Art thou a Ruler in Israel and knowest not these things viz. The great errour in that which is called the Apostles CREED And the reall truth of JESUS CHRIST his glorious conquering personall reigne on Earth over the Devill Sin and Death for one thousand yeares WITH Mans salvation by the free grace and favour of God and Jesus Christ Laid open by him who heartily desires the manifestation of all the truths of God and of Jesus Christ And the utter extirpation of all the errours of MEN WILLIAM FARMER Gent. That Christ betwixt his buriall and his resurrection did not descend into Hell nor then preach to the damned spirits in PRISON THE Church of England doth allow of and acknowledg 3. Creeds And the now Assembly of Divines have adheringly ratified confirmed and manifested them all that is the Nycen Creed the Apostles Creed and the Athynasian Creed Nothing ought to be counted Apostolicall that is not grounded upon and answerable unto the Apostles Doctrine Our Apostles Creed is That Christ was Crucified dead and buried he descended into Hell the third day he rose again from the dead There is no Doctrine of the Apostles that Christ betwixt his buriall and his Resurrection descended into Hell therefore it is no Apostolicall Doctrine Whatsoever is not Apostolical ought not to be made Catholical The Nycen Creed which is counted Catholicall sayes that Christ suffered for our salvation descended into Hell rose again the third day from the dead That Christ suffered for our salvation or rather that Christ suffered for our sins was finished when he had received the vineger and said it is finished Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the Ghost or his divine Spirit or God-head departed out of his humane body and then was his full sufferings finished as Christ himselfe saith Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled as this Nycen Creed saith well Although he be God and man he is not two Christs but one Christ so when his God-head was departed from his man-hood then hee had finished or fulfilled all Scripture as a sufferer because he was a perfect Christ no longer then he was God and man no more then a man that is a dead man is a perfect man for the dead body cannot suffer because it hath no sense so that it was only the humane body of Christ laid in the grave that was in Hell because the grave is the dead bodies Hell and the grave is called hell in divers Scriptures and so is this Nycen Creed to be understood The Athanasian Creed saith That Christ suffered and was buried and the third day rose againe according to the Scriptures and therefore a truth for what the Spirit of God hath revealed that only is truth but the Spirit hath in no Scripture revealed that Christ betwixt his buriall and his resurrection descended into hell as that which is called the Apostles Creed doth affirm therefore it is none of the Apostles Doctrine This Doctrine that Christ betwixt his buriall and his resurrection descended into hell is a hellish Antichristian Romish doctrine derived from their diabolicall errour upon that their mis-interpretation of the Spirit of God from those words of the Apostle Peter where he saith That Christ hath once suffered for sinnes the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the spirit the holy Ghost by which Spirit also he went and preached to the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient to God when once or at that time that that the long-suffering or forbearance of God waited in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was preparing From which Text doe the erroneous Antichristian Doctors of Rome gather and conclude that Christ betwixt his death and Resurrection divinely in his God-head went amongst and preached unto the Infernall damned spirits and to this purpose have inserted those their owne diabolicall words and Doctrine amongst the Apostles doctrine and made the same Catholicall as part of a Church-article to believe the same as faith unto salvation This doctrine interpretation is antichristian because it doth contradict the Doctrine and words of Jesus Christ himselfe who said to the penitent Thiefe upon the crosse To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise To be in Paradise is to be in a place of pleasure this Paradise was Gods kingdome of glory which is Christs kingdome as the Spirit revealed the same to that Thiefe who said Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome The humane bodie of Jesus that same day after he was dead was laid safe in Josephs Tomb or grave which is called hell where there is no pleasure neither can a dead body take any pleasure therefore the humane dead body could not that day be in Paradise and for Christs Divine Spirit or God-head at all to be or that day to be amongst the damned spirits could not then that day be in Paradise because the damned spirits are not in pleasure but excluded from pleasure and reserved in chaines of darknesse unto the great and terrible day of the Lord where no pleasure is Therefore it is an infallible truth that when Jesus Christ said to the Thiefe to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise he spake of his own divine Spirit or God-head and of the thiefe's invisible internall immortall eternall spirit or soule which came from God and not of their mortall bodies which came from the earth and lay in the earth And when he spake of Paradise he did not speak of that earthly Paradise in Eden into which the man was put after his creation but of that heavenly Paradise into which man should be fetched after his redemption by a resurrection in which Paradise as Jesus Christ affirmeth is pleasure for evermore and so are the Romish Doctors and their antichristian diabolicall doctrine with their false interpreation confuted The true meaning of the holy Ghost in Peter by those words of Peter are thus to be interpreted and understood that Peter and all others by God appointed for that purpose into whom the holy Ghost was sent and spake as the Spirit gave them utterance did not speak preach or reveale the will or mind of God to the mortall bodies of men because the mortall bodies of men are to perish and so cannot for ever retaine the word of God which is to endure for ever as Jesus Christ saith Heaven and Earth that is the whole mortality shall passe away but not one jot or tittle of my word shall pass away But the Spirit of God doth direct the word of God to the immortall eternall soules or spirits of men because the souls or spirits of men and the word of God are to endure for ever and so the souls are able to retain the word for ever And every soule of man is an immortall eternall living spirit
from God whose Kingdome habitation and dwelling from whence the soule came is boundlesse endlesse and limitlesse and therefore a place of liberty because it is without any restraint and every soul while it is in the mortall body of clay is confined and bounded with its mortall wall of earth the body and chained in by the naturall corruptions of the sinful flesh And so every soule while it is in the body is in prison because it is by the body restrained from its former liberty it had in heaven from whence it came into the mortal body wch former liberty was boundless and limitless Therfore it was those soules that were in the mortal bodies of those wicked men of the old world that lived in the days of Noah before the flood that Peter speaks of that were the spirits in prison preached unto by that quickning spirit or lively spirit of God the holy Ghost by wch the dead body or flesh of Jesus Christ was quickned or raised the 3d day again to life from the dead It was that same Spirit or holy Ghost sent by Jesus Christ into Noah that did preach in Noah to the spirits or soules of those wicked men that lived in the days of Noah before the flood wch were in prison then imprisoned in their mortall bodies by their finfull flesh whose sins were so provoking of the Almighty that the Lord said It repented him that he had made man on the Earth and it grieved him at the heart These mens soules or spirits were so imprisoned in their bodies and so chained in by their corruptions of the flesh that they could not hear the Spirit of God preaching unto them in Noah for repentance amendment of life but were like the deafe Adder that stoppeth his eare against the Charmer charm he never so well Peter saith that God did suffer their disobedience long and with patience waited for the repentance amendmēt of life all that while time Noah was preparing of the Arke And thus is this Text to be interpreted and understood to the glory of God because it sets forth his truth and therefore that clause in the Apostles Creed ought to be razed and for ever put out and no longer suffered for Catholicall as from an Apostolicall Author being it was from a Papisticall Antichristian Diabolicall Jesuiticall Author the Devils chiefe erroneous instruments on earth That Jesus Christ shall reign one thousand yeares on Earth SAith the Apostle Peter No prophesie of the Scripture is any private interpretation neither came it by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost The Scripture is not the word of men but it is the word of God And saith the Text the Prophesie of John is The revelation of Jesus Christ to shew unto his servants things that must shortly come to passe Therefore Christ sent and signified the same by his Angel to his servant John One and the same holy Ghost delivered the whole word of God though by divers Instruments amongst whom John was one and the last who saith I saw an Angell come downe from heaven having the key of the bottomlesse pit and a great chaine in his hand And hee laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent which is the Devill and Sathan and bound him a thousand yeares and cast him into the bottomlesse pit and shut him up and set a seale upon him That he should deceive the Nations no more untill the thousand yeares should be fulfilled Iohn doth not prophesie of any thing to come but what was answerable agreeable to former prophesies and promises Therefore let men in these dayes try the prophesies of Iohn with other Scriptures as the noble Bereans in the Apostles dayes tryed the Apostles doctrine and then the very truth of God will appear according to the promise of Jesus Christ Whatsoever you shall aske the Father in my name he will give it unto you Therefore ask and you shall receive Aske by prayer for heavenly wisedome in faith and you shall receive a good understanding Seeke and you shall finde Seeke by searching of the Scriptures for the truth and you shall find eternall life Knock and it shall be opened unto you Knocke at heaven gates by a fervency in heart for the spirit of God and the gates of heaven shall be opened the holy Ghost shall come in unto you and he shall reveal all things unto you that be written whether past present or to come God in the beginning created the whole works and creatures that be mortall within the first fixe evenings and mornings And loe all things were very good But when that old Serpent the Devill and Sathan that enemie of man by his subtilty had beguiled Eve and by her Adam and so in them all man-kinde by sowing tares of disobedience in the whole mortality of God The Lord said the whole earth and creatures were so corrupted through the deceit of the Devill that it repented God that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at the heart And still even so long as the Devil shall have power over the whole mortality of God he will deceive the Nations but Iesus Christ by his servant Iohn hath promised the whole mortality a whole deliverance from the power of the Devil for a thousand years by sending an Angel with power from heaven downe into this world to lay hold on and arrest the Devill at the suite of Iesus Christ with an action from God Almighty out of the Court of Gods glorious justice without bail or main prize to cast him into the bottomlesse pit and to shut him up and to set a seale upon him because he by his instruments shut up the body of Iesus Christ in the grave with a great stone and sealed him up with the signet of the Scribes Pharisees that he should not rise again according to the Scriptures for the redemption of his redeemed ones And for the Devils deceiving of the Nations from the creation unto that time shall he be kept in shut up for one compleat 1000. years during which thousand yeares all the mortall creatures on the earth at that time shall be so freed from the Devils evill power according to former prophesie and the promises of God by the Prophet Isaiah That the devouring Lyon shall eate grasse as an Oxe and all creatures shall be atpeace even at the same peace they had in the day of the creation before man sinned by reason whereof the Devil had a power to work in all creatures the evil of malice and death this 1000. years of the Devils confined and restrained power from his working and acting of evill in any wise either by tempting to evill or dying for evill or by evill There shall be no death neither shall there be any children gotten or borne for getting of children is an act of sinne because it
promises yea and amen I will confirme the promises of God by the works of God thus God within the first sixe Evenings and Mornings in the beginning made and created the whole mortality even all the works and creatures and when he had done he looked on the whole and behold all was very good And therefore God adds to his sixe dayes of labour one day or a sanctified holy day of rest from all labour but when man by the temptation of that old Serpent the Devill and Sathan had disobeyed the Commandement of God Then God cursed the whole mortall workes and creatures for mans transgression with giving the Devill power over them all And so thereby became the whole mortall works and creatures corrupted and that made God say That it repented him that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at the heart Because that man by sinne had corrupted and made all that evill in one or two houres by expostulating with and yeelding to the Devill That God himselfe was sixe days making very good and because the Devill had power given him over the whole mortall works and creatures as a just judgement for mortall mans sin therefore during that time of the Devils power the Devill is called the God or chiefe prince of this world the Prince of darkenesse and the Prince that ruleth in the ayre The Devill is not for ever to reign as God of this world Prince of the aire and Prince of the darknesse of this world but shall be curbed at a time by God appointed as the Devill himselfe confesseth saying to Jesus Christ Art thou come to torment us before the time As if the Devill should have said Jesus Christ why dost thou command our power out of mortall man knowing that the time of our power over mortality is not yet to be taken away therefore if thou wilt not suffer us to be in man give us leave to goe into yonder heard of swine And because the Devill is not alwayes to have power over mortality but by the power of Christ is to have his power taken off of mortality by Jesus Christ his comming downe from heaven and to dwell with men on earth for a thousand yeares to deliver the whole mortall works and creatures of God on earth under heaven from the whole Principalities and powers of the Devill for and during that thousand years according to promise doth Peter say to these unbelieving scoffers but Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years Therfore as the Lord was 6 days making the whole mortality very good and man by his finne did provoke God to curse the same with giving the Devil power over the whole Man must also labour under the power of the Devil with the whole mortality for 6000. years Therfore doth Peter say that in the latter days or towards the end of the 6000. years Near to that coming of Christ there shal be impatient unbelieving scoffers that shall say where is the promise or the fulfilling of the promise of his comming unto whom Peter saith Be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years with man or man cannot accomplish that under six thousand years that God did in six dayes evâ—n his working will And as God did adde a seventh day of holy rest unto his six dayes of labour so man was from the beginning to celebrate every seventh day a holy day of rest from labour in remembrance of the sure promise of Christ his comming to deliver man and the whole mortality as Paul saith the creature shall be delivered from the tyrannical power of the Devill for a thousand years into the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God even for that thousand yeares in which John saw a new heaven and a new earth and the holy City new Jerusalem comming down from God out of Heaven with a great voyce out of heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people because the Devill in or during that time shall have nothing to doe with them and God himselfe shall be with them and be their God Therefore faith John Blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first resurrection because on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand yeares according to the promise of God to Jesus Christ Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy foote-stoole Even the Devil and all his power and wicked instruments who are the enemies of Jesus Christ and his members and so taking the six dayes of Gods accompt in which hee made the whole mortality and according to Peters accompt sixe thousand years of Mans misery under the power of the Devill by reason of sinne and taking the seventh day of Gods accompt in which he with all the works of his hands rested and kept a holy day unto himselfe and accompt a thousand years deliverance from the power of the Devill sin and death in which God again will with man keep on earth a holy Sabboth or rest then and thereby are the promises of Christ his comming by Peter confirmed by the workes of God under Gods accompt of seven dayes in the beginning but Peter for more certainty of this truth notwithstanding those impatient unbelieving scoffers questioning the same in the behalfe of himselfe and all the believing members of Jesus Christ of the promises of God in Christ saith Neverthelesse we according to his that is Gods promise looke for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse Unto such saith Peter Beloved seeing that yee looke for such things be diligent that ye may be found in peace without spot blamelesse because they that shall enjoy such things saith Peter Are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people Being made so by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Secondly the comming of Christ is manifested by the glory of God as the Text saith If Christ had not risen from the dead then had Christ dyed in vaine So likewise may it be said if Christ be perfect God as well as perfect man who for man tooke upon him the nature of man by which on earth he was by his perfect obedience to redeeme man from that power of the Devill which the Devill gained over man by mans disobedience it stands with the glory of God for Christ God on earth to triumph over the Devill and all his power on earth as well as to suffer under the Devill and all his power on earth Jesus Christ as he was a mortall man it was a glory to him to suffer for sinners who himselfe sinned not as the Text saith The just suffered for the unjust But if Jesus Christ as he is God should