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
Three Sermons preacheâ— at the Collegiate Church in MANCHESTER The first on Psal. 122. ver. 6. Iuly 8. 1640. the publike Fast day Shewing the misery of Warre with our feares and hopes and meanes of Prevention The second on 2 Thes. 2.15 November 5. 1638. Discovering the Man of sinne with his delusions abominations and desolations The third on Genesis 49. ver. 5.6 7. November 5. 1639. Laying open the Perjuries Treacheries Treasons the Murthers Massacres Cruelties of Rome-Christian By Richard Heyricke VVarden of the said COLLEDGE LONDON Printed by T. B. for L. Fawne and are to be sold at the signe of the Parat in Pauls Church-Yard 1641. TO THE RIGHT Honourable the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House of Parliament now ASSEMBLED VEspatian the Emperor sent to ELVIDIUS PRISCUS a Senator of ROME charging him not to appeare in the Senate If hee did to speake no otherwise then what he would have him to whom he returnd As a Senator it was fit he should be there and being there hee would freely speak his conscience The Emperor replyed if he did he should dye for it He answered hee never said he was immortall doe what you will J will doe what J ought Jt is in your power unjustly to put mee to death It is in my power to dye constantly It is your Royall priviledge Your persons are under his Majesties sacred protection your liberty of speaking granted to be without interruption Awake your glory doe yee your selves awake right early Let your hearts be fixed fixed in the Lord as the Poles of Heaven and the center of the earth Let Righteousnesse bee your Parliament Robes let Iudgment be your Crown and Diadem let causes at your great Tribunall hee heard to speake not persons That the blessing of three perishing Kingdomes may come upon you I was but lately Remov'd into these parts and one of speciall note forewarnd me I should be Crucified as CHRIST was betwixt two Theeves The Papist the Puritan The Papist like the Rayling and Blaspheming Theefe soone discovered himselfe They swarme and are terrible the shew of their countenance witnesseth against them Like destruction they shew themselves at Noone-Day The Puritan if it bee not onely a name without an existence is worthy your wisdome to tell us who he is It may be for feare of crucifying with the good Theefe he is stollen into Paradise the name is of Vast and amongst many of Odious signification Papists doe charge the Church of England with the heresie of Puritanisme King Iames by Bellarmine metamorphosed into his Chaplaine was said to bee a Puritan The English Parliament is called a Puritanicall Parliament The Vniversity of Oxford the strength of Puritanisme Bristow speakes out All Protestants in ENGLAND are Puritans Protestants at large such as are Ambitious of the credit not of the truth of their holy profession Heathens in lives Christians in faith They reproach civill morall Jnfidels with that name They Pharisaicall Professors They powerfull CHRISTIANS Yea of late I have also heard them much branded with the name that would not yeeld up their Soules and their Consciences to the Chaire of Bishops with their estates Liberties and Lives to the will of their Superiors The name is very large and very reproachfull A Bishop affirm'd he could as easily fetch one off from the guilt of Felony as from the imputation of Puritanisme My humble motion is make us all Puritans or to leave no Puritan amongst us There are wals of partition when those that were of GODS Institution became enmity Eph. 2.14 CHRIST layd them as flat as the Walls of Iericho with Iericho's curse upon them Bee pleased to batter down these Wals lay the Canons in the face of them and JERVSALEMS curse upon them Let not one stone be left upon another At the first of the Reformation they were though not necessary yet lawfull our Reformers were modest and moderate They would not unnecessarily offend the weake Romanist GOD had a People amongst them the waters of BABYLON were ebbing But now since the Sea of ROME like the waters of JORDAN begin to swell and overflow the Bankes since the great River TIBER flowes apace since the Papists are emboldned and hardned in their Idolatrie and Superstition since the strong as well as the weake Protestant are grieved and vexed with them and there are indeed too many false Apostles that earnestly contend for them and with a strong and mightie hand obtrude them upon us Take unto your selves the Zeale of Our LORD and SAVIOUR The Evangelist records hee twice purged the Temple The multitude of offenders the might and malice of the observers the danger of the action nor the perill of the consequence staies his hand The King of Scythia slew Anacharsis the Philosopher for the worshipping the mother of the GODS after the Athenian manner If the Plague of Leprosie could not bee clensed by taking away a few stones out of the house but the Leprosie would returne againe then the house the Timber the Morter must down when Ceremonies become scandalous they are to be abolished These Sermons sute well with two of the greatest workes the Kingdome expects from you They breath enmitie to Rome Peace amongst our selves Preached when the times ranne Counter to both The man of sinne of late yeares hath reviv'd amongst us it may bee a lightening before death Popery hath multiplyed abundantly In Lancashire it hath superabounded above an Hyperbole The Masse hath out-faced our Christian meetings Iesuites have jeered our Ministers confronted and abused authoritie MANCHESTER the Goshen accounted in this Egypt is of late yeares darkned with the blacknesse of it some of our prime men in dignitie authority power have revolted to them Their example commands many Great men have their followers of their Vices as of their persons and when they please to bee Idolatrous their children servants tenants their poore kinred and Jdolizing Neighbours will to the Masse with them One speciall cause of this encrease of Popery is the vastnesse and the greatnesse of many Parishes prefer'd to the trust of such that adde Church unto Church themselves residing at neither or if they are with their people they are non resident in the midst of them yea too often when they are in the Pulpit These Mother-Churches have many daughters seaven eight nine CHAPPELS subject to them to which belongs no certaine or no competent maintenance Hence ignorance and prophanenesse desolate places full of dolefull Creatures Ziim and Ochim King Iames in his piety and wisdom appointed 4. Lancashire Preachers to perfect his work Let every Golden Candlestick have his Lamp burning and shining in it devils could not stand before the Gospell therefore Popery shall be consumed by it J had served in these parts the same time that PAUL did at Athens and my spirit was troubled to heare and see the superstition Hence I ventred with danger enough to preach these Sermons may they strengthen your
a time of peace there was no instrument of Iron no toole of the work-man heard in the rearing of it Christ the Prince of peace his Disciples the children of peace quiet fishermen not hollowing hunters and whooping Faulkoners may the Church be as the Temple Ierusalem as the Schoole of Christ a Citie a house of peace take Ierusalem in in the third sence in the largest acception of the word for the whole kingdome of Israel of which Ierusalem was the head Citie and then pray for the peace of Ierusalem for peace in the kingdome pray that there may be no homebred conspiracies none left of the house of Saul to wage warre with the house of David no discontented Sheba to blow the Trumpet of sedition and rebellion no flattering Absalom to steale away the hearts of the Kings people no gallant Adonijah to make a strong partie against Salomon no Achitophel Politician to give pernicious counsell against David pray that there may bee no revolting in the kingdome that neither Edom nor Libnah no kingdome nor Country no Citie nor Towne nor person may fall from their allegiance to the King Pray that there may bee no forraine enemy no Syrian no Assyrian no Egyptian no Roman no Turke no Saracen no Italian no Spaniard no Dutch no French Pray for the peace of Ierusalem for all the kingdomes that pertaine to the King of Ierusalem for all the Countries Cities and Townes in these kingdomes for the Church in the kingdome Pray for the peace of Ierusalem the Citie the Church the kingdome Peace is taken in as large a sence as prosperity it comprehends all blessings in the wombe of it I shall principally take it in the strictest sence and Ierusalem in the largest and then the duty is Pray for the peace of Ierusalem that there may bee no warre in the kingdome Warre is only sweete to them that are ignorant of it Our kingdome hath enjoyed a longer time of peace then some kingdomes have of being Our age hath not beene rowsed with the barking of uncouth-Wolves the midnight drum hath not frighted our sleepes the sounding trumpet hath not deaft our eares our beacons have not beene fired our shippes arrested our walls manned our Townes have not beene ransacked our houses ruined our women ravished our infants dashed against the stones wee have not sowed and the stranger reaped we have not built and the enemy possessed we have not beene confounded with strange languages but peace hath beene within our walls and plenteousnesse within our dwellings Peace the daughter of the Gospell of peace Plentie the daughter of Peace Peace the glory of Heaven the joy of the whole world Pray for the peace of Ierusalem IN the prosecution of which I will shew you the misery of Warre the great danger that wee are in of having warre the hopes that remaine to escape it I begin with the first First consider the misery of warre The sword is one of Gods foure sore Iudgements whereby he layeth waste and maketh desolate the greatest kingdomes And I will appoint over them foure kinds saith the Lord the sword to slay and the dogges to teare and the fowles of the Heaven and the beasts of the earth to devoure and destroy For thus saith the Lord how much more when I send my foure sore Iudgments upon Ierusalem the sword and the famine and the noysome Beast and the Pestilence to cut off from it man and Beast Where you may be pleased to observe the sword is not only one of the foure but the first of the foure the most devouring the most destroying God usually sendeth none of these judgments but when his patience is much wounded when his Royall Indignation is kindled when his Iustice is forced when his mercy hath no more to say God hath a store house a rich treasury a Magazen of judgments there are all Instruments of death and bloud sicknesse to death and sicknesses not to death Agues and Feavours and consumptions and these God usually sends before the destroying Pestilence God hath his Staffe and his Rod his Bow and his Arrowes with these he corrects the sons of men before he drawes his sword his sword furbished and glittering to make a sore destruction Iupiter throwes not at first his dreadfull Thunderbolts The heavens usually grow darke and blacke the clouds gather together the raine falls the lightning breaketh forth the sword the famine the noysome beast and the Pestilence they are in the darkest in the most inward roome of the Castle and Tower which God never opens till he be hard put to it till his lesser judgments are despised see the method of Gods proceedings he will proceed from few to many from lesse to greater he will punish us seaven times more for our sinnes when the foure winds breake loose when any of these foure judgements come then God is angry indeed of these foure judgments the sword the famine the pestilence and noysome beasts the sword is the worst of the foure that which God reserveth till the last as the greatest witnesse of his displeasure and the swiftest messenger for our destruction any one of these foure brings feare and trembling horror and terror palenesse and death if the pestilence which is but Gods Arrow if that bee let off of the string though in any part of the kingdome the Arrow that flyes in the darke that usually poysons most in the darke corners of the land amongst the poorest sort of people yet what a feare it strikes into the body of the whole kingdome if but one Citie be infected what flying out of the Citie what watch and ward what strict examination and doings of all that come from that Citie every one being like Cain afraid of every one that meete them least they should kill them runnagates upon the face of the earth Remember the feare that surprised you when GOD shot this Arrow but into one house of this Towne when it fetched the heart-bloud but from a few what flying what posting away your selves your households my Brethren if the plague bee so terrible what will the sword bee that comes after the plague more fierce more terrible by how much the mercies of man are lesse then the mercies of God yea when the sword comes the rest of these foure Iudgements attend on it The plague may come alone and the famine may come alone and noysome beasts may come alone these oftentimes come before the sword if possible to prevent it but when they cannot doe the work the sword will then contemne the rod set at naught what ever the former judgments have done it will come furbished and sharpened and this blacke guard of pestilence famine noysome beasts will be at the heeles of it The sword layes men dead in the fields it ruines Townes and houses it leaves the fields unplowed unharrowed unsowed hence famine growes grievous that kills whom the sword escapes the noysome stinch of the dead begets plagues that
hath in his pietie to GOD proclaimed a day of humbling our soules and of reconciling our selves to God this promiseth some good unto us it is an argument that we are prisoners of hope when the enemy doth parley with us there is some signe of yeelding when there is liberty of parley God doth never reason with them for whom he hath no mercy Hee reasoned with Adam and Eve he did not with the Serpent God cannot be angry with the prayers of his people hee is then angry indeed when he forbids his people to pray when he takes away their hearts from prayer when hee denyes them liberty to pray when they are restrained from prayer but when GOD calls them to pray when hee commands them to pray when he stirres up a whole kingdome to pray when hee makes those men that have prayers in abomination and the people of God for their praying in abomination also to countenance prayer to joyne with the people of GOD in prayer to be of one heart with them O what a glimpse of mercy is this certainly there is hope whilst there is but one praying Christian amongst us whilst any one that hath a publike spirit whilst Moses prayes the enemy cannot prevaile whilst Luther lived the Duke of Saxony could not be conquered yea there is hope if there were not one praying Christian in the midst of us if there be any of another kingdome that pray for us Abraham that was a very stranger to Sodom and Gomorrah prevailed farre with God for them his prayer saved his nephew Lot his Wife and daughters we have a multitude of prayerfull Christians that pray daily for us that are not amongst us all the reformed Churches abroad especially our friends and kindred that are lately separated from us in Holland in New England Yea let me appeale unto your selves have not most of you as Daniel did in your Chambers fasted and prayed have you not in your families have not the men fasted apart and the women apart hath there not been private notice given as Esther to Mordecai Mordecai to the Iewes in Shusan Yea that which Crownes all is there not now a Proclamation gone forth through all Countries to command every one Church and Chappell to fast my brethren a little encourage your selves in the Lord The God of Israel is a mercifull God wee cannot come with halters about our necks but he will have mercy on us The Lion of the Tribe of Iudah will not trample upon the yielding pray The Comforter will comfort whom he hath convinced of sin of righteousnesse and of judgment Let me speake comfortably unto you then in the words of Manoa's wife unto him when hee was much afflicted Surely we shall dye saith he because wee have seene God No saith she Iudges 13.23 if the LORD were pleased to kill us hee would not have received a burnt offering and a meate offering at our hands neither would hee have shewed us all these things nor would now have told us any such Againe consider what great things fasting and praying have done the prayers of one man of one family of one Citie of one Kingdome God is the same GOD as ever the father of mercy the God of compassion we are not confirmed because hee changeth not fasting and prayer have prevailed why not still Call to minde the memorable things recorded in the booke of God especially that of Mordecai and the Citie of Shushan of Ezra and his company looke into the booke of God and tell me if you can finde one good or bad that ever fasted and prayed and God had not respect unto it Iehosaphat when the Moabites and Ammonites a great host came against them ready to swallow them up yet he prevailed call to minde Ecclesiasticall History in Marcus Aurelius time and Theodosius time that thundering Legion when the Christians prayer obtained an admirable victory That of Luther and the Church when the devill brought in the covenants call to mind what you your selves have obtained by fasting and prayer I could tell you of some singular things that have fallen within mine own knowledge wonderfull things hath the publike fasting-prayers of our Church obtained of God Nay more to encourage you look into your owne Towne when God sent that infectious disease of the small Pox when scarce there was one house as in Egypt wherein there was not one dead when you fasted and prayed how soon did the Lord remove that plague an Army of men cannot stand against a man of prayer much lesse against an Army of prayers Surely my Brethren it is the prayers of the Church that hath kept off judgements to this day we have had many Ionah's sent amongst us crying yet forty dayes and England shall be destroyed We have had dayes and months and yeares past over our heads yet no sword when saith the scoffing worldling is the promise of his comming the Prophets prophecie wind yea Ionah was angry with himselfe what 's the matter God hath threatned so much and wee have felt so little did Ionah preach a lye in the name of the Lord No Niniveh repented and GOD repented Nineveh fasted and prayed and God was entreated They have beene the repentings the fastings the prayers of the people that have kept off the sword to this day God is the same God his compassions never faile If we pray God will heare See how Salomon consecrated his Temple he prayed that when the people should goe out to battell against their enemy and should pray unto the Lord toward the way of the Citie and toward the house which hee had built That then God would heare in Heaven their prayer and their supplication and judge their cause the turning towards the Temple was a turning to God Christ was the Temple turne to Christ in prayer and the enemie shall not prevaile Secondly consider as a further encouragement to pray for peace the enemies whom wee expect will engage us with Warre and they are either forreine enemies of other kingdomes of other language of another Religion or they that are under the same King with us of the same faith and Religion Be they Spaniard or French or any of the Romish Religion they are not more our enemies then Gods and the warre is not ours but Gods God hath said it they shall fall before us and he will avenge the bloud they have shed The Saints under the Altar have a long time cryed how long the time cannot bee farre of but that the Kings of the earth shall gather themselves together they shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Babylon must fall Babylon must fall yet I cannot say but for a time they may prevaile they may stand though wee in our persons fall yet this I say confidently though we should fall our cause shall stand And God will raise up them after us that will avenge all the bloud
to God They have their pardons their indulgences their Purgatory their supererogations and I know not what no sinne that they can commit but the Pope will pardon no sinne that they would commit but the Pope can dispense withall no matter how long they have lived in sinne in any sinne though the sin against the HOLY GHOST yet extreme unction at the last wil salve all I know they make a great cry and clamor and tell us as the Priests of Baal they cut themselves with Knives and Launcers till the bloud gush out they tell us of their frequent fastings of their often watchings of their bloudy whippings of their long Pilgrimages their Rigorous discipline their voluntary poverty their simple obedience their Massacring the body their lying in the dust and endangering of their lives and a great deale more and could answer all these with the first of Isay Who hath required these things at your hand what are these their sacrifices trifles nothing in comparison of that great worke God doth require were all these true reall and not fained did they the same things indeed which they seeme to doe were there no Iugling nor no delusion nor mitigation nor dispensation yet all these and more in the extremity and height were nothing to the crucifying of the flesh with the affections of it to the mortifying of earthly members sinnes as deere as the bodily members to the killing of the old man to the breaking of the heart to the wounding of the soule to the spirituall observation of the Law and to the beliefe in Christ Iesus what is it for a man to give the first borne of his body for the sinne of his soule to give his goods to the poore and his body to bee burned to save his soule Yea what is it to lye in their Inquisition their Purgatory in hell a thousand yeares and to purchase Christ by this all this were nothing what the servants of Naaman said My Father If the Prophet had commanded thee a greater thing wouldst thou not have done it how much more when he saith Wash and bee cleane If the Pope command greater things to purchase Heaven would they not doe it how much more these small things There 's nothing hard in the Church of Rome which a meere Carnall man a voluptuous Epicure a Libertine cannot easily digest Thirdly in the Papacy there are many Arts and Crafts and subtilties and devises to deceive and entice people withall Saint Paul saith verse 9. that the man of sinne his comming is after the working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying miracles and the like Antichrist hath his hookes his snares his ginnes his temptations and delusions sutable to every complexion and condition of man or woman If hee sees any Ambitious hee tempts them as his father did our Saviour Christ when he shewed him all the kingdomes of the world and the glory of them great preferments and dignities there are in the Church of Rome more preferments and greater than are in the true Church of God nor are they sparing to promise to give them Adams sinne cleaves to all Adams sonnes we would bee above this is a pestilent baite and by this they draw many Schollers from us If they meete with any covetous they have their silver and golden Balls the golden wedge and Babylonish garment they will showre gold into their lappes and by this they draw Marchants and Tradesmen from us If they meete with any credulous and superstitious they have their signes and wonders and lying miracles I know no Religion extant in the world that challenges wonders and miracles but the Religion of the Church of Rome they object against us and upbraid us with it that we have no wonders and miracles they have much good may it do them Antichrist comes in all deceiveablenes of unrighteousnesse with signes and lying wonders to deceive them that perish If they meete with any fearefull by nature and scrupulous of hell they have their apparitions and visions make them heare scriekings and howlings preach nothing but horror and terror hell death and damnation If they meete with any sicke they excercise their charms and spells and can and do cast out devils through the power of the devill If they meete with any constant in Religion they have their torments their tortures their purgatories their hel their Inquisition Satan saith one doth not alwayes appeare in one and the same fashion but hath as many severall changes as Proteus among the Poets At Listra hee appeares like a Comoedian as if a scene of Plautus were to be presented upon the Stage at Antioch like a Iesuite with traditions in his mouth At Athens hee fallies out like a Philosopher At Ephesus like an Artificer in his Apron And as Sathan so the eldest sonne of Sathan so in the manner with signes and lying wonders he hath his profound Plots his lying and subtill devises his wiles and stratagems to deceive them that are stedfast It 's easie to be drawne away then Stand fast Lastly in the Papacy consider the agents the instruments Romes factors the great Whores Pandors are crafty to inveagle and betray me to their Religion they are crafty subtill base and impudent Read how the spirit of God describes them in the ninth of the Revelations and the first verse and so forward And the fifth Angell sounded and I saw a Starre fall from Heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the bottomlesse pit and there arose the smoake of the pit as the smoake of a great furnace and the Sunne and the aire were darkened by the smoake of the Pit and there came out of the smoake Locusts upon the Earth and unto them was given power as the Scorpions of the earth have power and it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth neither any greene thing neither any tree but onely those men which have not the seale of God in their foreheads and to them was commanded that they should not kill them but that they should bee vexed five moneths and that their paine should bee as the paine that commeth of a Scorpion when hee hath stang a man therefore in those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not find it and shall desire to dye and death shall flye from them and the forme of the Locusts was like unto horses prepared to battaile and on their heads were as it were Crowns like unto gold and their faces were like the faces of men and they had haire as the haire of women and their teeth were as the teeth of Lions and they had Habergeons as the Habergeons of Iron The Papists themselves confesse that there by the Starre fallen from Heaven is meant the master of some great error and heresie and by the Locusts that arise out of the earth the reachers of those heresies that goe about to infect the people of God The Rhemists say this Starre fallen from
Heaven is such as Arius Luther and Calvin was The Star that shall lead me to the light of this Starre that is fallen from Heaven shall bee that fixed Starre now in Heaven KING Iames Kings have a speciall interest in the book of the Revelation And God hath made them of great use there to bring downe the man of sinne Then it may well stand with the wisdome of God to reveale the meaning to them And of all Kings I heare of none that hath taken that paines in the Revelation as King Iames This Starre saith hee is the Pope who was once in the kingdome of Heaven as a glorious bright Starre in Heaven above who had an eminent place in an eminent Church of God The Locusts that infect the aire are that innumerable multitude and diverse orders of Ecclesiasticall persons as Fryers Monkes Priests Cardinalls Iesuites and I know not whom who bring as much destruction upon all sorts of men as Locusts to the grasse and tender herbe As Locusts come by swarmes and overspread the whole earth so these fill the whole earth with their Insinuations The shape of them is like unto Horses prepared to battell to signifie that their forme of practise and policie shall be so worldly wise that they shall want nothing pertaining to the setting forth of their intents no more than a horse of service which is curiously barbed fitted and prepared for the fight They had on their heads Crownes of Gold they pretend great holinesse none more then that Ecclesiasticall order even as the Elders because of their true holinesse had Crownes of Gold so they because of their pretended holinesse have Crownes of Gold also They have the faces of men they come with the faces and Reasonings of men Sophisticall Arguments subtill Philosophy which Saint Paul cals vaine Philosophy The haire of women As the haire of women is a speciall part of their bewty to deceive men so they have Arts and Crafts to draw men to their Religion They have habergeons of Iron to shew they are backt with authority and the like I could goe on further they are many and crafty full of power have Crownes of Gold the heads and faces of men the haire of women all alluring tempting enticing and bewitching those that in this place are called Locusts in the sixteenth of the Revelation and the 13. are call'd frogs Frogges indeed like those frogs that came into the houses and bed-chambers of Pharaoh King of Egypt and of his servants and all his people no place nor person free they are the sublimate and the transcendent Instruments of deceit they come out of the mouth of the Dragon out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet The very spirit of the Devill active powerfull strong and stirring full of delusion to deceive men Brethren you see what reason you have to stand fast that you be not by any drawne back againe to Popery Secondly consider it 's a dangerous thing to be drawne away to Popery I say consider the danger that attends all them that are drawn away All Papists in that sense that I speake of Papists for I doe not speake of all that may be Popishly affected or incline to some Popish opinions but such Papists as derive their name from Papa the Pope that hold him to bee the head of the Church that subscribe to the Counsell of Trent all Italianated Iesuited Papists they are Traitors to the King under whom they live Heretickes Infidels and Atheists in continuall danger of temporall destruction and at last sure of eternall damnation First all sorts of Papists are Traitors to the King under whom they live Not to prove this by an Induction of particulars from those many Treasons that have beene committed in this Land when was there any Treason since the beginning of Reformation or scarce before but they were the Contrivers Plotters Actors at least the favourers and Abettors of it Was not Sumervile Parrey Babington and his complices Papists was not Lopez and his Abettors Papists was not Campion and Parsons Papists were not the Gunpowder Traitors Papists was not Catesby Winter and Persey was not Digby Rooke-wood and Tresham was not that Incarnate Devill Guido Fawkes were they not all Papists Nor yet to prove them Traitors because the Law of the Land makes them Traitors which hath enacted that all those Priests and Iesuites that come into the Land are Traitors all that bring Agnus Dei that maintaine the Popes supremacy above the Kings and labour to draw obedience from the King and perswade to Rome are Traitors But I will prove it from the principles and maximes of their owne Religion that shew necessarily all such Papists must bee Traytors in that kingdome where they live All Religions may perhaps have some that are Traitors in it but no Religion under Heaven set aside the Religion of the Church of Rome doth necessitate and compell men to be Traitors They have a maxime among them I finde it in Bellarmine that Kings have not their immediate power from God but from the people yet so that the people transferre their power into the person of the King yet keepe habitually in themselves which they may make a principle for Traytors It 's said of all that the Pope may excommunicate Kings and Kings standing so may be deposed and those that goe about to infect the people the people ought to rise up against them and that it is not only a lawfull but a necessary and a meritorious worke The English Papists saith a Iesuited English Priest are well to be excused for not rising against their King because they want power had they power to their will the King should either obey the Pope or else they would not obey the King Papists are Traytors Secondly Papists are Heretickes Infidels and Atheists not to speake of their innumerable multitude of lesser errors called Veniall sinnes yet notwithstanding the number of them may helpe to drowne the Shippe of Rome nor yet to speake of their grosser Tenents not yet confirmed in the Church of Rome but disputed in their Schooles there are some hereticall errors maintained among some so grosly hereticall that whosoever holds them must necessarily be an Heretick Infidell and Atheist Such is their Image worship their Altar worship their Crosse worship their Saint worship their Angell worship their Relicke worship and the like such is Iustification by works works of super-arrogation but above all the transcendent heresie the head of heresies that the Pope is the head of the Church above the Scriptures above Synods above Counsells that he cannot erre is so hereticall that whosoever holds it in Radice in fundamento denies all the Articles of the faith denies the booke of God and by necessary consequence denies GOD himselfe for whosoever they are that build any thing on a false foundation if the foundation falls all the building falls with it Saint Paul tells us that the man of sinne sits