Sacrifice comming from the Arke could neuer haue smelled sweete in the Lords nosethrils otherwise then he had that Fayth which respected Christ whom the Apostle stileth Osmen euodias the sweete oâ—â—ur Abraham Isaac Iaacoh had eye to no other meanes of saluation Israel before the Law some and some in Egipt came as Ezekiel 20. 5. c. to fashion themselues to the Idols there but Moses and Aaron were stirred vp to fetch them away to whom the Lord at Mount Horeb recommended the true forme of Sacrifice with rites peculiar to the land of Canaan And in Iudiâ— a part of Canaan they were continued till their deportation to Babel But then the outward Ceremonie ceasing for 70. yeares they notwithstanding looked to the promised Seed of the Prophets tearmed Messiah and Danâ—l in that place was foretold by the Angell of Messiahs comming to suffer for Sinne Seauentie-seauens of yeares before When he was come Iôhn Baptist poynted him out saying This is the Lambe that takes away the sinnes of the world for that it was Christ that was shadowed out vnder the Law by the Lambe offred morning and euening All which the Apostle teacheth the Hebrewes when he sayth that The Law was a shadow of good thinges signifying that these good thinges were in Christ. Yea to the Collossians he sayth that The body of such shadowes was Christ. I conclude then thus that that which is Essentiall or tendeth to the very Bâ—ing of A true Christian is not euery good thing but this one good thing Fayth in Christ Iesus for perfect Redemption Martha may combere her selfe about many things and in themselues otherwise prayse-worthy but this one thing is necessarie who with Mary hath choseÌ„ it hath elected the better part Iob in the land of Vz the Eunuch in Aethiopia Certaine in the Court of bloody Nero had their Iustification with God onely by this Fayth in Christ there being no other name vnder Heauen whereby as S. Peter teacheth man is to be saued As for Good-workes which necessarily doe follow true Fayth they belong not to the very-being of a true Christian seeing some one may be saued by the Fayth before he can come to do an externall good worke but such workes tend to the true Being of a Visible Christian. For as Fayth internall iustifies towardes God for Abraham beleeued and that was counted to him for Righteousnesse so Workes externall do iustiâ—ie towards man according to that of S. Iames Shew mee thy Fayth by thy Workes Sutable to which is that of Origen The Apostle sayth he saith that Iustification by Fayth ALONE is sufficient so that the belieuer whosoeuer he be is ONLY so iustisfied Whereto he addeth speaking of the Theefe on the Crosse The Lord requireth not of him what before he had wrought nor did expect what worke he should fulfill after he beleiued but being justified by soâ—e confession nameâ—y of Fayth he joyned him companion vnto him being ready to enter into Paradise Afterwardes againe Abraham might haue glory for his Workes with holy and just-men that saw them but this glory with God was Only by Fayth-secret And his Maister Clemens before him writ thus By Fayth alone the beleeuer is perfected For a Corollarie let Scholers take what followes Ignatius in Ep. ad Ephesios PrincipiuÌ„ vita Fides finis eiusdem Charitas Iustin. dial cum Tryph Purificamur fide Fides quae eÌ„ ad Deum iustificat hominem Clem. in Strom. 7. Per fidem efficitur Fidelis perfectus Aug. ad Bonifac. l. 3. c. 5. Nostra fides hoc est catholica fides iustos ab iniustis non operum sed ipsa fidei lege discernit quia Iustus ex fide viuit Then he numbers vp all kindes of workes but barres them out from iustification Chrys. in Gen hom 26. Causa bonorum omnium speaking of Noah fuit sua in Deum fides And the same Chrys. against the Iewes if that against the Iewes be his in orat 4. he hath this Christus non ex benefactis nec laborib nec pensatione sed ex sola gratia iustificauit genus nostruÌ„ Ambros. in Rom. 3. Iustificati sunt Gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes Sola fide Iustificati sunt dono Dei Basil. mag de humilit Ea demum perâ—ecta Omnimoda gloriatio est in Deo quando neque propter suam ipsius quis iustitiam extollitur sed agnoscit se quidem vera destitui iustitia verum Sola in Christum fide iustificatum esse Et gloriatur in eo Paulus vt suam ipsius iustitiam contemnat Victor Antiochenus in Marc. 5. Haec disertè indicant vestimenta contacta eam non sanasse sed fidem Igitur neque locus neque verba neque aliud quippiam eiusmodi externum hominem saluat sed vnuÌ„quemque sua fides seruat Rabanus l. 7. in eccluÌ„m c. 2. Per solam Christigratiam ab omnis candalo liberantur Electi Remigius in Psa. 29. vita aeterna non est ex Merito quia cadere per nos potuimus sed per nos surgere non potuimus sed ex voluntate eius 1. sola misericordia Idiota cap. 6. de conflict carn animae Melius est iustificare quam creare cum creando detur Natura Iustificando vero et auferatur culpa conferatur Gratia Giselbert in Alterc c. 8. Iustitiam dei dico non qua deus iustus est sed qua induit hominem cum Gratis iustificat impium Theophilact in Rom. 10. Dei iustitia est quae ex Fide est Haec non indiget laboribus operibusue nostris verum tota ad gratiam dei pertinet Barnard ser. 3. de aduent domi Iustificabit nos Gratis vt Gratia commendetur And in Annunc Mar. ser. 1. Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet Sp. SS dicens Dimissa sunt tibi peccata tua Sic N. arbitratur Apostolus Gratis iustificari hominem per Fidem Rupertus in l. 7. in Iob. c. 7. In Iesu Christo nec circumcisio nec preputium nec Gentilis nec Iudaeus sed â—ola Fides requirituâ— Io. Bapt. Foleng in Psa. 2. Quae maioriam potesteeÌ„ cùm Iustitiae qua nos ex peccatorib iustos efficit non imputans peccata tum bonitatis demonstratio per quam aeternorum bonorum ad hereditatem Gratis inuitantur quodammodo vel inuiti trahimur And on Pl. 45. Video amarem namely of Christ video pacem video iustitiam qua ego Gratis iustificor per fidem Fulgent ad Monim l. 1. In sanctis igitur coronat deus iustitiam quam eis gratis ipse tribuit gratis seruabit gratisque perfecit Honorius in spec ecclus de nat doÌ„i Fides debet eeÌ„ fundamentum postquam â—am posueritis debetis ponere dilectionem dei proximi D. Io. Ferus in 1. part pass dom Fides facit discipulum Christi Charitas autem
ostendit probat discipulum Tho. Aquinas in Lect. 4. super Galat. 3. see him also on Rom. 3. his tongue turned to English runnes thus No Workes either Ceremoniall or Morall are the cause why any man is iust before God For Workes are not the cause that man is iust but the execution and manifestation of his iustice because no man is iustified with God by his Worke but by the habite of Fayth infused Let the Romanist wrangle in the abuse of Distinction so long as they shall euen through their Church as they will haue it it hath through all ages passed for vndoubted trueth that vnto Iustification with God no one externall Worke whatsoeuer no not of Baptisme or Circumcision hath once been required for essentiall to the sauing-being of a Christian but Sola fides Fayth onely which is internall and the guift of God also But to become a Christian visible vnto others there is required such outward Workes as fruites whereby we may be well perswaded of the Fayth that is inward as the inward life of the tree which is vnseeable otherwise then in the fruites flowing from it The first fruite of which Fayth to vs-ward is a free Confession that the heart so beleeueth For sayth the Apostle with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth vnto saluation The second speciall Worke is subiection to Baptisme the seale of their iustification annexed to the word of beleefe and therefore the Apostles commission ran thus First Preach and then Baptize Nor would the Eunuch so instantly haue craued Baptisme had not Philip taught the necessitie thereof True it is that it is not necessarie to saluation simply but conditionally as it may be conueniently had But Contempt or wilfull Omission is as damnable as Esaus base thought of Canaan and king Ahaz his hypocriticall shew in seeming not to stand in need of a Signe For how can a soule haue true respect to Gods Word when it shall thinke lightly or vilely of that Seale which is suffixed to that Word A third Worke flowing from true Fayth is a Desire of being further informed in the mysterie of the Gospell which the Angels themselues desire to peire into whom notwithstanding it so much concernes not And who will not desire to know the full of their Fathers Will The fourth fruite issuing from true Fayth is to Loue God aboue all and our Neighbour as our selfe and to testifie the trueth of such loue in all duties of Pietie and Iustice as from Gods word shal be manifest Such a soule so beleeuing working is to vs-ward a true visible Christian. 2 A companie of such gathered togeather are a true Christian assemblie or as the Apostle sometimes calles them finding them in some house a Church of God Which caused Tertullian to conclude thus Vbi tres Ecclesia est licet Laicj Where be but three although Lay-men there is a Church 3 A company of such not only gathered togeather but also possessed of spiritual Ouerseers and Seruitours for the regiment of the whole by Doctrine and Discipline such a people be a true visible constituted Church For as the common sort of them be but as an Eare for hearing so their Ouerseers be as an Eye for seeing and the Seruitours as necessarie Hands to their Ouerseers As the Apostle then can say If all the Body were an Eye where were the hearing So I by like proportion If all were Eye and Eare where were the power of conuayance betweene them CHAP. vij Touching the Ministers of an established Church THE auncient Church of Israel had constituted vnto it two sortes of Ministers Priestes Leuites The Priestes againe were deuided into 2. sortes first in that one was to be Hy-priest not onely for a yeare as was the corruption at last but for the whole tearme of life and he onely might enter into the Sanctum sanctorum and in other businesses was principall In the second place were many other Priestes attending the dayly Sacrifice which after by Dauid were for better order distributed into 24. Classios Of the Leuites simplie so called for otherwise the Priestes were of Leuj they were deuided into two rankes each knowing what partes of the Tabernacle he was to wind vp and carry the one sort of them called Gershomites the other Merarites as all the Priestes were called Kohathites according to the Heads of the Families they came of But when Dauid prepared for a Standing house vnto the Lord he distributed them into other Orders for other purposes as in 1. Chro. 25. and this by no particular precept from the Lord otherwise then from the generall rule whereto Naturall reason leadeth namely That all in the Church should be done with comlynesse and order Another sort of Ministers God prouided for that Church and these were the Prophets and Prophetisses stirred vp out of what tribe soeuer These were not constituted to the Tabernacle or Temples businesses but raysed vp of God besides any ordinarie forme of calling specially for calling Priest and people into order when they erred from the commandement And as their calling for forme sake was extraordinarie so they were furnished with guifes extraordinarie both for knowledge and strange workes working The Ordinarie ministrie therfore constituted to the Church were Priestes Leuiâ—es the extraordinarie ministrie tyed not directly to any one place or people they were such Prophets tearmed of elder times Seers This for that Churches ministrie ¶ The New-testaments Church hath her ministerie proportionable to her Mother Some for calling and qualification Ordinarie some againe Extraordinarie Extraordinarie were these Apostles Prophets Euangelistâ— all whose Outward forme of calling so well as qualification was besides the generall rule Apostles and Prophets hauing their calling immediatly from God howsoeuer the Church might adde sometimes their seale vnto it as in the sending out of Paul and Barnabas The Euangelistes had their calling immediatly from the Apostles and sometimes I doubt not from the Prophets being indeed to these that called them but as godly trustie seruantes as Elisha was to Elias Geâ—èzi should haue been to Eâ—isha The ordinarie ministerie were Bishops Deacons the first being as the Eye of the Church therfore in English called Ouer-seers the other as the Churches hands for better dispatch of some dueties therefore in English called Ministers and Seruitours And into these two sortes as Maister and Man the Apostle distributes them in 1. Tim. 3. But then these Bishops called also Elders for that ordinarily they were such for their yeares they be of two sortes one of them hauing preheminence for place and voyce as the Hy-priest ouer his brethren and for that in Râ—uel 2. 3. hee is styled The Angel of the congregation and very fitly for his place may be tearmed Arch-bishop which is in plaine English but chiefe Bishop or chiefe Ouerseer Obiection Christ is the onely Arch-bishop of
and therefore must preuaile notwithstanding their distinction some workes be Legall some Euangelicall seeing the Free fauour of God excludeth all our workes howsoeuer tearmed for iustifiyng onely Christes merit-worke for our iustification Obiection Fayth is a worke being iustified by Fayth we are so iustified by a worke Answere It is a worke in vs but not of vs for Fayth as the Holy Ghost witnesseth is the Guift of God and so our iustification to saluation the free guift of God and not of our selues onely nor also For if we will plant our thresholds by his thresholds Ezekiel will proclaime it an abhomination And because Christ doth not onely begin the worke but also perfect it the Author to the Hebrewes calles him The Author and finisher of our Fayth The premisses considered and sound in the iudgment of a Romanist were he to die the death for his Fayth against the Turke and not to maintaine a sworne opposition against vs let me put downe the following Positions 1. First these Schismatikes be most hereticall that by reason our outward forme of Discipline likes them not do affirme as some chiefe of them haue in my hearing that the Church of England neither holdeth nor teacheth the Ghospell of Christ. And yet the same people holdeth no other Ghospel then heere they receiued except they make their Lay-eldership their Ghospell or some of their outward workes to giue beeing to the Ghospell And then they fall vpon the Rocke of Poperie which they would seeme to sayle so farre from establishing not onely a Iustification with God by Fayth onely at first but after that a second iustification with God by works also Nor indeed is it better with them if themselues will vnderstand themselues Which easily cannot be done God hauing put vpon them the spirit of slumber 2. Secondly I doe faythfully belieue that in the Romish-church since the first plantation of it there hath been and still is a true Christian people holding the maine Foundation layd in Christes blood howsoeuer sometimes they build vpon it Hay Stubble and the like euen as in the thronge of the Tares the Lord had his Wheate and Children of the Kingdome And in Babel euen after the Returnes to Iudah by Zerubbabel Ezra and Nehemiah God there had his Daniel and others also with him God forbid that their malice against vs reforming the Church should beget in vs a deniall of any Grace which God continues amonst them notwithstanding their abode in lamentable Confusion Nor is this trueth of Christianitie which I beleeue to be amongst them onely an inuisible Grace according to secret election as some Scismatikes make it but in the profession visible witnesse not onely many their Writings but also many their Sermons there at home as these can witnesse that haue trauailed amongst them not to speake any thing of such as dayly do offer vp their blood amongst them in testimony against their false Ghospell 3. Thirdly I do verily belieue that a maine cause why the Apostle handleth so largely Iustification by Fayth onely in that Epistle to the Romaines was this for that he foresaw how that Church would quickly be drawing away from that Pillar for establishing a iustification of their owne in the roome thereof That they haue made a foule departure from that Fayth of the Ghospell and that we in that poynt haue recouered our standing let themselues iudge being vnpossessed of Sophistrie reading but the first eight Chapters soberly ouer or but the first foure accordingly as they be translated in their Rhemish Testament And will they be so bewitched as to giue more credeÌ„ce to the writing of any one among them then to the Apostle Paul enforming their first Christian people Let them labour to bring their opinion to the Epistle and not wrest the Epistle to their opinion holding it true Antiquitie to be one with the Apostle and that golden Epistle and not to reiect them for entertayning a Nouelty couered with colour of Antiquity He that teacheth any other Ghospell then that which S. Paul taught we are though he were an Angell from heauen to hold him accursed yea twise accursed as the same Apostle teacheth Galath 1. 8. 9. So much of the Ghospell preached to the Fathers and exhibited to vs the manner of Dispensation being diuerse but the Thing one and the same In noua Lege vetus inclusa tenetur And Vna est veterum ac nouorum patrum fides And one within 200. yeares after Christ writes thus Vnum quidem revera salutare testamentum quod a Constitutione mundj ad nos peruenit per generationes diuersas tempora etiamsi Datione existimatum fuerit esse Diuersum Consequensâ—n est esse vnam jmmutabilem Salutis dationem ab vno Deo per vnum deum quae multis modis prodest Propter quam causam tollitur Maceria quae diuidebat Graecuâ—â— a Iudaeâ— ad hoc vt esset populus peculiaris sic ambo perueniunt ad vnam fidej vnitatem ex ambobus vnae est Electio CHAP. XV. Touching Antichrist and his Oppâ—sition THAT the Greeke word Antichristes doth signifie one Opposite to Christ it is out of all question But wherein he is to be opposite in Fayth or Manners wholly or in part and if in part then in what part is a mightie Question Besides that there should be such an Aduersarie is out of all question but who that Aduersarie or whether One or Many and from whence he should arise is much in question The Fathers take the word sometimes very largely as they thinke S. Iohn doth in his 1. Epistle sometimes strictly as of one and the same person as they thinke S. Paul doth in 2. Thess. 2. vnder the tearmes Man of Sinne Sonne of Perdition Sometimes they vnderstand S. Iohn to call all these Antichristes that be Heades of Heresie vnder the name of Christ teaching thinges that be contrarie to Christ. And such be the violaters of Fayth Sometimes they vnderstand these Antichristes of such as ouerturne all good manners and order And so their Pope Honorius to that purpose writ thus Cast eye vpon the Princes and Iudges behold in them is plaeced the Beastes seat then he numbers vp their wickednesses Turne to the Cleargie and thou shalt see in them the Beastes Pauilion then he numbreth vp their worldlinesse Contemplate aâ—so the Conuentâ—â—les of Moncks and thou shalt see in them the Beastes Tabernacles then he fileth vp their Hypocrisies Behold also the habitations of the Nunnes and in them thou shalt see prepared the Beastes Bed-chamber then goe vp the Nuns abhominations Turne thy selfe to the rest of the people and thou shalt find in them the very Image of the Beast Thus the Maister in that Dialogue and that 's Honoâ—â—us doth teach his Scholler affirming further that the former Many is Babilon and at warre with Ierushalem whose inhabitants be not so Many Thus vnderstood hee of that Second Beast in Reuelatâ—â—
Iehâ—uah Aeâ—â—â—im turned Lord-god because euery of them is Iehouah that is The Being of Beinges And as euery thing hath the being from him he is called of â—satah Euerlasting father And in respect of God-head and Man-hood vnited in one for effecting our Saluation he is of Isaiah called Gnim-man-ael that is With-vs-the strong-God or The mighty God in our Nature for that the God-head as the Apostle speaketh did dwell in him somaticôs bodily essentially Vnder Isaac the onely sonne of his Father that died not typed foorth the God-head and vnder the Ramme that died the humaine Nature that was to the Altar of the Crosse affixed And this the Author to the Hebrewes intimateth when hauing spoken of this Storie he sayth of his Father From which death he receiued him kaj en parabolé euen in a parable that is in such a sort as a parable intendeth These two Natures also were vnder the Law figured by the two Goates presented onely in the Sabbaticall moneth what time the Hy-priest might onely and alone enter into the Sanctum Sanctorum the Scape-goate poynting foorth his God-head impassible and the Lot-goat with Ionah the Humaine nature which was to die for Our sinnes Veé◠ló not for him selfe So he was the Messiah that is the Christ that is the Annoynted-one of God and Iesus the Sauiour being annoynted of the Father for our saluation Yet must be obserued that something may be sayd of the Godhead that otherwise is proper to the Manhood as that in Act. 20. Feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne blood not that God simply considered hath any blood or can suffer but that God the Sonne shedde blood in respect of the Manhood assumed and with the Godhead vnited And hereof it is that the Syriake in that place doth read The Church of Christ not of God So that may be spoken of the Manhood that is proper to the Godhead euen as sometimes we attribute that to our body which is proper to the soule e◠è contra which falleth out to be true in the Concreat that is the two Natures considered togeather to the constituting of one person which otherwise could not be true in the Abstract that is in the Nature abstracted from his fellow This is the Christ yesterday to day and the same for euer Of Whom Sybilla long before thus prophecied in her sixt age Tunc ad Mortales vemet mortalibus ipsis in terris similis Natus patris omniepotentis Corpore vestitus votales quatur autem fert non votalesque duas binum Geniorum The time of his comming she thus telles Sed postquam Roma Aegiptum reget imperioque frenabit tum vemet c. CHAP. xiiij Touching the Ghospel of Christ. THE word Ghospell the contract of Godspell is a Saxon word valuing in our language the same which the Greeke word Euangell doth namely Glad-tydinges In large sense wee call all the Doctrine contayned in the Booke of the New Testament by the name of Ghospell because the mayne and substaunce of that Booke is doctrine of Gladtidinges otherwise who is ignoraunt that the Law is mingled with the discourse of the Ghospell not for perfecting the Ghospell for it is not of that nature but for leading people to Christ as Moses led the people to Ioshua who onely could bring them to the Land of Rest a type of heauens Eternall rest Againe the Ghospell is sometimes taken for the Storie of Christ penned by S. Mathew S. Marke S. Luke S. Iohn whereupon they be called The foure Euangelistes as hauing in a speciall sort dilated vpon Christ the subiect of the Glad-tydinges But in this dispute I take it in that strict essentiall sense that S. Paul doth when he sayth to the Galatians The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through Fayth preached before the Ghospell vnto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed afterwardes declaring by what meanes namely by a Seede not seeds which is Christ. This Ghospell is the same to Adam before and to vs after neither is there any other name then the name Iesus by which we are to be saued nor any other meanes whereby to be vnited with Iesus then by Fayth For as S. Peter could say touching the Cripple healed at the gate of the Temple that Iesus whom ye haue crucified His name hath made this man sound euen so I may as truly say that by Fayth onely in Christ we are to be saued Externall discipline may alter with time and place as all externall workes may but the Euangell Ghospell Gladtydings is still one the same that is Beleeue and liue whereas the Law sayth Doe and liue And in not doing all the things of the Law a soule becomes subiect to all the Curses in the Law By Doing then no flesh can be iustified but by Beleefe in Christ Iesus any soule may be iustified The Law therfore but sendes to Christ and Christ castes none away that comes so vnto him The Law indeed was written in Adams heart teaching him to Doe and liue and he might haue done his workes and liued but conspiring with the Diuell against the holy rule of the Law the Law is so against Man execrating and cursing him whereby man is enforced to fly from himselfe to another and that is to Christ who with his armes readie to imbrace vs cryeth out Come vnto mee all you that be weary and laden and I will ease you Nor doth our wilfull Banckrupt estate lessen the debt owing to God for though we be vnable to satisfie the Law it is iust with him to call for satisfying the Law and to clap vs vp in Hell for Non-satisfaction Able we were set out of his handes the fault therefore in our selues and therewith let euery mouth be stopped But ô the free-mercie of God! that when we are become wilfully banckrupt he should prouide a meanes first for satisfying our debt secondly for raising vs vp to greater Glory The Satisfaction is the Death of Christ and our Exaltation is his Humiliation for hee became poore to make many rich Thus not our worke but his worke not our satisfaction but his satisfaction not our merit but his merit is cause and sole cause of our true happinesse Which is cause not onely that Augustine speaking of Grace as opposite to morall workes doth say Grace is no Grace except it be gratis which speach excludeth all merit of our part be our workes otherwise neuer so glorious but also enforceth Bellarmine after all his windinges and turninges to conclude the case of Iustification thus Notwithstanding namely all he had opposed before by reason of the vncertainty of our owne Righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glory meaning in a mans owne workes the safest of all is to repose our whole trust not in our owne workes but in the onely mercy and goodnesse of God So great is this trueth
ocio juxta Babylonem Bethlehemetica forsuan Rura suspas Nor can he in this speach be thought to take Rome for Babylon in respect of time passed alone but that it was such for the time present else why should Fabiola sigh after Bethleems fieldes againe Andreas Archbishop of Cesarea in Cappadoce sayth the same thus Vetus Roma in Canonica B. Petri Babylonis vocabuso designatur And Ansbertus hath this S. Iohn vocat Romam Babylonem illam secundam And so minded be diuers others Some take the mysticall Babylon opposite to Ierushalem onely for such an vniuersall corporation of Christians as liue not according to the Ghospell or more plainely for the Multitude of Reprobates So doth Haymo and others And indeed I vnderstand a trueth to be in both For as S. Iohn in Reuelation 17. doth depaint out Rome â— first by the 7 Hilles according to no other Citie and secondly by this that it then raigned ouer the Kinges of the Earth which then Rome did it being the Monarchicall Citie so likewise that City-fornicatrix he sayth sitteth vpon the Waters which he expoundeth to be people multitudes and nations and tongues that is Nations not of one language but of many So that howsoeuer that Citie be the principall Seate or Sea yet true it is also that Multitudes of people abroad euen of sundry languages are of the the same body and corporation And seeing that body is called an Harlot which tearme properly is giuen to such a one as hath defiled the Mariage bed by ioyning her selfe to a Strange flesh and such a one no Christian can be that shakes not of Fayth in Christ for betrothing it selfe to some humaine inuention it necessarily followeth that all such people doe make vp that fornicating Body as seeke their iustification with God by any other meanes then by Fayth in Christ onely Nor can it intende the spirituall fornication which Heathen haue with their Idols seeing that is no Mystery or Secret but this is as S. Paul and S. Iohn call it And a Mystery must this needes be to hold Christ Iesus the Sauiour and yet vnderhand to seeke saluation by their owne worke much like to some Harlot that will fight and contende for her Husband and yet sometimes steale aside and say with her in the Prouerbes Stole Bread is sweete Such is my iudgment of this mysticall Babylon called also an Harlot ¶ For the Beginning and continuance of this Babel the cause standeth thus Satan that taught Adam to neglect the Tree of life and so consequently the Sonne of God in whom our life is hid taught him also to seeke a life God-like in his owne worke opposite to Gods appoyntment Heere was the beginning of Babel that is in English of Corfusiâ— for herewith not onely all thinges in Man but also Earth and all things in it became Confused and out of Order Cain his eldest Sonne continued this worke opposite to our great Shem by seeking happinesse in the outward worke of Sacrifice without Fayth in Christ Iesus howsoeuer he would be thought to haue Fayth in the blessed Seed promised to his Father in Paradise To Cain succeded others in the same euill going an whoring after their owne inuentions till the Flood tooke them away After the Flood Cham and Câ—naan reare vp this mysticall Babel againe whom Shems people after subdued as Noah fore-prophecied But the Duell hauing broched this Wine once he leaues not off till he made many in the Iewish Church euen the strict Pharises that ages Puritanes to seeke iustification with God by the workes of the Law Our Sauiour comming in our Nature taught the people to seeke life in himselfe and the Apostles afterwards inculcate the same Ghospell but the Diuell still raysed some vp in the Christian Church that reuiued the Pharises doctrine as specially may appeare by the Apostles Epistle to the Gaâ—athians In fine the Church of Rome deuiseth a number of workes as Oblations Pilgrimages Censinges Deuotions to Images with a thousand the like in doing whereof the doers should be iustified euen ex opere â—â—orato by vertue of the outward worke wrought And to merit at Gods hands by such sleighty workes doing it was so toothsome to flesh and blood as the Kinges of the Nations did readily receiue it and they drinking of that cup their people followed till the Harlots cup of Abhominations made them generally drunken So this opposite Ghospell begun so it encreased and so Babylon was erected ¶ Now for the fall of it S. Iohn in Reuel 17. foretelleth that the former Kinges shall in time arise against the Harlot or Malignant Church wherevpon in chap. 18. he seeth Babeis fall How this is effected he telles in the 19 chapter when he attributes it there to him that rideth on the White horse whose names or titles be these The Word of God the King of Kinges and the Lord of Lordes And S. Paul to the Thessalonians calling the former Corporation a Man of Sinne a Sonne of Perdition a wicked Man because they be all one in an opposition to Christ and his free-grace he declares that the Lord shall consume him with the spirit of his mouth that is by the power of his Ghospell For as the rising was by propounding humaine Fables and leaden Legendes the Ghospell meane time wrapped vp in an vnknowen Tongue so the fall of it wil be by preaching Christes Ghospell in euery Tongue as vnto such purpose to the Apostles were giuen all sortes of Tongues And that the walles of Babel haue been a falling in these partes of the World euer since the time of our Wickliff vntill this hower and that by no sword of man but by the two edged Sword of Gods Word experience and the worke already wrought to Gods prayse will witnesse Tut say the Romanistes the Opposers haue been till now of very late yeares very few weake and simple I answere al the liker to be of God the work wrought to proceed from the power of God for so Christ did conquer the World the Foolish confounding the Wise and the Weake ouerturning the Strong Had our Churches been Reformed by the number and might of man we should not so easily haue seene the power of the Ghospell That therefore which they call our Shame we hold our Glory Decus non dedecus And that the walles of this Babylon will quickly fall flatte on the ground whereby the very Tower of their strength may be easily surprised these Reasons perswade mee 1. First diuers of the Kinges which were as their Bulwarkes are fallen vnto our side and S. Iohn sayth that the rest will follow 2. Secondly as their Tongues at the literall Babel were slit wherevpon that worke declyned so it is well knowne to them that haue conuersed inwardly with them they grow more more deuided in the language of Diuinitie So that Ferus Granatensis Pinâ—us and many able amongst them haue much vnuayled the