with it All which indgements doe teach the Church at this day true iudgement namely to set it selfe both against small against great companyes if they withstande or refuse the true discipline of the church For Ieremie saith of him selfe that he was as a contentious man and a man that did striue with the whole earth euery one did curse him his owne familiars watched for his halting as he saith in another place he was in derision daily and euery one mocked him for he called thē al an assembly of rebels priuate famillar felloshippe he brake off with them as was shewed before and openly he came not amongest them but only to proclaime their sinnes and preach vengeance against them If it bee then asked whether Ieremie did condemne them al as none of the church and people of God let Ieremie him selfe answere it for indeede by their vsuall and common profession and trade of life they shewed not them selues to be the people and Church of god For as it is written both the great men and rulers and also the inferiour and poorer people had all together broken the yoke and burst the bandes In the streetes of Ierusalem and in the open places there could not a man be fonnde that did execute iudgement and sought the trueth that the Lord might spare the citie And he sayeth in another place They are all rebellious traytours they are brasse and yron they are all destroyers they shall call them reprobate siluer because the Lorde hath reiected them From the least of them euen to the greatest of them euery one is giuen vnto couetousnesse and from the Prophet euen vnto the Priest they all deale falsely They are all vnto me saith the Lorde againe as Sodome and the inhabitants thereof as the people of Gomorrah yet I doe not doubt but that there was the Church and children of God amongest them For Ieremie him selfe and Barucke was with them for Isaiah witnesseth that when iudgement was turned backewarde and iustice stoode a farre off so that all trueth and equitie failed yet I say there were some that refrained from euill and were made a pray to the rest In deede openly there was none to reforme the church of all his children there was none that tooke her by the hande to bring her into the way For the Lorde sought for a man among them that shoulde make the hedge and stande in the gappe before him for the land that he should not destroy it but he found none Yet there were those that had a marke on their foreheades as mourning and crying for all the abominations that were committed And if it be asked whether these were a visible church of God it is answered by Ezekiel in another place that among the heathen and in the countreyes where the Lorde did scattere them he was as a litle Sanctuarie vnto them whereby is meant that though they wanted the visible signe of the tēple and Sanctuarie at Ierusalem yet their holy conuersation shoulde shewe the Lord to be among them and that the Lorde would iudge betweene sheepe and sheepe betweene the rammes and the goates It is manifest that the Synagogogues of the Iewes in Antiochia and Ephesus were the churches of God yet when Christ was preached vnto thē and they withstoode Paul and Barnabas did Paul or Barnabas stay for the consent of the most part to cast them off Did they not foorthwith separate the disciples and gather the church apart from thē yea will M C. say for they were worthy to be cast off seeing they refused Christ. Then belike it is true that one man or a fewe persons may cast off whole churches for some greater sinnes and offences How then is it true which M. C. saith that one man being founde iudged to deserue separation should not be separate except the most part do consent He wil say peraduēture that he excepteth idolaters apostates frō the Lord. why then did he giue a generall rule without naming such exceptiōs yet Christ for all disobedience in refusing any message of God doth giue cōmandement euen to all and euery one of his messengers to cast off whole cities and churches as being in a worse case then Sodome and Gomorrha For if they receiue you not sayeth he nor heare your wordes when ye depart out of that house or that citie shake off the dust of your feete against them He will answere that their sinne also of not receiuing the messengers of Christ was the sinne of Apostacie And is not this a message from Christ when one or a fewe persons doe iustly rebuke the congregation for ouerthrowing the Lordes discipline and treading his scepter vnder foote and is not his scepter cast downe and his kingdome polluted when he which is manifestly knowen and prooued to deserue separation can not be cast out But againe he will say that those cities and churches were not cast off for refusing the Lordes messengers but for refusing such a message as they brought namely that the Christ and Messiah was nowe come in the flesh Surely til after the death of Christ they had no such message For Christ straightly charged his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Iesus the Christ meaning that till his death and rising againe it is not meete that that doctrine shoulde be blased abroade but it was sufficient for that time if they generally beleeued in the Messiah as the Iewes also did and refused him not when he shoulde be preached more clearely yet long before his death was the commandement giuen concerning those houses or cities which shoulde refuse his messengers yet in deede it is true that they which refuse his discipline and gouernement do also refuse Christ him selfe and so it is the sinne of apostacie For so it is written Those mine enemies which woulde not that I shoulde reigne oner them bring hither and slay them before me But hereto they will answere that yet till iudgement was executed by the Lorde him selfe they were called his Citizens for so the text sayeth that his Citizens hated him and sent an ambassage after him saying we wil not haue this man to reigne ouer vs. But doe they not knowe that they are called his Citizens because they should haue bene so and were not but became his enemies Indeede they were Citizens in name only but not in deed So Ierusalem in name was called the citie of God yet in deede it became that great Citie as it is written which spiritually is called Sodome and Aegypt where our Lorde also was crucified The Iewes were planted a noble vine as Ieremie witnesseth and Isaiah sayeth that the vineyard of the Lorde of Hostes was the house of Israel and the men of Iudah were sometymes his pleasant plant but nowe they are turned vnto me sayeth the Lorde into the plantes of a strange vine yea that we be
things is described the ioy of Dauid in that Psalme namely That the people should go into the house of the Lorde that their feete shoulde stande in the gates of Ierusalem and that there were thrones set for iudgement Nay sayeth Master Cartwright the houses fayre buildings did figure the Church of God and the walles did figure discipline only This is his owne dreame euen an imagination of his owne head For not the houses of the city did figure the spirituall house of God or his citye but the Temple Neyther was the city without the walles any figure but onely by the walles And therefore doth Nehemiah say in the seconde Chapter That he woulde builde the Citie because hee meant to builde the walles of the Citie But let Master Cartwright remember himselfe and shewe any place in the worlde that is called a city and yet hath not the walles of a City Or an orcharde garden or close so called without a hedge a wall or some safe inclosing of fensing Are a clump of fruite trees called an orcharde yf they stande open in the fielde without any fence or is a fayre piece of grasse grounde named a close if it be not enclosed So by his owne vayne reason he ouerthroweth him selfe And wheras he sayeth that after their returne from Babylon the Citie is called the Citie of the great king euen before the walles were builded what proofe bringeth he for that It is called a city indeede by Nehemiah but a destroyed and waste Citie hee meaneth that it had bene a Citie but nowe is destroyed and waste and he saith he would builde the citie not that it was nowe a citie for then it had bene buylded to his hande but the vse of speach is that where a city hath bene to call the place and the ruinous heape of stones by the name of the Citie And so in Ezra before their returne from Babylon The Heathen King Cyrus calleth the place of Ierusalem by the of Ierusalem yet was neither the people of God there nor the Temple of God Yea Zion was plowed like a fielde and Ierusalem was an heape and the mountaine of the house was as the high places of the forest And being in that case it figured rather the desolation of the spirituall Ierusalem which in the Reuelation is called Sodome and Aegypt and howe then could it be the City of God saue onely in Name for that it had bene so Likewyse his descantyng about a vineyarde is against himselfe For there can be no yarde or court except it haue the walles or fence of a yarde or count and so where no yarde is there may be vynes growing but there can bee no vineyarde And so where discipline is wanting there may be some graces of God appearing as knowledge and an outwarde subiection to mens lawes and to Magistrates yea there may be Gods secrete elect children and an outwarde false shewe of religion and deuotion and yet no true shewe nor face of an outwarde and visible Church of God Nowe Master Cartwright commeth to that poynt concerning the dumbe minister of whome as he so wee also haue spoken before But here he prooueth the Sacraments ministred by such to be Gods Sacraments and that men may receiue them lawfully His proofes are like wynde blowen out of a bladder he myght rather laugh at them him selfe then offer them to others to take viewe of his folly His first proofe is they are ministers but no lawfull ministers and they are ministers though they be Idol mynisters therefore he concludeth that though they be Idoles and vnlawfull ministers yet wee may heare thenâ— and receyue the Sacraments of them He confesseth them to bee vnlawfull and Idol ministers and yet their ministration or mynisterie must be good and lawfull This is as much as if one shoulde condemne a theefe and iustifie hys theft For if they be not messengers nor ministers from Christ then their message and ministerie is not from Christ but from the deuill For these be coniugates an vnlawfull minister and his vnlawfull ministerie a messenger from the diuell and his message from the diuell a wicked man to be abhorred and his wickednes to be abhorred Euen so it must needes followe that a minister being vnlawfull and of the diuell his action and deedes of ministration are vnlawfull and of the deuill And so the Lorde reasoneth that the people shoulde not heare the prophets that prophecied peace vnto them for he had not sent nor commanded them as who say because they were vnlawfull messengers therefore their message also was vnlawfull and to be refused But Master Cartwright sayeth that though they bee vnlawfull messengers and Ministers not of God yet their message and ministerie is of god For it is not a false or euil message or ministerie as was that of the false prophetes but good and necessarie for the Churche For that that is of Christ sayeth he is good and by their ministerie they giue vs that that is of Christ hee meaneth the Sacramentes and their reading of Common seruice And so hee concludeth that they are Ministers of good thinges Yea and hee addeth a further distinction that to vs they are ministers of god but to them selues or in respect of them selues they are vnlawfull ministers Surely these are trimme distinctions to carrye him blyndefolde hee can not tell whether For whether will hee wander in his vanities or howe many deuelish doctrines will hee heape vp together First hee sayeth they are vnlawfull ministers and yet ministers of god then that they are ministers of god but not lawfull ministers of god Thirdly that they haue their calling and allowaunce by the Church and yet are thrust vpon the Church Fourthly that eyther such dumbe ministers and theyr ministerie is of GOD or if they bee of the Diuell yet if the Bishoppe and his officers doe authorize them then the Churche doeth authorize them and noe man ought to refuse them Fiftely that their reading of seruice is to bee heard as being a good thing from christ sixtly that their sacraments are to bee receiued as good thinges from Christe Whereby also it followeth that Christe doeth sende such dumbe or blynde reading ministers to take charge of the people also that for a neede reading ministers may bee in the Churche in steade of preaching ministers Further that the Byshoppes maye thrust vpon the flocke what Ministers they lyst and giue them that authoritie and calling which God can not giue them Also that the people shall bee counted Gods people and Churche though they bee vnder the deuilles messenger and subiect to his guyding Howe vngodly and foolishe doctrine is all this and yet hee heapeth much more vnto it before his letter bee ended It is written that the Lorde is ryghteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes If then anye Minister bee of God howe shall he bee an vnlawfull minister or if he bee vnlawfull howe
the name of God figured the visible Church of god so that this matter toucheth M. C. very neerely For if it be true that as all sacrifices then so all sacraments now are rebellion against the Lord being ministred without the visible Church of God then that sinne which he calleth a fault shalbe found to be more then a fault euen rebellion falling away from the Lord. And this is a sinne of execration euen abomination in the eies of the Lord to measure the visible church of god by a compasse of ground by a nuÌ„ber of housholdes by slint of tythes tenthes as we see in our parishes For the place maketh not the church neither is the church or true religioÌ„ to be measured by the place as Christ him selfe teacheth vs for neither in the mountaine where the father worshipped neither yet at Ierusale the citie of god was God any more to be worshipped but the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit truth By which words Christ meaneth thus much first that the spirit trueth being shewed by the outward good profession declare the outwarde Church of God and not the places neither temples nor cities nor parishes For in whome we see the spirit that is the graces of the spitit by their outward good works and the trueth that is the lawes and word of Christ which is true to be kept obserued them only we must call the Church of God And therefore in Isaiah it was shewed beforeâ— that with those only which turne from iniquitie in Iacob will the Lord make his couenant euen his spirite which is vpon them and his words which he hath put in their mouth Secondly by those wordes Christ teacheth that al the Iewish ceremonies shuld be abolished because the chiefest euen Ierusalem and the Temple should be no more For the temple at Ierusalem circumcision were the chiefest How great the citie and the Temple were it appeareth by that prayer of Salomon 1. Kinges 8. 29. And by sundry other places Deuteronom 12. 11. Ierem. 3. 17. Ezek. 43. 7. c. And of circumcision Paul reasoneth with the Galatians That if they be circumcised they are bounde to keepe the whole ceremoniall lawe for it being one of the chiefest ceremonies if they still obserued it they should also obserue all the rest but if they reiected the chiefest they should also reiect all the rest And to that ende Christ reasoneth that seeing all things are nowe to be verified in spirit and trueth therefore all ceremoniall and superstitious worship shoulde cease As also Paul reasoneth That if they be led by the spirit they are not vnder the ceremonies of the lawe So then it appeareth that tithings because they were ceremonies belong not to the Church And because such abomination is committed by them namely the due planting and gathering of the church is hindred and the libertie of the Church for remouing euil ministers stopped they are euen the execrable things which Achan did steale For if the common wealth as it ought had long agoe taken from the ministerie those tenthes and Popish liuings then Iericho being once destroyed I meane the Antichristian churches once put downe had not so soone bene built againe but nowe such tythings benefices and Bishoprickes remaining they haue builded by them an other Iericho in steade of the first in deede somewhat differing from the first but as contrary to Gods church and holy citie as was the first yea and Master Cartwright also wil iustifie that execrable stealth of Achan and call Iericho I meane those woefull assemblies and Parishes the visible church and citie of God But cursed be the man before the Lord saith Ioshua that riseth vp and buildeth againe this citie Iericho he shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne in his yongest sonne shall he set vp the gates of it Satan is that enuious and malitious man which hath builded againe this citie his eldest sonnes were the first beginners of this lamentable state whome God did afterwarde scourge and cal to repentance in the time of Queene Marie and brake their enterprise and his youngest sonnes are these latter reformers whome God also will certainely plague except they repeÌ„t But to come againe to Master Cartwrights proofe let him not say that we count any assembly whether they haue a dumbe minister oâ— haue none to be the outwarde Churches of God except they keepe the couenant by the outwarde discipline and gouernement of the Church Further Master Cartwright saith that in such assemblyes the dumbe minister is not chiefe but Christ and that wee make nothing of the dumbe minister and yet will needes haue him to be the head of those Churches Indeede we make nothing of him concerning any goodnes that is by him for he helpeth nothing thereto but concerning the mischiefe and hurt which he doeth or the sinne that is by him let him not say wee make nothing of it For if they be beastes as it is written so that by their want of vnderstanding and conscience the flockes of the pastour be scattered and perish shall we say it is nothing If they be those foolish shepheardes whome the Lorde saith by Zecharie he will raise vp in iudgement to sell and to slay the sheepe to eate the flesh of the fat and to teare them in pieces which also shall not looke for them that are lost nor seeke the tender lambes nor heale that is hurt nor feede them but rather feede them selues vpon their flesh shall we make nothing of such ministers But go to he sayeth that Christ is the head of those assemblyes and not the dumbe ministers That Christ is their head or fouÌ„dation he can not prooue as was shewed before wherefore for any thing he can prooue the dumbe ministers in the absence of the Bishops and their officers are the chiefe and heades ouer them That they are alwayes chiefe we saide it not for when the Bishoppes which are greater vsurpers are present then they are heades and both the dumbe ministers and hireling preachers may serue well ynough to bee the tayle For Satan hath all wayes by such as by the taile of the dragon drawing the third part of the starres of heauen and cast them to the earth What shall we vnderstande by heauen but the shewe of the church as it were set in heauen by the starres but the children of the church falling to wickednes and loosing their light Such are the people of those assemblies whom Satan hath cast vpon the earth as starres â—out light He bringeth another proofe by Corah and his company For they saith he were not cast foorth of the lords host by Moses therefore should not these assemblyes also which haue a dumbe minister thrust vpon them be reputed for runnegates from the Lorde well let vs see was not in deede Corah with those that claue to him put apart from the hoste
not beguiled with the Names of Gods house Church and Citie he him selfe hath giuen it a name as it is written the name of that city shalbe from that day The Lord is there And in this respect also it is called in Ieremie the throne of his glorie As who say that amoÌ„g whoÌ„soeuer we see not the Lord to reigne by his gouernement discipline as it were in the throne of his kingdom them we shuld â—â—dge not to be the city church of God And though the church â—o pray that God would not cast downe the throne of his glory nor breake the conant with them yet Ieremie bringeth in those wordes as a complaint of the penitent and not to proue that the wretched sorte either helde the couenant or were the throne of God Wherefore to conclude this matter The path and way of the Lord is holy as the prophet teacheth no polluted shal passe by it there shalbe no lyon no noysome beast shall ascend by it neither shall they be founde there whereby is meant that open and grosse sinners shall not be suffred in the Church For either they shall be separate by excommunication or els all the godly shall withdraw them selues from them and hold them accursed As it is written If any man loue not the Lorde Iesus let him be had in execration yea excommunicate to death And surely they loue not the Lorde but are his enemies as was shewed before which refuse his gouernment that he can not reigne ouer them And againe it is written This is the loue of God that we keepe his commandemeÌ„ts and he that sayeth I knowe god or I loue god and keepe not his commaudements is a lyar and the trueth is not in him Not that we can keepe his commandements without all breach or offence for wee are not Donatistes as the aduersaries slaÌ„der vs that we should say we may be without sinne or that the church may be without publike offences or if there fall out some sort of grosser sinnes that therefore it should cease to be the church of God we teach no such doctrine but if in any Church such grosse sinnes bee incurable and the Church hath not power to redresse them or rebelliously refuseth to redresse them then it ceaseth to be the Church of God and so remaineth till it repent take better order And here coÌ„meth in that question to be decided whether without the discipline coÌ„manded of Christ any assembly or church may be called the church of Christ M. C. saith that for want of this discipline we giue al the english assemblies the blacke stone of condemnation Howe truely he writeth this of vs his conscience is witnes for we neuer said that all the English assemblyes doe want discipline Thogh this matter be sufficiently debated before yet let vs weigh Master Cartwrights answere H sayeth that faith in Christ is the essence being or life of the church as for discipline it is but accidental and therefore the Church of God may haue her being and life and be named the church of God without discipline what worde of God doeth he bring for all this we knowe in deede that Christ is the life and essence of the Church For except as braunches we abide in him which is the true vine we can bring foorth no fruite we are cast foorth as branches and are to be consumed with fire Christ is the resurrection and the life He is the way the trueth and the life So it is true that Christ is the life of the church as for faith it is but the hand whereby we take hold of this life As it is written he that beleeueth in the sonne hath euerlasting life and he addeth vpon it as a tryall of faith euen our obedience to the sonne and saith he that obeyeth not the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of god abideth on him Nowe it was prooued before that they which are guilty of such horrible abuses so grossely offende by their corrupt and false profession haue not this faith neither do holde Christ the foundation But see how fondly blasphemously Master Cartwright distinguiseth He will haue a dead Christ or an Idol christ to be the life of the church For he will ioyne the church to Christ without the discipline and gouernement of Christ. He putteth asunder the church and the discipline of Christ and so must â—eedes sunder Christ from his owne discipline or gouernement Nowe Paul calleth this discipline the power of our Lorde Iesus christ So if wee seuer christ and his power what is he but a dead christ Also by his discipline and gouernement he hath ouer vs he is our king as againe it is written the scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnesse So if we seuer christ and his discipline rule and gouernement what is he but an Idol christ If Master Cartwright say that by the scepter there is meant nothing else but the power of the worde of God I graunt it as Paul saith I will knowe not the speach or wordes of these men but the power For the kingdome of God is not in worde but in power saith he and in the psalme The Lorde shall sende the rodde of this power out of Zion And the weapons of our warrefare are mighty through God as againe he writeth So then if the power of the word to bynde lose to remit or refaine mens sinnes to promise lyfe and to rebuke and giue ouer to execration be taken from Christ or the church of Christ what remaineth but an Idol or counterfet christ an Idol or counterfet church Thus while M C. wil haue faith in christ to be the life of the church without discipline he doth leaue christ himselfe without life as one that is dead or turned into an Idol yet further he proceedeth in his absurdities blasphemies saith that fayth only is the essence being or life of the church and that besides faith nothing is necessary to the very essence and being of the church Thus be like children which yet through want of discretion can not haue faith shall be without the essence life of the church How corrupt doctrine this is I neede not heere stand on it If he say that by the faith of the pareÌ„ts they haue life esseÌ„ce in the church the scripture is against him For by the promise the couenant made to the righteous to their seed are their childreÌ„ reckoned in the church not by their faith Therefore the faythful are called by Paul the children of promise For we are sayth he after the maner of Isaac children of the promise and againe to the Romans the children of the promise are counted for the true seede of Abraham But that by any mans faith his children or others should haue life essence in the church is the same false doctrine we refuted
the faythfull and Sayntes For though some fall away vnto wickednesse yet by the discipline of the Church the rest doe remaine as Saintes And that tytle of Saintes is agaynst Master Cartwright For if they be Sayntes and holy howe shall they shewe forth a wicked and vnholy profession and still be called the Sayntes and Church of God Though Paul wrote his Epistle to the Church and Sayntes at Corinth yet doeth he not thereby call the incestuous person or other grosse sinners the members or parts of that Church But in the fifth Chapter he calleth the incestuous person a wicked man and not a Saynt As for his tytle of the faythfull he can not shewe that Paul vseth it without addition of other wordes to shewe the good profession of that fayth as in that place To the Sayntes fayeth Paul at Ephesus and to the faithfull And though the tytle of the faythfull shoulde be vsed alone yet must we vnderstande their fayth shewed by an outwarde good profession Here also may that place be aunswered which they alleadge out of Paul Let a man examine himselfe and againe to the Romans Let vs not therefore iudge one another any more but they abuse these places as if Paul meant that we were not to iudge men by their fruites or the Church had not power to iudge those that sinne in the Church for these thinges wee haue prooued before but by iudging in that place wee must vnderstande a rash iudging or condemning of any for those deedes or workes they doe whereof they can giue a good and probable reason Likewise whereas Christ sayeth Iudge not that ye be not iudged he meaneth that wee must iudge or condemne no brethren as reprobates or rashly condemne that in them which is no fault at all or iudge euery man to be worse then our selues but rather we must iudge our selues to bee the chiefe sinners of all and yet also keepe the Lordes discipline of iudging and rebuking the wicked without spot and vnblameable Likewise to examine our selues that is our owne heartes and consciences belongeth to our selues but wee are not thereby forbidden to examine the outwarde abuses and faultes of others For it is written that we are to consider one another Also to marke others diligently to note others that wee looke not euery man on his owne thinges but euery man also on the things of other men Here also is that question answered of the Dutch Churches in hygh Germany which holde the errour of transubstantiation For indeede I iudge it to be an error and not an heresie except they obstinately pursue it with other grosse absurdities as doe some heretikes or with sworde and bloodshed as doe the Papistes and then without question they are not the Church of Christ but remaine in the state of condemnation tyll they repent As for those of our profession which are withhelde from the vse of the Lordes Supper that question followeth afterwarde to be answered and doeth nothing at all make against vs. Likewyse that matter of neglecting circumcision and the Passeouer the space of fourtie yeeres he shamefully abuseth For there was no negligence but a necessitie and commandement of omitting For that seruice of the passeouer was not to be kept after their comming out of Egypt saue at some special charge from the Lord as Nom 9. 2. till they came into the land of Canaan as appeareth in Exo 12. 25. and other places And it figured also their hasting both out of Aegypt and thorowe the wildernesse and therefore were they not to keepe it ordinarily euery yeere till they came to the lande of their rest And for this cause also was circumcision omited For being circuÌ„cised they were fore certaine dayes by reason whereof if they had bene circumcised they could not haue iourneyed after the cloud tabernacle So a necessitie was laid vpon theÌ„ For they were to iourney with the cloud and tabernacle as in Nombers Whether the cloude vpon the tabernacle was taken vp by day or by night All their iournâ—â—ing was by the commandement of the Lorde Now let vs come to other of his profes A city saith he may be a citie though it haue not the walles of a citie And so he reasoneth that Ierusalem was the Citie of the great King before Neheâ—â—â—h had builded the walles whereupon he concludeth that a Church may be the church of God though it want discipline Howe greatly here againe doeth M C. deceiue him selfe and others He knoweth that the Temple did figure out and signifie the church of God as well as the citie Ierusalem Nowe as the Temple was noe Temple of God but a ruinous heape without the walles of the temple and the foundation of the walles so the citie Ierusalem was said to lye waste as no citie of God till the walles were builded and the gates reared vp If he require proofe of both these we shewe him the Scripture For in the Psalme in Isaiah and in Matthewe Christ is set downe to be the sanctuarie and head corner stone in the building And in the Reuelation the twelue Apostles are called the twelue foundations of the wall of the holy citie and the gates the twelue trybes of Israel meaning all the nomber of Gods elect Nowe therefore let him iudge that seeing the Apostles and all the Saintes of God are builded in the walles of this citie howe it can bee the citie of God without the walles Yea he neither doeth nor can bring any worde of God that the walles shoulde signifie discipline onely and not rather the gathering and building of all the saints of god into one spirituall house city of god And therefore is there no mention made of any temple or other houses within the city yea the text saith that there was none such but the Lorde God Almightie and the Lambe are the Temple thereof And in the 121. psalme that hie coÌ„mendation of the building of IerusaleÌ„ is expounded in the 87. psalme wherein it consisted namely in the building of the walles gates therfore he praiseth it saying God laid his foundations among the holy mouÌ„taines the lord loueth the gates of Zion more then all the habitations of Iacob glorious things are spoken of thee O citie of God And in the fourtie and eyght Psalme Compasse about Zâ—on and goe rounde about it and tell the towres thereof marke well the wall thereof Beholde her towers that ye may tell your posteritie And in Nehemiah the people are sayde to bee in great affliction and in reproch because the wal of Ierusalem was broken downe and the gates thereof were burnt with fire Wherefore the city Ierusalem was a resemblance and figure of the spirituall Ierusalem and Church of God onely by the walles and gates of the citie there execution of Iudgement in the gates thereof For in these 3.