from the type to the thing typed that they are both in an equal estate appeareth further by his own grant in pag. 126. where he maketh Antiochus and his captaines c. a type of the Papacie Now it is confessed of all that Antiochus and his companie were Pagans in religion so by the like reason the Pope with his captaines and souldjers must be Pagans also 6. The 6 reason alleaged for them is that it should be syn for Papists and Apostate Christians to marie with Pagans to neglect baptisme not to sanctifie the Lords day as it was in Iudah and Israel to marie with the heathen to neglect circumcision to profane the Lords day c. Dan. 11. 32. with 1. Maccab. 1. 16. 45. 51. 55. and with Mal. 2. 11. Ezr. 9. 1. 2. 10. 10. Neh. 13. 3. 23. 27. Hos. 5. 7. 7. 8. 8. 12. Amos 8. 5. with 2 Cor. 6 14. c. which should not so be if they were not the church and people of God under his covenant and bound to the observation of his ordinances For Pagans and such as perteyn not to the Lords covenant being not his church and people are not in their estate bound to these and the like ordinances of the Lord which he hath given to his church and people Psal. 147. 19. 20. with Deut. 7. 1. 11. Answ. This reason is sundry wayes faultie 1. Of Pagans he sayth they are not in their estate bound c but Papists and apostate Israelites he would have them bound yet mentioneth not their estate wheras if he speak not of them also in their estate his argument is false and fraudulent 2. The scriptures alleaged Psal. 147. Deut. 7. are by him abused whiles he restreyneth them to these and the like ordinances namely mariage circumcision baptisme and the Sabbath understanding by the like ordinances as I suppose the Passover and other sacrifices the Lords supper c whereas the Psalmist speaketh generally of Gods Words Statutes or Ordinances and Judgments Psal. 147. 19. 20. which three doe comprehend the moral Law called the Ten Words the Ordinances of worship and service and the Iudicials for punishment of malefactors all these the Prophet sayth were shewed unto Jsrael and God dealt not so with any nation Now to conclude from these words therfore the nations were not bound to observe the ordinances because God had not shewed them unto them as he had doen unto Israel namely by his written Law given at Mount Sinai hath no more weight then this Therfore the nations were not bound to the moral Law or to the Iudicials and so synned not in committing idolatrie murder whordome or the like But this is impious to say and a false conclusion therfore his conclusion also touching the ordinances is false and can not rightly be gathered from this text The evil of it further appeareth in one of his instances the Sabbath day which is one of the ten coÌ„mandements and instituted from the beginning of the world Gen. 2. If then the nations were free from syn when they kept not the Sabbath because they had it not written in the book of the Law or Tables of stone as had Israel were they not also by the same reason free from syn in not keeping the other commanments So for the Lords day now he maketh the church of Christ onely and so the Papists and other like whom he accounteth true churches synners if they keep it not all others he freeth from syn as not bound to keep it Wherupon this paradox followeth that the further men fall away from Christ the more free they are from syn For the church of Rome being fallen to Antichrist the Pope they are synners in his account if they keep not the Lords day but the churches of Corinth Ephesus and other like which are fallen to Mahomet they are no synners in his account though they observe not the Lords day and why Onely because they are fallen so farr as they are no church of God nor in his covenant of grace Thus the further from Christ the freer from syn if this doctrine be true But I suppose the contrary to be true and that all peoples how farr soever fallen from Christ are now bound to keep the Lords day and other ordinances of Christ and it is their great syn that they doe not For Christ sent his Apostles to teach all nations to baptise them and to teach them to observe all things whatsoever he commanded his Apostles even to the worlds end Mat. 28. 19 20. And they went into all the world preaching and admonishing all men every where to repent and beleeve the Gospel to be baptised and observe all the ordinances of Christ and all that obeyed not or that have since fallen from their obedience are guiltie before God and shal be condemned because they beleeve not in Christ and keep not his commandements Mark 16. 15. 16. If it be sayd that a Turk or Pagan in that their estate of unbeleef may not lawfully be baptised or admitted to the Lords supper til they repent this is true yet can we not therfore say they are not bound to be baptised or are free from synin neglecting baptisme for they are bound to all the doctrines and ordinances of the gospel in order first to repent and beleeve then to be baptised then to receive the Lords supper and so all the rest If further it be sayd that the Papists in their estate of misbeleef and idolatrie may without repentance and without returning to the true faith be partakers of baptisme and the Lords supper c it is denyed For if the Iewes which were the true church though corrupted might not be received to baptisme without repentance as the scriptures shew Mat. 3. 6. 7. 10. Luk 7. 29. 30. Act. 2. 38. then the Antichristians the members of that church which by Mr. â—ohnsons owne acknowledgment is fallen into most synfull and deep defection and apostasie and is a notorious harlot and idolatresse may much less be baptised or admitted to the Lords supper unless they repent And wheras mine opposite pleadeth for their right in the sacraments other ordinances which they should syn to neglect it would be knowen where they are bound to receive them whether in their own church or in some Christian reformed church If in their owne then they are bound to heare Mass and syn if they be not partakers of it for that is their idolatrous supper then doe not the Magistrates well to forbidd them their Masses and other ecclesiastical exercises which they are bound by God to frequent and should syn if they used them not If they have right unto them in other reformed churches then is there to be a communion between true Christians and those Antichristians in one body at one Table for as the Apostle sayth wee being many are one bread and one bodie for we are all partakers of that one bread 1 Cor. 10. 17.
to mankinde c. I answer First for the persons that set downe this profession they are by the testimony of God that false prophet which with the Beast shal be tormēted for ever ever Rev. 20. 10. or at least they are those uncleane spirits which come out of the mouth of the Beast of the False prophet for they are the spirits of Divils working miracles which goe forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of that great day of God almighty Rev. 16. 13. 14. And this is apparant by that corrupt Testament and blasphemous notes and interpretations upon it which they there set forth to the world in sted of the true Christian and catholik faith Moreover they are a part of the popish hierarchie which mine opposite after maketh to be the Man of syn the son of perdition and the Beast which hee will not indure to heare that they should be accounted the church or maried to Christ yet here he maketh them the preachers of the doctrine of salvation Secondly for the Profession which they there make if it were sound and good yet denying it againe in their works it nothing availeth them for of such it is written They professe that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. But what shal we say if they deny the trueth of the doctrine of Christ not in work onely but even in word and profession First then to omitt their rayling against Calvin about the Godhead of Christ being of himself in their Annot. on John 1. sect 3. concerning Christs manhood and the trueth of his humane nature how ever they acknowledge him to have taken flesh of the virgin yet beleeve they and burne to ashes such as wil not beleeve it that the bread in the sacrament is transsubstantiated into the very body of Christ so they have a Christ made of a wafer cake a Christ whose whole bodie is in an hundred thousand places and moe at once even in all places of the world whersoever Masse is sayd by a Preist so he must have a fanatical bodie which can neyther be seen felt tasted or by any sense of man perceived as an humane bodie this breaden Christ they worship in that their idolatrous sacrament and doe eat him really properly with their mouthes And doe these now beleeve Christs humane nature aright when as by the plain scripture we are taught that the heaven must receive him until the times of restitution of all things Act. 3. 21. As for his office of Mediatorship wheras they profess him to be the singular Advocate and patron of mankinde by singular they mean not the onely Advocate or mediator as the scripture teacheth ◠Tim. 2. 5. 1 Joh. 2. 1. but a speciall or chief mediatour for they have innumerable other advocates and mediators as the heathēs of old had one chief God and many inferiour gods So the same Rhemists gloss on 1 Tim. 2. telleth us that though Christ be the onely singular Advocate and patron c. yet this letteth not but there may be other inferiour mediators though not in that singular sense And how they beleeve in their Queen of heaven let this one song amongst many other to the virgin Marie witness when they sing O regina poli mater gratissima prosi Spernere me noli me commendo tibi soli i. O queen of heaven c. J commend me to thee onely As for the redemption the full and sufficient ransome for all our synns payed by his blood which they would seem to hold it is with fraud and injurie to Christs blood which by their distinction satisfied for the syn but not for the punishment and therefore they have feighned a purgatorie fyre wherein mens soules doe beare the punishment of their owne venial synns Concil Trid-sess 6. can 30. Bellarm. de Parg. c. 1. From which also they can redeem themselves by money given to Antichrists priests that sacrifice for the synns of the living and the dead And whereas God teacheth us that we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 3. 24. and that we are not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ Gal. 2. 16. the Antichristians teach us a justification by faith and works togither by Christs merits Saints and Popes merits their owne and these works by which they beleeve to be saved in part are very many of them wicked works of their owne devisings as going on pilgrimage giving of their goods to mainteyne Antichrists clergie and idolatrie and other like works of the Divil And of their owne idols as of an Agnus Dei made of waxe they beleeve and profess Omne malignum peccatum frangit ut Christi sanguis et angit Jt breaketh all wicked syn as the blood of Christ doeth Thus blasphemously they tread Christs blood under their feet Finally the faith which they profess to have in Christ what is it Any trust or confidence such as the faithful have in Christ to be their saviour as the Apostle teacheth in Rom. 8. 33. ◠39. Gal. 2. 20. Hebr. 3 6. Ephe. 3. 12. Nay this confidence they reject as a presumption and their faith which is without confidence being but an assent to the trueth of Gods promises not a confidence of their justification in particular is such a faith as the Divils have who know and assent to the trueth of Gods promises unto mankinde See Bellarm. de Iustific l. 1. c. 5. 6. c. Now if this painted face of the Romish Iezebel be so fowle and uglie being compared with the beawtie of Christs true spouse what may wee think is the faith of that ignorant seduced multitude of Antichristians who professing Christ in name looke for salvation by the wicked workes which the Pope hath learned them and by the works of the Law of God and beleefe in Christ and their owne sufferings confusedly togither and yet neyther know Christ nor what true saving faith in him doth meane Object Who dare say but that God by this faith in Christ saveth some of them who doe thus beleeve in simplicitie c. Answ. And who dare say but that God notwithstanding this faith professed by the Iesuites as before may justly damne them though they thus beleeve in simplicitie ' Seing even in these things which they profess they corrupt themselves with horrible idolatries having many false Gods and false Christs in whom they also trust and dayly pray unto them as did the heathens And seing this their faith considered in the best is no true saving faith but as themselves say The faith which truely justifieth is not that wherby they beleeve that God is merciful unto them but that wherby they beleeve with the whole hart without any doubting that Jesus is the Christ and the son of
example more fitly if a Iew had been forced by Antiochus violently to kyss or bow the knee to Iupiters image when he resisted and testified against it none could justly call him an idolater or one of Iupiters people But if an other Iew had revolted to Antiochus religion and beleeved in his Iupiter and honoured him with hart profession and action he now might justly be called the servant of Iupiter or one of his people as the Moabites are called the people of Chemosh Numb 21. 29. So the church of Rome now fallen from true Christianity and beleeving worshiping obeying Antichrist the Popes holynes are and may justly be called his church or else Antichrist hath no temple church or people in the world Object Observe here and throughout his treatise how still he calleth that the Temple church and bodie of Antichrist which Paul expressly and purposely calleth the Temple of God And so therin note stil his shâ—fâ—s and his errours c. Answ. Loe still an urging of the bare letter as doe the Papists This is my body to prove their transubstantiation that there is no bread left but Christs very body really and properly I have I trust without shifting or errour proved the present church of Rome to be Antichrists temple church and bodie if the Pope be Antichrist And seing his mysterie of iniquitie is contrary to Christs mysterie of godlynes and Christ hath a mystical temple which is his church and bodie Eph. 2. 21. 5. 23. I would gladly know what temple church and body Antichrist hath if the church of Rome be not the same Againe he speaketh too largely that J stil so call it throughout my treatise for I have other weise written though it liked him not thus Gods true temple and tabernacle is in mount Sion in heaven Rev. 14. 1. 17. where God sitteth on a throne Rev. 16. 17. 7. 15. and dwelleth among his people where is the Ark of his covenant Rev. 11. 19. and from thence lightnings voices thondrings earthquake and hâ—yle come forth against thâ— Antichristians his enemies and vials of his wrath powred out upon the throne of the beast Rev. 16. 1. 2. 10. and on men that have his mark On the contrary the Beast which is the kingdome of Antichrist ascendeth from beneath out of the bottomless pit Rev. 17. 8. and blasphemeth this heavenly tabernacle Rev. 13. 6. and sitteth in Babylon Rev. 16. 19. upon the Dragons throne Rev. 13. 2. and fighteth against the Lamb and against the saincts Rev. 19. 19. treading under foot the holy citie Rev. 11. 2. and casting downe the place of Christs sanctuarie Dan. 8. 11. When th' Apostle therfore telleth us that Antichrist sitteth as God in the Temple of God it is to be understood of their invading and destroying of Gods church and people as the heathens of old dealâ— with Jerusalem and dwellers therin Psal. 79. Dan. 8 11. 13. 11. 36. Ier. 22. 12. 13. Law 2. 7. 9. Secondly of their own vaine ostentation whiles they wil have it called the Christian catholik church and the Pope the head of the same Ezek. 28. 2. 6. Esa. 14. 13. 14. 2 Thes. 2. 9 10 Rev. 13. 11. 14. 17. 4. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 14. 15. Thus I grant that the Temple which Antichrist invadeth destroyeth is Gods true Temple but that wherin the Beast sitteth as God which he trimmeth upholdeth and boasteth of as he doeth the church of Rome at this day is the synagogue of Satan But he procedeth Object As for the ancient Doctor whom here he citeth let us hear himself speak His words are these That which is the Temple of any idolor Divil the Apostle would not call the Temple of God Wherupon some will have in this place not the Prince himself but after a manner his whole bodie thâ—â— is the multitude of men perteyning unto him togither with himself under the Prince understood to be Antichrist And more rightly also they think it to be sayd in Latine 〈◊〉 in the Greek that he sitteth not in the Temple of God but for the Temple of God which is the church As we say he sitteth for a friend that is as a friend Augustine de Civic Dâ—â— l. 20. c. 19. Where note how farr differing Augustine is from this man that citeth him c. Answ. There is not so great difference as mine opposite would pretend First I cited not Augustine for his own judgment but for others whom he speaketh of touching the translation of the Text in the Temple of God or for the Temple Secondly he setteth down Augustines words maymed both at head and foot For Augustine beginneth thus But in what temple of God he shal sit as God is uncertaine whether in that ruine of the Temple which was built by King Solomon or in the church For that which is the temple of any idol or divil the Apostle would not call the temple of God c. Now the ruine of Solomons temple cannot at this day be called Gods temple otherweise then because it was the Temple of God of old hath now no more holynes in deed trueth theÌ„ any other place in the world And thus I have granted that the church of Rome may be called the church of God in respect that there was a church there in Pauls time wheras now it hath no more true holynes then the synagogue of Satan So we see how for advantage mine opposite baulked Augustines first words In the end he breaketh off in the midst of a period for Augustine sayth sitteth for a friend that is as a friend or if any other thing is wont to be understood by this kind of speech So he defineth not certainly of this place but leaves it doubtfull and presently after confesseth his ignorance For what is this sayth Augustine For the mysterie of iniquitie doth already work onely he who now holdeth let him hold till he be taken out of the way J confess my self to be utterly ignorant what he meaneth Thus we need not strive about Augustines words here and I grant that the Apostle would not have called it the Temple of God unless eyther it were so in deed and trueth or had been so in times past or did pretend to be so still And I think all wil likewise grant that the holy Ghost would not have called the witches spirit at endor Samuel unless eyther it had been Samuel in deed as the Papists doe contend or some thing in pretence and shew like Samuel Neyther would the prophet have sayd to the King of Tyrus Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God a proselyte in the church of Israel unless eyther himself or some of his predecessors had been there in times past Neyther would Amos have called the Israelites idol temple the house of their God unless eyther it were so in deed or in pretense which phrase when the Greek translateth according to the letter the house of