The Communion of Saints, Chapter 20
CHAPT. XX.
How the cōmunion and peace of the Saincts, is hindred by enemies without.
ALthough the Church hath received such grace and glorie, from the Lord God her †Psal. 84. 11.Sun and sheild, that she may wel be an ‖Psa. 48. 4. 5astonishment to the kings of the earth, and wonder of the world; as having *Revel. 1…. …the Sun for her clothing, the moon for her footstool, and the twelve starres for a crown vponupon her head, whiles by faith and holines she hath ‡Rom. 13. 1…put on Christ, the †Mal. 4. 2.Sun of righteousnes that is risen vntounto her, as she hath learned him of his ‖2 Pet. 3. ….Apostles; and is herby advanced to heavenly dignity, that even her *Philip. 3. 20conversation is in heaven, so as she loveth no more ‡1 Ioh. 2. 15this world, of which she her self †Ioh. 17. 14is not, and the ‖1 Cor. 7. …fashion wherof passeth away: yet forasmuch as she hath both in her own body, *Rev. 12. ….paines of childbirth, whiles she is in travail to bring forth Christ, which by the preaching of the Gospel is ‡Gal. 4. 19.formed in her; and without her self, Satan (for his fiercenes a †Rev. 10. ….dragon) ‖Rev. 1…. 13. 17.persecuting her in wrath, & warring with the remnant of her seed, gathering his soldjers which are *Rev. …. …. ….as the sand of the sea, to compasse about the tents of the Saincts, the beloved citie; it shalbe therfore good, that we take a view of these troubles and assaults, learn of God the end and vse of them, and how we may either escape or overcome them, least we be offended & our faith fayl.
2. That old crooked serpēt, the enemy of mans salvatiō, perceiving the vniting & communion of the Saincts, to be a great help & furtherāce of their happines; a prayse to their God, a daunting to the world, & a comfort to themselves: doth therfore bend his vtmost might and malice against this brotherhood, that he may dissolve the same. He stirreth vp the wicked multitudes, like the raging waves of the sea, that some out myre & durt, to bely and blaspheme the truth and witnesses of Christ, accusing them of ”Act. 17. 18. & 24. 5. 14. Nehem. 6. 6. 7.noveltie, heresie, sedition, treason, and rebellion. He further kindleth this fyre, by his †Amos. 7. 10. Luk. 23. 2. Ioh 19. 7. 12.false Prophets, that cease not to inveigh against, and calumniate this little flock; and by their abused wit and learning, to prove & perswade that they are as bad or worse then they be reported of, both for their faith towards God, and loyaltie to the princes of the earth. which princes also, for like ‖1 Kin. 22. 8.malice in themselves, or for that they *Num 22. 3. 4. Mat. 2. 3.fear the losse or impeachment of their honour and dignities; or because they loath ‡Psal 2. 3.the bonds and yoke of the gospel; or ”Act. 12. 3. & 24. 28.for to gratifie their people and subjects; are readie to turn the dint of their sword, (wherwith they should conserv the truth and peace of Christian religion,) against the Saincts, and especially their cōmuniō & assemblies; which seem most dangerous, and are indeed terrible to the world, as an Song. 6. 3.armie with banners.
3. Herevpō they think to ‖Exod. 1. 1….work wisely, if any way they can hinder the propagation and increase of the church; whither by privy oppressiō, or open persecution: though the wisdom of God hath sayd, ‖Pro. 17. 16.Sure… it is not good to condemne the iust; … that princes should smite for equitie. Especially the *Exod. 4. 16. …2.men-children, the teachers, guides, and principal of Christs flock, are most maligned, & exposed to their tyrannie: though sōtime neyther women nor infants, can be exempted from their rage and crueltie. For which, these civil polities, with the heads and governours of thē, vntounto whom erewhile it was sayd ‡Psal. 82. 6.ye ar Gods & ye al are children of the most high; ar now become more base then any men; and are caled in holy scripture, ”Zep. 3. 3. Pro 28. 15. Dan. 7, 4. 5. 6. Psa. 80. 13. Luke. …3. 31. 32.Liōs, Wolves, bears, Libbards, wild-bores, and foxes, even pourtrahed out by ”Dan. …. 7. 8. Rev. 13. 1. ….mōstrous, savage, and deformed bestes; for such their barbarous havock, and misusage of the Saincts.
4. For loe, in their malignant harts, they fret against ‡Num. …. ….the people of God, and against ”Dan. 11. …0.the holy covenant; with their mouthes they speak evil, even †Dan. 11. 36. & 7. 8.marveilous and presumptuous things, ‖Rev. 13. 6.blaspheming Gods name and tabernacle, & them that dwel in heaven; with their hands and hornes they smite and push the poor flock of Christ, *Heb. 10. 34. Rev. 1. 9. Ier. 38. 6. 1 King. 22. 27. Act. 8 3.spoyling them of their goods, banishing them out of their dominions, casting them into prisons and dungeons, feeding thē with bread of adversitie and water of afflictiō; devising all cruel and exquisite torments, to make their death miserable, *Heb. 11. 35. 36. 37. Dan. 3. 19. 20. and 6. 16.racking, stoning, hāging, hewing in peeces, burning in fyre, casting to wild beasts, and many moe horrible tortures; as the lambs of Christ have felt in all ages; whiles children have been brought ”Exod. 1. 22. Mat. 2. 16.from the womb to their martirdom; & *… king. 8. 12.women with child, ript vp in their vnnatural crueltie.
5. By this meanes, the cōmunion of the Saincts is oft times dissolved and *Act 8. 1.scattred; their shepheards and watchmen ‡Act. 2. 1. 2. &c.apprehended and killed; the whol flock pursued, as ”Rom. 8. 36.sheep appointed to the slaughter. Some for fear deny and forsake the faith, and are †Act. 26. 11.compelled to blaspheme. Some by flatterie are *Dan. 11. 30. 32.caused to syn, and wickedly break the holy covenant, and to be the betrayers of their brethren. Such as escape these evils, somtime ‡Heb. 11. 37. 38.wander vp and down in sheeps skins and goat-skins, destitute, afflicted, and tormented, in desarts and mountaines, in dennes, and caves of the earth. Thus waters of a full cup ar wrung out vntounto them; and now the †Lam. 1. 4.wayes of Sion lament, because no man cometh to the solemn fests; for ”Dan. 1…. 38.the dayly sacrifice (whereby they were wont publickly to worship God,) is taken away, and abominable desolation put in the place. The ‖Psal. 74. …. 8.sanctuarie & synagogues of God are burned; *Ier. 52. 7. Psal. 79. 1. 2. 3.Ierusalem broken vp, made a ruinous heap, the stones therof layd in dust, and the dead bodies of the Saincts, cast to the fowles & bestes of the earth. Then the faithful mourn, because God hath ‡Lam. 2. 6. ….destroyed his congregation, caused the sabbaths to be forgottē, forsaken his sanctuarie, and given into the enemies hand the walls of her palaces: their eyes ”vers. 1….fayl with teares, their bowels swel, their liver is powred vponupon the earth; & they cry out with the Prophet, †Amos. 7. 2. … ▪O Lord God, spare we beseech thee: who shal raise vp Iaakob, for he is smal.
6. Thus God who hath Isa. 31. 9.his fyre in Siō, & fornace in Ierusalē, melteth his metall, ‖Mal. 3. 3.trieth & fineth his people as silver, & purifieth thē as gold, by the *Isa. 4. 4.spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning; draweth them to repentance, by chastening ‡Lam. 3. 39. 40. 4….them for their syns, and making judgement †1 Pet. 4. 17.to begin at his own howse; cōsuming the drosse, & making known them, that ar approved▪ that the ‖… Pet. 1. 7.trial of their faith being much more precious thē gold that perisheth, (though it be tried with fyre,) may be found vntounto prayse & honour & glorie, at the appearing of Iesus Christ. For not withstanding al the rage of the persecutors, God wil preserv to himself *Rom. 9. 27. 29.a litle flock, vntounto whom he wilbe ‡Ezek. 11. 16a litle Sanctuarie, in al places wher they ar dispersed: who in this their desolation, yet pray with their faces †1 king. 8. 47 48. Dan. 6. 10.towards Ierusalem; doe convene and meet togither ‖Ioh. 20. 19. Act. 4. 18. … ▪secretly for fear of their foes, and cease not to performe al holy duties vntounto God and one to an other, to the vtmost of their power; and in al their afflictions ar *Rom. 8. 37.more then conquerours through him that loved them. For they ‡vers. ….account the suffrings of this presēt time, not worthy of the glory which shalbe shewed vntounto them; they †Heb. 12. 2. ….consider Christ their head, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the crosse, and despised the shame, and is set at the right hand of the throne of God; who when he was both in name & power a Lion, appeared ”Revel. …4…. …as a Lamb killed; yet behold ‖Rev. 1. 18.he is alive for evermore, Amen; and hath the keyes of hel and of death. And he it is, that raiseth vp his children fiō death; he wil prophesie, and their dispersed bones Ezek. 37. 7. …. &c.shall come togither, sinewes and flesh shall grow vponupon them, breath shall enter into thē, & they stand vpō their feet an exceeding great army. For in their tribulations, they have but washed their garments ”Rev. 7. 14.white in his blood; and this is al the fruit, †Isa. …7. 9.the taking away of their syn; and the more the adversaries vex them, thinking to root them out, ‖Exod. 1. 12.the more they multiply & grow: by patient suffering, they triumph; and by dying dayly, they attayn to life eternal. And God who hath chastened thē with rods for their good, will turn his hand vpō their enemies, & scourge thē with scorpiōs; they shal *Psal. 75. 8.wring out and drink the dreggs of this cup of wrath; he that made them ‡Isa. 27. 11.wil not have compassion of them, and he that formed them will have no merciemercy on them; the beasts shal be destroyed ”Dan. 7. 11.and given to the burning fyre, & the righteous shal Psal. 49. 14.have dominion over them in the morning. The zele of the Lord of hosts wil performe it.
The Lord preserveth the sowles of his Saincts, he wil deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm. 97. 10.