moderation, and other great abilities, whereof the venerable General Assembly of this Church had such perswasion, that they did, in the year 1650, after mature deliberation, very unanimously pitch upon him, though then but about eight and twenty years of age, as amongst the ablest, sickerest, and most accomplished Ministers therein, to attend the Kings family; in which station, though the times were most difficult, as abounding with tentations and snares, with jealousies, heart-burnings, emulations and animosities, and flowing with high tides of many various and not a few contrary humours, he did so wisely and faithfully behave and acquit himself, that there was a conviction thereof left upon the consciences of all who observed him, and so as he had peace through Jesus Christ as to that ministration: The Author, I say, was in these and other respects so famous, that he needs no Testimony or Epistles of commendation, especially from so obscure and worthlesse a person; yet, being of his particular and very intimate acquaintance, daily conversant with him, and withall his ordinary Hearer, being in a good providence Coleagued with him in the Ministery (though a most unequal yokefellow to so strong a labourer) I thought it my duty to give thee some brief hint both of himself (who loved alwayes to be hid, except when it was necessary for him to appear) and of his Book, wherein thou wilt find that the spirit of Mr. Durham was not of an ordinary elevation: notwithstanding whereof, as, in Preaching the Gospel, he liked not to soar and hide himself from the Hearers in a cloud of words (it was not in the wisdom of words, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that he taught) So in his Writing, he used the same plainnesse of speech; yet how low soever his stile seemeth to be, I nothing doubt but that every intelligent Reader will find such certainty of truth to satisfie the mind, and such sweetnesse of matter to engage the affections, that he will count the Author an Interpreter one among a thousand. And therefore, if at any time thou misse, as possibly thou mayest, that comptnesse and finenesse of phrase which in this phrasing and wordie age is much in use, Know that he had so very sharp & pregnant an ingine, and so exceeding rich and fruitfull an invention, that they ordinarily did outstripe and go beyond his expression and pen, so that these could very hardly and but seldom hold foot with him: beside, if his expression was such as might make his meaning be conceived by the Hearers or Readers, he did not at all affect, neither could he stay, being so close in his pursuit of the matter, to chase, or follow after, fine words (so that I may here, without all complement, according to the proverb, say, Aquila non captat muscas;) yet none of his expressions were base or unsuitable to the matter, but, ordinarily, very massie, significant and expressive of his meaning, though plain and simple, and it may be, sometimes not so beautifully situated, nor so adorning and out-setting of it, as possibly some would be at, which the Lord, in the depth of His wisdom, did so order, that, as the Author himself might be kept humble (and indeed he did exemplarily shine in humility) so no other should think of him above what was meet: for, it hath been thought by some, while hearing him discourse, that if he had had such a polished stile and so well combed words as several others have, whose matter yet falleth exceedingly short of his, he would have been looked upon as a very rare and singular man in his generation, as really he was, and as these same Lecturs of his upon the Revelation) which he was by many importuned to publish) will readily give ground to think of him: which, though for substance (except as to these few intermixed solidly, succinctly, and, I hope, satisfyingly discussed questions) they were delivered by him to the people of his charge within a very short time, one of them every Lords-day before Sermon, when all that time he did also preach twice a week at least, and most ordinarily thrice, beside his daily publick Lecturing every fifth week according to his course in the City, and all his other Ministerial duties of Catechising, visiting of the sick, exhorting of the whole from house to house, and his weekly meetings with the Congregationall Eldership for the exercise of Discipline, most dexterously, faithfully, condescendingly and indefatigably discharged by him towards about fifteen hundred souls, of whom he alone as Minister had the oversight; yet in the whole series and contexture thereof, thou wilt, notwithstanding, find as much solidity, sobriety and modesty, much quicknesse and sagacity, and very much plainnesse and perspicuity (considering the obscurity (comparative I mean) of this Scripture) which is rare, sweetly kissing and embracing each other: so likewise thou wilt discover, beside a clear explication of the Text of this Book and convincing proofes of the Pope of Rome his being that Antichrist (a main scope of it) even to the awakening of the lamentably decayed zeal of the people of God against that Beast, drunk with the bloud of Saints, after whom, so considerable a part of the Christian world, and that to the great offence of the Jews, is, alas, still wondering; thou wilt, I say, beside those, discover vast lecture in History, great light in the Scriptures, and very deep reach in the profoundest and most intricate things in Theologie, to a publick profession whereof, in this University of Glasgow, he was sometime (to wit, a little before his being appointed to attend the Kings Family) by the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly, authorized for visiting the said University, most unanimously and solemnly designed and called, to the great satisfaction and refreshment of many, and more particularly and especially of famous and worthy Mr. Dickson, to whom the precious Author was chosen to succeed in that Profession, (he being called to a Profession of the same nature in the University of Edinburgh) as one of the ablest and best furnished men (all things being considered) in our Church, that were not already engaged in such employments, and most likely to fill Mr. Dicksons room: But, his work will speak for it self, and praise him in the gate, and, no doubt, provoke the Reader, as to blesse God for him, so to lament the Churches great losse in the removall of such an usefull Instrument, in the very flower, prime, and vigour of his grace, gifts and age, being but about six and thirty years: which losse, is so much the greater, that he was eminently and beyond many, as severall other wayes: so, through the healing disposition, and great moderation of spirit given unto him, fitted to deal in the edification-obstructing differences of this poor, torn and divided Church, as may further afterwards appear by a Piece of his concerning Scandal shortly, if the Lord will, to be published. I will not detain thee much longer from perusing of this Work, only I shall in short give thee an account (lest his way of Writing should be mistaken by any, because it differeth from that which others, especially of late, have followed to the no small edification of the Church of God) of the reasons inducing the Author (as he once passingly shewed me upon his death-bed) to insert these questions that are by way of digression more largely handled in this Book. 1. The importunity of some friends. 2. His persuasion of the soundnesse and in offensivenesse of the matter: wherein, though he hath here and there differed from some great men; yet hath he carried the difference with so much meeknesse, and so few irritating or reflecting expressions, dealing only by the strength of simple reason, that he hath cast a copy, worthy to be followed by others in this eristick age. 3. Some apprehension, that to not a few that way of touching upon some questions might be more pleasing and taking. 4. To prevent drowning, as it were, in following the series and tract of the story and Commentary, according to the practice of several learned and worthy men in their Writings upon the Scripture. 5. Because the clearing of some places along the Book itself did call for severall of them. 6. That if they might any way at all be usefull, they should not altogether perish, there having been no other convenient way for the publishing of them; and indeed it had been a pity to have smothered and kept them from seeing the light, for I have sometimes heard him in his sicknesse, professe, that (however fectlesse they were) as he had peace in his mind, that there was no new, uncouth or strange thing in them, So he could not deny but that sometimes in them and other parts of the Book, he had found God sensibly assisting and carrying him through beyond his own expectation. Now, desiring that these labours of the Author, which were intermixed with much prayer to God (for, all the while he was a Lecturing upon this Scripture (and since) there was a considerable part of a day every week extraordinarily set apart for prayer, as for other causes, so, no doubt, for seeking Gods help in that work) desiring, I say, that these prayer-full labours of his may be richly blest of God to thee, for making thee read the Revelation (which, it may be, hath lyen by thee, for most of it at least, as a sealed book hitherto) with more understanding, edification and comfort than ever; and desiring withall, that the bright and Morning-Star, who holdeth the Stars in His right hand, may illuminate and fix many Stars of such magnitude, and keep them long brightly shining in the firmament of His Church, for the direction, guidance, and comfort, thereof in these cloudy and sad times, I am, at least would be, Christian,
Thy servant for CHRISTS sake, in the work of the Gospel,
Glasgow, the 23, of September, 1658.
JOHN CARSTAIRS.
BEing desired to speak my knowledge of this subsequent Work, I acknowledge that I was one who frequently encouraged the Author to let it go abroad. For, however he had no time to polish it, and what is here almost all was taken from his mouth by the pen of an ordinary hearer: yet I am assured, the matter of it, as I heard it weekly delivered, is so precious as cannot but be very welcom and acceptable to the world of Believers. I am confident, that the gracious design which some worthy Brethren amongst us have in hand, and have now far advanced to the god satisfaction of all who have tasted of the first fruits of their Labours, of making the body of holy Scriptures plain and usefull to vulgar capacities, is not a little furthered by this Piece: For, albeit with greater length (as the nature of the Book of necessity did require) than these Brethrens design of shortnesse doth admit: yet is maketh very plain and usefull that without all question hardest of all Scriptures. This I can say, that diverse of the most obscure texts of that holy Book, which I understood little at the beginning of his Lecture, before he closed his Exercise, were made to me so clear, that I judged his Exposition might well be aquiesced into without much more debate.
That wit were more than ordinary weak, which durst promise from the pen of any man a clear and certain Exposition of all the Revelation before the day of performance of these very deep and mysterious Prophesies. It was not for nought, that most judicious Calvin and acute Beze, with many other profound Divines, would never be moved to attempt any Explication of that Book: Yet I hope I may make bold to affirm, without hazard of any heavie censure, that there is here laid such a bridge over that very deepriver, that who ever goeth over it, shall have cause to blesse God for the Authors labour.
The Epistle speaketh to the man, I shall adde but this one word, That from the day I was imployed by the Presbyterie to preach and pray and to impose, with others, hands upon him for the Ministery at Glasgow, I did live to the very last with him in great and uninterrupted love, and in an high estimation of his egregious enduements, which made him to me precious among the most excellent Divines I have been acquainted with in the whole Isle. O if it were the good pleasure of the Master of the Vineyard to plant many such noble Vines in this Land! I hope many more of his Labours shall follow this first, and that the more quickly as this doth receive the due and expected acceptance.
Thine in the LORD,
ROBERT BALIE.
