and People To give Kingdoms and take them away at his pleasure Now here take notice that as the Popes Exaltation of himself was foreshewed 2 Thess 3 4. So this Power and Dominion of the Popedom over Kings and Princes was foreshewed Rev. 17. ult under the representation of a Woman there expounded to be a great City reigning over the Kings of the Earth And the Woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth Or nearer the Greek thus Which hath a Kingdom above the Kings of the Earth Which Kingdom if it be not the Popedom reigning over the Kings of the Earth deposing them at pleasure and Surrogating others in their stead then I confess I know not what it is But if other Circumstances in that Chapter be considered with this I think it will put this out of doubt which here I cannot stand upon without too great a diversion and interruption but in its proper place following where the Hierarchy of Rome comes to be spoken of by Gods assistance I shall demonstrate Another innovation is The Exercising Dominion over mens Faith. It may be something of this kind might begin before the Popes were so named But however it s upheld and practised by the Popes and was not owned by the Apostles Doctrine but is an Innovation contrary to the simplicity and purity of the Gospel wheresoever it is found That it is a piece of Popery and upheld by them is manifest by their punishing and cruel handling of those that in Conscience towards God and faithfulness to his Truth cannot submit to those their humane Innovations which they see to be so But the Popes who have arrogated to themselves Power and Dominion over the Persons and Thrones of Kings and Princes are not satisfied without the like dominion also over the Throne of God the Conscience and except they model mens Faith and cast them all into one Mould which thing the Apostles durst not do The Apostle Paul disclaims this Dominion over mens Faith 2 Cor. 1.24 And he durst not judge the Faith or Conscience of the different believing Romans when some of them kept a Day and others kept it not and when some of them did Eat Herbs and others did Eat Flesh and both to the Lord as he judged and therefore he defends them both one against the other and judged nothing but their judging of one another in so doing Rom. 14.4 5 6. And then he puts them in mind of Christ's Prerogative in this case ver 10. Saying But why dost thou judge thy Brother Or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ But the Popes are not of Pauls mind they will have men believe as they believe or else Burn them alive if this be not to exercise Dominion over mens Faith and Conscience what is And if this be not an innovation contrary to the simplicity purity mercy and meekness of the Gospel nothing is which saith In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves 2 Tim. 2.25 not burning them as is done under the Tyrannical Popedom 7. But to back this their cruel Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of men and to palliate it and make it take place and go down with their people they put the Name Heretick upon those who cannot conform to their Innovations that they may incense people against them And this is another Innovation And so they heap Innovation upon Innovation Whereas indeed and in truth nothing is Heresie but that which opposes the Truth of the Gospel delivered by Christ and his Holy Apostles To oppose false Doctrine and innovations of men is no Heresie But to bring in Innovations contrary to the Truth of the Gospel and to require subjection thereto this is certainly Heresie Therefore let them that call or count men Hereticks look to it that they be not found the greatest Hereticks devouring innocent Lambs of Christ under that false notion And indeed here is a notable Stratagem of Satan whereby to make them that fear God and abhor mens inventions as Sheep fit for the Slaughter even to fix opprobtious Terms upon them For this begets an Odium in the minds of Blindfolded people against them and makes them through hatred ready for Butchers and to execute Massacres and all manner of mischief against the Faithful Servants of Christ under that notion of being Hereticks It must be under some such disguise that the Great Whore makes her self drunk with the Blood of Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus such as bear witness to him and his Truth against the Innovations of men 8. And so that 's another Innovation namely To rid men out of the Earth whom they call Hereticks It 's no sin to destroy them say they Yea further they have made it a Law to Burn them And this hath not been a dead Law or like a Sword kept in a Scabbard but hath been cruelly executed where the power of the Popedom hath prevailed I am sure this cruelty is an Innovation for there is no such Doctrin from Christ or any of his Apostles but positive Doctrin against it Therefore that Law and such other destructive Laws and the execution of them must needs be Innovations of men Christ Jesus our Lord said He came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luke 9.54 55 56. But this Spirit that hath got into the Popedom comes to destroy mens lives therefore is a Spirit contrary to the Spirit of Christ It 's another Spirit crept in under the profession of the Gospel not his Christ Jesus our Lord said also concerning the Tares which his Servants would have been plucking up Let them alone How long were they to let them alone Even till the end of the World. And then the Angels must do that work Mat. 13.29 39. Men are not infallible they may mistake Therefore the Lord said to his own Servants Let them alone lest ye pluck up Wheat with Tares He will not have them do that rooting Work but he will set those to do that work that can more certainly distinguish between Tares and Wheat even the Angels they shall not do it neither till his appointed time even the end of the World. This therefore must needs be an Innovation contrary to the command and will of Christ to be doing this work under any pretence namely to be rooting out Tares if they really be so out of the Field of the World before Christ's appointed time Again it 's against that Golden Rule of Christ As ye would that men should do to you so do ye to them Mat. 7.12 Now would any man have others to burn him because he cannot believe as they believe Would those burning Popes have any of the Reformed Churches to burn them or their People because they believe not as those Reformed Churches believe I think not And yet it were but Lex talionis like for like if they did so
INNOVATIONS OF POPERY IN THE CHURCH of ROME CALLING For Repentance and Reformation being as a Wall of Separation between Christians and Christians Wherein is shewed That the Mystery of Iniquity Sodom and Egypt Spiritual Babylon the Great and the Mother of Harlots and Great Whore are all founded in Innovations Given forth partly to stir up our Thankfulness to God for his former Mercies to this Nation in delivering it from the Horrid Popish Thraldom and Ignorance and for his preserving it at this time from the impending Storm that threatned us partly also to help to establish those that are wavering in their minds towards it and to encourage those that are under it who truly fear God in expectation of deliverance from under it By one that Loves all that fear the Lord and love Truth and Righteousness in their Hearts wheresoever they are found W. T. LONDON Printed for Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-Street 1689. INNOVATIONS OF Popery IN THE CHURCH OF ROME CALLING For Repentance and Reformation c. HHving some things lying fair before me concerning the Church of Rome and Popery and having a desire to express the same with as much clearness and plainness as I can it will be needful for me in the first place to distinguish both between Persons and Persons and also between Things and Things being prompted thereunto by the manner of our Lord and Masters writing to the several Churches in Asia Rev. 2. 3. He owns the Good and disowns the Evil in the same Church and in the same Persons He doth not own all for good because some things were good Nor doth he disown and reject all as evil because some things were evil His example I desire to follow Now therefore concerning Persons they are thus distinguished The Church of Rome taken in a general sense consists of these three Parts 1. The Hierarchy or Ruling Priesthood who are as the Leaders and Teachers and Rulers of the People from the Pope downwards in Subordination to him 2. Inhabitants of the Earth that is such as have their minds and hearts on the Earth and have no power of Truth in them but all their Religion stands only in their outward Form whose life is in that and Zeal for that only 3. Such as in sincerity of Heart seek after the Lord and pursue according to their understanding things that are spiritual or heavenly who Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness whose hearts are drawn after the Lord and who love Truth in the inward parts and hate Lying and Deceit These altho they may be under many mistakes in judgment or knowledge by reason of education or outward teaching yet I look upon them as people whom God will own saying to them Come out of her my people And concerning things I distinguish between those ancient Truths which the Church of Rome had and lived in at first and still retain and those Innovations brought in among them afterwards And therefore I call nothing Popery but Innovations introduced or upheld by some Pope or Popes wherewith the Church of Rome is infested I do not comprehend those ancient Truths which they lived in at first in the Apostles days and which they still retain under the name of Popery but as I said only their Innovations such as these which follow and which I shall endeavour to detect by evidence of Scripture and to manifest the Truth obscured by them as there is need 1. The Popes Exaltation or his being made Universal Bishop This is an Innovation directly repugnant to the Doctrine of Christ and of his Holy Apostles and practice of the primitive times It s contrary to the Doctrine of Christ plainly exprest in the Concurring Testimony both of Matthew Mark and Luke Read Matth. 20.25 26. Mar. 10.42 43. Luk. 22.25 26 27. It s in all these places flatly forbidden the Servants of Christ to exercise Dominion or Authority over their Fellow Disciples and they are commanded not to be like the Princes of the Nations or Gentiles herein The words in Matthew are these Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles or Nations exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you What can be spake more plainly and fully than this But it shall not be so among you The words in Mark and in Luke are to the same purpose prohibiting this Exaltation and Dominion And the Apostles of Christ they kept to this Doctrine Paul denyed such Dominion 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your joy And Peter excludes this Lordship likewise 1 Pet. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock Again if we look at the practical State of the Churches and take notice of the several Epistles of Christ to the Seven Churches of Asia we see no Superiority given therein to one Angel of the Churches above onother But they are distinctly writ unto as having no precedency one above another but every one standing distinct in his own Sphere or Charge So that this Exaltation of the Popes is dissonant to the purity of the Gospel and crept in through impurity and corruption in after Ages as by and by I shall make appear Only first take notice that this Exaltation of the Popes is an Innovation very fitly suiting or agreeing with the Mystery of Iniquity For Paul speaks plainly of such an exalted one in the Mystery of Iniquity Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is Worshipped that is above all Magistrates and Rulers who are called Gods. Psal 82.1 6. Who hath his Seat in the Temple of God 2 Thess 2. So the Pope he hath his Exaltation in the Church or Temple of God. Now let us take notice how this Innovation of the Popes great Exaltation over all his Fellow Bishops came in It had its rise from Pride and Ambition and from the Gift of a wicked Man. Pride and Ambition working in him that was Bishop of Rome and seeking to have the preheminence he obtained of Phocas then Emperor that the Church of Rome should be and should be called Caput omnium Ecclesiarum The Head of all the Churches And so consequently that he should be the Head of all the Bishops This was the rise of the Transcendent Exaltation of the Popes or Bishops of Rome It was the Gift of wicked Phocas a Man of whom it is recorded That he was Tyrannus patriaque calamitas sub quo omnis generis mala exundaverunt a Tyrant the Calamity of his Country under whom all manner of wickedness abounded Thus you see what manner of Original this Innovation had and what the Foundation of it was And the Popes came not to this height till about six Hundred Years or more after the Birth of Christ as History informs Bucholcer punctually sets down the Year 607. when Boniface 3. obtained this of Phocas But tho the Pope was
are led out from her by the Spirit into a solitary Wilderness condition shall best see her And indeed they shall best see the Innovations of lesser Whores who are not in the Whoredom or involved in the Innovations Now what did John see I saw saith he a Woman sit upon a scarlet coloured Beast full of Names of Blasphemy having seven heads and ten Horns Here she is described by that which supports her and over which she ruleth as one rules over the Beast they sit upon The Great Whore is a pompous Whore and sits upon a pompous Beast a scarlet coloured Beast that is an earthly pompous Power not upon the power of the Spirit by which the Apostles of Christ were supported but upon an earthly power full of blasphemous names against the true power and the faithful servants of Christ who abhor the Innovations of men This is a Beast sutable to the great Whore and of one Spirit with her and fortified to uphold her in her large Dominion over Peoples Multitudes Nations and Tongues having seven Heads and ten Horns and what those are the Angel unfolds afterwards To go on with the Characters of the Woman vers 4. And the Woman was arrayed in Purple and scarlet colour and decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls having a Golded Cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornication Here she is described by her Ornaments and by her Cup which contains her Fornication Her Ornaments are such as are used by Kings and Potentates of the World Purple and Scarlet and Gold and precious Stones not such Ornaments as the Apostles were adorned with and approved of in the Saints such as Humility Meekness Quietness Sincerity Truth and such as the Gospel approves of but such Ornaments as might make her of equal Splendour with the Princes of the World if not above them Doth not the Hierarchy of Rome answer this magnificence And then she is described by her Cup in her hand which contains the filthiness of her Fornication This demonstrates that her Fornication is Spiritual being contained in a Cup carried in the hand and that is the model of her Worship or composure of her Service which contains her spiritual Fornication and going a whoring after her own inventions This Cup is a very remarkable Character 1. It 's call'd a Cup because it contains her Fornication and also because out of it she pours forth the Wine of her Fornication to the inhabiters of the Earth wherewith she makes them drunk It contains their Inventions after which they go a whoring 2. This Cup is a Golden Cup. It 's golden to outward appearance Their Outward appearances of Worship are not only glorious to the outward eye being performed with great Ceremony cost and splendour but also the minds and ears of carnal earthly spirits are dazed with the seraphical expressions and golden words used therein 3. This Cup is in her hand In whose hand In the great Whores hand This shews that they that hand this Cup to the People they are the great Whore. It 's in the Womans hand the great Whores hand It 's framed already and beautified with all the art they can and carried in the hand It 's already formed to be put into the hand of every Servitor that is devoted to their Innovations Their Worship is not carried in the heart and springing from the Spirit of God administred from his Gift to the comfort and edification of people as their Worship did in the Apostles daies but this is in the hand and any wicked person can administer it or hand it forth 4 It 's full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornication It 's full of Innovations and Inventions of men which are an abomination to God. And to go after them is to go a whoring from the Spirit of God as the Israelites did They went a Whoring after their own Inventions Psal 106.39 Next we come to the Inscription upon the Forehead of the great Whore vers 5. which Couples all these together viz. The great Whore The Mystery of Iniquity and Babylon the Great So that find one and you find them all The Inscription is this Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth This being writ upon the forehead of the great Whore shews that she is all this in her all this is found this being as her Crime writ upon her Forehead or a proper name extant to know her by Now if you can find out the Mystery of Iniquity by him that Heads it that sits in the Temple of God the Church exalted above all Magistrates then you have the great Whore also Or if you can find the great Whore by the Characters given of her then you have the Mystery of Iniquity and Babylon the Great for they are all co-incident being concatinated in one Chain as the inscription on the great Whores Forehead shews plainly As for the Words Mystery and Babylon the Great seeing I have spoken of them before I refer to that and so pass on to the next Character of the great Whore vers 6. And I saw the Woman drunken with the blood of Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Here 's a mark of a bloody die which the great Whore can never wipe off But the more she endeavours to blot it out by destroying those that see her guiltiness the deeper she sets it and the larger she makes it Here every one may see that the great Whore is a bloody Whore. She 's drunken with Blood which significantly expresses her great thirst after the blood of those she kills so that she swallows down their blood greedily without remorse and without all reason saving that they withstand her Innovations Where shall we find this bloody drunkenness so much as in the bloody raging Massacres Burnings and Cruelties which have been acted under the dominion and power of Rome and of those who have been infected with her innovations None like those And that which heightens this wickedness is that she is drunk with the Blood of Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of holy men innocent persons who are of a Righteous life and good conversation and truly fear the Lord. Who are also called Martyrs or witnesses of Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such as bear witness to Jesus acknowledging and owning him and his Doctrine and willing to lose their lives rather than to deny the truth delivered to us by him and his Servants Such as these she kills because they see her innovations and cannot stoop to them That 's greatly remarkable also that her bloody drunkenness is such as put John to admiration John lived in times of Persecution and saw cruelty enough no doubt being banished into the Isle of Patmos at that time But that was not it that put John to an astonishment as some would have it But it was
Christ Jesus came to put an end to They fell short of the Grace and Glory that was revealed and came by Jesus Christ altho they continue a People still So Babylon the House of Captivity shall fall Innovations or Inventions of men after which they have gone a Whoring and under which the Seed of God hath been held in great bondage these shall have thei◠〈…〉 the hearts of men they shall understandingly see them 〈…〉 hated of the Lord and to 〈…〉 to the Spirit of God 〈…〉 the Truth revealed by 〈…〉 and witnessed by 〈…〉 Aâ—â—stles and Prophe◠〈…〉 so they shall 〈◊〉 in the 〈…〉 being seen and fallen 〈…〉 they shall strongly be called out of them them by the Spirit of God. For observe after it is said Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen that Voice is uttered Come out of her my People For after the great fall of Babylon there shall yet be a Continuing in or upholding of her Innovations by some But Gods people are called out they that fear God and love his truth shall be called out and so the rest that remain in them shall be captivaâ—ed themselves thereby as a Bird in a Cage For those Inventions and Innovations of men shall become a Habitation of Devils and a hold of every foul Spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hatefull â—â—â—d and that after Babylons great 〈◊〉 Rev. 18.2 This fall of Baylon the Great that is the fall of mens Innovations shall be no small matter for it will carry along with it Plagues and Death and Famine and Mourning The Scarlet coloured Whore that hath been decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls anp lived deliciously and Reigned in great Pomp by by the Merchandize of her Innovations she shall have torment and sorrow and be pinched of her Deliciousness when men begin to see the cheat of her Merchandize and will buy it no more when they begin to see the Vanity and wickedness of her Innovations and will no more buy any of them then comes her Plagues and Torment and Sorrow and Famine and Mourning For what is it that hath upheld the Great Whore but the Merchandize of her Innovations And these things men shall come to see and Kings shall see And when they see it they shall hate the Whore and make her Desolate and Naked and shall Eat her Flesh and burn her with Fire Her Innovations are as her very Flesh and Blood which give her Comeliness and Vigour if you consume them you put her to torment and even eat her Flesh as it were and burn her with Fire and this even those Kings shall do who have given their power unto the Beast that carries her and whom she hath drawn in to commit Fornication with her Rev. 17.16 17. And blessed be God who hath put it into the hearts of some Rulers of the Earth to make void one great Innovation of the Mystery of Iniquity for the deliverance of Gods people that is to oppose that persecuting of one another for Conscience sake or worshipping God according to their Conscience This is a great step of Reformation and the King of Kings make them successfull therein and bless their good Endeavours and open their eyes yet further and the eyes of all that are honest hearted to see still further and further into the Mysteries of his Kingdom and to embrace them and also into the Mysteries of Iniquity to turn from them Oh! What rejoycing will there be in the Earth among all that fear God and love his truth when the Inventions and Innovations of men are cast out and the simplicity of the Gospel shall be free for all men to walk in When those Innovations of men that have caused so much bloodshed shall come to an end and like a great Milstone shall be cast into the Sea and be found no more then will follow the Marriage of the Bride the Lambs Wife and Alâ—eluâ—â— For the Lord God omnipotent signeth Rev. 19.6 7. A POST-SCRIPT to those that are Members or Vpholders of the Great Whore. THE Lord seeks not the Destruction of people but that they shou'd repent of the evil of their ways and be preserved and that 's the desire of him who hath writ these things Therefore his advice to them that find themselves included in humane Innovations is this to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and lay down what they find to be contrary to his Counsels left they suffer in upholding that which God will consume and destroy For tho single persons cannot reform the degenerated State of things yet they may reform themselves The Pope may reform himself a Cardinal may reform himself by withdrawing himself from that he sees evil and in humility of Spirit submitting himself to the Counsels of God and simplicity of the Gospel laying aside the Innovations of men The Lords pleasure is that man should rather be preserved than destroyed I wrold have healed Babylon saith he Then if she be not healed where lies the fault Is not her Destruction of her self Oh! that you could see the evils that are introduced into the profession of Christianity by the Wisdom of men and despise the World and the Glory thereof and exaltation in the Earth in comparison of an immortal Crown of Glory which fadeth not as Earthly glory doth How much better a purchase would you obtain than the earthly fading transitory momentany glory of this world And no man hath run himself so far from the Lord but that there may be a returning except he deny the Lord that bought him They that were the greatest Transgressors in the Churches of Asia were advised to repent and threatned if they did not which implies that the mercies of God were ready to receive them if they did repent O return return to the purity and simplicity of the Gospel as it was in the Primitive times of the Apostles and lay aside all these separating Inventions and Innovations of men which divide between Christians and Christians that we may come into Unity as at the first What! is Christ divided No certainly he is One and his Doctrine is One. It s the Device and Doctrines of men that diviâ—e O what Acclamatiâ—â—s of Jâ—w will there be among all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth when the separating Inventions and traditions of man are cast forth This is the great fall of Babylon over which the Saints and Servants of God shall sing Alelujah But the Spirit of God seems to speak prophetically of Babylon that she will not be healed saying of Babylon of old we would have healed Babylon but she is not healed And I think there is little ground to expect that so great a Society of men so strongly conjoyned in a Mystery of Innovations can make a publique Reformation of themselves together because it s most likely that the greater number of them will be for maintaining their earthly Interest and worldly Glory that they have in their Kingdom of Innovations therefore the Lord calls to particular persons to withdraw saying Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Rev. 18.4 For let her be as strong as she can yet she hath to deal with one that is stronger Strong is the Lord God who judgeth her so that she cannot avoid his Stroke Therefore let all that fear the Lord come out of her come out of the Inventions Innovations or Traditions of men into the simplicity and sincerity of truth where you shall find the Comfortable presence and power of the Lord going before you and as a Lamp enlightning your paths that you may follow him in safety and satisfaction to your Souls as he leads and goes before you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Books Printed and Sold by Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-street Folio ISaac Penington's works price 12. s. 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