circumstances thereof 5. That Contradictions notwithstanding are to be excluded out of Religion 6. And that the Divinity of Christ and the Triunity of the Godhead have nothing contradictious in them 453 CHAP. II. 1. That there is a latitude of Sense in the words of Athanasiuâ— his Creed and that One and Unity has not the same signification every where 2. The like in the terms God and Omnipotent 3. Of the word Equal and to what purpose so distinct a knowledge of the Deity was coâ—municated to the Church 4. In what sense the Son and Holy Ghost are God That Divine adoration is their unquestionable right And that there is an intelligible sense of Athanasius his Creed and such as supposes neither Polytheâ—sme Idolatry nor Impossibility 5. That there is no intricacy in the Divinity of Christ but what the Schools have brought in by their false notions of Suppositum and Union Hypostatical 6. That the Union of Christ with the Eternal Word implies no Contradiction and how warrantable an Object he is of Divine worship 7. The Application thereof to the Iewes 8. The Union of Christ with God compared with that of the Angels that bore the Name Jehovah in the Old Testament 9. The reasonableness of our Saviours being united with the Eternal Word and how with that Hypostasis distinct from the others 455 CHAP. III. 1. That the Communicableness of Christian Religion implies its Reasonableness 2. The right Method of communicating the Christian Mystery 3 4. A brief example of that Method 5. A further continuation thereof 6. How the Mystagogus is to behave himself towards the more dull or illiterate 7. The danger of debasing the Gospel to the dulness of shallâ—â—ness of every weak apprehension 459 CHAP. IV. 1. The due demeanour of a Christian Mystagogus in communicating the Truth of the Gospel 2. That the chiefest care of all is that he speak nothing but what is profitable for life and godliness 3. A just reprehension of the scopeless zeal of certain vain Boanerges of these times 4. That the abuse of the Ministery to the undermining the main Ends of the Gospel may hazard the continuance thereof 5. That any heat and zeal does not constitute a living Ministry 461 CHAP. V. 1. The nature of Historical Faith 2. That true Saving Faith is properly Covenant and of the various significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. In what Law and Covenant agree 4. In what Law and Testament 5. In what Covenant and Testament agree 6. That the Church might have called the Doctrine of Christ either the New Law or the New Covenant 7. Why they have styled it rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Reason 8. Other Reasons thereof 9. The occasion of translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The New Testament 463 CHAP. VI. 1. That there were more Old Covenants then one 2. What Old Covenant that was to which this New one is especially counterdistinguished with a brief intimation of the difference of them 3 4. An Objection against the difference delivered with the Answer thereto 5. The Reason why the Second Covenant is not easily broken 6. That the importance of the Mystery of the Second Covenant engages him to make a larger deduction of the whole matter out of S. Paul 466 CHAP. VII 1. The different states of the Two Covenants set out Galat. 4. by a double similitude 2. The nature of the Old Covenant adumbrated in Agar 3. As also further in her Son Ismael 4. The nature of the New Covenaent adumbrated in Sarah 5. As also in Isaac her Son and in Israel his offspring 6. The necessity of imitating Abraham's faith that the Spiritual Isaac or Christ may be born in us 7. The grand difference hetwixt the First and Second Covenant where in it doth consist With a direction by the by to the most eminent Object of our Faith 8. The Second main point wherein this difference consists namely Liberty and that First from Ceremonies and Opinions 9. Secondly from all kind of Sins and disallowable Passions 10. Lastly to all manner of Righteousness and Holiness 468. CHAP. VIII 1. The adequate Object of saving Faith or Christian Covenant 2. That there is an Obligation on our parts plain from the very Inscription of the New Testament 3. What the meaning of Bloud in Covenants is 4. And answerably what of the Bloud of Christ in the Christian Covenant 5. The dangerous Errour and damnable Hypocrisie of those that would perswade themselves and others that no performance is required on their side in this Covenant 6. That the Heavenly Inheritance is promised to us only upon Condition evinced out of several places of Scripture 476 CHAP. IX 1. What it is really to enter into this New Covenant 2. That the entring into this Covenant supposes actual Repentance 3. That this New-Covenanter is born of water and the Spirit 4. The necessity of the skilfull usage of these new-born Babes in Christ. 5. That some Teacheâ—s are mere Witches and Childe Suckers 479 CHAP. X. 1. The First Principle the New-Covenanter is closely to keep to 2. The Second Principle to be kâ—pt to 3. The Third and last Principle 482 CHAP. XI 1. The diligent search this new-Covenanter ought to make to find out whatsoever is corrupt and sinful 2. That the truly regenerate cannot be quiet till all corruption be wrought out 3. The most importunate devotions of a living Christian. 4. The difference betwixt a Son of the Second Covenant and a Slave under the First 5. The Mystical completion of a Prophecy of Esay touching this state 483 CHAP. XII 1. That the destroying of Sin is not without some time of conflict The most infallible method for that dispatch 2. The constant ordering of our external actions 3. The Hypocritical complaint of those for want of power that will not do those good things that are already in their power 4. The danger of making this new Covenant a Covenant of Works and our Love to Christ a mercenary friendship 5. Earnest praiers to God for the perfecting of the Image of Christ in us 6. Continual circumspection and watchfulness 7. That the vilifying of outward Ordinances is no sign of a new-Covenanter but of a proud and carnal mind 8. Caution to the new-Covenanter concerning his converse with men 9. That the branches of the Divine life without Faith in God and Christ degenerate into mere Morality The examining all the motions and excursions of our Spirit how agreeable they are with Humility Charity and Purity 10. Cautions concerning the exercise of our Humility 11. As also of our Purity 12. And of our Love or Charity The safe conduct of the faithfull by their inward Guide 485 BOOK X. CHAP. I. THat the Affection and esteem we ought to have for our Religion does not consist in damning all to the pit of Hell that are not of it 2. The unseasonable inculcation of this Principle to Christians 3. That it is better
for the poor by chearful Obedience to our Superiours and abundance of kindness and discreet condescensions one to another by unspotted Righteousness and an unshaken Peace by the removal of every unjust yoke by mutual forbearance and bearing up one another as living stones of that Temple where there is not to be heard the noise of either axe or hammer no squable or clamour about Formes or Opinions but a peaceable study and endeavour of provoking one another to love and good works Provided this be the Idea of those happy Ages to come the inculcating of this belief in my judgement cannot but be very useful it bearing along with it both a detection and reprehension of the degeneracy of the present Age and a warmth and encouragement to hasten those good times by endeavouring to correct our lives according to this Pattern we have of them 20. That also will be accounted a Defect by some that I have said no more of Publick worship and nothing at all of Church-government But I must again answer That it was beside my Scope to meddle with such things To which I may adde That the world is full of such Controversies and as much said already as either Wit or Zeal can excogitate My design was onely to represent Christianity in the Fundamentals thereof with that purity and clearness as might most of all conciliate belief and strengthen our Faith in the most necessary points such as concerned every private Christian to believe and to live accordingly to the end that though the iniquity of the times should have proved such that he knew not whither to turn him or whom to joine withall in any publick worship or profession yet he might rest satisfied in this that he was immutably grounded in the saving Truths of the Gospel and was able to give an account of his Faith to himself and to as many as were fit to receive it and living uprightly might not be affraid to find himself alone knowing that every single man is a Church if his Body once become the Temple of the Holy Ghost My onely solicitude therefore was to corroborate that Faith that is plainly propounded to us out of the Scripture which is sufficient to Salvation and to exalt that Life that has lyen dead and buried for these many Ages under a vast heap of humane Inventions useless and cumbersome Ceremonies and unpeaceable Opinions not at all doubting but that if the Life of Christ were once awakened in the world he that clothes the lilies of the field and adornes the birds of the aire with their severall comely and orderly-disposed colours will not be wanting to such a Church as has the principle of life in it self but that it will grow up into such an external forme and comeliness in all points as most befits and are the most proper results of those Vitall operations in it Whenas the best Externals without these are but as the skin of an Animal stuffed with wooll or straw 21. But besides that it was beyond my scope it was also above my abilities to give judgement concerning the curiosities of Church-government it depending upon studies too tedious and voluminous for the strength of my Body as also very little gratefull to the rellishes of my Mind whose Genius has irresistibly carried me captive into another country and a quite different scene of Speculations and Objects All therefore that I could with confidence and safety have pronounced is That in general Church-government and Discipline is as assuredly jure Divino as the Civil Magistrate and it may be should have adventured to adde That in a Christian polity the power of appointing and ordering things in the Church is lodged in the Supremacy of every such Body Politick and that all degrees Ecclesiastick are but Under-ministers to this Supreme Power who is Head of all next to Christ. That this Supreme Power is to regulate the affairs of the Church as near to the Prescripts and Practices of the Apostolick times as they can guesse unless those Practices and Prescripts may be conceived to have been founded upon such a constitution of the Church as is not in the present affairs of this or that part of Christendome which is concerned That if the External forme of Church-government were of such mighty consequence as that this ought to be called Antichristian that reputed jure Divino and that it were essential to a true Church to have such or such a kind of Government rather then another Christ would have left more express command and direction concerning it that the Church might not be liable to erre in so fundamental a matter That the main end of Church-government and Discipline is the countenancing and promoting the Christian Life and an holy observation of such Precepts of Christ as do not make men obnoxious to the secular Law by the transgressing of them to keep out also Idolatry and every errour or superstitious practice that tends to the supplanting or defeating the Power of the Gospel and that therefore we ought rather to be solicitous about managing this government to the right end then disturb the peace of the Church by over-scrupulous examination of the exteriour frame thereof That if Christ had left an exact Platforme of Government and the Church kept to it if the above-said end were not aimed at in the management thereof but in stead of being a countenance and encouragement to reall Godliness it should be directed to the upholding of useless or mischievous Opinions scandalous Ceremonies and ensnaring Inventions of men the more exactly they kept to this outward platforme of Christ the more plainly they would discover themselves to be Antichristian that is a pretended Christian power against the reall interest of Christ and that conjunction of the Horns of the Lamb with the voice of the Dragon would more evidently appear That Church-discipline and Government is as a Fort or Castle of excellent use if it be in the hands of the faithfull souldiery of Christ or as a safe Vessell for precious liquour or as restringent and corroborative Physick where there is an unexpected evacuation of the serviceable supports of life But if Traitours to the Kingdome of Christ get possession of this Castle poison be mingled with this precious liquour and foul and malignant humours be lodged in the Body it were more desirable the Castle were ruined the Vessell broken the Physick cast down the sink and the Body left free to the course of Nature then that things so hatefull and pernicious should be continued and conserved by them that is to say It were better that Christian Religion were left to support it self by the innate evidence of its own Truth then being sophisticated with vain lies and wicked inventions be forcibly maintained for other Ends then it was intended for nay be made to serve contrary Ends and prove a Mystery of tyranny and ungodliness and that therefore the first and chief point is to make
Solomon in defining her to be the true Mother that could not endure that the Child should be divided and killed And whatever Church is cruell and remorsless in either Temporall persecution or the Eternall damnation of such men as believe in Christ according to the plain and easie meaning of the Scripture and live accordingly she may approve her self to be an imperious Harlot but no discerning spirit will ever take her for the true Mother that new Ierusalem which is the Spouse of Christ or Wife of the Lamb. Wherefore those are very weak Christians that are so low-belled by this terror as to be taken up and captivated by the Church of Rome and acknowledge her the mother-Church by force of that Argument that demonstrates the contrary to say nothing of their disingenuous abuse of the Charity of the Reformed Churches But for my own part I confess that for sureness I had rather exercise my Charity in wishing them Converts from Popery then express any great confidence of their being safe in that Religion Not that it is possible for me who cannot infallibly demonstrate to my self that all that lived under Paganisme are certainly damned to imagine that all that have gone under the name of Papists have tumbled down into Hell But the case is much like that in Shipwrack on the sea or Pestilence in a City where we will suppose not a house free no man can pronounce that it is impossible that such or such a person should escape nor that any of them are in any tolerable safety The danger is alike to them that adhere to the Apostate Church for though there be a possibility of some mens being saved by an extraordinary or miraculous Providence they breaking through all those impediments and snares that are laid in their way and attaining to a Dispensation above the Church they live in as haply some under Paganisme did yet it cannot be denied but that the Oeconomie of that Church naturally tends to the betraying of Souls to Eternall destruction that falling out which our Saviour said of old of the Pharisees They compass sea and land to make one profelyte and when he is made he becomes twofold more the child of the devil then themselves For he will not stint his Hypocrisie in Religion by the measure of their gain that invented the forme and submit to it for their End but for his own namely that he may excuse himself from all reall holiness by keeping to the observation and profession of their vain inventions And thus are the Commandements of God made of none effect by their Traditions In brief the whole frame of that Church is fashioned out so near to the ancient guise of Idolatrous Paganisme or else to the liveless and ineffectual forme of Judaisme both which Christ appeared on purpose to destroy as either contrary or ineffectuall to Salvation and does explicitly recommend to the world a pure and spirituall worship that we should worship the Father in Spirit and in truth or lastly is so full of Contradictions and Impossibilities in their feigned Stories and imperiously-obtruded Opinions that the natural result of being born under such a Religion or of turning to it is either to become a besotted Superstitionist to believe or do any thing that others will have him to do which is a sign the Spirit of Regeneration has not yet passed upon him and that there is no life nor light in him or else which is too frequent to turn down-right Atheist it being so grosly discernable that the Tenents of their Church are impossible and their Practices fraudulent fitted chiefly for filthy lucre and their Ceremonies useless thankless and ridiculous And therefore if any be saved in the Church of Rome they are such as are not truely of it but above it and fend for themselves as well as they may by some pardonable sleights of Prudence accompanied with an impregnable innocency of Spirit and readiness of doing all possible good they can they sparing their own lives and liberties upon no other account then that and out of a perswasion that he that commanded them to be wise as Serpents as well as innocent as Doves has given them no commission inconsiderately and to no purpose to betray themselves into the power of his usurping Enemy But for others that are perfect Papists and swallow down all that Church proposes to them without chewing or distasting any thing it is a Demonstration there is no Principle of life in them but that they are like dead earthen pitchers which receive poison and wholesome liquors with a like admittance And if there be no principle of life there is no seed of Salvation in a man For it is most certainly true and the Scripture it self doth witness to it That unless a man be born from above he cannot see the kingdome of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit This is the new Creature that is created in wisdome righteousness and true holiness The first of which the Church of Rome expunges in that it gives no leave to a man never so regenerate to judge for himself but he must say as the Church sayes right or wrong and for the other two all their superstitious Ceremonies put together adde nothing to them but rather stifle and sufflaminate them Again S. John tell us That he that hates his brother is in the dark and walketh in the dark and knows no whither he goes But others may know it as appears by another saying of the same Apostle Every one that hates his brother is a murderer and no murderer hath eternall life abiding in him But on the contrary he affirms That Love is of God and that he that loveth is born of God and knowes God Now to apply the Case to these Rules If Love be an essential Character of a Regenerate soul and Hatred of Errour Darkness and Eternal Death or to come yet closer If Hatred it self be Murder what will Murder it self be added thereunto And if any thing be Murder I demand whether this be not namely to take away the life of a member of Iesus Christ who does fully and freely profess the Ancient and Apostolick Faith according to the Letter or History of the New Testament and does seriously compose his life according to the Precepts therein contained and does onely declare against and reject the Contradictious Opinions and Idolatrous Practices that have no ground at all in Scripture nor Reason but are quite contrary to both I say if this be no Murder there is no Murder in the world and how guilty the Church of Rome is of this Crime all the world knowes Wherefore this being one of the Principles of that bloudy Church and he that is a perfect Papist being of one mind and suffrage with his Church in all things for she will be held no less then Infallible 't is apparent that no through-paced Papist can ever go to
heaven while he is such this murderous disposition being a demonstration that he is not born of God but of him that was a murderer from the beginning For Love being the very Heart and Center of Regeneration if there be no Antipathie in us against that which is so contrary to the deepest Principle of the Divine life it is a sign there is none of that Life in us Wherefore this Hypothesis of Mr. Mede cannot be made harsh or odious by the Opposer's surmise there being a capacity of being saved in such as I have above described though of the Papall denomination which are as it were the Woman in the wilderness And for that incapacity of being saved in the other there wants no Apocalypse to reveal the certainty thereof Nor do I know a more uncharitable opinion in the World then that which promises them Salvation that are so far from Charity themselves that they are professedly persecuters and murderers of the innocent nay of the sincere and faithful members of Christ. 27. But the Subtilty of our Adversaries is such that they will reply That there are as many snares and impediments in the Reformed Churches to true Holiness if not to all Holiness in the Opinions of Solifidianisme and Eternall Decrees and as great a demonstration of their utter insensibility of that Principle of the Divine love into which every true Christian is regenerated in their doctrine of Absolute Reprobation and inevitable damnation of innumerable myriads of men Providence determining them upon all the wayes and means thereto as in the Romanists either censuring all out of their Church to be in a state of perdition or in their inflicting a Temporal death upon them that gainsay the Articles of their Church For what is this in comparison of being content that all the World in a manner should be adjudged to everlasting torments for doing such things as they were from all Eternity decreed to do nor could any way possibly avoid it This Objection I must confess is very shrewdly levelled at the mark nor can I well undertake within the narrow limits of my now almost-ended Preface to make a full and direct Answer to the things themselves Onely I shall return thus much First That all of the Reformed Churches are not Solifidians nor hold any thing concerning the Divine Decrees inconsistent with either the Goodness of God or the Advancement of Godliness and that for my own part I am one of that number And then Secondly They that do do not profess themselves infallible in their opinion nor judge others to be in a damnable condition that are not of it and therefore do not low-bell men into their own errour by either uncharitable censurings or bloudy persecutions nor become incorrigible themselves upon pretence of Infallibility but are in a fair way of acknowledging the Truth when it shall be rightly and advantageously proposed Thirdly Their errours are not so many nor managed with that meditated craft and design as in the old Apostate Church they being not invented to serve some avaritious or ambitious end but fallen into if I may so speak by chance upon reading some passages of Scripture that looked upon alone may seem to favour their Conclusions and by reason of the obscurity of the things themselves such as have puzled contemplative men in all Ages and Places And fourthly and lastly If they have made their own Inventions and argumentative Conclusions Articles of Faith it is because they are not yet sufficiently cleansed from the corruption they contracted under the Mother of Apostasy which mainly consists in this in adding the fallible deductions of humane Reason to the infallible Articles of the ancient and Apostolick Faith So that whatever hazard of Salvation there is in the Reformed Churches it is by reason that they do still Romanize and do not clear up into a certain and uncontroverted Apostolick purity exhibiting nothing for Fundamentals but what is expresly so in the Text it self without the slipperyness of humane Ratiocination Which certainly as it is their Duty so is it also their greatest Interest and the most effectuall way for Peace and Righteousness upon Earth 28. As for that abusable Opinion of Imputative Righteousness that I have shewn my dissatisfaction touching that point which ordinarily the worst of men most of all build upon though I do not deny but well-meaning and piously-disposed persons may also heedlesly take up the forme I hope the judicious will not misconstrue it nor take it ill that I have been so free and faithful as to discover the danger and groundlesness of this overmuch Idolized doctrine For indeed it is a very Idol that is Nothing as the Apostle describes an Idol to be I mean nothing of it self but a mere Phrase if you prescind it from what is comprized in Remission of sins through the bloud of Christ shed upon the Cross. For this Remission of sins contains in it such a reconciliation with God that we are safe from all the Effects of his wrath both concerning this state and that which is to come that is to say we shall not be punished by his withholding his Grace from us here or that Glory which is expected in the other Life For these deprivements being the results of sin if we were not secured from them our sins were not remitted which is against the Hypothesis Now I appeal to the judgement and conscience of the most zealous assertour of Imputative Righteousness if he can find any thing more comprized therein then such a remission of sins as we have defined and whether when he talks of being cloathed with Christs righteousness in this imputative sense he can understand any thing but being as it were armed and defended from the wrath of God and all the ill consequences thereof For if this Righteousness we are thus cloathed with were a Righteousness that really kept us suppose from Envy from Drunkenness from Adultery and made us Charitable Sober and Chast it were not then imputative but inherent From whence it plainly appears that if you prescind it from remission of sins through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross this Phrase of Imputative Righteousness has no signification at all and that therefore there is no loss or damage done to our Religion if it be not accounted a distinct Article from the remission of sins in the bloud of Christ. For it cannot afford any true and useful sense distinct there-from nay I may say any that is not very mischievous and dangerous and such as tends to that loathsome and pestilential errour of Antinomianisme But if you will understand by it Remission of sins I do again appeal to the sagacious if there may not yet be a great deal of fraud and hypocrisie in making choice of such an Expression as does easily insinuate to over-many a needlesness of seriously endeavouring to be really righteous we being so warmely secure by the imputation of anothers and does omit such circumstances
themselves yet to be so streight to one another as not to acknowledge that mutual Right seems enormously harsh and unchristian For we all agreeing in the Truth of the Scriptures which certainly are sufficient to Salvation since the Belief and Practice of what is plain in them will not fail to carry a man to Heaven what an unreasonable thing is it that there should be that hatred and persecution against those that God so well approves that he will save them and Christ so dearly loved that he gave his life a ransome for them Again there being also a necessity as I have said in the Persecuted of thinking as he does and an uncertainty in the Opinions that the Persecutour would promote as being demonstrable by neither Reason nor Scripture how unwarrantable an action is it to do a certain injury for an uncertain conceit To all which you may adde That the Love of Knowledge is but the work of the Devil how much more then is bitter Zeal and brawling about it but the depretiating of humane devices tends much to the exaltation of true Sanctity that mask of Hyprocrisie patcht up of empty Opinions and Formalities being by this means torn off and leaving the face bare that their Complexion may be more discernable how pure and sincere it is or how unsound cadaverous and deformed And lastly a mutuall agreement of bearing with one anothers dissents in the Non-fundamentals of Religion is really a greater Ornament of Christianity then the most exact Uniformity imaginable it being an eminent act or exercise of Charity the Flower of all Christian graces and the best way I think at the long run to make the Church as Uniforme as can justly be desired For if true Christian Love could once get the rule in the Hearts of men the Apostle will undertake for her that she shall do nothing unseemly For Charity is indeed the Mother of Unity and bond of Perfection and he that is really spirited thereby I dare promise for him that he will never oftentate his Sanctimony by a pretended queziness of Conscience as if he had a more delicate sense and a more peculiar discernment in things appertaining to Godliness then others have But whatever a good round force would urge him to out of love to himself and his own safety he would not fail of his own accord to comply therewith out of the love of Order and the Reverence he bears to the authority of the Church he lives under Nor on the other side would the Church ever offer to obtrude upon her children what is either false or useless For they both of them being once imbued with that Divine sense we speak of cannot but be well assured That neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision availeth any thing but Faith working by Love And whosoever walketh by this Rule peace be upon him and upon the true Israel of God H. M. From my Study at Christs Coll. in Cambridge Iune 12. 1660. AN EXPLANATION OF The grand Mystery OF GODLINESS CHAP. I. 1. The Four main Properties of a Mystery 2. The first Propertie Obscurity 3. The second Intelligibleness 4. The third Truth 5. The fourth Usefulness 6. A more full Description of the Nature of a Mystery 7. The Distribution of the whole Treatise 1. EVery legitimate Mystery comprehends in it at least these Four Properties It is a piece of Knowledge First competently Obscure Recondite and Abstruse That is It is not so utterly hid and intricate but that in the Second place It is in a due measure Intelligible Thirdly It is not only Intelligible what is meant by it but it is evidently and certainly True Fourthly and lastly It is no impertinent or idle Speculation but a Truth very Usefull and Profitable We may well add also for some Religious End 2. This Obscuritie and Abstruseness makes not only the Mystery more solemn and venerable to those to whom it is communicated but hides it also from their eyes that are not worthy to partake thereof From whence some Criticks have derived Mysterium from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to hide Which is well aimed at as to the sense But others with more judgment in Grammar acknowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be a proper Greek word and fetch the Derivation of it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they to whom it is communicated are to keep silence and not to impart it to unmeet persons And in this sense Chrysostome expounds Mysterium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A matter wonderfull unknown and not to be easily or rashly communicated to others 3. Nor indeed could it be at all if it were utterly Unintelligible Wherefore Intelligibleness adds this further requisite also to a Mystery that it thereby becomes Communicable to such as are fitly prepared to be instructed therein For which reason the Etymologists give also this Notation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to teach and instruct a man in Divine matters so far forth as the party is fit to receive Hence is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mysta a Scholar or Commencer in Divine Mysteries one that is more slightly imbued in the knowledge of such Holy things 4. But there is afterward a clearer manifestation and a fuller satisfaction and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being now more firmly ascertained of the Truth which he did but obscurely apprehend before From which Clearness and Certainty of the thing represented there necessarily arises a full and free assent of his Understanding without any further doubt or hesitancy the Proverb being made good in this case That Seeing is Believing 5. But that there may not be a mere dry Belief without any love or liking of the Object thereof we added also that this Mystery is not only certainly True but very concerningly Usefull and Profitable which though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it self does not implie yet another in the same language and of the like sense does which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Initiations into sacred Mysteries The Usefulness whereof a Platonist admirably well describes not without a verbal allusion in this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which if we would render it in our more familiar language sounds thus The scope or aim of all Religious Mysteries is the bringing back faln man into his pristine condition of Happiness and to lead him again to that high station which he then first forsook when he preferr'd his own Will and the pleasure of the Animal life before the Will of God and that Life and Sense which is truly Divine 6. Wherefore not to dwell too long on the threshold we conclude briefly and in general that a Mystery is a piece of Divine knowledge measurably Abstruse whereby it becomes more Venerable but yet Intelligible that it may be Communicable and
that they that obey it not shall be damned That Christ knew the very thoughts of mens hearts that he raised the dead that he healed men of incurable diseases that he gave sight to the blind and made the dumb to speak That the Apostles of Christ Matthew Peter and Paul healed one Habib Anaiar of the Leprosie at Antioch and raised the King's daughter from the dead as also gave sight to a childe that was born blinde And lastly three Preeminences the Alcoran gives to Christ which it gives not to any other Prophet to Abraham Moses no nor Mahomet himself The first is That he was carried up to Heaven bodie and soul where it is expresly added in Zuna that he shall return from thence to judge the world with righteous judgment The second That he shall be called The Word of God The third That he should be called The Holy Spirit of God These things you may read more at large in Iohannes Andreas his Confusio Sectae Mahometanae as also in others out of whom you may also add that the Turks have so venerable an esteem of S. Iohn's Gospel that they wear it next their bodies as an amulet when they goe to war to keep them from gun-shot 8. This I thought worth the noting partly that that Honour which is due to Christ may not be given to Mahomet of whom the best that can be said is only this That he did not so utterly pervert and deprave the mystery of the Gospel by either his ignorance political tricks or fanatical humours and whimsies but that there was so much of the substance and virtue thereof left as being seconded with the dint of the Sword was able enough to hew down the more gross Heathenish Idolatry chastise the disobedient Hypocritical Christians and ruine the external dominion of the Devil in the World and partly that we may discern what great hopes there are that in due time when the chief scandals of Christendome are taken away they being so far prepared already in their reverend opinion concerning our blessed Saviour the whole Turkish Empire may of a sudden become true Christians that which is vain and false among them having no better prop then the foolish and idle Visions false pretended Miracles and groundless fables of a mere wily phansifull and unclean Impostour whenas the pure Christian Religion comprehended in the Gospel is so solid sincere rational that no man that is master of his wits but may be throughly satisfied concerning the truth thereof CHAP. XIII 1. The Triumph of the Divine Life not so large hitherto as the overthrow of the external Empire of the Devil 2. Her conspicuous Eminency in the Primitive times 3. The real and cruel Martyrdoms of Christians under the Ten Persecutions a demonstration that their Resurrection is not an Allegorie 4. That to allegorize away that blessed Immortality promised in the Gospel is the greatest blasphemy against Christ that can be imagined 1. YOU see then how large the Success or Event of our Saviour's coming into the World is in reference to the external overthrow of the Kingdome of the Prince of this World that old Usurper over the sons of men If you demand of me how great the Triumph of the Divine Life has been in all this victory I must answer I could wish that it was greater then it is that it had been larger and continued longer but something has been done all this time that way too 2. For Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ and a firm Belief of a Life to come and the Effect of this Faith which is the very nature and Spirit of Christ dwelling in us consisting of Purity Humility and Charity this sound constitution was very much in the Church in the Primitive times even then when they had no succour nor support from the hands of men nay when they were cruelly handled by them they chusing rather to be banish'd imprisoned tortured and put to any manner of death then to deny him who had redeemed them with his most precious Bloud and had prepared a place of Eternal happiness for them with himself in Heaven 3. Here Faith and the Divine Life was very conspicuously victorious and triumphant in that in the eyes of all the world it set at nought all the cruel malice of the Devil and the terrour of death it self in the most ghastly vizard he could put on as you may see innumerable Examples in the Ten bloudy Persecutions under the Heathen Emperours Which History must needs make a man abominate such light-headed and false-hearted Allegorists that would intercept the Hopes of a future life by spirituallizing those passages in Scripture that bear that sense into a present Moral and Mystical interpretation as if the Gospel and the precious Promises therein conteined reached no further then this life we now live upon Earth 4. Which is the highest reproach and blasphemie that can be invented against Christ Iesus as if he were rather a Betraier then a Saviour of Mankind and that he was more thirsty after humane bloud then those Indian Gods we have spoken of who were so lavish thereof in their sacrifices and as if it were not Love and dear Compassion towards us that made him lay down his life but hatred and a spightfull plot of making myriads of men to be massacred and sacrificed out of affection to him that thus should betray them Wherefore whosoever interprets the New Testament so as to shuffle off the assurance of Reward and Punishment after the death of the Body is either an arrant Infidel or horrid Blasphemer CHAP. XIV 1. The Corruption of the Church upon the Christian Religion becoming the Religion of the Empire 2. That there did not cease then to be a true and living Church though hid in the Wilderness 3. That though the Divine life was much under yet the Person of our Saviour Christ of the Virgin Mary c. were very richly honoured 4. And the Apostles and Martyrs highly complemented according to the ancient guize of the Pagan Ceremonies 5. The condition of Christianity since the general apostasie compared to that of Una in the Desart amongst the Satyrs 6. That though this has been the state of the Church very long it will not be so alwaies and while it is so yet the real enemies of Christ do lick the dust of his feet 7. The mad work those Apes and Satyrs make with the Christian Truth 8. The great degeneracy of Christendome from the Precepts and Example of Christ in their warrs and bloudshed 9. That though Providence has connived at this Pagan Christianism for a while he will not fail to restore his Church to its pristine purity at the last 10. The full proof of which Conclusion is too voluminous for this place 1. WE have given a light glance upon the condition of the Primitive Church before Christianity became the Religion of the Empire what change would be wrought then a man might
feet and they lout and ly prostrate to the names of those men whose lives if they were on the Earth again they are so contrary to theirs they would unreconcilably hate and scorn their persons for their meanness and tread them under feet nay it may be with more shame and cruelty then ever make them suffer once again those bloudy Martyrdomes 7. So that it is an uncouth spectacle to consider what strange ridiculous work these Satyrs Monkyes and Baboons I mean the unregenerated Mass of Mankind who are enlivened with nothing but the mere Animal life have made these many hundred years in the Wilderness with the most precious Truth of the Gospel what Sophistical knots and nooses fruitless subtilties and niceties what gross contradictions and inconsistencies the Schoolmen and Polemical Divines have filled the World with what needless and burdensome Ceremonies what ensnaring new coined Articles what setting up of self-flattering Sects and Interests what variously-carved Formes and new-fangled Curiosities have been contriv'd and shap'd out by either Superstitious Church-men or Carnal Politicians 8. But if there were nothing worse then this though this be ill enough the Scene would seem only Comical in comparison But at last the Ape cuts his own throat with the shoomakers knife and Christendome lyes tumbling and wallowing I know not for how many Ages together in its own bloud The reason of which is that in this long bustle for and great ostentation of an External Religion the inward life and Spirit of Christianity which consists in Humility Charity and Purity is left out and Pride Lust and Covetousness are the first movers in all our Actions So that though we be called by the name of Christ yet our hearts and reall services are grosly Pagan we consecrating our very Souls with all the Powers Affections and Faculties of them to the worst-titled Deities of the Heathen and being strictly commanded by our Saviour to love one another as it were in despight to shew what real Apostates we are to Paganisme rather pour forth one anothers bloud as a drink-offering to Mars then keep that inviolable and indispensable Precept of his whom we profess to be our liege Lord and Soveraign 9. Thus has it pleas'd that ever-watchfull Eye of Providence to connive as it were a while at this Pagan Christianisme as well as he did in former Ages at the ancient Paganisme But assuredly it will be better and all the glorious Predictions of the Prophets concerning Christ even in this World will not end in so tedious a Scene where there is so little good and such a floud of filth and evil But the Spirit of the Lord will blow upon these dry bones and actuate this external forme of Religion with life and power and the scales will fall from her eyes and that load of scurf and ascititious foulness will fall from her skin and her flesh shall be as of a tender child and she shall grow strong healthful and irreprehensibly lovely to look upon When these things come to pass the Divine Life will be in her highest Triumph or exaltation upon earth and this excellent state of the Church will continue for a very considerable time But the wicked shall again assault the just and Christ visibly returning to judgement shall decide the controversy 10. This is the truest and most faithful representation in general so far as my skill in Church-History or Prophecies will reach that I can make of that Interval of time betwixt Christ's powring forth of the Holy Ghost on his Apostles and his coming again to Judgement But because it would be a voluminous business more particularly to make good what I have asserted and that it is not so essential to the present purpose I have in hand I hold it not at all necessary to engage in any operose endeavours of demonstrating the truth of the conclusion I shall rather send him that doubts to satisfie himself in the perusing of the learned writings of that incomparable Interpreter of Prophecies Mr. Ioseph Mede whose proceedings are with that care and caution with that clearness and strictness of reason with that accuracy of judgement and unparallel'd modesty and calmness that the study and enquiry into these matters which had even grown odious and infamous by the wild and ridiculous miscarriages of hot fanatick spirits has in my apprehension gained much credit and repute by the orderly and coherent methods and unexceptionable ratiocinations of this grave and venerable Person Upon whose account I am not ashamed to profess that I think it clear both out of Daniel and the Apocalypse that the Scene of things Christendome will be in due time very much changed and that for the better And because there does nothing so much counterbalance the weight of Mr. Mede's reasons as the autority and lustre of that worthily-admired Name of the learned Hugo Grotius who has interpreted the Revelations to quite another sense the ingenuities and prettinesses of whose expositions had almost imposed upon my self to a belief that there might be some such sense also of the Revelation as he drives at to make all clear I shall take the pains of exhibiting both to the view of the Reader Who I hope will not take it ill that so pious so learned and judicious a person as Mr. Mede and that in a matter to which he may seem to be peculiarly selected and set apart to by God and Nature to which he mainly applied himself with all possible care seriousness and devotion should see further then Hugo Grotius who has an ample harvest of praise from other performances and who by reason of his Political emploiments could not be so entirely vacant to the searching into so abstruse a Mystery CHAP. XV. 1. Grotius his reasons against Days signifying Years in the Prophets propounded and answered 2. Demonstrations that Days do sometimes signifie so many Years 3. Mr. Mede's opinion That a new Systeme of Prophecies from the first Epocha begins Chap. 10. v. 8. cleared and confirmed 4. What is meant by the Three days and an half that the Witnesses lye slain 5. Of the Beast out of the bottomless pit 6. Of the First Resurrection 7. The conclusion of the matter in hand from the evident truth of Mr. Mede's Synchronisms 1. THE strongest Presumption that Grotius has against Mr. Mede's way is his confidence that Days never signifie Years Which if he could make good it would utterly invalidate and make useless the whole frame of Mr. Mede's Apocalyptical Interpretations But he affirms it with all boldness imaginable Dies etiam apud Prophetas dies sunt non anni ut quidam somniant And endeavours to prove it and pretends he has done it very plainly from Daniel 8.14 And he said unto me Unto two thousand and three hundred days then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed compared with vers 26. And the Vision of the Evening and the Morning which was told thee is true that is saith he has nothing
Ierusalem ceased so to be when the Jews had ceased to be God's people The trampling the holy City he interprets of the building of a Temple there to Iupiter Capitolinus As if that Temple stood but three years and an half But he would terminate these years from the beginning of the building of this Temple to the sedition of Barchochab but brings no History to make good his device and if he could make this time of Barchochab good it were yet good for nothing unless he could also pull down the Temple at the three years and an half 's end The Two Witnesses he would have the Two Churches in Aelia the one speaking Hebrew the other Greek as if the Spirit of God divided these into Two that professed one faith and were of one mind not distinguished in any thing save in outward language The bodies of these slain Witnesses lying in the streets of the great City three days and an half this he interprets of the oppression and persecution by Barchochab which certainly was very short if but three days and an half long neither does he here bring any proof of History nor is it probable that divine Prophecy would affect the preciseness of half a day or three days and an half in such a general prefiguration of things as the Apocalypse is Besides how unlikely is it that Ierusalem that had now lost all its glory and power should be styled by the name of the great City The chiefest ground that they have to think so is that expression as if our Lord was crucified there But I answer that our Lord in a literal sense was not crucified either in Sodome or Aegypt which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immediately referres to nor in a spiritual sense more in Ierusalem then in the rest of the Roman Empire Wherefore this City is nothing else but the degenerate Polity of the Apostate Church where Christ is persecuted as he complained to Saul in his true and living members Where also Christ according to the Spirit that is the Divine life is rightly said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be crucified not in the time past only but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indefinitely was is and will be crucified so long as this power of Apostasy holds up For the Praeter Tense in Prophecy is very usual for the Future But if any one disrelish this more Mystical sense I shall substitute that of Mr. Mede's which the coursest Literalist cannot evade namely that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood the Extent of the whole Romane Empire within which Christ was literally crucified See Mr. Mede upon the Text. The Vision of the Woman crowned with twelve starres which number signifies the pure and Apostolical Church her being in the wilderness 1260 days he interprets of the extinguishing the Church to outward sight at least at Rome by the Miracles and Sorceries of Simon Magus which yet is a suspected History and her appearing onely in the country and villages which are but as a Desart in respect of the populosity of that renowned City But the time of 1260 days he makes out by no History To say nothing how this interpretation depends on another very harsh one namely the expounding And her child was caught up unto God and to his throne of the disappearing of the Church by the seductions of Simon Whenas to be carried up to the throne of God surely signifies Magistracy as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magistrates As is intimated also in the foregoing part of the verse that he should rule the nations with a rod of iron The Vision of the Whore sitting upon the Scarlet Beast with seven heads and ten horns and if you will of the Beast coming out of the sea Chap. 13. For we may put them together they being the same according to Grotius his own confession This Beast he makes the Sin of Idolatry Which is quite out of the way of interpreting Prophetick Schemes where Beasts signifie Kingdomes or Dominions as is plain out of Daniel But the Ten horns he will allow to be Ten kings in which he were right if he had acknowledged a body fit to bear them The Seven heads he makes the seven Caesars Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus But if the Caesars be heads there must be more heads then seven for there were four Caesars before Claudius and I think thirty after Titus that were not Christians But Claudius saith he is the first that banished the Christian Teachers Which act was yet so inconsiderable that the First persecution was fixt on Nero and the other Nine noted persecutions were after Titus the last of them raging a little before Constantine the Great So that there is a juster reason that this Beast should have above thirty heads then but seven Again in this Beast which the Prophet Iohn resembles to a Leopard in his body and to have the feet of a Bear and the mouth of a Lion he will have Claudius who before was one of the heads of the Beast now to be the Body thereof and Domitian who is later then the last of these Seven Caesars and so in order more like the Tail to be the Mouth of the Beast and in chap. 17. to be the Beast it self So much of forcedness and incoherency is there in the making out this false Hypothesis That also is harsh in my judgement the making presently one of these Heads which were before Caesars to be the Capitol at Rome though it be said to be wounded to death that by the stroke of a sword and to be healed also which methinks are very unnaturally applicable to a Hill or a Tower He pretends he has hit the time of the forty two months this Beast should make warre but he referrs to no History and Helvicus affixes the beginning of the Second persecution to the Tenth of Domitian's reign Whence it will not be Three years and an half but rather Six years that he wars against the Saints But the chiefest artifice of his misinterpretation is upon Chap. 17. of the Revelation Where the Beast that was and is not and is to ascend out of the bottomless pit and to go into perdition he again applies to Domitian making nothing of transfiguring a single Head into a whole Beast But the description is more accurate vers 10 c. The seven heads are seven kings five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space And the Beast that was and is not even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings which have received no kingdome as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the Beast The five kings here that are fallen saith Grotius are Claudius Nero Galba Otho and Vitellius which how fond a conceit it is I have already demonstrated And one is
such lame imperfect nay as I said impossible Interpretations Wherefore the Vindication of the Method of Mr. Mede in interpreting this Book is really the rescuing of the Book it self into that power and use it ought to have in the Church For it is a standing Light to all Ages thereof and the greatest to the last Nor do those Expressions of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at all infringe the Truth we have declared or import that all the matters in the Apocalypse appertain to either the Destruction of Ierusalem or to Rome Heathen For as for the former it seems very needless to spend many Visions upon it our Saviour having prophesied of it so clearly before and with all usefull circumstances that could be desired How vain therefore is it to imagine so many Visions spent thereupon in this Book that are not only obscurer then our Saviour's Prophecie but so obscure that they are now not tolerably applicable to the known Events and therefore must be utterly useless to the Church because they could neither forewarn them of any thing before the Event nor be a Record of God's foresight and Providence after it And for the latter I say there are Visions plain and express enough concerning Heathen Rome and her bloudy persecuting the Church in the battel of Michael and the Dragon The first six Seals also appertain to that time while Rome was Heathen the Sixth whereof signifies the mighty change of things to the advantage of the Church the Empire becoming Christian. Wherefore there is no want of Visions for Heathen Rome nor any but what were very significant and usefull as all the six Seals and the Vision of Michael and the Dragon are Which encourage the Church to be patient under those Ten bloudy persecutions in assurance that at last they should have the victorie over their persecuting enemie And what could they desire more to be signified then this in such general Prophecies as these Nay I say further they might have counted the nearness of their deliverance by the posture of the Beasts that were the Praeco's of the four first Seals observing from what quarter such Emperours came as bore the greatest similitude with the Riders of the red black and pale Horses and when the Persecution was the highest their Hopes were the clearest and the Event nearest as appears from the easie meaning of the Fifth and Sixth Seal So that there are Visions enough concerning the Romane Empire while it was Pagan so far forth as it concerned the Church And why should there not be Visions that concern the Empire when it was turned Christian and Paganized again under Christianity and in this Apostasie cruelly oppressed and persecuted the true members of Christ Why should not this State of things be prophesied of as well as the former To this there are but these two Answers to be given Either that the Church is not apostatized or that those Phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do plainly signifie that the scope of the Apocalypse reaches not so far The former answer I could wish were solid but have no leisure here to dispute it The latter I conceive is very weak and unsatisfactory and from an inference as ridiculous as his would be that upon the report that such a Comedy or Tragedy was to be acted half a quarter of an houre hence which I think is very quickly should conclude that all the Acts and Scenes thereof would not be a quarter of an hour long And to make use of the suffrage of our very Adversaries Grotius himself interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of the whole series of Visions but of some of them only and particularly of the Destruction of Ierusalem and othersome they are fain to expound of such Events as have hapned but two hundred years ago and of such as are not to come to pass before the End of the World Which is a demonstration of the insolidity of this Exception against Mr. Mede's method of interpreting this Book Whose meaning for the general we having cleared from all possible prejudices let us now consider the important Usefulness thereof 2. In the first place therefore in my apprehension it is the clearest and plainest conviction that can be offered to the Understanding of a man That there is a special Providence over the Church of God and That there are Angels the Ministers of this Providence to consider how there has been the communication of Prophecies concerning the affairs of the Church and Family of God by the ministry of Angels appearing to his Servants the Prophets from Abraham's time the Father of the faithfull to this very age and onwards the truth of the Events plainly lying before our eyes either in things that still continue or are to be read in undoubted History Which is a sign that those Prophets who said they did commune with Angels did not commune with their own Fancies but had real conference with those Celestial Inhabitants As Abraham certainly had Gen. 18. where the Angel tells him That in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed namely by Christ who was of his seed Nor did Daniel when he was by the River Ulai talk with his own shadow as the truth of the Event proves but with an Angel As also Gabriel was who imparted to him the Prophecie of the Seventy weeks then which nothing can be more accurately answering to the Event To which you may add those Angels that appeared to him on the banks of the River Hiddekel the Event of whose predictions are partly come to pass and partly now fulfilling under the Time and Times and half a Time which also are almost expired and are the Period of the latter times pointed at by those numbers 1290 daies and 1335 daies mentioned by the Angel on the banks of the river Hiddekel as Mr. Mede has I think very solidly interpreted Which general intimations in Daniel's Prophecies are more particularly and more fully set out in the Apocalypse of S. Iohn who also plainly professeth himself to have had conference with Angels and his Visions suting the Events so punctually it is a demonstration of both the continued Providence of God over his Church and of the Existence of those Angelical Beings Which is the First great Fruit and Use of this Book of the Apocalypse that he that reads and rightly observes the exact applicableness of the Visions to the Event cannot doubt of the Existence of God and of his Holy Angels nor of his Special Providence over the Church I might add also nor of the Souls Immortality Christ appearing so plainly to Iohn and speaking to him in these words I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the Keys of hell and death that is of raising men at the last day c. To which you may
already shewn in my interpretation of the fourth and fifth verses of the Twentieth chapter and that it was both the Doctrine of the Apostles and Practice of the Church while it was Symmetral to obey the Magistrate and live peaceably under him though he were an Heathen how much more then are they to obey them that are Christians That Superiour and Inferiour are as natural in a people as Head and Feet in an humane body and that therefore no man can decry Government but out of madness or some villainous design to enthrall others at last under the yoke of their own lawless Fury That there are Kings and Governours under the renewed state of things in the Millennium as appears Revel 21. v. 24. and that no frame of Government can be evil where Governours rule by a good law And lastly That to make any thing essentially evil or good that is in it self indifferent and left so by Christ and his Apostles is a fundamental Transgression against the Law of the New Ierusalem whose Foundation and Structure is all upon Twelve But instead of convincing them by what is true to endeavour to stop their fury by imposing upon them by false Glosses is the next way to imbolden them the more and make them contemn the authority of them that should guide them and instruct them For the prefiguration of the Apostasie of the Church and her Recovery out of it which may be done at least without changing any Temporal Powers and Superiorities is a thing so plain that it cannot be hid 4. A third Use of the Apocalypse is the Answering a very crooked Objection both from the Iew and Atheist For seeing things have been so ill for so many Ages of the Church together that the World has grown Pagan again after a manner and that the Turk has also swallowed so great a part of the Church surely there is no true Religion at all nor Providence will the Atheist say and the Iew at least that their Messiah is not yet come Idolatry having in a manner filled all the Nations that profess him But to both we may answer That nothing has hapned in all this but what was foreseen by God and predicted plainly in these Visions of the Apocalypse to say nothing of what Daniel had more generally adumbrated before Which therefore is rather an Argument for Providence then against it and a demonstration of the Messiah's faithfull vigilancie over his Church rather then of his not yet having gathered one in the world For it is plain that Christ is the Author of those holy Visions and that the great Plagues that have fallen upon the Church either by the Turk or others have been by reason of their Apostasie from the Purity of the Apostolick Faith and Practice 5. A fourth Use and that an eminent one of the Apocalypse is to be as a clear Mirrour of both the Apostasie of the Church and of the Way of her Recovery The Apostasie of the Church is intimated more generally in the number of the Name of the Beast whose Root being 25 as the Root of the Number of the Apostolick Church 12 intimates that their Apostasie consists in the general of adding to the Root and Foundation of Christian Religion supernumerary Articles of their own invention and coining being not contented with the Essentials or Fundamentals of Faith which were clearly and plainly delivered by the twelve Apostles and are easily without any dispute and contest understood to be in the holy Scriptures I intimated also before from the Root of 666 being 25 resolvable also into 5 again That their Apostatical Religion was framed chiefly to gratifie and entertain the external Senses that it began there and ended there and let the Diviner and more heavenly motions of the Mind lie asleep But yet more particularly this Apostasie is indigitated by the Square 666 as if the poison of the sixth Head of the Beast that red bloudy Dragon that is cruel Persecution and Idolatry were spred through the body of the Apostatized Church Whose chief part the Two-horned Beast must needs be who made the whole Romane Empire very lively resemble the Beast whose deadly wound he healed that is the ancient Pagan Power But enough of this it being a Theam that will be over-eagerly listned to by some and obstinately without any consideration and reason rejected by others 6. But this Apocalyptick Glass is not only for the Romanist but all the Churches of Christendome to look their faces in and to consider how much they are still engaged or how far emerged out of this Lapse and Apostasie or whether they be quite emerged out of it or no. For I must confess I do much scruple the matter and that upon account of the 1260 daies wherein the Woman is in the Wilderness and the Witnesses mourn in sackcloth Concerning the Epocha of which daies the very highest Mr. Mede pitches upon is 365 namely from the death of Iulian which will end the 1260 daies Anno 1625. But many years before this were there the same different Churches that there are now Wherefore it is a sign that the Woman was not then nor yet is out of the Wilderness but that the true Church is still hid in these divisions of Churches and that all hitherto for the outward face of things is but a wilde Desart Moreover those Divisions of Churches which were made about an hundred years ago and which immediately became the Churches of this or that Polity if those Alterations then had been into a way purely Apostolical it had been plainly the enlivening of the Witnesses and the calling of them into Heaven many years before the expiration of the 1260 days Which is a strong presumption all is not yet right and that the Witnesses are not yet alive nor the Woman yet out of the Wilderness 7. Wherefore out of a due humility and modesty suspecting our selves not to have emerged quite out of this General Apostasy of the Church into which the Spirit of God has foretold she would be lapsed for 1260 years let us see if we can find out what Remainders of this Lapse are still upon us Which I suppose we shall be the more ready to acknowledge by how much more they shall be found to symbolize with that Church whom we justly judge to be so manifest an Apostate Now I demand Is not one Fundamental miscarriage in that Church That they make things Fundamental that are not and mingle their own humane Inventions with the infallible Oracles of God and imperiously obtrude them upon the people We are very sensible our selves of this in Ceremonies And are not uncertain and useless Opinions as arrant a ceremony as Ceremonies themselves which we so kick against and fly away from like wild horses Nay I may adde also That it will be hard to wash our hands clean from that other badge of the Beast Unchristian Persecution in points of Religion and that for differences where Christ himself has
strife about their vain and useless Opinions and Ceremonies This I believe we will be prone enough to acknowledge against others namely in those dominions wherein Popery has so great a stroke but it is more to our advantage to examine also what is amiss at home For it does not follow because the Number of the Beast is not upon us that we do not Bestianize nor is it the purple spots but the disease that is mortiferous But the case is as if a man not yet knowing Sheep from Goats should be told that those in such a pasture that had such a Mark or figure upon them were Goats It were a fond thing for him to think that this mark or figure were so of the essence of a Goat but that when in another place he met with a creature so shaped of the like bigness and with such a cry as a Goat has he might take the boldness to pronounce that that was a Goat too though the abovesaid Marks were wanting Wherefore let us impartially consider whether we be yet pure Sheep or no. If the Witnesses be dead in both a Moral and Political sense amongst us that is if we follow the name or authority of any man and be ruled more by that then the plain Scriptures if we are not content with such a Faith as is plain out of them and was the Faith of the Church when it was Symmetral if by fulsome and course Antinomianisme by the doctrine of the Needlesness or Impossibility of being good and of living according to the Precepts of Christ we hinder the Scripture from being alive in us and by mingling conceits of our own and imperiously imposing of them upon others hazard with some the belief of the whole and keep others out of such place and authority as naturally falls to their share though never so cordial and exemplary Christians according to the old Symmetral pattern we having thus transgressed that holy ancient and Apostolick Number 12 by our new-fangled additions and adding also Persecution thereto do as certainly become or continue part of the Beast as the Goat is a Goat without the above-said mark and figure upon him Nor shall we ever be quit from the crime of slaying the Witnesses till we lay aside all heat and pride in preferring our own Opinions whereby we do but make void the weighty Precepts of Life and make the Commandments of God of none effect by our Traditions engaging the affections of the people in things that are unprofitable and inuring them to lie cool to the indispensable Law of Christ. Which is truely to slay the Witnesses and to let them lie stark dead in the streets And while those that govern govern for themselves and love to feel their own power and forget that the very Rule of their Government is the comfort and ennoblement of the spirits of the people that they may be free and knowing faithful Christians and Subjects and that whatever any one has it is given him for the good of another and not for the satisfaction of his own vain lusts while such miscarriages as these are in either Ministery or Magistracy Supreme or Subordinate in what measure these are in that measure is Moses and Aaron Zerobabel and Ieshua the Old Testament and the New Testament slain and cast out dead into the streets and all Power let it change into what frame it will but the playing of the Leviathan in the waters of the Sea making the deep boil before him and leaving an hoary tract of froth after him boasting himself in his Power and Title that he is the Prince of the children of Pride 9. Wherefore that Millennial Happiness that some men talk so loud of is not in demolishing of all Ranks and Orders of Superiority in Church or State which things are natural and necessary but in the right administration of affairs in both by those Orders of men Who if they would reform all things according to the Apostolick Rule and institute such a Discipline as would countenance the indispensable life of God not the unprofitable humors of rash and fallible men and every one in their rank would pay their duties of support and succour to the people that every man that is honest and vertuous might live according to his quality in a Christian comfortable way the Tributes of Honours and Titles to such Orders of men are but their just due and become as well usefull as ornamentall to the world It is therefore but a Fanatick or Satanick fury in such that under pretence of ushering in the Fifth Monarchy as they call it would destroy all Orders and Ranks in Church and State as if the Wrath of man could work the Righteousness of God when neither these Orders themselves have any unholiness in them nor the Persons haply in possession are less Saints then they that would pull them down For if the enriching a man's self by the destruction of others entitle a man to Saintship the greatest Robbers are in the readiest way to enter into the Holy of Holies But such Zelots as these what miserable Redeemers they are like to prove is too sadly prefigured by that Iewish faction at Ierusalem more intolerable by far to the Inhabitants then the Enemy that besieged them Wherefore the gaping after a Fifth Monarchy in this sense can be nothing else but the thirsting after spoil and bloud many men being stimulated thereto by the secret sting of the old Serpent in Envy to the Church of Christ hoping to root out the Gospel by destroying of setled Authority and by starving the Ministery and so to bring in a rabble of Fanatical Superstitions or Atheistical Prophanenesses The most certain prevention whereof in my judgment is the Reduction of the Church by those that are in Authority to such a frame as is purely Apostolical For then the constitution of things will be so sacred and unexceptionable that it will awe and keep off the Villainy and Boldness of such men that are otherwise encouraged by the conspicuous intermixture of things false Idolatrous and impious to flie against all at once and to rend all into pieces Besides that they row with the stream and the tide of Divine vengeance will carry them along which will ever and anon flow in upon the Church till a true and sincere Reformation For there is no Stability to be expected till that City be raised whose not only Foundation is laid in Twelve but whose Gates Tribes Angels the breadth and height of the wall and the solid Content of the whole City are nothing else but the Replication still of Twelve throughout that is to say till that Church appear that is purely Apostolical in Life and Doctrine 10. Which times being so very near at hand as appears by compute of Prophecie it should be a great encouragement for every one to look thither-ward and to shake off that Dulness and Lethargicalness that has possess'd the world so long as if it would never
be better For this Article of Infidelity among the rest keeps the Witnesses still dead in all the senses above-named Wherefore let every man reform himself and exhort and encourage his neighbour and witness the good witness of the power of God to the conquering and subduing of all manner of Sin For these times come not on by Rapine and Violence but by the increase of Righteousness upon Earth For the real and speedy advancement whereof there is nothing more effectual then the belief That God will now in these last times of all give more then ordinary assistance to them that will be faithfull in his Covenant and that the work of Righteousness will goe on with much more ease then heretofore and with infinitely better success Wherefore it is good striking while the Iron is hot and making use of this Day of Salvation lest such Prophecies of grace being conditionall it may fare with us as it did with the Israelites whose carkasses fell in the wilderness in a tedious delay and a long leading them about who otherwise had in their own persons entred the promised Land So I do not see that it is impossible or improbable but this Prophecie of the Churches change into so excellent a state may be foreslacked by the ill management and faithlesness of them from whom God more peculiarly expects that they should be industrious Labourers in this white Harvest of Apostolick Purity and Sanctity they having now for some time separated from the great Babylon to build those that are lesser and more tolerable but yet not to be tolerated for ever it being more then high time they should clear up into an holy City of God Otherwise I do not see but the success is likely to answer the endeavours of them that are chiefly concerned And the variety of numbring the period of time by Daies Months and Semi-Times seems to threaten some such matter And therefore according to that laxer computation by Months and Semi-Times there may lie hid a reserve of delay for thirty nay an hundred or two hundred years longer then God otherwise intended to commence this glorious Dispensation But the certainty of the Events of other Prophecies that precede in order if this Promise be not conditional to both Jew and Christian is a Demonstration that it will not fail to take effect This is the faithfullest Account that I can give of the affairs of Christendome from the pouring out of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles till Christ's coming again in the Spirit to renew his lapsed Church into true Holiness and Righteousness in the rising of the Witnesses and the reigning of the Saints upon Earth a thousand years The close of which will be The Day of Iudgment properly so called which after this long but not impertinent Digression if it be a Digression we shall now take into consideration BOOK VI. CHAP. I. 1. Three chief things considerable in Christ's Return to Iudgment viz. The Visibility of his Person The Resurrection of the Dead and the Conflagration of the World 2. Places of Scripture to prove the Visibility of his Person 3. That there will be then a Resurrection of the dead not in a Moral but a Natural sense demonstrated from undeniable places of Scripture 4. Proofs out of Scripture for the Conflagration of the world as out of Peter the 3 Chap. of his second Epistle 5. An Interpretation of the 12 and 13 verses 6. A Demonstration that the Apostle there describes the Conflagration of the World 7. A Confutation of their opinion that would interpret the Apostle's description of the burning of Jerusalem 8. That the coming of Christ so often mentioned in these two Epistles of Peter is to be understood of his Last coming to Iudgment 9 10. Further confirmation of the said Assertion 11. Other places pointed at for the proving of the Conflagration 1. IN the Return of Christ to Judgment these Three things are to be considered as very nearly annected and comprehended in it The Visibility of his Person and pomp of his coming The Resurrection of the Dead and Conflagration of the World But because all these things are doubted by some that do not profess themselves Anti-Scripturists I shall first produce such places of Scripture as do plainly assert these Points and then in the next place shew how Reasonable the Assertion is 2. The Visible or personal Return of Christ to Iudgment though it may be proved from many places yet I shall content my self with a few And I must confess I look upon the 24 of Matth. from the 30 to the 32 verse where the Son of Man is said to come in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory and to send out his Angels with a mighty sound of a Trumpet to be a pregnant Testimony thereof But the 29 verse to be a description of the state of the World especially of the Roman Empire till the appearance of the sign of the Son of Man But whether this sign of the Son of Man be the same with the Son of Man coming in the clouds or some sign in the Heavens to be given long before his coming for the Conversion of the Jews I take not upon me to decide But from the 32 to the 36 verse I think there our Saviour may reassume his first Subject the Destruction of Ierusalem and therefore being within the view of the Temple and of the City he uses the pronoun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these things in his prophecie of them But in the 36 verse pursuing his prediction of the end of the World he saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but concerning THAT day and so he gives wholesome precepts of watchfulness to his Church to the end of this Chapter Which sense is very agreeable to the following Chapter which most easily and naturally is wholy to be understood of the last Judgment But from the 31 verse of that Chapter to the end even they that would wind the former part of the Chapter to another sense acknowledg it to be understood of the last Day And there the Visible Pomp of Christ coming to judge the World is plainly set down viz. his sitting upon a throne with his holy Angels about him To these you may add the Testimonie of the two men clothed in white shining raiments that told the Disciples as they were gazing up into Heaven after Christ as he ascended that he should come down again in the same manner as they had seen him goe into Heaven As also that of S. Paul to the Thessalonians For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we be ever with the Lord. These places are so plain concerning the Visible Appearance of Christ's
the Immortality of the Soul the main Branches of the ancient Cabbala was also communicated But it is no where said nor can be conceived That God the Father distinctly from the Son and Holy Ghost gave the Law to Moses but it was an act as all acts ad extra are of the entire Godhead Nor is the Father nor the Holy Spirit excluded in the oeconomie of the Gospel but their Glory is acknowledged coequal and their Majesty coeternal Nor again can the Church ever cease to be under the Belief of Iesus Christ so as that any other God-service should justle that out by its succession For the Belief of the Promises of Christs coming again visibly to Judgement and Crowning his true members with Eternal Life and Glory must of necessity continue till the Promises themselves be fulfilled Which are but phantastically conceived to be fulfilled in the Service of the Love 6. Moreover how can that Dispensation pretend to be the Ministry of the Spirit where men are kept off from believing the inward manifestations of their own Mind where alone they can be properly said to be taught of God and urged to give up all their Light and Consciences to be rul'd at the pleasure of the Elders of his Family This is not to be inspired by God but to be taught merely by men and to be carved and shaped out like a piece of dead Marble by the hand of the Statuary So wholy unlike the Dispensation of the Spirit is this Oeconomie of the Service of the Love Beside that it is a piece of Rapine and Robbery to appropriate that to their Family which is the Peculiar of every true Believer in Christ who assuredly have the assistance of the Holy Spirit as I have proved at large in the following parts of my Discourse 7. But if any one will adventure to affirme That after this dead Forme of Religion and external flattery of the Person of Christ which has continued too-many Ages there will succeed a more general Reign of the Spirit of Life and experimental knowledge of his Sceptre and Power in us subduing all his enemies there under his feet and renewing the World in true Righteousness and Holiness it is that which I in no wise oppose nay I must confess I have a fatal and unalterable propension to think it to be true and that this may be that Regnum Spiritús which the Cabbalists of old did presage and does begin with the Reviving of the Witnesses in the Apocalypse of S. Iohn Of which things I have already spoke But in the mean time this is not the special work of any one man but like the Vision of Ezekiel where Breath comes from the four Winds of Heaven upon the bones already covered with sinews flesh and skin and behold they lived and stood upon their feet an exceeding great Army an orderly Company such as the Church of Christ ought to be For this Internal power of the Spirit will not annul or destroy the External Frame of Christian Religion as it referrs to the Offices of the Person of Christ the Head of his Church as these Satanical Impostors would pretend but rectifie and corroborate it and make it more irreprehensibly and enravishingly beautifull as there was more lustre in those raised Bodies after the Spirit of life had entred into them then when they were mere dead carkasses 8. Besides if we did conceive that this Dispensation of Christ in the Spirit was to be in a more special manner promoted by the Ministry of some one Person it does not at all follow that H. Nicolas is the man and not onely so but I am confident I shall make it manifest that it is impossible that it should be he Which I shall have sufficiently performed when I have demonstrated that he is nothing at all of that which he pretends to be but only a mere mistaken Enthusiast if not worse which was the last part of my Purpose And this I conceive is fully evinced by proving him to have laid aside all the Offices of the Person of Christ as he is Man and intercepted all the hopes of his Visible Return to Judgement in the clouds of Heaven and of rewarding all true Believers with that glorious Crown of Life in an Heavenly Body at the last day Which things are so clear in Scripture that the Scripture it self must loose its authority if these things once loose their belief as is manifest by what we have said already in this present Treatise And therefore he that denies these things it is plain he is not inspired of God but is a Minister and Factor for the Devil CHAP. XV. 1. That the Personal Offices of Christ are not to be laid aside That he is a Priest for ever demonstrated out of sundry places of Holy Writ 2. That the Office of being a Iudge is also affixed to his Humane Person proved from several Testimonies of Scripture 3. Places alledged for the excluding Christ's Humanity with Answers thereto 4. The last and most plausible place they do alledge with an Answer to the same 1. NOW that the Humane person of Christ as I may so call it is not to be laide aside is evident not to repeat what I have elsewhere alledged from the whole Epistle of the Author to the Hebrews For he that there is said to be an high Priest for ever is that very man who was crucified on the Cross at Ierusalem who was said to be like unto his brethren in all things that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things appertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that tempted And it is further clear that it is this very man we speak of in that he is said to be born not of the Tribe of Levi but of the Tribe of Iuda chap. 7.14 and yet he is there declared a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec Read the whole Chapter nothing can be more clearly asserted then the Everlasting high-Priesthood of this man who sanctifying the People with his bloud suffered without the gate Which are such particularities as must needs affix the Eternal high-Priesthood to the Humane person of Christ. Again in that he is said to suffer but once it is apparent that it is to be literally understood of his Humane person And every priest standeth dayly ministring and offering oftentimes the same Sacrifices which can never take away sins But this man after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down at the right hand of God c. And yet more fully in the foregoing Chapter For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entreth into
we needed to charge this Prophecie with though it be probable enough it is contained in it There are sundry other places that serve for the proof of this seventh Character but because it is sufficiently enough demonstrated already and little or no controversie made of it I pass to the eighth 7. Which is the Messiah his abolishing the Superstition of the Gentiles that is such worship as they had no divine warrant for they being so grosly mistaken in the Object This is so plainly included in the two last Characters that I need add no other proof But if there were need that in the 2 and 110 Psalms might further confirme it Where he is constituted a new King and Priest and therefore implies new Religion and Laws and such as the heathen were ignorant of before but such as they must obey upon pain of high displeasure 8. The last Character is the long Duration of the Messiah's Kingdome Psalm 89. v. 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lye unto David His seed shall endure for ever and his throne as the Sun before me It shall be established for ever as the moon and as a faithful witness in heaven Also Psalm 45. v. 6. Thy throne ô God is for ever and ever the sceptre of thy Kingdome is a right sceptre c. Which Prophecie makes good the former and shews how it is to be fulfilled in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Messiah See also Psalm 72. which the Hebrew Rabbins do acknowledge to be understood of the Messiah Also Daniel 2.44 and 7.27 This Character is so clear that I need not insist any longer upon it 9. These are the main Marks and Characters of the Person of the Messiah by which we may infallibly find out who he is And who indeed can he be according to these Characters but Iesus whom we Christians worship For what competitor for the Messiahship but he was being a Iew rejected by the Iews and crucified Who is it that arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven but he Who ever delivered so pure Doctrine to purge the World from wickedness and to enlighten the Nations as he It is he therefore whom the Nations waited for and have received It is he for whose sake they parted with their old vain and impure Superstitions by whose Doctrine they are brought to the knowledge of the Eternal God And lastly it is he whom for his bitter sufferings God has exalted above Angels and Archangels and all the host of Heaven and has set him at his own right hand to be a Priest and King over his Church for ever CHAP. IX 1. The peculiar Use of Arguments drawn from the Prophecies of the Old Testament for the convincing the Atheist and Melancholist 2. An Application of the Prophecies to the known Events for the conviction of the Truth of our Religion 3. That there is no likelihood at all but that the Priesthood of Christ will last as long as the Generations of men upon Earth 4. The Conclusion of what has been urged hitherto 5. That Christ was no fictitious Person proved out of the History of Heathen Writers as out of Plinie 6. And Tacitus 7. As also Lucian 8. And Suetonius 9. That the Testimony out of Josephus is supposititious and the reasons why he was silent concerning Christ. 10. Julian's purpose of rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem with the strange success thereof out of Ammianus Marcellinus 1. WE have now made a very considerable Progress in the proof of the Reality of Christian Religion That it is more then a mere Idea Let us here make a stand and breath a while and contemplate with our selves the peculiar Use and advantage of this present Argument for the stopping the mouths as well of the bold Atheist as the suspicious Melancholist For indeed it is too true and every good man could wish it were not so that the latter Ages of the Church have not dealt faithfully with the World but beyond the bounds of all modesty and conscience obtruded upon the people fond Legends and forged Miracles as if they were given up into their hands onely to be imposed upon and abused Which consideration does cast some men into an unchangeable misbelief of the whole business of Christianity and makes them look upon it all as a mere Fiction and Fable For they measure the Genius of the Primitive Church by what they see practised before their eyes now-adayes and look upon the whole Tribe of the Priests as Impostors Which censure though it be most unjust yet it will be very hard to convince these Censurers but that it is very true unless by some such Argument as now lies before us viz. That the ancient Prophecies in the Old Testament could not be forged by the Christian Priests and that the Jews would not forge them against themselves Nay they that know any thing of the Jews will acknowledge them so religiously addicted to the Letter of these holy Writings that knowingly and wittingly they durst not alter a tittle Wherefore all those Prophecies we have alledged are real and we have made good they clearly foretel That the Messiah should come many hundred years ago therefore it is plain he is come 2. I therefore demand of either the Prophane or Melancholick who is this Messiah if Iesus be not he Nay I appeal to them if the very Characters of his Person be not certainly to be known by their own Senses agreeably to the Prediction of those infallible Oracles The Prophecies have said He should be rejected of his own Ask the Iews they will acknowledge they have rejected him The Prophecies foretold he should be cut off be killed by them Ask the Iews they will not deny but that they did condemn him to death but deservedly as they contend for their own excuse The Prophecies foretold his Doctrine should enlighten the Gentiles Ask thine own eyes if the Gentiles be not turned from their vain unwarrantable Superstitions to the knowledge of that one God that made heaven and earth and of Iesus Christ whom he hath sent The Prophecies prefigured his rising from the dead and his ascending up into Heaven and ask thine own Conscience if thou dost not believe that this was alwaies the belief of the Christians and consult with thine own Reason if it had been possible that the Death of Christ could have drawn all the World after him if it had not been seconded with his Resurrection Certainly those that believed on him before had deserted him after his death if he had not risen from the dead but of that more fully hereafter Lastly the Prophecies foretold that the Messiah should be worshipped as a divine Person and receive divine Honour and that God would make him a King and Priest for ever Ask thine own senses if thou dost not find it so How many thousand Temples are there consecrated to his name in how many Nations and Kingdomes of the earth is he
though the Will appear as authentick as any can do should pretend that they had burnt the true Will and forged this to his damage whenas yet he cannot prove the least tittle of this Imputation Nay I may say it is far more foolish then this For this may be feasable to burn a single Writing and then make a new one in the stead But it is altogether impossible for the Enemies of the Church ever to have suppressed or made away with those First true Copies of the Gospel which doubtlesse were in the custody of many thousand persons in severall parts of the world For the Writings being so very little in bulk and of so great concernment what Christian would not have a copy of them that was but able to reade Besides that there is not the least hint in History of any such thing Nor indeed can any Historian witnesse of matters of this kinde For who could assure him if there had been any attempt of burning them that they were all burnt and if any were but left they would multiply again in a moment and that but few would be delivered up we may be very well assured when they bore such love to that Truth they conteined that they preferred it before their own lives 3. It is therefore undoubtedly true that the Copies that we have this day of the Evangelists are Transcripts from their first Originals without any Interruption The only scruple that remains now is concerning our third and last Conclusion whether they may not be altered and depraved in some measure in so long succession of time either by chance or the pious frauds of the Church To which I answer in the first place That it is incredible but that the Gospels should escape as well as the Writings of Plato Aristotle or Tully if we look at only such alterations as may proceed from the heedlesnesse of the Transcribers and yet no man doubteth but that their Writings do now fully communicate their mindes to the World concerning those things they do declare as fully and perfectly as they themselves writ them And as for any pious frauds of the Church I answer That the Church was more simple and honest in the Apostolical times and some Ages after within which compasse so many Copies of the Gospel were extant and so dispersed throughout the World that they could not adulterate those Writings if they would For as I have said already those Writings being of so little a bulk and consequently the Transcription of them so easie the Copies would be multiplied almost equally to the number of Christians I mean of those that could reade and being so holy a Writ the Transcription be made with all possible care and circumspection For certainly Christians were very serious in their Religion in those dayes Besides it is very reasonable to believe that a special Providence would keep off both chance and fraud from wronging so Sacred Writings in any thing materiall and if not materiall what are they the worse Not to mention how Awe and Reverence to such holy Writings would naturally hold them off from mingling any thing by way of fraud or intermedling with them and the Effect makes good this presage For in perusing of them we plainly discover that Harmony and agreement of one thing with another that we may be well assured that there is nothing spurious or adulterate foisted into the Text. The multitude of various Lections also further confirms our Conclusion which is an argument of the multitudes of Copies I spoke of and the collection of these various readings a Testimony even of the faithfulnesse of these later Ages oft he Church and of the high reverence they had to these Records in that they would not so much as embesell the various Readings of them but keep them still on foot for the prudent to judge of And lastly upon perusall of those various Readings the clear discovery that nothing at all is lost of the Truth of Christian Religion by any of them and consequently no detriment or prejudice done to any but such as are more for factions and opinions then the real power of Godliness this also ratifies the Truth we drive at namely That those Copies of the Gospel which we daily peruse are incorrupted and that therefore those things contained in them are certainly true as being writ by the pens of those who had sufficient knowledge of what they declare being either Eye-witnesses of the same or conferring with them that were and both of that unsuspected Integrity that the like is not to be found in any Witnesses else in the World CHAP. XII 1. More particular Characters of the Person of the Messiah in the Prophecyes 2. His being born at Bethlehem 3. And that of a Virgin 4. His curing the lame and the blinde 5. The piercing of his hands and feet 1. THus have we undeniably demonstrated the Truth of the Gospel and the things therein contained and consequently the Certainty and Reality of the Christian Religion which being done we can now more seasonably adde some few Characters more of the Person of the Messiah so particular and expresse that it may justly ravish us with the admiration of so punctuall a Providence as is discoverable therefrom in Predictions and Prophecies I will not instance in many because we have already finished our designe and those that love to abound more in matters of this nature may consult others that have handled them more fully and copiously We shall only resume what we above mentioned of his being born at Bethlehem of the Family of David and that of a Virgin his making the blinde to see and the lame to walk the piercing of his hands and feet and their casting lots for his vesture That these things were true of him the Gospel plainly testifies and that they were prophesied of him is as plain out of the Prophecies of the Old Testament which we shall here recite 2. And first that of Micah But thou Bethlehem Ephratah though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel whose goings forth are from old from the dayes of Eternity This is a very particular description of the Person of the Messiah from the place of his birth And it was the confessed glosse of the chief Priests and Scribes upon this Text as appears Matt. 2.4 5. To which Episcopius addes the suffrage of the Chaldee Paraphrast and R. Solomon Iarchi But that which makes this prediction and the divine Providence more admirable are the Circumstances of its completion For Bethlehem was not the Town of abode of either Ioseph or Mary nor went they thither at that time of their own accord nor upon an ordinary occasion but Augustus surely not without some special incitation from above made a Decree that all the World that is all under the Romane Empire should have their names enrolled in publick Records Wherefore all
Peace and Concord no not in Christendome it self neither in the Church nor State nor is Idolatry extirpated nor the Israelites replanted and setled in their own land all which things notwithstanding are foretold to come to pass in the dayes of the Messiah Whence say they it is plain he is not yet come But I briefly answer 1. That the Prophetical Promises of the coming of the Messiah were absolute as I have already noted the Extent of the Effect of his coming conditional men being free Agents and not fatal Actors in all things as the Iews themselves cannot deny 2. That the nature of the Gospel tends altogether to the accomplishing of those Promises of universal Peace and Righteousness and did begin fair in the first times of the Church as much as respects the Church it self 3. That whatever Relapse or Stop there has been things are not so hopeless but in time they may be amended and that they in those days when they are true Converts to Christ may if they will then desire it return to their own Land But after this serious conversion and real renovation of their Spirits into a true Christian state I cannot believe they will continue so childish as to value such things but will find themselves in the Spiritual Canaan already and on their march to that Ierusalem which is above the Mother of us all and that it will not be in the power of any but themselves to turn them out of the way 2. The other Objection or rather Evasion of that wholesome use that may be made of the Truth of the History of Christ is from that sort of Atheists that love to be thought Aristoteleans For there are two chief kinds of Atheisme Epicurean and Aristotelean The former denies all Incorporeal substance whatsoever and all Apparitions Miracles and Prophecies that imply the same Who are sufficiently confuted already by this undeniable declaration we have made The other are not against all Substances Incorporeal nor against Prophecies Apparitions and Miracles though of the highest nature insomuch that they will allow the History of Christ his Resurrection and Appearance after death the Prophecies concerning him and what not But they have forsooth this witty Subterfuge to save themselves from receiving any good therefrom in imagining that there is no such Particular Providence as we would inferre from hence because all this may be done by the Influence of the Celestial Bodies actuated by the Intelligences appertaining to each Sphere and deriving in a natural way from him that sits on the highest of the Orbs such influences as according to certain Periodical courses of Nature will produce new Law-givers induing them with a power of working Miracles assisting them by Apparitions and Visions of Angels making them seem to be where they are not and appear after they cease to be namely after their death when in the mean-time there be neither Angels nor Souls separate but all these things are the transient Effects of the power of the Heavens and Configuration of the Celestial bodies which slacks by degrees and so the Influence of the Starres failing one Religion decaies and another gets up Thus Iudaisme has given place to Christianity and Christianity in a great part of the World to Mahometisme being Establishments resulting from the mutable course of Nature not by the immediate finger of God who keeps his throne in the Eighth sphere and intermeddles not with humane Affairs in any particular way but onely aloof off hands down by the help and mediation of the Celestial Intelligences and power of the Starres some general casts of Providence upon the Generations of the Earth 3. A goodly speculation indeed and well befitting such two witty Fools in Philosophy as Pomponatius and Vaninus the latter of which seems not to give himself up to this fine figment altogether fully and conformably to the ancient doctrine of Aristotle but having a great pique against Incorporeal Beings is desirous to lessen their number as much as he can and seems pleased that he has found out That one only Soul of the Heavens will serve as effectually to do all these things as the Aristotelean Intelligences and therefore ever anon doubts of those and establisheth this as the onely Intellectual or Immaterial Principle and highest Deity but such as acts no otherwise then in a natural way by Periodical Influences of the Heavenly Bodies Where you may observe the craft and subtility of the man what a care he has of his own safety and how he has imprisoned the Divinity in those upper rooms for fear of the worst that he may be as far out of his reach as the Earth is from the Moon So cautious a counseller in these matters is an evil and degenerate Conscience 4. This is the chiefest Arcanum that the Amphitheatrum and famed Dialogues of this stupendious Wit will afford who was so tickled and transported with a conceit of his own parts that in that latter Book he cannot refrain from writing down himself a very Good for wisdome and knowledge Whenas assuredly there was never any mans Pride and Conceitedness exceeded the proportion of his wit and parts so much as his For there is nothing considerable in him but what that odd and crooked Writer Hieronymus Cardanus had though more modestly vented to the world before onely Vaninus added thereto a more express tail of bold Impiety and Prophaneness 5. I have elsewhere intimated how the attributing such noble Events to the Power of the Starres is nothing but a rotten relick of the ancient Pagan Superstition and have in my Book Of the Immortality of the Soul plainly enough demonstrated that there is no such inherent Divinity in the Celestial Bodies as that ancient Superstition has avouched or modern Philosophasters would imagine And I shall here evidently prove against this great Pretender That his removal of the Deity at that distance from the Earth is impossible For there are scarce any now that have the face to profess themselves Philosophers but do as readily acknowledge the Motion of the Earth as they do the reality of the Antipodes or the Circulation of the Bloud I would aske then Vaninus but this one question Whether he will not admit that the Sun is in that Heaven where he imagins his Anima coeliâ— and whether this Heaven be not spred far beyond the Sun and be not also the Residence of this celestial Goddess of his There is none will stick to answer for him that it is doubtlesly so Wherefore I shall forthwith inferre that let his unskilful phansy conceit us at this moment in as low a part of the Universe as he will within the space of six months we shall be as far above or beyond the Sun as we are beneath him now and yet then phansy our selves as much beneath him as before Which plainly implies that our Earth and Moon swim in the liquid Heavens which being every where this Deity of Vaninus must be every
it most consists of namely Humility Charity and Purity and therefore it will not be unseasonable to shew how expresly and particularly urgent the Gospel is for the promoting these three Graces 3. Our Saviour Christ Matth. 11. makes a solemn invitation to the first of these Vertues propounding himself an Example Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls And Matth. 5. v. 5. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth It is a promise from the same mouth The meaning of both which places is That Humility and Meekness beget a great deal of Peace and Tranquillity and enjoyment of a mans self even in this life whenas Pride exposes a man to perpetual Discontent and Impatiency Besides that the Proud man is as it were the Butt that the Almighty shoots his Arrows against to gall wound and vex the very hackstock of Divine vengeance and the sport and pastime of Misfortune God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble But my purpose is not to interpret such easie places as I alledge but merely to bring them into the Readers view And there are many more yet that testifie of the Excellency of this Grace of Humility For our Saviour again Matth. 11. entitles those Vertues especially to the knowledge of the Mystery of the kingdome of God I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Even so Father for so it seemeth good in thy sight And Matth. 18. Christ being asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven called a little childe unto him and set him in the midst of them and said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of Heaven Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little childe the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven And Chap. 20.25 Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you let him be your Minister and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant Even as the Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many In which passage is insinuated that useless and pompous honour is to have no place in the Church of Christ but that if any mans office be more honourable then another it must be also more serviceable especially in matters appertaining to Religion For to the like purpose is that Matth. 23. where the Pride and Hypocrisie of the Scribes and Pharisees is taxed For they binde heavy burthens saith our Saviour and grievous to be born and lay them upon mens shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers But all their works they do to be seen of men they make broad their Phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments and love the uppermost rooms at Feasts and the chief seats in the Synagogues and greetings in the market-places and to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi But â—â— not you called Rabbi saith our Saviour for one is your Master even Christ and all you are brethren And call no man your Father upon Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven Neither be you called Masters for one is your Master even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your Servant And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted 4. Hitherto our Saviour and that very fully In whose foot-steps the Apostles also insist Rom. 12.16 Be of the same minde one towards another Minde not high things but condescend to men of low degree Be not wise in your own conceits And Eph. 4. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called in all lowlinesse and meeknesse with long-suffering forbearing one another in love And Titus 3. Put them in minde to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates to be ready to every good work To speak evil of no man to be no brawlers shewing all meekness to all men So that we see the Christian Religion meets as well with the saucinesse of the Inferiours as with the affected domination of Superiours Thus expresly does the Gospel recommend Humility to the World CHAP. II. 1. Christs enforcement of Love and Charity upon his Church by Precept and his own Example 2. The wretched imposture and false pretensions of the Family of Love to this divine Grace 3. The unreasonableness of the Familists in laying aside the person of Christ to adhere to such a carnall and inconsiderable Guide as Hen. Nicolas 4. That this Whifler never gave any true Specimens of reall love to Mankinde as Christ did and his Apostles 5. His unjust usurpation of the Title of Love 6. The unparallel'd endearments of Christs sufferings in the behalf of Mankinde 1. THe next Branch of the Divine Life is Christian Love or Charity then which nothing is more inculcated in the New Testament Christ has left it as his Motto and the Motto of his Church the Symbolum or Word whereby it may be known to whom they belong Iohn 13.34 A new commandement I give unto you That ye love one another as I have loved you that ye love one another By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye love one another As if he should have said You may have heard something indeed out of Moses of loving ones neighbour as himself which Precept as it did not reach so far as I intend this of mine and that which it reached at is utterly laid aside and neglected I now afresh set it on foot and upon such terms and in such a degree and manner as never was yet For I would have you love one another even as I have loved you that is so heartily and sincerely that you will be ready to lay your lives down one for another if need require Which is more express Chap. 15.12 This is my commandment That ye love one another as I have loved you Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends Which Christ doing for his Church especially in those circumstances he did is an unparallel'd specimen of true love indeed and the highest obligation that can be of our loving both him and one another 2. Which things while I consider I cannot with patience think upon the gross imposture of that bold Enthusiast of Amsterdam who giving no sound evidence of any such Love as may be deemed
fruit of Godliness properly so called Nor can we applie our hearts seriously and sincerely to this kind of Godliness long but we shall find answers to our praiers and breathings after God beyond both our own expectation and the belief of others and therefore enjoying the victory through the Divine grace that is sufficient for us and getting so glorious a triumph over our lusts we finding our Souls transported with an high sense of thankfulness to our Redeemer and Benefactour who wants nothing of our retributions himself the stream of our affections is naturally driven downwards to his Church to the Saints that dwell upon earth and those that excell in vertue or at least pretend unfeigned endeavours after it And this is properly brotherly Kindness which carries our affections to those that profess the same Religion with our selves Which brotherly Kindness arises not only out of this consideration of thankfulness toward God but out of the very temper and condition of the Soul thus purified according to what S. Peter intimates that having purified our Souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit the end and result thereof is the loving our brethren Or else what serves this Purification for Shall Envy shall Hatred shall Lust shall Ambition shall Luxury shall those enormous desires and affections be cast out of the Soul by Sanctity and Purity that she may be but a transparent piece of ice or a spotless fleece of snow Shall she become so pure so pellucid so crystalline so devoid of all stains and tinctures of all soil and duller colours that nothing but still shadows and Night may possess that inward diaphanous Purity Then would she be no better then the nocturnall Air no happier then a statue of Alabaster All would be but a more cleanly sepulchre of a dead starved Soul But there is no fear of so poor an event upon so great preparations For Love and Desire are so essentiall to the Soul that she cannot put them off but change them She is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Psellus calls her an immaterial and incorporeal fire an unextinguishable activity and will catch at some Object or other And therefore if she has ceased to love the world and the Lusts of her own body she will certainly love the body of Christ the Church and study how to help them and advantage them Nor can she stop here but this pure and quick flame mounts upwards and is reflected again downwards and vibrates every way reaching at all Objects in Heaven and in Earth as natural fire enters all combustible matter And therefore in her pure and ardent speculations of the Godhead and his unlimited Goodness and also her observations of the capacity of the whole Creation of receiving good both from him and one another she overflowes those narrow bounds of brotherly Love and spreads out into that ineffably-ample and transcendently-divine grace and vertue universal Charity which is the highest accomplishment the Soul of man is capable of either in this life or that which is to come and thus at last she becomes perfect as her Father which is in Heaven is perfect 5. This is that most excellent way which S. Paul speaks so transportedly and triumphantly of 1 Cor. ch 13. Where having first numbred out the manifold Gifts that God bestowed upon his Church as Preaching Prophesying working of miracles gifts of healing and diversity of tongues he immediately breaks out in the rapturous commendations of Charity above all Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels and have not Charity I am become as a sounding brass and a tinckling cymball And though I have the gift of Prophecie and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have no Charity I am nothing And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing And after he has raised our expectation and estimation of this Heavenly grace with these high words of his he does not as the vain Enthusiast does heat our phancies and leave our judgment in the dark but he does very distinctly and copiously describe to us the nature of this Divine vertue so that we may plainly know where to be and what to seek after and how to be satisfied whether we have attained to it or no. 6. Charity suffereth long and is kinde Charity envies not Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up doth not behave her self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evill complies not with iniquity but rejoiceth with the truth Beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things This is a very full and lively description of Love and Charity and the character of the sweetest and Heavenliest perfection that is communicable to the nature of man and so warmly poured out from the sincere heart of this rich possessour of it the holy Apostle that it is to me more moving then all the canting language of the highest fanatical Pretenders to the profession of this Mystery 7. This is the highest participation of Divinity that humane nature is capable of on this side that Mysterious conjunction of the Humanity of Christ with the Godhead and therefore this is that whereby we become the Sons of God as S. Iohn has evidently declared in his 1. Epistle general ch 4. Beloved let us love one another for Love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love And vers 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another No man hath seen God at any time If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us And again vers 16. God is Love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Several other Testimonies there are of the high estimate the true Church of Christ has of this holy Vertue of Love but what I have already cited is sufficient to shew how urgent the Precepts of the Gospel are for this excellent branch of the Divine life which we call Charity as also how inexcusably injurious impious and blasphemous to Christ those fanatical Impostors are that revolt from the Church superannuate Christ's offices and antiquate the Christian Religion under a pretence of an higher dispensation and Revelation upon which they have set the Title or Superscription of Love adorning themselves with the Churches colours that by this evil stratagem they may the more safely fall upon her and destroy her at least seduce the most simple and many times the best-meaning members of the Church from their true Head Christ Jesus who ransom'd them with his own most precious bloud Whose Soveraignty over
mean The evidence that we are to be inwardly and really righteous and not only so but in an extraordinary manner are the two Powers of the Gospel that comprehend our great and ultimate duty of being holy as he that has called us is holy of becoming perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect The following Gospel-Powers all of them are aids and helps to this design The first whereof is The Promise of the Spirit through Christ's Intercession the second The Example of Christ the third The Meditation on his Passion the fourth on his Resurrection and Ascension and the last on the last Iudgement These Powers are of such admirable efficacy if rightly applied that they are able to pul down every strong hold and to cast out all evil imaginations and every high thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ as the Apostle speaks No strength of habituated sin no violence of any lust shall be able to stand before them 3. The first of these Powers is The Promise of the Spirit I do not mean for the doing Miracles for that was but a transient business and accommodate only to the first Ages of the Church but for through-sanctification and cleansing us from all our sins and for our perfect growth in Righteousness and Holiness That this Power is a concomitant to the Dispensation of the Gospel in all true Believers is apparent both from the predictions of the Prophets and from the mouth of our Saviour and his blessed Apostles Esay 44. Hear now O Iacob my servant and Israel whom I have chosen Thus saith the Lord that made thee and framed thee from the womb and will help thee Fear not O Iacob my servant and thou Iesurun whom I have chosen For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy offspring And they shall spring up as among the grass and the willows by the water-courses Which Prophecie is most properly applicable to the Church of Christ who is the true seed of Iacob those wrastlers with God and strivers to get in at the narrow gate that leads to life they are the true Iesurun the upright of heart and sincere seekers after God those that truly hunger and thirst after righteousness and therefore God will satisfie them by the supernatural assistance of his blessed Spirit Again Ezekiel 36. ver 25. prefiguring the blessed dispensations of the Kingdome of Christ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and doe them Also Esay 41. v. 10. where certainly according to analogie of interpretations of Prophecie the seed of Abraham being a Type of the Spiritual Church of Christ and their warfare not carnal but spiritual nor the waters promised by Christ such liquors as run in Brooks and Rivers but emanations of the purifying and refreshing powers of the Spirit of God we may see with what close and faithfull assistance God is pleased to adhere to his true Israel in whom there is no guile but they are sincerely waging war and to the utmost resisting all the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil But thou Israel my servant Iacob whom I have chosen the seed of Abraham my friend fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaied for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish Thou shalt seek them and shalt not find them even them that contended with thee they that war against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee Fear not I will help thee Fear not thou worm Iacob and ye men of Israel behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing-instrument having teeth thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaffe Thou shalt fan them and the wind shall carry them away and the whirlwind shall scatter them and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord and shalt glory in the holy One of Israel When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the vallies I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water This Prophecie is an exquisite description of those full and complete Victories the Church gets against Sin and Satan by the supernatural assistance of the Spirit of God Which Promise is again repeated in the following chapter which though it be larger then the former and part cited already to another purpose yet I cannot refrain from transcribing the whole it being so plain a Prophecie of Christ as appears from the fore-part thereof and of the power of his Kingdome through the Spirit for the vanquishing of all sin and wickedness in them that do truly believe Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench he shall bring forth judgement unto truth He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he hath set judgement in the earth and the Isles shall wait for his Law Thus saith God the Lord he that created the Heavens and stretched them out he that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it he that giveth breath to the people upon it and spirit to those that dwell therein I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles To open the blind eyes to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another neither my praise to graven images Behold the former things are come to pass and new things do I declare before they spring forth I
all divine Ioy 8. Of Health and Safety 9. And of eternal Salvation 10. That God also hereby is deprived of his Glory and the Church frustrated of publick Peace and Happiness 1. THis sad reckoning may be comprized under these two general heads The Good of man and The Glory of God Those particulars in which the Good of man chiefly doth consist be these 1. True Wisedom and a sound Iudgement in things 2. Noble and profitable Actions 3. Honourable Repute 4. Peace and Tranquillity of Minde 5. Divine Ioy and Triumph of Spirit 6. Health and Safety here in this life 7. Eternal Happiness hereafter And now first that we are deceived and cheated of true Wisedom and a sound Mind by this fond supposal That we may be righteous though we be not righteous as Christ was righteous that is in doing of righteousness will sufficiently appear from this That Righteousness and Holiness is the only true way to Divine Wisdome and a sound judgement in things Which may be made good both by manifold testimonies of Scripture and from the nature of the thing it self If any one will doe the will of God he shall know of my doctrine saith Christ whether it be from God or whether I speak of my self John 7. And in the Psalms The fear of the Lord by which is understood Righteousness the eschewing evil and doing good as the Psalmist himself explains it is the beginning of wisdome a sound Iudgement have they that doe thereafter c. And elsewhere The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he is mindfull of his Covenant to make them know it as the Hebrew will be well rendred And Job 32. I said Daies should speak and multitude of years should teach wisdome But there is a spirit in a man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding But how this Inspiration and Spirit of Wisdome has for its abode an heart really righteous the Wisdome of Solomon will tell us insomuch that he that is contented to forgoe Righteousness must also of necessity fall short of Wisdome Wisdome cannot enter into a wicked heart saith he nor dwell in a body that is subject unto sin For the holy Spirit of discipline fleeth from deceit and withdraweth her self from thoughts that are without understanding and is rebuked when wickedness cometh in Wisdome therefore and Unrighteousness cannot abide under the same roof Our bodies cannot be both the Temples of the living God and of a deceitfull Idol And if it were needfull to add any thing Allegorical and Mysterious to these plain Testimonies of Scripture we might also urge that this precious truth That Wisdome rises out of Righteousness was also shadowed out in the fourth days Creation wherein the lights of Heaven were made For that mysterious Jew on the place records this observable priviledge of the number Four 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Quaternarie Number is the first Quadrate pariter par or equally equal the measure of Iustice and Equity Wherefore the number here of the Day being a Symbol of Righteousness that which was created in that day viz. the Lights of Heaven may very well be the Symbols of divine Knowledge or Wisdome viz. the Sun of Righteousness as Christ is called intimating that the Divine Wisdome is conceived and brought forth or if you will created in Righteousness So that this Intellectual Sun does not arise and shine upon our Minds til this fourth day the day of Righteousness But then that in the Proverbs is made good That the path of the just is as the shining light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that goes on and shines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 til the firmitude or stability of the day and that 's at Noon which is the Solstice of the day where his altitude does not so sensibly vary So that the sense is That the path of the righteous is like the course of the Sun who still climbs up til he fully reach his Meridian But the way of the wicked is as darkness as it is in the following verse they know not at what they stumble 2. And thus it is plain from Testimonies of Scripture That divine Wisdome and a sound Mind is not to be attained unto but through Righteousness And that consequently he that forgoes real Righteousness must of necessity lose true Wisdome But beside this there are also innate arguments taken from the things themselves whereby the same Truth may be proved For it is apparent that Corruption of the Will like rust eats away the strength defaces the beautie and obscures the brightness of the Understanding and dulls the edge of the natural wit But to point out more at large some Reasons why the unrighteous must be also unwise The first is From the falseness of the wicked heart the second From the asymmetry or incongruity the vitious Mind has with divine Truth And for the former it is a manifest reason why God does not commit the treasures of Wisdome to the unrighteous For he will not put it into the custody of false men How carefull the divine Wisdome is in this point Siracides has very fitly described chap. 4. For first she will walk with a man by crooked waies and bring him unto fear and dread and torment him with her discipline until she have tried his soul and proved him with her judgements Then will she return the straight way unto him and comfort him and shew him her secrets and heap upon him the treasures of knowledge But why she will not commit this great and pretious treasure to polluted and unholy minds is as I have said because of their faithlesness they being so likely to abuse it that is they will either contemn it as a swine does a pearl preferring either the sensual pleasures or the riches or the honours of the world before it and so quenching the good grace of God by their base lusts and evil desires are cast off by God in a deserved scorn For the divine Wisdome is not so vile and cheap a thing as to intrude her self like an impudent woman into the familiarities of men but is rebuked and checked and goes her way at the entrance and appearance of her bold corrivals if they be entertained viz. The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and many such affronts will quite chase her away so that whereas she sought after us before she now sought after by us will be hard to be found or else if we do not seem to contemn her and slight her yet we may shew our selves faithless and treacherous in betraying her to other uses then God intended her As if so be we should thence endeavour to exalt our own name and please our selves in our own arrogancy setting our selves above others or use the quickness and sagacity of our Understandings to deceit or the patronizing of evil in our selves or others I say because the unrighteous man would be subject to
nothing should be exhibited to their belief but what they will all affirm they have a satisfactory conception of they will at last tread down Religion to nothing For they will not stint themselves there I mean in the rejection of the Divinity of Christ and of a Triune Deity but the notion of Angels and Spirits and of an Immateriall Soul and lastly of any Being whatsoever that is truly spiritual will appear so inconceivable to some that at last Religion will be tumbled down as low as mere Body and Matter and will find no Object but the visible World and the Sun and Starrs must be the greatest Deities And so either the ancient Pagan Superstition or else down-right Atheisme must take place CHAP. IV. 1. The due demeanour of a Christian Mystagogus in communicating the Truth of the Gospel 2. That the chiefest care of all is that he speak nothing but what is profitable for life and godliness 3. A just reprehension of the scopeless zeal of certain vain Boanerges of these times 4. That the abuse of the Ministery to the undermining the main Ends of the Gospel may hazard the continuance thereof 5. That any heat and zeal does not constitute a living Ministery 1. SOme such account as this will the prudent Communicatour of the Mystery of Christianity give to him that asks a reason of his Faith declaring his sense of things with meekness and fear as S. Peter speaks that is to say with patience and mildness towards him whom he informs and with holy respect and reverence towards God whose Messenger in some sort he is and therefore ought to be careful that he mistake not his errand in any thing nor mingle of his own what he has no commission to speak nor distort the truth out of fear or favour nor make himself suspected by any levity or affected vanity in style or words that are misbecoming a matter of so great importance For quaintness of wit and studied eloquence may tickle the Ear for a time like a Musical aire the while it is playing but a faithful and serious declaration of the most weighty parts of our Religion will wound the very Heart and captivate the Soul to the Obedience of Christ. 2. And above all things he that either of himself adventures or has any better call to this office let him ever have in his eye the Usefulness of the Mystery he indeavours to communicate remembring that that is an Universal property thereof and that if either his inadvertency or curiosity has carried him into any Useless speculations or Theories he is most certainly led out of his way and that he is now imparting humane inventions which are nothing at all appertaining to the Gospel of Christ that he is now feeding his charge not with the sincere milk of the Word but the brackish sweat of some over-heated Brain This is the most common and the most dangerous mistake that is to be observed in this Function as if their very Art and Faculty were to let fly words for whole hours together whereof not one is directed or intended towards the mark and scope of the Gospel which is the rooting out of Sin and destroying the Kingdome of the Devil 3. And yet it is a wonder to see the zeal and heat and hear the noise of these Boanerges these Sons of thunder as if every sentence were fire and lightning from Heaven against the strong holds of Sin and Satan and that they would humble every thought to the obedience of Christ who came into the World to redeem us from all iniquity and to purchase to himselfe a Church pure holy and undefiled without either spot or blemish Which End notwithstanding is for the most part not onely not aimed at but too often crossed and supplanted by Hypocritical insinuations of either the Needlesness or Impossibility of these things To be short For the most part the discourse is so off and on that a man knows not what they would have but it is as if one should bring Grey-hounds into the field and let them slip and cry allooe when yet there is no game before them Which noise though it may make them skip up and look about a while yet they will presently finde themselves unconcern'd there being nothing in sight for them to pursue 4. But if they would exhort to follow peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord this were worth our pursuance indeed as being the known and certain end of the preaching of the Gospel But if we see no such design therein and therefore act opposite to it and vilify the dawnings of that Day of righteousness that is to arise upon the World and to make that Habitations of Christendome a Land of joy and peace and discourage the people of God by telling them dreadful stories of the Sons of Anak those invincible Giants whenas there is nothing too hard nor invincible to the true Iosua our Lord Jesus the wisdome power of God verily it is to be feared that this Function which was intended by God a Fortress against Sin if it prove by unskilful zeal such a Bulwark of unrighteousness that He may dig it down and remove it as a ruinous wall of a garden whose dead rubbish and stones ever falling on the innocent herbs and flowers do smother and stifle them or as an old decaied hedge which is to be pull'd up and carried away the quick-set being grown 5. But if we will work the works of the Lord in faithfulness and according to the design of the Gospel we our selves shall become part of that Quick-set and be made living stones to hold up one another in the Temple of God And that those that are not thus enlivened may not take themselves to be so by reason of their extraordinary promptitude and vivacity I must not forbear to declare that this life we speak of is no natural heat nor the external effects of it Nor is that a living Ministry according to this sense that makes shew of the greatest zeal For verily it is well known that cooling Physick may be administred in very hot broth And it is too-too possible that such things may be delivered with the greatest heat and fervency imaginable which once received into the Minds of the hearers are so far from warming them afterwards and spiriting them to true holiness and righteousness that they even slake and extinguish the desire thereof which yet is no less a crime then stifling the life of God in the World as much as in us lies and undermining the Kingdome of Christ upon Earth These things I could not but take notice of concerning the Communication of the Gospel as being of very great use as well to the Hearer as the Teacher that neither the one might mistake himself nor the other be deceived by him CHAP. V. 1. The nature of Historical Faith 2. That true Saving Faith is properly Covenant and of the various significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. In what Law and Covenant agree 4. In what Law and Testament 5. Iâ— what Covenant and Testament agree 6. That the Church might have called the Doctrine of Christ either the New Law or the New Covenant 7. Why they have styled it rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Reason 8. Other Reasons thereof 9. The occasion of translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The New Testament 1. THE Third Derivative property of this Mystery is a power of winning assent which arises from the convincing clearness of the Truth of the Gospel This Assent which is general to all convincing Truths of what nature soever appropriated thus to this Divine Mystery is called Faith And this Faith in persons unconcerned suppose Angels or Devils whom the Gospel may not be meant for and yet believe the truth of it at least the good Angels or else in such persons as may be concern'd in the Gospel and yet will not close therewith though they believe it if there be any such that can doe so is vulgarly called an Historical Faith As if a man should throughly understand how such a one has purchased a Lordship upon such and such terms this is an Historical Knowledge in him and he can tell the whole transaction of the business and does believe it but in the mean time has no share there he professing himself either unable or unwilling to meddle upon these terms Such is Historical Faith which alone stands us in no stead to Salvation and gives no share or portion in the Kingdome of Heaven 2. But if out of this Belief and Knowledge we seriously close with the terms of the Gospel this will prove a Saving Faith and is not mere Historical knowledge and belief but Covenant The Conditions and Promises whereof are clearly comprehended in the New Testament as we ordâ—narily call it from the Latine translation But the Greek Inscription is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which might be better rendred the New Covenant but is capable also of being interpreted the New Law For of so large an extent is the signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it denoting both Law Covenant and Testament as Hugo Grotius has observed out of Plato Aristophanes and Isocrates 3. And well may these three kinds of Rights pass under one common notion and name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if we consider what agreement and affinity they have one with another For first Law and Covenant agree in Sanction especially publick Leagues and Covenants which of old were made by the mactation of some beast from whence Sanction is à Sanguine from the bloud of the Sacrifice For which cause also the Hebrew Doctours willingly deduce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 succidere as the Latins foedus à feriendo Whence the phrase of striking a covenant is so obvious both in Hebrew Greek and Latine Authors And that there is Sanction in Laws as well as in publick Contracts and Covenants is plain for that the bloud of him that transgresses is to satisfie the Law In legibus Sanctio dicitur ea pars saies Grotius quae Sanguinem delinquentis legi consecrat In laws that part is called Sanction which consecrates the bloud of the Delinquent to the law 4. Again Law and Testament have this common to them both that neither are without covenanting or contracting Nam haeres eo ipso quòd haeres est praestare debet factum defuncti subjectus alterius impeperio eo ipso quòd subjectus est ejusdem legibus parere debet For an heir or executor as such is hereby bound to perform the deed of the deceased and he that is a Subject is as such bound thereby to obey the laws of him whose subject he is as the same Author tells us 5. Lastly Covenant and Testament agree in this that at first it is free to a man whether he will contract or no and so whether he will take administration or no or be such a mans heir But it is not alwaies free whether a man will be such an ones Subject or no whenas Subjection may unavoidably descend on one as born of such parents and in such an ones Jurisdiction 6. Out of this distinct apprehension of these several significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may the more easily judge which is the most competible to the nature of the Gospel and observe the wisdome of the Ancients in making this Inscription rather then any other For they might have intitled it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having a double invitation thereto For first the Jews called their Pentateuch as also the rest of their Books of Holy Writ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Christian Doctrine is so termed also both by Paul and Iames Galat. 6. Bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ and Iam. 2. If you fulfill the royal law according as it is written Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye doe well They might also have inscribed it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose determinate sense had been then The new Covenant But then it would have hid that special sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Author to the Hebrews alludes to chap. 9.17 7. But they have made choice of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first because they seem to have an intimation from Christ himself thus to style the Gospel Matth. 26.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is my bloud of the new Covenant The same also you may read in Mark and Luke So that here being mention of Bloud Sanction properly so called and which is most conspicuous in the nature of a Covenant is herein manifested The Author to the Hebrews does more accurately and fully prosecute this Matter chap. 7 8 and 9. where ver 19. he plainly parallels the bloud of Christ to the bloud of the Covenant made by God with the Jews For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the Law he took the bloud of Calves and Goates and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying This is the bloud of the Covenant which God hath enjoined unto you To which bloud of the Jewish Covenant all along to the end of the chapter he compares the Sacrifice of Christ and the shedding his most precious bloud when he did Foedus ferire make a Covenant of peace with God for remission of sins to all Mankind 8. The other reason why they have styled it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covenant rather then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is because this Inscription more plainly insinuates unto us the sweet condescension of God Almighty and his singular goodness in the Gospel who in sending of Christ hath not dealt with us summo jure nor imperiously and minaciously as severe Law-givers use to doe but mildely and kindly as those that
be not to act according to it and to act contrary thereto intolerable For it were the wounding and tormenting a principle of life in us or the Spirit of Christ in us whereby we are not only aided and assisted to every good work but take a natural delight therein whereas under the Mosaical law we have no conformity of Spirit to either the purer Moral precepts or any complacency in the luggage of a company of insipid and burdensome Ceremonies and yet the Mosaical Dispensation though it give no strength to perform what it requires yet like Pharaoh's hard task-masters requires the same tale of brick though they withhold the straw 6. And this gives us some light into the nature of the Two Covenants in reference to the Prophecie of Ieremie But it being an argument of very great consideration I will not content my self with so scant an account thereof but make a more copious deduction of the whole matter out of Paul Gal. 4. that we may the more fully understand so important a Mystery and when I have from thence discovered the excellency of the state of the Second Covenant I shall adde such things as tend to the more useful knowledge of the entrance into it and advance in it CHAP. VII 1. The different states of the Two Covenants set out Galat. 4. by a double similitude 2. The nature of the Old Covenant adumbrated in Agar 3. As also further in her Son Ismael 4. The nature of the New Covenant adumbrated in Sarah 5. As also in Isaac her Son and in Israel his offspring 6. The necessity of imitating Abraham's faith that the Spiritual Isaac or Christ may be born in us 7. The grand difference betwixt the First and Second Covenant wherein it doth consist With a direction by the by to the most eminent Object of our Faith 8. The Second main point wherein this difference consists namely Liberty and that First from Ceremonies and Opinions 9. Secondly from all kind of Sins and disallowable Passions 10. Lastly to all manner of Righteousness and Holiness 1. TEll me ye that desire to be under the Law do ye not hear the Law For it is written that Abraham had two Sons the one by a bond-maid and the other by a free-woman But he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh but he of the free-woman was by promise Which things are an Allegorie for these are the Two Covenants the one from the Mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage which is Agar For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Ierusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children But Ierusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all Here the story of Agar and Sarah Ismael and Isaac is made to set out and that very appositely and lively the two different conditions of those that are under the Law and those that are under the Gospel that thereby the advantage and excellency of one above the other being laid open before the eyes of the Galatians they might not hereafter be any more in a tottering and fluctuating condition or sophisticate and adulterate the precious purity of the Gospel with Iudaical superfluities and useless if not now hurtfull Ceremonies but stick fast to Christ alone not going back from him to Moses nor yet mingling Mosaical Rites and Ceremonies with the plainness and sincerity of Christ. In the words we have recited there is a double Similitude We will in each first lay out the particulars of the Protases and then pass on to the Apodoses The particulars of the First are Agar Abraham's bond-woman Ismael the Son of the bond-woman and the manner of the birth of this Son of the bond-woman he was born after the flesh that is according to the ordinary course of Nature Now in the Apodosis Ierusalem that now is that is the Church of the Jews answers to Agar Abraham's bond-woman and those of that Church to Ismael the Son of the bond-woman and to the being born after the flesh the being born out of the outward letter of the Law The particulars in the Second Protasis are Sarah the free-woman and Isaac the Son of Abraham which he had of this free-woman and lastly the manner of his birth it was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was not after the ordinary course of Nature but the extraordinary power of God signified in his promise And now in the Apodosis Ierusalem that is from above that is the Church of true Christians answers to Sarah the Free-woman and those of that Church to Isaac the Son of the Free-woman and their being born of the Spirit not of the letter to the being born by promise not according to the flesh And now if we compare the particulars of these two Protases one with another in their due order we shall find a main difference or rather contrariety For Agar and Sarah differ as Bondage and Freedome and Ismael and Isaac as bond and free and the condition of their births as Nature and God And consequently there must arise a real difference or contrariety in the particulars of the Apodoses viz. betwixt the Old terrestrial Ierusalem and the New one from above betwixt the Jew Pharisee or outward Legalist and the true and real Christian and lastly betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit And so to speak compendiously this Text of the Apostle is nothing else but a description of the different conditions of the Two Covenants set out in an historical Allegorie taken from Agar and Sarah and their two Sons c. I shall therefore now fall upon them in that order as I have laid them out 2. And First therefore of Agar the bond-woman which signifies the Covenant of the Law given upon Mount Sinai For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia Which is spoken Synecdochically from a Town there called Agra by Plinie and by Dion Agara and the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek Geographers as Grotius has pertinently observed This allusion therefore to Agar on Mount Sinai where the Law was given does commend to us more handsomely and facilitate the Allegory taken from the story of Agar and Sarah But if there were not this Geographical advantage the Application will be found very sutable and apposite even without it And much of the nature of the Old and New Covenant is hinted at even in the names themselves as in this of Agar which they ordinarily interpret Peregrina What the relation of habitude is betwixt the Soul of man and the things of the Old Covenant is very fitly set down in the meaning of this Name Agar For verily as for those things that were Positive and Ceremonial in the Law of Moses they are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things strange and of no affinity with the Soul and as for those things that are most precious and most indispensably good in the Law of Moses the Soul in
no better a dispensation then under the Law is plainly a Stranger to them For the Law conveies no life but all congruity sympathy and vital affinity must arise out of a Principle of life And hence it is that the Law makes nothing perfect and that Righteousness cannot be of the Law as I have above intimated out of the Apostle The Law therefore giving no life a mere Legalist is even a stranger to those things he practices and imitates under the Law and acts so as the Parot speaks by external imitation not from a due inward Faculty Secondly This Agar her condition was a bond-woman and what I pray you is it to be in bondage or not sui juris but to be constrained to act ad nutum alterius And in this condition are all those that are under the Law For they do not act according to a free inward and living Principle in them but are fain to be curb'd and fettered by an outward imposition which is perfect and proper bondage And there is no bondage but to doe or suffer otherwise then a man would himself 3. Thirdly Of this Agar is begot Ismael What 's that Ismael may signifie these two things viz. either one that has only a knowledge of God by hearsay from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audire and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus or so far as some external letter conveies it to him resolving all his faith in things concerning God into an outward Scripture only and haply is so earthly and carnal that he would scarce believe there were a God unless it were for the Scripture Or else from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obedire from obeying God in a servile and external forc'd way For Obedience implies some kind of reluctancy or that that which we obey in goes something against the hair with us but yet in obedience to the Commander we doe it nevertheless as being bound to obey And this is most of all proper to them under the first Covenant For that Law not giving life there is no Principle of life and natural and genuine compliance of the Soul of man with the spirituality of the Law under the First Covenant and therefore that of the Law which he endeavours to perform must needs go cross to him and it will be merely the obedience to the Precept not the love of the thing that will make him endeavour the performance And this is the true condition of Agar's Son Ismael And it would not be unseasonable to add also that he is a great and fierce Disputer upon the letter a notable Polemical Divine and his ignorance and untamedness of his carnal heart makes him very bold and troublesome his hand is against every man and every mans hand against him as the Scripture witnesses of him But I will not insist upon these things Fourthly and lastly This Ismael the Son of Agar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was begotten and born after the flesh or according to the ordinary and accustomary power of Nature And such an one is he that is merely under the First Covenant He is not born of the Spirit or regenerated 〈…〉 nary power and assistance of God which he that is un 〈…〉 Covenant takes hold of by Faith in the Promise but toiles and tugs with that Understanding and ordinary Naturall power is in him of externally conforming himself to the proposed Rule and under this poor dispensation when he is come to the best of this his either birth or growth he is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is but Flesh and not Spirit For that which is born of the Flesh that is of our own natural abilities is but Flesh but that which is born of the Spirit that is of God and his Divine seed in us that is Spirit the true Spiritual man the Lord from Heaven Heavenly in a Mystical sense But this under the Law is but the Son of the Flesh or the Earth is not a Son of that Ierusalem that is from above the Heavenly Ierusalem which is the Mother of as many as are real and true Christians For this is Sarah the Free-woman but the old Ierusalem is in bondage with her Children as the Apostle plainly tells us 4. And thus far have I described the condition or nature of the Old Mosaical Covenant so far forth as is intimated in the Text. I proceed now to the Second or New Covenant under Christ. And the first Particular in the Protasis here is Sarah Domina a Free-woman libera à vitiis ac ritibus as the Interpreter speaks very well one that is not commanded into obedience by others but is sui juris does what she pleases and so she may very well for nothing pleases her but what is good and therefore fit to be done For Sarah or the New Ierusalem from above is of one Spirit and one mind with Christ. And this is the true Church of Christians in whom the body of sin being dead they are free from it as the Apostle speaks to the Romans being quit thereof they walk freely and safely etiam custode remoto that surly Paedagogue the Law no longer dogging them at the heels For whatever it can suggest from without the Spirit of God whispers to them from within or indeed that living Form of all holinesse and righteousnesse the Image of Christ recovered in them guides them as easily and as naturally to as our external Senses guide our Natural man in this outward and visible world This therefore is the condition of the Church of Christ and every true member of it at least arrived to its due maturity and perfection that every Soul there is as Sarah Domina as a Queen Regent in her little world her self acting nothing forcedly but freely as from a living principle and keeping those under her in due order and subjection Which condition undoubtedly the Scripture does point at in such phrases as these He hath made us Kings and Priests and elsewhere You are a Kingly Priesthood and the like 5. Secondly Of this Sarah was born Isaac which signifies Laughter and is a signe of Chearfulness and Ioy. Because he that is a true Christian acts and walks with joy and chearfulnesse in the waies of holinesse and righteousnesse And herein is he mainly distinguished from Ismael who acts merely out of obedience to an external form and so forces himself against the hair to do or omit that which were it not that he was bound in obedience to do or omit he would take the boldnesse to neglect his inward principle being contrary to it As for example he would revenge did not the Law forbid him he would immerse himself into all manner of Sensual pleasures were he not aw'd as an hungry dog by the lash and penalty of the Law and so in other things But the Soul of a true Christian in whom Isaac is born does not act what is good or omit what is evil out of any force or fear of
Spirit in us that was in him here on Earth And therefore there will be in our very Souls an high Sympathy and ineffable pleasure and liking of that Nature and Spirit that breaths in all the actions and speeches recorded of our Saviour and a transporting delight in all the Precepts of the Gospel whether delivered by himself or his holy Apostles they will be sweeter then the honey and the honey-combe and more desirable then thousands of gold and silver as the Prophet David speaks 5. Wherefore we are never to be quiet till we find our selves fully enamoured on the very Character and Genius as I may so speak of our blessed Saviour and find our selves so affected as he was affected in the world And therefore we are to adde to our external profession fervent Prayer to God not only to resist temptations or to doe outward good works but that he would also wholly renew our nature in us that our Regeneration may be perfected and that we may be entirely transformed into the lively Image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And this not only at set times but continually as we have opportunity and vacancy from the throng and urgency of worldly affairs For then should we commune with our hearts and meditate on that divine Image and Character The Life of Christ and observe wherein we are most wanting and to what part thereof our affections are the most cool and so with serious and earnest ejaculations to God implore the help and assistance of his Spirit to compleat the good work that he has begun in us and so we shall fulfill that Precept of the Apostle Pray continually that is whether upon the emergency of some temptation or upon self-examinations and devout Meditations 6. And as we are to pray continually so we are to watch continually that is to pass from one transaction to another with circumspection making our very converse with men and affairs in the world an advantage to our main design of improvement in the Divine Life For coming thus out into company and emploiment we have thereby a present exercise of that Grace that is in us and can find thereby the better our own inabilities and defects as also what strength we are of and what proficiency we have made in the way we have chosen And so what we have will be thereby corroborated and what we want being discovered to our selves we know the better to ask it at the hands of God 7. Thus will the work assuredly go on by perpetual Meditations Prayer and Watchfulness And while thou art thus taken up with thy self take heed how thou meddlest with other men And particularly beware of despising the publick Ordinances of thy Church For thou mayst hear the same advice given thee in the open congregations that thou hast assented to as true in thine own Conscience from a faithful and knowing Ministry Which if thou beest what thou pretendest to will delight thy heart both in that it is a Testimony of the Truth and that it may take effect in others by God's blessing as well as in thee Wherefore it is no sign of a New-Covenanter but of a proud and carnal mind and of a wicked designer to vilifie these things 8. Moreover thou art to take this Advertisement along with thee concerning thy converse with men That first thou censure not any man for external matters of an indifferent Interpretation in Diet Apparel or Civil behaviour whether he be more courtly or plain in carriage whether more chearfull or more sad whether he drink wine or refrain from drinking whether he wear good clothes or goe in a meaner dress and so of other things of like nature Thou oughtest I say to passe no censure no not so much as in thy tacit thoughts about these things but esteem every man from what is truly Christian or Unchristian in him And then secondly Thou art carefully to take heed that the just liberty of another lead thee not into any inconvenience by tempting thee to imitate him But thou art strictly to keep to what thou knowest in thine own Conscience to be most for thine own safety that the good work may goe on in thee and that Righteousness may have its firm rooting and full growth But in the mean time thou art to look after thy self as a tender child or sick person who are rightly forbidden such things as grown men and in health take their liberty to make use of These two Cautions will prevent all Scandal whereby thou maiest either harm thy self or be injurious to others 9. Lastly I shall more particularly and expresly recommend to thee the frequent Meditation of these three branches of the Divine Life Humility Charity and Purity together with their deepest Root Faith in God through Iesus Christ. For if this be not taken in thy progress in the Second Covenant may degenerate into a mere accustomary or complexional frame of Morality and have nothing in it that is really Divine I am sure it will not be of that nature as to fit thee for that Eternal salvation that is promised to those that are true Believers And as concerning those Three branches of the Divine Root I would have thee to place them ever in thine eye and examine all the motions and excursions of thy Spirit into outward actions how sutable they are to these and closely observe when thou thinkest thy self so zealously carried out by the moving of one of these Principles if thou dost not run counter to another Nay it may be thy Enthusiastick Heat may carry thee so far as to sin against that very Principle that thou thinkest thy self to be moved by 10. Thus whilst thou affectest too extravagant expressions of thy Humility the discreet and knowing in Religion will thereby find out thy Pride As if thou shouldest not be content to entertain the poor at thy table but thou wilt also wait upon them with a trencher in thy hand bare-headed and doe all the offices of a Servitour to them as if thou wert celebrating the old Saturnalia Look to thy self that there be no touch of Vain-glory in it and that thou dost not desire to be talked of Consider also if it be not an offence against Charity and a scandalizing those that are without who if they can fansie thee sincere will be forcibly invited to deem thee very fanatical and melancholick and that all Religion is nothing else But true Charity doth nothing unseemly 11. When the desire of Purity also puts thee upon the chastisement of thy body doe it so hiddenly that thou maiest not offend against Humility by thy Pharisaical ostentation Wherefore if thou dost give thy mind to the mortification of the flesh shew it not to men in thy sordid clothes nor in thy sour face and hard looks but keep it to thy self as secret as thou canst that he that seeth in secret may reward thee openly 12. Art thou warmed with the sense of Charity which thou
6. Which sad Scene of things cannot but move any thoughtful Christian that does in good earnest wish well to his Religion to sift out if it be possible the true Causes of his lamentable condition of Christendome and what are the Impediments that hinder the Gospel which of it self is so powerful an Instrument as it is of Salvation from taking effect with out selves or from having freer passage into other Countries that are yet Pagan That it is our Sinnes every well-meaning man will be ready to reply But the question still remains there being amongst us the most effectual Engine that the Wisdome of God could contrive for the destroying of Sin out of the world why there is no more execution done thereby against the power of Sin and the Kingdome of Darkness then there is The enquiry therefore must be what tampering there has been with this Engine what adding or taking from it to spoil its efficacy what mistakes of the use thereof and the like For that there is something most wretchedly amiss in the use of the Gospel throughout all Christendome is very plain in that the Purpose of it is almost totally frustrated every where and Prophaneness Infidelity and Atheisme have in a manner seized the hearts of all Which most men are ready to confess some with a true Christian sorrow or hearty indignation others with a tacit joy or exteriour flearing as being glad their corrupt thoughts and practices have the countenance of so many suffrages 7. To omit therefore such Principles as are unintelligible and are for ever seal'd up out of our sight let us look upon what is intelligible and visible Let us produce such Causes into view which no man can deny but that they are as general as these horrid diseases and are extremely inclining if not absolutely effectual and necessitating the Christian world into this abominable condition it is found in at this day and many Ages before CHAP. II. 1. The most fundamental Mistake and Root of all the Corruptions in the Church of Christ. 2. That there maybe a Superstition also in opposing of Ceremonies and in long Prayers and Preachments 3. That self-chosen Religion extinguishes true Godliness every where 4. The unwholsome and windy food of affected Orthodoxality with the mischievous consequences thereof 5. That Hypocrisy of Professours fills the World with Atheists 6. That the Authoritative Obtrusion of gross falsities upon men begets a misbelief of the whole Mystery of Piety 7. That all the Churches of Christendome stand guilty of this mischievous miscarriage 8. The infinite inconvenience of the Superlapsarian doctrine 1. WHerefore freely to profess what I think in my own conscience to be true The most universal and most fundamental Mistake in Christendome and that from whence all the Corruption of the Church began and is still continued and increased is that conceited estimation of Orthodox opinions and external Ceremony before the indispensable practice of the Precepts of Christ and a faithful endeavour to attain to the due degrees of the real Renovation of our inward man into true and living Holiness and Righteousness in stead whereof there is generally substituted Curiosity of Opinion in points imperscrutable and unprofitable Obtrusion of Ceremonies numerous cumbersome and not onely needless but much unbeseeming the unsuspected modesty of the Spouse of Christ who should take heed of symbolizing any way with Idolatry which is spiritual Adultery or Fornication For while the Heart goes a whoring after those outward shows and an over-value be put upon them the inward life of Godliness will easily be extinguished and Love to the indispensable Law of Christ grow cold and dead Nay they that have the greatest zeal and fierceness as I may so speak towards Religion there is invented such an heap and cumbersome load of external performances that such a Zelot as this may spend all his strength upon the mere Outworks of Piety before he can come near to take the Fort Royal or enter the Law of perfect Liberty the Divine Life which consists in true Humility perfect Purity and sincere Charity For all such Ceremonies make but a show in the flesh nor can reach to the Regeneration of our Mindes into the unfeigned Love of our brethren Whence the most seemingly religious this way may be the most accursedly cruel and unjust the most implacable and uncharitable that can be And yet according to that false model of Religion that humane invention has set out to the world he may both take himself and others also may take him to be Seraphically pious though in the judgment of Christ and of his true Church he lie in the gall of Bitterness and bond of Iniquity 2. And in other parts of Christendome where the pomp of Ceremonies and exteriour Superstition is not so much urged though a man at first sight might hope that things would be much better yet experience will teach him that there is little amendment and that the Causes of Degeneracy of gross Hypocrisy and Wickedness are even as operative and as well appointed to work their effect there as in other places For this also is Superstition to place our Religion in opposing external Ceremonies and to think every man the more pious by how much the more zealous he is against them Wherefore our affections being drawn out in this hot Antipathy our hearts grow cold to the indispensable duties of the Gospel which are Love Patience Meekness and brotherly-Kindness with the rest of those fruits that demonstrate that the Tree of life that the Life of Christ is planted in us and that the Spirit of God abideth in us Besides that we are to remember that we may idolize long Prayers and frequent Preachments and that they may make up an external Religion to us in stead of that Godliness that is indispensable and internal and an ever-flowing fountain of all comely and profitable Actions and deportments towards God and towards men 3. I say therefore that this Self-chosen Religion in all the parts of Christendome though it be but such as a wicked man may perform as dexterously and plausibly as the most truly righteous and regenerate being so highly extolled and recommended to the people is almost an irresistible temptation to make them really and morally wicked For that natural inclination and appetite in mankinde to Religion being satisfied or eluded by this unwholsome food they can have no desire to that which is true Religion indeed and will be very glad to be excus'd from it it being more hard at first to embrace or practice whence it is in a manner necessary for them to let it alone 4. And they will the more easily abstain from it there being another poisonous Vâ—and that swells them so that they are ready to burst again which is that highly-esteemed Knowledge called Orthodoxness or Rightness of Opinion Of which the Apostle Knowledge puffeth up but Charity edifieth This seems so glorious in their eyes that they phansy themselves
Enthusiastick temper such as are most of the honester and better-meaning Quakers For if in their bewildred wandrings they take up their Inne here let them look to it that they be not robbed of all the Articles of the Christian Faith and be stripped into naked Infidelity and Paganisme and which is worst of all be so intoxicated with the cup of this Inchantress as to think this injury their gain and to prefer false Liberty before their Christian Simplicity and those gaudy and phantastick Titles of being Deified and begodded before the real possession of Christian Truth and Godliness 8. These things both here and elsewhere I have been forced to utter to the world for it was as fire within me and the discharging of my burden as it is mine own ease and satisfaction so I do not despair but if there be that sincere Zeal to Truth and Holiness that is pretended that it will redound to the safety of these melancholy Wanderers that look up and down for Truth with that candle of the Lord the Spirit that he has lighted in them But however where it shall not take effect I shall neverthelesse be excused and their bloud will be upon themselves and their accursed Seducers 9. I know the haughty and covetous that rellish nothing but the tearing to themselves undeserved respect from men and clawing of money to them any way with their crooked talons will hardly abstain even from open derision of my zeal and solicitude for so contemned a people and look upon me as a man of very mean designs that would any way intermeddle with these poor despised Pilgrims But these worldly Sophists consider not that the gaining of the meanest Soul to Eternal Salvation is really a greater prize then purchasing whole Kingdoms upon Earth and infinitely above all the pains of any mans applications thereto And besides for mine own part I have ever had so right a sense and touch upon my spirit of their condition that I think none more worthy of a mans best direction then they the most imperious Sects having put such unhandsome vizards upon Christianity that they have frighted away these babes that seem to me very desirous of the sincere milk of the Word Which having been every where so sophisticated by the humours and inventions of men it has driven these anxious Melancholists to seek for a Teacher within and to cast themselves upon him who they know will not deceive them the voice of the Eternall Word within them to which if they be faithfull they assure themselves he will be faithfull to them again Which is no groundless presumption of theirs it supposing nothing but what is very closely consistent with the Nature of God and his Providence And truly as many of them as do persist in that serious and impartial desire of such knowledge as tends to Life and Godliness I do not question but that God will in his due time lead them into the Truth and that they will be more confirmed Christians then ever 10. Which success of theirs will be more speedy and sure if as they set themselves against other vices so they mainly bend their force against Spiritual Pride and affectation of peculiarity in Religion and of finding themselves wiser in the mysteries thereof then the best of Christians have pretended to And above all things if they beware of Enthusiasme either in themselves or others or of thinking that the gift of the Spirit can be any Revelation that is contrary to Reason or the acknowledged History of Christ the truth thereof being so rationally evincible to all such as apply themselves without prejudice to examine it to the bottom If in pursuance of their sincere intentions they keep off from these rocks I doubt not but they will return safe again to Iesus Christ the great Pastor and Bishop of their Souls CHAP. XIV 1. That Publick Worship is essential to Religion and inseparable when free from Persecution The right measure of the Circumstances thereof 2. Of the Fabrick and Beauty of Churches according to that measure 3. The main things he intends to touch upon concerning Publick Worship 4. That the Churches of Christians are not Temples the excellency of our Religion being incompliable with that Notion 5. The vanity of the Sectarians exception against the word Church applied to the appointed places of Publick Worship 6. That though the Church be no Temple yet it is in some sense holy and what respect there is to be had of it and what reverence to be used there 7. Of Catechizing Expounding and Preaching 8. Of Prayer and what is the true praying by the Spirit 9. The Excellency of publick Liturgies 10. What is the right End of the Ministry 11. Certain special uses of Sermons and of the excellency of our Saviour Christs Sermon on the Mount 12. The best way for one to magnifie his Ministry 13. Of the Holy Communion who are to be excluded and of the posture of receiving it 14. Of the time of Baptism and the Signe of the Crosse. 15. Of Songs and Hymns to be composed by the Church and of Holy-daies 16. Of the celebrating the Passion-day and the Holy Communion 17. Of Images and Pictures in places of Publick Worship 18. A summary advertisement concerning Ceremonies and Opinions 1. AFter this charitable Digression to meet with the Quakers let us resume our business in hand and make an end The sixth and last thing that concerns the Care of the Christian Magistrate is Publick Worship Which seems to me so natural and essential to Religion that it cannot fail to appear unless some force hinder it in which case they will venture to meet in private Conventicles that is they will exercise their Acts of Religion as publickly as they dare and will not be content to be confined to their Closets at home Ioint-exercise therefore of Religion is confessed of all sides which therefore must necessarily be external and visible Now no visible actions can be done without visible Circumstances and amongst these Circumstances some are more fit and decorous some less as is manifest at the first sight Nor will it be hard to judge of the fitness or decorum of these Circumstances if we can finde out a measure of them which certainly is the End and meaning of them Which is the expression of our Honour and Reverence to God and to his Son Iesus Christ and the Edification of our Neighbour 2. By which Rule we shall discover concerning the Meeting-House as some had rather call it then the Church that it ought to be of a comely structure proportionably magnificent to the number of the People that are to have recourse to it in the common exercise of their Devotions For though men of equal condition may make bold with themselves and meet in what place they please yet it would be thought a piece of grosse unmannerliness to expect a Prince to give an inferiour Peasant the meeting in a Barn or Cow-stable Would it
Three main Effects of Christ his sending the Paraclete foretold by himself Iohn 16. When the Paraclete shall come c. 2. Grotius his Exposition upon the Text. 3. The Ground of his Exposition 4. A brief indication of the natural sense of the Text by the Author 5. The Prophesie of Christ fulfilled and acknowledged not only by Christians but also Mahometans 6. That the Substance of Mahometism is Moses and Christ. Their zealous profession of one God 7. Their acknowledgment of Miracles done by Christ and his Apostles and of the high priviledge conferred upon Christ. 8. What Advantage that portion of Christian Truth which they have embraced has on them and what hopes there are of their full conversion 164 CHAP. XIII 1. The Triumph of the Divine Life not so large hitherto as the overthrow of the external Empire of the Devil 2. Her conspicuous Eminency in the Primitive times 3. The real and cruel Martyrdomes of Christians under the Ten Persecutions a demonstration that their Resurrection is not an Allegorie 4. That to allegorize away that blessed Immortality promised in the Gospel is the greatest blasphemy against Christ that can be imagined 167 CHAP. XIV 1. The Corruption of the Church upon the Christian Religion becoming the Religion of the Empire 2. That there did not cease then to be a true and living Church though hid in the Wilderness 3. That though the Divine life was much under yet the Person of our Saviour Christ of the Virgin Mary c. were very richly honoured 4. And the Apostles and Martyrs highly complemented according to the ancient guize of the Pagan Ceremonies 5. The condition of Christianity since the general apostasie compared to that of Una in the Desart amongst the Satyrs 6. That though this has been the state of the Church very long it will not be so alwaies and while it is so yet the real enemies of Christ do lick the dust of his feet 7. The mad work those Apes and Satyrs make with the Christian Truth 8. The great degeneracy of Christendome from the Precepts and Example of Christ in their warrs and bloudshed 9. That though Providence has connived at this Pagan Christianism for a while he will not fail to restore his Church to its pristine purity at the Last 10. The full proof of which Conclusion is too voluminous for this place 168 CHAP. XV. 1. Grotius his reasons against Days signifying Years in the Prophets propounded and answered 2. Demonstrations that Days do sometimes signifie so many Years 3. Mr. Mede's opinion That a new Systeme of Prophecies from the first Epocha begins Chap. 10. v. 8. cleared and confirmed 4. What is meant by the Three days and an half that the Witnesses lye slain 5. Of the Beast out of the bottomless pit 6. Of the First Resurrection 7. The conclusion of the matter in hand from the evident truth of Mr. Mede's Synchronisms 173 CHAP. XVI 1. Of the Four Beasts about the throne of Majesty described before the Prophecie of the Seals 2. Of the Six first seals according to Grotius 3. Of the Six first seals according to Mr. Mede 4. Of the inward Court and the fight of Michael with the Dragon according to Grotius and Mr. Mede 5. Of the Visions of the seven Trumpets 6. The near cognation and colligation of those seven Synchronals that are contemporary to the Six first Trumpets 7. The mistakes and defects in Grotius his interpretations of those Synchronals 8. Of the number of the Beast 9. Of the Synchronals contemporary to the last Trumpet 10. The necessity of the guidance of such Synchronisms as are taken from the Visions themselves inferred from Grotius his errours and mistakes who had the want of them The Author's apology for preferring Mr. Mede's way before Grotius's with an intimation of his own design in intermedling with these matters 182 CHAP. XVII 1. That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not implie That most of the matters in the Apocalypse appertain to the Destruction of Jerusalem and to Rome Heathen 2. The important Usefulness of this Book for the evincing of a Particular Providence the Existence of Angels and the ratification of the highest points in Christianity 3. How excellent an Engine it is against the extravagancy and fury of Fanatick Enthusiasts 4. How the Mouths of the Jews and Atheists are stopped thereby 5. That it is a Mirrour to behold the nature of the Apostasie of the Roman Church in 6. And also for the Reformed Churches to examine themselves by whether they be quite emerged out of this Apostasie with the Author's scruple that makes him suspect they are not 7. What of Will-worship and Idolatry seems still to cleave to us 8. Further Information offered to us from the Vision of the slain Witnesses 9. The dangerous mistakes and purposes of some heated Meditatours upon the Fifth Monarchy 10. The most Usefull consideration of the approach of the Millennium and how the Time may be retarded if not forfeited by their faithlesness and hypocrisie who are most concerned to hasten on those good daies 200 BOOK VI. CHAP. I. THree chief things considerable in Christ's Return to Iudgment viz. The Visibility of his Person The Resurrection of the Dead and the Conflagration of the World 2. Places of Scripture to prove the Visibility of his Person 3. That there will be then a Resurrection of the dead not in a Moral but a Natural sense demonstrated from undeniable places of Scripture 4. Proofs out of Scripture for the Conflagration of the world as out of Peter the 3 Chap. of his second Epistle 5. An Interpretation of the 12 and 13 verses 6. A Demonstration that the Apostle there describes the Conflagration of the World 7. A Confutation of their opinion that would interpret the Apostle's description of the burning of Jerusalem 8. That the coming of Christ so often mentioned in these two Epistles of Peter is to be understeod of his Last coming to Iudgment 9 10. Further confirmation of the said Assertion 11. Other places pointed at for the proving of the Conflagration 212 CHAP. II. 1. The Fitness and Necessity of Christ's visible Return to Iudgment 2. Further arguments of his Return to Iudgment for the convincing of them that believe the Miraculousness of his Birth his Transfiguration his Ascension c. 3. Arguments directed to those that are more proue to Infidelity taken out of History where such things are found to have hapned already in some measure as are expected at Christ's visible Appearance 4. That before extraordinary Iudgments there have usually strange Prodigies appeared by the Ministry of Angels as before great Plagues or Pestilences 5. As also before the ruine of Countries by War 6. Before the swallowing down Antioch by an Earthquake 7. At the firing of Sodome and Gomorrha 8. And lastly before the destruction of Jerusalem 217 CHAP. III. 1. The Resurrection of the dead by how much more rigidly defined according to every circumstance and punctilio delivered by
becoming the Spirit of a Christian to allow what is good and commendable in other Religions then so foully to reproach them 4. What are the due demonstrations of our Affection to the Gospel of Christ. 5. How small a part of the World is styled Christians and how few real Christians in that part that is so styled 6. That there has been some unskilfull or treacherous tampering with the powerfull Engine of the Gospel that it has done so little execution hitherto against the Kingdome of the Devil 7. The Author's purpose of bringing into view the main Impediments of the due Effects thereof 490 CHAP. II. 1. The most fundamental Mistake and Root of all the Corruptions in the Church of Christ. 2. That there may be a Superstition also in opposing of Ceremonies and in long Prayers and Preachments 3. That self-chosen Religion extinguishes true Godliness every where 4. The unwholsome and windy food of affected Orthodoxality with the mischievous consequences thereof 5. That Hypocrisy of Professours fills the World with Atheists 6. That the Authoritative Obtrusion of gross falsities upon men begets a misbelief of the whole Mystery of Piety 7. That all the Churches of Christendome stand guilty of this mischievous miscarriage 8. The infinitie inconvenience of the Superlapsarian doctrine 492 CHAP. III. 1. The true measure of Opinions to be taken from the design of the Gospel which in general is The setting out the exceeding great Mercy and Goodness of God towards mankind 2. And then Secondly The Triumph of the Divine Life in the Person of Christ in the warrantableness of doing Divine Honour to him 3. Thirdly The advancement of the Divine Life in his members upon Earth 4. The Fourth and last Rule to try Opinions by The Recommendableness of our Religion to Strangers or those that are without 497 CHAP. IV. 1. The general use of the foregoing Rules 2. A special use of them in favour of one anothers persons in matters of opinion 3. The examination of Election and Reprobation according to these Rules And how well they agree with that Branch of the Divine Life which we call Humility 4. The disagreement of absolute Reprobation with the first Rule 5. As also with the third 6. And with the second and fourth 499 CHAP. V. 1. That Election and Reprobation conferrs something to Humility 2. That some men are saved irresistibly by virtue of Discriminative Grace 3. That the rest of Mankind have Grace sufficient and that several of them are saved 4. The excellent use of this middle way betwixt Calvinisme and Arminianisme 5 6. The exceeding great danger and mischief of the former Extremes 502 CHAP. VI. 1. The Scholastick Opinions concerning the Dâ—vinity of Christ applied to the foregoing Rules 2. As also concerning the Trinity 3. The Application of the Antitrinitarian Doctrine to the said Rules It s disagreement with the third 4. As also with the second 5. The Antitrinitarians plea. 6. An answer to their plea. 7. How grosly the denying the Divinity of Christ disagrees with the third Rule 504 CHAP. VII 1. Imputative Righteousness Invincible Infirmity and Solifidianism in what sense they seem to comply with the second and last Rule and how disagreeing with the third 2. The groundlesness of mens Zeal for Imputative Righteousness 3. And for Solifidianism 4. The conspiracy of Imputative Righteousness Solifidianism and Invincible Infirmity to exclude all Holiness out of the Conversation of Christians 5. That large confessions of Sins and Infirmities without any purpose of amending our lives is a mere mocking of God to his very face With the great danger of that Affront 507 CHAP. VIII 1. The flaunting Hypocrisie of the Perfectionists and from whence it comes 2. The easie Laws whereby they measure their Perfection And the sad result of their Apostasie from the Person of Christ. 3. That there is far more Perfection in many thousands of those that abhor the name of Perfection then in these great Boasters of it 4. In what consists that sound and comely frame of a true Christian Spirit 510 CHAP. IX 1. Sincerity the middle way betwixt pretended Infirmity and the boast of Perfection with the description thereof 2. A more full character of the Sincere Christian. 3. That they that endeavour not after that state are Hypocrites and they that pretend to be above it Conspiratours against the everlasting Priesthood of Christ. 4. The Personal Reign of Christ upon Earth and the Millennium in the more sober meaning thereof applied to the above-nam'd Rules 512 CHAP. X. 1. That in those that believe There is a God and a life to come there is an antecedent Right of Liberty of Conscience not to be invaded by the Civil Magistrate 2. Object That no false Religion is the command of God with the Answer thereto 3. That there is no incongruity to admit That God may command contrary Religions in the World 4 5. The utmost Difficulty in that Position with the Answer thereto 6. That God may introduce a false perswasion into the mind of man as well for probation as punishment 7. That simple falsities in Religion are no forfeiture of Liberty of Conscience 8. That though no falsities in Religion were the command of God yet upon other considerations it is demonstrated that the Religionist ought to be free 9. A further demonstration of this Truth from the gross absurdities that follow the contrary Position 515 CHAP. XI 1. That there is a Right in every Nation and Person to examine their Religion to hear the Religion of Strangers and to change their own if they be convinced 2. That those Nations that acknowledge this Right and act accordingly have naturally a Right to send out Agents into other Nations Their demeanour there and the right of revenging their injuries And how this Method had justified the Spaniards Invasion of the Indians 3. The unpracticableness of the present Theory by reason of the general perversness of the World The advantageousness of it to Christendome and suitableness of it to the Spirit of a Christian 4. That Religion corruptive of manners is coâ—rcible by the Magistrate 5. And that which would plainly destroy the defence of the Countrey 6. As also whatsoever Religion is inseparably interwoven with Principles of Persecution 7. An Answer to that Objection That all Sects are persecutive and that therefore there can be no Liberty of Conscience given 521 CHAP. XII 1. To what Persons and with what Circumstances the Christian Magistrate is to give Liberty of Conscience And the great advantage thereof to the Truth of Christianity 2. That those that are not Christians are not to be admitted into places of trust by the Christian Magistrate if he can supply himself with those that are 3. That the Christian Magistrate is to lay aside the fallible opinions of men and promote every one in Church and State according to his merit in the Christian life and his ability of promoting of the interest of the Church of Christ and the
Nation he serves 4. That he is to continue or provide an honourable and competent allowance for them that labour in the word and doctrine 5. That the vigilancy of the Christian Magistrate is to keep under such Sects as pretend to Immediate Inspiration unaccountable and unintelligible to sober Reason and why 6. That the endeavour of impoverishing the Clergy smels ranck of Prophaneness Atheisme and Infidelity 7. That the Christian Magistrate is either to erect or keep up Schools of Humane Learning with the weighty grounds thereof 8. A further enforcement of those grounds upon the fanatick Perfectionists 9. The hideous danger of casting away the History of the Gospel upon pretence of keeping to the Light within us 525 CHAP. XIII 1. The Authors application to the better-minded Quakers 2. He desires them of that Sect to search the grounds and compute the gains of their Revolt from Christ. 3. That there are no peculiar Effects of the Spirit of God in the Sect of the Quakers but rather of Pythonism 4. That their Inspirations are not divine but diabolical 5. The vanity of their boasting of the knowledge of their mysterious Allegories 6. The grounds of their insufferable bitterness against the Ministers of Christ. 7. That he was urged by the light within him to give witness to the Truth of the History of the Gospel and to admonish the Quakers His caution to the simple-minded among them how they turn in to Familism 8. His ease and satisfaction of mind from disburdening himself of this duty 9. The compassionableness of their condition 10. And hope of â—heir return to Christ. 530 CHAP. XIV 1. That Publick Worshâ—p is essential to Religion and inseparable when free from Persecution The right measure of the Circumstances thereof 2. Of the Fabrick and Beauty of Churches according to that measure 3. The main things he intends to touch upon concerning Publick Worship 4. That the Churches of Christians are not Temples the excellency of our Religion being incompliable with that Notion 5. The vanity of the Sectarians exception against the word Church applied to the appointed places of Publick Worship 6. That though the Church be no Temple yet it is in some sense holy and what respect there is to be had of it and what reverence to be used there 7. Of Catechizing Expounding and Preaching 8. Of Prayer and what is the true praying by the Spirit 9. The Excellency of publick Liturgies 10. What is the right End of the Ministry 11. Certain special uses of Sermons and of the excellency of our Saviour Christs Sermon on the Mount 12. The best way for one to magnifie his Ministry 13. Of the Holy Communion who are to be excluded and of the posture of receiving it 14. Of the time of Baptism and the Sign of the Cross. 15. Of Songs and Hymns to be composed by the Church and of Holy-daies 16. Of the celebrating the Passion-day and the Holy Communion 17. Of Images and Pictures in places of Publick Worship 18. A summary advertisement concerning Ceremonies and Opâ—nions 535 An INDEX of Places of Scripture that are interpreted in this Treatise Chap. Verse Page Genesis   3. 15. 328. 4. 1 2. 56 57. 49. 10. 283 to 288. Exodus   3. 14 32 34. 457. 34. 8. 457. Deuteronomy   24. 14 15. 22. Iob.   19. 25. 224. 38. 19 21. 22. Psalmes   22. 14 16 18. 329 330. 45. 6. 310. 68. 17 18. 309. 110. 3 4. 310. Proverbs   4. 18. 401. Isaiah   7. 14. 305 328 329. 9. 6. 310. â—1 10. 312. 28. 1. 399. 41. 10. 393. 42. 1 to 16. 394. 49. 5 6 7. 311. 53. 12. 169. 57. 8 11. 397.  15. 12 158. Ieremiah   1. 5. 22. 33. 1 to 12. 306 to 308. Ezekiel   43. 10 c. 289. Daniel   9. 24 to 27. 291 to 300. Micah   5. 2. 12 327. Haggai   2. 6 to 9. 288. Malachi   3. 1. 290. Title of the New Testament  464. Matthew   2. 4 5. 327 328. 5. 5. 363.  17. 362. 10. 28. 28. 12. 23 24. 415. 16. 14. 24. 20. 25. 363. 21. 12. 117.  17. 118. 24. 30 ad finem 212. 25. 1 c. 212 27. 45. 134 135 c. Mark   3. 21. 418. 6. 5 6. 409. 13. 11. 12. 16. 19. 143. Luke   6. 27. 415. 9. 34. 106. 23. 42 43. 28 29. Iohn   1. 1 to 14. 11 12.  14. 99. 3. 14. 430 431.  31. 23. 4. 23 24. 536. 5. 26. 505 507 6. 26. 24.  38. 23.  63. 396. 9. 6. 119. 10. 34 35. 413 414. 12. 31. 78. 13. 34. 364. 14. 28. 9. 16. 8 to 11. 164 165.  13 14. 9 10.  28. 23. 17. 4 5. 23. Acts.   7. 51. 410. 13. 19. 380. Romans   3. 28. 380. 4. 1. 380.  5. 382.  18. 379.  24 25. 380. 5. 1. 381.  12. 383. 8. 10 11. 381. 15. 13. 10. I Corinthians   1. 30. 382. 11. 26. 439. 15. 32. 16 17 18 224. II Corinthi   5. 1 to 6. 19 20 21.  8. 27. Galatians   2. 16 19. 384. 3. 21. 380 384. 4. 15 16. 385.  21 22 23. 468 to 476. Ephesians   4. 30. 410. Philippians   1. 21 to 24. 27. 2. 6 7 8. 23. 3. 11. 21. Colossians   2. 18. 93. I Thessalon   5. 19. 410. II Timothy   1. 12. 19. 4. 8. 19. Hebrews   11. 26. 23. 12. 2. 420.  9. 27.  22. ibid. I Peter   3. 15. 459.  18 19 20. 25 26. II Peter   1. 5. 370 371.  13 15. 27. 3. 5 to 12. 213 214.  16. 384. I Iohn   2. 14. 12. 3. 7. 375 376 c. 4. 2. 23. 5. 7. 11. Revelation   1. 1 3. 200. 2. 10. 180. 4. 1 2 c. 182. 6. 1 to 12. 183 184 185. 8. 7 to 12. 186. 9. 1 to 20. 187 to 190. 10. 7 8 11. 176. 11. 1 2. 185 191.  3 11. 207 208.  7 8 9 11. 177 178 192.  14 to 19. 190. 12. 6. 173 174 195.  7 10 11. 185 186. 13. 1 2. 178 193.  11 12. 194.  17 18. 194 to 197. 14. 6. 255. 17. 3. 192.  8. 193. 19. 7. 198. 20. 3. 198.  4 5 6. 179 180. 21. 2. 198.  15 to 22. 195 198.  22. 537. 22. 6 7. 200 201. Mistakes in the COPY PRaef pag. ix lin 44. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 BOOK pag. 20. l. 19. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 25. l. 22. r. Soul or Spirit pag. 26. l. 8. r. Damoniacal pag. 77. l. 24. r. mankind and the Devil and. pag. 95. l. 35. r. mettled l. 41. r. Th' all pag. 99. l. 41. r. eternity when l.
expiation for sin and that we are purified by Faith in him and that our Eternal Salvation depends on the knowledge of him 9. Now I appeal to the most Sceptical man living if a matter of so vast moment as this that concerns the common Salvation of Mankind in that future and Eternal state can be sluggishly and carelesly prosecuted by those that knew both the truth and importance of that affair and had a more then ordinary engagement to look after it and whose consciences could not but threaten them with the loss of Everlasting life if they did not use all honest endeavours to set on foot the most effectual way they could the certain knowledge of so concerning a Mysterie And whether it be possible to conceive the First Christians so sottish and devoid of sense as not to see how necessary it was to record the circumstances of the Birth Life and Death of our Saviour and all the Miracles that he did while the mouths of unbelievers and gainsaiers might be stopt by recourse to Eye-witnesses of the things that were to be related of him 10. And if we could imagine any such supine carelesness or backwardness in the Apostles themselves who were the fittest to write these Records or at least those that were throughly informed by them yet the Forwardness and Pragmaticalness of others who could not hold their hands from writing of such strange matters as hapned in Iudaea though not sufficiently instructed in the truth of them would even force them to write down the truth of the History of Christ so timely for the prevention of errour and to set their own name to the Record To say nothing of the Importunity of the newly-converted Christians who could not but be extremely desirous very punctually to know all things concerning that Divine Person whose name they now religiously professed and whom they acknowledged to be the onely-begotten Son of God Wherefore the Apostles themselves or else some throughly instructed by them could not chuse but draw up a Narration of the Birth Life and Death of Christ and the many considerables therein for the Comfort and satisfaction of their Proselytes and that there might be a true Relation of these things to Posterity for ever To all which you may adde That if it were possible that all these should fail which I think is incredible yet Providence would not fail and supernatural Inspiration to drive them on to the seasonable Accomplishment of so important a Work 11. In my Judgement these are an undeniable Demonstration that the History of Christ has been so timely recorded as we contend for by either the Apostles or those that were intimately acquainted with them And that it is infinitely more improbable that this has not been done then that one of a great estate and many children and wise in the affairs of the World should when it was in his power to write neglect the writing of his Will A thing that none would believe unless this Will of his after his decease could not be found nor then haply neither but rather suspect some body has burnt it But if it be found and appear such as becomes a man of his wisdome and discretion to have made it will not be in the power of any man to doubt of it that is not interessed in the matter and if any do he will be looked upon as a very fool or fraudulent fellow that sought some advantage by questioning the Will 12. The case is very highly the same here in these Records of Christianity we speak of For according to plain deduction of Reason we see it impossible but that they should be writ so timely and the outward Event answers punctually to these Demonstrations of our own mind For there are two Records of the Life and Death of Christ written by two of his Apostles viz. Matthew and Iohn a third by Mark who was much conversant with the Apostle Peter and a fourth by Luke who was a great companion of S. Paul whose Acts together with others of the Apostles he also recorded and ends the narration before Paul's departure from Rome into Spain Whence we may conclude that Luke wrote his Gospel while Paul was yet alive of whose transactions himself was an Eye-witness as Matthew and Iohn of all the things they wrote or at least most of them and the rest they had from other Apostles who were by when they were not or from the mouth of our Saviour himself This Conclusion is so plain that it is as ridiculous to deny it as for one to deny the above-mentioned Will which none can do without being hooted at for a Fool. For when we see external Events such as plain and undeniable Reason cannot but compute even necessary to come to pass it must be either Folly or Fraud that makes any doubt or deny they are really come to pass when they are exhibited thus manifestly to their outward senses CHAP. XI 1. Other Proofs That the Life of Christ was writ by his Apostles or his Followers out of Grotius 2. An Answer to a foolish surmise that those Records writ by the Apostles might be all burnt 3. That the Copies have not been corrupted by either carelesness or fraud 1. THis it self was a sufficient Demonstration to prove that the History of the Life of Christ was writ so timely as I affirm and namely by some of his own Apostles and those that were coetaneous to them particularly by Matthew Mark Luke and Iohn according as the Title of each Gospel does import But we will not neglect to mention what Grotius also makes use of in this place viz. That these Gospels are cited under these names by Iustin Irenaeus and Clemens the first Fathers of the Church That Tertullian affirms that in his time the original of some of them were extant though betwixt an hundred and two hundred years after they were written That all the Churches acknowledged them as Authentick before there was any calling of Councils about that matter That neither Jew nor Pagan ever made any controversie thereof That Iulian though an enemy to Christianity did expresly confess that these Writings that are under the name of Peter Paul Matthew Mark Luke were indeed their writings and lastly That it is as fond a thing to doubt thereof as to question whether those Poems that go under Homer and Virgil's names be in very deed their Poems or no. Which arguments certainly cannot but have their due weight with them that are not over-pervicacious but as I think I had sufficiently evinced the Conclusion before 2. Against which I do not see what the most perverse Wit can invent or object unless he will say That the first Records the Evangelists wrote and the faithful Copies taken from them were burnt and that these that we have now-adays are an After-Forgery of the Church Which is as bold and foolish an allegation as if a Son who did not like his share appointed him in his Father's Will
hadst rather call Love take heed that thou transgress not against Purity by declining into unclean fanatick Lust that foul ditch that many of our high-talking Enthusiasts have tumbled into and have been so blinded with the mire thereof that they have made it a principal fruit of their Illumination to doe those acts without shame or measure that both the Light of Nature and the Gospel of Christ has taught us to blush at Such circumspections as these thou art to use if thou wouldest stear thy course safely and if thou wilt be faithfull to thine inward Guide and deal uprightly in the holy Covenant thou wilt want no Monitor thy way shall be made so plain before thee that thou shalt not err nor stumble but arrive at last to the desired scope of all thy travails and endeavours to a firm Peace and unfailing Righteousness and shalt be filled with all the fulness of God BOOK X. CHAP. I. 1. That the Affection and esteem we ought to have for our Religion does not consist in damning all to the pit of Hell that are not of it 2. The unseasonable inculcation of this Principle to Christians 3. That it is better becoming the Spirit of a Christian to allow what is good and commendable in other Religions then so foully to reproach them 4. What are the due demonstrations of our Affection to the Gospel of Christ. 5. How small a part of the World is styled Christians and how few real Christians in that part that is so styled 6. That there has been some unskilfull or treacherous tampering with the powerfull Engine of the Gospel that it has done so little execution hitherto against the Kingdome of the Devil 7. The Author's purpose of bringing into view the main Impediments of the due Effects thereof 1. THE Fourth and last Derivative Property of the Mystery of Godliness which arises from the Usefullness thereof and that great concernment it is of in relation not only to this present and transitory but that future and everlasting Happiness of mankind is that Appretiation and high Value it deservedly wins or should win 〈◊〉 us Which is not to be expressed as usually is done by vilifying and reproaching all other Religions in damning the very best and most consciencious Turks Iews and Pagans to the pit of Hell and then to double lock the door upon them or to stand there to watch with long poles to beat them down again if any of them should offer to emerge and endeavour to crawl out This Fervour is but a false zeal and of no service to the Gospel To make it impossible to all men to scape Hell that are not born under or visibly converted to Christianity when they never had the opportunity to hear the true sound thereof For if Providence be represented so severe and arbitrarious it will rather beget a misbelief of all Religions then advance our own especially with all free and intelligent Spirits 2. And what need they tell such sad stories to them that hear the Gospel concerning them that hear it not nor ever were in a capacity of hearing it it touches not them but disturbs these that hear it and makes Divine Providence more unintelligible then before Were it not sufficient for their Auditors to understand That they that doe hear the Gospel and yet refuse it that they are indeed in a damnable condition the belief thereof being the very Touchstone of Salvation to them that it is offered to But if they will be curious which is no commendable quality they can onely adde That none shall be saved but by virtue of that Truth which is comprehended in the Gospel that is before they come under that one Head of the Church which is Christ Jesus there being no other Name under the Heavens whereby we can be saved as the Apostle has declared But how the consciencious Iews Pagans and Turks that seemed not to die Christians may be gathered to this Head it will be a becoming piece of Modesty in us to profess our Ignorance 3. Certainly it were far better and more becoming the Spirit of the Gospel to admit and commend what is laudable and praise-worthy in either Iudaisme Turcisme or Paganisme and with kindness and compassion to tell them wherein they are mistaken and wherein they fall short then to fly in their faces and to exprobrate to them the most consummate wickedness that humane nature is lapsable into in matters of Religion and thus from an immoderate depression of all other Religions to magnifie a mans own Which is as ridiculous a Scheme of Rhetorick in my apprehension as if one should compare Solomon with all the natural fools in the world and then vaunt how exceeding much he out-stripped them all in Wisdom or Helena with all the ugly deformed Females that ever were and so argue the excellency of her Beauty because she so far surpassed these mishapen wretches which in my judgment is a very small commendation 4. But such demonstrations of our affections as these are very sorry and injudicious He that professes he believes the Truth of the Gospel and has entred into this New Covenant if he will give a solid testimony of his sincere affection to it indeed he must doe it by his life and conversation For if he like it and believe it he must needs follow the counsel conteined in it which if he do closely and faithfully he will finde it of that unspeakable excellency and important concernment that he cannot rest quiet in reaping the fruit thereof himself but will be truly desirous that the same good may be communicated if it were possible to all the world 5. And truly for my own part when I seriously consider with my self and undeniable clearness and evidence of Truth in the Gospel of Christ above all the Religions in the world and the mighty and almost irresistible power and efficacy that lies in it for the making of men holy and vertuous I cannot but with much fervencie of desire wish it were further spred in the World and am much amazed that it has made no further progress then it has For as Brerewood has probably collected in his Enquiries Pagan Idolatry still possesses two thirds of the known world Mahometisme one fifth part and Christianisme but a sixth And what is a thing more deplorable a very great part of the Christian Church has been overrun with the Turk and does lie at this very day in miserable bondage under him And that there may be nothing wanting to encrease wonderment even those parts of the world that are purely Christian as to Title so great share of them whether they go under the name of Reform'd or Catholicks are tainted with so gross Hypocrisy such open Prophaneness and professed Atheisme amongst their own Crews and loose Conventicles that it is something hard to finde a cordial Christian in the most pretending Churches of Christendome that does not deny his profession either in heart or practice or in both