A34679:242
An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent…
An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent servant of the Lord, Mr. John Cotton ... ; taken from his mouth in short-writing, and some part of it corrected by himself soon after the preaching thereof ; and all of it since viewed over by a friend to him ... wherein some mistakes were amended, but nothing of the sense altered.
London: printed for Tim. Smart, 1656
Title page typeset from the transcription.
AN EXPOSITION Upon the thirteenth Chapter of the REVELATION. › Part
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Fifthly,1 since this is the nature of wicked men, let God give them but liberty, and men give them liberty, and they will take it to the full: let God give a mouth, he will speak great things; and if he have liberty to speak great things, he will speak great blasphemies, against God, and his Tabernacle, and the Saints: Then this will be a shame to Godly men, if ⟨p. 77⟩the Lord give us great things, a mouth to speak all the good we can, and liberty to do all the good we can, if we do not open our mouths and hearts to be speaking and doing all the good we can; It is not for us to stand snorting out the time which God hath carved out for us, but if a beast have this liberty; if you tether a Beast at night, he knows the length of his tether before morning; he will go to the end of it before he have done: And you see this Bishop the head of the Church, if God give him a mouth, he will open it: wicked men will take the utmost bounds of their liberty; will wicked men do so? why should not the children of God then, and all that fear his name take the like care to improve all their liberties, and power to do all the good we can? doth God give a liberty for laying foundations, for establishing jurisdictions, and liberty for well ordering our Families and Town-ships; if the Lord give us opportunities, why should we want a heart to improve them? If the Beast hath a heart to improve his wickedness to the utmost, why should not we improve all our Talents to Gods best advantage, to make it our whole study to do all which the Lord requires, that so we may bear plentiful witness in our Generations to all the liberties the Lord hath betrusted us with. It is not for men that have received five Talents, that is to say, five opportunities, to render to God as those that have received but one or two; To whom much is given of them will much be required, Luke 12. 48. And therefore is behooves us all, as to know the liberties of Church & Common-wealth, so to set hand and affection a work to be doing all the good we can: If it were the Beast, take a pattern from him (but they must go fast that the Devils drives) he would improve all his liberty: And why should they not go fast whom the Spirit of God drives, and improve the liberty they have of God.
Fiftly,