of the Ministery for the building or edifying the body of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12. 1 Cor. 3. 10. for as the Spirit of God by the ministery of his servants prepares and sanctifies them so he unites and cements them to have communion one with another in spirituall fellowship and this workmanship in the Lord is called in Gods Word the Church of Christ his House his Tabernacle his Body his Spouse his Temple the pillar and ground of truth the place of his dwelling purchased cleansed purified and sanctified by his own precious blood called and gathered by the power of his Word made to live by the spirit of his mouth having communion and fellowship by the Holy Ghost growing up together in holinesse as branches in one stock or root being members of one and the same body of which Christ is head as truly and really in a spirituall sense as the head of a man is naturally the head of the whole body confisting of many members Now notwithstanding all this that hath been said of the true Church and ten times more that might be spoke yet these false-ignorant carnall and fleshly builders those dirt-daubers have at all times taken upon them with all boldnesse without any blushing to affirm their wooden dirty filthy building to be Gods House and their rotten straw and stubble to be the work and building of Christ boasting and crying out of themselves by way of self-justifying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord Jer. 7. 4. where to their eternall reproof the Prophet to their very faces saith plainly notwithstanding all their vain confidence The Temple of the Lord Are these such as truly amend their wayes and their doings such as truly and throughly execute judgement between man and his neighbour such as oppresse not strangers nor the fatherlesse nor widow nor shed innocent blood nor walk after other gods vers. 5. 6. And as these false Christians robbers and oppressors take upon them my Names and Titles so also they assume my authority and peculiar priviledges to excommunicate mee and cast me out with these holy words in their mouths Let the Lord be glorified Isa. 56. 5. but he shall appeare to my joy and then they shall be ashamed this hath been alwayes the bitter cup they have made mee and mine to drink in anger and great cruelty but patience hath ever assisted us and enabled us to indure a thousand such injuries They say I am a widow desolate and forsaken and lay the contempt of barrennesse upon mee but that word of life supports us In patience possesse your souls and again Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth into singing thou that travellest not for the desolate hath many more children then shee that hath an husband Gal. 4. 27. Isa. 54. 1. Now what have you said more for your Church and members thereof then the Papists can say for themselves or any other Antichristian Congregation you call your members to an account of their conversion as you call it so much the Scribes and Pharisees can say which compassed Sea and land to make a Proselyte and in so doing made him more the childe of the Devill then he was before Mat. 23. 15. even worse by two degrees a wofull act to return and not to return to mee saith the Lord Hos. 7. 16. Jer. 4. 1. Again you say of your selves you have joyn'd your selves in Church-covenant and you have set up Christs ordinances and you have cast away all superstition and abomination whereas the Saints and Church of God ascribe all to him thou hast washed us thou hast called us thou hast sanctified us thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests c. And for your covenant it is a meere humane invention and your people ordaining their Ministers both of the same nature of Popish unwritten verities which as they are not to be found in the Scriptures so labour to forget to practise preach or think of them any more for ever Heres You esteem too meanly of us and our doctrine what will you dare to speak against the Church of Christ take heed what you do for wee walk in a Church-way and communicate in the purity of all Gods ordinances as preaching praying fasting baptisme breaking bread and the like and we have separated our selves from all mens inventions and unlawfull Antichristian Assemblies Truth You know there are such as say and do not the Whore of Rome doth make greater brags then the virgin Spouse and so did their predecessors before them the Pharisees yet all of both their bostings are but false and counterfeit compared with the prayers tears fastings communicatings sacrifices oblations and worships of the Saints And for your separation from other Christians look to it for except it be with such caution which I perceive you know not of it may prove as Achans forbidden wedge of gold and Babylonish garment destruction to your selves for the Pharisees who justified themselves and condemned others were your fore-teachers in this manner of separation for they separated from Christ and John the Baptist calling our Lord a sinner and his servant a devill accounting them nor any one of those penitent humble little ones whom they had converted to the truth worthy their company witnesse the Pharises exception against that holy woman whose tears and love testifies to the truth where and in what nation the Gospell is preached to the worlds end for a memoriall of her Mark 14. 9. compared with Luke 7. 39. and this way of separation the Prophet from Gods own mouth calls an evill and wicked way to walk in Isa. 65. 25. which people say Stand by thy self come not neer to me for I am holier then thou these saith the Lord are a smoak in my nose a fire that burneth all the day for the truth is in no case are trut believers to separate from other Christians in communion but in such cases that they cannot communicate with them but they must sin with them as it was with that Apostate and Idolatrous Church of Rome who made such wicked and opposite lawes to the truth that a true Christian could not partake with them in any of the ordinances of God but hee must be defiled with their abominations one way or other for they caused the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the beast Rev. 13. 12. whom whosoever doth worship shall never have rest but shall be tormented with the wrath of God day and night for evermore Rev. 14. 10. 11. in such cases as these the Scripture is cleare Come out of her my people lest you partake of her sins and be made partakers of her plagues 2 Cor. 6. 17. Rev. 18. 4. And in this case did the Church of England separate from the Church of Rome in which Church of England you now are in whose lawes decrees and ordinances are all against the abominations errors and superstitions of Babylon and all ordered and directed according to
By I. G. A faithfull lover and obeyer of the Truth Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them Rom. 16. 17. Imprimatur JOHN DOWNAME TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFULL Sir BENJAMIN RUDYARD Knight one of the Honourable House of COMMONS SIR AS formerly I have acquainted you with two small Treatises which were dedicated to his MAJESTIE and the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament so now I have presumed on Christian affection to dedicate this victory of Truth to your religious view and meditation The odds in the conflict was much ten to one and every one of them being roots of a thousand branches even so many in number and so grosse in nature that if I should speak all I know of them it might seeme incredulous to your exercised and experienced judgement and prejudicious unto many that want the like knowledge and discernment so that for this time I thought thus briefly to disarme the Leaders that so the following multitude of the Army may have premonition before the time come that all the enemies of Christ shall be slaine before him and the secrets of all manner of hearts discovered And for my own particular Sir finding the boldnesse and impudency of error as well as the multiplicitie whereby the whole Citie is in every part and place infected and from thence as from a fountain the Countryes also I could rest no longer silent for as much as God of his own goodnesse and infinite mercy hath been pleased to communicate and impart the knowledge of the mystery of his Word unto me in some measure notwithstanding my own unworthinesse and weaknesse this truth received in my heart hath been as a fire which I could no wayes hinder from burning into a flame through the light whereof by the means of your grave and prudent countenance he that reads it may have information of the evill and error without prefigured and within this Treatise manifestly revealed as also the good and happinesse of truth the old path and straight way of the Lord in some measure opened and declared to which all that are not of the houshold of faith are strangers and most of them perverters And Sir I pray of one thing take notice in the figure that he that is most obscure in his person is most dangerously subtill and mysterious in his doctrine and at this very time in which you sit in Parliament with the whole Counsell of the Kingdome he doth more hurt in one houre then in ten heretofore his badge is F. Wherefore Right Wor be pleased to take notice of the Churches enemies and let the despised and persecuted wife of Christ and her little children have your love helpe and assistance These are all that are intreated for to be granted by you most vertuous and noble Senator to him that is your faithfull and humble servant JOHN GRAUNT Truths Victory against Heresie TRVTH NOw all you Heresies new and old that have mustered up your powers and forces against me that am the Truth of God and have drawne out your Companies into Regiments and your Brigades into an Army of strong armed fighting cruell men whom all this world long have plotted devised and waged battel against me and my generation and by your subtile discipline in the artillery of error iniquity and deceit have made your selves so skilfull and artificiall that you have alwayes boldly and scornfully given mee many alarmes summons onsets skirmishes underminings stormings killings firings poysonings murthering of my Children and Witnesses denying us quarter or any mercy although we have cryed out for pity and compassion above these four thousand yeeres I pray you take notice therefore that I do now in these last dayes of the world even now in this little time to come that makes an end of sins and finisheth transgressions and which also accomplisheth my injuries and sufferings my teares and sorrowes my lamentation and weeping Now I say even in this day in which you are so much increased and grown so innumerable I challenge you all even all your multitudes and gatherings of what degree and condition Sect or Religion sex age tongue or nation soever you are of for that you have usurped my names and titles my house and children my birth my birth-right and inheritance my priviledges and my dignities my honour and authority my kingdome and Throne it self and that you all have robbed oppressed spoyled reproached belied persecuted beaten wounded and killed me in my truth and innocency at all times and in all places with despite and scorne contemptuously have cast me out from amongst you and defam'd my sincerity with heresie my purity with iniquity my fruitfulnesse you have call'd barrennesse and my faithfull fervency you call hypocrisie HERESIE What strange voyce is this that wee heare Truth saith shee what is that were you made to reprove our thoughts we tell you you are grievous unto us to behold let us therefore examine her with despitefulnesse and torture and let us condemn her with a shamefull death Truth Thus hath ever been your dealing with mee and mine from the beginning for your Cain kill'd my childe Abel and so your Ishmael mockt and persecuted Isaac my son of promise and my Lord of life was slain by your children of death and as alwayes you have been at enmity and sworn adversaries so from the beginning of this world to this very day you have had power and authority in your own hands to work your will and pleasure against us even the greatnesse of the pomp and glory of temporall dignity majesty in and by whom you have wrought your malice and implacable anger and wrath upon us The great Image consisting of the four Metalls which the Prophet Daniel described to be the four great powerfull Monarchs which should rule and govern in this world the golden head the silver breasts and arms the brazen belly and thighs the iron legs and the feet and toes they consisted part of iron and part of clay Dan. 2. 31 32 33 42. And all you my old sworn enemies have in and by them all even in all and every part of this terrible and great Images power and strength you I say again have wrought and effected under and in a seeming bright and excellent way your own wicked spleen and indignation against me your father the Devill exercising his false accusation and lies his enmity and cruelty in the Monarchie of the Babylonians which was the head of gold and after him he stirr'd up the Assyrian Monarchy to the self-same purpose deciphered by the breasts and arms of silver and when that power grew old weak and so failed him then hee stirred up the Grecian Monarchy who exceeded for strength though not for wealth whereby my children were cruelly oppressed to their great destruction for as their nature so is their operation declared by the Prophet to be a belly and thighs of brasse
power his signs and lying wonders with all deceivablenesse and unrighteousness of them that perish not yet ended 2 Tehs 2. And although this part of the Image have already continued from the 406 yeers of salvation 1238 yeers and shall remain and live yet 22. yeers more to fill up and accomplish his determined compleat number of 1666 Rev. 13. 18. then even then a stone saith the truth that was cut out without hands smote the Image upon his feet that were of Iron and Clay and brake them to pieces together saith the Text and they became like chaffe of the summer threshing floors and the wind carryed them away that no place was found for them and the stone that smote the Image became a greet mountain and filled the whole earth of which great mountain we shall speak further in its due place according to the Prophets understanding it Dan. 2. 34 35. 41 42 43 44 45. And all the false Christs and false Prophets false Apostles and false teachers who shall privily bring in damnable heresies deceitfull workers Matth. 24. 29. Mark 13. 22. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 1 Joh. 4. 1 are all denominated by the name of Antichrists as the Apostle saith 1 Joh. 2. 18. Little children it is the last time and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come even so now are there many Antichrists whereby wee know it is the last time and this Apostle was well acquainted with these Antichrists these teachers of errors and calls the Antichrist himself the false Prophet Rev. 16. 13. and with him all his wicked Clergie and lying Priests Rev. 19. 20. and as the false teachers of the Synagogue of Rome and by their cunning corrupt doctrine have deceived multitudes and if it were possible would deceive even the very elect so all false teachers before Popery was and such as are now and shall be after it are of the same company the same Church the same Synagogue with them of what sect order or name soever they be as before is touched for as Rome is spiritually called Babylon which by interpretation is confusion so are all the Congregations and Churches amongst us that are gathered built and covenanted by men and according to their own invention and the vision of their own hearts and so are not purchased by the same blood gathered by the Spirits power and built by Gods own hand they are all even all of them spiritually as Rome is even Sodom and Egypt Rev. 11. 8. where also our Lord was crucified Rev. 18. 24. Heres You are very plain and exceeding round with us take heed you be not too wise nor over bold Truth Plainnesse and roundnesse is Truths badge or note of distinction from others so Jacob my son my chosen one is said to be a a plain man Gen. 25. 27. and all my works are perfect round that is without any error as David saith hee hath made the round world Psal. 89. 11. which shewes the globe of the earth to be round and so saith the Prophet Isa. Chap. 40. 22. it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth that is the round of the earth Prov. 8. 27. Heres But why do you rank us of the Church of Rome amongst the Heresies and new doctrines of late devised and nominated for wee can reckon our antiquity from the Apostles and that wee are descended from them we have and continue still the very forme of the Church of Christ and his Apostles for we have the Pope Peters successor Christs Vice-gerent here on earth and answerable to the twelve Apostles wee have twelve Cardinalls wee continue the imposition of hands the washing the Saints feet the holy Unction auricular confession and spirituall absolution we have the Word and Sacraments discipline and execration and therefore we are the Church of Christ and not an Antichristian Church Truth You speak like a Papist and for the maintenance of the Romish Church for the Church of God or Kingdome of heaven stands not in outward observation Luke 17. 20. there's as much difference between the Church of Christ and the church of Rome as there is between outward shew and inward truth and as St. Paul in Rom. 14. 17. sheweth us what the Church is not so hee sheweth us what it is namely Righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost and as it followes For hee that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men that is spirituall men A man may be in the outward place and office of the Church an Apostle as Judas an Evangelist as Demas a Disciple as Simon Magus and yet not of the true Church such men may be amongst them and yet not of them as St. John speakes and the outward forme and manner of true Christian Churches are not alwayes the same for the Primitive Church was as true a Church before they had Deacons and ordained Elders in every city or Church as it was afterwards and for your great ones chief of Cardinalls except they be least in humility the most vile in their own eyes for this is a Paradox a mysterie a riddle to the world that the lowest is the highest the least the greatest the humblest the most honourable and this is quite contrary to the fashion of your Cardinalls which our Lord laies down for an eternall truth Luke 22. 25 26 Chap. 9. 49. hee that is least among you all the same shall be great chief or a Cardinall as the word signifieth Your Pope you say is Peters successor in what respect I pray in lordship and supreme authority when you prove that Peter ever had such jurisdiction then you say something but till then you say nothing The truth is Peter succeeded our Lord Christ in the love of the truth and faithfull obedience of his gracious Word and in denying himself and taking up his crosse and suffering for the Gospel the joyfull voyce and so all faithfull and true Christians do succeed Peter and the rest of the faithfull Apostles and this law is unrepealable it cannot be altered but shall stand firm to all the Saints for ever for unto you it is given saith the Apostle in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake Phil. 1. 29. and he makes it a full resolution to Timothy yea saith he and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. so then those that truly succeed Peter are those and such as succeed him in spirituall things as in his repentance and faith his love to Christ and his truth and his faithfull suffering for it even till death 2 Pet. 1. 14. And this was it when our Lord saith thus unto him Mat. 16 17 18. and thou art Peter that is thou are a living stone of my spirituall Temple blessed of my Father from above to this purpose and upon this rock will I build my Church c. that is the
truth revealed and given from heaven by God assuredly received and believed by the elect acknowledged and obeyed by the believer to salvation this is the spirituall house or Church consisting all of living spirituall stones Christ Jesus being the foundation or chief corner stone and the great Master workman and builder of it himself as the Scriptures testifie 1 Pet. 2. 2 3 4 5 6 7. Heb. 8. 2. of this Assembly and Congregation doth our Lord say Yee are the salt of the earth yee are the light of the world Mat. 5. 13. 14. And I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing they shall aske it shall be done c. Matth. 18. 19. and to these only is the promise made to receive the Spirit of God to lead and guide them into all truth Joh. 16. 13. And again I will pray the Father and hee shall give you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for ever Joh. 14. 16. which Spirit of truth is the great Substitute and Advocate that Christ hath left with his Church all the while of his personall absence through whose grace and wisdome they are they only that make use of the keys of the kingdome of heaven according to Matth. 18. 18. Joh. 20. 13. Therefore Pope I say unto thee thy vicardome is blasphemy thy keys arrogancy thy chair heresie thy succession vanity thy Cardinals and chief Priests Pharisees thy imposition impurity thy washings uncleanness thy holy unction extreme pollution thy crossings Idolizings thy confessions absolutions abominations you say you are the Church of Christ and that your succession is from the Apostles where hath Christ and his Apostles prescribed to you that trash and trumpery which you call pure holy divinity your breaden god your unbloody sacrifices your golden pardons of all rates and prizes your pilgrimages your purgatories your baptizings to convey grace and wash away all manner of original sin your idols your altars your masses your dirges your execrations by bell book and candle your Avie maries and your babling prayers by numbers in an unknown tongue your silken copes your shaven crownes your vowed chastitie and poverty and a thousand more such fables and heathenish imitations of the Heathens and wicked mens inventions which now Gods Word by the testimony of his faithfull regenerated children of truth have for ever discovered you and your Religion to be but a filthy heap or wall of mud and dirt whited over a painted Sepulchre though outward to the shew and appearance of men beautified trim'd and adorn'd with silver gold and all manner of rich and precious things under the mask of the Spirits ornaments yet within nothing but stinking noysome carrion rottennesse filthinesse and uncleannesse and all your abominable worship of the Heathens that you were to maintain for a day a moneth a yeere the whole amounting to two and forty moneths that is so many yeers of dayes even an 1260. yeers which is the antiquity you so much brag of yet do not consider the older you are the neerer your dissolution notwithstanding your Religion be made and woven of all the glorious matter of the gods of the Heathenish Monarchs that were before you which were worshipped with such vain pomp varieties of voyces and musicall Instruments as Rimmon and Baal Ashtaroth and Milcom and the rest of abominations that had Priests and Altars hesaints and she-saints of their own makings like unto you as also your devillish doctrines just after the manner matter of the heathens idols Oracles which vain worldly glory hath so lifted thee up with pride that thou hast advanced thy self above the stars of God yet let us wait now but a few dayes and we shall see thy glory shame thy greatnesse contemptuousnes thy gorgeous apparel nakedness thy life death thy habitation destruction and as you have done cruelly to others so shall others deal cruelly with you your name and generation shall be utterly forgotten and your judgement shall seise on you so that your place shall be no more found Rev. 17. 46. And you may as easily keep the Sun from shining the wind from blowing the Sea from motion and the earth from springing as to divert this judgement of God determined against thee therefore all you that will escape her judgements come out of her and separate your selves from her lest you partake of her sins and be made partakers of her plagues 2 Cor. 6. 16. And what I say unto you the head of Sects I say unto all the rest Come out of Babylon and submit to Sion of which universall mother Gal. 4. 26. wee shall often have occasion to describe and discover Heres This man is not for our turn hee is clear contrary to our doings he upbraideth us with our offending the Law and objecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education What will you call the holy Church of Rome to question the Pope the holy Father who I am sure is not Antichrist for the Antichrist is sin and not a man but the Pope of Rome is the Father of the Church holy and good and teacheth the world the Gospel of Jesus Christ now by Images as the Prophet Moses taught the Jewes in Gods holy Law by Ceremonies heretofore Truth This man that speaketh now is a Familist who as he saith Sin is Antichrist so hee believeth and teacheth that righteousnesse is Christ and so turns both Christ and Antichrist from persons to qualities and the whole Scripture into Allegories who by cunning and crafty expressions exceeds all others in fulfilling that saying of our Lord Matth. 24. 24. And there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and this is such a false Christ and false prophet as there is not the like in the world making Christ a phantasie a meere fiction a righteousnesse of their own invention and so they conceive of Antichrist to be Sin which things of themselves are not persons and yet they confesse and preach that Christ is the seed of the woman and sin the seed of the Serpent and to deceive mens understandings sometimes they will call Christ the new Man and sin the old man or humane nature of Christ and so in their preachings writings and conferences use the Scripture terms and phrases yea their creed or confession of their faith runs word for word with ours only differing thus for they make all their Articles to expresse the present time in those things wee believe to be past and to come they do acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth but he to be no more Christ the Saviour of the world then they are that have taken in the light as they use to speak and upon this ground confesse that every one of their illuminated ones are conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate are crucified dead and buried risen from the dead the third day and ascend into heaven and there sit on the right hand
was not hindred nor prevented but the broken penitent heart understands retains and keeps the Word and bringeth forth fruit with patience Luke 8. 15. when as the other three sorts of grounds brought nothing to perfection vers. 14. Now these severall grounds briefly shew us how all your mentioned Scriptures are to be understood even as the Parable sets forth unto us the differing estate of men under the means of the Gospel and so also doth the branch in Christ that is fruitfull which God purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit and the fruitlesse branch in the Vine Christ which God cutteth off to be burned in this distinction doth the Prophet Ezekiel speak calling that man righteous in the Scripture you first mentioned who was so made righteous by the common gifts of the Spirit as the three bad grounds and in this distinction we are to understand that a man may become sanctified by the blood of Christ and yet afterwards tread it under foot as Judas when he was a preacher and yet afterwards fell to be a Traitor to kill the Lord that formerly in some respect he served and differenc'd from other men by his holy imploiment of his Apostolicall office as hee was that took the Plough by the hand and afterwards looked back thereby making himself uncapable of that estate in which before hee stood in Luke 9. 62. and the Apostle makes this clear to the Corinthians speaking that the Gospel to some is the savour of life unto life and to others the savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. not that it is so of it self but occasionally as the Sun in the Firmament that is one and the same in it self yet through accidents in the subject it softens ice and hardens clay so likewise is the administration of the Gospel salvation to them that receive and obey it and damnation to those that neglect and contemn it as in prophane Esaus case and the blessednesse of Jacob both sons of Isaac the one selling his birth-right for a mess of pottage the other seeking and striving for it with prayers and tears so that it appeares plainly that the Scriptures rightly understood are against your erroneous opinion and all of them affirm that truth of God which before I have proved to you that whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved as hereafter I shall open more at large for hee is the wise Christian that heareth and doth build on a rock of a deep foundation so that it stood still notwithstanding the great billowes of the flouds the huge storms of the winds and showers when the foolish Christian the fine built house was overthrown thereby having no foundation and great was the fall of it Mat. 7. 25 27. Heres Of late through the knowledge of the Scriptures men have come to see and understand the superstition of Popery the blasphemy of Familists the grosse errors and absurdities of Arrius and Arminius and that they are all seduced and deceived But we have found a rule of truth in Gods Word plainly directing us to the making matter of the Church of Christ and none but such as are quallified by faith are fit subjects for baptisme which faith is wrought by teaching and then baptisme or dipping admits and gives entrance unto such believers to have communion in Church-fellowship with us in all the other holy ordinances of God which Church and ordinances are not understood but neglected and contemned of all the Heretikes you have named and conferred with before therefore we are the true Church for we professe but one Lord one Faith and one baptisme Ephes. 4. 5. Truth Sir I perceive you are an Anabaptist and therefore I shall speedily make good my late promise and indeed some thirty yeers since Mr. Morton a Teacher of a Church of the Anabaptists in Newgate then his confession comprehended all the errors of the Arminians which now of late many that go under your name in and about London dissent from as it seems you do And therefore in Answer to you I say that the terme baptisme in Scriptures as well as faith and Lord hath divers significations sometimes to signifie sufferings as Matth. 22. at other times outward baptisme as John baptizing our Saviour a holy subject Mat. 3. 16. and Simon also believed and was baptized Acts 8. 13. which was an evill unregenerate man and yet admitted and continued in the common fellowship of the Church with Philip so also by baptisme we are to understand inward baptisme sometimes repentance and sometimes remission of sins for so faith the Baptist himself Matth. 3. 11. I baptize you with water unto repentance by which indeed he wrought repentance in them but he that comes after me c. he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire that is hee should pardon the penitent which two speciall administrations are the two parts of regeneration according to that in Luke 24. 47. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name of Christ so likewise by baptisme we are to understand both the parts of regeneration together where the Apostle saith as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3. 27. and in this sense it is called the laver of regeneration or the washing of regeneration Tit. 2. 5. These differing significations being plain I marvelled to find some of your company to maintain the contrary of purpose I suppose to avoid the distinction that so clearly discovers your error You affirm you have found a rule in the Scriptures plainly directing how the matter of the Church is made and that is say you by teaching and baptizing and yet you not distinguishing of either say nothing truly in neither or both for a man may be taught and baptized and thereby be made a Disciple in the outward profession of the truth as the high-way stony and thorny ground as Simon Magus Demas Hymineus Philetus Ananias and Saphira the incestuous person in the Church of Corinth and such whose belly was their God in the Church of Philippi who notwithstanding they were all taught and baptized yet not any one of them any part or portion of the Church of Christ against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail therefore the ground and foundation of your Church is sand and that will fail you and it is very false and contrary to the matter of the true Church for the Scripture saith Though Israel be as numerous as the sand of the sea yet but a remnant shall repent and be saved Rom. 9. 27. and yet they are called the people of God Isa. 10. 22 23. and so all taught and all circumcised and the same distinction the Scriptures make of baptisme the very same is said of circumcision for the self-same operation that circumcision had in the Church of the Jewes outward carnally in the flesh and inward spiritually in the heart of the same distinction and operation is baptisme in the
and great Prophet Moses took a bastard to his wife for Zipporah was an Idolaters daughter her father being a Priest of Midian Exod. 2. 16. but this conceit is so ridiculous that it strangles it self in the birth And to return to our argument the Apostle doth understand these terms not of bastardy but of fellowship and communion in the Ordinances of Gods worship Act. 10. 28. Wherefore I demand upon these premisses what ground you have to deny believers children baptisme under the Gospel seeing it is proved to be the same thing that by Gods command believers children were to partake of under the law Take heed you do not deny them that which Gods Word allowes And for the mark of the beast when you can shew mee by Scripture what it is then I will prove to you that it is not the baptizing of the Infants of believing parents And for you to make outward baptisme and common or historicall faith to be the matter of your Church you do no lesse then tell me plainly you do not know what the Church of Christ is wherefore repent and turn from your errors Heres All these that you have made answer to already are either Idolatrous blasphemous superstitious ridiculous or erroneous but we are such as have separated our selves from the wicked in the world and wee have joyned our selves in Church-covenant and Church-fellowship and have set up the Ordinances of Christ in the purity of them wee have cast off all the abominations of Antichrist in his superstitious ordinations ceremonies and false doctrines of all sorts our congregations call and ordain our Pastors Elders and so we walk according to the rule that Christ hath left in his Church untill his coming and we admit none to have communion with us but such as are visible Saints and can give an account of their conversion Truth Your position is fram'd like theirs that are commonly known by the name of Brownists or Separatists and it consists of two parts first that you are in Church-covenant and walk in Church-fellowship in the injoyment of Christs Ordinances as you say and secondly that you separate your selves from all other congregations this is the summe of your speech by which you do manifest to mee such a strange voyce as doth not agree with the expression of Gods Word for your words are in terms of your own acts and doings favouring carnally of humanity whereas holy Writ speaks of the Church of Christ in a spirituall sense that is a spirituall building a house a Temple not gathered joyned and builded by men but by God himself the whole matter of his Church every stone thereof being made living stones by regeneration as St. Peter speaks 1 Pet. 2. 2 4. Which are built up together saith he a spirituall house a holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifices so that as themselves are spirituall so is their worship and sacrifice offered up unto God and this was the matter of Gods Church alwayes for when the Prophets came to build and plant Gods Church they call to the people to repent and turn to God Jer. 1. to Chap. 4. 1. which is the first part of our regeneration And thus they cry for it Break up the fallow ground of your hearts circumcise your selves to the Lord wash you make you clean c. Isa. 1. 16. Jer. 4. 4. The place of Gods rest and habitation is a poore and contrite spirit in vain are all the houses that are built for God but this that hee builds himself Isa. 66. 1 2. And as this was the Prophets way to build Gods Church so even after the same manner did John the Baptist He came in the power and spirit of Elias to turn men to God the disobedient to the wisdome of the just Luk. 1. 17. so prepared he the Lords way by the ministery of water or repentance the preparation or first principle humbling the lofty bending the crooked streight and breaking the hard hearted and our Lord himself he works and builds his Church after the same manner and with the same matter Repent saith he for the kingdome of heaven is at hand Mat. 4. 17. And except a man be born again hee cannot see the kingdome of God Joh. 3. 3. and except yee repent yee shall all perish and accordingly is his command to all that hee sends into this work that they should preach in his Name repentance and remission of sins Luke 24. 47. the one ministration bruises breaks the other binds up and heals the one baptisme prepares the other sanctifies the one makes poor the other enriches the one makes naked the other cloaths the one discovers our folly the other indues us with wisdome through the one wee are made mourners through the other we are comforted and made to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory and by this laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. wee are washed clean and made of sinners Saints of naturall dead men living men and this is Gods building whose matter is gold and silver and precious stones Now as the true builders build Gods Church so there are false builders likewise which build too and they call their workmanship a Church also but the materials of their building is but hay wood and stubble the morter they daub withall is untempered morter They seduce my people saith the Lord Ezek. 13 10 11 c. the false Prophets matter with which they build is compounded of vanity and lying visions Chap. 22. 28. they have brick made of earth and straw in stead of stone and slime in stead of morter and so they build the tower of Babell the Synagogue of confusion Gen. 11. 3. These builders take upon them to heal the wounds and breaches like Gods builders but it is to no purpose for they heal the bruise or breach of my people saith the Lord sleightly saying Peace when there is no peace Jer. 6. 14. and yet such a high esteem and opinion have they of their spirituall building as they call it that they contemn the truly spirituall matter that Christ and the Apostles build with and therefore it is said The builders refused Jesus Christ which is the very foundation that the true builders work with and build upon yea the false builders reject him Psal. 118. 22. they set him at nought and disallow of him Mat. 21. 24 Acts 4. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 7. and if they do thus despise and so basely account of Jesus Christ which is the chief corner stone of his own Church what a kinde or manner of Church is that which these builders build of themselves as they say And notwithstanding my Lord and foundation my rock and preservation be not regarded of such carnall builders yet hee is chosen of God and precious and hee himself makes all his faithfull Apostles Prophets and Evangelists Pastors and Teachers wise master-workmen or builders for the gathering and perfecting his Saints for the work
the rule of Gods Word by expresse words or necessary consequence and therefore your separation from us is groundlesse and not warranted in the Scriptures for consider how the rule of truth would direct you and observe how it was with those that were effectually called by the ministery of John Baptist and our Lord himself and truly converted unto God from amongst the Jews in such times when those in the outward state of the Church were most corrupt for they preached for doctrine the commandments of men nor would not receive the truth themselves nor suffer such as would receive it against which doctrine our Lord exhorts his hearers to take heed and beware of the leven of the Pharisees but never taught the Disciples to separate from the Church of the Jewes nor to enter into a formed covenant among themselves as you do but on the contrarary hee commanded them to continue hearers and doers The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses chair or seat whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do c. Mat. 23. 2 3. And himself as his Disciples continued still repairing to the Temple and Synagogue and participated in the service and publike worship of God making no separation for when our Lord gave his account to the high Priest of his Disciples and doctrine Joh. 18. 19 20. he saith I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Jewes alwayes resort and in secret have I said nothing And for the Apostles practice in many Churches mentioned in the Acts both in Judea and among the Gentiles therein is no separation in your sense spoken of although many things were reprovable and admonished against both in doctrine and practice the truth is the good seed in the field are the Saints the Church of Christ the tares the wicked but both must grow together in the same field till the harvest Matth. 13. 30. As the lilly growes amongst the thornes so the chaffe lies in the same floor with the wheat the Goats feed in the same pasture with the sheep and the crafty Wolves among the harmlesse lambs and cannot be separated till our Lord comes to judge and part them never again to participate afterwards together Heres I pray heare mee all those that have already spoke are old like their doctrine and it is high time their errors should be thus discovered but I pray take notice of mee for I have received a new cleare light of heavenly doctrine a light of free grace and justification in and by Christ from all eternity so that the elect cannot properly be said at any time to be unrighteous ungodly or unholy for they are justified before they beleeve even before the foundations of the world even then when God elected them Truth Free grace rightly understood as the Scriptures declare it is a heavenly and comfortable Doctrine but me thinkes by your confession you should be an Antinomian who speake very much of free grace but doe not at all understand it for they say the free grace of God towards his elect that are justified before the world was is like unto the Sun-beames in the morning when she rises that enlightens the dark earth in which there is no preparation to the enlightning so the Lord shines into the hearts of his elected justified ones in the very time of their wickedest workes of darknesse And then in the midst of their sinnes as in the very acts of adultery and murther even then God lifts up the light of his countenance upon them and gives them peace the effect of their justification with God from all eternity These slight and contemne repentance and call it a worke of the Law and the preparation to justifying faith they call a munkish Popish doctrine and their own fancie or presumptuous conceit they call that justifying faith or free grace by which say they the justified before God come to understand and know their justification from all eternity Oh what a grosse seducement and delusion is this even a generall mistake of the whole Gospel in every part of it Therefore now I will first shew you what free grace is which the Scripture sets forth to us And then shew you how clearly and fully Gods word declares the justifying the elect by faith in Jesus Christ Now this is a written and a certain truth that God loves his Israel his chosen freely Hosea 14. 4 5 6. I will heale their back-slidings saith the Lord I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his root as Lebanon Also it is written Ezek. 16. 6. When I saw thee polluted in thy own blood I said unto thee Live when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live and have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field Observe how abundantly the free grace of God is manifested to his elect that of themselves are quite contrary to deserving for they are polluted with the most abominable pollution and that is with blood and not a little but extreamly in the third degree blood three times repeated by the holy Ghost And that this threefold uncleannesse should bee washed and made pure and that this exceeding deadnesse should be made to live and so to live as the bud of the field to multiply and increase and bring forth fruit unto God and man even holy grapes to refresh the hearts of both this shewes the wonderfull freenesse of Gods grace so to love as there is none like it nor to be compared to it Now because you have spoken of this free grace in a fancy I shall endevour to shew it you in reality And that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. that is of his own will free grace and goodnesse and eternall love Let us consider it in these foure particulars which onely and alone are peculiar to the Saints and Church of God that is their election and predestination before all times their effectuall calling and justification in time and their eternal glorification for ever in the world to come which world shall be endlesse deathlesse and sinlesse for evermore And all these in all the causes the free grace of God And therefore it is said by S. Peter that the Saints and Church of God are elect according to the foreknowledg of God the Father 1 Pet. 1. 2. And S. Paul saith According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ephes. 1. 4. And the Apostle to the Church of Thessalonica testifies that God had from the beginning chosen them to salvation 2 Thess. 2. 13. so then it is cleare that the electare chosen in Christ to salvation Which secret purpose and foreknowledge of God towards his elect before all time is made good and effected in and upon his elect in all times being called
subordinate is the salvation of the Saints the chosen ones of God from the beginning of the world And this is the faith that justifieth that comforteth that overcommeth that excelleth whose dignity and excellencie every where shineth throughout the Scriptures the ignorance of which this very age yea I say it again this very age of ours deserves all these present judgements and more also then lie upon us at this time we having had from God afforded us so great meanes to come to the knowledge of it which sort of faith whosoever hath shall never perish but men may partake of both the other sorts to their condemnation Other acceptations the terme Faith hath in the Scriptures also having reference sometimes to God himselfe and therein importing the stedfastnesse and unchangeable truth of his decree and promise And in other places it is to be understood of the doctrine of the Gospel and so also of their faithfull discharge of their office that are gifted to declare and preach the glad tidings of peace and salvation Of which office it is hard for an Antinomian holding such principles as he doth to come to understand wherefore repent in time lest at last you turn all Familists which you cannot avoid if you continue in your principles Her We have had the experience of this new found conceited light that such as have been dazled with it have been staggred in the truth and some have been so blinded therewithall that they have fallen from the faith But what say you to us We have the doctrine of the Gospel pure and cleare we hold faith and repentance to be the first works to life and salvation and that the Church of God are a company of holy beleevers and that now the time is come that the Church shall bee delivered from all her sufferings according to the testimony of the Prophets and Apostles the purity of Christs Ordinances shall be established Christ shall bee set up upon his Throne and his Church shall have the rule and preheminence in the world in greater power dignity and externall authority then all the Monarchs that ever have been in the world before And in this outward glory shall shee continue till her Lord come to translate her Truth You speak like those that maintaine that the Church of Christ shall now so flourish and prosper as that it shall extend its bounds and borders all Christendome over and most part of the world besides into a Monarchy and as formerly the temporall power in Christianity hath had the rule and greatnesse so now the Ecclesiasticall power shall take place and the Scepter of Christ in the censure of the Church shall be advanced and bear rule above all other government And that now already it is begun that God makes the kingdomes of this world our Lords and his Christs and that now it is come to passe that the godly shall rule over the wicked for now they are given to be captives to Gods people whose captives Gods people were before this time Wherefore I answer Great are the privileges and prerogatives that the Scriptures speak of Gods Church and people in the world to come after the resurrection is plain and evident in holy Writ but to apply those prophesies and promises to the Church in this present evill world it is not well considered of you for the Lord by his servants speaks of his Church in a double consideration as oppressed afflected and suffering here in this life and as delivered perfected and saved in the life to come then to rule but here to suffer then to bee advanced into Christs Throne but now and here to submit to the Crosse now his house is a house of mourning but then it shall be a palace of glory Jerusalem the Citie of the great King shall be set up the praise of the whole earth And in regard of his Churches present suffering her Lord himselfe thus speaketh to her Feare not little flocke and comforts her with the grace and favour of God for the time to come in these words For it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom And it is a truth concluded of by all if we follow Christ in the estate of regeneration we shall be made partakers of his glorification if wee suffer with him we shall reigne with him the one condition is here the other hereafter the one in this world the other in the world to come This is the testimony of our Lord and all his servants Matth. 19. 28. 2 Tim. 2. 12. And that short time or while of suffering Saint Peter speaks of is this present life and the time of making such sufferers perfect is the life to come 1 Pet. 5. 10. agreeing with his brother Paul who according to the wisdome of God given to him had cast up his accounts in these words I reckon saith he that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Even then saith S. John when Christ which is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him then shall we be like him in his dignity as in this life we are like him in his ignominy 1 John 3. 2. And friend looke into the Scriptures and you shall find the Church the blessed assembly described now to suffer to mourn to bee hated to weep to be persecuted for righteousnesse sake and the contrary estate to be none of Gods Church or inheritance Woe be to yee that laugh and rejoyce that are full and enjoy greatnesse and prosperity those that are rich here have received their consolation those that are full in this life shall hunger in the life to come those that are merry laugh and want not here shall weep and waile when the day of redemption comes then shall be fulfilled to him that suffers not here these words Thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and to him that suffered here these words He his evill things therefore thou that sufferedst not art tormented but thou that didst suffer thou art comforted Matth. 5. Luke 6. and Luke 16. When Gods suffering people shall bee rewarded then such as have enjoyed their prosperity here shall be condemned I beseech you as you love the truth decline this doctrine of yours for by it you doe revive againe that old tenent of Popery For what ever you affirme in your confession they have maintained it with fire and sword execration and excommunication for they would prove that their Church by Christs appointment was to have supreme authority power and jurisdiction over all they place themselves above the starres of God And as in power so in title he must be called and stiled the Lord God the Pope And so he challenged worship also that Kings and Emperours must kisse his stinking feet and toes in token of their slavish subjection in honouring him with the power of heaven and earth to kill make alive to pardon and retain sins falsly
proving this his abomination and whorish power from Gods divine Oracles in these words To execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings with chains and their Nobles with fetters of iron This honour have all the Saints Psa. 149 8 9. avouching this Scripture to be fulfilled in the holy Church of Rome and that they were the Saints which by this prophesie were foretold of to depose and disthrone Kings and to cloak colour their covetousnesse which set all their trickes awork as Bulls and Pardons at all rates and prices whereby their coffers were filled with gold and silver from all countries and people And this hee affirmed was prophesied for his filthy holinesse maintenance and ungodly revenue in these words The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts yea all Kings shall fall down before him all nations shall serve him Psal. 72. 10. And notwithstanding their grosse abusing the Scriptures and false claims to Titles as Holy Father and holy Mother the Church time hath now proved him to be Antichrist the Man of sinne and capitall enemy to the truth of God And indeed this conceit that the Church of God should enjoy temporall peace and outward glory and authority hath been alwayes the opinion of carnall Christians and the Jewes to this day cannot see otherwise then when their still lookt-for Messiah should come that then they shall bee gathered to be a great people againe and made a worldly Monarchy to rule over all Nations as now all Nations rule over them But their groundlesse hope will prove but as the Spiders web and so it will be with all others of their mind for see how the Scripture resolves the question that the Saints the Church of God shall still suffer to the worlds end the question is made with a loud voyce saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth And the answer from heaven saith that they should rest yet a little season untill their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled Rev. 6. 10. And the clad and washed with the righteousnesse of Christ and the blood of the Lamb are those that goe through great tribulations Rev. 7. 13 14. Finally of this doctrine we have a double witnesse two brethren and Apostles whose praise is in all the Churches Acts 14. 22. who both as one man conclude this truth as a Decree for ever That such as continue in the faith must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdome of God which Kingdome is that which all the Prophets and Apostles in all times have spoken of which in its due place I shall briefly unfold Heresie I pray you give us leave to speak Have we not clear Scripture for the glorious reigne of Christ upon the earth and that all the Martyrs and holy Prophets shall rise from the dead and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares in all prosperity peace riches plenty wealth and glory with such supreme power and Majesty as never any Monarch in this world had before nor ever shall have after for when the thousand yeares are expired then comes the generall resurrection Rev. 20. Truth Your confession shewes you to be a Millenarian which error as it hath been ancient so of late as of many other errors there is a reviving of this amongst the rest And as you say the summe of it is that now or they know not when Christ shall descend personally from heaven and then cause all the bodies of the Saints that have suffered martyrdome from the beginning of the world to be raised and Christ and his Saints to live in this cursed earth and corruptible world in the enioyment of riches wealth power and authority majesty and Emporality as no heathen nor Christian Monarchy ever had in this world before and you ground your mistake on Rev. 20. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Now I answer that the whole position is directly against the Scripture you alledge rightly understood for the Apostle Peter affirmeth it plainly that the heavens must containe and receive Christ personally untill the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Acts 2. 21. Here are such witnesses as cannot be excepted against even all his holy Prophets and then and not sooner shall the Lord Jesus come which before was preached unto you verse 20. And the place you instance Rev. 20. proves no more the Millenary fancie as you describe it then it proves a new world in the Moon or that men may plow the floods of the Sea to sow and plant on them And because the true understanding of that Scripture will overthrow this error at once wee will shew you that the resurrection there spoken of is the spirituall and first resurrection which our Saviour Christ clearly layes down both in nature and order John 5. 25. And because it is a mystery therefore his expression is more then ordinary Verily verily twice affirming it I say unto you the houre is comming and now is when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall live This is the spirituall resurrection from sin through the grace of regeneration and these are they only that live and reigne with Christ having sought and gained the Kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof Matth. 6. 33. And those only that are risen with Christ through regeneration are born of God and those that are born of God through faith are victors and overcome all opposition even the whole world and the Prince and King thereof 1 John 5. 4. and in this sense they reigne with Christ in their estate of temptation and regeneration who in their teares and sorrow are happy in the enjoyment of their Comforter who anointeth them with the unction of truth and teacheth and instructeth them so sufficiently that all the powers and thrones of Antichrist the subtilties crafts and deceits of him and all his learned Clerks who have endevoured and used all means possible to couzen and cheat the people of God for almost the space of this thousand two hundred and fourty yeares here expressed by the Millenary number onely because it shall not exceed more thousands then one in which cloudy and dark day the holy Ghost hath so led and guided the sonnes of truth that all the Jugglers at Rome and Babylon could not make them to mistake the mark of the Beast for the mark of the Lamb nor to worship the Beast and his image in stead of the Lord and his Christ yea rather then they would defile themselves with the adultery of the Whore they would die a thousand deaths for so saith the Text they lost their lives and their heads for the witnesse of Jesus for the pure worship
Earth and of the whole World cannot be understood of any but of him that writes himselfe God of Gods and King of Kings and Emperour of the Universe the whole world who giveth for his Ensigne the Moon the very Embleme of the world Observe how the Holy Ghost hath deciphered him for his reigne and residence the East for his religion the earth earthly and sensuall even the idle fancy and corrupt deceit of Mahomet himself mingled and composed of the parings out-side and offall of the profession of Christians Jewes and Heathens and lastly his unparalleld power and jurisdiction to be no lesse then the force and strength of the whole world Now me thinks the meaning of our Lords words doth agree with his servant Johns for by the term Sun our Lord doth mean himselfe the Sun of righteousnesse the truth of the Gospel and it must be a great power that must so oppose the doctrine of the Gospel in Christendome as to turn our light that is the light of men into the darknesse of Mahometisme and that that Egyptian darknesse that hath overspread the greatest part of the world where the Turk hath dominion should darken Christendome also that is the Land of Goshen if the true light should thus be made dark then the Moon that hath no light but from the Sun shall not give her light in our Saviours words and in his meaning also men that are inlightened by him as the Moon is by the Sun shall not give their light for how can they possibly when Christ which is their light is darkened and when the Sun and Moon thus fail then must needs the Stars whether Ministers or Professors all such as are not the faithfull indeed shall fall from heaven to the earth that is from the truth to Mahometisme and in this great storm the powers of Heaven elect and faithfull from which condition it is impossible they should fall yet saith the Text these shall be shaken with the terrible storm which compared with Rev. 6. 12. makes it more cleare for the Sun became as sackcloth of haire saith the Apostle and the Moon became as blood and the Stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a Fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when shee is shaken with a mighty wind here the Apostle is cleare in understanding the Stars to be not true born Christians but untimely and as St. Jude speaks and calls them wandering stars to whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever vers. 13. But blessed be God for ever that hath bounded and limited this last and great storm that shall fall upon his Church so as the very powers thereof shall be shaken with these comfortable words immediately quickely it shall be over it shall continue but a little season Heres For the opinion of the Millenaries the truth is there is no shew of ground for it in the Scriptures but wee have of late gathered our selves into a Church communion and fellowship and walk together in that order that Christs Word holds out to us finding in our practice the Scriptures true that as Moses was faithfull in all his house as a servant so Christ as a son is faithfull in his house so that we order all things according to the Word and advance Christs Kingdom his Scepter and Law in the purity as the Scriptures do declare believing also that every congregation is independent and that none but Christ hath power to command each congregation and that none ought to be constrained or in the least measure opposed or punished as touching their consciences but every man ought and should live as the light of his conscience leads him Truth By what you express you should be an Independent as some call you and as some of your judgement call or term themselves wherefore I demand of you all that would have generall liberty for every mans opinion whom I mean by Independent where you find it written in Gods Word that you should gather or congregate your selves in that manner as you do you that have been Ministers to leave your pastorall charges and others to forsake their fellow-member-ship in each Congregation for as much as the Law of this Christian Church as touching matters for publike worship and meeting doth incorporate every Congregation or Parish and of many members makes them but one body and yet you from this body schisme and rent your selves and so of divers torn pieces remnants and broken members to patch up a body or congregation of your own invention contrary to the publike order the Statute lawes and ordinances of this Christian Church and against the meaning of the holy Scriptures also and when you your selves have made a body of your own making then to have peculiar priviledges to do what you please with the consent of your members and whatsoever you shall do to be beyond all power or magistracy whatsoever to either question you or punish you although by the rule of Gods Word there be cause and all that all of you have done yet is but outward and externall Now I demand if there be precept or president for any or all these things you do if there be then shew it if you can shew none for so I am sure you cannot then how can you clear your selves but that your practice is of your own inventions For this is your doctrine that those rules and orders which are prescribed by men for the publique worship and service of God being not plainly expressed in Gods Word such lawes and directions are Idolatry and yet will you devise rules and order 〈◊〉 practise them your selves of your own ordaining for which you can bring no expresse word nor true consequence I pray see the conclusion therefore your way of Religion is a wil-worship and therefore Idolatrous and aggravated because it is against the lawfull demands of Christian authority Here I would not be mistaken by what I have said to oppose the private spirituall communion of the Saints according to the Apostles practice and the Holy Ghosts direction Hebr. 10. 25. But you say this Text proves your Church-way Hebrews Chap. 3. Vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. the substance of which Scripture is this that as Moses was faithfull in all his house as a servant so Christ as a son is faithfull over his house you making Moses his faithfulnesse to consist in those prescripts and rules he gave for the Temple or Tabernacle in the form and structure for Priests and their habits for the time of incense sacrifices divine services in the Oracles and Ordinances of God even all the externall form and manner of Gods publike worship and you say that Christs faithfulnesse in his house under the Gospel is not inferiour to Moses under the Law in all externall lawes rules and directions in every particular for as much as Christ is the Son of his own house and as Moses had a word for every thing so Christ hath left a word for every thing It
body so is Christ 1 Cor. 12. 21. and again by one Spirit wee are baptized into one body vers. 12 13. that is the whole Church whether we be Jews or Gentiles So then to follow the Apostles argument if there can be no Independency of the members of or in one body then no particular Congregation or Church can be independent from the rest and the reason is beyond answering because all particular Churches make but one which is the body of Christ and this is the Apostles inference and so also is Christ vers. 5. so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another so then see the membership and Church-way of Gods Church in a spirituall and supernaturall respect and not in a humane voluntary covenant of which the Scripture saith they confederate but not by me saith the Lord therefore acknowledge not a confederacy to all them to whom this people saith the Lord shall say a confederacy Isa. 8. 12. For the confederacy or people convenanted together by God the Apostle calls all the suffering Saints these are the body of Christ in these words for his body sake which is his Church Col. 1 24. Wherefore now see in a word how by mistaking Gods Word you mistake the Scriptures and the meaning of Christs faithfulness in his house as a son in comparison of Moses faithfulness as a servant Heresie In this his saying hee reproaches us all for his speech against the externall and outward gathering of Churches whether Authority allow of it or no is against us all in particular for we all agree in that and in the freedome and liberty of our consciences without question or any controul of any power authority or magistracie whatsoever Truth Indeed this is the doctrine you all teach and cry out for with one voyce or consent for which cause I term'd you all at first all one enemy bound together wich the new-found common With of Independency which under a fair pretence as under the pleasant object of green grasse lies the Snake or Serpent to destroy the very truth of God and how ever you endeavour to bind Sampson the holy childe of God as Dalilah the Harlot did yet the With of your own invention which you call Independency can the child and mother of Truth break in sunder like a straw of Rye and grasse of the field to be burned with fire never again to be reckoned amongst the matter of Gods building and that we may discover this straw and stubble more cleerly let us consider what you say in that you all agree in the freedome and liberty of conscience c. whereby the term Conscience without due distinction you put upon us most grosse and absurd conclusions For what do you say in the generall you all say as much for Popery Familisme Arrianisme Arminianisme and all the rest of the Heresies in particular as for your selves Wherefore to cleere the question by the rule of truth note and observe that the Scripture speaks of the term conscience in a manifold distinction first generally of two sorts good and bad secondly apart and of both particularly and First for the good which is to be considered in a double respect a strong conscience and a weak conscience so distinguished because some are strong through experience of the truth and a great measure of knowledge others through want thereof are weak which weak conscience ought not to be forc'd but born withall and supported as 1 Thes. 5. 14. 1 Cor. 8. 7 9 10. 11. and chap. 9. 22. both which consciences the Scripture calls good pure washed and purged 1 Tim. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 21. 2 Tim. 1. 3. Heb. 9. 14. and 13. 18. Again in the generall sense the bad or evill conscience that ought not to be born with and supported in no respect whatsoever which conscience hath a twofold distinction also for every man by nature the elect as well as the reprobate hath an evill conscience and therefore the Apostle speaking in the person of the regenerate elect Heb. 10. 22. saith thus Having our hearts sprinckled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water cleerly shewing hereby that the consciences of the elect themselves are wicked and evill by nature before regeneration And in the second place the Apostle to Timothy and to the Church of Thessalonica speaks of a higher degree of an evill conscience even of such as had known the truth and yet had not received the love of the truth for which cause God sends such strong delusions that they should believe lies 2 Thes. 2. And as such do not love the truth so they depart from the true faith and in stead thereof give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils speaking and preaching lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with a hot iron 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. And the Spirit of God speaks expresly of the latter times in which last dayes of the world wee now live in which dayes and times wee by experience find to be perillous and dangerous and by reason of the crafty cunning devillish doctrines that are invented and sown amongst us that wee find our Lords words true If it were possible they should deceive the very elect for under fair speeches and religious pretences they broach and sow dangerous doctrines one cries out for Popery and all the abominations thereof another with his pretended new light doth even darken the true light of men others say the Spirit of adoption is in all men a shining and burning light in the regenerate and in the naturall obscured and covered over with corruptions as the fire is rak'd up in ashes others say a man hath no more soule then a horse and that the resurrection shall be alike between men and beasts others say there is neither Angel nor Spirit neither heaven nor hell neither resurrection nor perfection others say they are Christ the prophesied Messiah others affirm of themselves they are the two Witnesses the two Olive-trees the two Prophets and the two Candlesticks others blasphemously say that our Lord Jesus Christ was a deceiver and so was the Apostles they also speak sleighly of the Scriptures and say of themselves that they can write as good scripture as any of those wee have others are meere Atheists and say all things come by nature and that they know not nor hope for any better condition then the present and will say these words and such like Let us eat and drink and be merry for to morrow wee shall die these and a thousand such blasphemies are maintained amongst us and will every one of them plead it is their conscience so to believe which by your doctrine should all be suffered without opposition and punishment for shame never plead any longer for Baal but search the Scriptures the Word of God and it will teach you that the mouths of such Heretiques and blasphemers must be stopped 1 Tim. 1. 11. and St. Paul is as
with him in his throne yea in his owne throne In the second place this Masculine title notes out unto us the birth-right and inheritance that by right belongs unto the Church of God that as the first-born man-child is the heir apparent both by Scripture and nature so the Lords first-born is the apparent heir of the purchased inheritance and to this truth doth the Apostle witnesse in these words Rom. 8. 17. If children then heirs heirs with God and joynt heirs with Christ heirs of salvation Heb. 1. 14. Heirs according to the promise Gal. 3. 29. Heirs according to the hope of eternall life Tit. 3. 7. Heirs of the kingdome which hee hath promised to them that love him James 2. 5. Oh how sweet and comfortable are the words I could alwayes be mindfull of them yea of this word heirs of the kingdome which hee hath promised c. which now calls me to mind of my promise at first to describe in its due place the stone that was cut out without hands which smote the Image upon his feet which became a great mountain and filled the whole earth c. This term Mountain in the Scriptures sets forth unto us often literally the hils or highest parts of the earth but figuratively the greatest powers that are in this world or that to come and sometimes by mountain we are to understand such carnall and naturall men as have high thoughts and great esteem of themselves and therefore as it is prophesied of John the Baptist Isa. 40. 3 4. so it was fulfilled by him Luke 3. 4. who by the great gifts given him of God to work repentance whereby he prepared the Lords way and turned the disobedient to the wisdome of the just and of the operation of his Ministerie it is said Every mountain and hill was brought low c. meaning that the hearts of disobedient naturall men were made penitent and their high thoughts humbled Also by the term mountain wee are to understand all those great powers dignities and authorities that have risen up and born sway in this world ever since the creation thereof and amongst the rest those Monarchies especially at the beginning of our Discourse particularly named and with them all nations and Religions Papists and others as well Christians as Pagans that have at all times hated persecuted and destroyed the Saints the Church of Christ and with this truth the Prophet Jeremiah was well acquainted in saying in the name of the Lord that hee would render unto Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evill that they had done to Sion Behold I am against thee O destroying mountain saith the Lord which destroyedst all the earth c. Jer. 51. 24 25. and again Who art thou O great mountain thou shalt be made a plain Zac. 4 7. And for this cause even for the great oppression of his servants and people will the Lord shortly go forth as a mighty man he shall stir up jealousie like a man of war hee shall cry yea roare hee shall prevail against his enemies mightily and although he have been long silent and held his peace and restrained himself all this world long and hath suffered his own wife and little children to be afflicted with judgement from all the powers and authorities that have ruled in the earth yet now it is neer at hand that he that shall come will come and will not tarry but will destroy and devour at once all the mountains and hils that have desolated his own little holy hill of Sion Isa. 42. 13 14 15. Psal. 2. 6. And this holy hill of Sion which David speaks of is the small stone cut out of the mountain without hands that Daniel so long before saw in a Vision which became so great a mountain that it brake to pieces the gold the silver the brasse the iron the clay that no place was found for them for ever hereafter Now the holy Scribe Ezra is shewed what the mountain cut out without hands is 2 Ezr. 13. 35. that it is Sion the Church of God and her King the Son of God standing on the top of this mount Sion a posture of Majesty belonging only to a King and that this King should without sword or lifting up his hand or any instrument of war destroy the multitudes that came out to fight against him with a blast of fire sent out of his mouth and out of his lips a flaming breath and sparkles and tempest cast out with his tongue vers. 10. and the torments are like to a flame and their destruction shall be with the law that is like unto fire v. 38. And the peaceable multitude are the ten Tribes carried away by Salmaneser king of Assyria now both their carrying into captivity past long ago and their return which is not yet brought to passe are a lively type of the Saints captivity both of Jewes and Gentiles in the Churches pressures and sufferings and of their deliverance and salvation also as likewise the set-time to be in the day of the Lord Jesus his coming and revealing v. 28. to the 50. compared with 2 King 17. And farther it filled the whole earth saith the Text Dan. 2. 34. Observe the Prophets expression that the holy mountain of the Lord at the first was seen to be a stone cut out without hands which cleerly deciphereth unto us the true nature of the Church of Christ in her first and suffering condition the ten Tribes captivity in their estate of regeneration by which shee is made a holy living spirituall stone-house and so made or fashioned not by mans hands or any humane power as all the fleshly Synagogues of this world are but cut out and made without hands as that Tabernacle which God doth build and not man which is the true Church or Tabernacle Heb. 8. 2. And as I have often touched before continually all this life long suffers under those that are evill and malignant truly so called wherefore the Lord by the Prophet comforts this holy Church and mother of truth for a moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath have I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer And again Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempest I will speak it again â—ossed with tempest here 's a word that sets out the suffering of truth with her children to the full even so tossed with the storme and tempest of affliction as a ship is tossed with the roaring and raging waves of the seas or as a ball is tossed and beaten up and down both by hand and foot Isa. 54. Now as the Prophet Daniel by the dreame of the King did understand the day of small things concerning the Churches condition in her estate of regeneration so also he saw the great and glorious power and soveraignty its dominion and magnitude in its deliverance
in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them saith John heard I saying Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever And the Prophet David he foretold of this universall subjection of all creatures in the kingdome of Christ in the world to come saith the Author to the Hebrews and understood it in these words admiring at it What is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him thou hast made him a little lower then Angels and the Apostle gives the reason of that Thou hast crown'd him with glory and honour thou hast made him to have dominion over the work of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feete all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the feild the fowles of the aire and the fishes of the sea which makes the Prophet fall into a wonderment Oh God our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth Psal. 8. 4. Heb. 2. 6. Now I am come to the two last particulars the time when this glorious kingdome of Christ shall be set up and the place where it shall be continued for ever the time was thus foreshewed to the Prophet David that the time of Christs Churches persecution should not be till his second Appearing in these words When the Lord shall build up Sion he shall appeare in his glory Psal. 102. 16. And this time our Lord himselfe plainly teacheth us to be at the end of this world and not before which truth the Saints and people of God do fully and certainly beleeve although a thousand false Prophets should arise and preach the contrary under what shew or pretence of learning and religion soever they make The cleare and plaine Doctrine of our Lord is this Mat. 13. 39 40 41. The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the Angels as therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world the Sonne of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all scandalous things and all such as do offend them or which doe or worke iniquitie And when the question is made by the servants to the housholder Whether the tares the envious man sowed among the good seede should be pluckt up The Master answers Nay let them both grow together till the harvest and also giveth the reason and sheweth farther what shall be done then and not before both with the tares wheat also although many unwarily do affirm at this time amongst us the contrary yet thus saith the Lord and therefore I would wish all the contrary minded to take notice of it that at his glorious coming shall be the Kingdomes deliverance reigne and perfection and not before therefore saith her Lord and King When the Sonne of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall be sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another is a shepheard divideth his sheep from the goats and then he shall set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left and assigne and put in possession the one to eternall blisse but the other to a perditious eternall wofull cursed condition even binding them into bundles to be burned but the blessed to possesse the Lords own house and habitation for ever Mat. 25. 31 32. Chap. 13. 30. And because this truth hath exceedingly suffered of late by the literal learn'd of this generation who have befoul'd the beauty and purity of it with their dark smokie misty mistakes under pretence of pleading for the Lamb and his wife I shall therefore briefly discover the spirituall learning of the Apostles and Prophets mysterious expressions of this holy truth the holy Apostle John in the Revelations speaks with the same wisdome aid and guidance of the Spirit as the Angel taught Daniel in the same mysteries and their very expressions in many things are alike but more opened and revealed by the Apostle then by the Prophet they both agree in the computation of the time though one writ long before the other and each differing in the rule of reckoning as the manners of the countries in which they lived the one living among the Chaldeans the other among the Hebrews the one computing their times and yeeres according to the course of the Sun the other by the course of the Moon the Hebrews their reckoning is certain thirty dayes to a moneth and twelve moneths to a yeer the Chaldeans they reckon and compute according to the course and rule of the Moon which causes this seeming difference for Johns whole time for Antichrists raign is twelve hundred and sixty yeers in which the two witnesses shall prophesie in sackcloth which as it notes out unto us their spirituall low and humble condition so also their persecuted and suffering estate and condition Rev 11. 3. Now Daniel makes the same very time of the abomination of desolation to be twelve hundred and ninety yeers Dan. 12. 11. reckoning both of them dayes for yeers according as the Prophets did reckon and accompt as I have proved before now I shall make it appear unto you that these two holy men of God that were moved and led by the same Spirit both spake one and the same thing both for the power and mystery of Iniquity and for the full and compleat time of one and the self-same number of yeers for the continuance of it And I prove it thus as thirteen moons are thirteen moneths and these thirteen moneths make but one yeere of twelve moneths reckoning thirty dayes to a moneth and twelve moneths to a yeere by the same rule one thousand two hundred and ninety yeers by the Chaldee reckoning amount but to one thousand two hundred and threescore yeers according to the reckoning of the Hebrews And as they agree in this seeming difference so they do most sweetly consent and agree in the point in hand concerning the time of the beginning of the glorious kingdome of Jesus Christ one and the same Angel teacheth them one and the same truth and although there were neer 500. yeers distance between the times of their prophesying yet the Angels majesty both of doctrine and gesture is one and the same to both all which shewes this doctrine of the time of the Lords coming to restore all things to exalt his Church and Saints to be a most admirable and singular secret and mystery for the continuall comfort and supportation of all his suffering members in all their afflictions and this made the Apostle speaking to the Saints of Thessalonica of the day of the Lords coming his descending from heaven at the last trump and the resurrection of such as are dead in Christ wherefore
saith he comfort one another with these words 1 Thes. 4. 18. Blessed and holy is he saith St. John that hath part in the first resurrection for hee alone is the man that lookes for his coming and hath comfort in his appearing the very same saith Daniel Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335. dayes but go thou thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in the Lot at the end of the dayes Dan. 12. 12 13. which number exceeds the former which comprehended the whole time of Antichrists raign and persecution 45. yeers thereby discovering a deep mystery of high understanding which none but the wise can possibly apprehend as the Prophet declareth vers. 10. which additionall number notes out unto us that little season that shall be between the totall destruction of Antichrist and the finall consummation of this world which our Lord himself signifieth by the word immediately thereby to set forth all the time between the dayes of tribulation and his own glorious appearing and St. John uses the word quickely to set forth all the time likewise between the wofull raign of Antichrist and the wofull ruine of all ungodly men in these words Rev. 11. The second wo is past and behold the third wo cometh quickely and as it is shewed to John that after the thousand yeers should be finished expired and fulfilled which is the whole time of Poperies cruelty and mysterie of Iniquity and the Dragon the Devils liberty which is exprest for the time to be a little season in which Satan shall move and stir up the nations of the four quarters of the earth even Gog and Magog those great and innumerable multitudes to desolate the Saints the Church even the beloved city of God as before I have touched till the very instant of time of the Sonne of mans coming in his white and glorious throne to judgement before whose face the earth and the heavens fled away and there was found no place for them Rev. 20. 7 8 9 10 11. and likewise the 45. additionall yeers of Daniels Chaldee reckoning to be the whole time in which God will accomplish the scattering of the powers of his holy people and between the ending of the time times and half a time and the generall resurrection to have all these things fulfilled and this is cleerly though briefly intimated wherefore I demand of all you learned Monarchists Judaists and Millenarists where in Gods Word you will find any time for the glory of the Churches prosperity in this world Well let a word be enough to the wise and therefore never preach nor print such doctrines hereafter The last thing is the place where the Scriptures speak that Christ and his kingdome shall be in for evermore and that is the earth saith the truth Blessed are the meek for they shall inherite the earth Mat. 5. 5. The kingdomes of this world are become the kingdomes of our Lord and his Christ and he shall raign for ever and ever Rev. 11. 15. even then when the Lord himself shall descend fâ—rom heaven with a shout with the voyce of the Archangel with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first and the Saints living changed before the kingdome be established 2 Thes. 4. 16. which St. John makes to be the voyce of the seventh and last Angel Rev. 10. 7. saying When he shall begin to sound the mystery of God shall be finished and that the earth at that time shall be made the place of Christ and his Churches habitation eternally glorified observe the cleare and unanimous consent of all Scriptures this is the new song of the 24. Elders Rev. 5. 9 10. which sung to the praise of the Lamb of God Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and wee shall raign on the earth And David makes it the song of his delight in the often repetition of it Psal. 37. 9. Evill doers saith he shall be cut off but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be But the meek shall inherite the earth v. 10. 11. And again Such as are blessed of God shall inherite the earth and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off v. 22. yea the earth hath the Lord given to the children of men Psal. 115. 16. And again The spirituall sons of him that feareth the Lord shall inheritthe earth Psal. 25. 13. Wherefore great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God in the mountain of his holiness beautifull for situation the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion Psal. 48. 1 2. then shall it be that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the Sea Isa. 11. 9. which cannot be understood here in this world but of the world to come not in this old corruptible heaven and earth but when the whole creation even every creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption Rom. 8. 19 20 21 22. in that time when none shall hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain saith the Lord even then when these heavens and earth that now are corruptible shall be dissolved and new heavens and new earth created in which dwelleth righteousnesse then even in the day of the Lords coming 2 Pet. 3. 11 12 13. Isa. 65. 17. and as the glorious Church of Christ shall remain for ever so shall the restitution of all things also Isa. 66. 22. Finally John was shewed the new heavens and the new earth and the renovation of all things Rev. 21. 1. when hee saw new Jerusalem the Church of God even the Lambs wife come down from heaven to the earth so that the Tabernacle of God was with men with whom hee will dwell for ever And this is the heavenly Countrey Church and City with foundations which Abraham Isaac Jacob and all the faithfull people of God have ever expected and looked after that better resurrection which as yet they possesse not for all these died in the faith and received not the promise meaning the hope that was set before them God providing some better things for us that they without us might not be perfect Heb. 11. 13 14. yet seeing the perfection afar off and imbraced it through faith and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a Countrey a heavenly Canaan and Paradise of rest And as Gods children have chosen God and his promises for their portion and inheritance so the Lord himselfe hath chosen Sion for his habitation This is my rest for ever saith he here will I dwell for I have desired it Psal. 132. 13 14. Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God Psal. 87. 3. The Lord himselfe shall arise and have mercy upon Sion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come Psal. 102. 13. Errata PAge 6. line 17. for same blood read Sons blood p. 9. l. 7. for a yeere r. and a yeere p. 12. l. 25. for N. H. 1. H. N. p. 49. l. 22. for elect r. the elect FINIS