to seeke Gods face 1 189 Faith Faith in the use of meanes 1 70 Faith said to do that God doth 1 71 Faith enlivens all graces 1 72 Faith strengthened by experience 1 90 Faith to be laboured for 1 94 Faith one from the beginning 1 196 Perseverance in Faith 1 197 Faith carries a Christian through all passages 1 198 To die in faith what 1 199 Faith over comes all that is terrible in death 1 201 Faith the eye of it 1 218 Faith seeth afar off how 1 219 Sight of faith how to help it 1 228 Two branches of faith 1 262 Faithâ—…w â—…w cherished 2 65 Faith of Christians how shaken 2 218 Faith to be strengthened 2 220 Farre see Faith Favour Favour of God to bee sought first 1 181 Feare How to know God is ours by feare 2 125 Feeling Christians may want feeling 1 207 First-borne Death of the first-borne a great judgment 1 110 Free Freedome in sin a judgment 1 22 Covenant of grace free 2 249 See Will. G Glory Glorious God gets glory by weake meanes 1 68 Why wee shall bee glorious with Christ. 2 19 Wherein that glory shall be 2 21 When the Saints shall be glorified 2 23 To think of the glory to come 2 25 Glory why revealed before-hand 〈◊〉 28 See Body God Two things wherin we are like God 1 144 What it is for God to be our God 2 117 God ours in the covenant of grace 2 120 How to know God is our God 2 121 To labour that God may be our God 2 140 To make use of all in God as ours 2 143 Goodnesse God is willing to bestow his goodnesse 1 143 See Communicative Gospell Punishment of slighting the Gospell 1. 43 Grace see Covenant Guidance Guidance of God to be prayed for 1 24 H Happinesse Wicked men out-live their happines 2 78 Happines of the godly 2 80 Wicked men may know the happinesse of Gods children 2 84 Hatred Affection of hatred due to the beast 1 47 Heaven Heaven the country of a Christian. 1 292 See desire Hid hidden The life of a Christian hidden 2 4 God sometimes hides himselfe 2 223 Hope see Faith I Satans kingdome like the walls of Iericho 1 73 Our corruptions like the walles of Iericho 1 74 Antichrists kingdom like the wals of Iericho 1 75 Meanes to east downe mysticall Iericho 1 78 How to prevent the building of spirituall Iericho 1 80 120 Iericho why not to be built againe 1 106 How men build Iericho againe 1 114 118 Imbrace Faith imbraceth what it hath 1 259 Imbracing followeth perswasion 1 260 What affections imbrace good things 1 272 Imbracing how wrought 1 274 Ioy. Knowing God ours is our joy 2 129 Iudgement see spirituall K Kings The tenne Kings wherein sinfull 1. 28 Knowne knowledge God willing to be known 1 141 Knowledge of our estate sometime suspended 1 238 L Life Christ our life how 2 11 To improve the time of life 2 75 Life 3. degrees of it 2 82 See die hidden soule Love God knowne to be ours by our Love 2 127 M Malice see reproach False confidence over-turned by weake meanes 1 67 See Faith Blessing of Ministers to bee regarded 1 103 Ministers duty 2 176 God the only Monarch 1 26 Good Motions to be cherished 2 99 N 3. Things in man by Nature 1 64 O Quality of obedience 1 160 Obedience sutable to the command 1 164 To know God is ours by our obedience 2 131 God to be sought in his Ordinances 1 186 Men give too much to Outward worship 2 172 Why men are prone to Outward performances 2 174 Papists work their own overthrow 1 53 How to set against Popery 1 87 Popery how it sprung up 1 117 Covenant of grace Peculiar 2 252 Perswasion followes sight 121 Perswasion what 1 233 Perswasion degrees of it 1 235 Perswasion spirituall necessary 1 236 Perswasion particular sometimes weake 1 237 Perswasion how to know it is not supernaturall 2 242 Perswasion wrought by the spirit 1 247 How the spirit doth perswade 1 248 The manner of working perswasion 1 250 A strong worke to perswade the soule 1 251 To labour for spirituall perswasion 1 253 To desire God to perswade us 1 256 Evidences that we are perswaded 1 257 Persons see Curse Pilgrims Difference betweene Pilgrims and strangers 1 289 To resolve to please God 2 141 Power see Truth To know God is ours by our prayer 2 134 Preaching the force of it 1 78 Presence of God how considered 1 171 Things as present affect us 1 218 Promises to alleage them to God 1 167 God deales with men by promises 1 210 Faith lookes to God by the Promises 1 211 Promises oft to be thought on 2 13 Proportion see Punishment Providence see Evill Punishment proportionable to sin 1 109 R Religion disgraced how it affects us 2 132 Reproach the expression of malice 2 216 Not to be cast downe for reproach Ibid. David sensible of reproach 2 228 God doth not reveale all things at all times 1 215 Righteous man who 2 84 S See Sight Things requisite to sight 1 222 Sight of faith necessary 1 223 3. Things in strong sight 1 224 See Faith perswasion Mercies and judgments apprehended in our seed 2 156 To seeke GOD by his strength 1 158 Seeking what it doth implie 1 170 Ground of seeking of God 1 171 See Strength betimes face Sensible see reproach Sentence of Christ unavoydable 1 132 Men must not appoint how to serve God 1 138 Sinne considered in three times 1 17 Soule made for heavenly things 1 267 Love of earthly things abase the Soule 1 268 Soule how quieted Ibid. Soule continues after death 2 74 Life of the Soule double Ibid. How to use our Soules 2 75 Spirit Spirituall Spirituall judgements greatest 1 22 Order of the Spirits working 1 217 To begge the Spirit to perswade us 1 254 Stranger Gods people strangers here 1 290 CHRIST a stranger on earth 1 294 To have the affections of strangers 1 295 Wicked men how strangers here 1 297 Carriage of a stranger 1 300 See Pilgrim Strike see threaten The covenant of grace sure 2 250 T Covenant of grace a Testament 2 110 Difference of a covenant and Testament Ibid. To be thankfull for that we have 1 215 God threatensâ—…re â—…re he strike 1 108 Wickednes shall nos alway thrive 1 47 To tremble at Gods word 1 133 Men naturally trust soâ—…what 1 62 Try all of our trust 1 65 How to know GOD ours by trust 2 129 Truth of God 1 150 Faith looks to Gods power truth 1 224 V The best mens bodyes vile in this world 2 40 God revealed to man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 understanding creature 2 107 Our nature prone to unthankefulnes 2 116 W To goe to Christ in all wants 2 15 Degrees of wicked men 2 86 Will of man free in sinne 1 20 To be left to our owâ—… will a great judgement 1 21 Will when accepted for
be over much cast downe peace will preserve you And if we doe not seeke the face of God now when we may enjoy his presence weâ—… shall never see his face in glory hereafter 〈◊〉 must now be acquainted with him or else we shall not when we would Therefore as we may injoy the presence of God in his Ordinances so in all our affaires let us seeke his face and blessing let us have what we have and doe what we doe in his blessing and assistance and not in the strength of wit and shifts Let us do what we do by divine strength and in confidence of his blessing That that we do by his strength we may expect his blessing on we cannot doe so by our shifts Let us in ure our selves in these courses and we shal find much peace and by long acquaintance with God we shall be able to commit our soules to him we shall be able to looke him in the face at the houre of death He that lookes God iâ—… the face often in prayer and seeking him may looke death in the face These things may be made effectuall if your hearts be prepared as the Scripture phrase is And because I mentioned preparing that is a word in Scripture that is set before seeking Rehoboam did not thrive he did not prepare his heart to seeke God Iehosaphat was blessed of God hee prepared his heart to seeke the Lord. Therefore let us come prepared to seeke God prepare our hearts to seeke him Thinke when I goe to the congregation I goe to seeke Gods face therefore come in humility and subjection And in all the courses of our lives let all of us prepare and set our hearts in frame to seeke God in all things and let us set upon nothing that we cannot depend on him for assistance and looke to him for a blessing And when wee cannot injoy his favour and blessing in any thing we were as good be without it as have it This is the way to have our wills in all things Christ the truth it selfe hath left â—…s this one sweete promise Seeke yee first the kingdome of God He speakes there of seeking our owne good what is the best thing wee should seeke for Seeke ye first the kingdome of God of grace and of glory the favour of God and the fruit of his favour grace Seeke those best things in the first place what then It is the way to have all things else as farre as they are for our good But we would have more we thinke if we seeke to God and depend upon Gods divine principles and rules it is a way to beggery and disgrace Oh no It is the way to have our owne desire in all things as farre as is for our good Let us seeke first the kingdome of God that God may rule and raigne in us and we shall raigne in the kingdome of God For other things God will bring it to passe I know nothow they shall be cast upon us He that is fâ—…ll for heaven and happinesse GOD will make him full for the world and successefull as much as he sees 〈◊〉 to bring him to heaven if God see any thing that would hinder him he must leave that to his wisdome Therefore let us labour to bee able from truth of heart to returne to the commandement and promise of God this sweete and gracious answer of the holy man David when God saith generally or particularly Seeke my face Thy face Lord will I seeke FINIS FAITH TRIVMPHANT In five Sermons on HEB. 11. 13. By The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE LUKE 7. 50. And hee said to the woman thy faith hath saved thee goe in peace LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. FAITH TRIVMPHANT HEBR. 11. 13. These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seene them afarre off they were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth THis Chapter is a little booke of Martyrâ—… it discovers the life and death of the holy Patriarchs and by what meanes Gods Children are brought into possession of that that they have an interest and right unto upon earâ—…h it is by faith by faith we do and suffer all that we doe and suffer all that God hath ordained us to goe through till he have brought us and invested uâ—… to heaven which is prepared for us In the former part of the Chapter there is an induction the instances of perticular blessed Patriarchs and after he had named diverse particulars he summes them up in this generall All these died in faith In this verse there is First the generall set downe All these died in faith And then the particular unfolding of this They received not the promises having scene them a-farre off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on earth He sets downe their faith particularly hereby setting down what might hinder it and yet did not hinder it the not receiving of the promises They received not the promises and yet they beleeved the promises that is the things promised they were afarre off and yet they saw them They saw them that is the first degree They were perswaded of them that is the second They imbraced them that is the third They confessed they were pilgrims and strangers that is the fourth All these died in faith There is one faith from the beginning of the world as there is one Christ one salvation so there is one uniforme faith for the saving of our soules wee hope to bee saved by Iesus Christ as they were I doe but touch that Then againe here is implied a continuance and perseverance in faith All those died in faith that is they lived in faith and by saith till they died and then they died in faith Faith first makes a Christian and then after he lives by faith it quickens the life of grace and then he leades his life by that faith he continues in it till he come to death which is the period of all and then he dies by that faith But of perseverance to the end and the helps to it I spake at large upon another occasion therefore I omit it All these died in faith Faith carried them along all their life time till death it selfe Now that faith that helped them through all the difficulties of this life that faith by which they lived in that faith they died They dyed in faith In the faith of the Messias infaith of Canaan in faith of heaven For the Patriarchs they had not Canaan till many hundred yeares after it was a type of heaven they had not Christ till some thousands of yeares after So they died in faith of Christ of
lookes scornefully upon the things of conscience and of the spirit only the spirit of God brings the proud heart of man to be subject to the word of God Nothing that is not spirituall wâ—…ll hold out Whatsoever is not spirituall Christ will not owne at the day of judgment Iâ—… the spirit seale 〈◊〉 and set a stampe upon us Christ will looke on his owne stamp of the spirit where the 〈◊〉 frâ—…its are not the harvest will not so low The spirit is an earnest where the earnest is not the bargâ—…ine will not follow I beseech you let us labour for the spirit in the use of all meanes let us â—…ttend upon the word which is the ministery of the spirit and wee shall find that the spirit will alter and change us and shew us our interest in the promises and the goodnesse of them 〈◊〉 more we a â—…end upon the means the more 〈◊〉 shall see it and the more we pray the moâ—… 〈◊〉 shall have the spirit and the more wee obâ—… God the more we shall have the spirit of Goâ—… God gives his spirit to them that obey him And this should reach us when we come 〈◊〉 heare or to read the word of God Loâ—… pen mine eyes LORD penswade my 〈◊〉 LORD bow the necke of my soule 〈◊〉 my inward man that Iron sinew Lord 〈◊〉 away my hard heart and give mee a 〈◊〉 â—…sh teach my heart thou must perswade 〈◊〉 incline me incline my heart Lord. Wee waâ—… religious carriage in this 〈◊〉 come presumptuously upon conâ—… 〈◊〉 wit to heare Seâ—…ons and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so wee come away worse than wee 〈◊〉 Why wâ—… doâ—… not 〈◊〉 too Goâ—… 〈◊〉 swaâ—… us They â—…ere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Manâ—… here 〈◊〉 he opens â—…he eyes and 〈◊〉 hee perswades God perswades the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Vlcar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…wade by darknesse by maintaining 〈◊〉 â—…ome of darknesse The Devill all 〈◊〉 shewes no reason he keepes the soule 〈◊〉 â—…esse and blindnesse Anti christ peâ—… 〈◊〉 men to their religion how by fleshly allure men's not instructing them and opening their eyes inlightning their understandings â—…ut GOD opens their eyes to see and â—…hen teaches and perswades The devils instruments they perswade and so they teach â—…nd draw away they perswade with carnall objects and the like to draw and bewitch the â—…ffections and so the judgment is darke still But where there is true dealing there is no â—…are of the light Therfore those that are enemies to the means of salvaâ—…ion that feare Gods people should know too much they take a course contrary to God for God enlightens and then perswades and knowledge enlightneth so that knowledge is necessary All divine perswasion of faith hath the name of knowledge They were perswaded by the spirit of God of the truth of GOD having their eyes opened It is an evidence we are not perswaded we come to Church and attend upon the means we goe on in a course of sinne wee are not divinely perswaded God hath not perswaded our hearts he hath not enlightned us For if the covetous man were perswaded that neither covetous nor extortioners should enter into the kingdome of heaven would hee not leave that course Light and perswasion alway rule the action for we work as we see and are perswaded in every thing The very beasts do as they see and as sense leads them an Asse beares burthens you know nature hath sâ—…amed and made him for it but can you drive the silly creature into the fire he knowes that will consume him So that men they are brutish they will not bee perswaded by the spirit of God they runne into courses that if they had light in their soules and if they were perswaded whither it tends they would never runne into hell fire If there were a pit open before a mâ—…ns eyes would hee plunge himselfe into that pit that were before his eyes A man that lives in sinnes against conscience hee runs into a pit There are no manner of liers of whoâ—… mongers of covetous persons of such wretches as take the name of God in vaine that shall escape unpunished Men leada life in a course wherein they see a pit before them and yet they runne on are they perswaded No no certainely they are not perswaded And so for the meanes of salvation men that care not for hearing the word are they perswaded it is the word of God to salvation they are not perswaded We may know the truth of our perswasion by the power it haâ—… to râ—…le our lives and conversations What is the reason that a simple man a weake man 〈◊〉 lives Christianly and dies in the faith he lived by when as a great man in conceite in know ledge he lives wickedly and dies worse he cause the one hath not this knowledge of the spirit the spirit of God never opened his eyes the spirit of God never perswaded him hee hath it in bookes and by education and the like There are none that ever hold out but those that have the spirit of God to be their teacher and perswader Wee must see things in their owne proper light the spirit of God hath to deale with the heart God hath only power of that he must deale with the heart we must not trust therefore to education or to outward things If a man should aske the reason of men why doe you leave these courses why doe you doe this good a Christian doth not say I was brought up to this or I cannot doe otherwise but I do it from a principle of the New Creature Let us desire God that we may doe things from reasons of Scripture from reasons of pleasing God that we may doe them from a holy sanctified affection that we may bee perswaded by the spirit and then it will hold out They were perswaded of them And imbraced them They imbraced the promises the good things promised Christs comming in the flesh and Canaan the type of heaven and heaven it selfe though they had not these things yet they imbraced what they had they imbraced the promises That is the nature of faith if it have not that it lookes as it hath not till it come to heaven yet it makes much of that it hath it imbraceth the promises and in the promises the thing it selfe promised Now these things follow one another in a most naturall order for sight brings perswasion sight and conviction brings strong perswasion and perswasion breeds imbracing for we imbrace that in our affections that wee are perswaded of to be good According to the strength of conviction and perswasion is the strength of the affections those things that we have a weake perswasion of we have a weake affection to those things that we are fully perswaded of and are great withall the affections cannot but stretch forth themselves to imbrace them When the understanding was enlightned to see the truth and to be perswaded of
from heaven to earth and here he conversed as a stranger he dwelt in his body here as a tabernacle which he layd aside for a while to work the worke of out redemption and then after to dwell in it for ever He was the prime stranger of all strangers he that makes us all strangers here and Citizens of heaven he was a stranger on earth He was not indeed a stranger for hee was Lord of heaven and earth yet in regard of his state of exaltation that was to come after in regard of dispensation he was here as a servant he lived here as a stranger And indeed he was as strangely used for hee came among his owne and his owne knew him not as it is in Iohn 1. he was not knowne among his owne Countrie men the Iewes hee was a stranger on earth He conversed with us here and was among us as a stranger you see how his speech and carriage and conversation on earth it was as a strangers He was talking alway of his fathers house and of the kingdome of heaven When he speakes of the estate of the Church which is the only company of people here in whom God rules by his spirit yet because they are ordained for the kingdome of heaven he calls them strangers here and termes them by that that they are ordained to All his minde was of the kingdome of heaven we see after he was risen the matter of his discourse as the Gospell tells it was of the kingdome of heaven he talked of things that belonged to the kingdom of God all his speeches were that way and his comparisons were fetched that way The kingdome of heaven is like to such a thing and such a thing And all his worke was to draw men from the earth As it was his grand work to redeem men from the earth that is from hell and from their cursed condition so the matter of his teaching was answerable to his work to draw men to heaven all the paines that he tooke before and after his death till he was taken into heaven it tended that way He came from heaven to earth to wooe us to be a spouse to himselfe he came from heaven into a strange countrie to take us for his spouse to take our nature and in our nature to winne us to die for us he carried himselfe as a stranger every way he regarded not earthly things Now answerable to our head Christ must all Christians bee in their affections and dispositions we must be conformable to him we must be strangers as he was All that looke to die in the faith of Christ and to be happy for ever they must witnesse their believing and loving of better things by an answerable carriage to all things here below they must have the affection of strangers and travailers Faith doth enforce this It is the nature of the soule from a principle and ground of nature that when the soule is carried up one way it is shut another when it cleaves unto and imbraceth better things when it is open to heaven the point of the soule is shut to the earth and wee looke upon these things as strangers and pilgrims only for necessary use These holy men the Patriarchs were strangers Strangers in their owne esteeme As Abraham and Iacob they confesse they were sojourners and David though he were a King yet he saith he was a stranger as all his fathers were So all the Patriarchs they professed themselves to be strangers and sojourners and they did it not in word only but in deed they shewed it by dwelling in tabernacles and tents poore things fit for strangers heaven was their house Tabernacles are moveable weak things that have no foundation So they knew their life was like a tabernacle here And their manner of life shewed what they looked for they carried themselves as those that hoped and looked for better things They were strangers in their dispositions they affected things above and cared no more for these things then for necessary use to helpe them to serve God in their places and those that are strangers in their dispositions they desire to be at home Againe they were strangers in GODS esteeme God termed them so and so it is with all that believe in Christ when we once believe and are new creatures new borne to a better inheritance presently at the same time we are strangers here Strangers likewise in the esteeme of the world The world used them as strangers strangely When a man leaveth the world and cleaveth to God presently the world setteth on him by reproaches and all they can because they think he will disgrace them by his change therefore they labour to make him as black as they may that way they use all strangely that breake from them God will have it so because he will have his children not to love the world therefore he will have the world hate them So they are strangers in that respect they think it strange that they doe not as they did formerly that they doe not as they doe wicked men thinke it strange that they runne not with them into the same excesse of ryot so they are strangers in the esteem of wicked men So they are strangers in regard of their place heaven is their hope they are begotten to an inheritance immortall undefiled c. they live in a place where they are strangers they are every way strangers But you will say wicked men are strangers and pilgrims too I answer they are indeed so for in regard of the shortnesse of their lives and the uncertaintie of the things they injoy for they out-live all their happines here they are snatched hence before they bee aware therefore they are but travellers here but they goe from ill to worse yet in regard of their affections they are no strangers but account themselves at home from a spirit of infidelity and pride and earthlinesse Therefore they are called men of the earth and those that dwell on the earth in the Revelation because they looke no furtherthen the earth and here they roote and fix their affections upon this earth they do not fix their hearts and affections upon the things above they looke not after them they care not for them they value them not nor esteeme them Therefore answerable to their thoughts and bent of their soule and mind is their discourse their speech and carriage and thereupon they are called men of the earth and called the world because they love nothing but the world they are as it were changed into the things they love they are earth as the Prophet saith Oh earth earth c. and they are the world because their affection of love joynes them to these earthly things The Church in the Revelation is called heaven but the beast is said to rise out of the earth for that which bred the carnall religion of Popery it was nothing but earth and
Court As the Devill is a Lyar and a Murtherer so is this Sonne of the Devill who is led by the Spirit of the Dragon in disposition they are alike In course of life they are alike The Dragon is said to draw the third part of the stars of heaven downe to the earth that is to draw men which were as the stars of heaven to make them deny their Religion So this Dragon this Pope the instrument and vassal of Sathan hee drawes the third part of the stars from heaven and hee drawes men from the love of the truth by preferment and honour men that are learned men that are otherwise of excellent parts hee drawes them from heaven to earth that is hee drawes them from the knowledge of the truth and goodnesse to earth and lower then earth too if they do not repent even to hell it selfe from whence hee came Thus I might goe on to shew that this Beast is Rome under the Pontificality and not Rome under the Heathen Emperours likewise that this Beast is acted lead and guided by the spirit of the Dragon by reason of the resemblance which it holds parallel with him in these and other things So much for explication of this Beast But why is the state of Rome called the Beast Daniel first knew the great Empires the one of Babylon called a Lyon the Persian Monarchy a Bear the Grecian a Leopard but here in this Chapter is a strange Beast that hath all the cruelty and fiercenesse of all those Monarchies Called therefore a Beast for her fiercenesse and cruelty Gods Church they are sheepe and lambes Christ himselfe the Lambe of God the opposite Church of Antichrist a Beast acruel Beast If you go to plants Gods Church are lilies the opposite kingdome are thornes If you goe to Fowles Gods Church are Doves Turtles mild and gentle the opposite Church are Eagles and birds of prey But I say they are called Beasts for their cruelty The state of Rome under those heathenish Emperours was a Beast and in those ten persecutions the Emperours are rightly called Beasts so likewise Rome Papall is a Beast Our Religion true Religion entertained makes of Beasts men the true knowledge of Christ alters their natures turnes Lyons into Lambes as the Prophet saith Isa. 11. But the Popish religion it makes of men beasts makes them worse then themselves For these Gun powder-traytors many of them as they were by birth Gentlemen so their dispositions were gentle and mild divers of them not of the worst dispositions only that bloody Religion made them worse then their nature was So I say Papall Rome is a Beast and popish religion makes men beasts Well I will not inlarge my selfe in the uses of this point because I shall speake of it afterward if the time will give me leave only this have nothing to doe with this Beast keep out of her pawes keepe out of her clawes A Lion or a cruell Beast may seeme to bee calme for a while but a Lyon will as we say shew a Lyons trick once a yeare Meddle not therefore with this Beast it is a Beast so much for that what the Beast is the state of Rome under the Bishop of Rome For God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Whose The Angell sets down in the verse before the ten Horns the ten Kings the ten western Kings whether it be a certaine number for an uncertain or whether it be a certain number I wil not dispute of now but take it so as it cannot be disputed against a certain number for an uncertaine A number of the VVesterne Kings gave up their kingdomes for a while to the Beast untill the Word of God should bee fulfilled But marke the phrase God put it into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Wil God put into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast why then the Pope of Rome need not pretend Constantines donation that he 300. yeares after Christ gave unto them many territories about Rome But they may depend upon a higher donation God put it into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Here is a higher title then the donation of Constantine But we must know that this is not meant as if God gave him a right by putting into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdomes to the Beast but God seeing these ten Hornes these ten Kings to be in a sinfull estate who deserved to be left of him and to bee given up to further illusion and by with-drawing his grace to give them up to the occasions of sin to this seducing Beast and Whore he put into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast But this must be a little cleared Is God the Author of sinne God put it into their hearts he did not only rule the events but he put into their hearts c. I answer The phrases of the Scripture are well enough knowne in this kind God gave them up to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 12. The falling of the people from Rehoboam it is said it was of the Lord And God bad Shemei rayle divers such phrases there are in the Scripture How must these bee understood thus Not that God doth allow or command any thing that is evill much lesse that hee doth infuse any evill into men so that when it is said he put these things into their hearts here is neither an outward command nor an inward infusion what is it then Here is a finding of them in an evill and sinfull estate and God useth that evil and mischiefe and wickednesse that he finds to his owne end and purpose He infuseth no malice or evil but finding of it he useth it to his owne particular end and purpose makes way and vent for it upon particular occasions These ten Kings he infuseth no love of superstition into them but finding them evill and not as they should be Subjects of his kingdome and misliking his sweet government it was just with God to give them up to be slaves to the Beast by consequence to the Devill himselfe that spake and wrought by the Beast So I say God tooke away the impediments and opened a way to their evill disposition He used their evill disposition to this or that particular thing even as a Workeman that finds an ill piece of timber he makes not the timber ill but when he finds it ill hee useth it to his owne good purpose and as a man it is Luthers comparison as a man that moves a Horse that is lame hee doth not put lamenesse into the Horse but useth him to his owne purpose being lame so God finding these men evill in the generall he directs this ill into particular courses to worke it selfe this way and not that in this particular action not in that For God although he be not the
good that is good there is not any ill so strong as God is good but every ill must come under the government of God The Devill himselfe nor the vile heart of man cannot goe out of his rule yet may runne out of his Commandements but then it runs into his Iustice hee may goe against the revealed will of God but then hee runs into his secret will there is no Ill Ill in that degree that God is good but every Ill is in somewhat and from somewhat and for somewhat that is good as it is over-ruled by God The crucifying of Christ which was the worst action that ever was yet it tended to the greatest good viz. the salvation of mankind So this giving to the Beast of these ten Thrones by these ten Kings it was a sinne and a punishment of their sinne but it was for a good end as wee shall see afterward if the time will give leave This should teachus absolute dependance and subjection to this great God they need feare no creatures that feare God they need feare no Devill nor Turke nor Pope nor all the lims of them for God is the absolute Monarch of the world he can doe what hee will and if God be on our side who can be against us It is said that hee is a wise Politician that can make his owne ends out of his enemies designes The great Governour of heaven and earth can doe so He can put a hooke into the nostrils of the Leviathans of this world and can draw them and rule them as hee pleaseth they may doe many things but it shal be all to accomplish his ends and purposes they shall doe his will God put it into the hearts of these Kings to fulfill his will Hee put it into their hearts to agree to give up their kingdomes to the Beast and so they did submit themselves to Antichrist for a great while In the next place it is expressed how this came They Gave their Kingdomes to the Beast Wee are to see how farre faulty these Kings were and how farre faulty the Pope the Beast was to whom they gave their Kingdomes For it may be objected that these men they did but obey God for hee put it into their hearts and for the Pope they offered their Kingdomes to him and who would not receive offered Gold But here is a deale of devillish deceit for first God gave them over to themselves and they gave themselves and their Kingdomes to the Beast what then was sinfull in them This to give their Kingdomes to the Beast This they betrayed their Kingdomes Here is a wrong to God a wrong to themselvs and a wrong to their Subjects A wrong to God whose Vice-gerents they were did he give them their Kingdomes to give them to his Enemy to give them to the Beast and by consequence to the Devill Doth God raise up men to rule that they should enthral themselves and their Kingdomes to the Beast to give them to Gods Enemies No Kings raigne by Him The Pope saith by mee Is their constitution of men No Kings raigne by God they derive their authority from him It is he that hath power over Kings Dan. 2. They raigne not if he will and they may rule â—…f he will by his will permitting else no man can raigne By mee Kings raigne If then they reigne by him it is a treason against God to betray the Kingdomes that hee hath given them into the hands of his Enemies It is a wrong to Christ whereas they should kisse the Sonne by kisses of subjection as Princes use to doe in the Eastern Countries to fall downe and kisse their Soveraignes toes they doe in this the cleane contrary Here is a wrong to themselves they betray their owne authority that when God hath made them Kings to rule they will bee slaves and it is a great sinne for a man not to maintain his standing as it is well observed by his Majestie who if ever Prince did doth vindicate himselfe and challenge his regall authority and it shall continue and make him live even to the worlds end It is the greatest sinne for a man to betray himselfe Every man is to maintaine that place and standing that God hath set him in These ten Hornes they wronged themselves and their place God made them Kings over their people and they become slaves to an Antichristian Priest It was a great wrong to their Subjects kingdomes we know follow their Kings and if Ieroboam make Israel to sinne all Israel will quickly sinne diseases come from the head if the head be naught there will bee a disease in the body ere long A greater stone being tumbled downe from a Hill it carries lesser stones along with it so great Kings when they fall themselves they draw their Kingdomes after them therefore the phrase of the Scripture is God put into their hearts to give not onely themselves but their Kingdomes to the Beast for commonly the Idoll of the people is their King and being led by sense and not by faith they feare him more then they feare God and their owne restraint more then they feare Hell and so they come to this damned Religion by depending upon him therefore it is a wrong to the people knowing they are so slavish by nature and wanting faith are fearing terrour led by the present command of their King Thus it was a wrong in these Kings every way But the Pope the Beast what was too blame in him He did but take that which was offered him They gave their Kingdomes to the Beast I answer Indeed hee tooke that which was offered him but he did abuse these Kings hee abused the Christian world Hee had no title to these Kingdomes but was a fraudulent Possessor of them because hee came to them by a slight Hee raised himselfe to the Popedome by the ruines of the Empire for upon the divisions of the Empire the Emperour having enemies in the East hee was faine to rest in Constantinople and thereupon Rome being much neglected at last was over-run by the Gothes and Vandals and the Pope taking occasion of the absence of the Empeâ—…our set up himselfe thus raising himselfe by â—…e ruâ—…nes of the Empire and then hee being â—…stablished set up Pepine Father of Charles the Great and put downe Childerick who being 〈◊〉 weake Prince he deposed and set the other 〈◊〉 that he might gratifie him so so hee colâ—…ogued with Princes And then againe hee wan respect and authority from the Hornes by diabolicall and 〈◊〉 courses For first hee abused their underâ—…andings keeping them from the Scriptures â—…nd then he abused their affections and drew â—…em this way and that way with toyes They â—…ave him great matters and he gave them Inâ—…ulgences and Pardons consecrated Grains â—…nd such like things Then againe hee would oft force them to â—…ield by Excommunications and many false â—…itles of Peters Successor and Peters Chaire so by the terrour and dread of
Excommunicaâ—…ion hee awed them Againe he wrought by subtilty joyning with one Prince against another setting one against another And if hee joyned with any party he had such a slight that hee would be sure to make him a slave to the Papacie one way or other or else hee would excommunicate him and then before they should bee absolved they must either pay a great summe of money or else they must goe such a voyage or set such men or such on such an Enterprise And then againe hee gave dispensations to sell soules and so men might doe what they would they should have Pardon otherwise they should have Excommunication And then againe hee had preferments for the Sonnes of the Hornes Cardinals places for their second Sons that they should be great Princes he had high places for them Then againe hee layed his foundation on false grounds He would be universall Bishop and the Church could not erre and al of them must fetch and determine of their matters from him and appeale must be made to none but to him and in certaine cases none could satisfie the Conscience but him So that hee greatly raised his authority by these false and cousening meanes and all that yielded to him were a deluded company of people that were deluded by the false and subtill courses that he tooke And therefore although they gave their Kingdomes to him yet he possessed them by a fraudulent ritle the meanes he used were diabolicall They gave their Kingdomes to the Beast till the word of God should be fulfilled Well wee see here the Iudgement of God upon the Christian world It was not onely a Iudgement upon these Kings as they were Kings but God punished the peoples sinne in the slavery of these Kings to the Beast See here the Iudgement of God upon Kings and Princes for not esteeming as they should doe the glorious Gospel of Christ for they both Princes and people had it but they esteemed it not but delighted in untruths therefore God gave them up to believe lies We are not therefore over-much to pitty our Ancestors though they deserve pitty yet wee excuse them over much this way for certainly God is just in his Iudgement who seeing them delight in lies more then in his truth tooke away his grace and gave them up to this Beast that they should give up their authority both Prince and people to him And because they would not be ruled by Gods will thinking themselves wiser then he He appointed them to be ruled by one that should bee ruled by the Devill For the Devill was in the Pope and who would serve the Devill if hee knew it But because they would not yield unto Christs sweet government therefore he gave them over to a government fit for them even to be governed by the Beast I beseech you take notice of this point when we entertaine not the glorious Gospel of Christ the good word of God that word that declares salvation unto us and which is an Instrument to worke grace in us to fit us for heaven that word that is the seed and the food of our new Birth the Evidence of our Inheritance that good word which is the greatest Iewell under heaven when we doe not value that it is the greatest errour that can be and it is just with God to give us up to this and to that errour if not unto Popery yet unto some one errour that the Devill is in and contrary to the Spirit of God Doe yee thinke if a Master should see his servant take ill courses and would not doe according to his appointment and admonition that he would not leave him to take his owne course and so let him do his owne will that thereby he might see his folly in not being ruled by him So it is just with God when hee sees that wee doe not make much of his Gospel of his soule-saving Gopel that we will not have that alone but Traditions with it and that besides Christ wee must have other Mediators as if Christ were not rich enough It is just with God to give both Prince and people up to the Beast Let us therefore make much of the Gospel what moved God to give up the Easterne Empire those glorious Churches in Saint Iohns time unto the Turke nothing but this they did not value the Gospel What moved God to give up those Western Kings to Romish Antichrist for those two the Turke and Pope are twins they had their beginning at once about 700. yeares after Christ what moved this But only when God had dealt graciously with them at the first and gave them his truth to save their soules which is the most comfortablest thing in the world to have God discover what he meanes to do with us and what he would have us to doe when he discovered his will to them and saw them leave his will saw them leave Gold and take Drosse prefer the traditions and wisedome of men before the wisedome of God it was just with him to give them up to beleeve lies They gave their Kingdomes to the Beast marke the limitation here untill until the word of God should be fulfilled I see I cannot make an end of the Text a little further and so I will conclude Here is an Vntill here is a stop the Devill and the Beast had their time to seduce the Kings and the Kings had their time to bee seduced and to give up their Kingdomes but God hath his time Christ hath his time Christ gives his enemies time and then takes time himselfe Vntill the time that the Word of God shall be fulfilled We see here then a mixture of mercy with justice that after God had given them up justly not only the Easterne Empire but also the Western Kings to the Pope yet notwithstanding here is an Vntill God limits Ill not only for the measure of it but also for the time of it God at length turnes the streame of things so that these Kings that were thus abused and baffeled by this Man of sinne this Beast at last they grow wise by the inâ—…nct of God and hate the Beast as much as ever they loved her So then this is the point That the same God that by divine Providence gave way to these Kings to abuse the doctrine of the Gospell and that gave way to these people that were unthankefull to yield themselves in such slavery to the Pope yet notwithstanding in mercy God at the last put into the hearts of these Kings to with-draw their necks from this yoke and to put their necks under Christs yoke This Vntill hath had a beginning many yeare agoe for wee know to omit other Kings of other Countries King Henry the Eight of famous memory take him without those things we cannot upbraid now he was a man of great and excellent parts as hee was of great vices Hee was an excellent instrument of Christ to unhorse the Pope to shake off his government
he himselfe overcame Sathan and triumphed over him as it is Colos. 2. He lead him in triumph hee triumphed over Sathan himselfe and he will triumph over Sathan in all his members as hee over-came Sathan in himselfe so hee will overcome in us all For stronger is he that is in us then he that is in the world The Spirit of God as he is in us is stronger then Sathan not only Christ our glorious Captaine overcame him and is now in Heaven but the Spirit of God in us weak creatures with faith laying hold upon the word of God is stronger then he that is in the world he is stronger then the Devill and all that are against us But besides Sathan there is in us much opposition that must be subdued before we come to Canaan as we saw before in 2 Cor. 10. those reasonings and sophistries proud high thoughts all must be brought downe because Sathan doth joyne with these and if it were not for enemies within us Sathan could not prevaile over us as it was Dalilah that betraied Sampson or else the Philistines could not have hurt him so it is with our owne corruptions there be these wals within us these betray us to Sathan he could not hurt us but that wee â—…etray our selves Now by little and little all these wals â—…hall fall not all at once as the wals of Ieriâ—…ho did but they shall molder in pieces by litâ—…le and little God by degrees will perfect the worke of mortification and sanctification â—…ill hee make us take his Son Christ like our Husband and Head that wee may be fit for so glorious a Head But to come to the particular occasion Besides other enemies that are betweene us and Heaven Sathan is powerfull and effectuâ—…ll and strong in the Kingdome of Antichrist And by all meanes that Church which is opposite to Christ hath studied to build up wals to build up Iericho and to stop the Church of Christ to hinder it what they could Now what wals have they built up As Pharaoh said Let us deale wisely how wittily have they gone to worke to overthrow the Church of God in all times and to set up themselves and their owne Kingdome It were a large discourse it would take up the whole time to shew their policie and the plots they have had to give an instance in a few How strongly have they built up wals in their owne conceit when they had got the whole world almost into subjection to them before Luthers time all the world followed them They had used the matter so that Kings themselves had betrayed their very Crownes to them they had betrayed their Kingdomes they were rather Vassals to them then Kings they had gotten the temporall sword into their hands as well as the spirituall And they had raised up to themselves a bloody Inquisition to suppresse all light of truâ—…h as soone as ever it sparkled out all beames of truth were stopped with their bloody Inquisition they thought they had fenced themselves safe enough Then againe they had disabled all the Kings and Princes of Christendome And then because the Pope would ingage Princes to him to strengthen the wals higher and to make them stronger the young sonnes of Princes hee would make them Cardinals And then hee would arrogate to himselfe a power absolute to dispense in case of marriage and oathes and such like And besides what plots have they had for the counterfeiting of Authors for falsifying of Authors purging out true Authors that they might have none give witnesse against them what tricks have they to keepe people in ignorance because it is a Kingdome of darkenesse the Bible they must have God hath preserved that but they would have it in an unknowne tongue And what other devises to abuse the people withall How have they fenced themselves by applying themselves to humour all sorts of people For even as the Devill enlargeth his Kingdome by applying himselfe to the cursed sinfull disposition of men so doth the Pope here upon earth apply himselfe to the â—…infull disposition of all sorts of men There â—…re no kind of men but they have a baite in Popery For loose Libertines there are stewes For others that are of a more reserved and severe disposition there are Monasteries For superstitious persons there they have a world of ridiculous Ceremonies devised to themselves of their owne braine and never used in the Primitive Church For those that are covetous they have the riches of the world in their owne hands they have had at least before more then they now have For proud ambitious persons they have honours of all sorts For the people they have many carnal liberties for them And for all the senses of the body they have something to delight them to draw people from the power of Religion to carnall outward worship So they have studied and whetted their wits all the wayes that might bee to apply themselves to the dispositions of all sorts of men whatsoever that so they might strengthen the wals of Iericho I might be large I give you but a taste Well but what hath God done God hath infatuate and overthrowne their wals and by weake meanes Luther a poore Monke with a Trumpet of Rams-hornes with his preaching and with his writing you see how he shooke the wals of Rome how much they have lost within the last hundred yeares the last age the last Centurie of yeares they have lost a great part of this Westerne part of the world that they had in slavery before and how by weak meanes as you heard by the preaching of the Gospel by Learning and Knowledge It is no wonder that the Devill hates Knowledge and Learning as Luther saith well Hee hates the quils of Geese because they are Instruments to write against them Hee hath a Kingdome of darkenesse and Hell and the Pope is a King of darkenesse Now when the light of Knowledge the light of the Word of God the ordinance of God when preaching came these poore Trumpets did shake the Church of Rome As wee see in England the wals of Iericho fell downe by what mâ—…anes by a Child in manner King Edward the sixt and after by a woman and if the word of God had gone on in like proportion in other places Popery had beene lower then it is So wee see then that as high as they built and as much as they fortified though they bee not wholly cast downe yet they are shaken and that by weake meanes Now the way to effect this that these wals may fall down more and more It must be by the spiritual meanes that God will use wee must use the meanes that God hath appointed us poor contemptible meanes Trumpets of Rams hornes the preaching of the Word the discoverie of the truth and by this meanes we shall more and more gaine upon them And undoubtedly let them but give free liberty to the preaching of