particular or universal as infallibly inspired that is deprehended to be actually deceived in any Points she proposes to be believed as necessary Articles of Faith This is so plain that it wants no farther proof The sixteenth That the Moral and Humane Certainty of Faith is grounded upon the Certainty of Vniversal Tradition Prophecy History and the Nature of the things delivered Reason and Sense assisting the Minde in her Disquisitions touching these matters That Certainty of Faith I call Moral or Humane that is competible even to a carnal man or a man unregenerate as it is said of the Devils that they believe and tremble By Vniversal Tradition I understand such a Tradition as has been from the Apostles that is to say has been always since the completion of their Apostleships as well as in every place of the Church For since there was to be so general and so early a Degeneracy of the Church as is witnessed of in the Holy Scriptures the generality of the Votes of the Church was not alwaies a sufficient warrant of the truth of Tradition But those Truths that have been constantly held and unalterably from the Apostles times til now it is a sign that they were very Sacred unquestionable and assured Truths and so vulgarly and universally known and acknowledged that it was not in man's power to alter them By Prophecy I understand as well those Divine Predictions of the coming of Christ as those touching the Church after he had come By History I mean not onely that of the Bible and particularly the New Testament but other History as well Ecclesiastick as Prophane And what I mean by the Nature of the things delivered is best to be understood out of such Treatises as write of the Reasonableness of Christianity such as Dr. Hammond's and Mr. Baxter's late Book See also Dr. More 's Mystery of Godliness where the Reasonableness of our Christian Faith is more fully represented and plainly demonstrated * Book 7. chap. 9 10 11. that it has not been in the power of the Church to deceive us as touching the main Points of our Belief though they would The seventeenth That no Tradition is more universal and certain then the Tradition of the Authentickness of such Books of the Bible as all Churches are agreed upon to be Canonicall There can be no more certain nor universal Tradition then this in that it has the Testimony of the whole Church and all the parts thereof with one Consent though in other things they do so vehemently disagree Wherefore no Tradition can be of any comparable Autority to this And therefore we may set down for Conclusion The eighteenth That the Bible is the truest Ground of the Certainty of Faith that can be offered to our Understanding to rest in The Reason is because it is the most universal both for time and place the most unexceptionable and universally-acknowledged Tradition that is The nineteenth That the Bible or Holy Writ dictated by the Spirit of God that is written by Holy and Inspired men is sufficiently plain to an unprejudiced Capacity in all Points necessary to Salvation This must of necessity be true by Conclusion the seventh Otherwise the manner of Gods's revealing his Truth in the Holy Scriptures would be repugnant to the Divine Attributes and which were Blasphemy to utter he would seem unskilfully to have inspired the Holy Pen-men that is to say in such a way as were not at all accommodate to the end of the Scriptures which is the Salvation of mens Souls nor to have provided for the Recovering of the Church out of those gross Errours he both foresaw and foretold she would fall into The twentieth That the true and primarie Sense of Holy Scripture is Literal or Historicall unless in such Parts or Passages thereof as are intimated to be Parables or Visions writ in the Prophetick style or the literal Meaning be repugnant to rightly-circumstantiated Sense or natural Science c. For then it is a sign that the Place is to be understood Figuratively or Parabolically not Literally The truth of this appears out of the immediately-foregoing Conclusion For else the Scripture would not be sufficiently plain in all Points necessary to Salvation Indeed in no Points at all but all the Articles of our Faith that respect the History of Christ might be most frivolously and whifflingly allegorized into a mere Romance or Fable But that the History of Christ is literally to be understood is manifest both from the Text it self and from perpetuall and universal Tradition Which if it were not the right Sense it were a sign that it is writ exceedingly obscure even in the chief Points which is contrary to the foregoing Conclusion But that those Places or Passages that are repugnant to rightly-circumstantiated Sense or natural Science are to be interpreted figuratively is plain from the general Consent of all men in that they universally agree when Christ says I am the Door I am the true Vine c. That these things cannot be literally true And there is the same reason of Hoc est Corpus meum This is my Body The twenty first That no Point of Faith professed from the Apostles time to this very day and acknowledged by all Churches in Christendome but is plainly revealed in the Scripture This may be partly argued out of the nineteenth and twentieth Conclusions and also farther proved by comparing these Points of Faith with Texts of Scripture touching the same matter The twenty second That the Comprehension of these Points of Faith always and every-where held by all Christian Churches from the Apostles time till now and so plain by Testimony of Scripture is most rightfully termed the Common or Catholick and Apostolick Faith The twenty third That there is a Divine Certainty of Faith which besides the Grounds that the Moral or Humane Certainty hath is supported and corroborated by the Spirit of Life in the new Birth and by illuminated Reason This is not to be argued but to be felt In the mean time no more is asserted then this That this Divine Certainty has an higher Degree of Firmness and Assurance of the truth of the Holy Scriptures as having partaken of the same Spirit with our Saviour and the Apostles but does not vary in the Truths held in the common Faith The twenty fourth What-ever pretended Inspiration or Interpretation of the Divine Oracles is repugnant to the above-described Common or Catholick and Apostolick Faith is Imposture or Falshood be it from a private hand or publick The Reason is apparent because the Articles of this Common Faith were the Doctrines of men truely inspired from above and the Spirit of God cannot contradict it self The twenty fifth None of the Holy Writ is of it self unintelligible but accordingly as mens spirits shall be prepared and the time sutable as God has already so he may as Seasons shall require still impart farther and farther Light to the Souls of the Faithfull
waters issuing out of the Sanctuarie in Ezek. 47.1 12. the form of a mighty River and of the Trees bringing forth fruit according to their months the fruit whereof should be for meat and the leaves for medicine Is not this perfectly answering to that River of Water of life Apoc. 22.1 2. clear as crystall proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb and to the Tree of life on either side of the River yielding her fruit every month whose leaves also are said to be for the healing of the Nations Philop. I must confess it is exceeding probable Philoth. Now they being one and the same Vision as to the Object of their Prediction the new Ierusalem and the River and the Trees being mystically to be understood Ezekiel's Vision also is to be mystically understood Philop. As for S t. Iohn's Vision methinks it is a marvellous childish conceit to expound it literally as if there should be a City made of diaphanous Gold the Wall of precious Stones and the Gates of Pearl Philoth. And yet methinks this is more marvellous That the City should be as a Cube Apoc. 21.16 as high as it is broad or long And yet it is so declared and twelve thousand furlongs is the Cubical measure thereof Philop. What then is the meaning of that passage I pray you Philotheus Philoth. I think two things are hinted thereby The one I have noted already That this City cannot be understood literally The other is what was intimated before by the names of the Apostles This solid Cube twelve thousand signifies that this City will be wholly and entirely Apostolicall in Life and Doctrine and Discipline The square Root also of the measure of the Wall 144 Cubits intimating the same Apostolicalness of Dispensation For the saying a hundred forty four Cubits is the measure of the Wall Apoc. 21.17 implies that it is 12 cubits high and 12 cubits broad nor could the intimation reach any farther speaking suitably to the nature of a City wall For what kinde of City must that be the compass of whose Wall is but 144 Cubits Philop. Some say Philotheus that the Root of that Cube you mentioned being extracted and so the Perimeter of this City S. Iohn describes discovered it is found to be the same in a manner with the Perimeter of that City Ezekiel describes Ezek. 48.35 What does that signifie think you Philoth. I know not what else it should signifie but that these two Visions aim at the same thing and that the meaning of that also in Ezekiel is spiritual and that those Prophetick Figures that strike the phancy and the flesh are to be fulfilled in the dispensation of the Spirit which the whole Iudaicall Oeconomy seals to as a Type to the thing typified And from hence is to be interpreted that sixth verse And he that sate on the Throne said It is done All is finished now Now we are come to the Dispensation of the Spirit all is fulfilled I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End I began with that Mosaicall Oeconomie which consists most-what in Figures and carnal Formalities which was in a manner revived again in an exteriour Christianity but this oldness of the Letter is to be done away and all shall be ended and accomplished in the dispensation of the Spirit and by the real Renovation of the humane nature into the new Creature the living Image of God according as it is written And he that sate on the Throne said Behold I make all things new These are the days in which the Lord has promised that he will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah Jer. 31.31 33 34 namely that he will put his Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts so that they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord For they shall know me from the least of them to the greatest Apoc. 22.4 For as S. Iohn saith they shall see his face and his Name shall be in their foreheads According as our Saviour has foretold Matt. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God All which denotes the Dispensation of the Spirit According as Ezekiel also witnesses of these Times Neither will I hide my face any more from them Ezek. 39.29 for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel saith the Lord. This therefore is the meaning of that passage in the sixth verse Apoc. 21.6 And I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of Life freely viz. I will freely communicate unto him the power of my Spirit According as Isay likewise has foretold Isa. 44.3 For I will pour water on him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground and I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy off-spring Whence I should interpret the crystalline River S. Iohn mentions of externall Prosperity also Apoc. 22.1 the Joy and Peace and Security of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To all which you may adde that our Saviour compares the Spirit to living waters John 7.38 Philop. I remember it very well Philoth. And now for that last verse Philopolis I see little difficulty in it Abomination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it usully signifies an Idol And the sense I conceive is That all Idolaters and Impostours or Liars in any sense will be excluded the Holy City nothing being admitted there but Truth and Simplicity of Life onely those that are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb. Philop. I what 's the meaning of that Philotheus Philoth. Onely the Elect of God Bath It is much that such an innumerable company of Souls should be all of the number of the Elect such as of whom it is said Jer. 1.5 I sanctified thee from the womb and knew thee before thou wast born Philoth. I call all Elect that upon the privilege of their new Birth or the retaining of the Divine Life have their names enrolled as Citizens of the new Ierusalem in the Book of Life of the Lamb. Philop. A sober Interpretation And now Philotheus I warrant you you think you have run through all the Particulars I proposed Philoth. Why have I omitted any of them Philopolis Philop. IX The Angel's measuring the City with a golden Reed what the meaning thereof Onely one but that a main one I think viz. Why the Angel is said to measure the City here with a golden Reed whenas S. Iohn is said to measure the Temple of God and the Altar and them that worship therein simply with a Reed Philoth. This is well recovered Philopolis For it is in my apprehension a notable testimony of the transcendent condition of the new Ierusalem even above those Times of the Church which were accounted symmetral viz. the first four hundred years or
prospect I shall pray Thy Kingdome come with a more peculiar Emphasis for this day's Instruction Philotheus then ever I have done hitherto in all my life But that I may doe it with the greater Plerophorie I pray you proceed to the next Point and declare the Grounds of this your so glorious hope Philoth. Why XII What Grounds of hopes out of Scripture for that glorious state of the Church to come are you at a loss Philopolis for the Grounds of this hope when you have heard so many Prophecies assuring you of it Philop. But who knows Philotheus but that they may be conditional and may take effect onely according to the uncertainty of our will Philoth. That implies as if these things depended on our merit But the great Affairs of the World and such as are the chief Objects of Divine Prediction do not hang on such weak hindges There is a Fate assuredly O Philopolis there is a Divine Fate and irresistible Counsell of God Almighty that maugre all that can be done by men or Devils must take effect in its season Jer. 2.24 The wilde Asse in the wilderness snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure who can turn her away They that seek her will not weary themselves after her in her month they shall finde her And David foretells Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Psalm 110.3 Ezek. 37.3 Son of man can these bones live saith God to Ezekiel in the Valley of dead mens bones But he answered with reverence O Lord thou knowest insinuating that it was in his power whether he would make them live or no. But you know when once God had commissioned the Prophet to prophesie on the dead bones Ver. 4 5. and to say unto them O ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord Behold I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live the effect did most certainly follow For there was a noise and a shaking Ver. 7 8. and the bones came together bone to his bone and they were straightway covered with sinews flesh and skin And so when he had said Ver. 9 10. Come from the four winds O breath and breathe upon these slain the breath came into them and they lived and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great Armie Was there ever any case more hard and desperate then this Philop. I doubt not but God can if he will bring up such a glorious state of things as are prophesied of but that our demerits may put a stop to it Philoth. Such vast Oecumenicall favours as these Philopolis are not dispensed according to our Merits but according to the free Counsell of God Hear what the same Prophet saith to the house of Israel Ezek. 36.22 23. Thus saith the Lord I doe not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy Name 's sake that I may not be blasphemed amongst the Nations I will sanctifie my great Name which is profaned among the Heathen and the Heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes Ezek. 36.25 26 27. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stonie heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgements and doe them What think you of this Language Philopolis And there are many such Expressions in the Prophets Philop. I must ingenuously confess that I think that such National or Oecumenicall Mutations of things for the best do not depend on our Merits or Free-will For so far as I see here God gives both to will and to doe according to his own Counsell and the Predictions of his holy Prophets that his Providence may not be suspected nor his Name reproched amongst Unbelievers Sophr. The description of the New Covenant in Ieremie is also according to this tenour Jer. 31.33 34. After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people What out of any Merits of theirs No but merely out of his own good pleasure For I will forgive their iniquities saith he and I will remember their sins no more Bath The Souls of men at last for the eternal High-priest's sake return into their Sabbatism of spiritual Rest. Philoth. Besides this Philopolis see what a causeless thing this is thus to mistrust Divine Providence who has so steddily and peremptorily carried things on hitherto according to the Predictions of the Prophets touching the Affairs of his Church as you have heard all along from the beginning to this very day Not to take notice of those things before our Saviour's Ascension and his sending down the Holy Ghost according to promise Apoc. 6.12 consider how punctually the six Seals are accomplished and in the sixth the Victory of Michael over the Dragon when under Constantine the Roman Empire became Christian. An Event out of the reach or ken of any mortal eye to foresee onely our Saviour the onely-begotten of God foretold it his followers in that saying Fear not Luk. 12.32 little flock it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdome Consider also the distinct Accomplishment of the six Trumpets during the succession of which according to Divine foresight and prediction there was the Virgin-company or the Woman in the wilderness and the mournfull prophetick Witnesses as well as the two and ten-horned Beasts and the Whore of Babylon or the false Prophet And how in the last Half-time Apoc. 11.11 12. or Half-day within the blast of the sixth Trumpet there was a great Earthquake and the slain Witnesses rose and to the admiration of the beholders in despight of all the Persecutions of that Man of Sin ascended gloriously into Heaven by the late Reformation in severall Kingdoms and Principalities Are not these very great things O Philopolis Philop. They are so indeed Philotheus Philoth. And such as are plainly set down in that admirable Book of Divine Fate For it is expresly written For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will Apoc. 17.17 and to agree and give their Kingdome unto the Beast untill the words of God shall be fulfilled that is to say till the times be accomplished foretold by the Prophet Daniel Dan. 7.25 till the seventh Semi-time be expiring Then there will be amongst the ten Horns those that will hate the Whore Apoc. 17.16 and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire that is shall abolish the Papal power and
Philop. Cuphophron will have his conceit on every thing be it never so serious Let him call it what he will I pray you Philotheus reade it leisurely and distinctly Philoth. XXXVIII Theomanes his Vision of the seven Thunders I shall Philopolis The Title is The space of the seventh Trumpet dividing it self into the seven Thunders with their previous Coruscations in order as follows It begins with a straight stroke and broken line abruptly after this manner And the first Coruscation cast forth its Light which shone from one end of the Heaven to the other Whereupon a most dreadfull Thunder uttered its voice insomuch that the Earth shook and trembled and shrunk under it Wherewithall the Clouds were discharged of a most noisome and prodigious Rain of Bloud of Fire of Hail and infectious Dust with other such like Plagues of Egypt insomuch that men were exceedingly tormented and enraged by reason of the intolerableness of the Plagues Philop. This I believe is but a more broken and confused Representation of the Effusion of the seven Vials or of something synchronall thereto As you have already declared that the seven Vials are Synchronall to the first Thunder Philoth. It may be so Philopolis Philop. But I pray you go on I shall not again interrupt you Philoth. After this I looked up and behold in the East a large white Cloud which came sailing as it were with a cool and refreshing gale of wind toward an exceeding high Mountain at a certain distance from which the second Coruscation discharged it self from this Cloud Whereupon I heard a more chearfull Thunderclap re-echoing through the Air and the Cloud breaking a-pieces I saw a most glorious City lightly descending carried in the stream of this cool breeze obliquely downward and so settling at last on the Top of this high Mountain But I had not long fed mine eyes with so beautifull a Sight when unexpectedly from over the City a bright Coruscation broke forth so great and so glorious from the pure Sky that the light of the Heavens was sevenfold more clear then the light of the Sun Upon which immediately I heard from thence the voice of the third Thunder and thereupon as it were the voice of a Man tunable and articulate saying Hallelujah Apoc. 19.6 The Lord reigneth And suddenly after a whole Quire of voices seconded this first Voice saying Hallelujah Psalm 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God The Mountain of the Lord's House is established on the top of the Mountains Isa. 2.2 and all Nations flow unto it Apoc. 21.24 The Nations of them that are saved walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour unto it Hallelujah Which Heavenly and enravishing Melodie was heard from the Holy City for the space of four hours After this I cast mine eyes toward the West and I saw a large Cloud of two colours black and pitchy on the West part thereof and of a bright shining colour toward the East And lo of a sudden the fourth Thunder uttered its voice from the West-side of the Cloud and discharged it self upon certain hollow Rocks and Mountains tearing them a-pieces and rending open their infernall Caverns While in the mean time there issued out on the East-side a strong Wind but pure and refreshing which dividing into severall parts that turned round became so many innocuous Whirl-winds of sincere Air tinctured onely with a cool refreshing smell as if it had passed over some large field of Lilies and Roses Which Whirl-winds moved from man to man lifting them somewhat from the Earth and so letting them easily down again but left a Mark upon the Bodies of every one they thus lifted and a sweet Savour on themselves and on their Garments And the number of them thus lifted and marked is the number of the Companies of the Lamb and their number was 1728. But in the Western part of Heaven the Air was ill-sented by reason of the Fumes from those dark Caves out of which were seen to come many direfull and dismall Forms with part of their melted Chains which the Thunder-clap had broke a-pieces hanging upon their bodies Which Hellish Shapes ran up and down after men upon the face of the Earth catching them and breathing upon them a poisonous breath that corrupted their bodies and made them look black and deformed like Devils But the lifted Companies were too light-footed for them neither had they any power over them because they bore the Mark of the Lamb upon their bodies These things I saw under the voice of the fourth Thunder After which I beheld and lo the whole Heaven was overcast with Clouds especially toward the bottom And immediately the fifth Thunder uttered its voice And there was a re-echoing noise round about the Heavens like the beating of Drums Whereupon I saw innumerable Armies of men from the four Quarters of the Earth marching up toward the Holy City to lay close Siege unto it Apoc. 20.9 And they encompassed the Camp of the Saints round about And I was in an exceeding great fear and trembling But in the midst of this solicitude there came a large flash of Lightening from the East which shone unto the West and the sixth Thunder uttered its voice And I saw the Clouds rent from the Horizon upwards and they were parted toward the North and toward the South like the Curtains of an opened Tent or Canopie Whereupon a marvellous Light sprung up very fast from that quarter and the voice of the Thunder was immediately drowned with a terrible sound of a Trumpet which filled the whole Concave of the Heavens and made the Ground tremble under mens feet Apoc. 20.11 And lo there suddenly appeared a great white Throne arched like a Rain-bow with the Son of man sitting upon it with glory and great majesty from whose face the Earth and Heavens fled away and there was found no place for them And the dead all appeared before the Tribunal of God and the Books were opened And they whose names were written in the Book of Life their strength was renew'd unto them and they mounted up with wings like Eagles and associated themselves with the Angels of God But the Hypocrites and Prophane were condemned whose hearts grew more heavy then lead and became the dregs and sediment of the World Fear and Despair sinking them down while Joy and Assurance lifted up the Sincere into those more defecate Mansions For the whole Sky was filled with Myriads of myriads of Shapes in this great Compearance where the purer Spirits ascended upwards and the more gross were precipitated downwards by the stupendious operation of the great Refiner of the Universe And I saw the Good perfectly separated from the Wicked and the King of Glory rise from his Throne And this general Assises was turned suddenly into a Triumphal Pomp to the Godly they marching orderly in the open Sky with the