribed the Nicholaitans, and their hereſies, in the next place take this Note.
Obſerv. That the more pure, ſound, and undefiled the church is, the divel is moſt ſolicitous to raiſe hereſies and ſchiſms in it.
How buſie the divel was in thoſe Aſian churches in the Apoſtles times, to bring in the foul hereſies of the Nicolaitans, the doctrines of Balaam and Jezabel, if poſſibly he could, ſo to entice them to ſin againſt their God, that he might have his purpoſe on them; but when the church became more corrupted, tyrannical, and antichriſtianized, under the headſhip of the Biſhop of Rome, their hereſies were leſs, and their ſchiſmes fewer, then in the primitive purer times; for Satan would rather hereticate and poyſon the whole, then a part; and indeed the divel has his deſigne accompliſhed, when he ſees a church ruſhing onward to their own deſtruction, by the multitude of their corruptions; and amongſt ſuch, he hath no need to lay any of his ſtratagems of hereſies and ſchiſms, but only to let them in peace and ſecurity, and they will haſten on faſt enough unto their own deſtruction: Therefore hence, unto me it is a good argument, that we have true and faithful churches of Chriſt amongſt us, and that the true doctrine of the Goſpel is ſincerely preached and taught amongſt our churches, or elſe Satan (the envious one) would not be ſo ready to ſow alſo his tares of hereſies and errour, as he does at preſent amongſt us, to overthrow (if he may) our hopes and harveſt. It ſeems to me but a ſad ſaying, when ſome Miniſters affirm, they give thanks to God that their churches are not troubled with the hereſies of the times: though I confeſs hereſies are great evils, and to be fervently deprecated from all Chriſt's flocks; yet when they ſay they are all at peace, it is much to be feared, that there is another ſtrong man keeping the houſe beſides Chriſt; for, be ſure when Chriſt comes to bruiſe Satan's head, he will bite Chriſt's heel; and no ſooner is the man-child Chriſt born in the ſouls of his faithful ones, but the Dragon will preſently ſend forth floods of water of hereſies, errours, and perſecutions, if poſſibly, to deſtroy both it and them, Rev. 12.15. and this proceeds from that everlaſting enmity ſet between the ſeed of the woman, and the ſeed of the Serpent, even from the beginning, Gen. 3.15. and will continue, until he be bound up in everlaſting chains of darkneſs: and therefore the purer the church is, the buſier will Satan be to undermine them if he may.
Obſerv. 2. Another Note is, That all hereſie is defiling and abominable. Chriſt hates it, and his church hates it; and therefore ſurely it hath ſome poyſonous and peſtilential quality in it; ſomtimes it amounts ſo far, as to defile both judgement and practiſe joyntly, as it did in the Sect of the Nicholaitans: And this it moſt frequently does, unleſs in ſuch a time, when the appearance of an Angel of light will ſeem better with Satans deſigns: for if the Theoretique part of the underſtanding be not ſound, the practique can hardly be ſtreight; where the light of the eye is darkned, our feet will ſoon ſtumble: and the will and judgement are ſo linked together, that ſome make the will to be the laſt act of the underſtanding, or the practique part of the judgement: ſo nearly they are related into oneneſs, that the contagion of the one, will be the defilement of the other.
Yet ſecondly, Satan is ſo ſerpentine and crafty, that often he can reſtrain the will, and put on the forms of an Angel of light, and ſet on a ſtricter garb of holineſs and mortification then ordinary, even unto an Erenetique monaſtical converſation, denying the lawful comforts of humane life and ſociety, that he may make the greater impreſſion to deceive thereby, as he does in ſome of the crafty deceiving heretiques of theſe days: Therefore it is not only the duty of all Chriſt's faithful ones, but their honour, and glory, and their crown, to abominate and hate all ſuch deeds and myſteries of Satan, even as they are abominated and hated by Chriſt himſelf.