Saints No Smiters, Treatise · Section 11
§ 11. The 9th and 10th arguments against the smiting work of Quinto-Monarchians from the meekness, peaceableness, and patience of Saints.
TO these arguments, which have been confirmed, I shall add a ninth taken from the opposition of spirit and practise, which their doctrine begets to the precepts of meekness and peaceablness, which the Gospel requires of Christians, and to which it assigns blessedness. Our Lord Christ in his sermon on the Mount, Matth. 5. 5. saith, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. v. 9. Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the Children of God. v. 22. He forbids rash anger, contemptuous speech and opprobrious language. v. 23, 24, 25. requires speedy endeavours of reconciliation with adversaries; nor is it any thing against this precept of Christ that he tels us, Luke, 12. 49. 51. I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled? Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay; but rather division. For these expressions do not shew his approbation of division, but his foresight of it, not as a thing which he affected, or as a thing desirable of it self, or which he studied to promote, but as a thing which he knew was unavoidable in the event, that while he endeavoured to promote the truth of the Gospel by accident divisions would follow, not from his doctrine, which was the Gospel of peace, but through the perversness of mens spirits, who would oppose it. But that it was the will of Christ, that all Christian Saints should be meek, and peaceable appears from the many precepts injoyning them in the Apostles writings, Rom. 12. 18. If it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men, Rom. 14. 17. For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost. v. 19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. Gal. 5. 19, 20. The workes of the flesh are hatred, enmities, variance, wrath, strise, seditions, divisions or factions. v. 22. 23. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, meekness. Heb. 12. 14. Follow peace with all men. James 3. 17. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. v. 18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 1 Pet. 3. 10, 11. He that will love life and see good daies, let him seek peace and ensue it. From hence I argue, that doctrine is damnable and Antichristian, which is opposire to Christs, and his Apostles commands, approbation, and beatification concerning meekness and peaceableness: But such is the doctrine of the Quinto-Monarchians, which stirs up enmities and hostility among men, teacheth separations from men, even such as they hope are godly, from Churches, gathered in a pastoral way, reducing things to primitive practise; and breaths out nothing but Wars, and smiting of all that denie or oppose their smiting work, which are as contrary to meekness and peaceableness, as hot to cold, black to white. Therefore their doctrine is damnable and Antichristian. Nor can they be acquitted by alleging such texts as, Psal. 139. 21, 22. and 137. 9. Amos. 5. 15. Hab. 2. 6, 7, 8. Revel. 17. 16. unless they can shew all civil powers extant, and those, whom they hope to be godly, Churches gathered in a pastoral way reducing things to primitive practise, yet count enemies to Christs Kingdom, because they oppose that which these call the smiting work of the Stone, to be indeed haters of God, and Babylon, and also that these are the Stone, or the ten Horns that are to hate the Whore, and make her desolate. Till this be done (which I expect to be done at later Lammas) we may say as Christ did, ye know not what spirit ye are of: or rather determin, that they are indeed of an Antichristian, or Diabolical spirit.
For a further inforcing of this argument I shall adjoyn a tenth, taken from those many texts of scripture, especially in the New Testament, which both require patience in the Saints, and assigne blessedness to it, and make suffering the portion of the Saints, and necessary to their entrance into the Kingdom of God, & that to continue till Christs coming, Matth. 5. 10, 11, 12. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake, rejoyce and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven, Luke 21. 19. In your patience possess your souls, Acts 14. 22. Paul and Barnabas confirmed the souls of the Disciples, and exhorted them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. 2 Thes. 1. 4, 5. So that we our selves glory in you in the Churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions, and tribulations that ye endure, which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer. 2 Tim. 3. 12. Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Heb. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every Son whom he receives James. 1. 4. Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James. 5. 7. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Hence I argue, those who teach smiting, when Christ and his Apostles teach patience, those who count them Antichristian, who would have Christ, his Saints, his cause in and on the earth a sufferer, though Christ, and his Apostles call it Christian to suffer, and require patience until the coming of the Lord, these teach doctrine, which is indeed damnable and Antichristian. But so do the Quinto-Monarchians, as may be seen before Sest. 2. Therefore the doctrine of their smiting work is damnable and Antichristian.