NOne can speake more pun­ctually in the commenda­tion of peace, then they that have beene long har­rowed with Warre, Da­vid, a man of Warre, in his younger dayes, he slew a Lion, he kill'd a Beare, he overcame Goliah, that uncircumci­sed Philistim, that defyed the Host of Israel, in his riper yeares he conquered the Canaanites, the Amorites, the rest of those heathenish Nations, he had seaven yeares warre with the house of Saul, [Page 2] Warre with his rebellious subjects, with his treacherous, [...] Chro. 22.8. traitorous sonne, God witnesseth that he had shed bloud abundantly, that hee had made great wars, in his latter dayes he had a brea­thing time of peace, in which respite and Interim, he prepares to build God an house, he rejoyceth in his preparati­on, and prayes for the prosperity of it, and encourageth others to pray,

Ierusalem, either the City Ierusalem, the Metropolis, the chiefe Citie, the Royall City, the City of the great King, the London of the kingdome of Israel, wherein the Thrones of Iudge­ment, the Courts of Iustice, Westmin­ster Hall was, wherein the thrones of the house of David his Court, his Pal­lace, his house, his Mansion, White-Hall was, Or Ierusalem, taken for the Temple in Ierusalem, the house of the Lord, the place whither the Tribes went up, the Tribes of the Lord, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. [Page 3] And so by a figure for the Church of God, the Temple in Ierusalem was a type of it, Or Ierusalem, taken for the whole kingdome, it being the chiefe member of the kingdome, the Cham­ber of the kingdome, the stomacke of that body politicke, which receives all the nourishment, the forraine Marchan­dize, and disperseth them abroad to every member, take Ierusalem in the first sence, in the strict and literal accep­tion of the word, for the Citie Ierusa­lem, for the London of that kingdome, Then pray for the peace of Ierusalem, for the City London, that there may be no destroying plague, no evill disease, no infectious sicknesse, no dissentions, no divisions, no commotions, no rising of lawlesse Creatures, no rebellions, no Treasons, Pray that the forreiners and strangers that are in the Citie, the Male-content, and desperate heard, the Ca­nanites that dwell among them, the French, the Papists may not disturbe their peace, and prosperity, pray that David and Ierusalem, the King and the City, may accord together, that the [Page 4] Thrones of Iudgment, and the Thrones of the house of David, Westminster-Hall, and Whitehall, may be Thrones of Iustice, of honour and glory, take Ierusalem in the second acception, in a sence not so restrained, for the Temple in Ierusalem, for the house of the Lord, for the Church of God, and then pray for the peace of Ierusalem, for peace in the Church, pray that there may bee no heresie, no hereticall doctrine, no erronious Articles of Religion, no Trent determinations, no Socinian blasphe­mies, no Arminian quiddities, no Anti­nomian wickednesses, pray that there may bee no Schisme, no separation, no wall of partition, no heathenish cu­stomes, no Samaritan rites, no Idola­trous superstitions, no Popish ceremo­nies, no Canons to Batter and terrifie the consciences of Gods people, pray that the whole Clergie may be of one spirit, not divided, not distracted not torne in peeces, that one part may not speake prosperity in the eares of the King, to send him to Ramoth-Gilead to dye there, and that the other part may [Page 5] not humor and flatter the people to stubbornnesse and disobedience, pray that the Church may be as Ierusalem, a Citie compact together to which the people of the Lord may goe up with­out offence, without trouble.

The Temple in Ierusalem was built by Salomon a King of peace, in a time of peace, there was no instrument of Iron, no toole of the work-man heard in the rearing of it, Christ the Prince of peace, his Disciples the children of peace, quiet fishermen, not hollowing hunters, and whooping Faulkoners: may the Church be as the Temple Ie­rusalem, as the Schoole of Christ, a Ci­tie, a house of peace: take Ierusalem in in the third sence, in the largest accep­tion of the word, for the whole king­dome of Israel, of which Ierusalem was the head Citie; and then pray for the peace of Ierusalem, for peace in the kingdome, pray that there may be no homebred conspiracies, none left of the house of Saul, to wage warre with the house of David, no discontented Sheba to blow the Trumpet of sedition and [Page 6] rebellion, no flattering Absalom to steale away the hearts of the Kings people, no gallant Adonijah, to make a strong partie against Salomon, no Achitophel Politician to give perni­cious counsell against David, pray that there may bee no revolting in the kingdome that neither Edom nor Lib­nah, 2 Chro. 21.10. no kingdome nor Country, no Citie, nor Towne, nor person may fall from their allegiance to the King, Pray that there may bee no forraine enemy, no Syrian, no Assyrian, no Egyptian, no Roman, no Turke, no Saracen, no Italian, no Spaniard, no Dutch, no French, Pray for the peace of Ierusalem, for all the kingdomes that pertaine to the King of Ierusalem, for all the Countries, Cities and Townes in these kingdomes, for the Church in the kingdome, Pray for the peace of Ierusalem, the Citie, the Church, the kingdome, Peace is taken in as large a sence as prosperity, it com­prehends all blessings, in the wombe of it, I shall principally take it, in the strictest sence, and Ierusalem in the lar­gest, and then the duty is, Pray for the [Page 7] peace of Ierusalem, that there may bee no warre in the kingdome, Warre is only sweete to them that are ignorant of it, Our kingdome hath enjoyed a longer time of peace, then some king­domes have, of being, Our age hath not beene rowsed with the barking of uncouth-Wolves, the midnight drum hath not frighted our sleepes, the soun­ding trumpet hath not deaft our eares, our beacons have not beene fired, our shippes arrested, our walls manned, our Townes have not beene ransacked, our houses ruined, our women ravished, our infants dashed against the stones, wee have not sowed and the stranger rea­ped, we have not built, and the enemy possessed, we have not beene confoun­ded with strange languages, but peace hath beene within our walls, and plente­ousnesse within our dwellings, Peace, the daughter of the Gospell of peace, Plen­tie, the daughter of Peace, Peace the glory of Heaven, the joy of the whole world.

IN the prosecution of which, I will shew you the misery of Warre, the great danger that wee are in of having warre, the hopes that remaine to es­cape it, I begin with the first.

First, consider the misery of warre, The sword is one of Gods foure sore Iudgements, whereby he layeth waste and maketh desolate the greatest king­domes, Ier. 15.3. And I will appoint over them foure kinds (saith the Lord) the sword to slay, and the dogges to teare, and the fowles of the Heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devoure and destroy. For thus saith the Lord, Ezek. 14.21. how much more when I send my foure sore Iudgments upon Ierusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noysome Beast, and the Pestilence, to cut off from it man and Beast? Where you may be pleased to observe, the sword is not on­ly one of the foure, but the first of the foure; the most devouring, the most de­stroying, God usually sendeth none of these judgments, but when his patience is much wounded, when his Royall Indignation is kindled, when his Iustice [Page 9] is forced, when his mercy hath no more to say. God hath a store house, a rich treasury, a Magazen of judgments, there are all Instruments of death, and bloud, sicknesse to death, and sicknesses not to death, Agues and Feavours and con­sumptions, and these God usually sends before the destroying Pestilence, God hath his Staffe, and his Rod, his Bow and his Arrowes, with these he corrects the sons of men, before he drawes his sword, his sword furbished and glitte­ring, to make a sore destruction, Iupiter throwes not at first his dreadfull Thun­derbolts, The heavens usually grow darke and blacke, the clouds gather to­gether, the raine falls, the lightning breaketh forth, the sword, the famine, the noysome beast, and the Pestilence, they are in the darkest, in the most in­ward roome of the Castle and Tower, which God never opens till he be hard put to it, till his lesser judgments are de­spised: see the method of Gods procee­dings, Lev. 26.18, 28. he will proceed from few to ma­ny, from lesse to greater, he will punish us seaven times more for our sinnes, [Page 10] when the foure winds breake loose, when any of these foure judgements come, then God is angry indeed; of these foure judgments, the sword; the famine, the pestilence, and noysome beasts, the sword is the worst of the foure, that which God reserveth till the last, as the greatest witnesse of his displeasure, and the swiftest messenger for our destruction: any one of these foure, brings feare and trembling, hor­ror and terror, palenesse and death: if the pestilence, which is but Gods Ar­row, if that bee let off of the string, though in any part of the kingdome, the Arrow that flyes in the darke, that usually poysons most in the darke cor­ners of the land, amongst the poorest sort of people, yet what a feare it strikes into the body of the whole kingdome; if but one Citie be infected, what flying out of the Citie, what watch and ward, what strict examination and doings of all that come from that Citie, every one being like Cain, afraid of every one that meete them least they should kill them, runnagates upon the face of the earth, [Page 11] Remember the feare that surprised you, when GOD shot this Arrow but into one house of this Towne, when it fet­ched the heart-bloud but from a few, what flying, what posting away, your selves, your households? my Brethren, if the plague bee so terrible, what will the sword bee, that comes after the plague, more fierce, more terrible, by how much the mercies of man, are lesse then the mercies of God, yea when the sword comes the rest of these foure Iudgements attend on it, The plague may come alone, and the famine may come alone, and noysome beasts may come alone, these oftentimes come be­fore the sword, if possible, to prevent it, but when they cannot doe the work, the sword will then contemne the rod, Eze 21.10 set at naught what ever the former judgments have done, it will come fur­bished and sharpened, and this blacke guard of pestilence, famine, noysome beasts, will be at the heeles of it, The sword layes men dead in the fields, it ruines Townes and houses, it leaves the fields unplowed, unharrowed, un­sowed, [Page 12] hence famine growes grievous, that kills whom the sword escapes, the noysome stinch of the dead begets plagues, that and the famine together poysonous beasts, travell over those parts of Germany where the sword hath raged, and tell me if the plague, the famine and the pestilence, if one of these plagues be so terrible, what will they all be, when they are confederate and joyn'd in one, when the sword comes there will be no escape, for hee that flyes the one shall bee overtaken with the other, The sword is one of Gods foure last judgments, the last of the foure, that which hath the rest at­tending on it.

Secondly the misery that war brings is of that nature, that the spirit of inge­nuous and free borne men (of which we are, if any nation under heaven be) can the least brook it, of any judgment, Goe (saith God to Gad, 2 Sam. 24.12. Davids seer) and say unto David, thus saith the Lord, I of­fer thee three things, choose thee one of them, that I may doe it unto thee: It was a favour that God vouchsafed unto Da­vid, [Page 13] that he never did (as I read of) to any beside, that hee should choose the rod, David had offended, there was some ranke bloud in his veines, GOD must let him bloud, or he must dye, and better hee must loose his corruption, then GOD lose him; purge him God will, but whether with Pills, or with Potions, or with some Chymicall pre­parations, David hath the choise, choose thee one of them: there was three evils proposed unto him, three of the greatest evils, three of those foure evils which God usually reserves to the last, to ex­tremity, David must choose one, and by this he was sure, he should not be afflict­ed with all, I am in a great straite, Hee was much troubled, terrified, affrighted, Verse 14. whereever he should make his choise, misery would follow his election; the least of the three judgments was plague enough, yet he resolves, Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, (for his mercies are great) and let me not fall into the hand of man, It is uncertaine what Iudge­ment DAVID made choise of, whe­ther the plague or the famine, 'tis [Page 14] certaine he would not have the sword, hee had rather have any Iudgement then to flye before his enemies, Indeed of all judgments it is the judgement of judgments, I may call it the plague of plagues, which an ingenuous peo­ple can least stoope to. Iob the mirror, the miracle of patience, Iob 30 1, 8. shewed as much impatience in this temptation as in any, I am in derision with them that are yonger then I, whose fathers I would have disdai­ned to have set with the dogs of my flocke, yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit mee, &c. they were children of fooles, children of base men, they were viler then the earth, they made mee their song: peruse Habacuk the first, from the fifth verse to the eleaventh, Behold yee among the heathen, and regard and wonder marveilously, for I will worke a worke in your dayes, which you will not believe though it bee told you. For loe I raise up the Caldeans that bitter and ha­stie. Nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs, they are terrible and dreadfull, their judgement and [Page 15] their dignity shall proceed of themselves Their horses also are swifter then the Leo­pards, and are more fierce then the evening Wolves, and their horse-men shall spread themselves, and their horse-men shall come from farre, and shall flee as the Eagle that hasteth to eate, They shall come all for vio­lence, their faces shall sup up as the East wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand, And they shall scoffe at the Kings, and the Princes shall bee a scorne unto them, they shall deride every strong hold, for they shall heape dust and take it. Bring these home to your owne doores, suppose that Nation of the Spaniard, which the English have had cause to have had in the greatest detestation, and abomination, that insolent and proud Nation, that they were at this present marching into the Towne, with their Colours flying, their drummes beat­ing, their Trumpets sounding, suppose their Souldiers, the rubbish, the scum, the filth of the Nation, were to ran­sacke and rifle your houses, or at least to be but billetted among you, how could your spirits brook it, to see them [Page 16] sit and command whilst you wait and attend, to see them embrace your wives, kill your servants, beate your children, breake open your Chists, take away what ever is pretious in your eyes; you that are now so high and loftie, so ten­der, and impatient of the least injury, that cannot passe by any offence, of your neighbours, of your equalls, of your superiours, what if your servants, your prentices, your drudges, should rise against you, yea what if they, that your servants, your Prentices, your drudges would hate to have any service from, those that are prest out of your streetes, whom your charity formerly releeved, those whom your moneys clothed, who while they were amongst you, would have beene glad, with your dogges to have gathered the crums that fell from your Table, if they should re­turne, and rule and command among you, if they should with Briers and Thornes whip you every morning, if they should take your cloathes from your backes, and teare your skin from your flesh, if they should lye with your [Page 17] daughters before your faces, and com­mit all villanie, and after all should fire your Towne, should lead you captive away, should make you horses for their carriages, ô the miseries of war! what nature could stoope unto it?

Thirdly, this judgment, of all judg­ments, God is the most backwards, the most unwilling to bring upon his peo­ple, this showes the greatnesse of it, Physitians will try all meanes, before they will cut off, they will let bloud, prescribe Pills and Potions, Sed si con­valuerit malum, & ignis adhibetur & ferrum. The sword is the last thing that God will use, yea God seemes to be afraid to use it, and therefore he de­ferres it from day to day, from yeare to yeare. They that are troubled with the Stone, they will hardly bee brought to bee cut for it, they will endure much first, they will try severall Physitians, severall experiments, they will send for the Surgeon, and they will reason with him, they will see his knife, they will enlarge their discourses, they will send them away againe and again, [Page 18] and they will send for them againe, and for other Surgeons, they are scarce drawne to it, Deut. 32.26, 27. see the same of God. I said I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men, Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, least their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and least they should say, our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this, God loves not to afflict any, he afflicts none willingly from the heart, affliction is a strange worke to him, If necessitie urgeth, hee doth it with the Roddes of men for their amendment, he will but correct them, not destroy them, he is not hastie to cut off a mem­ber, 'tis the last, that which he is the loathest to use, yea God seldome or ne­ver useth this plague, this judgement, but he presently repents him of it, and avengeth the bloud shed upon them that shed it, Reade at your leasure, 2 Chron. 28. ver. 9. Isay 10. verse 12. Rev. 6. ver. 6.

Lastly, see some aggravating circum­stances of this judgment, men are ever [Page 19] made the instruments of warre, and therefore this judgment is greater then that immediately comes from GOD, those instruments of cruelty, the lesse they have of reason, the more unreaso­nable, the more fierce in their cruelties, hence the mercies of man are cruelty in respect of God, the cruelties of beasts farre worse than the rage of man, the warre of Inanimate creatures, more ra­ging then that of the beast, The Lion, the Tyger know their bounds better then the fire, the water, yet the de­pravation of the more eminent and ex­cellent, is worse then the meere nega­tion in the other: when patience is a­bused in GOD it turnes into the hea­viest fury, the least sparke of his hell, is greater than the greatest fire on earth: when men lose their reason, they are more mad then the beast that never had it; bloudy minded men are the Instruments of this punishment, and of them, the most strong and stout and lusty, the most irreligious, licentious, and violent persons, the most base, sor­did and dung-hill people; Againe in [Page 20] warre no man can bee master of his owne, where ever the Souldiers passe, their hands are bird-lyme, like the griping Griffin they seise upon all, The Danites rob Micah, Iudges 18.16. and Micahs voyce must not be heard, least when he cryes for his goods, he looseth his life, war exhausts the Treasures of the Land, there will be many borrowers that ne­ver will pay againe, Theeves and Rob­bers, The Kings Exchequer shall want money, the Chamber of the King­dome shall bee without supply, then the Subject shall bee made poore, no trading, much spending, Subsidies, Fifteenes, Taxes, Privie seales, Ship­moneys, provision moneys, Conduct money, a thousand wayes to emptie private purses, In warre men dye ma­ny deaths, here lyes one without an Arme, a Legge, Trampled under the Horses feete, none regards their cryes, their lamentations, The Drummes, the Trumpets drowne their voyces: In warre multitudes are led Captive, tor­tured and tormented, made vassals and slaves; By warre strangers and enemies [Page 21] invade our possessions, possesse our houses and lands, deprive us of our rights, liberties and inheritances, by warre unnaturall slaughters are com­mitted, oftentimes the father fighteth against the sonne, and the sonne against the father, more bloud is shed in warre than any other way: when GOD in­tends to destroy a stocke, a Country, a Kingdome, he sendeth warre: by war might often prevailes against right, the worser part, the stronger, the ruines and desolations of warre last long, af­ter a few months, the next yeare, may supply the defacings of the plague, of famine; but many yeares, many ages to repaire the losse by warre. You see the misery of Warre; As you would escape the fury of it, pray for the con­tinuance of our peace,

Secondly, consider the great danger we are in, of loosing our peace, of fal­ling into the misery of warre; GOD deales fairely in the administration and [Page 22] execution of his justice, Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he will reveale his se­cret to his servants the Prophets, Amos 3.7. seldome or never doth God bring generall judg­ments upon a people but hee gives faire warning, he strikes not unawares; You have heard of late sad presages, signes and forerunners of destructions, I will not tread that path againe; The sword is the plague we now feare, God hath given us some warning, the sword hangs over our heads, God hath been long whetting his sword, hee hath blowne his Trumpet to the Battle, he hath discharged his warning peeces, hee hath charged his murdering pee­ces.

First, lay to heart that God hath al­ready visited us with all other plagues and judgements, yea hee hath gone them over againe and againe: how of­ten hath the Land groaned under the plague; what dearths and scarcities have we had: what secret and wast­ing judgments have beene consuming of us? GOD hath runne through his Armory, his Treasury, Castles, Towers, [Page 23] Magazens, he hath tryed all the rest of his judgments to see if they will bring us to Repentance, so that none remains but the sword: hath not GOD visited us with the plague, with plague after plague, with dearth and famine, hath he not made the heavens brasse, and the earth Iron? hath hee not let loose the foure winds of the earth, which have overthrowne Shippes and houses? hath there not beene fearefull earth­quakes, thundering and lightning, strange divisions, dissentions, mutinies, fearefull sad things amongst us? What remaines for God yet to do? if all this will not doe the worke, but that hee sends the sword, the last, the worst of all, See Amos 4. verse 6. and so on.

I have given you cleannesse of teeth in all your Cities, Verse 6. yet have yee not returned unto me saith the Lord.

I have withholden the Raine from you, Verse 7. yet have yee not returned unto mee saith the Lord.

He speakes after the manner of men in whom just indignation stoppes the passage of further speech, The great­nesse of his wrath wants words to ex­presse it selfe.

Verse 12. And because I will come, prepare to meete thy God, O Israel, God will come like a man of warre, prepare to meete the Lord; See if thou be able to stand against him with his sword drawne, furbished and sharpened, ready to make a sore destruction, God hath gone over other Iudgments againe and againe, therefore we may well feare the sword is now comming.

Secondly, God hath sent the sword amongst other nations, wee hitherto [Page 25] (like Gideons fleece) have beene dry, when all the earth about us hath beene drencht with bloud; the sword hath beene in Bohemia, in the Palatinate, in Denmarke; in Germany, in France, in Holland. The Cloud hitherto hath bin violently carryed from us, and hath emptyed it selfe in other parts; The sword hath beene filled with bloud and hath beene made fat with fatnesse, drunke with bloud: when the Angell of the Lord with his drawne sword had visited other places of the kingdome, at last he came and stood over Ierusalem: when God hath gone through other Lands, and Countryes, through other kingdomes and Churches, he will then sheath his sword upon us. The Iudges they are now in their Circuit, they have their Commission from the King, to goe from one County to another, the Iudges before they have done they will come in their Circuit to us, wee must have our Assizes, God hath given his sword a Commission, it hath beene ma­ny yeares in the Circuite, 'tis now come neere unto us: The sword cannot bee [Page 26] quiet, See Ieremy 47.6, 7. O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it bee ere thou be quiet? put up thy selfe into thy scab­berd, rest and bee still; How can it bee quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against ASKELON, and against the Sea-shore? there hath hee ap­pointed it.

The sword hath beene long unshea­thed, and hath gone in triumph over all the world, besides, how can it bee quiet, till it come among us? See what danger we are in, the sword hath beene in other parts.

Thirdly, consider warre hath beene at our very doores, we have not only heard of it with our eares, but our eyes have seene the smoake, the fire of it hath toucht our bodies, the enemy hath beene as neere us as David to Saul when he cut off the lap of his garment. The last yeare was not the enemy strong up­on our coast, a Potent, a powerful, a ma­licious enemy? I question not the end of their comming, God and they know it, but was not the warre at our gates, did not the States, and the Spaniards, [Page 27] fight before our eyes when wee stood still and looked on? God might have joyned them together against England. But he made their sword drunke in the bloud one of another, as the Lacede­monians made their servants, and slaves drunke, that we might see it, and feare. Againe was not the Trumpet the last yeare blowne, was not a Generall made choise of, Leivtenants, Coronels, Cap­taines, and all officers, were there not many horse and foote, they that went voluntary, and they that were pressed? did not the King goe himselfe, in per­son, set up his Royall standerds, lye in the eye, in the sight of the enemy, sure­ly the sword was then drawne, the knife was at the throate, the men of warre were prepared for the fight, there was great expence of men, time and money, yet then the Lord delivered us, he returned the King backe again, and we had peace, David was in great dan­ger when Saul and his men of warre en­compassed him about, yet then GOD brought Saul backe againe, Ierusalem was straitly besieged by the Caldeans, Ier. 37.5. [Page 28] yet God hasted them away, warre was at the back-doore.

Lastly, consider the warre is now begun, the sword hath begun to eate and drinke our flesh and bloud, now is the time that Kings goe forth unto war, Our preparations are farre greater, our hope of preservation farre lesse, relapse is the most dangerous; The second wrath is seldome appeased, God is now ingaged in the warre, the meanes of deliverance became vaine and empty, there hath beene rysings and rebellions in the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome, the Ordinances of warre are in print a­mongst us, the men of warre are gathe­red together, wee waite daily to heare of some bloudy encounter, of some fearefull Stratagem, of some devillish damnable Massacre, some horrid and dreadfull Tragedy; Mat. 16.3. The Pharisees were weather-wise, it will bee foule weather to day, the skie is red and low­ring, they could discerne the face of the sky, but they could not discerne the signes of the times, cast up your eyes and you shall see a Cloud comming [Page 29] from the Sea, black and dreadfull, co­vering the face of the heaven; hearken a little, and you shall heare a sound of abundance of Raine, yea the drops be­gin to fall upon your faces, stand still and be quiet, and you may behold the approach of the enemy, the horror, the terror they bring with it, certainely he that sees not that there is but one step betwixt him and death, that we are all but dead men, hee is either blind or starke madde; for the Sword is drawn, Warre is fully prepared, War is ready.

Thirdly, consider what possibility there is yet of escape, what probabili­ty, what hope, what comfort remaines; Is there no balme in Gilead? Is there no Physitian there? Iacob was almost desperate, the famine was sore in the Land; Ioseph was not, Simeon was not, they were taking away Benjamin also. The Chiefe Governour of Egypt, hee spake roughly to them, he imprisoned them as spies, hee conjures them that they should not see his face without their brother Benjamin, Iacob was re­solved hee should not goe, his sonnes [Page 30] would not goe without him, the fa­mine encreased upon them, something therefore Iacob must doe, Gen. 43.11 If it must bee so now (saith hee) doe thus, take of the best fruits of the Land in your vessels, and bring the man a present, a little Ro­sen, and a little hony, spices, and Myrrhe, Nutts and Almonds, and take double money in your hand, and the money that was brought againe in your sackes mouthes, carry it againe in your hands, lest it were some oversight, Take also your Brother and arise, and goe againe to the man; And God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man, that hee may deliver you your other Brother and Benjamin, &c. There is the same beame of light and comfort left to us as was to Iacob, there lyes a necessitie upon us, it must bee so, wee must downe into Egypt, there is yet a little Balme in Gilead, we must take double money, increase our prayers to God, wee must pray, God Almighty give us mercy, &c. David was exceedingly distressed when the Amalekites burnt Ziklag, and had carried their wives and al that they [Page 31] had, captive, when all his people were disheartened and discouraged, when they lift up their voyces and wept, when they mutined against David, and spake of Stoning of him, yet then David encouraged himselfe in the Lord, there is yet this left, 1 Sam. 30.8. how ever wee are sore distressed, yet we may encourage our selves in the Lord, we may enquire of the Lord; Consider therefore (to encourage you to this duty) this leading mercy that God hath vouchsafed unto us, this libertie and opportunitie, that God hath given unto us, this price that God hath put into our hands, that the whole kingdome may yet appeare be­fore God, and cry unto GOD: my Brethren, this is not a little mercy. In the Prophet Malachy's time, when the state of Gods Church and people was as desperate as now, both in respect of sinne, and in respect of judgment, Mal. 3.16. they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; It was a priviledge, they might have such free accesse, such communion, such fellowship together, the times have beene, when the people [Page 32] of God have fled into the wildernesse, into the deserts, into dens and caves, when they could not meete to fast and pray, without great danger of distracti­on, of discovering, of presenting, of imprisoning. The last yeare I heard it often whispered in the eare, and secret­ly muttered, that the kingdome should prepare to warre, and that God should not be called in to the warre, that there was no prayer, no fast injoyned, this made some to feare, least God would joyne against us; See (my brethren) the King, to whom alone it belongs to proclaime publike Fasts, hath in his pietie to GOD proclaimed a day of humbling our soules, and of reconci­ling our selves to God, this promiseth some good unto us, it is an argument, that we are prisoners of hope, when the enemy doth parley with us: there is some signe of yeelding, when there is liberty of parley: God doth never reason with them for whom he hath no mercy; Hee reasoned with Adam and Eve, he did not with the Serpent. God cannot be angry with the prayers of his [Page 33] people, hee is then angry indeed when he forbids his people to pray, when he takes away their hearts from prayer, when hee denyes them liberty to pray, when they are restrained from prayer, but when GOD calls them to pray, when hee commands them to pray, when he stirres up a whole kingdome to pray, when hee makes those men, that have prayers in abomination, and the people of God for their praying in abomination also, to countenance pray­er, to joyne with the people of GOD in prayer, to be of one heart with them, O what a glimpse of mercy is this, cer­tainly there is hope, whilst there is but one praying Christian, amongst us, whilst any one that hath a publike spi­rit, whilst Moses prayes, the enemy cannot prevaile, whilst Luther lived, the Duke of Saxony could not be con­quered, yea there is hope, if there were not one praying Christian in the midst of us, if there be any of ano­ther kingdome, that pray for us. Abra­ham, that was a very stranger to Sodom and Gomorrah, prevailed farre with God, [Page 34] for them, his prayer saved his nephew Lot, his Wife and daughters: we have a multitude of prayerfull Christians, that pray daily for us, that are not amongst us: all the reformed Churches abroad, especially our friends and kindred, that are lately separated from us in Holland, in New England: Yea let me appeale unto your selves, have not most of you, as Daniel did, in your Chambers fasted and prayed? have you not in your families, have not the men fasted apart, and the women apart? hath there not been private notice given, as Esther to Mordecai, Mordecai to the Iewes in Shusan? Yea that which Crownes all, is there not now a Pro­clamation gone forth, through all Countries, to command every one, Church and Chappell, to fast? my bre­thren, a little encourage your selves in the Lord; The God of Israel is a mer­cifull God, wee cannot come with hal­ters about our necks, but he will have mercy on us. The Lion of the Tribe of Iudah will not trample upon the yiel­ding pray. The Comforter will com­fort [Page 35] whom he hath convinced, of sin, of righteousnesse, and of judgment: Let me speake comfortably unto you then, in the words of Manoa's wife unto him, when hee was much afflicted; Surely we shall dye (saith he) because wee have seene God, No (saith she Iudges 13.23. Iudg 13.23) if the LORD were pleased to kill us, hee would not have received a burnt offe­ring and a meate offering at our hands, neither would hee have shewed us all these things, nor would now have told us any such.

Againe consider what great things, fasting and praying have done, the prayers of one man, of one family, of one Citie, of one Kingdome, God is the same GOD as ever, the father of mercy, the God of compassion: we are not confirmed, because hee changeth not: fasting and prayer have prevailed, why not still? Call to minde the me­morable things recorded in the booke of God, especially that of Mordecai, and the Citie of Shushan, of Ezra and his company, looke into the booke of God, and tell me if you can finde one [Page 36] good or bad, that ever fasted and pray­ed, and God had not respect unto it, Iehosaphat when the Moabites and Am­monites a great host came against them, ready to swallow them up, yet he pre­vailed; call to minde Ecclesiasticall History, in Marcus Aurelius time, and Theodosius time, that thundering Legi­on, when the Christians prayer obtai­ned an admirable victory; That of Lu­ther and the Church, when the devill brought in the covenants, call to mind what you your selves have obtained by fasting and prayer, I could tell you of some singular things that have fallen within mine own knowledge, wonder­full things hath the publike fasting-prayers of our Church obtained of God. Nay more to encourage you, look into your owne Towne, when God sent that infectious disease of the small Pox, when scarce there was one house (as in Egypt) wherein there was not one dead, when you fasted and prayed, how soon did the Lord remove that plague, an Army of men cannot stand against a man of prayer, much lesse against an [Page 37] Army of prayers; Surely (my Bre­thren) it is the prayers of the Church that hath kept off judgements to this day, we have had many Ionah's sent a­mongst us, crying, yet forty dayes and England shall be destroyed: We have had dayes and months and yeares, past over our heads, yet no sword, when (saith the scoffing worldling) is the pro­mise of his comming, the Prophets prophecie wind, yea Ionah was angry with himselfe, what's the matter, God hath threatned so much, and wee have felt so little; did Ionah preach a lye in the name of the Lord? No Niniveh repented, and GOD repented, Nineveh fasted and prayed, and God was entrea­ted; They have beene the repentings, the fastings, the prayers of the people, that have kept off the sword to this day, God is the same God; his com­passions never faile: If we pray, God will heare; See how Salomon consecra­ted his Temple, he prayed, 1 Kings 8.44, 45. that when the people should goe out to battell a­gainst their enemy, and should pray un­to the Lord toward the way of the [Page 38] Citie, and toward the house which hee had built; That then God would heare in Heaven their prayer and their sup­plication, and judge their cause, the turning towards the Temple was a turn­ing to God, Christ was the Temple; turne to Christ in prayer, and the ene­mie shall not prevaile.

Secondly, consider (as a further en­couragement to pray for peace) the ene­mies whom wee expect will engage us with Warre, and they are either for­reine enemies, of other kingdomes, of other language, of another Religion, or they that are under the same King with us, of the same faith and Religion; Be they Spaniard, or French, or any of the Romish Religion, they are not more our enemies then Gods, and the warre is not ours, but Gods, God hath said it, they shall fall before us, and he will avenge the bloud they have shed. The Saints under the Altar have a long time cryed, how long? the time can­not bee farre of, but that the Kings of the earth shall gather themselves toge­ther, they shall hate the whore, and shall [Page 39] make her desolate and naked, Rev. 17.16 and shall eate her flesh, and shall burne her with fire.

Babylon must fall, Babylon must fall, yet I cannot say, but for a time they may prevaile, they may stand, though wee in our persons fall, yet this I say confidently, though we should fall, our cause shall stand: And God will raise up them after us that will avenge all the bloud shed by them; Hannibal, when he was but nine yeares old, vowed him­selfe a perpetuall enemy to the Empire of Rome; The warre of Rome Chri­stian runnes Retrograde to the warre of Rome Ethnicke: though they had of­ten the worst in the present battailes, yet they were ever conquerers at last; when as Rome Christian, though they sometimes pevaile for the present, yet they shall never conquer, our warres with them, are as the warres with the Children of Israel, when they travel­led into the land of Canaan, sometimes they turned their backs before the ene­my, but they were sure to conquer at last; Our Shippe may by stormes and [Page 40] Tempests, be beaten and torne, be as the Shippe in which Christ and his Disci­ples were tossed and in danger, but 'tis sure at last to arrive safe at the haven: my brethren, God may make the Pa­pists whippes and scourges, hee may make them as thornes in our eyes, as prickes in our sides, Ioshua and Israel may turne their backes before the ene­mies, the Papists may have their long-waited for day, which may for the pre­sent bee to us as that day we read of in Ioel; Ioel 2.2. A day of darkenesse and of gloomi­nesse, as dayes of clouds and of thicke darknesse, a day fearefull, as our day of doome, as our day of judgement: yet it shall not be our day of doom, nor our day of judgement, the sunne shall not goe downe in a Cloud, when our day is over, their night shall begin, black­nesse of darknesse shall cover them, the Sunne shall never rise againe, they shall have an eternall night, they are greater sinners then wee, and when God be­gins he will make an end, my brethren, we need not over much feare what A­theists and Papists can do; Isay 10.12. what hell [Page 41] or Rome, what the Devill or Spaniard, there may come an houre of temptati­on, an houre of darknesse; Sathan may cast some of us into prison, wee may have Tribulation tenne dayes, but hee that shall come, will come and will not tarry: Our deliverer, our Saviour will raise up a mighty salvation for us; Pha­raoh may oppresse for a time, but wee shall after a while see the Egyptians drown'd in the red Sea; They are Gods enemies, and we shal see the salvation of the Lord.

Are they against whom wee must fight, under the same King, of the same religion, they cannot but be as de­sirous of peace as we our selves, we can­not fight against them as against ene­mies, nor can they fight against us; The King solemnly protests and declares to the world, be wageth not warre against them, his Armes are open to embrace them: What ever bloud hee drawes from them, he counts it as bloud from his owne veines, the kingdome is not forward for warre, God is called to Vmpire the cause, Therefore,

You have seene the misery of warre, the probability of a present warre, the possibility of escaping of it, O then pray for peace, which brings me to a use of exhortation further to presse this duty upon you.

First, bee seriously affected with it, before you pray, lay the warre to your heart, thinke of it when you rise in the morning, and when you goe to bed at night; Let the Trumpet that sounds to this warre, bee as the Trumpet that sounded in the eare of Saint Ierome, that where ever he went, or what ever hee did, he heard the sound of it; It is re­corded of Ignatius, that when hee was dead, the name of Iesus was found in­graven in his heart in letters of Gold; Of Saint Francis, that the markes and prints of Christ crucified were upon his hands and feete. Queene Mary said when she was dead, they should finde Callis writ on her heart; And 'tis said [Page 43] when Sardis was lost, that every dinner one cryed, Remember they have taken Sardis, have deepe thoughts (my Brethren) concerning this warre, be­cause of the Divisions of Reuben, there are great thoughts of heart.

O lay it neere to your hearts, sleepe with it, wake with it, eate and drinke with it, set it ever before your eyes, Vn­lesse you are truly affected with it, you can never pray effectually for it: Re­member the affection of David, Psalm. 137.5. If I for­get thee 0 Ierusalem, let my right hand for­get her cunning; Take to heart what Hezekiah did, when warre was threat­ned, hee rent his clothes, hee covered himselfe with Sackcloth; Isai. 37.1, 3. This day is a day of trouble, and of Rebuke and Blasphe­mie, call to remembrance what Uriah did, a Souldier, he would not go to his house; nor lye with his wife, nor eate of the Kings provision, whilst the Arke, and Israel, and Iudah dwelt in Tents, Nebuchadnezzar, that heathenish King, 2 Sam. 11.11. when he set his heart to deliver Daniel and could not, he returned sad to his palace, he passed away the night fast­ing [Page 44] he would have no Instrument of musicke brought before him, his sleep went away from him, he arose early in the morning, and hasted to the denne of Lions, Dan. 6.18. O ye Priests of the Lord, re­member old Eli, when warre was at the gates, his heart trembled, for the Arke of GOD, hee watched at the doore, the Lampe did not goe out all night, the newes that the Arke was ta­ken, strooke him to the heart, Phinea's wife felt the losse of the Arke, more then the travell of her child, certainly (my brethren) they are neither faith­full to God their King nor Countrey, that are not affected with this war, that doe not pray for the peace of Ierusalem. Isay 22.12. This day God calls to weeping and mourn­ing, to baldnesse, and to girding with sack­cloath; They that will not this day fight the battailes of the Lord with their prayers, they shall bee cursed of the Lord; Iudg. 5.23. Curse yee Meroz, because they came not to helpe the Lord against the mighty; If the enemy should break in upon us, then you would weepe and mourne; cry and howle, a grievous [Page 45] shrike should bee heard among you. Then, ô my sonne Isaac! and ô my Father Abraham! weep and mourne, that the enemy may not come, doe as Iehoshaphat did.

Secondly, bee not afflicted nor af­fected for a day onely, though you begin your sorrow to day, doe not end it to day, a woman is not long conceiving, shee is long breeding, she is not long bringing forth, shee is long training up; Sow the seed of sorrowes to day, and watch over it, and water it every day, weep day after day for Ieru­salem: Isay 58.5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, that a manshould afflict his soule for a day, and to bow downe his head, as a Bull-Rush, and to lye downe in sacke-cloath ashes? Wilt thou call this a fasting, or an acceptable day to the LORD? O (my Brethren) Let this day bee but the beginning of your sorrowes; Let GOD and the whole World see that you are become sorrowfull mourners indeed: ESTHER fast­ed three dayes, DANIEL three weekes, the people of ISRAEL in [Page 46] their Captivity seventie yeares, abate while the Pestilence, the warre lasteth, somewhat of your pleasures, of your profits, you know what God said of Miriam, Numb. 12.14. if her father had but spit in her face, should she not have been asha­med seaven dayes; If God was never so little Angry with us, we should fast seaven dayes, much more now he hath plagued us with his greatest plagues; Mephibosheth neither dressed his feete, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his cloathes, from the day the King de­parted, untill he came againe in peace; till God and the King returne in peace, 2 Sam. 19.24. doe as Mephibosheth did, set one houre a­part every day for prayer, one day more in the weeke, eate lesse, drink, lesse, sleep lesse, put on your mourning apparell, lay by your feasting, your banquetting, let your laughter be turned into weep­ing, your joy into mourning, water your Couch with teares.

Encite, and exhort, and encourage one another to pray. David doth not only pray himselfe, but hee commands others to pray.

The word is in the plurall number, Then they that feared the Lord spake of­ten one to another. The more prayers, the more power: we have at this day a great gale of prayers at our back; Noah Daniel, and Iob: The prayers of Noah alone preserved himselfe and his fami­ly, Daniel returned the captivity, Iob prevailed for his friends; if these seve­rally could doe so much with God, what can they all do joyned together? If one favourite can prevaile with the King, how can hee be denyed, when all the Court, when the Counsell, when the Kings Children, when the Queene joynes with him? get what stocke of prayers you can, pray your selves, call in others to pray; Let the Husband pray with the wife, the wife with her maides; The Parent with the Chil­dren, let one neighbour provoke ano­ther. An Army of men cannot stand against an Army of prayers: One pray­ing Towne can overcome a fighting [Page 48] Kingdome, make your party strong by prayers.

Fourthly, in this your day of prayer vow reformation to God: if any thing will prevaile with God, prayer and re­formation will doe; Indeed you should have reformed the evill of your wayes before this day of prayer; Reforma­tion should goe before Humiliation: The King of Nineveh when hee sent forth the Proclamation for the fast, he sent it forth for reformation also: the times have beene when reformation would not serve the turne; There may so much guilt lye upon a kingdom that no reformation shal priviledge the king­dome. 2 Kings 23.26, 27.

There can be no preservation with­out Reformation, though reformation will not alwayes doe the worke, yet the worke can never bee done with­out it; It is the condition that GOD ever requires, that which his servants covenant for with GOD, that which encourageth them to pray; This ever leaves a possibility, a hope, a may bee: Therefore now (saith the Prophet [Page 49] Ioel, Turne yee to me with all your heart, Ioel 2.14. who knowes if he will returne and repent? breake off your sinnes saith Daniel, by, righteousnesse it may bee a lengthning of thy tranquillity. Reformation must go along with prayer, Dan. 4.27. Wash you, make you cleane, take away the evill of your doings, Isay 1.16. cease to doe evill; Reforme the abuses, the sinnes of the place, the drunken­nesse, the idlenesse, the whoring, the swearing, reforme the sinnes of your houses, the want of Prayer, of Cate­chising, your personall sins, your co­vetousnesse, your pride, your oppres­sion, breake off your sinnes, God may have mercy.

Lastly, pray and rest comforted in your prayer, quiet your spirits what you can, feare not their feare, shew that you can doe what the wicked cannot doe, you can Anchor your soules upon God. Admirable was the deportment and carriage of poore afflicted Hannah, when shee had powred forth her soule unto God, she went home and did eate, and looked no more sad; 1 Sam. 1.18. It was a good resolution of a wicked man, yet a good [Page 50] Generall in the field. Be of good cou­rage and let us behave our selves vali­antly, for our people and the Cities of our God, and let the Lord do that w ^ch is good in his sight, 1 Chro. 19.13. Iacob was resolved, after he had used the means; If it must be so, If I am bereaved, I am bereaved. Esther was at a point, goe I will, if I perish, I perish, I cannot foretell you of certainety what this day may bring forth; what answer wee shall have of our prayers, but I can say this confi­dently, and promise you in the name of the Lord, they that pray for the peace of Ierusalem, they shall prosper, either in the publike prosperity of Ierusalem, or in their owne particular person, or in the prosperity of their posterity. The Children that are not yet borne may blesse you for this day. Pray then, O pray, Pray for the peace of Ierusalem, for the Citie, for the Church, for the King­dome.

GReat deliverances ought to bee celebrated with so­lemn remembrances, Na­tionall deliverances with Nationall remembrances. When God delivered the Nation of the Iewes from that intended Parisian Massacre, Mordecai proclaimed the foureteenth and fifteenth dayes of the month Adar to be kept holy, that they should make them dayes of feasting and joy. It is recorded of the Iewes, Hest 9.20. [Page 54] that on these dayes, when they reade the booke of Esther, as often as men­tion is made of their enemy and adver­sary wicked Haman, so often they ex­presse their inward indignation by some externall angry passion, they stampe with their feete upon the ground, they knocke their hands, they threaten with their frowne, they thunder with their words.

This day, this fifth day of Novem­ber, a day for ever to be remembred by the English Nation, GOD delivered, God immediately and miraculously de­livered, our Religion, our King, our Queene, our Prince and Princesse, the Senate and Councell of this Kingdom, the Iudges, the Knights, the Burgesses, the whole house of Convocation, the monuments of our fore-fathers, the re­cords of the Kingdome, in a word, the whole kingdome, from that diabolicall, monstrous, unparallell'd Gun-powder Treason; This day our High Court of Parliament hath enacted, (and may that Act be as the Act of the Medes and Per­sians that alters not, may it stand as the [Page 55] Sunne and Moone for ever) that this day should be kept holy, that wee ce­lebrate this day with a joyfull triumph, with new Cantica Canticorum: with whole new sets of songs, with preach­ing, with feasting, and sending gifts one unto another, with ringing of Bels, with making of Bonefires, with soun­ding Trumpets, with thundering of Ordnances, with all outward expres­sions of joy: That so God may see our thankfulnesse, that people from the Pul­pit may heare of their deliverance, that children in the streetes may understand the salvation of the Lord: that stran­gers abroad may know the barbarous­nesse of the Plot, the Religion of the Traitors, the bloud-thirstinesse of Pa­pists; Horret animus, beleeve me I can­not thinke on the horror of the Trea­son, but my spirit is moved within me, my indignation is stirred, as often as the very mention of the name Papist is made, of such Papists that adhere to the Pope of Rome as to their head, Ita­lian, Spanish, Iesuited, Gunpowder Papists; I could bee angry and sinne [Page 56] not, I could stampe, knocke, bend my brow, and thunder (were it lawfull) I could take up the execration of David, let my tongue cleave to the roofe of my mouth, and my right hand forget her cun­ning, when I forget the deliverance of this Day.

That therefore you may for ever re­member, and stand fast to the Gospell received, and not bee tempted to that damning Religion, I have made choise to speake in the words of the Apo­stle,

IN which words you have a duty en­joyned, Stand, fast.

Secondly, the reason enforcing, in the illative word; Therefore.

The Apostle, the Doctor of the Gen­tiles exhorted the beleeving Thessaloni­ans to stand fast, and the more to move them calls them, Brethren, [...], a brother, is derived of [...], uterus, a wombe, brethren being properly, ute­rus, the fruit of one wombe; The [Page 57] Apostle and the Thessalonians were not brethren in nature, but brethren in grace, & sanctior est copula cordi­um, quam corporum: This compellation carries much affection with it, and im­ports thus much, that he tendered the beleeving Thessalonians as his mothers wombe, or his own bowels, even as his brethren, therefore he gives them this necessary exhortation in all brotherly love and earnestnesse,

The reasons that enforce it, are im­plyed in this word, Therefore, There­fore? Wherefore? Two Reasons may bee gathered from the coherence of these words.

First, the Apostle tells them, there will be an Apostacy, a falling away; Therefore stand fast. Of which Aposta­cy you may read from the third verse to the thirteenth verse.

Secondly, hee remembers them of Gods mercy to them in bringing them to the knowledge of the Gospell, from [Page 58] the thirteenth verse to the fifteenth;

These are the Reasons to enforce this duty, and of these in their order plainly.

Reas. 1.And first, Therefore stand fast; be­cause there will bee an Apostacy, and a falling away; That there will bee an Apostacy and a falling away, all must, all do confesse, our times and the times of our fore-fathers are sad witnesses of the accomplishment of this Prophecy. The Apostle speakes it in expresse termes, there must be an Apostacy and a falling away first; That this Captaine Apostate (whom the Apostle v. 3. cals the man of sinne, and doth so exactly describe) is the same with the Anti­christ of whom Saint Iohn writes in his Epistle, and the false Prophet you read of in the Revelation, for ought I know wee have unanimous consent. But who this man of sinne is, the An­tichrist, the false Prophet, there's the difference; Not to spend much time [Page 59] in the searching out thereof, or in an­swering to this quaere; The Fathers are not competent Iudges in this particu­lar: The Papists themselves, those pre­tended adorers of them, yet in this leave them and refuse them, Dan. 12.9. Daniel tells us that the Prophecy is sealed to the end, Saint Austen saith ingenuously, that concerning this chapter hee could not understand the meaning of it; To the Fathers these Prophecies were riddles and darke sayings, yet by that glimer­ing light they had, the mystery of ini­quity beginning in the Apostles time, they could, they did point out the time, the place, and some the person. The Fathers could not tell who this man of sinne was; Our adversaries of the Church of Rome will not tell us, they labour to free the Pope from it ra­ther then to fasten it upon any other; And while they labour to build new Babel, Lord how are they confoun­ded! The Rhemists confesse that Rome is the place, yea Bellarmine, Ribera, and others say, certainely Rome is the seate; The Sunne shines cleare as at noone­day, [Page 60] they can, but will not see; I could muster whole Armies of the reformed Churches, produce a cloud of witnes­ses, empannell many grand-Iuries, of our owne learned men, that readily will answer to this quaere: the Papacy is this Apostacy, the Pope this man of sinne, the Antichrist the false Prophet: the time would faile me to bring forth King David and all his worthies, King Iames, the Bishops, and Professors and learned men of that learned age, all which plainly and freely confesse and answer that the Papacy is this Aposta­cie, the Pope this man of sinne, the An­tichrist, the false Prophet; In this par­ticular I may truly say of that King of Schollars, what the servants of King David said, he is worth tenne thousand: how plainely hath hee publisht to the whole world, and sent it abroad to the Emperor, to Christian Kings and Prin­ces, wherein he hath declared his opi­nion concerning this thing, how plain­ly in his paraphrase upon the Revelati­on in his meditation upon the twentieth Chapter; in his Apologie to Kings [Page 61] and Princes; For my part I will walke under the protection of this great King, and follow the steppes of those lear­ned men, backt with the authority of the booke of Homilies, and take it for granted indeed which cannot reasonab­ly bee denyed, it may easily bee made good that the Papacy is this Apostacy, the Pope this man of sinne, the Anti­christ the false Prophet; Then my ex­hortation to you, is the same with Paul to his Thessalonians. Therefore (Brethren) stand fast, that you be not entangled and drawne away to Popery. If Saint Paul thought it necessary in his time, when the mystery of iniquity be­gan to worke, and the man of sinne was not revealed, when the Cocka­trice Egges were not hatched, and the Pope had no being in the world, to exhort the believing Thessalonians to stand fast, that they might not bee drawne away with that falling away, how necessary is it for us, and at this time seasonable for mee to exhort you (beloved) now that the mystery of Iniquity is strongly working and the [Page 62] man of sin clearely revealed now that the Pope is regnant in full power and strength, to exhort you in the words of the Apostle.

First, consider if you stand not fast indeed, you may be drawne away to Popery.

Secondly consider, It's a dange­rous thing to bee drawne away to Po­pery.

First, you may easily be drawne a­way: The Papacy is an alluring, inti­cing, tempting, bewitching Religion. Sir Walter Rawleigh knew what hee said, and he spake truth when hee said it, that were hee to choose a Religion for licentious libertie and lascivious­nesse, he would choose the Popish Re­ligion; No Religion under Heaven so consonant, so congruous, so sutable, so agreeable to corrupted nature, to flesh and bloud, as the Religion of the Church of Rome; see I beseech you what the spirit of God faith of it in the [Page 63] seaventeenth of the Revelations and the first, and so forth to the sixth verse, you must have patience that I may read the words to you.

And there came one of the seaven An­gels which had the seaven Vials, and talk­ed with mee, saying, come hither I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the Kings of the earth have commit­ted fornication, & the Inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication, so hee carryed me away in the spirit into the wildernesse, And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of Blasphemy, having seaven heads and ten hornes, and the wo­man was arrayed in purple and scarlet co­lour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearles having a golden cup in her handfull of Abominations and filthi­nesse of her fornication, and upon her fore­head was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and the abominations of the Earth, and I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Iesus, [Page 64] and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration.

That by the great whore, that by Babylon here spoken of, Rome is under­stood, the Romanists themselves doe freely confesse, the Rhemists doe not peremptorily but faintly deny it, they distinguish indeed of Babylon in Rome, and the Church in Rome, they tell us Saint Ambrose, Tertullian, Ierome, these confesse it, I could adde some more an­cient, Bellarmine freely acknowledgeth it; Indeed they say Saint Iohn speaketh of Rome Ethnick, not of Rome Christi­an; Rome under the persecuting Empe­rour, not of Rome under the Christian Pope: It is enough, they confesse that Babylon is Rome, and Rome the seate of Antichrist, and we all know Saint Iohn writes a Prophecy, not a History; Hee tell us what should bee, not what then was, and if Saint Iohn spake of Rome, it must necessarily follow, that he spake of Rome as now it is, not of Rome as then it was; of Rome Christian, not Rome Ethnicke; of Rome under the Pope, not under the Emperor.

[Page 65]Thus you see Rome is compared to a Whore, to a great whore that sits upon many waters, rules many nations, who made the Kings of the earth drunke with the wine of her fornication, that is clothed in Scarlet, Purple, Gold, Sil­ver, precious stones and the like, and now mark how easie a thing it is to bee seduced, inticed, bewitched by the Church of Rome, what an alluring, en­ticing, tempting Religion it is, you see it is compared to a Whore, to a great Whore, to the chiefest of whores, to the mother of Harlots, she hath in her hand a Violl of Gould full of abomi­nations; You that are not acquainted with the Arts and Crafts and subtilties of Whores, read what Salomon saith, Pro. 7.10. who was the wisest of men, yet shame­fully befooled by them; A thousand women took hold of him, and of them all he professed he found not one good: hee spake much of them because hee was much abused by them, and knew much by them, as in other places, so in the seaventh of the Proverbs: The Whore there spoken of makes Religi­on [Page 66] her pretext, uses much art, flattery, and impudency; This great Whore, that bewitcheth the soules of men, she pretends Religion, Saint Iohn saith, She had in her hand a golden Cup, though in that Cup was abundance of abomi­nation, yet the Cup was of Gold. There are in the Church of Rome many singu­lar, excellent, and admirable truths and things which as a golden cup she holds forth; She hath the Scripture, the Sa­craments, the Articles of the Creed, the Lords Prayer, the Tenne Com­mandements, many excellent things, whatsoever the Church of Rome holds with the Church of England is pure sil­ver and pure gold: All that she adores besides, is at the best hay and stubble, yea much poyson, and abominations, Saint Paul saith, verse the fourth, the man of sin sits in the Temple of God, not in that materiall Temple, which was at Ierusalem, (a fond conceit of some of the Ancients) The Papists themselves how willing soever they are to embrace any thing that may take it from Rome, yet they themselves refuse [Page 67] it, Dan. 9. and the last. that Temple ( Daniel saith) shall never be restored; Christ saith, not one stone shall be left upon another, and History reports, that when they went about to build that Temple again, GOD from heaven by fire destroyed it; But in the Temple of God, that's the man of sin, that sits in the Church of God, the most eminent of all the Churches of God, where God had a great people, and whence God gathered his people; Antichrist though he be an Adversary and the adversary Saint Paul speaks of, the greatest adversary that ever the Church had, yet notwithstanding is no open profest adversary, as the Turke and Iew, but a secret, close, mysterious adversary, that sits in the Temple of God.

In that Temple, see what bewty and glory to dazle the eye, and to charme the mind of the beholder; This great Whore is not only arrayed in gold and silver, Scarlet, Purple, and precious stones, as a woman may be, and there­fore is called a woman also, but hath the attire of an Harlot, wanton, lasci­vious [Page 68] attire, a superstitious and Idola­trous dresse; look into their Churches and see, not only the bewty and glory of them, as a woman may have, but a superstitious, Idolatrous dresse, as their Images, Crucifixes, Altars, Crosses, and burning Tapers, all set forth lively to sight; Looke into their service and see what Pompe and glory and out­ward state, What rich Robes, what Mucsicke, what singing, what sweet and burning Incense, and the like. The Temple in Ierusalem was not more glorious in outward Pompe, more gloriously arrayed, there were not more sacrifices and ceremonies, then there are in the Church of Rome at this day; It was necessary to bee so at Ieru­salem, God would have it so, the peo­ple were a carnall people, meere chil­dren in understanding, God led them as a Nurse by the hand, pleased them with carnall objects, with glorious buil­dings, with multitude of significant Ceremonies, with terrene and earthly delights, God did it to this end, that hee might wooe and invite them to his [Page 69] service. The Church was then in its Infancy; but now the Church is growne neere unto perfection, in it's last age, therefore they are not now necessary, Gods people how are a spiri­tuall people; The Church of Rome useth now, what Ierusalem did then, what then God commanded now hee forbids, what then hee blessed now hee curses; To draw them to super­stition and Idolatry, both which are ever beutifull and specious, full of pomp and ceremony.

Secondly, in the Papacy there is no­thing hard nor difficult, nothing which a meere Carnall man, which a voluptu­ous person, a very Epicure and Liber­tine cannot easily digest; All the Re­ligion of the Church of Rome is like the Religion of the Scribes and Phari­sees, the true fathers of them, a very outward Religion, an empty Casket, a dead and naked Carkas, what is Pope­ry but a painted outside: Their Church prayers they doe not under­stand, their private prayers they mea­sure by weight, their Repentance [Page 70] and confession, it is in some small pen­nance, their faith is the faith of the Church, they live not by their owne faith; Their Obedience is to the Pope, not to God; They have their pardons, their indulgences, their Purgatory, their supererogations; and I know not what, no sinne that they can commit, but the Pope will pardon, no sinne that they would commit, but the Pope can dis­pense withall, no matter how long they have lived in sinne, in any sinne, though the sin against the HOLY GHOST; yet extreme unction at the last wil salve all: I know they make a great cry, and clamor; and tell us, as the Priests of Baal▪ they cut themselves with Knives and Launcers till the bloud gush out, they tell us of their frequent fastings, of their often watchings, of their blou­dy whippings, of their long Pilgrima­ges, their Rigorous discipline, their voluntary poverty, their simple obedi­ence, their Massacring the body, their lying in the dust, and endangering of their lives, and a great deale more and could answer all these with the first of [Page 71] Isay: Who hath required these things at your hand, what are these their sacrifi­ces? trifles, nothing in comparison of that great worke God doth require: were all these true, reall and not fained, did they the same things indeed which they seeme to doe, were there no Iug­ling nor no delusion, nor mitigation, nor dispensation, yet all these and more in the extremity and height, were nothing to the crucifying of the flesh with the affections of it, to the mortifying of earthly members, sinnes as deere as the bodily members, to the killing of the old man, to the breaking of the heart, to the wounding of the soule, to the spirituall observation of the Law, and to the beliefe in Christ Iesus; what is it for a man to give the first borne of his body for the sinne of his soule? to give his goods to the poore, and his body to bee burned to save his soule? Yea what is it to lye in their Inquisiti­on, their Purgatory, in hell a thousand yeares, and to purchase Christ by this? all this were nothing, what the servants of Naaman said, My Father, If the Pro­phet [Page 72] had commanded thee a greater thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much more, when he saith, Wash and bee cleane; If the Pope command greater things to purchase Heaven, would they not doe it, how much more these small things? There's nothing hard in the Church of Rome, which a meere Carnall man, a voluptu­ous Epicure, a Libertine cannot easily digest.

Thirdly, in the Papacy there are ma­ny Arts, and Crafts, and subtilties and devises to deceive and entice people withall; Saint Paul saith, verse 9. that the man of sinne his comming is after the working of Sathan, with all power and signes, and lying miracles, and the like; Antichrist hath his hookes, his snares, his ginnes, his temptations and delusions, sutable to every com­plexion and condition of man or wo­man; If hee sees any Ambitious, hee tempts them, as his father did our Sa­viour Christ, when he shewed him all the kingdomes of the world, and the glory of them, great preferments and [Page 73] dignities there are in the Church of Rome, more preferments and greater than are in the true Church of God: nor are they sparing to promise to give them: Adams sinne cleaves to all Adams sonnes, we would bee above, this is a pestilent baite, and by this they draw many Schollers from us; If they meete with any covetous, they have their silver and golden Balls, the golden wedge and Babylonish gar­ment, they will showre gold into their lappes, and by this they draw Mar­chants and Tradesmen from us; If they meete with any credulous and su­perstitious, they have their signes and wonders and lying miracles. I know no Religion extant in the world, that challenges wonders and miracles but the Religion of the Church of Rome: they object against us, and upbraid us with it, that we have no wonders and miracles, they have, much good may it do them. Antichrist comes in all de­ceiveablenes of unrighteousnesse with signes and lying wonders to deceive them that perish; If they meete with [Page 74] any fearefull by nature, and scrupu­lous of hell, they have their appa­ritions and visions, make them heare scriekings and howlings, preach no­thing but horror and terror, hell, death and damnation; If they meete with any sicke, they excercise their charms and spells, and can and do cast out de­vils through the power of the devill. If they meete with any constant in Religion, they have their torments, their tortures, their purgatories, their hel, their Inquisition; Satan (saith one) doth not alwayes appeare in one and the same fashion, but hath as many severall changes, as Proteus among the Poets: At Listra hee appeares like a Comoedian, as if a scene of Plautus were to be presented upon the Stage, at Antioch like a Iesuite with traditi­ons in his mouth. At Athens hee fallies out like a Philosopher; At Ephe­sus like an Artificer in his Apron: And as Sathan, so the eldest sonne of Sa­than, so in the manner, with signes and lying wonders, he hath his [Page 75] profound Plots, his lying and subtill devises, his wiles and stratagems, to deceive them that are stedfast: It's easie to be drawne away, then

Lastly, in the Papacy, consider the agents the instruments, Romes factors, the great Whores Pandors are crafty to inveagle and betray me to their Re­ligion, they are crafty, subtill, base and impudent. Read how the spirit of God describes them in the ninth of the Revelations and the first verse, and so forward.

And the fifth Angell sounded, and I saw a Starre fall from Heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomlesse pit, and there arose the smoake of the pit, as the smoake of a great furnace, and the Sunne and the aire were darkened by the smoake of the Pit, and there came out of the smoake, Locusts upon the Earth, and unto them was given power, as the Scorpions of the earth have power, and it was comman­ded [Page 76] them that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth, neither any greene thing, neither any tree, but onely those men which have not the seale of God in their foreheads, and to them was com­manded that they should not kill them, but that they should bee vexed five moneths, and that their paine should bee as the paine that commeth of a Scorpion when hee hath stang a man: therefore in those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not find it, and shall desire to dye, and death shall flye from them: and the forme of the Locusts was like unto horses prepa­red to battaile, and on their heads were as it were Crowns like unto gold, and their faces were like the faces of men, and they had haire as the haire of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of Lions, and they had Habergeons as the Habergeons of Iron.

The Papists themselves confesse, that there by the Starre fallen from Heaven is meant the master of some great error and heresie, and by the Lo­custs that arise out of the earth, the reachers of those heresies, that goe [Page 77] about to infect the people of God. The Rhemists say, this Starre fallen from Heaven is such as Arius, Luther and Calvin was; The Star that shall lead me to the light of this Starre that is fallen from Heaven, shall bee that fixed Starre now in Heaven, KING Iames. Kings have a speciall interest in the book of the Revelation; And God hath made them of great use there to bring downe the man of sinne: Then it may well stand with the wisdome of God to reveale the meaning to them: And of all Kings, I heare of none that hath taken that paines in the Revelati­on as King Iames; This Starre (saith hee) is the Pope who was once in the kingdome of Heaven, as a glorious bright Starre in Heaven above, who had an eminent place in an emi­nent Church of God; The Locusts that infect the aire, are that innume­rable multitude and diverse orders of Ecclesiasticall persons, as Fryers, Monkes, Priests, Cardinalls, Iesuites, and I know not whom, who bring as much destruction upon all sorts of [Page 78] men, as Locusts to the grasse, and ten­der herbe; As Locusts come by swarmes, and overspread the whole earth, so these fill the whole earth with their Insinuations; The shape of them is like unto Horses, prepared to bat­tell, to signifie that their forme of practise and policie shall be so world­ly wise, that they shall want nothing pertaining to the setting forth of their intents, no more than a horse of ser­vice, which is curiously barbed, fitted and prepared for the fight; They had on their heads, Crownes of Gold, they pretend great holinesse, none more then that Ecclesiasticall order, even as the Elders, because of their true holinesse, had Crownes of Gold, so they, because of their pretended holinesse, have Crownes of Gold al­so. They have the faces of men, they come with the faces, and Reasonings of men; Sophisticall Arguments, sub­till Philosophy, which Saint Paul cals vaine Philosophy; The haire of wo­men: As the haire of women is a speci­all part of their bewty to deceive men, [Page 79] so they have Arts and Crafts, to draw men to their Religion; They have habergeons of Iron: to shew they are backt with authority, and the like. I could goe on further, they are many and crafty, full of power, have Crownes of Gold, the heads and fa­ces of men, the haire of women, all alluring, tempting, enticing and be­witching: those that in this place are called Locusts, in the sixteenth of the Revelation and the 13. are call'd frogs: Frogges indeed, like those frogs that came into the houses and bed-cham­bers of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and of his servants, and all his people, no place nor person free: they are the sub­limate, and the transcendent Instru­ments of deceit, they come out of the mouth of the Dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false Prophet; The ve­ry spirit of the Devill, active, power­full, strong and stirring, full of delusi­on to deceive men.

Brethren, you see what reason you have to stand fast, that you be [Page 80] not by any drawne back againe to Po­pery.

Secondly, consider, it's a dange­rous thing to be drawne away to Po­pery. I say, consider the danger that attends all them, that are drawn away. All Papists, in that sense that I speake of Papists, for I doe not speake of all that may be Popishly affected, or in­cline to some Popish opinions, but such Papists as derive their name from Papa, the Pope, that hold him to bee the head of the Church, that sub­scribe to the Counsell of Trent, all Italianated, Iesuited Papists, they are Traitors to the King under whom they live, Heretickes, Infidels and Atheists, in continuall danger of tem­porall destruction, and at last sure of eternall damnation.

First, all sorts of Papists are Trai­tors to the King under whom they live; Not to prove this by an Inducti­on of particulars from those many Treasons that have beene committed in this Land, when was there any Treason, since the beginning of Re­formation, [Page 81] or scarce before, but they were the Contrivers, Plotters, Act­ors, at least the favourers and Abet­tors of it? Was not Sumervile, Par­rey, Babington and his complices Pa­pists? was not Lopez and his Abettors Papists? was not Campion and Par­sons Papists? were not the Gunpow­der Traitors Papists; was not Cates­by, Winter and Persey, was not Digby, Rooke-wood and Tresham, was not that Incarnate Devill Guido Fawkes, were they not all Papists? Nor yet to prove them Traitors, because the Law of the Land makes them Traitors, which hath enacted, that all those Priests and Iesuites that come into the Land are Traitors, all that bring Ag­nus Dei, that maintaine the Popes supremacy above the Kings, and la­bour to draw obedience from the King, and perswade to Rome, are Trai­tors. But I will prove it from the principles and maximes of their owne Religion, that shew necessarily all such Papists must bee Traytors in that kingdome where they live; All Re­ligions [Page 82] may perhaps have some that are Traitors in it, but no Religion un­der Heaven (set aside the Religion of the Church of Rome) doth necessitate and compell men to be Traitors; They have a maxime among them, I finde it in Bellarmine, that Kings have not their immediate power from God, but from the people, yet so that the peo­ple transferre their power into the per­son of the King, yet keepe habitually in themselves, which they may make a principle for Traytors: It's said of all that the Pope may excommuni­cate Kings, and Kings standing so may be deposed, and those that goe about to infect the people, the people ought to rise up against them, and that it is not only a lawfull, but a necessary and a meritorious worke; The English Papists (saith a Iesuited English Priest) are well to be excused for not rising a­gainst their King, because they want power; had they power to their will, the King should either obey the Pope, or else they would not obey the King.

[Page 83] Papists are Traytors.

Secondly, Papists are Heretickes, Infidels and Atheists, not to speake of their innumerable multitude of les­ser errors, called Veniall sinnes, yet notwithstanding the number of them may helpe to drowne the Shippe of Rome, nor yet to speake of their gros­ser Tenents, not yet confirmed in the Church of Rome, but disputed in their Schooles, there are some hereticall er­rors maintained among some, so gros­ly hereticall, that whosoever holds them, must necessarily be an Heretick, Infidell and Atheist; Such is their Image worship, their Altar worship; their Crosse worship, their Saint wor­ship, their Angell worship, their Re­licke worship and the like, such is Iu­stification by works, works of super-arrogation, but above all, the trans­cendent heresie, the head of heresies, that the Pope is the head of the Church, above the Scriptures, above Synods, above Counsells, that he can­not [Page 84] erre, is so hereticall, that whosoe­ver holds it in Radice, in fundamento, denies all the Articles of the faith, de­nies the booke of God, and by neces­sary consequence denies GOD him­selfe: for whosoever they are that build any thing on a false foundation, if the foundation falls, all the building falls with it. Saint Paul tells us, that the man of sinne, sits in the Temple of God as God, and exalts himselfe a­bove all that's called God, above all Kings and Princes, to whom God im­parts some part of his power and name, above all Synods and Coun­cells, yea he shewes himselfe as God, for he advances himselfe above God, he will dispense with the morall Law, blesse where GOD doth curse, and curse where God doth blesse, no Law, nothing shall binde him, this wicked one, (called so verse the eight, the Greeke word signifies properly this lawlesse one, for so indeed the Pope is a lawlesse person whom no law of God nor man is able to bind,) he dis­penseth with solemne oathes, the su­rest [Page 85] tye betwixt man and man: that ex­act and well composed oath of Alle­giance, they make it a Sampsons Cord; To hold the Pope to bee the head of the Church, is more incongruous and improper, more blasphemous and de­rogatory against Christ, then if a man should make an excellent Image of ex­quisite and exact forme, delineated in all the points to the life, with necke and shoulders, with armes and hands, with thighes and legges, and should place thereon a Gorgons head of an hideous and monstrous shape. That Image in Daniel was more uniforme that had a head of gould, breast and armes of silver, belly and thighes of brasse legges, of Iron, and feete part of Iron, and part of Clay, then to have the legges and thighes of Gold, and the head of Clay; This is so hereti­call and damnable, that whosoever holds it must necessarily bee a Here­tick, Infidell and Atheist.

Thirdly, Papists are in continuall danger of temporall destruction. The Popes Parasites, Romes builders, give [Page 86] the same glorious titles, Attributes and Eulogium, to the City of Rome, that once the Prophets of God did to Ierusalem, calling it the Holy City, the City of the great King, the joy of the whole earth, the Queene of Nations, the everlasting, the eternall Citie, and yet Rome must downe, Babylon shall fall, the spirit of God speakes plaine enough, reade the whole eighteenth of the Revelations at your leisure, hee that reades it may understand, for the Text you see is plaine enough, it must downe.

Rome must downe by the sword, Popery must downe by the word; Rome first, Popery after; Those ten Kings that cleave unto her shall at the last make War against her, Rome shall down, Popery shall loose it's strength, though not it's being, till the com­ming of Christ; I will not determine the set time when Rome shall downe, I have read the Conjectures of many, yet all agree, the time cannot be long, but Rome must downe; At the first comming of our Saviour Christ when [Page 87] there was a generall expectation of him, the Iewes did not know the par­ticular time, the yeare, the moneth, the day, there is at this day in the Church of God a generall expectation of some change, though wee cannot particu­larly tell the time, the yeare, the month the day, it may be the time is now at hand, the Trumpet is sounding to bat­taile; it may bee present with our selves, of uncertaine things wee can speake but uncertainly, I subscribe to them rather that conceive the yeare to bee one thousand sixe hundred sixtie and sixe though upon other grounds; tis plaine, Satan shall bee tyed up a 1000 yeares, sixe hundred sixty sixe yeares is the number of the Beast, An­tichrist shall so long reigne, these two together make the just number, be­sides looke into the Latin Alphabet, the tongue that Rome useth, and the numerall letters make up this number: But this wee can certainely say, Rome must downe, Rome shall fall, Rome in the Revelation is set downe by the name of Sodom, Gomorrah and spiri­tuall [Page 88] Ierusalem, Rome equalls their sins, and shall beare their plagues, God calls his people to come out of her, that they bee not partakers of her sinnes, and of her plagues: Rome must fall, and Papists are in con­tinuall danger of temporall destru­ction.

Lastly, all Papists (in that sense that I say Papists) are sure of eternall damnation, I may not speake peace, where God speakes no Peace: When Iehoram said to Iehu, what peace Iehu? he answered, what peace as long as the witchcrafts and whoredomes of thy mother Iesabell remaine? What peace can I speake to Rome, while the spirituall whoredomes and witchcrafts of the Church of Rome remaine a­mong them? Saul lost his kingdome for sparing Agag: And God may damme me, for ought I know, if I refuse to damne them. They are but false Prophets Balaam-like, that blesse where God doth curse; God preaches damnation to them, I may not preach salvation. In the third verse of this [Page 89] Chapter, Antichrist the man of sinne is called the sonne of perdition, and he is so indeed, both actively and pas­sively: he is damned himselfe, and is the cause of the damnation of others. The spirit is plaine in the 10, 11, and 12. verses, hee shall work in them that perish, and for this cause God gave them up to strong delusions to believe lyes, that all that receive not the truth in the love of the truth, but had pleasure in unrigh­teousnesse, might be damned: See in the twentieth of the Revelations and the tenth verse, what the end of them is, where all they must goe, into the lake that burnes with Fire and Brimstone: They that write professedly of this question, whether a Papist can be sa­ved or no, distinguish of times, pla­ces and persons, first of times, since the Reformation, and before the Re­formation: at those times of ignorance God did connive; Then men would have seen and could not, the Sun did not then shine, our fore-fathers might bee saved in that Ignorance; But God commands every one to seeke after [Page 90] knowledge, the Sun shines cleere en­ough, Papists may see and will not, God gives them over to affected ig­norance: he that will be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Againe they distin­guish of places, where the light of the Gospell hath shined, and where it hath not shined: in some places the Gospell shines very bright and very cleere, as in some parts of France and Germany, and (blessed be God) in England; In some places is darknesse, they have the word rarely preached to them, God will not be mercifull to those Papists where the light of the Gospell shines as cleare as may be, and yet they re­maine in darknesse.

Lastly, they distinguish of persons. It's confest of all, that a learned Eng­lish Apostate Papist, cannot be saved. God hath preach'd damnation to them, so must we; Now you see the danger of being Papists, they are Traitors to the King under whom they live, Here­ticks, Infidels, and Atheists, in continu­all danger of temporall destruction, and at last sure of eternall damnation.

[Page 91]And you see the first Reason why we should stand fast, because there wil be an Apostacy, a falling away to Po­pery, the second followes more briefly.

Secondly, Therefore stand fast, Reas. 2.be­cause of Gods great mercy in bring­ing the Gospell among you, as the Apostle inferres this exhortation from the thirteene and foureteene verses, those immediately before the Text. Consider (beloved) what a blessing it is, that God hath brought the Gospell into this Land, and miraculously pre­served this Gospell.

First, consider what a blessing God hath brought among us, this glorious Gospell, the greatest blessing that ever God brought into any nation under heaven. Were the Land as the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah was before its destruction, were it as Eden before the curse, as the Garden of God, as Para­dise, were all our Marchants as No­bles, our Nobles as Princes, our Prin­ces as Emperors, were Silver and Gold as it was in the dayes of Salomon, were [Page 92] our houses like Salomons house, our Churches like his Temple, were the foundations of our Cities, the Gates, the Walles, all of Pearles and pre­cious stones, as wee read of the new Ierusalem, yet (beloved) what were all this, if wee had no Sunne to en­lighten us and shine upon us? What good would all this doe us? Light is sweete, and it is a pleasant thing to see the Sunne, that sweetens all, the want of it embitters all, Deut. 4.7, 8. For what nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Iudgements so righte­ous, as this I set before you this day? What Nation is so great as this Nati­on, that hath such righteous Iudge­ments? Marke, the righteousnesse of GOD to a people makes a Nation great, and God is ever neere the peo­ple where the Gospell is, Righte­ous Iudgements and righteous Sta­tutes makes a Nation great, and we have righteous Iudgments and righ­teous Statutes, therefore a great Na­tion.

See the curse of that people from [Page 93] whom God takes the Gospell, and then tell mee what a blessing it is to have the Gospell; It's necessary (saith the Apostle) that the Gospell should bee first preached to you: but since you have refused life and salvation; loe henceforth wee turne to the Gentiles; Everlasting life and the Gospell goe together: Salvation is of the Gentiles: Salvation and the Gospell goe together: the King­dome of GOD shall bee taken from you, and given to a Nation that will bring forth better fruits. Marke, the kingdome of GOD and the Gospel goe together; and if that Kingdome bee once taken a­way, then all the kingdomes of the world, Crownes and Scepters heapt together cannot comfort that people. Beloved, God hath brought the Gos­pell among you, the greatest bles­sing:

Secondly, consider how and when God brought the Gospell to us, Eng­land was a Land of darknesse: Pope­rie, Superstition and Idolatry mighti­ly prevailed among us, what nation al­most under Heaven more Barbarous, Idolatrous, heathenish, superstitious, then the English Nation: Insomuch that one calls it the Popes Asse, be­cause of those Antichristian taxations and burdens laid on us, and for those many Rebellions, Treasons and sedi­tions, our King was proverbially cal­led the King of devils, yet in the time of the greatest darknesse of Popery and Ignorance God brought this Gos­pell, though not as the Sunne at noone day, yet as the Sun in the mor­ning, that shines more and more to the perfect day.

Lastly, consider God hath preser­ved this Gospell among us in great peace and in great plenty by weake meanes.

[Page 95]I must begin (because the time is past) with that blessed Queene of ever blessed memory, Queene Elizabeth, who though shee was of the weaker Sexe, and daughter to a great King, in the Raigne of her sister Queene Mary, a poore prisoner shut fast in the Tow­er, tossed from place to place, in con­tinuall danger of her life, attended with bloudy disposed men, often de­stined to death, yet God bound up her soule in the bundle of life, and set her in the Throne, and great things God did by her: through her, Religion was restored to its Primitive purity; Shee refined the corrupt Coine, restored the Royall Navie, succored the Scots a­gainst the French, the French Prote­stants against the Papists, and both of them against Spaine; Shee defended Belgium against the whole Armies of Spaine, Shee commanded the whole Ocean, kept continuall warre with the Beast; The roaring Bulls and dam­ned Treasons that came from Rome, were but as Arrowes of Reed thrown against a Brazen wall; Shee brought [Page 96] Spaine low, conquered his invincible Armado, escaped thousands of Trea­sons, after a long and blessed Raigne dyed in her bed in peace; She left her Religion and her kingdome in peace, and purity to her successor.

What Clouds of bloud hung in the aire, what threatnings and denun­ciations of Warre, what dismall dayes did the Papists prophecy of, when the Orientall Starre did set in the West; Yet God brought a Starre from the North, KING Iames came to the Crowne, and no dogge did open his mouth to barke against it: he continu­ed what shee had begun, perfected what she did leave, he newly transla­ted the Bible, a great and glorious worke, perfected our Liturgy, gave the greatest blow to the man of sinne of all that went before him; GOD preserved his dayes very long, like Salomons: this day speaks Articulately enough, and with a loud voyce con­cerning his and our preservation, from the Gunpowder-Treason: never trea­son so bloudily intended; so secretly [Page 97] and closely carried so neere to be exe­cuted, so damnably undertaken, so admirably defeated, as the Gunpow­der Treason; Not unto us, not unto us, but to thy Name be praise, O Lord: Bre­thren, you see what Reason you have to stand fast: because of the Gos­pell, the greatest blessing, which God hath brought in by weake meanes, and preserved in great power: This for the Reasons enforcing this duty, I must speak a word of the duty, which that you may doe, briefly,

First, doe not foster nor nourish any secret hid sinne, or corruption in your bosome; 2 Tim. 3.6 It's prophecied of the last times, that they that are led away with error will first be led away with their owne lusts, none but such whom God hates (saith Salomon) will God suffer to fall into the hands of a who­rish woman, and God hates none but them that love their sinne: Let mee tell you, one lust nourished in the [Page 98] soule, will bring a man to hell, to the devill; One lust maintained, will bring a man to Rome, to the Pope; It was a good advice that one gives young Christians, that they should be­gin at the latter end of Saint Pauls Epistles, a corrupt life can never have a sound judgement, beware of nouri­shing the least sinne, beware of cove­tousnesse, beware of pride, beware of lukewarmnesse, beware of every sin. The Pope is called the man of sinne in this Chapter, and whosoever allow themselves in any sinne, are in danger (being hard put to it) to adhere to the man of sin.

Secondly, have no converse, no ac­quaintance, no familiarity, no friend­ship, have nothing to doe with Pa­pists, depart from them, that yee bee not partakers in their sinnes, they are of an infectious nature, and a man can­not touch pitch and not be defiled by it. See what a speciall charge God gives the people in the 7. of Deuterono­mie from the first verse to the sixth; Have nothing to doe with the Nations a­mong [Page 99] whom ye come, have no acquain­tance, make no league, no covenants, no mariages with them, and there's a mo­rall Reason annexed that concernes us as much as them; for they will turne you away from following mee: And there you see what GOD charges them, To cut downe their groves, breake downe their Images and the like; I can­not but commend herein the policie of our Adversaries of the Church of Rome: That will not suffer one Lu­theran, nor Calvinist, nor any of the reformed Religion to be within their power, but upon the least suspition, he must into the Inquisition. What's the reason that the Pope will not dis­pense in Spaine or Italy if a Papist mar­ry a Protestant, and yet here they will dispense with them; I pitty those that have Papists lying in their bosomes, those Children that have popish Pa­rents, those servants that have popish Masters, those Tenants that have Po­pish Land-lords, those poore neigh­bours that have great Popish friends, Beloved, stand fast, have nothing to [Page 100] doe with Popery in any kinde what­soever.

Thirdly, read none of their books, trust none of their miracles, beleeve none of their Legend, preserve none of their Relickes, keepe none of their Images.

You may see what a strict charge God gives the Nazarites, he forbids them wine, that they should drinke nothing that comes of the Vine; Num 6.3. & 4. The best of the Kings of Iudah are branded for leaving the groves: in the begin­ning of Reformation, when the King seized upon the Abbies and Monaste­ries, it was both policy and wisdome in time not onely to seize upon their goods, but to demolish their houses, to ruine their buildings, to lay deso­late their places, for Ziim and Ohim, had they continued, those Locusts and Frogges would have filled their places againe.

In Italy and Spaine there is not one Booke of Protestant writers suffered among them, they have their Index Expurgatorius to wipe out what ever [Page 101] may savour of true Religion, Nay as a wise and learned Traveller saith, the books of Bellarmine are very rare to bee found among them, because hee quotes the Arguments of the Prote­stants in them, learne wisedome from them, have nothing to doe with what they have.

Fourthly, pray mightily to GOD that God will uphold and strengthen you with the right hand of his power, that you may stand fast, CHRIST tells Peter hee prayed for him, that his faith might not at all faile; If CHRIST prayed for Peter, Lord what great need have we to pray for our selves, that our faith may not faile? you may (Beloved) bee tempt­ed yet above your strength, there may yet come a time of tryall, and an houre of temptation, you have not yet resisted unto bloud, yet you have lived in a land of peace and safety, you have not beene scar'd with the barking of Vncouth Wolves, Priests and Iesu­ites have been banisht from among us, and long may they be banisht, once [Page 102] they were banisht from France, thither they returned againe, the times may come about so, that they may returne to us againe; O you that would stand fast, pray, pray mightily to God, Bar­nabas was drawne away, for ought I know the temptation may be so great, that we may be drawne away; Then do as IEHOSAPHAT did, when that great Army came against him, cry mightily to GOD that you may stand fast.

Lastly, would you stand fast? Re­ceive the truth in the Love of it. Be­cause they would not receive the truth in the love of it, God gave them up to strong delusions; I say, receive the truth in the love of it. You heare many Sermons, you have the book of God in your hand, much peaching; It is not enough to have the word of God in your heads, but you must have it in your hearts. Heb. 11. We read of the Fa­thers, that they received the promise afarre of, the word is emphaticall, they leapt at the promise, received it with great Ioy; O let the word sinke deep [Page 103] into your hearts, be well grounded in Religion: It is better there, then swimming in the braine, many poore ignorant men, by this have kept close to the truth, when many great Schol­lers have proved Apostates, receive the truth in the love of it; Thus much for the duty, have patience for one word of exhortation.

Must we stand fast to the Gospell, Vse of Ex­hortation. that we be not drawne away to Pope­pery? suffer (men and Brethren) a word of Exhortation: You that are Magi­strates of the Land, you that are Mi­nisters, yea all the people of God. Among other Reasons, some give this Reason for one; why Samuel went throughout the Land every yeare in circuit, to see if he could find out any Idols of the Gentiles, that they had hid, or any graven Image or car­ved worke; Our Iudges in their Courts, and Bishops in their Visitati­ons give in charge, for diligent inqui­ry, what Recusant Papists, or popish­ly affected there are; We have singu­lar, [Page 104] excellent, good lawes, for the pre­servation of the puritie of Religion, and to keepe under Popery; whence then is it (men and brethren) that Po­pery so far prevailes this day, that Po­pery so much increases among us; I be­seech you that are arm'd with Autho­rity, go to the utmost of your authori­ty, you that have power to punish, punish; to indict, indict; to present, pre­sent: let not Papists rest in peace, in safety, in security by you; If the chie­fest and greatest men of a Parish bee Papists, their children, their servants, their attendants, their Tenants, their poore neighbours, their rich kinred and friends, are all in danger by them. My Lord, will have his followers as­well of his vices, as of his person; If hee leaves his friend at the Church­doore, hee turnes not backe without his Attendants: If his honour please to bee Idolatrous, they will waite on him to Masse; You that keepe backe the sword from doing justice, when God calls for it, you may your selves dye by the sword of God, and the [Page 105] bloud of all that Parish through your neglect, shall lye upon your heads, Crudelitas pro Christo, pietas est; cru­elty for Christ is godlinesse. You to whom the sword of the spirit is committed, draw forth that sword; Lift up your voyce like a Trumpet, Cry aloud and spare not; Tell the Papists of their transgressions, and the Church of Rome of her Abominati­ons: Warn the People of God to flye from them, least they be partakers of their sinnes, and of their plagues, Ex­hort them to stand fast, to the Gos­pell already received, discover the na­kednesse of the one, and shew the beauty of the other: The Angell of the Church of Ephesus is commended for his labour and patience, and for that hee could not beare with them that were evill, but tryed them that said, they were Apostles, and were not, and hated the Nicolaitans, which GOD also hates; Let this bee our Crowne and our Glory, that if any perish, they perish not through our de­fault; O let not false Shepheards, [Page 106] theeves and wolves bee more paine­full; Let not Iesuites compasse Sea and Land, to make one Proselyte, of their owne Religion, which when they have done, they make him sea­venfold more the child of the Devill then themselves; Let them not come with their lives in their hands, with the hazard of their bloud, to pervert them committed to our charge, and our selves sit silent, but let us lift up our voyces in season, and out of sea­son: And let them know, there are Prophets among them, and if the peo­ple will not be charmed, send them to God with this Inscription on their foreheads; Noluerunt incantari: They will not be charmed; Let us to our power save our owne soules and them that heare us.

Lastly, you the people of God, stand fast, to the Gospell, if an Angell from Heaven preach any other Do­ctine, let him be accursed; O search the Scripture throughly: It was the speech of a dying Archbishop of this Province, one of the last that ever he [Page 107] spoke to his Chaplein, I have said much, and writ much, and read much, and preacht much; Yet in all the booke of God, I doe not finde the least ground for Popery. Saint Paul withstood Peter to his face, and gave him no place, no not for an houre; O withstand Peter of Rome, who can challenge nothing of Peters, but that title which Christ once gave him, Sa­than, and that fact, in denying his Ma­ster; I say, withstand him to his face and give him not place, no not for an houre. I can never sufficiently admire and wonder at the speech of blessed Luther, who (though he was very ear­nest to have the Communion admini­stred in both kinds, contrary to the Doctrine and custome of the Church of Rome,) yet he professes, if the Pope (as Pope) commanded him to receive in both kindes, he would but receive in one kind: Its a generall rule among the best, that what the Pope com­mands as Pope, though it bee good or indifferent, as to pray, to read, to lift up an eye, a hand, to weare blacke or [Page 108] white, a lace, a modell, to drop a Bead, as the Pope commanding it; It is a receiving the marke of the beast, a yeelding our selves the Vassalls of Sathan, and an Implicite denying the faith of Christ; So extremely veni­mous is the poyson that lyes at the root of that fundamentall heresie, which they have layed at the very Rocke and foundation of their faith, so dangerous and pernitious it is to hearken to the Pope.

The renowned Martyrs in Queene Maries days, would show no reverence to the commissioners from the Pope, and let mee tell you there are many things in the Church of Rome that may be, that are decent to be used in the Church of God, some things there are at this day in practise in the Church of Rome, that were in use in that Church when it was not Antichristian, in the times of the Primitive Bishops and blessed Martyrs; Some things used, that are not yet commanded by the Pope as Pope: what ever we use with the Church of Rome, we use it, as com­manded [Page 109] by another power, not because commanded by the Pope, so that what we doe, is to bee accounted an Act of obedience, what they doe is to bee condemned, because commanded by the Pope; be wise as Serpents, Inno­cent as Doves, rightly distinguish of times, places, and persons, so shall you not endanger your own soules, nor dis­obey them that are over you, nor scan­dall them that live with you.

Lastly, must we stand fast? Let us give thanks to our Lord God, that we stood fast to this day; It is very meet, and our duty, that wee should at all times and in all places give thankes to thee, ô Lord, holy father, but chiefely for the deliverance of this day, from that unparallell'd matchlesse, dam­nable Gunpowder Treason. Therfore with Angels and Archangels, and all the glorious company of heaven, we laud and magnifie the name of God and say,

O all yee Kings and Emperors, all people and Princes, all Iudges, young men and maides, old men and babes, praise yee the name of the Lord, for his name is only excellent, his glory is above the Earth and Heaven, hee hath exalted the Horne of his peo­ple, the praise of all his Saints, even the people of England, a people neere unto him, praise the Lord; Happie are we, who are like unto us? saved by the Lord, the shield of our helpe, and the sword of our excellency. The eternall God is our Refuge, and un­derneath him, are the everlasting [Page 111] Armes, he hath saved us, and if wee trust in him, hee will save us, from this time forth and for evermore, blessed be the God of our salvation, and let all the People say, Amen.

THis Chapter containes the last Will and Testament of the Patriarch Iacob, made on his death bed, and it consists of two parts.

[Page 114]First, the Legacy and portion that he bequeathes to his children.

Secondly, his care concerning his buriall, together with the manner of his death.

My Text is part of the first part, and contains that part and portion that appertaines to Simeon and Levi, wher­in be pleased to consider with me two generalls.

First, their sinne.

Secondly, their censure.

Their sinne in the fifth and part of the sixth verses.

Their censure in part of the sixth and seaventh verses.

Their sinne was murder, amplified and aggravated,

First, by their mutuall consent and agreement in sinne, Simeon and Levi are brethren. Iunius saith on the Text, Iacob doth not call them brethren, be­cause they were so in nature, but be­cause they were brethren in the mur­der.

Secondly, their sinne is aggravated and amplified, from the manner of [Page 115] their acting and perpetrating it, they did it wilfully, revengefully, in their anger they slew a man, in their selfe-will they digg'd a wall.

Thirdly, from the extension the measure and degree, their anger was fierce, their wrath was cruell.

Their censure, that also is aggrava­ted,

First, by the person that adjudgeth them, it was their father.

Secondly, from the circumstance of time when he did it, when he was on his death bed.

Thirdly, from the manner how, he did it,

First, with indignation and detesta­tion, denying any further protection to them; O my soule come not into their secret, unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united.

Secondly, with malediction, and ex­ecration, cursed be their anger, it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel.

Lastly, with a Propheticall predi­ction, what should become of them, I will divide them in Iacob, and scatter [Page 116] them in Israel, Of these in their or­der briefly.

Revenge is a base and cowardly passion, proceeding from a weake, ef­feminate abject mind, unworthy the breast of men, much more of men of God: thunder, haile and tempest, and the rest of those fearefull motions that we have in the aire here below neither trouble nor hurt celestiall bodies, an­ger rests in the bosome of fooles; but revenge to kil, argues wicked weaknes, and savage cruelty, murdering revenge indeed ends the quarrell, but wounds the reputation: he strikes safely, but vil­lanously and dishonourably that strikes and kils: And this was the sin of Sime­on and Levi. The story is well known: if any be ignorant of it, read it at bet­ter leisure in Gen. 34.25.

Their bloudy massacre will appeare more horrid, if you be pleased to consi­der with me these aggravating circum­stances, some are in the text, the rest in the story. I must make choise of some, I cannot travell through all.

First, in their anger they slew a man, [Page 117] Thargum Ierusalem reades it, Kings and Rulers, Hamor and Sechem, the chiefe of them murdered, was the King and Prince of the Country; He that kills a man, strikes at Gods Image, he that kills a King strikes at his Sove­raignty. Kings are Gods, though not by participation of nature, yet of name and power; They that conspire against Kings, they fight against God; Thou shalt not (saith the God of these Gods) revile the Gods of thy people. God imparts his own name to them, that they might have his own safety. Kings are living and breathing Images of God: it is against the Law of nations, against the Law of nature, against the Royall Law of God, to kill, to smite, to touch a King, yea to revile him, or in our secret Chambers to thinke evill against him; The greater was the sinne of Simeon and Levi; In their Anger they slew a man, a King; This is the first aggravation.

Secondly, Innocents are not to be punished with the guilty, Ezek. 18.3 As I live (saith God) this Proverb shall be used no [Page 118] more in Israel, The fathers have eaten sowre grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge.

Gen. 18 25 Farre be it from thee (saith Abraham) to destroy the righteous with the wicked: even heathen Abimelech could plead, Gen. 20.4. wilt thou destroy a Righteous Nati­on? shall one man sinne, and the whole City perish? I have sinned, but these sheepe, 2 Sam. 24.17. what have they done? If Hamor and Sechem had beene worthy of death, what had the rest of the Ci­tie done? what had their wives, their children, their servants, their horses, their cattell, their oxen done? The Greeke, Beza, and many others reade it, in the plurall number, slew men, and digg'd downe walls, overthrew their house, or (as in the Margin) houghed the Oxen in pieces. This is the second Aggravation.

Thirdly, there ought to bee a pro­portion betwixt the punishment and the offence: though all sinnes are mor­tall, yet all are not equall: wee are so farre Catholicke, that we are not Stoi­call: lesser sins are not to be punished [Page 119] with the great censures of the law, an­ger in heart is not so evill as Raca in the frowne, or foole in the mouth: the person against whom, as well as the person that offends, aggravates the sinne; That word which is spoken a­gainst a private man will but beare an action, against a Lord of the Coun­cell is Scandalum magnatum, against the King, Treason, against God, blasphe­my: sinne and judgement have their Climaxes: simple fornication was not to bee punished with death, but with maryage or a Dowry, Sechem was guilty of no more, yet they kill'd him; This was the third aggravation.

Fourthly, Ministers of justice ought not rashly to proceed in judgment. God hath proclaimed himselfe; and would have the Gods of the earth to take no­tice of it, that he is slow to wrath, rea­dy to forgive; Our Law forbids all men trading in bloud to beare the sword of Government, Vespasian sigh­ed and groaned, at just execution: Nero wished he could not write, when hee was to signe a condemnation, [Page 120] Queene Elizabeth (next to the holy Scriptures) prefers (as the best piece) Seneca his booke of Clemencie; Our Gracious King (you have often heard it,) proclaimed how backward hee is to unsheath the sword, even as to draw bloud from his owne veines; If pu­nishment must follow, revenge may not; a member may not be cut off with­out sighes and teares; softly, deliberate­ly must men execute judgement: the greater was the sin of Simeon and Levi, that in their anger slew a man, and in their selfe will digg'd downe a wall, this is the fourth aggravation.

Fifthly, to do as we would be done unto is the standing Law of God and Emperours, oathes and covenants are to be sacred and inviolably kept: Shall he prosper (saith God) shall hee breake the covenant and bee delivered? Ezec. 17.15 Thou Iesus (saith Amurath the great Turke) if thou be a God, as they say thou art, Re­venge the treachery of thy servants. Co­venants and agreements ought to be most simple and most naked; Hamor and Sechem were at Truce with Israel, [Page 121] at Peace: not only in covenant with them, but in covenant with God, they were proselytes in Religion, they dealt sincerely and truly, the greater was the sin of Simeon and Levi, that dealt treacherously and falsly. This was the fifth Aggravation.

Lastly, Religion ought to bee the surest bond: men that professe Religi­on, that countenance their doings by Religion, ought (especially to them that are without) to be most Religious, just and exact, that the name of God be not blasphemed, that the holy pro­fession be not evill spoken of. Simeon and Levi were visible members of the Church militant, they themselves professed Religion, and undertooke all the Treaty in the way of Religion, the more Irreligious their treachery, and perfidious their cruelty, this is the sixth and last aggravation.

Collect these all together (my bre­thren) Their sinne was murder, they shed the sacred bloud of Kings, they murdered Innocents, they deemed [Page 122] them above their offence, they delight in punishing, they breake oathes and covenants, and they did all this under a pretence of Religion; Laborat An­nalium fides. After ages would never have beleeved this, if Gods sacred Annals, the History of this book had not recorded it: you have seene the sin of Simeon and Levi, more briefly see their censure.

The se­cond Ge­nerall.Cursed be their Anger: sometimes wee shall have the holy man David, cursing, not onely mens passions, (as Iacob his sonnes here) but also their persons, but then his curses are Inde­finite, or conditionall, or propheticall: either hee names not the man, or in­tends it if God intend it so; or his cur­ses are rather predictions, than male-dictions: Non tam vota, quam vatici­nia. God appointed sixe Tribes to curse, as well as sixe to blesse, Moses the meekest man in all the earth was mediator of the condemning Law, Saint Paul that was compounded of affection, yet pronounced the greatest curse in the Book of God; mens per­sons [Page 123] ought not so to be had in admira­tion, that their wickednesse passe with­out condemnation: In Courts of Iu­stice mens causes (not their persons) should speake. Iacob lookes not on his sons cruelty with a fathers indulgent lenity, but with a frowning Austerity: whom GOD curses, Iacob will not blesse, cursed be their anger.

This censure will aggravate their sinne, if you consider these circum­stances.

First, The Parents curse (saith the wiseman) rootes out the foundation of a child: Gods curse usually goes along with theirs. Noah cursed Cham, and the Canaanites were cursed of God. Saint Austen tells us of a Mother cur­sing her tenne Children, that imme­diately from Heaven they were shat­tered in pieces; Camerarius relates of one cursed by his father, that present­ly by a miracle hee was fastned to the ground, of a second devoured by Serpents, of a third torne by devils; sad and dreadfull examples, a fearefull document to Parents to take heed [Page 124] how they rashly curse their children, and for children how they provoke their Parents. Parents are not easily moved to curse their children, especial­ly if they be religious parents, men fea­ring God, and yet Iacob (Simeon and Le­vi's father, holy Iacob) curses, but it is their anger, not them; their passions, not their persons, cursed be their anger: this is the first aggravation.

Secondly, the words of dying men, are living oracles, then men speak most affectionately, and their words pierce most deepely. Iacob at this time was on his death bed, his sons crave his bles­sing, he loves them, but hates their sins; as his soule at first gave no consent, so his tongue now shall give no approba­tion to it: at first he reproves them, but having more liberty he detests it; He was presently to appeare, before Gods Tribunall, so he calls them to his.

Thirdly, an honest heart doth not only not act wickednes, but abhors it: Iacob as hee was no Counsellor to the offence, so he would be no Patron to the offendors, O my soule come not into [Page 125] their secret, unto their assembly mine ho­nour be not thou united: Iacob as before he protested against it, so now he dis­claimes it.

Fourthly, it's the curse that followes the Iewes to this day, to be a scattered people on the face of the earth: divisi­on will follow unity in sin: Simeon and Levi brethren in evill, therefore Iacob makes them strangers in dwelling, I wil divide them in Iacob, and scatter them in Israel: Simeon had no entire inheritance, Levi no certaine. Thus you have seen their sin, and their censure.

But what's this to us, (wil you say) or what's this to the busines of this day; Have patience and this shall give more light, and bee more welcome to you, considering that Iacob in thus spea­king is our spokesman. Brightman speaking of the seaven Churches saith, they were Typicall of the Chur­ches of the Gentiles, to the comming of Christ. I should be too singular if I did say, this history were Typicall, and did set forth the tragedy for this day. I wil not undertake to give an interpretation, [Page 126] but I will promise, and your selves shall see an exact application in all the particulars, be pleased therefore once more to have recourse to the words of the Text, and with a little variation of names and time, read it thus, ‘Iesuites and Iesuited Papists, are Bre­thren, Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soule come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly mine Honour be not thou uni­ted, for in their Anger they slew a man, and in their selfe will they digg'd downe a wall, cursed bee their Anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruell. God divide them from the sonne of our Iacob, and scatter them from our English Israel.’

I will follow the same method that I did before, I will shew you the sinne of these and their censure, and that, aggravated with the same circum­stances as that of Simeon and Levi.

First then Simeon and Levi in their anger they slew a man, a King; The [Page 127] lives of Kings are sacred, therefore those doctrines, the most remote con­sequences whereof will maintaine kil­ling of Kings are to be abhor'd among us. But as for the doctrine of Iesuites, and Iesuited Papists, their Tenets and and principles sticke point blancke to this killing of Kings, and in this, their cruelty is farre worse, than that of Si­meon and Levi. Simeon and Levi did once kill a King: though, de facto, they did it, yet they did it but once, and their Religion condemned it, and their father Iacob cursed it: But it is the Religion of the Church of Rome, and the constant practise of the Iesu­ites to doe it not only once, but often, yea their Religion maintaines it, and in some cases makes it meritorious; yea the Pope their father allowes it, coun­tenances and blesses it; you were once taught to say on the service of this day, that their Religion is Rebellion, and their faith faction, it is now alte­red; And I have reason enough to be­leeve there's sufficient Reason of State for it, though I see none; I hope I shall [Page 128] make it easily appeare to you, that the Religion of the Church of Rome maintaines killing of Kings. Bellarmine in his Letter to Blackwell the Arch-Priest of England makes this Rhetori­call flourish, did ever any Pope from the Infancy of the Church at any time command any King (though heathe­nish) to be kill'd, or approve the Act, after it was done; Therefore (saith hee) why shall the King of England feare that, that never any Christian King in the Christian world did ever, or hath cause to feare? boldly spoken, and as a Cardinall Iesuite: Let Bellar­mine answer Bellarmine, and throw blushing in his owne face. I have the rather made choice of him, because he is their Coripheus, and few of them (I beleeve) deny what he affirmes, yea I have him to shew, if any denies what I say to you, in his fifth booke De Ro­man. Pontific. 7. cap. he saith plainly, Non licet Christianis, &c. It is not law­full for Christians to tollerate a Hea­thenish, Infidell, Hereticall King, yea (saith hee) it pertaines to the Pope [Page 129] alone to judge if the King be so or no, he saith also in the same place, if any sheepe become a Wolf, any Christian Prince become a Heretick, and labours to withdraw his subjects, then the Pope ought to expell them, excom­municate them, drive them away from their kingdome, and discharge their subjects of obedience; And he gives this Reason (and I beseech you marke it) why the Christians in the Primi­tive times did not thus proceed against Nero, Caligula, Dioclesian, Iulian the Apostate, Valerian, and the rest of those monsters (Gods plagues to the Church) because they wanted force, So that by the doctrine of Bellarmine, if Christian Kings are once Hereticks, by the Pope they may bee excommu­nicated, deposed and deprived, and experience showes, it necessarily fol­lowes they must be murdered. The same Bellarmine in his fift booke sixth chapter speakes out; The Pope may change kingdomes, and take them from one, and give them to another, and gives this Reason, else (saith hee) [Page 130] Kings may pervert their people, expe­rience shewing, that as the King is, so is the kingdome, Instancing in Ierobo­am, Constantine, Constance, Iulian, King Henry the eight, King Edward the sixt, Queene Mary, Queene Elizabeth; All whose kingdomes changed with their Kings; He affirmes this to bee a Ca­tholike Doctrine, and to prove it, brings in the Verdict, of Twenty Ita­lians, foureteene French, nine Germans, seaven English and Scots, nineteene Spaniards, all these prime Authors, yea the Priests and Iesuites the great fomentors of those damnable Trea­sons against Queene Elizabeth, give up father Bellarmine for their chiefest authority, for their Oracle: you see Bellarmine speakes plaine, he saith en­ough, yet not all, I must tell you, Bel­larmine is modest to others that come after him, though he saith somewhat, yet they much more; He maintained indeed against Aquinas, that Kings are not to be murdered, though they are Hereticks, except they labour to make their people so too, and maintaines a­gainst [Page 131] others that except the Pope have excommunicated and accursed them, subjects are not to rise against their King. But others, Mariana, and the rest of that blacke Guard speake out, people are to rise against their King, and though the Pope neglects his duty, they are not to neglect theirs, hee advises rather to poyson their chaire, Incarnate devils! yea the ve­ry vow that the Iesuites take will ne­cessarily inferre this consequence, ther­fore it's not the opinion of a few a­lone, but the whole order must a­vouch it, I will not say every Iesuite and Papist ( de facto) is not loyall and dutifull to their Prince, I will say, all their Loyalty depends on the Popes pleasure; And what a rotten thread this is to hang so sharpe a pointed sword in, over the head of Kings, what loyall heart doth not tremble to thinke of it? After a solemne profes­sion that they beleeve the Popes ab­solute authority over all, as the Vicar of Christ, they make this vow to doe whatsoever the Pope or the Generall [Page 132] of the order shall command them, im­mediately without any Tergiversati­on, disputation, or excuse at all, and to goe wheresoever he shall command them, whether to the Turks, Infidels, and Indians, or Hereticks and Schis­maticks among the Christians; yea they are bound to beleeve that no er­ror, impiety, injustice can come from the Pope, but that all is Religion, Zeale, Devotion, Equity and Truth; My Brethren, doe not these men com­mit themselves soule and body to the Pope, doe not they give themselves not to beleeve their owne sences, their owne Reason, Iudgment and under­standing; And doe they not vow to goe, to come, to doe, to say, to exe­cute upon all persons, and against all persons, whatsoever he shall command them and if this be true, what hope, what safety, what meanes of refuge have Christian Kings and Princes but the Popes pleasure, when these, the slaves of the Pope, (for so the Iesuites call themselves) which care not for their owne lives, bee masters of the [Page 133] Kings; And yet (saith Bellarmine) was it ever heard, or read, or did the Pope approve the fact after it was done, if the Pope doth not allow of the killing of Kings and Princes, wher­fore (I pray you) doth he not set some severe Censure, and with a fearefull frowne cry downe those Iesuiticall bookes of Mariana and the rest, that not only approves, but commends King-killing service; Wherefore doth his holinesse suffer at Rome even under his nose, those Iesuites that had the chiefest hand in Treasons, to be pictu­red in Bookes like Martyrs, and super­stitious worship by the common peo­ple to bee done to them: And those two Kings in France (both murdered by Iesuites) why did not his holinesse testifie to the Christian world his ap­prehension of so great misfortune, which all Europe had cause to la­ment, why hath not his holines made a Law, and a decree against killing of Kings and Princes, whereby they may enjoy more safety; Let not words be credited when deeds speake so lowd, [Page 134] King Iames in his answer to this fla [...] ­ting lye, brings a full Iury of witnes­ses; And Bellarmine himselfe in his eight Chapter, twelve severall exam­ples to prove the lawfulnesse, that Kings may be deposed by the people. I will keep at home, and only tell you how the Pope proceeded against our King Iohn, Queene Elizabeth, King Iames: Innocentius the first, hee first interdicted the kingdome, excommu­nicated the King, cursed his person, animated his subjects against him, gave his kingdome to the King of France, at last when the King some­what relented and submitted to him, he forced him to resigne his Crowne and kingdome to Pandolphus his Le­gate, who kept it three dayes, and af­ter gave it him, and made him tribu­tary for his own kingdome.

That Bull of Pope Clement sent out against Queene Elizabeth is infa­mously and notoriously knowne, whereby after much railing and blas­pheming of her sacred person, hee curses all that adhere unto her; This [Page 135] Bull he sends into England, fastened it on one of Saint Pauls Gates, Saunders in his writings maintained it. Bristow in his Motives, approved it, some of the Nobility and many of the Gentry were said to execute it: From this foun­taine all those bitter streames of cur­sed water flowed out, damnable Trea­sons against her person. But to passe all other, the Treason intended this day, speakes loud enough, occasioned by Popish Religion, attempted by Popish Catholikes, encouraged by Popish Doctors, maintained and bles­sed by the Pope himselfe; I say, the Pope himselfe, for when father Garnet desired to know the Popes Resoluti­on concerning the bloudy Tragedy, Catesby presently resolved him; The Pope (saith hee) that commanded our endeavours to hinder his comming in, is willing enough wee should throw him out.

I know this Anniversary remem­brance of this great deliverance, trou­bles the hearts of tender Iesuites and Papists, some in Print condemne it, [Page 136] and say that the treason of the Pow­der Traitors, ought to bee buryed in the grave of the offendors, and not to be imputed to their Religion, some im­pudently now begin to deny it, and some with blacke mouthes labour to fasten it on the Puritans, God rebuke them; Tis no new thing (my bre­thren) to disavow that which took no effect: But had this damnable Trea­son beene executed, it would not have wanted Patrons highly to have main­tained it. When that Parricide killed Henry the third King of France, did not the Pope in full consistory of his Cardinalls make a glorious relation of it, comparing the Asacinat to Elea­zar and Iudeth, forbidding all Masses and dirges to bee said for the soule of the King? Is not his picture com­pleately set up in the Iesuites Col­ledge: over the Altar, with Angels protecting and crowning him? I could at large relate the manner of the Iesu­ites proceedings, how they raise the spirits, and steele the resolutions of others, whom they set apart to this [Page 137] King-killing service. I am sorry for the Christian Name, that such damnable positions should bee publisht among heathen nations, to the disgrace of Christendome; The Apocryphall booke of Iudeth the Pope receives in­to the Canon, it may be for this rea­son, because it commends this Act of Simeon and Levi which Iacob curses: There wants not Iesuites to Apolo­gize for, and justifie the powder Trea­son. Saint Paul calls the Pope (for on him I fastned it this day Twelve month) the man of sinne, that exalts himselfe above all that is called God: some there are that exalt his holinesse above God himselfe, but hee himselfe and all that adhere to him, exalt him above all that is called God, above Kings and Emperours. The Pope makes himselfe good sport with the Crownes of Kings, Kings and Em­perours are his servants and Vassals, they hold his Stirrop, lead his horse, goe before him in a kinde of proces­sion; The Pope at his pleasure tram­ples upon their necks, hee crownes [Page 138] and uncrownes them with his foote, he makes them waite bare foote at his gate, he excommunicates them, Armes their subjects against them, gives their kingdomes to others, discharges their subjects of obedience to them, they poyson them at the Sacrament, stabbe them in their Coaches, murder them in their Courts, they make themselves fatte with the bloud of Kings. O might those Kings, those tenne Kings spoken of in the Revelations 17.16. (amongst whom some there are that name the King of England, and the King of France to be there spoken of,) O may they hate the whore, make her naked and desolate, eate her flesh and burne her with fire! Simeon and Levi kill'd a KING, that's the first thing.

Secondly, Simeon and Levi, Massa­cred Innocents, it's a ruled case among the Iesuites, where the Catholike cause may be advanc't, there the mur­dering of a few Innocents, though hundreds and thousands is not to bee stood upon. When Garnet was que­stioned [Page 139] by Catesby, whether with a safe conscience they might proceed with the Powder project, because in blowing up the Parliament house they should kill some of their owne Reli­gion, he quickly replyed, such as this was not to bee stood upon; And this Eudemon with great earnestnesse de­fends, and it hath beene the constant practise of the Iesuites, to this day; I must now lead you into Golgotha, a field of dead mens bones, a field very ample and large, as that to which God brought Ezechiel, Eze. 37. I am bold to af­firme unto you, that the tenne perse­cutions of the Heathen Emperors of Rome, never put to death so many nor with that cruelty as the power of the Bishop of Rome, Instruments of Cru­elty indeed are in their habitations. In their anger they kill men, ruine Cities, Countries, nations full of men; The heathenish persecution was long and bitter, but as for Catholike persecuti­on, it is more tedious, more bitter, more cruell. Pope Theodorus, Bishop of Rome, when the second time he ex­communicated [Page 140] Pyrrhus Patriarch of Constantinople, he mixed some of the consecrated Cup with Inke, where­with hee wrote the sentence of the curse, a new unusuall forme of cursing, not heard of before. Something the Ie­suites have added to former persecuti­ons to make them more bitter and fierce: this man of sinne Saint Paul cals the son of perdition, and so he is, both Active and Passive. Genitives, put for Adjectives, adde to their signification, son of perdition, because he destroyes most, Saint Iohn calls him Apollyon, a destroyer; He saith they make them­selves druncke with the bloud of the Saints: To speake of the Murders, Massacres, Treacheries, Cruelties of the Papists, it is so large a field, that en­tring into it, I know not where to be­gin, nor where to end. I could (my Brethren) show you a Sea of bloud, flowing from the Sea of Rome, like to the Sea Ezechiel speakes of, Eze. 47.3. which was at the first to the Anckles, then to the knees, then to the loynes dee­per, and deeper; If I should race [Page 141] them by the bloud, I should soone tire my selfe, and your Attention. I spure to relate their horrible cruelties and treacheries, against the Albigenses, and Waldenses, the Cities of Me­rindoll and Cabriers; The History is in English, and worth your read­ing, I will not tell you what cruelty they have done in Germany, nor speak of that damnable Massacre in France, I will not bee your Pilot to wa [...]t you unto the Indians, where the Christian Romans have kill'd more Pagans, then ever Pagans kill'd Chri­stians; Onely take notice of one speech, the Duke of Alba said, who confessed in cold bloud, that in sixe yeares government of the Ne­ther-Lands hee had put to death of the reformed Christians meerely in the cause of Religion, eighteene thousand; in thirtie yeares after the Iesuites rose, I find nine hundred thousand Protestants, murdered in Christendome, in a short time one hundred thousand in France, I could desire to enlarge my selfe in declaring [Page 142] of the monstrous cruelty of the Inqui­sition, 'Tis a matchlesse, Intollerable, unsufferable persecution, an invention found in hell, and used still by hellish furies; Give me leave I beseech you, to recite one example of our own fel­low subjects, by that Iudge of the rest. Lithgow a Scot having attained King Iames his Letters for his commendati­on, for his safe travell through the world, hee passes through the greatest parts of the knowne world, amongst Turkes, Pagans, Infidels, Iewes; He travelled through Forrests, Wilder­nesses, and deserts, hee met with theeves and murderers, Lions, Beares, and Tygers, yet came off safe: But as he passed through Spaine in the Citie of Maligo, on a suddaine he was sur­prised by nine Sergeants, who fast grapled him about the throat that he could not speake, violently snatched him away, carryed him before the Governour, who first offered to him (as he called it) that tyrannicall oath, to answer to whatsoever they should aske Him, they strip him naked of his [Page 143] cloathes, Robb'd him of his money, put him into a Dungeon without any light at all, with great fetters and shakles on his legges, fed him many dayes with a little musty bread and cold water, they starved him, woun­ded him; In tenne houres he received seaventy severall torments, at last all the Lords Inquisitors commanded him to receave Eleaven strangling tor­ments at midnight, and to bee burnt body and bones to ashes, though they had nothing against him but suspition of Religion, contrary to the peace then agreed upon, that none should come into the Inquisition: And yet after this, God wonderfully delivered him, hee was brought on his bed to our King, wounded and broken, who made this relation to the face of Gun­dimor the Spanish Embassador.

My Brethren, if the monster of this day, which was brought to the birth, could the Devill have forced it forth; O what massacring, murdering and butchering of Innocents would there have beene, besides the Massacre and [Page 144] murder of the day, wherein the King, and Queene, the Prince, the sacred house of Parliament, and all that dwelt thereabouts, had beene de­stroyed: who can conceive the sad and bloudy consequences of it; The sword would not onely have passed through Westminster, London and the Regions about, but all the Country and King­dome should have felt the fury of it, yea Children unborne should have beene smothered with the smoake of it; When the Sicilians Massacred the French, their fury was so great, that they did not only not leave one French man among them, but ript up all their owne women that were with child by the French, that not one droppe of French bloud might remaine among them.

When that great dissention in Italy, and those factious names of Gibilines and Guelphs came up, one adhering to the Emperor, the other to the Pope; When the Gibilines called in a third to assist them, promissing their goods, they having obteyned the victory fell [Page 145] a Rifling of both without distinction, being charged with breach of pro­mise, they replyed, your selves are Gibilines and shall be safe, but your goods are Guelphs. I make no que­stion but the English Papists that now complaine of Salomons yoake, if ever the French, Spanish or Italian should come victoriously among us (which God forbid) they would find Rehobo­ams burden, all their goods should be English, if not they themselves; Arch-Bishop Cranmer, was not hee burnt though hee recanted? My sword (saith the Duke of Parma) knowes no difference; In the troublesome Reigne of King Iohn, when the traitorous and rebellious Nobles called in the French, and joyned with them against their King; You may remember what Vicount Melun (troubled in Conscience upon his death bed) told the Lords, affirming it upon his salvation, that Lewes and sixteene Lords, had taken an oath, that if ever the Crown were set on his head hee would condemne to perpetuall exile and utterly extir­pate [Page 146] all their kinred that adhered to him, as Traitors to their owne Sove­raigne; when the proud Spaniards exercised those Tyrannies in the Ne­therlands, they first pretended the maintenance of the Romish Religion, yet they spared not to deprive very many Catholikes and Ecclesiasticall persons of their Liberties and privi­ledges, and the chiefest that was exe­cuted of the Nobility, was that vali­ant Count Egmund, that most zealous­ly was effected to their Religion, yet most cruelly tormented: examples are infinite, but I hasten to the third ag­gravation.

Thirdly, Simeon and Levi punisht them above their offence, nothing is more ordinary in the writings of the Iesuites, then this, that Hereticks can never bee enough punished; One complaines of that bloudy duke of Al­va, that hee made the Netherlands worse by shewing too much mercy, from Spanish mercy, Lord deliver us. Arist. saith; There ought to be a Geo­metricall proportion betwixt the pu­nishment [Page 147] and the offence, lesser offen­ces are not to bee punished with the great censures of the Law. Doctor Burges preaching before King Iames, relates a story of Pollio's Wife, that commanded her Butler to be hanged for breaking of a Glasse; The Em­peror passing by, stayed the executi­on, and said the sight of the Gallowes was enough for such an offence, and to prevent the like, commanded all glasses to be broken; It's Tyranny, bloudy cruelty to punish every sinwith death. When men exercise great censures for small offences; It is (as one said) to kill a fly upon a mans fore­head with a great Beetle: The Pa­pists will allow veniall sinnes against God, but all are mortall against their Pope; There's no command of the morall Law, but they can dispense with it, but none of their Ceremoniall Law, disobedience to Parents, Mur­ders, Treasons, Treachery, Adultery, Incest, Theft, Sacriledge, Lying, Per­jury, are all pardoned, but nothing a­gainst him. Let God say they, looke [Page 148] to the breach of his owne Law, wee will looke to ours.

Austin put to death 1200. Monks of Bangor because they differed some­thing from him in the Liturgie and service; Its a signe of a trifling Age, when the fathers of the Church trou­ble the peace of the Church for trifles, when they excommunicate one ano­ther for Tything Mint and Comin; As the Easterne and Westerne Chur­ches about the keeping of Easter; What great offence did Alexander, Bishop of Ierusalem, and the Bishop of Cesarea commit, when they layd their hands upon Origen, so highly to offend the Bishop of Alexandria? it argues usually bloudy times when easie offen­ces are punisht with death. Pope Inno­centius in words thundered out against Grosted that good Bishop of Lincolne, because he denyed to preferre an Ita­lian Boy commended to him by his Holinesse, hee swore he would hurle him to such confusion, as to make him a fable, a gazing stock and a won­der to the world; But hee thundered [Page 149] indeed that casheered one of his Of­ficers, because he kept not the legge of a Peacocke, blasphemously saying, God banisht Adam out of Paradise for an Apple, and may not I his Vicar for a Peacocks legge. To excommu­nicate Kings and Princes, to interdict kingdomes, to raise motions and com­motions, to send out Crosado's against Christians as against Turkes, because in every thing they conforme not to the Pope, what greater injustice, ty­ranny and oppression; To raise one kingdome against another, to give one to another, what greater tyranny and cruelty: What had our King and State deserved of the Gunpowder-Traitors that they should reward it with so great cruelty? They were not put to death, as wee were in Queene Maries dayes: our State had not erect­ed an Inquisition like that of Spaine. It hath beene the constant attestation of our Princes and States, that not one Papist hath suffered in the cause of Religion; They enjoyed their posses­sions, their liberties, their titles of ho­nour, [Page 150] they were admitted neare to the Kings person, had the protection of our Lawes, no violence was offered to them, English Papists (saith one) are more pontificiall then the Spanish or French: That is, more false, trea­cherous, traitorous, bloudy and cruell. Soe that when the Romish Religion was in place among us, there were more invasions and Rebellions then ever since, that it became proverbiall of our King and kingdome, that our King was the King of devils; Now since the puritie of the Gospell among us, all Rebellions and Commotions have been of the Popish faction, I am sure the conspirators of this day were bloudy Papists. One said to Q. Eliza­beth, commending Seneca's booke of Clemencie, and saying it had done her much good, yea (saith hee) but it hath done your subjects much hurt. You know not what Powder-Trea­son, may bee hatching in Rome, nor what Invincible Armado preparing in Spaine, nor what Incarnate Devill, and desperately resolved Iesuite, with [Page 151] murder in his heart, may be lurking in some secret corner of the kingdome. I know while the Devill is in hell, and the Pope in Rome, and the King of Spaine aspiring to bee universall King as the Pope universall Bishop, while the Iesuites are suffered in England, and the English are reformed, there wil not want Plots to confound us all; O they are active spirits, firy Gunpowder Traitors: A French Papist made this Apostrophe to Henry the fourth King of France; Great Prince (saith hee) Your Majestie need not feare the trea­son of the Iesuites, for you are pro­tected by the particular care and ex­traordinary favour of GOD, which over-shadowes you, and makes you redoubtable to all your enemies. But Sir (saith hee) what hopes or meanes of safety or refuge to posterity, when the Rat is in the Bagge, when the Ser­pent is in the bosome, the powder in the Pistoll, Iesuites (saith he) that are sworne servants to the Pope, can ne­ver bee true subjects to their Prince, they exempt themselves, from obedi­ence, [Page 152] and avouch the same of all Cler­gie men, to make their party the more strong, yet poore Prince, after a little while had the Iesuites knife in his heart. God preserve our King, and hee that brought him from Spaine to the admiration of many, that he might pre­serve him a blessing to this age, pre­serve him from the power and cruelty of Spaine: yet as a Privie Counsellor spake of Q. Elizabeth concerning the Papists, he never went to bed but awa­ked with feare, least he should heare of her death by Treason, nor never Rose in the morning but expected the same ere night; So wee may bee sure of this where ever occasion is offered, how ever for the present they may strive to appeare good subjects, traitors wil be ever traitors, ready to vent their Treason, the least occasion shall be en­ough to kill Kings and blow up Parlia­ments; This is the third Aggravation.

Fourthly, Simeon and Levi, in their anger they slew a man, in their selfe will they digg'd downe a wall; Their anger was fierce, their wrath was cru­ell [Page 153] Salvian asketh, What? so great wickednesse in the Christian Religi­on? that for this cause Parents curse their children, and children their Pa­rents? No anger so fierce, nor rage so cruell, as that against sincere pro­fessors, I cannot but admire at the divelish rage of the Church of Rome, against us, they esteeme all the refor­med Churches no better then Turkes, Iewes and Infidels, nay worse, for they admit these to dwell in the midst of them.

Blasphemers, murderers, witches, perjured persons, traitors, they can dis­pense with, they account us dogs, wor­thy nothing but rackes, torture, tor­ment, worthy cruell death, and beastly buriall, they will not allow us a place in their purgatory, but send us to Hell, yea those damned Hypocrites, the Lords Inquisitors (the very Nero's and Caligula's of the Age) say, they show too much lenitie to such dogges as we are. Theodosius in his hot Rage caused 7000. of Thessalonica cruel­ly to be put to death; for which cause [Page 154] Ambrose excommunicated him, and he relenting made this Law, that exe­cution should not soone follow sen­tence, but thirtie dayes should passe betweene them; They have not the reason of men, but the rage of Lions, the Venym of Serpents and devils, that are hasty to shed bloud. It was a cruell wish of Caligula, that wish't all Rome had but one neck, that he might cut it off at one blow, and the King of Spaine that wish't all the Netherlands a Sea; My brethren, there is no rage, wrath nor malice, like to the wrath of Rome, I cannot enlarge my selfe in eve­ry particular; No piety to God, no justice to Innocents, no pitty to their friends, no loyaltie to their Soveraign, nothing is able to keep them in, Romes Babylonicall furnace is seaven times hotter, their rage and superstition (like two impetuous torrents,) beare down all respects before them, but that rage is most hellish, which in peace storms and thunders, which brings me to the fift Aggravation.

The fifth circumstance that aggra­vated [Page 155] the sinne is that they falsified their words, they broke their cove­nants. The Papists teach that no faith is to be kept with Infidels, Heretickes, Oathes and agreements, ought to bee sacred, and kept among all nations, Heathens will not infringe their oathes, when once the name of their God is upon them, for the terror of that God; Therefore the Heathen Embassadors of Rome, chose rather voluntarily to returne and be tortured to death then perjured: When one of them equivocated to save his life, the Senate put him to death. But the Rome Christian not onely practise, but teach that men may, men must breake, and the Pope can dispense with the break­ing of the oath. The Councell of Constance determined this in the case of Iohn Hus and Ierom of Prague, whom they illegally burnt though they had promised safety, saying, no faith was to bee kept with Hereticks. This made the friends of Luther so unwilling to let him goe to Wormes, though his resolution was unalterable, [Page 156] I go (saith he) in the name of God and of Iesus Christ, though as many De­vills were in Worms as there be tyles on the houses, I would goe. And in­deed it was the same Iesus Christ pre­served him, for Baals Priests there would have him put to death, and had not the plaine opposition of Lewes Elector Palatine prevailed with the noble disposition of Charles the ninth, they had burnt him also.

Good God! that they that have the faces of men, the Intellect of Angels, the profession of Christians, the Re­pute of learning, so great a name through the whole world, yet not­withstanding maintaine such divelish, Atheisticall and damnable positions, contrary to all humane society, to the shame of Christians, to the igno­minie and reproach of Christ Iesus, Saint Paul in the 2 Thessalonians 2. calls him the lawlesse man, no law can bind him, no covenants, no agree­ments; When the Cardinals meete to choose a Pope in the Conclave, they make a vow, whosoever is chosen Pope [Page 157] he shal sweare to such Articles as they make, And Sleydan saith the Pope is no sooner chosen, but he breaks them all, and checks their Insolencies, as if they went about to limit his power to whom al power is given in heaven and in earth; The Christian Religion ne­ver suffered so great a scandall and losse, as when Iulian the Legate dispen­sed with the oath w ^ch Vladislaus made to Amurath the Turk. The cause (saith Sir Walter Rawleigh) of the cruell war forty yeares betwixt the Netherlands and the King of Spaine, which cost one hundred Millions of money, and the lives of foure hundred thousand of men, is dispensing with the oath the King of Spaine took; Ile instance in one to which a second cannot bee added, Henry the second, Emperor, and Pas­chall the Pope, made an agreement, for further testimony of their Reconci­liation, and for more security the Pope doth administer the Sacrament with these words; Take this pledge of my true love and our unfained recon­ciliation, let him bee divided from [Page 158] Iesus Christ, and have no part in his kingdome who first breakes covenant, yet the very next yeare with the con­sent of his Cardinals hee broke this oath, when oathes and Covenants are like Sampsons cords, not able to binde, what safety can there be in the world? Some Iesuites laugh at the Zeale of our King and State, in making the oath of Allegiance, and say it's to bind silly Foxes, and is easily broken, and say the Pope can dispense with the oath, one saith the oath is voyd, and holds it sinne for a Papist, to performe his word to a Protestant, I make no wonder that some Papists take the oath, I wonder that any refuse it, when the Pope can dispense with it, and deale with them as hee did with the French King, give him leave to take an oath, and then promised to dis­pense with the breaking of it; what certainty or security can Kings have, when such damnable Tenents are broached in the world, that oathes are not to bee kept with Hereticks, and they are Heretickes whom the Pope [Page 159] will have so; This is the fifth Aggra­vation.

Sixtly, Simeon and Levi coloured their revenge and crueltie, under a cloak and maske of religion: Religion ought not to bee a Bond of Iniquitie, yet under Religion in the Church of Rome all iniquitie (especially Rebelli­ons, treasons, Perjury,) Iustifies it selfe, They make the cause of Religion to descend to the execrable Acts of the murdering of Princes, Butchering of Innocents, firing of States, no men more pretend and boast of perfecti­on, and the holinesse of their medita­tions, then the Iesuites doe, yet this Platforme is heathenish, Tyrannicall, and able to set Aretine, Lucian, Ma­chiavell and the Devill himselfe to Schoole. I want words to expresse that pestilent project of the Popes, co­loured under a pretence of Religion, for the recovery of the holy Land; For two hundred yeares together they made the flower and Chivalrie of Christendome to fall by Millions in the foolish Conquest of Ierusalem; [Page 160] They sent Christian Princes far from their own kingdomes, to invest them­selves into them: never any Nation so heathenish, and barbarous and divelish, whose Religion maintained Murder, Treason, Treacheries, Perjuries. In every Religion and State have beene some such found, but none whose Re­ligion hath maintained them as the Religion of Rome doth. Fawkes had nothing to charge the State withall, but that Religion prompted him to this Treason; When Ravilliac murde­red Henry the fourth King of France, being tortured to know his incoura­gers to it, he sent them to the Sermons made by the Iesuites in Lent. They that read Bellarmine, Suarez, Eudeman, Becanus, Emanuell Say, shall easily perceive their Religion teaches Re­bellion, Treason; That Act of Iehu in proclaiming a solemne service to Baal, and then murdering of them, and that of Constantine, commanding all his chiefe officers to worship the Idol, and then casheering them, wants more subtill Patrons to maintaine it, then [Page 161] either my Religion, or my reason can reach to: Religion needs not to bee shrowded under the Cloak of policy. That great Diana of Rome they have lifted up to so high a straine that they equall him to God, and say there is no appeale from him to God, God and he are of one and the same Consisto­rie; He can determine against the Law of Nations, against the Law of nature, against the Law of God. Yea that his power and actions are no way to bee disputed of; That is the cause of cau­ses, and the just cause of all: O, I am weary of the Blasphemy and cruelty of the Church of Rome, their Blasphe­mies are so innumerable, their tyranny so execrable, their cruelty so unsup­portable, their delusions so heathenish, their perjuries so divelish, that the like was never in any state: Murders, Trea­cheries, Treasons are there in their proper place, they are no sinnes in Rome, or at least but Veniall sinnes, easily dispensed with by the Pope, re­bellions and Treasons, Massacring, [Page 162] and butchering of Innocents, Draco's lawes and Spanish inquisitors, insup­portable wrath and inveterate rage, perjuries and breaking Covenants, these are the Religion of the Church of Rome; It was once in the English Liturgy (King Henry the eighth put it in, Queene Mary put it out,) That we should pray that our Kingdom should bee delivered from sedition, tyranny, and conspiracy of the Pope, wee may doe it still, (at least in private prayers,) from the treasons, treachery, perjury of the Church of Rome, from the rage, malice and cruelty, from the Religion of the Church of Rome, from Iesu­ites and Iesuited Papists, Good Lord deliver us.

And thus I have done with the first Generall, the sinne of Iesuites and Iesuited Papists; It now onely re­maines to speake of the second, their censure.

Their censure, shall I smite them (my Brethren?) Iacob you heare would not spare his own sons though [Page 163] in the same house with him, though they ate the same bread, drank of the same Cup, were of the same faith, though what they did, they did it in revenge of the wrong done to their sister, shall we then spare them? No, I must follow Iacob still, O my soule, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly mine honour bee not thou united: cursed be their anger for it was cruell, and their wrath for it was fierce: God divide them from the son of our Iacob, and scatter them from our English Israel.

O my soule, come not into their se­cret: we must neither with heart nor tongue, affection nor action, neither in word nor deed, no (my Brethren) not so much as in thought nor look, show any countenance to Popish Cruelty, their treasons, murders, perjuries, and the rest of that Heathenish cruelty; It hath beene the desire of many, the en­deavour of some, to worke a reconci­liation betwixt the Church of Rome [Page 164] and us, Franciscus de sancta clara, whose booke of reconciliation hath been 23. times printed, I have read it, and I will say of it, that the discourse doth more confirme mee, that it's impossible to make a reconciliation betwixt them, indeed there may bee such a forme of confession drawn up in termes that both sides may subscribe to, but then the termes shall bee so Ambigu­ous, that at the next opening of the sore (the skinne being but heal'd over before) the breach will be more dead­ly; A Botch is never cured as long as the core remaines, excrements will grow on a dead body while the humor lasts: Arius presented the Emperor Constantine, with such a forme of con­fession, that when the Orthodox read it, they conceived it for their side, and the Arians for theirs. The quarrell be­twixt Rome and us is not like Caesar and Pompey, which should be chiefe, but like that betwixt Rome and Carthage which should not be: if Rome prevaile we shall not stand; and if we prevaile, [Page 165] they should not stay long, Bellar. saith plainly, the controversie betwixt them and us is whether the Church of God consist or no, or be shattered in peeces. A learned man of our Church, yet very moderate too, conceives it impossible that ever there should be reconciliati­on betwixt them. Therefore (saith he) if these reconcilers were the wisest men under heaven and shold live to the worlds end, they would be brought to their wits end, before they could ac­complish this works end, to make a re­conciliation, betwixt Rome and us: you know who printed it long agoe, no peace with Rome, that King of Preach­ers, so called by the King of Schollers, said plainely, The Northerne and Sou­therne Poles may sooner meete in one, then a Reconciliation betwixt the Church of Rome and us. I could bring in the testimony of many Reverend men of our Clergy: if nothing else, yet, this is enough to free them from being limbs of Antichrist, in regard that a reconci­liation is impossible, and if there can be [Page 166] no reconciliation, I trust the reformed Churches will ever scorne to accept a dispensation, and the piety and policy of our Christian state to admit a tolle­ration among us.

Come out of Babylon, is the voyce from Heaven, come out in affection, come out in person, separate farre from them, say with Iacob, ô my soule, come not into their secret: unto their assemb­ly, mine honour bee thou not united; But what? is this enough to abhorre future agreement with them, to deny them approbation to their deeds? Iacob goes further, and we must follow him, cursed be their anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruell; One saith, Babylons brats, must not bee dandled on the lap, but dasht against the Stones: Another, painted Iezabel the whore of Rome, must be throwne out at the windowes, to be troden un­der foot of horses; Another, Rome is like a Nettle, stings them that handle it softly; A fourth saith, they are like un­to bells, never well tuned, till they be [Page 167] well hang'd; Only I say, as Iacob saith, Simeon and Levi made themselves stinke among the Nations, and one day the Nations will consume them and their house. I would not (my brethren) blow the Trumpet to this Warre; Let Rome founded in bloud, propagate her Religion in bloud: I have otherwise learned Christ Iesus, the King of peace.

I hate the person of no Papist under heaven, I know God hath a great peo­ple among them, else he would never say, come out of Babylon, yea Coun­tries, Nations and kingdoms that now adhere to the beast shall hate the Whore; I see Iesuites themselves may be converted, I dare not hate them, nor so love their persons as to spare their wickednesse: cursed be their anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruell: cursed be the Religion that cau­ses rebellion, Treason, murdering of Innocents, treachery, perjury; The worst I will doe against them, is to pray, God divide them from the son of Iacob, and scatter them from our Eng­lish Israel.

[Page 168]This was the last part of the censure, Iacob powred on his sonnes, and it was not to be accomplisht til they came in­to the land of Canaan: my brethren, we have a certaine prophecy, God will di­vide them from his Church, but we must waite till we come neere the land of Canaan: what ever faire face Rome hath, yet her eyes are sparkling Basi­lisks: that whore of Babylon, her breath is the breath of Vipers, her voyce is as the voyce of the Hyena, that cries, as the Crocodile to deceive and destroy us: They are the best that are furthest se­parate both in affection and person; we must come out of Babylon: would God we could send them into Babylon, Bel­larmine tells us out of Theodoret: That the boyes of Samosatenea (playing at Tenis-ball in the midst of the market) did solemnly cast it into the fire, be­cause it had but toucht the foote of the Asse whereon Lucius the Heretical Bi­shop rod; And we read in the Spanish History of the zealously superstitious Biscans, who were busied many dayes [Page 169] in scraping up the dust, trode upon by the horse, whereupon a certain Bishop rode, that accompanied the Emperor Ferdinando, and threw it (as a thing in­fected) into the Sea; The Iewes once every yeare burnt all the Leaven, that was in their houses, they swept the house cleane, and searcht every corner, and cursed what was left. Moses saith to the people of Israel, comming into the land, take heed that you make no cove­nant with the people of the land, no, cut downe their groves, and stampe their Images in peeces. Esay and Iere­mie are very earnest with Gods people to come out of Babylon. S. Paul would not have beleevers to beare the Yoke with unbeleevers, nor Saint Iohn, to say good night to an obstinate Hereticke. Bellarmine saith; The Catholicks will not suffer any that seeme to favour Lu­therans in the least degree, they have their flies and familiars, Priests oathes and Inquisitions to discover good Protestants. O then that our Pur­sevants, Paritors, Church-Wardens, [Page 170] Constables, Iudges, Iustices, Consisto­ries, High Commission, Courts of Iu­stice, that they would discover all these bloudy Papists and send them to Rome again. I am no enemy of theirs to wish them where they would bee, there they are in soule, I would they were there in body; there they are in Affection, I would they were there in person.

I have now done with my Text and with the Application also, and yet re­maines some little of my Sermon be­hind: you have heard (my Brethren) Simeon and Levi fit parallells of Iesu­ites and Iesuited Papists: as face an­swers face in a glasse, so the cruel­ty of the one, answers the cruelty of the other; Simeon and Levi in cruelty against Hamor and Shechem & the rest of the Citie, will be Typicall for the Tragedy of this day; I see little diffe­rence, but now in one thing, in the last thing, in the conclusion of all, (with which I will conclude my Sermon) O they differ altogether; They as their [Page 171] resolution was fierce, so their execution was cruell: they did not onely meere and consult, plot, and contrive, and combine themselves in one, but they did accomplish, and finish, and perfect their intention. The last Act was Tra­gicall and bloudy; But as for ours, God frustrated all their preparations, and that, when it was but late, there was not many sands to runne in the glasse, not many strokes to strike at the Clocke, not one Tide to passe the Bridge, it was late last night, that God discovered it, and this morning it should have beene executed; The knife was at the Throate, the dagger at the breast, the powder in the Bar­rell, the Match burning in the hand, there was the villaine ready to give fire: But God delivered us, and they perished in their Treason, and let their memories perish with them.

But behold the servants of the Lord, the King, the Queene, and that sacred Senate walking loose in the midst of the fire, on whose bodies the fire had [Page 172] no power, their rayment was not chan­ged, nor was the smell or touch of fire upon them at all; ô tell it in Gath pub­lish it in the Streets of Ascalon, that the enemies of the English Nation, may bee ashamed and confounded at their cruelty; Let Popish Factors, Spanish Merchants blunder out blasphemously and say, GOD is the GOD of Eng­land: Tell it to your Children, and to your Childrens Children; Let the fifth of NOVEMBER bee for ever kept holy in the English Nati­on: O let the heavens Eccho out prai­ses to God, let there bee all outward signes of Ioy; Let our Bells ring, to drowne the noyse of the thundering skies: Let fires flame to darken the light of the Sunne; Let our Organs and Singers lift up their voyces, that it may be heard and Ecchoed by An­gels and Saints: Let all that hath a tongue and breath praise the Lord.

I conclude with Paul, 2 Cor. 1.9, 10. But wee had the sentence of death in our selves, that wee should [Page 173] not trust in our selves, but in GOD which raiseth the dead, who deli­vered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom also we trust, that he will yet deliver us. *⁎*