followers that now are come to make Pastors and Doctors without any Imposition of hands for so was Fr. Iohnson and M. Greenwood made of some in London True it is that about some fiue or sixe yeares after Fr. Iohnson comming to Amsterdame had handes there imposed by the lay people his owne children they know who then writ against it contrarie to the Apostles Canon which runnes thus Without all contradiction the Lesser is blessed of the Greater And so without all contradiction the Father asked the Children blessing and so his or any the like ordination more Antichristian and more crosse to the Canon then any Ordination issuing from the Pope euer hath been I know they will for them selues plead thus In the beginning of a Church the case is changed For seeing there is no other Minister to ordaine the people may doe it as in Numb 8. The Israelites lay hands vpon the Leuites I answere 1. First it can neuer be prooued by Scripture that of Christians there ought to be such a Replantation though a Reformation 2. Second hee after so many yeares comming by his Ordination it must follow that before hee was no Pastor but a priuate man and so a prophaner of Gods ordinaunce 3. The Israelites did that they did vpon a direct precept from God so did not the Lay people in this For as the Ministerie of the New Testament begun without all Lay-ordination Christ himselfe installing the first and they installing others so neither to the Lay people was left any such necessitie seeing there should alwayes be a stretcht out line of Imposition so well as of Baptisme 4. Fourthly the Israelites doe not there Ordaine the Leuites for neither any Leuite might nor yet durst he come vnto the Alter vpon that laying on of handes Their laying on handes was but their Approbation as sometimes holding vp of hands and scrutinie of voyces be for the Ordination came after that as Peter Martyr well obserueth when as Aaron the Hy-priest takes them at the handes of the people and then with his handes shaketh them before the Lord and to the Lord giues them And thus the Separist is to seeke for a Minister notwithstanding whatsoeuer is sayd of H. l. for the lacke of that Ceremonie Vnto the sayd Laying on of handes it is not of absolute necessitie to haue moe or fewer handes And therefore it is that sometimes all the Apostles doe it as in Act. 7. for in Act. 1. we read not of the Ceremonie and yet well may be it was vsed so well as in Act. 13. 3. so sundry of them tearmed a Presbyterie in 1. Tim. 4. 14. Sometimes againe it is performed by two as in Act. 14. by Paul and Barnabas Sometimes by one there being no other to assist as by Timothy or Titus in their places The equitie whereof was deliuered by Moses when as Aaron alone Ordained the Leuites as Aaron himselfe was before ordayned of Moses And so betweene the Mother and Daughter Churches the Harmonie still holdeth For Deacons there is required in Act. 6. that 1. they be men of honest report 2. full of the Holy Ghost and of Wisedome And in 1. Tim. 3. hee presseth them two in moe particulars The very proportion of qualities considered it can neuer reasonably be thought that such diuine guifted persons should onely attende on Tables or in taking and giuing a litle Money or Meate to the poore There need no such wisedome and learning for that And when it is further remembred as afore that some of the 70. Disciples were chosen to this Deaconship and they being all of them Preachers it can neuer enter into the heart of a reasonable man to thinke that they should be pulled downe from an higher Chaire to a lower Nam qui prouehitur prouehitur a Miâ—oâ—j ad Majus Doubtlesse then they as their name signifieth did seruice not onely to the people in case of Meate and Money but also to the Bishops in the case of Doctrine and Sacrament And hereof we are further assured in that all Antiquitie puts no other kind of Deacons into our hands and for such respect doth diuers times call them Leuites And thus the old and new Testament is still more harmonious If since the Ten grieuous Persecutions the Ministers of the one and other Order haue come in the world to greater estate in outward thinges a grieuous thing to soare eyes what wonder is it when for 300. yeares after Christ the Church was vnder the gouernment of Heathen Tyrants enemies to Christianitie Soone after 300. yeares Constantine the Great became Christian by whose example and motiue many inferiour Kinges became Christians also Whereupon followed freedome of the Fayth and peace and plentie in all Churches Then our Fathers counted it an holy duetie to builde materiall Churches and to endowe the Spirituall with euery good thing wanting True it is that such temporarie blessinges haue since that time been foulely prophaned What then So hath Heauen and Earth and all their continentes shall we therefore spurne at the creature Indeed while some so spurne others sacrilegiously snatch to themselues all To the Minister it should be but an Idolathite but to my Church-robber it is a very good commoditie The Fathers giuing they say did sinne and the Sonnes snatching all away it may be to maintaine a Hound an Whore they must be sayd to commit a vertue But while I liue let me imitate that supposed vice of my Father rather then this vncouth vertue of my Brother CHAP. ix Touching Word and Sacraments THE Word whereabout the Minister is to be imployed is that Booke called Bible of the Greeke word Biblos a Booke as being the peculiar Booke aduanced aboue all as Israel aboue the Nations This Booke is distinguished into two partes Old and New The Old part contayneth not all the wordes that God spoke to the Fathers and Prophets but the substaunce of all which he spake vnto them till the promised Messiah came The New part commonly called the New Testament it contayneth likewise a substaunce of all Gods Will deliuered thencefoorth by Christ and his Apostles or neare followers The Old part was written in Adams tongue the language of succeeding Israel The New part was written in the tongue of Iauan the fourth Sonne of Iaphet it beeing in Christes time a tongue very vniuersall This Booke being a Creature and in the handes of sinful Creatures it necessarily followeth that sometimes it is likely to vndergoe some iniurie Yet such is the watchfull prouidence of God ouer this his Booke as stil it hath been preserued to the Churches assured comfort magre euery Epimanique Tyrant and Heretique The Minister out of this Booke is to take knowledge of Gods Will for workes of holynesse and righteousnesse and afterwardes deliuer the same vnto the people specially euery such day as Saint Iohn calleth the Lordes day But because no Minister since the Canonicall writers that is since the
phrase the Brownist vnderstandeth ordinarily a Society of People Really Sanctified for the whole testified in obedience to the whole of Gods will reuealed Such a Communion can they finde me one In Adams few it was not so In Noahs Eight it was not so With Rebeccaâ—s Twins it was not so With Israels Conuention it was not so With Iudahs assemblies it was not so With Christs Twelue it was not so With Corinths Church it was not so Fiue of Asiaes seauen Churches were not so And as for 〈◊〉 Philadelphia they be praised for the Generall of their obedience not for euery particular for In many things as the Holy Ghost witnesseth we sinne all That the Catholike Wheate-field or Church euen Christs possession through the World For by World there is intended the Earths Largenes as in Psa. 2. 8. that in it should be Weedes yea inseperable Weedes our Sauiour teacheth in Math. 13. from which parable may be obserued 1 That it is the Kingdome of Heauen neuer taken in the ill part as some times the word World is which is there compared 2 That the seed of the Kingdome is sowen through the World 3 That in the midst of that good seed the Tares be sowen and not without the Church as some Schismatikes would 4 That such euill is sowne when Christs seruants are a sleepe into the midst of Gods temple the aduersary so got 5 The Seruants awaking see these personall Euils keeping-vnder the personall Good And therefore the euill ones visible euen as visible as the Wheate and not onely Hypocrites as some badly haue taught 6 A purgation of all such Visible euill cannot with the Churches good be made till the Lord in the worlds end do come vnto iudgment And therefore meane time to be permitted which without rending the church cannot be seuered That for the estate of the Church Catholique That a Particular Church is no more priuiledged then the Totall or vniuersall must necessarily follow for that Sathan as an enuious man sowes his Tares Ana méson tou sitou euen through the middest of that Wheate his malice being no lesse against the partes then the whole as may appeare in Reuel 12. where not preuailing against that Woman hee goes and warres with the remnant of her seed And no maruaile it be so seeing euery particular person still sinneth whereupon still that petition is in force Forgiue vs our trespasses In which respect also it is that in Leuiticus is appoynted sacrifice both for the whole Congregation erring and for the partes of that whole as Priest Prince People So Gregories Decretall concludes Iudicium Dâ—â—veritatâ— quae non fallit nec fallituâ— sâ—â—peâ— iâ—nititur Iudicium autem Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 Opinionem sequitur quam fallere saepe contingit fallj â— propter quod contingit interdum vt qui ligatus est apud Deum apud Ecclesiam siâ— soâ—utus qui liber est apud Deum ecclesiastica sit sententia innodatus Particular Congregations are therefore called Communions of Saints or Holy-ones not because they all Really and indeed be such but for that they be called to be such as also haue vndergone the outward Signes and Meanes of sanctitie or holines Heereupon Israel became an Holy-nation though not al of them indeed holy So Israel after the Schisme from Iudah is called Gods sonne and Gods people and yet the most of them turners aside to grosse Idolatry which of all sinnes diuorceth froÌ„ God So the Corinths are Saints by calling yet amongst theÌ„ grieuous kinds of sinners both against Faith and good Manners This I speake not as the Schismatique raileth for iustifiing faults but for iustifying the Churches true-being notwithstanding such faults Let the Schismatique looke into himselfe let him search into the meanders and turninges of his heart and then let me see if he can say vnto God My heart is cleane there is no spot in mee If he be of the minde whereof one in Lyn-regis was that Dauid did lie of himselfe when he sayd to the Lord I was borne in iniquitie c. then I will say to sir Schismatique as I sayd to him I am too lowe to talk with one that is so hie Or as Constantine the great vnto the Nouatian Bishop Acesius Prouide thee a Ladde◠ô pure Puritane and thy selfe aione climbe vp into heauen CHAP. v. Touching the Churches Visibilitie in the earth OVR Sauiour saying that vpon that Rocke which Peter then preached and that was Christ himselfe hee would builde his Church against which Hel-gates should not preuaile cannot be vnderstood that hee speakes of this or that particular Church but of the Catholique body whereto himselfe is the Head For the Church of Rome it was chased away from that seat many yeares togeather by the Gothes and Vandales witnesse the Stories which cannot be gainesayd And no maruaile for from that place not onely proceeded the power whereby Christ was crucified but also whereby the great persecutions flowed for the extirpation of Christianitie Vpon which foresight no doubt S. Iohn hath left that Citie vnder the deepest curse in his Booke of Reuelation For the 7. Churches of Asia-minor which S. Iohn saw to be as Starres in Christes right hand a priuiledge neuer giuen to Rome they quickly vanished Which among other reasons doubtles was for keeping vs from tying faith to any particular place or person And if God spared not his owne peculiar people the Iewes but rooted them out for their sinnes sake what reason is there that he should spare any wilde branches inserted in the place of that naturall Oliue That promise therefore in Math. 16. must euen by euidence of Consequent be vnderstood of the Catholique Church which howsoeuer it might be beat downe in some part yet should continue in some other Euen as the Moone whereto she is compared might to some part of the Earth be eclipsed when to some other part she shyned brightly This I note against the Romanist which would not only tye the Church to some one place but also conclude that the Church hath beene to this part of the world alwayes visibly glorious Besides I conclude the Euer-visibilitie of the Church though in such defectiue manner for conuincing of some who haue not knowne how to answere the Romanist otherwise then by denying all visibilitie through some misunderstanding of some Scriptures in 2. Thess. 2. as also in the Reuelation Whereas indeed a great departure was to be made from the Fayth but yet meane time it should not cease to be Gods Temple though the Aduersarie vsurped a chiefe place in it for as S. Iohn foresaw some Trees should keepe greene in the Lordes court hauing the sauing Seale of Gods Grace printed vpon them And were it not so how should sauing Grace be conueyed vnto vs without new Apostles furnished extraordinarily from heauen And how should we come by Gods Booke contayning his written will if the Lord reserued not a Remnant
the Iewes do hold that the Warres of Gog and Magog shall goe before the setled Kingdome of Messiah or as Ram bam that is according to the 4. radicall letters R. M. B. M. Rabbj Moses Ben Maymony sayth in the beginning of Messiahs dayes shal be the Battailes of Gog and Magog The poore wretches speake a truth but vnderstand it not inasmuch as they beleeue not that Christes comming is twofold the first in Humility the second only in Glory With the heathenish Gog-magogs our Sauiour warred by the ministery of his Apopostles whose weapons were spirituall but the Gog-magog spoke of in the Reuelation must arise after the vnloosing of Satan And indeed vpon the downefall of that enemie and his infinite Army which can not be done but by the power of Christ Messiah is to settle a Kingdome of Glory 1. From Christes birth to Ierushalems finall ruine the world then being aged 4000. yeares were 73. yeares 2. From Ierushalems downe-fall through the times of Antichrist to the fall of his Babel be 1260. yeares 3. From the Periode to Satans being let loose be 1000. yeares The whole summe from our Lords birth till Satans loosing be 2333. yeares Then the Christians be to expect open Hostilitie But God knowes how to deliuer his in that day of tentation that shall come vpon all the earth A thousand yeares shall the Desolation be sayth the Talmud ¶ Meane time it would be remembred that the Râ—bbiâ—es ordinarily hold that God reneweth not the world Nisi septem millibus annorum transactis till 7000. yeares haue passed from the Creation And we may thinke that as for the Electes sakes he did shorten the dayes of the Romaines siege layd to Ierushalem so he will cut short the dayes of Gog-magog besieging the Tentes and Citie of Christians CHAP. xix Touching the last Iudgment TOgeather with the Fire falling from heauen vpon Gog-magogs Army euen the whole body of Heathenrie for then the Saints liuing shal be taken vp aloft and meete Christ in the Ayre 1. Thess. 4. 17. as the eight soules in the Arke were caryed vp aloft from the iudgment of Water S. Iohn noteth that the great and glorious Iudgment presently followeth Take his owne wordes for I thinke not good to paraphraze at this time vpon them 10. Vers And the Diuell that deceaued them was cast into a Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Beast and the false Prophet shal be tormented euen day and night for euermore 11. And I saw a great white Throne and one that sate on it from whose face fled away both the Earth and Heauen and their place was no more found 12. And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the Bookes were opened and an other Booke was opened which is the Booke of life and the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the Bookes according to their workes 13. And the Sea gaue vp her dead which were in her and Death and Deapth deliuered vp the dead which were in them and they were iudged euery-man according to their workes 14. And Death and Deapth were cast into the Lake of Fire this is the Second death 15. And whosoeuer was not found written in the Booke of life was cast into the Lake of fire CHAP. xx Touching a certaine description of the Church in Reuel 21. and 22. FInally after the vniuersall day of Doome S. Iohn draweth an excellent Mappe of the Church but whether of the Church tryumphing after iudgement or of the Church militant heere before iudgement as it is seene by the eye of Fayth it is not a litle questionable Many haue taken it for the Church Tryumphant not onely for his description in the last place for that will not necessarily conclude seeing somewhat in the last place may be but an expositiue Commentary of that which went before but for that it is sayd of this people that All teares are wipe away from their eyes c. Which in proper sense accordeth to the Church Triumphant Some againe do take it for the Church heere Militant not onely for that the Apostle in Galat. 4. doth stile the Christian Church heere by the name of Ierushalem from aboue but also for that in this Church there be certaine Leaues of a Tree wherewith the Nations were to be healed and after this life there is no healing of any errour much lesse of the Gentile-kinges bringing their glory vnto the Triumphant Church And I haue long suspected that it is a description of that part of the Church Militant which should betide the Gentiles vpon the vniuersall addition of the Iewes or rather of all Israel For as we neuer read of the ten Tribes vnited againe with Iudah howsoeuer it be plainely foretyped twyse ouer in Ezek. 37. and there spoken of next before the Warres of Gog and Magog so S. Paul sayth that after the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in All Israel shal be saued Rom. 11. 25. 26. And so S. Iohn seeth not onely thousandes of Iudah Benjamin and Leuj sealed in the forehead to Godward but also of other Tribes Reuel 7. following the Lambe and singing Moses his song of Deliuerance of whom it is sayd that there was no guile in their mouth and that they were without spot before the Throne of God Reuel 14. 1. c. which is the state of all to whom sinne is not imputed Herewith I haue marked that S. Iohn doth heere keepe the same methode as did Ezekiel for Ezekiel presently after the downefall of Gog-magog doth describe the New Temple and distinguish a new the Israelites portions in Canaan all one in effect with this description of S. Iohn Ezekiel ending with Iehouah Shammah and S. Iohn with this that in this new Citie The Lord is there But let it be at the first hand that it is a Description of Christes mysticall Body heere whose heartes are purified by Fayth yet at the second hand it may as a Type giue vs a resemblaunce of the Churches finall glory and that the rather for that to their glory there shal be after the destruction of all by Fire A new Heauen and a new Earth wherein shall dwell Righteousnesse as S. Peter plainely teacheth Heere I know that some vnderstand not according to sobrietie but as if they were Prophets of extraordinarie spirit they boldly determine of thinges yet secret As the light of the Righteous encreaseth till mid-day so the light of Gods Spirit shal be enlarged vpon his Church But euery age brings not with it all things and let vs be contented with our present measure Meane time the meditation of the Glory to come will effect in vs patience vnder present tentations because The Afflictions of this present life are not worthy of the Glory which shall be shewed vnto vs. Heere Neighbours crosse pierce both hands feete Angels and Saints be there our Neighbours sweete Heere famine