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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03335	Mystical babylon, or Papall Rome A treatise vpon those words, Apocal. 18.2. It is fallen, it is fallen Babylon, &c. In which the wicked, and miserable condition of Rome, as shee now is in her present Babylonian estate, and as she shall be in her future ineuitable ruine, is fully discouered: and sundry controuersiall points of religion, betwixt the Protestants, and the Papists, are briefly discussed. By Theophilus Higgons, rector of the parochiall Church of Hunton, neere Maidstone in Kent.	Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.	1624 (1624)	STC 13455; ESTC S118140	129,351	289

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

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

state of Religion to depend vpon the oracle of his mouth corrupteth the Sacraments mutilateth them depriueth the people of Gods allowance vnto them in the holy Cup peruerteth the condition of the Church maketh himselfe a Monarch therein trampleth vpon the Crownes of Kings dispenseth against Gods Word maketh that lawfull which God made vnlawfull in subiects to rise against their Souereignes maketh that vnlawfull which God made lawfull in the Cleargie to haue their wiues and so in these and other courses setteth himselfe against God and aboue God as some doe vnderstand that Scripture 2. Thessal 2.4 Both these expositions are true and according to both the Papall Monarch doth so aduance himselfe that hee is adored with diuine worship rather then ciuill and humane The Fourth and last instance concerneth their inuocation of Saints which hath sundry ingredients of Idolatry of which it is compounded as you may obserue by foure particular points The First point is by taking away that right which is incommunicably proper vnto God alone as the tribute of Mankind payable onely vnto him in the two duties of Prayer and Thankesgiuing so that this very terme of Inuocation without iniurie vnto the diuine Maiestie cannot bee impropriated vnto Saints as the Papists doe commonly vse the same de sanctorum Inuocatione beeing the title of Bellarmines dispute Li. 1. de Sanct. c. 15. Which word the Scripture contayning the Mother-language of the children of Gods Church doth peculiarly attribute vnto our Religious seruice of God Inuoca mae c. Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee Ps 50.15 And quemodo inuocabunt c. how shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued Rom. 10.14 For this cause the Scripture directeth vs euer vnto God in the Old Testament and thus according to the tenour of the New all our petitions are framed in the name and mediation of Iesus Christ our Lord neither is there any one syllable in all the New Testament teaching by precept or by example any other course of Prayer vnto or by any other Mediator of Redemption or Intercession there being but one of both then onely by Iesus Christ As for the Old though some inconsiderate and more dull Babylonians did heretofore produce sundry passages out of it to prooue their inuocation of Saints yet the latter and more circumspect haue vtterly forsaken that course as implying a contradiction because the soules of the ancient Fathers being then in limbo and secluded from the vision of God which vision of God is the ground of their petitions vnto Saints as therefore hauing a knowledge in him of our requests vnto them c. they were then incapable of our requests So then neither in the Old Testament as they confesse nor in the New as I dare confidently auouch is there extant one precept one example one proofe directly or indirectly by any plaine assertion or cleere deduction that any such prayer is to bee made by vs vnto Saints or that any such was euer made vnto them by any Apostle Euangelist Pastour Doctour or any faithfull Christian whatsoeuer till at length either vncertaine tradition was pretended without the written word or humane perswasion guided by carnall affection and a peruerse but pleasing imitation of the Gentiles gaue an entrance vnto this errour at the beginning which standing rather by example of men then by the Law of God gained a daily increase and finally from a lesser to a greater degree is come vnto such an exorbitancie that the Mother of Christ hath ten petitions made vnto her in stead of two that are made vnto her Sonne besides innumerable requests tendered vnto inferiour Saints The Second point is that Papists take hereby Gods authoritie from him and conferre it vpon the Saints which is to make them Idolls by aduancing them in the place and office of God and this appeareth in all kinds of things which wee can desire of God In things Spirituall as increase of grace faith defence from the Deuill c. which they intreate of Saints not onely as suitors for them but as collators of these benefits Wherefore they pray thus vnto the blessed Virgin Tu nos ab hoste protege Et horâ mortis suscipe Da nobis virtutem contra hostes tuos Defend vs from the enemy receiue vs in the houre of death giue vs strength against thine enemies So that in and vpon the point of death the mouthes of the sicke if able to speake sound still Iesus Maria ioyning them both together and it is well that they giue the precedencie vnto the Sonne since they often call vpon her with these blasphemous words Monstra te esse Matrem Iure Matris impera Shew thy selfe a Mother command him by the right of a Mother c. or others standing by sound it in their eares with their loudest voyce and strongest sides which I haue sometimes heard and doe now remember with vnspeakeable griefe In things Eternall for they pray vnto Saints that they would open heauen vnto them and receiue them into their ioyes and particularly vnto the blessed Virgin to whom all the petitioners doe especially resort euen with the plaine neglect of Christ by reason of fabulous stories and fond visions In things Corporall for as particular Saints in the simple dotage of these blind Babylonians haue a particular care of certaine creatures and a gift of cure for their maladies so S. Anthony is for Hogs S. Roch for Dogges S. Low for Horses whereof I haue seene a faire company tyed about his Chappell in the time of Masse celebrated therein that came for helpe vnto that Hospitall so they haue a facultie or power to heale particular diseases in men for here againe S. Anthony is a speciall Saint for the fire which therefore beareth his name but not to be tedious also in so ridiculous a point S. Mumlyn is the onely Saint for teeth neere the Citie of S. Omer thither the tender Infants vexed with breeding their young teeth are carried in their mothers armes and commended by them vnto the pittie of that obscure Saint from whom vpon my certaine knowledge one Infant neuer obtained remedie but dyed without any compassion or reliefe from any Saint eyther hee or shee The Third point is that hereby the Babylonians take Gods priuiledge from him and bestow it vpon others by granting vnto Saints the knowledge of our cogitations hearts which are the Sanctum Sanctorum into which God alone and no man liuing in earth or in heauen can enter But say they the Saints haue a fruition of God and so in him a vision of our hearts and of other things of which silly pretence and wittie delusion I will speake more in the fourth point which doth presently ensue Meane while if this fruition of God bee the cause that they doe so confidently inuocate the Saints in heauen then may the Father make a petition vnto his Child-Saint who deceasing after baptisme wherein originall sinne

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

beareth rule therein as in the very Seate and Center of his Dominion The SECOND obseruation which from thence I frame and tender vnto your religious hearts is a Morall truth namely that God doth often punish our sinnes by such meanes and instruments as were seruiceable vnto vs therein to the accomplishment of our desires So wee read Ezek. 16.37.39 c. that whereas the Iewes committed spirituall fornication with the Idols of Aegypt and Assyria and reapposed more in the helpe of the Aegyptians and Assyrians sometimes then in the protection of God therefore he threatneth to giue them into their hands who being instruments of their sinnes against him should bee also instruments of his iudgements against them Sundry are the examples in this kind which I cannot now produce but leauing the ponderation of this point vnto your owne hearts I aduise you in the tender feare of God so to please him in all your wayes that not onely all men but all his creatures may bee disposed and inclined by him to our incolunitie and preseruation So saith the Wiseman When the wayes of a man please the Lord hee will also make his enemies at peace with him Prou. 16.7 To this purpose spake Eliphaz in Iob. 5.23 The stones of the field shall bee in league with thee and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee But if wee sinne impenitently against him euery creature in heauen and earth is readie prest by his instinct and motion to reuenge the iniurie done vnto him who is the Creator of heauen and earth And so much concerning the first question I come therefore vnto the second The SECOND Question SECONDLY if you require of me what are the causes for which these ten Kings shall take vp their Armes against Babylon I answere partly out of the euidence of the Scripture and partly out of the demonstration of reason that three principall causes concurre in this behalfe The FIRST is a meritorious cause by congruitie and condignitie as they vse to speake of the merit of their workes in regard of her sinnes which I haue touched heretofore in the comparisons betwixt the Misticall and the Literall Babylon which being a burthen vnto the earth cry for vengeance vnto heauen And now here is a collection of her sinnes the old and the new come into one reckoning and account They were past in act but remained in guilt wherefore it is said Apoc. 18.5 Her sins are come vp vnto heauen and God hath remembred her iniquities for though hee alwayes remembred them in his prouidence and knowledge yet now hee declareth his remembrance by the execution of his Iustice Thus we perceiue that God hath a time to permit sinnes and a time to punish sinnes the former and the latter sinnes together of any state or of any person when our repentance bindeth not vp the hands of his iustice but our continuance addition and renouation of sinne draw the sword out of the scabbard and compell him vnto the manifestation of his wrath as it is here in the fall of Babylon whose sins are bound vp together in this great and fearefull iudgement But since she will make no benefit of this instruction as being obdurate in the course of her sinnes and prepared for destruction let vs obserue it brethren for our owne vse since wee know the iust seueritie of God which leadeth vs vnto speedie repentance least he arraigne vs at the barre of his Iustice for our ancient for our latter sins This obseruation pertaineth first vnto a Kingdome and State hee doth not forger her sins though he remember them not presently in iudgement After many hundred yeeres he called Amalek vnto an account I remember saith he vnto Saul what Amalek did vnto Israel how they laid wait for them in the way as they came vp out of Egypt therefore he sent Saul vpon an expedition against the Amalekites to destroy them from the face of the earth O that my natiue Countrey would take notice of this at the heart and not adde sin vnto sin new vnto the old prouoking God vnto great indignation against her But two things comfort me here the one that God will spare the Land because hee hath many faithfull seruants therein that mourne for the sins of England and that as Eliphaz speaketh in Iob 22.30 the innocent shall deliuer the Iland For it is not the Sea that can defend vs from inuasion it is not any Castle that can saue vs from the enemy and sin within the Land is of greater force to destroy it then any foe without but some righteous men are in the Iland and God doth spare it for their sake The other is that according to Dauids option and choyce wee shall rather fall into the hands of the Lord then of men for the punishment and castigation of this Land This obseruation pertaineth secondly vnto the Church which falling in her inward puritie cannot stand long as Gregorie noted in her outward glory If wee haue not a place in the conscience of men by our effectuall doctrine and our exemplarie life that wee haue a mansion in their very hearts then the Law our Gouernment our Temporalties all outward prouision for the Ministers of the Church shall make them but a weake consistencie and a feeble station in the world Let not our sins preuaile against vs to prouoke God and we shall not feare the complotments of any mortall man whose breath is in his nostrills This obseruation pertaineth thirdly vnto euery particular person of whatsoeuer qualitie or condition rich or poore high or low For for if thou addest the sins of thy age vnto the sins of thy youth for which Dauid intreateth pardon of God Psalm 25.7 and makest an accumulation of thine iniquities of latter vnto former without remorse of thy conscience and feare of Gods displeasure saying I shall haue peace although I walke according to the stubbornenesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst know then that the Lord will not be mercifull vnto thee but then the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against thee and euery curse that is written in his booke shall light vpon thee and the Lord shall put out thy name from vnder heauen Deut. 29.19 20. yea out of heauen also that is hee shall declare that thy name was neuer written there according to that in the Psalme Let them be put out of the booke of life Psa 69.28 And so much concerning the first cause why these ten Kings assemble against Babylon to worke her fall The SECOND is an efficient cause and that is God by his iustice his iustice being prouoked by her sins according to that of the Prophet Esay 42.24 Who gaue Iacob to the spoile and Israel to the robbers Did not the Lord because wee haue sinned against him Thus we haue a connexion of the first and second cause in this one sentence which meete in Babylons case For first wee heare of the