porters of evil reports dyed immediately by the Plague and all Israel whom they had infected with the Pestilence of that Apostacy all to a man from twenty years upwards two excepted dyed in the wilderness ver 29. And all that sad Prophetick story is told as it were mutato nomine of their Anti-type the body of Apostacy who by their generality pretend to be the Church Catholick who cast away look not after the Promises in the Prophetick Scriptures nor after substantial truth and obedience but basely espouse a trivial superficial shallow though somewhat literally sound knowledge with obedience conform which is the productor of evil reports blasphemies persecutions and the path-way that the son of perdition came when he came with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness about the year 412 as will instantly appear For this way is deceiveableness it self most deceitful and that sin chiesly that shuts Heaven whiles they and their complices conceive it to be the only Key to open it This was the way of his coming about the year four hundred seven ten or twelve let us turn therefore our eyes to about that time to see more clearly both the time way and manner of his coming St. Hierom's Record and he 's the fittest testator here best occurreth his commencement at such a time and in such a manner as the Apostle predicted and I here have briefly described Of him Erasmus as Clarkes Church-History witnesseth thus writeth Quis doces aptiùs quis delectas urbanùs St. Jerom was in Erasmus esteem as it might appear the best Teacher and most delightful writer of all the Fathers He also lived and was at Rome in that very juncture of time when the Christian world was turning upon the hinge of Apostacy and commencing that grand revolt which â—he Apostle speaks of Therefore his Authority the best of any may here stand good But he about the year 406 as we shall shew call'd Rome-Christian the Meiropolis of the then revolting world a receptacle of Devils and faln Babylon And St. Jerom sure a most vigilant Father of the Church and a sober Writer would not have called Rome-Christian then-reviloing faln if he had not seen good reason or rather real truth for it that she was then faln or in falling But he gave sufficient reasons and those reasons we shall afterwards abundantly shew to be real truths For it follows * When I livea saith he in Babylon an inhatitant of the purple whore after the Roman Laws I would have written something of the holy Ghost and have dedicated the Treatise to the Bishop of that City And behold that seething pot which was seen in the Prophet Jeremy looking out of the North beginneth already to buil and the Senate of Pharisees cryed out at me all at once Neither was there so simple a Scribe in all that ignorant Rabble which conspired not against me wherefore I am now as it were out of Captivity neturned to Jerusalem c. Tempora mutanfur A sudden change into a strange Antithesis Rome of late the City of Righteousness revolted as in a moment to be the Head of the Mystery of Iniquity and her Professors once fruitful in all good works were turned Pharisces And the Senate saith he of Pharisces cryed out at me all at once neither was there so simple a Scribe in all that ignorant Rabble that conspired not against me Against whom Against St. Jerom whom the Papists themselves acknowledge to be a Reverend Father of the Church Ah persidious people of the City of Apostacy How soon is the Metropolis her self of the Primitive Church become unstable as waters and the once firm sear of her faithful Witnesses revolted from Faith and manners For the manners of that upstart proud Catholick-Church pretending Apostacy were mores Iniquissimi most inhumane above Heathens insolencies even to St. Jerom one of the ablest and most worthy Fathers of the Church who apparently had more serious and real worth and solid depth of good ground in him then all the petty pibble Quarry of that proud Senate of Pharisees had And this anti-type Church-Catholick pretending Apostacy when she but began to put forth her rebellious head and first opened her blasphemous mouth against the faithful Witnesses of the truth had as much as all her Types had deceitful grounds sufficient to pretend to a Church-Catholick and might and probably did thus plead Why Jerom do you coms by your Dedications to dictate to us as if we needed your instructions in the tenents of the Homousian Faith Had we needed your help we had sent for you And what need do you think can the Supream Representatives of the Catholick-Church here have of your help a single and obscure person And will you insult alone over the Catholick-Church tax ber with covetousnesse rash censures want of Charity Oppression Apostacy and we know not what Is this your Christian meckness and submission Cannot the City live in peace for you nor the Church in quiet We all all here as one man disdain your daring boldness and detest your pride And the Senate of Pharisees said Jerom cryed out at me all at once c. The Apostacy the truth-opposing Apostacy was or then seemed Catholick and the true Catholick-Church fled or was then flying away into the Wilderness That wicked apostacy even in her Infancy had aspired to the false title of the true Catholick-Church whom she most persecuted and conspired against her most faithful Witnesses And that if the Records of many besides Jeroms may be believed in the Metropolis of the true Primitive but then revolting Church This Apostacy therefore as her Types were seemed general or Catholick and did deeply deceive her self and those that dwelt upon the Earth with the falsly arrogated or stoln title of the true Catholick and Apostolick Church St. Jerom was no base Porter of evil reports no morose â—ash tâ—â—ie accuser but the most faithful of all the Fathers at least then living to reprove exhort correct rebuke instruct Et quis docet aptiùs None taught with more sincere and true Christian candor But relapsing Rome thus reproved plainly by him pay'd dear for her Apostacy and obstinate impenitence For about the very next year and that fully confirms the truth of his reprooss and the equity of his just complaints was Rome besieged made tributary and the body of her Christian Empire began to be translated And about five years after the City the second time besieged was taken plundred burnt and almost totally depopulated by the Plague Sword Famine Fire Then might that miserable City call on Jerom and cry Solon Solon Then was the first and best head of the Sea born beast secular and Papal wounded as it were unto death upon the day of his Birth or so soon as he was brought forth And then Rome Papal or the tenfold body of Apostacy persisting still obstinate and impenitent was with her revolting head or Metropolis the Ruines of Rome literal given up
that dwelt upon the Earth saith the Text and with them the Primitive Sects and dissenters blinded by this Architectors words and works words of deceit workes of false miracles came or rather as it were fled as the afflicted pursued Primitive Church also did into this tenfold City of deceit The Church fled into it out of necessity and constraint but the rest flowed to it so glorious were its buildings and its builders strong delusions instead of Zion and as to the true Catholick Church In this Decapolity of deceit especially in the time of the building of it did they that dwelt upon the Earth and the Dragons floods concenter in a deceitful unity and they and all Sects as the different Species in the Ark rested in her somewhat peaceable for a short space And thus much of the Son of perdition his coming with all deceivableness of unrighteousness when he first laid his foundation of deceit pulled down Primitive Church-Priviledges and built his Decharcy of the Apostacy from about 407 to about 620. We shall now shew his further proceedings after 620. The False Prophet's further Progress in supporting but with a much more remiss hand his new built City of Apostacy HE his work by him thus finished about the year 620 did not lay aside but less regarded his first but fitter instruments of deceit whereby he built that City Therefore it fell to many decayes for want of his wonted care and soon became as it were equally divided betwixt Christians and Mahumetans For The false Prophet remitting his usual stricter reignes of government began to indulge himself more then before to sensual delights would oft wallow in the filthy styes of Spiritual Sodom oft accompany himself with the beast in secular covetousness oft with the Dragon in voluptuous pleasures Nor did he so cast aside Secular and Spiritual wickedness but superadded sensual filthiness to both In a word he stearing a most irregular course ran the hazard to destroy his new erected Decaprincipality continuing and proceeding still worse till about the year 1210. Nor did he then reclaim himself but rather disclaimed to be some shelter as formerly to the Gospel Church nor did he so much defend her as before from the second Dragons fury but loosed the till then for about 1000 years bound first Dragon upon her That is he acted the Dragons part himself by persecuting her members after the manner of Dioclesian For he and by his procurement the King of France Commissioned Simon Earl of Montford to perpetrate most horrid Massacres upon her Then also that loosed Dragon or not long after sent abroad his bloody Inquisition breathing forth slaughter both to Papists and Protestants that had but so much as the least appearance of honesty or religion Howbeit the thus afflicted Church found some small shelter from Religious Kings Nobles and Emperours And the Gibelin Faction afforded her some succour But she continued thus troden under the loosed Dragons feet and driven by fierce storms and tempests till about the year 1417. Next and not without great need came in the Locusts a relief to the Church ready to perish by the rage of the loosed Dragon Apocal. 9.1 to the 12 ver But here may Elephants swim or rather these Texts seem fathomless Here difficulties with double files stand prepared to stop my progress Therefore I must of necessity first unty many Gordian knots seeming indissoluble Because these Locusts seem to be Reformists most deceitfully formal some refuge to the Church and so most difficult to be discerned though most contrary to them from true Saints men somewhat reformed in Doctrine nothing in manners but affecting manners more confining upon the deceiveableness of Spiritual wickedness then the usual practices perhaps of former Hypocrites But we shall first see what sacred Writt sayes of them And Smoak saith the Text ascended out of the bottomless pit and out of the Smoak came Locusts This shews them to be the Off-spring of those that hold forth only formal smoaky pretences of seeming-Religious deceits Secondly And smoak ascended out of the bottomless pit c. This also shews them to be the products of the bottomless pit whose duties devotions knowledge faith formal reformations and fruitless obedience are bottomless or have no bottom That is are without fidelity or veracity For veracity is the reality of truth the bottom of all gifts and graces without which they are inconform to Gospel rule and but formal smoaky deceits Therefore Reformation all reformation in Doctrine and not in Manners in Profession and not in Practice in Practice but not conform to Gospel Rule is bottomless reformation no reformation indeed but real deceits These Locusts seem the rather because said to ascend out of the bottomless pit to be the successors of the Gibelin Faction which and whose like Predecessors s ubservient to the secular horn of the Bicorn beast had regulated his temporal principality and spiritual superintendency with more seeming sober moderation and discretion of deceit during the time of his Spiritual horns extravagant and ambitious exorbitances for about 800 years In these Locusts at least near their latter end Anti-christ seems to end as he began at first with all or as it were double deceivableness For they had faces like the faces of men seeming sound doctrine and profession but neither so in deed but deceits ver 7. Secondly They had hair as the hair of Women a right ordered and right ordering discipline in appearance but that was nothing so but deceit ver 8. Thirdly They had Crowns like Gold like Crowns of righteousness and true obedience but they were not such but deceits ver 7. For they had O truculent cruelties of detracting covetousness teeth of Lions ver 8. They strictly in a blind profession profest Christ and pursued Covetousness eagerly Fourthly their shapes were like horses prepared to battel ver 7. And yet their shapes were partly like men partly like women and partly like unto Lions as we shewed before Therefore The Aggregate of their politick body was Chimaera multiformis a manifold monster of mysterious deceit But their shapes their principal shapes were like horses prepared to battel They were all more or less bent as in a military order against those that had not the seal of God in their foreheads All rallyed as in several Regiments in sundry factions against them But they were commanded not to hurt the Grass nor any green thing nor any Tree ver 4. That is not the servants of God that had his seal in their foreheads whose doctrine they partly espoused whose persons and professions though they followed not their manners they defended For That was as it were a command from God not to hurt but defend them because they much alike outwardly embrac'd the same common faith and profession Therefore They by an implicit command of a much like common profession were commanded not to hurt these but only those men that had not the seal of God in their
the first-fruits are in future to come then these pretenders incult and careless of true Christian practice cannot be the first-fruits for others to follow Such Professors cry up with vain acclamations old Errors and Deceits for new Lights and are so far found lyars We shall now enquire Fourthly What is here meant by Mount Sion in the Text It s Type had its higher and lower parts It s higher part contained Moriab Sion and Calvary On Moriab stood the Temple On Sion was the Tower and City of David On Calvary was Christ crucified Jerusalem was built on the lower part of it The upper and lower parts had the denomination from its highest part of Mount Sion Sion and Sinai are Synantitheses or directly contrary So was the Wilderness and the Land of Promise As Jerusalem was the Metropolis of the Land of promise and Sion the chief place of note therein So Sinai was the Head and Symbole of the barren Wilderness Their disparities appear thus expresly from the Text. Tell me saith the Apostle Do ye not hear the Law for is written That Abraliam bad two sons the one by the Bond-Maid the other by a Free-Woman which things are an Allegory For these are the two Covenants The one from Mount Sinai which is Hagar and engendreth to bondage But he of the Free-woman was by Promise And Jerusalem above the Mother of us all is free The Mother of us all That is of all Sarah's Seed the sens of promise Wherefore Sion and Sinai as Types differed as Hagar and Sarah as the two Covenants as Grace and the Law Life and Death Bondage and Freedom Type Sion was a threefold foundation the substructure of the Temple of the City of God of the City of David Thither the twelve Tribes came to keep the Passover Therefore Type Sion was a Figure of the Foundation of the Church of God and a literal place But Spiritual Sion no literal place shall be the Antitype-foundation of the Gospel-Church For the Lamb and with him 144000 having his Fathers Name written in their foreheads shall stand there Ch. 14.1 The Foundation of the Church of God is transcendent Secondly Derivative The Transcendent Substructure is Deus in Christo pacatus God reconcil'd in Christ This Foundation the Rock and Pillar of Truth from eternity stands for ever The Derivative Foundation of the Gospel-Church is the knowledge and love of the Truth or a fruitful Faith in the Promises of God through Christ Christ said to his Disciples But who say ye that I am Peter said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Jesus answered Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church Matth. 16.15 This Derivative foundation of the Gospel-Church was the Faith which Peter confessed and it had respect to and was built upon that first and transcendent Foundation This Derivative Foundation a living and fruitful Faith shall be that Mount Sion Ch. 14. where those conscript 144000 the Antitype of Solomons Temple shall stand and whereon the City of God shall be built Chap. 21.2 The Prophetick-promises are express and the Texts full and clear that prove it which notwithstanding many may object and say That this Foundation was laid long before The Assertion I confess and grant that this foundation was laid long before even in the Primitive times But a falling away was to come and a departing from the Faith 1 Thess 2. 1 Tim. 4.1 For the Church at least in a very large measure forsook the Rock of her safety the Foundation of her standing fell from Heaven where she stood and fled into the Wilderness for 1260 years Revel 12.1 6 14. So the Prototype-Church Jacobs family fell away departed out of the Land of Promise fled into the Wilderness and into her place there prepared of God To wit Egypt the most barren place in that Wilderness were it not miraculously prepared of God and as it were in the middle of it and returning thence through part of the Wilderness turned aside there also They were then far remote and long removed from the Type-foundation Sion literal where Abraham would have offered his son Melchizedeck was King of Righteousness and where the Lord was twice seen in abundant Grace and Mercy So their Antitype the Gospel-Church was long removed as aforesaid into the Spiritual Wilderness from the foundation of her standing But as many of the captives carried to Babylon were mindful of Sion and would not forget Jerusalem Psal 137.5 6. So some of the faln servants of God in the Gospel-Church have had some weak desires of Sions welfare and are somewhat though very little mindful of their first foundation But may some say this foundation Faith in the Promises stands still firm I Answer Sion stood after the City and Temple built upon it were turned to ashes but it was left desolate the living were departed the dead only and the slain were left there as the Lamentatious declare at large And so the Faith of the Antitype revolted-Church in the Spiritual Wilderness was and is a desolate Faith a Faith fruitless or far from being fruitful in the practice of good Manners and at least drawing near to a dead Faith and therefore no way fit to be the Foundation of the Gospel-Church adorned to be the Lambs Bride Ch. 21.9 But Antiype Sion shall be a fruitful Foundation a living Faith giving life to the City of God that shall be built thereon For Such as the Tree is such is the Fruit and such as this Foundation shall be the Superstructure upon it But these 144000 the Antitype of Solomons Temple built thereon shall be undefiled and withour fault saith the Text vers 4.5 That is Their Righteousness shall be so perfect in a fourfold conformity but there is no man that sinneth not I Kings 8.4 6 that it shall be a sweet Savour and a Sacrifice well-pleasing to God But the Faith of the Gospel Wilderness-Church is as was that of her Prototype a barren faith affording very little fruit to Gods glory or the good of men The Wituesses we read were to be killed And this faith is much after the manner of the Carcasses of those killed Witnesses And indeed their Carcasses was such a Faith a dead or dying faith having some small insensible and almost unperceivable true life For Faith without Works saith the Apostle is dead a Carcass of Christian Profession without power James 2.17 20. And such a Carcass of the killed Witnesses or somewhat like it the Spiritual Gentiles kept unburied to be a foundation to build the Apostacy of Antichrist upon and it 's the Pillars of it to support it Nor are inanimadversive clypt inconform half-performances any fruits of a living but the deceits of a dead faith Such a faith Such a fruitless foundation is Sinai not Mount Sion and most unfit to be the Substructure of the Church of the living God Nor can it procure his favour but his anger or enmity for so Sinai signifies
if it undeniably and irrefellibly appear That those Texts in the 11th and 16th Chapters hold forth Papal Rome only with her Subdivisions Then de illis actum est their work is done for them They must be as he that had not on his Wedding-Garment for ever speechless and remain silent Or rather they and their Sects shall as the Text foretold give glory to the God of Heaven chap. 11.13 Benhadad sent Bands of Souldiers to take Elisha in Dothan but they mistook the City and mistook the Man went to seek both in Samaria and mistook at first that City also Therefore they were far from accomplishing their Master's design that sent them So the best Writers and Expositors are sent by their great Master in Heaven to the great City of Confusion complex of many Sects to convert Papists and Infidels to resel Errors and reform Manners to convince and unite dissenting-Brethren But then here 's the misery They mistake this City or the meaning of those Texts that hold it forth Therefore it seems to me some of them have cause to fear till these and many like mistakes be removed lest they should fall short of accomplishing their Masters design that sent them Here some strong pleaders for gross mistakes may object and thus say Corah and his Company coming to Moses told him he took too much upon him But we may much better say of you You take too much upon you are very bold too proud in thus reproving even the best Expositors I answer It 's the strict charge of the living God Thou shalt not hate thy Brother but reprove him plainly And faithfull obedience to this Command is the effect of humility and fruit of Charity But they that hinder or oppose this practice or reprove fidelity in this duty seem rather to hold forth the pride of the Son of Perdition Secondly Nor will I willingly run the hazard of Eli's partiality and only say It 's not well done it 's an ill report but rather by plain reproof discharge my duty Is the Church of God like Joseph's garment all rent as by some evil beast by means of many gross mistakes and errours in Opinions and Manners And is this a time for many if not the most learned and religious Writers and Expositors to multiply mistakes to encrease errours in opinions and manners to contend earnestly for them as if they were the Faith delivered and to corrupt and deceive themselves and others by persisting so doing Nor do I here denote these few but many precedent subsequent gross mistakes which make men not know whether they should be Papists or Protestants or neither nor are they certain whose dictates to observe what Sect to follow Wherefore do Reformists hold Papists in suspence why halt they themselves betwixt pluralities of opinions Let them at least learn to know their mistakes in opinions and manners or meddle not with Papists For till this be first done they but fortifie the Papists and their subdivisions in their errours against themselves and create discords in and amongst those that dissent too much already Hence it occurreth That the Christian World and even the Church of God are so dangerously divided that those divisions threaten to destroy States and Churches Full conviction therefore in few words may stand in stead in this sad juncture of time First seek the Righteousness of the Kingdom of God and Forms the strife of these times must follow what true Forms of Godliness not repugnant to the present Government are and what the power of it is will I hope both briefly and plainly in its due place appear For not from but about these most and the most dangerous mistakes arise Errours in Opinions and Manners are in their effects wild-fire in the Church of God and Governments of Men So these times too truly testifie Wherefore it 's the duty of all to endeavour first and above all to quench those Church and State-consuming flames So Discords may cease dissenting-Brethren be fully satisfied firm Peace procured to all people Therefore this endeavour the more it 's contradicted or disowned is every man's first and chief duty But if any Writers think I do them the least wrong by these reproofs let them plead I impetrate no partiality Let them be they few or many give their conjoynt Objections in writing But if any bring more convincing evidence I shal humbly and thankfully acknowledge my satisfaction from their hand But Secondly Some may say That City in the 17th chapter and that in the 18th chapter is the same is called Mystery Babylon Therefore it must be Papal Rome I answer Rome Heathen and Imperial chiefly when the Orthodox apostate in manners were supream was called Mystery Babylon because her Iniquity and Mystery of that Iniquity increased as the Papal Apostacy increased until she was temporally translated in four hundred and ten or twelve and spiritually devolved into Papal Rome But that this City can be Papal Rome cannot possibly be credible to any sensible person that well considers it for the reasons aforesaid and those that follow But Thirdly Heathen Rome even before apostate Christians had the power might be Babel mystical because she was not literal or Prototype Babel And thus also she in Scripture-sense vvas or might be called Mystical Babylon But Fourthly The title and epithet of Mystery vvas more meet for literal Rome vvhen her Apostate Christians had power than for Papal Rome at her first commencement Because literal Rome at last and not Papal Rome at first had the greatest Mystery or deceitful plea to be the Apostles successors in found doctrine and good manners for their late predecessors had been such but they themselves were faln say the Texts and Church-history to be an habitation of Devils c. chap. 18.2 Therefore St. Jerom himself applyeth all those texts in the 17th and 18th chapters as The Purple-Whore Mystery Babylon and an habitation of Devils c. to Imperial and Christian but Apostate Rome and not to Rome Papal And the Athority of a primitive Father of so great note together vvith the record of Scripture and Church-history may abundantly counter-ballance the groundless contrary opinions of all other mistaking Writers For Fifthly Rome Imperial and Christian but Apostate in Manners was a Mystery a man would think of more Iniquity than Papal Rome ever was for many Ages after her first commencement because she was a little before her final excision faln to be the Mother of Abominations and Filthiness which Rome Papal her daughter inherited and became Terribilis miscens Sanctis Aconita Noverca no more a nursing Mother but a most cruel Stepmother to the then flying true Church and to the chief of the primitive Fathers For her whole Fraternity to a man conspired against St. Jerom as himself witnesseth And she became as Salvian testifies more intolerable for her filthiness than the very Arrians the worst of Sects were The harvest of her Abominations her Avarice Iniquities
and profitable to Man For so their site position and number import We find them not wandering in the Wilderness nor sitting under shadows of Death as they did before when the Woman fled into the Wilderness and her Witnesses were killed for 1260 years Revel 12.6 14. Ch. 11.7 9 11. But we find them situate and built standing no doubt after the Patern of the Lamb upon Mount Sion where Solomons Temple was built and so the Antitype of it Ch. 14.1 For We find their number to be 144000 Ch. 14.1 3. And the quadrate dimensions of Solomons Temple were 144000 Cubits thus cast up It s length 60 Cubits multiply'd by its breadth 20 Cubits makes its product 1200 Cubits which multiply'd by 30 Cubits the heighth of it makes 36000 Cubits whose square is 144000 Cubits And we find this sacred company to be 144000 to stand upon Mount Sion That is To be the Antitype of Solomons Temple or the true Gospel-Church returned out of the Wilderness and turned back to obedience That is To have the Name of the Father of the Lamb written in their foreheads which necessarily infers That this Caetus Virgineus must needs be Chorus Agni the Church of Christ That is The City of God re-built upon Mount Sion To wit upon inviolable Principles of Truth in Faith and Manners For Secondly Both their number and position imports a Quadruplex-conformity in practice For this City saith the Text lieth four-square in 12000 furlongs Ch. 21.16 It s Quadrate Dimensions it 's so easie and evident that it needs no casting up are 144000 furlongs which principally imports That the Righteousness of this Chorus incontaminatus should be of a Quadruplex-conformity or every way conform to that which is Right in it self A righteousness of arduous industry and acquisition directly contrary to the Goldlike-Crowns and deceits of Locusts and Hypocrites Thirdly The Name of God shall be in the foreheads of his servants the inhabitants of this holy City saith the Text Chap. 22.4 And his Name shall be written in the foreheads of these 144000 Ch. 14.1 Therefore these 144000 shall be that City of God I omit for brevity many other comparityes betwixt this conscript 144000 Ch. 14. and the holy City Ch. 21. The Position of the Prototype twelve Tribes about the Tabernacle was in a fourfold figure And their Antitype this 144000 Ch. 14. are of a square number And the holy City Ch. 21. is to be both of a quadrate number and figure And this fourfold congruity betwixt both in their number in the Name of God in the place of that Name and in their quadrate position signally proves that these 144000 Ch. 14. shall be the same City of God Ch. 21. And likewise that the practice of that quadrate polity for such as the Tree is such is the Fruit shall be a righteousness of a quadruplex or fourfold conformity which only or what tends thereunto is substantial and true Righteousness All other is but deceits We have already shown who that Lamb upon Mount Sion shall be Secondly Who these conscript first-fruits that shall attend him are to be And Thirdly We shall further enquire why this conscriptcompany is called The first-fruits redeemed c. Or from what and for what they shall be so redeemed And first from what they shall be redeemed To which I answer They shall be redeemed from doing the works of Heathens and Hypocrites that are contrary to Gospel-rule And from those obscure commixt works of proud careless true Christians that are inconform to Christs Commands and render them though true Saints doubtful to themselves and others whether they be such or not Secondly We shall enquire for what they should be thus redeemed The Text expresly answers this demand in these words These are the first-fruits That is They should be thus redeemed to be the first-fruits or foregoing examples for all Ages to follow To wit To draw the Nations both Heathens Sects and Saints to practise good works conform to that which is right in it self For the works of Hypocrites have no power to draw others to practise sincere obedience because they by their works give not nor can give any good examples for Papists Jews or Turks to follow Nor can careless true Christians corrupt in Manners draw others nor be drawn without those first-fruits for them to run after their examples Therefore All Sects and Nations without these first-fruits and the Lamb for their Patern must remain statu quo prius ever unconverted never truly united but be as they are and long have been Or be if that be possible worse than ever they were Sic subitò deterrima deteriora si sint sequentur Saecula For corrupt careless slothful true Christians cannot run nor draw others to run the ways of Gods Commands They though their Doctrine were most sound they strict and devour their gists great and many have more need to be drawn than power to draw others by their examples Their drawing is rather a drawing back of themselves and a with-holding of others from pressing forwards For the proud covetous careless conversations of such true Saints have no attractive force to good draw forceably to evil Their slothful pains of careless Levity Pride and Avarice are usually fond and rash impugnations of censorious ignorance against the practice of that which is right Therefore the secret and scarce discerned Graces of such true Saints are too feeble to draw others by solid Doctrine or depth of Knowledge which they never seek after Or by good examples which they never give These are no attractive first-fruits though they may in due time be drawn by them But The Righteousness of these first fruits shall be opposite to the works of darkness Justitia manifesta works of Light made thereby manifest and for that cause forceable to draw he Nations Men Sects and Saints to God and to bind the attentive ears of all to hearken and obey by its delicious harmony Nor shall that sacred company serve for Paterns of practice to posterity but be Gnomon judicij vel Norma judicandi the Rule of Right Judgment to all Saints Sects and Professors that pretend to extraordinary gifts of the Spirit of God and to be endowed with power from above above their brethren of present or former times Such may try and judge themselves and discern and be discerned by others in a very large measure whether they be led by the spirit of delusion or by the Spirit of Truth and Sobriety For The Gospel-Church was to be in the Wilderness vailed in great obscurity involved in great distresses and decaying daily in Graces for 1260 years and until these first-fruits her Off-spring should begin to stand upon Mount Sion Therefore all Sects and Professors that pretend to be endowed extraordinarily with Gifts and Power from above before this time expire appear inevitably and may appear to themselves by undeniable Record of Sacred Scripture to be so far Impostors and Seducers of others For if