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<DATE>2013-12-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<VID>18839</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THAT THE POPE IS THAT ANTICHRIST: AND An an&s;wer to the Obiecti|ons <HI>of Sectaries, which condemne</HI> this Church of England. <HI>Two notably learned and profitable Treati|&s;es</HI> or Sermons vpon the 19. ver&s;e of the 19. chap|ter of the Reuelation: the fir&s;t whereof was preached at Paules Cro&s;&s;e in Ea&s;ter Terme la&s;t, the other purpo&s;ed al&s;o to haue bene there preached. <HI>By</HI> LAWRENCE DEIOS <HI>Bachelor in Diuinitie, and Mini&s;ter of Gods holy word.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>REVEL. c. 19. v. 19.</HI></BIBL>
<P>And I &s;awe the Beast, and the Kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together, to make battell again&s;t him that &s;ate on the hor&s;e, and again&s;t his armie.</P></Q>
<P>&para; Imprinted at London by <HI>George Bi&s;hop</HI> and <HI>Ralph Newberie.</HI> An. Dom. 1590.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MOST REVEREND FA|ther in Chri&s;t, my Lorde the Archbi&s;hop <HI>of</HI> Canturbury <HI>his Grace,</HI> Primate <HI>of all England,</HI> and <HI>Metropolitane,</HI> one of her Maie&s;ties mo&s;t honourable priuie Coun&s;ell.</HEAD>
<P>_THE impugnations which the enemie of the whole Church &s;o &s;trangely &amp; di|uer&s;ly maketh again&s;t this Church of <HI>England,</HI> are not &s;o much to be marueiled at, as of euery true Christian heart to be lamented. They of the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> condemne vs, for falling away &s;o farre from them: &s;uch as are &s;prong vp amonge&s;t our &s;elues, and are gone out from vs, becau&s;e wee approch &s;o neere vnto them. The fir&s;t hold vs as <HI>An|tichri&s;tian,</HI> for &s;haking off the Popes go|uernment, whome they make Chri&s;tes vi|car: the others, for that wee retaine (they &s;ay) his gouernment &s;till, &amp; are in bondage to it. The fir&s;t &s;ay, we are out of the true
<PB REF="3">Church: the others &s;ay no le&s;&s;e, and that we haue not Gods Church among&s;t vs. The fir&s;t affirme, that we haue no Mini&s;ters, no &s;a|craments, no lawful &s;eruice of God among&s;t vs: the others, that we haue no Mini&s;ters rightly called, no &s;acraments duely admini|&s;tred, no wor&s;hip of God, and that we wor|&s;hip a fal&s;e Chri&s;t. The fir&s;t holde, that the &s;eruice of God in our Churches is &s;o wicked, as it is not to bee frequented: the others, that it is idolatrous, and to be auoided. The fir&s;t are of opinion, that the Soueraigne <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Magi&s;trate ought not to haue gouernment in cau&s;es Eccle&s;iastical, other|wi&s;e then to defend the Church, and to &s;ee the lawes therof executed, becau&s;e making of Church lawes and gouernment Eccle&s;ia|&s;ticall, is &s;oly in the Pope, and in his Clergy: the others holde the like po&s;ition again&s;t the Princes Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;upremacie, for that this gouernment belongeth to Elder&s;hips and Synodes of Mini&s;ters and Elders, (for el&s;e Chri&s;t doth not gouerne in his Church) as they teach. Thus both &s;ortes pu&s;h at the peace of this Church, with the hornes of <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> and albeit vpon diuer&s;e groundes,
<PB REF="3">yet to one and the &s;elfe &s;ame end, which is, the vtter ouerthrowe of the Church, if their cour&s;es be not carefully and &s;peedily preuented. Which (me thinketh) may best be effected by <HI>doctrine</HI> and by <HI>di&s;cipline.</HI> The first by in&s;tructing the &s;imple &s;educed, and by confuting mightily the froward and in&s;olent: the &s;econd, by &s;harper corro&s;iues against the wilfull and obstinate &s;ect-ma|&s;ters on both &s;ides, being <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>men condemned euen of their owne con|&s;ciences.</HI> This teaching and confutation in &s;undrie weightie pointes is (in mine opini|on) very &s;oundly and iudiciou&s;ly (though in briefe &s;orte as best fitting &s;ermons) here performed, both against the <HI>Romani&s;tes</HI> and <HI>Catharites.</HI> The copie whereof happe|ly falling into my handes, I haue made &s;o bolde with the Authour as to prefixe a title thereunto (implying not all, but the most principall matters treated of) and thus to publi&s;h it, for common in&s;truction and com|fort: Dedicating the &s;ame to your <HI>Grace,</HI> as to him to whom the Author hath dedica|ted him&s;elfe in all duetiful &s;eruice, and who
<PB REF="4">daily &s;eeketh by the &s;aid two meanes (mix|ed with mildnes and grauitie) to reforme the fancie-full, nay &s;innefull conceipts of both the factions, and to &s;ettle this Church in the vnitie of the &s;pirite, and bonde of peace. Which that your L. and others in au|thoritie may effectually bring to pa&s;se, vn|der the long and ble&s;&s;ed gouernment of our dread Soueraigne, to Gods glorie, the propa|gation of the Go&s;pell, (exceedingly impea|ched by them) and to the comfort of all god|lie and peaceably affected Engli&s;h, The Lorde of Lordes in mercie graunt for Chri&s;tes &s;ake. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATE><HI>17. Nouemb. 1590. Anno 33. D. Elizabethae Re|ginae.</HI></DATE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Sermon vpon <HI>Apoc. cap.</HI> 19. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 19.</HEAD>
<P>_TWO things e&s;pecially are &s;ette foorth in this whole booke of the Reuelation. Fir&s;t, the per&s;ecutions and the rewardes of tho&s;e that with true faith cleaue one|ly to Chri&s;t: &s;econdly, the a&s;&s;aults and wic|ked attempts of the enemies of the trueth a|gain&s;t the Church, together with their pu|ni&s;hments and ouerthrowe. Becau&s;e it is a prophe&s;ie of thinges to come, therfore is the booke hard to be vnder&s;tood: for prophe&s;ies &s;ooner are fulfilled in the worlde, then the world can perceaue the true expo&s;ition and interpretation of them. This ver&s;e doeth mi|ni&s;ter occa&s;ion to &s;peake both of the wicked, which do per&s;ecute, and of the godly which are per&s;ecuted; and it hath &s;ome thinges in it ea&s;ie, and &s;ome harde to bee vnder&s;toode. Who the <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is, and who be the&s;e <HI>kings,</HI> and what be their <HI>armies,</HI> and what is the maner of their fight, we knowe: and who it is that <HI>rideth on the hor&s;e,</HI> and what is his armie, wee may with &s;mal &s;earching ea&s;ily finde out, for time hath reueiled the&s;e things. But the time
<PB N="2" REF="5">wherein this la&s;t fight of the bea&s;t &s;hall bee, and the maner how he &s;hal be ouerthrowen, hath &s;ome doubt. I wil &s;peake of the&s;e things in order, as they lie in the text.</P>
<P>The bea&s;t here &s;poken of, is the Pope of <HI>Rome:</HI> the <HI>Kings of the earth</HI> meant in this place, are the princes that &s;ubmit them&s;elues to the obedience of him: their <HI>armies</HI> are both the captaines and warlike &s;ouldiers, and al&s;o the manifolde and &s;undry &s;ortes of Ec|clefia&s;ticall and &s;pirituall per&s;ons, as they call them, which either by force of armes, or by witte and eloquence, by &s;trength or pollicie fight for him. Hee that <HI>rideth on the hor&s;e</HI> is <HI>Chri&s;t:</HI> his <HI>armie</HI> are they that beleeue in him onely for &s;aluation, and obey his Go&s;pell. In &s;peaking of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>armies,</HI> and their <HI>fighting,</HI> I mu&s;t &s;triue to bee the more briefe, not onely becau&s;e the matter of it &s;elfe is large, and &s;uch as whereof a man can finde no end, if he would go about to &s;peake all that may be &s;aid, but al&s;o becau&s;e (I feare) it would be &s;omewhat tedious vnto you, to heare me &s;peake of that whereof you haue heard others &s;peake very oft, and largely al|ready. Of the other part, that is, of <HI>Christ,</HI> and his <HI>armie,</HI> it is comfortable and profitable for vs to heare, becau&s;e wee doe account our &s;elues which doe profe&s;&s;e the Go&s;pell in this
<PB N="3" REF="5">land, to be as it were a wing, or an olde trai|ned band of that armie. I thought it nece&s;&s;ary to &s;peake of the&s;e two pointes at this time. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> either now renew|eth or continueth &s;till his warre again&s;t vs, or at lea&s;t is &s;u&s;pected, and of &s;ome reported &s;o to doe. Secondly, becau&s;e among our &s;elues, there are that bla&s;pheme the ho&s;te of the li|uing God, and &s;ay that wee are not the <HI>armie of Chri&s;t.</HI> And albeit that it were out of que|&s;tion that we are <HI>Chri&s;tes armie,</HI> yet we &s;ee in all places, that there is a mutinie in this <HI>armie,</HI> and it is nece&s;&s;arie if we will obtaine the vi|ctorie, that we mu&s;t be an vnited armie. Thus I haue &s;et before you, the matter that I mu&s;t &s;peake of, and the cau&s;es that mooued me to it. Nowe therefore I will fir&s;t intreate of the <HI>bea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>bea&s;t</HI> in this place is &s;et for one of the greate&s;t enemies of <HI>Ie&s;us Christ</HI> vpon earth, which is the generall and chiefe captaine o|uer kings and their armies in the fielde a|gain&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The deuill is doubtle&s;&s;e the chiefe leader of all that fight again&s;t our Sa|uiour. But he in the <HI>Reuelation</HI> is not called the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> but by other names: for he is na|med the <HI>Dragon,</HI> the <HI>olde &s;erpent,</HI> and <HI>&s;atan.</HI> The deuill is not the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> but <HI>giueth his pow|er to the bea&s;t:</HI> the <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is not the <HI>dragon,</HI> but
<PB N="4" REF="6"><HI>&s;peaketh like the dragon.</HI> The <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is a vi&s;ible earthly power rai&s;ed vp by the diuell, that <HI>hath authoritie ouer kings.</HI> To know him is al|mo&s;t to ouercome him: for fewe are hurt by him, but &s;uch as knowe him not. This <HI>bea&s;t</HI> (as I &s;aid) is the Pope of <HI>Rome.</HI> The Papi&s;tes, as they re&s;i&s;t other po&s;itions that we holde a|gain&s;t them, &s;o aboue all others, they mu&s;t needes &s;tand again&s;t this. They will not haue the Pope to be the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> for they knowe that this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is <HI>Antichrist.</HI> And what is <HI>Anti|chri&s;t,</HI> but the capitall enemie to <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> Wherefore they &s;ee, that if the Pope be the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> then all reuerence and obedience to him, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;itie be for&s;aken. Nowe therefore I will &s;hewe, that all things which are &s;poken in Scripture of this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> &amp; <HI>Anti|chri&s;t,</HI> agree mo&s;t fitly to the popedome, and not to any other earthly power.</P>
<P>This <HI>Beast</HI> that is &s;poken of heere, is the &s;ame that is mentioned, <HI>Apoc. 13.11.</HI> which was the <HI>&s;econd bea&s;t</HI> that <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;awe, <HI>which came vp out of the earth, and had two hornes like the Lambe, but &s;pake like the Dragon:</HI> &amp; it is the &s;ame <HI>beast,</HI> which who&s;oeuer <HI>wor&s;hip|peth,</HI> or <HI>his image,</HI> or <HI>receiueth his marke, hee must drinke of the wine of the wrath of God, A|poc. 14.9.</HI> and it is that <HI>beast which &s;endeth out of his mouth, three vncleane &s;pirites like
<PB N="5" REF="6">frogs, to gather the kings to the battell</HI> here &s;po|ken of, <HI>Apoc. 16.13.</HI> It is that <HI>&s;carlet colou|red bea&s;t full of names of bla&s;phemie, which hath &s;euen heads and ten hornes. Apoc. 17.3.</HI> of the &s;ame <HI>beast</HI> mentioned &s;o before, it is &s;aid here: <HI>I &s;awe the bea&s;t and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to fight again&s;t him that &s;ate vpon the hor&s;e, and again&s;t his armie.</HI> This <HI>bea&s;t</HI> both in the <HI>Reue|lation,</HI> and in other partes of Scripture hath diuers other names: for it is named the <HI>great whore that &s;itteth vpon many waters, A|poc. 17.1. The woman araied in purple and &s;car|let, and gilded with gold and precious &s;tones and pearles, Apoc. 17.4.</HI> and it is called <HI>Babylon the great citie, Apoc. 18.2.</HI> That which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh of the <HI>Apo&s;ta&s;ie,</HI> and <HI>of the man of &s;inne,</HI> and <HI>the &s;onne of perdition,</HI> whom he cal|leth <HI>an aduer&s;arie, 2. The&s;. 2.3.</HI> is vnder&s;tood of this <HI>bea&s;t.</HI> But the mo&s;t v&s;uall and familiar name, that all eccle&s;ia&s;ticall writers do giue to this mo&s;t famous enemie of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his Church, is that which <HI>Iohn</HI> v&s;eth when hee &s;aieth: <HI>Babes, it is the la&s;t time, and as ye haue heard that Antichri&s;t &s;hall come, euen now are there many Antichri&s;ts: whereby wee knowe that it is the last tyme, 1. Iohn 2.18.</HI> And a|gaine, <HI>Euery &s;pirite which confe&s;&s;eth not, that Ie&s;us Christ is come in the fle&s;h, is not of God:
<PB N="6" REF="7">but this is the &s;pirite of Antichrist, of whom yee haue heard how that hee &s;hould come, and now alreadie hee is in the world.</HI> This principall e|nemie of <HI>Christ</HI> that maketh warre here a|gain&s;t him, named <HI>an aduer&s;arie, the man of &s;inne, the &s;onne of perdition,</HI> called <HI>Babylon,</HI> the <HI>great whore Antichri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>the &s;econd bea&s;t,</HI> is the Pope of <HI>Rome</HI> with his popi&s;h gouerne|ment.</P>
<P>The deuill as hee laboured that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;hould not bee knowen when he was in the world, and wrought mans &s;aluation by his death: &s;o likewi&s;e he doeth what he may to hide <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> that he may worke de&s;tructi|on of &s;oules, and yet not be &s;u&s;pected to doe it. That the Papacie may not bee called the kingdome of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> the papi&s;ts obtrude to the world a certaine imagined <HI>Antichrist,</HI> &s;uch a <HI>bea&s;t</HI> as neuer was, nor euer &s;hall bee: for they &s;ay <HI>Antichrist</HI> mu&s;t be one particular man, borne of the tribe of <HI>Dan,</HI> which &s;hall haue his &s;eate in <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in the <HI>temple there,</HI> and &s;hall &s;ubdue three kings fir&s;t, namely, of <HI>Egypt, Ethiopia,</HI> and <HI>Libya,</HI> and then other &s;e|uen, and &s;hall raigne three yeeres &amp; a halfe, neither more nor le&s;&s;e, and &s;hall be honoured of the Iewes as their <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and <HI>Me&s;&s;ias,</HI> and &s;hall be circumci&s;ed, and &s;hall aboli&s;h bap|ti&s;me and the Ma&s;&s;e, and &s;hall &s;et vp his own
<PB N="7" REF="7">image in the temple, and cau&s;e the world to wor&s;hip it, and he will deny <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> to be <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and cau&s;e him&s;elf to be honoured <HI>as God,</HI> and &s;o be called, and that hee &s;hall giue a marke and &s;et it on mens foreheads, or on their right hands, the print of it &s;hal be his name, and the letters of his name &s;hall make the number of 666. And that hee may mooue men to wor|&s;hip him the rather, he &s;hall doe many myra|cles, and e&s;pecially &s;hall faine him&s;elfe to die and ri&s;e againe from the dead, and cau&s;e fire to come downe from heauen in the &s;ight of men: that <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> &s;hal come in their owne per&s;ons and prophe&s;ie again&s;t him, that <HI>Christ</HI> at the ende of three yeeres and a halfe, &s;hall ouercome him &amp; put him downe, and that at the end of fourtie dayes after &s;hal be the generall iudgement. And before this <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> can come, they &s;ay that the go&s;pel mu&s;t be receiued publikely of all kingdomes and people in the world: &amp; that the empire of <HI>Rome</HI> which now the <HI>Germanes</HI> hold, mu&s;t cleane both in name and &s;ub&s;tance be aboli|&s;hed, for that is a great let vnto him: for while that &s;tandeth, he cannot come at <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<P>This is the papi&s;ts wor&s;hipfull <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> a perilous bea&s;t that &s;hall raigne but three yeeres and a halfe. By this notion of <HI>Anti|chri&s;t</HI> deepely printed in their heads, their
<PB N="8" REF="8">minds are turned away from &s;eeing the Pope to bee the very bea&s;tly <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> as hee is. They nouri&s;h the bea&s;t in their owne bo&s;om, and let him &s;ucke of their brea&s;ts, or rather &s;ucke them&s;elues poi&s;on out of that <HI>Whores</HI> brea&s;ts, while they imagine that hee &s;hall come, they know not when, to <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> in another &s;hape.</P>
<P>What &s;hould make them thinke that <HI>An|tichri&s;t</HI> is one &s;ingular per&s;on? The <HI>fir&s;t bea&s;t,</HI> they and all men confe&s;&s;e, is the &s;tate and &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion of the empire of <HI>Rome,</HI> as it was hea|then, &amp; per&s;ecuted the Go&s;pell openly: that was not one per&s;on, but many per&s;ons, one after another, holding vp the &s;ame e&s;tate. The <HI>&s;econd beast</HI> reuiueth the image of the fir&s;t, in the &s;ame citie: therefore the &s;econd is not one per&s;on, but a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of many, which renew, as it were, the olde honour and &s;tate of <HI>Rome.</HI> This doth the order of Popes &s;uc|ceeding one another. And although (as <HI>Bel|larmine</HI> an&s;wereth) one bea&s;t in Daniel is &s;et for one man, as the <HI>Leopard</HI> for <HI>Alexander magnus,</HI> yet there al&s;o the <HI>Lion</HI> repre&s;enteth the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> and the <HI>Beare</HI> the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> em|pire: &s;o heere in the <HI>Apocalyp&s;e,</HI> as the <HI>fir&s;t bea&s;t</HI> is &s;et for the heathen empire, &s;o the <HI>&s;e|cond beast</HI> is &s;et for the <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> papacie of <HI>Rome. Augustine</HI> thinketh that this <HI>bea&s;t</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="8">mu&s;t not be vnder&s;tood for one man, but for one city. <HI>Quae &s;it porro i&s;ta be&s;tia, &amp;c. What this beast is, it is not repugnant to right faith, that the very wicked citie be vnderstood, as the people of vnbeleeuers, contrarie to the beleeuing people and citie of God.</HI> The bea&s;t then, by <HI>Augu|&s;tines</HI> opinion, is a citie, a multitude, not one &s;ingular per&s;on. If we &s;hall marke that which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith concerning the beginning and end of <HI>Antichri&s;t, the my&s;terie of iniquitie alreadie worketh,</HI> and that <HI>the Lord &s;hall aboli&s;h him with the brightne&s;&s;e of his comming:</HI> and that which <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Ye haue heard that Antichri&s;t &s;hould come, and now alreadie he is in the world,</HI> wee &s;hall &s;ee that <HI>the Antichri&s;t</HI> can not be one man, the foundation of who&s;e kingdome was laid &s;o long before, and the end whereof &s;hall not come till the end of all: for is it not ab|&s;urd, that there &s;hould be &s;o ancient a prepa|ration for &s;o late and &s;o &s;hort a reigne of one man? This al&s;o is mo&s;t euident, that tho&s;e things which mu&s;t be done of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> can not be performed of one man, no not in his whole life, much le&s;&s;e in three yeeres and a halfe. He mu&s;t re&s;tore the glorie of the Ro|mane empire, he mu&s;t doe all that the other bea&s;t did before him, he mu&s;t worke many &s;ignes and miracles, he mu&s;t cau&s;e the former bea&s;t to be wor&s;hipped, he mu&s;t &s;end foorth
<PB N="10" REF="9">lying &s;pirits to &s;educe them that dwell on the earth, he mu&s;t kill them that wor&s;hip not the image of the bea&s;t, and receiue not his marke: nay tho&s;e things that they grant <HI>An|tichri&s;t</HI> &s;hall do, can not be done in that &s;pace. He mu&s;t winne <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and build the Tem|ple, and ouercome all the world, &amp; propound him&s;elfe to be wor&s;hipped thorow the world, and take away bapti&s;me in all the world, and doe many other things. Can the&s;e things be done in three yeeres and a halfe? or while he doth the&s;e things, &s;hall he not be their <HI>Anti|chri&s;t?</HI> But they &s;ay <HI>Paul</HI> calleth him <HI>the man of &s;inne,</HI> and <HI>Iohn, the Antichri&s;t,</HI> adding the Greeke article. That is done for difference, and not for &s;ingularitie of per&s;on. No maruell if a common name of the man of <HI>the Anti|chri&s;t</HI> &s;ignifie many, &s;eeing a proper name &s;hall &s;ignifie a multitude. <HI>I&s;rael</HI> fir&s;t a proper name of <HI>Iacob,</HI> and yet &s;ignifieth all Gods people: <HI>Sion</HI> the proper name of a hill, and yet &s;ignifieth all the church of God. The <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is <HI>the man of &s;inne,</HI> and <HI>the Antichri&s;t,</HI> becau&s;e of all <HI>Antichri&s;ts</HI> (for there are many, euen &s;o many as there are here&s;ies again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>) he is the greate&s;t, and cruelle&s;t, and mightie&s;t <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>the man of &s;inne,</HI> becau&s;e of all &s;infull men he is cau&s;e, by his power &amp; lawes, of greate&s;t &amp; mo&s;t &s;inne committed in Gods
<PB N="11" REF="9">church. La&s;t of all (they &s;ay) that as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is one per&s;on, &s;o <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> his chiefe enemie, mu&s;t be one per&s;on: as he that &s;itteth on the hor&s;e, that is <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> is one per&s;on, &s;o <HI>the beast,</HI> that is captaine of tho&s;e again&s;t him, mu&s;t be one per&s;on. The compari&s;on holdeth not: fir&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> abideth for euer, therefore on that &s;ide there is one per&s;on captaine: but on the other &s;ide, to fight again&s;t him, for the &s;hort continuance of the per&s;ons, &amp; the long continuance of the fight, there mu&s;t be many per&s;ons, in &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, captaines. Secondly, becau&s;e the fight is not again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in his per&s;on, but in his doctrine, and in his mem|bers, both which are continued by &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, and &s;o are the captaines and the warre again&s;t them. I need not fight &s;o long with a &s;ha|dow, to de&s;troy this opinion of theirs, that <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> and <HI>the Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;poken of in &s;crip|ture, is not one &s;ingular per&s;on, but a line and &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of many that holde and mainteine a gouernement that de&s;troyeth the faith and benefites of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Thus we &s;ee how vaine one e&s;peciall ground of their fained <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> is, namely, that he mu&s;t be one &s;in|gular per&s;on.</P>
<P>Another ground of their error is, that this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> and <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> mu&s;t be an open enemie of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> both in deede and word, in trueth
<PB N="12" REF="10">and in &s;hewe. for they &s;ay he mu&s;t deny <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> to be <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in plaine termes, and in like ma|ner deny that he is come: that he mu&s;t take away the &s;acraments of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;ub&s;titute others him&s;elfe: that he mu&s;t make him&s;elfe <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;o be receaued of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> and that he mu&s;t by all meanes be without the Church. The Pope (they &s;ay) is not &s;uch a one. He acknowledgeth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to be come, and him&s;elfe his &s;ub&s;titute and &s;eruant, and by our owne confe&s;&s;ion is after a &s;ort in the Church. But we holde, and the trueth is, that this <HI>beast</HI> and <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> is a &s;ecrete enemie cloked with the name of a friend: an a&s;&s;e that hath put on a Lions skinne, and that in this e|nemie e&s;pecially; <HI>Satan</HI> changeth him&s;elfe into an <HI>Angell of light.</HI> If <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hould come like an open profe&s;&s;ed enemie, all <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> would ea&s;ily dete&s;t him, the elect &s;hould neuer be in daunger by him: but hee &s;hall come &s;o cunningly, that hee &s;hall &s;e|duce, <HI>if it were po&s;&s;ible, euen the elect.</HI> And the name of a <HI>mysterie,</HI> Reuel. 17. declareth that his working is &s;ecrete. and the &s;ame hath <HI>Paul, the my&s;terie of iniquitie already worketh.</HI> Wherefore if the kingdome and rule of the <HI>bea&s;t</HI> and <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> be a <HI>my&s;terie,</HI> then is hee a &s;ecret and not an open profe&s;&s;ed enemie. And whether doe the&s;e names of &s;educing, of <HI>com|ming
<PB N="13" REF="10">with all deceiueablene&s;&s;e of vnrighteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and of <HI>&s;trong delu&s;ion to beleeue lies,</HI> (all which are &s;poken of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI>) agree rather to a counterfet or an open enemie? The ene|mie that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> would haue his people take heed of in the la&s;t time, is e&s;pecially the coun|terfet friend. <HI>They &s;hall &s;ay, Loe, here is Christ, or there is Chri&s;t, there &s;hall ari&s;e fal&s;e Christs and fal&s;e prophets.</HI> And to the <HI>Iewes</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>If another &s;hall come in my name, him will yee re|ceiue.</HI> Vpon the&s;e words they ground that o|pinion of theirs, that the <HI>Iewes</HI> &s;hall receiue <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> when he commeth, which &s;hall denie the fir&s;t and true <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;et him&s;elfe to be their <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> But that &s;aying of our Sa|uiour was fulfilled after his a&s;cen&s;ion, in di|uers that came vnto the~ as deliuerers, whom they followed to their de&s;truction. But as for the <HI>Iewes</HI> towards the end of the world, whe~ the Papi&s;ts &s;ay their <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hall bee, the <HI>Iewes</HI> before that &s;hall be conuerted vnto <HI>Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;heweth <HI>Rom. 11.</HI> and the popi&s;h imagined <HI>Antichrist,</HI> of all others, can neuer be receiued of the <HI>Iewes:</HI> for they looke for a <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to come of the tribe of <HI>Iuda</HI> and not of the tribe of <HI>Dan:</HI> and they &s;o de|te&s;t an image, that they can neuer acknow|ledge him their <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> that contrary to their law &s;hall &s;et vp an image to be wor&s;hipped.
<PB N="14" REF="11">But as I &s;ayd, <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hall put vpon him the vizard and face of a friend, and &s;hall haue the heart and works of an enemy: for as he is and hath ioined to him as his a&s;&s;i&s;tant the fal&s;e prophet, &s;o likewi&s;e he will tread in the path of fal&s;e prophets. <HI>Beware of fal&s;e prophets</HI> (&s;aith our Sauiour) <HI>for they come in &s;heepes clothing, but inwardly they are rauening wolues.</HI> If that be true that &s;ome do &s;ay, that in <HI>Ezechiel</HI> and <HI>Reuel.</HI> 20. <HI>Gog</HI> is &s;et for <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> and <HI>Ma|gog</HI> for the <HI>Turke,</HI> which both &s;hould &s;ucceed and deuide the <HI>Romane</HI> empire, then not on|ly this is manife&s;t, that <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> is a &s;ecret enemie, but that hee &s;hould haue the We&s;t part of the Empire, and the <HI>Turke</HI> the Ea&s;t: and that wee neede not feare the <HI>Turke</HI> in the&s;e quarters of the world, nor fauour the <HI>Spaniards</HI> (as &s;ome doe &s;eeme to wi&s;h in that behalfe) becau&s;e they thinke they be a wall betweene the <HI>Turke</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;tendome.</HI> But God hath &s;et the bounds. To the <HI>Turke,</HI> that is, to <HI>Magog</HI> and <HI>Me&s;ek,</HI> which is <HI>Arabia,</HI> where <HI>Mahomets</HI> tombe is, the Ea&s;t is alot|ted. To <HI>Gog,</HI> that is, the Pope, and <HI>Tubal</HI> with him, which &s;ome &s;ay is <HI>Italie,</HI> and others &s;ay is <HI>Spaine,</HI> to this <HI>Gog</HI> the We&s;t part of the em|pire, which hath hitherto reteined the name of <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> religion, is a&s;&s;igned. All the world de&s;erued to be in bondage vnder enemies of
<PB N="15" REF="11">the trueth: but the Ea&s;t is vnder the bodily bondage of the <HI>Turke,</HI> and the We&s;t vnder the &s;pirituall &s;eruitude of the Pope. Now <HI>Magog</HI> which is &s;et for the <HI>Turke,</HI> &s;ignifieth vncouered, open, and manife&s;t: but <HI>Gog</HI> &s;et for the Pope, &s;ignifieth couered, &s;ecret, and hidden: wherefore as the one is an open ene|mie, &s;o the other is &s;ecret, and therfore more dangerous. If by <HI>Gog</HI> and <HI>Magog</HI> be meant the&s;e two, then the names do &s;hew the diffe|rence: but I know &s;ome take tho&s;e names o|therwi&s;e: and &s;ome confe&s;&s;e they know not what they meane. But if that <HI>Gog</HI> do not de|clare <HI>Antichrist</HI> to be a &s;ecret enemie, yet by this it &s;hall mo&s;t ea&s;ily appeare, for that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith of him, he &s;hal &s;it in the Temple of God, that is to &s;ay, he &s;hall rule and gouerne in the church of God, as he him&s;elfe will call it, and as it hath commonly beene reputed: where|fore if he &s;hall gouerne in the church of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> he mu&s;t &s;hew him&s;elfe to be a friend to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and to the church, or els he can by no meanes deceiue the church of Chri&s;t. To the woman, <HI>Reuel.</HI> 17. there is giuen a cup of golde, which is vnder&s;tood to be the &s;hew of religion, and yet it is full of abominations. But what need we moe proofes to &s;hew that this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is a fained and a counterfet friend? <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The bea&s;t hath two hornes like the lambe, and yet
<PB N="16" REF="12">&s;peaketh like the dragon:</HI> he &s;hall make a &s;hew of Chri&s;tian religion, &s;hall haue &s;pirituall and temporall gouernment, and &s;hall faine him|&s;elfe to be like <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but his lawes and do|ctrine &s;halbe the doctrine of deuils. All the&s;e things prooue that <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> which is this <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> is a &s;ecret enemy, making &s;hew &amp; coun|tenance of a friend.</P>
<P>If I &s;houlde &s;ay no more, by this that I haue &s;poken it may &s;ufficiently be gathered, that this <HI>beast,</HI> this <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> is the Pope of <HI>Rome.</HI> For who is there in the Church of <HI>Christ,</HI> of long continuance and great autho|ritie, that &s;eemeth more a friend to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and is in trueth &s;o &s;ore an enemie to all that truely beleeue in <HI>Christ,</HI> as is the Pope? But if wee &s;earch further, we &s;hall &s;ee that what&s;oeuer the Scripture &s;peaketh of this <HI>Enemy,</HI> agreeth fitly to the Pope, and to none other, neither to him, who they imagine &s;hall come of the tribe of <HI>Dan,</HI> nor to the <HI>Turke,</HI> which is by all meanes out of the church. This title of eter|nall ignominie and &s;hame, falleth vpon no e|&s;tate in the world, but only on the popedome. All things agree to it.</P>
<P>The forerunner of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> was the fall of the <HI>Romane</HI> empire, and de&s;truction of <HI>Rome</HI> in the We&s;t: that is it (in the opinion of many ancient fathers) which <HI>Paul</HI> meaneth,
<PB N="17" REF="12">when he &s;ayth, <HI>Ye know what withholdeth that he might be reueiled in his time.</HI> And againe, <HI>Onely he which now withholdeth, &s;hall let till he be taken out of the way.</HI> The &s;eat of the empire a|biding at <HI>Rome,</HI> withheld the Pope from his reigne &amp; dominion there. But how was that remooued, that the Pope might come into it emptie? Fir&s;t by <HI>Con&s;tantinus magnus</HI> depar|ting thence, &amp; making the &s;eat of his empire at <HI>Con&s;tantinople.</HI> Seco~dly, becau&s;e it was not yet empty enough, <HI>Alaricus</HI> king of <HI>Goths</HI> ta|keth it <HI>anno 414. Gen&s;ericus Vandalus</HI> takes it &amp; &s;poiles it againe <HI>an. 459.</HI> And la&s;t of all, <HI>To|tilas</HI> taketh it thri&s;e, ouerthroweth the walles, and &s;etteth <HI>Rome</HI> on fire, and letteth it burne 40 dayes, <HI>an. 549.</HI> Thus was <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> made <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">: <HI>Rome</HI> was made emptie of the emperour, that the Pope might &s;tep into it. This is the head that <HI>S. Iohn</HI> &s;aw wounded to death. Here the heathen <HI>Romans</HI> that had killed w^t the &s;word, were killed by the &s;word. Although this be &s;o, yet the Papi&s;ts contend, that this is not yet fulfilled. The <HI>Romane</HI> empire (&s;ay they) is not yet di&s;placed. The&s;e be notable cu~ning men: that which was done 1000 yeres &s;ince, is not yet done with them. By this we may iudge of their religion. For as the <HI>Romane</HI> empire re|maineth yet, &s;o the true <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> religion re|maineth w^t the~ vnto this time, &amp; no otherwi&s;e:
<PB N="18" REF="13">but that empire remaineth onely in name and not in truth: &s;o doth the religion. For is that the emperour of <HI>Rome,</HI> whom the Pope by a law hath bound not to dwell in <HI>Rome,</HI> nor in all <HI>Italie,</HI> at any time? Is he emperour of <HI>Rome</HI> that hath no tribute, no homage, nor lands of the empire, and vnle&s;&s;e he haue &s;omewhat to liue by of his owne, &s;hall be nothing inriched by the empire? But (&s;aith <HI>Bellarmine</HI>) he is emperour of <HI>Rome,</HI> although he haue not <HI>Rome.</HI> How can he be emperour of it, that hath it neither in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, nor by right of title? if he haue right to it, then the Pope is an v&s;urper, that keepes him from it: for there is no officer in <HI>Rome,</HI> but the Popes deputy by his appointment. Wherefore the fir&s;t note of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> agreeth to the Pope, which is, that <HI>Rome</HI> &s;hould be made a ruine before he &s;huld come to build vpon it: for that was fulfilled fiue hundred and fiftie yeeres after <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;ixe hundred yeeres were expired before the papacie did &s;hew it &s;elfe in his <HI>antichristian</HI> colours.</P>
<P>The &s;econd note of the <HI>bea&s;t</HI> agreeth al&s;o to the Pope: for <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith: <HI>He commeth out of the earth, &amp; hath two hornes like the lambe, and &s;peaketh like the dragon. Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hould in &s;hew make him&s;elfe like <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and performe the works of the deuill. He will write him|&s;elfe
<PB N="19" REF="13"><HI>Seruus &s;eruorum:</HI> and in &s;ome &s;ence, &s;o he is: for he &s;erueth the lu&s;t of tho&s;e that are &s;eruants and &s;laues, to inrich them and bring them to honour. He hath not the hornes of the lambe, but like them: for he challengeth to him&s;elfe power in temporall and in &s;piri|tuall matters: he maketh him&s;elfe not onely a prie&s;t, but a king al&s;o: he will rule in hea|uen and in earth. If the&s;e be not the two hornes of the lambe, what are they? how&s;o|euer it is, he will be like the lambe, e&s;pecially in the hornes. He would re&s;emble <HI>Christ</HI> in his power, but not in his holine&s;&s;e. And to expre&s;&s;e his power, he delighteth much with the number of two, for he hath on his head a miter which hath two toppes, two &s;harpe points, one before, and another behinde: two keyes al&s;o hee hath &s;et a cro&s;&s;e. And in the yeere 1300, <HI>Boniface</HI> the eight, in the fir&s;t <HI>Iu|bile,</HI> the fir&s;t day went in his bi&s;hops robes, the &s;econd day in the habite of the emperour, hauing two &s;words borne before him, &amp; this being proclamed, <HI>Ecce duo gladij h&icirc;c.</HI> How can he declare more plainely, that he beareth two hornes like the lambe? who&s;e title in the world commeth &s;o neere the title of <HI>Chri&s;t?</HI> for he will be called <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> vicar. Of the two hornes, he had the &s;pirituall iuri&s;diction fir&s;t, and then the temporall: for fir&s;t he ruled ouer
<PB N="20" REF="14">bi&s;hops and mini&s;ters only, and in proce&s;&s;e of time he ruled ouer kings and emperours: but although he <HI>haue hornes like the lambe, yet his &s;peech is like the dragons.</HI> The crying of the <HI>dra|gon</HI> is fierce and terrible: and the &s;pirituall <HI>dragon,</HI> the deuill, &s;peaketh contrary to God. For the religion of the Pope, is in name <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> religion, but in truth contrary to it. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aith to the people, <HI>Search the Scriptures:</HI> the Pope &s;aith they &s;hall not reade them. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt &s;erue God onely:</HI> the Pope &s;aith, Thou &s;halt &s;erue &s;aints. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt not make nor wor&s;hip images:</HI> the Pope &s;aith, thou &s;halt do both: and in many points be&s;ides (<HI>He&s;&s;hu&s;ius</HI> reckoneth vp &s;ixe hun|dred) the Pope <HI>&s;peaketh</HI> contrarie to <HI>Christ,</HI> and altogether <HI>like the dragon.</HI> The Papi&s;ts &s;ay this note can not agree to the Pope. Why? not becau&s;e he hath not two hornes like the lambe, nor becau&s;e he &s;peaketh not like the dragon: but becau&s;e it is &s;aid here of the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> that <HI>he co~meth out of the earth:</HI> for they thinke their Pope hath not a ba&s;e, but a noble be|ginning. In deede their fir&s;t bi&s;hops were from heauen, and went to heauen: but they that tooke the <HI>hornes like the lambe,</HI> and pre|&s;umed to challenge &s;pirituall &amp; temporall iu|ri&s;diction ouer all the church, were from the <HI>earth:</HI> for this was an earthly deui&s;e: &amp; what
<PB N="21" REF="14">per&s;ons in the world come to &s;o high autho|ritie from &s;o ba&s;e beginnings, as the Popes of later times? ba&s;tards, and friers, &amp; magicians: are not the&s;e ba&s;e? are not the&s;e <HI>from the earth?</HI> To this de&s;cription of <HI>Iohn,</HI> agreeth that of <HI>Paul:</HI> for as <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>he &s;hould &s;peake like the dragon,</HI> &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, he &s;hall be <HI>an aduer&s;arie:</HI> and as here it is &s;aid, he &s;hould haue <HI>two hornes like the lambe,</HI> &s;o there it is &s;aid, that he &s;hould <HI>&s;it in the Temple of God as God, &s;hewing him&s;elfe that he is God:</HI> for he taketh the office &amp; name of God vpon him.</P>
<P>The third marke is proper al&s;o to the Pope. For thus <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;peaketh of him. <HI>He did all that the first bea&s;t could doe before him, and cau&s;ed the earth, and them that dwell therein, to wor&s;hip the fir&s;t bea&s;t, who&s;e deadly wound was healed.</HI> The fir&s;t bea&s;t was olde <HI>Rome,</HI> and the &s;tate of the empire: therefore when this &s;econd bea&s;t had gotten hornes like the lambe, that is &s;pirituall and temporall iuri&s;diction, hee pu&s;heth &s;o long with the&s;e hornes, that hee maketh the <HI>Romane</HI> name to flouri&s;h, as much or more then it did before: which was a thing much to be woondered at tho|row the world. Who knoweth not that <HI>Rome</HI> hath bene the&s;e later hundred yeeres in more e&s;timation then any citie in the world be&s;ides, or then it &s;elfe had beene in former
<PB N="22" REF="15">times? and how came it to that wealth &amp; ho|nor, but onely by the <HI>two horned bea&s;t?</HI> No|thing els had it to commend it now in com|pari&s;on, but the fal&s;e title of the &s;eat of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> vicar. And heerein &s;tandeth all the indeuour of <HI>Antichrist,</HI> not that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> may be wor|&s;hipped, but that <HI>the fir&s;t bea&s;t</HI> may be had in honour. For the name, and religion, and cre|dit of <HI>Rome</HI> he fighteth. The Pope is as it were, <HI>the fir&s;t beast:</HI> for in him the ancient &s;tate &s;eemeth to be re&s;tored.</P>
<P>The fourth note of the &s;econd bea&s;t is as fit as any of the re&s;t for the pope. For <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;ayth: <HI>He did great woonders, &s;o that he made fire to come downe from heauen on the earth in the &s;ight of men: and deceiued them that dwell on the earth, by the &s;ignes which were permitted to him to doe in the &s;ight of the bea&s;t.</HI> To this a|greeth that which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith of <HI>Antichrist, who&s;e comming is by the working of Satan, with all power and &s;ignes, and lying woonders.</HI> And our Sauiour &s;aith, <HI>There &s;hall ari&s;e fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, and fal&s;e prophets, and &s;hall &s;hew great &s;ignes and woonders, &s;o that if it were po&s;&s;ible, they &s;hould de|ceiue the very elect.</HI> Signes and miracles are &s;o common with the papi&s;tes, as they haue not beene among any &s;ince the Apo&s;tles times. They haue miracles to commend euery thing to the world, miracles to confirme purgatory,
<PB N="23" REF="15">and praying for the dead, and the ma&s;&s;e, and the force of reliques, and what&s;oeuer &s;uper&s;ti|tion there is be&s;ides in poperie. But their mi|racles are <HI>lying &s;ignes &amp; miracles,</HI> both becau&s;e many of them are but done in &s;hew and not in trueth, and many are fained, and all tend to confirme and e&s;tabli&s;h lies. The trueth nee|deth no new miracles, it per&s;uadeth &amp; con|firmeth it &s;elfe in the heart of him that hath it. <HI>Iohn</HI> nameth one e&s;peciall miracle, <HI>The cal|ling of fire downe from heauen in the &s;ight of men.</HI> Some imagine that as <HI>Elias</HI> did it to con&s;ume the fifties that came to take him, &s;o the Pope at &s;ome time or other &s;hould do: or as he did to commend his &s;acrifice again&s;t the &s;acrifice of the prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal,</HI> &s;o the pope &s;hould cau&s;e the like for the confirmation of his ma&s;&s;e and other idolatrie. It is time for him now to doe it, if euer he will doe it, for he is neere taking, and his ma&s;&s;e almo&s;t euery where is out of credit. There be that refer it to Pope <HI>Hilde|brand,</HI> which by the art of Magike danced in fire, rai&s;ed vp round about him, without hurt, thereby to winne the more authority to him|&s;elfe. Others rather take this of the fire to be &s;poken allegorically: for what is excommu|nication, but as it were an heauenly fire, by which he hath reuenged him&s;elfe on many emperours and kings, and whereby he goeth
<PB N="24" REF="16">about &s;till to con&s;ume his enemies? This fire he flingeth about him like a madde man. He hath ca&s;t it again&s;t our mo&s;t gracious <HI>Queene,</HI> and this whole land: but it is quenched in the &s;ea. I hope it will not &s;et any on fire here, as it hath done. <HI>Fox</HI> taketh this fire fetcht from heauen, to be the Scriptures interpre|ted in a wrong &s;ence. <HI>Christ</HI> &s;ayth <HI>he came to cast fire on the earth, and that his de&s;ire was it &s;hould be kindled:</HI> &s;peaking of his word. This fire the Pope fetcheth out of heauen: for he wringeth and wre&s;teth it out of his na|turall place, and applieth it to prooue his authoritie and all &s;uper&s;tition which he hath brought into the world: <HI>This is my body,</HI> and <HI>Thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke will I build my church:</HI> and many &s;uch bright &s;hining &s;tarres hee hath pluckt <HI>from heauen downe to the earth.</HI> The Pope therefore is that new kinde of <HI>Alchymi&s;t</HI> that is &s;ayd to <HI>fetch fire from heauen.</HI></P>
<P>The fift marke poynteth out the Pope al|&s;o. For partly by his <HI>two hornes,</HI> and partly by <HI>fire from heauen,</HI> and by the meanes of his <HI>ly|ing &s;ignes and miracles,</HI> he is growne to &s;uch credit and power, that at his commande|ment they that dwell on the earth are con|tent to make the <HI>image of the beast, which had the wound of a &s;word and did liue, and al&s;o he
<PB N="25" REF="16">did giue a &s;pirit to the image of the bea&s;t, &s;o that the image of the bea&s;t did &s;peake.</HI> This making of an image, and the cau&s;ing of it to &s;peake, hath diuer&s;e interpretations. The Papi&s;ts ex|pound the head wounded and reuiued to be, <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe, fayning him&s;elfe to die and to ri&s;e againe: and that of the image &s;peaking, they vnder&s;tand of an image which <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;houlde make to repre&s;ent him|&s;elfe, which &s;houlde giue an&s;weres to tho&s;e that &s;ought vnto it. The&s;e are vaine deui&s;es and &s;hifts to put it from the Pope. But the head wounded and healed, is the &s;tate of the empire fallen and ray&s;ed againe in the Pope: for <HI>Rome</HI> was <HI>wounded with a &s;word,</HI> and reui|ued in the Papacie. The image made by the people, and cau&s;ed to &s;peake by the Pope, &s;ome haue thought to bee the emperour, which in deede is but the Popes creature, whome he hath put downe and &s;et vp, com|manded to &s;peake or holde his peace at his plea&s;ure. But it &s;eemeth rather to be the au|thoritie of his <HI>Legates</HI> and <HI>Cardinalles,</HI> and their Courtes and Con&s;i&s;tories in all king|domes: for all people were per&s;uaded to en|tertaine them, and the Pope did, as it were, breathe life into them, and they &s;pake by the &s;pirite of his Canon lawe or ab&s;olute plea&s;ure.</P>
<PB N="26" REF="17">
<P>The &s;ixt marke is agreeable in like ma|ner. <HI>He cau&s;ed that as many as would not wor|&s;hip the image of the bea&s;t, &s;hould be killed.</HI> The reiecting of the Popi&s;h Legates, and courts, and lawes, the refu&s;ing of the Spani&s;h inqui|&s;ition, is death. For hence proceede all the warres and rebellions among all people that profe&s;&s;e the name of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> It perteineth al&s;o to their blood&s;hedding and cruelty, that he &s;aith: <HI>None could be &s;uffred to buy or &s;ell, except he receiued the bea&s;ts marke.</HI> For there was no place nor being for any, except he did &s;weare &s;ubiection. And when the patience of Gods people is co~mended for induring &s;uch things as they lay vpon them, it is a token of their bloody cruelty. <HI>Here is the patience of &s;aints: here are they that keepe the commandements of God, &amp; the faith of Ie&s;us.</HI> And in the iu&s;tifying of their puni&s;hment, which daily now falleth vpon them, the cau&s;e is giuen: <HI>for they &s;hed the blood of the &s;aints and prophets, and therefore ha&s;t thou giuen them blood to drinke, for they are wor|thie.</HI> Her attire and ornaments al&s;o doe wit|ne&s;&s;e this thir&s;t and &s;hedding of blood that hath bene, &amp; is in them. <HI>I &s;aw a woman &s;it vp|on a &s;carlet coloured beast: and the woman was arrayed in purple and &s;carlet.</HI> What colour &s;o fit for a bloody bea&s;t? and what kinde of peo|ple either v&s;ed or e&s;teemed it &s;o much as they?
<PB N="27" REF="17">To the&s;e things agreeth that which our Saui|our &s;aieth, hauing relation to the latter times. <HI>The time will come when they that kill you &s;hall thinke they doe God good &s;eruice.</HI> But to re|mooue this note from them&s;elues, the Pa|pi&s;ts &s;ay, that the killing which they haue exerci&s;ed, is not an&s;werable to tho&s;e &s;pea|ches: for they &s;ay the <HI>latter bea&s;t</HI> mu&s;t kill mo of Gods &s;cruants then the <HI>fir&s;t bea&s;t,</HI> and with more crueltie. I finde not yet where it is &s;o &s;ayd, but that is true in them although they denie it. For who can reckon vp the number, that iudicially for the cau&s;e of poperie haue bin put to death in <HI>England, Scotland France, Spaine,</HI> and all the countries of <HI>Chri&s;tendome</HI> within the&s;e two or three hundred yeres? And as for inue~ting of torments, if burning by fire be not cruell inough, yet they haue deui&s;ed more exqui&s;ite torments in their <HI>Spani&s;h In|qui&s;ition,</HI> &amp; v&s;ed much more crueltie the~ euer the Heathen did. And one thing they haue committed whereby they haue &s;hed infinite mens blood, which y^e heathen did not again&s;t the <HI>Chri&s;tians.</HI> They make warre vpon vs on|ly for religion, &amp; in tho&s;e wars in <HI>France</HI> and <HI>Germanie</HI> &amp; the low countries, &amp; in all places where by inua&s;ion or rebellion they can pre|vaile, haue made infinit &s;laughters. Wherfore numbers &s;laine by them exceed the number
<PB N="28" REF="18">&s;layne by <HI>Paganes.</HI> But there is not &s;o pre|ci&s;ely any thing &s;poken of the number. They kill all, and would doe, that will not be &s;ub|iect to them. This they haue practi&s;ed, and this they doe practi&s;e: this is the drift of their warres and Coun&s;els, and indeuours, and this is the marke of the bea&s;t. I &s;awe the wo|man (&s;ayth <HI>Iohn) druncken with the blood of Saintes, and with the blood of the Martyrs of Ie&s;us.</HI> Although we kill many in the&s;e warres, yet the whole is to be imputed vnto them: for they are the cau&s;e of the &s;laughter, not onely of others, but al&s;o of them&s;elues.</P>
<P>The &s;euenth note is, that <HI>the bea&s;t made all both &s;mall and great, rich and poore, free and bond, to receaue a marke in their right hand, or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or &s;ell, but he that had the marke, or the name of the bea&s;t, or the number of his name. Here is wi&s;edome: let him that hath wit, count the num|ber of the bea&s;t: for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.</HI> There is no Religion that euer was, that hath &s;o many markes and cha|racters, and &s;o gloryeth in them, as the Po|pi&s;h Religion. And all that are vnder them, are &s;igned with &s;ome token or other, as their &s;heepe. Their little infants, with their oyle, and creame, and other matters. Their Empe|rors and kings, and all men that take degrees
<PB N="29" REF="18">in &s;chooles, with their corporal othe, for their fidelitie to that See. Their By&s;hops &amp; whole Cleargie, with their &s;hauen crownes, &amp; oyle, and othes. All the people by open profe&s;|&s;ing of the~&s;elues to be of the <HI>Latine</HI> and <HI>Ro|mi&s;h Church,</HI> for to this end tend al their cha|racters. This they would haue all come vnto, and they obteined it, that they &s;hould pro|fe&s;&s;e them&s;elues to be of the <HI>Latine</HI> &amp; <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> Religion. Therefore Mai&s;ter <HI>Foxe</HI> taketh this name to bee <HI>Romanus.</HI> Which both in the Greeke, and al&s;o in the Hebrewe letters ma|keth 666. He trieth it in both tongues: be|cau&s;e he thinketh the Reuelation was made to <HI>Iohn</HI> in the <HI>Hebrewe,</HI> as being his mother tongue, and therefore in the <HI>Hebrewe</HI> name the number &s;hould be an&s;werable: and be|cau&s;e he wrote it in <HI>Greeke,</HI> it &s;hould agree in that tongue al&s;o, which it doth in <HI>Romanus.</HI> For both the letters in Hebrewe, and the let|ters in Greeke make that number. <HI>Irenaens</HI> coniectured <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> to be the name: and many learned men do re&s;t in that, and it fitly agre|eth. For all things with the~ were in Latine: the &s;cripture, their publike &s;eruice, their pri|uate prayers, their lawes, all were Latine. But this deui&s;e of the letters in a name to make vp the number, &s;eemeth to be <HI>Magical,</HI> and <HI>Ca|balistical,</HI> &amp; not v&s;ed in the &s;criptures (as &s;ome
<PB N="30" REF="19">learned mens opinion is,) and therefore they thinke the number &s;hould &s;hew the time when he &s;hould bee brought foorth into the world. And about that time they account that the Pope obtained his title of <HI>vniuer&s;all bi&s;hop</HI> by a Councell: hee had it giuen him by the emperour <HI>Phocas</HI> about 60. yeeres before. So that which way &s;oeuer it bee taken, it falleth out right, and agreeth &s;till to them. And here|in &s;tandeth the note of Gods people to with|&s;tand and reiect this marke and character, and by no meanes to be counted of that religion, for they are threatened that do receiue it: <HI>If any man wor&s;hip the beast and his image, and re|ceiue his marke in his forehead or in his hand, the &s;ame &s;hall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God, yea of the pure wine which is powred into the cup of his wrath, and he &s;hall be tormented in fire and brim&s;tone before the holy Angels, and before the Lambe, and the &s;moke of their torment &s;hall a&s;cend euermore, and they &s;hall haue no re&s;t day nor night, which wor&s;hip the bea&s;t and his image, and who&s;oeuer receiueth the print of his name.</HI> But if any with&s;tand it and get the victorie, they are highly commended. Thus <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;peaketh of them: <HI>And I &s;awe as it were a gla&s;&s;ie &s;ea, mingled with fire, and them that had gotten victorie of the beast and of his i|mage, and of his marke, &s;tanding at the gla&s;&s;ie
<PB N="31" REF="19">&s;ea, hauing the harpes of God, and they did &s;ing the &s;ong of Mo&s;es the &s;eruaunt of God, and the &s;ong of the Lambe.</HI> Afterward hee &s;heweth how there fell a noy&s;ome and grieuous &s;ore vpon the men which had the marke of the bea&s;t, and vpon them which wor&s;hipped his image. This &s;ore of many is thought to bee the French di&s;ea&s;e, which began among them in the warre at <HI>Naples</HI> betweene the <HI>French</HI> and <HI>Spaniard,</HI> in the yeere 1494. it came by the companie of harlots in the campe, and from thence was &s;pred to mo&s;t countreys. Other writers expound it of the plague, which in the time of poperie flouri|&s;hing, was more fierce and more generall in all the&s;e quarters then almo&s;t at any time be|fore or &s;ince: all chronicles are full of exam|ples. Thus much of the receiuing the chara|cter and marke of the bea&s;t, which is the &s;e|uenth note.</P>
<P>It were long to de&s;cribe the other notes of this bea&s;t, for there are yet many things whereby it may bee knowen. The &s;euen|teenth chapter hath a full de&s;cription of it. That chapter hath much that pertaineth to <HI>Rome</HI> vnder the Emperours, and much al&s;o belonging to it, as it is gouerned by the Pope. Nay, both are as it were knit toge|ther, for that they are &s;o like: for this that is
<PB N="32" REF="20">nowe, is but the olde reuiued, and therefore he that knoweth one, knoweth both. The fir&s;t and e&s;peciall marke is their whori&s;h and idolatrous Religion. For hee calleth her <HI>the whore that &s;itteth vpon many waters:</HI> the go|uernement ouer many people that maintai|neth idolatrie, which is &s;pirituall fornication in the &s;ight of God. Then he &s;ayth: <HI>With her haue committed fornication the kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunc|ken with the wine of her fornication.</HI> For what Idole did the Romans &s;et vp, which kings and people did not by and by embrace? And they receaued them &s;o gladly, and maintained all their <HI>will wor&s;hip,</HI> their Saintes, their Images, their Reliques, their Ma&s;&s;es, their ceremonies in &s;uch &s;orte, as if they were druncke with the loue of them. Yet touching their Religi|on, he &s;aith, that this woman was <HI>full of names of bla&s;phemie.</HI> Bla&s;phemie is that which hurts the name of God. They were full then of bla&s;phemies, that hurt the name of God, and the name of his people. Him&s;elfe to be cal|led the vicar of Chri&s;t vpon earth, the head of the Church, the vniuer&s;all bi&s;hop, is a bla&s;|phemie again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and again&s;t all other <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> and <HI>Pastours.</HI></P>
<P>To &s;aye that Saintes are interce&s;&s;ors and mediators for vs, is bla&s;phemie again&s;t the
<PB N="33" REF="20">Saintes, and <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> To affirme that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> by his death put away originall &s;inne onely, and &s;ati&s;fied for the fault of other &s;innes, and not for the puni&s;hment, is bla&s;phemie a|gain&s;t <HI>Christes</HI> pa&s;&s;ion. So is that which they affirme of the Ma&s;&s;e, that it is a &s;acri|fice for the quicke and the dead. The&s;e and infinite thinges more in that Religion, are vile and horrible bla&s;phemies. <HI>Iohn</HI> is not yet &s;ati&s;fied with &s;peaking thus much onely of their idolatrie: but hee &s;aith afterwarde, that <HI>&s;he had a cup of gould in her hand, full of abominations and filthines of her fornicati|ons.</HI> Shee had a goulden cup, not onely for her riches and wealth, but al&s;o for a &s;hewe of <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> religion and holynes. But this golden cup was full of poy&s;on, ful of <HI>abomi|nation</HI> and <HI>filthie fornication.</HI> For what num|ber, or mea&s;ure, or end was there of their Idoles? not onely euery citie as in <HI>Iuda,</HI> but euery hou&s;e, euery corner, euery man had his Idole. Neither that alone, but there was for euery action, for euery occupati|on, for euery di&s;ea&s;e, a &s;euerall Idole. La&s;t of all, for the fertilitie of her idola|trie, <HI>Saint Iohn</HI> calleth her the mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth. For where was the &s;hoppe where the&s;e Idoles were deui&s;ed? Whence were
<PB N="34" REF="21">they authorized but onely from <HI>Rome?</HI> The&s;e things that <HI>Iohn</HI> writeth of the idolatrie of the bea&s;t, will not agree to the <HI>Antichrist</HI> that the Papi&s;ts imagine: for they &s;ay he &s;hall aboli&s;h all other images, and make his owne image onely be wor&s;hipped: for the bea&s;t is the mother of all abominations and fornica|tions of the earth: neither will it &s;o well a|gree to auncient <HI>Rome,</HI> for that receiued ra|ther Idoles from other people, and wor&s;hip|ped the gods of all other nations which they conquered. But this bea&s;t &s;endeth out her Idoles and Saintes and pettie gods, and com|mendeth them to the wor&s;hippers, promi&s;ing great things if they doe it.</P>
<P>Another marke followeth, that &s;he hath in her forehead a name written: <HI>A my&s;terie.</HI> This verie name in letters was written on the Popes Myter, which hee did weare vpon his head, and &s;o they v&s;ed it for a &s;ea&s;on. Their <HI>Myters</HI> were branded with this marke, <HI>Mysterium.</HI> But they after tooke it out, and now they v&s;e not to beare that name in their foreheads. But in the forehead of the whore, that is, of their whori&s;h Religion, it is written &s;till: but none &s;aue Gods elect can reade it. For the poy&s;on and infection of their Religion is &s;ecrete: It hath a goodly &s;hewe, it beguileth many. For they keepe the
<PB N="35" REF="21">names of Scripture, and <HI>Christian</HI> religion, but they haue turned them into another meaning, yea they commend the ba&s;e&s;t and vile&s;t ceremonie that they v&s;e, as a great <HI>my|&s;terie.</HI> Wherefore albeit the name <HI>my&s;terium</HI> be taken out of the Popes <HI>miter,</HI> yet it remai|neth &s;till in the forehead of his religion.</P>
<P><HI>Iohn</HI> commeth yet neerer, and pointeth out the very place vnto vs: for he calleth it <HI>great Babylon.</HI> for as <HI>Babylon</HI> had the Monarchie, and oppre&s;&s;ed and caried captiue Gods peo|ple: &s;o likewi&s;e did both the olde and the newe <HI>Rome:</HI> the fir&s;t and the latter bea&s;t, and &s;o he calleth it, when he &s;peaketh of the fall thereof. <HI>It is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon the great citie.</HI> And in many other thinges was <HI>Rome</HI> like to <HI>Babylon,</HI> as in the building, but e&s;peci|ally in the Monarchie and oppre&s;&s;ion of the Saintes. All this the Papi&s;tes will graunt of olde <HI>Rome,</HI> but not of newe <HI>Rome.</HI> But if the <HI>first beast</HI> be olde <HI>Rome,</HI> and the latter reui|ueth the fir&s;t, then the fir&s;t being <HI>Rome,</HI> the &s;econd mu&s;t needes al&s;o be <HI>Rome:</HI> and there|fore while he pointeth out one, he pointeth out both.</P>
<P>Some Papi&s;tes haue imagined that <HI>Anti|chri&s;t</HI> &s;hould make his &s;eate at <HI>Babylon</HI> in the Ea&s;t, or there be borne, and &s;o the name to be taken here in his proper &s;ignification. But
<PB N="36" REF="22">why then doeth he call it a <HI>mysterie? There is in her forehead a name written, a mysterie, great Babylon.</HI> It is <HI>Babylon</HI> in a <HI>my&s;terie,</HI> and not in the proper &s;ignification of the name. To point out <HI>Rome</HI> by the dominion which it had by the Empire, and &s;hould haue by the popedome, he &s;ayeth further: <HI>The waters which thou &s;awest where the whore &s;itteth, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues:</HI> and afterwarde more plainely, <HI>The woman which thou &s;awest, is the great citie, which reig|neth ouer the kings of the earth.</HI> Two or three notes yet he addeth to de&s;cribe the citie, and gouernment, and authoritie thereof. One when he &s;ayth: <HI>The beast that thou ha&s;t &s;eene, was, and is not.</HI> And againe: <HI>The bea&s;t that was, and is not, and yet is.</HI> The Monarchie was there vnder <HI>Augu&s;tus, Tiberius,</HI> and &s;ome that followed, mo&s;t flouri&s;hing, but now in <HI>Iohns</HI> time is not, and yet is. for vnder <HI>Domitian</HI> it did not flouri&s;h, and therefore was not in compari&s;on of that it had bene, and yet was then: for it had great power. But after this, it &s;hould a&s;cende out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, euen out of hell, by the &s;ubtiltie of the deuill, after it was quite ouerthrowne by the <HI>Goths.</HI> for it was reuiued and quickned in the Pope, and <HI>Rome</HI> had as much authoritie by the pa|pacie, and as much riches as euer it had by
<PB N="37" REF="22">the Monarchie.</P>
<P>The other note is, when he &s;aith: <HI>I will &s;hew thee the my&s;terie of the woman, and of the bea&s;t that beareth her, which hath &s;euen heades, and ten hornes.</HI> But of the ten hornes, becau&s;e they are &s;et for ten kings, I will &s;peake afterward, when I &s;hall &s;peake of the kings that ioyne with the bea&s;t, in the fight again&s;t him that rideth on the hor&s;e. Therefore of the &s;euen heades thus he &s;aith. <HI>Here is the minde that hath wi&s;edome. The &s;euen heades are &s;euen mountaines, whereon the woman &s;itteth, they are al&s;o &s;euen Kings.</HI> Fir&s;t of the <HI>mountaines,</HI> then of the <HI>Kings.</HI> The woman &s;itteth vp|on &s;euen hils, and the woman is a citie. <HI>Rome</HI> then on &s;euen hils, and the latter bea&s;t reuiueth the fir&s;t. No matter if this <HI>Rome</HI> &s;tande not vpon all &s;euen, nay if it &s;tande vpon none of them, &s;o that it &s;tande for that <HI>Rome</HI> that &s;toode vpon them, hath that name and dignitie, and an&s;wereth to it in i|dolatrous religion, and cruell per&s;ecution of the Saints. Then was <HI>Rome</HI> well know|en to &s;tande on &s;euen hils. No other citie did &s;o: no other citie bearing rule ouer Kinges doeth &s;o. It was called <HI>Septicollis,</HI> of the &s;euen chiefe hils, whereon it &s;toode. <HI>Virgil</HI> hath relation to them, when hee &s;ayeth: <HI>Septem quae vna &s;ibi muro circumde|dit
<PB N="38" REF="23">arces:</HI> Meaning by towres the hilles on which that &s;toode. And <HI>Propertius</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>Septem vrbs alta nigis toto quae prae&s;idet orbi. Romulus</HI> &s;ette it on foure hilles, which were called <HI>Palatinus, Capitolinus, Auentinus,</HI> and <HI>Exquilinus.</HI> Afterward <HI>Seruius Tullus</HI> added three, which were <HI>Caelius, Viminalis,</HI> and <HI>Qui|rinalis.</HI> From this time was it called <HI>Septicol|lis,</HI> although when it was further inlarged, it comprehe~ded mo hils. And the &s;econd bea&s;t with his kingdome and dominion, is mo&s;t fitly de&s;cribed by the citie: for they chal|lenge all their priuiledges by the citie. Be|cau&s;e <HI>Peter</HI> (they &s;ay) was <HI>Bi&s;hoppe</HI> there, thence, euen from the place, they deriue all their authoritie. There they delight to dwell, although other cities are more plea&s;ant and commodious. There the <HI>Cardinals</HI> mu&s;t meete, when they choo&s;e the Pope: there all the coun&s;els and con&s;piracies are made a|gain&s;t Gods Church. <HI>Bellarmine</HI> maketh &s;o great account of the citie, that if the Pope &s;hould be driuen thence, or it be de&s;troied, yet where&s;oeuer he were, he &s;hould &s;till haue the honour and dignitie and title of the Pope of <HI>Rome.</HI> Thus here by the &s;euen hils, the ve|ry place is noted. As in this Chapter <HI>Rome</HI> is mo&s;t expre&s;ly de&s;cribed: &s;o of learned men, in the &s;ixteenth it is thought almo&s;t to be na|med.
<PB N="39" REF="23">They gather them&s;elues together in a place called in Hebrewe <HI>Armageddon. Foxe</HI> and others, take it to be an allu&s;ion to <HI>Me|giddo,</HI> and <HI>Har megiddo</HI> the riuer and hill &s;o called, where <HI>Si&s;era</HI> with his armie was o|uerthrowne, which &s;hould &s;ignifie the like e|uent to the battels of the bea&s;t. But for as much as it may be read, &amp; &s;o in &s;ome bookes was in two wordes, each of two &s;yllables, <HI>ar|ma geddon,</HI> and <HI>Sigonius</HI> &s;aith, he &s;awe it writ|ten <HI>Geddon harma:</HI> and the letter N. is not in the name of the place where <HI>Si&s;era</HI> was o|uercome, therefore it is thought that &s;ome o|ther thing then the allu&s;ion to <HI>Megiddo,</HI> mu&s;t be found in the letters, &amp; the &s;ignification of the word. If <HI>Iohn</HI> had meant the place <HI>Me|giddo,</HI> he neede not haue &s;aid it is named &s;o in Hebrewe, for the name only would haue re|ferred vs to that place, although he had left out the mention of the language.</P>
<P>The &s;ignification of <HI>Geddon harma</HI> agree|eth well to the <HI>Rome</HI> that nowe is: for it &s;ig|nifieth <HI>excidium excel&s;ae,</HI> the ruine of the high citie, &amp; it alludeth to that of <HI>Sibylla,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>Rome</HI> a ruine. This &s;hould be the place and &s;hop of all con&s;piracies again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and his Go&s;pell. <HI>Harma</HI> &s;ignifieth the high citie that hath dominion ouer the re&s;t, and diffe|reth in &s;ounde very little from <HI>Haroma,</HI> and
<PB N="40" REF="24">&s;hort in Hebrew it might &s;o be written, <HI>Har|ma.</HI> In the place where this ancient great ci|tie was cut downe by the <HI>Goths,</HI> there the o|ther was erected or hard by, in &s;teede of it, and thence come all mi&s;chiefes to <HI>Chri&s;tes</HI> Church. There are the battels con&s;pired and made. What could be &s;aid plainer to de&s;cribe the citie, then that of the &s;euen hils, or this of <HI>Harma,</HI> &s;o neere in &s;ounde to <HI>Rome,</HI> and in &s;ence <HI>the high and mightie citie?</HI></P>
<P>Nowe as concerning the kings, there are two orders of them pertaining to the citie: fir&s;t <HI>&s;euen,</HI> and then <HI>ten. Seuen heads are al&s;o &s;e|uen kings, and ten hornes be ten kings.</HI> But the ten kings are kings a&s;&s;i&s;ting, and with power helping the bea&s;t at the fir&s;t, and after as wil|ling and ready to pul downe the bea&s;t as they were to &s;et him vp. But of tho&s;e a&s;&s;i&s;ting kings afterward. The 7. kings are the &s;tates of <HI>Rome</HI> in it &s;elfe, &s;ucceeding one another from the beginning to the end, in y^e gouern|ment of it, which is manife&s;t, becau&s;e he &s;aith thus. <HI>The 7. hils are al&s;o 7. kings, fiue are fallen, and one is, and another is not yet come, and when he commeth, he mu&s;t continue a &s;hort &s;pace, and the bea&s;t that was, and is not, is euen the eight, and is one of the &s;euen, and &s;hall goe into de&s;tru|ction.</HI> They that expound this of <HI>Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Ve&s;pa&s;ian,</HI> and <HI>Titus,</HI> fiue pa&s;t, &amp; <HI>Do|mitian</HI>
<PB N="41" REF="24">pre&s;ent, &amp; <HI>Cocceius Nerua</HI> the &s;eue~th, &amp; the eight <HI>Traian</HI> a <HI>Spaniard,</HI> &s;ay nothing to the purpo&s;e. For be&s;ides that <HI>Iohns</HI> prophe&s;ie could not be &s;hut vp in &s;o &s;hort a compa&s;&s;e, &amp; not onely 5. but moe Emperors were pa&s;t, no man can tell howe <HI>Traian</HI> &s;hould be the eight, and yet one of the &s;euen that were be|fore. And to vnder&s;tande it of the &s;euen Ele|ctors of the Empire, is much further from the matter, for none of them were then, much le&s;&s;e fiue pa&s;t alreadie. The &s;euen kings there|fore, are the &s;euen &s;tates of gouernment in <HI>Rome,</HI> from the building of it, whereof fiue were pa&s;t before S. <HI>Iohns</HI> time: for fir&s;t they were gouerned by <HI>Kings,</HI> &s;econdly by <HI>Con|&s;uls,</HI> thirdly by <HI>Decemuiros,</HI> fourthly by <HI>Tri|umuiros,</HI> and fifthly by <HI>Dictators:</HI> all which were pa&s;t, and in effect were kings, although not in name. The &s;ixt were the Emperors that reigned in <HI>Iohns</HI> tyme, and after, till <HI>Rome</HI> was de&s;troyed. The &s;euenth is thought to bee the popedome, which hath &s;uccee|ded the Emperours: and he is al&s;o the eight, for hee &s;u&s;taineth two gouernments, one temporall, another &s;pirituall, and his &s;piritu|all gouernment is one of the &s;euen, for it is al&s;o externall, and in pompe like that of the Emperours. Wherefore they would make him the &s;euenth, and the eight too, and
<PB N="42" REF="25">his &s;pirituall dominion which is the eight, is al&s;o temporall, and &s;o one of the &s;euen, be|cau&s;e it is exerci&s;ed after a temporall maner. But this diuiding and applying of the pope|dome vnto two or three &s;tates, is not agree|able, e&s;pecially when the &s;euenth which they make his temporall gouernment, &s;hould la&s;t but a &s;hort time, and yet it hath la&s;ted longer then any of the other gouernments. There|fore we may &s;ay that the gouernment of the <HI>Gothes,</HI> or rather the <HI>Exarchi</HI> of <HI>Rauenna,</HI> (for they helde <HI>Rome</HI> a &s;ea&s;on) was the &s;euenth, and that la&s;ted but a &s;hort time, &amp; then came the popedome which is like one of the &s;euen, for he is a prie&s;tly king or emperour. To make <HI>Pontifex Maximus</HI> in <HI>Rome</HI> one of the &s;euen, that is not &s;o fit, becau&s;e the <HI>Pontifex</HI> as <HI>Pon|tifex</HI> neuer had entire and &s;oueraigne go|uernment of all: and he &s;ucceeded not the other gouernments, but was a companion to them all. Neither did <HI>Tribuni</HI> rule as chiefe Magi&s;trats, but were interce&s;&s;ors for the peo|ple, with the chiefe Magi&s;trate. Thus hath <HI>Iohn</HI> euidently de&s;cribed <HI>Rome</HI> vnto vs, with the double per&s;ecuting &s;tate thereof. There is no citie can be &s;hewed to haue altered the kind of gouernment &s;o oft: and if others may be found to haue done it, yet the other marks together with this, agree to none but this.</P>
<PB N="43" REF="25">
<P>Be&s;ides the&s;e thinges in the <HI>Reuelation,</HI> there remaineth &s;omwhat in <HI>Paul,</HI> pertaining to the de&s;cription of this bea&s;t, which &s;hew|eth his intollerable pride. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith of <HI>Anti|chri&s;t, he exalteth him&s;elfe again&s;t all that is cal|led God, or that is wor&s;hipped, &s;o that he doeth &s;it as God in the Temple of God, &s;hewing him&s;elfe that he is God.</HI> This the Papi&s;tes deny to agree to the Pope: and therefore thinke he is not that proud bea&s;t, for (&s;ay they) he calleth him &s;elfe <HI>&s;eruum &s;eruorum Dei,</HI> &amp; acknowledgeth him&s;elf the vicar of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;o farre is he from making him&s;elfe <HI>Christ</HI> and God in the tem|ple of God, and he praieth to God &amp; Chri&s;t, and kneeleth at his altars humbly. But he mu&s;t be mea&s;ured, not by his hypocriticall actions, nor by his wordes in his hypocri&s;ie, but by the nature and kinde of his gouern|ment. <HI>Fox</HI> &s;aith, that he exalteth him&s;elfe a|boue all that is called God, or is <HI>augu&s;tum</HI> in earth, when he lifteth him&s;elfe aboue Empe|rors and kings, for they are not gods, but are called gods, and they are <HI>Augusti,</HI> they are <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> in earth, they of all men &s;hould haue honour and wor&s;hip giuen to them. But the Emperors and kings he hath &s;o deba&s;ed, that he hath made them thinke it &s;ome honor for them to ki&s;&s;e his foote. The Pope hath cau&s;ed the Emperour to holde his &s;tirope: hee hath
<PB N="44" REF="26">put his feete in the Emperours necke, he hath fed a Prince like a dogge vnder his table, and he hath turned the imperiall crowne from the heade with his foote: hee hath made the Emperour attend at his gate bare footed. In this behalfe they haue done that al&s;o which pertaineth onely to God, for they will giue and take away kingdomes at their plea&s;ure. Thus in one &s;ence they haue exalted them|&s;elues aboue all that is called God, or that is wor&s;hipped, and &s;hewed them&s;elues as God. And they haue &s;hewed them&s;elues as God many other waies, in re&s;pect of the con&s;ci|ence, either in holding it gilty, or in acquiting it, for that pertaineth onely to God. But they would bind it by their lawes, &amp; interpretatio~ of &s;criptures, &amp; thundring of excommunica|tions again&s;t the innocent, &amp; loo&s;e it by for|giuing &s;innes, &amp; granting pardons &amp; di&s;pen|&s;ations in all kind of things. Thus haue they &s;hewed them&s;elues as God in the Temple of God in re&s;pect of mens con&s;ciences. And in re&s;pect of heaue~, &amp; hel, &amp; purgatory, he hath prete~ded to rule as God in al the&s;e places: for he will make &s;aints in heauen, whome he wil, and hold in purgatorie, or let out whome he li&s;t: and for this la&s;t, it is no marueile, for it is of his owne making. La&s;t of all in his lawes, and by his flatterers hee hath beene called
<PB N="45" REF="26">God in plaine termes, and he hath &s;uffered it. There it is written, <HI>Dominus Deus noster Papa:</HI> our Lord God the Pope: and againe, <HI>Tues omnia, &amp; &s;uper omnia,</HI> Thou art all, and aboue all. Howe can any creature &s;hewe him &s;elfe as God in Gods temple more pre&s;ump|tuou&s;ly then by the&s;e meanes, or more direct|ly? for otherwi&s;e in flat termes to proclaime him&s;elfe as God to be honoured with diuine honour, it is too gro&s;&s;e, and it is not &s;uch a craftie <HI>mysterie,</HI> as &s;hould deceaue a meane man, much le&s;&s;e bring into danger Gods <HI>e|lect.</HI> To the&s;e things agree the words of <HI>Da|niel,</HI> which many take as &s;poken of purpo&s;e of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> or at lea&s;t they are applied to him by the Fathers. <HI>The king &s;hal do what him li&s;t, he &s;hal exalt him&s;elfe, and magnifie him&s;elf again&s;t all that is called God, and &s;hall &s;peake marueilous things again&s;t the God of gods, and &s;hall pro&s;per till the wrath be accompli&s;hed: for the determination is made, neither &s;hall he regarde the God of his Fathers, nor care for any God, for he &s;hall magnifie him&s;elfe aboue all. Peter</HI> and <HI>Iude</HI> &s;peake of their pride in lifting them|&s;elues aboue Magi&s;trates, &s;aying, that they &s;hould de&s;pi&s;e gouernment, and &s;peake euill of them that are in authoritie.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the markes of this bea&s;t: other might be added out of <HI>Daniel, Paul,</HI> &amp; <HI>Peter,</HI>
<PB N="46" REF="27">as that they &s;hal wor&s;hip God with gold and &s;iluer, for all their religion &s;toode in outward worldly o&s;tentation: that they &s;hould <HI>forbid mariage and meates,</HI> as they make great holi|nes in &s;ingle life, &amp; accou~t mariage vncleane, and the eating of fle&s;h at certaine times, they vtterly condemne as vnholie. That likewi&s;e they &s;hould be rich and mighty, and &s;hould make merchandi&s;e of all things, yea of mens &s;oules: for they as in way of religion &s;olde wood, &s;tones, incen&s;e, oile, and all things, if they had dedicated them once to &s;ome holie v&s;e, they were co&s;tly merchandi&s;e, although otherwi&s;e the vile&s;t things that might be. All the&s;e markes agree mo&s;t fitly to the <HI>Romi&s;h Antichri&s;t,</HI> &amp; to none other. The Pope there|fore is <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> which being aided by the kings of y^e earth, fighteth again&s;t <HI>Ie&s;us Christ.</HI></P>
<P>As for the marks which the Papi&s;tes make of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> they touch him not, they come not neere him. They imagine he &s;hould be of the tribe of <HI>Dan,</HI> becau&s;e that tribe is not rec|koned among the tribes, of which many are marked to be &s;aued. A weake foundation: the tribe is there omitted, therfore <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;hal come of that tribe. Thus they ground their re|ligion of that which the Scripture hath not &s;aid. And as for <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> to come and preach again&s;t him in their owne per&s;ons,
<PB N="47" REF="27">which they &s;ay they haue not done again&s;t the Pope, and therefore he is not that bea&s;t, that is a thing imagined as the other: for no Scripture hath &s;aide, that they two &s;houlde come, but they ground it on this that <HI>Christ</HI> &s;ayth: <HI>Elias &s;hould come, and re&s;tore all things,</HI> which was fulfilled at his fir&s;t comming, and that two witne&s;&s;es are promi&s;ed to be &s;ent a|gain&s;t <HI>Antichrist,</HI> which are vnder&s;tood by many to be <HI>Iohn Hu&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Hierom of Prage,</HI> both burned at the Councel of <HI>Constance,</HI> or as others expound it of a &s;ufficient number, to co~uince the errors of <HI>Antichri&s;t:</HI> for the &s;crip|ture maketh 2. witne&s;&s;es a &s;ufficient trial. And this age hath &s;ent out many witne&s;&s;es again&s;t him. That al&s;o which they &s;ay is not yet ful|filled, &amp; yet mu&s;t be before the comming of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> is fal&s;e: which is, that the go&s;pell mu&s;t fir&s;t be publikely preached, &amp; receaued in all kingdomes of the world: but it is not a|ny where &s;aide, that this &s;hould be before the comming of <HI>Antichrist. Chri&s;t</HI> &s;ayth, that the Go&s;pell &s;hould be preached through the worlde, before the ende &s;hould come. And it is one thing for the Go&s;pell to be preached, and another thing to bee receaued. It hath bene preached, that is, by &s;ome meanes made knowne to all nations, but it hath not bene publikely receaued of al nations by common
<PB N="48" REF="28">co~&s;ent. Another thing that co~meth neere this, is that which S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, that there mu&s;t be an apo&s;ta&s;ie fir&s;t. A falling away fro~ the faith, &amp; not fro~ the Empire of <HI>Rome</HI> is meant by it. For <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, v&s;ing that word to <HI>Timothie,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>&s;ome &s;hal fal from the faith,</HI> &amp; the word is not v&s;ed otherwi&s;e in &s;cripture. And the Apo&s;tle &s;eemeth &s;o to expounde it afterward him&s;elfe, when he &s;aieth, <HI>becau&s;e men receaued not the loue of the truth, that they might be &s;aued:</HI> for if they receaued not the loue of the truth, it &s;eemed they had the truth, but loued it not, &amp; therefore were thus puni|&s;hed. Wherefore there mu&s;t be a falling away from the faith, &amp; from the loue of the trueth, and <HI>&s;trong delu&s;ion to beleeue lies,</HI> where <HI>Anti|chri&s;t</HI> is. The&s;e thinges came to pa&s;&s;e in pope|rie. So much therfore as is &s;aid concerning the go&s;pel to be receaued or for&s;ake~, before or in the kingdom of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> is fulfilled in the~.</P>
<P>Yet they &s;ay the Pope is free from one e&s;|pecial &amp; notable marke of <HI>the bea&s;t.</HI> What is that? <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>he that denieth that Ie&s;us is Chri&s;t, the &s;ame is Antichri&s;t.</HI> And againe, <HI>e|uery &s;pirit which confe&s;&s;eth not that Ie&s;us is come in the fle&s;h, is not of God, but this is the &s;pirite of Antichri&s;t.</HI> And <HI>Peter</HI> agreeably &s;aith, <HI>they &s;hal deny the Lorde that bought them.</HI> And <HI>Iude</HI> in like maner: <HI>they deny God the only Lord, &amp; our
<PB N="49" REF="28">Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And &s;omwhat like it by way of affirmation, is that of <HI>Daniel, he &s;hall honour the God whom his fathers knew not.</HI> This marke (they &s;ay) of <HI>denying Chri&s;t,</HI> the Popes haue not. If they haue not this marke al&s;o, the~ they haue none of the re&s;t. Large bookes are writ|te~ of this, to &s;hew how they deny <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> They deny him to be <HI>the king</HI> ouer his Church, for the Pope maketh him&s;elfe the king. But &s;aith <HI>Bellarmine,</HI> he acknowledgeth him&s;elf Chri|&s;tes deputie. But it is certaine, that <HI>Christ</HI> ne|uer co~manded any &s;uch deputie, nor vicar: &amp; if he wil be Chri&s;ts deputie again&s;t the plea|&s;ure &amp; wil of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> or if he were deputed, yet rule otherwi&s;e then <HI>Christ</HI> would haue him, &amp; only according to his own affection &amp; hu|mor, doth he not thru&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> out of his king|dome? As though one might not cal him&s;elfe a deputie, &amp; yet draw all to him&s;elfe, &s;o doth the Pope, howbeit, Chri&s;t neuer ordained &s;uch a deputie. Therefore while he will be as <HI>Christ,</HI> and for <HI>Christ,</HI> he is made again&s;t him, and is <HI>Antichrist.</HI> Furthermore, he doeth not &s;uffer <HI>Christ</HI> to be the onely and &s;ufficient <HI>Prophet</HI> to his Church, which hath reuealed fully the will of the father to it: for partly he &s;hutteth vp his Te&s;tament, and will not haue the people reade it, and partly hee orday|neth other lawes, as nece&s;&s;arie to &s;aluation,
<PB N="50" REF="29">as the lawes of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> by his decrees, &amp; part|ly he interpreteth the wordes of <HI>Christ,</HI> not according to <HI>Christs</HI> meaning, but according to his owne fancie, to e&s;tabli&s;h his owne earthly kingdome. La&s;t of all, hee denieth to <HI>Christ</HI> al&s;o his <HI>prie&s;thood:</HI> for neyther doth he admitte the &s;acrifice of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> by him&s;elfe, in his owne per&s;on vpon the Cro&s;&s;e, as &s;uffici|ent for &s;aluation, but he ordaineth another &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, and &s;atisfactorie works of penance, &amp; mens merites to redeeme their owne &s;innes. Neither doeth he permit <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to be the only interce&s;&s;or &amp; maker of reque&s;t to the father for his people, but hee ioyneth with him, or &s;ub&s;tituteth vnder him the Vir|gine <HI>Marie,</HI> and a great number of &s;aintes of his owne creation. Thus he denieth <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> to be <HI>Christ,</HI> &amp; &s;heweth him&s;elf to be an enemie vnto him, &amp; the very <HI>Antichri&s;t.</HI> Wherfore al the notes &amp; markes of the bea&s;t fal vpon him. This is <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> that <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;peaketh of, which doeth a&s;&s;ociate to him&s;elfe <HI>the kings of the earth, &amp; their armies, &amp; maketh warre again&s;t Chri&s;t &amp; his army.</HI> This is now our enemie, he &amp; his kings fight again&s;t vs. It is good for vs to thinke of him as he is, and as he is called in Scripture. Let vs not thinke of him, as of an holie Father, <HI>Chri&s;tes</HI> Vicar, a &s;acred per|&s;on, the pillar of <HI>Chri&s;tes</HI> religion, the highe&s;t
<PB N="51" REF="29">By&s;hop, a god in earth, as the Papi&s;tes and his owne &s;eruants and flatterers (&s;o manie as haue not receiued the loue of the trueth, &s;uch, who&s;e names are not written in the booke of life) doe e&s;teeme him. But let vs thinke of him as of <HI>the great whore, the mother of all fornication in the earth,</HI> for his idolatrie: as of <HI>Babylon</HI> for his per&s;ecuting Empire: as <HI>of an Apostata</HI> for his falling from the true faith: as of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> and the enemie of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> for denying the &s;ufficiencie of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> Sacrifice and interce&s;&s;ion, for expelling <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> out of his throne of gouernement, and &s;tepping into it him&s;elfe: for di&s;placing <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> word and corrupting it, and putting his owne word in the roome thereof. Let vs account him as <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> that hath not one &s;hape, but the properties of manie bea&s;tes, and therefore a mon&s;trous bea&s;t. Proude lyke the Lyon, cruell lyke the Beare, filthie like the Swine, full of poy&s;on through his bla&s;phemies like the Dragon, and yet in &s;hewe of <HI>hornes like the Lambe.</HI> This is the leader and captaine of all our enemies, if we yeelde to them, wee yeelde to the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> and <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> will make vs bea&s;tes like him&s;elfe. Wee mu&s;t beare <HI>the beastes</HI> marke. God de|fend vs from him, and repre&s;&s;e his furie, and confounde his enterpri&s;es, and ouerthrowe
<PB N="52" REF="30">his kingdome. Thus much of the bea&s;t.</P>
<P>The bea&s;t fighteth not alone again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his people: for the~ he were not much to be feared: but he hath fir&s;t kings, and then his owne &amp; their armies to a&s;&s;i&s;t him. Fir&s;t wil I &s;peake of y^e kings, &amp; the~ of their armies. Kings were prophe&s;ied to be &s;ubiect to him. The An|gel &s;aith to <HI>Iohn. The ten horns which thou &s;aw|e&s;t, are tenkings, which yet haue not receaued a kingdome, but &s;hall receaue power as kings at one houre with the bea&s;t. The&s;e haue one minde, and &s;hal giue their power and authoritie to the bea&s;t. The&s;e &s;hal fight with the Lambe, and the Lambe &s;hal ouercome the~. For he is Lord of Lords, &amp; king of kings: &amp; they that are on his &s;ide, called, &amp; cho|&s;en, &amp; faithful.</HI> Againe he &s;aith: <HI>The ten hornes which thou &s;awe&s;t vpon the bea&s;t, are they that &s;hal hate the whore, &amp; &s;hal make her de&s;olate &amp; na|ked, &amp; &s;hall eate her fle&s;h, and burne her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his wil, &amp; to doe with one con&s;ent, for to giue their kingdom vnto the bea&s;t, vntill the words of God be fufilled.</HI> Thus kings &s;hal &s;ubiect the~&s;elues to <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> &s;hal giue their authoritie to him, &s;hal fight for him &s;o long as God hath appointed. The loue of the&s;e kings to <HI>Rome,</HI> &amp; their obedience is expre&s;&s;ed, which they &s;hewed to it in time of the pro&s;peritie thereof in this maner: <HI>With her haue co~mitted fornication the kings of the earth.</HI>
<PB N="53" REF="30">And in the time of the decay of it in this &s;ort. <HI>The kings of the earth &s;hall bewaile her, and la|ment for her, which haue co~mitted fornication, &amp; liued in plea&s;ure with her, when they &s;hall &s;ee the &s;moke of her burning.</HI> What other &s;tate hath there bin, or is in the world, vnto which kings haue willingly &s;ubiected them&s;elues, and yet remaine kings, but this? If any be vnder the great <HI>Turke,</HI> the name of kings, and authori|tie cea&s;eth by and by: He onely will be king. But in Poperie, the kings &s;ubmit the~&s;elues, &amp; become &s;eruants, &amp; tributarie, &amp; yet remaine kings, &amp; take plea&s;ure in this &s;ubiection, and &s;triue again&s;t al others that will not be &s;laues &amp; bondmen as wel as the~&s;elues. The&s;e kings had the &s;ame occa&s;ion &amp; time of beginning their kingdomes that y^e bea&s;t had. For the di&s;|&s;ipation of y^e We&s;t Empire, gaue y^e fir&s;t occa&s;i|on at one time to both. For after y^e great fight betweene the <HI>Hunni</HI> vnder <HI>Attila,</HI> on y^e one &s;ide being 500000 men, &amp; al the power that y^e other natio~s, <HI>Romans, Goths, Frenchmen, Bri|tons, &amp; Germans</HI> could make on y^e other &s;ide, after this battel fought <HI>in campis Catalaunicis</HI> in <HI>France,</HI> y^e countries were gouerned not by one Emperor ouer all, but by their owne &s;e|ueral gouernors. Then the <HI>French</HI> began in <HI>France,</HI> the <HI>Hunni</HI> in <HI>Hungarie,</HI> the <HI>Saxons in England,</HI> the <HI>Goths</HI> in <HI>Spaine,</HI> and &s;o in euery
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<PB N="54" REF="37">countrie, either &s;trangers, or the olde inha|bitantes tooke the gouernement to them|&s;elues. To finde that they were iu&s;t ten, and neither more nor le&s;&s;e, it is hard: but ten may be &s;et for a perfect and full number, ri&s;ing of all the Vnities. The occa&s;ion of the ri&s;ing of the Popedome, &amp; of the&s;e kingdomes, was one and the &s;ame, and at once began: albe|it the Popedome &s;hewed not it &s;elfe in his great pride and high name of <HI>Oecumenicall</HI> By&s;hop, till <HI>Phocas</HI> the Emperor of <HI>Con&s;tan|tinople,</HI> in the yeare &s;ixe hundreth and &s;ixe. Then <HI>Rome</HI> was great with childe of this <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> yea, and brought him forth, and gaue him the name. But hee did growe vp after|ward in great ha&s;te, till he became the migh|tie&s;t in the We&s;t partes of the worlde. But his growing was by the &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of the Empire, and by &s;ucking of &s;trength from the Emperor, and from the&s;e kings. The fir&s;t milke that hee did &s;ucke, was that title gotten of <HI>Phocas,</HI> that hee might be called and taken to bee the <HI>Oecumenicall</HI> and gene|rall high By&s;hop of all the world. Before that time, the other Patriarkes were equall with him: but by this title, hee was &s;et o|uer them and all other By&s;hops. Then hee obtained more milke of the Emperour, al|though hee had much a doe to get it, name|ly,
<PB N="55" REF="37">that the Emperour &s;hould not confirme him: but his election &s;hould bee ratified by the <HI>Romanes,</HI> and not by the Emperor. When hee had this, then hee was able to goe alone. After this, he obtaineth yet more plentifull nouri&s;hment, and beginneth to &s;wallowe downe &s;tronge meate. Hee obtaineth by much &s;triuing, the inue&s;titure and placing of all By&s;hops in <HI>Italie,</HI> and the Emperors do|minions, and at length in all the We&s;t be|&s;ides. By this, <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> was growen &s;o &s;trong, that he would nowe take vpon him to feede or fami&s;h his father and feeder. For he would make the Emperour, or el&s;e hee &s;hould be no Emperour: hee would excommunicate him, and depo&s;e him at his plea&s;ure. And hauing wra&s;tled and ouercome him, it was an ea&s;ie matter for him to ouercome the o|ther kings. Nay the Emperors and kings did willingly giue <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> tho&s;e thinges, which made him &s;trong, and them&s;elues weake. For they &s;ware obedience to him, and that they would not dimini&s;h his digni|tie, nor commodities, or dominions. <HI>Edelwul|phus</HI> king of the <HI>We&s;t Saxons</HI> here in <HI>England,</HI> was the fir&s;t that made his land tributarie to the Pope, in the yeare eight hundred fortie and &s;ixe. And as this land receaued the yoke fir&s;t, &s;o fir&s;t it ca&s;t it off vnder king Henrie
<PB N="56" REF="38">the eight. By occa&s;ion that the Emperours in the Ea&s;t de&s;troied images, and for want of might could not holde vp the &s;tate of <HI>Rome</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Longobards</HI> in <HI>Italy,</HI> the Pope ex|communicated the Emperours of the Ea&s;t one after another, and called <HI>Carolus magnus</HI> the king of <HI>Fraunce</HI> into <HI>Italy</HI> for his aide, and there made the people proclaime him Em|perour, and he him&s;elfe anointed him, in the yeere 801. Thus <HI>Charles</HI> being an Emperour of the Popes owne making, conferred vpon the Pope a great part of <HI>Italy,</HI> and to requite him, made him riche. After that part of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> other kingdomes by &s;undrie occa&s;ions came vnder the Pope. The <HI>Sclauonians</HI> would v&s;e their owne tongue in their publike &s;eruice of God, but they were content to doe it by the Popes permi&s;&s;ion, and &s;o declared them|&s;elues &s;ubiect to him, <HI>an.</HI> 861. When <HI>Miesko</HI> king of <HI>Poland</HI> embraced the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp; appointed bi&s;hops in his kingdome, <HI>Ioan|nes 13.</HI> &s;endeth one <HI>Giles</HI> the <HI>Tu&s;culan</HI> bi&s;hop &amp; <HI>Cardinal,</HI> to con&s;ecrate his bi&s;hops after the maner of <HI>Rome,</HI> &amp; &s;o maketh <HI>Poland</HI> &s;ub|iect to him&s;elfe, as &s;oone as it was chri&s;tened, in the yeere 965. To <HI>Benedictus</HI> the 8. <HI>Stepha|nus</HI> king of <HI>Hungarie</HI> &s;endeth amba&s;&s;adours for his crowne, and confirmation of the king|dome of <HI>Hungarie,</HI> &amp; the Churches builded
<PB N="57" REF="38">by him. He then brought his kingdom to the obedience of the Pope: &amp; <HI>Stephen</HI> him&s;elfe at euery time the Pope was mentioned, bow|ing his heade, did bende his knee, that by his example he might per&s;wade al&s;o his people to the ob&s;eruance of the Pope. <HI>Robert</HI> duke of <HI>Apulia</HI> &amp; <HI>Calabria</HI> in <HI>Italy,</HI> bindeth him&s;elfe by oth &amp; his hand writing to Pope <HI>Nicholas</HI> the 2. to &s;end him aid when&s;oeuer he &s;hould neede, becau&s;e the Pope ab&s;olued him, for depo&s;ing his brothers &s;onne, the right heire from the dukedom. A litle before <HI>Stephen</HI> the 9. brought the bi&s;hop of <HI>Millaine,</HI> which be|fore that time had alwaies bene free, to the o|bedience of the See of <HI>Rome.</HI> The&s;e increa&s;es came to the popedom about the yeere 1057 A little after this, <HI>Hildebrand</HI> called <HI>Gregorie</HI> the 7. (that is reported to haue poi&s;oned &s;ixe Popes one after another, to make a way for him&s;elfe to the popedom, and was a mo&s;t in|famous coniurer &amp; Magitian) exco~munica|teth &amp; &s;poileth of his empire <HI>Henry 4.</HI> &amp; &s;et|teth vp fir&s;t <HI>Rodulphus</HI> his &s;eruant, and after|ward <HI>Henrie 5.</HI> his owne &s;onne again&s;t him. He &s;ent a crowne to <HI>Rodulph,</HI> with this po&s;ie, <HI>Petra dedit Petro, Petrus diadema Rodolpho.</HI> But <HI>Rodulph</HI> hauing lo&s;t his right hand, &amp; dy|ing, cur&s;ed them that per&s;waded him to this. The crime layed to the Emperour, was &s;i|monie,
<PB N="54" REF="39">as the Pope called the be&s;towing of By&s;hoprickes and other eccle&s;ia&s;ticall liuings by the Emperour. The&s;e thinges fell out a|bout the yeare one thou&s;and three&s;core and ten.</P>
<P>Henrie the fift &s;troue &s;o long with <HI>Ge|la&s;ius</HI> the &s;econd, and <HI>Calixtus</HI> the &s;econd, for the be&s;towing of By&s;hoprickes, till at length hee was con&s;trained by the thunder-bolt of excommunication, and by feare of depriuation through trea&s;ons and con&s;pira|cies, by his letters to graunt it to the Pope for euer: and the letters of the graunt in to|ken of the Emperour being ouercome, were hanged vp in the <HI>Laterane</HI> Church at <HI>Rome,</HI> for a monument of the victorie. Through this victorie, <HI>Calixtus</HI> the &s;econd, (as &s;ee|meth) waxed bould: for thus hee decreed. <HI>A Romana Eccle&s;ia non licere di&s;&s;entire, quia vt filius venit facere voluntate~ Patris, ita opor|tet Chri&s;tianos facere volu~tatem Matris Roma|nae Eccle&s;iae.</HI> It &s;hould not be lawfull to di&s;&s;ent from the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> becau&s;e as the &s;onne came to doe the will of the father: &s;o mu&s;t all Chri&s;tians doe the will of their mo|ther the Church of <HI>Rome. Sicilie</HI> was a long time tributarie to the Pope, and none almo&s;t &s;hould hold it but at his plea&s;ure. In the yeare 1130. <HI>Innocentius</HI> the &s;econd maketh warre
<PB N="59" REF="39">again&s;t <HI>Rogerius</HI> duke of <HI>Sicily</HI> for it, but it was like to haue co&s;t the pope well, for he him|&s;elfe was taken in the warre: yet the pope got by the helpe of <HI>Lotharius,</HI> the dukedome of <HI>Calabria</HI> from him, and gaue it for a reward to <HI>Rainold</HI> captaine of <HI>Lotharius</HI> armie, that helped him againe to his popedome. <HI>Nor|weigh</HI> in the time of <HI>Eugenius</HI> receiued the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and then became &s;ubiect to the pope in the yeere 1148. <HI>Liuonia</HI> had no &s;oo|ner receiued the <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> faith about the yeere 1158: but pope <HI>Alexander</HI> &s;eizeth vp|on it, and by asking a bi&s;hop of him, they are brought in bondage to him. It were long to tell how <HI>Frederike</HI> the fir&s;t was handled of pope <HI>Adrian</HI> the fourth, and <HI>Alexander</HI> the third. The quarell at fir&s;t of <HI>Adrian</HI> again&s;t him, was becau&s;e he required homage of his bi&s;hops, and excluded his legate out of <HI>Ger|manie,</HI> if he came when he was not &s;ent for. <HI>Adrian</HI> for the&s;e things cur&s;ed him, and &s;ub|orned one to faine him&s;elfe a ie&s;ter, and find|ing oportunitie to kill him: but the emperour e&s;caped, by leaping out at a window. Then he procured one to poi&s;on him by an infected ring, and that he e&s;caped al&s;o. <HI>Alexander</HI> the third pur&s;ued him, for that he fauored <HI>Victor</HI> cho&s;en again&s;t him: therefore he cur&s;ed him, made his chiefe captaine for&s;ake him in fight
<PB N="60" REF="40">traiterou&s;ly, and &s;o was the emperour made to flee &s;ecretly away. And at length, when at <HI>Venice</HI> the emperours &s;onne fighting ra&s;hly again&s;t his fathers commandement, before his comming, was taken of the pope, by the helpe of the <HI>Venetians:</HI> hee, to redeeme his &s;onne, was con&s;treined to come to <HI>&V;enice</HI> to &s;ubmit him&s;elfe to the pope. At the &s;taires in <HI>S. Marks</HI> church in <HI>Venice,</HI> the emperour ly|ing on the ground, the pope putteth his foot on his necke, vttring this ver&s;e of the p&s;alme, <HI>Vpon the a&s;pe &amp; cockatrice &s;halt thou walke, thou &s;halt tread vpon the lion and dragon.</HI> This was the in&s;olency of that <HI>bea&s;t. Peter</HI> king of <HI>Ar|ragon</HI> in <HI>Spaine,</HI> maketh his kingdome and all that belonged to him, tributary to the pope, in the yere 1202, <HI>vt &s;ic &s;alutem animae merere|tur,</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Vincentius) that he might thus merit the &s;aluation of his &s;oule.</HI> King <HI>Iohn</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> hauing deteined &s;ix yeres the reuenues of the church, at length is compelled to flee to the mercy of the pope <HI>Innocentius</HI> the third, and maketh <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland</HI> tributary to the church of <HI>Rome,</HI> &amp; granteth the <HI>Peter pence,</HI> &amp; promi&s;eth to pay yerely an hundred marks of gold for both Ilands. <HI>Innocentius</HI> the fourth &s;ent certaine monks, legats to the <HI>Tartarian</HI> emperour, with his letters, exhorting them to the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and his obedience. He
<PB N="61" REF="40">thought that vpon the &s;ight of his holine&s;&s;e letters the <HI>Tartarian</HI> empire would yeeld it &s;elfe vnto him. <HI>Maudauus</HI> king of <HI>Lituania,</HI> being turned to <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> religion, falleth in|to the popes net in the yere 1255. The empe|rours had too much experience, &amp; great feare of the euill that this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> might do vnto the~. <HI>Henry</HI> the fir&s;t would not receiue his crowne of the pope, nor go into <HI>Italie</HI> for it. He &s;aid it was &s;ufficient for him, that he was left empe|rour by his ance&s;tors, &amp; &s;o &s;aluted by his no|bles. When <HI>Frederike</HI> the fir&s;t was going to <HI>Rome</HI> with his army, the <HI>Romans</HI> &s;ent me&s;&s;en|gers to him, that they would not receiue him, except he came in maner of triumph. Thus they mocked the emperour, meaning, if he came &s;o, to wa&s;te him by his expences. But he perceiuing it, an&s;wered, that he came to get mony out of <HI>Italie,</HI> and not to leaue his owne there. <HI>Rodolph</HI> y^e emperor put off the fetching of his crowne fro~ <HI>Rome,</HI> &s;aying that the empe|rors entring into <HI>Italy</HI> was plea&s;ant &amp; &s;tately, but his going out was alwayes mi&s;erable and dolefull. <HI>Boniface</HI> the eight that ordeined the fir&s;t <HI>Iubile,</HI> &amp; kept it <HI>an. 1330,</HI> had great con|tention with <HI>Philip</HI> king of <HI>France.</HI> In the pre|&s;umption of his heart, and to declare that he is this <HI>bea&s;t</HI> and <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> exalting him&s;elfe, he writ vnto the king as foloweth. <HI>Se e&s;&s;e dominu~
<PB N="62" REF="41">omnium tam temporalium qu&agrave;m &s;piritualium per orbem terrarum, &amp;c.</HI> That he is lord of all, as well temporall as &s;pirituall thinges through out the world, &amp; that con&s;equently the king|dome of <HI>France</HI> ought to be receiued of him, which becau&s;e he had not done, he had de&s;er|ued to be depriued: but the king de&s;pi&s;ed his legates, and burnt his letters in an open fire, and &s;topt the wayes of his kingdome, that none might pa&s;&s;e to <HI>Rome.</HI> But the pope pre|uailed again&s;t him: for he excommunicated him, gaue his kingdome to <HI>Albert</HI> the empe|rour, cau&s;ed him to be taken by his owne hou&s;holde &s;eruants, and layd all his trea&s;ures open to the &s;poile. <HI>Iohn</HI> the two &amp; twentieth excommunicated <HI>Ludowike</HI> the emperour, becau&s;e he tooke vpon him the name of the emperour without his con&s;ent. <HI>Benedictus</HI> the twelft confirmed that excommunication again&s;t the emperour, and v&s;ed the empire as his owne, placing officers in it him&s;elfe. <HI>Cle|mens</HI> the &s;ixt ab&s;olued tho&s;e that did fauour <HI>Lewes,</HI> but vpon the&s;e conditions, that they &s;hould &s;weare fidelitie to the pope, and ac|knowledge none to be emperour, but &s;uch as was confirmed by him. <HI>Sigi&s;mund</HI> the empe|rour, when three popes did &s;triue together, &s;hewed him&s;elfe &s;o much a &s;eruant to that &s;eat, that he trauelled into <HI>France,</HI> and &s;ailed
<PB N="63" REF="41">into <HI>England,</HI> and pa&s;&s;ed into <HI>Italie,</HI> and came to the councell of <HI>Con&s;tance,</HI> and &s;ung the Go&s;pell, like a deacon, in great humilitie be|fore the pope: the Go&s;pell which he did &s;ing, was <HI>Exijt edictum &agrave; Cae&s;are Augu&s;to.</HI> All this he did, trauelling from one king to ano|ther, to make the&s;e bea&s;ts agreed: &s;o glad he was to plea&s;e. And the greate&s;t care of <HI>Fre|derike</HI> the third was, that neutrality being re|mooued out of <HI>Germanie,</HI> he might &s;ubmit him&s;elfe &amp; his people to the bi&s;hop of <HI>Rome,</HI> in the yeere 1440. In this age wherein we liue, <HI>Co&s;mus Medices</HI> was made by the pope great duke of <HI>Ferraria,</HI> that he might trouble the world, in the yeere 1570.</P>
<P>Thus kings haue willingly &s;erued him in times pa&s;t, and &s;ome haue bene brought vnto it whether they would or no, &amp; yet at length all content to doe it. In this age he hath yet &s;ome that fauour him, and labour to holde him vp, &amp; fight for him with all their power: the king of <HI>Spaine,</HI> and tho&s;e that depend vp|on him, the duke of <HI>Sauoy,</HI> the duke of <HI>Parma,</HI> and the &s;tates of <HI>Italie:</HI> and &s;ome fauourers he hath in <HI>France.</HI> The bea&s;t is now much wea|ker then he was, and it is maruell that there are any found in this land, or els where, that make &s;o great account of his fauour.</P>
<P>I haue &s;hewed vnto you, how this bea&s;t
<PB N="64" REF="42">hath had kings his a&s;&s;i&s;tants, and as it were, his &s;eruants: which neuer came to pa&s;&s;e in any gouernment in the world, that kings not &s;ub|dued by armes, but &s;car&s;ely threatened by words, &s;o many, and &s;o willingly, &s;hould &s;ub|mit them&s;elues to one, &amp; be content to holde their crownes of him, and in all things to be at his commandement. They receiued his decrees, they for&s;ooke their kingdomes, they waged warre again&s;t one another, they re|&s;igned a great part of their &s;ubiects, they &s;uf|fered their land to be tributarie, they would attempt to winne the Holy land, as they cal|led it, with hazzard of their liues, and intole|rable paines, and exceeding great expences, and all at his commandement. When was there any power in the world that coulde worke this, &amp; bring them thus to obedience? The emperors of <HI>Rome</HI> had kings vnder them, which remained kings: but they were ouer|come by battell, few voluntarily did yeelde the~&s;elues. They fought oft for <HI>Spaine,</HI> for <HI>A|frike,</HI> for <HI>Greece,</HI> for <HI>Egypt,</HI> for <HI>France,</HI> for <HI>Bri|taine,</HI> &amp; for euery part of <HI>Italie</HI> it &s;elfe, before they could obteine it: but the pope had all the We&s;t part &s;ubiect to him, and &s;car&s;e euer fought for any: by the &s;word he &s;ubdued al|mo&s;t none of them vnto him: nay he neuer fought for any, except it were for &s;ome &s;mall
<PB N="65" REF="42">dukedome or citie of <HI>Italie,</HI> which he counted <HI>Peters</HI> patrimonie. Is not this plainely that which the Angel &s;aith to <HI>Iohn: The&s;e haue one minde, &amp; &s;hall giue their power to the bea&s;t?</HI> And againe, <HI>God hath put in their hearts, to fulfill his will, and to doe with one con&s;ent, for to giue their kingdome to the bea&s;t, vntill the words of God be fulfilled.</HI> They &s;hall giue it, they &s;hall not be conquered &amp; con&s;treined by his power vnto it. Thus much of the kings that a&s;&s;i&s;t the bea&s;t.</P>
<P>After the kings a&s;&s;i&s;ting <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> there are placed al&s;o armies vnder him. Not one army, but many armies are leuied for his defence. They boa&s;t much of multitude and number. And the Holy gho&s;t giueth vnto them the greate&s;t number, as a &s;ure marke of <HI>the beast.</HI> This cau&s;e &s;tandeth not by number, but by weight of voices. If number &s;hould carie the matter of religion, the <HI>Turks</HI> &s;hould haue the truth of it on their &s;ide. There is more dirt the~ golde, moe &s;tones then pearles, more chaffe then good corne, and &s;o moe that holde on &s;u|per&s;tition then on trueth. Our Sauiour &s;aith: <HI>Many are called, but few are cho&s;en:</HI> and <HI>narrow is the way that leadeth to life, &amp; few there be that find it: but broad is the way that leadeth to de&s;tru|ction, &amp; many there be that folow it.</HI> Let the~ ther|fore boa&s;t of the greater number, yea &amp; nu~ber not naked, but armed, furni&s;hed &amp; in&s;tructed
<PB N="66" REF="43">to fight. We grant it them. It was theirs much more then it is, and yet is theirs more then (I hope) it will be heereafter. The holy gho&s;t hath giuen them the multitude for a time. A great number was &s;ignified to adhaere to <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> when it is &s;aid, <HI>He cau&s;ed the earth and them that dwell therein, to wor&s;hip the fir&s;t beast.</HI> And againe, <HI>He deceiued them that dwell on the earth.</HI> And yet more, <HI>He cau&s;ed that as ma|nie as woulde not wor&s;hip the image of the beast, &s;hould be killed.</HI> And further, <HI>He made all, both &s;mall and great, rich and poore, free and bond, to receiue a marke in their right hand, or in their forehead, and that no man might buy nor &s;ell, but he that had the marke, or the name of the bea&s;t, or the number of his name.</HI> Thus in the thir|teenth chapter, the greater number is &s;hewed to appertaine vnto <HI>the bea&s;t.</HI> In the &s;euen|teenth chapter it is called <HI>the great whore, the great citie:</HI> and it is &s;aid moreouer, <HI>The waters which thou &s;awe&s;t where the whore &s;itteth, are peo|ple and multitudes, and nations and tongues.</HI> And to omit many other places, heere at la&s;t, it is &s;aid, <HI>I &s;aw the bea&s;t and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to fight.</HI> Should we then doubt, whether their &s;ide be the &s;ide of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> becau&s;e their fauourers are many? Nay, thereby we are made the more certaine of it.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="43">
<P>Another note they haue, by which they thinke to further their part, which is vni|tie. It is a good token of <HI>Chri&s;tes</HI> di&s;ciples, if they loue one another: but to con&s;ent, and to con&s;pire together, is not proper to the good, but agreeth to the wicked al&s;o. The heathen agreed all in their generall &s;uper&s;ti|tion, and no falling out greatly among them for it. The <HI>Turks</HI> haue but two parts or &s;ects, and ech &s;ect agreeth and holdeth &s;trait toge|ther. All the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> agreed to make the Golden calfe: the tenne tribes con&s;ented to the &s;etting vp of the calues in <HI>Dan</HI> and <HI>Be|thel.</HI> And what maruell then, if all the We&s;t parts of the world haue con&s;ented together to wor&s;hip and maintaine the <HI>Romi&s;h beast? Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>the tenne kings haue one minde, and &s;hall giue their power and authoritie to the beast.</HI> And heere it is &s;aid: <HI>Their armies were gathe|red together to fight.</HI> They were not di&s;per&s;ed, and &s;cattered, but gathered together in one purpo&s;e, and in one meaning, to fight again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his armie.</P>
<P>The common &s;ort of Papi&s;tes &s;eeme to care for no point el&s;e in religion, but one|lie this. The <HI>Spani&s;h,</HI> and <HI>Italian,</HI> and <HI>French,</HI> and the ignorant <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> papi&s;ts &s;eeke &s;car&s;e any further into the cau&s;e, but onely &s;tand vpon that head and branch, that the Holy
<PB N="68" REF="44">gho&s;t hath &s;et downe, that is to fight a|gain&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his armie. As for all other pointes of religion, it is their greate&s;t reli|gion not to &s;earch into religion. Thus the Holy gho&s;t in two wordes &s;etteth downe much of that whereupon they &s;tand, and which in our dayes we &s;ee fulfilled. The&s;e are the generall notes of their armies gathered out of the&s;e words.</P>
<P>In that there are armies named, we may well gather that they are of moe kindes then one. They them&s;elues diuide their whole multitude into the Spiritualtie and Laitie. So by their owne diui&s;ion they haue two kindes of armies, one of great learned men, law|yers, diuines, and other profe&s;&s;ours of lear|ning: and another of captaines and &s;ouldi|ers, and armed men, and generallie the re&s;t of the people. Such an armie as the fir&s;t is, e&s;pecially of prie&s;tes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lib. 4. epi&s;t. 38.</NOTE> <HI>Gregorius Magnus</HI> a&s;|&s;igneth vnto <HI>Antichri&s;t. Rex &s;uperbiae prop&egrave; est, &amp; quod dici quoque nefas est, &s;acerdotum ei praeparatur exercitus.</HI> The king of pride is neere at hand, and that which is an heinous thing to &s;peake, an armie of prie&s;ts is prepa|red for him. And this he &s;pake agreeable to this reuelation. For <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;ayth, <HI>I &s;aw three vn|cleane &s;pirites like frogges come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the bea&s;t,
<PB N="69" REF="44">and out of the mouth of the fal&s;e prophet.</HI> For they are &s;pirites of deuils, working miracles, to goe vnto the kinges of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the bat|tell of that great day of God almightie. Yea, and their indeuour was not in vaine, for they did gather them together.</P>
<P>In this chapter it is &s;ayd: <HI>The beast was taken, and with him the fal&s;e Prophet that wrought miracles before him, whereby hee de|ceiued them that receiued the bea&s;tes marke.</HI> The&s;e <HI>&s;pirits,</HI> this <HI>fal&s;e prophet,</HI> are &s;et downe to note their fir&s;t and mo&s;t dangerous kinde of armie. They call them&s;elues the &s;piritu|altie, and this &s;cripture calleth them <HI>&s;pirits:</HI> How could it come neerer? The other name of <HI>fal&s;e prophets,</HI> is taken from the &s;tate of the Olde Te&s;tament: for as then fal&s;e prophets alwayes oppo&s;ed them&s;elues again&s;t the true prophets, &s;o now their prie&s;ts and monkes, and the re&s;t of their religious rabble, again&s;t the true preachers of the Go&s;pell. But why doeth hee terme them <HI>the fal&s;e prophet,</HI> and not fal&s;e prophets, when it is euident that they are many? Is it for their con&s;ent in this matter of gaine&s;aying? or is it not ra|ther for that in euery age, and for ech pro|fe&s;&s;ion of lawe and diuinitie, they haue one e&s;pecially, vpon who&s;e wit and learning
<PB N="70" REF="45">they all depend: for their law, <HI>Gratian:</HI> for their diuinitie, <HI>Lumbard:</HI> after him in one age, <HI>Aquinas,</HI> and again&s;t <HI>Luther, Eckius:</HI> in this time, <HI>Bellarmine:</HI> for &s;o in ech age they &s;eeme to &s;ucke their learning, and all their arguments, and quiddities from the brea&s;t, of &s;ome one aboue all the re&s;t. But for what cau&s;e &s;oeuer it is termed in the &s;ingular num|ber, fal&s;e prophets pertaine to the &s;tate ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall, and they are the greate&s;t doers in the&s;e warres.</P>
<P>Nowe con&s;ider all the &s;tates in the world be&s;ides, and &s;ee where there is authoritie, yea, or almo&s;t any dealing for warre matters, put in the hands of them to whome the mat|ters of religion directlie are committed. A|mong all tho&s;e that profe&s;&s;e the Go&s;pell in all kingdomes of <HI>Chri&s;tendome,</HI> there is &s;car&s;e any one in a kingdome admitted to coun|cell about tho&s;e thinges, much le&s;&s;e doe they contriue warres, and &s;tirre them vp, or al|mo&s;t intermeddle in them. Among&s;t the <HI>Turkes</HI> they haue not to deale in it: their re|ligious per&s;ons are not the procurers of their warres, by running from one prince to ano|ther. They &s;hake a &s;peare, and v&s;e &s;ome wordes in their owne temple, to &s;tirre vp the people to fight again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;tians:</HI> but other|wi&s;e they contriue not the warres. In the
<PB N="71" REF="45"><HI>Tartarian</HI> gouernment, the affaires of the warres are not in &s;uch mens hands. So that in this poynt the Papi&s;ts onely are fully an|&s;werable to this prophe&s;ie, and the <HI>Turkes</HI> come next vnto them, but yet they are but babes to them in this exerci&s;e. Let the name of the fal&s;e prophet be common to <HI>Maho|met</HI> and his prie&s;tes, with the Popi&s;h clergie, but the <HI>three vncleane &s;pirites like frogges, that came out of the mouth of the beast,</HI> can be no other but the Popi&s;h &s;piritualtie: for the fa|ther, and the number, and the qualitie, and the compari&s;on, and the worke, and effect a|greeth to none other.</P>
<P>The <HI>bea&s;t</HI> is &s;aid to be their <HI>father:</HI> for the pope did beget and nouri&s;h all that &s;piritual|tie as it &s;tandeth, and is Popi&s;h: for by his commandement they had their beginning, and &s;till haue their being, and therefore it is &s;ayd, that the&s;e <HI>&s;pirites come out of his mouth.</HI> There was no order among them, of cardi|nalles, bi&s;hops, prie&s;ts, of monks, and friers, but they were all in number and forme by his appoyntment and confirmation. They v&s;ed no ceremonie but it was ordeined by him. Their priuileges and exemptions from the &s;ecular power were all granted by him. Their liuing and maintenance was all held of him: and to him in token thereof the payed
<PB N="72" REF="46">the fir&s;t fruites of their liuinges. Hee inue|&s;ted the bi&s;hops, and by his authoritie the bi&s;hop made all the re&s;t: &s;o they <HI>came out of the mouth of the bea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>It were long; in particular, to prooue all the&s;e thinges. The qualitie of vncleanne&s;&s;e and filthine&s;&s;e is praedominant in them: for they are vncleane in their &s;oules, as not be|ing wa&s;hed in the blood of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> nor with the pure water of Gods word. And they are vncleane in their bodyes; for the mo&s;t part of their monkes and friers tooke a pride in their &s;louenline&s;&s;e. And they are vncleane in their actions, as being defiled with adul|teries and Sodomiticall &s;inne, becau&s;e they condemned marriage. They are aptly al&s;o reduced to the number of three: for their bi&s;hops and prie&s;tes, and &s;uch as haue the actions of all their religious matters, make one order: and their friers and monkes, and &s;chola&s;ticall &s;tudents, which are &s;eque&s;tred from action, and placed as it were in con|templation, make another order: and their canoni&s;ts and lawyers, with their other offi|cers, make their third order.</P>
<P>All the&s;e together make the bea&s;ts &s;piri|tuall armie. And the&s;e are fitly compared vn|to frogges: for as frogges lie in the mudde, &s;o the&s;e tumble in worldly things and humane
<PB N="73" REF="46">&s;peculations, and can not lift vp their mindes to that which is heauenly. And as frogges haue but one tune, &s;o they &s;ing onely obe|dience to the pope: and as frogges cry mo&s;t fiercelie about the time of raine and tem|pe&s;t, &s;o the&s;e when they come crying ouer the &s;ea vnto vs, alwayes giue a mo&s;t &s;ure to|ken that there is a tempe&s;t comming. The&s;e frogs delight not by any meanes with calme|ne&s;&s;e and quietne&s;&s;e, their delight is to haue the world &amp; all kingdomes troubled. There|fore their worke is this, to runne from one prince to another, from one noble man to an|other, from this gentleman to that gentle|man, to per&s;uade them to warre. Thus is their &s;pirituall armie de&s;cribed.</P>
<P>To &s;et forth how they fight with &s;criptures and fathers wre&s;ted from their true meaning, with decrees of councels of their owne ma|king, with promi&s;es of great &s;ucce&s;&s;e and vi|ctorie, with lyes and &s;landers again&s;t prin|ces and preachers, and all profe&s;&s;ours of the Go&s;pell, with con&s;piracies and trea&s;ons, and murthers, and poy&s;oning of great per&s;ons, with contributions of money, &amp; all that they can make to the maintenance of the&s;e warres, with indulgences and pardons from all &s;innes pa&s;t &amp; to come, with incantations, coniurati|ons &amp; inchantments, for they are <HI>the &s;pirits of
<PB N="74" REF="47">deuils:</HI> with promi&s;e of heauen it &s;elfe to all that take &s;word in hand for them, it were in|finite. Our experience in this age teacheth vs enough, &amp; too much (if it &s;o plea&s;ed God) that we cannot be ignorant of their mo&s;t de|uilli&s;h and de&s;perate maner of fighting. Thus much of their &s;pirituall armie, and of their fight.</P>
<P>They haue al&s;o other armies of warlike &s;ouldiers and captaines. The pope neuer yet attempted any matter &s;o wicked again&s;t any prince, or for his owne e&s;tate, but he had kings and dukes, and noble men that woulde al|wayes be readie at his commandement to fight in his quarell: and if other things failed, yet <HI>Peters</HI> patrimonie in <HI>Italie</HI> is &s;o great, and the &s;ummes that haue and do come in by fir&s;t fruits, &amp; other infinite taxes, both of his cler|gie and laitie, that it was ea&s;ie for him to rai&s;e an armie at any time in this later age. One while <HI>Charles</HI> the French emperor fought for him, another while <HI>Henry</HI> the third emperour of <HI>Germanie.</HI> Sometime he hath them of <HI>Ita|lie</HI> at his commandement, as in times pa&s;t the dukes of <HI>Hetruria,</HI> of <HI>Florence,</HI> and almo&s;t any other. The king of <HI>Sicilie</HI> was euer as his &s;eruant. <HI>France</HI> hath fought for him again&s;t the emperour, and again&s;t <HI>England,</HI> &amp; again&s;t the <HI>Italians,</HI> and again&s;t one pope for another
<PB N="75" REF="47">Pope. <HI>England</HI> hath not wanted in this kinde of &s;eruice for him. Our kings he hath &s;et a|gain&s;t <HI>France,</HI> and <HI>France</HI> again&s;t vs, and our nobles again&s;t our owne princes, both of old time, and of late. And this thing &s;till he doth attempt. God confound his enterpri&s;es in this behalfe, as hee hath done hitherto in her Maie&s;ties reigne. Now he hath but fewe in compari&s;on, that wil take armes at his deuo|tion. The <HI>Spaniard,</HI> not in any regard of his Religion, but in hope of a Monarchie vnder his title, hath &s;tepped forth as his champion in this age, to fight his warres for him. By him the armies are renewed and &s;upplied in the Lowe countries: by him the warres are holden vp in <HI>France:</HI> through his meanes, <HI>Ge|neua</HI> hath bin be&s;ieged: and he hath &s;ent his inuincible nauie to &s;ubdue vs: but God bee thanked, that hath drowned it in the &s;eas. We may not thinke, that either <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> or his champion will &s;o giue ouer. For it is again&s;t the nature of the enemies of Gods people to de&s;i&s;t, although they &s;ee Gods hand neuer &s;o manife&s;tly again&s;t them. Not ten plagues will keepe <HI>Pharao</HI> from pur&s;uing the <HI>I&s;raelits.</HI> Not the Angel de&s;troying an hundred and foure&s;core thou&s;and in one night, will feare the <HI>Babylonians,</HI> but they will come again&s;t <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> It is fatall to <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> to bid battell
<PB N="87" REF="48">&s;o long, till he procure his owne ruine, and the fall of the~ that would hold him vp. They will fight againe: <HI>The frogs, the&s;e vncleane &s;pi|rits,</HI> that come ouer to vs, are a mo&s;t &s;ure to|ken that we mu&s;t looke for a tempe&s;t. It will come mo&s;t certainely: but when it will fall we are not certaine. God turne it vpon their owne heads when &s;o euer it commeth, as he did that which is pa&s;t.</P>
<P>I haue &s;poken longer then I thought I &s;hould, of the fir&s;t part touching <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> and <HI>his kings,</HI> and <HI>their armies.</HI> We can not &s;peake too much again&s;t the~, that neuer thinke they do ynough again&s;t vs. It is good for vs to haue our mindes armed again&s;t them, and to be per|&s;waded, that they are not only enemies to vs, but vnto God, and <HI>Ie&s;us Christ,</HI> and his go&s;|pel, and the &s;aluation of his people. God graunt to our Queenes maie&s;tie, and all our nobilitie, and the whole people, his &s;pirit, and grace, again&s;t the poy&s;on of their doctrine, and his mightie defence again&s;t all their ma|nife&s;t terrors and &s;ecret con&s;piracies. This the God of all might and comfort, graunt vnto vs through <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> our Lord and Sa|uiour: To whome with the Father, and the holy gho&s;t, three per&s;ons and one God, be all honour, and glory, world without ende <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="77" REF="48">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Sermon vpon <HI>Apoc. cap.</HI> 19. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 19.</HEAD>
<P>_I Deuided this ver&s;e into two parts. The one is of tho&s;e that doe op|pugne: the other of tho&s;e that doe defend. I haue &s;poken alreadie of them that giue the on&s;et. They were <HI>the bea&s;t, the kings of the earth, and their armies.</HI> I &s;hew|ed that <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> is the Pope of <HI>Rome:</HI> the <HI>kings of the earth</HI> are they that yeelde obedience to him: <HI>their armies</HI> are fir&s;t the &s;piritual and learned &s;orte, that &s;triue to maintaine the popedome by witte &amp; learning: and &s;econd|ly, the warriers and other people, that by &s;word and force do fight for him. Now it re|maineth, to &s;peake of the parties y^e are oppug|ned, and doe defend them&s;elues. <HI>They fight a|gain&s;t him that &s;itteth on the hor&s;e, &amp; again&s;t his armie.</HI> For <HI>armie,</HI> &s;ome tran&s;lations reade <HI>&s;oul|diers:</HI> But it doth not &s;o well aun&s;were to the Greeke. The word &s;ignifieth an armie pre&s;&s;ed forth, and &s;et in order to battel. <HI>He that rideth on the hor&s;e,</HI> is vnder&s;toode to bee <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> His <HI>armie</HI> are they that beleeue his go&s;pel &amp; obey it. The&s;e are a&s;&s;alted &amp; oppugned by <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> &amp; <HI>his armies.</HI> Two thinges mu&s;t bee ob&s;erued in this on&s;et made again&s;t Chri&s;t and his peo|ple
<PB N="78" REF="49">by the enemies. Fir&s;t, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his people haue the right and lawfull po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Church and the trueth, of heauen, of earth, and of all things, and that they would thru&s;t both <HI>Christ</HI> and his, out of this po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion. <HI>Christ</HI> &s;ayeth of him&s;elfe: <HI>All power is gi|uen vnto me in heauen and in earth,</HI> and his people are made the heires of the world: for to the~ it is &s;aid, <HI>all things are yours:</HI> and againe: <HI>He that ouer commeth &s;hall inherite all.</HI> The <HI>bea&s;t</HI> then, and <HI>his armies,</HI> labour to thru&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &amp; his armie out of all: Which they could not doe, if <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his people had not the right and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of all. And <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath &s;uffered them to be&s;iege him, and his people, and to thru&s;t them into verie great &s;traites for a &s;ea&s;on. For they haue bene con&s;trained <HI>to flie into the wildernes</HI> and there to ly hid. But now <HI>Christ</HI> will vp on <HI>the white hor&s;e</HI> and rai&s;e the &s;iege, and bee &s;hut vp &s;o &s;traite no longer. That is, the fir&s;t thing that followeth of this, that <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> is he that maketh the a&s;&s;ault.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing that followeth thereof is this: that the enemies euer &s;eeke their owne de&s;truction, or els it would not come vpon them. It &s;hould &s;eeme rea&s;on, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his people &s;hould &s;et vpon <HI>the beast</HI> &amp; <HI>his ar|mies.</HI> For is it meete that they, holding that which belongeth vnto <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> fro~ him, &s;hould
<PB N="79" REF="49">not be &s;uffered to liue and to enioye it? But <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> dealeth not &s;o: he &s;uffereth the~ quietly to withdrawe the~&s;elues from him, and letteth their fury increa&s;e, till they go about to roote him and his people from among them. He gi|ueth them &s;cope to &s;hewe their malice. Now when Gods people &s;eeme &s;trangelie&s;t a&s;&s;aul|ted, and are in danger of greate&s;t bondage, then <HI>is their deliuerance neere at hand.</HI> A pro|uerbe was made of y^e dealing of <HI>Pharao</HI> with the <HI>I&s;raelities, Quando duplicantur lateres, tum venit Mo&s;es:</HI> When the brickes are dubled, the~ Mo&s;es commeth. When the enemies ar|mies are greate&s;t and be&s;t furni&s;hed, then are they mo&s;t neere their ouerthrow. It is a thing worthie to be marked, how <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;till gi|ueth the on&s;et, and all his attempts for the mo&s;t part, haue turned to his lo&s;&s;e. This much of <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> &amp; his a&s;&s;aulting, and of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his being a&s;&s;aulted, and defending the~&s;elues.</P>
<P>It followeth to &s;hew what it meaneth, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is de&s;cribed here by riding <HI>vpon a hor&s;e.</HI> The hor&s;e that he &s;itteth vpon, is &s;aid to be a <HI>white hor&s;e.</HI> And that it is <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> y^t rideth vpon him, there can be no doubt. For the di&s;criptio~ that goeth before can agree to none other. Thus <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith of him: <HI>I &s;awe heaue~ open, and behold, a white hor&s;e, and he that &s;ate vpon him was called faithful and true: and he iudgeth and
<PB N="80" REF="50">fighteth righteou&s;ly, &amp; his eyes were as a flame of fire, &amp; on his head were many crownes, &amp; he had a name written that no man knew but him&s;elfe, &amp; he was clothed in a garment dipt in blood, and his name is called the word of God, and out of his mouth went a&s;harpe &s;word, that with it he &s;hould &s;mite the heathen. For he &s;hal rule them with a rod of yron: for he it is that treadeth the wine|pre&s;&s;e of the fiercenes &amp; wrath of almightie God.</HI> All the&s;e thinges agree to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> alone. He is faithfull and true in his promi&s;es, hee iudgeth &amp; fighteth righteou&s;ly, in puni&s;hing the wic|ked, &amp; defending his people, while they con|tinue in obedience to him: his eyes are as fire, he &s;eeth &amp; &s;earcheth all things, yea the hearts of men. He reigneth ouer all, and hath obtei|ned many crownes by many victories, and kings and princes &s;ubdued vnto him: his gar|ment was dipt in blood to redeeme vs, and he hath dipt it againe, &amp; doth now dayly in the &s;laughter of his enemies: his name &amp; e&s;&s;ence is &s;uch as none knoweth but God, that is, him&s;elfe. And hee is the word of God which <HI>was in the beginning:</HI> which is, <HI>God by whome all thinges were made.</HI> Out of his mouth com|meth the &s;harpe &s;word of Gods iu&s;t decree, which co~de~neth the enemies: &amp; la&s;t of all he executeth gods vengeance vpon the~, and as it were pre&s;&s;eth them in the winepre&s;&s;e of his
<PB N="81" REF="50">wrath. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> therefore is vnder&s;tood by him that &s;itteth on the hor&s;e.</P>
<P>But why is <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aid to &s;it vpon a hor&s;e, &amp; that a white hor&s;e? What meaneth this hor&s;e? It is well knowen to all men, that the hor&s;e is a warlike bea&s;t, &amp; as it were made for warre. He is &s;tro~g to carry, &amp; bold to come vpo~ the face of the enemie: he is &s;wift to make &s;peede, &amp; fit to be turned this way &amp; that way. So he was apointed to warre. But for prie&s;tly acti|ons, and per&s;ons, he was not thought meete: Therefore the prie&s;ts of <HI>Egypt</HI> might not ride vpon a hor&s;e. It was thought among them a thing prophane. Neither might &s;ome of the heathen <HI>Romane Flamines</HI> &s;o much as touch a hor&s;e. And euen now, it is thought an vn|&s;eemely thing for the Pope to bee &s;eene to ride vpon a hor&s;e within the citie of <HI>Rome,</HI> except onely vpon one &s;olemne day in the yeare, when he rideth to the <HI>Laterane,</HI> and all his prelates with him vpon white hor&s;es. For otherwi&s;e in <HI>Rome</HI> he is caryed vpon mens &s;houlders for the mo&s;t part. Once a yeere he would like Chri&s;t, ride vpon a white hor&s;e: yet hee neuer rideth on the hor&s;e whereon <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> rideth, he can not abide y^t white hor&s;e.</P>
<P>What then is this white hor&s;e? Some are of opinion, that the white hor&s;e is &s;et as a to|ken of the la&s;t iudgement, and that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>
<PB N="82" REF="51">is here de&s;cribed to come vpon a white hor&s;e to iudge the world. In &s;uch a &s;en&s;e a <HI>white cloude</HI> is giuen to him wherein he &s;hall come. But it may &s;eeme rather, that this de|&s;cription pertaineth not to the la&s;t iudgeme~t: Fir&s;t, becau&s;e in iudgement hee is &s;aid com|monly <HI>to &s;it vpon a throne,</HI> as in the next chap|ter, and in <HI>Daniel.</HI> And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith: <HI>We &s;hal all appeare before the iudgement &s;eate of Chri&s;t.</HI> Now a <HI>throne,</HI> or a <HI>&s;eate,</HI> and a <HI>hor&s;e,</HI> haue a co~|trary &s;ignification: For the one pertaineth to quietnes, the other to motion. This de&s;criptio~ &s;etteth forth <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> as mouing &amp; going for|ward, and not as re&s;ting and ending all. Se|condly, the &s;pace of time, that is betweene this viage wherein <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> thus rideth, and the iudgement, will not &s;uffer this to be vnder|&s;toode of the la&s;t iudgement. For as &s;ome thinke, there &s;halbe after this battel &amp; ouer|throwe of the Bea&s;t here mentioned, a thou|&s;and yeres, or a great long &s;pace before the iudgeme~t, or the end of al. Becau&s;e after this, <HI>Iohn</HI> reporteth that he did <HI>&s;ee Satan bound a thou&s;and yeres, and then let loo&s;e for a &s;ea&s;on.</HI> I &s;peake not of the <HI>Chilia&s;ts,</HI> which imagined a thou&s;and yeeres of happie life here on earth, after the re&s;urrection. But <HI>Morelius</HI> thin|keth there may be a thou&s;and yeeres, or a long time before the la&s;t iudgeme~t after this
<PB N="83" REF="51">ouerthrowe of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> for this &s;hould not be his finall ouerthrowe, but that he &s;hould renewe his &s;trength &s;omewhat againe, and fight yet again&s;t the &s;aintes of God, which <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;eemeth to meane, when he &s;aith in the next Chapter, that <HI>Gog</HI> and <HI>Magog, who&s;e number was as the &s;ande of the &s;ea, were gathe|red and compa&s;&s;ed the beloued citie, &amp; fire came downe from heauen to con&s;ume them.</HI> The&s;e and other things, which I will nowe recite, make many thinke, that <HI>the white hor&s;e</HI> here &s;poken of, pertaineth not to the la&s;t iudgement.</P>
<P>What then may this white hor&s;e be? It is the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> that being publi&s;hed and made knowne to the world, carieth <HI>Christ</HI> abroad: according to it hee ouercommeth <HI>the beast.</HI> This runneth &s;wiftly, this carieth him from place to place, vpon this he rideth as <HI>vpon the winges of the winde.</HI> For he is de&s;cribed here by tho&s;e thinges which yet pertaine to the publi&s;hing of his name among men, to the furtherance of his knowledge, and vanqui|&s;hing of his enemies, and enlarging of his Church vpon earth. To this it appertaineth that he is &s;aid <HI>to be faithfull and true in his pro|mi&s;es to his elect; that hee iudgeth and fighteth righteou&s;ly for his people, in a righteous cau&s;e,</HI> and while they embrace righteou&s;nes, that he hath many crownes vpon his head, kings
<PB N="84" REF="52">yeelding their crownes to him, which before they &s;ubmitted to the Pope: that he is called <HI>the word of God,</HI> as yet reuealing his &s;ecrete coun&s;ell: that his garment is dipt in blood, making daily great &s;laughters of his enemies, and that a &s;harpe &s;word commeth out of his mouth, euen his iu&s;t decree again&s;t the wic|ked. In the &s;ixt Chapter, the white hor&s;e hath receaued the like interpretation of the mo&s;t Interpreters. Thus <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>I behelde, and loe there was a white hor&s;e, and he that &s;ate on him had a bowe, and a crowne was giuen vnto him, and hee went foorth conquering, that hee might ouercome.</HI> There by the white hor&s;e is meant the Go&s;pell: with the bowe hee &s;hot the arrowes of his worde, his threatnings and grieuous iudgements, and wounded his ene|mies. He went in the fir&s;t age after his a&s;cen|&s;ion, conquering and conuerting the world to him&s;elfe, and &s;till had more and more to conquer, becau&s;e hee neuer wanted enemies. And nowe towards the ende hee mounteth on <HI>the white hor&s;e,</HI> and againe rideth gloriou|&s;ly in the &s;ight of his people.</P>
<P>This hor&s;e (that is, his Go&s;pell) is &s;aide to be <HI>white.</HI> Fir&s;t, becau&s;e without all vaile or couer it &s;heweth foorth the full purpo&s;e of Gods good will vnto men, for by it wee &s;ee God as in a gla&s;&s;e, and are made to knowe his
<PB N="85" REF="52">fauour mo&s;t clearely. Secondly, becau&s;e it teacheth and bringeth to vs iu&s;tification and forgiuenes of &s;innes, which being laid holde on by faith, maketh vs white in the &s;ight of God. Thirdly, becau&s;e it doth commend vn|to vs an innocent &amp; a pure life, all the &s;taines and blacknes of &s;inne being wa&s;hed foorth. And la&s;t of all, becau&s;e <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> by it &s;heweth him&s;elfe victorious &amp; triumphant: for a white hor&s;e was v&s;ed in triumph. Thus is <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> de|&s;cribed, by <HI>riding vpon a white hor&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The bea&s;t</HI> and his <HI>kings,</HI> and <HI>their armies,</HI> fight again&s;t him while he is thus &s;itting on the white hor&s;e. They cannot fight again&s;t him as he is in heauen, they cannot reach to his per&s;on there. Neither &s;hall they haue a|ny minde to fight again&s;t him, as he &s;itteth or commeth to iudgement, but their fierce|nes being then bani&s;hed, they &s;hall tremble at his pre&s;ence. But as he &s;itteth on the white hor&s;e, as hee is made knowen to the world in his Go&s;pell, by which hee maketh vs white, forgiuing our &s;innes, and chaun|ging our liues, &s;o <HI>the beast</HI> fighteth a|gain&s;t him. It will bee too late to fight, when he commeth in iudgement: Then the bea&s;t him&s;elfe &s;hall haue no courage to fight. But nowe the meane&s;t &s;ouldier, the ba&s;e&s;t Seminarye that is vnder the bea&s;te,
<PB N="86" REF="53">euery bu&s;ie &s;chi&s;matike will encounter him and his whole armie, while hee <HI>&s;itteth on the white hor&s;e.</HI> Therefore in the&s;e daies they are &s;o &s;awcie with him and his hor&s;e, and all his armie.</P>
<P>Of this, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> onely is captaine and generall on the one &s;ide, it followeth that they which will be &s;aued, mu&s;t cleaue to him alone for their &s;aluation. Euery thing that is again&s;t him, or &s;eemeth to &s;teppe into his place, mu&s;t be remooued. The Popes &s;upre|macie, the &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, adoration of images, inuocation of &s;aintes, confidence in workes, all the&s;e mu&s;t be reiected, and wee mu&s;t cleaue onely to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> for &s;aluation. His people are known by hauing him to be their leader, and not by a Pope, or a city, or any one earthly power ruling ouer them. Againe it is to be concluded, that &s;eeing <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commeth no way to his Church, but &s;itting vpon the white hor&s;e, and that hor&s;e is his Go&s;pell, therefore all men that will receaue him and his benefites, mu&s;t &s;ubmit them&s;elues to be taught by his word, and &s;eeke to knowe his Go&s;pell: he that receaueth not his word, can not receaue him.</P>
<P>Now would it &s;eeme meete to &s;hew (&s;ee|ing the Go&s;pel is this white hor&s;e that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> doeth &s;it on) whether hee commeth vnto vs
<PB N="87" REF="53">vpon it being read, or being preached? and whether the learned and preaching mini&s;ters onely bee this white hor&s;e, or al&s;o the vn|learned and readers may be accounted &s;uch as beare forth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> vnto his people? I thinke <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commeth by the one and by the other, and each of them doeth beare him foorth, al|beit he doeth ride more gloriou&s;ly &amp; &s;wiftly in the &s;ound of learned preaching. But of this point I &s;hall &s;peake &s;omewhat in the next part. Thus much &s;hall &s;uffice to haue &s;poken of him which &s;itteth on the hor&s;e, which is <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> our king and onely captaine.</P>
<P>The next and la&s;t generall head to be &s;po|ken of, is the armie of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The bea&s;t and his armies fight again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his armie. The Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is called by many names, but here in the matter and time of warre, it is called an armie. Likewi&s;e <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;ayth of it, <HI>that it is terrible as an armie with banners. Paul</HI> v&s;ing the &s;ame Metaphore, will haue vs <HI>put on the armour of light,</HI> and &s;aieth, that <HI>the weapons of our warfare are not carnall, but mightie through God to ca&s;t downe holdes,</HI> and willeth vs to <HI>put vpon vs the whole armour of God, that we may be able to &s;tand again&s;t the a&s;&s;aults of the deuill:</HI> and of him&s;elfe he witne&s;|&s;eth, that <HI>he had fought a good fight, and fini&s;hed his cour&s;e.</HI> So that there is a warre, and ar|mour,
<PB N="88" REF="54">and weapons, and fighting, that belon|geth to gods people, and they altogether make an armie.</P>
<P>The Church of <HI>England</HI> is an excellent and noble band of this armie. Wee are <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> &s;ouldiers, we beare his colours, he rideth be|fore vs, and among vs vpon the white hor&s;e, he is our captaine, and we are his armie. Two kinds of enemies we haue that labour to per|&s;wade the~&s;elues, &amp; the world, that we are not <HI>Christs</HI> armie, the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and the <HI>Barrowi&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Again&s;t the Papi&s;ts we haue maintained, that the &s;ound teaching of the word of God, and the lawfull admini&s;tration of his Sacra|ments, are the mo&s;t &s;ure en&s;ignes, whereby his armie is knowen: and that we haue the&s;e among vs, and they are effectuall in vs. When we allege that which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aith: <HI>My &s;heepe heare my voyce, and a &s;trangers voyce they will not heare:</HI> That which <HI>E&s;aie</HI> hath: <HI>To the lawe, and to the testimonie, if they an&s;were not accor|ding to this, it is becau&s;e there is no light in the~.</HI> When we allege the&s;e, and the like places: we obtaine, that the true and &s;ound &s;etting forth of the worde of God, is a mo&s;t certaine &s;igne and note of the Church. That which <HI>Paul</HI> hath: <HI>If any man preach another go&s;pel, let him be accur&s;ed.</HI> That which <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith: <HI>He that a|bideth not in the doctrine of Chri&s;t, hath not God:
<PB N="89" REF="54">and if any man bring not the doctrine of Christ, receaue him not:</HI> declareth, that a fal&s;e doc|trine of the go&s;pel and <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> de&s;troyeth the Church: e&s;pecially, if y^e errour be in the foun|dation, which is our iu&s;tification by faith in Chri&s;t, and all tho&s;e things which doe nece&s;|&s;arily depend vpon it. Therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith: <HI>Other foundation can no man lay, then that which is layed, euen Ie&s;us Christ:</HI> And againe, <HI>Ye are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Ie&s;us Christ him&s;elfe being the chiefe corner &s;tone.</HI> For this cau&s;e, <HI>Paul</HI> doth &s;o carefully and oft, &s;tand vpon the clearing of this article of our iu&s;tification by faith in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> in &s;o manie of his Epi&s;tles. The true doctrine of the Go&s;pel, is thus founde to be the note, yea, and &s;eede of the Church. That the right and lawfull admini&s;tration of the Sacraments pertaineth to the de&s;cription, and declaration of the Church, we may ea&s;i|&s;ily confirme.</P>
<P>Our Sauiour ioyneth the Sacraments to the worde: <HI>Goe teach all nations, baptizing them.</HI> The Apo&s;tle doeth the like, when hee &s;ayeth: <HI>Chri&s;t hath clen&s;ed his Church, by the wa&s;hing of water through the worde.</HI> And of the other Sacrament, it is &s;ayde: <HI>Doe this in remembraunce of mee.</HI> And, <HI>drinke yee all of this.</HI> And the fir&s;t Church
<PB N="90" REF="55">gathered together after <HI>Christes</HI> a&s;cen&s;ion, is thus de&s;cribed: <HI>They that gladly receaued his worde, were baptized, and the &s;ame day there were added to the Church about three thou&s;and &s;oules, and they continued in the Apo&s;tles do|ctrine and fellow&s;hip, and breaking of bread and praiers.</HI> The&s;e things by the benefite of God we haue, the trueth of the Go&s;pell, and the whole new and olde Te&s;tament in all points of &s;ub&s;tance of doctrine truly taught, and &s;et footh in this lande: the &s;acraments al&s;o are rightly admini&s;tred. Wherefore we haue the true notes of the Church.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the true notes of the Church, &s;uch notes as are al&s;o cau&s;es of it: for the word and &s;acraments doe beget and nouri&s;h faith, by which we are vnited to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> as to the heade. Many other things agree to the Church, as good workes, mutuall loue, true repentance, &s;hunning of idolatrie, a right in|uocation of the name of God, and the like. But the&s;e are partes and effects and orna|ments of the former, and concurre together with them: for the word taught mu&s;t be vn|der&s;tood to be fruitfull, and &s;o the &s;acraments to worke in mens &s;oules, and both to be of power, or els they are no longer tokens to vs that wee are of the Church of God. The&s;e things thus vnder&s;tood, are the true and &s;uffi|cient
<PB N="91" REF="55">markes, whereby he that hath &s;pirituall eyes, may &s;ee the Church of God. The&s;e, by the &s;peciall working of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> we yet retaine in &s;uch &s;orte, as they bring foorth fruite in mens hearts and liues. God grant they may continue with vs, and be more ef|fectuall to worke amendment in all. As for tho&s;e marks, wherby the Papi&s;ts would haue the Church to be di&s;cerned, they are deceit|full, they can not point it out. <HI>Antiquitie</HI> hath erred, <HI>Vniuer&s;alitie</HI> hath bin corrupted, <HI>Vnitie</HI> may be in fal&s;hood, <HI>Succe&s;&s;ion</HI> in place may be without <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;ion</HI> in trueth: their o|ther marks are of like nature. The worde and Sacraments rightly &s;et forth and receaued, and bringing forth fruite, can neuer deceaue vs, but bring vs directly to the true Church of <HI>Ie&s;us Christ.</HI> But what &s;hal we &s;ay to them that make di&s;cipline a nece&s;&s;arie marke of the Church: becau&s;e our Sauiour &s;aith: <HI>Baptize them, teaching the~ to ob&s;erue what&s;oeuer I haue commaunded you?</HI> The ob&s;eruation that our Sauiour &s;peaketh of, is not of &s;ome certaine forme of outward gouernement, but general|ly of obedience to faith, to loue, and to the whole lawe and Go&s;pell. As for that <HI>di&s;ci|pline</HI> by <HI>Elders</HI> in euery pari&s;h, it will not be found in tho&s;e wordes of <HI>Christ.</HI> The Church can not well &s;tand without all eccle&s;ia&s;ticall
<PB N="92" REF="56">gouernement. Yet it &s;eemeth it did &s;o &s;tand in the captiuitie of <HI>Babylon:</HI> but without that forme it may very well &s;tand and flori&s;h, and &s;o hath done in this and former ages in ma|ny places. Wherefore the worde and &s;acra|ments remaine as the markes in generall, whereby the Church may be di&s;cerned.</P>
<P>But the Barrowi&s;ts, and &s;uch of whome they haue learned their principles, de&s;cend into a more &s;peciall and neere de&s;cription of the Church. The worde and Sacramentes are not &s;uch notes with them, as can point out a Church. What then is the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in their account? diuer&s;e of them haue gone about to de&s;cribe it, but one e&s;pecially would &s;eeme to doe it mo&s;t fully: therefore he de&s;cribeth it in the&s;e wordes at large. <HI>The true planted, and rightly establi&s;hed Church of Christ, is a companie of faithful people, &s;eparated from the heathen of the land, gathered in the name of Christ, whome they truely wor&s;hip, and readily obey, as their onely king, prie&s;t, and prophet, ioyned together as members of one bodie, ordered and gouerned by &s;uch officers and lawes, as Chri&s;t in his la&s;t will and te&s;tament hath thereunto ordained, all, and each of them, &s;tanding in and for their Chri&s;tian libertie, to practi&s;e what&s;oeuer God hath commanded, and is reuealed to them in his holy worde, executing
<PB N="93" REF="56">the Lordes iudgementes against all tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and di&s;obedience, which ari&s;eth among&s;t them, and cutting it off accordingly, by the power which their Lord and king Chri&s;t Ie&s;us hath commit|ted vnto them.</HI> This is the <HI>Church,</HI> this is the armie of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in their account: and &s;uch they will not acknowledge vs to be.</P>
<P>Our <HI>pari&s;hes</HI> which they call <HI>peri&s;hes,</HI> they examine by all y^e parts of this de&s;cription, and wil not allowe to any pari&s;h, any one of the&s;e thinges. Ten partes are found in it: Let vs &s;ee how they examine our Churches by them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t they &s;ay, the Church <HI>con&s;i&s;teth of a faithfull people.</HI> None are accounted of the~ to bee of the Church, but &s;uch as are regenerate, &amp; haue the &s;pirit, and are indued with know|ledge, and haue receaued the gift of a &s;auing faith. But it is certaine, that many are in the vi&s;ible church, that haue not the&s;e things. For fir&s;t <HI>the kingdome of God is like a net that gathe|reth together good &amp; bad:</HI> the bad are not re|generate, neither haue the&s;e things by the~ na|med. And as many followed <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when he walked vpo~ earth &amp; were his di&s;ciples, which followed not for regeneration, but for that he fed their bodies: &s;o is it in y^e Church now. And what &s;hal we &s;ay of the tares y^e <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> co~man|deth <HI>to be &s;uffered til the harue&s;t, lea&s;t the wheate be plucked vp with the~?</HI> They are not only hy|pocrites
<PB N="94" REF="57">which are like the good, for y^e tares are not like y^e wheate, but y^e open wicked &amp; migh|tie: which, if the Church would goe about to roote out from among them, they would in|danger the whole, as by experience hath oft bin feene. When <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aieth: <HI>All men haue not faith:</HI> he &s;peaketh not onely of them that are without, but euen of them that are with|in the Church. And to the <HI>Corinthians</HI> hee &s;ayth: <HI>Some haue not the knowledge of God, I &s;peake this to your &s;hame.</HI> Wherefore, euen in the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> (the people whereof are called faithfull and Saintes) there were &s;ome that had no knowledge of God. And why may not that befall the Churches of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> which befell the <HI>I&s;raelites?</HI> Vnto vs was the Go&s;pell preached, as vnto them: but the worde that they heard, profited not them, becau&s;e it was not mixed with faith in tho&s;e that heard it. As wee are like them in hearing, &s;o why may not &s;ome among vs be like them in not beleeuing? And yet as they were, &s;o may we be reckoned of the out|warde Church. They &s;ee that the Church in the time of the Prophets, had many, which were neither regenerate, nor faithfull, &s;uch as had neither the &s;pirrte nor knowledge. But they would make vs differ from them, in a &s;traiter couenant of &s;eparation. For they &s;ay,
<PB N="95" REF="57">the carnal propagation from <HI>Abraham,</HI> and outward circumci&s;ion, was inough to keepe them in the Church: but nothing keepeth vs in it that is outward, not bapti&s;me, nor any outwarde thing, but onely grace, and faith, and the &s;pirite: If any man haue not the&s;e, and be not &s;o e&s;teemed, hee is not to bee ac|counted &s;o much as of the vi&s;ible Church. And this they grounde of the practi&s;e of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> which as they &s;aye, &s;eparated none from their Synagogues for &s;inne. But this is fal&s;e. Them that confe&s;&s;ed <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> they put out of their Synagogues, althogh vniu&s;tly: &amp; for diuers kindes of &s;innes, they had diuer&s;e &s;acrifices, which mu&s;t bee offered by them, before there coulde bee any attonement for them. So the <HI>Iewes</HI> &s;eparated &s;ome for &s;innes, and yet wicked per&s;ons were &s;til of their out|ward Church. As for the places that they alleage, to proue that all in the Church mu&s;t be faithfull, and haue the &s;pirite, petaine ey|ther to the elect onely, and &s;uch as are called according to purpo&s;e, as when it is &s;aide, <HI>to &s;o many as receaued him, he gaue power to bee made the &s;onnes of God:</HI> And againe: <HI>I will write my lawes in their hearts:</HI> or el&s;e declare what euery one ought to be, and not what e|uery one is, or &s;halbe: as when <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>In Chri&s;t, neither circu~ci&s;ion auaileth any thing,
<PB N="96" REF="58">nor vncircumci&s;ion, but a newe creature:</HI> or el&s;e &s;peake of outward profe&s;&s;ion &amp; &s;hewe of faith: as whe~ the <HI>Corinthians</HI> are called <HI>faith|full,</HI> and &s;uch as <HI>S. Iames</HI> &s;peaketh of in his &s;e|cond chapter: or la&s;t of all, becau&s;e &s;ome haue the&s;e in trueth, they are a&s;cribed to y^e re&s;t, be|cau&s;e they make one outward body with the~, &amp; are denominated of the be&s;t, as when <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith: <HI>Such were &s;ome of you, but ye are wa&s;hed, but ye are &s;anctified.</HI> As <HI>Augustine</HI> &s;ayeth, <HI>that a heape wherein lyeth more chaffe the~ wheate, is yet called a heape of wheate, and not of chaffe, be|cau&s;e it is a heape for the wheates &s;ake:</HI> So al|though there be wicked &amp; vnfaithfull men in the Church, yet y^e Church is called faithful, be|cau&s;e it is a Church for the faithful &amp; godly, &amp; not for the wicked. Wherefore it is not ne|ce&s;&s;arie, that the vi&s;ible Church &s;hould con|&s;i&s;t onelie of a faithfull and a regenerate peo|ple, &s;uch as haue the knowledge and the &s;pi|rite of God: the outward profe&s;&s;ion of the&s;e thinges, and the Sacraments, and the &s;hadow as it were of the good, keepeth the~ in the vi|&s;ible Church, although &s;uch men are in it on|ly for their further damnation, except they repent. Thus much of that they &s;ay, the Church mu&s;t be a co~panie of faithful people.</P>
<P>The &s;econd note which they make, is a &s;eparation fro~ the heathen of the land. The&s;e
<PB N="97" REF="58">heathens they tearme by many other names, calling them vngodly, prophane, and athe|i&s;ts: and the other common &s;ort of them take all &s;uch as come to Church with vs, to bee no better: the other (that will &s;eeme to &s;peake with more iudgement,) make &s;uch to be pro|phane, which are without the Church, or re|turne to their former filthines, or haue done any thing that may &s;hewe them to bee with|out the couenant of Gods grace and free pro|mi&s;e. Euery man that hath not knowledge to render a di&s;tinct account of his faith, in all nece&s;&s;ary branches, they e&s;teeme prophane: thus they min&s;e it: but their writings and do|ings &s;hewe, that all are prophane with them, that are not of their owne &s;ocietie. Now the &s;eparation fro~ prophane per&s;ons is &s;o great a matter with the~, that if but one &s;uch man re|maine &amp; be kept in the Church, either he ma|keth it as they thinke, no Church, or at lea&s;t, maketh all exerci&s;es of prayers, and of Sacra|me~ts, to be of no vertue nor value, but offe~&s;iue to God, &amp; hurtful to the Church. Therefore they accou~t our churches no churches, our &s;a|crame~ts no &s;acrame~ts, our praiers no praiers, (if there were no other fault but this among vs) becau&s;e we retaine y^e prophane &amp; vngodly in our Churches. That the Church ought to be &s;eparated fro~ all &s;uch, or els that it can be
<PB N="98" REF="59">no Church, and that the couenant otherwi&s;e is broken,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 20.24.</NOTE> thus they labour to proue: Fir&s;t, becau&s;e the Lord &s;ayeth in Mo&s;es: <HI>I am the Lord your God, which haue &s;eparated you from other people.</HI> I an&s;were: the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were &s;eparated from other nations by blood, and by outward ceremonies: we likewi&s;e by pro|fe&s;&s;ion and Sacraments. And as for the ig|norant, and vnbeleeuers, and vngodly, the Churches of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> and <HI>Iewes,</HI> could not be &s;eparated from them, neither can the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> bee in this life freed from &s;uch. Secondly, they would proue this &s;e|paration by the wordes of <HI>Paul:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5.6, 11.</NOTE> <HI>A little lea|uen leaueneth the whole lumpe.</HI> And againe: <HI>If any that is called a brother be a fornicator, or co|uetous, or an idolater, or a rayler, or a drunckard, or an extortioner, with &s;uch a one eate not.</HI> And to the&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 3.6.</NOTE> that is ioyned as being of like nature: <HI>We charge you, that you withdrawe your &s;elues from euery brother that walketh inordinately.</HI> Of the&s;e places they conclude, that there is an infection to the Church by the wicked retai|ned: and that the Church can not bee the Church, except this lawe of &s;eparation bee practi&s;ed. I an&s;were, fir&s;t, that the leauening and infection, was not in a wicked mans be|ing in the Church, but in the reioycing at his wickednes. For &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>your reioy|&s;ing
<PB N="99" REF="59">is not good: knowe ye not that a little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe?</HI> Moreouer, a wic|ked man may infect and leauen others by his example: the re&s;t he doth not infect. And la&s;t of all wee &s;aye, our Church retaineth none &s;uch, as that ince&s;tuous per&s;on was, if they be knowen. Where <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>If any that is called a brother, be a fornicator, eate not with &s;uch:</HI> and againe: <HI>Withdrawe your &s;elues from euery brother that walketh inordinately:</HI> Fir&s;t, I an&s;were, he mu&s;t be accu&s;ed and conuicted to be &s;uch, and admoni&s;hed: and if he amend not, he mu&s;t be auoyded. Secondly, he mu&s;t be &s;hunned as touching familiaritie, with ly|king, and fellow&s;hip, not to be companied with, as tho&s;e with whome wee eate famili|arlie. For &s;o much importeth that he &s;ayeth: <HI>Eate not with &s;uch,</HI> and <HI>withdrawe your &s;elues from &s;uch.</HI> To &s;hunne their companie in all thinges it is not meant: For in buying and &s;elling, in &s;ubmitting our &s;elues to their go|uernement, if they be our Magi&s;trates, or in any other nece&s;&s;arie duetie, they &s;hould not be auoyded. La&s;t of all, their pre&s;ence defi|leth not the Sacraments, nor maketh prayers vnprofitable ts vs, but to them&s;elues. <HI>He that eateth and drincketh vnworthely, eateth and drincketh his owne damnation.</HI> But they &s;aye, wee are vnworthie, by admitting vnworthie
<PB N="100" REF="60">ones. I an&s;were, it is not in euery one to ad|mit or to refu&s;e, and therefore euery one can|not be guiltie. And <HI>Iudas</HI> defiled not the Pa&s;|cal lambe nor the Lords Supper, nor yet the re&s;t that were pre&s;ent, but him&s;elfe he defi|led. Againe they &s;ay, if we may not eate commune breade with them, much le&s;&s;e may we eate the Lordes bread with them in the Sacrament. I an&s;were, for our com|mon meat we are oft at choi&s;e in what com|pany to take it: but the Sacrament wee mu&s;t receiue with the Church, the wicked hath a commaundement to ab&s;teine from it: and the worthy hath a commaundement to come vnto it: his pre&s;uming to come that ought not, mu&s;t not exclude me that ought to come. This I &s;peake of per&s;ons &s;u&s;pected to be reiected, &amp; in deede wicked in them|&s;elues, but yet not conuicted openly before the Church. Of them y^t are conuicted, I may &s;ay as <HI>Theodoret</HI> doth vpon this place. <HI>Si non oportet eos communis e&s;&s;e cibi participes, nec my|&s;ticiquidem cert&egrave; &amp; diuini.</HI> If they mu&s;t not be partakers of the co~mon bread, then certaine|ly neither of the my&s;ticall and diuine bread. and as <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Cum fratre in quo vitia haec reperiuntur, non &s;olum Sacramenta non edenda &s;ed nec communem e&s;cam docet, vt eru|be&s;cat cum vitatur &amp; corrigat.</HI> He teacheth
<PB N="101" REF="60">that we mu&s;t not onely not eate the Sacra|ments, but not &s;o much as common meate with a brother in whom the&s;e &s;innes &s;hall be found. <HI>Photius</HI> readeth the&s;e words other|wi&s;e. If any brother be named a fornicator, <HI>Talem fornicatorem, auarum, maledicum, ebrio|&s;um, hoc e&s;t, illum qui in propatulo talis e&s;t ita vt &s;ic ab omnibus &amp; digno&s;catur &amp; nominetur,</HI> and as he &s;ayde before, <HI>ita vt communem illam appellationem in &s;eip&s;um amplexus, ex hac poti|us qu&agrave;m ex peculiari &amp; proprio nomine, &amp; cog|no&s;catur &amp; vocetur, hunc inquam, &amp; fugi impe|rat &amp; vitari, &amp; cum eo nec cibum &s;umere, nec mi&s;cere &s;ermones, nec &s;imul vitam ducere, non autem illum quem quidam carpunt e&s;&s;e ma|ledicum.</HI> Such a fornicator or rayler as is &s;uch a one openly, &s;o that he is after that &s;ort of all men knowen and named, &s;o that he hath receiued this common name to him&s;elfe, and is rather knowen and called by it then by his proper name, he commaundeth &s;uch a one to be auoyded and &s;hunned, and that we &s;houlde neyther take meate, nor v&s;e fa|miliar talke, nor leade our life with him, but hee commaundeth not that man &s;o to bee &s;hunned whome &s;ome carpe, as though hee were a backebiter. Thus they vnder&s;tand it of a man notoriou&s;ly knowen and conuicted, and then of priuate
<PB N="102" REF="61">and familiar companie, and la&s;t of all, of &s;o|cietie in the Sacraments. Them that are no|torious, the gouernement and lawes of our Church commaunde to be excluded, and it is put in practi&s;e: Wherefore our Church is not to be condemned for this. That which they obiect in the &s;econd to the <HI>Corinthians: Be not vnequally yoked with the infidels:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 6.</NOTE> <HI>For what fellow&s;hip hath righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e with vnrigh|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e?</HI> is &s;poken fir&s;t of &s;uch, as acknow|ledge not <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to be the redeemer, but were heatheni&s;h idolaters: we haue none &s;uch a|mong vs. Secondly, if it be vnder&s;tood al&s;o of the wicked liuers, it forbiddeth familiar conuer&s;ation with them: for with &s;uch as we liue familiarlie, wee may be &s;ayde to bee yo|ked. Thirdly, he will not haue vs bee parta|kers with them, in that they are vnrighteous, and idolaters, neither by practi&s;e nor con|&s;ent: but otherwi&s;e, to be in their companie vpon nece&s;&s;arie occa&s;ions, he doth not con|demne. As for that which <HI>Paul</HI> practi&s;ed in the <HI>Acts:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19.9.</NOTE> <HI>When certaine were hardened and di&s;obeyed, &s;peaking euil of the way of God, he de|parted from them, and &s;eparated the di&s;ciples:</HI> per&s;wadeth a &s;eparation from the open, and profe&s;&s;ed enemies of <HI>Christ.</HI> To &s;uch <HI>dogs, the holy thinges</HI> of God are not to bee <HI>giuen.</HI> And of &s;uch &s;peaketh Saint <HI>Iohn:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Iohn. 11.</NOTE> <HI>If there come
<PB N="103" REF="61">anie vnto you, and bring not this doctrine, bid him not God &s;peede: for hee that biddeth him God &s;peede, is partaker of his euil deedes.</HI> If he be a bla&s;phemer of the name of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> an o|pen de&s;pi&s;er of his Go&s;pel, one that refu&s;eth him, and acknowledgeth him not as Redee|mer and God, hee is to be accounted an infi|del, and by all meanes to be reiected. None &s;uch are admitted of vs, or mingled with vs, being once knowen. Moreouer,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65.11.</NOTE> they thinke that <HI>E&s;ay</HI> condemneth vs, for admitting a whole pari&s;h to the holy Communion, when he &s;aith: <HI>Yee are they that haue for&s;aken the Lorde, and forgotten my holy mountaine, and haue prepared a table for the multitude, and fur|ni&s;h the drincke offering for the number. E&s;ay</HI> &s;peaketh not of receauing a number into &s;o|cietie, to offer to the Lorde: but rather of &s;a|crificing to a multitude of Idols, in &s;teade of the true God. For hee oppo&s;eth the onely true God to a multitude whome they &s;erued: yea, &s;ome thinke that the names that are tran&s;lated a <HI>number,</HI> and <HI>multitude,</HI> doe &s;ig|nifie <HI>Mars,</HI> and <HI>Mercurie.</HI> Wherefore, this pertaineth not to the admitting of manie to the Communion. It was a commendation for the people and &s;eruice of God, when they did all eate the pa&s;&s;eouer, and offer &s;acrifices together, as at their comming out of <HI>Egypt,</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="62">and in the wildernes: and vnder <HI>Io&s;ias</HI> and o|therwi&s;e. It is much more to be mi&s;liked with vs, that &s;ome refraine from the communion, then that &s;o many come vnto it. They ob|iect many other things again&s;t the retay|ning of wicked men in the &s;ocietie of the Church: but the&s;e are the chiefe. To an|&s;were all, woulde require a &s;euerall trea|ti&s;e.</P>
<P>Their thirde note of a vi&s;ible Church is, that it mu&s;t be gathered in the name of Chri&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai 11.14.</NOTE> <HI>E&s;ay</HI> did &s;o prophecie. <HI>In that day the roote of I&s;hai &s;hall &s;tand vp for a &s;igne vnto the people, the nations &s;hall &s;eeke vnto it.</HI> Whole nations and many nations &s;houlde come to Chri&s;t in &s;teede of one nation. Could this be but many wicked and vngodly &s;hould be mixed? and howe &s;hould the nations &s;eeke to him? &s;ome in &s;hewe, &s;ome in trueth: &s;ome by outward profe&s;&s;ion, and &s;ome by inward feeling.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 12.32.</NOTE> When our Sauiour &s;ayth, <HI>If I were lift vp from the earth, I woulde drawe all men vnto me,</HI> hee meaneth that &s;uch as come in trueth, &s;hall come by his power: but hee meaneth not, that there &s;hould none come in outward fa&s;hion onely, &amp; in word, and yet in heart be farre from him, &amp; in their deedes denie him. And as he &s;ayeth againe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.20</NOTE> <HI>where two or three are gathered together in
<PB N="105" REF="62">my name, there am I in the midde&s;t of them:</HI> &s;o are our a&s;&s;emblies in the name of <HI>Christ,</HI> if to come vpon his commaundement, to call vpon him, to heare his worde, and to receaue his Sacramentes, bee to be gathered in his name: and the wicked comming with vs, hindereth not this our purpo&s;e, nor di&s;ap|pointeth our worke.</P>
<P>That which <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aieth: <HI>To whome yee come as vnto a liuing &s;tone, di&s;alowed of men, but cho&s;en of God, and precious, and yee as li|uely &s;tones, bee made a &s;piritual hou&s;e, an holie Priesthoode, to offer vp &s;pirituall Sacrifices ac|ceptable to God by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> This I &s;ay, is &s;poken of them which are called of God ac|cording to his eternall purpo&s;e. But none are thus ioyned to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but onely &s;uch: yet for their &s;akes, the re&s;t are &s;o accoun|ted, and take the name of that which is the chiefe: and &s;o farre are they from making vs to bee &s;eparated from God, when we con|&s;ent not to their &s;innes, that they are tolera|ted and receaued into &s;ome outwarde honor of the Church for vs.</P>
<P>The&s;e places &s;ufficiently proue, that the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> mu&s;t be ioyned vnto <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the head. But what exception can bee ta|ken again&s;t our Churche? howe can it
<PB N="106" REF="63">be &s;ayde, that wee are not gathered together in the name of <HI>Chri&s;t?</HI> They &s;aye, our Chur|ches are gathered together, not in the name of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but in the name of <HI>Antichri&s;t.</HI> This is a mo&s;t vile &s;launder again&s;t the Church. All that is proper to <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> we with&s;tand, and therefore <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elfe ca&s;t off, and vs not gathered in his name, &s;triueth by force and policie, to gather vs to him&s;elfe again. The name of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> included e&s;pe|ciallie his &s;upremacie, his humane traditions again&s;t the written worde of God, his idola|trie, his adoration of Saintes, his pilgrima|ges and reliques, his prayers for the dead and purgatorie, his iu&s;tification by workes, his &s;ati&s;factions for &s;innes, his doctrine of free|will, his vowes of pouertie, of &s;ingle life, his workes of &s;upererogation, his pardons and the like. To come together in the&s;e opini|ons, and in the practi&s;e of tho&s;e thinges, is to bee gathered in the name of <HI>Antichri&s;t.</HI> But thus wee doe not. Contrariewi&s;e, wee come to wor&s;hip God in the name of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> alone, to bee iu&s;tified by him, to heare his trueth: therefore wee are gathered in the name of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The fourth note of a vi&s;ible Church they make this, that it mu&s;t wor&s;hip <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> truelie. It is out of que&s;tion, that the true Church of God wor&s;hippeth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>
<PB N="107" REF="63">aright. But what can they alledge again&s;t vs and the wor&s;hip that we performe to Chri&s;t? Fir&s;t the commandement, Thou &s;halt make no grauen image. They account vs idolaters. Then that to the <HI>Corinths,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 10.</NOTE> <HI>If anie man &s;ay vnto thee, that is &s;acrificed vnto idoles, eate it not be|cau&s;e of him that &s;hewed it.</HI> Our &s;eruice they &s;ay was once offered to idoles, and therefore now mu&s;t not be v&s;ed. To the&s;e they ioine that of <HI>E&s;ay,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ai 66.17.</NOTE> <HI>They that &s;anctifie the~&s;elues &amp; pu|rifie them&s;elues in the gardens behind a tree in the midde&s;t eating &s;wines fle&s;h, and &s;uch abomi|nation, euen the mou&s;e &s;halbe con&s;umed together &s;aith the Lord.</HI> In their account our prayers &amp; the forme of our publike &s;eruice is <HI>&s;wines fle&s;h,</HI> or as a <HI>mou&s;e,</HI> which things were vncleane, and might not be offered to God by the law. And to this end they heape vp many places of like nature, as that of <HI>Deuteronomy,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 17.1.</NOTE> &amp; &s;uch other: <HI>Thou &s;halt offer to the Lorde thy God no bullocke nor &s;heepe wherein is blemi&s;h, or any e|uill fauoured thing, for that is an abomination to the Lorde thy God.</HI> Such a &s;acrifice they iudge the &s;eruice that we offer to God by the booke of common prayer to be. Therefore they giue names of reproche and di&s;daine vnto the booke, calling it the <HI>Statute booke,</HI> and <HI>&s;tinted &s;eruice,</HI> and <HI>&s;taruers booke,</HI> and &s;uch like. Again&s;t this booke they fight
<PB N="108" REF="64">as again&s;t a mo&s;t pregnant idole. We wor|&s;hippe not God aright, becau&s;e we wor&s;hip him by this booke. The wor&s;hippe of God is large: faith, hearing of his worde, reading of the Scriptures, and euerie good worke pertaineth to his wor&s;hippe. All the &s;eruice and duetie we doe to God, are not done by the reading and v&s;ing of that booke. Nay all our prayers in the Church are not out of it. The preachers v&s;e the libertie of their mind, and motion of Gods &s;pirite. So that all our wor&s;hip, and all our prayers are not done by that booke.</P>
<P>But they &s;ay, that booke and the wor&s;hip done by it is idolatrous. Fir&s;t they con|demne it in generall, and then in parti|cular. In generall they mi&s;like for fiue things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e the prayers are read. The reading of prayers, they &s;ay, can not bee with &s;ighes and grones, nor come of faith, nor proceede from the motion of the &s;pi|rite, nor haue any feeling ioyned with it, and hath no warrant by commaundement or practi&s;e from <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his Apo&s;tles. Prayers read (they &s;ay) are onely for medi|tation, and not for inuocation. This is their accu&s;ation again&s;t the prayers that are read out of a booke. When our Sauiour &s;ayeth:
<PB N="109" REF="64"><HI>The true wor&s;hippers mu&s;t wor&s;hippe the father in &s;pirite and trueth:</HI> and <HI>Paul, the &s;pirite hel|peth our infirmtties,</HI> then they &s;uppo&s;e that prayers read are excluded, as though they proceeded not of the &s;pirite. Prayers are not &s;o much v&s;ed of the people, nor of any of vs as they ought to be. It is the chiefe meanes to obtaine Gods fauour, to keepe our &s;elues in his feare, and to worke all goodnes in vs. If prayers by the booke were no praiers, we &s;hould be much more barren in this exerci&s;e then we are. This were a good meanes for the deuill to banni&s;h pray|er from a great number altogether. I would know in re&s;pect of the hearer, what great difference it is, if the prayer be read to him or pronounced out of thy heart? Neyther way doth it come out of his heart as the fountaine. It commeth thus to pa&s;&s;e al&s;o with many that vtter conceiued prayers, that for the mo&s;t part they v&s;e the &s;ame fourme of words, &amp; the &s;ame matter in mo&s;t points of their praiers. Againe what would this liberty of euery mans praying publike at his owne motion, hauing that office, bring vpon the Churches? Infinite &amp; intollerable babling in &s;ome, &amp; da~nable &amp; mo&s;t heretical petitions in a great number. But they &s;ay praiers read are not of the <HI>&s;pirite,</HI> nor with &s;ighes,
<PB N="110" REF="65">nor feeling. The very reading is not praying but the motion and de&s;ire to God in rea|ding is praying. This motion is not hinde|red, but furthered by reading: becau&s;e it bringeth to the vnder&s;tanding that which the heart longeth after. As one candle recei|ueth light of another, &s;o euen in prayer the heart receiueth light and heate by meanes of the words read and heard. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;et down a fourme of words and &s;ayd, when you pray, pray thus. Nowe he that v&s;eth the wordes, and matter, and affection, <HI>prayeth thus,</HI> rather then he that v&s;eth the matter and affection onely. And the words of &s;ome petitions we v&s;e of nece&s;&s;itie, as <HI>forgiue vs our &s;innes or tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es,</HI> and therefore may well v&s;e all. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe in the garden prayed thri&s;e, &s;aying the &s;ame words. <HI>Dauid</HI> made diuers P&s;almes to be &s;ung in Gods &s;eruice, and intitleth them to the parties that &s;hould be leaders in them. The hundred thirtie and &s;ixt p&s;alme was co~monly &s;ung in time of thank&s;giuing, for great and extraordinarie victories: fir&s;t <HI>Dauid</HI> him&s;elfe v&s;ed it, then <HI>Ieho&s;aphat,</HI> and after that <HI>Iudas Maccabeus. Ioel</HI> in the pub|like fa&s;t telleth what the prie&s;tes &s;hould &s;ay, and biddeth them pronounce the&s;e words: <HI>Spare thy people,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel 2.17.</NOTE> <HI>O Lorde, and giue not thine heritage into reproche, that the heathen &s;houlde
<PB N="111" REF="65">rule ouer them: wherefore &s;hould they &s;ay among the people, where is their God?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;e 14.2.</NOTE> <HI>Ho&s;eah</HI> biddeth the people take vnto them words, and &s;ay to the Lord: <HI>Take away all iniquitie, and re|ceiue vs graciou&s;ly, &s;o will we render the calues of our lippes, A&s;&s;hur &s;hall not &s;aue vs, ney|ther will wee ride vpon hor&s;es, neyther will wee &s;ay any more to the worke of our hands, yee are our Gods: for in thee the father|le&s;&s;e findeth mercie.</HI> God pre&s;cribed a fourme of ble&s;&s;ing to <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;onne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 56.23.</NOTE> wherewith they &s;houlde ble&s;&s;e the people: commaunding them to &s;ay, <HI>The Lorde ble&s;&s;e thee and keepe thee,</HI> and &s;o &s;oorth. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> v&s;ed a fourme of wordes as a prayer at the going forwarde and re|&s;ting of the Arke:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 10.35, 36.</NOTE> and <HI>Dauid</HI> in his prayer hath the &s;ame. Seeing the&s;e things are &s;o,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.2.</NOTE> prayers read may be v&s;ed, &amp; a man by them may perfourme vnto God &s;pirituall and ac|ceptable &s;eruice.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing for which they mi&s;like the booke is, becau&s;e it is pre&s;cribed and im|po&s;ed, and v&s;ed continually. This cutteth off the libertie of the Church (they &s;ay) and bringeth it into bondage: this is tedious to men, and <HI>Penrie</HI> is not a&s;hamed to &s;ay, it is loth&s;ome to God to be &s;erued &s;o oft as it were with one di&s;h. The libertie that the&s;e
<PB N="112" REF="66">men chalenge is &s;uch, as that they will be bound to nothing, e&s;pecially in religion. &amp; in things indifferent, neither by prince nor by a|ny law of man be it neuer &s;o good &amp; godly, the thing is mi&s;liked, becau&s;e it is pre&s;cribed and impo&s;ed vpon vs. Doth the very impo|&s;ing and bond by law make it vnholy? Then acknowledge not the <HI>Trinitie,</HI> nor receiue <HI>the canonicall Scripture,</HI> nor &s;eeke to knowe Gods commandements nor <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> faith: For the&s;e things by law are impo&s;ed vpo~ vs. But this dimini&s;heth not our liberty, nor ta|keth away our willing &s;eruing of God, in the&s;e things impo&s;ed, but rather maketh vs more willing. And as for tediou&s;ne&s;&s;e to the Lord, becau&s;e the&s;e prayers are old and v&s;uall, it is not to be feared. For in his &s;eruice he requireth not newe words, but a newe heart. The wor&s;hippe and prayer is newe to God, &s;o oft as our heart is renewed with zeale and true repentance, and good affecti|on to it. For the prayer to God is not the outward word, but the inward de&s;ire and affection.</P>
<P>The third thing in generall for which they condemne the booke is, for that it is mans inuention. What&s;oeuer man deui&s;eth, that they count vncleane and not to be v&s;ed in prayer. When mens traditions and inuen|tions
<PB N="113" REF="66">are reprooued in Gods &s;eruice by &s;crip|ture, hitherto by all godly writers, tho&s;e things haue bene vnder&s;tood which are con|trary to Gods word. Things agreeable are not &s;o accounted mens inuentions, that they &s;hould be condemned. For if &s;imply to come from the wit and braine of man be naught, the~ were preaching to be bani&s;hed, and then euen conceiued prayers mu&s;t be excluded, and &s;o much more, becau&s;e they be new in|uentions euery day: and this, if it be any, it is but one. It is not a deui&s;e of man, therefore to be reiected, which is agreea|ble to the word of God, as tho&s;e things in this booke are, whereby we wor&s;hip God.</P>
<P>The fourth generall cau&s;e of reiecting the booke is, for that it is in many points ta|ken out of the Popes porte&s;&s;e. Therefore <HI>Barrowe</HI> calleth it a great colloppe, or a pigge of that mezeled hogge. In this be|halfe another of them &s;ayeth, wee beare the image of the bea&s;t, for that we v&s;e &s;ome part of his forme of liturgie. It is certaine that a great part of the publike prayer in that booke which the <HI>Romanes</HI> v&s;e, was practi&s;ed in the Church before <HI>the bea&s;t</HI> came in that chaire. And often times Gods people haue eyther taken or
<PB N="114" REF="67">re&s;umed tho&s;e things to Gods wor&s;hippe, which haue bene abu&s;ed by idolaters. The &s;poiles of <HI>Egypt</HI> &amp; of <HI>Iericho,</HI> the ve&s;&s;els of the te~ple abu&s;ed by the <HI>Babylonians</HI> were againe applied to Gods &s;eruice. If we v&s;ed any thing wherein the <HI>Pope</HI> &s;heweth him&s;elfe to bee the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> as his wor&s;hipping of dead Saints, and images, and the Ma&s;&s;e, and &s;uch like, then we might be &s;ayde to beare his image or his marke: But in the prayers that wee haue, there is no part, no limme, no clawe of that <HI>bea&s;t.</HI> The people of God mu&s;t not fa&s;hion them&s;elues like the <HI>Cananites,</HI> nor the heathen about them, in any thing wherein they are idolatrous and impious: but in that they haue as men, Gods people may be like them. As they are <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> we will not be like the <HI>Romanes:</HI> but as they are <HI>Chri|&s;tians,</HI> we may be like them. In taking good things from them wee take not any thing that was theirs, but we take to our &s;elues that which was our owne. We mu&s;t not v&s;e the <HI>Bible,</HI> nor the name of <HI>God</HI> or <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> nor <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> if we will haue nothing that they had.</P>
<P>The fift and la&s;t thing for which in gene|rall they ca&s;t away the booke is, for that it mainteineth a reading mini&s;tery. A booke of common prayer is no cau&s;e of a reading
<PB N="115" REF="67">Mini&s;ter. The chiefe&s;t cau&s;e is, that preachers will not be had, nor can be made in this &s;len|der maintenance of &s;undry Churches: the next cau&s;e is, the couetou&s;nes and wicked dealing of many godle&s;&s;e patrones: and a third cau&s;e is this, contention and &s;trife that is rai&s;ed in the Church. This hath ca&s;t out manie that were in, and hath driuen backe manie that were comming on: this hath cau&s;ed di|uer&s;e to for&s;ake the &s;tudie of Diuinitie and learning altogether. But the booke of Com|mon prayer is no cau&s;e of it: for the preachers with vs v&s;e it, and where all are preachers, there is a &s;et forme ob&s;erued, and is nece&s;&s;a|rie to bee had of all well ordered Churches. The&s;e are the thinges, for which they con|demne the booke in generall.</P>
<P>Now in particular, they trifle about many things: As fir&s;t about the holy dayes, where|of &s;ome they call double Idoles, and double fea&s;tes, Hallowmas, Chri&s;tmas, Candlemas, Ea&s;ter, Whit&s;onday, Trinitie &s;onday: Then there are the Ladies dayes, Saints dayes with the Eues fa&s;t, and fea&s;tes, and deui&s;ed wor|&s;hip vnto them. La&s;t of all, they reckon the celebrating of dayes to Angels, as Michael, and the naming of manie <HI>Archangels.</HI> This cauil will ea&s;ily be an&s;wered. For fir&s;t wee make not the Calender anie parte of Gods
<PB N="116" REF="68">wor&s;hip: Wherefore it is vaine to accu&s;e vs of a fal&s;e wor&s;hip by that, when wee put no parte of his wor&s;hippe in it. That di&s;tin|gui&s;heth the times, and directeth vs to the P&s;almes and Scriptures: but is no parte of Gods &s;eruice, no more then a marke by the waye to direct them which goe by, is a parte of the way. The names maye bee &s;ome|what offen&s;iue where Ma&s;&s;e is added: but in the olde tongue from whence our language came (long before the corruptions of the Ma&s;&s;e were crept in) the worde &s;ignified no|thing but <HI>Tide,</HI> or &s;ome &s;olemn time: and the common people haue v&s;ed to &s;peake &s;o, and the name <HI>Mi&s;&s;a,</HI> from whence that is &s;uppo&s;ed to come, is read in ancient fa|thers, in a good and a godly meaning: yea, and in mo&s;t Calenders tho&s;e names are re|formed. The Saintes wee wor&s;hip not, nor Angels, neither with prayers, fa&s;tes, nor a|ny &s;uch thing: But God wee wor&s;hip, and take occa&s;ion at &s;uch times, when wee call to minde them by whome the wor&s;hip of God hath bin &s;pred throughout the world. The people of God haue v&s;ed and appointed moe dayes to publike prayer, and Gods &s;eruice then the <HI>Sabbath,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;ter. Euang. Ioan.</NOTE> without controlement: as the fea&s;t of <HI>Purim</HI> and of <HI>Dedication.</HI> La&s;t of all, tho&s;e dayes, except the natiuitie of our
<PB N="117" REF="68">Sauiour, and tho&s;e that fall v&s;ually on the Lordes day, are in mo&s;t places growne to be equall with the re&s;t: Our people are readie ynough, to make no difference of dayes in that behalfe.</P>
<P>The next thing that commeth vnder their cen&s;ure, are the fa&s;tes, Lent, imber dayes, A&s;hwedne&s;day, Maundie, Holy thur&s;day, Goodfridaye, and the re&s;t. Two thinges are regarded of the Churche, in di&s;tingui|&s;hing the&s;e times from others. Fir&s;t a time to bee ob&s;erued of all, for the v&s;e of fi&s;he, and refraining from fle&s;h, that nauigati|on might bee maintained, and that &s;eeing wee may haue proui&s;ion of all kinde of foode, wee doe not continuallie v&s;e one|lie one, to which wee are mo&s;t giuen, to the decaie thereof, and hinderance of the other.</P>
<P>Secondly, that there maie bee v&s;ed al&s;o a moderate ab&s;tinence, not to the honour of Saintes, nor as though there were anie wor&s;hippe of God in it of it &s;elfe, but that our bodies maye bee kept vnder, and the minde might bee made the fitter to &s;erue the Lorde. If all tho&s;e dayes and others, were v&s;ed in a whole or halfe ab&s;tinence, it were better for mens bodies and &s;oules, and for the commonwealth, then it is.
<PB N="118" REF="69">The &s;uper&s;tition and merite in &s;uch thinges is condemned: but either a ciuile or holie v&s;e, to the better ordering of our bodies and affections, of none that are wi&s;e can be mi&s;|lyked.</P>
<P>A third matter of reprehen&s;ion is (as they call it) a bla&s;phemous abu&s;e of &s;criptures, &s;hredding, and rending them from their natu|ral &s;en&s;e and true v&s;e, to bend and apply them to the Idole fea&s;tes. This accu&s;ation is both fooli&s;h and impudent. If they thinke (as it &s;eemes they doe) that it is not lawfull to print or reade by it &s;elfe, &s;ome portion of the &s;crip|ture, &s;euered fro~ the re&s;t of y^e whole body, it is fooli&s;h: for what offence can there be, in ma|king choi&s;e of &s;ome parte for in&s;truction, &s;ee|ing the bodie is left whole notwith&s;tanding? And to &s;ay they are turned from their true &s;en&s;e, it is impudent: for in the &s;ame words &amp; meaning are they &s;et downe in the Com|munion booke, as they are in the bodie of the &s;cripture: neither doe we apply them to the fea&s;tes, but to our &s;elues, to be in&s;tructed by them.</P>
<P>The fourth crime they &s;et downe in the&s;e wordes: Abominable Collectes ouer, for, and to the dead. What can bee &s;poken more &s;pitefull and &s;hamele&s;&s;e? We praye neither for the dead, nor to the dead: wee praye for
<PB N="119" REF="69">our &s;elues, at the buriall of the dead.</P>
<P>In the fi&s;t place, about Bapti&s;me and that which pertaineth to it, they finde many faults. They &s;aye it is corrupted with the &s;igne of the cro&s;&s;e, with godfathers, and godmothers, with the Fonte, with vnlawfull and vnpo&s;&s;i|ble vowes of go&s;&s;ips: to the&s;e they ioyne purification or churching of women, with their offerings, ha&s;tie bapti&s;me by Midwiues, bi&s;hopping and &s;econd bapti&s;me: by the&s;e thinges, they iudge that bapti&s;me is corrup|ted. But why &s;hould the &s;igne of the cro&s;&s;e corrupt it? Is it &s;o odious to expre&s;&s;e the fi|gure of that whereon <HI>Christ</HI> dyed, without opinion of adding grace, without giuing any wor&s;hip to it, but onely for remembrance? there is none impietie it it. And what impo&s;|&s;ible vowe doe the godfathers and godmo|thers make? They &s;ay not (as they alleage.) that the childe &s;hall beleeue, but that it doth, in way of Sacrament and outwarde profe&s;|&s;ion, in as much as it is offered to bapti&s;me, which is <HI>Sacramentum fidei,</HI> and is borne of parents that are profe&s;&s;ors of <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> faith. And as for the procuring of the&s;e thinges in action in the childe, there is none that vnder|&s;tandeth I thinke anie furder, then as it maye lye in them conueniently, and as neede &s;hall require. But what can there be in the Font
<PB N="120" REF="70">to corrupt bapti&s;me, more the~ in the Church wals to corrupt prayers, and &s;criptures, and and preaching, and all? Women are not pu|rified, as though they were otherwi&s;e vn|cleane: but they giue thankes for their deli|uerance, and for the increa&s;e of mankinde and the Church: In giuing thankes for Gods be|nefites, there is not anie fault. Confirmation is retained as a meanes to procure the in&s;truc|ting of the children, or as a tryall of it, not as a newe bapti&s;me, nor as anie Sacrament, nor as that which &s;houlde conferre grace, otherwi&s;e then by prayer to God for it. Bapti&s;me by women is not warranted by the booke, nor allowed to bee put in prac|ti&s;e.</P>
<P>About the Lordes &s;upper they haue ma|nie cauils, as that it is &s;oulde for two pence a head: that the in&s;titution is broken and changed in the deliuerie: that there is a &s;tage-like dialogue betweene prie&s;t, clarke, and people: that there are newe Apocry|phall lawes and iniunctions added, the Prie&s;t to &s;tand at the North&s;ide of the ta|ble, the people to kneele, ver&s;e, and Col|lect: that there is popi&s;h and idolatrous hou&s;eling of the &s;icke: that there is po|pi&s;h vi&s;iting and pardoning of the &s;icke, with this Sacrament: The&s;e are hainous
<PB N="121" REF="70">thinges.</P>
<P>The Sacrament (they &s;ay) is &s;ould for two pence: who &s;elleth it, who buieth it &s;o? He is to giue that, whether he receaue or no: It is no price of the Sacrament, but a poore alow|ance to the Mini&s;ter: The in&s;titution is not broken in the deliuerie. The wordes of in&s;ti|tution are then v&s;ed, when the bread and wine are &s;et apart for the v&s;e of the Sacra|ment, and &s;o much &s;et apart for it, as is v&s;ed in it. The wordes in the deliuerie, are to ap|plie them to the per&s;ons, to &s;tirre vp their faith: the in&s;titution was pa&s;t before. For the &s;peeches vttered by the Mini&s;ter, and clearke, and people, there is no fault in the matter, but they condemne the forme. They thinke the Mini&s;ter mu&s;t vtter all that is &s;poken: the people mu&s;t onely &s;ay, Amen. That they are commanded to &s;aye, and they are not forbidden to &s;aye more. How can that &s;ound of the multitude bee made in the pray&s;ing of God, compared to the &s;ound of many waters, and of mightie thunders, if the people &s;aye nothing in Gods &s;eruice? Their owne &s;peach maketh them more atten|tiue, and &s;tirreth vp their mindes the rather. The finding fault with &s;tanding, kneeling, and &s;uch nece&s;&s;arie and &s;eemelie ge&s;tures, proceedeth of infinite curio&s;itie, and mo&s;t
<PB N="122" REF="71">froward peeui&s;hnes. We can not be together but we mu&s;t haue &s;ome place, &s;ome ge&s;ture, and the&s;e are the fitte&s;t. La&s;t of all, as pray|ers and the worde of comfort, &s;o likewi&s;e the Sacrament may be giuen to the &s;icke. There is no pardon otherwi&s;e giuen to him by it, then to other men, at other times. If hee be|leeue and repent, he hath forgiuenes by faith in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and it is &s;ealed and confirmed to him by the Sacrament. Thus much of the par|ticular faultes which they are mo&s;t offended with.</P>
<P>Moreouer be&s;ides the&s;e, they carpe at comminations, which are nothing but &s;en|tences of &s;cripture: and how bitter &s;oeuer the cur&s;es are, yet they are the cur&s;es of God, a|gain&s;t &s;uch as offend. They finde fault with a &s;euenfold repetition of the Lordes prayer at one meeting: &s;ome of them are oft omitted: with to&s;&s;ing of P&s;almes and &s;entences to and fro like tennis balles: which is a prophane &s;peach: and the thing is not commanded: and it may well be practi&s;ed, &s;o they reade, and &s;peake in &s;uch &s;orte, that all men may heare and vnder&s;tand.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the chiefe thinges, with which they finde fault in the booke. The mo&s;t of them are circum&s;tances, and as it were the &s;hels: the kirnel is the confe&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes,
<PB N="123" REF="71">the asking of thinges nece&s;&s;arie to &s;oule and bodie, for the common &s;tate and our &s;elues, the pray&s;ing of God for his benefites, the &s;et|ting forth of Gods will, his worde and te&s;ta|ment. The&s;e are the &s;ub&s;tance of the booke, and of Gods wor&s;hip. They make a buzzing about mens eares, with trifles and vanities for the mo&s;t parte: and for the&s;e, they will turne all vp&s;ide downe: which are &s;uch things in deede many of them, as it would not come into our mindes once to &s;peake of them, if their exclamations and outcries did not &s;tirre vs of nece&s;&s;itie to it.</P>
<P>Yet there is one thing pertaining to Gods wor&s;hip among vs, which they can not &s;ub|mit them&s;elues vnto. An othe is a parte of the honor we giue to God, when vpon iu&s;t cau&s;e in the trueth, wee call his name to wit|nes: this we do, by laying the hand vpon the booke of holy &s;cripture. The othe is taken in the name of God, that gaue his worde to his Church, by the promi&s;es and threatnings that he in it hath made vnto vs: the booke is ki&s;|&s;ed and touched in &s;igne thereof: otherwi&s;e, by the dead paper, or ynke, or couer, wee are not willed, neither ought we to &s;weare: and this hath neither impietie nor idolatrie in it, no more then if a man did lift vp his eyes, or his hands to heauen, when he doth it in more
<PB N="124" REF="72">vehement expre&s;&s;ing of his &s;incere and ear|ne&s;t meaning in it. Thus much of the fourth note of their Church, <HI>Gods true wor&s;hip:</HI> for corruption whereof, they accu&s;e vs fal&s;ely.</P>
<P>The fift note of the vi&s;ible Church, they make to bee the obeying of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> as their king, prie&s;t, and prophet: Thus &s;hould <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> be receaued, or el&s;e he is not receaued at all to anie benefite. Fir&s;t then they goe about to &s;hewe, that wee acknowledge not <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to bee our king: wee receaue him not as king (they &s;aye) becau&s;e wee reiect his go|uernment, and &s;tand vnder the Antichri&s;tian yoke of popi&s;h gouernement. There be ma|ny things which pertaine to <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> gouerne|ment and reigne as hee is king, which wee haue, yea, all thinges that are nece&s;&s;arie and &s;ub&s;tantiall partes of that his office. Fir&s;t the &s;piritual gouernement in the &s;oule, by which hee reigneth in vs, to the peace of con&s;cience, and the vanqui&s;hing of <HI>Satan,</HI> and the bea|ting downe of &s;inne and ignorance is founde among vs, and wee &s;pecially reioyce in it. Of this, it is &s;ayde: <HI>the kingdome of God is with|in you:</HI> and that, <HI>the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke: but peace and righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and ioy in the holy gho&s;t:</HI> and that, <HI>wee are tran&s;lated from the kingdome of darkenes, to the kingdome of light.</HI></P>
<PB N="125" REF="72">
<P>Secondly, his worde read and preached, reprouing &s;inne, and teaching righteou&s;nes, is among vs. Of this it is &s;aide, <HI>the &s;cepter of thy kingdome is a right &s;cepter:</HI> and for this partelie, the Go&s;pell is called <HI>the Go&s;pell of the kingdome.</HI> The&s;e are the principall thinges pertaining to <HI>Chri&s;tes</HI> kingdome heere in earth: and the&s;e, by his grace and goodnes, wee haue among vs. Nowe they haue a third branch of a kingly reigne, which is a forme of outwarde gouernement, the ende and &s;cope whereof is, that order &s;hould bee kept, &s;inne &s;houlde bee puni&s;hed, and cor|rected among Gods people, by eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call puni&s;hments, and cen&s;ures. This (they &s;aye) wee want, and therefore doe not ac|knowledge <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> our king. They imagine that <HI>Christ</HI> hath &s;et a forme externall, by which euery congregation &s;houlde bee fra|med in this behalfe, as that there mu&s;t bee (be&s;ides the teachers) in euerie congrega|tion, a certaine number of Elders, which mu&s;t electe, depo&s;e, ordeine, make orders and decrees, reprooue, &s;u&s;pende and ex|communicate, when they &s;ee good. This is the kingdome which they &s;triue for: if this bee not in euery pari&s;h, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> (they &s;aye) can not bee our king, we haue ca&s;t him off. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is our king, not onelie by his
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<PB N="128" REF="73">nece&s;&s;arie to &s;aluation, &amp; directlie commaun|ded, as the Prie&s;tes did in the dayes of <HI>Mala|chie.</HI> If wee reiected gouernement, and re|fu&s;ed all correction and puni&s;hme~t for &s;inne, we reiected an expre&s;&s;e commaundement of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> our king. But in reiecting the cen&s;ures of ten, or &s;ixe, or any &s;uch number in euerie congregation, wee doe not repugne anie open or knowen commaundement of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> our king.</P>
<P>Wherefore, notwith&s;tanding the gouerne|ment which wee haue, and the excluding of that gouernement which they would ob|trude, wee haue <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to bee our king, and hee acknowledgeth vs his people, &s;ubiectes, and armie.</P>
<P>Nowe wee mu&s;t &s;ee, what it is that ma|keth them to thinke that we denie the prie&s;t|hoode of our Sauiour <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> and &s;o make that he is no prie&s;t to vs. If hee be no prie&s;t for vs, then hath hee not &s;acrificed, and &s;ati&s;fied for our &s;innes: then hath hee not, neither doth make interce&s;&s;ion for vs. Hee that denieth the prie&s;thoode of <HI>Ie&s;us Christ,</HI> lo&s;eth the&s;e his benefites: <HI>He is a prie&s;t for euer, after the order of Melchi&s;edech:</HI> and all mu&s;t come vnto God by him. Now then, wherein doe wee deny his prie&s;thoode? Be|cau&s;e (&s;aye they) we &s;acrilegiou&s;ly prophane
<PB N="129" REF="73">his name with our idolatrie, and becau&s;e we pro&s;titute his blood, and make him a prie&s;t and &s;acrifice to infidels, and mo&s;t wicked of|fenders. His prie&s;thoode were denyed, if we tru&s;ted in anie but in his &s;acrifice for the forgiuenes of our &s;innes, or if wee made pray|ers to God in anie mediators name but his. But (they &s;aye) wee denie his prie&s;thoode, becau&s;e wee make prayer vnto him out of a booke: for this they call idolatrie. But by that booke wee praye to God the fa|ther, in his name, for thinges agreeable to his will, with faith, and from the heart. Therefore there is no idolatrie in that, nor any thing that derogateth from his prie&s;t|hoode.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing, wherein wee denie his prie&s;thoode, is (they &s;aye) becau&s;e wee pro&s;titute the blood of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and make him a prie&s;t and &s;acrifice to infidels, and the mo&s;t wicked offenders. In bapti&s;me (they &s;ay) it is pro&s;tituted, becau&s;e wee giue the Sacrament to the whole nation: in the Supper, becau&s;e wicked impenitent per&s;ons are receaued of vs to it: and gene|rally in both, becau&s;e at the fir&s;t by procla|mation of the prince, and vpon the &s;udaine, from idolatrie and poperie, &s;treight after the reigne of Queene <HI>Marie,</HI> all were receaued
<PB N="130" REF="74">to the Sacrament: and that people is yet re|tained.</P>
<P>But for the infantes to bee bapti&s;ed, al|though the parentes were wicked, there is good warrant. Fir&s;t, for that their auncetors were receaued into the couenant, and the &s;inne of the father &s;hall bee vpon him&s;elfe, and is per&s;onall, and nece&s;&s;arily the puni&s;h|ment pa&s;&s;eth not, God him&s;elfe &s;ayeth: <HI>the &s;onne &s;hall not beare the iniquitie of the father.</HI> Another rea&s;on is, becau&s;e there is hope of the childe, that hee &s;hall bee brought vp to knowe God, and beleeue in <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> and la&s;t of all, for that there is none baptized, but &s;ome doe vndertake for him, that it &s;hall be performed: they marueile that a whole nation &s;houlde bee bapti&s;ed: and yet <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath &s;aide: <HI>Go teach all nations, bapti&s;ing them.</HI> And as touching the whole multitude recea|ued after the ende of the reigne of Queene <HI>Marie:</HI> Fir&s;t it can not bee &s;aide, but they had teaching in the dayes of the mo&s;t wor|thie king <HI>Edwarde,</HI> although they fell from it. Secondly, they came not as meere &s;tran|gers to <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Religion, but as men from an aberration in <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Religion, which they might ea&s;ilie correct, if they were not wilfull: And what &s;houlde that preiudice the Church nowe? If they had
<PB N="131" REF="74">not bene taught then, yet nowe they haue bene taught aboue the&s;e thirtie yeres. La&s;t of all, in &s;uch maner Gods people haue bene reduced to Gods wor&s;hippe againe from idolatrie vnder <HI>Io&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Ezechias</HI> Kings of <HI>Iudah.</HI> Nowe concerning the Sacrament of the Supper, we doe not pro&s;titute it to in|fidels. We cannot count any in this land infidels, whome we know and receiue to the Sacrament of the Supper. All make profe&s;|&s;ion of faith, all acknowledge <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> God and redeemer, and hope for &s;aluation in him: if they haue not this, we may and ought re|iect them. If any neglect his duety, it is no preiudice nor cau&s;e to condemne the re&s;t. So likewi&s;e, knowen wicked offenders, (if they be impenitent) are remooued: and if it were &s;o that &s;ome &s;uch as are not to be made par|takers, doe communicate, is that a denying of his &s;acrifice and prie&s;thoode to the re&s;t? It is euill applyed to &s;uch: but it is not thereby plucked from the re&s;t. It is applyed to him that hath no benefite: but he is not depriued, to whom the benefite belongeth. The places of Scripture by which they woulde prooue, that we denie <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> prie&s;thoode for giuing the Sacrament to &s;uch as we receiue, are the&s;e:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezec. 44.7.</NOTE> fir&s;t the complaint of God in <HI>Eze|chiel: Yee haue brought into my Sanctuarie
<PB N="132" REF="75">&s;trangers, vncircu~ci&s;ed in heart &amp; vncircu~ci&s;ed in fle&s;h, to be in my Sa~ctuary &amp; to pollute my hou&s;e when ye offer my bread.</HI> God reproueth the~ for making &s;uch prie&s;ts as were vncircu~ci&s;ed in fle&s;h, &amp; &s;trangers, euen heathens, &amp; idolaters: for to be in y^e &s;a~ctuary, &amp; there to mini&s;ter, was to be a prie&s;t. Such we make not. &amp; this per|taineth nothing to y^e receiuing of any among vs to the &s;acrame~t. To this they ioine another complaint of <HI>Ieremie,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 1.10.</NOTE> <HI>The enemie hath &s;tret|ched out his hand vpon all her plea&s;ant things: for &s;he hath &s;eene the heathen enter into her &s;anctu|arie, whom thou didde&s;t co~mand that they &s;hould not enter into thy Church.</HI> This is &s;poken of the enemies, which &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e al they had, &amp; be Lords ouer them, &amp; &s;poile their Sanctu|arie by violence. The&s;e were heathen idola|ters, the <HI>Babylonians.</HI> Such &s;hould not enter into the Church. We receiue none &s;uch as profe&s;&s;e them&s;elues to be idolaters, as be|leeue not in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and are open per&s;ecuters of his people. Thus it is apparant, we do not pro&s;titute the blood of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to &s;uch as they name: &amp; if any ma~ do, the Church &amp; gouern|ment doth not allow it: &amp; againe, that this is not a denying of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> prie&s;thood &amp; &s;acri|fice, &amp; the putting of another thing in &s;tead thereof as y^e papi&s;ts did, but rather a mi&s;&s;e ap|plying of it where it &s;hould not be applied.
<PB N="133" REF="75">Wherefore, wee doe not deny his prie&s;t|hood.</P>
<P>As concerning the propheticall office of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> that by vs is not ob&s;cured and dimi|ni&s;hed, but magnified and highly aduanced. His word onely hath &s;oueraigne authoritie, it is publi&s;hed, and it is receiued in our Chur|ches. Let them &s;hewe wherein we derogate from his prophecie.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t accu&s;ation is a &s;lander; as that we adde to the word, that we v&s;e humane traditions, we obtrude things contrary to the word, and that we oppugne and re|iect the manife&s;t trueth. The&s;e things mu&s;t be an&s;wered in the particulars. We adde nothing as nece&s;&s;arie to &s;aluation, we teach nothing contrary, and we imbrace all the knowne and euident trueth. But that is not an addition, or a knowen trueth, or a thing contrary to the word which they imagine to be &s;o. But (as I &s;ayd) the&s;e things are an|&s;wered in the particulars.</P>
<P>The next accu&s;ation is, that we giue not obedience to the word of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but v&s;e it as a mantel to couer our &s;inne, rather then as a rule to direct our life. We cannot &s;ay, that all doe obey the Go&s;pell in heart: and &s;ome in hypocri&s;ie v&s;e it, as a cloake for &s;inne. This fru&s;trateth his prophecie with
<PB N="134" REF="76">tho&s;e per&s;ons, &s;o that they haue no benefite by it. But his prophecie hardeneth and not onely &s;ofteneth, and there be in the Church, &s;uch as waxe wor&s;e and wor&s;e, as well as tho&s;e which waxe better and better. And <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is a <HI>Prophet</HI> vnto both. Neither the lawes nor the publike teaching doe mind or propound this, that the word of God &s;hould be di&s;obeied, or that any &s;hould make it a co|uer for &s;inne. The fault of &s;ome per&s;ons may not be imputed to the whole Church, nor to the lawes and gouernment.</P>
<P>Another thing whereby we weaken or quite fru&s;trate (they &s;ay) the <HI>prophecie of Chri&s;t</HI> among&s;t vs, is becau&s;e we &s;eeke not a true mini&s;terie, but mainteine a fal&s;e, of which &s;ort (they &s;ay) the whole mini&s;terie of the land is, which are permitted to teach in the publike places, to whom eare is giuen. Such are their words. This accu&s;ation is very large and grieuous. No true mini&s;ters in the whole land? All fal&s;e mini&s;ters? Why do they &s;o ac|count vs? Is it becau&s;e we teach fal&s;e doc|trine, or haue corrupted the faith, or do teach here&s;ies? No &s;uch thing. They obiect none of the&s;e again&s;t vs. Then I hope we may an|&s;were them the ea&s;ier, and be heard the more willingly purging our &s;elues. They cannot obiect vnto vs here&s;ie, nor fal&s;e doctrine, nor
<PB N="135" REF="76">teaching of any thing that de&s;troyeth the grounds of &s;aluation. What be the things then which they &s;ay make vs a fal&s;e mini&s;te|rie? I will recite vnto you all which they lay again&s;t vs, I will di&s;&s;emble nothing: the crimes then are the&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t they &s;ay, we haue not the names of Mini&s;ters of the go&s;pel, but are called Prie&s;ts, Par&s;ons, Vicars, and Curates. It is not in our power what other men will call vs. Some of the&s;e names are giuen of the maintenaunce whereby we liue, and pertaine not to our callings: we delight to be counted the Mi|ni&s;ters of the Go&s;pell. But this about the names, is a vaine cauill.</P>
<P>Secondly they condemne our preparation to the mini&s;terie, which is by &s;tudie and bringing vp in the Vniuer&s;ities. Schooles and Vniuer&s;ities they cannot whollie conde~ne. The Church of the <HI>Iewes</HI> had the &s;chooles of the Prophets: and euer among <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> they haue bene e&s;teemed as the be&s;t nur&s;es of the mini&s;terie. They condemne them for the &s;tudy of humaine learning, and for cer|taine vices among &s;ome per&s;ons. If for the faults of &s;ome of the per&s;ons that profe&s;&s;e any kind of life, the trade it &s;elf be to be con|demned, then no cour&s;e of life mu&s;t be taken in the world. The &s;tudie of <HI>Logike, Rhetorike,
<PB N="136" REF="77">Philo&s;ophie,</HI> and the <HI>Mathematicals</HI> is &s;o ne|ce&s;&s;arie, that without them we &s;hould be barbarous, and but by the helpe of them, ne|uer can any perfection (by ordinary meanes) be attained in <HI>Phi&s;ike, Lawe,</HI> or <HI>Diuinitie.</HI> There are none but madde men, which can condemne Vniuer&s;ities.</P>
<P>Thirdly they mi&s;like our entrance into the mini&s;terie: none of vs is cho&s;en by a whole congregation, nor ordayned by laying on of the hands of the Elder&s;hippe, nor iu&s;t tryall made of giftes and conuer&s;ation. But we are ordained by one man the By&s;hoppe, and are thru&s;t vpon the places where we take charge whether the people will or no. The ordaining of a mini&s;ter by one or fewe is not again&s;t the word of God. <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> appointed Elders by the lay|ing on of hands at <HI>Antioch.</HI> And <HI>Titus</HI> was left in <HI>Creta,</HI> to ordaine Elders in euery ci|tie. Wherefore it wanteth not the word of God, that Pa&s;tours are ordayned by one that hath &s;kill, yet that one with vs doth it not a|lone. <HI>Cyprian</HI> and other ancient fathers ac|knowledge them&s;elues to haue aucthoritie to doe the like. If they be not examined and tryed as they ought, the fault is in the By&s;hoppe. That they are preferred by one to their charge, that is not again&s;t the word,
<PB N="137" REF="77">&s;eeing there is nothing in the word that com|mandeth or co~mendeth the election by the multitude, or inioineth it to be perpetuall.</P>
<P>The fourth accu&s;ation is, again&s;t the vn|learned &amp; vnpreaching mini&s;ters, which is a crime that they make to touch al. for &s;o much as they are no mini&s;ters at all that cannot preach, therefore they the~&s;elues to be conde~|ned: then all the re&s;t eyther by &s;ilence, or by con&s;ent, or by preaching in their charges, or by defending them to be mini&s;ters, are al|&s;o guilty. And the whole people are wrapped (they &s;ay) by them in the &s;ame &s;entence of da~nation, for either keeping vnder the~ or &s;uf|fering the~. And hereupo~ they make that they are no &s;acraments, no praiers, no word of promi&s;e and &s;aluation, that is vttered by them, but that all their actions are voyd and fru&s;trate. This being &s;o great a matter, would be examined by it &s;elfe at large. But in a word to touch it. The reader bringeth the word of reconciliation and forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;heweth the way of repentaunce and amendement of life, mini|ni&s;treth the Sacramentes and prayers in a publike function layde vpon him by the Church; therefore he is a mini&s;ter, and a man may &s;afely heare him, and receiue the &s;acra|ment at his hand. Hee nouri&s;heth fayth
<PB N="138" REF="78">by reading, therefore he may beget it: for wherewith it is nouri&s;hed, therewith it is be|gotten. By the &s;ame meanes wherewith our be&s;t preachers haue bin both at the planting of the Go&s;pell after the darkenes of Poperie in this land, and are made now dayly, and continued in their &s;ufficiencie; by the &s;ame meanes may the people come to faith, and be continued in it. And who &s;eeth not, that reading both begetteth, and chiefly confir|meth and nouri&s;heth many preachers? And &s;eeing it is the &s;pirit that giueth grace, and breatheth where it li&s;teth, why not vpon the good heart when the word is read? In the time of per&s;ecution vnder <HI>Queene Ma|rie,</HI> the reading of &s;ome fewe bookes, brought many to the light, and did pre&s;erue them in it. Euery faithfull man hath expe|rience how his owne reading edifieth, why &s;hould not then the publike reading edifie? The want of &s;kill to preach maketh not a nullitie in him, as in a child or a bea&s;t: for he giueth con&s;ent to that he taketh in hand, and nature it &s;elfe excludeth &s;uch from the office. <HI>Faith</HI> in deed <HI>commeth by hearing, and hea|ring by the word of God, and they cannot heare without a preacher.</HI> But reading is a certaine kind of preaching: for if the &s;hewing of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe without words when <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>
<PB N="139" REF="78">de&s;cended into hell, was and is of many lear|ned men called preaching, and &s;o they could vnder&s;ta~d the preaching that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaketh of: then why might not the reading of the word of God be called a preaching of it?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 15.20.</NOTE> And <HI>Iames</HI> calleth the reading preaching. <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> he &s;aith <HI>of old time hath in euery citie them that preach him, &s;eeing he is read in the Synagogues euery Sabbath day.</HI> This importeth that rea|ding is a kind of preaching. There were mini|&s;ters that only read in the Synagogues of the <HI>Iewes.</HI> When they were &s;o ready to de&s;ire a &s;tranger to &s;peake, it &s;eemed it was not ordi|nary to haue an expounder in euery Syna|gogue. They were not alwaies preachers that did baptize. <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> di&s;ciples baptized, <HI>Iohn</HI> 4. when as (in the iudgment of many that are learned) <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> had not &s;ent forth any yet to preach. I &s;peake not this to make reading &amp; preaching in the Church equal, or that reading &s;hould bani&s;h preaching, or preaching exclude reading. The expounding of &s;cripture and applying of it to the pre&s;ent &s;tate, by the working of Gods &s;pirit in the mouth of a man called for y^t purpo&s;e, is mo&s;t excellent &amp; nece&s;&s;ary for al Churches, &amp; our Lawes and gouernment do require it. Other|wi&s;e, as &s;ome conclude, let all be readers, ba|ni&s;h preachers quite, heare only the reader, if
<PB N="140" REF="79">there be no excellency nor nece&s;&s;itie of the preacher aboue y^e reader. Therfore let y^e prea|cher by voice &amp; by inuention fro~ y^e &s;pirit and his own heart, haue the fir&s;t place, and (as the ca&s;e &s;tandeth with vs) the reader mu&s;t not haue no place at all. They may be weake mi|ni&s;ters, or mini&s;ters of nece&s;&s;itie, or a&s;&s;i&s;ting mini&s;ters, although they be not the chiefe nor mo&s;t perfect and &s;ufficient. Thus much of that matter.</P>
<P>The fift defect they find in the mini&s;tery, is in the dueties which are put vpon them or taken from them. Burying of the dead, ioy|ning of man wife in marriage, making of fu|nerall &s;ermons, going about the bounds of pari&s;hes: all the&s;e (in their opinions) are no works of the Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell. And againe, whereas they ought to gouerne in their congregations together with others, all gouernme~t is taken from vs. be&s;ides, wheras no Mini&s;ter &s;hould be aboue a <HI>Pa&s;tor, By&s;hop.</HI> are aboue vs, therefore (&s;ay they) are we no Pa&s;tours nor Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel. Pub|like prayer doth aptly agree and is a duety of our calling. This is not wickedly ioyne with buriall and marriage, con&s;idering our owne frailtie which are alwaies neere death and the difficulties in mariage which God onely helpeth. God him&s;elfe ioyned the fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">
<PB N="141" REF="79">mariage, &amp; why may not his Mini&s;ters now doe it in his name, &s;eeing yet they which are married are ioyned together by God? The word may be preached in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on, and no time ami&s;&s;e, when the people come together and are fit to be taught. What time better to comfort them that mourne, or to rebuke the &s;inner, or to put vs in mind of our frailtie, then at the buriall of the dead? The going about the bounds and limits of pari&s;hes pertaineth to his own maintenance and the common quiet: therefore the doing of the&s;e things hath nothing contrary to his duty, &s;eeing they hinder not y^t which is prin|cipal, but rather further it. And as for the go|uernme~t it is not mete for al: &s;o much neither as they do chale~ge, was neuer in y^e church per|mitted to euery particular pa&s;tor. To admo|ni&s;h, to &s;u&s;pe~d, to rebuke is granted to vs, and more is not nece&s;&s;ary: the labor of preaching is inough. <HI>Pa&s;tours</HI> haue had &s;uperiours ouer them in the churches: Fir&s;t <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> then <HI>By|&s;hops,</HI> and &s;o is it at this day. Neyther is there any di&s;order in it. In a moderate &s;ubiection the mini&s;ter may better performe his duty, &amp; more &s;afely. His pouerty and meanes cannot &s;u&s;taine the burthen of publike gouernment any further the~ for teaching, exhorting, rebu|king, &amp; &s;u&s;pe~ding or withholding y^e vnwor|thie
<PB N="142" REF="80">from the Sacraments.</P>
<P>In the &s;ixt place they will per&s;wade that we are no mini&s;ters, becau&s;e many remaine ignora~t vnder vs, &amp; the &s;innes of men are not cut off but abou~d, notwith&s;tanding al we do. This &s;hould argue Gods cur&s;e vpon vs, and vpon our mini&s;terie. If none did profite by vs, we might mi&s;tru&s;t our &s;elues: but of many we may &s;ay, <HI>Yee are our Epi&s;tle, yee beare witne&s;&s;e</HI> of the fruite which we bring. Yea this continuall peace all this time is e&s;pe|cially vnder God and our mo&s;t gracious <HI>Queene,</HI> to be a&s;cribed to the preaching of the word of God among vs. That &s;ects and poperie &s;pread not ouer all, it is to be imputed much vnto publike preaching. There is no place in this land but the word of God worketh in the hearts of &s;ome, to their conuer&s;ion.</P>
<P>The &s;euenth crime is again&s;t our mainte|nance. We liue by &s;et &s;tipends, &amp; by tenths, and we depend vpon noble men, and &s;uch as are able to plea&s;ure vs, we preach for gaine, we hunt after liuings, and ioyne diuer&s;e to|gether. An vnlawfull maintenance, if this were granted &s;o to be, maketh not an vnlaw|ful mini&s;terie. If for gaine we &s;hould peruert the truth, then we &s;hould degenerate from our office. why &s;hould &s;et &s;tipe~ds hurt our mi|ni&s;tery?
<PB N="143" REF="80">Is an vncertaine liuing meeter then a certaine? Tenths do not reuiue the <HI>ceremonial</HI> law, we take not them in that &s;ence. The <HI>Em|perours</HI> had them, &amp; afterward be&s;towed the~ vpon the Churches. We chalenge them not by the law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> but by the gift of the prince. And the <HI>Barrowi&s;ts</HI> the~&s;elues confe&s;&s;e, that as they were giuen by princes, &s;o they may be taken away by them. To adhere to them that are great, &s;o that we helpe them in truth, &amp; do not for the~ peruert the truth, hath no di&s;prai&s;e but co~me~dation. In a good <HI>Chri|&s;tian</HI> gouernment, if we be linked one to a|nother by many dueties, it is the &s;afer: and if the liuings be of the prince and lawes, then may the prince &amp; lawes vnite or &s;euer them in &s;ome moderate &s;ort, &s;o that the dueties to the people be perfourmed.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the chiefe crimes which they lay again&s;t vs. In all this there is nothing of fal&s;e doctrine in any matter of &s;aluation, in any ar|ticle of our faith, but all is of things that are cleane without vs, and our mini&s;terie: our names, our co~ming in, our maintenance, our depending vpon great men, and the perfour|ming of more in labor, &amp; taking le&s;&s;e in ho|nor then pertaineth (as they thinke) vnto vs. Yet this is one of their maine grounds, for which they depart &amp; for&s;ake our Churches,
<PB N="144" REF="81">euen our fal&s;e and <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> mini&s;tery as they call it. But the&s;e things either are no crimes, or be not &s;uch as therfore can make vs no mini&s;ters. The&s;e things being &s;o, I may co~|clude that our mini&s;tery is not a denying of y^e prophetical office of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> but rather it doth bring the fruit &amp; benefit therof vnto vs. So then we deny neither his kingdome, nor prie&s;thood, nor prophecy, but in a true maner &amp; great mea&s;ure haue the~ &amp; their fruit among vs. God grant that they may co~tinue with vs, and that the benefite may be much more large and plentifull to all the people.</P>
<P>The &s;ixt note which they &s;et vpon the vi|&s;ible church is, that the people of one church mu&s;t be knit together as members of one body. So they gather fir&s;t out of <HI>Paul,</HI> when he &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 12.12.</NOTE> <HI>As the bodie is one &amp; hath many mem|bers, &amp; al the members of the body which is one, though they be many yet are one body, &s;o is Chri&s;t.</HI> They grow into one body, &amp; are mo&s;t neere|ly knit together, which pertaine to Gods ele|ction, and are &s;piritually vnited vnto <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The re&s;t are ioyned in an outward profe&s;&s;i|on, and &s;o are (after a &s;ort &amp; to our account) of the bodie. And thus are we one bo|dy in this land. Secondly they gather it out of <HI>Peter</HI> when he writeth:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2.4.</NOTE> <HI>To whome ye come as to a liuing &s;tone, and yee as liuely &s;tones
<PB N="145" REF="81">be made a &s;pirituall hou&s;e.</HI> The godlie are in deed liuing &s;tones, and are made a &s;pirituall hou&s;e: the re&s;t, becau&s;e they are among them, for the outward profe&s;&s;ion are &s;o accounted. Nowe let vs &s;ee what vnitie nece&s;&s;arie to Gods Church we want. They &s;ay that we are not knit together as members, into one con|gregation, but that men runne and goe, a&s;|&s;emble and depart, at their plea&s;ure, when they will, whither they will, as they will them&s;elues. What? would they haue vs euery one to keepe in one place &s;till? Or would they haue vs to a&s;&s;emble to godly exerci&s;es, with none but the &s;ame per&s;ons continu|ally, &s;uch as are wel knowne to vs to be bre|thren? This they &s;eeme to meane: for they condemne the a&s;&s;emblies at <HI>Pauls</HI> Cro&s;&s;e, and at the common Churches in the Vniuer|&s;ities, and of &s;uch &s;olemne places. But this imagination is ab&s;urd, and the places of &s;cripture conclude no &s;uch thing. In &s;ome re&s;pect it is meete that euery man &s;hould keepe him to his owne congregation. But if de&s;ire of in&s;truction, or other occa&s;ion ca|ry him to any other place of exerci&s;e, there he is not as it were out of ioynt, as though he could no where doe good nor receiue good, but in his owne congregation. A hea|rer may be a profitable hearer any where, &amp; a
<PB N="146" REF="82">preacher may preach with fruit in any con|gregation. God hath not tied any man &s;o to one particular congregation, but at another time he may haue the &s;ame or another place in another a&s;&s;e~bly of <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> for <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> are of the &s;ame body wher&s;oeuer they a&s;&s;e~ble: for it is the word, &amp; faith, &amp; the &s;pirit, which do make vs <HI>one body,</HI> &amp; the&s;e are the &s;ame in euery place amo~g Gods people. Wherfore it is an ab&s;urd collection &amp; nothing to y^e mind of <HI>Paul</HI> or <HI>Peter,</HI> y^t a man &s;hould be &s;o tied to one congregation, that he cannot fruitfully be in another. The co~ming to &s;piritual exer|ci&s;es &s;ometimes in this place &amp; &s;ometimes in that, breaketh not the vnitie of the bodie of Chri&s;t. Another thing again&s;t the vnitie of the Church is as they &s;uppo&s;e, that we liue in continuall di&s;cord, and vnpeaceable debate among our &s;elues. They accu&s;e vs of debate, which are the cau&s;e of al the di&s;cord that is a|mong vs. For about the&s;e things which they wold bring in, &amp; about their mi&s;liking of the pre&s;ent &s;tate, is al the di&s;cord. If di&s;cord de|&s;troy the church, where became their church, when <HI>Browne</HI> and <HI>Hari&s;on</HI> their two leaders fel out? The Apo&s;tles di&s;&s;ented, the church of <HI>Corinth</HI> had diuers &s;ects: if we keepe vnity in the fou~dation, di&s;&s;ention in y^e inferiour points, will not be &s;o dangerous, but yet we mu&s;t
<PB N="147" REF="82">&s;triue to agree in all things, albeit we cannot hope to obtaine it. For that was neuer rou~d in anie Church long together: And the voice of <HI>Paul</HI> is knowen: <HI>there mu&s;t be here&s;ies.</HI> The&s;e <HI>Barrowi&s;ts</HI> in diuer&s;e thinges &s;lip and fall in|to poperie, when they would &s;eeme to bee farthe&s;t from it. Vnitie and con&s;ent they make a note of their Church, euen as the pa|pi&s;tes doe.</P>
<P>In their &s;euenth note, they ouerrunne and ouerturne all the officers of our Church at a breath. They &s;aye, the true Churches mu&s;t bee gouerned by &s;uch officers as <HI>Christ</HI> hath appointed to his Church. The officers that they thinke euerie Church &s;houlde haue by <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> appointment, are fiue: Pa&s;tors, Tea|chers, Elders, Deacons, and Releeuers. The&s;e they make to be nece&s;&s;arie in euerie congre|gation, or el&s;e that there can bee no e&s;tabli|&s;hed Church without them. Two officers they appoint in euerie congregation for the teaching of the worde: Pa&s;tors for exhorta|tion, Teachers for doctrine, and matters of controuer&s;ie. It were to bee wi&s;hed, that e|uerie Church had one well learned and furni|&s;hed for both the&s;e partes: for maners and life, to note and correct &s;wearers, idle per&s;ons, drunckardes, and all offenders, and to order euerie thing in the Church, with the Pa&s;tor
<PB N="148" REF="83">and teacher: they appoint Eders in no cer|taine number. The rebuke and correction of anie &s;inne, we account nece&s;&s;arie, &amp; is done among vs by &s;undrie kindes of officers: the pa&s;tors by worde, the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical iudges by cen&s;ures, the other officers by puni&s;hments inflicted. The thing it &s;elfe we haue, as we haue the worde taught and &s;et forth among vs. The third thing in gouernement that they count nece&s;&s;arie, is the Deacon&s;hippe, who&s;e office &s;houlde bee to make collection, and to di&s;tribute to the poore and needie. This in euerie pari&s;h is done, although by officers of other names. La&s;t of all, they adde Releeuers, which &s;houlde attend vpon the lame and &s;icke, and &s;uch as can not helpe them&s;elues. There is not in euerie pari&s;h continuall neede of &s;uch a &s;tanding officer. When it needeth, &s;ome that are charitable and pitifull, doe take &s;ome order for it. Now therefore the things, as being nece&s;&s;arie, for the being or for the ornament of a <HI>Christian</HI> people, we haue among vs: yet all the &s;trife in the land, is e&s;pecially to bring in this gouern|ment. we mu&s;t haue a change of all, that the&s;e Elders and Deacons may be brought into e|uerie pari&s;h. This is their <HI>Helena</HI> that they fight for. The places that are vrged for the Elder&s;hippe in the olde Te&s;tament, are the&s;e:
<PB N="149" REF="83">Fir&s;t out of <HI>Leuiticus:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 10.10.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord &s;pake to Aa|ron and his &s;onnes &s;aying, yee &s;hall not drinke wine nor &s;trongdrinke, that ye may put difference betweene the holie and vnholie, and betweene the cleane and vncleane.</HI> This helpeth not an Elder&s;hippe, but rather e&s;tabli&s;heth an <HI>Arch|bi&s;hop:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 17.8.</NOTE> An Elder&s;hip of laie men it can not &s;et vp: For <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;onnes were <HI>Prie&s;tes.</HI> The next is out of <HI>Deuteronomie: If there be a|nie matter of plea, thou &s;halt come vnto the prie&s;ts of the Leuites, and vnto the iudge that &s;hal be in tho&s;e dayes.</HI> And againe: <HI>that man that will not hearken to the Prie&s;t, or the Iudge, that man &s;hal die.</HI> This likewi&s;e doth ouerthrowe the laie presbyterie, and by proportion and like equi|tie, e&s;tabli&s;heth the <HI>Archbi&s;hop,</HI> and the prero|gatiue of the <HI>Prince.</HI> And la&s;t of all,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 19 2.</NOTE> that in the <HI>Chronicles</HI> maye warrant an hie commi&s;&s;ion for the whole land, but not a presbyterie for euerie pari&s;h. Thus it &s;ayeth: <HI>Moreouer in Ieru&s;alem did Ieho&s;haphat &s;et of the Leuites, and of the Priestes, and of the chiefe of the fa|milies of I&s;rael for the iudgement and cau&s;e of the Lorde, and they returned to Ieru&s;alem.</HI> This was generall for the whole kingdome, and will not helpe to erect a presbyterie in euerie pari&s;h. The places of the newe Te&s;ta|ment are the&s;e: The fir&s;t out of <HI>Matthew:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 18.17.</NOTE> <HI>If he wil not heare them, tell the Church.</HI> If <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when he &s;pake this, had relation to the &s;tate of
<PB N="150" REF="84">the <HI>Iewes:</HI> hee might meane the generall <HI>Sy|nedrion</HI> at <HI>Ieru&s;alem:</HI> for particular they had not. If the &s;tate of the Church to come be vnder&s;toode: then either the gouernors in what forme &s;oeuer it &s;hall bee, or el&s;e the whole bodie of the Church, may be meant: but an Elder&s;hip of laie per&s;ons, can not anie waye bee inferred of wordes &s;o generall. Another place is in the Epi&s;tle to y^e <HI>Corinthi|ans:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5.4.</NOTE> <HI>when yee are gathered together:</HI> by which wordes, the whole Church is meant, and not anie laie Elders. For hee &s;peaketh to them that were <HI>puffed vp,</HI> and &s;houlde haue &s;orrow|ed: and tho&s;e were not Elders onely, if there were anie in the Church of <HI>Corinth:</HI> and it is manife&s;t that he writeth to y^e whole Church. And out of the Epi&s;tle to <HI>Timothie,</HI> they would fetch an vnteaching Elder&s;hip, when hee &s;ayeth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4.14.</NOTE> <HI>de&s;pi&s;e not the gift which is giuen thee by prophe&s;ie, with the laying on of the hands of Elder&s;hip.</HI> This presbyterie, or Elder&s;hip, <HI>Caluine</HI> &s;ayeth, maye be meant of the office which hee receaued to bee an Elder, that is, a Mini&s;ter of the worde, and not of anie com|panie, by whome he receaued it. And how &s;houlde wee thinke, that the laying on of handes to make a Mini&s;ter, &s;houlde pertaine to them that are no Mini&s;ters? After the&s;e particular places for their Elder&s;hip, they
<PB N="151" REF="84">haue &s;ome al&s;o which &s;eeme to inferre the&s;e, and all their other officers: but the chiefe are two. The fir&s;t is to the <HI>Romanes:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.6.</NOTE> <HI>Seeing then that we haue giftes that are diuer&s;e, according to the grace that is giuen vnto vs, whether we haue prophe&s;ie, let vs prophecy according to the propor|tion of faith: or an office, let vs waite on the office: or he that teacheth on teaching: or he that exhor|teth on exhortation: he that di&s;tributeth, let him do it with &s;implicitie: he that ruleth, with dilige~ce: he that &s;heweth mercie, with cherefulnes:</HI> hence they will &s;eeme to fetch all their officers. But this, none of the ancient fathers, none of the learned writers of our time did &s;ee, till of late. This &s;eemeth not exactlie to agree to their plot: for fir&s;t here are three names for doctrine: Prophe&s;ie, Teaching, and Exhor|tation: and all maye bee performed by one man. Then to <HI>Rule,</HI> and to haue an <HI>Office</HI> are &s;o generall, that they can not bee re&s;trained to the forme and name of &s;uch Elders as they appoint. To di&s;tribute, and to &s;hewe mercie, either pertaine to all: or el&s;e, if there mu&s;t be &s;uch officers, it is not nece&s;&s;arie vnder their names of Deacons, and Releeuers, nor at all times: but as time &amp; occa&s;ions require. Their other place is to the <HI>Corinthians:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 12.28.</NOTE> <HI>God hath or|dained &s;ome in the Church, as fir&s;t Apo&s;tles, &s;e|condly Prophets, thirdly Teachers, then them
<PB N="152" REF="85">that doe miracles, after that the giftes of healing, helpers, gouerners, diuer&s;itie of tongues.</HI> Here are more then fiue: and by no direct waye can the&s;e preci&s;ely bee hence fetched. <HI>Apo&s;tles, Prophets, Teachers, diuer&s;itie of tongues</HI> per|taine all e&s;peciallie to doctrine. The <HI>gift of working miracles,</HI> and of <HI>healing,</HI> were but for tho&s;e times: <HI>Helpers,</HI> and <HI>gouerners</HI> are too large names, to bring in onely Deacons, and Relieuers, and Elders, into euerie con|gregation, in &s;uch &s;ort and order as they pre|&s;cribe. <HI>Gouernors</HI> wee haue, and <HI>helpers,</HI> al|though wee haue not their Elders nor their Deacons. The&s;e are y^e chiefe places, whereon their di&s;cipline is builded. Other they haue in the <HI>Actes,</HI> and to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> and <HI>Timothie,</HI> and <HI>Titus:</HI> but none of them make the whole number, nor the particulars in their forme, and e&s;pecially (which is the chiefe) they helpe not their Elder&s;hippe of vnteaching per&s;ons. Now then, wee may haue <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> gouerne|ment, and &s;eeke his kingdome, although wee haue not the&s;e officers, in the&s;e names, and this order.</P>
<P>Their newe officers are not nece&s;&s;arie to the building of the Churche: but peraduen|ture they whome we haue, doe pull downe the Church. That is their opinion: for thus they &s;peake of our e&s;tate: <HI>In &s;teade of the&s;e,
<PB N="153" REF="85">they remaine mo&s;t &s;eruilely &s;ubiect to the An|tichri&s;tian gouernement of the popi&s;h Archbi|&s;hops, By&s;hops, Chauncelors, Archdeacons, Deanes, Commi&s;&s;aries, Doctors, Proctors, Ad|uocates, Notaries, Regi&s;ters, Pur&s;euants, Cur|&s;etors, Summoners: and from the Apo&s;tati|call &s;eate of the By&s;hops, they receaue as Anti|chri&s;tian and fal&s;e a Mini&s;terie, as their Par|&s;ons, Vicars, Curates, Hirelings, Lecturers, Mercenarie preachers: All which together, with this people, &s;tand bounde and &s;ubiect to the By|&s;hops Romi&s;h courtes of hie commi&s;&s;ion, of facul|ties, of arches, of prerogatiues, of delegates, of their Commi&s;&s;aries, and the re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e wee haue &s;ome officers of like name, though not all, nor of like quali|tie, as they childi&s;hlie imagine: They &s;aye, neither gouerners nor &s;ubiectes, neither pa|&s;tors nor people, can bee the Churche of <HI>Christ.</HI> Foure orders they make here of thinges and per&s;ons to bee condemned and remoued. Fir&s;t, all tho&s;e that haue Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall gouernement committed vnto them, the <HI>By&s;hops</HI> and all that doe a&s;&s;i&s;t them. Secondlie, all &s;ortes of Mini&s;ters, preachers and not preachers. Thirdly, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall courts and iudgements. La&s;t of all, the whole people for being and conti|nuing &s;ubiect vnto tho&s;e. If we aske a rea&s;on
<PB N="154" REF="86">of this their peremptorie &s;entence, wee can perceaue none here, but becau&s;e they are po|pi&s;h and Antichri&s;tian. If I &s;houlde confe&s;&s;e this, and &s;aye the gouernement is &s;uch, and defende our Church, by the example of the Church in <HI>Babylon,</HI> as one doeth: I &s;houlde iu&s;tifie them, and condemne our &s;elues: I &s;houlde lye again&s;t the trueth, and again&s;t mine owne &s;oule. But thus I &s;aye: If the&s;e thinges be popi&s;h, as they doe &s;tand among vs, let them bee excluded: naye let vs bee excluded out of the Church altogether. Nowe then, how &s;hall we knowe, whether a thing be popi&s;h and <HI>Antichri&s;tian,</HI> or no? By the names? that can not be: Names of their nature be indifferent: the thinges con|tained in the names, as they are v&s;ed of vs, mu&s;t be examined. And how &s;hall we finde, whether they bee popi&s;h and <HI>Antichristi|an?</HI> If they &s;erue to promote poperie, then are they popi&s;h, then are they <HI>Antichri&s;tian:</HI> But if they further <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> glorie, &amp; his king|dome: then may they bee retained in the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t:</HI> and we hauing them, bee his Church. Therefore, if none of the&s;e offi|ces, nor courtes, nor Mini&s;ters helpe to main|taine idolatrie, or the Popes &s;upremacie, or mens traditions again&s;t the written worde: or free wil again&s;t the grace of <HI>Chri&s;t:</HI> or mens
<PB N="155" REF="86">merites again&s;t iu&s;tification by faith, or the Idole and &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, or pilgri|mages, or purgatorie, or prayer for the dead, or auricular confe&s;&s;ion, or &s;atisfactions for &s;innes by penance, or indulgences, or the kee|ping of the worde of God from the people in an vnknowen tongue, or &s;uch like: if they doe not maintaine vice, nor iniu&s;tice, nor he|re&s;ie among vs, but are directed to roote out poperie, to keepe vs in y^e true faith, to aduance the worde of God, to e&s;tabli&s;h our iu&s;tifica|tion by faith, to further repentance and good workes, to puni&s;h &s;inne, to define that which is equall and right, to keepe the common peace of the Churche: then are they not po|pi&s;h, &s;eeing they are bent and exerci&s;ed to the ruine of poperie: but they are <HI>Christian</HI> and holie, and appertaining to the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> for as much as they further the kingdome and glorie of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> our Sauiour. All that are zealous, &s;triue for two thinges, wherein all men are to put to their helpe by coun&s;el, by credite, by authoritie, by power, and by all lawfull meanes that bee in them. One, that the worde of God maye bee more diligently, and commonly taught: the other, that &s;inne may bee more &s;euerely and gene|rally puni&s;hed. If the&s;e two may by this go|uernement bee more &s;et forwarde, much of
<PB N="156" REF="87">the&s;e troubles and contentions will be ea&s;ier &s;topped. There is no fault in y^e names, or in y^e offices, but they may helpe forward the&s;e or any good things. Wherfore they be not &s;im|plie popi&s;h, or Antichri&s;tian: but in the abu&s;e they were, in the right v&s;e they are now holie &amp; Chri&s;tianlike. Now let vs &s;ee what &s;crip|ture doth condemne the&s;e names and offices. Two places are brought out again&s;t the~: One out of the P&s;alme: <HI>The kings of the earth band them&s;elues, and the princes are a&s;&s;embled together again&s;t the Lord, and against his Chri&s;t: let vs breake their bands, and ca&s;t their cords from vs.</HI> But do our gouerners &amp; all the people in this e&s;tate, band them&s;elues again&s;t the Lord, and again&s;t his <HI>Chri&s;t?</HI> doe they not band them|&s;elues for the glorie of the Lorde and of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> It might be done I knowe more plen|tifullie, yet this gouernement &s;etteth forth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> onely to vs, with his benefits to &s;aluati|on. <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> deitie, <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> go&s;pel, <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> &s;acri|fice, <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> iu&s;tice, <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> kingdome by this is aduanced. Wherefore they band not them|&s;elues again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> neither do they &s;ay, let vs breake their bands, &amp; ca&s;t their cordes fro~ vs, but rather they willinglie receaue the bands, yea the chaines of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> if neede be. We are conte~t that his lawe binde our feete, &amp; hands, &amp; eyes, and hearts al&s;o: but we ca&s;t off their
<PB N="157" REF="87">bands, becau&s;e we ca&s;t away their gouerne|ment by Elders. They are not the bandes of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> they are but &s;mall threeds, that wil ea|&s;ily bee broken.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19.14.</NOTE> The other place which they alleage again&s;t tho&s;e titles &amp; offices is in <HI>Luke Now his citizens hated him, and &s;ent an emba&s;|&s;age after him, &s;aying, we wil not haue this man to reigne ouer vs.</HI> The&s;e places that were &s;po|ken of the ob&s;tinate <HI>Iewes,</HI> that hated y^e name &amp; faith of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> of the heathen idolaters, that wor&s;hipped fal&s;e Gods, and would not ac|knowledge <HI>Christ</HI> to be God, of y^e <HI>Mahometi|call</HI> &s;ect that reiect <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> go&s;pel, &amp; denie his rede~ption, of the Antichri&s;tian &amp; popi&s;h ra|ble, which keepe his name, and denie his effi|cacie &amp; &s;ufficiencie in redeeming vs; tho&s;e (I &s;aye) they bring again&s;t them that acknow|ledge all which they the~&s;elues doe for &s;uffici|encie of &s;aluatio~, for infalliblenes of his truth, and for all his benefites, onelie becau&s;e wee yeeld not to the~, for a certaine forme of out|ward gouernment. But they mu&s;t proue more euidentlie, that tho&s;e thinges are euill, or el&s;e we will not be terrified by tho&s;e places, but that we may &s;afelie &s;ay, that y^t true Church of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> is with vs euen in this gouernme~t.</P>
<P>To returne againe to their other notes which remaine, whereby they will de&s;cribe a vi&s;ible church of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> they &s;ay, that <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI>
<PB N="158" REF="88">Church mu&s;t be gouerned by his own lawes, take~ out of the olde &amp; newe Te&s;tament, and no other. They thinke, as it &s;eemeth, that no lawes neede more to be made for any thing, but that the lawes of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;houlde &s;tand, &amp; be &s;ufficient to determine all matters: Or if for ciuil matters they will admit more, yet for puni&s;hments in matters Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, it is certaine they will acknowledge no more, nor anie other. Their groundes for this opi|nion are the&s;e &s;criptures. Fir&s;t out of Saint <HI>Matthewe:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17.5.</NOTE> <HI>This is my beloued &s;onne, heare him.</HI> It extendeth to matters of doctrine and &s;aluation, and all that hee hath taught: but not to matters of gouernement Ciuill, or Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall in particular: For hee hath not made &s;uch lawes. The next is out of the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrewes:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3.6.</NOTE> <HI>Hee is Lorde of the hou&s;e:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 2.16.</NOTE> therefore hee is to bee obeyed, in &s;o much as hee hath &s;et downe. Particular ordi|na~ces he hath not pre&s;cribed for gouernme~t, but left it free. The~ they bring this out of the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Corinthians: We haue the minde of Chri&s;t:</HI> hee meaneth for matters of &s;al|uation, and the wor&s;hip of God: but not for particular actions that mu&s;t be con&s;idered in gouernement. After this, commeth that to the <HI>Galathians:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.15.</NOTE> <HI>A mans te&s;tament, when it is confirmed, no man doth abrogate,</HI> or addeth to
<PB N="159" REF="88">it. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh of iu&s;tification by faith, whereto, works as a cau&s;e of iu&s;tification mu&s;t not be added: nothing there of outward go|uernement. Now as for their other places,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 6.13.</NOTE> they inferre not, that in the worde are &s;uffici|ent lawes &s;et downe for all thinges: but that &s;uch as are commanded, &s;hould be ob&s;erued: as that to <HI>Timothie: I charge thee that thou keep the commandement without &s;pot, and vnrebukea|ble, vntil the appearing of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> That which <HI>Paul</HI> hath &s;et downe as a com|mandement to be kept, or hath &s;o declared, that mu&s;t be kept for euer. But who can &s;aye, that <HI>Paul</HI> hath &s;et downe lawes for all things in that Epi&s;tle?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4.11.</NOTE> And that to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians</HI> doth not conclude their purpo&s;e: <HI>Hee hath giuen Apostles for the worke of the Mini&s;terie, and ga|thering together of the Saintes, til we all meete to a perfect man.</HI> This place &s;peaketh onelie of doctrine, and not of lawes for gouernement either in the Church, or common-wealth, ex|cept they thinke their Pa&s;tors and Doctors mu&s;t make lawes for al things. And as for that to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 14.37.</NOTE> cutteth not off al lawes for y^e Church made by men: <HI>If any man thinke him|&s;elfe to be a prophet, or &s;piritual, let him acknow|ledge that the things which I write vnto you, are the commandements of the Lorde.</HI> He writeth there, of not v&s;ing &s;trange languages, where
<PB N="160" REF="89">they are not vnder&s;tood, and and of women, that they &s;hould not preach in the Church. But there are other thinges which by lawes mu&s;t be ordered, which <HI>Paul,</HI> nor the &s;crip|ture anie where hath determined in &s;peciall. La&s;t of all, they applie to this purpo&s;e, all tho&s;e places of &s;cripture, which teach that nothing mu&s;t bee added nor taken from the worde of God. The making of lawes a|bout orders in gouernement, is no addition to Gods worde: For the thing is not there forbidden. Thus they will &s;eeme to proue, that in the worde are &s;ufficient lawes to or|der mens actions: vpon this grounde, they will haue the penall lawes of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> reuiued: then they mu&s;t bring vs againe to the land of <HI>Canaan:</HI> they mu&s;t e&s;tabli&s;h to vs againe that kingdome: For tho&s;e penall lawes like as the ceremoniall, were proper onely to that people. <HI>Now the Prie&s;thoode being chan|ged, the lawe is changed.</HI> As they &s;aye, the worde hath &s;ufficient lawes to determine all thinges: &s;o likewi&s;e, they will not admitte that princes &s;houlde make lawes, thereby to helpe forwarde the kingdome of <HI>Christ.</HI> For they &s;aye the kingdome of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> com|meth not by the lawes of men, but by the worde and &s;pirite. For this purpo&s;e they a|bu&s;e the&s;e &s;criptures. Fir&s;t, that of Saint
<PB N="161" REF="89"><HI>Luke:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 17.20.</NOTE> <HI>The kingdome of God commeth not with ob&s;eruation:</HI> They meane with ob&s;eruing princes lawes: but <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> meaneth that his kingdome commeth not, neither is di&s;cer|ned by outwarde pompe and worldlie glo|rie, which the <HI>Phari&s;es</HI> looked for: but is properlie a thing inwarde in the heart. That place nothing pertaineth to outward lawes. Al&s;o they mi&s;applie that of <HI>Za|charie: Neither by an armie nor &s;trength,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 4.6.</NOTE> <HI>but by my &s;pirite, &s;aieth the Lorde of ho&s;tes.</HI> This is &s;poken by compari&s;on, that God in the pre&s;eruing of his Churche v&s;eth principal|lie the working of his &s;pirite, and not an armie, nor &s;trength of men: Yet that hee v&s;eth armies, and &s;trength for their de|fence, the Churche in all ages hath had ex|perience. But the principall is his &s;pirite: outwarde &s;trength and lawes in compari|&s;on of it, and without it are nothing. When <HI>E&s;aie</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>Beholde,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;aie 40.10.</NOTE> <HI>the Lorde God will come with power, and his arme &s;hall rule for him:</HI> his arme ruleth, euen by the good and whole&s;ome lawes of men.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iere. 17.5.</NOTE> And that cur&s;e in <HI>Ieremie</HI> pertaineth not to vs, becau&s;e we are ruled by lawes of princes. <HI>Thus &s;ayeth the Lorde, Cur&s;ed bee the man that tru&s;teth in man, and maketh fle&s;he his arme, and withdraweth his heart from the Lorde:</HI> For we
<PB N="162" REF="90">tru&s;t not in the lawes of princes, nor in them, when we v&s;e the~ vnder God for our quiet go|uernement: we knowe that <HI>Kings are nur&s;ing fathers, and Queenes are nur&s;ing mothers. Da|uid, Salomon,</HI> and <HI>Io&s;aphat,</HI> and <HI>Ezechias,</HI> and <HI>Io&s;ias,</HI> and all godlie princes made lawes for the Churche of God, and were approued: yea, the lawes &amp; decrees of <HI>Nebuchadnezzar,</HI> of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Darius,</HI> were for the behoofe &amp; benefite of it. Manie thinges are left vndeter|mined in &s;peciall, wherein princes make good and profitable decrees for the Churche. If their po&s;ition were true, the Prophets, and our Sauiour &s;houlde not haue condemned either the princes, or the lawiers for making vniu&s;t lawes, but for making anie lawes at all. Princes e&s;pecially &s;erue <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> euen in making lawes for <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> Wherefore it ap|peareth not, that &s;ufficient lawes in &s;peciall, are &s;et downe in the worde for the Churche: nor that it is wicked for the Church, to v&s;e the lawes of princes, and to bee &s;ubiect to them, if otherwi&s;e they bee not vngodly. Nowe marke what they &s;aye of our lawes: <HI>Wee</HI> (they &s;aye) <HI>are not gouerned by the worde of God, but by Canons, Iniunctions, and De|crees, of the&s;e Antichri&s;tian and Popi&s;h courts.</HI> Let them name one Canon, or Decree and Iniunction, that maintaineth anie thing that
<PB N="163" REF="90">is popi&s;h or again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;urely it ought to be aboli&s;hed. But there be lawes which they had, which came not from them, but either from the word of God, or the light of nature, or former holy con&s;titutions. Why &s;hould their detaining of them in vnrigh|teou&s;nes, hinder vs from the conuerting of them to the furtherance of the Go&s;pell? They are not popi&s;h &s;o long as they are not directed to maintaine poperie, but are apply|ed to godline&s;&s;e and peace, in obedience of the trueth.</P>
<P>The ninth marke of their Church is, that al and ech one of them mu&s;t &s;tand in and for their <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> libertie, to practi&s;e what&s;oe|uer God hath commanded, and is reuealed vnto them in his holy word. This their liber|ty is one of the chiefe points wherein they &s;tand. Here neither Prince, nor Coun&s;ellour, nor By&s;hop, nor Law mu&s;t re&s;traine them, from refu&s;ing or ca&s;ting off what&s;oeuer they mi&s;like, or from taking vpon them and put|ting in practi&s;e any thing that they haue de|termined and concluded to be done. Seeing according to their conceit, they haue found out that By&s;hops and all other officers in our Church are popi&s;h, and that the mini&s;tery beareth (as they &s;uppo&s;e) popi&s;h names and markes, and the lawes are popi&s;h, they will
<PB N="164" REF="91">neither &s;ue to Prince nor Coun&s;ell for the remouing of any of the&s;e things, but with all &s;peede ca&s;t the yoke from their owne necks. And &s;eeing they haue found in their fan&s;ies, that an elder&s;hippe and no other lawes but the written word is to be heard, therefore they will erect the&s;e things among them|&s;elues. For God (&s;ay they) hath left power in euery man and euery a&s;&s;embly of his peo|ple, to ca&s;t off al that may hinder, &amp; to tran&s;|port the~&s;elues to any thing that may further their &s;aluation. In matters nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alua|tion we graunt there is by Gods gracious working &s;uch freedome giuen to Gods people, that all the deuils in hell can|not hinder them from hauing that where|by it &s;hould be brought to pa&s;&s;e. But &s;uch are not the things, which they &s;triue for. Saluation may be had in this &s;tate without them. But their opinion of vs in re&s;pect of <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> libertie is this. They &s;ay, that <HI>all wee remaine in bondage to the E|gyptian and Babyloni&s;h yokes, yeelding obedi|ence to the&s;e Courts and their Cannons.</HI> Now let vs heare their &s;cripture, by which they will maintaine their &s;o ab&s;olute libertie, and condemne vs as men in <HI>Egyptian</HI> bon|dage. The places are the&s;e: fir&s;t that to the <HI>Galathians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.9.</NOTE> <HI>But now &s;eeing ye know God, yea ra|ther
<PB N="165" REF="91">are knowen of God, howe turne ye againe to impotent and beggerlie rudiments, whereunto as from the beginning, you will be in bondage a|gaine? Paul</HI> there &s;peaketh of the ob&s;eruation of dayes and ceremonies of the lawe with o|pinion of nece&s;&s;itie to &s;aluation &amp; iu&s;tificati|on: we repo&s;e neither &s;aluation nor iu&s;tificati|on in any ceremony or outward thing which we v&s;e: not in the gouernment, not in appa|rel, this or that. In the v&s;e of them our minds are free. The like meaning hath that to the <HI>Collo&s;&s;ians:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Collo&s;. 2.20.</NOTE> <HI>If yee bee dead with Chri&s;t from the ordinances of the worlde, why as though yee liued in the world, are yee burthened with traditions?</HI> There is no tradition in our Church that can be a burthen to a mans con&s;cience, being rightly taken, &s;eeing there is no idolatrous tradition among vs, nor a|ny ioyned with opinion of nece&s;&s;itie, or wor&s;hip of God, or merite to &s;aluation. But in tho&s;e things the &s;oule is left free to de|pend wholly vpon <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> The like meaning hath that to the <HI>Corinthians:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 7.23</NOTE> <HI>Yee are bought with a price, bee not the &s;eruauntes of men. Paul</HI> condemneth not obedience in things lawfull, but in volun|tarie wor&s;hippe. And as for vs, we place no nece&s;&s;ary part of Gods wor&s;hip in the tradi|tions of any me~. The booke of co~mon praier
<PB N="166" REF="92">is not reckoned &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, as if God were not otherwi&s;e rightly wor&s;hipped; neither yet ab&s;olutely as meere traditions of men, for as much as it is either &s;cripture, or agreea|ble vnto &s;cripture. Outward ceremonies are retained for order, but no part of Gods wor|&s;hip placed either in cro&s;&s;e or garment. To the&s;e places of &s;cripture as of like nature may be ioyned that of the <HI>Actes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4.19.</NOTE> <HI>Wee ought rather to obey God then men,</HI> that is, whe~ they co~mand things contrary. But in the gouern|me~t, or in the mini&s;tery, or in Gods wor&s;hip, or in the admi&s;&s;ion of men to the &s;acraments, the lawes of this land doe not commaund things contrary to God, for any thing that we haue yet found. La&s;t of all for our bon|dage,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 14.19.</NOTE> they produce fir&s;t the <HI>Reuelation</HI> where it &s;ayeth: <HI>If any man wor&s;hippe the bea&s;t or his i|mage.</HI> The gouernment by By&s;hops, they take to be the <HI>image of the bea&s;t.</HI> They were (we confe&s;&s;e,) &s;o to be accounted, while they maintained the Pope and his lawes: but now they are not &s;o, when they are &s;et to further the Go&s;pell and truth of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The&s;e are the places by which they would conuince vs to be in bondage. But the Scriptures by which they chalenge their large and infinite liberty are the&s;e:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8.33.</NOTE> fir&s;t that of <HI>Iohn, Ye &s;hall knowe the trueth, and the trueth &s;hall make you free. Chri&s;t</HI>
<PB N="167" REF="92">&s;peaketh of freedome, not from lawes and Magi&s;trates and Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall gouernment, but from &s;inne and <HI>Satan:</HI> for he &s;ayth, <HI>He that committeth &s;inne is the &s;eruaunt of &s;inne.</HI> The next that is pretended to &s;peake for their liberty, is <HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>Galathians.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.6.</NOTE> <HI>Ieru|&s;alem which is aboue is free, which is the mo|ther of vs all. Paul</HI> di&s;puteth of our freedome from the cur&s;e of the lawe, and from circum|ci&s;ion and other ceremonies, &s;o that the cur&s;e is not to be feared of vs that are made free by <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> nor iu&s;tification to be &s;ought by the ceremonies of the lawe, nor any part of Gods wor&s;hippe to be repo&s;ed any longer in them. And the &s;ame is his purpo&s;e in the fift Chapter, when he &s;ayth, <HI>Stand fa&s;t in the libertie wherewith Chri&s;t hath made vs free.</HI> This is the freedome of con&s;cience, the liber|tie from the cur&s;e pronounced by the lawe, and from the ceremonies thereof, with opi|nion of wor&s;hippe or merite of &s;aluation. Thus are we free. We are vnder a gouerne|ment, and haue &s;ome fewe ceremonies: but we neither count them parts of Gods wor|&s;hip, nor any cau&s;e of our iu&s;tification or &s;al|uation. Thus our minds are free, although our bodies be bound in an outward obedi|ence. They may therefore become &s;ubiect with vs to this gouernment, and yet inioy
<PB N="168" REF="93">due <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> libertie.</P>
<P>The tenth and la&s;t note of their Church is this, that <HI>it mu&s;t haue the power that Chri&s;t hath giuen to his Church to the worlds end, and all the powers in earth and hell cannot take from them: namely to bind and loo&s;e, and to reforme things that are ami&s;&s;e.</HI> Which power they &s;ay we haue not. For our a&s;&s;emblies as they iudge, ca&s;t out <HI>Satan</HI> by the power of <HI>Satan:</HI> namely (&s;ay they) <HI>by the&s;e impes of Antichri&s;t, the By&s;hops, Commi&s;&s;aries, and Prie&s;ts.</HI> The&s;e be their words. Then if they &s;ay true in deed, in this Church gouernement we haue no binding &s;inners, and loo&s;ing them that doe repent, but by the deuill. Let vs &s;ee what binding or loo&s;ing the church of God &s;hould haue, and how farre that which we haue is wanting and di&s;agreeing from the trueth. The power giuen to the Church in this re|&s;pect they affirme to beco~tained in the&s;e pla|ces which follow.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 149.</NOTE> Fir&s;t in the P&s;alme when it is &s;aid, <HI>To bind their Kings in chaines, &amp; their nobles in fetters of yron.</HI> This place &s;eemeth properly to be vnder&s;tood not of Eccle&s;i|a&s;tical cen&s;ures, but of outward victory got|ten by the &s;word again&s;t Gods enemies by his people after their oppre&s;&s;ion. This God giueth oftentimes to his Church, and hath (his name be pray&s;ed) giuen already vnto
<PB N="169" REF="93">vs: God graunt when need &s;hall require, we may obtaine it hereafter. The next place by which they chalenge this power, is in <HI>Mat|thewe: If hee will not heare them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.17</NOTE> <HI>tell it to the Church, and if hee refu&s;e to heare the Church al&s;o, let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and as a publicane.</HI> By the Church might here be vnder&s;tood y^e gouernors to who~ this authori|ty &s;hould be committed of the church, or els the whole a&s;&s;embly &s;peaking by the voice of one or fewe, for the declaration of the ob|&s;tinacie and damnable &s;tate of &s;uch an one: but as for a presbyterie in euerie con|gregation it cannot &s;erue, &s;eeing if it be &s;po|ken by relation to the practi&s;e of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> they had no &s;uch thing: but in <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in one citie, one a&s;&s;emblie, one con&s;i&s;torie of &s;uch iudgement for all. After this they &s;eeke &s;omewhat for their excommunicating pre&s;|bytery in <HI>Luke.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.19</NOTE> <HI>Behold I giue vnto you power to treade on &s;erpents and &s;corpions, and ouer all the power of the enemie, and nothing &s;hall hurt you.</HI> This was a miraculous gift confer|red vpon the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> both for their pre|&s;eruation and the glorie of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> as <HI>Paul</HI> by the viper hanging on his hand receyued no hurt. The thinges going be|fore are referred to the power of the word beating down <HI>Satan</HI> from the &s;oules of
<PB N="170" REF="94">men. As for excommunication or puni&s;hing the wicked by cen&s;ures, this pertaineth not to that. That to the <HI>Corinths</HI> maketh the mo&s;t &s;hewe for their purpo&s;e, <HI>When ye are gathered together and my &s;pirite by the power of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5.4.</NOTE> <HI>let &s;uch a one be deliue|red vnto Satan.</HI> But this maketh again&s;t that which they &s;eeke, &amp; &s;eemeth to fauour that order which we haue. For <HI>Paul</HI> being one man alone, did decree this &s;entence: The Church was to declare it. But whether it be done by one or many, this needeth much heed and care and con&s;cience, that this &s;word bee drawne again&s;t none, but tho&s;e that doe de|&s;erue it. La&s;t of all, that of the 2. <HI>Corinths,</HI> doth not helpe the presbyterie. Thus he &s;ayeth. <HI>The weapons of our warfare are not carnall, but mightie through God to ca&s;t downe holdes, ca|sting downe imaginations and euery hie thing that is exalted again&s;t the knowledge of God, and bringing into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Chri&s;t, hauing readie venge|ance again&s;t all di&s;obedience.</HI> A great part of this is vnder&s;toode of the word preached, which worketh the&s;e effects. The venge|ance again&s;t di&s;obedience was a thing in <HI>Paules</HI> owne hand as mini&s;ter of it, not in the power of the multitude or any presbyte|rie there mentioned. So that if it pertaine to
<PB N="171" REF="94">the cen&s;ure of the Church, it might be execu|ted by one man. But it is thought rather to be meant of bodilie puni&s;hment, which by the mightie power of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the Apo&s;tles in the beginning did inflict vpon the di&s;obedi|ent: So <HI>Peter</HI> killed <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphyra,</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> &s;troke <HI>Elymas</HI> blind. The&s;e are their authorities, whereby they chalenge to their Elder&s;hip, power and might to binde and loo&s;e, and would inferre, that in the Church of <HI>England</HI> there is no ca&s;ting out of the di|uell, but by the power of the diuel, becau&s;e their presbyterie is not called to coniure him out. Some reformed Churches v&s;e no excom|munication at all, and yet are the Churches of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> They haue other puni&s;hments for the offenders: The trueth is, that excommu|nication cutteth no man from the Church, whome his owne &s;inne and vnbeliefe hath not cut off before: Neither can it loo&s;e anie, whome faith and gods &s;pirite doth not loo&s;e. Thus much of the tenth and la&s;t note of their Churche. Thus I haue briefelie &s;et before you a &s;hort viewe of the difference betwixt the <HI>Sectaries</HI> and vs. They that fauour the&s;e opinions, the&s;e innouations, are in diuers de|grees: &s;ome &s;aye they are imperfections, and wantes, and maimes in our Church, the mo&s;t of tho&s;e thinges which they mi&s;like, but yet
<PB N="172" REF="95">to be tolerated. It mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed there is no Church, but hath imperfections. We may not maintaine all thinges, as blameles in our Church. No man is founde faultles: euery Church is wanting in their duetie, both in re|&s;pect of mens lawes, and of the per&s;ons. We can not iu&s;tifie our &s;elues in all thinges: but that euerie thing is &s;uch a deformitie, and maime, or anie &s;o gro&s;&s;e as they &s;eeme to make them, if the particulars be examined, it will not be founde. The&s;e mi&s;likers and to|lerators haue begotten the la&s;t and extre|me&s;t degree of reuolters, of for&s;akers, of re|fu&s;ers, and plaine contemners, who&s;e ca&s;e is much to bee pitied: e&s;peciallie of tho&s;e mi&s;|&s;likers, becau&s;e thorowe them, they are come into this downefal. The controuer&s;ies where|in wee differ, haue &s;mall weight in the mat|ters, and le&s;&s;e in the proofes, yet beholde the conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P>Thus they &s;peake. <HI>Therefore the pari&s;hes of England are not, and for all the&s;e rea&s;ons &s;euerall and ioyned, cannot bee helde in anie Chri&s;tians iudgement, the true Churches of Chri&s;t.</HI> This is their &s;entence vpon all the pa|ri&s;hes and people in this land, that come to the Churches, that heare the worde at our mouthes, that receaue the Sacraments at our handes: they &s;hut vp all in one &s;tate of not
<PB N="173" REF="95">being the people of God, nor the Churche of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> As for our &s;elues, notwith&s;tan|ding their ra&s;h iudgement, wee knowe vpon what grounde wee &s;tand. <HI>There can no other foundation bee layde, then that which is layde, euen Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the head corner &s;tone, he is the rocke:</HI> Euerie pari&s;h in this land is taught, either plentifullie, or &s;paringlie: yet all are taught this, that <HI>Christ</HI> onely is our head, our &s;acrifice, our righteou&s;nes, that hee is to bee laide holde on onelie by faith ioy|ned with repentaunce, and a good con&s;ci|ence. Where this is taught, and receaued, there is the Churche of God. All the pari|&s;hes in this land bee taught it, and by pub|like confe&s;&s;ion doe witne&s;&s;e that outward|lie, at lea&s;t, they doe receaue it. The Lorde graunt that it maye bee made more cleare, and that it maye bee whetted more &s;harpe|lie vpon all, and that all maye receaue it fruitefullie, to comfort and &s;aluation.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 13.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayeth: <HI>Proue your &s;elues, whether you are in the faith, examine your &s;elues, knowe yee not your &s;elues, how that Ie&s;us Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?</HI></P>
<P>We neede not be ca&s;t in doubt of our &s;elues, for a &s;uppo&s;ed appendant trueth of an out|ward forme of gouernement, as though if we haue not that, and yet haue the truth of faith,
<PB N="174" REF="96">the &s;pirite of <HI>Christ,</HI> the worde of God, the &s;acraments of the Go&s;pell, repentaunce and newenes of life: hauing the&s;e (I &s;ay) that are mo&s;t nece&s;&s;arie and &s;ub&s;tantiall branches of Chri&s;tian religion; it were madnes to thinke wee haue nothing, becau&s;e they imagine wee haue &s;ome as bad, or wor&s;e then infi|dels and heathen men among vs, and becau&s;e we haue not &s;uch an outwarde gouernement as plea&s;eth them, becau&s;e we wor&s;hip God by the booke of Common prayer, and be|cau&s;e our Mini&s;ters &s;ome are not preachers, and all are made by the By&s;hops, and all to|lerate or allowe the booke of Common pray|er, and the outwarde gouernement. The&s;e are the chiefe heades of the difference be|tweene them &amp; vs. While men &s;eeke to per|fect Churches, they will bring to pa&s;&s;e, that there will bee among vs no Church at all. Now with vs, there is leaue for all men to be good, if they will by Gods grace indeuour. They would haue it &s;o as they fancie, that no man &s;hould be euill: but this is impo&s;&s;ible. If we can bring to pa&s;&s;e, that the Go&s;pell be taught in all places, and that &s;innes bee mo&s;t &s;euerelie puni&s;hed, and all be brought to the learning of the worde of God: then &s;hall we &s;ee a more perfect and beautifull forme of the Church among vs. Thus many of the&s;e
<PB N="175" REF="96">controuer&s;ies will be appea&s;ed, then &s;hal we mo&s;t clearelie appeare to bee the <HI>armie</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and hee will &s;hewe him&s;elfe to be our captaine, and Lorde, and God. Thus much to them that denie that we are <HI>Chri&s;ts armie,</HI> and that our Churches as they now &s;tand, are not the true Churches of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>This matter being thus runne ouer, it is time to returne to that which wee haue in hand. <HI>The bea&s;t, and the kings of the earth and their armies, fight against him that &s;itteth on the hor&s;e, and again&s;t his armie.</HI> A parte of this armie, the Churche of <HI>England</HI> as it &s;tandeth nowe is, by the &s;ingular goodnes of God. All Gods people make but one armie, and that an vnited armie. How much more then is it nece&s;&s;ary, that we which be but one band as it were, of this mightie armie, &s;hould agree together in one? Let all lay a&s;ide en|uie, pride, and aemulation. Let vs e&s;pecially now in the time of &s;o dangerous threatnings, and attempts of the enemies, put away &s;trife about the&s;e matters. Many doubtle&s;&s;e &s;tirre vp, and &s;et a fire the parties on both &s;ides, and yet beare no loue to eyther. It were the be&s;t meanes of the enemies victorie, to increa&s;e &s;trife. <HI>Cyprian</HI> a&s;cribeth the violent per&s;ecu|tion that came vpon the Church in his time vnder <HI>Decius,</HI> to di&s;&s;en&s;ion, which fell among
<PB N="176" REF="97">them, e&s;pecially, by meanes of the <HI>Nouatians,</HI> euen &s;uch a &s;ect as this is, that vnder pretence of a greater puritie, would make a Church by the~&s;elues. Thus he de&s;cribeth his times. <HI>Patri|monio &amp; lucro &s;tude~tes, amulationi &amp; di&s;&s;entioni vacantes, &s;implicitatis &amp; fidei negligentes, &s;eculo verbis &s;olis &amp; non factis renunciantes, vnu&s;qui&s;|que &s;ibi placentes &amp; omnibus di&s;plicentes: Vapu|lamus ita&abque; vt meremur.</HI> While wee &s;tudie for gaine &amp; riches: while we followe pride: while we are earne&s;t about aemulation &amp; di&s;&s;entio~, neglige~t about faith: while we renounce the world in words onelie, &amp; not in deeds: while we plea&s;e euerie man him&s;elfe, &amp; di&s;plea&s;e all men el&s;e: while wee giue our &s;elues to the&s;e things, we are beaten as we de&s;erue. <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> maketh di&s;&s;ention y^e cau&s;e of y^e mo&s;t grieuous per&s;ecution that <HI>Diocle&s;ian</HI> brought vpon the Church, which la&s;ted 13. yeeres: In which the Churches were throwen downe, &amp; made euen with the ground: the Bibles were taken &amp; burnt in the open markets: the pa&s;tours &amp; By&s;hops were put to death, or were faine to lye Lid in caues. Thus hee &s;ayeth: <HI>Postquam res no&s;trae, &amp;c. After our e&s;tate by too much li|bertie,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hi&s;t. l. 8. c. 1.</NOTE> <HI>degenerated into nicenes and &s;luggi&s;hnes, and one hated and reuiled another, and where|&s;oeuer it happened, wee among our &s;elues, and by our &s;elues, did &s;et vpon one another with armour
<PB N="177" REF="97">and weapons of wordes, and rulers fell out with ru|lers, and pa&s;tors with pa&s;tors, and people moued &s;edition again&s;t people, and after this vn&s;peake|able hypocri&s;ie and mocking, did growe to the top of malice and naughtines: Gods iudgement (af|ter his accu&s;tomed maner) came vpon the Chur|ches.</HI> This was the e&s;tate in the time of <HI>Eu&s;e|bius,</HI> before the per&s;ecution came. Ours is not much vnlike. God graunt di&s;&s;entio~ cea&s;e, that there follow not the like euent. The &s;eueritie of &s;ome men in maintaining vnity is mi&s;liked: but there is nothing but &s;eueritie can helpe vs. <HI>Abbas Vr&s;pergen&s;is</HI> by rea&s;on of y^e &s;chi&s;me in <HI>Germanie</HI> about y^e election of the Emperor, &s;ome leaning to <HI>Philip,</HI> &s;ome to <HI>Berthold,</HI> &s;ome to <HI>Otto,</HI> &s;aith: <HI>that there was not one pari&s;h which agreed with another, &amp; that by occa&s;ion of this, &amp; &s;uch &s;trifes, the Pope did grow &s;o great. Iocu~dare &s;uper adiutrice tua di&s;cordia, quia erupit de puteo infernalis abi&s;&s;i, vt accumule~tur tibi multa pecu|niaru~ praemia. Habes quod &s;emper &s;iti&s;ti, decanta ca~ticu~, quia per malicia~ hominu~ non per tua~ reli|gione~ orbe~ vici&s;ti.</HI> Thus he &s;peaketh to Rome: <HI>reioyce for thy helper di&s;cord, becau&s;e &s;he is broke~ out of the infernall pit that much money may bee brought to thee: thou ha&s;t that which thou ha&s;t al|wayes thir&s;ted. Sing this &s;ong, that thou ha&s;t ouer|come the world, by meanes of the malice of men, &amp; not by thy religio~.</HI> It was y^e di&s;cord of men that
<PB N="178" REF="98">made the Pope great, and brought his ty|rannie vppon them. That al&s;o was the cau&s;e of Gods iudgementes vpon the Ea&s;t Chur|ches: the di&s;&s;ention about the <HI>Trinitie</HI> made a way for <HI>Mahomet.</HI> If any thing will bring the <HI>Antichristian</HI> yoke vpon this lande a|gaine (which God turne far from vs) it will be di&s;&s;ention. Therefore all bitternes, and libelling, and &s;laundering mu&s;t bee layde away.</P>
<P>If it might come to pa&s;&s;e that wee were an vnited <HI>armie,</HI> then we might ea&s;ilie hope to &s;tand, we might preuaile again&s;t our enemies, although they came neuer &s;o manie, or &s;o oft again&s;t vs. To bring vs to vnitie, and to helpe vs to get the victorie again&s;t the common e|nemie, wee haue neede of manie meanes. The&s;e cau&s;es that are in controuer&s;ie mu&s;t be opened by preaching, by writing, by confe|rence. So <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;topped the mouthes of the <HI>Donati&s;tes,</HI> that are mo&s;t like to tho&s;e with whome wee haue to deale. After this maner, he oft ouercame the <HI>Maniches,</HI> and the <HI>Palagians, Zwinglius</HI> by di&s;puting, wri|ting, and preaching, draue the <HI>Anabapti&s;tes</HI> cleane out of <HI>Zurich,</HI> although there they be|gan. If &s;ectaries write, and no man an&s;were: if they priuelie &s;owe the &s;eede of their &s;ecte, and no man publikely roote it out: they will
<PB N="179" REF="98">ouergrowe all. While Doctor <HI>Fulke</HI> liued, his aun&s;wering and confuting of euerie po|pi&s;h Treati&s;e, which came forth in Engli&s;h, did much good in keeping away from vs the infection and poy&s;on of Poperie. Able men &s;houlde bee cho&s;en (if they offer not them|&s;elues,) which &s;hould continue that cour&s;e, that nothing might appeare again&s;t Religi|on, or gouernement, which &s;houlde not be aun&s;wered. If they can not be aun&s;wered, let the faultes be amended, let them not be re|tained. This is one meanes to helpe to re|couer vnitie.</P>
<P>Another helpe mu&s;t be in the ciuill Magi|&s;trates, which by authoritie and puni&s;hment, mu&s;t re&s;traine the libertie of rayling, of libel|ling, and of contemning the gouernours in place. Vile pamphlets of reproch and &s;laun|der, &s;hould not be &s;uffered to goe forth: no, not again&s;t an enemie. While we &s;uffer one parte to rayle, wee prouoke the other, and peraduenture a third commeth in, and pain|teth both in the foule&s;t colours. The&s;e &s;hould be meanes to vnite vs at home.</P>
<P>Again&s;t our common enemies, wee had neede fir&s;t to be armed with innocencie and righteou&s;nes: we mu&s;t beare the colours of our captaine <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: Hee rideth vpon a white hor&s;e;</HI> and the warriours which were in
<PB N="180" REF="99">heauen, by hope and conuer&s;ation followed him <HI>vpon white hor&s;es clothed with fine linnen, white &amp; pure.</HI> And before in this Chapter it is &s;ayde, that the <HI>white linnen is the righteou&s;nes of Saintes.</HI></P>
<P>If wee be knowen by the&s;e colours, our captaine and generall will not &s;uffer vs to be ouerrunne. <HI>Nineue</HI> repented, and after threatning was &s;aued. God hath generallie promi&s;ed to anie nation repenting, that hee will turne away the euill which hee hath deui&s;ed again&s;t it. Wee can not but &s;ee the land full of &s;inne: Contention and &s;trife in the Mini&s;ters, and a great parte of the people: Theftes, robberies, murders neuer &s;o ma|nie, nor with &s;uch multitudes and boldnes attempted: Whoredome, exce&s;&s;e, pride, and drunkenne&s;&s;e ouerflowe all. The&s;e fil|thie ragges mu&s;t bee ca&s;t away, and wee mu&s;t put vpon vs the fine <HI>white linnen of righ|teou&s;nes.</HI></P>
<P>Let vs not thinke that the righteou&s;|nes of ten will &s;aue our land, as it would haue &s;aued <HI>Sodome.</HI> God hath not made &s;uch a generall condition with all people: and there is no compari&s;on betweene fiue little cities in a valley, and all this lande. When the captiuitie was brought vpon <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> there were diuers that feared God
<PB N="181" REF="99">among them. The righteous man &s;hall e&s;cape him&s;efe in the time of Gods iudge|ment: Hee &s;hall not &s;aue anie other: God will prouide for tho&s;e that are his, liuing, or dying. <HI>If Noah, Iob, and Daniel were a|mong this people, As I liue &s;ayeth the Lorde, they &s;hould &s;aue neither &s;onne nor daughter: they &s;hould &s;aue but their owne &s;oules.</HI> Euerie man labour to bee righteous him&s;elfe, and hee &s;hall bee &s;afe. Remember that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> iud|geth and fighteth righteou&s;ly.</P>
<P>To this righteou&s;nes of life, wee mu&s;t al&s;o ioyne faith, or rather righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e mu&s;t bee ioyned to faith. <HI>This is our vic|torie that ouercommeth the worlde, euen our faith. By faith Dauid, Gedeon, and the re&s;t &s;ubdued kingdomes, and wrought deliuerance to Gods people.</HI> Although wee haue &s;inne, yet let vs repent and tru&s;t in Gods mercie and power, and commit the euent to him. Faith preuaileth with God by prayer. By prayer, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fought again&s;t <HI>Amalek: Eli|as</HI> by prayer obteyned fire to con&s;ume the fiftie that came to take him. Prayer deliue|red <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> and <HI>Ezechias,</HI> when <HI>Senache|rib</HI> was readie to deuoure them. The&s;e mu&s;t be our &s;pirituall armour. The&s;e mu&s;t we put on as Chri&s;tians: and as men, we mu&s;t arme
<PB N="182" REF="100">our &s;elues if neede require otherwi&s;e. It is needefull that we &s;hould alwayes be readie. <HI>The bea&s;t</HI> will not change his nature: His fa|uourer is mightie and impatient of a foyle. Let vs not bee &s;ecure, becau&s;e God hath fought for vs, and giuen vs one victorie. <HI>Cae|&s;ar</HI> at his fir&s;t comming into this land, had the repul&s;e. The <HI>Danes</HI> were at the fir&s;t beaten backe. The <HI>Gothes</HI> at their fir&s;t comming into <HI>Italie</HI> with three hundred thou&s;and were ouerthrowne: but within fiue yeares after they came againe, and de&s;troyed all the We&s;t Empire. The <HI>Sara&s;ens</HI> at the fir&s;t, were di&s;|per&s;ed and drowned with tempe&s;t comming into <HI>Spayne:</HI> but at length they tooke it, and inhabited it certaine hundred yeeres. <HI>Con|&s;tantinople</HI> was not wonne at the fir&s;t expedi|tion again&s;t it. It is not in vaine, that God bringeth enemies again&s;t a people, and deli|uereth them once or twi&s;e. It is not to make them proude nor &s;ecure, nor more licentious: but (if they amend not) to bring a more &s;e|uere and horrible reuenge vpon them. Let vs not therefore tru&s;t to this, that God hath done it once, as though he would doe it al|wayes, though wee become negligent, and waxe wor&s;e and wor&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus if we arme our &s;elues, wee &s;hall &s;ee
<PB N="183" REF="100">&s;uch an ende of the battel, when the enemie &s;hall come again&s;t vs, as God hath here fore|&s;hewed. <HI>The bea&s;t and the fal&s;e prophet &s;hall be taken, and ca&s;t into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone:</HI> The re&s;t &s;hall be &s;laine in &s;uch number, that their bodies &s;hall not bee buryed, but the rauens &s;hall feede vpon their carca&s;&s;es. Hitherto, God hath giuen victorie vpon victorie again&s;t <HI>the bea&s;t,</HI> and I tru&s;t he will doe it &s;till, till that enemie be con&s;umed. This age hath &s;eene manie victories again&s;t him, and it is verelie to bee thought, it &s;hall &s;ee more. The triumphant &s;ongs &s;et downe &s;o oft in this Chapter, after the di&s;couerie of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> and the beginning of his ouer|throwe, make me greatlie to hope for it. Fir&s;t the multitudes &s;ing: <HI>Halleluiah: Salua|tion, and glorie, and honor, and power be to the Lorde our God. For hee hath condemned the whore, and reuenged the blood of his &s;eruantes.</HI> And they &s;ayde againe: <HI>Halleluiah: and her &s;moake ro&s;e vp for euermore. Then the pa&s;tours, and all the creatures &s;ayde Amen, Halleluiah. And the fourth time, a voyce came out of the throne &s;aying: Pray&s;e our God all yee his &s;er|uants, and yee that feare him, both &s;mall and great.</HI> And la&s;t of all: <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith: <HI>I heard lyke a voyce of a great multitude, and as the voyce of manie waters, and as the voice of &s;trong thun|drings,
<PB N="184" REF="101">&s;aying, Halleluiah: for our Lorde God almightie hath reigned. Let vs be glad and re|ioyce, and giue glory to him, for the mariage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made her &s;elfe readie.</HI> Thus about the time of the fall of this enemie, the ioye of the Church &s;hall be vn&s;peakeable: victorie followeth vpon victorie, triumph vpon triumph. God graunt that we may bee prepared again&s;t the&s;e ene|mies, that (if they come again&s;t vs) we may yet haue experience of the&s;e victories, that wee may &s;ing the&s;e thankefull and ioyfull &s;ongs of deliuerance, and that wee may bee prepared to <HI>the mariage of the Lambe,</HI> and founde clothed with the <HI>wed|ding garment</HI> when hee commeth, Amen.</P>
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<P>Imprinted at London by <HI>George Bi&s;hop</HI> and <HI>Ralph Newberie.</HI> 1590.</P>
<PB REF="101">
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