then when the incumbent died the Pope must be judge who shall have it of all these which shall certainly be he that will give most money Thus they make woful Merchandize with mens souls 4. Continual endeavours to stir up wars and imbroil Nations The Pope pretends to be Lord of Lords and King of Kings and therefore he disposeth of Kingdoms sets up and pulls down Princes as he pleases and this is a sufficient pretence for any unjust wars and invasions and wherever there are any differences among Princes and their Subjects he interposeth his authority usually taking the unjust part if like to prevail that they being beholding to him may requite him with some addition to his authority or revenue Pope Zacheriah gave France to Pipin an aspiring man deposing Childerick their lawful King as unfit to govern Leo the 4. gave the Empire of the Romans to Charles the great and another gave England to the French in King Johns time and sent them to Conquer it and of late the Pope gave the East Indies to the Portugal and the West to the Spaniard where they murdred the poor natives as wild beasts made to be destroyed These doctrines and practices are not taught and practised by a few only among them but they are the State policies by which they stand which they never disown never endeavour to reform it is the design of their government to be universal and to attain it by any means Hence we infer that to hold communion with this Church is to conspire against the Church of Christ against all that is sacred or moral Nor may we expect any reformation from them they will not they cannot be better their interest and government depends upon these methods and therefore this Man of sin is the son of perdition appointed to be destroyed not to be reformed let us not deceive our selves with vain hopes They are and must be the same when they have opportunity The second character of this Apostasie is laid down v. 4. Who opposeth himself viz. the man of sin the Head of this apostasie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an adversary or one that sets himsel against Christ The same title that is given to the Devil viz. Satan an enemy or adversary Now the Devil was an adversary not by denying the true God he believes and trembles James 2.19 nor by causing himself to be worshipped as the supreme God for the Idols which the Heathens worshipped they worshipped as Mediators and servants to the supreme God but under this pretence the Devil took to himself all the worship and service of the world and left God but an empty name of Creatour and supreme residing in heaven when he himself was the God of this world ordering all things after his own lusts this the Devil did so long as Heathenism prevailed by the several Governours and Princes of the world and when he was cast out of Heaven viz. his worship Idolatry and Heathenish superstition abolished by the fail of the Heathen Roman Empire Rev. 12. v. 7 8 9 10. and opposition to the name of Christ was taken away he cast about and after some time delivered his power to the second Beast who used the power and tyranny of the former Beast i. e. the Roman Empire opposing Christ and his worship setting up himself with all superstition and Idolatry but under fair pretences of Christs authority Rev. 13.11 12 c. This beast was like a Lamb but spake as the Dragon and used all the power of the former beast viz. the Heathen government Now that the Pope and his adherents do thus oppose Christ and not his name but his power and worship drawing all subjection to himself and leaving Christ but a bare and empty title he being as Stapleton calls him plain supremum in terris numen i. e. the most high and absolute God in earth It is manifest 1. The Pope will not suffer Christ to be King and law-maker in his Church Kingly power consisteth in making laws and ruling according to them this belongs to Christ and he gave his word to be the law of his Church and his Mininisters to execute and administer it according to his mind But the Pope challengeth the sole power and government of the Church on earth to belong to him the authority of the Scriptures to belong to him that he can add to them take from them or dispense with any thing there commanded that he only must interpret and give them their sense that his determinations is the rule of conscience for whatsoever he defineth or commandeth is to be believed and obeyed and so under the pretence of Christs Vicar he rules as Christ on earth 2. The Pope will not allow Christ to appoint the ordinances of his own worship It belongs to Christ as King to appoint how and by whom he will be worshipped but the Pope will not give him leave He appoints more orders of Officers than Christ did more Sacraments and alters those of his appointing the bread in the supper he maketh a God to be worshipped and yet a Sacrifice to be offered to God the cup he takes away from the people the Council of Trent most insolently telling us that though our Lord Christ instituted and gave his supper to his Apostles under both kinds of bread and wine yet that doth not oblige all the faithful to receive it under both kinds Concil Trid. Ses 21. ch 1. Etsi Christus dominus in ultima coena venerabile hoc Sacramentum in panis vini specicbus instituit Apostlis tradidit non tamen illa institutio traditio â—ò tendunt ut omnes Christi fideles statuto domini ad utramque speciem accipiendam astringantur He appoints Saints and Angels and especially Christs Mother to be worshipped and honoured yea the very Cross on which he was murdered pretending these to be more honour to Christ than the preaching or hearing his holy word Almost the whole body of the Papists worship is of the Popes own institution 3. The Pope will not suffer Christ to appoint the means of his own grace to Salvation Christ as the Saviour of his people as divine and Princely Saviour is to appoint and hath appointed by what means and in what duties he will bestow and increase his grace to eternal life but the Pope lays these aside at his pleasure viz. the reading and hearing the Scripture the use of the Sacraments and prayer in a tongue that can be understood by those that use it and appointeth more upon which the greatest stress of salvation is laid as confession of sin to Priest without out which there is no forgiveness to the living and private Masses both for the quick and dead anointing of Children to confirm them in grace and anointing the dying to strengthen and comfort them against the terror of death crosses and holy water to drive away the devil and so many of this kind that they have greatly obscured the means
POPERY The Grand APOSTASIE Being the Substance of certain SERMONS Preached on 2 Thes 2. v. 1. to 12. On occasion of the discovery of the desperate Plot of the Papists against the King Kingdom and the Protestant Religion By John Troughton Minister of the Gospel To which is added a Sermon on Rev. 18.4 preached November 5. 1678. London Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel 1680. THE PREFACE TO THE READER Good Reader IT was well observed by one That next to the knowledge of Christ and of the true way of salvation by him nothing is more necessary for a Christian than the knowledge of Antichrist for hereby he may be able to distinguish the true knowledge of Christ from the corruptions and mixture with which Antichrist hath adulterated and obscured the true Doctrine of the Gospel That the Pope with his Adherents is Antichrist hath been the general opinion of learned men for these last 600. Years ever since Gregory 7. not of Protestants only Hus Wicleff and the Waldenses but also of many that lived and dyed in the communion of the Roman Church And seeing our Papists generally confess Antichrist in St. Johns epistle to be the same with the man of sin in St. Paul and with the mystical Babylon in the Apoc. they do in effect yield that the Pope is Antichrist seeing all the marks of the two latter do undeniably agree to him For this cause I have waved the particular controversies betwixt us and the Papists which have been so largely and clearly managed by our Writers both formerly and of late as less necessary for this present time there being little of reason conscience or Scripture to urge any Protestant to embrace any particular error or corruption of the Papists endeavouring briefly and summarily to shew that the Church of Rome is as Wicleff long since called it the Synagogue of Satan mystical Babylon a state of Apostate Christians that have joyned themselves to the Pope as their Head against Christ his Gospel and pure Church that by this brief consideration of things Christians may be the more stirred up to detest and to oppose in their places that body of men which call themselves the only Catholick Church that they may be the more zealous for the truth as it is received in the Reformed Churches and that they may if called to it suffer with the greater comfort what cruelties and violence God may yet permit that Beast of Rome to exercise upon his Church I my self and many that heard this discourse have thought it might be seasonable and useful in these days to plain and private Christians for the learned have no need of it because through long peace and security the error and tyranny of the Papists have been much forgotten by the people and many that hate the name of Papists scarce know the grounds they stand on and are Antipapists by a kind of implicite faith If any find their judgements informed their consciences settled their zeal and courage excited by these endeavours in these shaking times I have mine end and may they and the Church of Christ long enjoy that benefit to the glory of God and their own comfort to the strengthening of their brethren and the shame of their implacable and restless adversaries Thine in the work of the Gospel J. T. 2 THES 2. v. 1. to 12. Now we beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him v. 2. That you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by Spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand v. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition c. THese words begin a new discourse and contain an earnest obtestation to the Thessalonians not to be troubled at the Doctrine of some that the day of Christ viz. his second coming was at hand which though in appearance it tended to holiness and watchfulness to make men live in preparation for Christs coming yet seeing his coming was not nigh and many great things were to be transacted first both in the world and the Church this perswasion would take off Christians from their repective duties in the several places and times they should live in and would give great occasion to Atheistical mockers to think and say Christ would never come seeing his coming was so long delaied beyond expectation of his servants and consequently that all the Gospel was a fable and Religion vain which also was foretold 2 Pet. 3. v. 3 4. In the last days shall come Scoffers walking after their own lusts saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were The Apostle therefore beseecheth them by the coming of Christ and our gathering to him i. e. As sure as they did believe Christ would come and his Saints should be gathered to him so also to believe that his coming was not nigh but that great transactions and changes should come before that day Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be well rendered I beseech you for the sake of the coming of our Lord and our gathering to him i. e. that you may not bring this Doctrine of Christs coming into Question when the world shall see you are mistaken in the time when you looked for it That you be not soon shaken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. That you be not unsetled or made to fluctuate in your minds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor be perplexed This is the obtestation Next the Apostle signifies the means how this perplexing Doctrine was introduced amongst them viz. By spirit by word or by pretence of his Epistle v. 2. Then renewing his obtestation v. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by any pretence whatsoever he entereth upon the confutation of this opinion telling them that Christ would not come till there had been an Apostasie in the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is an Ellipsis wherein something for brevity sake is omitted For except there come an Apostasie first it is to be supplyed from the first v. The day of Christ shall not come Afterwards he describeth the manner and measure of this Apostasie to v. 12. Hence we may observe by way of introduction Obs 1. That the Church even in the best ages of it hath been infested with errours and disturbances The Church of old under Moses immediately after their deliverance out of Egypt and their receiving the Law from God by an audible voice did presently return to the Idolatry of Egypt in the worship of the Golden Calf Ex. 32.1 2. though they had obliged themselves to the Lord by Covenant a few days before chap. 24.3 6 7 c. And all his time he was
thou so This daily experience attesteth Murdering of Kings destroying of Kingdoms any villanies must be done and that upon pain of damnation if the Pope or any inferiour governour of their Clergy commands it Never any state or government in the world though many have been very wicked challenged this prerogative to command whatsoever they pleased right or wrong and that men are bound in conscience to obey them though against God and men but this the Pope doth challenge and practise 2. The Doctrine of the Popes infallibility whereby they father all their errours superstitions and corruptions upon the spirit of God It is blasphemous against God to imagine that he should annex the infallible guidance of his spirit to a succession of men who defile and destroy his Church oppose his son and his Gospel and themselves are Monsters of men Innocent the 10. S. Amore's Journ who suffered himself and his holy Church to be governed by an impudent Harlot Don Olympia his own Brothers wife when the people of Rome complained to him of the unjust exactions of his Officers answered them You must not find fault which mine Officers for I chuse them and I am guided by the infallible spirit of God What is more wicked than to ascribe wicked actions to the guidance of Gods spirit Some Papists indeed acknowledge not the Popes infallibility but then they ascribe it to a Council of Bishops most of them as good and as wise as the Pope Some give it to the whole Roman Church but it will come all to one if whatsoever the Church of Rome or the Heads and guides of it do determine must be reckoned infallibly true and good hereby they wholly wave the Scriptures as the Rule and Christ as their Law-giver and are both Rule and Law-givers to themselves 3. The Papists have reduced the whole body of the Heathenish worship into the Church and this is the greatest part of their worship The Heathens honoured the good Angels with divine honours as the servants of the supreme God that they might be their friends to him and that they might do them many good Offices They deified men and women eminent in any way especially Princes honoured them with Temples Images Festival days and Sacrifices that they might mediate with God for the good of their Country family or friends putting themselves and their affairs under their special protection and this took up most of their worship The Papists do ascribe the very same honour and worship in all particulars to the Angels and Saints and for the same reasons every Country City yea every person hath his Tutelar Saint and upon these they call and to these they pay more devotion by many degrees than they do to God 4. Their Casuists allow common swearing and using of the name of God lightly in common discourse and contend that the Third Commandment forbideth only perjury swearing falsely or to a false thing in the name of God Hence it is that Papists almost universally are common and profane swearers 5. They teach that the Pope in all and the inferiour Clergy in ordinary cases can dispense with Oaths Vows and the most solemn obligations that can be made to God or man The Pope taketh himself for head of the Church therefore whatsoever vows and ingagements men make to God he can loose them from them when it serves his interest he gives licence to men and women to marry who have vowed single life and to his Fryars to leave off the habit and rules of their order though they have vowed never to lay them aside Also as he is Lord of all the world he can give away Kingdoms loose Subjects from their oaths of Allegiance yea make it their duty to break their oaths and to rebel and what is most abominable they can give men leave to take Oaths to make vowes and protestations on purpose to deceive when they do not intend they shall be kept but be used to carry on their own designs the more secretly by deceiving the credulous Hist Albig Book 1. ch 5. Thus the Popes Legat sent a Gentleman to the Earl of Besiers to draw him into his Camp commanding him to assure him in his name by what Oaths and protestations he would desire that he should return safe home as soon as the poor Earl came into his presence he absolved the messenger from all his Oaths kept the Earl prisoner and soon after privately murdered him 6. They make the Sabbath either a Tradition or an institution of their Church profane it with sports and plays and observe their Saints days with much more strictness and devotion than the Lords day 7. The Pope and his Clergy can dissolve all bonds and duties betwixt men They can command Princes to destroy their Subjects and absolve them from all their oaths and promises to them of protection They can discharge Subjects from their obedience to their Princes and make it meritorious of heaven to kill them and a sure way to go to heaven immediately to dye in fighting against them They can divorce or separate husbands and Wives at their pleasure Concil Trid. Ses 24. Canon 6. Can. 8. Alphonsus the present King of Portugal was deposed and imprisoned by the Popes order and his wife taken from him and given to his Brother two now rules the Kingdom Parents and children Masters and servants in case of Heresie must betray each other and if they will enter into religious houses or give any thing to the Church then they are freed from all obligations to or care of their relations Is not this a man of sin that can and daily doth dissolve all bonds of men to God and of men to themselves 8. They teach that no faith leagues promises are to be kept with Hereticks or any that are not of their Church Pope Eugenius the 4 made Vladislaus King of Hungary break his league with the Turk solemnly sworn by him and all his Nobles and absolved them by Julian his Legate The Council of Constance burnt John Huss though the Emperour Sigismond had promised him safe-conduct to and from the Council they telling the Emperour that Oaths and promises to Hereticks must not be observed 9. They teach Equivocations and mental reservations both in oaths and common discourses viz. that a man may take any Oath make any promise answer any Question directly and plainly according to the words proposed and yet mean no such thing or the contrary keeping another sense or intent in their minds Garnet and Tresmond two Jesuites that were in the powder Plot being examined apart Tresmond said he had not seen or spoke with Garnet for 14. years before Garnet confessed that they two walked and discoursed together in Moorefields London about four months before they were taken being asked what his fellow meant to say they had not met so long a time he answered I suppose he meant to equivocate and this was excuse enough Thus all bonds of humane Society
shall that wicked be revealed c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that wicked or lawless person when the restraint and laws of the Emperours were taken off then was the time for the lawless person to appear who professeth himself subject to no law but above all humane and divine The removing the imperial seat from Rome to Byzantium by Constantine the Great gave the first advantage to the aspiring minds of those Bishops for then the eyes of all were upon them instead of the Emperours then they disdained to come to Councils and set Ambassadours in their names two or three at a time in Princely manner then they cried up the dignity and primacy of Peter and of the Apostolick See and insinuated themselves into the affairs of all Churches again when Rome was sackt by the Goths and Vandals and the Emperours power decayed in Italy the Bishops of Rome assumed more authority to themselves and were ready to comply with barbarians and invaders against their natural and Christian Prince to increase their own power When Odoacer had taken Rome and made himself King of Italy Pope Gelasius joyned with him called a Council of seventy Bishops at Rome and presided in it in the presence of the usurper Ann. 570. After this when the Imperial race was almost extinguisht in the East by the impious Tyrant Phocas Boniface 3. readily joyns with him writes flattering letters to him and obtained of him the long desired title of universal Bishop Ann. 606. And now the Emperours are beholding to the Bishops of Rome to hold their dominion in Italy yet this was a Clog to them that their election must be approved by the Emperours when therefore they had prevailed with Constantine 4. to release them of this obligation and to grant that whom the Senate and people of Rome chose he should be received as Pope without asking the Emperours consent then they had perfectly shaken off the yoak and the following Popes Gregory the 2. and 3. excommunicated 2. Emperours Philippicus and Leo for opposing Image worship absolved their Subjects from their Oath of allegiance and raising war against them finally drove them out of Italy about the year 750. Yet the Lombards troubled the Pope till he called in Pipin who subdued them and his Son Charles the great who put an end to their Kingdom And now the Pope was Lord of Italy and giveth Charles the tile of Roman Emperour and after about 6 generations he tranferred it to the Germans And now the Pope had a new and his last difficulty these German Emperours challenged the confirmation of the Popes election and the investing of all Bishops within their dominons but the Pope was grown so strong that by plain force and continuall wars he at last compelled the Emperours to renounce all power over the Popes and Italy it self to resign the investiture of all Bishopricks to the Pope yea to have his own election confirmed by the Pope and to hold his Crown as his gift which was principally managed though not finished by Hilderbrand Pope Gregory 7. about the year 1077. And now the man of sin was revealed indeed and come to maturity and from his time divers learned men of every nation declared and proved the Pope to be Antichrist and ever since the Pope hath filled all the West with wars Massacres and the private murders of his inquisition to uphold the power he had so honestly gotten he hath also made attempts upon the Eastern Churches and he gained some power over them while the Latines reigned in Constantinople but that fell with them and the East hath been oppressed by the Turk as the West by the Pope though not altogether in so terrible a manner for he for money grants the Christians their Churches and exercise of their religion but the Pope will suffer none to live that will not submit to him It may justly be a wonder how it was possible the Bishops of Rome many of them mean and inferiour men and many most flagitious could possibly attain so great power and dignity It was a mystery saith the Apostle and it was done insensibly At first the Bishops of Rome were eminent for parts piety and sufferings as usually such men are preferred and imployed in great especially Metropolitical Cities this gained them great credit with all Churches and both Ministers and people had them in great veneration and desired their judgement and counsel in weighty cases then the Emperours newly become Christian thought they could not bestow honour and power enough upon the Church especially on the Imperial seat they granted them their Courts their Apparitors and attendance with leave to all Christians to bring their causes to their Courts this made them Pettie-Princes then they challenged the right of appeals from all Churches though opposed and shamefully foiled by the Churches of Africk they would receive any persons and causes into their patronage the more unjust the better for them for the criminal persons having no hope of redress in their own Churches wholly relied upon the Popes authority and he to increase his authority would do his utmost for them and this was the reason why the Popes of Rome who long maintained the true doctrinal worship at length set up image worship Transubstantiation and all the rest of their superstitions viz. because the promoters and defenders of these corruptions fled to the Popes authority to shelter themselves from the power and censure of the sounder part of the Church and the Pope still sided with the worst that thereby he might oppress those who would not acknowledge his universality and supremacy at last the Pope having by these means insinuated into the minds and affections of the worst but greater part he did by force establish his throne above all and by force he hath kept it moreover the sloth and ignorance of may in the ministry and the pride of others who sought to advance themselves by advancing the Pope did not a little contribute to his power also the confusions of the Empire by the invasions of the Barbarians much helpt it forwards for they overturned the government destroyed the more knowing people in themselves being both Pagans and void of all learning received Religion from the Pope and superstition together and suffered themselves to be inslaved by him under the pretence of obedience to Christ and is chief Apostle St. Peter and his successours and their poor Princes suffered their people to be deceived and were deceived themselves by these plausible arts insomuch that they gave up their power to that Roman beast and thought it good service to Christ when they could serve his pretended Vicar 't is reported that 30 Kings and Queens of England have left their Kingdoms and gone to Rome to see St Peters successor and to die there A fair warning to Princes and magistrates to maintain their own power and the dignity of their places and to all Ministers to look to their own charge and to the people to