is in Truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe They received it as the Word of God How knew they that From the Scriptures themselves Therefore it is said that they are the Formal Object of Faith as well as the Material They contain what is to be believed and the reason why to believe them And that is especially twofold I. The Majesty of the Spirit of God speaking in them II. Their powerful Working I. The Majesty of the Spirit of God speaking in them such things as Man cannot speak 1 Cor. ii 10 The Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God And we may say the deep things of Man yea and the Depths of Satan as Rev. ii 24 1. How impossible is it for Man to reveal the deep Mysteries of Salvation i. e. the Mind of God 1 Cor. ii 16 Who hath known the Mind of the Lord that he may instruct him But we have the Mind of Christ. In Scripture we have it And ver 7 8 9. of that Chapter But we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory Which none of the Princes of this World knew For had they known it they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory But as it is written Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard c. The hidden Wisdom of God Let all the Wits in the World have conspired together could they have told the secret Wisdom and Mind of God about Salvation God Christ and the Divine Operation of his Spirit the Fruits of Grace and the Weight of Eternal Glory How blind was the Wisdom of all the World to these Mysteries So far that when they were revealed they were accounted but Folly 1 Cor. i. 25 Because the Foolishness of God is wiser than Men and the Weakness of God is stronger than Men. That is as they took them And that Opinion is transplanted into Papacy which will find out a wiser Way to Salvation than the Scriptures have directed Herein the Majesty of Scripture shews it self because it speaks of those sublime Divine hidden things that Men's Wisdom could never find out As they John vii 46 are convinced that Christ was more than other Men because he spake as never Man spake so the Majesty of the Scriptures declares that they are the Divine Word of God because Men never spake Men cannot speak as they speak 2. The Majesty of the Spirit in Scripture appears in that it reveals the very Thoughts and commands the very Heart of Man Heb. iv 12 The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a Discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart And 1 Cor. xiv 24 25. But if all Prophesie and there come in one that believeth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the Secrets of his Heart made manifest and so falling down on his Face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a Truth It can discover a Hypocrite can make an Atheist tremble can pierce to the very Thoughts and Imaginations of the Heart That as the Woman of Samaria said because Christ had told her the secret Wickedness of her Life John iv 29 Come see a Man which told me all things that ever I did So we must conclude of this it is able to discern check regulate the very Thoughts of the Heart Therefore not the Invention of Men but the Powerful Divine Searching Word of God 3. The Majesty of the Scriptures appears in that it discovers the very Subtilties of Satan We are not ignorant of his Wiles saith the Apostle How come we to know them This Divine Light hath shewed them It would have been hard to have known that there is a Devil had not this discovered it And it would have been impossible to have discovered his Plots and Malice and Temptations else This Divine Word hath done it in despite of Satan Would he ever have had his Plots discovered if he could have hindred That Men should know his Mischief and Malice and Subtilty He would gladly have walked as an Angel of Light that Men might not suspect his Delusions but this Divine Word hath pulled off his Vizar and shewed his Designs in open Light It madded the King of Syria that all his secret Stratagems against the King of Israel were discovered by the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings vi 11 12. It vexeth this King of Darkness that his private Policies and Actings should be laid open But this Sacred Word doth it and he cannot prevent it Thus doth the Scripture reveal it self to be the Word of God by its Divine Majesty wherein it speaketh and by the Wisdom wherein it shews it self II. In its powerful Working breaking Hearts converting Souls conquering the Kingdom of Satan How have the Scriptures gone through the World and made Nations bow before them and have cast out Satan and his Power So that if we should say as they did What Sign shewest thou that thou art Christ So what Sign shew ye that ye are the Word of God They may answer Look through the World how many Thousands have been converted and saved how is the Idolatry and Blindness of the Heathen cast out how hath Satan been bound and many poor Souls taught and armed to resist all his Power Papists talk much what the Sign of the Cross and Holy Water can do for mastering the Devil Fabulae aniles But Thousands of Experiences have shewed what the Divine Word of God in Scripture can do against him And thus do they evidence themselves to be the Word of God and so to be believed for themselves because they are the VVord of God Then is no Man no Company of Men to be believed but as what they say is agreeable to Scripture No Council Father Church If they speak not according to Scripture it is because there is no Light in them and not to be believed Let God be true and every Man a Lyar saith the Apostle So we are to say in this case VVhosoever speaks not according to the Truth of God in Scripture he is but a Lyar and the Truth is not in him You understand that I speak of things of Faith and Religion In Historical Natural Civil Moral Things we deny not but that they speak much Truth But that is to be tryed by our Reading and Reason But in the things of Divine Concernment there is no Truth but that of Scripture or what speaks agreeable to it Gal. i. 8 Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed I might instance how the Fathers themselves harp upon this String Non quid Augustinus nec quid Hieronymus sed quid Scriptura Not that which
some Hundreds of Years all this Western World was Popish Italy Spain France England Germany and no Religion visible in all these Countries but Popery The Name of Protestant not owned the Protestant Religion not to be seen And where was then your Religion say the Papists to us To whom to give a full Answer let us compound these three or four things together We must tell them or else we speak not as the Truth is that the Popish Religion was far from being the true Religion and the Popish Church from being the true Church all that time or from ever being so I shall not insist upon many Arguments to prove this I shall only give you one Argument from a Scriptural Reason and one Consideration of a Scriptural Expression The Argument from a Scriptural Reason is this That Church that is built more on Traditions and Doctrines of Men than on the Word of God is no true Church nor Religion But the Church of Rome is built more upon Traditions and Doctrines of Men than on the VVord of God Ergo. The Foundation of the true Church of God is Scripture Eph. ii 20 And are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets But if you look upon what the whole Frame of Popery is built you will find it upon a Sand of Humane Tradition That the Pope is Head of the Church that he pardons Sin rules over Princes where find you this in Scripture They are but Points of the cursed Inventions of Men. That Priests can sing Souls out of Purgatory that the Service of God should be in an unknown Tongue that the Priests can change the Bread into a God and generally the whole Rabble of their Romish Religion hath not so much as any one underpinning of Scripture Warrant but all founded upon the rotten Trash of Humane Invention and Self-ends The Scriptural Expression to be considered is that Title of Rome Rev. xvii 5 MYSTERY Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth For that it speaks of Rome is plain ver 18. The Woman which thou sawest is the great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth And described even as the Roman Writers themselves do describe her ver 9. The Seven Heads are Seven Mountains on which the Woman sitteth She is stiled Mystery Babylon She was a Mystery of Iniquity Babylon while she takes upon her Sion Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth when she takes upon her to be Mother of all Churches and the only Spouse of Christ in the World A Jezabel as Rev. ii 20 that takes on her to be a Prophetess but is a Seducer And Mysterious is the Providence of God in permitting such a Deceiver that should seduce all the Western World with a general Seduction It is observed that Popery and Mahometism rose together one overwhelmed all the East the other the West Where had been Glorious Churches there this Smoke of the Bottomless Pit clouded and darkened all And it is observable that wheresoever the Gospel had been these two came and spoiled all And Popery the more abominable than the other because under the Name of Christ and the Gospel it led Men from Christ and the Gospel We may say upon Thoughts of both as it is Rev. xvi 5 Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shalt be because thou hast judged thus Because they received not the Love of the Truth that they might be saved it was just with thee Righteous God to send them strong Delusions that they might believe a Lie That they all might be damned that believed not the Truth but had Pleasure in Unrighteousness 2 Thess. ii 10 11 12. So that to question where was the Church of God before Luther we must answer 1. That the Roman Church was not it for that was but Babylon the Mystery of Iniquity the Plague of God upon the World for not receiving the Love of Divine Truth 2. Wheresoever there were any in that time that kept to the Truth of God they were the Church of God Ubi Imperator ibi Roma So wheresoever the true Profession of the Truth was there the Church was Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them The Seven Thousand that worshipped not Baal were the true Church I shall not insist to shew that even in the thickest and darkest Times of Popery there were other Churches in the World that were not infected with that Plague as the Grecians Abyssines c. But even Stories do shew that even within the Compass of the Popish Church there were some in all Ages that held to the Truth of God and Abominated the Wickedness and Delusions of the Church But if any such could not be named yet God never left himself without Witness and it hath ever been the Glorious Providence of God to preserve a Noah in a wicked old World a Lot in Sodom an Abraham in an Idolatrous Chaldea a Job in Heathen Arabia and a Jeremy in a most wicked Jerusalem a Church to himself in the worst Times But observe that the Church of God is the least part of the World and so the least part of the visible Church We must distinguish the Church in Opposition to the World and in Opposition to Hypocrites and carnal Gospellers So the Scripture nameth Saints in Opposition to the Heathen and in Opposition to unholy Christians Now take the Word in this latter Sense which is the most proper and the true Church of God is the least part of the Church I deny not that the Church of England Scotland and Ireland is a true Church of God in regard of outward Profession But there are Multitudes in these that are not the true Church in regard of sincere Profession but profane Hypocrites Castaways Imagine a great Parish or Congregation that meet together and in the Church hear and wait on the Ordinances and have the Word and Ordinances truly administred They attend upon them in outward Attendance but out of the Church are Profane and Ungodly We cannot but say here is a Church in Opposition to the Heathen a true Church in Opposition to a false where the Ordinances are not rightly administred Yet we cannot say this is a true and sincere Church of God because they do but outwardly profess and not at all Practice So Israel professed went to the Temple Es. i. had Ordinances rightly administred This was a true Church so far But they lied sware falsely committed Adultery oppressed the Innocent and such like Can we then say they were a true Church of God See that Eph. v. 25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word That he might present it to himself a Glorious Church not having Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without Blemish Let us take up all these
Particulars 1. Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it What for all that make an outward Profession Adulterers Fornicators Drunkards and the like Doth he love such Doth he give himself for such Many and many better Professors shall be refused of Christ at the great Day because they were not sincere in their Profession tho' not so abominable in Conversation Mat. vii 22 23. Many will say to me in that Day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many marvellous Works And then I will profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that Work Iniquity We cannot think that such were so abominable in their Conversation but Christ found they were not sincere in Profession The foolish Virgins we cannot imagine that they were Whores for they were Virgins Or that they were abominable in their Lives but they were foolish drowsie and negligent Now if Christ is so far from owning such as are so fair-carriaged think you he owns loves and gave himself for horrid Wretches that despise him 2. The true Church is cleansed sanctified without Spot or Wrinkle Look on the most nay almost all in the visible Church that make an outward Profession and do they carry such a Mark How few are there upon whose Conversation is Holiness to the Lord As Tit. i. 16 They profess that they know God but in Works deny him At Christ's Table there was One Devil to Eleven Saints in the visible Church it is well if there be one Saint to many Devils One of a City and Two of a Tribe like a few Berries after beating the Olive-Tree I may use the Stile of Eliphaz Job xxii 15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked Men have trodden Mark the way of the World which most Men walk in Observe how unsuitable it is to the Gospel to the Example of Christ and the Discharge of a good Conscience And then look upon these Marks of the true Church of God And then judge whether it be not true that the Church of God is the least part of the VVorld and the least part of the Church visible Our Saviour asserts the former in Fear not little Flock c. Also the latter in Many are called but few are chosen Many in outward Profession in the visible Church but few truly the Church of God And so we may answer that Cavil of the Papists we spake of before Where was your Religion all the time of Popery Answer In the Scripture Had a Jew questioned a Heathen at his first Conversion Where was your Religion heretofore He might have answered In the Scriptures We profess nothing but what is in the Scripture As Acts xxvi 22 Saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come But where was our Church It was but invisible Some there were that worshipped God according to Scripture that he saw and knew tho' invisible and unknown to Men. That then that we are to believe in this Article is I. That God ordinarily hath had hath and will have a visible Church for the glorifying of his Word and Name But II. Tho' the Church be not visible yet God hath always some that belong to him and serve him And this is the Church of God tho' not to be discerned of Men. These most properly are the Church as Ecclesia signifies that is Called out A People called out of the World tho' in the World yet called out of it so that they are not of it Called off from the Course Way Doings of the World as it were into another Climate Many are called that is Have the Call held out to them but they follow it not called to but not called out But these as the Apostles did follow the Call of Christ and forsake the World Called to be Saints and they become Saints or Holy Now for further Explication and Illustration of this Article I shall descend to enquire into two Questions I. Whether every Christian who is bound to believe that there is a Church is bound also to believe that he is of this Church II. How far Christians are obliged to believe the Church that is Councils Synods or Primitive Fathers I. Whether every Christian is bound to believe that he is of this Church For certainly it seems strange for Men to believe as Standers by only as if they were not concerned in the thing believed I believe that there is a holy chosen number to be saved that God delights in them that they faithfully serve him and that they have Communion with God Forgiveness of their Sins But what is all this to thee What art thou the better for it And therefore certainly the Article hath further aim than to intend only a bare Belief But doth it reach to this I believe I am of this number To proceed gradually first let me observe two things by the way 1. That nothing is to be believed as a necessary Point of Faith but it concerns the Soul therefore believing of it must be to benefit the Soul Corde creditur ad justitiam With the Heart Man believeth to Righteousness It is not all to believe the thing is true but fâ—rther to believe so as the Soul may have Advantage Take an Instance One of the first things in Religion to be believed is That the Scriptures are the Word of God and divinely true This who believes not The Devil himself cannot deny it Nay he cited Scripture as the Word of God to our Saviour And there are Thousands in Hell that never made doubt of this Therefore the believing of this must have a further reach that the Soul may receive Benefit upon so believing 2. The believing the needful Points of Religion is not an Act of the Understanding only but of the Will and Conscience also It is a Question Whether Faith be an Act of the Understanding or Will And it is concluded of both especially the latter I believe that there was a Julius Caesar an Alexander Magnus Here is only an Act of the Understanding because I have no more to do with it but only to believe it But I believe that Christ was born died rose again that there is Forgiveness of Sins that there is a God an Heaven a Day of Judgment And in reference to these I have something more to do than barely to satisfie my Understanding that the things are true For I have to work my Will and Affections upon my Belief that my Soul may be benefited to Eternity These things premised let us apply to the thing in Hand Then I am not only barely to believe that there is a Church but my Soul is to be working upon this Belief for its Good to be affected in Heart according to the Import of the thing believed And this may be upon a twofold Reflexion When I say I believe a Holy Catholick Church that there is always a Company of
SOME Genuine Remains Of the Late Pious and Learned John Lightfoot D. D. Consisting of Three Tracts VIZ. I. Rules for a Student of the Holy Scriptures II. Meditations upon some Abstruser Points of Divinity and Explanations of divers Difficult Places of Scripture III. An Exposition of Two Select Articles of the Apostles Creed TOGETHER With a large Preface concerning the Author His Learned Debates in the Assembly of Divines His Peculiar Opinions His Christian Piety and the Faithful Discharge of His Ministry LONDON Printed by R. J. for J. Robinson at the Golden-Lion and J. Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCC TO THE RIGHT REVEREND Father in God JOHN L. Bishop of Norwich My Lord I Present this Book to Your Lordship in this Publick and Solemn manner moved thereto by good Reasons Knowing with what Respect and Honour You are wont to treat the Memory of the Reverend and Pious Man the Author and the great Esteem You express to have of his Studies To whom therefore the Sight of these Tracts some Genuine Remains of that excellent Divine will not I know be unacceptable I was willing also this way to express my Sense of Your Lordship's obliging Favours towards me which You have been pleased to shew not only upon Account of our antient Acquaintance and equal Standing in the University but chiefly in respect of those Studies I have of late addicted my self to which You a known Patron and Furtherer of all good Learning have been always ready to assist and promote You have my Lord afforded me the free Use of Your singular Library stored with so many and so choice Manuscripts together with such Antique and to the present Generation scarce heard of Books and Treatises when Printing was but as it were in its Infancy And besides You have got me the sight of other valuable Manuscripts Whereby I must gratefully acknowledge the considerable Improvements I have made in my Searches into the Historical Affairs of this Church when it first began to reform Abuses and to vindicate it self from Rome and as it happily proceeded under our two first Protestant Princes Which must be more amply owned in case any of my Studies of this Nature hereafter see the Light I beseech Your Lordship therefore to take in good part this my Presumption and to accept of the humble Respects of My Lord Your Lordship 's most Obliged Servant John Stryp THE PREFACE Relating to the AUTHOR SINCE these Genuine Pieces of Dr. LIGHTFOOT might be of good use to such as are Studious of Divine Learning I was unwilling they should lye any longer within private Walls For as he was one of the deepliest Studied Men in the Learning of the Jews whether you regard their Language Phrases Customs Laws Times Worship Temple or Land so he made it his main Bent and Business to render all that Knowledge he had therein useful to contribute Light to the Sacred History and to open the Inspired Writings of the Old and New Testament In the doing whereof he had a happy Faculty by his dextrous Application of his said Learning whereby many Knots in Scripture have been untyed many Difficulties explained many abstruse Questions satisfactorily discussed many Dislocations restored to their right Places and the Chronicle and Method of the Books laid in their due and proper Order This Learned Man's usefulness this way hath been so well known abroad that there have been two or three Impressions of his Works there since his Death In the last whereof finisht at Franeker Anno 1698. are added divers Tracts of his Remains Which several of the Learned there and particularly Remfertus the Professor had earnestly desired of me in order to the publishing of them that no Notions of so great a Man might be lost By which Encouragement I have since at my leisure lookt up together these further Remainders that now appear Which having carefully reviewed and considered and finding them according to my poor Judgment not less serviceable to the good Ends the Reverend Author designed in what he published himself I resolved to prepare and give to the Press also These Tracts are three Concerning each of which I shall say something for the Readers satisfaction I. The First viz. The Rules for a Student of Holy Scripture was written compleat and fair by the Author 's own Hand And surely it is one of the pithiest and plainest Discourses that ever I met with of this Nature in so narrow a compass and in so familiar a way framed to instruct any ordinary Reader that comes with an honest Mind to read the Scriptures whereby he may arrive not to some superficial Knowledge in them but be admitted even into the Depths and Mysteries thereof It was composed by him for the Use of some Person who intending to read the Word of God with Profit had desired his Counsel in his Access thereto Who this Person was I cannot assign but conjecture it might be his Son John who was Chaplain to Dr. Bryan Walton late Bishop of Chester the great and chief Undertaker of the Polyglott Bible or Anastasius his Second Son who was a pious Minister in Hertfordshire Or for whomsoever else it was writ the Author designed it for some that desired to be good Textuists As in Truth all that take upon them Holy Orders and to preach and teach Religion ought to be The Holy Scriptures being the infallible Ground of all Divine Truth whence all sound Doctrine is to befetched And therefore if they be not first well or at least tollerably understood by the Preacher he is likely both to deceive himself and those that hear him and to teach Falshood and Error Whereof hath sprung a great part of those Schisms and wild Opinions that have created so much Disturbance in the Church And for the foresaid purpose the Writer of this Tract doth these things First He directs to reduce the Books of the Bible into a continued Chronicle Secondly He sets down many cursory Notes for the Explanation of Things and Phrases not so obvious Thirdly He shews a Method and Course for a distinct reading of the Scripture according the Historical Order of Time which is not always observed by the Sacred Writers for special Reasons whereby it comes to pass that many Chapters are dislocated that so those Holy Books may be the more clearly apprehended and understood and read with more Profit and Benefit And all laid down in a most plain and easie manner as Instruction to Learners and Beginners ought to be This Discourse seems indeed to have been the Ground-plot of that Piece of the Author 's Printed among his Works intitled A Chronicle of the Times of the Old Testament and of those other Pieces of the Harmony and Chronicle of the New But as they are larger so this is more succinct and may be used as a convenient Manuduction into the other Having also much in it whereof the others are silent So that they may serve all very well to
Subscription to the Orders of the Church which a great many of them had refused But Lightfoot honestly said that this was the Question betwixt our Saviour and the Woman of Samaria And if she had directly asked him whether the Church of the Jews were the true Church he would doubtless directly have answered it was For otherwise God had no Church in the World And yet was the Church of the Jews at that time in a worse Condition than any of them could think the Church of England then was 2. He was no Innovator He sat indeed in the Assembly of Divines called together by the Parliament to consult upon Matters of Religion and he came thither in the simplicity of his Heart contributing his Service towards the Correcting of supposed Abuses in Religion But still he had a respect to the good Laws of the Church and disliked and declared against many Propositions brought in for Reformation and opposed several things attempted to be introduced not only by Independents and Antinomians but such as were for transcribing the Model of the Scotch and Geneva Discipline In their settling a Set Form for Religious Worship the Parliament having laid aside the Common-Prayer-Book Lightfoot had an Eye to former Rubricks and Canons To give one Instance hereof When in the Directory for Baptism the giving Ministers warning when any Children were to be Baptized was omitted he moved that that might be taken order for seeing that in our old Rubrick said he it is enjoyned that warning should be given the Night before And now he shewed there was more need since the Minister by the Directory was to make an Exhortation and to give some Instructions concerning Baptism Whereupon this Clause was added Warning being given to the Ministers the Day before Again he utterly disliked the bringing in a Rank of Women for Officers in the Church viz. Widows Which some had urged grounding themselves upon that of the Apostle Let not a Widow be taken into the number under Sixty Years old Where Lightfoot shewed that for that very thing he could not be of that Opinion For that it was contrary to the Old Testament where the Officers of the Temple were to be dismist at Fifty Years Old And when Goodwin answered that the Priests indeed were discharged of their Service at those Years because of the Burthen of their Service As particularly carrying of the Ark and the Labour of Sacrificing Lightfoot replied that the Ark was fixed after Solomon's time So that there was no more Occasion to carry that Neither were the Sacrifices any such Burthen the Courses of the Priests were so full as that no less than Eighty opposed Vzziah And he shewed it from Josephus and that there were Five Thousand apiece at least in each Course and that their Service was but one Week in half a Year And therefore they could not be overladen with Work Nevertheless when after much Debate it was brought to the Vote whether Widows were Church Officers it was voted in the affirmative Yet only by one Voice Lightfoot being then absent which he calls in his Journal His Misfortune and adds that the Proposition was utterly against his Mind and far different from his Judgment 3. He set himself especially against such as made use of Religion to supersede the Duties of Morality and who upon pretence of higher Attainments in Christianity overlookt Truth Honestly and Righteousness He could not bear such as made Religion a Pander to Sin And such Sects there were that shewed their Faces in his Time There were some that had refined Religion to that Degree that they went all upon Illuminations Revelations and Spiritual Raptures and talked of nothing but of their being acted by the Spirit of God and doing all by some mighty Influences of that Spirit Poring so much upon these Fancies that they measured their own and others Religion according as they were endued with these Enthusiastical Flights In the mean time made little or no account of Moral Duties and were much addicted to Unpeaceableness Covetousness Fraud Lying Deceiving Slandering and such like There was one considerable Sect that then appeared and got much ground which was known and distinguished by this Doctrine That Christians were not obliged by the Moral Law Against this Party great complaints were at length brought into the Assembly of Divines many of whom among which was our Divine saw well to what a Decay all true Religion would soon come if Men of this Opinion were tolerated For to shew them a little to the present Age these were Doctrines contained in the Books or Speeches of three of them collected by Dr. Temple and offered to the Assembly as I find them in Lightfoot's Journal 1. That the Moral Law is of no use at all to Believers No Rule to walk by nor to examine their Lives by And that Believers are freed from the Mandatory Power of it 2. That it is as possible for Christ to Sin as for a Child of God 3. That a Child of God needs not nay ought not to ask Pardon for Sin and that it is no less than Blasphemy to ask Pardon for our Sin And one of them being told that David asked Forgiveness of Sins it was answered it was his Weakness 4. That God doth not chastise any of his for Sin Let Believers Sin as fast as they can there is a Fountain open for them to wash in That not for the Sin of God's People but for Swearers and Drunkards the Land is punisht 5. That there ought to be no Fasting Days under the Gospel and Men ought not to afflict their Souls no not in a Day of Humiliation And it being asked one of them whether he Fasted in obedience to the Civil Command he answered That were to be the Servants of Men. 6. That this Doctrine is false If you Fast and Pray and Humble your selves unto God then God will turn away his Judgments Yea if you Pray by the Spirit you are not hereupon to expect deliverance from Judgments 7. That when Abraham in outward appearance seemed to Lye in his Distrust Lying Dissembling and Equivocating even then truly all his Thoughts Words and Deeds were perfectly Holy and Righteous from all Spot of Sin in the sight of God 8. That if a Man by the Spirit know himself to be in a State of Grace though he commit Murder or Drunkenness yet God doth see no Sin in him Lightfoot with divers others of the soberer sort in the Assembly were hugely concerned at these Men and their Doctrines Because they well saw and urged to the rest how these Opinions opened a Gap to all manner of Licentiousness struck at the very obedience due to the Civil Magistrate horribly scandalized all the Doctrine of Free-Grace and Justification endeavoured to blast all Faithful Ministers calling them Legal Preachers And that this Sect was the more dangerous because their Preachers crept into the Favour of the Souldiers And it was observable that when the Definition
of Justification lay before the Divines having under their Hand the Consideration of the Homily of Justification Palmer moved that to meet with the Antinomians Repentance might go into the Definition of Justification but it would not pass But a Clause in the Homily was thought good to be inserted Viz. Which though it do not exclude Repentance and Conversion to God c. Yet doth it not include them as Parts of the Works of Justification And this Clause was voted affirmatively But Lightfoot thinking it not sufficient shewed that the Phrase Doth not exclude Repentance did not reach to meet with the Antinomians and Profane ones who abused this Doctrine And therefore he tendred the Word Required and that it should run though it do REQUIRE Repentance and Conversion c. But it was feared that word might be doubtful and therefore they rather inclined to the former Phrase Not excluding And as he shewed his Zeal against this Sect in the Assembly so his Doctrine in his Sermons was to the same Import These words he spake in one of them with much earnestness I have observed and cannot but observe again to you how much is laid in Scripture upon our discharging of our Duty towards our Neighbour upon dealing in Truth in Righteousness in Charity and Integrity with Men as if this were the very ALL we had to do The Jews say that all the Six Hundred and Thirteen Commands of the Law are summed up in those Eleven Psal. xv Reckon up those Eleven and how many of them refer to our upright and righteous dealing with our Neighbour Who shall abide in the Lord's Tabernacle Who shall dwell in his Holy Hill He that works Righteousness and speaks Truth to his Neighbour that takes not up a Reproach against his Neighbour that keeps his Oath though to his own Hurt that takes not Vsury that takes not Reward against the Innocent He that doth these things shall never be moved One would think said he the Answer to this Question Who shall abide in the Lord's Tabernacle should have been such an one as this He that is Devout and Constant in Prayer He that is a constant Hearer and much in Meditation of the Word of God He that is careful to keep the Sabbath and so to relate to the Duties of the First Table But ye see here all referrs to our dealing Fairly Truly Uprightly with our Neighbour And so Mat. xix 18 If thou wilt enter into Life keep the Commandments He saith unto him Which Jesus saith Thou shalt do no Murther Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not Steal Thou shalt not bear false Witness c. So that if you ask the Way to Sion If you enquire which Way shall I go to the Lord 's Tabernable to dwell in his Holy Hill Why Friend you must begin at a perfect and good Heart toward Men an so go along to a perfect and good Heart toward God and so to Sion God calls for such Duties towards our Neighbour as it were to set us to our ABC and Primer to learn the first Elements and Lessons of Religion Thus would he sometimes meet with the Antinomian and pull down the high-flying Religionists that were above these low Dispensations of Morality Truth Justice and upright Dealing with Men. These Doctrines therefore and such like broached by Men of unquiet Spirits he liked not and especially when they led Men away from that true Heavenly-mindedness Meekness and Humility which are the great Laws of the Gospel This was one Reason made him no Friend to the Millenary Opinion which taught Men to look for an Earthly Paradise and Reward in this World For these that dreamt of Christ's Personal Monarchy here on Earth imagined themselves also to be some of those that must reign with him and had the Best Right to the Possessions of this World Which was a Doctrine that opened a Door to Violence Rapine and all kind of Injustice to the high Disparagement also of Christ's Holy Religion On that account also he was no Friend to it but as he had occasion confuted it Those that embraced this Opinion concluded that place in the Revelations Chap. xxi 2 I John saw the Holy City the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven prepared as a Bride adorned c. for a Description of the Times when Christ should come and reign on Earth But our Divine shewed no more to be meant by it but the State under the Gospel And that the New Jerusalem there meant nothing but the Christian Church as might be shewed at large When the Old Jerusalem in Canaan at he spake in one of his Sermons is destroyed John sees a New Jerusalem When the Old Church of the Jews is cast away he sees a New Church And this Church is said to come down from Heaven A Saint is Heaven-born and is Heavenly while he is here upon Earth From Heaven he comes and to Heaven he must return He is born from above Adorned and Drest from Heaven and in a Heavenly Dress And he is Drest for Heaven The Millenaries made use also of that Expression of the Apostle in the Acts Chap. iii. 21 That the Heavens must retain Christ till the Restitution of all Things Against whom thus he Armed his Auditors This encourageth the Millenary to Dream of Christ's Reigning here on Earth a Thousand Years before the Final End of the World and Swords must be then beaten into Plowshares and Spears into Pruning-Hooks Then an Universal Peace Concord and Tranquility is to be restored to the Church and all the Glorious Things the Prophets have spoken of to come to pass and be settled But as to that Place the Doctor shewed there were two manners of restoring things viz. to their old Estate or to a new and better The Millenary himself dreamt not of restoring to any former Estate And if it be meant of restoring to a new and better that is done already when Elias came and restored all things Mat. xvii 11 And our Divine shewed that this Restoration or Restitution signified no more but that all things in the Prophets should be made good or accomplished This is learnedly treated of in the last Discourse of the Third Decad. To which I refer the Reader The Perfectionists that pretended to live without Sin he saw wanted that Humility and Modesty and constant dependence upon God's Grace that was necessary to the Christian State and therefore by no means approved of them neither And endeavoured to Arm his People against that Doctrine And what his Thoughts were of it may be seen in the first Discourse of the Third Decad. Where to pull down the Plumes of this Vain-Glorious Generation he shewed that a Saint of God in his imperfect Condition did exceed Adam himself in his unsinning Condition in divers respects 4. He was in fine one that had a mighty Concern for the Honour of God and Religion That God might be served in Spirit and Truth Which was
he that trains not up his Child to God for whom does he train him up but the Devil For is there any Mean between What Complaint God taketh up against Israel about their giving up their Children to Moloch may he not take up against Thousands in the World upon this Account Thou hast taken my Children and delivered them up to make them pass through the Fire That is the Children which I have given thee and which should have been mine He warned Men against Lying and False-speaking by the Example of Ananians and Sapphira that were struck dead for it Which he called a fearful Judgment set up as a Pillar of Salt at the very entrance of the Gospel into the World that Men might see and hear and fear and not dare to Lie under the Gospel of Truth especially not to the Spirit of Truth And if you look upon Ananias his doing you see him Deceiving and Lying and if you observe Peter's Words you may see he referrs his Lying and Deceiving to their proper Original Viz. That they both are the Work of the Devil Why hath SATAN filled thy Heart to lye and filled thy Heart to deceive and keep back part of the Price of the Land That if you will trace his Wickedness to the Spring-head his Intent to deceive made him lye and his base Covetousness made him deceive and the Devil caused all He gave this Rule concerning Apparel and for the avoiding Pride in what Men put on God allows Men to wear good Cloths according to their Quality and Degree but if Pride be there it is beside his Allowance God allows us Cloths to keep us warm He allows us Cloths to adorn our Rank and Quality but if we lace and trim our Wear with Pride there is a Leprosie got into the Warp and Woof that rots all God appointed the Jews to wear Fringes upon their Garments to make them still to be remembring the Law I am afraid the Fringing and Finery of two many have a clean contrary Effect It doth but puff them up and make them proud And again If any should ask What Cloths and Hair and Garb may I wear this may be a very direct and satisfactory Answer Wear what you think good so it be without Pride And this I believe will shut out of Doors 1. Wearing a Garb above one's Rank and Degree For I question whether one can wear a Garb above his Rank without Pride And 2. Affecting foreign and strange and few fangled Fashions For tho' it may be possible for a Person to be in the Fashion without Pride because he would not be hooted at for Singularity yet certainly it is hardly possible to affect new fangled Fashions without Pride It is one thing to put on the Fashion to avoid Reproach and another thing to dote upon Fashions and to make them Bravery He that makes his Cloths his Bravery it is very suspicious he makes them his Vainglory and he that dotes on the Fashion it is to be doubted he dotes on the Pride of the Fashion THESE Instances are enough to shew what a plain but fruitful Method of Teaching and Preaching Dr. Lightfoot took But he also took care of his People's Principles to preserve them from warping from the National Church as hath been taken notice of before and from the Church consider'd as Protestant Of which I shall proceed to a few Instances To arm his Auditors against Popery thus he taught them Our Histories tell us That when Austin the Monk came hither into Britain from the Pope as to settle Religion and when some of the British Christians consulted with a grave prudent Man whether they should close with him and submit to his Rules Yes saith he if he be humble do But if he be proud he is not of God Would you take a Measure of true Religion no surer Token than these two Humility and Charity They talk they will prove the Truth of their Religion by Antiquity Universality and I know not what Let them shew it by the Humility and Mercifulness of it and we shall desire no more But I doubt that Religion that teacheth the Merits of a Man's Works is too proud against God to be the true Religion and that that teacheth that the Pope is above all Princes is too proud against Men. And I doubt that Religion that stirs up Mâ—n to murder Princes Nobles People that will not be of that Religion is not the true Religion I am sure Christ and his Apostles were never either of such Pride or Cruelty but further from these Principles of Rome than it is 'twixt Rome and Jerusalem And as he warned them against Popery in general so particularly Against a blind Zeal Zeal without Knowledge or Zeal in a wrong Way It is good always to be zealous in a good Matter but mischievous to be zealous in a bad There was a great deal of Religious Zeal for those Parents to offer their Children to Moloch to be burnt alive in his Arms in Devotion to that God of theirs But it was blind Zeal mad Religion distracted Devotion Their God was the Devil St. Paul in one Place saith That in Zeal he persecuted the Church But in another Place he saith He was exceeding mad against the Church That Zeal of his was mere Madness It was blind and mad cared not whither it went nor what it did Rom. x. The Jew hath Zeal but without Knowledge and that made him so to set himself against the Truth You remember that They that kill you shall think they do God Service It was great Zeal but as blind as a Beetle It runs upon it cares not what as a blind Man runs upon every Post and falls into every Pit And against Cruelty The Papists plead stoutly that theirs and none but theirs is the true Religion If that should be tryed by this very Touchstone Is that can that be true Religion that makes it Religion to murder Men None of you but have heard of the bloody Days of Queen Mary and how many poor innocent holy Men were then put to the Fire and there ended their Lives And this forsooth done by the Papists out of Zeal for Religion Just such a Religion as they were spurred by that offered their Children to Moloch For compare the things together and what can be liker Those Wretches out of that Devotion and Religion as they took on them made their poor innocent Children pass through the Fire a Sacrifice to Moloch These Wretches out of that Devotion and Religion as they took on them made these poor innocent Souls pass through the Fire a Sacrifice to the Pope The Cruelty much alike the Manner of the Death they put them to much alike And were they not Religious think you much alike Such a Sacrifice to their Moloch would they have offered of innocent ones when they would have sent away our Parliament out of the World in Fire and Gunpowder and this forsooth out of Zeal to Religion
And so they maintain it is lawful to Excommunicate Depose Murder Princes out of Zeal to Religion And so they made it lawful nay laudable to murder so many innocent Souls in that Massacre in France Against Transubstantiation I hope every one laughs at the Doctrine of Transubstantion that will fetch Christ from Heaven at every Sacrament The Master-piece of Delusion Satan shews here how much Delusion he can practice in the greatest Ignorance For a Man against Sense and Reason Philosophy and Divinity to believe a Priest can calâ— Christ out of Heaven and turn a piece of Bread into his very Body The strangest Madness in the World I see it feel it Bread and yet must believe it Flesh. I know it was made yesterday by the Baker yet now I must believe it turned into my Creator I know Christ is in Heaven and yet must believe that he is here on Earth The Heathen were never more blind And against the immoral Doctrine of Equivocation Whereof he thus vehemently express'd himself I cannot but admire the Impudency as well as abhor the Wickedness of the Jesuits Doctrine of Equivocation A Doctrine that hath put on a Whore's Forehead a brazen Face and the Devil's Impudency it self before Men as well as it hath clothed it self with horrid Abominableness before God It is a Doctrine that teacheth Men to Lye and yet will maintain they Lye not And by their Doctrine there can be no Lying Forswearing or Deceiving in the World though they Lye Forswear and Deceive never so deeply A Trick beyond the Devils He turns Truth into a Lye These can turn a Lye into Truth A Popish Priest or Jesuite is brought before a Protestant Magistrate He puts him to his Oath Are you a Popish Priest or a Jesuite They will Swear NO roundly and make no Bones of it having this Reserve in their Mind I am not a Priest to you or I am not a Priest of the English Church or I am not a Jesuite to tell you or be your Confessor or some such lurking reserved Thought in his Mind This Man hath not told a Lye tho' he speaks not a Word true He hath not taken a False Oath though he hath Sworn Falsly As the Devil changeth himself into an Angel of Light so these a Lye into a Truth But as he is a Lyar still and is most dangerous when he seems a good Angel so is their Lye when they thus Cloath it with the pretence of Truth Into their secret let not my Soul come and with their Counsil my Glory be not thou united Finally He shewed them the Preference of the Protestant Religion before that of the Papists This is the Reason saith he that so many Protestants turn Papists This he spake in the Year 1674. Because Popery opens an easier way to Heaven a Thousand fold than the Protestant doth Add to this the Viciousness of the Times And the more Viciousness abounds the more will such Apostacy abound according to the intimation of our Saviour Matth. xxiv Because Iniquity shall abound the Love of many to God and his Truth shall wax cold Men would fain enjoy their Pleasures here and yet go to Heaven too They would fain have their Paradise here and have Paradise hereafter This Popery helps them too almost with a wet Finger Hath a Man committed Whoredom Adultery been Guilty of Deceit Luxury Uncharitableness let him go and Confess himself to a Priest and the Priest absolves him and those Sins are gone and there is no more danger of them Or Oh! For how many Thousand Sins for how many Thousand Years can the Pope Pardon him How may Pilgrimage to such a Saint fetch him off How may so many Fastings so many Ave Maries so often lying in Hair-cloth so many Masses make all well and out of Danger That it is as easie almost with them to get to Heaven as for a Man to do his ordinary Days Work But the Protestant Doctrine makes obtaining Salvation a harder Task according to the Truth of the Scripture John vi you read of divers that went away from Christ because they thought his Doctrine a Hard Saying So doth the poor Protestant Religion lose Followers upon the same account None is of poor Michaiah's side because he speaks Truth and Home But let Ahab have the Four Hundred false Prophets for they will be sure to make all well for him let him do what he will There are Four Hundred and Four Hundred false Prophets in the Popish Cause that will warrant the veriest Ahab that ever was Heaven If he have but Money to fee them well will Pray him to Heaven Sing him to Heaven Pardon him to Heaven and he shall never see Hell and it may be not Purgatory It is easie to see by this Comparison which is the truer and better Religion of the Two By these and such like sound and sober Discourses he built up his People committed to his Charge in Truth and Godliness So that it is reported he had not a Dissenter in his Parish The People of his Flock Honest Quiet and Industrious his Church constantly and conscientiously repaired to every Lord's Day with due Devotion And thus I have at length dispatched what I had to say both of our Author and these Remains of his which are now made Publick And I who have once more revived the Memory of this great Ornament of Literature and of our Church of England shall I hope not only be Pardoned but merit some Thanks from the Piously Learned and Sober-Minded Rank of Men. I had some inclination to have added a Fourth Tract of this Author's Namely A Chronicle of Events and Occurrences in the World under the Kings of France and the Ottoman Emperour made by one Joseph a Priest who lived about the Times of Henry VIII Being a Fair Translation out of Hebrew into English done by the Doctor 's own Hand Which he seemed to have taken all this pains about because the History is interspersed with what befel Jerusalem after the Destruction of it by Titus the Emperor and with the Wars waged by divers Kings and Princes for the Gaining and Possession of that Place once so famous for being the Spot of all the Earth appointed for God's Holy Temple to be built on and for the Son of God to Converse and Die and Redeem the World in And also because here is set forth by the Pen of a Jew himself the State and Condition of the Jews in the latter Times and particularly the sad Persecutions and Calamities that befel them by the just Judgment of God in these Western Parts of the World as well as in other Parts by the German and French Nations Whereby might be seen some History of that Desolate Forsaken People and of the Scourge of God upon them in successive Generations ever since they Rejected and Crucified their Messiah and took the Guilt of his Blood upon themselves and their Children The State of which People from Age to Age
may incline them to Wantonness Wantonness to Apostacy And therefore it was not prudent to take such into Office in the Church and to its Charge The Words admit two Senses I. Wanton against Christ and the strict Rule of Christ that they should be under They will not endure the Yoke as the wanton Heifer but will marry to satisfie their own Will Having Damnation or Judgment that is being justly condemned because they cast off their first Faith or Trust committed to them So that the Apostle condemns not their marrying simply for then he should go against his own Rule It is better to marry than to burn but provides that such Inconveniences accrue not to the Church II. Wanton in Religion She may fall in Love with an Infidel and wantonly may forsake her Religion and so become a Scandal to the Church and Perdition to her self As the Apostle cries down such Marriages 2 Cor. vi 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with Unbelievers And God complains Mal. ii 11 That Judah had profaned the Holiness of the Lord and married the Daughter of a strange God VII Wantonness Unchristian THE Vulgar Latin reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. v. 11 Luxuriantes in Christo to no Sense at all Others They will marry in Christ to as little But the Words in the English are very proper according to the Greek Wax wanton against Christ. The Greek word as it properly signifies to be wanton or to live delicately and in Pleasure and so rendred Rev. xviii 7 so in proper Derivation it signifies to shake off the Reins as an untamed Horse Hence it may be observed that Wantonness is a thing that is Unchristian a thing that becomes not Christians The Apostle allows it not in any to be employed in Office in the Church in 1 Tim. v. 11 and elsewhere not in any other Rom. xiii 13 Let us walk honestly as in the Day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and WANTONNESS not in Strife and Envying Observe hence two things First That Christians that live in the Day and not in the Night should walk as in the Day Secondly That they should walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honestly Comlily Men in the Night care not how they are dress'd when none sees them but in the Day they take Care of their Habit that it be decent that they may appear comely before Men. And so it is with Christians who are of the Day The Apostle gives two general Rules for Christians walking I. Negatively Not to walk as Heathens which are in Darkness and walk they know not they care not how Eph. iv 17 This I say and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the Vanity of their Mind See with what Vehemency he speaks I testifie in the Lord. I speak it from God and charge you before him That henceforth ye walk not as â—ther Gentiles Nil ultra Now the Day is come walk no more as Children of Darkness 1 Thess. iv 3.4 5. 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 Lâ—st of Concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God II. Positively as becomes the Gospel Phil. i. 27 Let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ That is as is suitable to the Rule of the Gospel and as may be an Honour to the Gospel And as becometh Saints Eph. v. 3 Now that Wantonness is Heathenish and not becoming Saints let us consider how it may be taken and that under two Considerations First As opposed to that Gravity and Seriousness that should be in Christians and is agreeable to the Gospel Secondly As opposed to Chaste Modesty or that Wantonness that tends to Uncleanness or is the same with Lasciviousness I. It becomes not Christians to be foolish or toyish or wanton in Word Dress or Action but to be of such Gravity as is far from Wantonning and as becomes the Gravity of the Gospel He that knows the Gospel needs no proof out of the Gospel else I might produce the Rules particularly for all sorts of Men and Women In all requiring Sobriety Gravity Modesty Take but that Place Eph. v. 4 Neither Filthiness nor Foolish Talking nor Jesting which are not convenient Take up that Copy As becometh Saints Where do we ever find the least wanton Gestures in the Saints of God upon Record VVhat Gravity what sweet Severity in them It is observed of Christ that he wept but was never seen to laugh Nor do you find much mention of any such thing in his Disciples It was an ingenious Answer of a Painter that Pictured the Apostles of Ruddy Complexions Being asked why he so painted them his Answer was because they would be ashamed to look on the Light VVanton Carriage of many that called themselves Christians The Saints commonly are called God's Fools and the Reason is because they will not be Fools before Men but keep themselves to the Sobriety of their Profession The Apostle saith 1 Cor. iii. 18 If any Man among you seemeth to be Wise in this World let him become a Fool that he may be Wise. But it means as to Reliance upon VVisdom not to befool themselves to make sport to Men. It was Sampson's Misery to be the Philistine's Fool and make them Sport But the same unhappy Misery too many do willingly take to themselves spending their Life in VVantonness and Foolish Sporting As those in Job Ch. xxi 12 13. They take the Timbrel and Harp and Rejoice at the Sound of the Organ They spend their Days in Wealth and in a Moment go down to the Grave And where are they then It is the Speech of an Atheist not a Christian Let us Eat and Drink for to Morrow we Die 1 Cor. xv 32 But it is a Gospel-Counsel that follows ver 33 34. Be not deceived Evil Communications corrupt good Manners Awake to Righteousness and Sin not VVhat did God bring us into the VVorld to do To spend away a Life and in fine to be Damned VVhat are we admitted into the Gospel to do To live in Pleasure and VVantonness like those that know not God How far is this from the End of a reasonable Soul Of a Christian Consider those Words Wo unto you that Laugh now for ye shall Mourn and Weep Luke vi 25 But is no Mirth or Sporting allowed to Christians Is not that too severe Eccles. â—i.2 I said of Laughter it is Mad and of Mirth what doth it And Eph. v. 4 â—here no Jesting is tolerated Durus Serma i. e. A hard Saying To make some Reply to this 1. Earthly Pleasures and Delights are more Delights in Fancy and Opinion than Reality Psal. xxxix Men walketh in a vain Shadow No Substance at all Now a Solid Christian goes upon other Grounds His Delight is upon another Foundation There
the undoing of the Nation to this Day Against these our Saviour so declaimeth Mat. xv 3 Why do you transgress the Commandment of God by your Tradition And in other Places And the Apostle 1 Pet. i. 18 where he speaks of their vain Conversation received by Tradition from their Fathers Now these Traditions in the two greatest Points of Religion viz. Concerning Christ and the Way of Salvation had introduced Doctrines as contrary to the Prophets and Truth as might be They made the Way to Salvation so easie that it was no strait Gate nor narrow Way that led thither but a few Ceremonious Works Washings Purifications Sacrifices would do the Business By these they thought they could be justified And how easie was it to perform these As for Christ our Messias they thought he should be a Temporal Deliverer and would live always and converse among them and enstate and keep them in all Earthly Pomp and Prosperity To this it is the Apostle speaks here God will send Jesus Christ among you but not as your Traditions teach to be always bodily present with you for he is now in Heaven and Heaven must contain him and there he must be till the restoring or accomplishing of all things But not of all things that are spoken by your Masters of Traditions but which God hath spoken by the Mouth of his holy Prophets According to the Sense of the Prophets not your Traditions AN EXPOSITION OF Two Select Articles OF THE Apostles Creed VIZ. I. The Holy Catholick Church II. The Communion of Saints AN EXPOSITION OF Two Select Articles OF THE Apostles Creed I. I believe the Holy Catholick Church AFTER the Creed hath done with what is to be believed concerning God it comes to speak of what is to be believed concerning other Matters of Faith It teacheth the Trinity and that we are to believe in Father Son and Holy Ghost and most largely what to believe concerning the Son His Incarnation and Acting for Man's Redemption After mention of Faith in the Trinity I believe in God the Father In his Son Jesus Christ and I believe in the Holy Ghost it first comes to teach what to believe concerning the Church and that in this Article I believe the Holy Catholick Church A Papist's Faith upon this Article comes to this Credo in Ecclesiam Sanctam Romanam Catholicam i. e. I believe in the Holy Roman Catholick Church In which they speak Impiety to believe in Men Falshood to call the Roman Church Holy and Nonsense to call that particular Church the Church Catholick or Universal I shall not insist to confute their Belief in this Point the first Part whereof is so plainly confuted by Scripture that bids not to trust in Man the second by Experience and History that tells of the abominable Unholiness of the Roman Church and the third by all Reason and common Language that tells it Nonsense to call a particular Church the Church Universal I shall first unfold to you the Article and then speak to what is observable upon the Meaning and Intent of it The Church you see is made the Object of Faith in it But of what Faith and in what Sense the Articles following shew Viz. To believe that there is a Holy Catholick Church as that there is a Communion of Saints that there is Forgiveness of Sins c. In the Article are three Things to be believed I. That there is a Church of God II. That it is Catholick III. That it is Holy The hardest thing is What is meant by Catholick and it is not easie to say How there is a Holy Church when there is so much Wickedness and Abomination in the World It is said by the Psalmist Psal. xiv 2 3. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the Children of Men to see if there were any that did understand and seek after God They are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth Good no not one And where then can you find a Holy Church The Apostle Paul saith Phil. ii 21 All seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christ's And John saith 1 Ep. v. 19 The whole World lyeth in Wickedness And where can you then find a Holy Church Diogenes searched the City throughout with a Candle at Noon day and said Hominem quaero I seek for a Man So search Jerusalem with a Candle and how rarely can we find one that is Holy And where then is the Holy Catholick Church First As to the Word Catholick it signifies Universal It is rendred General in the Titles of the Epistles of James Peter and John And those are call'd General Epistles because not written to particular Persons Cities or Countries as those to Timothy the Romans the Galatians c. but generally to all in many or all Countries As S. Peter to the Strangers in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia S. James to the twelve Tribes wheresoever scattered So the Catholick Church is first meant in Opposition to the particular Church of the Jews and secondly as meaning the Church of the Gentiles of all Nations that truly profess Christ throughout the World The Jews under the Law cry'd The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these So since the Gospel even hitherto they cry The Church of God are we But the Scripture tells us they are a Synagogue of Satan And Scripture teacheth us to acknowledge a Catholick Church the Church of God abroad in the World among all Nations at one time or other We shall take up the Words particularly and single And first of the Word Church And the Article doth teach and call upon us to believe That God hath ever a Church in the World I shall not insist upon the Signification of the Word in Greek and Latin nor of the Deduction of it into our English Tongue Some think our English is derived from the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Belonging to the Lord. As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord's Supper 1 Cor. xi 20 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord's Day Rev. i. 10 So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Church to mean the Lord's Portion as Israel is called by that Title very oft There is none of you I suppose but know what is meant by the Church of God viz. Those or that Company that worship and serve God throughout the World About the Definition or Description of the Church of God is now and hath been almost ever under the Gospel the greatest Controversie one of them in Religion As at present whether the Roman Church be a true Church Which many Protestants deny And whether the Protestant Church be a true Church Which the Romanists deny Whether the Church of England be a true Church Which Separatists deny Whether Separatists be of the true Church Which the Church of England denies The like Scruple is made of the Greek Russian Jacobin Abyssin and other Churches Into which Controversie I
Christ it is in the Heart and Spirit and there for ever II. This is the Church Militant here Much is spoken of the Church Militant And Scripture Warrants such a Title Ye sight against Principalities and Powers And As a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. Now how many Thousands are there in the visible Church that never strike Stroke that are Lookers on nay scarce so much that mind not the Christian Warfare at all and that never resist the Flesh the World or the Devil II. I come now to the second Question How far to believe the Church As the Church is sometimes taken for Councils Synods or Convocations or Primitive Fathers I mean not barely the Colliar's Faith to believe as the Church believes tho' he knew not what it was but knowing throughly the Determinations of these whether it be absolutely necessary for us to believe them because they are the Determinations of the Church The Romanist saith Yes And he that believes not what Holy Mother Church determines is a Heretick He that believes not according to what the Council of Trent hath determined let him be Anathema 〈◊〉 answer We first begin here That the Scriptureâ— coâ—ntain all things needful for Faith and Life 〈◊〉 in Es. viii 19 20. And when they shall say unto you seek unto them that have familiar Spirits and unto Wizzards that peep and that Mutter Should not a People seek unto their God To the Law and to the Testimony If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them So may I say also in this case if they say to you Seek to Councils Fathers Canons Determinations of the Church To the Law and to the Testimony to Scripture and Holy Writ that contains every thing you need to enquire after for Salvation What to be believed and what to be done Psal. cxix 105 Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light unto my Path. VVhithersoever you need to walk for the pleasing of God doing your duty to Men or to your own Souls the VVord of God is a Light sufficient In the Place before-mentioned Es. viii 19 20. Should not a People seek unto their God For the living to the dead To the Law and to the Testimony It is curiosity to enquire after Necromancy But if we desire to know what is fit and needful To the Law and to the Testimony Mal. iv 4 Remember ye the Law of Moses my Servant which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the Statutes and Judgments Prophecy was then ceasing People might complain what shall we do for Instruction VVhy go to the VVord of God which you have in your Hands to the Law of Moses that will teach you Luke xvi ult Dives desires Abraham to send one from the Dead to teach his Brethren that they might escape that Place of Torment No that needs not Moses and the Prophets will teach all things needful They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them The Apostle speaks this fully 2 Tim. iii. 16 17. All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness That the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works The Papist saith it is not sufficient to instruct in all things of Religion True not of the Romish Religion For the Rags that patch that you must go to some Broker For the Divine VVardrobe of Scripture hath none such viz. the Orders of Monks and Friars Pilgrimages single Life of the Clergy Salt Oil Spittle in Baptism Tapers at the Communion Processions Praying to and for the Dead and a Thousand other Trinklements and Trumperies Scripture never knew such base VVare we must go to some other kind of Shop for it And that Pedlar with them is Tradition VVhen they cannot find Authority to warrant them by Scripture then they have Recourse to some Tradition VVhen they have some Bastard-Doctrine or Practice and want Scripture to father it then they go to some old rotten Tradition Just so did the Jews and these are so like them that Egg to Egg is not more You know Christ's Accusation of those Mat. xv 8 9. This People draweth nigh unto me with their Mouth and honoureth me with their Lips but their Heart is far from me But in vain they do worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. And the very same Quarrel hath he against these The Jews pretended a Thousand Traditions of the Fathers so do these they equalled them with Scripture so do these they spoiled all Religion and made the VVord of God of none Effect and so do these As if God were a Niggard in his VVord and did not afford Food for Salvation but we must seek it in Dunghills The Scriptures are called the Scriptures of Truth the Word of Grace of Salvation able to make Man perfect throughly furnished to every good Work and yet these forsooth must be patch'd out with Traditions or they avail nothing As Argo was patch'd till there was nothing of the old Ship left So these Men have patch'd up a VVord of God till there is nothing of the VVord of God left in it Secondly The Scriptures are to be believed for themselves and they need not fetch their Credit from any thing else Dan. x. 21 I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of Truth They are the TRUTH See John v. 39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me Observe the Bent of Christ's Discourse To clear that he was the Messias he produceth the VVitness of John ver 33. Ye sent unto John and he bare Witness unto the Truth His own VVorks v. 36. But I have a greater Witness than that of John for the Works which the Father hath given me to finish the same Works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me A Voice from Heaven ver 37. And the Father himself which hath sent me hath born witness of me But he concludes in Scripture as the most undeniable Testimony Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me See also 2 Pet. i. 17 18 19. For he received from God the Father Honour and Glory when there came such a Voice to him from the excellent Glory This is my beloved Son c. And this Voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy A Voice from Heaven might possibly deceive the Jews feigned such but the Word of prophecy is sure that is a more sure Word The Reason of the Scriptures Credibility is because they are the Word of God 1 Thess. ii 13 When ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the Word of Men but as it
Communion III. This Communion is twofold Doctrinal and Spiritual 1. Doctrinal As they do communicate in one and the same Faith or Profession of one and the same Religion So all Protestant Churches hold Communion in one and the same Doctrine of Faith and in regard of that Disunion with the Church of Rome Holland and We tho' so disunited in regard of civil Converse yet we are at Communion as Christians in the Profession of the same Religion But this is not the Communion the Article means It speaks of Communion of Saints Now every prophane carnal Protestant may hold such Communion in outward Profession of the same Religion Thousands of prophane Persons in England hold Communion thus even with the preciousest Saints viz. That they acknowledge the same Articles of Religion and yet are far from the Communion of Saints here spoken of Therefore the Communion of Saints is II. Spiritual A hidden Manna a Communion that the World knows not a Spiritual Interest and Communicating which they only partake of and which they only are sensible of Which we may discern the better by observing these things 1. That there is one and the same Spirit in every true Saint of God in the World 1 Cor. xii 4 There are Diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit True there are Diversities of Degrees of Grace and of Operations but one and the same Spirit that worketh all in all As Kinsmen have Communion in Kindred because the same Blood runs in all their Veins so Saints have Spiritual Communion because the same Spirit dwells in them all As in that Comparison that they are Members of the same Body because the same Spirit of Life is in every one of the Members It was the Custom with the Jews to enter into Communion by eating of the same Bread To which the Apostle alludes 1 Cor. x. 17 For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all Partakers of that one Bread And hereupon they might not eat with those with whom they might not have Communion So Christ feasts all his with the same Spirit 1 Cor. xii 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit That it is that that gives their Souls Life and Growth because they are all fed with the same Spirit This is the Hunger and Thirst of a Child of God to be filled and refresh'd with his Spirit And this is the feeding and refreshing God affords them John vi 55 63. For my Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing The Words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life And John vii 37 39. If any Man thirst let him come unto me and drink But this spake he of the SPIRIT which they that believe on him should receive This was David's Hunger and Thirst when his Soul was almost starved by his great Fall Psal. li. 11 12. Cast me not away from thy Presence and take not thine Holy Spirit from me Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit And this is a Trial whether a Soul be alive and healthy and whether a Person be a Saint or no by his longing and hungring for the Spirit of God Examine your Stomach what craves it Lord give me Corn and Cattel After these things the Gentiles seek not the Saints of God But Lord give me thy Spirit fill me with thy Grace support my fainting Soul with the Spirit of Grace This is a blessed hungring and thirsting which shall be blessedly satisfied Matth. v. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled Thus in the first place Saints have all Communion in the same Spirit of Christ drink of the same Fountain eat and feed upon the same Manna 2. Thus all communicating of the same Spirit of God they have by that Spirit Communion with God himself 1 John i. 3 And truly our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. A high Saying blessed Apostle Fellowship with God and Christ Let Haman brag of his great Friendship with Ahashuerosh Let Men bâ—â—st of their accompanying with this and that great Man their Friendship and Acquaintance with this or that noble Person it is enough if I can say I am acquainted with God I have Friendship and Fellowship with God and his Son Jesus Christ. Acquainted with God Communion with Christ Brave Company That Man can never be alone never want excellent Company Ah! poor Paul how dost thou do for Company in a dark lonely Prison Daniel how solitary art thou in a Den of Lions when thou hast no Company but those cruel Creatures Oh! nunquam minus solus quam cum solus I have God and Christ with me they keep me Company and I can have no better And so God himself hath promised When thou goest thro' the Waters I will be with thee Observe that Promise Matth. xxviii ult I will be with you always even unto the end of the World Alas we shall be in Prisons in Stocks Ay but then ye shall not be alone for I will be with you to the end of the World What mean such Expressions but that God is present near to his own People in an extraordinary manner different from common Providence That Expression Walking with God doth hint special Intercourse and Converse 'twixt God and the Saint as 'twixt two Friends walking together Observe a feeling Exposition of it Psal. lxxiii 23 24 c. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by thy Right Hand Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel and afterward receive me to Glory Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee Here let us stay and we may stand amazed that poor sinful Men may have the Honour and Happiness of Communion with God Will God dwell upon Earth It was Solomon's Wonder So may we wonder at this that God should Converse be in Fellowship and in Familiarity with Men. If God should take Advantage of that Be not unequally yoked how far may this speak contrary to such Communion For what infinite Inequality is thâ—â—e 'twixt God and Man Creator and Creature Dust and Glory An Expression of this Communion you have Rev. iii. 20 If any Man hear my Voice and open the Door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me And another Es. lxvi 1 2. Thus saith the Lord The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my Footstool Where is the House that ye build unto me And where is the Place of my Rest For all those things hath mine Hand made and all those things have been saith the Lord. But to this Man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite
it You know the hot Disputes that have been about this And for the Divisions of Reuben there are great Thoughts of Heart Hence mainly are our Separations and Divisions in Religion As in Jephtha's Case his dear Daughter was his greatest Trouble Judg. xi 35 Alas my Daughter thou hast brought me very low and thou art one of them that trouble me So this precious Sacrament of Communion is unhappily proved the great Occâ—sion of Division but in the same Notion that Christ was a Stumbling-block Which was not of any Fault of his but of Men in faultering about him 'T is true receiving of this Sacrament is a Communion but it is most especially external in the Profession of the same Faith and Doctrine of the Gospel And the Communion of Saints in this Article aimeth further I have formerly observed to you the Phrase This is the New Testament in my Blood 1 Cor. xi 25 Not only My Blood of the New Testament nor only A Seal and Sanction of the New Testament but the New Testament That is A new Administration of the New Covenant terminating Judaism and binding over Receivers to the Profession of the Evangelical Doctrine and Religion So this properly is the Communion that Receivers have in this Sacrament one with another viz. That they join in the Profession of the same Christian Doctrine and that not only among themselves but even with the whole Church that professeth the same Truth And hence it was that in the Infancy of the Church they received the Sacrament almost daily that those new Professors might thereby be held to constant Profession against revolting to their Judaism So that in this there is indeed something of the Communion of Saints all professing the same Truth and Religion but we must still look further for a Communion among Saints to take up the full meaning of the Article before us For the Inquiry after which we are first to consider that Christ's Mystical Body the Church consists of all the Saints that are or shall be in the World from the beginning to the end of it And so it includes the Saints in Glory jointly with these that are yet on Earth Those in Glory Members already above Water as their Head also is yet in the Waves of this troublesome World and not got above them As it is said of Christ himself Luke ii ult That he grew in Stature so is the Mystical Body of Christ growing in Stature till it shall be consumate at the last Day Observe that Eph. iv 13 Till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ or the measure of the full Stature of Christ. Some fondly hence conclude that all Saints shall be raised as at the very Age and Stature of Christ when he was raised which was at his very Prime viz. Two and Thirty years and an half of Age. That Elect Infants shall not be raised Infants but as of that Age and Stature That the Aged shall not be raised as Aged but as at their Prime of that Age and Stature Which as it breeds confusion in the understanding of the Article of the Resurrection of the Body so it is clean besides the Apostles intent there He speaks not of our Bodies but of Christ's Mystical Body viz That God had given Apostles and Teachers for the building up that Body the Church by degrees till it came to its full Stature and Perfection in the Salvation of all that belong to it So Saints are building up daily and those that are gone to Glory so much of that Body is compleated and the rest growing on to the same Perfecting till all be Compleated and the whole Body Perfected So that those compleated in Glory and these compleating toward Glory here are the same Body though at present of a different condition The Church Militant and Triumphant are not two Churches not two Bodies but one whole Church and Body of Christ consisting of Members some already Perfected and some Perfecting As Israel at the Temple in the two Courts were not two Congregations and Churches but one Congregation in two divers places two Companies of one Congregation The Apostle in Heb. xi ult saith God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect When some say the Saints under the Law are not perfected in Glory till Christ's coming but in Limbo Whereas the Apostle speaks in the sense we are upon viz. That those Holy Ones without us under the Gospel are not the perfect Body of Christ but the Body was to consist of Gentiles as well as Jews Of some yet to be saved as well as of them that are saved already Now is there any Communion 'twixt these two parts of the same Body Saints on Earth and Saints in Glory I mean is there any imparting of the one to the other as there is 'twixt two Parties in Communion Some will tell you Yes We are to Pray to them and they Pray for us As he in the Prophet makes a God and then falls down to it So it is common in the Church of Rome to make whom they think good Saints and then to Pray to them that they would Pray for them to God Whereas they can never clear the Praying to Creatures from Idolatry and can never prove that it is possible for a Saint in Heaven to hear one Speaking and Praying on Earth much less to know the Heart with which he Prays So can they ever prove that there is Praying in Heaven at all The Church here is called the House of Prayer but it is hard to prove that Heaven is so There is Praising and Thanksgiving and Glorifying God and Adoring the Lamb But where do we ever read of Praying in Heaven Nay Can any prove that Christ Prayeth there for his People But he exerciseth his Mediation some other way He offereth up the Prayers of his Saints Rev. viii 3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a Golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the Prayers of all Saints upon the Golden Altar which was before the Throne But that he offers them he Praying also cannot be cleared But I shall not insist on this The Article aims at the Communion of Saints upon Earth according to David's Style Psal. xvi 3 To the Saints that are in the Earth Saints scattered in the Earth and yet have they Communion We may think of that Ezek. xxxvii 3 Can these dry scattered Bones come together and Live Yes ver 7. Bone came to his Bone and Lived So Son of Man can Men dispersed in Europe Asia Africa and America have Communion They know not one another never saw one another and they have Communion Yes There is an invisible Vein of Communion runs betwixt all Saints on Earth Which we consider in these
the true Cause that he was so serious earnest and diligent in the Assembly of those Divines that he was called to sit with For whatever By-ends they were convented for and divers of them perhaps drove at yet his Designs were only what that Assembly was given out to be called for Viz. The reforming of Religion And he never one Day failed of being present at the Assembly from the first Session thereof but ever shewed himself there to discharge this Trust of Religion till Jan. 22. 1643. that is about Five Months that being the first time he went down to Munden to enter upon his Living It was from this Principle that he was extremely concerned once when certain blasphemous Persons were brought before the Judges who sent to the Assembly to know their Judgments in a Point of Blasphemy Which was That one Jane Stretton had said that Christ was a Bastard And one John Hart a Soldier said commonly Who made you My Lord of Essex Who redeemed you Sir William Waller Who sanctified and preserved you My Lord of Warwick The Answer the Assembly return'd was That they had horribly blasphemed and desired exemplary Punishment might be shewed upon them And besides Lightfoot and one or two more moved that such an Occasion being offered they should present a Request to the two Houses that strict Laws and Penalties should be published against Blasphemy which did increase And a Committee was chosen for that Purpose And it was but a little after that the Lord Pembrook Lord Admiral came into the Assembly being sent from the House of Lords to hasten them in settling the Government of the Church for that Opinions grew very many and blasphemous I might also add That Mr. Chambers one of the Assembly related to them some Blasphemies of one As on Gen. vi 6 he said that it was untrue that God repented he made Man That the Soul dieth with the Body and all things shall come to an end but God That Christ came to live Two and Thirty Years and nothing else that he knew That God loves any Creature as well as Man That we are not to be saved by that Christ that suffered at Jerusalem but by a Christ formed in us c. Whereupon it was ordered presently that this should be brought to the Lords and they desired to send to apprehend them It sprang from the same Principle of his awful Apprehension of God's Honour that when the Assembly had finished the Directory and read it over in order to the last Hand Lightfoot observing that the singing of the Psalms was quite left out he moved again and again that it might be put in and that such a material Part of Divine Worship should not be omitted And at length it was done accordingly He had a great Concern at the Atheisticalness of the Age when Men began to shake the very Principles of Religion and strove to make themselves and others believe no Existence of Spirits nor any Being after Death the great Curb to restrain the wicked Excesses of evil Men. To this I attribute the Pains he took to transcribe with his own Hand a notable Relation of a Spirit appearing in Driffield in Yorkshire that was sent to Mr. after Dr. Ezekiah Burton then Fellow of Magdalen College in Cambridge by Mr. Moore formerly Fellow of the said College and Mr. Blackwell another Minister as it seems who took the Relation from the Woman 's own Mouth to whom the Spirit often appeared And seeing our Divine took the Pains to transcribe it for his own use I may be pardoned if I offer it here to the Public from his Manuscript I suppose you have heard the News of a Spirit appearing to a Woman named Isabel Billinger at Driffield in this County of York I had this Relation be it true of false from the Woman her self It is too long to write it to you as I did it from her but the chief things are these That she saith A Spirit did appear to her at several times in several Likenesses After some of the first Appearances she found in a low room as she swept it out a piece of a Stake which she pulled up and digged there and found some Teeth Collar Bones and a Skull broken After this the Spirit upon her demanding if it would have any thing spake to her and said Fourteen Years have I wandred in this Place suffering Wrong three times Seven Years I have to wander One and Twenty Years is my time Another time it appeared to her and said My Life was taken from me in the Chamber of this House by three Women Mary Burton Alice Colson and Anne Harrison because of 23 l. which I lent to Mary Burton Three Years before and 23 s. which they took out of my Pocket and three Rings two of Gold and one of Silver and other Writings and Bonds of the Money two of the Rings were my Grandmother's and the Silver one my own Mother's They took my Life betwixt Eight and Nine a Clock at Night and I received my Grave betwixt Twelve and One. It tells many Particulars she says which I have writ about the Place where it did live its Father's Name and Mother's and other Kindred She said It bade her make a Fire where she took up the Stake and let Mary Burton be there who came of her self to the making of it She only of the three Women is alive The Woman says she sat by the Fire till the People in the Street said her Child cried in the other Room But when she went the Child was asleep and the Spirit was standing within the Door where the Child was and said Blessed be the time when this Fire was made and blessed be they that gave Consent to the Fire-making For the Stake begins to be as warm at the Root as the Heart of me was when the Stake was struck thro' it Another time it said Send Mary Burton to the Goal and I will be with her there She says she ask'd it how it should do for Witness when she came before the Judge of the Assize and it said Thou shalt never want Witness as long as I can get either Mile or Miles She says it desired her to go to Mr. Crompton's one of the Justices and desire him to send to the Churches to pray for a wandring Soul and pray for Prosperity of a Spirit that will discover the Murder of it self the next Assize which was done Fourteen Years ago passing a Week before Midsummer last She accordingly did this Message to the said Justice and related her Story to him She says Mr. Crompton desired to see it in the Day-time but it said he was not so good as his Word to send to the Churches to get them to pray for a wandring Soul and so it would not be seen by him in the Day unless the Dark were no Danger to him She says when she would have touched it it said Thou needest not take hold of me for