voices in heaven followed saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.15 For this joyful acclamation is here brought in upon occasion of the Resurrection and Exaltation of the Witnesses in this Chapter spoken of and of the fall of a tenth part of the City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt By which we understand that the fall of part of the Papal Power and Jurisdiction and the rise and exaltation of the Witnesses were contemporary and that this great alteration and change in several Nations made those Nations which were but Kingdoms of this world before to become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Now there are these two reasons to induce us to believe that this Resurrection of the Witnesses and the fall of a tenth part of the City refer unto the great Reformation from Popery which was made many years since in several Kingdoms and Principalities in Christendom and consequently that the acclamation aforesaid the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ refer unto the same time and thing 1. Because we have no where so great so notable and remarkable an alteration as that Reformation made in Christendom foretold and particularly pointed at in this Book of Prophesies if it were not in this And yet it seems incredible that so great and famous an alteration of Affairs in the Popish State and in the condition of the Church as that Reformation made should not in special be pointed at somewhere in this Book of Prophesies This reason the Reverend Dr. More hath surnished me with in his Appendage annexed to his Exposition of Daniels Prophesies p. 291. With whose Exposition of what I here alledge out of Rev. 11. I am abundantly satisfied as I find it in the foresaid Appendage and in his Book entituled The Revelation of St. John unveiled 2. The matters which sell out and were transacted in and by that Reformaton did exactly answer to that which was foretold by that Prophesie touching the Resurrection of the Witnesses and the fall of the Popish power and interest in a considerable part of the Popes Jurisdiction For then there was a Political Resurrection of that sort of men who had been Politically slain and a long time dead for crying down Popery And this was done when such were put into publick imployment in all Reformed Nations And at the same time on the other hand there was a Political slaughter of thousands of men when all those that had been in Office and holy Orders in their Church were put down in all those Nations that then became reformed And this reason methinks should convince any unprejudiced man that our first happy National Reformation from Popery in several Nations was the fulfilling of that Prophesie touching the Resurrection of the Witnesses we speak And if it were then I cannot see how any can deny but that those voices in heaven which presently followed thereupon did declare that those Nations which while Popish were but Kingdoms of this World yet by their National reformation from Popery they became the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ But if the Prophesie concerning the Resurrection of the Witnesses should refer unto another time and turn and not to that of the first National Reformation from Popery yet that saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ upon the occasion there foregoing will no less serve to prove that Nations by their National Reformation from Popery became the Kingdoms of God than it would in case that Prophesie had referred unto the first National Reformation from Popery For the Resurrection of the Witnesses the Earthquake the fall of a tenth part of the City and Political slaughter of seven thousand of names of men must needs import a great alteration of Affairs and National Reformation wheresoever and whensoever they fall out be it sooner or later because upon it we see some of those Nations which were but Kingdoms of the world before do then become the Kingdoms of God And if Nations of the world indefinitely become the Kingdoms of God by being reformed from Popery or Paganism so as to make the right Christian Doctrine and Worship the Religion of those Nations by National Authority then the same is true of all Nations which are so reformed at any time and consequently of those which led the way and have been first in such Reformation And thus our proof appears every way pregnant To conclude this matter then when we find that in all times and places in point of fact that as fast as the Sovereign and Supreme Power in each Nation has fallen into Orthodox Christian hands so fast those Nations have become reformed from Paganism or Popery by the Governing Power of those Nations And when we find again that by such Reformations those Nations have become Gods Kingdoms as contradistinguished from the Kingdoms of this world great reason we have to believe these to be the very and true Events and the fulfilling of such ancient Predictions of the Prophets as those which foretold that many Nations should be joyned to the Lord and be his People It is true it was a great while after Christianity began before it became National by National Authority as it was long after Abraham and his Posterity became the People of God by the Covenant of Circumcision before they and their Religion became National And as the one was in bondage four hundred years under the Egyptian Tyranny so were the Christians three hundred years under the Tyranny of the Pagan Roman Emperours before they and their Religion became National by National Authothority But as the Christian Religion and Worship as reformed has since the Reformation been carried on principally in a National way so I doubt not but that it will be carried on farther and more Nations come to be reformed from Popery Infidelity and Paganism until at last that ancient Prophesie of the Angel by Daniel comes to be fulfilled which tells us That the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions or Rulers as it is in the Margin shall serve and obey him Dan. 7.27 And that also in Psal 72 11. All Kings shall fall down before him all Nations shall serve him And now from what hath been represented to us in the foresaid Prophesie of St. John Rev. 11. we may briefly observe these two or three things 1. That notwithstanding any lesser defects in Doctrine Worship or Government Ecclesiastical in any of the National Reformations from Popery which have been made yet after and because such Reformation has been made those Nations are in Scripture account esteemed the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ as opposed to the Kingdoms of this world Which seems to
be born who should arise and declare them to their Children Psal 78.5 6. Those Prophesies fore-mentioned concerning Nations being joyned to the Lord referring to times under the New Testament the event of them as we shall see will shew that they foretold Christian Nations their being joyned to the Lord Nationally or in the course of National Government And the nature of Events which answer to divine Predictions are I think the best and most approved Expositions of those Prophesies when they are fulfilled and the best measure which can be taken for the understanding of them Two things then would be enquired into touching the Events we speak of 1. What and which they are which we may reasonably pitch upon for those Events 2. How we may be assured from some Scriptures of the New Testament that those Events of Providence which we shall pitch upon are indeed of that sort and kind which the Prophesies we speak of point us to I. For the first of these we have very great reason to believe that those National Reformations from Paganism and Judaism and those National Reformations from Popery which have been made in the world since the Christian Religion was first set on foot and which shall yet farther be made are those very Events or the chiefest part of them which the Prophesies before specified point us to We cannot say that any Reformation of either kind has been National untill it has been back'd by National Authority It s true there have been great multitudes of men during the standing of the Roman Empire as Pagan that were recovered from Judaism and Paganism to Christianity and there were many famous Churches of such But I think no one Nation as such could be said to be joyned to the Lord in all that time tho out of many Kindreds Tongues and Nations there were many very many both men and women that were But Nations then became Nationally the Lords when the Christians in them were owned as such and required to behave themselves as such by the Supreme Authority and ruling powers of those Nations tho there might possibly be many in those Nations at the same time which yet did not so much as pretend themselves to be Christians 2. But let us inquire in the second place what assurance we have from any of the holy Writings of the New Testament that those National Reformations from Paganism and Popery that have been made in New Testament times and which shall further be made in other Nations are those Events of Providence which the Prophesies touching National conversions point at And to this end let us observe First That at what time the Supreme Power of the Roman Empire fell into Christian hands and was imployed for the destruction and rooting out Pagan Idolatry and for the setting up and establishing the Publick Worship of Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ throughout its Dominions Then it was that this Kingdom or Dominion became Gods Kingdom in Scripture account For to this great turn of Affairs in the judgment of the most approved Interpreters of the Revelations does that joyful acclamations refer which we have set down in Chap. 12.10 Now is come Salvation and Strength and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ At which time also the great Dragon called the Devil and Satan was cast out and his Angels with him ver 9. that is those Rulers supreme and subordinate who had till then done his work in promoting the Interest of the Kingdom of darkness by supporting Idolatry and persecuting Christians as it was said The Devil shall cast some of you into prison Rev. 2.10 But was not Gods Kingdom come into the Empire till now that the Government was made Christian by the Emperour being a Christian Were there not many great and famous Christian Churches within the Empire while the Government of it was Pagan in respect of Worship Why yes there was Why then was not the Kingdom of God and the Power of his Christ said to be come till the Government in the hands of Constantine the Emperour became Christian Why should this Song Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ be applied to this great turn of Affairs in the Empire rather than to that when the Preaching of the Gospel was first set on foot in it and many Christian Congregations erected There can no other reason hereof be given I conceive but that all the while the Government of the Empire in reference to Religion was engaged for the upholding of the Visible Kingdom of the Devil so far and in this respect it might be said to be his Kingdom to be sure it could not be said to be Gods so far as it was imployed against him But when the Government of it became Christian and engaged it self in throwing down the Kingdom of darkness the Worship of false Gods and in setting up and establishing the Publick Worship of the true God and the Christian Religion then and from that time in this Scripture account that Kingdom or Empire became the Kingdom of God and of his Christ tho many of the Inhabitants of it continued still for a time at least Idolaters as to their profession and private practice So that when and so long as the Government of the Empire in its constitution in reference to Religion continued idolatrous so long the Empire it self was not owned for Gods Kingdom tho there were many Christian Churches in it but when once the Government of it became Christian it was then owned for Gods Kingdom tho many of the Inhabitants of it were no Christians From whence it follows may naturally be inferred that in Scripture Notion Kingdoms are said to be Gods Kingdoms upon the account of a National Reformation from Idolatry and false worship when ever it is made by the publick Government and authority of such Nations But now after this Reformation from Paganism by the Imperial Authority and Power in process of time therecame a falling away in the Empire from the purity of Christian Worship unto a Worship of a mixt nature made up partly of a Worship given to the true God and partly of a Worship given unto Creatures which is due only unto God which was done by the prevailing of the Papal Apostacy And the ten Kings mentioned Rev. 17. into whose hands the Empire became divided gave their power and strength unto the Beast for the support of this impure Worship and Pagan-like Superstition But after this had been done and continued in for several hundreds of years several of those Kingdoms and Principalities which had before given their power and strength unto the Beast fell off and reassumed that power and strength and then devoted it to the service of God in reforming their Dominions from Popery and in restoring the Publick Worship of God throughout their Dominions without any Idolatrous mixture Upon which great turn of Affairs those great
me to fall somewhat hard upon such as separate from the publick Worship of God established in such Nations by National Authority in a way of National Reformation and on those more especially who separate from that Worship for that very reason because enjoyned by National Authority It likewise falls hard upon them also who disesteem or less esteem a National Ministry because it is National or made such according to a National establishment These seem to be of one mind and Almighty God of another when he esteems Nations to be joyned to him and to be his People by that for which they separate Their pretence that in the Apostles times and for three hundred years after the Affairs of the Church were carried on only in a free Congregational way in greater or lesser voluntary Associations and therefore they ought to be so now seems very inconsiderable Because what was done in that kind then was done by way of necessity because they had not opportunity of a better Not but that they long'd for and pray'd for such Kings as would use their Authority and Power for the propagation and furtherance of the Christian Religion as well as for the defence of it and the Professors of it And they esteemed it no small favour from God when at last they obtained it in Constantine a Christian Cesar who used that Power of his for the establishing the Christian Religion and Worship of the only true God and for the ordering and regulating many things relating to the more commodious and orderly carrying on the ministration of the Gospel and the Worship of God And therefore the people of God then existent in the Empire are brought in by the Spirit of Prophesie expressing themselves thus upon that occasion Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ as I shew'd before Rev. 12.10 2. It may be justly questioned whether it be worth the while for men to dispute against the being of a National Church in New Testament times considering that in the New Testament Nations reformed from Paganism and Popery are stiled Gods Kingdoms And considering likewise that the Scripture stiles the same people and in the same respect sometimes the Kingdom of God and sometimes his Church And therefore it should seem no more improper to call a Christian Nation a Church of God than it is to call it a Kingdom of God which yet the Scripture stiles so 3. It may be observed yet farther That the Kingdoms or Nations which have been reformed from Popery were before such reformation was made but Kingdoms of this world notwithstanding much of what pertains to the Christian Religion was then owned and professed in them The Spirit of God by whom the book of Revelations was indited we see stiles them so in their unreformed state The Kingdoms of this world are become c. Yet they then in their unreformed state Worshipped the true God and his Son Christ Jesus They owned the holy Scriptures for the Word of God and used the same Creeds which the Reformed Churches themselves use and yet we see they are in that state stiled by the Spirit of God but Kingdoms of this world when as under their reformed state they are said to be the Kingdoms of God and of his Christ Like as Almighty God for the like reason esteemed the Nation of the Jews who had been his own Church and People but as Ethiopians unto him Amos 9.7 and told them by another Prophet Ye are not my people and I will not be your God Hos 1.10 For tho they had his Ordinances among them and boasted of their Temple-Worship crying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these yet at the same time they burnt Incense unto Baal and walked after other Gods Jer. 7. they divided their Worship between the true God and Baal and did swear by the Lord and by Malcham Zeph. 1.5 And upon this account it was that God said of them by his Prophet they are unto me as a speckled bird of a Religion of several colours Jer. 12.9 For this spiritual Whoredom especially it was that Almighty God who had once espoused that people to himself gave them a Bill of Divorce at last brake up house turned them out of doors and sent them out of his Land untill they should repent and reform And if we compare these things with the spiritual whoredom wherewith Mystical Babilon is charged and for which with other heinous crimes she is threatned in this Book of Revelations it will not be at all hard to conceive why Nations while Popish are stiled and esteemed but Kingdoms of this world And this if there were no other is argument enough to prevail with all such as would not be disowned by God to be none or to become none of their Communion who are thus disowned by him And thus we have seen how both from the light and law of Nature the reason of the thing and from divine Revelation also the great expediency at least of the publick exercise of Gods Worship in the way of National establishment is warranted and approved of This then may be a caution to men who live in any such reformed Nation as we have discoursed of and as ours is to take heed of acting in matters Ecclesiastical or pertaining to Church Communion as if they lived in a Popish or Pagan Nation by disowning and by separating from the National way of Worship lest thereby they discountenance and disparage what God approves of and disown that for which God owns such a Nation for his Kingdom It is true the Primitive Christians who lived in Pagan Countries and those since which have lived in Popish have been necessitated in duty to be separate in their Christian Communion from their National Worship as much as they were obliged not to be Idolaters But there is a great difference between false Worship and defects in that which is true The best Church Constitution and the best Church Administration which have men not divinely inspired for the ordering of them are liable to humane defects And if humane defects even in Gods Worship were not to be endured for the sake of Communion in the Worship it self there could no such thing as Church Communion be enjoyed among Christians because we cannot say there is any in this imperfect state in which we are without defects But then the question will be what defects are to be indured in Gods Worship rather than Communion in it should be forsaken and what are intolerable and for the sake of which Communion in the Worship is to be declined And here it seems to me impossible warrantably to determine any defects intolerable which do not alter the nature of the Worship and make it become false Worship that do not destroy or defeat the ends for which true Worship serves Who is he that will undertake to determine for what defects which
the God of love and peace shall be with you saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 13.11 While the Catholick Church is of one mind in the great things of Christian Religion and being so do live in peace and not unpeaceably contend fall out and divide about lesser things such as for which God perhaps doth neither esteem or disesteem men he who is the God of love and peace will be with them to bless them with his presence with spiritual blessings especially And as the presence of the soul in the body enlivens it with natural life by virtue whereof the several Members perform their several functions proper to each of them respectively even so the presence of the holy Spirit in the body of Christ the Church does animate it with spiritual life and does so influence and actuate the several Members of it as that by virtue thereof they all perform their several Christian offices proper to each for the common good of the whole But then this vital power of acting spiritually is conveyed by the Spirit to each of the Members as they are in Vnion and communion with the whole and so as one Member is made a Channel of this conveyance to another and each enabled to contribute its part to the common good of the whole Thus Col. 2.19 where St. Paul mentioning the Head of the Church saith from which all the body by joynts and bonds having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God This spiritual nourishment of the body flows from Christ the Head we see as having obtained it by his Mediation but then it is the great Office-work of the holy Spirit to apply the benesits obtained by Christ to the several members of his body by working and increasing grace and comfort in them He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you saith our Saviour speaking of the Holy Ghost Joh. 16.14 And this conveyance of nourishment from the Head to the Members by the Holy Spirit is made by the union of the parts as knit together by joynts and bands by which Union one member is made a Channel of conveyance of nourishment to another and in this way the whole body increaseth with the increase of God This being so a disunion of the parts or members must needs obstruct this spiritual nourishment and hinder the growth of the body To the same effect is that parallel place Ephes 4.15 16. Speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ from whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working of the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it self in love This increase of the body to the edifying it self in love is made we see both by the parts of the body being joyned together and also by that which every joynt supplyeth being so compacted Thus we see how the increase of the Church in spiritual strength depends upon Gods special presence and assistance and how the enjoyment of that presence depends upon the peaceable agreement and mutual love of the parts of which the Church doth consist And if so then unpeaceableness discord and strife contention and dividing into Parties in the Church must necessarily tend to deprive her of that special presence and divine assistance of the holy Spirit without which Christians cannot thrive and increase in true goodness and for want of which they will rather decline and go backward Tho the God of peace and of love will be with his People while they are so of one mind in the Essentials of Christianity as upon that account to live in peace and Christian Communion one with another notwithstanding their differing in some lesser things which will always be found in the best estate of the Church which can be expected here on earth yet there is no reason to expect he will be so with them when they do not so live in peace tho they should otherwise be of one mind in the fundamental Doctrines of Christianity and all the substantial parts of Worship The holy Spirit may indeed dispense gifts of Knowledge and Utterance and the like which are common to bad men as well as good such as these he may bestow upon Christians even while they are in disorder and unpeaceable division But as for those fruits of the Spirit which constitute men truly good such as love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness and meekness Gal. 5.22 the having of these and mens being of an unpeaceable temper and in a state of discord and division are I fear inconsistent for these are contrary one to another Tho St. Paul acknowledged those of the Church of Corinth to be enriched with all utterance and all knowledge Chap. 1 5. yet in Chap. 3.1 he tells them that he could not speak unto them as unto spiritual but as unto carnal even as to babes in Christ and for this reason as it follows in ver 3. because there was among them envying strife and division Ye are yet carnal saith he for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men that is as other men which were no Christians They might indeed know and believe and talk otherwise and better than those that were out of the Church but their walking and living was but as theirs while envying strife and division was found with them For these are of those works of the flesh of which St. Paul saith that those which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5.20 21. And if Christians would but examine and judge of themselves by these Scripture measures it would make them on all hands one side as well as another to be as much afraid to do any thing to disturb the peace of the Church or to be guilty of envying strife and division in it as they would be to find themselves but in a carnal state and of being shut out of the Kingdom of heaven And as for those who are guilty of these things in these sad times wherein envying strife and division do abound it is hugely necessary that as they love their own souls they would without delay repent and get out of such a state and not flatter and deceive themselves with an opinion of their good and safe condition upon account of their being otherwise Orthodox and Religious so long as they indulge themselves in such a state QUERY XIV What is the nature of Schism From what hath been discoursed touching the nature of Catholick Communion and the means of preserving it we may be able to make a judgment of the nature of Schism what it is and who are guilty of it For if Catholick Communion stands in the Unity of the Spirit or Christians Unity in their Communion in the Doctrine of Faith in things necessary to Salvation and in the