THese words begin a new dis­course, and contain an earnest obtestation to the Thessalonians not to be troubled at the Do­ctrine of some, that the day of Christ, viz. his second coming, was at hand: which though in appearance it tended to holiness and watchfulness, to make men [Page 10]live in preparation for Christs coming; yet, seeing his coming was not nigh, and many great things were to be transacted first both in the world and the Church; this perswasion would take off Christians from their repective duties, in the several places and times they should live in; and would give great occasion to Athe­istical mockers to think and say Christ would never come, seeing his coming was so long delaied beyond expectation of his servants; and consequently that all the Gospel was a fable, and Religion vain, which also was foretold, 2 Pet. 3. v. 3, 4. In the last days shall come Scoffers, walking after their own lusts, saying Where is the pro­mise of his coming? for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were. The Apostle therefore beseecheth them by the coming of Christ and our gathering to him, i. e. As sure as they did believe Christ would come, and his Saints should be ga­thered to him, so also to believe that his coming was not nigh; but that great trans­actions and changes should come before that day. Or [...] may be well rendered, I beseech you for the sake of the coming of our Lord, and our ga­thering to him, i. e. that you may not bring this Doctrine of Christs coming [Page 11]into Question when the world shall see you are mistaken in the time when you looked for it.

That you be not soon shaken, [...], i. e. That you be not unsetled or made to fluctuate in your minds, [...], nor be perplexed. This is the obtestation.

Next the Apostle signifies the means, how this perplexing Doctrine was intro­duced amongst them: viz. By spirit, by word, or by pretence of his Epistle, v. 2.

Then renewing his obtestation, v. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, [...], by any pretence whatsoever; he entereth upon the confutation of this opinion, telling them that Christ would not come, till there had been an Aposta­sie in the Church, [...], it is an Ellipsis, wherein something for brevity sake is omitted: For except there come an Apostasie first, it is to be supplyed from the first v. The day of Christ shall not come.

Afterwards he describeth the manner and measure of this Apostasie, to v. 12. Hence we may observe by way of intro­duction.

Obs. 1. That the Church even in the best ages of it hath been infested with errours and disturbances.

The Church of old under Moses, im­mediately after their deliverance out of E­gypt, and their receiving the Law from God by an audible voice, did presently return to the Idolatry of Egypt in the worship of the Golden Calf, Ex. 32.1, 2. though they had ob­liged themselves to the Lord by Covenant, a few days before, chap. 24.3, 6, 7, &c. And all his time he was wearied with their ill carri­age. And in the times of the Prophets, there were usually false Prophets seducing the peo­ple, 2 Pet. 2.1. Our Saviour foretold false Christs and false Prophets should arise soon af­ter his days, Mat. 24.24. And his Apostles, that there should be false teachers in the Church, privily bringing in damnable Heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and that many should follow their pernicious ways, 2 Pet. 2.1, 2.

The Primitive times, as they were most happy. in Zeal and affection in the sound and Orthodox professours; so they were as unhappy in the manifold errors, Sects, divisions that did disturb them, as any of these latter Ages. Augustin hath given us a Catalogue of 80. Heresies that troubled the Church in those days; August. Lib. de Haer. ad Quod vult Deus. and yet he saith he omitted many and named but the principal.

It appears by their Epistles, that the Apostles had no sooner planted Churches, but the weeds of errors and opinions did straight ways spring up amongst them: and this chiefly by these three means here men­tioned.

1. By pretence of the spirit. When God did afford his spirit in extraordina­ry gifts and revelations to his Prophets and Apostles, there never wanted men who pretended to the same spirit, and the like revelations for their own devices; most of them wilfully feigning, some ar­tificially and some by diabolical means procuring revelations and Enthusiasms; and some weakly mistaking their own fan­cies and strong perswasions for dictates and inspirations of the Holy Ghost. 1 Joh. 4.1, 2. Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: for many false prophets are gone out into the world, such as pretended to the spirit, and that to the subversion of the greatest truths in the Gospel, even to deny the person, and coming of Jesus Christ, as Simon Magus and his followers; therefore he subjoyneth this mark, v. 2, 3. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: and every spirit that confesseth that he is not come, is not of God. The same direction is [Page 14]given, 1 Cor. 12.2, 3. I give you to under­stand that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: Such it seems there were, that preten ding to the spirit the Apostles had, rejected and reviled Jesus Christ.

2. By pretence of a word or oral tradi­tion. They that could not pretend the spirit speaking in themselves, pretended the judgment and sayings of Christ and his Apostles when absent, for their own opinions, sometimes forging their sayings, sometimes mistaking the meaning of them, affixing their own sence to them. Thus a tradition was received, as coming from the mouth of Christ, that the beloved Disciple should not die, Joh. 21.22, 23. and is yet believed in the Greek Church who shew a place near Ephesus where they say that Apostle when old commanded himself to be buried alive; where by some estuation or bubling of the earth they con­clude he still breatheth. St. Paul was of­ten troubled by the Judaizing Christians, who would have kept up the ceremonial law, pretending the authority and practice of Peter, and other Apostles that lived a­mong the Jews; which he refuteth at large, Gal. 2. And it appeareth by almost all Pauls Epistles that this tradition was [Page 15]importunately urged and scattered through all the Churches by that sort of men, even when the Apostles and Church of Jerusalem had declared, that they never commanded such doctrine to be preached, Acts 25.24.

3. Thirdly, By the pretence of Scrip­ture, [our Epistle in the text.] And this either by pretence of forged Scripture, or false and forced interpretations of the true Canonical writings. Of the former sort were the writings of the false Pro­phets among the Jews, and those fabulous Legends of Tobit, Judith, Susannah, &c. which were never received by the Jewish Church. And such were the many sup­positious writings in the primitive times, as the Gospel of Peter, Andrew, Thomas, Nicodemus, and almost of all the Apostles; the Gospel and Epistle of Paul to the Lao­diceans, the Liturgie of James, and the like, mentioned by Eusebius and other writers. Of the latter sort the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 3.15, 16. That there were many unlearned and unstable Christi­ans who did wrest some hard places in Pauls Epistles and the other Scriptures to their own destruction; of this kind is this in the text as some suppose, Cartwr. in Locum. that this opinion of Christs coming to judgment [Page 16]was rashly collected by some, from those words in the former Epistle to the Thes. ch. 4. v. 15. We that are alive and remain unto the coming of our Lord, shall not pre­vent those that are asleep: hence they thought that the Apostle supposed that at least some of them who were then alive might live to the coming of Christ. Though it seems that all these three means of pre­tended revelations, traditions and Scrip­tures were used for this doctrine.

These arts have been all along used to disturb the Church and to pervert souls. The Gnosticks, Montanus and Manes pre­tended their inspired revelati­ons, Cont. Haer. De praeser. and many others in latter ages. Irenaeus and Tertullian tell us that many of the Hereticks of their days pretended traditions from one Apo­stle or other for their doctrine and pra­ctice; as also others had their Apocryphal Scriptures or Canonical texts misapplied to maintain their errors.

The Papists make great use of all three of these pretences to establish their gros­sest errors. The doctrine of the real pre­sence of Christ in the bread, of the worship of Saints and of religious Or­ders, and Images is mainly built upon Revelations, dreams and apparitions.

Lindanus ingenuously confessed that all those doctrines and practices wherein the Protestants do oppose them, and dissent from them, are to be proved by traditi­ons of the Apostles, not from the Scrip­ture. Their doctrines of Purgatory, in­vocation of Angels, equivocations and dissemblings are proved by the book of To­bit, Judith, Susan. &c. The Apostles Canons, in­creased from 50 to 85, in the last age, do them great services in the matters of their discipline: and sometimes they wrest Scriptures for their purpose; but they have been so baffled and shamed out of this since the Bible hath been common and studied by Protestants, that they have for­saken this hold, and the Jesuites think the poor secular Priests have betrayed their cause by undertaking to dispute for it out of the Scriptures.

These troubles by errors arise from the weakness of some who have more zeal than judgment, and usually desire new things, 2 Pet. 3.16. 2 Tim. 4.3. People unlearned and unstable and that have itching ears; from pride and conceit in others, who that they may seem wiser than their brethren, will be wise above or against what is written: some teach perverse things to draw disciples after them; some [Page 18]for secular interest. There was no other reason why the Popes of Rome imbraced the worship of images, transubstantiation and some such doctrines, but because the promoters of them did also promote their authority and strengthen their hands a­gainst the Godly and most serious part of the Church. But the most usual causes of errors are ignorance of the Scriptures, and of the principles of religion founded on them (which in the primitive times had a great occasion given it by the prejudi­cate opinions that new Converts brought from Judaisme and Paganisme, and from the new Testament not being fully written in a considerable time, and the seve­ral books thereof not gathered into one volume in a long space after) and chiefly corrupt affections: Men will imbrace er­rors because they love not the truth.

Ʋse 1. This sheweth the necessity of adhering to the Scripture, and of a stand­ing Ministry. If we stick not to the Scrip­ture, the pretence of the Spirit and Tra­ditions will lead us into a wilderness where there is no end. Heathens, Mahometans, Papists and all Enthusiasts will distract us by their several and contrary pretensions. And if there be not a standing and lear­ned Ministry, Apocryphal Scriptures, and [Page 19]false interpretations of Scripture will easily beguile the unskilful and hinder the edifi­cation of the more wise.

2. The Papist's brags of infallibility of the Pope or Church, and the necessity of it to the foundation of our faith, is as foolish as it is untrue: The Apostles and Apostolical men were infallible, and yet this will not prevent errors and Heresies of the highest nature either in their own or in the next succeeding ages. An infallible head or guide will not secure the Church from errors and divisions, unless all the people be infallible likewise, certainly able to discern the truth declared to them, and perfectly free from all evil affections which may hinder their receiving and submitting to the truth.

3. It is no Wonder to see errors and divisions in these last days of the Church, sith they were in the first. While men are subject to ignorance and evil affections, there will be both errors and divisions; and if we go to the Church of Rome to avoid all errors and Schisms (because they boast of such Unity, which was never promis­ed nor long enjoyed by any Church) we shall but do like Children that tear ma­ny little holes in a garment into one great one that comprehends them all and more and cannot be repaired.

Obs. 2. It is certainly foretold that there should be an Apostasie in the Church.

The same Apostle almost in the same words foretels it, 1 Tim. 4.1. The spirit speaks expresly that some shall depart from the faith.

The first Christians might be apt to ex­pect the coming of Christ, and their ever­lasting rest to be at hand, from the love and joy they had conceived upon their first receiving the Gospel, but they are here told [that] happy time is not so nigh.

There must come a departure of many from the faith first, and many contests and persecutions should ensue thence; and therefore they should arm themselves with patience to a conflict before they must expect the Crown. When God made the world, he made it wonderful great and large, and stored it with almost in­finite variety of creatures to set forth his own Majesty; he hath also continued it some thousands of years with as great va­riety of providences in his governing of it, to shew his manifold wisdom, power, mercy, and justice; and what will be the wonderful transactions of the world to come through­out eternity to set forth the glory of the [...]ernal God, no creature can conceive. [Page 21]In like manner when our Lord came from Heaven to purchase a Church to serve him, it was not quickly to expire, but to conflict with the world and the Devil, with enemies without and within, through many changes and vicissitudes a conside­rable time; and at last through faith and patience to inherit the promises. It was long that the Church continued under the bon­dage of the Law; and there were many changes and declinings of it at several times under the Judges and Kings of Judah: but there was one great Apostasie of the Ten tribes under Jeroboam, which ended in the ruin of that State and people. Such a departure was there to be in the Christi­an Church, signified here by the indeter­minate word, There shall come a departure or Apostasie: for the falling off of a few par­ticular persons was no strange thing, but happened in every age. Now such Apostasies are permitted,

1. To punish the ingratitude of men for the Gospel. Because they receive not the love of the truth: because Christ and his Gospel are not welcome to the gene­rality of men; but any or no religion would content them as well, if they might have outward peace and prosperity, there­fore Christ suffers them to be inticed with [Page 22]Errors and Heresies to their own de­struction, which at last bring publick ca­lamities and ruin.

2. To punish the Hypocrisie of others. Some pretend great zeal and affection in the peace of the Church, which is either meerly pretended for worldly interest, or but a light and transient passion (as in the stony ground) who can never be perswaded to be zealous and rooted Christians; Matth. 13.20. there­fore when they have been tryed a conve­nient time, opportunities of backsliding are sufferred to come to discover and shame them.

3. To manifest and honour those that are sound. 1 Cor. 11.18, 19. There must be heresies among you, that they which be approved may be made manifest among you. When peace and truth meet toge­ther, the sound and best Christians are un­known, and for the most part less re­garded than the Hypocrites, that make more shew and noise; Christ therefore suffers apostasies to come, to discover and honour his sincere, humble, diligent, and stedfast servants.

4. Errors are also permitted to clear the trut more, and make them that are sound more stedfast and strong. The truths of [Page 23]the Gospel have in all ages been prejudiced by the zeal and good affection of some well minded, as well as by the opposition of enemies, because their affection over­run their judgment and their care to get a distinct knowledge of the principles of religion: but the appearance of errours and corruptions makes them more careful to search the truth, which hath been al­ways more cleared and fortified by occasion of the oppositions against it, and those who are upright have been put upon getting a clearer knowledge of the grounds of their faith, worship, and practices thereby.

5. And in all this Christ manifesteth his distinguishing grace to some, and his righ­teous judgments upon others, Rom. 11.22. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but towards thee goodness, if thou continue in his good­ness.

6. Hereby all are stirred up to diligence and watchfulness. When there shall come a falling away of many, all are warn'd thereby to take care how they stand lest they also fall. Rom. 11.20

Ʋse. Be not therefore supri­zed at, discouraged or tempted by, the apo­stasies of others. Though the Church be fair as the Moon, she hath also many dark spots; [Page 24]though clear as the Sun, she hath her clouds and Eclipses. Many will be carryed away with errour, superstitions, and carnal po­licies; yea some of all sorts; rulers, as well as ruled; learned, as well as un­learned: Those that have made great shew, as well as the common sort: be not troubled nor suspect the true doctrine and worship; these things are foretold and therefore must be.

We are next to enquire what this de­parture is, which is here foretold; and who be guilty of it. Some have under­stood it of the defection of the world from the Roman Empire, following the conjecture of some one leader without consideration (as Calvin observes) And the Rhemists recede from it very unwil­lingly and under correction of their Su­periours, but the Apostles saith, the day of Christ shallnot come except there come a de­parture first, viz. a departure from Christ The word [...], here used for depar­ture or apostasie, is appropriated to signify a defection in or from religion: so the same Apostle useth it, but with an explication, 1 Tim. 4.1. [...], some shall depart from the faith. Moreover the head of this Apostasie is to sit in the Temple, the Church of God, v. 4. and [Page 25]to bring it about by delusions and lying miracles, seducing those that loved not the truth that they might be saved, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, v. 10, 11, 12. It must therefore be a departure from the truth and purity of the Christian re­ligion. It is agreed betwixt Papists and Protestants that it is the apostasie under Antichrist as the chief head and leader of it, which is here foretold: but the que­stion is, who is this Antichrist? Where and when this apostasie may be found? As the Jews did generally expect the coming of Christ, yet knew him not, believed him not, when he was among them; so the Papists believe and expect that Antichrist shall come, and miserably spoil the Church, but cannot or will not see and own him, though he is and long hath been amongst them.

That Nero shall rise again and be the Antichrist, as he was the first persecuting Emperour, I not worth the refuting.

The Papists generally teach that Anti­christ is yet to come, and shall endure but three years and a half, immediately be­fore the end of the world: that he shall be a Jew of the tribe of Dan; rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple; abolish the Christian worship, and almost the name [Page 26]of Christ: but all this without any colou­or proof, except that slender one that he shall sit in the temple of God, v. 4. Some few are so ingenuous as to confess that Rome is Babylon, Antichrists seat: but then some say the Heathen persecuting Empe­rours in the first three hundred years of the Church, were this Manof sin. Some again, considering that it is an apostasie of professing Christians here spoken of, conjecture that some Pope of Rome at the end of the world shall deny Christ, be­come an Infidel, and cause himself to be worshipped as God; this should be this man of sin. But the Text plainly speaks of, a defection of Christians which was se­cretly working in the Apostles days, on­ly some thing hindered its prevailing and full discovery, vi. 6, 7, 8. The mystery of iniquity doth already work, and it was to be a mysterious defection, not an open and totall apostasie from Christ: it was to be brought in by signs, miracles, lying won­ders, and all ungodly deceits, for the just condemnation of them that received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, though they received the pro­fession of it, v. 9. to 12. And the man of sin the Head of this apostasie was to sit or rule in the Temple of God, which is [Page 27]his Church, 1 Cor. 3.16. Therefore this apostasie was to be, not total from the name and profession of Christ ad of his Church, but a defection in the Church, an apostasie from the purity of the Do­ctrine, worship, Discipline and practice of the Gospel, such as should have so many excuses and specious pretences for it, that the delusion should be strong, and such as those that do not heartily love the truth, should not be able to discern.

Whence we collect this pro­position, Proposition. That the Church of Rome is and for a long time hath been the seat of this man of sin, the mother of this apostasie: or, That Po­pery is the grand Apostasie of the Church here foretold. This I shall make good, first by some general reasons, and then by the particular criteria, or marks laid down in the text.

By the Church of Rome, we mean all those Nations and Churches which as so many members make up that great body which they call the Roman Catholick Church, whereof the Pope is the Head, and the Church of the City of Rome the principal part. By Popery we understand that religion, viz. Doctrines, worship, Discipline and Government, which is pe­culiar [Page 28]to them and distinct from all other Christians, especially from the Protestant Churches; and whereby they are knit in­to one body and society, and live in one Communion distinct from and opposite to the Reformed Churches. Now that this Church is apostatized from Christ, and this religion is a Doctrine and practice of apostasie, may appear in the general by comparing the true state of the Church of Christ with the state and Doctrine of the Roman Church.

1. First, The true Church of Christ acknowledgeth and worshippeth one only God; the creator of the world, and fa­ther of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the foundation of religion, that there is one only infinite Being, the fountain and author of all things else; and therefore that all worship, fear, trust, and obedience is due to him alone, 1 Cor. 8.5. Though there be that are called Gods, whether in hea­ven or in earth (as there are Gods many and Lords many) But to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him. But the Papists do acknowledge and worship other Gods besides him, even the Host or Bread in the Sacrament, and the Virgin Mary.

The Heathens pretend to acknowledge but one supreme God: but the Papists do acknowledge that which sense, rea­son and scripture witness to be a bit of bread, to be the supreme God their ma­ker and Lord; which they usually call the Host; and that it is to be worshipped cultu Latriae, Conc. Trid. Ses. 13. Cap. 4, 5. ibid. c. 6. with that worship that is due to God alone: This they keep upon their Altar in a gilded Box in imi­tation of the Ark of old, there (they teach) is the special presence of God, as it was in the Holy of Holies. This they worship, and carry in triumph, by this they swear, viz. by the Mass, and by the Pix; and this is a peculiar note and badge of their communion, by which they diffe­rence themselves from others, and destroy all that do not acknowledge and worship this their God as far as their power reaches. The Host hath its Temples, its Holydays, and all divine honours given to it, also the power of healing diseases, casting out Devils, and working all man­ner of miracles ascribed to it. The Vir­gin Mary hath more temples, offerings, and prayers made to her, than either the Father or the Son: Her name is most sa­cred in oaths, and a greater offence it is to [Page 30]speak any thing derogatory to her honour, Vid. spec. Europ. Sands. Jure ma­tris impera re­dempotri. than to blas­pheme the name of God. In her they put their trust, and to her they ascribe authority over Jesus Christ himself. It is true, in words the Schoolmen distinguish the wor­ship of the Virgin which they call [...], from {fo}, the worship of God; yet they confess a higher worship is due to her than to any creature: and when we can make a medium betwixt the creator and crea­ture, then may we assign a worship which is not divine, and yet superiour to the civil respect due to creatures.

But the same learned author observes, that whosoever travelleth in Italy will see in their practice no such distinctions; but that more honour and worship is given to the Virgin than to God himself. It is known to all, that Papists are more zea­lous for the worship of the Host and Vir­gin (whom they call their Lady) than for the honour of God; and make the worship of them a greater cognizance of their religion than any part of the religion of Christ.

2. The Churchof Christ acknowledg­eth and trusteth in one only Mediator the Lord Jesus Christ. None can reconcile sin­ners [Page 31]to God nor intercede with God for them, but he that is equal with God, God himself; no creature can approach so near the infinite Majesty, or have any, much less such authority with him; there­fore the divine honour that is given to Christ the Mediator doth not derogate from the honour of God, nor is any rob­bery of him, because Christ is one with himself, 1 Cor. 8.6. There is but one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by him. But the Papists do own, trust in, and pray to many Mediators be­sides Jesus Christ, even all the Angels in heaven, who are therefore to be honoured and worshipped as inferiour Magistrates un­der a King and Courtiers un­der their Lord, Catech. Rom. in 1. praec. Q 4. Nostras preces deo offerunt & Lachrymas, They present our prayers and tears to God. Also the Saints in heaven who, they say, being prayed to, will obtain for us the remission of our sins, and the favour of God. Si enim gaudium est in Coelo super uno peccatore poeni­tentiam agente; Ibid. Q. 5. nonne etiam coe­lestes cives poenitentes adjuvabunt? Nonne rogati & peccatorum veniam impetrabunt & conciliabunt dei gratiam? The invocation and worship of Saints, as both lawful and ne­cessary, [Page 32]is avouched and decre­ed by the Council of Trent. Ses. 25. Decr. 2. Nor will their evasion excuse them, that they make Saints and An­gels only mediators of intercession to pray to God for us, but not of redemption to reconcile us to God; intercession depends upon redemption and satisfaction, and is as proper a part of the priesthood of Christ as the sacrificeof himself was; even Christs intercession would not have been prevalent unless he did thereby present his blood and merits to the Fathers; and as the Saints couldnot intercede for us unless they had merited for us, so the Church of Rome doth ascribe such merits to them, viz. to their works of superero­gation, whereby they have done more than God required, which merits they say are kept in the treasury of the Church to be applied to sinners as the Pope feeth fit, and especially to their Martyrdom, though they die for rebellion to their lawful Princes, according to that known prayer, Per Thomae sanguinem quem pro te impendit, fac nos Christe scandere quo Thomas ascendit, Vid. Tho. Beck­et of Cant. Grant that we may come to Heaven through the blood of Saint Thomas which he shed for thee. It is the [Page 33]merits and prayers of Saints that must relieve the souls in Purgatory, Concil. Trid. ses. 25. decr. 1. ibid. dec. 22, 23. ch. 1. yea every Mass-priest, they say, cele­brating Mass doth offer up Christ to the Father as real and proper a sacrifice as he offered himself on the Cross, and here­by makes reconciliation both for the liv­ing and dead, viz. that are in Purgatory. If then Christ was a compleat Priest, merited and satisfied for us in sacrificing himself, then every Popish Priest doth me­rit and satisfy for us, when he offereth the same sacrifice as Christ did to the same intent and purpose.

3. The Church of Christ is to worship him with spiritual, rational worship. Chri­stians are to give themselves to God as a living and the only acceptable sacrifice, which is their reasonable service, Rom. 12.1. and to worship Godin spirit and truth, in opposition both to the supersti­tion of the Heathen, and the ceremonies, and bodily worship of the Jews, in any place convenient for that purpose, John 4.22, 23, 24. The outward worship of Christians consisteth in prayer and praises with understanding; sometimes adjoyn­ing fasting for the furtherance of repen­tance and mortification: in hearing Gods [Page 34]word, and the reverent use of his sacra­ments which Christ hath appointed, which though they are outward and visible signs, yet they are but few, plain, and familiar, and the efficacy of them dependeth upon the rational and spiritual consideration of the things signified. But the Papists have changed the whole worship of God into a pompous, carnal, dead service. They have taken away the Scriptures from the people, and give them dumb images in stead of them, Con. Trid. Ses. 25. Dec. 3. Cat. Rom. in 1. praecep. Q. 14. to teach them and to excite their devotion. Instead of preach­ing the word, most of their preaching is to set out the praises and ly­ing miracles of their Saints. Their pray­ers both publick and private are in a tongue unknown to the people and very often to the Priest also, who only reads by roat: and hereby prayer is made but a bodily exercise. When the Jesuites had published an English prayer book for our English Papists, the Pope called it in and prohibited the use of it. There Lords supper they have changed to a sacrifice (which the Priest offer­eth with many mystical, but ridiulous, ceremonies and gestures) which they say obtains the pardon of sin and the grace of God for the people for whom it is [Page 35]offered, though they understand not what is saidor done, yea though they be absent, fol­lowing their worldly business, or their lust at the same time. They darkne the nature & meaning of baptism by conjuring the water, putting milk and honey into the mouth, spit­tle into the ears and on the tongues, anoint­ing the head, using salt & many such things, which being all in Latin not understood by the people are more like magical mysteries than Gospel institutions. Their chief wor­ship & devotion lyeth in building and adorn­ing Temples, for Masses, not for preaching; in buying Masses, in decking of images with Gold, Jewels; in offering incense, and wax Candles; in pilgrimages, and offerings to their Saints; in vows of forced and usually feigned chastity, & of Hypocritical and lazy poverty, and such like bodily exercises which profit little, 1 Tim. 4.8.

4. The Church of Christ owneth him only for her head, King, and Lord. God gave Christ to be head over all things to his Church which is his body, Eph. 1.23. He hath all power in Heaven and earth committed to him to rule and order all things concerning his Church which is his own house, Mat. 28.18, 19, 20. Where­upon he appointed Apostles to bring all nations to be his Disciples, to consecrate [Page 36]and ingage them to him by Baptism, and to teach them to observe all as he com­manded. Christ as mediator is the only head of the Church, which is his body, and all Christians members in particular of him, receiving life, strength, and spirit from him, and being governed by him. But the Papists acknowledge and adhere to the Pope as the head of their Church, which they say, could not be one Church unless it be united to the Pope as their visible head. Catec. Rom. de Symb. Art. 9. Q. 11. De eo, i. e. Pontifice Ro­mano fuit illa omnium Patrum ratio & sententia consentiens, hoc visibiel caput ad unitatem eccle­siae constituendam & conservandam necessari­um fuisse. They say that Christ and the Pope make but one compleat Head of the Church; That all which is said in the Can­ticles or elsewhere concerning Christ's re­lation to his Church may be truly apply­ed to the Pope. That he hath all power in heaven and earth given to him.

Pope Boniface the 8. declared that it was absolutely necessary to Salvation for eve­ry man to be subject to the Pope of Rome: Definimus, decernimus, declaramus esse de necessitate salutis omni humanae creaturae esse subditum Pontifici Romano; accordingly they teach, peccatum pagantiatis incurrit quisquis Pon­tifici [Page 37]non est obediens, i. e. Whosoever is not obedient to the Pope doth thereby become an Heathen. They ascribe to the Pope an universal headship not of order only, but of power and jurisdiction: he is the Rock, the foundation of the Church, he giveth authority to the Scriptures, and without him authoritas Scripturarum plane nulla est, saith one, i. e. the Scriptures have no authority at all: he can lay a­side the Bible if he please, or dispense with any of the commands of the old or new Testament saith their Canon Law, and he daily doth dispense with oaths, vows, and obligations of all sorts, both to God and man, with unlawful marriages, &c. They say indeed in disputation that the Pope is a ministerial head, the Deputy, the Vicar of Christ; but a Minister is on­ly to execute the pleasure of his Lord; a Deputy and Vicar is to see his Masters laws and commands observed, not to enact laws of his own, not to relax or abrogate any of his Masters laws, which power the Pope both challengeth and exerci­seth.

5. Christ's Church professeth subjection to his law only, Isa. 33.22. The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver, the Lord is our King. Christ is the only [Page 38]King of his Church; and the power of making Laws is the chief prerogative of a King. He gave his word to be the stand­ing Law, whereby his people should be ru­led and guided, and by which they must be judged at the last day, John 12.48. But the Papists have another Law, by which they are governed, and the Pope is their law-giver who ruleth them. The Scriptures they own indeed as the word of God, but not as his whole mind and law, and that no otherwise than as the Pope interpre­teth and alloweth them. They joyn with the Scriptures unwritten Traditions, which the Council of Tent saith are of equal authority. Traditiones non scriptas pari pietatis affectu & reverentiâ suscipit & veneratur. Conc. Trid. Ses. 4. Cat. Rom. Pref. Q. 12. The Canons of Councils, viz. those that the Pope likes and confirms, and the decretal Epistles of Popes they reckon equal with the Holy Scriptures. Decretales epistolae meritò inter Scripturas cano­nicas recensentur. The consciences of men they do subject to the determinations and commands of the Pope as to Jesus Christ, so that the law of the Church of Rome is composed and made up of the Scriptures, Traditions, Canons and decretals of Popes, over all which the Pope superintends as [Page 39]the supreme law-giver to confirm, relax, add or alter as he pleaseth, according to the known Ruleof Cardinal Cusanus, Lex currit cum praxi &c. Whatsoever is the present allowed practice of the Church of Rome, that must be taken for the infal­lible rule or law of Christ. So that the will of the Pope is the supreme law of conscience to the Papist in this world.

6. Christs Church acknowledgeth only his Sacraments, Baptism and the Lords sup­per. The Sacraments of the Gospel are badges of our professed Subjection to Christ and of our dependance on him for remis­sion of sins, for grace and eternal life, and it is fit that Christ alone should ap­point what should be the signs, Seals, and conveyances of his grace and the marks of subjection to him, and the tokens of the Covenant betwixt him and his people. Christ appointed his Disciples to enter into his Covenant by the sign and Seal of Baptism, Matth. 28.19. to renew and con­firm this Covenant from time to time by the use of his holy supper, 1 Cor. 11.23, 24. &c. and he appointed no other but these: and his people must institute and use no other as signs and Covenant seals betwixt him and them. But the Papists have ad­ded five more, which they own and maintain [Page 40]to be Sacraments, besides many other significant ceremonies to which they attri­bute the use and effects of Sacraments, these they make signs of Gods Covenant, means to convey grace; some of them as universally necessary as those that Christ appointed, yea without which Christs Sa­craments are not sufficient to Salvation, viz. the Sacraments of Confirmation and Pe­nance; of the former they say, a man cannot be a Christian till he be confirmed by the Bishop, Baptism is not compleat without it. De consecra. dist. 5. ch. de jejun. Nemo potest esse Christi­anus nisi ad Baptismum ac­cesserit unctio episcopalis, nisi confirmatione chrismatus. Their penance consisteth of confession of sin to the Priest, contrition for sin and the Priests absolution; and they teach that sins cannot be forgiven unless they be particularly confessed to the Priest, and he absolve them in the name of Christ upon their undergoing or promise to un­dergo some outward austerity or penance imposed on them by him. These Sacra­ments are badges and means of their sub­jection to the Priest and to the Pope their head, not to Christ. The Lords supper is not sufficient to comfort a dying Chri­stian, but they add their Sacrament of ex­treme [Page 41]unction to strengthen them against the flames of Purgatory. Thus they have more Sacraments and for other ends than Christ appointed.

7. Christs Church is to be guided and governed only by the officers and Mini­sters of his own appointing; and that ac­cording to his word. Christ as the head and Saviour of his Church, hath appoint­ed that it shall be instructed and govern­ed by his laws; guided and ruled by his officers in the practice and execution of his laws and Commands: what they shall be, he hath appointed, Eph. 4.11, 12, to 16. viz. Apo­stles, Prophets, & Evangelists to convert the world: and raise his Church at first, Pastors and Teachers to guide and instruct it to the end of the world, and these he hath or­dered to teach his people his Commands, Matth. 28.20. to preach his word, admi­nister his Sacraments, and to be examples to the flock of all humility and holiness not for filthy lucre but out of desire of their good, 1 Pet. 5.1. to 4. But the Papists have quite altered the nature and use of the Ministry of the Church. Council. Triden. Sess. 23. ch. 1, 2, 3. Can. 1, 2. They have added five or six orders of Officers to those that Christ appointed only for pomp and superstition, viz. Subdeacons, Exor­cists, [Page 42]Readers, Singers, Acolothites, and Por­ters. Their Priests preach not the word, but are chiefly ordained to offer the sacri­fice of the Mass, which also is most of their imployment. The Pope the Head of their Church is an earthly Monarch above all Princes and Emperors, living in all the state and pomp of the old Roman Emperours, challenging the same honour & observance, and more than they did ( viz. the kissing of his feet) except one or two most in­solent Tyrants. His Cardinals are Princes, and the chief Cardinal Bishop taketh place of the Emperours Embassadour, and the next takes place of all other Embassadours. Their whole ministry almost consisteth in hearing confessions, pardoning sins, enjoyn­ing penance, preaching the authority of the Pope, the Canons and Traditions of their own Church, and in saying Masses and prayers for the absent and for the dead.

8. The great design of the Gospel is, that men being reconciled to God may live to him in all holiness and righteous­ness; and this is the practice of the Church of Christ. The Church is redeemed and purchased to be a peculiar people to Christ zealous of good works; therefore is it cal­led out of the world, inspired with his spi­rit [Page 43]of grace and holiness; taught by his holy law; and subjected to his holy dis­cipline; the work of Christians is to be dy­ing to the world, mortifying their lust, and growing in grace, in hope of and prepara­tion for Glory, Titus 2.11, 12, 13, 14. But the design of Popery by keeping the people ignorant of the word and Sacraments is to bring them into subjection to the Pope and his Clergy.

Their ordinances and worship tend not to purifie the conscience, but under a vain shew of a carnal pompous service to cheat them of knowledge and spiritual edification, and to enthral men to their Church and their own Institutions. They teach that the bare use of the Sacraments confer­reth grace, though a man neither under­stand what he doth, nor is serious in it: and if perhaps he should be serious, yet the efficacy of the Sacraments dependeth on the Priests intention; so that if he be not serious or understandeth not what he doth, the Communicant can have no benefit. They tolerate all manner of wickedness. Pope Nicholas teacheth, it is better for their Clergy to live in secret fornication than to marry, Satius est pluribus occultis impli­cari, quam in conspectu mundi cum una ligari. And the people may live how they please [Page 44]so they be obedient to the orders of the Church, confess, and receive Mass once a year, this will blot out all sin; and though a man should live in wickedness all his days, yet if he but die in their communi­on, with the Priests absolution, which may be easily had, he shall go to Purgatory but for a time and so to Heaven: and money may procure Masses and prayers for him when dead, that will hasten his deli­verance thence also; so that they that will not leave their sins while they live, may buy their pardon and redemption from torment after they are dead: how can there be a more effectual way to encourage men in sin?

9. Self-denyal, contempt of the world, and bearing the Cross are the profession and badge of Christs Church. Our Sa­viour declared that his Kingdom was not of this world: and his Disciples must not expect, nor fight for it here, John 18.36. He hath promised them his spirit and comforts in a greater measure than for­merly, because they were to meet with much tribulation in this world, John 16.33. and our Saviour hath given us this univer­sal rule, except a man deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, he cannot be my Disciple, Lub. 14.27. Matth. 16.24. But the Papists make outward prosperi­ty [Page 45]and grandeur a mark of the true Church; and that the Pope and Bishops are Princes above all Princes, and that instead of suffer­ing any persecution they are to make War upon all Princes that displease them, to de­stroy by open force of battle or sudden Mas­sacres, and private treacheries all they can reach that are not obedient to them, or sus­pected not to be hearty, or but to favour or be mild towards those they call Hereticks.

10. Heaven is proposed as the certain reward of the servants of Christ. The grace of God that brings Salvation teach­eth us to deny all ungodliness and world­ly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godlily in this world, looking for the glorious appearance of God our Saviour, Tit. 2.11, 12, 13. In this life Christians are to fight, strive and run, but when this life ends, their course is finished, and there remains nothing but a Crown of life which the righteous judge shall give to all them that love his appearance, 2 Tim. 4.6, 7. But the Papists teach that all assurance of Salvation is presumption; Concil. Triden. Ses. 6. ch. 12, 13. Can. 15, 16. the most we must expect is after many af­flictions from Gods hand and voluntary severities upon our selves to satisfie for sin, at last to go to Purgatory for a [Page 46]long time there to suffer the same torments that the damned do in Hell. It is reported of Bellarmin that when some about him would have comforted him at his death with his great merits, and that he should certainly go to heaven; he answered, It is not so easie a thing to get to heaven, and that he could be content to suffer the pains of Purgatory many years if he could be sure to come to heaven at last. Thus though they tell men they may merit Heaven and do works of supererogation, viz. more than God requires of them, yet they must go through Purgatory: hereby rob­bing them of the comfort of the Gospel, and miserably enthralling their consci­ences to themselves and their Tradition.

By all this it is evident that the Papists have altered the nature and ends of Christi­an religion, which was the doctrine and institution of Jesus Christ to exalt him as the only mediator of the Church by whom only we should come to God, and have fra­med a new platform of a carnal worldly religion, to exalt the Pope and his Cler­gy, and to worship the creatures instead of the Creatour. Let us add their doctrine of persecuting and destroying all Hereticks (as they call them, that is, all that will not obey them) The first Lateran Council, [Page 47] Ann. Dom. 1215. decreeth, Sub Innoc. 3. P. That if any Prince or Lord be a Here­tick or favourer of Hereticks, or will not destroy his own subjects being Hereticks, he shall be deprived of his domi­nion, and it be given to some other Catho­lick Prince. Accordingly they gave away the Estates of divers Earls, Ramund Earl of Tho­louse, the Earl of Besieres and others, be­cause the former favoured, the other would not destroy the Albigenses their Subjects. Vid. Hist. Walden. The Inquisition giv­eth orders not only to destroy Hereticks, but also all such as favour them or habour them, or give them any relief in their distress, or conceal them or any of their goods; Yea that those, who do not discover and accuse their own relati­ons or friends being Hereticks shall them­selves be punished as Hereticks. In Concil. Constan. Pope Martin the 5. decreed by a Bull, That Hereticks should not be suffered to buy or sell, or to injoy the benefit of humane society. This Doctrine and their practice according to it makes them an Apostatical body or so­ciety, maintaining it self in opposition to the pure Church of Christ, and therefore to take part with them, to joyn with or submit to their interest, is to desert Christ [Page 48]and to side with or become a member of that great Apostasie.

Let us now take notice of the several characters or marks that the Apostle gives of this Apostasie, which will further prove the Papists to be guilty of it. The first is v. 3. That the Head of it is the man of sin, the son of perdition, [...]. An Hebraism, where the genitive of the substantive is put for the adjective, and that by way of eminency, The sinful or wicked man, as he is afterward called, v. 8. [...], the wicked or lawless man; v. 3. [...], the son of perdition, this is exegetical of the former, viz. such a wicked man as is ripe for and appointed to destruction. By this is meant not a particular person, but a state or govern­ment in the hands of one or more persons, though perhaps some one of those gover­nors may be intended in a special manner as more singularly wicked and active than others, even as Nebuchadnezzer was said to be the head of Gold of the great image, Dan. 2. i. e. in special manner, though the whole series of the Assyrian and Babylonian Monarchs for 1300. years was represented thereby. Thus the Devil is expressed singularly when the whole society of those wicked spirits is intended, and no [Page 49]one particular meant. And the four Mo­narchies are expressed by 4. Dan. 7. Beasts though they were possessed not only by many Kings, but the last by the people of Rome for a long time, consisting of the Senate and Plebeian. The Papists would infer from these notes of particularity that Antichrist this man of sin must be but one particular person, Vid. Whit. resp. ad. Sand. Q. 1. and therefore not the Popes who have been many.

But themselves grant, what is here said, v. 8. He that letteth will let till he be taken out of the way, is meant of the Roman Empire which was in the hand of many successively, though expressed as one man: and it is common so to express States or Kingdoms when we speak of their consti­tutions, prerogatives or Laws. And when our Saviour, Matth. 16.18, 19. said to Simon, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom, &c. they will needs have it meant that this was granted to Peter and all his successours the Popes, though none but Peters name is mentioned. Why then may we not so understand the man of sin here? The Apostles sense is, there well come an apostasie of the Church, [Page 50]a declining in and from religion, which will encrease till the man of sin be reveal­ed, i.e. till these apostates shall frame them­selves into a body and state of a most wick­ed government: this is the Pope and his Clergy, who successively govern and ma­nage that Apostasie. This will appear if we consider the wickedness of their Persons, Doctrines and Practices.

1. For their persons. There was a series of Popes for about an hundred years in the 10. and 11. Centuries who were Ma­gicians, Murderers, open Adulterers and destroyers of each other; of whom Gene­brard the Jesuite saith they were Apostatici potius quam Apostolici, apostates rather than Apostolical men. Gregory the 7. they report poysoned 6 Popes his Predecessours to obtain the Papacy, and was himself a known Magician, he threw the host his breaden God into the fire, because it would not answer him in his Magical charms. Many others of them have been professed Ma­gicians, some bold Atheists, as Leo the 10. who said to Cardinal Bembus, Behold what great riches we get by that fable of Christ, Quantas opes nobis tulit ista fabula de Christo. Most Adulterous Sodomites, Simoniacks, and some have lived in incest with their own Sisters and daughters: insomuch that one [Page 51]of themselves gives this testimony, Nemo hodie in Pentificibus Romanis vir­tutem aut pietatem requirit, Invita Pauli tertii. opti­mi putantur si vel mediocriter boni sint, vel minus mali quam caeteri mortalium esse solent. i.e.} No man looks for virtue or godli­ness nowadays in the Popes, they are ac­counted most excellent if they be but indif­ferently good, or not quite so bad as other men.

The Cardinals and all their Clergy are like their head and father, being allowed So­domy, fornication, and adultery to keep them chast, i. e. from marrying. Where shall we find a man of sin if this be not him?

2. Next consider we their wicked do­ctrines.

1. That of absolute subjection to the Pope, that whatsoever he commandeth must be done though never so wicked. Bellarmine saith, Etiamsi Papa erraret pro­hibendo virtutem & praecipiendo vitium, &c. Though the Pope should forbid virtue and command vice he must be obeyed; And their law saith, si Papa totos populos secum in insernum traheret, nemo potest ei dicere, Domine cur ita facis. i. e. Though the Pope should draw whole Nations into Hell with himself, yet none may say to him why dost thou so. This daily experience attesteth. [Page 52]Murdering of Kings, destroying of King­doms, any villanies must be done and that upon pain of damnation, if the Pope or any inferiour governour of their Cler­gy commands it. Never any state or go­vernment in the world (though many have been very wicked) challenged this pre­rogative to command whatsoever they plea­sed, right or wrong, and that men are bound in conscience to obey them though against God and men, but this the Pope doth challenge and practise.

2. The Doctrine of the Popes infalli­bility, whereby they father all their er­rours, superstitions, and corruptions upon the spirit of God. It is blasphemous a­gainst God to imagine that he should an­nex the infallible guidance of his spirit to a succession of men who defile and destroy his Church, oppose his son and his Gos­pel, and themselves are Monsters of men. Innocent the 10. S. Amore's Journ. (who suffered himself and his holy Church to be governed by an impudent Harlot Don Olympia his own Brothers wife) when the people of Rome complained to him of the unjust exactions of his Officers answered them, You must not find fault which mine Officers, for I chuse them and I am guided by the infal­lible [Page 53]spirit of God. What is more wick­ed than to ascribe wicked actions to the guidance of Gods spirit? Some Papists in­deed acknowledge not the Popes infallibi­lity, but then they ascribe it to a Council of Bishops most of them as good and as wise as the Pope.

Some give it to the whole Roman Church, but it will come all to one, if whatsoever the Church of Rome or the Heads and guides of it do determine, must be reckon­ed infallibly true and good, hereby they wholly wave the Scriptures as the Rule, and Christ as their Law-giver, and are both Rule and Law-givers to themselves.

3. The Papists have reduced the whole body of the Heathenish worship into the Church: and this is the greatest part of their worship. The Heathens honoured the good Angels with divine honours, as the servants of the supreme God, that they might be their friends to him, and that they might do them many good Of­fices. They deified men and women emi­nent in any way, especially Princes, ho­noured them with Temples, Images, Festi­val days, and Sacrifices, that they might mediate with God for the good of their Country, family, or friends, putting them­selves and their affairs under their special [Page 54]protection, and this took up most of their worship. The Papists do ascribe the very same honour and worship in all particu­lars to the Angels and Saints, and for the same reasons every Country, City, yea every person hath his Tutelar Saint, and upon these they call, and to these they pay more devotion by many degrees than they do to God.

4. Their Casuists allow common swear­ing and using of the name of God lightly in common discourse, and contend that the Third Commandment forbideth only per­jury, swearing falsely or to a false thing in the name of God. Hence it is that Papists almost universally are common and profane swearers.

5. They teach that the Pope in all and the inferiour Clergy in ordinary cases can dispense with Oaths, Vows and the most solemn obligations that can be made to God or man. The Pope taketh himself for head of the Church, therefore what­soever vows and ingagements men make to God, he can loose them from them; when it serves his interest he gives licence to men and women to marry, who have vow­ed single life, and to his Fryars to leave off the habit and rules of their order, though they have vowed never to lay them aside. [Page 55]Also as he is Lord of all the world he can give away Kingdoms, loose Subjects from their oaths of Allegiance, yea make it their duty to break their oaths and to rebel, and what is most abominable, they can give men leave to take Oaths, to make vowes and protestations on purpose to de­ceive, when they do not intend they shall be kept, but be used to carry on their own designs the more secretly by deceiving the credulous. Hist. Albig. Book 1. ch. 5. Thus the Popes Legat sent a Gen­tleman to the Earl of Be­siers to draw him into his Camp, commanding him to assure him in his name by what Oaths and protestations he would desire, that he should return safe home; as soon as the poor Earl came into his presence he absolved the messen­ger from all his Oaths, kept the Earl pri­soner and soon after privately murdered him.

6. They make the Sabbath either a Tra­dition or an institution of their Church, profane it with sports and plays, and observe their Saints days with much more strictness and devotion than the Lords day.

7. The Pope and his Clergy can dis­solve all bonds and duties betwixt men. [Page 56]They can command Princes to destroy their Subjects, and absolve them from all their oaths and promises to them of protection; They can discharge Subjects from their obedience to their Princes, and make it meritorious of heaven to kill them, and a sure way to go to heaven immedi­ately to dye in fighting against them. They can divorce or separate hus­bands and Wives at their pleasure. Concil. Trid. Ses. 24. Canon. 6. Can. 8. Alphonsus the pre­sent King of Portugal was de­posed and imprisoned by the Popes order, and his wife taken from him and given to his Brother two now rules the King­dom. Parents and children, Masters and servants in case of Heresie must betray each other; and if they will enter into religious houses or give any thing to the Church, then they are freed from all obli­gations to, or care of their relations. Is not this a man of sin that can and daily doth dissolve all bonds of men to God and of men to themselves?

8. They teach that no faith, leagues, promises are to be kept with Hereticks, or any that are not of their Church. Pope Eugenius the 4 made Ʋladislaus King of Hungary break his league with the Turk solemnly sworn by him and all his Nobles, [Page 57]and absolved them by Julian his Legate. The Council of Constance burnt John Huss, though the Emperour Sigismond had promi­sed him safe-conduct to and from the Council, they telling the Emperour that Oaths and promises to Hereticks must not be observed.

9. They teach Equivocations and mental reservations both in oaths and common discourses, viz. that a man may take any Oath, make any promise, answer any Que­stion directly and plainly according to the words proposed, and yet mean no such thing or the contrary, keeping another sense or intent in their minds. Garnet and Tresmond two Jesuites that were in the powder Plot being examined apart, Tres­mond said he had not seen or spoke with Garnet for 14. years before, Garnet con­fessed that they two walked and discoursed together in Moorefields London about four months before they were taken: being asked what his fellow meant to say they had not met so long a time, he answered, I suppose he meant to equivocate, and this was excuse enough. Thus all bonds of humane Society and all means of inter­course and confidence in each other may be dissolved when the Pope or a Priest pleaseth. If any Papist pretend to disown [Page 58]any of these doctrines, I demand by what rule he doth it? By the Scripture? the Law of Nations? or the Law of nature? they all maintain the Pope is above these: These are not a perfect rule neither a­part nor together, nor do reach all cases; if they did, there were no need of an infal­lible head to direct the Church, nor any warrant for most of the worship and pra­ctices of the Church of Rome. If then the Pope be above all, and infallible, then a Papist must believe that in this and that particular case that concerns him he may and must break his Oaths, deny his promises, murder, lye, or commit any such enormity when commanded, or else he prefers his own judgement a­bove the Popes and denies his principles. Whence we may see that no trust is to be reposed in a Papist, because they are not masters of their own reason and Consci­ence, of their Oaths and promises, but the Pope and their Confessours have the dis­posal of them all, and make them do as they please: and so long as their Church chal­lengeth a power and jurisdiction over all the world, and is always contending for it, it is to be supposed their rulers will always put them upon those things that promote their own interest.

10. Their doctrines that extenuate sin and make forgiveness very easiy, are nothing else but doctrines of wickedness. They extenuate sin by their doctrine of venial sins, which they say are praeter, non con­tra Legem, not commanded by God nor forbidden of him, and therefore scarce to be called sins.

Such they make all first thoughts, and motions of the mind and affections to be, when there is not a deliberate assent with them; all wandering thoughts, distractions in holy duties, the stirrings of the most vile affections with some titillation or plea­sing are all but natural actions and infir­mities which do not deserve Hell or the wrath of God.

They make pardon of sin very easie. Upon confession to the Priest he doth ab­solve upon some easie penance almost any sin; and those reserved cases, which the Priest cannot pardon, are forgiven by the Pope for money. There is a printed book called Taxa poenitentiariae Apostolicae, wherein the prices are set down for all manner of sins: and in the general all sins against God and his Law are more easily forgi­ven than those against the Popes law and Tradition. What need men fear to com­mit sin that can be so easily remitted, espe­cially [Page 60]to them that have money? They have also another device of transferring their sins upon their friends, viz. a few friends agree together to take each others sins upon them, so that he who dieth first leaveth his sins to be satisfied for by the Sur­vivours; and they again take others into their number, and so can sin securely, hav­ing Executors to pay their debts for them when they are dead. The Sacrifice of the Mass offered for them by the Priest alone expiates all sin, so that for 6 pence or 12 pence a Mass, any sins may be tak­en away, though they be not present or concerned about it, or be committing wickedness the mean while.

Lastly, Though a man live all his days in wickedness, if he die in the communion of the Church of Rome and be absolved by a Priest, which is rarely denyed to any, he must go but to Purgatory and there satisfie for all his sins, and at last be saved: and if he leave any thing to the Church, or his friends will buy Masses or prayers for him, his time in Purgatory shall be shortened and his pains less­ned.

3. Thirdly, Their Practice is as wicked as their doctrine, not that only of par­ticular persons, which is incident to all [Page 61]societies, but the allowed practice of the Church, and that whereby their State is upheld. To instance in a few.

1. They persecute and by all means destroy all that submit not to them in eve­ry thing; so that in Rome is found the blood of all the Saints and Martyrs that have been slain in all the earth, be­ing shed by her command. About the year 750. the Popes Gregory 2. and 3. begun wars against the Emperors and their adherents in the defence of Image wor­ship, and afterward renewed them to obtain the right of investitures or be­stowing of all Ecclesiastical preferments, and to deprive the Emperours of their power of electing the Pope, till they had brought the Emperours under their feet, and compelled all the Clergy to put away their Wives. Thus the Popes ruined all Chri­stendom for about 400. years, till they had got all the power into their hands: and ever since they have shed blood in abundance to preserve what they had gotten. They began with the Waldenses about the year 1160. of whom T [...]uanus saith they had slain above two Mil­lions, and they have added many thou­sands more of late years of that poor people. Afterward they destroyed [Page 62]many thousands in Bohemia, in Germany both in the former and late wars. Vir­gerius who was the Popes Nuncio tells us that in the space of 30. years at the first resormation their inquisition in seve­ral parts had secretly made away 150000 persons. The Duke of Alva Governour of the Neatherlands in a few years is said to cut off 36000. The French Massacre Ann. 1572. in one Month treacherously and barbarously destroyed above 30000. In the late Irish rebellion Ann. 1641. they destroyed above 300000. of all ages and conditions: and what they have done and attempted and do still attempt upon this Land is well known. All these were au­thorized by the Popes, and had their bene­diction and prayers for success; besides the innumerable company of Martyrs which they have put to death by form of tryals in all countreys.

2. Their toleration of all uncleanness, besides what they allow in their Clergy privately. They have publick Stews in all Cities of Italy and Spain, and the Pope has a tribute from them for their Licences. Pope Sixtus the 4. built at his own Charge a famous Stew in Rome both for men and women. Paul the 3. had Catalogues found amongst his Papers after his death, [Page 63]of 45000. Strumpets, who payed him a monthly imposition.

3. They are allowed Simony, i. e. sel­ling of all Ecclesiastical offices. There is another book called Taxa cancalleriae apo­stolicae i. e. of the Popes Chamber, where­in the prices of all benefices, and promo­tions are set down: no places of any value are disposed of without money. A nameless Papist dedicated a book to King James wherein he acquaints him that all the Popes from Clement the 7. Called the new man. to his time had got the Popedom by Simo­ny and other indirect means. This he was able to prove: but he might truly have said, so did all the rest for many ages before. In England formerly benefices have been sold to two, three, or more, some­times to ten several persons, and then when the incumbent died, the Pope must be judge who shall have it of all these, which shall certainly be he that will give most money; Thus they make woful Merchan­dize with mens souls.

4. Continual endeavours to stir up wars and imbroil Nations. The Pope pre­tends to be Lord of Lords and King of Kings: and therefore he disposeth of King­doms, sets up and pulls down Princes as [Page 64]he pleases, and this is a sufficient pretence for any unjust wars and invasions; and wherever there are any differences among Princes and their Subjects, he interpo­seth his authority, usually taking the un­just part (if like to prevail) that they being beholding to him may requite him with some addition to his authority or revenue. Pope Zacheriah gave France to Pipin an aspiring man, deposing Childerick their lawful King as unfit to govern. Leo the 4. gave the Empire of the Romans to Charles the great, and another gave England to the French in King Johns time, and sent them to Conquer it: and of late the Pope gave the East Indies to the Portugal, and the West to the Spaniard, where they murdred the poor natives as wild beasts made to be destroyed.

These doctrines and practices are not taught and practised by a few only among them, but they are the State policies by which they stand, which they never dis­own, never endeavour to reform: it is the design of their government to be uni­versal and to attain it by any means.

Hence we infer that to hold communi­on with this Church is to conspire against the Church of Christ, against all that is sa­cred or moral. Nor may we expect any [Page 65]reformation from them, they will not they cannot be better; their interest and government depends upon these methods, and therefore this Man of sin is the son of perdition appointed to be destroyed, not to be reformed: let us not deceive our selves with vain hopes; They are and must be the same when they have opportunity.

The second character of this Apostasie is laid down v. 4. Who opposeth him­self, viz. the man of sin the Head of this apostasie. [...], an adversary or one that sets himsel against Christ. The same title that is given to the Devil, viz. Satan an enemy or adversary. Now the Devil was an adversary not by denying the true God; he believes and trembles, James 2.19. nor by causing himself to be wor­shipped as the supreme God; for the Idols which the Heathens worshipped, they wor­shipped as Mediators and servants to the supreme God; but under this pretence the Devil took to himself all the worship and service of the world, and left God but an empty name of Creatour and su­preme residing in heaven, when he himself was the God of this world, ordering all things after his own lusts: this the Devil did so long as Heathenism prevailed, by the several Governours and Princes of [Page 66]the world, and when he was cast out of Heaven, viz. his worship, Idolatry and Heathenish superstition aboli­shed by the fail of the Hea­then Roman Empire, Rev. 12. v. 7, 8, 9, 10. and op­position to the name of Christ was taken away, he cast about, and after some time delivered his power to the second Beast who used the power and tyranny of the for­mer Beast; i. e. the Roman Empire op­posing Christ and his worship, setting up himself with all superstition and Idolatry, but under fair pretences of Christs autho­rity, Rev. 13.11, 12, &c. This beast was like a Lamb, but spake as the Dragon, and used all the power of the former beast, viz. the Heathen government. Now that the Pope and his adherents do thus oppose Christ and not his name but his power and worship, drawing all subjection to himself and leaving Christ but a bare and empty title, he being as Stapleton calls him plain supremum in terris numen, i. e. the most high and absolute God in earth,

It is manifest,

1. The Pope will not suffer Christ to be King and law-maker in his Church. Kingly power consisteth in making laws and ruling according to them; this be­longs to Christ; and he gave his word to [Page 67]be the law of his Church, and his Mini­nisters to execute and administer it according to his mind. But the Pope challengeth the sole power and govern­ment of the Church on earth to belong to him; the authority of the Scriptures to be­long to him; that he can add to them, take from them, or dispense with any thing there commanded; that he only must interpret and give them their sense; that his determi­nations is the rule of conscience, for whatso­ever he defineth or commandeth is to be believed and obeyed: and so under the pre­tence of Christs Vicar he rules as Christ on earth.

2. The Pope will not allow Christ to appoint the ordinances of his own wor­ship. It belongs to Christ as King to appoint how and by whom he will be worshipped, but the Pope will not give him leave. He appoints more orders of Offi­cers than Christ did; more Sacraments, and alters those of his appointing; the bread in the supper he maketh a God to be wor­shipped, and yet a Sacrifice to be offered to God; the cup he takes away from the people, the Council of Trent most inso­lently telling us that though our Lord Christ instituted and gave his supper to his Apo­stles under both kinds, of bread and wine, [Page 68]yet that doth not oblige all the faithful to receive it un­der both kinds. Concil. Trid. Ses. 21. ch. 1. Etsi Christus do­minus in ultima coena venerabile hoc Sacramentum in panis & vini specicbus instituit & Apostlis tradidit: non tamen illa institutio & traditio [...]ò tendunt, ut omnes Chri­sti fideles statuto domini ad utramque speciem accipiendam astringantur? He appoints Saints and Angels and especially Christs Mother to be worshipped and honoured, yea the very Cross on which he was murdered, pretending these to be more honour to Christ than the preaching or hearing his holy word. Almost the whole body of the Papists worship is of the Popes own institution.

3. The Pope will not suffer Christ to appoint the means of his own grace to Salvation. Christ as the Saviour of his people, as divine and Princely Saviour is to appoint and hath appointed by what means and in what duties he will bestow and increase his grace to eternal life: but the Pope lays these aside at his plea­sure, viz. the reading and hearing the Scripture, the use of the Sacraments, and prayer in a tongue that can be understood by those that use it, and appointeth more upon which the greatest stress of salvation is laid; as confession of sin to Priest, with­out [Page 69]out which there is no forgiveness to the living; and private Masses both for the quick and dead; anointing of Children to confirm them in grace, and anointing the dying to strengthen and comfort them against the terror of death; crosses and holy water to drive away the devil; and so many of this kind that they have greatly obscured the means of grace that Christ instituted.

4. The Pope opposeth Christ in the main ends of his coming into the world. Christ came to take away sin, to finish transgression and to bring in everlasting righteousness by once sacrificing himself to the Father, Dan. 9.24. Heb. 10.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. But the Pope will have Christ offered for sin in every Mass, as truly as he was upon the Cross; and that it is as satisfactory and meritorious; he will have the merits of Saints, our own penance, and purgatory oster death to satisfy for and take away sin, where­by the satisfaction of Christ is rendered as still unfulfilled and the pardon of sin unprocured as it was before his coming into the world. Christ came to give a greater measure of his spirit to the Church, that his people might have more freedom of access to God, Eph. 3.12. more boldness with him, Heb. 10.19, 20. and more [Page 70]abundant grace to enable them to pray to and serve God, Rom. 8.25. John 10.10. for having removed the shadows and sacrifices of the Law, and clearly exhibited himself and his redemption, they were now to come with greater confidence and freedom through his name to the Father, John 16.23, 24. but the Pope disappoint­eth all this by hiding from the people the plain doctrine of salvation, by teach­ing them that they must not come to him immediately but by the mediation of his Mother and all the Saints, and that these must be ingaged by many prayers, Tem­ples and offerings to interceed with Christ for them, whereby the service of the Gospel is made as uncomfortable and as chargable as that of the Law; and the people are kept in as much ignorance as ever the Jews were, and in as much bondage to their Priests and more, without whose Masses and absolutions they cannot be forgiven: yea by their doctrines and uncertainty of Salvation, penances, satisfactions, and purgatory, and the necessity of Christ's be­ing often sacrificed for them, their consci­ences are brought into a far greater bondage than ever the Jews were in. Again Christ by his death, resurrection and ascension hath obtained all power, conquered the [Page 71]Devil, opened a clear way into heaven for his servants, Heb. 2.14. Philip. 2.9, 10. Heb. 6.19, 20, 29. But the Papists keep the people in as great bondage by fear of the Devil as ever the Heathens were in: except there be a Cross in the way they are in danger to meet him at every turning, in every Church-yard, Market, &c. yea every time they go out of doors unless they cross themselves, or be sprinkled with holy water: if it were not for crosses the devil would get into their meat, their drink, their books, their beds, and into their pockets also. And as for Christs entering into Heaven it is little comfort to them, seeing they must hope to go thither but after some thousands of years spent in the pains of Purgatory.

5. Christ abolished the Tyranny and bondage his people were in both to Hea­then Monarchs and the Jewish Polity. Christ appeared in the latter end of the fourth Monarchy to set up his Kingdom, that his people might be subject to him, and no longer to the lusts and wills of lawless Tyrants as they had successively been oppressed and devoured both by Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans: and he promised that Kings should be their nursing fathers and Queens nursing [Page 72]mothers, being subject as well as they to the laws of Christ. But the Pope inter­poseth and usurpeth all the domination and prerogatives, and exerciseth all the Tyranny of the Roman Emperours, caus­ing all people to submit to Rome with as great slavery as ever, Rev. 13. v. 15, 16, &c. and maketh laws as absolutely by his own will as ever the Heathens did. Christ also dissolved the Jewish Polity that his people should no longer be bound to one temple, City or Land for any part of their worship as the Jews were to Canaan and Jerusalem; or to any Common wealth of People: but that in all places they might lift up pure hands to him, and have his presence with them whereever two or three should be gathered in his name for the intents or purposes of his worship, Matth. 18.19, 20. But the Pope will have Rome to be the mother of all the Churches, thi­ther all the world must come to keep their Jubilees every five and twenty years, thither they must bring their controver­sies and hard cases; and many sins can­not be forgiven without coming to him as the high Priest: all Churches depend upon him, yea are one body whereof he is the Head, and must receive their laws, their Priests, their benedictions all from [Page 73]him and his power: so that they are in greater bondage than the Jews were, by how much they are dispersed abroad in the world, and are more numerous.

A third character of this Apostasie is insolent pride, v. 4. This man of sin and adversary of Christ exalteth himself above all that is worshipped or called God, [...], or as Calvin in loc. [...], he is lifted up above all that is called God, [...], or that is any way sacred. We read of some Heathen Princes, as Romulus, Alexander, &c. that would be accounted the sons of God and be worshipped, but their own people detested their pride, and yet they acknowledged a supreme God above them. Caligula would be thought equal with Jupiter their chief God: but these were impious insolencies never established by laws, or approved by the people, much less defended and practis­ed by succeeding generations: but this Popes arrogate to themselves through ma­ny ages successively: this their whole Clergy defend and their whole people practise: yea it is the very soul and life of the Popedom to be honoured and obey­ed above all that is called God.

1. Magistrates are called Gods, be­ing [Page 74]Gods Vicegerents, Psalm 82.6. But the Pope exalteth himself above all these, challenging the dominion of the whole world to be given to him; and he disposeth of it to whom he pleaseth: He calleth Empe­rours and Kings his servants and vassals: He sets them up and pulls them down at his pleasure. Paul the 4. taxed Queen Elizabeth with insolency for presuming to take the Crown without his leave. The Ro­man Ceremonial appointeth that when the Pope rideth abroad the Emperour or chief King that is present, or their Em­bassadors in their absence should hold his Stirrup, and accordingly some Emperors have done it, and have been checked for holding the wrong Stirrup, and if the Pope be disposed to be carried in his Chair, the Emperour, Kings, and their Embas­sadors are to put their shoulders to it.

2. He exalteth himself above all the Ministry. Lanis the general of the Jesuites maintained in a set Lecture at the Council of Trent; that the sole power of the Church was committed to Peter, and that the other Apostles, Evangelists, &c. recei­ved their Power from him. In like man­ner the Pope as Peters successour hath the sole power of the universal Church, and [Page 75]all Bishops, Priests, &c. receive their pow­er from him. So that all are but his De­puties, his servants, the disposal of all Bishopricks and benefices (if he please throughout the world) belongs to him. The power of Excommunication and abso­lution, of making and altering all Ecclesiasti­cal laws and injunctions resides in him, and to him all appeals must be made.

3. The Pope challengeth power over the Devils. They have their book of exorcismes; the office of exorcists, their many mysteries, certain prayers, forms of words, Holy water, consecrated circles, &c. by which they pretend to cast out, to raise, to lay, and bind the Devil as they please.

4. They pretend also that the Holy Angels and glorified Saints are at their Command. Pope Clement 6. the first author of their Jubilees, in his Bull, wherein he promised great priviledges to all that would come to Rome, adds this, viz. that if any of these holy Pilgrims should chance to die by the way in their journey, he commandeth the holy Angels immediately to transport their souls to hea­ven. The Keys of heaven are one of the Ensigns of the Popes dignity: he can un­saint those that are gone to heaven: he [Page 76]can release out of Purgatory as soon, or detain there as long as he pleaseth. Yea Pope Gregory the 1. they say by his prayers brought the soul of Trajanus the Empe­rour out of Hell, 500. Years after he was dead. They interpret the 8. Psalm v. 4. &c. of the Pope, viz. he is that son of man that is crowned with glory and dig­nity, that hath dominion over all the works of God, that hath all things put under his feet, all Sheep and Oxen, i. e. all Chri­stians; all the Beasts of the field, i. e. all the Infidels; the Fowls of heaven, i e. the Angels and Saints above; and the fish of the Sea, i. e. the souls in Purgatory.

5. The Pope exalteth himself above Christ, he challengeth the sole government of the Church on earth to belong to him, to make and abrogate Laws and to guide it infallibly: so that Christ now hath nothing to do with the Church militant, he can and daily doth interpret and dis­pense with the Laws of Christ, and hath authority above his word. When the Pope goes out of Town, the host his breaden God is carried on Horse-back amongst his Sumpters and other furnitures a day be­fore-hand, as one of his utensils, and in the Church the Pope sitteth above the Al­tar and above the Host, and giveth it but a [Page 77]small nod as he passeth by, when the peo­ple give ten times more reverence to him than they do to the Host, even according to their own ceremonies.

6. He exalteth himself above God. He taketh more care to have his own Laws observed than Gods commands, and puni­sheth the violation of them more severely than sins against God. To speak against the Pope, the virgin Mary, or any of their Saints, to work on their Holy-days, to eat flesh on a fast-day (especially in Lent) are greater offences and harder to be forgiven, than any sins against God. Yea it is the design of the Papacy to ex­alt themselves whatever comes of the honour of God. A man may be of any re­ligion or no religion, may live as he please so he own the Popes power and hold the Communion of that Church, and this is all their unity they so much brag of. Papa potest omnia quae Deus potest, say their Canonists, The Pope can do all that God can do; yea and more, as they add, potest fa­cere justum ex injusto, he can make evil good, vice to be vertue, yea every Popish Priest, they say, can make his God and maker out of a piece of bread. A Frier in a Sermon before the Spanish Governour at Milan, magnifying the Priests power [Page 78]said, a Priest could do more than God, For God could only make creatures, but every Priest could make the infinite God, the maker of all, which God could not do; and yet, saith the Authour, this passed with­out controul.

The Apostle amplifieth this pride in the next words, he exalteth himself so as he sitteth as God in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God, i. e. he ruleth in the Church of God, and challeng­eth honour from the Church, as if he were God. The Papists would hence in­fer that Antichrist or this man of sin shall be a Leader of the Jews sitting and being worshipped in their Temple at Jerusalem, to be rebuilt by him; but that Temple shall never be rebuilt: when the Jews attem­pted it in Julians time, they were hindred by fire breaking out of the earth and de­scending from heaven; and the Jews them­selves shall all be converted to Christ. The Temple of God here is his Church in which the Man of sin must sit, who must therefore be an apostate Christian only, not the Turk neither alone, as some Pa­pists would have it, nor in conjunction with the Poipe, as some Pro­testants think, Piscator in Loc. he never was a Christian nor sitteth in the [Page 79]Church, nor endeavoureth to alter or corrupt the worship of it, nor assumeth divine prerogatives to himself, nor was known to the world for many ages after this was written; neither his religion, name, or Nation: whereas this mystery of iniquity was working in the Apostles days; and by him discovered and pointed at to the Church. But that the Pope doth sit in the Church as if he were God, is manifest. It is not amiss to observe the word here used [...], he sitteth in the Temple of God, is the term the Popes use. Kings are said to reign, Popes to sit so many years, and Rome it self is Sedes Apostolica, the Apostolical See or Seat.

1. The Pope challengeth an abso­lute universal power over the whole world. When John the Bishop of Constan­tinople usurped the title of universal Bi­shop, Pope Gregory the 1. called him the King of pride, the forerunner of Anti­christ; yet he challenged that title only over the Church; and meant it only of a primacy of order to be the first and chief Bishop: but Boniface the 3. ten years af­ter obtained to be head and universal Bishop, and his successours have ever since used it, exercising an absolute jurisdicti­on both in Civil and Ecclesiastical matters. [Page 80]The Pope challengeth the disposal of all Kingdoms; if there be any question about succession, or any controversie among Princes, he interposeth, and pretendeth to decide all, as having the absolute power of disposing and ordering all things; and in the Church the sole authority be­longs to him of binding and loosing, of appointing Bishops and Ministers and de­grading them, of conferring all imploy­ments, receiving all appeals, not only in reserved cases, but in all ordinary cases when he pleases, or the parties please to remove the case to Rome. This is a power beyond a mortal man, a charge that no creature can perform, to inspect and order the affairs of the whole world both of this life and that which is to come.

2. He challengeth an absolute power to make laws for the whole Church. Whatsoever he appointeth, though a­gainst Scripture and reason, must be ac­counted good and be observed. He must with authority interpret Scriptures, and what he determineth must be received as the sense of them. He declareth what is Heresie and Schism, he judgeth all things and persons, but must himself be judged of none. Now this is a Divine pow­er [Page 81]and God's prerogative, that the reason and consciences of men should be subject to him. We are to submit our reason to God, because he cannot err; and our con­science to him, because he can command nothing but what is good, yea things are good because he commands them; there­fore the Pope in usurping this power sits as God.

3. He claims a power to dispense with Gods Laws & to appoint new means where­by men should come to heaven. He doth frequently dispense with marriages in all the forbidden degrees: Concil. Trid. Ses.} 24. Can. 3.4.6. and the Council of Trent curseth those that think the Church hath not power to forbid marriage in more de­grees than the Scripture pre­scribes: or to alter those there set down: and to allow marriage in those cases as it shall see cause. The Scripture saith, mar­riage is honourable in all, Heb. 13.3. but the Pope, saith it is not only a disgrace but a damning sin for any of the Ministers of the Gospel to marry. It is Gods law, 1 Cor. 7.2. to avoid fornication, every man should have his own Wife and every woman her own Husband: but the Pope saith, it is better for Priests to live in for­nication than to marry; yea and for all [Page 82]persons 'tis meritorious of heaven to vow not to marry, though they live in all un­cleanness: he dispenseth with Oaths and vows, and nothing humane or divine is or can he obliging any further than he alloweth it, he being the supreme judge, and de­terminer of all things. God alloweth us the use of all meats fit for food; but the Pope forbiddeth the use of many: yea annexeth merit and the promise of hea­ven to the forbearance of certain meats at certain times, though they gorge and glut themselves with other sorts of dain­ties. And here let us observe that the Apostle speaketh of an apostasie from the faith that should be in the latter times, v. 1. and he giveth this as one character of this apostasie, that these apostates should forbid marriage, and the use of meats in an hypocritical pretence of god­liness: which doth so point out the Papists as if they had been named, none but they teaching those doctrines, especially that of forbidding marriage. The Pope maketh it meritorious of pardon, and great immuni­tys, to wear the habits to certain Monks and Friers, to be buried in a Monks cowle, or in the gown of a Capuchin or Carmelite Frier, but above all to the saying of so ma­ny Ave-maries or Pater Nosters in the 7. [Page 83]chief Churches of Rome, which will pro­cure some hundred thousand years par­don.

4. He pretends to forgive sin. The Jews could say, Who can forgive sin but God only? and he that tak­eth upon him to forgive sin, Luke 5.21. maketh himself a God. But with the Papists, every Priest taketh upon him to forgive sin: yea a man can­not be forgiven unless he be first absol­ved by the Priest: much more doth the Pope claim, a power to forgive all sin, and that not declarative only, to pronounce the promises of pardon to the penitent; but authoritative also, to give absolution and heaven to whom he pleaseth. In his Jubilees he carrieth in his hand a golden hammer to break open Paradise for all the Pilgrims that come to Rome.

They do often publish and sell indul­gences for all manner of sins: it was one special thing that stirred up the spirit of Luther, that Frier Teselius came into Ger­many with indulgencies from Leo the 10. publishing in all Markets and Fairs that he could grant pardon for all manner of sins, even though a man had laid with the Vir­gin Mary. The Pope can prevent mens going to Purgatory at all, or shorten and [Page 84]lengthen their time there as he pleaseth, though they teach Purgatory to be a place where men must satisfie for their sins. Part. 3. tit. 22. cap. 5.5.6, 7. Antoninus maketh a grave Quere whether the Pope may empty Purgatory and release all the souls that be there; and as gravely deter­mineth, that out of the fulness of his pow­er he may without doubt do it, though he thinketh it not expedient he should: and so doth the Pope too, for then the private Masses and prayers for the dead, (which are a great part of their service, and by which the poor Priests get their livelyhood) would cease.

5. The Pope taketh to himself the name and titles of God and Christ. Do­minus Deus noster Papa, our Lord God the Pope, is the language of their Canon Law. Paul the 5. caused a triumphal Arch to be set up at Tolentum, under which he was to enter the City, with this inscription, Paulo quinto Vice deo, to Paul the 5. the vice-God. They say the Pope is the rock, the foundation of the Church, her head and husband, Lord of Lords and King of Kings &c. When some among themselves were offended at these blasphemous titles; Bishop Beedle informs while he was in Italy about 70. years since, there was a congregati­on [Page 85]appointed at Rome to re­dress these abuses, Beed. answer to Wodsw. called con­gregatio de moderandis titulis; but before they could do any thing to purpose, the Pope forbid them to pro­ceed, because, he said, there were no titles given him but what, dignitas & praerogati­va Sancti Petri &c. the dignitys and pre­rogatives of Peter would well enough bear. Thus this Roman State is the Beast in whose head are the names of Blasphemy. Rev. 13.1.

Hence it appears, though the Pope call himself the servant of servants and the Vicar of Christ, yet he doth indeed usurp the place of Christ and the honour and authority of God himself; wherefore he is deservedly accounted the Antichrist in both senses of the word, Hostis & emu­lus Christi, both the opposer of Christ and his competitour that contends with him for honour, and usurps his place and di­gnity. The Apostle saith, that there were many Antichrists in the world in his time, 1 John 2.18. and that the spirit of An­tichrist was then entered into the world, 1 John 4.3. and that these Antichrists were apostates from the Christian Church. They went out from us, chap. 2.19. but yet that there was one special Antichrist to come, [Page 86]of which the Church was forewarned, you have heard that Antichrist should come, cap. 2.18. and surely there hath never been a more dangerous enemy of Christ than this apo­state State of Rome. The Heathens had but one way of opposing Christ, viz. persecuti­on, which tended much to the honour of Christ and his grace by the sufferings of the faithful: but these both destroy by persecuti­on those that are most upright, and corrupt and poyson the rest by errour, superstition & Idolatry. The Papists plead that Antichrist shall deny both God and Christ his per­son and incarnation, 1 John 2.22. cap. 4.3. But this the Pope doth not: yet the doth it in effect though not in words, when he useth and exerciseth the names, titles, power and office both of the father and the Son, and hath set himself against the pure doctrine, worship, and discipline of the Gospel. The Papists cannot prove from this or any other place certainly that such an Antichrist as they describe is to be expected: and we do prove all the properties of Antichrist to belong to the Pope, even this of denying Christ to be come in the flesh in effect though not ex­presly, and yet some of them have cal­led the Gospel a fable: and have been professed Atheists. If Christ rule not his [Page 87]Church, if the Pope be head, with abso­lute power over it, if Christ he daily made of a bit of bread and daily Sacrificed by the Priest to make attonement with the Father, as they teach and practise, this is in effect to say he is not come, nor hath made satisfaction to God for the sins of his people. However we need not contend whe­ther the Pope be: [...] the Antichrist that what to come, or some other Here­tick may be intended; we are sure Anti­christ fits the Pope; and we have little more of him than his name, but that he is the man of sin, the Son of perdition, the author and maintainer of a general apostasie; and that Rome is the Whore of Babylon, is clear from this place and Rev. 17. and this is all the Protestants mean by the name of Antichrist.

V;se From all this we inferr, 1. That pretence of some Papists that they are of the Church but not of the Court of Rome, i. e. for the Romish religion, but not for the Popes supremacy, is altogether vain. The Pope as Pope claimeth the full pow­er of Christ both over the Church and o­ver the world, and if they believe him to be infallible, they must believe he hath this power also; if he deceiveth them in this, he may deceive them in matters of reli­gion [Page 88]likewise. But they that will refuse the Oaths of Allegiance and supremacy, because those deny the Popes jurisdiction over our Kings, and can consent to the de­posing of their persons and the giving away their Kindoms to strangers, are certainly for the Court as well as for the Church of Rome.

2. That the Pope is not to be acknow­ledged or respected as a temporal Prince. The power he hath is usurped on the pre­tence of being head of the Church, which is a power Christ never gave, a magistra­cy that God never instituted; his titles and claims are blasphemous; he rules as a God not as Gods vicegerent, nor doth he use his power for the proper ends of government, to maintain the true religi­on, justice, honesty, or sobriety among men, and to preserve the peace of the world, but to subvert religion, justice, and all morality, and to imbroil all nations for his own interest. As a society of Bandites or Pirates is no common-wealth, but they are to be reckoned hostis humani generis, ene­mies of mankind; so the Pope is to be re­ckoned hostis Ecclesia, the professed irrecon­cileable enemy of Christ: and it is some degree of defection to have any commerce with or any respect for that Antichristian State.

Ver. 5. The Apostle having spoke thus much of the man of sin, calleth the Thess. to remembrance of what he had said to them about this matter when present with them. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? Moses forewarned Israel of a great apostasie, that would be among them; even such as would threaten utter destruction, did not God remember his Covenant; and that even then there was such a leaven working a nongst them. Our Saviour foretold his disciples that false Christs and false Pro­phets should arise, and deceive many; and the Apostles in all their Epistlesforetell that seducers and defections would come in the Church: all which is done to prevent the security that men are prone to, and that the Godly might both beware of, and be less startled at such things when they should see them come to pass.

The Apostle adds, v. 6. and now you know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time. He had told the Thessalonians, what would delay the power and revelation of this Man of sin for a time; that he might not prevail till the appointed time, and then he should discover himself; for he should not get his power or shew his wickedness all at once or apparently till some letts be remov­ed [Page 90]out of his way, but should secretly in­sinuate and grow by degrees till he should come to his full strength.

Ver. 8. For the Mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will lett, untill he be taken out of the way. Ver. 8. And then shall that wicked be revealed. The Apostle saw that there was even in his days some beginnings of this Man of sin, some tendency toward the great apostasie; but it was secret and a mystery of iniquity; this is another character of this apostasie, viz. that it should be mysterious, and un­der fair pretences. Christ and the true doctrine of Salvation are, [...], the mystery of god­liness, 1 Tim. 1.16. and the apostasie from this faith is [...], a mystery of iniquity. The great Whore, Rev. 17.5. had a name written in her forehead, Mystery, Babylon the great, the Mother of Harlots, and abominations of the earth. Though she should be both unclean and wicked her self, and the author of it to all the earth, yet it should be under fair pretences in a mystery. Some travel­lers have observed amongst other antiquities at Rome, Du Moul. Accom. of proph. Rev. 17. that there are shewn some ancient Miters of former [Page 91]Popes, that have the word Mysterium in Golden characters upon the front of them; as if she had been ambitious to have the prophecie verified of her self. The Apo­stle also, 1 Tim. 4.3. saith that the a­postasie of the latter times should be brought about by men, that talk lies in Hypocrisie, forbidding to marry, and to eat certain meats, &c. This plainly points out the Church of Rome. The Heathens, Jews and Turks are open and professed e­nemies of Christ, but the Pope is a secret and mystical enemy that betrays Christ with a kiss and under the pretext of friendship. Their pretences are such as these.

1. That the Popes absolute power is for the honour of Christ; that it was fit that he that is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, should have a servant or Deputy on earth, who should have Soveraign power over all persons and causes: That his Church should not be subject to secu­lar men and temporal Princes, but to one who is Christ's immediate Vicar. They say it is not fit the Ministers of Christ should be under the power of men of this world, or that they should judge of Ecclesiastical causes or dispose of Ecclesi­astical imployments, but that all should be managed by a spiritual Court and spiritual person.

2. They pretend the benefit of the Church. It is necessary, they say, that as the Church is one body on earth, though dispersed in all quarters, so it should have one visible Head, who should be the fountain of Unity, that he should have supreme and absolute power to judge all persons, and to determine all cases, to prevent divisions and to preserve Unity, to main­tain the doctrine and worship of the Gos­pel, and to prevent or redress errors and corruptions; and that things may be ma­naged with safety, it is necessary this Head should be infallible; who may neither be subject to deceive, or be deceived: for what end shall there be of Questions and con­troversies in Religion, or in Civil matters? How shall Heresies, Schisms, Wars and Seditions be prevented, if there be not a supreme infallible head and judge, whose authority and decision may put an end to all strife and lead into all truth?

3. They pretend great care of the peo­ples Salvation. They take away the Scrip­tures from them, for fear they should pro­phane them by using them in common discourse; or fall into error and Heresies by mistaking the meaning of them; or be puffed up with knowledge, and so be dis­obedient to their teachers, and run into [Page 93]Sects & divisions; therefore they give them Images, Crucifixes &c. which they call Lay­mens books to stir up their devotion, with­out danger of making them heady or high­minded; they allow them little preach­ing, and celeberate all the worship of God in an unknown tongue, that the people may not grow slight and prophane; and that they may still admire what they un­derstand not, ignorance being the best mo­ther of devotion; and for the greater security and ease they teach them impli­citely to believe what the Church believes, and that being infallible they cannot be­lieve amiss, especially when they know not in particular what she believeth, nor can call her faith into Question.

4. They pretend great devotion and zeal to Gods worship; spiritual knowledge, pious affections, spiritual worship, such as teaching the word, prayer, and use of plain Sacraments as Christ appointed them, they think are mean things instead of these they build Temples, adorn Images, adore the bread in the Eucharist, offer in­cense, Tapers, and many gifts, as more real devotion. Conc. Trid. Ses. 25. The Coun­cil of Trent commands that the Priests should carefully teach the people the right use of Images, which [Page 94]are to mind them of their Saints, their virtues, and miracles and sufferings, that they may be stirred up thereby to the imitation of them. Their worship of the Virgin is devotion to her Son; and their praying to Saints and Angels is honour to God whose servants they are: and the Pomp and riches of the Pope and his Bishops is to preserve the Gospel in honour, and religion from contempt.

5. They pretend great mortification. They have frequent fasts at least, from flesh and some sorts of food to curb keep down the flesh has they pretend. Their voluntary penance, whippings, pil­grimages to remote places, confessing all their sins to a Priest, and craving his ab­solution, and all to shew their sorrow for sin, and to break them off from it more sure­ly than the plain Spiritual means of the word and prayer. It is thought great self­denyal to forsake the world, to live in wildernesses and Monasteries, to vow single life, and to refrain those comforts and im­ployments which God hath both allowed and commanded.

6. They pretend great humility. It is humility in them to be subject to their superiours, especially the Pope, against their own reason and conscience, and to [Page 95]obey all the commands and ordinances of their Church without presuming to inquire into the reason of them, or to prove them by Scripture. They account it presump­tion to pretend to assurance of Salvation, and great humility to live and dye in doubt; but especially that the best of them must not pretend to go to Heaven but through long suffering the pains of Purga­tory, and the help of the prayers of the Church on earth, and of the merits of the Church in Heaven.

7. They pretend great care to have the Ministery pure and industrious, there­fore they allow them not to marry, be­cause (said Pope Ciricius) they that are in the flesh cannot please God: and that be­ing free from the cares of a family, they may wholly attend upon their Ministry: and lest the service of Parish Priests should not be sufficient, they have multitudes of Monks and Friars to help them in private, and whose prayers and private Masses are always going for the benefit of the Church.

Thus they have plausible pretences for all their doctrines and practices; neverthe­less it is a mystery of iniquity in every particular.

1. The universal power the Pope claimeth is only to set up himself and his own insti­tutions; [Page 96]therefore he taketh upon him all the state and grandeur of the Roman Emperours, even the proudest of them: he gives away Kingdoms when Kings any way displease him, though they be very religious towards God; and when he can make any advantage, He sets Chri­stian Kings at war with each other, and taketh the unjustest part, so it be the strongest; yea himself raiseth War and driveth Princes out of their dominions to increase the riches of the Church, or to preferr his own Nephews and kindred: This was notorious in Julius 2 and ma­ny of his predecessours; he maketh the Emperours swear allegiance to him; and the Bishops at their consecration use to swear to maintain Regalia sancti Petri, the royalties of Saint Peter.

2. The pretence of infallibility is only to gain authority to himself, that he may command and do what he pleaseth in the world it is used only to draw people into seditions and massacres, to patronize any unjust actions or claims, when the Pope giveth away the right of a King or other person, when he dissolveth Lawful marri­ages, or giveth dispensations to contract unlawful Matrimony (as betwixt Uncle and Niece in Philip 2. of Spain, or betwixt [Page 97]Brother and brothers Wife as at this day in Portugal, the former husband yet living, and the like when he forgives all manner of sins, when he maketh (as his Canons give him leave) just things unjust, and sins to be duties, then he maketh use of his pre­tended infallibility, and never but it such cases: for the Popes never do nor never will determine or end any controversie in religion, for fear of losing one part of the contenders. There is a great difference among themselves, betwixt the Dominicans and Jesuites, about the immaculate con­ception of the Virgin Mary; Philip the 2 and 3. of Spain did for many years toge­ther by their Embassadours earnestly sol­licite the Popes to use their Infallibility and decide the controversie, but they could never obtain it. The Molinists and Jan­senists contend as earnestly about free-will and effectual grace; Clement 8. was intrea­ted to decide the controversie; He ap­pointed men to consider of it, but when they had had fourscore meetings and dis­putations about it under Clement 8. and 1 Paul 5. the business was fairly laid aside and no determination made. Innocent the 10. being desired to determine the mat­ter of the five propositions, relating to the [Page 98]same doctrine of the Jansenists, first ho­nestly told them that he never studied Di­nity in his life, and he was now too old to begin; The Jesuites at last having pre­vailed with him to condemn those propo­sitions without reason why, or any expli­cation in what manner, or sense, he con­demned them; he afterwards told the Jan­nists that defended these propo­sitions (as one of themselves) that he had not condemned the do­ctrine of St. Augustine which they maintained; Sanct. amor. Journal. and so left the two parties at as great strife as before, what doctrine it was which was condemned and which was ap­proved by the Pope.

3. They take away the Scriptures from the people meerly to keep them in igno­rance, that they may guide and govern them the better at their own pleasure. What if some be gluttons and surfeit? Must therefore all men be deprived of their necessary meat and drink? God gave his Law that men might know how to fear and serve him; but the Pope pretends they may serve God better without knowledge. Why do they not try what effect the reading of the Scriptures will have upon people? Are not their Clergy and Scho­lars as likely to abuse the Scriptures, to [Page 99]pervert them, to fall into errors and de­fend them by Scripture, as the common people? But they punish it with death in the people to have the Bible, or any part of it in their own tongue; and teach that implicite faith is better than explicite, and ignorance than knowledge for the common people, yea they labour to bring the people into an ill opinion and suspi­cion of the Scriptures; telling them they are obscure and cannot be understood, they have many sences and like a nose of wax may be turned many ways, therefore they cannot find the right meaning, yea imperfect and cannot teach them all they are to know and do as necessary to Sal­vation. Besides the Council of Trent authorizeth only the vulgar Latin edition of the Bible for authentick, Ses. 4. by which all things must be tried, though their own men acknowledge that Translation to be most corrupt and false, and one of them saith, Isio dorus Clarius. he in his edition had mended eight thousand faults; so that they would allow even their Clergy as little knowledge as they can.

4. They give the people images, and the Host to worship, to take them off from the spiritural knowledge and worship [Page 100]of Jesus Christ, to make them content without the Bible, to bring them into an ad­miration of the Saints, that they only make and canonize, to lead them into all super­stition for the gain of the Pope and his Clergy: for what may they not do with the people, when they have perswaded them to take a bit of bread for their God, to offer their prayers to stocks and stones instead of their maker, or to think that he is pleased when they do so? When people will take their Mediators, and intercessors with God, of the Popes appointment, and suffer themselves to be cheated of the knowledge of their Redeemer; when they will content themselves with offering in­cense, tapers, Latin prayers and the like, as their sacrifices to God (which He never commanded and they understand not) and be taken off from hearing Gods word, and from praying with understanding, when they have brought the people to such a pass, they may command them what they please: and this is all they aim at to have them take their religion wholly from the Pope not from the Scriptures, that so they may be perfectly subject to his will.

5. Their practices of mortification are only to encrease the authority of their Church and Clergy; therefore they must [Page 101]confess to a Priest and have his absolu­tion, that every one may be obliged to have his confessour, and hereby the Priests both get mony, and also know the tempers, in­clinations, and secrets of all the people; and so can teach and use them, for their own purposes: those that are devout, they lay great penances on them, that by the shew of strictness and holiness they may al­lure the simple; if they be vitiously in­clined, they grant them easie pardon, and give them great liberty, lest they should fright them from their communion, and that they may increase their hatred against the Protestants that pretend to more strict­ness. The Priests from Confessions pick all instruments for their several purposes, some women for Nuns, and some for Harlots; some men for Scholars, some for a snow of strictness, some to debauch others, and some to murder Princes, and overturn Kingdoms; their penances serve only to inslave men to the Priests; their fasts are but mockeries, seeing men may eat any thing but flesh, and that which comes immedi­ately of it, as freely as they will; yet this teaches them obedience to the Church, that they should do as she commands: hence Bellarmin makes two sorts of fasts, Jejunium virtutis, & Jejunium Ecclesiae, A Fast of [Page 102]devotion, and a fast of the Church, which is observed only because she prescribes it, and such are most of theirs. Their pilgri­mages bring great gain to those that keep the Shrines they come to visite; their whip­pings and austerities are to cheat their own Consciences, and other men with a show of mortification, when all the world knows they that make light of fornication, allow slews, dispense with vows and marriages at pleasure, and can forgive any sins for money, do neither teach nor practise real mortification.

6. Their humble subjection to their su­periours which they call Blind obedience, Caecam obedientiam, is a manifest trick to bring the people into absolute subjection to their Clergy, and the Clergy to the Pope: up­on this pretence the Friars and Jesuites dai­ly send their Emissaries to murder Kings, to divide Nations, to spread Heresies, to take upon them all manner of disguises, to take any Oaths or protestations to carry on their designs; they teach men to doubt of their Salvation while they live, that they may still depend upon the Priest to confess and be absolved, that they may be still under his command and correction, in appoint­ing new superstitions and penances; and therefore do they teach Purgatory after [Page 103]their death, that the Pope and his Priests may still keep them in their power, and get money for Masses, prayers, and Ca­nonizations.

7. They forbid their Clergy to marry, not from zeal for holiness and purity, (seeing they allow them fornication) but that having no families to care for, nor any interest of their own in the world, the Popes interest may become theirs, and their only care may be to advance and serve him; that thereby they also may be advan­ced and domineer in their places; by this means also they are made unnatural, reso­lute and cruel, to prosecute the Popes de­signs, like the Turks Janizaries, being kept from those relations which sweeten mens tempers and excite natural affection; also having no wives and children to provide for, they may more desperately ventuere their lives and their estates for the service of their Church.

Their Friars make a shew of great de­votion, renouncing the world, begging alms of the people, going in mean habit, bare-footed some of them, yet they get all they can from the people for Masses and prayers; their Abbots many are Lords, live splendidly, in England they had above a third part of the land, and that the best, [Page 104]as was made appear to King Henry 8 ^th. but these wholly are at the Popes devotion; of these he can raise Armies, from them he can exact vast sums of money, he can make strong parties in any Nation against their Prince, he can turn people which way he pleases; In a word; his unmarried Clergy, and Regulars, make him a Monarch, they are his Populus virorum, intirely at his de­votion, having no posterity nor personal concerns to care for: For if his Clergy had wives and children, they must love them, provide for them, dispose of them in marriage, and so be neighbourly, oblige the people, please their Princes and Go­vernours, contract affinities, and so they would be concerned in the safety, peace, prosperity of the Nations and places they live in, and would not be at the Popes beck, on at his call upon all occasions.

Thus we see the whole design of Popery issueth in this; That men should take their religion from the Pope and his Clergy, that so they may rule, as sole Lords, both in spirituals and temporals.

We are next to enquire what it was that letted or hindred Antichrists ap­pearing for a time; He that letteth will lett, &c.

The Apostle saith, this mystery of ini­quity was working in his time, therefore it could not be the religion of Mahomet, which was not heard of till about the year of our Lord 622. Much less Heathenism or Judaism which were then the establisht religions of the world; nor yet the ge­neral opposition of the body of the wicked against the godly; which the Rhemists would have understood by mysti­cal Babylon; Rhem. on Rev. 17. for this is alwaies manifest; the seed of the ser­pent doth always oppose the seed of the woman: but the Apostle saw an aspiring spirit in the Bishops and Church of Rome, which he knew would in time bring the whole Church under their yoak; this was occasioned by Rome's being the Metropolis of the world, and the seat of the Empire, which as it drew all civil affairs and supreme Jurisdiction to that place, so did it insensibly draw the admi­ration, respect, and causes of all Churches to the guides of that Church, which the fol­lowing Bishops challenged as their due, and so gave occasion for the conception of the Man of sin. Victor the 14 Bishop of Rome about the year 170. excommunicated all the Eastern Churches for not keeping Ea­ster on the same day that he did. Soon after [Page 106]him Cornelius and Stephen successively took upon them with great pride to determine causes belonging to the Churches of A. frick, while Cyprian was Bishop of Carthage, of which he complains in his Epistles to them. Pope Sylvester by his Legats in the Council of Nice an. 325. obtained power over all those regions called Suburbicariae which were subject to the Praefect of Rome; and from that time the Bishops of Rome boldly challenged the primacie of all Churches, and drew all causes and appeals to themselves, though not without opposi­tion from the Bishops in Augustines time. The Council of Sardica having made a Canon that all doctrines should be tried by the Bishop of Rome, meaning it only for that time when Rome was a bulwork a­gainst the Arians; several Roman Bishops, Celestine, Boniface and Innocent the first thrust this Canon into the Council of Nice, and pretended that by authority of that venerable Council, the Tryal of all doctrines and causes was given to them; and when the Bishops of Constantinople challenged a parity with the Bishops of Rome, because that City was made new Rome, and the Seat of the Empire in the East, Pope Leo's Legates protested against it in the Council of Chalce­don Ann. 450. Thus the ambition of Rome [Page 107]discovered it self apace, but it could not yet attain its end, because somewhat still hindred, and this was the Roman Empire, which divers antient Fathers witness to have been the Apostles meaning, by him that letteth; saying that he did not ex­presly mention the Empire lest he should give offence by speaking of the fall of that Empire which they presumed should last for ever, insomuch that Roma aeterna eter­nal Rome was always written upon the Statue of a woman that represented that City, and Aeternitas Vestrûm, your eternity, was a presumptuous title of some of the Emperours; they add that the Primitive Church used to pray for the continuance of the Roman Empire, for this reason a­mongst others, that the coming, and per­secutions of Antichrist might thereby he deferred: and Hierome who lived to see the Empire decay apace, and the City taken by Alarick the Goth, said thereup­on, Qui detinet fit de medio, & non intelligi­mus Antichristum adesse? He that letteth is taken out of the way, and do we not understand that Antichrist must be at hand? The Rhemists would fain avoid this interpretation though they make nonsense of the place; In Locum. but the Papists generally acknowledge the [Page 108]Empire to be that which letted the discovery of Antichrist; and Bellarmine would prove that Antichrist is not yet come, because there is still a Roman Emperour, viz. the Emperour of Germany who hath the titles of Roman Caesar & Augustus; but he hath the empty title only, and is the Popes Vassal, receiving his Crown from him, swear­ing fealty to him, and is by him appoint­ed Defensor Ecclesiae, not to rule the Em­pire, but defend the Church of Rome: That the Empire of Rome is here intended is manifest by this, because that held the supreme dominion, and therefore the Bi­shops could not obtain it, till the Empire was abolisht: the Heathen Emperours op­pressed and destroyed the whole Church, and in particular the Bishops and Church of Rome who were nearest to them, and the Christian Emperours not only kept the civil power in their own hands, but also called and presided in Councils, approved and confirmed the elections of all Bishops, and those of Rome more especially, and removed those Bishops whom they liked not, at their pleasure; till this jurisdiction was abrogated, the Pope could not get into his hands the supremacie either in Eccle­siastical or civil matters: The event also expounds the Text; for by those degrees [Page 109]the Empire declined, the Bishop of Rome ascended the throne, as it followeth in the Text, v. 8. Then shall that wicked be revea­led &c. [...], that wicked or lawless person; when the restraint and laws of the Emperours were taken off, then was the time for the lawless person to appear, who professeth himself subject to no law, but above all humane and divine. The remov­ing the imperial seat from Rome to Byzan­tium by Constantine the Great gave the first advantage to the aspiring minds of those Bishops, for then the eyes of all were up­on them instead of the Emperours, then they disdained to come to Councils, and set Ambassadours in their names, two or three at a time in Princely manner, then they cried up the dignity and primacy of Peter, and of the Apostolick See, and in­sinuated themselves into the affairs of all Churches; again when Rome was sackt by the Goths and Vandals, and the Empe­rours power decayed in Italy, the Bishops of Rome assumed more authority to them­selves, and were ready to comply with bar­barians and invaders against their natural and Christian Prince to increase their own power. When Odoacer had taken Rome and made himself King of Italy, Pope Gelasius joyned with him, called a Council of seven­ty [Page 110]Bishops at Rome, and presided in it in the presence of the usurper, Ann. 570. Af­ter this when the Imperial race was al­most extinguisht in the East by the impi­ous Tyrant Phocas, Boniface 3. readily joyns with him, writes flattering letters to him, and obtained of him the long desired title of universal Bishop, Ann. 606. And now the Emperours are beholding to the Bishops of Rome, to hold their dominion in Italy; yet this was a Clog to them that their election must be approved by the Emperours; when therefore they had pre­vailed with Constantine 4. to release them of this obligation, and to grant, that whom the Senate and people of Rome chose, he should be received as Pope without asking the Emperours consent, then they had perfect­ly shaken off the yoak; and the following Popes, Gregory the 2. and 3. excommunicated 2. Emperours, Philippicus and Leo, for op­posing Image worship, absolved their Sub­jects from their Oath of allegiance, and raising war against them, finally drove them out of Italy about the year 750. Yet the Lombards troubled the Pope, till he called in Pipin who subdued them, and his Son Charles the great, who put an end to their Kingdom. And now the Pope was Lord of Italy, and giveth Charles the tile of Roman [Page 111]Emperour, and after about 6 generations he tranferred it to the Germans. And now the Pope had a new and his last difficulty; these German Emperours challenged the confirmation of the Popes election and the investing of all Bishops within their dominons, but the Pope was grown so strong, that by plain force and continu­all wars he at last compelled the Empe­rours to renounce all power over the Popes, and Italy it self, to resign the investiture of all Bishopricks to the Pope, yea to have his own election confirmed by the Pope, and to hold his Crown as his gift, which was principally managed though not finished by Hilderbrand, Pope Gregory 7. about the year 1077. And now the man of sin was revealed indeed and come to maturity, and from his time divers learned men of every nation declared and proved the Pope to be Antichrist, and ever since the Pope hath filled all the West with wars, Massacres and the private murders of his inquisition, to uphold the power he had so honestly gotten: he hath also made attempts upon the Eastern Churches, and he gained some power over them while the Latines reigned in Constanti­nople, but that fell with them, and the East hath been oppressed by the Turk as the West by the Pope, though not altogether in so [Page 112]terrible a manner; for he for money grants the Christians their Churches and exercise of their religion, but the Pope will suffer none to live that will not submit to him.

It may justly be a wonder how it was possible the Bishops of Rome, many of them mean and inferiour men, and many most flagitious, could possibly attain so great power and dignity,

It was a mystery, saith the Apostle, and it was done insensibly. At first the Bishops of Rome were eminent for parts, piety, and sufferings, as usually such men are preferred and imployed in great, especially Metropo­litical Cities; this gained them great credit with all Churches, and both Ministers and people had them in great veneration, and desired their judgement and counsel in weighty cases; then the Emperours, new­ly become Christian, thought they could not bestow honour and power enough up­on the Church, especially on the Imperial seat; they granted them their Courts, their Apparitors, and attendance, with leave to all Christians to bring their causes to their Courts; this made them Pettie-Princes; then they challenged the right of appeals from all Churches, though op­posed and shamefully foiled by the Churches of Africk; they would receive [Page 113]any persons and causes into their patronage, the more unjust, the better for them; for the criminal persons having no hope of redress in their own Churches, wholly relied upon the Popes authority, and he to increase his authority would do his ut­most for them; and this was the reason why the Popes of Rome, who long main­tained the true doctrinal worship, at length set up image worship, Transubstantiation, and all the rest of their superstitions, viz. because the promoters and defenders of these corruptions fled to the Popes autho­rity to shelter themselves from the pow­er and censure of the sounder part of the Church, and the Pope still sided with the worst that thereby he might oppress those who would not acknowledge his universa­lity and supremacy; at last the Pope hav­ing by these means insinuated into the minds and affections of the worst, but greater part, he did by force establish his throne above all, and by force he hath kept it: moreover the sloth and ignorance of may in the ministry, and the pride of others, who sought to advance themselves, by advancing the Pope, did not a little con­tribute to his power; also the confusions of the Empire by the invasions of the Bar­barians much helpt it forwards, for they [Page 114]overturned the government, destroyed the more knowing people, in themselves being both Pagans and void of all learning, re­ceived Religion from the Pope and super­stition together, and suffered themselves to be inslaved by him, under the pretence of obedience to Christ and is chief Apostle St. Peter, and his successours, and their poor Princes suffered their people to be deceived, and were deceived themselves by these plausible arts; insomuch that they gave up their power to that Roman beast, and thought it good service to Christ, when they could serve his pretended Vicar; 'tis reported that 30 Kings and Queens of Eng­land have left their Kingdoms and gone to Rome to see St Peters successor and to die there. A fair warning to Princes and magistrates to maintain their own power, and the dignity of their places; and to all Ministers to look to their own charge; and to the people to be subject to their own pastours, and to take heed of admiring and hearkning after others; if this had been done, the Pope had never got the Chair.

Hitherto the Apostle hath given the de­scription of Antichrist, and soretold his insolency, and Tyranny over the Church, to teach Christians what to expect, and [Page 115]to arm themselves with patience and cou­rarge. Now to prevent desponding he fore­tels his destruction, v. 8. Whom the Lord shall comsume with the spirit of his month, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. The destruction of this man of sin is as certain to be in due time, as his coming was: the Lord shall consume him &c. [...]; as this wicked one is in special manner an enemy to Christ, so Christ will set himself to destroy him, will consume, utterly destroy, as Armies lay wast a Country that they invade; the means by which he will do it, is by the spirit of his month, i. e. his word, ac­companied by his spirit; and we may ob­serve, that no other means have been very successful, either to hinder the growth, or to hasten the ruine of the man of sin: the Eastern Emperours with all their power opposed the Gregories, and in the West the Othos, Fredericks and Henries opposed the Popes in their time, but all to their own destruction; the people being bewitcht, and Princes too, by the inchantments of the Great Whore; but when the appointed time was come, a few inconsiderable men, Luther and his fellows, only by preaching the word, in the space of about 40. years rent from the Pope half his Empire, and [Page 116]weakned him in all the remaining parts al­so; many in all Countries, receiving the knowledge of the truth, and both Princes and people that still adhere to him standing in much less fear of him, and paying him much less homage and subjection than be­fore: Again since the first reformation, though powerful Princes and many Nations have imbraced the Gospel, and have made some attempts by power and arms to pro­mote it, and have had some very fair oppor­tunities (as when Hen. the 4.a Protestant was made King of France, and conquered all his opposers; and in the late German wars) yet nothing considerable hath been done, but as to particular persons there hath rather been a loss in this last age, and a great indifferency hath grown upon the Protestant Churches. The time when this ruine shall be consumma­ted is here exprest, by the brightness of his coming, {fo}, by the appearance of his presence; as the man of sin was conceived, born and grew up by de­grees, so he hath been, and gradually shall be destroyed.

1. Christ by his word and spirit preserv­ed a select number in all times that oppo­sed him, and bore Testimony against him both by word and sufferings; some Princes, some learned, many both of the Clergy [Page 117]and people protested against the encroach­ments and impositions of the Popes, whilst they were contending for the universal Em­pire of the Church; and when they had gained it and thought all sure, about Ann. 1160. God raised the Waldenses and Albi­genses to bear witness against them, who spread themselves into France, Italy, Bohemia, Austria, England, and could never be extinguisht, till their doctrine swal­lowed up a great part of Popery, as Moses's Rod did those of the Magicians. Thus it was prophesied, Rev. 14.1-6. v. that there should be one hundred forty four thousand under the Tyranny of the beast who kept themselves undefiled, Virgins, who followed the Lamb whithersoever he went, and kept his Fathers name in their fore head, not submitting to the mark of the beast.

2.A As the fall of this man of sin draws nearer, so the word hath greater success, and turneth Nations and rulers to the ac­knowledgement of it. God dispenseth his grace gradually according to the times he hath appointed: from the flood, for above one thousand years it was restrained mostly to the Jewish Nation, then our Lord sent his Apostles to teach all Nations, but it was several hundred years before the Nations became Christian, though there were ma­ny [Page 118]Christians in them, and no sooner had they received the Gospel but it began to be darkned by the invasion of Pagans, Goths and Vandals, by the fraud and vio­lence of Mahomet and his followers, and mostly by errors and superstitions in the Church it self, which bred and brought forth the Pope, and he at last scaled up the Bible, and quite changed Christian religion into a new sort of Paganism; then for about 350. years the truth was forced into corners, but few received and owned it, in comparison of the world that wondred after the beast; since that time whole Na­tions have been enlightened.

3. Christ will yet more enlighten by the preaching of his word, till all Nations shall see the frauds and corruptions of Po­pery and abhor them: there will come a time when the Kingdoms of this world shall be the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever, Rev. 11.15. Not only the godly, but the generality of men also shall believe and ac­knowledge the cheats of the Pope, the false doctrines and delusions of his Mini­sters, and shall no more be enticed by them, and they shall love the godly, and willing­ly submit to the pure doctrine, worship and discipline of the Gospel, though they have been so unwilling to receive it hither­to.

4. Christ will stir up the spirit of Princes to destroy Rome it self and that wicked Polity, Rev. 17.16. The Kings of the earth shall hate the whore and burn her flesh with fire: As the Kings for their own interest and private designs chiesly, though under a pre­tence of devotion, advanced the Pope, till he was able to tread upon all their necks; so some for their own interest, and by reason of pro­vocations from Rome, shall in due time be in­censed against her and utterly destroy her.

5. And by this means the Tyranny, insinuations, and interests of the Pope and the Princes that joyned with him, being removed and dissolved, the Gospel shall have its free passage, and the Church its full liberty. Many learned men have inter­preted this place of Christs destroying the man of sin by the brightness of his coming, of Christs coming to the last judgement, as if the Pope & his Tyranny should continue at least in part till then, and be utterly abolisht on­ly by Christs personal coming to judgement: but it is usual in scripture to express great changes in Church or State by the coming and appearance of the Lord; particularly the destruction of the Jews for rejecting Christ, is exprest by the Prophets Joel and Mala­chie in such phrases that have occasioned ma­ny to interpret them of the last judgement; [Page 120]our Saviour also, Math. 24, 25. ch. expresseth his judging of that Nation in like phrases, and calls it his coming, and commands his servants to watch and prepare for it; like­wise Rev. 6. the subduing of the heathen world to Christ by the Emperours recei­ving the Gospel, and establishing it for the publick religion, is set out as if it were to be the end of the world, and such a con­sternation to seise upon men as if the end of all things were come upon them. The Scrip­tures foretel in many words and with many circumstances the fall of Mystical Babylon, which is Rome, and mostly in the same words that foretold the ruin of old Babylon, as is plain by comparing the 51. ch. of Jeremiah, with the 18. chap. or Rev. and this is spoken both to deter men from complying with Rome, and encourage the godly to patience in their sufferings under her Tyranny; but all this is needless in a great measure if no more were intended than to tell the world that Rome and her power should be destroyed when the whole world should end; moreover it is prophesied, Rev. 17.16. that the ten Kings that gave their power to the beast, i.e. some of them, shall take the Whore, eat her flesh and burn her with fire: chap. 18.2. An Angel again foretells that Babylon should be cast down with violence as a great mil­stone [Page 121]into the Sea, and never rise again, which were no wonder if this were not to be till the end of the world. It is also said v. 2, 3. as it was of old Babylon, that all unclean and hateful birds should lodge in the ruines of Rome: v. 4, 5. Christ com­mands his people to come out of her that they may not partake of her plagues: v. 6. they are commanded to be the executi­oners of Gods wrath upon her, and to re­ward her double for all that she hath done to them: v. 8, 9. some of the Kings that still adhered to her with others of all sorts are described to make great lamentation o­ver her, when they behold the smoak of her burning; and chap. 19. is a triumphant Song of the Church for Christs victory over Ba­bylon, and their deliverance from her: these things are certain, and show that the Church shall be delivered both from the seducti­on and persecution of the Pope, some time before the end of the world; and it is very probable that the thousand years peace of the Church foretold chap. 20. is to succeed the fall of Rome: all other con­jectures about it are already confuted by the event; and that it cannot be meant of heaven is evident from this, that Gog and Magog are to make insurrection against the Church a little before the thousand [Page 122]years expireth, and the general judge­ment is described to follow soon after.

Ʋse 1. This should keep men from embra­cing and persuade them to forsake the Ro­mish religion: It is as all other carnal things be, a perishing Religion; that Church Christ hath promised to destroy, and that with a desolation proportionable to all the mag­nificence and pomp she hath enjoyed, with an overthrow that shall make a change as if the world were ending.

2. Let the godly strengthen their pati­ence in bearing all her violence and perse­cutions; there is an appointed end, Rome shall as certainly fall, and her power and po­licy be broken, as old Babylon was ruin'd, which was once the terror of the world, and had held the Empire near fourteen hun­dred years, longer than Rome shall; the blood and sufferings of the Saints shall be revenged upon Rome abundantly, Rev. 18.7, 8. and they shall have abundant joy in her destruction and their own deliverance, even such as Israel had when they were escaped out of Egypt thorow the Red Sea, and saw all their enemies dead on the shore, Rev. 15.2, 3, 4.

3. The godly both ministers and people should be encouraged to oppose and strive against Popery to the utmost; their labour [Page 123]shall not be in vain: Christ will consume the man of sin by his word in their mouths, and in time engage the Princes that now favour her to destroy her; the preaching and writing of godly ministers, the en­deavours and sufferings of godly people are so many Testimonies against Rome, and do weaken her interest, and shall in time be all revived and prevail for her ruin, not­withstanding all her arts and force and cruelties to preserve her self, of which we have a pledge, in that by these means ma­ny Kingdoms and Nations have already for­saken her.

4. Though there be no power and strength to defend the Church and the truth, though few should be valiant for it, fear not, the word and spirit of Christ will turn about the hearts of Princes and peo­ple to hate the Whore in due time: the work is Christs own, he hath undertaken it and who can resist his spirit, when he will turn the hearts of men? It seemeth that Rome shall have great probability of prevailing over the Church of Christ, and great confidence of her own prosperity im­mediately before her fall, Rev. 18.7, 8. She saith in her heart, I sit as Queen, and am no Widow, and shall see no sorrow, There­fore shall her plagues come in one day, &c. [Page 124]even as Pharaoh did most distress Israel, and was most confident of success the night be­fore his ruin; this very confidence of Rome and her last rage against the Church will engage God to its defence, and provoke the world to her destruction.

Ver. 9. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs and lying wonders: v. 10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.

Here are described the arts and methods by which the man of sin should attain his greatness and deceive the world, partly that we may be the more aware of him, and partly to set out the power of Christ, and the efficacy of his word, by whom he shall be destroyed, notwithstanding all his arts and policies to preserve himself: his coming saith the Text, [...] his appearing, and attaining supremacy in the Church is, [...], according to the effectu­al working of the Devil; the Devil ne­ver shewed so much art and contrivance in the erecting of any power, or State, as in that of the Popedom; for besides force the usual methods whereby the four for­mer great Monarchies were raised and pre­served, which also the Pope made use of, here are other peculiar methods suited to the nature of a religious Monarchy, [Page 125]or Tyranny under pretence of religion; these are, all power, signs and lying won­ders; which are various expressions of mi­racles and miraculous operations to gain credit to their Doctrine and pretences, [...], with all un­righteous deceits and cheats; as Moses ap­proved and confirmed his law and institu­tions by miracles and wonders, and Christ with his Apostles confirmed the Gospel with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost, Heb. 2.4. so Antichrist endeavored to prove his power, errors and superstitions by miracles, signs, and wonders; so the words here used, [...] signifie; but the diffe­rence is great betwixt them; the miracles of Moses and the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles, were real, weighty and useful things, frequent and innumerable, appa­rent to all the world, exposed to the Try­al and examination of all, and such as carried an undeniable evidence, and divine impress with them; but these of Antichrist are lying wonders, ungodly cheats, many of them ridiculous trifles, of no use, unbe­seeming the finger of God, that are done in a corner, and will bear no Tryal of judicious men, but are fitted only to deceive the ignorant multitude; it is not to be sup­posed [Page 126]that Papists could ever work any real sign or miracle to confirm their falsehoods, for that were to make God him­self (who alone is the author of true mira­cles) to bear Testimony to a lye, and also to invalidate the Testimony of mi­racles, when they are wrought to con­firm the truth, seeing they may be wrought also to prove a lye. A false prophet may in­deed give a sign, foretell some future event by art, and God may suffer that sign to come to pass, to prove his people whether they will stick to his word, Deut. 13.1, 2, 3. but he will never interpose his immediate power to work a miracle to confirm false doctrine, which were to set his own seal to that which is contrary to his own word; the miracles and signs therefore that Pa­pists pretend to, some of them are the meer works of nature, only strange to the common people, some are works of art, Physick, Mathematicks, &c. some are meer tricks of Legerdemain, and some are more lies, without either foundation in the things, or colour of truth, many of them also are wrought by Magick and assistance of the Devil, as when they cause doleful cries and howlings in the night, and ap­paritions of persons deceased, to make the simple believe that the souls in Purga­tory [Page 127]come forth to beg prayers and Mas­ses, which practice was very frequent in Luthers time: The pretence of signs and miracles is peculiar to the Papists; the Turks, to whom they would turn this prophecie, profess them not, but impose and propagate their Religion by force; Christians that own the Scriptures for the perfect rule of faith and manners, need them not, the matter of those Scriptures having been abundantly confirmed long since by unquestionable miracles and Di­vine attestations; but the Papists who add unwritten, uncertain traditions, and the de­crees of Popes and Councils to the rule, have need to confirm them by signs and miracles, if they could; and upon the pretence of these all their chief doctrines are built, as,

1. Transubstantiation and adoration of the Host; for this they pretend some­times that the Host hath been seen to bleed, sometimes that the hand of a child hath been seen in it; that Wittikin the Saxon King in England seeing Christians receive the Sacrament in a certain Church, went out and reported, that he saw the Christians each one put a little smiling boy into their mouths; some affirmed that they have seen a youth in a glorious shape sitting upon the Altar at or before the time of [Page 128]celebration; and they commonly tell us of Cows, Horses, Bees, yea and the Ass of a Jew or a Heretick, adoring the Host, and the bees building a wax chappel o­ver it when it was casually lost in the field.

2. The worship of Saints; when the invocation of Saints was opposed in its beginning, and Pope Constantine had cal­led a Council at Rome to consider on it, Ann. 1012. Edwin a Monk of Gloucester made Oath before the Council that the Virgin Mary appeared to him in a visi­on in great glory; commanding him to go to Rome and tell the Pope that it was the command of God that they should worship her, pray to her, and erect Tem­ples and Images in honour of her; upon this acknowledgement the Council esta­blisht the first decree for the invocation of her and other Saints: They write whole Legends of Saints, their apparitions, revelations, miracles, and these they give to the people to read instead of the Scrip­tures; they also read the acts and ly­ing wonders of their Saints, upon their festival days in their Churches, always concluding their fabulous narrations with such words: Let us then learn to admire such a Saint, let us pray to such a Saint, [Page 129] &c. Saint Francis and his-Friars, they say, have raised above a thousand men from the dead; their Saints heal all man­ner of diseases, cast out Devils, can bring fire from heaven, as they report, and these are the proofs of Divine worship due to them.

3. Their worship of Images, and Re­liques of Saints; to this purpose they pretend that some Images do speak, though it is the Devil or the Priest that speaks through them; some Images nod their head; some hold up their hand, as if they did bless the people that pray to them; Mr. Downame saith he saw an Image of St. Nicholas at Chester, who would lift up his hand, as if he blest his petitioners, which was done by a string put through the arm, by which the Priest draw'd it up. Some Images have bled, they say, when they have been abused; dis­eases have been cured and all manner of mi­racles done, while men have been praying before Images.

4. Purgatory and prayers for the dead: The only proof of this is the apparition of persons deceased, that complain of their torments and beg Masses and prayers of their surviving friends; to this pur­pose they make great use of the Vulcans i. e. [Page 130]burning Mountains in Italy, Sicily, and the Isles of the Aeolides, where are heard frequent noises of divers kinds, which they tell the people are the gates of Pur­gatory, and the noises the cries of the tormented there. They report of one Birstan Bishop of Winchester, that as he was walking according to his custome in the Church-yard at midnight, earnest­ly praying for the souls in Purgatory, when he came to those words requiescant in pace, let them rest in peace, he suddenly heard the voices of an innumerable company, small and great, in the graves say Amen.

5. Their religious orders: St. Benedict, St. Dominick, St. Francis, the founders of so many Orders of Friars, and Ignati­us Loyola, the Father of the Jesuites, all obtained both the honour of Saints, and of Founders of religious Orders by many pretended visions, revelations and mira­cles; and the opinion of miracles done by Friars, Monks and Nuns, in every generation, is that which keeps up their authority with the people.

Ʋse. This should warn men to cleave close to Scripture; Revelations and mi­racles are the engines of deceit, but writ­ten truths are manifest and exposed to the consideration and Tryal of all; and have [Page 131]been already confirmed by the Prophets, our Saviour and his Aposties, by very many and unquestionable signs and mira­cles; f men will not be content with this, which God hath so abundantly testi­fied to be his mind and will, it is just with him to suffer them to be deluded; if there be now any miracles, revelati­ons, or extraordinary impressions of the holy spirit, they are of private concern, for direction or encouragement in parti­cular cases, but they are not intended to confirm any doctrine or part of wor­ship; signs and Tongues, and so other miracles are for them that believe not, who have not received the Gospel, but not to them that believe (1 Cor. 14.21, 22.) who have already been convinced of the truth and fulness of the Scrip­tures, to which God expects they should yield their full assent and obedience.

Ver. 10, 11, 12. In them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved: and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In these words we have the subject of Antichrists delusions, those on whom his [Page 132]signs and lying wonders should have effect, viz. they that perish; though many of the godly may have been entangled by Popish superstitions, yet none receive them throughly, or give up themselves to them, but those that are to perish. Rev. 17.11. They that dwell on the earth wondred after the beast, even they whose names were not written in the book of life. We have also here the reason why God suffer­eth so many to be delivered to their own destruction, viz. because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved; and this is further amplified [...], and for this cause, viz. because they love not the truth, God shall send them strong delusions, [...], delusions that shall be effectual to make them believe a lie, who believed not the truth, i. e. obeyed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, that so they might be dam­ned.

Gods judgements are suitable to mens sins; those that love not the truth, he suf­fereth to lose the truth, and they that are willing to receive false doctrines, and false worship, that they may more quietly practise unrighteousness, God suf­fereth them to have temptations to it, and to be prevailed with by those temp­tations; [Page 133]and this is the case of the Papal world, because men delight not in the true knowledge of God, to fear him, and be thankful, therefore he gave them up to worship Images, and to serve the Crea­tures more than the Creator; as he dealt with the Heathens before them, Rom. 1.21.25. Men lov'd not the knowledge of Christ, valued not his love and death, but loved to boast of their own wills, abilities and performances, therefore God suffered them to lose the sound doctrine of justification, faith an assurance, and to make men and Angels their Mediators, and to trust in the merits of their own works and sufferings; men had no plea­sure in holiness, but in unrighteousness and licentiousness, therefore God suffered them to be deprived of the Scriptures the mean and rule of holiness, and to spend their days either in will worship, superstition, and voluntary severities, bodily exer­cise, which profits not, 1 Tim. 4.8. or else in all filthiness and profaneness, and yet to delude themselves with the vain hopes of pardons, indulgencies, dis­pensations, penances, and venial sins. Moreover because men delighted not in spiritual things and heavenly mindedness, they were deprived of the true know­ledge [Page 134]of heaven, and the comfortable hopes of Salvation, to be taught to live in endless doubts and fears that can ne­ver be satisfied, and to count it a favour to go to Purgatory at last, there to suffer some thousands of years the torments of hell, and to believe that their deliverance from thence depends upon the will of Popes and Priests, and is to be bought with mo­ney. Men were weary of the spiritual wor­ship of God, Faith and love, prayer and thanks giving, hearing the word and recei­ving the Sacraments with a serious heart and desire to profit by them, therefore they are given up to be content to be de­prived of Gods word, and to hear little but the lying miracles of feigned Saints and hu­mane Traditions, and commandments of men, also to have their prayers and Sacra­ments in a language they do not understand, and to fool themselves with a belief that the Opus operatuns, their bare presence at them and performance of the outward work, is sufficient to save them: Lastly because men were weary of a pious, profitable and learned ministry, therefore they are delivered to be enslaved by a generation of men, for the most part, abominably wicked, ignorant, and superstitious, who deceive the people and are themselves [Page 135]deceived: briefly, natural conscience will not suffer men to be content without some religion, and some hope of a better life, and some persons to instruct them in it; but their unruly lusts and affections make them love and chuse a religion that they may play and trifle with, and such is Popery, where men may seem very de­vout and zealous in external worship, and for the Traditions of their fathers, and yet live in all wickedness, and notwithstanding hope to go to heaven.

Ʋse 1. This may lessen our wonder that Popery should so much prevail upon the world, and that men should be so ready to return to it after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and Popery been discovered to be false and ridiculous to common reason: it is the righteous judgement of God to suffer them to be deceived who would be deceived, and to suffer them to take up a false and absurd religion, who are weary of the true, though most excellent and most rational: for this reason no means can withdraw men from their superstitious and Idolatrous practices, and from their brutish obedience to the Pope and their Priests, because God hath given them eyes that cannot see, and ears [Page 136]that cannot hear, and hearts that cannot perceive and understand, till he hath ex­ecuted all his wrath upon them.

2. The best means to be preserved from Popery is to maintain in our selves love to the truth. It was want of this that provoked God to give up the world to delusions, and still to continue it un­der the power of them in a great mea­sure. He that will do the will of him that sent me, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, saith our Saviour, John 7.17. Scripture and reason will not suffer us to receive Popery as a truth, or as any religion; but as a meer humane device to keep up the power of the Pope and his adherents, and sense also will con­fute some of their errors, as Transubstan­tiation and many of their miracles; but if we love not the truth, interest or fear may make us willing to believe a lye and submit to it: unfeigned love of the Gos­pel, and a lively sense of spiritual things will prevent this, that we shall not be willing to let go the truth, and then God will not suffer us to be led into errors. If we delight in the knowledge of God, he will never suffer us to be bewitcht with Idols, that can neither see, nor hear, nor help.

If Christ be precious to us, the chiefest of ten thousands and altogether lovely, God will never suffer us to put our con­fidence in Creatures, as our Mediators, or in our own works, which would de­ceive us.

If we have pleasure in drawing night to God; if his word and ordinan­ces be more to us, than our appointed food, our Heavenly Father will not instead of it, give us a stone of Popish austerities and bodily service, and unintelligible or­dinances, much less will he give us the Scorpions of their idolatrous worship.

If we earnestly pursue the lively hope of heaven and assurance of Gods favour, we shall never receive the tormenting de­lusion of Purgatory.

And if they that bring the glad tidings of the Gospel are most welcome to us, God will never suffer us to be deluded into a slavish subjection to and fears of the Popes Bulls, and an idolatrous Mass-Priest.

Therefore the Apostle concludes this discourse, v. 15. Therefore brethren stand fast, and hold the Traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our Epistle: And this would be a ground to expect what he prays for in their behalf, v. 16, 17. Now our Lord [Page 138]Jesus Christ himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work.

IN the former Chapter we have a de­scription of Mystical Babylon, and a prediction of her ruin, in this Chapter; her fall is more at large declared, 1. from the certainty of it, v. 1, 2, 3. a mighty Angel proclaiming that Babylon is fallen, is fallen, as if it were done already, and ano­ther seconding him with the Type of a Mil­stone [Page 140]thrown into the Sea, to shew that Babylon should never rise more, v. 21, 22, 23. 2. From the reason of it, be­cause both the Kings of the Earth had com­mitted fornication with her and where delu­ded by her, v. 4. Thirdly, from a com­mand to Gods people to forsake her, lest they should be consumed with her, v. 4, 5. Fourthly, From a command to the ex­ecutioners of Gods vengeance to be very severe in it, v. 6, 7, 8. Fifthly, from a description of the Lamentation of her friends for her fall, v. 9,—19. Sixthly, From a call to the Saints in heaven and earth to rejoyce in Gods vengeance up­on her, v. 20. which is further exempli­fied ch. 19. throughout.

The Text is a Command to Gods peo­ple to come out of Babylon, lest they partake with her in her fins, and so re­ceive of her Plagues.

Three things shall be here considered.

• 1. The person commanding,
• 2. The matter of the command, Come out &c.
• 3. The place from whence, Babylon.

1. The person commanding, is our Lord Jesus Christ.: it was another voice di­stinct from the Angels, v. 2. this voice was from heaven, the Angels was on earth: [Page 141]and this person calls the godly his people, Come out of her my people, which no crea­ture mioght do.

2. The command is to come out of Ba­bylon; the same words which were spoken to the Jews, Jer. 51. v. 6, 45. withdraw and Weparate your selves from her, [...], at all times as to communion to withdraw from their worship and ser­vice, [...], least you communicate in her sins, which they must needs do that joyn in her worship, and whenever there is opportu­nity separate your selves from the place and persons; this the other part of the reason shows, [...], that ye receive not of her Plagues, which are to be the sword, fire, and such like wasting judgement, ch. 17.16. of which they must have their share, that dwell in Babylon when these things fall upon them: and this was the meaning of the same command to the Jews, viz. that whilst they lived in Babylon 70. years, they should keep themselves from her ldo­latries, and that they should willingly de­part from her, and return home when God should open a door to them by Cyrus as he had promised.

3. The place, out of her, viz. Babylon whose fall is foretold, v. 2. What this place is the former chapter declares past doubt to them that are willing to receive the truth.

That it is a certain place and not the whole company of the wicked, as the Rhe­mists would perswade us, is ma­nifest. In locum. It is described as a wo­man, a great Whore, v. 1.-4. under which figures Cities use to be sig­nified, as Jerusalem and Samaria, Ezech. 23.1.4. and she hath a particular name written in her forehead, v. 5. Mystery, Ba­bylon the great—She is also called the Mother of Harlots, and abominations of the earth, which points out some place which should be principal and ringleader in corruptions and persecutions, v. 5, 6.

That this place is the City of Rome, and not Constantinople, Jerusalem, or any other City is also evident, because she is said to be seated upon seven Mountains, and to have had seven sorts of government, five past, one present and another to come, v. 9, 10, 11. which agree to no City but Rome, and v. 18. it is added, that The woman is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the earth, viz. in St. Johns time, which was none but Rome. Moreover that this was not Heathen Rome, but Rome Chri­stian [Page 143]declining both in Doctrine and wor­ship, appears, in that she is taxed with Whoredome and drawing all the world to whoredome and fornication by her power and example; by which the Scrip­ture doth not express the Idolatry of Heathens, but the Apostasie of the Church to Idols, whereby she breaketh her Cove­nant with God her first husband.

She is also called Mystical Babylon, Baby­lon for Tyranny and Idolatry, both of which old Babylon was mother to, in the declining world after the flood, and My­stical because not the same place; nor did she openly bring in Idols, but under pre­tence of honouring Christ and his Saints: The Idolatry of Heathen Rome was no Mystery.

This woman also allureth the world to drink of the wine of her fornications, and those that were backward she compelled, till she was drunk with the blood of Saints and Martyrs, insomuch that the inhabitants of the earth generally wondred after the beast, v. 4, 8, but Heathen Rome was so far from imposing her religion on o­ther Nations (though she punisht the Christians for departing from her religi­on) that she left all Nations to their own way of worship, when she had con­quered [Page 144]them, even the Jews who were most different from all the rest; yea it was her custom to receive the worship and Gods of the conquered Nations a­mong her own solemnities, that so they might not provoke any Gods against them, and thus Tertullian saith, Tiberius would have had our Saviour received into the number of the Roman gods; the Senate refused it because they said he would be God alone, and endure no companions with him: which further confirmeth that it was Rome Christian and not Pagan which did impose her Idolatrous wrship upon the world.

Lastly, that it is Rome Papal, as it now is and hath been for many ages past, which is this Babylon, and not Rome when she shall utterly renounce the Christian faith in the end of the world as some Papists without shadow of reason fancy, is proved, in that she is arrayed in pur­ple and Scarlet, decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, which is the garb of the Pope and his Cardinals: In that she is the Mother of fornications, Idolatries, through the earth, and that she is drunk with the blood of Saints and Martyrs, Rome Papal having destroy­ed far more Christians, than ever Heathen Rome did.

And that the beast that carries this whore, the Roman State, is full of names of blasphemy, v. 3. the blasphemous ti­tles and power which the Pope usurpeth to himself and his Roman Church above any heathen that ever was.

And especially in that the ten horns upon the head of the beast that carries this Whore, which are ten Kingsarising out of the dissolution of the Roman Empire are said to have received no Kingdom in Johns time, but to receive it one hour with the beast, v. 12. yea to give their power to the beast, to set him up, and maintain his Empire, and to be deluded by him, till God shall turn their hearts against him to destroy him, v. 13.-17. The beast himself also was to be the eighth head of the former great beast, and yet one of the seven, i. c. a new government in Rome, for the manner of it not much different from the preceding Emperours; all which are apparently fulfilled in the Pope and his adherents; For when Augustulus laid down the Empire, Ann. Chr. 476. there im­mediately appeared ten small Kingdomes, sometimes more, sometimes fewer, in this Western part of the world, and then the Pope began to usurp the dominion of Rome, and both he and they grew up together, and strengthened each other till they were all [Page 146]inslaved by him, and had inabled him to trample Emperours under his feet: like­wise the declining or wane of Popedome in these too last ages hath been caused by the withdrawing of these very Princes from his subjection, whose Kingdomes were once provinces of Rome, and whose prede­cessors had given their power to the Pope; and when a few more shall follow their example, the Pope will lofe his triple Crown.

These things thus explained the Obser­vation is clear.

Obs. It is the command of Christ to all his people to withdraw from the communi­on of Papal Rome, as they would avoid joyning in her sins, and to those that have opportunity, to forsake the dwellings of Rome as they would escape her plagues.

When the whole world after the flood apostatized from God and his worship, God singled out the family of Abraham, and in time increast them to a nation, to put his name, and to keep up his worship, among them: for this the rest especially their neighbours in the East, hated, and opposed them, and the heads of this op­position were Egypt, Niniveh, and at last Babylon in Chaldea, which swallowed up all her neighbours; Thus there was a long contest betwixt the Church of the Jews who [Page 147]adhered to God and pure religion, and Babylon which was become the head of the Pagan Apostasie in the East: In like man­ner, the Gospel was no sooner planted and spread throughout the Western world, but there began a defection to Idolatry in the worship of Saints and Angels, and after some while Rome became the head of this A­postasie, and for above 1 thousand years past, there hath been a continual contest betwixt a purer part of Christs Church scattered through divers Countries, and this Mysti­cal Babylon; a certain number specified by one hundred forty four thousand, Rev 14.1. have kept themselves pure from the whore­domes of Rome, they were Virgins and followed the Lamb whithersoever he went, and with them the Roman beast hath continually made war, and still seeks to destroy them out of the earth: now all that would be the faithful servants of Christ must joyn with this small persecuted company, and neither comply with, nor submit to Rome, nor connive at her power and im­positions, as they would not be found guil­ty of her Apostasie, and be swept away in her destruction.

To prove this, because we speak to them who are already separated from Rome, it will be sufficient to clear these 2 Questions, which being cleared will also prove the [Page 148]duty of others to separate from her, who yet either adhere to, or lean towards her.

• 1. Question, whether there was a just ground for the Potestants to separate from the Church of Rome?
• 2. Whether there can be any reconcili­ation of Protestants to Rome.

In which I shall be brief, because a foun­dation is in a sort laid for it in the fore­going discourse.

1. Qu. Whether Protestants did upon just and necessary grounds separate from the communion of the Church of Rome, in her worship and discipline?

Answ. They did, which I thus prove.

1. Because the Church of Rome hath al­tered the rule of the Christian faith. The Church is a holy Common-wealth under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he governs it by his laws contained in the holy Scriptures; these are the rule of their worship and obedience to him, Math. 28.18, 19, 20. He that alters this rule, al­tereth the fundamental constitution of the Church; But the Church of Rome hath al­tered this rule; they teach the Scriptures to be a defective, insufficient rule, and there­fore they joyn to them the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament and the Tra­ditions of the Church (which also they [Page 149]receive and reject at their pleasure,) De­crees of Councils, and decretals and deci­sions of Popes; all these together are the perfect rule that the Papists acknowledge and pretend to; I say, pretend, because the Scripture hath little share in it, when it comes to Tryal; hereby they have made a new foundation of the Church, both of faith and practice; For it is not sufficient that we believe and practise all that is in the Canonical Scriptures, but we must be­lieve and obey the Apocryphal writings and unwritten Traditions, as of the same authority with the Bible; thus the Coun­cil of Trent hath determined, as was shew­ed before: This altereth the very consti­tution of the Church, and subjecteth it to men instead of Christ; and this is the root of all apostasie.

2. Because the Papists pretend their Pope or Church to be above the Scriptures, and to put an authentick authority on them and their sense; Thus all our faith and obedience is resolved into the determina­tion of men. That the Papists pretend the Pope, their Council, or Church, to be above the Scriptures, cannot be denied, they give the authority and authentick­ness to the Scriptures, 'tis from their com­mand that the Bible is received, and if they pleased they might cause it to be laid [Page 150]aside; it cannot be known (they say) that the Scriptures are Gods word, but that their Church declares it; nor is any sense or meaning to be fixt upon, as the certain sense of any Scripture, but what they determine to be the meaning of the place. Accordingly the Trent. Council out of their great power have determined the vulgar Latin Translation of the Bible to be authentick, and equal to the Greek and Hebrew originals, Council of Trent, Ses. 4 though their own authors acknowledge it to be most false, defective, and in ma­ny things ridiculous: Now then our faith is not ultimately resolved into the Scrip­tures, we do not believe and obey, be­cause we know and are sure from Scrip­ture that this is the mind of God, but be­cause the Pope or Church declare it to be the mind of God; yea though the words of Scripture plainly condemn what they teach, or though the Translation of a Scrip­ture be contrary to the original which was indited by the spirit of God immediately; yet if they say this is the meaning of the place and the true translation of it, we must believe it; The foundation then of all our faith and obedience is the determi­nation of the Church or Pope.

Obj. But they are infallible they say.

Answ. This they can never prove; but if they were, if I must believe meerly upon their Testimony, and saying they are infallible, my faith is still resolved into the witness of men: their testimony con­cerning themselves is but a humane Testi­mony, they do not, cannot prove it by any divine, infallible proof; therefore my faith and obedience must ultimately pesolve into humane authority. The Apostles were infallible, yet had not they dominion over the faith of the Church, 2 Cor. 12.24. to command what should be believed and practised; but they proved by infallible and divine. Testimony of miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, that what they taught came from God, and so the belief of the people was built upon the Testi­mony of God to the Apostles doctrine, 1. Cor. 2.4, 5. the Apostle saith, his preach­ing was in demonstration of the spirit and of power. That their faith might not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God: If their faith had been grounded upon the Apostles own Testimony of his self that he was in­fallible, and upon his determination concern­ing any Scripture or doctrine out of his own wisdom, though he had seemed to prove it strangely, their faith had stood upon the au­thoty & wisdom of man; but therefore their faith was built on God, because his spirit [Page 152]did powerfully demonstrate what the A­postle preacht to be from God; therefore unless the Papists can prove their infalli­bility by miracles, and demonstration of the spirit, theirs is but a humane Testimo­ny, and so we know it is, and a false one too: and therefore it is an intolerable abuse to take the Church off from faith and obedience to Christ as the head command­ing and ruling her, and from the holy Spirit, as inditing and confirming the holy Scriptures, and to subject her to the au­thority and determinations of fallible and sometimes most wicked men: To let pass that the Papists themselves not being agreed who is the infallible supreme judge, whe­ther the Pope, Council, or the whole Church, no man of them hath any sure foundation, for his Faith: If they say the Scripture de­clares who is the supreme infallible Judge; I answer that Judge must again tell us what is the meaning of that Scripture; The Pope saith it means him, the Council and Church say it means them; here are three preten­ders to supreme and infallible authority, and to interpret the Scripture; which so­ever a man adheres to, it is two to one but he is mistaken; however here is no way to determine who is the infallible Judge, unless there be infallible marks and Testi­monies of it given by God, and then they [Page 153]are of the supreme authority, and neither Pope, Council, nor Church themselves; but such they can never produce. Thus the whole matter is but an inconsistent jug­gle to bring the Church into subjection to the Pope.

3. Because the Church of Rome takes away the Scriptures from the people, yea and alloweth the Clergy themselves the use of the corrupt, vulgar Translation of the Bible only. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, Rom. 10.14. How then shall the people get Faith or grow in it, when they must not have the Scriptures to read themselves, nor have them read to them by their teachers, but in an unknown tongue, and that Tran­slation so corrupt also, that if any of them should understand Latin, they would yet have much difficulty to find the truth. The Scriptures are Christs Law whereby he go­verns his Church, and the peoples Magna Charta, the Charter of all their priviledges, and of all Gods promises spiritual and temporal; to take this from them is to de­prive them, both of the rule of their obe­dience, and of the foundation of all their faith and hope in God: This is not to be endured upon any pretence whatsoever.

4. Because they impose the celebration of Gods worship in an unknown tongue the [Page 154]Papists celebrate their prayers, Sacraments, and singing of Psalms, all in Latin, which as they know the people understand not, so they would not have them understand it; by this means the people are deprived of all true worship; For worship is the reverence and affection of the soul to God, either in ascribing honour to him, or desiring of him and trusting in him for whatever we need. This it is impossible man should give to God in and by those words and expres­sions which he understandeth not, which for what he knows may blaspheme God, or beg a curse instead of a blessing, which as managed by illiterate Priests oftentimes are nonsense and signifie nothing, and sometimes contrary to sound Doctrine, yea may at all times for what the people know be directed to an Idol or a Devil instead of God. For preaching of the word the Papists pretend but little to it: And thus the Ro­man Church is a Church of Christ, which acknowledgeth not him for her head and Governour, nor his word for her rule and Law, nor his worship for her practice; but sabjecteth her self to a wicked man under the name of Christs Vicar, taketh his will for her Law, and his institutions for her worship, without Question and without understanding; This is an abuse Jot to be tolerated.

5. The Idolary that the Papists impose on the Church; the Apostle is express, You cannot partake of the Table of the Lord and the Table of Devils, the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils, 1 Cor. wor-10.20, 21. and these Devils, he saith, are shipped in Idols by Idolaters, with whom therefore we must have no communion; now the greatest part of the Papists worship consists in the worship and invocation of Saints, Angels, and the Virgin Mary, and their waser-God, which they practise upon the very same grounds on which the Heathens worshipt their Idols, and therefore are Ido­laters as well as the Heathens: they say they do not worship them as God; the Heathens said the same and as truly; but they do ascribe to them the praise, trust, homage and subjection, fear and reverence, which is due only to God which is above the condition and desert of our fellow Crea­tures, who depend upon God, and the me­rits of Christ as much as we; and this doth take off the Heart from God, and makes men believe that the Saints and Angels are nearer to us, more merciful, more ready to help us than God is, and more concerned for our good than our blessed Lord whose whole work it is to redeem and interceed for us.

6. Their imposing the belief of Tran­substantiation [Page 156]and worship of the bread in the Sacrament: Most of our Marian Mar­tyrs were put to death upon this point on­ly, their not believing the real presence (as they Papists call it) of Christ in the Sa­crament, i. e. that the bread was substanti­ally turned into the body of Christ. If men would impose upon us the belief of the least untruth, though in natural or civil things, we must not submit to them, much less when they impose such an untruth as this Tiansubstantiation, which is against the plain letter of Scripture, which saith, that Christ did not only take, which was before Consecration, but also that he gave bread and wine (to be eaten and drunk by his disciples) which was after they were con­secrated, 1 Cor. 11.22, 23. which is also against our senses; the eye, the smell, the touch and taste, all witnessing the Elements to be still bread and wine; against Philoso­phie, which teacheth such a change of one body into another, especially so small a one as that of a Wafer into so large as the bo­dy of Christ, to be absolutely impossible; yea and against common reason, which knows whence the bread and wine came, how they were made, how they go into the stomach, are digested, refresh, and are carried off like other food: should such a Paradox be admitted, there can be no cer­tainty [Page 157]in any thing; For by the pretence of such a change or miracle, all evidence may be evaded; and so the Apostles that saw Christ in the body, heard him, hand­led him, both before and after his Resur­rection, might (for what we know) be all mistaken; and all the witnesses of the mi­racles that confirm both Testaments, might all failin their sense and judgement of things, and so nothing be certain in Religion, see­ing there is continually in innumerable places such a prodigie as the Host, which is as they say the glorified body of Christ now in Heaven, and yet sense and reason take it to be a bit of bread; what may they not perswade and impose on people, that can prevail with them to believe this? The worshipping of the bread doth also destroy the nature and use of the Sacrament, where instead of a comfortable remembrance of Christ and his death, to increase faith in him, and love to him, men are taught only igno­rantly to worship a bit of bread, and that with more solemnity, than Christ himself was honoured with on earth.

7. Because they take away the cup from the people in the Sacrament, hereby they take upon them to alter Christs institution at their pleasure; they deprive the people not only of one part of the Sacrament, but in so doing wholly obscure the meaning of the Sa­crament; [Page 158]for seeing they break not the bread but give it whole, nor pour out the wine, nor suffer the people to see and drink it; the people have no representation of the death of Christ, neither of the breaking or bruising of his body, nor shedding his blood; and in this the Papists are most insolent of any other their Corruptions; for that their Councils of Sess. 13. Constance and Sess. 21. Trent do acknowledge, that Christ gave both Elements to his disciples, and that the Primitive Church continued the like cu­stom for many ages, and yet they can pre­sume to alter it upon trivial reasons.

8. The Papists greatly obscure the Do­ctrine of Justification; the Gospel is the glad tydings of peace, the word of recon­ciliation; 2 Cor. 5. ch. 19, 20. v. that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself is the chief thing committed to the Ministers of the Gospel; if therefore this be obscured, the Gospel is in a great measure rendred ineffectual, and the Ministry useless for the end it was appointed for. It is the chief enquiry of sinful man, what he should do to be saved, Act. 16.31. and on this de­pends all his worship of God; for till man be reconciled to God, he cannot wor­ship him acceptably, nor can he trust, love [Page 159]and fear God aright, unless he know upon what grounds, and in what way God will have this done. If we lose the doctrine of Justification, we lose the substance of the Gospel and of all Religion: Now this the Papists do obscure so much, that a man can scarce tell amidst their Doctrines, what Christ hath done for him, and what he must expect from Christ. They say a natural man improving the gifts of nature, doth in some fort merit the grace and spi­rit of God, and when he hath that grace he doth ex condigno properly and of due debt merit the continuance of Gods favour, and heaven it self; yea, over and above may merit for other men: and if a man do commit sins after conversion, his volunta­ry penances, his patient bearing of Gods corrections in this world, and Purga­tory in the next, together with alms-deeds, fastings and such good works, do make full satisfaction for all these sins; and he that wants penance and satisfactions of his own, may be supplied out of the treasury of the Church by Masses and the Popes in­dulgences. Now this is not only the doctrine of Schoolmen, but the chief part of Re­ligion and worship among them, and the chief things the Priests teach and are im­ploy'd about.

9. The Popes claim of supremacy is blasphemous, and not to be submitted to by the Churches: Under the Gospel Christ hath appointed no high Priest to whom all Ministers should be subject, no place of worship to which all Nations should repair, no Mother Church on which they should depend, none to be his Vicar on earth: but all this the Pope and Church of Rome claim and usurp, which tendeth to bring all the Churches on earth into bon­dage to them, and to exclude the conduct of the spirit in the Ministers and Churches, as if it were peculiar to them only; it is also a power which no Creature is capable of, and derogates from the honour of Christ, who doth by his Godhead, spirit and word, preside in, govern and guide his whole Church.

10. Because the Papists have wholly changed the discipline of the Gospel into a pompous, worldly Polity. Christ ap­pointed Pastors and teachers for the edify­ing of the Saints, till they all come to the perfect man in Christ, Eph. 4.12, 13. but the Papists have changed this into a visible, worldly Monarchy, though under the pre­tence of Religion and the name of spiritu­al, of which the Pope is the head, his Cardinals Princes, all his Priests and Clergy [Page 161]officers and Factors for him to hold the Con­sciences of men in subjection to him, and to keep Princes and their Kingdoms in homage, and tributary to his Coffers. By all these things it appears that the Papists have quite altered both the foundation and superstructure of the Church of God, and the government of his house, and retained little more than the name of Christ, his Church and Gospel; and there­fore it was necessary they should withdraw from them who had any care of the honour of God, or their own salvation.

Obj. The Papists Object, that the Prote­stants acknowledge the Church of Rome to be a true Church, and therefore not to be sepa­rated from.

Answ. 1. Suppose it were a true Church, are not other true Churches also? What obligation ly­eth upon all Churches to be members of & sub­ject to the Church of Rome, more than on the Church of Rome it self to be a member of any other true Church? surely none from the notion of a true Church, seeing all Churches of Christ that are true, are at least equal with her in this attribute. If they say that the Church of Rome hath the Primacy of all Churches and dominion over them from Peter the head of the Church, this is but to beg what they can never prove; that Peter had the headship of the Church committed to him and his successors, and which is denyed of their own Council of Constance, Sess. 15.

2. Because the Church of Rome doth retain the profession of Christanity, the general creeed, and the holy Scriptures, however they deviate from them in their expositions and practice; therefore the Protestants dare not deny it absolutely to be a Church of Christ; but that he may be still striving with it and may have many in it, who may keep them­selves from the great corruptions of it, even as the 7000. in Israel, who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and so she may continue a Church in this sense, and in this State till her finall rejection and destruction, nevertheless they unanimously agree that she is an Idolatrous, Apostatical Church, under great and fatal corruptions, though she hath not quite forsaken the name of Christ, or he utterly forsaken her, as the ten Tribes under Jeroboam became idolatrous and Apostatical, and are said to have worshipped Devils in wor­shipping the Calves, though they pretended them to represent Jehovah, 2 Chron. 11.15. and when they were in this state of backsli­ding all the people as well as the Priests and Le­vites, that did set their hearts to seek the Lord God of their fathers, forsook them and went to Jerusalem to sacrifice, and joyned themselves to Judah, 2 Chron. 11.13.17.16. and in the time of his successours those that were upright and had opportunity did still resort to Jerusa­lem [Page 163]to worship; whence the Idolatrous Priests are complained of for laying wait and Nets for them in Mispah and Tabor: and this they did notwithstanding that God did still contend with Israel by his Prophets, and sent many eminent ones to them; as Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, Jonah, with many others, to call them back again to himself, to continue to warn and invite them to repentance even untill their dis­persion and captivity.

2. A 2. Question is whether there may be any reconciliation of Potestants to or with the Church of Rome. And here I must distinguish betwixt particular persons, members of that Church, and the body of the Church it self. There are many particular persons in the Po­pish Communion, that be wail their corrupti­on, that complain of their bondage, and are moderate toward Protestants; for these we may have charity, respect and compassion; but to the Church of Rome, the general commu­nion and society of Papists under the Pope the ir head, there may be nocommunion or recon­ciliation.

1. Because they have redressed none of their errors and corruptions, for which the Protestants at first forsook them. If our first separation from Rome was just and necessary, so it is still, for they have not mended, or redres­sed any of the grounds of our separation: but on the contrary when they were intreated and [Page 164]in a sort compelled to call the Council of Trent to compose matters, besides the many unwor­thy arts they used to have men chosen to their mind and of their own party, they did severally confirm every error in doctrine, and corruption in worship, which the Protestants accused them of, and Anathematized all that held the doctrine of the Protestants, and as if this were not enough, their Priests are all to be sworn to maintain this Council, and a Cate­chism was ordered to be composed out of it to be the standard of the Doctrine of that Church, which was done accordingly.

2. As they have not, so they cannot mend, or alter any thing considerable. The constitu­tion of the Roman Papal Church depends on the corruptions they maintain and practise. Should their Clergy marry, they would not be at the Popes command: should they lay a­side private Masses, image worship, and Pur­gatory, their Priests would lose a great part of their maintenance; and the Pope a great jewel in his Crown, viz. the power of cano­nizing Saints and freeing souls from Purgato­ry: and if the people should have the Scrip­tures, and publick service in their own tongue, they would quickly discern the corruptions of their Church, and impostures of their Pope; above all, should they alter any thing of mo­ment decreed by the Council of Trent, which was also confirmed by Pope Pius the 4th. it [Page 165]would shake the foundation of the Church the Popes infallibility: for either the Council and Pope Pius erred in their decrees, or that Pope must err who alters any thing of those decrees: hence it was, that the Pope and Council of Trent would not yield so much as the cup in the Lords supper to the Laity at any time or in any case though greatly importuned to do it by the Emperor Ferdinand the 1. and his son Maximilian.

3. The Church of Rome is the body of Anti­christ or man of sin, she hath made him her head and hath espoused her self to him as her Lord, the whole religion of Popery is fitted only to exalt the Pope and his Clegy; and cheat the people both of the knowledge of God, and of their money. To unite with Rome is to joyn our selves with a company of Rebels and fugi­tives from Christ, that have conspired against him, and set them up another King and Lord.

4. Rome haht of long time and doth main­tain an opposition against the Churches of Christ. She contends for the universal head­ship of the Pope, she decreeth and com­passeth (as far as she can) the destruction of all Hereticks, i. e. of all that will not submit to her corruptions, for about 900 years toge­ther, and still attempts the same. To joyn with Rome is to condemn all the Confessors and Martyrs, that have suffered by them, and [Page 166]to bring the guilt of their blood upon our selves, as our Saviour saith, Math. 23.35. all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth from Abel to Zacharias should be requir­ed of that generation, because they persisted in the footsteps of their fathers, and were of the same body and succession with them that shed that blood.

5. Rome is appointed for destruction. That State or Polity, that City and people are ap­pointed by our Lord Jesus Christ to be utter­ly destroyed, as in the 17, 18, 19. of the Rev. at large: and their destruction is not threat­ned conditionally in case they repent not, as it is to other Nations; but it is absolutely fore­told, as of a people abhorred of the Lord, for­saken and given over by him, because they for­sook him first. Christ hath declared war against Rome, which he will pursue till he hath con­quered her, and triumphed over her: therefore there may not be that desire or attempt of union with her as with other backsliding Churches. Gods people are called to come out of Babylon upon pain of their destruction, there­fore are not to make peace with her. Who would joyn with a perishing Church, with a Party devoted to destruction, and with a pe­rishing religion? whereas Christ will have a Church pure and triumphant, which shall sur­vive and triumph over Babylon, Rev. 19.1. &c.