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
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
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
third we will build another way all of you say so for you cannot see the New Jerusalem but are divided Ergo. you cannot stand but come to nought Matth. 12. I proceed of the overthrow and departing of all corrupt Sees of Iurisdiction And there was no more sea or the sea was extant no more Now what is meant by the word sea in this place we must finde out this ridle or enigmaticall metaphor or else we shall faile to finde the new Jerusalem for it must not be founded on a sea for it commeth downe from heaven from my God but the seas are upon the Earth or the Earth upon them for they make but one globe as Cosmographie declares Now this cannot be understood of the materiall sea as if when the new Jerusalem come downe from God out of heaven there should be no more seas for ships to saile in for then how should the Kings of the Earth bring their honour and glory to the new Jerusalem if there were no more seas to saile on which dwell beyond Sea as v. 24. And how should men goe downe to the Sea in ships and occupy their businesse in great waters if there were no more materiall sea of waters to faile in wherefore as God made heaven and Earth the Sea and all things therein so long as the Earth shall remaine there must be a materiall Sea for God hath founded the Earth upon the Sea and prepared it upon the flouds Psal 24.2 This cannot properly be understood of the molten Brasen Sea which Salomon made 2 Chron. 4.25 For the Priests to wash in which shall not come into the new Jerusalem for that Sea of Brasse and that legall ceremony or worship never came into the heaven of the church of the Gentiles therefore much lesse shall it come into the holy city of the church of New Jerusalem which shall be most free from all legall cermonies It is true that the Jewes have a proper Sea of their owne of Brase even till this day which is most grosse foule and darke like to the rageing Sea that the wicked Jewes are like which foameth out mire and dirt Esa 57.20 for they cast out many forged doctrines out of their owne braine and legall devises as touching a Messias to come and a legall worship with sacrifices and righteousnes by the law and many other heads of corrupt doctrines which shall all depart from the Jewes and shall never come into the heavenly Jerusalem neither was this in the church of the Gentiles and therefore this Sea here spoken of must be such an one as was in the heaven of the churches of the Gentiles that shall be no more Thirdly for the Sea here spoken of is such as the heaven was as Meyer noteth a metaphoricall heaven and a metaphoricall sea and that is the sea of the Iurisdiction of corrupt doctrine and discipline or government which have been in the heavens of the churches of the Gentiles in their seas for what hath been more common for these many 100. yeares then to talke of the holy Sea of Rome and for the church of England to talke of the Sea of Canterbury and the Sea of Yorke and of the Bishops Sea as such an impropriation belongs to the Sea of Norwich and such a land to the Sea of Eli and appeales were made to the Sea of Rome and so were our appeales from one Bishops Sea to another but there shall be in the new heaven and in the new earth no more Sea Ergo. there shall be no more Sea of Rome or Canterbury or Yorke and of Bishops or Lutherans or Calvinists Sea for all Seas of Iurisdiction of government of a corrupt discipline and doctrine shall now depart and not enter into the holy Church of the new Jerusalem and that this is the meaning of the place these are my Reasons Reason 1 Ma. For if the materiall heaven and earth should passe away the Sea must not remaine for the Earth must be with the Sea for it is founded upon it Mi. so if the metaphoticall heaven and Earth of the Church and people passe so must their Sea of Iurisdiction as text but the first heaven and the first earth of the Churches shall passe away Rev. 11.1 Con. Ergo so shall their seas of Iurisdiction for if a Church depart then the government also must depart with it and where the government of a church depart the church commonly departs with it for if a Kingdome depart or passe away must not the government depart with it Reason 2 So if a church depart that had the government of an Hierarchie of a popedome Episcopacy for Presbytery or Independent or any other government for the Sea or discipline of a church cannot remaine where the church depart except you can make an accident remaine without a subject for sublato subjecto tollitur etiam accidens quta accidentis esse est inesse for take away the subject and the accident of it is taken away because the being of an accident is to be in the subject as true reason and the best Phylosopher shewes Reason 3 Ma. For if we shall have an holy city of new Jerusalem i.e. a new church come downe from heaven trimmed as a Bride for her Bridegroome then we must have a new government from heaven also which must not be a Sea for that was old and not from heaven or else it will not be very trimme long Mi. But we shall have a church of New Jerusalem come downe from heaven trimmed as a Bride for her Bridgroome Reason 4 Rev. 21 2 Con. Ergo. we must have a new government or else it will not be trimme long for if it be true that God saith behold I make all things new then there can be no more a Sea of Rome Iurisdiction or of an Episcopacy or Lutherans or Calvinists or of any other Church that shall passe away for all these are old and in that he saith a new covenant he hath abrogated the old He. 8.13 And that which is disanulled and waxed old is ready to vanish so in that he saith I make all things New he hath abrogated the old churches and seas But it is true that God saith behold I make all things new v. 5. Ergo there can be no more Sea of Romes Iurisdiction or of an Episcopacy or Lutherans Calvinists or of another Church that shall passe away for then all things should not be become new Reason 5 For every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out Matth. 15.13 But of the Sea of Romes Iurisdiction or discipline or of the Episcopacy of England or of the Sea of Lutherans or Calvinists are plants which my heavenly Father hath not planted if you say they be prove it if you can But you cannot for the Sea of Rome was set up by the Pope and Papists the Sea of the government of the Bishops by the Protestants of England and the government or Sea of the Lutherans