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for his frankness towards his new friend was just this, that he found that learned man taking a deep interest in his studies, "whereas most of those with whom I was familiar were nothing inquisitive after my meditations." So lively was this impression regarding Twisse, that in 1635 he writes, that to him he willingly communicates his stores, "because you make some account of them. For in the University where I live, I know not a second man that understands anything concerning such mysteries, nor desires to be made acquainted with them. I speak not of the mystery of the millennium only, but of the mystery of iniquity." But we had almost omitted to mention that the immediate occasion of their acquaintance with each other was the rumour which spread abroad about Mede's opinions regarding the kingdom of Christ here on earth, and that some should rise a thousand years before others, and reign in that kingdom." It seemed wondrous strange to find this opinion of the millenaries revived. A correspondence ensued, in which the subject was fully discussed. Soon after, Mede sent Dr Twisse a Lutheran's treatise, "De Die Novissimo," printed at Hanau, in Germany. The doctor's interest in prophetic study increased, so that hearing that his friend had got sight of seven MSS., "on the Mystery of the First Resurrection," he forthwith wrote an urgent request to be allowed to peruse them. It indicates the value attached by both friends to these papers, to find Twisse promising faithfully "to restore them. after he has sucked the honey out of them." "And such," he adds, "is the nature of spiritual commodities, the author will not on that account have one whit the less." All his difficulties were now solved; he fully embraced the opinion of the First Resurrection, took delight in investigating the prophetic Scriptures, and often sent Mede "divers choice pieces of the same argument," when he happened in his reading to light upon them. All the while, he scrupled not to express uncompromisingly his dissent from Mede's ideas regarding the holiness of church holidays and the like" for which he was as zealous" (says Twisse somewhat facetiously) "as my lord of Canterbury himself, or rather more;" his error arising from not distinguishing between the moral and typical nature of the temple rites.

We may give a few extracts from Twisse's letters to Mede, shewing how highly he esteemed him, and how grateful he felt for the light he had been the means of imparting to him on the prophetic Word. They had not as yet met face to face,

"When a vein is once found, of gold and silver, it makes a man hungry and greedy to pursue it; and the kingdom of the saints goes beyond all

mines and treasures.

Oh how have you blessed me, and still continue to bless me with your papers! I protest unto you, your letters, your conjectures, your meditations, are the greatest jewels my study contains.

....

Thus, over shoes, over boots! I am run so far in your debt, and withal am so much in love with it, that I care not how deep I plunge myself thereinto. I commend me heartily unto your love, which I prize more than I can express.”— Fourth Letter to Mede.

In his Fifth Letter he begins:

"How exceedingly am I beholden to you, first for your pains in affording me so liberal letters, especially considering with what recreation and delight I read them; but, above all, for your love in communicating your thoughts. And I dare profess, though I have not seen your face (which I heartily desire at mine house, but I will think of preventing that suit, and first take a time to visit yourself at Cambridge), yet you cannot communicate them to one that holds them more dear. Alas! had it not been for your help, I had been to this day a stranger in the mystery of God, while all my thoughts are employed in making up the breach which these degenerate times have caused in the mystery of God's grace."

It is thus the great champion of Calvinistic truth writes to his friend. The last clause in this extract refers to his great work, "The Riches of God's Love unto the Vessels of Mercy," a work prefaced by Dr Owen, who declares its author "far elevated above any possibility of his reaching the least esteem to him or his labours." Yet did he not think it unworthy of him to turn aside to refresh his spirit by prophetic inquiry. Nay, so profound is his satisfaction in his studies in this department, that again he writes to Mede (in his Seventh Letter):—

"Worthy sir, and my dear friend,-These are only to give you to understand that your packet is arrived safely in my hands; your letters, your manuscripts, two larger upon 1 Tim. iv., and the other of vorepoɩ kaιpoì, and a third less. Time will not serve me to express the content I take in them -the satisfaction you give me in your letters. I am taken with the meditation of the slavery of the creature ever since the fall of Adam, the bondage to them that are slaves of sin, and what bespeaks of better times both for the creature and for us; the passages of the form of doctrine prescribed by the Council of Nice; * the Catechism of King Edward's days; and the rest. And like enough the land of Canaan shall have pre-eminence above the rest when it comes to be the throne of Christ's kingdom; like as it was the glory of all lands when the children of Israel were brought to inherit it."

To which let us add one quotation further from his Eleventh Letter:

"Right dear, and my right worthy friend,-This day, a little before nine, came your letter unto me. I have been of late extremely melancholic. Your

*The formula for the doctrine of the resurrection set forth by the Council of Nice, states: "We expect the new heavens and new earth, when the kingdom of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ appears; when, according to Daniel, 'the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom. It shall be a pure, holy earth, the land of the living, not of the dead."" King Edward's Catechism, explaining "Thy kingdom come," states that among other things, "we pray for the ruin of Antichrist, and that Christ may reign with His saints."

letters inspire cheerfulness unto me. How am I beholden unto you for communicating unto me your treasures, which I esteem beyond the treasures of the Queen of Sheba ? . . . . I protest unto you, that if I should lie in prison all days of my life, next unto the consolations of God's Spirit, your writings would most refresh me."

The Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly was a man of mind and judgment as well as learning. None will dispute this claim. And yet see how brimful he is also of the blessed hope! His glimpses of the future Kingdom and the First Resurrection are delightful refreshment to his spirit, for calling his attention to which he seems never enough thankful to Joseph Mede.

But Mede found few who really took interest in prophetic themes. He complains, " Mundus amat decipi magis quam doceri." On this account, far from obtruding his opinions on others, he tells that for twenty years he had kept some of his papers by him, shewing them to none unless when urged. Is there not much important truth in the following paragraph?

"For the introducing and persuading a new and unfrequented truth, the choice of a seasonable time is half the work; without which a man shall sooner damnify than promote it. We see by experience what a wound sometimes a truth gets by an error in this kind. If the time, therefore, be not seasonable and likely, private communication and insinuation is most safe : public avouching is dangerous even to the cause itself, lest it be condemned before it is understood, and so never feasible again till that generation be gathered to their fathers, if then. A truth, therefore, not yet admitted must be urged very warily and tenderly, for fear of incurring such a dangerous prejudice by an over-potent opposition. For the sons of men are untoward creatures, that talk much of reason, but commonly steer by another compass, as of passion, faction, or affection."

Impressed with such convictions, he was not the man to come rashly forward with crude imaginations. He had weighed well what he propounded, and it is he that is the author of that saying which has passed into a maxim, universally allowed and approved, that "rashly to be the author of a false interpretation is to take God's name in vain in a high degree" (Epistle to Twisse). And that there was weight and authority in his prophetic views was evinced by the class of men who opened up correspondence with him, after his opinions had been made public. Mr Francis Potter, Dr Meddus, Mr Henry Mason, "an ancient acquaintance of Dr Twisse," Dr Ames, Archbishop Ussher, Ludovicus de Dieu, Sir William Boswell, Testard of Blois, in France, John Dury of Leyden,—these are some of the names that occur in his correspondence. They write mainly on subjects of prophecy, chiefly referring to Popery and the kingdom of Christ during the millennium, or thousand years.

He was too much of a Royalist in his feelings; hence every approach to resistance of existing authority pained him. Often in his latter days did he express his dread of troubles coming on the nations. What would he have felt had he lived to see King Charles beheaded? What would he have felt had he even heard of the proceedings of the Presbyterians in Scotland, in the November of 1638, when they resolutely held their General Assembly, and cast down Episcopacy at one blow? His friend Twisse would no doubt fully sympathise with this assertion of the principles of scriptural liberty; but Mede would have looked on with apprehension, if not dismay. All this, however, he was spared; for in September of that year he sickened. The proper physician was absent, attending to the sick in Cambridge (the plague having broke out in the town), and so he was not promptly nor skilfully cared for. His trouble rapidly increased, and next day he breathed his last, before receiving the Lord's supper, in which he had asked those attending on him to participate with him. He was in his fifty-second year.

He lives in his Works. These have been published in different forms. The best and most complete edition is the folio of 1672, edited by Dr Worthington,* a reprint of the second edition, which appeared in 1664, with some corrections and additions.

BOOK I. contains all his Discourses. They are not addressed to the conscience so much as to the understanding; but they spread out the Word of God before the reader. As a specimen of his gospel-preaching, let us quote a passage from a sermon on Matt. xi. 28, 29:"Come we, therefore, to the application. He that cometh unto God,' says St Paul, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that seek him.' So I say that he that cometh unto Christ must believe that He is, and that He is the Easer of them that seek unto Him. He that believes this sufficiently cannot but go to Christ. You, therefore, that labour and are heavy laden with your sins, do you believe that Christ is, and that He is the Easer of them that, being weary of their sins, seek unto Him?" Again he says, as to gospel holiness:-"True it is, and nothing more true, that no works of ours in this life can abide the touchstone of God's love; and, therefore, are not able to justify us in the presence of God, but to condemn us.

*

Darling's "Biblic. Encyclopædia," however, notices one defect. This edition of 1672 omits two sermons, one on Matthew v. 23, 24; the other on Joel ii. 17. We may add also, that it does not contain the interesting prefaces of Dr Twisse, prefixed by him to his edition of "The Apostasy of the Latter Times," and "The Key to the Revelation."

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But it is true also, that we are therefore justified through faith in the blood and righteousness of Christ, that in Him we might do works pleasing and acceptable to Almighty God, which out of Him we could not do." The discourses in this book are fiftythree in number, and upon a vast variety of interesting topics. Sometimes a felicitous criticism is made the groundwork of the discourse, as in that on 2 Peter ii. 4, where he shews that the sinning angels are said to be "reserved FOR chains of darkness," but are not yet bound in them. Of such texts as require explanation, he has not a few for his subjects," The Congregation of the Dead," " Shiloh," "Zipporah," "The Rock was Christ." And even when he treats such a subject as Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Prov. iv. 23), you find him diverging into interesting explanation of phrases; e.g. "A heart that is loyal is called a 'perfect heart,' he ab or pn, not perfect in respect of degrees, but perfect in respect of parts; cor integrum, a heart wherein no part is wholly wanting, howsoever weak and a great deal short of due proportion.' He is not always exhaustive, nor satisfactory, but he is without fail fresh and suggestive. Thus, on Acts xiii. 48, he argues for the now abandoned sense, "There believed as many as had listed themselves, or were of the company of those who did hope or earnestly labour for eternal life;" forcing the words to wear an un-predestinarian look, but all unsuccessfully.

BOOK II. is more curious than useful. It is a collection of Discourses and Treatises "Of Churches and the Worship of God therein." To us it appears by far the least valuable of his writings.

· BOOK III. contains his strictly Prophetic works. There is, 1. The Key to the Revelation, "Clavis et Commentationes Apocalypticæ." It was originally written in Latin, so that Continental scholars had access at once to its erudition and research, and was then translated into English. It was sent forth in 1627. Then there is, 2. "Opuscula nonnulla ad rem Apocalypticam spectantia," in English, containing hints on several points adverted to in his great work. 3. A Paraphrase and Exposition of St Peter's Second Epistle, chap. iii., wherein he replies to the objections of the "Zelotical Anti-Chiliasts" on various subjects. 4. The Apostasy of the Latter Times. In this elaborate treatise he is at pains to refute the idea that Mohammedanism is the Apostasy. He fastens the charge on the Church of Rome, and proves his allegations at great length, and with copious references to history. 5. Daniel's Weeks, with two other tracts upon Daniel. These Two other tracts" are in Latin, the one on Daniel's Fourth Kingdom, the other

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