Vindication of the Dissertations Concerning Episcopacy, Chapter 1 · Section 10
Section X.
Of expreſſing a number by ſingulars. A Church by a Candleſtick. Of the ſeven Angels Rev. 8.
THeir third reaſon is, becauſe It is uſuall with the Holy Ghoſt, not onelyonly in other Bookes of Scripture, but in this very Booke of the Revelation, in myſterious and prophetick writings, and viſionall repreſentations (ſuch as this of the Starres and Golden …Candleſtick is) to expreſſe a number of things or perſons in ſingulars. And this in viſions is the uſuall way of Repreſentation of things, a thouſand perſons making up one Church is repreſented by one Candlestick, many Miniſters making up one Presbytery by one Angel. Thus Rev. 8. 2. It is ſaid that John ſaw ſeven Angels which ſtood before God. By theſe ſeven Candleſticks (I ſuppoſe it ſhould be ſeven Angels) Dr. Reynolds doth not underſtand ſeven individuall Angels but all the Angels; For there are no ſeven individuall Angels, but all the Angels; For there are no ſeven individuall Angels that ſtand before God, but all doe, Dan 7. there are many more inſtances brought in the Bookes forementioned.
2. To this third Reaſon I have no obligation or notice to give credit, any farther than the evidences perſwade, for many of which, though we are referred to Smectymnuus, &c. yet having received promiſe from theſe, that they would borrow a few things from thoſe others; I ſhall with reaſon hope that what they have upon choiſe borrowed, leaving, as they ſay, much more behind, is the moſt ſatisfactory and ſolid of any thing by them produced; and conſequently if there be no force in theſe inſtances to oppugne our concluſion, we ſhall not expect to finde more convincing ones by travailing farther, and gathering up out of thoſe disperſions, what they have refuſed to take up and offer to us.
3. The thing they would prove is, that 'tis uſuall with the Holy Ghoſt in this (as in other myſterious prophetick Bookes) to expreſſe a number of things or perſons by ſingulars. Their proofes are but three, and the firſt is of no force, becauſe the word Church denotes a ſingular thing, as well as Candleſtick that repreſents it; for though a thouſand men make up one Church, yet one Church is but one thing, conſidered as a Church, and proportionably as one Candleſtick in the ſingular is ſet to denote each Church, ſo there are ſeven Candleſticks to repreſent the ſeven Churches.
4. As for the ſecond, that of the Angels, that that ſignifies many Ministers, that cannot be offered as a proofe, being it ſelfe the matter of the queſtion. And indeed though Church be a collective body, and ſo one Church is knowne to conſiſt of many men, yet Angel is not of that nature, one Angel neither ſignifies many men, nor many Angels.
5. And whereas the parallel is ſet betwixt the word Candleſtick, and the word Angel, that they (each) are ſingular words, by which multitudes are repreſented, that is a miſtake, for the parallel lyes betwixt Church and Angel (and on the other ſide betwixt Candleſtick and Starre, as appeares Rev. 1. 20.) and both theſe are individual things, the Church an individual Church, and there be ſeven ſuch individual Churches, and the Angel an individual Angel, and there be ſeven ſuch individual Angels, and there can be no more pretenſe that one Angel ſhould ſignifie many Miniſters, than that one Church ſhould ſignifie many Congregations.
6. Laſtly, for the third proofe, that of ſeven Angels, Rev. 8. 2. if that were granted to Doctor Reynold's authority, that the [ſeven Angels] there ſignifies all the Angels, yet would it not at all contribute to the proofe of the point in hand, which is, that many ſhall be ſignified by a ſingular, for we know that ſeven are not a ſingular, but the cuſtome indeed being ordinary to uſe a certaine definite number, for an uncertaine or indefinite, and the ſeptenary being a perfect number, and ſo fitteſt for the turne, 'tis more tolerable that the number of ſeven may repreſent ſome greater number, one plural a larger plural, than that a ſingular one ſhould doe ſo.
7. And yet ſecondly, there is no great reaſon to doubt, but that the ſeven Angels are indeed very ſeven Angels, and no more; This I collect, 1. from the ſeven Trumpets that were given them, ver. 2. and the ſpecifying them by that Character, the ſeven Angels, which had the ſeven Trumpets, ver. 6. Secondly, by the ſeverall employments aſſigned them in the ſubſequent parts of the viſion which brings them upon the ſcene one after another, the firſt Angel, ver. 7. the ſecond Angel, ver. 8. and ſo to the ſeventh. Thirdly, by the diſtinction that is evidently made between thoſe ſeven Angels and another Angel, ver. 3. And another came and ſtood at the Altar: which makes it certaine that the former ſeven did not ſignifie all the Angels, unleſſe after all, there could yet be one more. Fourthly, from the mention of the ſeven Spirits, cap. 1. 4. which are ſaid to be before Gods throne, that ſure is all one with ſtanding before him here, and it being certaine that Angels are Spirits, I have no reaſon to doubt but that theſe ſeven Angels are thoſe ſeven ſpirits, and ſo ſtill a definite number of ſeven, and no more. Fifthly, from the mention of the ſeven Eyes, Zach. 4. 10. which ſeeme to be interpreted to this ſence, Rev. 5. 6. ſeven eyes which are the ſeven Spirits of God ſent into all the Land.
8. And though in ſome of theſe places other men have had other notions, yet foreign, 'tis more to be appr…ved that we underſtood Angels by that phraſe, cap. 1. ſaith Andreas C…ſarienſis, And of the whole matter, foreign, there are ſeven which have the greateſt power, the firſt borne Princes of the Angels, ſaith Clemens Alexandrinus. In which words of his,Strom▪ 6▪ the firſt borne Princes are evidently taken from Dan. 10. 13. where the Hebrew reads foreign the Principal or firſt rulers or Princes, of which Michael is the firſt, and thence called Archangel.
9. And ſo in Tobit, cap. 12. 15. we find ſeven holy Angels which preſent the prayers of the Saints, which deſcription of them and their office, to preſent the prayers of the Saints, if it be thought unagreeable to their ſtanding here before God or being before his throne, it will ſoone be reconciled by that ſpeech of Chriſt, that the Angels of the infant tender Chriſtians alwayes behold the face of God, and by that meanes are qualified to make their wants knowne unto him, which is all one with preſenting of prayers.
10. Sixthly, from the mention of the ſeven Lamps, Rev. 4. 5. (ſtyled Lamps, in reference to the like number of Lamps on the Candleſtick in the Sanctuary) which burne before the throne, as cap. 1. they are before the throne, For of theſe it is added foreign, which are the ſeven (by way of eminencie, or the ſeven Principal) ſpirits of God.
11. Seventhly, from the no appearance of the leaſt reaſon produced to the contrary; For as to that which is introduced with a [For] and ſupplyes the place of a reaſon, it is evidently a bare aſſertion of the contrary, [there are no ſeven individual Angels that ſtand before God] without any offer of proofe, that teſtimony out of Dan. 7. that all doe, being far from concluding that there are not ſuch ſeven principal Angels which theſe ſo many evidences aſſure us there are.
12. In that of Dan. 7. 10. upon that ſolemne occaſ…on of God's judgements expreſt by a fiery ſtreame, thouſand thouſands are ſaid to Miniſter to him, and ten thouſand times ten thouſand to ſtand before him. But how doth that hinder but at another time, ſeven principal Angels may be employed by him, and in order to that ſtand before him too, and when we ſo oft reade of ſuch ſeven, what queſtion but they were individual Angels? And ſo much for the third reaſon.