must cry as the voice frō heaven shall admonish him There is vox Dei To day if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts This was a terrible voice to Adam I heard thy voice in the garden and was affraid Gen. 3. Nec vox hominem sonat It is the voice of God not Man Vox Christi heare him An oracle from heaven hath proclaimed it twise in the river Iordan Mat. 3. on the mount Tabor Mat. 17. when we haue heard him and found him we must take hold of him chap. 3. In his word we must beleeue him in baptisme indue him in the Eucharist spiritually eate him in the poore relieue him in his life follow him in his death trust in him in his tēple glorifie him on earth affect him thē in heaven when we haue heard his voice wee shall enioy him Vox Dei hominis as here God speaketh to Iohn and the Church to vs from heaven Whence I collect this doctrine The word preached ought reverently to be received in respect of the place whence it commeth which is heauen Doct. 1. Not that this is to bee vnderstoode only of the place whither Christ ascended but also of the congregation of the faithfull where he is in the midst Io. c. 4. v. 2.4 There is a throne in heaven about which are 24 seats and 24 Elders In the 5. ch v. 10. these doe praise Christ that had made them Kings and Priests vnto God and they should reigne on the earth 50. Ep. 2.6 The church is called heavenly Ierusalem and in other places the kingdome of heaven so that whether God from heaven doth cōmand Noah to make enter the Arke or that an Angell bid Lot get him out of Sodom Whether Moyses importune the people to get them from the tents of Dathan and Abiram or the Prophets Isaie Ieremy teach this Scripture for the leauing of Babylon we must heare it as the voice of God comming from heaven As there is a woe against them that wil not preach and a curse against them that preach negligently so against them that wil not heare carefully whereby they might avoid iudgements and punishments There is a threefold voice of woes c. 8.13 Woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the earth Woe vnto the world because of Poperie whereby men are punished in their soules they will not goe to the law to the testimony therefore they can haue no light Woe vnto the world for Turcisme because thereby thousandes are murthered in their bodies not yeelding to the word whereby they might avoid the Lords wrath Wo vnto the world because of the last iudgement for thereby the natural worldlings shall be plagued both in body and soule in Hell fire for evermore because they harkned not to the sound of the Gospell The dangers of all these may be prevented by hearing this sacred voice Avoice from heaven Vse 1 Acomfort to all Churches which haue the voice of the word amongst them whereby they are forewarned wherein if any people were truely happy it is this our Iland which hath the voice of many criers preparing the way of the Lord of many Turtles mourning betwixt the porch and the altar for the sinnes saying Spare vs good Lord spare thy people Ioel. 2.17 Wee of this Kingdome 1 Sam. 21.6 haue many a faithfull Ahimelech amongst vs who rather then David should perish with hunger will giue vnto him the shew-bread of the Sanctuarie though they liue hungerly themselues Many a worthy Minister who rather then David should die with thirst will with the hazard of their liues giue vnto him of the water of Bethlehem 2. Sam. 23.16 I deny not but by reading a man may receaue much comfort and be excellently prepared to get sauing knowledge yet the voice of preaching is the excellentest ordinary means which God hath sanctified to the salvation of his children and to make them wise vnto salvation By this the minde of the ignorant is enlightned the memory of the forgetfull is strengthned the heart of the obstinate is mollified the affections of the vntoward are reduced the will of the perverse is restrained and the life of the vngodly so changed that at the voice of a simple and sinfull man he crieth out with the Iewes Men Brethren what shall we doe With David I am the man with Saul I haue sinned and with every private convert to say God is in these men indeed whē they preach the heavenly voice Were it not for preaching the word where were the vnderstanding of it consolation by it direction from it Without it how should hard places be made plaine plaine be applyed repugnances in it be reconciled or oppugners of it bee confuted Take away preaching and then downe with our schooles of learning our houses of prayer our obedience to Superiours our loue to equals and our right to heaven It is the power of God to salvation the pillar of God in our iourney to Canaan the Angell of God to bring vs out of Sodome the messenger of God to prepare his way the trumpet of God to cry downe Iericho and the caller to bring vs vnto the Church of Christ being illuminated by the spirit For it is not the outward ministery of the word only that is able to convert Let the Preacher be one of a thousand Iob. 33.23 for the excellencie of his gifts as prompt in the law of God as Ezra was as mightie in the Scriptures as Apollo's as eloquent to quicken enliue his speech as if he spake with the tongue of an Angel as painefull as Paule who laboured more then all the rest as blameles in conversation as Zachary Let the people heare never so gladly as Herod heard Iohn Never so earnestly as the Iewes heard the Prophet as one that had a pleasant voice and could sing well Esek 33.32 Let thē heare never so long as those that heard Paule vntill midnight Let the matter bee handled never so excellently as all the Synagogue wondred at the gratious words which proceeded out of Christs mouth Yet if the Lord giue not a blessing it is but the savour of death vnto death Paule may plant and Apollo water but God gaue the increase Therefore every one must pray vnto the Lord for an vnderstanding heart that as he would open the mouth of the Preacher so also by his power he would from heauen open the eares and hearts of the whole congregation that they may heare this heavenly voice Vse 2 A Reproofe of those who hearing the heavenly voice of the Church by the mouthes of the Ministers whereby their sinnes are plainely reproved and their consciences powerfully convicted for a while are as Agrippa almost perswaded to leaue their swearing lying drunkennesse c wil with teares confesse their sinnes and promise great reformation but presently al their good motions vanish like a morning dew they returne to their former courses as the dog to his
A HEAVENLY PROCLAMATION TO FLY ROMISH BABYLON A SERMON PREACHED AT OXford in St MARIES Nov. 21.1613 BY SAMPSON PRICE Master of Arts of Exeter Colledge and Preacher to the City of Oxford 2. COR. 6. 1◠Wherefore come out from among them and be yee separate saith the Lord and touch not the vncleane thing and I will receiue you AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes 1614. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND TRVELY WORTHY KNIGHT SIR ROGER OWEN all happynesse SIR the mistery of iniquity doth now worke Gr. l. 4. ep 38. Never was Antichrist and his army of Priests as Gregory calleth them more enraged to oppugne the true Church thē in these daies conceauing in likely hoode that he hath but a short time Rev. 12.12 and that the time is at hand which the Lord hath promised shal bring vpō Babel the vengeance of the Lord and the vengeance of his temple Ier 51.6.11 Rev. 18.20 The Lord make good his word hasten his worke that the heavens may reioice and the Apostles and Prophets Rome was sometimes famous for her faith but now it is become Babylon as Ierome in his time confessed Hier. ad Marcell viduam praef l. Didimi de Spir. Sancto Euseb l. 3. c. 26. l. 4. c. 21. praising God that he was freed from it It cōceived about the times of Traian saith Egesippus and now hath brought forth the man of sin whose pride doing reverence to no mortal man Cerem Rom. l. 3. Sect. 1. fol. 120. and his challendge of the title of supreame and immediat Pastour are badges of Antichrist Gr l. 6. ep 30. This purple Idoll Reg. Indict 15. causeth traditions to be matched with the written word of God and is therein iniurious to the wisdome of God he causeth mans merits to bee mingled with the merits of Christ therein iniurious to the grace of God he causeth divine worship to be communicated to stockes and stones therein iniurious to the glory of God Thus the daughter of Syon is become the Whore of Babylon In the councell of Lateran strict charge was given to all Preachers that none should speake of the comming of Antichrist Caranza sess 11.19 Dec. 1516. Praeside Leone 10. which prohibition argued the guilt of their consciences But now the Pope hath his followers in triumph to giue him the number of the beast as those books of Benedictus de Benedictis Bononiae excus Anno. 1608. and Theses Caraffae Neapoli excusae 1609. Take the numeral letters V. 5. L. 50. V. 5. V. 5. l. 1. C. 100. D 500 it is the number of the beast 665. Rev. 13.18 dedicated vnto him with this inscription PAVLO V. VICEDEO do sufficiently proue as is vrged by that Noble Phillip Mornai Some would haue Antichrist to be but one man standing vpon the greeke article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh. 2.18 It is in Bell. l. 3. c. 2. de Rom. Pont. By as good reason there should bee but one Davell because Christ saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Adversary came sowed tares Mat. 13.25 but one righteous man because S. Paul saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The man of God may be absolute 2. Tim. 3.17 How truely many Popes of Rome haue deserved this name I haue laboured to prooue in this Sermon which I present vnto your Worship I confesse the argument is great know that the blame of imperfection is so much the more when it lighteth vpon a high choise D. Sutcliffe D Abbot D. Downam Mr G. Powel But this subiect being handled so plentifully by many worthies in our Church I vndertooke the burthen the more willingly and now offer this mite Talents I haue none into the publique treasury I was importuned to publish this Sermon by some learned and religious friends leasure fitted not since the preaching of it so opportunely as now I dedicate it to you as the chiefe Patron of my studies by whose means I obtained my setled abode in this place That Hon. Iudge your Reverend Father did countenance encourage my aged and painfull Father in his Ministry in that flowrishing towne of Shrewsbury Since your favours haue beene extraordinary and bountifull Accept from me I beseech you these small fruits of my studies as a pledge of my true observaunce vnto you being a sincere lover of the truth generally honoured for your excellent learning So wishing to your good worship the encrease of all good graces and blessings as also to your elect Lady sweet oliue-branch I take my leaue From my study at Exeter Colledge Oct. 28.1614 Your Worships in all humble duty at commande SAMPSON PRICE REVEL 18.4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying come out of her my people that yee be not partakers of her sins and that yee receiue not of her plagues THe Almighty God whose throne is heaven the firmament his pavilion and the earth his theater the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first the last and the revealer of secrets Da. 2.22 Victorin in Apocal Cuius antiquit as immortalitas whose antiquity is immortality gaue an especiall priviledge to his messenger Iohn an Apostolical Prophet to write this Prophecy to all succeeding ages a booke never reiected by any but the grossest Heretiques Epiph. That as he preferred Abel before Cain Iacob before Esau David before Eliab Mathias before Iudas so he preferreth S. Iohn before al the other Disciples in this general charge to his Church And he that made Moyses who was a courtier Iob the Potentate Samuell the Iudge Elisha the Plowman Amos the Neat-heard Gr. super Ezeck Ieremy a Priest Isaiah of the bloud royal a Prophet Mathew a Publican Peter a Fisher and Paule a Tentmaker all to be penners or preachers of his word now inspireth a poore exile to write the history of the Church in these intricate visions and revelations which he saw vpon the Lords day Pro merito voluminis laus omnis inferior est Rupert in lib. Where having sent to the seaven Churches and shewed the authors of his message God the Father and the Sonne in the 5 first chapters he commeth to predictions of things to come c. 6. obsignations of those to be saved c. 7. Indignations vpon things to be destroied c. 8.9 His warrant to write to many peoples and nations and tongues and kings c. 10. The Churches Prophets fighting falling by the beast yet rising againe c. 11. Her body compared to a womā cloathed with the sunne with the moone vnder her feet and a crowne of 12 stars vpon her head c. 12. Her combats and they blessed that die in the Lord c. 13.14 Her threatnings with 7 golden vials ful of the wrath of God c. 15. Her iudgements vpon her enimies in general c. 16. and in these 17 and 18 chapt her victories gotten against the Romish church wherein Princes converted to the gospell figured by a mighty
Angell lightning the earth c. 1. do iudicially decree that Babylon must fal for troubling of states for corruption in doctrine with which she poisoned other nations for the immoderate riches of her Merchants who sold both iustice and the soules of men Rome selleth soules of men Rev. 18.13 ver 13. The Ministers of God must accomplish it by preaching the gospell at the sound whereof Babylon falleth as once the wals of Iericho at the noise of trumpets sounded by the Priests and by the Ministry whereof as it were by the spirit of the Lords mouth Antichrist falleth into a consumptiō as Dagon once fell before the arke calling by this long oratorious exhortation to relinquish Babylon as Lot was warned to leaue Sodom in a continuat set speech to 21 ver a part of which I haue chosen for the subiect of my discourse Clem. Alex. in locum And I heard c. It hath beene the admirable wisdome of the Almighty never from the beginning to leaue his Church without some comfortable promise So immediatly after the fall of our first Parents hee foretold of that restauratiō which should be made by Messias his son Gen. 3. as it came to passe in the fulnesse of time Dan. 7.9.11 Ez 31. So hee foretold by Daniel Ezechiel of the great trouble which his Church should endure by the persecutions of the divided Greeke Empire Alexanders posteritie Diod. l. 18. Appian especially the Kings of Egypt and Syria which descended of Ptolomeus and Seleucus whom the Scripture calleth the Kings of the North and the South by the space of 294. yeares and of the precise determination thereof at the comming of Christ. So he told Israel of their great servitude and intolerable bondage in Egypt Gen. 15. and of the full end thereof after 400 yeares So here he sent Iohn the Evangelist into a little Iland of Pathmos lying in the Aegean Sea in the 96 Straho l. 3. Eus l. 3. c. 18. yeare of our Lord to prophecie of the ruine of a mysticall Babylon I meane Rome as Ieremy had foretold of the ruine of literall Babylon Rome in this booke cōpared to Sodome for filthinesse to Egypt for Idolatrie C. 11. v. 8. and in my Text to Babylon for both And I heard c. It is like to that Ier. 50.8 Fly from the midst of Babel depart out of the land of the Chaldeans or that Ier. 51.6 Fly out of the midst of Babel and deliuer every man his soule Be not destroyed in her iniquitie And I hear danother voice out of heaven It is a divine inspiration to the Church Parap H. Card. admonishing the elect as the other condemned the reprobate The ordinarie Glosse interpreteth it of the preaching of the word Brocard of those Scriptures in Esay Ieremy and Sophonie tending to this purpose Saying come out of her my people Meyerus paralleleth it with that Za. 2.6 Ho Marl. Lyra. Ho come forth and fly from the land of the North saith the Lord. Marlorat with 1. Co. 7.31 They that vse the world as they that vsed it not Generally it is to be vnderstood of the companie of the wicked we must leaue them they are lulled in the cradle of securitie the Divell closeth their eies with ignorance filleth their cares with Sophistrie covereth their heads with presumption of mercie and lardeth their hearts with the neglect of iudgements especially it is applied to Rome which will easily appeare to be Babylon That yee bee not partakers of her sinnes either in consenting vnto H. Card. or acting of her abominations whereby Gods image is defaced man made a monster and Gods child the Divels Creature And that yee receaue not of her plagues Si non fueritis participes in culpa Hugo Card. non eritis similes in poena If ye partake not in the offence yee shall not partake in the punishment Thus God ever will bee revenged vpon Sinners Sinne cast the Angels out of heaven Adam out of Paradise By it Ruben lost his birth-right Iudas his Apostleship It maketh to men death terrible their persons to God execrable the law to condemne vs conscience to accuse vs the hand of the highest to plague vs. The summe of which Scripture In Ref. Cathol according to iudicious M. Perkins is That they who hope for salvation must avoid the faith and Religion of the Romish Church Jn the words I obserue two general parts 1 An admonition to forsake Babylon Divisie And I heard c 2 The reasons for this desertion That yee bee not partakers c. In the 1 Generall there is 1. The instrument of admonition A voice from heaven 2 The matter of the admonition Come out of her my people In the second generall 1. The danger of contagion conversing with the wicked Lest yee be partakers 2 The danger of punishment to be inflicted vpon the consorts and complices of the vngodly And that yee receaue not of her plagues In the 1. There is a heavenly voice sounded In the 2. The elect are called In the 3. An infection is threatned In the 4. The plagues of the wicked are manifested Of these in their order not what may bee spoken but what the short time my weake readings and simple but well meaning abilitie with your patient attention and especially Gods gratious assistance shall permit Wherein I shall desire to speake resolutely yet with submission to so learned an assembly The cause is Gods and my warrant from heaven to proclaime this voice as powerfully as my weaknesse shall suffer me It was a vaine challenge of Galilaeus de Galilaeis 1◠Iae◠to summon the starres to come neere him and to giue him an account of themselues Nuntius syder he would heare their discourses And a fond brag of Keppler that ever since Tycho Braches death hee hath received into his eare that no new thing should be done in heaven without his knowledge De stella in cygno And of him who professed that he heard that which never man heard besides a Sermon which Christ made in praise of his father Ioseph dedicating it to Adrian the 6. Iosephlna di Gieron Gratian. But we are sure S. Iohn heard many strange voices from heaven by the trumpets of Angels amongst which this is very remarkeable It is a voice more shrill then that of the Aegyptian who from the promontory of Hister was heard of Histaeus Admiral of Darius being then at Miletum as Herodotus fableth Melpom p. 163 for they that were dead a while may heare this voice and liue In the scripture there is vox Implorativa with my voice I called vpon the Lord. Psal Vox collaudativa A lowd voice saying salvation to our God which sitteth vpon the throne Rev 7.10 Vox exhortativa cry a lowd spare not lift vp thy voice as a trumpet Is 58.8 and if any man aske what the shal cry hee
vomit They liue but their sicke repentance is dead Ipsius poenitentiae agunt poenitentiam they repent of their repeÌ„tance Amb. de poenit l. 2. c. 9. The preacher is vnto them a voice nothing else No voice from heaven But it is farre otherwise with the godly If the Lord speake they tremble if his word condemne a sinne in them they fal downe mourne before him till he forgiue it So were the Publicans moved at the preaching of Iohn Baptist so the Iewes were pricked in their hearts at the preaching of Peter so the Iaylour cryed to Paule and Sylas what must I doe to bee saved And good Iosias his heart melted at the hearing of the law so effectual is the word in the hearts of the elect let the preacher be never so weake and sinneful as Chrysostome well observeth Chrys in Mat. hom 6. When S. Austens hearers with great applaus commended his preaching but mourned not for their sinnes he told them Folia haec sunt Nos fructus quaerimus These are Leaues we would haue fruit So S. Chrysostome If yee heare me with sorrow I shal be thaÌ„kfull and glad for who can make me ioyful but you who made me sorrowfull He thought as Ierome that the best commendations of the speakers were the teares of the hearers at the heavenly voices Vse 3 Is it so that the voice of the Church is a heavenlie voice then let not any man be puffed vp with the excellency of his gifts What hath he that is not from aboue Let not any contemne his brother though far meaner God often vseth weake meanes to confounde the mighty Let not any haue the persons of men in a factious admiration saying I am of Paul I am of Apollo I am of Cephas But let vs giue one another the right hands of fellowship Let vs haue the Ministers in loue for their worke sake Let vs be swift to heare and pray the Lord of the harvest to thrust forth labourers into his harvest Let vs take heede how we heare and pray vnto the Lord to open our hearts For alas the hearts of many are so locked and barred against the the word as the gates of Iericho were against the Israelits when none could go out or enter in Iosh 6.1 Therfore is the Lord so earnest in knocking calling crying by his voice from heaven He knoweth of what mettall and matter we are made This maketh him continue crying till we answere speake still Lord thy servants heare Hearing is necessary for it is the sense of discipline through which as through the beautifull gate that heavenly Nymph knowledge entreth into the temple of the soule Faith commeth by hearing They that wil not heare are a generation of deafe adders that stop their eares against the voice of the charmer worse theÌ„ guilty Adam raging Saule the stiffenecked Iewesi mpious Herod vnhappy Felix and irresolute Agrippa Many blessings are appropriated to the hearer and as many curses adiudged to him that will not heare all included in that of Salomon He that turneth away his eare from hearing the law Prov. 28.9 his very praier shal be turned into sin Therfore he that hath eares to heare let him heare See that yee despise not him that speaketh For if they escaped not which refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from this voice crying froÌ„ heaven But this voice cryeth lowder in the second circumstance the matter of the admonition Come out of her my people It is a thing commonly obserued 1 3 2ae that amongst many wicked there are some children of God Lot was in Sodom Gen. 14. Rahab in Iericho Iosh 2. Iael amongst the Gentils Iud. 4. Obadiah that feared God greatly saved an huÌ„dreth of the Lords Prophets was the governour of Ahabs house 1. King 18.4 There were Saints of Caesars houshold even of Nero that cruell monster so here are many people of God in Babylon called from it before the Lord powre out the vials of his wrath The Doctrine here is plaine Doct. 2. that The Lord vsually admonisheth the elect before he take reveÌ„ge on the reprobate The Iudge of the earth will not stay the righteous with the wicked Gen. 18.25 How inextricable soever the peril seeme to be the Lord knoweth howe to deliver the godly out of temptatioÌ„ 2. Pet. 2.9 Noah from the flowd Lot from Sodom the godly in the Actes of the Apostles many in Ierusalem forewarned by a voice from heaven to get them to Pella Eus l. 3. c. 5. a city beyond Iordan and here Gods people admonished to leaue sinneful Babylon before it be destroyed are sufficient proofes Which the ancients describe thus Confusion caused divisions of Nations Regions and Religions of this confusion Babylon of Assyria tooke the name Pliny would haue it a part of Syria which hee extendeth hence to Cilicia Pl. l. 5. c. 12. l. 16. Strabo addeth as farre as the Pontike sea Ptolomy thus boundeth it on the North it hath Mesopotamia Geogr. l. 5. c. 20 on the West Arabia deserta Susiana on the East on the South part of Arabia the Persian gulph Here was built the first citty we reade of after the flowde Many glorious things are spoken of it yet no Citty of God L. 2. L. 3. c. 4. Herodotus would haue the wals to containe in compasse 480 furlongs Diodorus but so many furlongs as there are daies in the yeere so that every day there was a furlong built 1300000. workemen imployed therein The height of the wals was 200 cubits the thicknes 50 so spatious that Aristotle said it was rather a country then a cittie L. 4. Pol. c. 2. It was one of the wonders of the worlde in regarde of the many miracles of art the workes of Semiramis and Nabuchodonoser who cryed out Is not this great Babel that I haue built for which prowd wordes hee was presently adiudged the losse of reason There hee established that golden head of the image the seat of the Babylonian Monarchie yea Dan. 3. Hee set vp an image 60 cubits high and 6 broad inioyning a Catholike idolatrie therevnto which the three Saints Shadrach Meshach and Abednago refused and in a fierie tryall were found to be both Martyrs Confessours As Babylon was The affinitie likenesse of Babylon Rome proued thus so now Rome is I must confesse not properly Babylon in as much as they were two divers Cities but Rome may be called and is Babylon figuratiuely spiritually and by allusion For as the olde Easterne Babylon did a long time oppresse the Church of the Iewes so Rome this westerne Babylon hath long oppressed the Church of the Christians As Babylon had 7. heads Dion Halicar Sigon Fâ—nestâ—lâ—a Sueton. Octau ch 17.9 so Rome bad 7. se verall governments 1 by Kings 2. by Consuls 3. by DeceÌ„viri 4. by Dictators 5. by Triumviri 6 by Emperours Lastly by Popes Babylon