like a Leopard c. By the resemblance and likenesse of a Leopard was signified that this Beast should be foule and full of spots as is shewed in the 18. Chapter Babylon is become the habitation of Diuels and the hold of fowle spirits and the cage of every vncleane and hatefull Bird. The filthinesse of this Beast is apparant in that he doth by force and Armes compell all sorts of wicked and ungodly people to be of his societie and refuseth none but the godly therefore fitly was he thus prefigured Secondly by the qualitie and disposition of the Leopard was signified that this generation should bee subtill and craftie in getting their prey They boast themselues to bee the Church and Spouse of Christ but if it be so whence then had they that infinite store and aboundance of worldly wealth and riches wherewith they exceed in deliciousnesse of liuing This was not the condition of Christ and his Disciples the Lord himselfe had not whereon to lay his head but in that respect was more destitute then Foxes which haue holes and then Birds which haue nests his Disciples wanted gold and silver and had no certaine dwelling place whence therefore had this generation their lands liuings and Lordships Their Castles Mannors Houses and Princely Palaces It will bee said of the donation and gift of Emperours Kings and other great States and of the charitable deuotion of all sorts of people But how were people brought to bee so full handed to this generation To bring this about much slight craft and nimblenesse of wit was vsed first people were made to beleeue that what they gaue to the Church was to the maintenance of the Ministerie of the Gospell and for the comfort and reliefe of the poore and therefore should be a sacrifice so well pleasing to God and meritorious as that it should receiue great reward at his hands herewith the mindes of religious and devout people were so much moued that they thought nothing too much to giue to the Church by meanes whereof Churches began to grow rich Secondly people were made to beleeue that the worshipping of Images and relickes of Saints and building of Churches Chappels Oratories c. and endowing them with Lands Tenements Parsonage and Vicarage houses c. was an effectuall way to haue favour with the Saints and to procure their prayers and intercession for them By these and such like meanes this wylie and crafty generation deluded the people and made themselues rich and robbed Christ of his honour who onely is our Advocate to God And furthermore they gathered in heapes of wealth by Masses Pilgrimages Pursse-pennance Offerings and such like Marchandises wherein their subtilty and craft was prefigured by a Leopard a beast subtill by nature whose propertie is to lie in waite for her prey and slylie to catch it as the Cat doth the Mouse and in that respect doth well resemble the Antichristian Clergie that subtill generation But further it is added that the feete of this Beast were as the feete of a Beare The Leopard is more nimble to catch then the Beare but the Beare is more strong and eager to hold fast that which hee hath seased vpon then is the Leopard both these properties this generation hath nimble to catch and greedy to hold they catch by slight but hold by force and therefore in catching resemble the Leopard but in fast holding the feete of a Beare To this it is added that the mouth of this Beast was as the mouth of a Lyon And by this another property of the Antichristian Clergie was foreshewed for as the Lyon when hee hath taken his prey roareth upon it at whose roaring the beasts tremble So this Generation being thus exalted and made rich and hauing gotten their prey they terrifie the small Beasts of their Forrest roaring with curses and excommunications against any be he Prince or Pesant that shall presume to part stakes with them or meddle with their prey or diminish their portion but an Egge or an Onion That these be the properties of this Generation needs no proofe it is manifest by daily experience Here therefore wee may learne what to esteeme and iudge of the Antichristian Clergie together with those Multitudes People Nations and Tongues out of which they haue sprung and over which they are set and supported namely that they are a monstrous and beastly generation excelling in craft covetousnesse pride crueltie and all iniquity and therefore not to be esteemed as they boast themselues to be a holy Catholick Church and Spouse of Christ which cannot erre c. And by this wee may see how lamentably the Nations haue beene deluded and led into errour and vngodlinesse by their Guides and Leaders Now it followeth that unto this Monster the Dragon gaue his power and his Throne and great authoritie Here is declared of whom the Prelates and Clergie haue received their spirituall Lordships power authoritie and iurisdiction to devise and make spirituall Lawes and Canons to erect spirituall Courts and create Officers to beare rule and exercise dominion over the Nations euen from the diuell they haue not any lawfull authoritie from God but an vsurped authority from the diuell whose instruments they are to advance his kingdome and to persecute the Saints which obey God rather then men And here wee may obserue that they are rightly called spirituall Lords because originally they proceed from that Prince that ruleth in the aire the spirit that worketh in the children of vnbeleefe but withall in stead of spirituall Lords Lawes Courts and Officers call them spirituall wickednesses and so wee giue them their right title and being such if we will fight the good fight of faith wee must by witnessing what they bee wrastle against them and not submit vnto them but stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made vs free and not be intangled with any yoke of bondage and that we may wrastle and prevaile we must take vnto vs the whole Armour of God Ephes 6. Further Iohn saith that he saw one of the heads of the Beast as it were Ver. 3. wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondered after the Beast By this Head which was as it were wounded to death was signified the reviving of Priesthood the mysterie whereof in few words is this The workers of iniquitie in this Antichristian Kingdome having ordained this order of ministery called Priesthood whether it were in imitation of the Iewes or Heathen it is doubtfull but certaine it is that because it wanted externall sacrifices it came short both of the Iewish Priesthood and also of the Heathen so that it was a lame and wounded Priesthood and was not respected In time it came to passe that they found out a sacrifice as is to bee seene in their mass-Masse-booke which was the transubstantiating of bread and wine into the very Bodie and Bloud of Christ really and substantially as they vse to speake and teach
the chiefest of the Prelates and Clergie of diverse dominions should be gathered togither to make lawes and canons which all men should be constreyned by penall lawes to observe and yeild obedience unto that so peace and vnitie might be preserved and kept amongst them And in short time it came to passe that whatsoever these Synods or Counsells did agree upon and set downe how false soever was to be held canonicall and those that contradicted the same were therfore cast out and condemned as Heretickes This was the manner the occasion of the rising of this Beast out of this turbulent Sea And here by the way observe That * Every good giving and perfect gift is from above Iames 1. 17. from the father of lightes But this beast is from the Sea beneath not from above and therfore not belonging to the kingdome of Christ but an adversary and enemie thereof Of this Beast it is sayd that he had 7. heads a thing which is monstrous in nature And therfore by this was foreshewed that the dominion represented by this Beast should be a monstrous dominion Concerning these heads let this be considered That the whole state or societie of the Antichristian Sea is of two sorts of people the one sort they call the Clergie the other sort the Layetie Of these the Clergie are as heads and guides to direct and goe before And the Layetie as the body or rather the tayle to follow after Agayne by the same policie their clergy are sorted into 7. orders or degrees namely to speak in their language 1. Ianitores seu ostiarij 2. Lectores 3. Exorcistae 4. Acolithi 5. Subdraconi 6. Diaconi 7. sacerdotes These are the 7. orders of the Antichristian Clergy As for Popes Cardinalls Patriarchs Arch Bishops Bishops Arch deacons c. they are titles of dignitie and not of orders For the Pope is but a Preist concerning his orders and when he stands at the Altar and sayth Masse he doth that as a Preist and not as a Pope and so of all other degrees This considered it way well be saide of the Antichristian Sinagogue and State that it is as a Monster with 7. heads As for the Ministers which God hath ordeyned to be in his Church they are first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. 1 Cor. 12. 28. c. See also Rom. 12. 6. 7. 8. Ephes 4. 11. 12. 13. And these onely were given for the gathering together of the Saincts for the work of the Ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ Not some to have a bunch of keys with a charge of the doores of this or that Temple or Cathedrall Church Another to have a booke to read to the people things which neither he nor they did understand A third to have a booke of Coniurations or Charmes with charge to read them or say by heart to such as were distracted of their witts or possessed with divills and to put their hands vpon them A fourth to have a Taper or wax candle with a candlestick to carry before the preists and deacons in doeing their service A fift to receive of the people oblations and offrings and to deliver them to the Deacon to carry to the Altar To reade the Epistle and to stand by the Preist while he was saying the Masse A sixth to be the Bishops spye and intelligencer to informe him of such as be irregular and observe not their orders To read the Gospell attend the preist at the Altar c. A seventh to consecrate the Hoast as they call it and then to offer it as a sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and dead These are not they which God hath given to be in the Church But these are they wherof the Antichristian clergy consisteth for whosoever is one of that clergy is one of these 7. orders be he Pope Prelate or els whatsoever and to note and foreshewe this point of policie this Beast which Iohn saw had seven heads If any shall think this to be a vaine frivolous and straunge interpretation to understand by the 7. heads of the beast these 7. orders of the Clergie as thinking those heades to betoken things of greater note and importance Let such consider what account and reckoning is made of such persons as have received the Sacrament of Orders and holy tonsure in the kingdome of the Beast and they shall find the interpretation not impertinent but very agreable For a time there was since the writing of this prophecy * when the meanest shrimpe that was within these holy orders as they call them was held to be of that dignitie that Vide Concil Matisconen secundum Canon 9. 10. the chiefest and worthiest secular Iudge in a kingdome was held vnworthie to judge or censure them for any trespasse or fact how notorious wicked and manifest soever because they had received holy Tonsure were therby consecrated and set a part unto God to be his portion and heritage to pray for the people and therfore were exempted from all secular jurisdiction and power such was their dignitie accounted to be and still is where that kingdome prevayleth and hath the dominion yea even in this land that quarrell hath cost the King his Crowne as is to be seen in the Historyes of the Reigne of King Iohn and not his Crowne onely but his life also Now if the meanest of them be above the dominion of any King or secular Iudge and secular Iudges be the heads of the people whome God hath appointed to beare rule over them well may these be said to be as heads in the kingdome of the Beast wherin these shavelings are holden to be so holy and high in dignitie and degree As this Beast which Iohn saw had 7. heads so likewise it had 10. hornes whereby was foreshewed that as the kings of the Medes and Persians were shewed and represented to Daniel by the 2. hornes of the Beast which he saw in his vision so the kings of many kingdomes should be as guarders and defenders of the Antichristian kingdome and state And that this scripture hath beene fulfilled to the vttermost by the kings of the Nations is so manifest that none can be ignorant of it that are of judgment and experience And it was just with the Lord to make the Kings of the earth vassels to this Beast because they received not the love of the truth but tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse they would not forsake their sinnes to liue godlily righteously and soberly as all must doe that will attaine salvation but they would liue after their lusts and for their sinnes they would make satisfaction by building of Churches and Monasteries c. and endowing them with lands rents and other revenewes by meanes whereof those which traded like Marchants in those many waters the kingdome of the Beast grew rich and wealthy and became the great men of the earth Furthermore Iohn saith of the Beast which hee saw that it was
of the Beast which is 666. By this number I do not understand any set number and that the parts and members of the Beast are no more nor lesse but thereby I understand is meant a full and compleate number as before was shewed As all the parts and members of a man ioyned together make a whole perfect man so doe the particular parts and members of the Beast make a perfect and entire Beast Thus briefly according to the ability which God hath given me I haue gone over this chapter wherein is briefly set forth the workers of iniquitie which haue and yet still doe prevaile over Gods people under the title of Ministers of the Gospell and Church of Christ as they were represented under the forme of three severall Beasts The first Beast representing the Generall Councells or as the Papists call it the Catholick Church The second Beast representing the Pope And the third Beast the Provinciall Councels which were established by the Pope The which three Beasts bearing rule and dominion in these times whereinto wee are fallen and being enemies and opposers of Christ and his Kingdome it doth behooue us to know them to end that wee may eschew them and their evill wayes and seek after the truth making straight steps unto the Kingdome of God Now that we our selues may make particular use hereof it is necessarie for us to examine the Nationall Synode or Convocation confisting of the Prelacy and clergie of this Land who whilst they remained under the yoke and bondage of the church of Rome and whilst they exercised their power which was first given them by the Pope for and in the behalfe of that church and dominion they were they very Image of the first Beast before mentioned But being now separated from the Pope and Church of Rome they thinke as it should seeme that their spirituall Pontificall power and authority which they exercise is lawfull and warrantable and to bee submitted unto They being gathered together boast themselues to bee the representatiue body of the Church of England and the true Church of Christ and that they haue power to make Lawes and Canons for governement thereof and for the worship of God which all men ought to yeeld obedience unto as appeareth by divers of their books of Canons But wee are not to take this upon their word but to make triall thereof by the word of God whether it be true or false If the word of God did giue them such power and authority then indeed wee were bound in conscience to yeeld all ready obedience to their Lawes and Canons But the most wise God and disposer of all things who knoweth the vanity of mens mindes would not haue his people to hold their faith in respect of mens persons and at their pleasure to alter and change the same and therefore did not giue to any of his Ministers power to make Lawes in matters of Religion and for the worship of God but gaue them power onely to teach the Nations to obserue the things which hee had commanded them as in the eight and twentieth chapter of Mathew the nineteenth twentieth verses And the Apostle Paul biddeth the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11. 1. to bee followers of him as hee followed Christ And in the same Chapter hee also saith That which hee had received of the Lord hee delivered unto them Acts 15. Also the Assembly of the Apostles and Elders of the Church of Ierusalem they would not impose any yoke of bondage upon the Churches of Christ but held it to be a tempting of God so to doe as before hath been shewed And this agreeth with that in Deutr. 12. 32. Whatsoever I command you take heed you doe it Thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom By which Scriptures it is plaine that the chiefest Ministers of the Gospell had no such power as these Prelates presume to haue as we shall finde by examining their particular Canons and Constitutions of which for examples I will onely note some few of their late and best reformed Book made An. 1603. in the first yeere of the Kings Maiesties raigne by which it will be apparant that they passe the bounds of the subjects of Christ and that they haue no power from him to make such lawes but by so doing they usurp the place of God to reigne in mens consciences for unto him onely it doth belong to make Lawes in matters of Religion and for the worship of God to which men are onely bound to yeeld obedience without adding or detracting and that for this their presumption they are liable to the curse of God being indeed the Image of the Beast here spoken of that is originally sprung from the Dragon and hath received power of Law-making from him Concerning the first and second Canons wherein they pretend their zeale for the abolishing of all forrein power repugnant to the jurisdiction of the Kings Majestie over the Ecclesiasticall estate he being the highest power under God to whom all men owe most loyall obedience and that his Maiesty hath the like authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall as the godly Kings had amongst the Iewes To these I doâ— most willingly assent and agree And further doe desire that as the Pope so the Prelacie with all their Antichristian Adherents which usurp spirituall power and superiority aboue the Maiesty of Christ Iesus being a strange and forraine generation brought in and established in this Land by the Pope of Rome may also bee abolished and cast out after him for by them the Pope liues in hope hereafter to be served as he hath been heretofore to the great vexation of the Kings and Princes of this Land yea to the losse of their Crowne and liues But to be short I will proceed to mention some few of their canons whereby iniquity is established for a Law and their beastlinesse discovered In the third canon it is enacted that whosoever shall affirme the Church of England by Law established not to be a true and Apostolicall Church teaching and maintaining the doctrine of the Apostles that person shall be excommunicated ipso facto That there are some yea many doctrines of the Apostles maintained in the Church of England I do not deny so there are in the Church of Rome But that the Ecclesiasticall state or spirituall body politick which is called the Church of England which consisteth of Arch bishops Diocesan Lord Bishops Suffragans Deanes Arch-deacons Prehends Canons Chancellors Commissaries with the rest of the Clergie as heads and guides of that body to go before and the whole multitude of the Layitie as they call it which is as the Tayle to follow those Heads that this politicall Body is the Spouse and church of Christ as they affirme in their seuenth eigth and ninth canons that I do deny For first if it were true that they are the Ministers of Christ and members of the Body of Christ which is his Church we should finde warrant for them