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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44854	Hē apostasīa, ho antichristos, or, A scriptural discourse of the apostasie and the Antichrist, by way of comment, upon the twelve first verses of 2 Thess. 2 under which are opened many of the dark prophecies of the Old Testament, which relate to the calling of the Jews, and the glorious things to be affected at the seventh trumpet through the world : together with a discourse of slaying the witnesses, and the immediate effects thereof : written for the consolation of the Catholike Church, especially the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland / by E.H.	Hall, Edmund, 1619 or 20-1687.	1653 (1653)	Wing H325; ESTC R11943	203,833	222

the sad Ship-wrack of a good cause which went ●…ut and returned like Solomons Ships for gold The King and the Parliament at their first s●…ting out promised fair and good grounds of great hopes ●…f m●…ch good both to Church and State appeared but soon was the King whether drawn or driven or both d●…parted from the right way He took the sword and sadly per●…shed by the sword the Lords and Commons made vowes and protestations to God and man and in the breach of them were broken Each of these with the Emperour Mauritius might justly say Jusius es Domine justa sunt tua judicia in all that hath befal●…en them Yet in these dreadfull frowns of his upon the Reformers we may see Gods gracious smiles upon their intended reformation whiles the clouds of Gods just displeasure overs●…adowed the Reformers a bright beam of his Providence shined on that cause they all professed for the King Lords and Commons that began in a good cause but afterwards were divided upon different self-interests at the very last of all met again consulted agreed and finished all three together their testimony concerning this cause and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revel 11. 7. God snatched both that from them and th●…m from us unworthy of both who contemning the golden yoke of Christs government are justly liable to the iron ●…oke of Antichrists tyranny However let the Parliaments cause in the eyes of the wise be magnified though the underta●…ers of it be for ends best known to God debased let God and his cause be true though every man be found a liar before him Let not therefore the professed friends of Zion in this day of Gods dark and dreadfull providences amongst us stumble and fall as the most of professours do from their first principles let not the reproaches of ●…apists and open prophane persons on one hand nor of Sectarian●… on the other hand make us lose our stedfastnesse let our ●…ffections and prayers be the same for our Reformation and our Reformers as formerly let not their failings in the cause cause us to fall from the cause Angels not men are able to carry on a Reform●…tion without faults where shall we finde a Reformaion ●…arried on without great miscarriages At the first Nationall Reformation in the world we finde Moses the Churches Monarch in the Mount with God and Aaron the Seventie and the people his ●…riest his 〈◊〉 and his subjects in the valley that while with the Devil y●…t their ●…ellish sm●…ke below did not eclipse Gods light above that day was a glorious day of Reformation notwithstanding in the eyes of all the people the two Tables wer●… br●…ke by Moses their 〈◊〉 the Lords anointed in Nehemiahs time how many 〈◊〉 were g●…t into that box purposely so pollute the ointment of a Reformation oppressours and supplanters and Schismaticks had shrewdly 〈◊〉 blown that Reformation yet 't was carried on at last God can carry on a cause by mens miscarriages David a man after Gods one heart began●…s Reformation he stumbled in limine for he should have brought home the Arke Deut. 10. 8. according to Moses prescription upon the Priests shoulders but he followes the Philistines fashion and fetcheth it home upon a Cart. Here the King and his Parliament I mean his Nobles and the Priests all stumbled and by this stumble the 〈◊〉 was shaken and Uzzah smitten yet the Ark was the same and so 〈◊〉 the n●…erer its appointed place We mention this to the shame of those 〈◊〉 th●…se dayes who pretend to follow the 〈◊〉 but startle and start aside 〈◊〉 because th●…se beasts that were employed to draw it have stum●… and 〈◊〉 it Oh Christians take heed of apostatizing from Gods ca●…se when persecuted God takes that from Christians most grievously If God smote to the grave Uzzah for touching the Ark when it shock will he not smi●…e to hell those Apostates that kick their heel at the Ark now 't is shaken There were never such a number of brazen-faced Apostates seen in the World together as in these dayes England and Scotland have produced These wormes which bred in the belly of the Church made it sick and miscarry of a Reformation since they are voided the Church though for the present weak I hope ●…s neer to her recovery Let those then that long and lo●…k for her recovery take off their hearts from murmuring at the cause and turn all their complaints against themselves ô that the spirit of supplication might passe through the Protestant Churches this day ô that all the families that fear the Lord might 〈◊〉 before the Lord this day that each might see how they have in their places fallen short of the glory of God Oh that the families of the house of David of Nathan of Levi and Shimei i. e. of the Royall blood and Priestly function might mourn this day before the Lord for their own si●…s and the sins of their fore-fathers ô that we might all know in th●…s our day of visitation the things that concern our peace The sacred prophicies tell us if we mistake them not that the Churches deliverance is nigh at hand that time when the Witnesses shall rise the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to all people and the twelve Tribes converted and also the time when the Devil the beast and the false Prophet shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone now as Daniel Chap 9 finding out the expi●…ation of the 70 years captivity did thereupon betake himself to fast and pray and confesse the sins of Judah Jerusalem and all Israel with the sins of their Kings Princes and fore-fathers so ought we that look after the publick weale of the Church finding by the prophecies that the Apostasie is well nigh finished and the Antichrist appears which is the immediate fore-runner of Christs glorious comming as we shew in the ensuing Tract to raise the Witnesses and restore the Iews to bet●…ke ourselves to solemn humiliation fasting and prayer making confession of the sins of our Kings of our Nobles of our Ministers and of our people taking to ourselves Daniels words Chap 9. 16. For our sins and the iniquity of our forefathers Ierusalem is become a reproach ô Lord to all that dwell about it now therefore cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake ô Lord incline thine ear to hear open thine eyes and behold our desolations Oh that we would all turn Priests and come quickly bringing this holy ●…incense with us into the Congregation that so atonement might be made for the Churches of God against which great wrath from the Lord is gone out this day and sore plagues are upon them Gods eares are not heavy nor is his hand shortened that he cannot save us but our pride security hardnesse unbelief impenitencie and murmuring have kept back good things from us Why are we in bondage to a generation that curse their father and

blesse not their mother to a generation that are pure in their own eyes yet not washed from their filthinesse a generation ô how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids are lifted up a generation whose teeth are swords and their jaw-teeth knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from amongst men a generation of L●…custs the wonder of Solomon who having no King go forth all of them by bands Would we but incline our cares to Gods counsels and turne our feet into his paths he would soon subdue our enemies and turn●… his hand against our adversaries the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves but that we were disobedient to the Commanaments of the Lord. Why is the Diadem fallen from our head but because wo unto us we have sinned Why do flattering lippes proud tongues and double hearts prevail against us to the oppression of the poor and the making of the needy sigh Why do the wicked walke on every side when the vilest of the sonnes of men are exalted but because weare sinfull our Cities and our Countreys and our families of all rankes and degrees have sinned Go forth therefore ye sons and daughters of the Church weeping gird your selves in sack cloth and put ashes on your head take to you words of lamentation and bewail the sins of your Kings of your Princes of your Nobles of your Ministers before the Lord. Let the Trumpet be blown in Zion let a Fast be sanctified and a solemn Assembly called gather the people assemble the Elders let the Bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the Bride out of her closet let the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the altar and let them say Spare thy people ô Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that Heathens should thus rule over us So soon as the people of God are thus framed God will be jealous for the land and pity his people The Churches teares usually go before the black Funerall of their enemies their tears ascend like exhalations insensibly but return in thundering and lightning stormes upon their enemies We shall finde the Churches mourning and the enemies ruine to be Zach. 12. 3 4 10. a Gospel-connexion and what himself hath joyned we cannot pull asunder Since therefore preces lachrymae are our best weapons against our enemies let us take to our selves this spirituall armour and let us thus go forth for the cause of God with much affection rejoycing as a Bridegroom commeth forth of his chamber and as a strong man rejoyceth to run a race let us rejoyce that we are counted worthy to be in arms for so great a King let us with a holy scorn disdain the enemies of our Lord the King let us defie that power and strength they bring against him Let the Counter-motions of crosse providences which make it evening by the Apostates clock put forward the hand of your faith to make it the morning of deliverance doth the Antichrist tread down all before him and oppresse the Church of God exceedingly be of good cheer for thus it is written that Antichrist must do and the Witnesses must suffer and also 't is written that then he is neer to his ruine and the Church neer to a glorious and exceeding great deliverance which is the subject of one main part of the ensuing Discourse Be not then ô ye Saints of the most High either afraid or ashamed of your afflictions Can you chuse a better Master Can you fight under a more royall Standard then Christs or can you finde a baser enemy or more accursed then the Antichrist gird on then your spirituall armour with the girdle of sincerity be stedfast in your resolutions why do the latchets of the shoes of patience hang so loose Why do you f●…et and startle at the news of suffering as if the fiery triall which is to try you were the fire of hell to damn you sincerity rejoyceth in the triall how will you be known from loose professeurs if your sincerity be not tried by afflictions afflictions indured with patience for Christ are the seales of sincerity this was one of Pauls seals which passed him for current among the Saints Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Sufferings for Christ are an evident t●…ken of perdition to your enemies but to you of salvation and that of God Faith is the evidence of our salvation and sufferings are the evidence of our faith Rejoyce therefore inasmuch as yeare made partakers of the sufferings of Christ for when his glory shall be revealed ye shall be glad also with exceeding joy your reproaches for Christ render you happy inasmuch as thereby the Spirit of glory resteth on you though on your enemies part Christ is blasphemed yet on your part he is glorified We have indeavoured to clear the Church of England and to clear the reformation beg●…n and at last fi●…ished by the King Lords and Commons as Christs Church and Christs cause notwithstanding all those reproaches cast upon it let us then all of us that own the Church of England for a true Church and the reformation of that Church for a good cause prepare for sufferings and let us count them as so many scars of honour got in the field where the Royall Standard of our Lord the King is pitched which we shall wear forever our bodies shall lie down in the grave in the honour of them and at the Resurrection rise in the m●…jesty of them Let love to Christ and love to the Church of Christ constrain us to constancy let 's stop our eares against all the charmes of the Devill the world or the flesh let 's look to our Redeemer who when he was tempted upon the salvation of the chief Priests and Elders and upon the vindication of the Godhead to come down from the Crosse this seems to me to be the deepest temptation of hels forging for to destroy the work of Redemption for had Christ come down before he had died our Redemption had not been finished and we must all have been damned yet he continued in his shameful and grievous torments under all these blasphemons roproaches until the work of our Redemption was finished look up then to this great Captain of our salvation and as you have seen him do so do ye you must if you be Christs be made conformable to Christ your head by sufferings The faithful Christians of the three Kingdoms have suffered much ô let them not come down from the cross until the work be finished 't is supposed that there are sharper sufferings yet to come yet let us not ●…aint for there are more with us then are against us we have as that great person said A good Cause and a gracious God and so we have all the Angels and Saints on our sine we have the Trinity to trust to who is a strong h●…ld in time of trouble and knoweth every soul that trusteth in him Let love to the

of reliques and with an excommunication of all hereticks in generall they dissolved the counsell By excommunication of all hereticks they meant all those that should withstand any of their cannons which they had decreed Here the Church of Rome and the Protestants parted and if it be seriously viewed on both sides by a clear and impartial eye 't is manifest that the Church if you 'l call a faction so of Rome left us Pope Adrian 6. acknowledged that the Church and chair of Rome was at that time in many things abominable The German English and French Churches desired that those abominations might be purged out for this end a generall councell was desired and under pretence of granting it a party of men were packed to oppose this end and carry on a contrary designe to the ruine of those who desired a reformation and in stead of removing those grievances established them Which now of these two parties is in the right They that kept their faces Zion ward in the reformation of a Church generally acknowledged to be corrupted or they that hardened their necks in a resolved obstinacie to persist in that corruption and added much more abominable corruption to it and established it by a law and made those that departed from their abominations to become a prey to them This is the true case betwixt us and Rome The faction of Rome pretended with us whose hearts were set upon a reformation to reform but in stead thereof established those very grievances the Church complained of hereby 't is manifest that they starting aside like a deceitfull bow left us in the high way of a reformation If we have left them 't is because they have left the truth whiles error was in a private faction in Rome though 't were damnable yet we left not that Church but when that private faction so prevail'd as to establish damnable heresie by a Law and excommunicated all that would not drink of the same poisonous Cup with them then 't was high time to leave their Communion notwithstanding they usurp the name of the Catholick Church The Church of England left not the Church of Rome because governed by Bishops but because those Bishops were become Starrs fallen from heaven to earth apostatized toto coelo from their primitive institution The See of Rome is become the beast of the Sea with seven heads and ten hornes and upon it's heads the names of blasphemy The inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of Romes fornication therefore we come out from Rome and herein we have obeyed the voice of our Lord Iesus Revel 18. 4. We never held Bishops quatenus Bishops Antichristian though many Schismaticks and ignorant zelots have builded high upon that stramenous foundation which since the Iesuites by their Gunpowder plots have neatly fired about their ears It is true indeed the German French and British reformers that left Rome or rather were left of Rome could never attain to that reformation was requisite and they desired and the reason thereof is generally known For Rome with her Allies was alwaies so potent against them that it is rather to be admired they have a being then to be complained of that they have attained to no better a being The Churches beyond the Seas both in Germany and France by reason of their innumerable number of potent enemies were constrained to do what they might not what they would happy they that they may eat the Manna of true Doctrine though under the tents of an incompleat and insollid government Those Churches are like the wounded man betwixt Jericho and Jerusalem they have met with a friend that hath powred oyl into their wounds and brought them to an Inn but that Inn of government is not I think their proper home however happy they they are got safe out of the bloudy hands of Romish theeves unto that Inne God send them from thence safe home Let 's be thankful for pure Doctrine that the Ark but le ts not rest till we have lodg'd it within the Temple of right Government I have oft thought that the white linnen of the Saints signifies the right Government of the Church which is the Churches upper garment if so then let them wait with patience for this white linnen they shall not wear untill the Witnesses are risen the Witnesses are yet in sack-cloth or actually slain when they are restored this white Vesture of Church-Government shall be restored to the Church in splendor Let us not censure but pity and pray for those Churches that have not on this white garment confident I am that it is not for want of will but power that all this while many reformed Churches have it not on I cannot forget Bergermannus's words in the Assembly of Dort as I have them from a good hand to the Bishop of Landaff who when he had declared to him how the cause of the German divisions was for want of right Discipline he makes this affectionate replie in the midst of that Assembly Domine nos non sumus adeo f●…lices The Churches that protested against the Babylonish abominations established by the Popish faction at the councel of Trent have ever since born the name and title of the Reformed churches not that all or any of them are perfectly reformed for many of them are corrupt in severall doctrinal points and the most of them deficient as to the pattern of primitive government or as the sacred Rule requires Amongst these reformed churches England hath alwayes been esteemed the purest as being most conformable to primitive purity and the word both in Doctrine and Discipline This appears even from the pens of the Heads of other Reformed churches such as Calvin Camerarius Melancton Bucer Beza Zanchie Molinens Causabon Fergevil Saravia and others who many of them confesse in plain words and all by consequence conclude That the church of England of any church in the world comes the nearest to the Apostolick rule Yet for all this what by reason of the Popish pollutions on one hand and schismatical Separatists on the other hand the church of England could never put on that white garment of pure Discipline she so much endeavoured for though the Temple of Doctrine was purged and the walls of Discipline raised to a comely height under which the church flourished in Queen Elizabeth's and King James his dayes yet the Romish foxes in sheeps clothing crept up the wall of Discipline in King Charles his time and laid the church open as it is this day to the bloudy cruelty of the Babylonians The popish Prelats or rather the Spanish Faction then and ever since prevailing informing them knew the way to popish Doctrine was first to bring in popish Discipline which produced a double effect tending to their end For hereby cities and counties non ignota loquor were filled with superstition and profanenesse having liberty from the Prelates to profane the Lords day and we all know how great

pragmatick fellows made it a snare to tender consciences of the Kings party by pressing it upon them and oppressing those that refused it This was doubtlesse a grosse sinne but it cannot properly be laid to their charge as if they thereby intended to make a party for themselves against the King but to make all within their Garisons and Commands both Ministers and People true Subjects to the King to the Lawes and the Protestant Religion Whiles this was strictly observed in the Parliaments Quarters Iesuites and Popish Priests were not so frequent nor so bold as since they have beene amongst us 3. As to that of throwing down of Bishops a double scandal is taken if not given thereby 1. In their manner of proceeding without and against the King which in it self was absolute usurpation for though they did send to the King to passe it yet they resolved upon his denyal to proceed which was an absolute denyall of his Negative voyce in which implicitely they denyed him to be their Soveraign 2. In throwing down the ancient Government of the Church by Bishops which Government hath continued in the Church since the Apostles time unquestioned until within these hundred yeers and then the Orthodox onely questioned their Persons not their Office onely the Anabaptists cryed down the Office as Antichristian Now for the Parliament under pretence of Reformation of Religion to cast off that primitive Government universally received in the Churches without and against the consent of the King and solemnly ingage others in the same thing seems to be a most rash and inc●…nsiderate act done out of blinde mislead zeale or an ungodly act done wilfully to bring to ruine the Protestant Church of England to rob the Church of its Maintenance and ruine the learned Clergie of the Nation Here we must answer le●…t both innocent persons and a good Cause suffer 1. The Parliament intended not by throwing down the English Hierarchie to throw down any Worship Discipline or Government according to the word of God for then their second Article would clash with the first in the Covenant so that their meaning is they will extirpate so much of Prelacy as shall be found contrary to the word of God and the Example of the best reformed Churches I suppose by Churches they meant the purest Primitive Churches for all these late Reformed Protestant Churches did before we thought of a Reformation yeild that we were better reformed then they We hold the Calvinists the best reformen Churches but saith learned Beza to the praise of the English Protestant Bishops Let the Church of England injoy this singular bounty of God which I wish may be hers for ever So far was he from thinking it a piece of Reformation to pull them down Calvin Bucer Luther Melancton Z●…nchy Chamier are all of them no enemies to Bishops though professed enemies to the Superstitious Idolatrous Practices of Bishops in that Age. Every solid Protestant is so far from thinking the Office of a Bishop to be Antichristian that he rather thinks it a high degree of Antichristianism to oppose that Office this is as we have shewed to deny the Father and the Son for he that denyeth an Apostle or the Successo●…s of an Apostle in the Office of the Ministry denyeth Christ and he that denyeth Christ denyeth God that sent him Charity therefore makes me hope that the sincere Protestants what ever other subtil Foxes designed intended no otherwise by that second Article in the Covenant then to reduce the Church of England to a Primitive Purity by removing Popish Prelates and all those humane Institutions depending on the English Hierarchy if through Error they were mis-led from the right means to this end the discovery of that Error may seasonably reduce them into a right way for wise men never think it a shame to repent It is most certain that the intent of the sincere Covenanters was to re●…ine not ruine the Ministry by pulling down the English Hierachy they struck not at the order of the Ministry but at the degree of Episcopacy they struck at the Discipline of the English Church therein more then at the Ministry for they pulled down Bishops as they were Superintendants over their brethren not as Ministers so that they took away their degree above their brethren but left them standing in their order as Ministers Bishops lost not their Order by the Covenant but their Degree for though they are in a distinct degree above the Presbyters which have ever been allowed them in the purest Churches since Christ time yet they never were a distinct order from the Presbyters neither the Scripture nor the Fathers make them so so that Aerius an ancient Writer in that saith truth a Bishop and a Presbyter are joined in the same Commission the Bishop imposeth hands so doth the Presbyter the Bishop administers the Sacraments and dispenseth the Ordinances so doth the Presbyter so that essentially there is no difference betwixt them what is is only gradual Now here lies the great question Whence they had this degree above their fellow Ministers in the Church If they had this from Apostolical Institution then without all doubt it was a grieveous sin in any Civil Power to pull it down and they that convenanted so to do did unadvisedly and foolishly But if this degree of Episcopacy be but an Ecclesiastical Institution though of great Antiquity the case is altered there cannot be an absolute necessity of its immutability Meer humane Institutions admit of alterations Hierom and Epiphanius say They were set up as a remedy against Schism and Heresie long after Presbytery But to come to the thing suppose this degree to be as probably it is an Apostolical Institution which continued unquestionable in the Church for many hundred years Yet here the question will still be Whether since the grand Apostasie that Paul prophesies of there hath not been an Apostasie from this Institution whether this Institution in the Apostasie did not contract much corruption This is granted by all the Protestant English Bishops especially by the late Lord Primate of England B. Laud in his Conference with Fisher Bishop Jewel and Bishop Downam hence these two latter conclude That the Hierarchy of Rome is so corrupted and apostatized from its Primitive Institution that it is become the Antichristian State nay more then that they call it the Antichrist That question then which concerns us is Whether the Hierarchy of England were so exactly conformable to the Primitive Institutution as that it needed no alteration These two things are granted 1. That the persons in that Hierarchy needed to be reformed for some of them were prof●…ssed Papists and the most of them bitter enemies to a powerful and a painful Orthodox Ministry 2. That whatsoever is built upon an humane foundation may upon humane or divine considerations be taken down again if so then those Titles Offices and Dignities conferred meerly by men may be taken away but

choose him and stability in that will to continue with him And this is the Magna Charta of a Christian that God will give him a will that he shall never depart from him But these followers of Antichrist they are unwilling to receive truth unto sanctification onely to outward washing for some carnall end they will receive truth but no further and therefore as Nazianzen well observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is not their cannots but their will nots that will damn them they would not receive the truth to be saved by it 2 It imports thus much that a formall hypocriticall professour will easily become an heretick and an apostate in time of temptation he will fall away For this cause God shall send them strong delusions For this cause Ierusalems house is left unto this day unto her desolate for this cause they had eyes to see and saw not and ears to hear and heard not and hearts to understand and understood not For this cause we have this day so many apostates and hereticks and fearfull and unbelieving persons even at the mouth of hell They were formerly eminent professours but their eminencie was onely in externals in formalities there was no inward heart-imbracing of the truth with an inward purpose and resolution to be saved by it and hence it is they are so soon departed to another Gospel or rather bewitched to imbrace the doctrines of Devils strong delusions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the efficacie of delusion so reads the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies errour and such grosse errour say the learned as leads a man from the way of nature even to sin against the light of nature against convictions of naturall conscience But as if this were not high enough the Apostle underlayes it with this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to raise it above superlative to note that Antichrists followers who are described to be eminent professours shall be given up to the excesse of errours even against the light of nature Covenant-breaking Treachery Apostasie lying with a purpose to deceive adultery and murther are all sins against the light of nature and these grosse sins shall professours be grosly guilty of in that time when Antichrist shall be revealed There is yet something more in the phrase for the efficacie of delusion lies chiefly in this that all these prodigious sins should be committed by Christians and Christians bearing the name and title of Saints and they so far from shame and reluctancie in the committing of them that they vaunt insult rejoyce boast and triumph openly in the committing of them as if they had done God and the Church some speciall service here lies the efficacie of delusion that ever professours should be thus given up to a reprobate minde to commit such abominable sins against the light of nature with delight and greediness This is the grand Character of Antichrists followers But it is said that God sends these strong delusions if so then is not God the Author of their sin and damnation To this the generall answer is that God sends not this delusion effective but permissivè he is not the efficient of it but the permitter of it He permits it by letting loose the rains to Satan and to Antichrist and his Instruments God doth not positively send them delusions There cannot greater blasphemy be thought of then to affirm God to be the Author of evill God sends not any thing for that end to make men believe a lie neither doth he permit it for any such end though in the consequents by accident it effects the same The Judge fore-warnes his servant of theft and then tries him by laying money in his way he steals it the Judge in punishing him is not the cause of his sin but the Author of his punishment God permits nothing unwillingly permission stands not in opposition to the will for permitting a thing is in some sort willing a thing and besides it cannot be supposed that God is an idle Spectator of events for he is the Governour of all things and directs all things according to the counsell of his will and therefore by permitting of th●…se delusions to beguile souls to their damnation he wills them To this we answer that God doth will these things but neither as a means nor as an end tending to evill he wills them as actions simply considered which are not evil but are made so by accident through the defects of evill men Or thus God wills them as punishments to the wicked and so they are good as being destinated to a good end He sends seducers amongst hypocriticall professors as a King sends fire-ships which he takes from his enemies and guiding their sterns sends them into the midst of his enemies Navie whereby he fires and destroyes his enemies God may be justly said to will these things as punishments but not as sins One and the same thing may be both a sin and a punishment of sin as Augustine instanceth in many particulars a sin both in the seducer and the seduced and a punishment as by the wise providence of God ordered to both their destructions As a Judge makes one thief to intrap and destroy another so God destroyes one sin by another Peccata praecedentia punit peccatis sequentibus God here makes their after-sins to punish their former since they would not imbrace truth to their salvation they shall imbrace errours and lies to their damnation God as the supream Author of his own righteous vengeance can take up what weapons he will against his enemies Now what fitter Instrument can you finde to punish Apostates in heart with then to fill them with their own wayes a false tongue is most fit for an itching ear These blinde hypocrites God lets them take hands and lead each other in their new-found paths of delight untill they both irrecoverably fall into the ditch These followers of Antichrist despise truth tendered by Gods messengers and God thereupon justly with-drawes his grace tendered to them and so they are as wandering sheep in a wildernesse a prey to those beasts of prey to that roaring lion who daily goeth about seeking for such souls to devour them God infuseth no evill qualities either into seducers or the seduced but onely leaves them who first left him to the evill of their own hearts They heap to themselves Teachers after their own hearts a false heart will choose a false Teacher and God lets them both alone Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone this is all the sending which God is said to send Seducers shall one day know that God never sent them They ran and I have not sent them God will one day say to both the seducers and seduced Who required these things at your hands when men make gods with their hands God leaves them to worship those gods They would not receive the truth well saith God they shall not receive the truth but shall be hardened