The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 123
CHAP. CXXII.
Peace.
DEare Truth, The wars of Israel typicall.you have most lively set forth the unparallel'd state of that typicall Land and people of the Iewes in their peace and quiet government: Let mee now request you in the last place to glance at the difference of the wars of this people from the wars of other Nations, and of their having no Antitype but the Churches of Christ Iesus.
First, all Nations round about Israel more or lesse, sometime or other, had indignation against this people, Aegyptians, Edomites, Moabites, Israels Enemi…s round about.Ammonites, Midians, Philistians, Assyrians and Babylonians, &c. as appeares in the History of Moses, Samuel, Iudges and Kings, and in all the Prophets: You have an expresse Catalogue of them, Psal. 83. sometimes many hundred thousand Enemies in pitcht field against them: of Ethiopians ten hundred thousand at once in the dayes of Asa, 2 Chron. 14. and at other times as the sand upon the Sea shoare.
Such Enemies the Lord Iesus foretold his Israel, The Enemies of mysticall Israel.The World shall hate you, Iohn 16. You shall be hated of all men for my Names sake, Matth. 24. All that will live godly in Christ Iesus must be persecuted or hunted, 1 Tim. 4. And not only by flesh and bloud, but also by Principalities, Powers, Spirituall wickednesse in high places (Ephes. 6.) by the whole Pagan World under the Roman Emperours, and the whole Antichristian World under the Roman Popes, Rev 12. & 13. Chap. by the Kings of the Earth, Rev. 17. And Gog and Magog, like the sand upon the Sea shoare (Rev. 20.)
Peace.
Such Enemies, such Armies, no History, no experience proves ever to have come against one poore Nation as against Israel in the type; and never was nor shall be knowne to come against any State or Country now, but the Israel of God the Spirituall Iewes, Christs true followers in all parts and quarters of the World.
Beside all these without,Enemies against Israel in her owne bowells. Israel is betraied within her owne bowells, bloudy Sauls, Absaloms, She…aes, Adonljahs, Ieroboams, Athal…ahs raising insurrections, conspiracies, tumults, in the Antitype, and Parallell the Spirituall state of the Christian Church.
Secondly, consider we the famous and wonderfull battells, victories, captivities, deliverances, which it pleased the God of Israel to dispence to that people and Nation, and let us search if they can be paralleld by any State or people, but mystically and Spiritually the true Christian Israel of God, Gal. 6.
How famous was the bondage and slavery of that people and Nation 430 yeares in the Land of Aegypt, The famous typically captivities of the Jews.and as famous, glorious and miraculous was their returne through the Red Sea (a figure of Baptisme, 1 Corinth. 10. and Aegypt a figure of an Aegypt now, Rev. 11. 8?)
How famous was the 70 yeares captivity of the Iewes in Babel transported from that Land of Canaan, and at the full period returned againe to Ierusalem, a type of the captivity of Gods people now Spiritually captivated in mysticall Babel, Rev. 18. 4?
Time would faile me to speake of Ioshua's conquest of literall Canaan, Their wonderfull victories.the slaughter of 31 Kings, of the miraculous taking of Iericho and other Cities; Gideon his miraculous battell against the Midianites; Ionathan and his Armour bearer against the Philistims; David by his 5 smooth stones against Goliah; Asa, Iehosaphat, Hezechia, their mighty and miraculous victories against so many hundred thousand Enemies, and that sometimes without a blow given.
What State, what Kingdome, what warres and combats, victories and deliverances can parallel this people, but the Spirituall and mysticall Israel of God in every Nation and Country of the World, typed out by that small typicall handfull, in that little spot of ground the land of Canaan?
The Israel of God now,The mysticall battells of Gods Israel now. men and women, fight under the Great Lord Generall, the Lord Iesus Christ: Their Weapons, Armour, and Artillery, is like themselves Spirituall, set forth from top to toe, Ephes. 6. So mighty and so potent that they breake downe the strongest holds and Castles, yea in the very soules of men and carry into captivity the very thoughts of men, subjecting them to Christ… Iesus: They are Spirituall conquerours, as in all the 7 Churches of Asia, He that overcommeth: He that overcommeth, Rev. 2. & 3.
Their victories and conquests in this are contrary to those of this World, for when they are slaine and slaughtered, yet then they conquer: So overcame they the Divell in the Roman Emperours, Rev. 12. By the bloud of the Lambe: 2. By the word of their Testimony: 3. The cheerfull spilling of their owne bloud for Christ; for they loved not their lives unto the death: And in all this they are more then Conquerors through him that loved them, Rom. 8.
This glorious Armie of white Troopers, The mysticall Army of white troopers R. 19.horses and harnesse (Christ Iesus and his true Israel) Rev. 19. gloriously conquer and overcome the Beast, the false Prophet and the Kings of the Earth up in Armes against them, Rev. 19. and lastly, raigning with Christ a thousand yeares they conquer the Divell himselfe and the numberlesse Armies (like the sand on the Sea shoare) of Gog and Magog, and yet not a tittle of mention of any sword, helmet, breastplate, shield or horse, but what is Spirituall and of a heavenly nature: All which Warres of Israel have been, may be, and shall be fulfilled mystically and Spiritually.
I could further insist on other particulars of Israels unparalled state, and might display those excellent passages which it pleaseth God to mention, N…hem 9.