the Pope who claimeth to be Christs Vicar the husband of the Church as if an husband must needs have a Vicar or as if he can be honest that is Vicar to an husband or shee chaste that admitteth a Vicar to her husband 2. As an whore inveigleth all shee can by meretricious Arts shee draweth in the young man by her flatteries and subtleties but most of all shee allureth great persons to folly for great rewards Even so this whore of Babel seduceth by craft and in a mysterie all whose names are not written in the Booke of Life but especially shee hath inveigled the Kings and Princes of the earth to commit fornication with her 3. As the harlot loveth the darke and seeketh the twilight so this whore of Babylon flieth the light of the Scriptures and loveth the darke night of ignorance What else is the mother and nurse of their devotion but ignorance Where doth Romane religion dominere but over ignorant countries and persons Where doe Priests and Iesuites sculke and lurke but in dens and thickets of ignorance When doe these Owles and Bats flutter abroad but in the twilight Egypt covered with darknesse was covered with Locusts and Frogs but Goshen having light was rid of Locusts and such vermines 4. An whore exhausts a mans substance and brings him to a morsell of bread so the whore of Rome hath by cunning and for things not worth thanks exhausted the chiefe treasures of Kings and Kingdomes Her Peter-pence gathered by tyrannie and hypocrisie have equalled the Kings tribute an unsuspected witnesse of her unsatiable gathering is that Orbis in urbe that world of wealth which that great Citie hath robbed the great world of and yet as was said of Paulus 3. Eius avaritiae totus non sufficit Orbis 5. An whore enervates and weakeneth the strength and seeketh the precious life of a man Shee consumeth the flesh and the bodie saith Salomon So this Whore of Babylon hath weakened all the power of Princes in their owne kingdomes claiming all their Authoritie Crowns Laws and making them but her vassals to execute her designes which if any of them thinke unreasonable then by all false arts positions and practises shee hunteth the precious lives of such Princes sometimes by her owne Emissaries and sometimes by their owne subjects armed with fraud and force with dags and daggers with poisons or powder-plots And what difference saith Mariana whether thou killest him with poison or stab there be many examples saith he both ancient and moderne of enemies killed this way 3. They are like in state and condition Babylon signifieth Confusion and in both was a Confusion of tongues that one could not understand another And in both a confusion of vices and a Chaos of all filthinesse similia mala saith Orosius sinnes of highest degrees against God and man for what else can be expected of a people left by God What else but a chaine of sinne reaching up unto heaven in that state the head of which is the man of sinne I may not now rake in this sinke hee had need have a vizard on his face that should speake or heare of Babels filthinesse the best way to expresse the filth of ordure is quickly to cover it therefore I will imitate the Painter who to expresse the deepest sorrow that might bee did cover the partie with a veile 4. They are parallel in their ruine and miserable destruction which in both is 1. Certaine 2. Totall 3. Finall 1. Of both was said Babylon is fallen Babylon is fallen the present tense for the future and ingemination or doubling of the prophecie noteth the certaintie of their ruine 2. Both Babels must be turned to heapes both of them must be burnt mountaines turned into ashes as the Kings did to that Babel so shall the ten Kings hate this Whore and leave her naked and eat her flesh and burne her with fire 3. Both of them shall be finally destroyed never to be recovered againe Both of them shall bee as a milstone cast into the sea by the Angell never to be lifted up any more Both of them must be destroyed as Sodome and Gomorrah which were never recovered In neither of them shall be found bridegroome or bride the sound of milstone or light of a candle or any craftsman and therefore shall neither of them bee inhabited by man any more but Zim and Iim shall dwell there and the Ostriches shall dwell therein but never shall sonne of man remaine there any more neither shall Babel ever rise from the evill Object But how unlikely is this that so strong a staffe and beautifull rod should be broken to peeces And we will be readie to say with Mary But how shall this be I answer As God rained a shower of fire and brimstone upon Sodome which was as the Garden of God and turned her to ashes suddenly so will he raine a great shower of haile like talents of lead vpon Babel And as the faire sun-shine morning could not save them no more shall the faire sun-shine of prosperitie save these for God which condemneth her is a strong Lord. Having declared who is this Babylon and why now we come to the third branch of the Commandement Come out of her As by Babylon we meane not only the walls and plot of ground on which the Citie of Rome standeth but the whole Papall State and Religion so the heavenly voice enjoynes all the people of God both a spirituall and corporall egresse from them In few words take into our view 1. The Matter 2. The Maner of our departure First for the Matter All Gods people must depart from the Romish Church both in Iudgement and Affection 1. In respect of spirituall presence we must depart 1. Mente 2. Manu 3. Corpore In Iudgement we must renounce their Doctrine Faith Worship and whole Religion so farre as it differeth from the Scriptures and the Harmonie of Confessions of the Reformed Churches agreeable to the Scriptures We must also in our Iudgement renounce all Romane power executed by the Pope and his Clergie over the Scripture over Princes and their subiects and over any other Churches without their owne precincts In our Affections we must give our hearts to the truth of God and detest and damne to hell their blasphemous doctrines their hatefull Idolatrie grosse superstitions wicked manners and the detestable courses of that wicked Citie and State contrary to many Polititians who give us their presence but their hearts are in Babylon Christ hath the shell but they reserve the kernell for Antichrist 2. Wee must depart from needlesse association and assistance how can we strike hands and embrace amitie and societie with such as have broken off with God How can iron and clay temper together What societie betweene light and darknesse What agreement betweene a member of Christ and a limbe of Antichrist How can any of Gods people say thy person shall be
Two Sermons THE ONE A HEAVENLY VOICE CALLING ALL GODS people out of Romish BABYLON The Other AN EVERLASTING Record of the utter ruine of Romish AMALEK By THOMAS TAYLOR Preacher of the Word at REDDING in Berkshire LONDON Printed by J. H. for Iohn Bartlet and are to be sold at the Golden Cup in the Gold-Smiths row in Cheapside 1624. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND worthie Knights and Burgesses of the Lower-House of PARLAMENT IN most humble sense of mine owne unworthinesse which holdeth no comparison with the height of your authoritie place judgement and learning I have emboldned my selfe to present unto your wisdomes this voice from Heaven calling all the people of God out of Babylon For what voice can be more worthie of audience than a voice from Heaven What voice more seasonable than this amongst the grave consultations of the most important affaires and weightiest causes of God of his Majestie and of this flourishing Kingdome Or who more fit to heare this voice directed to Gods people than you the representation of all the people of God in this Kingdome You I say who sit in the places of your worthie Predecessors by whose consent and assent with that Higher and Honourable House the whole Kingdome was formerly set out of Babylon so farre as by the blessing of God now it is God will without mee saith Ioseph speake for the life of Pharaoh and without mee effect all his good purposes for the prosperitie of his Majestie and his people and you without mee well know the managing of the weightie businesses which you have in hand neither can my candle adde any light unto your Sunne onely having begunne to speake let me finde grace in your eyes and pardon to encourage you in the doing of what you doe Your wisdomes know that what were the two studs of the house in which Sampson played that is Religion and Iustice in the Common-wealth if they be pulled downe or shaken the Church and Common-wealth fall together and all under the fall must needs perish of the two Religion claimeth our first and chiefe care as intending Gods glorie more immediately and mans good not temporarie chiefly but eternall And therefore whereas heathen Governors could provide for the observation of the second Table Christian Governors as the gates of the world lift up their heads that Christ the King of glorie may enter in among them And all godly Parlaments whereof we have not a few examples in Scripture first setled the causes of God and Religion and then the causes of the King and of Civill Iustice as all the companies gathered for the Lords battels must say on everie side of the Host For the Lord and for Gideon Now of all the great and important causes of God which can be offered to your tractation none is more weightie than the subject of this little Treatise none more neerely concerning your selves to whom the care of your brethren is now committed as Benjamin was by his father to Iudah and on whom next to his Majestie the breath of our nostrils and that Higher and honourable house the care of all our safetie is now laid And as all the voices of the land have made you the eyes of the land so are all the eyes of the land held upon you to helpe us against these Babylonians who have beene and are so busie to bring us backe into our former Babylonish Captivitie and to oppose your selves stoutly with our Darius against these adversaries of Ierusalem who like the Midianites have too long troubled us with their wiles And because the planting of Christs Kingdome is the onely meanes to supplant the Kingdome of Babylon and the breath of Christ can onely blast the hopes of Antichrist a readier way cannot bee devised to effect this voice from Heaven than to provide that the knowledge of the Sonne of God may bee propagated thorow the land and that the blowing of the rams hornes of the Gospell may lay downe the wals of this Romish Ierico even with the ground If your wisdomes should send men over the Kingdome as Moses did the spies to search the land of Canaan they would bring you backe a true report that a great part of this Kingdome still lieth as a barren wildernesse destitute of the blessed means of grace and that many great parishes are as the mountains of Gilboa on which the sweetshowers and raines of the Gospell fall not or verie seldome neither doe the happie dewes of holy doctrine fall on them in their night nor the beames of the Sun of grace dart upon them in the day These faithfull messengers would informe you that all this waste and untilled ground is left for the Babylonians for Seminaries Priests and Iesuites to inhabit That these parishes are the verie thickets in which these snakes and vermins hide themselves who beare nothing about them but poison treason and seduction That these places of such blacke and reigning ignorance lie open to spoile and hazard to be drawne easily away by the poysoned breath of the most sottish Priest not to Poperie onely but even to rebellions and treasons which for most part arise out of ignorant and blinde zeale And now who knoweth whether the supply of this want and the remedie of so great an evill bee reserved for the crowne of his Majesties age and the eternall renowne of this Honourable Parlament So noble a worke requireth no lesse noble an Agent such a glorious and famous act well suiteth with him who for wisdome and understanding is the glorie and fame of the whole earth And now noble and worthie Gentle-men God forbid that you should not take to heart the miseries of your brethren wanting food who behold our Lord Iesus Christ more grieved in spirit to see his Country-men want Preachers than when hee saw them in bondage under the Romans God forbid that you should sinne against God and not bestirre you by planting the true knowledge of God to pull downe the strongest pillar of Poperie that you should not move everie stone for the beautifying of Bethel for the setting open of the gate of heaven here upon earth for the establishing of Gods pure worship and for the removall of everie scandall and advantage of Babylon Goe on therefore worthie men in the Lords strength open your mouthes for the dumbe and silent and be faithfull mediatours for the Kingdome of Christ as you desire him to be a faithfull Mediatour for you in the Kingdome of his Father And from hence would arise another happie fruit wherein the glorie of God and his Gospell would shine out in great brightnesse to the infinite disappointment of these Babylonians namely a more religious and conscionable observation of Gods holy Sabbaths whose honour is wofully violated not without the great scandall of our religion by ordinarie travels both by land and by water Oh that your wisdomes would earnestly move our highest terrene Majestie upon earth for the Sabbaths
and the receiver the murderer and consenter the traitor and concealer and as just it is that he that will partake in the sinnes of others shall partake also in the sorrowes of them What can it be but danger in not departing from her who is departed from God and God from her For what is all that Religion in the points wherein it differs from us but an apostasie and a Catholike departure from the Christian faith nay that very great Antichristian departure fore-prophesied not from the Roman Empire but of that Empire from the Christian faith as appeareth 1. By their departure from the Scripture and divine writings to humane trash traditions and fables 2. By their departing from the merits doctrine sufferings and obedience of Iesus Christ in effect to a new Christ new saviours new mediatours new intercessours new merits new advocates and patrons 3. By their departure from the old way and the ancient faith of the Prophets Apostles and of the famous Church of Rome in the Apostles dayes to a new faith and Religion not knowne to the Scriptures nor to the Prophets nor Apostles nor to their successors the Fathers and Pastors for six hundred yeeres at least after them 3. What else besides ruine can he expect that staieth in such a society so addicted to the basest wickednesse every one will say that ruine and mischiefe must be his end that runneth and sorteth himselfe with base villaines Who baser than the limmes of Antichrist who are all vassals to the servant of servants but a iust hire of those that refuse the Lord of life and liberty What is like to bee the end of him that runnes after whores and harlots but utter confusion and what other can they expect that ioyne themselves to that harlotry Religion who goe an whoring from God like hatefull and unsatiable harlots What can bee his end but ruine that sorteth himselfe with mutinous and rebellious persons plotters and contrivers of mischiefe against the persons estates lives and kingdomes of Princes and people But such are Papists taught to bee by the present doctrine of the Church of Rome And by such positions and principles were the Gunpowder Traitors thrust on to their ruine and all other that run upon their owne ruine by rising up against our late and present Soveraigne Let all good Christians and good subiects say as Iacob of Simeon and Levi brethren in evill Into the secrets of these men let not my soule come Heere are reasons enow for our utter renouncing of Popery Wouldst thou be without the reach of the plagues that amate her get out of Babylon Fearest thou not God to avoide her sinnes Feare thy selfe and thine owne danger who hast heard that the Lord is comming with his mighty power to make warre upon that damned Citie and State for her utter desolation Wouldst thou share in the salvation of Gods people open thine eares to this voice of God Fly out of Babel and every man save his owne soule Save your selves from this perverse Generation I say not that no Popish person can bee saved but whosoever will bee saved must depart from the fundamentall errors of Popery for which Christ hath given that Synagogue a bill of divorce I say therefore againe to all Gods people Get away from this people of a strange language Get away from the den of devills and habitation of Idolls Whosoever are now within this voice and call of God make use of it for thine owne safetie Some perhaps hearing the call of Gods people out of Babylon they like Lots friends scorne and mocke out this warning of God for so doe reprobates and men of gracelesse hearts spurne and fleere where they should stoope and feare and tremble but let such know that as the Sodomites were first strucke with blindnesse and then with a fiery shower so are they under the former of these plagues already and God is hastning the latter upon them if they hasten not their repentance The Poets have a saying that when Iupiter will strike a man he first putteth out his eies and so indeed doth the iust God first blindeth the eies of Infidels who are willing to bee blinded and then destroieth them he giveth them up to the devill who as an hangman first covereth their eies and then turneth them off 2. That the time is hastning when they shall say they were warned and called out but now cannot bee either pittied or helped As Lots cousins though they made but a merriment of Lots admonition yet they saw the Lord in earnest and then too late wished they had departed according to the voice of the Lord but now God will not and Lot cannot helpe them Neither can they shift themselves out of the fire when the dreadfull shower falleth Doe thou sit out the summons at thy perill but one of two thou must chuse either thou must goe out of Babylon or goe into her destruction FINIS AN EVERLASTING RECORD OF THE VTTER RVINE of Romish AMALECK Delivered in a Sermon at BLACK-FRIERS in LONDON LONDON Printed by J. H. for Iohn Bartlet and are to be sold at the Golden Cup in the Gold-Smiths row in Cheapside 1624. THE VTTER RVINE OF Romish AMALECK EXODVS 17.14 And the Lord said to Moses Write this for a remembrance in the booke and rehearse it to Iosua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amaleck from under Heaven THis Chapter setteth downe two great perils which tooke the children of Israel presently upon their deliverance from the red sea for the way to our Canaan is strewed with crosses The former was of thirst to the eighth verse The lattter of warre for seeing their thirst made them contend with God God doth justly raise them up enemies to contend withall In this warre are three things 1. The circumstance of 1. Persons Amaleck rose against Israel 2. Place Rephidem vers 8. 2. The manner of the warre which was partly 1. By power and Armes vers 9 10 11 12. 2. By prayer of Moses If Iosua be on the vallie Moses must be on the hill meanes must be used but not trusted in and prayer without use of meanes where appointed and afforded is but a mockerie 3. The events of this doubtfull warre and they be three 1. The overthrow of Amaleck by the sword of Ioshuah vers 13. 2. Gods decree of destroying utterly the whole nation of the Amalekites 3. The building of an Altar for a trophee and the perpetuall memorie of so happie a victorie The verse read containeth the second of these events namely the severe decree for the utter destruction of the whole nation of Amaleck Where are two generall points 1. The record or registrie of the sentence 2. The reason For I will utterly put out the remembrance c. The record hath two parts 1. The writing of it write this 2. The rehearsing of it to Iosua In the writing are foure things 1. Who must write it The Lord said to Moses