of all yet none can believe and obey but the Elect whom God giveth †2 Tim. 2. 25. Repentance to and to them only the Word is the savour of Life unto them that are saved by Faith in Christ Jesus Yet the Preacher knowing not who are the Elect doth apply the Word as generally calling all Persons to believe and obey in his Message As saith the Lord to Paul when he sent him to Corinth I have much People in this City So Act. 18. 10. John 10. 20. not all for they could not all believe because they were not all Christ's Sheep as it is written All Men have not Faith 2 Thess 3. 2. For these and the like errors in Faith and corruption in Worship which were too tedious here to refute about the state of Infant-Baptism and the Seventh-day Sabbath of the gross mistake in them that deny the one and keep the other largely handled by me not long since printed in a Book intituled Ancient Truth Revived Wherein is also in 22 Articles every true Protestant's Faith inserted the State of a true Church and how every Ordinance and by whom and in what Order they were performed in the Primitive Churches containing six Sheets of Paper unto which I refer the Reader is one cause why God hath not before this destroyed the false Ecclesiastical power of the Romish Babylon because as the Sins of God's People of old were the cause why old Babylon was not sooner destroyed even so is it See and read Jer. 25. now That as then God did first give his own People a Cup to drink and then Shishack did drink after them So Judgment must first begin at the House * 1 Pet. 4. 17. of God unless there be a speedy Repentance Else surely the time is come as that Servant of God Mr. Beal hath noted on Rev. 20. in his Book called The Image of both Churches That when the 1000 Years of the Beast's Raign was expired Satan the common Adversary of Man shall be loosed out of his dark Prison and set at large by the sufferance of God Mans wickedness deserving no other strongly deluding the Unbelievers for their unbelief-sake to deceive the Universal People of the World through the operation of Errors He shall cause them to give credance to Lyes that they may be damned for refusing the Truth So that the abomination of Desolation shall be set up in the holy Place meaning in the Heart where Christ by faith should dwell to the utter destruction of Faith Which People of him thus deluded is called in a mystery Gog and Magog that is as much as to say Covered and Off-covered For both the grand Captains of them depending doth these two words comprehend the one covering the Devil with many false Religions meaning Loe here is Christ and loe there is Christ the other in his sort following the same wicked consent these two Tyrants the Romish Pope and Mahomet with the whole generation of like Spirits with them mark that have gathered themselves together against God and his Christ to destroy the whole face of Christianity Now the woful experience of the beginning of these things is seen among us so that our Condition looketh too like the state of the Jews When Titus Vespasian the Roman Emperor came and besieged Jerusalem the Jews by reason of their many Errors were divided into sundry * Mark 12. 13 18. Sects and their dividing in Faith divided them in Heart that they destroyed one another So the words of Christ were fulfilled on them that despised his Counsel as it is written Every Kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation Mat. 12. 25. How then doth it behove all Protestants to be by Christ's Words warned with speed to examine whether they be in the Faith of God's Elect * Tit. 1. 1. Heb. 11. and worship God by Christ's †Rev. 14. directions only that there be no dividing in Judgment and so not in Heart considering what * In his Book called the Card and Compass of Life presented to Prince Charles the first one hath noted That the Jews affirm the first Blood split in the World was by reason of the differences in Judgment among Brethren for so all that bear the name of Protestants ought to be in these words Cain was so possessed with Covetousness that he believed there was no Life after this But Abel believed there was after this Life a reward for the Good and punishment for the VVicked in which Contention Cain slew Abel So that Cain was of the Wicked one For to Persecute Imprison or kill any one for Conscience sake is a work †1 John 3. 12. Rev. 2. 10. of the Devil and a Wo is pronounced against them As it is written Wo to them that follow the way of * Jude ver 11. Cain they shall perish So that Protestants may be ashamed to own that evil Spirit to force Men to believe when it is written That it is God shall †Gen. 9. 27. perswade Japhat to dwell in the Tents of Shem. Therefore to force Men to believe or practise in things Divine before God giveth them Faith is but to make a Church of Hypocrites whose Sacrifice is * Prov. 15. 8. Abomination to the Lord as their Father Cain's was Now if any Protestant should be offended like * Amos chap 7. Amaziah the Priest of Bethel with this Christian Warning-piece as he was with the Prophet Amos's Warning to King Jeroboam and his People and say The Land cannot bear these words against the Inventions of Men in the Worship of God charge me as Amaziah did Amos the Prophet with Conspiracy against the King when but for declaring the only means then from the immediate Mouth of the Lord to preserve the King and the Nation as this is from the mediate written Word of God to preserve our King and the Nations from the Judgments threatned I say if we like them will regard no Christan Counsel all Scripture being written for our Admonition then in all likelihood the Judgments threatned on them will fall upon us that God will darken * Amos chap. 8. the Earth in a clear day by sending a Famine in the Land not of Bread nor thirst for Water but of hearing the Words of the Lord. For by reason of so many false Teachers in Judah their Silver became †Isa 1 22. dross their Wine was mixt with Water and they were fed with * Jer. 23. 28. Chaff instead of Wheat As is now seen by woful experience whilst God's Word is not truly Taught but corrupted with Errors under the colour of Christianity with Lo here is Christ and lo there as they said of old The Temple of the ‖ Jer. 7. 4. Lord the Temple of the Lord are these Nevertheless they were told Thy Prophets †Lam. 2. 14. have seen vain and foolish things for thee for they have not
Scepter * Psal 45. 6. of our Lord Jesus blessed for ever his Word being commanded to be purely taught without corrupting or swerving either to the right Hand or to the left Which when the Primitive Christians observed not but neglected their Watch †Rev. 3. 3. in suffering false Doctrine to creep in among them as in the Church of Pergamos reigned the Doctrine of Balaam ‖ Rev. 2. 14 15. and the Nicolaitans and in Thyatira the Doctrine of Jezebel * Ver. 20. Ephesus †Rev. 2. 4 having left her first Love and among the Corinthians and other Christians both Men and Women were they not reproved for walking in a vain Conversation Whilst Men wearing long Hair the ‖ 1 Cor. 11. 14. shame of Nature their Women likewise wearing of Gold Pearl * 1 Tim. 2. 9. 1 Pet. 3. 3. plaited Hair uncovered expresly in plain words forbidden by the Apostle not becoming modest Women professing Godliness with good Works For which Evils and Disorders with others because the Churches punished them not according to God's Order by casting the ‖ Mat. 17. 18. obstinate Sinners out of the Churches the Lord Jesus threatned to cast them into a Bed of great Tribulation †Rev. 2. 22. under the term of ten Prophetical Days meaning Years which some have observed to come on the Churches in the Year of Christ in the Reign of Trajan the Emperour So that if God in his just Judgment for the Sins of the ten Tribes delivered them of old into the Hands of the Kings of Assyria and likewise Judah into the Hands of the King of Babylon even so for like Cause did the Lord deliver the East Churches into the Hands of Mahomet and the West Churches into the Hands of the Beast the Pope and his Clergie Unto which agreeth Mr. Fuller's Testimony in his History of the Holy Wars worth all Protestants observation especially in this Day of Apostacy in Chap. 6. pag. 6. in these words But the Sins of the Eastern Countries and chiefly their damnable Heresies hastened God's Judgments on them and in the Western parts Heresies as an Angle caught single Persons which in Asia like a Draw-Net took whole Provinces The staid and settled Wits of Europe were not easily removed out of the old Road and Track of Religion whilst the active and nimble Heads of the East were more desirous of Novelties more desirous and cunning to invent Distinctions to cozen themselves more fluent in Language to express their Conceits as always Error groweth fastest in hottest Brains Hence it came to pass the Melchites Maronites Nestorians Euticheans Jacobites overspread those parts Then it was mark that just with God saith he to suffer them that would not be convinced by Christian Counsel to be subdued by the Pagans Sword And again saith he it may justly seem Admirable that that sensless Religion should gain so much ground on Christianism especially having neither real substance in Doctrine nor winning behaviour in Ceremony to allure Professors being but the scum of Judaism and Paganism sod together here and there strawed with a spice of Christianity Thus was fulfilled what was written on those that received not the love of the Truth God gave them over to believe Lyes and punished them with the Pagans Sword and being no whit bettered then the Lord prepared the four Angels or Messengers of his Wrath whom John Napier a Nobleman of Scoland observeth to be the four Mabometan Nations that inhabit about or beyond the River Euphrates to wit the Saracens Turks Tartarians and Arabians all Confederates together in one Law of Mahomet and under one great Emperour Ottoman whom God for the Sins of Christians had prepared for an Hour a Day a Month and a Year to slay the third part of Men By whom saith the learned Ainsworth God scourged Christendom with Fire Smoke and Brimstone out of the Horses Mouths and Horsemen conducted by the Angel of Destruction Yet the * Rev. 9. 20. Remnant of Men not killed by these Plagues repented not of their Works that they should not worship Devils and Idols of Gold and Silver and Brass and Wood and Stone which can neither hear nor see nor walk See Ainsworth Arrow pag. 96. Notwithstanding the Judgments of God upon the Primitive Apostate Churches some falling to Mahometism others to Papistry yet no Apostate Church retained more Idolatry than Rome and that that Church is the great Whore Mystery Babylon and the Beast that she rideth on is the Popish Prelacy is plainly shewed in the Answer of that famous Protestant H. Ainsworth to John Ainsworth the Papist That whereas in their Letters written to each other John Ainsworth saith The seven Mountains in Rev. 17. are said to be seven Kings none of which agree with the Pope Yea saith Henry Ainsworth the seventh agrees very well for the Woman is the great City Rome the Beast on which she rideth hath seven Heads which are expounded there to be seven Mountains and seven Kings Rev. 17. 3 9. The seven Mountains are famous through the World as Palatinus Capitolinus Aventinus Esquilinus Caelius Virminalis Quirinalis on which Mountains Rome was builded The seven Kings are also seven Governments of Rome renowned also in Histories as by * Cornel. Tacitus ◠1. Kings by Consuls by Decemviry by Dictators by Triumphiry by Cesars by foraign Emperours and Popes therefore when John wrote the Five first were fallen and removed Rev. 17. 10. and one saith he is namely the Sixth by the Cesars and another is not yet come which was the Foraign Emperours as Trajan the Spaniard and the like who when they come should continue but a while Constantine going to Bizantium and the Empire being over-run by the barbarous Goths and the Beast saith he is the eighth and is one of the seventh Rev. 17. 11. meaning the Popes who by an Ecclesiastical Government differ from the Civil Emperours and so are the eighth yet because they Reign together with the Emperours they make as it were one Government So the eighth is one of the seven as the Scripture saith Unto this agrees the words of St. Bernard The Beast †Bernard Epist 125. that hath a Mouth speaking Blasphemies occupieth Peter's Chair Moreover saith the Scripture Rev. 13. 18. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a Man and his number is 666. Now for the better understanding of this Mystery we must know that it is the general Course of the Spirit of God throughout the Revelations to take Words and Phrases out of the Prophets and apply them to the things there prophesied as in this number of the Beast which is by a borrowed speech taken from the name of a Man and his Familie in Ezra 2. 13. the Man's name being Adonikam by signification a God ascending or standing up his Sons were 666. Now the Beast by signification is called a Man to wit of Sin
judg where is the Antiquity that the Romish Church pleadeth so much for unless it be old in Wickedness So that it is admirable how any that owns the name of a Protestant can believe that it is lawful to worship God by that Ministry that had the succession of his Ministry from Popish Ordination Therefore in the next place let us take a view of the manner how they are made Priests in Rome as themselves have written They are made Priests when by the Bishop who only can give this Order it is said Receive power to celebrate Masses both for the Living and for the Dead and to offer Sacrifices unto God in the Name of the Lord. The Bishop saith withal Receive the Holy Ghost Oh blasphemous Speech The Priests are also shaven on their Crowns and anointed with Oyl on their Hands that by that ‖ See Hen. Ainsw Anim adver p. 61. Bellarm. Pontifical Lib. de Ordinat Presbit Unction and the Bishops blessing those Hands may be Consecrated and Sanctified of God A Stole of Innocency is put upon the Priest and he promiseth to the Bishop and his Successors Reverence and Obedience and the Bishop gives him again the Blessing of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost that he may be blessed in his Priestly Order and may offer placable Hosts or Sacrifices to God for the Sins of the People This Ordination hath a double effect First A perpetual Spiritual Power in sign whereof a Character or Mark indelible is imprinted on them And secondly Grace making them acceptable whereby they are inabled to execute their Office So this Bishoply Ordination conferreth Grace And if any shall say That the Holy Ghost is not hereby given Let him saith the Council of * Sess 23. Can. 4. Trent be accursed Now judge ye Protestants whether this Ordination do not make Men more like †Zech. 11. 17. Idol-Shepherds being the very mark of the Beast than Ministers of the Gospel Now that we may the better discern how contrary to Nature and Grace this way of making Gospel-Ministers by this Romish Ordination let us take a view of the true Way how all true Ministers come to their Office by the Rules of Christ's Gospel First Every true Church is likened to a Virgin * 2 Cor. 11 2. who by the Covenant of the Gospel is espoused †Isa 62. 5. Eph. 5. 23. to Christ her Head and Husband and is said in her first Constitution to have no ‖ Cant. 8. 8. Brests that is Ministers but in process of time her Brests are said to be * Ezek. 16. 7. 1 Tim. 3. Isa 66. 11. fashioned by the Lord 's fitting some of her Members with Gifts Graces and Qualifications for the Work of the Ministry which so soon as the whole Body or Church finding fit do by common †Acts 1. 26. consent Elect ‖ 6. 13. Acts 14. 23. and after Fasting and Prayer by what Member the Church thinketh fit for her Mouth on the Lord's Day in the time of Government do ordain the Person before Elected some of the Fathers of Families laying their Hands * Numb 8. 9. on the person Elected in sign and for no other end in the presence of the whole Church or Body they are to take Charge of That they are not only first Elected by common Consent but by common Consent are now ordained by that particular Church or Body they are to abide with whilst Life doth †Acts 20 28. last And this is the true Eldership or Ministry the Lord hath given to every particular true Church as Paul wrote to Titus as I have appointed thee * Which way of making Ministers is both agreeable first to the Tit. 1. 5. Word of Grace and also to the Order of Nature that Ministers or Brests should grow or proceed out of their own Bodies and not like Romes Ordination for Brests or Ministers to be made by a Bishop without the knowledg of the particular Body whereof they are to take Charge and afterwards by unnatural Art set to the Body by the Bishop's order it may be without the Peoples consent whether they will or no as no Natural but an Artificial Brest or Eye to that Body so entring into their Office contrary to Grace and order of Nature not entring by the Door of Christ's Appointment are compared to Thieves Robbers and Hirelings John 10. who so soon as they hear of a bigger Benefice being not by Grace and Nature in the Body but only stuck on they slide away let the Flock shift how they can Oh dear Protestants Shall the Lord always wink at this Confusion among you No sure He will bring his Judgments speedily if it be not amended Now having laid these things before you let us in the next place observe that there was a time fixed by the Lord how long the Beast or false Ecclesiastical State should generally reign over the Nations to wit by the space of a thousand Years Which Rev. 20. 4. time as John Napier hath Calculated the Prophetical Dates in the Prophets and the Revelations together That the Beast's reign began See Napier on Rev. 10. about the Year of our Lord 113 and 115 about which time the first Pope was set up and so Poyson was brought into the Church and so continued their general Reign till about the Year 1541. And then saith Napier the seventh Angel began to sound at which time saith the Angel there shall be Time no longer meaning that the Rod of the Wicked should not always rest on the back †Psal 125. of the Righteous But all the Mysteries ‖ Rev. 10. 7. 8. 9. in the Prophets should be fulfilled which last Mystery in these latter Days seemeth to be the call of the Lord's Elect * Rev. 20. 5. Ephes 2. 1. dead in Sin out of the Spiritual Babylon or Romish Church according to the Mystery or Figure thereof by the Lord's Call of his People out of the Temporal Babylon So that as aforesaid the Way of God in the Revelation is to take Words and Phrases out of the Prophets and to apply them to things of like nature to be fulfilled in these last Days Therefore as Ezekiel did eat a little †Ezek. 3. 3. Book signifying thereby that he must Prophesie to the dry ‖ Ezek. 37. Bones in Old Babylon even so in these latter Days under the Person of John must the Lord's Servants eat a little Book * Rev. 10. 9. that is Prophesie to the dead in Sin in the Spiritual Babylon even among the many Nations Peoples Tongues and Kings So that about the Year aforesaid 1541 came forth the eaters of the little Book some of which were Luther Calvin Melancthon all under the name of an Angel †Rev. 14. 6. to preach the everlasting Gospel to every Nation Kindred Tongue and People By whose means not only many People of
with the Covenants whereby they were bound unto their People The Laws of this Land are so full this way as no Man conversant in them can be ignorant that our Princes have preferr'd the observing of those equal Covenants whereby they are tied unto their People before the accomplishing of their own private Affections yea and Commandments in some Cases Hence it is that the Judges of this Land are bound by Law to administer Justice and Equity unto the poor Subjects notwithstanding that the Prince's Letter be directed to them to the contrary And as to the Law of God all Kings and Princes are bound thereby to be so far from thinking themselves tied by no Bonds unto their Subjects as they are plainly forbidden to be lifted up in Mind above their Brethren Deut. 17. 20. For so the word in that place calleth their Subjects and Servants The Kings of Judah who had the greatest Priviledges and Prerogatives both Ecclesiastical and Civil over their People that ever any Kings or Princes can have because they were Types and Figures of that Great King of Kings the Lord Jesus yet entred into Covenant notwithstanding with their People even particularly besides the general former Law whereby they were bound unto them Yea the Prophet Jeremiah being in no less danger and disgrace with all Estates than I and my Brethren are at this present required his Soveraign Lord and King Zedekiah to promise that he would do him no Violence nor Wrong nor yet suffer others to do the same for telling him the truth of the Word in the things wherein the King required to be resolved at his hands The which thing Zedekiah yielded unto and that by an Oath and Covenant of the Lord Jer. 38. 15 16. Whereby it appeareth that it is not without great Warrant of the Lord that Princes should enter into Covenant with their Subjects and that Subjects should require Promise and Oath to be kept with them otherwise Whereto serveth the Covenant But alas I enter not to scan her Majesties Oath I only tell you what her Laws allow me and my poor Brethren and I am assured if her Majesty knew the equity and uprightness of our Cause we should not receive this hard measure which we now sustain seeing we and our Cause are never brought before her but in the odious weeds of Sedition Rebellion Schism Heresie c. therefore it is no marvel to see the edge of her Sword turned against us Quest 3. Hath not her Majesty by her Laws established these Offices and this Order that now is in the Church of England Answ Her Laws have I grant of oversight as taking them for the right Offices and Order which appertain unto the Church of Christ which because we evidently see that they are not therefore flie we unto her former Promise and Act whereby she granteth us the enjoying of all the Priviledges of the Church of God In the next place There be other Protestants that have come yet farther out of the Romish Babylon in disclaiming the Service-Book Surplice Organs Cross in Baptism Priests Garments and the like because they were Popish Yet it is to be admired why such cannot as well disclaim the Order of the Ministry received from the Bishops as the Bishops received it from the Pope one Minister ordaining another without the Congregations knowledg where they are to take Charge and likewise pay and receive Tithes for their Ministers Maintenance which Pope Pascalis 827 Years after Christ * Qu. 19. cap. 1. Decimus a populo first ordained for his Priests These Protestants cannot think to escape the Judgments of God who †2 Cor. 6. 17. Rev. 18. 4. touch the unclean things forbidden and are not fully come out of Babylon as Judah our Figure was who sent away all Babylon's filthiness ‖ Ezra 6. 2. Zech. 5. 8 9 11. with the Wings of a Stork into the Land of Shiner or Babylon where they were hatched as afore-shewed Moreover There are other Protestants who though they have forsaken the Ministry Service and all the fore-named Romish Inventions yet they retaining the Romish Errors of Free-will falling from true Grace general Redemption and denying that glorious Doctrine of Election cannot think to escape the Judgments of God because Error in Faith is so heinous in the sight of the Lord being likened to Leaven * Mat. 16. 6 12. 1 Cor. 5. Darkness †Luke 11. 34. 35. and Poyson ‖ Deut. 32. 3. that God threatned the Church of Pergamos to fight against them for not punishing them by Excommunication that maintained the Error or Doctrine * Rev. 2. 14 16. of Balaam and the Church at Thyatira for suffering the Women Jesebel to teach †Ver. 20. and to deceive them All which came on the Churches afore-shewed in Pag. 13. also Junius on Rev. 2. 10. Again There are other Protestants that are not guilty of the fore-named Errors yet for other sins of disorder in making * Gen. 6. 4. Ex. 34 16. 1 Cor. 7. 39. Marriages with them they cannot joyn with in the Ordinances of Worship and their walking in the shame of Nature long Hair †1 Cor. 11. 14. and Perriwigs which Evils as well as other sinful Conversations not in God's Order punished the whole Church becomes ‖ 1 Tim. 5. 22. Ps 26. 5 6. Pro. 11. 21. Josh 22. guilty of one anothers Sins As saith the Law Whatsoever the unclean Person toucheth shall be unclean and the Person that toucheth him shall be unclean Numb 19. 22. Again There are others that would be called they know not what who refuse the use of God's Ordinances in Worship to wit Baptism of Water and the Lord's Supper and suffer their Females * 1 Cor. 14. 34 35. Jesebel like to teach their Imaginations For no Person can teach any other thing concerning God or Christ in the work of Man's Redemption to Salvation that own not the written Scripture as the †John 5. 39. Gal. 6. 16. 1 Kings 8. 25. with 2 Chron. 6. 16. Ground of Faith and the Rule to try all Doctrine and Worship by who as it is said do deny the Resurrection of the Body Unto such the Apostle hath said If the Body rise not then is not Christ risen and so to them All Preaching is vain and they are yet in their Sins ‖ 1 Cor. 15. 14 17. and of all Men most miserable Another great mistake is among many Protestants in understanding the Prophecies and Mysteries in the Prophets literally concerning the Spiritual Glory of the Church under the Gospel or Christ's Reign with the Saints on Earth I would fain have these Protestants first to remember that Christ's Kingdom * John 18. 36. is not of this World neither the Warfare nor Weapons †2 Cor. 10. 4. Carnal and in all things exemplary to the Church under the Gospel we are exhorted to behold Israel ‖ 1 Cor. 10. 18. our Figure