CHAP. XII. 45. Yet, by all these most horrid cruelties and abominable works, they established what is called the CHRISTIAN WORLD, upon the principles of false teachers, corrupted priests, bloody emperors, imperious popes, and diabolical persecutors, including the ecclesiastical tyrants of every age, from Constantine down to John Norton, and the rest of the protestant priesthood under Governor Endicot. 46. But their diabolical works unmask their Christi2 Peter anity, and by the light of the Sun of righteousness, the foundations of their World are discovered, which hath been long kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men, THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST'S SECOND APPEARING. PART VI. THE EXTENT AND DURATION OF WHAT IS CALLED CHAPTER I. Worldly Christians contrasted with virtuous Believers in Christ. HE disciples of Christ, or learners of the gospel, CHAP. were first called Christians at Antioch. THE Under this name all were, in process of time included, who professed to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. But when Antichrist arose, and assumed the name and authority of Christ, he was properly a false Christ, and his disciples of course must be false Christians; therefore the Christian world must mean that world of Christians who are the followers of a false Christ, and who wondered after the beast; while such as retained a measure of the true Christian faith and practice, must be called by some other name. 2. From what hath been already stated concerning the rise and progress of Antichrist's dominion, it appeareth that after the days of the apostles, there remained but little room for the pure and undefiled religion of Jesus, on earth. 3. How far the fire of truth was extinguished, by those floods of error, which early began to be disgorged by false apostles and deceitful workers, and how extensively the influence of Antichristian, corruption prevailed, is particularly worthy of reflection, in order to disCover the real distinction between the multitude who as I. I. CHAP. sumed the name of Christ, and called him Lord, Lord, and the virtuous few, who were careful to do the things that he said. 4. All that the false spirit could engage in his service, from his first rise, he did engage, and all that he engaged in his service he did corrupt, in the highest degree; so that in the progress of his dominion, as far as his influence extended, both men and things were most effectually changed for the worse. 5. Emperors, kings, and every class of civil rulers, became more tyrannical; laws and maxims of civil policy more cruel and oppressive; soldiers more barbaroys; every kind of craftsmen more addicted to deception and fraud; and every art and science more perverted to the purposes of pride, luxury, and unrighteous gain. 6. All orders of priesthood were more corrupted, and learned greater arts of imposition and deceit; the sacred scriptures were corrupted from beginning to end, both in the sense and application, especially the doctrines of Christ and his apostles. In a word, every thing that Antichrist could get hold of, or in any wise attach to his corrupt kingdom, whether it related to soul or body, to faith or practice, to time or eternity, he so corrupted, that the whole creation was, in a moral sense, removed to a much greater distance from God. 7. Every age improved upon the corruptions of the past, and prepared a greater degree of corruption for the following; and thus it continued and increased until all the nations of the earth were corrupted; and as far! as Antichrist's claim extended, nothing escaped his poisonous and corrupting influence, save those few enlightened souls who were willing to face death in all its most frightful forms, rather than come under his dominion. 8. Amidst all the presumptuous claims and high pretensions of the false spirit, by which the world was deceived, God did reserve the spirit of faith and of true virtue in his own power, and whenever it was poured out upon any people, the life and substance of that spirit was out of the deceiver's reach. 9. True, he could torture the bodies, corrupt and pervert the words, and maliciously misrepresent the actions of those who possessed that spirit; but the spirit itself, by which they spake and were actuated, remained uncorrupted and undefiled through the whole of his pericious reign, and is to this day, wherever it is found, a swift witness against all his deceitful claims to ortho- CHAP. doxy, and all his beastly works. 10. Yet it cannot be denied that a false Christ often had power to corrupt by flatteries, and draw into his communion, many who had, for a time, been actuated by the spirit of truth, and bore a swift testimony against error and vice: whole societies of such were frequently overcome by the beast, and swallowed up in the general mass of corruption. 11. But the spirit of truth never could be overcome, nor led captive with them; but would again raise up others of the same description, separate from the catholic kingdom; and thus a measure of the true work of God, and the fruits of the spirit of truth, from time to time appeared, and stood as a monument to condemn the universal corruptions of a false religion, which overspread the earth under the name of Christianity. 12. Therefore, for the truth's sake, we are bound to distinguish between that spirit which ruled the motley mixture of Pagans, Jews, and pretended Christians, and that very different spirit which, in a separate and distinct people, was all along distinguished by the fruits of mortification and abstinence, piety, virtue, innocence, and simplicity of manners. 13. Cerdon, Marcion, Mani, Novatian, Hierax, Priscillian, and those who followed their example, would doubtless furnish a very different history from that of the contending philosophers, emperors, and popes, were their sentiments, their lives, and their actions justly recorded. Even the small traces. of virtue, that have been transmitted down through the writings of their adversaries, are sufficient to show the striking contrast that existed between them and the great Christian hierarchy. 14. Under the various names of Marcionites, Manicheans, Bogomilans, Cathari, Beghards, Picards, Waldenses, Albigenses, Anabaptists, &c. there appeared, at diferent periods, a people who bore a striking resemblance to each other, both in their faith and manners. 15. They considered Jesus Christ not as the founder of a temporal hierarchy, but as a pattern of piety and virtue: hence they placed religion not so much in doctrines and outward forms of worship, as in purity of heart and a virtuous practice; and hence they bore a uniform testimony against vice, and the established orthodoxy of the standing priesthood. Hb I. CHAP. I. Eccl. Researches, p. 127. 16. Many of them chose a life of continence, others did not: they allowed each other liberty of conscience, that each might live according to their own faith, and they persecuted none who differed from them. They took no oaths, bore no arms, and patiently endured persecution for the testimony which they held. 17. And what was all this, but a standing memorial of the nature and tendency of the true gospel, and a witness against the corrupt religion established by human authority? Not that either the doctrine or manners of those virtuous people were formed into any system, or conveyed, by any external authority, from one to another; but being influenced by the same invisible Spirit, however disconnected they might have been, as to external things, their faith and practice were essentially the same in nature, though not always in degree. 18. Wherever such a faith and practice were manifested, they never failed to reprove and condemn that which was of a contrary nature; and such was then the true work of God for that purpose; therefore, as vice and wickedness increased among the great orthodox Christians, virtue was elsewhere practised, under some other name, sufficient in degree to expose the kingdom of the beast in its proper colours. 19. Thus, while the door of the catholic church stood open to all characters, and the universal depravity of priests and people, destroyed every real distinction between virtue and vice in that apartment, the people taught by Novatian, stood as a living reproof of their libertine government. Some exclaimed, "It is a barbar'ous discipline to refuse to re-admit people into Chris'tian communion because they have lapsed into idolatry and vice." Others finding the inconvenience of such a lax discipline, required a repentance of five, ten, or fifteen years. 20. But the Novatians said, "If you be a virtuous be'liever, and will accede to our confederacy against sin, 'you may be admitted among us by baptism, or if any Catholic has baptized you before, by re-baptism. But 'mark this, if you violate the contract by lapsing into 'idolatry and vice, we shall separate you from our com'munity, and, do what you will, we shall never re-admit 'you. God forbid we should either injure your person, your property, or your character, or even judge of the truth of your repentance, and your future state: Bat 6 |