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Numb.
VIII.
21
PP
E N
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1X.
a
19
Numb. VIII.
The general
defence
of
my
Accufed
Writings,
called
Seditious
and
Schifmatical.
f.
liAtter
of
Right cannot
be
determined without foreknowing the following
¡VI
Matter of
Fgt.
L
There
is
an Enmity
and War,
through
all
the Earth, between Chrift
and
Sa-
tan
:
Chrift and
his Soldiers
ftrive for Light
,
Lore
and Mercy or
Beneficence.
Satan fighteth for Darknefs againft
Light,
and for
Hatred againft
Love
,
and for
Hurting
and Deftroying againft Mercy and Good Works. All Chriftians in
Bap-
tifm are Vowed and Lilted in
this Warfare to
Chrift
againft Satan
:
All
Minifters
are vowed in
their Ordination
to
be
Leaders in
Chrilt's Army
,
and to
preach
the
Gofpel according to the
Holy
Scriptures. In
all Ages
and Nations
Satan
bath
wofully prevailed
againft this Light,
Love
and Mercy, by
hindering Preachers,
partly byPerfecution,
and moltly by
Corrupting
them.
Till
Chrift
came
as
the
Light of the
World, the
Darknefs
of Ignorance and Idolatry
overlpread the
Earth.
Three hundred
years
all
Princes were againft the Gofpel
:
when
Canfiaorine
owned
it, the
cell
of
the Empires
of the
World long refitted; and to
this
day,
all
that re
-.
ceive
it
are but
a
Seth
part
of
the World. And in the Chriftian Empire and
Churches, the erroneous and corrupt Princes and
Bilhops
took up
Saran's
Silence,
ing
Work
:
Conftantiur
and
Valens
and the Arrian Bilhops alnaoft extinguilhed
the
Orthodox Light
:
The
Gothes
did
the
like.
The
Macedonians
, Neftorìans;
Eutychi-
ans,
and the Parties for and
againft
the Council
of
Ephe
/ú
,
of
Calcedon,
the
Tria
Capitula,
the
Monotbelites,
the Adoration and
tile
óf
hnages,
and the Councils for
and againft
Pbotises
and
Ignatius,
&c.
left
but
few
Bilhops
of Note in the Ealtern
Empi
e
that
were not
by
turns
Condemned
and Depofed by
the contrary
fide
when
it
was
uppermolt.
The
Pope himlelf
was
an hundred
years
at
once, renounced by
a
great part
of
Italy.
II. But the corrupt
fort
of
Popes
outdid
all
others: They
Silenced
the
Clad-
films that
reproved
their
Crimes,
and
murdered
(fay
Hillorians)
above a Million,
calling
them
Hereticks. Hunnericus
and the
Gotbifl,
Arriares
had before kill'd
many,
and cut the Tongues of fome
that
after fpake by miracle
:
but
the
Pope made
more general Delòlation. In the Wars between many Emperours and Popes,
Bi-
lhops
that
were
for
the Emperours were damned
as Flenriciae,
Hereticks
,
and de-
creed
by
Councils to
be
burnt'
when dead. General Councils decreed to Excom-
municate and Depofe
all
Temporal
Lords
that
would
not Exterminate
as
Hereticks,
all
that were againft Tranfubitantiation,and
filch lilçe.Divers Popes did
fo
notorioully
do
Satan's
Work, that they inrerdi6ted the Preaching
of
the Gofpel
,
and all Pub
-
lick Worihip
of
God,
to
England, France,
and other whole Nations, for
a
Quar-
rel
with
the
King.
Robert Groftbead,
the holy Bilhop
of
Lincoln,
wrote to
Innocent
the Fourth, That the
hindering
of
the
preaching
of
the Gofrl
was
next the
Sin
of
Lucifer
and
Antichrift
,
the greateft
in
the World,
and
not to
be obeyed by a-
ny Chriftian,
whoever commanded
ir. As
Reforming Light
arofe, Papal Silence
ing
and Cruelty increafed
,
till Inquifitions, Flames, Maffacres, in
Spain, Low
-
Countries, Bohemia, Germany, France,
Ireland,' and England,
had made thofe
Mur-
ders and Devaltations,
which no true Chriftian dare
own.
IH. At this day
,
the Light
of
clear found Dodirine
is
obfcured, and
filch
Preaching
filenced
or
ceafed
in molt
of
the Chriftian Churches
on
Earth:
Beides
the
bloody Perfecutions
which met thole honeft
Jefuits and
Fryars that preached
in
Congo,
japan,
China,
and other Heathen Lands
:
In elbafa,
Egypt
,
Syria
,
AJ.
ria, Armenia,
there
is
very little Preaching at
all
;
yea
,
want of Printing keepeth
them without the holy
Scripture,
which
is
rare and in few
hands.
Turk4h
Op-
prefiion bath
fo
debated the
Greek
Church,
that found Preaching
is
rare among
them. In
all
the
Empire of
Wavy
Preaching
is
long ago
put down,
left
Men
fhould preach Sedition. Among molt Papille and Proteftants beyond
Sea,it
is
turn-
ed too much into
lnvebtives againft
one another.
This
is
the
Succefs
of
Satan's
War.
IV. Being