by the Angels of God I meane those that are Ministers of Gods Justice and approve this testimony as authenticall they acknowledge this a righteous judgement of God as he that is was and shall be alway one and the same Thus he was wont to carry it and thus he doth still In old time if a man played the false Prophet and suggested such devices as these the Lord judged him to death this was his manner And so in the New Testament as in the Old he condemnes all such to death and he is most righteous in so doing This is the summe It was a great while before this though not full two thousand yeares when Zachary prophesyed that God would cut off the false Prophet in the 13. Zach. 2 3. and if there were any false Prophet should arise his father and mother should thrust him through because he spake lyes in the name of the God of truth he should not live And they speak not of his Typicall death that is of his death by Church censure or banishment which have a kind of death in them but they speak of such a death as that he was not worthy to live To cast a lye upon the God of Truth the Oracle of Truth But long before Zachary this was an ancient law of Moses in the 13. Deut. this was a law that false Prophets they that turned Religion to the blood of a dead man that did fundamentally pervert Religion they should not live And minde the reason that God gives here partly in this text and partly in other Scriptures It is taken from the hainousnesse of blasphemy in the 24. Lev. Reas 1 16. He that blasphemeth the name of God shall surely be put to death Every blasphemer shall be put to death Now we cannot excuse Popish Priests and Jesuites from grosse blasphemy they that are acquainted with the Ladies Psalter and Orysons made to her cannot but acknowledg sundry blasphemous speeches in it they make their Prayers to the Virgin Mary that shee would request her father and command her Sonne and that by the power of a mothers right to forgive their sinne which if this be not blasphemy I confesse I know not what is and in a high degree unlesse they should say he were no God at all and that falls not far short of it to set a creature above God and yet this is allowed as good devotion in the Church of Rome It is true if a man blaspheme out of ignorance as Paul did in the 1 Tim. 1.13 or if a man blaspheme unwillingly as he did unwittingly not knowing what he did and he did compell some to blaspheme Act. 26.11 why if he compell them to Blaspheme those that are compelled they doe it unwillingly but if men wittingly blaspheme knowing what they do knowing Jesus is God as well as man and hath power to forgive sins as he is God and know the Virgin Mary hath neede of a Saviour as all the daughters of men have that they shall put upon her the power to command her Sonne to forgive sinnes this is such blasphemy that hee that will stand to it let him die the death his blood shall bee upon him If high treason against Princes on earth may justly be punished by death verily this is as dishonourable to the Lord of Heaven and Prince of all the Princes of the earth Reas 2 A second reason is taken from the point of seducement As all blasphemous heretiques so seducing heretiques are to be put to death In that respect that whole 13. of Deut. is spent about the seducing of false prophets and he puts a threefold gradation If he be a Prophet therefore though never so seemingly holy by his place and gifts yet if he turn you away from the Lord your God and draw you from the wayes of God what then thine eye shall not spare him he shall surely be put to death from the 1. ver to 5. from the 6. ver to 11. he will have no neerenesse of blood to hinder from due execution of Iustice but if it be thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thy daughter or the wife of th bosome or thy friend which is as thy own soule that shall goe about to seduce thee secretly saying let us goe and serve other Gods which thou hast not known thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him thine eye shall not spare him neither shalt thou conceale him but thou shalt surely kill him thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death c. from the 12. ver to the end If there be never so many that shall joyn if a whole City shall joyn together in such a course thou shalt rise against and destroy the City and burne it with fire and leave not a stone upon a stone which shall not be thrown down in utter detestation of that wickednesse And he gives a notable reason for it why a seducer should be thus dealt withall because saith he he seekes to turne thee away from thy way and to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God to turne thee off either by deceit or to thrust thee off by eanest perswasions and therefore lest you should think these false prophets faile onely in the object of worship and not in manner of worshipping therefore consider in the 22. Iosh when the two tribes and a halfe set up an Altar by Iordan although they thought not they would bring in another object of worship but another manner of worship here is but another way of worship whether mediation or satisfaction of Gods wrath devised the whole ten Tribes rise up and send a sufficient Company or Troop of Militarie men to goe and expostulate with them and know whether it were true and either they would reclaime them from it by argument or make warre against them and they had cut off two Tribes and an halfe if they had found another Altar for worship Now he that sets up another Mediator or Mediation Saint or Angel he sets up as great a matter as another Altar or he that brings in other mens merits he brings in another Altar Therefore by the ancient Lawes of that unchangeable God that thought it unsufferable in those dayes he thinks it unsufferable now that Priests and Jesuites should bring in other Altars other Mediations and Mediators as Prayers of Saints and Angels the Lord looks at it as deeply meritorious of a bloudy death as in former times He is the same God and his zeale and jealousie is deeply provoked against the like kind of viciousnesse now as ever it was then That is a second Argument And yet in point of seducement this I will say that if a man upon conviction shall see the wickednesse of his way and humble his soule before God and give satisfaction to the Church and State where he shall be convinced on such conviction and repentance we find liberty to pardon but yet stigmatize him as in the 13. of Zach.
but let us further consider how it commeth to passe that the first of these Angels poureth out his Viall upon the earth and the rest upon other things yet they aâ—l have a Commission to poure out the Vials of the wrath of God upon the earth For the opening of this difficulty which else might exercise some we must know that in this Prophecie sometimes earth is opposed to Heaven and then as by Heaven is meant the pure Church as Revel 4.1 12.1 So by Earth is meant an earthly and corrupt Church Sometimes also by Heaven is meant a corrupt state of Religion wherein heavenly and divine honour is given to Satan or Idols as Revel 12.3.7 Againe sometimes Earth is opposed not unto Heaven but unto some other Element in the World and so is it in this Chap. The first Angel poureth forth his Viall upon the Earth the second poureth his Viall on the Sea c. So then in this case the Earth is to be understood in a double sense In generall of the Antichristian state or world Vers 1. And in the Antichristian World they have some things that represent the Earth and some things the Sea and some things represent the Sunne of that World and some things represent that Ayre of that world therefore in the particular execution of this Commission When the first Angel poureth out his Viall upon the Earth it is upon the lowest and basest Element in the Antichristian world and that can bee no other but the lowest sort of vulgar Catholiks and they were the first that had the wrath of God pour'd upon them which did afterwards arise higher to the Sea and then to the Fountaines and Rivers of water then to the Sunne then to the throne of the Beast then to the River Euphrates and last of all to the Ayre and in all these doth the wrath of God ascend higher and higher as may afterwards more clearely appeare The first Angel went and poure out his Viall upon the earth This first Angel must be these first sort of Gods Messengers that did poure out some wrath upon Common Catholikes And doubtlesse such wrath it was as being poured out did worke a Noysome and grievous sore upon them that worshipped the Beast and his Image as the Text expresseth They that had the Mark of the Beast you heard before out of the 13. Chapt. are such as receive some indeliable Character of the Beast such are their Secular or Regular Priests and all that receive religious Orders from the Church of Rome Who then are they that worship his Image The Jmage of the first Beast you know is all Nationall and Diocesan and Provinciall Churches and they that rule them are the Image of the second Beast So then they that worship the Image of the Beast be such as are devoted to the Canons of Popish Churches who drink them up and receive them as Articles of their Faith these are all afflicted with a noisome and grievous sore by the pouring out of this first Viall For those who did poure it out they were such as did convince them of the Damnable estate of a Catholike and taught them that by their Religion they could go not beyond a Reprobate and this was the common practise of the Martyrs of Iesus Christ in Queene Maries time in Edward the sixth and in Henry the eight's time who discovered unto you that all their Religion was but the worship of God after the devises of men even Will-worship such as they were led into by the Man of Sinne who being himselfe blinde leadeth those that are blinde and both fall into the ditch those that thus discovered the unsoundnesse of the Religion of these Catholikes who before seemed to be good Church-men and good House-keepers and good Christmas-keepers they were the men that poured out this first Viall upon the earth And upon this their discovery there fell a noysome and grieveous sore upon their Catholike Priests who had borne the common sort in hand That Ignorance was the mother of Devotion and such ignorant Devotion was the way of Salvation when they see that all their People who were heretofore their honest and good Neighbours full of benevolence towards them were now informed that they lay under a state of deepe Damnation it was an eye-sore to their Catholike Priests and all of that Religious Order a double sore fell upon them First a sore of envy and malice against all the Martyrs of Christ and all that sought for Reformation of Religion against whom their spirits were so strongly embittered that happy was he that could bring Fire and Faggot to execute vengeance upon them that did discover the state of the common sort of Catholikes to be so dangerous It was a publike speech of Henry the eight when he sate in Parliament Complaining of the stirs that were made about Religion There are many saith he that are too busie with their new Sumpsimus meaning those that clave to that which he counted the new Religion though withall others he taxed who doated as he said not amisse much upon their old Mâ—mpsimus The new Religion though true Hee and they all envied the Old though his owne he despised Secondly there was a noysome loathsomenesse discovered by these true Witnesses and Martyrs of Christ unto the people Whereby they began to see that the common sort of their Religious Orders were full of Idlenesse of Ignorance of Covetousnes of Pride and of Hypocrysie and that they had laid such a foundation of Religion as was not Iesus Christ the true Foundation but had indeed reared up an Antichristian Religion whereof as it is said Isai 28.19 it shall be a vexation to heare the Report A grievous malignant ulcer it was and the more they stirred in it the more they were vexed And this let me further adde for open ng the words it is an allusion to that noysome sore of Egypt that fell upon the Common sort of the people and upon the Magitians also Exod. 9.11 So that they could not stand before Moses and so it was here these noisome sores of which wee have spoken did so fall upon the common sort of Catholikes and upon their common Religious Orders that they fell before the Angell that poured out this Viall as Dagon before the Arke Thus you see meaning of these words Now for the Notes that arise from them You may observe that Chap. 15 7. One of the foure Beasts gave unto the seven Angels Seven golden Viols full of the wrath of God but they went not then to poure them out untill they heare a great voice out of the Temple and now they goe So that the Doctrine in the first place to be observed is this Doct. 1 Though the counsell and instruction and advise of a Church-Officer may be a good invitement and inducement and preparative unto a Calling yet it is the mighty Voice of Christ specially in Publike Ordinances that Effectually stirreth up a man to the execution
a man from Publike Ordinances and cause him to sleight them then ever looke at it as a manifest delusion for every dispensation of God doth but enkindle a more earnest longing that the Lord should confirme the same by his broad Letters Patents the Publicke Word and Sacraments in the Church Yea so farre doe the Saints of God stand hereupon that whatsoever is in private onely brought unto them to beleeve they will finde much adoe to rest satisfied in it untill they see it confirmed in publike also As when men have any speciall grant from their Prince and have it confirmed by the Privy Seale they will not rest therwith but will go to the Lord Keeper for the Broad Seale to confirme what was before Sealed to them though either of them apart be sure yet both joyned together will make it more sure Shall men be so carefull for this world and for temporall Patrimonies and shall Christians take up every motion in private and sleight publicke Ordinances Be not deceived whatsoever is brought unto you by the spirit of God in private Will cause you to seeke for more cleare evidence from his loud voice in Publike where his voice goeth on more strongly and powerfully convincing the Conscience and breaking downe all Temptations and discouragements that might hinder the comfort of Gods people The use in the 2. place serveth to reflect a iust reprofe therfore Vse 2 upon any that shall despise or neglect the Publike ordinances of God in the Church for you see here that what is confirmed in the whole Church is the great voyce of God and that without contradiction to the holy Saints and Angels if therefore the Publick ordinances be vndermined and borne witnesse against by any that commeth not from the spirit of these Angels but from some evill roote in the hearts of the sonnes and daughters of men the report of which is a vexation of spirit to heare thereof Thus much for the first note Goe poure out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth And the first Angel went and poured out his viall vpon the Earth c. Here is a world you see discribed having an earth and sea and rivers and fountaines and sunne and aire and they all belong unto the Beast and therefore the first Viall is poured upon them that had the marke of the Beast and the last brought in the fall of Babilon So that from first to last they are the judgments of God vpon the Roman Antichristian state as sixe of the seaven seales brought in judgements upon the Pagan Romane world and the seven Trumpets his Iudgements upon the Christian world as they were ruled by Christian Emperours so are the seven last Vials powred out upon the Antichristian world From hence therefore you may note thus much Doct. 2 That the whole antichristian world or state is but earthly and not heavenly For all these Angels are commanded to poure the vials of the wrath of God vpon the earth and they went not beyond their commission in pouring them upon the sea and Rivers and fountains and vpon the sunne and upon the throne of the Beast and the River Euphrates and the Aire whereby the Holy Ghost holdeth forth vnto us that all these are but earthly the sea is but earthly the fountaines and rivers earthly their sunne an earthly sunne and the throne earthly c. And though it is true as some say poure out any iudgement upon any element and the earth fareth the worse for it yet take the description of the Holy Ghost as it is plaine and it intendeth the antichristian world alone They are of the world therefore they speake of the world and the world heareth them 1 Ioh. 4 5. And he that is of the earth speaketh of the Earth Ioh. 3.31 And so also are all their ordinances earthly Reas 1 The first Reason is taken from the efficient cause of all their frame and state which is but from the Earth all their Doctrine worship and government so farre as it is Antichristian is but humane if not divellish Rev. 13.18 The whole number of the Beast whatsoever is numbred to belong unto him is but the number of a Man humane inventions and will-wisedome men will have it so and this is the Summe of all Popish Religion Reas 2 As the whole frame of their Religion commeth from the earth so doeth it tend to the earth againe for where doth all drive at but the maintenance of an earthly Pompious stately Prelacy nothing in the world but devices to get money they are full of covetousness and ambition both which what are they but an open doore to their earthly libertie these are sensuall saith Iude ver 19. not having the spirit There is nothing spirituall in all their orders nor in their pleasant sights sweet smells delightfull musique and many goodly Feasts they have and what are they but to please the tasts of men and all their carved and painted stocks and stones their goodly Images what doe they but please mens fancies And This you shall finde in the third place that their best devotions Reason 3 doe but leave a man in an earthly and carnall estate and therefore the Holy Ghost speaketh boldly Rev. 13.8 That all that worship the Beast their names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world There is not a man of them that knowing and beleeving no more then what he hath from the Beast can be saved therefore they thought not amisse who have written that a Papist by his Religion cannot goe beyond a Reprobate so then whatsoever is meant by these things in the antichristian world whereon these vials were poured all is but earthly an earthly sea an earthly sunne an earthly light an earthly aire fitter to choake men so farre as it is Antichristian then to breath any life into the soules of Christians To shew you the vanity of all their indeavours that study to reconcile Popish and Protestant Churches together I will Vse 1 say but thus much you may as soone bring Heaven and earth together as you can draw Popish and Protestant Religion together for Popish Religion is all but earthly and all the Churches of Christ are Heavenly and therefore when Heaven and earth meete then will Poperie and Protrolemy meete together In the second place let all men beware lest they have any licourish affection towards the old Religion as they call it if you Vse 2 shall hearken to the voyce of such charmers charme they never so wisely your best Religion will be but earthly your prayers earthly your faith earthly your obedience will bee earthly you shall find nothing therein able to answer an Heavenly and spirituall mind what though they tell you that Protestant Religion loveth case but as for them they have their whippings scourgings and fastings and these they will say are no such earthly dainties Truely these so farre as they are
stand The Sea as you know is the confluence of all the Rivers and Fountaines of waters they all finally are gathered together into one place and are called Sea And truly the confluence concourse of all the springs of the Churches they do meet together in one Religion that is the common receptacle of all All my fresh springs are in the Lord Psal 87.7 In that Religion which the Church professeth And therefore Religion was resembled in the 4 of the Revel vers 6. By the sea of Glasse like unto Chrystall that is all the Ordinances of God they were so cleare as that you n ight see Christs face in them as in a mirrour or glasse 2 Cor. 3.18 Wherein the state of Religion in the New Testament differed from the state of Religion in the old Testament Where the Brazen sea in Salomons Temple was indeed bright as brasse but thicke and not transparent you could not see so clearly the blood of Christ in it and yet there was a sea of Waters What to doe In the 2 Chron. 4.2 to the end of the 6. verse which was for the Priests to wash in Now what is it that can cleanse the Priests but onely the blood of the Lord Iesus Now that was resembled by the water in the Brazen sea Therefore all the Ordinances of Christ which did hold forth the blood of Christ to the washing and purging of the Priests and people of God that is the sea Now this sea as you heard in the 15. Chapter of the Revelation the 2. verse In the Reformed Churches is a sea of Glasse though mingled with Fire mingled with some contention yet the face of Christ might be cleerely seene in it But this sea heere that is the Popish Religion is the confluence of all their Ordinances as they doe administer the worship of God And upon this sea upon this Religion is the second Viall poured In the former Viall First men stumbled at the lives of Papists and therupon at the lives of them that led them at their Priests covetousnesse ignorance and hipocrisie they liked not their lives though at first they stumbled not at their religion but thought it was the fault of their lives but soone after they stumble at their Religion so that the next Vial is poured on their Religion the Ordinances themselves as they are dispenced by them the Viall is poured on them so farre as they differ from Reformed Churches Then what This being the sea how is this sea come to be as bloud That is this Religion of theirs is convinced and discovered to be not such as holds forth the cleansing blood of the Lord Iesus as the Sea in Salomons Temple did and as the sea of Glasse like unto Christall did but holds forth the blood of a dead man A dead Christ and dead Ordinances to any spirituall life There is no life no power no savour of goodnesse in it as the blood of a dead man which is not like the living blood of Christ to cleanse and purifie and to give life Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my bloud hath eternall life John 6.54 But this is the blood not of the liveing God but of a dead man there is the best of it and what is that Fit to pollute and defile fit to choake a man but not to feed him not to cleanse and purge him And every thing living in that sea dyed Every thing That is every soule that had no other life but what was bred and fed in that Religion and had no other Christian life but what he sucked and derived from that Religion they all perished everlastingly this is the meaning of the words of the Text. Now then it may be further demanded for clearing of this meaning who is this Angell that poures out this viall of Gods wrath on this sea the sea you say is Antichristian religion for the first began with the earth this goes up higher and so higher and higher till it come to the throne and till at length Babilon be fallen So that all these plagues fall on the antichristian state But who is this Angell that poureth out this Viall There be some conceive that they are they who met in the councell of Trent and gathered all the streames of Popish priests and their doctrine and practise and ratified them all in that Councell yea some thinke that Bellarmine hath done the Church of God good service in gathering the body of Controversies betweene protestants and popish Churches and hath delivered them in so many volumes that you might have a whole sea of antichristian doctrine worship and governement by him confirmed though I doe not dislike the notion and it will fall into the true meaning yet that holds not close to the letter of the Text for the Text makes all the Angels to be such as come out of reformed Churches * Rev. 15 5.6 the Temple open in heaven members of reformed Churches all cloathed in pure and white linnen godly Christians righteous soules and girded with golden girdles stablished in the truth of the Gospell therefore they cannot be the Bishops and Doctors of Rome nor Bellarmine nor any of them that have held forth Popish Religion in a Popish Church What then Then it must bee other Ministers and Professors of reformed religion who have discovered the religion of the antichristian state to be as it is Obiect You will say can they turne Popish Religion to bloud Answ The Doctors of Trent indeed have Bellarmine makes it worse by maintaining and confirming of it True but can Ministers of reformed Churches be said to doe so Marke they are sayd to poure out a viall not by making their religion worse but making it appeare as bad as it was They being righteous men they could not corrupt religion but discover it and make it appeare that all the decrees of the councell of Trent and of Bellarmine and such Popish writers they discovered them to bee nothing but a sea of corrupt doctrine and worship all the streames that run in that sea are all polluted and filthy that who so lives and dies in them perisheth everlastingly And such were all those worthy servants of Christ that have written either against the Trident Councell or against Bellarmine that have convinced their Doctrine and worship to be all polluted and corrupted and to be such that if a man know and practise and beleeve no better he cannot be saved such hath been Chenmitius and Junius Chamier Whitaker and Reignolds Perkins and Ames and the rest of the holy Saints of God that have poured out this viall of Gods wrath that is that by their doctrine and writings from the word have poured out such cleare conviction and refutation of their doctrine and worship that to all that are not partiall it appeares to be not the bloud of the Lord Iesus but of a dead man and therfore who ever lives and dies in that religion hee cannot die better then a reprobate nor
Church so that well doth the holy Ghost say here is not the bloud of Christ but the bloud of a dead man Againe I might shew the like in other the chiefe streames whereof their sea consists that Faith which thay have it is built on the Scripture and the authority thereof they have from the Church their faith is built on the Scripture and the Scripture on the Church and so the last resolution of it is but humane authority and so that saith is no assurance for that they say were presumption but humane credulity and so for justification and salvation they will have it by merits and for worship worshipping Saints and Angels and in a strange language which common people vnderstand not an vnreasonable service so that here is nothing but as the bloud of a dead man they want the vitalls of Christianity Vse For the Vse of it It may serve to shew the weaknesse of their imaginations that doe beleeve Popish and Protestant religion may be reconciled together and Popish and Protestant Churches may bee brought to bee one were it not for hot spurred Iesuits on the one side and for hot spirited Protestants Puritants on the other side if moderate spirits had things in hand they have hoped to bring both ends together Alas to bring heaven and earth together goe your waies poure out your vials on the earth their sea is but an earthly sea their sunne is but an earthly sun and their rivers and fountaines are but earthly and yet all may be reconciled the bloud of a dead man and God life and death heaven and hell and all shall be reconciled Vse 2. It shewes what great reason we have everlastingly to stand out against all compromising with them and all subjection to any thing that pertaines to that Religion for they have sacred truthes as they beleeve Father Sonne and Spirit and that Christ is God and man but otherwise for the body of all their other Ordinances they are such as in very truth have not the blood of the Lord Iesus in them but are as the blood of a dead man as they have them and corrupt and pollute them Lastly Every living soule dyed in the Sea why did none live on the earth but were all dead in this Sea All that live on the earth all Catholikes they live in that Religion Iesuits Friats Every living soule died in that Sea The last note then is Doct. 3. A Popish Catholike that lives according to this Religion and no better he lives and dyes in a state of Death and Damnation For so saith the Text Every living Soule in that Sea dyed If he had no other life then by that Religion no other goodnesse then that which he got from that Sea living in those waters which they sucked from that Religion from the Ordinances there if he have no more then that he cannot come to a State of Salvation he dies in that Sea The Reason of the point Is taken First from the Grace held foorth in that Religion Secondly from their Faith Thirdly from their Repentance and Fourthly from theiâ— Obedience they are all such as are but dead their very Grace holds foorth dead Workes the Faith of a Catholike is a dead Faith their Repentance is dead Repentance their Obedience is dead works and that is all their Religion and in these is the life of a Christian the life of Grace the life of Faith the use of Repentance and the life of Obedience if these be dead what life is there For the grace of God By grace ye are saved not of Workes Ephes 2.8.9 Now they will not have it of Grace but of Workes not of living Grace but of Workes that is the most generall opinion Nor no redemption of Christians but common to all alike Reprobates and true Christians and the difference ariseth in vocation and that is out of workes out of merit of Congruity and their Iustification is out of Merit of Workes and Perseverance in Grace is out of Concurrence of Free will and Glorification is from Merit of Condignity of Workes and if all these be of workes here is all the grace of God to seek what saith the Apostle If it be of Workes it is not of Grace Rom. 11.6 And verily this is the best grace of Popish Religion all their grace is of Workes and then it is utterly evacuated What shall I say to their Faith it is no other but Historicall As that all that is contained in the Word is true and verely the Devill beleeves as much he knowes it to be true and will tremble Iames 2.19 And if that be the Devils faith as Iames saith it is then woe worth all Popish Faith and that faith if you come to apply it That it shall be a confidence on Christ to salvation they looke at that as Hereticall presumption what hope is Vse there that by Faith such should ever be justified or saved And for repentance it is like their Faith such repentance as Iudas held forth as great they require Confession contrition and satisfaction he did it all he was not a little broken with the sence of his sinne and the horror of it Hee makes confession of it I have sinned in betraying the Innocent blood he made satisfaction he brought againe the 30. Pieces of silver and throwes them downe away with them I have sinned in betraying the innocent blood this is the best repentance they have for any repentance that springs from the sight of Gods favour applyed to the faith of Gods people this they will by no meanes heare tell of and yet without faith applyed to the soule by a promise or word of grace there is no life in repentance They see him whom they have pierced and mourne for him they see him pierced by them and for them and this mourning is Evangecall and saving For their obedience they looke at it as such as is able to keepe the whole Law of God and if they can doe that they seeke life then by Workes not of Grace and that Obedience that is able to keepe the whole law of God is the Obedience of the Scribes and Pharisees for they so taught and therefore our Saviour tells his disciples Matth. 5.20 Except your righteousnesse exceedes the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees yee cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Such obedience as that a man is able to keepe the whole Law and by that to merit and doe no more then the Law requires it is the obedience of Hereticall presumption not of confidence and affiance of Faith that is obedience of hereticall presumption that is able to keepe the whole law and make satisfaction to the justice of Christ and then Christ died in vaine unlesse hee died to make us Saviours of our selves and that is as notorious as the former The Vse of this point is Vse 1. To reprove a wicked practise of many Protestants that are not ashamed to sow pillowes vnder the elbowes of
If the Prophet shall repent and say I am no Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet but an Husbandman and my father taught me to keep beasts or sheep and therefore he will not weare a rough garment to deceive And if any man aske him What are those wounds in thine hands he shall answer Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends Zach. 13.4 5 6. That shews in such a case they saved his life but they inflict some punishment on him to carry away with him And this is spoken not of the dayes of the Old Testament but it is written to be done when there is a fountain opened to the house of David and to the Inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse in the 1. ver And in the 7. ver when the Lord calls for a sword against his Shepheard and against the man that is his fellow the Lord Jesus Christ and his companions his disciples He will smite the shepheard and the sheep shall be scattered and those are the dayes of the New Testament in those times it is when the Prophets shall be thus cut off that rise up to seduce the people of God And a third Reason is taken from the due desert of soul-murther Reas 3 There is none of all these Priests or Jesuites or Heretiques that sin in the like kind corrupting the precious truth of God in the very foundations of it but they worry and devour the soules of Gods people I meane those that should not die though Gods elect cannot be seduced yet those whom we ought to looke at that should not be thus murthered and brought to death by such means In the 7. Mat. 15. Beware of false Prophets which come unto you in sheeps cloathing but inwardly they are ravening wolves Is it not an acceptable service to the whole Countrey to cut off the ravenous wolves what is the wolfe to the sheep is he not the very death of them all that he lights on or fall in his jawes so is it with the sheep of Christ that fall into the jawes of these Romish ravenous wolves It is said of those false teachers 2 Timoth. 2.18 They destroyed the faith of some who concerning the truth have erred And in the 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. he tels us There shall be false teachers amongst them that shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction c. They shall make merchandise of you as the Church of Rome and her fountaines and rivers doe they make merchandise of the soules of men Rev. 18.13 Now to make merchandise of an Israelite as in the 21. Exod. 16. it is a capitall crime He that stealeth a man and selleth him or if he be found in his hand he shall surely be put to death Now these sell men and engage them to perpetuall bondage under their tyrannie both in doctrine and worship and government This murther of soules is juftly a capitall crime as Moses said before If they thrust thee from thy God and will not let thee walke with him let not thine eye spare such kinde of corrupters and desperate deluders Reas 4 The fourth reason is taken from that which the Iustitia Britanniae stands most upon and becomes States-men to doe and that is the conspiracie and treason against the State And that unavoidably by suffering such locust to run up and downe the Countrey to poison the hearts of men by their corrupt wayes and meanes for these Ministers they doe unavoidably not accidentally but they unavoidably draw men from their Allegeance due to their Native Prince to a forraine State For if a Prince should professe Protestant Religion which is the true Religion and thereupon be excommunicate by the Bishop of Rome what then then by the Lawes of their State he is deposed from his throne And they doe notably abuse the old type of Leprosie for this Vzziah being once smitten with leprosie then the High Priest removes him from the Temple of the Lord and he may not be suffered any more to governe for if once the Lord finite a man with leprosie in his judgement and indeed let heresie be one kinde of leprosie if the Priest pronounce him so then he is cut off from the government of the Countrey then his people are not subject to him and so subjects are freed from their fidelity to their naturall Prince which is a notable abuse of that place For God doth not intend that the authority of any Minister or Priest in the Old or New Testament should so farre prevaile that what they did in the Old Testament to Vzziah should take off Princes from their Goverment in the New For even in the old Testament they still retained the Crown though their power of execution was delegated to another and that not by the High-Priests appointment but by himselfe But as things were with them so though not in the same kinde but in a typicall way it befalls Princes in the New Testament If a man were found a Leper in the Old Testament hee was sequestred from the administration of his Kingdome and from his owne house Leviticus 13.46 he must not live in the Campe or in the Towne or Village but alone and in a separate place by himselfe as those that are sick of the Pestilence in our Native Countrey they are not suffered to live in the towne but in Pest-houses unlesse there be a generall infection But this thing must not be applyed in the letter to the state of the Church in the New Testament for Leprosie was not onely a type of scandalous infectious sins but it was also a bodily noysome infectious disease and made a man unfit for civill commerce Moreover as Leprosie was also a type of scandalous and infectious sinnes so the sequestring of Vzziah from the Temple doth type forth not that Christian Kings should be separate from their thrones For he that gives to a man a Kingdome or any earthly estate doth not debarre that man from his house if he be a private man nor from his government if he be a publique person But what is the Kingdome that is typed out It is the Kingdome of the glory of CHRIST JESUS If therefore hee be shut out from the holy Temple of Israel he is shut out from the Kingdome of Heaven indeed that is true for what is done by the Churches of God on earth is bound in Heaven But yet Christ Jesus never thought it meete to separate any by any Church power from communion with his wife and children those whom nature bound him to nor from his servants and subjects whom civill engagements bound unto him but only from interest in the spirituall communion of the seals of immortality and yet but for a season for the healing of his soule not for the destroying of his person or state but otherwise to exclude them from their own houses or Kingdomes or from any civill right
Chapter they are all of them further described to be cloathed with pure and white linnen and to have their breasts girded with golden girdles that is to say all of them to be cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ which is pure linnen both justifying and sanctifying of them the one imputed the other inherent and all of them to be sincere profâ—ssors of the truth of Christ their breasts girded with the golden girdles of truth Further they are all of them said to receive a command from God to pour out the Vials of his wrath and all of them to pour out the Vials of his wrath upon the earth in the first Verse of this Chapter and yet it was but the first that poured out his Vial upon the earth for the second is said to pour it out upon the Sea and the third upon the rivers and fountains and the fourth you read in my Text upon the Sun and the fifth upon the Throne of the Beast and the sixth upon the great river Euphrates and the last upon the air yet all are commanded the whole seven to pour out the wrath of God upon the earth in the first verse The earth being opposed to the Church in heaven the visible Church open in heavenly purity it is so taken for some earthly carnall Antichristian state or Church but when it is not opposed to heaven but other elements then it is the lowest of all the rest and so it is according to this double opposition interpreted in this Chapter If you look at the earth as opposite to heaven the heavenly pure Churches so he means the earthly and Antichristian Church the Romish Popish Church that then was Now if you say as in the first verse it is said The first onely poured out his vial upon the earth now you mean the lowest element of the Antichristian state the common Catholicks whereupon there fell a grievous sore upon all that received the mark of the Beast and worshipped his Image When those holy servants and faithfull Ministers of Christ did discover the corruption of Religion in common Catholicks the Catholicks were afflicted with much confusion and indignation as being convinced they were bedabled with grosse superstition ignorance and idolatry and many other evils which you have formerly heard So that you see the first of them fell upon the Beast and so from the first to the last the first began with the Beast and in the last Babylon is fallen in the 19 Verse of this Chapter So that all these Vials poured out the wrath of God upon something or other of the Beast the first upon the common worshippers of the Beast the second upon the Sea that is the confluence of all the Ordinances that is such Ordinances as the worshippers of the Beast have in their Religion and they discovered that Sea to be but the bloud of a dead man not to have the life of Christ in it And the third poured out his Vial upon the Fountains and Rivers of water which are the Priests and Jesuits of that Church which carry that Religion up and down the earth as the Rivers and Fountains do the water of the Sea and of these you heard at large the last day And look as the opening of the Seals mentioned before in this Book did open the wrath of God and his judgements aginst the Roman-Pagan Empire and the seven Trumpets did sound out the wrath of God against the Roman-Christian Empire and Church so these last Angels with the last wrath in the seven Vials they pour it all out upon the Antichristian Roman state So that all the judgements in this Book are still upon Rome either Rome Pagan or Rome Christian or Rome Antichristian the one falls under seven Seals the other under seven Trumpets and this last under seven Vials So that if the earth upon which the first Angel poured out his Vial be the common sort of Catholicks and the Sea upon which the second Angel poured out his Vial be their Religion and convinced it to be the bloud of a dead man and no life of the bloud of Christ in it to wash sin from the souls and consciences of men nothing else but unwholsome and unsavoury choking corruptions ready to destroy all that were washed in it or drank of it And the third Vial being poured out upon the Jesuits and Priests they were thereby adjudged to capitall punishment as you have heard for they were forced to drink bloud as they were worthy having caused the Martyrs of CHRIST JESUS to drink bloud This fourth Vial therefore comes to be poured out upon something of the Beast as all the rest of the Vials were The fourth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Sun to wit something of the Beast which resembles the Sun in his world even as the Sun is the greatest light in this materiall world which GOD created in the beginning In these words then you may see described the pouring out of the Vial of the fourth Angel which is set forth by the subject upon which it is poured Vpon the sun Secondly by the effect which followed upon that He had power given him to scorch men with fire and secondly Men were tormented with great heat upon it And a third Argument by which this Vial poured out is described is the event which followed and that is double Men blasphemed the name of God and God here described to have power over these plagues as an aggravation of that blasphemy to blaspheme the name of God that had power over these plagues And secondly they are described by another event their Impenitencie their not repenting they repented not to give him glory So that here the fourth Vial is poured out Upon what Upon the Sun What is the effect of that Power is is given to that Angel to scorch men with fire and men were scorched with heat and the event of it was they that were so scorched continued still impenitent they repented not to give God glory but on the contrary blasphemed the name of the great God that had power over these plagues For opening the meaning of the words briefly By the Sun cannot here be meant that body of the Sun that gives light to us in these visible heavens For how shall an Angel comming out of the Temple out of a reformed Church pour out his Vial upon that Sun Or if he should be able so to do how should he work any distempered heat in it but it would annoy reformed Churches as well as Antichristian How will it reflect a peculiar plague upon Antichrist It must therefore be some other Sun and indeed such a Sun as is wrapped up under the generall Notion of Earth for all the Angels poured out their Vials upon the earth they had no other Commission given them to pour out their Vials but upon the earth in the first Verse And therefore he that poured out his Vial upon the Sea it was but an earthly sea a worldly
observation and the powring out thereof is the worke which the Lord calleth men principally to attend upon and wherein God hath manifested his presence most and wil goe on still to manifest more of the presence of his wrath unto other states now the points that arise from the words are two That forme of government wherein one by sole and singular Doct. 1 authority doth govern the Church specially many Churches and most of all all Churches doth spring from the Earth and savoureth of the Earth for so it appeareth to be from the Text for all these Angels powred out their Vialls upon the Earth Verse 1. Not as Earth is opposed to other elements but as it is opposed to Heaven so that as their Earth is earthly so is their Sea and their Rivers and Fountaines and their Sunne and this throne is but an earthly throne you see no such throne in the Tabernacle of the Testimony opened in Heaven so farre as Churches are Heavenly these thrones are not set up in them for this is it which Iohn reprooveth 3. Io. 9. in Diotrephes that he loveth to be a primate and would not regard a letter from Iohn himselfe though an Apostle for the brethren he would not receive them himself and forbad them that would and cast them out of the Church the true spirit of an earthly Primate for they savour of earthly ambition and covetousnesse love Balaams wages they stick not to buy their places for silver care not what they give for them but having gotten them with buying they must maintaine them by selling they must sell Ordinations and Absolutions and Dispensations and must be maintained by the benevolences of their obedient Clergy and in truth the summe of the matter is quid mihi dabis and what is all this but earthly bravery if ever you have beene at their thrones though it were but the thrones of their chauncellors and Officialls you shall see nothing but that which savoureth of the Earth earthly pride or pleasure or Covetousnesse I am and have lesse cause then many others from my last Diocesan who being more learned was more ingenuous and favourable then many others not wont to speake these things yet when the necessity of clearing my Text leadeth me to them I may not without unfaithfullnesse to God and his Church keepe silence we came not hither to speake hardly of other Churches but when the Word of God calleth for it we should be wickedly silent if we should not let the people know what the mercy and blessing is which we doe enjoy and what we are delivered from Rea. 1 The first Reason of the Doctrine is from that forme of Church estate which Christ hath instituted in his Word which is no other but the government of a Church of a particular visible Congregation He owneth no other nor giveth any government to any besides them If thy brother offend thee goe and tell the Church and must the offence stay till all the world be gathered together or if it were meant of one Diocesan or provinciall Church when will they meete therefore the Church that must heare al offences is the Church of a particular Congregation which may all of them meete together in one place 1 Cor. 14.23 and then though offences come thicke they may all be orderly heard and remooved And consider moreover that which further cleares up this first ground what variety of officers God hath given to this Church not many Parishes to one Bishop but many Bishops to one Church so as that Paul writteth to the Saints at Philippi with the Bishops and Deacons Phil. 1.1 And he sendeth for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus Acts 20.17 Whom he calleth Bishops Verse 28. And they were more then one in every Church according to Acts 14.23 They ordained them Elders in every Church directly contrary to the practise of the Lord Bishops of these dayes These things we speake that the people may know we set forth no new inventions though it be true that there is a newnesse in all the blessings of the new Testament whereas all the inventions of men wax old as doth a garment and there is no new thing under the sunne as touching mens inventions but they will grow old and vanish away as all Diocesin Churches will doe which the Lord hath not instituted Though indeed in the old Common wealth of Israel the Church was Nationall and there was but one high Priest who was a type of Christ but now Christ is come he hath delivered all his counsell to his 12. Apostles and they have left the ordering of his Church to some pastors and some teachers and some ruling Elders and some Deacons But besides these the Gospel knoweth no other The second ground is taken from the kinde of power which Rea. 2 God hath given to his officers in his Churches hath he given to them a Lordly or a Ministeriall power surely no Lordly power neither over their fellow Elders nor over the Church But he hath in his Word prohibited both these Math. 20.25 26 27. The Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so amongst you but whosoever will be great amongst you let him be your Minister and whosoever will be cheife amongst you let him be your servant Amongst the Officers of Christ honour is carried by the most labour and not by most outward splendor But those that sit upon the throne of of the Beast doe not labour in any kinde of government but that which is merely antichristian to foment sin and let loose the reines of all prophanesse neither doe the officers which Christ hath set in his Church reach after outward honour but the cheife of them make themselves equall with them of the lower sort as Peter though an Apostle when he writeth to the Elders stileth himselfe a fellow Elder 1. Pet. 5.1 and exhorteth them to feed the flock of God not as Lords over Gods heritage but being examples to the flock so the Apostle in his second and third Epistle stileth himselfe an Elder so farre is he from affecting Lordly authority by all which we may see that all this kinde of Lordly and stately government is no way compatible to that government which Christ hath instituted in his Church The third reason is taken from that authority which the Lord Rea. 3 hath given to every Church over their Bishops as well as to their Bishops over them which cannot stand with Episcopall soveraignty It is true the Lord hath given them power over the Church let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour c. 1 Tim. 5.17 A power they have to call the Church together as the Apostles did for the choise of Deacons Acts 6.2 And to open the doores of speech and shut the doores of silence Act. 13.15 A power they have also to dismisse the assembly as they see cause for