Seas alas so many Flames can quench The Romish Tyrant on Tarpeia smil'd To see the Brittish Priests thus both beguil'd When they have sent each other unto Hell Saith he by mutual wounds hark what I tell Lest they want Fire should in the Pit profound I will them both alive burn above ground Behold the Jest the peeping Mouse and Frog With Bulrush fighting are on Hill and Bog Like Kite mean while hid in a Cloudy Day With soft mov'd Wings I 'le soar about my Prey So I at length the Croaking Frog shall gull And Mouse ridiculous in pieces pull I shall proceed next to the Form and whole Nature of Excommunication and the further manifold mischiefs it brings to all Protestant-Churches which shews Bishops who use it are neither sit Judges of Marriage nor of any thing else The Form of the Jewish Excommunication By Decree of the Cities and Command of the Saints We Anathematize and Adjure Exterminate Excommunicate Curse and Execrate by the Will of God and the Church by the Book of this Law by the Six Hundred and Thirteen Precepts written in the same by the Anathema wherein Joshua Anathematized Jericho by the Curse wherewith Elisha Cursed the Children and by the Curse wherewith he Cursed Gehazi his Boy and by the Excommunication wherewith Baruch Excommunicated Merath and by the Excommunication which the men of the great Synagogue use and by the Excommunication which Rabbi Jehuda the Son of Rabbi Jehezkiel used in this matter and by all the Anathemata's Imprecations Burnings Excommunications and Exterminations which have been from the time of our Master Moses and since by the name of Acetheriel Jah Lord of Hosts by the name of Michael the Great Prince by the name of Mittraton whose name is as the name of his Master by the name Sandalipon who Binds the Bindings by his Lord by the name of the name of Forty-Two Letters by the name of him who appeared to Moses in the Bush by the name by which Moses divided the Red-Sea by the name of Four Letters by the Writing which is Writon the Tables by the name of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel sitting on the Cherubin by the name of the Sphaeres and Circles and the Holy living Creatures and Ministring Angels by the name of all the Angels which Minister to the Supreme God let every Israelite and Israelitess wittingly or willing violating any of the things denounced to be observed be Cursed to the God of Israel sitting on the Cherubims let him be Accursed by the Name Glorious and Bright which the High-Priest expresseth in the Day of Expiations let him be Cursed by Heaven and Earth let him be Accursed by the Omnipotent God let him be Accursed of Michael the Great Prince let him be Accursed of Mittraton whose name is as the name of his Master let him be Accursed as Acetheriel Jah Lord of Hosts let him be Accursed of the Seraphim and the Orbes and Holy living Creatures and Angels who Minister before the Supreme God in Holiness and Cleanness If he was born in the Month Nisan which the Angel called Vriel as Prince of the Rank under which he is Governs let him be Accursed of him and all his Rank and if he was born in the Month Jier which the Angel called Trephaniel as Prince of the Rank under which he is Governs let him be Accursed of him and all his Rank and if he is born under the Month Sivan c. this Cursing runs through every Month one after another in the same words Then follows Let him be Accursed of the Seven Angels set over the Seven Days of the Week and of all their Ranks and helping Powers let him be Accursed of the Four Angels set over the Four Quarters of the Year and of all their Ranks and helping Powers let him be Accursed of the Seven Palaces let him be Accursed of the Princes of the Law in the name of the Crown and in the name of the Seal let him be Accursed of the Great God strong and bright let their be Confusion of his Seed let him fall with a swift Ruin let the God the God of the Spirits of all Flesh destroy and cast him away let the God the God of the Spirits of all Flesh subdue him let the God the God of the Spirits of all Flesh overthrow him let the God the God of the Spirits of all Flesh keep him down let the Wrath of the Lord and a violent Whirlwind fall on the head of the Wicked let the Angel of Destruction fall upon him let him be Accursed in all things to which he sets himself let his Soul depart in Terror let him die of the Quinsey let not his Breath go out nor return with the Consumption Fever Burning Drought let him be smitten with the Sword with pining away with the Jaundice nor before his Destruction be freed from them let his Sword enter into his heart and let his Bow be broken let him be as Dust before the Wind and let the Angel of the Lord scatter him let his way be Darkness and Slipperiness and the Angel of the Lord persecute him let unlooked-for Desolation come upon him and let the Net which he hath hid take him let them Expell him from the Light into Darkness and from the habitual World they shall Banish him Tribulation and Straights shall terrifie him his Eyes shall see his own Destruction and he shall drink the Wrath of the Almighty let him put on Cursings as a Garment let him devour the strength of his Skin also God shall scatter him for ever and shall root him out of his Tabernacle The Lord will not rest to forgive him but the Wrath of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the Curses which are written in the Book of this Law shall lie upon him for Evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the Curses of the Covenant which are written in the Law But you who adhere to the Lord your God bless you this Day he who blessed Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses and Aaron David and Solomon and the Prophets of Israel and those who amongst the Nations are Holy bless this Holy Congregation and all other Holy Congregations Except only He who shâ—ll break this Curse God of his mercy keep them and make them safe and take them out of all trouble and misery and Prolong their Days and their Years and send his Blessing and a prosperous Wind to the Work of their Hands and let Him Revenge them speedily with all other Israelites and so let his Will and Decree be Amen Seld. de Jur. Nat. Gent. Juxt Discip Ebr. lib. 4. Cap. 7.527 The Form of the Greek Excommunication against Thieves If they Restore not to him that which is his own and possess him peaceably of it but suffer him to remain Injured and Damnified Let him be Separate from the Lord God Creator and be Accursed and Unpardoned and undissolvable after
between them and the Prince they never pretend any such thing as Consecration in either but a civil Contract obliged by mutual Oaths To shew some farther Authority therefore that never any Pope of Rome or Ralf of Canterbury or other Bishop had any Authority from Christ in the New or the Prophets or Priests in the Old Testament to make Tradition of a Crown to any Temporal Prince but the same belonged to the People or their Representative who were to be Subjects It is evident 1. as to Christ John 18.36 His Kingdom is not of this World 2. He never had any Crown but that of Thorns Matth. 27.29 Nor any Robes but the seamless Coat John 19.23 As to the Prophets and Priests in the Old Testament they never made Tradition of any Crown to any King of Israel or Judah but they received them from the People such as wore them and not from any Prophet or Priest for though Nunrod as is already mention'd alledged or feigned before his Usurpation of the first Monarchy that God shewed him miraculously a Crown in the Clouds and Constantine likewise alledged or feigned that God shewed him miraculously a Cross in the Clouds yet never any material Crown or Cross dropt from the Clouds neither doth it appear in Scripture or any History that any material Crown was ever by Miracle made by God or sent by any Prophet or Priest who should have Authority to make Tradition thereof and thereby give Investiture of a Kingdom nor Robes for though Gen. 3.21 God made Coats of Skins and clothed Adam and Matth. 6.30 clothed the Lillies yet it is before said Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these Which shews though God made the Lillies he made not Solomon's Robes And the Prophet Ahijah 1 Kings 11.30 though he prophesied the Kingdom to Jeroboam gave him neither Crown nor Robes but rather disrobed him for he caught his new Garment he bad on and rent it in twelve pieces and gave him ten of them And they were the People only that gave him the Investiture by Crown and Robes if those Ceremonies were at all used for it is said Cap. 12.20 The People sent and called him unto the Congregation and made him King over all Israel there was none that followed the House of David but the House of Judah only And Verse 24. It appears that this was from God yet were not the Priests hand in it to Crown him for they would not forsake the Sacrifice at Jerusalem which Verse 27. made Jeroboam to fear that if the people should go thither to sacrifice they would again return to Rehoboam and caused him for prevention to set up the two Golden Calves at Dan and Bethel As to the Coronation of Saul and David we find Saul had a Crown for the Amalekite 2 Sam. 1.10 who tells David he slew him saith I took the Crown that was upon his Head and the Bracelet that was on his Arm and have brought them hither unto my Lord. Coronation of Saul not by the Priest but People 1. It appears not that Samuel gave him this Crown neither is it probable for as hath been said before it appears not in any History that God ever sent a material Crown by any Prophet and as to the Jewish Priests Custom they could have none Saul being the first King in that Kingdom and Law they could have none for the Priest to make Tradition of the Crown to the King for Moses mentions no such thing therefore it was done by the People who were of necessity to shew their assent and acknowledgment by some external Ceremony of acknowledgment of their Governor which after the manner of the Nations after whose example they desired to have a King was by Tradition of a Crown and bringing him Presents which Presents appear 1 Sam. 10.27 to be made by the People and not the Priest for it is there said The Children of Belial said How shall this man save us and they despised him and brought him no Presents Coronation of David on a Conquest by himself As to the Coronation of David it was in a Kingdom he obtained by Conquest made by himself by taking the Crown from the Conquer'd King's Head and setting it on his own head without Prophet or Priest or Contract with the People 2 Sam. 12.26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the Children of Ammon and took the Royal City And Joab sent Messengers to David and said I have fought against Rabbah and have taken the City of Waters Now therefore gather the rest of the People together and encamp against the City and take it lest I take the City and it be be called after my name And David gather'd all the People together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it And he took their Kings Crown from off his Head the weight whereof was a Talent of Gold with the Pretious Stones and it was set on David's Head Thus appears Coronation to be over a Conquer'd People Coronation of David on a Contract by the People but when David hath to do with a free People of Judah and Israel it appears he neither assumed the Crown himself with his own hand nor received Tradition or Investiture of any Prophet or Priest of the same but from the People on Contracts mutually agreed Yea not only the Crown but the Anointing it self which signified the Kingdoms was given by the People or which is all one by their Representative in Parliament and not by the Priest as will appear from the Texts following viz. 1 Sam. 16 13. where it is said concerning David when he was brought before Samuel Then Samuel took the Horn of Oil and anointed him in the midst of his Brethren and the Spirit of the Lord came on David from that day forward 2 Sam. 2.4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David King over the House of Judah And 2 Sam. 5.1 Then came all the Tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron And Verse 3. So all the Elders of Israel came to the King to Hebron and King David made a League with them in Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David King over Israel And 1 Chron. 1.1 Then all Israel gather'd themselves to David unto Hebron And Verse 3. Therefore came all the Elders of Israel to the King to Hebron and David made a Covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David King over Israel according to the word of the Lord by Samuel By which appears first that the anointing by Samuel of David gave him no Investiture of the Kingdom for Saul was then alive but only he prophesied by this he should be King and Successor after Saul's death and by Miracle prepared and made him capable and fit to execute the Office by giving him from that time the Spirit of God which Miracle likewise followed the anointing of his Predecessor Saul 1 Sam. 10.1 to the 12th Verse But
Disciple for it is said when the Evening was come he was there alone but both Groves and High-places which were by Priests Consecrated for publick Conventions of Men and Women to Worship Publickly are commanded in Scripture to be destroyed Levit. 26.30 Hos 10.8 Amos 7.9 The first who built Temples were the old Egyptian Priests which they Dedicated to Priapus and drawing Women thither by Consecrated Whoredom thereby instituted the same the places of Publick Worship as well as of Marriage The next was Cecrops King of Athens who first in Greece instituted Marriage by a Priest in a Temple and with the same brought in the Publick Worship of Idols and Altars and Sacrifice for them whereby People were drawn from the Private and Omnipresential Worship of God to Marry and Worship Idols in Temples for the Gains of the Priests yet even amongst these Idolaters the wiser sort though Heathens understood these Pontifical Impostures but durst not speak against them as neither did Plato nor Aristotle Heathens believed the Omnipresence being warned by the Fate of Socrates though they many times express'd themselves that they believed the Omnipresence of God One desiring Demonax to go into the Temple of Esculapius to pray for the health of his Son Is he so deaf said he that he can hear no where but in a Temple Eras lib. 8. Apopth And Eratus the Greek Poet whom Paul cites speaks thus of Gods Omnipresence Plena sunt Jovis omnes Plateae Omnium etiam hominum Fora plenum est mare Pleni sunt Portus ubique Jove fruimur omnes Hujus enim genus sumus So the great Latine Poet Virgil Eclog. 3. Jovis omnia plena Ille colit terras illi mea Carmina curae Jove keeps the Earth all things full of him are And he even of my Verses taketh care Cato after the overthrow given by Caesar to Pompey of whose Party he was being advised to consult with the Oracle of Jupiter Hammon what course he were best take Answers thus Estne Dei sedes nisi Terra Pontus Aer Et coelum virtus superos quid'quaeritis ultra Jupiter est quocunque vides quocunque moveris Lucan Is Gods Seat other than Earth Sea and Air And Heaven and Vertue why do you despair And seek beyond who wheresoe're in these You go or see there to be found doth please It is not here affirmed as is already said That 't is unlawful for any to Marry or Worship by a Priest in a Temple or in a Publick Convention but it seems unlawful to compel any whose Conscience is dissentient or doubtful and that the Scriptures and Christ are so far from Compulsion that where Parties are not agreed they forbid so much as two or three to convene as Amos 3.3 Can two walk together except they agree and though they do agree yet single Prayer in private seems to be prefer'd as appears by what follows Prayer in Temples and Synagogues forbid by Christ and a distinction of the Place of Prayer and Preaching Commanded There is as little encouragement given by the Prophets in the Old Testament for Sacrifices Altars and Temples as there is by Christ in the New for Prayer and Sacrament in Synagogues and Temples Jer. 7.4 Trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord these are Hos 8.14 Israel hath forgotten his Maker and buildeth Temples Revel 21.22 There was no Temple in the New Jerusalem nor was there any Temple in the Earthly Paradise more than in the Heavenly yet was Marriage instituted by God But hear next what he who saith Matth. 12.6 here is one greater than the Temple will say of Prayer in Synagogues which were the Jews Parochial Churches and Temples which were the Cathedrals John 4.21 Jesus talking with the Samaritan Woman saith unto her Believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor in Jerusalem Worship the Father And Verse 23. The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to Worship him And they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and Truth 'T is granted the Jews set up a Local Worship in Synagogues and Temples but this Judaisme Christ expressly saith the hour was then come that it must be abolish'd and all Jewish Ceremonial Law and the Temple it self he foretold in the future there should not be left one stone upon another That he forbids a Prayer to be made in Synagogues Temples or any other publick Place and commands the same to be made privately in the Closet appears Matth. 6.5 When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the Corners of the Streets that they may be seen of Men. Verily I say unto you they have their reward But when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly The Jewish Synagogues were their Churches or Temples having a lesser or Parochial Jurisdiction and the Cathedral Church or great Temple having the National Jurisdiction but Prayer in both is abolished by Christ It is granted that in both the lesser and the greater Christ used to Teach as it is said Matth. 4.23 And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of Diseases amongst the People And Mar. 14.49 he saith of himself I was daily teaching in the Temple And the avoiding of publick Prayer he taught not only by his Precept but Example for we never find that he so much as Convened the Twelve who were his own Family to pray with him but Mark 1.35 He went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed And Matth. 14.23 He went up into a Mountain apart to pray and when the Evening was come he was there alone And Matth. 26.36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and saith unto the Disciples Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder Whereby it is clear that Christ both by Precept and Example taught there ought a distinction to be made between the place of Preaching and Prayer the one to be publick the other to be private the one to be in conventions the other to be single and alone and if he prohibited the contrary to any who were free he much more prohibited any should be compell'd Then as to Non-Communicants 't is manifest Christ never instituted the Sacrament in a Church or Temple nor appointed the same to be after Celebrated there for he instituted it in a private House and no company with him but his own private Family with him as Matth. 26.17 It is said Now the first day of the Feast of unlevened bread the Disciples
aut Infamia as they ought in Truth and Right to be 17. It caused the Parisian Massacre of an Hundred Thousand Protestants Why Protestants should Idolize this Ceremonial Snare of Compulsion to Marry by a Priest in a Temple whereby the Papists with their Female Elephants hunt the Males to their destruction in the same manner as the Priests of Baal-peor did the Isaelites is strange Numb 25.1 And Israel abode in Shittim and the People began to commit Whoredom with the Daughters of Moab And they called the People unto the Sacrifices of their gods and the People did eat and bowed down to their gods And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel And the Lord said unto Moses Take all the People and hang them up before the Lord against the Sun that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel And Moses said unto the Judges of Israel Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor And besides those who were Slain by the Sword Verse 9. Those that died of the Plague were Twenty and Four Thousand I am here to speak against the mischiefs of Compulsion of Protestants to two Popish Sacraments to both of which this Priapeian Ceremony of Marriage by a Priest in a Temple is a Causa sine qua non which two Sacraments one of the Host and the other of Marriage are the two fatal Banquets to which the Catholick Lady useth to invite the imprudent Protestant who hath learnt only the Innocence of the Dove but not the Wisdom of the Serpent Their first Sacrament which is of Bread they have transubstantiated into Poison their second Sacrament which is of Marriage they have transubstantiated into Blood of the first these Examples follow The Emperor Henry the Seventh was Poison'd in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Popish Sacrament of Bread Tanâ—â—bstantiared into Poison by a Frier of the Order of St. Dominick and thereof died the same day Perhaps one Reason why the Papist Priest Administers not the Wine to the Laity but only the Bread may be because if the Priest should Poison the Wine he drinking thereof first might Poison himself as well as his Guests and his Friends as well as his Enemies but he may divide the Bread in Wafers or Morsels such as are Poison'd to the Parties he designs them and such as he appoints for bits of a Passeover to the rest But it is certain the Priest may do what he will and whether he Poisons Bread or Wine neither Prince or Subjects have their Tasters of either and it is very hard therefore either should be compel'd to receive it of any Priest except of their own Election as to Person and Place though but once a Year and very improper and dangerous it is for a Test between Papist and Protestant seeing it cannot be known whether the Priest who gives it be a Papist or no for if he be he will not spare Poison if he can thereby reach his designs on his own Religion as appears in the Examples following much less on a Protestant Lavaterus tells of a Frier at Berna who was endeavour'd to be deceived by his Companions who made counterfeit Apparitions of the Virgin Mary to him in the Night that he might become an Instrument by divulging his Visions and the Revelations in them to confirm their Superstition amongst the People but it seems they were but Novices in the Art of Counterfeiting and were so ill attired or Acted so ill upon their new Stage that though the Frier was but a Block-head he perceived by the voice it was the Sub-prior in Womans apparel who personated to him the Virgin Mary they being therefore fearful he should detect their Knavery attempted three times to poison him in the Host or Sacrament and the third time he swallowed it and vomitted it up again hardly escaping with life which made the Bernoyes begin not to think the Sacrament the Body of Christ which was so often turn'd to Poison Prince Visnorisky who was a Protestant of the Greek Church about the Year 1616. having prepared at Christmas to receive the Communion after their manner the Priest who had usually served him in that Devotion being corrupted with Money by his Enemies poison'd the Bread which the Prince having received he suddenly fell sick and his Torments were so violent as he died the next day this bred a suspicion that he had been poison'd whereupon the Priest was apprehended who presently confess'd he was guilty and had been procured by his Enemies whereupon the Priest was Executed being bound in a Chair of Copper Wire and Roasted to Death Turk Hist 1350. These few are discover'd to Men but who can Imagine but a greater multitude of these Wickednesses are committed by such as are so studied in the Art of Poisoning which remain in secret and undiscover'd and are therefore reserved to the just Judgment of the All-knowing God Popish Sacrament of Marriage transubstantiated into blood Of the Second which is the Popish Sacrament of Marriage transubstantiated into the Blood take the Example following of the Infamous Perfidious Cowardly Traiterous Diabolical and worse than Barbarous and Pagan Parisian Massacre of an Hundred Thousand Protestants under Faith and Oath given of safe Conduct and Peace and on Solemn Covenants of Marriage Anno Dom. 1572. This base Practice of the French Papists who found themselves too weak in the Field to injure the Protestant of Circumventing him by Perjury and breach of Faith and Covenant the most Sacred Obligations of all humane Society is very well and more at large displayed in a Relation but lately Printed 1678. out of Mezeray Thuanus and other approved Authors of which with what Brevity I can I shall only touch Heads Paâ—isian Massacre of Protestants intrapped by a Marriage The French King after Ten Years Civil War was advised to set on foot a Treaty of Peace not so much out of any design to quiet matters as to ensnare the Protestants in some fatal Trap in which they might be safely and easily destroyed the first Bait to be offered was the Marriage of the Lady Margaret the Kings Sister to Henry King of Navar and if that succeeded not they were to invent still a new Plot till they found that which would do the Business a Peace was therefore concluded with the Protestants by which the free Exercise of their Religion was granted them some Cautionary Towns were also put into their hands to be kept by them two Years till there were a full settlement made of the Edicts and the other things agreed to for their Security the next Progress in the Treacherous Design was when a Confidence was begotten on the Faith and Covenants of this Peace in the Protestants then to draw the chief Heads of the Party to the Court and they being so flatter'd into their compass they had the Power whensoever they thought fit to surprize and destroy them as