Tidings of Peace, Title page – Dedication
TIDINGS of PEACE, OR Acure for the many Evills that happen in the world about Religion, in a diſcourſe OF The New Jeruſalem, Proveing That The New Jeruſalem is a Holy Citty to be built on Earth in each Kingdom, in which The Clergie are to dwell; Whereby a New and moſt happy Eccleſiaſticall Adminiſtration will ariſe.
Behold I will bring it Health and Cure and I will Cure Them, and I will Reveal unto Them abundance of Peace and Truth. Jer. 33: v. 6.
And I Iohn Saw The Holy Citie the New Jeruſalem, comeing downe from God out of Heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband. Rev. 21: v. 2.
And Hee that ſate upon the Throne, ſaid Behold I make all things New. v. 5.
To the Clergie.
Srs.
THe Dedication of the enſueing Modell of the Holy Citty doth moſt properly belong to you, as being the Lords Heritage and Servants: In the old Adminiſtration, The Sons of Aron had Thirteene Cittyes and the Levites eight and Fourty, but in the New and better Adminiſtration the Servants of Jeſus hauehave not one Citty to dwell in amongſt all the Kingdomes of the Earth. Methinks I heare you Speaking as the Sons of the Prophets to Eliſha vizt: Loe the Place where wee dwell is to ſtrait for us, Let us goe unto Jordan and take thence every one a beame, and Lett us make a Place there where wee may dwell. Tis certaine your Place is to Strait, and though Some of you hauehave roome too much, yet others (unhappy unequallity) hauehave noe Place at all. I could Preſent you with a Catalogue of all the Evills you hauehave ſuffered for many yeares, and of the many evills▪ the world hath ſufferd by you. But Prima abiêrunt, & Ecce nova facio omnia, Old Things are paſſed away, and loe I make all things New, Saith Chriſt in the Revel: I ſhall omit mentioning the forma Evills and proceed to the remedying of them. And doe here preſent you with a modell of a New OEconomie, and tis this. I hauehave appointed you a Citty in each Nation and Kingdome to dwell in, where in you ſhalle liue peaceably and quietly, and ſhall be ſufficiently provided for of all things neceſſary for your holy Functions, ſoe that all Temptations ſhall be taken away from you of acting or moveing irregularly; From this Citty placed in the midſt' of each Nation, you are to goe or ride out, as it ſhall pleaſe you, every month by turnes, and heale each Nation, and on the Bells of your horſes ſhall be wrote Holyneſſe to the Lord. The Kings & Princes of the world and all Temporall Governments will find their accott. in building you ſuch a Citty, for tis not to be expreſſed what happineſſe will accrue to them and to all the world thereby: This Citty will put an end to all the miſeryes the World labours under on account of Religion And wee ſhall heare from you rideing on your Red, white, and Speckled Horſes that Joyfull Report mentioned in the 1ſt. cap. of the Prophet Zacha. & 11. verſe. Wee hauehave walked to and fro thorow the Earth, and behold all the Earth ſitteth ſtill and is at Reſt. If this be the glorious effects of your circular Preaching as wee hauehave all the reaſon in the world to thinke it will. Tis no wonder that the Kings of the Earth will bring their Glory and honour into this Citty, not onelyonly as it is a Citty dedicated to the honour of God, but as it is a Citty whoſe Inhabitans will eſtabliſh Peace and Tranquillitty in their Kingdoms. It was in the heart of King David, to build God a Houſe, and though God had not commanded it, yet he moſt graciouſly accepted his good intentions. But it has not yet been in the heart of any King to build God a Citty they hauehave built themſelues Cittyes for their owne honour and glory. Is not this Great Babylon that I have built for the Houſe of the Kingdome, by the might of my Power and for the honour of my Majtye ▪ Thus ſpeakes the proud Emperour Nebuchadnezzar, and he ſpoake rhe truth, he had built Babell for the honour of his Majty. And many are the Cittyes, whieh both the Heathen and Chriſtian Emperours hauehave built for their owne honour, and hauehave put uppor them their owne Names, as Caeſarea, Allexandria, Conſtantinople, &c. but wee find not one by the Name of Deople or Chriſtople. When I conſider how in a ſpeciall manner Gods hath ſet Crownes on many Chriſtian Princes heades, and has raiſed ſome from a Private ſtation to the higheſt dignity, and giuen them Severall Kingdomes and many Thouſand Cittyes, I ſay when I conſider this, it makes me wonder, to find none returning back one ſingle Citty by way of gratitude to the Donour. Pudet haec opprobria nobis &c. Tis True They hauehave built and ginen him Severall Houſes, But what is a Houſe or a few Houſes A magnificent and Royall Citty would be more Suitable to the Majtie of Heaven and Earth then a Houſe? Beſides in this Citty he hath ſaid ſhall be noe Temple, plainely inſinuateing that the Temple Adminiſtration ſhould be ended and be changed into that of a Citty. To me it ſeemes to be a moſt Juſt and reaſonable Thing That in Every Nation and Kingdom God the Giuer and Governour of all ſhould hauehave one Citty built and dedicated to his Honour, wherem his Seruants who wait in his Courts and Miniſter at the Altar ſhould be honourably provided for, that their Lineings and fortunes may noe more be precarions, and ſubject to the Will of men, as to the Shame of Chriſtianity they are at this day. I could mention what evill hath befaln the World on accont of Gods Miniſters being-choſen by men and not by Lot, and by haueing their allowance and dependance from Man, but I ſhall here omit it haueing ſpoaken of it in another place. I could heartily wiſh that Chriſtian Kings and Princes and all Temporall Governments would Seriouſly conſider on this Point. Who can tell but that their building Such a Citty, in which the Diſpenſers of Gods Graces and Bleſſings to each Nation, may dwell, may be as Sweet incenſe in the Noſtrills of God in and ſome meaſure attone him, to ſtop the Rage of Fire and Sword which at preſent layes ſomany of their owne Cittyes waſt? I will hope there fore, That (as Dauid Thought of building Gods a Houſe) ſoe that Some King or other, whom God ſhall deliner from many Troubles, and beſtow on him Crownes and victory over his Enimyes, and ſhall Eſtabliſh him on his Throne in Peace, will thinke of ſo holy a worke, and with a moſt gratefull heart build a Royall Citty to the God of Heaven, as a Pattern and Example to other Princes. And tis my oppinion that That Prince who firſt ſets his hand to ſo holy a worke will as far exceed all others, as a Citty ſhall exceed a houſe or Temple, T'or as Soloman exceed all other Kings of his Time. To you Therefore the Preachers of the Goſpell who are to be Inhabiters of this Citty, To you, whoſe intereſts are ſoe unhappily mixt in Temporalls, To you who hauehave beene ſoe much abuſed, and who hauehave abuſed ſo much, To you who are, and hauehave beene ſoe unhappily and unequally provided for in this Late Adminiſtration, I addreſſe my ſelfe; And make it my Requeſt, that inſtead of writeing, diſputing and Preaching one againſt another, and inſtead of makeing partyes and Factions, and ſtirring up Kings and Princes and the Particular States where you dwell to defend your Controverſyes and intereſts; That you rather apply your ſelves to diſpoſe and move the Hearts of Prince and People to the building you a Citty, wherein you may liue peaccably, and out of wen. you may with eaſe and Comfort diſpence the pure word of God to Each Nation. This will be more for the Honour of God, for your intereſt and happineſſe, and for the intereſt peace and Happineſſe of each King and People. And who then is willing to conſecrate his Service this day unto the Lord? The 1 Cron. 29 cap. & 5 verſe. This to me ſeemes to be a more pleaſing Text then, Curſe ye Meros, or Some others that I could Name, I recommend you to the Demonſtration of Truth in the modell of the Citty and followeing Pages, and will not further adde, onelyonly when your Citty is built, and you are in your Poſſeſſions, I hope you will be very Thanke full to God, ands not be alltogether unmindfull of
Yor. Humble Servant T. B.