the promoters of them did also promote their authority and strengthen their hands against the Godly and most serious part of the Church But the most usual causes of errors are ignorance of the Scriptures and of the principles of religion founded on them which in the primitive times had a great occasion given it by the prejudicate opinions that new Converts brought from Judaisme and Paganisme and from the new Testament not being fully written in a considerable time and the several books thereof not gathered into one volume in a long space after and chiefly corrupt affections Men will imbrace errors because they love not the truth Vse 1. This sheweth the necessity of adhering to the Scripture and of a standing Ministry If we stick not to the Scripture the pretence of the Spirit and Traditions will lead us into a wilderness where there is no end Heathens Mahometans Papists and all Enthusiasts will distract us by their several and contrary pretensions And if there be not a standing and learned Ministry Apocryphal Scriptures and false interpretations of Scripture will easily beguile the unskilful and hinder the edification of the more wise 2. The Papist's brags of infallibility of the Pope or Church and the necessity of it to the foundation of our faith is as foolish as it is untrue The Apostles and Apostolical men were infallible and yet this will not prevent errors and Heresies of the highest nature either in their own or in the next succeeding ages An infallible head or guide will not secure the Church from errors and divisions unless all the people be infallible likewise certainly able to discern the truth declared to them and perfectly free from all evil affections which may hinder their receiving and submitting to the truth 3. It is no Wonder to see errors and divisions in these last days of the Church sith they were in the first While men are subject to ignorance and evil affections there will be both errors and divisions and if we go to the Church of Rome to avoid all errors and Schisms because they boast of such Unity which was never promised nor long enjoyed by any Church we shall but do like Children that tear many little holes in a garment into one great one that comprehends them all and more and cannot be repaired Obs 2. It is certainly foretold that there should be an Apostasie in the Church The same Apostle almost in the same words foretels it 1 Tim. 4.1 The spirit speaks expresly that some shall depart from the faith The first Christians might be apt to expect the coming of Christ and their everlasting rest to be at hand from the love and joy they had conceived upon their first receiving the Gospel but they are here told that happy time is not so nigh There must come a departure of many from the faith first and many contests and persecutions should ensue thence and therefore they should arm themselves with patience to a conflict before they must expect the Crown When God made the world he made it wonderful great and large and stored it with almost infinite variety of creatures to set forth his own Majesty he hath also continued it some thousands of years with as great variety of providences in his governing of it to shew his manifold wisdom power mercy and justice and what will be the wonderful transactions of the world to come throughout eternity to set forth the glory of the â—ernal God no creature can conceive In like manner when our Lord came from Heaven to purchase a Church to serve him it was not quickly to expire but to conflict with the world and the Devil with enemies without and within through many changes and vicissitudes a considerable time and at last through faith and patience to inherit the promises It was long that the Church continued under the bondage of the Law and there were many changes and declinings of it at several times under the Judges and Kings of Judah but there was one great Apostasie of the Ten tribes under Jeroboam which ended in the ruin of that State and people Such a departure was there to be in the Christian Church signified here by the indeterminate word There shall come a departure or Apostasie for the falling off of a few particular persons was no strange thing but happened in every age Now such Apostasies are permitted 1. To punish the ingratitude of men for the Gospel Because they receive not the love of the truth because Christ and his Gospel are not welcome to the generality of men but any or no religion would content them as well if they might have outward peace and prosperity therefore Christ suffers them to be inticed with Errors and Heresies to their own destruction which at last bring publick calamities and ruin 2. To punish the Hypocrisie of others Some pretend great zeal and affection in the peace of the Church which is either meerly pretended for worldly interest or but a light and transient passion as in the stony ground who can never be perswaded to be zealous and rooted Christians Matth. 13.20 therefore when they have been tryed a convenient time opportunities of backsliding are sufferred to come to discover and shame them 3. To manifest and honour those that are sound 1 Cor. 11.18 19. There must be heresies among you that they which be approved may be made manifest among you When peace and truth meet together the sound and best Christians are unknown and for the most part less regarded than the Hypocrites that make more shew and noise Christ therefore suffers apostasies to come to discover and honour his sincere humble diligent and stedfast servants 4. Errors are also permitted to clear the trut more and make them that are sound more stedfast and strong The truths of the Gospel have in all ages been prejudiced by the zeal and good affection of some well minded as well as by the opposition of enemies because their affection over-run their judgment and their care to get a distinct knowledge of the principles of religion but the appearance of errours and corruptions makes them more careful to search the truth which hath been always more cleared and fortified by occasion of the oppositions against it and those who are upright have been put upon getting a clearer knowledge of the grounds of their faith worship and practices thereby 5. And in all this Christ manifesteth his distinguishing grace to some and his righteous judgments upon others Rom. 11.22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness 6. Hereby all are stirred up to diligence and watchfulness When there shall come a falling away of many all are warn'd thereby to take care how they stand lest they also fall Rom. 11.20 Vse Be not therefore suprized at discouraged or tempted by the apostasies of others Though the Church be fair as the Moon she hath
Pagan which did impose her Idolatrous wrship upon the world Lastly that it is Rome Papal as it now is and hath been for many ages past which is this Babylon and not Rome when she shall utterly renounce the Christian faith in the end of the world as some Papists without shadow of reason fancy is proved in that she is arrayed in purple and Scarlet decked with gold and precious stones and pearls which is the garb of the Pope and his Cardinals In that she is the Mother of fornications Idolatries through the earth and that she is drunk with the blood of Saints and Martyrs Rome Papal having destroyed far more Christians than ever Heathen Rome did And that the beast that carries this whore the Roman State is full of names of blasphemy v. 3. the blasphemous titles and power which the Pope usurpeth to himself and his Roman Church above any heathen that ever was And especially in that the ten horns upon the head of the beast that carries this Whore which are ten Kingsarising out of the dissolution of the Roman Empire are said to have received no Kingdom in Johns time but to receive it one hour with the beast v. 12. yea to give their power to the beast to set him up and maintain his Empire and to be deluded by him till God shall turn their hearts against him to destroy him v. 13 -17 The beast himself also was to be the eighth head of the former great beast and yet one of the seven i. c. a new government in Rome for the manner of it not much different from the preceding Emperours all which are apparently fulfilled in the Pope and his adherents For when Augustulus laid down the Empire Ann. Chr. 476. there immediately appeared ten small Kingdomes sometimes more sometimes fewer in this Western part of the world and then the Pope began to usurp the dominion of Rome and both he and they grew up together and strengthened each other till they were all inslaved by him and had inabled him to trample Emperours under his feet likewise the declining or wane of Popedome in these too last ages hath been caused by the withdrawing of these very Princes from his subjection whose Kingdomes were once provinces of Rome and whose predecessors had given their power to the Pope and when a few more shall follow their example the Pope will lofe his triple Crown These things thus explained the Observation is clear Obs It is the command of Christ to all his people to withdraw from the communion of Papal Rome as they would avoid joyning in her sins and to those that have opportunity to forsake the dwellings of Rome as they would escape her plagues When the whole world after the flood apostatized from God and his worship God singled out the family of Abraham and in time increast them to a nation to put his name and to keep up his worship among them for this the rest especially their neighbours in the East hated and opposed them and the heads of this opposition were Egypt Niniveh and at last Babylon in Chaldea which swallowed up all her neighbours Thus there was a long contest betwixt the Church of the Jews who adhered to God and pure religion and Babylon which was become the head of the Pagan Apostasie in the East In like manner the Gospel was no sooner planted and spread throughout the Western world but there began a defection to Idolatry in the worship of Saints and Angels and after some while Rome became the head of this Apostasie and for above 1 thousand years past there hath been a continual contest betwixt a purer part of Christs Church scattered through divers Countries and this Mystical Babylon a certain number specified by one hundred forty four thousand Rev 14.1 have kept themselves pure from the whoredomes of Rome they were Virgins and followed the Lamb whithersoever he went and with them the Roman beast hath continually made war and still seeks to destroy them out of the earth now all that would be the faithful servants of Christ must joyn with this small persecuted company and neither comply with nor submit to Rome nor connive at her power and impositions as they would not be found guilty of her Apostasie and be swept away in her destruction To prove this because we speak to them who are already separated from Rome it will be sufficient to clear these 2 Questions which being cleared will also prove the duty of others to separate from her who yet either adhere to or lean towards her 1. Question whether there was a just ground for the Potestants to separate from the Church of Rome 2. Whether there can be any reconciliation of Protestants to Rome In which I shall be brief because a foundation is in a sort laid for it in the foregoing discourse 1. Qu. Whether Protestants did upon just and necessary grounds separate from the communion of the Church of Rome in her worship and discipline Answ They did which I thus prove 1. Because the Church of Rome hath altered the rule of the Christian faith The Church is a holy Common-wealth under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ and he governs it by his laws contained in the holy Scriptures these are the rule of their worship and obedience to him Math. 28.18 19 20. He that alters this rule altereth the fundamental constitution of the Church But the Church of Rome hath altered this rule they teach the Scriptures to be a defective insufficient rule and therefore they joyn to them the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament and the Traditions of the Church which also they receive and reject at their pleasure Decrees of Councils and decretals and decisions of Popes all these together are the perfect rule that the Papists acknowledge and pretend to I say pretend because the Scripture hath little share in it when it comes to Tryal hereby they have made a new foundation of the Church both of faith and practice For it is not sufficient that we believe and practise all that is in the Canonical Scriptures but we must believe and obey the Apocryphal writings and unwritten Traditions as of the same authority with the Bible thus the Council of Trent hath determined as was shewed before This altereth the very constitution of the Church and subjecteth it to men instead of Christ and this is the root of all apostasie 2. Because the Papists pretend their Pope or Church to be above the Scriptures and to put an authentick authority on them and their sense Thus all our faith and obedience is resolved into the determination of men That the Papists pretend the Pope their Council or Church to be above the Scriptures cannot be denied they give the authority and authentickness to the Scriptures 't is from their command that the Bible is received and if they pleased they might cause it to be laid aside it cannot be known they say that the Scriptures are Gods word but that
Church and all Bishops Priests c. receive their power from him So that all are but his Deputies his servants the disposal of all Bishopricks and benefices if he please throughout the world belongs to him The power of Excommunication and absolution of making and altering all Ecclesiastical laws and injunctions resides in him and to him all appeals must be made 3. The Pope challengeth power over the Devils They have their book of exorcismes the office of exorcists their many mysteries certain prayers forms of words Holy water consecrated circles c. by which they pretend to cast out to raise to lay and bind the Devil as they please 4. They pretend also that the Holy Angels and glorified Saints are at their Command Pope Clement 6. the first author of their Jubilees in his Bull wherein he promised great priviledges to all that would come to Rome adds this viz. that if any of these holy Pilgrims should chance to die by the way in their journey he commandeth the holy Angels immediately to transport their souls to heaven The Keys of heaven are one of the Ensigns of the Popes dignity he can unsaint those that are gone to heaven he can release out of Purgatory as soon or detain there as long as he pleaseth Yea Pope Gregory the 1. they say by his prayers brought the soul of Trajanus the Emperour out of Hell 500. Years after he was dead They interpret the 8. Psalm v. 4. c. of the Pope viz. he is that son of man that is crowned with glory and dignity that hath dominion over all the works of God that hath all things put under his feet all Sheep and Oxen i. e. all Christians all the Beasts of the field i. e. all the Infidels the Fowls of heaven i e. the Angels and Saints above and the fish of the Sea i. e. the souls in Purgatory 5. The Pope exalteth himself above Christ he challengeth the sole government of the Church on earth to belong to him to make and abrogate Laws and to guide it infallibly so that Christ now hath nothing to do with the Church militant he can and daily doth interpret and dispense with the Laws of Christ and hath authority above his word When the Pope goes out of Town the host his breaden God is carried on Horse-back amongst his Sumpters and other furnitures a day before-hand as one of his utensils and in the Church the Pope sitteth above the Altar and above the Host and giveth it but a small nod as he passeth by when the people give ten times more reverence to him than they do to the Host even according to their own ceremonies 6. He exalteth himself above God He taketh more care to have his own Laws observed than Gods commands and punisheth the violation of them more severely than sins against God To speak against the Pope the virgin Mary or any of their Saints to work on their Holy-days to eat flesh on a fast-day especially in Lent are greater offences and harder to be forgiven than any sins against God Yea it is the design of the Papacy to exalt themselves whatever comes of the honour of God A man may be of any religion or no religion may live as he please so he own the Popes power and hold the Communion of that Church and this is all their unity they so much brag of Papa potest omnia quae Deus potest say their Canonists The Pope can do all that God can do yea and more as they add potest facere justum ex injusto he can make evil good vice to be vertue yea every Popish Priest they say can make his God and maker out of a piece of bread A Frier in a Sermon before the Spanish Governour at Milan magnifying the Priests power said a Priest could do more than God For God could only make creatures but every Priest could make the infinite God the maker of all which God could not do and yet saith the Authour this passed without controul The Apostle amplifieth this pride in the next words he exalteth himself so as he sitteth as God in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God i. e. he ruleth in the Church of God and challengeth honour from the Church as if he were God The Papists would hence infer that Antichrist or this man of sin shall be a Leader of the Jews sitting and being worshipped in their Temple at Jerusalem to be rebuilt by him but that Temple shall never be rebuilt when the Jews attempted it in Julians time they were hindred by fire breaking out of the earth and descending from heaven and the Jews themselves shall all be converted to Christ The Temple of God here is his Church in which the Man of sin must sit who must therefore be an apostate Christian only not the Turk neither alone as some Papists would have it nor in conjunction with the Poipe as some Protestants think Piscator in Loc. he never was a Christian nor sitteth in the Church nor endeavoureth to alter or corrupt the worship of it nor assumeth divine prerogatives to himself nor was known to the world for many ages after this was written neither his religion name or Nation whereas this mystery of iniquity was working in the Apostles days and by him discovered and pointed at to the Church But that the Pope doth sit in the Church as if he were God is manifest It is not amiss to observe the word here used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he sitteth in the Temple of God is the term the Popes use Kings are said to reign Popes to sit so many years and Rome it self is Sedes Apostolica the Apostolical See or Seat 1. The Pope challengeth an absolute universal power over the whole world When John the Bishop of Constantinople usurped the title of universal Bishop Pope Gregory the 1. called him the King of pride the forerunner of Antichrist yet he challenged that title only over the Church and meant it only of a primacy of order to be the first and chief Bishop but Boniface the 3. ten years after obtained to be head and universal Bishop and his successours have ever since used it exercising an absolute jurisdiction both in Civil and Ecclesiastical matters The Pope challengeth the disposal of all Kingdoms if there be any question about succession or any controversie among Princes he interposeth and pretendeth to decide all as having the absolute power of disposing and ordering all things and in the Church the sole authority belongs to him of binding and loosing of appointing Bishops and Ministers and degrading them of conferring all imployments receiving all appeals not only in reserved cases but in all ordinary cases when he pleases or the parties please to remove the case to Rome This is a power beyond a mortal man a charge that no creature can perform to inspect and order the affairs of the whole world both of this life and that which is to come 2. He