which was wounded with the sword Cap. 13 14 and did liue as hauing as many sinnes as were found in the Empire whether corrupted by the Arians or in the handes of the heathen Tyrants Her plagues therefore are as many as are the plagues of the enemies of the Gospell mentioned in this Booke In the sixt chapter the contempt of the Word of God by the heathen Reue. 6 8 is punished with sword mortality famine beastes kindes of plagues which haue much afflicted this popish beast Wherefore we must know that when the Land or Cittie is punished with warres or murthers with famine or pestilence or other mortalitie it is for the sinne of such as partake in the Antichristian sinnes of the contempt of the Word of God For instance this Cittie When vpon the death of the late Queene worthy of eternall memorie it became to giue entertainement and rest to such which plotted treasons and drifted the rooting out of the Gospel did lately feele the scourge of pestilence the Pale horse since haue we beene threatned with the shaking of the great sword of him that sitteth on the redde horse Cap. 6 4. And if wee repent not by our more zealous embracing of the Word of GOD which sitteth vpon the white horse Verse 2 and by comming out from among the popish enemies therof we may feare the experience of Famine that sitteth on the black horse In other places of this booke the plagues of this Babylon are wofull by the incursion of fieree strangers by the continuall warres with vnreconcileable mortall enemies by the seuerity of godly Kings by the reprofe of the preachers of the Gospell Cap. 9. 10 and 11. Cap. 16. In other places are mentioned the plagues of sores of bloodshed by sea land of vnseasonable and distempered ayres of darkning her kingdome c. When these things also come vpō the places where the gospell is professed we must know that it is because of the sins of such as partake in the sins of the Babylontan King Abaddon the great Antichrist I know the brags lies of that Sect They perswade theyr damned Proselytes that in former times before the dayes of Queene Elizabeth vvhose memorie bee alwaies blessed the times were peaceable plentifull holy and of one minde with them Howbeit theyr owne Writers doe make demonstration that all the world besides cannot afford vs so many barbarous tragedies vnspeakeaable dissentions horrible impieties lamentable desolations and terrible iudgements from aboue Insomuch that the earth for giuing power to this Babylonian beast hath frō time to time beene smitten with all manner of plagues Cap. 11 6 Then to deliuer our selues from so many calamities come out of her my people and receaue not of her plagues saith this heauenly voyce Many haue thought it an excellent policie to preuent the euils that may come by barbarous heretickes to come as neere vnto them as they can 2 Reg. 16 2 Chro 28 So is it saide of Ahaz King of Iudah that hee made an altar according to the fashion of that of the Aramites of Damascus drew neere to the religion of the King of Ashur made peace with him and gaue him large rewards But all helped not For when he called to him for ayde hee did not strengthen him but afflicted him Neither found the Iewes any better successe with drawing neer to the religion of the Cananites For then did the Philistims and other Gentiles Reade the book of the Iudges tyrannise ouer them most extreamelie Thankes be to God wee be vtterly departed from this popish Babylon in deede Yet some very small supposed appearances that they thinke wee partake with them in haue caused them to be exceeding confident in their owne religion as it were by our testimonie They detest our differences from them and haue presumed that by one practise or other of wit or force we might easilie be reduced againe full and whole to their subiection Yea they haue beene heereby much exasperated but nothing reconciled notwithstanding their hypocrisies By this it may appeare how perrilous it is as much as in the least seeming to partake with her sinnes But if once all the Princes professing the Gospell being cleane departed from her did ioyne together in that great Hallelu-iah which Dauid prayeth for Psal 67.5 when he sayth let all the people praise thee O God yee let all the people praise thee then should they find the blessing that followeth then shall the earth bring forth her increase and God euen our owne God shall giue vs his blessing For so do the godly sing Hallelu-iah because God hath condemned the great Whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication Cap 19.2 Now the better to forewarne vs of her plagues he sheweth that they must needes be great Doct. 8 For her sinnes are come vp to heauen There is no sinne so small which doth not come vp to heauen vnto the sight of God euery teare is put in his bottell and all these things are written in his booke How be it the Scripture is not wont to vse this kind of phrase but whereas sinnes doe so exceede that their punnishment cannot be deferred So the cry of the sinnes of Sodom are sayd to come vp to God that is to be exceeding grieuous Gen 18. 20.21 2 Chro 28.9 The sinnes of Israell for which he was captiued were such that their rage is sayd to reach vp to heauen that is to be excessiue not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of men When finnes seeme small by reason of the grosse ignorance that is in the world it is one thing but when by the abundance of knowledge they appeare as they be the case is otherwise as Saint Paule saith Act 17.30 the time of this ignorance God regarded not but now he admonisheth all men euery where to repent So while the daies were darke the grosse smnes of the Antichristian Babylonians seemed very small nay the world did thinke them holy and righteous But now that the maruelous light of the Gospell doth shine her sinnes which haue gotten a wonderfull inctease are manifestly discerned to be heaped vp to heauen Besides her sinnes of crueltie whereby she iustifieth her elder Sister the first Babylon both the law and the Gospell doe prooue her sinnes to be heaped vp to heauen The L'ord in the law doth seuerely condemne the hauing of many Gods but there neuer was Nation vnder the sunne that could be compared to this Antichristian Babylon for multitude of Gods The Lord did alwaies abhorre such kinds of worship as him selfe had not prescribed which yet for the most part consisted in many friuolous obseruances but these haue not only defiled the worshippe of God with abhominable inuentions but also haue translated the true and spirituall worshippe of God to creatures nay to idols Petrus de Natale nay to figments as witnesseth their fable of Saint George
estate for her great sinnes Namely first for troubling of states secondly for corruption in doctrine with which shee hath poysoned other Nations thirdly for the immoderate riches of her Merchants who sold both iustice and the soules of men Both Prince and people that obey the Gospell of the kingdome shall bring her plagues vpon her at once by embracing and vrging a double doctrine of exhortation and that is it which is contained in my text Of this doctrine first is shewed the place frō whence it commeth to wit the Temple of God and his Christ euen the sincere profession of the Gospel which in this booke in a manner continually is called by the name of Heauen Here then all godly men both Prince and people doe ioyne together in those wholsome admonitions of the Lord. So that those of the spirit of S. Iohn who can well vnderstand the things that are spoken do heare these heauenly doctrines enforced by them And this is the meaning of these words And I heard another voyce from that which Princes decreed for their priuate benefite from heauen say The matter of the exhortation is double first to forsake her euen this popish Babylon and then to pursue her with iust reuenge The doctrine or exhortation to forsake her hath the proposition and the arguments to enforce it The proposition hath the parties admonished and their dutie Their dutie is to flie from this confused and cursed Babylon of poperie in these wordes Goe out of her The parties on whom this heauenly voyce doth vouchsafe to bestow these holy things are no deafe Adders but onlie such which by Gods election doe belong to God and by the couenant which they make and holde and by theyr sufferings for his sake are knowne so to do And therefore the voyce of Iesus Christ the Lord by his seruaunts doth call them from heauen My people The reasons why they should forsake her are two both drawne from manifest perill The first is the perill of contagion and defiling themselues with touching this pitch in these words That ye be not partakers of her sinnes The second is the perill of vengeance to be inflicted vpon her and all her complices in these wordes and that ye receiue not of her plagues This argument of her plagues is further enforced is proued to be heauie and certaine first by the iustice of God that requireth great sinnes to be greeuously punished Wherefore seeing her sinnes exceede it is not possible to hope for sparing The greatnesse of her sinnes is expressed in an vsuall prouerbiall speech of the Scripture when it is said for her sinnes are come vp to heauen The second reason to prooue her plagues to be certaine is the diligence that GOD now vseth in laying together her faults that shee may receiue for euery one of them that which shee hath deserued and that is the purpose of these wordes and God hath remembred her iniquities And thus much of the interpretation of the first doctrine of exhortation to the people of God It remaineth that wee proceede to informe our consciences hereby Doct. 1 I heard another voyce from heauen Heere we see that those of the spirit of S. Iohn Doe heare the voyce that requireth men to separate themselues from Babylon and to reuenge themselues of her to come from heauen By heauen in this booke for the most part is not vnderstood the place whether our Lorde and Sauiour is ascended Acts. 1 11 but the cōgregation of the faithfull professing the Gospell of Christ in his Church where himselfe is in the middest For in the fourth chapter where S. Iohn doth see a throne set vp in heauen about which are 24 seates Cap. 4 2 4 and 24 elders sitting vppon them in the 5 chapter these Eders doe praise Christ Cap. 5.10 that had made them Kinges and Priests vnto God that should raigne on the earth And this is proportionable to the rest of the Scriptures which doe call the Church of Christ heauenly Ierusalem Ephe 2 6 and the kingdome of heauen and those that are conuerted thereto are said to be made to sit together in heauenlie places The meaning is that those of the spirit of Saint Iohn doe heare this heauenly doctrine of God generally taught among them that do sincerely professe the Gospell of Christ Come out of her c. Reward her c. Heerevpon it doth followe that the doctrine of seperation from this popish Babylon and the doctrine of reuenge to be inflicted vpon her which is reduced into lawes by godly Princes conuerted to the Gospell and which is dilligently taught by the Preachers of the word and is put in execution by good and godly subiects whether vnder Magistrats or priuate men is to be acknowledged for none other but a voice from heauen And when it is sayd to be a voice from heauen it appeareth that the doctrine is and ought to bee esteemed as effectuall as if God did immediately speake from heauen So that it is all one whether God from heauen doth commaunde Noah to make and enter the Arke or that an Angell bid Lot get him out of Sodom or Moses importune the people to get them from the tents of Dathan and Abiram or the Prophets Isaiah and Ieremie by their prophecies before hand doe instruct both Prince and people to teach and obey this rule Get out of Babylon or the godly Princes and Preachers exhort the people of God to seperate themselues from the Romane popish beast Euery voice in this kind is of like weight and authoritie We knowe that it is blasphemed by these vndutifull Babylonians to be tirrannie in Princes to be affectation of liberty and spoyle in inferior Magistrates to be faction and ignorance and heresie in Ministers and people So doe we also knowe that whatsoeuer the deuill saith in these serpents yet Saint Iohn and those of his spirite doe acknowledge they heare this voice from heauen euen from Iesus Christ teaching and instructing the congregation of all faithfull people out of his holy word in the Church Heere therfore let all Christian Kings Counsailors Bishops and all Magistrates remember the generall Canon of the Apostle Heb 12.25 See that yee dispise not him that speaketh For if they escaped not which refused him that spake on earth much more shal not we escape if wee turne away from him that speaketh from heauen Moreouer seeing this voice is from heauen it followeth that whosoeuer doth teach by writing or preaching or doth aduise in deliberations that any other course is to be held that these popish Babylonians are in some things to be yielded vnto and that some more milde and gentle proceedings towards them would doe better such I say neither can truly nor may iustly be commended that this wisdome descendeth from aboue but it is from belowe Iam 3.15 and is earthly sensuall and diuelish 2 Cor 6.14 c. For they labour to reconcile the things which haue
It is a sinne that God will not hold guiltles to take his name in vaine But these doe not only abuse the name of God but also God himselfe not only to vanitie but also to the committing of the greatest abhominations as to curse Kings and to stirre vp rebellion against them by their Bulles In the primitiue Church Plim lib 10. example 97. Eus 3.30 the Christians did assemble themselues in the morning praising Christ their God and bound themselues with the sacrament not to commit adulterie not to murther not to bee perfidious or trayterous but these abuse the Sacrament which they call theyr God their maker to vnspeakeable euils For Pope Victor the 2. was poysoned in his Chalice by his Deacon Genebrard Chron. Paral. vrsp and Henrie the 7. the Emperour was poysoned by a Dominican hypocrite in the Sacrament But now they vse the Sacrament to conuay the deuill into men before somewhat honest For they do bind men by their Sacrament to murther Princes nobles yea the whole Parliaments the whole Church of God And their subiect like Iudas Iscariot who vpon receiuing of the sop was ouerruled by the deuill to betray his Maister doe resolue vpon such murthers as the like is not to be found in the stories of the most infamous tyrants And so their sinnes are come vp to heauen As for the second table they teach not only children to dishonor their parents wiues to despise their husbands but also subiects to rebell against their lawfull Princes Yea they thrust out the lawfull heires vfurpe the kingdoms Empire They arrogate vnto thēselues power to plant and depose whom they list Dist 40. Si papa in Glosla Deponendus si minus vt lis Fasc Tem. in Zach. 1. The cause is counted sufficient to depose a Prince if hee be lesse for their profit and the cause is sufficient to place whō they list if he be more for their profit They murther and that in such horrible maner that they iustifie the most abhominable persecutors withes be their indeuour to blowe vp the Parliament house to fire citties Reade the massacre in Paris anno 1572. to paue streetes with dead carcasses and to staine great riuers with the blood of the slaine They can giue you a reason vvhy stewes of both kindes be profitable in a cōmon wealth They teach it for good diuinitie for those of their faction to rob the goods of the Protestants which I take to be the cause that so many Papists be thieues And I think the popish thieues if they were demanded by the Iudge would not let to cleare their cōsciences by their religion They condemne the memory of all godly men so are the falsest witnesses that euer trode vpon the earth Generally there is nothing so contrary to wholsome doctrine which among them is not good diuinitie if it may any way serue to aduance their greatnes Yea they haue turned that gracious rule 1 Tim 6 5 6. Godlines is great gaine into Gaine is great godlines And as they deale with the Law so do they with the couenant of Grace For they haue cleane left off to giue knowledge of saluation to the people by the remission of their sinnes Luke 1 77 78. through the tender mercie of our God in the blood of Iesus Christ and soules are bought sold at a base price of siluer gold corruptible things 1 Pet 8 18 contrary to the words of S. Peter Yea for a small price Guicciar lib 13. an 1520 somtimes are set vpon a game at tables as a writer of their owne doth acknowledge And while they thus make vile the blood of Christ it may iustlie be said that her sinnes are gone vp to heauen and so beeing great are neere vnto destruction A second reason to proue her plagues to be at hand doth follow Doct. 9 God hath remembred her iniquities It is true that in God is neither forgetfulnes nor recalling to memorie For all things are alwaies present Heb 4 13 and naked and bare vnto him with whom we haue to doe But the Scripture speaketh of God after the manner of men for our better vnderstanding Namely that as men whē they purpose to right or reuenge the wrongs that are done them do call enery partieuler to memory the better to further theyr determination so God when hee purposeth to relieue his seruaunts or punish his enemies is saide to Remember his Couenaunt and to remember their sinnes So when the Lord doth intend to punish Hosea 8 13 and 9 9. the Prophet saith The Lord will remember their iniquities visite their sinnes Wherefore when heere it is said that God hath remembred her imquities it must be supplied and will visite her sinnes As men haue their meanes to remember thinges forgotten so God by such means doth let it appeare he remembreth such things as men suppose he hath forgotten Men vse to remember their wrongs when they behold the thinges in which they are wronged so doth God remember the cruelties of the Egyptians Exod 2.23 and 3 9. when hee beholdeth the burthens of his seruaunts the children of Israel Againe men call to mind when they haue remēbrancers such vnto God are his Prophets Ministers of his word Sacraments For thus saith the Widdow of Zarephtah to Elias when her sonne was dead 1 Kings 17 18 What haue I to do with thee thou man of God art thou come to call my sinnes to remembrance and to fley my sonne But especially men recall things to memorie when the persons that doe the wrong doe renue their old manner of mischiefe So doth God when the wicked returne to theyr vomit and so abuse the patience of God by prouoking him by the same sins which they seemed to haue broken off Such are the sins of the Romish Babilon here spokē of Ribera in Apoc. cap. 14 and 18. as the papists thēselues confesse For they say whē Rome shal be guilty of the sins of the heathen emperors persecutors which were before in her cruell daies Then shall God remember her miquities present past And indeed such are Gods proceedings For he threatneth the man that leauing his sm became righteous that if he forsaketh his righteousnes he shal die for his transgression sin vz. Ezec. 18 24 first and last Now let euery man that hath any braines in his head to iudge or conscience in his bosome to acknowledge thinges as they bee consider and speake if hee can finde anie idolatrie so sinfull or crueltie so barbarous among the greatest heathen Emperors or among the most beastly and bloody Arians which may not be iustified being compared with the spiritual fornications of this Babylonian synagogue of Antichrist with her continuall drunkennes with the blood of the Saints Wherfore seeing the bloud ashes of milions of innocent Martyrs the indignities treasons offered to so many godly princes doth cry for vengeance seeing the faithful preaching profession of the gospell doth call for the assistance testimony of the iudgemēts of God lastly seeing that her exceeding rage violent madnes in committing the sinnes of her abhominable impieties formerly condemned doth repeate her sinnes past how can wee thinke but God hath remembred her iniquities And thanks be vnto almightie God we see at this time the high court of Parliament now by the grace of God to be assembled so effectually put in minde of her sinnes that if now they do not awaken it is to be supposed that nothing wil awaken them till it be too late But wee hope and earnestly pray vnto almighty God to see such lawes concluded as well for the matter as for the faithful maner of their executiō both in this parliament and also in the assemblies of other Princes abroad that may proue that God hath so remembred her iniquities may make their harts to quake that partake in her sinnes because they shall see no remedy but to receiue of her plagues The same Lord which was wont to confirme the word of his seruants Esay 44 26 performe the counsell of his Messengers bring this heauenly voyce to so happy an effect euen for Iesus Christ his sake who sitteth at the right hand of his Father till all his enemies be made his footestoole And let all true Christians say Amen Amen Hallelu-jah FINIS