A Complete and Compendious Church History, Frontispiece – Table of contents
Christopher Neſse
Minniſter of the Goſpel in fleet ſtreet London.
atutis ſuoe 56: 1678
A Compleat and Compendious Church-Hiſtory: SHEWING, HOW it hath been from the Beginning of the World, to this preſent Day.
Being an Hiſtorical-Narrative, How the Power and Providence of GOD, According to His Promiſe, Hath hitherto Confounded all the Damnable PLOTS of the DEVIL.
To which is ANNEXED A Scripture-Prophecy: FORE-SHEWING, HOW it ſhall be Hence to the End of the WORLD.
The Whole Containing the Quinteſſence of Sacred, Civil, and Eccleſiaſtick-Writers; And ſerving as a ſhort Comment upon all the Books in the BIBLE, both Hiſtorical and Prophetical.
Publiſhed for Publick Good, By Chriſtopher Neſs, Miniſter of the Goſpel, in Fleet-Street.
LONDON, Printed by T. H. and are to be Sold by Jacob Sampſon, next Door to the Wonder in Ludgate-Street: And by Jonathan Wilkins, at the Star, next Mercers-Chappel, in Cheap-ſide, 1680.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir Robert Clayton, Lord Mayor of London.
My LORD,
I Beſeech You Pardon my Boldneſs, that (Poor) I do take upon me to Interrupt your Lordſhip in your ſo Great Affairs and ſo Emergent Occaſions, as the Saving of a Sinking City and Nation, moſt juſtly Challengeth: Were I as Worthy as Jonathan, 'tis no leſs a Law writ in my Heart to do for your Lordſhip what he did for David, [In going to him into the Wood, to Strengthen His Hands in God,] I do here Preſent to your Noble Hands as Noble and Neceſſary a Proſpect as this lower World can Afford, to wit, GOD wageing War againſt the DEVIL, from the Beginning of the World to the End thereof, and God all along (as is moſt meet) Obtaining the VICTORY: 'Tis a pleaſant Spectacle to behold Chriſt and Antichriſt contending for Maſtery: To be an Univerſal HISTORIAN, (as I preſume your Lordſhip to be) is the moſt Effectual Means to make Wiſe for both Worlds: Hence Plato Derives Hiſtoria, [foreign,] from Stopping the Flux of Humane Extravagancy, Hiſtory being the Witneſs of Time, the Light of Truth, the Life of Memory, and the Doctreſs of the Life of Man: As it is a continued Kalendar of moſt Remarkable Actions in former Ages, ſo it holds forth Caution, Counſel, and Comfort, to following Generations; Quid Divinius, Nôſſe omnia? To be a good Hiſtorian, is a good way to be both Wiſe and Good, as Contracting a Bleſt Compoſition of all thoſe Perfections peruſed in every Age, and leaving a Transforming Influence behind them: Hiſtory makes Wiſe (1) to Secular Affairs, as it is a Knowledge of Things paſt, whereby we may Judge of Things preſent, and make Probable Conjectures at Things to come, ſeeing there is no New thing under the Sun. The ſelf-ſame Scenes are Acted over and over again upon the Stage of the World, 'Tis onelyonly the Perſons (that Act them) which are changed; therefore the Repreſenting in an Hiſtorical-Glaſs, what hath been before, is a plain Praemonition of what ſhall be Hereafter. 2. Wiſe to Salvation: The Great God hath been making a Large Comment (even in Capital Characters) upon his own Text, Gen. 4. 7. If thou doſt Well, ſhalt thou not be Accepted? and If Ill, Sin lies at thy Door: and upon that Text, Iſa. 3.10, 11. Say to the Righteous, It is well, &c. and Woe to the wicked, and tell them ſo from me, ſaith the Lord. As the moſt Wiſe God made Two Great Luminaries (the Sun and Moon) to give Light to the World, ſo hath he Ordained Two Great Lights (the Word of His Promiſe, and the Work of his Providence) to Enlighten his Church: as the Moon borrows Light from the Sun, wherewith ſhe looks upon the World with greater Splendour: ſo the Work of Providence (as to us) Receives Light from the Word of Promiſe, whereby the Church is more Illuminated. What is the Work of Providence, (upon all Ages, Places, Families, Perſons, &c.) but the Accompliſhment of the Words of Prophecy and Promiſe: All the Actings and Emanations of Providence, are a ſtanding Comment and a clear Interpretation of Abſtruſe Prophecies, and of Ʋnfulfill'd Promiſes: All Occurrences (whether Great or Small) in the World, are but the Accompliſhment of what God hath Prophecy'd and Promis'd in His Word: Solomon Saith, The thing that hath been, it is that which ſhall be, Eccleſ. 1. 9, 10, 'Tis True, there hath been ſome Extraordinary Actings of God in the World, (ſuch as Noah's Deluge, the promulgation of the Law, the Suns ſtanding ſtill and going back, a Virgin bearing a Son, &c.) ſhall never be again: Yet all Ordinary Occurencies are alike in all Ages, from a Two-fold Ground. 1. All Natural Cauſes and Effects continue as they were at the Beginning, Natura nihil Molitur Novi, Nature Produces no New Species of Creatures, though there may be ſome Accidental Defect or Superfluity in the Matter. (2.) All Humane and Voluntary Actions, Counſels, and Contrivances, (having the ſame Principles to Produce them, and the ſame Objects to Draw them forth,) are the ſame in Subſtance, as Heretofore, and therefore muſt have the ſame Tendency: As Face Anſwers to Face in a Glaſs, ſo doth the Heart of Man to Man, Prov. 27. 19. that is, The Counſels of the Hearts, and Courſes of the Lives of Men in one Age, do exactly Anſwer unto thoſe of another, As it was in the Days of Noah, even ſo ſhall it be, &c. Matth. 24. 31, 39. A Man may as in a Mirror take a Shrewd Proſpect of Future Events by former Inſtances. It muſt therefore be acknowledg'd a mighty Loſs to Mankind to Bury the Knowledge of former things in the Grave of Unmindful Heads, or Unthankful Hearts.
My Lord, You are WISE (I would ſay) as an Angel of God, to Diſcern Dexterouſly, and Improve Practically, what is here (Quale, quale eſt,) Preſented to your Lord-ſhip, 'tis a CHURCH-HISTORY, being an Orderly Commemoration of Things paſt, with the Circumſtances of Time and Place in Diſtinct Deſcents and Diſtances for the better Help of Remembrance, Affection and Application: wherein your HONOUR may turn aſide with Moſes to Behold the Buſh ever Burning ▪ in the Flames of Her Adverſaries Fury▪ yet never Conſumed, Exod. 3. 3. becauſe the Good will of him that dwelt in the Buſh, did preſerve it, Deut. 33. 16. That Excellent Emblem of the Church had a Complication of Wonders, as 1. There was a Flame of Fire, elſe how could the Buſh be Burning? 2. There was Light, elſe how could Moſes behold it? 3. Yet no Heat, elſe the Buſh had been Conſumed: It was the Angel of the Covenant, that either Qualify'd the Fire to have Light without Heat, or Conſolidated the Buſh, ſo, as not to become Combuſtible: 'Twas the preſence of Chriſt that made the Fiery Furnace a Gallery of Pleaſure to the Three Nobles of Babylon. The Church is the onelyonly Salamander that can Live in the Fire by Vertue of that Promiſe, Iſa. 43. 2. No Flame can Conſume her. And to Behold a Lilly in the midſt of Thorns, Cant. 2. 3. Though one Churliſh Thorn can Scratch in pieces 10000 Tender Lillys, yet is ſo Marvelouſly Preſerv'd in the midſt of many and mighty Enemies, It could never be Cut up by the Sword of Perſecution, or Burnt down by the Fire of Martyrdom: And to Behold all along a moſt Harmonious Conſort, and a moſt Con onant Coincident Correſpondency betwixt the Words of Gods Mouth, and the Works of Gods Hand. Laſtly, Your Honour may behold how the Church hath been (and will be) Secured by a Divine Power, Promiſe, Prophecy, and Providence, againſt the Fraud and Force, Craft and Cruelty, Power and Policy of all her Foes, that notwithſtanding all their Stratagems and Strength, the Iſſue hath ever been the Deſtruction of All the Deſigners, leaving a Fatal Monument of themſelves to Poſterity behind them; yet the Church is ſtill preſerved: That your Lordſhip may be foreign, do Worthily in Ephratah, and be Famous in Bethlehem, (as you Hitherto have been) and that you may have Safety in this World, and Salvation in the World to come, is the Hearty Prayer of
Your Humble Orator, CHRISTOPHER NESS.
ERRATA.
PAg. 11. l. 15. r. own Bow, l. 29. r. (1) Rage. p. 26. l. 4. for ſavely r. ſave, p. 45. for Proteſtator, r. Protector p. 50. l. 16. for Ezek. r. Exod. p. 74. l. 8. for Moſes, r. Moab. p. 87. l. 1. for Parlus, r. Pareus. p. 143. l. 20. for place, r. peace. p. 224. l. 4. r. Evilmerodach. p. 256. l. 1. for 3. r. 20. p. 157, for 257. p. 290. l. 27. for day, r. days, p. 312. l. laſt. r. 3 [preſently] p. 321. l. 27. for 1, r. 8. p. 415. l. 4. for Southwind, r. Southward. l. 5. for Northward, r. Northwind. p. 451. l. 16. for 22. r. 23.
The Table of the Devils Plots againſt the Church, Defeated by God.
Chap. 1. THe Firſt againſt Adam in his State of Innocency. pag. 2, to 11.
Ch. 2. The Second againſt Abel, after the Fall by Cain. pag. 12, to 26.
Ch. 3. The Third againſt Seth and his Poſterity at the Deluge. pag. 27, to 31.
Ch. 4. The Fourth againſt Iſrael by the Bondage in Aegypt. pag. 32, to 41.
Ch. 5. The Fifth againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs, By Amalek. pag. 41, to 46.
Ch. 6. The Sixth againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs; by the Golden Calf. pag. 46, to 52.
Ch. 7. The Seventh againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs, by Korah's Conſpiracy. pag. 53, to 62.
Ch. 8. The Eighth againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs, by Inward Murmurings and Outward Aſſaults: pag. 64, to 70.
Ch. 9. The Ninth againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs; by Balak and Balaam, a Type of Rome. pag. 71, to 86.
Ch. 10. The Tenth againſt the Church in the Wilderneſs, by Moſes Death and Burial. pag. 86, to 90.
Ch. 11. The Eleventh againſt the Church in Canaan, by Achan and by the Altar Ed. pag. 91, to 98.
Ch. 12. The Twelfth againſt the Church in Canaan, by Idolatry and Debauchery. pag. 99, to 111.
Ch. 13. The Thirteenth againſt the Church in Canaan, by the loſs of the Ark. pag. 112, to 126.
Ch. 14. The Fourteenth againſt the Church in Canaan, by Saul, Abſolom, and Adonijah. pag. 127, to 152.
Ch. 15. The Fifteenth againſt the Church in Canaan, by Solomons Apoſtacy. pag. 153, to 164.
Ch. 16. The Sixteenth againſt the Church in Canaan, by Jeroboam's Idolatry to the Captivity of the Ten Tribes. pag. 165, to 188.
Ch. 17. The Seventeenth againſt the Church in Judah, by Apoſtacy to the Captivity of the Two Tribes, pag. 189, to 222.
Ch. 18. The Eighteenth againſt the Church in Babylon, by 70 Y. Captivity. pag. 223, to 238.
Ch. 19. The Nineteenth againſt the Church after their Return by Samaritans, Sanballat, &c. p. 239, to 255.
Ch. 20. The Twentieth againſt the Church in Perſia, by Haman, &c. pag. 256, to 294.
Ch. 21. The 21ſt. againſt the Church, betwixt the Old and New Teſt. and in Chriſt's Minority. pag. 295, to 310.
Ch. 22. The 22d. againſt the Church, in Chriſt, after his Minority at his Bapti…m. pag. 310, to 328.
Ch. 23. The 23d. againſt the Church in Chriſt, fulfilling his Miniſtry. pag. 329, to 360.
Ch. 24. The 24th. againſt the Church, in Chriſt, by Crucifying him at laſt. pag. 361, to 372.
Ch. 25. The 25th. againſt the Church in the Apoſtles, by Perſecution. pag. 373, to 400.
Ch. 26. The 26th. againſt the Church in the Seven Golden Candleſticks of Aſia. pag. 401, to 407.
Ch. 27. The 27th. againſt the Primitive-Church, by the Ten firſt Perſecutions. pag. 407, to 413.
Ch. 28. The 28th. againſt the Church, after the 3d. Century, by Arrianiſm. pag. 413, to 435.
Ch. 29. The 29th. againſt the Eaſtern-Church, after the 6th. Century, by Mahometaniſm. pag. 421, to 435.
Ch. 30. The 30th. againſt the Weſtern-Church, by Popery, from the 6th. Century. pag. 436.
Ch. 31. The Popiſh-Plot againſt the Waldenſes, in the 11th. and 12th. Century.
Ch. 32. The Popiſh-Plot againſt the Lollards, in the 13th. and 14th. Century.
Ch. 33. The Popiſh-Plot againſt the Proteſtants, in the 15th. and 16th. Century.
Ch. 34. A Scripture-Prophecy, opening the Revelation, and Evidencing how the Church ſhall overcome all her Enemies to the End of the World, and ſhall at laſt have a Glorious State, &c.