you cannot build none so great Fourthly The New Church must be built of pure gold like unto cleare glasse but you have got none of that to build with for the gold growes in the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.18 Which wee have forsaken Fifthly You have no Iasper stone for your wall nor fine linnin which is bright and pure the justifications of the Saints to trime your Church with but your Bride hath got a menstruous garment of mans righteousnesse that sayes stand a part I am holier then thou or I will stand a part and separate from you thus you have neither gold nor precious stones nor white raiment to trime your Church but your builders are all divided and your language confounded before you begin you shall build a Babel for the New Church comes from heaven and the builder and founder of it is God and the government of it must come from God before we shall have one as I tould you three yeares since in my Epistle to the Booke of the bloud of the Lambe but you believed it not but thought you should have had a better Reformation and government before this time but are deceived and not I. It followeth for the first Heaven and the first Earth are passed away Question What shall the other Churches then of the Gentiles faile come to decay for hath heaven noteth out the Church as you have proved Answer We need not trouble our selves to prove it for the divisions of all Churches and people against themselves doe shew it for they are sending one another to hell as fast as they can by sword persecution hatred envy and malice dissention heresies sects and schismes and drunkennesse and covetousness they make post hast to hell-ward For where the heaven of a Church is divided against itselfe it cannot continue Matth. 12. But the Church of the Lutherans and of Calvinists and of Papists and of English are heaven of Churches that are divided against themselves Ergo they cannot continue they are heavens that are waxed olde as a garment and as a vesture shall hee change them The Pope and all his Idolaters and his ceremonies the dead faith consubstantiated Lutherans and the luke-warme faith of the English and Calvinists shall be spewed out of Christs mouth Rev. 3.10 And the Heretickes Seperators from the Church with the profane unbelievers shall be rooted out Ma. For every plant which my heavenly Father planted not shall be rooted out Matth. 15.15 Ma. But they which will not buy gold white raiment and eye-salve are plants which my heavenly Father hath not planted Con. Ergo they shall be rooted out Quest As touching the reformed Churches What shall the receiving of the Jewes bee the estranging of the Gentiles from being Churches as if casting away the Church of the Jewes was the reconcilement of the world i. e. Of the Churches of the Gentiles Rom. 11.15 Answ It is very plaine because the Apostle certifieth us in that place that there is a certaine fulnesse of the Gentiles to be made up which is to be at the calling of the Jewes vers 25. for if John saw the former heaven and the former earth departed then you must appoint them a time to passe away in And when the luke-warme Angels of Laodicea is spewed out of Christs mouth i. e. which is the last Church of the Gentiles they shall passe away for being any more churches for the former heaven are the Churches of the Gentiles which he saw departed Ergo they shall passe away Object The Gentiles which are saved shall walke in the light of the new Jerusalem Answ Answ Then they shall leave the candle-lights of the Churches of the Gentiles which are called Candlesticks Rev. 1. they were of and walke in the light of the new Church that shall be on earth and be one with them For blessed is he that doth his commandements that his right way may be in the tree of life that bee may enter in through the gates of the City Rev. 22.14 Object And the Kings of the Earth shall bring their glory and honour to that Church of the new Jerusalem Answ An. This makes against you also for if they doe so then they shall leave to honour their olde Churches and their governments and shall honour the holy City to be the only true Church And as we have had Kings of England that above all the Kings in Christendom have been Kings of Jerusalem So wee shall have againe Kings of England that shall be Kings of the Church of new Jerusalem Let our King hearken to this for the Kings of the earth shall bring their honour and glory both vers 14. The causes why the Churches of the Gentiles shall depart and their Sees and the Church of new Jerusalem appeare Object It seemes there shall be a flourishing Church of the Gentiles when the Jewes shal be called For saith Paul If the casting away of the Jewes were the riches of the Gentiles or the reconciliation of the world what shall their assuming be life from the dead I answer it is true for the Lutherans that escape the bloudy Civill warr and turne shall arise out of the dead faith and the Calvinists and the English shall arise out of the luke-warme faith to walke in the golden street of the lovely faith of the merits of Christs death in one baptisme for the remission of sins as the 3000. did Acts 2.38 and so Papists and Heathens shall arise out of their idolatrous and superstitious faith and embrace the true faith of the new Jerusalem of the Jews and Gentiles v 24. Out of which words we gather that the fulnesse of the Gentiles is not a certaine end of their believing at the calling of the Jewes as if faith should utterly fall away among the Gentiles as nothing can be powred more into a full vessell but that there shall be a more plentifull comming in of all the Nations of the Earth leaving their olde dead luke-warm and Idolatrous Churches and shall obey the true faith of the Church of the new Jerusalem as Zach. 14.9 The Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day there shall be one Lord and one faith and one baptisme saith Paul Ephes 4.5 whereas now wee have many and his Name shall be one i.e. and the name of his Church shall be one new Jerusalem Rev. 3.12 God will write it on them and one Shepheard and one sheepe-fold John 10.16 and Isa 25.7 8. And the Lord shall destroy in this mountaine the covering that covereth all people and the vaile that is spread upon all i. e. the vail of ignorance of their baptisme into Christs death for the remission of sinnes Rom. 6.3 Acts 2.38 For few have this vaile of infidelity removed and the Lord shall wipe all away all teares from their faces and he will take away the rebuke of his people out of the earth i. e. at the calling of the Jewes as Psalm 77.9 10 11. For the Kings
am about to create new heavens and a new Earth as if he should say I will institute a more pure church faith and worship in spirit and in truth and I will take unto me a new people in the Assemblies wherof I will be worshipped and honoured and I will make a new Earth of new creatures for if any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor 5.17 For old things are passed away behold all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 which shall be most plainely verified when the old churches passe away and the new Jerusalem appeare as Esay 43.19 Behold I will doe a new thing in the Earth now it shall spring forth shall yee not know it when may some say Ans Rev. 21.5 Behold I make all things new and he said to me write for these words are true and faithfull 1. There shall be a new heaven and a new Earth a new church and people for he that sat on the Throne bad Iohn write it and he hath given me a minde to know him that is true and for to write of things that are true for if it be true as it is â—â—th Behold I make all things new then that must be a new church or else al things shall not be new for as the new heaven and the new earth which I will make shall remaine before me saith the Lord compare the place with this and you shall finde it agree with this and cannot agree to the former churches of Ephesus Smyrna Pergamus Thyatira Sardis Phyladelphia Laodicea for they shall passe away but the church of new Jerusalem shall remaine For to him that overcometh in the Churches I will make him a pillar in the Temple of my God and shall goe no more out and write upon him the Name of the new Ierusalem that cometh downe from my God out of heaven Rev. 2.12 but when is this to be when the lukewarme Angell that is neither cold nor hot is spued out of Christs mouth Rev. 3.16 in Laodicea of England this new Church is to appeare but now the lukewarme Angels are spued out Ergo. It is now to appeare I could prove this by many Arguments but I set downe but five Reason 1 The causes why the Churches of the Gentiles shall depart and all their Sees of iurisdiction and the new Ierusalem appeare Ma. For if there shall be an holy City of new Ierusalem come downe from God out of Heaven trimmed as a Bride for her Bridegroome then there must be a new Church upon Earth for by new Ierusalem is meant the Church of God Mi. But Iohn saw the holy City the new Ierusalem come downe from God out of heaven Rev. 2â— 2 Con. Ergo there must be a new Church upon earth Reason 2 Ma. That City which shall be foure square and shall be measured by an Angell a man with a golden reed 12000. Furlongs must needs be upon Earth for there is neither squares nor furlongs nor reedes nor men measurers of any thing there for all was prepared for thee before the foundation of the world Matth. 25 34. Mi. But the Church of the new Ierusalem shall lye foure square and be measured by an Angell a man with a golden reed 12000. Furlongs Con. Ergo it must needs be upon earth for there is no squares reeds or Furlongs or men measurers in actuall glory Reason 3 Ma. That City which shall have twelve gates and twelve Angels and the Names of the Tribes of Israel 3. On the East 3. On the North 3. On the South 3. On the West Mi. must needes be meant of a Church or City upon Earth for there is no East nor West North nor South in actuall glory or but twelve gates or but twelve Angels for there is more then twelve Legions of Angels there but the Church of the new Jerusalem shall have twelve gates and twelve Angels and the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel 3. to the East 3. to the North 3. on the South 3. on the West as Rev. 21.13 Con. Ergo it must needs be a City or Church upon earth and â—t shewes it must be a Church of the Iewes baptized and made new creatures for the Gentiles have not twelve Tribes and if there be any gates in heaven they were â—t made long before their were any tribes of Israel v. 12.13 Reason 4 Ma. That City which shall have a Wall with twelve foundations and in them the Names of the Lambs twelve Apostles must be new Church upon earth build on the doctrine of the twelve Apostles Mi. for the Apostles can be no foundation of a Wall of a City in heaven for it was made before there were Apostles before the foundation of the world Matth. 25. But the new Ierusalem shall have a Wall with twelve foundations and in them the names of the lambe twelve Apostles as v. 14. Con. Ergo. It must be a new Church upon Earth Reason 5 That City which shall have the Nations that are saved to walke in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth to bring their glory and honour to it must be a new Church upon Earth Ma. For the people that are saved they shall not need to walke in heaâ—en for they shall be as the Angels of God in heaven which flie or passe in an inconceivable time as the body of Christ to heaven and the things of the Earth shall bring no honour or glory to heaven for heaven shall give glory and honour to them Mi. But the Church of the new Jerusalem shall be such wherein the Nations that are saved shall walke in the light of it and the Kings of the Land shall bring their honour glory to it Rev. 21.24 i. e. they shall account it their honour and glory to be Citizens of new Ierusalem and bring their subjects to it Con. Ergo it must be a new Church upon Earth I could give more reasons if these be not sufficient Objection Shall there be a new Church upon earth Then say the Anabaptists Brownists Seperatists Familists Adamites Millenaries Antitrinitarians Arminians Socinians Sectaries and Selectaries all which are commonly notable Pharises and by a superabundance of religion Which have no assurance of salvation for out of the church is no salvation nor assurance of it like scabs and warts by the abundance of humors grow out of the body of man so by the humours of their braine doe these grow out of the Church and seperate from it then we will goe make a New Church Answer You are greatly deceived not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God for first it must come downe from heaven from my God Ergo man cannot build it 2. That which is of God shall stand for God is the builder and founder of that City Heb. 11. But the worke or Church that is of man shall come to naught Act. 5. Thirdly The Church of new Ierusalem must be built 12000. Furlongs in length breadth and height
But the Church have been abused and evill entreated a longtime of the Gentiles Con. Ergo shee will forsake them and goe to another people Re. 5 Now those heavens that waxe olde as a garment and as a vesture shall hee change them and they shall be changed shall passe away because they are impure in his eyes Job 15.15 Now this cannot be so properly meant of the starry heavens as of the Churches for how should they be impure in Gods eyes which never sinned neither can any shew that God ever imputed any sin to them or curse as to the Earth for Adams sake for they are as God have made them and they all continue by his appointment But the Church of the old World waxed olde and the church of the Jewes and the heaven of Papists Lutherans Calvinists and England are waxed olde because they are impure in his eyes for he saith he hath some things against them Ergo they shall passe away For the heaven of the visible Churches of England Lutherans and Calvinists are not only uncleane at this day in a small manner Now mistake mee not to thinke that I meane the justified people of God of all these 3. churches for I believe they are cleane every whit The causes why the visible Churches shall depart and the Church of new Jerusalem appeare perfectly righteous and holy without spot before the Throne of God But of the outward visible Church and all separate Synagogues that call themselves churches of Hereticks Sectaries and Schismaticks which I count farre worse then the seven churches because Christ wrote to these by name and hath his Elect amongst these but he writes not to the other and if the Fathers say true hee hath not God for his Father that hath not the church for his Mother and the Scripture saith God added to the Church such as should be saved yet I say the visible church is uncleane not in a small manner though it be called by so glorious a name as heaven which is spoken in respect of the darke dungeon of hell of the Jewes Turkes Heathens and Papists then for any heavenly clearenesse of the glory of God in gold of the merits of Christs death in one baptisme for a perfect remission of sinnes or for the glory of the Lambs white rayment justification for an everlasting righteousness Shew me a church on Earth that is found in the faith of these three gold white raiment and eye-salve Phillida solus habebis let her be thy Love Re. 6 Ma. For the Church is defiled with a false faith or reigning sinne there the church is uncleane and shall therefore be removed Mi. But all the churches of the Gentiles are defiled with a false faith or reigning sinne for why should Christ say else hee hath some things against them Con. Ergo they are uncleane in Gods sight and shall therefore be removed For what foote steps of one baptisme for remission of sinnes and of a white raiment Justification doe remaine For doe not all visible Churches hold they must goe knocke at heaven gates every day to get a pardon for their sins as if they were not forgiven as Col. 1.14 Rev. 1.6 And to wipe off olde scores as if God did score up sinnes every day till they pray and they must goe get God to cast all their sins into the bottome of the Sea as if they were not cast into the bottom of the red Sea of Christs bloud already Mic. 7.19 in baptisme into Christs death Acts 22.16 And confesse God is angry with them for their sinnes and see sinne in them and punish them for the same is not this to serâ—e an angry God as all heathens Turkes and Jewes doe and not a reconciled Father which if it were to get remission of sins to the conscience I would not fault it but to the person as if that were not reconciled it crosseth Coloss 1.21 And the article of the Creed i. e. I believe the remission of sinnes as for the Lutherans of Sardis they are in the dead faith and their works not perfect before God Rev. 3.1.2 Their dead workes of hatred to the Calvinists declare their dead faith And as for the English luke-warme Laodiceans they hold as the Bishop of Canterbury did at his death he said he hoped God would forgive him his sinnes Now such as the faith of the great Angel was such is the faith of most people of the Church What heathen Jew Turke Papist or Devill had not as good a faith as this to say I hope God is mercifull and will forgive me my sinnes he might goe to Purgatory if there were one for all this faith The decay in knowledg of one baptisme for remission of sins and in the Articles of the Creed they doe not preach or pray in this faith that we have redemption as Colos 1.14 And that our sinnes are forgiven us for his names sake 1 John 2.12 It is an hard thing to finde a Minister that hath assurance of salvation or that can tell where he had remission of sins for few of them believe they were made in their baptisme members of Christ children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdome of heaven or believe that in the white raiment they are so cloathed that God beholds no shame of nakednesse of sin in them And seeing this faith is lost what new Errours spring up every day and broached in many places olde ones are called backe from hell by hereticks Anabaptists Papists Familists Adamites Arminians Socinians Brownists Seperatists all the profession of unity spirituall peace turned to bloudy and civill Warre in all the churches in Christendome These are fearefull signes and evident Prognostications that the Churches are departing Re. 7 Ma. For where the churches are fallen from the trueth it is an argument the church shall depart from them For thus saith the Lord Remember from whence thou art fallen Rev. 3.5 Or else I will remove the Candlesticke out of his place Mi. But all the visible churches are fallen from the truth as Papists to idolatry Lutherans to a dead faith and workes Re. 3.1.2 and the English and Calvinists to a luke-warme faith reigning sin usury or drunkennesse for it was never known that the truth did continue in any one church above 100. years but they fell from it as the homily of our church of the perill of Idolatry 3. p. c. it is 100. yeares since England received the truth and therefore the time is come by their owne confession that they should fall from it Con. Ergo it is an argument the church should be removed Re. 8 Ma. Every kingdome city or house divided against it selfe cannot stand but come to nought Matth. 12. Mar. 1. Mi. But all the former churches of the Gentiles are kingdomes cities or houses divided against themselves witnesse the Papists Lutherans Calvinists and English You see what fighting and writing there is now one against another Con. Ergo they cannot stand but come
The Propheticall INTELLIGENCER Shewing The causes why all corrupt Churches of Christendome shall passe away or depart and all their Sees of corrupt Doctrine and Discipline shall be abolished and that the holy City of the Church of new Jerusalem is now comming down from my God out of HEAVEN LONDON Printed by M. Simmons and are to be sold by John Hancocke in Popes-head Alley 1647. The Propheticall Intelligencer shewing the causes why all corrupt Churches of Christendome shall passe away or depart and all their Sees of corrupt Doctrine and Discipline shall be abolished and that the holy City of the Church of new Jerusalem is now comming downe from my God out of Heaven Revel 21.1 And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more Sea SOme falsely gather that this is to be understood of the Church Triumphant after the resurrection but what need the Church then to be described to be comming downe from heaven it should rather be seene going up to it And what need shall there be of gates a Wall and City and a Tree when all the Saints shall be as the Angels of God in heaven and equall unto them Math. 22. Luke 20 But the Holy Ghost doth not paint out unto us here that Angelical happinesse of the Saints to come For it is spoken of matters to be done in this life upon earth as the sequell shall declare for it is spoken of a new church that shall be upon earth For the glory of the heavenly and pure Church cannot bee seene nor conceived off the heart of a mortall man 1 Cor. 2.9 Neither can it be set forth with words of comparisons of earthly things but seeing it shall be an heavenly Church therefore the glory and dignity of it is commended in heavenly things and yet the description thereof maketh a way to comprehend in our mindes heavenly felicity for if the glory of the Spouse be so great upon earth what manner of things and how excellent are those which God have prepared for his Saints in the fulnesse of joy truely our mindes are too dull and dimme to meditate of these things let us turne our eyes to contemplate of this blessed paradise which shall openly be seene in the world as 2 Esdras 8.52 For unto you is paradise opened the tree of life is planted Rev. 2.7 The time to come is prepared plenteousnesse made ready the City builded v. 18. and rest prepared perfect goodnesse and absolute wisedome the root of evill is sealed up unto you Dan. 9.24 the weakenesse and moth is destroyed from you and into hell fleeth corruption to be forgotten Rev. 21.8 Sorrowes are vanished away and in the end is shewed the treasure of immortalitie v. 4. I follow him as he goeth with Scripure Now the interpretation of the new heaven may be taken out of Heb. 12.26 whose voyce did then shake the earth but now he hath denounced saying yet once more will I shake not the earth onely but also heaven where to shake heaven and earth is by the interpretation of the Apostle to abrogate the former Church worship Temple to cast off the earthly people of all Nations that would not receive him by a New birth Joh. 1.11 Io. 3.3 And so he will cast off all people that are earthly of all Nations whether of the Churches or heathen that will not receive his counsell to buy of him gould tried in the fire to make them rich 1. Rev. 3.18 The lively faith of the merits of Christs death in our baptisme for remission of sinnes and white raiment justification to cloth them that the shame of their nakednesse might not appeare and eye salve of the spirit in the scriptures that men may see Heaven is by a borrowed speech taken for the Temple the legall worship and the Church of the Jewes whereof the Temple was a seate and dwelling place the shadow of heavenly things Heb. 8.5 and we know that the Church is called the Kingdome of Heaven in many places of Scripture as Psal 107. Mar. 4.2 So that shake heaven is to abolish the visible Church that were of the Jewes or are now of the Gentiles Matth. 13.41.43 Luke 10.9 Col. 1.13 For where God will shake the heaven first of the Church and the Earth of unbelievers they shall be abolished Heb. 12.27 but once more saith the Lord will I shake the heaven 1. Of the Church and the Earth 1. Vnbelievers Ergo they shall be abolished By the Earth is meant in that place men corrupt unbelievers as O Earth heare the word of the Lord. Ma. 1. O men that are earth of all Nations of the Earth and all the Kingdomes of the Heathen shall be shaken as Hagg. 2 27. as well as the Churches For behold saith the Lord I have begun to plague the City which my Name is called upon and should you escape you shal surely drinke Iere. Mi. So God will shake the heaven of the church of Christians and should the Earth of Turkes and Heathens escape they shall be overthrowne Con. To shake the earth therefore is to shake the corrupt unbelieving earthly people out of their places as he shooke the Iewes heaven of the church and the Earth of the heathen because they received not one baptisme into Christs death for remission of sinnes but despised the counsell of God against their owne soules and to make a church and therefore he shooke them downe Luke 7.30 Eph. 4.5 Act. 2.38 Ro. 6.3 So that heaven you see is put for the Church and the earth for all corrupt unbelieving people Therefore as God shooke the heaven and the earth after Christs death for their not receiving of him by baptisme into his death as Ioh. 1.9.10 Gal. 3.27 For every soule that will not heare that Prophet 1. To be baptised in his Name if he have not for the remission of sinnes Act. 2.38 Shall be destroyed among the people and they were destroyed from being the church and people of God and became the Synagogue of Sathan Rev. 2.9 God rejected the old church of the heaven of the Iewes and set up a new heaven of the Church of the Gentiles that did receive Christ by baptisme and faith as the 3000. did and the Churches of all Nations So when God shall have mercy upon the forlorne forsaken Nation and make them partakers of salvation by Christ he shall shake the former heaven of the corrupt Idolatrous dead lukewarme churches of the Gentiles because they believe not one baptisme into Christs death for remission of sinnes as Act. 2.38.22.16 Rom. 6.4 and make the dignity and honour of the holy City of the New Ierusalem of Iewes and Gentiles to be so glorious as a new heaven and a new earth Hence I gather this Doctrine Observati ∣ on That there shall be a new church of the new Jerusalem upon earth and this I prove by Esay 65.17 For behold I
to nought Re. 9 Ma. For where the Sunne ariseth the light of the candle must depart for the light of the Churches of the Gentiles was but as candles for the churches were but golden Candlesticks Rev. 1.6 Mi. But the light of the New Jerusalem is as the light of the Sunne that shall never goe downe and their light of the Sunne shall be 7. fold and as the light of seven days Con. Ergo the light of the churches of the Gentiles must vanish because their light is but as candles Object Some say it is not said the former heaven and the former earth went away but that they departed as if these words did not respect the churches of the Gentiles at all but the legall worship of the Jewes onely For a man may call that the first heaven by right as which was instituted by God himselfe in the beginning of the World a little time after the floud But the Christian people among the Gentiles was neither the first heaven neither were their Ordinances which are observed of them the first Ordinances that were delivered from heaven unto the church so that some would have it taken in this manner as if it were said although this people of the Jewes did thirst after their olde rights and worship all this while of their rejection and did make their bragges of it that the time would come when they should have power given them one day to exercise their former worship freely after their old manner which is the thing they have boasted of till this day Yet in this restoring of the Jewes they shall so wholly frame and apply themselves to the will of God that they shall willingly renounce their ancient customes used in the service of God which they shall then acknowledge to have had their end in Christ and by this meanes they shall make it plaine to all men that the first heaven and the first earth which they hoped to see againe was departed was past for ever Object The Pope that would have Saint Peters chair to remain to the end of the world and all Sectaries that would have their church way as they falsely call it and all other that are loth their churches should depart like this interpretation best Answ But this is false to this place of Scripture For the first heaven cannot be meant of the Churches of the ancient Jewes but of the churches of the Gentiles these are my Reasons First because the olde church of the Iewes was not called by the name of heaven for John the Baptist and Christ were the first that preached the kingdome of heaven to be at hand therefore the first heaven must belong to the Gentiles for the last shall be first and the first shall be last i. e. the last Church of the Gentiles shal be the first heaven and the first church of the Jewes shall be the last new heaven Secondly If this should be expounded of of the Jewes church then there should have been no heaven of a church among the Gentiles ever since Christs time But onely the first heaven hath been among the Jewes all this while and the Gentiles have had none in the 7. churches although Christ wrote to them yet they were no heaven or church too absurd Thirdly this must be understood of the church of the Gentiles because the Jewes were broken off as Rom. 11.15.24 i. e. from being a church and the Gentiles graffed in and made an heaven Fourthly for the Kingdome of heaven which was offered to them and preached among them but they put it away from them Acts 13.46 The Kingdome of heaven was taken away from them and given to the Gentiles above 1600. yeares and therefore the Jewes could not be the first heaven because they did not receive it when it was offered but despised the counsell of God therefore if the first kingdome of heaven was given to the Gentiles then the first heaven belongs to them For as Christ came to his owne but his owne received him not so the kingdome of heaven was preached to them but they received it not The causes why the Churches of the Gentiles shall depart and the Church of New Ierusalem appeare Note Fiftly This cannot be meant of the Iewes that they are now the first heaven because as the Apostle speaketh of Oxen doth God take care for Oxen. 1 Cor. 9.9 So doth God take care for Iewes that are made the Synagogue of Sathan Rev. 2.9 For that which is so is not an heaven Therefore the first heaven that passed away is to be understood of the Church of the Gentiles for the true Church of the Gentiles was the Kingdome of Heaven Matth. 3. Matth. 13. Now the causes why the first heaven of the Churches of the Gentiles depart are these Causes why the Churches of the Gentiles depart First the church of Ephesus was a famous heaven watered with the bloud of the Martyrs in the 10. persecutions of the primative Church built upon the baptisme into Christs death for remission of sinnes and faith in the same as Act. 2.38 Act. 8. Act. 10. Act. 16. and Act. 22.16 and on the love of God shewed in the same as Eph. 5.25 Tit. 3.5 Rev. 1.6 But because they forsooke their first love of Christ 1. e. Their first Baptisme wherein the first love of Christ was shewed to take a second Baptisme which they did by the counsell of the Hereticks Pelagians and Donatists that all that were baptized by Hereticks must be baptized againe and because they did not know who was baptized by Orthodox men they rebaptized the people which was iniquity of so high a nature a sinne against the worke of the Holy Ghost that Christ removed the Candlestick of the church out of that place by the Turke and so that heaven is departed 2. The church of Smyrna though a famous rich conquering reigning Church in the time of Constantine the great for it was rich as the Lord said Rev. 2.9 i. e. In the faith of one Baptisme for remission of sinnes as the Article of the Niceen Creed declares but in time they followed after Ephesus as all the other churches of Greece they forsooke the truth of one Baptisme the first love of God declared Tit. 3.5 as many now doe in these dayes by forsaking their first Baptisme into Christs death for remission of sinnes for it was never knowne that the truth did continue in one place above an hundred yeares but they forsooke it or fell from it into some false faith or reigning sinne Ma. 3. The church of Pergamus 1. e. Of old Rome is departed from being a church because they maintained the doctrine of Balaam i. e. Idolatry and fornication and the Doctrine of the Nicholaitans by Stewes whoredome Mi. Therefore Christ fought against them with the sword out of his mouth and Con. they are departed from being true church for where God fights against a church for sinne by the sword out of his