my kinred and dearest friends Awake awake my soule and like Abraham leave now thy flesh and bloud that thou mayst become rich and great in the sight of thy Lord Away all feares away all humane and temporall respects away to much love of worldly pelse O Lord I for thy sake I hate and leave this day that meanes which hither to from Papists I have received O Lord I know they threaten my destruction but into thy hands do I this day commend my spirit O let that be safe I though here my body be mangled and torne into thousand pieces do thou protect me and I will feare no enemies do thou continue thy mercies to me and I with David will sing and teach them for ever Now dearely Beloved I have disclosed unto you the miseries of a wretched sinner the cruelty and unsatiable tyranny of Satan over those that he sifts away from the fruitfull granes of Christ's Church I have discovered unto you the heavy blows he giveth them and have made my self a President of so miserable and wretched an estate Now give eare I beseech you to the second poiâ—t of my Text where Christ having told Peter how Satan desired to have him that he might sift him as wheat Christ comforted him presently saying But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not For to teach us that though we be never so tyrannized by Satan never so abused and beaten never so dumb so blind and so deafe Yet the mercies of God are able to relieve us And God himselfe would not be mercifull and omnipotent if any miseries of ours how great soever should prevaile or exceed the power of his mercies Nay when by sin we are most wretched and most forlorn then doth God shew most the power of his sweet and comfortable mercies and forgetteth not 40 only but a 1000 yeares ill spent in sin and iniquity as David teacheth us Psalm 90. 3 4. saying Thou turnest man to destruction Again thou sayest Come again ye child en of men for a thousand yeares in thy sight are but as yesterday Behold though a man be turned to destruction though a soule be quite lost utterly defaced and spoyled Yet Come again ye children of men Let but these destroyed and forlorne soulâ—s turne again unto the Lord and a thousand years ill spent in sinnes and iniquities shall bee pardoned so easily that they shall seeme but as one day ill spent for God is mercifull and will make the least that may bee made of our sinnes if from our hearts wee turn unto him Nay when most we offend him then chiefly doth he strive with his mercies to allure us unto him By the greatnesse of his mercies he striveth to shew himselfe our God and Saviour as I have observed in that answer which he sent unto John in the 11 of Mat. where John sent two of his Disciples to know of him if he were the Messias and Saviour of the world whom they expected To which message our Saviour made no other answer but that of the 5 verse saying The blind receive their sight and the lame walke the lepers are cleansed and the deaf heare the dead are raised up and the poore have the Gospel preached unto them The only way to know that Christ is a Saviour is by seeing his works of mercy either Spirituall or Corporall for by the blind which he corporally and spiritually cureth by the leprous soules and bodies which he cleanseth by the deaf to whom he restoreth corporall and spirituall hearing by the dead in soule and body whom he raiseth up he is sufficiently known to be a true Messias a true Saviour a most loving and mercifull Father And much more by using these mercies when least we deserve them when furthest we are from him when most grievously we offend him for then it is that he striveth with the power of his mercy to prevaile against the power of Satan In the 12 Chap. of Matth. 14. 15 verses this may casily be observed where it is said Then the Pharisees went out and held a Councell against him how they might destroy him Behold here wretched sinners the instruments of the Devill united and confederate against our Saviour What doth he unto them Doth he destroy them Doth he poure down fiery darts upon them No What then doth he Read forward the 15. verse and ye shall see what he doth And when Jesus knew it he withdrew himselfe from thence and great multitudes followed him and he healed them all When most they strive against him to offend him then both he cure and heale their infirmities for to reach us that he is so mercifull a Father that he holdeth it a disparagement to his great goodnesse that our wickednesse should be greater than his mercies that when most we offend him than doth he most mercifully cure and heale the lepers and diseases of our afflicted soules So in the 32 of Exodus you shall find the mercies of God striving with the wickednesse of men for whilest the Israelites withdraw themselves from God at the foot of the mountain worshiping a golden Calfâ—… God on the top of the mountaine is ordering a Law for them to bring them to righteousnesse and to the port of true Salvation In the 9 Chap. of the Acts there also ye shall find a strong encounter between the malice of a wicked finner and the kindneâ—…e and mercy of God for whilest Saul breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord goeth to the high Priest and desireth of him letters to Damascus to the Synagogues that if he sound any followers of Christ men or women he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem Then at that very time strives God with his mercies for the upper hand as you may read in the 3 verse And suddainely there shined round about him a light from heaven And Gods mercies prevailing against Sauls stubbornes from a wicked sinner from a wicked Persecutor he was made an Apostle and a chosen vessell to beare the name of the Lord before the Gentiles the Kings and the Children of Israel O how doth the Prophet Hosea in the 2 Chap. of his Prophecies in the 13 and 14 ver. teach the truth of this doctrin saying And I will visite upon her the dayes of Baalâ—m wherein she burnt incense to them and she decked her self with her carrings and her jewels and she went after her lovers and forgate me saith the Lord Behold here a Harlot a soule most abommable given to idolatry burning incense before her Idols following her pleasures the vanities of the world decking and trimming up her selfe to entice and allure her gallants following her gallants and lovers and quite forgetting her Lord and God But what will God do now with this lewd harlot with this abominable soule Will he dâ—stroy her Will he shew the strength and power of his justice against her O no! Heare what followeth in the 14 verse Therfore Behold
THE TYRANNY OF SATAN Discovered by the teares of a Converted Sinner in a Sermon Preached in Paules Church on the 28 of August 1642. By THOMAS GAGE formerly a Romish Priest for the space of 38 yeares and now truly reconciled to the Church of England LONDON Printed by Tho. Badgor for Humphrey Mosley at the Prince's Armes in Pauls Church-yard M.DC.XLII To the Right Honorable ISAAC PENNINGTON Lord Major of the City of London together with the Right Worshipfull the Sheriffes and Aldermen of the same City SIRS MAy it please you Saul that great Persecutor of the new beginning Church of Christ that enemy who breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord after he was cast down from his horse and his pride was quelled by the might and power of Christ he was by the Lords order committed to the care of Ananias Acts 9. 11. True it is Ananias answered the Lord that he was jealous and fearefull of Saul because he had heard by many how much evill he had done to the Saints at Jerusalem 13. v. But the Lord replyed no more unto him but that he should not feare nor mistrust him because he had turned his heart and made him a chosen vessell to beare his name before the Gentiles and Kings and children of Israel that he would teach him how great things he should suffer for his names sake Let it please your Honour and Worships to behold here my own case deciphered for if Saul persecuted the Church of Christ I my selfe have persecuted the same Church by opposing the doctrin of it by preaching and teaching contrary to it by procuring to seduce soules from it by writing against it But now it hath pleased that mighty and powerfull Lord against whom there is no resistance to cast me down upon the ground to quell my pride to lighten me round about with the beames and light of his mercies to make me know how hard a thing it is to kicke against the will calling of God and with trembling and feare to make me say Lord what wilt thou have me to do If Saul was sent to Damascus to Ananias a chiefe and zealous follower of Christ that by him he might be protected from the Jews and enemies of the Lord who doubtles hearing of his change and conversion would have cruelly torne and slaughtered him if they could have found him So I my selfe by a secret and inward order which I have found by God delivered to my Soule have judged it meet and fit to search out in this City some zealous Ananias some religious follower of Christs pure doctrin that I may be safely sheltered protected from the violent attēpts of the Lords enemies the Papists who I know will endeavour to do me all the mischief they can Therfore let it please your Honor and Wps. who are well known to be as Ananias in Damascus zealous and truly religious followers of Christs own doctrin and favorers of the pure Word of the Lord to cast your eyes upon me a new converted Saul to shelter and protect me from those that plot my mischief O when surest they are to hinder my perseverance in the truth by plotting and studying my destruction let them find me hovering under the wings of your protection O feare not nor say what Ananias said I have heard by many of this man how much evill he hath done to thy Saints but praise the work of the Lord in me who hath opened now my eyes who hath brought me now out of Babylon who hath made me confesse my sins and iniquities with a sorrowfull and contrite heart And as it pleased the Lord to shew Saul as soon as he was converted how great things he should suffer for his names sake even so be you confident as I my self am that this my calling conversion is purely meerly from above and from the Lord from whom I have receiv'd this testimony that he hath shewed me already how great things I must suffer for his names sake for I must for him suffer many injuries and calumniations from the Papists I must suffer the losse of all my kinred I must suffer the losse of that maintenance which I was wont to receive from them I must suffer want and poverty But for whom For the Lords sake for the teaching and preaching the precise rule of the Word of the Lord for abjuring all Popish errors for renouncing all supertitions for abhorring all idolatries Let these my sufferings serve to your Honor and Worships for a true testimony of my conversion let these my sufferings remove from you all feares and jealousies of my perseverance that thus with your favorable protectiō I may rejoyce in my calling I may freely teach the pure Word of the Lord I may oppose all Antichristian doctrin and by my example may draw many wandring soules to the true Faith Church of Christ And I shall alwayes pray to the Lord to keep your Honor and Worships in grace and that you may so rule govern this City by your conscionable and upright actions before God and men that you may truly here be called zelotes of the Honour of the Lord and afterwards you may have your seats above in the triumphant City of Jerusalem Your Hon. and Wor. humble and faithfull servant in the things of God and Christ THOMAS GAGE To the Right Worshipfull Sir SAMUEL OWFIELD A Worthy Member of the House of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT SIR IF my boldnesse may reach so far upon your patience I shall briefly touch what Iohn in the fift chap. of his Gospell writeth of a poole which was in Ierusalem called Bethesda About this poole were wont to lye a great multitude of impotent folke blind lame and withered waiting for the moving of the water which was done by an Angel who went down at a certain time into the poole and troubled the water and then whosoever stepped in was cured of whatsoever disease he had But one lying there 38 years who in all this time could never be cured because being of himselfe impotent as he answered to our Saviour he had no man when the water was troubled to help him or to put him into the poole I will not stand to moralise this holy story unto you at large least you might justly say that I abuse to much your patience by confounding the stile of an Epistle which ought to be brief with the division parts and order of a Sermon Only I beg your patience so far as to peruse this my ensuing Sermon and in it you shall find an impotent man not only blind but deafe and dumbe and truelly beaten by Satan and by him expulsed out of the Church of Christ and as I may truly say lying in this misery neare 3◠years The discourse of my ensuing Sermon will informe You that I my selfe have been this impotent man Many times my Conscience hath been moved and troubled from above with good and
heavenly inspirations which God hath been pleased to send into my soule by my considered aberration from the true Church for which the waters of my teares and inward sobs from my heart have been also moved with the troubles of my soule So that I would many times full faine have stepped and entred into the true Church of England where all diseases of the soule are most surely healed But alas mine own impotency and weaknesse joyned with my long blindnesse hindred the execution of my good resolutions temporall respects and feares kept back my steps Many times I feared I should want a man and a friend as the cripple at Bethesda did to helpe me to encourage me and to further my good desires I feared the high Assembly of Parliament would rather mistrust him that so many years hath been an enemy to the State of this Kingdome than now in these times approve his penitency and contrition which might rather have seemed unto them a fained hypocrisie All these feares kept back for a time the forwardnesse of my will and heart Untill at last I resolved to disclose and discover unto Your Worship these troubles of my heart these diseases of my soule even the want of a man to help me God whom I sought too pleased with my request I found that assistance from you that I so earnestly desired for I found a man I found a friend I found a comforter I found an Advocate to plead for my pardon before that high Court now assembled For by Your meanes I have been quietly brought into the Church by Your meanes also I hope I shall be henceforth protected against all slanderers who will whet their tongues against me and seeke to trouble me and grudge at my good as the Jews excepted against the Cripple and impotent man who was cured by our Saviour I shall always be ready to render due thankes to God and next to You for Your blessed help towards my Conversion and first fruits of my Vocation which in this humble Work of mine I have endeavoured to make knowne to the World remitting my further expressions to better occasions And in the meane time praying to God that he will be pleased with his powerfull hand to supply to You and Yours what my heart can wish but never will be able to perform according to the full measure of so glorious a Worke which truely next to God the beginner and Author of all goodnesse by Your meanes hath been accomplished Your Worships humble and ever obliged servant in Christ THOMAS GAGE The Tyranny of Satan discovered by the teares of a converted Sinner In a Sermon Preached in Pauls Church on the 28 of August 1642. LUKE 22. 31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon Behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith faile not And when thou art Converted strengthen thy Brethren DEarely Beloved These words I have chosen to declare unto you this day as most fit to lay open before your eyes my own most wretched estate wherein I have continued almost 40 years the tyranny of Satan over my miserable and afflicted soule as also by the sight of so hideous a sinner as I have been and by the knowledge of the slavery wherein a sinner groanes under the power of the Devill to terrifie you all that here are present from yeelding to his crafty and subtile assaults And secondly to cherish and comfort all those that find themselvs seduced by this mortall enemy of all man kind with the mercies of a most loving and mercifull Father above who not desiring the eternall death and destruction of a sinner but rather that he may turne from his wickednesse and live when poorest we are and most in want then doth he shew and discover unto us the riches of his mercy for his great love wherewith he loveth us as Paul witnesseth in the 2 to the Ephes. 3 4. ver. When most dejected and comfortlesse we are then doth he comfort us and shew himselfe a God of Comfort as also Paul doth teach us in the 2 Cor. 4. Who finally when he seeth us most in darknesse and in the night of sinne than doth he dissolve those mists of blindnesse and ignorance from the eyes of our understanding anâ— shineth into our inward hearts with the rayes and light of his Grace and mercy Blessed and praised be thy name O Heavenly Father that hast vouchsafed this day to lighten me in the horrid darknesse of my sins that hast visited me in my Aegyptian slavery and hast brought me out of that thraldome of Popery into a land of Milke and Hony abounding with the sweetnes of thy Grace and Mercies Continue O Lord these thy favours towards me so that I may by my Conversion be an example to all sinners to forsake their wickednesse by laying open unto them this day two principall and essentiall points to wit the danger and horridnesse of sin and thy unspeakable mercies that thus I may perform what thou commandedst Peter and that my selfe being converted I may strengthen my Brethren calling them from sin and strongly settling them in the true ancient and Apostolique Faith Dearely Beloved The first point which is to be observed in the words of my Text is the tyranny which the Devill practizeth over a Christian soule contained in those words of Christ our Saviour spoken to Peter Behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat The desire of Satan is not any way to do us good but all the mischiefe he can As soon as he hath got us into his claws he produceth as far as lyeth in his power Sentence of damnation against us he prepareth us and putteth us in readinesse for the fire of hell The first preparation which hee maketh for our soules to burne everlastaingly is the same which shall happen unto every damned and cursed soule at the day of the last and dreadfull Iudgment when the Angels shall separate the wicked from the good as Christ our Saviour foretold us by S. Matthew in the 13 chap. in the Parable of the seed in the 41 ver. saying The Son of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdome all things that offend and them which do iniquity As a so in the same Chap. of Matâ—h we reade in the Parable of the net cast into the Sea and gathering of every kind which when it was full they drew to shore and sate downe and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away So saith our Saviour verse 49 shall it be at the end of the world The Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire Behold how the nearest preparation for the fire of hell is the separation of the wicked from the just And after this followeth immediatly that dreadfull sentence of damnation which ye shall find in
vanities of the world as he hath tempted and overthrown many such If one say he is so abstinent that he will not eat any flesh but feed only upon fish as some Monkes and Fryars do amongst your Papists O how freely doth the Devill feed also with them and for all their boasting of their Abstinence blindeth them and maketh them commit most horrid and enormous sins of the flesh and Idolatry as mine owne sight and knowledge can testifie If one like a little Amit in the earth humble himself so deeply as to confesse and acknowledge himselfe dust and clay and to conceipt most lowly of himselfe there also will Satan feed untill he make him proud of his own low and humble conceipt If like a Bee feeding upon the sweetnesse of Hony any one be in the Church feeding upon sweetnesse of Prayer and Contemplation delighting with the sweetnesse of singing Prayse and Psalmes unto the Lord there also will this Beare the Devill strive to feed untill he tempts with some foolish and idle thoughts In all like a Beare feeding of all sorts and therefore may well be compared to that Beare which Daniell saw rising up to devoure much flesh And as that Beare had three set or sorts of teeth to devoure the three Empires of the Babylonians Persians and Medes even so hath the Devill three severall sorts of warlike engins to destroy and overthrow those three Forts and Castles of our Soule to wit the Sight Speach and Hearing that so no reliefe may come from God to that wretched sinner whom he hath once possessed First he maketh us dumb that we may not open our mouths to confesse and acknowledge before God the grievousnesse of our sins nor crie out for help with our hearts to our only Mediatour Iesus Christ Have not ye observed a Wolfe when he hath seized upon a little Lambe and sequestred it from the flock and Shepheard how the first thing he doth is to strangle it in the throat that it may not bale nor cry out and be rescued by the Shepheard Even so doth the Devill when he hath got a Soule from the flock of Christ the first thing he doth is to strangle it that it may not speake nor cry out to him that said by S. John Ego sum Pastor bonus I am the good Pastor and Shepheard For he knoweth there is no better way no surer remedy for us than to acknowledge and confesse to God our grievous sins as David saith in the 32 Psalme and 6 verse I said I will confesse my sins unto the Lord And so thou forgavest the wickednesse of my sin He knoweth that God will have a sinner accuse himselfe confesse his sins before him and that this was one of the first lessons that ever God taught in this world as ye may observe in the third chapter of Genesis and 9 verse where we read that when Adam had sinned God came down into Paradise and called upon him saying Where art thou Not that God was ignorant where Adam was nor that Adam could hide himselfe from the sight of God But God called him and asked him where he was because he would have Adam accuse himself confesse and acknowledge his nakednesse and the sin he had fallen into for to teach all wretched and miserable sinners to confesse and acknowledge their sins and miseries before their Lord O this Satan knoweth to be the chiefe remedy the beast ease for an afflicted soule therefore hee striketh his first blow at the mouth of the heart that there may sound no act of repentance nor the sinner may have a tongue to confesse and acknowledge himselfe to have wickedly offended his Lord and Maker O the Devill knoweth that nothing endangereth more a Soule in sin than dumbnesse and silence as David also testifieth in the same 32 Psalme and 3 verse saying For while I held my tongue my bones consumed away O how doth a sinner pine and consume away for want of crying out to the Lord for want of acknowledging his own wretched estate O Dearely Beloved make use of this Doctrine and whensoever ye find your selves to have been carried away by Satan forget not your tongues be not dumbe acknowledge presently your iniquities before the Lord touch with your tongues the leper and sores of your soules let not them fester for want of a tongue to heale them Remember when ye are in sin ye are as the Psalmist saith like Beasts without reason O shew at least to have that small sense and reason which many Beasts and a Dog hath who when he is bitten and full of soares with his tongue only preserveth his soares from festering Even so do thou poore and wretched sinner when thy soule is bitten with the first set of teeth of this cruell Beare lift up thy heart unto thy Lord acknowledge and confesse thy sins before him with thy tongue preserve thy soule from inward festering Remember that God will have thee confesse thy iniquity and aske pardon of him Be not therefore dumbe O sinner I if any there be besides my selfe in this Congregation say with David I will confesse my sinnes unto the Lord Cry out with the prodigall son in the 15 Chapter of Luke and 18. Verse Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee Remember thou hast a Heavenly Shepheard above Iesus Christ Bale and cry out unto him like the little Lambe that is set upon by the ravenous Wolfe Be sure thou beest not mute nor dumbe be sure the Devill take not from thee the use of thy tongue O a man that is fallen into a deep water hath hopes of life if the water reach but to his knees or to his breast or to his shoulders but if once it reach to enter into his mouth to choke him eminent is the danger he is in Even so if a sinner be plunged and drowned so deepely into the depth of sin that it hath reached to his mouth that it once hinder his tongue from confessing his wickednesse and from crying out to God great danger is he in Feare this danger O Beloved feare that the mouth of your hearts be not stopped by Satan that by this high way which leadeth to the inward Castle of your Soule all Ammunition all helpe and succour from above bee not stopped and robbed for want of acknowledging your sins and crying out unto your Lord for present aide and relief And so much for this The second blow which the Devill striketh at a sinner is to beat out his eyes and to blind him that he may not see the danger he is in nor his own wretched and miserable estate as David affirmeth in the 38 Psal. and 10. verse saying My heart panteth my strength hath failed me and the sight of mine eyes is gone from mee And again in the 40 Psalme and 15 verse he saith Innumerable troubles are come about me my sinnes have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up O the Devid
knoweth very well that if a sinner did but see the miserable and wretched estate his soule is in he would make hast to returne unto his Lord therefore he blindeth him that he may run head-long down to Hell He dealeth with a sinner as cruelly as Nabuchadnezzar King of Babell dealt with Zedekiah as ye may read in the 2 of Kings 25 Chapter and 7 verse And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chaines and carried him to Babell Even so doth the Devill with a sinner he beateth out his eyes bindeth him in chaines and so carrieth him to Babell to a Chaos of confusion This a sinner will not beleeve but runs forward with more and more delight in his iniquities he thinkes because he enjoyeth his corporall sight that his soule is not blinded Tell me then if a man should be in so desperate a case as running a long a street and all crying out unto him and saying O man art thou mad doest thou not see such an one thine enemy standing before thee with his sword drawn to kill thee If neverthelesse and for all these cries this man should run towards the sword would not we say that he is mad or rather blind and not able to see the sword before him O Dearely Beloved this is no sporting matter when we offend the Lord we are surely blind If we were not how would we dare to runne upon the sword which the Iustice of God hath drawn against us If we will not believe this let us but turne to the 7 Psalme of David and read there the 12 13 and 14 verses where we shall find these words God is a righteous Judge strong and patient and God is provoked every day If a man will not turne he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath prepared for him the instruments of death Behold a sword a whetting for us to run us thorow a bow bent to shoot at us other instruments prepared only for our death and destruction And yet we will not see them we run upon them Why Because wee are blind the Devill hath deprived us of our spirituall sight We are like that wicked and disobedient Prophet Balaam of whom we read in the 22 Chapter of Numbers and 23 Verse that he was so blind that he could not see the Angell of the Lord standing in his way with a Sword drawn in his hand the words are these And when the Asse saw the Angel of the Lord stand in the way and his sword drawne in his hand the Asse turned out of the way and went into the field but Balaam smote the Asse to turne her into the way Lo here how a simple and silly Asse by Gods permission espyeth the sword of the Lord drawn against a sinner and wicked Priest to teach us how those that are simple and humble in their own conceipts see the dangers that a sinner runs into by sin But the proud and stubborne Delinquent against Gods Laws will not see these dangers Because alas he is blind the Devill hath pulled out the eyes of his Soule the windows whereby the light and beames of Gods mercy were wont to shine into his heart are â—ow rammed up with lime and stone that no light may come in for a sinner to see those horrid Aspids Basilisks and Adders which lye lurking and taking their repose in the close and secret chamber of his Conscience O Pity O Compassion If any be to be had when a sinner is come to this misery O Dearely Beloved make good use of this Doctrine and fly from sin all your lives sâ—are to be thus blinded Pray to the Lord that though through mans frailty ye do commit a sin O yet your sight may be left ye One eye at least may remaine to lift up to God to look up to him Remember how that poore and lame cripple of whom we read in the 3 Chapter of the Acts and 4 Verse received bodily health and strength having no limbe to help himselfe but was daily carried and laid at the gate of the Temple And Peter fastning his eyes upon him with John said looke on us Nothing was demanded of him but only the use of his eyes for looking only up upon Peter hee was cured O Deare Soule Moralize this healing of this Cripple and the manner of it and take out of it a lesson how to obtaine more easily the health of thy diseased soule If with no limbe thou beest able to helpe thy selfe Looke up at least to God lift up the eyes of thy heart to thy Lord pray dayly to him that thy sight may not faile in thy inward man Pray that the Devill may not blind thee howsoever but that thou mayest see the enormity and hideousnesse of thy sin the instruments of death which God hath prepared against thee the Sword of his Iustice drawn the Bow of his wrath and anger bent that thus having eyes left thee to see those dangers thou mayest like this Cripple as he looked up to Peter and John and received bodily health so thou also by casting an eye up to the Lord by opening the the window of thy heart mayest let in the light of Gods mercy to shine within thee and mayest receive the spirituall health of thy leprous and diseased soule And so much for this The last and deadliest blow which the Devill with his heavy stayle striketh at a Soule is in the Eares wherewith hee fells him quite down and layes him flat to the ground taking his hearing quite from him and making him deafe that hee may not heare the word of the Lord nor hearken to any comfortable tydings of his Salvation Of the wretched sinners deafenes against the Word of God Paul spoke in the second Epistle to Timothy in the 4 Chapter and 4 verse saying And they shall turne away their eares from the truth and shall be turned unto fables Of this sort of sinners an Ancient Father Clenent Alexandranus in his exhortation to the Greckes and Gentiles speaketh thus Coelum fecistis Scenam Deus factus est vobis Actus Ye have made a sport and play of Heaven and God himself is become at Act or Comedy unto ye But you will say Dearely Beloved what meaneth this ancient Author by these words An example will declare his mind better Have not you marked in these Playes here about the City How sometimes one commeth out upon the Stage with a Crowne and Kingly Diadem upon his head and with a Scepter in his hand granting Princely favours and highly rewarding those that have been dutiful and loyall Subjects unto him Another you shall see come out upon the same Stage with a sword drawn all bloudy with streams of bloud trickling down from his head to his feet as if he had been wounded in some fierce and desperate combate Then you shal see sometimes over the Stage the Heavens open great
glory of Angels appearing and one descending in a cloud Somtimes you shall see from under the Stage ascend a smoak of Fire and Brimstone and a Devill leap up in such a shape as may suffice to terrifie you At all this you laugh you hold it but a fable The King you see come out you respect not because you know he is none The other that is wounded and all bloudy you pity not because you know that bloud is not true but painted bloud The glory you see and the Angels in it do no way entice you to it because you know it is but fained The Fire and Brimstone and ugly sight of Devils that come upon the Stage do nothing terrifie you Why Because you know all is salfe that there is no Hell nor any true Devill but only a representation of it So that you sport and laugh at all Now then let us apply these words and this similitude of Clement Alexandrinus to those deafe sinners who as Paul saith Turn away their eares from the truth and are turned unto Fables These when they come to heare the word of the Lord will not heare it with their hearts but make a play sport of it When they heare the Preacher set forth the might and power of that King of Kings and Creator of all things who will glorifie his elect servants with everlasting blisse and happinesse Like Atheists they laugh at it and iudge of this eternall King as of a King in a play When they heare the Preacher teach how Iesus Christ was whipped reviled stroken smitten and crowned with thornes nayled with nailes pierced with a speare for their sins their hearts will not heare it they make sport of it they are not moved to love so loving a Saviour and Mediator who with the price of his own bloud made an aboundant and copious satisfaction for our sins When they heare the Preacher teach the glory of Heaven the Quires of Angels there that everlasting rest without any sob or teares without any cold hunger or thirst they will not heare it to beleeve they judge of it as of the glory in a play upon a Stage and like Epicureans eate drink and riot saying Post mortem nulla voluptas They think that their soules after death like Beasts shall be dissolved into the aire to nothing When they heare a Preacher bring out upon the Stage in the Pulpit and set before a great assembly the deepe pits of Hell the Legions of fierce and cruell Divels there the always burning fire and Brimstone the everlasting broiling there the horrid gnashing of teeth the paines and torments due to their sins if they turne not to God Alas they will not heare it with their heart they thinke it is but a Hell of a Play they are turned unto Fables they make a sport of all they make an Act or Play of God they think all fained they heare it with their corporall eares but with the cares of their soule they will not hearken unto it they make themselves the Actors of the fooles part in this sport and play which they make of God and Heaven Why Because the Devill hath made them deafe This is his chiefe way he knoweth though it be damb or blind yet by hearing the Word of the Lord with a well disâ—â—sed heart it may receive some seed of a fruitfull Faith as S. Paul taught the Romanes in the 10 Chap. and 17 Vers saying So then Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God This is the Devils feare and therefore he shutteth up their eares that no maintenance that way no succour no reliefe may come unto the soule With this he maketh them groan under his yoke with this he maketh them slaves unto him In Deut. 15. 12. you shall find that God gave a Command of release saying And if thy Brother an Hebrew man or an Hebrew woman be sold unto thee and serve thee six years then in the seventh yeare thou shalt let him go free from thee And lower 16 17. v. God commanded thus And it shall be if he say unto thee I will not go away from thee because he loveth thee and thine house because he is well with thee Then shalt thou take an Aule and thrust it thorough his eare unto the doore and he shall be thy servant for ever In a morall and spirituall sense Learn here Deare Brethren how as God commanded a release for debts and for servants so doubtlesse he expecteth that thy Soule shall not be always under any other master but himself If therfore the Devill have been thy Master for some time thinke for a release think of releasing thy self from him do not say deare soule unto the Devill I will not go away from thee because I love thee because I am well with thee which if thou doest then will Satan make use of this Law of God for himselfe and for his own enâ—s then will he marke thee in the eares for a perpetuall slave with an Aule he will boare thine eares thorow and fasten them to a wall to that wall which thy iniquities have put between thee and God he will keep thee for his slave if ever he marke thee in thy eares he will take thy hearing from thee that thou mayest not heare any goodnesse nor make good use of any O what misery is a sinner in when he commeth to lose his hearing Abhorre from sin dearely beloved least ye fall thus into slavery under the tyranny of Satan if ye have not found your selves so far gone nor so far ensnared by the Devill as he doth ensnare others renounce him at his first assaults least he encroach upon the mouth of your heart and soule upon the eyes and eares of it making yee dumb deaf and blind O take example by me who have had experience of these 3 blows who have been flailed beaten and thrashed by this cruell enemy with one blow I have been left speechlesse and dumb almost 40 years I have not had a tongue till this day to confesse before God my iniquities my idolatries my superstitions my disloyalties to my King the Lords Annoynted O I have been blind wilfully blind and would not see my errors the errors of the Whore of Babylon True it is many years ago by reading Authors and the grounds of our true Protestant Religion I did see the light of it the truth of it the sincere pure and candid doctrine of it but yet with the eyes of my Soule I would not see it I was like a foule and ugly Monky who when he chanceth to see his foule shape his deformed feet in a pure and Cristall Looking-glasse rageth and flingeth at the glasse and teareth it in pieces because it representes unto him his own deformity Even so have I done dearely Beloved these many yeares When I read the pure and Christall doctrine of our Church which teacheth even what Christ taught Peter and his Disciples to acknowledge a Supremacy next
there shalt thou be delivered saith the Lord Let my Conversion be a President to you of this truth and strengthen you that you may not despaire of Gods mercies For if I who have sucked my first milk of the Whore of Babylon of the most erroneous Popish doctrin who have worshiped creatures and Saints instead of my Creator who have been disloyall and treacherous to my King and Countrey who have beleeved a damnable doctrine of Purgatory derogating thereby from the infinite merits of the satisfaction of Christs Passion who have superstitiously offered up a sacrifice of the Masse for the quick dead as if the Sacrifice which Christ himselfe offered of his own body upon the Crosse were not a sufficient Sacrifice for a whole world yea and many more worlds if I who erroneously have beleeved that by my own works I might merit de condigno the glory of heaven as if any human or naturall works may work a thing supernaturall and merit a glory which required the meanes and satisfaction of Christ not as man only but as God and man If I who have been almost 40 years thus blinded who have so many years persecuted the chosen elect and Protestant people of the Lord who have so many years been frozen and void of all heat of the love of God who have so many years been in Babylon in confusion and slavery there have been delivered there have found the mercies of God like stars in a winter night shining most confortably into my cold and frozen soule O let none despaire of the mercies of God nor willingly fall into sin by my example least their comming out of Babylon be as hard to them as my conversion hath been to me But how great soever your miseries be trust in the Lord that as he prayed for Peter that his Faith might not faile as he hath pleaded for me before his â—…ernall Father So he may also be an Advocate and only Mediator between God and you when deepest you are in sin and according to mans judgement hardest to be brought out of it The last Point which is plainly to be observed in my text is a precept and coÌ„mand of our Saviour to Peter contained in those words And when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren This Peter did and this all they are bound to do who are truly converted from sin and from a wicked estate to the true knowledge of Gods Laws True it is Peter did fall and did most cowardly thrice deny his Master But after our Saviour looked upon him and with one look turned his heart then Peter went out and wept bitterly And he did not only weep and repent within himselfe but most zealously endeavoured to strengthen his Brethren as you may observe Acts 2. when having received the Holy Spirit himselfe he preached couragiously unto the Jews to convert them and strengthen them in the true Faith as you may read from the 14â— to the 38 verse and forward where publickly he said unto them Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost O he was a true converted man and thought he must not be contented to be himselfe converted only but that he was bound to convert and strengthen others So did Saul who had been so great a Persecutor when he was truely converted presently he strived to do good to others as you may read Acts 9. 19 20. verses And when he had received meat he was strengthned Then was Saul certaine dayes with the Disciples that were at Damascus And strait way he preached Christ in the Synagogue that he is the Son of God And further in the 22 ver. But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus prouing that this is very Christ Behold how this converted Apostle is not satisfied with his own conversion but presently burneth with an inward zeale of communicating unto others that good which he had received from God by his Conversion Your Divines say that Bonum est diffusivum sui that which is truly good in it selfe is with a natuâ—all inclination to impart it selfe yea prodigally to pouâ—e it self out to others This doctrin also David teacheth us in his 51 Psal. where he repenteth himself for the Adultery which he had committed and having begged of God that he would create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him Then saith he in the 13 verse will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee Lo how David doth not only repent himselfe and manifest his conversion by words of sorrow and bitter compunction but promiseth God that he will strengthen others by teaching them the ways of God that also they may come to be converted In the first Chapter of the Canticles ver. 4. You shall find a few words easy in this sense but hard to be understood in any other where the Spouse speaking to her Beloved saith Draw me we will run after thee The King hath brought me into his Chamber we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love Me thinkes the Spouse should have said draw me I will run after thee The King hath brought me into his chamber I will be glad I will remember thy love If one be drawn why do many in the plurall number run If one be brought into the Kings chamber Why be many glad and rejoyce O dearely Beloved it is to teach us how we ought to be have our selves when we are truly converted The Spouso signifieth a soule wedded by Faith to God the true and heavenly Bridgroome The Chamber whereinto this foule is brought is the true Church Therfore if one Soule be drawn by God many must run after this one if one Soule be brought into the true Ancient and Apostolike Church many must be glad and rejoyce Why Bâ—cause we must not be contented to be drawn alone from our iniquities we must not be contented to be brought alone into the Church we must also draw others we must make others also rejoyce by strengthning them by teaching them by converting them by our words works and good example This is the command and precept of our Saviour to Peter in the words of my text And when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren This coÌ„mand of Christ I that am this day converted brought into the Heavenly Bridgrooms chamber into his true Church must also obey O I must not be contented to be drawn alone I must be the cause that many may run after me This dearely Beloved I have begun to performe already having brought one from the snares of Popery strengthned one soule in the true Protestant Apostolik ReligioÌ„ of this Kingdom This by the Grace of God both by preaching writing and printing I will endeavour all my life to performe by discovering and laying open to the world those Rocks and quicke sands of Popish doctrin whereupon so many soules do run and are dayly cast away by the ignorance of foolish and unskilfull Pilots O dearely beloved never were you in greater danger than at these times for in Ireland you see how the Papists threaten us with their erroneous doctrines here at home they secretly plot to bring in their superstitions therefore let me warne you this day to hoyse up your sailes and top masts and with the gale of that heavenly Spirit of that Divine blast save your soules from being splinted upon these Rocks of Popish superstition from being swallowed up with the quick sands of Antichristian doctrin O beloved abhor all your lives the chief and principall point of all Popery which is that false authority that Supremacy which the Papists give to the Pope above all the Church O never admit this erroneous doctrin nor ever thinke that Christ left Peter or any other to be Supream head and only head over the Church but this authority was given equally to all the Apostles as ye may gather out of Matth. 28. 3 last ver. where our Saviour equally and with equall authority sent all his Apostles to preach and teach saying Go ye therefore and teach all Nations And further he saith And loe I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Behold how Christ sendeth not only Peter but all his Apostles to preach and teach And saith he will bee not only with Peter but with all his Apostles inspiring spiritually and instructing them all and not Peter alone to rule and governe feed with spirituall food his flock If this be so dearly Beloved never beleeve that the authority which the Pope challengeth to himself over all the Church is due unto him who usurpeth his authority seeketh by it to encroach upon Kings and Princes Crowns as I shall in some other occasion more largely declare Fly therefore deare soules from this chief and most dangerous Rock of all Popery and having once discovered the dangers of this false doctrin abhor then all other erroneous doctrins of Rome which come from him that usurpeth Christs own power and challengeth it to himselfe alone O let my conversion be your strength and comfort O beleeve an experienced and skilfull Pilot who hath travailed almost over all the world and hath by experience of almost 40 yeares discovered all those rocks and quick sands of Popish errors of Antichristian doctrines and superstitions which threaten the losse and utter overthrow of your soules O that this day I may performe what Iesus said to Peter And when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren O let my example dearely Beloued strengthen you all in the true Protestant Religion that so I may say with the spouse draw me and we will run that I being drawn this day unto the true Faith yee may all run more hastily and speedily to the same that I being brought this day into the Kings chamber that is into the true Church ye may all be glad and rejoyce finding in your soules a new greater strength to continue and dye in this ancient and Apostolike Church that so we may all meet and rejoyce together after this life in another chamber of our Heavenly Bridegroome in the triumphant Church of Heaven Amen FINIS
to God to Caesar by taking mony out of a fishes belly and sending it for trib te to Caesar a lesson for all Subjects yea for the Popes themselves who can be no better than Christ and Peter to acknowledge their duty and Allegiance next to God unto their Kings and Princes But when I saw by this cleare doctrine my ugly shape of a disloyall disobedient and trecherous monster nourished with the venemous and poysoned milk of the Whore of Babylon which teacheth her Popes to be above all Temporall Princes and no wayes bound to pay them tribute O how would I fly and fling like a Monky at the Christall glasse of the Protestant doctrin that thus represented unto me mine own monstrous shape O when I used to read study the grounds of the Popish Transubstantiation and found them groundlesse saying that one body may be in 2 places nay in a 1000. And upon that salfe ground proving that Christs body may be really present in the Sacrament in a thousand places at one time at the same time also in Heaven How clearely did I see the contrary in the Christall glasse of our Churches doctrine For if Christs body being a naturall and physicall body can be at one time in severall places then at one time also it may be subject to severall and contrary accidents it may bee hot and cold at once for it may bee in a hot and cold place at one time it may bee also stabbed in one place as the Papists confesse it hath been by Jews and in another place at the same time it may not be stabbed so then 2 contradictories simul semel are true and truly verified of the same body It is stabbed and it is not stabbed Also in one place it may bee be gnawn and devoured by vermin mice or worms and in another place at the same time it may not be gnawn As my self can witnes who saying Masse one day in the West Indias in a town called Portabel 6 years ago after I had consecrated the Bread or Wafer host upon the Altar making a short mentall prayer with mine eyes shut which they call the Memento for the Dead suddainly came upon the Altar a Mouse and stole away the Sacrament I opening mine eyes and missing it before me began to be troubled and looking about on one side I saw the vermin running away with the Bread I stirred up the people of the Church who running to me caused candles to be lighted and with another Priest searched all the holes that were in the wall behind the Altar and at last found the Sacrament gnawn and halfe eaten up The halfe part of it the Priest tooke out and carrying it to the Altar in Procession lifted it up to be adored with knocking of breasts by the common people Behold here according to the damnable doctrin of the Papists Christ's body is gnawn by a creature and it is not gnawn for they say that the body of Christ is truly and really tetus in toto totus in qualibet parte all in all and all and whole in every little part Then if this be true Christ was whole and entire in that part which was devoured and he was also whole and entire in the part which was left so he was eaten and gnawne and he was not eaten and gnawne Here are two contradictories truly verified at one time against the light of reason and phylosophy Besides the absurdity which followeth that Christ should leave his body to be so devoured by vermin and dumb beasts All these absurdities and monstruous shapes of Popish doctrin I well perceived and vieweâ— in the pure christall glasse of our Protestant doctrin And yet like a beast I would fling at this cleere glasse that thus represented my Popish errorus unto me I would spitefully oppose the true sense and figurative meaning of our Saviour when he said This is my body Yea comming into England with a purpose to conforme my selfe to the truth having met here with a learned Treatise of one Master Stephen Vassall against this damnable doctrin of Transubstantiation which he directed to one Mistris Bury a Gentlewoman seduced and blinded by a Popish Priest I took upon me for some worldly and temporall respects to some friends to answer his learned grounds and reasons against mine own conscience And though in his cleare doctrine I well perceived the ugly and monstruous shape of mine own idolatrous and defiled soule Yet did I fling and fly at the glasse like a Monky Why Because I was blinded by Satan the window of my soule was rammed up by the Devil that no light might enter into it I have been that false and disobedient Priest Balaam so blind that I would not see the dangers of my soule neere 40 yeares But though the sword of Gods Iustice hath-beene drawne against me though his bow hath been bent to kill me and many instruments of death prepared against me yet would I wilfully run on my ways to curse the good and elect People of the Lord to oppose the true ancient and Apostolike Church of England True it is I have heard much good doctrin preached repreâ—enting unto me these dangers which my soule was in I have heard that if wilfully I should have died in that wretched estate my soule would have been plunged into the deepest and bottomlesse pits of Hell I have heard much preâ—ching of the me cies of God of the glory of Heaven of the paines of Hell Yet all this I have heard as a Play and sport of pastime not hearing it with my soule inwardly but only with my outward eares I have heard that for God we must leave all in the world both kindred father mother preferments and wealth yet I would not heare this to any purpose I was loath to forsake all my kinâ—ed who are Papists I was loath to forsake that meanes which I have had from them and now must lose it I was loath to see my selfe in want and poverty O I knew my kinred and best friends would cry out shame upon me and would threaten to kill me All these worldly and temporall respects shut up my eares and made me deafe against the truth which teacheth that it is better to live here in want and poverty than to broyle for ever in Hell that it is better to forsake here and abandon all flesh and blood Brothers Sisters and Kinred than to go with them to everlasting paines and torment Christ himselfe teacheth us that we must not feare them that can hurt out bodies but can do no harme at all unto our soules and that we must feare only him that can cast our soules into the fire of Hell This it is O Lord which now maketh me feare thy might thy power and wrath I feare My soule it is that hencefâ—rth I will tender for this Iewell I for sake this day all the world for my Soule 's sake I take my leave this day of all
I will allure â—â—r and bring her into the wildernesse and speak comfortably unto her She shall not thinke that her wickednesse can be greater than my mercies When she most flies from me then will I most allure her Behold here dearely Beloved the good nature of our good God who like unto a suâ—er and wooer when his mistris most disdaineth him wooeth her more allureth her with faire and courteous promises Even so doth God with a Soule when we follow most the vices of our heart the vanities of the world seeking to please our senses and bellies more than the Lord disdaining and contemning our God and Maker then doth he wooe our Soules then doth he allure them then doth he bring them into the wildernesse from all occasions of pride of selfe-love of vanities and pstimes There when he hath got them from the worldly pleasures doth he speak comfortably unto them O Soule saith he why dost thou follow any lovers but me there is none loveth thee better than my selfe I have bestowed more upon thee than any adulterous lover of thine The beauty of thy face which thou so much esteemest is my guift The dainties of fowle and fish which so voluptuously thou bestowest upon thy belly I first bestowed them upon thee The riches of pearles rubies rings and diamonds wherewith thou shewest thy selfe so faire an object to thy lovers eye are all my gifts The flowers of all sorts and best persumes wherewith thou delightest so much thy senses I gave them to thee Why then deare Soule dost thou turne from me Why dost thou shun me for other lovers They carry thee to perdition but I to blisse and happinesse They seek thy paines and torment I thy rest and glory They fall away like a flower which to day is and to morrow will not be but I shall remaine for ever Thus O dearly Beloved doth God speake comfortably to a Soulel thus doth he allure her thus doth he woo and entice her thus doth he when furthest she flys from him discover the riches of his mercies to her An ancient Doctor called John Raulinus Cluniacexsis saith what by experience we daily know Quanto magis srigus viget tanto magis videtur Coelum stellatum The greater the frost and cold is the mâ—re bright do the star's appeare and shew themselves in the darkenesse of the night Lauretus who borrowed his doctrine out of Thomas Aquinas and Austin saith also of the stars in a morall explication Stellae productae in Coelo designare possunt dona Spiritus Sanctir That they may be a symbole or figure of the favours and guifts of the Holy Ghost What then meaneth it that these stars which are symbols of Gods favours shine brightest when the frost and cold is greatest O it signifieth that when a heart is most cold and frozen most voyd of the heat of the love of God then doth the Lord strive to shine brightest into that heart than doth he most discover the glittering spangles of his mercy than doth he manifest the glorious stars of his Heavenly comforts for to teach us that none shall despaire though never so deeply plunged into sin though never so cruelly tyrannized by the Devill for God with his mercies can and often hath changed a wicked sinner to a holy life and of a persecutâ—r and eâ—emy hath made a holy Apostle I cannot here passe over with silence a witty observation of Chrysostome upon those words which the Angell of the Lord spoke to Joseph Mat. 2. 13. saying Arise and take the young childe and his mother and fly into Aegypt and be thou there untill I bring thee word for Herod will secke the young Childs to destroy him Vpon these words Chrysostome groundeth great admirations wondring that God would send his only begotten Son into Aegypt a Countrey that above all Countreys misused and kept under hard slavery Gods own chosen people not suffering them to go out till God hardned Pharaoh's heart and Moses after many wonders shewed with the hand of the Lord tooke them out of bondage Now then if this Countrey was first so rebellious against God himself and his Commands how commeth it to passe saith Chrysostome that God will trust his Deare and only Son Jesus Christ with so perfidious and disobedient a Nation Could not there be Order given that Christ might bee kept from the fury of Herod in any other Countrey and not in Aegypt so stubborne an enemy to God and his Elect People Chrysostome answereth O commutatio dextrae excelsi ut popului qui a tefuerat persecutor populi primogeniti postea sieret custos unigenitiâ— O wonderfull change and alteration of the right hand of the Lord saith Chrysostome that that people which before had been a persecutor and enemy of the first chosen People of God now should be trusted with Gods only Son and should be made keeper of him to desend him and protect him from the wicked plots of Herod What is this But to magnifie and set out the great mercies of God who so strangely worketh alterations in Nations and in particular soules making those his dearest friends which were his greatest enemies and persecutors This is the power of the mercy of God which can prevaile against all the strength of Satan who can deliver a soule possessed by the Devill and bring it to a state more happy than ever miserable it was in Satans power This the Prophet Micah prophecied in the 4 Chap. of his Prophecies and 10 ver. saying Be in pain and labour to bring forth O daughter of Sion like a woman in travell for vow shalt thou go forth out of the City and thou shalt dwell in the field thâ—u shalt go even to Babylon there shalt thou bee delivered there the Lord shall redeeme thee from the hand of thine enemies What greater confusion was there ever than in Babylon What greater blindnesse than there What greater or crueller slavery than there Yet saith Micah there shalt thou bee delivered there the Lord shall redeeme 〈◊〉 from thine enemies for to teach us that there is no sinner so deeply drowned into the depth of sin so bitterly beaten by Satan so hardly captivated and bound with the bonds and fetters of his iniquities but yet the mercy of the Lord is able to take him out Therefore O dearely beloved make use of this doctrin never despaire of Gods savours though as Christ said in my text to Peter Satan sift you as wheat separating you from the white flower of the elect and chosen pâ—ople though he separate you like chaffe from the corne from the sinâ—…full granes and members of the Church by beating you as Corne is beaten with the flaile by striking out your eyes that you may not see by making you dumb that you may not speake nor cry unto the Lord by making you deaf that you may not heare any goodnesse yet despaire not of his mercies for out of Babylon the place of greatest confusion