William Perkins on Revelation 2:22

Verse. 22. Behold I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit fornication with her into great affliction, except they repent them of their works.

Christ hauing reprooued this church and this woman for their seuerall faults, doth here giue speciall counsell and direction vnto them both, whereby they may auoid & escape the grieuous iudgements due vnto them for their sinnes, both in this life, and in the life to come. This counsell of Christ hath two parts: First to Iesabell and her company, vers. 22.23. The second to the church of Thyatira, verse. 24, 25. The summe of Christs counsell to Iesabell is, to repent: which is not expressed, but insteed thereof the reason to moue her to repentance is propounded. And it may be framed thus, If thou repent not I will pun[illegible: 1 letter]sh thee with sundry iudgements: But thou wouldest not be so punished, and therefore repent.

This reason hath two parts, A threatning: and an exception thereof. The threatning in these words, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit fornication with her into great affliction. And before this threatning, Christ prefixeth a word of attention (Behold) whereby hee would teach them and vs, that wee ought seriously to consider of the threatnings that are propounded in Gods word against sinne and sinners. When Iosias heard the booke of the law read, hi[illegible: 1 letter] heart Ki. 22.19. melted: which it could neuer haue done vnlesse it had first trembled at the iudgements therein denounced. And the pricking that was wrought in the hearts of the Iewes, Act. [illegible: 1 letter].[illegible: 1 letter]7. by Peters first Sermon, was nothing else but a compunction wrought in them vpon consideration of the iudgements and condemnation due vnto them for crucifying the Lord of life. The cause why sinne is so rise in euery estate and condition of men at this day is, for that men set light by the threatnings of Gods word. If men would tremble when they heare of Gods iudgements, it would make them crie out, Men and brethren what shall we do[illegible: 1 letter] but because God is mercifull, therefore men feare him not, Isay. 57.11.

This threatning hath three seuerall parts according to the three seueral sorts of persons whom it concerneth. The▪ I. is against Iesabell her selfe, who was the chiefe of them all, in these words, I will cast her into a bed. The meaning whereof may bee gathered out of the like words of Iona[illegible: 3 letters] to Ammon ▪ bidding him [illegible: 1 letter] Sa. 13.5. lye downe on his bed and make himselfe sicke. So that Christs meaning is, that he wil strike her with some grieuous sicknes: the place of the sick person being put for the sicknesse it selfe: As if hee should say, Iesabell takes her pleasure in fornication, and thereto abuseth the bed▪ I will therfore send on her some great sicknesse which shall cast her into her bed.

The Vse. Here note Gods dealing with sinners: In those thing[illegible: 1 letter] which they abuse for the furtherance of their sinnes▪ will the Lord plague and punish them I[illegible: 1 letter]sabell abused her bed with fornication▪ & thither shee must bee cast with sicknesse: Diue[illegible: 1 letter] in his life time abused his tongue and tast by gluttonie, and therefore [illegible: 1 span] now in in hell, therein most of all plag[illegible: 1 letter]d and tormented, at hi[illegible: 1 letter] crying Lu. 16 24. [illegible: 1 word] drop of water to coole his tongue, doth import: gamesters take their pleasure in [illegible: 3 letters]ding and dicing, which many times God turneth to their wo▪ for therby they are vsually brought to extreame want and miserie▪ Ahab shed Naboths bloud to get his vineyard▪ and for that sinne must 1. Kin [illegible: 1 letter]1▪ 23, 24. his bloud, the bloud of Iezabell and his children▪ he shed. And now in these dayes the couetous for their gaine doe suck[illegible: 1 letter] the bloud of the poore, but that bloud will haue bloud from them againe, The Lord will spoyle the soule of him that spoyle[illegible: 1 letter] the poore, Prou. 22.2[illegible: 1 letter] ▪ This must make vs to beware how we abuse any creature of God to serue vs for any sinne: for the Lord will cause that to bee a meanes of woe and punishment vnto vs which we misuse vnto our lusts.

Againe, note here who is the author of grieuous sicknesses, namely, Christ himselfe: For he saith, I will cast her into a bed. Sicknesses come not by chaunce or fortune, but from the hand of God. This wee must learne to beleeue, and it will cause vs to make better vse of sicknesses than vsually we do: If men did beleeue this, it would make the hardest heart to repent in time of sicknesse: for this they would say, Hath God cast me downe with sicknesse? no doubt it is to humble me for some of my sinnes, to make me know them, to leaue them, and to turne vnto him▪ This vse the seruants of God haue made hereof, Isa. 38.[illegible: 1 letter] when the Prophet came to Hez[illegible: 2 letters]ias, and told him hee should die, he turned his face to the wall and wept, as for other things, so for his sinnes especially. And Iaacob being to die, Heb. 11▪ [illegible: 2 letters] lea[illegible: 1 letter]ed on his [illegible: 2 letters]affe, and by faith worshippe[illegible: 1 letter] towards the beds head, lifting vp his body to do reuerence vnto God, thereby testifying his humilitie, faith, and hope▪ And the like ought we to do, which if wee could, wee should find our sicknesse would become a blessing vnto vs.

The second part of Christs threatning is the punishment of her followers, which receiued her doctrine, & committed fornication with her▪ They must bee cast into great affliction.

First, this must teach all persons, that it is a diuell[illegible: 1 letter]sh speech to thinke and say, The Vse. that fornication i[illegible: 1 letter] but a tricke and shippe of [illegible: 1 word] ▪ for great affliction is the punishment of this sinne, which notably argueth the haynousnesse thereof.

Secondly, hence we may gather some of the causes, why townes and kingdomes are afflicted with grieuous wars, famine, and pestilence▪ among the rest these are two, fornication▪ [illegible: 1 letter]nd embracing of errours and superstition▪ Sodome for fornication and other [illegible: 1 word] was burnt with fire & brimstone from heauen▪ The Israelits Num. 15▪9. for this sin suffered most grieuous affliction[illegible: 1 letter] ▪ And among the Corinthians, for comming to the Lords table in this sin, among others, 1. Cor. 1[illegible: 1 letter] ▪ [illegible: 1 letter]0. with cap. 6.18. & 10.[illegible: 1 letter] many were sicke, many [illegible: 1 word] ▪ and many sle[illegible: 2 letters] ▪ And this land of ours hath bene afflicted with famine and pestilence, as for other sinnes, so for fornication; which in time of peace is multiplied, and so will continue till it draw vpon vs bloudshed also and great afflictions: For that which is sayd of the followers of Iesabel must be verified of all that liue in the like sinnes.

The second part of the reason is, the exception of these communications: except they repent them of their workes. Where we may see: First, that all the threatnings of Gods iudgements and of eternall destruction▪ must bee vnderstood, with the exception of repentance. Whence also this followeth, that men of yeares liuing in the church are not so much condemned for other particular sins, as for liuing in their sins without repent [illegible: 1 letter]ee▪ euery sin makes a man subiect to damnation, but it is this impenitencie that brings vpon thē actuall dānation. Want of repentance for sin is more dangerous than the sin it selfe; the consideration whereof, must teach vs not to lie in sinne, though wee haue committed it, but turne to God by speedie repentance: for it is the continuance in sinne without repentance that casteth the soule to hell. When thou shalt turne from thy sinne by true repentance, thou art free from the threatning and the curse of sinne. For they admitting the exception of true repentance, [illegible: 1 word]. 18.8.

Further obserue, how this exception of repentance is placed betweene two threatnings of iudgements, which sheweth how God mingleth his iudgements with mercie, hee sheweth not wholly either iustice or mercie, but tempereth them together in all the workes that concerne mans saluation.

Thirdly, here note that repentance preuents not onely eternall damnation, but also temporall iudgements, as grieuous sicknesses▪ and other plagues and afflictions. This point may haue speciall vse among vs▪ Wee haue by Gods mercie enioyed his gospell with long peace, but for our abuse thereof we may iustly feare it shall be taken from vs; and if we would escape that iudgement wee must repent both high and low.

Of their work[illegible: 1 letter]s. That is, of their idolatrie and fornication▪ where hee sheweth of what things true repentance must be, namely, of bad workes in particular, whereto men giue themselues: euerie man that would truly repent must consider of his particular faults: The drunkerd in particular of his drunkennesse, and the couetous man of his couetousnesse: and insteed of iniuries and hard dealing shew mercy vnto the poore. The common repentance of the world that is done in generall, is nothing but a visard of repentance, and yet it is all that is vsed of the greatest part of our people: for they will come to heare the word, and to receiue the Sacraments, and in generall confesse themselues to bee sinners, and then they thinke they haue done enough: But true repentance is of particular sinnes: As Dauid Psalm. 51. cried out of bloud guiltinesse.