phrase the Brownist vnderstandeth ordinarily a Society of People Really Sanctified for the whole testified in obedience to the whole of Gods will reuealed Such a Communion can they finde me one In Adams few it was not so In Noahs Eight it was not so With Rebeccaâ—s Twins it was not so With Israels Conuention it was not so With Iudahs assemblies it was not so With Christs Twelue it was not so With Corinths Church it was not so Fiue of Asiaes seauen Churches were not so And as for 〈◊〉 Philadelphia they be praised for the Generall of their obedience not for euery particular for In many things as the Holy Ghost witnesseth we sinne all That the Catholike Wheate-field or Church euen Christs possession through the World For by World there is intended the Earths Largenes as in Psa. 2. 8. that in it should be Weedes yea inseperable Weedes our Sauiour teacheth in Math. 13. from which parable may be obserued 1 That it is the Kingdome of Heauen neuer taken in the ill part as some times the word World is which is there compared 2 That the seed of the Kingdome is sowen through the World 3 That in the midst of that good seed the Tares be sowen and not without the Church as some Schismatikes would 4 That such euill is sowne when Christs seruants are a sleepe into the midst of Gods temple the aduersary so got 5 The Seruants awaking see these personall Euils keeping-vnder the personall Good And therefore the euill ones visible euen as visible as the Wheate and not onely Hypocrites as some badly haue taught 6 A purgation of all such Visible euill cannot with the Churches good be made till the Lord in the worlds end do come vnto iudgment And therefore meane time to be permitted which without rending the church cannot be seuered That for the estate of the Church Catholique That a Particular Church is no more priuiledged then the Totall or vniuersall must necessarily follow for that Sathan as an enuious man sowes his Tares Ana méson tou sitou euen through the middest of that Wheate his malice being no lesse against the partes then the whole as may appeare in Reuel 12. where not preuailing against that Woman hee goes and warres with the remnant of her seed And no maruaile it be so seeing euery particular person still sinneth whereupon still that petition is in force Forgiue vs our trespasses In which respect also it is that in Leuiticus is appoynted sacrifice both for the whole Congregation erring and for the partes of that whole as Priest Prince People So Gregories Decretall concludes Iudicium Dâ—â—veritatâ— quae non fallit nec fallituâ— sâ—â—peâ— iâ—nititur Iudicium autem Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 Opinionem sequitur quam fallere saepe contingit fallj â— propter quod contingit interdum vt qui ligatus est apud Deum apud Ecclesiam siâ— soâ—utus qui liber est apud Deum ecclesiastica sit sententia innodatus Particular Congregations are therefore called Communions of Saints or Holy-ones not because they all Really and indeed be such but for that they be called to be such as also haue vndergone the outward Signes and Meanes of sanctitie or holines Heereupon Israel became an Holy-nation though not al of them indeed holy So Israel after the Schisme from Iudah is called Gods sonne and Gods people and yet the most of them turners aside to grosse Idolatry which of all sinnes diuorceth froÌ„ God So the Corinths are Saints by calling yet amongst theÌ„ grieuous kinds of sinners both against Faith and good Manners This I speake not as the Schismatique raileth for iustifiing faults but for iustifying the Churches true-being notwithstanding such faults Let the Schismatique looke into himselfe let him search into the meanders and turninges of his heart and then let me see if he can say vnto God My heart is cleane there is no spot in mee If he be of the minde whereof one in Lyn-regis was that Dauid did lie of himselfe when he sayd to the Lord I was borne in iniquitie c. then I will say to sir Schismatique as I sayd to him I am too lowe to talk with one that is so hie Or as Constantine the great vnto the Nouatian Bishop Acesius Prouide thee a Ladde◠ô pure Puritane and thy selfe aione climbe vp into heauen CHAP. v. Touching the Churches Visibilitie in the earth OVR Sauiour saying that vpon that Rocke which Peter then preached and that was Christ himselfe hee would builde his Church against which Hel-gates should not preuaile cannot be vnderstood that hee speakes of this or that particular Church but of the Catholique body whereto himselfe is the Head For the Church of Rome it was chased away from that seat many yeares togeather by the Gothes and Vandales witnesse the Stories which cannot be gainesayd And no maruaile for from that place not onely proceeded the power whereby Christ was crucified but also whereby the great persecutions flowed for the extirpation of Christianitie Vpon which foresight no doubt S. Iohn hath left that Citie vnder the deepest curse in his Booke of Reuelation For the 7. Churches of Asia-minor which S. Iohn saw to be as Starres in Christes right hand a priuiledge neuer giuen to Rome they quickly vanished Which among other reasons doubtles was for keeping vs from tying faith to any particular place or person And if God spared not his owne peculiar people the Iewes but rooted them out for their sinnes sake what reason is there that he should spare any wilde branches inserted in the place of that naturall Oliue That promise therefore in Math. 16. must euen by euidence of Consequent be vnderstood of the Catholique Church which howsoeuer it might be beat downe in some part yet should continue in some other Euen as the Moone whereto she is compared might to some part of the Earth be eclipsed when to some other part she shyned brightly This I note against the Romanist which would not only tye the Church to some one place but also conclude that the Church hath beene to this part of the world alwayes visibly glorious Besides I conclude the Euer-visibilitie of the Church though in such defectiue manner for conuincing of some who haue not knowne how to answere the Romanist otherwise then by denying all visibilitie through some misunderstanding of some Scriptures in 2. Thess. 2. as also in the Reuelation Whereas indeed a great departure was to be made from the Fayth but yet meane time it should not cease to be Gods Temple though the Aduersarie vsurped a chiefe place in it for as S. Iohn foresaw some Trees should keepe greene in the Lordes court hauing the sauing Seale of Gods Grace printed vpon them And were it not so how should sauing Grace be conueyed vnto vs without new Apostles furnished extraordinarily from heauen And how should we come by Gods Booke contayning his written will if the Lord reserued not a Remnant
a number would not goe to meate if a few were present of their faction but there must be a kind of Sermon Maister Barrowe himselfe euen to my selfe telling him that Maister Penâ—y did vse that fashion of Preaching did exceedingly dislike it saying of that and of some Pin-sellers and Pedlers that then were put to preach in their Thursedayes Prophecie that it would bring the Scriptures into mightie contempt Maister Henry Smith in his Sermon vpon Despise not Prophecie did taxe in his time that addle-headed discoursing saying that it was the readie way to bring into contempt both Prophet and Prophecie But Vzzah hath been smitten of God for so touching the Lordes Arke that whosoeuer runnes by may read as in great Capitall letters Perez Vzzah and therefore I leaue it But what speake I of Contempt of Ministers Actum est de capite the whole bodie of the Church is accused for an Harlot yea for such a one as neuer was betrotheâ— vnto Christ but prostitute vnto spirituall fornication a cunabulis from the very swadling cloutes Minxerit in patrios cineres Schismaticus ille To whom I say with Agur The Eye that mocketh the Father and despiseth the instruction of the Mother let the Rauens of the valley picke it out and the young Eagles eate it The premisses considered it remayneth that with Nehemiahs people we doe the worke of the Church with the one hand and with the other we hold the Sword With the Cranes let vs watch by turnes rest by turnes Let no man seeke his owne but euery-one anothers good In being one against such as will not be at one we shall as in the Parable compell them to come in or force them to silence Controuersias aut jus aut vis finit And so casting my selfe into your brotherly armes with reference of these my labours to our Churches iudgement I humbly bid farewell Norborne in East-kent the 6. of Aprill Anno Domini 1609. Your Brother in the worke of the Gospel HENOCH CLAPHAM TO THE ORDINARIE READER TO read with profit and otherwise thou had better neuer read these Rules are to be followed 1. First beware of a preiudicate affection an euill forestalling the grace of God barring the doores of mercie against such For we should not dare any thing against but for the trueth 2. Secondly desire of God that in trying of all thinges thou mayest keepe that is good Otherwise with the Spider thou wilt fashion Poyson where the painefull Bee would cull Hony 3. Thirdly marke diligentâ—y the Argumentes and Reasons whereby any poynt is prooued And consider whether they be Essentiall and to the matter or but Paralogifmes or seeming fayre Colours which we tearme Sophistication In disputation about the Beeing of a true Church it must be well waighed whether speach be had of such a true Church as is Visible and knowne plainely of man or of such a true Church as is Inuisible and so onely knowne of God For though we may hope well of such as we see and know yet God knowes who are his And then if the Question be about the true visible Church it must further be considered if so it be a true visible Church setled in orderly constitution or as yet vnestablished or not yet constituted for euery of these Churches though true Churches be differenced one from another by some substantiall marke or propertie peculiar to the owne kind In disputation about Ecclesiasticall policie or Church-discipline it must at first be examined whether speach be had of that which accordes generally with euery true Church and that 's th' inward regiment of the Spirit wherevpon Christ sayth The kingdome of God is vvithin you and the Psalmist that the Kings Daughter is all glorious vvithin and therefore not to be poynted at with Loe heere loe there or it must be waighed if so the discipline be externall and outward And if that then whether of such pollicie as tendes barely to the Being of a true visible Church stablished or vnestablished in whole or in part c. Otherwise thou shalt swallow Quid for Quo and when the question is of Myles the answere will be of Plummes In the lacke of such a Spirit as should discerne betweene thinges that differ it comes to passe that Schismatiques exceedingly seduce poore plaine people describing a Visible Church by such scriptures as properly appertaine to the Inuisible wherein all are really holy and when the question is of Discipline Essentiall they cast in scriptures that speake of that is onely Accidentall as if there were no difference betweene the Maine and the By betweene that is naturally perpetuall or but temporarie fitting some one time Againe if question be about True Ministers the Schismatikes propound for a marke thereof the verie perfection of the Lords Canon as if he could not be a True Minister except he were Perfect as if there were no difference betweene a true man and a man that is perfect in euery ornament of Nature And yet when the Perfectistes haue done that the very best Minister they can make is to be conuicted of imperfection Besides ìf question be made What is the Gospell or what is the contrary thereto namely Antâ—christianisme They determine neither of them by that which is Essentiall but by some Accidents which tend not simply to the Beeing thereof but to the Decking of that Beeing the most absurd kind of Sophistication that can be In a word they deale as sillily as if one should define a man not by the veritie of Body and Soule but by so many Haires of the head or so many Nailes of an hand or by hauing more or fewer Garmentes vpon him of this or that fashion If thou know what I haue sayd then thou art the fitter to iudge after reading If not then read but iudge not For he that giueth false iudgement doth make himselfe accursed And so beseeching God to giue thee vnderstanding in all thinges I leaue thee and my labours to the blessing of the Almightie TO THE VNCONSCIONABLE READER ARt thou an Atheist and so mockes all Religion Then I leaue thee to thunder and lightning vvhereby some auncient Atheistes haue been forced to feare and to acknovvledge a soueraigne diuine povver ouer the Creature Art thou of some Religion VVhat a flouting Papist Then I leaue thee to thy mother Rome As the last Iericho by Hiel so it vvas founded in Blood by such as had sucked the milke of a VVolfe at least of a vile Harlot and it goes on in Blood as vnable othervvise to be continued VVitnesse not onely many bloody massachres a broad but many sanguiuolent attempts of late heere at home Specially vve can not forget thy late Guâ—pouder treason vvherevvith thou didest couet to mingle vvith our blood the blood of thy Parents yea of men of thine ovvne Religion Hovv then should any Euangelicall vvriting content thy Idolatrous iudgment Art thou a Separist One that no
the Iewes do hold that the Warres of Gog and Magog shall goe before the setled Kingdome of Messiah or as Ram bam that is according to the 4. radicall letters R. M. B. M. Rabbj Moses Ben Maymony sayth in the beginning of Messiahs dayes shal be the Battailes of Gog and Magog The poore wretches speake a truth but vnderstand it not inasmuch as they beleeue not that Christes comming is twofold the first in Humility the second only in Glory With the heathenish Gog-magogs our Sauiour warred by the ministery of his Apopostles whose weapons were spirituall but the Gog-magog spoke of in the Reuelation must arise after the vnloosing of Satan And indeed vpon the downefall of that enemie and his infinite Army which can not be done but by the power of Christ Messiah is to settle a Kingdome of Glory 1. From Christes birth to Ierushalems finall ruine the world then being aged 4000. yeares were 73. yeares 2. From Ierushalems downe-fall through the times of Antichrist to the fall of his Babel be 1260. yeares 3. From the Periode to Satans being let loose be 1000. yeares The whole summe from our Lords birth till Satans loosing be 2333. yeares Then the Christians be to expect open Hostilitie But God knowes how to deliuer his in that day of tentation that shall come vpon all the earth A thousand yeares shall the Desolation be sayth the Talmud ¶ Meane time it would be remembred that the Râ—bbiâ—es ordinarily hold that God reneweth not the world Nisi septem millibus annorum transactis till 7000. yeares haue passed from the Creation And we may thinke that as for the Electes sakes he did shorten the dayes of the Romaines siege layd to Ierushalem so he will cut short the dayes of Gog-magog besieging the Tentes and Citie of Christians CHAP. xix Touching the last Iudgment TOgeather with the Fire falling from heauen vpon Gog-magogs Army euen the whole body of Heathenrie for then the Saints liuing shal be taken vp aloft and meete Christ in the Ayre 1. Thess. 4. 17. as the eight soules in the Arke were caryed vp aloft from the iudgment of Water S. Iohn noteth that the great and glorious Iudgment presently followeth Take his owne wordes for I thinke not good to paraphraze at this time vpon them 10. Vers And the Diuell that deceaued them was cast into a Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Beast and the false Prophet shal be tormented euen day and night for euermore 11. And I saw a great white Throne and one that sate on it from whose face fled away both the Earth and Heauen and their place was no more found 12. And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the Bookes were opened and an other Booke was opened which is the Booke of life and the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the Bookes according to their workes 13. And the Sea gaue vp her dead which were in her and Death and Deapth deliuered vp the dead which were in them and they were iudged euery-man according to their workes 14. And Death and Deapth were cast into the Lake of Fire this is the Second death 15. And whosoeuer was not found written in the Booke of life was cast into the Lake of fire CHAP. xx Touching a certaine description of the Church in Reuel 21. and 22. FInally after the vniuersall day of Doome S. Iohn draweth an excellent Mappe of the Church but whether of the Church tryumphing after iudgement or of the Church militant heere before iudgement as it is seene by the eye of Fayth it is not a litle questionable Many haue taken it for the Church Tryumphant not onely for his description in the last place for that will not necessarily conclude seeing somewhat in the last place may be but an expositiue Commentary of that which went before but for that it is sayd of this people that All teares are wipe away from their eyes c. Which in proper sense accordeth to the Church Triumphant Some againe do take it for the Church heere Militant not onely for that the Apostle in Galat. 4. doth stile the Christian Church heere by the name of Ierushalem from aboue but also for that in this Church there be certaine Leaues of a Tree wherewith the Nations were to be healed and after this life there is no healing of any errour much lesse of the Gentile-kinges bringing their glory vnto the Triumphant Church And I haue long suspected that it is a description of that part of the Church Militant which should betide the Gentiles vpon the vniuersall addition of the Iewes or rather of all Israel For as we neuer read of the ten Tribes vnited againe with Iudah howsoeuer it be plainely foretyped twyse ouer in Ezek. 37. and there spoken of next before the Warres of Gog and Magog so S. Paul sayth that after the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in All Israel shal be saued Rom. 11. 25. 26. And so S. Iohn seeth not onely thousandes of Iudah Benjamin and Leuj sealed in the forehead to Godward but also of other Tribes Reuel 7. following the Lambe and singing Moses his song of Deliuerance of whom it is sayd that there was no guile in their mouth and that they were without spot before the Throne of God Reuel 14. 1. c. which is the state of all to whom sinne is not imputed Herewith I haue marked that S. Iohn doth heere keepe the same methode as did Ezekiel for Ezekiel presently after the downefall of Gog-magog doth describe the New Temple and distinguish a new the Israelites portions in Canaan all one in effect with this description of S. Iohn Ezekiel ending with Iehouah Shammah and S. Iohn with this that in this new Citie The Lord is there But let it be at the first hand that it is a Description of Christes mysticall Body heere whose heartes are purified by Fayth yet at the second hand it may as a Type giue vs a resemblaunce of the Churches finall glory and that the rather for that to their glory there shal be after the destruction of all by Fire A new Heauen and a new Earth wherein shall dwell Righteousnesse as S. Peter plainely teacheth Heere I know that some vnderstand not according to sobrietie but as if they were Prophets of extraordinarie spirit they boldly determine of thinges yet secret As the light of the Righteous encreaseth till mid-day so the light of Gods Spirit shal be enlarged vpon his Church But euery age brings not with it all things and let vs be contented with our present measure Meane time the meditation of the Glory to come will effect in vs patience vnder present tentations because The Afflictions of this present life are not worthy of the Glory which shall be shewed vnto vs. Heere Neighbours crosse pierce both hands feete Angels and Saints be there our Neighbours sweete Heere famine