the child of the Devill then themselves Let them not come with their lives in their hands with the hazard of their bloud to pervert them committed to our charge and our selves sit silent but let us lift up our voyces in season and out of season And let them know there are Prophets among them and if the people will not be charmed send them to God with this Inscription on their foreheads Noluerunt incantari They will not be charmed Let us to our power save our owne soules and them that heare us Lastly you the people of God stand fast to the Gospell if an Angell from Heaven preach any other Doctine let him be accursed O search the Scripture throughly It was the speech of a dying Archbishop of this Province one of the last that ever he spoke to his Chaplein I have said much and writ much and read much and preacht much Yet in all the booke of God I doe not finde the least ground for Popery Saint Paul withstood Peter to his face and gave him no place no not for an houre O withstand Peter of Rome who can challenge nothing of Peters but that title which Christ once gave him Sathan and that fact in denying his Master I say withstand him to his face and give him not place no not for an houre I can never sufficiently admire and wonder at the speech of blessed Luther who though he was very earnest to have the Communion administred in both kinds contrary to the Doctrine and custome of the Church of Rome yet he professes if the Pope as Pope commanded him to receive in both kindes he would but receive in one kind It s a generall rule among the best that what the Pope commands as Pope though it bee good or indifferent as to pray to read to lift up an eye a hand to weare blacke or white a lace a modell to drop a Bead as the Pope commanding it It is a receiving the marke of the beast a yeelding our selves the Vassalls of Sathan and an Implicite denying the faith of Christ So extremely venimous is the poyson that lyes at the root of that fundamentall heresie which they have layed at the very Rocke and foundation of their faith so dangerous and pernitious it is to hearken to the Pope The renowned Martyrs in Queene Maries days would show no reverence to the commissioners from the Pope and let mee tell you there are many things in the Church of Rome that may be that are decent to be used in the Church of God some things there are at this day in practise in the Church of Rome that were in use in that Church when it was not Antichristian in the times of the Primitive Bishops and blessed Martyrs Some things used that are not yet commanded by the Pope as Pope what ever we use with the Church of Rome we use it as commanded by another power not because commanded by the Pope so that what we doe is to bee accounted an Act of obedience what they doe is to bee condemned because commanded by the Pope be wise as Serpents Innocent as Doves rightly distinguish of times places and persons so shall you not endanger your own soules nor disobey them that are over you nor scandall them that live with you Lastly must we stand fast Let us give thanks to our Lord God that we stood fast to this day It is very meet and our duty that wee should at all times and in all places give thankes to thee ô Lord holy father but chiefely for the deliverance of this day from that unparallell'd matchlesse damnable Gunpowder Treason Therfore with Angels and Archangels and all the glorious company of heaven we laud and magnifie the name of God and say Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth glory be to God on high O all ye works of the Lord praise ye the Lord blesse him and magnifie him for ever O all yee Angels of the Lord blesse yee the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O all yee Children of men blesse yee the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O all yee Priests of the Lord blesse ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O all yee servants of the Lord blesse yee the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O all yee Kings and Emperors all people and Princes all Iudges young men and maides old men and babes praise yee the name of the Lord for his name is only excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven hee hath exalted the Horne of his people the praise of all his Saints even the people of England a people neere unto him praise the Lord Happie are we who are like unto us saved by the Lord the shield of our helpe and the sword of our excellency The eternall God is our Refuge and underneath him are the everlasting Armes he hath saved us and if wee trust in him hee will save us from this time forth and for evermore blessed be the God of our salvation and let all the People say Amen FINIS The third SERMON GEN 49. 5 6. and 7. verses Simeon and Levi are Brethren Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations O my soule come not thou into their secret into their assembly mine honour be not thou united for in their anger they slew a man and in their selfe will they digg'd a wall cursed bee their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell I will divide them in Iacob and scatter them in Israel THis Chapter containes the last Will and Testament of the Patriarch Iacob made on his death bed and it consists of two parts First the Legacy and portion that he bequeathes to his children Secondly his care concerning his buriall together with the manner of his death My Text is part of the first part and contains that part and portion that appertaines to Simeon and Levi wherin be pleased to consider with me two generalls First their sinne Secondly their censure Their sinne in the fifth and part of the sixth verses Their censure in part of the sixth and seaventh verses Their sinne was murder amplified and aggravated First by their mutuall consent and agreement in sinne Simeon and Levi are brethren Iunius saith on the Text Iacob doth not call them brethren because they were so in nature but because they were brethren in the murder Secondly their sinne is aggravated and amplified from the manner of their acting and perpetrating it they did it wilfully revengefully in their anger they slew a man in their selfe-will they digg'd a wall Thirdly from the extension the measure and degree their anger was fierce their wrath was cruell Their censure that also is aggravated First by the person that adjudgeth them it was their father Secondly from the circumstance of time when he did it when he was on his death bed Thirdly from the manner how he did it First with indignation and detestation denying any further protection to
Assizes God hath given his sword a Commission it hath beene many yeares in the Circuite 't is now come neere unto us The sword cannot bee quiet See Ieremy 47.6 7. O thou sword of the Lord how long will it bee ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabberd rest and bee still How can it bee quiet seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against ASKELON and against the Sea-shore there hath hee appointed it The sword hath beene long unsheathed and hath gone in triumph over all the world besides how can it bee quiet till it come among us See what danger we are in the sword hath beene in other parts Thirdly consider warre hath beene at our very doores we have not only heard of it with our eares but our eyes have seene the smoake the fire of it hath toucht our bodies the enemy hath beene as neere us as David to Saul when he cut off the lap of his garment The last yeare was not the enemy strong upon our coast a Potent a powerful a malicious enemy I question not the end of their comming God and they know it but was not the warre at our gates did not the States and the Spaniards fight before our eyes when wee stood still and looked on God might have joyned them together against England But he made their sword drunke in the bloud one of another as the Lacedemonians made their servants and slaves drunke that we might see it and feare Againe was not the Trumpet the last yeare blowne was not a Generall made choise of Leivtenants Coronels Captaines and all officers were there not many horse and foote they that went voluntary and they that were pressed did not the King goe himselfe in person set up his Royall standerds lye in the eye in the sight of the enemy surely the sword was then drawne the knife was at the throate the men of warre were prepared for the fight there was great expence of men time and money yet then the Lord delivered us he returned the King backe again and we had peace David was in great danger when Saul and his men of warre encompassed him about yet then GOD brought Saul backe againe Ierusalem was straitly besieged by the Caldeans yet God hasted them away warre was at the back-doore Lastly consider the warre is now begun the sword hath begun to eate and drinke our flesh and bloud now is the time that Kings goe forth unto war Our preparations are farre greater our hope of preservation farre lesse relapse is the most dangerous The second wrath is seldome appeased God is now ingaged in the warre the meanes of deliverance became vaine and empty there hath beene rysings and rebellions in the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome the Ordinances of warre are in print amongst us the men of warre are gathered together wee waite daily to heare of some bloudy encounter of some fearefull Stratagem of some devillish damnable Massacre some horrid and dreadfull Tragedy The Pharisees were weather-wise it will bee foule weather to day the skie is red and lowring they could discerne the face of the sky but they could not discerne the signes of the times cast up your eyes and you shall see a Cloud comming from the Sea black and dreadfull covering the face of the heaven hearken a little and you shall heare a sound of abundance of Raine yea the drops begin to fall upon your faces stand still and be quiet and you may behold the approach of the enemy the horror the terror they bring with it certainely he that sees not that there is but one step betwixt him and death that we are all but dead men hee is either blind or starke madde for the Sword is drawn Warre is fully prepared War is ready Thirdly consider what possibility there is yet of escape what probability what hope what comfort remaines Is there no balme in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Iacob was almost desperate the famine was sore in the Land Ioseph was not Simeon was not they were taking away Benjamin also The Chiefe Governour of Egypt hee spake roughly to them he imprisoned them as spies hee conjures them that they should not see his face without their brother Benjamin Iacob was resolved hee should not goe his sonnes would not goe without him the famine encreased upon them something therefore Iacob must doe If it must bee so now saith hee doe thus take of the best fruits of the Land in your vessels and bring the man a present a little Rosen and a little hony spices and Myrrhe Nutts and Almonds and take double money in your hand and the money that was brought againe in your sackes mouthes carry it againe in your hands lest it were some oversight Take also your Brother and arise and goe againe to the man And God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man that hee may deliver you your other Brother and Benjamin c. There is the same beame of light and comfort left to us as was to Iacob there lyes a necessitie upon us it must bee so wee must downe into Egypt there is yet a little Balme in Gilead we must take double money increase our prayers to God wee must pray God Almighty give us mercy c. David was exceedingly distressed when the Amalekites burnt Ziklag and had carried their wives and al that they had captive when all his people were disheartened and discouraged when they lift up their voyces and wept when they mutined against David and spake of Stoning of him yet then David encouraged himselfe in the Lord there is yet this left how ever wee are sore distressed yet we may encourage our selves in the Lord we may enquire of the Lord Consider therefore to encourage you to this duty this leading mercy that God hath vouchsafed unto us this libertie and opportunitie that God hath given unto us this price that God hath put into our hands that the whole kingdome may yet appeare before God and cry unto GOD my Brethren this is not a little mercy In the Prophet Malachy's time when the state of Gods Church and people was as desperate as now both in respect of sinne and in respect of judgment they that feared the Lord spake often one to another It was a priviledge they might have such free accesse such communion such fellowship together the times have beene when the people of God have fled into the wildernesse into the deserts into dens and caves when they could not meete to fast and pray without great danger of distraction of discovering of presenting of imprisoning The last yeare I heard it often whispered in the eare and secretly muttered that the kingdome should prepare to warre and that God should not be called in to the warre that there was no prayer no fast injoyned this made some to feare least God would joyne against us See my brethren the King to whom alone it belongs to proclaime publike Fasts
one then a Reconciliation betwixt the Church of Rome and us I could bring in the testimony of many Reverend men of our Clergy if nothing else yet this is enough to free them from being limbs of Antichrist in regard that a reconciliation is impossible and if there can be no reconciliation I trust the reformed Churches will ever scorne to accept a dispensation and the piety and policy of our Christian state to admit a tolleration among us Come out of Babylon is the voyce from Heaven come out in affection come out in person separate farre from them say with Iacob ô my soule come not into their secret unto their assembly mine honour bee thou not united But what is this enough to abhorre future agreement with them to deny them approbation to their deeds Iacob goes further and we must follow him cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell One saith Babylons brats must not bee dandled on the lap but dasht against the Stones Another painted Iezabel the whore of Rome must be throwne out at the windowes to be troden under foot of horses Another Rome is like a Nettle stings them that handle it softly A fourth saith they are like unto bells never well tuned till they be well hang'd Only I say as Iacob saith Simeon and Levi made themselves stinke among the Nations and one day the Nations will consume them and their house I would not my brethren blow the Trumpet to this Warre Let Rome founded in bloud propagate her Religion in bloud I have otherwise learned Christ Iesus the King of peace I hate the person of no Papist under heaven I know God hath a great people among them else he would never say come out of Babylon yea Countries Nations and kingdoms that now adhere to the beast shall hate the Whore I see Iesuites themselves may be converted I dare not hate them nor so love their persons as to spare their wickednesse cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell cursed be the Religion that causes rebellion Treason murdering of Innocents treachery perjury The worst I will doe against them is to pray God divide them from the son of Iacob and scatter them from our English Israel This was the last part of the censure Iacob powred on his sonnes and it was not to be accomplisht til they came into the land of Canaan my brethren we have a certaine prophecy God will divide them from his Church but we must waite till we come neere the land of Canaan what ever faire face Rome hath yet her eyes are sparkling Basilisks that whore of Babylon her breath is the breath of Vipers her voyce is as the voyce of the Hyena that cries as the Crocodile to deceive and destroy us They are the best that are furthest separate both in affection and person we must come out of Babylon would God we could send them into Babylon Bellarmine tells us out of Theodoret That the boyes of Samosatenea playing at Tenis-ball in the midst of the market did solemnly cast it into the fire because it had but toucht the foote of the Asse whereon Lucius the Heretical Bishop rod And we read in the Spanish History of the zealously superstitious Biscans who were busied many dayes in scraping up the dust trode upon by the horse whereupon a certain Bishop rode that accompanied the Emperor Ferdinando and threw it as a thing infected into the Sea The Iewes once every yeare burnt all the Leaven that was in their houses they swept the house cleane and searcht every corner and cursed what was left Moses saith to the people of Israel comming into the land take heed that you make no covenant with the people of the land no cut downe their groves and stampe their Images in peeces Esay and Ieremie are very earnest with Gods people to come out of Babylon S. Paul would not have beleevers to beare the Yoke with unbeleevers nor Saint Iohn to say good night to an obstinate Hereticke Bellarmine saith The Catholicks will not suffer any that seeme to favour Lutherans in the least degree they have their flies and familiars Priests oathes and Inquisitions to discover good Protestants O then that our Pursevants Paritors Church-Wardens Constables Iudges Iustices Consistories High Commission Courts of Iustice that they would discover all these bloudy Papists and send them to Rome again I am no enemy of theirs to wish them where they would bee there they are in soule I would they were there in body there they are in Affection I would they were there in person I have now done with my Text and with the Application also and yet remaines some little of my Sermon behind you have heard my Brethren Simeon and Levi fit parallells of Iesuites and Iesuited Papists as face answers face in a glasse so the cruelty of the one answers the cruelty of the other Simeon and Levi in cruelty against Hamor and Shechem the rest of the Citie will be Typicall for the Tragedy of this day I see little difference but now in one thing in the last thing in the conclusion of all with which I will conclude my Sermon O they differ altogether They as their resolution was fierce so their execution was cruell they did not onely meere and consult plot and contrive and combine themselves in one but they did accomplish and finish and perfect their intention The last Act was Tragicall and bloudy But as for ours God frustrated all their preparations and that when it was but late there was not many sands to runne in the glasse not many strokes to strike at the Clocke not one Tide to passe the Bridge it was late last night that God discovered it and this morning it should have beene executed The knife was at the Throate the dagger at the breast the powder in the Barrell the Match burning in the hand there was the villaine ready to give fire But God delivered us and they perished in their Treason and let their memories perish with them But behold the servants of the Lord the King the Queene and that sacred Senate walking loose in the midst of the fire on whose bodies the fire had no power their rayment was not changed nor was the smell or touch of fire upon them at all ô tell it in Gath publish it in the Streets of Ascalon that the enemies of the English Nation may bee ashamed and confounded at their cruelty Let Popish Factors Spanish Merchants blunder out blasphemously and say GOD is the GOD of England Tell it to your Children and to your Childrens Children Let the fifth of NOVEMBER bee for ever kept holy in the English Nation O let the heavens Eccho out praises to God let there bee all outward signes of Ioy Let our Bells ring to drowne the noyse of the thundering skies Let fires flame to darken the light of the Sunne Let our Organs and Singers lift up their voyces that it may be heard and Ecchoed by Angels and Saints Let all that hath a tongue and breath praise the Lord I conclude with Paul 2 Cor. 1.9 10. But wee had the sentence of death in our selves that wee should not trust in our selves but in GOD which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom also we trust that he will yet deliver us *âŽ* FINIS Psal. 108 1. Iob 29.14 Psal. 91.6 Lev. 14.43 45. Isa. 13.21 2 Thes. 2.8 Ezra 6.14 Acts 10.11 Ps. 81.10 Isa. 9.6 7 â— Chro. 22.8 2 Chro. 21.10 Ier. 15.3 Ezek. 14.21 Lev. 26.18 28. Eze 21.10 2 Sam. 24.12 Verse 14. Iob 30 1 8. Deut. 32.26 27. Iudges 18.16 Amos 3.7 Verse 6. Verse 7. Verse 9. Verse 10. Verse 11. Verse 12. Ier. 37.5 Mat. 16.3 Gen. 43.11 1 Sam. 30.8 Mal. 3.16 Iudg 13.23 1 Kings 8.44 45. Rev. 17.16 Ioel 2.2 Isay 10.12 Psalm 137.5 Isai. 37.1 3. 2 Sam. 11.11 Dan. 6.18 Isay 22.12 Iudg. 5.23 Isay 58.5 Numb. 12.14 2 Sam. 19.24 2 Kings 23.26 27. Ioel 2.14 Dan. 4.27 Isay 1.16 1 Sam. 1.18 1 Chro. 19.13 Hest 9.20 Reas. 1. Dan. 12.9 Pro. 7.10 Dan. 9. and the last Reas. 2. 2 Tim. 3.6 Num 6.3 4. Heb. 11. Vse of Exhortation Ezek. 18.3 Gen. 18 25 Gen. 20.4 2 Sam. 24.17 Ezec. 17.15 The second Generall Eze. 37. Eze. 47.3