his Kingdome from his son Rehoboam and made Jeroboam the son of Nebat King of Israel even over ten Tribes without warrs which King fell to Idolatry and made Golden calves for gods and builded high places for his false worship against the lawes of God and set up 1 Kin 12 24 base fellowes to be priests of those high places and made other alterations in matters of Gods worship by his evil counsel which he took which the multitude 1 Kin 12 28 31. 13 33 13 â—5 16 2 Kin 13 3 â—7 followed for which God punished them with warre and other calamities for five hundred thousand chosen men out of 800000 valliant men of King Jeroboams Armie were slain in one battail And afterwards they were greatly diminished by several judgments unto the time of Jeoahaz King of Israel in the time of whose reign God delivered them into the hand of the King of Siria who made them low as the dust by threshing so that he did not leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsmen and 2 Kin. 13 7 ten Chariots and ten thousand footmen And in the reign of Hoshea their last and best King all the remnant of Israel were carried away captive by Shalmenazar King of Assiria 2 Kin 17 2 And the Tribe of Judah also with Benjamin fell to Idolatry Therefore God diminished them by thousands and hundreds of thousands by many sore judgments as the sword famine and pestilence And so great was the Lords wrath Ier 15 2 against them that he would not hear their cry nor any prayer for them for he said to his Prophet Jeremiah when they fast I will not hear their cry and pray not for this people But appointed him to take forth the precious from the vile and said Let them return unto thee Ier. 15 19 but return not thou unto them And in the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah they also were carried away 52 captive into Babilon But in Captivitie and affliction Gods people did bethink themselves and repented and their uncircumcised hearts were humbled and they returned to the Lord their God with their whole heart Therefore God comforted them by his promises and Providence and delivered Ester them from the bloody plots of their malignant enemies and caused them to find favour in the sight of them that led them captive And when the seventy years of Judahs captivity were accomplished Ezra Gods people the Jewes were delivered out of captivity and returned again into their own Land and there they renewed their covenant with God and were setled and encreased and multiplyed under the power and protect Nehemiah chapter 9. 36 37 38 Dan. 10. 13 20 21. 8. 5 7 21. on of the King of Persia That silver Monarch until the Prince of Persia withstood them Then God fought against that persecuting Prince and raised up the King of Greece who subdued the Persian power and did bear rule over all the earth and Gods people had liberty of conscience under the Greeks that Brazen Monarch but at last the Saints suffered great persecution for conscience sake Dan. 11. 16 2 Mâ—â— 7. Heb. 11. 35 36 37 38 under that power and were cruely used and exposed to much hardship hunger cold and nakednesse in saving their lives they wandred about in Sheepskins and in Goatskins and were destitute afflicted and tormented and although they were such of whom the world was not worthy for they were the sons of God yet they wandred in deserts in Mountains in dens in caves of the earth Then the Church of God consisting of precious Sains whose conversation was in heaven was as a woman crying travelling in birth pained to be delivered and longing for the coming of Christ Jesus the Son of God to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies that they might serve him without fear in holynesse and righteousnesse before him Luk 1. 74 75 all the dayes of their lives In time before our Saviours birth God raised up the Sons of Syon against Zac. 9. 13. the sons of Greece and made them fight valliantly and do exploits and they Dan. 11. 32 were victorious at several times against their cruel bloody persecutors yet the remainder of their enemies were many and lively and oft times molested them so that the Saints could not be quiet to serve the Lord but were still in fear But God did in process of time put down the Grecian power and did set up the Romans who did bear dominion over all the world under whose Luk 2. 1 2 3 4 5. 1. power Gods people the Jewes lived and had liberty to practice their Religion publiquely in their own land but had no Authority to put any man to death but were subject to the Roman power Ioh. 18. 31 Mat. 22. 19. 21. Mat. 17. 25 Ro. 23. 6. 7. 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. Dan. 9. 25 26. unto whom they paid taxes and Tribute in Christs time which Christ himself submitted unto as his parents before him and his Apostles after and in the four hundred thirty and fourth year after the building of the wall of Jerusalem by Nehemiah Christ Jesus our Lord was crucified and dyed under that Roman power But God the father raised up his son 1 Cor 15. 4 Mat. 28 18 19. Christ on the the third day after his crucifying And gave him all power both in heaven and in earth therefore Christ gave commission to his Apostles to preach the gospel to all nations for their salvation which wrought powerfully and effectually throughout the Gal â— 7. 8 Act 22. 18. Rev 6. 9 20. 13. 16. 11 13 14. 18. â— Acts world amongst Jews and Gentiles But to this day the greater part of them have and do and will stand out against it to their own destruction and although multitudes both of Jews and Gentiles have been converted to the faith yet since those primative times there hath been a great falling away and a general departure from the faith and Order of the 2 Thes 2. 3. 2 Pet 2. 2. Gospel and men have given heed and still give heed to seducing spitits and 1 Tim 4. 2. 3 doctrines of devils speaking lies in hipocrisie having their conscienses seared with an hot Iron forbiding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats against Gods commands And these dayes are the last dayes perillous times wherein men are lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Traytors heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God and yet these miscreants 2 Tim 3. 1 5. have a form but not the very form or power of Godlinesse for they deny the same in their conversations from such saith the Apostle turn away although they professe that they
opression and cruelty doth exceedingly abound and execrations of damnation and drinking healths directly and indirectly against the Kings command frequently used by Capital offenders the worst of men And yet all these call themselves christians and say they believe in the Catholick Church and have forms of Worship answerable to their profession but their worship is in vain as good never a wait as never the better and the nearer their Church the further from God For he cares neither for them nor their worship but hates such combustable stuff and so do I O Lord gather not my soul with sinners for I hate the Church of evil doers Psal 26 And if there by any as I hope there are many in their Church which hate these iniquities and enormities yet they are unclean while they partake with such sinners in their Spiritual worship publiquely or privately for the precious ought to separate from the vile and must be holy in all manner of conversation And although many of their Church members are Civil in their dealings about common affairs courteous loving kind natured free hearted true and trusty in matters of accompt betwixt man and man What of this Do not the heathens the same And cannot the Turks say as much for themselves Yet it doth not prove them to be the people of God no more are these They are of the world and therefore not of the Church But the Papists set down marks as unitie universaltity and constancy to prove that their church is the true Church but alas This their plea is not sufficient It may serve as well for Turks and Heathens who exceed them in number and are unanimous and prosperous constant and conceited in their wayes But let the Roman Catholick church have her due she saith she is the mother Church And indeed she is the mother Church of false Churches Misterie Babilon the great the Mother of harlots And the working of the man of sin in the misterie of iniquitie is after the working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders So the Apostle describeth Antichrist Therefore Miracles are not the marks of a true Deut. 13 1 5. Church nor of a true Prophet And the throne of iniquitie may have outward Rev. 13. 7 Dan. 7. 21 24. prosoeritie and wear out the Saints of the most high and continue as appeareth by the Scriptures But the Papists will not prove their Church to be true by the Scriptures contemned and condemned by their general Counsells but labour to prove se Ainsworth against Ainsworth their Church by their Church The same by the same So the false Apostles measur'd themselves by themselves which practice the Apostle Paul condemned as irrational and rational men count it rediculous â— Cor. 10. 12 But they have an exceeding high estimation of their Sacrament of their Altar They say it is a Sacrifice and the bread they say is the real body of Christ after that is done which they call consecration but it is execration for they kneel down before it and worship it and then eat it up And because they hold the Mass to be a Sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and the dead they have of their own divising erected an Office of Priesthood here on earth to offer it up And the Priests of the Church of England as well as of Rome a number of sinfull mortal infirm and imperfect men neither of the Tribe of Leviâ— nor of Judah are Ordained Priests by office without Oath and so void utterly void by the Law and by the Gospel As appeareth in the Heb. 9. 24. 12 Epistle to the Hebrewes Heb 7. 12 16 18 21 23. 28. and 9. 10. 10 1. But the proper Office of Priesthood is in the heaven it selfe whâ—â—e the Lord Jesus Christ the only high Priest executeth that Office at the right hand of God not on earth for the Scripture saith if Christ were here on earth he should not be a Priest Heb 8. 4. But when Christ ascended up on high he gave gifts unto men some Apostles Eph. 4. 11 12. and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pasters and Teachers No Offices of Popes Cardinals Abotts Monks Arch-Bishops Lord Bishops Parsons Vicars Curates and such like false Priests false Christs who hold an Office of Priesthood among themselves by a succession to offer up at their Altars the supposed flesh and blood of Christ And they have made seven orders of Priesthood and the Priesthood belonging thereunto are the seven heads of their monstruous Beast having the names of blasphemie upon them and they are called seven Mountaines for bigness for they are many upon which the great whore of Rome even the great City sitteth Reigning over the Kings of the earth And one of his heads was as it Rev. 13. â— were wounded 〈◊〉 death saith the Revelation and his deadly wound was healed but their end shall be eternal destruction for that Beast and the false Prophet that worketh miracles before him shall be both together cast alive into hell And there is likewise an Image of Rev. 19. 20 that beast the particular National Prelatical convocations as Wilkinson makes it out in his learned Exposition upon the 13th chapter of the Revelations But they say they have the marks of a true Church of Christ The Word truly Preached To which I answer That Balam the the false Prophet Preached Gods Word truly in Balaks Assembly but that could never prove them to be a true Church nor did the people of God go to hear him but slew him Josh 13. â—2 And they say that they have also the Sacraments duly administred And so the Papists say for themselves But these are but their bare words at the best and its better disprove them then believe them But the common Protestants say their Church of England is true because they hold justification by faith only and seem to blame the Parents and disprove their Church for hâ—â—â—ing justification by their own works and yet they hold the like if not the same erronious opinion of saving vertue in their own works as if they conferred grace as appeareth in the second answer in their Common Catechism concerning Baptism an inferior work which they prefer above the the Lords Supper although the Apostle Paul held and hath shewed Baptism to be so inferior that he thankes God that he baptised none of the Christians but Crispas and Gayus and the houshold of Stephanus and remembred not that he baptised any more and saith Christ sent him not to baptise but to preach the Gospel But indeed the Papists have an exceeding high opinion of outward Baptism that it washeth away Original sin and saveth them from being damned They cross their children on their foreheads and have God-fathers and God-mothers So have the Prelatical Party but they do not spit in their mouths as the Popish Priests do as King James saith in his Book to all Christian Kings and Princes
A new and true Description of the WORLD As it is now divided In four parts Heathens Jewes Turks Christians WOe unto the World because Mat. 18. 7 of offences saith Christ to his Disciples Because ye are not of the World but I have chosen you out of the world John 1â— 19 therefore the world hateth you By the World here is meant the peo of the World which the Scripture calleth the evil World The Number of ungodly men and not the people of God for none are Gods peculiar people but such as obey his voice and keep his Covenant Exo. 19 5. And the Apostle John saith We know that we are of God and the whole world lyeth in wickednesse Iohn 5. 19. And as the world hath encreased sin hath abounded and its a great question whether when the Son of man cometh he Luk. 18. 8. shall find faith on the earth AFter the old Creation In the year of the world one thousand six hundred fifty and six The old World 2 Pet. 2. 5. which the Apostle Peter calleth the world of the ungodly That world utterly perished by the Flood In which time of destruction the Church of God which then consisted but of few even eight persons was preserved remaining 1 Pet. 3. 20. about three hundred seventy and five dayes in Noah's Arke Then when the flood was gone and the earth was dryed they went out and by Gods blessing encreased and multiplyed upon the earth But most of them fell away from the truth And there began another world of ungodly men and have continued in a way of succession unto this day the children inhetiting their fathers sins and approving of their evil sayings Psal 49. 13 This is the world but not the world whichi was before the Flood nor the world to come but this present evil world described in this Treatise BEfore the decease of Noah even in the dayes of Peleg the earth was divided For at the building of Babel Gen. 10. 25 11. God confounded the language of all the people of the earth for their pride vain glory and infidelitie and scattered them abroad throughout all the earth And did set the Bounds of the people of each language that they should seek the Act. 17 26. Lord. But in stead of seeking the Eternal God that made them they fell to making and worshiping Idols according to their own fancies And Babilon was the principal seat of Idolatry and abounded in Zech. 5. 6 11. Tyrany yet it was called the glory of Isa 13 19. Kingdomes and the beauty of the Chaldeans Excelencie and continued above thirty generations until the seventy years of the Captivity of Judah ended And since that golden Kingdom ceased all the other three Persian Grecian and Roman successive worldly Monarchs have been inferior in worldly Dan. 2. 38 39 40. dignity as Silver is inferior to Gold and Brass to Silver and Iron to Brass although they were never soe successful in their victorious conquests the later against the former Yet notwithstanding the Lord of hosts hath in the times before of old as well as since punished the Kingdoms and Nations for their sins especially for their Idolatry Nation rose up against Nation and Kingdome against Kingdome and made great warrs against each other particularly before the destruction of Sodome and Gomora with fire and brimstone Amraphel King of Shynar Arioch King of Alasar Cheodarlaomer King of Elam and Tydall King of Nations These made warre against five Kings and their Subjects which rebelled against them and subdued them and smote the Rephaims and the Zuzims and the Emims and the Horites and Amorites and victoriously conquered those Giants whose height was as Cedars and their strength as Deut 2. â—0 11. 12. 20. Oakes and they took the spoil with those they led captive But those Conquering Kings taking just Lot captive who was no Idolater but a true worshiper of the living God it was their ruine for God who had raised up Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans Neh 9. 7 Isa 41 1 2 3. and after called him from Charan of Mesopotamia into the land of Canaan and gave the Nations before him and made him rule over Kings he gave them as dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow he pursued them and passed safely by the way that he had not gone For that Story in Genesis 14 saith That when Abram heard that his brother Lot was taken captive he with his trained servants three hundred and eighteen pursued those Armies and recovered all and slew Chedarlaomer King of Elam and the Kings that were with him and brought back the Captives with the spoyle which wonderful and victorious Conquest did put the world in a maze and filled their hearts with fear and terror for they were all Idolaters And Abram and his fellowes were contrary unto them in Religion as light is to darknesse Then upon this mighty and wonderful Conquest The Isles feared The ends of the earth were afraid drew near and came and fell to making more Idols in stead of turning to the Lord. They helped every one his Neighbour and every one said to his brother be of good courage So the Carpenter encouraged the Goldsmith and he that smoothed with the hammer him that smote the Anvill saying It is ready for sodering and he fastened it with Isa 41. 24 29. nayles that it should not be moved But they were worse then nothing an abomination and their Images wind and confusion Yet the world continued still in wickednes and would not be perswaded from their false worship by all Gods chastisements of them and the remarkable examples of Gods judgments against Sodom and Egypt and his wonderfull miracles which appeared afterwards Iosh 2. 9 10 11. Exo. 15. 14 15 16. and were famous to the world but their hearts were hardened to their own destruction for one and thirty Kings and their kingdomes were destroyed by Iosh 12. â—4 Joshua and none made their peace save only the Gibeonites who became hewers Iosh 9. of wood and drawers of water for the sanctuary of the Lord. After God had setled his peculiar people Act. 1â— 20. the Israelites in their land dividing it to them by lot he gave them Judges until Samuel the Prophet And afterwards they desired a King before the time And God gave them v. 21. King Saul whom he anoynted who reigned forty years v. 22. And when he had removed him he raised up unto them David to be their King who reigned forty years Afterwards Solomon reigned over all Israel the space of forty years without warre Judah and Israel were many as 2 Chr. 9. â—0 1 Kin. 11. 12 4â— 2 Chr. 9. 26. 1 Kin. 12. 24. 2 Chr. 11. 4. the sand which is by the Sea for multitude eating and drinking and making merry But afterwards for Solomons Apostacy and Idolatry God did rend ten parts of
But they are conceited if not more grosly deluded as if their Baptism made them members of Christ the children of God and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven And this Doctrine they prescribe for all their members to believe and profess before they come to their confirmation vizt That in that Baptism by which they were baptized with God-fathers and God-mothers they were made members of Christ the children of God and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven which I have good ground to deny and they can never prove it the Scripture is clear against this their vain conceit For the Apostle Peter saith It is not the outward baptism or washing away of the filth of the flesh which saveth but the answer of a good Conscience 1 Pet 3. 21. And the way of the Gospel is to baptise such only as are the children of God and members of Christ before And the Apostle Paul saith not that they are the children of God by outward baptism but by faith in Christ Jesus And faith doth not come by baptism Gal. 3. 26. but by the word of God And their baptism which they receive afterward is no more but an outward seal administred upon them of the righteousness of the faith which they had before baptism as Circumcision was to Abraham and Rom. 4. 11 Isaac as the Scriptures testifie and none ought to be baptised but such as give sufficient testimony before of their holynesse Or that the Lord testifieth for them So he testified of St. Paul and St. Act â— 15 17 18. 10. 47 Cornelius was baptised upon this ground that he had received the Holy Ghost before And whosoever hath not the spirit of Rom. 3. 9 2 Cor. 13 5 Christ is none of his Therefore the common Protestants are in a great error in this point of Baptism also For they should know that the Infants 1 Cor. 7. 14. Rom. 11. Ezek. 18. 4 Luk. 19. 9 of holy Parents are holy as their Parents They are as blameless as their Parents in their whole Spirit Soul and body The same grace gracious promises Act. 2. 39 Deut. 29. 11 2 Cor. â—0 3 and spiritual priviledges belongeth unto them as well as to their Parents Yea The kingdome of heaven it selfe And Mat. 19. 14. if the greater then the lesser For as touching eternal Election they are beloved Rom. 11. 2â— for the fathers That is peculiarly chosen of God for the love that he Deut. 4. 37. Ezek. 18. 4. 20. had to their fathers and shall not dye eternally for the sins of their fathers Rom 2. 11. 8. which they never committed for herein God is no respecteer of persons meerly as they are persons and who can lay any thing to their charge sin remitted shall not be imputed unlesse irritterated and their parents righteousness is theirs by imputation as it was with Abraham and 2 Tim. 1. 5. Heb. 7. 9. 10 his seed before they were circumcised so it is with the Christians and their seed before they are baptised Yea the children of holy Patents are perfect in their wayes before they are baptised Ezek. 28. 15. even from the day they are created untill iniquity is found in them Such a perfection have they which is oposed to iniquity And the Scripture saith Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin and in whose Spirit Psal 32. 3 5. there is no guile Their nature of Creation is sanctified by the spirit of regeneration which dwelleth in them so that they are not imputed sinners of the world but clear as the Scripture saith of the natural Jewes who were Christians For although the children Gal. 2. 15. are partakers of flesh and blood as well as their Parents Christ himselfe also in like manner took part of the same and died for them all not to free them from temporal but to save them from eternal death though they should dye before they are baptised with water And therefore the Infants are not the Children of wrath more then their Parents but the vessels of mercy as Jeremiah and John the Baptist were And so it becometh them to esteem of them all and to speak honourably of them before as well as after their outward baptism which Baptism maketh not for the Isa 22. 24. being but for the better being of a Christian Therefore I cannot find in my heart to say that they are the children of wrath and therefore ought to be baptised but because they are not under the wrath of God nor under the curse of the Law but under the promise and grace of Christ who never sinned and yet was baptized by John the Baptist Therefore they ought to be baptised though they have never committed actual sin but sinned in their Parents as Lvey paid tythes in Abraham What though David declareth his Rom. 5. Heb. 7. â— 10. Original sin or sin of inclination the ground of his actual sin or sin of apprehension as it is written In sin hath my mother conceived me yet until he committed actual sin he was no more guilty of sin then his mother nor was Isaac a child of wrath more then faithfull Abraham and Sarah Original sin taketh no more hold of the Infants to damne them eternally then of their parents And touching actual sinne they are clear as their Parents though their Parents are as righteous as Noah Daniel and Job And therefore they have as much right to Baptism as their Parents And in this blessed condition are they before they are baptised with water And are not in the state of damnation though they die in their Infancie before but shall be eternally saved And the contrary Doctrine is very unsound eronious uncomfortable and destructive But Antichrists Church professeth the contrary openly And teach their children to say that they are made members of Christ in their baptism with God-fathers and God-mothers So then it is remarkable that they are their own judges that they baptise none but such as are not members of Christ before their baptism It followeth then by their own words that they are members of Antichrist and in the state of damnation before and until outward baptism be administred upon them which to affirm of the Infants of Godly Parents is an Antichristian error destroying the foundation and hope of the faithful and how can that Church be the true Church of God who are so corrupt and whose constitution manifested by such their eronious profession is so destructive openly to baptise such as are not members of Christ To conclude by their own ground their Church members are not members of Christ before their Baptism and I have proved that they are not made members of Christ by their Baptism after Much lesse can any of them truly say as each child of theirs is taught to say that In my Baptism I was made the child of God So James Nayler said I am the Son of God This dignitie belongeth only to the holy child child Jesus Christ the Son of God To whom be Glory and Dominion for ever Amen Here followeth A New and true Christian Creed built upon the old foundation of the Holy Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone I Believe in God the Father Gen. 1. Ioh. 1. 14. Luk. 1. 35. Mat. 1. 25. Iob. 19. 33. 42. 1 Cor. 15. 3. 4 5 20. Ioh. 20. 17 Mat. 2â— 26 Mar. 16. 19 Act. 1. 11. Joh. 5. 29. 1 Cor. 15. 51 52. 1 Thes 4. 15 Joh. 14. 16 17 26. 1 Cor. 12 3 Rom. 8. â— 2 Tim. 3. 16. Act. 17. 11 Rom. 15. 4. Rev. 22. 18. 19. Mat. 18. 17. 20. 1 Pet 2. 9. Phil. 1 5. Rev 8 3 4 Mat 12. 31 32 1 Cor 15 1 Thes 4 14 Joh 3 16 Almighty maker of heaven and earth And in Iesus Christ his only Son our Lord which was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried The third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the father Almighty from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead I believe in the holy Ghost The holy Scriptures The holy Church The Communion of Saints The forgiveness of sins The Resurrection of the body And the Life everlasting Amen London Printed for the Author S. C. 1673.