Judgment make haste their Consciences being thereby awakened by the Lord to get into that Place of Security God hath provided for them viz. the Rock Christ who is called an Hiding-Place Isa 32.2 IX There are many Sorts of Worms IX So there are many Sorts of Men Worms 1. Some great and some small Ones and yet all are but Worms 1. So there are some great Men mighty Ones of the Earth as Kings c. and some small or poor Men but yet all are but Worms weak and contemptible Creatures in God's sight David called himself a Worm I am a Worm and no Man c. Psal 22 6. 2. There are some Dunghil-Worms who love to abide or live in Dung and Muck of the Earth 2. So there are some Men whom we commonly call Muck-worms who delight in nothing more than in the Dung or Filth of the Earth or Muck of this World their Hearts and Hands are always in the Earth Take them out of this Filth and they are as dead Men and let them alone and you shall presently see them craul to their old Delights Nothing but the World is in their Mouths they wallow in their filthy Lusts and Earthly-mindedness as the Swine tumbles in the Mire III. There are some Worms very loathsom such as breed in rotten putrified Flesh which are called Carrion-Worms 3. Such a Worm is a wicked Man a Vermine a Worm that breeds in Corruption as it were a loathsom Creature in God's Sight See the Head of the Metaphor 4. There are some Worms that deceive the Eye seeming to be what they are not Many have thought they had seen Fire in the Night when they have cast their Eye upon them in the place where they have lain These are called Glow-worms R. W. tells us a Story of a Parson that in the Night being drunk casting his Eye upon one of these Worms having his Pipe of Tobacco filled went bodily towards it crying out Fire I hope Fire I hope When the Light comes these appear to all to be but Worms 4. There are some Men who deceive their Neighbours They take them to be holy and good Men precious Saints of God and yet are greatly mistaken in them they being no better than painted Sepulchers meer Hypocrites and notwithstanding their outward Shew of Holinesss and Sanctity are but Earth-Worms having the World viz. external Advantage or vain Glory in their Eye as the great Thing they aim at in their Profession and in the Day of Christ they will appear to be what in truth they are 5. There are some very hurtful Worms who spoil Trees Flowers and the Fruits of the Earth See Joel 1.4 Amos 4.9 Such are the Palmer-Worm the Caterpillar and the Canker-Worm Which Sort of hurtful Vermin God hath often brought upon a People and Nation as a Punishment of their Sins 5. So there are some Men who like to these Worms are of a very hurtful Nature and endeavour to spoil Christ's spiritual Trees Flowers and precious Fruit c. They are called Locusts or Caterpillars by the Holy-Ghost Rev. 9.3 they are said to come out of the Bottomless Pit And to them was given Power as the Scorpions of the Earth have Power c. By these Locusts are meant as Franciscus Claudius a Carmelite Fryar and others expound the Place as is noted by Mr. Wilson ' those great Swarms of Popish Priests Friars Monks Cardinals even the whole Popish Hierarchy and Pontificial Clergy These are fitly likened unto Locusts which are a little vile Vermine springing as some say out of Smoke c. And truly this is made too evident of that Sort of Men this day in England and other Nations of Europe Never were a more destructive Generation of vile Vermine in the World none make or threaten to make greater Spoil of Christ's Vineyard and precious Fruit-Trees than they And in that they are let in upon us we may plainly read God's Displeasure against us thereby and nothing but unfeigned Repentance and Reformation will doubtless free this poor Nation from them for at this very time we are sadly plagued and pestered with them See God an Husbandman 6. There are also some profitable Worms who are very laborious and cloath the World with Silk and they are called Silk-Worms 6. This Sort of Worms resemble the laborious and faithful Ministers of Christ who spend themselves in Preaching and in divine Prayer and Meditation that so they may enrich Mens Souls with Grace and true Vertue These as Instruments in God's Hand may be said to cloath Men and Women with Silk or gloriously adorn their better Part tho hereby through Zeal and faithful Industry for God's Glory they waste and consume their own Carcases spending and being spent as the Apostle speaks X. The House or Place of divers Worms is the Earth they lie hid in the Ground X. So Man who is a Worm must take up his Place for a short time in the Earth The Grave is my House saith Job Job 17.13 the Place appointed for all Living This Worm must go to his Fellows to the Worms Inferences BY this we may see what a poor thing Man is The mighty Ones of the Earth who boast of great Matters are but Worms And if Man be but a Worm why doth he swell above the Clouds as if he would make his Nest among the Stars when as he must shortly fall among the Clods and be eaten of Worms 2. Take heed of having Mens Persons in Admiration it is a vain thing to give flattering Titles to others As it becomes us not to reproach or vilify any Man tho all Men are but as Worms so it is a God provoking Evil to flatter Men thereby creating high thoughts in them of themselves as some once served Herod crying out It is the Voice of a God and not of a Man But the Almighty Acts 12.22 to shew how much he abhorred such as gave not him the Glory made them know he was but a Worm and therefore the Angel of the Lord smote him and he was eaten up of Worms 3. Be not envious at others tho more rich and honourable than thee The greatest of Men are but Worms and tho some sparkle and shine in outward Glory and Splendor and seem to excell every way yet they may be but like Glow-worms 't is but for a Night they seem like Stars in the Morning they will appear like others 4. Let us learn from hence not to overvalue our selves nor our Lives What is the Life of a Worm 5. What Fools are the Wicked of the Earth to muster up their Force against God's People Whom do they come out against It is but against a Worm Could they prevail what Honour would they gain by it Is it so great a matter to destroy a Worm for so Jacob in his low Estate is called Fear not thou Worm Jacob. But let them know this Worm hath a mighty God to take its part I will help
like a Lamb spoken of Rev. 13.11 IX This little Horn hath so many Marks upon him that they are too numerous to handle distinctly after our usual Method and therefore we shall put the remaining part into a general Rank and conclude this Subject IX The Pope of Rome hath so many Marks or Characters upon him that are too numerous to be handled distinctly in a little room and therefore we shall but touch upon them so far as they shew the Texts made good and form an Idea of Truth in the Minds of Men. 1. He must change Times and Laws 1. The Pope hath changed Times and Laws in two respects 1. He hath set up and pluck'd down Kings which is called a changing of Times and Seasons Dan. 2.21 2. He has made strange Alterations of the Laws Orders and Institutions used in the Church in respect of Officers Administration of Sacraments and Celebration of Days 2. Continue a long space of Time 2. Hath continued above twelve hundred Years 3. He is a vile Person 3. He is as vile a Person as any in the World tolerates all kind of Wickedness by his Dispensations Pardons c. 4. Had not the Honour he hath fairly given to him either by God or Man but gain'd it by Flattery 4. Had his Exaltation neither by Inheritance lawful Conquest nor rightful Gift from rightful Donators 5. Remov'd the preceding Power by the Arms of a Flood 5. He had the help of Phocas to kill the Emperor Mauritius and by the help of Gothes and Vandals enlarged his Power 6. He became strong by a small People 6. Became strong by a small People having only a declining Church and Apostate Christians to assist him 7. He shall have power over the fattest Places of the Province and there scatter his Riches 7. He hath power over Italy which is reputed the Garden of Europe c. 8. Such as do wickedly against Religion he shall accept 8. He hath accepted entertained and encouraged the People of any Nation that would turn wicked and sacrifice all Piety and Religion to serve his Interest 9. Under him the Saints fall by Captivity and Spoil by Sword and Flame many days 9. Under him the Saints have fallen by Flames Captivity and Spoil many days 10. Shall do according to his own Will not accounting himself tied to any Laws 10. He hath done according to his own Will and doth not look upon any Laws to be obligatory to him either from God or Men. 11. He shall exalt himself above every God and speak marvellous things against the God of Gods 11. He the Pope hath exalted himself above every God that is such as are so accounted amongst Men or Gods on Earth by excommunicating deposing treading upon their Necks and kicking off their Crowns by his blasphemous Edicts and Injunctions he exalts himself above God himself and his written Laws c. 12. Shall not regard the God of his Ancestors 12. He doth not regard the God of his Ancestors either the Idols of the Emperors or the God of the good Bishops that went before him 13. Nor the desire of Wedlock 13. He hath been remote from the desire of Women in a lawful way nay and frights his Clergy from it too who are made uncapable of spiritual Promotion and censured as heinous Transgressors if married 14. Nor any God in a pious way 14. He hath not regarded any God in a pious way for tho he doth name the true God often and in Words profess him yet in Works he doth defie him and prophane his holy Name 15. Shall give Honour to them that have armed Forces 15. He gives honour to them who have armed Forces and lends them Assiâ—tance to carry on his black and diabolical Designs 16. Shall own a strange God with splendid Ceremonies Dan. 11.38 16. He hath owned a strange God a Mark compleatly made up in the Mass which is adored with splendid Ceremonies Upon all which we fairly frame this Argument If all these sixteen Characters meet no-where so clear and evident as upon the Pope of Rome then the Pope of Rome is the little Horn and vile Person set forth in the Book of Daniel But all the aforesaid Characters meet no where so clear and evident as upon the Pope of Rome c. Ergo c. To these Characters we shall add a few more out of the Evangelist Matthew the 20th of the Acts the first Epistle to Timothy and the second to the Thessalonians and so draw to a Conclusion Christ foretold that Enemies should come in his Name and own him to be the true Christ with an Intent to deceive that they should appear in Sheeps cloathing and under this Vizard hide their devouring Teeth And Mat. 27.15 Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps cloathing but inwardly are ravening Wolves that is have a design to destroy you The Popes of Rome in their Succession have been cloathed with Sheeps cloathing covered their Dâ—sign with the Name of Christ the true Christ but with an intent to deceive for all their Pretences of Jesus being the true Christ have been but as a Vizard to hide their devouring Teeth whilst they hid themselves under the Notion of Christianity they have carried on most pernicious and destructive Designs shewing their wolfish and devouring Nature in these three respects 1. If there have appeared any Kings in the Christian World that have been piously disposed they have forthwith endeavoured to pervert them by their Diabolical Doctrines or destroy them by their Holy Poyson 2. If any Ministers or Men of Parts have risen up to set forth God's holy Truth and bless the World with Gospel-Light and saving Doctrine they have either choaked them with Preferments affrighted them by dreadful Fears or by a ravenous thirsting after their Blood have most wickedly and treacherously destroyed their Lives 3. If collective Bodies of pious Congregations of Saints have sprung forth in the World they have followed them like Blood-hounds and devouring Wolves with Fire and Sword fearful Massacres Devastations Murthers and Slaughters till they have spoiled them torn in pieces and devoured them Compleatly fulfilling that Prediction of the Apostle Acts 20.29 30. For I know this that after my departure shall grievous Wolves enter in amongst you not sparing the Flock Also of your own selves shall Men arise speaking perverse Things to draw away the Disciples after them Who can this Prophecy so exactlâ— agree to as the bloody Popes who at first arose out of the Church and acted the â—art of Wolves to purpose 1. By affrighting the Flock 2. By dispersing and scattering them abâ—oad 3. By drinking or sucking the Blood of any of them they could fasten upon in a most astonishing and prodigious manner As for those two eminent Gospel-Prophecies viz. the beginning of 2 Thess 2. and of 1 Tim. 4. we will give a brief Abstract by way of Parallel shewing how these relate only to the Pope of Rome and no other The
few and in a strange Land Or if they should thrive so as to become a Kingdom or Nation why should Judah have the Government seeing there were three elder Brothers Reuben Simeon and Levi Nor was there likelihood of this Prophecy's being accomplish'd when Moses set it down in Writing for then he himself who was of the Tribe of Levi was in the actual Possession of the Government and put into it by God himself who appointed for his Successor Joshua not of the Tribe of Judah but of Ephraim Whence we have a notable Evidence of the Truth and Sincerity of this Prediction for had not Jacob really uttered it we cannot imagine Moses would have put such a Prophecy in Writing to the disparagement of his own Tribe How accurately are the four great Monarchies of the World described by Daniel (f) Dan 7.3 so lively as if he had lived under them and had that experience of them all respectively which the World hath since had of them How wonderful is that Prophecy of Isaiah at the end of his 44th and the beginning of the 45th Chapter touching Cyrus delivered at least an hundred Years some say two hundred before he was born wherein yet he is not only expresly named Thus saith the Lord to his Anointed Cyrus but it is foretold he should conquer Babylon and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem which came to pass accordingly Nor can this Prophecy be suspected of Forgery or to be supposititious in any kind since it was pronounced openly as other Prophecies were in the hearing of all the People and so divulged into many hands before the Captivity and then also carried into Babylon where no doubt it was perused by many long before the accomplishment of it And that there was such a Man as Cyrus many Years afterwards that conquered Babylon and restored the Jews from their Captivity and furthered the Building of the Temple all Heathen Authors that write of those Times do affirm And indeed one great Inducement of his Kindness to the Jews was because he understood how his Successes had been thus prophesied of so long before by one of that Nation So that it appears the said Prophecy was then publickly known and its Truth and Authentickness no way doubted of How manifestly are the many Prophecies of the Old-Testament concerning our Saviour fulfilled And how dreadfully his Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem was made good about forty Years after his Crucifixion we find in the History of Josephus exactly corresponding to what is foretold in Mat. 24. And how many other Prophecies of the New-Testament and especially of the Revelations do we daily find Verified in and by the Apostacy and wicked Usurpations of the Church of Rome Since therefore to foretell so plainly Particulars and Events so remote and depending on the meer Motions and Acts of the Wills of particular Persons yet unborn is an evident Mark of Omnisciency we cannot but conclude that the Scriptures which are fill'd with so many evident and certain Predictions must certainly proceed from the Finger of God VIII Those Writings and that Doctrine 8. Miracles confirm its divine Original which were confirmed by many and real Miracles must needs be of God But the Books and Doctrines of Canonical Scriptures were so confirmed Many and great Wonders such as Satan himself cannot imitate such as exceed the Power of any yea of all the Creatures in the World such as the most malicious Enemies could not deny to be divine hath the Lord openly wrought by the hands of Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles for the Confirmation of this Truth (g) Numb 11.9 Exod. 19.16 1 Kings 17.24 Mark 16.20 Acts 5.12 These Miracles are recorded and attested by Persons of unquestionable Credit that were Eye and Ear-Witnesses The Things done as raising the Dead to Life curing the Blind c. were Matters of Fact easy to be discerned They were not done once or twice but very often not in the Night or in a Corner but in the open Light in the midst of the People in the presence of great Multitudes who were generally Enemies to those that wrought these Miracles So that if the Relations of them were false they would presently have disproved them or if there had been any Deceit they would soon have detected it When God puts forth his Miracle-working Power Dr. Owen in the Confirmation of any Word or Doctrine he avows it to be of and from himself to be absolutely and infallibly true setting the fullest and openest Seal unto it which Men who cannot discern his Essence or Being are capable of receiving or discerning And therefore when any Doctrine which in it self is such as becometh the Holiness and Righteousness of God is confirmed by the Emanation of his Divine Power in working of Miracles there can no greater Assurance even by God himself be given to confirm the Truth of it And as we have the Testimony of the Evangelists to confirm the many Miracles that Jesus did we also plead the Notoriety of those Miracles wrought by him and the Traditions delivering them down to us They were openly wrought and were all or most of them perform'd before the Eyes of Multitudes who envied hated and persecuted him and that in the most knowing Days of the World when Reason and Learning had improved the Light of the Minds of Men to the utmost of their Capacity in and upon Multitudes for sundry Years together being all of them sifted by his Adversaries to try if they could discover any thing of Deceit in them Besides the very Enemies have not had the impudence to deny such notorious Matters of Fact as our Saviour's Miracles Josephus in his Antiquity of the Jews makes mention of the mighty Miracles that Jesus did See p. 400. only they ascribe them to other Causes Even to this Day the Jews acknowledg much of the Works of Christ but slanderously and blasphemously father them on the Power of the Devil or upon the Force of the Name of God sowed up in his Thigh and such like ridiculous Stories they have Even the Turks confess much of the Miracles of our Lord and believe him to be a great Prophet though they are profest Enemies to the Christian Name Nor could all the Adversaries of these Miracles and Relations with all their Arguments or Violence hinder Thousands from believing them and even exposing their Lives on that Belief in the very Time and Country where they were done So that we must say Either they were Miracles or not If they were why do you not believe If they were not behold the greatest Miracle of all that so many Thousands even of the Beholders should be so blind as to believe Things that never were especially in those very Times when it was the easiest Matter in the World to have disproved such Falshoods Indeed the Miracles of Jesus and those of his Disciples and Servants in the Primitive Times were in Fact so many
Records for the certainty of it And Origen affirms that one Phlegon Secretary to the Emperor Adrian did write thereof in his Chronicles What an illustrious Testimony is that extorted by Truth from the Mouth of an Enemy I mean Josephus a Jew in Religion as well as by Nation tho he wrote in Greek born not above five or six Years after Christ's Passion In his 18th Book and 4th Chapter speaking of the Reign of Tiberias he hath these Words In those Days there was one Jesus a wise Man if it be lawful to call him a Man for he was a Worker of great Miracles and a Teacher of such as readily receive the Truth and had many Followers as well Jews as Gentiles This is that CHRIST who tho he was accused by the chief of our Nation and by Pilate condemned to be crucified yet did not they who had first loved him forsake him for he appeared unto them the third Day alive again The holy Prophets foretelling these and many other wonderful Things of him And even to this Day the Christian Sect so named from him continues Nor is that less clear of Lentulus in his Epistle to the Emperor Tiberius recited by Eutropius in his Annals of the Roman Senators and now commonly extant in the Bibliotheca Patrum (e) Apparuit temporibus nostris adhuc est homo magnae virtutis nominatus Jesus Christus qui dicitur à Gentibus Propheta veritatis quem ejus discipuli vocant Filium Dei sâ—scitans mortros sanans omnes languores He thus begins There hath appeared in our Days and yet is living a Man of great Virtue or Power named Jesus Christ who is called of the Nations the Prophet of Truth whom his Disciples call the Son of God a Raiser of the Dead and an Healer of all manner of Diseases To all which we might add the Prophecies of the Sybils amongst the Heathens who most plainly foretold the Coming of Christ the Son of God into the World and express'd his very Name and Quality in certain Acrostick Verses recited by the great Augustin in the 23d Chapter of the Ninth Book of the City of God XIV He that disowns the Bible to be of Divine Authority must either think there is some Revelation from God to the World how he will be worshipped and how they ought to conduct themselves or he thinks there is none If he thinks there is none he not only gives the Lie to the Christian and Jewish but generally to all Religion that has been or is in the World For they all have pretended and do alledg the same as their Foundation And besides he must confess that God who has made Man the noblest of Creatures and Lord of the whole World has left him in a worse Condition in the present Posture we find him than the meanest Creatures to whom he has given sufficient Means to attain the highest End of their Beings But that infinite Wisdom should deal thus is absurd and unreasonable to conceive If he grant there is any-where a Revelation from God to the World let it be produced and judg if it be any way able to vie with the Scriptures for all those glorious Characters and Marks of Divine Authority Power and Excellency which we have enumerated XV. If the Scriptures be neither the Invention of Devils nor Men then it can be from none but God But they are not from Devils for neither could they work Miracles nor deliver true Prophecies to confirm them nor would it consist with God's Sovereignty over them or with his Goodness Wisdom or Faithfulness of governing the World nor would Satan speak so much for God nor lay such a Design for Man's Salvation and against his own Kingdom nor be so industrious to draw the World to unbelief of it Nor were the Scriptures the Invention of Men for they must be either good Men or bad Men Good Men they could not be for nothing could be more opposite to Goodness nay even common Honesty than to assume the Name of God falsly feign Miracles and cheat People with Promises of another World And then on the other side 't is as impossible ill Men could be the Devisers of so holy a Book For can any rational Man think that wicked Deceivers would so highly advance the Glory of God Would they so vilify themselves and brand and stigmatize their own Practices Could such an admirable undeniable Spirit of Holiness Righteousness and Self-denial as runs through every Vein of Scripture proceed from the Invention of the Wicked Would they ever have extolled their Enemies the Godly and framed such perfect spiritual Laws or laid such a Design against the Flesh and all their worldly Happiness as every-where the Scope of the Scripture doth carry on If we cannot gather Grapes of Thorns and Figs of Thistles then may we be assured that no ill Men had an hand in writing and promoting this good and holy Book 16. Satan's Suggestions Temptations against the Bible argue it divine XVI The Divine Composition of this blessed Book is not a little manifested by the continual Rage of the Devil against it which appears not only in stirring up his Instruments utterly to suppress it for what Book in the VVorld ever met with such Opposition as aforesaid but also in those Temptations with which he assaults the Hearts of Men when they apply themselves to the serious Study of it VVe can read any other History and readily entertain and credit it but when we once come to the Bible strange Objections Doubts and Curiosities arise and presently we are apt to question the Truth and Possibility of every Passage These are the Suggestions of Satan to render that holy Book ineffectual to us the Scope and Purport of which he knows tends directly to the Overthrow of his Kingdom of Darkness Some of the most frequent Objections against the Bible are these that follow Object 1. How Men in the respective Ages wherein the several parts of the Bible were written could know that they were written by an infallible Spirit and so distinguish them from other Writings Answ Two ways First by the Quality of the Persons and secondly from the Nature and Quality of the Matter As for Moses there could not be the least Cause of doubting his being inspired by God since he wrought such Miracles and had a visible and audible Entercourse with the Lord as we read Exod. 19.9 that the Lord said unto him Lo I come unto thee in a thick Cloud that the People may hear when I speak with thee and believe thee for ever The other Parts of the Old Testament were written by Prophets and holy Men. And tho several of them were not received and hearkned to as such by the corrupt ruling Part of the Jews whilst they lived yet they were acknowledged afterwards as well for the Sanctity of their Lives and the fulfilling of those things mentioned the Judgments which they foretold coming to pass
this saith Mr. Pool If a Man being sought after should hide himself in some Corner or Hole of the House and Pursuers should ask for him could any with a good Conscience say he is not here because he is invisible none sure but a Papist who is so well skilled in Equivocation would give such an Answer Our Saviour every where makes these two Opposites his being in the World and going to Heaven John 13.1 the Hour was come that he should depart out of this World unto the Father It seems they could have taught him the Art of going thither and remaining here at the same instant They have an excellent Faculty as he had who said Since he could not give content in going nor staying he would not go nor stay For they know how a Man may both go from a place and stay in it at the same time I know not what can be more plain if they did not wilfully shut their Eyes Christ saith expresly Me you have not always with you That is his bodily Presence for as touching his Divine Presence so he is always with his People unto the end of the World Mat. 28. ult Besides their Doctrine destroys the Truth of Christ's human Nature We read of Christ He was in all points like unto us Sin only excepted His Body was like ours and therefore impossible it should be in a thousand places at once which according to their Doctrine it is This turns Christ's Body into a Spirit nay indeed they make his Body more spiritual than a Spirit for a Spirit cannot be in several Places divided from it self The Soul of Man if it be entire both in the whole and in every part of the Body yet it is not divided from it self nor from its Body nor can it be in two Bodies at the same time as all confess muâ—h less can it be in Ten Thousand Bodies at once When ever any Angel comes to Earth he leaves Heaven So that this quite destroys the Truth of Christ's human Body Object Much of what we say here the Papists say was true of Christ's Body in the days of his Infirmity but when he was risen from the Dead then he received a spiritual Body as it is said ours shall be at the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. Answ This is but a Fig-leaf for they ascribe these monstrous Properties to Christ's Body before its Resurrection for they say the Flesh and Blood of Christ were really in the Sacrament which the Disciples received whilst Christ lived Secondly Christ's Resurrection tho it heightned the Perfection yet it did not alter the Nature and Properties of his Body nor gave it the being of a Spirit for after he was risen he proves that he was no Spirit by this Argument Handle me and see for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Blood as you see me have Luke 24.39 By this it appears that their Doctrine destroyeth the Truth of Christ's human Body at least it destroys the main Evidence of it against those who affirmed that Christ had only a phantastical Body namely that he was seen and felt and heard for the Papists say that Sense is not to be believed Again this Doctrine of theirs destroyeth the Truth of Christ's Ascension into Heaven for he is not ascended if he hath not left this World but is here in the Sacrament Nothing can be more clear than that Christ did visibly and locally leave this World when he went up into Heaven Acts 1.9 10. That being once there the Heavens must receive or contain him until the Time of the Restitution of all things Acts 3.21 And that at the last Day he shall come visibly and locally from Heaven 2 Thess 1.7 But that he should come down a thousand times in a day at the command of every Mass-Priest or that he should have such power to make the Body of his Saviour is such a Dream as the Scripture speaketh not one syllable of nor can any rational Man believe it Besides their Doctrine destroyeth the very Essence of a Sacrament which consists of two parts an outward Element or Sign and the inward Grace signified by it These things being well considered it is evident these Words This is my Body are to be taken figuratively i. e. This is a Sign of my Body or this is the Sacrament of my Body so that from the manner of the Words spoken by Christ there is no necessity to take them as the Papists do seeing it is so frequent with the Holy-Ghost to use Metaphors in this kind I need not name them considering it is the Subject of our present Work The seven Kine are seven Years the seven Ears of Corn are seven Years the Stars are the Angels of the seven Churches the seven Heads are seven Mountains c. Christ is called a Rock a Lamb a Lion a Door together with many other things which we have spoken unto See the Second Head of Metaphors Similies c. The Saints are called Sheep Branches c. ' The meaning of all this is saith Dr. Preston They are like such and such things But yet it is the manner of the Scripture-Speech Dr. Preston of the Saints Qualifications p. 487 and therefore saith he it is not necessary that those Words should be taken in a proper Sence as they are by the Papists Object But saith the worthy Doctor you will object Yea but in matter of this moment as a Sacrament the Lord speaks distinctly and expresly there he useth no Metaphor tho in other Cases he doth Answ 'To this saith he I answer briefly It is so far from being true that he useth them not in the Sacrament that there are none of all the Sacraments but it is used viz. in the Sacrament of Circumcision This is the Covenant c. In the Sacrament of the Passeover which were the Sacraments of the Old Law the Lamb is called the Passeover In this very Sacrament to go no further for instance take but the second part of it This is the Cup of the New Testament in my Blood Here are not one but divers Figures The Cup is taken for the Liquor in it the Wine in the Cup is taken for Christ's Blood This is the new Testament c. that is the Seal of the New Testament Here is Figure upon Figure saith Mr. Pool and yet the Papists have the Impudence to reproach us for putting in but one Figure which they confess the Holy-Ghost frequently maketh use of Wonder O Heavens and judg O Earth whether these Men do not strain at Gnats and swallow Camels c. This openeth a Way for us to our next Work which is to run the Parallel concerning those figurative and metaphorical Expressions of the Lord Jesus Christ used at the Institution of the holy Eucharist Mat. 26.26 Jesus took Bread and blessed it and brake it and gave to his Disciples and said Take eat this is my Body Metaphor Parallel CHrist took Bread after he had supped c. THis in
more safe and secure to dwell in and some Cities have two or three Walls to make them more impregnable II. The Church of God hath strong Walls about it We have a strong City Isa 26.1 Salvation will God appoint for Walls and Bulwarks The Church hath a threefold Wall about it First The Wall of God's Providence Hast not thou made a Hedg or Wall about him As the Mountains are round about Jerusalem Job 1. Psal 125.2 so the Lord is round about them that fear him c. Secondly The Protection of the holy Angels Psal 34.7 The Angels of the Lord encamp round about them that fear him c. Thirdly God in an extraordinary manner is as a Wall of Fire round about her Zech. 2.5 every one of his Attributes is a gracious Defence to the Church III. Some Cities are bravely scituated they are built upon a Hill III. The Church of God is famous upon this account Beautiful for Scituation Psal 48.2 the Joy of the whole Earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the North the City of the great King Mat. 16.18 Ye are as a City set upon a Hill IV. A City is built of many Materials and in it are many Buildings or Houses set in rare Uniformity curiously joined and compacted together IV. The Church of God is built up of many living Stones consisting of divers particular Societies or spiritual Houses Now therefore ye are no more Strangers and Foreigners Eph. 2.19 20 21 22. but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God And are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone In whom all the Building fitly framed together groweth to an holy Temple in the Lord c. In whom ye also are builded together for an Habitation of God through the Spirit Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together Psal 122.3 V. A City hath its particular Laws Institutions and Customs by which it is governed V. The Church of God also hath special Laws Institutions and Customs belonging to it by which it is in all things governed which are contained in the holy Scripture the great Charter and Statute-Book of the Church VI. A City hath a supreme Governor in it who rectifies all Disorders and Confusions that otherwise would be therein considering the Multitude of its Inhabitants VI. The Church of God is not without a good Government and a Supreme Magistrate viz. the Lord Jâ—sus Christ who is the chief Judg and Law-giver or Head of this spiritual Corporation VII A City hath besides the chief Governor and principal Magistrate divers inferior Officers for Administration of Justice and well governing thereof VII So the Church of God hath inferior Officers under Jesus Christ which the Citizens by the appointment of Christ are required to substitute and ordain to govern and keep all things in good Order And he gave some Apostles Ephes 4.8 9 10 11 12. and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers c. VIII A City hath some special Trade belonging to it by which its Inhabitants are enriched VIII The Church or City of God hath a spiritual Trade belonging to it which all the Citizens do and ought always to follow by which they are also greatly enriched IX Many Cities have Merchants in them who trade into remote parts of the World and fetch their Merchandize from afar IX The Saints or Citizens of Zion are all Merchants who trade daily to Heaven they fetch their blessed Merchandize from thence Phil. 3.20 Prov. 41. Our Conversation is in Heaven Hence the Church is by Solomon compared to Merchants Ships See Merchants Ships Saints have like other Merchants their Correspondent Jesus Christ who makes glorious Returns of all they venture or send to Heaven For every Duty rightly performed he makes Returns of Mercy for Tears of godly Sorrow he returns them the Oil of Joy Thou wilt saith holy David put my Tears into thy Bottle By which means the spiritual Citizens grow rich in Faith Hope Experience c. See the Parable of the Merchant-man Now touching the Trade Traffick or Merchandize of this City upon which its Wealth and Prosperity doth wholly depend take what follows First Their Trade is heavenly Wherefore holy Brethren Heb. 3.1 2 Partakers of the heavenly Calling consider the Apostle and High-Priest of our Profession Jesus Christ And as they are all Merchants and use one Trade so they all deal with one and the same Benefactor from whom they have quick Returns they fetch their Goods from afar Something touching the Excellency of the Trade of the City of God I shall hint in a few Particulâ—rs Secondly As touching her Commodities or the Merchandize which her Citizens deal in First Negatively 1. They are not prohibited Goods 2. They are not counterfeit Goods 3. They are not temporal and corruptible Goods Secondly Affirmatively and more directly they are 1. Soul enriching Commodities things that are of very great worth and value The Merchandize of Wisdom is better than the Merchandize of Silver Prov. 3.14 and the Gain thereof than fine Gold 2. They are needful things such things as we cannot be without Some things that Merchants of a City deal in and fetch from afar tho they are of great value yet we may very well subsist and live comfortably without them as Pearl and precious Stones c. But there is an absolute Necessity of all those things the Citizens of this City trade in and for 3. They are such Commodities as will make the Nations and Persons that buy them happy for ever and indeed there is no true Happiness without them Quest What is the Traffick of this City of God Answ The first thing that I shall mention is the Truth this she offers to Sale Buy the Truth and sell it not Prov. 23.23 The Church is called the Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 Truth is only to be found in this City or in the Ware-Houses of the Citizens of Zion viz. the Word of God and the Hearts of Believers The second thing is a Soul-converting Gospel and blessed Ordinances The Law goeth forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Mic. 2.4 The third thing they deal in are the Gifts and Soul-enriching Graces of the Spirit Hope Love Humility c. things of very great worth The fourth is Justification every true Sinner makes it his Business to get this precious Treasure The fifth thing is the Peace of God which passeth all Understanding one of the rarest Commodities in the World The sixth thing is Union and Communion with God 1 Joh. 1.3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ The seventh thing is Peace of Conscience Herein do I exercise my self Acts 24.16
Scarcity better than weak or poor Christians will only God hath for their Comfort and Encouragement promised to supply their Wants Phil. 4.19 and will if sincere also relieve them Psal 84.11 that they shall not faint or perish in the Years of Famine XIX Some Cities tho rich yet are in a comparative sence but small but little Cities XIX The City of God in comparison of great Babylon is but a small City notwithstanding all her Glory Grandure Luke 12.32 Eccles 9.14 Rev. 17.18 and Greatness as you have heard she is but little There was a little City and few Men in it This City is the Church of God c. Babylon is a great City In comparison of the Wicked Christ's Flock is but a handful of People as it were XX. A City tho very strong yet is sometimes besieged and hath many Enemies XX. The City of God this little City is besieged Isa 1.8 The Daughter of Zion is left as a Cottage in a Vineyard as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumers as a besieged City And marvellous it is so small a City should hold out so bravely unto this Day especially considering what mighty Enemies have and do besiege her Object But here it may be objected Hath it not been overcome is it not said The Holy City was trodden under foot Rev. 11.2 Answ It is only the outward Court God hath had his Church in all Ages tho forced for a time to flie into the Wilderness from the Face of the Dragon Rev. 12 6. Quest By whom is this City besieged Answ 1. By the Devil called a great King and the King of the Bottomless Pit Eccles 9.14 Rev. 12. 2. By Antichrist the First-born of Satan He hath for above twelve hundred Years laid Siege against it using all manner of Engines Craft and Cruelty to batter her down and finally to destroy her 3. She is besieged by the World by wicked Men Men of earthly and carnal Principles who abhor Zion and say Let her be defiled raze her Psal 137.7 even to the Foundation thereof 4. She is besieged by Sin and the Flesh a secret Enemy who fain in a clandestine way would betray her this Enemy doth her the most Mischief 5. She is besieged by a Multitude of false Teachers 2 Pet. 2.1 2. these likewise have done great Hurt and Dammage to the Church of God who labour by evil Doctrine to poyson all her Inhabitants 6. And besides all this there have been sad Divisions within her also she has been as a City divided and yet she stands 7. There have been sad Breaches made in her Walls so that many have been let in that way who should have been kept out 8. Many that seemed to be for her have deserted her and joined with the Enemy and yet still she holds out 9. And which is worst of all few of those who have been in the City have bravely acquitted themselves by Zeal and Holiness to defend her and yet she holds out still Quest From whence is it that she is helped to bear up against all these sore and grievous Assaults Batteries and Calamities Answ 1. This City as you have heard is built upon a Rock it has a sure Foundation which cannot be removed Mat. 16.18 2. The Lord of Hosts hath fought for her 't is he that hath been on her side he hath defended Mount Zion and the Hill thereof he hath took part with her Psal 125.2 Isa 31.4 5 and doth at this day 3. She holds out because God hath decreed her Standing Zech. 12.8 9. and that her Enemies shall not prevail 4. She is defended because she is the Place which the Lord loveth Psal 74 2. and hath purchased with the Blood of his own dear Son 5. Because it is the Place where God's Honour dwells Psal 26.8 I have loved the Habitation of thy House the Place where thy Honour dwells 6. Again she still remains because she is tho a little City yet a strong City We have a strong City She hath strong Fortifications strong Walls and Bulwarks Isa 26.1 Psal 31.21 135.21 Zech. 2.5 7. 'T is because God's own Habitation as you have heard is in her God is a Wall of Fire round about her and the Glory in the midst of her 8. She is defended by reason of the Strong-Tower she hath in her so long as her Tower stands how can she be battered down And her Tower is impregnable The Enemy may sooner pull the Sun out of the Firmament than undermine or batter down deface or demolish the Tower of Zion which is the Name of the Lord. Prov. 18.10 See Strong-Tower 9. She is defended because in her are the Laws Statutes Ordinances Isa 2.3 and holy Institutions of her King the Lord Jesus where he is worshipped and adored in Spirit and Truth Inferences HEnce all that dwell in Zion may be provoked to a diligent Improvement of their great Privileges to the end they may be enriched with all those spiritual Riches and dignified with that Honour that appertaineth to a true Denizen thereof 2. Take Comfort and Encouragement also whatever the Attempts of the Enemies are yet about all her Glory shall be a Defence All those whose Feet stand within her Gates may read Honour Safety Isa 4.5 and Salvation as it were written upon her Walls 3. Let it be your Delight to prefer her above your chiefest Joy as she is called the holy City so be ye also holy Psal 137.6 that you may declare your selves unto what City it is you do belong 4. How may this call home all those that are gone astray and invite all that profess good Will unto Sion to let their Feet stand within her Gates for the Lord hath desired it for his Habitation Holy David made this his one thing desirable Psal 27.4 viz. to dwell in God's House to be a Denizen of this City and why should not you 5. Let it be a Warning to all Sion's Enemies to take heed how they lift up their hands against her or reproach God and them that dwell in Heaven let them lay down their Arms and fight against her no more The Lord shall roar also out of Zion Joel 3.16 and utter his Voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and Earth shall shake But the Lord will be the Hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion my holy Mountain c. The Church compared to the Moon Cant. 6.10 She is fair as the Moon THe Moon is called in Hebrew Lebanah of her Whiteness and bright Shining The State of the Church all Expositors agree is signified hereby The Church may in many respects be compared to the Moon Simile Parallel NAturalists affirm the Moon receiveth her Light from the Sun THe Church hath all her Light from Christ the Sun of Righteousness
in Christ Jesus shall suffer Persecution Through much Tribulation we must enter into the Kingdom of God Hypocrites in a Day of common Danger and Persecution are in the like Circumstances with those who truly fear God Satan that Arch-Pirate and his Emissaries will favour them no more than others until they renounce their Religion c. IX When a Ship is in a Storm all the Mariners have their Hands and Hearts full they are at their Wit 's end every one takes hold of a Rope and endeavours to the utmost to save and secure the Ship if possible from sinking IX Isa 64.17 So in an Hour of Trouble and Persecution every Christian should do his best to secure and save the Church of God from sinking or from being cast away or lost Every one should have their Hearts up to God and their Hands to work wisely for her and their own Safety X. Merchant Ships greatly enrich those Places Cities and Kingdoms to whom they belong bringing to them rare and excellent Merchandizes which are offered to Sale or to be exchanged to Traders X. So the Church of God by daily Trading to Heaven greatly enricheth poor Sinners What she receiveth from Christ her Merchants or Ministers offer to Sale Prov. 23.23 to the Nation or Nations where she lives Truth Peace Pardon the the Pearl of great Price and other excellent Merchandize she furnisheth the World with XI A Ship 's great Safety consists in her being well built having a good Bottom a skilful Pilot and sure Anchors c. XI So the Churches Safety consisteth in her being truly constituted Heb. 6.1 2 according to the Apostolical Prescriptions or that Pattern left in the Gospel by Christ and the Primitive Saints and in having Christ for her Governour or chief Pilot who as Jerome observes sits at the Stern and guides her Course as he sees good And lastly by having Hope that precious Grace of the Spirit for her Anchor Which Hope we have as the Anchor of the Soul Heb. 6.19 both sure and stedfast c. The Nature of which is opened under the Fifth Head of Metaphors concerning the Graces of the Spirit to which we refer you Inferences THis may inform us that Trouble and Persecution must be expected No Ship sets out to Sea but meets with Storms and Tempests at one time or another and therefore the Mariners look for them and provide accordingly to secure the Ship and save themselves and so should spiritual Sea-faring Men do 2. It may also be Matter of Comfort to the Godly What assurance is here of Safety Christ who guides the Ship can at his pleasure still the Seas and make the greatest Storm in a Moment to be a Calm Psal 65.7 He stilleth as the Psalmist saith the Noise of the Seas the Noise of their Waves and the Tumults of the People Therefore tho Satan that cruel Pirate and other malicious Enemies of the Church seek daily to sink this spiritual Ship and tho he be a Spirit and therefore of great Power against us yet he is nothing to God who is the Creating Spirit That which is said of Behemoth is no less true of him He that made him Job 46.18 can make his Sword approach unto him Let therefore the Power and Rage of our Enemies be never so great and their Opposition at this day never so fierce against us yet we have an Assurance from our blessed Saviour that the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against the Church She shall never be broken to pieces nor suffer Shipwrack O thou tossed with Tempests and not comforted The Church compared to a Golden Candlestick Rev. 1.20 The Golden Candlesticks are the seven Churches MR. Brightman and others understand this Metaphor of Golden Candlesticks is taken from the Candlesticks that were in the Tabernacle erected by Moses and the Resemblance between these holds good in two or three Particulars which take as follow Metaphor Parallel IN general the Use of a Candlestick is to hold out the Light to others No Man saith our Saviour lighteth a Candle and putteth it under a Bushel but into a Candlestick and it giveth Light to all that are in the House SO the Church holdeth out the Light of God's Word to all that dwell therein in which respect the Apostle calleth the Church the Pillar of Truth 1 Tim. 3.17 Exercit. Divin Exer. 9. Way to the true Church p. 80. Gurs Theol part 2. Col. 324. because she holds out the Truth to be seen saith Weemse the Expression being taken from the Custom of many Nations who are used to write their Laws in Tables and so to hang them upon Pillars of Stone that the People whom it concerned to know them might see and read them as amongst us Proclamations are nailed to Posts in Market-Towns Dr. White The Church holds out her Light three ways 1. By her Doctrine she having divers approved Ministers belonging to her that she calleth forth to preach and publish the Word of Truth Hence the Law is said to go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem 2. By her holy Discipline 3. By her godly Example and Conversation Let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5.16 Walk as the Children of the Light Eph. 5.8 The Church ought to meet publickly to make a publick Profession II. Candlesticks of Gold are of great Worth and seldom found but in the Houses of Princes II. So the Church is very precious in God's sight Exod. 19.5 6. Mal. 3.17 Ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all People Hence they are called his Jewels This Candlestick only belongs to the Prince of Heaven and Earth they are Christ's Churches III. Those Golden Candlesticks had some part of them for Use and some part for Ornament there were Knobs and Flowers curiously set upon them III. The Church of God is not only of use to hold out the Light of God's Word 1 Pet. 3.3 4. but it is also richly adorned with several choice and heavenly Graces that make it and every Member thereof who truly fears God amiable in Christ's Sight IV. The throwing down or removing of the Candlestick throweth down and removeth the Light or Candle also IV. So when a Church is removed out of its place the Light of God's Word is many times removed from a Nation or People likewise which severe Judgment hath befallen the People of Asia long ago by God's taking away or removing those seven famous Golden Candlesticks or Churches that once were there Inference LEt the Saints and People of God take heed how they walk before Him It behoves them to strive to recover themselves from whence they are fallen lest He remove their Candlestick out of its place The Church compared to a Flock of Sheep Cant. 1.7 Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest and where thou makest thy
Men Heb. 2.1 2 Rev. 2.4 like leaking Vessels let out the precious Grace of God they lose their Zeal Faith Love Courage c. And also many times the Word of God as it comes from the Preacher savours of the earthen Vessel for the best of Men have Flesh in them as well as Spirit Were there nothing but this precious Treasure of Grace and Divine Wisdom in them it would not be so but Satan like a cursed Enemy stirs up the Remainders of the Old Man in the Soul and through his subtil Temptations causes the Preacher to mix the Wine with Water or the pure Doctrine of Christ with Man's Wisdom by which means he vaunts and prides it oftentimes in himself IX When a Vessel proves very defective the Owner perceiving he is like to come to loss empties the choice Liquor from Vessel to Vessel IX So God many times finding his Vessels defective and that they contract Filth or prove leaky empties his choice Liquor from Vessel to Vessel according to that of the Prophet Jer. 48 11. Moab hath been at ease from his Youth and hath setled upon his Lees and hath not been removed from Vessel to Vessel which is meant of Afflictions God by bringing a People into Adversity in the sence of this Text may be said to move pour out or empty them from Vessel to Vessel A long Time of Ease and Prosperity proves hurtful to God's Children like as the Wine receives detriment by setling on its Lees. A Day of general Persecution proves various in its Effects Some are thereby emptied of chice Gifts and Endowments that were in them and others receive thereby a double measure God takes away the one Talent for want of Improvement and gives it to him that had five Mat. 25.28 X. Earthen Vessels are soon broken they are very brittle Things alas but with one Knock they are gone X. So the Saints of God and Ministers of the Gospel are poor frail and brittle Creatures when God permits the Enemy but a little to let flie against them how are they dashed to pieces by their hands How many precious Vessels did Queen Mary destroy and consume to Ashes But this must always be considered viz. God hath a gracious Design in suffering the Enemy thus to break in pieces his choice Vessels and one Reason thereof is That the precious Treasure of the Gospel may be the more diffusive and spread it self that its precious Odor might perfume the more Souls The Blood of the Saints hath been always accounted the Seed of the Church XI Earthly Vessels are of little value they are not much accounted of XI God's faithful Saints and Servants as they are of little esteem in the Eyes of the World The precious Sons of Zion Lam. 4.2 comparable to fine Gold how are they esteemed as earthen Pitchers So they have but low and mean thoughts of themselves 2 Cor. 4.7 Rom 9.23 We have this Treasure in earthen Vessels that the Excellency of the Power might be of God and not of us Simile Disparity OTher Vessels are made by Men. BUt the Saints and Ministers of the Gospel are Vessels of the Lord 's making He did not only form them considered as Men but also as spiritual Vessels viz. they are chosen Ministers prepared for his blessed Use He is a chosen Vessel to bear my Name amongst the Gentiles c. Acts 9.15 The Saints are called Vessels of Mercy prepared unto Glory II. Other Vessels when broken into small Pieces are generally quite spoiled and can never be set together again II. But the Vessels of the Lord tho they are broken in pieces by Death are not thereby spoiled and utterly lost but shall be set together again and be made far more glorious than they were before Inferences IT may teach the Saints of God to have low thoughts of themselves What is an earthen Vessel It is true the Treasure may be excellent that is in the Vessel but that doth not appertain to the Vessel Let God have the Glory of all 1 Cor. 4 6 7. What hast thou which thou hast not received 2. Take heed you that are Saints that you do not like earthen Vessels smite one against another lest by one another you are dashed to pieces Remember what frail and brittle Creatures you are even poor earthen Vessels 3. It may teach the Saints also to look to themselves lest they gather Filth let every one keep their Vessels clean Wash your selves daily in the Tears of true Repentance and by Faith in that Fountain that is set open for Sin and for Uncleanness 4. It may teach the Saints of God to be careful of their poor Ministers remembring always that they are also but poor frail Vessels 5. Let the Wicked dread the Thoughts of the great Day such I mean as have or strive to break in pieces Christ's chosen Vessels what will they do in that Day when He makes Inquisition for Blood Saints compared to Lions Prov. 28.1 The Wicked fly when none pursue but the Righteous are as bold as a Lion Micah 5.8 And the Remnant of Jacob shall be as a Lion c. The Godly are compared to Lions Simile Parallel A Lion is a very magnanimous and couragious Creature he will not flie from his Enemies he turneth not away for fear of any SO the Saints of God are full of spiritual Courage they are not dismayed at the Threats of Men. Psal 27.3 I will not fear what Man can do unto me Tho an Host should encamp against me my Heart shall not fear tho I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death I will fear no Evil. Hence they are said to be as bold as a Lion Shall such a Man as I flie Neh. Quest But some may say Wherein doth the Courage of the Godly appear wherein are they as bold as a Lion Answ In their being valiant and couragious for the Truth And this they shew forth many ways 1. By their speaking for it when others speak against it God's Truth his Way and People are commonly derided and spoke against and he that is a sincere and valiant Christian will at all times when he sees there is need for it vindicate it and speak in the behalf thereof 2. In their endeavouring to clear it from Reproach and Infamy The Way or Truth of God is frequently reproached 1. 'T is called Error and Heresy Acts 24.14 Acts 24.5 Acts 17.19 After that way you call Heresy so worship I the God of my Fathers c. 2. 'T is called Sedition Hence Paul was accused for being a Mover of Sedition 3. 'T is commonly called a new Doctrine We would know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is 3. They shew their Courage in contending earnestly for the Truth they will dispute and argue out the Matter in behalf of Truth and not give up the Justness and Goodness of their Cause as long as they are able to stand
House go about to hew them by the Word i. e. endeavour to convert them Ministers are Hewers and the Ax is the Word of God I have hewed them by the Prophets But they must proceed orderly i. e. not baptize Mat. 28.19 â—0 and then teach but first teach or make Disciples and then baptize them VI. A Builder can tell how many principal Pillars or Posts belong unto the House or Building and sees to fit all the Materials thereof in their proper place and will be sure to see that he wants never a principal Pillar VI. So Ministers can tell how many fundamental Principles there are of the Christian Religion I mean Principles necessary to Salvation and also the Number of the Foundations of Church-Constitution and Fellowship and will see that every thing they do be done orderly every thing fitted according to the Directions of God's Word and that they want not any one of the Foundation-Principles of the Christian Religion 'T is dangerous you know if a House be to be built upon six main Pillars if it want one Read Heb. 6.1 2. VII A Builder has his Rule by which he doth all his Work He does not work by Guess nor by the Sight of his own Eye only but by a certain and unerring Rule VII So a wise Minister hath his Rule viz. the Word of God he doth not do what he thinks is right in his own Eyes until he hath tried it by the Rule nor will he follow the Humor and Fancy of others who may say this is right and that is right but according as he finds Things to agree or disagree with the holy Scriptures and Spirit of God that unerring Rule by which he receives or rejects takes or leaves He with Moses will do all things according to the Pattern shewed in the Mount As many as walk according to this Rule Peace be on them and Mercy Gal. 6. and upon the whole Israel of God The Word of God should be our Guide in all Things VIII A wise Builder takes care that all the Building be fitly framed together and well fastened to the Foundation VIII So a wise Minister or spiritual Builder endeavours to see that all the Saints be united fitly framed or joined together in Love and well fastened by Faith and Love to Jesus Christ See what the Apostle saith Eph. 2. Eph. 2.20 21 22. And are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone in whom all the Building being fitly framed together groweth to an holy Temple in the Lord in whom ye are builded together for an Habitation of God through the Spirit IX A Builder takes great care to give directions about the Door or Way into the House he is building and makes it plain that all People who have a mind or ought to enter in may readily find the way and not stumble at the Threshold IX So a wise and faithful Minister takes special care to give directions about the Door into God's House that all whom Christ would have enter in may not be at a loss about it nor stumble as it were at the Threshold 'T is absolutely necessary that they are acquainted with and able to shew to others what are those initiating Ordinances into the House or Church of God And sad it is to see so many worthy Ministers among us at so great a Loss in this respect as is demonstrated in a small Treatise written by Mr. W. R. entitled A sober Discourse of Right to Church-Communion It hath always been asserted by Christians of all Persuasions till of late that Baptism in Water that holy Sacrament Christ ordained and left in his Church is absolutely necessary to Church-Fellowship and Communion though touching the Subject and Manner of the Administration of that Ordinance there hath been much Controversy but sure I am the Word of God is very full and plain in this Case 1. The Lord Jesus hath positively enjoined Repentance Faith and Baptism to be taught as the first Principles of his sacred Doctrine and as Fundamentals of Church-Communion and Fellowship See Mat. 28.19 20. Heb. 6.1 2. 2. This also was the Door the holy Apostles those wise Master-Builders directed Persons to and opened for entrance in the Primitive Time Repent and be baptized every one of you c. Then they that gladly received the Word were baptized and the same Day there was added unto them about three thousand Souls Acts 2.40 41. Compare this with Acts 8.48 16.33 Gal. 3.27 And hence 't is said By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body or to be of one Body Moreover as it is in the above-cited Treatise proved upon an Examination of the Records of the next Age after the Apostles 't is evident the same Order was retained and kept up as appears by Justin Martyr in his Apology to Antoninus Pius the Roman Emperor This Food said he we call the Eucharist to which no Man is admitted but only he that believeth in the Truth of the Doctrine being washed in the Laver of Regeneration so he called Baptism for the Remission of Sins and that so liveth as Christ hath taught Tertullian and Cyprian positively affirm the same and divers others of the ancient Fathers as Basil Nazianzen Optatus Athanatus Epiphanius Hilarius Ambrose Jerome Sozomen Athanasius Augustin c. as is largely shewed by the Divines of Magdeburg in their History of the Church printed at Basil 1624. Also all our modern Divines fully agree with the Ancients in this great Point viz. That Baptism is absolutely an initiating Ordinance and that no unbaptized Person ought to be admitted into the Church nor to the Lord's Supper tho 't is confess'd that some do not say that Baptism alone is the Door into the Church but Baptism and Imposition of Hands There are two Doors to be passed through as saith a learned Writer ' before we can come aditus intima Ecclesiae penetralia viz. Baptism and Laying on of Hands whereof the latter properly and immediately gives admittance Mr. Hanmors cites some ancient Christians speaking thus Confirmatio sive manuum impositio protinus dat jus communicandi in Sacramento corporis ac sanguinis Christi That is Confirmation or Imposition of Hands forthwith giveth full Authority and Right of Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ And in another place saith the same Person He that was not confirmed was not admitted to the Eucharist X. A Master-Builder goes on with his Work when the Foundation is laid the Scaffolds are not taken down till the Building be finished but rather raised higher and higher as the Fabrick goes up he resolves every Day 's Work shall add some further Beauty to it in order to the final perfecting of it X. So a true faithful Minister when he sees the Work of God's House going on every one labouring diligently every day to be more and more holy and pressing on towards Perfection Not laying again
cometh upon at their Tails lest by their Horns they prove too hard for him They will after they have made great Slaughter to hide their Villany wash their bloody Mouths c. II. So some False-Teachers are very crafty and subtil to deceive and prey upon the Souls of Men. They privily bring in damnable Heresies 2 pet 2.1 in a slie manner they seek to insinuate themselves into the good Opinion of Men and with wretched Hypocrisy and Sophistry counterfeit much Purity Humility and Angelical Sanctity boasting of peculiar Illuminations and Communion with God c. And therefore they are said to come in Sheeps Cloathing Mat. 7.15 but inwardly are ravening Wolves By good Words and fair Speeches Rom. 16.18 they are said to deceive the Hearts of the Simple None have pretended to more seeming Zeal and outward Holiness than some vile and notorious Hereticks to put off their counterfeit Coin they are content to mix it with some good Silver Were it not for their outward Shew of Piety and Holiness they could never do that Hurt to the Church of God and Mens Souls Hence the Apostle cautions the Saints to be no more Children tossed about with every Wind of Doctrine by the Slight of Men Eph. 4.14 and cunning Craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive III. Wolves Naturalists tell us keep close in their Dens or Lurking-places in the Day-time and about Even-tide secretly come out seeking their Prey Moreover 't is said Dr. Frantzius they will learn those Tones that the Shepherds use nay and that some Shepherds have themselves been so deceived by them that they have taken their Tone for a Man's Voice and as if some Man had called them by which means they have gone forth and have been devoured by Wolves III. So Romish Wolves and other False-Teachers and vile Hereticks whilst the Light of God's Word shines freely and gloriously forth in a Nation keep close and do as it were hide themselves but if once it seems to look like Even-tide with a People as at this very time it doth with poor England then out come these cruel ravening Wolves and adventure publickly to read Mass and contend for their most notorious and execrable Heresies and cursed Fopperies Many Deceivers also there are in the World who labour to get the very Words and Tones as I may say of Christ's true Ministers insomuch that some good Men nay Teachers themselves have been beguiled by them and 't is no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11.14 Therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers also be transformed and appear as the Ministers of Righteousness c. Inference LEt us learn from hence to take heed of False-Teachers and enquire into their inward Parts labour to search throughly into their Doctrine and not be deceived with the outward Show of Holiness in their Lives for they come remember in Sheeps Cloathing but inwardly are ravening Wolves False-Teachers compared to Foxes Cant. 2.15 Take us the Foxes the little Foxes c. MOst Expositors understand by these Foxes these little Foxes the Holy-Ghost means False-Teachers who may be compared to Foxes in these respects following Parallels I. THe Fox is subtil and crafty so you have heard are False-Teachers II. The Fox is not only crafty but cruel to harmless Creatures So are False-Teachers to the Souls of Men. III. Foxes invade in the Night-Time like Wolves c. So do Deceivers whilst Ministers sleep or are secure or neglect their Watch. IV. Foxes are great Spoilers of Vineyards So False-Teachers do great hurt to the Church of God V. Foxes never go strait forward but by crooked Windings c. So False-Teachers never keep to the plain Letter and express Meaning of the Word of God but have their Shifts and Evasions and unnatural Inferences whereby they seek to defend their evil Doctrine c. VI. Foxes are often taken by Traps that are laid for them c. So are False-Teachers often found out and discovered by the true Ministers of Christ But these as natural brute Beasts were made to be taken and destroyed 2 Pet. 2.12 See more of Foxes under the Head of Metaphors concerning Wicked Men and Persecutors False-Teachers compared to Wells without Water 2 Pet. 2.17 These are Wells without Water c. FAlse Teachers are in this place compared to Wells without Water Parallels A Well is a fit Receptacle for Water and 't is expected Water should be therein but if it be empty it greatly deceives and disappoints them that come to draw Water out of it So Ministers should be stored with much Grace and heavenly Doctrine c. But those who come to a False-Teacher to receive Instruction and Comfort for their Souls are grievously deceived II. A Well that hath no good Water in it may notwithstanding have much Dirt and Filth and some foul and stinking Water So False-Teachers tho they are empty and barren of goood Doctrine yet it may be they have much corrupt detestable and abominable Filth of false Doctrine Error and Heresy in them which foolish Ones are greedy of draw out and take down to the poysoning and utter ruine of their Souls False-Teachers compared to Clouds without Rain 2 Pet. 2.17 These are Wells without Water Clouds that are carried with a Tempest to whom the Mist of Darkness is reserved for ever Jude 12. Clouds they are without Rain carried about of Winds c. AS False-Teachers are compared to Wells without Water so likewise they are to Clouds without Rain carried with a Tempest c. Parallels SOme Clouds seem as if they had much Water or Rain in them tho empty So some false Teachers do seem very like the true and faithful Servants and Ministers of Christ they in outward Show appear devout and talk like Saints pretending to much Humility and Godliness as if they were the very Men that God had appointed to dispense his Word and heavenly Truth But alas they are but meer empty Clouds being only filled with airy and unprofitable Notions Some Clouds as Pliny observes are nothing else but meer empty Vapours and these are often carried very swiftly with the Wind So False-Teachers are carried away as empty Vapors with the Wind of Delusion or false Doctrine II. Clouds prevent or hinder Mortals from beholding the glorious shining of the Sun and tend greatly to darken the Heavens So False-Teachers obstruct in a great measure the glorious Gospel in its Light and Splendor from shining upon the Souls of Men and tend to darken the blessed Light of Divine Truths in a Nation where they abound and are countenanced False-Teachers compared to Deceivers 2 John 1.7 For many Deceivers are entred into the World who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh this is a Deceiver and an Antichrist DEceiver or one that causeth to err is by the Greeks called a Despiser by the Chaldee a Mocker Mat. 27.63 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a notable
so great in value and the Debtors so poor that they are not able to pay them IV. Sin is so great a Debt that a Man of himself is not able to make satisfaction to the Law and Justice of God for it he owes ten thousand Talents Mat. 18.24 and hath nothing to pay so our Saviour himself plainly intimates V. A Debt exposeth a Man oft-times to an Arrest and fills his Mind full of Trouble especially if it be an Action upon Execution that admits of no Bail V. Sin exposeth a Man to an Arrest by Death a Serjeant that will when he hath received his Warrant take no Bail and this fills wicked Men especially full of Fears Heb. 2. Who through fear of Death are said to be all their Life time subject to Bondage VI. A Debt doth not only expose a Man to the danger of an Arrest but in case he cannot pay the Debt or procure Bail to a Prison also VI. So Sin exposeth a Man not only to an Arrest by Death but also to the Prison of Eternal Darkness out of which there is no Redemption Verily Verily Mat. 5.26 I say unto you he shall not come out from thence until he hath paid the utmost Farthing VII Some Mens Debts have been paid by the Hands of others who out of meer Compassion have undertaken to satisfy for all they have owed and thereby have kept the poor Debtors from perishing VII So this great Debt viz. Jesus Christ the Sinners Friend out of Infinite Bowels by one single Payment on the Cross or by his Active and Passive Obedience hath satisfied for or made a full Compensation to the Law and Justice of God in the behalf of Sinners that so he might thereby deliver them from Eternal Ruine See Surety Metaphor Disparity A Debt among Men only exposeth the Body or Bodies of Men to External Danger Sufferings or Sorrow BUT Sin this Spiritual Debt exposeth not the Body only but the Soul it brings not the Soul by Guilt to Sorrow and Misery here but both the Soul and Body to Sufferings Eternally hereafter II. Debts among Men are oftentimes forgiven without Payment or Satisfaction made for them either by the Debtor or his Surety II. God doth not forgive Sin this spiritual Debt without a fuâ—l Payment or plenary Satisfaction made for it by our Surety it consisteth not with his Justice Honour nor with the Nature and Purity of his Law considering the Nature of Sin it self so to do And therefore what Man is not able to do upon this account Jesus Christ his blessed Surety hath done for him First To make this appear or further to manifest the Truth of it it will not be amiss to consider the Nature of God's Threatnings I mean Legal Threatnings which several Divines have well distinguished from Evangelical Gospel or Evangelical Threatnings are those Fatherly Chastisements which God denounceth to keep us within the Bounds of Child-like Obedience and therefore God hath not only signified but the Nature of the Affair requireth that they should be executed only in case of Need 1 Pet. 1.6 But Legal Threatnings denounce unmixed and unallayed Curse and Wrath. These two widely differ not only in their Nature but End In the first suppose that the Business of the Threatnings be done to God's Hand without the Execution of them it clearly follows that the Obligation of the Believer to them as they have respect to such an End dissolves and ceaseth that which is God's Intent by them being obtained without them the execution of the Threatnings without the least derogation from the Truth of God or Impeachment of his other Properties may be suspended But Legal Threatnings being of another Nature and having another End namely the Vindication of God's Holiness and Justice upon Prisoners and Rebels they are no wise dissolvible but must of necessity be inflicted that the Perfections and Government of God may be vindicated and Sin may be revenged All Sin is a Contempt of God's Authority and Government and casts Dirt upon his Glory and Punishment is the vindicating of God's Honour in revenge of Evil committed Let this be noted that in case of such a proportionable Satisfaction by which the Honour and Equity of his Law is vindicated his Justice Holiness and Hatred of Sin demonstrated the ends of Government attained he may relax and dispense with the Threatning as to the Party offending which is the case here for by executing the Threatnings upon Christ and receiving a valuable consideration of Satisfaction from him he hath given as eminent demonstration of his Righteousness Purity and Hatred of Sin and as fully vindicated his Law from Contempt as if the Offenders themselves had suffered and therefore by an admirable mixture of Grace with Justice hath released us These things being premised I reassume saith he the Argument Fergussâ—n namely That the Truth of God's Threatnings would not allow him to pardon Sin and save Sinners but upon the consideration of a Satisfaction First God having denounced Death and the Curse against Sin Gen. 2.17 Deut. 27.26 The Veracity and Faithfulness of his Nature obliged him to see it inflicted Never any entertained a Notion of God but they included in it that he spake Truth Could ever any Threatning of God be of awe upon the Conscience of a Sinner should the first and great Threatning be made so easily void Should it be granted that notwithstanding God's solemn Denunciation of Wrath in case of Sin that yet he hath taken the Offender into Favour and pardoned the Offence without any Satisfaction or Consideration at all what would Creatures imagine but that God either intended his Threatnings for meer Scare-Crows or that he were subject to Mutabiliâ—y which Apprehension being once received what boldness would Men assume in Sin believing that the Comminations of the Gospel would be no more executed than those of the Law but let God be true and every Man a Lyar. Secondly To suppose that God hath abrogated his Threatning is at once to overthrow the whole Scripture for that expresly tells us that not one jot of the Law was to perish Mat. 5.18 That every Disobedience received a just Recompence of Reward Heb. 2.2 See Heb. 8.28 9.22 23. That without Blood there was to be no Remission Thirdly If the Threatning annexed to the Law be released it is either by virtue of the Law it self or by virtue of the Gospel It is not by virtue of the Law for that was wholly inexorable requiring either perfect and constant Obedience or denouncing unmixed and unallayed Wrath. Gal. 3.10 Nor is it released by the Gospel this the Holy-Ghost clearly informs us Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law Beza's Paraphrase here is very good Christi satisfactio quid aliud quà m Legis minas ostendit minimè irritas esse quà m illas luere Christum oportuerit O Christi Justitia quid aliud est quam
of Satan c. See Sleep Disparity SOme Men enjoy Rest but in part they have no perfect Rest But a godly Man at Death hath perfect Rest nothing shall disturb or disquiet him any more II. Some Men have Rest but for a little time a short Rest But the godly Man's Rest is for ever at Death he enters into God's everlasting Rest III. Some Rest from Labour is not honourable 't is a Reproach to a Man to take his Rest when he should be at work But the Rest of a godly Man at Death is honourable 't is a Rest that Christ himself entred into when he had finished all his Work Of the Resurrection The Resurrection compared to the Morning Psal 49.14 And the Righteous shall have Dominion over them in the Morning Parallels THe Morning comes after the Night is gone So the Resurrection will come after the Night of this World is gone the Time of this World's Continuance is called Night in the Holy Scriptures The Night is far spent c. II. The Morning is longed for many watch and long for the Morning So the Godly long for the Resurrection all the Faithful ever waited for and greatly desired that Day III. The Morning brings Light and makes Things manifest which lie hid or appear not what they are in themselves in the Night-Time So the Resurrection will make manifest all the hidden Things of Darkness which appear not to the Sight of Men that glorious Morning will sooon discover all 1. It will make manifest all the horrid and cursed Designs of the Ungodly which they from time to time have contrived and endeavoured to carry on against the Saints and Church of God many of which God in his gracious Providence prevented from taking place and so they were never known but that Morning-Light will discover all those hidden Things of Darkness 2. The Light of that Morning will discover all the Secrets of every Man's Heart all the Evil Lust Envy Pride Revenge c. or what else hath been harboured in the Bosoms of Men. See 1 Cor. 4.5 3. It will discover all the filthy Actions and Abominations of the Wicked that are not known to Men nor fit to be mentioned Eph. 5.12 For it is a Shame to speak of those Things that are done of them in secret 4. That Morning will discover all Persons as well as Things then it will appear who are God's People and who are not who they were that served God in Truth Mat. 3. ult and who were Hypocrites c. IV. Towards the Morning the Morning-Star appears which gives notice the Day approacheth So towards this Morning there will appear many Signs to give warning to the World that the Day of the Resurrection is at hand Mat. 24.33 So likewise when ye shall see all these Things know thâ—t it is near even at the Door V. When the bright Morning is come the Sun rises and shines forth gloriously So when that Morning is come Jesus Christ the Sun of Righteousness will appear in his Glory and shine forth to the amazement of all the World VI. The Morning brings Joy and Gladness with it it makes the Birds to sing and send forth their warbling Notes So the Morning of the Resurrection will bring Joy and Gladness to all the Righteous then shall the Saints sing for Joy of Heart and be glad in the Lord. VII In the Morning Men arise out of their Beds So in the Morning of the Resurrection shall all the Saints of God be raised out of their Graves Thy dead Men shall live Isa 26.19 together with my dead Body shall they arise c. The Dead in Christ shall rise first VIII We commonly give a guess what kind of Day it will be by the Morning So by the Morning of the Resurrection the Godly will perceive what kind of Day the Day of Eternity or Glory of Christ's Kingdom will be IX In a springing Morning Things look fresh and very beautiful and also send forth a most sweet and fragrant Scent So in the Morning of the Resurrection the Earth will appear in its Bâ—auty and the Saints in their Glory Mat. 13.43 Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father c. Disparity IN the Morning of a natural Day here wicked Men receive like Benefit with the Righteous The Sun rises upon the Just and upon the Vnjust But in the Morning of the Resurrection it shall not be so the Ungodly shall not partake with the Saints of any of the Blessings and Comforts of that Morning then that Word shall be made good The Righteous shall have Dominion over them in the Morning Psal 49.14 In many other respects that Morning will differ from all other Mornings that ever were before it The Resurrection compared to awaking out of Sleep Dan. 12.2 And many of them that sleep in the Dust of the Earth shall awake c. Parallels DEath we have already shewed is called a Sleep and after a Man hath had his full Sleep he awaketh So when the Dead have lain their full Time appointed by the Almighty in the Grave they shall be quickned and come to life again II. Some fall into such a sound Sleep that they must when there is occasion for it be awakened So the Dead are fallen into such a fast or sound Sleep that they must be awakened John 5.28 Marvel not at this for the Hour is câ—ming in the which all that are in the Grave shall hear his Voice III. When a Man is throughly awakened he rises up So when the Dead are quickned by the mighty Power of God they shall rise up out of the Grave Sea or wheresoever else they lay asleep IV. There is a great difference between one Man's awaking out of Sleep and anothers some are awakened before they are willing and arise up with great horror and amazement when others awake in a sweet peaceable and quiet manner c. So there will be a great difference between the awaking of the Godly and the Ungodly at the last Day 1 Cor. 15. 1. The Godly shall arise sooner than the Ungodly The Dead in Christ shall rise first 2. The Saints of God shall awake in Christ's likeness their vile Bodies shall be fashioned and made like Christ's glorious Body But the Wicked shall appear base and vile in that Day Let them lie down in never so great Pomp and external Grandure yet alas when they awake they will appear most vile and contemptible 3. The Godly shall awake with glorious Robes upon them fit for the Consummation of their Marriage with the Lamb the Prince of the Kings of the Earth But the Wicked shall awake in a poor miserable and naked Condition What Robes shall they have on unless they be the filthy Rags of their own Righteousness with which they were cloathed whilst they lived in this World 4. The Godly shall have sweet and heavenly Company about them