The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 3 · Verse 16
Verſ. 16. Therefore becauſe thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, it will come to paſs that I will ſpew thee out of my mouth.
The greatneſs of Laodicea's ſin for her luke-warm temper, appears by the ſevere puniſhment afflicted on her for the ſame; one would have thought that luke-warmneſs being ſome degrees neerer unto heat then coldneſs, ſhould be ſomwhat more commendable, as neareſt unto heat, yet they are equally abominable unto God; for he will ſpue out all ſuch indifferent Profeſſors out of his mouth, as offenſive and nauſeous to his ſtomack: It is ſaid by Naturaliſts, That the ſtomack will rather admit of hot or cold things in it quietly, then tepid or luke-warm, by reaſon that it puts forth its digeſtive faculty more operative and effective towards ſuch things in which work it is delighted; but luke-warm things being near to its own natural heat and temper, gives not ſo much delight unto it, nor puts it ſo a working, as the contrary quality does, and therefore remains therein unconcocted, and of eaſie egeſtion, as by experiment of drinking warm water it appeareth. If it be demanded who is to be ſpewed out? The anſwer is ready, Thou lukewarm Angel of Laodicea, and thou lukewarm church of Laodicea; for though the charge be directed to the particular Angels of each church; yet the churches too being guilty of the ſame ſins, are under the ſame judgements and threats which are inſcribed unto their Angels or Paſtors; and therefore there is ſtill added as an Epiphonema to each Epiſtle, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the Churches.
For the matter of their ſin, it is luke-warmneſs, an indifferent diſpoſition and temper in Religion, which is neither hot nor cold, which was opened in the laſt precedent verſe, and the danger thereof demonſtrated accordingly: but in this (by the way) I would be underſtood, not that Chriſt ſimply alloweth coldneſs in Religion, but only preferreth it before luke-warmneſs, for the reaſons before on the laſt verſe expreſſed; and we daylie ſee, that God ſpareth longer notoriouſly wicked perſons, or thoſe that are ſtrangers from him altogether, rather then the luke-warm Profeſſors: and this appears from God's long forbearance of the church of Rome, who hath played egregiouſly the harlot, and departed from the truth, and yet flouriſheth outwardly, whiles the Reformed churches are corrected and chaſtiſed out of hand, when they incline unto luke-warmneſs and indifferency in Religion. Hence Note,
Obſerv. God's judgements on luke-warm Chriſtians are dreadfully judicious.
This appeareth, if we conſider but what Chriſt meaneth, when he ſaith, He will ſpew him out of his mouth; by which is meant, an utter caſting out of this luke-warm church from her church-ſtate and profeſſion, he will no longer entertain her as his candleſtick, but will diſcharge his care of her in that particular, as a ſtomack-ſick perſon with eating or drinking that which he loatheth, deſireth vomit to eaſe him of his ſickneſs; ſo Chriſt deſireth to diſcharge his ſtomack, his care, his vigilance of this loathed luke-warm church.
2. As meat once vomited up lies loathed and abhorred, and never to be licked up again but by Dogs or Sows; ſo this lukewarm church is to be ſpewed out as a loathed thing, not that Chriſt would ever return to ſo unclean a thing again.
3. As in vomiting, an unclean place is ſought for, ſo Chriſt will ſeek for an unclean place, to ſpew out thoſe luke-warm Profeſſors into: He will make the place of their habitation a Cage of all unclean birds, Ziim and Oiim ſhall dwell there.
Hath not Chriſt begun this work of ſpewing out of his mouth the luke-warm Prelatical church within our days? How long did it lye as a loathed and indigeſted lump in the ſtomack of Chriſt before it came to egeſtion? This was Chriſt's goodneſs, long expecting repentance and thorow reformation from our churches, who began in the days of Queen Eliſabeth to be warm in Religion, and never came to a farther degree then luke-warmneſs, or a moderate civil State-religion; and therefore Chriſt's ſtomack being long troubled with this undigeſted bit, up it muſt come at laſt. So it was in Germany, in Bohemia, the Palatinate, Stiria, Alſatia, Austria, and other Provinces there, whiles God expected they ſhould reform up to the pattern in the Mount, they only ſtick'd to Luthers and Zuinglius firſt principles, and moved no farther, and withal, abated ſo much of their firſt heat, that they became luke-warm and indifferent to things of Religion, as if Popery and Reformation were things indifferent; and ſo clothed their reformed doctrines and worſhip with many of the Harlots raggs, rites, and trumperies; for which tepid and mongrel diſpoſition of theirs, they were ſeverely chaſtiſed by Chriſt, and ſome of the churches quite ſpewed out of his mouth for this their ſin: hath not God done the very ſame thing with us here in England here of late for this hermaphrodical religion that was profeſſed amongſt us, half popiſh, half reformed, half rotten, half ſound, even ſpewed it out root and branch, never to be licked up more? Is it not alſo to be feared, that the ſame mongrel lukewarm condition is creeping in upon us again? What meaneth elſe the many vindications that are ſet forth of late, of the lawfulneſs of their practiſes, doctrines, miſſions, calls, hyerarchical ſuperintendencies, national churches, and maintenancies, and the like? If Chriſt have vomited them out as unholy things, he will not return again to take them up, they are loathed of him for their mongrel temper, and therefore ſpewed out; and if you will know who they are that endeavours to lick them up again, They are dogs, I mean, whelps of Rome, that deſire to return to their vomit; They are Sows, I mean, unclean worldlings, that make their belly their God, that deſire to return to wallow in the myre of Antichriſtian fooleries. I ſhall ſay no more but this, If Reformation according to Goſpel pattern be the way, be zealous in it, burn in it, walk in it, ſtoutly, couragiouſly, as children of light: but if Rome be the way to the new Jeruſalem, take her mark, follow her, and be not aſhamed of her; for Chriſt will not endure a middle temperature between both, either be all Romiſh, or all Reformed; there is no medium between heaven and hell, neither between true chriſtian and antichriſtian; either be the one or the other: for, becauſe thou art neither hot nor cold, it will come to paſs to thee, as it did to Laodicea, Chriſt will ſpew thee out of his mouth. Be wiſe therefore ye children of light, Hold fast the liberty wherewith Chriſt hath made you free; Have not your faces or thoughts towards the onyons and fleſh pots of Egypt again, but let your faces be to Zion-wards, to build up the breaches thereof, and be hot, zealous, fervent therein, and that according to knowledge, and then doubtleſs, God will be with you, and lead you into Goſhen, into a land of peace and reſt.