112 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



CHAPTER XI 



Ecclesiastical History divided into the General History of the Church, His 

 tory of Prophecy, and History of Providence 



ECCLESIASTICAL history in general has nearly the 

 same divisions with civil history: thus there are ec 

 clesiastical chronicles, lives of the fathers, accounts 

 of synods, and other ecclesiastical matters; but in propriety 

 it may be further divided 1. Into the general history of 

 the Church; 2. The history of prophecy; and, 3. The his 

 tory of providence. The first describes the times of the 

 Church militant, whether fluctuating, as the ark of Noah; 

 movable, as the ark in the wilderness; or at rest, as the 

 ark in the temple; that is, in the states of persecution, 

 migration, and peace. And in this part there is a redun 

 dancy rather than a deficiency, but it were to be wished 

 the goodness and sincerity of it were equal to the bulk. 



The second part, viz., the history of prophecy, consists 

 of two relatives the prophecy and the accomplishment; 

 whence the nature of it requires, that every Scripture 

 prophecy be compared with the event, through all the 

 ages of the world, for the better confirmation of the faith 

 and the better information of the Church with regard to 

 the interpretation of prophecies not yet fulfilled. But here 

 we must allow that latitude which is peculiar and familiar 

 to divine prophecies, which have their completion not only 

 at stated times, but in succession, as participating of the na 

 ture of their author, &quot;with whom a thousand years are but 

 as one day, 1 and therefore are not fulfilled punctually at 

 once, but have a growing accomplishment through many 

 ages, though the height or fulness of them may refer to a 



1 Psalm Ixxxix. 4. 



