mouth it must depart from being a true church but the church of Pergamus was such Rev. 2.16 Ergo. Fourthly The church of Thiatira of new Rome is departed from being a true church because she suffered the woman Iezabel amongst them which was a Witch a whore and a murderesse and though God hath given her space yea the longest space to repent of any other yet she repented not of her witchcraft in bewitching men to Idolatry not of her whoredome and abomination nor of her murdering the Saints for the scarled coloured Whore is drunke with the bloud of the Martyrs And therefore Christ hath made her the Synagogue of Sathan Rev. 3.9 because they 〈◊〉 themselves Iewes or a catholique church and are not because they have had time to repent and did not they shall be destroyed They are divided against themselves France against Spaine and Spaine against it selfe it must downe Now if any will account the Martyrs and true believers that lived for 200. yeares before Luther that suffered the manners of the Iezabel of Rome amongst them that should have been put away out of the church as Luther and Calvin and England did I account it the truth but that which is spoken to Iezabel is spoken to Rome as their sinnes declare The church of Sardis of the Lutherans is departing because they are in the dead faith which brought forth dead workes that were not perfect before God Rev. 3.1.2 and dead in love to the Calvinists and in love one to another their faith of consubstantiation is a dead faith that believe not their workes are perfect before God by justification neither can they believe so that live in hatred and persecution of their brethren the Calvinists that church is divided against it selfe thus the Sweeds and Danes both Lutherans were at Warre one with another lately which have shot downe the one side of their church from within and a Papist the Emperour and a Calvinist is undermining the other side for both Papists and Calvinists fight against the Lutherans and they fight one with another truly if one stone of a church should fight against another could it stand no it must fall Sixtly The Phyladelphian church of the Calvinists is passing away because they have not held fast that they had for they had the true faith and one baptisme into Christs death for remissions of sinne taught by Calvin and that doctrine established amongst them but many of them have not held fast that they had but have let the Anabaptists take their crowne for the crowne of a christian is his baptisme for therein are all the Elect crowned Rev. 1.6.5 10. with the crowne of pure gold of the merits of Christs death for remission of sinne and made Kings and Priests to God their father Rev. 1.9 for as no man is a King before he be crowned so no man is a King and Priest to God till he be baptized many of them have lost this crowne by turning Anabaptists and Sectaries a Papist a Lutheran and an Anabaptist are pulling downe the one side of their church and a Sectary and a Drunkard are cutting and beating downe the other side therefore it cannot stand for Anababtisme and drunkennesse will destroy any church wheresoever they grow witnesse the churches of Greece and Munster and many places in Iermany for Heresie is like Ivie that kills an Oake by growing over it and then men cut downe Oake and Ivie too and so where Heresie is suffered to grow in a church it kills the church by overgrowing it then God will destroy the church and heresie too as shall be seene by the church of Calvinists in suffering Anabaptists it will be the destruction of the church of Holland The church of Laodicea of England is passing away for Christ spues the Luke-warme Angels people that are lukewarme in the faith of their baptisme for remission of sinnes and in the white raiment for England hath been divided against it selfe and also Scotland and Ireland fights against them both and divided against it selfe also The Papists and Cavalleers have shot great holes in the one side of our church to get an Episcopacy but cannot because Christ spues it out of his mouth an Anabaptist stands as it were with a rope to pull downe the steeple for he called it first a Steeple-house and the Hereticks Sectaries and Selectaries have pulled up all the foundations as instance Baptisme the Creed the Lords prayer the Decalogâ—â— the Eucharist and Christmas day and the Eucharist which hath bin as a foundation of all the seven churches ever since the Apostles time and so divided as I know not whether the King and Parliament will be reconciled ever but the Presbyters and Independents will never for their quarrell is begun and will never end for they scould can such a church stand no it must depart and passe away for the people have so many frothings of religion in their braines so many opinions and Heresies that they will fall from being a church to be a Babel for as the Babilonians having a strange phantasie would begin to build a tower to reach to heaven yet had no good materialls but made brick instead of stone and had slime instead of morter this was mans invention and it came to confusion for God confounded their language scattered them so many Hereticks Sectaries have got a conceipt in their crowne to goe make a new church as a Tower to reach to heaven for they would all goe to heaven if they could goe their owne way and they have concocted brick of the Brownists braine instead of doctrine and they have discipline of phantasie instead of morter I am not against doctrine or discipline if they be from heaven but our new church-mungers have no good materialls of gold white raiment and eye-salve from heaven to build with but the new Ierusalem must be builded of pure gold like cleare glasse Rev. 21.18 Of the gold of the merits of Christs death in regeneration for remission of sinnes and of white raiment to make the Bride trimme and eye-salve of the Scriptures that every thing may be done according to the patterne shewed in the mount of Gods word But doe you thinke blinde men are fit to build a church you will say no no more are all the Pharises of our time of all Sectaries and Hereticks whose froathing faith or fancie makes them boyle out of the church which are blind leaders of the blinde for they leade many from Christs ordinance for remission of sinnes and blind in the assurance of salvation for they know not where they had remission of sinnes but runne after every winde of Doctrine and know not whether they shall be saved or be damned or goe to heaven or to hell are you fit men to build a church that are all so blinde that you cannot see spirituall things so here sayes one wee will build this way so there says a second we will build that way so here sayes a
or a Judas for secum valet if he believe for baptisme administred in the name of the Trinity the Father baptized the Son baptized the holy Ghost baptized for if there come true faith that they are washed sanctified justified that evidence it Now therefore if Christ be and will come as a Thiefe with the Turke upon Germany for that greatest Church destroying sinne of the Protestants for denying their first baptisme what shall become of your Sees then my Text tells you they shall be no more neither Episcopall Presbyteriall or Independent but a new Jerusalem and a new government from heaven I have thought fit to admonish our brethren the Lutherans and Calvinists that I conjecture by Scriptures that the Turke shall come and destroy Germany Reason saies hee is like to come for his Empire from small beginnings hath risen to such greatnesse by the discord of Christians which you see to be in Germany and you know that Soliman the Turke did come with 250000. men and besieged Vienna but the sins of Germany was not then full and for the Protestants sake the Turke was defeated and overthrowne by the Protestants and driven out of Germany mark saith Foxe what victories God gives to reformers of Religion But now your sinnes begin to be full hee will come againe for your sins and discord procure him The conjunction not of stars but of Scriptures I judge by are these Rev. 3.1 2 3. Rev. 16.15 Dan. 11.41 42 43 44. For the first of these you know that the church of the Lutherans is the counterpain of Sardis For you as they have a name you live but are dead i. e. in the dead faith that have no assurance of salvation by remission of sins For you believe not your workes are perfect before God vers 2. for how can you when you live in hatred with the Calvinists for the errour of consubstantiation and they with you v. 3. Remember both of you what you have received i. e. one baptisme into Christs death for remission of sinnes and heard of Luther out of Christs word of free Justification to make the tree good the fruit good but you have not held fast your first baptisme but many among you have given heed to the doctrine of Devils to deny your first love i e. your first baptisme and have not repented of this sin as Ephesus did not i. e. the Church of Greece for which God removed the Candlesticke out of their place by the Turk Therefore because thou didst not watch in the faith of thy baptisme into Christ he is come upon thee as a Thiefe and will come by the Turke and spoile thy Candlestick in thy place and thou didst not know when he would come upon thee as a thief Now you know that a Thief commeth not but to rob to kill and to destroy as Joh. 10.10 You see Christ is come upon you with a judgement as a Thiefe first to rob you because you have not kept Christs garments unto you by faith that were given you in baptisme Gal. 3.27 Therefore he hath been upon you with a plundering robbing and spoyling civil war and he hath been upon you as a Thief to kil you For many places have bin put to the sword men women and children by Tilly and others and he will come upon thee as a Thief to destroy by the Turk For behold I come as a Thief and therefore wil come all the 3 ways of John 10. I tell thee Christ will never leave comming as a Thiefe to steale kill and to destroy untill thou awake out of the sleep of this sinne and repent and keep Christs garments unto you that you walke not naked without a wedding garment given in baptisme and they see thy filthiness Rev. 16.15 And for Dan. 11.41 at the end of time i. e. of the churches of the Gentiles now at hand The King of the North i. e. the Turke saith Brightman and I judge so too for the Turke lyes North of the place that Daniel writ in hee shall enter into the pleasant Land this cannot be meant of the Land of Canaan for the Turke hath possessed that for many yeares Ergo the pleasant Land must be the church of Christians in Germany where is a true Church and many countreyes shall be overthrowne many churches of Idolatrous Christians beware Hungary Poland Transylvania that are in his way to Germany But these shall escape out of his hand Edom and Moab and the chiefe of the children of Ammon Now this cannot be meant of the materiall Kingdomes of these 3. spoken so often on in Scripture for they were destroyed long since as the Scripture declared they should be and those places are in the hands of the Turke already from Tauris to Syria and Ægypt therefore shall not escape out of the Turkes hand as if he should not come there for those places are in the Turkes hands already or waste as Geography and Scripture declare But this is to be understood of the Spirituall Edom Moab and Ammon of idolatrous Christians for the spirituall Edom is Italy For 1. as the Edomites came of Isaac but were now Idolaters So the Italians came of the Church but are Idolaters 2. As the Edomites were alwayes hatefull to the Israelites so are the Italians to the Protestants 3. As Edom would have killed Jacob and his posterity was bloudy minded to the Israelites so have the Italians killed and are bloudy minded to the Protestants 4 As Edom rejoyced at the day of Jerusalem saving down with it even to the ground Ps 50. So have the Italians at the day of the Protestants of the Palatinate Bohemia and of Ireland rejoyced to kill them and say down with their Church even to the ground and yet shall escape out of the hand of the Turke for the destiny of Rome is to be burnt by the Protestants for reward her as she hath rewarded you i. e. Protestants not Turks give her double and in the cup she filled to you of bloud and fire give to her Rev. 18.6 And the spirituall Moab is Idolatrous Spaine For 1. As the Moabites were affraid the Israelites would eare them up when they say over against them Numb 22 So have the Spaniards been affraid the Protestants would eâ—t them up that lay over against them 2. As the King of Moab sent for Balaam the false Prophet that was near the children of his people to curse the people of God believing he whom he blesseth is blessed and he whom he curseth is cursed so hath the King of Spaine believed that the false Prophet Balaam of Rome that is nigh the children of his people whom he blesseth or curseth is so 3. As the King of Moab fought against the true church of the Israelites so hath the King of Spaine against the churches of Protestants 4. As wee have heard of the pride of Moab his stoutnesse and his arrogancy Esay 16.6 Jerem. 48. So wee have heard of the
But the Church have been abused and evill entreated a longtime of the Gentiles Con. Ergo shee will forsake them and goe to another people Re. 5 Now those heavens that waxe olde as a garment and as a vesture shall hee change them and they shall be changed shall passe away because they are impure in his eyes Job 15.15 Now this cannot be so properly meant of the starry heavens as of the Churches for how should they be impure in Gods eyes which never sinned neither can any shew that God ever imputed any sin to them or curse as to the Earth for Adams sake for they are as God have made them and they all continue by his appointment But the Church of the old World waxed olde and the church of the Jewes and the heaven of Papists Lutherans Calvinists and England are waxed olde because they are impure in his eyes for he saith he hath some things against them Ergo they shall passe away For the heaven of the visible Churches of England Lutherans and Calvinists are not only uncleane at this day in a small manner Now mistake mee not to thinke that I meane the justified people of God of all these 3. churches for I believe they are cleane every whit The causes why the visible Churches shall depart and the Church of new Jerusalem appeare perfectly righteous and holy without spot before the Throne of God But of the outward visible Church and all separate Synagogues that call themselves churches of Hereticks Sectaries and Schismaticks which I count farre worse then the seven churches because Christ wrote to these by name and hath his Elect amongst these but he writes not to the other and if the Fathers say true hee hath not God for his Father that hath not the church for his Mother and the Scripture saith God added to the Church such as should be saved yet I say the visible church is uncleane not in a small manner though it be called by so glorious a name as heaven which is spoken in respect of the darke dungeon of hell of the Jewes Turkes Heathens and Papists then for any heavenly clearenesse of the glory of God in gold of the merits of Christs death in one baptisme for a perfect remission of sinnes or for the glory of the Lambs white rayment justification for an everlasting righteousness Shew me a church on Earth that is found in the faith of these three gold white raiment and eye-salve Phillida solus habebis let her be thy Love Re. 6 Ma. For the Church is defiled with a false faith or reigning sinne there the church is uncleane and shall therefore be removed Mi. But all the churches of the Gentiles are defiled with a false faith or reigning sinne for why should Christ say else hee hath some things against them Con. Ergo they are uncleane in Gods sight and shall therefore be removed For what foote steps of one baptisme for remission of sinnes and of a white raiment Justification doe remaine For doe not all visible Churches hold they must goe knocke at heaven gates every day to get a pardon for their sins as if they were not forgiven as Col. 1.14 Rev. 1.6 And to wipe off olde scores as if God did score up sinnes every day till they pray and they must goe get God to cast all their sins into the bottome of the Sea as if they were not cast into the bottom of the red Sea of Christs bloud already Mic. 7.19 in baptisme into Christs death Acts 22.16 And confesse God is angry with them for their sinnes and see sinne in them and punish them for the same is not this to serâ—e an angry God as all heathens Turkes and Jewes doe and not a reconciled Father which if it were to get remission of sins to the conscience I would not fault it but to the person as if that were not reconciled it crosseth Coloss 1.21 And the article of the Creed i. e. I believe the remission of sinnes as for the Lutherans of Sardis they are in the dead faith and their works not perfect before God Rev. 3.1.2 Their dead workes of hatred to the Calvinists declare their dead faith And as for the English luke-warme Laodiceans they hold as the Bishop of Canterbury did at his death he said he hoped God would forgive him his sinnes Now such as the faith of the great Angel was such is the faith of most people of the Church What heathen Jew Turke Papist or Devill had not as good a faith as this to say I hope God is mercifull and will forgive me my sinnes he might goe to Purgatory if there were one for all this faith The decay in knowledg of one baptisme for remission of sins and in the Articles of the Creed they doe not preach or pray in this faith that we have redemption as Colos 1.14 And that our sinnes are forgiven us for his names sake 1 John 2.12 It is an hard thing to finde a Minister that hath assurance of salvation or that can tell where he had remission of sins for few of them believe they were made in their baptisme members of Christ children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdome of heaven or believe that in the white raiment they are so cloathed that God beholds no shame of nakednesse of sin in them And seeing this faith is lost what new Errours spring up every day and broached in many places olde ones are called backe from hell by hereticks Anabaptists Papists Familists Adamites Arminians Socinians Brownists Seperatists all the profession of unity spirituall peace turned to bloudy and civill Warre in all the churches in Christendome These are fearefull signes and evident Prognostications that the Churches are departing Re. 7 Ma. For where the churches are fallen from the trueth it is an argument the church shall depart from them For thus saith the Lord Remember from whence thou art fallen Rev. 3.5 Or else I will remove the Candlesticke out of his place Mi. But all the visible churches are fallen from the truth as Papists to idolatry Lutherans to a dead faith and workes Re. 3.1.2 and the English and Calvinists to a luke-warme faith reigning sin usury or drunkennesse for it was never known that the truth did continue in any one church above 100. years but they fell from it as the homily of our church of the perill of Idolatry 3. p. c. it is 100. yeares since England received the truth and therefore the time is come by their owne confession that they should fall from it Con. Ergo it is an argument the church should be removed Re. 8 Ma. Every kingdome city or house divided against it selfe cannot stand but come to nought Matth. 12. Mar. 1. Mi. But all the former churches of the Gentiles are kingdomes cities or houses divided against themselves witnesse the Papists Lutherans Calvinists and English You see what fighting and writing there is now one against another Con. Ergo they cannot stand but come