The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 122
CHAP. CXXI.
Peace.
GLorious and conquering Truth, mee thinkes I see most evidently thy glorious conquests: how mighty are thy spirituall weapons (2 Cor. 10.) to breake downe those mighty and strong Holds and Castles, which men have fortified themselves withall against thee? O that even the thoughts of men may submit and bow downe to the captivity of Jesus Christ!
Truth.
Your kinde incouragement makes mee proceed more cheerfully to a fourth difference from the Lawes and Statutes of this Land,A fourth difference of Lawes and Statutes from all others. different from all the Lawes and Statutes of the World, and parallel'd onelyonly by the Lawes and Ordinances of spirituall Israel.
First then consider we the Law-maker, Moses a type of Christ.or rather the Law-publisher or Prophet, as Moses calls himselfe, Deut. 18. and Act. 3. he is expresly called that Prophet who figured out Christ Iesus who was to come, like unto Moses, greater then Moses, as the son is greater then the servant.
Such Law-givers or Law-publishers never had any State or People as Moses the type, or Christ Iesus, miraculously stirred up and sent as the mouth of God betweene God and his people.
Secondly,The Lawes of Israel unparallel'd, concerning the Lawes themselves: It is true, the second Table containes the Law of Nature, the Law Morall and Civill, yet such a Law was also given to this people as never to any people in the World: such was the Law of worship, Psal. 147. peculiarly given to Iacob, and God did not deale so with other Nations: which Lawes for the matter of the worship in all those wonderfull significant Sacrifices, and for the manner by such a Priesthood, such a place of Tabernacle, and afterward of Temple, such times and solemnities of Festivals, were never to be parallel'd by any other Nation, but onelyonly by the true Christian Israel established by Iesus Christ amongst Iewes and Gentiles throughout the World.
Thirdly, the Law of the tenne Words (Deut. 10.) the Epitome of all the rest,Gods owne finger penn'd Lawes for Israel. it pleased the most high God to frame and pen twice with his owne most holy, and dreadfull finger upon Mount Sinai, which he never did to any other Nation before or since, but onelyonly to that spirituall Israel, the people and Church of God, in whose hearts of flesh he writes his Lawes, according to Ier 31. Heb 8. and 10.
Peace.
Such promulgation of such Lawes, by such a Prophet, must needs be matchlesse and unparallel'd.
Truth.
In the fift place consider we the punishments and rewards annexed to the breach or observation of these Lawes.Fift difference Temporall prosperity most proper to the temporall Nationall State of the Jewes.
First, those which were of a temporall and present consideration of this life: Blessings and Curses of all sorts opened at large, Levit. 26. and Deut. 28. which cannot possibly be made good in any State, Countrey or Kingdome, but in a spirituall sense in the Church and Kingdome of Christ.
The reason is this,The spirituall prosperity of Gods people now, the antitype. such a temporall prosperity of outward peace and plenty of all things, of increase of children, of cattell, of honour, of health, of successe, of victory, suits not temporally with the afflicted and persecuted estate of Gods people now: And therefore spirituall and soule blessednesse must be the Antitype, viz. In the midst of revilings, and all manner of evill speeches for Christs sake, soule blessednesse. In the midst of afflictions and persecutions, soule blessednesse, Math. 5. and Luc. 6. And yet herein the Israel of God should enjoy their spirituall peace, Gal. 6. 16.
Out of that blessed temporall estate to be cast or caried captive, What Israels excommunication was.was their excommunication or casting out of Gods sight, 2 King. 17. 23. Therefore was the blasphemer, the false Prophet, the idolater, to bee cast out or cut off from this holy Land: which punishment cannot be parallel'd by the punishment of any State or Kingdome in the world, but onelyonly by the excommunicating or outcasting of person or Church from the fellowship of the Saints and Churches of Christ Iesus in the Gospel.
And therefore (as before I have noted) the putting away of the false prophet, The corporall stoning in the Law, typed out spirituall s…oning in the Gospell.by stoning him to death, Deut. 13. is fitly answered (and that in the very same words) in the Antitype, when by the generall consent or stoning of the whole Assembly, and wicked person is put away from amongst them, that is, spiritually cut off out of the Land of the spiritually living, the people or Church of God, 1 Cor. 5. Galat. 5.
Lastly,The rewards or punishments of the Lawes of Israel not to be parallel'd. the great and high reward or punishment of the keeping or breach of these Lawes to Israel, was such as cannot suit with any State or Kingdome in the World beside: the Reward of the Observation was Life, Eternall Life. The Breach of any one of these Law… was death, Eternall death or damnation from the presence of the Lord. So Rom. 10. Iam. 2. Such a Covenant God made not before nor since with any State or People in the world. For, Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth, Rom. 10. 4. And he that beleeveth in that Son of God, hath eternall life; hee that beleeveth not hath not life, but is condemned already, John 3. and 1 John 5.