had of old set up his Ordinances there and made them a gracious promise That they should return thither again and enjoy him once more in the Beauty the Glory of Holinesse There were two Mounts which did belong to Hierusalem Mount Moriah and Mount Zion the Temple was built upon Mount Zion and therefore Zion was the Mount of Holinesse and as it were the Throne of God here below thither did the people flock Micah 4. 2. Come let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord for the Law shall go forth of Zion behold Zion is the Mountain of the Lord But we must consider further that besides the Iewish Sion there is a Christian Sion spoken of in the Prophets and this very place of Micah which I have cited points at the Christian Sion a Church consisting of all Nations Gentiles as well as Jews be pleased to peruse the words But in the last dayes it shall come to passe that the Mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the Mountains and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow unto it and many Nations shall come and say Let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord verse 1. 2. That this is clearly meant of the Christian Sion besides the evidence of the words themselves the last verse of the former Chapter the third Chapter of Micah doth sufficiently declare for the Iewish Sion Sion in the letter was to be plowed as a field and the Mountain of that House was to be left as desolate as the high-places of the Forest Moreover this Prophesie was to be fulfilled in the last dayes Micah 4. 1. Finally the Law shall go forth of Zion saith the Prophet Micah to the Jews the Law came forth of Sinai but to the Christian Church consisting of Jews and Gentiles the Law came forth of Sion when the Spirit was plentifully powred down upon some of all Nations at Ierusalem Acts 2. and therefore not * Rome but the Church which was gathered at Ierusalem if any Church was the a Metropolitane or mother Church and younger Churches were the daughters of that Evangelicall Sion For we are not come to the Mount that burnt with fire Heb. 12. 18. but unto Mount Sion Verse 22. The Apostle doth expound this Allegory more fully Galat. 4. 24. Which things saith he are an Allegory for these are two covenants or testaments the one from Mount Sinai which gendreth to bondage the other then is from Mount Sion which tendeth to freedom a covenant of Grace the spirit of grace and holinesse which is more plentifully poured out upon the Christian Sion makes us precious sonnes of Sion free-men indeed You see the Bounds of Sion Let us now take a view of Babylon I need not say any thing of Babylon in Egypt my Text points me to Babylon in Assyria the Scriptures mention a third b Babylon and in my Application the times will call upon me by Analogy and proportion to speake much of this third Babylon which is a Mysticall Babylon the Romish Babylon and yet I think wee need not travaile so farre as Rome to finde out Babylon did you never heare of an English Babylon in Ireland and an Irish Babylon in England and a Romish Babylon even in Scotland Is there not a Babylon in the North and another in the West a Babylon almost in every City towne and parish nay if we are impartiall in the search we shall certainely finde some Malignant lusts some brats of Babylon in our owne bosome you see the bounds of Babylon I shall begin with the Jewish Sion and shew you what reason this Sion had to deliver her self from the Assyrian Babylon 1. The first Reason is because God had so often called upon Sion to separate from Babylon the people were First awakened by Jeremiahs prophecy Secondly they were encouraged by Cyrus his Proclamation you may finde both put together Ezra 1. 1. Now in the first yeare of Cyrus King of Persia that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might bee fulfilled the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia that he made Proclamation c. There was a threefold Call a call from God a call from the Prophet and a call from the King and the Lord who stirred up the spirit of Jeremy and the spirit of Cyrus did stirre up the spirit of his people to answer this call and depart from Babylon for upon this Proclamation divers of the children of the Captivity went up to Ierusalem under the conduct of their Generall Zâ—rubbabel as you may read Ezra 2. 1 2. Now these are the Children of the Province that went up out of the Captivity of those which had beene carried away unto Babylon and came againe unto Ierusalem and Iudah every one unto his City which came with Zerubbabel c. Thirdly the Governors people were quickned to this great duty of forsaking Babylon and building Sion by the ministry of the Prophet Haggai and about two moneths after by the Prophet Zechariah Ezra 5. 1. Hag. 1. 1. Zech. 1. 1. They both prophecied in the second yeer of Darius Haggai in the sixth moneth Zechary in the eight moneth But it seemes too many of the people upon some Carnall discouragements were unwilling to goe to Ierusalem which was now but an heap of old rubbish and dead ashes nay some were as willing to stay in Babylon as Lots sons-in-law to â—tay in Sodom God therefore gave them another Call yet in the seventh yeere of the raigne of Artaxerxes and then many went up from Babylon upon the motion of Ezra the scribe Ezra 7. 6 7 8. ver. But there were many lingerers behind yet and our long-suffering God who is rich in patience did vouchsafe another Call yet about thirteene yeeres after in the twentieth yeere of Artaxerxes â—or about that time Nehemiah began to stirre as you may read Nehem. 2. 1. You see here is Call upon Call this may suffice for the first Reason * because nothing but obedience to the Call of God can declare us to be the true Church of God My second reason is taken from the Terminus à Quo the place from whence they were called Babylon or the daughters of Babylon the City of Babylon was the Metropolis or mother Citty the adjoyning townes and villages are called the daughters of Babylon because they followed the ill example of the City they were nursed up in all manner of Babylonish Idolatry and Impiety Some of the people that belonged to Sion did certainely loyter too long in these townes and villages and therefore the Prophet calls upon them in my Text Deliver thy selfe O Zion that dwellest with Babylon with the daughters of Babylon that are as bad as their mother Babylon is in the language of Augustine The City of the Devill and was it fit that the people of God should lye loytering in the City of
Sions Memento AND Gods Alarum IN A SERMON AT VVESTminster before the Honorable House of Commons on the 31. of May 1643. the Solemne day of their monethly Fast By FRANCIS CHEYNELL late Fellow of Merton College in Oxford Printed and published by order of the House of COMMONS REVEL. 19. ver. 19. 20. And I saw the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sate on the Horse and against his army And the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone REVEL. 17. 1 2. Come hither I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication LONDON Printed for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1643. TO THE HONORABLE House of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT IDare not dispute your Power for even Dr. Ferne himself is Satisfied in his Conscience or else he would never have granted it in his Tract entituled Conscience Satisfied that the two Houses of Parliament are in a sort Coordinate with His Majesty ad aliquid to some Act or Exercising of Supreme Power that is to the making of Laws by yeelding their consent and this saith he they have by a Fundamentall Constitution Nay the Order of the House of Commons cannot in reason but oblige all the Commons of England it doth not indeed oblige the King he is exempt by his Soveraignty the Lords plead Peerage I have not yet heard of any other Plea and therefore I will not dispute your Power but obey your Order You shall have the glory to command mihi autem obsequii gloria relicta est pardon the expression we Merton College men have been used to Tacitus 't is his expression The times are sad my Text was seasonable Though Babylon be at Rome yet there are some sonnes and daughters of Babylon too here in England Sion is now surrounded by them and your Honourable House is most eminently opposed by them Many there are that plot against you all the Antichristian Politicians in the Christian world are beating their brains how to destroy you but their Plots are discovered their Designes defeated by the watchfull providence of an Omniscient God Many there are that fight against you against you I say for it is evident that those many thousands who are up in Arms do not fight for the King but against the Parliament This man fights for a place at Court and the other perchance for a place in the Church or rather over the Church O bloody Simony some fight for Pluralities and some for Bishopriks some for Patents some for Monopolies some have lost their places in the Star-Chamber and High Commission and have scarce any thing to â—rast to but the sword The Papists fight to subvert Religion Delinquents to subvert the Laws and the Parliament too because it hath power to make declare enforce the Law The Roysters fight to destroy your persons and gaine your estates to pay their Tavern-tickets and yet there is a Divine one Dr. â—erne who seems to excuse all this and by his excuse doth certainly encourage them to do what is inexcusable And the good Doctor would fain perswade you and all the Commons of England to sit still the whilest and lose your Religion for Conscience â—ake your Laws Liberties Estates Lives for Peace sake And what will Peace advantage your Posterity if the Army in the North will give them Peace upon no other terms then these that either they must turn Papists or else be content to be Beggers and which is worse Slaves Some that gloried in the Title of Royalists do now perceive That it is not enough to stand for the King unlesse they will declare themselves for the Queen and they are not a little startled at that Is this the Bishops holy War for the Catholique Church Be it the Bishops War saith Dr. Ferne in his first Book Well be it so Why then sure the Bishops have much blood to answer for For it is well known to this whole Kingdom and to some Churches abroad that the Parliament desired to have all Church-matters fairly debated {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as Nazianzen speaks not by an Army but by an Assembly the Bishops then have clearly declined this Rationall way of triall and taken up Arms against the Parliament in the old quarrell and sure the Parliament hath good reason to defend themselves It seems the Bishops arguments are spent and therefore they call for Powder and Bullets to prove that Prelacie is Jure divino I say Prelacy for there is a great deal of difference between Prelates and Bishops Pontifices nunc Bella juvant sunt caetera nugae What they cannot prove by the Word they would fain make good by the sword What because men of tender consciences can be no longer pursued in their Courts must they be pursued even unto death by force of Arms but stay What 's their fault Why they are enemies They are enemies to such pomp and state as some Bishops cannot but confesse may well be spared This Plot came from Rome for I remember Hostiensis saith That from the dayes of Pope Adrian till his time the Cardinals and Bishops of Rome had scarce ever laid down their Arms a Erasmus complained that in his time the Bishops were men of warre When the Duke D'Alva tyrannized over the Netherlands there were new Bishops b Sees erected in every City and then presently the Inquisition was brought in upon them as if there could never have been any absolute tyranny without the help of the Bishops But you will tell me that the Men may be faulty and yet the Order blamelesse I answer that the dignity of their Order should be tried by the Word and the men being faulty should not be protected by the Sword Blush ye heavens and be ashamed O earth that ever proud ambitious spirits should enflame differences between King and Parliament onely that they may feed themselves with vain hopes of being Bishops at last and enjoying Pluralities the whilest Let the Searcher of hearts judge between us and let them beware that they do not hear aconfounding voice like that in the Historian Quintili Vare redde Legiones Tu Episcope redde Legiones redde Animas I was bold in my Sermon to lay Prelacy as low as Prelaticall men have laid Monarchy I was too bold they say in calling the Pope whore so often But it is as certain that Pope John the eighth or Joan the first was a Whore as the credit of impartiall Historians I except the Sacred onely can make a matter of fact certaine which was done so long ago The ancient Popish Historians acknowledge this truth The Successour of Leo the fourth is generally described by name John the eighth by firname English by place a Pope by
Pardon and a gracious acceptation if we were not first justified our works would not be accepted nor rewarded Because our persons are accepted in Christ therefore our works are rewarded for Christ that imperfect righteousnesse of works which we have doth wholly depend upon the righteousnesse of faith now the imperfection of our righteousnesse is pardoned the sincerity of our obedience is accepted and yet we are not justified by our own sincere obedience no not in part but are onely and wholly because perfectly justified by the compleat and perfect obedience of Iesus Christ We must then trust with our whole soul to the obedience of Iesus Christ and not trust at all to any good quality infused into us or good works wrought by us for our Iustification This is the pure Protestant Religion commended to us in the second Chapter In his third Chapter he doth largely explain the office and use of Faith because Faith is the instrument of our justification and we can never keep the unity of Faith in the bond of Peace if we do not agree about the Nature or the Offices and use of Faith I am sorry I must lay aside this Book but if you will be pleased to take it up I may conclude my Epistle onely give me leave to renew my suit to you concerning a Nationall Covenant a Nationall Thanksgiving a speedy and free Assembly If the Prelaticall men are displeased that so many Bishops are passed by let them remember what the Archbishop of Canterbury saith That there have been some corrupt crafty Bishops who by plots and tricks have disturbed all Synods and most Councels Astutos veteratoriae improbitatis Episcopos qui arâ—ibus suis ac dolis omnia Concilia perturbabant I shall conclude all with that Prayer which I used at the Fast Lord never was there any Kingdom that made an higher Appeal to thy Majesty then our poor Kingdom hath made Both sides appeal to thee not onely by a Warre but a Protestation Lord be pleased to decide the Controversie let that side prevail which doth most sincerely desire thy glory the Kings good the Kingdoms welfare by an happy Reformation and a Christian Peace I am sure you will say Amen to the prayer of Your daily Oratour at the Throne of Grace FRA CHEYNELL Courteous Reader SOme passages in my Sermon have reference to a little treatise which I lately published about Socinianisme in that booke you will meet with much Latine which is not translated yet if you turne over but the first foure or five leaves you may without the helpe of Latine if you read attentively pick out the scope of the book some quotations were scholasticall and would not beare English some are full of blasphemies others there are that will seeme superfluous to any but a scholar who delights to know every circumstance Be pleased to read the booke the Sermon and Epistle beleeve and obey the Scriptures and prepare for Martyrdome we know not how soone we may be called to seale the truth with our dearest bloud lend the Author thy patience and thy prayers F. C. A SERMON PREACHED AT THE late Fast before the Commons House of PARLIAMENT ZECHAR 2. 7. Deliver thy self O Zion that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon BEhold two Nations two manner of peodle strugling in the bowels of this Text and Kingdom Jacob and Esan Sion and Babylon Now the Kingdom lies groaning in its throws and pangs in its agony and bloody-sweat let us fall into a devout agony and penitent sweat if we cannot sweat blood let us sweat tears let every pore of our body be a weeping eye a crying a praying mouth to beg a safe delivery for our labouring Mother who travails in the anguish of her spirit Let us intreat God to comfort England as he did Rebekah Genes 25. 23. And the Lord said unto her Two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels O let us pray that either Babylon may be separated expelled out of the bowels of Sion or Sion delivered out of Babylon When the poor Iews were prisoners in Babylon by the rivers of Babylon there they sat down and wept and wept amain when they remembred Zion Psal. 137. 1. Oh for Ieremies tears and Ieremies spirit that we might write another book of Lamentations to bewail the miserable security of this present age Sion sits down by the rivers of Babylon the waters of strife and rivers of Confusion and shall there be no fountain in our Head or Heart no penitent streams flowing from our eyes The God of heaven make this marble sweat that we may not keep a Mock-fast to day with dry eyes and hard hearts Come let us blow off the ashes from our zeal let us enflame our hearts with sad but servent devotion Sure if as Heraclitus dreamt our soul were but an Exhalation the heat of our devotion would melt it into one indivisible tear Our soul would be its own tear and we might well weep out our eyes and souls together on this day of tears Oh let us remember to joyn Zecharies zeal with Jeremies tears let us lie upon our faces to day but up up to morrow the Prophet cryes Ho Ho in the verse before my Text to awaken and enflame your zeal and indignation against Babylon Come â—pread abroad like the four winds of heaven saith the Lord Deliver thy self O Zion c. In the words observe Zions bondage and Zions deliverance Zions Memento and Gods Alarme Zions Memento to put her in minde of her sad condition she was yet in the house of Bondage like Galba's wit she had but a foul habitation an ill seat and worse neighbours Zion that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon But that 's not all it is not a bare gentle Memento in a still voice Heus heus divinum {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Heark heark God himself sounds an Alarme Zion's fast asleep she snorts again and therefore the Prophet lifts up his voice and cryes So Ho O Zion awake awake rouze up thy self out of thy secure pleasing dream Thy soul is asleep awake quicken thy spirits put on strength O Zion put forth thy strength use all possible diligence for thy redemption and Deliverance Deliver thy self O Zion c. The Text at first glance presents these two Propositions to our serious consideration 1. It is sometimes the hard lot of Zion to dwell with the daughter of Babylon This point is so clear that I need not explain or confirm it wee 'l let that passe and hasten to the second 2. Zion must take all fair opportunities and use all lawfull meanes to deliver her self from Babylon I desire to spend my strength upon this Doctrin Give me leave to open the point a little Come let us walk the Round and survey the bounds of Zion and the bounds of Babylon By Zion the Prophet means the people of God whose * hearts were set on Zion because God
the Devill Babylon was the Malignant Church the Sinke of Sinne the stall of Beasts the Throne of Idols the Temple of Devills and mother of confusion No place more infamous for their pride and tyranny their cruelty and Idolatry well might Sion be weary of such a loathsome prison and noisome dungeon which could not but be offensive by its stench and darknesse even as Babylon the great is the Habitation of Devills the Strong hold of foule spirits Rev. 18. 2. The 3d. Reason is taken from the Terminus ad Quem the place unto which they were called unto Ierusalem unto Sion Every motion takes its denomination from its Terminus ad Quem but here even the Travailers themselves who were to move take their Title from that Place unto which they moved The people are called Sion because they were called forth to goe to Sion Deliver thy self O Zion Sion was a place beloved of God and all his people the people were in love with Sion with respect to Gods Election institution Promise Blessing God had chosen that place for his Seat of speciall Residence and did there exhibite himselfe to his people by a visible presence Moreover God had by a speciall Institution recorded his name and set up his ordinances in Sion and therefore the Temple was to be built againe on that mountaine the Jewes were confined to a certaine place to Sion Some parts of publique worship were so appropriated to that place that they were to be performed there and no where else Deut. 12. 13 14. Take heed to thy self that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest but in the place which the Lord shall chuse in one of the Tribes there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings and there thou shalt do all that I command thee The particular offerings are more distinctly specified in the 11. verse of the same Chapter Your burnt offerings and your sacrifices your tithes and the heave-offering of your hand and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord Finally God had promised a blessing to all them who came up to Sion to worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holinesse At first there was a generall promise given Exo 20. 24. In all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee and I will blesse thee But when God had chosen Ierusalem for the Seat of Royalty the place of Justice and Sion as the Mountain of Holinesse and place of publique Worship then all the Tribes were to go to Ierusalem for Justice and to Sion to sacrifice Psal. 122. 4 5. Whither the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord For there are set Thrones of Iudgement the Thrones of the house of David The poor people had long been deprived of the benefit of Iustice and the liberty of Religion but now God had promised by his Prophet Zechary that their Common-wealth should be setled their Church established their City and Temple both new builded Zech. 1. 16 17. Therefore thus saith the Lord I am returned to Ierusalem with mercies my house shall be built in it saith the Lord of Hoasts my cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem The first Temple was as glorious as Art and cost could make it but God who hath gold and silver heaven and earth at his disposing had passed his word to them that he would shake heaven and earth sea and land and fill the latter house with the glory of the Lord Jesus who is the desire and glory of all Nationa Haggai 2. from the 6. verse to the 9. Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Hoasts the silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of Hoasts the glory of this latter House shall be greater then of the former c. The Prophet you see had good reason to invite them to new Jerusalem here below a kinde of heaven upon earth to Sion the habitation of Iustice and mount of Holinesse the praise of the Jews the glory of the Gentiles the House of God and Type of Heaven Fourthly God had now removed all rubs he had opened the Kings heart and the prison doors if they would be active it was in their own power to deliver themselves and therefore the Prophet calls upon them to use their power and to take that fair opportunity which was offered for their deliverance and their glory Deliver thy self O Zion Why Zion wilt thou be a Felo de Se thy shackles are knockt off the Poâ—ts are open the Commission is now sealed come be not cruell to thy self what wilt thou be thine own tormentour thine own prisoner Before the seventy years were expired thou wast detained in Babylon thou wast a prisoner there but now thy time is out and therefore if thou stayest longer yet thou are not a Prisoner but a dweller in Babylon Deliver thy self O Zion that dwellest in Babylon There 's the Emphasis and strength of the Prophets exhortation The Use of this Point is to stirre up the Christian Zion all true Protestants to deliver themselves from Antichristian Babylon from the Babylonish army the Babylonish Church The Iâ—wish Zion had a miraculous deliverance from the Assyrian Babylon though God be the Lord of Hosts and hath all armies at his command yet Zion was to be delivered not by might or by the power of an Army but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts by the Immediate hand of God Zech. 4. 6. But I doe not find that Christian Zion shall be delivered upon such easie termes from Antichristian Babylon doe not â—latter your selves with vaine hopes our deliverance will cost bloud 1. This is cleare to any man that hath studied the booke of the Revelation what upon prayer study God hath revealed by the clear Texts of the Revelation I will this day deliver unto you though I were sure to die S. Iohns death or to be banisht into S. Iohns Iland The God of heaven give us a further Revelation of this Revelation that it may be interpreted by the same Spirit by which it was written S. Iohn tels me that the Spirits of Devills shall go forth to the Kings of the earth of the whole world to gather them to Armageddon to the battel of that great day of God Almighty Rev. 16. 14. 16. Secondly I know it is a great while yet to that great battell yet the Spirits will be Scouting out long before And sure these Spirits have been at worke of late in Ireland England Scotland too the Babylonians are active must the precious sonnes of Sion be meerely
present estate we have no reason at all to communicate with him but all the reason in the world to separate from him 3. Deliver your selves from Babylon by a thorow Reformation Do not wonder that I talk of a Reformation after separation for you must separate before you can reforme there is an untoward generation which will never be reformed take St. Peters counsell Acts 2. 40. Save your selves from that untoward generation and then reforme and consider withall that you are like to finde a great many men that will be forward enough to separate and yet unwilling to reforme Do you think there are no States-men who love the Mount of Moriah better then Mount Sion they would prefer the State but no matter for the Church they care not if it sink and perish I could wish that these Secular men just of Gallio's temper would consider that when the Iews thought they might preserve their State if they did curry favour with the Romanes and reject Christ God made them slaves to the Romans for rejecting of Christ 〈◊〉 need not apply In the 11th Chap. of our Prophet Zechary we read of two staves the staffe of Beauty and the staffe of Bands When the people broke Covenant with God by disobeying the Ordinances of God and rejecting Christ then God cut his staffe of Beauty asunder and broke that Church-Covenant the externall Covenant which he had made with that people ver. the tenth he did unchurch them deprive them of his Ordinances which are the strength the beauty the glory of a Nation and therefore are called the staffe of Beauty Observe a little farther that when the staffe of Beauty was broken it was not long ere the staffe of Bands was cut asunder Then I cut asunder my other staffe even Bands ver. 14. Then When Why when they undervalued the Lord Jesus they thought him worth but 30. pieces a goodly price read the 12. and 13. verses Then I cut asunder my other staffe I broke the brotherhood between Judah and Israel they were in a word deprived of Gods Ordinances and given up to Civill-wars the ninth verse of that Chapter doth sufficiently expresse their misery Then said I I will not feed you that that dieth let it die and that that is to be cut off let it be cut off and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another If that be not full enough read the sixth vers I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land saith the Lord but lo I will deliver the men every one into his neighbours hand and into the hand of his King and they shall smite the land and out of their hand I will not deliver them A sad Text Learn from hence That when a people are Un-churched they are undone if you desire to preserve the State be sure to preserve the Church and if you desire to preserve the Church O then reform it and do it suddenly too for fear the disease grow too strong for Remedies Beleeve it that part of England which adheres to the Babylonish faction and will not be reformed that part must be deserted there is good ground for it Jerem. 51. 9. We would have healed Babylon but she is not healed forsake her that's plain-English But what needs a Reformation say some were not our Fathers wise and honest men what need we be more wise or pure then they were they lived happily here on earth in peace and plenty and they do now triumph gloriously in heaven what can be desired more 1. I answer Many of our Fathers were honest and some of them very wise in their generations considering their light and their means we enjoy their labours the fruits of their wisdoms and God be praised a more glorious light and therefore no marvaile if we see some things more clearly then our Fathers did 2. Again our Fathers saw many things amisse which they were not able to reform 3. Had our Fathers enjoyed the same happy light which shines round about us and those fair opportunities which God hath let fall from heaven into our lap there is no question but they would have reformed more in one year then we have done in two Parsons observes that the Parliament of England in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign rejected the Catholike Doctrin Popish Doctrins he means but saith he they retained something of the Catholike use in the whole government of their Church and therefore Mr. Cartwright found fault with them and shewed them what was yet farther to be reformed but Scotland saith Parsons Holland Zeland and some parts of France followed Mr Cartwrights way but Bishop Bancroft was the principall opposer of this faction he meanes Reformation in England You see Mr Cartwright did what he could but Bishop Bancroft and the Babylonian faction were too potent contrary to the judgment of Sion of the Reformed Churches abroad Bancroft prevailed for he suggested that this discipline of Sion would not onely overthrow the Babylonish Monarchy but the English Monarchy also But it should have been considered and let it be considered now 1 That the government of the Church is not a Monarchicall no Monarch save Christ alone is Head and King of the Church though every Monarch that 's truly Christian be a King in the Church For it is one thing to be a King in the Church and another to be King over the Church 2. Every King as a member of the Church is in an Ecclesiasticall sense subject to the discipline of the Church for such a kind of subjection will well consist with his Civill Soveraignty because it is not a Civill Subjection Judicious b Camero was a man very tender of pitching upon any conclusion which might be prejudiciall unto Kingly power and he useth an excellent similitude to illustrate this point As it is in the cure of the body so is it in the cure of the Soule now a King for the Cure of his body must patiently yeeld himselfe to his College of Physitians for though he rule over them as a King yet he must be ruled by them as a patient In like manner a wise King will and every King ought to be perswaded by the College Ecclesiasticall in point of discipline to obey the Rules and orders of Iesus Christ for the King in this point doth not obey the College but Christ himselfe 3. It is well knowne that Kings and Emperours have beene subjected to Episcopall and too often enslaved by Prelaticall power Who knowes not that the Bishop of Millaine c would not admit the Emperour to the Communion till he had repented of that outrage and bloudshed at Thessalonica which was occasioned by the Emperours passionate Command It is generally confessed that Ambrose did well in rejecting the Emperour from the Communion and that the Emperour was no lesse an Emperour and a farre better man by submitting to a Minister of the Gospell preaching and administring some part of the discipline of
Iesus Christ All the world knowes that Babylon grew great at first by claiming an universall Jurisdiction in Spiritualls over the whole Church of God by vertue of that usurped and Anti-christian title of * Vniversall Bishop I have not breath or strength enough to tell you the story of Boniface the third at large nor am â—at leisure to relate how Pope Hildebrand laid aside the two-edged sword of the Word tooke up the two-handed sword of Temporall Spirituall Jurisdiction it is cleare that by the power of these two swords Babylon was raised to such an height that the Popes have ever since tyrannized like Babylonian Monarchs over Kings and Emperours as if the Pope had been Nebuchadnezzars successour whose Title is confessed by Daniel to be King of Kings Dan. 2. 37. Much lesse can I relate what violence hath been used for the oppressing poore Protestants in every corner of the world by this Beast of Babylon but give me leave in the name of all the Churches to renew that charge of the Prophet * The violence done unto me and to my flesh be upon Babylon shal the inhabitant of Zion say shal Germany say and France say and my bloud upon the Chaldeans shall Jerusalem say shall Ireland say nay England poore England doth this day joyne in the Charge against all the Antichristian Protestants give me leave to call them so who are of the Antichristian faction and joyne with the popish army in shedding the bloud of Saints under the notion of Parliament dogges and Rebells the bloud of England and Ireland be upon all them who have shed the precious bloud of Protestants out of a presumptuous and malicious wickednesse This scruple being removed I shall now proceed if my voice will hold to give you some plain Directions for a thorow Reformation the first Direction is Negative 1. You must not build Sion with the Materials of Babylon with any thing that may truely and properly be said to be fetcht from Babylon as old Babylon was not to be built any more so was there no stone to be taken from thence to build any other place They shall not take of thee a stone for a corner nor a stone for foundations but everlasting desolations shall be upon thee saith the Lord Jerem. 51. 26. Beware then how you receive any Principles any Fundamentals or Corner-stones from Romish-Babylon let everlasting desolations dwell upon it Let us not receive the Babylonian-Creed the Trent-Creed nor the Romish-Liturgie the Church of God hath a spirit of Prayer and therefore needs not send to Babylon to Rome for prayers The Papists seem to acknowledge that their Liturgie is corrupt because they have often pretended and as some boast have really made severall Reformations of their Liturgie You see then that those men have steeled their brows with a more then Babylonish impudency who have been ever and anon altering the English Liturgie for the worse as if the Missall had been Jure divino and therefore the Liturgie could never come near enough to the Romane Masse Beleeve it if the Faction that is now up in Arms prevail we shall have that Service book which was prepared for Scotland or a a worse some Babylonian-Service imposed upon us as Divine-service and can any man that hath but an English-heart within him bear such a Cheat If we had but the noble valour which dwelt in the Britains of old whilest they worshipped the Goddesse of b Victory before they knew Christ it is impossible but our spirits should rise against such grand Impostures But I forget you and my self Be sure that there be no Babylonian gods no Romish Idols tolerated in England let it be no longer counted the piety of the times to make our Churches houses of temptation let that prophesie Micah 1. 7. be fulfilled in our dayes Let the graven Images be beaten to pieces and the hires thereof burnt with fire let all the Idols be laid desolate for all was gathered of the hire of an Harlot and they shall return to the hire of an Harlot You know there is hire taken for both kindes of Harlotry at Rome Let us have no more Babylonian Ministers Priests so they would be called let us have no more Babylonian Altars for fear they bring in the Babylonian Sacrifice You know how many English Martyrs did sacrifice their lives in protesting against the sacrifice in the Masse and though some black-mouthed Priests of late have called them Foxes-Martyrs yet I will be bold to call them the Martyrs of the Lord Jesus and the Martyrs of the Holy Ghost I must beg time to prove what I say it is a weighty truth and we know not how soon we may be called to seal this truth with our dearest blood The Apostle proves it undeniably by sundry arguments in the Epistle to the Hebrews in the 7. 8. 9. and 10th Chapters I will pitch upon the tenth because there you have the summe of all There is no other Sacrifice which can take away sin but the Sacrifice which Jesus Christ himself offered upon the Crosse read the tenth verse By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of what of a wafer-cake no of the body of Iesus Christ But how often must his body be offered once for all not as often as there is a Masse but once for all But who must offer the body of Christ why Christ himself this Man verse the 12th a Masse-Priest cannot offer up the body of Christ for Christ is both Priest and Sacrifice But may not a Masse-Priest offer some other sacrifice for sinnes No there is but one sacrifice for sinne ver. 12. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes and that one sacrifice is to be but once offered the Apostle repeats this that we might not forget it this sacrifice was offered once for all verse 10. once for ever verse 12. once for all sinnes once for all times it is of perpetuall vertue and merit once for ever Is not that plain and full Oh but Christ is gone to heaven and we are not yet perfected Why vain man Christ hath finished his work and therefore is gone to heaven he is sate down ver. 12. and he hath done his work or else he would not sit down he hath not left any part of the Service to be perfected by a Masse-priest and therefore do not expect to be perfected by any other offering in the Masse or out of the Masse read the 14. verse For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Ye are sanctified by that one offering verse 10. and perfected by it verse 14. But who is the witnesse of this truth why the Holy Ghost in the very next verse the 15th verse Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witnesse to us Judge now whether they that did bear witnesse to this truth be not Co-martyrs with the Holy Ghost and therefore Co-heirs with Jesus Christ You
Tim. 5. 24 25. In the last place let us make it our saddest businesse to reform our own particular persons Honourable and Beloved are there no sinnes amongst you even amongst you Quis custodiet ipsos custodes Have the Reformers no need of Reformation turn your eyes inward tell me sadly what do you discover there are there no Babylonish Inmates protected there such as can never be defended are there no unruly passions no unmortified lusts no self-ends or sinister respects such as beg your priviledge and enjoy your favour These these are the Brats of Babylon O happy thrice happy shall he be who takes these Infant-lusts before they are grown up and dasheth them against the Rock as it is in Ps. 137. ver. 9. This is the proper work of a Fast What have you done to day You have sate here five or six hours and missed a dinner Is this the Fast that God hath chosen is this all that he requires of you Doth he not command you to humble your souls to break your hearts to afflict your spirits to mortifie your lusts deny your selves reform your lives take up your crosse and follow Christ Will you cut off your right hands and pull out your right eyes Will you take Christs yoak upon your necks his burthen upon your shoulder Will you lay down your honours your estates your lives at the feet of Jesus Christ Will ye live to him and if he calls you to it will you die for him If you have wrought your hearts to this temper to day then you have fasted to the Lord God takes notice of your zeal you beat down Crosses and Images but take heed you do not leave some idols standing in your own bosomes Is there no lust of covetousnesse or lust of uncleannesse no pride ambition envie malice enshrined within your hearts Down down with these You know there are Idola saeculi as well as Idolatemplâ— {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} sunt {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} all your lusts must be Anathematized Cursed that they may like the fig-tree after it was cursed die and wither at their very root Tell me is not selfe-love an Idoll is it not the great Whore is not lust a Beast a Monster with many heads and horns Oh hate this Whore mortifie selfe-love and you stab the Beast to the heart for self-love is the very heart and soul of Originall sinne it is the last enemy which will be destroyed it was primum vivens and it will be ultimum moriens Come then let us beat down our bodies and cry to God to humble our souls and beat down our corruptions let not onely Reason Vote down your lusts but Faith and Zeal pray them down The precious sons of Sion are most troubled with this same Babylon within and therefore they do make most frequent and penitent complaints against themselves and put up most zealous prayers to God to give them power and victory over their head-strong and stomackfull corruptions and in their prayers their faith ever closes with such promises as assure them of grace enough to resist temptations and mortifie their corruptions this is the way to keep a faithfull penitent holy zeaelous heavenly Fast This is to fast as our Saviour did who made it his meat and drink to do the will of his Father Be pleased to consider that you must not only beat down Babylon but build up Sion Sion is built by faith and holinesse In the first place then 1. Look to your faith The walls of Babylon like the walls of Jericho are battered down by faith all the faithfull prisoners in Babylon whose hearts were sprinkled by the blood of the Covenant were prisoners of hope and therefore were sure to be delivered from the bottomlesse-pit in which there is no water for Babylon was a type of Hell As for thee also by the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water Zechar. 9. 11. Beasts live by sense Heathens live by reason Christians must live by faith they must mortifie their lusts renounce their merits rest onely upon Christs perfect obedience and full satisfaction for their justification for we cannot be Constituted righteous but by the obedience of Christ Rom. 5. 19. In this faith let us live in this let us die 2. Study Holinesse Holinesse is the beauty of Sion for there they were to worship God in the beauty of holinesse there can be no beauty in our souls no glory in our Congregations without holinesse Sion was the Mount of holinesse Zech. 8. 3. Holinesse is the end of Humane society Vtque alios alii de Relligione docerent Contiguas Pietas jussit habere domos Certainly this Age is even grown Barbarous or else Holinesse which is the end of Humane society and the life of Christian society would never be contemned and despised as it is now adayes in this wicked generation O what a base thing is it for a Nation to be ashamed of its glory and to glory in its shame Men think it a base thing for to be holy and yet God himself is glorious in Holinesse Exod. 15. 11. Certainly if this Nation would be glorious in Holinesse Gods right hand would be glorious in power and dash our enemies to pieces Exod. 15. 6. Without holinesse we cannot have any intimate acquaintance with God or good men We long for Peace but Peace is a Iewell which God gives to none but those that are of his acquaintance Iob 22 21. Acquaint now thy self with him and be at Peace thereby good shall come unto thee A godly life is the life of God those that were strangers to a godly life are said to be alienated or estranged from the life of God Ephes. 4. 18. They then that strike at holinesse strike at the life of God and have a kinde of Atheisticall murther in their thoughts they would lay the Church a bleeding let out the very heart-blood of Religion and take away the life of God If England will not be holy it cannot be happy if we continue in our lukewarmnesse and profanenesse Wo wo be unto us though it go well with Sion it will go ill with us Sion was preserved even when Ierusalem was destroyed and England may be destroyed for its unthankfulnesse unfruitfulnesse heresie idolatry lukewarmnesse and profanenesse c. and yet the Church preserved for the Church is not confined to any place It concerns us then to be such manner of men in all holy conversation 2 Pet. 3. 11. such pilgrims on earth and citizens of heaven that it may appear that we seek a better Countrey an Heavenly and then God will not be ashamed to be called our God Heb. 11. 16. But if we go about spirituall duties with carnall hearts and worldly mindes if we lie at catch waiting for a fair opportunity to return into Egypt the God of heaven will be ashamed to own us for his people Heb.
blow it will prove a bloody and a fatall Day for the seventh Angel pours out his vial and cries the deed is done 't is finished when all the Babylonian troops shall be gathered to Armageddon the destruction of troops as the word imports The Beast shall receive many a wound before but this blow shall dispatch him he shall never hold up his head more Deliver thy self then O Zion Christ is the great Deliverer but though Christ be Principall we must be Instrumentall in this great work of our own deliverance Deliver thy self O Zion and if thou canst not be delivered without fighting fight for thy deliverance 1. Consider that Rome is Babylon St. Iohn never speaks one good word of Rome quite thorowout the book of the Revelation he calls it Egypt or Sodom or Babylon the throne of the Beast the strong-hold of foul-spirits the habitation of Devils Rome was once the Spouse of Christ but behold she is not onely turned an whore but the mother of Harlots and fornications the Metropolis of Apostasie and mystery of Iniquity the great whore Revel. 17. 1. a blasphemous whore in the third verse a whore in purple verse the fourth an impudent whore that hath her beastlinesse written not onely upon her Cell but upon her Forehead verse the fifth a drunken whore a bloody whore in the sixth verse I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints with the blood of the Martyrs of Iesus We need not run to Antiquity to ask their opinion what whore and what beast this is or where this whore dwells St. Iohn speaks so plain that the * Jesuits themselves are forced to confesse that this whore was to domineer at Rome It is the City which is built upon seven Hills which had had so many governments five of which were fallen before St. Iohn writ this Book Kings Consuls Tribunes Decemvirs Dictatours one remains still saith St. Iohn namely the government of Emperours and the other that of Popes was not then come And that we might be sure not to mistake St. Iohn tells us that it is the great City which reigned over the Kings of the earth in his time Revel. 17. 18. 2. Consider who is the Generall or the Commander in Chief of the Babylonian Army St. Iohn hath set him forth like a God of the world with Titles enough the Serpent the Dragon the Angel of the bottomlesse-pit for 't is he that gives all the orders and directions to Antichrist He advises him to lay claim to a Power which belongs not to him Irenaeus long since hath clearly shewn that the Beast with two horns and the False Prophet are but one and the same Beast Learned Mr. Mede hath shewn that the Beast with ten horns doth signifie the Secular Power of ten Kingdoms who by the impious subtilty of the Dragon combine together to make a Body a Romish Common-wealth the Beast with two Horns is as you use to call it the Ecclesiasticall Power The ten Kings or Kingdoms were to make up but one Beast of burthen for the Whore to ride upon that is they all joyn together to support the Whore and therefore these ten Horns are all placed upon the seventh Head that is they strengthen the last government the Popish government Now as the great Dragon did manage the whole businesse whilest that Heathenisme was supported by the power of the Romane Emperours as St. Iohn shews in the twelfth Chapter of the Revelation so doth the Dragon over-rule the whole businesse in the time of the Antichristian Popes as St. Iohn shews in the thirteenth Chapter for the Dragon gave the Beast his Power and his Seat and great Authority Revel. 13. 3. and they worshipped the Dragon who gave power to the Beast verse the fourth and therefore the Beast is said to ascend out of the bottomlesse pit Revel. 17. 8. If you look upon the Pope as Bishop of Rome so he came up out of the earth his Ordination was not from heaven but if you look upon him as Pope as Universall Bishop a Temporall Monarch a King even of kings we say he had 〈◊〉 blacker Institution he ascended out of the bottomlesse-pit Take it thus then Satan had his Seat in Heathen Rome but he hath his Throne in Popish Rome ever since the Romane Court hath had the confidence to call it self the Catholique Church it hath offered more violence and done more mischief to the true Church of Christ then ever was done by the Romane Empire and therefore as the 7. trumpets did sound an Alarme against the Romane Empire so the 7. vials are all to be poured out upon the Popish Empire the Anti-christian State 3. Consider that where the Pope and his Agents prevail by a Babylonian Army there they do constantly exercise a Babylonian Tyranny When the people were so mad as to prefer Caesar before Christ God gave them into the hand of the Romane Emperour and he tyrannized over them and God would not deliver them just as he threatned before-hand by his Prophet Zechary 11. 6. I will deliver the men every one into his neighbours hand and into the hand of his King and they shall smite the land and out of their hand will I not deliver them The Emperour did smite the land indeed but the Pope of Rome will tyrannize far worse then the Emperour If ever God for our sins sell us into the hand of that Man of sinne he will not onely tyrannize over our bodies and estates but over our consciences too If ever he enter England with his tripple-crown with his sword in one hand and his keyes in the other he will tyrannize like a Pope he will curtall our Creed and yet enlarge it I beleeve in the holy Catholike Church that is as they interpret it too often in the Pope that must be our onely Creed and we shall finde that a large one We must a swear obedience to the Popes Commands they say that vow of obedience is implied in their Baptisme and therefore they name the Trinity but for fashion sake and do indeed baptize their children in the name of Antichrist Now if the Popes Commands are in force and the Commands of God dispensed with the Commands of the Pope will soon justle out the Commands of God You know the Pope hath by the b Plenitude of his power struck out the second Commandment and by the same authority he may when he please strike out the first Commandment and by consequent all the rest and then he may make a new Preface and a new Decalogue if that number will content him he may say as the c Extravagant saith that he himself is the Lord our God who desires to bring us into the land of Aegypt the house of bondage he should do well to put in that where we shall have no other God but the Pope for he exalts himself above all that is called God
but we may have as many Images and Idols as we please and so take the Name of our God in vain we must keep all the Saints dayes and then we shall not be at leisure to keep the Lords-day you know the Popes Agents here in England about four years ago did not onely dispense with the people for observing the Lords-day but enjoyn them to prophane it you know their Doctrine about Aequivocation and Fornication they do too often count Murther meritorious a Doctrine which doth well become the mouth of that purple whore who is drunk with the blood of Saints St. John hath drawn this Monster to the life you may guesse how the Pope will tyrannize by the very picture of the Beast Revel. 13. 2. No one beast hath ill qualities enough to furnish the Pope and therefore he borrows something from the Leopard and something from the Bear and something from the Lyon besides what he hath from the Dragon this Antichristian Monarch hath all the tyrannizing qualities of three of those Monarchies which the Prophet Daniel hath described the Leopard was the type of the Graecian the Bear of the Persian the Lyon of the Babylonian Monarchy it is observable that he hath the Mouth of a Lyon a Babylonian mouth he will plead for Babylon he will send forth such Edicts as Nebuchadnezzar did they shall be burnt alive who will not worship the Image which he hath set up You see he hath the mouth of a Lyon nay the mouth of a Dragon for though he pretends that he is the servant of servants and the curse of Cham indeed is a fit title for him nay though he say he is Christs Vicar and hath two horns like a Lambe yet he speaks like a Dragon Revel. 13. 11. What say you then brethren shall we run into the paw of this Bear into the mouth of this Lyon this Dragon who is as great a tyrant as the Graecians Persians Babylonians put them all together nay he comes in the power of the Dragon of the Devill himself and therefore he will not onely tyrannâ—ze as an Emperour but as a Devill Deliver thy self O Sion from the Babylonian Army that thou mayest never groan under the iron yoak of Babylonian tyranny 4. Consider that the men of Europe are most given to admire the Babylonian Beast and to submit unto him All the world saith St. Iohn wondred after the Beast Revel. 13. 3. this was the Europaean world take heed ye men of Europe do not wonder after the Beast for fear you worship him for so it follows in the very next verse first they wondred and then they worshipped be not terrified with the strength and provisions of the Babylonian Army if any man be stricken with fear and admiration both at once and cry out with those admirers and worshippers of the Beast Revel. 13. 4. Who is like unto the Beast who is able to make warre with him let him take these following Encouragements and then he shall see that there is one that is able to make war with the Beast 1. My first way of Encouragement is to remove your discouragements and to affright you out of all your fears you are afraid of the threats and rage of the Babylonian Party I will fright you more Christ doth out-threaten Antichrist therefore if you will be affrighted feare Christ most the wrath of God and the effects of his wrath his punishments are far more terrible then any that can be inflicted by the Babylonian Army read the fourteenth Chapter of the Revelation the ninth and following verses If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand observe that though by his forehead he may seem a Neuter yet if he have the Mark in his hand and work closely under-board for Antichrist that man shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and â—e shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb And the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beaest and his image and whosoever receives the mark of his name What think you now have not they who comply with Antichrist greater discouragements then they that oppose him had not a man better adventure up to the very mouth of a Cannon then be tormented with the fire of Heâ—â— or the wrath of God Let the fear of God preserve thee from all false fears Timor Dei efficit ut caetera non timeantur Fear not them that kill the body but fear him who can cast thy soule and body into Hell yea feare him Dost thou not beleeve a Resurrection why then dost thou fear them that kill the body shew me an army that can keep my body from rising or my soul from ascending I will be afraid of them My second Encouragement is taken from Gods dealing with Babylon of old I shall not tell you any long stories out of Xenophon Herodotus or the rest about the taking of Babylon but content my self with what I finde in Scripture 1. God did dry up Euphrates a river so deep and swift that the Babylonians laughed at all the attempts of any enemy that should go about to take their City and yet Babylon was soon taken when God did but say to the deep Be dry Isai. 44. 27. God did plead the cause of Sion and dry up the sea of Babylon and all the springs Ierem. 51. 36. And will not God plead the cause of his Evangelicall Sion will he not dry up the Euphrates the Sea of Rome and all her springs Yes surely God doth intend to dry up the Romish Euphrates Revel. 16. 12. The River is not now so deep it doth not overflow the banks so far as it hath done of late dayes we have gained much ground from the Romish-sea Let us look to our Banks and keep what we have gained 2. God did give up the Babylonians to luxury drunkennesse security I will make them drunken that they may rejoyce and sleep a perpetuall sleep and not awake saith the Lord Jerem. 〈◊〉 39. The people of Babylon were drunk and asleep and left the gates open Isai. 45. 1. 3. God did break thorow all their Fortifications and make all those gates and bars which were fast flie open to make way for Cyrus Isai. 45. 2. 4. God did discover all the hid treasure and secret wealth of Babylon Isai. 45. 3. Finally God did speake terrour to the hearts of the Babylonians their hands did faint their hearts did melt their faces were like a pale trembling flame which rises now and anon it falls and at last goes away in a smoak so I understand that place Isai. 13. 8. Their faces shall be as the faces of the flames It is certain that God loves his Evangelicall