in his Testament wherein is set downe the Ministers which hee hath set in the Church namely Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and 1. Cor. 12. Ephes 4. 11. Teachers and also their office and administration But in all the new Testament no Arch-bishops nor Lord-bishops no Deanes nor Arch-deacons Prebends Priests nor canons no chancellors nor commissaries and other their court officers nor any such administration as they challenge and execute can there be found they are a strange generation that is risen up out of the earth for earthly-minded and vaine men haue invented them and therefore the body which consisteth of them cannot of right be acknowledged to be the Body of Christ whose Ministers in respect that they are called according to the commandement of Christ are from heaven But it is indeed the Image of the first Beast whose mouth was as the mouth of a Lyon his body like a Leopard and his feete as the feete of a Beare an ougly compounded and deformed monster And as their names are strange and different from the Ministers of Christ so is their practise contrary they are not servants to the Flock and Church of Christ and helpers of their ioy but they are authors of their woe challenging and exercising Lordship and dominion over their faith for in stead of a due administration of the word of God they haue mingled a cup of fornication for the people to drinke that is devised a forme of booke-worship with orders rites and ceremonies which they haue imposed on the people under the title of Divine Service and which they must obserue without adding thereto or taking any thing from it as in the 4. 6. 7. 8. and 14. canons Further they are not painefull preachers but lazy Lords they are not followers of Christ and of his word but are contemners thereof casting it behind their backs and will not be reformed nor ruled by it they are Lawmakers much like Nebuchadnezar for as he would destroy all that would not worship his golden Image So whosoever doth refuse to yeild obedience to their Lawes shal be most severely punished as is playne by diverse penalties annexed unto their Cannons In consecrating and ordeyning Preists they are like to Ieroboam for as he consecrated whome he would of the basest of the people to be the Preists of the high places which he had set up so doe they ordeyne for the most part ignorant fellowes to be their parish priests and inferior Ministers wherein though they doe most absurdly yet will they not be contradicted as we may see by the 57. Canon where it is sayd whosoever shall refuse to comunicate with a dumbe and unpreaching Minister Let him be excommunicated And although their owne Doctors complayne and cry out against it yet they will not amend amongst the rest it is worthy to be observed what their owne great Champion profound Mr. Hooper sayth viz. That both Arguments from light of nature Lawes and Statutes of scripture the Canons that are taken out of auncyent Synodes the decrees and constitutions of sincerest tymes the sentences of all antiquitte and in a word every mans consent and conscience is against ignorance in them that have the cure and charge of soules If it be so how unreasonable and beastly is it for the Prelats to ordeyne allowe and approve of such for the Ministers of Christ of which there are many hundreds in the land whome the Prelats are not ashamed to forbid to expound the Scriptures as in the 49. Canon where it is sayd that some of their parish priests shall not take upon them to expound in their cure or elswhere any Scripture or matter or doctrine but shall onely study to reade c. It is greatly to be wondered at that so many grave heads as were gathered together and sate consulting about these matters should breed and bring forth such absurd and impious Canons If there were nothing else this allowance of dumbe Ministers is sufficient to shew the vanitie of their mindes and the darknesse of their foolish hearts So that we may truely say of them that when they professed themselves to be most wise by exalting and making themselves equall with God in making lawes for the government of his house the Church even then they became most foolish and void of judgment As for the best sort of their parish Preists which are men of learing and gifts they must also be confined within their limitts they must worship God according to the rules prescribed them by these their spirituall Fathers as in the 38. Canon If any minister shall omitt to use the forme of Prayer or any of the orders or Ceremonies prescribed in the Communion Booke let him be suspended and if he doe not conforme within the space of a moueth let him be deposed The absurdities and blasphemies conteyned in that Comon prayer Booke are many which having been discovered and layd open by divers treatises already published in print I will omit onely this I will add that in the imposing of that service Booke or any other this great iniquitie is committed by the imposers therof That they doe exalt themselves both against Christ who is ascended into heaven †Ephes 4. 8. 11. 12. and hath given gifts to his Ministers for the gathering together of the Saincts for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the Church his body and also they exalt themselves against the holy Ghost who onely hath power ‡ Rom. 8. 26. to helpe our infirmities to furnish men with gifts to worship God aright Further their preachers may not teach against their corrupt Church state and Ministrie though they know it to be Antichristian nor against the forme of worship prescribed in the said comon prayer Booke nor against the ceremonies nor the government of the church of England by Archbishops Bishops Deanes Archdeacons and the rest that beare office in the same nor against the manner and forme of making and consecrating Bishops Preists or Deacons nor against the Lawes and Ordinances Ecclesiasticall established in the sayd Church whosoever transgresseth in these things shal be excommunicated ipso facto as is playne in the 4. 6. 7. 8. 54. Canons Thus by excommunicating and cursing they labour to mainteine and defend their corruptions but not one iote of Scripture dare they shew and no marvell seeing the whole scriptures are against mens inventions and traditions of which nature these abuses are being left here by the Pope and reteyned and renewed by his Prelates As they may not teach against these things so on the contrarie they may not teach the true and right way which Christ hath prescribed in his Testament how we must worship God nor how the true Church of Christ ought to be gathered and constituted the Ministers thereof ordained nor the manner how it ought to bee governed as appeareth in the 9. 10. 11. and 12. Canons By which we may see in what bondage their Preachers are
and being so transubstantiated to offer it vp vnto God a sacrifice propitiatorie both for quick and dead Thus the wounded head of Priesthood was cured and revived and so became the worlds wonder as now it followeth to bee declared according as Iohn here witnesseth And all the world wondred after the Beast That is The people of the Nations hauing this Priesthood set over them and commended unto them to bee of such power and dignitie as that they could make them a visible God not onely to behold with their eyes and looke vpon but also to eate and that their maker and redeemer to their everlasting salvation And being so effectually deluded as that they beleeued these lyes hereupon they wondred and followed the Beast Well might they wonder to see bread and taste bread where was no bread and to see wine and taste wine where was no wine for so were they made to beleeue and to eate flesh and drinke bloud and yet neither to see nor taste flesh nor bloud this was a wonder to wonder at and who would not follow him for a guide that had power to worke such wonders But they did not onely follow the Beast as the Iewes did Christ when they saw his miracles But they worshipped the Dragon which gaue Ver. 4. power vnto the Beast and they worshipped the Beast saying who is like vnto the Beast Who is able to make warre with him To worship is to heare and obey and by worshipping the Dragon was shewed that they wholly addicted themselues to be directed and ruled by the Beast whom the Dragon used as his instrument to worke his will and to whom he had giuen authority and power to that end thus orginally they worshiped the divell Secondly they worshiped the Beast as being the instrument of the divell and they became subiects in all things obedient unto the Beast as being of such holinesse and truth as that it could not erre nor deceiue others and of such power as what they loosed on earth was loosed in heaven and what they bound in earth was bound in heaven therfore such a power as had no match or peere so that they boasted and said of it Who is like unto the Beast As David considering the power Psal 71. 77. and wonderfull works of God saith Who is like unto the Lord So doe the Nations boast of this Beast saying Who is like unto the Beast And further they sayd of him Who is able to make warre with him As if they should say This our holy Mother hath power to excommunicate and deliver to Satan all of what estate condition and degree soever they be that will not heare her voyce beare her yoke and be ruled by her Who therefore is able to make warre with her that is make his party good against this our holy Mother Of such admiration was this Beast in the earth thus hath the world thought and spoken of her And moreover there was given unto this Beast a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given him to make 42. moneths Ver. 5. As the mouth is the meanes and instrument whereby men do declare their mindes so this Beast had a mouth to declare and utter her minde by which mouth was signified a Ministerie of false Prophets and lying Spirits namely Doctors Schoole-men Monkes Frvars and all sorts of their Preachers who teach for doctrines the commandements of the Beast and declare and utter the minde and will of the Beast as being equall to Gods Word this their Canons Lawes Books and Monuments do manifestly witnesse The effect of that which this mouth uttereth is noted to be great things and blasphemies They boast of this Beast that she is the holy Catholick Church Militant the Mother of all true beleevers the chaste Spouse of Christ the Pillar and ground of Truth that it cannot erre c. And that all which will haue God to be their Father must haue her to be their Mother Finally that out of her lap and communion there is no saluation These and many other such great things speaketh the mouth of this Beast which are indeed great things and being so spoken are great blasphemies For is it not great blasphemy to call that Holy which is most abominable To call her the Mother of all true Beleevers which is the Mother of fornications and of all abominations To call that the Pillar and ground of Truth which hath corrupted the earth with her errours and fornications and caused all Nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath thereof To say there is no saluation but in her followship whose end and iudgement is to go to destruction Beware of false Prophets and teachers of lyes for such are the mouth of this Beast And it is further to be minded that it is said of this Beast that the mouth which she had was given her for had this Beast no more to maintaine this mouth then she hath of her own by discent and heritage she could not haue so many to speake for her as she hath But Emperors and Kings Princes Nobles and other great sinners became benefactors to this Beast giving unto her Lands and Tenements rents revenewes to maintaine this mouth to utter great things and blasphemies and more then this Power was given him to act or make two and fortie moneths For the better understanding of this point let this be considered In the Antichristian Kingdome they haue a rule how to proceed in every cause but not given them of God but of their own making which they commonly call the Canon Law concerning vvhich Law here we may learne by vvhom it vvas made how long it was in making These makers usurp the name of the Church of Christ but the true Church is the Kingdom of Christ and being the Kingdom of Christ it hath him onely for lawgiver they therefore which under the title of the Church presume to make lawes are fitly worthily resembled by a Beast For what is more unreasonable then for those whose greatest dignity glory happines consisteth in hearing obeying administring of Gods Word to fall from this and Lucifer-like to exalt oppose themselues against their Maker as though they were vviser iuster then God to adde unto his Testament vvhich is sufficient to instruct us in all vvisedome to make the man of God perfect in every good work and to take from the same 2. Tim. 3. 17. Testament at their pleasure vvhich is not lawfull to do to any mans testament vvithout great offence and injustice as the Apostle sheweth Gal. 3. 15. yet this is the way wherein those great doers the authors of the Canon Law haue vvalked It is said of those Actors that Power was given them c. Where first vve may obserue that of themselues they had not this power for then it could not haue been said to be given them but given them it was it is therefore to be
knowne unbeleevers to the end to meete together for the mutuall edification and comfort one of another by doctrine breaking of bread and prayer and to practise all other Ordinances of Christ set downe in his Testament as they shall haue occasion and to companies of Beleeuers hauing such fellowship and communion one with another the title of the Churches of Christ doth in our use of speech properly and of right belong but for beleevers to doe this apart by themselues is adiudged contempt of authority factious novelty making of Conventicles and unlawfull Assemblies dangerous to the State and not to be suffered in any Kingdome or Common-wealth and so they blaspheme the Tabernacle of God in a high degree as if Gods people were a company of ungodly rebels and wicked conspirators but the righteous Lord will in due time visit his people rebuke his enemies And on the other side for Gods people now to deny the kingdome of the Beast that is as they call it the holy Catholick church Militant to be the true Church of Christ To refuse to partake and communicate with them in their abominations delusions and unfruitfull workes of darknesse is adjudged disobedience schisme and contempt of the power and authoritie of the Church To speak against their proceedings sedition disturbance of the peace of the Church heresie impietie and what not Thus they adorne the Harlott which corrupteth the earth with her fornications with the title of the Church and spouse of Christ and Tabernacle of God And so blaspheme the Tabernacle of God as if it were not a communion of Saincts by calling and profession but an habitation of Divells an hold of Fowle spirits and a cage of every uncleane hatefull bird Further it is sayd of the Beast that it did blaspheme those that dwelt in heaven that is the Saincts departed this life Those that dwell in heaven are then blasphemed when it is sayd of them that they take it as honour done unto them when we make them our Patrones build them Temples set up their images offer and pray unto them and make them Mediators between Christ and us for by this they are made not onely idolls but also favorers and cheife maynteyners of idolatrie They are also blasphemed when the doctrine which they taught and practised is condemned for heresie or when erronious doctrines vayne traditions superstitious rites ceremonies and customes are fathered upon them as received from them by Tradition as unwritten verities but the world hath been brought to beleeue that Saints in heaven might by these meanes bee as it were bought and fold betweene Priest and people wherein they haue been highly blasphemed Moreover it is said that it was given to the Beast to make warre with the Ver. 7. Saints and to overcome them and power was given him over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations Warre is made with the Saints when they are accused to Rulers and Governours to be Hereticks Schismaticks wicked and ungodly persons and they may then be said to bee overcome when their accusers are iustified and they condemned according to this this Scripture hath been fulfilled and verified Great and of long continuance haue been the warres which the Beast hath made with the Saints and many haue been the victories of this kinde which the Beast hath had against them as the Histories and other records of the Nations do plentifully witnesse It was given to the Beast to make warre with the Saints when Rulers and Governours gaue way to the Beast to devise and make lawes at their own pleasure concerning Religion and the worship of God and then to condemne for delinquents and euill doers all that would not obserue those lawes How free and forward Rulers and Governours haue been to giue such power unto the Beast they themselues haue felt by long and wofull experience for much woe hath the Beast wrought not to the poore and meaner sort of the Saints onely but even to Emperours and Kings and all degrees of people and therefore it is said in the words following that power was given unto this Beast over every Kindred Tongue and Nation So that the exaltation thereof was such as to be as a father aboue all fathers to every Kindred a Lord aboue all Lords to every Tongue a King aboue all Kings to every Nation Thus was this Beast exalted and sate as a Queene triumphing over them having all of all degrees brought in bondage unto her dominion which was a just recompence upon their heads that gaue such power unto this Beast yet see how the world was herein deluded they were not as captiues against their wills but in blinde devotion had this Beast in most high reverence as being a Divine Power ordained and given by God and not from the Dragon Thus did the Lord giue them over to bee deluded by this Beast as a iust reward of their ungodlinesse in that they received not the loue of the truth but tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse Further it is declared in the words following That all that dwelt upon Ver. 8. the earth shall worship him that is the Beast whose names are not written in the Booke of the life of the Lamb slayne from the foundation of the world By those that dwell on the earth is meant those that haue set their habitation there and choose rather to enioy the prosperitie of the world and the pleasures of sinne together with the Beast then to suffer affliction for the truth and for witnessing against the Beast These are they that worship him that is receiue their precepts and rules for doctrine and wholesome instruction and obserue their ordinances and lawes as perfect rules of equitie and righteousnesse casting the Word of God declared in the holy Scriptures behind their backes and treading his Ordinances under their feete making farre more conscience not to eate an Egge on a Friday then to steale or commit adulterie But of such it is said that their names are not written in the Booke of life of the Lamb which was slaine from the beginning of the world That is they are not of the number of Gods Elect and Chosen in Christ and given unto him for his portion and heritage whose condition is to be hated despised persecuted and afflicted in the world for righteousnes sake in whom the Lamb Christ Iesus as in his members hath been slaine since the beginning of the world which condition those which cannot brooke and indure but count it a pleasure to liue deliciously for a season and take delight to inioy the pleasures of sinne may thereby bee discerned not to haue their names written in the Book of Life Concerning these things it is added If any man haue an eare let him heare Ver. 9. As if it should be said few there bee which haue an eare to heare these things For who can indure to heare that Catholike Church which they account to bee spirituall holy and heavenly to bee compared to a Beast