William Perkins on Revelation 2:26-29

Verse. 26. For hee that ouercommeth and keepeth my workes vnto the end, to him will I giue power ouer nations. 27. And he shall rule them with a rod of yron, and as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken. 28. Euen as I receiued of my father, so will I giue him the morning starre. 29. Let him that hath an eare heare what the spirit sayth to the Churches.

Here is the conclusion of this Epistle, which containeth two parts: First, a promise, vers. 26, 27, 28. Secondly, a commaundement, vers. 29. In the promise note two things: the parties to whom it is made, and the benefit promised. The parties to whom, are euery one that ouercommeth; whom Christ describeth by a propertie of syncere obedience, To keepe his workes vnto the end.

Here then we haue a description of true obedience. First, the forme thereof consisteth in obseruing the workes of Christ: which we must not vnderstand, of doing them according to the rigor of the law, but of a purpose and indeuour to keepe them. For this is a priuiledge belonging to all that are in Christ, that God accepteth their wils and indeuours of obedience, for perfect obedience it selfe. This we must know and hold for truth, for many haue but little knowledge, and thereupon are driuen to despaire: yet they must know for their comfort, that if they haue care to get more knowledge, and make conscience to obey that which they know, then they are keepers of the workes of Christ, and shall haue the reward promised.

Secondly, obedience is here described by the obiect or matter thereof, to wit, the workes of Christ: that is, all such workes as Christ hath ordained in his word, and those whereof he is the author by his spirit in his members.

The Vse. Hereby we learne: first, that he that will obey God in Christ Iesus, must not thinke his owne thoughts, speake his owne words, nor do his owne deeds▪ but he must thinke, speake, & do that which Christ would haue him: Secondly, that no worke is, or can bee acceptable to Christ, but that which is ordained by him. Isay Isa. 29.13 complaineth of them that would teach the feare of God by mens commandements: so that there is no true feare of God, but that which is taught by Gods commaundements: and the like may bee sayd of all other our obedience. This rule ouerthroweth all other religions besides the true religion, as of the Iewes, Turkes, and Papists: For almost all their workes are of mens inuenting, and were neuer ordained by Christ: such are most points in poperie, as saying of masse, going on pilgrimage, fastings, vowing, and praying to saints, &c.

Thirdly, whereas he [illegible: 1 letter]aith, my workes, meaning not one or two, but all his workes; we learne that true obedience consisteth in doing all the workes of Christ: For Christ and the diuel will neuer part stakes, God must either haue all our workes or none: And therefore Dauid saith, I shall not be confounded, because Psal. 119.6 I haue respect vnto all thy commandements. And good king Iosia[illegible: 1 letter] is comm[illegible: 1 letter]nded, For that he turned to the Lord according to 2. Ki. [illegible: 1 letter]3 25 all the law of Moses. This point must be learned of al: For many thinke if they doe many good things with Mat. 6 20 Herod, all is well; and for this cause many a man abhors couetousnesse and pride, and yet is a contemner of the Gospell: But true obedience must bee in all things.

Vnto the end. Here is the fourth branch of true obedience, it is constant. That obedience which Christ will reward must not be for a day or a yeare: but from time to time through the whole course of our life to the end of our dayes. And thus wee must iudge of obedience, not by some particular actions, but by the whole tenour of a mans life. Put case a man hath made conscience of all his wayes, through the whole course of his life, and yet in sicknesse▪ by reason of the extremitie thereof is distracted, and raueth, blaspheming▪ God, and so dieth; What must wee iudge of this man? Surely, we must not censure him by his behauiour in his sicknesse, but consider what hath beene th[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 letter]enour of his life▪ if that haue beene vpright, then his obedience was good and shall bee rewarded.

II. Point▪ The benefits promised: and they are two▪ The first is, power to rule, verse. 27. Verse 27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: And as the vessels of a potter shall they bee broken: euen as I receiued of my father. The second is the morning starre, verse. 28. where note by the way, that these words, Euen as I haue receiued of my father, are referred amisse in our English translation, to the giuing of the morning starre, when as they properly belong to the former words in this sence: As I haue receiued power ouer nation of my father, so will I giue to him that ouercommeth power to rule with the rod of Iron, &c. Now come to the benefits.

First, here is promised by Christ, A power to rule ouer nations. Christ[illegible: 1 letter] power as he is mediator is very great: and here it is set foorth by three arguments, borrowed from the second Psalme verse. 8.9. First, by the largenesse of it, i[illegible: 1 letter] reacheth not to one countrie alone, but to all countries, and to all men, in all nations. Secondly, by the Soueraigntie of it: Christs power is absolute in ruling and ouerruling. And this his Soueraigntie consisteth in two things: First, in making lawes vnto the consciences of men; so as if they be not kept, hee may iustly condemne them: and in ouerruling the wils of all men, conforming them to his will, will they nill they: which is signified by this, He shall rule rule them with a rod of iron. Secondly, in that hee hath this absolute power in himselfe to saue and to destroy, and therefore is sayd to haue Reu. 1.18. The keyes of heauen and hell. Which is signified in the next words, And as the vessell of a potter shall they be broken. Thirdly, by the fountaine of it, Christ receiueth this power from his father. Indeed as Christ is God he is equall with his father, and hath this power of himselfe; But as he is mediator his power is giuen him of his father, Mat. 28.18.

For the better vnderstanding of this place, two questions must bee handled: First, how farre foorth doth Christ giue this his power vnto men? Answ. Christs Soueraigne and generall power ouer the whole world is not indeed giuen to any creature, nay it is incommunicable, and cannot bee conueyed from the person of Christ to the person of any creature man or Angell: this truth wee must hold of all Christs offices, they are onely in the person of Christ, and cannot passe from him to any other. II. Quest. How then doth Christ say truly, that hee will giue him that ouercommeth, power ouer nations. Answ. Not that his Soueraigne power is actually giuen to the creature; but because the creature being in Christ, hath the fruit & benefit of this power in his saluation. And this power is in them two wayes: First, hereby Christ makes all his seruants (being his mēbers) partakers of his glorie in heauen, whereas the whole world besides is condemned in hell: and therefore we are sayd to Eph. 2.6. be raised vp together, and made to sit together in the heauenly places in Christ Iesus. And againe he saith, The 1. Cor. 6.2. saints shall iudge the world, not i[illegible: 1 letter] giuing sentence vpon them; but as witnesses and approuers of Christ his sentence: For the elect shall first receiue the sentence of absolution, and then beeing taken vp into the clouds shall sit with Christ, and there approue of the iust condemnation of all the wicked. Secondly, by this power he enableth those that bee his, in their owne person to ouercome all the enemies of their saluation. His meaning then is this, as if he had sayd, Howsoeuer my Soueraigne power ouer all creatures in my selfe, cannot bee deriued to any other; yet by vertue of this my power, I will exalt them that ouercome, to partake of my glorie: and will giue them power in themselues ouer their sinnes, ouer death, hell, the world, and all the enemies of their saluation.

Here then behold vnto what exceeding dignitie euerie true seruant of God is aduanced, not in himself, but in Christ: He hath rule ouer nations, and victorie ouer all the enemies of his saluation, yea he is made partaker of Christs glory.

Hence we are taught to make conscience of euerie sinne whatsoeuer; The Vse. for the priuiledge of euerie christian is to haue power to iudge the wicked world: Now as it is a shame for a iudge that sitteth and condemneth a murtherer or a theefe, to be a theefe, or a murtherer himselfe; so it is for any christian to liue in any one sin, seeing hee himselfe must condemne the world of those sinnes. Neither can we thinke that Christ will euer aduance him that liues in sinne, to condemne the same in others, vnlesse hee first reforme it in himselfe.

Secondly, the consideration of this priuiledge of a christian, must bee hid in our minds against the time of aduersitie and affliction, and of the pangs of death. For hee that hath kept faith and good conscience all his life, is a prince in Iesus Christ, and shall rule ouer all his enemies. And therefore though now he bee afflicted and wronged by them, yet in Christ he is their iudge, and shall one day condemne them that do him wrong. And as for death, it is subdued in Christ, and shall bee no death vnto him. 1. Corin. 15. vers, 54.

Againe, the words in the originall are thus, He shall feede and rule the nations, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. as a shepheard ruleth and feedeth his lambes with his booke. The Papists vpon the words of Christ to Peter, Iohn. 21.16, Feed my sheepe, that is, feede and rule my sheepe, would gather Peters supremacie ouer the church in all the world. But their grosse abuse of that place will appeare, by comparing it with this prom[illegible: 1 letter]se of Christ, to euery one that ouercommeth: for if their collection be good, then hence will follow, that euery Christian man should haue the like supremacie, and be a Pope: which how absurd it is, euery man may iudge. Therfore that place in Iohn must not be vnderstood of any supremacie: for there Christ teacheth Peter the faithfull discharge of his office and dutie. From this first gift of Christ the Papists gather two things. I. That the seuerall saints in heauen are patrons of countries & kingdomes, as Saint George for England, Saint De[illegible: 1 letter]is for Fraunce, Saint Patricke for Ireland, &c. Secondly, that wee may pray vnto Saints, for the Saints rule the nations, and therefore know all nations; and if they know them, then they must bee prayed vnto. But they swar[illegible: 1 letter]e from the meaning of this text: for first, it is not sayd, that the Saints shall haue power, one ouer one countrey and another ouer another; but euery Saint hath power ouer al nations: secondly, they haue power ouer all nations, not because they rule them actually, but because they haue the fruit and benefit of Christs power, wherby they are ruled. And for their second collection: wee must by nations vnderstand not all churches but vnbeleeuers, for the wicked are they that must be broken like po[illegible: 1 letter]ters vessels. Now the faithfull haue not power ouer the churches but ouer infidels▪ & therfore both their collections are absurd.

I will giue him the mor[illegible: 2 letters]ng starre. Here is the second benefit promised by Christ to him that ouercommeth. Verse. 28. The morning starre properly signifieth that bright star which riseth a little before the Sun, some time of the yeare▪ which the heathen call Venus. And hereby is ment Christ himselfe, as Reu. 22.16, I am the bright morning starre. Christ is called a star: First, because he illuminateth all men with the light of vnderstanding, and his church with the knowledge of the will of his father, and that sufficiently in all matters that concerne saluation. Secondly, to shewe that the prophesie vttered by Balaam touching Christ whom he calleth Num. 24.17. the star of Iaacob, is now fulfilled, when as Christ by his Apostles hath plentifully reuealed himselfe to all nations.

Further he is called a morning starre: for that special resemblance which is betweene him and it; for the morning star riseth not in the beginning or middle of the night, but in the end of the night towards the beginning of the day when the sunne is about to rise, and then it shineth brighter than all other starres. Euen so Christ, he came not in the beginning or middle of the darke time vnder the law; but in the last age of the world, wherin after his incarnation he did shine most fully to all nations, so as there was no such light of knowledge before his comming as hath bene since. This Peter verifieth when he saith, Pet. 1.19. We haue a most sure word of the Prophets, to which ye do well that ye take heed, as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place, vntill the day d[illegible: 1 letter]wne, and the day starre arise in your hearts. Where the time of the law and prophets is called a time of darknesse: and their preaching then, as a candlelight: but the preaching of Christ vnder the Gospell, is as the day starre which shineth most brightly; he is not called the morning star, because hee shineth to al the world in al time as the morning star doth, but because he shineth vnto men in the last age of the world.

It is further sayd, I will giue him it. Where is promised fellowship and participation with Christ, a[illegible: 1 letter] hee is this day-starre. And herein are two benefits comprised▪ First, perfect illumination, wherby ignorance shall be wholly taken away after this life, when as men shall know God fully, so farre foorth as a creature can know the creator. Secondly, the light of perfect glory, for by fellowship with Christ wee shall bee made to shine as the starres, as Daniel Dan. 1[illegible: 1 letter].3. speaketh: yea, wee shall become Col. 1.12. Saints in light ▪ [illegible: 1 letter]s the Apostle sayth.

Whereas Christ compares himselfe to the morning starre: First, The Vse. wee see the grosse errour of many among vs, who liue in blindnesse of mind and ignorance, walking in their wicked lusts and pleasures, without care of keeping faith or good conscience, and yet persuade themselues that they haue part in Christ, and shall bee partakers of his light and glorie. But they are deceiued: for all such as liue in blind ignorance, and in sinne, are meere darkenesse, and so can haue no fellowship with Christ, who is that bright morning starre: for what fellowship can bee betweene light and darkenesse? This bright morning starre serueth onely for them that receiue the light thereof, and walke by it: but those that walke in the darkenes of their sinnes haue no benefit by it.

Secondly, seeing Christ is this morning starre, wee must haue care to learne Peters instruction[illegible: 1 letter] namely, Labour that this bright starre may rise and shine in our hearts. This wee shall feele, when we vse those meanes wherby the beames of this starre may shine vpon vs, not onely for the enlightening of our minds, but also for the heating and reuiuing of our frozen and dead hearts. For as the Sunne in the Spring time quickeneth by it warme beames some things that lye dead all Winter: so Christ Iesus this morning starre by the beames of his grace, doth enlighten our minds, and reuiue our dead and frozen hearts. And till such time as wee feele these things wrought in vs, we cannot say, that this morning starre is risen vnto vs, or hath shone into our hearts.

Thirdly, whereas Christ appeareth in the morning, when darkenesse is past, wee are hereby taught to lead our liues in godlinesse, righteousnesse, sobrietie, and in all manner of vpright and godly conuersation, For the night is past, and the day is come, wherein wee may see to walke vprightly▪ And therefore wee must cast off the vnprofitable workes of darkenesse, as the Apostle exhorteth vs, Rom. 13.12. And know this, That those who in this light doe not walke accordingly, but delight in sinnes the workes of darkenesse, shall one day haue their fill: Hee that loueth the darke, Mat. 25.2[illegible: 1 letter].30 for the hiding of his talent, must bee cast for his reward into vtter darkenesse.

Let him that hath an eare to heare, Verse 29. heare what the spirit sayth vnto the Churches. Here is Christs commaundement, the second part of this conclusion: But hereof we haue spoken before.

Motiues to proceed.

Prou. 15.32. He that refuseth instruction, despiseth his owne soule.

Luk. 9.62. No man that putteth his hand to the plough and looketh backe, is apt to the kingdome of God.

Gal. 6.9. Let vs not be wearie of well doing: for in due time wee shall reape, if wee faint not.

1. Cor. 12.31. Desire you the best gifts, and I will shew you a more excellent way.