Heaven Upon Earth ARCHIVES INTERNATIONALES D’HISTOIRE DES IDÉES
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Heaven Upon Earth ARCHIVES INTERNATIONALES D’HISTOIRE DES IDÉES INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE HISTORY OF IDEAS 194 Heaven Upon Earth Joseph Mede (1586--1638) and the Legacy of Millenarianism By Jeffrey K. Jue Founding Directors: P. Dibon† (Paris) and R.H. Popkin† (Washington University, St. Louis & UCLA) Director: Sarah Hutton (Middlesex University, United Kingdom) Associate-Directors: J.E. Force (Lexington); J.C. Laursen (Riverside) Editorial Board: M.J.B. Allen (Los Angeles); J.R. Armogathe (Paris); A. Gabbey (New York); T. Gregory (Rome); J. Henry (Edinburgh); J.D. North (Oxford); J. Popkin (Lexington); G.A.J. Rogers (Keele); Th. Verbeek (Utrecht) Heaven Upon Earth Joseph Mede (1586--1638) and the Legacy of Millenarianism By Jeffrey K. Jue Westminster Theological Seminary, U.S.A. A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN-10 1-4020-4292-2 (HB) ISBN-13 978-1-4020-4292-8 (HB) ISBN-10 1-4020-4293-0 (e-book) ISBN-13 978-1-4020-4293-5 (e-book) Published by Springer, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands. www.springer.com Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved © 2006 Springer No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed in the Netherlands. Contents Abbreviations viii Acknowledgements ix 1. Introduction 1 i. The History of British Apocalyptic Thought 1 ii. Joseph Mede and English Millenarianism 4 iii. Leading Questions 5 2. Biography 7 i. Joseph Mede: A Biography 7 ii. Early Years (1586-1602) 7 iii. University Years (1602-1610) 9 iv. Fellow at Christ’s College (1610-1638) 11 v. The Scholar 12 vi. Correspondence 14 vii. Conclusion 16 PART ONE: JOSEPH MEDE IN CONTEXT 3. Crypto-Papists, Anti-Calvinists and the Antichrist 19 i. Millenarianism and the English Revolution 19 ii. Crypto-Papists 21 iii. Anti-Calvinists 25 iv. Antichrist 30 v. Conclusion 33 4. Joseph Mede and the Cambridge Platonists 37 i. Mede and the Cambridge Platonists 37 ii. Co-Residents in Cambridge 38 v vi Contents iii. The Platonic Mede? 40 iv. Theological Connections: Anti-Calvinists 44 v. Theological Connections: The Doctrine of Justification 52 vi. Theological Connections: Theologia Naturalis 58 vii. Conclusion 63 5. Protestant Irenicism and the Millennium: Mede and the 65 Hartlib Circle i. Protestant Irenicism and the Millennium 65 ii. Dury, Hartlib and the Church of England 67 iii. The Leipzig Colloquy: The Standard for Irenicism 69 iv Dury, Hartlib and Mede on Protestant Unification 70 v. Irenicism and Millenarianism 77 vi. Conclusion 84 PART TWO: THE ROOTSOF MEDE’S APOCALYPTIC THOUGHT 6. The Origins of the Clavis Apocalyptica: A Millenarian Conversion 89 i. The Origins of the Clavis Apocalyptica 89 ii. The Non-Millenarian Mede 91 iii. Dating The Apostasy of the Latter Times and 95 Mede’s Conversion iv. Synchronizing the Apocalypse: The Source for 100 Mede’s Conversion v. Conclusion 106 7. Millenarians, The Church Fathers and Jewish Rabbis 109 i. Millenarians and the Church Fathers 109 ii. The Canonicity of the Apocalypse and Patristic Authority 110 iii. The First Resurrection 113 iv. The Nature of the Millennium 119 v. The Conflagration and the Renovation of the World 122 vi. The Millennium and the Day of Judgment 126 vii. Conclusion 136 Contents vii PART THREE: THE LEGACY OF JOSEPH MEDE 8. An English Millenarian Legacy 141 i. English Millenarianism 141 ii. Early Challenges to Millenarianism 144 iii. Challenges from Hugo Grotius, Henry Hammond 150 and Richard Baxter iv. Henry More and the Apocalypse 156 v. Debating the Millennium: Thomas Beverley 163 and Richard Baxter vi. Drue Cressner and the “New Way” 166 vii. Isaac Newton and William Whiston: A Continuing Legacy 169 viii. Conclusion: English Millenarianism Revised 173 9. Colonial North America: The Puritan Errand Revised 175 i. The Puritan Errand into the Wilderness 175 ii. The First Generation 177 iii. New England: Gog and Magog or New Jerusalem? 184 iv. The National Conversion of the Jews 190 v. Israel and Old Testament Hermeneutics 195 vi. Conclusion 208 10. The Continental Millenarian Tradition 211 i. The Continent 211 ii. Initial Contact: Ludovicus de Dieu and Daniel van Laren 212 iii. British Refugees: English Congregationalists and 218 Scottish Presbyterians iv. Anti-Millenarian Responses from the Dutch Universities 227 v. The Dutch Legacy 235 vi. Conclusion 242 11. Conclusion: Revising British Millenarianism 245 Bibliography 251 Index 277 Abbreviations The Apostasy The Apostasy of the Latter Times (1641) BL British Library CCL Christ’s College Library Clavis Clavis Apocalyptica DNB Dictionary of National Biography, 63 vols. (1885-1900) HP Hartlib Papers The Key The Key to the Revelation (1643) NIV New International Version of the Bible STCC Short Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland and Ireland 1475-1640, 3 vols. (1976-91, 2nd edition) WCF Westminster Confession of Faith Works The works of the pious and profoundly-learned Joseph Mede (1677, 4th edition) viii Acknowledgements The completion of this book would have been impossible without the encouragement and assistance of many people. I have benefited from the support of numerous institutions, scholars, friends, and family. It is my sincere privilege to take this opportunity to acknowledge their contribution. This study of Joseph Mede’s millenarianism began as a doctoral dissertation at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, under the supervision of Professor Howard B. Hotson and Dr. Carl R. Trueman, and examined by Dr. Willem van Asselt and Dr. William G. Naphy. I owe my greatest intellectual debt to my doctoral supervisors. They generously shared their time and expertise. Professor Hotson’s insightful comments and suggestions have made this ultimately a better book. Dr. Trueman’s friendship and example are constant reminders of the true purpose for studying the history of eschatology. Research on which thisbook isbased wasconducted in various libraries including: the Rare Books and Special Collections Library at the University of Aberdeen, the Rare Books room at the Cambridge University Library, Christ’s College Old Library at Cambridge University, the National Library of Scotland, the British Library, The Institute of Reformation History at the University of Geneva, University Library of Utrecht, the Huntington Library in San Marino, and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. I appreciate the helpful library staffs for their tireless efforts in retrieving vital sixteenth and seventeenth-century books and manuscripts. Over the course of research and writing, many scholars provided assistance on various historical and theological topics. I wish to thank Professor David F. Wright, Dr. W. Ian P. Hazlett, Dr. Willem van Asselt, Professor Alan Ford, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Professor Allan I. Macinnes, Professor Irena Backus, Professor Richard A. Muller, Professor W. R. Godfrey, The Rev. James T. Dennison, Jr., and Dr. Paul Chang-Ha Lim. After leaving Scotland I returned to the States and began teaching at Reformed Theological Seminary, Washington D.C., and later Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Westminster Seminary provided a wonderful environment for completing the final revisions. Many colleagues offered stimulating suggestions and advice. I am grateful to Dr. Richard B. Gaffin Jr., Dr. William Edgar, Dr. Carl R. Trueman, Dr. K. Scott Oliphint, and Dr. Lane G. Tipton. I also wish to thank the Directors and Board of the International Archives of the History of Ideas for accepting this book in their series. Additionally, Maja de Keijzer and Andrea Janga were helpful during the editing process. ix x Acknowledgements My deepest gratitude belongs to my family. They are a constant source of joy and strength. It is an added benefit to have relatives residing near major research institutions and libraries. The hospitality of Amy and Stephen Lee, Jennifer Lin, and Stephanie Chang allowed me to complete my research in comfortable surroundings. Moreover Joyce Jue and Stephanie and Steven Chang never failed to offer words of encouragement at the most apropos moments. My wife, Jane, joined me during the final stages of this project. Her love is an inestimable delight which makes the publication of this monograph that much more enjoyable. She believes in my abilities, while always reminding me that there are things more important than scholarly achievements. It is a blessing to walk with her to the heavenly city. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional financial, emotional and spiritual support. Their care and concern have sustained me throughout this project. They have given above and beyond any standard of parental obligation. I owe them a debt that I can never repay. Truly their reward will be great in the age to come. Fittingly, itt is to them that I dedicate this book. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 J.K.J. New York August 2005 CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1.i THE HISTORY OF BRITISH APOCALYPTIC THOUGHT The study of early modern Britain between the Reformation of the 1530s and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of the 1640s has undergone a series of historiographical revisions. The dramatic events during that century were marked by a religious struggle that produced a Protestant nation, divided internally, yet clearly opposed to Rome. Likewise the political environment instilled a sense of responsible awareness regarding the administration of the realm and the defense of constitutional liberty.1 Whig Historians from the nineteenth century described these changes as a “Puritan Revolution.”2 Essentially this was England’s inevitable march towards enlightenment as a resultt of religious and political maturation.3 Subsequent Marxist historians attributed these radical changes to socio-economic factors.4 Britain was witnessing the decline of the medieval feudal system and the rise of a new capitalist class.