coming of Christ did ever bear the name of the Lords Anointed so much as in the type but onely those that were Kings and had rule over Gods own peculiar people Abrahams seed which teacheth us thus much That none are now the Lords Anointed but he onely he that is Lord and King over the house of Israel Abrahams seed which in Christ the Lord that was borne King of the Jews Mat. 22. whom God hath Anointed himself not with oyle-olive sweetly perfumed but with the oyle of gladness above his fellows Heb. 1.9 even with the Holy Spirit of wisdome and understanding and of Counsel and might and of knowledge and the fear of the Lord See Act. 10.30 with Isa. 11.2 5. he is the Lords Anointed to whom God hath given a name above every name and him hath God highly exalted and set him at the right hand of his Majesty on high far above all Principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come Psa. 2.9 10 11. with Eph. 1.20 21 22. And to him hath God committed all power in Heaven and in Earth Mat. 28.10 to give commandments to the sons of men for whom he hath dyed Act. 3.22 23 24. and also to reward them that observe and do them with the things promised which is to partake of the same eternall life and glory with himself that the Father hath given him according to these Scriptures Psal. 103.17 18. Rom. 2.6 7. chap. 8.17.1 Pet. 1.3 4 Rev. 2.26.27 chap. 3.21 22 chap. 22.14 and to reward those that know him not and obey not his holy Gospel according to their works Rom. 2.8 9. To those that are contentious and obey not the truth but obey unrighteousness he will render indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil whether Jew or Gentile and will destroy them with an everlasting destruction from the presence of God and the glory of his power And this honour and glory he received from God the Father in the holy mount when Peter James John were eye-witnesses of his Majesty and that voyce they heard that came from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased 2 Pet. 1.16 17 18. This is the Lords Anointed who is the onely King of Kings and Lord of Lords by whom Kings raigne and Princes decree Justice even all the Judges of the earth Counsel is his and sound wisdome he is understanding and he hath strength Prov. 8.14 15 16. he loves them that love him and those that seek him early shall find him But those his enemies that will not that he should Reigne over them shall be brought and slaine before him Luke 19.27 And thus have I shown and clearly proved by the Scriptures that Christ is the Lords anointed King onely and alone and none of the Kings of the Nations can have any right to such a title any otherways then the Saints and all that fear God in generall have which is by partaking of the same anointing Spirit through believing as it is written The anointing that ye have received of him abideth in you and you need not that any man teach you but as that anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth 1 John 2.27 And againe he saith We have an unction from the holy One vers. 20. and he that stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God who hath also sealed us and given us the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1.21 22. and this anointing is as proper to a Begger as to a King if he be a believer and if a King be an unbeliever he hath no Right at all to it for there is no respect of persons with God but he hath chosen the poor in this world rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdome prepared for them that love him James 2.5 And he hath revealed his Truth to Babes and Sucklings and hid it from the wise and prudent Insomuch that Paul saith that none of the Princes of this world knew it For had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2.7 8. Therefore saith James 1.9 10. Let the Brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted but the Rich in that he is made low For God will raise them both up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.6 And he will make them partakers of his fulness and members of his Body of his flesh and of his Bones Chap. 5.30 Therefore let the Kings Princes and Rulers of the Nations be wise and learn to know what the Lord meaneth when he faith Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm For he that once reproved Kings for their sakes and slew great and Famous ones for them Psal. 105.14.15 with 136.17 18. is now about to reprove all the Kings upon the face of the Earth for their sakes as I shall now make it appear by shewing Gods dedesigne against them in these last days And first The designe of God and his purpose is in this last age of the world to staine the pride of all their Glory and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the Earth Isa. 23.9 and to pour contempt upon Princes and to cause them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way and to set the poor on high from affliction and to make him families like a flock Psa. 107.40 41. Again the purpose of the Lord is to sacrifice the flesh of Kings and mighty men and the Chiefe of the Earth and to give their flesh to be meat to the fowls of Heaven Rev. 19.17 18. with Ezek. 19.17 18. where he saith They shall eat the flesh of the mighty and dâ—ink the blood of the Princes of the earth Now if the Lord will do these things to the great and mighty Kings and Princes of the earth who then can give them honour and deliver them in the day of his wrath And that the Lord will do it consider further what is written Jer. 25.31 32. A noise shall come from the ends of the Earth for the Lord hath a controversie with the Nations he will plead with all flesh he will give them that are wicked to the sword Thus saith the Lord of hosts Behold evil shall go forth from Nation to Nation This the Lord will do untill he have stained the pride of all their glory viz. untill he have taken away their Kings wherein they glory and of whom they so much boast That this is so consider the fore-going words They shall eat the flesh of Kings and Princes and mighty men and chief Captaines and of all that stand up with them against the Lord And for further confirmation of these words consider what is written Ier. 25.15 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel to me Take the wine-cup of this fury
do not believe and obey the things written and commanded in the holy Scriptures for as Christ saith to the Sadduces They erre not knowing the Scriptures 4. I understand that the great difference amongst men lyeth in the practical part of Religion for the Devill and wicked men do not care how much truth men know and believe so they practise none for the greater is their condemnation But if any come to practise it by keeping the commandments of God by which doing they exercise a good conscience towards God and are blameless and righteous before him as Zacharias and Elizabeth were Luke 15. then presently persecution ariseth for Satan well knoweth that to believe and obey both will bring a man to happiness in dispite of him and therefore it is that the poor Saints are so much persecuted for practising nothing but what is written in the word of God and was practised before in the days of Christ and his Apostles But let men take heed how they offend those which earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints not in King Henries or Queen Elizabeths days onely but I mean all that was first preached and practised by the Lord and his holy Apostles even as it was delivered at first Therefore my prayer shall be for all those in Authority That they may learn to know that they are ordained of God to judge between man and man and not between God and man and to rule over mens bodies not souls But this I speak in the behalf of those which go not beyond the Scriptures and do not presume above what is written but if any deny them I have nothing to say for them they must answer for themselves when they are called to it Thus hoping that the Magistrates in generall will be as willing to protect all people fearing God and walking according to the rule of his word as they are willing to pray for and assist them in time of need I shall conclude this matter and proceed to the next particular viz. to shew what is the Saints duty and how they ought to behave themselves in these dangerous days and perilous times briefly in these words First let not our hearts be troubled at the wars and rumours of wars distresse of nations and perplexity that is now upon the face of the earth for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet Mat. 24.6 7 8. for these are the beginnings of sorrow and the days of vengeance in which all things must be fullfiled that are written in the Prophets Luke 21.22 Therefore the second thing we are to be exhorted unto is to take heed to our selves lest at any time our hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life and so we be taken unawares in that snare that shall come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth which do not take heed Therefore let us watch and pray always that we may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass on this side the grave and that we may have our part in the Resurrection of the Just and stand before the Son of man with great boldness Luke 21.34 35 36. for they which have their part in the first Resurrection are blessed and happy and shall shine forth as the Sun in the kingdome of their Father when our vile bodies shall be changed and made like the glorious body of the Lord as it is written Rev. 20.6 Mat. 13.43 with Phil. 3.21 But the wicked shall not be able to stand in the Judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the Righteous in that day when the Heavens shall depart or pass away with a great noise and the elements shal melt with servent heat the earth with the works therein shall be burnt up At which time the dead both great and small must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ to receive according to their deeds done in the flesh whether they be good or bad The consideration of which righteous judgement to come made Felix tremble although he was a judge therefore dear Christians and all that feare God and believe that all these things shall come to pass let us us as Peter saith 2 Pet. 3 10 11 12. consider what manner of persons we ought to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and making haste unto the coming of this great day of God for it 's the property of the wicked to put the evil day far from them but let us so much the more as we see the evil day approaching prepare to meet the Lord by putting off the work of darkness and putting on the armour of light walking honestly as the children of the day Laying aside all superfluity of naughtiness and receiving with meekness that ingrafted word of God which is able to save our souls And forasmuch as we know that godliness is great gaine having both the promise of this life and that which is to come let us put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness and let us be clothed with humility then shall we be fit and ready to meet the Lord at his coming and to look death in the face whensoever it shall approach Let us take heed of lying and deceit and let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying and building up each other in our most holy faith and let all bitterness and wrath and evil speaking filthiness foolish talking and jesting be put away from us and not once be named amongst us as becometh Saints for for these things sake cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience let us not therefore be partakers with them but see that we walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise children of the light redeeming our time because the days are evil And in a common calamity many times all things fall out alike to all and as dieth the wiseman so dyeth the fool and there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not and to him that sweareth as to him that feareth an oath so that no man knoweth either love or hatred by all the things that are before him in this present evil world Eccle. 9.1 2 3. But this we know through believing that our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from them and all the corruptions and pollutions that are therein through lust and by him is given unto us exceeding great and pretious promises that by them we might be made partakers of the divine nature Let us therefore give all diligence to add to our faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to that temperance and patience and godliness and brotherly kindness and love that we may be fruitfull in the knowledge
at mine hand and cause all the Nations to whom I send thee to drink it Consider what Nations ver. 18.19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. First Jerusalem and the Cities of Judah and the kings and Princes thereof to make them a desolution an astonishments and hissing and a curse as it is at this day We are sure this is true that they are a hissing and a curse at this day why then should the other be so incredible namely that he will destroy all the Kings of the Nations with their honorable Princes if they stand up against him and against his Anointed as followeth Pharoah King of Egypt and his Servants and his Princes and all his people and all the mingled people and all the Kings of the Land of Vz and all the Kings of the Land of the Philistines and Ashkolon and Azzah and Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod Edom and Moab and the children of Ammon and all the Kings of Tyrus and all the Kings of Zidon and the Kings of the isles beyond the sea Dedan and Tema and Buz and all that are in the utmost corners the Lord will find them out and all the Kings of Arabia and all the Kings of the mingled people that dwel in the desert and all the Kings of Zimri and all the Kings of Elam and all the Kings of the Medes and all the Kings of the north far and near one with another and all the Kingdoms of the world that are upon the face of the earth c. To all these was the Prophet sent to declare to them the words of the Lord of hosts the God of Israel namely that they should drink and be drunken and spue and fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among them The certainty of it doth further appear in the 28 29 verses where he saith If they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drinke then shalt thou say to them Thus saith the Lord of hosts Ye shall certainly drink for lo I begin to bring evil upon the City which is called by my name viz. Jerusalem and shall ye be utterly unpunished Ye shall not be unpunished for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth saith the Lord of hosts Thus is the designe of the Lord of hosts made plain by the Holy Scriptures of truth and not by any cunning devised fables or fancies of my own brain These sayings are faithfull and true therefore they will come to pass in their appointed times And that they are not yet come to pass is plaine to all that do understand for most of the Kings of the nations are yet in their pompe and glory and are enemies to the Lords Anointed therefore he will avenge himself upon them speedily for these be the days of vengence in which all things that are written in the Prophets against the enemies of Christ must be fulfilled Luke 21.22 And now in the earth is distress of nations and perplexity and mens hearts failing them for feare and for looking after the things that are coming on the earth For the signes of the coming of the Lord are now amongst us even here in England and the beginning of sorrows is in the nation the Lord hath now begun to make us drink of this bitter cup and it will be great mercy if we drink no deeper notwithstanding some murmur and complain it is because their eyes are not open to see God's designe now upon the face of the earth if they did they would see more cause to give thanks to the Lord for his mercies then to murmur against him for his favourable and gentle chastisements he hath not dealt so with every nation and if England escape thus it will be very strange to me and so I beleive it will be to all that rightly understand what God is now doing and his work which he will accomplish upon the face of the earth yet before the end for he hath not yet made a man more precious then fine gold even a man then the golding wedge of Ophir Isa. 13.11 12. neither hath he made the earth empty and laid it waste and scattered the inhabitants thereof Is 24.1 2 3. but when it shall thus be in the midest of the land among the peoples there shall be as the shaking of an olive-tree and as the gleaning of the grapes when the vintage is ended they shall lift up their voice and sing for the majesty of the Lord ver. 13.14 Therefore let the wicked and ungodly men that know not Christ and obey not his holy Gospel but are enemies and will not that he should reigne over them let them howl for sorrow of heart for their sorrows are begun and the day of the Lord is at hand and it shall come as a destuction from the Almighty then shall all their hands be faint and every mans heart shall melt and they shall be afraid pangs of sorrow shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman in travel they shall be amazed one at another and their face shall be as flames Isa. 13.6 7 8. But let those that feare the Lord and keep his commandements rejoyce and lift up their heads for the day of their Redemption draweth nigh For it shall come to pass even in those days that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Luk. 21.28 Act. 2.21 The next thing in order to be observed is wherefore God will destroy them Answ. Because in all ages they have been his enemies and the persecuters of him and his Saints Those they were that in the time of the Law being deluded and blinded by the false prophets did persecute and kill the prophets of the Lord as in Ahabs days Zedekiahs days and Jehoiakims days Ier. 26.29 chap. 37.12 13 14 15. with 1 King 9.9 10. and chap. 24.25 26 27. They also were the men in Christs days which by wicked hands brought him to his end as it is written Act. 4.26 The Kings of the earth stood up and the Rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ for of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anoninted both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel are gathered together c. This is the generation the Lord speaks of Mat. 23. calling of of them Serpents and generation of vipers saying to them How can you escape the damnation of hell because they had slain the Prophets and righteous men that lived in their days and in the days of their forefathers This is that wicked spirit of persecution which all along from Cain to the end of the world hath reigned and will reigne in the hearts of all ungodly men and women to persecute and kill the Saints Therefore saith Paul Gal. 4.29 As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now and Christ