he fallen down dead or the ground had opened and swallowed him up alive or had Moses called down fire from heaven and consumed him or the like then indeed it had been an extraordinary case an act above nature yea an act above the power of ordinary grace but t was neither so nor so therefore certainly the case was but ordinary and was recorded and transmitted to after-times for instruction Will you please to consider the case of Phineas He finds Zimri and Cozbi committing uncleanness and with a javeling kills them both at once Now what could as to men and Law be said for this mans act surely nothing that I can bethink my self of but much against him He was Phineas the Son of Eleazer the Priest what had he to do with the civil sword of Justice but suppose he had was he to do Justice in a private way when Justice might have been obtained easily in a publike way Had it not been Charity to have caused them to have been apprehended their sin laid home to their consciences peradventure they might have repented though their bodies had fallen yet their souls might have been saved Had it not been both wisdom and Piety to have brought them to publike Triall and publique condemnation and thereupon all the People to have stoned them that so others might have seen and feared and done no more so wickedly But Phineas steps out of his place makes himself Judge Jury Witness Executioner all in a heat stabs them both through the guts to Hell How the Law and men of those times looked upon him in this act I know not but this I know he had a Commission for what he did that no man in the World knew of or could read beside himself Numb 25.10 And the Lord sayd unto Moses for doutless Moses was at a stand and knew not what to think or judge of this Act of his thus Circumstanced but God instructed him concerning it that Phineas in the sparklings of his zeal had done well and excellently well and he would reward him and his for it as you may see ver 11.12 13. Behold I give unto him my Convenant of peace He shall have it and his seed after him even the Covenant of an everlasting priest-hood because he was zealous for his God If you shall say this was extraordinary I deny it what extraordinariness can there be for one man with a Javelin to kill two that lye along before him Whether God gave these men that are now in place and power with us this kinde of Commission for that eminent and exemplary peice of justice as I will not affirm it so I will not deny it but this is granted of all they were the Instruments in the hand of Divine providence whose dispensations are alwayes just and righteous But what might be the reason that Christ hath such an eminent and incensed quarrel at Kings a Viall of wrath is reserved peculiarly for them My answer in general is that which a wise man of this Land once sayd Kings of all men have been most beholding to God and God hath been of all men least beholding to Kings Why do you think did God call the four great Kingdoms of the World Dan. 7. four great beasts but because the Kings and Rulers of each of them were as so many wild raging untamed beasts preying upon the poor Peoples estates and persons at their pleasure setting up their own wills for a Law and none of them so cruel this way as the Roman Monarchy Dan. 7.7 Behold the fourth Beast was dreadfull and terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth and it devoured and brake in peices and stamped the residue with its feet and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it and it had ten horns These ten horns are ten Europaean Kings and who ever reckons them up I finde brings in the Kings of Brittain for one of the horns of this terrible and fearfull Monster See yet more of these Europaean Kings Rev. 17.12 13 14. The ten horns which thou sawest are ten Kings These have one mind and shall give their power and strength to the Beast These shall make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall over-come them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings To have gone on in wayes of violence oppression towards any sort of people had been enough to have set Christ against them but when these ten Kings of Europe successively have one minde for the Beast give their power and strength to the Beast to make war with the Saints and with the Lamb do you marvel at that which follows the Lamb falls particularly and after a special manner upon them i. e. upon the European Kings as being resolved to have this known in the World that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords History tells us that in the years four and five hundred after Christ the Barbarous Nations of Goths and Vandals broke the western Empire all to peices at which time the Saxons were setled in England Franches in Gall the west Goths in Spain the East Goths and Longobards in Italy the Almains in Germany these growing into civil States together with their manners change their religion close with the Pope settle their Governments so as was most sutable yea serviceable to his Interest And the Pope got in upon their Consciences and brought them into Oaths and Obligations to defend the Rights and Priviledges of holy Church that is indeed of Rome Antichristian against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ And now when the time of Christs taking the Kingdoms of this World into his own hands draws dear the most of these European Kings are yet professedly for the Pope in opposition to Jesus Christ to keep him out Do you all know this and do you ask a reason why Christ pours out wrath upon the Political fun of every Nation of Europe why he makes the thrones of Kings to totter Bvt you 'l say the Kings of England cast off the Pope long since I answer Henry the eight it cannot be denyed did cast off his Supremacy but Jehu like as Calvin hath observed of him so far as served his own turn in Temporals only but was still zealous upon the six Articles of the Church of Rome that whoever denyed any of those Articles of Popery they were burnt for it Then came that blessed child and doubtless now glorified Saint of God Edward the sixt into the Throne who repealed the six Articles threw Images out of Churches and furnished the Land with an English Service-boook or Liturgie He had Wars with Scotland Insurrections at home a plain War in Norfolk his time very short his age very green We cannot blame him for reforming no more but must wonder at him and bless God for his reforming so much Queen Mary you know brought us again full sail into the Popes arms or bosom but let her Reign pass in a red Parenthesis Next came Queen
his Church Take it thus He that since the Apostles and first primitive-Christian times will confirm his Doctrine and set up his Kingdom by Miracles is the great Antichrist But the Pope and none in the World else since those times confirms his Doctrines and sets up his Kingdom by Miracles therefore the Pope is the great Antichrist Sitxhly Antichrist shall challenge to himself a Power over all Nations and Churches upon the face of the Earth in reference to Christ as being his Vicegerent Rev. 13.7 Power was given him over all Kinreds Tongues and Nations ver 16.17 He causeth all both great and small rich and poor bond and free to receive his mark and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark c. This Power the Pope assumes to himself and hath had it for no man in the World layes claim to it but he though the great Turk lays claim to all yet not in reference to Christ as his Deputy but the Pope doth It is Antichristian to challenge Power over the faith and conscience of one man or Church t is more Antichristian to challenge Power over many Churches as Bishops do t is a further degree of Antichristianism to claim a Power over whole Provinces as Arch-Bishops do t is yet more to Lord it over the faith of many Provinces and Kingdoms as Patriarks do but to challenge such Soveraignty over all the Churches in the world as the Pope doth thats the great Antichrist of Antichristianism And as one wittily saith lest he should wrong himself by too modest a claim for you must know he 's a modest soul he doth not onely challenge a Power over all this world but in Heaven Hell also where ever Christ hath power yea and even in Purgatory too where Christ hath no Power Mr. Fox in his book of Martyrs records Pope Leo the tenth his Bull against Luther where he charges all Patriarks Metropolitans Primates Arch-Bishops Bishops and all other Ecclesiastical Orders downwards even to the begging Friers and then all Kings Electors of the Empire Princes Dukes and so on and at last all men throughout the universal World upon pain of the great excommunication that they do not embrace Luthers Doctrine adhere to or favor his person Judge you now if this Language be not the very same with that of the great Antichrist Rev. 13. And let me tell you the Popes of Rome have exercised this supremacie for many hundred years Before I close this in hand let me in a word answer a quaere or two the Church of Rome are still putting to us Where was your Doctrine and where was your Church before Luther Why as for our Doctrine my Answer 's thus It was where their 's never was in the Scriptures And as for our Church where that was my Answer runs thus I. Our Protestant-Divines have abundantly cleared it to them that in all Ages there were some they have named the men and the junctures of time in which they lived that opposed Pope and Popery Secondly if we had none before Luther how came they to have so much work for their Inquisitions before Luther for their Armies against the Albigenses and Waldenses five hundred years ago and how came Thomas Arundel Arch Bishop of Canterbury and his fellow Bishops in the reign of Henry the fourth and Henry the fifth of England to condemn and execute so many of the followers of Wickliff and amongst the rest that gallant and famous Saint Sir Iohn Old-Castle 'T is strange there were none of our Church before Luther when there were its well enough known so many in every Kingdom apprehended and executed for opposing the Pope for denying and rejecting popish Doctrine and worship Surely all they may very well be reckoned of our Religion for they would die before-they would be of theirs Thirdly If by this they mean where was your Church visible t is a Nonsence quaere for Rev. 11.2 the holy City meaning the visible Church of Christ shall they tread under foot forty two Moneths i. e. all the time of Antichrist and Rev. 13. He had Power given him over all People Nations and Languages and all the World wondred after the beast T was an impossibility and inconsistent with Gods eternal counsel and decree that we should have a visible Church during the height of Antichrists reign It is enough for us that there have been two witnesses in every age Prophesying in sackloth against him some few haters opposers of him very closely and secretly you might hear of two or three Heretiques in a Kingdom or in a County but perhaps you should not know many times where to find one of them the Beast had so got all the World under his paws Take it in this Syllogisme He that usurps Authority over the faith and conscience of all the Kingdoms and Churches in the World he is the great Antichrist but this the Pope hath done and doth do at this day at least presumptively and intentionally he 'l tell you 't is his right therefore the Pope is the great Antichrist Seventhly The Holy Ghost hath upon the matter named him to us Rev. 13. and last verse Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred threescore and six As if the spirit of God had sayd 't is not over difficult to find out his name seing t is the number of a man a number that a man may find out or reckon Then he commends the finding of it out for a special piece of wisdom and understanding that so every one might be encouraged to set himself to work it being natural unto men to desire to be accounted wise In the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Romagnosh Romanus a Roman the numeral letters make up six hundred sixty six In the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the man that useth the Latine tongue so much the numeral letters make up six hundred sixty six You know no expression pleaseth but this ecclesia catholica Romana and the Latine Tongue Latine Bible Latine Service all must be in Latine out of this number says Saint John in effect find out his name that is so much for the Latine In the Latine tongue this Generalis dei Vicarus in terris makes up six hundred sixty six And to give him not onely the name he desires but the name he deserves In our English The Pope by superioritie is the divels Leiftenant the numeral letters hereof make up six hundred sixty six This number may be found in such names and terms as do rightly set him out in diverse Langaages But the Jesuites object that this number may be found in many other names We shall easily grant it may without weakning what hath been delivered for they can bring no other name to whom all the other properties of Antichrist do agree The Holy Ghost doth not send us here barely to
Rome therefore Anti-christs Seat must be also at Rome The Third thing they weakly or rather wilfully say of him is this That his whole raign is but for three of our years and a half 1. But doubtless this must be understood of Angels years according as Daniels seventy weeks and threescore and two weeks are meant of weeks of years this is spiritual counting by Gods own direction Numb 14.34 Ezek. 4.6 I have appointed thee each day for a year 2. Is there any likelihood in reason that in the space of three of our years and a half he should compass all that the Scripture speaks of him First he must seduce from Christ by corrupting their judgements all the world except two witnesses a small number of the Elect and what time must this take up set the shortest for it in reason that you can Secondly He must teach them his own Doctrine and Worship and make them all drunk with the wine of his abominable fornications Thirdly he must build a great and stately Temple to sit in and there be worshipped as God say they but suppose all the materials at hand it would spend most if not all that time before it could be finished and his sitting times surely will be but short considering what his work must be if his whole should be but three years and a half Fourthly He must wage war and fight great battels bring down mighty Kings and Kingdoms and make himselfe drunk with the blood of all the Saints Fifthly He must have a flourishing reign without any visible or considerable opposition Rev. 11.2 The Court which is without the Temple measure it not for it is given to the Gentiles and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty two months Rev. 13.7 Power was given him over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations ver 3. All the World wondred after the Beast and ver 4. Who is like unto the Beast Who is able to make war with the Beast Tell me now that likelyhood in reason is there that all this should be effected in three years and a half Thus you see they who willfully left God have left yea lost both Religion and common reason in that which most nearly concernd them to be quick-sighted in But I wonder not if they that are dead drunk ravingly talk their own irrational Fancies Other fond and groundless descriptions they give of that Antichrist they have framed to themselves but these three being fallen the rest cannot stand 'T is not worth while to trouble you or my self any further with them as those who will search after them cannot but confess and I judge it better to say enough then all Vse 2. Is the Pope Antichrist You see then First what a sad case they are in who of Protestants turn to be Papists they submit themselves to the Beast and stand engaged to fight against Christ his Kingdom and their own Salvation and what the issue of that will be you shall hear upon the next Subject and they shall feel hereafter Secondly You may hence gather what it is to be an able a learned Papist this a grown strong man armed a Goliah defieing God the Israel of God and the Gospel of God with all its grace and hopes We use to say of Jesuites quo meliores eò deteriores the better they are the worse they are it holds true of all Papists whatsoever Thirdly the Pope being Antichrist you may easily know what all Popish Ordinances are their Doctrines Auricular confessions Pennances Holy water Crucifixes Beads Extream Unctions Altars Bloodless Sacrifices Merits Satisfactions Images the Worship of Saints and Angels with Invocation of them Indulgences Pilgrimages Burying in a Franciscans-hood Purgatory Canonization all this will all other appurtenances of their Religion are all Antichristianism the Holy-Ghosts expression of them is They are the blood of a dead man Rev. 16.3 No bettter then the polluting Choaking Killing blood of a dead man therefore take heed and beware of their Religion hate it with a right perfect hatred even all those forms of worship Formalities Ceremonies any thing every thing that is a kinn to it as you would hate when you are athirst drinking blood Fourthly You may hence also learn what healing balm for a wounded Conscience what true comfort for him that is weary and burdened heavily with his sin the Church of Rome and their Religion can afford Alas what balm what heart-consolations can Antichrist Antichristianism hold forth They themselves are so far convinced of this that they have made it a Doctrine and point of Faith that to talk of assurance of Salvation is presumption onely Apostles and extraordinary Christians have attained to assurance but t is presumption and boldness for the People to think of it to believe as the Church believes is enough Cold comfort this the Lord knows for an enlightned and wounded Conscience at the hour of Death to have nothing to take off the guilt of sin to break the power of lust to appease an angry God and deliver the poor soul out of the jaws of Death and Hell but a few Beads and Crucifixes and Reliques and the menstruous raggs of creature-righteousness and performances a few empty wishes and hopes and believing as the Church believes how may all such cry out as one of them did O animule quo vadis Poor despicable miserable Soul whither goest thou Cornel. E. Lapid in his Comment on the eleventh of Numbers tells this story of Pius Quintus who Excommunicated Queen Elizabeth Cuus essem religiosus sperabam bene de salute animae meae Cardinalis factus extimui Pontifex creatus penè despero When I was in Religious Orders I hoped well of the Salvation of my soul being made a Cardinal I was sore afraid of it but since I was created Pope I een despair Rev. 9.5 And to the Locusts was given that they should not kill men but that they should torment them five months and their torment was as the torment of a Scorpion when it strikes a man Natural Locusts come in April and continue till September five months whereto the Spirit of God here alludes and says those mystical Locusts that came out of the smoak the bottomless pit should torment men five months that is throughout their whole duration and their torment is as the torment of a Scorpion when he striketh a man Now the sting of a Scorpoin is not at first perceived but when it is it works after such a lingering manner that it affords some hopes of life yet doth certainly bring death in the end When the poor soul is enlightned and conscience stird with appredension of Divine displeasure Popish Ordinances and Administrations prove no better then the stings of Scorpions to them afflicted and vexed they are with them yet some faint hopes they have from them but at last finding themselves deluded they vainly wish Death it self as if that would help them ver 6. They shall desire to die and Death shall flie
feet of his Will Set up as much of Christ and his Kingdom in thy Family as thou canst suppress sin in it as far as thy power will go set up Duties of Religion in it bring all under the power thereof Oh that Magistrates would not stand consulting chiefly what sutes best to the Interest of the State but what sutes best to the Interest of Jesus Christ and will most help on his Kingdom Certainly setting up standing by and countenancing in Spiritual Powerful Ministery not suffering Sabbaths and Ordinances to be prophaned and affronted good Learning and Holiness maintained in the Universities and other inferiour Schools Judgement and Justice executed without respect of persons I say doubtless these things would contribute much towards the enthroning of the great King of kings Oh but some man will say I am a poor wretch I can do noting towards the hastening this Kingdom you speak of That 's strange Canst not thou go into thy chamber or Closet and there lament the Antichristianism that is in the present Governments of the World tell God that he 's Omnipotent and so is able to remove whatsoever stands opposition to the Kingdom of his Son minde him of his many promises that he will do it Ask him if he should fail what would become of his Faithfulness of his great name Jehovah and then cry Lord let thy Kingdom come Lord how long yet Lord when shall it once be Be assured of it God may be stirred up much by fervent praying to hasten his Work You have a very notable place for this Psal 102. ver 13. to ver 19. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come Thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof So the Heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth thy glory He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. What shall be written for the generations to come what shall the People which shall be hereafter created praise the Lord for Why this that when the Lord shall build up Zion and so appear in the glory of his power and grace as to make the heathen and all the kings of the earth to fear his name he will therein have regard to the prayer of the destitute The word that is here translated destitute signifies arbusculum nascentem in deserto a poor shrub in the wilderness which every beast is ready to bruise or tread upon a poor shrub that is low and mean and despicable When the Lord shall appear in his Glory and build up Zion in its Glory he will do it in reference to the prayers and sighs and wrestlings of such poor shrubs as the weakest and meanest of you are and therefore says the Prophet Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence give him no rest till be establish till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth Isa 62.6 7. q.d. You that are Saints indeed and make mention of the name of God in prayer follow him hang about him let him not have a quiet day when argument fails yet importunity may do much till he have broken Antichrist and all the powers of this World that stand in the way of the Gospel till he have set up the Kingdom of his Son made his name great and glorious in all the earth You poor of the flock may do more toward this work then you are aware of Wherefore I beseech you stand fast in the faith pray without ceasing quite your selves like men Oh! but I shall not live to see it nor share in the joy of Gods People and glory of this Kingdom My Answer to thee is thus 1. If God take thee to Heaven before thou canst be no great looser by that thou shalt drink there at the Fountain-head of glory when those thou hast left behinde must drink but of the streams of Grace at a far greater distance 2. The News of this Kingdom set up will be quickly brought to heaven and spred all up and down there thou mayest as well enjoy the comforts of it there keep a day of thanksgiving there and sing thy Hallelujahs with the spirits of just men made perfect to Him that sits upon the throne 3. Get upon mount Nebo however and thence look into the Canaan that flowes with milk and hony setting an eye of faith upon the Prospective of Promises thou mayest bring it very near to thee and have a very clear view of it Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen v. 13. These all dyed in the faith not having received the promises i. the matter of them but having seen them afar off were perswaded of them and imbraced them Though the great things promised were far off from them yet by saith and strong perswasions of the truth of them they brought them very near so that they took them in their arms and saluted them as the word in the original imports Abraham though he lived many hundred years before Christ yet he rejoyced to see his day He saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 he could improve faith and promises to as much comfort and joy of heart as old Simeon did the very taking him up in his arms it applies it self I remember what Jacob when he lay upon his death-bed said to his son Joseph Gen. 48.21 Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you to the land of your fathers Thus when thou liest upon thy last bed thy children and friends coming with blubber'd cheeks and heavy hearts to take their leaves of thee thou mayest tell them Behold I dye but this is the support and comfort of my heart God shall be with you God will let you see the good dayes he hath spoken of in his word even from generation to generation I dye and must never see the glory of Jesus Christ in his Churches upon earth yet Posterity shall see it the Saints of God in after-ages shall enjoy the comforts the blessednesse of it and that 's life to me in the midst of death I rejoyce in that and glory in that with joy unspeakable FINIS Reader I Would have thee rest thy heart assured of this That the 21 22 Chapters of the Revelations are a Description of a State of a Church here below yet in allusion to Heaven Amongst many reasons which might be given for it take these three 1. It is called the New Ierusalem coming down from God out of Heaven And behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them chap. 21.2 3. The Church triumphant is taken up from the earth into heaven and the spirits of just men made perfect may more properly be said to dwell with God then God with them 1 Thess 4. Then shall we for ever be with the Lord. 2. It 's said the Kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it v. 24. Into the Church of Christ on earth for the further completing of the Churches happinesse We all know the glory and honour of earthly Kings is of no esteem in heaven can adde nothing there 3. It is said The leaves of the Tree Rev. 22.2 are for the healing of the Nations meaning the Spiritual sores and wounds of hte Nations But surely there are in Heaven it self neither whole Nations nor persons that stand in need of any healing whatsoever VVherefore it may safely be concluded the 21. and part of the 22 Chap. of that Book are a Description in high expressions and metaphors of the State of a Church here upon Earth E. H. * Thursday Lectures at Horsham in the county of Sussex * Ann. Christi 66. Ann. Neronis 11. In this as also in many other Prophesies Evangelical matters are clad with legal and old terms * Though under Legall terms * Some judgment or destruction that all must acknowledge to be from God