with a safe conscience seeke to haue it but Quod fidaei vestri conuenit Sed quando de pietate aut de virtute quaestio est tunc nulla pax impijs seeke it not by wounding the conscience or proclaiming warre with God For that though it be possible to nature is impossible to grace thou canst not reconcile Light and Darkenesse Hell and Heauen God and Mammon Christ and Antichrist nor canst thou by humane policie bring these togither by causing both sides to abate and meet in the midst through thy wisedome There is a worldly peace which men vnhappely hunt after whilst they neglect the peace of conscience and ioy in the Holy Ghost which peace and ioy the Saints of God whose hearts are inflamed with that Fire which Christ brought into the world feele euen in the midst of Iohn 14. 27. tumults warres pouertie persecution tortures fire death The worlds peace and Gods peace are diuerse their fire diuerse their sectators diuerse euen as Heauen and Earth is diuerse or rather opposite We may be farre mistaken then secking for peace and behold it is warre peace with men may proue warre with God Beware In the fiue and fortieth Verse our Sauiour proceedes to taxe the folly and hypocrisie of man who can iudge of times and seasons by signes and tokens but know not the tokens of their owne visitation when after their internall Ps 74. 10 vocation by Grace stormes of persecution and triall folfowes as Sun-shine and Clouds and Wind and Raine and Frost and Snow haue their seuerall turnes Ier. 8. 7 8 9. Thus we all are wise and perfect polititians in State periods and reuolutions of the world but for discerning the incrochments made by Antichrist and his assotiates either like Fooles we obserue them not or like Hypocrites dissemble what we see as men wishing well to his silent and close inuasion to his seacret and darke vnderminings The Lord saith by Ieremie That he is against those Prophets Ier. 23. 30. that steale away his word euerie one from his neighbour And doubtlesse then he is against vs who sit still in the meane time and will not ioine with him and take his part against these politique Theeues who steale away the Word from vs and our neighbours saying in the meane time that Truth commands vs neither to say nor doe any thing to the contrarie but only to winke and shew our Es 55. 10 11. Ps 50. 18 consent to their Sacriledge by silence like blind and dumbe dogges as the Psalmist saith When thou sawest a Thiefe then thou consentedst to him and hast beene partaker with Adulterers And thus being once rob'd of the Scripture that part of the wisedome of God which is necessarie for vs to know what wisedome can be in vs more â—er 8. 9. then in naturall Fooles more then in beasts that perish Man being thus in honour hath no vnderstanding but Ps 49. 20. may be compared to the beasts that perish The greater man the greater beast In the eight and fiftieth Verse our Sauiour giues vs aduice to seeke reconcilement with God betimes whilst we are in the way whilst it is called to day before we be arrested and haled violently by death before the Iudge for then there is no remedie We seeke after worldly peace and clap hands with Antichrist and his confederates to procure spirituall trading in his Kingdome and temporall trading in theirs but we neglect God and Christ and make them our aduersaries nor haue we any care to be reconciled to them and to make peace with them though we know they haue powre to kill both Bodie and Soule also Herein we doe foolishly Whilst our Sauiour was thus teaching his Disciples and the multitude there were present certaine persons who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices And this they did perhaps as supposing the Historie pertinent for that point of Doctrine which our Sauiour taught that is To perswade vs to make our peace with our aduersarie betimes in the way because no man is sure either of the time place or manner of his death death comming to man so many wayes and therefore it were good to be reconciled and prepared lest we be brought before the Iudge sodainly by force or accident whilst we expect to haue faire warning giuen vs long before by age infirmitie and sicknesse Now though there be no Historie of those times extant that tells of the cause and manner of this massacre punctually yet there is light enough giuen whereby we may probably coniecture some of the principall parts and passages thereof most necessarie for our purpose Iosephus tells of one Iudas the Gaulanite borne in the Antiq. Iud. Li. 18. c. 1. Towne of Gamala whom a little after he calls Iudas of Galilee that ioyning in confederacie with one Sadoc a Pharisee became Author of a new Sect diuersified from the Pharisees onely in one singular point consisting in an obstinate pursuit of all courses for recouerie of libertie from the Romane yoke and freeing themselues from the Imperiall taxe then imposed And it is verie probable that Iudas and Sadoc vnder the colour of sacrificing as the Prophets had wont assembled the people to mooue â— Sam. 10 17. them to pursue this proiect of which Pilate hearing being then Gouernour of Iudea for Caesar he sent armed Troopes and cut them asunder before they could gather head euen whilst they were sacrificing To make this more cleere Gamaliel the great Doctour of the Law brings in the example of this Iudas in his speech before the Councell and there mentioneth his cause course and end briefly Act. 5. 37. This newes being thus tould our Sauiour by such as it seemes thought him vnprouided of examples to second and backe his arguments and supposing it suited the purpose verie well to perswade men to reconcilement in the way lest they should be suddainly cut off as these Galileans were our Sauiour takes occasion from hence to inlarge the point and to inforce it farther euen vpon the consciences of such as produced it saying Suppose ye that those Galileans were sinners aboue all the Galileans because they suffered such things I tell ye nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Thus our Sauiour makes application of this Storie to all his Auditorie and causeth it to reflect vpon the consciences of the reporters as well as vpon all the rest of his hearers The Galileans were not hereby wholly excused a toto as the Schoolemen say but a tanto and secundum quid after a sort nor was their act of sacrificing wheresoeuer whisoeuer or howsoeuer done iustified hereby but our Sauiour condemnes the rash iudgement of such as make our sufferings from men infallible markes of our sinnes before God Wicked men may prosper in euill courses good men may fall and suffer in holy vndertakings The Galileans might be sinners in seeking disorderly to free
Light of Israel You that haue fought Gods battells with him against the red Dragon the seuen headed Beast and her whorish rider with all their armie can tell how brauely he hath borne himselfe and what blowes he hath dealt with his tongue and with his pen. It was Saule and not Dauid that fell vpon his owne Sword If the Pope be not Antichrist why hath he written so It is Gods Word and his Ier. 20. 7 Pen that hath deceiued vs. If the Pope be Antichrist then to make a Couenant with him or to trade with him in Spirituall Merchandize is to make a Couenant with Es 28. 15 Death Satan and Hell against God his Sonne and his Church To be a Mahumetane is to be an open profest enemie which is in comparison honourable but to be an Antichristian is to be a Traytour For Christ in shew against him in deed which is superlatiuely detestable To be a Iudas though one of Christs Apostles is worse then to be a Pilate though a condemner of Christ Antichrist of all the enemies of the Church is the most perillous and most pernitious But what need all this What cause haue we to feare the reentrance of Antichrist What shall euerie shadow afright vs I answer We doubt not the sodaine reentrance of Antichrist but his slye insinuation and their wiles who pretend to worke reconcilement and say that humour is too much stird vpon both sides We would not haue conference with the Serpent nor cast an eye vpon the forbidden Fruit though neuer so beautifull Is it not a little Gen. 19. 20. one made way for a great offence We are will'd to come out of Mysticall Babylon as out of Spirituall Sodome not to looke behind vs as if we long'd to turne Apol. 18 4. 11. 8. backe nor to touch any vncleane thing but to flee the garment polluted with the flesh This puritie becomes Virgines and Angels who will not mixe with Spirituall Fornicators Such Soule chast Spirits shall onely see the face of the Bridegroome in glorie We feare to looke of a Moabitish woman lest she proue a snare and a stumbling Num. 25 blocke to the Princes and People or to take a fauor from Antichrist lest it proue to our Church and State as Achans wedge to the Hoast of Israel Iudg. 7. What hope of reconcilement is there where the erring side holds it to be a fundamentall veritie that they cannot erre To abate is to denie their grounds they know it they haue set downe their rest vpon it and this alone forceth them to maintaine shamelesse errours with an obstinate and womanish will hauing nothing to defend their nakednesse but these arguments that they are old and belong to an infallible Chaire For if they should confesse in one all Babylon were ouerthrowne The experience of Charles the Fifth and Ferdinand his successour mightie Emperours armed with all aduantages which man can thinke vpon to procure reformation and reconcilement and studiously and constantly employing their power and policie to that end with great zeale and affection to the cause and faire probabilities to effect it may notwithstanding in their bootelesse endeauours resolue the World how vaine a worke it is to vndertake or attempt such an enterprize which God hath reserued to himselfe to accomplish It is an easie worke to draw vs to them by corruption but it is too hard a worke for man to draw them to vs by reformation which is a kind of regeneration The passages of the Councell of Trent may instruct vs sufficiently what to hope of their reformation except we long to be deluded and for vs to come on vpon their side and take vpon vs the least marke of the Beast which we haue cast off therby to buy our peace and to endeare our entertainment is to wound our owne Consciences and to sinne with a high Hand against the Light of Knowledge And hauing thus swallowed one abomination which God forbid a reprobate sense will make roome for all and men by the iust Iudgement of God giuen ouer will begin to beleeue those lyes in good earnest which at first they heard and repeated in ieast Leaue that great worke therefore to the Reconciler of Heauen and Earth to the Moderatour and Mediatour betwixt God and Man who will consume the Man of Sin 2 Thes 2 by degrees not altogether with the Breath or Spirit of his Mouth by the powrefull preaching of the Word and effectuall working of the Spirit and will abolish and destroy him with the brightnesse of his comming till when we shall haue Antichrist though impotent old and in a consumption Thus let vs guard our owne for it is probable God will no more vse the temporall power or policie of Princes in the totall and finall supplantation and eradication of Antichrist then he did vse them in the first planting of the Gospell of Christ They are to be nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers not generating and naturall Parents to the Church that Christ may be all in all Consider this well ye moderate minded men and shew vs a way how we may be such politique Christians as to please God and the Diuel Christ and Antichrist togither 1 Kin. 18 21. Or let vs leaue haulting and declare our selues plainly for Christ by open action as well as profession Therefore leauing that which is improbable and perhaps impossible Let vs follow after charitie and pursue 1 Cor. 14 1. that which is both possible and probable that is The vniting of the Reformed Churches within themselues And to this end consider what things they are that keepe vs deuided Whether they be points of Doctrine or points of Discipline Whether matters substantiall and fundamentall or ceremonious and circumstantiall Whether of necessitie and vnalterable veritie or of indifferencie and variable conueniencie If of the first sort then consider whether they may be reconciled by clearing or remouing some termes diuersly vsed and vnderstood or by silencing some peremptorie expressions and absolute definitions setting a modest bound to the inquisition of curiositie and singularitie in matters vnsearchable Whether we may be accorded in the generall heads and the branches and consequences left free for the exercise of euerie mans seuerall gifts so they depart not from common vnitie and giue not publique scandall by obstinate opposition Whether this or some other way may be found of reconcilement If the questions be of the second sort then whether the formes diuersities of gouernment may be left free to euery Nation and Church without the breach of brotherly loue and charitie and of the vnion and communion of Saints Whether although we iudge it fit to hold those formes amongst our selues in Great Brittaine and to continue them being setled without alteration yea to perswade them what we can vpon others for vniformities sake If it be charitable to suffer other Christian Churches without holding the same faith with vs to be embroyled and exposed
in all respects for their purpose when doubtlesse they suruaid the strength of the building and capacitie of euerie roome If the Law should take notice of their vnlawfull assembly as that was the least of their feares then they had the French Ambassadours House for a Cloake to which it was adioyning Or if the People should rise as this was one of their assayes or tryals before they durst appeare to play in publike to proue if all men were growne tame enough to be muzled and hood-winked and whether they would start at holy Water a Masse a Procession or the like then the Ambassadours House should be their Sanctuarie against the force and rage of the people And because it might be perillous to the Spanish Ambassadour to haue the first publication at or about his House who hath beene the first and principall moouer to introduce or restore Idoll-worship in this Island to the generall discontentment of the people therefore the French Ambassadours House must be chosen not for the Papists affection but for ours as lesse suspecting that Nation for all our antient enmities then the Spanish for all their new friendship and high alliance hoped for which they proffred with one hand and snatched away with the other as if they had beene too great for our Royall coniunction when I prayse God ours was too good for their commixtion Thus the place is secured against man but who can secure it against God Not the French or Spanish Ambassadors though they haue more powre and priuiledge in England to serue their Idols then the Prince himselfe could haue in Spaine to serue God For though his Chaplaines were sent thither to satisfie him and vs yet might they say nothing as we heare when they came there to satisfie them Secondly The time is obserueable It was their fifth of Nouember wherein they perished by anticipation as they would haue dealt with vs before vpon the fifth of our Nouember Here is the difference they fell downe as they would haue blowne vs vp and did alone feele the furie of that sodaine confusion without stirring their Neighbours Houses as they would haue blowne vs vp with the necessarie ruine of diuerse places adioyning And this they suffered from God when from the King they had in their fond conceites and mistaken hopes obtained that for which they would haue made him his vs ours so miserably suffer without mercie But we see though Pardons and tollerations passe freely at Rome and in other places for politique respects yet they are not sure till they be Sealed and Inrolled in Heauen Thirdly Obserue the Play-House stands in that place vnshaken though too often laden with sin-full multitudes of all sorts sexes and sects because it professeth it selfe to be no better then it is a Play-House and perhaps some Houses of Corporall Fornication stand there also because for custome sake that they may haue the more commings in they desire to seeme what they are Brothels But this House which professeth it selfe for Christ when it is for Antichrist and playes with the Word and Sacraments in a most Anticke or Apish fashion euen when it pretends to be most serious and teacheth men to commit Spirituall Fornication vnder the shew of Sanctitie and Holinesse this must not stand but the Lord makes it a spectacle of his Iudgement as he made the Beare-Garden long since whilst they prophaned the Sabbath day a day at the Creation ordayned for peace and rest in that beastly sport of crueltie betwixt the Creatures proceeding from Gods curse vpon our Fore-fathers sinne which sight should make Adam Abell and Seth with their pious posteritie weepe as it makes Caine Lamech Cham Nimrod and Esau laugh with all their Sauage and impious Seed and succession These Houses therefore must not stand when they touch vpon the skirt of Religion to prophane and pollute the holy things of God whereof man is not so carefull a keeper and zealous defender as of his own right and interest It may perhaps not seeme friuolous to some that I mention here what I haue heard for truth concerning an other Play-House called the Fortune in which repeating their Playes vpon a Sabbath day in the afternoone at night following the House fell on fire and was consumed to ashes The Gallorie in the preaching place at White hall which stood from the dayes of King Edward to King Iames must fall then vnder the Spanish Ambassadours feet when he was sent the second time to perfect what he had before but rough drawne I doe not wonder that it fell then hauing stood so long I rather wonder it fell not before being oftentimes as heauely laden except with the sin of Idolatry But that Gods prouidence must reserue it to that instant at that I wonder and me thinkes it told me the Spanish footing was not so certaine in this Land as he presumed but that whilst his power did tread downe the preaching places of the Land he might hap to tumble with them and by opposition giue a happy occasion to reedifie their ruines more strongly Fourthly Obserue no Idols Crucifixes Crosses Holy-Water Medals Beades or any sacred Relique or Agnus Dei whereof doubtlesse there was great prouision laid in could preserue or protect from this blow Let this open the eyes of their superstitious and bewitched Customers and abate the price and esteeme of such Romish and Anti-Christian Reuel 18 11. merchandize teaching wise men to distinguish betwixt toyes trash and reall safeguards And here I make bold to demand What became of those Wafer-cakes which the Priest had before turned into gods for doubtlesse some were there or in the roome vnder which was the Massing place reserued for the sicke What were all of them brayned with the Timber and Brickbats and did they perish with the Priest and the rest of the people O blind men lift vp your eyes and see your owne absurdities Should I feare the ruines of Heauen if he who sits at the right Hand of God the Father stood by me to support the Roofe from his owne omnipotent and my impotent Head Reply not ye blind who make others blind with your sophisticating tongues but pray to God for your selues as I doe for you that he would vouchsafe to giue you grace to acknowledge the truth which you cannot choose but see When our Sauiour rose from the Graue the Priests hired the Souldiers to say His Disciples came and stole away his body Math. 28 11. whilst they slept Had he not risen alone I should neuer haue beleeued he could raise me now I can neither doubt his power or will Saint Thomas his seeing and feeling hath resolued me Hire you some Souldiers if Souldiers will be such hirelings as doubtlesse you may fit your selues with some zealous Reformados vpon promise of absolution or otherwise make shift with your owne equiuocating Locusts armed at all points for the purpose with mentall reseruations and dispensations to say they saw the consecrated