is fulfilled in the Romish profession so are al these thinges done by theÌ„ And moreover to these the prophesie Revel 17. of the woman and the Beast and the Ten Kings that give their power and authoritie to the Beast these feight with the Lambe Can you say that anie of theâ—e are beleevers and Christians that feight against the lambe No the Spirit off God testifieth in this place that they which are called and chosen faithful are on the lambes side They then that feight against the lambe are those that are not called nor chosen nor faithfull therefore must they needs bee infidels aÌ„d vnbelevers Al these prophesies being confessed of you to be already accomplish by and vnder that Romish profession how shal you of the church of England and the Presbitarie bee able to say that they of the church of Rome are beleevers and Christians and if they bee not beleevers and Christians then are they infidels and vnbeleevers and so is your baptisme and ministâ—rie off England and the Baptisme off the Presbitarie and al the ordinances that you have received from Rome to be cast away as the markes of the Beast and most abhomâ—nable to the Lord. But it shal not bee a misse seeing there ariseth so iust an occasion to shewe the Lord directing vs the ground and roote of all this evill and sinne against the maiestie and holines of God against all which you off England and the Presbitarie sinne in accounting Rome and all them of that profession Christians although all these abhominations which wee have shewed in al these prophesies and might be shewed in manie moe bee committed and to this day maintained by them to the highest dishonor of God in exalting the man of sinne to sit as God in the Temple of God and to the vtter polluting of al the holie ordinances of God in abolishing the witnesse of the Lord his word and Spirit and killing the Saincts feighting against the Lambe makeing all the Nations of the earth to worship the Beast and to drincke of the wine of hir fornications that sits vpon many waters notwithstanding al this these you account Christians vpon this ground and from this roote because when they are infants they are washed with water in the name off the Father ere and you approve that they are Baptized when they are infants because they are the seed of Christians and of the faithful What words might we take to our selves to make your madnes and the madnes of al the world herein to appeare who pretend that al the seed of Christians and of the faithful are to bee Baptized onely aÌ„d vnder this preteÌ„ce baptize aÌ„d approve of the baptizing of the seed of al the wicked and vngodly in these parts of the World yea those that have beene wicked to the third and fowrth generation and to the tenth generation enimies of God and bloody persecutors of his truth destroying the faith of Iesus and advanceing the man of sinne The seed of all these are baptized and by reason of this Baptisme they are all held and accounted Christians by you although they walke in the stepps off their fore-Fathers Is there anie knowledg of God in these thinges Or do men thinke that now vnder the Gospel they may doe and approve off what they wil will men neither walke by the Law of God nor by the law they propound vnto themselves Do you set downe a Law to your selves that the infants off the faithfull are to bee Baptized and do you approve off the Baptizing of the infants of the enimies of God that feight against the lambe and the infants of some also that have not so much faith as the Devils who beleeve and tremble In the word of vnspeakable wisedome hath the holy Ghost said that the Nations shall bee drunck with the Wine of hir Fornications Who may not see this Prophesie fullfilled For if men were not druncke so as they can neither see their way nor tell what they say they would not walke thus and speake thus like druncken men The Church of England and the Presbitarie doe allowe of the Baptizing of al the Infants of Rome whose Pope aÌ„d Cardinals aÌ„d al their whole ministery that administer the baptisme and the parents of the infants that are baptized and those infants being alreadie come to be men of yeres would destroy their Kings and Princes and Countries and al them for professing Christ as they do are these the seed of the faithful and is this to baptize and allowe of the baptisme of the seed of the faithful Wey wiâ—h your selves what truth their is in this And the Brownists they approve of the baptisme and baptizing of theÌ„ whose parents persecute their owne children for walking in their way are these the seed of the faithful What blindnes and invprightnes is this to professe a ground and walke by no ground You must agree iff you can among your selves aÌ„d make a new law this you se wil not serve your turne for if you allowe none to bee baptized but the seed of the faithful you wil not have whole Countries and Nations all Christians as you have It is apparant therefore whatsoever you say that you hold that al infants whether their parents bee faithful or vnbeleevers shal be baptized your rule then is that both the seed of the faithful and vnfaithful shal bee Baptized and that is your practice what warrant caÌ„ be found for this or it is no matter whether there be warrant or no You alledge circumcisioÌ„ for your ground that because infaÌ„ts were circumcised therefore infants must be Baptized but yet you cannot find that the infants off anie people were to bee circumcised and if anie were circumcised but those that God commaunded he Lord nor his faithful servants never approved off it And wil you now approve of anie Baptisme and make it good aÌ„d yet make circumcision your example The Lord perswade your harts and the harts of all men to begin while it is day to examine the grouâ—d of your pâ—actice herein that you may stand before the Lord in the last day and through Christ be able to approve that you have walked by the strict rule off Gods word and not by the vaine inventions of men which God hates and let al Gods people hate but his law let them love which is a perfit Law and converteth the soule and it is pure and giveth light to the eies Psal 19. But by this your practice it is made a most inperfect law when you say that the infants of the faithful are to bee Baptized onelie and when you have laid that downe for your law you both Baptize and approve for good the Baptisme off the infants of he vnfaithful and vnbeleevers and enimies off God and his truth this is neither perfect nor pure law therefore it is not the law of God You ther that wait for salvation by Christ Iesus may not walke by that imperfect and impure lawe but must seeke
weeke which are three daies and a half Iohn saith Revela 11. The two witnesses the Word and Spirit off Truth lye killed in the streets three daies and a half And Reve. 12. The Woman which is the Kingdome of Christ the heavenly Ierusalem the mother of al the faithful Gal. 4. fleies into the wildernes for a time times and half a time which may with good warraÌ„t according to these prophesies be expounded to a day two daies aÌ„d a half Thus then we coÌ„clude The true sacrifices and oblations of the people of God The word and spirit And the Heavenly Ierusalem the spowse of Christ Ceasing speing dead in the streetes and being fleed into the wildernes it must needes followe that there was an vtter desolation off all the holy thinges and of all the meanes of salvation For further confirmation of this see the wordes of Thapostle 2. Thes 2.3 speaking of the last day where he saith That day shal not come except there come a departing first It were much weaknes in anie to thinke that this is not spoken of a general departing in that there were manie particuler departings in Thappostle times But here he speakes of a departing from the truth and an exalting of an adversarie the man of sinne to sit in the Temple of God as God shewing himselfe that he is God whome the Lord shal consume with the spirit of his mouth abolish with the brightnes of his cominge These wordes shewe to the vnderstanding of the most simple that there is an vtter departing in that there must bee a comeing againe for the abolishing of this wicked man And here may bee discovered by the way the damnable heresie of those men which are twice dead and plucked vp by the rootes and those are they which are fallen from grace which were once dead and have beene quickned by the word and Spirit of God aÌ„d are dead againe which now hold aÌ„d say that the man of sinne sitts and rules in the Church off Christ In this place it is shewed that the spirit of the Lords mouth consumes the man of sinne and the brightnes of Christs coming abolisheth him Now wee confesse if there can bee a Church of Christ where the spirit of the Lords mouth is not and where his brightnes shineth not in such a church the maÌ„ of sinn may sit and rule as God and these men are onely fitt subjects for such a Kingdome but let the children off God learne to knowe and professe that in the Church of Christ there is the spirit of the Lords moueth and his shininge brightnes which consumes and vtterly abolisheth the man of sinne and therefore they cannot both cule in one house Now for the bare words about which they contend thus much wee say not to them but to such as may bee in danger to be seduced by theÌ„ These are the words Thappostle speaking of the man of sinne who exalteth himselfe against al that is called God or that is worshipped saith thus So that he doth sitt as God in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God Now as it is said he sits as God shewing himselfe that he is God even so doth he sitt as in the Temple of God shewing it to be the Temple of God This exposition is agreable to the ground of the scriptures and according to the proportion of faith for the scriptures teach vs every where and wee beleeve that Christ is the head of his Church And he walkes in the midst of the seaveÌ„ goldeÌ„ câ—ndlestickes he sits in his church being God aÌ„d the maÌ„ of sinne caÌ„not sit with God as God in the teÌ„ple of God Therefore we say vnto these meÌ„ as our saviour Christ said vnto Sathan hence from vs. It is written 2. Cor. 9.15.16 What concord hath Christ with Belial And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols etc. and 1. Cor. 10.21 Ye cannot drinck the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Devils yee cannot bee pertakers of the table of the Lord and the tâ—ble of Devils But seeing these men can find no better a pretence to followe and to helpe to heale the deadly wound of the head of the Beast then by pretâ—ding that they have found him sitting in the Temple off God they looking with the same eie may find also in the same place that he sheweth himselfe that he is God and if they wil abide by the letter of the Scripture herein likewise then have they found a new temple and a new God most fitting for them because that their Temple and God and they shall all perish together wee meane those onely that have bene enlightned with this truth that Christ and the man of sinne cannot rule and reigne or dwel together in one house aÌ„d now have they found as they most blasphemouâ—â—y affirme Christ and the man of sinne exalted both in one Temple In al this we have not digressed from the matter in haÌ„d in that we have shewed that by the departing the man of sinne was exalted aÌ„d therefore the departing was general and the maÌ„ of sinne his exaltation general as doth further appeare by the words of Daniel 9.27 where he saith speaking of the sacrifices for the overspreading of the abhominations he shall make it desolate Answerable to this prophesie is that prophesie in the booke of the Revel 13.7 where it is writteÌ„ it was giveÌ„ vnto him speaking of the Beast that had 7. heades and 10. hornes to make warr with the Saâ—cts to overcome them power was given him over every kindred tongue nation Who can deny but this is general eveÌ„ a general desolatioÌ„ wheÌ„ the Sainctes are overcome And wheÌ„ al that dwel vpoÌ„ the earth as followeth vers 8. Shal worship the Beast All our perticuler knowledg of the fulfilling of this prophesie wil make it more evideÌ„t And who doth not knowe and see that this prophesie is fulfilled in that Romish misterie of iniquitie who yet sits vpon manie waters with whome have comitted fornication the Kinges of the Earth the inhabitants of the earth are dranken with the Wine of hir fornication Revel 17.2 Wee doubt not but manie will agree with vs in this vnderstanding and wee that wish vnfainedly the salvation of al and that they would come to the knowledg of the truth do earnestly desire that those that are over-whelmed in this misterie of iniquitie and vnder the power of this deceaveablenes of vnrighteousnes would but consider which way it can bee avoided but that this prophesie is fulfilled in that great exaltatioÌ„ of the man of sinne in that Romish profession and if they would come out to the Scriptures and perticulerly vnto this booke of the Revel they should be forced either to deny the prophesies of this booke to bee true or els they must needes yeild that they are fullfilled in that their profession for how shal they bee able to point our vpon the face of the whole earth
lord Bs. say this is not to be vnderstood generally of every sinne against God but perticulerly of some and herein must wee be subiect to the spirit of their vnderstanding and that rule of Christ must be made no sure nor perfect rule Next let vs shew the K. that if there be such a sin comitted as the Bs. do iugd to be a sin according to their rule which let the K. give his servants leave to suppose to be adultery that it proceeds or comes to this degree that it must be told vnto the Church which wee vnderstand to be the whole congregatioÌ„ moe or lesse The lord Bs. by their spirit of vnderstanding say tell the Church That is to be vnderstood tell the Ordinary which is either the Bishops chaÌ„cellor or the Archdeacons Officiall they are they that have power to bind in earth it shal be bound in heaveÌ„ their fees being paid theÌ„ they have power to loose on earth it shal be loosed in heaven Oh that the Ks. eare would but heare half the depth of this iniquity the Ks. servants knowe the Ks. hart would never endure it that his peoples consciences should be thus wounded and their soules destroyed by being coÌ„pelled to submitt to such spirits of vnderstanding Furthermore let our lord the King knowe that whereas the Holy ghost testifieth Act. 14.23 saieing that they had ordeyned Elders by Election in every Church and praied and fasted this wee vnderstand was the whole Congregations fasting and praying and Election and that the Church hath power to appoint some to ordeyne or lay on hands if there be no Elders as they did Act. 13.2.3 but all this say the Lord B. by the spirit of our vnderstandings doth belong vnto vs and the Patron and the people have nothinge to do but must be content to have such a Pastor as wee appoint though they never heard him knewe him nor saw him and although the congregation after ward should like neuer so well of him yet the Lord Bishops they have power to take him away from them to deprive him and silence him punish them if they heare him although he be never so well approved amongst them Thus must the Kings peoples be compelled to vnderstand the scriptures for the advancement of their power of Ordination and deprivation And whereas wee the Kings servants vnderstand according to the best vnderstanding that God hath given vs that Th-appostle Paul giving a rule of direction for the people of God how to worship God when they come together 1. Cor. 14.26.33 That every one as he hath a Psalme or a doctrine or a tongue may speake to edification and if anie thinge be revealed to another that sitteth by the first is to hold his peace for all that have gifts may prophesie one by one and in all this God is noe the God of confusion but of Order Thus do we hold the disciples of Christ ought to come together to worship God and edifie one another in the libertie of the spirit according to the gifts and graces that are given to every one Rom. 12.6 And that every man as he hath received the gift may administer the same one to another 1. Pet. 4.10 The lord Bs. vtterly deny the substance of all this vnderstanding and their spirit of vnderstanding directs that when the Congregation is come together the Preist or Curate that is licensed by them onely must performe the worship and must beginne their worship with their booke strictly tying them to such sentences and then to that which is written after then a Confession then an absolution with virsickles and answeres and Psalmes and lessons and Te Deum and the Latany 3. daies a weeke and at other times when the Ordinary shal comaund Thus may our lord the King see how his peoples spirits are in bondage to the lord Bs. spirit in the vnderstanding of the scriptures and they must of force against their consciences vnderstand them as they comaund or els go to prison And our lord the King may also see that whereas neither Christ nor his Appostles ever commaunded or practiced anie set forme of worship whose spirit had bene most fitt to have ordeyned such an order yet the Lord Bs. in the perfect jmage of the first Beast have composed a proportion and framed an order of praiers and readings for the worship of God comaunding absolutely the observation thereof forceing the spirits of the Kings people to be subiect to ther limitations herein and so deliuer Gods people their bread by waight and their water by measaure not suffering the hungry to be satisfied with the bread of life nor the thirsty to be quenched froÌ„ the rivers of waters but forceing the vnwilling to drincke stolne waters out of their Cesexons and eat hidden bread out of their store-houses but the simple that eat and drinke thereof knowe not that the dead are there that their ghests are in the depthes of hell Pro. 9.17.18 Let not our lord the K. be despleased seeing his servants speake but the words of sobriety and if the K. shall thinke wee misapâ—y theÌ„ that is the thinge which wee so humbly earnestly beseech the K. may come to tryall by the Ks. free consent and that the Kings hand of power may not be against the iust and due tryall thereof Now when wee the Kings servants do sue for a tryall wee disire our lord the King not to conceive that his servants meane a day of dispute and so to handle the cause of the lord as men that contend for prizes who submitt their cause to private censure for that it is private and concernes but themselves but our humble and most equall sute to our lord the K. is that seeing this Hyrarchy of Arch. Bs. lord Bs. do challenge such power prerogative over our consciences that all who cannot of consciente yeild it vnto theÌ„ may walke according to their consciences and publish their defence against them that these that beare the names of spirituall lords may by spirituall power onely convince their gain-sayers and not pretend to be spirituall Bishops and vse onely the Kings temporall sword to rule and convince men with And that our lord the King would suffer vs his servants to demaund of them that take vpon them to be lord Bs. of whome they have learned to rule by such power and who hath taught them to put the contrary mynded in prison how they wil be able to answere him that will bring the greatest of them to answere who taught all his disciples to 〈◊〉 not the contrary mynded with meeknes proveing if at anie time God will give them repentance and hath taught them to be gentle suffering the evill 2. Tim. 2.24.25 And let our lord the King give vs his servants leave to ask these Lord Bs. whether they thinke that God hath forgotten this his comaundement or that he wil quite forget to put it in their accompt because
be found fulfilled vpon the whole earth First the prophesie off Christ Mat 24. Off the Abhomination of desolation set in the holie place is not to bee seene the days of such great tribulation as was not from the begining of the world in which daies no flesh shal bee saved except they should bee shortned al flesh should bee condemned these daies are not yet heard of And the Prophesie off Daniel the Prophet 9.27 and 12.11 Who prophesied that the Sacrifices and the oblations shal cease and the daylie sacrifices shal bee taken away this Prophisie cannot yet bee come to passe if Rome bee beleevers in Christ and that their sacrifices and oblations bee the true sacrifices and oblations for Romes sacrifices ād oblations have never ceased and the Prophisie of thapostle 2. Thes 2. Who Prophesieth that there shal come a departing this prophesy is in no part fulfilled if Rome bee beleevers except it be fullfilled in them that have departed from Rome and then the Church off England and all the Presbitarie had need to looke to it who first departed But iff Rome and England and the Presbitarie and the Brownists bee al beleevers and of the faith of Iesus then hath there bene yet no departing from the faith but a great increasing far beyond the primitive times in that the scriptures no where shewe of whole Nations Kingdomes and Countries to bee of the faith off Iesus as now there is yea a great whole part of the world the like was never heard off nor Prophesied of iff all you bee beleevers as you either are all beleevers or al infidels for you are al of one faith ād baptisme But iff you bee beleevers there is no departing yet heard off neither is the man off sinne yet disclosed or reveiled nor exalted nor sits or hath sitten as God in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God there is no such prophesie yet come to passe And iff Rome bee al beleevers in Christ that prophesie Revel 11. Where it is prophesied that the people and kindreds and tongues and Gentils shall see the Corpes of the two witnesses of the Lord killed and lye in the streets of the great Citie which spiritually is called Sodome Egypt and that the inhabitants of the earth shal reioyce over them this prophesie cannot yet bee accomplished nor begun And if Rome bee beleevers then that prophesie of the first beast to whome is given a mouth to speake great thinges and blasphemies and to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and to whome power is given over every kindred and tongue and Nation so that all that dwell vpon the earth shal worship him And that Prophesie of the where that sits vpon many waters with whome have comitted fornication the Kings of the earth all the inhabitants of the earth are made drunck with the wyne of hir fornication All these prophesies ād manie moe cannot in anie measure bee fulfilled or begun iff the Church of Rome be beleevers and of the faith off Iesus And if these prophesies be not fulfilled nor begun then hath the misterie of iniquitie that began to worke in Thapostles daies to the exaltacion of the man off sinne givē ever working which were contrarie to the prophesie of Scripture and that may not bee Let Rome therefore and al that profession see and consider that al these prophesies of exaltations are fulfilled in that profession ād thus is their glorie their shame for they glorie in nothinge more then in their exaltation and great power aucthoritie and magnificencie of their Church and al that is true and thereby is this also true that all these prophesies are fulfilled in that their exaltation the which you of the Church of England and the whole Presbitarie confessing and protesting against them for the same you must needs hold them al infidels and vnbeleevers except you wil fal into great blasphemie and say that they are beleevers who execute the power of the man of sinne and cause the sacrifices and oblations to cease and to be taken away from the alter of the Lord so as there are no sacrifices offered vnto him Wil anie say that these are beleevers that take from the Lords alter his daylie sacrifices causing that none shal be offered vnto him if these be beleevers that vtterlie overthrowe the worship of the lord then can there be no infidels Further you cannot say the church of Rome are belevers except you wil say they are belevers that depart away frō the faith and are the ministers of the man sinne exalting a power above the power of God and setting vp this power the ministers whereof they are to sit as God in the Temple of God makeing shewe of that power that it is the power of God when it is the effectual working of Satā with al his power and signes ād lying wonders and they that are subiect in this power are such as the holy ghost testifieth receive not the love of the truth which beleve not the truth Cā you of the church of Englād ād you of the Presbitarie and you that are called Brownists that hold this Prophesie is fulfilled in that exaltation of the Romish profession can you hold these to be beleevers in Christ of whome the Lord saith they receive not the truth nor beleeve nor the truth but have pleasure in vnrighteousnes and exalted a power against God to bee worshipped as God wha◠wickednes and blasphemie is this to say these are Christians and beleevers in Christ Moreover you cannot say that the Romish Professors are beleevers except you wil say they are beleevers that set vp the first Beast and are the ministers off that power or Beast which Beast or Power hath 7. heads and 10. hornes and vpō his hornes 10. crownes and he is like a Leopard and his feet like a Beare and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon to whome the dragon gives his power throne authoritie all this doe they of that profession and not this onelie but they also worship the dragon which giveth power to the Beast they worship the Beast saying who is like the Beast who is able to feight with him and they being the ministers off this Beast or Power do in their ministration opē their mouthes to blasphemie against God to blaspheme his name and his Tabernacle and them that dwel therein and by this Power they have made warr with the Saincts and overcome them Can you without great blasphemie against the holie one off Israel the most high God say that these are belevers in Christ Iesus and Christians That do these fearfull thinges seeking to destroy God and the faith of Iesus and all his Saincts that hold the faith of Iesus if you cannot say that they which do such thinges are beleevers and Christians then cannot you say that they of the Romish profession are beleevers or Christians but that they are infidels and vnbelevers seeing you confesse this Prophesie