had fet forth the gospel, that there was great joy in that city.'

Thirdly, Because the miniftry of Chrift and his apoftles,. was very glorious and beautiful, as it is written,How beautiful are the feet of them which bring glad tidings of peace,' &c. And again, with thy comely beauty ride on profperously, for the bufinefs of truth.'

If any man demand a reafon of Chrift's fitting on horfe-back, and riding forth on horfe-back, I answer, that it doth fitly res prent that marvellous fwiftnefs wherewith the light of the gofpel fhould be carried and fpread, not only throughout all Judea, Samaria, and Gallilee, but alfo throughout all the kingdoms of the world. For it is not a wonder, to confider how fwiftly, and as it were on horfe-back, and alfo how far over the heathen nations, within a few years after Christ's afcenfion, the doctrine of the gofpel was preached, and of multitudes. embraced? He rode forth indeed profperoufly and swiftly upon this white-horse, even the ministry of the gospel, for the bufinefs of truth, and of meek righteoufnefs; and his right hand wrought fearful things, as faith the Pfalmift.

Moreover, it is here faid, that' Jefus Christ hath a bow in his hand.' And in the forty-fifth Pfalan, from whence it feem

eth all these phrafes and fpeeches are borrowed, he is faid to have sharp arrows in his hand,' whereby he pierceth the heart of his enemies.

Now his bow and arrows do fignify the piercing power of the gofpel, whereby the world hath been fubdued unto Chrift. For all the arrows of the gofpel which Christ fhooteth out of his bow, which is even the tongue of his minifters, do ftick in the hearts of men, yea they pierce into all the fecret places of the foul. For the miniftry of the gospel is lively, and mighty in operation, fharper than any two-edged fword, and entereth through, even unto the dividing asunder of the foul and the fpirit, of the joints and the marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts, and the in' tents of the heart,' Heb. iv. 12.

Here is yet farther mention made of a crown which was given unto Christ, and that he went forth conquering that he might overcome."

This crown fignifieth the victory which he getteth over the world with his bow and arrows. For the Pfalmift faith: By thy fharp arrows in the hearts of the kings enemies, the people fhall fall under thee.'

We read in the fecond of the Acts of the Apoftles, that three thoufand of the King's enemies were at once thot through

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with this bow, and these arrows, and did fall under him. We read of many others, at other times, and in other places. For the apoftle faith plainly, that the weapons ' of our warfare are not carnal, but fpiritual, mighty through God to caft down holds, cafting down the imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the 'knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift.' 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.:

Thus we fee how Chrift and his apostles and all their true fucceffors, riding upon this white horse, which is the miniftry of the gofpel, have gone over all the world conquering and overcoming.

I am not ignorant that fome do expound this otherwife: but my purpofe is not to meddle with other men's opinions and judgments, but to fet down that which God hath given to me to fee, and which in mine own confcience and perfuafion, I fuppofe to be the truth; refering all to the judgment of the church, and fuch therein as are indued with the Spirit of God. For, the fpirit of the prophet is fubject to the prophets.' And be it known unto all men, that my chief endeavours throughout this whole book, fhall be to feek the fenfe that is, and not the fenfe that is not: to meddle only with truth, and let falfehood go.,

And when he had opened the fecond seal, I heard the fecond beast fay, Come and fee,' Rev. vi. 3.

As before at the opening of the first seal, fo now again at the opening of the fecond feal, John is called upon by another angel to give attention; and fo afterwards at the opening of the third and fourth feal.Wherein we may obferve the heaviness and drowsiness of man's nature in all heavenly things, which is evermore ready to fink and fall asleep, except it be awaked by ma ny means, and itirred up by fpecial grace.

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And there went out another horfe that was red, and power was given to him that fat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they fhould kill one another: and there was given unto him a great 'fword,' Rev. vi. 4.

This red horfe reprefenteth the cruel perfecution and bloody wars, which fol lowed the preaching of the gofpel. For the red colour in the fcripture denoteth blood, cruelty, and wars. The rider upon this horfe is the devil himself; for who but he, and his inftruments, delight in blood, perfecution, and wars? He hath power given him to take peace from the earth (for he could have no power, except it were given him:) and to this purpose a

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great fword was given him, to murder and

kill with.

And all this is to be understood of the ftate of the church under the ten great perfecutions, raised up against it by the perfe cuting emperors, Domitian, Trajan, Nero, Antonius, Decius, Dioclefian, Maxentius, Licinius, and other cruel tyrants, even until the time of Conftantine the Great. Hiftory do report, that these cruel perfecutors did in a most favage and horrible manner torture, torment, and fhed the blood of innumerable multitudes of God's people. So that as the first state of the church, under the preaching of the gofpel, was joyful and peaceable; fo this fecond state of the church, under fuch outrageous perfecu tions, was troublefome and tragical, and yet for all that, in the midst of all thefe fwords, blood and flames of perfecution, the church did ftill prevail and increase.For the blood of the martyrs is the feed of

the gospel. And the church oftentimes being fown in blood, yet fpringeth up, and groweth in blood. And as for the cruel and blood-fucking emperors, which could not endure the light of the gospel, but ftrove by tyranny to fupprefs it; the juft God which taketh vengeance of all iniquity, and especially of thofe that perfecute his children, will not fuffer them to e