and the Holy Ghost Now as we received the Holy Ghost by hearing of Faith preached So this Spirit of God doth guide us into all truth by and according unto the Scripture And as the Holy Ghost is as I may so say § begotten in us by the Seed of Gods word Sown in our hearts though properly we are begotten again by the Holy Ghost so this Holy Ghost is as it were nourished and preserved in us by and through the word of God even as the light of the Lamp is nourished by the Oyle or as the breath goeth with the voyce or word spoken or as the blood hath its course in the veins or the vitall Spirits have their Sâ—at in the heart or as the Animall Spirits in the braine when they are derived into all the parts of the body in the Arteries and veines so as all the members are thereby actuated and moved And as the Philosopher saith of naturall bodies * A'panta trephétas tois aâ—utois e'x o`pér e`isi All things are nourished by selfe same Substance whereof they are begotten or have their beginning or beeing So in a sort it may truly be said that as we begin Spiritually to live by the Holy Ghost through Faith by the Preaching of the word of God So this Holy Ghost in the severall graces and operations there of is preserved and as it were nourished in us by the continuall ministration of the food of the same word in our Soules Or in a word the Holy Ghost hath no operation in us either for instruction or illumination or consolation or corroboration of any Grace in our Soules but in and by or according to the word of God So as besides Gods written word there are no revelations of the Spirit to be expected in Gods true Church Secondly therefore the promise of the Holy Ghost to Christs true Church and Children succeeding the Apostles even to the end of the world is made good to all and every particular member of Christs Mysticall body whether Ministers or People so as in the matter of their faith and whatsoever appertains to their salvation they are by Christs Spirit guided into all truth being led by the rule and light of Gods word which to those that are in Christ never goes unaccompanied with the Holy Ghost For even as * so many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of Godâ— So as If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his So none are led by the Spirit of God but those that are led by the word of God And therefore as Christs Spirit dwells in all his so his ‡ Word also For these two are inseperable the Holy Ghost teaching us no other things but what we find written in the word of Christ To which purpose Christ saith When § the Spirit of Truth is come be will guide you into all truth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoever he shall heare that shall he speake Now the whole Scripture is Christs word this the Holy Ghost receiving from Christ revealed to his Apostles or as Christ saith †brought to their remembrance and the Apostles commited those things to writing as the Holy Ghost directed them for our both instruction and remembrance So as if * any Speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Whatever Spirit men bragge of not indurcing the Law and Testimony of the Scripture it is without light a counterfet Spirit a lying spirit And this is that very Spirit of Antichrist and of his Prelates who to advance their own Canons and Decrees and to cry up their usurped Antichristian Authority in taking upon them to be the onely visible Iudges in matters of faith as * before we have noted of our Prelate of Cantâ— as if they had the Spirit of Infallibility and were the onely men of Gods Privy Counsell and the onely Privilegiats not to erre doe so much depresse viâ—ifie and cry down the Authority and Sufficiencie of the Scripture as if it were a ‡ dumbe dead and blind Iuâ—ge having not so much light in it as is sufficient to demonstrate it to be the word of God but what it must be beholden to the Authority and Tradition of the present Prelaticall Churchâ—or But â— ye blind Guides § To the Law and to the Testimony for while ye Speake not accordiag to this word but contrariwise blaspheme the same it is a manifest signe that there is neither light nor ‡ life in you Come we now to prosecute the remainder of the former particulars propounded the second generall whereof is the Practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospell whose example all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors And first of this Practise in regard of Doctrine to wit in their Ministy of the Word and Sacraments First for their Doctrine it was sound and sincere the very word of God which they preached with all diligence and good Conscience exhorting other Ministers also to the like diligence and faithfullnesse in preaching as 2 Timâ— 4. 1 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ c. Preach the word be instant in season out of season c. Thus did the Apostles But doe our Prelates thus First do they preach diligently Are their Sermons any more then 2 or 3 Festivalls in the yeare And doe they preach sound Doctrine Nay as the Apostle there saith They will not indure sound doctrine they neither preach it themselves nor permit others And instead of exhorting Ministers to be diligent in preaching and teaching the people they flatly forbid them to preach so ofâ—en as twice on the Sabbath or to expound the Catechisine for instructing the People Thus they are enemies of Gods word and so of the salvation of Gods people Are these men then Successors of the Apostles Againe for the two Sacraments the Apostles administred them duly according to ‡ Christs institution not varying one title from it they neither detracted any thing from iâ— nor added ought of their own inventions Now doth the Prelaticall Catholicke Church wherein that of England and of Rome are both one and the same and doe professe one and the same faith and Religion as our great Prelate saith noted before thus Now Romes detractions and additions we all know But what hath the Prelaticall Church of England done in this kind 1. Doe they not detract both from Christs institution and from the dignity of the Sacraments while they set dumb Priests no better then Masse-Priests to administer Doe they not detract from Baptisme while they doe as much debase it in comparison of the Lords Supper as they doe exalt this which they * call the Great Eucharist in comparison of that Do they not administer that neere the Belfrey or Church-door the lowest part of the Church as they estimate it
none effect and they * perish with the using are good for nothing being after the Commandements and Dâ—ctrines of men they have but a meere shew of wisdome in will-worship and humility and hypocrisie in not sparing the body and onely serve to satisfie the flesh Arguments Sufficient to any one that feares God and hopes to be saved by Iesus Christ to * Beware of being Spoyled and made a prey as the word signifieth of being ‡ heguiled of their reward by such a bondage and Slavery Thus the Apostle so damning all manner of Rites and Ceremonies imposed on the Conscience in the worship of God so as he shews it to be a very Apostacy from Christ of such as hold not the Head with what face can our Lord Prelates the great Masters of all manner of Superstitious and Idolatrous both Iewish and Heathenish Romish and Antichristian Ceremonies beare themselves to be the Successors of the Apostles while not onely they erect such Superstitions but with all rigour impose them upon mens Consciences as a most insupportable burthen and intolerable bondage and with all severity and cruelty inflict terrible punishments upon those that refuse to performe the Tasks of such Egyptian Taskmasters Or how dare they affirme that they have such their Iurisdiction from Christ while in so doing usurping such a Power over mens Consciences they thrust Iesus Christ out of his Throne But we shall have occasion to speake more of this hereafter Thus we see in the meane time what kind of Vice-Roys of Christ and Successors of his Apostles the Prelates prove themselves to be in Lording over the Consciences of Gods people by their Superstitious Ceremonies and Romish Rites But perhaps they will object the Apostles determination Act. 15. concerning the Gentiles newly converted to Christianity that they should abstaine from eating of blood and things strangled which was a Mosaicall Rite To which I answere First that the Apostles in the § same place do shew that that burthen of Legall Ceremonies was removed by the death of Christ and buried in his Grave Secondly they did this in regard of the Iews which dwelt among those Christians for the time being for peace-sake untill the †Christian Iews were better confirmed in the faith and knowledge of Christ Thirdly they did it by the speciall direction of the ‡ Holy Ghost for the reason alledged So as that example being extraordinary and for the time of the Infancie of the Gospell it is no rule for us to follow now after so long a shining forth of the Gospell And I might adde this moreover that the Apostles did not this alone but with the whole Congregation the Presbyters or Elders and Brethren being â—oyned with them Whereas our Prelates though they confesse that a * Generall Councel hath no immediate Institution from Christ to determine Controversies but that it was prudently taken up in the Church from the Apostles example Act. 15. yet for all their prudence in taking up that which belongs not unto them they shew themselves very unfaithfull while they follow not the example of the Apostles in determining alone and not with the whole Congregation and therefore Christians have the lesse reason to captivate their faith to Prelaticall Decrees either in a Generall Councel where the Pope of Rome and of Canterbury are the rulers of the rost or in a Convocation where the Pope of Canterbury is Prime Primate Metropolitan and All who without the Holy Ghost which is never given to any such Antichristian Assemblies whatever they decree in point of faith or otherwise be it never so erronious yet they enjoyne obedience thereunto by all men as our ‡ Prelate affirmeth But he will not be so easily beaten off from his Ceremonies For in his § Epistle Dedicatory he tells the King That Ceremonies are neâ—essary for the setting out of Gods worship His Great Witnesse to the world that our heare stands right in that Service of God to wit the inward worship Take this away or bâ—ing it into contempt and what light is there left to shine before men that they may see our Devotion and glorifie our Father which is in heaven And to deale clearely with your Majesty these thoughts are they and no other which have made me labour so much as I have done for Decency and an Orderly Settlement of the externall worship of God in the Church which cannot be without some Ceremonies c. For Ceremonies are the hedge that feare the Substance of Religion c. And a great weaknesse it is not to see the strength which Ceremonies adde even to Religion itselfe c. So and much more the Prelateâ— Whence it appeareth that had he not Ceremonies to garnish his worship of God as he calls it the world could not see how right his heart stands nor yet see his good works because instead of good works perverting Christs word he puts his Devotion and his Devotion stands in his Ceremonies which he saith must not be too few for then they leave his Service naked and therfore to avoyd that he must have both a Surplice and Hood and Cope to cover that nakednesse So as all his light is in his Externall worship shining forth in his brave Garbe of Ceremonies as that of the Pharises in their broad Philacteries So as without this men in truth could not so easily see the pride vanity Superstition and hyprcrisie which lurketh in the Prelates â—â—re and bewrayeth it selfe in his many inventions of Superstitious Ceremonies the very Ideas and Idols of his profane heart And Antiquity was the Mystery of Iniquity if that will doe them any pleasure This we generally touched before in the Third Chapter But for the Second That the Prelacie is this Mystery of Iniquity let us a little examine what is meant by this Mystery of Iniquity This Mystery of Iniquity is opposed to the Mystery of Godlinesse of which the Apostle speaks 1 Tim. 3. 16. Iniquity is opposit to Godlinesse but both Godlinesse and Iniquity are called a Mystery Yet in a different respect The Mystery of Godlinesse is so called because of its deepnesse and difficulty to be understood but by Gods * Spirit reuealing the same but the Mystery of Iniquity is so called because Iniquity is vailed under a pretence and shew of Godlinesse by which ‡ many are deceived § whose names are not written in the booke of life As Christ saith Many shall come in my Name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many And thus doe all Prelates come in Christs Name while they pretend Christs Authority and usurpe Christs throne over his People And the great Antichrist is so called because though he be against Christ yet he saith he is for Christ as being Christs Vicar even as Antichristus in the Greeke is a compound word the Preposition Anti signifying both for or instead and against And so is Antichrist in pretence for Christ but in practise
also as in all the rest at least petty Gods Sitting in the Temple of God shewing themselvs to be so many Gods As for their materiall Princely Thrones in materiall Temples they have them set up in great State But this is nothing to that Throne which they have set up and wherein they sit and raigne over the Consciences and Soules of Gods people their multitude of Canons and Ceremonies being so many Laws by which they rule over them and so many bonds or Chaines whereby they hold them in Spirituall bondage And thus they sit also as God in the Timple of God shewing themselves to be God in saying they are Christs Vice-Roys and the Apostles Successors having Authority from Christ to exercise that their Iurisdiction and Power over Gods People who are the living Temples of the living God Thus we see all along how this Army of Priests as Gâ—egory and others call them the Prelates do follow their Captain and King Antichrist step by step in all his properties here described by the Apostle The last thing we propounded here to speake of is That Apostacie must goe before to strow the way to the full revealation of the Mystery of Iniquity and so of Antichrist which Apostacie was partly and primarily the Prelacie I say partly and primarily For partly the removall of the Imperiall Seat from Rome to Constanâ—inople by Constantine and partly the decaying and declyning of the Empire and partly the defection of sundry Kingdomes from the Empire made way for Antichrists greatnesse to which he grew not but by degrees and that through many Ages Yet the prime foundation of his Babylonian Tower was layd in the Apostles own times they labouring to hinder it all they could but not prevailing herein they preached and writ against it and so forewarned Gods people to beware of it And this foundation so long agoe begun to be layd was the Prelacie or rather the Spirit of Prelacie which had a time of working even while the Apostles lived and became to be as it were an Embrio or little Masse but did not receice the forme of a body till afterwards and was long a growing up untill it came to the full stature Now I say the spirit of Prelacie was the very beginning of the Apostacie which was Antichrists way-maker But how doth it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacie began to worke in the Apostles dayes And then secondly how will it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacie For answere First that the Prelacie began to get life in the Apostle time it is manifest by sundry places of Scripture As 2. Cor. 11. 20. Ye suffer saith the Apostle to the Corinthians if a man bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himselfe if a man smite you on the face Now the Apostle meanes here of those immediately mentioned before to wit false Ministers whom he calls false Apostles deceitfull workâ—rs is transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ v. 13. 15. These as young Prelates would be Apostolicâ—ll men and they have the qualities of Prelates they Captivate Gods people as before they devoure take exalt themselves smiteâ— just Prelate-like And for brevity to omit sundry other places we find one pretty briske Prelaticall man in 3. Iob. 9. 10. his Name was Diotrephes and he did beare himselfe according to his Name as one of Iupiters nurslings his qualities are these 1. He loveth to have the preeminence 2. he receiveth not the Apostles and brethren 3. he prateth against them with malicious words 4. he neither receiveth the brethren and forbiddeth them that would 5. he casteth them out of the Church Loe here a pretty well grown Prelaticall Child a pregnant Sparke to make a Lord Prelate of For all his Properties are proper to a Prelate for a Prelate first loves the preeminence 2. though he pretend to Succeed the Apostles yet his deeds shew that he hates both their Doctrine and Example persecuting them in their true Successors 3. he receiveth not the brethren yea 4. he so hates the very name of holy brethren that he forbids all men to receive them and 5. he casteth them out of the Church he playes fy gib with his thunderbolt of Excommunication I might insist more and inlarge all these particulars but this may suffice to shew that the Spirit of the Prelacie was stirring in the wombe of the Church even while the Apostles lived Now for the Second it is no lesse true that the Spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacy from Christ This first appeares by the Apostles former words of falling away first which made way for Antichrist And this began in the Prelacie for the Prelacy is the setting up of a new Church a new Kingdome turning Christs heavenly Kingdome into an earthly and the Spirituall into a carnall and the Kingdome of Grace into a Kingdome of terrene glory and the Church militant into a Church malignant and triumphant as before is noted and the true Catholicke Church which we beleeve to consist of all the Elect onely Christs living members into a new Catholicke visible Church of all nominall Christians tagge and ragge Papists and others and in a word the Church of Christ into the Church and Synogogue of Antichrist Is not here then a fearefull Apostacie and falling from Christ Time calls me off and therefore I must be very briefe I will adde therefore but one place more for the proofe of this That Prelacy is Apostacy from Christ It is in 1 Io. 2. 18. Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Loe here is an Apostacie and it is of certaine Antichrists that were then sprung up even many Antichrists But how doth this concerne our Prelates Let us looke but a little lower and as before we found them wrapped in the Swadling Clouts of the Mystery of Iniquity So here we shall behold them in the very robes of Antichrist For v. 22. Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist c. Now what is it to deny Iesus to be the Christ Surely we must so take these words as we hold the Analogie of faith and so as they crosse not the Mystery of Iniquity which we shewed before to be a denying of Christ under a colour of confessing him Now then there is a twofold denyall of Christ one in words another in works So the Apostle saith of such * They porfesse that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate So
in this point is notoriously erronious as both is proved before and which the Prelates own words here will sufficiently convince of fashood For first Christ left none when he went into heaven but his Apostles and Disciples such as he inspired with his Spirit to instruct and governe his Church But the Prelate a * little after confesseth that one of these visible Iudges Arch-bishops and Bishops are infallible Therfore Christ left no such Iudges and when he went into heaven there were no Prelats extant nor yet hatched and therfore Christ cannot be so much as thought much lesse beleeved to have left any such visible Iudges as the Prelate mentioneth Secondly it cannot be safe to beleeve that Christ left any such to be visible Iudges in matters of faith and Religion who are in their judgement not onely erronious but in their affections malicious against Christ and his word and his trile Church For the universall and constant practise of Prelates and especially ever since Antichrist hath been exalted in his Throne in persecuting the Professors of the Gospell doth proclaime them to be of the malignant Church and of ‡ the bendwoman that where of Babylon whose â—eed doth persecute the true Church and Children of God and therefore Christ would never appoint such to be visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion in his Church Thirdly the Prelate in making such visible Iudges besides Christs Law-booke the Scripture as he saith doth hereby deny and exclude the Scripture from being the Sole Iudge in all matters of Faith and Religion And the Church of England formerly before this her Metropolitan started up was of this beliefe that the Scripture was the Sole Iudge and Rule of Faith and admitted of no other Iudges to sit on the same Bench with it This the many learned works of our English Divines yet extant can abundantly testifie Therfore except the Church of England hath lost her wits and hath no more grace left her then the grace and faith of Canterbury she cannot be so madde as to beleeve Christ left any such visible Iudges as her Prelate speakes of Fourthly it can never be beleeved of any sensible man much lesse of any even common Christian that Christ would leave notorious hypocrites to be Iudges in matters of Religion who under a faire pretence of Truth and Peace doe labour utterly to destroy both Truth and Peace in his Church As here the Prelate names Truth and Peace as the end of his Hierarchicall Government but his practises doe prove him to be the greatest enemy both of Truth and Peace that ever Sate in the Chaire of Canterbury For first for Truth as the Truth of the Doctrines of Grace layd down in the Articles of Religion of the Church of England hath he not in the Declaracion before those 39 Articles but set forth in the Kings Name for all must be under a gracious King baffled it making the Articles to speake nonsense or in the language of the Delphick Oracle ambiguous that may be taken either way as favouring the Arminian aswell as the Orthodox so as by this meanes his Arminian Crew may prove their Heresies out of those Articles aswell as the Orthodox can the Truth Is this visible Iudge then for Truth Againe how doth he suppresse all preaching of the Doctrines of Grace by terrifying Ministers in all the Visitations of these visible Iudges So cleare it is that he governes for Truth Secondly for Peace What Peace I pray you hath either the Church or State of England had since this Polypragmatick began to stirre and stickle both in Church and State Nay what Peace hath the Neighbour-Kingdome had since his Arme hath been imped out to put his hot coale under the Eves of that Church also So as now when Scotland burneth is 't not time for England to looke out and to cast on water and to quench the fire not with more fire to consume all but by quenching the coale that both first kindled and still fomenteth the flame Thus we see what a Governour here is under a Gratious King For Truth and Peace But fiftly he addeth According to the Scripture This is something And yet as good as nothing for he immediately annexeth And her own Canons and Constitutions Canons enough to batter the Scripture and Constitutions to undermine and blow it up For what Scripture can stand in any force where his Canons come And much more where these Canons of his Church of England are seconded by his Catholike Church Wherein his Church of England and that of Rome are become according to his * own words one and the Same Church of one and the Same Faith and Religion And thus indeed the Church of England may enter Common with Rome in her Canons as namely in her Canon Law and so make Corpus Cononicum the Rule whereby to governe this new Corporation of the Two Churches now become one againe So as let but the Canons of the Church of England be seconded with those of her Prelates Catholicke Church and then all Scripture is gone in Common Law So vaine is it that with Scripture he names and yoakes his Canons of England and Rome by which his Figures of value he conjures the Scripture within the circle of a meere Cypher But Sixtly he concludes with this qualification which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme But first for the Scripture who shal be Judge whether the Canons doe crosse it Who but the Canon-makers and Canon-masters the Prelates And will they trow you turne the mouth of their own Canons against themselves Nay their Canons though never so crosse to Scripture yet are like to Darius his Decree which though against the Scripture yet rather then it shal be broken Daniel must to the Lions denne to try whether the Lions or the Kings Decree be more cruell So the Prelates Church Catholick Canons are like the Laws of the Medes and Persians all the Daniels in the world shall rather to the Lions denne then the Canons be reversed To give but one instance for many That Canon De Haeretibus comburendis Of Burning the Hereticks which is one of those speciall Canons of his Catholick Church and a most damnable Canon as any in all the packe and such as if Christ and his Apostles were now upon the earth and did Preach as once they did they should by vertue of that Canon be brought to the Stake as Christ was by the High Priests * Law to his Crosse that Canon I say though it crosse the Scripture as being against all true Chistians whom this Canon calls Hereticks and burnes for the Scripture-sake yet shall it not be for ever in force so long as there is one Hereticke remaining upon the face of the earth and one Pope or Prelate to discharge the Canon But the Prelate addes And the just Laws of the Realme If the said Canons crosse not the just Laws of the Realme This is as
Church-Government of those Bishops of old as our moderne Prelates themselves are unlike them in manner of life for these are persecuters of the Gospel those were persecuted and suffered Martyrdome for Christ Thus it is false that he saith that the Church-Government now in England was in usâ— in the Primitive Church For to instance in one thing In those ancient Times Excommunication was not used for every trifle nor done in a blind Court nor denounced by a dumb Priest But enough of this Fourthly whereas he saith And yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline First as for the Seperatist as he calls him I thinke the Prelate with this his Book and other his Prelaticall practises hath made more Separatists from his Prelaticall Church of England then ever any that hath sit in the Chaire of Canterbury ever since his Predecessor Augustine first sate in it Nor doe I see how any Christian living in England can with a safe Conscience have communion with that Church which professeth as the Prelate doth in her Name to be one and the Same Church with Rome of one and the Same Faith and Religion Yea were it no more but that the Church of England professeth to be a Hierarchicall or Prelaticall Church which in that very respect is no true Church of Christ it were argument and cause sufficient to Seperate from her And that because Secondly he that is a true Seperatist from her for the former respects may justly condemne her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline For first She exerciseth She professeth no other Discipline but that which Antichrist the Pope and the whole Antichristian Romish Church exerciseth and professeth and that in all points Cap a pied from top to toe And this her Discipline is Antichristian as being of Antichrist and so against Christ and exercised in the maintenance of Antichrist For instance The Prelaticall Church of England hath lately found out a Discipline to censure punish imprison fine excommunicate degrade deprive and all these together him that shall dare to deny the Pope and Prelates to be jure divino Dr. Bastwicke did thus and so the High-Commission served him as aforesaid What Discipline then in the world can be more Antichirstian or more forcible to drive Christians from having any more communion with that Church which exercising such an Antichristian Discipline how can She shift off the just condemnation of Antichristianisme which they shall cast upon her Againe Secondly the whole Discipline of the Church of England as it is the Discipline which Antichrist and his Church exerciseth and therfore Antichristian So it is that which hath no footing but is expresly forbidden in the word of God as Antichristian and Tyrannicall For the Church of Englands Discipline stands most upon the imposition of sundry Ceremonies of humane invention and Antichristian observation which She presseth upon all mens Consciences and for default of Conformity layes grievous Censures upon them as Excommunication and the like Now all such Ceremonies so imposed both Christ himselfe condemneth * In vaine they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men and the Apostle also throughout that whole Chapter of the Epistle to the Collossians doth charge Christians not to put their necks under any such yoake as whereby they are deprived of the benefit of Christs death and beguiled of their reward and spoyled of their Christian liberty and the like Againe the Prelates in imposing their Ceremonies are Antichristian because in so doing they usurpe Christs throne and therein fitting doe exercise a Tyranny over mens Consciences intolerable to be borne which if men will not yeeld unto they doe in as much as in them lyeth make them Anathemaes shut them out of the Church by Excommunication c. And lastly their Excommunication not onely in regard of the matter and cause for which it is namely because men will not renounce Christs service to take the Tyrannicall yoake of Antichrists Ceremonies upon the shoulders of their Consciences but for the very manner of it as it is used in the Church of England is a Discipline Antichristian as being against that form of Excommunication which is prescribed in the word of God and was practised in the Apostolicall Churches It was Christs rule Tell it to the Church that is to the Congregation and if the Offender will not heare the Congregation he is Excommunicate by and out of the Congregation And the Apostles rule is for such Offenders as deserve Excommunication * I verily saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Whence I note that Excommunication is a Solemne businesse not to be inflicted for every trifling matter much lesse as the Pharisees did who excommunicated all those that confessed Christ nor to be done in a blind Court and by a single soled Priest nor the Offender to be released for the payment of his fees or by way of committing or the like all which are practised in the Discipline of the Church of England But Excommunication must not be but for a great offence nor done but by the whole Congregation nor released but upon the publique repentance confession and promise of reformation before the said Congregation where the offence was given and by whom the penalty is taken off Therfore the Discipline of the Church of England in this case is wholly Antichristian Lastly forasmuch as Prelates doe necessarily draw after them a Traine of Ceremonies as a Chaine of so many links wherwith they captivate ensnare and enslave the Consciences of men as their Motto is No Ceremonie no Bishop for they goe inseperably together like Tobie and his Dogge and the Church of England in her Discipline and Church-Service is wholly captivated by the Masters of such Ceremonies the Prelates and some Ceremonies are such as even doe deny the Lord that bought them as namely Altars and their Service and all the Ceremonies imposed upon the Conscience deny Christ to be the onely King of his Church all these taken together what between the Prelates and between their Ceremonies the Church of England and her Discipline is become Antichristian and therfore no marvail if for this cause good Christians that have knowledge and make Conscience doe Seperate from communion with any such Church CHAP. V. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping though he would run away with it That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino HE saith * For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie that was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church And so
against Christ and so are all our Prelates as shall yet further appeare And this is truly and properly the Mystery of Iniquity In which respect the Turke and other profest Enemies of Christ and Christian Religion cannot come within the compasse of this Mystery of Iniquity and so cannot be full Antichrists because they doe gumme kephale openly without any vaile professe this Iniquity of being Adversaries to Christ And for the further application of this Mysterie of Iniquity to the Prelates we come to the third Proposition That What is spoken of the great Antichrist himselfe is spoken of all Prelates as members of the same Head or as so many inferiour antichrists though in themselves great enough Let us therefore see the properties of Antichrist here described by the Apostle First he is called That man of Sinne And this is Antichrist in two respects 1. in respect of himselfe as being carnall proud covetous ambitious voluptuous and a most malicious hater and most cruel persecuter of the Saints and Servants of Christ a proper Sinne of Antichristâ— These Sinnes and Lusts are the proper Sinnes of a Prelate and common to every Prelate and especially those of the latter Stamp since Antichrist mounted aloft now for above 600. yeares yea a 1000. yeares from Boniface 3. Secondly Antichrist is that man of Sin in respect of others as being a prime instrument of causing others to Sin as by giving Indulgence Dispensation and Liberty to men to Sin and by suppressing the means whereby they should be kept from Sin The Pope is notorious for this And our Prelates come not farre behind him For they allow profane sports on the Lords day by which the 4th Commandement is broken and that to Servants and Châ—ldren so as their Parents and Masters may not restraine them which is a manifest breach of the Fift Commandement so as by this means many other Commandements are broken in committing many Sinnes Thus they both * breake the greatest Commandements and teach men so Againe instead of suppessing of sports they restraine and Suppresse the Preaching of Gods word whereby men should be kept from Sinne and learne to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world denying all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts Thus Antichrist is that man of Sinne Secondly Antichrist is called the Son of Perdition For as he is that man of Sinne so by consequence he is that Son of Perdition and that in both the foresaid respects as of Sinning so of Perishing for as he both Sins himselfe and causes others to Sin so he both perisheth himselfe and causeth others to perish as 2 Thess. 2. 10. And this is proper to the Pope in the first place whose necessity of perishing is such that himselfe confesseth an impossibility of amendment As is noted of Adrian 6. who said * That the condition of Popes was miserable seeing it was evident that they could not doe good though they desired and indeavoured it never so much And Pope ‡ Marcell flapping his hand on the Table said It was impossible that any one Sitting in that Chaire could be Saved And his own Decretalls say That if the Pope carry with him millions of Soules to be tormented with the great Devil no man may reprove him So incorrigible he is And this is according to Christs saying § That it is easier for a Camel to goe through the â—ye of a needle then for a Rich man to goe into the Kingdome of heaven And are Prelates in any better condition Is there any more hope of them then of the Pope that ever they can or will repent If they will repenâ— indeed that they may not be the Sons of perdition either in themselves or also in others they must get them out of the Chaire of Pestilence they must in one word abandon their Prelacie and Prelaticall practises Will they doe this and so cease both to Sinne themselves and to cause others â—o Sin This were happy for them And this were the onely way to free them from being the Sons of Perdition namely by ceaseing to be those men of Sin But if Chrysostome said of Prelates in his dayes that he wondred if any of them could be saved then what would he have said of the Prelates in our dayes Thirdly Antichrist is called o `antikeÃmenos that Adversary But still under a pretext of being a friend as before is noted Thus Antichrist is the grand Adversary â—a'ntikeÃmenos opposit or set against But against whom Against Christ against his word against his Ministers against his people even all true professors of the Gospell against all true Religion Such is the Pope and such are the Prelates as their practises doe plainly prove and openly proclaime them to be And Fourthly here is added by a Copulative kaì u`prairomenos and He that exalts himselfe as our English renders it Over whom Over all that is called God or that is worshiped Epìpantà Over all or against all as some Translation hath it that is called God For the Preposition e'pì may signifie both But for Against we have a'ntikeÃmenos opposite and so this we may take for lifting himselfe up over all that is called God or that is worshiped which we may understand two wayes either over all Religion as before we noted or over all Policy and Civill Government over Kings and Princes and Magistrates who are * called Gods and over the Emperour himselfe who is called sâ—bastos which is venerable or worshipfull and the honour of Caesar which is called sèbasma as in the Text over which this Antichrist exalts himselfe Now that this is verified of the Pope it needs no proofe as being as cleare as the Sun at noone day and which Impudencie it selfe hath not the face to deny But now for our Prelates how is this verified of them For they would seem to be friends to Kings and Princes insomuch as they are by Princes themselves openly proclaimed to be a holy Order most Christian in it selfe most peaceable in Civil States and most consonant to Minarchie or the like For answere whereunto First if the Pope their Sire be such an Adversary and so exalted how can the Prelates be excused seeing they are of the same Spirit as the members actuated by the Head Secondly if Prelates be as their ordinary practises doe shew Adversaries and opposits to Christ and to his word aswell as the Pope is as before is noted how can their Hierarchie be said to be either most Christian in itselfe or most peaceable to Civil States or most consonant to Monarchie Can such an Hierarchie be most Christian which is most Antichristian Or can it be peaceable for a Civil State that professeth Christianity yea and the true Religion to uphold and maintaine such as are most notorious Adversaries to Christ and to the Gospel Or can that be most Copsonant to a Monarchy professing to be under Christ the onely Monarch on whom all others depend and to be governed by good
Apostles to afflict persecute and oppresse all true Religion with all the true Preachers and Professors therof and so prove themselves to be of those of whom Christ foretold his Disciples saying * They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will thinke that be doth God Service And surely the Prelates grounding their usurped Authority upon Christ which they so exercise in afflicting and oppressiing Christs Ministers and people must needs consequently conclude that this their persecution is a speciall part of Gods service to conclude then the Parable as these Prelates have their good things here and nothing is left them but a ‡ fearefull expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devoure the Adversaries so as they shall not find a drop of mercy in Hell who would not shew a crumme of mercy here but contrariwise shal be tormented with more scorching flames then Dives by how much their wickednesse here exceeded his So Gods faithfull Ministers as they receive their evill things here and especially at the hands of Antichristian Prelates whose malice and cruelty against them exceedeth all other in the world so they shal be sure to receive a most glorious and unfading ‡ Crown of Glory which the Lord the Chiefe Shepheard the righteous Iudge shall give unto them at that day nor to them onely but to all those that love his Appearing CHAP. VII Wherein is shewed that the Prelates are no lesse contrary to the Practise of the Apostles whose Successors notwithstanding they pretend to be then they are to their Doctrines as hath been proved FOr the more cleare demonstration hereof we will consider the Practise of the Apostles in a twofold notion 1. the Practise of their Ministry 2. the Practise of their life and conversation First for their Ministry that also we consider in a double respect 1. of Doctrine 2. of Discipline Of these being to speake we will first consider the Apostles two wayes 1. as they were Apostles and 2. as they were Ministers First as they were Apostles to speake in a strict and proper sence they left no Successors behind them For as Apostles 1. they had their immediate Calling from Christ 2. they did * see Christ with their bodily eyes 3. they were inspired immediately from Christ with Apostolicall Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost ‡ which led them into all truth so as their judgement was infallible they could not erre 4. they were made the Pen-men of the Scripture 5. They had a power given them to appoint Euangelists to attend their Apostleship in the Gospell to settle and water where the Apostles had planted and where they appointed them 6. They had ‡ immediate direction from the Holy Ghost where to preach at such or such a time 7 They had their § Commision immediately from Châ—â—st which was to preach the Gospell throughout the world though the †Holy Ghost did more particularly dispose of them to severall Countries Now in all these respects the Apostles as Apostles left no Successors behind them For after the decease of Apostles and so also of the Euangelists some whereof writ the Gospell and some preached the Gospell and did other things at the Apostles appointment whereof we shall have occasion to speake more anon their Office of Apostles and Euangelists ceased So as never since they lived have there beene any Apostles or Euangelists properly so called Though in a generall notion all true Preachers of the Gospell in asmuch as they have a Calling from God being sent of him though mediately by the Church may be called Apostoli that is sent as the Apostle called Epaphroditus ‡ A'póstolon the Philippìans Apostle which our English translates a Messenger because they had sent him to him as they are called in the selfe same respect Aggeloi * Angels or Messengers and they may be called also for the same reason Euangelists because they are Preachers of the Gospell But I say strictly and properly the Apostles onely were called Apostles and the Euangelists Euangelists for the reasons aforesaid So as after their decease the ordinary Ministers of the Word which God appointed to succeed them in their Ministry were called Pastors and Teachers as Eph. 4. 11. and somtimes Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or Episcopi set over their severall Congregations respectively as aforesaid and somtimes ‡ uâ—pereta or dÃakoni Ministers of the Word as the Apostle often styles himselfe So as in the Second place we come to speake of the practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospel whose examample all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors But before we speake thereof one Objection crosseth us in our way which is this We noted before that one peculiar priviledge and badge of an Apostleâ— properly so called was that he had the Holy Ghost immediately inspired into him by Christ so as it led him into all truth that he could not erre in his preaching or writing of the word of God Now it is Objected that the promise of * Christs Spirituall presence and so of the Holy Ghost is made to the Apostles but to all the succeeding generations of all their true Successors to the end of the world Upon which promise but most falsely applyed the Pope doth build his Imaginary Infallibility of a power of not erring in the faith For Answere hereunto briefly First neither the Pope nor any Prelate have any thing to doe with this promise For they have no Calling from Christ as hath been proved and they are Antichrists and so led by another spirit to wit of him of whom they have their Calling and thaâ— is of the great red Dragon as remaines yet further to be cleared Secondly concerning this promise made immediately by Christ to his Apostles that he would be with them to the end of the world and that the Holy Ghost should lead them into all truth we must distinguish between the Aposâ—les and all Succeeding true Ministers First this promise was actuaâ—ly fullfilled to the Apostles so as they neither erred in their preaching nor in their writing of the word of God and the substance of all their preaching so farre as it is necessary for the salvation of Gods Chruch to the end of the world is by them left in writing to be a rule of our faith and the ground of all holy and saving knowledge Now then all true Ministers succeeding the Apostles in all ages and also all true Beleevers though they neither receive the Holy Ghost inmiediately from Christ as the Apostles did nor are any to expect to receive it in that extraordinary way yet all true beleeving both Ministers and People doe receive the Holy Ghost But how By what meanes The Apostle tells us ‡ By the hearing of Faith preached that is by hearing the Gospell which is the ground of Faith preached we receive both faith