their call c. and the King heard thereof he was wroth and sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murtherers and burnt up their City It is strange to see with what a scornful state the proud ambitious Usurper of the Chair of Peter would trample upon the Necks of all his Brethren and how he looks from aloft upon the honest Protestants reproving him he looks upon them far below him and with supercilious looks despiseth them for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Thus he and all his Train of the Scarlet Conclave the Cardinals with the sly Jesuite thinking themselves righteous despising others as the Spirit of God rebuketh them Luc. 18. 9. do aggravate their former Revolt and Apostacy this thousand years standing and call all to remembrance that at last they shall through the fire of Gods wrath hereby incens'd be taken with the hand as the Text speaks But as for the meekness and humility of the Church of England and our readiness to condescend and submit to the Truth let the World be our Witness as learned Bishop Jewel declares it If any learned man of our Adversaries or of all the learned that be alive be able to bring any one sufficient Sentence or Testimony out of any old Doctor or Father or out of any old General Council or out of the holy Scriptures of God or any one Example of the Primitive Church whereby it may be clearly and plainly proved that there was any private Mass or that the Bishop of Rome was delegated for Universal and Supreme Head of the Catholick Church with Invocation upon Saints worshipping of Images and buying of Indulgences and Pardons or that the Roman Church was accounted and call'd the Universal and Catholick Church or any thing own'd as Transubstantiation at that time for the space of six hundred years after Christ we are content to yield and to subscribe otherwise we hold our selves strictly obliged to retain the Religion and Faith of Christ which we do now profess and as it is now by our Laws established Inference the third from God provoked Ye shall be taken with the hand Idolatry Bloodshed Oppression Prophaneness and Blasphemy are the crying sins that provoke God safest and hasten his unavoidable Judgments soonest In Ezek. 22. 3. The City maketh Idols against her self to defile her self Idolatry is an open defiance to the Deity therefore abhorr'd of God above other sins and call'd by Gods Spirit the Abomination and therefore it is said in the Text v. 24. Because you have made your iniquity to be remembred this was so odious that it was the cause that made other sins to be remembred and for Bloodshed and Idolatry being put together it is expresly declar'd by the Prophet Chap. 22. 4. that they have hasten'd their destruction And thou hast become saith he guilty in thy blood which thou hast shed and hast defiled thy self with thine Idols which thou hast made and thou hast caused thy days to draw near And as to their oppression prophaneness and blasphemy it is declared in Ezek. 22. to be so notorious and palpable that God blew the fire of his wrath to consume them Their sins did testifie against them the way of peace they knew not truth was fallen in their streets and equity could not enter and Esay crys out that he wondred there was no Intercessor Es 59. 16. Esay Jeremy and Ezekiel spend their breath and their books in declaring the falling away of these people from God and his worship insomuch that at last you see the fierce anger wrath and indignation of God fell upon them in this King Zedekiah's time 4. Inference from the Charge Thou wicked and prophane Prince is this It is such as revolt from the Faith despising holy things and fall to the practises of the Heathen World that the Scriptures call wicked and prophane and never charge any so that keep the true Faith and Worship of God These people were justly charged and their Prince also as wicked and prophane and that for these Reasons 1. They had forsaken the Lord and his Law which is declar'd by good King Josiah in 2 King 22. 13. Our Fathers hearken'd not unto the words of this Book meaning the Book of the Law found by Hilkiah in the House of the Lord to do according to all that is written concerning us And this falling away from Gods Law the Scripture calls Fornication comparing these people of Israel to sordid men Ezek. 16. 15. Thou playedst the Harlot and pourest out thy fornications on every one that passed by 2. They despis'd the holy things of the Lord Manasseh built Altars for Baal in the House of the Lord and set a graven Image of the Grove which he had made in the House of which the Lord had said In this House will I put my Name for ever Therefore doth Ezek. Chap. 22. 8. cry out against them Thou hast despised my holy things and hast prophaned my Sabbaths And ver 26. Her Priests have violated my Law and prophaned my holy things I am prophaned among them 3. These people were justly called wicked and prophane for they follow'd the Idolatrous practises of the Heathen World Zedekiah did as Jehoiakin had done and Jehoiakin as Jehoiakin his Predecessor and he did as Jehoahaz and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his Fathers Manasseh and Ahab had done Now Manasseh built up the High-places rear'd up Altars for Baal made a Grove and worshipped the Sun and the Moon and the Planets and all the Host of Heaven 4. They delivered their Children to pass through the fire to Moloch at Topheth and shed Innocent blood And behold saith the Prophet the Princes of Israel every one were in thee to their power to shed innocent blood like ravening Wolves to destroy Souls for dishonest gain Ezek. 22. 27. These Abominations were grounds enough to charge them as the Prophet doth here Thou wicked and prophane And besides all these there did Oppression and Usury Lewdness and Uncleanness reign in the highest degree amongst them Now having seen who the Scriptures call wicked c. in the Old Testament it lies upon us to know who are so charged also in the New Testament and for what and that appears plainly 2 Thes 2. 7 8 10. S. Paul tells you He who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked be revealed i. e. He that letteth and opposeth Christs Doctrine and Kingdom is that wicked one which in his appointed time shall be reveal'd and in the 10th verse he gives the reason why he calls him wicked Because they received not the love of the Truth This is much like that of Queen Esther spoken concerning Haman who had conspir'd to destroy all the Inheritance of God the Generation of the Jews This Adversary and Enemy is that wicked Haman So in Eph. 6. 12. we find that the Church of Christ
under the New Testament wrestless against Powers and Principalities that is men exercising Authority which he calls spiritual wickedness in high places Again in the 16th verse he tells you that you are to take the Shield of Faith which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the Wicked whereby you must understand that that wicked one hath fiery Darts with him to throw at the faithful and by fiery Darts you can think of nothing else but bloody Persecutions And lastly you may know that wicked party by his blasphemy prophaneness and coming after the working of Satan with all Powers and Signs and lying Wonders who opposing and exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God So that in every particular when these are compared with the former Prince and People they are guilty of the same wickedness and prophaneness As thus Under the Old Testament 1. Those forsook the Law of the Lord. 2. Those despised holy things 3. Those followed the Idolatrous Practises of the Heathen World 4. Those deliver'd their Children to Maloch and shed Innocent Blood To Zedekiah and Israel in the Text it is said Thou prophane wicked Under the New Testament 1. These received not the love of the Truth 2. These sitting in the Temple of God shew himself that he is God 3. These exalt above God with signs and lying wonders after the working of Satan 4. These shoot Fiery Darts of Persecution To Antichrist and his Kingdom in the New Testament Thou man of sin and wicked 2 Thes 2. 3. 8. Now I will shew you how the Pope of Rome and the Roman Church resemble revolted Israel in their Apostacy and wickedness and will also declare how clear and free the King and Church of England are from this Charge Polanus saith That the Popish Canons and Decretals with the Lives and Practises of the Popes do expresly declare them to be Antichrist and Anti-Christ is defin'd to be a Man exercising Authority Head of the Universal Apostacy and Desertion of the Faith professing the Name of Christ yet opposing himself to Christ and his Doctrine That he is a Man exercising Authority no Man denys that he is Head of Universal Apostacy and opposeth Christ and his Doctrine I will plainly shew in my Application We are oblig'd to regard his Person as a Prince and a Prelate by the Laws of God and Nature i. e. to give honour to whom honour is due but it is his Vices and Corruption we cry out against and what the Scripture and judicious Divines ancient and modern of reformed Protestants have declar'd concerning him we may without malice or hatred speak of him and omitting all terms of honour he is an Idolater a Hypocrise a Blasphemer ambitious proud lawless and forbidding to marry covetous vain a Lyar a cruel Tyrant a Persecutor and Murderer of the Saints despising holy things and sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God The Idolatry of the Church of Rome in worshipping the Pope as Supreme Head of the Universal Church and Images with the Relicks of Saints and their Invocations upon the Virgin Mary with the lifting up of the Host are as directly against the I. and II. Commandment as Blood shed is against the VI. and as palpable as it was with Israel who worshipp'd the Sun Moon and Planets He must have a good Hide saith Dr. Hall that can worship Martin ' s Boots George ' s Scabbard Crispin ' s Pareing-Knife Thomases her Shoo and Joseph's Breeches to equalize these Fopperies with the Son of God in point of worship as those do who fall before them and call upon them as Eraesmus complains is abominable Idolatry and horrible Impiety The Blood-shed of Rome is so sensibly known through all the Christian World that every Country can bear witness to it and no marvel the Holy Ghost compare her to a Woman clothed in Scarlet and drunk with the Blood of Saints The fiery Darts of this wicked-one have been so prevalent in Italy that at one time was condemn'd 16000 Protestants where 18 had their Throats and jugular Veins cut with a Butchers-Knife the Butcher putting it between his Teeth whilst he did rid his Hand of one and take the other In Queen Mary's days were several hundreds here in England burnt in the space of the two last years of her Reign 13 sometimes together 12. 10. 6. 5. and other numbers Bishops Preachers Gentlemen Tradesmen old and blind Men Cripples and poor Maids no sort of Christians could escape the fury of these bloody Persecutions And to speak of their Covetousness Oppression Prophaneness and Blasphemies which are so common will be too tedious for me to hint here in the corner of a Sermon therefore in a word I leave this point concerning the charge and say it may be well said Thou wicked and prophane Pope of Rome whose Day is come and thy Iniquity shall have an end remove the Diadem take away the Crown I will exalt him that is low and abase him that is high I will overturn overturn overturn it until he comes c. Inference the fifth from the Confusion of Judah and Jerusalem Crowns and Kingdoms cannot stand when God Almighty hath denounc'd their fall Witness the fall of all the mighty Monarchs of the World and therefore this Prophet expostulateth pathetically Can thy Heart endure or will thy Hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee I will overturn overturn overturn it and it shall be no more and who can say to God What dost thou The Beast with seven Heads and ten Crowns must fall and tumble down when God is pleas'd to toss them Whom the Lord shall destroy with the Spirit of his Mouth and consume with the brightness of his coming But as for the King and Church of England being free from the Charge they may be also concluded to be free from the Judgment in the sence of all charitable minds And that they are free from the Charge let every sober-minded Man weigh these Particulars 1. The King and the Church of England protest to maintain nor suffer for no other Faith but that which was once by Apostolical Tradition deliver'd to the Saints This Profession do both Prince and People by a mutual Oath and Covenant bind themselves to assert keep and uphold to the honour and glory of God as good King Josiah and his People in their days His Majesty as other Kings his Predecessors of blessed memory at their Coronation first promiseth being ask'd by the Arch-Bishops to keep and afterwards by Oath confirms the Laws and Customs of England namely the Laws Customs and Franchises granted to the Clergie by the glorious King St. Edward his Predecessor according to the Laws of God the true Profession of the Gospel and according to the Prerogatives of the Kings thereof and defend and uphold the same to the honour
of God as much as in him lyeth The Oath The things that I have here promis'd I shall perform and keep so help me God and the Contents of this Book This Oath is published in King Charles the Martyr's Answer to a Remonstrance c. of the 26th of May 1642. The same Oath for matter you may find in an old Manuscript containing the Form of Coronation c. in the publick Library at Oxon. Is not this as firm and as great a Covenant as blessed King Josiah made who stood by a Pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all their hearts c. and all the People stood to the Covenant 2 King 23. 3. So all the People of England and all his Majesty's Subjects bind themselves strictly by two Oaths called the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to obey the King's Laws in all true Faith and Allegiance renouncing all Forreign Powers and declaring the King's Majesty Supreme Head and Governour in all matters as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal next under Christ in all these His Majesty's Dominions Thus do both Prince and People most unanimously and faithfully protest to stick to the Profession of the Protestant Religion as it is by Law establish'd being no other than the same as christ and his Apostles taught and the pure Times of the Primitive Church maintained in the first Centuries after Christ 2. For the purity justness and reasonableness of His Majesty's Laws whereby we are Govern'd the Common Civil and Ecclesiastical all the malice of our Adversaries cannot impeach them of the least savour of Idolatry or Impiety Prophaneness or Blasphemies as those of rebellious Israel under the Old did and of the Roman Papists under the New Testament do The Common-Law being certain reasonable Customs refined by succeeding Ages and gathered out of Divine Natural and Moral Principles our Civil and Canon-Laws being all grounded upon the Word of God and the Decrees of General Councils and the Sence of the Fathers in the first six-hundred years after Christ and in this it is as clear as the Sun at Noon-day that neither His Majesty nor his People can be charg'd for wickedness nor prophaneness in their Profession nor Laws 3. For the Doctrine which we reach it is briefly contain'd in the Creed call'd the Apostles Creed the Lords-Prayer and Ten Commandments and explain'd throughout the whole Bible we believe nothing we pray for nothing and we practice nothing as necessary to Salvation but what is plainly prov'd by evident Scriptures And as for the Government Discipline and Worship of our Church it is acknowledg'd by all Judicious Protestants to be the best constituted Church this day in the whole World and that in the main the Doctrine Discipline and Worship being so decently and excellently fram'd for edification that it makes all Men that duly observe it truly and soberly religious securing them as a Reverend Divine saith on the one side from the wild Freaks of Enthusiasm and on the other from the gross Follies of Superstition 4. As for any violence and cruelty we thank God the World is our Witness we can wash our Hands in Innocence none condemn'd to death for bare perswasions in point of Conscience or different Opinions in matters of Religion It is Fellons and Traytors because they have not the fear of God before their Eyes by the King's Law do dye His most Sacred Majesty being of that gracious and Lamb-like Disposition that he laboureth rather through tenderness to regain than through severity to compell Dissenters to Unity of Spirit and Uniformity in Religion 5. And lastly weigh our Practices I mean the Lives and Conversations of those that are true Sons and Observers of the Church we ingenuously confess that through our carelesness and want of more strictness in many things we do offend all but withall at our daily and publick as well as private Devotion we pray for true repentance and forgiveness and there 's not a Christian Man that hath a little Grain of Charity in him that will deny but that we through a certain though not so Universal as wish'd Obedience receive and submit to the Truth Will Law and Gospel of Jesus Christ To these things if I had time to amplifie I would nor do desire no more Credit than shall be due to the fair Evidence of clear Scripture and sound Reason the two Master Pillars of a good Cause Now upon these and other like grounds is founded the unmovable settled ends of our fixed hopes through Faith in our dear Saviour that we are not Sentenc'd with Idolatrous Israel under the Law are not nor shall be condemn'd with Antichristian Popery under the Gospel And I conclude this Point with that of our Saviour in Joh. 14. 27. Confiding that it is appertaining to us as much as to any other particular Church in the World for some have called the English Church the Primogenita of the Catholick and for certain it is a Member of the true Catholick and therefore may expect her Share in the Legacy of Christ Peace I leave with you Peace I give unto you not as the World gives give I unto you therefore let not your Heart be troubled neither let it be afraid And this leads me to the next Inference Sixthly The sixth Inference is from Christ's coming The Lord's goodness is so far extended to his beloved Spouse the true Church Catholick and to every Member thereof that in the greatest distress and confusions in the World Christ and his comforts will attend the faithful Job 5. 19 20 21 c. He will deliver thee in six troubles and in seven there shall no evil touch thee in Famine he shall redeem thee from Death and in War from the power of the Sword thou shalt be hid from the Scourge of the Tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of Destruction when it cometh What unspeakable comforts satisfaction and rejoycing all the holy Martyrs of Jesus have ever had in their sufferings will be too long to relate here He comes whose right it is and I will give it him I think you do evidently perceive and are fully satisfied by these things already said concerning this Text that there needs no further discourse to make all Men apprehend how free and plainly unspotted with the Charge and Curse here denounced against Jerusalem the present State of England stands The City of Jerusalem and Israel were curs'd mark as you have heard for breach of their Oath and Allegiance and further Rebellion to the King of Babylon though a Pagan King together with their Contempt of God's Word Idolatrous and Prophane Practises but the English Protestants are hated censured accus'd and persecuted by the Popish Faction for no other cause more than for bearing true Allegiance to the rightful and lawful King of their Realm and maintaining as by Oath they are bound that the Pope hath no power to