wisdom of God yet glorified not himself to he made an High Priest but he that said unto him thou art a Priest for ever Verse 5. after the Order of Melchisedech And therefore none ought like these Lay Preachers thrust himself into the Office of a Priest or Minister of God but such as are Lawfully Called and sufficiently allowed and approved by them that have their Authority from God as Moses had to confirm Aaron to be Ministers of Christ because they are as the Apostle termeth them Embassadors of Christ and you know every Embassador must have his lawfull Commission or else he shall be taken for an impostor and a seducer as he that came from the King of Ingland to the States of the Low Countreys As the Answerer of W. Apollonius testifieth and was sumptuously entertained the first day but being found an impostor was clapt up in prison the next day which is the just reward of Intruders Therefore the Apostlos and Disciples of Christ though filled with the Spirit of Christ in a far greater measure then the best of these Lady Preachers yet went they not to Preach the Gospell Matth. 10.5.28.19 Marck 16.15 John 20 21. untill they had an outward injunction and Commission from Christ as you may see in Matth. 20.5 28.29 Mark 16.15 John 20.21 where our Saviour saith as my Father sent me even so send I you which is a plain and a full Commission to them that they were no intruders into the Sacred Function And so after the Ascention of Christ we never find that any of the true Servants of God did ever undertake this calling to be the Embassador of Christ and a Publick Preacher of Gods word but such as were Lawfully allowed and Canonically Ordained to that Function by those that had a lawfull Authority to admit them And that Ordination of them consisted chiefly of these two parts 2. Things requisite in the Ordination of Priests 1. Fervent prayers As you may see in Acts 6.6 2. Imposition of hands As you may see in Acts 6.6 Where the seven Deacons are set before the Apostles and when they had prayed they laid their hands on them so Timothy was ordained by Prophesie with the laying on of the hands of the Presbyterie 1 Tim. 4.14 and least we should mistake his meaning as the Presbyterians do by making this place their bulwark to protect their new erected Presbyterie St. Paul sheweth what he meaneth by the hands of the Presbyterie when in the singular number he saith I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee 2 Tim. 1.6 by the putting on of my hands because he had the sole Power of Ordination residing in him though as the Bishops now following his example do use to call two or three grave Ministers for their assistance so he called the Presbyterie that is some other of the Elder Ministers to lay their hands with him as he joyneth Sylvanus and Timotheus with himselfe 1 Thes 1.1 in his Salutation to the Thessalonians And so because Timothy was Ordained to be the first Bishop of Ephesus as not onely the postscript of his second Epistle testifieth but also Eusebius and all other Ecclesiesticall Writers without any contradiction do affirm St. Paul chargeth him in particular as whom it particularly concerned to lay hands suddenly on no man that is 1 Tim. 5.22 not rashly and carelesly to admit any kind of men to be the Ministers of Jesus Christ but advisedly to consider What the Primitive Church Ordered should be done about the Ordination of Priests and Religiously to Ordain such as he found most fitting for so High a Calling And therefore according to this Charge of the Apostle to Bishop Timothy the Bishops of the Primitive Church and the immediate successors of the Apostles took such special care to provide worthy Ministers for Gods Church that in imitation of the Apostles Acts. 14.23 1. They Appointed and Ordained that the whole Church that is 1. Thing all the faithfull people of God that Professed to believe in Christ should observe foure Ember weeks in every yeare wherein all the Christians should Fast and Pray to God that he would vouchsafe to send them godly and able Ministers because that 2. They Ordained that each Bishop on the next Lords day 2. Thing after each Ember week should with the assistance of some of his Grave Clergy Ordain such as they found most fitting and worthy of this High Calling and I feare that the neglect of the performance of this duty of Prayer and Fasting on those Ember weeks among the people have produced such defects as be in many Ministers and perhahs the Bishops as well as the people were not all so carefull and so circumspect as they ought to have been in the Ordination of their Clergy for as you may see in the 1 Tim. 3.10 and in Titus 1.5.6 1 Tim. 3.10 Tit. 1.5 6. those that were to be admitted Priests or Deacons were to be proved and examined and being found blameless and qualified as the Apostle requireth in the foresaid places prayers were to be made for them The great care taken in former times in the Ordination of Priests and Deacons and hands to be laid on them and then Authority was given unto them to execute that Holy Fuction so great was the care that was formerly used in the Ordination of Priests and Deacons and no man durst presume to intrude himself into this Holy Office nor any man was suffered to execute these Functions but such as were thus Religiously Ordained And no wonder fot this calling being fo transeendently high non collectio pecuniarum not the gathering of Rents or the Kings Revenues but custodia animarum the care and custody of mens souls which are the living images of the Eternal God The great care that should be taken in ordaining priests and Deocons and which is onus Angelicis humeris formidandum a burthen saith S. Hierome that is able to make Angels shoulders to shrink under it so heavy that St. Paul cries out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is sufficient for these things And the Lord God himself sheweth unto Moses what care ought to be had in the choosing approving and sanctifying of them that were to serve at his Altar for Aaron and his sons that were but types and figures of the Evangelical Priests were to be consecrated seven daies together and a bullock was to be offered for a sin offering every day Exod. 29.35 before they were admitted to administer in their office Object But I know that our Lay-Preachers will object that these were Jewish Rites and shadows that are vanished with their temple and therefore no waies pertaining to us Christians Sol. I answer that the Old Testament or the Law Heb. 10. which was the shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things is acknowledged by all
informed Daniel that the little Horn which at the first was but little indeed and then did succrescere grow so great by the suppression of the three Kings and the accession of three Kingdomes should think to change the times and the Lawes and so we finde that Antiochus did use all possible endeavours to abolish the times of the Jewish Sabbaths and feasts and their circumcision legem ipsam Dei juâ—áque omnia nefariè convellere and to overthrow the very law of God and tear in pieces all humane rights most wickedly saith Tremelius Tremel in loc and so the Antichrist would indeavour to do the like to put down all the festival times and the holy dayes of the Christians and to change all the Lawes and Customes that they had learned and observed even from the Apostles time And I am sure the Pope is not guilty of this sin of the Antichrist for he is so far from putting down their feasts and holy dayes See the History of Independency and there you shall finde how the Author of that Book sheweâ—â— how that long Parliament proceeded contrary to all Lawes part 3. A Book fit for the understanding of this point that he multiplied the same added unto their primitive feasts a great many more holidaies than were needfull or indeed fitting to be observed But I pray you tell me what horn did ever change so many Laws and Customs both of the Church and of the Kingdome as the long Parliament hath done for hath it not troden under foot not one nor two but all the ecclesiastical Laws and Canons of the Church and hath it not very often transgressed and in many things nullified our Magna Charta the great Charter and the fundamental Laws of this Kingdome that for so many hundred years were confirmed to our forefathers and Predecessors by I know not how many Parliaments I am sure above 30 at least And for the times I would fain know if any good Christian heart can look upon these times without bleeding or hold his eyes without weeping for the greatest love and favour that ever God shewed to mankinde was the giving of his own natural coessential and coeternal Son to be made of a woman and made under the Law to redeem us from the curse of the Law and from sin death hell and Satan when a greater good than this the omnipotent God himself could not do for us for what could God give better than God himself but as the Apostle saith because God could swear by no greater he sware by himself so when he could give no better he gave himself Heb. 6.13 and therefore S. Ambrose saith plus Domine Jesu debeo tuis incuriis quod sum redemptus quam tuis operibus quod sum creatus O sweet Jesus Christ I ow thee more love and thanks and service for thy care and pains and sufferings by which I am redeemed than for thy work whereby I was created because that in my creation dedit me mihi deus God gave me unto my self but in my Redemption dedit se mihi deus The greatest good that ever God did for mankinde God gave himself unto me and because in the creation of me and all things else dixit facta sunt he did but speak the word and they were made he commanded and they stood fast but in the accomplishment of our Redemption multa dixit magna fecit dira tulit he spake many gracious words he did many wonderfull works and he suffered many execrable and intolerable things Therefore as God commanded the Israelites Why the Jews were commanded by God to keep their Feasts in remembrance of their deliverance out of Epypt That was but the type of this our deliverance from the bondage of sin and Satan to keep the feast of Passeover and in remembrance of the reception of the Law on Mount Sinai which was an inferiour favour and lesse than our receiving of the Gospel to observe the feast of Pentecost and in remembrance of their wandering 40 years in the wilderness and their feeding there all that while with the Manna that came down from heaven which notwithstanding is no waies comparable to our feeding with the Word of God and the blessed Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ which is God himself to keep the feast of tabernacles and whosoever neglected to keep these feasts and to observe these times that soul should be cut off from Israel that is from among the people of God as an ungratefull person unworthy of the favour of God And as Mardocheus and Queen Hester commandeth all the Jews to keep the feast of Purim that was to be kept upon the 14 and 15 dayes of the Month Adar which is answerable to our February Hest 9.23 24. throughout all their generations for ever for dayes of rejoycing and Thanks-giving for their deliverance from the malicious plot and wicked designe of proud Haman the which feast was observed by Christ himself John 10.22 The Geneva notes on John 10. 22. and as in like manner Judas Machabaeus injoyned the feast of dedication to be observed upon the 25th day of the Moneth Casteu which is our November for a thankfull remembrance of the like benefit which was the casting out of Antiochus his Garrison from Hierusalem so that the Apostles and their immediate Successors the Bishops and Fathers of the Church and all the other succeeding Governors of Gods people considering that the Jews temporal favours aforenamed were but types of our favours and shadowes of those substances that we have and so no wayes neer so comparable to the benefits that we receive by the birth circumcision resurrection and ascention of Christ and the gifts that is the Apostles the Teachers and Governors of Gods Church furnished with the gifts of the Holy Ghost that Christ sent unto them on the day of Pentecost 50 dayes after his ascention into heaven by which favours and great blessings we obtain a deliverance not from a small temporal bondage as that of the Israelites was under Pharaoh far less then the bondage of many good Christians in these dayes under the Turk or from such an enemy as was Haman or Antiochus but from sin death hell Satan and eternal damnation have in their own persons observed and injoyned all other Christians to observe That is Christmas New years day Easter day Holy thursday Whitsunday and the rest the feast of Christs Nativity and of his circumcision resurrection and ascention and the other dayes prescribed by them as dayes of rejoycing and meeting together in the Church to praise God and to thank him for those great and inestimable favours and benefits that he hath conferred upon us and we received as upon those dayes and I may demand What Pope was ever so wicked and committed such and so horrible a sin as to prophane these holy times in so high a measure as Antiochus-like to command them to be prophaned
in their Ecclesiastical Histories have left it recorded to all Posterities what direful Torments the poor harmless Christians have endured in the first ten grievous Persecutions under Nero Domitian Dioclesian Decius and others Heathen Tyrants that were so cruel and so tyrannical to the Saints and Servants of God that most good men and religious minds cannot read their Sufferings without weeping nor remember them without pity For Claud. in Ruff. lib. 1. Quis prodere tanta relatu Funera quis caedes posset deflere nefandas It is not credible for Infidels that know not the Gospel to believe so many slaughters and such exquisite Tortures as the Christians endured when as alii flammis exusti alii ferro perempti alii patibulo cruciati or that they can be looked upon by any humanity with dry eyes And yet Isidorus tells us August de civ Dei l. 20. c. 8. Cyrillus catech 15. Hypolit Orat. de fine seculi The time of the greatest persecution and so doth S. Aug. S. Cyril and Hyppolitus the holy Martyr in his Oration de consummatione mundi that in the time of the Antichrist which would be towards the end of the world and not long before the Coming of Christ to Judgment the Synagogue of Satan and the worldly Senate or Citizens of this world should more furiously rage and more cruelly persecute the true Church of Christ and the most Faithful Servants of God than ever was done in the Primitive Times And besides the accession of above 5000 years experience unto Satans natural and inbred sagacity and sharpness of knowledge and understanding to find out new waies and subtiller devices to afflict Gods Servants they render this Reason for their Assertion because that The reason of the foresaid assertion as the Scripture testifieth Satan was to be bound and fettered as a dog in a chain for 1000 years that is after the end and determination of the first 10 great Persecutions and the Persecutions of the Goths and Vandals and the other Arian Kings that were no less Persecutors and Tormentors of the Orthodox Fathers and the Professors of the Faith of one Substance which is the right Catholick Faith than the Heathen Tyrants were of the Faithful Christians In all which time of 1000 years Satans 1000. years binding how understood that is either the full and determinate number of 1000 years as some Expositors would have it or else a very long season and much about the time of 1000 years though not precisely such a term as others would have it the Malice of Satan was so locked up and chained and his Power so abridged that he could not destroy as many nor persecute the Saints so much as he desired and would have effected si potuisset quantum vellet had he been suffered to do what he would But when his 1000 years Imprisonment should be expired and he loosned out of his Chains and more Liberty granted to him then his inveterate spite and his revengeful Malice for his former Imprisonment would devise the Means and find out the waies to vex and persecute the Servants of God and the Witnesses of Jesus Christ more than ever he had done before in any of the former Persecutions And truly I think Francisc Junius Tilenus ad Bellarm. l. 3. c. 7. de Rom. Pontif. Balâ—us de Antich cap. 6. that although Satan was not fully loosned and set at liberty till now of late yet whosoever readeth Thuanus Tilenus and Chamier and the Book of the Martyrs of our English Church written by Mr. Fox and other Authors that have written the History of these two last Centuries and doth rightly consider the Sufferings and Massacres of those Christians that they within the Compass of those years have undergone in France Germany Spain Italy and other places round about and that only for their Religion and not for any worldly Dominion which was the Sufferings of the People in former ages Dr Abbots in his brief description of the world pag. 141. in the time of the first 4 Monarchies and is still the condition both of the Jews and Christians within the Territories of the Turk that tolerateth any Sect and permitteth all Religions and all Nations to live peaceably and quiet throughout his whole Dominion so they yield themselves subject to his Rule and pay to him their allotted Contribution and meddle not with the Mahometan Laws and Superstition he must ingeniously confess the Truth of this Assertion and the unquestionable Certainty of this Prophetical Prediction of Isidorus and the other Fathers aforenamed videlicet that the sorest Troubles and the greatest Persecution of all that Satan raised or shall stirre up against the Christians as they are Christians hath been is and will be that which he hath and still doth prosecute and will persevere to do it by the Ministers and Ministry of his prime General and his dearly beloved Son of Perdition the great Antichrist And if according to the Counsel of Moses and Job Deut. 4.32 c. 32. v. 7. Job 8.8 Sr Walter Rawleigh in his Preface to the History of the world and M. Fox in his book of Martyrs we ask the daies of old and enquire of our Fathers that were before us what they suffered and how they were handled heretofore either in France Italy Spain or Germany or else nearer home where the Truth may be sooner found and better known of us in Ingland and that under K. Hen. 8. and Q. Mary the two greatest Persecutors of Gods Servants for their Religion that our Chronicles do mention and compare their sufferings in the just and even Ballance of an impartial judgment with that Oppression Persecution Injustice and cruelty and that joyned with such subtilty and a pretence of Piety as cannot by my dull Pen be expressed which for the space of 14 or 15 years hath been acted and continued here in this Island of Great Brittain against Loyal Subjects none can deny and Faithful Christians as we hope God will bear witness and that only for their Loyalty unto their King and their Piety towards God in the constant retaining of the true Faith wherein they were baptized and Christened and a good Conscience wherein they lived we shall find the Cruelties of those two forenamed Princes to be favourable and great mercies and all the Favours and Mercies of our new and now pretended Saints towards the true Ministers of Christ and the Faithful Servants of God to be the greatest Cruelties that ever were recorded in any History and I think such Injustice and so great as was never heard of in any Nation For 1. When King Hen. the 8. became sacrilegious 1. The Persecution of the Clergy and wrongs done in K. Hen. the eighth's time I have no other term for his Doings to rob the Church and to take away the Lands and Possessions of the Abbies and the Priories he did the same with the leave and consent of many if
the late persecution of the Christians under the Long Parliament how Gangraena-like it spread it self beyond Decius or Dioclesians Tyranny and almost in these parts like Adams sin that went over all so did their Persecution run over all the most Faithful Sons of the Church and the Loyal Subjects of these Kingdoms And I would faign know what Busiris or Phalaris Dionysian Dioclesian or Nero or John Vasilowic the great Russian Tyrant or what other Tyrant of the world hath ever undone so many worthy men without once questioning them for any fault or charging them with any Crime that they had done or who did ever attempt to destroy so many only for being ill affected to their evil deeds But now The unparallel'd Persecution and cruelty of the prevalent Faction of the long Parl. being thus afflicted destitute and deprived of all their Means how shall all these these thousands of most worthy men live These men that were not brought up to work and used not to dig and are ashamed to beg and therefore without a great measure of Gods Grace to support them and to sanctifie their Afflictions they might fall into desperate conditions They will answer as one of them did to me and like as the High Priests the Crucifiers of our Master Christ answered Judas What is that to us Let them live how they list or let them perish sic periere ruinae and so for them they shall all utterly perish And therefore I may well demand what Tyrant did ever live since the day that God created the Heavens What King What Pope What Hildebrand * That is Gregory the 7th that was one of the worst Popes of Rome What Hel-brand What Turk What Jew What Man What Devil would besuch an Apollyon as to cut off not all the necks of the Heathenish Romans with that bloudy Emperor who wished that they all had but unum Collum one neck that so he might chop it off uno ictu with one blow but all those good Christians and the Faithful Servants of God uno halitu with one Vote one Breath and one Act which was an Axe indeed and was laid to the root of every Tree that bare the good fruit of Faith and Obedience in these Kingdoms Surely I think none could have devised such a Plot so full of mischief so far beyond the Sicilian Vespers and Gunpowder Treason and so void of Humanity and stuffed up with all cruelty and abominable Impiety especially if you consider the large extent and the evil Consequents thereof except the infernal Apollyon the great Destroyer of Christianity and the Hellish Misanthropos that laboureth continually to root out all the Christian Faith and the true Service of God out of the world did unmoveably reside in their hearts to prompt them and to spur them on unto the same or else that Beelzebub the chief of the Devils would send a pack of his Prime Captains and best Instruments out of Hell to root out all the true Servants of Jesus Christ For if you compare this our last persecution and afflictions under the Long Parliament with the former Persecutions of the Heathen Tyrants or the Arian Kings which they brought upon the Church you shall find 1. That there was but one Nero one Dioclesian one Constantius and one Julian in all the world at one time to persecute the Christians that were spread over all the world but here amongst us we suppose to have I know not how many hundred Dioclesians and Julians together at one time in one City to vex and persecute the Christians of one poor little Island 2. The Forme◠Tyrants persecuted them for their Disloyalty as they alledged unto their Emperors and Governours which was most false as appeareth by the Apologies of Tertullian Minutius Foelix and others But we were persecuted for being Faithful and Loyal unto our King and to our Governours as all the Kingdom knoweth CHAP. II. That neither the Pope nor the Turk is the great Antichrist that the Antichrist when he should come into the world should arise out of the Truest and Purest Reformed Church on Earth which was the Church of Ingland in King Charles his time being fully reformed of those Errors and Abuses that should creep and had crept into the Church which other Reformed Churches had not so perfectly purged And wherefore they did it not and could not do it THE serious consideration of the former things What moved the Author to enter upon this discourse of the great Antichrist and the sad condition of the Distressed Persecuted Members of Christ and the Testimony of the foresaid Authors touching the Persecution that should happen in the time of the Great Antichrist which I conceived to be now so visibly seen and so universally spread through the Subtilty and Cruelty of the Prevalent Faction of the Long Parliament have moved me to settle my Thoughts upon the search of those Texts of Holy Scripture wherein the holy Prophets and the blessed Apostles had treated and foretold us of the coming of the Great Antichrist and the sufferings of the Saints and true Servants of God in his time and under his unjust and cruel Government and to pray to God most earnestly and constantly night and day for the help of his Grace and assistance of his Holy Spirit to guide me to the true and right understanding thereof And then by reading the best Authors that I could find to explain those obscure Mysteries and to further me to undertake the same I found and saw I. Many good and probable Arguments produced by Luther Calvin Beza 1. That many learned Authors do hold the Pope or Papacy to be the Antichrist Balaeus de vit Pontif. l. 3. Jun. in Apocal. cap. 12. Thomson in the arraignment of Antichrist pag. 90 91. Brightman in Apoc. Downam de Antichristo l. 10. c. 3. 4. Thomson pag. 77. Junius Chytraeus Tilenus Maresius and our own Countrymen Powel Whitaker Brightmen Downam Thomsom Mede and others very Learned Protestants and worthy men to prove that either the Tyrannical State and Polity of the Papacy is that Great Antichrist as some would have it or else Series Paparum the Succession of Popes from Boniface the 3d in Phocas his time that usurping Emperor who got to the Imperial Throne by the Murder of his own Master Mauritius and his Wife and his Brother and his Children and gave to the Pope the Preheminency and the Title of Universal Bishop about the year 605 as Balaeus saith Or from Boniface the 8th that seduced and imprisoned his Predecessor Celestine the 5th about the year 1294 as Junius saith Or else from Vitellianus the Musical Pope about the year 666 as Thomson saith to this present Pope is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Antichrist spoken of by St. Paul in 2 Thes 2.8 and by St. John in Revel 13.1 And that Rome is the place of his abode and the proper Seat of him as Brightman Downham
the Monks say was first uttered by an Angel in the Cathedral Church of Canstantinople and about the year 605. Boniface the 8. usurpeth the Title of Universal Bishop and after that the Churches became Sanctuaries for malefactors holy-dayes were appointed Priests were forbidden to marry Latine-service was injoyned the Lyturgies were augmented the Pax was commanded to be kissed Images were adored the Saints were invocated and prayed unto which Mr Mede saith is the Doctrine of Daemons that makes the Apostasie which the Apostle speaks of 1 Tim. 4.1 2. Vestiments and other Church Utensils were consecrated Mr Mede in his Apostasie of the latter times the Emperours and other civil powers were shouldered out by the Pope and Church Indulgences were sold and abundance more of such absurdities were brought into the Church And when the godly Christians petitioned unto his Holiness the Pope The manifold Errors of the Church of Rome confirm'd by the Council of Treâ—t for a reformation of these abuses did not the Council of Trent confirm them Did it not in their first meeting Sess 3. decree that the vulgar Translation that hath some errors and much rude Latine in it should be authentical in all places and Sess 4. That original sin is so taken away by Baptisme that concupiscence or lust in renatis the regenerate is no sin untill they give consent unto it and Ses 5. That there remains in us a freedome of mans will to good which being excited and stirred up by grace concurs with grace to do the good we do and Sess 7. That seven Sacraments were to be received Vide etiam Tiâ—â—num exegesis de Antichristo pag. â—5 dâ—inceps And then at their second meeting in Bononia Sess 2. did they not establish the Doctrine of Transubstantiation And Sess 3. have they not made Penance and extream Unction two Gospel-sacraments or Sacramenta novae legis as they term them And 9 years after at their third meeting Sess 5. have they not impowered the Pope to mutilate the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist or Lords Supper and to take away the cup from the Laiety and Sess 6. have they not concluded the whole Masse to be a propitiatory Sacrifice both for the quick and the dead and Sess 8. Did they not give full power unto the Church to dispense with Gods Law in Levit. 18. concerning Marriages And at their last Sess Have they not confirmed the Doctrine of Purgatory invocation of Saints worshipping of images giving of Indulgences and preservation of Reliques And was there ever since Christ his time or could there be a greater and a more general extensive apostasie and departure from the truth and true faith than this where the Pope and his Faction have thus prevailed against the Protestants to put out the light of truth to corrupt the Gospel of Christ and to defile the service of God in this manner Respon To this great and bitter charge against the Church of Rome I answer That some men are so addicted to this Church that they see nothing to be evil in her but all truth and all to be imbraced without question and others are so transported with passion such hatred unto the Pope and such a prejudicate opinion of that Church that they think nothing good in her and nothing to be followed that she holdeth so that they are willingly ready to reject the Gospel as they do all Prayers and service the Papists use to God because they are approved by the Church of Rome it is an Argument sufficient to cast away all the service of God all good works and all the acts of Pieâ—y and Charity if they be but once perswaded they are Popery For my part The Authors resolution touching the Roman Church I do unfeignedly from my heart profess my self a true and right Protestant and an obedient Son of the Church of Ingland as it was reformed and the 39 Articles of our faith approved and confirmed in Q. Elizabeths time and so continued in King James and King Charles his time untill the Beast that ascendeth from the bottomeless pit I may mean the Devil endeavoured to remove our candlestick and to put out the light of Israel And for the Church of Rome I do perfectly and throughly hate and renounce all the errors and Superstitions of it and for her truths and good things that she holdeth and doth I do heartily love and embrace them and will therein joyn the right hand of fellowship and desire communion with them as a man that will not refuse a pearl because it was taken up from a dung-hill but for the aforesaid things and points that E.H. and others speak of and object against her I believe some of them may in some sence be justified some others not altogether so offensive as a groundless haâ—red against Popery makes them seem to be to such as Martial speaks of Non anto te Sabide nec possum dicere quare I love thee not ô Sabidus but why I cannot tell thee only this I can tell that I do not love thee Hoc tantum possum dicere non amo te I love thee not but why to tell thee I cannot Yet this I can tell for truth I love thee not And for most of them I confess they are either enormous or superstitious or some way or other justly offensive to Gods people and do sufficiently prove that the Church of Rome hath apostatized and receded from many points of the true Doctrine of Christ that her self had formerly professed especially when S. Mr. Mede in his Apostasie of the later times Plato in cratilo Apuleius de deo Socratis Plutarchus de defect oracul Paul wrote unto her and as that learned and worthy Divine Mr. Mede hath fully shewed how that Church hath backslided in worshipping Mahuzzims invocating of Saints and adoring of their Images and relicks so I confess the same to be a foul and mighty error and a great abuse of Gods service in them and not much inferior or less fault than the Gentiles adoring of their Deastri or Daemones which was the deifying of their deceased Heroes such as Hercules Romulus Numa Pompilius and the like were as Plato Apuleius Plutarch and others testifie the Heathens did Though notwithstanding I am so far from blaming S. Basil S. Chrysostome Fortunatus S. Gregory S. Hilary James Bishop of Nisibis Eucherius Theodoret and others that Mr. Mede chargeth to have done too undiscreetly to say no more for so much commending the holy Martyrs and calling them walls and fortresses and as Gregory Nyssen termes them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guardians and Protectors of those Cities and places where those Martyrs were interred Mr. Mede's crimination of the Fathers answered that I do exceedingly approve their discretion and commend their wisedome and piety herein because those times were times of Persecutions and Christianity sought by the enemy of mankinde and his Instruments to be expunged and rooted out of the
world and therefore to encourage all the Christians to be constant in their Profession unto their death it was requisite to use all the Eulogies and praises that might well and rightly be given especially in the funeral Orations of the Martyrs unto those holy men that had so manfully fought the good fight of faith and so christianly died for the defence of the Gospel of Christ when as the contrary would have been a great disheartening of the weak Christians but these Eulogies a spur to inflame them to all readiness to undergo the like Martyrdome rather than to start aside from their Christian profession Neither do I see how those Eulogies and praises that these Fathers gave unto the Martyrs are any wayes contrary to the truth of our faith or the Word of God because we know that as the Prophet saith Psalm 116.15 right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and no doubt but he hath some love and care of their dead bodies to preserve them from that spirit of malice and contempt that the Devil and his wicked assassinates bear against them and therefore as he preserved all that were in the ship for S. Paul's sake Act. 27.24 so he may be pleased to preserve others his servants with the preservation he extendeth and would have shewed to the bodies of his Saints and especially of his holy Martyrs the which he would have no wayes to be abused as the Prophet sheweth and doth exceedingly complain of them that give the dead bodies of Gods servants to be meat unto the fowles of the air Psal 79.2 and the flesh of his Saints to the beasts of the field as now I have seen it in many places how the hogs are rooting in their graves and the dogs gnawing the bones of Gods servants That the aforesaid Errors make not this Apostasie And I say that although the Roman Church hath failed in the Premises and erred in the points aforenamed yet all that doth not make this grand apostasie which the Apostle here speaketh of Reason 1 1. Because here in the Roman Church we finde no rebellion against their Governors but qui ducunt eam seducunt eam the leaders of that Church deceive the Church and so her apostasie is not so odious but the more excusable and the less abominable in the sight of God Reason 2 2. Because these Errors and Superstitions aforenamed and the like have only defaced but not nullified bespotted and polluted but not destroyed that Church which is now like unto a false woman that hath played the whore but is not divorced nor run away from her husband That the Church of Rome holdeth all the foundation and preservation of the Christian Religion for so long as they profess to believe as the three authentick Creeds that is the Apostles Creed the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed teach us and use the Lords Prayer and publish the ten Commandements and receive the two Gospel Sacraments that is Baptisme and the Lords Supper and retain the wholesome form and reverent manner of Divine worship and service of God with the rightly authorized and lawfully called Pastors and Governors and a dutifull submission to the established Discipline of the Church which things are both the foundation and preservation of the Christian Religion and which they say are all observed and performed in the Roman Church I believe no good Christian can deny her to be a true Church though not a pure Church of God because that while the foundation remaineth sure and undigged up all superstructures of wood hay stubble doth not evert and overthrow the whole edifice but is rather a going beyond Eccl. 7.16 17. than a going back from the faith of Christ like the being too righteous and not too wicked as Solomon speaketh that is the being too precise and making more sinnes than ever the Law of God made and not too prophane and so exceeding in the works of supererrogation and observing many other commandments of men besides the commandments of God Mr Mede P. 612. just as the precise Pharisees required the people to do in the time of Christ and Mr. Mede resolves Mr. Hartlib that the Roman Church hath not erred in the fundamental Articles of the Faith but in the assumentis which they added unto the foundation so likewise D. Crakenthorp B. Hall and most of our best Divines are of the same minde And therefore questionless the Church of Rome cannot be guilty of this grand rebellion and Apostasie here spoken of And 4. 4. Nor the falling away of the Protestants from the Church of Rome As the African and Afiatick Churches of the East under the Greek Patriarchs and the Europaean Churches of the West under the Pope of Rome are not liable to this grand Apostasie so neither can the Church of Rome nor any other Master of that Church say and say truly that the falling away of Luther Calvin Beza and the rest of the Protestants and protestant Churches from the Roman errors and superstitions and from their obedience to that Church can be this falling away and apostasie here spoken of because we with them and they with us do hold and profess the same 3 authentick Creeds that do contain the sum and substance of our Christian Faith and are agreeing in all or at least in most of the essential and fundamental points of the Christian Religion and the differences betwixt us in the most points that are of moment are not so capital but that for the most part a charitable construction and a right distinction might well and fairly reconcile most of them especially as they are held by the best Interpreters of the Scripture in that Church and by the most temperate and soberest Divines of our Church because as the Apostle saith charity is kinde and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 charity is not rash that is in her judgment no more than in her actions 1 Cor. 13. but beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things and endureth all things and the want of this divine grace of Charity maketh those faults that are indeed but mole-hils to appear like mountains and this want of charity is too too common a fault both among the popish and the Protestant writers which doth make the breach wider and the differences to seem far greater and far worse than indeed they are which made me often to pray that God would send more love betwixt us and suffer not the devil to send so much misprision and distaste betwixt us as there is Question And now the foresaid Churches being freed from being liable to this apostasie the question is What Church can be said to be found guilty of it What Church is guilty of this Apostacy and instead of answering it it is now demanded If this now present Church of great Britain be not liable to this charge of a grand Rebellion and apostasie such as the Apostle speaketh
of that is such a rebellion as Corah Dathan and Abiram stirred up against Moses and Aaron and such a discession and falling away from the true faith and the right service of God which they formerly professed as neither leaves the fundamentals of Christian Religion undigged up or unshaken nor the appearance of a true visible Church among the people For that all the people of Ingland were very faithfull and loyal Subjects and most respectively obedient unto their Governors both their Kings and their Bishops That the people of Ingland were good subjects true believers and right worshippers of God during all the raign of Q. Elizabeth King James and many years of King Charles as any Nation under heaven I think I do verily believe no man can justly deny So likewise that all the subordinate Clergy did ex animo subscribe and unfainedly profess to uphold and maintain the 39 Articles of the Church of Ingland and the established Discipline thereof and did accordingly for well nigh a century of years use to teach the people to believe that Doctrine and to observe that discipline as the true Christian Faith and the right Government that Christ and his Apostles for the preservation of that faith hath left unto his Church and also that the people and Congregations throughout all this Kingdome had the true faith preached unto them and the right service of God the 3 authentick Creeds repeated the Lords Prayer used the 10 Commandments published the 2 blessed Sacraments administred and all the other prayers and service of God that the Governors of Gods Church prescribed were observed practised and professed by them I am very sure and consident hereof and I believe no man will gainsay the same And therefore this Church had and did profess the true faith and Doctrine of Christ and did use to serve God rightly and to be obedient to their Governors both Magistrates and Ministers for many years according to the form prescribed unto them And you may remember how you read in Revel 6.9 that the soules which S. John saw under the altar and cryed to God to avenge their blood on them that dwell on the earth are said to be slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and why I pray you doth the holy Ghost make such a distinction betwixt the word of God and the testimony which they held but to shew unto us that these soules had collected out of the Bible which containeth all the word of God the chiefest heads and points that are to be known believed and practiced for the true worship of God and their own Salvation and so compiled an abstract of Gods word into another book which is here called their testimony and that is the communion Book or Book of Common-prayer and publick service of God which is sometimes called the Book of life Revel 22.19 and ch 20.21 as Revel 20.12 and Revel 22.19 where you may observe how mention is there made of 2 special Books and the one is termed the book of this prophesie which is the word of God and the other is termed the book of life because the sum and the substance of all that is in the Bible which is the word of God and which is necessary to attain unto Eternal life is contained in this book of their testimony for which book and the constant practice of Gods service according to this book as well as for the other book of the word of God those faithfull soules were slain and it is well known the Presbyâ—erians caused the Parliament to destroy us for the testimony that we held of these Books but the Answer that God gives unto these slaughtered soules may serve for a sufficient comfort unto us yet this gives occasion to demand Whether the prevalent faction of the long Parliament and their adherents the Sectaries of these 3 Kingdomes have not hereby resisted their Governors whom formerly they had so religiously observed and rebelled warred killed and beheaded both Moses and Aaron that is the supreme Magistrate and the chief Priest I leave it for my Reader to determine And whether the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and all their followers and Adherents contrary to their former oathes practices and profession have not generally apostatized and totally relapsed and fallen away from the most essential and most material points of our Christian Religion and from all the right service of God which themselves formerly taught and observed and have led their Congregations after them to the same apostasie let the observers of our new teachers what Doctrines are now taught and what service is now used in every Church judg hereof For I read it in Arise Evans Arise Evans in his Voice from heaven pag. 15. that you may easily finde it every foolish man gets up into the Pulpit and poureth out his folly and so now the false Christs and false Prophets do appear for the Independant saith here is Christ the Presbyterian saith loe here is Christ but the Anabaptist saith no he is not amongst you but here is Christ with us 1 Cor. 1.13 and so all the other Sectaries crie and have as the Apostle saith divided Christ And you may consider what Tilenus saith Vetus Ecclesia primis temporibus solo Apostolorum quod vocant symbolo ex sacris literis excerpto contenta erat The ancient Church in the first times was contented only with that faith which they call the Aposties Creed that is taken out of the holy Srciptures this was the faith of the Christians in the Apostles time and this was the sun and the substance and the abstract of all the whole Scripture for so much as concerned the saving faith and this faith contained in this Creed is the Faith of Gods elect and sufficient to save all the elect people of God though afterwards for the suppression of those Hereticks that sprang up to corrupt the same formulam illam per novas formulas ex iisdem sacris litteris collectas luculentius copiosius explicuerunt episcopi The Bishops and he saith not the Presbyters did more fully and more clearly out of the same sacred Scriptures explain that form of faith by other new formes as the point in question Tilenus exegesis pag. 57. aphoris 169. and controverted by the Hereticks did require as First in the Council of Nice then in the Constantinopolitan after in the Ephesine and at length in the Chalcedon Council And the whole Catholique Church and all the particular Churches of God the Greek Church and the Latine Church and every other particular national Church of the world have ever professed to observe and to retain this form of faith thus left to us by the Apostles and thus explained by the reverend and godly Bishops in these Councills and never to discede from the same And yet now That our new Preachers have and do recede from the true faith and the right service of
Disciples at the Quarter-Sessions which was on that week and so they went to the Clerk of the Peace and drew a bill preferr'd it to the bench and had 3 or 4 witnesses sworn to prove the disturbance of the Preacher in his Sermon but one of the Justices of the Peace upon the bench that is a Presbyterian and the son of a Presbyterian understanding that the Preacher disturbed was a Bishop called the Prosecutor of the Bill and told him he could do nothing in that bill which he should have rather preferred against the Bishop for preaching than against the Parson and his followers for disturbing him because the Bishops are all prohibited and must not preach and therefore advised him to take up his Bill and the other Justices wished him to follow his advice and so after all their pains and cost he did because he wisely foresaw it was but vain contra stimulum calcitrare to swim against the stream Yet afterwards in the General Sessions held for the County of Denbigh the Grand Jury consisting of 24 good Gentlemen indited the preaching trooper for disturbing the Bishop in his Sermon but the Judg after he had thundered his threatnings against some of the Jury and pleaded for the Trooper as if he had been his Advocate quasht the inditement a very good Judg and is not he a member of the beast yet the Bishop would question him in another place but for fear of meeting such another Judg. And I would very fain know when such a thing was done or suffered to be done in the Church of Rome and that with the approbation of the Governors of that Country But to proceed and to shew unto you the enormities and Apostasie of the men in these times a little more plain Revel 13.16 Revelat. 14.1 as the servants of the Antichrist are said to bear the mark and the name of the beast in their foreheads or in their right hand so the servants of Christ are said to have the name of the Lambe and of his father written in their foreheads and that is the vow and promise wherewith they have bound themselves in their baptisme to serve the Lambe as their Lord and General Canstitut Apost l. 12. c. 6. and never to backslide from him to the service of Satan and to follow his pomps and devices and the lusts of our own flesh For as S. Chrysostome and others of the Fathers do witness this was the practice and the ancient custome in most Churches that every one which gave himself to Christ to be baptized and to receive his badg and mark in his forehead should profess and say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost ad populum Antio Hom. 22. August in Joan. tract 6. contra lit petil that is I do renounce Satan and all his works and all his pomps and all his worship and after he had made this Profession he should receive the Sacrament of Baptism as the seal of the Lord and the mark and name of the Lamb and of his Father in his forehead the which mark S. Augustine calleth the royal mark and the mark of the Redeemer wherein the Christians so much gloryed and rejoyced in And as Epiphanius saith that those Jews which ran after the Idol-service and to that end Joseph antiq l. 12. c. 6. Epiphan de ponder mensur Tertul. de spect c. 4. Origen de spect execrat l. 8. c. 59. Aug. in Joh. tract 7. by the Art of Chyrurgery blotted out their circumcision praeputium per attractionem patiebantur as Josephus witnesseth many of them used to do they did it ad dei ipsius abnegationem patrum characteris abolitionem to the denial of God himself and for the abolishing of the mark and character of their forefathers so Tertul. Isidore Origen and S. August tell us that they have lost the Mark of Christ and have blotted out the seal of the Lamb and cast away his name which have received the mark of the devil and are become revolters or apostata's from the Christian faith which renounce their baptisme and covet that which they profess to renounce in their Baptisme And I know none of all the old Hereticks backsliders and apostate Churches or persons any where whether you look into the Greek Church or the Roman Church or any other national Church in all the Christian world not the Donatists which came nearest excepted that used this ancient form of renouncing Satan and his pomps and adhering to Christ and receiving his seal and his marke in their foreheads and did afterward so execrate and abhor that form refuse the mark and renounce the very seal the Sacrament of their baptisme and receive the mark of the beast and follow after the works of the devil the pomps of the world and the lusts of their own flesh as many in the long Parliament many Presbyterians Independants Anabaptists and other Sectaries and adherents to the long Parliament have done or especially any hereticks or apostata's in this Church that have made their apostasie wider and more general than these men have done For you may observe that although T. Cartwright and Penry and the frantick Parker that indicted the innocent signe of the cross which the primitive Christians commonly used to shew that they were not ashamed of their crucified Saviour of fellony adultery murder and all other sinnes of the Decalogue and some other particular Calvinists their Proselites did in their puritanical zeal start aside from the discipline and some points of the Doctrine of this our Reformed Church as especially that Article of Christ his discension into Hell yet all the Clergy and the whole Church were never comprized within this apostacy neither did they so generally consent unto it and adhere unto these Masters but the Assembly of Presbyterians at Westminster concluded all the Clergy and all the other people by their binding Directory and Determinations that were comfirmed by the Parliament and required them strictly to recede from all the whole established form of Gods worship and to follow their Directory and manner of praying preaching and other service of God which is conceived to be more destructive to the true Christian faith and more derogatory to the honor of the just God then were any of the Heresies of the greatest Heresiarchs as is partly manifested against their Doctrine B. Montague in his apel Caesar by B. Montague in his appello Caesarem and by Dr. Stearne in his medela animi and in Dr. Taylors vindication of Gods attributes against the desperate and most dangerous Doctrines of this false Prophet the Prebsbyterians Independants and Anapabtists and their Disciples that by the aforesaid means 2 Sam. 3.39 are now so multiplyed that as David said of the sons of Zervia so may we say of them the sword is not able to suppress them but they must have places of credit and Titles of honor conferred upon them for fear of further inconveniences And therefore
a forcible compulsion but a continual perswasion and an undeniable intreaty and importunity until our request be granted for so the two Disciples going to Emmans Luke 24.29 are said to have compelled or constrained Jesus to stay with them that is by their importunity and not by any forcible way And so we are to compel all men by entreating them with continual importunity to believe in Christ and by him to be reconciled unto God and by captivating their understanding to the obedience of Christ which is the best compulsion in the world 2. I say that we are in some sense to compel them that is quoad media to the nieanes of Faith though not to the Faith it self to come into the House but not to eat to come into the Church but not to believe because this men may do but the other God alone must do And therefore we say with S. Aug. against the Donatists that in this sence Kings within their Kingdoms and every man within his House is to compel and to cause his Children and Servants and all that are under his Jurisdiction to come into the Church to hear the Word of God and to make every one to perform the outward service of God at least in shew so far as man can judge for so the Commandment is that thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath Day and shalt do no manner of work thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man-servant and thy Maid-servant Exod 20. and the Stranger that is within thy Gate But the Church of Rome would compel us to believe what they believe and to profess that we believe whatsoever their Church professeth and this their compulsion is with no light hand as appeareth by their Inquisition and the French Massacre And yet they will answer that they compel no man to believe but only punish those that do erre and revolt from their Belief I confess that some of the Learned do affirm haereses spirituali gladio jugulatas esse that Heresies and apostasies are to be punished only with the spiritual sword and not with the temporal sword of the Civil Magistrate because our Saviour said unto his Disciples John 6.66 67. after he saw many departing from him nunquid vos vultis abire and will you go away likewise As if he said I hold you not use your own judgment and he that will depart let him depart he may go for me And therefore St. Paul doth but excommunicate and deliver such men unto Satan 1 Cor. 5.3 5. that they might learn not to blaspheme to shew unto us that there should be no bloodshed nor temporal punishment for the Faith in the Church of Christ But for the better clearing of this point A twosold consideration to be had about the suppression and punishing of Schismaticks Hereticks and Apostata's 1. Of the time 1. When the Members and true Professors are but few Mat. 13.30 of compelling men to Christianity and to believe I say that great wisdom and discretion is to be adhibited in this case of mens consciences and that a double consideration is to be had herein 1. Of the Time when these Offenders do appear in the Church 2. Of the Persons who they be that do thus offend For 1. There is a time when such Offenders Hereticks or Apostata's should be spared and there is a time when they should be punished and not spared For 1. In the Infancy of the Church that is of any Church when the true orthodox Christians are but few and it may be fewer than the Herericks and Apostata's it is not the safest way to be too severe and rigid against these men but in a Christian policy rather to give some scope to these mens Consciences and so to suffer the Tares to grow with the wheat as our Saviour speaketh 1. Because they are not able being few or fewer to struggle against many And I know no reason why the Roman Catholicks should not be tolerated as well and assoon as Anabaptists and other worser Schismaticks That these times do require some toleration of Religion 2. When the true Professors are many 2. Because their unseasonable severity and rigidness towards these Offenders might be a meanes to raise other enemies against them whereby more wheat should perish than Tares should be destroyed and perhaps hinder those that are in aequilibrio and as yet unsetled to embrace the Truth and that Profession wherein they see so little mediocrity and so much severity used And truly in these very times wherein the true Professors are so few and the Sectaries so many I suppose this gentleness moderation and some scope of Christian Liberty ought to be given until by the goodness of God and a painful preaching of the truth we shall reduce them to the full and perfect imbracing thereof But 2. When any Church is established the Magistrates setled and the true Professors many and plentiful then all such offenders are to be corrected and not permitted to corrupt others and to seduce the weaker sort of the true Professors or otherwise the Christian and civil Magistrate cannot be free from sin if he suffer such offenders to go free from punishment for if he punish Theevery and spare Idolatry the Rebels and Runagadoes from him and not the Revolters from Christ how shall he answer this to God And therefore King Asa gathered both Judah and Benjamin and all the strangers from Ephraim 2 Chron. 15.8 13. Manasses and Symeon and did enact with them that whosoever would not turn from his Idols and his Idolatrous waies to seek the Lord God should be slain Exod. 32. â—7 And Moses caused them to be put unto the sword that had worshipped the Golden Calf And Jehu did put all those Priests unto the sword that had forsaken the Lord to worship Baal 2 Reg. 10.25 And so should every Christian Magistrate do the like when he seeth the time serveth that he may and can do it For immedicabile vulnus Ense recidendum ne pars syncer a trahatur The Rule of nature tells us that the scab'd sheep must be separated from the Flock lest she infect the sound ones and so must Hereticks and Schismaticks from the flock of Christ but a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump and one lewd fellow may spoil many and one subtle Heretick or Schismatick may seduce many of the simple people and therefore I would they were cut off from you that trouble you saith the Apostle II. As a wise consideration must be had of the time when and how this rooting out of the weeds may be done 2. Of the persons so the like consideration must be had of the Persons that do offend and are themselves led out of the way For 1. Some are private 1. Tacit Offenders quiet and peaceable men that tacitly keep their errors and misbeliefs unto themselves and so do no great hurt but only unto themselves And 2. Some are more
of the Antichrist or the Babylon that is meant in Rev. 17. and some other Places of the Holy Scripture from which we are commanded to go out lest we should be partakers of her Plagues For they do nimium haerere cortici too much adhere and stick to the Letter and outward bark of the Text that do so expound it Whereas the meaning of the Holy Ghost is more mystical and spiritually to be understood for the great and spacious confused City of this world that as the Church of Christ is Civitas Dei the City of God whereof S. Aug. wrote 22 Books which he styled de Civitate Dei and is typified and signified in many places of the holy Scripture by Hierusalem the City of peace that is at unity within it self and by that little City that hath but few men within it when as our Saviour saith his flock is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little flock which a little City would well contain so the Synagogue of Satan Ecclesia malignantium the congregation of the wicked is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that very great City that sits like a Queen to tyrannize over Gods Servants and is no less than the whole world and can be no less to contain the whole Army of Satan when as caetus impiorum the congregation of the ungodly is a mighty multitude and therefore must have a great and a very large City to inhabit And because the Citizens of this world are as the Citizens of Hierusalem were when Titus besieged it at odds among themselves and yet agreeing to rob and slay all the good and godly men that were amongst them until Titus for their wickedness had destroyed them all And as the builders of Old Babylon were when God confounded their Language of several minds and dispositions so that when the one called for a stone the other brought him clay and when he called for Mortar he brought him Bricks until at last they brought both their work and themselves unto confusion so are the Citizens of this great Metropolis of several desires and ambitions the one hunting after wealth the other after honours another filled with malice and aimes at nothing more than revenge and yet all of them agree to persecute the poor helpless man to kick against their Governours to despise their Teachers and to rob their Brethren until they do confound all things both the Servants and Service of God and at last themselves by an utter ruine and a most fearful confusion therefore their city is termed Babylon And so I say that neither of the three forenamed Cities nor any other one material City of the world can be here in the Apostles sense understood by this great City of Babylon but rather that City whereof the Fellow of whom the Philosopher demanded what Countryman he was answered that he was Civis hujus mundi The Reasons of the foresaid Exposition a Citizen of the great City of this world And this I say for these special Reasons Reason 1 1. Because neither of the three forenamed Cities nor any other one City of the world hath made the Kings of the Earth and all Nations drunk with the wine of her Fornication as this City of Babylon is said to have done For neither old Rome corrupted all Nations with her heathenish and Idolatrous Service of her many gods nor new Rome hath spread her Mahometan Religion over all the parts of the earth nor especially the Pope defiled all the Regions of Christendom much less then all Nations with his Superstitions But the great City of this world I may freely speak it without a figure hath bewitched intoxicated and made all the Nations of earth drunk with the sweet wine of the vanities and pleasures thereof none can deny it quia totus mundus in maligno positus Reason 2 2. Because all that had ships in the Sea that is all the Merchants that traded to bring commodities from one Nation to another were not all made rich by either of the three forenamed Cities or by any other one City of the world whatsoever as the Holy Ghost saith they were all made rich by this Babylon but all the Merchants that had ships and were at any time or in any place made rich were inriched by the great City of this world Reason 3 3. Because the City of Babylon that is here in the Revelation meant is said to have killed the holy Apostles and Prophets of God and though S. Peter and S. Revelat. c. 18. 20. Paul are recorded to have been killed at Rome yet neither Rome nor Constantinople nor the Assyrian nor the Egyptian Babylon nor any other one City of the world did ever see any or if any certasnly not many of those holy Prophets that God sent unto the Israelites and were killed not by any of the foresaid Cities but by the Jews and in Jerusalem and by the Citizens of this world that have indeed killed all the holy Apostles and Prophets that were killed and do still continue Ribera in Apoc. 18.20 to kill the best servants of Jesus Christ even as our Saviour foretelleth us in the world not in Rome nor in Constantinople but in the world you shall have tribulation because the world hateth you as it hated me before you and therefore Ribera demandeth rightly quem apostolum aut quem Prophetam persecuta est Ecclesia Romana seu Roma papalis ut Sancti debeant laetare de ejus paenis which of all the Apostles or of all the Prophets did the Church of Rome since Rome became Christian persecute and kill Revel 18.24 that the Saints should rejoce at her Punishments Reason 4 4. Because it is expresly said that in that Babylon which is there meant was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth mark this of all that were slain upon the earth and tell me how this can be refered to any one City of the world but only to the great City of this world and so is literally true without Trope or figure and why should we run to figures when the sence is true in the letter Reason 5 5. Because of many other particulars that you may finde in the 17 and 18 Chapters of the Revelation and elsewhere in the Scriptures ascribed to this great City of Babylon which without tropes and figures and many other shifts can no wayes be referred or applyed either to old Rome or new Rome or to any other one city whatsoever but may properly without stretching or any violence offered unto the Text be applyed to the great City of this world And therefore by this Babylon that is spoken of in Revel 17. and elswhere and said to be the seat of the Antichrist I conceive that we are to understand not Rome as J.W. and all the rest that make the Pope to be the Antichrist and would rather bring the Holy Ghost to mean as they think then submit
Christ which was the true substance and to be understood in and by those shadows and so for the Antichrist I sind no Prophesie concerning him in all the Book of Daniel but as he is typified in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes and you know that as Theologia Symbolica non est argumentativa symbolick divinity will not hold argument so types and figures non currunt quatuor pedibus do not hold correspondency in all things but only in such particulars whereunto they are applied and therein you shall find how the Antichrist is typified and declared unto us in the person and by the doings of Antiochus For The Prophet Daniel describing the four Beasts Dan. 7. that typified and signified the four great Monarchies of the world the Assyrian the Persian the Graecian and the Roman and the little horn that sprang up among the other ten horns saith the 10 horns are interpreted by the Holy Ghost to be ten Kings that is saith Tremellius 1. The 10 horns in Dan. 7. who they are Seleucus Nicanor 2. Antiochus Soter 3. Antiochus Theos 4. Seleucus Callinichus 5. Callinicus being expelled Ptolomeus Evergetes 6. Ptolomeus expelled Seleucus Ceraunus 7. Antiochus magnus that was surnamed Hyerax the Hawk for his speedy expedition of the greatest affairs and was the Father of Seleucus Philopater and of Antiochus Epiphanes 8. This Antiochus magnus being ejected Ptolomaeus Philopater 9. This Ptolomaeus Philopater being ejected by Antiochus magnus and his Sons Seleucus Philopater 10. This Seleucus being killed Antiochus Epiphanes that was the little horn that sprang up among the ten horns and was not another horn besides the ten horns but cornu ultimum the last of the ten horns and was at his first beginning but a very little horn indeed that had no right at all unto the Kingdom and is the most lively type of the Antichrist that is to be found in all the Scriptures both in respect of his entrance into his Dominion and of his dealings with the Jewish Church just as the Antichrist should enter into his rule and deal with the Church of the Christians And the Prophet tels us of this Antiochus and under his person of the Antichrist That 1. 1. The things that Daniel saith Antiochus should do As you see how he comes to his power and dominion by the suppression and destruction of others the lawful Kings so should the Antichrist do and we know many of the Popes came to that dignity and authority by the ejection and destruction of other Popes as the Histories do sufficiently declare unto us but whether the Long Parliament came to their rule and dominion by the expulsion and destruction of their lawful King I leave it for my Reader to judge And 2. 2. An opposer of Monarchy and very successful Dan. 7.24 The Prophet tels us that Antiochus shall be diverse from the first Kings that is as some Interpreters do expound it he shall be a grand enemy of regal Government and Kingly Majesty so will the Antichrist ex diametro contradict and oppose the Monarchical Government which the Pope never did but upholdeth the same to the uttermost and you know who turned the Regal Government of these Kingdoms to a Commonwealth or as Montanus reads that place ipse erit major prioribus he shall be greater than the former Kings that is in his successes in his victories in his reveâ—ues in his taxes in his absolute authoritie and in his esteem among his Neighbour-Kings and Princes so was Antiochus so the Antichrist will be So is not the Pope when as many former Popes were greater than this is in all the foresaid respects but whether the Long Parliament laid greater taxes upon the people and had more victories and better successes in their proceedings than many other former Kings 3. An overthrower of three Kings or Kingdoms let them be their own Judges 3. The Prophet saith this little horn that is this Antiochus Epiphanes tres reges humiliabit shall bring to the ground or humble three Kings as Montanus reads it Or tres reges deprimet he shall depress and overthrow or subdue three Kings as Tremellius translates it For he drave out of Syria 1. Ptolomaeus Philopater 2. His own eldest Brother Seleucus And 3. Demetrius the Son of Seleucus to whom the right of the Kingdom did appertain So the Antichrist shall overthrow three Kings saith Cornelius a Lapide And I did not read that any of the Popes have done so yet but I know who is said to have suppressed tres reges in uno rege and to have subdued three Kingdoms as some do expound these words and may well be the mystical meaning of this Prophesie 4. A great blasphemer 4. The Prophet goeth on and saith he shall speak great words against the most High that is saith Tremellius blasphemus erit in Deum he shall utter such blasphemies against the most high God as the Jews could not endure to hear them So the Antichrist should do saith the Evangelist Rev. 13.6 And so no doubt but many Popes have done Rev. 13.6 I will excuse none of them and I have shewed to you before and shall yet shew to you hereafter what intollerable blasphemies have been broached and are published in many places by the Sectaries adherents and off-spring of that Long Parliament which may therefore very well go hand in hand with Antiochus and with the Antichrist whosoever he be 5. 5. A destroyer of the Saints and Servants of God 2 Maâ—h 7. The Prophet saith that this Antiochus Sanctos excelsorum deteret as Tremellius reads it i.e. saith he contumeliosissimus atrocissimus Tyrannus erit in populum Dei he shall be the bitterest and the cruellest Tyrant that ever was far worse than Pharaoh against the people of God And so the Books of the Maccabees and especially the cruel butchering and torturing of the Mother and her seven Children only because they would not eat swines flesh which the Law of God forbad them to do do sufficiently declare that neither the Aegyptian Pharaoh Dan. 7.25 nor the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar nor any other forreign or domestick enemy was ever so bloody and so cruel unto the Jews as this Assyrian Antiochus was and our Bibles read it he shall wear out the Saints of the most High and so the Antichrist shall do And our Histories tell us the Popes have worn out and been the death and destruction of many of the Servants of God this cannot be denied and it grieves me much to think and it would grieve me much more to set down a Catalogue of what and how many worthy noble and faithful Servants of Christ have been worn out of these three Kingdoms within these few years 6. A changer of the Lawes and of the times by whom and by what meanes you know And I fear that when God maketh inquisition for bloud the Long Parliament will not be found guiltless 6. The Holy Ghost
say that we must understand not only the name Jehova and Lord and God and the other usual and proper titles and names of God which S. Hierome and others have collected out of the Scriptures but also any other thing that discovereth and maketh God known unto us as his works his word his titles his attributes and the like because God hath no proper name that can make him known unto us or fully express his nature and his being as God himself saith unto Moses Exod. 13.14 when he desired to know his name that he might thereby know him So whosoever denyeth the things and rejecteth the words notions and expressions that bring us to know God or to know the Father and the Son to be the true God doth therein and thereby deny God and is as the Apostle saith the great Lyar and the Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Son Leber Secundus CAP. I. The measuring of the Temple the two Witnesses that should erect and build the Christian Church who they are how long they should Prophesie how they should be killed and used after their killing how they shall be resuscicated and revived and in what time they shall be revived after they be killed and of the great mystery of God what it is and when that shall be finished OUr loving Lord and Master Jesus Christ having left us here on earth was not like Pharoahs Butler so unmindfull of us as we are of him when he was glorified in Heaven but he sends his Angel to informe his best beloved Desciple and Servant Ichn of those chiefest afflictions and persecutions that the Christian Church should find and must so undergoe here amongst the Sons of men from that time that the Angel came unto him untill he should come to judge the World and to deliver his distressed Servants out of all their troubles To what end Christ foretells the troubles of his Church and he foretells us of them that they being foreshewed unto us we might the better either study by our endeavours and prayers to God wisely to prevent and avoyd them or manfully with Gods assistance to undergoe them which might the better and the more patiently be done being expected for to come quia tela previsa minus nocent because expected troubles are alwayes less dangerous and not any wayes so grievous as those that do suddenly surprize us and rush upon us like an A med man and this sad and wofull condition of the Church the Wars and Conflicts that she must pass through and the troubles and persecutions that she must suffer the Blessed Evangelist and Apostle St. Iohn setteth down in this book of the Revelation as the Holy Ghost by his Angel hath shewed them unto him And of all the things that are foreshewed I intend only to handle What things the Author chiefly aimeth to treat of by the assistance of Gods Holy Spirit and to treat in this place what I conceive to be the chiefest things that are observable in the 11th 12th and 13th Chapters of this Book of the Revelation and which are as I beleive principally meant or at least most probably applicable to these very times wherein we live and in all likelihood to this particular Church of great Britany and Ireland that to many men seemeth to be the Stage whereupon all or most of the sad spectacles and Tragedies here in these three Ghapters mentioned are evidently seen acted as they were foreshewed I confess the burthen that herein I took upon me is very heavy and the charge very great and I have often Prayed to the same Holy Spirit The weight of the burthen that he undertaketh that as Daniel saith giveth Wisdome and revealeth Secrets Dan. 2.21 22. and that hath revealed these secrets unto his Servant Iohn that he would be pleased to reveale the meaning of them unto me who without his help can understand just nothing but with his assistance may find out the true meaning of these mysteries which wiser men and greater Schollers without his help cannot do and herein I presume not positively to affirme any thing as Articles of Faith for others to beleive but I only do set down what I verily do conceive to be the true meaning of the Holy-Ghost and say with the Poet Si tu quid rectius istis Candidus imperti si non his utere mecum Now the summe of these three Chapters The summe of the three Chapters that are explained by the Author 11 chap. in brief is this 1. In the 11th Chapter the Angell setteth down to St. Iohn the state and condition of the Governours and Pastors of Gods Church the two Witnesses of Jesus Christ and their fiery tryall their persecution and their suffering under the rule and Reigne of the great Antichrist termed here the Beast that ascendeth from the bottomless pit 2. 12 chap. In the 12th Chapter he sheweth the troubles Crosses and Persecutions of the whole Church and the chiefest members of the same and how that notwithstanding all the malice of Satan and the spite of her persecutors the Church should be assisted and delivered from them all 3. 13 chap. In the 13th Chapter the Apostle describeth unto us the great Antichrist that should most of all persecute the Witnesses of Christ and the false Prophet that should instruct and instigate the Antichrist to proceed on in all his impieties and he sheweth the Combination of these two and of others the chiefest Enemies of the Witnesses and of the Church of Christ First 1. Of the measuring of the Temple and of the Worshippers therein Chap. 11.1 After that the Apostle had eaten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the little book which the Angell gave him and was told by the Angell that he must Prophesie againe before many People and Nations and Tongues and Kings he saith there was given unto him a Reed like to a Rod or a measuring Pole and the Angel said unto him arise and measure the Temple of God and the Altar and them that Worship therein And we find that this measuring Reed was used sometimes to pull down to ruine and to destroy the measured place and sometimes to build and to reare up the same and some Interpreters whom E. H. followeth do understand it here for the ruine and Rejection of the Jewish people the dissipation of them by the Romans What is meant by the Temple that was to be measured The building of the Church of Christians and the end of their then Temple their Sacrifices and their Religion that was now approaching on and very nigh at hand but I rather conceive that by the Temple of God that was now to be measured we should understand the Church of God that is the Christian Church that was now to be edified to be reared up and to be reduced to a new forme and to have new Ordinances and new Sacraments far better then those that were in the Jewish Temple as Beza
saith Reason 1 1. Because the Old Temple at Hierusalem was already destroyed by Titus and the Jewes vanquished and scattered by the Romans after they had won their City before this measuring Reed was delivered unto the Apostle which was about the latter end of Domitians Reigne after the dectruction of Hierusalem therefore not likely that the Angel would give him a Reed to measure their dissipation after they were dissipated and their destruction after they were destroyed Reason 2 2. Because this Temple was committed to the two Witnesses of Christ as is plaine out of the third verse which Beza therefore Translateth by adding illam sciliet Ecclesiam that is the Church of Christ or illud scilicet Templum which signifieth here the same thing unto the words of the Text saying and I will give her that is the Church unto my two Witnesses to be instructed and to be governed by them and not as our last Translation hath it I will give power unto my two Witnesses but I will deliver my Church unto my two Witnesses to be guided and edified whereas the Jewish Church that was already dissipated and their Ceremonies now were to be quite abolished was rather taken from the Witnesses and the Witnesses from it and not given unto it to be edified by them when it was to be ruinted as the Apostle sheweth Reason 3 3. Because the Apostle is here likewise commanded to measure together with the Temple them that Worship in the Temple which therefore must needs be understood of their building up and not of their destroying when God will not destroy them that Worship him But the Court saith the Angel which is without the Temple and into which all sorts of people were admitted to come 2 Chron. 4.9 the same being answerable to our Church-yard leave out and measure it not saith the Angel and the reason is because this Common Court was given to the Gentiles that is not only to the Christian Church Apostatized to Idolatry as Mr. Mede saith but also to the Infidels Worldlings Mr. Mede part 2. page 3. Hypocrites and all other wicked and prophane people that were and would be such as those whom the Jewes termed Gentiles that is not the true Worshippers of God which notwithstanding are permitted to come to the Court of Gods house as the Gentiles were to the Court of the Temple and to be there in the materiall Church among Gods people and to seem to be as good Christians as the best and yet they are not measured to be built and to be made true Christians right Saints and Servants of God because they are as the Gentiles were accounted to be among the Jews that is not the right Worshippers and servers of the true God whom the Jews profest and believed that he was only known in Jury Psal 79.1 and his name only great in Israel as the Prophet sheweth but Idolaters and the Worshippers of stocks and stones and those Images that were no Gods for so are all the Hypocriticall professors and prophane worldly men and leud livers that will not be reduced and brought by the Witnesses of Christ to a better forme to be built in the true service of God and the right faith of Jesus Christ none otherwise then as the Gentiles were among the Jews not any of Gods people And these Gentiles that is these Hypocrites Worldlings and prophane people that are as the Gentiles were admitted to the Court of Gods Temple received into the visible material Church amongst Gods people are accounted as Gods Children and good Christians yet being not measured nor built by the Witnesses whom they regard not upon the right foundation that is truly ingrafted by a lively faith into Jesus Christ whom they refuse to obey and to believe in him shall at last faith the Angel that is when the two Witnesses shall have finished their testimony and that will be after 1200 and 60 dayes tread the holy City under foot that is How long the Wicked Worldlings should afflict the true Servants of Christ c. 13.5 most grievously persecute and vex the true Church of Christ and the Faithfull Servants of God that are measured and rightly built and instructed in the true faith and the right manner of Gods Worship by the Witnesses for the full space of 42 moneths which space and length of time doth sune chronize and is the very same space and exprest in the very same phrase that the Antichrict is said that he should continue to prevaile in the molesting and persecuting of the Saints and Servants of God which is 42 moneths cap. 13. verse 5. whereby it appeareth that these prophane Worldlings Hypocrites will be the followers and the adherents of the Antichrist that they will joyne with him to molest persecute the true Worshippers of God when he appeareth in the world untill which appearance and comming of him the true Christians which is the holy City shall be quiet in a faire manner and the two Witnesses shall have power saith our Translation to Prophesie and to build up the Temple of God that is to edifie and to instruct the true Church of Christ as Christ hath committed the same to be instructed guided governed by them Ther after that the Angel had commanded the Apostle to measure the Temple 2. Of the two Witnesses the Builders and Governours of Gods Church that the Christian Church might be edified and amplified by the labour and the Testimony of his two Witnesses he proceeds to describe the Witnesses that should erect and build up his Church and to shew their indowments qualifications and abilities and what things should happen unto them how they should be destroyed and yet restored againe But now touching these two Witnesses Who are to be understood by the two Witnesses the first thing that is most requisite to be known for the better understanding of all the rest of the things that are said of them is to find out who are meant by these two Witnesses this is the greatest question and most of all unconsented who they are for the most learned Cardinall of Rome quoteth 4 Penmen of the Holy Scriptures as Malachy 4. and 5. the Son of Syrach Eccles c. 48. 10. c. 44.16 S. Math. relating the words of Christ Math. 17. c. 11. and St. Iohn in this very place here treated of Reve. 11. c. 3. and to these he adjoyneth seven or eight Ancient Fathers and some other learned Commentators upon the Apocalips Bellarm. de româ—n pontific l. 3. c. 3. that do all say if we will believe his Interpretation of the foresaid Scriptures these two Witnesses are Henoch and Elias that shall come from the place where they are now preserved by God to resist the Antichrist when he commeth and appeareth in the world and to Preach unto the people that they should not be seduced by the Antichrist the which office they shall do for the space
of 1200 and 60 dayes that make three years and a half just so long as Christ Preached after he was Baptized among the Jewes and at the end of those 1200 and 60 dayes they should be slaine by the Antichrist about one moneth before the Antichrist should be destroyed and it is a wonderfull thing to consider how many Papists are led away with the belief of these fictions of which I will not stand to confute and to shew their Vanity for that Bibliander and Chytraeus have sufficiently answered to these places Chytraeus in c. 11. Apoc. Math. 11.14 and have fully shewed howthese were the mistakes of those Fathers and but meere fancies of the Papists when our Saviour tels us plainly that Iohn Baptist was the Elias which was for to come and which the Jewes dreamed as the Papists do should be Elias the Tisbite that was taken up to Heaven in a Fiery Charet Exposition 2 Dr. Hammond in Apoc c. 11. Eusebius l. 4. c. 6. Others by these two Witnesses do understand two Bishops of Hierusalem wherof the one was Bishop over the Converted Jewes and the other of the Gentile Christians and these Berchochabas a Seditious and Rebellious Jew whereof Eusebius writeth did kill in the civil dissention of the Jewes as some Authors testifie but as unlikely as the former fiction of the Papists Reason 1 And the acts of the Apostles seem not to intimate any such thing but rather the clean contrary 1. Because we cannot yield that there were two Bishops of Hierusalem one of the Converted Jewes and another of the Gentile Christians as if they meant to make two distinct and severall Churches which might produce a great division and bring many Inconveniences betwixt the Jewish Christians and the Gentiles whereas now the partition Wall betwixt Jews and Gentiles was broken down and as both people were to have but one chief Shepheard that is Jesus Christ so they were to have but one fold and one Deputy Shepheard that is one Bishop under Christ in one City though I deny not but there might be subordinate Presbyters and Deacons under that Bishop to assist him to instruct the people and to Govern the Church Reason 2 2. Because the Revelation is not of known things that were already past for that is not properly a Revelation but a Narration of things especially things publickly done and not concealed but it is of things that were to come to pass and though Berchochabas was supprest by Rufus in the time of the Emperor Adrian about the 130 year of Christ yet it is thought that these men which are supposed to be two Bishops were slain long before this Revelation was shewed unto St. Iohn and not unlikely because Eusebius nameth 15 Bishops of Hierusalem that succeeded one another before Xistus that was but the sixth Bishop of Rome after the Apostles and lived about the beginning of Adrians time Reason 3 3. Because it is manifest that Berchochabas cannot be understood by the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit and the great Antichrist which is here said to kill the two witnesses because none of the notes and marks of that Beast under which notes the antichrist is described in the Scriptures do any wayes agree with Berchochabas for he never apostatized and fell away from Christ whom he never professed neither did he ever sit in the Temple of God as God nor wrought any signes or wonders nor went about his work slily mysteriously as the Antichrist doth but he went about his design openly and plainly aperto marte with armed Troops and therefore he cannot be understood to be the killer of these two witnesses nor these witnesses to be those two supposed Bishops of Hierusalem Exposition 3 Francisc Junius in loc Others by these two witnesses do understand it generally of the Ministers and Preachers of Gods word that are expressed by the number of two because of their weakness contemptibleness and fewness according to our Saviours words The harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few and yet they are two that they might the better assist one another and especially Deut. 19.13 2 Cor. 13.1 Mat. 18. v. 16. to confirm the Testimony of one another unto all other men according as the Law requireth that by the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word might be made good unto men as the Apostle sheweth But I can see no reason that all the Ministers and Preachers of Gods word should be expressed by the number of two when as though in the beginning when Christ spake it the number of the Apostles and Disciples were but very few yet the Psalmist prophesying of the succeeding time of the Gospel after the day of Pentecost saith that God gave the word and great was the Company of the Preachers and they could not be weak and contemptible during the time of their prophesying and before the coming of the Antichrist because they were the two Olive Trees and the two Candlesticks that stand before the God of the Earth and if any man hurt them that is during the time of their Prophesie Apoc. c. 11.4.5 fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies and therefore our last translation addeth for the explanation of the point the word power unto the Text saying and I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesie that is Apoc. c. 11.3 during the time alotted them 1200 and 60 dayes so that none shall be able to hinder them Exposition 4 Others do conceive that by these two witnesses we may better understand the two Testaments that is the holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament whereof our Saviour saith Search the Scriptures for they testifie of me John 5.39 and thus do they expound them that make the Pope to be the Antichrist because he hath supprest the Scriptures both of the old and new Testament and hath offered violence and so killed the true sence and meaning of these two Testaments For the violence that the Pope and his Cardinalls and the whole Church of Rome have offered unto the holy Scriptures I cannot and I will not go about to excuse them neither do I think that they can excuse themselves but though the two Testaments are witnesses of Christ and do bear witness of him yet because they are but a dead letter and so dead witnesses as are the Heavens and all the works of God the witnesses of God though the Scriptures truly expounded are by far the clearer and the surer witnesses of him but being turned like a nose of wax by the Hereticks as they are very often I assure my self they are not here meant by these witnesses because they cannot properly nor indeed any wayes be said to be killed when the truth may onely be wounded and for a time suppressed but never killed and quite extinguished quia magna veritas prevalet as Zorchabel proveth and it is but an idle shift
it and prosper which you may see more at large in the History of the Machabees lib. 2. from the beginning of the third Chapter to the fifth Chapter thus far Mr. Mede Wherein habemus confitentem virum we have this learned man Hucusque ingenuously confessing enough to make good what I assume that the Witnesses should be slaine in the reformed Church and the cause that moveth God to suffer them to be killed and the Church to be deprived of them to be our sins our Sacriledge in robbing them of their revenues and our neglect and contempt of their persons which doth alwayes follow the pillaging of their Estates And if Mr. Mede had seen the unparalleled sacriledge and the incredible contempt of the best men in holy Orders and the trampling of the highest form in Christ his school underfoot that we see now what would he have said then to these things I think as much as I if not more But if the witnesses be taken away and killed as he feareth Therefore he is not the Pope nor Turk in the reformed Churches and their killing must be there because there is the place where they do bear witness and it is the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit that killeth them and that Beast is the great Antichrist as hereafter I shall make plain unto you therefore it must needs follow that the Antichrist must needs rise in like manner out of the reformed Church and so neither Pope nor Turk can be the Antichrist Then after the witnesses be killed ejected and deprived of all respect it is said How the worldly and carnall men rejoyce for the killing of the two Witnesses For the manner of sending gists See Hest 9.19 and 22. Isai 9.3 Earthly men accounted those that restrained them from their wickedness their tormentors vers 9. that they which dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the earth that is the carnall earthly and worldly minded men shall rejoyce over them and make merry and send gifts one to another that is for very joy that those witnesses are vanquished and suppressed they shall be the more Joviall and much more exercise the jollity of their mirth and Jubilee now and send gratulatory presents and make feasts for Colonels and Captains that had followed the war and suppressed these two witnesses and so rejoyce according to the joy in harvest and as men rejoyce when they divide the spoil Gaudebunt gaudio maximo they will rejoyce with the greatest joy that can be more then ever they did rejoyce before And the Reason of this their Jubilee and great joy is not omitted to be here rendred by the Holy Ghost and therefore not to be passed over in silence and that is saith he because these two Witnesses that is the King by his just Lawes his powerfull sword that formerly turned the waters of their unlawfull lusts and pleasures as Moses did the waters of Egypt into blood and the Bishops by their spirituall Courts and sentence of excommunication that like fire proceed out of their mouth to root out the refractory carnall and lewd livers out of the Church or to reduce them to repentance tormented them that dwell on the earth that is by rebuking them in their Sermons punishing them in their Conrts and so the witnesses vexed them by their reproofs and by their lawes both Ecclesiasticall and Civil which inflicted penance and imposed fines imprisonment and death it self upon the scandalous transgressors of the Lawes of God and the King by which means of the said civil Rule and Government there was some restraint to bridle those earthly and carnall men to curb them that they should not gallop so fast as they desired and as otherwise they would have done in their lewd and ungodly courses for which bridling and hindering of them to run on in their evil and wicked wayes these two witnesses were deemed by all those that dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the earth and had their conversation and delight in the things of the earth to be their very enemies and their greatest tormentors And now I demand How the carnall worldly men do rejoyce to see the King and the Bishops supprest If the earthly and carnall men the lewd livers adulterers Sabbath breakers Drunkards and the like transgressors of the Law of God and the Church did not rejoyce and leap for joy to see the King killed and all the Bishops suppressed and their Courts that restrained their outrages and impieties quite abolished for though all godly men and all honest men do mourn and are grieved at the heart for those things that were done to these witnesses of Christ yet they that dwell upon the earth and are onely cives hujus mundi the free citizens of this world and have none of their conversation in heaven are exceeding glad that there is no king in Israel and no Bishop in the Church of God that is no Monarch or supreme Governour to punish their unjust doings and no Bishops Court to question them for any of their prophaneness or to prohibite any lewdness and exorbitances but that they might as now they do in many places live after their own lusts And do now what they list in all lasciviousness and wantonness and do what they list run and preach without a calling and so fill the Church with sects heresies and errours and as it was said of some lascivous Friers Mane filium virginis praedicant in choro Nocte filium veneris agitant in thoro So may we far more justly say it of these unlawfull uncalled and unlearned earthly Preachers that prate and preach and say and say and all to none other end but to hide their wantonness and worldliness and to deceive the world Thus you see how the two witnesses of Christ are killed That the Church that is the true and farthfull Christians shall be troden underfoot so long as the witnesses shall remain dead and shall for three days and a half lie unburied without their last honour without favour and without any respect in the world but the worldly men rejoycing for their dejection And all this while that the witness-bearers of Gods truth shall be as dead men in the world and as stincking carkasses in the nostrils of them that dwell on the earth the holy city that is the true Church of Christ which is as St. Augustine calleth it the City of God shall be as the Angel saith c. 11.2 troden under foot by the Gentiles that is the uncircumcised that served not God and were none of Gods people but such as followed after their Idols and their own ungodly wayes so shall the wicked hypocrites worldlings and carnall men that are here understood by these Gentiles prophane the Houses of God the Temples the Oratories and all other places consecrated for Gods service when the fonts wherein they were baptized shall be thrown out of the Churches the windows shall be
conceive more agreeable to the meaning of the Holy Ghost then her Son and the Dragons eating of it would be a speedy devouring of her Child whether it were Male or Female so the Dragon was watching this woman and is still watching to devoure every Child of the Church Male or Female And in the fifth verse the Angel saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V. 5. The diversity of opinions who this Child should be and the woman brought forth a man Child who was to rule the Nations with a rod of Iron and the Child was caught up to God and to his Throne where we are past the plaine and are come into the Wilderness wherein the way is not so easie to be found out when we do find so many pathes and such a great diversity of opinions among the learned who is meant by this Man child and what is to be conceived of his birth and of his taking up to the Throne of God Rupertus de victoria verbi dei l. 9. c. 28. l. 12. c. 2. Math. 2.16 c 4.1 for some Interpreters by the Birth of this Man child do understand the Birth of Jesus Christ in the Jewish Synagogue of the Blessed Virgin whom the red Dragon the Devill by Herod his grand instrument sought immediately to destroy as soone as ever he was borne as St. Mathew sheweth and also tempted him as soon as ever he was Baptized as the same Evangelist declareth But against this E. H. doth rightly oppose E. H. de Apostasia pag. 44. that the Revelation is not of known things that are past but as the Angel saith of things that must shortly come to pass and the incarnation or Birth of Christ of the Virgin Mary was not to come the same being already past well nigh an 100. years before and therefore though we deny not but the Dragon sought to destroy Christ as Rupertus saith as soon as ever he was brought forth out of his Mothers Womb yet we say that cannot be the meaning of this place which is to be understood of another Child that is to be borne of another Woman E. H. Lococitato By this Child understandeth the great Constantine and therefore E. H. and some other Authors do understand this woman to be the Primitive Church of the Christians groaning to be delivered from under the bloody Tyranny of the Red Dragon that is from the cruel dealing and sad condition that she sustained under the Pagan and persecuting Emperours and the Lord delivering her from those Tyrants by raising up Constantine who as they say is the Man-child that the Church then brought forth a good Christian to rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron that is to subdue Licinius and Maxentius and the Nations that adheared to them with his Victorious Sword and he was caught up to God when he was converted from an Infidell to become a Christian and he was placed in Gods Throne when he attained to the Imperiall Majesty The which exposition The former exposition rejected though it seem very probable and plausible yet cannot I yield unto it to be the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this place because this woman doth not crie to be delivered from her enemies that were without her but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having in her belly that is a Child within her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she cryed by reason of her child birth pain which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that cometh from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to bring forth a Child from whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie dolor parturientis the very pangs and pain of bringing forth the Child into the world and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 torqueo to be grieved or vexed and wrested with pain doth make it manifest that she cryed not to be delivered from her enemies but to be delivered of her child that she had in her womb and would faign have him to be brought forth into the world That Constantine is not the Man-child here meant Neither can I see any reason to perswade me to yield that this man-child should signifie Constantine the great Reason 1 1. Because this woman which signifieth the Church was not as then before Constantines time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 circumcinctasole cloathed or girded and compassed about with the great light of the Sun that is fully inlightened and instructed with the Doctrine of Christ and the many points of particular truths of Christian Religion nor can we finde her to be thus inlightned untill the time of Theodosius alter the death of Valens and Gratian which was about the year of Christ 382 when those great lights The woman not cloathed with the Sun till 382. that God then raised in his Church to expell the foggy mysts of errors and clouds of heresies that were formerly raised by the Hereticks and still pestered the Church St. Hierome St. Ambrose St. Augustin St. Basil Bishop of Caesaria that for his great learning and wisdom was rightly termed Basilius Magnus great St. Basill Gregory Nazianzen that for his excellent skill and knowledge in Divinity was styled Theologus the Divine as the writer of these Revelations is called John the Divine Epiphanius Cyrillus Bishop of Hierusalem When the Bishops were like Stars and when like the Sun and many more most worthy men of great learning and piety made the truth of the Gospel of Christ that was left unto us by the Evangelists and Apostles to shine in the Church as the Sun in the Firmament that formerly while those hereticks that Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius and St. Augustine record troubled the Church and darkned the truth of the Gospel the said truth shined but as the light of the Starres and therefore during those times of the grand Hereticks the very Angels of the seven chiefest Churches of Asia that is the Bishops and prime Pastors of those Churches Revelat. 1.20 were called seven Starres for the seven Starrs are the Angels of the seven Churches saith the Holy Ghost and the twelve Apostles are compared unto twelve Starres as I shewed to you before and the Church could not be inlightned with the light of the Sun when her chief teachers were but Starres and shined to her but as Starres though the light which these Starres sent forth was the light which they received from the Sun that is the Sun of righteousness as the Prophet calleth him but in the year 382. and about that time Reignolds Devitis Imperat. fol. 115. was the flourishing time of the learned when the Doctrine of Christ did shine as the Sun saith Reignolds Reason 2 2. Because that although the Church like the woman that is with Child is pained before the time of birth yet is she most of all tormented when the child is nearest to be born so the Church had her pangs in those that she brought forth in the
the Divines into their Cloysters which was the Churches Heaven upon Earth and he will not so part with her Mr. Mede pag. 40. What is meant by the War of Michael and his Angels against the Dragon and his Angels as there to let her escape free from his assault but be will now prosecute another kind of Combate with her which he had only begun before when he saw himself like to be worsted in the former conflicts and that Combate shall be not as E. H. and Mr. Mede do imagine the bloody Warrs of the persecuting Tyrants which was already past and the Dragon failed of his purpose therein but bellum dogmaticum a verball Warr that is a spirituall Scholastick and Ecclesiasticall War like the Pharsalian civil War of the Romans when a Kingdome is divided amongst it self which is the Worst and most dangerous of all Wars and so is this Ecclesiasticall War that the Hereticks and their grand Captaines the Proselites of Arius Nestorius Eutyches Pelagius Manichaeus Aerius the Trinitarians Millenaries and the rest of that litter did still prosecute to molest the Church of Christ And my reasons to prove this War to be no Bloody War The hereticall War but rather a spirituall and Ecclesiasticall War are these Reason 1 1. Because this War is said to be in Heaven which cannot signifie the seat and place of the Blessed Angels and of the Saints departed out of this life because that neither War nor sorrow nor any other trouble can come there and therefore the seat of this War must be not the World simply considered which is never called Heaven but the Church of God which is the Christians Heaven here upon Earth and the Arke that carrieth us through the Seas of this World into the Eternall Heaven and therefore this War being said to be rather in the Church then in the World when as our Saviour speaking of our bloody Wars saith in the World you shall have Tribulations must needs be an Ecclesiasticall Hereticall and no bloody War no worldly War Reason 2 2. Because it is said that Michael and his Angels that is Christ and the true Bishops and Pastors of his Church that are called the Angels of the Churches and not Michael and his Princes Revelat. 1.20 fought against the Dragon and his Angels and not as it is said in Daniel that he affisted his Angel against the King of Persia but with the Dragon and his Angels Dan. 10.13 that is the Devil and his false Prophets the Hereticks that molested the Church and corrupted the true faith and the right Service of God and yet as their Master the Devil transformeth himself into an Angel of light as the Apostle speaketh so will the false Prophets be deemed and esteemed Angels but this Heavenly Angel tells us they are the Angels of the Dragon that make this War with the Angels of Christ Reason 3 3. And lastly because that in this War we find none slaine nor any blood spilt as they were under the persecuting Tyrants as well the Arian Kings as the Pagan Emperors and therefore this War must needs be understood of no Forreigne bloody War but of a Verball spirituall Warr waged within the bosome of the Church that happened after the death of Theodosius who had freed the Church from all externall Wars and bloody persecutions but could not stop the mouth of the false Prophet nor hinder the Dragon and his Angels to raise and prosecute this Hereticall War And yet now How the Church prevailed against the Hereticks as the Woman formerly prevailed in the first War against the bloody Instruments of the Dragon that were vanquished in patientia Martyrum through the patience of the Martyrs and the sufferings of the Saints so here in this second War she gets the Victory over her Enemies and the Dragon is overcome c. 12. v. 11. by the blood of the Lamb and his Angels vanquished by the word of their Testimony v. 11. that is the Hereticks and Scismaticks were confuted and silenced in prudentia Doctorum by the Wisdome of the Bishops that were the Governours of the Church and by their learned writings and faithfull Preaching of Gods truth and not with the Sword or Cannon shot or any other such outward force which the Angels of Jesus Christ the Ministers of the Gospel never use as the Angels of the Dragon do and now did in many places because they are commanded with St. Peter to put up their Sword into the sheath and it is for none but the satellites of the high Priests Math. 26.52 and the Jannizaries of the Antichrist to come out against Christ and to fight against his Witnesses with Swords and Staves Then Mr. Mede pag. 40. Michael significat quis sicut deus certe nullus nifi Jesus Christus the Dragon being by Michael that is by the power and Wisdome of God that is Jesus Christ which Michael fignifieth and not by any one of the chief Princes or of the seven Arch Angels as Mr. Mede thinketh cast out of Heaven that is driven from the Church as he did the buyers and sellers out of the Temple when all the errors heresies and superstitions which the Devil by his prime Angells the Heresiarches had invented and sowed amongst Gods people were confuted and rooted out of these our reformed Churches and these Churches restored to their Pristine purity and setled in the right forme of serving God by the painefull diligence of the learned Bishops the Pastors and the Protestant Preachers of Gods word which was fairly begun in Queen Elizabeths time The Victory in this War when obtained continued and bettered in King James his Reign but not clearly done and perfectly finished untill King Charles his dayes nor any where so purely done as in these our dominions as I have fully proved unto you before there ensued a two-fold act or a double consequence of this great Victory of Michael and his Angels over the Dragon and his Angels 1. The Tryumph rejoycing and Jo-paean of the Conquerors The twofold Consequence of the Church his Victory over the Hereticks cap. 12.11 the Inhabitants of Heaven 2. The fretfull wrath and continued malice of the Conquered Dragon 1. In Heaven that is in the Church of God as I said before St. John heard a loud voyce saying now is come Salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the power of his Church c. 12. v. 10. where you must first observe the Emphasis in the word now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now is Salvation come and it was come long before when Christ had fully purchased our Redemption before his Ascention into Heaven but I conceive this Salvation to be meant not of our spirituall and eternall Salvation from Sin Hell and Satan which was come by Christ long before but for our Temporall Salvation and deliverance from the power and malice of our Enemies and that was now come that is fully and perfectly
come A speciall observation of the time of this rejoycing and not before because that till now the Church was exercised either with bloody persecutions from without or with intestine broyles and heresies from within but now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the accuser and false traducer of our Brethren the Holy Prophets and the Apostles of Christ by misapplying their sayings misconstring their words and perverting their meaning and making them to say that which they never thought as all Hereticks do being cast out of the Church and quite vanquished consuted and silenced 1. By the blood of the Lamb that is by the faith which the true Christians had in the death of Christ and by the patient sufferings of the Martyrs for the defence of that faith in the former persecutions both of the Pagans and Arians when they loved not their lives unto death but valued them as nothing and yielded them most freely for the maintenance of that Faith which they had in the blood of the Lamb. and 2. by the word of their Testimony that is the breif Articles of their faith and the uniforme rule of Serving God and by the constant firme and faithfull justifying and maintaining the truth of that Doctrine and Service which they professed and published unto the people against all Hereticks whatsoever Therefore now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 12. rejoyce you Heavens Use 12 1. The rejoycing of the Angels and Saints the Church tryumphant and militant for the suppression of the Hereticks and ye that dwell in them that is the highest Heavens and all you Blessed Spirits and Holy Angells that do rejoyce at the Conversion of one Sinner rejoyce now much more for these great Victories and especially for this last victory that Michael and his Angels hath obtained against the Dragon and his Angels and you the Metaphoricall Heavens the Churches of God wherein God resideth rejoyce you as you have most cause to rejoyce that the accuser of your brethren and the false traducer of the Apostles and Holy Fathers of the Church is cast out from amongst you and your Churches are purely reformed the doctrine of faith truely taught and the service of God righty administred and all errors heresies and superstitions swept out of the Church But woe to the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea v. 12. that is Who are meant by the inhabitants of the earth and of the Sea to the Worldlings Hypocrites bloody men and loose livers for the earth signifyeth earthly men and the Sea is a loose roaring and raging element cold and moyst and therefore signifieth the loose and dissolute livers roarers and furious men that have not any heat of Love and Charity in them and those also that for the love of gaine and profit only and not out of love to benefit their Countrey and their Neighbours and to shew the bountifull goodness of God to all places but onely out of a covetous desire to inrich themselves do passe all Seas into all forreign Lands woe woe unto all those because that he which could not and can not prevail against the true Christians that do so firmly stand and so stoutly oppose him will be sure to catch these soon enough within his net and hold them fast enough to make them pay for all because as the Holy Ghost saith he hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great wrath and is exceedingly troubled and vexed not onely for his former foyl and his casting out of Heaven but also most especially for that now after these victories he knoweth or as the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he seeth that he hath but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a short space to recruit and to see if he can revenge his former foyls and therefore 2. 2. The bloody and the most malicious persecution of the Dragon after the suppression of the Hereticks He goeth presently among the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea and perswades them to throw all the stones of the Earth and to stir up all the waves of the Sea and to use all possible arts to vex and oppress the woman and to overwhelm the Ship of Christ which is the Church in the Seas of all miseries and afflictions And so now the Dragon begins a fresh to rage and to persecute the woman saith the Holy Ghost v. 13. which brought forth the man-child and to vex and molest all her Children all the true and faithfull members of the Church whereof most of them especially her lay children were left prety quiet while the spirituall and dogmaticall warre lasted that raged most of all amongst the Clergy but now that warre being ended the Church reformed superstitions expunged and all the Heresies confuted the Dragon vanquished his Angels suppressed and the service of God purely and rightly discharged the true Church and all her members the corrupted unreformed Churches he hath them in his hands already so that he need not trouble himself to meddle with them are newly molested and exceedingly persecuted with great wrath saith the Angel and that is with a bloody warre and a greater warre and a far more unnaturall and unchristian warre and a more violent and more malicious prosecution of the warre and persecution of them that were quiet in the Land then ever was done by this Dragon at any time before this time And the reason of the exceeding greatness and sharpness of this persecution of the true Church The reason of the sharpness of this persecution shewed signified by this woman is not omitted to be set down by the Holy Ghost for the comfort and consolation of all the persecuted Saints and distressed members of Christ and for to incourage them with the more constancy to persist and to withstand the assaults of the Dragon unto the end and that is because the Dragon that in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had many hundred years to prosecute that heriticall and dogmaticall war yet now knoweth and seeth that he hath but a short time to rage and to wage this newly revived bloody war and therefore he must bestir himself or he shall lose his Harvest that hath but a short time to gather in his fruit and that time that he is permitted thus to rage against the woman as the spirit of God sets it down Cap. 12.14 c. 11 8 v. 11. c. 13 5. c. 11.2 is but a time and times and half a time which signifieth the three dayes and a half that the two witnesses of Christ shall lie unburied in the streets of the great City and the 42 moneths wherein the beast should prevail against Gods Servants and should tread the holy City that is the purest Church under feet for all these times thus exprest by severall termes and expressions The suppression of the witnesses and persecution of the Church the same time as of time times and half a time and three dayes and a half and 42 moneths and do synechronize and cohere for the
Worldlings and Prophane livers whatsoever and whersoever they be and upon many of Gods Servants that cannot escape a common plague while they live among the wicked And so you have the determination and extention of these three great woes The 3 great Woes upon whom they are to sall 1. Woe troubles and afflictions that have and shall fall upon the World thus more plainly expressed The first woe fell heavy upon the Eastern Churches by the comming in of the Turks and Mahometans for their Blasphemous Heresies and denying the deity both of Christ and of the Holy Ghost and likewise the deniall of all the due reverence and respect which they owed to the Martyrs and Saints of God whereof Leo Isaurus and Constantinus Capronimus and the Constantinopolitan Councill that consisted of 338. Bishops were the chief causers and the Principal Authors of that contempt and were sufficiently chastised for the same The second woe is now fallen or falling 2. Woe or most like to fall upon these Western Protestant Churches by the comming in of the Antichrist that was long expected and Prophesied that he should come amongst them to play his part for that having the true Doctrine of Christ and the right forme and manner of Gods service settled and established amongst them they would notwithstanding in a wild wantonness be seduced by the false Prophet to reject the same to suppress their Governours to slay the Witnesses of Christ and being most perfect Hypocrites to lead a most worldly life farr worse then either Papists or Pagans under the Cloak and Visard of piety and Saintship The third and last woe that we are certaine is yet to come and will come as the Angel saith very speedily after the end and determination of the second woe shall fall most Heavily as I said upon the Mahometans and the Antichrist and his adherents and the false Prophet and upon all the Enemies of God and the bringers of the former woes upon his Church and all other Lewd and wicked livers whatsoever And now I should proceed to the 13th Chapter 3. Woe but that there is an exposition of this 12th Chapter annexed to our Bibles which might if not answered cross much of what I have formerly explained for Francis Junius a very Worthy man and not meanely learned in his notes joyned to Theodore Beza's translation of the New Testament upon this 12th Chapter understandeth by this Woman Junius his interpretation of the Woman in his notes on the 12. Chapter Eusebius l. 3. c. 5. sometimes the Christian Church of the Jewes and sometimes he would have the Woman to signifie the gentile Christians and he saith that the Woman which fled into the Wilderness where she was fed for a time and times and half a time signifieth the Jewish Christians or Christian Jewes that fled out of Hierusalem when the Romans were comming to besiege it into a little Village called Pella as Eusebius writeth and remained there a postrema Judaeorum defectione ad urbis excidium usque from the last falling away or revolt of the Jewes untill the destruction of their City and Temple which was just three years and a half and by the earth that opened her mouth to swallow up the flood that the Dragon cast after her he saith it signifieth the unbelieving and Rebellious Jewes that underwent the War and sustained all the miseries that the Romans brought upon that Nation whereby those believing Jewes that were in Pella did escape that flood of afflictions that otherwise must have fallen upon them if they had not fled out of Hierusalem when they heard the voyce that cryed in the ayre migremus hinc let us depart hence And so he conceiveth this passage of the Woman into the Wilderness expressed in the 14th v. where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time which he rightly expoundeth for three years and a half to be not the same with that passage of the Woman The foresaid interpretation of Junius rejected expressed in the sixt verse where she is fed 1200 and 60 dayes which he also rightly expoundeth to signifie 1200 and 60 years but he misapplyeth this second passage of the Woman into the Wilderness to a Woman that cannot be understood in that place as appeareth Reason 1 1. In that the Woman for there is no mention made in all the Chapter but of one and the same Woman that is the Christian Church or the Christians that believed in Jesus Christ is said to be fed that is to be guided Governed and instructed by the two Witnesses that is 1. The Kings and their under Magistrates and 2. The Apostles and the Bishops that succeeded the Apostles and the rest of Gods Ministers for 1200 and 60 dayes that is as Junius himself expoundeth it 1200 and 60 years and we are sure the believing Jewes in Pella were not so long guided and instructed by these Witnesses in that place nor in any place else that we know of and therefore they cold not be signified by this Woman Reason 2 2. In that this Revelation was not of known things that were already past but of things that were hereafter to be fulfilled that is after they were revealed unto St. And c. 4.1 Dr. Hammond in apoc ex Epiphanio baeresi 51. Irenaeus adversus haereticos libro 5. Balaus l 3. saith it was in the 15th year of Domitian John as the Angel telleth plainly unto our Evangelist c. 1. 19 And this time when St. John was banished into Patmos and wrote this book was not in the reigne of Claudius Caesar that banished all the Jewes out of Rome as some men out of Epiphanius do imagine and as hereafter I shall make it more fully to appeare but it was about the latter end of Domitians reigne as both Justin Martyr and Irenaeus testifie and as Balaeus Beza Maresius and the most of our best late Writers do assent to Irenaeus testimony and that was about the year of Christ 98. and these believing Jewes fled to Pella either when vespasian began the War or when Titus his Son came to besiege Hierusalem which was about 40 years after Christ his Ascention that is in the year of our Lord 73. and in the second year of Vespasians reigne that was proclaimed Emperor in 72 and therefore those Jewes could not be here mentioned Reason 3 3. In that their being in Pella that was neer enough to Hierusalem though it was beyond Jordan during all the time of the siege could be but little better if we consider the miseries of billetting our enemies Souldiers and our plundering our commanding and other abuses that are incident unto us by and from them that follow the Wars of whom the Poet saith Nulla fides pietassque viris qui castrasequuntur then if they had been within the City of Hierusalem save only the freedome of their lives when perhaps their other troubles and abuses were no wayes Iess if not in some respect
far greater then the troubles of many of them that were within the Walls of Hierusalem And therefore their being in Pella could not fignifie the earths opening of her mouth to swallow up the flood of their afflictions which no doubt but they endured in full measure Reason 4 4. In that Pella being but a little Village it is not likely that it could containe so many of the Jews or that so many should go out of Hierusalem unto it as should move the Holy Ghost to express them here under the notion of this Woman that was persecuted by the Dragon when as these were not the men against whom Titus waged his War being so few and so contemptible and no wayes opposing him Reason 5 5. In that this persecution of the Woman and her flight into the Wilderness is after the Warre in Heaven and after the Dragon was throwen into the earth as the Text makes it plain v. 13. 14. but these Jewes being in Pella was long before this warre and therefore they cannot be meant by this woman Reason 6 6. In that according to the old rule non est distinguendum ubi non distinguit lex we may not chop and change times places and persons where Scriptures change them not to fit our own purposes and to make good our own best liked Interpretations which is but as the Poet saith to stagger Nunc huc nunc illuc exemplo nubis aquosae Much like a waterish Cloud which sometimes hither is driven with the wind How men should fairly proceed in their interpretations without wresting of any Text. and sometimes thither or as another saith Praxitiles like to make beguiled mindes to bow down to the painted strumpet either of these high conceits of the great Scholars or of the brain-sick fancies of the weaker wits but we ought fairly to proceed according to the most genuine sence of the place that we enterpret and such as crosseth no other truth nor carrieth any absurdity or impossibility with it And who seeth not prima facie at the first sight and reading of this 12th Chapter how the Holy Ghost proceedeth therein to set forth the dangers troubles and persecutions of this woman that signifieth the Christian Church from the time that she became cloathed with the Sun and the beginning of her pain in travell unto the end of her persecutions as how she should flie into the Wilderness how long she should be nourished and fed in that place what Warres she should undergo in that time and after the ending of that Warre and the stepping out of her place how she should be therefore punished and persecuted and for what time she should be distressed in that persecution and how she should be helped and relieved out of the hands and power of her enemies which are all successively in a continued Series and a just order set down by the spirit of God of the same woman that was the Christian Church in this 12th Chapter of the Revelation And as not all this by Junius his concession so indeed not any part of this can be referred to the believing Jewes in Pella as understood by this woman v. 14. but to the Christian Church converted and collected both out of the Jewes and Gentiles especially considered after the time of Theodosins as I have shewed to you before And this last persecution of this woman can be no otherwise understood Why this last persecution of the woman is to be referred to these our times as I conceive then of the sufferings of the reformed Protestant Churches and servants of Christ in these our times wherein we live because they fall out just at the end of 1200 and 60 years wherein the two witnesses after that the woman was cloathed with the Sun should prophesie and the woman should be fed by the witnesses before they should be slain and before the beginning of this her great persecution and flood of all miseries that the Dragon by the service of the Antichrist should raise against her and throw after her And I say that although Arethas Rupertus and Barradius do with Junius understand this woman to signifie the Jewish Synagogue and Alcazar takes it for the primitive Church of the Christians to whom I do assent she may be taken for that Church at that time when the Dragon began to watch her that he might devoure her Child yet St. Ambrose Ticonius and Primasius do with me understand this woman here flying to avoid the Dragons flood to signifie the true Christian Church in her last persecution sub finem mundi a little before the end of the world when Satan should be let loose after his 1000 years imprisonment and should then powre forth a flood and deluge of all crosses troubles and miseries upon the true Church and the faithfull servants of Jesus Christ the which I think he hath now within these late years done to the uttermost Reason 7 7. And lastly in that these times of the womans being fed and nourished in the Wilderness for 1200 and 60 years wherein the Hereticall war betwixt the Angels of Michael and the Angels of the Dragon was made and was not ended here in our Church until King Charles his dayes in whose time both the Brownists and Puritans were suppressed and the Jesuite Fisher the great Golias of the Papists That the times here spoken of cannot cohere with the Jewes in Pella in these parts was quite vanquished and confuted by Bishop Laud and these times that are here expressed by time times and half a time which are the time of the Churches persecution after the 1200 and 60 years and the end of the hereticall warre cannot be referred to the believing Jewes in Pella but rather for the persecution of our Protestant Churches and the preservation of them from being ruined by the earths opening of her mouth to swallow up the flood of afflictions that the Dragon casteth after them because the Holy Ghost saith that after three dayes and a half which is the very same time though expressed in other termes with time times and half a time the spirit of life from God shall enter into the witnesses that is ministris verbi as Junius confesseth the Bishops and Preachers of Gods word or as E. H. more rightly thinketh the Magistrates and Ministers which formerly had been slain and they shall stand again upon their feet that is in their successors by a Monarchicall and Episcopall Government to shew that God will not suffer his Church and Servants to be alwayes nor long trodden underfoot and to want her lawfull Pastors and Governours but should have the witnesses of Christ within a short space restored unto her And we are confident that such a thing as this never happened to the believing Jewes in Pella nor to any other believing Church in the World that we know of that both the witnesses of God That we cannot remember where it happened that the chief Magi. strate and the
was grievously afflicted and persecuted long after Constantines time that is Christ which was brought forth by the Church in her Members and he used all his slights and devices to that purpose And through his Instruments persecuted and destroyed many a Christian man and therefore the Soules beheaded for Jesus did not as yet live in their successors and reigne with Christ nor was Satan bound from persecuting the Church when as he beheaded and killed them still and stirred up not only Constantius the Son of Constantine to be a great persecutor of the Orthodox Christians and Julian the Apostata his Cosen German and immediate successor to be greater then he but also the Arian Kings both of the Huns Goths and Vandalls that invaded Italy sacked Rome entred into Africa besieged Hippo and brought such infinite troubles and miseries upon the Church that Rupertus and Haymo considering the Cruelties of Gensericus against the true Christians Bishops and Priests and all that would not renounce the true faith and become Arians by putting many of them to death Victor l. de Vandalica persecutione and banishing others as Victor sheweth did find in him the number of the Beast 666 and therefore thought he might be the Antichrist and Attila stiled himself * Mundzuccus orbis terror and flagellum Dei the terror of the world and the scourge of God and about the same troublesome times the donatists swarmed in Africa and as St. Augustine sheweth brought an infinite deal of vexations upon the Church as did other Tyrants and Hereticks in other places which were wel-nigh as bloody and as cruel if not altogether as bad persecutions of the Church as formerly the Heathen Tyrants brought upon it Apoc. 11.3 Beza in loc And therefore the words of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I will give not Illud nor Illam as Beza saith but power unto my two Witnesses as our last English Translation hath it and they shall Prophesy 1200 and 60. dayes are to be understood to begin then or immediately after to be fulfilled when Phocas granted that power and preheminence unto Boniface the third Bishop of Rome Revel 20.4 Satan was bound and the Saints began to reigne with Christ after Phocas in Heraclius his time about 620. or 630. that the Sword of Satan had neither edge strength nor ability to suppress the word of God nor to abate one jot of the power of the Witnesses but that the Church her Governours were freed from all fear of Tyrants and judgments were given unto the Saints that is they which formerly were haled to be judged and condemned at the Barrs of their Enemies have now quiet possession of judicatures and censures to punnish and condemne the refractory which Ecclesiasticall discipline cold never be free from persecution nor be executed so freely and so justly as it ought to be so long as the Church was awed and her Governours suppressed and terrified either by the Heathen or the Arian Tyrants or by any other temporall Potentate or civill power of the Infidels that could master them for though as I said before Christ immediately after his ascension 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gave gifts to his witnesses Ephes 4.8 to inable them to prophesie and in and after Constantines time they had free leave to prophesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a far better manner and condition then before and a more plentifull measure of Gods spirit and assistance to beget Children more plentifully unto Christ and afterwards in Anno 395. Christian Religion tryumphed over the Gods of the Heathen when Theodosius first overcame Eugenius and Argobastus the two Standard-bearers of the Dragon and took away the College of the Idoll Pontifices and as Zosimus saith defaced the Temples of the Idolls which Constantine had onely shut and Julian had opened again yet in all this while he gave them not that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power so to prophesie and so to rule the Church as that they could not be resisted or hindered by any Heathen Potentate King or Emperour nor did he give the same power unto them untill Phocas his time Speed in vita Henrici 2. which then they had and held it alwayes after in their hands 1000 years at the least and indeed used it in a far higher measure against Christian Kings then God gave them leave to do as it appeareth not onely in the lives of the succeeding Emperours but also in our own Chronicles as specially by the passages betwixt Hen. 2. and Bishop Becket and the like And therefore the Saints 1000 years reigning and ruling with Christ and Satans 1000 years binding that he could not hinder the Church to rule did then begin either about the end of Phocas or rather in Heraclius Reign about the year of Christ six hundred twenty or six hundred thirty for Heraclius reigned 30 years Satans 1000 years binding ended in King Charles his Reign about Anno 1630. and died 641. and must end just in King Charles his time when the Devills Chain was broken all to pieces and Satan let loose like a roaring Lion to devour both King and Priest the two faithfull witnesses of Jesus Christ and abundance more of Gods true Servants throughout all Christendom And that for their Religion the profession of the true faith and the right service of God which was done no where else at no time before nor by any other instrument of Satan since the determination of the Heathen Tyrants and the Arian persecutions for though the Turks invaded Greece and took Constantinople and brought thither the Mahometan Religion as a just punishment and the first woe upon those Hereticall Churches yet it is most certain that this their invasion was libidine dominandi as Alexander entred into Persia and the Romans warred upon their Neighbours to gain their Territories through their ambition and greedy desire of bearing rule * Which doth so infinitely bewitch the mindes of men as Camerarius sheweth l. 5. c. 8. per totum for to inlarge their Dominion not so much for the suppressing of the Christian Religion or the inlargement of their own idolatrous superstition when we finde the Turks do now as the Romans did of old permit all Religions both Jewes and Christians Orthodox and Heterodox to live and to live peaceably amongst them and to exercise each one their own Religion without any disturbance so they pay their alotted taxations and submit themselves unto their Lawes in a civill Government which cannot properly be said to be a persecution of the Christians qua Christians and because they do profess the Christian Religion but rather a worldly desire of Dominion That the Turks invasion was not for the suppression of the Christian Religion but for the desire of dominion and so we read that Almanzor the great Mahometan Emperour which being interpreted signifieth the defender of the Law of God meaning the Alcoran that Hozman the Husband of
yet Junius doth expound it of the civil Empire of the Romans Alcazar saith it is to be understood de Romano imperio athnico of the Romane Ethnick Government under the Heathen Emperors Mr. Mede understands it of the Caesarian Empire parted into ten Kingdomes and Dr. Hammond makes it to signifie the Heathen Idoll worship of the Romans and so as St. Augustine saith of the like case alij atque alij aliud atque aliud opinati sunt and it is not my purpose neither will my time and my book give me leave to shew the mistakes and to confute all and every one of the assertions of these learned men that be they never so learned may be easily deluded by the strength of their own fancies especially when they are byassed to some wrong end or carryed away with any prejudicate conceit but I hope the Testimonyes of so many ancient and worthy Fathers that I have before named and the particular description of this Beast which I shall explaine unto you and likewise his acts and doings together with many other circumstances and particularities That this Beast signifieth the Wicked state and Government of the Antichrist that are hereafter to be specified will overweigh the opinions of these and other worthy men that think otherwise then I set downe and will make it plaine unto you that by this Beast is signified the great and greatest Antichrist that should come into the world or the flagitious State and Government of the Antichrist opponent and set up against the true Government of Christ though pretending very strongly to be the very same in all things with that Government which Christ himself hath instituted and for the inlargement of the Church and Kingdome of Christ for 1. 1. The Beast had 7 heads This Beast is said to have seven heads and these seven heads say some of them that by this Beast do understand the Ethnick Empire of Rome are the seven principall persecutions of the Christians betwixt the time of Nero and of Julian the Apostata Ut refert Cornelius alapide as first Domitian second Traian third Antoninus fourth Severus fifth Decius sixt Valerianus seventh Dioclesian and those of Maximinus and Aurelianus Dr. Hammond in c. 17 pagina 985. c. 13. pag. 967. are not accounted as any heads of the Beast because the commands of Aurelianus were not executed and that of Maximinus was not universall but only against the Pastors and Preachers of the people or as some others do account these seven heads first Claudius second Nero third Galba fourth Otho fifth Vitellius sixth Vespasian seventh Titus But against this Caracotta strigil pag. 52. it is justly objected that six of these never made any Cruel edict against the Christians and if these seven be the seven heads of the Beast then these being taken away the Beast shall remaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a body without a head and if Domitian be the Beast that was and is not as both Grotius and Dr. Hammond think then these seven heads must be heads without a body because they had all been and had all past before Domitian came Alapide saith C. a lapide in loc Mr. Mede hac septem capita sunt septem reges qui praecesserunt Antichristum these seven heads are seven Kings which have gone or shall come and go before the Antichrist commeth Mr. Mede takes these seven heads for the seven states of the Roman Government pag. 49. 1 Kings 2 Consuls 3 Tribunes 4 Decemviri 5 Dictators 6 Emperors 7 Popes And so Maresius saith these seven heads do signifie not the seven Kings which Grotius nameth Mares pag. 17.2 pag. 118. but the seven politique formes of Government whereof five were now already past the sixt that was of the Caesars was then in being and the seventh which was to continue but a very short time under Odoacer was to succeed in his time for whereas Mr. Mede maketh the 7th Order of their Government to be that of the Popes Maresius makes it of Odoacer King of the Heruli which extinguished the Government of the Caesars in Augustulus Baron ad ann 476. n. 1. when the Westerne Empire wholly ceas't and was divolved unto the Barbarians and the forme of Government quite altered because saith he nomen regis assumsit Odoacer cum tamen nec purpura nec regalibus uteretur insignibus Alcazar saith they be the seven deadly sins that are the seven heads of this Beast Which Endaemon confuteth pag. 122. c. and 128. c. Apud Thomson pag 53. as first the pride of a Lyon second the Covetuousness of a Tygar third the Luxury of a Bear fourth the Anger or wrath of a Viper fifth the Gluttony of a Wolfe sixth the Envy or malice of a Serpent seventh the Sloath and Laziness of an Ass seven heads that are very great and very bad heads indeed and he must needs be a very bad Beast that hath all these seven bad Heads but The Holy Ghost expounding these seven Heads saith they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seven Mountaines and Theodore Beza c. 17.9 Francis Junius with the most part of our latter Interpreters that would faine make the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy of the Pope to be the Beast and Rome to be his seat do expound them to be the seven hills whereupon the City of Rome was built which are Mount 1. Palatine 2. Capitoline 3. Quirinall 4. Caelius 5. Esquiline 6. Aventine 7. Viminall In respect whereof the Grecians call the City of Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and varro calls it Septiceps seven headed Rome and others call it the City of seven Hills Virgilius georgic lib. 2. versus sinem as Virgil speaking thereof saith Scilicet rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma Septemque una sibi muro circumdedit arces and Propertius saith Vrbs Septem alta jugis toti quae presidet orbi and Ovid saith Ovid. trist l. 1. eleg 4. Sed quae de Septem totum circum spicit orbem Montibus imperij roma deumque locus But though the Greeks and Latines call Rome the City of seven Hills That the seven Hills are not the seven Heads of the Beast yet this seemeth not to me to be the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this Text to understand these seven Hills by the seven Heads of the Beast Reason 1 1. Because that besides these seven Hills Rome had three other Hills that were of speciall note though not included within the pomaerium so soon as the other Hills were as 1. Collis Hortulorum where the cirque or shew place of Flora was 2. Janiculus where Janus was buried and which is now called Montorius Rosinus antiquit l. 1. c. 11. or Mons aureus the golden Hill 3. Vaticanus from vaticinium from whence they had their predictions and Prophesies and therefore seeing this City had ten Hills it is not likely that the Holy Ghost meant the first
because the spirit of God here in this Book setteth down the state and condition of his Church The main end and scope of the whole Book of the Revelation The fourfold enemies of the Church 1. The beast conceived to be 2. The Ecclesiasticall Whore or false Church which is the Church of Rome 3. The secular Whore or worldly Professors 4. The false Prophet or lying Preachers what piety they pretend and what great mischief they do and foresheweth her what afflictions and persecutions she should undergo through the malice of the Devill and by the meanes of those wicked Tyrants his Instruments that brought the first 10 great persecutions upon the Church and especially by those quaternion of adversaries that towards the end of the world should arise and seek to make an end of the true Church as 1. The beast the man of the sin the great Antichrist that would be an Antichrist that is an adversary unto Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most eminently and therefore is termed the beast that ascendeth out of the buttomless pit 2. The Ecclesiasticall Whore that breaks her faith with Christ and makes the Kings of the Earth and the Inhabitants of the Earth drunk with the wine of her fornication that is the fair glosses and the sweet conceits of her Idolatries and superstitions and makes her self drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and that is because they will not imbrace and follow her in her fornications 3. The secular Whore that followes after the World and will not take upon her the yoke of Christ but hateth all them that seek to withdraw her from the sweet pleasures of the flesh and the deceitfull vanities of the world 4. The false Prophet that by a pretended zeal to reclaim the Whores and to reduce the one from the world and the other from her errors unto Christ deceiveth all them that dwell on the earth and instigateth spurreth and setteth on the beast to proceed and to go on in all his villanies and wickedness against the Servants of Christ all which that should happen unto the Church from the time of the Angels revealing them before the end of the world the spirit of God would foreshew unto St. John that St. John might foreshew them unto the Church And this I take to be the main end and the chiefest scope of the whole Book of this Prophesie and therefore after he had told us of the beast that should so extremely persecute his Church in the 13th Chapter and would now further decipher him here in the 17th Chapter he addeth and there are 7 Kings that is which have and shall in like manner vex and persecute my Servants and this he saith Why the persecutions and afflictions of the Church are foreshewed and foresheweth to this end videlicet to teach the true believers in Christ by the examples of those former Martyrs that had already suffered under those five persecutors that were fallen and dead to be now in the time of this 6th and after in the 7ths time and under the Tyranny of the beast which is the 8th most patient in all their sufferings and to comfort themselves in all their miseries and afflictions when they do consider and weigh their own present state and condition with the precedent condition of those holy Martyrs that have suffered as much or more then they and are now for their constancy and patience in their persecutions crowned by Christ with eternall glory and also to put his servants in mind from what divine providence and to what end these persecutions are sent unto them when they do consider they come not by chance being thus foretold so long before they come but by the speciall appointment of Almighty God that knoweth what is best and disposeth all things for the best and for the speciall good of them that love him and then lastly to assure them of a glorious success and an undoubted Victory to become Conquerours even when they are conquered and do suffer their persecutions unto death because the same spirit that foretells us of their coming tells us also how our Brethren that went before us overcame all their sufferings and how we shall overcome them in like manner even when our enamies seem to overcome us And therefore immediately after the description of our enemies Chap. 13. and the setting down of our sufferings v. 7. the spirit of God addeth v. 9. v. 9 Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints that is their patience in suffering and their faith concerning their sufferings to believe that they come from God for their good and shall produce all good success unto them But these forenamed Emperors that are alledged to be here meant The foresaid Emperours not all so great persecutors of the Church were not all such great persecutors of the Christians but some of them were very Gentle and meek as Titus the Son of Vespasian who was therefore called deliciae generis humani the delight of mankind though indeed he was not altogether so delightfull nor so gentle to the Christians and others ruled but a very short space as Galba reigned but seven moneths and nine dayes Otho but four moneths Vitellius but eight moneths and we read of no great evills that these three men did unto the Christians though they were no good men and after these Vespasian reigned but nine years and eleven moneths and Titus but two years and twon moneths So that all these five from Nero to Domitian reigned not above fourtee years and therefore I conceive that these five could not be meant to be set in the Catalogue of the chief persecutors of Gods Church nor be ranked in the same Class with the beast and his adherents when as neither Eusebius nor any other Ecclesiasticall Historian reckoneth the first three amongst the persecutors And whereas Junins That the 8th is not said to be a King which ought to be specially observed in his Annotations annexed to our Bibles makes Trajan to be the 8th and others make Nerva and others Domitian I say that neither of them is here meant to be the eight and of the seven for I would have it observed that the eight is not said to be a King but there are seven Kings saith the Holy Ghost and but seven Kings are said to be and the Antichrist which is the beast and the eight is no where said to be a King or to have a Crowne upon his Head but upon his Hornes So that if either of these or any one of the other Roman Emperours or any other King whatsoever had been here meant to be the eight the Holy Ghost in all likelihood would have said and there are eight Kings Divers attributes of the the 8th not ascribed to any of the other seven whereas he saith and there are seven Kings Besides you may observe many other speciall marks and additionall differences that are
given to this eighth which are not attributed to any of the other seven and therefore makes it plaine that none of all the Emperors or Kings can be understood by this eight for first It is said that this eight is the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit and this is said of none of the other seven Secondly It is said that they that dwell on the earth shall wonder when they behold the beast which is not said at the beholding of any of the others For so the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kings or Emperors Thirdly It is said of this eight that he is of the seven and not one of the seven as our English Translation hath it and this is not said of any of the other seven Fourthly It is said of this eight that he shall goe into perdition which in like manner is not said of any of the other seven and Fifthly As I noted before when the Holy Ghost speaketh of this 8th he saith and the beast that was and is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our Bible renders even he and none other is the eighth mark it well Therefore I conclude that this eighth can be none of the foresaid Emperours nor any of all the Kings or Emperours of the world of whom none of these things is said that are said of this eighth who is no where said to be a King or to weare a Crown or to have any speciall Ensign either of King or Emperour and I conceive Who were the five Kings that were fallen 1. Caligula that by the 5 Kings which were then fallen we may understand the 5 greatest persecutors that lived and reigned after Christ his ascention and before this Prophesie was revealed unto our Evangelist and I take them to be 1. Caius Caligula that most vitious and bloody Tyrant who wished that all the Citizens of Rome had but one neck that he might chop it off at one blow and whom Grotius makes the man of sin and others do assent unto him 2 Claudius Tiberius 2. Claudius that banished both the Jewes and the Christians out of Rome 3. Domitius 3. Nero Nero that Monster of men that crucifie St. Peter and beheaded St. Paul within a year one of another and when he had burned a great part of the City of Rome that he might see how Troy burnt when it was taken by the Grecians to put off the blame from himself he layed the fault upon the Christians and persecuted them for the same 4. 4. Vespasian Vespasian that besieged Hierusalem and first began the Warre against the Jewes that brought abundance of miseries upon the Christians 5. 5. Titus Titus that utterly destroyed both their Temple and their City and therein many Christians as well as Jewes The Holy Ghost omitting the other three Emperours Galba 7. months Otho 4. M. Vitellius 8. M. Galba Otho and Vitellius as men that although they had been never so wicked yet in so short a space as they raigned when as all three raigned but one year and 7 moneths they could do no such great mischief unto his Church as deserved to inrole them in the Catalogue of the most noted persecutors And by that one 6. Then in being Domitian which is said then to be I do with Junius understand Flavius Domitian who caused this our Apostle to be throwen into a Tunne of boyling Oyl at Rome and afterwards seeing how the goodness of God preserved him therein 7. Julian the Apostata so that he took no more harm then the three Children did in the fiery Furnace or Daniel in the Lions Den he spared his life but banished him into the Isle of Patmos where this Revelation was shewed unto him and by the 7th I do absolutely conclude him to be Julian the Apostata Reason 1 1. Because that although Dioclesian was the cruellest the bloodiest of all the former persecutors yet the Holy Ghost saith the other that is not yet come which was the 7th when he cometh must continue but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a short space and we find that Dioclesian reigned 19 years before his persecution began and in all 25 years whereas Julian continued but 3 years at the most and therefore Dioclesian that continued so long cannot be meant Reason 2 2. Because that although the Christians under Deoclesian Decius Trajan and the other persecutors endured more cruel tortures and were far more in number * Scribit Damasus in vita Marcellini ut Supra 17 millia Christianorum intra unum mensem a Diaclesiano inter fecta tormented by these Tyrants then they were to be at any time either before or after yet quia sanguis martyrum semen Ecclesiae because the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church and causeth it to bring forth fruits more abundantly when as the cruelty of the Tyrants made the Christians the more constant in their profession and so could not do so much prejudice to the Christian Faith and Religion as Julian did for though Julian was not so bloody and so cruel as Dioclesian that forbad Charity to be shewed to the Christians that were in prison and even to those Vide Eusebium lib. 8. c. 2.3 et deinceps that they were bound to pitty by the Law of nature their Kindred nor did put the Saints to such ceuel deaths and tortures as the other his preceding persecutors were wont to do yet was he more devillish and far liker to overthrow Gods Church and to root out Christianity from off the earth then all the former Heathen persecuters were for as I said the more cruel they were against the Christians The two things that increased the Christian Religion 1. The constancy of the Martyrs 2. The Charity of the Christians the more did Christianity increase insomuch that as Sozomen saith Christiana religio propter constantiam martyrum Christianorum erga omnes cujusvis religionis beneficentiam longe lateque propagata est the Christian Religion by reason of the constancy of the Martyrs and the Charity of the Christians towards all men of what Religion soever they were spread it self far and neer when as the beholding of a poor Christian Woman so constantly and so manfully suffering Martyrdome for the faith of Christ moved a King and all his Family to become Christians which very point might be the Reason that all the other bloody Tyrants that were so succeed Domitian were pretermitted and not mentioned here by the Holy Ghost as upon the maine bringing no great detriment to the whole Church that gaineth thus much and more one way as she looseth another way But when the Tiger Julian that dealt like a Fox in all his wayes and perceived the issues of the former cruelties well enough and therefore with-held his hands from blood Socrates lib. 3. c. 10. and used his wit to root out the Christian
Faith from off the world by taking away all the meanes and maintenance of the Clergy and so exposing all the most reverend Bishops to scorne and contempt and then Idem c. 11. Lament 4 5. denying any Office or place of command or credit either in the Army or Civil Government to the Christians and thrusting all others out of their places and imployments that professed the Christian Religion and bestowing all Offices of honour and profit upon the Idol-Worshippers and so magnifying the superstitious and idolaters and bringing both the Clergy and lay Christians to extreame want and poverty and making them the spectacles of reproach when as many of them had not bread to put into their mouths and instead of Scarlet that they formerly used they must now be glad of rags and be driven as the Prophet speaketh to imbrace the dunghill and to dig or beg or starve he had almost extinguished the light of the Gospel and exhausted the very Soul of Christianity out of the world and had been very like to put out the greatest part of the light of the divine truth from all the parts of his dominions but that the goodness of God against whom it is hard to kick and whose will must stand when as no Counsell can prevaile against his providence did raise up the two Appollinarisses that were two learned and most famous Christian School-Masters who teaching many Noble mens Children Socrates l. 3. c. 14. The Father turned the five books of Moses into Heroicall verse Idem l. 3 c. 15. Marcellinus l. 22. c. 13. l. 25. c. 5. and by well grounding them in the Rudiments and principles of the Christian Religion did in spite of all the subtlety of Julian and the malice of Hell exceedingly uphold and preserve the faith of Christ for this Apostata bred in Athens at the same time with Greg. Nazianzen and very well skil'd in all humane learning as among other things his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the many elegant Orations and books that he wrote sheweth and Marcellinus testifieth was not ignorant of that maxime of Cornelius Tacitus Sublatis studiorum praemijs ipsa studia pereunt the only way to put out the fire is to take away the fewell and the readiest course to put down all learning is to take away the reward of learning and the maintenance of learned men for as Martiall saith Sint Maecenates non deerunt flacce Marones Martial epig. Bountifull Maecenases and Religious uncorrupted Patrons will bring forth learned Authors Poets Orators Historians and Divines but if you will root out any Art science or profession you need not defile your hands with blood by killing the Persons but take away the meanes and maintenance of the Professors and let them starve but not be kill'd because poverty and want hunger and cold nakedness and shame with scorne and contempt will prevaile with men whose names are not written in the book of Life and are not upheld by the special grace of Gods mighty hand O quantum cogit egestas Juvenal sat 3. to do what thou wilt more then the Sword or Canon Vellit nam saepius aurem Invida paupertas dixit vilia rura And as Juvenal saith Haud facile emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat Res Angusta Domi Therefore I take Julian that took this course with the Church of Christ to be Primogenitus diaboli and Proximus Antichristo the first born of the Devil in respect of his Wickedness though not of time and the next Neighbour or Gentleman Vsher to the Antichrist that chalked out the way to him to overthrow the Church and is the vilest and the worst of all the persecutors that either preceded him or should succeed him untill the comming of the Beast that ascended from the bottomless pit and shall discend to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone because all the other persecutors persecuted Presbyteros the Priests and Bishops that stood for the Faith but this wretch endeavoured to root out Presbyterium the most sacred Calling and Function of the Bishops and Ministery that there might be none to uphold the Faith of Christ upon the Earth but that the Religion and the Service of his Heathen Gods might be still continued to whom beyond all others he was most superstitiously devoted Am. Marcel l. 25. c. 6. as Ammianus testifieth And he is said here c. 17.10 to be the 7th for the comfort of the Church it is added that he should continue but a short space which was but three years at the most for this vile person beginning his Voyage against the King of Persia resolved and Vowed if he prevailed in that enterprise to Sacrifice all the Christians unto his Idoll Gods How God revenged the Wickedness of Julian therefore the God of Gods and the Protector of the Christians sent his Angel from Heaven as some write or a Devil out of Hell as saith Calistus that ran him through or some other instrument of the divine justice suddenly smote him no man knowes how nor from whence that he dyed scoffingly saying vicisti Galilee vicisti and then one of his Compeers objected against the Christians that their God was not as they affirmed slow to wrath when he did so speedily and so suddenly execute his fury against Julian to whom we answer that this doth exceedingly commend the great goodness of our God that will when he seeth his Patience and his long sufferance is abused cannot bring the reprobates to Repentance seeth his Servants in Jeopardy to be destroyed to preserve his Saints to prevent their own further judgment suddenly smite them while they are acting their villanies and their sins are in their hands as he did smite Nebuchadnezzar while the word was in his mouth Dan. 4.31 and Corah Dathan and Abiram before they had the opportunity to destroy his Servants and to commit any more wickedness to heap more vengeance unto themselves So that as the mercyes of the wicked are cruel Prov. 12.10 the judgments of our God upon these transcendent malefactors are mingled and allayed with a great deal of Mercy And as these Reasons afore cited do sufficiently prove Julian to be here meant by the 7th King the Angel speaks of so the Holy Ghost saith The Beast that was and is not is the eighth as I have shewed to you before who might be conceived to be him that was and is not then it is said that he which was and is not is of the 7th that is not of the same race or stock or a colleague of and with the 7th Marcell in vita constantij as Junius saith Trajan was with Nerva or Julian was with Constantius as Marcellinus saith But of the same quality and condition of the same subtlety and cruelty in persecuting the Saints and suppressing the true Service of Christ as the seventh was and is of the same livery and serving the same Master and after
Clementes Busiris or Orus the second was the King of Aegypt and the first oppressor of the Children of Israel jam Cinna pius All former Murderers were very mild and all Tyrants gentle and light in comparison of these Leopards when as Vix erit ulla fides tam saevi criminis hostes Tot paenas cepisse pios And we may demand quis prodere tanta Funera quis cedes posset deflere nefandas Quid tale immaenes unquam gessisse feruntur How is it possible to beleive that men should do such acts as they have done For though I read of the cruelties of Phalaris Busiris Dionysius Nero Dioclesian and the Roman proscriptions in the times and warrs of Sylla Marius Cynna Augustus Antony and the like Yet the Tyranny and cruelty of these men was but of a single thred of one Tyrant at one time save only 30 in Athens and that but once and the Decemvirj in Rome and that but once neither they were soon weary of their Polyarchy but I know not when or where you shall read of such a pack and knot of Tyrants and such a multitude of persecutors conspiring together as one man to vent their malice and to shew their cruelty against innocent men and each one of them striving to become more famous then the rest by being the more odious in the severity of his censure Patercul l. 2. c. 26. and as Paterculus saith where the emulation was wont to be about vertuous actions the contention is now onely for the height of mischief and he thinks himself the best man who doth most transcend in Villany when they are become all such men as Aristophanes speaks of in Acharnensibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quibus nec ara nec fides nec jus jur andum manet that neither care for faith nor oath nor God where you can find such a pack and society of men there I do believe you shall find this beast that is like a Leopard Besides the former Tyrants and the most bloody persecutors of the Church executed their cruelties onely except against some sew malefactors or some others as the Christians that were most innocent against men for neglecting their commands which the Christians would never have refused had they not been repugnant to the Commands of God or those men that they hated for some despight done unto themselves and but very few good and innocent men except the Christians either in the Proscriptions or by the other Tyrants were otherwise causelesly spoiled and executed but I pray you consider without partiality what a number of noble persons what an infinite number of good Christians that were so quiet that they medled not at all on neither side He that would see more and more particular examples of the cruelty of this long Parliament let him look into the Historie of Independency part 3. pag. 19. c. what huge armies of faithfull Subjects besides all the Reverend Bishops grave Doctors and learned Preachers that offended no man were utterly undone in the last war by those men that had no Command over them nor received any the least in jurie by them but as Aristides was banished out of Athens justus quia justus onely because he was too just so were these poor innocents plundered robbed persecuted imprisoned buffeted stripped banished and killed and their wives and children left either to beg or starve onely because they would not be wicked and are they not then that do such things for their cruelty most rightly said to be like a leopard when their feet are so swift to shed blood and they so mercilesse and so universally malicious in their proceedings of bloodshedding 3. Can any Child be more like the Father then the long Parliament and their adherents are unto the Leopard propter versicolorem 3. The diveâ—sity of the stains and spots of the Parliament and their adherents by reason of their divers and bespotted colours the Leopard being not so bespotted with diversities of colours as they are maculated and besprinkled with the varieties of all kind of wickedness if that be true which is written of them that they were as the Apostle saith of the Gentiles repleti omni injustitia filled with all unrighteousness farragine haeresewn a hodge-podge of all Heresies old and new and a world of all kinds of sins Rom. 1.29 as treason rebellion murders thefts sacriledge rapes adulteries oppressions lyings perjuries hypocrisies and abundance more of such stuffe that are most amply explained by the Authour of the History of Independency for as the Poet saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Depravant publica jura Justitiamque fugant divum nil verba verenteâ— Which sheweth in a word that the adherents favourers and followers of that long Parliament did neither fear God nor love man but have notwithstanding all their pretence of piety sold themselves like Ahab to commit ail wickedness even with greediness and so for the love of being great in the World to become the very bondslaves of Satan And are they not therefore bespotted with more spots and more diversities of colours then the Leopard or The divers coloured Regiments of the long Parliament and their adherents have they not all the colours of the Rain-bow and some more then either of these if you consider 1. The white Regiment of their Hypocrites 2. The black Regiment of their Independants 3. The Scarlet Regiment of Presbyterians 4. The yellow Regiment of Anabaptists 5. The green Regiment of Levellers 6. The blew Regiment of Seekers 7. The Azure Regiment of Dive-dippers 8. The tawny Regiment of lay-Preachers and a great many more Regiments of Sectaries then I can find colours to discriminate them and though all these severall Sects and Regiments of divers colours do peevishly differ in some inconsiderable Tenents Vide the History of Independency part 3. p. 26. yet they have some common principles to soader them together that they may attain unto that main end and scope at which they all principally aym and that is power preferment and profit to rule all and to have all the wealth and estates of the Antichristian Bishops as they terme them and the reprobate Royalists the Cavaliers and the Laodicean Newters all which three sorts of Cast-awayes they may as well rob and take away all that they have in their conceit as the Israelistes did from the Egyptians and may as lawfully kill them as they killed the Canannites and divide their Lands and goods among themselves that are if you will believe them the true Saints of God as I was told one of their great Knights said to the plundered Inhabitants of Anglesey and therefore 6. 6 The feet of the Beast like the feet of a Beare Prov. 4.26 Most ugly It is further said v. 2. that the feet of this Beast were as the feet of a Bear and by feet in the Scripture phrase we are to understand their doings and their wayes as Solomon saith ponder
they are heavy as were the persecutions of the Jewes under Antiochus very grievous then are they as theirs were very short and therefore the troubles and persecutions of the Church under the Beast being most heavy and more grievous then ever the Church felt before as I have formerly shewed and the reason of it it is not likely it should be as Mr. Mede and some other learned men do think very long but as we conceive very short about three years and a half and not so many hundred years as they set down that would have the Pope to be the Antichrst about twelve hundred years at least since the time that some men would make the Pope to be the Antichrist The Parallel And we all know the Parliaments Warre with the King continued not very long but much about the time here alotted unto the Beast and that is 42. moneths which make three years and a half CAP. II. The blasphemy of the Beast 1. Against God by the Doctrines of the Presbyterians and as it is alledged the manifold injuries of the long Parliament 2. Against his Tabernacle that is the Churches and places where God is worshipped and served and which the prime Christians had to serve God in them Of the twofold service of God at what times God might be served in any place the two things that Jeroboam did to uphold his Idolatry how God will be served in the time by the persons after the manner and in the places where he appointeth and in what sence all things are alike holy and in what sence some things are more holy then other things BUt how long soever these 42. moneths is whether they signifie three years and a half or three years and half three years as some do think which make four years and a half for I dare not presume so precisely to determine what length of time is here meant to a hair by these 42. moneths or whether as I rather conceive some other unlimited space that should not be very long when it is expressed sometimes by dayes and here by moneths and not by years for where the Scripture sets down the time that any thing should be done as that Antiochus should rage a time and times and the dividing of times which all Interpreters expound to signifie three years and a half Dan. 7.25 and that Christ should be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the Earth it is not meant that it must be so exactly to a jot or a minute for we find that Antiochus continued three years seven moneths and thirteen dayes and Christ was buried by Joseph and Nicodemus about three houres before Sun-set on Good-Fryday and rose again about four or five a Clock on Sunday morning which maketh not in all above 36. or 38. houres or not above 40. houres casting it to the highest account and that reacheth not fully to three dayes and three nights properly and literally taken but the meaning is that it shall be so and so much about that very time And so the Beast shall contiue such a time as the Holy Ghost intendeth by these 42 moneths and in all that time having received this power and great Authority from the Dragon he opened his mouth in Blasphemy against God to Blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven v. 6. I desire my Reader to be an unpertiall judge in whom he seeth this Prophesie fulfilled And I do earnestly beseech all men to observe and seriously to consider whether ever any Tayler fitted any Garment to any mans body or Shooe-maker a shooe to any mans foot fitter then this prediction doth agree with the long and lately dissolved Parliament and their Teachers the Presbyterians and lay Preachers and with none else either Jew Pagan Turke Pope or any other Infidell or Heretick whatsoever so as it doth with them of that Parliament and their adherents for here you may observe a three fold Blasphemy of the beast 1. Against Gods Name 2. Against his Tabernacle 3. The Blasphemy of the Beast 3 fold 1. Against Gods name Mr. Mede pag. 75. Against his Servants that dwell in Heaven but 1. Mr. Mede saith that by Blasphemy here the Idolatry of the beast is to be understood and I confess that the Idolatry of the Israelites is termed and translated Blasphemy as in Ezekiel 20.27 where the Lord saith that by offering their Sacrifices in Bama and polluting themselves with their Idols they Blasphemed him v. 28. c. 31. Yet I say 1. That every Blasphemy is not Idolatry neither doth it signifie the Idolatry of the beast in this place nor do Mr. Medes reasons confirme it for Though I do yield the beast to be an Idolater and guilty of very much Idolatry That Blasphemy doth not alwayes nor here signifie Idolatry and that the beast seateth himself in Babylon and Babylon is the Mother of Harlots that committeth Spirituall Fornication which is the following after other Gods as the Whore followeth other men with or beside her own Husband Yet this proveth not that the Blasphemy of the beast which is here spoken of must signifie the Idolatry of the beast when as the beast like unto a shameless Whore is guilty of more faults then one 2. I deny the other heads of the beast as I shewed to you before to signifie those Kings of the Roman Empire which Mr. Mede affirmeth to be and so 3. I deny this beast to have descended from those Idolatrous heads that he conceiveth and therefore that the Idolatry of those Romane Emperors or Kings doth not prove the Blasphemy of this beast to signifie his Idolatry in this place 4. Neither do I conceive it likely that the Evangelist writing in Greek and to the Gentiles should use the Greek words in the signification of those Hebrew words that do in some places signifie the same thing therefore I expound the word The paralel How the Parliament Preachers and Assembly of their Divines have Blasphemed God Unde factum Est ut tot gentes una cum liberis suis infantibus aeternae morti involveret lap sus Adae absque remedio nisi quia Deo ita visum est Decretum quidem horribile fateor Calv. instit l. 3 c. 23. not for Idolatry but according to the Gramnaticall and native signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noceo laedo and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dico which signifieth to speak or write impiously wickedly and unjustly both of God and of his Tabernacle and of his Servants the Angels and Saints that dwell in Heaven And thus consider 1. How the Chaplens of the long Parliament and their selected assembly with those that they admit for the Preachers and Ministers of Gods words which are the false Prophet here spoken of in this Apocalyps as I shall anon shew unto you have and do Blaspheme the most Holy Name of God when as I told you
to his Sonne if they had him what I know not and to swear and protest they did all that they did for the ease benefit and liberty of the Subjects and yet to inslave them to their own arbitrary wills and to lay such heavy loads upon them such yoaks of Iron upon their necks and such immeasurable Taxes upon all sorts of people as the like was never known in this Kingdom nor that ever I read in any of all our Chornicles and worse as I believe then what Rehoboam imposed on them that for his indiscretion did most undutifully rebel and revolt from him I know not how either all the dispensation of the Pope or all the addition of their abrogative to their legislative power that they claimed can salve the same from the grievous wound of apparant perjury and high blasphemy against the name of God done and done over and over a tribus ad centum I know not how many times and done alwayes as men conceived to this end not to blind God which I think they knew saw their thoughts and I am sure hated all these doings but to deceive the simple people that they might not perceive their intentions nor see their ends but that being vailed with these deceitfull impostures they might be drawn on by these religious cords to follow and to assist them as the people followed Absolon with a simple heart to work their pernitious ends And therefore I read of a wise man that said he did much wonder what wise man would pawn his soul upon these mens Consciences that as he avouched made no Conscience so frequently to break their own solemn Oaths or who but mad men would hazard their fortunes to maintain these mens cause that had neither cause nor reason for what they did I omit to set down their other blasphemies which were more secret in the Tenets of their faith against the truth of our Christian Religion because these are not so visible and yet are so many as would make a volume of themselves But let them be as secret as they will they may be sure Non te latuerit O supreme Jupiter horum malorum quisquis autor extitit that as the Heathen man could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Authours of such transcendent wickedness cannot hide themselves from the sight of the all-seeing God but their perjuries and blasphemies so often so secretly and so hypocritally done whensoever they do it are laid in store with God and sealed up amongst his Treasures and if they speedily do not repent they may speedily perish everlastingly and because these sins besides their other sins are so great and so many Deut. 32.24 their repentance must not be little nor slight but as St. Peter when he denied his Master though he killed him not went out and wept bitterly so must they have many bitter teares of most sorrowfull souls to wash away these fearfull sins which they committed to destroy their Master and so many of their Pastors and Brethren and for the sweet desire of bearing Rule if they desire to live for ever which I do heartily pray God to give them grace to do And so you see how the blasphemy of the Beast against God though no doubt but is applicable to the Turk and to the Pope yet by this that I have shewed you may be more agreeable to the long Parliament and rather meant here by the Holy Ghost to be applied to them then either to Pope or Turk as many men do conceive 2. 2. The blasphemy of the beast against Gods Tabernacle It is said that the Beast opened his mouth and truly he opened it very wide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to blaspheme the Tabernacle of God i. e. saith Mr. Mede the humane nature of Christ but not right for though I deny not the humane nature of Christ to be the Tabernacle or the Temple of the God head John 2.19 1 Cor. 3.16 v. 17. Mr. Mede pag. 59. according as our Saviour saith distroy this Temple and I will raise it up in three dayes as are also the bodies of the Saints as St. Paul testifieth know you not that ye are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you yet I do much marvel that Mr. Mede would have it so understood in this place onely to transfer this blasphemy to signifie the Idolatry of the Romanists in adoring the consecrated bread of the Eucharist as the humane nature of Christ when as the blasphemy of this Beast against God was spoken of before and the spirit of God would not so suddenly expresse idem per idem and therefore to blaspheme the Tabernacle of God here signifieth to blaspheme the place where God by his speciall grace and favour resideth and dwelleth to protect his Servants as it were under the shadow of his wings and to cherish them as the Hen cherisheth her Chickins which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habito or commoror to dwell doth properly betoken for so by the Tabernacle of God in the old Testament is every where understood the Tabernacle that Moses reared in the Wilderness quod Josephus vocat templum portatile Josephus antiquitat l. 3 c. 5. aliquando Sanstuarium appellatur Godwin in Synop l. 1. Sect. 25. c. 2. untill the dayes of Solomon and after that Solomon built that glorious Temple in Hierusalem the same was the Tabernacle of God or Gods dwelling place amongst the Jewes and so it was alwayes deemed by all the Prophets and Servants of God under the old Testament and the materiall Churches that were edified dedicated and consecrated for the Christians to meet and to serve the Lord in them are as they were ever accounted by all the Fathers and Doctors of the Church the Tabernacles of God under the New Testament Yet I deny not but that by a metaphor the Tabernacle may sometimes signifie caetum Dei the company of Gods servants that meet together in Gods House Psal 84.1 to pray and to praise the Lord as where the Prophet saith quam dilecta sunt Tabernacula tua Domine O how amiable are thy dwellings thou Lord of Hosts for this was spoken before the Temple was built Considenti in latibulo excelsi saith Tremel by a Synechdoche it is sometimes taken for those that dwell in tents or Tabernacles as it is in Ps 91.1 and in Psal 92.12 but in neither of these wayes can it be taken here because these dwellers in Gods House are immediately set down in the next words and sometimes by a Catachresis it is used for any dwelling place as where the Prophet saith that God slew all the most principal in tabernaculis vel tentoriis Chami Psal 78.51 in the dwellings of Ham but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tabernacle of God can signifie nothing else but the place Psal 26.8 which is set apart and consecrated for Gods
Lords Table though Christ admitted Judas whom he knew far better then these men do know those whom they reject and cast away and we can and ought to do no more to the lewdest offenders but to shew them the danger of the unworthy receivers and exhort them to repent and to believe in Christ and upon the confession of their faults and profession of their Faith and repentance we ought to believe them to be Gods children and receive them among the Faithfull and leave them all for Christ to judge which of the guest doth want his wedding garment Yet we confess That the Apostles had two manner of gifts 1. Extraordinary it is true that the Apostles had a double qualification 1. The one extraordinary which was requisite for the planting of a new Church and that consisted chiefly in these two things 1. Infallibility of the Doctrine which they taught 2. A powerful working of miracles to confirm that doctrine and to win the hearers to give credit and to believe the same And when the Churches were converted these graces determined and ceased with the Apostles 2. Ordinary which were either 2. The other was ordinary which was requisite for the instructing guideing and ruling of the Church so long as the Church should continue till Christ should come to judgement And these graces that were thus requisite for the continuance of the Church in the service of God were likewise of two sorts 1. Common 1. Common to the Apostles and Presbyters and Deacons as reading the Scriptures preaching or expounding the word administring the Sacraments provision for the poor and other like christian duties 2 Proper which the Apostles reserved unto themselves 2. Proper which consisted in two things and to the Bishops that were to be their successors to guide and to govern the Church after them And this proper qualification of the Apostles which they left as peculiar to the Bishops that were to succeed the Apostles was and is likewise two-fold 1. Ordination 1. Ordination of Presbyters and Deacons to read the word and to preach and to administer the Sacraments and to do all the other common duties of the Church 2. Jurisdiction which was twofold 1. The lesser censure 2. The greater censure 2. Jurisdiction in censuring those that were refractory and walked disorderly in the Church and this Ecclesiasticall censure is either 1. The lesser which is a debarring of the offendor from the Lords Supper 2. The greater censure which was by such an excommunication as excluded the offender quite from the Churh and was not received into it untill he had satisfied the Church by his confession of his fault and repentance shewed for the scandall he had given Now such is the pride and ambition of every Presbyterian that he would have nothing left proper unto the Bishop but that all must be common as well to him as to the Bishop How the Presbyterians do usurp the authority of the Bishop he cannot indure to be excluded or debarrd from any thing but cryeth out as Corah Dathan and Abiram did against Moses and Aaron that the Bishops take too much upon them And therefore 1. They usurp and assume unto themselves the office of ordination and do make Priests themselves the which boldnesse of theirs I intend not to stand now to confute but do assure the people Lay-preachers and tradesmen to execute the Ecclesiastical function have as good authority and calling as the new Presbyterian Priests that the Priests of their making have no better calling nor authority to enter upon that sacred function then he that is made a Judge or a Justice of Peace to rule the countrey by a company of high-way thieves and robbers and the Lay-preachers be they what they will husband-men or trades-men Taylors Shoemakers or Weavers or the like may as lawfully and perhaps more blamelesly do all the service of the Church as any of them that have their ordination from these Presbyters 2. They usurp the jurisdiction over the Church as well as the ordination of the Priests unto themselves and they are more rigid in their censures that are also more illegally done then either Bishop or Pope See the translation of Grallae pag 69. to pag. 90. and you shall find how these Presbyterian censures do exceed the tyranny of the Pope who exercised their discipline and censures in open Court in forma juris and secundum allegata probata when the Presbyterians do it secundum beneplacitum as it seemeth good in their own eyes because they have the discerning spirit to know who are worthy to be received and who ought to be excluded both from Christ and from the Church of Christ And yet I do not wonder so much that the Presbyters should be so ambitious to lay hold of this authority as I do admire that the people should be so foolish as to hate us for telling the truth unto them for their own benefit and shewing the other mens iniquity But I remember a story that Sir Thomas Moore tells us of two famous Philosophers that by their great skill in astronomy foresaw that at such a constellation A pretty story of Sir Thomas Moor. there would fall such a shower of pestiferous rain upon the earth that all the men which scaped not the drops of that rain should presently prove frantick and be distracted of their sences whereupon those Philosophers concluded that they would hide themselves in a Cave untill that shower was passed over and so they did and all things succeeded as they expected for when they came out of their hole where they were hidden they found all the people like mad-men playing the Anticks and therefore they being sober thought to do them good by advising them to leave their fooleries and to follow after sobriety but the mad people told the Philosophers that they themselves were mad and they would take a course with them for saying that they were out of their wits and knew not what they did and so they laid hold on the Philosophers and beat them and they had much adoe to escape from these mad people with their lives this was the reward they had for their well-wishes and desire to do those mad people good to guide them and to direct them in the right courses I wish it may not be so with us that the people prove not themselves like those upon whom that fatal shower descended and that they would not deal with us It is easier to find few wise men then to find many wise men for telliug the truth of these mens doings for their good as those mad men did with those Philosophers And I would the people that are so affected to the Presbyterian government would consider whether it be as easie to find ten thousand wise and sober moderate men as to finde out ten The Kings and Emperours heretofore were very careful to make choice of the best and wisest men that
Rome for as the Prophet saith that the Lord would search Ierusalem with candles so have our men searched everie corner of Rome that there is not a stone of it unfound out but everie point of the Popes faith Zephan 1.12 and everie act of his Court and of his Councill are all discovered to the world and if I did the like to Constantinople or Paris or Antwerp or London or any other such great Cittie as Rome is Perphaps I should finde as many 25 Particular things therein as he findes in Rome and as many 25 things in other Churches as he found in the Church of Rome But let it be granted that Rome is answerable to Ierusalem and the Pope and his Cardinalls to Christ and his Apostles which is the sum of of his 14. c. yet take it not in his sence but as Aleazar saith utque successit antiquae Hierosolimae in co quod fidelium omnium eaput et metropolis sit effecta and so take the Pope and his Cardinals not as enemies but as successors unto the Apostles and Vicegerent unto Christ then all that he saith is rather an argument to approve and commend them for their desire to imitate Christ and his Apostles then any wayes to condemn them for the Antichrist and for the 25 number of their Cardinals which at first in the time of Clemens were but 15 and then were augmented by Anacletus the 3 Pope or the 2 as some count him and a most holy Martyr within the 1 centurie in anno 94 to 25 and the 25 number of the articles of the Roman faith into which Pope Pius the fourth reduced the sum of the Tridentine Councill as Mr. Potter reckoneth them even as the articles of our Church which we beleeve are augmented to 39 and the 25 gates of Rome which notwitstanding are not agreed by the best authors to be just so many when plinie saith there be but 24 and Liuius saith there be 27. and the 25 figures and characters that he saith are ingraven upon their chiefest Altar and all the other 25 particulars that he collecteth from his authors to belong to any thing either in their Cittie Church or religion as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contrarie positions to all the 12 things that are found in the new Ierusalem as the 12 gates 12 angels 12 Tribes 12 foundations 12 thousand furlongs 12 fruites of the tree of life doe no way convince and prove the Pope and his Heirarchie to the beast and the antichrist no more then the Mayor and the four and twenty Aldermen and if I should finde 25 gates and 25 Presbyters and some other 25 particulars either in London or Lisbon or Paris to be the verie seat of the Antichrist But I have been too long in the pursuance of these things that he saith are to be found in Rome and we are better to beleeve him then to goe there to see but I beleeve few wise men upon such an implicite faith of things not apparant nor approved by any of the ancient authors nor understood by verie good scholers except perfect arithmeticians as I take Mr Potter to be will make this inference to conclude the Pope and his Hierarchy to be the beast and the antichrist that is more perspicuously and plainely deciphered and shewed unto us in the holy scriptures which I have applied to nothing but to what wee have seen with our eyes and all men know to be true except the actors of these impieties and those that will be wilfully blinde And so to proceed upon plainer evidences then these arithmeticall ridles to discover the beast unto you 4. The name of Independents is most proper to the antichrist I demand if the verie name of Independants that is usaully and generally given them and by which the prevalent faction of that Parliament was best known and distinguished from the rest of the House and of all other true Christians apostate hereticks and wherein both themselves and their adherents doe so much glorie doth not sufficiently mamanifest the same thing and evidently prove them to be this beast and the antichrist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was prophesied by the Apostles and expected by the Church to come into the world for though in the dayes of Aurelius Bishop of Carthage that lived in the fift centurie there were some that as the Cannon saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lest their absurdities and novelties should be discovered refused to submit themselves unto the Councill and so became Independants from the Church of Christ for which cause Aurelius caused them to be removed by the Councill as obstinate and rebellious from all rule and authoritie over the people yet these men never assumed the name of Independants neither was it given them for ought I read by any others because they persisted not in their obstinafie to draw more proselites after them but our Independants of these times as flat and fully oppsite to the Church of Christ are and are so generally termed and taken Independants from the Catholique Church and from every particular nationall Church and therefore they doe gather Churches and congregations unto themselves and in that respect are most properly stiled Independants as fit a name as any is in the world for the followers of the antichrist when as all other creatures men and Angels good and bad and not any of all the former hereticks excepted but that they acknowledged themselves to be entia dependentia not only depending upon him Heb. 1.3 that beareth up all things by his mighty word or the word of his power that is Jesus Christ but also desired to be received into that unitie and to depend upon the communion and society of the Church as Arius that arch heretick made great friends to be admitted into the communion of the Church of Alexandria as Theodoret writeth Theodor. haret fabul l. 4. The paralel But these men as A per se A or as the arctick pole is from the antarchtick so are they fully opposite ex diametro to their head and have assumed and let them have it this antichristian name of Independants they say not from Christ but I say certainly from Christ because it is from the Church of Christ for whosoever hath not the church for his mother 1 pet 3.20 shall never have God for his Father but as all perished by the deluge that were not in Noahs Arke that was the type of the church as St. Peter sheweth so shall they perish everlastingly that are not the members of Christ and of his church and within the communion of Saints which is a speciall article of the christian faith Then 5. The ancient Fathers as St. Aug. upon the words of Christ 5. The great persecution of the Parliament a concomitant signe of the antichrist Aug. de civit Dei l. 20. c. 8. and 9 Hypol. in erat de consumwat mundi Cyrillus cateches 15. Bellarum de rom Pot. l. 3. c. 7. The
is above all Kings and above the Emperor and being so silled with herefies idolatries and blasphemies and such a cruel bloody tyrant and persecutor of Gods true servants as our Protestants have amply shewed in their books and the Turke directly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thrusting himselfe into the place and office of Christ and exalting himselfe above Christ above the Prophets and above all the Apostles of Christ and challenging to himselfe and his successors absolute independant power over all the Kings and Monarchs of the earth and commanding his Alcoran which is made up of Paganish Jewish and Arian herefies and superstitions to be received and preferred before the Gospel of Jesus Christ and most cruelly tyrannizing over those poor Christians that are under him because they renounce not their Saviour Bishop Mountague in his Appello Casarem pag. and adore his false Prophet and that religion which directly leadeth them to perdition as learned Montague sheweth it is incredible and not possible to be beleeved that the Parliament and specially the Presbyterians that professe themselves to be regulated neither by Fathers nor Councils nor any other Canon or rule but onely by the pure Word of God and doe so indefatigably labour to bring men to Christ and to inlarge the kingdome of his Grace and have hazarded their fortunes and lost their blood and some their lives in the defence of Gods cause should be the great Antichrist and a greater Antichrist more batefull and a more abominable adversarie unto God and his Church then either the Pope or the Furke To this I answer that I never intended to excuse or to lessen Sol. The Aurhor excuseth neither Pope nor Turk the impieties of the Pope or the cruelties of the Turke or to denie them to be Antichrists and great adversaries both to Christ and to the Church of Christ I am no Proctor to plead for either of them especially against the truth but I say the neerer men are to God the more profession they make of faith and the better christians they think themselves to be the more faithfulness and the more holiness and sincerity is required at their hands for to whom much is given of them much shall be required saith our Saviour and it was wisely said of a fool that dying cried to God that he would require no more of him The wise prayer of a Fool. then what he gave him though wiser men must imploy their tallents to the best advantage of their master who expecteth a plentifull harvest of all good fruits where he hath plentifully sown his good seed of knowledg and of grace and so the sins of such men as should be Saints are far more heinous and more abominable in the fight of God then the sins of those that know not God yea sins less heinous in their own nature are more heinous in these offenders then other sins far more odious in themselves are in those that are further off from God and less acquainted with his lawes and therefore Act 17.30 Ps 106.21.22 Rom. 3.2 the Iodolatrie of the heathens that knew not the true God God winked at saith the Apostle and it was not neer so odious in Gods fight as the Idolatrie of the sons Israel that had seen his wonders in Egypt and had the heavenly Oracles delivered unto them and so though Pilate for condemning Christ to death is branded with great infamie by the mouth of everie christian that saith his Creed that Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate yet Annas John 19.11 and Caiphas that profest to know Gods will and thought themselves the chiefest of Gods people majus peccatum habuerunt sinned more by our Saviour's testimonie for delivering him unto Pilate then Pilate did in condemning him unto death so likewise though the sins of the Edomites were verie great when the Prophet saith thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Edom and for four Amos 1 11. I will not turn away the punishment thereof because he did pursue his brother that is the seed of Jacob that was Esaus brother which is Edom and did cast off all pittie and his anger did tear perpetually and kept his wrath for ever And so in like manner though the sins of Damascus and of Moah also were exceeding grievous v. 3. c. 2.1 c. 1.13 when the former threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of Iron and the others rage was so great that death could not satisfie his wrath but he must burn the bones of the King of Edom into lime How and whose sins doe become most odious and in like manner though the sins of the children of Ammon were no less grievous then the sins of Moab when they ript up the women with child of Gilead that they might inlarge their borders yet because these nations were not the peculiar people of God nor had received so many favours from God nor the knowledge of his lawes so as the Iewes had done these horrible sins and sins against nature seemed not so horrible and so offensive in Gods sight as Iudahs despising of his lawes and their lies which caused them to err and Israels selling of the righteous for Silver and the poor for a pair of Shoes c. 2. v. 4. and 6. which seem to be but veniall fins in respect of the other bloody murthers and inhumane cruelties because as I said before to whom God hath given much of them he requireth much and where he expecteth most holinesse there the fins are most sinful and as St. Bernard saith of the Priests and Ministers of Christ Quae in aliis nugae sunt in illis sunt blasphemia so the sins that are but trifles in the Pagans and Infidels are most odious in the Christians and therefore after that the Lord had recapitulated both the fins of those nations and the many favours he had heaped upon the Israelites with the rejectment of the Amorites and the rest of the foresaid nations for their former transgressions c. â—3 5 The sins of Israel more displeased God then the sins of the Amorites and why he addeth of the Israelites you onely have I chosen of all the Families of the earth that is for mine own peculiar people to serve me and to be protected and favoured by me therefore seeing you have done these things I will punish you for all your iniquities and when others that you think worse and greater finners then you be may have some savour yet you shall have none at all because these things in you offend me more and are more abominable in my fight then are all the abominations of the Amorites And so according to this determination of the Prophet though the sins of the publicans and harlots murderers and robbers and the like were more flagitious and more heinous in their owne nature then the sins and delinquencies of the Scribes and Pharisees that for the uprightness of their outward carriage were deemed the onely Saints among