The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Containing the Ʋſe we ſhould make of what hath been delivered in the foregoing Chapter.
I Cannot think fit to paſs on to what I further intend, without ſome ſhort Reflexion upon ſo weighty a ſubject as this of which I have been treating. And therefore let us here pauſe a while, and conſider how mightily All this ſhould move us to worſhip and adore this Bleſſed Potentate God the Father Almighty; to acknowledge with the humbleſt ſubmiſſion, His Supreme Authority; to reverence, admire, and praiſe His moſt glorious Perfections, who hath given us ſuch a ſure ground of faith and hope in Him. For ſo S. Paul here concludes this incomparable deſcription of him—to whom be honour and power everlaſting. Amen.
Which is not ſaid to exclude the other two Perſons in the holy and undivided Trinity, from receiving our worſhip and ſervice (no more than the giving eternal glory to our Saviour in the next Epiſtle, 2 Tim. iv. 18. and in other places, takes it away from the Father), but only to remember us of a peculiar prerogative, which the Holy Scripture alway aſcribes to the Father Almighty, of being the Fountain and Beginning of all *So Epiphanius obſerves, that the Scripture ſhows foreign, &c. Haereſ. LXIX. Num. 54. and Nazianz. Orat. xxix. p. 489, &c.; to whom it properly and peculiarly belongs to ſhow this appearing of Jeſus Chriſt. And therefore the Apoſtle invites us, from the conſideration of His moſt excellent Majeſty and abſolute Dominion, to acknowledge and confeſs Him, to acknowledge and praiſe Him; Firſt, As worthy of all HONOUR, worſhip, veneration and ſervice. Becauſe (Secondly) He hath all POWER and authority over us and over all Creatures; an independent uncontroulable Power. And that (Thirdly) EVERLASTINGLY to be celebrated, not only by us, but by all that ſhall come after us to the worlds end. Nay, to be praiſed and magnified by Saints and Angels in Heaven to Eternal Ages.
To this we ſhould every one of us, together with the Apoſtle, moſt heartily ſay AMEN: Let be ſo. We give our conſent unfeignedly to it; and wiſh from the bottom of our ſouls, that all men would honour and ſubmit unto this bleſſed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. What though No man ever ſaw him? Nay, what though No man can ſee Him? Yet Glory, Honour and Power is to be aſcribed to Him, becauſe we ſee his works of Wonder every where. The Heavens and the Earth declare the greatneſs of his glory; and from all things that we behold, we learn his rich Goodneſs, his infinite Power, his immortal Bliſs; and that He is ſuch a Potentate, as the greateſt Kings and Princes upon earth, nay the higheſt Thrones and Principalities in Heaven, ought to worſhip and obey with the greateſt reverence. And much more is this due from us, poor and inferior creatures: eſpecially ſince He hath ſhown Himſelf ſo gracious to us in our Saviour (the moſt excellent demonſtration of his bleſſed Nature and mighty Love) and hath promiſed He ſhall appear once more in greater glory than ever; and hath taught us to believe, by all the Notions we have of Him, that He will never fail to make that promiſe good.
And as we ought to Honour God the Father of all; ſo this naturally moves us (out of a particular obligation) to honour and obey our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, as the Perſon whom this Great Majeſty will ſhow in wonderful honour and glory at the great day.
This is the very reaſon (you muſt mark) wherewith the Apoſtle backs his Charge to Timothy to keep the Commandment he gave him, without ſpot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, v. 14. becauſe the bleſſed and only Potentate will certainly, in his own time, ſhew the glory wherein He lives, by his appearing again in Royal Majeſty in the ſight of all the World. It concerns us therefore, as well as it did Timothy, to have an exceeding great regard to this moſt glorious Perſon, whom God will ſo highly honour; and to take care that we behave our ſelves ſo, as to be unreprovable at that day. We muſt obſerve His Commandments, that is, as exactly as we can; and endeavour to render our ſelves as a beautiful body, without any ſpot and blemiſh; and thereby be found acceptable in His ſight, at His appearing.
And if you would know what Commandments they were which He would have Timothy, in conſideration of this appearing of Chriſt, and the certainty thereof, to keep without ſpot; you need but look back to the eleventh and twelfth verſes, and there you may find them. Follow after righteouſneſs, godlineſs, faith, love, patience, meekneſs: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art alſo called, &c. That is, Shun Covetouſneſs, and all the vices that iſſue from it, ever rendring to every man what is his due: Have God always before thine eyes, and put thy truſt and confidence in him; Deceive no man that relies on thy word; exerciſe mercy and charity to all; ſuffer wrongs rather than do them; and ſuffer them with a patient humble mind; bridle anger, repreſs all Cholerick motions; and uſe ſuch gentleneſs to others, as thou wouldſt deſire thy ſelf in the like caſes. And for this end, contend earneſtly for the Chriſtian faith; that is, ſuffer not thy faith in Chriſt to be ſhaken, much leſs overthrown by any perſecution, pain, or death it ſelf. As thou haſt begun to ſhow thy ſelf a good Chriſtian, ſo continue. Remember thy Calling and Profeſſion; and reſolve to quit all thou haſt, rather than fall ſhort of Eternal Life. And this I give thee in charge (v. 13.) as thou wilt anſwer it before God, who raiſes even the dead; and before our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who conſtantly profeſſed the truth before Pontius Pilate; that thou keep theſe things inviolable, and endeavour to be found pure and holy when Chriſt ſhall appear again: As certainly He will; for we have his word for it, and God the bleſſed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, &c. is able, and lives for ever to make it good.
Theſe two Uſes, you ſee, the Apoſtle plainly directs us to make of the Doctrine here delivered. And there is a Third, which he teaches us in the place I am now treating of; when he deſcribes all good Chriſtians who keep the faith, by the Name of thoſe who LOVE this APPEARING of Chriſt Jeſus.
All they who obſerve the Commandments of our Lord and Saviour with ſeriouſneſs and care, ought to ſet their hearts upon this glorious appearing which they expect; as the moſt goodly ſight, the moſt bleſſed ſpectacle that eyes can behold. This is the very Character, you ſee, that St. Paul gives of the faithful; and ſo it hath ever ſince been eſteemed by all thoſe who underſtood our Religion. Which diſpoſes and inclines all thoſe that heartily embrace it, and live according to it, to have a great affection for that happy day, which ſo many pious ſouls, through ſo many Ages, have moſt paſſionately longed to ſee. So Andreas Caeſarienſis hath moſt excellently expreſſed the ſenſe of all right Chriſtians, when he ſets this down for the Contents of the laſt Chapter of the Revelation (according to the old diviſion *Chap. lxxii.) foreign, &c. How the Church, and that Spirit which is in it, wiſhes for and deſires the glorious appearing of Chriſt. Which will bring with it ſo tranſcendent a bliſs, that they have little faith or little goodneſs, who do not only wait for it, but rejoyce in hope of it before it come. For when the Apoſtle calls this appearing of Chriſt his Revelation (ſaith an ancient Writer in Oecumenius *In 2 Theſ. i. 7.) foreign, &c. He bids them look for the greateſt things, and pleaſe themſelves in the very thoughts of his coming, before they receive the recompence of the reward. For as his appearing will be infinitely affrighting to the wicked, and they have reaſon to dread it before-hand; ſo it will be no leſs comfortable to the godly, who ought now to entertain themſelves with delightful hopes of it, and fetch great contentment and conſolation from it; becauſe they ſhall then ſee and hear ſuch things as will raviſh their hearts with joy unconceivable.
That's the chiefeſt thing of all, and which is principally by me intended in theſe Papers. Unto which therefore, without any further evidence that might be produced of the certainty of this appearing, I ſhall apply my ſelf in the remaining Third Part of this Diſcourſe.