popish Caldeans Iere. 50 8 Esay 52 2 3 11. and bee yee as the hee goates before the flocke Loose the bands from thy necke ô thou captiue daughter They that rule ouer the people of God make them to howle Depart depart yee goe out from thence touch no vncleane thing goe out of her and be ye cleane that beare the vessels of the Lord. Come cleaue vnto the Lord Iere 50.5 in a perpetuall couenant that shall neuer be forgotten It shall not be with you as it was with the children of Israell that came out of Egypt vppon a suddaine For yee shall not goe out with hast nor depart by flying away Esay 52 32 but the Lord will goe before you and the God of Israell will gather you together Esay 28 17 The Lorde thy God will teach thee to profit and leade thee by the way that thou shouldest goe Hee will teach you the feare of the Lord and instruct you by his holy word to escape the most vnprofitable doctrines of superstitions and treasons which directly tend to the destruction of body and soule and are only enforced vppon you by fables and lyes euen by lying prophecies of alterations and hopes which shall neuer bee accomplished Zac. 14 12 For this shall bee the plague where-with the Lord will smite all people that haue fought against Ierusalem euen the profession of the Gospell of Iesus Christ Heb 12.22 theyr flesh shall consume away though they stand vpon their feete and their eies shall consume in their holes Hosca 12.1 and their tongue shall consume in their mouth They are fed with the wind and follow after the east wind they increase daily lies distruction But if yee will imbrace the Gospell Iohn 17.17 Reue 7.17 the word of truth the Lambe which is in the mids of the throne shall gouerne you euen the godly and Christian King shall leade you to the Scriptures the fountaine of liuing waters and God shall wipe all teares from your eies Moreouer when it is sayd by a voice from heauen come out of her my people it is the office of as many as belong to heauen be he King or Bishop or Minister or Magistrate by enticing as God did the Israelites from Egypt by thrusting out as the Angels did Lot from Sodom by importuning as Moses did the people from the tents of Korah Dathan and Abiram or by pulling them out of the fire Iud 23. Zach 3.2 as God did Iehoshuah to call to them that belong to God to come out from this Babylon of poperie which is horrible for sinne and to be made horrible by destruction And so much the rather because the enemie is proud They insult to see the slacknes of the Ministery that are nothing so dilligent to saue as they are to destroy they insult for the generall coldnes if not Apostasie that is in the gentlemen and their inclination to them wards they insult that the commissions against them doe find so many failings they insult for discord their auncient helper they insult that though the face of the lawe bee against them yet the edge is turned from them Wherefore let them see that euery heauenly voice of this Land doth crie come out of her my people Act. 2.4 and saue your selues from this froward generation And heere I might haue passed to another point were it not for the Brownistes that abuse this place to maintaine their wilfull sinne Heb. 10.25.26 in for saking the fellowship that we haue among our selues Let them consider whether the circumstances of this text and the like where Babylon is mentioned in this booke or the Prophets whence Saint Iohn doth borrow his speech may truly agree to our Church which maintaineth so many cōtradictions vnto Antichristian Babylon Nay if it may be prooued that we haue departed from as many corruptions in doctrine and pollicie as did conclude Rome to be Babylon and haue imbraced as many doctrines as did the children of Israell that came out of Babylon eyther must they find vs another Babylon among the Iewes departed from the captiuitie or else their seperation is an Apostasie and no departure from Babylon Popish Babylon like the first Babylon was builte by such whereof one did not vnderstand anothers speech Gen 11.7 Beda Eccles hist Lib 1. cap 15.27 Act 2.11 Amos. 6.10 Cap 13.6 but with vs as in the times of the Apostles all men doe heare in theyr owne tongues the wonderfull things of God Among the Babylonians it was not lawful for the children of God to remember the name of the Lord but we teach all men to reuerence the sanctuarie of the Lord and them that worship therein according to the Gospell In Babylon Dani 3.2.3 Reue 13.15 the people of God were vnder a forraine Tyrant were constrained to worship the image of the beast vnder paine of death but we are deliuered from that captiuitie and now the Lord is our God Ezech 34.24 and his seruant Dauid a Prince of our owne Nation is our King as the Lord did promise Who seeth not then that we are the people of God come out of Babylon therefore they that are departed from vs haue erred in their hearts because they haue not knowne the wayes of God and doe blaspheme when they call vs Babylon But my purpose is to vrge that onely which directly Saint Iohn would haue vs pursue Doct. 5 That yee be not partakers of her sinnes Here first is to be marked that such as will not depart from them shall be infected by them Ecclus. 13,1 as it is said Hee that toucheth pitch shall be defiled there-with The rule is generall sinne is infectious and this not onely with vnrighteousnes but also with impietie Prou 22.25 Make no friendshippe with an angry man c. least thou learne his wayes saith Salomon But in matters of Religion a man is exceeding weake and the temptation mightie so that a man soone learneth these wicked waies Therefore did the Lord so often by Moses so earnestly by Ioshua forewarne the Iewes to make no compact with the Nations Exod 23 33 and 34 15 Deu 7 2 c Iosua 23 13 and inhabitants of the Land least they should be vnto them a snare to cause them to serue other Gods And as it was fore-told so fell it out as it is in the Psalme They were mingled among the heathen Psal 106 35 learned their works But more perilous is this time of Antichrist 2 Tim. 3 1 2 Thes 2 11 because in it the Lord doth send strong delusion so that if it were possible the elect should be deceiued Mat 22 24 Reue 13.8 No maruel the if all those whose names are not written in the booke of life do follow the beast And to iustifie the truth heereof wee daily see many loose fellowes practising vndutifull wits that meditate vppon an alteration to be daily seduced
A HEAVENLY Voyce A Sermon tending to call the people of God from among the Romish Babylonians Preached at Paules Crosse the 12 of Ianuarie 1606. By William Symonds Ephesians 5.11 Haue no fellowshippe with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse but euen reprooue them rather At London Printed by I. R. for Edmund VVeauer and are to be solde at his shoppe at the great North-doore of Paules Church 1606. The Printer to the Reader Gentle Reader this Sermon came to my hands without any Title giuen to it by the Author I haue therefore of my selfe aduentured to take a Title for it out of the first words of the Text calling it a heauenly Voyce This would I admonish to stop the mouthes of such as happilie might cauill or her at it or the Author for it Farewell To the right Honorable and reuerend Father in God Richard Vaughan Doctor of Diuinitie and Lord Bishoppe of London my very good Lord. RIght Honorable and reuerend When Moses vpon the top of Pisgah Deut 34 1 3 27. did view the Geographie of the promised land to the East West North and South with the Plaines Mountaines and Seas he departed satisfied because his eie was not dim Iosua 18 8 9. And whē the land was Topographically to be described to giue vnto seuerall men their inheritances the Suruaiors presented their plots to Ioshua the Captaine of the Lords host who by Gods authoritie should quiet all questions that might arise by striuers But when I climed the Pisgah of the Reuelation where might bee taken the perspectiue of the land that Christ with his holy people shall possesse by the preaching of the Gospell taking due notice of the dimnes of mine eies I submitted all my labour to your Lordshippes true and perfect sight and censure And now hauing drawne a plot of one particular place thereof labouring to put the seuerall tenures in their diuers yet proper colours seeing the importunitie of many would not suffer me to secreate it I doe humbly returne my suruey not onely to your Lordships censure but also to your most fatherly and Christian patronage Humbly crauing your good Lordship seeing all the tenants will neuer be pleased with my doing both to defend me frō the cauils and calumniations of the contentious of whose fury I haue had too much experience and also to interpose your honourable authority that all men may content themselues with theyr owne lots My skill is small therfore I desire the iust to reproue mee where my hand or eye hath fayled but I dare be bold to say that in that which I was able to doe I haue been faithfull If your Lordship vouchsafe me this honourable fauour to accept and protect my labours I shall be much encouraged to take the like paines in the rest I hope to the glory of almightie God the benefite of his Church demonstration of my dutie vnto your good Lordship whom God euermore preserue vnto eternall happines Ianu 25. 1606. Your Lordships most humble in all Christian obedience VVilliam Symonds ⧠A heauenly voyce Reuelar 18.4 And I heard another voyce from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that yee receiue not of her plagues Reuelar 18.5 For her sinnes are come vp to heauen and God hath remembred her iniquities WHen the Lord would proue himselfe to be GOD and all that is worshipped besides him to be vanitie he chuseth men to be his Iudges and witnesses and the issue to be Esay 41 23. that he that can shewe things to come hereafter should be knowne to be God Then doth he referre himselfe to themselues Esay 44 7. that none is like vnto him that shall call and shall declare it and set it in order before him By this argument hee conuicteth his enemies to the time of the Apostles who were his witnesses that all things were befallen Christ which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets Acts 3 18 And by this argument he conuicteth all tyrants Chap 10 7 and heretickes of the later most perilous times in this booke shewing before hand Cap. 1.19 to his seruants thinges present and to come And this so perfectly that Nothing can be added thereto Cap. 22 18 19 neither any thing diminished from the wordes of this prophecie In the former part of this Booke was handled the story of the Church which for her sinnes and tryall was from time to time troden vnderfoote by her manifold enemies Cap 2 5 10 16 22 c. and cap. 3 3 19 according as the Lorde had threatned and foreshewed in the second and third Chapters And this is it which is contained from the beginning to the 15 verse of the 11 chapter Thence to the end of that Chapter is the prophecie of the better estate of the Church both deliuered frō the handes of her enemies destroying them that destroy the earth and reuiuing the couenant of Grace against all oppositions vnto the ruine of Antichrist In the second part of this Booke beginning at the 12 chap the Lorde doth giue the Church a more pregnant demonstration of her enemies and their proceedings against her that they may be the better knowne vnto her Cap. 12 3. They are therefore described by the Dragon presenting the heathen Romane Empire the monster compounded of three beasts Cap. 13.1 which cannot be tamed by any art of man that riseth out of the sea and signifieth the Romane Empire corrupted with the heresie of the Arians Cap. 13 14. and the Image of them both presenting the Antichristian ecclesiasticall Monarchie of Rome There is also shewed the manner of their preuailing against her and howe they are ouercome vnto the seauenth verse of the 20 chapter Cap. 13 3 The second beast is destroyed with the sword of many Nations The third namely the ecclesiasticall Monarchie called also Babilon the Image of the ciuile Monarchie is brought to naught by the preaching of the Gospell and by the iudgements of God inflicted vpon her for his seruants sakes whom she hath killed And this is generally declared in the 14.15 and 16 chapters but more particularly in the 17 18 chapters And because this wicked popish Antichristian beast required so diligent a description of her person sinnes that the Saints might be deliuered from so perilous a temptation that point is effectually handled in the 17 chapter insomuch that the Papists thēselues are enforced to acknowledge her to be Rome In this chapter are shewed the meanes and manner of her destruction The meanes by which her enemies are encouraged to bring her plagues vpon her are two speciall doctrines of the word of God preuailing with Prince and people Princes conuerted to the Gospell figured by a mightie Angel Cap 18 1 2 3. that enlighteneth the earth with the glory of the Gospell doe iudicially decree that Popish Babylon shall fall into a damnable
no agreement as righteousnes with vnrighteousnes light with darknes Christ and Beliall the belieuer with the infidell the temple of God with idols and doe with Saule desire to spare Agag whom God requireth to punnish Againe if the voice be from heauen it shall bee established they that speake otherwise are false Prophets and they that striue against it doe kicke against the pricke Act 5.38.39 Wherefore as Gamaliel faith in another case refraine your selues from opposing it least yee be found fighters against God Doct 2 Come out of her my people Gen. 14.12 Ioshu 2 1.8 Iudg 4.11 17. 1 King 19.7 Heere first we see that among the wicked are the children of God A thing very commonly noted in the Scripture Lot was in Sodom Rahab in Iericho Iaell among the Gentiles Obadiah that feared God greatly and saued an hundreth of the Lords Prophets was the gouernor of Ahabs house and to be short there were Saints of Caesars houshold euen of Nero that cruell monster For good seede and weede growe vp together and corne and chaffe are on the floore together Exod. 6,9 Yea we know that in Egypt were many Israelites that could be cōtented to liue still with the onions and flesh pots of Egypt in Babylon were many Iewes Ezec. 20 32 that said We will be like the heathen and families of the countries Yet were these the redeemed of the Lord Ezec. 36 26 and sanctified by him In this Booke the same is often shewed to be the condition not onely of many godly Christians but also of the most glorious Church For shee flyeth into the wildernes beeing mingled among the Gentiles and such pretended Christians as followed the Antichristian Papacie Out of this doe arise many godly considerations First that such as thinke that it is not possible for Christians to liue vnder the gouernment of vnchristian Gouernors but that they must loose the name of godlie men and their number must not be called a Church doe exceedingly bewray their ignorance both of the Scriptures in generall and of this booke of the Reuelation in particuler The Church of Pergamus was a Church Reue. 2 13 and a golden Candlesticke though shee dwelt where satans throne was Yea that which is more it had them that maintained the doctrine of Balam that taught Balack to put a stumbling blocke before the children of Israell and also those that maintayned the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes And the Church is clothed in the sunne Reue 12 1 c. treadeth the Moone vnder her feete and is crowned with twelue starres a Woman and a glorious Church and holy though she be fled into the wildernes and mingled among the Antichristian Babylonians depriued of publique assembles sacraments discipline as doth appeare by this speech Come out of her my people So that heere I cannot but reproue the Brownists or rather the reuiued Donatists which haue made a seperation from vs and our Church which they cannot blame as guiltie of the sinnes of Pergamus or Sardis or Corinth which notwithstanding are acknowledged to be churches thēselues being our Iudges Much lesse are we guilty of the sins of Antichrist among whō were the people of God notwithstanding Sure their ignorance is much to be lamented and their dissoluing of Christian Cōmunion to be detested therefore to be auoyded Secondly heere we learne to aunswere the Papists that demaund of vs where our Church hath beene for these thousand yeeres It was among them though they were not it as the chyldren of Israell were in Egypt 2 Kings 17 and 24. and Babylon in Goshen in Holah and Habor and in the Citties of the Medes and you were translated into their wonted places as were the Assyrians into the citties of Samaria the seate of the people of GOD. But they say that the Israelies were knowne to be in Goshen during their seruitude in Egypt The scripture that saith also that the Iewes in the captiuity were in Holah Habor in the cities of the Medes doth note the place But as for your Goshen and Holah and Habor they were no where to be seen by such as were as sharp sighted as the Egyptians or Babylonians To this I answer first that it is no merueile that they see not the godly among them partly because like the deuill they thinke that all is theyr owne and neuer consider Iob Iob 1.8 that is an vpright and a iust man one that feareth God and escheweth euill and partly because of this time that the question is demaunded Saint Iohn doth say that the woman the Church Cap 12.14 was in the Wildernesse nourished from the face or sight of the serpent which for subtiltie and quicke sight whereof this Dragon taketh his name may very neere be compared to the Papists But they say where were their assemblies their sacraments and sermons with other seruices As if there could bee no Iewes in Babylon Amoc 6.10 because according to the prophecie they durst not remember the name of the Lord as it doth also appeare in the booke of Ester wherein the name of the Lord is not once mentioned Were Ester Mordecai and the people that fasted and prayed no people of God Mare 7.6 Or are the godly bound to bewray and betray themselues by casting holy things to dogs and pearles before swine to bring the graces of God in them into contempt and themselues into manifest perrill Secondly wee answere that our Church was among them themselues being our Iudges For when they tell vs with what difficultie they gat the title of supremacie what masculine opposition they found when at Constantinople and in the second counsell of Nice they would erect the worship of the Dragon by the adoration of idols when they tell vs by what arts they wronge themselues from the subiection of Princes when they proclaime bloudie 5 Deer de haeres ad abolendum and blasphemous lawes againse such as teach and beleeue any otherwise then they teach or beleeue for so do they define heretickes when they bragge of the many fiers and warres that they consumed them by and insult of their conquests this way they also tell vs that such as maintained the doctrine of the Apostles and such as worshipped the God of their fathers after the way which they call heresie were among them persecuted for the same doctrines that we differ from them in and therefore by their owne confession our Church was among them which in this place is called the people of God Thirdly heere wee learne that such which doe liue among the Papists though stained with some of their superstitions may be saued but alwaies with limitation First that their sinne be of ignorance not of presumption Num. 15.30 for there remaineth no sacrifice for the sinnes of such And secondly that though they be smitten into the place of Dragons yet must they not forget God Psal 44.17.20 nor deale deceiptfully