Ecclesiastical History

(1) Ecclesiastical History receives the same divisions with Civil History. It is further divided into:

1. History of the Church

This describes the times of the militant Church, whether it be"

• fluctuant, as the ark of Noah or
• movable, as the ark in the wilderness, or
• at rest, as the ark in the Temple

It describes the state of the Church in persecution, in remove, and in peace.

This part is not deficient. only I would that the virtue and sincerity of it were according to the mass and quantity. But I am not now in hand with censures, but with omissions.

2. (2) The history of prophecy

This consists of 2 relatives:

• the prophecy
• the accomplishment

Every prophecy of the Scripture should be sorted with the event fulfilling that prophecy throughout the ages of the world.

With God, 1,000 years can be just 1 day.

That is why prophecies are not fulfilled punctually at once.

The fulfillment of these prophecies might refer to a certain age.

3. (3) The history of Providence

This contains that excellent correspondence which is between:

• God’s revealed will and
• God’s secret will.

This will is so obscure.

But God wrote it in such text and capital letters, that, as the prophet said:

“He that runneth by may read it”

That is, mere sensual persons, which hasten by God’s judgments, and never bend or fix their cogitations upon them, are nevertheless in their passage and race urged to discern it.

Such are the notable events and examples of God’s judgments, chastisements, deliverances, and blessings; and this is a work which has passed through the labour of many, and therefore I cannot present as omitted.

(4) There are also other parts of learning which are appendices to history.

For all the exterior proceedings of man consist of words and deeds, whereof history doth properly receive and retain in memory the deeds; and if words, yet but as inducements and passages to deeds; so are there other books and writings which are appropriate to the custody and receipt of words only, which likewise are of three sorts—orations, letters, and brief speeches or sayings. Orations are pleadings, speeches of counsel, laudatives, invectives, apologies, reprehensions, orations of formality or ceremony, and the like.

Letters are according to all the variety of occasions, advertisements, advises, directions, propositions, petitions, commendatory, expostulatory, satisfactory, of compliment, of pleasure, of discourse, and all other passages of action. And such as are written from wise men, are of all the words of man, in my judgment, the best; for they are more natural than orations and public speeches, and more advised than conferences or present speeches. So again letters of affairs from such as manage them, or are privy to them, are of all others the best instructions for history, and to a diligent reader the best histories in themselves.

For apophthegms, it is a great loss of that book of Cæsar’s; for as his history, and those few letters of his which we have, and those apophthegms which were of his own, excel all men’s else, so I suppose would his collection of apophthegms have done; for as for those which are collected by others, either I have no taste in such matters or else their choice hath not been happy. But upon these three kinds of writings I do not insist, because I have no deficiences to propound concerning them.

(5) Thus much therefore concerning history, which is that part of learning which answereth to one of the cells, domiciles, or offices of the mind of man, which is that of the memory.