848 ervelatton of the Apocalypfe. CAP.ZI. fufpicion,tlamely thatfhefhould be a Pillar in the Temple of god, never to be call ,out ofdoores;Chap.3.i 2.. To what end is this p romifed to her as a proper and peculiar benefit, ifall the refl. enjoy the fame together withher? It feemed therefore,that as the unfruitful) fig-treeWas cut deft ofold, and the vineyard that Was ill looked to,Wae taken away from the an- cient haasbandmen,and let out to others,Lu c. t 3 .6.Mat. Z1.41. So the Church that hathbeen fo evil) intreated for a long time amongus Gentiles of Eu- rope, will bethink her felf oftrufling up her ituffe,and forfaking us quite at laft,whohave Long fince made a revolt fromthelove and purity there- of;what though it be called heaven now?the heavens themfelves are im - pure in the eyes ofGod,Job 15. 15. Neither is our heaven unclean alfo at this day in a fmall manner, as which is called by fo glorious a name as beaver is, rather in comparifon of the Popifh dungeon ofHell, then becaufe of any heavenly cleerneffe and purity that it hath ofits own.But this feemeth to be againft thispro- phecie ofEuropei calamìty,becaufe there are a thoufand yeares foretold, wherein We 'hall raigne With Chrift after thefirfl refurrellion, Chap.2o.6, That is,there ¡hall be a continuanceofthe truth among the Gentiles, to whom that refurreltion happened,during the (pace offo many years from 'the time ofthe firfl reftoring therofNowwe know that this refurretlion was proper to our countries ofEurope. But it may be anfwered,that this Kingdom that is to come,may be finch as that whichwas in the thoufand years,that were before that refurredion,when the Devi/l Was bound,chap. so. 4, when the Kingdomwas belonging toa fewof the Elet,towhom the faving truth alone was favory and toothfome, howfoever Antichri- ftian impiety was meate for the tooth ofall the reft of the multitude.Sure- ly other Scriptures feeme to encline this way, as which do threaten that all Religion )hall be defiled with fo many corruptions, that there (hall fcarce remaine any foothtep.of wholfome dottrine, or faving grace, fafe and found.And who is fo little acquainted with, and experienced in the matters of the Church, who feeth not that there are jufl caufes tobe a- fraid of filch a decay, yea an utter perifhing of Religion amongil us, feeing e1 ecially that it is manifefl unto all men, that the Word of God is defpifed every where,new errours fpring up and are broached every day, theold ones are called back fromHell, all profeffion of godlinefíe 'is converted tobe a meanes ofnourithing and fulfillingthe defire offil- thy Lucre, and Antichriftian Pompe.There are many fearefull lignes and evident prognoftications, that this departure of the glory of God from amongft us, is at the very doors,evén as it was Peen to depart of old from the Temple of Ierufaletn,Ezech.9.3.Vnleffe perhaps we may comfort and fecute .
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=