their conscience that they may draw near to God in full assurance of Faith having their Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 Many things might further be spoken upon this point but it being much controverted by others I hasten to other things Only give me leave to commend one thing worthy to be read by all that are in doubt upon this Subject And that is the Epistle of the Prophet Jeremy sent to the Captives in Babylon You may find it in the Apocripha it s the last Chapter of Baruch the whole Chapter Where setting aside the Matter that their Idols were made of their description by their impotency to do any thing or help themselves beside many other circumstances may as well be applyed to that which is called the Host as it was to them whereby they are known to be no Gods. They cannot speak they cannot feel if they be gnawed upon by Worms they cannot save themselves from Thieves or Robbers but stand in need to be kept with Locks and Bars from Robbers if you set many Candles before them they cannot see one there is no Breath in them they are born by men having no feet to go with whereby they declare unto men that they are nothing worth if they fall to the Ground at any time they cannot rise up again of themselves nor can they move themselves By these things ye may know that they are no Gods. Many things of like sort you may read of them in that Chapter whereby saith the Prophet Jeremy you may know that they are no Gods therefore fear them not ver 16. Now I pray you consider what dishonour you do to our Lord Jesus Christ to exhibit him to the world in such a Dress so fully agreeing with the description of the Heathen Idols May not the Heathen say What is your God better than our God Miserable are they saith Solomon And in dead things is there hope who called them Gods which are the Works of mens Hands Wisdom of Solomon Chap. 13.10 11. Another dismal Innovation is depriving people of the free use of the Holy Scriptures in their purity In the first place this shews the Popedom to be a Dominion point blank opposite to the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ For his Kingdom is a Kingdom of light but the Popedom is a Kingdom of darkness Christ was given for a light to us but the Pope brings darkness I will give thee for a Light to the Gentiles that thou maist be my Salvation unto the end of the Earth Isa 49.6 The Light is in order to Salvation not darkness And the same Prophet Isaiah personates Christ speaking thus Chap. 51.4 Hearken unto me my people and give Ear unto me O my Nation for a Law shall proceed from me and I will make my judgment to rest for a Light of the People But the Popedome will not let his Law and his Judgment to rest for a Light of the People but hides it from them and as Thieves and Robbers they rob them of that which is for Salvation unto the end of the Earth Therefore the true Apostles were sent forth to turn men from darkness to the Light and by that means from the Power of Satan which is in the Darkness unto God that so they might receive forgiveness of Sins and an inheritance in that Light among them that are Sanctified by Faith in Christ Acts 26.18 And therefore the happy State of Believers is called an inheritance in the Light Col. 1.12 Eph. 5.8 But Popery gives an inheritance in the Darkness It matters not how dark people be kept if they have but Mony enough they may obtain an inheritance in the Darkness therewith such as it is Is it not manifest to all that here is a Kingdom of darkness set up under the Popedom working quite contrary to the Kingdom of Christ which stands in the Light And as by this Innovation they most clearly shew their Kingdom to be contrary to the Kingdom of Christ So also hereby they manifest themselves to be Evil Workers departed from the Truth of the Gospel For why do they deprive people of the free use of the Scripture but because it discovers their evil Deeds their deeds of darkness And therefore lest people should see their works of darkness which it discovers they put out that Candle or hide the light of it from them by clothing the Scriptures with the Hairy Sack-cloth of their own Comments for the saving of their innovations from the sharp Edge thereof Christ Jesus our Lord the Truth and the Life hath told us plainly That he that doth Truth cometh to the Light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. But on the other hand every one that doth evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light lest his deeds should be reproved John 3.20 21. It s a plain demonstration of an evil doer to hate the Light. I know some are so seared that they have confidence I may say impudence to defend this restraint of the Scriptures from the people because say they The liberty of having and reading the Scriptures is a means to beget and foment Errors and Heresies in the Church To this I answer First This judgment is directly contrary to the Judgment of Christ therefore it s a false and forged Opinion For Christ saith Ye err not knowing the Scriptures but Popery saith Ye will Err if ye know the Scriptures therefore ye shall be debar'd of them Thus directly opposite to Christ is that work and he that defends it Mat. 22.29 Secondly I give this answer The cause of this false assertion or shift in saying That the Scritures are a means or cause of Errors among the people is this They that are trained up under the Popish innovations take those innovations for Truth and the Truth it self for Error So they call that Error and Heresie which is contrary to those innovations And herein they fall under the Prophet Isaiah's Woe Isa 5.20 Woe to them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness And now to go on with this Innovated Darkness They hereby not only shew their opposition to Christ and his Kingdom and make themselves known to be evil Doers but also herein they shew themselves most cruel Tyrants against their own people keeping them as it were in a Dungeon and Chains of Darkness where they must not make use of their own Eyes nor have the Benefit of the comfortable light of the Sun but they must see only with others Eyes and by the light of those dim Candle-lights which burn blew through the Damp of their Pit which they hand to them in dark Lanthrons To speak plainly they must have little or no light but such as is obfuscated and dimmed with their poysonous innovations and that must be held forth to them by persons sufficiently leavened with their corrupt inventions They must not make use of their own
and People To give Kingdoms and take them away at his pleasure Now here take notice that as the Popes Exaltation of himself was foreshewed 2 Thess 3 4. So this Power and Dominion of the Popedom over Kings and Princes was foreshewed Rev. 17. ult under the representation of a Woman there expounded to be a great City reigning over the Kings of the Earth And the Woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth Or nearer the Greek thus Which hath a Kingdom above the Kings of the Earth Which Kingdom if it be not the Popedom reigning over the Kings of the Earth deposing them at pleasure and Surrogating others in their stead then I confess I know not what it is But if other Circumstances in that Chapter be considered with this I think it will put this out of doubt which here I cannot stand upon without too great a diversion and interruption but in its proper place following where the Hierarchy of Rome comes to be spoken of by Gods assistance I shall demonstrate Another innovation is The Exercising Dominion over mens Faith. It may be something of this kind might begin before the Popes were so named But however it s upheld and practised by the Popes and was not owned by the Apostles Doctrine but is an Innovation contrary to the simplicity and purity of the Gospel wheresoever it is found That it is a piece of Popery and upheld by them is manifest by their punishing and cruel handling of those that in Conscience towards God and faithfulness to his Truth cannot submit to those their humane Innovations which they see to be so But the Popes who have arrogated to themselves Power and Dominion over the Persons and Thrones of Kings and Princes are not satisfied without the like dominion also over the Throne of God the Conscience and except they model mens Faith and cast them all into one Mould which thing the Apostles durst not do The Apostle Paul disclaims this Dominion over mens Faith 2 Cor. 1.24 And he durst not judge the Faith or Conscience of the different believing Romans when some of them kept a Day and others kept it not and when some of them did Eat Herbs and others did Eat Flesh and both to the Lord as he judged and therefore he defends them both one against the other and judged nothing but their judging of one another in so doing Rom. 14.4 5 6. And then he puts them in mind of Christ's Prerogative in this case ver 10. Saying But why dost thou judge thy Brother Or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ But the Popes are not of Pauls mind they will have men believe as they believe or else Burn them alive if this be not to exercise Dominion over mens Faith and Conscience what is And if this be not an innovation contrary to the simplicity purity mercy and meekness of the Gospel nothing is which saith In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves 2 Tim. 2.25 not burning them as is done under the Tyrannical Popedom 7. But to back this their cruel Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of men and to palliate it and make it take place and go down with their people they put the Name Heretick upon those who cannot conform to their Innovations that they may incense people against them And this is another Innovation And so they heap Innovation upon Innovation Whereas indeed and in truth nothing is Heresie but that which opposes the Truth of the Gospel delivered by Christ and his Holy Apostles To oppose false Doctrine and innovations of men is no Heresie But to bring in Innovations contrary to the Truth of the Gospel and to require subjection thereto this is certainly Heresie Therefore let them that call or count men Hereticks look to it that they be not found the greatest Hereticks devouring innocent Lambs of Christ under that false notion And indeed here is a notable Stratagem of Satan whereby to make them that fear God and abhor mens inventions as Sheep fit for the Slaughter even to fix opprobtious Terms upon them For this begets an Odium in the minds of Blindfolded people against them and makes them through hatred ready for Butchers and to execute Massacres and all manner of mischief against the Faithful Servants of Christ under that notion of being Hereticks It must be under some such disguise that the Great Whore makes her self drunk with the Blood of Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus such as bear witness to him and his Truth against the Innovations of men 8. And so that 's another Innovation namely To rid men out of the Earth whom they call Hereticks It 's no sin to destroy them say they Yea further they have made it a Law to Burn them And this hath not been a dead Law or like a Sword kept in a Scabbard but hath been cruelly executed where the power of the Popedom hath prevailed I am sure this cruelty is an Innovation for there is no such Doctrin from Christ or any of his Apostles but positive Doctrin against it Therefore that Law and such other destructive Laws and the execution of them must needs be Innovations of men Christ Jesus our Lord said He came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luke 9.54 55 56. But this Spirit that hath got into the Popedom comes to destroy mens lives therefore is a Spirit contrary to the Spirit of Christ It 's another Spirit crept in under the profession of the Gospel not his Christ Jesus our Lord said also concerning the Tares which his Servants would have been plucking up Let them alone How long were they to let them alone Even till the end of the World. And then the Angels must do that work Mat. 13.29 39. Men are not infallible they may mistake Therefore the Lord said to his own Servants Let them alone lest ye pluck up Wheat with Tares He will not have them do that rooting Work but he will set those to do that work that can more certainly distinguish between Tares and Wheat even the Angels they shall not do it neither till his appointed time even the end of the World. This therefore must needs be an Innovation contrary to the command and will of Christ to be doing this work under any pretence namely to be rooting out Tares if they really be so out of the Field of the World before Christ's appointed time Again it 's against that Golden Rule of Christ As ye would that men should do to you so do ye to them Mat. 7.12 Now would any man have others to burn him because he cannot believe as they believe Would those burning Popes have any of the Reformed Churches to burn them or their People because they believe not as those Reformed Churches believe I think not And yet it were but Lex talionis like for like if they did so
But I never heard of any call'd a Reformed Church that ever did so nor I hope ever will altho they may have retained too much Popish Cruelty still unreformed of 9. Another Innovation is The Forbidding Marriage to their Glergy so called This is an Innovation also wherein they exercise Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of others and is directly contrary to the Scriptures Have we not power saith the Apostle to lead about a Sister a Wife as well as other Apostles and as the Brethren of the Lord and Cephas 1 Cor. 9.5 And again 1 Tim. 3.2 A Bishop must be blameless the Husband of one Wife c. And vers 11. The Deacons Wives must be grave c. And vers 12. Let the Deacons be the Husbands of one Wife Hence you see its clear that they that are in the Ministry have power to Marry But the Spirit of God dictating this liberty to Paul immediately in the beginning of the next Chapter which was a continuation of his discourse about Marriage he shews him an Innovation that should arise contrary to this liberty and he saith thus Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking lies in Hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron forbidding to Marry and commanding to abstain from Meats c. Here the Spirit of God seems to point at this very thing even at the Popes prohibition of Marriage to Bishops and Deacons and such as were to be admitted into the Ministry because it follows so quickly after that liberty of Bishops and Deacons to be Marryed And the words that accompany this prohibition of Marriage are worthy to be taken notice on It shall be by persons that are fallen or departed from the pure Faith of the Gospel who shall have power over Bishops and are fallen giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils Speaking lies in Hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron as hardned in their Consciences as a thing seared with an hot Iron Then as a visible Character of such persons he gives these two open Marks that every one that runs may read them They shall forbid Marriage that 's one And command to abstain from Meats that 's another both which are found in the Popedom They have power over Bishops to forbid their Marriage and they are fallen very low from the purity of the Faith or Gospel as hath been shewed before And these also impose it upon their People as a matter of Conscience to abstain from Meats And the words Forbid and Command shew that these things came in by force and power not by a voluntary taking up The Prohibition of Marriage was very stiffly withstood by the Clergy but the power of the Pope prevailed against them The Contest about this Innovation Bucholcer expresses very plainly in the words of Schaffnaburgensis shewing it to be an imposition of Hiltebrand call'd Gregory 7. Anno Christi 1074. The Popes had need to keep the Scriptures from their People for otherwise which of them could read this first Epistle of Paul to Timothy and not see the Error of the Popes in this matter expressed so plainly chap. 3.2 4 11 12. and chap. 4.1 2 3. 10. Their setting up Images and Pictures and bowing to them or before them in reverence to them is another Innovation And this is imputed to them for Idolatry For what is Idolatry but bowing with reverence to an Idol or worshipping an Idol And this is flatly contrary to the Second Commandment the words whereof are thus Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the Water under the Earth Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments What man reading this Commandment and seeing or beholding their Images and their bowing towards them could think otherwise but that they worshipped them Or who could think but that this practise is a breach of this Commandment Yea they themselves that have patronized this Idolatry have been so sensible of their contradiction of this Commandment hereby that they durst not let it stand but have turned it out because it looks their Image-worship so full in the face and is so plain that it would set the heart of every single-hearted man against it And this turning of the Second Commandment out of doors is a plain demonstration against them of their consciousness that they are guilty of the breach of it For if they did not know that it were against their Idolatry what need they turn it out of doors And to deceive the Simple they have made up the number of ten by dividing the last into two Thus they dare tamper with the Commands of God! Durst any man whose Conscience is not seared expunge a Command of God which was writ with his own finger and given with so great solemnity as this was as well as the rest at Mount Sinai I know the Sophistry of those that would palliate this their Idolatry by frivolous distinctions of Worship But the Lord hath exprest himself so fully against all appearance of Worship in this point that he hath laid all their vain distinctions of Worship void For whereas he hath in this Commandment declared himself to be a jealous God doth not this warn every man to flee from every appearance of the breach of it lest he by tampering with Images provoke the eyes of his Jealousie And doubtless this was spoken not only in respect of his own Jealousie who sees the purposes and intents of every heart but also of the jealousie of his faithful People who would be offended thereby and in offending them thereby he is offended Now let any judge Is not here an appearance of Worship done to Images when they bow before them and towards them with reverence If a jealous man should see so much respect and reverence between his Wife and another Man and see her so Idolize him as they do their Images would it not beget Jealâ—usie in him Appearances of great respect beget Jealousie Now I say why hath the Lord declared himself to be a Jealous God in this Commanâ—ment but to admonish us thereby to shun all appearance of the Breach of it according to the Exhortation of Paul 1 Thess 5.22 Abstain from all appearance of Evil. For the Breach of this Commandment the Jews severely smarted many times and shall not such as are called Christians take warning thereby Nothing provoked the Lord so much against his people Israel as Idolatry and shedding innocent Blood and shall we think that such things do not provoke his holy
Spirit now And a pretence of honouring God thereby will not excuse men to him The Jews when they had made a Calf in the Wilderness and Sacrificed to it and Feasted with those Sacrifices this was done in pretence to the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt Therefore when Aaron proclaimed a Day to do Sacrifice to the Calf he proclaimed it thus To morrow is a Feast to the Lord Exod. 32.5 You see this was pretended to be done to the Lord the people came upon that Proclamation as keeping a Feast to the Lord and did Eat and Drink and make merry and in their Sacrifice câ—lebrated their deliverance out of Egypt But they would have that Calf to represent their Deliverer and therefore attributed that Title to the thing repesenting which was due only to the Lord whom they would represent For we cannot imagine that they who so lately had seen the wonders of the Lord in bringing them out with a high hand and went before them in a Pillar of a Cloud and Fire could believe that Calf to be their Deliverer both because it was made after they were delivered and also because it was made of their own Ear-Rings and Gold which they gave to Aaron to make it of but they put Signum pro re significata the sign for the thing signified which the Lord will not approve of in such case And therefore in this place and to this Innovation I may here add their Idolatry used in their Sacrifice of the Mass worshipping the Sign for the thing signified Namely their worshipping of that which their own hands have made which was always counted Idolatry in Scripture Their Land saith the Prophet Isaiah is full of Idols they worship the Work of their own hands that which their own Fingers have made And the mean Man boweth down and the Great Man humbleth himself therefore forgive them not Isa 2.8 9. And again in the New Testament it s said The rest of men which were not killed with these Plagues yet repented not of the Works of their Hands that they should not worship Devils and Idols of Gold and Silver and Brass and Stone and Wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk Rev. 9.20 Now consider is not this the Work of their own hands that which their own Fingers have made Is it not a God of their own making Do they not first make the Bread or Wasers and then make it a God by speaking a few words And is it not such a God as can neither see nor hear nor walk nor speak By which Characters Idols are frequently described and will you have Christ Jesus to come under the description of Idols and make him like them The Idols of the Heathen have Mouths but they speak not Eyes but they see not Ears but they hear not They are known to be Idols because they can neither speak nor see nor hear and will you make him like one of them Read and consider Psal 135.15 16. and Psal 115.3 4 5 6 7. Where you may plainly see not to hear not to speak not to see not to smell not to handle not to walk are made notes of an Idol to know them by And will you now make our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the World was made like a Dumb Idol Will you make that to be he which was only left for a Memorial of him Do this as often as ye do it in remembrance of me saith he He makes it but a Sign for a Memorial of him I do believe that many may be verily perswaded that the Bread and Wine are really the Body and Blood of Christ and so use it with great reverence as if it were he and that they think they do honour him thereby But it is great dishonour done to him if you well consider the thing For first it brings him under the Circumstances of the Idols of the Heathen as hath been shewed 2. To offer him up again invalidates that one Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross once for all by which he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified But I know you stand upon the literal words of Christ This is my Body And therein I can bear with you a little because many may think that they verily obey Christ therein But if you well weigh it you will find that those words are not to be taken literally but figuratively as many other of his expressions were as for instance I am the Door I am the true Vine my Father is the Husbandman Take one more which comes near to that saying This is my Body namely this Except ye Eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and Drink his Blood ye have no life in you John 6.53 Some took that in a literal sense as you do those words This is my Body But let us mind his own exposition of them for that comes near to the Case in hand The words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life What do you talk of the Flesh The Flesh profiteth nothing It s the Spirit that quickeneth John 6.63 Whereby he shews plainly that this Eating of his Flesh he spake of was the receiving and nourishing of his Spirit in our Hearts which gives us life a Spiritual Life in him A like expression to this he used to the Woman of Samaria John 4.14 where he compares the receiving and embracing of his Spirit to drinking of Water the words are these But whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never Thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up into everlasting Life You see by Water he understood Spirit and by Flesh and Blood he understood Spirit which were Metaphorical expressions And so here in these words This is my Body he spake after the same manner For when as he saith The Flesh profiteth nothing to what end should we imagine that he left his Flesh to be eaten But then as for the Offering of him up by a Priest This is an intrusion into the Mediatorship of Christ who only could offer up himself to God He being both the Sacrifice and the Priest set apart by God for that work whom all the Priests under the Law typifyed And he did this himself Once for all And there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin. For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified You may read that word Once expressed many times in the 9th and 10th Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews whereby is shewed the Difference between the Sacrifices of the Law which were types and that one Sacrifice of Christ which was the substance How they were offered often because they could not make the Comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the Conscience but this Sacrifice of Christ was offered but Once because it is of Efficacy at once offering to make the comers to it perfect as pertaining to the Conscience that is to clear