A Complete and Compendious Church History, Chapter 28
The Twenty-Eighth Plot againſt the Church by Arrianiſine: Defeated by God.
CHAP. XXVIII.
NOw when (after the 2d. 3d, and 4th. Seal bringing War, Famine, Death, and Hell) the 6th. Seal had brought an Earth-quake upon the Pagan-Roman Empire, (for bringing ſo many Souls Under the Altar in the 5th.) even ſuch Horrible Commotions and Confuſions, (for the Ten Perſecutions,) Inſomuch as the Perſecutors Killed one another, Rev. 6. 4, 9, 12. The Reward they all got, was onelyonly [ut Citiùs Interficerentur] to be Cut off the ſooner: Then the 7th. Seal brings in Silence in Heaven for half an Hour, Rev. 8. 1. that is, ſome little Breathing time of Reſt and Peace, which the Church (call'd oft, The Kingdom of Heaven) had when Conſtantine came to the Crown Imperial: This was 1. as a Dooms-Day to the Dung-hill D…ities; and to the Chemarims or Chimney-Chaplains of Rome-Heathen, as Deſcrib'd, Rev. 6. 12, 13, to the end; but 2. 'twas a Day of Refreſhing, foreign, Refrigerationis, a Cooling time to the Church after Hot Perſecutions, Act. 3. 19. 'twas a Time of Reſtitution of all things, ver. 21. Now the Church Militant on Earth became (as it were) Triumphant in Heaven: This Conſtantine was the Man-Child which the Church brought forth (by her Prayers) and which the great Red Dragon would have Devoured, Rev. 12. 1, to 5. (1) He was the Anſwer and Fruit of her prayrs; She had been a Garden Encloſed, a Spring ſhut up, and a Fountain Sealed, to wit, under Reſtraint, and even in Fetters (as the Word ſignifies) all the time of the Ten Perſecutions, Cant. 4. 12. Hereupon ſhe prays for an Inlargement by the Blowing of the North-wind upon her, that her Spices (not ſtill Deſtroy'd by all her Sufferings) might ſlow forth, v. 16. It may be read, [Awake, O Northwind, and come Southwind,] to cool my hot perſecutions; God Anſwers, the Northward ariſes, (even Conſtantine Born at York, in the North) comes into the South, breaths upon her with a Bleſſed Gale, Eats and Drinks abundantly of her fruits, and thereupon the Devil began his 28th. game, when the Church is lull'd aſleep upon the Lap of Eaſe and Honour, Cant. 5. 1, 2. The Lamb (Chriſt) opening the 7th. Seal, brings forth the Seven Trumpeis, Rev. 8. 1, 2. Thoſe ſounded ſuch a Dreadful Alarum with their Thundrings againſt the Roman-Pagan-Empire, (now ready to be Ruin'd, at the earneſt ſuit of the Martyrs, Rev. 6. 10. by the Chriſtian Emperours,) This Awaken'd the Church, whoſe heart was awake even while ſhe Slumber'd or Slept, Cant. 5. 2. yet for her thorow-Awakening, the ſame Angel of the Covenant (that had Perfumed her Prayers, Rev. 6. 10. with his own ſweet Odours, Rev. 8. 3, 4.) lets out again the Angel of the Bottomleſs Pit upon Her in the Arrian Hereſie, for out of the ſame Cen…er he ſcarters the Fire of the Altar abroad upon the Earth, ver. 5. Inſomuch that the Arrian Biſhops perſecuted the Orthodox with moſt monſtrous Malice and Malignity; eſpecially in the times of Conſtans, Conſtantius, and Valens the Arrian-Emperours, this might be the Hail and Fire mingled with blood after the 1ſt. Trumpet, v. 7. and till that Woe was over, one part of the Anſwer to the Martyrs Prayer was, that they ſhould Reſt yet for a little ſeaſon, until their Fellow-Servants were Killed by thoſe Curſed Arrians, Rev. 6. 11. and under this 2d. Period of Events, it may be ſaid, (at leaſt by way of Exemplification) (as in the 2d. and 3d. Trumpet, Revel. 8. 8, 13.) that a great Star fell from Heaven, to wit, Arrius a great Mountain fell into the Sea, to wit, his Hereſie, who being in the Gall of Bitterneſs (himſelf) did not onelyonly Embitter the Doctrine of the Church, but turn'd it into blood, making it plainly Mortal to Drink of, and Deſtructive to the Soul by his Denying the Deity of Chriſt (in his turning foreign Poſſeſſed into foreign Created, Prov. 8. 22. as if Chriſt were only a meer Creature, and not foreign God-Man, as if Jacobs Ladder (Chriſt) had not Two Sides, and a top and a bottom, to wit, his Divine and Humane Nature, as if he were onelyonly foreign, like-God, and not alſo foreign, Co-Equal, Co-Eſſential with God, Ioh. 10.30. the Expreſs Image of his perſon, Hebr. 1.3. in whom the God-Head dwell'd bodily, Col. 2. 9.) this his making Chriſt, onelyonly a Diminutive-God was a Soul-Damning Doctrine, for this is the Rock and Foundation of our Faith, (that Chriſt is God-Man) Matth. 16. 16. Ioh. 1. 1. Phil. 2. 6. If we believe it not, there is no Heaven to be had for us, 1 Joh. 5. 20. ☞ Therefore this Truth Men muſt hold as their Lives, that Chriſt (1) hath the Incomunicable Attributes of God, Joh. 8. 58. and 20. 28. as Eternity, Joh. 1. 1, 3, 9, 11, 14. and 17. 5. Infiniteneſs, Joh. 3. 13. Omniſcience, Joh. 2. 24. and 2…. 17. (2) that He is one with the Father in Eſſence and Power, …oh. 10. 30, …8. and 14. 23. (3) Doing the Works of God, as Creation, Ioh. 1. 3. Conſervation, Ioh. 5. 17. Matchleſs Miracles, Ioh. 7. 31. and 8. 32. (4) and taking to himſelf Divine Honour, Ioh. 9. 38. and 14. 1. and 20. 28, &c. Now Arrius in Denying the Deity of Chriſt, Deny'd the Redemption of the Church, for 'tis not the Work of a meer Mortal, but of a Divine Power to take away the ſins of the World, and to ſatisfie the Curſe of the Law, and the Wrath of God, for them. The Expreſs Image of God muſt reſtore that Loſt Image in Man. The Son of God, foreign, by Subſtance muſt Recover Adam (the Son of God, Luk. 3. laſt.) and all Believers to be the Sons of God, foreign, by way of Priviledge onelyonly, Ioh. 1. 12. No Wonder then that this Doctrine of Devils did Darken (as 'tis ſaid, Rev. 8. 12.) the 3d. part of the Sun, (the Prelates) of the Moon, (their Curats) and of the Stars, the Common-Profeſſors. Under the 4th. Trumpet, accordingly it may be ſaid, That this Arrian-Hereſie was that Flood which the Dragon (when Dethroned by Conſtantine, the Churches chief Champion) caſt out of his Mouth to Drown her for bringing forth ſuch a Man-Child, Rev. 12. 9, 15. which Flood was ſo Impetuous and Univerſal an Innundation, [ut totus Mundus Ingemuit, & ſe Arrianum Miratus eſt.] The whole World Groaned under the Preſſure of it, ſaith Jerom: the Devil did more Miſchief to the Church by the Arrian-Hercticks, than ever he had done by Pagan-Perſecutors. Still the Devil (or Dragon) cannot carry His Game, and 'tis a Wonder he did not, conſidering, How the Roman-Emperours (who had ſo lately given their Names to Chriſt) might have caſt of all Profeſſion of Chriſtianity, when they ſaw ſuch Deſperate Digladiations and Bloody Contentions among Chriſtians (ſo called) about ſo abſtruſe (yet fundamental) a point; yet God over-rul'd this (enough probable) occaſion of Offence, he fixed Conſtantine, Martianus, Theodoſius, Sen. and Jun. Arcadius, Juſtinian, &c. to Suppreſs it; though Conſtantine (himſelf) Declined in his latter Day, through his Siſter (Conſtantia's) Influence upon him, and by Arrius's Cheat in Subſcribing and Swearing to the Nicen Creed, (when he meant both to another under his Arm, a right Jeſuits Trick) whereby he was owned by the Emperour; yet could not this Wretch ſo cheat the Great God, who ſet this Black Brand upon him, that when he was going in great pomp to be Reinveſted into his Church at Conſtantinople, (by the Command of his Cheated Conſtantine) and ſtepping aſide to Eaſe himſelf, his Excrements, Guts, and Soul, went all out together; this was [ut Precationis opus, non Morbi] the effect of faithful Prayers, (calling for full and final Vengeance) rather than of any former Diſtemper; for Alexander (the good Biſhop of that place, and fearing his Return) earneſtly Pray'd (the Night before) that God would prevent it, and this was Gods Anſwer; He, who had made ſo Dreadful a Rupture in the Church, (Chriſts Body) Dyes (himſelf) of a Diſmal Rupture, by his Bowels and Life breaking all out together. Thus the Lord Branded this Wretch, as he had done Judas, Act. 1. 18. [foreign, All his Bowels guſhed out, becauſe he had no Bowels for his Maſter in Betraying him] and worſe, for that Rupture (Cum quodam Singulari Crepitus fragore, comming off with a great Crack, as the Word ſignifies) befalls Judas, when he had gone ſneaking to confeſs his Sin to the Prieſts, Matth. 27. 3, 4. (which yet were but Miſerable Comforters) but this be fell Arrius as he was going in his Pontiſicalibus, and proudly ſtrutting to reaſſume his Dignity, out of which he had been Ejected, even then did he ſend out his Soul (wrap'd up, as it were, in his Excrements) to be his Harbinger unto Hell to provide Room for his Body: * By this (1) Divine Teſtimony againſt Arrius, many were Admoniſh'd and Renounc'd their Arrianiſm. (2) The like Teſtimony God gave againſt that Grand Arrian Emperour, Valens (who Conſulted with the Devil about his Succeſſour, and the Older, the fiercer againſt the Church) when about Subſcribing an Edict to Baniſh Baſil, his Hand was ſmitten with ſuch a Trembling, that he was forced to deſiſt; and when (both) Beaten and Wounded by the Goths, and flying into an obſcure Cottage to dreſs his Wounds, theſe Barbarians (the Goths) purſued him thither, and there Burnt him Alive with the Cottage, to leave his Name a Curſe to all Ages: Beſides (3) the Church had and Heard the Voice of her beloved Knocking, even while ſhe was Sleeping under Arrianiſme, Cant. 5.2. that her Heart might be kept Waking by all Her Woundings from the Heritical Watch-men, v. 7. Chriſt put in his Hand by the Hole of the Door, v. 4. in ſtirring up ſo many Orthodox Emperors, who all were Nurſing Fathers to the Church, Iſa. 49. 23. calling Synods 1. againſt Arrius Denying the Deity of Chriſt; 2. againſt Neſtorius Dividing the Perſons in Chriſt; 3. againſt Eutiches Confounding their Natures, 4 againſt Macedonius Denying the Deity and Perſon of the Holy-Ghoſt. And for this very Cauſe of Comforting the Church, that She might not Sink under her many and ſad Sufferings: the 7th. Chap. of the Revelation, ſeems to be Interlac'd (in the whole of it) betwixt the 6th. and 7th. Seal; wherein is expreſſed (1) Gods great care in preſerving a competent Company, even 144000 Sealed Servants, v. 4. a great Multitude, v. 9. and more than moſt thought they had been, in Deſpight of the Devil. (2) Gods great kindneſs in cauſing thoſe Sealed Servants to Triumph before the Throne with their Palms in their Hands over all their Perſecutors, v. 9, 10. unto which Songs of Praiſe the Angels ſay Amen, v. 11, 12. See more of Gods Care and Kindneſs in the cloſe of Ch. 29th.