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A78093 Temple-defilers defiled, vvherein a true visible Church of Christ is described. The evils and pernicious errours, especially appertaining to schisme, anabaptisme, and libertinisme, that infest our Church, are discovered. And directions to preserve from the sin and punishment of temple-defiling, delivered in two sermons preached at the lecture in Kingston upon Thames, Feb. 20. & 27. 1644. out of I Cor. 3.17. / By Richard Byfield pastor in Long-Ditton, Surrey. Byfield, Richard, 1598?-1664. 1645 (1645) Wing B6394; Thomason E278_20; ESTC R200019 46,454 48

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the walls and fabrick of the Church Heresie is worse than Schisme that of our Apostle imports so much where he saith 1 Cor 11. 18 19. I heare that there be divisions among you and I partly beleeve it for there must be also Heresies among you Also sheweth that Heresie is a greater evill than Schisme when he saith there must be also or even Heresies he speakes of somewhat more than that was signified by the word Schismes Heresie is an election or chusing to ones selfe an opinion not only contrary to the Doctrine delivered in Scripture but also contrary to that Doctrine which is of the substance of faith and holinesse Heresie is a perverse Doctrine Schisme in the deed of a perverse separation he that denyeth or teacheth contrary to any Article of Faith and yet will hold communion with a Church professing the true faith he is guilty of Heresie but not of Schisme he that beleeveth all the Articles of Faith and holds a pure confession and yet will not communicate with a true Church in holy duties he is guilty of Schisme though not of Heresie in the Epistle to the Galathians Gal. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these are two distinct workes of the flesh Divisions and Heresies The foundation-truthes on which Zion Rev. 14. 12. is laid are the Commandements of God and the faith of Iesus Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots who is to be destroyed opposeth the Keepers of these labours to demolish these Papisme or Popery it is not any one lone Heresie but a body of many Heresies the sinke of Heresies A Mystery of iniquity Heresies therefore in a Mystery a cunning serpentine invasion of Christ and his Faith and Worship under the name and title of the Church of Christ his Faith his Spirit his Honour his Worship therefore for this man of sinne I shall set him by himselfe next after these Temple-violaters these Hereticks not as not guilty of Heresie but as guilty in a higher degree And here let me mention only those that we are most in danger of and troubled with at the present these Hereticks polluters of the Temple of God are 1. The Antinomians they over-throw the Law Morall they hold that Christ came to abolish it that a beleever hath nothing to do with keeping the Commandements that the Gospell takes away all obedience to the Commandements they are against all urging of doing of duty of Humiliations of Repentance for sins after Iustification of praying for pardon of sin by a bele●ver they hold that the Law ought not to be Prea●hed to beleevers with a great deale more of the like pernicious Leaven all which savoureth of ignorance pride and conceitednesse and of affectation of licentiousnesse and lawlesse liberty the spirit of Libertinisme inspireth these men 2. The Anti-Sabbatarians They evert the fourth Commandment teaching that it is Ceremoniall and so taking away all conscience of sin against the Commandment of God though no day be kept a Sabbath in the week and thereby all preaching and attendance on duties of Gods Wo●ship publike and priva●e on ●he Lords day in conscience to Gods Commandment laid aside they at one blow lay flat all that would uphold the power of godlinesse 3. The Germane Anabaptists that hold that a Christian ought not to be a Magistrate that Christians may not take the sword nor wage war these evert the fifth Commandment I call them the Germane Anabaptists for there divers Sects of them are and have been for this hundred of ye●rs past through Gods just judgement their errours some of them begin to spread in England these ghosts can passe the Seas and swim thorow the billows and waves of mighty waters they are in their first spawning to be looked unto for who knows unto what destructive Principles and Practices such giddy self-willed spirits may run Bellarmine slanderously calls them Proles Lutheranismi the off-spring of Lutheranisme ●hey are inde●d the off spring of hell for hell it selfe is moved when God rents the heavens and comes down to the great work of the Reformation of his Church Satan that sent these Furies out to defame the work of Reformation which God began by Luthers glorious Ministery he is Satan still and sends these ●uries among us for the very same end For the present I will name no more that are against the Commandments of God Against the faith of Iesus I shall onely mention two 1. The A●minians that teach universall grace ●nd the falling away of the Saints and deny that the efficacious working of internall grace from Gods Spirit is necessary to conversion and to the begetting of faith in a sinner They teach that the grace of conversion is resistible that we cannot have assurance and the like 2. The Socinians which among other damnable errours run into these two First they deny the Deity of our Lord Iesus Christ who is the great God our Saviour God blessed for ever Secondly they deny that Christs death was for satisfaction Isa 53. 5 6. Gal. 3. 13. 1 Pet. 2. 24. or for merit 1 Pet. 1. 18. 19. Act. 20. 28. and that it was a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. 1 Tim. 2 6. of our redemption but onely hath in it the nature of an example how we should suffer that Christ is our Redeemer not by being a ransome or paying a price or as our Surety Heb. 7. 22. making satisfaction but onely by leaving us an example that we should follow his steps The foregoing Texts of Scripture are expresly against this most hellish heresie These and the like to these are Dogs Wolves in Sheeps skins evill workers the Concision as those that urged Circumcision are called Phil. 3. 2. they are to be named with such names of disgrace as tell truly what they are that all may beware of them they cut themselves others that hearken to them off from Christ and from his Church in Jucunda prosonomasia conjunxit inter se 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conciditur e nim qu●d discerpitur planè distrahitur circu●ciditur quod supervacaneis resectis purgatur Bullinger in locum this respect all the hereticall teachers are the Concision they are evill-workers for they should build up the Church of God but they pull it down and destroy it like dogs they bark at the truth they grin at Orthodox Ministers and fasten on the simple the fangs of their poisoned doctrine There 's the Wolfe beware and thrice beware 4. Antichrist and the Spirit of Popery which hath turned Zion into a Babylon I mean Rome-Christian into Rome-Antichristian and it is now a cage of unclean and hatefull birds a den of beasts a stie of foule spirits This Spirit of Antichrist discovers it self in four things 1. In Self-exaltation and Domination over the Church that the Pope might sit in the Temple of God as God 2 Thess 2. 4. 5. 2. In Apostacy from the faith that the man of sin might be the head of the Church thus he becomes
This from the word Temple in the sense here used 2. Doct. Many there are yea many within the visible Church that are defilers and Violaters of this Temple of God 3. Doct. God will certainly punish every and all the defilers and violaters of this his Temple with punishments proportionable to their sin in violating and defiling the same For the first of these Note the difference I put between a Professor of the true Faith and a true professor of that true Faith One may professe the truth and not truly professe it he may be a hypocrite in his profession A Professor is visible and profession of the Faith may be discerned by men from profession of falshood but a true Professor and the truth of his profession is to be desired and prayed for but is not so easily discerned God onely that searches the heart can infallibly judge of this Again I use the word Society as the Genus of a Church not an Assembly for a Church is no lesse a Church when the Assembly is dismissed then when they are Assembled in the use of any Ordinance of God Nor a Congregation that word is too narrow it agreeth not to all the kindes but the word Society that agrees to a particular visible Church and to the whole visible Church to the Church in a house the Church in a Village of one Congregation the Church in a City consisting of many Congregations as the Church of Ierusalem of Ephesus of Corinth the Church in a Kingdom or Nation committed to the profession of the Faith of Christ the Church in the whole world the Church in her Officers gathered together to hear complaints the Church in her Members assembled to worship and serve the Lord according to the Gospel of Christ It is weak and a poor quarrell my opinion is it is so to deny a National Church under the New Testament for under the old its beyond all question and to plead there is no other visible Church then Congregationall The Church at Ierusalem was not Congregationall in that sense that is it did not consist of one Congregation that could meet in one place all the Members of it have one Pastor preach to them at one time and use other Ordinances of Worship as the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Baptisme Publique Prayer and fellowship together twelve Apostles were not able to discharge to them the duty that belonged to the word and Prayer without the help of seven Deacons to take off them the care of distributing of the Church-Almes Act. 6. 1 2 3 4. It is hard to make clear proof that the word Church in all the History of the New Testament is given to a Congregation I desire to see it And why may not a Nation professing the Faith be called a Church as well as all the world of Professors be called a Church Why not now as well as under the Old Testament The word Church is applicable to every Society of men that professe the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ We read of Churches in the New-Testament because we have severall Societies and Nations of men converted and become the people of God And whereas I hear of some that say did ye ever hear of Nations converted in the Scripture those be strange conversions the conversions of whole Nations I answer did you ever read the Scripture and yet passe by those famous prophesies concerning the Church under the New Testament All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord And shall glorifie thy name Psa 86. 9. Again In the last dayes the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains c. Isa 2. 2 3 4. And all nations shall fl●w unto it and many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up c. And he shall judge among the Nations And again Zac. 8. 20 21 22. There shall come people and the inhabitants of many Cities and the inhabitants of one City shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong Nations shall come to seek the Lord and pray before him It is a strange thing you say The Lord speaks of it indeed as a strange work Who hath heard such a thing Who hath seen such things Shall a Nation be born at once Esa 66. 81. Yet Zion doth so To what purpose were that command Go teach all Nations and Baptize if a Nation might not receive the Gospel and Baptisme or can any doubt of such an effect of Preaching the Gospel when Christ hath promised to his Ministers preaching to Nations that He will be with them to the end of the world Who can deny whole Nations imbracing the Gospel that have not lost their senses the Nation of England at this day and the Nation of Scotland professe the truth of Christ and now in their representative bodies are all for Reformation for the power of godlinesse for the rooting out of Popery Heresie Schisme Prelacy Prophanenesse and in this work count not their lives and livelyhoods dear unto them Moreover since I am upon this point let me propose this Argument for a Nationall Church He that hath all power given to him of God in Heaven and earth and out of the fulnesse of that power saith Teach all Nations and Baptize them and promiseth his presence to the World and to make the Nations obedient to the Faith and to receive the Gospel and Baptisme doth in so doing set up properly one Church of all the Nations in the world that receive the Gospel and Baptisme and make Nationall Churches of the severall Nations that receive the Gospel and Baptisme But Jesus Christ hath all power given him of God in Heaven and Earth and out of the fulnesse of that power saith Teach all Nations and Baptize them and promiseth his presence to the worlds end to make the Nations obedient and to receive the Gospel and Baptisme Therefore IESVS CHRIST doth in so doing set up one Church of all Nations that receive the Gospel and Baptisme and make Nationall Churches of the severall Nations that receive the Gospel and Baptisme I have degressed somewhat but let it passe Whether there be a Nationall or Congregationall Church or no this is sure every Society of Christians professing the true Faith is a Church and the Temple of God which now we come to prove for that is requisite that both branches of the first Doctrine be made good by clear Scripture The fi●st that every Christian professing the true Faith especially the true Professor is Gods Temple read the 16. verse of this Chapter and chap. 6. 6. 19. Where the Apostle saith Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God What know you not this Every Christian profession answereth our outward call is called to this honour to be Gods Temple this is the dignity to which ye are
thy Saints unto the beasts of the earth their bloud have they shed like water round about Ierusalem and there was none to bury them This is exemplified in the Antichristian rage of Papists and other our enemies at this day in these three Kingdomes especially in Ireland 18. Hinderers of Reformation and of the Reformers God raiseth up these like Iannes and Iambres withstand our Mosesses I meane all the Sticklers for any errour and the resisters of that blessed worke of the Nationall Covenant whereby these three Kingdomes may become one according to Christ Iesus Shall Hell that now opens her mouth wide shall Satan that can make use of a Peter and make him a Satan Mat. 16. 23. shall heights or depthes of white or black Devills swallow up that Covenant or dead that Covenant-care which cannot but make Rome and its Conclave to shake why is not our Covenant prosecuted 19. Sensuall Separatists Iude 19. that walke after their lusts Mockers that jugling with the Scriptures broach bruitish-damnable Tenets such as that that the soule dyeth with the body whereas it goeth to God that gave it and is either as Dives's was presently sent to Hell and is there in torments or else as Lazarus's in Abrahams bosome as Pauls with Christ as the beleeving Thiefes in Paradice as all beleevers present with the Lord clothed upon with their house from Heaven possessed of an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens 2 Corinthians 5. 1 3 6 8 Scoffers 2 Pet. 3. 3 4 12. that by their impostures would illude the Doctrine of the last Iudgement and say where is the Promise of his coming and take off from the hearts of the unwary and unstable the terrour of the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 11. and the looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of God Diseased fancifull minds that have itching eares and will not endure sound Doctrine but heape teachers to themselves 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. 20. The Machiavilian Politicians in a Christian State many degrees out-going old famous Achitophel 2 Sam. 16. 21 23. the Seditious that love to make divisions and sow discords and plant an inveterate odium in the hearts of King and Prince and people against all the godly and faithfull in the Land with all evill Counsellors against the Lord Nah. 1. 11. Psa 3. 2. and flattering bloody Edomitish Doegs Ps 52. Beloved what a griefe is it to think that by the ennumeration of particulars not this Doctrine alone should be so clearely and fully demonstrated by twenty severall sorts of off●ndors that there are many Temple-defilers within the Temple of God but also that in our English Church and Temple ●uch Temple-vermine should swarme at this day wherefore to descend to some short application 1. Prayer becomes us with complaints to God that dwells in his Temple Prayer that he would looke downe from Heaven and behold that he would not make us to erre from his waies and harden our hearts from his feare but returne for his servants sake that he would rent the Heavens and come down with demonstrations of zeal strength and sounding of bowels with terrible unexpected workes of wonder with Gospell-blessing that he would not be wroth very sore nor hold his peace at these things nor afflict us very sore Pray O remember not against us former iniquities let thy mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low Prayer with fasting and deepe humiliations become all that love Gods house in these our daies untill God raise up some Nehemiahs that they may cleanse Neh. 13. 8. Gods Temple 2. We should not be scandalized hereby but remember that in the great house of Gods Church there are Vessels of severall sorts and rather be purging our selves from these then forsaking and deserting the true Church of God if a man purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell unto honour 2 Tim. 2. 17. 20 21. sanctified and meet for the Masters use and Prepared unto every good worke 3. And then the zeale of Gods house should eate us up though there be many things in these troublous times that befall us or may feare us and distresse us from without yet the care of all the Churches should somewhat come 2 Cor. 11. 28 29. upon us especially upon Christs faithfull and painfull Ministers whatever befalls the Churches we should lay it to heart as if it befell our selves the fire of consuming zeale for Christs honour the Gospells purity the Churches safety should melt and fashion us to that of blessed Paul who is weake and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not 4. Lastly attending to our owne growth in Faith Prayer love and hope we should have compassion of some making a difference Jude 21. 22 23. and others save with feare pulling them out of the fire hating even the Garments spotted by the flesh not hating the men but hating the filthy affections and lusts which pollute the man and come from the flesh mans nature corrupted hating them first in our selves all envie and vye in Religion vaine-glory self-seeking self-love pride spirituall strife emulation variance self-pleasing in our gifts and parts and dis-union of heart c. for who can number all but wisedome love and sincerity will by these direct enough Thus of the second Doctrine The third Doctrine is this that God will certainly punish all defilers and violaters of his Temple with punishments proportionable to their sin they are not all of a sort nor all alike guilty and God that will doe no man wrong that he should have the least ground of entring an action against him the righteous God will deale out his punishments accordingly What punishments you will say or how doth he punish these sinners Ans 1 Their workes shall perish though themselves may be saved 1 Cor. 3. 13. 15. yet so as by fire the fire of the Word and Spirit in the day of the Gospell in the powerfull opening and application of the bright and burning truthes thereof such a day as this when now you are before the Lord hearing this Text Preached upon this fire shall these defilers passe through and their errours and their ill worke they have made in Gods building their wood hay and stubble burne to ashes and their persons humbled and purified be saved the Lord grant it you need no other Purgatory you will thinke this hot enough and this or none will doe the deed The Pontificians would faine finde their Purgatory-dreame in this Scripture and they shall finde their Purgatory to purifie or consume them not the Purgatory they seeke but the Purgatory God hath prepared for such Temple-wasters and Temple-defilers such foule beasts this is the breath of Christs lips this is the brightnesse of his coming which shall consume and destroy that man of sin they are in Purgatory and the fire now burnes hot upon them and so it will upon all the rest of the Temple-polluters afore-named Doe you not see the Angels
of God many of the Seraphims Esa 6. 6 7. with live-coales in their hands taken with the Tongs from off the Altar and laying them upon the mouthes of many faithfull able Ministers many an Esay They shall faile of their ends their folly shall be manifest to all 2. Tim. 3. 9. that is all the Elect but evill men and seducers will waxe worse and worse deceiving and being deceived they shall not yet deceive the Elect. You 'le say many of the choicest Christians cleave to them and many of them are the precious servants of Christ Iesus we cannot be otherwise perswaded for them I said but even now they may be saved but their workes shall perish themselves shall be saved yet so as by fire and for the rest marke it that was their ayme to get the choice Christians those whose hearts are for Christ and Heaven their designe is mostly upon any in whom any worke of Grace appeares So have all deceivers ever that they might glory in their flesh as our Apostle according to the wisdome given unto him hath written Gal. 6. 13. but they shall not compasse their end they 'le returne perceiving the strangers voice these gracious soules thought it had been Christs voyce which they heard in these men in these their errours but finding at length their mistake and under the sheeps-skin of gifts and graces perhaps shew of Scripture manifestation of the Spirit finding the bloody wolfe of errour and falshood that soul-murtherer they will embrace the truth and follow Christ perhaps hearing this you will for a while be froward for who can be willing to think he is in an errour or is deceived but Christ and his Father hold you in their hand and you cannot wrest your selves thence Another end they have they would be great and of same in the Church of God but their folly shall be manifest to all not only to the Elect but to all that will not deny the light of their reason and doe hold the Scripture in the Word of God and so shall fall in their esteem in mens hearts within the Visible Church our Saviour hath said it they shall be least in the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5. 19. of no esteem in the Church of Christ although for a while they beare the bell See the t●uth of it in all the Hereticks Schismaticks Novellists Persecuters and the like of all former ages they have no name of memoriall left but a rot is upon their memory Another end they have and that is to spread and propagate their Opinions and waies that they might with the Pharisees and Herodians of old leaven all the lump of Gods people but their folly shall be manifest and that manifestation of their folly shall set them their bounds they shall proceed no further Thus have all the ancient Heresies and Schismes of the Pelagians Donatists and the like been bounded and the infection stayed so God defiles Church-defilers they faile of their ends There are for them from God apportioned Plagues in this world they make rents and trouble Gods building the repairing of his house God will trouble them these Achans God will scatter them in Iacob and disperse them in Israel They break and teach the breaches and violations of Gods Commandements the least of his Commandements that of his day they shall be esteemed nothing in the Church be least in the Kingdome of Heaven Scandalous Brethren shall have their Milstone workers of iniquity strange punishments Heresies and divisions swarm God hath his East wind whereby he can sweep away those Locusts and cast them into the Red Sea Persecutors have their doom notably in this life besides hereafter Remember Antiochus of whom you reade in the second of Maccab. 9. chap. Remember Herod eaten up with wormes Act. 12. 23. Remember the Heretique Arrius that voided his bowels with his ex●rements in a common Iakes and all other Heretiques and Schismatiques and the Plagues upon Papists mentioned in Rev. 16. and 18. chapters It is not the least of punishments to give them over to their severall pernicious wayes that he that is filthy should be filthy still the spiritually proud should be so still where God saith they are joyned to Idols Let them alone They are Vain-glorious Let them alone They are given to errours and to make divisions Let them alone Thus you see how God will destroy the destroyers of his house The certainty of this just proceeding of the Lord appears in four things which are as so many reasons or grounds of this Doctrine 1. It is the vengeance of his Temple Jer. 51. 11. 50. 28 which is a sore vengeance in the execution whereof the Lord Pleadeth the cause of Zion throughly to give rest to his Church and disquiet his enemies whose spirit can sustain it self in the day of Visitation when the Lord shall say Behold I am against thee 2. Secondly the Argument is strong here from the lesse to the greater God hath said and will not repent of his word concerning Death and the Grave O Death I will be thy Plague O Grave I will be thy destruction Hos 13. 14. Because they offered to touch the bodies of his Saints which are his Temple and destroyed his holy place Shall God say thus of Death and the Grave and resolve that Repentance shall be hid from his eyes In this thing he will never alter his purpose that he determined And shall he not much more be the plagues and destruction of soul-polluters of d●stroyers of his Church of rophaners of the Communion of his Saints and people Thirdly the Temple of God is holy and inviolable therefore the sin of Prophaning and wasting of it is provoking and execrable Fourthly God is a jealous God and the vindicator and avenger of his glory “ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zelo●es et vindex gloriae suae no gifts will pacifie jealousie no power can shelter and save from the jealousie of the Lord of Hosts It is he the mighty one of Jacob the holy one of Israel that saith Zach. 8. 2. I am jealous for Zion with great jealousie and I am jealous for her with great fury I have done with the explication and confirmation of the third Doctrine the application respecting the present Doctrine and the whole Text I shall draw up under two sorts of uses 1. Of Information 2. Of Exhortation 1. We may from hence inform our Iudgements in four truths First what is the Christian use of the Ceremoniall Law the practice of it is out of date and deadly but it is not cut out of the Bible “ Non observamus non quia damnata sed quia mutata sunt non ut res ipsae quae significabantur perirent sed ut ●●ru● sign● suis quaque temporibus convenirent Tom. 6. Aug. oratione cont Iud. c. 3. God hath left it as part of Canonicall Scripture that we may reade it preach and hear it that comparing the things themselves with those