some brand or stamp upon them which points at the Sin for which they are inflicted you may call it a Sin-mark If the passages and ground of the continuance of this German War be well considered would not a man think they spake that of the Apostle Thou that hatest Idols dost thou commit Sacriledge But I dare go no further it may be I have said too much already For I well know the way that I go pleaseth neither party the one loves not the Pope should be Antichrist nor the other to hear that these things should not be Popery Thus you see I have at length brought both ends together and end where I began Pardon me this one Letter and I will trouble you no more with this Theme your Reply to my short Answer to your Quere occasioned it I forget not my best respect unto your self nor my prayers to the Almighty for blessing to you and yours Thus I rest Christ's Coll. Iuly 15. 1635. Your assured Friend Ioseph Mede I sent by Mr. B. 4. or 5. Exercises upon passages of Scripture such as I had in separate papers and fit to be communicated For those that were in Books joyned with other things I could not and some that were apart for some Reasons I would not expose to danger of censure I hope those which I sent are safely arrived with you EPISTLE LIX Dr. Twisse's Ninth Letter to Mr. Mede thanking him for his pains in the foregoing Letter and desiring his resolution of a Doubt concerning the 7 Lamps signifying the 7 Angels in Zach. 4. Right dear and Right worthy Sir I AM somewhat of a more chearful spirit than when I wrote my last I have gotten more liberty of spirit to consider your large Discourse savouring of great Learning no less Iudgment and a distinctive Apprehension of things of good importance and that not in my judgment only but in the judgment of others though all require serious and further consideration And for mine own particular I cannot but reflect upon my self how deeply I am beholden unto you for intrusting me in so liberal a manner with these your Speculations We can never offend in putting difference between the Holy and Prophane neither can we offend in presenting our selves too reverently at the Lord's Table Never was the Mercy-seat so well known in the days of the Old Testament as in these days of the New We now behold the glory of the Lord with open face and accordingly our Saviour tells us the Lord requires the true worshippers should worship him in spirit and in truth in distinction from worshipping him either at Ierusalem or in the Mount the woman spake of And in this kind of worship we cannot exceed But as for outward Gestures I doubt I shall prove but a Novice as long as I breath and we affect not to make ostentation of our Devotion in the face of the world the rather because thereby we draw upon our selves the censure of Hypocrisie and sometimes if a man lifts up his Eyes he is censured for a P. and I confess there is no outward Gesture of Devotion which may not be as handsomly performed by as carnal an heart as breaths I am confident you are far from studia partium so should we be all and be ambitious of nothing but of the love and favour of God and of our conformity unto him in truth and holiness I heartily thank you for all and particularly for these Pieces which now I return I hope they will arrive safely in your hands What I wrote the last time I have almost utterly forgotten saving the clearing of one Objection concerning the Seven Angels standing before the Throne represented by the Seven Lamps which I much desired it arising from the Text it self the Lamps being maintained by the Oile which drops from the Two Olive-trees which are interpreted to be Zorobabel and Ieshua But I have troubled you so much that I fear the aspersion of immodesty in troubling you any further I cannot sufficiently express my thankfulness for that I have already received I desire ever to be found Newbury Iuly 27. 1635. Yours in the best respect Will. Twisse EPISTLE LX. Dr. Twisse's Tenth Letter to Mr. Mede desiring him to reveal unto him those Pluscula in Zach. chapters 9 10 11. which fit not so well Zachary's time as Ieremy's as also to resolve a Doubt about the 7. Lamps in Zach. 4. with some reflexions upon Mr. Mede's large Letter about Temples and Altars and the Christian Sacrifice Worthy Sir DO you not miss your Letter ad Ludovicum de Dieu And do you not find it strange it is not returned with the rest I assure you I took no notice of it till Wednesday last two days after the last week's Letter I wrote unto you In every particular it was welcome unto me as all yours always are But your Variae lectiones concerning the Old Testament and the pregnant evidences thereof which you alledge do astonish me and above all your adventure to vindicate unto Ieremy his own Prophecy which so long hath gone under the name of Zachary I never was acquainted with any better way of reconciliation than that which Beza mentions of the likeness of abbreviations of each name which might cause a mistake by the Transcribers O that you would reveal unto me those Pluscula which in those three Chapters of Zachary 9 10 11. do more agree as you observe to the time of Ieremy than to the time of Zachary Why may you not have a peculiar way also to reconcile the Genealogie in the LXX with that in the Hebrew where Kainan is found in the one which is not in the other Thus I make bold to put you to new trouble but I presume it is no more trouble to you than the writing like as that other whereabout I moved you How the Seven Lamps are maintained by the oyl derived from the two Olive-Trees if by the Seven Lamps are meant the Seven Angels that stand before the Throne of God Yet have I not done with your large Letter concerning Temples and Altars Since the writing of my last while I was reading that large Letter of yours to some Divines who were much taken with admiration at the Learning contained therein in an Argument wherein we had been so little versed I say in the reading of it I observed one thing which in all my former readings I took no notice of and that is in these words This is a point of great moment and consequent worthy to be looked into by all the Learned of the Reformed Religion lest while we have deservedly abolished the prodigious and blasphemous Sacrifice of the Papists wherein Christ is again hypostatically offered to his Father we have not but very implicitely and obscurely reduced that ancient Commemorative Sacrifice of Christians wherein that one Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross was continually by that sacred Rite represented and inculcated to his Father his Father
openeth the womb shall be called Holy unto the Lord Ergo To be the Lord's and to be Holy are Synonyma's Though therefore the Gentiles Court had no sanctity of legal distinction yet had it the sanctity of peculiarity to God-ward and therefore not to be used as a common place The Illation proceeds by way of Conversion My House shall be called the House of Prayer to all Nations or People Ergo The House of Prayer for all Nations is my Father's House And the Emphasis lies in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our Translators were not so well advised of when following Beza too close they render the words thus My House shall be called of all Nations the House of Prayer as if the Dative Case here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were not Acquisitive but as it is sometimes with passive verbs in stead of the Ablative of the Agent for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which sense is clean from the scope and purpose of the place whence it is taken as he that compares them will easily see and I shall make fully to appear in the next part of my Discourse which I tendred by the name of an Observation To wit That this fact of our Saviour more particularly concerns us of the Gentiles than we take notice of Namely we are taught thereby what reverent esteem we ought to have of our Gentile Oratories and Churches howsoever not endued with such legal sanctity in every respect as was the Temple of the Iews yet Houses of Prayer as well as theirs This Observation will be made good by a threefold Consideration First of the Story as I have related it secondly from the Text here alledged for warrant thereof and thirdly from the circumstance of Time For the Story I have shewed it was acted in the Gentiles Court and not in that of the Iews because it is not credible that was thus prophaned It cannot therefore be alledged that this was a place of legal sanctity for according to legal sanctity it was held by the Iews as common only it was the place for the Gentiles to worship the God of Israel in and seems to have been proper to the second Temple the Gentiles in the first worshipping without at the Temple-door in the holy Mountain only Secondly The place alledged to avow the Fact speaks expresly of Gentile-worshippers not in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only but in the whole body of the context Hear the Prophet speak Esay chap. 56. ver 6 7. and then judge The sons of the stranger that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the Name of the Lord to be his servants every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my Covenant namely that I alone shall be his God Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyful in my House of Prayer their burnt-offerings and sacrifices accepted upon mine Altar Then follow the words of my Text For my House shall be called that is shall be it is an Hebraism a House of Prayer for all People What is this but a Description of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Gentile-worshippers And this place alone makes good all that I have said before viz. That this vindication was of the Gentiles Court Otherwise the allegation of this Scripture had been impertinent for the Gentiles of whom the Prophet speaks worshipped in no place but this Hence also appears to what purpose our Evangelist expressed the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 namely as that which shewed wherein the force of the accommodation to this occasion lay which the rest of the Evangelists omitted as referring to the place of the Prophet whence it was taken those who heard it being not ignorant of whom the Prophet spake Thirdly the circumstance of Time argues the same thing if we consider that this was done but a few days before our Saviour suffered to wit when he came to his last Passeover How unseasonable had it been to vindicate the violation of Legal and typical sanctity which within so few days after he was utterly to abolish by his Cross unless he had meant thereby to leave his Church a lasting lesson what reverence and respect he would have accounted due to such places as this was which he vindicated DISCOURSE XII S. IOHN 4. 23. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him THEY are the words of our Blessed Saviour to the Woman of Samaria who perceiving him by his discourse to be a Prophet desired to be resolved by him of that great controverted point between the Iews and Samaritans Whether Mount Garizim by Sichem where the Samaritans sacrificed or Ierusalem were the true place of worship Our Saviour tells her that this Question was not now of much moment For that the hour or time was near at hand when they should neither worship the Father in Mount Garizim nor at Ierusalem But that there was a greater difference between the Iews and them than this of Place namely even about That which was worshipped For ye saith he worship that ye know not but we Iews worship that we know Then follow the words premised But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth It is an abused Text being commonly alledged to prove that God now in the Gospel either requires not or regards not External worship but that of the Spirit only and this to be a characteristical difference between the worship of the Old Testament and the New If at any time we talk of external decency in rites and bodily expressions as sit to be used in the service of God this is the usual Buckler to repel whatsoever may be said in that kind It is true indeed that the worship of the Gospel is much more spiritual than that of the Law But that the worship of the Gospel should be only spiritual and no external worship required therein as the Text according to some meus sense and allegation thereof would imply is repugnant not only to the practice and experience of the Christian Religion in all Ages but also to the express Ordinances of the Gospel it self For what are the Sacraments of the New Testament are they not Rites wherein and wherewith God is served and worshipped The consideration of the holy Eucharist alone will consute this Gloss For is not the commemoration of the Sacrifice of Christ's death upon the Cross unto his Father in the Symbols of Bread and Wine an external worship And yet with this Rite hath the Church in all Ages used to make her solemn address of Prayer and Supplication unto the Divine Majesty as the Iews in the Old Testament did by Sacrifice When I say in all Ages I include also that of the Apostles For so much S. Luke testifieth of that first Christian society
acknowledgments for such peculiar knowledge of the Mysterious and Prophetick Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to use the words of that Hymn in the Alexandrian Liturgy for the Interpretation of Prophecy is a Grace and Favour as well as Prophecy it self Accordingly those two persons one under the Old Testament the other in the New that were favour'd above all others with the discoveries of the greatest Mysteries were such as were peculiarly dear to God Daniel was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and more fully 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of desires or greatly beloved and Iohn was the Disciple whom Iesus loved so he is styled five times in Scripture that leaned on his breast at Supper and lay in his bosome and to this his bosome-Disciple did our Lord impart the deepest Mysteries of Prophecy as also of Evangelical Truth whence he was worthily styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Divine a Title more fitly applied to him than of old to Orpheus Linus and Musaeus or any the Divinest Writer among either the Philosophers or Poets of the Gentiles III. His serious diligence in the use of such means as were most proper and instrumental to the attaining of that Knowledge he prayed for Where the most seemingly-earnest Prayer is not attended with as earnest Endeavours it is but a lazy insignificant wish and in some a piece of vain Enthusiasm But our Saviours advice is not barely to ask but to seek and such was that of Solomon not only to lift up the voice for Wisdom and Understanding but to seek her as Silver and search for her as for hid Treasures And of these counsels Mr. Mede was a careful observer who failed not to accompany his Prayers with his best Endeavours And as he was not slight and sudden in any thing but proceeded with the greatest care and caution imaginable in any important argument his Thoughts were fixed upon so was he more especially serious and thoughtful in his endeavours to interpret the Apocalyps and any other Prophetical Scriptures a work to which he was peculiarly design'd and fitted by God and moved to it by some interiour invitation and gracious Instinct of his Spirit as the Author himself does somewhere acknowledge in his Epistles where he also looks upon any abilities he had for interpreting such Scriptures as that particular Talent God had intrusted to him to improve to the best advantage in his service and therefore as became a good and faithful Servant desirous to approve himself to his Master in Heaven whatsoever his hand did find to do herein he did it with all his might And that he might wholly give himself to these studies according to that of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and attend upon them without distraction he prudently made choice of his most still and vacant hours wherein he might be most free from the noise and tumult of other cares and distractive but less pertinent business for he would tell his Friends that he could do nothing in these things but in silence and security of not being distracted by company and business S. Iohn received his Apocalyps in his Solitude at Patmos and our Author found those seasons to be the most favourable and advantageous for gaining any abilities to reveal this Apocalyps when he could be most retired and recollected in his Cell or Study where he might gather in and intend all the Powers of his Mind and possess his whole Soul the Soul never acting so strongly as when its whole force is thus united in such Recollections One Instance and a very remarkable one of his great Diligence and Faithfulness in this Work he mentions in a Letter of his to Dr. T. where acquainting him with the leisurely and deliberate progress he made in his Exposition of Apocal. chap. 14. he adds I am by nature cunctabundus in all things but in this let no man blame me if I take more pause than ordinary and he gives this Reason for it Altius enim hoc animo meo insedit saith he That rashly to be the Author of a false interpretation of Scripture is to take Gods name in vain in an high degree Words worthy to be written to use Ieremy's expression with a pen of iron or with the point of a diamond upon the table of the heart in the most legible and lasting characters Words arguing the Authors most serious and pious spirit full of reverence for the Word of God and most sadly to be considered by the over-confident and superficial Expositors of the Divine Oracles and Mysteries Thus much in general The particular Means whereby he attain'd so great an insight and skill in the Apocalyps and other abstruse Prophecies of Scripture were such as these 1. His accurate and judicious comparing of Scripture with Scripture and observing the proper and genuine use of the like Words and Phrases in several passages of Scripture as they are either in the Original Languages or in the ancient Versions thereof especially the Chaldee Greek and Syriack For he found by good experience that some Scriptures do excellently illustrate others where the like Expressions are to be found and consequently that the Word of God is a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our path not only as to the guiding of our life and practice but also as to the directing our progress in the safest and clearest method of interpreting it self and that such comparing of places is as needful for our conduct in the more solitary and dark passages of Scripture as that burning Pillar of fire was to the Israelites in their journeying through a wast and desolate Wilderness which God gave them to be both a guide of the unknown journey and an harmless Sun by night as the Author of the Book of Wisdom does elegantly express it in chap. 18. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Particularly he observ'd that the Style of the New Testament doth frequently imitate the Construction and Propriety of the Hebrew in the Old as also the Greek of the LXX and that the use of many Words in the New Testament was not Vulgar but Hellenistical and agreeable to the use and importance of them in the Greek Bible As for example 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apocal. 14. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 16. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 15. 54. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 9. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apocal. 13. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9. 5. Several other examples might be mentioned but it is a Truth so generally acknowledged by those that are but competently acquainted with Sacred Philology that it would be a needless task to produce the very many Instances which might be brought in confirmation thereof 2. His exact skill in History and the Customes both of the Iews and other Nations was a singular aid and advantage to him for explaining the obscurer passages in the Apocalyps and Prophets 'T is
Bent of the Times the Rule of his Opinion For being free from any aspiring after Applause Wealth and Honour and from seeking Great things for himself he was consequently secured from Flattery and Temporizing the usual artifice of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that will be rich that are resolved to make it their chief design and business to be great and wealthy in the world their heart is wholly upon it they are dead to the World to come and relish not the things above and are alive only to this present world being as eagerly intent and active about earthly things as if their portion were to be only in this life But such was the excellency of his spirit that he could not but abhor all Servile obsequiousness whatsoever as accounting it a certain argument of a Poorness of spirit either to flatter or to invite and receive Flatteries and withal considering that if those of Power and high degree were men of inward worth and excellent spirits they would shew themselves such in their valuing him not the less but rather more for his not applying himself to those ignoble arts and course policies proper to Parasites and ambitious men who speak not their own words nor seem to think their own thoughts but wholly enslave themselves to the thoughts and words the lusts and humors of those by whom for this pretended doing honour to them they seek to be advantaged Besides he might well think that he should rather undervalue and lessen them if he suppos'd they would regard him the more for those or the like Instances of an officious flattery as if they were not able to discern that Frankness and Openness of Spirit and Conversation Singleness of Heart and a Cordial readiness to serve others in love out of a pure heart is truly Christian Generous and Manly and on the contrary that Flattery and Fawning is Dog-like Base and Mercenary and lasts not long for though Parasites pretend to serve their Masters with great devotion a devotion so great as if they thought themselves rather their Creatures than God's yet in truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they rather serve their own belly and when their Masters cease to be in a capacity of serving them these men also cease to regard them and value them no more than an useless Tool or to use the Prophet's expression a broken Vessel wherein there is no pleasure Other particulars might be added but these may suffice to shew how Free he was from that which is apt to tempt men to judge amiss For it appears from the nature of the things themselves that Partiality Prejudice Pride and Passion Self-love Love of the World Flattery and Covetous Ambition do importunely sollicite men to make a false judgment corrupt their Affections wrong their Understandings enfeeble their Faculties unhappily dwarf their growth in useful Learning and keep them back from such an excellent improvement in Knowledge especially Divine Knowledge as otherwise they might attain And therefore had not Mr. Mede been free from the power of these Lusts he could never have perform'd so well as he hath done in any of his Tracts or Discourses especially upon the more abstruse and mysterious passages of H. Scripture Those therefore that are not of such a free and enlarged spirit but are fondly addicted either to themselves or Parties and are enslaved to Honour Wealth and particular narrow Interests and are under the power of Pride Passion serving divers Lusts and Pleasures they must needs be less excellent less improved in their studies less succesful in their Intellectual adventures than otherwise they might have been had they been established with a Free spirit Nor had some Authors of great reading and fame for Learning ever fallen into such mistakes but their Writings had been freer from imperfections and a greater respect they had secured to their Memories had they been less Passionate less Envious Proud and Self-conceited more Free and unbiassed more Humble and Modest as also more faithful to that excellent Rule of S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is somewhat of that great deal more which might be observed of the Author's Largeness and Freedom of spirit which yet in him was not accompanied with any unbecoming reflexions upon others as if he design'd to lessen the due esteem of what was laudable in their performances much less with any irreverence and opposition to the established Articles of Religion and prejudice to the Peace of the Church or State but on the contrary was an innocent ingenuous peaceable Freedom of enquiring into such Theories only as do not at all clash with the Doctrine established and was ever attended with a sweet Modesty a singular Sedateness and Sobriety of spirit and a due regard to Authority And whosoever would read the Author with most profit and judgment must read him also with a free unpassionate and unprejudiced spirit That Saying Omnis Liber eo spiritu legi debet quo scriptus est is true as well of every useful Book as of the Divinely-inspired Books of Holy Scripture Thus much of the Fourth Help or Instrument of Knowledge I shall mention but one particular more but it is a very weighty and important one of singular use and absolute necessity for the gaining the Best Knowledge wherein I might be as large as in the foregoing but because I would hasten to conclude the Preface I shall dispatch it in fewer lines V. The Fifth and Last Means whereby the Author arrived at such an Eminency of Knowledge was His faithful endeavour after such a Purity of Soul as is requisite to fit it for the fuller and clearer discerning of Divine Mysteries The necessity of such a Purity of Heart and Life in order to this End appears by several express places of Scripture as where it is said The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Psalm 25. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knowledge of the holy ones is Understanding Prov. 9. their way of knowing is Knowledge and Understanding indeed and again The pure in heart shall see God Matth. 5. But none of the wicked shall understand says the Angel to Daniel concerning the Mysteries mentioned in Chap. 12. And agreeable to these and many such passages of H. Scripture is that in the Book of Wisdom chap. 1. Into a malicious Soul Wisdom shall not enter nor dwell in the Body that is subject unto sin The same Truth is plainly acknowledged by the Best and more Divine Philosophers and accordingly they frequently discourse of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Purgative Vertues as necessary to prepare the Soul for the knowledge of the most Excellent and Highest Truths as the Mystical or Contemplative Divines speaking of the way to Divine knowledge place the Via Purgativa before the Via Illuminativa and it is a known Maxime of Plato in his Phaed◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implying that
Impure Souls are not admitted to any inward converse with God most Pure and Holy That Wickedness is destructive of Principles is also Aristotle's observation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Immorality or a Vicious life unfits men for the noblest Speculations so that they can neither know Divine nor Moral Truths 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they ought to know and as they might have known had they had a true resentment of Morality and an inward esteem of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things that are just pure and lovely and of good report And though such men may sometimes hit upon some Philosophical Notions yet even in the discovering the Mysteries of Nature they had done far better and had excell'd themselves had they been more purged from brutish Sensuality and all filthiness of flesh and spirit I will only add this That for a most clear and undeniable proof of this Assertion That Morality and a Good life affords the greatest advantages to a more excellent knowledge of not only Divine but Philosophical Truths we have in this Age the unparallel'd Works of some eminently-learned and nobly-accomplish'd Writers who really are Virtuosi according to the ancient Latine importance of the word and not merely in the Italian sense which applies only to the Wits and such as are any way Ingenious be they or be they not morally Vertuous But that which I chiefly intended under this last Particular was to acquaint the Reader how deeply sensible Mr. Mede was of the indispensable necessity of a Purified Mind and Holy Life in order to the fuller and clearer discerning of Divine Mysteries This was his firm belief and it obliged him to endeavours worthy of it To which purpose I shall here produce a very observable passage out of a Letter of his to an ancient Friend in Lincolnshire who having received and with great satisfaction read some Papers from Mr. Mede containing his first Essays upon part of the Apocalyps and thereupon writing to him with all serious importunity That he would earnestly pray for and endeavour after a great measure of Holiness to the mortification of Sin more and more that thereby he might be prepared to receive a greater measure of Divine Illumination and be as a Vessel of honour chosen by God to bear and convey his Truth to others with much more of the like import concluding with this request You see how bold I am with you but let love bury that Exorbitancy c. To this his Christian advice Mr. Mede return'd this excellent Answer Sir I thank you heartily for your good Admonitions and am so far from interpreting your Love Exorbitancy that I confess my self to have much need of this and more and therefore desire you to second this your Love with Prayer to God for me that he would vouchsafe me that his Sanctifying Spirit and that measure of Grace which may make me capable of such things as he shall be pleased to reveal and hath in some sort praised be his Name already revealed unto me in the contemplation whereof I find more true Contentment than the greatest Dignities which Ambition so hunteth after could ever have afforded me I have considered what S. Paul saith The Natural and Carnal man is altogether uncapable of the things of God's Spirit neither can he know them c. and what our Saviour saith If any man will do his Father's will he shall then know of the doctrine whether it be of God and I give thanks to Almighty God who hath made the Light of these his wonderful Mysteries to kindle that Warmth in my Heart which I felt not till I began to see them and which have made me that which they found me not This passage out of Mr. Mede's original Letter I thought very worthy to be made publick and inserted here upon so fit an occasion both for that excel-cellent and genuine relish of an humble and serious Piety in every line thereof as also because it is an illustrious Attestation to the forementioned Truth That an Holy Heart and Life is a necessary Qualification to the right discerning of Divine Mysteries agreeable whereunto is that in the Greek Version of Prov. 1. 7. which yet is rather a Paraphrase than a bare Translation there being more in the Greek than in the Original Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 AND now I have passed over the Three long Stages of this Preface In the last Head of Advertisements I have acquainted the Reader by what Methods and Helps the Author arrived at so great a measure of skill in the Scripture particularly in the more abstruse and mysterious parts thereof And thus may others also attain to a considerable Knowledge and purchase this goodly Pearl this Treasure hid in the field of Prophetical Scriptures if they are willing to be at the same cost and bid to the worth of it and not ignorantly nor sordidly undervalue it For Wisdom and particularly this kind of Wisdom and Knowledge is not to be had at a cheaper rate it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Pearl of great price and worthy of all that we have to bestow to purchase it They that look as little into the Apocalyps as some do into the Apocrypha and mind the Book of Daniel no more than they do the Apocryphal Story of Bell and the Dragon and therefore exercise not their good parts nor bestow that serious diligence about the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture as they use to do about other kind of difficulties whether in Philosophy or other parts of Learning it 's no wonder they complain the Iewel is too dear when they have no mind to give the full price for it and that all Labour after such knowledge is either excessively hard or useless whenas yet through their delicateness and love of their own ease or for some other reason they never made any due trial But in other things Difficulty is no argument it rather whets and animates men of brave spirits and that all Excellent things are hard is so confess'd a Truth that it has pass'd into a vulgar Proverb The first and least therefore that is to be done by such as are of another spirit and are minded to search these as well as the other Scriptures is by a frequent attentive reading of the Prophetical Visions to fix the main passages thereof in their minds otherwise both the style and matter the great things of the Prophets as Hosea speaks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great things of the Law will be always counted as a strange thing This being done they must if they would succeed in their search apply themselves to those Five Means and Instruments of Knowledge as Mr. Mede did and prosper'd and by his Writings hath lessen'd the difficulty of these Studies and made the way plainer for others than he found it for himself And as the study of the Prophetick Scriptures would by an heedful attending to those
betwixt them is not in Fundamentals but that they both agree in so much as is necessary to Salvation and therefore That their differing in other matters of lesser import should not so far prevail to the either causing or continuing any uncharitable Disunions as their agreeing in other Points such as are Fundamental and Necessary to Salvation should oblige and perswade them to Charity and mutual Forbearance and the owning each other as Brethren and members of the same Body whereof Christ is the Head And by this means when their Affections were once put into a better temper and the acrimony of their spirits was hereby corrected they would certainly be in a better disposition to judge of the points of difference between them Besides he did not judge it necessary for the procuring and establishing this desirable Union between both parties that there should be a full Decision of all Controversies in every minute particular thereof but rather that both of them should abate of that vast distance which their eager contentions had made not widening the breach not enlarging but lessening their differences as much as might be by their candid constructions fair concessions and condescensions to each other For except each partie would abate and cease to maintain stifly their supposed advantage against the other entire it would be as impossible to attain this Union as for a Ioyner to set two pieces of timber together without paring something from either it was the Author's fit comparison This in general was the way of Peace which he chalked out for those whom the Love of Christ should constrain heartily to seek and pursue the Peace of the Reformed Religion the happy uniting of divided Protestants But as for the more particular methods for carrying on this Pacifick design they are at large discours'd of by three Reverend Prelates of our Church Bishop Morton Bishop Hall and Bishop Davenant and by the last especially who besides his Tract De Pace inter Evangelicos procuranda wrote another intituled Adfraternam Communionem inter Evangelicos Ecclesias Adhortatio Nor was our Author asymbolus and altogether silent for though at first he declin'd upon some prudential considerations to express himself otherwise than in general upon this argument yet after that his Superiors had declar'd themselves he was pleas'd also to communicate his particular Instructions about this affair as appears by several Epistles of his written to Mr. H. and Mr. D. heretofore published wherein the judicious Reader may observe his great Prudence and equal Moderation and that he was clothed as with Humility of which we have given several pregnant Instances so likewise with a meek and quiet spirit a disposition of near alliance to that of Humility and an Ornament of as great price and value in the sight of God as the outward bravery of Iewels gay attire and curious dressings is highly but undeservedly valued and admired in the eyes of men 31. But it is not fit we should so easily go off from what we last intimated it fairly leading us to offer unto the Reader 's observation that which added no small lustre to our Author's Character we mean His prudent Moderation in the either Declaration or Defence of his private Opinions He was never forward in any company to catch at hints of discourse or to take any other occasion to reveal his particular judgment So far was he from the Temper of those men who being puffed up it may be with a small knowledge account it nothing to know unless others know that they do who must talk or burst not so much for benefit to others as to disperse and publish their own praise He knew there was a time to speak and a time to keep silence and he knew how to do both with as much ease as any man living There is that keepeth silence saith Siracides Chap. 20. knowing his time so did he It was a frequent Proverbial speech of our Authors He that cannot hold his tongue can hold nothing and he practis'd accordingly Not that he was a niggard of his Notions or backward to impart to others what himself knew for he was most communicative both of his Notes and Notions but he prudently consider'd the Character of the Persons then in presence and the Temper of the Times nor did he neglect to follow that other Maxime of the Son of Sirach in a more improved sense Shew not forth wisdom out of time He was always more modest and sober than to prostitute his Thoughts to unworthy persons which were to cast pearls before swine But if any were seriously desirous to be informed and did seem out of no ill design to ask his opinion especially if it were in re nova paradoxa to such he was not unwilling to communicate his inward Sentiments privately sine arbitris So the wisest and best Philosophers had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were not publickly and promiscuously imparted to all as were their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to those only who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and prepared for such mysteries Yea our Blessed Saviour himself did speak some things to his Disciples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and taught them as they were able to bear Otherwise our Author was well content and satisfied without even these private communications not caring to impart any of his peculiar Notions but as he would say where he found some appetite nor would he offer them and try whether they had a stomach but they themselves must discover it much less would he go about as he said to cram them So far was he from being obtrusive unto any that even some of familiar acquaintance with him he profess'd knew as little of his Notions as any Stranger whatsoever Nor did his Modesty and Good Temper less appear in the Defence of his private Opinions For he would not be offended with others who were not of his mind not eagerly contend with those who differ'd from him having resolved never to abandon Love in his prosecution of Truth I never found my self prone to change my hearty affections to any one for mere difference in Opinion was a worthy return of his to one who had opposed him with more heat than needed And therefore only as occasion required having fairly propounded his Iudgment and the Reasons of it he ingenuously left every man to judge for himself without expressing the least ambitious zeal to win others to his Opinion To this purpose he express'd himself to a tenacious piece he had once to do with one that would be always replying having found out some shift or other that must go for an Answer It is sufficient said he for a man to propound his Opinion with the strongest evidence and arguments he can and so leave it Truth will be justified of her children He observed also that in most points
but I fear that the maintenance thereof by Fallacy or Falshood may not end with a blessing Thus did he upon occasion express himself with a just reflexion upon some who pretending to Policy did prudently as they thought advise That for the better securing and advancing some Doctrines men should be born in hand that they were Fundamental and accordingly were to receive them as such But our Author who was a great lover of Truth endeavouring to judge and speak of every thing according to the truth of the thing and who always valued the Iacob-like Plainness and Simplicity of spirit a free Openness and Singleness of heart in any faithful Christian as an high Perfection look'd upon all such Practices with the greatest disgust and abhorrence and so will every one who is an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile And yet though it be a most unworthy it has been nevertheless a too common and usual artifice among some of the divided Churches in Christendom to heighten Speculative Doctrines and such as are less weighty and sometimes doubtful and uncertain into Fundamental Articles especially when it is for the advantage of the party that they should be deem'd such But it had been infinitely better if the Moderation of the Church of England as to Articles of Religion had been imitated in other Churches for want whereof elsewhere Ex Religione Arsfacta est cui deinde consequens fuerit ut ad exemplum eorum qui turrim Babylonicam aedificabant affectatio temeraria rerum sublimium dissonas locutiones discordiam pareret as Grotius complains upon a like occasion in his De Veritate Relig Christ. l. 6. We might also briefly observe another Instance of his Prudence and that was as to the choice of the fittest and most seasonable Time for communicating Truth to others And indeed this was a point of Prudence which he would advise should be most carefully consider'd as being in his esteem half the work otherwise some Useful Notions might because they were Uncommon be rashly condemned before they were well considered and understood and there are none more ready to condemn than the half-learned and half-witted which are not the less numerous nor the less confident sort of men who stear not as he observed by Reason but by another Compass viz. Faction or Interest or Affection c. So true is that of the Comoedian Homine imperito nunquam quidquam injustius Qui nisi quod ipse facit nihil rectumputat Whereasmen of the greatest Reason deepest Iudgment and noblest Accomplishments are also men of the greatest Civility Candour and Ingenuity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 34. And now having advanced thus far in the Description of his Vertues we may not silently or slightly pass over his Charity a Grace that was very eminent and conspicuous in him and so it ought to be in every Christian it being the peculiar Badge and Livery of Christ's Disciples as well as their indispensable Duty and necessary Qualification for their doing good here and their receiving a Reward hereafter And therefore to allude to that in 1 Cor. 13. although our Author had great skill in Tongues and had the gift of Prophecy and understood Mysteries and was also able to remove Mountains of Difficulties so as to make all become plain and smooth particularly as to the understanding of hard passages in the more Mysterious and Prophetical Books of H. Scripture yet notwithstanding all these Accomplishments had he not had Charity he had been nothing better nay he had been just nothing according to those two observable expressions in that fore-named Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His Knowledge if alone might have been apt to puff him up but his Charity which accompanied it both disposed and enabled him to edifie and build up others in the most holy Faith in sound Wisdom and Understanding His Charity was of the right kind and could have approved itself such to those that were capable to judge thereof by all those Fifteen Properties mentioned in that Chapter as the sure Marks and proper Characters of the genuine Christian Charity But to insist upon so many particulars would be an unreasonable Excursion and an unmerciful usurping upon the Reader 's Patience And besides it is not very needful some of those Properties having been more or less spoken to already in some foregoing Sections To pretermit therefore his most endearing Sweetness and obliging Affability in converse with others his absolute Inoffensiveness either in words or behaviour towards all men his rare Communicativeness and singular Alacrity in imparting what he knew to those who were of a soberly-inquisitive Genius all which were the fair Fruits and excellent Effects of the true Christian Love we shall select only Two more General Instances whrein he express'd his Charity towards men for of that we are speaking and they were 1. His careful concealing or lessening of others Failings and Imperfections So far was he from making the worst of every thing as some do who without making any favourable allowances are extream in marking what is amiss And 2. His free relieving of the Necessitous So far was he from hiding his face and shutting up his bowels from the poor and needy in the day of their distress He was so perfect in the first instance that he would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speak evil of no man much less would he watch for their halting as one that rejoyced in iniquity Nay at such a distance he was from that evil but epidemical humour that he chose rather to speak well of those in whom he had only Hope for a ground of commendation Nor did he only conceal and cover the faults of others even of his Enemies as far as the circumstances would bear and in case it were not a greater Charity sometimes to disclose them but he would also avoid the company of such as he had observed to please themselves or thought to tickle ill-minded persons in passing unworthy censures upon other men And thus sometimes by silence sometimes by rebuke and when it was convenient by withdrawing from the place and company he declared he would have no share in the sin of those who endeavoured to shew their uncharitable wit in either disparaging the parts or vilifying the performances of others As for himself when his own name was concern'd he was signally Patient even another Moses for Meekness vir mitissimus he knew how to bear personal disrespects with an untroubled spirit nobly and meekly and thus according to that of Siracides he glorified his Soul in Meekness An instance whereof appears in his civil Reply to the Strictures of Dan. Lawenus which were not without some angry and unhandsome reflexions upon our Author The man had a long time been poring upon the Apocalyps and seem'd to envy him the praise due to him for his Apocalyptick Labours fearing belike that thereby Mr. Mede would increase and his
Christ were not where the Name of God is call'd upon in publick through the Mediation not of Saint or Angel but of the One Mediator Christ Iesus and where the Word of Christ not unwritten and uncertain Traditions and fabulous Legends is publickly read and preach'd and hath prosper'd through God's blessing to the conversion and salvation of many thousand Souls But our Author being a strong and adult Christian one that could see into the nature and reasons and consequences of things one that had look'd into the perfect Law of liberty and was establish'd with a free spirit well knew the slight insignificancy of what is pretended by some for their uncharitable Separations and that their way was not Perfection but Weakness an argument of a low narrow and Iewish spirit that would engross Messias only to themselves and confine him to their particular modes and no less an argument of a weak servile and really Superstitious spirit to be unreasonably scrupulous about things of an indifferent nature to forbid themselves such things as God hath no-where forbidden and to put a greater stress upon the doing of some things and the not-doing of other things than either the Scripture hath or the nature of the things will bear And therefore the Scripture represents those of this temper as Weak in the faith in opposition to the Strong who as they manifest themselves to be such in a not being over-sollicitous about those little things though in the mean while most mindful and strictly observant of the necessary and substantial things of Religion which are all clearly declar'd in the H. Scripture so likewise in that they can better bear the censurings and sometimes unhandsom dealings of those that are Weak and find it more easie to treat such civilly and to look upon them with a more benign and clear aspect than the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do at least some of them if we may judge of men by their behaviour But of that better temper was our Author a person that did not proudly or passionately despise or behave himself unseemly to those that dissented from him for then of Strong he had become Weak nor would he do any thing that was uncivil or unhumane unto any he could say in a very good sense to borrow that of the Comoedian Homo sum humani à me nihil alienum puto 45. Before we conclude this argument it may be Operae-pretium to superadde one useful Observation and Notion of our Author's not impertinent to the present business There were some in his time who thought themselves excused for non-compliance with the establish'd Liturgy and Orders Ecclesiastick by a vulgar yet false notion of Scandal as if To Scandalize were To displease or aggrieve others or To occasion the dislike or anger of others as of such particularly who had formerly entertain'd a good opinion of them and their Ministery Now as these things came sometimes to be mention'd in discourse he was wont to express his Thoughts concerning the right and genuine notion and importance of that word to this sense That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and having a Transitive signification as words in the Conjugation Hiphil have in Hebrew and therefore well render'd To make to offend 1 Cor. 8. 13. and so in the Margin Matth. 5. 29. doth according to the Syle of the Scripture generally import thus much By our actions to induce another to sin in imitation of our evil example and so to put a Stumbling-block in the way of piety and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is fitly render'd Stumbling-block in Rev. 2. 14. where Balaam is said to have taught Balak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel c. or when it is joyn'd with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Stumbling-block it is as fitly render'd an occasion of falling Rom. 14. 13 Nor is this sense much distant from the Etymon of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à claudicando and accordingly To Scandalize is to make or to occasion one to fall or some way or other to hinder one from walking evenly steddily and regularly as he ought And agreeable to this sense is that observable description of Scandal given by Tertullian Scandalum ni fallor non bonae rei sed malae exemplum est aedificans ad delictum This our Author did apprehend to be the proper notion of the word rather than that which the other did pretend viz. To do that which may displease or grieve or vex others For some are angry without a cause and are offended and displeas'd sometimes at that which is not in itself evil yea are grieved and vexed when another is doing his duty and being so affected are therefore far from being induced and emboldened to the practice of that which the other accounts his duty and consequently far from being Scandaliz'd according to the general sense of the word in Scripture only they are displeas'd offended and angry but without any just cause and therefore not to be justified in that humour as neither are the Ministers upon that score to think themselves excus'd from their duty For a man to neglect his Duty and such as the performance whereof is accompanied with the advantage of being instrumental to the best good of others is plainly to displease and offend God who is never displeas'd but justly But to offend man is not always to sin against our Brother and to do that which may displease or dislike others and how is it possible in such a contradiction of humours and vast contrariety of fancies not to be displeasing unto some is not necessarily to Scandalize in the Scripture-idiom Besides what the great Apostle saith would be seriously consider'd Do I seek to please men For if I yet pleas'd men I should not be the Servant of Christ To this purpose has our Author been known to express himself in familiar discourse with some Friends And much-what like the Notion did the Learned Dr. Hammond happily light upon as appears by his elaborate Tract of Scandal 46. HITHERTO we have endeavour'd though in a rude and imperfect draught to represent the rich Endowments of his Mind together with those Vertues and Graces that adorn'd and beautified his Inward man and made his Soul a meet Habitation for the Divine Shechinah which loves to rest in such Souls as are Holy Humble and Meek full of Charity and Good will towards men It remains now before we conclude this Narrative that we add something concerning the Frame and Temper of that Body wherein this excellent Soul dwelt that Earthen Vessel wherein these Heavenly Treasures were deposited and which only of him was capable of Mortality and thence pass to the last Scene and Epilogue of his Life His Body was of a comely proportion rather of a tall than low stature In his younger years as he would say he was but slender and
sute our Text better I think than any of the former to wit that Prophesying here should be taken for praising God in Hymns and Psalms For so it is fitly coupled with praying Praying and Praising being the parts of the Christian Liturgie Besides our Apostle also in the fourteenth Chapter of this Epistle joyns them both together I will pray saith he with the spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing that is prophesie with understanding also For because Prophets of old did Three things first foretel things to come secondly notifie the will of God unto the People and thirdly utter themselves in Musical wise and as I may so speak in a Poetical strain and composure hence it comes to pass that to prophesie in Scripture signifies the doing of any of these Three things and amongst the rest to praise God in Verse or Musical composure This to be so as I say I shall prove unto you out of two places of Scripture and first out of the first of Chronicles Chap. 25. where the word Prophesie is three several times thus used I will alledge the words of the Text at large because I cannot well abbreviate them Thus therefore it speaks Vers. 1. Moreover David and the Captains of the Host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Ieduthun who should prophesie with Harps with Psalteries and with Cymbals and the number of the men of Office according to their service was 2. Of the sons of Asaph Zaccur and Ioseph and Nethaniah and Asarelah the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph which prophesied according the order of the King 3. Of Ieduthun the sons of Ieduthun Gedaliah and Zeri and Ieshaiah Hashabiah and Mattithiah and Schimei six under the hands of their father Ieduthun who prophesied with a Harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord. Lo here to prophesie and to give thanks or confess and to praise the Lord with spiritual songs made all one Nor needs such a Notion seem strange when as even among the Latins the word Vaâ—es signifieth both him that foretels things to come and a Poet for that the Gentiles Oracles were given likewise in Verse And S. Paul to Titus calls the Cretian Poet Epimenides a Prophet as one saith he of their own Prophets said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Arabians whose language comes the nearest both in words and notions to the Hebrew call a chief Poet of theirs Princeps omnium Poetarum saith Erpenius quos unquam vidit mundus Muttenabbi that is Prophetizans or the Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now then if Asaph Ieduthun and Heman prophesied when they praised God in such Psalms as are entituled unto their several Quires and as we find them in the Psalm-Book for know that all the Psalms entituled To the sons of Korah belonged to the Quire of Heman who descended from Korah why may not we when we sing the same Psalms be said to prophesie likewise namely As he that useth a prayer composed by another prayeth and that according to the spirit of him that composed it so he that praiseth God with these spiritual and prophetical composures may be said to prophesie according to that spirit which speaketh in them And that Almighty God is well pleased with such Service as this may appear by that one story of King Iehoshaphat in the second of Chronicles who when he marched forth against that great confederate Army of the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir the Text tells us that having consulted with his people he appointed Singers unto the Lord that should praise the Beauty of holiness as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever that is they should sing the one hundred and sixth Psalm or one hundred and thirty sixth Psalm which begin in this manner and were both of them not unfit for such an occasion And when they began to sing and praise saith the Text the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir which were come against Iudah and they were smitten A second place where such kind of Prophets and Prophesying as we speak of are mentioned is that in the first of Samuel in the story of Saul's election where we read that when he came to a certain place called The Hill of God he met a company of Prophets coming down from the Highplace or Oratory there with a Psaltery and a Tabret and a Pipe and a Harp before them and they prophesied and he with them Their Instruments argue what kind of Prophecy this was namely Praising of God with spiritual songs and melody In what manner is not so easie to define or specifie but with an extemporary rapture I easily believe And if we may conjecture by other examples One of them should seem to have been the Praecentor and to utter the Verse or Ditty the rest to have answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the extremes or last words of the Verse For after this manner we are told by Philo Iudaeus that the Esseni who were of the Iewish Nation were wont to sing their Hymns in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or worshipping-places And after the self-same manner Eusebius tells us did the Primitive Christians having in all likelihood learnt it from the Iews whose manner it was The same is witnessed by the Author Constitutionum Aposiolicarum in his second Book and fifty seventh Chapter where describing the manner of the Christian Service after the reading of the Lessons of the Old Testament saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let another sing the Psalms of David and the people succinere or answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the extremes of the verses Some footsteps of which Custom remain still with us though perhaps in somewhat a different way when in those short Versicles of Liturgie being Sentences taken out of the Psalms the Priest sayes or sings the first half and the People answer the latter quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As for example in that taken out of Psalm 51. 15. the Priest sayes O Lord open thou our lips the People or Chorus answers And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise But whatsoever the ancient manner of answering was thus much we are sure of That the Iews in their Divine Lauds were wont to praise God after this manner in Antiphons or Responsories as to let pass other Testimonies and the use of their Synagogues to this day derived from their Ancestors we may learn by two special Arguments One from the Seraphims singing Esay 6. 3. where it is said that the Seraphims cryed one unto another saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his Glory Note They cried one unto another Secondly from the use of the Hebrew verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the proper and
the Books written after the Captivity he is styled Deus coeli the God of Heaven as in Ezra Nehemiah Daniel in which Books together with the last of Chronicles the title of Deus Sabaoth The Lord of Hosts is not to be found but the title of Deus Coeli The God of Heaven only which as may seem was taken up for some reason in stead of the other But to return to what we have in hand It was the Angelical Host as ye hear who sang this Song of joy and praise unto the most High God And wherefore For any restitution or addition of Happiness to themselves No but for Peace on Earth and Good-will towards men He that was now born took not upon him the Nature of Angels but of men He came not into the world to save Angels but for the salvation of men Nor was the state of Angels to receive advancement in glory by his coming but the state of men and that too in such a sort as might seem to impeach the dignity and dim the lustre of those excellent creatures when an inferiour Nature the nature of Man was now to be advanced unto a throne of Divine majesty and to become Head and King not only of men but of the Heavenly Host it self O ye blessed Angels what did these tidings concern you That ruined mankind should be restored again and taken into favour whereas those of your own Host which fell likewise remained still in that gulf of perdition whereinto their sin had plunged them without hope of mercy or like promise of Deliverance What did it add to your eminent Dignity the most excellent of the creatures of God that the Nature of man should be advanced above yours that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth The Observation therefore which this Act of the Angels first presents unto us is The ingenuous goodness and sweet disposition of those immaculate and blessed Spirits in whose bosomes Envy the Image of the Devil and deadly poison of Charity hath no place at all For if any inclination to this cankered passion had been in these Heavenly creatures never such an occasion was offered nor greater could be to stir it up as now But Heaven admits of no such passion nor could such a torment consist with the blissful condition of those who dwell therein It is the smoke of that bottomless pit a native of Hell the character and cognisance of those Apostate Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation and are reserved for chains of everlasting darkness These indeed grieve no less at the Happinâ—ss of men than the Angels joy witness the name of their Prince Satan which signifies the Fiend or malicious one who out of Envy overthrew mankind in the beginning out of Envy he and all his fellow-fiends are so restless and indefatigable to seduce him still The Use of this Observation will not be far to seek if we remember the admonition our Saviour hath given us in the Prayer left unto his Church which is To make the Angels the pattern of our imitation in doing the will of our heavenly Father for so he teacheth us to pray Let thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven that is Grant us O Lord to do thy will here as thy holy Angels do it there And as we should imitate them in all things else so in this affection towards the happiness and prosperity of others And good reason I think if we mean at all to approve our selves unto God our Father why we should endeavour rather to be like unto them than unto Devils But in nothing can we be more like them than in this to rejoyce for the good and not repine at the happiness of our Brethren Hoc enim Angelicum est This is the Character of the Angelical nature and consequently of those who one day shall have fellowship with them To be contrarily affected Diabolicum est is the badge and brand of Devils and Fiends and those who wear their Livery reason good they should keep them company Let every one therefore examine his own heart concerning this point that he may learn upon what terms he stands with God and what he may promise himself of the Blessedness to come Do the gifts of God doth his favour or blessing vouchsafed to thy brother when thou â—eest or hearest of them torment and crucifie thy soul dost thou make their happiness thy misery is thine eye evil to thy Brother because God's is good If this be so without doubt thy heart is not right before God nor doth his Spirit but the spirit of Devils and Fiends reign therein But if the contrary appear in any reasonable measure with a desire to encrease it for we must not look to attain the perfection of Angels in this life but in some measure and degree only if thou canst rejoyce at anothers good though it concerns not thy self the Spirit of God rests upon thee For emulations and envyings saith the Apostle Gal. 5. 19. c. are the fruits of the flesh but the fruits of the Spirit are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kindness and goodness So he calls the opposite vertues to those former vices But as any good that betides our brother ought to affect us with some degree of joy and not with grief and envy so chiefly and most of all his Spiritual good and that which concerns his Salvation ought so to do This was that the holy Angels praised God for in my Text on the behalf of men That unto them a Saviour was born who should save them from their sins and reconcile them unto God Which sweet disposition of those good and blessed spirits our Saviour himself further witnesseth when he saith Luke 15. 7 10. There is joy in heaven namely among the holy Angels for one sinner that repenteth But is there any man will you say such a son of Belial as he will not do this will not imitate the holy Angels in this Iudge ye There is an evil disease which commonly attends upon Sects and Differences in opinion That as men are curiously inquisitive into the lives and actions of the adverse party so are they willing to find them faulty and rejoyce at their falls and slips hear and relate them with delight namely because they suppose it makes much for their own side that the contrary should by such means be scandalized and the Patrons and followers thereof disreputed But should that be the matter of our grief whereat the Angels joy or that the matter of our joy whereat the Angels grieve How is this to do our Father's will on earth as the Angels do in heaven Nay if this be not to put on the robes of darkness and to shake hands with hellish Fiends I know not what is O my Soul come not thou into their secret unto
looked that that glorious Son of David should have been born of the most rich and potent parentage of that line but behold he was of the poorest and most despised Who would not have thought but Ierusalem the Royal City had been the only fit place for his Birth but he was born at Bethlehem one of the least Cities of Iudah And what in some stately and more convenient Palace there No in a stable and laid in a manger So was David his progenitor the youngest and most despised son of Ishai Samuel thought that brave and goodly Eliab the first-born was the man surely whom God would chuse to make him King But God had set his eye upon him whom the Father so little regarded as he could scarce think of him even the little one which kept the sheep Thus God derides the conceits of men Fools therefore that we are why do we value those things so much which God esteems so little We are wont otherwise to make much account of such things as Kings and Great ones have in esteem and to think but basely of those things which they despise why should not the Example of Almighty God bear the like sway in our judgments to prefer what he prefers and slight what he undervalues Let us therefore considering this set our hearts and affections upon heavenly and spiritual things and say of all the pomp and glory of this world Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity THUS have I spoken of the two first Particulars I propounded the Time when and the Place where our Saviour began the publication of his Gospel I come now to the Third The Summe of what he preached and it was this The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel This was the Summe of what he preached and it contains two parts a Doctrine and an Exhortation The Doctrine is That the Time foretold by the Prophets when the Kingdom of God should begin was come The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand The Exhortation is That therefore they should Repent and believe the Gospel or glad tidings which that Kingdom brings I 'le begin with the Doctrine where I have two things to unfold 1. What this Kingdom of God is 2. What was the Time prefixt for the coming thereof which our Saviour saith was fulfilled when he spake unto them For the first The Kingdom of God is that which otherwise is called The Kingdom of Heaven These two are both one and therefore S. Matthew chap. 4. 17. when he relates this preaching of our Saviour saith that he preached and said Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand namely the same that Iohn Baptist his Harbinger preacht before him For the Hebrews express God by Heaven as we may see Dan. 4. 26. where it is said to Nebucchadnezzar that his kingdom should be restored unto him when he should acknowledge that the heavens bear rule that is God the most High who dwells in heaven The prodigal child in the Gospel saith Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee Luke 15. 21. So Matt. 21. 25. The Baptism of Iohn was it from Heaven or from men that is from God or from men This is the reason why the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven mean one and the same thing Let us therefore now see what is meant by it This Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is the Kingdom of Messiah or Christ foretold in the Prophets the Kingdom of that Seed of the woman which should break the Serpent's head of that seed of Abraham wherein all the Nations of the earth should be blessed For so the Hebrew Doctors before and at our Saviour's coming had termed this Kingdom and taught their people to look for it under that name which they had learned out of the Prophecies of Daniel concerning it who in chap. 2. ver 44. describes it in this manner In the days of those Kings or Kingdoms that is while the days of the four Monarchies there spoken of yet lasted the God of heaven shall found or set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed nor be lest unto another people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever In the 7 ch ver 13 14. he describes it thus I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven And there was given him dominion and glory and a Kingdom that all people nations and languages should serve him His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed From these places the Iews called the Messiah's Kingdom the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven Because in the first place it is said that the God of heaven should set up his Kingdom and in the other places that the Son of man namely Messiah should come in the clouds of Heaven For our Saviour brought not this term of phrase with him but found it at his coming used among the Iews which being fitly given he approved and so taught them the mysterie of his coming in their own language As we may see in so many Parables in the Gospel where our Saviour sets forth the state of his Church and the members of the same continually under the name of The Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven is like a field where a sower sowed good seed c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Merchant c. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net and such like In all which our Saviour describes the state of his Church in that language the people were used unto as he doth also in other of his Sermons Hence it is that when Iohn Baptist first and our Saviour after him preached The Kingdom of heaven is at hand the Iews wondred not at that term as at a novelty nor ever askt what it meant but understood it of the Kingdom of Messiah which they had been taught to call by that name then and is still found so called among their Rabbies and Doctors until this day though through their unbelief they have no portion therein but look for it still to come The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven then is nothing else but the Church of Christ or the Christian Church which is no Temporal kingdom like the kingdoms of this world which have power over the Body only but a Spiritual kingdom which reigns over the Souls and Spirits of men The Kingdom of God saith our Saviour is within you that is it is a kingdom of the inward man And therefore this kingdom was not to be founded after the manner of the kingdoms of men by great armies and field-battels but was to subdue the nations and conquer the world by
unruly and obvious to be surprised for such things we are wont to keep and so much therefore is implied in that they are to be kept else they needed no keeping This is therefore the condition of our Hearts 1. They are untrusty The heart is deceitful above all things Ier. 17. 9. Therefore it stands in hand to watch it to suspect it and deal with it as we would with a notable Iugler or with an untrusty and pilfering servant to have a jealous and a watchful eye over it For if our eye be never so little off it will presently break out into some unlawful liberty or other 2. It is an unruly thing if it be once lost a man cannot recover it again without much time and labour For it is like unto a wild horse if the bridle be once let go he will be gone and not gotten again in haste yea it may be we shall be forced to spend as much time in recovering him as would have served to have dispatched our whole journey So if the bridle of watchfulness be once let go and our Hearts get loose they will not easily be regained it will ask us no small time to temper and tune them again for the service of God Lastly our hearts are continually liable to surprise we walk in the midst of snares encompassed with dangers on every side What is that almost which will not entice and allure so fickle a thing as the Heart from God We can be secure of it at no time neither sleeping nor waking in no place neither house not street neither bed nor board not in our Closet no not in the Church and Pulpit THUS much shall suffice to have been briefly observed by way of implication from the Act Keep Now I come to the Object it self The Heart Keep thy Heart By Heart we must understand the inward thoughts motions and afâ—ections of the Soul and Spirit whereof the Heart is the Chamber But not a natural man's Heart for that is not worth a keeping but such a Heart as lives to God-ward a good and gracious heart which consists in two properties in Purity and Loyâ—lty This is the state and temper we must keep our Hearts in I will speak of them in order And first of Purity and Cleanness We must keep our Hearts in Purity and Cleanness For Blessed are the pure in Heart for they shall see God and none but such shall ever see him It behoves us therefore to know what this Cleanness is the having or not having whereof concerns us so nearly Know then A clean or pure Heart is that which loaths sin and loves righteousness For the better understanding whereof we must further know That an absolute cleanness and pureness of the heart and soul from sin is not attainable in this life Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Yet is there a cleanness of heart which must be had and without which we shall never see God as you heard before Such was that which David prays for Psal. 51. 10. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me And 2 Tim. 2. 22. true Christians are described to be such as call upon the Lord out of a pure heart 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Commandment saith the Apostle is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned And himself 2 Tim. 1. 3. thanks God whom he served from his forefathers with a pure conscience But if this Purity of the heart were no other than a total freedom thereof from all unclean thoughts and sinful motions and desires in such sort as a man should never be troubled and defiled with them alas who then should see God who should be saved That Claenness therefore that measure of Purity which God requires to be in the heart of every one who shall see him and with whom he will vouchsafe to dwell is as I told you the loathing of sin and the love of righteousness that is an accepted Cleanness through Faith when the hate of impurity and love of cleanness in the heart is accepted with God for cleanness and pureness it self Though not a cleanness of all our affections yet at least and what can God require less an affection to all cleanness For God accepts the will for the deed If we love if we desire if we delight heartily in that which is clean and pure in the eyes of God if we hate and abhor if we loath in our selves all sinful impurities and pollutions both of flesh and spirit howsoever we find in our selves a great want of the one and our hearts much and often vexed and troubled with the other yet is this affection of our hearts accepted with God for a pure and cleansed heart indeed And where this disposition is the heart cannot chuse but grow cleaner and cleaner even with real and formal cleanness For a man cannot but cherish that which he loveth and rid himself as much as may be of what he loatheth So he that loveth and affecteth cleanness of heart will cherish and make much of every good motion which the Spirit of God shall put into it and if he indeed loath and abhor unclean and sinful thoughts will do his best to stifle them and remove them far from him This Cleanness and Purity of Heart is that which the Scripture slyleth Holiness even that Holiness without which S. Paul tells us Heb. 12. 14. no man shall see the Lord. For in the Law the legal cleansing washing and purging of that which any way belonged to God or was prepared for his presence and service is called sanctifying or hallowing Exod. 19. 10. When the Lord was to come down upon Mount Sinai Go unto the People saith he to Moses and sanctifie them to day and to morrow and let them wash their clothes 2 Chron. 29. 5. Hezekiah saith to the Levites Sanctifie now your selves and sanctifie the house of the Lord God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place And accordingly in the 16. ver the Priests go in to cleanse it which cleansing in the next verse is called their sanctifying it In Deut. 23. 14. where a law is given for cleanness and neatness in the Camp the reason is rendred in these words For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of the Camp to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee therefore shall thy Camp be holy that he see no unclean thing in thee and turn away from thee The same expression S. Paul applies to spiritual cleansing 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us saith he cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Here with S. Paul also Holiness is Cleansing and Cleansing is Holiness So Eph. 5. 26. That he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. As therefore under the Law that
to commit it in God's Temple How impudently contumelious was this Sin therefore which was committed in God's very presence-chamber All these Aggravations are common to both our Parents which all laid together make their Sin as great as ever any was saving the sin against the Holy Ghost for so the best Divines do think But Eve adds one Aggravation more to her weight in that she was not content to sin her self alone but she allured and drew her husband also into the like horrible transgression with her whereby she was not only guilty of her own personal sin but of her husband 's also And this added so much unto her former sum that S. Paul 1 Tim. 2. 14. speaks of her as if she had been the only transgressour Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression So great and horrible a thing it is in the Eye of God to be cause or mover of another's sin Wo be unto them who by any means are the cause of another's fall And justly might God say to Eve for this respect though there had been no more What is this that thou hast done NOW I come to the Woman's excuse The Serpent beguiled me In which words are three things considerable The Author The Serpent The Action Guile The Object Me. Concerning the Author The Serpent two things are inquirable First What the Serpent was indeed Secondly What Eve supposed him to be For the first I think none so unreasonable as to believe it was the unreasonable and brute Serpent For whence should he learn or how should he understand God's commandment to our first Parents and how is it possible a Serpent should speak and not only so but speak the language which Eve understood For though some there be who think that Beasts and Birds have some speech-like utterings of themselves yet none that a Beast should speak the language of Men. It remains therefore that according unto the Scriptures it was that old deceiver the Devil and Satan who abused brute Serpent either by entring into him or taking his shape upon him The last of which I rather incline unto supposing it as you shall hear presently to be the Law of Spirits when they have intercourse and commerce with men to take some visible shape upon them as the Devil here the Serpent's whence he becomes styled in Scripture The old Serpent Now for the Second question What Eve took him to be whether the Serpent or Satan If we say she thought him to be the brute Serpent how will this stand with the perfection of Man's knowledg in his integrity to think a Serpent could speak like a reasonable creature Who would not judge her a silly woman now that should think so and yet the wisest of us all is far short of Eve in regard of her knowledg then Again If we say she knew him to be the Devil I will not ask why she would converse at all with a wicked spirit who she knew had fallen from his Maker but I would know how we should construe the meaning of the Holy Ghost in the beginning of this Chapter where he saith The Serpent was the subtillest of all the beasts of the field which God had made and so implies the woman's opinion of the Serpent's wisdom was the occasion why she was so beguiled otherwise to what end are those words spoken unless to shew that Satan chose the Serpent's shape that through the opinion and colour of his well-known wisdom and sagacity he might beguile the Woman For the assoiling of which difficulty I offer these Propositions following First I will suppose There is a Law in the commerce of Spirits and Men that a Spirit must present himself under the shape of some visible thing For as in natural and bodily things there is no entercourse of action and passion unless the things have some proportion each to other and unless they communicate in some Common Matter So it seems God hath ordained a Law that invisible things should converse with things visible in a shape as they are visible which is so true that the conversing presence of a Spirit is called a Vision or Apparition And Experience with the Scriptures will shew us that not only evil Angels but good yea God himself converseth in this manner with men And all this I suppose Eve knew Secondly I suppose further That as Spirits are to converse with men under some visible shape so is there a Law given them that it must be under the shape of some such thing as may less or more resemble their condition For as in nature we see every several thing hath a several and sutable Phisiognomy or figure as a badge of their inward nature whereby it is known as by a habit of distinction so it seems to be in the shapes and apparitions of Spirits And as in a well-governed Commonwealth every sort and condition of men is known by some differing habit agreeable to his quality so it seems it should be in God's great Commonwealth concerning the shapes which Spirits take upon them And he that gave the Law that a man should not wear the habit of a woman nor a woman the habit of a man because that as he had made them diverse so would he have them so known by their habits so it seems he will not suffer a good and a bad Spirit a noble and ignoble one to appear unto men after the same fashion And this also I suppose Eve knew Now from these grounds it will follow That good Angels can take upon them no other shape but the shape of Man because their glorious excellency is resembled only in the most excellent of all visible creatures the shape of an inferiour creature would be unsutable no other shape becoming those who are called the sons of God but his only who was created after God's own image And yet not his neither according as now he is but according as he was before his fall in his glorious beauty of his Integrity Age and deformity are the fruits of Sin and the Angel in the Gospel appears like a young man his countenance like lightning and his raiment white as snow as it were resembling the beauty of glorified bodies in immutability sublimity and purity Hence also it follows on the contrary That the Devil could not appear in humane shape whilest Man was in his integrity because he was a Spirit fallen from his first glorious perfection and therefore must appear in such shape which might argue his imperfection and abasement which was the shape of a Beast otherwise no reason can be given why he should not rather have appeared unto Eve in the shape of a Woman than of a Serpent for so he might have gained an opinion with her both of more excellency and knowledg But since the fall of man the case is altered now we know he can take upon him the shape of Man and no wonder since one falling star
Rom. 12. 11. 3. Zeal is that which carries our Devotions up to Heaven As Wings to a Fowl Wheels to a Chariot Sails to a Ship so is Zeal to the Soul of Man Without Zeal our Devotions can no more ascend than Vapours from a Still without fire put under it Prayer if it be fervent availeth much but a cold Sute will never get to Heaven In brief Zeal is the Chariot wherein our Alms our Offerings and all the good works we do are brought before the Throne of God in Heaven No Sacrifice in the Law could be offered without fire no more in the Gospel is any Service rightly performed without Zeal Be zealous therefore lest all thy works all thy endeavours be else unprofitable Rouze up thy dull and heavy Spirit serve God with earnestness and fervency and pray unto him that he would send us this fire from his Altar which is in Heaven whereby all our Sacrifices may become acceptable and pleasing unto him AND thus I come to the next thing in my Text Repentance Be zealous and repent Repentance is the changing of our course from the old way of Sin unto the new way of Righteousness or more briefly A changing of the course of sin for the course of Righteousness It is called also Conversion Turning and Returning unto God This matter would ask a long discourse but I will describe it briefly in five degrees which are as five steps in a Ladder by which we ascend up to Heaven 1. The first step is the Sight of Sin and the punishment due unto it for how can the Soul be possessed with fear and sorrow except he Understanding do first apprehend the danger for that which the Eye sees not the Heart rues not If Satan can keep sin from the Eye he will easily keep sorrow from the Heart It is impossible for a man to repent of his wickedness except the reflect and say What have I done The serious Penitent must be like the wary Factor he must retire himself look into his Books and turn over the leaves of his life he must consider the expence of his Time the employment of his Talent the debt of his Sin and the strictness of his Account 2. And so he shall ascend unto the next step which is Sorrow for sin For he that seriously considers how he hath grieved the Spirit of God and endangered his own Soul by his sins cannot but have his Spirit grieved with remorse The Sacrifices of God are a contrite Spirit Neither must we sorrow only but look unto the quality of our Sorrow that it be Godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to the quantity of it that it be Great We must fit the plaister to the wound and proportion our sorrow to our Sins He that with Peter hath sinned heinously or with Mary Magdalen frequently must with them weep bitterly and abundantly 3. The Third step of this Ladder is the Loathing of sin A Surfiet of Meats how dainty and delicate soever will afterwards make them loathsome He that hath taken his fill of sin and committed iniquity with greediness and is sensible of his supersinity or abundance of naughtiness and hath a great Sorrow for it he will the more loath his sins though they have been never so full of delight Yea it will make him loath himself and cry out in a mournful manner with S. Paul Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death 4. The fourth step is the leaving off Sin For as Amnon hating Tamar shut her out of doors So he that loaths and hates his Sins the sight the thought the remembrance of them will be grievous unto him and he will labour by all good means to expel them For true Repentance must be the consuming of sin To what purpose doth the Physician evacuate ill humors if the Patient still distempers himself with ill diet What shall it avail a man to endure the launcing searching and tenting of a wound if he stay not for the cure So in vain also is the Sight of sin and the Sorrow for and Loathing of Sin if the works of darkness still remain and the Soul is impatient of a through-cure And therefore as Amnon not only put out his loathed Sister but bolted the door after her as it is said in the forequoted place So must we keep out our sins with the Bolts of Resolution and Circumspection Noah pitched the Ark within and without Gen. 6. 14. So to keep out the waters and a Christian must be watchful to secure all his Senses External and Internal to keep out sin 5. The Fifth and last step is the Cleaving unto God with full purpose of heart to walk before him in newness of life All the former Degrees of Repentance were for the putting off of the Old man this is for the putting on of the New For ubi Emendatio nulla Poenitentia necessariò vana saith Tertullian de Poenit. c. 2. Where there is no Reformation there the Repentance must needs be vain and fruitless for as he goes on caret fructu suo eui eam Deus sevit i. e. hominis saluti it hath not its fruit unto holiness nor the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. And thus have I let you see briefly What Repentance is Will you have me say any more to make you to affect it as earnestly as I hope by this time you understand it clearly Know then that this is that which opens Heaven and leads into Paradise This is that Ladder without which no man can climb thither and therefore as S. Austin saith Mutet vitam qui vult accipere vitam Let us change our life here if we look for the Life of Glory hereafter Let us leave the old way of sin for the new way of righteousness and to apply all to my Text Let us change our course of Lukewarmness for a course of fervency in God's service our dull and drowsie Devotions for a course of Zeal Be zealous and Repent AND thus I come to the Third thing I propounded namely the Connexion and dependance of these latter words Be zealous therefore and Repent upon the former As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Many things might be here observed but I will name but one which is this That Repentance is the means to avoid and prevent God's Iudgments For as Tertullian in his de Poenitentia observes * Qui poenam per judicium destinavit idem veniam per poenitentiam spospondit He that hath decreed to punish by Iustice hath promised to grant pardon by Repentance And so we read in Ieremy 18. 7. When I shall speak saith the Lord there concerning a Nation or Kingdom to pluck up to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from evil I will repent of the evil which I thought to do unto them And in Ezekiel 18. Repent and turn
interpreted pag. 593 CHAP. VIII Mr. Mede's Answer to six Enquiries about some difficult passages in the Apocalyps pag. 594 CHAP. IX Five Reasons demonstrating That the Antichristian Times are more than Three single years and an half pag. 598 CHAP. X. A Discourse of the Beginning and Ending of the 42 Months or 1260 Days Rev. 11. 2 3. wherein Alstedius his Four Epocha's are examined pag. 600 CHAP. XI Of the 1000 years mentioned in Apocal. 20. with some Reflexions upon Eusebius and S. Hierom. pag. 602 CHAP. XII A Censure by way of Correction returned to a Friend concerning a somewhat exorbitant Exposition of his of Apocal 20. pag. 603 V. A Paraphrase and Exposition of the Prophecy of S. Peter 2 Ep. Chap. 3. pag. 609 VI. The Apostasie of the Latter Times PART I. CHAP. I. The dependence of the Text in 1 Timothy Chap. 4. verse 1 2. upon the last verse in chap. 3. Why in the Description of the Mystery of Godliness those words Assumed into Glory are set last A view of the several parts of the Text containing the Method and Order of the ensuing Discourse The Author 's three Reasons for his rendring the Text differently from the common Translation pag. 623 CHAP. II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture imports Revolt or Rebellion That Idolatry is such proved from Scripture By Spirits in the Text are meant Doctrines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are to be taken Passively for Doctrines concerning Daemons Several instances of the like form of Speech in Scripture pag. 625 CHAP. III. Daemons according to the Gentiles Theologie were 1. for their Nature and degree a middle sort of Divine Powers between the Sovereign Gods and Men. 2. For their Office they were supposed to be Mediators between the Gods and Men. This proved out of several Authors The Distinction of Sovereign Gods and Daemons proved out of the Old Testament and elegantly alluded to in the New 1 Cor. 8. pag. 626 CHAP. IV. Daemons were for their Original the Souls of men Deified or Canonized after death This proved out of sundry Authors Baal or Bel or Belus the first Deified King Hence Daemons are called Baalim Another kind of Daemons such as never dwelt in Bodies These answer to Angels as the other to Saints pag. 629 CHAP. V. The manner of worshipping Daemons and retaining their presence viz. by consecrated Images and Pillars The worshipping of Images and Columns a piece of Daemon-doctrine as was also the worshipping of Daemons in their Reliques Shrines and Sepulchers pag. 632 CHAP. VI. A Summary of the Doctrines of Daemons How these are revived and resembled in the Apostate Church That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometime used in Scripture according to the Theologie of the Gentiles That it is so used in the Text was the judgment of Epiphanius an observable passage quoted out of him to this purpose pag. 634 CHAP. VII Why those words in the description of the Mystery of Godliness Received into Glory are set last That praying to Saints as Mediators and Agents for us with God is Idolatry To be prayed to in Heaven and to deal as an Agent between us and God is a Prerogative and Royalty appropriate to Christ. How this was figured under the Law by the High-priest's alone having to do in the most Holy place That Christ purchased this Royalty by suffering an unimitable Death That Saint-worship is a denial of Christ's Prerogative How it crept into the Church pag. 637 CHAP. VIII That Idolatry is the main Character of the Churche's Apostasie proved by Three Arguments pag. 643 CHAP. IX That Pagan-Idolatry is not here meant nor can the Saracen or Turk be the Antichrist meant in Scripture An Answer to an Exception viz. That Antichristianism cannot be charged upon those that acknowledge the true God and Christ. That Antichrist is a Counter-Christ and his Coming a Counter-resemblance of the Coming of Christ shewed in several particulars pag. 644 CHAP. X. The Great Apostasie was to be a General one That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some does not in the Text and several other places imply a Few or a Small number Wherein we and the Papists differ about the Churche's Visibility In what respects our Church was Visible and in what Invisible under the Reign of Antichrist pag. 648 CHAP. XI That the Last Times in Scripture signifie either a Continuation of Time or an End of Time That the Last Times simply and in general are the Times of Christianity the Last Times in special and comparatively or the Latter Times of the Last Times are the Times of the Apostasie under Antichrist pag. 652 CHAP. XII A more particular account of the Last Times in general and of the Latter Times of the Last Times That Daniel's Four Kingdoms are the Great Kalendar of Times That the Times of the Fourth or Last Kingdom viz. the Roman are the Last Times meant in Scripture That the Latter Times of the Last Times are the Latter Times of the Fourth Kingdom wherein the Great Apostasie should prevail pag. 654 CHAP. XIII The Duration and Length of the Latter Times viz. 42 months or 1260 days That hereby cannot be meant three single years and an half That the Latter Times take their beginning from the ruine of the Roman Empire That the ancient Fathers by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thessal 2. understand the Roman Empire and by the little Horn Dan. 7. Antichrist or the Man of sin pag. 655 CHAP. IV. Three main Degrees of the Roman Empire's ruine The Empire divided into 10 Kingdoms Who are those Three Kings whom the little Horn or Antichrist is said Dan. 7. to have deprest to advance himself pag. 658 CHAP. XV. That Daniel's 70 Weeks are a lesser Kalendar of Times That these Phrases in the Epistles to the converted Iews viz. The Last Hour or Time The End of all things The Day approaching c. are meant of the End of the Iewish State and Service at the expiring of the 70 Weeks That the Apostles were not so mistaken as to believe the End of the World should be in their days proved against Baronius and others p. 663. CHAP. XVI That the Spirit foretold the Great Apostasy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Dan. 11. vers 36 37 38 39. These Verses exactly translated and explained That by Mahoz and Mahuzzim are meant Fortresses Bulwarks Protectors Guardians c. How fitly this Title is appliable to Angels and Sain's pag. 666. CHAP. XVII A Paraphrase and Observations upon Dan. 11. v. 36 37 38 39. That at the beginning of Saint-worship in the Church Saints and their Reliques were called Bulwarks Fortresses Walls Towers Guardians c. according to the prime sense of the word Mahuzzim pag. 670. PART II. CHAP. I. The Author's Reasons for his translating the Text differently from the Common Versions That the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text signifies Through or By. The like it signifies in other places of Scripture pag. 675.
tui cadavera mea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 resurgent distributivè enim sumendum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arguit adjunctum verbum pluralis numeri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cadavera autem mea i. quae pro nomine meo occubuerunt R. Solomon Vivent illi qui propter te mortui sunt vult enim Prophetam hîc alloqui Dominum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exivit decretum Regium à facie tua dicendo GADAVERA MEA RESVRGENT cadavera populi mei quorum ceciderunt ossa pro me illis erit resurrectio Hoc per antithesin respondet ei quod suprà scriptum est REPHAIM NON RESVRGENT hi verò resurgent Sic ille Rephaim autem de improbis interpretatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui remittant manus suas de Lege eos in Seculo futuro resurrecturos negat LXX locum sic reddiderunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surgent mortui excitabuntur qui in monumentis Hieron Vivent mortui tui interfecti mei resurgent Veteres Iudaeos oraculum hoc de Resurrectione mortuorum interpretatos esse liquet ex eo quod refertur in Gemara Sanhedrin cap. 11. Interrogârunt Sadducaei R. Gamalielem undenam probaret Deum morluos vivificaturum Dixit illis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex Lege 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex Prophetis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex Hagiographis Ex Lege Deuter. 31. 16. Ex Prophetis Esai 26. 19. Ex Hagiographis Cant. 7. 9. De Resurrectione quoque mortuorum exponunt Irenaeus lib. 5. cap. 15 cap. 34. hic quidem disertè de Resurrectione justorum Tertullianus lib. de Resurrectione cap. 31. Hieronymus Cyrillus Augustinus lib. 20. de Civitate Dei imò qui cum Apostolis vixit Clemens Romanus in Epistola genuina ad Corinthios diu desiderata superiore anno in lucem edita pag. 65. Descriptio Novae Ierusalem Apoc. 21 à vers 23. ad finem tota desumpta est ex cap. 60. Esaiae versibus 19. 3 11. 11 5. 6. 9. 21 collat cum vers 1. cap. 52. Prophetia TOBIAE Moribundi DE Duplici Iudaeorum Captivitate ET Statu Novissimo Prout habetur in Exemplari Hebraico non illo Munsteri ex versionibus Graeca Latina ut nimis planum est attemperato conficto sed Constantinopolitano illo vetusto purissimè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à Paulo Eagio in lucem edito eóque ut constat ex Originali Chaldaeo unde nostrae editiones binae prodiere omnium fideliâ—â—imè nempe Iudaei alicujus istius Dialecti peritissimi manu jam olim expresso ET factum est cùm senuisset Tobias ut vocaret filium suum Tobiam unà cum sex filiis qui nati sunt ei ac diceret ei Fili mi nôsti quòd senio confectus sum Gave itaque post obitum meumnè diutiùs mancas Ninive certum enim clarum est tibi fore ut confirmetur Prophetia Ionae Prophetae Quare accipe filios tuos quaecunque habes vade in terram Medorum ibi enim erit Pax ad tempus constitutum Caeterùm reliqui fratres nostri Israelitae qui sunt in Ierusalem omnes migrabunt in exsilium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ierusalem in acervos erit Mons Domûs in excelsa sylvae manebitque desolata ad modicum tempus Tunc autem ascendent filii Israel reaedificabunt eam simul Templum attamen non juxta priorem structuram manebunt que ibi diebus multis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 donec impleatur series quaedam secularis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tum iterum exibunt in captivitalem longè maximam verùm Deus Sanctus Benedictus recordabitur eorum congregabit eos à quatuor plagis mundi Tum restaurabitur Ierusalem Civitas sancta structurâ pulchrâ praeclarâ nec non Templum ip sum extruetur structurâ celebri structurâ quae non destructur nec diruetur in seculum in secula seculorum quemadmodum dixerunt Prophetae Tunc converteniur Gentes istae ad colendum Dominum projiciéntque sculptilia Deorum suorum dabúntque laudem confessionem Nomini ejus magno Exaltabitur quoque cornu populi sui coram omnibus gentibus celebrabunt ac glorificabunt Nomen ejus magnum omne semen Israel Tunc gaudebunt omnes servi ejus qui serviunt ei in veritate laetabuntur exsultabunt omnes qui faciunt justitiam pietatem Annotationes in Prophetiam Tobiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ITA enim eisdémque verbis jam prophetaverat Michah sub initium Ezechiae quo tempore Tobias in captivitatem abducebatur Vid. Ierem. 26. 18. Mich. 3. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Graeco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. donec impleantur tempestates seculi Quae verba Nostrates mirificè verterunt Vide obsecro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verba ista Et iterum exibunt in captivitatem longè maximam in Graeco interprete sive casu sive consilio praetermissa sunt sed hiatu nimis manifesto Quo nimirum effectum est ut cum proximè praecedentibus sequentia omnino non cohaereant in quibus scilicet narretur reditus restauratio à captivitate aliqua à priori diversa eujus tamen nulla mentio praemissa est Lege amabò fatebere Suspicor autem consultò hanc clausulam expunctam quia cum sententia Chiliastarum facere videbatur statuendo illa quae à Prophetis dicuntur de gloriosa instauratione Ierusalem Gentium conversione tunc futura non ante novissimum Iudaeorum reditum impletum iri Unde Hieronymus eadem de causa non solùm hanc clausulam sed duos integros paragraphos hoc loco omisit ut ità quod sequitur de Gentibus ad Dominum convertendis praesenti earum vocationi in solidum vendicaret Quà m perfunctoriè autem Hieronymus in ista versione sua egit quantumque fidei ei tribuendum sit ex Prologo quem ipse versioni suae praefixit Lector facilè aestimare potest Quia vicina est inquit Chaldaeorum lingua sermoni Hebraico utriusque linguae peritissimum loquacem reperiens unius dici laborem arripui quicquid ille mihi Hebraicis verbis expressit hoc ego accito notario sermonibus Latinis exposui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 REMAINES On some Passages in the APOCALYPSE CHAP. I. General Considerations concerning the Order and Connexion of the Apocalyptical Visions I. THE Apocalypse considered only according to the naked Letter as if it were a History and no Prophecy hath marks and signs sufficient inserted by the Holy Spirit whereby the Order Synchronism and Sequele of all the Visions therein contained may be found out and demonstrated without supposal of any Interpretation whatsoever II. This Order and Synchronism thus found and demonstrated as it were by argumenta intrinseca is the first thing to be done and forelaid as a Foundation Ground and only safe Rule of Interpretation and not Interpretation to be made
ignem quem praeparavit illi Deus Angelis ejus priùs inputeum abyssi relegatus cùm◠Revelatio filiorum Dei redemerit conditionem id est creaturam à malo utique vanitati subjectam cùm restitutâ innocentiâ integritate conditionis pecora condixerint bestiis parvuli de serpentibus luserint cùm Pater filio posuerit inimicos sub pedes utique operarios mali Origenes contra Celsum lib. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interpres hîc non bonâ fide egit Idem in Ierem. Hom. 13. Siquis servaverit lavacrum Spiritûs Sancti i.e. ut paulò antè innuerat qui sanctus est neque post fidem magisterium Dei rursum ad scelera conversus est qui mortale peccaetum non commiserit iste in Resurrectionis Primae parte communicat Siquis verò in secunda Resurrectione servatur iste peccator est qui ignis indiget baptismo c. alludit ad illud Mat. 3. 11. Quamobrem cùm talia post mortem nobis residere videamus Scripturas diligenter simul recitantes reponamus eas in cordibus nostris juxta earum vivere praecepta nitamur ut ante excessionis diem si sieri potest peccatorum sordibus sic vocat leviora peccata seu passiones animae ut paulò antè emundati cum sanctis valeamus assumi in Christo Iesu annon respicit 1 Thes. 4. 16 17 cui est gloria imperium in secula seculorum Amen Quamvis non dubito quin Hieronymus qui in Prol. ad Orig. homil in Ezech. fatetur se vertisse 14 Origenis homilias in Ierem. hîc Origenis sententiam nonnihil immutando emolliverit tamen satìs adhuc remanet quo Origenes cum Millenariis sensisse arguatur Methodius Olympi Lyciae deinde Tyri Episcopus in Libro de Resurrectione contra Originem apud Epiphanium Haeres 74. interloquente Procl Et verò 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I. M. THE APOSTASY OF THE LATTER TIMES OR THE GENTILES THEOLOGY OF DAEMONS Revived in the LATTER TIMES amongst Christians in Worshipping of Angels Deifying and Invocating of Saints Adoring of Reliques Bowing down to Images and Crosses c. All Which Together with the Original and Progress of this Grand Apostasy Are Represented In several Elaborate DISCOURSES upon 1 Tim. 4. 1 2 c. Howbeit the Spirit speaketh expressely That in the Latter times some shall revolt from the Faith attending to erroneous Spirits and Doctrines of Daemons Through the hypocrisie of Liars having seared consciences Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats By The Pious and Profoundly-Learned IOSEPH MEDE B. D. sometime Fellow of Christ's College in Cambridge The Fifth Edition enlarged and corrected in sundry places according to the Authors own Manuscript THE APOSTASY OF THE LATTER TIMES A Treatise on 1 Timothy Chap. 4. Verse 1 2 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Which I conceive may be thus Translated Howbeit the Spirit speaketh expresly That in the latter times some shall revolt from the Faith attending to erroneous Spirits and Doctrines of Daemons Through the hypocrisie of Liars having seared consciences Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats c. CHAP. I. The dependance of the Text upon the last verse in the foregoing Chapter Why in the Description of the Mystery of Godliness those words Assumed into Glory are set last A view of the several parts of the Text containing the Method and Order of the insuing Discourse The Author 's 3 Reasons for his rendring the Text differently from the Common Translation THE WORDS I have read are a Prophecie of a Revolt of Christians from the Great Mystery of Christian Worship described in the last verse of the former Chapter which according to the division of the Ancients should be the first of this For that last Verse together with the first six Verses of this and half the seventh verse make the seventh Title or main Section of this Epistle expressed in the Edition of Robert Stephen and so are supposed from the grounds of that division to belong all to one argument The Words therefore of my Text depend upon the last of the former Chapter as the second part of a Discrete proposition That howsoever the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mystery of Christian Religion which is God manifested in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels and assumed into Glory though this Mystery was a great one and at that time preached and believed in the world Nevertheless the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaketh expresly That in the latter times there shall be a revolt or departing from this Faith though not in all parts of it yet from a main and fundamental part thereof namely The assumption of this God and Man to the Throne of Glory and incommunicable Majesty in Heaven whereby he hath a Name given him above every Name and whereof no creature in Heaven or in Earth can be capable Which connexion is the reason why the Apostle putteth this Assumption into Glory in the last place of his description which should else in the true order have followed the words justified in the Spirit and been before preached unto the Gentiles and believed on in the world But it is the method of the Scripture sometimes to translate the proper order and to mention that in the last place whereunto it is to joyn and from whence it is to infer the next words that follow after And unless this reason be allowed here there will hardly be found any other reason of this misplacing But more of this shall be both spoken and made better to appear hereafter I come now more near to my Text the words whereof I divide into two parts First A Description of this solemn Apostasie in the first verse Secondly The Manner or Means whereby it was to come to pass in the following verses viz. Through the hypocrisie of Liars who had seared consciences forbade to marry and bade to abstain from meats For the Description of the Apostasie it self we shall find it first Generally and Indefinitely expressed both in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall Apostatize or revolt and in the next 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall attend to erroneous Doctrines or Doctrines of errour Then Particularly 1. What these erroneous Doctrines should be for the kind or quality namely new Doctrines of Daemons or a new Idolatry 2. The Persons who should thus apostatize not all but TINE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SOME 3. The Time when it should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the latter times 4. The Proof or warrant of this Prophesie it is that which the Spirit hath else-where long agoe foretold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the written word verbatim totidem verbis or in express words For the second part viz. The Means Consider 1. The Manner or Method used viz. By lying hypocrisie or hypocritical lying 2. The quality and description of the
Authors and furtherers thereof they should be such as had their consciences seared who forbad marriage and meats Where before I go any further I must give an account of thus translating these latter words which I make the second part because they are commonly translated otherwise viz. intransitively as referring the words of the two latter verses to the persons mentioned in the first viz. those Some who should Apostatize and give heed to erroneous spirits and Doctrines of Devils as they usually translate it So that the words of the second and third verses should be the expression by particulars of that which was before generally comprized under erroneous spirits and doctrines of Devils which should consist partly in forbidding lawful marriage and partly in commanding abstinence from meats But this interpretation seems very unlikely For first since S. Paul intendeth here to describe that great Apostasie of the visible Christian Church as is evident by the pointing out of the time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the latter times who can believe that he who aimeth at this would instance only in the smaller and almost circumstantial Errours omitting the main and fundamental which the Scripture elsewhere telleth us should be Idolatry or Spiritual fornication Secondly As for Errours about Marriage and Meats they were not proper to the last times but found more or less in the Apostles own times as may be gathered by some passages of their Epistles Why should then our Apostle here speaking of the Apostasie of the latter times instance only in those things which the first times in some measure were never free from Lastly which I take alone to be sufficient The Syntax of the words will not bear it to have them so translated For the persons in the first verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are expressed in casu recto whereas the persons in the verses following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in the genitive now by what Syntax can these be construed intransitively how will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. without breach of Grammar unsampled in our Apostle's Epistles If any say they may be referred then and agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that indeed would be a strange sense and nothing to their purpose to say that Devils lie have seared consciences and forbid marriage and meats But to construe it transitively and to make all these genitive cases to be governed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and take the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie Causam or Modum actionis as is most usual in Scripture this as it keepeth the Syntax true so I hope to make it appear hereafter to be the very meaning and the Event most answerable thereunto when you shall hear proved out of story That the Apostasie of the visible Church came in by lying wonders and all deceiveableness of unrighteousness managed by those who either professed or doted upon Monastical hypocrisie the affectation and errours whereof at length surprising the body of the Church is that which S. Paul 2 Thess. 2. 10. calls not the Apostasie it self but Aâ—not-love of the Truth for which God gave them over to strong delusions that they might believe a lye But this is out of its place only I have anticipated thus much lest you should be too long in suspence of the grounds of this novelty in translating And yet this difficulty concerning the Syntax hath stumbled many of our latter Interpreters as amongst others Beza who solves it only by saying That the Apostle more regarded the matter than the construction which for my part I cannot believe CHAP. II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture imports Revolt or Rebellion That Idolatry is such proved from several passages in Scriplute By Spirits in the Text are meant Doctrines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are to be taken Passively viz. for Doctrines concerning Daemons Several instances of the like form of speech in Scripture I Return now unto the First part of my Text The Description of that solemn Apostasie where I will consider the five parts or points thereof as I have propounded them though it be not according to the order of the words And first in the more general expression as I called it in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as to say They shall make an Apostasie Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture's use when it looks towards a person signifies a Revolt or Rebellion when towards God a spiritual Revolt from God or Rebellion against Divine Majesty whether Total or by Idolatry and serving other Gods For the Seventy whence the New Testament borrows the use of speech usually translates by this word the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to rebel and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rebellion both which when they have reference to a spiritual Sovereignty mean nought else but Idolatry and serving of other Gods as may appear Iosuah 22. 19. where the Israelites supposing their brethren the Reubenites and Gadites in building another Altar upon the banks of Iordan had meant to have forsaken the Lord and served other Gods they said unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you have rebelled against the Lord and presently Rebell not against the Lord nor rebell against us where the Seventy hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in vers 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rebellion is translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the words the Lord God of gods he knoweth if it be in rebellion or in transgression against the Lord. Also Numb 14. vers 9. when the people would have renounced the Lord upon the report of the Spies Iosuah and Caleb spake unto them saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rebel ye not where the Seventy hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not Apostates from the Lord. So Nehem. 9. 26. in that repentant confession which the Levites make of the Idolatry of their Nation they were disobedient say they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and rebelled against thee where the Seventy hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Daniel in the like confession Chap. 9. vers 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Seventy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have rebelled against him So the Idolatry of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. and Chap. 29. is by the same Interpreters called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 revolted greatly from the Lord. I will not trouble you with the places where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for Treason and Rebellion against earthly Princes which are many It is sufficient to gather from what we have quoted That Apostasie having reference to a Sovereignty and Lordship betokens a withdrawing of service and subjection there-from which if the Sovereignty and Majesty be Divine is done by Idolatry and service of other Gods as well as if the Majesty of the true God were renounced altogether The use of the
be the more happy in that day of vengeance and wrath upon our Nation Neither need we wonder that this Desolation should be called the End for our Saviour himself taught them so to speak in his Prophecy concerning it as may appear if we consider that Antithesis in S. Luke chap. 21. 9. Ye shall hear of wars and commotions but the End is not by and by Ver. 20. But when ye shall see Ierusalem encompassed with armies then know that the Desolation thereof is nigh AND thus much I thought to add to my former discourse of Latter Times lest through ignorance thereof we might incline to that little better than blasphemous conceit which Baronius by name and some other of Rome's followers have taken up viz. That the Apostles in such like passages as we have noted were mistaken as believing the End of the World should have been in their own time God of purpose so ordering it to cause in them a greater measure of zeal and contempt of worldly things An opinion I think not well beseeming a Christian. 1. For first whatsoever we imagine the Apostles might here conceive in their private opinions as men yet we must know that the Holy Ghost by whose instinct they wrote the Scriptures is the Spirit of truth and therefore what is there affirmed must be true yea though the Pen-man himself understood it not 2. It was not possible the Apostles should expect the End of the World to be in their own time when they knew so many things were to come to pass before it as could not be fulfilled in a short time As 1. The desolation of Ierusalem and that not till the seventy weeks were expired 2. The Iews to be carried captives over all Nations and Ierusalem to be troden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled 3. That in the mean time the Roman Empire must be ruined and that which hindered taken out of the way 4. That after that was done the Man of sin should be revealed and domineer his time in the Temple and Church of God 5. After all this viz. when the fulness of the Gentiles should come in that Israel should be received again to mercy 6. That Christ should reign in his Church on earth so long till he had put down all rule all authority and power and subjected all his enemies under his feet before he should subdue the last enemy which is death and surrender his kingdom into the hands of his Father 7. That the time should be so long that in the last days should come Scoffers saying Where is the promise of his coming How is it possible they should imagine the Day of Doom to be so near when all these things must first come to pass and not one of them was yet fulfilled And how could the expectation of this Day be made a ground of exhortation and a motive to watchfulness and prayer as though it could suddenly and unawares surprize them which had so many wonderful alterations to forego it and none of them yet come to pass I have spoken hitherto of what was revealed to all the Apostles in general But if we take S. Iohn apart from the rest and consider what was afterward revealed to him in Patmos we shall find in his Apocalyptical Visions besides other times more obscurely intimated an express prophecy of no less than a thousand years which whatever it mean cannot be a small time and must be fulfilled in this world and not in the world to come Notwithstanding all this I make no question but even in the Apostles times many of the believing Gentiles mistaking the Apostles admonitions to the Iews of the End of their State approaching thought the End of whole world and the Day of the Lord had been also near whom therefore S. Paul 2 Thess. 2. beseeches to be better informed because that Day should not come until the Apostasie came first and the Man of sin were revealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expresly or In express words CHAP. XVI The Fourth Particular viz. The Warrant or Proof of this Prophecy When the Spirit speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Spirit foretold the Great Apostasy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expresly in Dan 11. vers 36 37 38 39. A View of these Verses in the Hebraw Text with an exact Translation of them both in Latin and English The chief Difficulties in these Verses explained and incidentally other places of Scripture The different opinions of Iunius and Graserus about Vers. 38. The Author's Translation free from the inconveniences of both A particular Explication of Mahoz and Mahuzim That hereby are meant Fortresses Bulwarks as also Protectors Guardians Defenders c. How fitly this Title is appliable to Angels and Saints accounted to be such by those that worshipt them NOW I come to the Fourth particular of this Prophecy The Warrant or Proof thereof The Spirit hath foretold it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in express words in some place or other of Divine Writ The Spirit told Peter Acts 10. 19. Behold three men seek thee The Spirit said Separate Barnabas and Saul Acts 13. 2. The Spirit forbade S. Paul to preach in Asia The Spirit said that the Iews should bind S. Paul at Ierusalem Acts 21. 11. But in all these the Spirit spake not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for these things were nowhere written and therefore what it spake it spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only by secret Instinct or Inspiration But that which the Spirit speaks in the Written word that it speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbatim expresly If therefore concerning this Apostasie of Christian believers to be in the Latter times the Spirit speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then is it to be found somewhere in the Old Testament for there alone the Spirit could be said to speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or verbatim in the Apostles time Having therefore so good a hint given us let us see if we can find where the Spirit speaketh of this matter so expresly There are three main things in this our Apostle's Prediction whereof I find the Spirit to have spoken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in express words and that in the Prophecy of Daniel 1. Of these Last or Letter times 2. Of the new worship of Daemons in them 3. Of a Prohibition of marriage to accompany them As for the first of these the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latter times Daniel as you have heard before expresly names them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A time times and half a time being those Last times of the Last Kingdom wherein the Hornish Tyrant should make war with the Saints and prevail against them For the second A worship of new-Daemons or Demi-gods with the profession of the name of Christ you will perhaps think it strange if I should shew it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if I do it was
laying an imputation on the Mellenaries as if they dreamed of Earthly Pleasures in this Kingdom of our Lord for he saith that as Dr. Gerhard thinks of the Cerinthians and Iews not of the ancient Fathers how truly I leave it to your consideration and judgment In the Margin of your Notes on Iustin Martyr I noted a place to the same purpose in Lactantius It is in black lead and may easily be wiped out if it be nothing to your purpose Dr. Potter signified in a former Letter that he had a purpose to write to you perhaps he is not yet ready for that which he meaneth to say but if he send his Letter this way I will take care to send it down by your Carrier In the mean while and ever I commend you and your studies to the Blessing of the Almighty and so for this time I leave you Your ever assured Friend Henry Mason S. Andrew's Undershaft Decemb. 10. 1629. EPISTLE XIX Dr. Potter his Letter to Mr. Mason touching the Millenaries Good Mr. Mason I Have read those two large and learned Discourses of Gerhard against the Millenaries and find him as his woâ—t is to be very diligent both in recounting the Opinions of other men and in the establishing of his own By him I see the conceit is ancient among our later Writers and favoured by many ignorant and fanatical spirits which I confess casts much envy upon the Conjecture But yet methinks First the consent of so many great and worthy Lights of the ancient Primitive Church doth more honour and countenance the opinion than it can be disgraced or obscured by these late blind abettors Secondly The Anabaptists and their fellows are confident where Mr. Mede doth but modestly conjecture and that Thirdly upon other and better grounds than their dreaming doting heads ever thought of Lastly The Devil himself may sometime speak truth and so may his disciples with an ill intention or at hazard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I suppose no Learned man or Christian can deny that the Nation of the Iews shall be once hereafter called by God's mercy to the Faith and that their general Conversion will bring with it a great and glorious alteration in the Church and therefore that Kingdom of our Lord upon earth howsoever in some circumstances it may not answer our hopes which may be ungrounded and deceived yet for substance it seems an indisputable Truth But Prophecies are Mysteries till their accomplishment let us therefore leave them to God and to Posterity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have received Philostrates and Origen c. C. P. EPISTLE XX. Mr. Mede's Second Letter to Dr. Meddus containing four grounds why the First Resurrection Rev. 20. is to be taken literally with some other Observations concerning the difference between the State of the New Ierusalem and the State of the Nations walking in the light thereof as also concerning the time of the Regnum Christi Worthy Sir I Sent the fourth sheet I promised to the Bury-Carrier yesterday with a note therein promising to make some Answer to your Quaere to day to be delivered to the Carrier as he passed through Newmarket but some 4 or 5 miles from the place where I am When I had thus done some hour or two after I received a transcript of another of yours dated August 14 of the conformation of the taking of Wesel But to the Quaere which I must answer but briefly till I have a better and more free occasion to enlarge upon particulars The full resolving thereof depends upon so large an explication of the Oeconomy of God in the restitution of Mankind as cannot be comprised in a Letter And I am somewhat unwilling to discover what I think unless I could do it fully which made me abstain in my Specimina from any explication of that First Resurrection save to name it only But howsoever when at first I perceived that Millennium to be a State of the Church consequent to the times of the Beast I was a verse from the proper acception of that Resurrection taking it for a rising of the Church from a dead estate as being loth to admit too many Paradoxes at once yet afterward more â—etiously considering and weighing all things I found no ground or footing for any sense but the Literal For first I cannot be perswaded to forsake the proper and usual importment of Scripture-language where neither the insinuation of the Text it selfe nor manifest tokens of Allegory nor the necessity and nature of the things spoken of which will bear no other sense do warrant it For to do so were to lose all footing of Divine testimony and in stead of Scripture to believe mine own imaginations Now the 20 th of the Apocalyps of all the Narrations of that Book seems to be the most plain and simple most free of Allegory and of the involution of Prophetical figures only here and there sprinkled with such Metaphors as the use of speech makes equipollent to vulgar expressions or the former Narrations in that Book had made to be as words personal or proper names are in the plainest histories as Old Serpent Beast c. How can a man then in so plain and simple a narration take a passage of so plain and ordinarily-expressed words as those about the First Resurrection are in any other sense than the usual and Literal Secondly Howsoever the word Resurrection by it self might seem ambiguous yet in a sentence composed in this manner viz. Of the dead those which were beheaded for the witness of Iesus c. lived again when the thousand years began but the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were ended it would be a most harsh and violent interpretation to say that Dead and consequently Living again from the dead should not utrobique be taken in the same meaning For such a speech in ordinary construction implies That some of the dead lived again in the beginning of the thousand years in that sense the rest should live again at the end of the thousand years and è contrà In what manner the rest of the dead should live again at the end of the thousand years in that manner those who were beheaded for Iesus lived again in the beginning of the thousand years which living again of those some is called the First Resurrection Thirdly Though the ancient Iews whilest they were yet the Church of God had no distinct knowledge of such an order in the Resurrection as First and Second but only of the Resurrection in gross and general to be in die Iudicii magni yet they looked for such a Resurrection wherein those that rose again should reign some time upon earth as appeareth Wisd. 3. from the first to the eighth verse inclusivè where it is expressely said That the Souls of the Righteous which were departed should in the time of their visitation shine and that they should judge the nations and have dominion over the people
I approve your Reasons for not proceeding to publish any more at this present but as Mariners provide against a storm so may we for a calm I have heretofore observed how after Civil Wars in Christendom many excellent things came forth which were studied in the time of Trouble Did not Cicero the like in times of like condition I am glad your thoughts reflect and I hope ever and anon on the same subjects that your friends in private may enjoy the benefit of your labours and talents In the matter of Gog and Magog you have acquainted me with new Mysteries that I never thought of Yet to one who first embraceth your way so I call it because God hath made you his Minister to bring it to light but I account it the way of Truth and so carried by you that in no particular I find just cause of exception concerning Regnum Sanctorum such light you bring to justifie your Conjecture that he will be driven to confess that you deliver nothing without fair ground fair probability and that in such a degree that any other way seems to me for the present nothing capable of the like Your grounds are very fair and clear to every one but never I think taken into consideration by any before your self to that end and purpose whereunto you direct them You cannot easily conceive what content you give me herein and what refreshing it is to my spirit First I perceive that Expedition of Gog against the Land of Israel is reckoned by you after their calling unto Christ and thereupon possessing themselves of the Holy Land the Prophecies of the Old Testament leading thereunto though Iews in former ages have joyned themselves with the Christian Churches of the same Countrey amongst whom they conversed Secondly Also that now you are resolved concerning the place of New Ierusalem namely the land of Iury. Thirdly I guess also you conceive the destruction of Gog and of Antichrist shall be at once by the coming of Christ. Fourthly And that the restoring of the Temple in the latter end of Ezechiel following upon the destruction of Gog is a Type of New Ierusalem Fifthly And that Gog is the Turk For which light that you have given me in all these particulars I most heartily thank you NOW I beseech you let me know what your opinion is of our English Plantations in the New world Heretofore I have wondered in my thoughts at the Providence of God concerning that world not discovered till this old world of ours is almost at an end and then no footsteps found of the knowledge of the true God much less of Christ. And then considering our English Plantations of late and the opinion of many grave Divines concerning the Gospel's â—leeting Westward sometimes I have had such thoughts Why may not that be the place of New Ierusalem But you have handsomely and fully clear'd me from such odd conceits But what I pray shall our English there degenerate and joyn themselves with Gog and Magog We have heard lately divers ways that our people there have no hope of the Conversion of the Natives And the very week after I received your last Letter I saw a Letter written from New England discoursing of an impossibility of subsisting there and seems to prefer the confession of God's Truth in any condition here in Old England rather than run over to enjoy their liberty there yea and that the Gospel is like to be more dear in New England than in Old and lastly unless they be exceeding careful and God wonderfully merciful they are like to lose that life and zeal for God and his Truth in New England which they enjoyed in Old as whereof they have already woful experience and many there feel it to their smart I am ashamed to urge you unto that which I do extremely desire that you would afford me your interpretation of the last verses of Dan. 11. concerning the Fourth Kingdom For I am confident by that you make of the first of them you have in like manner considered it throughout and your fetching the matter off from Epiphanes and the Greeks to the Fourth Kingdom gives great light to the whole Thus over shoes over boots I am run so far in your debt and withall I am so much in love with it that I care not how deep I plunge my self thereinto I commend me heartily unto your love which I prize more than I can express I shall rest Newbury March 2. 1634. Yours ever to love and honour you W. Twisse Post-script I had almost forgotten a special Argument against Regnum Sanctorum whereof I should crave the solution which is this All the Saints departed this life are with the Lord Christ 2. Cor. 5. 8. If all at his coming be not brought with him they shall be divided from Christ and consequently in worse condition than they were before Though he bring all with him yet in that Kingdom there may be place for different degrees of glory and that 1 Cor. 15. Every one in his own order is applied there only to Christ and them that are Christ's EPISTLE XLIII Mr. Mede's Answer to Dr. Twisse his Fourth Letter touching the First Gentile Inhabitants and the late Christian Plantations in America as also touching our Saviour's proof of the Resurrection from Exod. 3. 6. with an Answer to the Objection in the Post-script of the foregoing Letter SIR COncerning our Plantation in the American world I wish them as well as any body though I differ from them far both in other things and in the grounds they go upon And though there be but little hope of the general Conversion of those Natives in any considerable part of that Continent yet I suppose it may be a work pleasing to Almighty God and our Blessed Saviour to affront the Devil with the sound of the Gospel and Cross of Christ in those places where he had thought to have reigned securely and out of the dinne thereof and though we make no Christians there yet to bring some thither to disturb and vex him where he reigned without check For that I may reveal my conceit further though perhaps I cannot prove it yet I think thus That those Countries were first inhabited since our Saviour and his Apostles times and not before yea perhaps some ages after there being no sings or footsteps found amongst them or any Mounments of older habitation as there is with us That the Devil being impatient of the sound of the Gospel and Cross of Christ in every part of this old world so that he could in no place be quiet for it and foresecing that he was like at length to lose all here bethought himself to provide him of a seed over which he might reign securely and in a place ubi nec Pelopidarum factaneque nomen audiret That accordingly he drew a Colony out of some of those barbarous Nations dwelling upon the Northern Ocean whither the sound of Christ had not yet
seems to signifie only Contrition or the act of aversion and turning away from sin Otherwise as I have already said it signifies the whole act of our turning from the beginning to the end as appears plainly either when both terms are mentioned or but the thing or term to be turned unto as Acts 20. 21. Repentance unto God and Act. 26. 20. where S. Paul saith that he preached both to the Iews and Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God For no man can turn unto God unless he first have turned from the Devil But to leave words and come to the matter Contrition or Dying unto sin is such a Compunction of the Heart for the same as is joyned with a purpose to leave and forsake it Not every Compunction for sin is true Contrition but such a Compunction only as is joyned with a purpose to leave and forsake it Contrition hath therefore as you see two parts or degrees The first is A Compunction of the Heart for sin the second A Purpose to forsake and renounce sin The one is a turning away from sin in the affections or passions of the Mind the other is a turning of the Will Compunction is a turning in the affections and passions of the Mind and that not of one passion only but of every passion wherewith we abhor and fly a thing as evil as Fear Grief and Hate for we must turn with our whole hearts Fear leads the rank and trembles at the wrath of God and dreadful Iudgment to come when it shall be said to every unrepentant sinner Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels there to be tormented for ever and ever For Fear is of an evil to come Next comes Grief and laments that ever it was committed whereby we have incurred so great an evil as to become vassals of Satan and the loss of so great a good as the favour of Almighty God yea of so good and gracious a God as saith again and again As I live I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his ways and live What wretch would have lost the favour of such a God as this O that it were to do again I would never do it For we grieve at the presence of evil and absence of good as we joy in the contrary Thirdly comes Hate and begins to loath and detest sin as a thing not only hurtful but ugly and abominable a soul and beastly thing most contrary to and unbefitting the nature and excellency of a Reasonable creature as man is For we hate that which is contrary and love what is agreeable to us These are the several motions and degrees of that Compunction of Heart whereby a Repentant Soul turneth from his sin And that this is the order of them may appear because that is always first which may be without the rest Now a man may tremble at God's judgments for sin and wrath to come and yet not grieve for them yea a man may tremble and grieve too for his sins and yet not hate and loath them But all these repentant passions of Compunction though diverse in themselves yet are wont to be comprehended under the name of Sorrow and Remorse for sin Not as though that were the only passion in our Compunction but because all passions of the Mind which spring from the apprehension and sense of evil are grievous and painful and so may as by a general name be comprehended under the word Sorrow as the contrary passions being pleasing and delightful to nature may be and are wont to be comprehended under the name of Pleasure For Dolor and Voluptas Pain and Pleasure divide all our Passions between them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every action of ours is attended with some either pleasure or pain Though yet there be among the doleful passions a passion peculiarly called Tristitia or Sorrow and among the delightful passions one likewise in special called Laetitia or Ioy. But all this Fear and Trembling at the wrath of God to come for sin this Sorrow for sin this Hating and Loathing of sin will not make our Contrition full and perfect unless our Will also do his part and resolve to forsake and leave it For so I defined true Contrition or Dying to sin to be A compunction of the Heart for sin joyned with a will and resolution to forsake it Hath then the wrath of God Almighty and the everlasting woe denounced to all impenitent sinners made thee fear and tremble Hath thy trembling been seconded with a true and hearty sorrow for thy sins Hath thy sorrow been such as brought forth hate and loathing of sin so that sin appeared ugly and abominable unto thee Hath there then followed a Will to be rid of it a Purpose to forsake and leave it Then art thou truly contrite and dead to sin-ward With this last act thy service of sin gave up the ghost Thou hast turned away bidden farewel and shaken hands with Sin and Satan An Effect of this Contrition is Confession when out of a contrite and wounded heart we acknowledge and lay open our sins before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father begging pardon and forgiveness for them A Duty always necessary to be performed to God himself whom we have chiefly and principally offended and in some cases also convenient to be made unto his Ministers not only for advice but for consolation by that power and authority which God hath given them to exercise in his name according to that Whose sins ye remit shall be remitted For if we confess our sins saith S. Iohn 1 Epist. 1. 9. he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and Proverb 28. 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whose confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy THUS have we seen the several degrees and steps of Contrition and Dying to sin Trembling at the fearful doom and vengeance due unto it Grieving for it Hating and loathing of it a Will and Purpose to forsake and leave it together with the common Effect of them Confession And so now we are arrived at the main Cardo and hinge of Repentance the Ioynt where the two parts thereof Aversion and Conversion meet and are knit together For where the Act of Aversion from sin endeth there Conversion unto God begins The last Act of turning from sin was that of the Will to forsake and leave it The same Act is the beginning of our turning unto God For no man can resolve to forsake and leave sin but he must purpose also to lead a new life to God Nor can any man have a purpose to lead a new life but he must withal resolve to leave sin This is then the main Ioynt of Repentance where the Spirit and Grace of God the vis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our Regeneration which from the beginning stirred our hearts gives that great and powerful lift which doth the deed Here and not before now that Faith in the Gospel which applies and reaches hold of Christ first comes in to give life unto Repentance as a Soul unto a Body Which union of Faith and Repentance as I said in the beginning of this Discourse makes the Regeneration of a spiritual man as the union of the Soul with the Body makes the generation of a natural man And as in natural generation the Soul is not infused at the first conception but after the Body hath been in some measure fashioned and formed So in our Regeneration or generation spiritual Iustifying Faith or that Faith whereby the Soul flies unto and relies upon Christ hath no place till Repentance be come to the last degree of Contrition For then our Saviour inviteth a sinner to come unto him and not till then Come unto me saith he all ye that labour and are heavie laden that is all ye that are contrite and groan under the burthen of your sins and I will ease you Till then he invites them not as being not till then fit to be eased For the whole hath no need of the Physician but the sick I speak not of an Historical faith whereby a man believes in general that Christ is the Saviour of mankind nor of a Legal wherewith a man believes the punishments and threatnings of the Law for these may be yea are before Repentance but of a Saving faith which applies Christ as a salve to a sick and wounded soul. BUT now to dwell no longer upon the connexion of the two parts let us see what are the degrees also of this second part namely of Turning and Living unto God by a new and reformed life answerable to the degrees of the former part which was Dying and Turning from sin Where first we are to know that because Turning to a thing and Turning from a thing are motions of a contrary nature therefore the degrees of our Turning unto God are to be ranked in a clean contrary order to those of our Turning from sin For the first degree here is the Act of the Will which as it concluded our Turning from sin by resolving to forsake it so it begins our Turning unto God by a firm purpose of Heart to serve him thenceforth in newness of life After this the Affections begin to act their parts answerably and as it were to eccho the good choice the Will hath made First Love when a man begins to find himself affected and enamoured with this change of life After Love comes Delight when the Penitent takes some pleasure in doing the duties whereby God is served and finds joy and comfort in his favour From whence in the third place springs Hope of the reward namely to be partaker of the glory and life to come promised unto all those who unfeignedly turn to God and set themselves to do his will But we must know that these Affections appear not all at once nor in like measure but according as a mans growth and proficiency in Conversion is more or less Howsoever the inseparable Effects of this second part of Repentance are good works or as the Scripture calls them works worthy of or meet for or beseeming Repentance that is works of Religion towards God and of Righteousness towards men I shewed saith S. Paul Acts 26. 20. first to the Iews and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance Without such works he that saith he is turned unto God and yet doth them not is a lier and deceives his own soul. THUS much of the second part of Repentance I will conclude this whole Discourse with these two excellent descriptions of Repentance in the Prophets Esay and Ezekiel which contain the Sum of what I have hitherto spoken concerning the same For thus saith Esay chap. 1. 16. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from mine eyes saith the Lord cease to do evil This is the first part of Repentance V. 17. Learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow This is the second part Ezek. ch 33. v. 14 15. thus When I say unto the wicked saith the Lord Thou shal◠surely die if he turn from his sin there is Contrition the first part and do that which is lawful and right If he restore the pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the Statutes of life without committing iniquity here ye fee the fruit of a New life the second part he shall surely live he shall not die Believe the Gospel THUS much shall suffice to have spoken of Repentance the first part of our Regeneration I come to the second Faith in the Gospel Repent and believe the Gospel Where first I will shew What this Gospel is secondly What it is to believe it or What is that Faith concerning it which our Saviour here requires For the First The Gospel is the glad tidings of Salvation to be attained by Christ who by taking away of sin reconciles us unto his Father that through him we might turn unto God and perform service and obedience acceptable unto eternal life Before I prove every part of this Description out of Scripture and explain the same as shall be needful for your understanding we will first speak of the Antiquity of this Gospel and shew when these glad tidings were made known to the sons of men Know therefore that albeit the Fulfilling and solemn publication thereof were not until our Saviour's coming yet the Promise of the same was from the daies of old even as ancient as the time of man's sin and afterwards continued and repeated all the time of the Covenant of the Law until the Mediatour of the New Covenant came in the flesh For when the Devil abusing the shape of a Serpent had seduced our first Parents unto sin and so had gotten dominion over them and theirs by this title the Gospel or Promise of a Redeemer that they might not be without all comfort was given them in these words The seed of the woman shall break the Serpent's head The Serpent's head is Satan's soveraignty which is Principatus mortis the soveraignty or principality of death a Soveraignty that whosoever is under is liable to death both temporal and eternal the power thereof consisting not in saving and giving life but in destroying both of body and Soul The Sword whereby this dominion is obtained the Sceptre whereby it is maintained or as S. Paul speaks the Sting of this Serpent's head is Sin This is that which got this dominion at the first and the title whereby he still maintaineth the remainder of his jurisdiction in the world This Soveraignty this Headship of the Devil One to be born of mankind the Seed of the woman which is Christ our