obliged the world so that all due homage and divine reverence to the Person of Christ must be laid aside and this bold Impostor silence the constant faith of Christians by his high pretensions of being the Head and Father of such a Family whose Inscription must be Love who with this Family of his is God and Christ and Cherubims and Seraphims Angels and Arch-Angels already busie in their office of judging the quick and the dead and gathering the elect from all the corners of the Earth 5. But in my apprehension at the very first sight he shews himself very injudicious if not malicious in making a difference betwixt the true Houshold of Faith and Family of Love besides his gross and impudent injustice in usurping that badge of honour to himself that was won by another in a field of bloud For as I was going to say what has this H. N. done to merit this title more then in scribling many fanatical Rhapsodies of unsound language abusively borrowed from the sacred Scriptures and in perverting the sense and supplanting the end by his wicked elusions and vain Allegorical evasions and so under pretense of beginning an higher dispensation of Righteousnes and Religion in the world then ever was yet treacherously introducing in stead of true Religion nothing but Sadducisme Epicurisme and Atheisme This voluminous Enthusiasme of his together with the gracing of the Family with the splendour of his crimson habiliments is all I find that can pretend to any contestation or competition with the true Master of Divine Love or to any obligation of his Followers 6. I must confess our Saviour compiled no Books it being a piece of Pedantry below so noble and Divine a person But that short Sentence which he writ with his own most precious bloud As I have loved you so love you one another is worth millions of Volumes though written with the truest and sincerest Eloquence that ever fell from the pen of an Oratour Nor did he wear any gay Clothes but when by force the abusive souldiers put a scarlet robe upon him indespight and mockery Nor was he resplendent in any colours but what was the die of his own bloud in his solemn and dreadful Passion when he was so cruelly scourged when out of agonie of mind he sweat drops of bloud when he was nailed to the Cross and the lance let bloud and water out of his side All which ineffable and unsupportable torments this innocent Lamb of God suffered for no demerit of his for what thank is it to suffer for a factious Impostor or open evil doer but out of mere compassion and hearty love to mankind that he might by this bitter Passion of his and the glorious consequences of it his Resurrection and Ascension gain us to God And now let all men judge if there can be possibly any Authour or pretended Instructer of the World in that holy and divine Love indeed comparable to the Lord Iesus who has given this unparallel'd demonstration of his love unto us CHAP. III. 1. The occasion of the Familists usurpation of the Title of Love 2. Earnest precepts out of the Apostles to follow Love and what kind of Love that is 3. That we cannot love God unless we love our neighbour also 4. An Exposition of the 5 and 6 verses of the 1 chapter of the 2 Epist. of S. Peter 5. Saint Paul's rapturous commendation of Charity 6. His accurate description thereof 7. That Love is the highest participation of the Divinity and that whereby we become the Sons of God And how injurious these Fanaticks are that rob the Church of Christ of this title to appropriate it to themselves 1. HEarken therefore to me yet that would follow after righteousness ye that seek the Lord Look unto the rock whence you were hewen and to the hole of the pit from whence you were digged Look upon him whom ye have pierced and whose bloud is the seed of the Church whose Spouse was taken out of his side as Eve out of the side of Adam Acknowledge your original and recount with your selves the price of your Redemption even the inestimable bloud of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus The sense whereof is the strongest cement imaginable to unite us to our Saviour and one unto another But the Church having been given up so long a time to bitter factions and persecutions to warre and bloudshed and all manner of enmity and hostility one against another it is no wonder if a stranger has invaded that Title which she may justly be thought to have either refused or forfeited For my own part I know not how to apologize for either the fond opinions or foul miscarriages of the Wilderness of Christendome But sure I am That the Banner over the true Spouse of Christ is Love That Love is the badge and cognoscence of all his faithful members by which they are known to be His living members indeed That Love and Peace is the last Legacy which was left to the disciples by their dying Lord and Master an inheritance entailed upon all the true sons of God for ever That Love is the fulfilling of the Law and has filled almost every page of the Gospel and all the Writings of the Apostles and when they speak of Faith it is none other Faith then that which worketh by Love 2. Out of the many repetitions and inculcations of this holy and heavenly Vertue I was a gleaning out some to present you withall for an evidence how serious the Gospel of Christ is and how sufficient in the urging of his indispensable duty We go on therefore and adde to what we have already cited these following places Galat. 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love And if Circumcision be nothing without Faith working by Love what can Baptizing or Rebaptizing or any external ceremony be without this true Faith whose life and spirit is Love which the Apostle directs us to And after v. 13 14. For brethren ye have been called unto liberty only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another For all the Law is fulfilled in one word even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Where this Law of Love is so carefully described that the abuse of this Title to Lust and Libertinisme is plainly excluded against such as talk so much of Love and are but Libertines at the bottom Which caution also is very soberly and prudently put in by S. Iohn Ep. 1. chap. 5. v. 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his Commandements Which is a plain demonstration that that Love which Saint Iohn exhorts to so copiously in his Epistle is a Love purely divine and such as no man can be assured he doth practise unlesse he keep all the Commandements of God For even a carnall man may love the Children of
the Love sect 3. and 7. See him also upon the Beatitudes sect 6. And it is no wonder we hear nothing of that Reconciliation made by the Cross of Christ for he does plainly aver sect 34. That the true being in the Love is that peace with God and man mentioned Ephes. 2.14 and the true Testament that standeth fast for ever And Exhortation chap. 12.44 Remission of sins is gained only by submitting to the House of the Love The same that David George boasted of his doctrine Therefore my beloved children change ye not nor turn away your selves from the House of Love For there is in the same the stool of grace to an everlasting remission of sins over all such as cleave thereon and to a peace and rest of the life to all such as humble them there-under By such slips and omissions as these those that are not very dull of perception may easily spel out his meaning Which yet is more clear by other places of his Evangely chap. 13. Where he setleth the Everlasting Priesthood not upon Christ's person but makes this Kingly Priest no person at all but a thing a state or condition of him and his followers here upon earth And therefore he calls there this mystical Christ The Lords Sabbath The seventh day in the Paradise of God The perfection c. And chap. 22. he makes the entrance of Christ into heaven and his visible ascending up thither and sitting at the right hand of God and sending down the holy Ghost at the day of Pentecost which was a real effect of his eternal Priesthood and Intercession with God for his Church nothing but the appearing of him according to the Spirit out of the Heavenly Being in their Minds or Souls upon which he sent down his Spiritual or Heavenly Powers Wherefore this Mystical Christ is the only high Priest that he acknowledgeth and will allow him no otherwise then in this mystical and spiritual sense to be an everlasting and true Christ of God See the place of which you will assure your self I have given the right sense if you compare it with chap. 26. sect 10 11 12. where he more plainly affirms That it is the upright being of the Love Christ after the Spirit which he calls the true light which is that high Priest that abideth for ever at the right hand of God in the Heavenly Being Which phrase Heavenly Being alwaies signifies morally or mystically with him and means something within us And yet he has the impudence to alledge Acts 1. v. 11. where Christ is said to ascend into Heaven literally and naturally so called his disciples gazing upon him as he went up Thus you see how industriously nay how madly and rashly he shuffles out the Humane person of Christ from his Priestly Office every where And as he will have the Heaven or most Holy within us so will he have his Sacrifice and Passion within us too Introduct chap. 8.38 Where doe any now saith he keep the Supper of Christ where they break distribute and eat the bread which is the true Body of Christ to a remembrance of Christ that he hath suffered in us for the sins cause the death of the Cross and so his death is published till he come in his glory Where it is plain that the Crucifixion of Christ is a mystery in us and it is insinuated a duty too For the Body and the Flesh of Christ is Christ according to the History Which Christ according to the Flesh is to be slain in us if we celebrate the Passeover aright and thus we must publish his death till he come in glory that is in the Spirit 4. And truely no other is his glorious coming to judgment with this Sect then this Mystical and Spiritual coming which was the second part I intended to pursue which I question not but I shall make as clear as noon-day Of this there are so many Testimonies and so pregnant that the only fear is of being too copious in the proof of this matter Revel Dei cap. 7. There his illuminate Elders together with his Family of Love are the Heavens in which Christ the Son of God comes gloriously and triumphantly to judgment to reign with God and his righteousness everlasting upon earth Which plainly excludes the ending of the World and that coming of Christ that all Christians expect And chap. 15. sect 6. he affirms that in this Eighth day which is the day of the Spirit of Love all the dead that are deceased in the Lord Iesus Christ do rise from the death and all Generations of Heaven and Earth do become judged in the judgement of God with equity Again in his Introduct Chap. 1. he saith That now the true glorious God who is the Resurrection and the Life revealeth his Saints out of his bosome where since the time they fel asleep they have rested untill this day of the Love because they should now in these last times in the resurrection of the righteous be manifested with Christ in glory to a righteous judgement of God on the earth And chap. 12. he there also affirms That in this day of the Love there appear and come to us livingly and gloriously all God's Saints which in times past died and fell asleep in God And chap. 22. there he also tells us how that in sure and firm hope of everlasting life the upright believers have rested in the Lord Iesus Christ till the appearing of his coming which is now in this day of the Love revealed out of the heavenly Being with which Iesus Christ the former Believers of Christ who were fallen asleep rested or died in him are now also manifested in glory being raised from the dead to the intent that they should reign alive with him over all his enemies To which you may add what he has wrote chap. 16. in his Prophecy of the Spirit of Love Make you to flight make you to flight yea get you now all out of the way ye enemies of the Lord and of his service of the Love and give the Lord with his holy ones the roome yet shall ye not escape the vengeance of God For he saith the Lord cometh to judge betwixt the Family of the Love and the rest of the world where-through the Earth is now moved the Heavens troubled the Elements melt with heat and the token of the coming of the Son of man appears in Heaven with which rumour or rushing noise of the power of God and his holy ones the last trumpet doth also presently give forth her sound through whose blast of her vehement sound and through the appearing of the coming of Christ the dead shall stand up and arise unto the judgement of God who having revenged the bloud of his holy ones that the sinners have spilt and shed upon the earth he puts this pure Family in peaceable Possession thereof that they may reign there-over or judge the same with righteousness from henceforth world without
end So that the completion of all the Prophets ends in the Triumph of Familism the same which David George boasted of himself See also chap. 15. sect 5. Lastly in his Evangely chap. 35.8 Behold in this same day namely of the Love is the Resurrection of the Lords dead come to pass through the appearing of the coming of Christ in his Majesty according to the Scriptures And a little after sect 9. In which resurrection of the dead God sheweth unto us that the time is now fulfilled that his dead or the dead that are fallen asleep in the Lord rise up in this day of his judgement and appear unto us in Godly glory which shall also henceforth live in us everlastingly with Christ and reign upon the Earth Of which the plain sense is That the Souls deceased so many hundred years agoe are alive again in these of the Family of Love and shall reign everlastingly in them with the Mystical Christ on the Earth Which plainly excludes that other Iudgement or Resurrection in the Literal sense as I said before Again chap. 4. sect 15. For this cause our hope standeth now in this day very little on many of the Inhabitants of the world but we hope with joy much more on the appearing of the dead that die in the Lord or are dead in him to wit that they in their resurrection from the death shall livingly come unto and meet with us For all the dead of the Lord and members of Christ shall now live and rise with their Bodies and we shall assemble us with them and they with us to one body in Iesus Christ into one lovely Being of the Love and be altogether concordable in the Love and peace of Iesus Christ. CHAP. XVII 1. His perverse Interpretation of that Article of the Creed concerning Life everlasting 2. His misbelief of the Immortality of the Soul proved from his forcible wresting of the most pregnant Testimonies thereof to his Dispensation and Ministry here on Earth 3. Their interpreting of the Heavenly Body mentioned 2 Cor. 4. and the unmarried state of Angels to the signification of a state of this present Life 4. That H. Nicolas as well as David George held there were no Angels neither good nor bad 5. Further Demonstrative Arguments that he held the Soul of man mortall 6. How sutable his laying aside of the Person of Christ is to these other Tenets 7. That H. Nicolas as highly as he magnifies himself is much below the better sort of Pagans His irreverent apprehension of the Divine Majesty if he held that there was any thing more Divine then himself 1. FInally as for that Article of the Creed concerning Life everlasting his exposition is this We confess that the same everlasting life is the true Light of men and that God hath made and chosen him the man thereto that he should live in the same light everlastingly Where by him the man he means the succession of mankind as any one may know that is but a little acquainted with his manner of writing and by everlasting life and the true light of men he means the Light of the Love and the Service thereof which he presages shall abide for ever Which therefore he cals the house of God's dwelling the eternal rest of his holy ones the everlasting fast-standing Ierusalem the true and indisturbable kingdome full of all Godly Power Ioy and of all heavenly Beautifulness wherein the land of the Lord with fulness of Eternal life and lively sweetness is sung from everlasting to everlasting With such sweet Charms and pleasing enchantments does this grand Deceiver lull asleep his little ones into an utter oblivion and perfect misbelief of those precious Promises of Everlasting Happiness made to us by Christ who hath brought Life and Immortality to light 2. For that there is with no other Life but this nor any Immortality of the Soul or blessed Resurrection which consists in the Soul 's being invested with an Heavenly and Spiritual body according to the plain and literal sense of Scripture his gross abuse of those two main proofs thereof 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thes. 4. do plainly demonstrate which he does wildly distort as he doth the rest of the Scripture to a mere prediction of his Service of the Love in which he will have every thing of the last Day and of the Resurrection fulfilled that we may be sure that there is nothing else to be expected but this For in this the last trump sounds Christ appears in the Heavens being come to judgement those very Saints that in time past died and fell asleep in the Lord are now raised up in glory and that with their bodies and livingly come unto and meet with us according to that in 1 Thes. 4. and lastly these raised Saints that is the Family of Love shall thus reign with their mystical Christ upon earth for ever world without end What interpretation of Scripture can more accurately and radically take away all expectation of Christs personal coming to Judgement and the hope of a Blessed Immortality included therein by the resurrection of the dead then this of this bold Author Which we may be the better assured he intends in that his applications are so miserably forced and yet he has no better proofs then these for the ratifying of his Service of the Love For if he thought they did signifie that which all Christians think they do he could fancy no force at all in them for the establishing of his Doctrine but the orthodox meaning seeming to him utterly incredible makes him confident that he has found out the right sense if he deal bonâ fide and takes not the Scripture for a mere Fable which he may abuse as he pleases 3. For we may observe him using the same industry in eluding the force of such places as are plain for an Immortal state after this life even there where he may seem unconcerned if he held the Soul of man Immortal As that 2 Cor. 5. where the Promise of the Heavenly or Spiritual body is evidently set down as appears further out of the last verses of the precedent chapter and yet these Familists are not ashamed to expound it of the most holy of the true Tabernacle in their canting language whereby they mean the perfection of the Love a state in this life as you may see in their Mirabilia Dei. And in the Spiritual Land of peace That which is writ Luk. 20.35 concerning the children of the Resurrection that they are neither married nor given in marriage but are as the Angels of God he applies to the state of the Service of the Love and makes it fulfilled in his life Which is an Allegory so cross and crooked that nothing but an unbelief of the literal sense could ever have put a man upon the framing of it besides that scurvy intimation it bears along with it of community of wives the very same doctrine that David George is said to
his Church cannot cease himself not ceasing to be but he is a Priest and King for ever according to the Prophecies CHAP. IV. 1. Our Saviour's strict injunction of Purity from whence it is also plain that the Love he commends is not in any sort fleshly but Divine 2. Several places out of the Apostles urging the same duty 3. Two more places to the same purpose 4. The groundless presumption of those that abuse Christianity to a liberty of sinning 5. That this Errour attempted the Church betimes and is too taking at this very day 6. Whence appears the necessity of opposing it which he promises to doe taking the rise of his Discourse from 1 Iohn 3.7 1. THE third Branch of the Divine Life is Purity In the urging whereof both Christ and his Apostles being so earnest it is plain that that Love which they recommend to the World can be no suspected affection like that which the canting language of the Enthusiasts may justly be thought to favour but that it is that pure and holy Love indeed which deservedly we have styled Divine And how severely this Purity we speak of is required I shall give you some few but very sufficient instances Matth. 5.27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish then that thy whole body should be cast into Hell And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee c. What more serious and earnest monition can there be made to Continence and Abstinence from sensual pleasures then this of our Saviour who upon no less penaltie then the torments of Hell interdicts us all looseness and uncleanness forbidding us all preludious preparations to the foul acts of Lust and not permitting so much as an imaginary scene of illicit transactions to which our will could really assent if opportunity were offered 2. And we shall find the Apostles insisting in the footsteps of their Master in this matter 2. Corinth 6. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separated saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you And I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And 1 Thessalon 5. The God of peace sanctifie you wholy and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. And in the former chapter ver 3. For this is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles that know not God And 1 Corinth 6. ver 13. Now the bodie is not for fornication but the Lord and the Lord for the bodie And God hath both raised up the Lord and will also quicken us by his own power Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid And a little after Flee fornication Every sin that a man doth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body What know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodie and in your Spirit which are God's Also Coloss. 3.5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth Fornication Uncleanness immoderate affection evil Concupiscence and Covetousness which is Idolatry For which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience Parallel to which is that Ephes. 5.3 Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us but fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness let it not be so much as once named amongst you as becomes saints Neither filthiness nor foolish talking which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks For this ye know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the kingdome of Christ and of God Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Be not you therefore partakers with them And 1 Corinth 6.9 Know ye not the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Be not deceived neither fornicatours nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God 3. I have made a more ample collection of the enforcements of this duty of Purity and Sanctity then I intended and yet I cannot abstain from adding of two more the one out of S. Peter 1 Epist. ch 2. Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. The other out of him which I have already so often cited Rom. 13.12 The night is far spent and the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambring and wantonness not in strife and envying But put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof 4. I have now abundantly shewn how plainly and explicitly Christ and his Apostles urge all men that are hearers of the Gospel to be carefull and conscionable doers of the same that they should be holy even as Christ was holy in all manner of conversation that they are bound to endeavour and aspire after the participation of the Divine life and all the Branches thereof Humility Love and Purity hating even the garment spotted by the flesh as the Apostle Iude speaks And how this Holiness and Righteousness is required of them with no less seriousness and earnestness then upon the forfeiture of their eternal Salvation if they do not act according to those Precepts Insomuch that I stand amazed while I consider with my self that hellish and abominable gloss that some have put upon the Gospel as if it were a mere school of loosness and that the end of Christs coming into the world was but to bring down a commission to the sons of men whereby they might be enabled to sin with authority I am sure with all desirable security and impunity nothing
That the punctual Correspondence of the Event to the Prediction of the Astrologer does not prove the certainty of the Art of Astrology 5. The great Affinity of Astrology with Daemonolatry and of the secret Agency of Daemons in bringing about Predictions 6. That by reason of the secret or familiar Converse of Daemons with pretended Astrologers no argument can be raised from Events for the truth of this Art 7. A Recapitulation of the whole matter argued 8. The just occasions of this Astrological excursion and of his shewing the ridiculous condition of those three high-flown Sticklers against Christianity Apollonius Cardan and Vaninus 356 BOOK VIII CHAP. I. THE End and Usefulness of Christian Religion in general 2. That Christ came into the World to destroy Sin out of it 3. His earnest recommendation of Humility 4. The same urged by the Apostle Paul 361 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 carnal and inconsiderable Guide as Hen. Nicolas 4. That this Whifler never gave any true Specimens of real love to Mankinde as Christ did and his Apostles 5. His unjust usurpation of the Title of Love 6. The unparallel'd endearmentâ— of Christs sufferings in the behalf of Mankiâ—d 364 CHAP. III. 1. The occasion of the Familists usâ—rpation of the Title of Love 2. Earnest precepts oâ—t of the Apostles to follow Love and what kind of Love that is 3. That we câ—nnot love God unlesse we love our neighbour also 4. An Exposition of the 5 and 6 verses of the 1 chapter of the 2 Epist. of S. Peter 5. Saint Paul's rapturous commendation of Charity 6 His accurate description thereof 7. That Love is the highest participation of the Divinity and that whereby we become the Sons of God Aâ—d how injurious these Fanaticks are that rob the Church of Christ of this title to appropriate it to themselves 368 CHAP. IV. 1. Our Saviour's strict injuction of Purity from whence it is also plain that the Love he commends is not in any sort fleshly but Divine 2. Several places out of the Apostles urging the same duty 3. Two more places to the same purpose 4. The groundless presumption of those that abuse Christianity to a liberty of sinning 5. That this Errour attempted the Church betimes and is too taking at this very day 6. Whence appears the necâ—ssiâ—y of opposing it which he promises to do taking the rise of his Discourse from 1 Iohn 3.7 373 CHAP. V. 1. The Apostle's care for young Christians against that Errour of thinking they may be righteous without doing righteously 2. Their obnoxiousness to this contagion with the Causes thereof to be searched into 3. The first sort of Scriptures perverted to this ill end 4. The second sort 5. That the very state of Christian Childhood makes them prone to this Errour 6. What is the nature of that Faith Abraham is so much commended for and what the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. A search after the meaning of the term Justification 8. Justification by faith without the deeds of the Law what may be the meaning of it 9. Scriptures answered that seem to disjoin Reall Righteousness from Faith 10. And to make us only righteous by imputation 11. Undeniable Testimonies of Scripture that prove the necessity of real Righteousness in us 376 CHAP. VI. 1. Their alledgement of Gal. 2.16 as also of the whole drift of that Epistle 2. What the Righteousness of faith is according to the Apostle 3. In what sâ—â—se those that are in Christ are said not to be under the Law 4. That the Righteousness of faith is no figment but a reality in us 5. That this Righteousness is the New Creature and what this new Creature is according to Scripture 6. That the new Creature consists in Wisdome Righteousness and true Holiness 7. The Righteousness of the new Creature 8. His Wâ—sdome and Holiness 9. That the Righteousness of faith excludes not good Works The wicked treachery of those that teach the contrary 384 CHAP. VII 1. That no small measure of Sanctity serves the turn in Christianity 2. As appears out of Scriptures already alledged 3. Further proofs thereof out of the Prophets 4. As also out of the Gospel 5. And other places of the New Testament 6. The strong Armature of a Christian Souldier 7. His earnest endeavour after Perfection 388 CHAP. VIII 1. That the Christians assistance is at least equal to this task 2. The two Gospel-powers that comprehend his duty 3. The first Gospel-aid The Promise of the Spirit with Prophecies thereof out of Ezekiel and Esay 4. Some hints of the mystical meaning of the last 5. Another excellent prediction thereof 391 CHAP. IX 1. The great use of the belief of The Promise of the Spirit 2. The eating the flesh of Christ and drinking his bloud what it is 3. Further proof of the Promise of the Spirit 4. That we cannot oblige God by way of Merit 5. Other Testimonies of Scripture tending to the former purpose 395 CHAP. X. 1. A Recapitulation of what has been set down hitherto concerning the Usefulness of the Gospel and the Necessity of undeceiving the world in those points that so nearly concern Christian Life 2. The ill condition of those that content themselves with Imaginary Righteousness figured out in the Fighters against Ariel and Mount Sion 3. A further demonstration of their fond conceit 4. That a true Christian cannot sin without pain and torture to himself 398 CHAP. XI 1. That the want of real Righteousness deprives us of the Divine Wisdome proved out of Scripture 2. As also from the nature of the thing it self 3. That is disadvantages the Soul also in Natural speculations 4. That it stifles all Noble and laudable Actions 5. And exposes the imaginary Religionist to open reproach 6. That mere imaginary Righteousness robs the Soul of her peace of Conscience 7. And of 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 400 CHAP. XII 1. Of the attending to the Light within us of which some Spiritualists so much boast 2. That they must mean the Light of Reason and Conscience thereby if they be not Fanaticks Mad-men or Cheats And that this Conscience necessarily takes information from without 3. And particularly from the Holy Scriptures 4. That these Spiritualists acknowledge the fondness of their opinion by their contrary practice 5. An appeal to the Light within them if the Christian Religion according to the literal sense be not true 6. That the Operation of the Divine Spirit is not absolute but restrained to certain laws and conditions as it is in the Spirit of
were not asleep at so concerning a Sermon 6. Again 2 Cor. 5. v. 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly intimates a going out of this Mortal Body not a change of it into an Immortal one therefore we may safely conclude that this courage and willingness of the Apostle to die implies an enjoyment of the presence of Christ after death before the general Resurrection Else why should he rather desire to die then to live but that he expects that Faith should be presently perfected by Sight as he insinuates in the foregoing verse But assuredly better is that enjoyment which is onely by Faith then to have no enjoyment at all as it must be if the Soul cannot operate out of this Body 7. A like Proof to this and further Confirmation of the Truth is that of Philipp 1.21 22 23 24. where the Apostle again professing his courage and forwardness to magnifie Christ in his body whether by life or by death uses the like Argument as before For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain But if I live in the flesh it will be worth my labour yet what I should chuse I wote not For I am in a strife betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you 8. The genuine sense of which Place is questionless this That while he lived his life was like Christ's upon Earth innocent but encumbred with much hardship and affliction bearing about in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus but if he died he should then once for all seal to the Truth of his Martyrdome and not onely scape all future troubles which yet the love of Christ his Assistance and Hope of Reward did ever sustain him in but which was his great gain and advantage arrive to an higher fruition of him after whom he had so longing a desire But if to be with Christ were to sleep in his bosome and not so much as to be sensible he is there it were impossible the Apostles affections should be carried so strongly to that state or his judgement should determine it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so exceedingly much better especially his stay in the flesh being so necessary to the Philippians and the rest of the Church and what he suffered and might further suffer in his life no less a Testimony to the Truth then Death it self 9. Fourthly Those phrases of S. Peter 2 Pet. 1.13 Yea I think it meet so long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up and put you in remembrance Knowing that I must shortly put off this Tabernacle c. And so vers 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all likelyhood alludes to the same as if his Soul went out of the Body as out of a Tabernacle All these Phrases I say seem to me manifestly to indicate that there is no such necessary Union betwixt the Soul and the Body but she may act as freely out of it as in it as men are nothing the more dull sleepy or senseless by putting off their cloaths and going out of the house but rather more awakened active and sensible 10. Fifthly Hebr. 12. There God is called the Father of Spirits the Corrector and Chastiser of our Souls in contradistinction to our Flesh or Bodies and then vers 22. lifting us up quite above the consideration of our Corporeal condition he brings us to the Mystical mount Sion the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the Universal assembly and Church of the first-born which are inrolled in heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect Now I demand what Perfection can be in the Spirits of these just men to be overwhelmed in a senseless Sleep or what a disproportionable and unsutable representation is it of this throng Theatre in Heaven made up of Saints and Angels that so great a part of them as the Souls of the Holy men deceased should be found drooping or quite drown'd in an unactive Lethargie Certainly as it is incongruous in it self so it is altogether inconsistent with the magnificency of the representation which this Author intends in this place 11. Sixthly Matth. 10.28 The life of the Soul separate from the Body is there plainly asserted by our Saviour Fear not them that kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell i. e. able if he will to destroy the life both of Body and Soul in Hell-fire according to the conceit of those whose opinions I have recited in my Treatise Of the Immortality of the Soul Book 3. chap. 18. or else miserably to punish or afflict both Body and Soul in Hell the torments whereof are worse then Death it self For as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perire signifie to be excessively miserable so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perdere may very well signifie to make excessively miserable But now for the former part of the verse but are not able to kill the Soul it is evident that they were able if the Soul could not live separate from the Body For killing of the Body what is it but depriving it of life wherefore if the Soul by the death of the Body be also deprived of life it is manifest that she can be killed which is contrary to our Saviour's Assertion CHAP. X. 1. A pregnant Argument from the State of the Soul of Christ and of the Thief after death 2. Grotius his explication of Christ's promise to the Thief 3. The meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. How Christ with the Thief could be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Paradise at once 5. That the Parables of Dives and Lazarus and of the unjust Steward implie That the Soul hath life and sense immediately after death 1. WE have yet one more notable Testimony against our Adversaries Our Saviour Christ's Soul and the Thief 's upon the Cross did subsist and live immediately upon the death of the Body as appears from Luke 23.42 43. And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome And Iesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise As if he should thus answer Thou indeed beggest of me that I would be mindfull of thee when I come into my Kingdome but I will not deferre thee so long onely distrust not the unexpected riches of my goodness to thee For verily I say unto thee That this very day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And there is no evasion from this Interpretation the Syriack as Grotius noteth interpointing betwixt I say unto thee and Today and all the Greek copies as Beza affirmes joyning
made none but our selves onely imagine them Again as for Idolatry another known Character of the Beast cannot we find that also amongst our selves I do not mean Covetousness onely which the Apostle cals Idolatry but the adventuring to erect Imaginations if not Images of God some more horrid and affrightful then those that stand in the most polluted Temples of the Pagans the Statue of Saturn tearing his own children a pieces with his teeth and eating of them is but an Hieroglyphick of Mercy in comparison thereof while in the mean time the mournful Witnesses testifie both out of Moses and out of S. Iohn That the nature of God is quite another thing God is Love and he that abideth in Love abideth in God and God in him The Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth And yet what forcible assaults are there to set up this Idol or false Image in the Temple of every mans Minde which otherwise should be consecrated to the Love of God and the warm and comfortable residence of his Holy Spirit That also is a blind Image of God worse then the Pagan Cupid which some conceited Fondlings set up in favour of themselves That God sees no sin in his Elect let them sin never so grosly whenas the Scripture expresly affirms That his eyes behold his eye-lids try the Children of men and That he is of purer eyes then to endure iniquity any where To say nothing that Opinions themselves that are framed by humane curiosity in points of Religion though otherwise harmless become Idols and have the very same effect that Idols have that is They lay asleep the Minde and besot it so that it becomes senseless of the indispensable motions of the Divine life And further That the tricking up our selves with such curiosities is but a self-chosen holiness and a worshipping and serving God after our own humour which assuredly is little better then Idolatry 8. And lastly more compendiously and at once Let us consider the nature of the Witnesses slain by the Beast of the bottomless pit Which is a childish thing to conceit to be Two persons forasmuch as they prophesy for 1260 years together as Mr. Mede has well defined and I also adde that they are dead in another sense even that time they are said to prophesy as I have above noted and I think there is very little doubt to be made of the Interpretation Let us therefore now consider what these Two Witnesses are And truely according to the richness of Prophetick expression I do not think they are restrained to one single signification but type out at least these two things The Old and New Testament which by a Prosopopoeia are here called the Two Witnesses or else The Magistracy and Ministery forasmuch as those things they are described by are allusions to Moses and Aaron and to Zerobabel and Ieshua The Concinnity of the former interpretation does not depend onely on that obvious allusion to that Latine word Testament but is further ratified from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frequently signifiing the Laws or Institutes of God rendred also for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to adde that the Old and New Testament are whether they were called so or no Two eximious Witnesses of the Mind of God unto the World Wherefore now more Prophetico making these Two Books Two persons they may be said to be alive or slain either in a Political or Moral sense They would be alive in a Political sense if they had the only rule in the transactions of the affairs of Church and Commonwealth that there should be no injunctions as indispensable in matters of Religion but such as they plainly determine much less any thing against them And so likewise in State-affairs all Oppression and Tyranny would be prohibited Wherefore while the Inventions of men rule in the Church instead of the Dictates of those holy Oracles and while course Oppression and Tyranny over the members of Christ is prevalent that is while men think they have power and wealth and wit and policy merely to tread down the people and not to succour them and guide them for their real good and to ennoble their spirits as much as they are capable rather then to make them besotted vassals and slaves to put out their eyes to make mill-horses of them that they may the better droile and drudge for the satisfaction of their lusts whereever things are carried on this way the Beast of the bottomless Pit has slain the Two Witnesses in the Political sense the Law of God in the mean time protesting against their proceedings both in the Old and New Testament as is plain to every one that peruses those Writings The Witnesses also would be alive in a Moral sense if those indispensable Precepts of life witnessed by them were really turned into life and practice in us For the External Word is but a dead letter but then is properly alive when that life is begotten in us whereof it testifies Which if it be neglected as also their Rule so farre forth as it respects Ecclesiastick Policy be declined and men act both in Political affairs and in their private capacities according to the Rules of men and their unprofitable Institutes and thereby neglect the indispensable Commands of God who cannot but see that the Two Witnesses we speak of are plainly slain and that the Old and New Testament are but as two liveless carkasses lying unburied indeed for they will not burn them and put their ashes into an urne and hide them under ground for fear of the people but useless and unactive having no power to curb the wicked enormities of the world who have taken up another self-chosen Law to themselves minted and forged by the false Antichristian Church consistent enough with nay very favourable to all those pomps and vanities that we are sworn against in our very Baptisme Whence it is said that the Inhabitants of the World are so glad and triumphant and send gifts to one another upon the slaying of the Witnesses their death conducing so much to the uncurbed fruition of all worldly and carnal enjoyments but the Church in the mean time becoming no better then Sodome and Aegypt a land of Tyranny and Beastliness a City of Carnality and Oppression Wherein to proceed to the other sense Moses and Aaron Zerobabel and Ieshua the holy and legitimate Magistracy and Ministery are slain that is kept out of all Political power by this Beast out of the bottomless pit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which as it may signifie the Sea may be understood of the Ten-horned Beast but as it may signifie a deep pit in the earth such as that from whence Smoke came and the Locusts may signifie the Two-horned Beast who is said to come out of the Earth and is the Master of that Wisdom that is earthly sensual and devilish and which is accompanied with bloudy zeal and
believe any other Service or Information but what is administered by the Elders in the house of the Love enjoins them to give up their Understandings wholy to the Eldest of the Family and to give ear to none else but the Teachers of his own Sect. Nay he will not so much as suffer them to appeal to the Light that is within them nor to judge themselves nor be judged by their own Consciences but only by the Elders of the house of the Love concerning whom they must not have the least suspicion of Errour or Unfaithfulness Which is the greatest Tyranny and Slavery upon the Soul of man that can be devised and a shrewd Indication that those Elders will approve and advise things against express Scripture Reason and Conscience And thus is many a poor simple Lamb catched out of the Fold of Christ and carried quite away without recovery into the thickest and remotest Woods and darkest Caverns or Dens to be devoured by this white Wolf who by his gracious speeches heart-melting insinuations soft-soothing language that is oiled and perfumed with nothing but Love first intices the little ones after whom his mouth most of all waters to a great esteem of himself and then utterly extinguishes in them to their Eternal Destruction all that Faith they had in the Person and Promises of our ever-blessed Saviour Which he does by intercepting all aid that the use of Reason and the Knowledge of the Scripture could administer giving them such hard language as we have above recited the civilest aspersion he bestows being the Imagination of the Knowledge but magnifying himself and his Service of the Love that is his own Doctrine above whatever yet appear'd to the sons of men as you shall now hear 4. For he sets himself above Abraham Moses David and all the Prophets above Iohn the Baptist yea above the Person of Christ himself For indeed he will allow that the service of the Fathers in the Covenant of Circumcision until Moses was the Forefront of the true Tabernacle and that Moses in figures and shadows set out the true being of the true sanctuary of God in the Spirit and that to David and the Prophets was shewn the true Being in the Spirit of their sight That Iohn the Baptist was a Preparation by Repentance to an entrance into the Holy of the true Tabernacle and that this Holy of the true Tabernacle is the Service of Christ in the Belief But the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy this he reserves to himself and his Service of the Love Wherein as he boasts is the Perfection of Life the Completion of all Prophecies from the beginning of the World the righteous Judgment of God the Throne of Christ before which all things must needs be manifested the perfect Being of the Godhead and the true Rest of the chosen of God He calls also this his Service of the Love the Last Day and the Perfection and Conclusion of all the works of God Whereby he would intimate it to be an everlasting Seventh day or Sabbath And yet he will have it also the Eighth Day as if he affected an holy-day beyond that of God himself and a time beyond Eternity 5. Again in his Prophecie of the Spirit of Love he sets himself highest in the enumeration of the Three principal Services namely the Service of the Law under God the Father the Service of the Belief under Christ the Saviour and the Service of the Love under the Holy Ghost The affectation of which office he learnt of his master David George as is noted by them that have wrote of these Enthusiasts I omit to speak of lesser Encomiums of his doctrine as That it is the last Trump that sure word of Prophecie that his day of the Love is that new day that the Lord has made abundant in clearness and full of Eternal joy the new Ierusalem descending from Heaven and the Inheritance of the Right-perfection We will conclude all with what he writes in his Revelation of God Behold presently in this day is the Kingdome of the God of Heaven and his Righteousness the godly Majesty and his Glory as also the salvation of Christ and the eternal life appeared in perfect Clearness with great Triumph and Ioy The Resurrection also of the dead the cleansing of the Earth the blessing of all Generations the righteous Iudgment of God the Glorious coming of Christ with all the thousands of Saints and the everlasting Condemnation of all ungodly in the hellish Fire What therefore can you expect more then is accomplished in his Service of the Love and what greater Person can there be then he who sets so glorious a Dispensation on foot on the earth Let us therefore take notice what he makes himself in the midst of this Glory and Pomp which he sets out 6. As if it were a small thing for him to be raised from the dead and to be anointed with the holy Ghost he boasteth further that God has sealed in him the Dwelling of his Glory and of his Holy Name and elsewhere that he is Godded with God and consubstantiated with the Deity and expresly in his Evangely Chap. 34. he declares how God has manned himself with him and Godded him with his Godhead to a living Tabernacle a House for his dwelling and to a seat of his Christ the seed of David and how the Judgment-seat of Christ is revealed out of Heaven from the right hand of God and that on the same Judgment-seat of Christ there sitteth one meaning himself in the Habitation of David which judgeth uprightly thinketh upon equity and requireth righteousness and that through him God will judge the compass of the Earth This in his Introduction to the Glass of Righteousness is the right Messias the high Priest for ever in the most holy the noble King of Israel and Iuda that possesses the seat of his Father an everlasting peaceable Prince over the house of Iacob according to the promises But you 'l say this cannot be understood of H. Nicolas but of Christ according as he has wrote elsewhere that there is in his Communialty of the Love a true Iudge Iesus Christ our Lord and King which executes the right Iudgment of his Father according to the truth But we are also to understand that This Christ that sits on the throne of his Father David is the eldest Father of the Family of Love as appears out of his Evangelium Cap. 31. sect 14. and 16. Which places compared with what has been recited it is clear that H. Nicolas is this Christ on the seat of David for his life-time and which is still worse and the seed of endless Madness and Blasphemie that this wild Presumption of the eldest in the Family being the very Christ from Heaven returned to judge the World with equity will be entailed upon their Successors for ever And that the appearance of this Christ may be the more glorious
Incarnation But the former sense is more plain and passable And for the other place it is nothing but an exhortation to Perseverance from the constancy of the Christian Rulers and Governours who persisted in their Faith to the end and the Apostle tells them hereupon that the Faith is the same still and Christ's assistance the same now that it was then to them and will be ever the same to all true Believers Which surely is all that is meant by Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever For to make yesterday to signifie from everlasting is very rash and cross to the phrase of Scripture Psal. 90. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday and Job 8. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing Which is very true of these new upstart Interpreters 4. But their last and most plausible allegation is that out of the Corinthians Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet know we him so no more Here they think they have full commission to lay aside the Humane person of Christ from the Example of S. Paul But their mistake is in not knowing the Hebrew Idiom of this place of Scripture For as that excellent Interpreter Hugo Grotius has noted the words are to be rendred yea though we might have known Christ after the flesh that is to say Though I with others might have known Christ after the flesh and conversed with him here upon earth nay have been something a-kin to him as certain boasted themselves it seems at Corinth yet henceforth saith he we should know him after this manner no more but as an Heavenly Prince in whom he has the most interest that is the most nearly renewed into the image of his life Or without this Hebraisme It may be an oblique Monition to the aforesaid persons and have rather the nature of an Exhortation to them then of a Declaration concerning himself which they would be more certainly enforced to take to themselves by how much more plain it was that Paul never knew Christ according to the Flesh. That it has some such meaning as this and not that of our Adversaries is plain from the precedent verse where he expresly retains the Humane person of Christ in his Priestly office For that he saith that he is that one man that died for all not killed by all as I noted above that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that died for them and rose again Which is not sense if it be not understood of the Humane person of Christ. And verse 20 he does plainly profess himself the Ambassadour of the crucified Iesus or Legate of the great Angel of the Covenant Now then we are Ambassadours for Christ as if God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Of which there can be no possible meaning that excludes the Humane person of Christ from his Priestly office We have therefore abundantly demonstrated That the Person of our Saviour is not to be laide aside but that he is a Priest for ever according to the Scriptures CHAP. XVI 1. That Hen. Nicolas does plainly in his Writings lay aside the Person of Christ as where he affirms That whatever is taught by the Scripture-learned is false and That all the Matters of the Bible are but Prefigurations of what concerns the Dispensation of his blessed Family 2. Other Citations to the same purpose and his accursed Allegory of Christ's celebrating his Passeover with his disciples whereby he would antiquate and abolish the true Historical knowledge of him 3. Several places where he evidently takes away the Priestly Office of Christ. 4. Others that plainly take away his glorious Return to Iudgement and the Resurrection of the dead in the true and Apostolical sense 1. WE shall now make it as evident that this pretended Prophet we speak of does lay him aside whereby we shall clearly convince the World of his falshood and imposture And this shall be chiefly out of his own Writings Out of which we shall first produce such passages as in a more general manner infer what we aim at As certainly such places doe as expresly declare That whatsoever is taught of Christ out of his Communialty of the Love is all false Whence it does plainly appear That the Articles of the Apostles Creed understood according to the Letter are held false by this inspired Communialty For these Articles are taught by them that are not of Hen. Nicolas his Family In his First Exhortation Chap. 5. he plainly declares That the true Belief in Jesus Christ is not to be found in any people upon Earth that walk without the Communialty of the Love And Chap. 16. Sect. 15 16. he tels us That it is a presumption against God and his Saints that any one out of the Learnedness of the Letter or out of the Imagination of the Knowledge taketh upon him to be a Teacher or Preacher or to institute or intermeddle in any God-service or Worship unless he be an illuminated Elder of the house of the Love And Sect. 17. He does affirm That it is all assuredly false and lies seducing and deceitfull whatever is taught by others out of the Learnedness of the Scripture Again in his Evangely Chap. 32. there also he asserts That to those that are without the Family of Love all the matters of Christianity to them are in Images Figures and Shadows in Similitudes Parables and closed Books Where his meaning is easily understood out of Chap. 30. sect 17. For these Figures he makes Shadows of the true and spiritual things which were heretofore through Iesus Christ come to pass seen heard and preached and have stood for a memorial of the true spiritual things which should in the time to come come to pass namely by this inspired Minister Whereby the History of Christ is made a mere Allegory and prophetick Prefiguration of what is fulfilled in his Dispensation of the Communialty of the Love wherein all becomes fulfilled in Christ whatsoever was written of him as he plainly asserts Chap. 1. sect 10. And he more abundantly declares himself in his Prophecie of the Spirit of Love Chap. 13. That a man out of his natural and Scripture-learned understanding has not any light or knowledge at all of the Christian Mystery yea he is so utterly void of the same that he cannot understand the smallest tittle thereof he may indeed speak out of the written Word but understandeth nothing thereof according to the truth but it is all covered and sealed before him in Similitudes Images Figures and Parables Where again it is easie to infer That this great Prophet holds nothing of the Articles of the Christian Faith to be true in that sense
overcharged with Pride and Melancholy and deeply baptized into the doctrine of this Sect shall by his fanatick heat parts and language emerge to that height of honour as to be approved the Eldest of that Family the same is presently become in his own conceit and in theirs also God himself returned to Judgement and all his host Saints and Seraphims if ever opportunity arme them to execute their design And then will they think that that is to be fulfilled which is figured out in that Vision of a man clothed with an Habergion and Harness and girded with an iron chain whose hands and leggs to the very girdle were wet with bloud with a sword in his left hand also red and bloudy and another in his right which was altogether a glowing fire glisning crackling very terribly with many fire-flames Which direful Spectre gives out his voice in the following Sections Vengeance Vengeance Vengeance Now swiftly now swiftly yea now very swiftly Wo Wo Wo unto all the enemies of the Lord and his holy ones and to all the enemies of the Family of Love So great Darlings do they give out themselves to be of God and his Providence and so miserable an end do they prefigure to themselves shall befall those that are not of their blessed Family God of his mercy open the eyes of all men that they may see the fearful purposes of this Diabolical Impostor and quit themselves of these subtil delusions of Satan 3. For if I have any sense or foresight at all in me it is a plot to overrun and subjugate if it be possible all Christendome and perfectly to extirpate the worship of Christ and to extinguish the belief of all his Promises under pretence of a greater Holiness and Perfection then there is in Christian Religion though this Familisme be such as I have abundantly set out to you See his Prophesie of the Spirit of Love Chap. 11. also Chap. 14. Sect. 8 9. and Chap. 16. Sect. 3 4 7 8. and Chap. 19. Sect. 4.5.7 c. In which places he promises to his followers that they shall have the day at last that is That Familisme shall thrust Christianity out of the World 4. Which because they have so great minde should be fulfilled let us suppose a while that they have got the mastery over Christendome and compute with our selves the consequences thereof Without all question although every page of this Divine Authour as they would have him be so thick painted with the sweet repetitions of Love and Lovely the issue of such a victory would be the most beastly Tyranny that ever appeared yet upon the stage of the earth worse by farre then Mahometisme it self For first all hope of a Future life being taken away every man according to his power will be more free and eager to satisfie his lust in the superfluous pleasures of this From whence those that are weak will be oppressed without pitty to satiate the desires of the proud and injurious Oppressour And then again for peace in matters of Religion upon which score especially this flattering Deceiver would recommend himself to the World the interpretations of Scripture whereby he would establish his authority with men are so wilde and fanatick and so dissonant to all sense and reason that he has sown therein the seeds of perpetual Contention unless it be prevented by a Remedy worse then the Disease that is a perfect slavery of the Conscience and an implicit faith That their Prophet is infallible without any examination and doubt Which is the most base and villainous Degeneracy that the Spirit of man can be forced into and is ever there attempted most where the Religion of a Nation is the most rotten and false But that this latter would be the way seems too-too probable both from the necessity of the case and from such intimations out of his Writings as I have already produced To which you may adde that in his Revelatio Dei Where he plainly forbids to try the Spirits by Reason or Knowledge or Scripture-learning but by the true Being of the living Godhead Which are high words but signifie nothing but that we never attain to the living Godhead till we think as he thinks and therefore intercepting all information of Reason expects an immediate assent that is such an assent as we know not why we do assent then which nothing can be more mad and furious or at least relish more of Knavery and Deceit and of a ready Reproach to all Dissenters as if they were utter strangers to the living Godhead But that Religion certainly is false at the bottome that will not suffer it self to be enquired into by Reason as he saith very excellently of Mahometisme Meritò suspecta merx est quae hâc lege obtruditur ne inspici possit 5. You see what a wild and exorbitant thing this blind Enthusiasm is the very Vehicle of Hell that carries to Antheisme and Prophaneness and the Triumphal Chariot of the Devil in which questionless this begodded Mock-Prophet was hurried away though haply he might not know it but gloried in his shame and prided himself in his own Captivity The condition of whose Spirit what it is and whitherto it tends if I know mine own heart I have thus carefully discovered out of no other Principle at all but that Love and Loialty I owe to my crucified Saviour and Sovereign and out of that dear Compassion I bear to my fellow-members of his Body the Church For verily I cannot but melt into sorrow and pitty to consider how deceivable many well-meaning Souls are and how captivable by the witchery of a Fanatick Eloquence into a strange belief that there is a more then ordinary share of Divinity residing upon this Person whom I am so well assured is but Epicurus turned Enthusiast and one sunk as low beneath the light of the Gospel as any wretched Pagan that never heard thereof And therefore I hope all his Admirers that are not so far baptised into his way as to have celebrated his Pascha and slain Christ according to the flesh that is according to the Letter and History and so become perfect Infidels will take it well at my hands that I have so faithfully discovered the deceit that they may no longer give countenance to so horrid an Imposture And for as many as have thus slain the Lord of Life which yet I hope are not very many how they should take ill this my freeness of speech I can in no wise imagine For I dare say for them in that they have thus slain him as S. Peter said in another case they have done it out of ignorance through the prestigious enchantments of this grand Deceiver and therefore they can no sooner acknowledge their errour but find their pardon through him who was truely slain and sacrificed for the sins of the World and rose again for an assurance to us of a blessed Immortality after the death of the Body
possession And you having flung away that precious Legacy of your dying Lord namely the Love of one another what Injustice is it that an Alien take it up and flourish it in your sight to your utter Shame and Reproach And truly he writes as one that knows his advantage passing well in this regard as you may see if you read his Introduction chap. 4. sect 35. to the end of the chapter as also sect 51 of the eleventh chapter to the end thereof 5. Fourthly Whereas you place all your Piety in an hypocritical Flattery of Christ's Person and have overwhelmed and smothered the Life of Religion with an unsupportable load and luggage of needless and thankless Ceremonies or else have wounded it to death with the acuteness and spinosity of harsh and dry Opinions not heeding at all the renovation of your own minds nor of theirs that are committed to your charge into the lively Image of Christ which assuredly does mainly consist in Christian Love how just is it with God to permit such an Enthusiast to arise who shall make it the great Arcanum of his Religion to slay Christ according to the flesh that is according to the History you having slain him so cruelly and remorslessly according to the Spirit that is extinguished his Life that ought to be in us by substituting your own foolish Opinions and loathsome Ceremonies in the place thereof Nay indeed you have handled the matter so that you have made Christ according to the flesh be the Executioner of himself according to the Spirit making every Article concerning Christ an Engine for either Sensuality or Strife In brief the exteriour oeconomie of Christian Religion being intended for the inward perfecting of our Minds in true Righteousness and Holiness which is Christ in us according to the Spirit you by your Devices defeating this end doe naturally take away the means thereto and thus yourselves are the principal Murderers of Christ even according to the flesh too and H. Nicolas is only your appointed Executioner And therefore it is as I said but just with God you having so long and so constantly abused all the Articles of the Creed to a contrary purpose then was intended by his gracious counsel that he permit such a Mock-prophet to arise that should hazard the peoples misbelief of all and Allegorize away all that solid and useful Truth of the History of Christ into a mere moral or mystical sense as if the Letter were but a Parable or Fable 6. Fifthly In that this Sect we speak of do rattle so about your ears with the loud noise of Perfection though for my own part I am well assured the best of them are far enough from it yet in the mean time I cannot but interpret it an exprobration and reproach to the great abhorrency you have to so searching a doctrine that will touch and wound your Hypocritical hearts with the sense and conscience of wilful sinfulness which you would cloak under that colour of Impossibility of being as you should be as also to your false dealing with those under your charge whom you do bedwarfe and becripple by your poisonous medicines would make them alwaies sorry boies with bibs and aprons or else conceal their age and keep them alwaies in minority for advantage sake like those infortunate Orphans that are betraied into the hands of treacherous Guardians What wonder is it therefore that those that truly hunger and thirst after Righteousness being starved at home with those dilute and corrupt doctrines of the Needlesness of Sanctity of invincible Infirmity slight Attrition frivolous Penances venal Indulgences crawl out abroad to seek better food and so get into the lap and suck the nipples of this sweet Enchantress the lovely Family of the Love whose breasts do promise such strong nourishment that they that drink thereof do not only pass from children to men but from being men doe become Gods 7. And Sixthly and lastly While I contemplate the universal face of Christendome what a Den of Thieves and Murderers it is become what a Region of Robbers and Oppressors what a Sty of Epicures what a Wilderness of Atheism and Prophaneness in a manner wholly inhabited by Satyrs and salvage Beasts when I consider within my self how generally men live as if there were nothing to come after this life and how many already have drunk down that doctrine That there is indeed nothing to come hereafter of which notwithstanding the History of Christ his Death Resurrection and Ascension and his appearing out of Heaven to Paul as he was a going to Damascus are as palpable pledges as Divine Providence could produce as also of his visible Return to Judgement according to the Scriptures I say when I consider how little effect all this has had for the raising of mens minds to an heavenly Conversation but that they live as if they were utterly sunk from this belief I cannot imagine any thing more reasonable then to conclude That out of very Wrath and Indignation God has raised this false Prophet to them that it might be with them according to the Proverb Like lips like lettice Like Prophet like People As if God should thus expostulate with Christendome Behold I have given to you my only-begotten Son out of my own bosome whose authority I ratified unto you by audible Voices from Heaven by mighty Signs and Miracles done by him while he was alive I gave him a sacrifice for sin to reconcile you to my self and to endear your affections unto him and me that ye might cordially follow his Example and keep his Precepts I raised him from the dead and exhibited him visibly to his disciples as an undoubted pledge of a blessed Immortality to them that believe on him which I further confirmed by his Ascension into Heaven and his appearing to that chosen Vessel of mine who has so fully prefigured unto you his glorious Return to Judgment and the Resuscitation of all his Saints into that Eternal Happiness which they had fallen from And now I demand of you what could I have done more for the gaining you back to my self and for the resettling you again in my Heavenly Paradise But because you are so besotted with Earthliness and Sensuality as to make no use of the inestimable advantages of the Gospel but have set your Happiness upon things here below behold I have raised up unto you a Prophet according to your own hearts desire who will help on the completion of your Infidelity and in the midst of a many fine words and sweet friendly phrases close up your eyes in Unbelief and so having sealed unto you by his witchery and enchantments this assurance That the Mystery of Christ reaches no further then the things of this life you may use the present market and enjoy your worldly lusts to the full 8. This surely if I understand any thing is the sense and meaning of God's permission that such a Prodigie as Familisme should appear with so
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
said Does this offend you What if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before That will be a very strange and stupendious spectacle to you and such as will assure you of my Divinity but withall remove my body so far from you that you cannot then if you would mistake so grosly as to think I speak of this body and bloud I carry now about with me It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing The words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are life that is to say They are touching the spiritual body which is the inmost Temple of the holy Ghost and which you are in some measure to partake of here and which shall have its compleat refinement when I shall crown you with the perfection of Life Eternal at the last day Or They are simply concerning the Spirit and that Life which I my self am according to my Divinity viz. The Eternal Word in whom is the Life and that Life is the light of men This is that which you are to feed on and to drink into your Souls when you have not my particular bodily presence with you For this Word and Spirit is every where to be taken in by them that breath and thirst after this Heavenly sustenance of their Souls and so is that fulfilled which he declares v. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him For the eating of the flesh is in some measure partaking of the spiritual body and the drinking of the bloud the imbibing that life therewith that rayes out from the Eternal Word into all purged and purified hearts whereby Christ dwelleth in them and they in him and God in all 3. Again Iohn 7.37 In the last day that great day of the Feast Iesus stood and cryed saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink He that believes on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters Which he spake of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive as the Text it self expounds it And therefore is a good ratification of the Mystical sense of those Prophecies we rehersed out of Esay But these things are spoken more plainly and without a Metaphor Ioh. 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandements And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Even the Spirit of truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Which Precept and Promise is like that of Esay chap. 58. which is that if we seriously compose our mindes to do due acts of obedience to God he will pour out his Spirit upon us Then shall thy light break forth like the morning and thy health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousness shall go before thee the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward He shall guide thee continually and satisfie thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not That is as any spiritual Christian would be apt to interpret the place If thou thirst after Righteousnesse and in the mean time to thy utmost power do the outward functions thereof in thy duties to God and man at length this Spirit of truth will break forth like the morning light within thee and the emanations of the holy Ghost will so throughly refresh thee and strengthen thee that with ease and pleasure thou shalt walk in all the wayes of God which shall be like the flowry Alleys of a Paradise to thee both to thine inward and outward man 4. Not that our endeavours or desires are any obligation to God by way of merit on our part but it is his mercy to the Soul that does in good earnest pant after him For till he has compleated his work in us all our works are worth nothing and whenever they are worth any thing they are not ours but his And to this sense speaks Paul to Titus chap. 3. But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on us or poured out upon us as the Original has it abundantly through Iesus Christ our Saviour Like that of the Prophet Thou shalt be like a watered garden 5. Adde to these Ioh. 3.5 Iesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he can in no wise enter into the kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit And Rom. 8.9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of God he is none of his And vers 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered And also 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you And lastly Ephes. 3.14 For it were infinite to reckon up all places of Scripture that tend to this purpose For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whom the whole Family of Heaven and Earth is named That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the inward man That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God who is able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us To him therefore be glory in the Church by Christ Iesus throughout all ages world without end Amen CHAP. X. 1. A Recapitulation of what has been set down hitherto concerning the Usefulnesse of the Gospel and the Necessity of undeceiving the world in those points that so nearly concern Christian Life 2. The ill condition of those that content themselves with Imaginary Righteousnesse figured out in the Fighters against Ariel and Mount Sion 3. A further demonstration of their fond conceit 4. That a true Christian cannot sin without pain and torture to himself 1. VVE have now abundantly proved out of places of Scripture The necessity of inward Sanctification and reall in-dwelling Righteousness
to it for his cure as the Israelites in the Wildernesse as often as they were bit with the fiery flying Serpents were to look up unto the Brazen Serpent which Moses had erected in their Camp And those that make no use of the benefit thereof I should suspect them to be no Israelites but a genâ—ration of Vipers or Serpents themselves to whom the poison of Sin is so congenerous that it is their nature and pleasure no pain at all to them so that they desire no cure but flee from the Crosse as Scorpions do quit the place where a Telesme is erected against them 7. But our Saviour Christ knew the power and efficacy of his Passion so well that he made a speciall provision for the Commemoration of that often which it was fit he should suffer but once This we usually call the Eucharist or the holy Communion A Solemnity never to be antiquated till our Saviour return again to judgement visibly in the clouds of Heaven as S. Paul intimateth 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as you eat this bread or drink this cup you do shew the Lords death till he come For the solid use of it cannot cease till then when all is accomplished For so long as men are to have any growth in Godlinesse or are to animate themselves to any holy designes or sin is to be encountred with or thanks to be given for the victories of the Cross the holy Eucharist cannot possibly cease For the most proper Preparation for the receiving of the Sacrament is a serious Meditation on the Passion of Christ which is commemorated therein The consideration whereof what mighty power and efficacy it has for the vanquishing and subduing of all manner of sins and corruptions I have given sufficient intimation So that every Celebration of the Communion should be as it were a repeated Resolution and corroborated Conspiracy in the bloud of the New Covenant to do our utmost against all the Powers of Sin of Darkness and of the Devil and this upon the sense of that great Love and Loialty we owe to our dear Saviour and Soveraign Iesus Christ who died for us and poured out his own bloud to glue and cement us to himself and to one another So that the Mystery of Christian Religion is a Mystery of the deepest and dearest Friendship and of the most indissoluble Union of Affection that can possibly be excogitated Wherein neither Distance of Place nor Time can make any division but it holds together Heaven and Earth and bindes what is past to what is present and actuates and invigorates what is present to a prosperous and successful bringing on that which is to come Thus it is with all those that are true Christians and do really communicate in the bloud of Christ They have one Minde and one Heart they have one Vote and one Interest which is the Advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in the world in Truth and Holiness and that Christian Peace Faith and Love may flourish even to the ends of the Earth CHAP. XVII 1. The sixth Gospel-Power is the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. The priviledge of this Demonstration of the Soul's Immortality above that from the Subtilty of Reason and Philosophy 2. The great power this consideration of the Soul's Immortality has to urge men to a Godly life 3. To wean themselves from worldly pleasures and learn to delight in those that are everlasting 4. To have our Conversation in Heaven 5. The Conditions of the Everlasting Inheritance 6. Further enforcements of duty from the Soul's Immortality 1. THe sixth Gospel-Power is the Contemplation of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ in respect of which stupendious event the Apostle has declared how it is Christ Jesus that has abolished death and brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel For truly whatsoever Traditions there were amongst the Iewish Rabbins whatever Disquisitions or Conclusions amongst the Philosophers whether Platonists or Aristoteleans concerning the Soul's Immortality they were either so uncertain and fallacious in themselves or so subtil and unintelligible to the People that they could not satisfie the World concerning this so important a matter And if a man should write never so accurately and Apodictically of this point the use thereof would reach but to a few namely such as are of a very patient and comprehensive Spirit that have leisure and take delight in perusing of subtil and close-wrought contextures of Reason which to most men is a toilsome and tedious thing And when a man has writ and read all he can of this Subject and has met with the very best and most Demonstrative arguments for the Conclusion yet for use and service the Recollection of them is voluminous and cumbersome as well as the Collections from them doubtful and fallible at least to them that are not fully masters of their Reason But as the Resurrection and Ascension of our Saviour is certain as known to be de facto by abundance of Witnesses so is the Remembrance and Representation of it to our mindes at once and strikes strong upon our Phansie and reaches our Reason with that powerful conviction that believing this we cannot any longer doubt of either the Existence of God or our own Immortality And if we once be but well assured of the Existence of God and of our own Immortall state after this Life methinks this alone should be able to lift us above all the Snares that Satan has laid in this World to entangle us 2. Mortality one would think if well considered might give us some check from too eager pursuit of Honours and Riches from worldly Plots and Designes as also for fear of diseases that accelerate death from over-lavish Indulgence to Sensuality and Intemperance But the Certainty of a Life to come the condition whereof shall be such as our Demeanour here layes the seeds of whether for Happinesse or Misery and that in a measure unspeakably above what happens or can happen in this life this consideration must have such virtue in it if we duly meditate upon it that it should win us with all willingnesse to forsake all the unlawful Pleasures and Projects of this transient World to get some sure Interest in that which is to come and not to trust all in one bottom if any thing at all I mean in the leaking vessel of this mortal Body which is ever and anon ready to sink or topple over and so to drown all the hopes we placed in it Wherefore as ye heard out of Saint Peter we are like Strangers and Pilgrims in this life to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the Soul that our Minds going out impolluted of the Foulness and Contagion of this defiled Earth they sojourn in may be received into the happy Society of just men made perfect as the Author to the Hebrews speaks Whenas if they go out foul and impure their Reception must be accordingly
Ghost by his mysterious union with the Eternal Word by his miraculous Resurrection from the dead and by his visible Ascension into Heaven and Session now at the right hand of his Father This is warrant enough to do all Divine homage to our blessed Saviour as to the only-begotten Son of God And truly the Church to give them their due has not been sparing the very constitution of our Religion being so effectual for this purpose For so Divine a Person as Christ was namely The very Son of God and yet condescending to undergoe so horrid a death for the World how could engaged Mankind stint themselves from shewing of all manner of expressions of Love and Devotion toward him 3. Wherefore they erected innumerable magnificent Structures of Temples Chappels and other Religious Edifices and consecrated them to his Name They endowed the Christian Priesthood with ample Riches and Dignities set up Church-musick sung divine Anthems in honour of our Saviour adorned their Churches celebrated his Passion with unexpressible reverence instituted Festivals and filled both Time and Place with such variety of Ornaments that a man might observe that the greatest part of the Splendour and Pomp of Christendom was in reference to their Religion Which certainly would have been a very goodly and lovely spectacle if Superstition Hypocrisie and Ecclesiastick Tyranny could have been kept out 4. But this External Worship and the Ceremonies thereof things equally performable by the evil and the good by the regenerate and mere natural man these took growth enormously and like ranck Weeds choaked the Corn or what happens in full and over-fed bodies in which natural heat and activity is very much lost the huge load and bulk of visible Formalities extinguished the Life and Spirit of Religion 5. But however this outward Homage to our Saviour continued and does continue in a great measure over the face of Christendom to this very day though their expressions are not alike courtly every where Which continuation of Divine Honour done unto him cannot but gratifie his faithfully-devoted Servants they having a deep resentment of the shameful Sufferings their Lord and Master underwent out of his dear love to them and therefore do naturally rejoyce at this Tribute of Divine Adoration the World gives to so holy and sacred a Person it being so sutable a part of compensation of his Humiliation and Reproach Besides that they receive some satisfaction that Divine Providence has so brought it about touching the true Members of Christ whose Principles are so opposite to the Guise of the world and their Persons so contemptible that yet the World are fain with the lowest prostrations to adore that in Christ which they kick about and trample upon so in his despised Members But I will insist no longer on this Theme having spoke enough of it elsewhere We have now shewn the Usefulness of the Mystery of Godlinesse in all holy and religious respects I shall adde only a word or two in reference to things of this Life and so conclude the fourth part of my Discourse CHAP. XX. 1. The Usefulnesse of Christianity for the good of this life witnessed by our Saviour and S. Paul 2. The proof thereof from the Nature of the thing it self 3. Objections against Christianity as if it were an unfit Religion for States Politick 4. A Concession that the primary intention of the Gospel was not Government Political with the advantage of that Concession 5. That there is nothing in Christianity but what is highly advantageous to a State-Politick 6. That those very things they object against it are such as do most effectually reach the chief end of Political Government as doth Charity for example 7. Humility Patience and Mortification of inordinate desires 8. The invincible Valour that the love of Christ and their fellow-members inspires the Christian Souldiery withall 1. THat Christianity contributes also to the Happinesse of this present World is evident both from the Testimony of Christ and his Apostles and also from the nature of the thing it self Matth. 6. Where our Saviour having exhorted us not to be over-sollicitous for the things of this Life food and raiment setting before our eyes the care of Divine Providence in Creatures of far lesse price then our selves how the Fowls of the Air are provided for that neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns how gloriously the Lilies of the Field are arraied that neither weave nor spin he concludes That we should not so eagerly and carefully seek after those things as worldly-minded men do But seek ye first the kingdom of God saith he and his righteousnesse and all these things shall be added unto you For your Heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things And Paul to Timothy Godlinesse is profitable for all things having the promise of this life and that which is to come 2. And if we consider the nature of the thing it self there is an accruement of present Happinesse from true Christianity not only by virtue of Promise but even by natural dependence of Causes and Events especially when that Christian frame of Spirit has arrived to any considerable degree of perfection and maturity For there is no such obliging person in the world as a mature and ripe Christian nor any truer Policy then to be obliging Which Temper the more sincere it is the more taking it is and the more sure Fortress against adverse Fortune Wherefore what advantage Humanity has he has it in the greatest measure Besides that his calm and castigate spirit makes him sensible discreet above all expression and of a sagacity beyond all conceit of the unregenerate man His Faithfulnesse also and honest and chearful Industry have their proper blessing attending them And his moderate desires of Riches and Honours and his laudable use of them unblemished with any blot of either sordid Covetousnesse or vain Ostentation prevents or beats back the ill-aimed darts of secret Malice and Envy And if but a meaner share of the things of this world be allotted to him yet his contentments are not the lesse he finding that true which both David and Solomon have pronounced That better is a little that the righteous has then great possessions of the ungodly And when more unsupportable pressures and afflictions fall upon him such as great Fits of Sicknesse Imprisonment and the Approaches of Death his Advantages in this Condition are unspeakably above what any other mortal is capable of For the more these urge his outward man the more his inward is inflamed and excited to the exercise of those powers that are most holy and precious and needing no admonition though so fit and apposite as that of Epictetus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Circumstances of things themselves will assuredly awaken this Christian Champion to the exertion of all the strength of his Soul and to the successful use of his spiritual weapons wherewith he is armed against the day of battel For
whom their dying Lord left that sacred legacy of mutual love sealing it on their mindes with his own stupendious example who being so high above them yet stooped to the shameful and bitter death of the Cross that they might love one another so ardently and entirely that if need required they would not stick to lay down their lives one for another His firm belief in the Providence of God and his special assistance to them that fight his battels His moderate love of this present World and certain expectation of the immediate enjoyments of the Happiness of the other life upon the quitting of this The consideration I say of all these things will arme our Christian souldiery let them be in their private demeanour as milde and humble as tame and lamb-like as you please with such miraculous valour and courage that I cannot but presage that that Benediction of Moses will not fail to attend their enterprizes Five of them shall chase an hundred and an hundred of them shall put ten thousand to flight For the Lord will go before them and the God of Israel will be their Rereward What Nation therefore can grapple with such a people as this For there is neither Strength nor Counsel against the Almighty BOOK IX CHAP. I. 1. The four Derivative Properties of the Mystery of Godlinesse 2. That a measure of Obscurity begets Veneration suggested from our very senses 3. Confirmed also by the common suffrage of all Religions and the nature of Reservednesse amongst men 4. The rudenesse and ignorance of those that expect that every Divine Truth of Scripture should be a comprehensible Object of their understanding even in the very modes and 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 1. WE have now finished the four Primary Properties of the Mysterie of Godlinesse having treated of the Obscurity Intelligiblenesse of the Truth and Usefulnesse thereof and have already intimated that there arise from these four other properties which if you please you may call Derivative as from the Obscurity of this Mystery arises Venerability from the Intelligiblenesse Communicability from Truth a Power of gaining Assent and lastly from Usefulnesse an affectionate prizing of it and a Zeal or desire of promoting the knowledge and virtue of it in the World as much as we can It remains therefore that we speak something of these but with all brevity possible 2. That a due measure of Obscurity makes a Mystery the more venerable is a Truth suggested to us by several observations How Shades and Silence affect our very Senses every one can witness who is not of so course a contexture of Body that onely gross and fierce Objects can move him But he whose Senses are more passive and delicate can with pleasure relate how he is affected when he enters into some shady and invious VVood or Grove the thickness of whose Trees and redoubled Shadows stops his sight and hopes of ever passing through all that growes on that Sacred ground but what he sees he approves of as delightful and conceives a peculiar pleasure in that confused divination or obscure representation of things there where his Eyes cannot reach nor his Feet approach The Silence also of the place encreases the solemness thereof in which as Plutarch saies well there is something profound and mysterious And for this very reason the shadiness and stilness of the Night ordinarily seems a very venerable object to those whose Senses are so quick and fine that they can feel and rellish all manner of mutations in Nature which impress enriched the Poets Phansie with that expression Noxque tenebrarum specie reverenda tuarum 3. The common Suffrage also of all Religions gives with us who have alwaies affected something not easily Intelligible at first sight And their Temples were so built as to have their Adyta some more Sacred and inaccessible places in them And we may further observe that Sparingness of speech and Reservedness in men does naturally conciliate reverence to them For there is still something behind in them impervious and inaccessible which if they would impart they might lessen their respect and become more contemptible For it is very obvious to humane Nature to brood some strange over-weening conceit of those things they know not and to neglect and slight that which they know These are Thieves that willingly leave the house when they have carried away all the treasure But perpetual expectation continues respect And what makes matter if the bottom of the Well be fathomless if the Water we reach be but pure and useful Wherefore those that contend for such an absolute plainness and clearness in all points of Religion shew more of clownishness and indiscretion then of wit and judgement and their zeal is not so much for Truth as out of Pride Vain-glory they taking it very ill that any thing in the Mysterie of Godliness should be so mysterious as that their conceited Reason should not be able to comprehend it 4. But I demand of those great Pretenders to Reason who would usurp or monopolize that Title to themselves in matters of Religion By what Faculty can they demonstrate that the Divine Oracles should mention nothing to us but what is the adequate Object of our Understandings and that we shall not be puzzled in our endeavouring to comprehend the modes and circumstances of that General Truth which they propose to us For the General proposal may be useful to us whenas the curiosity of Circumstances may serve for nothing but the feeding of our foolish desire of devouring all Truth we can meet with and priding our selves in the booty I speak this in reference to the most obscure Articles of our Religion touching the Triunity of the Godhead and the Divinity of Christ. For that the Holy Scripture does affirm both I have already sufficiently shown And being that they come to us with the same authority that the whole new Testament does we cannot with any face deny the assertions and yet profess our selves Christians For the adverse party have no plea but the Incomprehensibleness of the manner of the thing which allegation is most unjust and ridiculous For that which comes to us by Divine Revelation is as certain as our Senses But our Senses do assure us of such things as no faculty can conceive how they are such as our Senses warrant them to be As for example The immediate Union of Matter with Matter and The power we have by Will and Thought to move any member of our Body These things we know to be but are as incomprehensible as any thing that the Scripture has declared of the Triunity of the Godhead or Christ's Divinity And therefore all their Arguments against those two Articles are weak and vain For it is sufficient that for those useful purposes I have often
shun the breath of such a Seducer as of one that is infected with the pestilence and whose converse is death and the eternal ruin of our very Souls 2. The Second Principle that he is closely to keep to is That I had almost said Omnipotent Faith in God through Christ I mean the belief of the assistance of his holy Spirit to overcome all manner of sin in us For if we keep up duely to this nothing will be able to withstand us but by patience and perseverance we shall be able to beat out Satan out of his strongest holds According to thy faith so be it unto thee is true as well in Christs healing our Souls as in his curing the bodies of the sick when he was upon earth This is a prime branch of that saving Faith and the greatest strength and sustentation we have to keep us from sinking back into sin and from being drown'd and carried away with the flouds of ungodliness If we let this hold go all is gone For they that doe not believe that they have power to resist sin must of necessity give up themselves captives to it And this is that which makes S. Paul so affectionately devout in the behalf of the Ephesians that God would be pleased to give them this special gift of Faith for their strength and corroboration of the inward man chap. 3. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love c. according as I have elswhere rehearsed And in the Doxologie immediately following this prayer of what unconceivable efficacy the operations of the Spirit are in us the Apostle again does intimate in a very high strain Now unto him that is able to doe exceeding abundantly above what we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Iesus throughout all ages world without end Which words plainly imply that such is the inexhaustible richness of Grace and Assistance from the Spirit of God that the effect of its inward workings in us is for the present not imaginable much less expressible Wherefore our Faith cannot be too great in this supernatural Principle and the greater it is the greater courage and the more speedy and more absolute victory 3. And yet there is still another Principle that will further actuate our Faith and make us still more lively resolute and invincible and that is The Love of Christ which every young Christian is to warme himself with and inflame his courage more and more which he will best do by frequent Meditations upon Christs Passion what shame what sorrow and pain he underwent to gain the love of Souls and so to try them to himself in those sweet and inviolable bands of sincere love and friendship that by this golden chain he may pull them up after him from Earth to Heaven Let therefore our new-Covenanter as often as he reflects upon the exceeding great love of his Saviour and finds his heart begin to grow hot being touch'd with a ray from that celestial Flame that bright Sun of righteousness that now shines at the right hand of God let him be sure to remember what compensation he requires for all that dear affection he has shewn to us The lesson is but short and therefore must not be forgotten If you love me keep my Commandements CHAP. XI 1. The diligent search this new-Covenanter ought to make to finde 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 1. THE young Christian being thus armed with Faith and Love and an unwavering sense of his duty in becoming holy even as he that called him is holy he will be then both willing and ready to look his enemies in the face and to seek them out if he cannot at first sight finde them and to pull them out of every hiding-place of Hypocrisy and bring them into the open light and slay them And if after diligent search he can finde none yet he will be so modest as to distrust the measure of his skill and will be earnest in Prayer to God to discover what inward hidden wickedness there may lurk yet in him to the end that the old Leven may be utterly cast out and that there may be nothing left that is contrary to the Scepter of Christ and the Kingdome of God in his heart 2. For indeed it is impossible that one is truely regenerate and has the seed of God and the life of his Spirit actually in him should be quiet till all that which is unholy and corrupt be wrought out But the case is much-what as in the natural body that is sick either death or health will in a competent time possess the body If the morbifick matter be not carried away by sweating purging or some evacuation or other Life it self will be carried away but if that which is contrary to life be remov'd Health must certainly take place 3. And so it is in the Divine life it self when it has taken root and growth whatever is contrary to it is burdensome to it like that tyrannick project of tying the living and the dead together Wherefore the true Christian can never be at ease and rest till he has cast off that heavy load the body of sin the old man that stinks earthily and unsavourly if he be perceived at all and indeed so unsufferably that the divine life and sense in a man cannot endure it Nor can endure to be in a condition so sensless that there should be any of that â—our Leven left and yet there be no perception of it And therefore the most importunate address to the throne of Grace in a living Christian is that God would be pleased to discover whatever ugliness or deformity there is in him in either practise or principle Which God of his mercy does by degrees not all at once that there may not arise overmuch distraction and confusion But if we be not wanting to our selves the work will be accomplish'd in due time and the Kingdom of heaven as well within as without will be as a grain of Mustard-seed The Crisis of the disease will be in a competent time as I said before and our whole man re-enlivened with the Spirit of God and restored to the state of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost 4. For verily to be quiet upon any other terms but these is not to be a Son of the Second Covenant but a careless
Gardening and the like if he out of a foolish conceit of Light and Reason being only â—â—â—hin one and not without as certainly neither Ink nor Paper nor both put together are any more partakers of the Light of Reason then of Sense and Life would make no use of the Writings of Euclid suppose for Mathematicks nor any other Authour that has writ of such matters and so of the rest of the Faculties I named nor converse with any man by word of mouth nor cast his eyes upon what they have done but only think with himself and sit still by the light of his own lamp within dores will be a very sorry Mathematician Architect Husbandman or Gardener So certainly for Moral and Divine Truth he that will be so taught by himself that he will not use outward advantages such as the Holy Scriptures especially afford will be found at last to have been the Scholar of a very foolish and imperfect Master 4. Besides that these men contradict themselves in their own practices For they vilifie that by which they have been taught and retain the very phrases of what they have learned out of Scripture and know not how to speak without Scripture-terms nor can make any show without Scriptural allusions and that grand Document of keeping to the Light within us they borrow out of S. Iohn's Gospel and yet they are so phrantick and peevish that they would fling away the staffe without which they are not able to make one step in Religion Moreover if this Light within us is so precisely within us that it wants no information from without us why do they themselves scribble such abundance of Pamphlets make Catechisms set out Prophecies why do they exhort rebuke nay reproach and raile against men to convert them if what is without cannot reach that which is within or why do they meet together to hear some one of their Assembly after he has fallen down as in a trance and got up again dictate Oracles out of his disturbed breast For his words which they hear are without and beat upon the Ear they are not the Light within Wherefore it is plain that the Light within may be informed by something which is without whether by voice or writings And if so there is an obligation upon this Light within to be so considerate as to seek the most punctual information it can from what is most likely to inform it from without 5. And therefore they are with all diligence to examine the most venerable Records of Religion and especially of that Religion under which they were not only born but which is absolutely of it self the most renowned Religion that ever was in the World Which therefore none but such as are utterly averse from all Religion as being wholy given up to lust and prophaneness can without examination dare to relinquish and if they will examine it I mean the Christian Religion as it referrs to the Person of Christ that died betwixt two thieves at Jerusalem but rose again the third day that ascended visibly into Heaven and shall again return in a visible manner to judge the quick and the dead I appeal to this Light within them to their Reason and Conscience and that of the most cunning Impostors amongst them all or of whoever will join with them if the evidence for this Religion from Prophecie History and from the Nature of the Religion it self is not such as that nothing but Ignorance of the true meaning thereof and of its right design can hinder it from being acknowledged as a most certain Truth by any but those that are afraid that any Religion that leads to Holiness or promises any thing after this Life should be found true 6. As for that Objection taken from the mighty Power of the Spirit of God as if that were so sufficient of it self that belief therein and assistance therefrom would anticipate the mention and use of any other power whatsoever that may seem to confer to the End of the Gospel the Sanctification of our Souls I answer to this That they that do after this manner argue do erre not knowing the Scriptures For this Power of the Spirit communicable to Believers is not an absolute and omnipotent Power not to be resisted not to be frustrated if there be not due means and wise accommodations concurring with its workings or attempts to work But I may in some manner illustrate the condition thereof from what is observable in the Spirit of Nature the Principle of all natural Generations Growths and Perfections in which there is a kind of Hypothetical Omnipotency as to the work of Nature that is That this Spirit will not fail to assist and complete provided that such and such circumstances in Corporeal Agents be not wanting So is it also in this Divine Spirit or the Holy Ghost as it is communicable to us it will certainly assist and finish its work if there be no impediment on our side which it behoves us to remove out of the way nor any thing wanting which we can applie our selves to for the advance of our Faith perfecting of the holy life such as Meditating on the Scriptures Conferring with Holy men experienced Christians Using with devotion and reverence all the Ordinances of Christ. For though this assistance of the Holy Spirit be unspeakably powerfull to the sincere and diligent yet in the negligent and perverse as I said his attempts are frustrated And therefore Steven expostulates with the Jews in this sense Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears ye do alwaies resist the Holy Ghost and elsewhere we are exhorted not to grieve the Spirit nor quench the Spirit Which expressions do plainly demonstrate that the Communication of the Spirit is not absolute and omnipotent but received according to certain laws and waies of God's own appointing who of his infinite wisdome has traced out such a method in Christian Religion as is most accommodate to gain Souls to himself of which we have heard part already and shall now proceed to the Four last Powers of the Gospel which are mainly instrumental to the work of the Spirit upon the Hearts of all true Believers 7. And the first of these is the Example of our ever-blessed Saviour who has given us no other Precepts then what himself was the exactest Pattern of and himself such a Pattern of Life that is of Faith in God of Humility Love and Purity that we cannot doubt in following his footsteps that we are in a wrong way he being by voices from heaven and by his miracles upon earth proved and declared to be the only-begotten Son of God Wherefore the nearer we keep to his path the surer we are that we walk upon sound ground Besides that he is our Lord and Soveraign and therefore natural Ingenuity will urge us forward to compose our lives so as is most agreeable to his fashion And he does expresly require this as a Testimonie of
our love and loyalty to him If you love me keep my commandements Of which a principal one is That as I have loved you ye love also one another So he gives his disciples an Example of being humble one to another in that he washed their feet If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet ye ought also to wash one anothers feet For I have given you an Example that you should doe as I have done to you John 13. And Matth. 11. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls 8. But I need not insist much upon this subject I having amply enough shewn in the Second part of my Discourse how the whole History of Christ all his actions and deportments of himself tend to the most effectual recommending of the Divine Life unto us We shall only take the opportunity here to wipe off such stains as the foul and unsound breath of some blasphemous mouths have of old or of late endeavoured to stain this bright Mirrour of Divine perfection withall Which will be not only a piece of indispensable duty and loyalty to the Person of our Saviour but also the better encouragement to his sincere followers especially when I have added the Parallel of such accusations and imputations as bear very close analogie with those of our Saviours himself For he has foretold of old what would come of it That the disciple should not be above his Master nor the servant above his Lord. And if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of the houshold But how just the calumnies are against the one and the other we shall now see CHAP. XIII 1. That Christ was no Blasphemer in declaring himself to be the Son of God 2. Nor Conjurer in casting out Devils 3. That he was unjustly accused of Prophaneness 4. That there was nothing detestable in his Neutrality toward Political Factions 5. Nor any Injustice nor Partiality found in him 6. Nor could his sharp Rebukes of the Pharisees be rightly termed Railing 7. Nor his whipping the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple tumultuary Zeal 8. Nor his crying out so dreadfully in his Passion be imputed to Impatience or Despair 9. The suspicion of Distractedness and Madness cleared 10. His vindication from their aspersions of Looseness and Prodigality 11. The crooked and perverse nature of the Pharisees noted with our Saviours own Apology for his frequenting all companies 12. That Christ was no Self-seeker in undergoing the Death of the Cross for that joy that was set before him 1. THE former part of which Task though it may seem needless if not ridiculous amongst Christians who cannot entertain any evil thoughts of that Person whom they deservedly worship yet because all that live in Christian Commonwealths are not cordially such in no manner at all for the convincing of them if it were possible of the Excellency of Christ or at least for the better stopping of vain mouths from rash and unskilfull censures I hold it not improper to recite to you a Charge or Bill of Inditement exhibited against that innocent and immaculate Lamb Christ Iesus by malicious and ignorant men to the intent that he whom they have so unworthily charged may be as honourably dismissed and acquitted That his righteousness may be brought forth as the morning and his judgement as the noon day And here that they may fly high enough at first and strike deep enough even to a deserved taking away of life Blasphemy must stand in the front to give countenance and strength to the rest of their following accusations 2. Then Conjuring and dealing with the Devil 3. Prophanation of the Sabbath 4. Neutrality or cold indifferency in publick Controversies 5. Injustice 6. Railings 7. Tumultuary and injurious Zeal 7. Impatience and Despair 9. Phrensy or Madness 10. Debauchery and Looseness of Life 11. Lavishment and Prodigality 12. And lastly Ambition and Self-interest These are the several dunghills from whence wicked and perverse men would industriously dig out dirt to cast in the face of him who was the perfect Pattern of divine Purity and Righteousness But let them ply themselves as fast as they can in these several foul pits it will not be hard to find wherewith to wipe it off as fast as their impious diligence shall be able to cast it on And first let us consider what work they make in the first place as concerning Blasphemy John 10. For declaring God his Father and that He and his Father was one he is there furiously accused of Blasphemy and ready to be stoned And John 8. They are also there ready to stone him for saying He was before Abraham And Matth. 9.3 He is there also accused of Blasphemy for saying Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee And here in this first accusation de facto constat Christ confesses That he is one with God That he is the Son of God and that he has power to forgive sins That he was before Abraham but it is utterly denied that in any of all this Christ did blaspheme For first consider the very words of Christ I and my Father are one How unreasonably and inconsequently did these dull and peevish Perverters of the words of him whom they so entirely hated for his good life and doctrine deduce from that saying I and my Father are one that he being a man made himself God For it is as childishly and ineptly inferred from thence by them That he made himself God as if they should conclude That the Body is the very Soul because the Body and the Soul are one that is one man And it is no more Falshood much lesse Blasphemy for the Humanity of Christ who was so really and lively actuated informed and united with God as the Body is with the Soul to pronounce of himself as if he were very God then it is for the Tongue to say I understand I believe I perceive when neither the Body nor it believes perceives or understands any thing but only the Soul with which it is so intimately united and of which that which the Tongue speaks in such cases is to be understood And if this be duely considered and taken in Christs saying also That he was before Abraham will not prove any Blasphemy For Christ by reason of his so near union and essential conjunction with God which Athanasius well resembles to that of the Body and Soul may as properly and naturally professe himself to be before Abraham yea to have been before the world was made as the Tongue of man may utter I shall survive after the death of this my body in which there is no ill sense nor incongruity in the judgement of most sober men But besides this that which the blinde Jews understood not being hoodwinked with the thicknesse of their own particular Religion