BABYLONS Downfall A SERMON LATELY PREACHED AT WESTMINSTER BEFORE sundry of the Honourable house of Commons By William Bridge sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge and since Minister of Gods word in NORWICH And now in KOTERDAM Published by order of the said House LONDON Printed by I. N. for Iohn Rothwell and are to be sold at his Shop at the signe of the Sun in Pauls Churchyard 1641. Good Reader THou hast I doubt not heard with what difficulty and pains this small work is brought forth and delivered into the world let the difficulty of Printing quicken thine affection in reading As the fall of Babylon is much expected so the rising of the Churches is much desired Thy prayers and our paines may help forward both Wherefore that I might not be wanting to this great service I am willing that these notes should walk abroad which I thought should never see more light than what crept in at my studie windowes This Sermon may prove all the Legacie which your dying friend shall be able to bequeath unto you For I am now returning to that Church and people of God which Jesus Christ hath committed to me and others And if in this voyage the Lord shall put the windes and seas in Commission for my death my desire is First That God would forgive our adversaries if it be his will that have put us to these extremities Secondly That it may be ever said of this Iland as once it was said of Israel Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord the shield of thine help and the sword of thine excellency Deut. 33. 29. Thirdly That falling Babylon may be fallen Babylon And that all the distressed Churches may be restored Churches Vivat Christus moriatur Barrabas moriatur Antichristus For the first wee have great cause to forgiue seeing all their injuries are turned unto our blessings And therefore as Joseph said to his brethren that sold him into a strange Country As for you ye thought evill against me but God meant it unto good Now therefore feare not c. Yet we know that publick Administration of Justice is not contrary to personall forgivenesse Wee must confesse that the leaving of our owne deare Country was and is most afflictive to us A trouble to leave our good friends Convenient houses Pretious liberties and so many soules under the hazard of your eternities But Luthers Counsell is good If they will not suffer you where they have to doe let not your minde bee troubled to cease from your work or disert your office but teach and persevere if it be not lawfull in one place it may bee in another But thou wilt say What if it be lawfull in no place and that wee be every where cast out in the whole world Christ answers Be not solicitous before it come to passe that no place be left for the word I will be present by my comming there shall alwayes be a place where you may teach till I shall come onely doe you hold on and you shall be saved you shall not have gone over all the Cities of Israel till the Sonne of man shall come So that according to Luther and the Truth though the persecutions of the Churches bee never so great yet there shall alwayes be some place free and open at a Citie of Refuge for Gods people to flye unto and hide themselves in till Christ shall come by publick deliverance for the Churches For the second You have seene what great things the Lord hath done for you Beleevest thou because of these thou shalt see greater onely let us follow the starre of heavenly and divine guidance which hath led us along all this while and not goe in to consult with the Scribes and Pharisees of the times with those that say they are Jeues and are not so shall our starre the Scripture lead us more clearely to the place and house where Christ is Neither be thou ashamed to receive and owne the truth and way of Christ though it be despised The wise men did worship Christ in a manger And for the third I shall not prophecie if I say The sword is now drawne whose anger shall not be pacified till Babylon be downe and Sion rais'd Yet if thou shalt meet with another suffering Bout In Patience possesse thy soule In Faith thy God In Love thy neighbour And know that it is Gods usuall way to bring his best servants to his choyce blessings by tedious Bouts Exod. 13. 18. In the interim observe diligently what God is now doing and help forward the work of God what you can Quod Deus facit pro nobis facit in nobis And as you would read and study some choyce booke to get learning so read attend and study every page line and letter of this great volume of the Lords works which is now extant be in commons with the Lords people The works of the Lord are sought out of all those that have pleasure in them saith the Psalmist Finally good Reader pray for us that wee may stand compleat in all the will of God and though the malice of some men hath beene so great that wee may not live together in one Land yet the mercy of God is so rich that wee may live together in one heaven Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus and great Shepheard of the Sheepe thorough the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to doe his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Thine in Christ WILLIAM BRIDGE Babylons Downfall REVELATION 14. 8. Babylon is fallen is fallen the great Citie c. THis Text hath connexion with the present times and the preceding words for the Holy Ghost having made a description of the state and condition of the Church of Christ in the first second third fourth and fifth verses comes in the sixth verse to make mention of another vision which Saint John saw and that is of an Angell flying in the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospell which is said to be everlasting in opposition to those Innovations and Traditions of men under which the Churches of Christ had laboured a long time This vision being past as a right consequent of the former vision he sees another Angell crying Babylon is fallen is fallen ver. 8. And no wonder for where the everlasting Gospel is preach'd in the midst of heaven that is openly there Babylon falls and falls immediatly The words themselves are a short and sweet prophecie of Romes ruine and destruction Wherein we have The description of Rome it selfe The description of her destruction Shee is described two wayes 1. From her Greatnesse called the great Citie Indeed shee hath beene great in large possessions and great revenues so shee is fallen already in a great measure yet shee
commodities to other Kingdomes Rome in her latitude with all her Merchants and those that symbolize with her is here to be understood And that Rome and no other is here meant I prove by these reasons 1. Babylon is here in my text called the great Citie and in S. Johns time what was the great Citie but Rome it selfe for suppose a man were in France and should heare another say that such such a work were to be done in the great Citie who would not know that he meant Paris or suppose a man in England should heare another say that some great work were to be done in the great Citie who would not know that hee meant London In S. Johns time the Roman Empire prevailing the great Citie was Rome it selfe and therefore the Holy Ghost saying that Babylon was the great Citie saith expresly that by Babylon is meant Rome 2. This Citie and Whore of Babylon is said to sit upon a beast Revel. 17. 7. Now if we looke into the book of Daniel whereby much of the Revelation is to be interpreted wee shall finde mention made of foure beasts to succeed one another which is there interpreted to be foure Kingdomes or Monarchies The first of the Chaldees The second of the Medes and Persians The third of the Grecians And the fourth of the Romans Now before Johns time the three first beasts were dead and gone the fourth and last onely remained the Roman Empire And what Citie or people hath so ridden the Roman Empire as Rome hath done 3. S. John tells us that this beast that carried the woman this Citie was to have seven heads and ten hornes Revel. 17. 7. which the Holy Ghost interpreteth in the same Chapter saying These seven heads are seven mountaines ver. 9. or seven Kings that is severall sorts of government ver. 10. And the ten hornes are ten Kings or Kingdomes ver. 12. which this Empire did break into Now though some think whilest they looke thorow false perspectives that they see some other Citie sitting upon seven hills yet let any man shew us these three met together in any other Citie Who knowes any other Citie whose building hath beene laid on seven hills so famous that the Citie it selfe is called Septires and whose government hath been of seven sorts and whose Empire hath beene broken asunder in to ten Kingdomes or there-abouts This wee know is agreeable to Rome it selfe and therefore Rome and no other people is here meant by Babylon 4. The Scripture is most expresse telling us totidem verbis that that Citie which in S. Johns time raigned over the Kings of the earth was Babylon Revel. 17. 18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great Citie which raigneth over the Kings of the earth But in S. Iohns time no other Citie then Rome raigned over the Kings of the earth and therefore that and that alone is truly Babylon that is our late Babylon Whereupon Cornelius à lapide considering also how Irenaeus Lactantius Ierome and other Ancients speak fully to our purpose professes that he will not tergiverâ—â—ri but granteth that by Babylon is meant Rome If so what ill office have they done to the Churches and people of God that obtrude this position upon us That the Church of Rome is a true Church But was Babylon a true Church was Sodome a true Church was Egypt a true Church Rome is Sodome Egypt and truly Babylon Oh what abundance of hurt and mischiefe hath this dangerous position done that the Church of Rome is a true Church I my selfe have knowne some that had relinquisht the Church of Rome and written against her who againe stagger'd in their faith I wish I might not say they were revolted when they saw this opinion countenanced and published by great authority And what say the Papists Your owne men say they hold that the Church of Rome is a true Church and that salvation is to be had in her as for the Church of England it is a Schismaticall hereticall Church wherein no salvation is to be had The safest way therefore is to joyne with us where according to all men both ours and yours you may be sure of your salvation And indeed the argument were very strong and home if the premises were true But when it shall appeare by Scripture that Sion is called Babylon and Babylon called Sion then and not till then will I beleeve that Rome is a true Church I know what some urge namely that Antichrist that man of sinne is to sit in the house of God and therefore that the Church of Rome is the house and Church of God But if we consult with the originall wee shall finde that the words are not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the house but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} upon or against the house of God so Austen and others turne it Vpon noting his tyrannie and usurped government so the coherent words also give it Hee shall sit exalting himselfe above all that is called God The whole words being nothing else but a description of his proud government and vile tyrannie If Antichristian and Romish Babylon be truly Babylon then set your selves in array against her round about I meane not in way of warlike hostility O that all your swords were turned into plow-shares my exhortation is no other then that of the Prophet Jeremie concerning old Babylon Chap. 50. 14. Put your selves in array against Babylon round about all yee that bend the bowe shoot at her spare no arrowes for shee hath sinned against the Lord It is the wisedome of every man to observe what designe God hath upon the world a Kingdome or place and to bee in our callings serviceable and helpfull to Gods designes God will help us if we help him Wee love to be on the strongest side God is strongest Now is the time that God is bearing downe the walls of proud Babylon that are raised up in every Kingdome Magistrates Ministers people help Help O you that love the Lord help the Lord downe with them downe with them even to the ground But what shall wee doe to help forward the fall of Babylon Either you are of publick place or private station If you be of a private station yet you ought to be of a publick spirit If you be of publick place give mee leave to tell you out of Gods word what to doe and yet I will not so much direct you to what you are not doing as encourage you from Scripture in what you are doing First therefore ye Worthies of our Israel it lyes you upon to search out and enquire after this Babylonish company and to repay them according to their demerits An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth burning for burning eare for eare liberty for liberty and blood for blood Wee finde in the olde Testament that if there were a noyse and report of Idolatry in the land the
is too great Great in her opinion with Kings and Princes and thus shee is fallen already in a great measure yet still too great Great in her authority and power over the Saints and Churches of Christ and from this greatnesse shee is much fallen already and yet too great 2. From her sinnes that shee is guilty of under that word Babylon For if wee consult with this book of the Revelation we shal find that the Church of Rome and that party is called Egypt Sodome and Babylon as if the wickednesses of them all were concentred in her Egypt was exceeding harsh and cruell to the Church and Israel of God so are they Sodome was exceeding base and filthy in corporall uncleannesse and so are they Babylon full of Sorceries and Idolatrie so are they Shee is called Babylon Her destruction is described and that 2 wayes 1. From the fulnesse and greatnesse thereof therefore shee is said to fall and not once but againe fallen fallen As it is Gods way to reward those that are good with the good which they most desire so it is his way to punish the wicked with that punishment which is most contrariant to their dispositions and their owne humours Babylon and the Babylonish company most affect rising and great preferment contrary their punishment shall be that it may bee most vexations to them they shall fall their destruction is called a fall 2. From the certainty thereof 1. It is put in the present tense as if it were already done 2. The words are repeated It is fallen It is fallen Hardly a word but it affords it's severall observation Yet because I would not cut out more bread then we shall eat at one meale I will fall and close with these especially Antichristian and Romish Babylon is truly Babylon Though this Babylon be never so great yet it shall fall It will fall assuredly It is the duty of the Saints and people of God to speake of this fall as if it were done already For the first Antichristian Romish Babylon is truly Babylon Herein I shall 1. parallell the old and our late Babylon 2. I shall prove that by this Babylon is meant Rome In the old Testament wee read of a Babylon wherein Israel was once captived that was heathenish Babylon In the new Testament we read here and in divers other places of another in Babylon Antichristian Babylon Give me leave to parallell them a little Heathenish Babylon was the Metropolitan or the chiefe Citie of the Chaldees full of trade and merchandize in so much as shee calls her selfe the Queene of the world who sat upon many waters Jer. 51. 13. So it is with our late Babylon who calls her selfe the Queene sitting upon many waters which is also interpreted by Saint John to be peoples multitudes and nations Revel. 17. 15. Babylon of old was a proud people and very confident exceeding delicate and very wanton calling her selfe a Lady for ever Is 47. 7. 8. Thus Antichristian Babylon sits also Revel. 18. 7. Shee hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously for shee saith in her heart Iâ—s 〈…〉 a Queene and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow This wanton and delicate place of old was full of Sorcerers and Southsayers Is 47. 12 13. Stand now with thine enchantments and with the multitude of thy Sorceries wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth c. Therefore we read that in Daniels time they came before the King to tell him the meaning of his dreame but could not So it is with our late Babylon wherein are many Sorceries and Sorcerers Revel. 9. 21. Revel. 18. 23. Heathenish Babylon was exceeding full of Idols and vile Idolaters the mother of them and therefore wee read that the three children were commanded to worship the Kings Idol Dan. 3. Answerably it is said of our late Babylon that she doth make all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication Revel. 17. 2. As ancient Babylon was full of Idolls and grosse Idolaters so also it was exceeding cruell to the Church and people of God Psal. 137. 1. By the rivers of Babylon there wee sat downe yea we wept when wee remembred Syon c. Who hath not read of the Babylonish captivity the fiery fornace and their denne of Lyons Answerably in this late Babylon is found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slaine upon the earth Revel. 18. 24. The destruction of ancient Babylon was great and very dreadfull For 1. It was universall Is 47. 14. There shall not be a a coale to warme at nor fire to sit before And Is 14. 22. For I will rise up against them saith the Lord of hostes and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and sonne and nephew saith the Lord 2. It was very suddaine Is 47. 9. In a moment in one day the losse of children and widdowhood they shall come upon thee in perfection 3. It was irrevocable Jer. 51. 63 64. And it shall be when thou hast made an end of reading this booke that thou shalt binde a stone to it and cast it into the midst of Euphrates And thou shalt say Thus shall Babylon sinke and shall not rise from the evill that I will bring upon her Answerably the destruction of our late Babylon is very dreadfull For It shall be universall Revel. 18. 23. The light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee It shall be suddaine Revel. 18. 8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day in one houre It shall be irrevocable Revel. 18. 21. And a mighty Angell tooke up a stone like a great milstone and cast it into the sea saying Thus with violence shall that great Citie Babylon be throwne downe and shall be found no more at all Because of all these things great sins great destructions the people of God were coÌ„manded to depart goe out of old Babylon Jeâ— 51. 6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon and deliver every man his soule And ver. 45. My people goe ye out of the midst of her and deliver ye every man his soule c. In like manner we find that the Holy ghost having given warning to the world concerning the fall of this late Babylon hee exhorteth his people to goe out from the midst of her Revel. 18. 4. Come out of her my people c. Thus are these two Babylons paralleld certainly they are and shall bee exceeding like one to another in these particulars But the question now is who is here meant in the Revelation by this late Babylon Indeed this is a question of much concernment because she is to fall the Princes of the earth are to be provoked to eat her flesh and drink her blood and wee are all to depart from her lest wee partake with her in her plagues By this late Babylon therefore we understand the Church of Rome not as confined within her walls but as by her Merchants she tradeth with and putteth off her
Magistrate was not barely to take information but to make diligent search Deut. 13. ver. 12. to 15. If thou shalt heare say in one of thy Cities which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there saying Certaine men of the children of Belial are gone out from among you and have withdrawne the inhabitants of their Citie saying Let us goe and serve other gods which you have not knowne Then shalt thou enquire and make search and ask diligently c. And in the verses before you may see their punishment ver. 6. 8 9 10. And who knowes not that of the Psalmist Psa. 137. 8 9. O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happie shall hee be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Though as little ones they call for pitty yet as Babylonish little ones they call for Justice even to blood You may think it cruell but there is nothing cruell which God commands Indeed father Latimer in his Sermon before King Edward the sixth is exceeding earnest that Popish Prelats might be made Quondams as saith he Abiathar the high Priest was because hee laboured to keepe King Solomon from his throne And behold a greater then Salomon Christ Jesus in the government of his Church is here And there is a notable Scripture for this Ezek. 44. from ver. 10. to 15. And the Levites that are gone away farre from me when Israel went astray from me after their Idols they shall even beare their iniquity ver. 13. They shall not come neere unto mee to doe the office of a Priest unto mee nor to come neere to any of my holy things in the most holy place c. Whence it appeares that those which were unfaithfull superstitions following Innovations when Israel went astray and followed Idols were to be thrust from their places and to bee made Quondams for ever This now the Magistrate may see into I prescribe not I leave with you this Generall It is your duty to search and enquire after these persons and to punish them according to their deservings Secondly it is in you also to call for dayes of publick humiliation fasting prayer and soule-affliction It will bee said this hath beene done already True it hath beene done and much good hath beene done thereby in heaven but when a man layes his eares to the severall Committees and heares what a world of evill is discovered in each Committee what filthinesse and lewdnesse of filthinesse in this and that Priest in this and that Officer how can a man but break forth and say or rather sob Good Lord what a lamentable condition was this poore Land in O that the waight of our sinnes should not break the axell-tree of Gods patience O that wee are a nation to this day And then is there not yet need of more teares humiliation and soule-afflictions Of all the reformed Churches in the world England hath born the name and worne the crowne for the life and power of godlinesse yet give me leave with griefe of heart and sadnesse of spirit to make a chalenge What reformed Church is there in all the world that ever knew so many suspended Ministers as England Speak O Sunne whether in all thy travels from one end of the heaven to the other thou didst ever see so many silenced Ministers as thou hast done here And is there not then need of more humiliation more fasting and prayer more selfeafflictions and more teares I will lead you but to one Scripture and leave it with you Ezek. 43. 10 11. Thou Sonne of man shew the house to the house of Israel that they may be ashamed of their iniquities and let them measure the patterne And if they be ashamed of all that they have done shew them the forme of the house and the fashion thereof the goings out thereof and the commings in thereof and all the ordinances thereof and all the formes thereof and all the lawes thereof c. I know not such another text in all the Bible as this is for this purpose One man sayes the government of the Church of England is the best another that the Scottish government is the best a third that a third is best another O that I knew what were the government and forme of Gods house prescribed by God himselfe Well Wouldst thou know If you be ashamed of your owne iniquities God will shew you the forme of his house Thirdly It is with you also right worthy beloved to see that all the ordinances of Jesus Christ be rendred to the Churches in their native beauty and that all the reliques and remaines of Babylon bee quite removed Opus marmoreum albario non indiget True marble needs no painting And Gods ordinance is all marble no chalk True beauty needs no colouring and the most deformed of Gods ordinances to a gracious eye is truly beautifull Great is the pomp of Gods ordinances when freed from pomp great is their glory when freed from ours Every ordinance is then best administred when it is most effectuall and a thing is most full of efficacie when it is plenum sui immixtum alieni As wine or water which doth most coole or clense when freed from mixtures In the primitive times when the heathen would put the Christians to a cruell death they tyed a living man to a dead man that so by the filthy savour and stench of the dead carkasse they might poyson the living man to death this they counted the worst of death the death of deaths So when the dead ordinances of mans Inventions shall bee tyed to the living ordinances of Gods appointment What is this but as much as in us lyes to poyson the living with the dead But I pray tell me what unkindnesse hath the good ordinance of Christ done to us that wee should put it to so sad a death And as Christ said to the Jewes I have done many good works amongst you for which of all these doe you take up stones against me so may the ordinances of Christ say O ye people of England I have done many good works among you I have converted many of you by preaching to you I have healed many of you that were sore bruised I have comforted many of you that were sore troubled for which of all these doe you use me thus unkindly for which of all these doe you thus tye and linke me to that which never entred into the heart of God to match mee with What Luther saves concerning preaching that may I say concerning all the ordinances of God We that are Ministers saith hee think to take our people with our expressions and if we light upon an expression that pleaseth us well wee think that it should convert every one that heares it from us but then the Auditor comes hominem olet hee smels man in the expression turnes his back upon it and the whole vanisheth and comes to
of sinne is the starre that is fallen from heaven who in the 2 Thess. 2. 3. as some observe is called in the abstract Apostacie not an Apostate a falling away not one that is fallen away so notorious is hee for sinfull falling and as God rewards grace with his owne grace so hee rewards sinne with it's owne likenesse 2. How else shall Sion rise if Babylon doe not fall It is said when the Lord exalteth the low tree he bringeth downe the high tree then shall all the trees of the Forrest rejoyce God is making way to such a Jubilee therefore Babylon must fall and that assuredly 3. Those that are too bigge for themselves and cannot mannage their owne greatnesse must needs fall Pride goes before a fall It is the naturall genius of Babylon to bee proud and great great and proud Babell was at first built to affront providence that the world might be no more drowned Afterwards sayes that King in Daniel Is not this great Babylon that I have built for mine honour And Revel. 18. saith our late Babylon Isu a Queene c. They have beene great and in their owne eyes great surely therefore their owne waight shall sink them 4. Must not those needs fall that are set in dark and slippery places whom the Angell of the Lord drives Now if ever the places of Gods enemies are very slippery themselves in the dark and the Angell of God driving them Therefore they shall fall and fall assuredly And if so Then learne wee how to take notice of and behold these great works of God concerning the fall of Babylon as they fall out in our generation It is in regard of the evill that comes to evill men as in regard of the good that comes to the good Now when the Saints doe receive any mercy their hearts stick not in it nor their eyes on it but they see it lying under it's relation in relation to the word and promise saying It is indeed a great mercy that I have a house and place to dwell in but God hath not onely given me sweet habitation but he hath given it mee in the way of a promise to performe the mercy promised Hee hath given mee wife children and friends to performe the mercy promised Nay he hath given mee Christ himselfe to performe the mercy promised Luk. 1. Thus they see all things lying under a promise in that relation So also when ye see any judgement befall the enemies of Gods Church you are not to looke upon them as meere works of God but to looke upon them in their relations in relation to the threatning as lying under the threatning and the fruits of it and the reason hereof is this especially because otherwise you doe not see the whole work of God when you doe see it before you As it is said of Israel Deut. 29. 4. Yet the Lord hath not given you eyes to see c. As now suppose that a foole a mad man or a beast should come into the congregation though they should see the water of Baptisme yet they would not see the Sacrament or halfe the Sacrament because they could not see it under it's relation Wherefore my beloved when ever you shall behold the hand of God upon the world in the fall of Babylon and his great works that way be sure that ye behold them under the relation in relation to the Lords threatning and say True here is a Babylonish Priest crying out Alas Alas my living I have wife and children to maintaine and all is gone my preferment is gone my hope is gone my place and office gone But all this is to performe the judgement threatned God threatned before that he would put it into the hearts of the Princes of the earth to eat her flesh and drink her blood Revel. 17. 16. Now it is in a great measure fulfilled for her great revenues and rich livings are in part her flesh and blood God said before Revel. 18. That her Merchants should stand a far off weeping wailing and saying Alas alas that great Citie Thus is the word of the Lord fulfilled and God is faithfull As the fall of Babylon is very certaine so it is the duty of the Saints to speake of it as if it were done already Wee are bound to honour the faithfulnesse of God more than the faithfulnesse of any other because other things are faithfull to us as Salvian observes because he is faithfull We expect cooling and cleansing from the water and that is faithfull Why For God is faithfull he bids it be faithfull to us Wee expect warmth and light from the fire and that is faithfull Why for God is faithfull hee bids it bee faithfull to us In all these faithfull creatures there is but a drop of Gods faithfulnesse and when they promise we beleeve them and shall wee not beleeve him when hee promises and when hee threatens When a faithfull friend promises wee say it shall be but wee are to honour Gods faithfulnesse more and therefore to speak of the thing promised or threatned as if it were done already When wee doe but begin a good worke God speaks of it as done already Heb. 11. 17. It is said by faith Abraham offered up Isaac yet hee did not actually offer him up but intended it and set him selfe to doe it at Gods command Exod. 4. 20. it is said that Moses tooke his wife and sonne and returned to the land of Egipt Yet hee was but in the beginning of his returne When we have begun any good work for God he speaks of it as done altogether therefore he having begun that great and good work for the Churches the fall of Babylon it is our duty also to speak of it as if it were done already Let us therefore correct our manner of speaking If any storme or trouble arise upon the Churches wee are ready to break forth into dispondent conclusions saying God is now gone mercy gone the ordinances gone wee were in good hope to have seene good dayes the ruine of the Churches enemies but they doe so prevaile as that wee have no hope at all in this particular But though the extremity of the Church bee never so great and the enemies never so flourishing wee ought to say They are fallen they are fallen But how can wee speake thus when an utter improbability and unlikelihood dwells upon the businesse Yes For when God destroyes his enemies hee either takes them away by a weake hand as Jer. 50. 45. The least of the flocke shall draw them out Or they shall perish by their owne hands as Psalm 9. 16. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Or they shall be destroyed without hands As Job 34. 20. The mighty shall bee taken away without hands And is this true may the soule say that the enemies of the Church shall perish by a weake hand or by their owne hand or without hands then will