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A26659
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The church triumphant, or, A comfortable treatise of the amplitude and largeness of the kingdom of Christ wherein is proved by Scriptures and reason, that the number of the damned is inferiour to that of the elect / by Joseph Alford ...
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Alford, Joseph.
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1649
(1649)
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Wing A921; ESTC R22399
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57,799
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139
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shall he number the seed of Abraham Gen. 17. And again in the 22. chapter he promiseth In blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee in thy seed as the Stars of the Heaven and as the sand which is upon the Sea-shore and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies and in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Here I would know of any man whether God in this inimitable as to us and inestimable promise did intend that the multitude of the Elect for that they were presignified by the seed of Abraham is plainly shewed in the 4. to the Romanes should be inferiour to the number of the Reprobate Who will dare to say so when he compareth his seed to those things which exceed all other things for number yea indeed which are themselves numberless For although Archimedes that noble Geometrician supposed that he could number the sand not onely about Syracusa but of all the habitable and in-habitable parts of the world and undertook to write a Demonstration of this supposal to Gelo then King of Sicilie yet the Prophet Isaiah teacheth otherwise What man saith he hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the Heavens with a span or comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance Thus comparisons of this nature have been adhibited to demonstrate such things unto us which in their kind admit of no comparison From whence it follows that the progeny of Abraham is more numerous and copious than all others Moreover all the Faithful being comprehended in the seed of Abraham there is in the expressions of the Holy Ghost a kind of tacite contention against that Opinion of the Paucity of Believers for as often and as much as he amplifies the Kingdom of God so often and so much he speaks in diminution of the kingdom of darkness Neither in this can I accord with S. Austin who saith these words are uttered in an Hyperbole yet when he labours to declare the matter any man may perceive he is mistaken For in his Book Of the City of God he saith That the seed of Abraham is less in number than the multitude of the wicked Suppose the sand of the Sea-shore or the dust of the earth do much exceed the number of the whole generation of mankind What then we do not confess that the number of the Elect is greater than the number of the Sands but by the comparison this onely is in question Whether the Holy seed of Abraham do not surmount the number of the wicked but if it be not implied that the number of the Elect is the greater why should it be compared to a thing that is infinit If some man had come and said That this comparison so high that it exceeds belief is more agreeable to the multitude of the wicked which is much above that of the faithful would he not hereby secretly insinuate that here was no relish of Divine wisdom in this comparison But if to think any such thing much more to say it be impious and execrable it is manifest and follows undeniably that the multitude of such as belong to the Kingdom of God is much the greater But to this â—ath not God added this also That in the seed of Abraham all Nations shall be blessed Gal. 3. But how shall they all be blessed if the major part be excluded from eternal happiness One of these two things is necessary there to be allowed either which I abhor to think that God is a lyar or else that the number of the blessed is not equiparated by any other number and which of these two is to be chosen I leave to the pious Reader to judge C. You conclude solidly and truly for as Fabius sheweth an Hyperbole is then to be known when the matter expressed exceedeth all natural measure Now these promises are not vulgar but so ample stately and honourable that the narrow minds of mortal men should be struck with admiration as often as they contemplate the blessed multitude of the glorious Saints M. You speak the truth But that wicked one who is wrapped up in a mantle of piety hath been always busie and diligent to eclipse this truth I will now produce another place of Moses because I know every new argument is a fresh vexation to that fiend In Exodus God doth wonderfully set forth the goodness of his own nature for such is his clemency that he promiseth mercy to a thousand generations in pardoning sins and transgressions but threatneth vengeance onely to the third or fourth generation Consider now what proportion there is between one thousand and four and know that there will be as great an inequality between the glorious free men of Jesus Christ and the few and miserable bond-slaves of the devil C. This is a proportion without proportion to speak like a Geometrician a comparison between a body and the shortest line M. From Moses let us pass to that Evangelical Prophet Isaiah by whose authority we shall learn that this most blessed Kingdom is perspicuously exaggerated He poureth forth words of great consolation upon the Church even then Militant Rejoyce O barren thou that didst not bear break forth into singing and cry aloud thou that didst not travel with child For more are the children of the desolate than the married wifâ— saith the Lord. Which words are both cited and explained by S. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians Many more saith he are the children of the desolate than of her that hath an Husband Now they that are experienced in knowledge of Divine mysteries are not ignorant that the Church of God is understood by that desolate and barren and the kingdom of Satan by the married wife for in the same place the Apostle distinguisheth them one from the other by most certain notes Now we brethren saith he we the children of the Promise as Isaac was but as then hâ— that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Nâ—vertheless cast out the bond-woman and her son for the son of the bond-woman shall not be Heir with the son of the free-woman Therefore we are not my brethren the children of the bond-woman but of the free C. I have heard and as I remember I have read that that barren was the Church collected out of all nations that the married wife was the Commonwealth of Israel the Synagogue of the Jews which differ nothing but in Nation and time M. I know it and therefore I alleadged this place of the Apostle that it might plainly appear that they are not distinguished by reason of Nation and time but for inward qualifications for manners for conditions and for the end For first he distributes all mankind into those that are born of the flesh and those that are born of the Spirit besides these
do you forget what you confess in the Symbole of your Belief when you say I believe the Holy Catholick Church which is the Communion of Saints which had it been subjected to sense had not been put into our Confession which consisteth simply and absolutely of the objects of our Faith Let it not therefore move thee that this Kingdom of Christ this Commonwealth of the Saints is not visible to the eye for it is better believed and comprehended in the mind than discerned by the sense C. But seeing it consists of men what is the reason it should be invisible M. Because God in the administration of his Kingdom differeth from the conduct of humane reason or the Methods of that old beguiler And here now we may contemplate the wonderful and admirable wisdom of God The devil filleth all placeâ— with sin death and desolation God disposeth all things in justice life and healthfuâ— salvation Now observe with what inexpressible art God doth this to deceive thaâ— Deceiver Under sin he covereth justice under death life under condemnation salvation under infirmitie strength under folly wisdom From hence it is said that all the World is overspread with evil from hence Satan is said to be the Prince of this world because he seemeth to govern all things according to his own sensualitie as though there were no providence but it is not so by no means so the true and legitimate Prince is he to whom the Father said Ps 2. Ask of me and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession He is the true Lord who conquering death and the Authour of death saith in the 28 of Matth. All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth C. You have proved these things very fully and the matter is strengthened by the nature and definition of faith for faith is defined by the Divines to be a firm comprehending of those things in the understanding which are not seen M. I rejoyce that you have so well profited by our discourse that you can assist the cause I maintain But to make it yet more clear unto you I will propound a similitude We are in this life as in a Citie which of right belongeth to some good Prince but this Citie is usurped and oppressed by a certain Tyrant with severe bondage as for example Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites in that memorable calamity now if any man enter this Citie and observe the Customs of it he will say it differs very little from that of Aegypt which with outward appearance and seeming willingness followeth and obeyeth the Tyrant but inwardly consenteth with the true and lawful Lord and although they can contribute nothing else yet they sigh and wish for him expect him and bewail the burthen of their servitude and when he shall come with power to chase and subdue the enemy and to restore the Citie to freedom then the Tyrant shall feel of what force the Faith and Love of this people is to their Lawful and merciful Prince for in stead of many Subjects he shall then find many Enemies for that old saying is a true one He that hath many servants hath many Enemies What are we not all Subject and mancipated to sin even against our wills Fitly therefore may we say with Paul With the mind I serve the Law of God but with my body I am Subject to the dominion of sin Add also that many men commit many errours through ignorance and those will admit excuse and pardon for a difference must be put between sins of weakness and sins of malice and presumption But wherâ— our King Christ Jesus accompanied with might and Majesty shall come to sight the last battel with the Devil then that infinite multitude of the Elect that innumerable company of celestial Citizens shall appear Now they are not discernable because as I have said either through force or ignorance they are compelled to wear the Tyrants colours In the mean time till the expectation of that time be satisfied our prudent and abundantly wise Prince hath some secret and clandestine conferences with them heartens them and comforts them and bids them continue faithful to him and he will accept this their desire of him this Faith for perfect obedience And although he can deliver us he delayeth it suffers us to undergo the Discipline of afflictions to kindle in us a greater desire of his coming These are the Divine stratagems the royal arts which do deceive both the narrow judgement of men and also elude the deceits and snares of the Devil for who would say that in so many sins there should be any righteousness in such a perturbation such a trifluctuation of miseries any quiet rest or peace in so much folly any wisdom in so much servitude any liberty or in so many dangers any safety who would ever have thought the thief who was even buried alive in all wickedness and brought to be crucified for his notorious and flagitious offences had been one of the Sons of God and of the number of the Elect On the other side who would have imagined that Judas Isâ—ariot chosen to the Honour of an Apostleship and daily and hourly a continual hearer of Divine truth and heavenly wisdom should not have been a Citizen of Heaven O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out Here is the new Art here are new reasons of heavenly administration this is the mysterious way of God alone who onely is wise powerful and good Great is our Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite Psal 147. C. By this way of judging according to the shallow judgement of man I suppose Elias was deceived when he made his complaint that he onely was left of all those that did worship God but what answered the oracle of God to him I have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal Rom. 11. M. You gues right and if in one place in one nation there were so many althougâ— to a definite number be here put for an infinite multitude and those unknown to â— greater Prophet how many may we suppose then to have been and now to be iâ— the whole World C. Verily I think an innumerable company M. Let us then believe that this our heavenly King is able and knoweth how to purchase to himself a greater kingdom than the Enemy who hath neither wisdom nor power C. But upon what reason do you refuse the ascription of wisdom and power to the Enemy when it seems repugnant to his name to deny him those attributes for you may call to mind they were termed Daemones or evil Spirits from their great power or wisdom by many of the Ancients for Plato who followed Hesiod and other Poets doth conceive them to be called Daemones quasi Daimones which signifieth prudent or