conscience that he hath done al he can possibly for our healing til which time no man may forsake another especially no christian forsake another and least of all a priuate man forsake a Church Fourthly and lastly if they will needes leaue our Church whither will they goe To leaue one thing for another no better is seely but for a worse is folly and madnes But they will say they leaue vs to take the better then shew me a better religion and a better Church then the Protestant Churches of Europe are and the religion amongst them You will not go to the Lutheranes for they you say are worse then we much lesse to the Papists for they apparantly are worst of all whither then wil you go to the Church of the Lowe-countries but they are of our confession wil you go to the Churches of France but they are of our confession will you goe to the Church of Geneua or the free Cities of the Empire but they are of our religion will you goe to the Church of Scotland to the Cantons of Switzerland to the States Princes of Germany but they are all of our confession and so professe themselues to bee q See the harmony of confessions Looke ouer all Christendom and you shall not finde a Church that condemneth ours nor any that is not of our religion nor any one but that professeth it self to be of the same confession with vs and not to differ from vs in any substantiall or fundamentall point Whither then will you go or what remaines for you to goe vnto but vnto your corners conuenticles where you are your owne caruers your owne Iudges your owne approuers but haue not one Church in Christendome to approue you So that then it remains it must either be graunted you that you are better then all others and that notwithstanding the Gospell preached thus long since the reuealing of Anti-christ there is not one true Church in the world but your selues or els you must grant that ther is no better Church for you to go vnto if you forsake vs. Therefore play the wise mens part forsake not our church til you can shew a better And tel vs not of France Scotland Geneua Zurick Basil c. for they be all ours and not yours they wil do all approue vs as a glorious Church and condemn you as factious and sohismatical And seeing you can finde none better all things considered haue none to fly to but your selues who are the parties now in question therfore no fit Iudges of the matter looke well about you and if vnaduized zeale haue caused this bitter separation then by your returne make vp that breach againe which by your reuolt you made in our Church Returne againe into the bosome of the Church aske pardon of that your Mother who brought you forth children of light Come ioyne with vs against the Papist the common enemy who by our diuision hath gotten ground vpon vs all Remember Peters answere when Christ asked the Apostles after so many fell from him what saith hee Will you also goe awaie Alas Master sayth Peter Whither shall wee goe thou hast the words of eternall life r Iohn 6. 61 So will you say if true humility and sauing grace possess you when your deere mother in whose wombe you were conceiued and with whose brests you haue bin fed shall ask you after so many reuolters to popery what Will you also goe away Alas whither should we goe from thee thou hast the words and thou hast the Sacraments of eternall life Yea malice it selfe cannot denie but wee haue them and he who gaue them vs grant we may long enioy them Amen And as for you my brethren Brethren I call you because I am sure we had both one mother look well about you and consider of the bitter effectes like to follow vpon this your separation remember that they will all lie heauy vpon you And do not say you are driuen out for if it be the Church if the words of eternal life be here nothing in the world ought to driue you from it Nay your separation was wilfull therefore let your return be voluntarie and til then esteem as basely and censure as sharpely of vs as you list but knowe that for this diuision of Ruben are great thoughts of heart s Iudg. 5. 15. The second sort of men whose practice is reprooued by this doctrine be such as refuse publicke places in the Church and common-wealth and retire themselues into priuate and discontented courses and will not bee employed for the publicke because they pretend the dayes are euil and many sores in our body incurable vnlesse there be other order taken for their healing To these men I would say but two words 1. Are the dayes euill the more need haue they to be amended by each ones helping hand And if wee have any wounds in Church or state more cause hath each one that loues the peace health of Ierusalem to indeuour the present healing therof least they fester and growe worse But secondly are the times euil Nay are they not made euill by thee at least are they not the worse for thee and thy sinnes Who can shew his face and say I haue committed no sins that may be in part a cause to bring downe the spirituall and corporall plagues that are amongst vs Then what are they that are so busie to complaine of the times and so slacke to complain of their sins But it is a trick of hypocrisie to be so eagle eied in prying into the illnesse of the times so blind and dull in considering his owne sinnes the cause of all that ill Thou contrariwise out of a holy and humbled heart confess that seeing thy sins haue made the times worse then els they would haue been therefore thou hast cause to endeuour for thy part to make them better Then set thy shoulder to the burthen and put thy neck to the yoke remembring that euen Babel it selfe is not to be forsaken till it be altogether incurable past al hope But being incurable as here the text saith shee is therfore saith the church Let vs forsake her And now Babell beeing forsaken of the Church what remains to be expected nothing but vēgeance and destruction For her iudgement is come vp vnto heauen c. The 4. point IN these words is laid down the last point namely what becomes of Babel when being incurable she is forsakē by the Church she is made ready for iudgement and destruction Here we may learne amongst many others two most worthy doctrines First what the wicked get by persecuting and banishing and seeking to root out Gods children surely euen nothing but the hastening of their owne destructiō The Babylonians cared not for the Israelites company but as soone as they were gone destruction came vpon Babel Whilst they stay the wicked are spared but when they are gone vengeance breakes
great Cardinall * This Cardinall was Iohannes de turre cremata as appears in the prefaces before the booke of the Reuelations of S. Brigit and other Commissioners approue and after suffred to be published to the world a booke in latine called The Reuelations of Saint Brigite Where it is dogmatically deliuered as a matter without question That Pope Gregory by his prayers lifted the heathen Emperour Traiane out of hell and another long afore whom they pretend also to bee theirs deliuereth it more amplie adding further that God answered the Pope thus I haue heard thy prayers and I grant mercie and pardon to Traiane but see that thou hereafter offer me no sacrifice for an vngodly man h From hence I offer them this argument to thinke on The true God neuer deliuered a damned soule out of hell but the Pope hath deliuered a soule out of hell therefore he◠hath done that that God neuer did not for ought that is reuealed euer vvill doe Heer is a foule wound but is this healed vp No 4 The 2. wound not healed this booke stands allowed by the the Pope and in his Catalogue of the bookes which hee forbids to bee read a Vide Indicē lib. prohib per Clem. 8. where many a learned and godly booke is condemned this is not toucht and therefore as Posseuine himselfe a Iesuite graunts b Posseuinus loco citato not two yeares agoe not onely the booke stands vncondemned but this foule blasphemie vncontrolled and to shewe that the head of Babylon namely the Pope is incurable let it be obserued that tho many particular learned Papists c Mel. Canus lib. 11. c. 2. Bellar de Purgat lib. 2. cap. 8. Blas Vieg in Apoc. c. 6. comment 3. sect 3. Baronius annal circa temp Traianj haue misliked and condemned it as farre as in them lyeth yet to this daie was it neuer condemned not the booke forbidden or amended by the Pope so vnwilling is Babylon to bee healed of her wounds Yea the Pope is so farre from healing it that contrariwise he suffred a Spanish Dominican Frier to defend it and that not in word but writing not priuatly but openly not in a corner of the World but to come to Rome within these fewe yeares and there euen to write and publish vnder his nose and by his authority and apology of this blasphemous fable ◠endeuouring to proue it by many arguments that Gregory did deliuer Traian out of hell d Alphonsus Ciaconus Thus tho it containe neuer so great an impietie against God yet because it tends to the magnifying of the Popes power and prerogatiue let as manie learned men as will speak against it it shall stand and be mayntayned so true it is that Babylon will not be healed of her deadliest woundes And wonder not tho I call them deadly for consider of these consequences The Pope deliuered a soule out of hell Therfore he did that which God neuer did Againe therfore there may be redemption out of hel Again therefore the Popes prayers did that which Christs prayers neuer did againe Christ sayth I pray not for the world * Ioh. 17. The world that is for the wicked damned the Pope sayth but I do Ergo the Popes pittie and charitie is more then Christs Alas alas is Rome the holy Church and sees not these blemishes Is she the liuing Church and feels not these wounds nay rather is she not that Babylon that will not be healed But to conclude all this is the worse because hee hath razed out many sentences and passages out of many Authors wherein he thought himselfe and his seat to be wronged * Ludou viues Ferus Erasmus Stella Oleaster Espencaeus and infinite others but this that so highly dishonoreth God himself he can patiently suffer but had he been as zealous of Gods glory as carefull of his own then he that forbids Espencaeus his commentaries on Titus til they be purged and the book called Onus Ecclesiae absolutely without any limitatiō because they touch his freehold too neere would also haue forbidden the Reuelation of S. Bridgit til this foule blasphemie had beene purged out which seeing he hath so carelesly and wilfully neglected tho his Catalogue of forbidden bookes hath so often been renued * It was first made by Pius 4. and so since cōtinued renued augmented till Clement the 8. it appears what an vnworthy Vicar of God hee is who looks only to himself but suffers his master to be dishonored before his face Therefore Arise O Lord maintaine thine owne cause Well then seeing this wound is incurable let vs leaue it rankling and come to another The third Wounde SOme 120. yeares agoe an Italian Frier wittie and learned as the most in those dayes a principall Preacher and as famous in his time as Mussus or Panegirola in these latter by name Bernardinus de busto * Bernard de busto Marial par 3. ser. 3. pa◠96. editionis Lugd. anni 517 preached this doctrine publikely after wrote it and sent it to Alexander the 6. and vnder his name published it That God hath diuided his kingdome with the Virgin Marie 5 The 3. wound God hath diuided his kingdom with the Virgine Mary And that a man may appeale from Gods iustice to the mercy of the Virgin Mary because God hath kept iustice to himself but committed his mercy to his Mother ◠The impiety is so execrable seems so incredible that I will put downe the words out of the booke it selfe as it was dedicated to the Pope A man may appeale to the Virgin Mary not only from a Tyrant and from the diuell but euen from God himself Namely when he feels himself grieued or oppressed of Gods iustice which was signified in the 5. of Ester where it is sayde that when king Assuerus was angry at the Iewes Queene Ester came in to please pacify him to whom the king answered whatsoeuer thou askest me tho it be the half of my kingdom I wil giue it thee Now this Empress prefigured the Empress of heauen with whome God hath diuided his kingdom For whereas God hath iustice mercy He hath reserued Iustice to himself to be exercised in this world and hath granted mercy to his Mother therfore if any man finde himselfe agrieued in the court of Gods Iustice let him appeal to the Court of the mercy of his mother What is this we heare do there lie appeales from God and from God to a creature Is Gods iustice such as a man may iustly be agrieued at it further is Gods kingdom diuisible and hath God indeed diuided his kingdome and diuided it with a creature yea with a woman and hath God granted his mercy from himself to a creature we may say with the Prophet Oh heauens be astonied at this and let all Christian hearts tremble to heare such blasphemies and yet these be good doctrines in
c. Therefore not so much to cleere my selfe as to honor the trueth and to shew that it is no tricke nor policie of our State as it is in poperie h â—â—ook was printed in english in the colledge at Rome wherein it is affirmed that wee take catholicks draw vpoÌ„ their legs bootes full of hot boiling liquor vpoÌ„ their feet hot burning â—hooes do put them into Bears skins cast theÌ„ to the dogs to be puld in peeces all this and many such other set down in pictures Feuardent a famous Frier yet liuing at Paris wrote in latine 7. yeares ago that we reuile and reiect that praier to the holy Trinitie Sancta Trinitias 〈◊〉 Deusâ— misercre nobis Thus writes hee in his CommeÌ„t on 1. Pet. cap. 1. What will not he say that daie say thisâ— for all our common praier-books now and those in Q. Elizabeths K. Edwards times do testâ—fieâ— the contrary Gretserus a sesuâ—â—e was suffered to write within these 2. yeares that we rackt and tortured Garnet euen neere to death to make him confesse himself guilty of the powder treason but hee did not so wee hauing no proof haÌ„gd him onely for being a Priest and not for it And that OueÌ„ his man was puld in peeces on the racke and when wee had so killed him then wee gaue out hee had killd himselfe with a knife But for the 1. wee appeale to publike records the worlds knowledge for the second there yet liue witnesses whose eies saw the woundes and bloudy knife and whose eares heard him freely and penitently confesse hee did it with that knife to escape the racâ— which he said he feared but had neuer tasted to set vp men with authoritie to raile and licence to lie thereby to make our enemies odious I haue beene induced to publish what was said and to iustifie out of their owne records what was affirmed of them namely that the deadly wounds found to be in that diseased body of Poperie many ages agoe remaine rotting rankling and vnhealed euen to this day This I demonstrate in 20. or more particulars Concerning all which wounds if they be true as I haue laide them downe and being true if yet they bee not healed then I hope your Highness and al Christian Princes may cleerely see that seeing she is past hope of reformation there remains no more but that she is ripe for vengeaÌ„ce destruction Which as that Whore of Babylon hath so long deserued So God will put power into the hand and zeale into the hearts of our mighty King noble Prince to reward her as she hath serued 〈◊〉 to giue her double for all her iniquities that so all the Kings Princes of the Christian world may rouze vp themselues take example at the King Prince of great Britaine to hate the whore and make her desolate â—are her flesh and burne her with fire and that aâ—l nations who haue stood amazed hitherto at the patience and long suffering may now reioice and admire to see the zeale courage constancy of our kingly Dauid and princely Salomon The King of Kings blesse this king and prince and the blessed Father for his blessed Sonnes sake double and trebble the graces and blessings of the blessed Spirit both vpon the father and the sonne whereunto I am sure all good subiects at home and all true Christians in the world will say Amen With Magna est veritas praeualet Your Highnesse humble and deuoted seruant WILLIAM CRASHAWE To the Christian Reader whosoeuer be he a true Catholicke or a Romish TO preuent all misconceits that might arise vpon the so late comming forth of this Sermon so many weekes expected I desire thee good Reader be satisfied that the cause thereof was a long vnlooked for iourney And now that you haue it let mee desire all men in the reading and iudging thereof to deale with that ingenuity and sincerity as I haue indeuoured in the writing of it My conscience speakes for me I haue forged no new Author I haue falsified none I haue corrupted none I haue to my knowledge misalledged none I haue taken no proofe vpon bare report nor haue I produced our men to proue what I lay against them nor is there one quotation of any Author of theirs which I haue not diligently perused afore-hand and the whole scope of the place If any should think of answere I desire him let passe all personall rayling and by-matters and come directly to the points in issue which be these 1 Whether the Church of Rome teach practice in these xx or xxi points as I haue charged her withall or no. 2 If she do whether they be healed of these wounds as yet or no. 3 If she be not then how she can be the true Church which is so wounded and will not be healed If they do not teach and practise so I will yeeld the Cause And hee that can shew mee that either she is healed since or beeing not healed how she can bee the true Church I shall willingly hear him thank him I desire al that professe theÌ„selues papists or their fauourers not to be so wilfull as to condemne what they know not but only to giue it reading then iudge as they see cause Wright in his Articles layeth to our charge manie strange Paradoxes as that we are all Atheists and Infidels by our doctrine that wee are bound by our doctrine to doe no good workes many such And Kellison in his Survaie thrusts vpon vs that wee deny Christ to bee the only Sauiour and Iudge of quick dead and many such abhominations all which we renounce and detest yet do what we can wee must haue them laid vpon vs and our writers teachers haue their speeches wrung and wrested beyond their meaning to make theÌ„ sound that way I dare appeale to the iudgement of Gods Church and al iudicious Readers heereof that I haue not done so with them nor taken vantage of their words wheÌ„ it 's apparant they meant otherwise but charged them only with such points of doctrine practice as theÌ„selues cannot deny but to be their own that not of one or two but for the most part generally receiu'd CoÌ„meÌ„ding it to thy reading my selfe to thy praiers I leaue vs all to Gods blessing At the Temple May 21. 1608. Thy brother in the Lord W. Crashawe The Names of the Popish Authors produced in this Treatise together with the impressions heere vsed A. AQuinatis summa Ven. 509 Idem Antuerp 85. Fr. Agricola de verbo dei c. Leod. 97. 8 Cor. Agrippa de vanitate scient B. BReuiariuÌ„ Romanum vetust Idem 93. 4. Bernardini de Busto Manuale Lugd. 511 4. Idem Colon. 607. 4. Bellarmini opera Ingolst 601. fol. Bernardi Morlanensis poemata 607. 8 Brigittae reuelationes 517. Nuremb fol Bonauenturae opera Romae Cl. Bonarscij Amphitheatrum honoris c. 605. 4
you speake of yet do they not come neere the heart they be not deadly they may blemish the beautie but indanger not the life of our Church The Churches of Corinth and Galatia had other kind of blemishes then ours hath blessed be God Corinth doubted or erred in the great article of the Resurrection 1. Cor. 15. The Galathians erred fouly in the high and maine point of Iustification and yet Corinth a Church of God sanctified in Christ Iesus 1. Corinth ◠2. And Galatia though almost remoued to another Gospell Galathians 1. 6. yet not withstanding a Church for all that Galat. 1. 2. And if you will adde to these fundamentall errours in doctrine corruptions in manners and disorders in Gods seruice you can with no shewe of truth lay such to the charge of our Church as is apparant were rise in the Church of Corinth and then shall Corinth bee a Church and not England Let the Lord bee Iudge betwixt you and vs. Therefore if wee should grant vnto you that our Church were blemished or wounded yet not beeing deadly wounded your separation from vs is schismaticall and vniust and more hardly deale you with our Church then did Gods Church euen with Babell who forsooke her not till she was deadly wounded and past life To conclude if Israel might not forsake Babel till then then what are you that dare forsake a Church of God wherein yee haue found God if euer ye found him yet and wherin the diuell himselfe cannot shew one deadly wound Blessed be the Lord that hath so healed vs. Secondly seeing they say that we are wounded but as for thēselues they be healed therefore they must separate and so keep the sound from the sicke I aske them this question Are they healed then where were they healed where were they called where were they regenerat begotten to Christ was it not in the wombe of this our Church by meanes of the immortall seede of Gods word that is daily sowen in our Church and by the ministry of those men that were called by our Church and yet cleaue to our Church mourn for their separatiō by the deaw of that blessing frō aboue which is dayly poured vppon our assemblies from Gods merciful right hand Then how can they deny that to bee a true Church a holy Church a Church of God wherein ordinarily men are called and brought to God And how vnthankfull and vndutifull are they to their spirituall mother to forsake her and cast the dust of contempt in her face that bore them in her womb and brought them forth the sons of God To auoid this what can they say but one of these two things either that there is indeed a true ministery of the word amongst vs but it is not powerfull to any but thēselues that we haue the word truly preached and so as it may conuert a man but it is not the sauour of life to anie but such as come into their couenant but from this horrible and hellish pride good Lord deliuer them or els let them bee assured such a height of pride is sure to haue a feareful fall Or if not this then must they say that they were not called in our Church but since they left vs But they haue bard themselues already from that plea. For it beeing obiected to them that they haue left our Church not out of conscience but out of carnall discontents and vpon fleshly reasons and worldly grounds they all stoutly answer and stifly stand to it that they do it not vpō any such groūds not for any reasons of flesh bloud but meerly and only out of conscience and for their saluation and that gladly they would haue staied but with a good conscience they could not If this be true then they had conscience before they left vs then where came they to that conscience and care of their saluation but in our Church Now a good conscience cannot bee seuered from regeneration and an effectuall calling therefore they cannot deny but they were regenerate and called in our Church vnless they wil say they had no conscience when they forsooke vs which if they doe then I will yeeld that my question is answered If they grant they were called afore they went and that stil they who fall from vs to them are called then how can that be but a true Church wherin by their own confessiō men are ordinarily begottē to God how can that be but a lawful holy ministery which brings men to saluation therefore vpon their own grounds they haue no iust cause to leaue vs. For that Church and Ministry that brings a man to grace and to faith is able to bring him to glory saluation and that which is able effectually to begin is able effectually to finish the good work of God in any man Thirdly if they be healed and we still deadly woūded then I ask them How haue they sought and sufficiently endeuoured our healing and till they haue done al that possibly can be done for our healing how dare they forsake vs For if the Israelites might not forsake Babel til then shall they forsake vs afore they haue put all meanes to the farthest if they be healed already why doe they not more seriously labour the healing of others They cannot but knowe there be many in our Church curable inough if they coulde shew them to need their healing why then doe not they stay amongst vs to heale and helpe vs He is no good Physician that flies and forsakes his Patient they therefore if they be healers and would heale vs as they pretend why do they not stay with vs shew vs our wounds and apply the meanes to heale vs But contrariwise they forsake vs and runne into corners and raile on vs and call vs Babylon Antichristian and the synagogue of the wicked that we are no church and Christ is not amongst vs. Are these the plaisters with which you wil heale vs is this the way to heale to make wounds wider and deeper then indeede they be Hee is a pittifull Physician that makes his Patient worse then he findes him but he is not tolerable that makes him worse then indeed he is or wil make him belieue he is heart sicke and deadly when his finger aketh They alledge persecution and that therefore they cannot stay with vs but are constrained to leaue vs but assuredly were it true that they say that wee were deadly wounded and they able to heale vs then seeing they cannot say that all amongst vs are incurable they would care for no danger that could befall their bodies so that they might heale our soules and gaine them to God Therfore I conclude that if we would grant them their owne grounds that they are as good as they pretend to be and wee as ill as they would make vs yet notwithstanding their separation is vnchristian because its certaine none of them can haue assured testimony to his
what followed after all this Was there any reformation in the Romish Church were any of the euills and diseases confessed by Adrian redressed I had rather Espencaeus their owne Bishop should tel then I which because he doth very largely I will contract it into a compendium and hope that some will take paines to put all that wise and learned discourse of his into our vulgar tongue the rather for that it containeth much matter of greate moment and yet not vulgarly knowne to this daie Meane time the effect of it is this f Legatur Espencaeus in Comment ad Titum cap. 1. à pag. 65. ad 91. That after all Christendome had complained of the enormous and intolerable grieuances sustained from the Pope and his Court of Rome al which and more the good pope Adrian had confessed but was taken away lest hee had redressed and after at their motion hee had intended a Councell should be called for reformation all this determined by his death His successor Clement the 7. was not so idle to hearken to such toyes nor giue way to such innouations hee would haue no Councell hee saw no cause of reformation But from his successor Paul the 3. plaine necessity did wring out an vnwilling consent and so after many difficulties the Councell of Trent was called wherein first of all this point of reformation was so vrged that a Committee was chosen of nine principall Diuines some of them Cardinalls to consider what reformation was requisite in the Church Who after mature deliberation plainely told the pope that all these euills proceeded from the abuses raigning in the Court of Rome and concluding something for reformation of pluralities one onely abuse the pope did so interpret it and alter it when it came to him as it did no good but hurt He then dying and the Councell being intermitted was set on foot againe by his successor Iulius the 3. who also confessed there were innumerable abuses in administring the Sacraments but when it came to reforme them instead thereof hee suspended the Councell though many Bishops that desired reformation did protest against it affirming confidently that they had not as yet dispatched one of the businesses for which they had assembled but the pope preuailed and so for tenne yeeres it was discontinued And at last being again assembled by Pius the fourth he made shew he would referre the whole matter of reformation to the Fathers of the Councell but when it came to trial it was with a prouiso that First they should not meddle with the Court of Rome Secondly that in their reformation laid vpon other persons and places they should alwaies enact it thus Sauing alwaies holy and vntouched the Authority of the Apostolicall Sea for which their courtesie to him and his seate hee afterward gaue them thanks in an Oraâ—ion in the Consistory at Rome assuring them out it was in the worde of a Pope that he would bee more rigide and seuere in purging his owne Court and house and offices then they would haue beene With these good words the pope dissolued the Councell But froÌ„ that day to this saith this Bishop through these so many yeeres nothing is done nothing is changed nothing is amended in the Church and no maruell saith hee for nothing haue they amended in Rome vnder their owne nose where they might reforme any thing if they had conscience and will to doe it So that now seeing all is finally referred and reserued to the Pope there is saith hee no more hope of anie reformation left nor any thing else remaines but to see one miserie after another fall vpon the Apostolicall seate and the whole Church of Rome to which let all good Christians say Amen These and many more words to this purpose hath this wise and learned Bishop Out of all which I conclude Therefore 30. or 40. yeeres agoe in the daies of Espencaeus the Church of Rome beeing found and confessed to be most fearefully corrupt is not healed noâ— reformed nay that al hope of reformaâ—n is now taken awaie Since which time I shall thanke him that will shewe mee that there hath beene any publike and generall reformation of the notorious abuses in that Church prouided hee prooue it out of as good records For as for the third point I haue vndertaken namely that in steade of beeing healed reformed there haue contrariwise growne vp in the Romish Church more horrible and hainous practises more erroneous impious doctrines then euer before were knowne or heard of and at this day stand maintainedâ— at least vnreproued by their church This I' say I must bee constrained to refer to a peculiar Treatise by it selfe and with as faire euidence as I haue done the contrary Which as I should reioice in my heart once to behold so till then I must needes with griefe of heart conclude that The Romish Church is that Babylon that will not bee healed And wil she not what then remaines but as our text leades vs Let vs forsake her But how not in loue or affection let vs neuer cease to wish to her as to our owne soules nor let vs cease to pray for her publikely and priuately yea let vs blesse her when she curseth vs. But let vs as we haue well begun proceed to separate our selues from her society and empty our Church and kingdome of her and hers And if they say we be schismatiks for separating from her we answere nay she is the schismatike that hath separated herselfe from Christ. Now therefore you honourable Magistrates and Iudges of this nation set your shoulders to the work of your God rouse vp your spirits to execute the good lawes your selues and your forefathers haue enacted our lawes are enow and good enough they want nothing but execution and that belongs to you vnto which dutie wee of the Ministery doe exhort you in the Lord execute our lawes against them yet rather against poperie then the papists remember the blessed promise in the Psalme though it was spoken of literal BabyloÌ„ Psal. 137. 8. 9. it hath a mystical true relation to spirituall Babylon O daughter of Babylon worthy to be destroied happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast serued vs yea blessed shal he be that taketh thy yong children and dasheth them against the stones Oh pull this blessing on your heads kill her infants that is her errors impieties superstitions blasphemies idolatries equiuocations treasons c. these be her Impes her naturall brood but now they are of more age grown to greatnesse the more daunger is there of them and more cause to kil them which if you doe with diligence discretion you see you draw a blessing from heauen vpon your selues If you doe not you do for a time maintain pricks in your eyes and thornes in your sides and your negligence will prouoke the great iust Lord to take the matteâ— into his owne hands which as hee hath
State honoured shall bee by these miserâ—ants thus dishonoured and that not on the stage â—nely but euen in print Oh what times are wee east into that such a wickednesse should passe vnpunishedâ— I speake nothing of their continuall profanenesse in their phrases and sometime Atheisme and blasphemie noâ— of their continuall profaning of the Sabbath which generally in the country is their play day and oftentimes Gods diuine seruice hindred or cut shorter to make roome and giue time for the diuels seruice Are they thus incurable then happy hee that puts to his hand to pull downe this tower of Babell this daughter of confusion happy he that helpes to heale this wound in our State but most happy that Magistrate who like zealous Phinâ—hes takes some iust vengeance on that publike dishonor laid vpon our Churches But if wee bee negligent in this cause of God then he himselfe will take the matter into his owne hand whose Church whose religion whose holy ordinances and most holy name are dayly profaned by them for as their iniquities are hainous and their blasphemies against heauen so doubtlesse their iudgement is gone vp vnto heauen and lifted vp vnto the cloudes So wishing their repentance I proceed 3. The horrible abuse of the Sabbath day in this citie and ouer this kingdome in some places by Faires and Markets by May-games and Moricedancers by Wakes and Feasts in all places almost by buying and selling and bargaining in this citie by cariages in and out by selling betimes in the morning and after dinner by playing in the streetes and in the fields Oft hath this bin complained of and some haue endeuoured to heale it but it is an Impe of Babylon that will not be healed but rather it creepes as a canker thorow our whole State from the foote to the head But let vs take heed for it will eare out the heart and life of a State Ierem. 17. euen this one sinne Did not our Fathers thus saith noble Nehemiah and therfore God brought all this euill vpon vs Nehem. vlt. See captiuity destruction and desolation of a goodly and flourishing setled kingdome for the publike profaning of the Sabbath O therefore happy hee that puts to his helping hands to heale this wound which yet is cureable enough if wee would doe our duties for the Commandement is thou and all within thy gates The fourth Commandement Keepe my Sabbath Now who is there within this Realme but is within the gates of the Kings house who within this Citie but within the gates of the Lord Maior who any where but is of some mans family within some mans gates If then Fathers and Magistrates would looke to all within their gates this sinne could not bee so grieuous this wound not so wide and desperate as it is Therefore you my Lord Maior bee exhorted to attempt the healing of this wound in your yeare set before your eyes the noble example of worthy Nehemiah Nehem. vlt. it will excite you to this holy dutie and then at the end of your yeare you may with the comfort of a good conscience say with him Remember mee O my God in goodnesse Nehem. vlt. 1â— according to all that I haue done for this people But if we still neglect this cause of God and suffer his Sabbath daily thus to bee profaned then let vs looke for nothing but continuance and increase of these grieuous plagues that haue so long lien vppon vs and let vs be assured God will take the matter into his owne hands and some way or other get himselfe glorie vpon vs. For hee will lose his honour at no mans hand but whosoeuer will not glorifie him in his conuersion hee will glorifie his owne name vpon him in his confusion Which heauie iudgement that God may turne from vs let vs turne to him c. FINIS