The Bloody Tenant Washed and Made White in the Blood of the Lamb, Part 1 · Chapter 21 – Chapter 23
CHAP. 21. A Reply to his Chap. 21. VVhat is meant by the world; and more of the Tares.
Diſcuſſer.
2. The Tares cannot ſignifie hypocrites in the Church; for the field wherein they both grow is interpreted by Chriſt himſelfe to be the world, which lieth in wickedneſſe, and is a wilderneſſe of wilde Beaſts, Fornicators, Covetous, Idolators, &c. In this world as ſoone as the Lord Jeſus hath ſowen the good ſeed, (the Children of the Kingdome, true Chriſtianitie, or the true Church) the enemy Satan preſently in the night of Securitie, Ignorance, and Error, ſoweth the Tares, which are Antichriſtians, or falſe Chriſtians. Thoſe the Miniſters and Prophets of God would ſtraight runne to Heaven for fiery Judgements, from thence to conſume them. But the Sonne of man commandeth a Permiſſion of them, till the end of the world, when Goats and Sheep, Tares and Wheate, ſhall be eternally ſeparated, &c.
Defender.
Anſw. 1. It is true, Chriſt expoundeth the Field to be the world, ver. 38. But he meant not the wide world, but (by an uſuall Trope) the Church ſcattered throughout the world: as Chriſt is ſaid to have loved the world, Joh. 3.16. and to be the Propitiation of the ſinnes of the world, 1 Joh. 2.2.
Reaſ. 1. Elſe there had been no place for the ſervants wonder at the appearing of the Tares. Sir, didſt not thou ſow good ſeed in thy field? from whence then hath it Tares? ver. 27. Did ever any of the ſervants of Chriſt wonder, or ſaw any cauſe to wonder, that the world ſhould be full of Fornicators, Idolaters, Murderers, Robbers, &c? Was it ever otherwiſe ſince the world was repleniſhed with Inhabitants?
Reaſ. 2. What calling had the Miniſters, or Prophets of Chriſt, to offer to pluck up all ſuch notorious vicious perſons out of the world? Did ever any Miniſters of Chriſt demand ſuch a Queſtion of Chriſt; Wilt thou have us goe, and gather up all notorious vicious Perſons out of the world? As they doe indeed demand the like concerning theſe Tares in Chriſts field, ver. 28.
Reaſ. 3. The Diſcuſſer himſelfe reckoneth up Goats and Sheep, as parallell with Wheat, and Tares, as generally Interpreters doe. Now evident it is, that Goats were cleane Beaſts, as well as Sheep; cleane for food, yea and cleane alſo for ſacrifice; and yet they were tolerated not onelyonly to live in the ſame world, but in the ſame Church. For after the deſtruction of Antichriſt, when pureſt times of the Church ſhall come, the Members of the Church ſhall all of them be Virgins, (none Idolaters) though ſome wiſe, and ſome fooliſh; all of them ſervants, though ſome thriſtie, ſome unprofitable: all of them cleane, though ſome Goats, ſome Sheep. And therefore the Kingdome of Heaven (that is, the Church) is at that time reſembled to ſuch a mixt ſtate (after the ruine of Antichriſt, and converſion of the Jewes) untill the coming of Chriſt to Judgement, Mat. 25.1. &c.
Anſw. 2. If the Field ſhould be the world, and the Tares Antichriſtians and falſe Chriſtians; it is true, Satan ſowed them in Gods Field, but he ſowed them in the Church. The myſtery of their Iniquitie did ſecretly work in the very boſome of the Church, till in proceſſe of time, it grew ſo ranck and groſſe, as transformed the Churches that drunke it up, into ſpirituall Babylon. But if Antichriſt be an Apoſtate, and Antichriſtianitie Apoſtaſie, then it was firſt ſowen in the field of the Church, and not of the wide world.
Anſw. 3. It is not the will of Chriſt, that Antichriſt and Antichriſtians, and Antichriſtianitie ſhould be tolerated in the world, untill the end of the world. For God will put it into the hearts of faithfull Princes, (as they have given their Kingdomes to the Beaſt, ſo) in fulneſſe of time to hate the whore, to leave her deſolate and naked, and to burne her fleſh with fire, Rev. 17.16, 17. And after this we reade of a viſible ſtate of a new Hieruſalem, which ſhall flouriſh many yeares upon Earth, before the end of the world, Revel. Chap. 20. Chap. 21. Chap. 22.
Nevertheleſſe, I willingly grant that the firſt fruits of Antichriſtians, and falſe Chriſtians may be reckoned up amongſt the Tares, which Satan ſowed in the field of the Church, which afterwards grew to be Briars and Thornes, and ſo deſtructive to the wheate, that the wheat could not be ſuffered (if diſcerned) to live amongſt them.
Diſcuſſer.
But Chriſt (the wiſdome of the Father) would never in opening this Parable, ſo farre obſcure it, or to call the Church, the world: Nor doth it agree with the nature of the Church, or Garden of Chriſt, to be ſtyled the world.
Defender.
It is no impeachment to the wiſdome of Chriſt to call his Elect Churches and Saints throughout the world, by the Name of the world; Elſe Paul ſpake not by the wiſdome of Chriſt, when he ſaid, God was in Chriſt, reconciling the world unto himſelfe, 2 Cor. 5.19.
And though the Church within it ſelfe be a Garden, and ſevered from the world; yet all the Churches being ſcattered and diſperſed throughout the world, it is no more an improper ſpeech, to call the Church the world, then to ſpeake of Chriſt as dying for the world, when he dyed for his Church.
CHAP. 22. A Reply to his 22. Chapter: more of Tares.
Diſcuſſer.
In the former Parable, the Lord Jeſus compared the kingdome of Heaven to the ſowing of ſeed. The true Meſſengers of Chriſt are ſowers, who caſt the ſeed of the word of the Kingdome upon 4. ſorts of ground; which 4. ſorts of grounds, or hearts of men, cannot be ſuppoſed to be of the Church; nor will it ever be proved, that the Church conſiſteth of any more ſorts or natures of ground properly, but one, to wit, the honeſt and good ground. And the proper work of the Church concerneth the proſperitie and flouriſhing of this ſort of ground, and not of the other three ſorts.
In the field of the world then are all thoſe ſorts of grounds, High-wayſide, ſtony, thorney Hearers, as well as the honeſt and good ground. And I ſuppoſe it will not be ſaid by the Anſwerer, that theſe three ſorts of bad grounds were Hypocrites or Tares in the Church.
Defender.
Anſw. 1. But what if the Anſwerer will ſay ſo? It may be contrary to his ſuppoſall, but not to the Truth. For I demand, did not Chriſt himſelfe (who was the chiefe Sower) did not he Preach, and ſow the ſeed of the word to all thoſe foure ſorts of Hearers? And yet he was the Miniſter of Circumciſion, (Rom. 15.8.) and Preached ſeldome to any, but to Church-Members, Members of the Church of Iſrael.
Anſw. 2. It's an error to ſay, The Church conſiſteth of no more ſorts of Hearers, but one, the honeſt and good ground: for if the children of Church-members be in the Church, & of the Church, till they give occaſion of rejection, then they growing up to yeares, become ſome of them like the High-way-ſide, others like the ſtony, others like the Thorney, as well as others like the honeſt and good ground.
Anſw. 3. Though it be not the proper work of the Church to attend the proſperitie and flouriſhing of the three ſorts of bad ground, to wit, whileſt they remaine bad: yet it is their worke to ſeek the changing of the bad into good ground, that ſo they may come to proſper and flouriſh. For is it not the proper work of the Church, to bring on their children to become the ſincere People of God, as well as to keep themſelves in that eſtate? Is it not a maine Branch of their Covenant with God, that as God giveth himſelfe to be a God to them, and to their ſeed, ſo they ſhould give up themſelves and their ſeed to be his People? Beſides, hath not God given Paſtours and Teachers, as well for the gathering together of the Saints, as for the edification of the body of Chriſt? And hath he not given the Church, and the Goſpel Preached in the Church, to lye like Leaven in three Pecks of Meale till all be Leavened? Mat. 13.33.
Anſw. 4. There is not ſuch reſemblance between High-way-ſide ground, and good ground, as is between Tares and Whea; nor would the ſervants of the Husbandman ever wonder that weeds ſhould grow in the high-way-ſide ground, as they do at the growing of Tares in the Field. Nor would they ever aske the Queſtion, whether they ſhould pluck up weeds out of the High-way-ſide, or ſtones out of the ſtony ground, or pluck up Thornes out of the Thorney.
CHAP. 23. A Reply to his Chapt. 23. Still touching the Tares.
Diſcuſſer.
Theſe Tares I ſhall evidently prove to be Idolaters, and in particular, properly Antichriſtians. For firſt, theſe Tares are ſuch ſinners, as are oppoſite, and contrary to the Children of the Kingdome, viſibly ſo declared and manifest, ver. 38.
Defender.
Anſw. 1. Theſe Tares are not ſuch ſinners as are contrary to the children of the Kingdome; for then none ſhould be oppoſite to them but they. For contraries are ſuch, quorum unum uni opponitur. But evident it is, there be more wicked ones oppoſite to the children of the Kingdome, then Idolaters, and Antichriſtians, to wit, thoſe notoriouſly ſcandalous wicked ones, whom the Diſcuſſer nameth in the next Chapter, Drunkards, Thieves, uncleane Perſons.
Anſw. 2. It is a foreign, a begging of the Queſtion, to ſay that theſe Tares are ſuch ſinners, as are oppoſite and contrary to the children of the Kingdome, viſibly ſo declared and manifeſted; For the Tares were not diſcerned at firſt, (as hath been ſhewed above) till the blade was ſprung up, and brought forth fruit.
Diſcuſſer.
Theſe Tares are the Children of the wicked one; which wicked one I take to be, not the Devill; for the Lord Jeſus ſeemeth to make them diſtinct. The Tares (ſaith he) are the Children of the wicked one, or wickedneſſe: the Enemy that ſowed them is the Devill.
Defender.
Anſw. 1. The Devill and the wicked one, may well meane one and the ſame Perſon. For if the Devill ſowed theſe Tares, then theſe Tares were the ſeed (and ſo the children) of the Devill. Why ſhould they be called the ſeed of one, and the children of another?
Anſw. 2. Suppoſe, foreign, be tranſlated (the children) of the wicked one, or wickedneſſe; that ſtyle will agree to hypocrites, as well as to other Perſons. Sure it is, the Lord Jeſus often calleth the Scribes and Phariſes, Hypocrites, (Mat. 23.) and he calleth them alſo a wicked and adulterous Generation, Mat. 16. And therefore ſtill theſe Tares will not appeare to be others then Hypocrites.