CHAP. CXX.[224]
Peace. Dear Truth, you have shown me a little draught of Zion’s sorrows, her children tearing out their mother’s bowels. Oh! when will He that stablisheth, comforteth, and builds up Zion, look down from heaven, and have mercy on her? &c.
Truth. The vision yet doth tarry, saith Habakkuk, but will most surely come; and therefore the patient and believing must wait for it.
Seven reasons, proving that the kings of Israel and Judah cannot have any other but a spiritual antitype. Civil types and figures must needs be answered by spiritual antitypes.
But to your last proposition, whether the kings of Israel and Judah were not types of civil magistrates? Now, I suppose, by what hath been already spoken, these things will be evident:—
First. That those former types of the land, of the people, of their worships, were types and figures of a spiritual land, spiritual people, and spiritual worship under Christ. Therefore, consequently, their saviours, redeemers, deliverers, judges, kings, must also have their spiritual antitypes, and so consequently not civil but spiritual governors and rulers, lest the very essential nature of types, figures, and shadows be overthrown.
Civil compulsion was proper in the national church of the Jews, but most improper in the Christian, which is not national.
Secondly. Although the magistrate by a civil sword might well compel that national church to the external exercise of their national worship: yet it is not possible, according to the rule of the New Testament, to compel whole nations to true repentance and regeneration, without which (so far as may be discerned true) the worship and holy name of God is profaned and blasphemed.
An arm of flesh and sword of steel cannot reach to cut the darkness of the mind, the hardness and unbelief of the heart, and kindly operate upon the soul’s affections to forsake a long-continued father’s worship, and to embrace a new, though the best and truest. This work performs alone that sword out of the mouth of Christ, with two edges, Rev. i. and iii.
Neither Christ Jesus nor his messengers have made the civil magistrate Israel’s antitype, but the contrary.