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A33996 A word in season being a parallel between the intended bloody massacre of the people of the Jews, in the reign of King Ahasuerus and the hellish powder-'plot against the Protestants in the reign of King James : together with an account of some of the wicked principles and practises of the Church of Rome, demonstrated in their barbarous and cruel murders and massacres of the Protestants in the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Piedmont, the Albigenses, &c. : also shewing that the present Church of Rome is an apostate church ... / by H.C., a lover of true Protestants. Care, Henry, 1646-1688. 1679 (1679) Wing C537; ESTC R13082 42,613 54

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Church of Rome hath neither therefore not St. Peter's Seat And as to their pretended Miracles we have already spoke to them The Mahometans may as soon prove themselves Christ's Spouse upon that account as the Church of Rome And as to her Vnity as little can be said upon that account if we may believe History there 's some scores of Orders of Monks and Friars amongst them and some of them have been so divided that they Burnt one another for matters of Religion and for different Opinions And if you will see the Pope's Infallibility or rather Fallibility look into their Lives which I just past And as for her pretence of Visibility if we ever behold and see the True Church but as we look on her we shall never see her the true visible Church of Christ it hath Christ for its Head so hath not the Church of Rome All her Members are such as profess Repentance from dead Works and Faith in Christ So do not all the Members of the Church of Rome and 't is impossible they should being National The true Visible Church observeth all Christ's Ordinances have a true Baptism both in respect of Manner and Subject so the Church of Rome hath not The true Visible Church of Christ on Earth may be known by these three Marks First A right Gathering Acts 20. 25. not by the Sword but by the Word Secondly A right Constitution which consists in free Fellowship of the Doctrine of the Apostles Acts 20. 40 41 42 47. Acts 17. 4. The second thing pertaining to Church-Constitution consists in the disposing her Members to those Places to which they are fitted to serve in 1 Cor. 12. 27. with ver 18 28. Acts 6 3 4. The third mark of the true Visible Church of Christ is Government according to the Primitive Practice which was only Spiritual and did reside not in the Pastors and Elders apart from the Church but in the Pastors together with the Church Acts 15. 22 25. yet so as that those to whom the Church hath committed her Power are the Instruments in the Name of Christ and his Church to exercise Government Which Government consisteth in these things Exhortations Reproofs with all Long-suffering and Doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 2. And if this prevail not with Offenders then is the power of Excommunication to be exercised according to Mat. 18. 17 18. 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5. But can any of these Marks be found in the Church of Rome No she makes Members by the Sword as the True Church by the Word She forceth them to be of her Religion Whereas Members of the true Visible Church are Volunteers 2 Cor. 8. 5. Rome's Government is by the Sword not by God's Word 't is Carnal not Spiritual as the Government of Christ's Church is Therefore you see she is still the false Church the Mother of Harlots what ever she pretends In the last place Come out of Babylon those that are in her And you that are out keep out because if you partake of her Sins you will partake of her Plagues Take an account of them in several Threatnings of God against her the Apostle calls upon us in Rev. 17. 1. to see the Iudgment of the great Whore that sitteth upon many Waters In this Judgment they shall kill one another Rev. 6. 4. making good that Prophecy in Rev. 17. where 't is said that God shall put it into the Hearts of the ten Horns the ten Kings to hate the Whore to burn her Flesh with Fire and make her desolate Rev. 18. 16. Reward her double even as she hath rewarded you And double unto her double according to her Works In the Cup which she hath filled fill to her double The King of France who proved so Treacherous and Cruel to the Admiral Coligny and the Protestants in France to the number of about an hundred thousand Massacred in a most Inhumane manner though he gloried so much in that Action as to make certain Medals to perpetuate the Memory of it yet the same King was inwardly tormented with the Horrors of a guilty Conscience which the Effusion of so much Blood did justly raise in him being sometimes troubled with Visions he was often heard to say Ah! my poor Subjects what had you done But I was forced to it The strange manner of his Death looked like a signal Judgment from Heaven for that Bloody Day For after a long Sickness believed to be the Effect of a Lent Poison given him by the Queen-Mother Blood not only came out at all the Conduits of his Body but through the very Pores so that he was sometimes found all bathed in his own Blood And he that made the Kingdom swim with Blood died thus wallowing in his own Thus wicked Men fall into the same Pit they thrust others into and their violent dealing comes on their own Pate As lately here in London one Edward Coleman a Papist who was found to be a grand Conspirator against the Protestant Religion intending to subvert and overthrow Religion and the People of God was himself with divers others taken in the said Conspiracy Judged Condemned Drawn Hanged and Quartered as his just Demerit for that Act and Deed December the 3d. 1678. at Tybourn in the view of thousands Yet again in Rev. 15. 5. we have an account of seven Viols or Goblets of Gold all filled up to the brim with the Wrath of God which often in Scripture is compared to Wine and because of the effects of it called the Wine of Trembling or Astonishment And they are called the seven last Plagues or Stroke Because in them the Wrath of God is finished Then he stirs up all his Wrath against them that the sufferers do knaw their Tongues for pain And well they may For mark that in Rev. 14. 10 11. 't is like Zechariah's Roll filled with Curses within and without Those that receive the Mark of the Beast in their Forehead publickly or in their Hand privately shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the Cup of his Indignation and they shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb And the smoke of her Torment ascendeth up for ever and ever They have no rest Day nor Night who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his Name And when the Voice shall be Babylon is fallen is fallen Rev. 17. 2. which shall be when she is very secure and saith in her Heart I sit as a Queen and am no Widow and shall see no Sorrow Then shall Worldly spirited Men lament and tremble and cry Alas alas while the blessed Inhabitants that are in Heaven the holy Apostles Prophets and Angels are commanded to rejoyce over her destruction for which also the Blood of the Martyred Souls under the Altar doth cry and all their Brethren who are yet witnessing in the Wilderness do earnestly pray as being then to receive a full Reward for their Labours and to Reign with Christ for whom they suffered Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly POST-SCRIPT THat the Church of Rome doth look upon shedding of the Blood of Protestants which they call Hereticks as Meritorious let us take a view of their Practices after the Massacre in France The News being brought to Rome on the 6th of November 1572. A Consistory was called of Cardinals and the Legats Letter that contained a Relation of the Massacre was presently read See Thuanus Upon this they went straight in a Procession to St. Mark 's Church where they offered thanks to God for this great Blessing to the See of Rome and the Catholick Church And on Monday following there was another Procession made by the Pope and Cardinals to the Minerva where they had high Mass and then the Pope granted a Jubilee to all Christendom and one Reason was that they should thank God for the Slaughter of the Enemies of the Church lately executed in France Two days after that the Cardinal of Lorrain had another great Procession of all the Clergy the Ambassadors Cardinals and the Pope himself who came to St. Lewis's Chappel where the Cardinal Celebrated Mass himself and in the King of France's Name he thanked the Pope and Cardinals for their good Counsel the Help they had given him and the Assistance he had received by their Prayers of which he had found most wonderful Effects He also delivered the King's Letters to the Pope in which he wrote that more Hereticks had been destroyed in that one Day than all the twelve Years of the War Nor did the Pope think there was yet Blood enough shed he sends Cardinal Vrsin his Legat in all haste to France to thank the King for so great Service he had done the Church and desired him to go on and extirpate Heresie Root and Branch that it might never grow again And as the Legat passed on his Journey he gave a plenary Absolution to all that had been actors in the Massacre Besides the best Picture-Drawers and Workers of Tapistry were also put to work to set off this Action with all possible glory And a sute of these Hangings are to this day in the Pope's Chappel So well do they like that Act that they still preserve the Memory of it I must confess such a Representation does well agree with their Doctrine FINIS ERRATA PAge 5. Line 35. for 11th Reade 13th P. 6. l. 3. for three days r. few Months P. 9. l. 7. for among r. against P. 18. l. 29. for designed r. desired P. 23. l. 13. r. because as she is P. 25. l. 35. for 567 r. 1567. P. 31. l. 38. f. O Saint saith r. O St. Sith P. 34. l. 17. for Purgations r. Purgatory P. 39. l. 16. for 1 Cor. 10. 6. r. 1 Cor. 10. 16. * See a Book called A Looking-Glass for the Pope
so that nothing was wanting to carry on their wicked Design Neither were the Jesuites and Priests slack on their parts who usually concluded their Masses with Prayers for the success of that Good day as they called it 2. The chief Conspirator in King Ahasuerus's days was wicked Haman a Person of no small note So in like manner those that had a hand in this Gun-powder Plot were great Men men of Note some that could give many Hundreds to carry it on Mr. Percy and Mr. Catesby finding the Charge lay heavy call in Sir Everard Digby of Rutlandshire and Francis Tresham Esquire Catesby also took in Ambrose Rockwood and John Graunt two Recusant Gentlemen besides Winter Fanks John Writh And Sir Edmund Baynam an attainted Person who stiled himself Prince of the damned Crew was sent to the Pope to acquaint him of the Gun-powder Plot. These were some of the Instruments imployed in this Design 3. And as Haman was willing to be at vast Expences to have the Jews Massacre'd for he offers ten thousand Talents of Silver for the accomplishing the thing Esther 3. 9. So those men and many more did not care what Expences they were at Sir Everard Digby offers one thousand five hundred Pounds and Tresham two thousand and Percy four thousand to forward the Action And they were in great hopes of having in a few Months ten times as much The Pope himself was willing to give one Million of Money to compleat the Spanish Armada which he called the Invincible Armada but God made it vincible for of one hundred and thirty four sail of Ships that came for England Sir Francis Drake with eight Fire-ships by God's blessing destroyed so many of them that but fifty four returned to Spain But will the Pope give this Million of Money gratis and expect nothing for it No I 'le warrant you for he lays but one half down and the other half when they had won any notable Haven in our Dominions and with this proviso that the Crown of England should be held Tributary to the See of Rome in token whereof he bestows on the King of Spain his Apostolical Benediction and the Title of Defender of the Faith Not at so little Charge was the King of Spain whom the Pope animated to the Work by persuading him that the Church of God could not be more gloriously nor meritoriously propagated than by the Conquest of England extirpating Heresie and planting the Catholique Roman Religion and that the subduing England was but a just thing considering that the Queen of England Queen Elizabeth was Excommunicated and persisted contumaciously against the Church of Rome By this means the King of Spain like Haman was willing to be at vast Expence to please the Pope whom indeed he dared not to displease for it was as much as his Crown was worth And so that word is verified that she Raigneth over the Kings of the Earth Rev. 17. 18. His Charges must needs be great for they were five Years a preparing their Fleet which consisted of an hundred thirty and four Sail containing fifty seven thousand eight hundred and eight Tun wherein were eight thousand and forty five Mariners nineteen thousand two hundred and ninety five Souldiers to cut the poor Protestants Throats had they been landed Two thousand eighty eight Gally-Slaves and so sure were they that England should pay the Shot they spared no cost for Furnishing they were provided for Sea and Land they had Bullets of great shot two hundred and twenty thousand of Powder four thousand and two hundred Kintals every Kintal containing one hundred pound weight Musquets seven thousand of Partizans and Halberts ten thousand with store of other murthering Pieces as double Cannon they had also store of Torches Lamps Lanthorns Whips Butcherly Knives to murder and torment the poor English This Army cost the King of Spain thirty two thousand Ducats every day Oh who would be at such charges to do God service as the Pope and King of Spain Catesby Tresham Percy Haman c. were to do the Devil service Don Pedro being asked the question of the intent of their coming to England by some of the Privy Council stoutly answered To subdue your Nation But what would you have done with the Papists We would have sent them good men in the Nation to Heaven and you Hereticks to Hell But what meant you to do with your Whips of Cord and Wyer We meant to whip Hereticks to death But what would you have done with the young Children Answer Them that were above seven years old should have gone the same way their Fathers did them under should have lived only we would have branded them in the Forehead with the letter L. for Lutherans and reserved them for perpetual Bondage This Rome's cruelty is one infallible mark of her being the Whore of Babylon which is a better sign of her being a false Church than her pretence of Unity Antiquity Universality Infallibility and Miracles will render her to be a true one For these Denominations do as rightly belong to the Devil himself as to her I conceive to both alike 4. The chief cause and reason why Haman sought the lives of the Jews was because Mordecai the Jew would not bow and stoop to him He was so full of Ambition that all the Honour the King conferred on him signified nothing so long as Mordecai would not bow Esther 5. 13. So in like manner because we will not bow to the Pope and acknowledg him to be Head of the Church who is a great Enemy to God by worshipping Idols to Christ by its new-found Mediators to the Holy Ghost by putting a Pope in his room to the Scripture by its Legends and corrupt Traditions to Reason by its imposed Absurdities to Common Sense by its most foolish and Idolized Transubstantiations to all tender dissenting Consciences by Fire and Faggot an Enemy also to all Civil Government that refuses to be subject to it by Plots Assassinations and horrid Massacres Shall we stoop to her that will not stoop to God Let Rome know that as Mordecai which was a Jew would not stoop to Haman Son of Hamadatha the Agagite Esther 3. 1. The Heathen King the Person and People whom God sent Saul to destroy 1 Sam. 15. 2 3. which People were called Amalekites Agag being King of them they were a People hated by the Lord and of whom God said Numb 24. 20. That Amalek was the first of the Nations but his latter end should be that he perish for ever Now Mordecai knowing that they were a People of God's hatred and knowing Haman to be one of them Mordecai out of Conscience I conceive would not bow to him and also considering that they had been Enemies to the People of God So in like manner we knowing Rome to be an Enemy to the People of God and that God hath purposed to destroy her and give her Blood to drink being worthy Rev. 18. 6. because she hath
Commentary But may we not be too bold to come to Christ and by him to God the next away Would it not be more decent and mannerly to come by Angels As when we come to a King we make use of Courtiers to get access to the presence Chamber But the Scripture plainly tells us we must come to God by Christ alone John 14. 6. Besides what will it avail us to go to God by Saints they cannot hear our R●quests neither know they our Wants nor can supply them Heb. 4. 15. Fifthly She is a Drunken Blood thirsty Cruel Inhumane Harlot Not without cause is she called the Scarlet-coloured Beast having drunk so much of the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Rev. 6. 9 10 11. And when he had opened the fifth Seal I saw under the Altar the Souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony that they held And they cried with a loud voice saying How long O Lord Holy and True dost not thou judg and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Rev. 17. 4. These came out of great Tribulation Rev. 16. 6. For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets Rev. 18. 20. Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her Ver. 24. And in her was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain on the Earth This further confirmed For under Charles the Ninth of France more than thirty thousand Protestants were slain in one Month Anno 1572. Bellarmin confesseth that an hundred thousand of the Albigenses were slain in one day under Pope Innocent the Third Let me here call in the Powder-Plot against England 1605 for a Witness to this truth Let me not forget the many thousands Americans whose guilt was their Gold Also that Inquisition of the Duke of Alva in the Netherlands which he called the Council of Blood where were above fifty thousand Christians murdered at once Will not Ireland witness for me here where were about three hundred thousand Massacred Starved and Drowned whose Blood calls aloud to be reckoned for So in Piedmont how many quiet peaceable souls were murdered there Shall I not bring in their Design of firing London Semptember 2. 1666 as a Witness in this matter Let me not forget Sir Edmond-bury Godfry who will in the great Day of Judgment come in against this Church and prove her a Blood-thirsty Harlot yea the Mother of Harlots I would not have you forget this last Conspiracy in some part blessed be God discovered Sixthly She is a Lying dissembling Harlot Which appears in her pretended Miracles And this is one sign and mark the Apostle gives of Antichrist 2 Thess 2. 9 10. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish Rev. 13. 14. He doth great Wonders insomuch that he maketh Fire come down from Heaven on the Earth in the sight of Men. And that you may not think this is real but only seeming in the 14th vers the Apostle saith He deceiveth them that dwell on the Earth Bellarmine and some others would not have the Pope and Rome to be this mystery of Iniquity because saith he the Pope never brings down Fire from Heaven in the sight of men Answer But the Pope pretends to it or as bad if you will believe their Legends How often by them are Images counterfeited to move to sweat to nod to speak in the account of poor simple Men and Women that they may be assured to the worshipping of those Images they see The Devil did often speak in the Images of Heathen Rome and no doubt but the Devil doth sometimes speak in the Images of Mystery Babylon Now the Apostle Paul calls them Lying Wonders and Signs 1. In respect to the End because they serve to seduce Men. 2. Called so in respect of the Matter For they are either the counterfeits of Lying Men or the Wonders of Deceitful Spirits 3. In respect of the Form For whereas true Miracles exceeded Nature and were wrought by the Omnipotent Power of God false Wonders are those that are effected by Natural Causes and partly by the power of Satan The Miracles of the first kind have been infinite in the dark Kingdom of Antichrist the Apparitions of Spirits the Visions of Angels our Lady Mary How often hath she been coming gliding out of Heaven How often have the miserable Souls crept puling out of Purgatory besetting High-ways and recounting their Torments to procure Men to pity them Hence the Market of Purgatory is grown so very gainful How often have Images walked on foot if you will believe it the Bells struck alone without help the Angels like Choristers chant it in Canterbury Minister and play upon Dunstan's Harp the Apostles to come down from Heaven to help Basil to say Mass These Lying Miracles were feigned by Cheating Priests to confirm strange Lyes and cozen simple People of their Coyne For how often hath a Spirit been apprehended by a Magistrate Angels stript and our Lady sent to her Cell All of them have been notably whipt so that they had better have been in Purgatory These had a shew of Miracles but were not really so Nay how have they pretended to confirm their Mass with Miracles and the Transubstantiation Witness that Pillar of Fire from Heaven falling to the Earth upon that place whereby the negligence of the Priest as the Legend doth report the Body of God fell out of the Pix upon the Grals that Pillar of Fire shining like the Sun about the Body of God so that all the Beasts of the Field except one black Horse which bended but two bended all their four Legs to the Body of God This is like the rest of her Miracles Pray see a few of their own Authors against their pretended Miracles Lyranus saith The People in our Church are grievously guld with Miracles the Priests fain for worldly Gain So Ludovicus Vives a learned Papist saith There be those who thought it a piece of Piety to tell Lyes for Religion Saith Chrysostom Miracles were of good use in the Apostles days but of none now But because there is none now think not there were none then St. Augustin saith He that asketh now for a Prodigie or Miracle is a Prodigie himself Theophilact speaking of the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost saith They were ceased long a-go So Erasmus saith That the gifts of Miracles are now ceased The Colledg of Paris in a Writing in 1389. saith Miracles ought to be suspected since our Lord saith Mat. 24. False Prophets shall arise From whence I infer from this last Mark That whoever pretends to work Miracles which are nothing else but Lyes and Impostures is Antichrist But the Church of Rome doth so pretend yet nothing but Lyes is the bottom of it Therefore