Johannes Marck’s Marrow of Christian Theology, Didactic-Elenctic XXXII
James Dodson
CHAPTER XXXII.
On the Church.
I. After all these things it is also fitting to know the Covenanted Multitude, concerning which there are many questions with various adversaries; and the Papists wrongly wish the knowledge of the Covenant itself to depend uniquely upon it.
II. This is called the CHURCH, as if “called out” from the world unto communion with God. In Hebrew,קהל [assembly] andעדה [congregation]; the Greeks also use συναγωγή [synagogue/assembly], words which scarcely differ either in use or origin. Hence this also is applied to the Church of the New Testament, Acts 11:26, ἐγένετο δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον συναχθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ [and it came to pass that for a whole year they were gathered together in the church]. James 2:2, ἐὰν γὰρ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ὑμῶν ἀνὴρ χρυσοδακτύλιος [for if a man with a gold ring enter into your assembly], &c. Heb. 10:25, μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν [not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together], &c.
III. The name of Church is sometimes taken for
[Page 413]
any Assembly whatever, Acts 19:32, 40, ἡ ἐκκλησία συγκεχυμένη [the assembly was confused], &c.; καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπέλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν [and having said these things, he dismissed the assembly], &c.; sometimes for the Place of Christian meetings, though this scarcely occurs in Scripture itself; sometimes for the Visible Assembly of those externally called, either as a whole, 1 Tim. 3:15, “that thou mayest know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God,” ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία Θεοῦ ζῶντος [which is the church of the living God], &c.; or as represented by a part, Acts 20:28, ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ [to shepherd the church of God]; or as representing, Matt. 18:17, “tell it to the Church,” &c.; finally, for the Assembly of those internally called according to the purpose of election, Matt. 16:18, “upon this rock I will build my Church,” &c.; Eph. 1:22, “he gave him to be head over all things to the Church,” &c. From this varied signification the Church is sometimes variously divided.
IV. The principal signification is the last, so that the Elect alone are true Members of the Church: because this is the greatest force of the word Church, or Called-out-ones; and the predicates of the Church do not belong to others, Eph. 5:23, 25, 27, 29, 30. “Christ is the Head of the Church,” &c.; “Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it,” &c.; “that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle,” &c.; and others are manifestly excluded from the Church, 1 John 2:19. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but that they might be made manifest, that they are not all of us,” &c. The Papists hold the contrary, judging that, for a true member of the Church, profession of the faith, participation in the Sacraments, and subjection under the Roman Pontiff suffice.
Objection 1. The word is everywhere taken for the external and visible assembly.
Reply For that reason this signification is not the only one,
[Page 414]
or the first.
Objection 2. Many parables place good and evil men in the Church, Matt. 13:12, 3; 2 Tim. 2:20.
Reply Either they speak of the preaching of the Word, or of those who are externally conversant in the Church; but for that reason they are no more her members than strangers or traitors in a city are its citizens.
Objection 3. The Church would thus be plainly invisible, even to the pastors themselves.
Reply It suffices that the individual true members of the Church be probably known by men through the judgment of charity, since God alone knows the heart.
V. Therefore the Church is defined: A multitude of fallen men, who, according to eternal election, have been called by God’s grace unto his communion, and, united to Christ and to one another by the Spirit, faith, and love, shall hereafter be eternally saved.
VI. Thus we exclude from the Church both the good Angels, as not fallen; and Christ himself, who nevertheless is united to the Church as Head, Eph. 1:22, 23, “he gave him to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body,” &c.; and every external distinction among men, Gal. 3:28, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus,” &c. On the other hand we posit a sufficiently great Number of Men, Matt. 8:11, “many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” &c.; Heb. 12:23, πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων [to the festal assembly and church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven]. Rev. 7:9, “After these things I saw,” καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολύς, ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἠδύνατο, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους [and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number, from every nation], &c.; although the whole world and the reprobate, who are also externally called, exceed it.
VII. This multitude constituting the Church is distinguished
[Page 415]
1. By eternal Election, John 11:52, ἵνα καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ διεσκορπισμένα συναγάγῃ εἰς ἕν [that he might also gather together into one the children of God who were scattered abroad]. Acts 18:10, διότι λαός ἐστί μοι πολὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ [because I have much people in this city], &c.
2. Then by effectual Calling, and by the Union with God, Christ, and believers flowing from this. 1 Cor. 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the communion of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 John 1:3, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθ’ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ]. 1 Cor. 12:12, 13. “For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ; for by one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body,” &c. This Union is most close, declared by similitudes of every kind, John 15:11, 22, ἵνα αὐτοὶ ἐν ... [that they themselves in ...], &c.; mutual also, 1 John 3:24, “he who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him,” &c.; efficacious and finally indivisible, John 6:37, τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω [him who comes to me I will by no means cast out]. Rom. 8:39, “nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” &c.
3. Finally, by future Glorification; from which, whether already obtained or yet to be obtained, the Church is called Triumphant or Militant, Rev. 7:9, “behold, a great multitude,” &c.; Eph. 6:11, “for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers,” &c.
VIII. Hence it is clear that there can be various Members of the Church who are not yet in her External Communion; and that the Church may most properly be called Invisible by us as to her individual and certain members,
[Page 416]
as the passages also teach, Rom. 2:28, “for he is not a Jew who is one openly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly,” &c.; 1 Pet. 3:4, ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος [the hidden man of the heart], &c.; and this glory belongs to God alone and to Christ, that they know their own, John 6:70, “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 2 Tim. 2:19, ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ [the Lord knows those who are his]. Meanwhile, we do not deny that these men themselves are visible, and that from marks we can commonly know the true Church; indeed, we can form a probable judgment by charity concerning individual members.
IX. It is most useful that some Marks of the true Church be fixed, which are proper to the true Church alone, and at the same time better known than the Church itself. The Number of these, after diverse methods of teaching, is read differently among theologians, who nevertheless agree very well in the thing itself.
X. We posit Two: Purity of fundamental Doctrine, and fitting Sanctity of Life, according to Deut. 4:6, “and ye shall keep and do them, for this is your wisdom and your prudence in the eyes of the peoples,” &c.; Matt. 28:19, 20, “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” John 8:30, ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μου ἐστε [if ye continue in my word, ye are truly my disciples]. John 10:27, “my sheep hear my voice,” &c. From these, even the Papists’ Sanctity and Efficacy of Doctrine do not differ much.
Objection 1. All attribute these two things to themselves.
Reply One must look not at vain boasting, but at the thing itself.
Objection 2. These are marks lesser known than the Church itself.
Reply Only from that most false analysis of faith which the Papists make, ultimately resolving it into the Church.
[Page 417]
Objection 3. At least the common people are not able to discern these things.
Reply False; indeed this belongs to them from their office itself.
XI. As the Anabaptists wrongly have External Charity for the one mark, which Christ commends, John 13:35, ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγάπην ἔχητε ἐν ἀλλήλοις [by this shall all know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love among one another], while he presupposed the truth of Faith; so the Pontiffs ineptly number very many marks, Bellarmine indeed fifteen: the name Catholic, antiquity, duration, amplitude, &c. These either do not belong to the Church alone; or not to every Church, and always; or even oppose the description of the Church, Luke 12:32, μὴ φοβοῦ τὸ μικρὸν ποίμνιον [fear not, little flock], &c.; or they are not more known than the Church itself, but are altogether inaccessible to the people. Moreover, many of them are applied to the Roman Church gratuitously.
XII. From the Applied Marks, and by comparing them with the general marks of True Religion, delivered in Chapter II, sections XVIII and XIX, it appears that our Church is to be preferred to all others; and that the Roman Church can no longer be held as a True Church, on account of most grave Errors, idolatry, and manifold impiety.
Objection 1. It is called by us a Christian Church.
Reply Only in a certain respect; nor is the bare name sufficient, compare Rev. 3:1, ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ [that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead].
Objection 2. It believes the Creed and other necessary heads.
Reply In words indeed, but not in the genuine sense.
Objection 3. Our fathers were saved in its communion.
Reply Only with difficulty, in some kind of external communion with it, when the faithful had not yet gone out from it, nor had the light of heavenly doctrine yet shone so brightly.
[Page 418]
XIII. Besides personal prejudices against our Church, the Papists object:
1. That it has newly and recently arisen through Zwingli and Luther, before whom it existed nowhere.
Reply Its antiquity is demonstrated from the Apostles themselves by their writings, and from the witnesses of the truth who existed in the midst of the Papacy in every age; even though our Church then was less visible, and was only restored to its light by Zwingli and Luther.
2. That our Church separated schismatically.
Reply Our secession, made from the kingdom of Antichrist, is legitimate, on account of God’s command, Rev. 18:4, ἐξέλθατε ἐξ αὐτῆς ὁ λαός μου [come out of her, my people], &c.; on account of the irreparable corruption of doctrine and practice; and on account of the manifest highest danger to souls and bodies.
3. That our doctrine in many heads is blasphemous and impious.
Reply Either the heads adduced are not such, or they are wrongly elicited from our doctrine.
4. That our ministers are destitute of a lawful calling.
Reply They have this from the churches which went out with them from Babylon; and certain Reformers also had this in the Roman Church.
5. That Independentism is introduced by us.
Reply We urge subjection under every order constituted by God, whether political or sacred; not under impious orders introduced into the Church by Antichrist.
XIV. It follows of itself that no Syncretism is to be entered into with heretics, and especially with Papists; and that those sin most gravely against the knowledge and grace of God who, voluntarily or through fear, remain in the external communion of the Roman Church, being enlightened in darkness, or return to it; indeed, that they expose themselves to the gravest danger of salvation. But where the foundation of doctrine stands safe, the fraternal embrace of the weaker assembly is necessary,
[Page 419]
and of brethren, Rom. 15:1, τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζειν ὀφείλομεν [we ought to bear the infirmities of the weak]. 1 Cor. 1:10, 11, 12. “But I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you,” &c.
XV. Among the attributes of the Church, moreover, is named External Union, to which common sacred assemblies contribute much, Acts 2:44, 46, πάντες δὲ οἱ πιστεύοντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό [and all who believed were together], &c.; καθ’ ἡμέραν τε προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, κλῶντές τε κατ’ οἶκον ἄρτον [and daily continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house], &c.; Heb. 10:25, μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν [not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together]; James 2:2, “if a man with a gold ring should come into your congregation,” &c. Their principal time is the Lord’s Day. Further, any available and suitable place may be used without distinction, John 4:21, “the hour comes when neither in this mountain nor at Jerusalem shall ye worship the Father,” &c.; 1 Tim. 2:8, “I will therefore that men pray in every place,” &c. The necessity is not absolute, nor always equal, but from divine ordinance, where the internal and external state of the Church permits them. Finally, the things to be done are the reading and preaching of the Word, common prayer, psalmody, administration of the Sacraments, alms, benediction, &c.
XVI. Besides, the Church in these lands is always Imperfect, and hence, unless extraordinary Inspiration of the Spirit accedes, Fallible, as was shown before, Chapter II, section XLII; and the various hypotheses of the Papists concerning the Pontiff and councils also prove this. They object:
1. That Christ promised the Spirit who would speak perpetually, Matt. 10:19.
Reply That looks to the Apostles and the infallible teachers of the first age.
[Page 420]
2. That the Spirit would lead his own into all truth, John 16:13.
Reply The same is chiefly to be understood of the same persons; nor is the Spirit ever a teacher of error.
3. That Christ promised his presence to the Church, Matt. 28:20.
Reply This does not ward off every error any more than every sin.
4. That the authority of the Church is thus too much lowered.
Reply By no means; yet neither should human authority ever be equaled to divine.
XVII. And the Church, as imperfect, is always exercised here also with various Calamities, among which the following stand out. 1. Domestic Schisms, arising more from vain affection than from doctrine, 1 Cor. 1:10, 11, 12, καὶ μὴ ᾖ ἐν ὑμῖν σχίσματα [and that there be no schisms among you], &c.; ὅτι ἔριδες ἐν ὑμῖν εἰσι [that there are contentions among you]; “now I say this, that each of you says, I indeed am of Paul, but I of Apollos, but I of Cephas, but I of Christ.” 1 Cor. 3:3, 4, ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ διχοστασίαι, καὶ οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε; ὅταν γάρ λέγῃ τις, ἐγὼ μὲν εἰμι Παύλου, ἕτερος δὲ Ἀπολλῶ, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε; [for where there is among you envy and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk according to man? For when one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?]. 2. Heresies, overthrowing the saving truth of the faith, 1 Cor. 11:19, δεῖ καὶ αἱρέσεις ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι [there must also be heresies among you]. 1 Tim. 4:1, 2. “But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, attending to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” &c. 3. Finally, external Persecutions from enemies, John 16:2, ἀποσυναγώγους ποιήσουσιν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ’ ἔρχεται ὥρα, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας ὑμᾶς δόξῃ λατρείαν προσφέρειν τῷ Θεῷ [they shall put you out of the synagogues; but the hour comes that everyone who kills you will think he offers service to God], &c. 2 Tim. 3:12, καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ θέλοντες εὐσεβῶς ζῆν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διωχθήσονται [and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted], &c.
XVIII. From these Calamities the Enemies with whom the Church must fight here are manifestly inferred. They are altogether various, and in various ways attack her
[Page 421]
and her members. Against all these there is need of the whole armor, vigilance, resistance, and strong assault upon the enemies.
XIX. Above the rest of worldly Enemies stands Antichrist. This name, although sometimes taken more broadly of all Christ’s enemies, 1 John 2:18, “as ye have heard that Antichrist comes,” καὶ νῦν ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ γεγονάσιν [and now many antichrists have arisen], yet strictly and κατ’ ἐξοχήν [by eminence] denotes the Apostatic Order of the Roman Pontiffs. This is clear:
1. From the name Antichrist, which most fittingly belongs to him as the adversary, vicar, and equal of Christ.
2. From Paul’s description, 2 Thess. 2:2–11, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον, καὶ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον Θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα [that unless the apostasy come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above everything called God or worshiped], &c. There the time of his public coming, apostasy, impiety, pride, exaltation, sitting in the temple of God, the manner of his operation and manifestation, duration, &c., all lead us to the Roman Pontiff; since the singular number is used collectively for the order of individual men, and one must think here not of the Jerusalem temple, but of the spiritual temple, or the Church.
3. From John’s description in the Apocalypse, chapters 9, 11, 13, 16, &c., where Rome is so painted, among other things, as the chief seat of the Antichristian Kingdom, that the name of the Kingdom is also expressed by the number 666, which in Greek is Λατεινος [Latin/Roman], and in Hebrewרומית [Roman], Rev. 13:18.
XX. Not only are the things which the Pontiffs oppose utterly vain, as though we assumed to ourselves too light and bitter a judgment; but also ridiculous are the things which they invent concerning Antichrist as an individual man from the tribe
[Page 422]
of Dan, who will say that he is the Messiah, will perform miracles, will murder Enoch and Elijah, will reign three and a half years, &c. These things are ineptly confirmed from Gen. 49:17, “Dan shall be a serpent by the way,” &c.; Jer. 8:16, “the snorting of his horses was heard from Dan”; Rev. 11:3, “and I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy,” &c. Thus in the Fathers it can be excused that such prophecies had not yet then been declared by the event. The things said concerning Gog and Magog we think also refer to Antichrist, but not to him alone, excluding other later enemies of the Church.
XXI. Through Calamities and Conflicts it happens that the Church in this world is often Less Conspicuous; which obtained under the Old Testament, 2 Chron. 15:3, “and for many days Israel was without the God of truth, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” 1 Kings 19:10, 14, “I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away,” &c. And concerning the New Testament it was predicted, Rev. 12:6, 14, “the woman fled into the wilderness,” and “there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place,” &c., “from the face of the serpent.” Rev. 13:8, “and all who dwell upon the earth shall worship it,” &c. Experience also confirms it, in persecutions and most grievous heresies. The Papists hold the contrary, and object:
1. The various promises of perpetuity and splendor in the Law, Matt. 16:18; Isa. 60:11, 12.
Reply The Church, when she is not seen, nevertheless remains like the moon under the force of shadow; and the promises of splendor do not pertain to every moment of time.
[Page 423]
2. The Church is like a lampstand, a mountain, and a city set on a mountain, Rev. 1:20; Dan. 2:35; Matt. 5:14.
Reply In all these similitudes, external sight from without can also be hindered.
3. External profession of faith and union with the true Church are necessary.
Reply Neither must be judged absolutely necessary, and always.
XXII. Against the Socinians, we hold at the same time that the Church never plainly fails on earth; because the Messiah’s kingdom is eternal, Dan. 2:44: “in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which shall not be corrupted forever,” &c.; “and it shall stand forever.” Luke 1:33, καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος [and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end]. And Christ always preserves his Church, Matt. 16:18, “upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” &c.; and in the most difficult times some godly ones have always been found, 1 Kings 19:18, “I have left to myself in Israel seven thousand, all knees which have not bowed themselves to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him,” &c.
Objection 1. The Church is often not seen.
Reply Then she nevertheless survives secretly.
Objection 2. Faith will at some time be abolished, and the pure worship of God will cease, Luke 18:8; Rev. 13:8.
Reply These places are to be understood comparatively, concerning the fewness of the godly.
Objection 3. Particular churches can be destroyed, Rom. 11:20, 21; Rev. 2:5.
Reply From this only the translation of the Church from one place and nation to another is established, not its abolition.
XXIII. As the Church always emerges from calamities, so a greatest Emergence is still expected, through
[Page 424]
the general Conversion of the Jews, which we believe will occur from the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. Isa. 59:20, “the Redeemer shall come to Tsijon [Sion], and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah.” Hos. 1:10, 11, 12, “and it shall be in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said to them, Ye are the sons of the living God; and the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and shall appoint themselves one head, and shall come up from the earth,” &c. Hos. 3:5, “afterward the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall fear Jehovah and his goodness in the latter days,” &c. Rom. 11:11, 12, 15, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, λέγω οὖν, μὴ ἔπταισαν ἵνα πέσωσι; μὴ γένοιτο [I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid], &c.; εἰ δὲ τὸ παράπτωμα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος κόσμου, καὶ τὸ ἥττημα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν [now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness], &c.; εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀποβολὴ αὐτῶν καταλλαγὴ κόσμου, τίς ἡ πρόσληψις εἰ μὴ ζωὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν; [for if their casting away is the reconciliation of the world, what shall their receiving be, but life from the dead?], &c.; οὐ γὰρ μυστήριον ὑμᾶς θέλω ἀγνοεῖν, ὅτι πώρωσις ἀπὸ μέρους τῷ Ἰσραὴλ γέγονεν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, καὶ οὕτω πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται [for I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in, and so all Israel shall be saved], &c.; οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ ἠλεήθησονται [so they also shall obtain mercy], &c. To these is added the marvelous preservation and distinction of the nation from others unto this day, joined with the expectation of the Messiah and faith in the Prophets.
XXIV. The moment and mode of this Conversion are less certain to us. But that these converts will return to their own land, as some Christians also wish, we do not believe; because the scepter was finally taken away from Judah, Gen. 49:10, “the scepter shall not depart from Judah,” &c., “until Shiloh come,” &c.; and perpetual exile is denounced upon them, Ezek.
[Page 425]
16:53, 55, “and I will turn their captivity with the captivity of Sodom and her daughters,” &c.; “and thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former state,” &c.; “and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former state,” &c. Hos. 1:4, 6, “Call his name Lo-Ruchamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, for I will utterly take them away,” &c.
Objection 1. This land was promised to Abraham’s seed forever, Gen. 17:8.
Reply Eternity is there to be understood periodically and restrictively, just as in Circumcision.
Objection 2. Many prophecies of return are read in the Prophets, Deut. 30:3, 4; Jer. 30:18, &c.
Reply Sometimes the promises are general and conditional, looking to the time of the Old Testament; sometimes the return from Babel is indicated; sometimes also, by a bodily phrase, the grace of spiritual reduction to God is noted.
Objection 3. Jerusalem is to be trodden down until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, Luke 21:24.
Reply Thus the end of the world is best noted, and Jerusalem can be freed from treading down, even if it is not inhabited by Israelites alone.
XXV. We think that the expected conversion of the Jews ought to lead us here: that we grant them a tranquil habitation among Christians, and that we strive to promote their conversion, by removing all impediments of faith, and by employing prayers, instructions, and godly manners, &c.
XXVI. With the Conversion of the Jews we also expect:
1. A greater Accession of the Gentiles, from Dan. 2:35, “the stone which struck the statue became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Zech. 14:9, “and Jehovah shall be King over
[Page 426]
all the earth; in that day Jehovah shall be one, and his name one.” Rom. 11:12, 15, 25, 26, “if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?” &c.; “if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what shall their reception be, but life from the dead?” &c.; “until the fullness of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel shall be saved,” &c.; just as the zeal of the converted Jews bids us think the same.
2. A greater Fall of Antichrist, both Eastern and Western, from 2 Thess. 2:8, καὶ τότε ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος, ὃν ὁ Κύριος ἀναλώσει τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ [and then shall that lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth]. Rev. 12:16, καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς, καὶ κατέπιεν τὸν ποταμὸν, ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ [and the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth]. Rev. 18:2, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling of demons,” &c.; for the kingdom of Christ cannot grow so greatly without a great decrease of this kingdom.
3. A greater Felicity of the Church, spiritual and bodily, through evils removed and goods conferred.
XXVII. This felicity of the Church on earth ought not to be pressed too much, sought everywhere, nor its moment and mode scrupulously determined; nor ought it to be either too greatly intensified, as if it were plainly consummated, or extended, as if security and a great defection were not to follow—contrary to Matt. 24:37, 38, 39, “as the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be; for as in those days they were eating and drinking,” &c.; “and they knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be,” &c. Luke 18:8, πλὴν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐλθὼν ἆρα εὑρήσει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; [nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?]
[Page 427]
Many today fall into differing faults when they discourse concerning this Felicity of the Church.
XXVIII. Certainly Chiliasm is not to be brought back, or the old opinion concerning a peaceful Kingdom of a Thousand Years, which Christ is to have with many resurrected saints here on earth before the end of the world. For Scripture defers the Resurrection of all to the last day, 1 Cor. 15:23, 24: “each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward those who are Christ’s at his coming; afterward the end,” &c. Nor is Christ’s kingdom ever worldly, John 18:36, “my kingdom is not of this world,” &c. Nor will Christ return except once, unto Judgment, Acts 1:11, “this Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in the same way as ye saw him going into heaven,” &c. Nor do all Calamities here plainly come to an end, John 16:33, “in the world ye shall have affliction,” &c.
Objection 1. Many passages of Scripture speak of the Kingdom of Christ and of the godly, Dan. 7:13, 14; 1 Cor. 6:2, &c.
Reply Either a Spiritual Kingdom is understood, or there is reference to the future Judgment and Glory.
Objection 2. The express text, Rev. 20:1–7.
Reply It treats partly of the sufficiently happy state of the Church through the first thousand years of Christianity, partly of the glory of souls in heaven, which was also to begin at that time.
XXIX. As it is lawful to establish various Periods of the Church, and many have long established them, so today certain among us especially urge Six Signs of the Times, repeated from Moses to Christ: Blessing, Cursing, Illumination, Recollection, Repeated Beneficence, and Amplification, from Matt. 16:3, “ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the sky,”
[Page 428]
τὰ δὲ σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν οὐ δύνασθε [but ye cannot discern the signs of the times], and Deut. 30:1–5, “and it shall be, when all these words shall come upon thee, the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bring them back to thy heart among all the nations whither Jehovah thy God has driven thee, and shalt return to Jehovah thy God,” &c. Then they set Seven Periods of the New Testament, from Christ’s Ascension unto the End of the world: of more peaceful Preaching of the Gospel; of dreadful Persecution; of Peace and Contest with the false Church; of an Appearance in the false Church with an attempt at Reformation; of Reformation begun and broken off; of new Anguish after peace; and finally of Aspiration toward the Kingdom of Christ and Gathering. These Periods they draw chiefly from the Seven Apocalyptic Epistles, Seals, and Trumpets; and then countless other passages are dragged here.
XXX. We cannot greatly approve either distribution of times. For under the Old Testament those Signs were not so distinct in history that several Curses were not also mixed in and did not precede the Blessing; and the glory of the nation after the Captivity was always less than before it. Nor did Moses distinguish the times prophetically in this way; but he makes promises under the condition of repentance, and our Savior’s Signs are indications of the Messiah’s advent. Further, in those Periods of the New Testament, very diverse and opposite matters are referred to one time, and the same matter to various times; and here the terms of duration are too uncertain and unequal.
XXXI. Certainly these do not apply here:
1. The Apocalyptic Epistles, which are distinguished from the prophetic part of the book, Rev. 1:19, “write the things which thou hast seen, the things which
[Page 429]
are, and the things which shall be after these,” and whose argument is plainly perceived to look to the Churches of Asia to which they themselves were given.
Objection 1. The name of Prophecy is given to the whole book, Rev. 1:3.
Reply Either this is a denomination from the more important part, or that name is taken more broadly for inspired word; compare 2 Pet. 1:20, 21, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation; for prophecy was not formerly brought by the will of man,” &c.
Objection 2. The names of these Cities are mystical.
Reply In other names also, mysteries and allegories can be devised by us just as well.
Objection 3. The argument of the Epistles does not agree with the Churches of Asia in those things which are said of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, Antipas, &c., but is plainly found in successive ages.
Reply The former is said gratuitously and against the authority both of the Spirit in these Epistles and of the ancients; and in the application to the times, both words and histories are variously tortured.
Objection 4. The clauses of the Epistles and of the whole Apocalypse are general, Rev. 22:16.
Reply The matter is immediately of all the Seven Churches of Asia, to which the whole Book was sent, and the use of the book also looks to all believers.
2. The Seven Seals, which mark just as many successive Degrees of Revelation, not distinct Ages of the Church through which events were to be carried; and the first Four look to the whole time of the New Testament, the Fifth to souls after death, the Sixth to the Last Judgment, and the Seventh contains the seven Trumpets.
3. The Seven Trumpets, which again mark various evils breaking in: the first Four perpetual evils, the Fifth Antichristianism, the Sixth
[Page 430]
Muhammadanism, and the Seventh the completion of the Last Judgment.