of Ephesus who had only left her first love in som few things Rev. 2.3 â— in zeale against them that were evill in trying the Spirts in labour and patience which may seme to be verie smale faults in respect of those which may be found in the churches of these times was yet told by Christ that she was fallen The church of Thiatira did but suffer the woman Iezabel to teach people that they might eate things sacrificed vnto idols Vers 20 21.22 and yet Christ saith this was to seduce them to commit fornication And I gave â—er space to repent of her fornication and she repented not Behold I â—â—ll cast her into a bedde and them that commit fornication with her into greate tribulation except they repent of theire deedes And J will kill her children with death and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reines and the hearts He acknowledgeth her charitie and service and faith and patience Vers 19. and ber works and the last to be more then the first And yet all this will not serve if she presume to teach any thing that he hath not taught if she doo not keepe his woâ—lâ— to the end but give a libertie where he gives none If this 〈◊〉 fault be not repented of Vers 26.18 he who is the Sonne of God aâ—â— whose eies are as a flame of fire â—es it might not be winâ—â—â—d at that it should be severely punished and much more â—hen a church transgresseth in many things for therefore he addeth And I will give vnto every one of you according to your works But this our gracious Lord hath not only warned churches of the mysterie of iniquitie the generall Apostacie after Antichrist the fall of Babylon and the cup full of abominations and filthines of her fornications whereof she would make the nations to drinke but hath also by his Servants convinced her and all that commit fornication with her of all those abhominations Plesses sheweth how the mysterie of iniquitie was opposed in all ages And when these could not prevaile with them to make them leave theire wicked works but the last were still more and worse then the first Christ-suffered heavie judgments to fall on them declared in the vision of the trumpets where among the rest that of the sixt is remarkable whereby is signified the comming in of the Turkes with fire and sword Rev. 9.16 â—8 the greate slaughters they should make amoÌ„g christians And yet it is saide The rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues repented not of the works of theire hands that they should not worship devils idols of gold silver brasse stone of wood which neither can see Premonition to all Christian Monarchs pag. 87. De cultu Adorat lib. 3. disp 1. cap. 5. not heare nor walke That they worship devils while they receyve doctrines of devils is a thing true enough And howsoever King Iames hath shewed it to be fulfilled in them saying As for worshipping of devils looke youre greate Iesuited Doctor Vasques and as for all the rest it is the maine doctrine of the Roman church And then it is subjoined in this text Neither repented they of theire murders nor of theire sorceries nor of theire fornication nor of theire thefts By theire murders theire persecutions are meant and bloodie massacres For theire sorceries consider of theire Agnus Dei that will slaken fire of the hallowed shirts and divers sorts of Reliques and also of prayers that will preserve men from the violence of shot of fire of sword of thunder and such like dangers And judge if this be not verie like to sorcerie and incantation of charmes By theire fornication is meant both theire spirituall fornication and corporall by reason of the restraint cf theire churchmen from mariage They are guiltie of theft in stealing from God the titles and greatnes of power due to him and bestowing it upon theire head 〈◊〉 Antichrist I will adde one thing by vsurping other Ecclesiasticall offices and depriveing them of theire places who were set aboute his throne As also by heaping up treasure with theire jugling wares and marchandise of the Soules of men by Iubiles Pardons Reliques and such like strong delusious When these Iudgments would not reclaime them Christ sent forth Messengers One Angel Rev. 14.6 haveing an everlasting Gospel to preach vnto them that dwell on the earth which the best expositors take to be meant of Wicklise or of him with Iohn Husse and others And there followed another Angel saying Vers 8.9 Babylon is fallen is fallen which many take to be meant of Luther and others And the third Angell followed them with a loud voice denouncing eternal damnation to every one that should worship the Beast Rev. 15.6 and his image and receive his marke in his forhead or in his hand Yea the Lord sent out of the Temple seaven Angels haveing the seaven last plagues clothed in pure and white linnen After the four first had powred out theire vials Chap. 16.9 In steade of amending them it is saide they blasphemed the name of God which hath power of theese plagues that is they blasphemed the word of God by which beeing cleered they were now scorched as by fire they blaspheme the true and bright shining sense which now was manifested And they repented not to give him glory So when the fift Angel powred-out his vial upon the seate of the Beast Vers 10. and his Kingdom was full of darknesse which seemeth to be donne in Plesses his historie of the papacie and the like works by which indeede his Kingdom which many had thought to proceede from the light of Gods truth appeared to be full of darknesse For all this in justifying of it they blaspheme the God of heaven and as it is added they repented not of theire deedes Vers 12. Therefore no marvaile if the next be powred out on the river Euphrates to drie vp the waters of it that the way of the Kings of the East may be prepared to destroy Babylon where the river as Babylon it selfe mount Sion Ierusalem the Temple and other things must needes be mysticall and at the powring out of the seaventh vial she comes in remembrance before God Vers 19. to give her the cup of his wrathe and then God calleth to his people to take heede of pertaking of her sinnes that they receive not of her plagues For as Christ saide of that Iezabel in Thiatira J will cast her into a bed Rev. 2. and all that commit fornication with her into greate tribulation So wee may be sure will be donne vnto them that continue in any of the Babylonian corruptions For consider the meaning of that last clause and all that commit adulterie with her Which is not meant of them only that then lived in the bosom of that church but of all others that then or after should fall
word the Papists talke of and ye see they doe but talke of it For they confesse theese things were introduced from ancient customes and creepingly by the silence of the people who were vrged to conformitie by the flattering and menacing clergie and loth to be counted Schismatikes Refractarie Puritans they gained the strength of Law some sooner some later but all in a like manner as beeing the inventions of ambition will worship superstition and tyranie to which God gaue them over because like the Angels they kept not theire first Estate Rom. 1.20 they did not like to retaine God in theire knowledge they did not abide in the truth nor in theese cases received the love thereof but as the flattering defenders of the English hierarchie and traditions they scorned and mocked all that opposed them and sought puritie in Religion as fooles Schismatikes and hypocrits that strained as they say at gnats and made schismes aboute trifles this mocking was that which gaue all manner of corruption strength and in crease as it doth in England Where he is reckoned a wise able divine that knows how to scoffe such men out Gal. 5.9 as Papists did A litle leauen leaveneth the whole lumpe They thus corrupted were given ouer to beleeue lies This aversion from the creators word was a conversion to the word of creatures to the decrees of men in Synods and councels Ier. 2 13. It was a forsaking of the Lord the fountaine of liveing waters and hewing them out broken cisterns that can hold no water And because they did not take the marke of God to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints and seeke to get the victorie over the Beast and his Image and marke as all Christians should God gaue them over to take the marke of the Beast to worship him and his Image and to drinke of the golden cup which the greate whore holdeth full of abhominations Reu. 17. and filthinesse of her fornication Such honour offices dominion power worship ceremonies and Religion as God never ordained But what cared they so they could but by theire flatterie and false glosses get the consent and helpe of Princes and make them beleeve this was to defend the Church which either as they did or omitted God would prosper or punish them For thus they made Emperours Kings take pleasure to assist them and so as the Prophet saith Hos 7.3 They make the King glad with theire wickednesse and the Princes with theire lies And so indeede did the false Prophets in Ieremies time and likewise in the time of Ahab and other Kings And therfore the Angel seeing the greate wickednesse of the whore of Babylon in theese things and the destruction that was ready to fall on her for them saith Reu. 18.2.3 Babylon the greate is fallen is fallen and is become the habitation of deuls and the hold of euerie foule Spirit and a cage of everie vncleane and hatefull bird for all nations haue drunke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication viz. to which God in his wrath gaue her and them over And the Kings of the earth haue committed fornication with her enforcing her Lawes and errours on thâ—ire subjects and the Marchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies that is which she had neede of for the maintaining of the pompe of her Prelates ceremonies and Tempels The merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones and of pearles ver 12 and fine linnen and purple and silke odours and frankencense c. Now observe this committing of fornication with her is of two sorts 1. When Kings and States give theire power and strength to the Beast and Church of Rome fighting his battailes and enforcing her Lawes customs and errours on theire people 2. When they commit some of the same evils or the like though not all as she doth Kings commit fornication with her who doe it in som things though not in all Yea though they doe them not in obedience to her or to please or serve her Henrie 8. denied the Popes supremacie yea was at difference with the Church of Rome in som things yet still committed fornication with her in other things by houlding and maintaining divers other of the Romish Lawes errours and customes Any man holdeth the Doctrine of Balaam that layeth a stumbling block before the people though it be not the verie same kinde of stumbling block which Balaam taught but som other To be guiltie of Ierobams sinne was not alwayes to set vp calves but he departed not from the sinnes of Ieroboam who by any other invention or presumption made Israel to sinne Som follow the way of Kaine Iude 11. some perish in the gainsaying of Corah and some are cast away by the deceitfulnes of Balams wages though not in the same particulars nor in the same manner but in a like So do some Kings commit fornication with Babylon who maintaine any of her presumptions or any like them The Greeke Churches from the yeare 607. that the Pope had obtained to be called vniversall Bishop haue seperated from the Church of Rome denying not onely the supremacie but euen worshipping of Images and som other Romish errours Yet in retaining the hierarchie of diocessan Provinciall and Patriarchall Bishops the masse divers other Romish customs errours and ceremonies both before the yeare 607. and since they haue committed fornication with her While in theese things theire feare toward God is also taught by the traditions and precepts of men they haue cause to feare Christ will not finde them to be of his Ierusalem but of Babylon the greate not of his true Church but of the Synagogue of Sathan For he reckoneth all to be of the one or the other The second councell of Nice taught and commaunded worshipping of Images And then the Greek Emperour with his mother Irene and many Greekes committed fornication in that particular with Babylon M. Moulin observeth how absurd and weake the reasons of thar councell were Buckler of the faith in preface Yet if Kings and councels once maintaine such errours how weake and foolish soever theire reasons be many are soone ready to follow and flatter theire pernicious wayes So likewise in matter of the Lords day or any other commaundement of God if they giue allowance to Prophane or breake it you doe in vaine tell theire flatterers of Gods Law they will stop your mouth or crie you downe with vrging the Lawes of men the Kings injunctions or the like shifts the common refuges of the most superstitious and Prophane men How absurdly doe such in theire much magnified common prayer say Lord haue mercie vpon us and encline our hearts to keepe this Law when they thus allow and defend the breach of it It is a verie poore honour to maintaine a power and Prerogative in such cases against the Lord and his ordinances and Servants Kings doe at last
spirituall miserie doth far exceede the bodilie and temporall Is it not so in the Churches of greate Britaine in comparison of other Protestant Churches I am afraide that as in that Italian ease and rest there was a flood preparing for them which soone brake out in the inundation of the Gothes and Vandals and many strong delusions wherein they still remaine insecuritie So there may be som other a brewing for the Churches of England and Scotland As I can not conceive what they shall be For that is a secret in the power of God who onely holdeth such cups of affliction and punishment in his hand tempers them when he pleaseth maketh a nation drinke the dregs of them So I cannot see how such evils should possiblie be avoided without a serious and effectuall repentance and reformation Let not men deceive themselves to thinke because the Prelates preach some good things that therfore all both is and will goe well enough For so you may be sure did the Prelates of Rome and Italie in those times as Hierom saith There is the confession of Christ Hiero. ad Marcell Viduam but there is also ambition and tyranie They had the knowledge of God in many things and taught it but in matters of the presbiterie and the contraries Prelates canons and ceremonies they could not abide it nor that Emperours and Princes should come to the knowledge of it They geered scorned and persecuted such as laboured to bring them to that which was once delivered to the Saints cunningly putting theire owne fault vpon theire adversaries making them hypocrits filthie dreamers Iude. 8.11.12 such as speake evill of the things they know not and are as Iude speaketh Cloudes without water carried about with windes raging waves of the Sea and wandring stars Such as can make a man an offendour for a word Isa 29.21 and turne aside the just for a thing of nought and calling them hereticks or schismatikes seemed to shew mercie to them that they punished them no more Hos 6.4.5.6 But theire mercie was as a morning cloude They sacrificed to God of theire owne inventions and will worshhip But saith he I desired mercie and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more then burnt offerings But they like men have transgressed the covenant there have they dealt trecherously with me The Italians doeing it in matters of Ecclesiasticall government and traditions it was the roote of all evils spirituall and temporall And is it not so in England and Scotland of whom God may also say as sometime of Israel and Iudah Ephraim what should I doe vnto thee O Judah what should J doe vnto thee For thy mercie is as a morning cloud as the early dew it goeth away I pray God that the churches of England and Scotland beeing in sinnes like theese and indeede like those of Italie in the times of Damasus and Syricius be not also like them in punishments spirituall and temporall and that as Ieremie saith in a like case because they were not ashamed when they had committed abhominations as in these particulars of Bishops Ier. 6.15.16 traditions and ceremonies wherein though the voice of God have cried both to the one and the other Stand ye in the wayes and see and aske for the old pathes where is the good way and walke therein and ye shall finde rest vnto your soules and hath often by his servants proved the presbiterie to be the old and good way yet be it never so old never so good they say non ambulabimus in ea wee will not walke in it I have conceived som hope of the churches and people of great Britaine that they will also now at the last begin to leave the church of Rome in these things which are part of her sinnes and the roote of them all leste still pertaking with her in them they also receive of her plagues and therfore I thought it my dutie so far as God hath enabled me to doe mine endeavour to make them see the things that belong to their peace The Lord of his mercie stir up and enable men to further so necessarie a worke and grant vnto vs that wee beeing delivered out of the hands of our ennemies may serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Luk. 1.74 Now unto him that is able to do abundantly above all that we can aske or thinke according to the power that worketh in vs vnto him be glorie in the church by Christ Iesus throughout all ages world without end AMEN