the foundation 〈◊〉 professe that God is man for then the society of Devils might claime to be a Church but directly to hold Iesus Christ so to be come in the flesh as therein to suffer and satisfie for our Salvation becoming our Christ our Iesus Redeeming vs from our sinnes by imputing his merits to vs that our sinnes might not be imputed to vs which were imputed to him by whose stripes we are healed by whose Righteousnes imputed we are perfectly iustified in the sight of God Doth the Church of Rome directly hold this foundation Nothing lesse Yea she directly not by consequence only directly I say she denyeth and destroyeth this foundation How or where In the Councell of Trent Sess. 6. Canon 10. Si quis dixâ—rit homines per ipsam Christi iustitiam formâ—liter iustâ—s esse anathema sit If any shall say that men are formerly iust by the righteousnes of Christ let him be accursed Is not this a direct and flatt expresse deniall of the foundation And in the 11 Canon If any shall say that men are iustified by the solâ— imputation of Christs Righteousnes or by sole â—emission of sinnes otherwise then by inhereâ—t righteousnesse in vs obtained thereby or also that the grace whereby we are iustified is only the favor of God let him be acoâ—rsed What more direct denyall of the foundation Is not this the foundation That Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners And how Who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne body on the tree that we being dead to sinnes should liue vnto righteousnes by whose stripes we are healed Nay saith the Councell of Trent directly We are iustified by our inherent righteousnes and so our stripes are healed and not by the righteousnes of Christ simply imputed Therefore come out of her my people least ye be partakers of her sinnes Fourthly Let not antiquity in the holding of an opinion prescribe against Truth Opinions ancient O that Saint Ambrose words alledged by our Reverend Author might here take place Nullus pudor est ad meliora transire then I hope he will be otherwise minded then to say He that demeth the Church of Rome to be a true Church or a true visible Church shall 〈…〉 to his cause then to his adversary Then he will no longer 〈…〉 the iudgement of particular person 〈…〉 wherin our Reverend Mother Church of England hath in her publicke doctrine resolved the contrary while she denyes to the Church of Rome the true markes of a visible Church those very markes which the Church of Rome her selfe disclaimeth So shall our Divine Seneca partake also of great S. Augustines prayse while by an humble and ingenuous Retractation he shall both purge away the stâ—ine and put a more glorious luster to his most sweet pious and for their kind vnparalleld workes And for me a poore vnworthy Minister I hope his meek and sweet spirit having well waighed my reasons and pitied my weaknesses will be pleased to excuse me of any transportation of zeale vnlesse herein I haue exceeded the bounds in presuming so farre vpon the patience of such a Reverend Antistes of our Church But I trust he will not impute this to any arrogancy of spirit when it shall appeare it is to vindicate Christs truth and glory against the Synagogue of the proud Antichrist Thus having shewed the Church of Rome or rather the Synagogue of Antichrist to be no true Church nor a true or truely visible Church nor a Church but a Sea whose doctrines as waters are turned all into the blood of a dead man so that every living creature therein dyeâ—h no Salvation no life to be found in Babylon proceed we to the next Viall The Third Vial powred out V. 4. And the third Angel poured out his vial vpon the Riuers and fountaines of waters and they became blood And I heard the Angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art and wast and shalt be because thou hast iudged thus For they shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast giuen them blood to drinke for they are worthy And I heard another out of the Altar say even so Lord God Almighty true and righteous are thy iudgements All Riuers saith the Preacher come from the 〈◊〉 and thither returne Rivers then sent out from the Sea doe here signifie all Romes Emissaries as all Seminary Priests and Iesuites who as Rivers doe convey and diffuse the Sea-waters of Romes doctrines to all Countries and parts of the earth And this Viall holds the like proportion to the third Trumpet as the second Viall did to the second Trumpet For the third part of the sea blood here all and for the the third part of the Rivers imbittered here all are turned into blood for the same reason alledged in the former Viall Only here seemeth to be a little difference between the Seas blood and this of the Rivers for that is as the blood of a dead man this blood only without other addition Yet at the best blood it is Here then are meant not only all those that haue written large Commentaries vpon the Councell of Trent as Vega Soto Catharinus Andradius Bellarmine c. who with their Philosophycall and Aristotelian Divinity and Schoole-nicities and quaint distinctions haue laboured to giue a fairer luster to the blacke gore-blood thereof and to propine it to the simple and subtile both in Babylons golden cup as Doctors ministring poysoned pills guilded over but as I said all Priests and Iesuites whom King Iames calls the last brood of the Divell who by their actiue motion as Rivers the voluminous workes of their Rabbies being but as great vnwealdy ponds and standing lakes in comparison run more currâ—ntly through the world And in this one particular note how the Councell of Trent it selfe hath turned the Rivers of Romes doctrine I meane her writers which before the Councell were but as it were a third part blood now all into blood namely by their Index Expurgatorius cancelling and letting out what purer waters they find in their writings as might â—e shewed by many famous instances so that now all their Rivers must run nothing but blood And these may well be resembled to Rivers for sundry respectâ— For first as all Rivers haue their originall from and finall course to the Sea for all Romish Emissaries must divulge no other doctrine but such as they derive from the Sea of Trents doctrinesâ— and their course must tend to the inriching of the Sea of Rome Secondly as Rivers like Fame are small in the beginning but running along grow greater and greater till they powre their full channells into the Sea so all Iesuites though at first they arise like poore brookes yet by their long current they come to returne full streames of commodities to the Sea of Rome Thirdly as Rivers are of an incessant and indefatigable motion Labituret labetur in
shell of faith and so the shell of the Creed They haue the Sacraments What say I The Sacraments No surely among all their seven Sacraments haue they any more but the bare broken shell of Baptisme onely For the sole efficacy and 〈◊〉 of it they â—ang vpon the Priests Intention and not vpon the spirit of God and his word and true faith in the baptized As for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper they haue vtterly abolished it and turned it into mâ—ere Accidents without substance joyned with an imaginary Idol wrought by vertue of the Priests Intention Thus we see that there is no more left of the Church of Rome but an empty crackt shell and therfore it is now no more either a true Church or a true or truly visible Church But to conclude this discourse to the aforesaid allegations a vouching the Church of Rome for a true or true visible Church is added an Apologeticall advertisement to the Reader beginning Nothing can be so said or done but may be ill taken Now God forbid But is it well said or done to affirme that the Church of Rome is yet a true or a true visible Church 〈…〉 the Reverend Author iudge indifferently having well weighed the former reasons whether we doe ill or no in taking this his saying ill or whether we had not reason to haue expected an ingenious Palinody 〈◊〉 Augustinâ— like Retractation rather then such an Apology which whether it be rather to be pittied then any vncharitablenes in the Reader in taking such a saying ill let judicious charity it selfe judge Nor need we stretch the saying to imply that the Church of Rome is a true believing Church Suffice it we except against any being yea or visibility of a true Church in the Synagogue of Rome But the Reverend Author referres Visible 〈◊〉 outward Profession to some essentiall Principles of Christianity neither of them to sound◠〈…〉 Grant the Romanists to be 〈…〉 and we cannot deny them the name of 〈◊〉 Church Answer Now vnder 〈…〉 Profession a sufficient marke of visibility for a Church This is none of those markes which the Church of England takes notice of a Church by 〈…〉 sheweâ— Againe the Scripture calleth 〈…〉 Synagogue of Satan who call themselves Iewes 〈…〉 The Samaritanâ—s sometimes professed themselues to be of the Iewes Religion having their Temple nâ—are the Mount Garisim They had their Priests also who 〈…〉 how they should feare the Lord◠〈…〉 Lord but withall 〈…〉 the manner of the Nations Did they not then 〈◊〉 the worship of the Lord Surely they did 〈◊〉 were they therefore a visible Church Nay saith the Scripture there They neither feare God c. So the Church of Rome professeth to feare the Lord but 〈…〉 like to the Nations so that it will follow she neither feareth God nor doth after his lawes c. Obiect But she holdeth some essentiall Principles of Christianity Answ. So do the 〈…〉 this day they hold the Old Testament Obiect But withall they deny Christ expressely Answ. So doe the Papists implicitly and by their owne expresse doctrines of Trent haue no more communion with Christ then the Iewes haue Nay Papists doe expresly abiure the doctrine of Christ as we shewed before in the Popes owne Bull how doe they then any more hold Christ then the Iewes But Grant the Romanists to be but Christians how corrupt soeuer and we cannot deny them the name of the Church But why should we grant them that which never a Papist is able to demonstrate to vs or yet vndoubtedly to perswade himselfe of He is not certaine of the Priests Intention in his Baptisme no nor yet of the Bishops Intention by whom that Priest was ordeined no nor of that other Bishops Intention by whom the Bishop was ordained Priest Therefore no Papist can be sure whether he be a Christian or no. And why then should we grant them to be Christians Although for the bare name of Christians and of a Church we will not much stand with them so they doe not hereupon nor any for them incroach and challenge the being and reality yea or the very visibility of a true Church No noâ— to say That we are all the same Church by vertue of our outward vocation whosoeuer all the world ouer worship Iesus Christ the only Son of God the Sauiour of the world and professe the same common Creed Nor That which Rome holds with vs makes it a Church Nor That Rome holds the foundation directly Nor That because those things were affirmed twenty yeares ago therefore now they must be true nor that if any be otherwise minded he shall doe more wrong to his cause then to his Aduersary nor that sundry of our iâ—dicious Diuines were of this mind nor In that she holds the foundaâ—iâ—n directly she is a true Church For first doth the Church of Rome worshipp Iesus Christ who for Christ worship the Beast and his Image bearing his marke Secondly doe they hold the same Creed that deny the Faith without which they cannot say the first word of the Creed I beleeue in God Thirdly what foundation do they hold directly with vs For other foundation can no man lay then that which is layd Iesus Christ. Wee shewed before that they haue nothing of Christ but the shell the shadow the Pope is the kernel if any Nay doe they hold more of Christ directly then the very society of Devils doe Yea or so much as they The Devils hold that Iesus Christ is God and man they beleiue and tremble They Devils belieue not that Christs body can be made of a peece of bread hee knowes it well enough to be but one of his owne iuggling tricks which his Romish Disciples learned of him The Devils dare not deny that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh Yea he openly confesseth him to be the Son of God I know thee who thou art even the Holy one of God Doe the Romanists so much No they are of that Spirit of Antichrist that denyeth that Iesus Christ is come in the flâ—sh How He that maketh Christ of a Peece of bread denyeth him to be come of the Virgine Mary If Christ haue a body made of bread and yet this body the same that was borne of the Virgine Mary then it followeth directly that with the Manichees they allow Christ no other but a meere imaginary fantasticall body sliding downe from heaven as Dianaeâ— Image that came from Iupiter For is not that a meere phantasme which they worship in the bread A body naturall it is not which wants both substance quantity dimensions flesh blood and bone and all other properties which a mans naturall body ought to haue Therefore in directly saying This is Christs body they deny Christs true naturall body which he received from the blessed Virgine and so deny directly that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh How doe they then directly hold the foundation And yet this is not simply to hold
with all things contrary thereunto and whatsoeuer Heresies condemned and reiected and Anathematized of the Church I in like manner condemne reiect and accurse This true Catholick faith without which none can be saued which here I freely professe and truely hold the same I will be carefull most constantly by Godâ— helpe to retaine and confesse intire and inviolate vntill my very last breath and that also as much is in me lyeth it may be kept taught and preached of my subiects or those whose Cure shall in that behalfe to me appertaine I the same Nâ— doe promise vow and sweare so help me God and these 〈◊〉 holy Evangels Lo here is not this a â—olemne Divorce sued out and as solemnly sworne to Is not Christ here as solemnly renounced as we in our Baptisme renounce the Devill and all his workes But not expressely Noâ— Expressely all those doctrines are pronounced as Heresies which are condemned by Canons and Councells but chiefely by the sacrosanct Councell of Trent And what are those Heresies Are they not the very Doctrines oâ— the Scriptures which we professe and maintaine These the Church of Rome renounceth not admitting or interpreting the Scriptures but onely according to the limited sense of the Church of Rome the maine Oracle whereof is the Pope Why then shall any man say that the Divorce betweene the Church of Rome and Christ is not yet sued out Obiection But it is sued out but on the one side who without iust cause on Christs part hath taken out an absolute and peremptory Divorce chusing the Pope for her only husband whose only voyce she will hearken vnto And the Divorce being vpon no iust cause and vpon a false ground it is of no â—orce and so â—etteth not why the Church of Rome may not yet be Christs spowse if he will claime her Answer No is it not of force when publikely and â—olemnly sworne to in open Court inviolably to bee â—ept but yet if any will needs require a proofe on Christs part that he hath also publikely given the Church of Rome a bill of Divorce let him but search 〈◊〉 Gods Records In the booke of the Revelation doth â—ot Christ openly dâ—clare the Church of Rome to bee a â—â—eat Whore that Whore of Babylon Rev. 17. And in the â— chapter the bill of Divorce and that by a voice â—â—inly heard from heaven saying Come out of her my peoâ—â—â— that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue 〈◊〉 of her plagues Is not here a plaine bill of Divorce â—ven by Christ to the Church of Rome that whâ—re that â—â—â—rituall Babylon she that saith I am no widow being â—â—rried to another man sith Christ now separates his â—â—ne people his owne Spowse out of Babylon Come out 〈◊〉 my people And this divorce on Christs part came 〈◊〉 of force vpon the Councell of Trent when now the â—hurch of Rome having long played the Whâ—re yet 〈◊〉 her second marriage to another husband was soâ—â—nely concluded and Christ excluded Now therefore â—â—rist giues her the bill of divorce also in pronouncâ—â—g her a strumpet and separating his spowse from her 〈◊〉 hence forth to haue no communion with Her â—hat need be said more to proue this Divorce and that 〈◊〉 both sides Is there any Minister of the Church of â—ngland that while he affirmes the Church of Rome to 〈◊〉 a true Church or a true visible Church or the Spowse of â—â—rist yet will or dare say that the Church of Rome is 〈◊〉 that Whore that Babylon mentioned in the Revelaâ—â—â—n I dare say there is none if together with learâ—â—ng he haue more loue of the truth then of the world 〈◊〉 his heart Yea even he that saith The Church of Rome 〈◊〉 true visible Church will confesse withall that She is Babylon and the Antichristian Church Now if she be Babylon Christ ownes her no longer for his Spouse 〈◊〉 out of her my people But here followes a distinction As it is a 〈◊〉 Church we haue not detrected to â—old communiâ—â— with a 〈◊〉 Babylon we can haue nothing to doe with it Answ. I must here craue pardon that this distinctâ—â—on tooke not place till a day after the faire for we haâ—â— newly packt away Babylon for a naughty pack here confessed by those who yet affirme she is a true visibâ—â— Church and Christ hath disclaimed her for his spoâ—â—â— bidding his Spowse to come from her And so I say this distinction comes too late after the sentence of 〈◊〉 divorce is given on both sides Therefore as whom 〈◊〉 doth ioyne together let no man separate so whom God â—â—â—parateth let no man ioyne together When Christ â—aith Come out of Babylon my people Let not vs say we 〈◊〉 not to hold communion with the Church of Rome Ye◠〈◊〉 this case no distinction will serue to ioyne vs together againe in one communion Herein we must not 〈◊〉 to the voyce of any man be he never to Reverend â—â—fore and against the voyce of Christ But Christ 〈◊〉 peremptorily Come out of her my people and that vpoâ— a severe penaltie or perill least ye be partakers of 〈◊〉 sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues Let vs thereâ—fore in this case follow Pythagoras his lesson to his scholars not to looke our face in the glasse by the 〈◊〉 light but by the Sun-shine Thus if we be of Chrâ—â—â— spowse we will heare his voyce alone saying Come of Babylon my people and no voyce of man saying to 〈◊〉 contrary By what distinction I pray you can an 〈◊〉 chast Matron saâ—ue her credit by keeping company having communion with a notorious strumpet Will say As she is a woman a creatâ—â— of the same flesh and 〈◊〉 as bearing the Image of God I detreâ—â— not to hold comâ—â—â— with her but as she is a whore I can haue nothing to do 〈◊〉 her What a confused distinction were this Woul◠〈…〉 〈◊〉 in the next place that charitable profession of 〈◊〉 Luther is alledged who saith 〈…〉 〈…〉 breast is the spirit sense authority summe and all And allowing no other Scripture but the vulgar Latine a language vnknowne to the vulgar what is it but a meere shell They haue the Creeds but the shell only while they deny the faith Yea they professe the Catholick faith but they haue only the shell of it to witt the historicall faith common to them with the very Divellâ— the kernell they haue not to wit the true affiance in Gods mercies apprehended and Christs merits imputed to justification This faith the Councell of Trent accurseth So that in that whole Councell yee shall nor find in the Councells owne word once Credere in Deum to belieue in God least they should admit of the saving faith whereby only a man can say Credo in Deum I belieue in God whereaâ— the historicall faith can lay only Credâ— Deâ— or Deum I belieue God as the Divelâ—s belieue and tremblâ—◠〈…〉 Thus haue they no more but the
Dragon and armed with the power of the Beast for these three spirits go linked together and labouring to make one intire Church for the Dragon and for the Beast then be sure is the time of this Vial wherein these spirits come out of the mouth of the false Prophet And not without cause is the false Prophet added to the Dragon and the Beast sith he is the feweller and bellowes not only to nuzzle and nourish the world in all wickednesse in the craftie fetches of the Dragon and the prowd vsurpations of the Beast but also to blow the coales to incite and provoke the Potentates of the earth to transcend all bounds of lawes Divine humane Satan wants not much lesse will he want in the time of this Viall his wicked and lying Prophets to sow pillowes vnder all elbowes labouring to make Princes glad with their lyes as the Prophet speaketh and sicke with bottles of wine even with the sugred lees of their flatteries and falshoods And ever in a corrupt age especially the false Prophet is one maine stickler As Esay saith From the Prophets of Ierusalem is profanesse gone sorth into all the land And The auncient and honourable he is the head and the Prophet that teacheth lyes he is the taile And false Prophets are those spirits that goe to the Kings of the earth to gather them to battailâ— against Christ and his servants and goe about to possesse them with the spirit of the Dragon and of the Beast to puffe them vp aboue themselues to make them forget the Decree the Law to the perverting of the judgement of the afflicted They so tell them they are Gods as if they should not die like men that the sublime power in earthly Potentates is a participation of Gods owne Omnipotency that their distance from common men is as the heavens in respect of the earth that Iustice can be no Rule or Medium whereby to giue God or the King his right that the observation of his mans lawes though just and good and which tend as well to the safety of the King as of the Subiect and which all are sworne to obserue the due observation whereof is according to Gods sacred Ordinance and the wilfull violation a contempt of the same doth notwitwithstanding preiudice and prepondâ—rate divine Determinations that to obserue humane lawes is a kind of preposterous zeale elevating the authority of divine Determinations Such strange Paradoxes and Aphorismes how farre they may sorâ— with Satans madnesse in the time of this Viall I referre to the most judicious to judge Melius est saith the Preacheâ— a sapiente corripi quà m stâ—ltâ—rum adulatione decipi And saith the Wiseman He that loveth purenesse of heart for the grace of his lips the King shal be his friend Our gratious Soveraigne God ever preserue from all false Prophets that their lyes may never prevaile to corrupt or abuse the vnparallel'd goodnesse and sweetnesse of his Princely naturally noble disposition The seventh Viall poured out And the seventh Angell poured out his Viall into the ayre and there came a great voice out of the Temple of heaven from the throne saying it is done c. Of this Viall we may say as Mr. Brightman of the fourth but more truly and evidently Huâ—â—sque tempora nostra prâ—cesserunt hitherto haue our times come The words of this Viall consist of two branches first the act of pouring with the obiect the ayre Secondly the effects and they are two first the definitiue sentence pronounced vpon the whole Kingdome of the Beast v. 17 the second the execution of the sentence to the end of the Chapter First This Viall is poured into the ayre In this Viall as in the rest we must first find out the mysticall sense The Aire in Scripture is taken for the Kingdome of Satan As Eph. 2 2. It giues vs to note here that this Viall is poured out vpon the whole Kingdome of the Dragon Secondly the ayre is taken for the whole circumference and Kingdome of the lowest and middle Region of the ayre especially which compassing the earth on every side betokens the destruction of all Antichristian enemies over the face of the earth no element being so vniversall as the ayre nor any so apt to receiue impressions to work all kind of plagues as the ayre In it are bredd all sorts of Meteors windâ— stormes thunders lightnings plagues and pestilences haile and the like such as follow in this Viall the consequent effects of this pouring out into the ayre Now for the effects First heâ—â—upon proceeds the definitiue sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is done oâ— as Beza Fuit It was Babylon now comming so to be destroyed as once Troy was But our owne Translation is most proper It is done God hath now passed his sentence vpon Babylon And to the end we might the better marke such a famous sentence it is delivered in a most majesticall manner first in a great voice the immediate effect of the aire moved by this pouring out Secondly from heaâ—en to note the Maiesty of it Thirdly from the Temple of heaâ—en to note the truth of it Fourthly from the Thrâ—ne to note the equity of this sentence running thus in full equipage It is done The same sentence we read chapter 10.7 in the beginning of the seventh Trumpet which is a parallell or synchronisme with this seventh Vial wherein the Mystery of God is finished Also this word we find chapter 21.6 It is done saith Christ. Now some referre this to the finall consummation of the world others to the consumption of Antichrist and his followers The difference may easily be reconciled sith the consumption of Antichrists Kingdome is one of the immediate fore-runners of the last day whom saith the Apostle the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy or vtterly abolish with the brightnesse of his comming 2 Thess. 2. So that when we see these things begin to come to passe then as Christ saith look vp lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth nighâ— Luke 21.28 Immediatly vpon the pronouncing of the sentence followeth the Execution set forth by the meanes and manner of Antichrists destruction First there are heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sounds or voices This is one Impression of the ayre And these sounds may be vnderstood to come either from the Creature or from the Creator both instruments of the Beasts ruine First of the Creature And first of the living Creature as the voyces and cryes of the Saints and servants of God lifted vp in prayer against the Enemy Such as we read of Exo. 14 15. and 2 Chro. 13 14 15 and Iosh 6.20 Or of Gods Creatures without life As Luke 21.25 26 The Sea and waues roting and the powers of heaven shaking Secondly the cry and voice of the Creator whereof we read Ier. 25 30 31. Iob. 15.21 and 2 King 7.6 When God