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Hierome on Jer.19.verfe.10,having fet downe the opinion (though wrongfully, as Mr. Mede affirmes Comment. Apocal. pag. 285) faith of it: which things though we imbrace not, yet we cannot condemne, because many faithfull perfons, and Martyrs of the Church have laid them. However, it was as eafie for Eufebius or any other, to condemne Papias for a man of fmall judgment, as it is for you, to fay, [that our arguments are fo filly and ridiculous, thai every understanding perfon reading them,findes not onely the weaknesse of the grounds, but even out of them doth gather pregnant arguments in the contrary] twas as eafie, I say, for Eufebius to write the forefaid words, as it is for you to write thefe, albeit the Reader may plainly fee, that you doe but flander our arguments herein. For befides the plaine texts and prophecies in the new Teftament, there are far more prophecies in the old, to fhew our Saviours corporal reigne on earth, then there are to fhew his birth and death, and as clearly delivered to the understanding. But be it as Eufebius faith,[that Papias was a man of fmal judgment] yet that he fhewed it not in being of this opinion, not onely the Scriptures, but the judgment of Ireneus, and other Ecclefiafticall perfons, who followed him in it, doe atteft: of whom we cannot intertaine fuch an unjust beliefes as to thinke, that they would prize the antiquity and authority of Papias word, above the authority and antiquity of the word of God it felfe. But that this truth might be univerfally abhorred, and rejected as an error after the 320. yeare of our Lord, we cafily beleeve. For it is unquestionable, that many a truth and error did change titles each with other, as popifh ignorance, fuperftition and idolatry grew in requeft,and needs then muft this truth, which afcribes the accomplishment of the predictions of Chrifts Kingly Office to their right owner, foone vanish out of mens minds, and leefe its luftre and repute ; whenas that Man of fin was fhortly to appeare, who to exalt his power above all that is called God, fhould as blafphemously, as deceitfully, apply these prophecies to himfelfe. And lastly, that we agree not in all circumftances about this opinion, doth no more derogate from the truth and worth of it; then the differences that are amongst other Chriftians doe derogate from the truth and neceflity of any fubje& wherein they doe difagree.

Preface

Prefase, no s'

Seaventbly, They speak not now of feests and facrifices, as Cerinthus did, but if they will maintaine this opinion, I fee not bow they can eje&t them,fering the Prophets Speake an expreffely of them as of Chrifts Kingdom. Jer. 33.17. Thus faith the Lord, David fhall never wanta man to fit upon the throne ofthe house of Ifrael, neither fhall the Priefts the Levites want a nian before me, to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meate offerings, and doe facrifice continually. See, ver. 21, 22. Zech. 14. 16.21. But that thefe and fuch other texts Should be expounded spiritually, it is plaine by Mal. 1.11. where incense and offerings are not restrained unto the Jews at Jerufalem, but made common unto the Gentiles everywhere: and more plainely in the New Teftament. Ifthe Millenaries will expone with us thefe texts of Spirituall Sacrifices, they cannot sbew any probable reafon, why the prophesies concerning Chrifts Kingdome fhould not likewife be exponed spiritually. And Hierome in Ila. 63. lib. 18. faith, If we grant these words to be exponed carnally, let them beare the like promifes made unto Sodom, as unto Jerufalem, Ezek. 16.53. When I fhall bring againe their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, them will I bring againe the captivity ofthy captives in the midst of them when thy lifter Sodom and ther daughters fhall returne→→→then thou and thy daughters shall returne. Wherfore (faith Ierome) these houses [mentioned, Ila. 65. 21. ]must be under flood of vertnes, or the diverse manfions beside the Father and of fuch bouses our Saviour speaks, Mat. 7. verfe. 24.I will liken him to a wife man, who builds his house on a rock. And the Apofile faith, 2 Cor. 5.1.wee have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. Because we cannot conceive of Heaven in fuch a manner as it is, it pleaseth God to infinuate it into our affections by fimilitudes of things pleasant anto us, and to teach us faith by fenfible things: and therefore we should not rest on these borrowed words, but know that the thing defcribed goes beyond the earthly fimilitude.

Answer.

Surely Mr. Mede (loc. cit.) dothmake it good against Jerome, that the primitive Christians also spake not of facrifices. And yet seeing that text, Mal. 1. verfe. 11. which speakes expreffely of the

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Gentiles,

Gentiles, can be no patterne to expound those which fpeake particularly of the Jewes,and of the houfe of Levi and that you alledge fuch pregnant prophecies for the reftoring of facrifices, why thould we not beleeve this alfo? what abfurdity will arife from fuch a beliefe? certainely we know as well as you,that they are now unlawfull, but it will not follow from hence, that they shall never be lawfull againe: unleffe it can be be proved, that God cannot againe command, what he did fometimes forbid, or that he cannot injoyne the ufe of a thing at severall times, for feverall ends: or that God hath in his word forbid the use of these things at any time hereafter, to wit, as well after the comming of Chrift, as before it: neither of which I prefume can easily be maintained. And as for that prophecy,Ezek. 16. verfe 53. &c. which is your other maine pillar to fupport the figurative fenfe of all the prophecies in controverfie: and to beare down our proper and naturall conftruction of them: it hath indeed not the fubftance but the found of an argument onely, and makes much against you, but nought againft us. For firft, it fhews them to be in an error who affirme, that the captivity of Samaria, of the ten Tribes is already return'd. And fecondly, it is more forcible to difprove the Jewes returne from Babylon (against which also it may be alledged) then to difprove their future returne from all countreys. For the 60. and 6r. verfe. Nevertheleffe, I will remember my Covenant with thee in the daies of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant. Then thou shalt remember thy wayes,and be afbamed, when thou shalt receive thy fifters, thine elder and thy younger, and I will give them unto thee for daughters but not by thy Covenant. These words doe fhew that this captivity of Jerufalem should returne againe, and at her returne receive her fifters Sodom and Samaria; and therefore the words, verfe 53. when I fball bring againe their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters,&c. doe fhew onely,that this prophecie doth speake of the captivity and desolation of Jerufalem and her adjacent cities & villages by the Romans; from which they should no more be reftor'd, til Samaria and her adjacent cities & villages fhould be restored, and inhabited by the Ifraelites, by the ten Tribes, whofe future returne is witneffed by fo many evident prophecies: and untill the place where Sodom and her cities ftood, fhould againe become a fruitfull land and full of inhabitants, as the 55

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verfe doth intimate. So that this prophecy is equivalent with that of Ifa. 32. verfe 13. &c. Upon the land of my People shall come up thornes and briers, yea upon all the boufes of joy in the joyous City: because the palaces faalbe forfaken, the multitude of the city fhalbe left, the forts and towers fbalbe for dens for ever, a joy of wild alles, a pafture of flockes. Until the Spirit be powered upon us from on high and the wildernesse be a fruitfull field, and the fruitfull field be counted for a foreft. And the meaning of the word [for ever] here doth give an answer also to the text Amos. 5. verfe 2 The virgin of Ifrael is fallen, she shall no more rife. For doubtleffe the negative adverbe [na more] doth imply in that place the like quantity of time, as the affirmative adverbe for ever] doth in this, that is, a long, but not an infinite time, as the infuing limitation of it, Until the Spirit be powred upon us from on bigh, doth infallibly declare. And thus it is evident that both the prophecy of Erekchap. 16. verfe 53.&c. and the prophecy of Amos chap. 5. verse 2. doe fhew onely (what our Saviours prophecy doth, Luke 21. verfe 24.) that Jerufalem fhould lie defolate a long time, but not alwaies; that is, until the converfion of the Jewes by an extraordinary effufion of God's Spirit upon them, and no longer; as. Joel alfo forelhews. chap.2.verfe 28. &c. and confequently, that which you deeme an invincible fort, is fallen of it selfe; and by its fall doth declare, that Jerome's expounding of the houses mentioned Ifa. 65.verfe 21. of vertues, is a very vicious expofition. For as the Pharifees made the commandement of God of none effect,by their tran dition, Mat. 15. verfe 6. fo doe you make the word of God to be nothing, by fuch faithleffe interpretations; I fay, faithleffe,becaufe they teach men to deftroy the very object of faith (the plaine hiftory of God's word)by turning it into a meere poeticall fiction. and confequently it is the ready way, to make men have leffe faith; then the Devils have: to bring them to that paffe, that they shalbe willingly ignorant, that, by the word of God the Heavens were of old, and the earth ftanding out of the water, and in the water, wherby the world that then was, being over-flowed with water, perifbed: and that by the fame word they are kept in store, referved unto fire against the Day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men: as St. Pet. faith, 2 Epift. chap. 3. verfe 5, 6, 7. it is the ready way, I fay, to make men willingly ignorant of all this; and then what can follow, but that they fcoffe at the expectation of Chrifts comming, faying, where is D 2

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the promise of his comming for fince the Fathers fell asleepe, al thing continue as they were, from the beginning of the creation, verfe 4. Wher as you fay then, that because wee cannot conceive of Heaven in fucks a manner as it is God doth infinuate it into our affections, by fimilitudes of things, pleafunt unto us. Certainlyitis cafe to underftand, when God fpeaks of a thing by way of comparison, and when he speaks of it as it is. And though the joyes which God hath prepared for the Saints are unutterable; yet the place, the etemal habitation, which He hath prepared for them, is not inapprehenfible. For *That this ci- doubtleffe it is that new* Jerufalem defcribed Rebel. chap. 21. and taken myfti- 22. which muft defcend to the new earth, after the laft judgment, cally for the the judgment of the dead at the laft refurrection.For fecing the glo Church now rified bodies of the Saints fhall ftill be flesh and bones (as our Sa on earth, it is viour faith Lake 24. 39.) though neither finfull nor corruptible, evident; fee- what place fhould fuch material creatures inhabite but a material earth, (the place? and if they fhall inhabite a material place, what more gloeeation wher- rious City can we fancy to our felves, then the forefaid City is? of, the de- whofe foundations, walls and gates are all precious ftomer, whofe ftreer fcending of is pure gold like cleere glaffe, whofe gates are kept by Angels, and in this citie un- which the Throne of God and of the Lambe is, whence the river of water the place af- of life prooceeds, on the fides whereof the tree of life gromes. And what ter alledged) fhould move us to take this tree and confequently any of the other i's immediatly materials) in an allegorical fenfe here, rather then Gen. 2. verfe 9, to enfue, and chap 3. verfe 22. and chap 3. verfe 22. Or how can we think that God would fo if not to con→ exactly and fully reveale the materials, platforme, and contents of with, is not this City, if there were no fuch thing? what? fhall we fay, that yet in being. God is not where he faich he is? or that these things are not such as S. Peter in as he faith they are? doubtleffe to doe either were an abominable his 2. Epift. prefumption. And confequently the proper expofition of fuch 8.deth plain- plaine prophecies, is the onely intended fenfe of the Holy Ghoft;

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ly declare.

and you doe as ridiculously, as dangeroully affirme, that our Saviour's words Mat. 7. verfe 24. and St. Pauls 2 Cor. 5. verse 1, are meant of vertues. For according to this expofition, our Saviour fhould have faid, I will liken him to a wifeman, that builds bir vertuer on a rocke; whereas indeed he compares the lively and active faith of an obedient hearer to a house built on a strong foundation, and not to vertues. And St.Paul fhould have said,we bave vertues of God, vertnes not made with hands, eternall in the Heavens; Wheras he

Speakes

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