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diversity_n gift_n miracle_n teacher_n 556 5 9.5967 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A00954 The revvard of the faithfull. The labour of the faithfull. The grounds of our faith Fletcher, Giles, 1588?-1623. 1623 (1623) STC 11062; ESTC S117621 79,563 446

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witnesse of God his Word and Truth In the first and broadest walkes the heathen Idolator For diuide the World into thirty parts and he takes vp as is obseru'd by a iudicious Mathematician ninteen of them but we must vnderstand his Obseruation of the continued magnitude of the surface of the earth not of the discreet multitude of men contained in it In the next wide field of error walks the Mahumetan who dispreads himselfe into sixe parts of the thirty In the third the stragling Iew wanders who is discoasted into the bounds of all the rest And the Christian impaths himselfe in the last and least and narrowest tract holding but the proportion of fiue parts in the thirty parts The Heathen anciently mistooke the Oracles of the Diuell himselfe for the word of God and in a manner is blinded in that errour to this very day eyther by the illusision of Sathan himselfe or the collusion of his Priests The Mahumetan embraces the Alcoron for the vndoubted word of God and esteemeth that of Diuine and oracular authority The Iews retaine still the ancient word of God but they al reiect the New and are therefore called by the Fathers Archiua Christianorum The olde Records of the Christians being differenced among themselues into three Sects the first whereof are called Charraim and allow all and onely the olde Testament The second sew to the Bible all their fabulous Talmud make that of Scripture-authoritie and are therfore called the Talmudists The third defalke as much from Gods word as the second crowded to it leaue only the Pentateuch or fiue bookes of Moses for selfe-credible named by the rest Samaritans Neither can the little flocke of Christ the Catholique Church now professant in the world goe peaceably in their narrow path together but with Abrahams and Lots Heardsmen or Iacobs bretheren they will wrangling and scolding as they goe being dissundred into thirteene small or fiue maine different sects Protestants Latins Gracians Nestorians Iacobites whereof most of them darken that word of God that should enlighten themselues by carrying the Sunne in a clowd reading the Scripture in an vnknowne tongue eyther of Latine Greeke or Syriacke and so traducing all the authority of Gods Word from it self to the golden and empty Title of The Church As the Latins Nestorians Indians Iacobites the Cophti and the Mannites Some of these again spanging out of the Canon of the New Testament all the Reuelation of S. Iohn the Epistle of S. Iude the second Epistle of S. Peter the second and third Epistles of S. Iohn others farsing into the Canonicall writings Apocriphall and vnknowne Authors the Gospell of Nicodemus c. with a world of rotten and vnwriten Traditions To omit the populous Churches at this day of the Nestorians and Iacobites who commit the like error concerning the Liuing word as they doe about the written the first diuiding Christ into two Persons by a separation the second cōfounding him into one Nature by the Adunation of his Humanity and diuinity Now all these selfe-arrogating to themselues the word of God either by oracular Reuelation as the Heathen or written Tradition as the Mahumetan Iew and Christian how in such a world of open Warre and ciuil mutiny about GODS Word should blinde soules such as wee all come into the World with be euer able to center themselues immoueably in the Diuine Truth of God and not be carried about with some one winde or other of these erronious doctrines Giue mee leaue with the mighty Angell that held open in his hand the little booke of Prophecies Reuel 10. to sweare by him that liueth for euer and euer Either the means how to effect this is here set downe To him giue all the Prophets witnesse or there is none in the earth or vnder heauen For as in it selfe the least tittle of Gods word is more firmely pillard and lesse passable then the whole fabrique of heauen and earth Heauen and earth shall passe c. So to vs this certaintie can no way bee more infallibly euident then by the Prophesies that are storied in it And as the Prophesies are the greatest argument of all the rest so this is the greatest of all the rest of the Prophesies to argue by For here both Gods words are met together The dead word hath met with the liuing the old Testament kisses the New either to other one by fore-telling the other by fulfilling giue mutuall witnesse of their irrepugnable Truthes Since therefore there is so great vnitie in the words and the Prophets are all ioyned in one witnesse Christ to whom they witnesse is vndiuided I industriously spare to make any diuision either of the words or among the Prophets Only I will set this one truth in the Light That Christ is the Center to whom all of them standing round about him as a compassing clowd of witnesses draw all the lines of their Prophecies then briefly gather such Instructions as shall bee thence deducible Wee might see this golden circle of all the Prophets geaphically described by the last of the Prophets himselfe Reuel 4. and 5. chapters where in the midst of 4. Beasts and 24. Elders a glorious Lambe standeth and sends forth the 7. Spirits of God into al the Earth That Christ is the Lamb himselfe the Passeouer of the Iewes wil tell vs. And that the foure Euangelists are the foure beasts their euen number and their standing neerest the Throne as waiting immediately on the Lambe of God our Sauior and the strict keeping of decorum in figuring them like beasts such as the Lamb himselfe is sufficiently proues And doubtlesse the 24. Elders can be no other then the 24. Prophets of the Olde Testament both because they are called Elders being more ancient then the foure Euangelists and stand in a greater distāce farther off frō Christ their number being iust the very same as S. Hierome obserues And because as themselues sing to their golden Harpes the Lambe had made them Kings in matters of Life Priests in Points of Doctrine to rule the Earth hauing before redeem'd thē to God by his bloud which is not appliable to the stedfast Angels but onely to such who had beene yong sinners before they became saintly Elders And to conclude the seuen spirits sent forth into all the Earth must needs be the seuen gifts of Gods Spirit precisely set down by S. Paul 1. Cor. 12. 28. Apostles Prophets Teachers Miracles Guifts of healings Helps in gouernment Diuersities of tongues which are therefore named by Saint Iohn in the very same place seauen Lamps and the seauen hornes and eyes of the Lambe because by them Christ giues Light to his Church and exerciseth a visible power in all the Earth And heere wee see all our Sauiours witnesses are met together The twenty fower Prophets hold out the first Lights to discouer the Lamb of God least they should be obscure the Euangelists sets the truth of the story by