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
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
desirous did he shew himself to build God a Temple and notwithstanding all his great affaires and his many and mighty wars and abundance of troubles how he composed his Psalmes and directed them to the chief Musicians Asaph Altaschith Jeduthun and the rest and ordered the Priests and Levites to discharge the service of God and of the Tabernacle according as the Lord had commanded the same to be observed by his servant Moses So careful was he at all times and before all things to have the service of God rightly and duly performed And therefore herein he is said to be a man according to Gods own heart and God blessed him and established him and his seed in his throne for ever But Jeroboam though perhaps he was freer and more abstemious from many other sins then either David himself or many other men were and it may be a very just morall man yet when he came into his kingdom he wholly neglected to see the Lords service truly executed and out of a politick conceit as he conceived to secure himself and his posterity in his newly gotten power and authority he cast out the Priests of the Lord the sons of Aaron that were the lawfull Governours and the true servers of God and gathered together a company of novices and young fellowes the lowest and basest of the people that were not of the sonnes of Aaron and that for some small preferment would both say and do whatsoever he pleased and serve what god soever he commanded and with what service soever he liked he made them Priests of his high places to offer sacrifices to his golden gods And therefore is he said to make Israel to sin and God soon rooted him and his posterity out of that kingdom that God had given unto him And so he can do with all those Kings and Monarchs whatsoever they be that by their timorous conniving with Sects or a popular favouring either the greater part or the stronger side do think it the most politick course to be securely established and so suffer the service of God to be either neglected or perverted and the faithfull Governours of his Church to be suppressed through the impetuous importunity of aspiring emulators or the clamorous desire of ignorant vulgars whereas the best policy in the world to preserve them is to be men of courage to uphold the true service of God this fortitude being a vertue most necessary both for the Prince and the Preacher quia timiditas eorum est calamitas multorum because their fear will become the fall of many when the one dares not say the truth and the other will not do what is just or will do what is unjust for very fear whereas the upholding of Gods right service is able to uphold them against all opponents And therefore that the true service of God might be preserved uncorrupted and unchanged by all Kings and Monarchs which is the chiefest thing that God requireth at their hands and is the principal thing that can preserve them in their Majesty and perpetuate the same unto their posterity it is most requisite they should be very carefull in the choice of their spiritual teachers and guides to direct them for the preservation of the true worship of God for we know the Arian Bishops made Constantius an Arian Emperour and the Priests of Baal made Ahab and Jezabell so zealously affected to the service of Baal and so the Popish Priests make Papists and the Run-a-gadoes out of the Church do when they return make Sects and Factions in the Church and therefore as it had been good for Ahab if he would have hearkened to Elias and Micaiah as he did to the Priests of Baal and good for Constantius if he had as well favoured the Orthodox as he did the Heterodox and Arian Bishops so it will be good and the best course to guide all Kings Monarchs and Governours of the people for the setling of the true service of God to give ear unto and to countenance those who are appointed by God to direct them in Gods service rather then to any others for the grave and reverend Governours of the Church are like the discreet Counsellours of King Solomon and will advise them not to listen nor to relie so much upon the directions of any novices which may prove like the counsel of those young favourites of Rehoboam Thus I have freely exprest my mind to your Majesty so plain that he which runs may read it and reading it may easily understand it and I humbly beseech you to bear with my plain dealing for though it behoves not us to polupragmatize in things that are beyond our line and without the compasse of our calling and to intermeddle with the civil Government yet as John the Baptist told Herod of his duty to God so it behoveth us with the spirit of Elias to inform our Kings our Governours how they should uphold Gods service or if we neglect the same for fear of their displeasure we shall make our selves liable to the displeasure of God Almighty and so as Lucian saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shunning the smoak of mans anger we shall fall into the fire of Gods fury or as Job saith timentes pruinam opprimemur à nive that is as Saint Gregory moralizeth it by fearing the frost of mans hatred which we might tread under our feet we shall be oppressed and swallowed up with the snow of Gods vengeance that falleth down from heaven upon our heads and we cannot avoid it And therefore as Saint Clemens saith quae vobis expedire novimus tacere non possumus we must needs tell you what we conceive makes for your hapinesse so I humbly beseech your Majesty to raise the slain witnesses which the cruel beast hath kill'd and to redresse in Gods service what the long Parliament did amisse and so God will bless you and yours which is the daily prayer of Your Majesties most Humble Faithful and most dutiful Subject Gr. Ossory To the High and most Honourable COURT OF PARLIAMENT The humble addresse of Gruffith Williams L. Bishop of Ossory May it please your Honours THe Spirit of God long agoe hath foretold it out of his grrat love unto his Church what sad accidents and heavie disasters should fall upon her for the times to come even to the end of the world and amongst all the rest of her crosses that she must unavoydably undergoe this is none of the leaft if it be not of greatest importance that the beast which ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit which is interpreted to be the man of sin and the child of perdition as Saint Paul calleth him that is the Great Antichrist should kill the two witnesses of Jesus Christ that is 1. The Monarchie or supreme Monarch that hath the soveraign Majesty and the supremest power to rule the people and to place other subordinate Magistrates and officers under him for the execution of justice in all the parts of his
dominions 2. The Hierarchie or Episcopal government of Gods Church which is as requisite for the Church as the Monarchie is for the Common-wealth for the Church of Christ is said to be Gods vineyard and the vineyard must be well fenced or if the hedge be broken down all the wild beasts of the Forest will destroy the vine so must the Church be well fenced and guarded by wise discreet and careful Governours which are as the fence and hedges that by their spiritual Courts and censures do keep out all Sectaries and hereticks and all errrours and heresies and false doctrine from the Vineyard of God which is the Church of Christ And if these hedges and fences of Gods Church the Bishops and Governours thereof be broken down their Court supprest and themselves nullified and annihilated as that long Parliament did it is as impossible to keep out Sects Hereticks and false Prophets from the Church as it is to keep the civil state and common-wealth in peace and to have justice and equity duly preserved among all men without the civil Magistrates and their Courts of justice for as these protect the innocent and punish the Malesactors with the powerful sword of justice so must the Bishops and Governours of the Church which are best able to judge of divine questions defend the truth and as Christ whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple so must they by their censures whip all those Sectaries and Heteticks that will not other wise by fair means be driven out of Gods Church because as Saint Bernard saith qui nolunt duci debent trahi And it is not unknown to any that hath taken notice of the transac ions of these times how that long lasting and intended to be an endlesse everlasting Parliament hath killed our most heroical religious and renowned King the most constant Martyr and the first and chiefest of the two witnesses of Jesus Christ and also Doctor William Laud Arch-Bishop of Cantcrbury and suppressed all the Bishops that were the other witnesse of Christ But our good God hath promised that he would resuscitate and revive the slain and slaughtered Witnesses and restore them to the Church and their charge again Revel 11.11 12. And now you see how the wise and great God whose wayes are in the seas his paths in the great waters and his foot-steps are not known hath by unlikely unprobable and almost in mans judgement impossible wayes through the many many transmutations of things and alterations of governments brought his own purposes to this passe to make you the instruments to effect his will to perform his promise and to be that Cloud in which and by which the two slain Witnesses shall ascend to heaven chapt 11. verse 12. and hath given you power and authority and inabled you to do the same And now most honourable and most renowned Patriots you have most justly most religiously and most gloriously to your everlasting praise revived the first and chief Witnesse of Jesus Christ and restored the government of these nations to be Monarchicall that doth most resemble God himselfe which is the sole Monarch of all the world and is the government that the most nations of all the world hath ever used and especially this kingdome since the first peopling of it and you have put the Crown upon His head to whom your wisdomes knew It justly belonged which was the onely way to bring Peace and to make these kingdomes happy It resteth that the other Witnesse of Christ be revived and the Government of the Church be restored as it hath been ever fince the Apostles time to be Episcopal and so to raise the Bishops and other Ministers their dependants that as yet lye unburied in the streets of the great City to their pristine dignity to their offices their authority and their former estates for their inabling to discharge their duties in the government of God's Church they having suffered wrongs and indignities enough already And I hope your wisdomes will direct you to let the Ark of God be carried upon the Levite's shoulders as the Lord commandeth and suffer the worship and service of God to be used as it was in the reign of Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles and confirmed by all the Acts of Parliaments and royall edicts in their times and not to suffer the depravers of Gods honour and disturbers of the Peace of the Church out of any singularity or sinister end either to suppresse the same or any wayes to alter it or any part of it unlesse your wisdomes do appoint a full and lawful Synod congregated after the usuall manner of this Church to confider what is fit if any thing be found fitting to be added diminished or altered therein for this care of Gods service to uphold the same in its integrity and purity is the onely thing that will bring a blessing and continue the happinesse of this or any other nation and they are to do the same to whom God hath committed the government of his Church and the teaching of his people And because of the multiplicity of Sects and diversity of opinions that have sprung in this our Church since the killing of the witnesses and that the faith of Christ is to be perswaded by the word of God and not forced by the sword of man I humbly beseech you to grant such toleration as your wisdomes shall think fitting to such weak and tender consciences as cannot on the sudden comply with us in our service to God untill that by a friendly conference painfull preaching and writing of learned books we captivate their understanding and bring them so to the truth and true faith of Christ and service of God and not by rigid wayes and too severe censures and punishments to compell them either to be hypocrites in our Church or Apostates to run out of our Church For I would not have the people of God to be driven hurried and harrased like as we drive wild beasts but to be led gently and eafily like sheep Leni spiritu non dura manu by an inward sweet influence and not by any outward violence And here I humbly beseech your Honours to give me leave to tell you what I am not suffered to be silent videlicet that to take away the Lands and possessions of men that never rebelled nor offered any violence nor the least wrong to any of our Protestant people in Ireland but relieved them and hindred others as much as they could to abuse them and yet to dispossesse and to cast them out of their inheritances because they were Papists and profest themselves Roman Catholicks as the long Parliament and their subordinate instruments in Ireland have done to the utter ruine of many ancient families both of Brittish and English extract is not onely as I conceive most unjust but also contrary to all Christianity and farre enough from humanity it selfe When the Apostle bids us to honour all men that is because
as Thomson and some others think it should be understood or for the proper name of the man that should be the Antichrist it is more agreeable to that false Prophet than to the Pope or it may be to any of all the Popes that have been for Mahomet's rising against Christ to obscure the true light of his Gospel was in the sixt Century as divers Authors do affirm and Hierusalem was taken by Homar his Successor about the year 666. and the name of Mahomet written in Greek the Language in which S. John wrote his Revelation The name of Mahomet containeth the number of 666. doth make up the just number of 666. as 40. 1. 70. 40. 5. 300. 10. 200. μ α ο μ ε τ ι ς which is in all just 666. as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is so much insisted upon by them that make the Pope to be the Antichrist Reason 4 4. It is observed by the Learned in the Eastern Languages that the word Turca which is the name of the chief Prince of Gog and Magog doth signifie the same thing that Apollion and Abaddon doth which is a Destroyer and is a name ascribed to the King of those Locusts Revelat. 9.11 that came out of the bottomless pit and are interpreted by the best Authors to be the Arrabians that were the prime Subjects and the first setters up of Mahomet that great Impostor Reason 5 5. The Mahometans in these dayes and the Saracens of old are the grand professed enemies of the Christians qua tales as they are Christians and do call themselves Musulmans that is the right believers which I confess the Pope and Papists likewise do as indeed the Arians Donatists and all other Hereticks did Reason 6 6. That Deceiver and false Prophet Mahomet though he made a great shew of Sanctity and a strict holy life as all such Deceivers do yet personally as a private man he was a man of sin given up to all Licentiousness and in his Alcoran tolerating all prostitutions unto his Sectaries and promising unto them a Paradise of all carnal pleasures after death which as yet no Pope that we read of ever did Reason 7 7. That great Lyar Mahomet and his heir and successor the Turk literally exalteth himself above Christ above all the holy Prophets and Apostles of Christ and above all the Kings and Monarchs of the earth and as St. Paul saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above all that is called God and stileth himself the Lord of Lords and the God of the earth that hath the power and right to dispose all the things of this world at his pleasure as it is to be seen in divers of the Letters of Solyman Amurath and others And his Alchoran which is but a tyrotarichon an hotch-potch of lies and fables patched together by his Jew-Scribe and the Nestorian Sergius of Jewish paganish Manichaean and Arian Heresies and Superstition he commended as received from his friend and old familiar acquaintance the Angel Gabriel to his followers above the Law of Moses and above the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he promised his carnal Paradice to all the observers thereof and threatned eternal torments to all the despisers of it and I think no Pope exceeded this impiety Reason 8 8. The Heir and Successor of Mahomet the Turk is and hath been a long time possessed of Hierusalem the Temple of God and the land of Promise ever since Homar took it except some few years that the French held it from him after that in the Holly War Godfrey of Bulloigne took it and because that Mahomet was circumcised and the Turk and all his followers in like manner the Jews flocked unto this Conquerour when he wan the holy City as unto their Messias and advancing his Enterprise they paid him Tribute and assisted him in all his impiety and proceedings against the Christians which they never did in the like manner to any Pope whatsoever Reason 9 9. Having thus taken and possessed the holy City he now sitteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Temple or Church of God take the Church in what sense you will materially formally or figuratively for he was buried in the Church of God at Meca and they make Pilgrimages to his Sepulchre and adore his reliques to this very day and Homar his Successor having taken Hierusalem templum acquisivit quod Solomon extruxerat ad blasphemiae suae oratorium constituendum he made the Temple which Solomon first built and afterwards Zorobabel and Herod exceedingly beautified to be the oratory of his blasphemy saith Theophanes and Sophronius then Patriarch of Hierusalem cryed out in veritate ista est abominatio desolationis stans in loco sancto in very truth that is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel and our Saviour standing in the holy place and afterwards when Mahomet the great took Constantinople he made his Pallace in the great cathedral Church of san Sophia and made the Bishops house and the Priests lodgings his serà glia to this very day And if you take the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church or Temple for the living Temples of God and the faithfull servants of Christ he sitteth upon them and against them more than the Pope ever did for he hath brought into confusion many many Christian Churches and Congregations in Syria Palestina Egypt Persia Armenia Arabia Affrica Grecia Thracia and Asia the less and in many other Countryes besides whose candles he hath put out and removed their candlesticks out of their places and instead of the Gospel of Christ he hath taught them to blaspheme his name and hath set the mark of the beast upon those that were the servants of Christ by circumcising them in their flesh and renouncing their former Baptisme which is the marke and badg of the lambe and those that will not thus renounce their Saviour Christ though he suffereth them to live quietly so long as they pay him their allotted Contribution as I shewed to you before Yet he doth extreamly tyrannize over them in those taxes and contributions and especially in that barbarous tribute of the Christians children which every third year are to be taken away from their Parents from their Religion and from their God to become the worshippers of Mahomet and to be his seraglian Eunuchs Reason 10 10. He is seated in Constantinople which is new Rome and so termed by the old Writers ever since Constantine made it the Imperial throne of the Roman Emperors and is now made a greater Babylon and fuller of confusion than ever old Rome was since Constantines time And surely in my judgment these Reasons do sufficiently and demonstratively evince that the great Turk is a great and a very great Antichrist and indeed a far greater Antichrist than the Pope or any Pope that hath yet been take the very worst of them 3. 3. Others conceive that out of the Turkish and Pepish polity conjoyned together the Antichrist shall arise Some other
ipsetemplum Dei S. Aug. de civ Dei l. 20. c. 19. quod est Ecclesia sicut dicimus sedet in amicum id est velut amicus vel si quid aliud isto locutionis genere dici solet which think it may be spoken in Latine as it is in the Greek he sitteth not in the temple of God but for the temple of God as if he were the temple of God which is the Church of God as we say he sitteth for our friend that is as our friend Whereby you may see St. Aug. understandeth that the Great Antichrist would pretend to be the only great friend of the true Church and so in the true Church and not out of it and consequently not to be the Turk in any wise that pretendeth not to serve Christ nor the Pope if we deny the Church of Rome to be the true Church of Christ and therefore we may conclude with Bellarmine Bp Downam de Antichrist lib 10. cap. 3. 4. that the Pope cannot be said to be the Great Antichrist nor Rome the proper Seat of the Antichrist as Downam Thomson and others would have it to be because as I said before the Antichrist must arise in the midst of the truest and purest Church of Christ which we utterly deny Rome to be For the Apostle saith 2 Theff 2. the man of Sin and the child of Perdition which all Interpreters do expound to be the Antichrist shall sit in the temple of God which as the greatest of the School-Doctors Aquinas saith Aquin. in loc and so Tilenus Exegesis 74. pag. 21. must not be understood of the Jewish Temple at Hierusalem that hath been destroyed and shall never be re-edified as some of the best Jewish Rabbines do believe but as S. Chrysostom and the Greek Scholiast pag. 333. and Gorhan and many others do understand it of the true Church of God The Antichrist riseth and reigneth where God dwelleth where the Gospel of Christ by his Faithful Bishops and Painful Ministers is truly preached the Sacraments duly administred and the Flock of Christ rightly Governed and instructed to serve God as they ought to do there the Antichrist will seat himself and there Satan will assist him to overthrow the Bishops to persecure the true Ministers to neglect and nullifie the holy Sacraments to corrupt the Truth of the Gospel and to ruine that Church which Christ thus buildeth For it is observed that the Apostle useth in this place the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Observ which is derived from the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to dwell or to inhabit God dwelleth in the best Saints and where they dwell because that is the House or place where God resideth that is among his Saints and in his Saints as God himself doth testifie unto his People that will truly serve him And therefore Constantinople where the Turk resideth and hath made the Chancel of San Sophia where the High Altar and the Patriarchal Throne stood to be a Turkish Moschy whither the Grand Signior goeth to the Blasphemous Ceremonies of their False Prophet and the City of Rome where the Pope sitteth and hath apostatized from the true Faith in many Points and corrupted the Gospel of Christ at leastwise with many Superstitions cannot be said to be that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where God resideth and the Antichrist sitteth as god to destroy it but it must be that Church wherein God in the most Special manner dwelleth and delighteth in it and that is in the Purest Church that can be found on earth in respect of all the outward things that do constitute the same for you must know that the Church is to be considered two manner of waies 1. Respectu divinae illius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so God only knoweth his Church The Church considered two waies and who are the Members thereof as the Apostle sheweth 2. In respect of that Discipline Rule and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is apparent to our eyes and consisteth chiefly in these four special things Four things do constitute a true outward visible Church 1. In the Prayers of the Saints 2. The Preaching of the Gospel 3. The Administration of the Sacraments And 4. Obedience to the Discipline of the Lawful Governours And that Church which in these respects is the truest and purest is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Temple and House of God where he dwelleth and which the Devil by his dear Servant the Antichrist laboureth by all means to overthrow Object But you will say Constantinople was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the true Church and dwelling place of God and so was Rome when her Faith was published throughout the whole world Rom. 1. and so both continued until the Antichrist suppressed the Truth and seated himself therein To this usual Objection I answer Solut. 1. That it is agreed of all sides and by all Interpreters old and new Papists and Protestants that the Great Antichrist should come towards the end of the world 1. That the Antichrist should come towards the end of the world 1 Tim. 4.1 and in the last Period of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 last times as the Scriptures testifie the same most evidently for though the Mystery of him and his iniquity began by those Hereticks that sprang up in the Apostles time yet was not he to be revealed in his strength and fulness until the last and latter end of times and therefore not any waies like to come and to appear so many Hundred years agone as they prescribe which make either the Turk or the Pope to be the Antichrist 2. 2. That God suffereth not the enemies of his Church to tyrannize long I say that God being so good and so gracious a God especially to his Church and true Servants will not alwaies be chiding neither will he shut up his loving kindness in displeasure but as the Poet saith Nocte pluit tota redeunt spectacula mane Which in the Prophets words I may express that although heaviness may endure for a night yet joy cometh in the morning and he may be sure of it because God himself tells his Church that for a moment in mine anger have I forsaken thee but with everlasting compassion will I have pity upon thee and so accordingly he suffered not Antiochus that was the most lively type of the Antichrist that is in all the Scripture to rage against the Church of the Jews for all their wickedness any longer than Three years and a half neither did he suffer the Captivity of his People in Babylon for their great sins recorded 2 Chron. 36.14 15 16. to last any longer than 70 years nor the Children of Israel to be opprest by Pharaoh for the wrong they had done to their Brother Joseph any more after the Death of Joseph than about 200 years as Helvicus collecteth which is the longest time that I find God seems to sleep and
to forget the Afflictions of his Church And therefore I cannot sufficiently wonder that Mr. Mede Maresius Tilenus the Gappe Synod and others of the Divines aforenamed should imagine that God would be so regardless so unmindful and so severe though in Justice we confess he might be much more severe unto the Christian Church Note this well as to suffer the Great Antichrist the greatest and the cruellest enemy unto his Church that ever the world bred to reign and rage against his Saints and Servants for so many hundred of years as the Pope and Turk have now ruled since they conceive them to be the Antichrist and the Great Antichrist that should be so signally revealed 3. 3. That the Antichrist was to arise not out of a true planted Church but out of a truly reformed Church I say that it is manifest the Antichrist should arise not out of a true converted Church from Paganisme and the serving of their Idols to Christianity as both Constantinople and all the rest of the Eastern Churches were when Mahomet corrupted them and also Rome and the Western Churches when the Pope replenished them with his Superstitions but the Antichrist was to spring and to appear out of the true and purely Reformed Church after it should be purged and cleansed from all Heresies Errours and Superstitions For it was prophesied and fore-shewed by the Apostle St. That it was foretold us seducers false prophets should come into the Church Acts 20.29 30. 1 Pet. 2.1 Paul that after his departure Seducers Corrupters of Gods Word and false Prophets should creep into the Church and introduce many damnable Doctrines amongst Gods people to poyson the Souls of the Flock of Christ And St. Peter likewise foretels us that there should come False Teachers into the Church who should privily bring in damnable Heresies And so we find that not only Ebion and Cerinthus two Heretical Jews and after them Arius Pelagius Manichaeus Nestorius Entyches and the like brought in most wicked Errours and Heresies that did most palpably and grossely infest and trouble the Church of God and therefore were the sooner perceived and the easier prevented and confuted by the Grave and Godly Fathers but also the Church of Rome the Popes and their Parasites have privily that is insensibly and unperceived by the very Doctors of the Church brought in many strange Doctrines and thereby corrupted in many things the true Faith of Christ and defiled the Church of God with many most Pernicious Errours as specially in forbidding the Priests to marry commanding us to abstain from Meats besides many other Superstitions and Points of less moment and most of all in that strange Metaphysical and incredible Doctrine of Transubstantiation and the consequents of that Doctrine in the Idolatrous adoration of the consecrated Host and other very frivolous Superstitions which have brought much Misery and have been most Pernicious unto the Church of Christ That a reformation of the abuses in Gods service was foreshewed And after that the Field of Gods Church should be thus overgrown with Tares and with Thornes and Thistles the same Apostle sheweth that God would look upon his Church and there should come a Reformation and he would raise Reformers to root out those erroneous weeds and Bastard Plants and to prescribe a form of Godliness or a set form of Gods Worship whereby the Church of Christ and Servants of God should be guided and directed how to serve God aright in the true Faith of Jesus Christ And these Reformers of the foresaid Errours and Prescribers of that set form of Gods Service and Teachers of the People to worship God according to that form of wholesom Doctrine are stiled by St. Paul as they were indeed good men and the good Ministers of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 4.6 1 Tim. 4.6 Hypocritical proud Saints the worst of all sinners And because the Devil can never rest quiet but when we strive to be best then will he labour and strive to make us worst of all and to become proud Saints that are more odious in the sight of God than the greatest sinners when they be humbled for their sins as our Saviour testifieth the same quick-sighted Argos being illuminated by the Divine light of Gods Holy Spirit saith there should spring up a company of Hypocritical Professors that would be proud and boasting of their knowledge though it were never so erroneous and proud of their Godliness though they were never so great worldlings and Hypocritical Dissemblers And these E. H. rightly termeth the black guard of the Antichrist and he counteth eighteen Troops or as I think he might have rather said eighteen Legions of them 1. Self-Lovers which is the Root of all Mischief That abundance of hypocritical professors no lesse then 18 troops or legions should under the pretence of Religion corrupt Gods service and destroy his servants 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 E. H. de Antichristo p. 145. 2. Covetous men that long for the Lands and Livings both of King and Priest 3. Boasters of what great things they would do 4. Proud men of their strength of their Knowledge and of their Goodness and Holiness 5. Blasphemers of God of the King and of the Saints of God 6. Disobedient to Parents especially to their Spiritual Parents the Bishops and the Church 7. Unthankful men to those that have best deserved and done them most good 8. Unholy men without any spark of true Holiness or Religion in them 9. Without natural Affection to their Kins-folk and those of their own flesh and blood 10. Truce Breakers without any regard of their Oaths Promises or Articles of Agreement 11. False Accusers and Make-bates by charging men with those things that they never knew 12. Incontinent and given over to all uncleanness and all fleshly lusts 13. Fierce and cruel men thirsting after the Lives and blood of those whom they hate and nothing satisfying them but their death 14. Despisers and so haters of those that are good 15. Traytors that is Betrayers of their King of their Governours and of their Friends 16. Heady that is obstinate and wilful men that will have nothing done nor said but what they themselves think good 17. High-minded men and such as from a low estate and mean extract aimed at great matters and aspired to high places to be Knights Lords and Princes 18. Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God whatsoever Pretence they made of their love to God yet indeed their own Pleasure was and is their god and their main end is for their own good And all these eighteen Troops which the Apostle cloatheth in the same Livery that is a pretended form or shew of Godliness and a Directory to seem more zealous in Religion and to bear a greater love and care of Gods Honour than all others but should notwithstanding all their Pretences their Zeal and their Saintship deny the Power and vertue of the right and true Form of
Godliness 2 Tim. 3.5 and thereby 2 Tim. 3.5 saith the Apostle they shall turn the Grace of God into wantonness that is turne the true Service of God into vain jangling and a foolish senceless prating and so probably prove themselves to be just like Jannes and Jambres that resisted Moses who was their chief Governour and King in Jeshuron and like Corah Dathan and Abiram that as the Prophet saith angred Moses in their Tents and Aaron the Saint of the Lord Psal 106.16 and so despised rebelled and would have destroyed both the Civil Magistrate and the Ecclesiastical Governours of Gods Church which Offices themselves desired and aimed at and would have obtained if God by his fearful Judgment had not prevented them And according to these Prophesies and Predictions That all the aforesaid things came to pass according as they were foreshewed and the like 1. Of Deceivers and Corrupters of Gods Truth 2. Of a Faithful Reformation of all in-crept Errours and Abuses And 3. Of a Faithless Apostasie and Rebellion against the Reformers of the same and the Defenders of Gods Service by a company of Hypocritical Zealots we find by the successes saith one and I think very right that all these things happened just as they were fore-shewed by the Apostle as in other places so likewise in this our Church of Ingland For after that the Pope and the Church of Rome had fallen away from some Points of the true Faith Arise Evans in his voice from Heaven p. 18 19. and had privily as I shewed before brought in divers Errours Abuses and Superstitions which defiled the Purity and blemished the Beauty of our Church as of many other particular Churches besides Martyn Luther steps up and falls out with the Pope for and about the Sale of his Indulgences by his Factor Tercelius whom the Pope then employed for that business and then he bitterly inveigheth against his Holiness for this and the other Corruptions of the German Church that were no less as they said than centum gravamina a hundred grievances Fasciculus rerum extendarum King Hen. the 8. writes against Luther which were presented to Pope Adrian the 6th with an earnest desire of a speedy redress as you may find it in fasciculo rerum expetendarum Hereupon King Henry the 8. it may be in Requital of the Popes favour that granted him a dispensation to marry his Brothers Wife writes a Book against Luther and therein blames him very much for apostatizing and starting aside from his Mother the Church of Rome and contrary to his Faith and Oath and all good manners so eagerly to oppose and so bitterly to rail against his holy Father the Pope and so to the uttermost of his Learning that was both an understanding wise and Learned King he defends the Faith together with the Corruptions of the Roman Church or rather maintaines the Errours and Superstitions of that Church together with so much of the true Faith as the Pope and the Church of Rome did then profess King Hen. 8. his double recompence for his book against Luther 1. Recompence and for this Royal Engagement of the King against Luther the King receives a double Recompense 1. The one from Luther his great Antagonist 2. The other from the Pope his dear Client For 1. Luther in the heat of his Fury and the heighth of his German spirit railes as much against the King and calls him as I read it in his own Book and not out of any other Transcriber asinissimus Rex an unseemly term as I conceive for a poor Monk to give to so great a King and as I said none of the meanest Clerks as he had formerly done against the Pope which bitter Invectives against a Father in the Church and the Patriarch of all the Western Churches Tilenus exeges pag. 29. Aphor. 104. p. 20. as the Primitive Counsels term him qui in ordine primus fuit inter Patriarchas primum ordine in Apostolorum collegio eum esse non inviti concedimus saith Tilenus and such uncivil behaviour towards Kings Luther blamed for his too much bitternesse and unseemly terms Matth. 11.29 that are the Lords Anointed be they what they will when I read not upon the credit of others but in his own Tractates as I thought very well of many things that he wrote so I should have thought much better of all the rest but that I conceived so much bitterness mingled with such a measure of Gall and Vinegar as dropped from his Pen not against the sins but against the Persons of men could not be distilled from the spirit of God which is a Spirit of Meekness and Lowliness as our Saviour testifieth But 2. 2. Recompence The Pope for this Scholastick Defence of the Faith of the Roman Church by the King which the Pope himself should have done by his Pen and desired the King to have assisted him by his Sword gives to him and to his Successors the Kings of Ingland the just good and honourable Title of Defender of the Faith that is the True and Christian Faith or the Faith of Gods Elect which was pretended to be then in Rome and is now defended by the King And though King Henry obtained this Eulogy this Title and this Authority upon a wrong ground because he defended a wrong Faith yet as Jacob got the blessing upon an untrue suggestion that he was his father Isaac's eldest son even his first-born Esau but being once gotten he still retained it So did the King Genes 27.19 when he fell out with the Pope and fell from the Pope about his divorce from Queen Katherine which the Pope upon good grounds would not admit still retain that Title How the Faith was defended in Ingland and especially the truth and substance of that Title and maintained the same as a King with his sword which he had gained as a Priest with his pen and so did his son and his Successor after him Edward the 6th continue a royal defender of the true faith and when Queen Mary would have remitted the Title and permitted the faith to be undefended and the truth to be corrupted in this Kingdome the witnesses of Christ his Gospel the holy Martyrs of our Church Cranmer Latymer Ridley 3 reverend Bishops and the rest of those holy Champions stood up and defended the same unto death with the sheding of their blood and the loss of their dearest lives And after Queen Maries time Q. Elizabeth like another Deborah with the advice and assistance of all the godly Bishops and the best of all the Divines in her Kingdom concluded and set forth the Articles of our Church and that perfect form of Godliness the Liturgy and book of common prayer and service of God which they composed with a free liberty from her majesty at home and without any fear either of Pope or any other forraign Authority abroad And this faith
concluded and expressed in our 39 Articles to which all Ministers subscribed and this uniformity of Gods worship thus purged from all abuses errors and Superstitions and so perfectly composed by all those holy men for the honor and service of God was fully authorized by the Queen and all the Parliaments that were convened and held in her time to be observed without any omission or alteration in all Churches as you may see by the Act prefixed before the Book of common Prayer And afterwards it was continued and preserved by that wise and learned King K. James and above all and more strictly than all by that ever blessed King and glorious Martyr of Jesus Christ Charles the 1. that defended the true faith and this true form of serving God against all opposers both the superstitious Papists and the apostate Puritanes and Separatists even to the loss of his life And I presume all good Protestants will yield unto me and I am perswaded That the Church of Ingland in King Charles his raign was the purest Church on earth that the Pope and his Cardinalls if they would speak according to their consciences could not deny but that the Church of Ingland as it was purged from Idolatry and Superstition and established in such purity of Doctrine and excellency of Discipline in the raign of King Edward the 6th and especially in Queen Elisabeths time and so continued in the raign of King James and King Charles was the truest and the purest Church unless they did except their own Church that way-fared and was militant here on earth where the faith of Gods elect might infallibly be found the service of God was rightly observed and was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Temple the House and the Church which he hath purchased and wherein he dwelleth And So E. H. truly confesseth that amongst all the reformed Churches E. H. in his Preface to the Reader the Church of Ingland hath alwayes been esteemed the purest as being most conformable to primitive purity and the word of God both in Doctrine and Discipline B. Montague in apello Caesarem c. 5. p. 47 48. And this appears even from the pens of the heads of other reformed Churches as Bucer Melancthon Calvin Camerarius Beza Zanchius Molinaeus Casaubon Sergevil Saravia and others who many of them confess in plain words and all by consequence conclude that the Church of Ingland of any particular national Church in the world cometh nearest to the apostolick rule for though all the Churches that protested against the superstitious tenents and errors of the councill of Trent and the Church of Rome have borne the name of reformed Churches yet neither all nor any of them all are indeed well and perfectly reformed when as many of them are corrupt in many points of Doctrine as I could shew you amongst the Calvinists and especially the Lutheran Churches that maintain that foul error of the ubiquity of the humanity of Christ their consubstantiation of his body in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and their many mistakes about the communication of the Properties of both his natures as Danaeus sheweth most excellently against Chemnitius and most of them are deficient in the rule of primitive Government not any one of them indeed following the Apostles Discipline And the reason of their deficiency is The reason of the deficiency of the Reformation of the other reformed Churches because that in the French and German Churches and the Churches beyond the Seas the Reformers of them by reason of the innumerable number of their potent enemies and the civil broyles and diffentions that were then in those parts and especially the want of a King in Israel that is a supream Monarch in some of those places over the people which made way for every one of the vulgar sort to do as we read in the Book of Judges what seemed right in his own eyes Judges 21.25 were constrained to do what they might and not what they would have done what could be effected and not what they desired to be performed But the Church of Ingland not by popular or any one particular mans reformation as John Knox that furious puritane did in the Church of Scotland but by a national Synod of all the Bishops and best Divines called by the King and confirmed by the King Peers and Commons of the whole Kingdome reformed her self not as other Churches did tumultuarily but with a great deal of advice diligence and deliberation that so it might be effected as the Apostles left it as the sacred rule required and as it was premonstrated it should be performed and weeded from all the dross the tares and the darnells that should spring to choak the pure wheat And therefore seeing the Church of Ingland until these late times was the truest and the purest reformed Church on earth it is conceived and I do believe it that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Antichrist should arise not out of Rome that hath corrupted many truths and superadded many errors and Superstitions upon the fundamentalls of our Religion and is as yet unreformed nor out of Constantinople which hath likewise apostatized from the true faith of Christ and doth still continue unreturned to Christ from their false Prophet nor out of Hierusalem as some men do most fondly dream but out of this Church this very Church of great Brittain For as heretofore Speed l. 6. cap. 45. Camden britan pag. 74. Euseb in vita Constant. Zechar. 10.11 this Iland of great Brittain brought forth Constantine the son of Helen the daughter of King Coylus which was the best instrument that ever the Church of Christ had to further and to honor the Christian Religion as Eusebius sheweth the same at large And as according to the Septuagint the Prophet saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath passed through the narrow sea with affliction and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the scepter of Aegypt shall depart away which may signifie that Christ hath first of all purged this Church that lyeth within the narrow seas and hath made the purest Reformation here that was made in any place by the afflictions and sufferings of the aforenamed Martyrs in Queen Maries dayes and hath thereby brought down the pride of the Pope and of the Roman Church that were then as powerfull as the Assyrians were when the Prophet wrote the same and hath driven away his usurpation and freed us from his tyranny as the Israelies were delivered from the bondage of the Aegyptians so the devil bearing an inveterate hate and infinite malice against this Iland more than against any other place The 2. special Reasons why the devil beareth a greater malice to this Iland more than to any other place for these two grand services that it did to God 1. The toleration of the Christians to profess their faith in peace and the Plantation of the Church of Christ to encrease
and multiply by the means of Constantine And 2. The Reformation of this Church better then any other Church by the means of those holy Martyrs and godly Bishops that did the same he was fully resolved to be revenged upon this Church of Great Brittain Therefore as not long after Constantines times he stirred up the Picts the Scots the Danes and the Saxons to punish plague and tyrannize over the poor Brittains as it appeareth by the lamentable address that they made unto the Romans for their aid and help against their enemies for the first good service they had done to the honor of God How the devil revengeth the good service that this Iland did to Christ so immediately after that those godly Reformers of this Church had rooted out those evil weeds of Errors and Superstition that the Devil had planted therein he stirred up Penry Martin Marprelate Cartwright Broughton and divers others that in Q. Maryes dayes fled beyond seas to save their lives and there suckt that transmarine poyson that infected both their own and many other mens soules to make invectives against our Church far worse and more bitter than all the Actions that Cicero did against Verres or his Philippicks against M. Antonius to revenge the second good service that this Iland had done to Christ And these that were reasonable good Schollars but fiery mad and furious men did through their violent proceedings get so many Proselites and Disciples after them that as S. Bernard saith of the former Hereticks in a very short space numeri eorum multiplicati sunt super numerum they increased like the rats of Egypt that do super-faetare beget young ones before they be delivered of their old brood And this grand host of his Instruments the Devil perswaded and egged them forward to prosecure their enterprise and never to give over and desist untill they should effect these 3 things The three especial things that the devil perswaded his instruments to effect 1. Unking the Kingdome and make it like the Israelites after the time of the Judges that every man might do what seemed right in his own eyes 2. Unbishop the flock of Christ that the foxes wolves and other savage beasts the Hereticks and Scismaticks might destroy them at their pleasure and so 3. To unchurch this formerly pure and famous Church of great Brittain and to cause it totally to apostatize from the true faith of Gods elect to be divorced from Christ and to be no wayes answerable to the usual and right definition of a true visible Church to which the infidels and unbelievers being converted might be incorporated And then after that they had more than desperately opposed their King and risen up against the pious Defender of the true faith he perswaded them that if he would not consent to defile that faith to abolish the right form of Gods worship to corrupt the Christian Religion and to destroy the witnesses of Christ the governors and upholders of Gods truth in this so well reformed Church with fire and sword to war against him and never leave untill they should bring him to a bitter death and a glorious martyrdome and after that they had like Jannes and Jambres withstood their Governors and cashiered their Bishops and supprest the Articles and Liturgy of the Church he perswaded them to fill the same Church with damnable Heresies not privily as the Apostle saith the former Hereticks would do but most openly How Satan perswaded his instruments to fill the Church with all impiety and villany in the sight of the sun and at last as our Saviour saith out of Daniel to bring the abomination of desolation that is such abominable blasphemies heresies errors and absurd opinions among the people and such wicked deeds of perjury oppression pride lasciviousness and the like corruptions of Gods true service that do more highly provoke the wrath of God than all the sinnes of ignorance negligence or infirmity and cause him to bring utter ruine and desolation upon any Kingdome to stand in the holy place that is in the Churches Chappels and all other consecrated and holy places that were dedicated for the true service of God and for the people of God that did formerly truly and holily serve the Lord in those places And this the Devil did to this end videlicet That so the Kingdome being without a King the flock of Christ without Pastors and the Church of Christ without her Discipline and true Doctrine he might raise that cruel beast which S. John saw rising out of the sea from these narrow seas and bring up the great Antichrist out of this pure Church of great Brittain to root out the true service of God to be the plague of his servants and the death of his saints and to be fully revenged on this Iland for the twofold displeasure it had done to him before Now whether Satan hath by his Instruments done all this or not I leave it to the wise and judicial impartial Reader to determine it only I finde that Mr. Alexander Rose in his animadversions against Mr Hobbs his Leviathan p 18 Alexander Ross saith the Instruments of Satan brought such abominable blasphemies heresies errors and absurd opinions among the people more in these few years than were all the time hitherto since christianity was imbraced which is a shreud suspicion if not an infallible proof that the great Antichrist is come amongst us CHAP. III. That the Antichrist is no single Person but a Collected Multitude of men Who those men might be Of the Grand Apostasie whereof the Apostle speaketh that made way and opened the Door wide for the Antichrist to enter in That it is neither the Apostacy of the Prime Hereticks nor of the East Churches nor of the Roman Church but of some purely Reformed Particular Church supposed to be and demanded if it be not the Church of Great Brittain BUT here it is a great Question among the Learned Whether the Antichrist be one sing le Person or else a multitude of men either succeeding one another or collâ—cted together whether this Great Antichrist be one single and singular Person or a certain Polity Kingdom or Multitude of men Hyperius saith Est multitudo aliqua diversi sibi invicem succedentes qui unum quodammodo Antichristi vastum corpus efficiunt It is a multitude of men succeeding one another which after a sort do all make up the vast Body of the Antichrist and so saith Tilenus and all those that would have the Pope to be the Antichrist Brightman saith the Antichrist must be understood to be a wicked Kingdom Rule or Dominion which he affirmeth to be not the Kingdom of Ingland which in his time indeed could not be but the Papacy the Roman Hierarchy and the Rule and Dominion of the Pope Tilenus exeg de Antichristo p. 9. Achor is 66. in Italy France Spain or wheresoever his Jurisdiction reacheth and Mr. Mede Mr. Potter and
or how soon Christ will come to Judgment to make a final end of the Antichrist and to deliver his Servants out of all their troubles And this Author wrote a Book entituled The Grand Rebellion that they shall suffer by the Means and procurement of the Antichrist And so first the grand Rebellion will shew it self and the great Apostasie will appear then the great Antichrist will come and settle himself in the Church of Christ and he shall be revealed and made known not to all men no more than Christ was when he came into the world but to as many as the Spirit of God shall enlighten and open the eyes of their understanding to take notice of him that they may avoid him and not be seduced by him E. H. de Antichristo c. 6. pag. 101. to follow his pernicious waies as E. H. hath most truly declared And then as the Apostle saith the Day of the Lord will come and we may certainly expect it and believe it will not be long before he cometh Question Now it is demanded where in what Kingdom and in what Reformed Church or in what other Church this Grand Rebellion and huge apostacy hath happened and appeared And it is answered Respons That the apostacy here spoken of cannot be 1. The apostafie of the prime grand Hereticks 1. That this apostacy here spoken of cannot be meant of the apostasie of the prime grand Hereticks For though the Nicolaitans the Ebionites and the Cerinthians in the time of St. John and afterwards the Montanists Valentinians Arians Nestorians Eutychians and the succeeding Hereticks Manichaeans Pelagians Donatists and all the other Brood of the prime Hereticks fell into many most fearful errours and so rebelled against their Governours and drew many Disciples after them to make a defection from the true Faith and have by their apostasie and subtilty corrupted whole Churches and Congregations of Christ yet that their backsliding and apostasie cannot be said to be this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grand Rebellion and the special great falling away from the Faith which the Apostle here speaketh of because their apostasie was not so general and so extensive from the most and the chiefest points of Faith as this is but each Heretick and each Sect of those Hereticks started aside from some particular point of the true Catholick and Christian Faith as Arius denied the Divinity of Christ Nestorius made Christ to subsist of two Persons and Eutiches on the other side to confute him confounded the true Properties of both Natures Manichaeus would have God to be the Author of evil or that there be two Gods the one good and the author of all goodness and the other evil and the author of all the evil that is Pelagius taught the too large extent of mans Free-will All the prime grand Hereticks far better than our present Presbyterians and others with the Stoicks ascribed all events to a fatal necessary and so the rest of those Heresiarchs defiled themselves and their Churches with some particular errour or with some very few at the most and yet still they retained the rest and the most points of the true Faith and especially the setled Form of Gods Service and defired alwaies to be in the Commnion and to keep the unity of the Catholick Church and they ever observed the right Government and Discipline of the Church none of all the Hereticks until Aerius nor after he was therefore condemned for an Heretick as Epiphan sheweth any other Heretick till this last Century produced a Brood of Aerius Proselites were ever found to deny the Episcopal Government of the same and they all generally retained the established Creeds and Articles of wholsom Doctrine Lyturgies Catechismes and the right manner of the Worship of God with that reverence and devotion as he ought to be worshipped though they started aside and apostatized from some particular points of the Foundation of the Catholick Faith And 2. 2. Nor the apostasie of the Eastern Churches The like may be said of all the Asiatick and Affrican Churches that succeeded them and were many of them corrupted by those grand Hereticks that they professed the Creeds observed the Lyturgies and reverenced their Governours as the Apostle enjoyneth and receded only like their Leaders from some few Points of the true Faith and therefore the grand apostacy here spoken of cannot be fastned nor applied to any of them And 3. As the Eastern Churches are free from this apostacy so the Church of Rome 3. Nor the apostasie of the Church of Rome and all the rest of her subordinate Western Churches though they have corrupted the Doctrine of Christ with many Errours Ceremonie and Superstitions yet because they retain the main Heads the true Scriptures the Catholick Creeds and the gross sum of the Christian Religion though mingled with many erroneous accessions and is therefore rightly compared to a field of goodly Wheat but very full of Tares and Darnels cannot be said to be guilty of this grand Rebellion and apostasie Reason 1 1. Because all their Errours and Superstititions are not so foul as those of the foresaid Hereticks and the additions which they agglutinate unto the Truth as a bad super-structure upon a good Foundation cannot be liable to this transcendent apostasie when as all the errours of the Church of Rome are rather Superstitions and additions of more Articles than ever the Apostles left or the Primitive Church professed to the true Faith and Catholick Creeds than a defection or discession and departure from the Faith and therefore that Church cannot be guilty of this apostasie and departure from the Faith but rather of creating a new Faith and new Articles of Faith which God never requireth us to believe Reason 1 2. Because the now Church of Rome of France Spain and other Churches under the Popish Jurisdiction did never profess all the Articles of our faith in the true and right sence as they ought to be believed and interpreted but they were born nursed and nusled in the errors and Superstitions that they are in continually and how can they be said to recede and depart from the faith and from the truth that never knew them nor profest them and therefore seeing they never were in the true faith they can no wayes be said to be guilty of this apostasie from the faith Object But you will say as E. H. doth and many others with him that when after Constantines time E. H. in the Preface of his book de Autic the Church began to be wealthy and as the envious said venenum intravit in Ecclesiam poison that is the poison of riches honors and authority especially after Phâ—cas his time that gave unto the Pope the title of universal Bishop entred into the Church and among the Clergy then the Monks brought tapers into the Church and they induced the trisagium that is sancte Deus sancte fortis sancte immortalis which as
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
God I would have all wise men to consider whether the Presbyterians Independants and all the brood of our new and lay-Preachers have not moved and preswaded the long Parliament to suppress the Governors of the Church and to lay aside the ancient Discipline and Government thereof and have they not themselves abandoned and cast off not only the Apostles Creed and the other 2 authentick Creeds so that you shall seldome or never hear any one of all three repeated by the Minister to any of their Congregations but also the Lords prayer the 10 Commandements and all the whole former service of God which was formerly used in the Church and is now wholly neglected and seldome or never used to be read and practiced to be done by these men unto the people which in divers Parishes have not had the holy Sacraments in many years administred unto them Et non ignota cano And the Reason hereof is What Pope did ever cast away the whole publick service of God as I conceive it because the service-book as we term it that is the Book of common Prayer that containeth these 3 Creeds and the Lords Prayer and the Decalogue and the form of the Administration of the Sacraments and all the other Prayers that are the principal and most essential parts of Gods publick service is so straitly prohibited and rejected And the Disciples of these new masters and the Adherents of that long Parliament tore the Bibles threw down the fonts The enormities that were done by the disciples of the Presbyterians cast away all crosses spoyled all pictures prophaned the Churches and did many other sacrilegious and outragious things whereby as many men conceived the whole reformation of this Church is nullified and the apostasie that is here spoken of by the the Apostle is fully come to pass and accomplished and they pray that there may never come to any national Church as they hope there shall not come a greater apostasie and falling away both from the truth of faith and the service of God than this is whereof the like as many good men and great Schollars do believe hath never been hitherto by the worst and the most dangerous Sect of Hereticks Because the Church being as the Scripture testifieth acies crdinata Bellarm. de Ecclesia milit cap. 2. like an army that is well ordered under their lawful Commanders Or as Bellarm. saith Coetus hominum ejusdem christianae fidei professione colligatus sub regimine legitimorum Pastorum ac pracipuè unius Christi in terris Vicarii Romani Pontificis In stead of which last Sentence I say sub legitime regimine or regimine legitimorum Pastorum And they are no lawfull Pasters nor Ministers of Gods Church that have not their lawfull Ordination and go no further that is a Company of men gathered together and professing the same Christian Faith under the rule and government of their lawful Governours the true and lawful Government being dissolved and the Governours suppressed and the Symboles of our Faith rejected the true Doctrines corrupted and the right Service of God cast away and the like enormities that are used do eradicate the foundation and not only pollute but also destroy and unchurch the Church of Christ and make it not to be as it should be visible here on earth and do provoke the Lord to leave his Habitation and to remove our Candlestick to another place For you may remember what the Prophet Zechary saith I took unto me two staves Zech. 11.7 the one I called Beauty the other I called Bands and I fed the Flock this flock is the Church of God and the two staves are the Doctrine and the Discipline of the Church the Doctrine is the Beauty and the Discipline is the Bands and preservation thereof and therefore when the Discipline is rejected and rebelled against the Doctrine must needs then be corrupted with Heresies and Errors and the service of God neglected and prophaned For as a Garden or Vineyard which the Church of God is Esa 5. cannot be kept undestroyed from the wilde boar and the beasts of the field without their fence so no more can the beauty of the Church the service of God nor indeed the Church herself be preserved without her bands which are the Lawes Canons and Discipline of the Church and therefore the Devil instigateth all his instruments to break these bands asunder and to cast away the cords from them Psal 2.3 And so you may remember we presently found that when the Bishops the Governors of our Church that preserved the Discipline which was the fence and the hedg of Christ his vineyard to keep out the foxes that is the Hereticks and Schismaticks out of the Church and the hoops of Gods barrel to keep in the wine Judges 9.13 that cheareth God and man that is the true Doctrines of faith and the right service of God were thrown down nay thrown away and the Government of this our Church dissolved by that long Parliament which never happened to the Church of Rome then instantly the beauty of this Church which formerly for learning Doctrine Cant. 2.1 and Discipline was the flower of all the Churches in Christendome as the rose of Sharon and the lilly of the valies became quite defaced and the Church her self became Lo-ammi her whole usual service was rejected the service-book Hos 1.9 that was the rule of Gods worship broken all to pieces and straightly prohibited to be used the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue seldome or never repeated the fundamental points of our faith either corrupted or omitted to be taught and all sorts of damnable long-buried Heresies were revived preached and printed in every place whereby our well-reformed and lately glorious Church became like an Army routed a barrel unhooped and a vineyard unfenced and then filled with all corruptions both of life and doctrine to make way for the man of sin as John Baptist did to Christ to enter in And to shew the enormities of these times more plainly I will out of their own mouth and from their own books quote unto you what a Presbyterian Tho. Hall in his Book intituled The pulpit guarded in Eâ—ist dedicat Domino Joâ—nr Trap pastoride Bello-vado as I conceive him to be saith Vetus est illa oratoris quarela proveniebant oratores novi stulti adolescentuli prâ—veniunt hac nostra tempestate non oratores sed aratores novi stulti fabri ferrarii aerarii lignarii rastris quam rostris aptiores pistores nunc pastores textores tonsores sutores sartores coquinarii cupedinarii milites mulieres puelluli puelluiae c. necnon quamplurimi alii ejusdem furfuris quos vulgo vocamus Gifted brethren hem lingua utendum est belluina ne belluae ist a nos dilacerent and whom I pray you doth this man mean should be the beast and these beasts that he speaks of and is afraid
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
2. The contradictions of the Popes Their Popes do follow the same steps for Stephan the 6. abrogated all his Predecessors Decrees but Formosus took up his body after his burial for it and cut off two of his fingers and then buried his body again and the next succeeding Popes Theodorus the 2. Ex Polychron Romanus and John the 10. confirmed all the Acts of Formosus but Sergius disannulled them all again and took up Formosus his body and threw the same into Tiber. 3. 3. The contradictions of their Orders The Oppositions among their Orders is never a whit less than betwixt their Popes for the difference betwixt the Dominicans and the Franciscans about the conception of the blessed Virgin Mary the Dominicans holding that she was conceived in original sin and the Franciscans denying the same was so great and their fury was so hot Anno 1476. against each other that Pope Xistus the 4. joyning with the Franciscans burned 4 of the Dominicans for defending that truth Neither are their Schooles free from this fault for the Scotists Ochamists and Thomists could never be reconciled Erasmus in loc contr Laton Alphoas l. 1. c. 6. Genchrard in Chron. untill the Thomists got the conquest and at this day the Seculars and the Jesuits can never agree nor the Jesuits that are indeed the better learned accord well among themselves for Alphonsus de Castro and his Adherents do hold the Council above the Pope but Card. Bellarm. and all his Schollers do hold the contrary and it is observed by Genebrard that there were 20 several Sects and Schismes amongst the Romanists at the same time and others have collected 80 several different Opinions amongst them about that one only point of the Eucharist And I could yet further inlarge this point how they do not all agree in the Doctrine of our Justification nor in many other points beside nor indeed any one of them long with himself quia oportet mendacem esse memorem because the teacher of errors and false Doctrine had need to have a good memory ea falsitatis atque erroris est natura ut nemine repugnante a seipsa tandem juguletur and that is the nature of Error and falsehood that a length it will overthrow it self though there were no man to speak against it and therefore we finde Bellarmine himself confuting and contradicting himself in many places as our learned Bishop Morton hath most excellently observed but I stood too long on this point already 2. 2. The collusion of the Roman Church There Collusion is and especially in former times was such that they did not onely deceive one another but almost all the world besides Presbyter amplectens faeminam presumitur benedicendi causa fecisse and old Lyra saith fit aliquando in Ecclesia dei maxima deceptio in fictis miraculis à sacerdotibus the greatest decepts and cosenage shall happen sometimes in the Church of God by the false and faigned miracles that shall be done by the Priests and so indeed as our Presbyters do now so their Priests and Jesuits by their faigned sanctity false miracles and subtle insinuations into the hearts and bosomes of the vulgar people seduxerunt gentes have seduced them and made them drunk with the wine of their abominations and abominable flatteries 3. 3. The oppression of the Romanists For their oppression vexation and cruelty towards the servants of God it exceeded all humanity and the Chaldean Babylon must not compare with them herein for they did not only vex the children of God and lay heavy yokes upon their necks which was all that Babylon did unto the Israelites but they did also persecute the best Protestants with sword fire and faggot burning them as they did John Hus and Hierom of Prague and take their bones out of their Graves if they cannot lay hands on them alive as they did the bones of Bucer and Phagius in the time of Queen Mary Scaeva sic in manes manibus arma dabant And so they warred Amos 2.1 And as the King of Moab burned the bones of the King of Edom so they raged against the very Ghosts of the Saints And therefore if we had nothing else to say against them but this their cruelty against the Saints and Servants of Christ yet this alone is a sufficient argument to prove their City and Church a Babylon and themselves rather Citizens of Babylon than Members of the Church of Christ for as he that was born after the flesh Galat. 4.29 persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now saith the Apostle The Church of Christ doth never persecute but doth alwaies suffer Persecution for Christian Religion is to be maintained enlarged and defended non occidendo sed monendo non saevitia sed patientia not by killing but by monishing not by cruelty but by patience nam si sanguine tormentis religionem defendere velis jam non defendetur Lact. l. 1. c. 19. Religion not to be planted by the sword sed polluetur saith Lactantius For if thou wouldst defend Religion with shedding of blood and inflicting torments it is not defended but polluted and thou dost defile it and spoil it in seeking to maintain it And this is plainly seen by the example of Christ himself who neither instituted his Kingdom by any foreible meanes nor would have himfelf defended by any outward power of the sword but biddeth S. Peter to put up his sword into his sheath Matth. 26.52 and he sheweth the reason of it unto the Governour because his Kingdom is not of this world nor like unto the Kingdoms of this world for they are enlarged and defended by force of Armes and by the sword Rom. 10.14 but the Kingdom of Christ is encreased and continued by the reading and the preaching of the word and Faith cometh ex auditu non ex metu by hearing not by threatning ex dono Dei non ex imperio hominum from the Gift of God and not by the Command of any man And therefore S. Bernard saith that suadenda fides non cogenda Faith is to be perswaded and not compelled And S. Paul saith 2 Cor. 10.4 Damasc 3. sent c. 32. that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual And Damascene saith that the Gospel was preached throughout all the world without weapon armour or Battel by a few naked poor afflicted men and if men believed they saved their souls if not the Apostles were to take none other revenge but to shake off the dust of their feet to be a witness against them that refused their Doctrine Object But the Romanists against this do answer for themselves and say that our Saviour bids his Servants to go to the high waies and compel the people to come into his Wedding that his House might be full Luke 14.23 Solut. I answer 1. That the Word compell doth not alwaies imply
or at least a defect of Christian Charity And therefore we adhere to these in love and pity and deem them as our Brethren in Christ Jesus But for the rest that are the wilful and obstinate Abettors of the Romish Idolatry and impiety we will not only follow the counsel of our Lord and Master and of his blessed Prophets and Apostles to get out of this Babylon and to separate our selves from amongst them and to have nothing to do with their stool of wickedness Jer. 50.14 but we will also do as our God commandeth us by his Prophet Jeremy lay siege against it and spare no arrowes because she hath sinned against tho Lord. And thus I have shewed unto you that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respectively yea and in many respects that Rome and the Church of Rome is a Babylon a City of Confusion and the Popish Hierarchy full of many iniquities and impieties And I have been the more large and ample in this Point to let the world see how falsly and unjustly the Presbyterians Puritans and their Adherents have and do throw their scandalous imputations and aspersions upon my self and the rest of our Reverend Bishops for being Papists and Popish and Popishly affected when as indeed all wise men know that none propagated and defended the Gospel of Christ and the true Protestant Religion and impugned the Romish Babylon and shewed confuted and here with us Bishop Bilson Bishop Baclow Bish Montagu Bish Abbats suppressed the Superstitions Heresies and Idolatries of the Church of Rome better and more learnedly than Bishop Jewel Bishop Babington Bishop Horne Bishop Andrews Bishop Downam Bishop Usher Bishop Prideaux Bishop Hall Bishop Morton Bishop White Bishop Laude and the rest of our Reverend Bishops And on the other side the Presbyterians and Puritans that hated and opposed our Bishops though they railed against the Pope and Popery and stuffed their Sermons with Invectives against them yet through their Ignorance for want of Learning have insensibly against their own wills dispersed and taught many Popish points and the flat Errours of the Romish Church unto their Auditors who as the blind do swallow many a flie so do their simple Proselites suck those poysonous Tenets which are thus insensibly by their ignorant Teachers infused into them But to return you see Rome and the Church of Rome is a mystical Babylon And yet 2. The City of Rome not to be understood to be the Seat of the Antichrist and the Babylon spoken of in Rev. c. 17. 1 Pet. 5.3 2. As the Chaldean City of Babylon cannot be said to be the Babylon that is spoken of in Revel 17. and the proper peculiar Seat of the Antichrist so no more can the Italian City of Rome be said to be the same And though that after the eclipsing of that great Assyrian Babylon first by Cyrus the Persian then by Alexander the Graecian that was here poysoned by Thessalus with poyson in a horse hoof and after that exhausted and almost unpeopled by Seleucus Rome was for the splendor strength and dominion thereof termed Babylon and for her Pride Idolatry and confusion in the service of her Idol Gods is so stiled by S. Peter and is acknowledged by the Fathers afore-cited and by most of the Learned Jesuits that confess the Assyrian Babylon to be the Type and figure of the Italian Rome and to be so understood by the Apostle in that place Yet I say it cannot be meant by any place of Scripture to be the Seat and Throne of the great Antichrist and the Babylon spoken of in Rev. 17. For though Martial saith Terrarum Dea gentiumque Roma Cui par est nihil nihil secundum And Though Rome be somtimes signified by this name of Babylon as I said before and is therefore interpreted by all those that would have the Pope to be the Antichrist to be that great City and that great Babylon spoken of in Rev. 17. And Ovid saith imperii Roma deumque locus l. 1. trist eleg 4. Athenaeus l. 1. Tacitus Annal lib. 4. and elsewhere in that Book And I confess it is often called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great City yet not simply in respect of the quantity or circuit thereof when we read of many Cities that were bigger than it but in respect of the Power and Authority that her Consuls and Emperors had over all other Cities and Dominions in which sense she is said by Athenaeus to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Heavenly City and by Julius frontinus she is said to be Domina Regina orbis terrarum the Lady and Queen of the world which made the Smyrnenses to erect a Temple and dedicate the same to the City of Rome as to a Goddess Yet I say this is not that great City nor that Babylon which is to be understood in Rev. 17. and is to be the Seat of the great Antichrist 3. The City of Constantinople cannot be the Seat of the Antichrist that must have a greater room than the great City of Rome And 3. As neither Babylon in Assyria nor the mystical Babylon of Rome can be said to be that Babylon the Seat of the Antichrist so no more can the City of Constantinople which is known to be called New Rome be understood to be his Throne and the Babylon there spoken of For though Constantine the Founder of this City Bish Montagu in his apello Caesarâ—m Constantinus apud Thraces qua Bosphorus aequor thracius â—â—xinus granted unto it in both slates of Church and Common-wealth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every way equalized Priviledges with the Old Rome as having Senators and one of the yearly Consuls and being the Imperial City and seared upon seven Hills as well as Old Rome and is therefore called by Nicetus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by Paulus Diaconus urbs septicollis the City of seven hills and being likewise in a fore-land or Land-straight where two seas meet Aegaeumingurgacat undis constituit sedem Imperii latiumque relinquit Christo Bizantium oppidum maritimum inter Pontum Euxinum propontidem orientalibus Thraciae finibus situm est 4. No one City of the world is to be understood by this Babylon What place is meant by this Babylon Eccles 9.14 Luke 12.32 and therefore the only seat in the world for an Imperial City far more convenient than old Rome yet I say she cannot be understood to be the peculiar place or City that the Apostle here meaneth by that Babylon where the great Antichrist must locally reside and set up his domineering Throne and Court therein 4. As none of these aforesaid great Cities can be understood by that Babylon which is to be the Seat and Residence of the Antichrist so no more indeed can any one City of the world how great and how powerful soever she were be properly and literally said to be the Throne or residing place
Opinions and vomited forth the Blasphemies of the old hereticks and chiefly of the Anthropomorphites Sabellians Nestorians Sadduceans Alexander Ross in the Epistle to the Reader before his animadversions Arabeans Taceans or Euchratites Manichaeans Mahometans and others the like wicked Hereticks All which Errors Heresies and Blasphemies the said Rosse hath observed and quoted the very Chapters where they were to be found and seen in the said Leviathan and hath in his animadversions most religiously and learnedly like a good Servant of Christ confuted the same to whom I refer my Reader to be more fully satisfied in every point And so the Reverend Bishop Hall hath somwhat shewed the Errors Heresies Blasphemies Bishop Hall in his revelation unrevealed Absurdities and Confusions that sprang amongst us and these Sectaries have brought into this Church of Christ And so likewise no doubt but many other Divines have observed and confuted the Blasphemie of these Beasts that have so divided the seamless Coat of Christ and brought such a confusion into his Church And letting pass the multiplicity of errors dissentions and absurd conclusions that have now lately crept into these Dominions about the Government of the Commâ—â—-wealth when some would have it a Monarchy others no Monarchy some desire it to be Aristocratical others Democratical and others Anarchical no Government at all If all the foresaid errors and all other sorts of heresies and blasphemies be not the undeniable marks and notes and the Causers of the greatest confusion and division that can be among Christians in the Faith and Doctrine that they do profess and if every Parish-Priest in order or without order becoming absolute like a Pope in every Congregation without any subordination to superiour Governours as the Independant Anabaptists and Lay Preachers would have it doth not breed the greatest confusion that can be in the Discipline and Government of the Church I leave it to any wise man to determine it and to judge whether the Popes Traditions or the Turkes Alcoran or the Jews fabulous Targum can bring more Sects and divisions and cause greater confusion among the people than these Sectaries and Hereticks have scattered and produced in our Church Objection But here it may be some Presbyterian will object against me for making the Region of division and confusion to be that great City of Babylon that is spoken of in the Revelation and is the place and City where the Antichrist shall enthrone himself and say to me as S. Bernard doth in the like case to Abaylardus that answered him quod omnes Patres sic ego autem non sic that although all the Fathers thought so as S. Bernard said yet he thought not so therefore that I must with Acetâ—erigere mihi scalam set up a Ladder for my self alone to ascend and climb up to the high top of this great Mystery the understanding of what place is meant by this Babylon Author Romae ruinae finalis Anno 1666 when as most of the Expositors of this Point and Place both old and new Papists and Protestants as you may see them produced in heaps by the author of Romae ruina finalis Anno Domini 1666. which is dedicated inclitissimo D. O. Protectori do by Babylon there spoken of literally understand the City of Rome and no other place but Rome and I expound it not so grammatically as they do for any special place or City but altogether mystically for the great City of this world and especially for that part of the world where most errors heresies divisions and confusions are spread and do infest both the Church and Common-wealth And why should I think to be believed before all the rest Or what revelation have I had to understand it better than they did Respon To this I answer 1. That the Particulars of the Person time place and other adjuncts of the great Antichrist are tendered unto us every where in the Scriptures as Prophesies and as Mysteries sealed up obscure and not manifested nor to be understood many times by the Prophets themselves until they be fulfilled and are made known by evident and plain event which as I said before is the best exposition upon all Prophesies And therefore as Bishop Morton saith in excuse of the Fathers concerning their erring in this very case of the Antichrist the ignorance or mistaking of those things Bishop Montagu in his apello Caes c. 5. p. 146. which cannot possibly be understood before the time of their accomplishment in the last daies can no waies be held prejudicial to the wisdom and judgment of the Fathers of former times nor the receding from them can be said to be a fault or presumption in us when we see things otherwise fulfilled than they thought Tilenus exeges de Antichristo 73. p. 21. because as Tilenus saith very well aliud est latentem Antichristum non posse agnoscere aliud revelatum nolle adspicere it is one thing not to know the Antichrist while he lieth hid before he cometh into the world or to know the place or time of his coming before he cometh for so neither the Fathers of old nor the Protestants of latter years though never so learned could rightly and infallibly discern either who he was or at what time and in what place he should arise untill they saw him and it is another thing to refuse to know him or to take notice both of him and of the place where he is when he plainly appeareth and is made manifest to as many as are willing to take notice of him Dr. Hackwill in his Preface to his Book of Gods Providence 2. I say with Dr. Hakewel that sometimes an error and mistaking of a point hath been conceived and delivered by some man of note and worth both for learning and judgment and then the same error hath by the succeeding Schollers been generally imâ—taced and received for a truth sine judicio as Mr. Calvin saith in the like case anâ— without further search or discussion into the nature and ground of the matter and in such a case we ought to accept and follow a late and newly delivered truth and recede from the old and ancient error though never so generally imbraced by the former Authors rather than to continue in a generally received error because truth whensoever and by whomsoever discovered is to be received and preferred before error how anciently or how generally soever it hath been delivered §. 3. The Antichrist will accomplish and fulfill all the Prophesies and do all the things that are foretold us should be done by the Antichrist and that being but an insipid speech to say mallem cum Socrate errare quam cum aliis verè sentire 3. The Antichrist having seen the rebellion and apostacy of the Church and now growing strong by the division and confusion that is both in the Church and State wherein he inthroneth himself as in the seat of his Majesty
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
that feareth not his King cannot be truly said to fear God Prov. 24.21 So the Parliament said We will have no more Kings but we will be as our Neighbour Nation is a Free State and a Commonwealth But for all this their saying That they will have no King it is demanded If these men proved not apt Schollars of those dissembling Jews and imitate those their good Masters to a hair for as those Jews said We will have no King that is no Kingdom Gods appointment or no lawful King that hath a just right and title unto his Kingdom yet if you look but two Chapters before you shall find how God complaineth they had set up Kings Hos 8.4 but not by him and this was first in their intention before they rejected their lawfull King that God had set over them but last in the execution because the Old King must be first ejected before any new Kings can be established So have nor the Parliament when they beheaded their Old King of Gods appointment and their lawful King without question made themselves new kings over Gods people I do not say Usurping Kings that had no right nor tyrannical Kings that did no right unto the people but as the Prophet saith of the Jews so it is questioned if the Parliament have not set up Princes yea such Princes as were but Bankrupts Shooe-makers and Taylers Drapers and Tinkers Carters and Coblers and the like Scum of men of no learning Job 30.1 of no breeding of no bloud and of no worth but such as Job describeth whom the ancient Gentry and Nobility of this Land would have disdained to have set with the dogs of their flocks and made these or such as these to be Rulers in all Lands the Justices of the peace that as the Prophet saith the Jewish Rulers would sell the poor for a pair of shooes so would these younger brethren that are to make their Fortunes for a Print of Butter or a groars-worth of eggs sell Justice and betray the right of their poor Neighbours Such Rulers and such Princes as no people in any Country would have endured the like to Lord it over them but those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Silly souls and poor spirited men whose hearts and courages the Lord hath taken from them and given up their best nobility and Gentry to be quite befooled besotted and bafled by such Baffoons when he intendeth to plague that Nation and utterly to lay all their glory and honour in the dust even as the Poet elegantly sheweth Hoc placet O superi Lucan Pharsal l. 1. cum vobis vertere cuncta Propositum nostris erroribus addere crimen Thus it pleaseth God when for their sins he intends to plague and to end the glory of any people to blind them so that they commit error upon error adding thirst unto drunkenness basenese unto their beastliness and Pharaoh-like harden their hearts in their follies that they cannot do what is honourable and what they ought untill they be destroyed and made Subjects to those that were their Servants But God tels the Jews that those new Kings of their own election were no Kings of his setting up nor any Princes of his making but of their own establishment Hos 8.4 Usurping Kings no Kings of Gods making and so meer Usurpers through the pride of their hearts and the violence of their hands such as Athalia was among that people and some others of our former Kings That I could name of this Land and therefore the Author of the Treatise of Usurpation saith That the people of any Nation do owe unto such Usurpers such Kings of their own setting up neither reverence nor obedience nor can any Officer with a safe conscience act under them Though I say not this which is true to deny that obedience to any Usurpers or to the unworthiest of our Rulers which may stand with Gods Word and may be yielded unto them without sin because I wâ—â—ld have no weak people stirred up to make an insurrection against their powerful Governours but when God that casteth down one and raiseth up another takes away the right of our former Princes and Rulers and suffereth others how mean or how base soever they be to step into their places and to sit upon the thrones of Majesty and the seats of Justice howsoever this be come to pass Deo permittente my advice is to all private men to rest themselves contented for the present and as the Apostle saith to study to be quiet and for peace and quietness sake to think it far better to obey than to rebel and to leave all things to Gods disposing Dan. 2.21 Rom. 8.28 2. The Antichrist will exalt himself above the Bishops qui disponit omnia suaviter and will set all things right in his good time and as S. Paul saith Worketh all things together for the best to them that love him 2. The Apostle tells us That as the Antichrist will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and exalter of himself above every one that is called God and that is principally as I shewed to you above his King because that in the first place the King is chiefly termed God so he will likewise be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lifter up of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is supra numen as Tremellius reads it or adversus numen as Beza renders it above all that is worshipped saith our last and the Geneva Translation and the meaning is in few words that the Antichrist will exalt himself above the Bishops and the Ecclesiastical Governours of the Church as well as above the King wich is the civil Governour of the Commonwealth for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word which the Apostle useth coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is read in prophane Authors as Pasor saith and signifieth colere that is religiously to worship or the thing that we worship for Religion sake from whence a Proselite or a religious man is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pious and religious person and all sacred and holy things that are dedicated and consecrated for Divine Service are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religious things or things that appertain to Religion which made Beza and Tremellius to translate it Numen which appertaineth to God doth sufficiently make it plain and manifest that the Apostle meaneth here not the Emperour nor any other King or civil Magistrate which had formerly exprest under the name of God as some Interpreters without reason would have it because that it is said Act. 27.1 that S. Paul was delivered to Julius that was a Centurion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Augustus Band saith our Translation whereas it should have been translated of the Band of Augusta That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle meaneth the spiritual Governors of the Church or Augusta's band which was the wife of Casar and was stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augusta as Caesar himself was called Augustus nam Augustos Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocant for the Graecians call Augustus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Maresius but the Apostle understandeth as I said the ecclesiastical Governors of Gods Church whom we reverence and worship for their callings sake even as the same Apostle injoyneth the same Thessalonians to hold them worthy of double honor for their works sake that is for the administration of the sacred Mysteries the preaching of the Gospel and the deliverie of the blessed Sacraments with the powring forth of their prâ—yers to God for a blessing unto the people and other the like religious acts and office they do in the service of God and above whom notwithstanding their sacred function and all the holy offices they do to God in the behalf of the people the Antichrist will exalt himself and throw those reverend Bishops whom all other good Christians honour unto the ground And therefore That the Pope cannot be here understood to exalt himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supra numen as this cannot be applyed to the Popes exalting of himself above the Emperors and the Kings of the earth because he had shewed this before how the man of sin would exalt himself above them and it had been but a frivolous repetition and tautalogie which S. Paul never used so suddainly to express the same thing twice and the later expression that should be plainer to be obscurer than the former contrary to all rules of Rhetorick so can it neither be any wayes applyed to the Popes exalting of himself above the rest of the Bishops and ecclesiastical Governors of the Church because he is one of those persons and a special one too whom the people worship and reverence for his calling and Religion sake and therefore it were a Solicisme and a very improper speech to say it was such a transcendent sin for a man that is worshiped for his Religions sake to exalt himself above him that is worshipped for his Religion sake which seems to be none other than to say he will exalt himself above himself or above those that are no wayes his superiors but his equalls at the most and at the best as many other men do besides the Antichrist But the meaning of the Apostle is that this man of sin being but a subject will notwithstanding lift up himself above his King that is in the place of God over him and being but a secular lay-person he will for all that exalt himself above his spiritual Pastors whom he ought to worship and to honour as all good Christians do for their offices and calling and Religion sake this is the true meaning of the Apostles words And whether the long Parliament and their adherents have not been Adversaries Let the Reader judg whether this he not fulfilled in the long Paliament opposed and exalted themselves above the most reverend of all the Clergy whom the people honoured and reverenced for their Calling and Religion sake and not only above the dispensers of the holy things and sacred Orders and the chiefest of all that have or ought to have any Government in the Church but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above all the formes of Religion and religious worship in the Church of Christ let the indifferent and judicious Reader judg of it 3. 3. That the Antichrist will be an Usurper and an intruder into the office of the Church Governors as well as of the civil Magistrate The Apostle still goeth on to explain his former meaning and to shew further the impieties of the Antichrist and saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that he sits in the temple of God as God which words immediately following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thing or that person whom we worship for religion sake doth likewise confirm the former exposition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie the Bishops and the dispensers of the holy things of the sacred Orders and of all the rest of the divine Mysteries because he exalteth himself above them to this end and for this very purpose that he as God may sit in the temple of God that is that he may be as well a Pope in the Church as a King in the Common-wealth the supream Governor and disposer of all things as well the Religious Worship of God as the civil Government of the people for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here which as Pasor truly saith cometh from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habito to dwell must not be raken for the Jews Temple at Hierusalem as the Greek Scholiast testifieth which is the error of some Papists What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth and of Grotius also because Caligula intended to set up his Statue in that Temple under the name of Jupiter optimus maximus which notwithstanding was not done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it must be understood of the Church of God where God dwelleth and in the same sence as our Saviour useth the same word in John 2.19 John 2.19 where he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 destroy this temple that is where the Godhead dwelleth and I will rear it up in three dayes for so the Church of Christ where God dwelleth is every where in the new Testament called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Temple of God as Ephes 2.21 Apoc. 11.19 1 Cor. 3.16 2 Cor. 6.16 and so Theophilact saith he shall sit non in templo specialiter quod est Hierosolymis sed in Ecclesiis simpliciter in omni divino templo not in the temple specially understood which is at Hierusalem but in the Churches simply and in every divine temple and S. Hierome saith in templo dei sedebit vel Hierosolimis Hieron q. 11. ad Algas ut quidam putant vel in Ecclesiis ut verius arbitramur he shall sit in the temple of God either at Hierusalem as some think or else in the Churches as we more truly suppose And this clearly sheweth that the seat of the Antichrist can be neither at Rome nor at Constantinople as I have shewed to you before unless you will yield That neither Rome nor Constantinople but the true Church is the seat of the Antichrist either Rome or Constantinople to be the truest and purest Church that Christ hath on earth because the Antichrist will arise and settle himself in that Church saith the Apostle which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dwelling place of God and not where he hath dwelt that so he may do the most dishonour unto God and the most mischief unto his servants and God dwelleth in the purest Church no man can deny it and therefore the Antichrist must arise and inthrone himself in the purest Church as I have fully proved before and there in that Church saith the Apostle he sheweth himself as God or as Erasmus doth best translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 demonstro ostentans
boasting and bragging or prae se ferens as Beza translates it pretending that he is God or as Tremellius saith ostentet seipsum ac si Deus esset he will carry himself as if he were a God that is in Gods stead the true King to rule the people and the right Bishop to govern the Church of Christ or That the Antichrist will wholly direct the Clergy and dispose of all things in the Church and about the service of God as some do read it he would be esteemed and taken tanquam sit Deus for such a supream Monarch and chief Governor over Gods Church as God said unto Moses he should be to Aaron his God to direct him in all the service of the Tabernacle and the whole worship of God so will the Antichrist be such a God to order direct and dispose of all the worship of God and how all the Clergie in order and without order should behave and carry themselves in the whole service of the Church which I take to be the true meaning of the Apostle in this place For this shewing himself or bragging that he is God is not to be understood that he would have himself believed to be the true and everliving God and worshiped with divine worship as the Historians tell us Alexander Antigonus Augustus Caligula Domician and divers others of the Caesars and Emperors were transported to that height of pride and ambition as believing themselves to be more than men to require the people their subjects to take them for Jupiter Apollo or some other of those anciently esteemed Gods and to ascribe the honor and worship that was usually given to those Gods unto themselves as Altars Sacrifices and the like whereof Virgil speaking of Augustus saith Virgilius eglog 1. Illius aram Saepe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus And Horace also saith Horatius epist. l. 2. Jurandásque tuum per nomen ponimus aras But the meaning of the Apostle is that this man of sin the Antichrist will bragge and boast unto the people that he is all for God and for the honor and service of God and therefore sits in the temple of God to set out the right directory of serving God that so God through him and by his only means and endeavors might be rightly served and worshipped according to his directory as the Mahometans worship Mahomet according to his Alcoran and we formerly worshipped God according to the form prescribed unto us by our Governors in the book of Common-prayer and so he sheweth that he is God that is most godly and so a God by the participation of the godliness and holiness of God which exposition doth most fitly agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he sheweth himself to be which is the rediest way to deceive the people And whether the long Parliament hath not usurped this ecclesiastical power and jurisdiction over all the holy things Let the Reader judge whether this be not fulfilled in the long Parliament and to set forth the sole Directory of Gods service tanquam sit Deus as if they alone had Aarons Office to order all the other Priests and Levites or had the spirit of S. Paul infallibly to direct the Church of Christ as well as Moses his Authority and the power of a King to rule the people Let the Parishes and people of God that have none other form of Gods service but what the Parliament Preachers and the observers of their Directory do use be the Judges both of what service and of what Doctrine is brought unto them I make small account though I will not pass it unsaluted of that Observation which some men have made that the Parliament House where the members of the long Parliament sate Arise Evans in his Voice from heaven was a Chappel consecrated by King Edward the 3. to be the Temple of God as appeareth by many Records because many other Parliaments have sate in that Chappel and yet not any of them all have usurped this power to be the supream disposers and directors of all the holy service of God the Commanders of all the Bishops and Priests of the most high God how to do his service and what service should be done unto him and to make themselves the sole Possessors the right owners to dispose sell or give all the Revenues lands states Tythes and offerings of the Church as it is said the Antichrist would do and which he may no better nor so well do as Scyrus and Procrustes the two vilest robbers that we read of could take thy purse and all thy mony by the High-way side And here also I cannot omit to observe Note the word fit in the temple that the Apostle saith that the man of sin shall not stand but sit in the Temple of God where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth to fit as where it is said that Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 4.6 and 20.12 sate by the well and so the two Angells were seen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sitting in white raiments is to be distinguished from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth and signifieth collocare to place or to set a thing in some place as it is where the Apostle saith if you have judgments of things pertaining to this life 1 Cor. 6.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set such or place them to judg who are least esteemed in the Church and so where it is said that the Disciples brought the Asse and the Colt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as it is in some Copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they set him Matth 21.7 or placed him thereon And therefore it is rightly concluded by Maresius that this sitting in the Temple of God is ill applyed by Grotius to Caius Caligula his causing of his Statue to be placed in the Temple at Hierusalem but it may most properly signifie the sitting of the Parliament Let the Reader judge of this or the like society of men in that place where they intend to acquiesce and rest themselves whether the place be physical or Metaphysical And whether the Parliament resolved not only to stand in that their dignity and Authority for a while or intended to sit and acquiesce and continue themselves and their Successors for ever in the Parliament-House and in the Temple of God to govern the Church of God as God themselves know best I will not judge of their Intention CHAP. VI. That the Antichrist is a great Professor of Religion and a seeming Saint That he belyeth his Profession and is indeed the greatest Hypocrite in the world What the great Lye of the Antichrist is What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth What it is to deny Jesus to be the Christ And how the Father and the Son may be denied two manner of waies 2. THough I might go on
on earth and he is still our King as the Prophet saith The Lord is King and hath put on glorious apparel Psal 93.1 and he placeth other Kings to be his Substitutes and Vicegerents to guide and to govern his people according as he doth command and therefore he saith By me Kings do raign Prov. 8.15 and as he is still our King so S. Peter saith He is still the Bishop of our souls 1. Pet. 2.25 and the Priest that maketh an atonement to God for us and he placeth other Bishops and other Priests under him to teach and to govern his Church in the truth of his Service and Religion And you know what Christ saith to these his Deputies and Vicegerents Luk. 10.16 He that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me So he that denieth and hindereth you to execute your Offices denieth me mine Offices to be both King and Priest and so denieth me to be the Christ and in denying me he denieth him that sent me Psal 2.8 and gave me the Gentiles for mine Inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for my Possession and also Sware that I should be a Priest for ever Psal 110.4 after the Order of Melchizedech Therefore it is most plain and apparent that whosoever professeth himself a Christian and yet maliciously opposeth and trayterously denieth the execution of the Kingly and Priestly Offices of Christ to be performed by his Deputies Kings and Priests that he appointeth under him and so far denieth them to do it as utterly to destroy them and deny them to live as the Jews denied Christ before Pilate to be Kings and Priests in Christs stead to Govern and to Teach his Church is here meant by the Apostle to be the Grand Lyar and the Great Antichrist that denieth Jesus to be the Christ and so you have seen what is the meaning of denying Jesus to be the Christ 2. The other Point to be considered is to enquire and search if we can find 2. Whom can we find to have denied Jesus to be the Christ Neither Pope nor Turk who have thus as I shewed you denied Jesus to be the Christ and if you find who hath done so you shall find out the Antichrist and I beleeve we shall find him neither in Rome nor in Constantinople for the Pope I am sure of it denieth not the Bishops as Christs Depuâ—ies to execute their Priestly Office when he professeth himself to be Christs Deputy and Vicar to discharge that Office to instruct and to govern his Church and for the Turke he will not extirpate Monarchy nor cast down Kings when he professeth himself to be the chief Monarch of the earth and a King of Kings as his own Letters testifie But whether the Long Parliament and their adherents Let the Reader judge whether the long Parliament hath not fulfilled this saying of the Apostle that in words do constantly affirm and profess that Jesus is the Christ and themselves good if not the best Christians that are on earth have not by their deeds in opposing their King the Substitute and Vioeroy of Christ and denying him either to execute his Regal Office or to live and in suppressing all the Bishops and so many Orthodox Loyall Preachers so that they shall never as Bishops execute the Priestly Office of Christ denied Iesus to be Christ by denying those Substitute Officers of Christ to execute those Offices or to live in those Offices I leave it to them that can judge who is the Lyar and the Antichrist and that denieth Iesus to be the Christ Only I must say That if I were a Pagan and an Infidel and had seen no more of the Parliaments doings but these two things i.e. 1. Their words and great profession of holiness and Christianity And The two chiefest things that do most of all regret the mind of the Author 2. Their deeds in the cutting off of their own just and lawful Kings head and the head of their chief Priest and the suppression exclusion and extirpation of all the godly Bishops in these three Kingdoms and likewise the prohibition and sileneing of them and the rest of the Orthodox Preachers from preaching of the Gospel of Iesus Christ not for any supposed Errour in their Doctrine but for a suspition they had that those faithful men would publish the truth and villanies of their Acts and Proceedings unto the People I should beleeve none could be a greater Lyar or a greater Antichrist than they that did such things Being confident that neither Decius nor Dioclesian nor any other of the primitive Persecutors nor Pope nor Turk nor any later Tyrant hath ever done the like And yet herein That the Author can very well endure dissentients I am not so wedded to mine own opinion as that I cannot endure dissentients for I am not of their mindes that hold him not for their friend and will bear no correspondence with him that will not per omnia in omnibus in all things be of their minde neither do I propose my conceptions notions and Expositions as infallible Articles of faith for others sub paena to be believed but I only set down what I conceive and do verily believe to be true and my Reasons and Arguments that induce me thereunto leaving to all others the liberty of their own conscience to believe what they will and whom they will to be the Antichrist Pope or Turk or whomsoever they please 3. 3. That the Antichrist denying Jesus to be the Christ denieth the Father and the Son which may be done 2 waies 1. Way Mat. 10.40 Luc. 10.16 S. John proceedeth and saith that the Antichrist not only denyeth Jesus to be the Christ but also by this denial he denyeth the Father and the Son and this as I conceive may be done two manner of wayes 1. By separating himself from the rule Government and Ministry of Christ and maliciously suppressing the ordinances and the substitute Governors of Christ which is a most observable and inseparable mark of the Antichrist and of all his followers for thus our Saviour tells us that whosoever despiseth rejecteth and suppresseth the officers Embassadors and Ministers that Christ sendeth and setteth over us to ruâ—e us and to instruct us despiseth rejecteth and by as much as in him lieth suppresseth Christ himself and whosoever despiseth rejecteth and denyeth him despiseth and denieth God the Father that sent him and therefore you may plainly see hereby Vide R. W. in lib. The Doctrine of the Scripture touching the original of Government pag. 117. that the rebellious risers against their King Prince or any other their supream Governor that Christ placeth over them and the suppressors of the Apostles Bishops and Pastors of Gods Church the successors of the Apostles that Christ sends to teach and to govern his Church throughout all ages do rebell reject and deny Christ which is
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
of Expositors to make good their own conceits Esdras 14.41 to run unto tropes and figures when we may literally without tropes expound the same more agreeable unto the truth and without violence unto the Text therefore I conceive that the two Testaments cannot with any probability be understood by these two witnesses that are said to be killed by the beast and especially because they cannot be said to be the two Olive Trees or the anointed ones nor the two Candlesticks that hold up the light when as they are the light that these Candlesticks do hold nor to be confined to such a time as 1200 and 60 dayes when these two Testaments maugre all the malice of the Antichrist shall continue to the last day And therefore I do rather expound these two witnesses to be the preservers and the interpreters or preachers of these two Testaments that being living creatures Who are these two Witnesies that is 1. The King 2. The Bishop may be killed by this Beast and these are rightly termed the two Olive Trees or the two Sonnes of Oyl that is the anointed of God and the two Candlesticks that stand before the God of the Earth that is to hold up the light of the two Testaments to inlighten the Church of God with the truth of his holy word in despight of the Devill which is termed the God of the Earth And these preservers and Interpreters of these two Testaments are as E. H. truly observeth 1 Pet. 2.13 the civill Magistrates and the Ecclesiasticall Governours of Gods Church that is Moses and Aaron or the King as the supreme Magistrate and the Bishop as the chief Pastor that hath the oversight of the rest of the subordinate Ministers as St. Paul sheweth 1 Tim. 3. c. 4.1 for the King is custos utriusque tabulae the defender of the faith and obliged to take care as well of the Church and service of God as of the Commonwealth All good Kings took speciall care to have God truly served so Moses testifieth and so David Solomon Jehosophat Ezechias Josias and all the godly and good Kings of Israel and Judah had and so Constantine Theodosius and our own pious Princes Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles and all other good Christian Kings shewed that they took speciall care to see the truth purely preached and the service of God duly and rightly executed and therefore may most truly and literally without any trope or figure be said to be one of these two witnesses of Jesus Christ and the Bishop is to take upon him curam animarum the speciall care and charge of souls and the charge of them that are under him Act. 20.18 and undertook the charge of souls to see that they do carefully feed the flock of Christ whereof the Holy ghost hath made them overseers and therefore also the Bishops and the Ministers of Gods word may be rightly said and none can deny it to be the other witnesses of Jesus Christ and so Christ saith unto his Apostles and in them to all the Bishops that were to succeed the Apostles that they were his Witnesses Act. 1.8 and they should testifie and bear witness of him in Hierusalem and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth which they themselves could not do but in and by those Bishops that succeeded them in all the ordinary duties of the Apostles and therefore no forehead were it of Brasse can deny these to be the witnesses of Christ without blushing when Christ himself doth affirm it And so you see plainly Zechary 4.14 that these two which are indeed the Sonnes of the Olive Tree the two onely Offices and Callings that are the annointed of God and the two Candlesticks that hold up the light of the two Testaments the King by the strength of his Sword and the Bishops by the faithfull preaching of Gods word are the two witnesses of Jesus Christ and therefore well may the King and the inferiour Magistrates under him and the Bishop with his subordinate Clergy like Moses and Aaron the supreme Magistrate and the High Priest be rightly termed the two Witnesses of Jesus Christ in every Kingdom and Commonwealth Then after that the Angell had intimated unto the Apostle c. 11. v. 4. who are to be understood by these two Witnesses by terming them the two Olive Trees that is the two annoynted Officers of Gods Church and the two Candlesticks that do beare and uphold the true light of the Gospel unto the people he proceeds to shew the Power and Abilities c. 11. v. 5. 6. the gifts and Endowments that God would bestow upon them both for to inable them to build up the Temple that was measured that is to edifie and to enlarge the Christian Church and also to protect themselves against their Enemies and to punish those that should be refractory and to shew for how long a time they should freely and fairely enjoy this power and liberty to build this Church for saith the Angel these two Witnesses shall have power to poewr out fire out of their mouth Numbers 16. 2 Reg. 1. Jerem. 5.14 Their power was the same as Christ gave to his Apostles and God to Moses to destroy their Enemies that go about to hurt them and they shall have power to shut the Heavens that it raine not in the dayes of their Prophesie and they shall have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all Plagues as often as they will And these powers and Abilities are the very same that Christ had formerly given unto his Apostles and their successors the Bishops and Governors of his Church and the very same powers and abilities that God long before had given and granted unto Moses and to all his successors that supply his place and office the Kings and cheif Magistrates that are as he was to rule over and to govern Gods people for our Saviour tells St. Peter that he will give to him the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven that is of the Church which is the way that brings us to the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever he shall leose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven and this power he gave not only to St. Peter but also to all the rest of the Apostles and their Successors for ever as you may see in Math. 18. v. 18. and John the 20. v. 23. Math. 16.19 so Mr. Mede part 2. pag 11. And so according to this power granted unto the Apostles and Bishops that are the Governours of the Church and have the Keyes thereof the sentence of Excommunication or the shutting out of the Church and the delivery of the lewd and wicked refractory person unto Satan as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 5.5 The sentence of excommunication is the fire and the key is the fire that proceedeth out of the mouth of
this Ecclesia sticall Witnesse and the Key that shutteth the Gate and the Windows of Heaven that the rain of grace and the comforts and consolations of Gods word cannot fall on such a person so long as he continueth in that excommunicate condition And as God hath given unto Moses power by his Rod to turn the Rivers and all the waters of Egypt into blood and to bring all the other Plagues that were brought upon Pharaoh and upon all the Land of Egypt The extent of the power of the witnesses for their obstinate refusall to let Israel go to serve the Lord So he hath given unto his Kings a power and a Sword that is signified by Moses his Rod to punish and to draw blood even the hearts blood of such wicked offendors as will be like Pharaoh rebellious and obstinate against the Commandements of God And herein you may observe the extent of their power which he granted unto them that is to smite the Earth but not the Heaven with all Plagues and that is to punish the earthly and worldly minded men that are wicked and do follow after the vanities impieties and iniquities of this sinful life but not the godly men whose conversation is in Heaven and which are obedient to the Lawes of God and man with fines mulcts imprisonments banishments and death it self for if they smite the Heaven that is the righteous and the innocent with any of these Plagues that power is not given them from God but from the Dragon that is the Devill gives it them Revel 13 2. as the Apostle sheweth And so you see the powers and the abilities that God hath given to these his two witnesses the King and the Bishop the Civill and the Ecclesiasticall Governours of his People the one exercising his power in the Church with the word of his mouth and the other in the Commonwealth with the Sword in his hand And for the time The time that the two Witnesses shall continue to prophesie c. 11. v. 3. Fran. Jun. in loc Ezek. 4.6 Dan. 9.24 Numb 14. v. 34. Mat. 3.2 Luc. 3.3 that these two Witnesses shall quietly and peaceably execute their Offices and Prophesie that is discharge their Duties to govern the Commonwealth and to build up the Church of Christ the Angell saith it shall be 1200 and 60 dayes cloathed in Sackcloath and that is as Junius here and divers others do rightly take a day for a year 1200 and 60 yeares as they do collect out of Ezekiel and Daniel and other places of Scripture where under the number of so many dayes as are expressed so many years are to be understood And so we find that with the favour and under the protection of Christian Emperors and Godly Kings the Orthodox Bishops and true Pastors and Preachers of the Gospel of Christ did freely without fear publish the Doctrine of faith and repentance which was the Doctrine of John Baptist and the Doctrine that Christ continued to preach and commanded his Apostles in like manner to preach the same unto the people and which I take to be signified by their Cloathing in Sackcloth in their so conforming themselves unto their Doctrine as John Baptist did Mat. 3.4 cloathing himself in a Garment of Camells hair and a girdle of Leather about his loines and not mourning for the pollution of the true Church which during the time of their Prophesie was not polluted as Mr. Mede and others do suppose but Mr. Mede part 2. p. 7 8. as I conceive much amiss that we should think the true Church was or that God would suffer his true Church to be so long polluted for the full space of 1200 and 60. years before the persecution of the Antichrist should begin or that his persecution should last so long And that is if you begin to account not as Junius would have it Junius in annotat in loc immediately after the passion of Christ because this power of free publishing the Doctrine of repentance was not yet given them while they were prohibited and persecuted from place to place for preaching the Gospel of Christ but it was given them after the end and determination of the ten former persecutions of the Church by the Heathen Tyrants and after the other storms and afflictions that were raised against them by the meanes and procurement of the Arian Hereticks and were as violently prosecuted by Constantius and other Arian Kings of the Gothes and Vandalls as the persecution of the Heathen Emperours as the life of Athanasius and the story of the Church doth sufficiently testifie when the Church was setled and established in peace and quietness and the governing Bishops freely permitted and royally protected by the Christian Kings and Emperours to preach the faith of Christ and to exhort their people to repentance from dead works yea and to injoyn the transgressors to repent in Sackcloth and to abhorre themselves and their former courses in dust and ashes And this was not The time when the two witnesses received their full power to prophesie about the year 382. till after the death of Valens which was about the year of Christ 382. When Theodosius had vanquished the Huns and the Gothes and the rest of those boysterous Northern enemies of the Empire that exceedingly troubled and brought infinite crosses and molestations not much inferiour if not some wayes worse then the Heathen persecutions upon the Church as you may easily find in those excellent Books of St. August de civitate Dei and others the Ecclesiasticall Writers of those times And from this suppression of those fierce and cruel enemies both of the Orthodox Church and the Roman Empire which was as I said about the year 382. to the beginning of the long Parliament we shall find about the summe of 1200. and 60 years When the time of their prophesying in Sackcloth was ended throughout all which time the true Orthodox Bishops the one of the two witnesses of Gods truth in all the Christian Kingdoms as Spain France Germany Ingland Scotland Ireland and the rest had full power and free liberty to preach the Doctrine of faith and to injoyn penance unto their people and they were not onely protected from the wrongs violence and malice of all their opposers About the year 1642. but they were also assisted to reduce all transgressors to repentance as above all other times in these Kingdoms that are best known unto us the happy Reign of Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles can sufficiently justifie this truth unto you and the Christian Kings and Princes that were the other witness of Gods truth and the nursing Fathers of the Church were through the faithfull preaching of Gods word and the strict and godly Discipline of the Church most loyally obeyed and religiously observed as they ought to be in all the Christian Kingdoms and so both the witnesses by their mutuall helping and assisting one another were throughly strengthned
and inabled for this space of 1200. and 60. years to build up the Temple which was commanded to be measured to be reared up But then it is said v. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when these two witnesses That the two witnesses shall be killed thus orderly strengthning and assisting each other shall have finished or end their Testimony that is accomplish the full space of 1200 and 60 years the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them three short sentences and three great wonders for 1. Three great wonders in these three short Sentences 1. Wonder Zech. 2.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beaft shall make warre with them and is it not wonderfull that the beast should make warre with Gods witnesses for if he be a Warriour and will needs make warre can he fight with none or finde none to fight withall but with the witnesses of Jesus Christ for this is to fight against God himself and to touch them is to touch the apple of his eye as the Lord professeth most plainly in Zechary 2.8 and therefore hoc magnum est hoc mirum this must needs be a wonderfull thing that any beast should venture to make warre with Gods witnesses but the second thing here said is more wonderfull For 2. 2. Wonder He shall make warre with them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall overcome them Indeed they are filii pacis no Swordmen no men of blood though the King weares the Sword because they are the Sonnes of Oyl and the Children of peace and the King weares the Sword principally to preserve peace and the Office of the Bishops is to be evangelizantes pacem the preachers of peace through Jesus Christ and therefore in this respect it is no wonder that the Antich which comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all power both of Arms men and money should overcome these harmless men but is it not a wonder that God whose Servants they are and whose witnesses they be should not onely suffer this infernall beast to make warre with them but also to vanquish and to overcome them yes indeed it may seem marvelious in our eyes and it stumbleth many men and makes them to think ill of Gods witnesses to see them subdued by the beast which they would not so mis-judge if they would with the Prophet consult with God why he suffereth the wicked so to prosper and his own Children so to be punished And yet 3. The last point is most wonderfull and far more marvellous then the former 3. Wonder that he should overcome them for it followeth that he shall overcome them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he shall kill them what will nothing serve to quench the thirst of this beast but the blood of these Saints and the death of these witnesses and will God suffer his own dear servants his choycest Officers the rulers of his people and the witnesses of his onely Sonne Jesus Christ How God suffereth many things to be killed and murdered by this beast for this will make men to believe as many do that these witnesses are the beast and the beast to be the best witness of Jesus Christ but they might remember that as God suffereth all this so many times he suffereth much more then this as when he suffered Joseph to be sold into Egypt Vrias to be killed Daniel to be thrown into the Lions Den Shadrach Meshac and Abednego to be cast into the fiery furnace and above all and more strange then all his own dear and his onely Sonne to be killed and crucified by the like beast and they might think that God knoweth what is best and that he doth alwayes what is best and as the Apostle saith worketh all things together for the best for all that love him Rom. 8.28 so that their conquered condition proves to be their happiness and their enemies Victory to be their misery for though God suffered them to be vanquished and killed yet then are they Blessed Psal 116.15 and as the Prophet saith right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and much deerer is the death of his holy Martyres the Witnesses of his truth whose blood he will most assuredly avenge on them that dwell on the earth to make them most miserable Questi But here the question is that seeing the two Witnesses of Christ are the supreme Magistrate which is the King and the chiefe Priest which is the Bishop the Civil and the Ecclesiasticall Governours of Gods people and it is the Beast that ascendeth from the Bottomless pit which killed them who be they that are killed if they be killed and who is that beast that hath done it if it be done Respon I answer that Mr. Brightman thought that this Prophesie was fulfilled in the Smalcaldick War under Charles the 5th the which mistake Mr Mede doth sufficiently confute so that I need not stand to disprove this errour but if I demand whether King Charles and his Magistrates and the Bishop of Canterbury and his Clergy were not the Witnesses of Jesus Christ I presume none will none can justly deny the same and if againe it be demanded whether the long Parliament and their adherents did not make war with the King and accuse the Bishops and most of the rest of the grave Doctors and faithfull Preachers of this Church for innovation and a high Project of bringing in Popery into this our Kingdome which unjust suspition and groundless jealousie they spread every where among the people to set them on fire and to gallop unto the War against the King to press him to subscribe confirme and ratifie their covenant whose principall scope was to roote out and to overthrow the Hierarchy and the Ecclesiasticall Governors of Gods people which were the Bishops and the other faithfull Witnesse of Christ I beleive all this is so well known to all the Kingdome that every one will confess it and as they cannot deny the War with these Witnesses so they must yield that these two Witnesses both King and Bishop were vanquished and killed I am sure that Parliament hath overcome the King and he is killed which was the supreame Magistrate and one of the two Witnesses of Christ And I find the names of such persons as did actually sit as Judges upon the Tryall of his Magisty with the Councill and attendants on the Court which they called the High Court of Justice to be these JOhn Bradshaw And I do set them down that all posterities and their Childrens Children and whose embrioes are not yet in being may understand who had the honour to be the Judges of this good and Godly King to condemne him to death And I would have it observed that of these 32. were Colonels and three Generals that fought against the King and all of them a party that warred and waged the warr against him and
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
dasht in pieces the Altars or Communion-tables shall be trampled upon the Bibles torn and burnt the Chancels made stables and the whole service of the holy Church neglected contemned and prohibited the which things I suppose may very well be said to be a treading of the holy city underfoot for so the Angel saith the holy city shall be troden under foot fourty and two months Rev. 11 2. c. 11. v. 2. And here verse 9. he saith the witnesses shall lie unburied three days and a half which if you take a day for a year as Junius Bellarmine and most Interpreters do they do sunchronize and agree just with the fourty two months which do make up the three years and a half that the holy city shall be troden underfoot to shew unto us that while the witnesses lie without their honour and are suppressed the King disobeyed and rejected and the Bishops dethroned and despised the whole Church and people of God that would truly serve him and respect his Vice-roes and reverence his Messengers shall likewise be neglected despised and abused as we have most apparently seen it here amongst us how many good men have been despised and abused ever since the King and the Bishops have bin suppressed But though nocte pluit tota yet redeunt spectacula mane albeit heaviness may last for a night yet joy cometh in the morning for God is so good and so gracious that he will not alwayes be chiding nor shut up his loving kindness in displeasure Psal 30.5 especially towards those that serve him and to the uttermost of their power discharge their duties and therefore the Angel informeth our Apostle that after 3. dayes and a half which I conceive is not precisely to signifie 3. years and a half no more then I do take the 42 moneths for that just period and set terme of 3 years and a half without either more or lesse but indefinitely for some short space expressed here by 3 dayes and a half Why the time of the witnesses rising is expressed by the notion of after 3 dayes and a half as the time of the treading of the holy City is expressed by the space of 42 moneths not lesse then 3 dayes and a half because they should not have the honour equally with Christ to rise as soon as he that rose again the third day and was most justly to have a greater priviledge and preheminence in rising sooner then any other nor yet any more then three dayes and a half because then they should stink as Martha said of her Brother Lazarus that had been dead four dayes and therefore seeing that on the third day the dead Corps remaineth sweet and the flesh as yet seeth no corruption John 11.39 but doth begin to stink and to putrifie on the fourth day as the Physitians do relate God would not suffer these two Witnesses to lie in the streets to stink and to be corrupted but after 3 dayes and a half while they were yet sweet and their memories precious with all that feared God the spirit of life from God or the breath of life for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall enter into them and they shall stand upon their feet not that the good King and the Bishops or any others of the Martyrs witnesses of Christs that are killed shall rise again in their own persons that thought is too gross because they are now in glory The witnesses shall rise in their successors and great gainers by the malice of the beast that killed them and they should be much the worse and great loosers to be reduced and brought back again hither into this valley of misery but the meaning is that as our Saviour saith John Baptist was the Elias that was to come because he was endued with the spirit of Elias and was sent to do the work and to supply the place and to execute the office of Elias Mar. 9.13 so they that shall be invested with the abilities re-established in the places and confirmed with the power and authority of those witnesses that the beast hath killed and shall be enthroned and take possession of the seats offices and priviledges of the slain witnesses are said to be the witnesses revived and restored by the spirit of God to stand up again upon their feet and So Mr. Mede saith Mr. Mede p. 21. the witnesses shall be restored and revived in their successors when they shall enjoy the offices and the former estate of the slaughtered witnesses And so we may be sure when God seeth his time which is but a very short time expressed here under the notion of three dayes and a half these two witnesses that are slain by this beast that is as I shewed before the monarchicall and Episcopall Government by King and Bishops shall and will rise again and stand upon their feet And whether this be not now fulfilled let my Reader judge maugre all the opposition of their adversaries and then as the Holy Ghost saith v. 11. great fear shall come upon them that see them that is upon their enemies that had killed them either by themselves or by their predecessors and upon those also that consented and furthered to put them to death and I believe they may very well and ought very much to fear to see that God is so mindfull of his witnesses and therefore will without question be revenged on them and their Posterity for the slaughtering of his anointed Servants Then the Holy Ghost setteth down Verse 12. v. 12. the means and the manner of the rising and restauration of the slain witnesses saying that they shall hear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great voice from Heaven that is a powerfull call from the Church and from the People of God How or by what meanes the two witnesses shall be revived which is here meant by Heaven for they onely shall restore them and shall say unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 come up hither that is ascend and take your former places your offices and your dignities that the beast and his adherents have taken away from you and from your Predecessors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they shall ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud that is by the help and assistance of a multitude of unperceived And let my Reader judge whether the King be not thus restored And we hope the Bishops shall be so likewise and as it were Invisible friends that shall be as a Cloud of Witnesses of their integrity and a Cloud of Intercessors to speak for them and to plead their causes to God and all good men against all their malicious Adversaries and a Cloud of powerfull Patrons to regaine unto them and to restore them if not to their Estates and possessions which in all likelihood the Beast had sold or bestowed or otherwise disposed of it and the takers of them perhaps had
Army and for their service unto the Antichrist capita hominum heads of the people and ring leaders of the seduced multitude Where by the way you may yet take notice of the great malice of Satan against Christ and the great power of the Antichrist against the witnesses of Christ that he should have such a number of men of note to assist him to overthrowe the Servants of Christ for though among 600 thousand men that came out of Egypt Exod. 12.37 there were but 250 men that rose up and rebelled against Moses and Aaron yet here is 7000 men of renown that stand up and fight and are slain for the Antich to withstand the witnesses and to hinaer them to obtain their Offices and places and if so many men of note be slain what a multitude of other inferiour men of no note may be slain and of others that fight and assist the Antichrist against the witnesses are not slain But it may be the number of 7000 doth signifie as I said a great many That the number of 3.7 and 10. do very often signifie many because the number of 3 and of 7 and of 10 hath very often none other importance then a great deal or a great many as in St. Jude the Lord commeth with ten thousand of his Saints so in St. Matth. 12.45 and in St. Luke 8.2 the number of 7 betokeneth many and so I rather conceive the meaning of these words 7000. men were slain to be that a great many were slain and not that the just and full number of 7000 men were to be slain in that commotion And it may be likewise conceived that all these 7000 or great many names of men that were to be slain or annihilated and undone in that commotion are not all of the Antichrist his party but rather so many and such a great number should be slain of both parties which is the likeliest interpretation Yet howsoever whether you understand the words literally for the full number of 7000 men or mystically for a great many * Or 7 that should be in the stead of 7000. The love of Christ to his servants and his power to desend them greater then the malice and power of Satan to hurt them or whether you understand them all of both parties or all of the Antichrist party you may here observe a greater love of Christ unto his witnesses then the malice of Satan can be against them and the power of Christ far greater and better able to protect and to set up his witnesses and to overthrowe their enemies then the Antichrist can possibly have to destroy them or to hinder their restauration for to the comfort of the witnesses and of all others the Servants of Christ St. Cyprian that was himself a Martyr and a faithfull witness of Christ saith most truly that non plus valet addejiciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum divina tutela the Lamb that standeth on Mount Sion is far more able to protect us then the roaring Lion is to overthrowe us and Christ is far more powerfull to raise his witnesses then the Antichrist is or can be to hinder their rising and therefore were the Souldiers of the Antichrist and the followers of the beast 70 times 7000. And I demand if the adversaries of the King and Bishops be not affighted to see them restored yet they should be subdued and slain in this Earthquake rather then the witnesses of Christ should be hindered to ascend up into Heaven and to be restored to their offices and places for so the Angel testifieth that the witnesses ascended up in a Cloud unto Heaven and 7000 heads or names of men were slain in the Earthquake and the remnant were affrighted as well they might to see how gracious the Lord is to assist his servants and how powerfull to overthrow his adversaries that will oppose and suppress his witnesses and they that is the witnesses gave glory to the God of Heaven which is indeed the God of his Church more especially then he is the God of any other place or people whatsoever And then saith the Angel When the second woe shall passe away when the witnesses are restored and their enemies subdued the second woe shall be past and the Saints and servants of Christ will give thanks and prayse unto God as they have most just cause to do as for all things else so likewise more especially for overthrowing their enemies and restoring the witnesses of Christ to erect and build up the Temple of God by serving God with the right service and preaching his word truly unto the people as you see they do from this 14. verse unto the end of this Chapter But lest the restored witnesses A good lesson both for the King and Bishops and the Church and the rest of Gods Servants should grow secure after they had overcome these great troubles that with great constancy they had passed through they must still be exercised and trained up in gymnatio patientiae in the School of afflictions and therefore the Angel addeth that although the second woe be past when the witnesses are restored and the 7000 men slain yet behold saith the Angel and consider it well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the third woe cometh quickly And this woe I take to be the last woe that shall fall upon the Sons of men The last woe upon whom and when to fall and under which the Lord God will powre out the 7 last vialls of his wrath upon the Antichrist and his adherents and upon the false Prophet and upon all prophane worldlings and wicked Hypocrites and in some respects upon very many of the true Servants of God and the witnesses of Jesus Christ as failing in the same Ship and being commorants in the same City among the wicked and perhaps soiled in some measure with the manners and evill practices of the world and therefore must partake in some kind of the plagues and punishments that God powreth down like rain upon the wicked and then that is after the powring out the Vials of Gods wrath the mystery of God which he hath declared to his servants the Prophets shall come to an end and be fully finished as the Angel testifieth to our Evangelist Revel c. 10. v. 6. 7. c. 10. v. 6 7. And this mystery of God I conceive to be with the favour of them that think the contrary not the restauration and calling of the Jewes and the other ten Tribes of Israel as Dr. Willet E. H. and some other learned men do imagin The fictions of the Presbyterians and Jesuites in mistaking this mystery of God 1 Tim. 3.16 nor the reformation of the relapsed gentile Churches and the destruction of the Papacy Turcisme and Mahometisme as others of our late Presbyterians do as fondly conceit nor yet the overthrowe of the Popish Antichrist set forth by Sanders Bellarmine and others but the great mystery of
so cryeth and is pained in bringing forth Children unto God and she is likened to Children in respect of particulars that are all the Children of the Church begotten and brought forth by her unto God through their regeneration and new birth by Baptisme and the Preaching of the Gospel and grace of Christ And these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The pangs of the woman and what they signifie pangs and paines of this woman to bring forth her Child may most especially signifie the troubles and afflictions that the Primitive Church endured for the Preaching of the Gospel and converting the Infidels unto the Faith of Christ under the first ten grievous persecutions and so likewise for the troubles that the Church should suffer at any other time and chiefly those great troubles that she must undergoe for doing the same service and work of regenerating children unto God in the persecution of the Antichrist for these troubles and afflictions of the Church are compared by the Prophets to the pain of a woman in travell Esay 66. and Jer. 30.6.7 because the Church will endure as much and as readily hazard her life to beget a Child to God as any woman endureth and hazardeth her life to bring forth her Child into the world and sooner too And our Saviour to shew the greatness of these pangs and pains of a woman that is in travell with Child saith that the troubles of the Jewes which should happen unto them and were as great as any we read of Mark 13.9 as Josephus ben gorion witnesseth are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beginnings of their pangs or sorrowes which shall be no lesse then the pangs of a woman in travel so shall the pangs and pains of the Church be under the persecution of the Tyrants and the Antichrist for bringing forth Children unto God very great pains and troubles as that which here followeth will make it more manifest for The Evangelist saith v. 3. 2. The Vision of the Dragon and his malice to the woman v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there appeared another wonder in Heaven and that seems to be a greater wonder then the former and a wonder indeed every way if we should consider all particulars in very many respects and therefore the Holy Ghost prefixeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and behold it or consider it well for a great red Dragon or as the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great fiery Dragon Job 1.6 or a Dragon as red as fire appeared in Heaven so he that durst go into Paradise before dares now to go into Heaven and to appear among the Sonnes of God as he is more often and more diligent in the Church of God to hinder our devotion then we are to perform the duties of our Religion and he that was but a Serpent before crawling upon the Earth is now become a great Dragon flying in the Air The Dragon had 7 heads and 10 horns and therefore this sign or wonder well deserveth an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behold him and take heed of him for he hath 7. Heads harder to be discovered then the heads of Nilus and harder indeed to unhead him then it was for Hercules to cut off the heads of hydra and he had 10 horns and therefore he was of a mighty strength The horn an Emblem of strength 1 Reg. 22.11 because the horn is an emblem of power and strength as Zedechia made horns of Iron and said thus saith the Lord with these shalt thou push the Syrians untill thou hast consumed them and he had 7 Crowns upon his heads that is upon every head a Crown to shew unto us how glorious and majesticall wickedness and the instruments of wickedness would fain seem to be and his tail drew the third part of the Starres of Heaven and did cast them to the Earth What the tail of the Dragon signifieth Who are the Starres by his tayl I understand the fear of him the terror of his sting and the lashing of them far and neere that will not submit themselves to him and by the Starres of Heaven I understand those that seemed to be holy Professors good Christians and to shine like Starres in the Church of God or else those that were appointed to shine and to give light as Starres to them that are in darkness and do walk in the night of ignorance as are the Bishops Preachers and Ministers of Gods word for so the Angel saith unto our Evangelist Revel 1.16 v. 20. that the seven Stars in the right hand of Christ were the Angels that is the Bishops and Pastors of the seven Churches and by the third part of the Stars I understand not the subduing of the third part of the rulers of the world to the empire of Rome as Mr. Mede thinketh for why should the rulers of the world Mr. Mede pag. 35. be termed the Stars of Heaven and to be cast to the Earth when as they were earthly and worldly enough already and had small correspondency with Heaven but a great many as I told you the number of 3.7 and 110 doth often import What is to be understood by the third part of the Starts Let my Reader Judge whether this was not fulfilled in our time both of the Clergy and laytie that seemed to be as Stars in the firmament of the Church for feare of the Dragons tayle to be stung and lasht with the loss of their preferment their wealth their lands their liberties and their lives are pull'd down from Heaven and drawn away from their station and from the performance of their due respects unto the Witnesses and of their duties of the right service of God in his Church and are cast down to the earth that is to follow after the world and for the love of the world and the preferments of the earth to observe and follow any new forme of Gods service and so to become Apostates Meteors and falling Stars and meere Hypocrites in the Church of God which is very much that the Dragons tayle should do such great mischief And yet this is not enough for this Dragon to do to corrupt the third part of the Stars and to draw a multitude of professors from the right service of God to follow after the world and his wicked wayes but he would faine have more grist to his Mill Hell being like the Daughters of the Horse-leech that still cry give Proverb 30.15 16. give and being one of the four things that are never satisfied and that never faith it is enough and therefore he stands before the Woman which was ready to be delivered to devoure her Child saith our Translation when she had brought it forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to eat up her Son saith the originall but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being derived of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pario to bring forth it may be translated her Child as well or as I
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
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
That we may conceive better hope of the Whores then of the Beast and false Prophet that followeth after the Lusts of the flesh and the Vanities of the World and the Ecclesiasticall Whore which is bewitched with the love of errors Ceremonies and superstitions and which most of our Protestant Writers take the Church of Rome to be and to be here signified by the Whore may yet by true Repentance and a full Reformation of all errors and abuses recover and retaine the love and savour of Christ to continue the loving Husband of his penitent Spouse and to find him ready to receive them when he finds them ready to return unto him for though the one of these Whores is said to have committed Fornication with the Kings of the Earth and to have made the Inhabiters of the earth drunk with the Wine of her Fornication c. 17.2 c. 17.2 and the other Whore is said to be drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus c. 17.6 Yet c. 17.6 when the beast and the false Prophet which are the most violent and virulent Enemies of Gods Church c. 19 20. were both taken and cast alive into the Lake of fire burning with Brimstone there is no mention that the Whores were cast in with them But the judgment of the Whores is formerly described and their punishments are very amply set down and expressed c 17 c. 18. where the Hornes of the beast are said to hate the Whore c. 17. c. 18. c. 17.16 and to make her desolate and naked and should eate her flesh and burn her with fire c. 17.16 And these punnishments of the Ecclesiasticall Whore to have her substance and het state eaten up and her self burnt with the fire of all Crosses and afflictions by the hornes of the beast and so likewise those punnishments of the Civil Whore that are so fully set down in the 18th Chapter and must be referred to the great Babylon of this World that I have formerly spoken of and not to Rome c. 18 24. Things in c. 18. to be referred to the Babylon of this world and not to Rome nor to the Church of Rome because there are many things in this 18th Chapter and especially that in her was found the blood of the Prophets and of Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of all that were slain upon the earth v. 24. which cannot possibly with any face be referred to the Church or City of Rome might be the meanes to bring these Whores to Repentance and so to gaine the Love of God and to escape the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the vile beast and the false Prophet shall be cast For you must observe The Beast and the false Prophet and Whores not to be confounded c. 17.3 that although some Writers have confounded the Whores and the beast and make them all but as one Enemy exprest by both these names yet they be indeed two Enemies or rather three Enemies of the Church of Christ and Enemies one to another for the Ecclesiasticall Whore rides the beast that is curbes and bridles the Beast as a rider curbes his Horse and so doth the Pope and his Cardinalls and all the Church of Rome curse and execrate the Antichrist and the ten Hornes of the beast do hate the Whore c. 17.16 and make her desolate and naked and burn her with fire and so it may be demanded if the long Parliament and their Polyarchy The Paralele have not sufficiently shewed their hatred to the Pope and all Papists and have made all that they could reach naked enough and have eaten their substance and burnt them with the fire of Afflictions and Persecutions and have pretended to do the like to all Carnall and worldly professors Esay 9.31 And yet as Ephraem did eate Manasses and Manasses did eate Ephraim and both of them did eat Juda Esay 9.31 so do not the Whores and the Beast the Church of Rome and the Synagogue of Satan do all of them what possibly they can to root out the true Protestants the only pure Church of Christ from off the earth though as I said it may be hoped that the judgment of the Whores and their afflictions may at last through the goodness of God reduce them to repent and reclaime them from their Fornications Hosea 2.7 and cause them to returne as the Prophet saith of the like Harlot unto their former Husband But the Beast which is the Antichrist that ascendeth from the bottomless pit and is wholly fallen away from Christ totally Apostatized from the maine Heads of THE Christian Faith and absolutely divorced from being any Spouse or Church of Christ The Beast and the false Prophet commit far viler sins then the Whores as you may see not a few of the Members of the Beast and his adherents that driveth off their Baptisme and permit not their Children to be Baptized and to be incorporated into the Church to be made lively members of Christ which is to renounce the marke of Christ and to blot out the Seal of the Lamb as I shewed before and is therefore termed the man of Sin and the Child of perdition as committing the more masculine wickedness killing hanging and beheading and the like far more odious and more abominable bloody sins then are the infirmities of a woman and the false Prophet that seduceth and deceiveth the poor simple people of God and both furthereth the beast and instructeth him as Libanius the sophister instructed Julian and Sergius the Monk did teach Mahomet how to proceed in most Villaines Enormities and Cruelties that are inflicted and imposed upon the Church Numbers 16.29 they are said to be taken alive and as Moses saith of Corah and his complices not to die the common death of all other men but to be cast alive into the Lake of fire burning with Brimstone For that the Devill having now ended his 1000 years imprisonment which began in Phocas his time Phocas died Anno 612. or rather in Heraclius his successors reigne about the yeare of Christ 620. or 630. when the persecutions of the Heathen Emperors and of Alaricus Attalus Totilas Gensericus and others of the Arian Kings of the Goths and Vandals were all quite finished and Boniface the third Bishop of Rome Super alios caput extulit omnes Balaeus l. 3. invita bonifacij Is extolled and worshiped above all other Bishops and the Church began to goe hand in hand with the Civil state and ended about 1620 or 1630. Some 45. or 35. years agoe when the Beast began to bite the King and to incroach upon the rights of Majesty and the false Prophet to smite Michajah on the Cheeks and to out-beard the Bishops and to trample them under feet he doth by these his two instruments the Beast and the false Prophet most wickedly suppress Gods Service and persecute Gods Servants
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
the same method as the 7th did And I heard it demanded very often if any Beast any like them with whom St. Paul fought at Ephesus or any other Beast in the world did or could possibly more evenly immitate passibus aequis even to a haire and over immitate that wicked Apostata in all points of subtlety and cruelty and specially in this preposterous and most odious course now specified against the Messengers of Christ for the quite rooting out of them and their Message the Gospel of Christ as the Rump Parliament hath done for as Julian did before them The Parallel so did not they by the same course of plundering and ejecting the Clergy and taking away all livelihood from the Bishops and other grave Doctors and Preachers cause many learned men even all whose names are not written in the Book of life as the Holy Ghost speaketh and some that seemed Starres and not of the least lustre in the firmament of the Church to fall from Heaven and to start aside like a broken Bowe and rather to follow the indirect Directory of the Parliament then for the observance of the direct form of serving God to forgoe their rich Rectories yea and did they not cause them to take the mark and Livery of that Beast and against their Consciences to take the Covenant of the Beast and so to forswear themselves that they might preserve their Lands and their Livings which otherwise they must have forgone as they saw others do in every place Quam sunt laudandi qui te florente juventa sprevere luxus deliciasque tuas So bewitching a thing is the love of this World as Demas can well testifie and all that have not learned St. Peters lesson to forsake all and to follow Christ and so you see how the 8th that is the Beast is of the 7th and practiceth the same acts and the same wayes as the 7th did Or else we may understand these words the 8th is of the 7 to signifie that this Beast is of the same subtlety cruelty and condition and hath as much gall and bitterness in him against the true Church and the true servers of God as all or any one of all the other 7. had So that you can finde no villany or mischief in any or in all the other 7. but you shall finde the same fully in this Beast that hath as many heads and more heads himself then all the other 7. Kings had and indeed this Exposition is most agreeable to the Originall Text that doth not say the 8th is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the 7th but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the seven And whosoever readeth the first and second part What the Authour of the History of Independency saith of the long Parliament and especially the third part of the History of Independency I should wonder if he finde it not there shewed that all the devices conspiracies hypocrifies and cruelties of those Kings or Emperours here mentioned yea and Parallel 7 times 7 more unto them are not reaching and answerable to the plots and devices iniquity and impiety of the long Parliament conceived by some men as I said before to be this beast to possess the estates destroy the liberties take away the lives of Gods Servants and to overthrow the true service and Religion of Jesus Christ for the Authour of that History proveth evidently as he saith by the very Acts and Votes the Ordinances and writings of that long Parliament that they are more bloody and cruel then the proscriptions of Sylla more unreasonable then the Articles of High Treason that were made by the Duke de Alva then which the Devill could not devise much worse and that their High Court of Justice is a new Slaughterhouse for the murthering of the free Subjects of Ingland without any just proceeding but in all things contrary to all the Lawes and Statutes of this Land which are there abundantly produced by that Authour to make good his assertion and to condemn that Court and their proceedings therein for usurpation treason tyranny The History of Independency part 3. p. 42. theft and murther for which illegall arbitrary and most barbarous bloody proceedings every mans hands would be about their eares if they did not keep an Army of Janizaries to suppress them saith that Authour And what viler baser and more abominable things then these could any beast any Antichrist or any Devill devise to do I cannot tell but I leave it to my Reader to judge whether these things be true or not CAP. II. The 10 Horus of the Beast who they are and what they may signifie their Crowns what they signifie their blasphemy the three chief properties of the Leopard how agreeable to the long Parliament of the feet and mouth of the Beast what they betoken of the power and authority of the Beast and the head that was mortally wounded who or what is meant thereby and how the Beast shall continue to make Warre 2. 2. Of the 10. Horns of the Beast IT is said that the beast had ten horns and the Holy Ghost expoundeth the meaning of this expression in the 17th Chapt v. 12. saying that these 10 horns are 10 Kings which have received no Kingdom but receive power as Kings with the Beast whereupon Junius to make good his former Interpretation of the Beast saith hos decem Reges jam olim numeraverunt circumscripserunt multi these Kings long agoe many have numbred and described to be 10 which did arise and spring out of the Roman Empire Junius in annotat in c. 13. in c. 17. quum politicum illud imperium arte pontificum maxime capit labascere when that civill Empire began by the craft and subtlety of the Popes to fall unto decay and Mr. Mede names these Kings to be 1. Vortimer 2. Hengist 3. Childeric 4. Gunderic 5. Theodoric 6. Viciarins 7. Gensericus 8. Sumanus 9. Theodomir 10. Marcianus Alcazar saith that these 10 Horns do signifie Polyarchiam Romanorum Mr. Mede in his Apostat of the latter times p. 82. Anno 456. the multitude of the Roman Senators which gave their strength and power by which they formerly ruled unto the Emperour and Cornâ—a Lapide saith these 10 Horns are 10 Kings equibus tres profligabit antichristus caeteri septem territi ei sponte se subdent whereof three shall be vanquished by the Antichrist as Daniel saith of the little horn tres Reges deprimet he shall suppress three Kings and the other seven being terrified that is by the humbling of those three shall willingly submit themselves unto him and it may be the three Kings that A Lapide speaketh of might be 1. The King of Ingland The Parallel A Lapide his Exposition how fulsilled M. Mede names the other three which the Pope suppressed p. 83. 2. The King of Scotland 3. The King of Ireland and the other seven that is most of the Neigh
servants to meet in to serve God and in which God sheweth his will and promiseth his blessing and his presence among his people for this is the place where Gods honour dwelleth and is most perspicuously seen here on earth because he is most honoured in this place Psal 51.1 and of this place and the type thereof which was Moses his Tabernacle the Prophet David demanded of God Who shall dwell in his Tabernacle and saith Psal 122.1 that he was glad when the people said unto him We will go into the House of the Lord. And truly this material house and place dedicated and consecrated for Gods service our Saviour Christ out of the Prophet Isay calleth Gods House and saith it is so called Mar. 11.17 and to be called not of the Jews onely but of all Nations the House of Prayer and so we find that this Tabernacle Temple and house of God hath been ever reverenced and beautified as the holy Sanctuary and dwelling-place of God by Jews Turks and Papists yea and the very Pagans that knew not the true God Act. 7.48 but knew that as Solomon and Saint Steven do say that he could not be circumscribed in any place and therefore dwelleth not essentially in Temples made with hands when as so the heaven of heavens cannot contain him yet did they very much honour and adorh the Templess that were dedicated to the service of any of their false gods as Herodotus writeth Herodotus l 1. Clio. how exceeding bountifull Craesus King of Lydia was to the Temple of Apollo at Delphos and to the Oracle of Amphiaraus and so many other heathens spared no cost to inrich and beautifie the Temples of their idols and the neglect of this duty of beautifying Gods House as well as the prophaning thereof is every where most sharply reproved by the Prophets as where Haggai demands of the Jews if it were time for them to dwell in sieled houses and to suffer the House of God to lie wast Haggai 1.4 Matth. 21.13 and you know how our Saviour Christ blamed the Jews for making the House of God a house of Merchandise and yet their Merchandise was not within the Temple but in the outward Court of the Temple which was answerable to our Church-yard and was also called the Temple because it was very fairly and strongly walled about and preserved from all prophane uses untill these prophane men began to abuse the same And therefore it is admirable to consider how the Primitive Christians Euseb l. 10. c. 3. and c. 4. as Eusebius recordeth erected such Oratories and Basilica's that is Royal houses as stately as any Kingly Pallace and beautified the same with excessive charges for the Christians to meet in and to serve their God and so the Church of Saint Paul in London and of Saint Peter in Westminster and the rest of the Cathredrals throughout Ingland and Ireland to passe no further can bear sufficient witnesse of the zeal and devotion of our Christian Predecessors to erect such great and adorn such beautifull houses unto God as became so great and so glorious a God as our God is And to prove that the first Christians who lived under persecutions even from the Apostles time had Churches though as then not so magnificent you may see 1 Cor. 11.8 and 22. and c. 14.19 and 23. Clemens recognit l. 10. Tertul. l. contra Valent. Socrates l. 1. c. 14. and so the most ancient of the Fathers do bear witness as Clemens Tertul Socrates and Eusebius proves the same out of the book of Philo Judaeus l. 2. c. 17. and Lactantius in carminibus de Passione Domini saith Quisquis ades mediisque subis in limina Templi Siste parum Whosoever thou art that comest to the House of God stay a while that is to consider where thou goest and as Solomon saith Eccles 5.1 to keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God which is as God himself expoundeth the meaning thereof unto Moses saying pull off thy shoes from thy feet that is to make clean thy wayes Exod. 35. and bring no filth nor any carnal affections or wordly desires into the house of God because the place whereon thou standest is holy ground by reason of the gracious presence of God in that place where Moses stood and where God is prayed unto and praised by the Minister and the rest of his faithfull servants Bellarmin de cultu Sanctorun l. 3. c. 4. Let my Reader judge whether this Prophesie be not fulfilled by the long Parliament or their adherents The Parallel and if any man defires fuller proof of this truth I refer him to Cardinal Bellarmin and to the excellent and learned Sermon of Mr. Mede upon 1 Cor. 11.22 And yet I demand if these houses of God the Tabernacles of the most high that were thus consecrated beautified and adorned in the best manner for the Christians to meet for the service of Jesus Christ were not most barbarously prophaned and most odiously blasphemed by the Members of the long Parliament and their adherents the instruments of the Beast for if you read Mercurius Rustiens or the Countrey Complaint Printed at Oxford you shall there find how the Cathedrals which are the Mother Churches and the chiefest of the material or inanimate Tabernacles of God that are in Ingland as the places where the Sacred fire never went out and where the morning and evening Sacrifice of prayers and praises of God were alwayes used and the Ministers How the long Parliaments Party abused our Churches together with their Bishop praying in the Church for them that laboured in the field or pleaded at the barr were defaced prophaned polluted and abused by the servants and the instruments of that Parliament and not onely made Stables for their horses Jakes for themselves and brothel-houses for their wenches whom they abused as is there said at the very Altars but also had I know my self their windows broken their carved works burned their fonts where themselves and their fathers received their Baptisme and the badge of their Christianity thrown out of doores and the dead bodies of Gods Saints not permitted to rest in their graves but their memorials and statues that wronged no man I am sure of it were backed and bemangled by pulling out their eyes cutting off their noses chopping off their Arms and tearing the other parts of them all to pieces and the Swine were suffered to root up their flesh In all this I say but what I do professedly known having seen the same with mine eyes and the dogs to gnaw their bones as if they had been the bones of beasts and not of men such inhumane dealings with dead Saints that were interr'd in holy ground as Savages and Cannibals could not exceed in cruelty and beastiality And what is this but to blaspheme God and his Tabernacle with the highest degree of blasphemie that can be imagined to be
the Civill State decayed and the Power of the Emperors was so usurped and transferred unto the Pope because this Power which they now unjustly exercise was the just Power of the Emperor and of other Kings whom the Pope and his Cardinalls subjected Volater l 22. Authropolog in Alexand. 3. Hoveden Math. Paris in Reg. Joh. ursburgens in Fred. 1. as the Histories do relate unto themselves Sol. I answer that the Holy Ghost meaneth not that this second Beast took away and usurped the Power and Authority of the first Beast but did all Acts and exercised all his jurisdiction and his function by vertue of the power and under the protection and the countenance that he received by and from the authority of the first beast as the Sheriff exerciseth the power of the King for the service of the King for so the words do plainly intimate that this two horned Beast exercised the Power of the former beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the presence of him or before him that is for the service and to the use and behoofe of the former Beast because that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In conspectu Jehovae saith Tremelius 1 Sam. 2.18 is here equivalent to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dative case as when it is said that Samuell was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring in the presence of the Lord or before the Lord it signifieth as it is also expressed Cap. 3. 1. that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministring to the Lord so this second Beast exercised all the Power of the first Beast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the use service and setting forward the practises and designes of the first Beast and this appeareth very cleare from the words immediately following in that this second Beast causeth the Earth and them that dwell therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 13.12 that they should worship the first Beast that is not to ascribe any Divine Honor but to submit themselves to obey and to serve and assist the first Beast And we know the Pope and his Cardinalls and so all the Roman Clergy That the Bishop of Rome and his Clergy cannot be meant by the second Beast cause all the Rulers of the Earth and all the Iuhabitants thereof to worship Honour and serve themselves as those that are most worthy of Honour for the care that they take to save the soules of the people rather and before the other Beast that is the Civill Magistrate which careth onely for our Temporall estates and the things of this present life and therefore deserves not so much worship as the other that by the Testimony of the Apostle are worthyer of double Honour because they labour to bring us to eternall life in which respect we find how the Popes exacted Platâ—na in vita ejus French Epit. p. 93. and required the greatest Kings and Emperors to serve and to worship them as Gregory the third did to Leo Iconomachus Gregory the seventh to Henry the fourth Pope Zachary the first to Childerick King of France Allexander the third to Frederick Barbarossa Celestine the third to Henry the sixth Speed in the life of King John Hoveden Annal p. 2. sub Rich. 1. Innocent to King John Adrian the fourth that made the Emperor to hold his stirrop and the like that you may find in the Annalls and the lives of the Kings and the Emperors and therefore questionless the Pope Cardinalls and Clergy of Rome cannot be understood by this second Beast But all that is here specified and spoken of the second Beast The Parallel That the Assembly of Presbyterians and the Independant and Lay Preachers of the Parliament are the second Beast and the false Prophet doth in every particular point agree and most aptly cohere with the Parliaments Heterâ—geniall and Laâ—dicean Assembly of Divines that sat at Westminster together with their dispersed Disciples wheresoever inhabiting within these Kingdomes and with the swarme of Independant and Lay-Preachers that sprang up since the beginning of that Parliament for these Presbyterian Divines that contrary to their Oathes contrary to the Commands of their King and contrary to their Faith given in the presence of God and in Gods House when they were admitted to Holy Orders and the rest of the Independant and Lay-Preachers have as the Text saith exercised all the Power of the Parliament they sat in Westminster under the wings of the Parliament and with the rest of their Associates wheresoever dispersed trusting to the Power and Protection of the Parliament they Preached Consulted and Determined all things by the Power and Authority and for the service and advancement and behoofe of the Parliament for the overthrowing of the King See also what the Author of the last Will and Testament of Sir John Presbyter saith Edwards in his Gangraena p. 26. the rooting out of the Bishops and the utter defacing of Gods Church And I think all the people of this Land knoweth this to be so true that I need not use any argument to confirm it and so the Independant Sectaries do avouch that the Presbyterian Government is the false Prophet and the Beast here spoken of and the third part of the great Citty Revel 16.19 and on the other side the proud Presbyterians do as confidently aver that the Independants and Lay-Preachers are this Beast and so Clodius accusat moechum Catelina Caethegum and I out of their own mouthes will take it pro confesso and conclude them both to be partes constitutivas the chiefest constituting parts that make up the second Beast That the false Prophet is three foldâ— and the false Prophet And this false Prophet is like the three-headed Cerberus consisting of three speciall branches or three sort of Preachers 1. The Presbyterians And to begin with the last 2. The Independants And to begin with the last 3. The Lay Preachers And to begin with the last 1. The Lay Preachers may rightly be said to be one of the heads of Cerberus and the false Prophet in two speciall respects 1. In respect of his eutrance into his Office 2. In respect of his ignorance to discharge the duties of his Office For 1. 1. The Lay Preacher a false Prophet in two respects 1. His unjust entrance Malach. 2.7 that the Priest is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts and the Apostle tells us that no man taketh this Honour unto himselfe that is to be a Messenger and an Embassador sent from God but he that is called of God as was Aaron and how was Aaron called First by the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit Secondly least he should be mistaken in the inspiration of the Spirit because there are many spirits by the appointment and Ordination of Moses that had his Authority from God to approve of his Vocation and to confirm him in his Priestly Office thus was Aaron called and yet more then this Heb. 5.4 the Apostle saith that Christ himself who is the
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
to be a Type and figure of the New Testament The things of the old Test types of the things that should be done in the New Testament 1 Cor. 13.12 and the Gospel not onely in the Legal Sacrifices that were but the shadows of the True Sacrifice Jesus Christ but also in most of the ritual things and Ceremonies that are mentioned to be used about the Service of God in the Old Testament whose soul or substance should be far more transcendently imployed in the service of God under the New Testament for as the New Testament and the service of God under it is the very expresse image of the Celestial and Heavenly things and a figure of those things that we shall see in Heaven as St. Paul teacheth so those things that chanced and were commanded to be observed in the Synagogne of the Jews were types and figures of these things that should be done in the Church of Christ Gal. 3.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. inorat de S. pas cha and they are termed pedagogia ad Christum introductions leading us unto Christ and Greg. Nazianzene calleth the Old Testament vallum quoddam inter Deum idola medium a certain trench or wall set indifferently betwixt God and idolls so as we might passe by that from the idell unto God and from the Law as from the Sampler unto the veritie from the figure to the thing and from the shadow to the substance And therefore the Apostle in many places citeth the old Law for the verie figure of the New Deut. 25.4 as where it is written in the Law Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn he saith this was written for us 1 Cor. 9. 9. that live under the Gospel to teach us that God would have the Lay men to relieve their spiritual Pastors and where he saith that Hagar and Mount Sinay did represent the old Law Gal. 4.24 and Ismael the Jewesh Synagogue and on the other side Sarah and Hierusalem fignified the Gospel and Isaac represented the Church of Christ and again where he saith that the fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized by Moses in the cloud 1 Cor. 10.1.3.4 and all did eat the same spiritual meat and then he addeth haec omnia in figura contigerunt illis that all these things happened to them in a figure to fignifie the baptism that we receive and the spiritual food that we take in the blessed Eucharist under the New Testament 1 Pet. 3.20 21. The Cerem sanctisying of the old Test Priests was a type of the sanctitie required in the ordaining of the priests of the New Test and St. Peter likewise sheweth how Noahs Ark was a Type and a figure of our baptism And so I say that the Ceremonial sanctifying of the Priests of the old Law was but atype and a figure of that true and real sanctitie and holiness and spiritual indowments that are requifite to be in the Priests of the New Testament Or if our novices and Lay-intruders into this sacred Function be not so learned as to understand types and figures nor so quick-fighted as to perceive things spoken in enigmate then let them look into the New Testament and they shall find there how our Saviour Christ Luke 6.12 before the choosing of his Apostles continued all night in prayer and when it was day he called his Disciples and out of them he chose 12. Apostles and was not this done for our instruction to teach us what we should do before we send forth Preachers and Priests to feed the flock of Christ and after his Resurrection Luke 24.50 before he sent his Apostles to preach he lifted up his hands and blessed them and St. John saith he breathed on them and said receive ye the holy Ghost John 20.22 and when the holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them the other Prophets and Teachers which were Simon and Lucius and Manaen fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them Acts 13.3 and then sent them away to discharge their Function And so as I told you all the Primitive Bishops and Fathers of the Church in imitation of Christ and his Apostles have observed the same course Acts 14.23 of fasting and prayers and imposition of hands before they send any man to be the Preaecher and Minister of any Parish so careful were they heretofore in this point to see that no unlearned or unworthy person should be admitted to be the servant and Embassadour of Christ to declare his message to administer at his Table to dispence his graces and to be the shepherd to feed his flock which are Offices of so high an esteem for if man will not receive every kind of person especially such as he knoweth to be vain vitious or idle that offereth himself to be his servant shall we think that God will accept of every one Ignatius in epist ad Smyrnenses that will presumptuovsly thrust himself to be the Embassadour of Jesus Christ no questionlesse and therefore Ignatius that was Bishop of Antioch in the Apostles time next after Evodius writing to the Smyrnenses or Church of Symrna saith Let no man do any thing appertaining to the Church Yea let not the Administration of the Eucharist that is the Lords Supper be lawful but by the Bishop or by him that is admitted and hath his authority from the Bishop God foretells us of these intruders that we might shun them Jerem. 23.21 And yet he that before all time foresaw these times God himself and Christ himself tells us that many false prophets would intrude themselves into his service and many false Apostles would very presumptuously thrust themselves into the Ministerie for the Lord saith I have not sent these Prophets yet they run that is more greedily then the true Prophets that do know the weight of this heavy churge and again he saith I have not spoken to them yet they prophesied therefore their preaching must needs be vain and erroneous Jerem. 14.14 and so the Lord testifieth saying they prophesie lies in my name for I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake I unto them but they prophesie unto you a false vision and divination and a thing of naught and the deceits or devices of their own bearts And our Saviour saith Matth. 24.24 ver 5. ver 11. there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signes and shall deceive many and if it were possible the very Elect for they will come as he saith in his name that is professe themselves to besent from him and to be his most faithful servants and the very Saints of God and thereby they shall deceive the people which otherwise if they came in Mahomets name or in the Popes name they could not prevail
I need not stand any longer to unkennell this Beast seeing that the same things that are incident to the Presbyterians may be truely applyed to the Independants but that in my judgement the Independant is less rigid more tolerable and quiet and of far better faith and principles then the Presbyterians 3. 3. The Presbyterians the first fountain and the chiefe Head of this false Prophet The Presbyterians not as they are Presbyters but as they now shew themselves to be under this notion and name of Presbyterians are the primum mobile and the maine stock from whence do spring all the branches of this false Prophet and though I might collect many more yet I will infist and that briefly but upon these foure points besides their correspondency with what the Spirit of God setteth down here that do sufficiently shew them to be this false Prophet and they are 1. Their Apostasie 1. Their Apostasie For 2. Their Perjury For 3. Their Hypocrisie For 4. The obliquity of all their actions For 1. 1 John 3.19 They were with us and as St. John saith they went out from us because they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but in the height of their pride they left their station forsook their coulors and started aside like a broken bowe And so 2. 2. Their Perjury The Oath of the Presbyters when they are made Ministers In Apostatizing from that Profession which they made at their Ordination and denying their Bishops and Diocessans to be their Guides and their Governors they became perjured to break their faith and to falfifie their Oath which they made in the presence of God and his Congregation when they were ordained for when any one is to enter into the Holy Order of Priesthood the Bishop demands of him will you reverently obey your Ordinary and other chiefe Ministers unto whom the Government and Charge is committed over you following with a glad mind and will their godly admonitions and submitting your selfe to their godly judgements and he that is to be admitted Priest answereth I will so do the Lord being my helper which is a promissory Oath that requireth performance and may no way be dispensed with and violated at our pleasure as that Learned Regius Professor of Oxford Doctor Sanderson Vide Dr. Sanderson de Juramento Promissorio in that excellent Book De Juramento Promissorio hath most amply declared unto us and shall we think that they can be true Prophets to us that have been false and perjured to themselves or shall we commit our soules to their custody that have forfeited their own soules unto the Devill or shall we not believe that these rather then the Roman Clergy are this false Prophet For 1. They have not refused to be subject and obedient to their Governors nor stepped aside from their station and therefore cannot be taxed with this Apostasie that the Apostle ascribeth to the many Antichrists that were in his time 2. They have not falsified their faith and perjured themselves in not performing their Oath and observing their promise which they made when they entered into Sacred Orders but to proceed 3. For their hypocrisie I leave it to the world to judge of it And 4. For the obliquity of their actions it is well observed by one that in all their doings they and their Proselites do imitate King Saul to a haire for first King Saul without any respect or regard to the Office and Authority of the Priest would presume to offer sacrifice 1 Sam. 13.9 10. as afterwards Vzziah would have done so the new Presbyters though they cannot show that they have any authority descentive from hand to hand from the Apostles as all 2 Chron. 26.16 17. and every true Presbyter ought to have yet will they intrude themselves to do the offices of the Ministers of Christ 2. Saule had an evill spirit that could not abide any musick but would have killed David when he played before him 1 Sam. 18.10 11. so the Presbyterians cannot endure any Organs or Musick in the Worship of God 3. Saul made no conscience of his Oathes but through the vehemency of his Zeal forsooth to Gods Honour he despised the wisdom of his fore-fathers and therefore he breaks the Oath that they made unto the Gibeonites and would needs slay those harmeless Gibeonites and the whole Nation of the Jewes must smart for his foolish rashness and his bloody act so the Presbyterian or Rumpe Parliament and their Teachers the Presbyters were such Zelots and so Holy that they despised the wisdom of our former Parliaments and so brake their Oathes of their Alleageance and Supremacy to the King and as I said before of their obedience and subjection to the Bishops and the Church of Christ and slew the two Witnesses of God and the whole Kingdom hath ever since smarted for the same 4. Saul was a most malicious man and as cruell as any one of those times as you may read how he persecuted and hunted after the life of David 1 Sam. 18.11 Chap. 19.1.10 Chap. 21.1 c. without any cause and against all Reason would have put his own son Jonathan to death and did not the Presbyterian Parliament as maliciously hunt after the Kings life and the Bishops and abundance more of the Kings Party let my Reader judge 5. This goodly King for Davids sake caused fourscore and five persons of the Lords Priests that did weare a linnen Ephod saith the Text to be slain and all that they had to be destroyed and did not the Proselites of these Presbyters for King Charles his sake because they were honest and faithfull unto their King as he was loving and like a Father unto them run and ruinate well-near as many Bishops besides the Deanes Prebends and many more godly Ministers that were Canonicall and wore the linnen surplice though they that hated the surplice escaped their brethrens fate and were protected and advanced by these Presbyters as those that rejected the linnen Ephod were preserved by Saul for it is most evident that the Spirit of God would not have set down the garments of those Priests that were destroyed but to intimate unto us that some other false Priests that could no more abide the linnen Ephod then our Presbyters can now endure the white surplice were joyned with Saul and whispered in his ears against those that did wear the Ephod as the Presbyterians did alwayes ring in the ears of the Parliament men against the wearers of these holy garments otherwise it had been enough to say that Saul had caused to be slain so many Priests of the Lord without any further mention of wearing the linnen Ephod but the holy Ghost setteth not down the least title to no purpose And I could wish his Majesty would well consider how that very very many of the prime Presbyterians in London and the country made
such affectionate addresses and passionate prayers for the continuance of Richard Cromwell in his Protectorship as may be seen in their Diurnalls and inquire if any one of the Bishops or of all the Episcopall party did the same and then to consider whether such men that are so unjust to their King to their Civil Governors be fit men to be made Governors of the Church of Christ as they imitate this malicious King in their actions so they are the disciples of railing Rabsheca in their Sermons for letting passe those doctrines that derogate from the goodnesse truth and justice of God they stuffe their Sermons with most unsavory expressions and ridiculous things in the eares of men as a Presbyter Preacher in Christs Church said that hell was paved with Kings Crowns and Bishops sculls another said that God might as rightly be said to be the Authour of sin as of Monarchy and a third said that Monarchy was such a beast as he would venture his life to fight against it these and the like were the doctrines of this beast and yet now who pretends to be more zealous to reduce our David to his throne then these Presbyters when as other men knowing their doings think it strange they should have the impudencie to look any King in the face And to justify what I say of these Presbyters the chiefest branch of this false Prophet as I will not refuse a pearle from a dung-hil so I will not disdain to alledge the testimony of George Fox the younger in the eleventh page of his book whose copy was delivered into the hands of his Majesty the fourth day of the fourth moneth 1660. where he saith unto the King if thou shouldst come in upon the account of the Prethyterians or shouldst refuse to bow to what they should set up or not Jatisfy the covetousnesse of their Priests there be several of them would be ready to serve thee as they did thy Father and a little after he saith how abominably have these durty deceitful covetous Priests acted in all these changes i.e. which he had formerly spoken of Oh! it is hard to utter their deceit who one while have prayed for a King and Parliament and when they saw the King was like to fall and no ways likely to maintain them they turned against him and prayed onely for the Parliament and asserted their authority and cursed them that would not go out to help against the mighty and shortly after when Oliver Cromwell had turned out the Parliament and set up himself they cryed him up and prayed for him and many of them began to assert his authority to he just and when he died many of these Preachers began to addresse themselves to his Son and fawned upon him that he might provide for their God which is their belly and they appeared to be sorrowful for his Fathers death and blasphemously termed him the Light of their eyes and the breath of their nostrills and they told Richard that God had left him to carry on that glorious work which his Father had begun and some of these Preachers compared Ol. Cr. to be like unto Moses and Rich like unto Joshua who should carry them into the promised land and how soon did some of them turn to cry for a Parliament again when the Army turned out Richard and when George Booth made a rising then they cried out against the Parliament and began to curse such as would not go out against them and when George Booth was taken they petitioned to the Parliament to excuse themselves and that they had no hand in the rising and now they are for thee O King and if thou wilt believe them thou art worthy to be deceived by them But I should be overtedious if I should relate unto you the abundant blasphemies of their vile Doctrine Which you may find at large in Arise Evans his Euroclydon per totum and obliquity of all the actious of these new Presbyters and their Proselites and therefore I will pass to those things that are here mentioned and shew the description of this second beast as the H.G. doth here set it down and leave my Reader to judg whether they be not all fulfilled and every way appliable to our Presbyterians to prove them and none else to be this false Prophet here mentioned in this Book of the Revelation Where notwithstanding I would have you to observe that there are two sorts of the now and new Presbyterians that is 1. Rigidi superhi ambitiosi 2. Moderati molles timidi 1. The proud ambitious and rigid Presbyters that sate at Westminster like the Synedrion under Cayphas an Assembly of Divines that chalked out the way for the rest to follow them in their extravagant and exorbitant courses and these are the partes constitutivae the chiefest and the principall parts of this false Prophet 2. The moderate remisse and fearful Presbyters are such as to preserve their livings do unwillingly observe the Directory of the rigid Presbyters that are here so amply described by the holy Ghost and do in all things correspond and are conformable to every point of the description of this two-horned beast as hereafter I shall shew unto you The seed of this beast though begun to be sowen When the seed of the beast was first sown in the Church as the Apostle saith of the my tery of iniquity by Simon Magus Ebion Cerinthus Nicholas and the like in the first age of the Church yet did not this beast shew his hornes nor this mystery so visibly with any strength appear in our Church of Great Britain till now of late Indeed when the godly professors of the Gospel in King Edward the sixth his time and in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign began to fow good corn in the field of this our Church and to make a reformation and a rooting out of those weeds of superstition that the Ministers of the said mystery had spread and now began to be discerned among the wheat then presently the envious man super-seminavit Zizania that is When Puritanisme began amongst us in these dominions which you may see more fully shewed in Mr. Fullers History of our Chuch Brightman in Revelat. c. 2. Detrahunt noâ—is perimus detrahunt Canoni veritati non detrahant Aug de verbis Aposteli Sermone 14. And so may we say of these men the devill stirred up his seeds-men John Knox in Scotland and Thomas Cartwright in Ingland to mingle our wine with wormwood and to scatter darnells and tares among our good wheat whereby they infected very many with an epidemical and most deadly disease then termed Puritanisme the offspring of the old Catharists that is a dissembling pharisaical purity and pretended holinesse far excelling the rest of their brethren both in life and doctrine especially in the conscientious refusall to subscribe and to submit themselves to the established Liturgy and the orderly observation of the discipline and
Ceremonies of our Church which they spared not most loudly and lewdly to bark against and to call it the Laodicean luke-warm Church and the Governours and upholders of all the good orders uniformity and discipline of this Church of Christ they blushed not to style Popish Bishops and proud Prelates and the Book of Common Prayer as if it had been the Turkish Alcoran They perswaded the people to believe it was the English Masse-Book and all the Ceremonies thereof the ragges of Rome and so belched out their poyson against out Church And to what incurable mischief this disease was like to grow that wise and reverend Arch-Bishop Bancraft did foresee and with all his might endeavoured to prevent by discovering and publishing the same unto the world so did worthy Doctor Whitgift before him and so did Doctor Dove Doctor Covell Doctor Gardiner Doctor Leon. Hutton and Mr. Thomas Hutton and many other godly and learned men labour to unvaile this beast his face to shew his hornes and the weaknesse of his reasons unto the weak and seduced people But as the harlot said unto Socrates ego tibi Socrates multum praesto I do much excell thee O Socrates because I can sooner allure the youths of Athens and intice far more of them to my house of leudnesse then thou canst with all thy rhetorick and eloquence perswade to thy School of Philosophy so these locusts and their Proselites prevailed more with those that were such as Socrates answered the harlot her customers were proclives ad malum inclinable to be misled and easily drawen to evill as we are all by nature then all the wise Governours and grave Doctors of the Church could do to hindet them so that in a short space notwithstanding the execution of Martin Mar-prelate Penry and some others in Queen Elizabeths dayes which did a little stop their gallopping course and the careful industry of King James to suppresse them yet multiplicati sunt super numerum they increased exceedingly like the frogges and rats of Egypt that do super-faetare beget young ones before they be rid of their old brood and then being so multiplyed they that formerly pulled in their horns like a snaile did begin in King Charles his time to set up their hornes on high and to speak with a stiffe neck and now to set their instruments the disconteuted Nobility and Gentry and their own seduced disciples on work to bring their long-wished purposes to an end for as the soule worketh no corporeall act but by the organs of his body so these men being spiritual men could not themselves prevaile to attain unto their ends against the power of the King but having so plentifully sowen their seed among their Proselytes and so well instructed the body that was their instrument they can with their help produce the acts that they intended and which they do suggest into the heads of the other beast which is their body And therefore as in every sinful act the soul which is actus primus corporis organici causa actuum secundorum Arist de anima l. 2. c. 1. Text. 4. Is more liable to judgement and deserves more punishment then the body so as I said before this spiritual beast is far the worst of the twain and the worst of all other beasts that ever were so bad that I am no wayes able to shew unto you the badnesse and to display the wickednesse of this second beast yet as the Arian hereticks gave forth of themselves Aug. epist 48. ad Vincent that they onely were the true Catholick Church of God and those that were the members of the true Church indeed they called Athanasians Ambrosians Joannites and as Nestorius being a pestilent heretick covered himself notwithstanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the cloak or vaile of the Catholick faith saith Theodoret so I know these men think themselves to be the onely true servants and the most faithful Ministers of Jesus Christ but indeed as David did worse then Joab in the murther of Vriah and as the teacher of a man to sin is worse then he that commits the sin as the Serpent that inticed the woman to eat of the forbidden fruit was worse then the woman so this second beast that seduced and taught the first beast to do all or most of the evills and wickednesse that he did is far worse then the first beast that was but his instrument to effect all those vile acts and mischiefs whereof this second beast was the prime Authour instructor instigator and no marvell for as corruptio-optimi est pessima The second beast farre worse then the first beast and so I deem the Prerbyterians the worst of all the men in Ingland and the Authours of all the mischiefs done in this kingdom Jerem. 24.23 Tertul. l. de prescript advers haeres c. 42. and as Jeremy his figges were either exceeding good or extream bad so are the Preachers and teachers of men either the best of men and so worthy of double honour if with the true Prophets they go the right way to work or else the worst of all men and so worthy of many stripes if with this second beast and false Prophet they go about to corrupt the truth to seduce the people and as Tertullian saith of the hereticks of his time cum hoc sit negotium illis non ethnicos convertendi sed nostros evertendi to labour more to overthrow us then to build others in the faith of Christ And as the Arian Prelates and Preachers were more cruell and greater persecutors of the Orthodox then either the heathen tyrants or the Ariankings that were but their instruments and were indeed lesse bloody and more consciencious then their teachers so are these Presbyterians and Independents and Lay-Preachers more proud and more cruel and of lesse conscience and lesse honesty as being the prime Authours fomenters and devisers of all villanies miseries and mischiefes that have been acted in these dominions ever since they were hatched then were the members of that long Parliament as the sequele of their description and their actions here specified will make it plaine and the Author of the Last Will and Testament of Sir John Presbyter in his Epitaph that concludes too uncharitably doth briefly paint them forth saying Here lies Jacke Presbyter void of all pitty Sir John Presbyter his Epitaph That ruin'd the Country and fooled the City He turn'd Preaching to prating and telling of lies Caus'd Jarres and Dissentions in all Families He invented new Oathes Rebellions to raise Deceiving the Commons whil'st on them he preyse He made a new Creed despised the old King State and Religion by him bought and sold He foure yeares consulted and yet could not tell The Parliament the way Christ went into hell Resolved therein he never could be Therefore in great hast he goes thither to see And I would to God they had the Grace to see the mischiefes that they have done and to repent
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
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beast speaketh like the Dragon that is though their words are pretended to be the words of Christ yet that which they aim at to effect are the plots of the Dragon and I beseech you mark it the first beast had a mouth like a Lion but this second beast spake like the dragon and why so because the first spake Magnalia great and glorious things what would they not do The paralel if they might have what they desired so you may remember what fair promises the Parliament made unto the King and the second spake mendacia lies and falshood which is the first language of the old Serpent the devill who is a lyar from the beginning and the father of lyes saith our Saviour Job 8. John 8. and so is the false Prophet and as the Dragon cloathed his lyes with sair speeches and large promises saying you shall be like Gods knowing good and evill so the Apostle tells us Rom. 16.18 2 Pet. 3.26 Mat. 4.6 these false teachers that make divisions in the Church and Rebellions in the Common-Wealth and dissentions among neighbours do with good words and faire speeches deceive the hearts of the simple and what are those good words but the very words of the Holy Scriptures then which no words can be better yet St. Peter tells us the Scriptures may be wrested abused and misapplyed as the Devill did to Christ and so do the false Prophets Trenens l. 1. c. 1. for seeing they come in sheeps clothing it behoves them to bring nothing but good words even the most blessed words of the Holy Scriptures in their mouthes but as Ireneus speaketh adaptare â—upientes ea quae bene dicta sunt iis quae male adinuenta sunt ab ipfis they are alwayes striving to fit those things which are well spoken in the Scriptures to what they have misinvented so did the Valentinians to establish their thirty couples of Gods and Goddesses so did the Arians to deny the Divinity of Christ so do the Papists to justifie their Purgatory and so this Beast the Presbyterians and their Disciples do to uphold all the wicked Tenents that they have invented to oppose their King to expell their Bishops and to extirpate our Lyturgy and service of the Church out of the Church and to spread many other points of their desperate Doctrine which is if any thing be the Language of the Dragon though they speak it in the good words of the Holy Scriptures and fair speeches which is a counterfeit shew of much purity and holiness that so with this shadow of piety they might the sooner make the people believe they are the onely Saints Stap in his counter blast and their words the very truth and language of the Lamb. And I think the adherents of the Long Parliament and this false Prophet scattered as many lies in their Bookes and Pamphlets as Stapleton collecteth out of Bishop Horne if we had but such another Stapleton to pick them out and if you can name any Pope that published more lies then this false Prophet I shall subscribe to the opinion of the Prosbyterians that he is the beast which speaks like the Dragon But Sir John Presbyter confesseth that although they pretend nothing but Scripture yet the Blasphemies Treasons Heresies Incongruities Tantalogies and Absurdities of his brethren and children the Presbyterians in the large measure of their Prayers and Sermons observed by the people hath been a great cause of his untimely death p. 5. 3. It is said v. 12. that this two horned beast exerciseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Power of the first beast or rather all the Authority which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth more properly fignifie and he causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast Bezius de regno Ital. l. 4. c. 5 1. c. 6. which cannot be applyed to the Pope and his Cardinalls that say the Temperall Sword is and ought to be subject to the Spirituall as Bozius Hostiensis Bellarmine and the rest of that Church do avouch and I shewed you before how this false Prophet the Presbyterians Independants and Lay-Preachers did all that they acted by the Authority aud under the Power of the Parliament Hostien in can quod supor his c. Bellarm. de rom pontif l. 5. c. 5. The parallele Of the power of the second beast plainly fulfilled in the Presbyterians and therefore they Preached and perswaded all men especially the Inhabitants of the earth as the holy Gh. saith all such as were as earthly and as worldly minded as themselves to adhere and to assist the Parliament against the King and his Party which is just as is the worshipping of the first beast that is the temporall state and which is and hath been alwayes the property and practice of all false Prophets to shelter themselves as the Arians did under Constantius and to further their Projects under the wings of their Powerfull Protectors whom they do therefore magnifie perswade all others to worship them that they might thereby effect their own wicked deeds and be secured from the Power of the Church Then 4. Of the miracles of the false prophet 4. It is said v. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he doth great wonders where I take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not for a disjunctive or causative as Mr. Mede takes it but as it is commonly used for a copulative to that which went before as that this second beast used the Power and Authority of the first beast and being protected and furthered by the Power and strength of the first beast they did thereby great wonders and so St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.9 the Antichrist should come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with signes and lying wonders and our Saviour saith Bellar. Antichr prodigia potius praestigia daemonum mera mira quam vera miracula statuit de notis eccles c. 14. the false Christs and Prophets that are the followers and promoters of the Antichrist should arise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and should shew great signes and wonders whereby you may see that both the beast and his instruments the Antichrist the false Prophet and the whole troope of his disciples shall pretend to shew signes and wonders to deceive the people and the signes that they shew are just like the signe that Judas gave unto his followers a kisse which is a pretence of love and great kindnesse but it was both destructive to Christ and deceitfull to the followers of Christ so the beast and the false Prophet do kisse those their Proselites with good words and faire promises whom they intend to allure to foule acts and to betray them to evill enemies and so the people are thereby deceived and the Church of Chrift destroyed But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wonder which the false Prophets are said by Christ to do Aquinas in 2 Thes 2. Prodigia quasi
Golden Calfe and therefore this beast this Ecclesiastical beast who may be said to be the Assembly of Presbyters and Independants and Lay-preachers is onely said in this 14. verse The mischievous perswasions of the false Prophet to dcceive them that dwell on the earth that is all those that are like to themselves risen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the earth and are worldly minded men and no marvell for it is most consonant to reason and more likely for the false Prophet then it is for the violent soldiers that dispute the matter with the sword and will compell rather then perswade or the City Senators that trade only in worldly Merchandize To deceive the people poor people that are deceived by their leaders and carried on the right way to bell when they think they are led streight to heaven But O thou false Prophet thou deceitful Presbyterian and the lawlesse lay-preacher how wilt thou answer for all the injuries that have been done and all the blood that hath been shed in our last war through thy deceitful perswasions cum surrexerit ad judicandum Deus when God shall come to make inquisition for blood for it is more then most likely plain enough to them that have their eyes open the Parliament had never prevailed as they did to overthrow the King to destroy the Bishops to rob the Church and to gain so many victories to make so many poor widowes and Fatherlesse children and distressed infants if thou hadst not most perfidiously and spitefully used all the rhetorical art to perswade the simple worldly men to adhere and to assist that long Parliament as the onely Patrones of their liberty protectors of their estates and the true propagators of the Gospel against a King that invaded upon their estates and incroached upon their priviledges and such a Hierarchy of Bishops and Episcopal Clergy as did most palpably ayme and strive to bring in Popery like a deluge among the people which was the string that the Presbyterians perpetually harped upon and the onely song the false song of their Sion And therefore 6. 6. What is meant by the image of the beast ver 15. Doctor Sbelden pag. 13. Junius in annot in loc Mr. Mede pag. 67. It is said verse 15. that this second beast gave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life or breath or spirit which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to the image of the beast where the question is what is here meant by the image of the beast and some Expositors not much amisse do understand hereby the representation of the State and government of the first beast Junius meanes the setting up of images to be worshipped in the second Councill of Nice Mr. Mede saith the Roman Empire in the seventh head that is under the ten Kings is the image of that Empire as it was under the sixt head that is the Caesarian Empire which had the wound by the sword whose mistake herein I have shewed unto you even now The impieties and wickednes of the beaff ete the image of the beast that the present German Empire is but a very ill Image of the old Roman Empire therefore I conceive that to give life to the image of the beast signifieth nothing else but to be a speciall means and the chiefest instruments to uphold and justify the Practices impieties and proceedings of the beast which is indeed to maintain the State and Government of the beast as Doctor Sheldon saith because the injustice impieties and wicked practises of the beast do most fully resemble and are the very perfect image of the beast for as an image sheweth the similitude and likenesse of a thing to the life Geu 1.27 and as a man is said to be made in the image of God which must not be understood of any externall form or outward shape which God being a pure spirit Ephes 4.24 cannot have but must be understood of that holinesse and true righteousnesse wherein man was created as the Apostle sheweth like unto God Levit. 12.44 Luke 6.36 and whereunto we are now exhorted to conform our selves when the Lord biddeth us to be holy as he is holy to be mercifull as our heavenly Father is mercifull and so in all other imitable points and attributes of goodnesse and piety whereby we may renew the lost image of God in our selves so the wickednesse the rebellion the ungodlinesse injustice subtlety and cruelty of the beast John 8 44. may as well be said to be the image of the beast even as our Saviour saith the Jewes were of their father the devill that is the very image of the devil Gen 5.3 because they were lyars and murderers and replenished with all other wicked conditions like unto the devill and as Adam is said to have begotten a child in his own image that is not onely in the feature and liniaments of his body but especially in the deformity mortality and corruptibility that Adam by his disloyalty had brought upon himself and upon all his posterity and as you know it is a common thing to say that a subtle crafty fellow is a fox a cruell man a Tygar an innocent man a sheep a foolish fellow an asse and so forth because of the likenesse and similitude they bear not to the shapes and figures but to the properties and conditions of these beasts And so in this sence What it is to give life to the image of the beast taking the image of the Beast for the wicked Government and leaud practises and proceedings of the beast the second beast that came out of the earth is said to give life to the image of the first beast that is to the wickednesse and impieties of the first beast because that as the true Preachers and the Orthodox Ministers of Christ do together with the inward helpe of Gods Spirit renue and revive the image of God in men in bringing the life of Grace unto them and destroying the image of the beast and of the devill in them by killing their vices and rooting out their impieties aud the lustfull corruptions of the flesh so the false Prophet and the apostaticall earthly beast together with the helpe of the Devill doth give life and breath unto the impieties and wickednesse of the first beast even as the true Propets of God tell us the Priests of Baal did animate The parallele and give life to the Idolatry of the Jewes And thus it cannot be said that the Pope and his Cardinalls did animate The Presbyterians animated all the proceedings of tha Parliament and give life to the Tyranny and cruelty or any other impiety of any Civill State either of Kings or Emperors that I read in any History but I suppose it is not unknown to any man in these parts how the Preshyterians and Independants and Lay Preachers did animate and give life to all the injustice and the impieties and all the unjust proceedings that were done
by that Long-Parliament or otherwise their attempts against the King Bishops and Church had sooner died had they not received life from and by the pens and tongues of that beast that sate at Westminster and spread his Armes over all the Kingdom most unjustly to rob and to take away their livings from all the poore and honest ejected Clergy And therefore what was hyperbollically said of Pope Clement the eighth with the changing of a word or two may far more justly and orthodoxally be said of this false Prophet the Assembly and whole company of Presbyterians as a just Epitaph upon their Tombes when the Church shall be freed of them Hunc caetum eripuit nobis clementia fati Humanum toto gaudeat orbe genus Hic est qui fuerat iam dedecus orbis urbis fuit aetatis magna ruina suae Hic est si nescis qui jam tibi multa paravit Excidium pestem funera bella famem The Presbyserians Epitaph when the Church shall be freed of them Hic est qui fuerat regnans infamia mundi Imperii labes spurcitiesque sui Contemptor divum scelerum vir publicus hostis Perfidus ingratus raptor iniquus atrox Videbit mortis centum tormenta futurae Paena tamen mortis non erit aequa suis Ex ista tandem migravit urbe tyrannus Quo nullus toto pejor in orbe fuit And therefore their impiety and wickednesse herein as in all other their doings exceedeth the possibility of my expression which makes me to borrow it from better pens and I professe to speak this out of no partiality or disaffection to any particular man of all the Presbyterians because they are all alike unknown to me either by benefits or injuries but I speak it out of a bitter distast and hatred to their Pharisaicall hy pocrifie and blinde leading of the simple people to no simple sin when as here they are said to give life to the image of the beast 1. c. as I said to egge ou the first beast to all wickednesse and to justifie the same unto the people and if these forenamed things be not sufficient to make a perfect Antichrist let Lucifer send him out of hell Or else the image of the beast may signifie not the actions but the actors of those injuries and impieties Mr. Mede pag. 6. clavis apocal That the image of the beast and the seven headed and ten horned beast are the same thing that is the image of the two horned beast Revel 19 20. 1. Iustance 2. Iustance that are committed and that is the first 10. horned beast is said to be the image of the second two horned beast for Mr. Mede hath rightly observed as I conceive that the first 10. horned beast and the image of the beast are voces convertibiles and equivallent and do fignifie not two things as a man and his picture or his statue but the very selfe same thing which he proveth by three speciall instances 1. In that where the beast and the false Prophet are mentioned together which is three times at least by the beast is understood the 10. horned beast and by the false Prophet is understood the two horned beast 2. Where the Beast and the image of the beast are coupled together which is six times at least as Chap. 14.9 and ver 11. Chap. 15.2 Chap. 16.2 Chap. 19 20. Chap. 20.4 there by the beast is understood not the first 10. horned beast but the second two horned beast and by the image of the beast is understood the seven headed and ten horned beast as being now revived and healed of the wound that it had formerly gotten by the meanes that is by the pens and tongues the and writings of the false Prophet and therefore as receiving in himself the Divinity and direction and the very platforme of his proceedings from this Prophet he might very well be said to be the image of the false Prophet and that appeareth the more plain because this image when it had received life and breath by the meanes of the false Prophet doth now begin to speak and to make orders and Ordinances that whosoever would not worship the image of the beast that is serve and obey him which is nothing else but the very image and the lively representment of this Prophet whom he deemes as the Oracle of God and whose instrument he professeth himself to be to act according as this Prophet out of Gods word doth prescribe unto him should be killed v. 15. 3. 3. Instance In that wheresover the beast is present together with the false Prophet the image of the beast in the same construction of words is not to be found as if the name of the beast should serve the turn to let us understand that the first 10. horned beast is there by the beast to be understood And therefore as the impieties and wickedness of the first 10. horned beast is rightly said to be the image of that beast so that beast himselfe is and may be as truely said to be nothing else but the very image of the two horned beast the false Prophet that gave life unto this image that is the impieties of the first beast to do all the mischiefe that was and is done And whereas Ludovicus de dieu Objects and saith that the 14. v. of this thirteenth Chap. seemes to contradict this that I have said because the two horned beast or false Prophet is there said to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast that had the wound whereas it should have been said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should make an image to him if it were the image of the two horned beast and false Prophet but the two borned beast bids them make an image to the beast that was wounded and healed and if this image of the beast be the very first ten horned beast it doth not appeare how the inhabitants of the earth should be injoyned to make that which was and was seen to arise out of the sea before Sol. To this Mr. Mede answereth right as I conceive that where the conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the beast and of his image does meet there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his is to be taken actively and not passively that the sence might be the image which the two horned beast required to be made Judg 18.1 as Micha's idoll is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his image and Nebuchadnezzars Statue is said to be the image of Nebuchadnezzar but where that copulation is not found as in that 13 Chap. v. 14 15. there it is taken passively and as I formerly said for the impieties iniquities and wickedness of the first ten horned beast as they do most lively represent that very beast Indeed the conceit of Arise Evans that the litle Parliament was the image of the first long Parliament is pretty
that have crucified the Lords anointed that is their King and as I may say their Preist so that by the beheading of our King and of our Bishop you have one step to the discoverie of the Antichrist and a plain step it is so that none can step from it thus far he and this his stop I shewed you in the particular sin of the Antichrist more at large Whereby you may perceive that although I have undertaken to prosecute this discoverie at large and followed the same to the full yet others whereof I might produce many are of this opinion that they would have the christian world to judge Whether the long Parliament and their assemblie of instructors at Westminster and the rest of the Presbyterians and lay preachers that were the prime sticklers to have their King killed and their Bishop beheaded and all the rest suppressed that are the two witnesses spoken of in the 11 c. and 7. v. of the Revelation as we conceive be not the two beasts that St John sawe in the 13. c. of the Revelation and the great Antichrist that so long agoe was prophecied he should come into the world to slay the witnesses to persecute the Church of God and to overthrow the Governors and Government thereof And truely reserving mine own judgement to my selfe I have found many learned judicious and godly divines that have observed some one marke of the Antichrist and some another to be most properly belonging and in everie point agreeable and fixed to that pack and knot of the enemies of Christ that I spake of which for brevities sake my booke having swollen The recapitulation of the whole booke with the poison of these two Beasts too big already I must omit and leave you to consider what I have formerly demanded As 1. Whether that Parliament hath not opened the door of the grand apostafie and rebellion for the Antichrist to enter into the Church 2. Whether it hath not seated it selfe in that Babylon where the Antichrist should sit and dominere 3. Whether it hath not fulfilled all the prophecies of the old and new Testament that spake of the comming and of the doings of the Antichrist As 1. The prophesie of Zacharie touching the foolish and the idol Shepherd 2. The phophecie of Daniel touching the doings of Antiochus that was the lively type of the Antichrist 3. The prophesie of St. Paul of the man of the sin which is the proper and peculiar sin of the Antichrist 4. The prophecie of St. John that the Antichrist should denie Jesus to be the Christ that is suppresse both the regall and the priestly offices of Christ 5. The visions of St. John 1. touching the witnesses that the Antichrist should kill 2. The Church that he should persecute and 3. The two beasts that were as the body and the soul of the Antichrist 4. Whether it hath not taken upon it the name and especially the practice of Independants which is the sittest name and the properest work of the Antichrist to separate himselfe from Christ and from the Church of Christ 5. Whether it hath not exceedingly wronged and extreamly persecuted the Church of God and especially the Governors of the Church which is the infallible concomitant signe of the Antichrist 6 Whether it hath not shewed it self so grosse an bypocrite in all his acts and proceedings that none but the Antichrist could doe the same And when you have duely read and impartially weighed all these things that I have set before you as in a glass then judge your selfe whether the Presbyterians and the Parliament be not the great Antichrist or not CHAP VI. Four special Objections answered wherein the right use of all the foresaid discovery of the Beasts and the Antichrist is declared and the precedent Discourse more fully confirmed ANd if any man shall object The Author of the Revelatiou unrevealed in his preface 5 ob 1. Sol. and think it strange as a most reverend and learned Author whom I much honour seems to do that the blessed Apostle in Patmos overlooking all the vast Continent betwixt him and us should have his thoughts taken up with our petty Occurrences in this other side of the World which is not like to be I answer That seeing God out of all the World did such great things for the small Kingdom of Israel that in extent of Ground might scarce be compared to any one of these three Kingdoms the whole length of it from Dan to Beersheba being not above three hundred miles as S. Hierome witnesseth and seeing the Holy Ghost vouchsafeth to set down in this Revelation many particulars of Iess consequence and to fore-shew some things of far lower concernment then are those great things that have been acted by that Parliament as in the 2. c. and 3. c. the Sufferings of some particular Churches and of particular Cities as Ephesus Smyrna Pergamus Thyatyra Philadelphia Sardis and Laodicea and the murthering of some particular men as Antipas c. That it is not strange the spirit of God should foretell the things that were to happen in this Island 2.13 and the failing and remisness of some Churches in Gods Service which are of far lesser note and moment then the men that were martyred the Churches that were prophaned the Apostasie that hath hapned the Kingdoms that have been ruined and the horrible Impieties that have been committed here amongst us let no man wonder that the Spirit of God who is no respecter of persons nor oblivious of the meanest Countries should likewise foretel the sad Accidents and the like or more inexcusable Sufferings and Martyrdom Mat. 24 33. The right use of all the foresaid discoverie of the Antichrist to know that should fall upon the King and upon all the Bishops and very many faithful Pastors besides the multitude of Saints and godly Christians of three of the most famous and purest Protestant Kingdoms and Churches in the World that as our Saviour sayth of the like Predictions when we see them fulfilled we might understand and learn how to make a right use of them and that is 1. 1. From whence our afflictions come and why they are sont To know that these our Persecutions and Afflictions come not out of the dust nor by chance but by the Divine Providence of Almighty God that foresaw them and foretold us of them long before they came and hath sent them to us either as just Chastisements for our sins and remisness in his Service and performance of our duty or as tryals of our faith and constancy in our Profession and for an example unto others to imitate them that do patiently suffer or for so me other Causes best known to God himself 2. 2. To teach us more zealously to serve God To learn hereby to fear God and more zealously and carefully to serve him to pray unto him night and day to forgive us our forepassed sins both of commission and omission to give us
because the varietie of numbers had bin to no purpose if an uncertain number had been to be understood thereby when he might as well have said 40. monthes as 42 months neither shal you finde that ever the greater number signified a determinate lesser number as a year tosignifie a month or a week or a month to signifie a week or a day Therefore these 42. months wherein this beast shall raign and rage over Gods servants must be litterally and precisely understood to signifie three years and a halfe or as some do expound a time and times and the dividing of time for three years and halfe three years or there abouts or as I said even now for some short time and smal space though not so exactly and precisely determined as containing the just and full measure of three years and a half without somewhat either more or less And thus it is observed The prevalent time of the long Parliament just three yeers and a halfe that the long Parliament which is answerable to the first beast continued prevalent in their good successes just so long or much about that time for Ingland was proclaimed a free state the ninth of May 1648. and the Dutch did beat them at Sea which was the beginning of their declination upon the ninth of November in 1651. which from their first peeping to be masters to this first blow that they received is the just time of three years and a half and in Aprill the 22 Anno. 1653. which was but a little more then four years and a halfe the Lord generall Oliver alias Crumwell disolved that Parliament with a word of his mouth even as the Apostle foreshewed how easily and after what manner the Lord of heaven would consume or rather dissolve that man of sin and this beast here spoken of that signifieth a knot of rebels which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Apostle useth 2. Thessal 2.8 most properly signifieth with the breath of his mouth saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom the Lord wil unbinde and separate or scatter as the Clouds are scattered by the wind which both the words And so this man by the will of God did put an end to that long Parliament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betoken with the breath of his month The which dissolution of the long Parliament and the suppression of their more then most bloody Ingagement that was formerly done by the same hand the Lord General Crumwel did and was the only good deed that ever he did to the oppressed Cavaleers and to all disaffected to that long Parliament Ob. But is it like that the head will destroy his body how shall he then subfiff when his body is lost Sol I answer that it is not alwayes alike with the politique head as it is with the naturall nor with the Head of the Church of God as with the head of the beast and the Synagogue of Satan but as Christ which is our Head saveth his body that is the Church so the head of the beast and of the Antichrist A special observation Revel 17.27 will everie way destroy his body and dissolve the knot and scatter the pack of those wicked reprobates for I would have it well observed how the Holy Ghost saith that God hath put it in the hearts of the ten hornes of the beast and I told you these ten hornes may be taken for ten or many of the Comanders to fulfil his wal to agree to give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shal be fulfilled no longer but when they have fulfilled his will they shall be no more hornes of the beast nor give their kingdom unto him but hornes against the beast to take away their kingdome from the beast to dissolve his members and to sever them from their Head so the body of the beast shall continue together intire and with his Head and horns on but 42 months or thereabouts and after that time it shall be disjointed and dissolved by his head and seperated from his head which will then become the head of another body and to remain to fulfill more of the will of God it may be to doe further mischeif and to give the lsst deaths wound unto the witnesses or rather to restore the witnesses against his will and to setle the right King in these kingdomes and the Bishops in the Church of Christ 2. We must consider that although the Lord by the breath of his mouth 2. The declining and de jected time of the beast after his dislolution 2. Theffal 2.8 dissolveth and scattereth this proud beast here spoken of as the Lord Generall disjointed and dissolved the long Parliament with a word of his lips so that now the beast and his adherents are like an armie routed yet he is not quite destroyed for as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord will destroy him with the brightnesse of his coming and this can be understood of no other time then of his coming to the last judgement as Faber Stapulensis rightly collected for howsoever Grotius thinks that both these expressions tend to signifie the same thing after the manner of the Hebrews who in setting down any thing certainly and vehemently do often use to expresse the same by a double form of speech yet with that learned mans favour I rather conceive that this Apostle by these two fold expressions meaneth two speciall things that should come to passe The two fold expressions doe shew two things at two severall times 1. The dissolution and dispertion of the beast and his members by the breath of the Lord. 2. The destruction and finall dissipation and ruine of him 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dissipation dissolution and scattering of the beast and of all his adherents at the last day by the brightnesse of his coming And for the 1. I am of Cornelius a lapides mind that the breath and spirit of Christ his mouth doth not here signifie the preaching of the Gospel as those interpreters that make the Pope and papacie to be this beast that should be overthrown by the faithfull preaching of Gods truth doe imagine because the Antichrist and his followets regard not the truth of any preaching but being Sermon proof he slayeth the witnesses silenceth the preachers and destroyeth all that preach anything against him and his proceedings as you know the Parliament Protector did but the disjointing of the beast with the breath of his mouth signifieth as Grotius well observeth the facilitie of the work Tho facilitie of the work as we commonly say of a weak adversarie that we will blow him away so easily Christ can scatter and dissolve this beast sooner and easier then Alexander could untie the Gordian knot when with his sword he cut it all to peices and so did Christ most easily scatter that companie