to this is the meaning of the name of the Beast which the holy Ghost setteth down in a mysterie in the 17 Chapter and 5 verse Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots the abominations of the earth But the Papists call it not Babylon the Great but the great universall or Catholike Church not the Mother of Harlots but the Mother of all true Beleevers not the Mother of all abominations of the earth but the Pillar and ground of Truth that cannot erre This is the difference betwixt the name which God giveth them and which they take and attribute unto themselves But let them speak the best of themselves and let us consider and answer them in their own language they call themselves the Catholike Church and their professed vassals and subjects are therefore called Catholikes and whatsoever they be that do either preach or professe the Catholike faith that is beleeve as this Catholike Church beleeveth that it is Mother of all true Beleevers that it cannot erre c. they are Catholikes such persons wheresoever they live if they thus believe although they never received the marke of the Beast nor can receive it yet this profession is enough to intitle them in the right of buying or selling these foresaid wares such persons have the name of the Beast and therefore they may buy pardons of the forgivenesse of part or all their sins and use any of these things which they suppose necessary for their souls health but indeed destruction yea after their death they may for a summe of money given to the foresaid Merchants by their charitable Successours be released out of Purgatory thus by their own discription we have found out the name of the Beast and who they are that have received it The third condition is the number of his name as the Beast had one generall name which is the Catholike Church whereby he was known from all other States and Kingdoms in the world so it hath a number of names belonging to the particular parts and members thereof to distingnish one from another as in the 17. Chapter and third verse The Beast was full of names of blasphemy As the true Church which is that body whereof Christ Iesus onely is the Head is compleat and furnished when it is coupled and knit together by every joynt and member which Christ Iesus hath given for the furniture thereof namely Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastours and Teachers So this false Church being furnished with those parts and members which that great red Dragon hath invented and set up under the title of Ministers of Christ to work upon the children of disobedience namely the Pope Patriarches Cardinals Arch-bishops Bishops Deanes Arch-deacons Abots Priors Prebends Canons Chancellers Commissioners Registers Doctours with the rest of the selected Synod or Counsell so I say this Church or Beast being furnished with these members are the full number of his name that is they are the number of whom the Catholike Church consisteth and from them all inferiour power and offices of Ministry as Monks Friers Parsons Vicars Curats and Jesuits are derived This I understand to be the number of his name and this exposition agreeth with that in the verse following where it is said let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast what can be understood but the Number of the particular parts whereof he consisteth And where it is said For it is the number of a man What can be understood but that it beareth the resemblance and likenesse of a man as followeth to be declared Thus we see who may buy and sell in this Kingdom and who may not Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a man and his number is 666. Here is shewed first what is required in searching out this mystery and that is wisdom and understanding not such as is from beneath but from above which commeth down from the Father of lights from whom commeth every good and perfect gift he it is that giveth wisdome to the simple and the understanding of his secrets to those that feare him which should teach those that desire to know the Mysteries of his will to labour to be such as to whom he hath promised to reveale them then whatsoever we aske we shall receive of him for to such he giveth liberally and upbraideth not Secondly here is shewed a direction how to imploy a mans wisdom in finding out this Mysterie and that is by counting or reckoning the number of this Beast Thirdly a reason why the number of the Beast is to be counted Because it is the number of a man that is it agreeth with and is answerable to the parts of a man and so is the more easily to be found for as we know the true Church of Christ is compared in the Scriptures to the naturall body of a man as in 1 Cor. 12.12 For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ Jesus And in the 27. verse the Apostle speaking of the Church of Corinth he saith Yee are the body of Christ and members in particular c. So in the Ephes 1.22 23. Christ is given to be Head over all things to the Church which is his Body Thus as the true Church is called and compared to a body so the Catholikes affirme that they onely are that Church and that Body and that the particular parts and members of their Church are the full number thereof Now whereas they say they are the Church let us say they are the Beast And whereas they say their particular parts and members make up the number of the Church let us say their particular parts members make up the number of the Beast and so we finde the true interpretation of this Scripture Further here is set down the number of the Beast which is 666. By this number I do not understand any set number and that the parts and members of the Beast are no more nor lesse but thereby I understand is meant a full and compleat number as before was shewed As all the parts and members of a man joyned together make a whole perfect man so do the particular parts and members of the Beast make a perfect and entire Beast Thus briefly according to the ability which God hath given me I have gone over this Chapter wherein is briefly set forth the workers of iniquity which have done and yet still do prevaile over Gods people under the title of Ministers of the Gospell and Church of Christ as they were represented under the forme of three severall Beasts The first Beast representing the Generall Counsels or as the Papists call it the Catholike Church The second Beast representing the POPE And the third Beast the PROVINCIAL COUNCELS which were established by the Pope The which three Beasts bearing rule and Dominion in these times whereinto
a visible God not onely to behold with their eyes and look upon but also to eate and that their Maker and Redeemer to their everlasting salvation And being so effectually deluded as that they beleeved these lies hereupon they wondred and followed the Beast Well might they wonder to see bread and taste bread where was no bread and to see wine and taste wine where was no wine for so were they made to believe and to eate flesh and drink bloud and yet neither to see nor take flesh nor bloud this was a wonder to wonder at and who would not follow him for a guide that had power to worke such wonders But they did not onely follow the Beast as the Iews did Christ when they saw his miracles But they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast and they worshipped the Beast saying who is like unto the Beast Who is able to make warre with him To worship is to heare and obey and by worshipping the Dragon was shewed that they wholly addicted themselves to be directed and ruled by the Beast whom the Dragon used as his instrument to work his will and to whom he had given authority and power to that end thus originally they worshiped the Divell Secondly they worshipped the Beast as being the instrument of the Divell and they became subjects in all things obedient unto the Beast as being of such holinesse and truth as that it could not erre nor deceive others and of such power as what they loosed on earth was loosed in heaven and what they bound in earth was bound in heaven and therefore such a power as had no match or peere so that they boasted and said of it Who is like unto the Beast As David considering the power and wonderfull workes of God saith Who is like unto the Lord So do the Nations boast of this Beast saying Who is like unto the Beast And further they said of him Who is able to make warre with him As if they should say This our holy Mother hath power to excommunicate and deliver to Satan all of what estate condition degree soever they be that will not heare her voice beare her yoke and be ruled by her Who therefore is able to make war with her that is make his party good against this our holy Mother Of such admiration was this Beast in the earth thus hath the world thought and spoken of her And moreover there was given unto this Beast a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given him to make 42 moneths As the mouth is the means and instrument whereby men do declare their mindes so this Beast had a mouth to declare and utter her minde by which mouth was signified a ministery of false prophets and lying spirits namely Doctours School-men Monkes Fryers and all sorts of their Preachers who teach for doctrines the commandements of the Beast and declare and utter the minde and will of the Beast as being equall to Gods Word this their Canons Laws Books and Monuments do manifestly witnesse The effect of that which this mouth uttereth is noted to be great things and blasphemies They boast of this Beast that she is the holy Catholike Church Militant the Mother of all rrue beleevers the chaste Spouse of Christ the Pillar and ground of Truth that it cannot erre c. And that all which will have God to be their Father must have her to be their Mother Finally that out of her lap and communion there is no salvation These and many other such great things speaketh the mouth of this Beast which are indeed great things and being so spoken are great blasphemies For is it not great blasphemie to call that Holy which is most abominable To call her the Mother of all true Beleevers which is the mother of fornications and of all abominations To call that the Pillar and ground of Truth which hath corrupted the earth with her errours and fornications and caused all Nations to drink of the wine of the wrath thereof To say there is no salvation but in her fellowship whose end and judgement is to go to destruction Beware of false Prophets and teachers of lies for such are the mouth of this Beast And it is further to be minded that it is said of this Beast that the mouth which she had was given her for had this Beast no more to maintaine this mouth then she hath of her own by discent and heritage she could not have so many to speak for her as she hath But Emperous and Kings Princes and Nobles and other great sinners became benefactours to this Beast giving unto her Lands and Tenements Rents and Revenews to maintaine this mouth to utter great things and blasphemies and more then this Power was given him to act or make two and forty moneths For the better understanding of this point let this be considered In the Antichristian kingdom they have a rule how to proceed in every cause but not given them of God but of their own making which they commonly call the Canon Law concerning which Law here we may learne by whom it was made and how long it was in making These Makets usurp the name of the Church of Christ but the true Church is the Kingdom of Christ and being the Kingdom of Christ it hath him onely for Law-giver they therefore which under the title of the Church presume to make laws are fitly and worthily resembled by a beast for what is more vnreasonable then for those whose greatest dignity glory and happines consisteth in hearing obeying and administring of gods word to fall from this and Lucifer-like to exalt and oppose themselves against their Maker as though they were wiser and iuster then God and to adde unto his Testament Which is suficient to instruct us in all Wisdom and to make the man of God perfect in every good worke and to take from the same Testament at their pleasure which is not lawfull to do to any mans Testament without great offence and iniustice as the Apostle sheweth Ga. 3.15 yet thit is the way wherein those great doers the authors of the Canon Law haue walked It is said of those Actors that Power was given them c. Where first we may observ that of themselves they had not this power for then it could not haue beene said to be given them but given them it was it is therefore to be considered Who was the giver Not Christ he gave his disciples no power to make Laws but gave them charge to teath belivers to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them it is certain therefore that this power was given them not by God but by men namely by Kings and Princes for the states and degrees of men considered it is plaine that none can give power to make Lawes but such as be Soveraignes by such therefore this power to make Lawes was given unto this Beast But what should move Soveraignes to give power to Bishops
and 50 Canons And for refusing to worship them in these things many are put back and those that formerly have been ordained for refusing so to do which they call revolting have had their penall Laws executed upon them which is Suspension Degradation and Excommunication and after these many other afflictions in body goods and name being accounted factious and seditious persons that have no right to buy or sell their Wares Concerning the people whereof the Church of England consisteth it is necessary that we finde them such as the Scriptures do require otherwise they canâ—â—â— be accounted the Church of Christ and to this end observe these few places following Ezeck 44.19 Thus saith the Lord no stranger uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into any Sanctuary And the people of Israel for suffering such uncircumcised strangers to enter into the Sanctuary of the Lord hee calleth them a rebellious people that had poluted his Sanctuary and broken his Covenant And in the 23 verse The Lord teacheth his Ministers to put difference betweene the holy and prophane the cleane and uncleane And according to this was the practise of the Apostles in the Primitive Age who by preaching the Word gathered none but such as beleeved and voluntarily submitted themselves to walke according to the profession of the Gospell and if any did cunningly creep into the fellowship of the Saints and not walke accordingly they were to be cast out by the Church as in the 1 Cor. 5. Likewise the Apostle Paul he separated the Disciples of Ephesus from those that beleeved not so the Apostle taught the Corinthians 1 Cor. 6.14 15 c. Be not unequally yoked together with unbeleevers for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse And what communion hath light with darknesse And what concord hath Christ with Belial Or what part hath he that beleeveth with an Infidell And what agreement hath ehe Temple of God with Idols For ye are the Temple of the Living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walke in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Wherefore come out from amongst them and be ye separate faith the Lord and touch not the uncleane thing and I will receive you Now if we compare the Church of England with these Scriptures we shall finde that the practise and proceedings thereof hath been and is contrary The people thereof for the most part are such as visibly and apparantly live in all kinde of licentiousnesse and in their workes deny God being abominable and disobedient For these Lordly Prelates being armed with the Sword of Civill authority and having the Law of their side they have not laboured by painefull preaching to draw men to the obedience of the faith and to the fellowship of the Gospell apart from the prophane and wicked that speak evill of the waies of the Lord but they have compelled and inforced all sorts of people both religious and prophane not onely such as feare God but also such as feare him not by bodily punishments to be conformable to the profession which is by their Canon Law established in this Church As if the Word of God that Sword of the Spirit were not mighty enough in operation for the gathering together of the Saints That this is their practise is plain by the 90. and 114. Canons where it is said that Ministers and Church-wardens must present all persons above the age of thriteen years that come not to the Church and receive the Sacraments after which presentation if they doe not conforme they shall bee excommunicated imprisoned and have their goods attached This is the means which hath been used for the gathering of this Church of England whereby they have confounded and mingled them together whom God hath commanded to be separated wherein what do they lesse then think themselves wiser and stronger then God The Word of God is the seed whereby the Church of God is begotten and those that are begotten by any other means are bastards and not Sonnes for as that Woman is an Harlot which hath Children by any but her lawfull Husband so that Church whose members are gathered by any other way or means then by the Word of Goâ— perswading and moving their hearts the same is not the Church of Christ But this hath been the manner of gathering the Church of England and therefore it is unworthy to be adorned with the title of the Church but ought to be accounted the Image of the first Beast before spoken of that is of Great Babylon which is an habitation of Divels an hold of foule Spirits and a Cage of every unclean and hatefull Bird. And for confirmation hereof by the testimony of their own mouthes let us but consider the estimation which the members of this Church have one of another Some there are amongst them who for making more conscience of their waies then the rest are in dirision called Puritans or Precisians these on the contrary seeing the ungodly conversation of the rest of their brethren esteeme them as wicked prophane carnall and unregenerate men such as for the most part are mockers contemners and evill speakers of the truth and in whom is no appearance of Religion and the feare of God and therefore they distinguish the better sort from these prophane persons by the name of Professours This is the estimation which they have one of another which is a manifest note that they are not come into the order of the Church of Christ I deny not but there are many amongst them that are the Saints and Servants of Christ that are godly and zealous people which so far as they know they labour to yeeld obedience to the Commandements of Christ and although by meanes of their Guides which make them to erre and go astray keeping them in ignorance of this doctrine yet it shall go well with them Such persons I say as fitt stones for the building of the Church of Christ but so long as they remaine in this confusion they can no more be said to be the true visible Church of Christ then a heap of stones fitted for a building can be said to be a House therefore they must be separated from the wicked and placed together according to the order prescribed by Christ Jesus and practised by his Apostles as in the New Testament before they can be so esteemed As these Prelates will have this Church of England to be accounted the true Church of Christ so they will have the true Church of Christ to be accounted false schismaticall and hereticall as in the 9. 10. and 11. Canons by which it doth appear that if any people separate from this corrupt Church state and joyne together apart from the wicked and prophane to walke in all the waies and ordinances of Christ prescribed in his Testament acknowledging Christ Iesus to be the onely King Lord and Law-giver in matters of Religion and the worship of God which