me as God and are not satisfied with my flesh Psal 27. 2. When the wicked even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell Upon which words St. Augustine saith thus Carnes nostras manducant qui nos persequuntur they that persecute us do eat our flesh 5. They shall burn her with fire that is they shall consume and destroy her as she is a Whore that is as she is an Idolatrous false and Antichristian Church but whether they shall go to Rome her seat and burn that with material fire in order to the destruction of this Mystical Babylon is not certain yet I dare not positively determine against it because all I have read except one are for it But this is certain that they shall be zealous against her and against her false Doctrine and false Worship and her cunning undermining of the Doctrine of the Gospel and the pure Worship of Christ and the true interests and ends of Christianity and to that end countenance maintain and protect and promote true and pure Gospel-worship and Doctrine and the assertors thereof and discountenance and suppress such persons as labour by power or policy to advance Antichristian Doctrines practises and interests for they know that they have crafty treacherous cruel powerful and malicious enemies to deal with Rev. 16. 13 14. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the Cardinals Bishops Jesuits mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet For they are the spirits of Devils working miracles which go forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battel of the great day of God Almighty 3. By the principal Author of her destruction v. 17. And God shall put it into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled Hence some learned men have conceived that those Kings at least some of them that have hated the great Whore and made her desolate and naked and have eaten her flesh but have not burnt her with fire that is have not utterly consumed her Idolatries false Doctrines Hierarchy Vide King James his Paraphrase upon Revel 17. p. 56. Revel 18. 9. Ceremonies Images Altars Laws c. but have retained them upon such grounds as may easily bring them in love again with the great Whore shall again give up their power and strength and Kingdoms to the beast the great Whore rides and consequently to her and her abominations that have been rejected and the industrious actings of some men to reconcile the Greek and Protestant Churches to the Church of Rome have increased the fear of that opinion Now what God will do I know not but I know that mens not receiving the love of the truth and their having pleasure in unrighteousness is a just and provoking cause thereof 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. But I humbly conceive that though these words are placed immediately after the degrees of the great Whores destruction yet they do not necessarily imply that they shall agree again to give up their Kingdoms to the beast and so to the great Whore again but they are an assurance that God will make the ten horns or Kings Viis modis some one and some another way instrumental to destroy the great Whore as he hath promised And that because as what they did before in unanimously agreeing to give up their power and strength to the beast proceeded from God in his wise and wonderful Providence for the fulfilling of his words by his Prophets Dan. 7. 8 21 22 25 28. As he put it into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give their Kingdoms to the beast to uphold Idolatry superstition heresie and the Whores tyrannies and this in just judgment against them so now he who hath the hearts of Kings in his hands will alienate their hearts from the great Whore and incline their wills to agree to hate her and to make her desolate and naked and to eat her flesh and to burn her with fire God is able to do it and he will do it in his appointed time Dan. 7. 25. Rev. 18. 3 4 5 6 7 8. For strong is the Lord who judgeth her 4. Lastly the great Whore is described most plainly by her seat or chief place of residence and therein Society and Government v. 18. and that is Rome And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the Kings of the earth The Angel saw that there might be some that would in time suggest that other Cities were built upon seven Hills as Bishop Mountague in favour some think of the great Whore saith Constantinople is therefore prevents this Evasion and saith that the City where the great Whore of Babylon sits is that great City which did in St. John ' s time reign over the Kings of the earth he speaks of her in the present tense which reigneth over the Kings of the earth Now Constantinople was not then in being as it is now and hath been since Constantine of Byzantium made it the Head of the Oriental Empire and enlarged it and called it Constantinople and it did not reign then in St. John's time over the Kings of the earth as Rome did and therefore it cannot be this great City Rome did in St. John's time and long after reign over the Kings of the earth as Poets Fathers * Ribera Bellarmine Cornel. a Lapide and Papists themselves acknowledg it 's a shame for Protestants to question much more to deny it But this Woman succeeds in that City and Polity to govern it and the whole Empire as it is a beast This Woman is not a singular person but a City or Polity and society of men governing in that great city Rome which in St. John's time did reign over the Kings of the earth the whole Empire So now this great Whore there sits and rides the beast the Empire at least it did so as Idolatrous as in St. John's time the Woman the great city of Rome not the walls houses and streets but the citizens and not every one of them but the Rulers the Emperours Senators and Officers ruled that great city reigned over it and over the Kings of the earth so now the Woman the great Whore the Pope the two-horned beast and his Cardinals and Clergy and Officers reign or at least did so over the Kings of the earth which is ascribed to the whole Ciey because the Head and Officers and Rulers thereof did and do it And this Seat of this Babylonical beast or great Whore or Antichrist may be found in his number 666 as Dr. More in his Synopsis Apocalyptica relates of which he Synops Apocalyp l. 1. c. 15. Sec. 10. p. 314 saith he hath treated largely in his Mystery of Godliness
So Dr. Potter in his Charity mistaken p 62. and Dr. Mountague Antig. p. 14. Gag p. 50. To whom I answer 1. That the contrary is hereby evident and well known 2. That though Papists profess the Apostles or Nicene Creeds yet by their erroneous Doctrines they overthrow them as Mr. Thompson in his Arraignment of Antichrist plainly shews the Papists do ART VII That men unregenerate or in tâ—â— state of nature have by theâ—â— Deum offerre gratiam omnibus singulis istam sufficientem reddi efficacem vel inefficacem per voluntatem noluntatem hominis in cujus potestate est illam vel acceptare vel respuere is the false Doctrine of Papists N. B. Totus Pelagianismus huic sententiae includitur saith Maccovius 〈◊〉 Pontif. c. 18. p. 39. Bel. de lib. art c. 3. own free-will power sufficient 〈◊〉 themselves to turn themselves 〈◊〉 God to believe repent and 〈◊〉 good works acceptable to God whâ—â— they will and also finally 〈◊〉 resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner to himself THis Position I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrâ—â— of the Church of England Article the 10th The condition 〈◊〉 man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare hâ—â—self by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upâ—â— God Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ preventing us that 〈◊〉 may have a good will and working with us when we have that good 〈◊〉 And Homily of the misery of man part 2. p. 11 12. We have 〈◊〉 goodness help or salvation of our selves but contrariwise sin damnation and deâ—â— Yet Dr. Patrick saith thus All the actions of nature you will grant to be easie for they flow from us with ease and facility Now there is nothing plainer than that the ways of temperance charity and trust in God and such like wherein we are to walk are most conformable to the right frame and constitution of your soul You will move consonantly to your own principles which God hath naturally endued you withall you will but follow the inclination of rational nature and that in its highest improvement Par Pilg. p. 252. What Bishop Jer. Taylor held in favour of that Popish Doctrine see his explanation of Original sin p. 467. What Dr. Heyliâ—â— held see his Introd to his Cyp. Angl p. 36. Sec. 37. p. 33. Sec. 35. everlasting We have in our selves as of our selves nothing whereby we may be delivered from this miserable captivity 〈◊〉 which we have cast our selves We are not of our selves able to think a good thought or work a good deed so that in our selves we can find no hope of Salvation but rather what maketh unto destruction And Homily for Rogation-week T. 2. p. 217. Whatsoever is good proceedeth from God as from the principal fountain and only author And p. 220. it saith what I alledged in the former Article renounced And Part third of the same Homily p. 228. Faith is the first entry of a Christian life without which no man can please God Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2. 8. Charity wherewith we love our brethren is the work of God If after our own fall we repent it is by him that we repent who reacheth forth his merciful hand to raise us up it is he that preventeth our will and disposeth â—s thereunto If after contrition we feel our consciences at peace with God through remission of our sins and so be reconciled to his favour and hope to be his children and inheritors of everlasting life who worketh these great miracles in us our worthiness our deservings and endeavours our wits and vertue nay verily St. Paul will not suffer flesh and clay in such arrogancy and therefore saith all is of God which hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ And there p. 229. 't is said That without the secret inspiration of the Spirit we cannot once so much as speak the name of our Mediator as St. Paul plainly testifieth No man can once name our Lord Jesus Christ but in the Holy Ghost much less should we be able to believe and know these great mysteries that be opened to us by Christ St. Paul saith that no man can know what is of God but by the Spirit of God As for us saith he we have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God for this purpose that in his holy Spirit we might know things that be given us by Christ And Homily of Repentance T. 2. p. 263. This must be verified of all men Without me ye can do nothing Joh 15. And again Yet Dr. Patrick saith thus I am forced to love God by such a strong inclination as hath no cause but nature Par Pilgrim p. 468. of our selves we are not able so much as to think a good thought 2 Cor. 3. And again in another place God worketh in us both the will and the deed And for this cause although Jeremy had said before If thou return O Israel return unto me saith the Lord yet afterward be saith Turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Jer. 4. 1. Jer. 31. 18. And a little before in the same Homily 't is said That we must beware that we do in no wise think in our hearts imagine or believe that we are able to repent aright or turn effectually unto the Lord by our own might and strength And the second Collect for Evening-prayer O God from whom all holy desires all 〈◊〉 counsels anâ— all â—ust works do proceed And Collect for second Sâ—â—day in Lent Almighty God which dost see that we have no power 〈◊〉 our selves to help our selves Collect for 19th Sunday after Triniâ—â— and Collect for Easter-day and Exhortation before Baptism 〈◊〉 he will grant to these children that thing which by nature they caâ—â— have And question after the Commandments in the Church 〈◊〉 techism That thou art not able to do these things of thy self And Veâ—â—cles said after the Lords Prayer O Lord open thou our lips and 〈◊〉 mouth shall shew forth thy praise Which implies that unless God do opâ—â— our mouths we cannot shew forth his praise 2. Because 't is contrary to Sacred Canonical Scripture Rom. 8. 7 〈◊〉 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law 〈◊〉 God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot pleâ—â— God 1 Cor. 2. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of 〈◊〉 Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he 〈◊〉 them because they are spiritually discerned He wants the Spirit of Gâ—â— to discern them savingly Mat. 16. 16 17. Simon Peter answered 〈◊〉 said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And Jesus answered 〈◊〉 said unto him blessed art thou Simon
we read thus And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours The word here most observable is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which saith Cornelius a Lapide and Pâ—reus saith that all Copies except Montanus's doth end the full sense of the former sentence Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab hoc tempore from this very time that is from this instant of time that they dye they are blessed as learned Mr. Leigh in his Criticks expounds the word and assures me in his Notes upon the place that Dr. Reynolds and Gerard do so interpret it and so doth Scriveliâ—â— too and the Latines interpret it * Amodo id est ex nunc deinceps in aternum puta a tempore mortis illico requiefcunt requiescent in omne aenum Cor. a Lapide 〈◊〉 amolâ—â— which we English henceforth that is from this time forward that is from the time of their death and so forward for ever are they blessed that die in the Lord. Pareus upon the place saith That this is a true and charitable opinion that those that die in the Lord do from the point or instant of their 〈◊〉 become and continue to be blessed And 't is observable that they are said to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 morientes dying or qui moriuntur who 〈◊〉 die in the Lord in the present tense not in the future who shall diâ—â— hereafter though they shall be blessed too which shews that 〈◊〉 soon as ever they are dead they begin to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preseâ—â— and perfectly as some expound the word and henceforth even for eâ—â— though before their death they are in some sort as St. Paul was partly carnal as well as spiritual yet their souls depart not so 〈◊〉 are if not immediately before yet in the instant of their departure from their bodies through faith purged by the blood and spirit of Jesus Christ from all their sins and so their spiritual uncleanness being perfectly done away they are fitted for and received into that City into which nothing that defileth shall enter And this may be proved further 5. From Joh. 5. 24. Verily I say unto you he that believeth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life So Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life he hath it not only in the price and promise and expectation but also in the * inchoation and first Vrsin Catechis p. 2. q. 58. p. 414. Dr. Reynolds in 1 John 5. 12. p. 430. He that hath the Son hath life 1. In pretio 2. In permisso 3. In primitiis fruits he hath the beginnings of it here in this life in the kingdom of grace and he shall have it in more full and compleat possession of it as soon as he departs out of this life habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be given to him that hath true saving grace shall be given more grace not only quoad sufficientiam here but quoad gloriam hereafter Cornelius a Lapide a great Jesuit and Father in the Church of Rome assures me that the Church he means the Church of Rome calls the days of Saints death dies natales their birth-days and that hac de causa for this reason because the same days they are new-born into a blessed and glorious life and upon this account saith he doth the Church solemnize their birth-days not those in which they are born with sin into a temporal life but those in which by a temporal death they pass to an eternal life And 6. This may be further confirmed by that of the wise man the Preacher King Solomon Eccles 12. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the Spirit to God who gave it then that is when a man dies his body which was made at first of the dust of the earth returns to the earth its first material principle and the soul that was immediately made by God of a spiritual substance returns to God the Father of Spirits for judgment either of absolution or condemnation which is more particularly and privately passed upon every Heb. 9. 27. mans soul immediately after its separation from the body that is saith the learned Bishop Reynolds in his Notes upon the place commonly called the Assemblys-notes Vt stet judicio ante Deum that it may appear before his tribunal to be judged and certainly as the body goes into the dust so certainly the soul returneth unto God to be judged Now the bodies go immediately to the dust to the earth so the souls immediately to God Hence saith he the godly are translated into Paradise in Abrahams bosom into the condition of just men made perfect Luke 16. 22. Luke 23. 43. The wicked into the prison of disobedient spirits reserved there in Hell unto the judgment of the great day Luke 16. 23. 1 Pet. 2. 19. As the souls of wicked men when they die go immediately from God into Hell so do the souls of godly men go immediately to God into Heaven and consonant to this is that of our Saviour John 5. 24 before alledged He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment that is into the judgment of condemnation as our translation according to the sense hath it and John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life it notes a present and indeseasable interest and possession in heaven 7. Very agreeable to this is that devout and believing confident prayer of St. Stephen at his death Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Upon which this is the Assembly-note as 't is commonly called That this is the true comfort of the elect that they are assured that Christ Jesus who died for them in their dissolutions receiveth their souls into his safe and blessed custody to live with him who is the life and God of the living And 8. This is confirmed also by 1 Pet. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator 9. To these testimonies may be superadded 2 Cor. 5. 4. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habemus we have in the present tense a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens and that the souls of all believers enter into this heavenly house as soon as they depart out of their earthly tabernacles may be further proved from the 6th and 8th verses of that Chapter where 't is said thus That while we are a home in the body we are absent from the Lord and that we
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God-man And therefore is it said that he descended into Hell as 't is in our Creed and that he humbled himself and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross Phil. 2. 8. And that by himself he purged our sins Heb. 1. 3. And that he himself suffered Heb. 2. 18. And that he offered up himself Heb. 7. 27. Heb. 9. 26. And that he gave himself a ransome for all that do in believe him 1 Tim. 2. 6. 2. Because as a demonstration that he had fully satisfied the justice of God by what he had done and suffered for his peculiar people 1. God let him out of Prison at his Resurrection He rose again the third day with the same Numerical body that he suffered in 1 Cor. 15. 3 4. Joh. 20. 25 26 27. And he ascended up into heaven 2. He advanced him to the Government of the World Heb. 1. 3. When he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Phil. 2. 9 10 11. Wherefore God also hath exalted him and given him a name which is above every name Where by Name Calvin Beza Diodate Dr. Featly and many others understand dignity and authority and renown as the word is * Jacet sine nomine truncus commonly taken as Calvin saith And it signifieth that the highest authority is given to Christ and that he is placed in the highest degree of honour and authority and that there is not the like dignity to be found in heaven or in earth Which I take to be an Exposition of Mat. 28. 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth which is not to be understood of his Essential but of his Mediatory power whereby he hath power to gather govern sanctifie justifie and glorifie his Church and in order hereunto to subdue and rule all his and their enemies and make them all to be subject to him that at the name of Jesus that is not at the * The Ceremony of bowing at the Name of Jesus was revived to crush the Puritans as our reverend Dr. Heylin saith that the Prelates and Clergy assembled in Convocation Ann. 1603. Seeing the Puritan faction to get ground among us revived the old custom used in time of Popery ordered the uncovering of the head in all the acts and parts of publick worship Can. 18. When the Name of Jesus shall be mentioned due and lowly reverence shall be done by all persons present as it hath been accustomed Introduct to his Cyp. Anglic. p. 18. naming of the word Jesus as the Sorbonists would have which saith Calvin is ridiculous the honour here by Paul required being due to Christ our Lord and Saviour All creatures in heaven and earth in the whole world are and shall be subject to the power and authority of Jesus Christ God-man And this honour and authority Christ acknowledgeth is given to him Mat. 28. 18. and is clear here Phil. 2. 9. which is an undeniable evidence That he hath fully satisfied Gods justice and pacified his wrath and procured his favour for those for whom 〈◊〉 died upon the Cross And further 't is said That from thence he shall come 〈◊〉 judg both the quick and dead 3. God hath declared That in â—iâ— he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 17. 5. And that we are compleat in him Col 2. 18. That we are justified in and by him Rom. 3. 24. Act 13. 39. That we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and access to this grace wherein we stand 〈◊〉 rejoice in hope of the glory of God Rom 5. 1 2. That there is 〈◊〉 condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And that he saves his people from their sins to the uttermost Mat. 1. 21. Heb. 5. 2â— And that none of them the Father gave him is lost Joh. 17. 12. Yea what need any more proofs of this Truth Papists themselves hold that Christs merits are sufficient to save the whole world and therefore they are sufficient to save his own peculiar people from their sins and consequently from these temporal punishments of their venial sins Christus Deus quantum * Medina in 3. partem q. 1. a. 2. p. 98. ad sufficientiam satisfecit pro omnibus quantum efficatiam verò pro iis qui salvi fiunt tantum Thomists hold That satisfactio †Medina in 3. partem q. 1. a. 2. p. 99. Christi Domini fuit sufficiens perfectè immo excedens peccata multoque omnium debita omnium hominum ex toto rigore justitiae that is That Christs merits are sufficient to satisfie for the sins of all men but efficacious only to them that are saved And that the satisfaction of Christ the Lord was perfectly sufficient yea exceeding all sins and the debts of all men and that in rigor of justice that if Christs merits were put in one scale and the sins of the whole world were put in the other scale Christs merits would out-weigh them all Now all these things laid together and well considered do make it manifest that Papists Purgatory a covetous fiction of their own brains is not only without but also against Sacred Scripture injurious not only to believers souls and blasphemous against God making him unjust but also abominably sacrilegious against Christ robbing him of the honour of his full perfect and sufficient satisfaction which he hath made unto God for all the sins of Gods Elect and contrary to their own Doctrine in other * Wisdom 3. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and there shall no torments touch him points Lastly many other things might be objected against their Doctrine of Purgatory As 1. that their Purgatory-fire being as they say material cannot work immediately upon separated souls which are immaterial 2. That by their own confession there remains nothing to be purged away but punishment which is not a sin nor doth it beget a spot and therefore needs no purging and cannot be purged away by inflicting it it 's impossible that Purgatory should take away punishment and inflict it together But I have been too long upon this selfish covetous blasphemous and antichristian Romance because it is so much against the glory of God and the honour of Jesus Christ and is the source and spring from whence many other Popish Errors do flow and by overthrowing it their Papal Indulgences Prayers for the Dead their selling of Masses their doing of many good works to merit to release souls out of Purgatory will fall to the ground Obj. But Bellarmine answereth That there is no injury done to Christ hereby that is by putting man to make satisfaction for himself for saith he the whole virtue of good works and satisfaction doth depend upon Christs merits and that which we do his Spirit doth do Answ To this 't is answered 1 That there is
done great injury to Christ Because 1. by this mean Christ were not a perfect Redeemer 2. He were not our only Redeemer which is contrary to 1 Tim. 2. 5. 3. He were not a satisfactory Redeemer but man himself must suffer and thereby make satisfaction to God himself else he could not be saved 4. He should not purge us by himself from all our sins Heb. 1. 3. but we our selves must do it in part at least by suffering temporal punishments in Purgatory 5. Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora that is vainly done by many that may be done by a few Christ was and is able to save us alone and by himself He is mighty to save â—sal 63. 1. He needed not the help of man and therefore he trod the wine-press alone Isa 63. 3. and of the people there was none with me 6. Bellarmine as Dr. Ames shews notwithstanding his fair pretence ascribeth the satisfaction Bellarm. Enervat T. 2. l. 5. c. 2. p. 210. made to God to man Vna tantum est actualis satisfactio ea est nostra that is there is but only one satisfaction and that is ours 7. Though Christ doth work in us by his Spirit yet that doth not enable us by suffering temporal punishments to make satisfaction unto God 8. Bellarmine's bold assertion That by Christs satisfaction we have grace to satisfie Divine justice is like that before mentioned that Christ merited that we might merit without any ground at all in Canonical Scripture which saith that Christ by himself not by us purged our sins Heb. 1. 3. and that God laid on him not on us the chastisement of our peace and that with his stripes not with our own are we healed Isa 53. 5. What Bishop Mountague Bishop Maxwell and Bishop Andrews in his Strictura is made to say after he was dead concerning offering and prayer for the dead and Dow and Pocklington have written may be seen in Laudeâ— sium Autocatacrisis c. 5. p. 81 82. And lest any should be deceived by them I pray read Dr. Ames his Bellarminus Enervatus T. 4. l. 5. c. 1 2. where you will find Bellarmine's and these mens arguments for Purgatory answered ART XIV That the Pope of Rome successively Bellar. T. 1. l. 3. c. de Antichristo Bishop Mountague Gag c. 10. p. 74. Appeal p. 141. A. B. Laud checkt Bishop Hall for calling the Pope of Rome Antichrist and commanded him to expunge it out of his Book for Episcopacy Vide Dr. Heylin Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 406. Dr Heylin saith as the Papists do That the Pope cannot be Antichrist for Antichrist must be a single person a Jew and must kill Enoch and Elias Col. of Schism pag. 81. or the Papcy is not the Antichrist of which the Sacred Scripture writes THis I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England Homil. of good works T. 1. part 3. p. 38. It gives honour to God for giving to King Henry the Eighth the knowledg of his Word and an earnest affection to seek his glory and to put away all such superstitious and Pharisaical Sects by Antichrist invented and set up against the true Word of God and the glory of his name And Homily of Obedience Part 3 pag. 76. it saith thus But concerning the Usurped power of the Bishop of Rome which he most wrongfully challengeth as the Successor of Christ and Peter we may easily perceive how false feigned and forged it is not only by that it hath no sufficient ground in holy Scripture but also by the fruits and doctrine thereof And in the same Page it saith thus He ought rather to be called Antichrist and the Successor of the Scribes and Pharisees than Christs Vicar and Peter's Successor And in Homily of Willful Rebellion Part 6. pag. 316. The Pope or Bishop of Rome is called the Babylonical Beast of Rome And Part 5. p. 309. of the same 't is said That Christ expresly forbids his Apostles and by them the whole Clergy all Princely Dominion over people and Nations and he and his holy Apostles likewise namely Peter and Paul did forbid unto all Ecclesiastical Ministers dominion over the Church of Christ And indeed while the Ecclesiastical Ministers continued in that order that is in Christs word prescribed unto them and in Christian Kingdoms kept themselves obedient to their Princes as the holy Scripture doth teach them both was Christs Church clear from ambitions emulations and contentions and the state of Christian Kingdoms less subject unto tumults and rebellions But soon after the Bishop of Rome did by his intollerable ambition challenge to be Head of the Church he became at once the spoiler and destroyer of the Church which is the Kingdom of our Saviour Christ and of the Christian Empire and all Christian Kingdoms as an Universal Tyrant over all Wherefore let all good subjects knowing these special instruments and ministers of the Devil to the stirring up of all rebellions avoid and flee them the pestilent suggestions of all usurpers and their adherents and imbrace all obedience to God and their natural Princes that they may enjoy Gods blessing and their Princes favour Homily against Wilful Rebellion Pag. 310. And whosoever denieth this Doctrine That Faith alone justifieth is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ that is an Antichrist and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory Homily of Salvation of Mankind Pag. 16 17. and in the same Page thus That were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm That a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Again in the Prayer appointed for the Fifth of November set forth by Authority of Parliament 3. Jacob. c. 1. 't is prayed thus Root out that Antichristian and Babylonical Sect. The Church of England in her Homily against the peril of Idolatry Part 3. p. 70. saith thus The Prophet Daniel c. 11 declareth such sumptuous decking of Images with gold silver and precious stones to be a token of Antichrists Kingdom who as the Prophet sheweth shall be adored as God with such things Dr. Heylin's Introd to his Cyp. Angl. p. 1â— which say of Jerusalem Down with it down with it even to the ground c. and to this end strengthen the hands of our gracious King the Nobles and Magistrates of the Land with judgment and justice to cut off these workers of iniquity whose Religion is rebellion whose Faith is faction whose practise is murdering of souls and bodies and to root them out of the confines of this Kingdom And Dr. Heylin himself who was no small friend to the Pope and Popery saith thus That in the Book of Homilies are some hard expressions against the Pope but none more hard than those in the publick Letany