The History of the Church Since the Days of Christ, Title page – Dedication 2
THE HISTORIE OF THE CHVRCH SINCE THE DAYES OF Our Saviour IESVS CHRIST, vntill this present Age.
Devided into foure Bookes.
1. The first containeth the whole proceedings and practises of the Emperours, both of the West and East for, or against the Church; as also the wonderfull louelove of God towards it, by whom it was so preserved, that neither by Tyranny it could be subdued, nor by policie circumvented.
2. The second containeth a breefe Catalogue of the beginnings, and proceedings; of all the Bishops, Popes, Patriarchs, Doctors, Pastors, and other learned men; in Europe, Asia and Affrica, with or against the Church, together with their deaths.
3. The third containeth a short summe of all the Heretiques, which hauehave beene in the Church; the time when, and the place where they lived; as also the persons by whom they were subdued.
4. The fourth containeth a short compend of all the Councels Generall, Nationall, and Provinciall; together with their severall Canons, which hauehave beene established, either with, or against the Church.
Devided into 16. Centuries.
By all which is clearely shevved and proved, the Antiquitie, Visibilitie, and Perpetuitie, of our Church; euer since Christs dayes, vntill this present Age.
Collected out of sundry Authors both ancient and moderne; by the famous and worthy Preacher of Gods vvord, Master PATRICK SYMSON, late Minister at Striueling in Scotland.
LONDON
Printed by I.D. for Iohn Bellamie, and are to be sold at his Shop, at the three Golden Lions in Corne-hill neere the Royall Exchange: and for William Sheffard, at the entering in of Popes-head Alley, out of Lumbard streete. 1624.
TO THE RIGHT GRATIOVS PRINCE: LODOWICK Duke of Richmond, and Lenox; Baron of Settrington, Darnley, Te…banten, and Methuen; Lord great Chamberlane, and Admirall, of Scotland; Lord Steward of the Kings household; Knight of the most noble order of the Garter; and one of his Maiesties most honorable privie Councell.
ALthough it may seeme both to your Grace and others, great presumption in me, a stranger, to trouble your Grace, either with the view of these vnpolished lines, or this ensuing Historie; yet I hope the latter shal be a sufficient excuse for the former. For having received it from your Noble Sister the Countesse of Marre: at her Ladiships commaundement, and especiall direction, I revised it, put it to the Presse, hastened the Printing, and now also craue your Graces Patronage thereto: not so much respecting the greatnesse of your authoritie as the goodnes of your nature and disposition, whereof much might be sayd, but that I hold it needlesse to shew the Sunne with a candle. Thus humbly commending it to your Graces favourable acceptation, and heartily committing you to the Almighties gracious protection, I humbly take my leaue, resting
Your Graces humble servant: A. Symson.
TO THE RIGHT NOBLE, VERTVOVS, and elect Ladie; Marie, Countesse of Marre: P.S. wisheth, grace, merciemercy, and eternall felicitie.
THE estate of the Church of Christ (NOBLE LADIE) whereof wee reioyce to be accounted feeling members, hath beene subject vntounto manifold afflictions, even from the beginning of the world: (not like vntounto the estate of Moab setled vponupon her dregs;Iere. 48.11. and not poured out from vessell to vessell) yet the more afflicted, the more beloved of God; whose face, watred with teares, is faire; and whose mourning voyce, is pleasant in the sight of God:Cant. 2.14. and as doing of good willingly, hath a great recompence of reward from God: even so patient suffering of evill, for righteousnesse sake, as it is highly commended in Scripture, so it shall be richly rewarded in heaven: yea the very heathnick Philosopher Plato (to whom the glory of the sufferings for Christ was vnknowne) affirmeth that men who suffer,Plato in repub. scourging, binding, tormenting, boring out of eyes, and finally, strangling of their breath for righteousnesse sake, are exceeding happy, are (as the word foreign importeth) thrice happy: although the superlatiue degree of suffering, which can be found amongst the heathnicks, could never equall the glorie of the sufferings of Christians. They who were initiated in the mysteries of Mittera (which word in the Persian language signifieth the Sunne) could not bee admitted to that honour,foreign before they had beene tried by suffering fourscore divers sorts of punishments; such as long abstinence from meate and drinke, solitarie living in the wildernes a long time, tryall of suffering the fervent heate of fire, and the coldnes of water, and many other torments, vntill the number of fourescore had beene completed. These voluntarie sufferings, like as in the beginning they wanted the warrant of Gods calling, so likewise in the end they wanted the hope of Gods reward, but the mouth of God himselfe pronounceth: Christians to be blessed who die in the Lord,Apoc. 14.13. for they rest from their labours, and their works follow them.
The manifold persecutions of the Church, may be devided into three rankes;Three rankes of the persecution of the Church. some were fierce and bloodie, some were craftie, the third was and is, both craftie and cruell. The ten heathnicke Emperours, Nero, Domitian, Traian, &c. were so prodigall of the blood of the Lords Saints, that they poured it out like water vponupon the ground: The Arrian Emperors were subdolous and craftie; but the persecution of Antichrist which is the third, goeth beyond the rest both in crueltie and craft: yea the experience which we hauehave had in our owne dayes of the cruelty of Antichrists supposts, and their craftie convey of their malicious enterprises intended against our Soveraigne Lord, His Royall race, and Noble Counsellers, doth cleerely proue that the malice and craft of Antichrist, goeth as farre beyond the craft and malice of all Emperours, as the flood of Noah, exceedeth the inundation of Nilus.
In the first,The estate of the Church in the 1, 2, and 3 Centuries. second, and third, Centuries, the faith and patience of Christians was tried by the yoake of ten bloody persecutions. For first the Apostles, (who had heard with their eares the words of the great shepheard of our soules, and seene with their eyes God manifested in the flesh) were chosen to be faithfull to the world, of the doings, sufferings, and doctrine, of Iesus Christ: and next to the Apostles their Disciples and true successours, sealed vp with rivers of blood that faith, which they receiued from the Apostles.
The fire wherewith they were burnt; the water wherein they were drowned; the ayre wherein their bodies were hanged; the mountaines and wildernesses through which they wandered; the darke prisons wherein they were enclosed (as people vnworthy of libertie); yea all the elements & the very light of heauen, from whence by most vnrighteous violence they (the righteous heires thereof) were excluded; all these (I say) were witnesses of their glorious sufferings.
In the fourth,The estate of the Church in the 4. 5. and 6. Centuries. fift, and sixt, Centuries, the knowledge of the Church was tryed by Heretiques, who by the mistie clowds of error, endeavoured to blindfold the eyes of men, and to leade them captiue from the simplicity of the truth of God; at which time also, the power of the light of God was manifested, in discipating the darknesse of errours, as the Sun-rising doth the darknesse of the night.
The estate of …e Church in … 7. 8. and … Centuries.In the seventh, eighth, and ninth, Centuries; the Romane Church (resembling the Harlots of Heliopolis in Phoenitia, who having liberty to prostitute themselues to the lust of strangers, teach their children procreated by this libidinous copulation, to depend only vponupon them whom they know, not vponupon their fathers, whom they know not) disadvantageth her children with the voyce of God sounding in holy Scripture; teaching, that it is sufficient to beleeue as the Church of Rome (the mother of al Churches) beleeveth, which in matters of faith cannot erre. But wee must depend vponupon the voyce of God, our heavenly Father,… Pet. 1.23. and 2.2. Ier. 8.22. Psal. 46.5. Who hath begotten vsus by the incorruptible seed of his Word, fed vsus with the sincere milke of the same, and anoynted vsus with the balme of Gilead, making glad his owne Citie, even with the waters of his owne Sancturay. The lowd sounding trumpets of vaine and idle words, we leaue to the adversaries of the truth, for that is their armour wherewith they fight against the Gospell of Iesus Christ.
The estate of the Church in the 10. 11. and 12. Centuries.In the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, Centuries; the tyranny of Antichrist was accompanied with a wonderfull growth of lyes, falshood, and ridiculous fables, of which the absurdity of one, striving with the absurditie of anothe…, derogateth, in the end, credite from them all, and (as the souldiers of Cadmus, who were bred of Dragons teeth) kill one another. Vincentius is not ashamed to write,Vincen. in speculo. an. 1012. that they who regarded more their play & game, & dancing, then they did the reverend hearing of the masse; were plagued with a continuance in dancing without intermission, for the space of a twelue-monethmonth thereafter. If penne could blush, if hand could tremble, if paper could bee ashamed, such ridiculous fables had not beene written. At this time learning was not to bee found in Pastors, sincerity in Councels, humility in Prelates, and true religion in the multitude of people and Nations: For in stead of these, there was abundance of Liturgies, Processions, and Pilgrimages, Masses, superstitious vowes, multiplication of vnprofitable ceremonies, confidence in externall service, as if it could saue, ex opere operato, Fastings, tyed to dayes and moneths, not vnlike to the fasts of the Donatists.Deut. 32.32. At this time the vines of Sodome and Gomorrah abounded with grapes of gall, and bitter clusters. At this time the key of the kingdome of God, seemed almost lost; the preaching of the kindome of Christ, ceased for the most part: The authority and preheminence of the Pope over Princes, and all men in spirituall offices (like the axes and hammers of the Assyrians, cutting downe the carved worke of the house of the Lord) sounded so lowd in all Churches,Psal. 74.16. that the sound of the Gospell could, scarcely be heard. And although at this time there were some Romane Bishops who spoke against the kingdome of the Divell, yet their hearts were so filled by him, with ambition, avarice, vncleannesse, contempt of the lawfull authority of Princes, superstition, and horrible idolatry, that hee led them head-long to hell,Simile. as men may leade dogs (though barking aloud) whither they please.
The estate of the Church in the 13. 14. 15. and 16. Centuries.In the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth, Centuries; even to these our times, there is nothing to bee expected, but a discoverie of Antichrists hypocrisie, a decay of his vsurped authority, an abrogation of his tyrannous lawes; and finally, an vtter ruine and destruction of his kingdome, notwithstanding of all the maintainers and vpholders of the same. And surely, it is a great encouragement to vsus, when we see false teachers dayly renuing their forces to fight against the truth, as the Philistims did, who fought against David in the valley of Rephaim, after they had beene often discomfited by him. The last period of their reluctation against the Lords annoynted, was losse and hurt to themselues, and dishonour to their gods,1 Chron. 14.11. whom they were forced to leaue behinde them, which David tooke and burnt with fire, calling the place Baalperatzim (that is) the rupture of Baal. The adversaries of the Gospell in Christendom, by renuing their forces againe, are procuring a new name vntounto their Idols: They cannot bee content with the name of Baal-peor, Baal-meon, Baal-thamar, Baal-chatsor, Baal-gad; but they will spread out their banners in the valley of Rephaim against the Lord, longing for the last name, Baal-peperatzim, confusion to themselves.
That this hath beene the estate of the Church, euer since the dayes of Christ vntill this present, doth evidently appeare out of the ensuing History, wherein besides the antiquity and visibility of this our Church, your Ladiship may also (as in a mirrour) behold her wonderful constancie opposed to her enemies cruelty. Let the Papists to cover the turpitude of their new found doctrine, pretend antiquity as much as they will, yet they will never bee able to proue it. So did the Hagarens boldly vsurp the name of Saracens, although they were only the brood that sprang from the wombe of Hagar, the hand-maide of Sarah. And the Priests boy in the dayes of Eli came to the Caldron, while the flesh of the peace-offering was seething,1 Sam. 2.14. and thrust in his flesh-hooke, all that the flesh-hooke brought vp, the Priest tooke for himselfe, which thing was done by violence, the Priest having no right thereto. The Roman Church in our dayes having borrowed the flesh-hooke of the Priests boy, and violently arrogated vntounto themselues, the faithfull keeping of ancient Apostolique traditions; when wee demand where the Charter containing their title and right, wee see nothing but the flesh-hooke, with these three teeth in their hand: 1. The Church cannot erre. 2. Wee are the true Church. 3. Cursed be hee that saith in matters of faith, our generall Councels can erre.
Madam, accept vnderunder your Ladiships favourable protection, these my travailes in weaknesse, not vnlike the writer (whose life it hath pleased the Lord to prolong these many yeeres by-past, vnderunder many infirmities of a dayly decaying tabernacle) containing a faithfull testimony of my humble endeavour, to confirme the branches of your noble houshould in the true faith of Christ. Though there be many that forsake Christ, and are as reprobate silver from whom the drosse cannot bee separated; yet let the Noble house of Marre follow Christ. And as Helene, Queen of Adiabani, Euseb l. 2. c. 12. Ioseph. l. 20. c. …. Simile.when she left her Countrey, and came to dwell at Ierusalem, filled the bellies of the poore with the corne of Egypt, and the fruites of Cyprus (for it was a yeere of vniversall famine) and spared for no cost, to doe good to the Saints who were at Ierusalem; so I beseech the Lord to raise vp many honourable Ladies (such as your Ladiship is) to refresh the barren soules of ignorant people in this Land, with examples of humilitie, modestie, godlinesse, and all other vertues.
Now the mercies of the Lord Iesus, The Author and finisher of our faith, attend vponupon my Lord your husband, vponupon your Ladiship, and all your Noble house: and The great Mediator of the covenant of God, stablish all your hearts in the certainty of his vndoubted truth, vntounto the end, and in the end. Amen.
Your Ladiships humble servant: P. Symson.