A Christian Library, Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
CHAP. V.
THirdly, No hope it should be otherwise, since God from the beginning of the Creation, hath proclaimed a War, enmity and strife, between the wicked and the godly: Did you never read that Scripture, Gen. 3.15. where God himself saith to the Serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he, or it, shall bruise thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Where by the serpentts seed are meant the whole generation of wicked men; and by the womans seed, Christ and all his members, as all Interpreters conclude, and other Scriptures make cleer, where wicked men are called serpents, a generation of vipers, and children of the Devil, Matth. 23.33. John 8.44. 1 John 3.10. And as this war was proclaimed in Paradise, even in the beginning of time, (original sin, being the original of this discord) so it shall continue to the end of all time: When time, saith One, began, this malice first began, nor will it end but with the latest man. It … everlasting Act of Parliament, like a Statute in Magna Charta. Which … thing I would commend to your serious consideration: And that you may be the better confirmed therein, see how according to the Lords prediction or proclamation, there hath been a perpetual war, enmity and strife in all ages past, is now and ever shall be, between Satan and Christ, and their Regiments the wicked and the godly.
For proof whereof I could produce testimonies and examples innumerable, there being scarce a page in the Bible, which doth not express or imply somewhat touching this enmity. But that I may be brief, and because examples give a quicker impression then arguments, I will onelyonly give you an instance in every Age. As
First, to begin with the first Age, viz. the old World before the flood. We read of this mortal enmity and strife between Cain and Abel, 1 John 3.12. Secondly, after the Flood, before the Law between Esau and Iacob, first in the womb, the more plainly to shadow out this enmity, Gen. 25.22, 23. and after they were born, Gen. 27.41. Thirdly, After the Law, before Christ, between Doeg and the 85. Priests which he slew with the edge of the sword, 1 Sam. 22.18, 19. Fourthly, Since the Gospel, in the time of Christ, and his Apostles; this enmity so manifested it self not only in the Gentiles, but in the Iews, Gods own people, who first raised those persecutions against Christ and his members; that having beheaded Iohn Baptist his harbinger, and crucified himself the Lord of life: We read that of all the twelve, none died a natural death save only S. Iohn, and he also was banished by Domitian to Patmos, and at another time thrust into a Tun of seething oyl at Rome, as Tertullian and S. Hierome do report: See Acts 7.51, to 60. and 12. 1. to 5. Rom. 8.36. Iohn 21.18, 19. Fifthly, After the Apostles, if we consider the residue of the ten Persecutions raised by the Romans against the Christians, which was for three hundred years till the coming of godly Constantine, we finde that under Dioclesian, seventeen thousand Christians, were slain in one monethmonth, amongst whom was Serena the Empress also. Yea, under him and nine other Empere…s, there was such an innumerable company of innocent Christians put to death and tormonted, that S. Hierom in his Epistle to Chromatius and Heliodorus saith, There is no one day in the year, unto the number of five thousand Martyrs might not be ascribed, except only the first day of Ianuary. Yea there was two thousand suffered in the same place and at the same time with Nicanor, Acts and Monuments, page 32. who were put to the most exquisite deaths and torments, that ever the wit or malice of men or devils could invent to inflict upon them, and all for professing the faith of Christ, and being holy: which makes S. Paul cry out, I think that God hath set forth us the last Apostles, as men appointed to death! 1 Cor. 4.9.
CHAP. VI.
SIxthly, From the Primitive times and infancy of the Church hithe…to … Turk and the Pope have acted their parts in shedding the blood of … Saints, as well as the Iewes and Roman Emperours; touching which I will ofer you to the Book of Acts and Monuments; and Revel. 17. The Babylon was drunk with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the … Iesus, ver. 6. Which in part was fulfilled in England under the reign of … Mary; and in France, where before many late bloody … more then two hundred thousand who suffered Martyrdom about Transubstantiation: See Ecclesiastical History, lib. 6. cap. 4, 5, 16. But
Seventh…y, To come to these present times wherein we live: Is it possible for a man to live a conscionable and unreproveable life? abstain from drunkennesse, swearing, prophaning the Lords day, separate himself from evill company, be zealous for the glory of God, admonish others that do amisse &c. without being traduced, calumniated, hated, slandered and persecuted for the same? no it is not possible: for if our righteousnesse doe but exceed the righteousness of a swearer, or a drunkard, we are sure to be persecuted for our righteousness, as Abel was persecuted of Cain, because his Sacrifice was better then his. If a man walke according to the rule of Gods Word, he is too precise; if he will be more then almost a Christian, he is curious, phantastical, factious, and shall be mocked with the Spirit, as if the Spirit of God were a Spirit of dishonour and shame. Yea, in these times not to be an Atheist, or Papist, is to be a Fanatick: as how common a thing is it to wound all holiness under the name of Fanatick, a name so full of the Serpents enmity, as the egge of a Cockatrice is full of poison? What should I say? the World is grown so much knave, that 'tis now a vice to be honest. O the deplorable condition of these times! Even the Devil himself durst not have been so impudent, as to have scoft at holiness in those ancient and purer times: but now I could even sink down with shame, to see Christianity every where so discountenanced: Our very names come into few mouths, out of which they return but with reproaches. Amongst the rest of our sins, O God, be merciciful to the contempt of thy Servants.
Eightly, For the time to come: It is like not only to continue, but the last remnants of time are sure to have the most of it; because as in them love shall wax cold, Matth. 24.12. so as love groweth cold, contention groweth hot.
More expresly the Holy Ghost foretells, that in the last dayes the times shall be per…lous, and that toward the end of the world, there shall be scoffers, false accusers, cursed speakers, fierce, despisers of them that are good; and being steshly, not having the spirit▪ th…y shall speak evill of the things which they understand not: and that many shall follow their damnable ways, whereby the way of truth shall be evill spoken of. And that as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses, so these also shall resist the truth, being men of corrupt mindes, reprobate concerning the faith, being before of old ordained to condemnation, 2 Tim. 3.1. to 13. 2 Pet. 2. 2 and 3.3. Jude 4 10.16, 18, 19. And so much of the third particular.