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A89161 The down-fall of Babylon or, The ruine of Antichrist : being that mystery of iniquity, which beginneth to worke in the children of disobedience, the Independents. / By Alexander Mingzeis minister of Gods Word. Mingzeis, Alexander. 1647 (1647) Wing M2192; Thomason E1184_6; ESTC R204875 9,425 33

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us But heere I shall intreat thee Christian Reader to consider what will become of this doctrine of our adversaries They say God seeth no sinne in Jacob nor transgression in Israel therefore be secure and let us sinne that grace may abound 2. Observe that if there be no sinne then the soule is made righteous but a righteous soule needes no Saviour therefore no wonder that our adversaries deny Christ Againe where there is no sinne there is perfection of grace but where there is perfection of grace there must also be perfection of glory for so much as glory is the reward of grace therefore by their owne consequent they must and do injoy Heaven upon earth which hath and doth make some of them not only not ashamed to deny the resurrection and generall judgement but also plainely to give forth The F●milist and the Millenatie that the resurrection is already past that Heaven is upon earth and that they enjoy Christ heere in the flesh If this be not Apostasie I know not what is I cannot but wonder therefore that our adversaries would seperate themselves from us Jude 19 seeing wee have more reason to seperate our selves from them But they are gone from among us because they were not of us 1 Joh. 2.19 and heerein they are farre worse then the Pope for albeit he have swarved in some things yet hath he not denyed the Articles of the Faith as it is proved our adversaries both have and doe And therefore also I must confesse I should have taken the Pope to have beene the Antichrist but that I finde a worse to stand up in his roome It is said of that man of sinne and sonne of perdition ● Thes 2.1 That he opposeth and exalteth himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that as God he sitteth in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God And doe not our adversaries so For in the first place they take themselves to be the only people of God condemning all but themselves 2. They oppose and advance themselves above all that is called God Above Christ above the Scriptures above people above Priest above Magistrate above Minister and above all the world So that their power may well be compared unto the Beares foote spoken of in the Revelation which in Daniel is said to breake in pieces Rev. 13 2. Dan. 7.6 to devoure yea and to stampe all things under its feete I read of a woman in the Revelations that was cloathed with the Sun Rev. 12.1 and had twelve Starres upon her head and had the Moone under her feete but I never read of a woman that trampled both Sun Moon Stars all under her feete Fourthly our adversaries doe not only deny Scripture in generall by calumniating and traducing it But also in particular in flatly denying some part of it As first the booke of Psalms questioning the Author because some of the Psalmes beare the Titles of others besides David 2. They question the first and second booke of the Kings because they are thought to containe no other thing then what is expressed and set down in the first and second booke of the Chronicles 3. They question some of the smaller Prophets as Amos by name because he was a heards man Amos 1.1 4. In the new Testament some of them question Saint Lukes Gospell and the Acts because the Authour was a Physition The booke of the Hebrewes because the Authour is uncertaine The Epistle of Saint Jude because there was one of Christ kinsmen of that name in Mathewes Gospel because he was a Publican and the Revelation because it was written in Johns banishment when he was in the Isle of Patmos Finally and in a word they make but little or no accompt of the whole booke of the old Testament because they conceive old things are done away and all thinges are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 Not waying that the two Testaments are like twinnes or the two Tables of stone in so much that whosoever imbraces the one must also make use of the other because what is contained in the one is also concluded in the other For as the old Testament which containeth the Law doth also include the Gospel by way of promise and Revelation So the new Testament which containeth the Gospel Joh. 13 34.35 doth also include the Law by way of precept which is love Ro. 13.10 being the fulfilling of the Law Gen. 38.27 So that like Thamars twins they seeme to goe hand in hand What therefore God hath joyned together let no man put asunder Lastly as our adversaries the Independents deny God deny Christ deny the Scriptures So likewise they deny all humane power and authority whether it be Ecclesiasticall or Civill Government And first they deny humane authority in the Church for they will have no superiour in the same and their reason is Mat. 23.8 because they are brethren forgetting that Timothy was Bishop of Ephesus and Titus Bishop of Crete And that Paul gives charge to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus that they should take heede unto themselves Act. 20.28 and to all the flocke over the which the holy Ghost had made them over seers And the Author to the Hebrewes plainely exhorts us to obey them that have the rule over us Heb. 13.17 seeing they watch for our soules as they that must give accompt for them that they may doe it with joy and not with griefe seeing that is unprofitable for us And the Apostle in Timothy exhorts that the Elders which rule well 1 Tim. 5.17 should be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine where we shall finde 3 orders or degrees of Rulers in the Church in the Apostles time First of Bishops though they be now cryed down which succeeded the Apostles 2. Of Elders which were also preaching Ministers but had not so great a power as Bishops 3. Of Deacons or reading Ministers which had no power in the Church but only to serve the poore and administer the sacraments as appeareth by the 6 of the Acts and 5 verse I deny not but that there were also Lay-Elders whom we call Church-wardens but they served only to keepe the treasury of the Church and to see good order and decorum kept in it And were joyned with the preaching Elders but might not medle with the dispensation of the word Secondly as Scripture doth allow of Ecclesiasticall government so of civill or politicall And first whereas our blessed Saviour told Pilate that he could have no power ever him Joh. 19.11 but that it was given him from above Where observe that Christ was subject even to a heathen Prince a Tyrant and an Infidell And the Apostle exhorteth us to be subject unto the higher powers Ro. 13.1 declaring withall as Christ had done before that there is no power but what is ordained