Chapter XXV: Introduction (25)

_If in God’s Fear, _Candid Reader_, thou appliest thyself to consider this System of Religion here delivered, with its Consistency and Harmony, as well in itself as with the Scriptures of Truth, I doubt not but thou wilt say with me and many more, that this is the spiritual Day of Christ’s Appearance, wherein he is again revealing the ancient Paths of Truth and Righteousness. For thou mayest observe here the _Christian Religion_ in all its Parts truly established and vindicated, as it is a living, inward, spiritual, pure, and substantial Thing, and not a mere Form, Shew, Shadow, Notion and Opinion, as too many have hitherto held it, whose Fruits declare they wanted that which they bear the Name of; and yet many of those are so in Love with their empty Forms and Shadows, that they cease not to calumniate us for commending and calling them to the Substance, as we therefore denied or neglected the true Form and outward Part of Christianity, which indeed is, as God the Searcher of Hearts knows, a very great Slander. Thus, because we have desired People earnestly to feel after God _near_ and _in themselves_, telling them that their Notions of God, as he is beyond the Clouds, will little avail them, if they do not feel him near; hence they have fought maliciously to infer that we deny any God except that which is within us. Because we tell People, That it is the _Light_ and _Law within_, and not the _Letter without_, that can truly tell them their Condition, and lead them out of all Evil; hence they say, we vilify the _Scriptures_, and set up our own Imaginations above them. Because we tell them, That it is not their talking or believing of Christ’s outward Life, Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection, no more than the _Jews_ crying, _The Temple of the Lord_, _the Temple of the Lord_, that will serve their Turn, or justify them in the Sight of God; but that they must know _Christ_ in _them_, whom they have crucified, to be raised, and to justify them, and redeem them from their Iniquities: Hence they say, We deny the Life, Death, and Sufferings of Christ, Justification by his Blood, and Remission of Sins through him. Because we tell them, while they are talking and determining about the _Resurrection_, that they have more Need to know the _Just One_, whom they have slain, _raised in themselves_, and to be sure they are Partakers of the _first Resurrection_; and that this be, they will be the more capable to judge of the _Second_: Hence they say, That we deny the Resurrection of the Body. Because when we hear them talk foolishly of Heaven and Hell, and the last Judgment, we exhort them to come out of that hellish Condition they are in, and come down to the Judgment of Christ _in their own Hearts_, and believe in the Light, and follow it, that so they may come to sit in the heavenly Places that are in Christ Jesus: Hence they maliciously say, that we deny any Heaven or Hell but that which is within us, and that we deny any general Judgment; which _Slanders_ the Lord knows are foully cast upon us, whom God hath raised for this End, and gathered us, that by us he might confound the Wisdom of the Wise, and bring to Nought the Understanding of the Prudent; and might, in and by his own Spirit and Power in a despised People (that no Flesh might glory in his Presence) pull down that dead, dark, corrupt Image, and mere Shadow and Shell of Christianity wherewith Antichrist hath deceived the Nations: For which End he hath called us to be a First-fruits of those that serve him, and worship him no more in the Oldness of the Letter, but in the Newness of the Spirit. And though we be few in Number, in Respect of others; and weak as to outward Strength, which we also altogether reject, and foolish if compared with the wise Ones of this World; yet as God hath prospered us, notwithstanding much Opposition, so will he yet do, that neither the Art, Wisdom, nor Violence of Men or Devils shall be able to quench that _little Spark_ that hath appeared; but it shall grow to the consuming of whatsoever shall stand up to oppose it. The _Mouth of the Lord_ hath spoken it! Yea, He that hath arisen in a small Remnant shall arise and go on by the same Arm of Power in his spiritual Manifestation, until he hath conquered all his Enemies, until all the Kingdoms of the Earth become the Kingdom of Christ Jesus._

Unto Him that hath begun this Work, not among the Rich or Great Ones,
but among the Poor and Small, and hath revealed it not to the
Wise and Learned, but unto the Poor, unto Babes and Sucklings;
even to Him, the Only Wise and Omnipotent GOD, be Honour, Glory,
Thanksgiving, and Renown, from henceforth and for ever. _Amen.
Hallelu-JAH._

_A TABLE of the AUTHORS cited in this BOOK._

A

Alanus, 386

Amandus Polanus, 201

Ambrosius Ausbertus, 487

Ambrosius Mediolanensis, 102, 440, 441, 487, 490

Amesius, 201, 426

Anselmus _Bishop_ of Canterbury, 487

Antiochus, ibid

Apollinarius, 113

Athanasius, 7, 439, 482, 487, 490

Augustinus Bakerus, 328

Augustinus, 6, 33, 61, 62, 74, 121, 160, 162, 187, 217, 222, 385,
388, 389

Author _de Vocat. Gentium_, 102

B

Basil _the Great_, 481, 487

Beda, 487

Bellarmine, 172, 438

Bernard, 8, 329, 341

Bertius, 199

Beza, 90, 185, 434

Borhæus, 185, 191

Bucerus, 186

Buchanan, 162

Bullinger, 184

C

Calvin, 27, 28, 29, 49, 50, 58, 90, 187, 199, 277, 302, 376, 383,
396, 411, 423

Carolostadius, 442

Casaubonus, 460

Cassiodorus, 487

Castellio, 442

Catechism _of_ Westminster, 204

Chamierus, 185

Chemnitius, 187

Christianus Druthmarus, 487

Chromatius, 487, 490

Chrysostom, 102, 427, 481, 487, 490

Cicero, 159

Claudius Albertus Inuncanus, 192

Clemens Alexandrinus, 6, 7, 142, 143, 160, 487, 494

Conference _of_ Oldenb. El. D., 202

Confession _of_ Augsburgh, 202, 202, 226

---- _the_ French _Churches_, 50

---- Faith _of the Churches of_ Holland, 50

---- _the_ Divines _at_ Westminster, 50, 58, 168

Council _of_ Aszansic, 222

---- Carthage, 51

---- Florence, 38

---- Laodicea, 51

---- Trent, 84, 201, 485

Cyprian, 441, 487, 490

Cyrillus Alexandrinus, 7, 130, 135, 136, 487, 490

D

Dallæus, 423

Diodorus, Siculus, 484

E

Epictetus, 3

Epiphanius, 60, 487

Erasmus, 462, 487, 490

Estius, 192

Eusebius, 37

Euthymius, 487, 490

Eutyches, 113

F

Forbes, 186, 187

Franciscus Lambertus, 260, 335

Fredericus Sylvius, 494, 498

G

Gelasius, 222

Gentiletus, 201

Gerardus Vossius, 137, 202, 226

Godeau, 462

Gregory _the Great_, 7

Gregorius Nazianzenus, 487

Gregorius Nyssenus, ibid

H

Haimo, 487

Hilarius, 440, 487

Hildebrand, 438

Himelius, 192

History _of the_ Council _of_ Trent, 442

---- Reformation _of_ France, 457, 458

Hosius, 440

Hugo Grotius, 481, 486

I

James Coret, 199

James Howel, 462

Jerome, 7, 60, 64, 222, 440, 458, 482, 487, 490

Johannes Damascenus, 487

Johannes Ferus, 490

Johannes Floracensis, 386

Johannes Maresius, 462

John Hus, 71

Isidorus Hispalensis, 487

---- Pelusiota, ibid

Justin Martyr, 143, 160, 487, 490, 492, 495

L

Lactantius, 161

Lucas Osiander, 104, 167

Ludovicus Vives, 160, 161, 498

Luther, 8, 103, 165, 167, 243, 442, 461

M

Martianus, 440

Martyr, 91

Melancthon, 8, 185, 226

Musculus, 199

N

Nicolaus Arnoldus _of_ Franequer, 242, 262, 263, 284, 298, 299, 301,
374, 387

O

Oecumenius, 487

Origen, 9, 270, 487, 490

Otho Brunsselsius, 487

P

Papirius Masson, 389

Paræus, 90, 128

Paschasius Radbertus, 487

Paulus Riccius, 382, 406

Philo Judæus, 486, 492

Phocylides, 160

Piscator, 91

Pithæus, 386

Platina, 252

Plato, 159, 486

Plotinus, 159

Polybius, 481

Polycarpus, 37, 487

Prosper, 101, 102

Pythagoras, 159, 486

Q

Quintilianus, 486

Quintus Curtius, 485

R

Reinerius, 450

Richard Baxter, 192, 201

S

Seneca, 159

Smith, _Doctor in_ Cambridge, 9

Stobæus, 486

Sulpitius Severus, 495

Synod Arelatensian, 102

---- _of_ Dort, 50, 89

T

Tertullian, 7, 441, 487, 490, 492, 494

Theophylactus, 487

Thomas Aquinas, 33

Thysius, 184