under the New Testament wrestless against Powers and Principalities that is men exercising Authority which he calls spiritual wickedness in high places Again in the 16th verse he tells you that you are to take the Shield of Faith which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the Wicked whereby you must understand that that wicked one hath fiery Darts with him to throw at the faithful and by fiery Darts you can think of nothing else but bloody Persecutions And lastly you may know that wicked party by his blasphemy prophaneness and coming after the working of Satan with all Powers and Signs and lying Wonders who opposing and exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God So that in every particular when these are compared with the former Prince and People they are guilty of the same wickedness and prophaneness As thus Under the Old Testament 1. Those forsook the Law of the Lord. 2. Those despised holy things 3. Those followed the Idolatrous Practises of the Heathen World 4. Those deliver'd their Children to Maloch and shed Innocent Blood To Zedekiah and Israel in the Text it is said Thou prophane wicked Under the New Testament 1. These received not the love of the Truth 2. These sitting in the Temple of God shew himself that he is God 3. These exalt above God with signs and lying wonders after the working of Satan 4. These shoot Fiery Darts of Persecution To Antichrist and his Kingdom in the New Testament Thou man of sin and wicked 2 Thes 2. 3. 8. Now I will shew you how the Pope of Rome and the Roman Church resemble revolted Israel in their Apostacy and wickedness and will also declare how clear and free the King and Church of England are from this Charge Polanus saith That the Popish Canons and Decretals with the Lives and Practises of the Popes do expresly declare them to be Antichrist and Anti-Christ is defin'd to be a Man exercising Authority Head of the Universal Apostacy and Desertion of the Faith professing the Name of Christ yet opposing himself to Christ and his Doctrine That he is a Man exercising Authority no Man denys that he is Head of Universal Apostacy and opposeth Christ and his Doctrine I will plainly shew in my Application We are oblig'd to regard his Person as a Prince and a Prelate by the Laws of God and Nature i. e. to give honour to whom honour is due but it is his Vices and Corruption we cry out against and what the Scripture and judicious Divines ancient and modern of reformed Protestants have declar'd concerning him we may without malice or hatred speak of him and omitting all terms of honour he is an Idolater a Hypocrise a Blasphemer ambitious proud lawless and forbidding to marry covetous vain a Lyar a cruel Tyrant a Persecutor and Murderer of the Saints despising holy things and sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God The Idolatry of the Church of Rome in worshipping the Pope as Supreme Head of the Universal Church and Images with the Relicks of Saints and their Invocations upon the Virgin Mary with the lifting up of the Host are as directly against the I. and II. Commandment as Blood shed is against the VI. and as palpable as it was with Israel who worshipp'd the Sun Moon and Planets He must have a good Hide saith Dr. Hall that can worship Martin ' s Boots George ' s Scabbard Crispin ' s Pareing-Knife Thomases her Shoo and Joseph's Breeches to equalize these Fopperies with the Son of God in point of worship as those do who fall before them and call upon them as Eraesmus complains is abominable Idolatry and horrible Impiety The Blood-shed of Rome is so sensibly known through all the Christian World that every Country can bear witness to it and no marvel the Holy Ghost compare her to a Woman clothed in Scarlet and drunk with the Blood of Saints The fiery Darts of this wicked-one have been so prevalent in Italy that at one time was condemn'd 16000 Protestants where 18 had their Throats and jugular Veins cut with a Butchers-Knife the Butcher putting it between his Teeth whilst he did rid his Hand of one and take the other In Queen Mary's days were several hundreds here in England burnt in the space of the two last years of her Reign 13 sometimes together 12. 10. 6. 5. and other numbers Bishops Preachers Gentlemen Tradesmen old and blind Men Cripples and poor Maids no sort of Christians could escape the fury of these bloody Persecutions And to speak of their Covetousness Oppression Prophaneness and Blasphemies which are so common will be too tedious for me to hint here in the corner of a Sermon therefore in a word I leave this point concerning the charge and say it may be well said Thou wicked and prophane Pope of Rome whose Day is come and thy Iniquity shall have an end remove the Diadem take away the Crown I will exalt him that is low and abase him that is high I will overturn overturn overturn it until he comes c. Inference the fifth from the Confusion of Judah and Jerusalem Crowns and Kingdoms cannot stand when God Almighty hath denounc'd their fall Witness the fall of all the mighty Monarchs of the World and therefore this Prophet expostulateth pathetically Can thy Heart endure or will thy Hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee I will overturn overturn overturn it and it shall be no more and who can say to God What dost thou The Beast with seven Heads and ten Crowns must fall and tumble down when God is pleas'd to toss them Whom the Lord shall destroy with the Spirit of his Mouth and consume with the brightness of his coming But as for the King and Church of England being free from the Charge they may be also concluded to be free from the Judgment in the sence of all charitable minds And that they are free from the Charge let every sober-minded Man weigh these Particulars 1. The King and the Church of England protest to maintain nor suffer for no other Faith but that which was once by Apostolical Tradition deliver'd to the Saints This Profession do both Prince and People by a mutual Oath and Covenant bind themselves to assert keep and uphold to the honour and glory of God as good King Josiah and his People in their days His Majesty as other Kings his Predecessors of blessed memory at their Coronation first promiseth being ask'd by the Arch-Bishops to keep and afterwards by Oath confirms the Laws and Customs of England namely the Laws Customs and Franchises granted to the Clergie by the glorious King St. Edward his Predecessor according to the Laws of God the true Profession of the Gospel and according to the Prerogatives of the Kings thereof and defend and uphold the same to the honour
depose the King or to dispose of his Kingdoms his present Majesty Charles the II. being the 26th that successively in the right Line from the Conquerour have reign'd absolute Kings of England c. Now I will shew you by way of Application who have fallen off from the Faith under the New Testament and that plainly and particularly in what points and then you may judge whether the like Curse as was so dreadfully denounced against Israel may not be also hanging over their heads and pointing at their doors being palpably guilty of the lille Charge The Church of Rome Canonizing as de fide a new Doctrine contrary to the Catholick Faith for the first five or six hundred years after Christ is become a false Church or the Church of Antichrist which is no part of the true Church of Christ but an Imposthume or a bad humour in the body and no part of the body I mean the true Spiritual and Mystical Body of Christ And as the ten Tribes of Israel fell off from the Worship of God and ador'd the Golden Calfs made by Jeroboam and turn'd Bethel the House of God into Bethaven a House of Iniquity so have Papists turn'd the Roman Church which was once a pure flourishing Church to a corrupt Den of Thieves And yet it is granted by judicious Protestants that some may possibly be saved though with great hazard that are in Communion with her and groan under the lewd and Antichristian Doctrines and Practices impos'd by her as necessary to Salvation which overthrow the Fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith although held by themselves and are contrary point-blank to the Catholick Faith once delivered to the Saints particularly these following 1. The Church of Rome hold and affirm the Pope to be Universal and Supreme Head of the Catholick Church Caput totius Ecclesiae Militantis Universal Father of the Church the only Dispenser of Apostolick Benedictions thus dignified he Lords it over all the Clergy upon Earth Our Creed composed by the Apostles teacheth us to believe first in God the Father c. and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord and the Nicene Creed explains it I believe in one God c. and in one Lord Jesus Christ The Scripture explains this plainly in the 4th of Eph. 15. Speaking the truth in love grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ By which it appears we have no Universal Head for the Church Militant but our Lord Jesus Christ 2. The Church of Rome is held by them to be the Catholick Church contrary to our Belief in our Creed which saith I believe in the holy Catholick Church and explain'd in the Nicene Creed I believe in one Catholick and Apostolick Church All the Elect of God that ever have been now are or ever shall be in the world comprehending all particular Churches which were before the Roman Church and were in the same time that she flourished in other Provinces in Asia and Europe and now are separated from her making up one Catholick Church the Mystical Body of Christ 3. The Doctrine of the Popes Infallibility that he cannot Err and that his Authority confirm'd by Councils is greater and more certain than the Scriptures doth fly in the face of all the Foundation of our Faith for we take as the holy Catholick Church hath ever done the holy Scriptures for the only certain Rule of our Faith and Practice from which we own no higher Authority to appeal unto no though an Angel did preach things contrary to the Scriptures they are to us an Anathema he the Pope can dispence they say against Paul and Peter that is controul and wrest the sense of the Scriptures written by Paul and Peter yea against the Old and New Testament he can plenitudine potestatis as much as God This Doctrine you will find often boasted of in their Canons and Decretals 4. The Church of Rome doth plainly and point-blank oppose and overthrow the Catholick Faith concerning the Remission of sins The Apostles in the Creed as all the New Testament most amply and largely explaineth teach us to believe the forgiveness of sins and the Roman Church doth set it up on quite other terms by proposing that gift I mean the forgiveness of sins to be sold by the Pope and his Priests if any will be so fondly blind as to buy in the vile Market of Indulgences so in a word the Catholick Faith is to believe the forgiveness of sins and the Doctrine of Popery is to sell and buy it 5. The Popish Faction overthrow and utterly confound by their new Doctrine and Practice the Faith and Practice of the Catholick Church in Prayer Our Saviour Christ himself taught us to pray after this manner c. directing our Petitions to God the Father by the help of the Holy Ghost in the Name and by the Mediation of God the Son so are all Prayers made in the Old and New Testament But the Papists call upon Saints and Angels and because they believe it for it is a prevailing Argument with them that the Kingdom of Heaven is divided into two parts the Kingdom of Mercy to the blessed Virgin c. but the Kingdom of Justice to Christ they pray more for mercy unto Mary than unto God through Christ 6. They contradict and oppose the Christian Faith in the first six hundred years by the most unreasonable Point to be impos'd for matter of belief as ever any man can hear of Transubstantiation come out of the Council of Lateran under Pope Innocentius the III. He who contended with John King of England They believe that the Bread and the Wine in the Lords Supper after Consecration is substantially and materially changed contrary to our Natural Sense Seeing Tasting and Feeling and we believe it that they are Signs and Symbols of a Spiritual Food and refection which our Souls receive from Christs Body and Blood which was given for us These things being considered every Christian man will say that it was piously done of all the Reformers Luther in Germany Jerome in Prague Valdus in France Wickliffe Bilney and Tindal in England to separate from this Apostate Church lest they should be partakers of her sins and afterwards receive of her Plagues Rev. 18. 4. Hos 4. 15. 1 Cor. 10. 14. whose judgment now of a long time lingreth not and her damnation slumbereth not Rev. 13. Let him that understandeth count the number of the Beast There 's a set time appointed for his Judgment mention'd in 2 Thes 2. 7. until he be taken out of the way as it is in the Text until he comes Let any serious unbyass'd spirited man weigh these Points and Scriptures before-recited and he will soon resolve himself how tottering the See of Rome is and how miserable the honour of the Ignatian Tribe is who brag if they had not been Rome had not been the Angel had long since said It is fallen it is fallen Use 1.
of God as much as in him lyeth The Oath The things that I have here promis'd I shall perform and keep so help me God and the Contents of this Book This Oath is published in King Charles the Martyr's Answer to a Remonstrance c. of the 26th of May 1642. The same Oath for matter you may find in an old Manuscript containing the Form of Coronation c. in the publick Library at Oxon. Is not this as firm and as great a Covenant as blessed King Josiah made who stood by a Pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all their hearts c. and all the People stood to the Covenant 2 King 23. 3. So all the People of England and all his Majesty's Subjects bind themselves strictly by two Oaths called the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to obey the King's Laws in all true Faith and Allegiance renouncing all Forreign Powers and declaring the King's Majesty Supreme Head and Governour in all matters as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal next under Christ in all these His Majesty's Dominions Thus do both Prince and People most unanimously and faithfully protest to stick to the Profession of the Protestant Religion as it is by Law establish'd being no other than the same as christ and his Apostles taught and the pure Times of the Primitive Church maintained in the first Centuries after Christ 2. For the purity justness and reasonableness of His Majesty's Laws whereby we are Govern'd the Common Civil and Ecclesiastical all the malice of our Adversaries cannot impeach them of the least savour of Idolatry or Impiety Prophaneness or Blasphemies as those of rebellious Israel under the Old did and of the Roman Papists under the New Testament do The Common-Law being certain reasonable Customs refined by succeeding Ages and gathered out of Divine Natural and Moral Principles our Civil and Canon-Laws being all grounded upon the Word of God and the Decrees of General Councils and the Sence of the Fathers in the first six-hundred years after Christ and in this it is as clear as the Sun at Noon-day that neither His Majesty nor his People can be charg'd for wickedness nor prophaneness in their Profession nor Laws 3. For the Doctrine which we reach it is briefly contain'd in the Creed call'd the Apostles Creed the Lords-Prayer and Ten Commandments and explain'd throughout the whole Bible we believe nothing we pray for nothing and we practice nothing as necessary to Salvation but what is plainly prov'd by evident Scriptures And as for the Government Discipline and Worship of our Church it is acknowledg'd by all Judicious Protestants to be the best constituted Church this day in the whole World and that in the main the Doctrine Discipline and Worship being so decently and excellently fram'd for edification that it makes all Men that duly observe it truly and soberly religious securing them as a Reverend Divine saith on the one side from the wild Freaks of Enthusiasm and on the other from the gross Follies of Superstition 4. As for any violence and cruelty we thank God the World is our Witness we can wash our Hands in Innocence none condemn'd to death for bare perswasions in point of Conscience or different Opinions in matters of Religion It is Fellons and Traytors because they have not the fear of God before their Eyes by the King's Law do dye His most Sacred Majesty being of that gracious and Lamb-like Disposition that he laboureth rather through tenderness to regain than through severity to compell Dissenters to Unity of Spirit and Uniformity in Religion 5. And lastly weigh our Practices I mean the Lives and Conversations of those that are true Sons and Observers of the Church we ingenuously confess that through our carelesness and want of more strictness in many things we do offend all but withall at our daily and publick as well as private Devotion we pray for true repentance and forgiveness and there 's not a Christian Man that hath a little Grain of Charity in him that will deny but that we through a certain though not so Universal as wish'd Obedience receive and submit to the Truth Will Law and Gospel of Jesus Christ To these things if I had time to amplifie I would nor do desire no more Credit than shall be due to the fair Evidence of clear Scripture and sound Reason the two Master Pillars of a good Cause Now upon these and other like grounds is founded the unmovable settled ends of our fixed hopes through Faith in our dear Saviour that we are not Sentenc'd with Idolatrous Israel under the Law are not nor shall be condemn'd with Antichristian Popery under the Gospel And I conclude this Point with that of our Saviour in Joh. 14. 27. Confiding that it is appertaining to us as much as to any other particular Church in the World for some have called the English Church the Primogenita of the Catholick and for certain it is a Member of the true Catholick and therefore may expect her Share in the Legacy of Christ Peace I leave with you Peace I give unto you not as the World gives give I unto you therefore let not your Heart be troubled neither let it be afraid And this leads me to the next Inference Sixthly The sixth Inference is from Christ's coming The Lord's goodness is so far extended to his beloved Spouse the true Church Catholick and to every Member thereof that in the greatest distress and confusions in the World Christ and his comforts will attend the faithful Job 5. 19 20 21 c. He will deliver thee in six troubles and in seven there shall no evil touch thee in Famine he shall redeem thee from Death and in War from the power of the Sword thou shalt be hid from the Scourge of the Tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of Destruction when it cometh What unspeakable comforts satisfaction and rejoycing all the holy Martyrs of Jesus have ever had in their sufferings will be too long to relate here He comes whose right it is and I will give it him I think you do evidently perceive and are fully satisfied by these things already said concerning this Text that there needs no further discourse to make all Men apprehend how free and plainly unspotted with the Charge and Curse here denounced against Jerusalem the present State of England stands The City of Jerusalem and Israel were curs'd mark as you have heard for breach of their Oath and Allegiance and further Rebellion to the King of Babylon though a Pagan King together with their Contempt of God's Word Idolatrous and Prophane Practises but the English Protestants are hated censured accus'd and persecuted by the Popish Faction for no other cause more than for bearing true Allegiance to the rightful and lawful King of their Realm and maintaining as by Oath they are bound that the Pope hath no power to
Now the Use that every true Protestant is to make of this is to render unto God his unfeigned thanks for our most Religious King and Church of England who vow and assert and protest to stick to the true Christian Faith once delivered to the Saints which Faith hath been receiv'd in this Island of Britain 1640. and upwards i. e. ever since the latter years of Tiberius his Reign who died in the 27th year of Christ as Baronius reckons it Joseph of Arimathea and Simon Zelotes were the first Planters here and some say that Paul preached here also King Lucius in the year of Christ 169. was baptized and setled three Primates and Metropolitans one in London another in York and the third in Caerlion in Monmouthshire and ever since we have had successively Archbishops and Bishops in our Church of England whereupon this Church became to be call'd of some Anglicana filia Primogenita Ecclesie Catholica The Reform'd Christian Professors of Christs Faith were call'd Protestants first in Germany when the Doctrine of Christ by the industry of Melancthon Luther and Zuinglius prevail'd so with the Princes and Dukes there that they have unanimously agreed and protested to stick to the Reformation against superstitious Popery to their Lives and Fortunes And this Protestant Religion much upon the same time or shortly after was profess'd and established in England by King Edward the Sixth of blessed memory revived by Queen Elizabeth continued by King James and King Charles the First all of blessed memory and now maintained and defended by our most gracious Soveraign Charles the Second whom we heartily are bound to pray for may he go on and prosper and may his Royal Heart be still in Gods good hand for it to dispose it his own good way May his Royal Person both at his going out and at his coming in be now and evermore as safe Body and Soul as all the holy Angels can make him safe from all pernicious Counsels and from Counsels of falshood and wrong Use 2. To strengthen and establish us in this Religion yea though it be to the hazard and loss of Properties and Liberties Fortunes and Life it self Mat. Fear not him that kills the body but rather fear him that can destroy both body and soul in hell put on your Spiritual Armour fight the good fight of Faith and finish the good Religious course that ye have begun Consider your Case and Quarrel you contend for the Testimony of Jesus Christ Rev. 12. 17. Run I say therefore the Race with patience looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of your Faith Did Scipio suffer Death for vindicating the City and Aristides Banishment for his love to Equity and was Demosthenes destroy'd for his care of his Country and shall we sink under the weight of some light afflictions which can endure but a moment for so great a Case 3. And lastly because our Enemies are watchful to take advantage and rejoyce at our miscarriages they are like Ravens and Vultures gathering to and picking at our infirmities and failings Laetetur certe priamus priamoque Creati Therefore ought we to be very cautious in all our ways and circumspect in all our actions Be wise as Serpents and harmless as Doves It is excellently observ'd of Plutarch that such living Creatures as have strong and firm Bodies and Stomacks can devour and digest Serpents and Frogs let us then quitting our selves like men of wholesome Minds strong Faith sound Principles and blameless Practises slight and digest with patience the Scandals and false Accusations of the Serpents Seed the Evil Spirits proceeding out of the Mouth of the Dragon Let us bless them that curse us and pray for them that spightfully use us And to conclude the whole matter of what hath been said as you would escape the imminent danger of the dreadful Curse of God with pernicious Confusions in this and the World to come be watchful and active against the prevailing of Popery which with the utmost rage of Persecution is unavoidably destructive to Prince and Properties Religion and Laws Liberties and Countries Families and Lives yea Souls too if we subscribe to it And as we tender the love and peace of God the integrity of the true Christian Faith profess'd publickly as once delivered to the Saints and the continuance of Pious Government by just Laws and have a due regard for the safety of his Majesty and for the strength and preservation of the Kingdom from Forreign Innovations let us without wavering stick to the Protestant Religion in which we have been bred and born and God out of his abundant Grace grant we may be able with courage and comfort in the Holy Ghost to die in the same in which if we continue through Faith in Christ we shall assuredly find Salvation FINIS Page 15. Line 23. for provoke God safest read provoke God fastest BOOKS Printed and Sold by Isaac Cleave at the Star next to Serjeants-Inn in Chancery-lane THe Church of Rome unmasked or her false Principles briefly detected with some Reasons of so many retaining or returning to Communion with her and the great danger of everlasting destruction that such do run themselves upon Written by a Learned Divine by way of Letter to a Friend in the Country The Book of Rates now used in the Sin-Custom-House of the Church and Court of Rome containing Bulls Dispensations and Pardons for all manner of Villanies and Wickednesses with the several sums of Money to be paid for them To which is added the new Creed of the Church of Rome containing the Articles of their Faith by Anthony Egane B. D. late Confessor of the Kingdom of Ireland but now of the Reformed Religion England's Improvement Revived in a Treatise of all manner of Husbandry and Trade by Land and Sea plainly discovering the several ways of improving all sorts of waste and barren Ground and enriching all Earths with the Natural Quality of all Lands and the several Seeds and Plants which most naturally thrive therein Together with the manner of Planting all sorts of Trees with Directions to make Walks Groves Orchards Gardens Also the way for ordering of Cattel c. By Jo. Smith