the Noble mans going into a farre country to receive for himself a Kingdom, and returne; which he put forth of purpofe, because the Jewes did looke for the immediate appearing of his Kingdom; by that parable, Ifay, he did as good as tell them, that they did rightly conceive of the nature of his Kingdom, but not of the time when it fhould appeare: that they truely thought,he fhould raigne vifibly over then on earth, though they were deceived in expecting the accomplishment of it, then at his firft coming. For what was the Kingdom of God which the Jewes thought fhuld immediately appeare? was it the glory that fhall follow the Judgment of the dead doubeleffe they thought not that the Judgment of the dead, fhould immediately enfue. Or was it the meanes of falvation that they lookt for? doubtleffe then they knew that they had long injoyed this even as their peculiar. The Kingdom of God then, which they fo earnestly and fo foone expected, muft needs be the Kingdom which God had foretold, that Chrift fhould govern per fonally on earth,when he thould be fet by him on the Throne of his Facher David. For indeed Chrift can bring with him no other Kingdom for himself, (that is, no other Kingdom to govern as. man) but this, from that farre countrey,whither he is gone to receive for himself a Kingdom, and to returne. And therefore twas not their looking through thefe fpectacles as you phrafe the proper expofition of the prophecies, that made them to deny, that Jefus was the Chrift, but rather ftumbling at his meane condition onely, they did to him, what God's hand and Counfell had determined before to be done. And as the Jewes were no example of misbeliefe, in looking for their deliverance from captivity, and for our Saviours perfonall raigne amongst them: fo doubtleffe the proper acception of the prophecies concerning our Saviours raigne, did no more occa fion Ebion and Cerinthus to miftake his natures, and deny his divinity; then the proper acceptions of the prophecies concerning his incarnation & fuffering did : and therefore seeing it is not poffible that the true understanding of one part of the Scripture, should thrust us into the misapprehenfion of another part thereof; we may well thinke, that it was the want of a due confideration of thofe texts, which doe demonftrate the divine nature of Chrift; and notthetruth they held touching his raigne, that drew them' ' ico C 2 into this error. For it is either through the want of a carefull fearching into the Scriptures, or by reafon of fome finifter and by-refpects onely, that all errors have both their rife and continuance in the Church of God. t Preface. Fiftly,Vpon this occafion the Apostle John wrote the Gospel again, and more largely then any other of the Euangelifts speaker of Chrifts Godbead, bis wonderfull workes, bis Kingdom, refurrection, and bis coming againe, especially that the Sonne of man is now glorified, chap. 13. 31. that be bath overcome the world, chap. 16. 33. that bis Kingdom is not of this world, and if his Kingdom were of this world,his fervants would fight,that be should not be delivered unto the fewes,but now is his Kingdom not from bence, chap. 18.36. And of the condition of bir Subjects, be faith, Remember the word that I faid unto you,the fervant is not greater then the Lord, if they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you, chap. 15. 20. verily I say unto you, yee shall weepe and lament, and the world fball rejoyce, and you fbalbe forrowful,but your forrow foal be turned into joy: these things have I spoken unto you, that in me yee might have peace, in the world you fhall have tribulation: but be of good cheere, chap. 16. 20.33. And of his coming againe he faith, In my Fathers boufe are many manfions-if I gce and prepare a place for you, I will come againe, and receive you unto my felf, that where I am, there yee may be also, chap. 14. 2. Now you bave forrow, but I will fee you againe, and your heart shall rejoyce, and your joy no man taketh from you chap. 16 22. All which words were written flatly against the errours of Cerinthus, and teach us that Chrifi's Kingdom is not an earthly Kingdom, nor delayed for one or two 1000. yeeres; but now is bis kingdom, now be bath overcome the world, bis fubjects are not to live on earth without perfecution and forrow, and when he comes againe, he will receive them with him into his Fathers manfions, and their forrow fhall be turned into joy that ball never be taken from them. Answer. That you have made a falfe report of the occafion of Saint Johns writing of his Gofpell, and confequently of the end and fcope of the texts here alledged, the words of our English Divines, who are. the Authors of the Annotations upon all the bookes of the old and and new Teftaments,printed 1645.do plainely declare.For in their argument of the Gospel according to Saint John they fay. That in Domitians time he was banished into the Ifle Pathmos, where he wrote the Revelation; after which under Nerva, he was recal'd to Epbefas (being aged about 97.yeares,which was the 100. yeare of our Lord) where he wrote his Gofpel; fome fay, at the intreaty of the Chriftians of Afia, for the refutation of Ebion, Cerinthus, and others, who blafphemously denied the Deity of Chrift. This is their teftimony of the ground of St. John's writing his Gofpel; wherein they tell us not, as you doe, that it was because of Cerintbus, and others opinion of Chrifts 1000 yeeres reigne in Jerufalem; But that it was, as hiftory reports, because of his and others denying the Deity of Chrift. Your quotations follow,whereof the firft,That the Son of man is now glorified, was spoken by our Saviour, when Judas was gone to betray him and doth fignifie the glory,which was then fudenly to follow both in his death, and after his death, asPifcator notes: and will his comming againe or his reigning after his comming, unglorify him, thinke you? certainely no: but will manifeft unto the whole world, the glory which he hath received; For he fhall come in the glory of the Fa ther, as he saith,Mat. 16. verse. 27. And fball fit on the Throne of his glory,when he is come,as he faith,Mat. 19.verfe.28.which Throne, the comparing of this text with the 28, and 29 verses of the 22. chap. of St. Luke, doth fhew to be meant of the Throne of his Kingdom. The next words, that he hath overcome the world, he fpake to comfort his Difciples against the tribulation which they fhould have in the world: and they doe fignifie, that as in himselfe he had and could overcome the temptations of the world, fo hee would in them too, by ftrengthning them to endure to the end for his fake, what he had voluntarily refolved to endure for their fakes. And how is this his overcomming of the world by patience, in the time of his temptation, any let or hinderance to his overcomming of it by power, to his reigning over it, at his next appearing? The third text, That his Kingdom is not of this world &c. was his anfwer to Pilate, when he askt him, whether he was the King of the Jenes.And it doth fhew onely,that he was not to receive his authority to reigne,of men,but of God(as I obferve in my reply.) This is your first file of proofes; the fecond doth confift of fuch texts, as 1 Liew thew that the faithfult meft fuffer perfecution in this world, as Preface. Sixtly, After Cerinthus we read next of Papias, of whom Euseb. lib. eit. Chap.39. writes thus ; be reportes ftrange parables of our Saviour, mixed with fabulous doctrine, where he dreameth,that the Kingdom of Chrift fball corporally here on earth laft the space of a 1000 yeares, after the refurrection of the dead: which error (as I fuppofe) grew bereof, in that he receiv'd not rightly,the true & myftical meaning of the Apostles, neither deeply weighed the things delivered of them by familiar examples; for he was a man of fmall judgment, as by his bookes plainly appeares yet bereby be gave unto divers Ecclefiaftical perfons occafion of error, who respected his antiquity, namely unto Irenæus and others, if there be any found found like minded. Then lib. 7. Chap. 22., 23. he writes of Nepos, Coracion, and others in Egypt infected with this error about the yeare, 250. whom Dionyfius Bishop of Alexandria, did convince in a Synode by demonflrations and doctrine of the baly Scripture, & did reclaime shem from their error. Thus he fpeak's ever of thefe opinions as of errars.contrary unto the holy Scriptumes. After La&antius (who lived about the yeare, 320.) this error was universally abborred, so that Hierom on Eda. 4. 18. and Augufin ad Quad vult.de.hærefi 8 write of it as a damned ernar, and we read of fem or mone in this opinion til in this last age it comes a pace with the anabaptifts and fome English Novatours: few write de gainst it because the arguments are fo filly and rediculam,that every understanding perfon reading them, findes not onely the weaknesse of the grounds, but even out of them doe gather pregnant arguments in the conmary. Albeit theft Authours doe agree in the time and place of this imagimed Monarchy, yet they write one against another in many circumstances thereof, as is mirked hereafter. Answer.or Fois as pollible that you may mifreport Efebius touching Papias, as touching the occation of St. John's writing of his Golpel, and as you doe Hierome and Augustine, who you fay, [write of the millenarian Tenet as a damned error.] whenas Auguftine (lib. 20, de Sicut mustdus fex dicbus fuit creatus, feptimus fuit fabbatifmus : ita mundum fex millia annorum duraturum ; pofted fecu * turum fabbatifmum in mille annis poftremis ; ad hoc feilicet fabbat hum caturum ; poftca fecu Fandt is Que opinio effet atmaq;tolerabilis, fi alique del;ein spirituales in illo fabbarifmo affuture fandhis per Dam nipræfentiam crederentur, Nem etiam nas hoc opin ti fuimus aliquandò. Sed cùm eos, qui tuncrefurrerunt, dicam immoderatiffimis carnalibus epulis vacatures, in quibus cibus fit tantes et potus, ut non folum nullum modeftiam teneant, fed modum quoq; ipfius incredulitatis cxcedant, nullo modo ifta poffunt nifi a carnalibus credi. Aug lib cit. 1 civ. Dei.cap. 7.) faith; That it is a tolerable opinion, if it were be leeved, that the glorified Saints (hould receive fpirituall delights by Chrifts prefence, which is that we hold and he faith too,that he had been of this minde himselfe, but left it(as it fermes, for no other caufe, but because many carnal minded thought, that the raised Saints (hould eate and drinke beyond moderation. And **Poft capti tatcm quæ f Vefpafiano et Tito, et pofteà accidit fub Hadriano, ufq; ad confummationcm (écuti, Ruine Hierul lem permanfuræ funt: quanquam fibi Judai aweaam atq; gemmatan Hierufalem reftituend putent rurfufq; viltimas et facrificia, et conjugia fan&torum, et regnum in terris Domini Salu toris: quæ licet non fequamur, damnare tamen non poffumus ; quà multi virorum Ecclefia corum el Martyrum fta dixerunt Hier loc. cit Hier U |