their opinions tending that way 4. Those that practice such abominations are gone out from us whereby they have manifested to the world they were not of us Now for the Papists hence to insult and say where is your English Church whâ—…ts become of the Protestant Religion 't is a false Religion and a false Church We Answer that the Church of England stands â—…pon its old foundations viz upon the Apostles and Prophets from which the Church of Rome is miserably fallen both in doctrine and discipline That there are apostates from the Protestant Religion in this nation is manifestly true but this makes not the Church of England the lesse a true Church We cannot say that a figtree because it hath much rotâ—…en fruit fallen from it is therefore a thorn The Spirit speaketh expresly that in the later times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Divels speaking lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with an hot iron Observe here that where the true Church is there shall be Apostates Seducers Blasphemers Lyers Murderers Hypocrites Therefore 'T is a signe where these are the true Church is as by the Eagles gathering together you may finde the carcasse and by the swarms of wasps and flyes the honey not because they make it but devour it The Church indeed is by these locusts much dâ—…faced and debased but not nullified for these herds of swine being violently rushed into the Temple do onely pollute it not destroy it To argue that the Church of England is no true Church because there are many seducers apostates and blasphemers amongst them is so absurd that the contrary Conclusion is most solid and true for if it were not a true Church the Divel would not thus furiously war against it there would not be such traps and snares devised to catch mens souls in as there are No man much lesse the Divel that spiritual Fouler that great spider of hell will lay snares to catch tame birds that he hath in a cage already As Christ by his spiritual fishermen catcheth souls in the Divels ponds and feeds them in his own so the Divel alwayes goes about with his unlawful nets and poisonous baits to catch men in Christs pond the Church and carry them into the black sea of eternal misery Where the spiritual seed is sown there the birds of hell will be picking and plucking of it up The notablest Cheaters usually frequent the greatest Fairs we speak in reference to that Refermation begun in England to which the Romish Cheaters did resort The purest Church is most commonly pestered with the vilest Hereticks as the fairest fountain with the foulest toads Since these Philistims the Papists are thus upon us 't is very necessary that we play the part of Christian men that whether we live or dye we may have the hellish blot of Antichristianism wiped off from our names which we can no better do then by freeing our Religion from that aspersion which the Papists cast upon it Iâ—… Queen Maryes dayes the Martyrs dyed under the aspersion of Hreticks in these dayes they are like to suffer by the Spanish Popish Faction as Antichristian men and womon it 's therefore not impertinent to the thing in hand to tell in a word how we came to separate from the Church of Rome The Church of Rome you must know was once a pure Church and it continued so the longest of any Church for when the Eastern Asian and Affrican Churches most fouly fell into many desperate Errors especially that of the Arian Heresie she kept her garments clean and became a shelter to Orthodox Fugitives all this while there was not the least ground for any Orthodox national Church to separate from her as on all sides 't is granted we mean for near four hundred yeers after Christ for until after the year of Christ 350. we find not any of the Roman Bishops any other then such as became the Angels of the Church and faithful Overseers of Gods flock The first that we find polluted with the Arian Heresie was Liberius who soon recollecteth himself shakes off the Heresie and dies a Confessor As for the Foppâ—…ries fathered upon these Primitive Bishops of Rome by Ciaconius and Lambertus Geuterus Isodorus Mercator and several other of the Popish Writers they are in no wise to be credited such acts being scarce possible much less probable to be acted by the Bishops of Rome in such times of persecution under the Pagan Empire After Constantine had cast down the Pagan Emperors and made Romes Imperial Scepter to bow to Christs Cross the Clergy became the greatest Court-Favourites hereupon they grew in a short time great in power and wealth being totally freed from the iron rod of the Heathen Emperors Wealth and ease not simply but by accident begat security and security the foundation of all Church mischief begat Pride Luxury and Heresie which by little and little excluded that Primitive Purity once to be found in the Church of Rome Now bebegan Monks quatenus Monks to be in great esteem and then Tapers were brought into the Church and then that trisagium pretended to be taught by Angels Sancte Deus Sancte fortis Sancte immortalis then they brought in adoringâ—… of Churches and the opinion of Purgatery with a fained pretence that the Bishop of Rome had power to chastise stubborn souls there Then began the Bishops of Rome or Patriarchs to shoulder with the Emperors and exâ—…mmunicate them for not giving the supâ—…riority to Bishops and to â—…mmunicate Bishops of other Diocâ—…sses where they had nothing to do then was the Chanâ—…l divided from the Church and extreme unction to be ministred to dying men and soon after Pelagius began to claim a Supremacy from Christ himself Thus did the Angel of the Church of Rome become a Sâ—…ar fallen from heaven to earth Revel 9. 1 2. who set open the bottomless pit whose smoak soon darkned the Sun and the air After Gregory the great and Sabinianus succeeded Boniface the third about the year of Christ 605. he obtained of Phocas the usurping Emperor who got to the Throne by the murder of his Master that usurped title of Supremacy that the Church of Rome should be called the supreme head of all other Churches Here the Star fallen from heaven became the Beast of the Sea as learned Prideaux observes with seven heads and ten horns at leastwise began to appear so Revel 13 1. Soon after this Churches became Sanctuaries for Thieves and Murderers by the Popes order Lay-Monks were made equal with Ordained Ministers in the execution of their Office Witnesses at the Font were forbid to marry each other Churches were superstitiously deck'd Holy-dayes appointed and superstitiously enjoined Priests strictly forbidden to marry and enjoined to shave their heads Latine Service introduced by Popish injunction into other Churches upon which the Popes daily inchroached by the usurpation of their Faction in
years but by the Lawes of God and conscience might better by reason of his disabilities be excused from this high undertaking then any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 't is not he that cannot do these things saith Nazianzen that shall be brought to judgment but he that can and will not shall bear the punishment Zeal rather then abilitie provoked the Author to this Work for how can any Christian endure to see and hear such ignominious things spoken and done against the City of our God without vexation If natural bowels caused Moses to pity that faulty Princesse his Sister when her face was leprous how much more ought the bowels of grace in us to cause us to mourn for our innocent mother the Church which is strip'd of all her wealth and children and with Job sits full of botches and boiles upon the dunghill of Anarchy without a comforter Vindication of a private innocent person upon a Civil account is honourable much more the vindication of a Church and State upon a Religious account This work properly belongs to the Sword and the Gown the Gown dirâ—…cts the Sword and the Sword protects the Gown and bâ—…th together protect the Church and State from injuries when bâ—…th by usurpation are exempted that Church and State lies open to all manner of Antichristian injuries and in such a case 't is the duty of a true born son of the Church to vindicate wherein he may the Church and State whereof he is a member There are foul aspersions cast upon the Church and State this day by the Papists and Apostates of this Age both which within these seven yeers were like the dogs in Egypt when Israel passed out dumb not daring to bark as now they do blasphemously against a Reformation then these Philistimes cryed as they in Samuel Wo unto us who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty Gods But since by the success of War they have taken the Ark they so much feared and broke the neck of Eli in the place of Iudgment I mean the Prince and the Priest for Eli was both they now subject the Ark of God to their cursed Dagon and where is he that fears the Lord and is not much affected with griefe herat Who cannot now read Ichabod upon the face of every thing Apostates those Vipers within the belly of the Church have gnawed their way out through the bowels of it and they proclaim it impudently that the Reformed Protestant Religion is Antichristianism which is as much as to say except you utterly renounce it you will undoubtedly be damned by it this our quondam brethren and fellow Professors of the same Religion with us say against us and our Religion from which they have Apostatized The Papists insult over us and our Religion to their great advantage and our shame for what say they Who would be of that Religion that leads men to Rebellion Murder Perjury Blasphemy Heresie and all manner of heathenish practices whereas we old Roman Catholiks are firm to the principles of our Religion we are where we were hundreds of years agoe Those and such like aspersions on the true Religion together with the innumerable swarmes of Romish Popish Seminaries dispersing their doctrines and books together into every corner of the nation have brought of late very many fishes to their nets which so encourageth them that they have dared to attempt the Seduction of many eminent and solid protestants Some persons of honor they have on our knowledg drawn lately from the Protestant Religion by their impetuous urging of the late monstrous actings of the English Protestants Thus do these two parties or rather one party in two shapes like a pair of sheers in the Divels hand cut the Protestant cause in pieces To the first of these our treatise answers describing the Antichrist and his followers from many texts especially from 1 John 2. 16 22. 1. They went out from us us i. e. The Ministry they forsook the Assembly of Saints 2. They are not of us i. e. they are false brethren that once in outward profession were of the Church but when they saw their time 〈◊〉 the Church by a separation from the Church Assemblies and the orâ—…ined Ministers of those Assemblies this is the disposition of the Antichrist and his followers And then there is the siâ—… which formally maketh Antichrist in v. 22. and that chiefly lieth in two things 1. In denying Iesus to be the Christ Now he that denieth the annointed offices of Iesus denieth Iesus to be the Christ. The annointed offices are the Kingly office and the Priestly office which whosoever resisteth rebelleth against or revolteth from is said to deny So Rom. 13. 2. He that resisteth thâ—… lawful Magistrate is said to resist the ordinance of God and so far as he resists Gods ordinance he resists God for man can make-no other visible resistance of God 2. The second thing which maketh Antichrist formally to be the Antichrist is he denieth the Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This canâ—… be interpreted but of the offices of Christ Fâ—…r if it 〈◊〉 a liâ—…ral meaning there are millions of Antichrists in the world and the generality of them out of the Church which is absurd and erroneous to affirm But that we may unlock this mysterie of Johns with his Masters Key let us turn to Luke 10. 16. and Matth. 10. 40. And we shal plainly see what 's meant by denying the Father and the Son in plain termes 't is the rejecting and despising of the Ministers the Ambassadors of Christ mark the words He that despiseth you despiseth me Saith Christ to his Apostles by whom were represented the Ministers of Christ in the succeeding ages and he that despiseth me i. e. the Son despiseth him that sent me i. e. the Father So that he that despiseth a Minister of the Gospel or any of the annointed offices of Iesus despiseth the Father and the Son what then dâ—…th he do that destroys these offices Thus you have a spiritual description of the Antichrist in vindication of the Church of England from Apostates in it and Tyrants and usurpers over it More you may find in the insuing discourse But to the last the Papist though nâ—…t the least enemy of the Protestant Church though lesse violent yet not lesse subtil nor malicious then the former Whereas they say our religion leads us to heresie murder rebellion blaspemy and Profaneness we that are protestants deny it by affirming 1. That there is not one principle in the Protestant Religion that tollerates heresie murder rebellion or blasphemie 2. That the general consent of the Protestant Churches are against heresie rebellion murder and blasphemie and have publickly protested against it 3. Those that have by their pens or publick acts pleaded for or practised murder rebellion heresie or blasphemie are such as have made an open Apostasie from their former professions and practices or such as have concealed from the publick view
other Nations Christian Burial was prohibited to those persons be they never so great that should deny the Popes Supremacy the Liturgy of the Church augmented and put into tune to be sung the Paxe injoyned to be kissed the usurped Title of the Vicar of Christ given to Popes and the Roman Emperors Authority contemned by them they making their leige Masters to kiss their feet Images were brought into the Church and Emperors not permitted to pull them down Rebellion against Emperors was taught upon this account so that the Emperors for withstanding Images lost the Roman Throne Sacrifices and Prayers were enjoined to be made for the dead Kings of forrain Kingdomes were by the Popes Usurpation dethroned Bishopricks as it were by a Conquest subjected daily to the Sea of Rome Bastards Bribers Rebels beastly Fellows Atheists and Magicians for the most part possessed the Episcopal Chair of Rome which makes Bellarmine call these times Saeculum insoelix The Sun and the Air were miserably darkned by these hellish locusts these times were full of ignorance and prophaneness whereby the Church was miserably eclipsed and deformed through the prevailing Factions of the scandalous Roman Clergy usurping the Roman Throne as well as the Pontifick Seat yet was not the Roman Church utterly defaced or unchurched hereby for notwithstanding the prevailing Faction in Rome gave themselves to such abominable wickednesse and persisted in it so that one in his Learned History of the Roman Bishops saith They proceeded from usurping Nimrods to luxurious Sodomites and from luxurious Sodomites to Egyptian Magicians and from Egyptian Magicians to devouring Abaddons and from devouring Abaddons to incurable Babylonians yet it is most probable that in Rome it self there were to be found Godly Ministers and people that were none of the time servers as it is manifest there were in other Churches where the Popes and their Faction usurped a Power This is most certain that in Rome it self until the Pope and his Faction became incurable Babylonians men might with freeness profess and practise the principles of true religion The Apostles Creed the ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer the sum of a Christians Faith Worship and Obedience were alwaies in profession maintained in the Roman Church though violently opposed by the wicked practices of the Pontifick Professors So that there was no absolute necessity for other Churches to renounce the Church of Rome but only the Vices and Corruptions and Heresies of a prevailing Faction in the Church of Rome which both the Kings and the Clergy of England since William the Norman Successor to the Saxons have in every Age manifestly done and not only England but other Churches also for when they as we said came to be incurable Babylonians the Churches in Germany and France and England cryed out aloud of them Guicciardine Mâ—…ntuan Sanavarola and Machiavel all of them laid out to publick view the villany of the Papacy Machiavel was a discoverer of the hellish policie used by the Pope and his creatures not an allower or practitioner of that black Art he discovered And in Leo the Tenths time Budeus Mirandula Erasmus Stapulensis and others both learned and grave publickly derided and reproved the Roman Apostasie and corruption So far did Erasmus leave the Roman Church and cleave to the reformation beginning in Germany that a witty Popeling thus plays upon his name Si sit eras verbum mus nomen quid sit Erasmus Participium Signifying that he took part with the Chuch of Rome and part with the Protestants so called a little afterwards as a Participle doth part of a Verb and part of a Nown The German Churches gave no lesse then Centum gravamina to the Legate of Adrian 6. desiring a speedy redresse of them and the secular Estates both of the higher and lower sort of the Empire did beseech his Holynesse to remove those grievances or else they themselves would This Pope ingenuously confesseth that the Chair of Rome was very filthy in hac sede sancta saith he aliquot jam annis multa abominanda fuisse This stirring of the German States revived Luther who stomacking the Dominican pardon-seller Tercelius had wâ—…it against that sinfull trade in Leos time and now in Adrians time finding more friends then he expected he designes the abolishing of the Masse and the framing of a new Liturgie The Pope and his faction fearing to what this of Luthers might come writ to the Emperour and the German Princes to suppresse Luthers doctrines Thereupon a general councel was desired as the means of reconciliation which was at last granted and called to sit at Trent They had three severall meetings at Trent In the third Session of the first meeting they i. e. the Popes packt party decreed that the old Latine translation should only be used and authentick in Schools and Churches In the fourth Session they decreed that original sin was so taken away in Baptism that the concupiscence which remains after Baptism is not to be accounted a sin untill we consent thereto and farther they decreed as truth that the Mother of Christ was not conceived in original sin In the fifth Session they decreed that since the fall there remains a freedom in mans will to good which being excited concurrs with Gods grace In the seventh Session seven Sacraments were decreed after this the Pope removes the Councel to Bononia which discontents the Emperour which puts an end to the Councell for that time At the second meeting of the Bishops in the councell of Trent the King of France declared as the Queen of England before had done that neither he nor his Subjects were bound to obey a Convention of Bishops whose design was meerly thereby to advantage the private interest of the Pope to the generall disprofit of the Church At the second Session the doctrine of Transubstantiation was established At the third Session that pennance and extreme unction were new Testament Sacraments At this Session the Protestants would but were not permitted to bring in their confession of faith the Popes Legat withstanding them The warrs then breaking out in Germany the councel was dismissed Nine years after they met again the third time At the fifth Session whereof they decreed that it was in the power of the Pope to dispose of the Sacramentary elements as he saw expedient for the good of the people provided that the substance were kept Thus denying the cup in the Communion to the people At the sixth Session 't was concluded that the whole Mass was a propitiatory sacrifice for quick and dead and whoever should say otherwise should be accursed At the eight Session they pronounce him accursed who shall deny that the Church hath power to dispense with Gods Law Lev. 18. in giving liberty to incestuous matches against the word and forbidding lawful matches according to the word At their last Session they confirmed the doctrine of Purgatory Invocation of Saints bowing to images giving of indulgences and preserving
enemies superstition and profanenesse have in all ages been to a powerfull and orthodox Ministry Which Ministry was hereby not onely exposed to the scorn and hatred of the people but also made liable to the Prelates persecution for did they but withstand their popish Innovations or but a little swerve from their rigorous injunctions immediately followed bitter persecutions thereby many eminently learned and godly Ministers as you may read in Mr. Clarks Lives an impartial Writer were silenced suspended vexed discouraged sequestred imprisoned and some inforced to leave the Kingdome Mean while superstitious scandalous popish and profane persons were admitted into Orders countenanced encouraged and preferred Thus did the prevailing Faction of popish Prelates for all were not so prove like those Angels Revel 7. 1. holding the winde of the Gospel from blowing on the Church of England Nor was this all but needs must these Popish Reformers go to Scotland an ancient Reformed Church that was no enemy to the ancient primitive Government of Bishops and kept the Doctrine of Christ pure though God for her security and profaneness had many things against her of which this rod was a special warning The Church of Scotland rejecting the usurpation of the English Prelates who did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in going about to exercise an unknown Iurisdiction over them these revengefull Prelates putting off all humanity and Christianity to satisfie their hellish lusts thought it more fit that their Soveraign the Lords Annointed should hazzard his own life and the lives of his Nobles together with the losse of the bloud of innocent Protestants the Kings faithfull Subjects on both sides in an unnatural War to the reproach of Religion the endangering of both Kingdoms and the infinite expence of treasure then they be crossed in carrying on their designes against the innocent Church of Scotland This War begun by them was the beginning of the Brittish Wars which Wars have ruined the Brittish Royall Family the Brittish Nobles with many of their Families the ancient Brittish Laws and the Brittish reformed Church and all begun by a brutish Clergie in that Church Cursed be their wrath for it is cruell These fire-brands of State made the Bishops odious to the Gentry and Commonalty of both the Nations insomuch that when a Parliament was called which they were accidentally the cause of a certain party of the Commons of the Parliament animated by the preposterous Petitions of the over-zealous people and 't is more then probable incouraged by some of the covetous Nobility who thereby intended to make purchase of their Lands resolved to be satisfied with nothing but the utter extirpation of Episcopacy Here a fallacy was put upon the honest hearted Protestants in the Kingdome for the subtil Lawyers of the House of Commons whose Speeches were alwayes most prevalent in that House envying the wealth and dignity of the Clergie vehemently pressed that in stead of questioning the guilty they would accuse all the Bishops and in stead of questioning their persons they would pul down their Order purposely to take away the Iurisdiction This was carried on by a private faction of Polititians in the House who drew in many honester then themselves into the Designe which although not then yet since hath been discovered The Prelates it mainly concerning them at that time clearly discovered the Designe and thereupon were most firmly united Whereas had it been for a personall reformation amongst them which the grave and moderate Members desired or removing Innovations brought in by the Popish Faction amongst them they would many of them have hung more loose if not altogether sided with the Parliament against the upholders of any Doctrines or Discipline against the true Reformed Religion especially since the King declared himself at this time for a reformation of abuses crept into the Church and having respect unto tender consciences But here lieth such a mystery of iniquity that the wisest and most scrutiâ—…ous in States mysteries cannot discover On whom to charge the overthrow of Episcopacy and the Church Government of a long time continued in their hands in the general wee know but on whom to charge the designes against the Protestant Religion in their overthrow we know not or at least wise nunc non est narrandi locus It is true the Primate of England with the insolent faction at Court became odious to the Nobility and Gentry about the Court and those of his faction elsewhere stepping up into civill Offices in the State made them odious to the Lawyers of the Kingdome whose Offices they usurped The schismaticall Separatists made it one of the chief principles of their Religion to oppose them concluding that man to have true illumination to salvation that had his eyes opened to see Episcopacy to be Antichristian The generality of the sincere Professors of the Gospel were much grieved at the barbarous rigour of their Discipline in suspending silencing and molesting learned godly orthodox Ministers because they would not wear a Surplice signe with the Crosse stand at the Creed kneel at the Sacrament observe a superstitious holi-day but most of all they were grieved that such persecution should befall them for refusing to read the book of Sports to their people a most abominable book giving liberty to people to profane the Lords day The people also generally disliked their rigour in citing them to their Courts for working on Holi-dayes or marrying without a Licence or upon a groundlesse suspicion of inchastitie Many such poor pretences meerly to drain the peoples purses did their Officers make Thus had the Prelatick party drawn the odium of the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty upon them and now a Parliament being called and in that Parliament severall Members of both Houses professed enemies to their Degree and not onely to their degree in the Church as Bishops but to their Office as since they professe as Ministers upon what designe may easily be conjectured These members also being popular took the opportunity of lifting these Protestant Churches off their hinges whiles the eyes of all men were on them for a Reformation Here I say was the fallacy that whiles they pretended to root out Popish pollution they struck at the very root of Primitive purity whiles they pretended to reform Episcopacy they struck at the very Office of the Ministry as now that wound being searched to the bottom discovers to us The King and his party saw to the bottom of this wound many yeers since Those Remonstrances now seem full of Prophecies which we have seen fulfilled But lest we should seem to throw dirt upon the Parliament and the Purliaments cause we must distinguish of a threefold party which sate in the house in plain truth the Parliaments covenant distinguisheth them There was a Popish party a Protestant party and a Schismaticall party the Protestant party made this covenant against the other two parties This Protestant party maintained the Protestant cause against all other parties No Protestant can be
pragmatick fellows made it a snare to tender consciences of the Kings party by pressing it upon them and oppressing those that refused it This was doubtlesse a grosse sinne but it cannot properly be laid to their charge as if they thereby intended to make a party for themselves against the King but to make all within their Garisons and Commands both Ministers and People true Subjects to the King to the Lawes and the Protestant Religion Whiles this was strictly observed in the Parliaments Quarters Iesuites and Popish Priests were not so frequent nor so bold as since they have beene amongst us 3. As to that of throwing down of Bishops a double scandal is taken if not given thereby 1. In their manner of proceeding without and against the King which in it self was absolute usurpation for though they did send to the King to passe it yet they resolved upon his denyal to proceed which was an absolute denyall of his Negative voyce in which implicitely they denyed him to be their Soveraign 2. In throwing down the ancient Government of the Church by Bishops which Government hath continued in the Church since the Apostles time unquestioned until within these hundred yeers and then the Orthodox onely questioned their Persons not their Office onely the Anabaptists cryed down the Office as Antichristian Now for the Parliament under pretence of Reformation of Religion to cast off that primitive Government universally received in the Churches without and against the consent of the King and solemnly ingage others in the same thing seems to be a most rash and incâ—…nsiderate act done out of blinde mislead zeale or an ungodly act done wilfully to bring to ruine the Protestant Church of England to rob the Church of its Maintenance and ruine the learned Clergie of the Nation Here we must answer leâ—…t both innocent persons and a good Cause suffer 1. The Parliament intended not by throwing down the English Hierarchie to throw down any Worship Discipline or Government according to the word of God for then their second Article would clash with the first in the Covenant so that their meaning is they will extirpate so much of Prelacy as shall be found contrary to the word of God and the Example of the best reformed Churches I suppose by Churches they meant the purest Primitive Churches for all these late Reformed Protestant Churches did before we thought of a Reformation yeild that we were better reformed then they We hold the Calvinists the best reformen Churches but saith learned Beza to the praise of the English Protestant Bishops Let the Church of England injoy this singular bounty of God which I wish may be hers for ever So far was he from thinking it a piece of Reformation to pull them down Calvin Bucer Luther Melancton Zâ—…nchy Chamier are all of them no enemies to Bishops though professed enemies to the Superstitious Idolatrous Practices of Bishops in that Age. Every solid Protestant is so far from thinking the Office of a Bishop to be Antichristian that he rather thinks it a high degree of Antichristianism to oppose that Office this is as we have shewed to deny the Father and the Son for he that denyeth an Apostle or the Successoâ—…s of an Apostle in the Office of the Ministry denyeth Christ and he that denyeth Christ denyeth God that sent him Charity therefore makes me hope that the sincere Protestants what ever other subtil Foxes designed intended no otherwise by that second Article in the Covenant then to reduce the Church of England to a Primitive Purity by removing Popish Prelates and all those humane Institutions depending on the English Hierarchy if through Error they were mis-led from the right means to this end the discovery of that Error may seasonably reduce them into a right way for wise men never think it a shame to repent It is most certain that the intent of the sincere Covenanters was to reâ—…ine not ruine the Ministry by pulling down the English Hierachy they struck not at the order of the Ministry but at the degree of Episcopacy they struck at the Discipline of the English Church therein more then at the Ministry for they pulled down Bishops as they were Superintendants over their brethren not as Ministers so that they took away their degree above their brethren but left them standing in their order as Ministers Bishops lost not their Order by the Covenant but their Degree for though they are in a distinct degree above the Presbyters which have ever been allowed them in the purest Churches since Christ time yet they never were a distinct order from the Presbyters neither the Scripture nor the Fathers make them so so that Aerius an ancient Writer in that saith truth a Bishop and a Presbyter are joined in the same Commission the Bishop imposeth hands so doth the Presbyter the Bishop administers the Sacraments and dispenseth the Ordinances so doth the Presbyter so that essentially there is no difference betwixt them what is is only gradual Now here lies the great question Whence they had this degree above their fellow Ministers in the Church If they had this from Apostolical Institution then without all doubt it was a grieveous sin in any Civil Power to pull it down and they that convenanted so to do did unadvisedly and foolishly But if this degree of Episcopacy be but an Ecclesiastical Institution though of great Antiquity the case is altered there cannot be an absolute necessity of its immutability Meer humane Institutions admit of alterations Hierom and Epiphanius say They were set up as a remedy against Schism and Heresie long after Presbytery But to come to the thing suppose this degree to be as probably it is an Apostolical Institution which continued unquestionable in the Church for many hundred years Yet here the question will still be Whether since the grand Apostasie that Paul prophesies of there hath not been an Apostasie from this Institution whether this Institution in the Apostasie did not contract much corruption This is granted by all the Protestant English Bishops especially by the late Lord Primate of England B. Laud in his Conference with Fisher Bishop Jewel and Bishop Downam hence these two latter conclude That the Hierarchy of Rome is so corrupted and apostatized from its Primitive Institution that it is become the Antichristian State nay more then that they call it the Antichrist That question then which concerns us is Whether the Hierarchy of England were so exactly conformable to the Primitive Institutution as that it needed no alteration These two things are granted 1. That the persons in that Hierarchy needed to be reformed for some of them were profâ—…ssed Papists and the most of them bitter enemies to a powerful and a painful Orthodox Ministry 2. That whatsoever is built upon an humane foundation may upon humane or divine considerations be taken down again if so then those Titles Offices and Dignities conferred meerly by men may be taken away but
us hath relation both to Spirit Word and Epistle and so the Apostles meaning may be We had no such revelation from the Spirit we never delivered any such thing in any Sermon nor did we ever write any Epistle that expressed any such Doctrine The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Learned observe is here put for a specious pretence So it is used in Coloss. 2. 23. which things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have a shew of wisdom a specious pretence of high Divinity Others as Hyperius and Zanchy conceive the word imports as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a perswasory speech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word that Paul useth Col. 2. 4. Lest any one beguile you with inticing words or probability of speech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an adapted perswasory speech to make that which is spoken be it true or false seem to be a reall clear and undobted truth It is in Logick called a Paralogisme which saith Aretius the false Apostles here made drawing their false conclusions from 1 Thess. 4. 15 17. Thus they might argue from these words Then we which remain alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Now if Paul reckon himself and the present Saints of Thessalonica amongst the number of them that shall be alive to be caught up with Christ then the day of Judgment must be near for Paul is well stricken in yeers and many of the Saints of Thessalonica are old and ready to go to their graves But say they Paul expresly saith Wee that are alive shall be caught up together with him Ergo The day of Judgment is neer at hand Such kind of Sophisme Zuinglius Primasius Hyperius and Aretius conceive the Apostle means Cornelius à Lapide and Estius by word understand the word or sermon of Paul as if Paul should say any such thing that the day of Judgment was at hand for saith Estius the false Apostles affirmed se ex ore Pauli audivisse that they heard Paul speak it That the day of Judgment was at hand from beleeving which the Apostle dehorts them flatly denying that any such word ever proceeded out of his mouth Nor by letter as from us This is to a word according to the Vulgar Translation which reads it so from the Greek Copie 'T is generally conceived that those false Apostles did either forge Epistles in Paul's name or set false glosses upon those he writ Therefore saith Theophylact these Seducers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They fained Epistles as if they had been written and sent forth by Paul and Zanchy as others conceives that either they did forge Epistles in Pauls name or else Paul alludes to the former Epistle where he had treated of this day of Judgment Beza hath a notable saying upon these words very fit to be applyed to our times alluding to the hereticks of those times he lived in If Beza which saw those monsters but in their babieclouts did conceive this Text to be fulfilled in his time what would he have said if he were now alive in England to see these monsters in their full strength and power But I leave this As that the day of Christ is at hand or instantly to be Some conceive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies here the time past and so the false doctrine here they make to be the same with that in 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. of Hymeneus and Philetus who affirmed that the Resurrection was already past but there is no word in the Greek Copie in all this Text to draw any such Interpretation from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But we have parallel texts to prove that the word signifies the present time whether the present year or the present generation it is indifferent but it signifies present 1 Cor. 3. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either things present Some conceive possibly the Apostle here repeats the words in derision of the false Apostles who made it all their cry The day of Christ is coming upon us 'T is close at hand t is close at hand Zuinglius affirms that the Apostle took occasion to write this dehortation from a certain book that was writ Anno 24. which had this false doctrine of the day of Judgment 's being at hand This may have some probability if Zuinglius mean the 24 yeer after Christs Ascension But I can neither fully beleeve him nor cleerly disprove him But the most learned conceive that the Apostle grounds his Dehortation upon certain false teachers Doctrine that of meer envie took upon them the profession of Christianity possibly they were crafty Jews of that City on purpose to overthrow it when they saw an opportunity and Paul being absent they thought the fittest time to do mischief was then Now the mischef they intended was twofold 1. To bring Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus into the greatest disgrace that might be by defaming them as Seducers false prophets Baals priests Antichristian Ministers c. for if the day of Judgment did not fall out at their false set time Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus should be in all the blame these false teachers would have seriously professed that they were misled by those false prophets Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus but now their eyes were opened to perceive plainly that they were seducers and for their part they would no longer follow them nor their Doctrine which was so evidently false Such an engine in that age as well as this might have blowed up a whole Church at once and have made professors turn Apostates and hate their Ministers 2. By this Doctrine they intended to bring the Christian Religion into publick disgrace not onely to cast out Paul but Paul's doctrine out of all esteem for could they have possessed the people that the day of Judgment would certainly be that present year for 't is conceived that that was their designe the Christians that beleeved it would have neither sowed their seed nor dressed their vineyards nor provided for their families for to what purpose 〈◊〉 had been when they daily expected fire from heaven to consume all Now what a hardening would this have been both to the heathens on one hand and to the Jewes who had there a Synagogue on the other hand when they should have seen these poor Christians and their Families in extreme want of family necessaries meerly through the delusions of their Religion what shame reproach would it be to Christians and how would the Christian Religion have been cryed down as a most false deceitfull Religion and what a door had here been opened for weak Christians to have apostatized to their former Atheisme Many hundred yeers after our Ecclesiastical histories tell us that the Divell by such a cheat drew away many Professors to become Atheists when they saw the day of Judgment according to their Seducers Predictions came not to pass Ver. 3.
colour of truth Grotius conceives the Holy Ghost points here at Caius Caligula the Successor of Tiberius in the Roman Empire who made a great apostasie from the good deeds of Augustus and Tiberius his Predecessors which they did to the Jewes and to their Religion what they did to please the Jewes this did undoe to displease and disprofit the Jews After this manner he makes him run parallel with the other part of the Prophesie but this is rather Iusus then allusio rather a sporting with then expounding of Scripture He shews us how foolish a Commentator mans fancy is of Scripture be the man never so learned and how easily a man may be deluded by the strength of his fantasie to beleeve a lye when t is so byased with its own parallels as to melt sacred Texts into its own mould and shape it to its own liking What is it but transitus à genere in genus to make historicall notions in humanity to beget the conclusions of Divinity like that high-strung Musician Aristoxenus who would out of the principles of Musick determine the nature of a humane soul and what usually is the end of such mens violent labors but only Praxitiles-like to make beguiled minds bow downe to the painted Strumpet of their fancies The reason why so many learned men have like drunken men reeled and rambled and stumbled and fel in their Treatises upon Prophetick Texts is because they â—…ipple themselves first with the brainsick wine of their own fancies drawing This hath been and to this day is I am confident the cause of those gross mistakes concerning the powring out of the vials making all the vials almost of Gods wrath to be poured out upon Rome and her adherents when if we look into Scripture soberly and into History with an unbyassed judgment we shall find not one vial as yet to be poured out I know this opinion is vineger and smoak to some but I presume not to sober men well read in these mysteries humane Histories at the best are but the worst Interpreters of the Scripture The body of the Scripture is like Solomons Temple which a wiser then Solomon hath builded for the Church of God every stone is fitted before it come hither for its fellow here window answers to window and pillar to pillar no noise of axe or hammer is heard throughout it The Scripture is like Ierusalem compact and at unitie in it self it is as Strabo saith of that City 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well watered within it self so that we need not go any farther then the threshold of the Sanctuary we need not go over it to quench our thirsty desires of understanding it There is no Doctrinal truth for the feeding of the Church nor any Prophetick truth for the comforting of the Church but it is established 2 Cor. 13. 1. in the mouth of two or three witnesses the fault is only in our selves we are weak sighted and cannot perceive them nor distinguish them Let not the Reader think I cry down either the searching into or the applying of humane History to divine Texts but only the riotous fancies of those who in their writings set up Historie against Scripture and I had almost said reason it self I will willingly give as much worship to History in the Divinity School as the Schoolmen give to Images in the Church that is cultum respectivum but not so much worship as the Papists give to Images this day .i. cultum conjunctum My task therefore shal be to search after that testimony which the Scriptures give concerning the Apostasie and that testimony though but single will carry it against all others I shall only first mention the reason that they give that hold Paul means the ruine of the Roman Empire in this place why Paul did not speak plainly and openly of it To this the Greek and Latine Fathers answer viz. Chrysostom Oecumenius Ambrose Hierom Tertullian and several later Writers as Cajetan and Aretius c. ' Paul say they in prudence kept covert this truth ' lest hereby the Christians and the Christian Religion should ' suffer as enemies to the Empire of Rome Indeed I have read of Saint Basil and it is spoken in his commendation as a grave prudential act of his that considering the season and the predominancy of Hereticks pro temporis ratione Haereticorum principatu he did refrain from some sound expressions concerning the Deity of the Holy Ghost which others of a lower degree in the Church did boldly and frequently use Without all doubt there is a season for all things a time to speak and a time to be silent and a word spoken in due season how pleasant is it But all this shall never make me believe that Paul would for fear of Humane or Diabolical power or crueltie put Gods candle of Truth under a bushel he spake as the Spirit gave him utterance neither adding to nor detracting from any thing imparted to him by the Holy Ghost he delivered the whole mind of God to them Paul had none of that baseness in him which is so frequently found in the Ministers of this Age to baulk Truths for fear of persecution The least Truth of God is worth all the Churches in the world yea set me say it were the least Divine truth put in the scales against all the souls in the world it would out-weigh them Better all those souls should eternally miscarry then that truth should perish Though the pretended Saints of God in this age think a little of the world to be worth a great deal of Gods Truth yet those that are truly sanctified and enlightned think far otherwise Truth it is of the Essence of God for God is truth and he that will with-hold any thing of God for a carnal end will easily be drawn to let go all of God in the end and therefore this their reason I hold to be as unsound as their opinion who think Paul prophesied here of the destruction of the Roman Monarchy by peoples falling away from it Some and those not a few make the Apostafie and the Antichrist to be all one directly contrary to the light of the Text as also other prophetick Texts which run parallel with this As it is a sin to separate what God hath joyned together so 't is no lesse an error on the other hand to joyn in one that which God hath distinctly made two Cornelius à Lapide to whom the Christian world in this latter Age is beholding for his learned Labours saving his errors on the Bible saith on this prophetick Text that there are two great signes which fore goe the day of Judgment which the Apostle in this Prophesie holds out 1 This universall Apostasie and then the Antichrist himself which treads upon the heels of the apostasie and immediately follows it Oecumenius seems to point at the Idolatry of the Church of Rome for saith he the deceit of Idols shall cease and
trampling upon Kings and Emperours and trampling upon Gods Law and usurping a power even above Christ in his indulgencies and pardons On the contrary say the Papists this cannot be for say they Antichrist must deny Christ oppose God and Christ and be accounted and worshipped as God and Christ But the Pope will not be worshipped as Christ for he believes in Christ and worships Christ so farre is he from denying Christ Therefore he is not the Antichrist But if this were all the defence the Papists could make for ought I know the Pope will still remain Antichrist For there was never any professor of Christ ever lifted up his head so high against the Lord and his Christ as the Popes have done except the Antichrist But to answer their Argument we utterly deny that the Scripture holds out any such thing as that Antichrist in open words denies the Deity or that he requires divine worship as a god or that the Iews shall worship him as their Messias There is no such thing as they affirme of Antichrist to be found in Scripture the two main Scriptures which are brought to prove it are the Text we are upon and that of 1 Iohn 2. â—…2 The last we have already opened this Text in hand we shall open by Scripture and cleer its sense from all those aspersions call upon it Against every one who is called god Grotius well observes on this Text that Paul would not have us believe that those aâ—… gods of whom he speaks therefore he adds saith he the word called That it cannot be meant of the Deity in the letter is past question for who can exalt himself above him nor can it be meant of his endevours to exalt himself above God so as to assume the worship of a god for it is contrary to that Text which many learned Divines hold is literally meant of Antichrist Dan 11. 38. and the most understand it of Antichrist in the Type where the Antichrist is said to worship the god of forces or the god Mauzzim Now how can this agree together that he should exalt himself above every god assume divine worship as a god and yet in this state worship a god A quick-fighted Father of the Roman Church seeing into what absurdities this foolish opinion would bring him endeavours to salve it thus saith he Antichrist although he would be worshipped as a god publikely yet privately he worships the Devil his god Mauzzim because by his help and strength he obteined all his victories It may be that this answer may satisfie those of the Roman Church which live by an implicit faith but it can never satisfie any rational Protestant for these two reasons 1 Because he hath not an iota of Scripture for his opinion 2 He hath not so much as probability in his assertion therefore I leave him passe to the other extream of the Protestants who make this one of their arguments to prove the Pope the Antichrist But that this cannot be meant of the Popedome or Pope wil be sufficiently cleer to every unbiassed Reader as I doubt not but in part already it is by what hath been writ to this effect in this Treatise He against whom the Antichrist opposeth himself and exalts himself above is the Supream Magistrate Supremacie in the State or the Monarch and those authorized by him in the Government these he opposeth These are Psal 82. 1 6 called gods and in Exod. 4. 16. and 7. 1. Moses the first Monarch of the Common-wealth of the Hebrews is called a god See I have maâ—…e thee a god unto Pharaoh and unto Aaron thou shalt be a god This is spoken of Moses and here the title God is given to those whom the Antichrist opposeth what doth this tell us but that it is one of the sons of Oile one of the Witnesses which Revel 11. 6. have power like Moses to turn water into bloud I need say no more in confirmation of it it is the sense of several Learned Expositors Or that is worshipped 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erasmus Beza and Vatablus translate it numen divine power others cultum The Syâ—…tack Ierome and Tertullian read religio The Vulgar which our Translators follow renders it quod colitur The word comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to reverence religiously the word is a comprehensive word 'T is by very learned men conceived to come from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which comprehends those things in Religion to whom reverence worship is due so that it not only comprehends 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 17. 23. the forms of Worship in the Church which every devout Christian reverenceth but the Administrators and Dispensers of those formes which are the Ministers of Christ which the Apostle enjoyns 1 Thess. 5. 13. To have in double honour for their works sake for Religions sake for the Gospels sake so that the object of Antichrists actions are not onely Magistracy in the State but Ministery in the Church He not onely opposeth and exalteth himselfe above and against the Civil but the Ecclesiastick Power and Government he not onely changeth the times and lawes of the one but of the other also and what is this but the slaying of the Witnesses the two Witnesses this makes him the man of the sin the son of the pâ—…rdition Next we have the end of his acts So that he as god sits in the Temple of God here is also the place where he acts these things 't is in the Temple of God that is the Church of God the true Church of God where the Gospel-Ordinances and Gospel-Officers are of Christs ordeining there doth this Antichrist when he hath pulled down the supream Monarch all those Magistrates that depended upon his Supremacie and where he hath opposed and exalted himself above and against all formes of worship and right Dispensers of those formes seat himself as god that is as supream Head and Monarch over all those Countreys and places where he hath thus made war and overcome and this the Holy Ghost tells us is in the Church of God which he calls the Temple of God so that the Reader if he will may easily finde in what place of the world the Antichrist is to arise that slayes the Witnesses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so far forth This adveâ—…b is very Emphaticall implying that the drift of his prodigious acts in slaying the Witnesses is that he may make himself the Lord possessour of their power and greatnesse of their estates and revenues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Temple of God 't is very absurd to say that this Tempse as the Papists affirm is the Temple of Ierusalem for the Temple is destroyed at Ierusalem never to be builded again and the Papists confesse that the time of this Antichrists appearing in the world and sitting in the Temple of Ierusalem must be in the end of the Roman Monarchy We must therefore expound Temple
utter ruine and thither tendeth the miracles of Antichrist Some learned men say Antichrist shall be a great Magician or Sorcerer to this I could adde a very strange story which I received from a person of honour but to avoid all occasions of offence I forbear it The miracles of Antichrist are also formally lies for they are performed meerly by cunning He may pretend that miraculous providence from heaven doth all Herein he most desperately blasphemes for he makes God the Author of his sins by entitling God to all those prodigious villainies that he himselfe and by his cunning Instruments perpetrates I 'le conclude this verse with that of Goranus Antichrist saith he that he may deceive the people makes use of the choicest and wisest language talkes like a Saint dissembles much vertue in his conversation makes use of Scripture-testimonies pretends to work miracles makes large promises of promotion to those that adhere unto him and others he frights into a compliance by the threats of persecution I hope I shall be pardoned for not mentioning the opinion of Methodius in his Revelations about Antichrist nor of Hyppolitus nor Ephrem in their Tracts of the end of the World where they make as if he should counterfeit Christs miracles as to give sight to the blinde restore the lame to their limbes cast out Devils turn the Sun to darknesse seemingly also make mountains to move himselfe to flie in the air and such like miracles which are onely fancies of their braines there being not a word in Scripture whereon to ground any such opinion And with all deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemes by the most of Translators rather to be interpreted and expounded then translated for as 't is observed the word is compounded of the primative α and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a path or high-way and therefore I chuse to follow him who translates it out-path in every out-path of unrighteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either opposed to truth as 1 Cor. 13. 6. and so 't is put for deceit or falshood or else as Alstedius saith it signifies that oppression and Tyranny which one man exerciseth over another In both these senses it may well be understood of the Antichrist For he is not onely a cheater and a false perjured person but also a monstrous oppressor and a bloodie persecutor of the innocent lambes of Christs flock He is a Tyrant who walkes in all the by-paths of iniquity His crooked feet can keep no straight paths he must have by-wayes to bad ends Cornelius à Lapide shews us six of his by-paths wherein he walkes 1 With much civility and courtesie to all thereby to ingratiate himselfe into their favours 2 By a feigned holiness and so as Goranus whose words we have quoted he proceeds to discover his severall wayes Thus you have the seducer viz. the Antichrist his manner of seducing in generall and in speciall and now we come to the parties seduced CHAP. V. IN them that perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Observe the Apostles correlate termes in this discourse in v. 3. the Antichrist the seducer is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they that are seduced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the blinde lead the blinde and both fall into the ditch so the grand seducer leads the seduced until they both tumble down into hell You may read their dreadful ends in their names perditition is their name and destruction is their end be their profession what it will The son of perdition when he comes will draw the subjects of perdition after him to damnation this is the generall Character of Antichrists subjects they are lost men ruined men they shal be slain Revel 11. 13. Here we have the full length of Antichrists chain as Zanchie observes to the comfort of the Saints for though Antichrist arise in the midst of the Church and appear with his armed forces to terrifie some and with his cheats and deceits and miracles to draw away others yet he shall not be able to deceive the meanest Saint of God This is exceeding great comfort to the Saints and glory to Christ who rules hereby in the midst of his enemies A true Saint is never more visible then when the true visible Church is most obscured and darkened with Hereticks and Seducers Then was Athanasius in the full when the visible Chruch was in the wane Chrysostome comforts his hearers from this Text after he had preached to them of the cunning fraud subtilty and malice of the Antichrist Fear you not saith he my beloved but hearken unto him who hath said that he shall prevail onely over them that perish if it were possible he shall cheat the elect but it is impossible he may make them stumble but never totally fall No in that pit his own feet shall be for ever captivated with the multitude of Apostate professours his zealous followers The elect shall be kept in all their wayes that they never dash their foot against that stone They may be afflicted even unto death both shamefull and cruell by Antichrists tyranny but they shall never perish by Antichrists temptation He may tyrannize over the true Saints but he shall never make them his subjects nor followers they though conquered yet are conquerours over the image and mark of the beast Ergo adhaerebunt Antichristo sâ—…li 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Zanchie Onely those that are designed of God unto destruction shall be the subjects and followers of Antichrist Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved Here we have a general Character of those Reprobates who are the followers of Antichrist They are formall Christians having no love at all of the truth which they professe The Apostle intends it saith Aquinas as a demonstration of their deception and the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems very much to confirm it They would mock God with a mock Religion and God returns their mocks upon them again by suffering others to mock them with a mock Religion turning Solomons proverb into a prophecie and fulfilling it The back-slider in heart shall be filled with his own wayes he shall have enough on 't An hypocrite puts on Iacobs smooth skin of profession to cover the Esau's hands and face of his villainie as Iacob put on Esau's counterfeit skin meerly to deceive He intended to wear it no longer then untill he hath thereby accomplished his designe He loves Religion no more then Iudas loved charity Though he carried the bag of charity and the tongue of charity yet he was a hard-hearted thief that robbed the Church by converting the Church-stock to his own private use Such are Antichrists followers who receive Religion in the form and externall shew of it but not in the love and power of it they receive it into their armes but not into their hearts they imbrace Religion as Amnon
the end of the Chapter Rev. 14. 14. to the end of the Chapter Rev. 15 16 17. all for the most part a preparatory vision of the seventh Trumpet The 15. Chapter tells us who shall execute the wrath of the seventh Trumpet and whence they come The 16. Chapter sheweth the manner and matter of the seventh Trumpet The 17. Chapter sheweth the two grand Enemies of the Church on whom the wrath and woe of the seventh Trumpet falls These are the great Whore ver 1. and the Beast of the bottomless pit ver 8. that carries her ver 7. From hence t is clear that the Beast of the bottomless pit and the Pope are distinct persons for if by Whore of Babilon be meant the Pope as the most learned Protestants truly affirm then the Beast of the bottomless pit which beareth the Pope cannot be Pope himself My inference hence is this Ergo The Pope is not the Antichrist for he that slayes the Witnesses is the Antichrist but the Beast of the bottomless pit slayes the Witnesses Ergo the Pope is not the Antichrist being distinct from the Beast of the bottomless pit I do not disprove that the Pope is not an Antichrist but not the Antichrist whose reign over the slain Witnesses is to continue but three dayes and the half of three dayes at the utmost as there are many Witnesses and have been in all ages yet they are quite distinct from the two Witnesses so there have been and are many Antichrists which notwithstanding are distinct from that Antichrist the Fathers and the after Churches have from Iohn to Paul desciphered In the end of the Chapter we have a vision of the Instruments of inflicting the wrath of the seventh Trumpet which are called ten horns who v. 17. gave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Kingdome t is not Kingdomes but Kingdome by which it appears that it is that Poliarchy or supream authority in those dominions under one supream head where Antichrist slew the Witnesses that shall destroy Rome that government or that policy which through their oversight put all their power into the Antichrists hands these when the Witnesses rise shall also arise indeed their rising from under the Antichrists Tyranny is a great part of the Witnesses rising though these are profound Texts I touch upon yet my doubts are not greater then my hopes of great things and glorious for the Church of England Ireland and Scotland's good from them and that speedily In Revelations 18. is the Vision of the effect of the seventh Trumpet upon the great Babilon that is Rome say many Papists and all the Protestants And ver 9. The great lamentation of the Kings of the Earth for her ruin these Kings which committed Fornication with her i. e. were of the same Popish Idolatrous Religion with Rome the Romish Catholique Princes Observe here not the Popish Kings of Europe eat the Whores flesh and burn her with fire for they weep and wail for her I am very prone to believe that the ten horns which destroy Antichrist are those Peers or Princes who in those dominions where the Witnesses are slain arise from under the Tyranny of Antichrist after the great Commotion Revelations 11. 12 13. and Revelations 17. 16. shall destroy Rome for I beseech thee Reader observe the ten horns that Antichrist gets on his head Revelations 17. 12. they are not ten Kingdomes nor no where so called but ten Kings i. e. a certain company assuming Kingly power would that were all but have no Kingdome but receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast who set them up in the slaying of the Witnesses These usurpers are overcome in a battell with the Lamb ver 14. and after that ver 16. that lawfull power which Antichrist threw down yet pretended to set up purify and establish therefore called the ten hones on the Beast shall arise and destroy the Whore 'T is clear that both the ten horns here mentioned are those that are within the power and dominon of the Antichrist he getting power from the ten horns ver 17. to invest those other ten horns ver 12. of his faction with power to make war with the Lamb sure I am this is a clearer exposition of these Texts then that which makes the ten horns ten Kings of Europe who being Papists shall turn they say from the Pope and destroy him I wish it may be so but I can find no ground for it in Scripture In the next Chapter the quite contrary is most true In chap. 19. and chap. 20. we have the white side of this Trumpet the rejoicing of the Church for Gods glorious deliverance of it and after the finall overthrow of the three grand enemies which is parallel with Rev. 14 4. 20. the Church hath a large respite of rest from all its both secret and open enemies from Gog and Magog and the Witnesses are firmly seated in the Throne and the 12. Tribes restored to their own land Thus have I as I could endeavoured to remove all Objections to clear those Doubts and Obscurities which I find obnoxious to the mind in finding out truth or embracing that which from the written Word is laid before it There are two other Questions arise from this Discourse the one is 1. Whether the Antichrist in person shall be at the great battell at Armagedon and whether Turks and Papists shall joyn together to resist the Jews Restoration and the true Christian Reformation the Antichrist being a chief leader in this battell against them 2. Whether Rev. 21. and 22. be meant of the state of the reformed Church under the seventh Trumpet or it be a resemblance of that state of bliss which the Saints are made partakers of in the life to come To this last much may be said against what is confidently by some asserted but I wave it lest I be accounted both bold and tedious both which I disaffect in others and hate in my self Whether this Reverend Person whose Paper hath drawn all this from me will take it well or ill I know not but with humble thanks I do acknowledge his favour as the first that ever I received of this kind in shewing and correcting of my Errours for which I shall ever subscribe my self his Disciple humbly submitting whatsoever I have writ to his and such like learned prophetick Text-mens Censures FINIS 2 Pet. 1. 12. 2 Sam. 4. 7 8. As the bead of the gâ—…and Apostasie arose out of the purest Church Rome so the Antichrist ariseth out of the purest Churches at that time when they goe about to shake off the Apostasie for it is at that time when the Witnesses have finished their testimonie 1. Tim. 4. 12 Greg. Mor. 4. cap. 40. Hormisd Excommunic of Anastasius the Emperor Aâ—…n 510. Herein the Antichrist the son resembles the Pope his Father 1 Tim. 4. 1 2 3 In fascicul rerum expetendarum Fruâ—…tur sanè i stâ Dei singulari beneficentiâ quae utiuam illi