which wee haue not already found FOVRTHLY and lastly wee may obserue that as the mysticall condition of this Babylonian Rome is by cleere remonstrance made by learned and iudicious men notoriously discouered vnto all the World so the hornes of the Papall Beast haue begun to fall from his head his power being thereby much abated and neuer likely to bee recouered againe but one horne after another shall be plucked off Wherefore as I may certainly conclude that the Turke shall not destroy the states and dignities of these ten Kings whatsoeuer Zanchius a learned and profound Diuine did conceiue to the contrary for which he suffered some opposition as in the second part of his Miscellanea it may appeare and whatsoeuer Melancthon himselfe deliuered in his publike Lectures that all Germanie should bee possessed by the Turke and my reason is grounded vpon the Scripture shewing that the ten Kings which arose with the second Beast in Rome shall destroy Rome at the last and therefore if the Turke obtaine their Kingdomes it must be after the fal of the Rome which they must first ruinate so I may very reasonably and probably affirme that the Kings which are alreadie fallen from the Beast the Pope shall neuer returne vnto him againe to giue their power a second time vnto him and to submit their Royall States vnto the Papall Crowne But if Babylon should aduance her selfe in England againe which wee haue no cause to feare nor Papists reason to hope yet that shall not hinder the accomplishment of this worke for Babylon must fall it is decreed by GOD it shall bee performed by these Kings Notwithstanding since Babylon is full of malice and indignation playing first the Foxe to enter into the Lords Vineyard that shee might be a Lyon afterwards to kill the Keepers thereof let vs not be secure in obseruing her courses nor fearefull to sustaine her conflict Let vs be prepared for that which may not perhaps be prepared for vs Wee must not bee wanting to Martyrdome though it may bee wanting vnto vs ne desit animus Martyrio saith Saint Cyprian Let vs not want a mind to die for the truth of Christ hee may be an habituall Martyr euer that is an actuall neuer in preparation of mind not in passion of bodie in will and not in worke as Saint Bernard speaketh of Saint Iohn the Euangelist that hee was a Martyr in will though not in worke whereas the Innocents were Martyrs in worke but not in will and Saint Stephen in both But here let no man deceiue himselfe with a sudden apprehension of Martyrdome as a matter of little difficultie to vndergo but let him consider rather that multi ante persecutionem Leones in persecutione cerui many are Lyons in the time of peace but Harts in the time of persecution as one of the Ancients spake by experience of those times that many who speake gloriously of their resolution appeare cowards in their performance as the historie of Doctor Pendleton and Master Sanders may testifie and finally that they whom God calleth vnto so great a worke shall bee prepared by him with gifts conuenient for that purpose Therfore Saint Ambrose writing vnto his sister Marcella Epist 44. saith modestly of himselfe because God knew me to be weake hee hath not yet giuen the Deuill power ouer my bodie And though I should desire martyrdome and offer my selfe vnto it perhaps he doth iudge mee yet to be vnable for so great a strife and therefore doth exercise mee with other labours and diuers afflictions but hath not tried mee in this kind O the rare humilitie of such an excellent spirit Let vs then by his example bee willing not boasting readie not desirous to dye for the cause of God if Babylon should yet againe try vs in the fire of her persecution before shee come to the fire of her owne ruine And so much of the third point namely the time when Babylon shall be destroyed by these Kings The FOVRTH Question THe FOVRTH and last question concerneth the state of the Pope of Papists and of Poperie vpon this fall of Babylon whether hee and they and it shall come vnto a finall extirpation with Babylon or what may bee conceiued probably of each in the discourse of iudgement and reason by deduction out of the sacred Scripture it selfe This question then hath three seuerall branches as you heare and therefore I will treate of them all in order as it shall please God to assist mee with the celestiall illumination of his blessed Spirit The FIRST Branch of the fourth Question concerning the POPE WE doe not now enquire concerning the Person of the Pope whether a Iohn as many were or a Iohne as one was supposed to be but concerning the State place office and dignitie of the Pope and as hee is the Second Beast in Babylon inuading there the Imperiall Seat and by another forme or colour of gouernment vsurping the Imperiall power as the ancient Fathers doe vsually speake of Antichrist according to the tenour of the Scripture it selfe in this behalfe and as the experience of latter ages doth really verifie and exhibite the truth of their iudgement herein vnto our eyes I answere then that as Bellarmine doth vainely flatter himselfe lib. 4. de Pont. Rom. cap. 4. concerning the time of this ruine of Babylon namely that it shall not be vntill the end of the world and in the time of their chimericall and imagined Antichrist whose reigne enduring three yeeres and an halfe is ended by the second comming of our Lord Iesus Christ as they simply pretend so hee doth delude himselfe and others when he saith that in the time and after the time of her ruine the Pope shall bee called and indeed shall be Romanus Pontifex the Bishop of Rome For the truth is apparant by the tenour of the sacred Booke of the Reuelation that the Papall Beast is the cause of the expedition made by the tenne Kings against Babylon that this warre made vpon Babylon is in regard of the pride oppression and other sinnes in Babylon as shee is borne vp and supported by the second Beast whose Dominion was aduanced by their submission vnto him and shall bee suppressed by their concurrencie against him It is not then a quarrell against the Citizens or the edifices of Rome but against her vsurpations exercised by the Triple-crowned Beast therein Neither had these Kings performed their designe if when they burnt the Citie of Rome the Beast should still remaine Therefore as Babylon it selfe shall fall so the power of her Beast shall be destroyed by these Kings as being coupled and commixed with the same For as the ruine of Literall Babylon was accompanied with the ruine of the Chaldaean Empire so the fall of Mysticall Babylon shall bee accompanied with the fall of her Beast whom these Kings will now permit no more to tyrannize with Papall dominion in the Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall State for as the power of the Beast standeth
this deepe point an egregious disputation was held in Scotland it is related immediately after the martyrdome of Adam Wallace in the Acts and Monuments of the Church published by Master Foxe where some profound Doctors of Babylon did substantially resolue that primariò formaliter principaliter vltimatè capiendo strictè this prayer may be said onely vnto God but secundariò materialiter minùs principaliter non vltimatè capiendo largè it may be said vnto Saints What is so absurd and impious which by distinctions may not be defended in the Church of Rome And why may not that prayer be directed by them vnto the Saints since Dominus being changed into Domina our Lord into our Lady the Psalmes of Dauid whereby hee comforted himselfe in the Lord his God are turned by the Papists into an inuocation of our Ladie And why may not both bee done by them who find such an exact conformitie betwixt our Sauiour Iesus Christ and their S. Francis that hee may also bee truely stiled Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes But since there is no end in the prosecution of their blasphemous absurdities in this kind I will conclude this last point of Romish Idolatry in their inuocation of Saints and finally obserue that it is an idolatrie also in them thus to transferre the peculiar sufficient and glorious Office of Christ his Mediatourship vnto any Saint he or she though his owne Mother towards whom though he bare a filiall respect according to humane nature yet you shall neuer finde in his acts or words any one passage or inclination which might seeme to intitle her vnto such exorbitant honour as the Babylonians assigne vnto her by a boundlesse and groundlesse superstition and specially since as necessitie did not compell them so no good reason could perswade them vnto this seruice Why because all and more is to be found in Christ then in any or in all the Saints in this behalfe For what doe wee or can wee desire in any intercessor Power with him of whom hee doth intreate any thing Affection to them for whom hee doth intreate and a sufficient Capacitie of hearing and receiuing their requests First then for Power with God haue all the Saints so much as he with the Father who testifieth of him This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3.17 Secondly for Affection vnto vs is any Saint more kind more louing more facill and gracious No none is like vnto him Why First because he tooke our whole nature not the person of one man and espoused it to his owne person it being truly indued with all naturall affections and sanctified with grace without any measure of the Spirit Therefore in this regard he is as neere vnto mee as any man nay neerer then all men And secondly because in this nature hee suffered for me with passions of bodie and soule hee died for me he satisfied Gods wrath for me and so bought mee for his owne therefore in this regard I am more deare vnto him then vnto his blessed Mother or vnto all the Saints that reigne with him in glorie Hence it is that He sendeth vs not vnto them but calleth vs vnto himselfe Come vnto me c. Matth. 11.28 Thirdly as for his Capacitie of hearing vs who can denie it to be infinite in him who being God is infinite in euery thing And as for his humane nature who can sufficiently iudge of the capacitie of it also in this behalf which by the grace of personal vnion with God and so by the glorie of extraordinarie vision in him hath such a Sea of knowledge as we are not able to comprehend in the litle shels of our vnderstanding Therefore as Saint Peter said to whom shall wee goe c. so I say to whom shall we rather goe then to him in whom all these things so happily concurre Why shall I giue his honour away vnto another and thereby take away my comfort from my selfe So shal I be an iniurious Idolater against his excellencie and my owne saluation as they are generally in the Babylonian Church where the most sweet inuitations and comfortable assurances of Christ vnto vs are applied vnto his Mother as Come you all vnto mee and suffer little children to come vnto me with other of like nature which diuine sentences I haue seene for my euidence is from mine owne vnhappie eies appendant in papers vpon Tapistrie or vpon the walls of their Chappels and ascribed vnto her vpon a Festiuall day solemnely dedicated vnto her seruice with this Motto Intrate per me enter in by mee words peculiar and meerely proper vnto Christ himselfe fairely written in capitall Letters and placed ouer the doore to instruct all men thereby that came into the Chappell that they must enter into the Church by the inuocation of her name and into Heauen by the mediation of her Praier Let them now distinguish againe with strictè and largè primariò and secundariò c. yet their consciences cannot escape the crime of Idolatry in this course which they esteeme to be verie deuout but we know it to be verie prophane And thus much concerning the first generall point of comparison which is in the matter of Idolatrie betwixt the old and the new Babylon I proceed therefore vnto the second The SECOND Comparison betwixt Literall Babylon and Papall Rome THe second point wherein this comparison doth stand is PRIDE a sinne of speciall note in the first Babylon the Ladie of Kingdomes Esay 47.5 but what is her end Desolation and ruine How and for what cause I will make the arrogancie of the proud to cease and I will cast downe the pride of Tyrants faith the Lord Esay 13.11 But heere the second Babylon exceedeth the first the daughter comming after the mother in the order of time goeth before her in the degree of pride Wee haue heard of the pride of Moab he is exceeding proud saith the Prophet Ieremie 48.29 So I may say of this Babylonian Beast his pride his arrogancie his fastuous carriage of himselfe toward the whole ciuill State and toward the whole Church is such as may argue him to be the successor of Tarquinius Superbus in whom the Regall authoritie of ancient Rome did expire rather then of Saint Peter whose succession and Apostolicall power he doth pretend but without conformitie to his Apostolicall doctrine in these things who teacheth all men to bee subiect vnto the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to him that excelleth or that is the chiefe or as the very word doth beare that ouer-haueth hauing indeed all others vnder him 1. Pet. 2.13 Did not Saint Peter include himselfe in this precept Then he was not syncere Or not his successors Then he was defectiue in this point But the truth is he was truly an humble person though of a feruent spirit and prescribeth that doctrine which hee followed and his successors embraced acknowledging their due
respect and seruice vnto the Emperours till the subiect became the Souereigne of his Prince and a spirituall Pastour was changed into a temporall Monarch Likewise for the Church of God the same Saint Peter doth thus instruct all Pastours To feed the flocke of God c. which is an Office now too base for so great a Monarch and then not to comport themselues as if they were Lords ouer the heritage of God as it is 1. Pet. 5.2 3. For what is more contrarie to an Apostolicall spirit then pride exaltation aduancement of themselues with the contempt of others For which cause the Bishops of Britaine vpon the aduise of an holy person in those times reiected Augustine the Monke whom Gregory the Great sent into England and refused to treate with him when they discouered the pride and insolencie which appeared in his demeanure as venerable Beda himselfe though very fauourable to the proceedings of Augustine doth recount in the Historie of our English Church Now let vs obserue the Apostolicall stomacke for what is not Apostolicall in that seat a glorious name to insnare poore seduced soules of the holy Father in Babylon and whether such courses examples rules and ordinances of monstrous Pride were euer knowne or doe remaine vpon the Records of Antiquitie euen from the beginning of the World vnto this present day in any other Monarchie Kingdome or State of whatsoeuer qualitie or degree This Luciferian pride the fittest Epithete for the Papall you must goe into Hell and leaue the Earth if you will finde the like doth appeare in fiue particular instances as being sensible demonstrations of the same FIRST the pride of the holy Father appeareth in the particular facts of certaine Popes vpon the presumed Souereigntie of their Apostolicall seate He was a Pope that crowned and decrowned Henrie the Sixth the Germane Emperour with his foot shewing thereby that as the Imperiall Crowne was vnder the Papall and subiect vnto his Dominion euen vnder his foot so it is in the Popes great power vpon his holy pleasure to giue Kingdomes and to take away Kingdomes to erect Kings and to suppresse them againe as if they were the Tennis balls wherewith his Holinesse doth play He was a Pope who in disdaine of the Imperiall dignitie made Henrie the Fourth attend barelegged and barefoot with his Empresse and their sonne by way of penance in the Winter season at his Apostolicall gates Hee was a Pope that treading vpon the necke of Fredericke Barbarossa the Emperour with his Apostolicall foot insulted gloriously vpon the poore deiected Prince and profanely abused the sacred Scripture to his Apostolicall purpose Thou shalt walke vpon the Lyon and Aspe the young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou tread vnder thy feet Psal 91.13 It is no maruell then that our King Henry the Second did humble himselfe so farre as to kisse the knee of his Legate whose foote to haue kissed is a matter of speciall grace according to the Constitutions of the Papall Church as you shall immediately perceiue for now wee insist onely vpon the matters of fact whereof I haue made a little remonstrance in a few examples referring you vnto the Histories which yeeld copious testimonies in this kind SECONDLY then this pride appeareth in their owne Ceremoniall Ordinances formally prescribing the courses of humilitie vnto Christian Princes in their attendance of the Apostolicall Father There the Emperour holdeth his bridle when the Pope rideth in Apostolicall pompe there Kings and Princes being marshalled according to the new Herauldry of Babylon march before him in their rankes Sometimes the Pope beeing aduanced vpon mens shoulders in a goodly Chaire of Apostolicall state the Emperour and Kings precede in their due order as so many Vshers of his Holinesse who throweth abroad his Apostolicall benedictions vpon the people with his sacred fingers This pride may yet seeme to be humilitie in comparison of his glorious exaltation in the Church of Saint Peter for vnder his name passeth all this exorbitancie where Monarchs humbling themselues vpon the ground meekly kisse his Apostolicall feet and then are afterwards admitted vnto so great a fauour as to kisse his cheeke All which was performed in the person of Charles the Eighth the French King vnto Alexander the Sixth as Guicciar dine relateth in his first Booke with humble seruice in so great a Prince deserueth the note of base deiection vnto the Triple-crowned Beast But thus the purpled Whore can either inchant with her cup or subdue with her Sword the greatest and most puissant Princes of the World Where is the exemplum dedi from Christ Iesus in this case The Vicar and the Master stand in Diametricall opposition almost in euery point as well as in this the Master kissed the feet of his poore Disciples but heere the Vicar requireth the greatest Monarchs vnto the kisses of his feet he proudly challengeth this submission from them and they basely performe it vnto him that so hee might appeare to bee what hee is euen Antichrist Lifting vp himselfe aboue all that is called God THIRDLY this pride appeareth by his vsurpation ouer the Crownes of Princes and that in different manner Sometimes by a particular interest as hee pretended in Scotland to diuert thence the militarie forces of King Edward the first Sometimes by donation or surrender as he pretended in England by the submission of King Iohn and therefore called his Sonne Henrie the Third by the ignoble stile of his Vassall and so by artificiall insinuations and colourable Titles he intrudeth vpon seuerall Dominions to make some speciall challenge thereunto If no such oblique and sinister course may serue his turne yet he hath two other wayes to come vnto his designed ends and that is either INDIRECTLY and as hee is Pastour of the Church to take Kingdomes from their owners for their offences and to collate them vpon other Princes as for example the Pope stirred vp Charles the Earle of Angeow against Manfredus the King of Sicilia the true Lord and possessour thereof by the gift of his Father Fredericus the Second and also the Pope stirred vp the said Charle against Cunradinus the Sonne of Conradus and Grand-child of the said Fredericus to depriue him of his life and to disseize him of his lawfull inheritance in the Kingdome of Naples both which Kingdomes he bountifully bestowed vpon the said Charles in like manner the Pope dealt with Iohn d' Albret King of Nauarre and with our late renowned Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory and glorious name though not with like euent or else DIRECTLY and as he is Lord of the World from whom all Princes haue their dependent power to bestow them at his pleasure as iust occasion shall mooue and good discretion shall direct his Holyship in this case which last opinion hath a daily growth in Babylon amongst the Parasites of the Court. For you must distinguish with Gerson betwixt Aula and Ecclesia the Court and the Church of Rome This Pride in the
of this horrible treason by Sixtus in his Oration pronounced vnto the Cardinalls in his Consistorie to this purpose Bellarmine doth confidently answere that this Oration was neuer deliuered by the Pope that hee liuing in Rome heard no mention of it that the Cardinalls conuersing then in the Court protested that they neuer had any knowledge of the same and so the point is vtterly denied and must bee reputed for a deuice of such as were the enemies of the Church O bloudie Citie it is all full of lyes saith Nahum the Prophet of Nineuch and I may now so speake of Rome for here is lying added vnto murthering impudencie vnto crueltie what veritie then what equitie what conscience can you expect from her Note therefore that amongst some Romish Priests that tooke and defended the Oath of Alleageance though for this cause they haue beene censured publikely in the Sermons of some Iesuites by the name of Wolues such as had no commission to teach to absolue to minister the Sacraments c. as hauing lost their whole authoritie by taking this Oath and perswading others to doe the like to the high preiudice and impugnation of S. Peters Seate from whence it was deriued there was one William Warmington Chaplaine vnto Cardinall Allen vpon the very time that this panegyricall Oration proceeded from that vaine-glorious Pope who by his Pontificiall excommunication deposed our late gracious Queene and now in a solemne speech commended the murther by way of admiration which Clement had perpetrated vpon the sacred person of that vnhappy Prince This Warmington therefore in a booke published for the defence of the said Oath doth freely and ingenuously confesse that this Oration being vttered in the Consistorie by Sixtus the Pope his Lord and Master being then and there present was earnestly requested by some of the Cardinalls to recollect the speech of his Holinesse and to commit the same to writing which he being a man of singular memorie did accordingly performe with the commendations and thankes of the said Cardinalls affirming that to their best remembrance this coppie presented vnto them by Cardinall Allen did truely containe word for word the verie Oration pronounced vnto them by his Holinesse so that this was the originall and Mother-coppie whence so many transcripts were made and issued forth into the publike view And he saith further that his speciall friend Master William Rainolds author of Caluino-Turcismus remaining then in the Low Countries and receiuing a transcript of the said coppie from him conceiued the said speech to bee a certaine approbation of that fact as indeed the forme and matter thereof doe sufficiently euince O Bellarmine where is thy conscience of the truth O Sixtus where is thy tender respect of Christian bloud yea more of Princes and yet more of the first borne and eldest sonne of thy Church O Babylon where is thy shame that darest thus admire approoue extoll without one word or syllable of dislike that ingenuitie is not in thy whorish breast such a murther so wickedly executed and vpon so great a Prince FIFTHLY and lastly the crueltie of Babylon appeareth by her doctrines tending to the effusion of bloud She can depose Kings from their States shee can absolue Subiects from their Alleageance she can bestow Kingdomes at her pleasure shee can stirre vp hostile inuasions shee can authorize secret murthers of Princes by Daggers Poysons or any other detestable meanes as you shall heare in my second Sermon from Mariana a Iesuite as farre from the true nature of Iesus as neere vnto his sacred name Hence it is that many Emperours and Princes in ancient times fearefully obseruing the powerfull incantations of Babylon and that their liues with their estates stood by vertue thereof in perpetuall danger for he may easily take away the life of another that contemneth his owne as many inchanted Babylonians doe were therefore compelled by humane feare to entertaine that vnitie and correspondencie with her in outward tearmes which they hated and contemned in their inward thoughts For as Porsenna the ancient King of Hetruria was induced to spare the life and farther torment of Mutius a confident and glorious Romane who offered priuate violence vnto his Royall person when hee heard Mutius solemnely protesting that the death of Porsenna was certainly concluded vpon by a number of Romanes no lesse resolute vnto that action then himselfe and no lesse resolued to suffer any torment then to aduenture vpon any perill for that end and purpose and thereupon Porsenna desisting from his warres made a peace with the Romanes out of feare and not of loue so there haue beene sundry Princes in former Ages that perceiuing this vehement and formidable inclination in the Romanists to act any villanie and to suffer any penaltie so that they might attaine vnto their desired end to subuert Kingdomes to depose Kings to lay violent hands vpon their persons c. were thereby inforced to submit themselues vnto the Babylonian Monarch rather choosing to liue vnder his tyrannie then to die by his designes Thus also euery man that standeth in speciall opposition vnto Babylon the Mother of Murthers may truly say with Dauid There is but a step betweene me and death 1. Sam. 20.3 Howbeit that should bee the resolution of euery Christian Prince in the behalfe of Gods truth which was the reckoning of vertuous Hester in the behalfe of her people If I perish I perish Yet feare not O Religious Princes it is Gods cause which you maintaine therefore hee will also maintaine you he will defend the defenders of his Faith hee hath a better guard of holy Angels about your Royall persons The diffidence of his preseruation in any ariseth from the imbecillitie of faith not resting vpon his word and promise If the noble aspect of Scipio bred such an awfull reuerence in the hearts of theeues and murtherers that they did therefore rather admire his vertue then seeke his life when they came into his presence doubt yee not but that God will worke such an impression of feare in the hearts of Babylonian Traytors that they shall not dare attempt or at the least not effectuate any course of violence and iniquitie against your sacred Persons Finally to conclude this point of Romish crueltie let no faithfull and sincerely affected Nazianzen an earnest Preacher a zealous Writer a well deseruing Prelate or Minister in the Church despaire of Gods protection though a Murtherer dare vndertake to assaile him in any priuate manner or secret place as sometimes it fell out in the case of that learned constant and glorious Bishop related by himselfe in the description of his owne life Be couragious then in the behalfe of Gods eternall truth feare not the crueltie of Babylon death is the debt of Nature by the desert of sinne to die for Gods cause it is an act of glorie in this World and it hath a reward in Heauen Let thy tongue therefore speake and thy pen write and thy heart pray let
what estate and for what causes the serious and diligent tractation thereof required a large extent of time to speake sufficiently and exactly thereof to instruct the ignorant to confute the aduersaries to dissolue doubts and to settle the conscience of euery intelligent and indifferent hearer in a very plaine and certaine apprehension of the truth for that was my desire and I hope it is my successe But now being to treate of the Praedicate IT IS FALLEN which is so certaine to ensue and so easie to vnderstand I will speake thereof with such breuitie as may not be obscure and such length as may not be tedious vnto you And because method doth make the discourse more easie and the memorie more firme as well in the hearer as in the speaker I will propose this order for my speech First I will speake of the time of this Punishment why it is expressed in the preterperfect tense it is fallen as if it were alreadie past Secondly of the Duplication why it is set forth with this Ingemination it is fallen it is fallen since it shall fall thus but once with a finall and irrecouerable ruine Thirdly of the qualitie and condition of this ruine how it is a fall and what the Spirit of God doth intend thereby The FIRST point concerning the Time in the preterperfect tense It is fallen THe word it selfe according to the originall Text being in the aorist signifieth a fall in a time indeterminately or vncertainly past is more aptly rendred is fallen then hath fallen as Ioh. 11.14 our Sauiour saith of Lazarus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is dead as it is to be translated in that place where as in my Text is imported an act which is past and done with a CONTINVANCE in that state For Lazarus did die and then continued in the state of the death so here Babylon IS FALLEN and remaineth in the condition of her ruine from whence shee shal not haue her resurrection to worldly glorie though Lazarus had his resurrection to temporall life for shee shall fall and neuer rise againe as wee shall afterwards perceiue But now as the blessed Virgin desired to vnderstand of the Angel How shall this be Luc. 1.34 that shee being a Virgin should yet conceiue a sonne so how can this be that Babylon being in her Imperiall souereigntie at the time of this Praediction which yet in the very letter carrieth the forme of a relation and report and now being after so many hundred yeeres in her Papall eminencie standing then and not being fallen yet shee should notwithstanding be here said to bee alreadie fallen as if that were then past which is not yet come I frame my answere out of the learned disputation of Epiphanius haeres 79. where he doth well obserue that Esay the Euangelicall Prophet foresaw some things which were then to come as if they had beene alreadie past and that they are expressed rather in the manner of a Narration then of a Prediction and this was chiefly for two causes First to helpe the weakenesse of the Prophets faith and secondly to declare thereby the firmenesse of Gods promise in whose preuision counsell and purpose the things were alreadie past vnto and before him though they were yet to bee fulfilled in their act and execution vnto and before men These two reasons hold due proportion iust correspondency in with our present case where S. Iohn the Euangelical Prophet of the new Testament doth vnderstand by reuelation of the Angel or rather of Iesus Christ himselfe as it is Apoc. 1.1 that the proud and tyrannical Babylon is fallen that God hath executed his fierce wrath vpon that vsurping Citie FIRST then God did by this forme of speech confirme the faith of his seruant then and of vs now that the length of time might not shake the constancie of his and our faith in expectation of this euent but that with patience we might attend the certaine pleasure of God though to bee fulfilled in an vncertaine time So in the Prophet Esay chap. 53. vers 4.5 c. Hee was despised hee carried our sorrowes he was wounded for our transgressions hee was afflicted c. thus Esay wrote of the sacred Passion of our Lord Iesus Christ which ensued neere vpon the space of eight hundred yeeres after the time of this Prediction or Narration rather for so it is in the tenour of the words which doe rather Historically relate then Prophetically foretell and thus the Prophet and with him the faithfull Iewes doth comfort himselfe in the secure expectation of so great a blessing in the solid stabilitie of this faith in which or rather by which hee saw that with the eye of his soule which he neuer saw with the eye of his bodie The thing was infallible but the time was not so reuealed vnto him at least hee neuer reuealed it vnto vs as vnto Daniel that excellent and glorious Prophet Dan. 9.25 This example alone might suffice in this behalfe but that we haue another more answerable to our present purpose as being the very type and true figure thereof Esay 21.9 Where the Prophet by vision doth vnderstand the ruine of Literall Babylon expressed and set downe in the very like forme of words Babel is fallen all the Images of her Gods hath hee broken vnto the ground There God doth support the faith of Esay and of his children to whom hee doth so cleerely reueale as if the act were absolutely past the destruction of that potent rich and stately Citie which was Gods Scourge to afflict his people and his Hammer to ruinate the Citie of Gods delight and Temple of his presence In like manner God doth here in my Text giue great consolation vnto S. Iohn his seruant and vnto vs his brethren in the seene rather then foreseene ruine of mysticall Babylon which in her Imperiall state did for certaine ages with Heathenish crueltie persecute spoile murther Gods Saints with copious effusion of their bloud which was the Seed of his Church and in her Papall state hath for many Ages with Antichristian furie afflicted tormented killed many a member of Iesus Christ which for loue of his truth and feare of his Name could not and would not participate in the Cup of her incantations wherewith shee bewitcheth many Kings and Kingdomes in the World The point then which I here obserue is this that our faith maketh vs happie and secure our faith lifteth vs vp aboue sense and reason our faith is Iacobs staffe whereby we passe ouer and through the Iorden of this World our faith is Manna which feedeth vs in the Wildernesse of this World and neuer ceaseth till wee come into the Canaan of Heauen then and not before her Commission doth expire For as Barzillai conducted Dauid ouer Iorden but went not with him to Ierusalem so faith carrieth vs out of this miserable World but goeth not with vs into the heauenly Kingdome where the fruition of God and vision of his
Antichrist therein Why because their hearts are hardned their vnderstandings are forestalled with preiudice the veile is ouer their eyes they walke in darknesse and will not see the light For such I will pray that God would open their hearts that they may entertaine his sauing Truth But for my selfe and others who haue bin in the like condition with mee whose eyes were blinded with the glorie of Babylon for as Zebul said vnto Gaal Iudic 9.36 the shadow of the Mountaynes seeme men vnto thee so the shadow of many things seemed a substance of verity vnto vs I will thanke God for that he hath opened our eyes to see this mysterie and misery of Babylon that she is fallen that she is gone into perdition that God hath destroyed her for euer Credo Domine O Lord I beleeue thy Word not my owne reason which I captiuate into the obedience of faith and therefore I pray with thine Apostles O Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 that we may beleeue thy Word And thus much bee spoken concerning the first cause why the Fall of Babylon which is yet to come is expressed by a time alreadie past SECONDLY by this forme and tenour of speech God doth euidently declare vnto his Church the truth and certaintie of his promise in the destruction of Babylon that we may repose securely in this expectation of her ruine his dixit is a fecit it is spoken and it is done in regard of his infallible Word and constant promise And that wee may more cleerely vnderstand this point we must obserue a double kinde of Prophesie in the holy Scriptures The FIRST is a Prophesie of Commination as God did threaten the fall of Niniueh within fortie dayes but hee threatned her fall that she might not fall for the effect of such a Prophesie dependeth vpon our comportment and carriage thereupon toward God by Repentance and therefore it hath a condition implyed here though not expressed as sometimes it is Ieremie 18.7 8. vpon which the execution doth stay or go forth according as we performe or neglect the same So that this Prophesie is conditionall and not absolute it contayneth Gods sentence and not his Decree and therefore it is expressed in the future tense Nineueh shall fall In this case the Prophesie is changeable if we be changed and therefore God calleth vs to Repentance that we may escape his iudgements And though this kind of Prophesie be not now particularly directed against thy Countrey nor thy person as in the holy Scriptures it is often so directed against such a Nation such a Citie and such a man yet as the generall comminations of God against sinners doe include vs and will take hold vpon vs if wee returne not vnto God with the teares of true repentance so the particular examples of his comminations denounced and executed against some Cities and some persons doe by equall reason and a like cause appertaine vnto vs according to the rule and obseruation of our blessed Sauiour Except you amend your liues you shall likewise perish Luk. 13.3 5. When Nineueh is threatned by Ionah England is threatned when her ruine is declared by Nahum how can England be secure Pares culpâ cur impares poena why is she vnlike to Nineueh in punishment who is so like to her in sinne wee feare the destruction and not the sinne the effect and not the cause But it is the Lords Mercies that wee are not consumed The SECOND is a Prophesie of Predestination as I may call it depending indeed vpon our sinne but yet resolued by God as well as declared in which respect it is absolute and not conditionall once decreed and neuer reuoked concluded in Gods immutable counsell foreseene in his infallible prescience and it is rather pronounced then denounced by him Therefore it is expressed either in the time past as heere in my Text and Esay 21.9 or in the time present though the effect doe not yet appeare For wee may obserue that in the Prophesie of Ionah there being a commination against her at that time it is deliuered in the future tense Nineueh shall fall but in the Prophesie of Nahum there being now a resolution of God declared concerning her subuersion it is deliuered in the present tense the Horseman lifteth vp the bright Sword a multitude is slaine they stumble vpon their corpses Chap. 3.3 and then in the seuenth Verse Nineueh is destroyed So that in this kind of Prophesie these two tenses to wit the present and the preterperfect haue a coincident sense and purpose concerning an infallibilitie of the euent Whence it is that the Prophet Esay ioyneth them both together in the Passion of Christ and Mysterie of our Redemption saying of him that he is despised he is a man full of sorrowes he is brought as a sheepe vnto the slaughter Esay 53.3.7 as well as hee was oppressed he was afflicted c. Thus wee see by the conference of Scriptures that the fall of Babylon here certified vnto vs in the time past it is fallen doth truly import an ineuitable euent a sentence neuer to bee recalled proceeding from a decree neuer to bee changed because God hereby doth insinuate vnto our knowledge that shee would not bee renewed by repentance and that hee would not conferre that grace vpon her but leaue her to perish in the course of her owne sinnes And this truth is farther assured and amplified by al the circumstances preceding her ruine accompanying her ruine following her ruine in three seueral chapters 17.18.19 in such large and ample termes that the very Image of Babylon in all these things is effectually and liuely exhibited thereby vnto our eyes as a matter of present action rather then future accomplishment rather to be seene then to be beleeued Wherefore the promise of God being thus verified vnto vs in this forme and manner of speech let vs by the way make a little reflection vpon this point for our vse and obseruation as being of so great consequence for the benefit of Gods children and aduancement of his truth First then the fidelitie of Gods promise herein doth exclude and confute their errour who suppose that this is a prophecie of Commination onely and not of Resolution against Romish Babylon as though shee might turne from her sinnes and consequently God might turne from his wrath In which opinion S. Hierome himselfe was involued as it appeareth in his darke vncertaine and perplexed discourse touching Babylon and her ruine in the conclusion of his second book against Iovinian whose errors did then begin to possesse many in Rome and to intangle them in his snare composed artificially out of sundry passages of the Scripture Wherevpon S. Hierome maketh a patheticall Apostrophe vnto Rome in this manner I will speake vnto thee O Rome which by the confession of Christ hast blotted out of thy forehead the blasphemy written therein There the name Babylon is laid vpon Ethnicall Rome as if Rome were afterward to bee discharged
be truly said also that Christ himselfe did die in sundry respects but then shee was in her Ethnicall state so in it Christ doth still suffer in regard of his Truth there oppressed in regard of Antichrist there aduanced in regard of the Faithfull by him persecuted for it is done vsually through the operation of this Second Beast abusing the authoritie of Kings and Princes to this wicked purpose There hee sitteth that trampleth vpon your Crownes and Scepters there hee sitteth that deposeth you from your States there hee sitteth that absolueth your subiects from the two indissoluble bonds of Oath and Nature there he sitteth that disposeth your Kingdomes at his pleasure that exciteth your owne people against you by the curses of his Excommunications that stirreth vp your friends and neighbours to make warre vpon your hereditary lands Now the time is come it is past with God it is now at hand that you may you must you shall take vp a temporall against his spirituall Sword diuest him of his pretended power expose him vnto scandall ignominy ruine extreame desolation reward her or him it is all one in effect the one doth imply the other euen as shee hath rewarded you and giue her double according to her workes and in the cup that she hath filled to you fill her the double as it is Apocal. 19.6 Now if you require of me the names of these ten Kings I meane not the names of their Persons but of their States I cannot I dare not deale so punctually in this case as some who presume by particular commemoration of their ten Kingdomes to muster vp the names of these ten Kings that shall effectuate this great and glorious worke It may bee a question and so it is with mee whether this number of ten may bee taken in that distinct and precise accompt or whether it be not a certaine for an vncertaine number as the Scripture doth vsually speake or rather whether in these numbers of speciall perfection the Septenary the Decenary the Centenary the Millenary a whole and vniuersall companie is to be vnderstood or not And I doe the rather so conceiue it to be vnderstood because Saint Augustine himselfe hath framed this opinion in my breast For this learned Father treating of the persecution by Antichrist and the consummation of the World ensuing presently therevpon supposeth that in the Prophecie of Daniel chap. 7.8 the little horne arising amongst the ten hornes of the fourth Beast which certainly is the Romane Empire and plucking away three of the former ten hornes is ANTICHRIST who as Lactantius said before Saint Augustines dayes out of the common errour of those times shall subdue three of these ten Kings for so the ten hornes are interpreted Vers 24. and conioyne his power with the other seuen to destroy the Romane Empire and to sacke the Citie of Rome Inst lib. 7. cap. 16. Which errour was so pregnant in the time of reuerend and constant Athanasius that therefore he thence inforceth a probability against Constantius the wicked Arrian persecuting Emperour to bee the ANTICHRIST as hauing sundry markes of him and in particular hauing subdued three Kings Britannio Gallus and Magnentius who striued with him for the Imperiall Crowne Athanas in Epist. and solitar vitam agentes Now though in this point they were all inuolued and wrapped in a misprision of that Scripture for that little horne is not Antichrist as they were perswaded nor the Turke as some more lately haue imagined but Iulius Caesar and his successors who translated the Empire of Rome from the publike state vnto a particular person yet Saint Augustine proceedeth with better aduice when he commeth vnto a reuiew of those ten Kings in the Prophecie of Daniel who yet are not the same as you may very easily obserue with our ten Kings in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn and therefore hee writeth in this manner Vererime sanè fateor c. I confesse that I am in feare least perhaps we bee deceiued in the ten Kings whom Antichrist seemeth to find as ten persons and so he may come before we be aware there being not then so many Kings in the Romane World For what if by this number of TEN the whole company of Kings be signified after whom hee is to come as by the Millenarie Centenarie and Septenarie numbers the vniuersitie of things is often imported in the Scripture So Saint Augustine De Ciuit. Dei lib. 20. cap. 23. By this his prudent and remarkeable obseruation fitly to bee applied vnto my present purpose I may very reasonably collect that a great and generall number of Kings whose states were sometimes members of the Romane Empire whereof they haue inuaded a part by their particular Dominions but Antichrist the whole by his supreame power shall arise in a confederacie and expedition to burne the Whore Babylon and to subdue the Beast the Pope and so to accomplish that Royall worke vnto which God hath alreadie consecrated them in his holy Word SECONDLY I direct my speech vnto you my Fathers and Brethren of the sacred Tribe of Leui you who beare the siluer Trumpets and blow the alarme you that take vp your spirituall armes for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but yet mightie through God 2. Cor. 10.4 against this odious Whore and execrable Beast fight against them with a learned tongue that is not enough fight also with your aduised Pen it conquereth more then Alexanders Sword O detestable silence in so necessarie a cause hatefull modestie in so needfull an enterprize cursed feare in so iust a quarrell which is Gods in Heauen and so many Kings in earth Thou callest others to fight and sittest thou still and in so needfull a time Remember that of the Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A good and faithfull Minister will bee writing with his hand aduising with his head fighting with his tongue Let Rome vnderstand her sinne that she is BABYLON one word but a stinging word it compriseth all iniquities and let her know her ruine that she IS FALLEN to come in act but past in his preuision who hath confirmed it by his decree Tell these Kings that if they be now auerse from this worke yet God shall incline and bow their hearts vnto it as Alarichâ—â— was inwardly vrged and compelled to take Armes against Rome Sozom. lib. 9. c. 6. Tell the whole world that though it seeme a difficult worke yet it is Gods worke vnto whom nothing is impossible and that it is reuealed in his Word in which nothing can faile therefore Babylon must fall and fall thus for his Word cannot fall who giueth vs certaine assurance of this infallible successe THIRDLY I speake vnto you noble in descent great in dignitie rich in goods Starres of greater light in the firmament of the State but borrowed from the primigeniall and originall light of the Sunne therein the glorious Souereigne thereof you that by proper valour can performe much your selues and by speciall