Pi P I rn P4 >< 'Z 5*^^0 3 S H o ■h:i O H / • I ij C i. . I I I I i ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^- ^ DISCOURSES O N IMPORTANT SUBJECTS, DELIVERED MORNING LECTURES IN SOUTHWARK, Mr Fowler, Dr Manton, Mr Poole, Mr Baxter, Mr Hurft, Dr Wilkinfon, Mr Vinck, Mr Lee, BY THE REVEREND Mr Mayo, Mr Weft, Mr Jenkyn, Mr Veal, Mr Clarkfon, Mr Needier, Mr N. Vincent, Dr Ainfley, Mr Tho. Vincent, Mr Fairclough, Mr Sylvefter, Mr Lawrence, Mr Steel, Mr Wadfworth, Mr Doolittle, Dr Owen, Mini/lers In and near London* IN TWO VOLUMES. VOLUME I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS. 1779- To the READER. THOSE famous minifters of ChrlH:, Luther, Melajl£l- hon, Calvin, ZuingHus, Bucer, and the refi: of them, who jultly art ftiled Reformers of religion ; did fay ifnore againft Poperyj than any of the Papifts have yet been. able to give a folid anfwcr to : And indeed it was by wife and uninterefted men judged, above a hundred years ago, a defperate caufe, being fo much againft both fcripture and right reafon. The church of Rome, therefore, that it might uphold and defend itfelf, hath had recourfe unto cruelty^ policy^ fophijlry.. As for their cruelty^ What place almoft is there that rings not of it ? The majfacre at Paris y the IriJ}:> rebellion, the Gunpowder-t reafon J xhokjlames in which fo many were burn- ed in the perfecution under ^. Marv ; do plainly fhew, ThaC the Romifh beaft is the moll cruel one that ever was, and is extremely eager to tear in pieces all that refufe to wor- ship him. Thofe many thoufinds of men, women, and children, who have been moft barbaroufiy butchered by bloody Papifts, in France, in Ireland, in Bohemia, in Pied- jnont, in England ; may inform all, what arguments they ufe to promote their religion, when once they hate any power in their hands ; and what kind of dealing is to be ex- pelled where Popery fliall prevail ; unlefs there be a fub- jecling of bodies, eftate, reafon, fenfe, faith, and confci- ence alfo, unto their tyranny and ufurpation. And left thefe inftances of cruelty which I have mention- ed, fhould be extenuated, as making nothing againft Pa-, pery, becaufe feveral of that religion have condemned them •, it will not be amifs to add, That Thuanus an hifto- rian of their own *, gives this information ; That the pop? when he heard of the maflacre, from his legate at Paris, read the letter in the confiftory of cardinals, and " {o-- ** lemnly gave thanks to almighty God for fo great a blel- " fing conferred upon the Pi.oman fee and the Chriftlan *• world." It was alfo decreed, That a jubilee fliould bo; publiftied ; the caufes whereof, were to " return thanks to *' God for dcftroying in France, the enemies of the truth, <* and of the church," &c. Soon after, the Pope fen?; Cardinal Urfin in his name to congratulate the king of France, who in his journey through the cities highly com- mended the faith of thofe citizens who had an hand in "the mafl^icre, and diftributed his Holincfs's blefliiigs among them. * Hltloriarum, lib. J3. p. 1604, 1C05, S:c. iv To the Reader, them. And at Paris, being to perfuade the reception of the council of Trent, endeavoured it with this argument, ** That the memory of the late a^lion, to be magnified in ** all ages, as conducing to the glory of God, and the dig- ** nity of the holy Roman church, might be, as it were, ** fealed by the approbation of the holy fynod." If this mafTdcre be thus juftified, commended, magnin- ed, where there was alfo io much treachery (for the Pro- Teflants were invited to a marriage between the houfes of Valois and Bourbon ; and then in the dead of the night many thoufands of them *, without diftinftion of age or fex, "were butchered, fo that the channels ran down with blood into the river) fure we may conclude. That the moft horrid murders will be defended, as long as that which they call the Catholic RehgiGn is thereby promoted, I grant in- deed, there are fome good-natured Papifts which fay. They dijQike fuch bloody doings, v/hatever maybe pretend- ed for their jnftification : But it is more than probable, that thefe very gentlemen, fuppofing the pope had powtr to wield both fwords, if they fhould dare to talk againft his cruelty, would prefently be called in quellion, and feel the frroke of his fwcrds, as heretics. Policy is another prop of Popery. By policy I do not mean that prudence of managing ftate-affairs, which is joined with integrity, juftice, honefly ; but that era ftinefs and fubtilty wh^re no regard is had either to truth or con- fcience ; but any thing is done, though never fo much a- gainrt the rules of righteoufnefs, that carnal ends may be brought abput. The pope having arrogated fuch a power to himfelf, that he can abfolve fubje(n:s from their oaths of allegiance, can take off the obligation of covenants and pro- mifes, antl give difpenfations to tranfgrefs the laws of God ; hereby a door is opened to all unrighteoufnefs, and Papifts may be allowed to dilTemble, to lie, to be perjured, as long as it is for the catholic caufe. The writings of Machiavel liave been ftudied more thoroughly by many of the Fic- manifts, than the fcriptures of the apoflles and prophets. And thofe who have converfed with the Jefuits, and un- derftand the myll:ery of Jefuiiifm, find them fuch exact Achitophels, that they will counfel to any thing, though never fo ungodly, if it tend to the upholding of their fadlion, Laftly, For their fophijlry : In this refpecl their fchool- men, * The number of perfons flain in this mafTacre at Paris, and othcrpbces, amounted unto ihiity ihoufand. To the Reader, ^/ men, who hav^ endeavoured to argue for Popery, are fa- mous. But when what they fay is duly weighed, it appears to be but fophiftry, and no more. In the main points of controverfy between the church of Rome and us, their ar- guments are anfwered in thefe enfuing fermons ; the truth alfo is confirmed by fcripture and reafon, and then an im- provement made in order to practice. This mixture of po- lemical and pra(5tical divinity together, it is hoped will be very ufeful. The minifters who preached thefe lectures, endeavoured to accommodate themfelves to the capacity even of ordinary hearers : For the common people, confidering the induftry of Romifh emiflltries, are in great danger of being feduccd; and this book, through the blcfling of God, may be an an- tidote. I could have wilhed that the fermons had been de- livered to me altogether, that they might have been printed m better order, and forted together according to the fub- ject-matter of them. But if the i*eader pleafe to confult the table at the beginning, he may read them in order, if he be fo minded *. To conclude: Since England formerly was fuch a tribu- tary to the fee of Ptome, and fuch vaft fums of money were carried yearly from hence thither ; we are not to doubt but the pope looks upon us with grief that he has loft us, and with an earnelt defire to regain us. His inftruments are more than ordinarily bufy to this end, infomuch that both king and parliament have taken public notice of it. This lecture therefore againft Popery is very feafonable ; and if (which I earneftly beg) this labour be made fuccefsful to reduce any of them who have been feduced, or to arm and defend the people againft one of the greatefr viHble enemies that Chrift has in the world ; I Ihall exceedingly rejoice that my pulpit was fo much honoured by my fathers and brethren when they preached in it, and that ever I'uch a project againft Popery came into my mind. NATHANAEL VINCENT. The fermons are now arranged in the order here dire<51ed.- PKIITGETGn X\ theolog;: ADVERTISEMENT to the READER. Thefc fermons are now reprinted in a neat and convenient fize, and at a very moderate price. They contain all the chief articles ol the Popifli controversy, handled in a full and mafterly manner, and are there- fore very neceiTary to be read and undcrftood by all forts of perfons at this time. A few alterations were thought proper in this edition ; but thofe that are made, we hope, will be allowed, by the candid read- er, to be for the advantage of the whole: As for inilance, an obfolete word now and then is changed into a more modern ; and a great part of tlie Latin fentences from authors are expunged, while the fen- timent is exprelfed in Englifh, and the authors cited at the foot of the page, not to interrupt the reading, and that thofe who chufe m.ay have recourfe unto the original : Befides, as the principal heads of the difcourfes are more properly arranged, and diftindly marked, they will be more eafily perceived a,nd un- dcrftood by the readers. All which have a tendency to elucidate the whole. ,s>^ CONTENTS of Vol. I. Page S ER M. I. Mr. Fowler. 9 The fcripture ihould be tranflated into known tongues, and read by the laity. 1 ThefT V. 27. I charge you by the Lard, that this epijlle he read utito all the holy hrethreiu SERM. II. Dr. Manton. 37 The fcripture a fufiicient rule of faith and manners, and ftands in no need of unwritten traditions. 2 Their, ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, Jland fajl, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught ^ i/jhether by word or our epijlle, SERM. III. Mr. E 53 The teftimony of the church is not the principal reafon why we believe the fcripture to be the word of God. Luke xvi. 29. — They have Mofes and the prophets : let them hear them, SERM-. IV. Mr. Poole. 86 Popes and councils not infallible, and therefore Chriftians are not obliged to fubmit their faith and confcience unto them. Matth. xxiii. 8, 9, fO. But be ye not called Rabbi ; for one is sour Majler, even Chrijl : And call no man father upon earth ; for one is your Father who is in heaven : Neither be ye called majlers ; for one is your Majler^ even Chrijl. SERM. V. Mr. -Baxter. 104 Chrift, and not the Pope, univerfal head of the church. 1 Cor. xii. 27, 28. Now ye are the body of Chrijl, and members in particular y 8<£. SERM. VI. Mr. Hurst. 124 Kings and emperors not rightful fubjecls of the pope. Acls xxvi. 2. I think myfelf happy. King Agrippa^ hecauf If mil ar.fwerfor mf fit this day before thee^ ^c. ' ' SERM, ( 8 ) SERM. VII. Dr. Wilkinson. 152 The Pope of Rome is Antichrifl. 2 ThefT. ii. 3 . — l o. Let no man deceive you by any means ; for that day jh all not come^ except there come a falling away Jirjly and that man of fin be revealed^ the Jon of perdition ; who oppofeth and exalteth himfelf above all that is called God, or that is wor^ flapped, &c. SERM. VIII. 3Mr. Vinck. 175 The Proteftants did feparate from the church of Ptome up- on juft grounds. Luke vi. 22. Blejfed are ye when men fhall hate you y and when they flmll feparate you from their company ^ and fhall reproach you, and cafl out your natn^ as evil, for the Son ofman^sfake^ SERM. IX. Mr. Lee. 201 The vifibih'ty of the true church preferved by Chrift. Matth. XV i. i^. And I fay alfo unto thee^ that thou art Peter y and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell fhall 7iot prevail againf it, S E Pv M. X. Mr. Mayo. 240 Invocation of faints and angels unlawful. Rom. X. 14. How then fhall they call on him in whom they have not believed P SERM. XL Mr. West. 268 Purgatory a groundlefs and dangerous dodlrine, I Cor. iii. I 5. If any man^s work fhall be burnt, he fhall fuffer lofs : but he himfelf fiall be faved ; yctfoy as by fire, SEP».M. XIL Mr. Jenkyn. 294 No fin venial, but every fin deadly. Rom. vi. 23. ^he wages offtn is death, SERM. XIIL Mr. Veal. 325: Good works of believers not meritorious of falvation. Pfal. Ixii. 12. Aljo unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou renderefl to every man according to his work. APiaure of Popery, from the Paftoral Letters of Mr. Peter Jurieu, to the Proteftants of France, groaning under the Babylonifli tyranny in the year 1687. 37' SER- S E R M O M^- '^ ^ Mr. FO WLER. .\^^-^^^ The Scripture Ihould be tranflated into Jcnowii tongues, and read by the common people. THE controverfy before us is, Whether the fcripturcs are to be tranflated into vulgar tongues, and read and heard by the laity ? This the Papifts deny, and we affirm. I profefs, I have been furprized how fuch a controverfy fhould have arifen among Chriftians. Might not a man as well difpute, whether a carpenter fhould have his line and rule to work by ? or a foldier wear his fword in the midft of enemies ? Shall I queftion whether the air be neceflary for breath, or bread for life, or the light of the fun for our fecular affairs ? Sure enough the word of God is all this ; a rule mofi: perfecSt, a fword moft victorious, air moffc fragrant, food moft wholefome, and light moft clear. The word of an angel is no ground for faith, nor rule for life, duty, or worfhip : But the word of God read and heard, is fo great a good, that the benefits arifing therefrom are inexpreflible and inconceivable. That pious and learned Biftiop Hooper, in his epiftle dedicatory to King Edward VL faith, " God in heaven, and the king on earth hath not a " greater friend than the Bible." The word is for the foul, and is not the foul more than life .** this light is to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift ; and is not this infinitely beyond all our natural and civil concerns ? All thefe things here below, are fhort-lived and vexation ; but this makes a man wife to falvation. But af- ter all, this queftion is determined by the council of Trent in the negative. Their words are. Si quis kgere. Sec. *' If " any fliall prefume to read or harve a Bible, he cannot be " abfolved from his fins." It feems the reading of the Bible is a lin unpardonable. The people are taught to be- lieve, that what the pope binds on earth is.bouoii in hea- ven : Sure then, if a man that reads the fcripturcj or hath B - i* ro The fcriptures to-be read by the common people, Serm. I. a Bible in his houfe, comes to confefTion, and is abfolved, that abfolution is invalid. By this. Trent conventicle, wo be to the- Bible, and all the friends thereof *. But you will fay> the council's prohibition of the Bible is with a limitation, viz. If you have a Bibl^ without a li- ' cenfe from the biihop. I anfwer, It is true they fpeak to that purpofe. But their pretence of a licenle is a mere fham, 'an abominable cheat, as I ihall /Lew you in its place. That .this book may not fpread abroad, the high-prieft and elders in this council Araitly charge and command all bookfellers and dealers in books, not to fell, or any other way part with, any one of thcfe books to any perfon, upon the pain of the forfeiture of the price of the laid books, and, to undergo all other punifhment according to the will of the bifhop. I co?nfeli, this is drawn up very cunningly ; for if you read the mandate of the archbifhop of Toledo, by the authority of Paul V. iherje the punifhment is, *' For '' the firfl: time he Oiall be puniflied with fufpenlion from ** his office, loJs of his trade for two years, banidiment *' twelve miles from the town for two years, and fined 1200; " ducats. For the fecond time the punilliment to be dou- "* bled, and other punifhments according to the will of the '* inquiiitor, if any have, buy, or fell a Bible. And though '* they offend through negledl or ignorance, they fhall not ** be exempted from punifhment."' And Paul V. by his Breve fub ammlo Pifcatoris^ dated at Piome 1612, forbids all perfons to read or keep thofe boohs y wider the punijljment of the greater £Xcommunicatw?i and other ^enfures ; but bring them by a certain day^ to be named by the holy inqiiifitor-generaly itito the holy office of the inquifition. And accordingly, the faid inqui- ^tor, mhis poniiJii-aHbiiSy fpecifies in his mandate, this to be done within ninety days. Now, amongft all th€ books 5n the index which are prohibited by pontifical authority, the Bible is the fpecial book forbidden. And to make all fure, there are towards a hundred I^atin verfions of the Bible prohibited in this catalogue; and not only books pro- hibited in the index, but book or books comprehended in the general rules. Now, the fourth general rule is made folely againft the Bible in any vulgar tongue ; nay, againft any * Bened. Turret , in his preface to the Index, Lib, Prcb. et Ex- p'lirg, tells us^y^There is no place of mercy left to the bookoTX ^,'*« God. Men fly from the gofpel in the Italian or Spanifh tongue,/ ^{j<^ fafter than they would ruti from the plague of pefHlence^__^ Serm. I. The fcripture/io be read by the common people, ii any parts of it, as rupjiofe fortie of David's Pfalms, or fome of PduFs cpiftles, wheth'^r they be printed or written ; and all fummaries or brief heads of the Bible, although it be a compendium of the hirt-orical parts of it. As to the licences for reading the fcripture, I told you before they were a mere blind. 1 will here give you the Aim of Pope Paul V's brieve recaUing all fuch licences \f^ince as ive underjland the licences of reading the boohs of heretics , or books fufpe&ed of herefy, or books otherwlfe prohibited afid condemn- fdy obtained under certain pretences^ do too much increafe in the kingdom of Spain ; and tinderjlandingy that there is more danger to the wilearnedy than profit to the learned y by and from the faid licences ; lue therefore y tipon n.vhom the burde?t of ivatchlng over the Lord's flock is incumbent^ being ivilUng to provide a feafonable remedy y and lualking in the fieps of our predeceffors, Popes of Rome, do annuly cafsy revbkcy and utterly make void all fuch li- cences ., faculties and grants ; And by the tettor of thefe prefenis lue do declfe and declare the fame to be caffatCy void and null ; granted by luhomfoevery ivhether our.predeceJJorSy ourf elves y cur penitentiary y ordinaries y or blfhops whomfoever ; and granted to ivhat perfons foevery whether abbots^ patriarchs y mar qulffeSy dukes y or a?iy other per fans eccleftafilck or numdane ; whether they have had their licence by letters apofloUcaly in form of a brieve under the fealy or any other peculiar wayy to make the licence firm and lajJlngy we revoke and annul all to the utniojl ; any confiitutions and ordinations apofloUcal to the co7ttrary in at?y lulje noiivith- fian dingy under the pains and cenfures of the church to the highefi ; aiui under the penalty of the fecular ar7n. And we command y all archbifljops ^ &c. to take care that thefe our letters be forthwith publlfijed in all provinces y cities y dlocejes^ without demurrlngy X^dlfpu tlng^y or demanding 'luhy or wherefore. Here is fure work, not a cvevife nor a chink left unfjop- ped. And wliat is your lict;nce now, I pray ? For other books I am not concerned : I iliill only take notice of the Index Expurg. how thefe fathers of Piome blot out, and command to be blotted out, the fayings of the ancient fathers, as they are placed In the indexes made ei- ther by the interpreters or piiblifliers of them : As for in- ftance, in Athanafius, Gr^co-latln ; in the index there was fet down thus, Scripture facrc'e etlam plebl ei maglfiratlbus cog- ncfcendtz ; \. e. The holy fcriptures are to be known by the common people and the magiftrates; blot that out, fay they. Again, Scripturafacray &c. The holy fcriprure is fo plain that any one m^y underfland ; blot that but. Five more layings there are about the fulEciency of tlie fcrip- ture.>j; ) 12 The fcripiures to be read by i^e common people. Serm. I. \ tiires ; blot them all out : Thefe fentences will puzzle young {Indents, and confirm the heretics : 15ut the true I'eafon is, they would difcover their wickednefs and hcrefies. So they deal with Auftin's works, Purgatorium non invenire i?t fcrip- iura ; I. e. Purgatory not to be found in the fcripture : Let it be expunged, fay they. So they ferve Chryfoftom, who fays^ The fcriptures are plain to the ivilling : They are to be read by ail. The fcriptures contain all things necejfaryy and the like. We have had two acls of the pope and his council, one to call in the Bibles that were abroad ; the other to prevent their going abroad for the futures but all too late. As this would not do, they take two other courfes : The holy fy- nod decreeth, That no man dare interpret or expound fcripture in another fenfey fave that ivhich holy mother-church hath holden^ and doth hold 9 ivhofe right it is to judge of the interpretation of the holy fcripture ; and they that oppofe this, are to be de- rlared by the ordinaries ^ 2,Xi^ punijljed according to the ftatutes ; fo that if the pope ihall affirm, that the meaning of John xxi. 16. peter feed myfheep, is, that by the words of our Lord Chrift gave to Peter an univerfal headfliip over the church, and a fovereignty abfolute over all kings, to plant and pluck up ; and that all tliis power is given to the pope as Peter's fucceflbr, you are to believe it, and receive it. The fecond council of Nice, quoted and approved by the council of Trent, proves images to be worfhipped, thus, No man lights a candle ^ and puts it under a bufhel\ therefore, the holy images are to be placed upon the altars. But how- ever ridiculous or irrational the interpretation be, you muft not quarrel at it : If you do, they have two fwords, and with one they will cut you off from the church, and with the other from the earth; for the church faith that is they meaning of Behold^ here are tivo fwords ; the one fhalPlP!?^ chriiiian you, and the other (l^all unman you. The fecond courfe the council hath taken to help them^ felves, is this. They have added to the holy Bible the Apo- crypha ; and make Tobias and Judith, and the two Mac- cabees, with the reft of the ftories of Bell and the Dragon., a rule for faith and life ; and whofoever fliall not take them for facred and canonical, let him be anathema. They have alfo added to the Bible their traditions, under the name of apofolicaly which are to be received with equal aff^dtion and reverence as we receive the word of God. O horrible 1 The firfi: of thefe courfes, vix. to oblige men to under- iland the fcriptures as the church, i. e. the pope expounds fhem, is a reproach to the reafon of mankind. The fecond goes Serm. I. The fcriptures to be read by the common peopU» 13 goes higher, and is a reproach to the fovereignty, good- iiefs, wifdom, and faiihtulnefs of our Lord Jefus. It re- proaches the apoftles ; for if the adminiiVration of the fu- crament under one kind, invocation of faints, merit of works, worfhip in an unknown tongue, ^c. be traditions, and if thefe be apoftolical, what black reproach is here caft upon them ? nay, what blafphemy againft Chrifl:, and his holy Spirit, is it to fay, that the apoftles fhould teach, pra£life, and write one thing to the churches, and after whifper the clean contrary to fome others, who fhould convey it by word of mouth to pofterity. But perhaps you will demand. Upon what reafon did the council thus decree ? They tell you, It is inanifeft by experience^ that the fufferance of the Bible in the vulgar tongue^ doth more harm than good, through mens rajlmefs : Therefore, We forbid it. This is fuch a reafon, as if becaufe fome fol- diers rafhly abufed their weapons, therefore the general fhould command, under grievous penalties, all the army to be difarmed, when ready to be attacked by their enemies. Should a Proteftant decree againft prayer, becaufe the pray- ers of Papifts are blafphemous ? or againft the ufe of the Lord's fupper, becaufe the mafs is im.pioiis and idolatrous ? What decrees were thefe ? Muft God's appointment be an- nulled, becaufe of mens abufe ? Why did they not decree, that men fhould be prohibited the ufe of the light of the fun by day and moon by night, becaufe thieves and others abufe it? The truth is, the experience of the council was like that of Demetrius and the craftfmen j if Paul be fuf- fered, down goes Diana, and our maiket is fpoiled. About the year 1-516, Leo X. fent tiie friars abroad with pardons and indulgences, to raife money for his hoilnefs. When they came into Germany, Luther, who had fome years before quitted the ftudy of the law, and applied him- felf to the fcriptures, and had been blefied with fome tafle of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, unexpectedly began to fiir againft thefe pardon-mongers ; at hrft very inildly, not {im- ply againft the thing, but againft the impudence and covet- oufnefs of the friars: The fiiars fcornfully and pnblickly traduce Luther ; he takes heart, and begins to difpute, write, and preach againft them. This fpark thus blown fuddenly becomes a great flame. The pope begins to ftorm, writes about this aftair to Cardinal Cajetan ; Cajetan dif- putes with Luther, and quotes againft him the bull of Cle- ment VI. which runs thus ; Whereas one drop of the Hood of ChriJ} had been fvficient for rcdcmpticn ^ and f reams of blood came X4 T"hc fcripiiu'es to he read by the common people. Serm. I. J'rom his bodyy nil that, blood luhich luas over and above y Chrifl had depoftfed as a precious treafure m the hand of Peter , key-keeper ofheavefiy and to his fiiccejjor, to be difpenfed (i. e to be fold) to penitents ; and Jo- likeivays the furplufage of the merits of the Virgin Mary, and all the faints, an inexhaujlible Jlorehoufe of pardons, Luther refels the bull by fcripiure ; Frederick duke of Saxony, fiiews him favour, iends him Cajetan*s letter, and the univerfity of Wittemberg defends him. Luther intreats the controverfy may be decided in Germany. The emperor fummoned him, upon fafe condudl, to appear at Worms. He appears. There, in the imperial affembly, and after in the lodgings of an archbifhop, before fome o- ther princes, he humbly, but vehemently, offers himfeif to be tried by the fcriptures, or evident reafon. He is ba- nifhed Geumany, and appeals to a general council. The pope fears a council as the fliadow of death. All this, and much more, was dene in five years. The gofpel had dif- pelled the darknefs of Popery, vi^ithout any great noife or buftle. The council of Trent, who condemned the read- ing of the fcriptures, convened not till the year 1 546, about thirty years afcer Luther and others preached the gofpel in a public manner. Origen faid of old, that the reading of the fcriptures was the forment of the devil : Sure it Torments fome body elfe of later years. The Bible burns the devil, and the pope burns the Bible. They that do evil, hate the light. The thief curfeth the candle ; the malefactor would difpatch his judge ; and the defign of thefe do ihining lights? I will name a few. Bifhop Jewel in his Reply and J3efence ; Morton in his Appeal ; Whitaicer de fcriptura ; Dr. White in his Defence; Gartwrighton R^hem. Pref. ; the renowned Du Plefiis ; and the great Chamiqij * Origen. in Ifai. hom. 2. f Aihanaf. torn, ii. p. 24S. 1 Theoph. in loc. jj Janfen. Conc« c. 36. in loc. So Mai- donate, Theoph yU^fi, Augulline, ^x.c. 26 Artifices of Papyjs to debafe the fcriptures , Serm. L the fathers fay, as we do, fome fcriptures, are dark and dif- ficult ; but they do not infer, as the Jefuits do, they ought not to be read at all; but that therefore Chriftians fhould read more attentively, and pray more fervently. Chryfof- toni is moll: earnejt upon all forts, artificers, men, wo- men, old and young, to be much in reading and hearing ; anfvvers all their ftiifts ; tells them they have more need than ftudents, than monks, becaufe they are in the midft of ma- ny temptations. The Rhemifts * would next infinuate, that Chryfoftom was fo earneft mainly to take people off from cards, dice, and fbages-phys; whereas his great bulinefs is, to take them off from their excufes of their families, trades, callings. In Ihort, the fathers fpeak of the fcriptures as they are, as a light that fhineth, as a lanip to enlighten and give underfiandlng to the fimple ; and that if men fpeak not aC' cording to them^ it is becaufe there is no light in them. Q^II. What artifices do their learned tnen ufe to debafe thefcrip- iureSy that the people may be brought to have a loiv opinion of them ? I anfwer, many ways ; by word and deed. 1 . By word, fhey call them a dead letter, a dumb judge, inken divinity, a nofe of wax without the pope, of no more authority than JEfop's fables. Here is aRabfhekeh f whom the Babylonifh king hath perferred to a red hat, to blaf- pheme the living God. Dr White tells us, that Perelius faid, he thought verily it was the devil's invention to per- mit the people to read the Bible %. And Thyrraeus faith, that he knew certain hufbandmen poffeffed of the devil, becaufe being but hufbandmen they were able to difcourfe of the fcriptures [1. 2. i5y deeds and praflice. (i.) They cry up the good o£ ignorance. They tell us, it is more rewardable to be ignorant than knowing: That de- vote people may, and ought, in their ancient right, ftill to ufe their Latin prayers, beads, and primers as ever before, notwithftanding what Paul faith, i Cor. xiv. and that they doubt not but it is acceptable to God, and available in all their neceffities; nay more, that they pray with great con- folation of fpirit, and with as great devotion and affet^ion, nay oftentimes more, than they that pray in the vulgar tongue §. And what are thefe prayers? They are Pfalmsy Pater * Rhemift's preface to their Annotations, with Cartwright's anfwer. «^ t Cardinal Hofias. \ Martin Perefius de Trad. p. 44. I Thyrraeus de Demoniac, c. 21. thef. 257. \ Rhem. Annot. on i Cor. xiv. Serm. I. They highly extol ignorance and implicit e faith. 27 Paternojler, Ave Maria ^ i\\c Creed, our Ladies Mat tins, Li- taniesy and the like. If a CathoHck called before the com- miflioners hath courage to fay, I am a Catholick, and I will die a Catholick, he dcfendeih himfelf fufficiently, fay they. But what if he be afked a reafon of his faith? He anfwers enough, if he tell them the church can give thera a reafon of all their demands *. ( 2 .) They cry up to the fkies an implicite faith. This is the collier's faith, and doth wonders f. (3. ) They have one trick more to debafe the fcripturcs, and dull the edge of peoples affections to them. Some doftors write moft unworthy things of the Bible; thefe they ap- plaud, that fo they may inftil flily and infenfibly into the minds of men by their authority, a very coarfe efteem of the word of God: as for example, Catharinus teftitieth of Cardinal Cajetan, that he denied the laft chapter of St. Mark, fome parcels of St. Luke, the epill-le to the Hebrews, the epiftle of James, the fecond epiftle of Peter, the fecond and third cpiftles of John, and the epiftle of Jude. This man they applaud very highly, call him the incomparable divine, publifli thefe things in their books ; and thus inftil by drops an evil opinion of the fcripturcs : and if the Pro- teftants objedl: this to them, they put it off, faying, he was but a private dodlor, what is that to their church. Their very priefts are ignorant j many of them underftand not their own mafs-book. A young man entered into difcourfe lately with fome priefts at Malaga in Spain ; he faluted them, and propofeci fome * Rhemift's Annot. on Luke xli. 11. f The Collier was fick; and being at tlie point of death, he was tempted of the devil what his faith was; the collier anfwered, '* L believe and die in the faith of Chi id's church." Being demanded by the devil, what the faith of the church v/as, *' That fairh that I believe in," quoth he ; and thus he bafled and nonplufs'd the devil, Staphylus and Gleardes both recite this ftory with approbation^ Albertus Pighius, Hierarcb. lib. i, cap. 5. and Holius cont. Pro- leg. Brcntii, lib. 3. p. 136. &c. I fliall here relate what happened a^ the convocation at Wefl- minfter : A difputaiioo is appointed b^ the council, nine popifk Bilhops and dodors on that lide; eight Proieilant doctors on the other fide; Sir Nicholas Bacoti Lord- keeper, moderator. The Crft queftion was about fervice in an unknown tongue. The firft day pafled with the Protettants; the4iicond day the popifh bifliops and do(5lors fell to cavilling againil the order agreed o^i, and the meet- ing is diflolved. Dr. Cole ftands up and decl.ue?, '^ I tell yoUj that ignorance is the mother of devotion." Fuller's hijiory. 'iS TJ:>€y fupprefs and burn the holyfcriptures. Serm. I. iome queftions to them in Latin, but ihey underftood not a word. Abp. Spottifwood tells us, That the cardinal per- lecuted men in Angus for reading the New Teftament : And that the ignorance of thefe times was fo great, that even the priefls did think the New Teftament was one of Martin Luther's books: He informs us alfo of a great con- tention among the churchmen, whether the Faier nofler^ or Lord's prayer, might be faid to the faints : It was brought to the univerfity ; fome of the dotftors faid, it might be faid to God fovmaltter, to th-3 faints materialtter ; to God princi' paliter, to the faints minus principaltter ; to God cap'iendojlricley to faints capiendo large : The doOors did not agree ; it was referred to a provincial fynod, where the queftion was agi- tated again. At laft it was refolved the Fater tiofier might be faid to faints *. Dr. White informs us, from his own experience, ho\y they faid their prayers : The creed thus, Creezum zuum Pa^ trum onitentum creatorwn ejus aniciim Dominuni nojlrum, qui rum fens Virgini Jllari^ crixus fixus Douche Pilatiy and fo on, lo Eccli Catholi rcmiJJ'erue peccaturum communiorum^ obliviorum hitam and turnam again. He a&ed an ancient woman, what Jefus Chrift was. She told him flie could not tell; but fure it was fome good thing, it would not have been with the Lady elfe in her creed f. (4.) They deilroy and burn the fcriptures, and thofe that love them. I will adduce three or four inftances : King Henry VIII. wrote to the French king for licence to print the Bible at Paris in Englifh, becaufe there was llore of priner and good workmen, as alfo to Bonner then Iciger in France to further it. At great charge it is afFcc^- cd ; but by means of Gardiner and his fellows, 2500 Bibles are feized and burnt openly in the Maulbert-place, Paris %, Upon the Duke of Guifc's perfecution, all the Bibles, Teframents, Pfalters, were fought for and openly burnt at Amiens. At Troys the Bibles were all rent and torn in pieces. At x^ngees they were openly burnt: One fair gilt Bible was hung upon an halbard and carried in proceiBon, the Papifts crying, Behold truth hanged, the truth of the Hugenots, the truth of all the devils §. In Ireland, the Bible was dragged, kennelled, cut, torn, ftampt Upon. A mar- ryr in .Q^ Mary's time pled the fcripture in his own defence : The bif!iop turning to a juftice faid, Nay, if he prates of the * Spottlfwocd's hiiiory of Scotland, annis 1544, '553* \ Or, While's way 10 the true church, preface. 4 Tox's Martyiology. § Clark's Martyjrology. Serm.I. Ohjeclioiis agalnjl reading the fcriptuyes^ anfwered, 29 the Bible, we fliall never have done. We have a law, and by our law he ought to die *. A bookfeller in Avignon was tried for felling French Bi- bles : When the bilhop of Aix, and the reft of the Prelates could not anfvver him, ihey gnafhed upon him with their teeth, and cried, To the lire prefently. He was led to his execution with two Bibles about his neck, one hanging be- fore, and the other behind ; and he and the Bibles were burned to afhes together f. A woman of Sanfay in France, was accufed by her fer- vant for having a Bible in her houfe, in reading whereof was her whole delight. The maid fervant complains of this to the Jefuits, the Jefuits to the judges ; fhe was appre- hended and imprifoned ; the judges told her, if fhe would confefs upon the fcafFold that fhe had broken the law, and caft her Bible into the fire, flie fliouid have her life. We would have you, faid they, imagine it to be but paj^er, and you may buy another, only throw this inio the lire to give the Jefuits content. Thus they laboured to perfuade her for the fpace of two hours. What a fcandal fhall I give, to the people, faid fhe, to burn God's book ? no certainly, I will never do it: I will rather burn my body than my Bible. Upon this fhe was committed clofe prifoner, fed with bread and water, at laft condemned, her Bible burnt before her face ; herfelf ftranglcd, and her body dragged through the ftreets to a dunghil. A woman in Ireland was required by Fitz-Patrick to burn her Bible. She faid fhe would rather die. The fab- bath-morning after, fhe and her hufband were cruelly mur- dered. The murderer tormented in confcicnce, and haunted witli apparitions of them, pined away with inward horror. There is no end of thefe. Dr. Story fiiid co a martyr. Thou prateft of the Bible : Bibble babble, all is bibble babble, thou fhalt prat ac a flake. Quefr. III. What ohjeciwns do they make againj} having and reading the fcriptures ? Objeft. I. Caji not holy things to dogs, nor pearls hef ere fijoine ; therefore the people muft not have the ufe of Bibles. Anfiv. This argument is fo horribly injurious to the wif- dom and mercy of God, and fo inhuman and barbarous to the rationality of man, that one would think it were rather flanderoufly impofed upon them, than propofcd by them. But Harding and his fellows alicdgc it in theiv anVvver to Bp * Bp Jewel's reply to Cole, f Fox's Martyr oio^y. 30 OhjeB. againjl reading the fcriptures^ attfivered, Serm. I. Bp Jewel j Hofius doth the fame ; and the Jefuits in their preface to the Rhem. Annot. but more flily. Salmeron and Cofterus give the fame reafon why the people are not to know the church-traditions. Canus faith, That the apoftles did by word of mouth deliver the fecrets of the gofpel to ibme men, and did not WTite and preach the whole of faith and duty to the churches; for, if they had done fo, they had gone againft Chrift's command, who faith, Give not holy things to dogSy and caft not pearls before fwine *. Harding and others tell us, that as the Hebrew letters had no vow- els, the feventy elders only could read ; the people being kept from it, as it is thought, by the fpecial providence of God, that precious flones fliould not be caft before fwine. A notorious daring untruth; for whether they had points or not, is not the queftion ; but fure the people could read, for they were exprefly commanded to write the words of the law, Deut. xi. 20. and they could write a bill of divorce. Paulus Fagius faith from the Rabbins, that through the whole country every town had a fchool, and that in Jerufa* lem there were fome hundreds : And in fo many fchools •was there no fcholar did know his letters ? Thus the poor people whofe fouls are precious; the people that are the church of Cod, whomChrift died to redeem with his blood, for whom and to whom the fcriptures were written, muft be deprived of them. What daring men are thefe ! Objedl. 2. The people will pervert the fcriptures ^ therefore they are jufly prohibited the ufe of them. Anjiv. This objection is every where to be found amongft their bifliops and Jefuits. One of the martyrs in Q^Mary's time broke its edge, and battered it all to pieces. Stephen Gratwitch, convened before Dr Watfon bifhop of Winchef- ter, tells him of bis cruelty in taking away the New Tefta- ment from him, which was for the health of his foul, and which all men ought to have for their foul's comfort ; and fo treating them more like beafts than Chriftians. No, faid the bifliop, we will ufe you as we would a child with a fharp knife; we will take it from him left he hurt him- felf with it : So, becaufe you will damn your foul with the Bible, you fhall not have it. My Lord, quoth he, this is a fimple argument to cover your fin : Are not you afhamed to make the word the caufe of our damnation ? But if your argument be good, you may take away from us our meat and drink, becaufe fome men do abufe them. My lords, faid Winchcfter, we lofe time, this fellow is per-" verfe, * Can. lih^ iii. c. 2. com. net. Serm. I. ObjeB* againjl reading the fcriptureSy anfwered, 31 verfe, he fpeaks nothing but fophiftry; we fhall get no ad- vantage againft him. Have at ye now ; Vv^ilt thou recant ? I will pronounce fentence. — There, there it is ; who can ftand before this argument ? If perverting fcriptures be any reafon for the non-read- ing of them -, then, of all men in the world, the popes, cardinals, priefts, Jefuits, fhould be prohibited. I will prefent you with a few inftances: Dr. Harding argues thus ; The Son of man came not to dejlroy^ hut tofeek andtofave that which is lojl : ErgOy In the facrament the accidents of bread and wine remain without their fubjefls The ax may net hoaji itfelf againj} him that lifteth it up : Ergo^ No man may dare to judge the pope, if he leads thoufands of fouls to hell. To the pure all things are pure : Ergo, It is not lawful for priefts to marry. Give not holy things to dogs : Ergo^ Prayers mult be in a ftrange tongue. / will fprinkle clean water upon you : Ergo,) The priefl: mult fprinkle the people v/iih clean water. Without me ye can do nothing: Ergo, The bifhop alone muft confecrate the church, Paul faith, The rock was Chrifl : Ergo^ The altar muft be of ftone. The earth is the Lord's ; the round world : ErgOy The hoft or facramental bread muft be round. God made the fun to rule the day^ and the moon the night : ErgOy The dignity of the pope is fifty-fix times bigger than the emperor's dignity. The thief upon the crofs repefited : ErgOy The prieft at mafs muft fetch a ligh, and knock his breaft. Judas kijfed Chrijl : Ergo, The prieft muft kifs the altar. Take the money in the mouth of the fifu, arid pay for me and thee : Ergo, i he pope is tiie head of the church. Bahy^ Ion is a cup of gold in the hand of the Lord : Ergo, The chalice muft be of filver or gold Thus I have given you a full dozen of inftances of their horrible abufe of fcripture ; and if it were necefTary, I could furnifh you with a dozen more. They are the greateft pei verters of fcripture ever were. They apply that to finful men, which is peculia; to the Lord Jefus; as, The pope is the light that cometh into the ■world. Thou hafl put all things under his feet, i. e. the pope's feet, fay they : The heafs of the field, i. e. men on earth : The fifh of the fea, i. e. fouls in purgatory : The fowls of the air, i. e. the fouls in heaven canonized by the pope. The ainbafTadors of Sicily thus fuppllc?te the pope, O thou, that takeft away the (ins of the world; have mercy upon lis : O thou that takeft av/ay the fins of the world, grant us thy peace. What nonfenfical inferences and blafphe- mous appUcations are thefe ! Objecl. 32 OhjeB. againjt reading the fcriptures^ anfwered, Serm. I. Obje£t. 3. ^he reading ofthefcriptures^ or hearing them ready hreeds herefy. ^ This objeclion is common amongfi: all their writers ; the council of Trent faith, that the fcriptures do more harm than good. What harm they do not tell. Why do not they fpeak out, and name the harm they did ; by whom, in what country, to whom, and in what particulars ? They fay experience manifefts it. But whofe experience ? None fare but their own. They found the fcriptures had difco- vered their tyranny, herefy, idolatry, pride, covetoufnefs, and innumerable villanies ; and this'^is the rife of their rage and enmity againfl them. " Wo be to our parifli priefts^ wo be to our bilhops, *' wo be to our prelates," faid a learned man of their own; yea, wo be to them indeed : They have not only taken anvay the key ofhioivledge^ but they reproach it as the key of he- refy. Would you know the rcafon, God*s book is full of truth, and their books are full of lies. It is to little purpofe to light up a candle where the fun fhines. Why fhould I name the fathers ? There were he- refies in their times. Irxneus, Epiphaneus, Auftin, and others reckon up about eighty : Bvit did they forbid the people to read and fearch the fcriptures ? No. They chide them becaufe they were not fkilful in them. Chryfoftom faith, " The Manichees and heretics deceive the fimple, ** but if we had our fenfes exercifed to difcern good and " evil, we might ealily refute them ; but how fliall we have ** our fenfes but by the ufe of the Icriptures ?" " Nothing " can deceive thefe that fearch the fcriptures. for they are *• light, which Ihining the thief is difcovered *." " Ig- ** norance of the word of God is the caufe of all thefe *' herefies f." Objefl. 4. The fcnpliires are ohfcure and dark y therefoi'e the laity Jhould not read them. For proof of this they adduce, 2 Pet. iii. 16. — In ivhich are fame things hard to he nnderftoody viz. in Paul's epiftles. Anfw. Although there be fome things dark and obfcure in fome of PauFs eplftles, and other parts of fcripture ; yet there are nothing dark in thefe that concern faith and holinefs, but the fame is abundantly plain in other texts. Infleud of this being an argument for not reading, it is a Orong one to read more frequently, and compare fcripture with fcripture, and alfo pray for the holy Spirit to teach us_ all things, and to enlighten the eyes of our underllandings. * Theoph. de Lazaro. f Irxneus. Seriti. I. OhjtEl, againji reading thefcriptures, anfiuered, 3^ If the fcriptures be hid, they are fo to the learned Papifts- How do they write and determine contrary to one another? Aquinas, Pighius, Gropper, and the divines of Colen are clear in the point of juftilication, and the imputation of Chrift's righteoufnefs : But how dark and ignorant is the council of Trent in that great point ? There is fcarce an article in which they do agree among themfelves, no not in the point of the pope's fupremacy. The fault is not in the object, biit in the faculty : The fcripture is light, but: we are dark. Men receive not the truth in the love of it, and God juftly lets them wander in the dark, and believe a lye. The noble Morney fhall conclude this, " The an- " cient fathers, fays he, did chide the people for not read- *' ing; the Trent council doth cUrfe them if they read, " Then, before the art of printing, bibles were fcarce and ** dear, now they are plenty and cheap. Thofe laboured to ** open the eyes of the people of God, bitt thefe endeavoUr " to put them out, and keep them in ignorance." Queft. IV. What defign hath the Papip in all this f Anfw. i. They vilify and difparage the fcriptures, that they may advance their own traditions. The Bible is their enemy, and therefore they are enemies to it. They hate it, for it never fpeaks good of them, nor their inventions, Hildebrand, a necromancer and murderer, who threw the hoft into the fire, becaufe it would not anfwer his demands, was the man that trampled on the fcripture, and advanced traditions. 2. They difpnrage the fcripture, to maintain their pride, and fupport their authority. They keep the fcriptures from the people, that they may depend upon them. '* I " fear, faith Krafmus, the reafon of forbidding thi; reading *^ of the fcriptures, is not fo much the danger that people ** may run into by knowledge, but rather that they may *' refort unto them as oracles." — ** Whereas many things " are taught to be obferved, faith one of their own party *, " which are not exprefly mentioned in fcripture, will not •* the fimple people obferving this, murmur and complain ?" Here is the nail upon the head, or the fow by the right ear, as the proverb runs. Dr. Harding gives this as a reafon why the people mtift not have the Bible, They will defpife and mock rhe fitnpli- city of the church, in thofc things which ll'r ufeth as pap rmd milk to nouriih her tender babes ; thnt is, They will defpife what Qod would have ihem to defpife, viz. the an- E ''-ick * Petrus Siitor de Tralat. Biblia?, cap. 22, 34 OhjeB. againjl reading the fcnptureSy anfivered, Serm^ I. tick poftures, gefturcs, ^6- in their fuperftitioiis, idala- trous worfliip in an unknown tongue. Let us fee what the pope hit-nfelf fiiith. Dr. Stillingfleet and Dr. Moulin cite a remarkable paiTige to th's purpofe which I Ihall here relate: The bilhops meet at Bononia to confult with Pope Paul III. how the dignity of the Pioman fee might be upheld, as it began to totter. They propofe different fchemes ; at laft they agree. That as little of the gofpel as poflible might be read in the cities of his jurifdi<^ion, efpecially in the vulgar tongue; and that what is in the mafs would be fufficient. The reafon they affign is, That the fcriptures, above all others, had raUed thefe tempefts and whirlwinds with which we are aim oft cirried away. A very honed:, true and ingenious confeffion ! Indeed, it would be no hard matter to ihow how that not only their practices, but their very do(Strines are repugnant to the fa- craments. Lord's prayer, the creed, and ten command- ments. This is the true reafon why they vilify the fcriptures, which i« acknowledged here by their own bifhops. III. The fcriptures are to be tranflated into vulgar tongues. We have proved already they are to hear and read them; and that they were written by divine appoint- ment for them ; therefore they ought to be tranflated. What the better am I of an Indian or Welfli Bible, if I un- derftand it not? Methinks the gift of tongues, whereby fo many nations heard the wonderful things of God in their own language, Aifts ii. fhould convince every one of the neceflity of this. Gifts are for others, for the edification of the body, Eph. iv. 7. — 14. This was, as to the way of attainment, extraordinary ; but now fkill in languages is attained by ordinary means : So that I may fay of tranfla- ting the Bible, what Kentigern, a billiop in Wales, about die year jco, was wont to fay of preaching, viz, " They ** that are againft preaching God's word, envy the falvation <' of mankind.'' L^'philas tranflated the Bible Into the Gothifh tongue, a- bout 1300 years ago, that the barbarous might learn the truth of God. Very many of the Goths were converted, and becaufe they forfook the religion of their fathers, viz. Paganifm, they were put to death by Athanaricus, and died martyrs for Chriil *'. Many trandations have been of the Hebrew text into Greek ; but thofe of it into Latin are numberlefs. Tranflations were made into tlie Paleftine, Theban, Phe- iiician, ♦ Socr. Eccl. hid. 1. ^. c. 27. Serm. f. OhjeEl. agahtfl reading the fcriptures^ anfiverod, 3^ nician, Arabic, and Lybian tongues * : Yea, into all Chri- ftian tongues f. It is very remarkable, that God gave to Jeremiah what the Jews fhould fay when they were in Babylon, not in the Hebrew, but in the Chaldee tongue, which the Babylo- nians fpokc, that they might underftand what was fpokc, Jer. X. I I . Thus Jhall ye fay unto them^ The gods that have vol made the heavens and the earthy they Jfjall perijij. And Daniel expounds Nebuchadnezzar's dream to him in the Chaldee tongue, which is here the original. Several chapters are in the Chaldee language. Why did Uaniel write tliem in that language, and not \n the Hebrew, unlefs it were God's defign that men (hould know their own concerns in their own tongue ? What an irrarional an-d abominable thing then is it in the council of Trent, to forbid the tranflaiing of the fcriptures ? How deftriidtive to the immortal fouls of men is fuch a prohibition ? Eulebius inclines to judge that Mofes was tranflated into Greek before the Perlian monarchy. Numenius a Pytha- gorean philofopher aflerts, that what Plato wrote of God and the world, he dole it from Mofes. Pythagoras, Plato, and Ariftotle were all but plagiaries from Mofes. Ptolemy Philadclphus caufed the Hebrew to be tranflated into Greek, and received it with great veneration 1. Other tranflations there were that went under the name of Sep- fuagint. This the Eunuch wa§ reading in his chariot; and Luke fets it down as in the Greek, and not in the Hebrev/ original. Philip expounds it to him ; the Eunuch believes, is baptized, and goes on his way rejoicing, AxHis viii. 26, ^c. a good argument for tranflating the fcripture into known tongues. Obje<5t. This if and hath continued in the faith i^co years 'without Bibles till of late, Anfw. This is falfe. Conftantine commanded the Bible" to be written and fent abroad into all countries, and king- doms of his dominions, whereof Britain was one. Adci- ftane King of England caufed it to he tranflated into the Englifh tongue. Beda a loco years fince tranflated the go- fpel of John into Englifh, and he faith. Five nations, Bri- tons, Englifh, Picls, Scots, Latins, did converfe with one truth, one Bible §. Obje^. JVhaty the fcripture tranfated into barbarous tongues ? Anfw. Barbarous, vulgar tongues, makes a rancorous noil \r^ * Bafil. in epift. ad Neocacfar. f Ifidor. de ccclef offic. c. 10 X Jofephuj Aniiq. lib. 12. c. i, 5. § Bed. Eccl. hift, lib. i. 36 ObjeSi. againji nadhtg the fcripiuns ^ anfivered. Serm. I. jiolfe : But the Bible is holy in any language ; and that language is holy that knows how to worfhip God, and blefs Jeltis. Paul calls every tongue barbarous that is not under- ilood, I Cor. xiv. 11. and lo all the prayers of the Papiils are barbarous, bccaufe not hnderftood by the people. The council allows no tranflation to be, authentic but the old Latin, which they prefer above the original. This tranf- lation abounds with great faults, on purpcfe to defend their errors and idolatries. Take an example or two : Gen. iii. 15. Be fiall hruife the ferpe fit's head; io the He- brew, and fo the 70 tranflate it. In the laft Latin edition ict forth by Clement VIIL it \% Jhe^ viz. the Virgin Mary, Jhall bi;eak the ferpent's head. This tranflation is flill followed by them, although a confefHd corruption of the text, and no man in writing, preaching or difputing, dare ufe any othei'. Exod. xxxiv, 29, 30. The Jkin of his face fione i they rea|d, They faiv his face horned : Hereupon they picture Mofes with a pair of horns, for which the Jews curfe the Chriltians, as if they thought Mofes to be a devil. Heb. xi. 21. Jacob luorfhipped leaning dn the top of his faff } they read, Jacob tvorfjipped the lop of his rod. Let us ferioully reflect what a rich mercy and great privi- lege we enjoy in having the fcriptures in our mother-tongue \ they are able to make us wife unto falvation. fiierom, Au{l:in, Luther, Calvin, and all our reformers, ftrain for cxpreflions to fet forth their excellency ; let us not be dull and ftupid, but improve the day of our merciful vifjtation. liCt us abhor Popery, which endeavours to maintain its kingdom of darknefs, although it fliould be. to the fliutting tip of fouls in everlafting darknefs. — Let us pray that God would blaif it, and preierye us from ever falling under its yoke ; for if that prevail we muft lofe our Bibles, and un^ lefs we fubmit to lofe the truth and our own fouls, we muft lofe our bodies alfo. They have waded through a fea of blood to deftroy the wprd of God, and^they will do fo f\ill. Lafly, By hearing, reading, prayer, and meditation, let every one of us labour to be expert in the word; Apollos was mighty in the fcriptures. To flirup your hearts, con- sider, I. The author, the moft holy and only wife God, Rom. xvi. 27. I Tim. i. 17. It is what the Spirit, the Spirit of glory, of holinefsj of truth, faith to the chiuxhes, Rev. ji. and iii. chapters. 2. The matter, our Lord Jefus : Here are all treafures of wifdom and knowledge ; here are the" com^ma^^ds-pf God, full, pJain, pure, evcrlnfting ; here .are " "' ■ the Serm. IL The fcripture the alone rule of faith and mafmers, 37 the promifes exceeding great, free, precious, which are all vea and amen in Chriil \ here are the works of God's crea-^ tion, providence and redemption, which the philofophers knew not. 3. The office of it, to inftru^l, to give under* (landing, to convince of fin, of wrath, of a Saviour^ to begin and increafe holinefs, and produce peace of coni'cience. 4. The end, to make wife unto falvation, through faith in Chrift Jefus. SERMON II Dr. M A N T O N. The Scripture is the alone rule of faith and manners, without any fupplement of un- written traditions. 2 ThefT ii. 15. Therefore , brethren^ Jland fajl^ and hold the traditions ivhich ye have heen taught ^ ivhether by ivordy or Qlir epijlh' 'T'^HE apoftle, after lie had comforted the Thefialonians, X exhorteth them to conftancy in t]\e truth, whatever temptations they had to the contrary. The comforts he propoundeth to them were taken, t; From their election, ver. 13. 2. From their vocation, ver. 14. His exhortatiorji is;to perfeverance : Therefore ^, brethren^ &c. In "the words obferve, i. The illative particle thercfire j becaufe God hath chofen you and called vou, and given you iuch advat'itages againl\ error and fedudlion. '•2.» The duty inferred. Stand fojl: It is a military word. Yoii have the fame in i Cor. xvi- i ^. Watch ye^ Jland fafl^ Set. and Eph. vi. :I4. Stand therefore^ having your loins gii-t absut with truth. The word intimateth perfeverance. 3. The means of perfeverance. Hold the traditions ivhkh ■ • :bn'i:e been tanght^ ' whether, lyy word or our epifle. Where obfefrvc, ;i.: The v3(:7. 2. The objcci. . ;. . I. The.^w, /Wf/'W.ith ftrong hand. The word impb'eth a forcible Jaoldtrtig-jatgni aft alTault^j. whether of errdr or per* feciition. 38 The fcr'ipture the alone rule of faith and manners. Serm. II. fecution. The Theflalonlans were aflaulted in both kinds; the heathens perlecuted them, and fome were gone abroad that began the myfery ofjfiiquityy and were ready to pervert them. 2. T\\t object ; which is propounded, i. By a common and general term, the traditions luhich ye have been taught. 2. By a diftribution, whether by ivord or our cptfile. \fly The common 2ii\d general teruij the traditions ivhich ye have been taught. There are two ibrts of traditions, human aijd divi^^. 1. Human traditions are certain external obfervances inftituted by men, and delivered from hand to hand, from progenitors to their porterity. Thefe may be either befides or contrary to the word of God : i . Befide the word ; as the inftiiutions of the family of the Rechabites, in the ob- fervance of which from father to fon, they were fo exaft and punctual, that God produccth their example to fliame the difobedience of his people, Jer. xxxv. 6, 7. 2. Con- trary to the word of God ; fuch as were thofe of the Pha- rifees, Matth. xv. 3. Jl'^hy do ye tvanfgrefs the commandment cf God by your tradition F Human inventions in rehgion are contrary to, and deftrudtive of divine laws. 2. Traditions divine, are either heavenly doclrines re- vealed by God, or inflitvuions and ordinances appointed by him for the ufe of the church Thefe are the rule and ground of faiih, woriliip and obedience. The whole doc- trine of the gofpel is a tradition delivered and conveyed to us by fit n-icilengers, luch as the apoftles were, \ Cor. xi. 2. No'Wy I praife you, brethren^ that ye remember me in all things y and heep the ordinances y marg. Traditions y as I delivered them to you. So that holding the traditions is nothing elfe but per- severance in apoftolical dodtrine. idlyy The dijlribution : That no cheats niight be put up- on them under any pretence ; therefore, he faith. Whether by word^ or our epijlle ; that is, by ivord of mouth when pre- fent, or by epifle wlien abfent. And he faith, not cpifllesy but epfile ; as alluding to the former wrote unto them : They were bound to yield to both alike credence and obe- dience 5 for wliether in fpeakingt)r writing, the apoftolical authority was the f;tme. To improve this verfe for your benefit, I fliall lay down feveral proportions. Prop. I. lliat Vv'hatevcr aflurance we have of God's pre- ferving us in the truth, yet we are bound to \\{c diligence, and caution -, for the apoftle liad faid. That God had chofen 'dud called them to xX\c belief of the truth ; and yet faith, There- fore, Serm. II. God^s decree is both of end a?id means, 3'9 forey brethren^ Jland fcift. Reafon will tell us, That when we intend an end we muft ufe />6^ means ^ otherwife the bare intention /^nd delire would fuffice, and then the fluggard would be the wifed man in the world ; but common expe- rience flieweth that the end cannot be obtained without a diligent ufe of the means, Prov. xiii. 4. Our bufinefs at this time is to enquire, Whether God's eledlion, calling, or promife, doth fo fecure the end to us, as that we need not be careful in the diligent ufe of the means ? I. God's decree is of both ends and means ; for all his purpofes are executed by fit means. He that hath chofcn lis tofalvation, bringeth it about by the belief of the truth and fanciification of the Spirit ^ 2 Theif. il. 13. And nuithout faith ^nfXholinefs no 7nan fhall fee God, and efcape condemnation. God had alTured by Paul, That thers Jhoidd be no lofs of any man^s life among them y except of the fiipy Acts xxvii. 22. and yet afterward, ver. 31. Paul telleth them, Except thefe abide in the fjipy ye can?iot be faved. How could that aflurance given to Paul from God, and Paul's caution to the mariners ftand together } Doth the purpofe of God depend upon the uncertain will and actions of men ? I anfwer not as a caujCy from whence it receiveth its force and ftrength, bur as a means appointed alfo by God to the execution of his decree ; for by the fame decree God appointcth the event what he will do, and the means by which he will have it to be done ; and the Lord revealing by his word this conjunc- tion of ends and means, there is a neceffity of duty lying upon man to ufe thele means, and not to expect the end without them. God intended to lave all in the fliip, and yet the mariners muft abide in the Ihip; therefore what God hath joined together let no man feparate : If we fepa- rate thcfe things, God doth not change his counfel, but we pervert his order to our own defcruilion. 2 God who hath bid us believe his promifes, hath for- bidden us to tempt his providence, Matth. iv. 7. Now we tempt God, when we delire him to give an extraordinary proof of his care over us, when ordinary means v/ill ferve the turn, or be ufeful to us. 3. Though the means feem to have no connexion with the end; yet if God hath enjoined them for that end. we muft ufe them. As in the inftance of N laman, God was refolved to cure him, but Naaman mvH: take his prefcribed way, though againft his own fancy and conceit, 2 Km^^s v. 10. Wafh in Jordan feven times ^ and thy fef) fjjall come agdn 4t) // is our duty to Jl^and fafi m the faith. Serm. IL unto thee^ and thou fialt be clean. Compare ver. 13. Ifth^ prophet had bidden thee do fame great things &c. So John ix. 6, 7. the blind man mull; fubmit to have his eyes anointed with clayy and ^.vajh in the pool of Stioam ; though the clay feemed to put out his eyes, rather than cure them. 4. That when God's will is exprefly declared concerning the event, yet he will have the means ufed ; as for inflance, 2 Kings XX. 5, 6, 7. God was abfolutely refolved to add ffteen years more to Hezekiah's life, yet he muft take a lump offigSi and lay it en the boll : Which plainly fbeweth that no promife ors God's part, nor affnrance on ours, hindereth the •ufe of means; God will Avork by them, not without them. 5. In Ipiritu'il things, affurance of the event is an cncou-^ ragement to induftry, not a pretence to floth, i John ii. 27, 28. Te fall abide in him : and now. Little children abide in him. The promife of perfeverance doth encourage us to life endeavours that we may perfevere, and quicken dili- gence rather than nourilh fecurity, or open a gap to carnal liberty. Prop. IT. Our duty is to (land fall in the faith of Chrifl, and profeilion of godlinefs, whatever temptations we have to the contrary. Stand fafhting a military word, alludeth to a foldier's keeping his ground 5 and is oppofed to two things, 1. A cowardly flight. 2. A treacherous revolt. 1. A cowardly flight, implieth our being overcome in the evil-day, by the many afflictions that befal us for the truth's fake, Eph. iv. 13. Wherefore take to you the 'whole ar- mour of God, that ye may be able to luithfand in the evil-day ^ and having done all, to fand. Their temptation was the many troubles and perfecutions that befel them, called there the evil day. Their defence lay in the ivhole armour of God, which is of fix pieces, the girdle of truth ov fincerity ; the breaf 'plate of righteoufnefs ; \\\c field of faith -, the helmet of hope; the fjoe of the preparation of the go/pel of peace ; and the fword of the Spirit, luhich is the luord of God. Now, if we take this armour and ufe it in our conflidls, what doth it ierve for? to ivithftand, ^ndf/and ,- the firft is the aTies filenced the profeffion of it ; but ftill from age to age God's truth is received and tranfmitted to pofterity. 2. Becaufe the proof of Chriftianity depending upon matter of facl:, chiefly Chrlft's rifing from the dead, it can only be proved by a teftimony, which in fo extraordinary a cafe mult be valuable and authorized to the world by the miracles accompanying it. Now the notice of thefe things is brought to us by tradition, which being unquel^ionable, giveth us as good ground of faith as it did to them that lived in the apoftles time, and heard their doftrine, and faw their miracles. God's wonderful works were never intended for the benefit of that sge only in which they were done, but for the benefit alfo of thofc that Ihould hear of them by any credible means whaifocver, V{dX. cxlv. 4. Joel. i. 3. Pfal. Ixxviii. ^2 *The fcripture is the alone ruhy Sec, Serm.II. Ixxviii. 3, 4, 5, 6^ 7. Thefe things were told them i/:at they might fet their hope in God, &c- 3. i3ecaufe there are fome doctrines drawn by juft confe- quence from fcripture, but are the more confirmed to us when they are backed with conftant church uiage and prac- tice; as baptifm of infants. Lord's day, finging of pfalms ia our pubhc worfhip, ^c. 4. Becaufe there are certain words which are not found in fcripture indeed, yet agreeable thereunto, and are very ufeful to difcover the frauds of heretics, as Trinity, divine providence, confubftantial proceffion of the Hoy Ghoft, iatisfaftion, k^c. 5. We reject not all church hiftory, or the records of ancient writers concerning the providences of God in their days, in owning the gofpel, which make much for our in- flruction in manners, and are helps to encourage us to put our truft in God 6 There are certain ufages and innocent cuftoms, or circumftances common or facred, and other a6lions, which we defpife not, but acknowledge and receive, as far as their own variable nature and condition requireth ; not reje in this life and the other. In this life, Dives had his good things, the whole of his happinefs; and Lazarus his cvilthifigs^ all the forrow and mifery he was ever to endure. In the other life, Lazarus is in Abraham*! hofom, a place and ftate of reft; and Dives in hell, a ftate of mifery, and place of torment ; where, being deeply affccSted with his now woful condition, he is defirous, if not of re- lea fe, 54 Explication of the text, Scrm HI. leafe, as defpairing of that, yet at leaO of a little eafe ; to dip but even the tip of his fajger iti water and cool his tongue ^ which is denied. He defires his torment might not be en- creafed by his brethrens coming to him, who we may fup- pofe to have been his fellow Tinners : Or, if you allow lb n-iuch charity among the damned, he requefts that Lazarus might be fent to admonifh them for their good, that they might be brought to a timely repentance. But he is told, that God hath made a fufEcient provifion for them in his written word, They hav£ Mofes and the prophets^ by whofc writings if tliey were not perfuaded to repent, a miracle, fiich Hs Lazarus rifing from the dead, would not perfuade them. Hence I infer. That the holy fcripture is fufficient in itfelf, and moft effedlually able to convince men of the truth of thofe things which are contained in it. It was fo then, why not now ? Mofes and the prophets were fo, why are not the apoftles and evangelifts? It had formerly more virtue to convince men than a miracle itfelf, and now, it feems, it hath lefs than a council. It could then do more than a man from the dead, now it can do lefs than a weak lin- ful pope. Whence hath it loft its life and power, its au- thority and efficacy ? Our great enquiry then in this difcourfe will be. Upon what account we believe the fcripture to be the word of God ? Whether upon the authority of God, or the church ? — They have Mofes and the prophets, let thetn hear them. If you allow the Papifts to anfwer, they will tell you. Upon the fole authority of the church, or, becaufe the church declares it to be the word of God ; and that with- out the authority of the church it hath very little authority or weight in it. But that we may give the beft account of the controverfy before us, we fliall, I. Explain the terms. ir. Lay down the ftatc of the queftion. \\\, Confirm the truth alTeried. IV. Anfwer the popifli objections. V. Make application of the whole. I. For explication of the terms, let us fee, I . What we mean by the fcripture ? By that we under- hand the word of God, declaring his mind concerning mens duty and happinefs, or teaching us what we are to be- lieve concerning God, and how wc are to obey him. The word of God and the fcripture are the fame materially, and differ only in this. That the word of God doth not in iifclf imply its being written, nor exclude it; but the fcrip- ture fignifies the fame word commiLted to writing. 2. What Serm. III. What is meant by fcripturcy authority^ &c. 55 2. "What Is meant by authority ? Authority is the power of commanding or perfuading, arifing from fome excellency in the thing or perfon vefted with it. When we fpeak of authority of fcripture, and aflc from whence it hath it ? wc enquire whence it is that the fcripture perfuades, convinces, or binds us to believe it as the word of God ? Whether it hath thisjiuthority from fome inherent excellency in itfelf, or from fomething foreign and extrinfical to it ? 3. What we mean hy faith ^ when it is demanded, Why we believe the fcripture to be the word of God ? Faith fo far as it concerns the underltanding, is an afTent yielded to Something propofed under the appearance of truth, built upon the tertimony of another. Our faith therefore is ac- cording as the teilimony for ihe fake of which we believe it ; if we receive any thing upon the teftimony of men, it is a human faith ; if upon the authority of God, it is divine. Now, when we fpeak of believing the fcripture to be the word of God, we fpeak of fuch a faith as hath God for its author, the truth believed for its obje that the fcripture is not the word of God : Whereas, on the other fide, the Papift's religion is built merely on men, an'd their faith hath no more cer- tainty than thofe men have infallibility. There is nothing certain nor folid among them, nothing able to behr the weight of an immortal foul, or to venti^re everla(Hng fliU vation upon. I fee no fuch thing as a truly divine faith among them, unlefs it be therefore divitie, becaufe built tipon the authority of their Lord God the Pope, In the mafs at the eleiStlon of him, they apply that to him which is faid of the Holy Ghoft, t ivill pnr^ the Father, and he nvill fe?id you another Comforter, John xiv. 16. 2. Our religion is more comfortable, as well as more ccr-* tain. Out faith being built upon the trurh of GgkI him- 82 Exhortation to believe the fcripture upon fblid grounds. Ser.IIL felf, and our comfort upon our faith. If our faith hath good footing, our hopes and comforts- will keep their ftand- ing. Faith in the promifes is that whence all the comfort of our hearts, and our rejoicing in hope of the glory of God doth proceed. A Chriftian's joy is joy in believing, his peace the peace of God, and his comforts the comforts of the Holy Ghort; but this can never be if our faith be founded im- mediately on the teflimony of men, and not of God, or if we believe the promifes of the word to be made by God, becaufe men tell us he made them. So long as u^e hold to ihcftireivordy we have fure hopes, and fure comforts, and no longer ; and therefore a Papift can never have any ftrong confolation by his faith, when his faith itfelf hath fo weak a foundation. How can they ever rejoice in hopes of hea- ven, when they believe there is a heaven with no better H faith than they believe a pope or council to be infallible ? It is to little purpofe to fay they believe there is a heaven, becaufe God in the fcripture tells them fo, when they would not have believed one title of that veiy fcripture, if a pope or council had not bid them believe it; and fo their hopes and comforts depend not on the real infallibility of the God of truth, but on the pretended infallibility of one fingle prelate at Rome, or a convention of them at Trent. From filch a foundation for our faith, and fuch comforters of our confciences, The Lord deliver us ! By this you muft gather what you muft do, if you would be Papifts ; you muft renounce your reafon and faith too, and enflave your confciences to the authority of men: You mull hazard your eternal peace and welfare on the credit of one, who may be himfelf a murderer, an adulterer, a Sodomite, a necromancer, a blafphemer, an heretic, and may be fo far from being faved himfelf, that he may, as fome Papifls acknowledge, carry whole care-loads of fouls to hell with him ; yet dill he is infallible, and you muft tamely ftibmit to his, or the church's tyrannical dictates. And if i.t fhc.ild ever come to this, would not Smithfield be as hot a' place as the plain of Dura, if every one that %vculd not fall down and worfhip this great golden idol. Holy Churchy fliould be caft into the burning fiery furnace. Ufe 3. And therefore to prevent this, and that your faith may be firm and immoveable, not ftanding in the authori- ty or wifdom of men, but in the power and truth of God ; that your hearts may be full of comfort, your lives full of holinefs, your deaths full of fweetnefs, and that you may be more than conquerors over all thofe temptations where- by the wicked one may at any time affault your faith ; be fufc Ser. III. Exhortation to believe thefcripiun upon folid grounds, 83 fure that you believe the fcripture upon foJid and lafting grounds; iruft the authority of no mere man nor company of men in the world, in a buiinefs on which the everlafting bleflednefs, or mifery of your fouls doth depend. Hear Mofes and the prophets; hear the apoftles and evangelifts : M^e are fure God fpake by them, and they never err; a? :] popes and councils, we are fure they have erred, and iDi } do fo again ; and fo may ycur parents that hrft in- liru^ted you. If you come in a Papift's way, and hear talk of Peter's lucceflbr, Chrill's vicars, catholic churches, ge- neral councils, infallibilities, long fuccefiions, apoftolical traditions, you do not know what kind of ipirit I'uch con- juring words may raife up ip you : You may be apt to think^ the major part, as you will be told, muft carry it, and fo determine your faith by the votes of men : And wherea? before your faith was built upon the credit of a parent, or a paftor, now build it upon the credit of a great many, or a great one in the name of all the reft. Foj* my part, 1 IhaU never wonder to fee ill-grounded Proteftants, eafily tura Papifts ; They are femi-Papifts already, and they rnay fooii be wholly fuch ; they have a Pope at home, and if they dc> not like him, they may eaiily exchange him for another a- broad : He that pins his faith upon one man's fleeve may foon do it upon an others ; h£ is already a church-Papift^ and may foon be a mafs-one.. And therefore, to conclude^ Whoever thou art, if thou have not formerly done it, fearcli thyfelf now, ere Satan iift thee : Try thy faitl;i in the fcrip- ture, that it may be approved ; fee whofe image and fuper- fcription it bears, wliat foundation it |iath, what afifiuer thou canfl give to any one that ajks thee a reafon of it ; nayy what anfwer thou canft give thylelf. Allc thyfelf. Why do I believe the Bible to be the word of God ? " How do I know it was not the invention of men ? By what arguments, by what authority was I induced to give my aflent to ic ^ Do I take it merely on the credit of thofe of whom I ,vvai; born, among whom I was bred, with whom I have con- verfed ? Is this a luflklent foundation for my faith ? Dare I venture my foul upon fuch a bottom ? Is this to build my houfe upon a rock ? PIoav near the Papifts am I come ere I was aware of it ? I fpit at them, and defy them, and yet act- like them, if not below them ; and can fcarce fay as mucli for my faith, as they can for theirs." If this be thy condi- tion, begin quickly and try to get thy f.iith well fettled, and upon its right bafis, or I dare fay thou wilt never keep thy faith at the expence of thy life, but rather turn ten times, than burn once. If thou haft therefore any regard to tl^^c conitancy §4 Exhortation to hikve thefcripure uponjclid ^roumb. Ser. Ill- conftancy of thy faith, to the comfort of thy life, the ho- tiour of God, or the falvation of thy own foul, labour im- mediately to get thy belief of the word bettor founded. Read the fcripiure conftantly, ftudy it ferioiifly, fearch it tiiligently ', hear it it explained, and applied by others ; me- ditate on it thyfelf, and beg of God an underftanding of it, and a right faith in it ; that he would give thee^w heart id perceive, and eyes to fee ^ and ears to hear^ Deut. xxix. 4. that he would open thine eyes to behold ivondrotts things out cf his laiv^ Pfal. cxix. 18. that he would give thee his Spirit, that thou fnayft fearch the deep things of God^ i Cor. ii. 10. that he Tvould caufe thee to hear Iris voice in that Word which thou haft hitherto taken to be his, and direiSt thy heart into the fureft grounds of believing it. And hold on in fuch a way of painful endeavours for getting thy faith fettled, till it be done ; ^f-d t)e fure what thou haft hitherto received on the Account of man, thou now believeft for the fake of God himfelf. I deny thee not the teftiinony of the univerfal church of Ch rift in ;ill ages, fo far as thou art capable of knowing it, as well as of the prefent church, or any parti- cular one to whith thou art any way related, as an help to thee ; make the beft thou canft of ir, only reft not on it : But efpecia]lyobferve,if thou fceft the f?amp of God, charac- ters of divinity imprinted on the word ; confider its anti- quity, the continuance of it, the miracles that confirmed it, the condition of the men that penned it, their aims, theii* carriage and converfation, God's providence in keeping it, and handing it down to thee through fo many fucceffive ge- nerations, when fo many in all ages would have bereaved the world of it : And further, confider the majefty and gravity, yet plainnefs and fimplicity of its ftile, the depth of the myftcries it difcovers, the truth and divinenefs of the doiStrine it teacheth, the fpirituality of the duties it enjoins, the power and force of the arguments with which it? per- luades, the eternity of the rewards it promifes, and the pu- nilhment it threatens ; the end and fcope of the whole, to reform the world, to diJbountenance and exiiipate wickcd- nefs, and promote holincfs and righteoufnefs, and thereby ?idvance God*s glory, and lead man to everlafting blefted- nefs, bfc. A-nd be fure leave not oft', till thou find thy faith raifed from fo low a bottom as the auihoviiy of men, and fixed on God's own teftimony ; till ihovi canft fafely and boldly fay, " I believe the fcripture now to be the word of "God, not becaufc I have heard men fay ^Oy but becaufe f_ hear God himfelf in this very fcripture bearing witncls to it 3 lijs ^piiit has giveu ^le ^lew eyes, and enabled aic to fee Scr.III. Exhortation to believe the fcrtpture upnfolid grounds, Z^ the diviiienefs of it. I know and'am fure that this is the word ot God j never mere man ipake at iVich a rate; never did the word of: man work f'uch etFc^ls. The entrance of it hath given light to ray Ibul, which was before in darknelV, not knowing whither I went. How many glorious myfte- ries do I fee in it ; what purity, what fpirituality, what ho- linefs, ^(T. all which fpeak the v/ifdom, po^\Tr, goodnefs, holineis, and truth of the author of it ^ What Iweetnefs have I tafted ia it ? it hath been as the hcny^ and hoJiey-comb to me : What life and power have I experienced in it ! What a change hath it v/rought in me ! what lufts hath it difco- vered and mortified ! what duties hath it convinced me of, and engaged me In ! How haih it quickned me v/hen I was dead in fin; revived my comforts when they were dying, adluated my graces Vv'hen they were languiihing, rouzed me up when I was fluggilh, awaked me when I was dreaming, refreihed me when I was forrowful^ fupported me when I was linking ; anfwered my doubts, conquered my tempta- tions, fcattered my fears, enlarged my defires, and filled me w'lih joy unfpeakable ! And what word could have wrought iuch effects, but that of the eternal, all-wife, all-powerfui God ? And therefore upon his alone authority I receive it. Him alone I adore in It, whofe power 1 have found fo often working by it. I duifi: venture ^n hundred (buls if 1 had them, and an hundred heavens if there were fo many, upon the truth And divine authority of this word ; and Ihould not hefitate, not only to give the lie to the moft profound^ molt invincible, irrefragable, afigelical, ^nd/eraphical dociOis *, nay, and infcdHhU popes and couwcils too, but even to fay ana- thema to angels and feraphims ihemfdves, if they Ihould tclj me the fcripture were not the word of God." Chriftian, get but fuch a faith of the word as this into thy heart, and then thou mayeft defy fcoffers, atheifis, Papifts. Tho' they deride thee, thou wilt not eafily be laughed out of thy fenfes, nor overcome by mens jeers, to diflielieve what thou hail: feen and felt. If tbey will not believe as thou doli, thou Ihalt never be brought to play the Infidel as they do. Thou wilt not deny what thou plainly {cc:'^^ becaufe others who have no eyes do not perceive it, no more than tliou wilt ceafe to admire the glory of the fun, becaufe birds of the night care not for looking on it. Sure I am, fuch per-- fons either fhut their eyes againft the light, -or God hath not yet in mercy opened them, or hath in judgment clofed them up ; for four go/pel be hid, it ;.. kid to ihcni that ar^ Ifl, 2 Cor. iv. 3. S E R^ * Swch titles the Papills give their fchoolmen. Si5 Pope and councils not infallible., Scrm. IT. SERMON IV. maassa^SMBa Mr, POOLE, Pope and Councils not infallible Matth. xxill. 8, 9, TO. But be not ye calkd Rabbi ^ for one is your Majicr, even ChriJ}, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth ; for one is your Father nvhich is in heaven. Neither be ye called majhrs ; for one is your Maflery even Chrif\ THE but in the beginning of thefe words hath a mani- feft refpect unto the foregoing verfes, wherein our blelfed Saviour defcribes and cenfures the ambition and ufurpation of the fcribes and Pharifees. He tells you, ver. 5. All their luorks they do to be feen of mm ; not for the plea- ling of God, but for gaining of reputation amongll men ; not for the fatisfaction of their own confciences, but for vain glory and oftentation. "^Xhey made broad their phylaFte- ries ; the phyla£leries were little fcrols of parchment which ihe Jews did wear upon their arms, or upon their foreheads, wherein they writ fome parcels of the law of God. How folidly grounded that practice was, I fhall not now examine: But the fcribes and Pharifees made thefe phyla^leries larger and broader than the reft of the Jews, that they might gain that refpe Psiev^ Serm. IV. And fo were all the reft of the apoftles, Eph. ii. 20. 1 ou are built upo7j thefoimdatmi of the apojiles and prophets ^ i. e. up- on the dextrine delivered by them, ^he luall of the city ha'd twelve foundations^ and in them the names^ of the twelve apofles cftheLamhy Ptev.xxi. 14. Here is no prerogative of Peter, but all are equally foundations. 2. The promife of infallibility doth not belong to Peter, but to the church. The gates of hell fuall not prevail againjl it : Againfl what or whom ? Not the rock upon which the church is built, but the church built on that rock. He doth not fay, The gates of hell Jljall not prevail againjl thee, nor again fi: thy fuccelTors, but it jljall not prevail againjl the church; fo that although Peter dies, and his fucceffors fhould prove apoftates from the faith^ yet ftill the church remains built upon the rock. 3. This promife is made to the true invifible and fincerc profeflbrs of the gofpel church ; for it is manifeft the gates of hell did and do prevail againft all other perfons, except the fincere profefTors of the gofpel, therefore thofe perfons that are faid to be infallible and fecure againft all denger, are only the true and invifible members of the church. (2.) They alledge, Luke xxii. 31, 32. And the Lord faid y Simon, Sifnon, behold Satan hath difired to have you, that he may fft you as wheat \ but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not : Therefore, fay they, Peter did not err^in the faith,/ and confequently, the popes, his fucceflbrs, cannot err.' Bnt alas! what vain and ridiculous arguments are thefe ? . Nothing is more evident, than that this promife or prayer of Chrift, doth not concern any infillibility in the doctrine of faith, but his eftablifliment in grace. For the more a- bundant confutation of this abfurd do<51rine, I ftiall fhew, That as they cannot prove it from fcripture, we can difprove it from it : For this I Ihall offer two arguments ; • 1. That Peter no where challengeth this power. 2. The apoftles no where give it him ; therefore it is an intolerable arrogance that his fucceffors ftiould claim it. I. Peter did not challenge it. It is obfervable, that \xx the gofpel of Mark, which the learned believe was indited by Peter's diredtion, there is not fo much as a repetition of that I'amous text, Thou art Peter ^ and on this roch I will build my church. Peter durft not have omitted it, if it had been fo fundamental a do«5trine as the Papifts would have it. And afterward Peter writes two epiftles, and there is not one fyliable in either of them concerning this authority. But jbme »nay poftibly fay, this was Peter's modefty. But cer-" tainly Peter durft not exercife his modefty to the impeach- ment Serm. iV. hut to the in'bifthle church, 97 ment of his fidelity, and the concealment of fo necefiary and important a truth ; but ought to have done as Paul did, who when his authority was .ppofed by falle teachers, alTerts, •vindicates, and as himfelf exprefTsth it, magnifieth his office, Rom. xi. I ^ and ^o no doubt Peter would and fhould have done, if he really had that fuprsme power which the Papift^ would faften upon him. 2. The other apoftles no where give this honour to Pe- ter, but rather by their practices Ihew themfelves to be of a contrary opinion. This will fufficiently appear from two places of fcripture, which may fuffice for the determination of this controverfy. The one is, Ai\. xv. At this time St. Peter by the do£lrine of the Papifts, is fuppofed to be in the actual exercife of his headihip over the church, to be the fupreme and infallible judge of all controverfies ; and was believed and known to be lb by all the red of the apoftles, and all the Chriftians of that age ; whether it were fo or no we fhall fee by this chapter. A controverfy arifeth in the church ; what do they do for the refolution of it ? Acts xv. i, 2. They go tip to Jentfalem^ to the apojiles and elders about this quejlion. Why did they not go to Peter if he were the infallible judge } It: was vain to call them all together, if Peter alone might de- termine it. But it may be thefe were the Chriftians at An- tioch, and they did not well underftand Peter's fupremacy ^ and infallibility, but the church of Jerufalem underftood it better ; well, let us examine that too, in vcrfe 6. The apojlles and ciders came together to confider of this inatter ; Peter was no more confulted with than the reft : in verfe 7. Peter fpake in the aflembly, and delivers his opinion, ' verf. 1 o. No^o therefore^ ivhy tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neclz of the dif ciples^ lohich neither our fathers nor we luere able to hear P Af- ter him James comes and delivers another opinion, dif- ferent from Peter's, verfes 19,20. My fentence is, that ivs trouble not them which from amojig the Gentiles are turned to God, but that we write unto them, that they abflain from pollu^ tions of idols , and from fornication ^ a fid from things fir angled^ and from blood \ as if he had faid, I am not altogether of Peter's mind, I would not have all thefe things wholly and on a fudden difcharged. It is but meet that fome rcfpedl and tendernefs Ihould be fliewn to the believing Jews, and that we fliould become all things to all m«n that we may fave fome ; and tlierefore it is fit we fhould a little comply with the Jews, not to impofe circumcilion, but to abjlaitt from pollutions of idols ^ and from fornication, and from things flrangled^ and from blood. And the manner of his expreflion N here Pope and caunc'ils not infallihle» Serm. IV. here Is very obfervable ; Wherefore I thus determine. He dotli not fay, according to the prefent ftile of the Roma- nifts, ** I do in all humility preient my opinion to the vicar ** ot ChriiV, the prince of the apoftles, the fupreme and in- ** fallible judge of this and all other controverfies, to whom ** I freely and fully fubmlt my thoughts and judgment ;'* but barely relates part of Peter^s difcourfe, and then con- eludes with a kind of dctinitive fentence. And which is further conliderable, this great council prefers James his opinion before Peter's, and the decree runs in James his words, verfe 29. That ye abjiaiir from meats offered to ido/Sf and from bloody and from things ft r angled^ and from fornication y from ivh'ich f ye keep yourfeiueSy ye Jh all. do luell. Can any man, in his right fenfes, imagine that things would have been thus managed, if Peter bad been the fuprenre and infallible judge of all controverlies .^ Further, the decree runs not in Peter's name, as now it doth in the pope's, but in all their names; verie 23. The apoflles and elders^ and brethren ^ fend greeting unto the brethren "which are of the Gentiles. It is ridi- culous and incredible to think that there fliould not in all this llory be one word of Peter's pre-eminence, if he were at that time what they vainly pretend him to be, the fu- preme head of the whole church, and the infallible judge of all controveriies. Another place of fcripture no lefs evident, is Gal. ii. 7. - ^he g . Of all the cdntroveriies between u's and the Papifts, this is the firft and greateft : We firft deny that there is any fucH head : And fecondly, That the pope is fuch a head. The Papifts, as knowing the impoflibility of rinding any fair pretence of afcribirig the internal acts of Chrift's office to the pope, are forced to diffinguilli, a mediatorial head of vital influx to the church-regenerate, from a politicat governing head of tHe church-vilible; And they ccnfefs that Chrill only il the firft ; but {"^jy that under Chrift^ the pope is, as' his vicegerent, the fecond : But we maintain the negative as to both. Two things in this word are meant in our denial, i. There is no fuch conftitutive head^ who is to the univerfal church a conftitutive, elTential part j as is a king in a kingdom, a mafter in a family; and the pars rmperatiSy in every political fociety. 2. There is no fuch governing headj having power and obligation to» make univerfal laws, and to judge and execute univerfally. There are three ways of divine inftitution which we herd exclude, i. God liath inrtituted no fuch head or churcli neither by the law of nature : 2. Nor by- Chrift himfelf,- immediately determining \t in his human nature on earth i 3. Nor by the revelation Or deterniination of his Spirit iri his apoftles,- or any other authorized and infallibly infpired perfons : And belides tliefe three, we know no other fort of inftitutioh of God, to come into queftion. Our queftion meddleth not with the heads or governors? 6f kingdoms, nor of particular churches 5 but only of the univerfal church. Arg. I. From natttrey common reafori' and efxperience,^ no mortal man, or collective body of men, is capable of being a conftitutive and a governing-head of all the cbtirch. on earth : Therefore there is no fuch head. Firji, No ilngle perfon is capable of it. To prtfve whichj^' confider but, I. What a man is. 2. What, fuch a maii would have to do. \J}y A man is & poof finite creaturcy confined to one place at once, net able to compafs the ^'arth, nor knoXv alt its countries, much lefs inhabitants : IsTot able to fake nd-^ «ice of all the actions of the fons 0/ mcu throuAortt th-j^ toO Chrjfty and not i'he pope\ Scfm. V. world ; nor to receive fiich fatisfadlory information con- cerning them, as may enable him to judge them juftly ^ Nor is he capable of taking cognifance of,onre of many millions of caiiles that would belong to fnth a judge. And man is a poor worm, -unable to proctirc any due executioii of uni- vcilAl laws, and to rtprefs the rebellion of refillers ; and to defend the church againil its enemies. And a man is fo bad a creature, that he that is tried in fo great a work as the government of all the world, and tried by fo great tempta- tions, as n\v:i\ needs avife in fuch an undertaking, will but become, according to the courfe of ordinary changes, the woril:, and fo the moil: odious of men : So that it is a won- der that man Ihould become io ignorant, as to think that any one mortal mivri is capable of rurling all th^ world, or all the Chriitians in the world. 2dliy Bat ^oniider what ftich ahead muft have to do, and there will remain no difficulty in the cafe. • i. He that un- dertakerh the tjniverfal government, undertaketh to make tiniverfal laws, and to exercife fupreme power in judging and exectiling aecordiog to thofe laws. And he that maketh tiniverfal laAva in thirtgs unchangeable, mufl: fuppofe that Chrilt hath not done it himfelf already, which is falfe : And in things changeable, he mull be fufticiently acquaint- ed with the ftatc of all the nations in the world, and in the different cp/es which require diverfification both as to time jind place.; which u man of many thoufand miles diftance is uncapable of^ And as to judgment and execution, i. As to perfons, it is to be exercifcd upon individuals. 2. As to caufes ; it is, ,(i,) Either judging who is fit or unfit for Chriftian' communion : A nd that in refpe . ....... wonder IJerm. V. unwerfal hend of. the church. |oo wonder if much more of the world be further out of the reach of his notice and jurifdiiftion. Jrg. I. And as no lingle natural perfon, fo much more no colle . ^ > - .-...;..,.: WCV^^ Serm. V. unlverfal hem of the church, Iiy were not reprefenred in the councils, nor ever fubjecSted themfelves to the pope of Rome. 4. And ey^n fince the days of Boniface who obtained ot Phocas the name of univerial biihop, the Chriftian world was never qnder him. For i. The Greeck church hath e- ver fince reiifted the claim. 2. The fliid Abaflines, Arme-* nians, Indians, and many others never fuhjejStcd themfelves to him. 3. He hath captivated his profeffed l'ubje6ls by fo much cruel force, as that he is uncapable ot knowing who \ are his real fubje^ls by confent. And \ve have, by experi* I epcc, reafon to think, TRai in alt popifii countries, it is ho? one of many that is a PapifV underftandingly, and at the heart ; but motl either knov/ not what Popcry is, or filent- ly go ov\ wiib ti'cir neighbours to avoid the obloquy and fuffering, whicli elfe they muft undergo. 4. Dr. Field, of the church, and Bifliop Morton in his apology, have fully 1 proved ; That till Luther's time, abundance of the do^ pore^ as when either necefTary occalions call men into a fo- reign country, or wlieh choice or curiofity bringeth them into it ; fuch arc in conibience bound by the jult known laws of that land ; and if they tranfgrefs thofe laws are fub- jected to the forfeiture of eflate, limb, or life. Siccl. III. How far are the perfons of ecclefiaflics under government of the civil or fecular prince ? 1. Their perfons are liable to arrefts, reflraints, impri- fonments and coercion, as there iliall be a juil caufe, or fufpicion thereof. 2. They are obnoxious to the featence of the law, ac- cording to the nature of their offence ; fo as either to,fuf- fer by ftripes, exile, lofe of liberty, life, ^c, 3. Whatever perfonal fervices the community of the lay- fubjects are bound to do for their country and their prince, the clergy are bound to, and may on urgent neceffity be ob- liged to afford their alliftance, though ufually exempt from it through the favour of their prince. That clergyman who in a ftorm would not obey the pilot's order, and take his turn at the pump, to fave the vefTel and goods, with hif own life and the life of others, were as unworthy of a room in the fiiip, as other lading that is call o'.c-board to pre- vent the danger from its weight. ^ecl. IV. The ejiates of the clergy are next to be confidered^ and that in divers refpecls. 1. Their inheritances from their fathers, do not, by the fons being a clergyman, become free from the common bur- dens, which authority layeth on the public or generality ot ' the fubje^ls for defraying public charges. 2. The lands and efliaies of their preferments o£ what fort foever, are in like manner chargeable, if the magi- ftrate judgeth it necefTary and equal : And in fuch cafe they ought to obey as readily as other men, when their prince, with advice and confent of fuch counfel as can duly impofe it on others, have impofed it on them. 3. The eftates of eccleflaftical focieties are under the gO' veroment of the fecular authority, as well as the eftates ok lay- i 2 S Eccleftajlics under the government of the civil prince. Sei\ VI • lay-focleties and corporations, to limit their increafe by- gifts, as by our ftatute of Mortmain : To enquire and com- pel them, to employ them for the ufes for which they were given, as by commiiTion of charitable ufes. 4. The eftates of clergymen, which are given as an en- couragement to them, and reward of their labour, and duties difcharged ; are to under the civil magiftrate's go- Ternment, that he may ejeiay for the go?ernmect ana governors, chap, xxix^ i, 7. Scrm. VI. tohefubjecl to c2K)'d government. I^^ Renf A, They who do defend their perfons and their goods by the authority and power of the civil government, ought in all equity and renfon to bear and profcfs true allegiance to the governors and government. The right which is done for them in fucK cafes obligeth them to this duty^ and the benefit from governors to the governed is a moft jufl rea-. fon for obedience from the fubjecl to the prince. The apo-. ftle Peter intimates this as one ground of obedience, i Pet. ii. 13, 14. BeyefubjeBy &c. Why ? becaufe governors are ap- pointed to restrain the injurious and onpreflive, by judging,' condemning and punifliing their injuQice. They are alib- for the prmje of thofe that do nOell ; protec^ting, rewarding, and prailing them. The benefit we enjoy fhould in reafon bind us to the obedience and fubmiflion we owe our governors. By this argument Paul preft the Chriftians at Rome to obedience, Rom. xiii. 3. For rulerj are not a terror to good ivorksy but to the ev'il^ &c. Do goody ard thou Jh alt have praife of the fame ; fo ver. 4. The ruler is the minjfer of God for good, kingdom going beyond feas to take orders. It is not fafe to have fubjedls thus advanced Alas, good men and precious :! The world imkindly owneth not their excellency, while they, by natural propenfities, flowing from their conftitutive principles, do innocently afpire to a ftate equal to their orders, which blind Heretics nickname Rc" hellmty and jealous princes brand as Treafon \ and fo the in?- nocent clergy, when taken in it, are condemned and exe- cuted for traitors. But the comfort, is, the enlightened confiftory at Rome can fee and diftinguilli the clergyman quoad fuhhantimn^ innocent, nay meritorious : It is the prince or ftate which miftook him, and under the feparate acci- dents and form of a traitor bloodily cut off the man's head. Dull fouls, that will not be informed in the myftery of tranfubftantiating rebels, as well as bread I Wellj but though a Garnet may be executed at Tyburn, he (hall be St. Henry at Rome. Thus thefe that fet the world on fire, and threatned prodigious calamities to it, are made ftars of great light and glory in the R.oman heaven. Such unin- telligible do6lrines, and fuch intolerable pra<5lices have at- tended the licentious frifk of the bifhop of Rome, when he excommunicates and makes kings and princes his prey ; and feizeth and dvvoureth the prey \ and is thus become a real chi^ Tnera. Let not this be too fcverely imputed to levity in nie, iince really I could not tell what to make of him ; for in his fore parts I find the mouth of a man, and hear the words of a father in admonitions 5 but when 1 have looked down to iSerm.VI. Corollaries from the preceding dikottrfe. 15^ to the feet, I fee the paws of a lion, and l]is talons always bloody wiih the prey. Their own gloffkry reprefents him thus Papa Jlupor mundi NecdeuseSy nee ho mo y qttaft neuter es ifitir utrumque** So, of a well conrtituted officer, as Chrift and Peter left him, (if you credit them) he is made a milhapen monfter, and the wonder of the world ; and draws deceived profe- lytes to worlhip him, ihewing them the ki/igdoms of the luorldf and the glory of them y with promife that as they merit by their good fervice to the apoftolic chair, he will give them a right, and when they can they may take poffeflion of his gift, for tmto him pertain' all thefe things y and to ivhomfoever he lu'ill he giveth them : And I afflire you, it is neither Jure divinoy nor jure humanoy but quaft neutro-y i. e. jure inferno* Hence it follows, Confe^t. 5. That emperors y kings y princes y and free fates ^ are not rightful fuhjeds to the pope y or to any other f ingle eccleft" afical perfo?iy nor to any body of the clergyineny neither in Jynods ivith PrefbyterianSy or in convocations ivith Ep'ifcopalsy nor in pre- tended general councils ivith PapifSy nor in the confifory or conclave' ivith the cardinals and pope colleEled together. He that defigned offices in his church, hath left the of- ficers under the obedience of the civil magiftrate, in all matters which concern the government of their eftates and perfons. But fo many writers have appeared, not only a- mong Proteftants, but Papifts themfelves, vindicating the royal prerogatives and fovcreign authority of kings, that it is become in moft countries a ridiculous claim which the pope doth make, and his vaffiils flatter him with. How ill-natured foever the children of that church have proved, abridging their father of his power, I will not now enquire : But might a ftranger to the father and his children fpeak a few words indifferently to both, I would adventure to fay. It had been juftice and honefty in the ghofdy father to have left his children the power and authority which he gave them, who faid to magiftrates, Te are gods ; and then xhti primitive kindrtefs of kings, like Conilantine the Great, would have enfured the favours and obfervances of princes to the clergy. But lince the papal infallibility hath almolt reduced this affair to this hard choice. Either that we muft have no pope and exempt clergy, or no free and fovereigii monarchs, I am eafily inclined to believe, the fecular prin- ces will rather chufe that the ecclefiaftics ffiould part "with their immunities, than that princes Ihould part with their fove- * Clement, ptoera. GlolT.v, Papa. tS"^ The pope df kome is Antlchriji. Serm. Vll. fovereignty. Free ftates and kingdoms do know that fu- preme fovereignty is not eirential to ChrilVs vicar, Peter's fucceflbr, or liniverfal bilhop; that exemptions of the cler^ gy are favours of the prince, and not natural and neceflary properties of the office ; and have well conlidered the dif- tinclion between being of communion with the church ca* tholic, and being in fubjedion to the pope as to a fovercign. And though I know not what may come to pafs among Jnen, and what king may make himfelf, againft ail right, a fubje^t to the pope ; yet, I am fure, no king or emperoi^ can ever be rightfully the fubjc61: of the pope, who at mofl is but bifhop of the lirft fee. SERMON VII. Dr. W I L K 1 N SON. The Pope of Rome is Antichrifi. 2 ThefT. ii. 3. Let no man deceive you hy any means ; for that day JJjall not come, except there come a falling aivay firft^ afid that man of fm be revealed^ the f on of perditmi : 4. If ho oppojcth and exalieth himfelf above all that is called Gcd^ or that is luorf Dipped ; fo that he^ as God, fitteth in the templi of God^ fjeiuifig himfelf that he is God. 5. Remember ye not, that nuhe?i I was yet luith you, I told you thefe things. 6. And now ye know what with-holdeth, that he might be reveal^ ed in his time. 7. For the myfery of iniquity doth already work ; only he wha now letteth^ will lety until he be taken out of the way. 8. And then [Jj all that wicked be revealed^ whom the Lord f Jail confume with the fpirit of his mouth, and f jail dejlroy with the bright nefs of his coming : y. Even him whofe coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, andfgns, and lying wonders, xo. And with all deceivablenefs of unrighteotfnefs in them thai perijh ; becaufe they received not the love of the truth, that they might be faved^ w E will firft give you an account of the apoftle's writ- ing here fo fully concerning Antichrifi, and ^o pro- fierm. VII. "the pope of J^otrie is Aniicfjrifi, i^j ceed to handling the words. The reafon of his falling oil this fubje6t here, was upon the preaching of fome among them, who told them, that the commg o^ the Lord to judg- ment would be very fiiddenly, in that age and time in which they lived, upon which report they were in a, very great fear and dread, ver. 2. They were fh'aken in mind, and this ter- ror and confternation of fpirit is there exprefled under a double metaphor, i. From a fea-ftorm. that tears the veflel from the anchor and harbour; fo much the word cuKtvir,vxt here ufed doth import, which cames from o-xko^ which fig* nifies a tempeft at fea. 2. By ^poo^, taken from foldiers, who by a panic fear ariiing among them, are put into dif- order and confufion, fo that they have neither head, heart nor hand to a6t in a due manner : So it was with the TheiTa- lonians, by reafon of falfe teachers, who by their florms of falfe dotftrines, Eph. iv. 14. (hakedmen from their ftedfaft- iiefs. They wore at prefent under great diftraftion and fear, from the falfe teachers who did delude them'; 1 By a pre- tence to an extraordinary fpirit, or vifions, and revelations. 2. By word and preaching. 3. By letter as from Paul, by which works they did exceedingly deceive them; and per- fuadedthem to believe that the end of the world was at hand.. Whence we obferve, i. That falfe teachers do ufe alt poffible means and diligence, to prevail with perfons to be- lieve their falfe doctrines. . - j. ,~ , . - . .• 2. Falfe teachers do' fo far pi*evail with many, that they, rent and tear them as with a tempeftuous wind, and put them into a confternation of fpirit as by a panic fear, that they can neither keep to the truth, nor a^t according to it. In the words you have, i. The revelation of the greatefi enemy that ever was againft Chrilt and his church, in ver. 3, 8. 2. You have a full and large defcription of that ene- my, by feveral circumftances of time, place, ts'c. As alfo, by feveral charafters and names, by which this enemy may be known from all other enemies of Chrift that ever were, or fhould be in the world. I fhall wholly wave their opi- i^ion, who contrary to the whole ftream of interpreters, do take the meaning of this place to be concerning Chrifl:V coming to deftroy Terufalem, and them that crucified Chrift: ; and the apoftafy to be the Chriftians breaking off Compli- ance with the impenitent Jews, and' departing from them to the Gentiles: And the Man of fin here dcfcribed they take to be Simon Magus, logethei" with the Griofticks. But that this cannot be fo meant, is plain, from the feafon of etitei*-; ing of the Man of fin, ^c. who was to be revealed, and \ipon his revelation thcie would follow an apoftafy from the' U faith' 1 54 The characters n.vherehy AnUchriJl is dcjcrihed. Ser. VII. faith before Chrift's coming to judgment. That which did fo terrify the ThciTalonians was this, that ChriiVs fecond coming was at hand; then the apoftle tells them, that there was to be a great apoftafy upon the revelation of the Man of fin, which was to be many years, fome hundreds of years after this. As for Simon Magus and the Gnollics, they were revealed before the writing of this epiftle *. This ene- my is fet forth as if he were a fingle perfon, but it is not fo to be Vdktn in this place ; for it is frequent in fcripture to fet forth a body politic, or a kingdom, or ftate, by a par- ticular perfon or individual. In Dan. vii. i, 2, 3, ^c. there be four kingdoms or monarchies, which were in a fuccef- fion one after another in the world, deciphered by four great beafts, which are interpreted to be four kingdoms, ver. 17. or four kings; and the fourth beaft is called the fourth kingdom, ver 23. and the vulgar iranflation ren- ders ver. 17. four kingdoms : So that each bcaft iignifieth a multitude of men in a fucceffion, under one government for feveral ages ; and fo confequently the head and horns fignify the power and fovereignty of fuch a kingdom for a long time in a fucceffion. So we lind. Rev. xii. i. the ftate of the primitive apofto- lical church fet forth by a wom^ln in travel; and ver. 6, f4. by a woman in the wildernefs. So Pvev. xiii. 11, the two horned beafl, which is the fame with the falfe prophet. Rev. xvi. 13. and xix. 20. and xx. 10. doth not lignify a iingle perfon, or a fucceffion of iingle perfons, but a body of deceivers under one head orla( i o itc^ 7^^ »7ru\c^a(j vcv. 3. Tks Man of fui : By an He- brew phrafe exprefling one that is a fuperlative fuperemi- hent (inner *, as we fay, 4- man of blood, for a man thirft- ing after blood, or a cruel (bloody man. The foti of perdi^ i'lONy perditjjpmus i Qi\t{tt upon the deflruilion of others, the moft flagitious profligate llnner, the moft inhuman cruel deftroyer, to whom the titles of ApoHyon, and Abaddon do moft properly belong ; he is actively and paffively the fon of perdition, Rev. xvii. i8. and xix. 20. He is the great delfroyer pf fouls, ver, 12. He is the p am)tf*/ui»of, ver. 4. the ^- • . '••■ grcati. * Alftcd. Chron. commetarunr. Serm. VII. Special charaBers of Antichriji explawed. 157 great enemy of Chrill, though he is not called by the name ot the Antichiift ; yet here is a word with the article pre- fixed to it, which carrieth the like importance with it. He is the worft and greaieft enemy of Chriif, who under a prcr tence of .friendlhip and love to Chrill, doth ufurp and un- dermine his offices ; he appears like a lamb in his deport- ment, and fpeaks like a dragon, Rev. xiii. 11. 2. The pa- pacy is of all other bodies politic the worft, being fet out with fuch expreflions as have the greateft emphafis in them : It would be too great a bufinefs for a fermon to give you an account of their tyranny, cruelty, luxury, rap.icioufnefs, avarice, blafphcmy, whoredom, fpiritual and corporal ; all the abominations of the three former monarchies do meet in this fourth, of which the Papacy is the lail editipn. Rev. xiii. 2. That beaft fet out there is the Roman empire, as Pap4l not Pagan, as appears by the crowns on the horns : But the Pagan empire had the crowns on the heads, Rev. xii. 3. Now that wickednefs in which thofe former empires did excel did meet in the papal, Rev. xiii. 2. and therefore it is fet out by the lion's mouth, the feet of the bear, and the leopard. He is fet out in his type, Dan. xi. 28, 30, 31, 32. Or, he himfelf is fet forth (as fomc think) whv)lly a- againft the covenant, expreffing an indi'^nation againft it with all his might, fetting himfelf againft the fanctuary and daily facrifice. Graferus and others underftand it of Anti- chrift, and not of Antiochus. The fcripture when it ex- prefTeth a perfon or thing in a ^ngle way, doth it by an af- fixed article as here, or by an ablfrafft : Here the article Ihevveth an eminence of wickednefs ; fo the abflrac^, Ca;r. i. 4. Heb. uprtghtfiejfesy by which righteous perfons are let forth -, fo a proud perfon is fet out by pride, Jer. 1. 31. we render it, ye tnojl proud! ^o fm for 2l great fimm'^ Provp xiii. 6. So the. Man offttiy (ignitjes the molf linful man. He is called the oav^^a;, ver. 8. That wicked ofie^ the moft lawlcfs cn3, breaking all bounds and bands, and cafting away the cords of Chrift, as they, Pfal. ii. 3. that will not come un- der the yoke of Chriii:, nor ftoop to his fccptre; that will not that Chrift fhould reign over them, Luke xix. 14. This boundlefs lawlefs one is therefore fet out by a luolt unruly beaft, Piev. xiii- 1, 2, ^c. and by the whore of Babylon, Rev. xvii. I, 2, 3, l^c. riding the beaft and making the kings to commit fornication with her, and the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornication : This is the inother of harlots and abominations^ drunk with the blcod of the faints and martyrs^ v^i'« 5, 6. This lawlefs one is the antichriltian.ftate, the Maq of fin under another notion. Ler doth very well agree to the pope, or Papacy, and prove it to be the antichriflian ftate here fet forth. 4. He is fet forth by felf-exaltation, who exalteth himfelf above all that is called God ; — and not only above all that have the title of gods, as the civil magiftrates, Pfal. Ixxxii. i, 6. who have that title by virtue of the authority God hath invefted them with, John x. 34, 35. but alfo above the true God, by takir.2 on him to do more than God himfelf. He as Gody takes on him the honour due to God himfelf, and tvill be adored by the highslt po-.ver upon earth. He that does all this mull: needs be the Antichrili: \ but fuch things doth the pope ; let him look to the conclulion. Molin. fliews how the pope is called God by the Romlili doctors, and they plead that he ought fo to be *. So alfo they attribute the offices and excellencies of Chrift to the pope. They fay, He is the fai,her of all Chriftians, which belongs to Chrift, Ifa. ix. 7. That he is the teacher of the church, the fpoufe of the church, the foundation of faith, the Lord of lords, the chief corner-ftone, univerfal judge and infallible, who is to judge all others, but to be judged of none. Thefe all belong to Chrift alone, and he that thus exalts himfelf, and arrogates thefe things to himfelf muft needs be Antichrift. Some go further in this argument, and fhew how the pope takes upon him to do more than God. It is fre- quent among their divines and canonifts to fay, Papam pojfey &c. ** rhe pope can difpenfe againft the apollles, and " againft the Old Teftament. He caw make new fymbols. " He can difpenfe with things forbidden of God." Bellar- raine faith, Indulgeniia faciimty &c. *' Thar as to thofe pe- " nalties from which we are freed by indulgences, we are *' not bound to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance f ." Nay, he goes further. Si papa^ 8zc. ** If the pope Ihoukl *' fo err as to commafid vices, and forbid virtues, the church ** would be bound to believe vices to be good and virtues to ** be evil, unlefs flie will iin againft confcience j." Thus * Credere Dorainum Deum noflrum Papatn, 6v. *« It is here- ** tied not to believe oar Lord God the Pope to have power to >* decree as he hath decreed.'* C/of. extravagant, cum interj^ref. t Ds Pc^nitent. lib» 4. c. i ?. " + De fu.unio PoQt. /;^. 4. c, j^. 16b Special charaSiers of J niichriji. Serm.Vlfj Thusblafphemoufly do they fpeak of the fupereminence of the pope above God himfelf ; and as for all civil powers he is ablolutely free from them, and much above them all. <* Smce the pope is God, fay they, he cannot either be bound <« or h'ofedby men V It is common amongft them at leaft to tquaiize the pope's decrees to the holy fcripture; and to affirm that the pope's decrees are canonical, and his deter- minations to be preferred above the fcripture, with many fuch like blafphemies : And which is worft of all, they af- fert, " I'hat the fcriptures have no authority, fo as to pro- *' ctirc belief of them, unlefs they be firft canonized by the *' pope f ." It it no wonder thar the pope utters fuch blaf- phemies, fince he is ihe head of that idolatrous beaft which IS full of blafphemies ^ Rev, xiii. 5,6. Since they will have the pope to be fuch a ftipreme head to the church militant, as Chrill:. — Since they will have him not only to be equal with Chrift, but above him ; he being able, as is affirmed by them, to redeem fouls out of pur- gatory, which Chrift never did — Since, I fiy, the^r will have their pope, their Lord God the pope, thus lifting up his head above Lucifer, let them have hirfi, and believe his 3ies and impoftures. — Since they reject the truth whereby they might bs fdved, let them believe his lies that they may be damned, ver. 10, 1 1-. c, Antichrift is fet forth by the tahng that ibhich kindred §ut of the luayy ver. 7. There was fomeching that hindred the revelation of the Man of fin, which v/as to be removed. tlG could not be brought into the world till the Roman em^ pire was taken out of the way, then that wicked cnt did rife up to that height; then Antichrift did appear in his co- >biirs. There is a great confent among the ancients as td this; Jerome was fo clear and confident in it, that as foon as he heard of the taking of Rome by AUu ick, he pi^efently f xpefted the coming of Antichrift J. The ancients were fo confident of this thing, that the church did pray in her li- turgy, That the Roman empire might, ftand long, that fo Antichrift's coming might be long ||. The Roman empire beii^g broken into ten kingdoms brought in Antichrifc. lit is certain the Roman emperors did keep the bifhop of Rome from growing to that height^ as he did Upon ihcir being removed 6ut of the way. Others ♦ vide text. Decret. £?//?. 96. ^. 7- , . f Decret. Iih.2. ^.23. L)e prefumptionlbus. ^ Tertul. de Refuvreft. lib. 4. c, 5^4. I TcrtuL Apolog. c 39. . Serrri. VII. Popery a triyflefy of IhlquUy, idt Others take It to be meant of the Roman emperor hlmfclf, and not of the empire at all ; for the Roman empire is not taken out of the way; but ftands on two legs, viz. the em- pire of Turks, and the empire of Germany. It was the em- j>eror himfelf, which was Conftantine the Great, who re- moved to Conftantinople, then that which hindred was ta- ken way. The grandeur of the emperor and of Antichrill: could not ftand together. AiToort as the emperor departed fi'om Rome, Antichriil: began to be revealed. For when all the bifhops in the Chriftian world did meet at the council of Nice, the biOiop of Rome, though requefted by a letter, came not. He pretended old age, and the weaknels of his body ; but Rellarmine telleth iis the true reafon, It was not meet the head iliould follow the members -, but rather that the members ihould follow the head : And if the emperor were prefent, it is likely he would lit above the pope, which was not meet, he being the fpiritual head ; therefore he did ab- fent himfelf. (Cotton on i John ii. i8.) Though they differ as to. the emperor and empire, to be that which hindred^ yet they agree as to the pope, that he rofe to his height up- on the removal of the one or the other out of the way. . 6. By the notion of a myjlevy^ as it ftands in oppofition to the myllery of godl'mefsy v. 7. the apoftle following the He- brew way of expreffion, ^^ur»p(ov t^;? ^^vpu/a?, . i. e. a wicked doc- trine or m^Jlery. Alyflery is faid to be wrote in the forehead of the whore, R.ev. xvii. 5. as a princip.tl part of her name. The whole religion of Popery as to faith and worfhip is fo contrived by them as may moft conduce to the fuftaining and advancement of the pope's power, and the gain and profit of the clergy. Satan never Ihewed himfelf io noto- rious an impoftor, as in the hellilh contrivance of the whole body of the religion of Papacy, which has gained upon the \yorld exceedingly by the pope, Satan's vicar, fet forth by the lamb with two horns. Rev. xiii. II. who hath prevailed with all forts of men to receive the mark of the benjl, and bow to his iniagey ver. 12, (3, 14. The religion of Anilchrift is carried on in a fubtle cunning way, elfe it could not be cal- led a myfery^ and a niy fiery of iniquity under the pretence of godlinels. The great factors in this myftery are faid to be feducers xh^lfpeak lies in hypocrify^ i Tim. iv. 1,2. who have a form cf piety y which is the mantle to cover the blacke ft abo- minations, 2Tim. iii. i, 5. And Peter fpeaking of fucit myftlcal villanies, 2 Pet. ii. i, 2, 3 tells us how privily they fliould bring in damnable herefies under the colour of truth. The religion of 'Popery, which is merely to advance th ed all manner of falfhood and lies, by which they do de- ceive many, and would deceive the very ele^l if they could. Mat. xxiv. 24. This advent or coming of Antichrift here mentioned, is not to be referred to his firft revelation only, but to his full revelation, when his kingdom and govern- ment fliall be fet up in its f^^lendour and power. Me f}} all come luith the poivcr of Satatt. Satan is mod fa- mous for two things, lying and murder, John viii. 44 He is an adverfiry to divine authority, and man's falvation ; and both thefe are eminently feen in the pope, for he hath brought in falfe doftrines, falfe worlhlp, and a falfe reli- gion into the church ; and by this means he is the great murderer of fouls Satan fliews himfelf a liar, when he purs; men on a falfe idolatrous worlhip, inftead of a true ; fo all idolaters are liars, Rom. i. 25. They cha^iged the truth of God into a lie, &c. therefore idols are called lies, Amos ii. 4. and idolaters are faid to make lies their refuge, or under falihood to hide themfelves : iiut Satan never did impofe fucli a lie upon the world as in the idolatrous worlhip of Home. Idolaters and liars are pur together, Rev. xxi. 8, xxii. 15. and ivhofoever ivorheth abomination, or maheth a lie. Rev. xxi. 27. JVith all power. Some take it for the power of both fwords, eccleilailical and feculir, which the pope claims; but it rather refpecteth tli-:ir f iculty and power which he doth pretend to, and whereby he worketh wonders. The ligns and wonders here fpoken of, are the ways, means, rind weapons whicK Satan ufeth by Antichrill to deceive perfons to their deftruclion. This was the way which Sa- tan took by Jannes and Jambres, to deceive Pharaoh and the Egyptims, 2 Tim. iii. 8. Thefe were a kind of types of feducers whivh were to come in thefe laft times. That miracles were at the firil promulgation of the go- fpcl, for the ccniirmaLiou of its divine authority, and in-. creafing Ser.VIL The manner ofAntichriJTs coming y and deJlruBibn, 163 creafing a belief of the dodlrine of Chrifl^, is moft true; but after the gofpel is promulg;5ted, there is no further ufe of them j and therefore when the fcriptuie fpeaks of mira- cles and miracle-mongersj Mark xiii. 22. Rev. xiii. 13. Mat. vii. 22. it is to be undtrftood oifalfe Chrifls and falfe prophets ^ who f jail come in the name of ChriJ}^ and (iiali pretend to mar- vellous things in his name, and fhall deceive many. That this mark is fulfilled in the Pap.icy, doth appear from themfelves, who boafi: very much of their miracles, and the advancement and confirmation of it by them. Such. miracles are called lying miracles: i . Becauie they are for the confirmation of falfe do6lrines, of tranfnbflantiation, purgatory, invocation of faints, adoration of images, and rclicks, ^c. prayers of the dead, the pope's fupremacy, l^c, 2. Becaufe many of them are things merely feigned to be done, which were never done, or if they were done, they have been brought about by the mere artifice of Satan, who is able to do things beyond the reach of men. 3, From the end of thefe miracles, which is to deceive men, Mark xiii. 22. They are framed by feducers, and embraced by fuch as will not receive the truth with the love of it, v. 1 o. Their own authors have fet do>vn multitudes of thefc mi- racles, fuch as. The conformities of St. Francis, the golden legend of Jacobus de Voragine, the miracles of St. Domi- nick, St. Benedidl, and the images of the Virgin Mary. 8. He is fet out by Ins fatal ruin and utter defrucfion^ ver- 8. This verfe hath two parts, the firlf part looks back to his revelation ; and the latter part points out his ruin, and how he fliall be defi:roycd. 1. The efiicient caufe of his ruin is the coming of Chrifl:. When Chrift comes to fet up, his kingdom, and to take to hiui his great power, and reign, then he will deftroy Anti- chrift, Dan. ii. 44. and vii. 14, 28*. efpecially under the fifth, lixth, and feventh vials, Rev. xvi. from verfe 10. to the end. You have the de{fru6lion of the whore, chap, xviii. the overthrow of the beaft and the falfe prophet, chap, xix, and the binding of Satan, and the reign of the faints on ^he earth, chap. xx. 2. You have the inftrumental caufe, the fpir'it of his mouth. Here two words are to be confidered, i, 'Avax^o-aj, confumere, which notes his gradual confumption by the preaching of the gofpel, Ifai. xi. 4. this is the fvvord of his mouth, R.ev. xix. 15. by which Chrift doth fmite the nations. His con- fumption is gradual, as was his rifing, which was under the trumpets, and his falTis under the vials. The minifters of the gofpel, fmce the Reformation began, have difcovered the 164 Themannei'ofAfttkhrtJl'sdeJlruEfion, Serm.XTH. the whoredoms, impoftuies, and falfc doftrines of Rome, and the danger of having communion with Rome, and the defperate condition of fiich as will not feparate from her, ver. 9, 10. Many a deadly wound have they given to Antichrift; fo that he hath been wafting like a fnail, Pfal. Iviii. 8. till he fliall come to nothing ; not by might, nor by power. Rev. iv. 6, 7. but by the word. (2.\ Here is v-xra^yiiaKi, which notes his utter deftruction by the brightnefs of Chrift's com- ing, when he takes to him his great power, at the founding of the feventh trumpet. Rev. xi. 15. The text muft be con- iidered under a double capacity,— As to his eccleiiaftical ilate, and in his fpiritual capacity, as he Is fet forth under the notion of a whore, and fo fliall be confumed by the preaching of the word. — In his fecular capacity, confifting of feveral kingdoms under one fupreme head, which is the pope; fo he is fet out by the notion of the beaft,'R.ev. xi. 7, xiii. 1,2. 3. which beaft, the whore, i.e. the eccleiiaftical hierarchy of Rome rideth, Rev. xvii.3 . yet they both together make up but one Antichrift. As to his fecular capacity, Ije fliall be deftroyed with another fvvord ; He that hlleth ^mth ihefwc^rd, paU he killed iv'ith the fwordy Rev. xiii. 10. fo that the utter confumption of the beaft and whore fliall be ■upon the little ftone's rifing into a great mountain, which ihall fmite the image on his feet, and fliall break it into pieces, Dan. ii. 34, 35. Perhaps it will be faid, That the deftructlon of Antichrift^ •as hath been fliewed, can be no mark of Antichrift, by which lie may be known, for all' enemies fliall be deftroyed by Chrift and by his word. It is true, that Chrift will deftroy all his enemies by his fvvord which cometh out of his mouth, R.ev. xix. j.5. Sin and the devil are continually deftroying by the fword ; but iince Antichrift Is fet-fortli as the greateft enemy that ever was, and ftnce the antichriftian ftate of it, as it is in the ec- clefiaftical hierarchy of Rome, together with the beaft. Rev. xiii. 1,2, &c- are the laft edition of the fourth monarchy, and it is oh its laft legs In this ftate, and it hath oppofed the kingdom of Chrift beyond any other; therefore the de- ih'udlion of this ftate, as to the remarkablenefs of it, ihall go beyond all other ftates and kingdoms in the world. And therefore it is that the vials are prepared for this enemy in a more efpecial manner than all others, Rev. xv. i, 2, &:c. and ch. xvi. the feven angels, with the feven vials, pour them forth upon the beaft, or fomething of the beaft. This has been made good in the Papacy in a gi'cat meafure . ° already^ J^er. VII. Antichrijt hfiowfi h^Usfdhnvers^ and their livery. i6g already, as will appear by the confefiion of Bellarmine % who telleth us, That the Lutheran herefy poiTciTed almoft all Germany, Denmark, Norway, Suevia, Gothia, Hun- garia, Pannonia, France, England, Scotland, Polonia, Bo- hemia, and Helvetia, and is got over the Alps into Italy. 9. Antichrift may be known hy'hkfol/o'wersy and the //- very they wear, ver. ic, 11, 12. The retinue and follow- ers of Antichrift have this fpecial mark on them, that they be fuch as Ihall perifh. Their properties are, i. Negative, T/jey received not the kve of the truth ^ that they might be Javed. 1, }i^iYV[\-A.\.\\tiTh(yhavepleafureintinrighteoi/f?iefs. 3. They are fet forth by fome paffive properties, which are penalties; (l.) Internal, ver. 11. flrong dehfionj to believe a lye, (2.) E- ternal, ver. 12. Damnation: Here be the black marks of re- probation, by which Antichrifi's retinue and followers are fet forth. We do not find that any party of men are under Hiore dreadful marks of God's hatred than Antichrifc's fol- lowers. In Rev. xiii. 8. they are fet out by the ftigma of reprobation, as perfons left out of the bock of life. And chap. xiv. 9, 10, II. They that luorjhip the beafl, and receive his mark in their forehead^ or in their handy tbey jhall drink of the wine of the nvrath of God ^ and be tormented ivith fire and brwi/lonej &c. 4. They are fet forth by a fpecial acf of God in a way of juft judgment, feuding themfrong dehftons to be^ lieve liesy or giving them up to a Ipirit of falfhood to their eternal perdition. They are fuch as wilfully reject the true doctrine and woffhip of Chrift, pertinacioufly adhere to falfe do6trine and idolatrous woifliip, and pleaie themfelves much in thofe falfe ways of unrighteoufnefs which are moft deftru^live to fouls, and moft difpleafing to God. From all this it appears that the pope is Antichrift. In- deed, if but fome one or few particulars did meet on the pope or Papacy, we could not argue fiom them ; but when they all meet in the Papacy, and by the common confent of orthodox writers thefe marks are fafienedupon the pope, he will never be able, by all the fkili he hath, to efcape the vengeance of God which will follow him on that account. From what hath been faid, there may be feveral things drawn by way of inference, for our pradtice and inftruftion. Jrfr. I. From what hath been faid we may fee a reafon of the miftakes of fome in their proving the Man of fin to be the Antichrift, and the pope to be the Man of fin, from fome places which do not fo properly belong to it. They have thought the fame Antichrift to be pointed at in John's epi- Ales, 1 John ii. iS, 22. and i John iv. 3. and 2 John vii. as * Lib. Pont, de Rom. 3. c. 21, 2^6 The church of Rome not the church ofChriJl. Ser. VII. as here in PauFs epiftles to the Theffalonians. Some think the fame Antichrift to be fet forth by John, as by Daniel, and Paul, and by John in the Revelations, who deciphei's Antichrift under the notion of a beafl, and a whore, and a falfe prophet. The Antichrift pointed at by John in his e- piftles hath relation rather to the prediction of Chrift, Mat. xxiv. II, 23, 24. Mark xiii. 21, 22. There Jlmll arife falfe Chriflsy &c. We have not the name Antichrift but only in John^ indeed we have « av7iy.ft^fvo?, ver. 4. a word equivalent. John fpeaks of an Antichrift who was then in the world, and one prophelied of by Chrift to come fpeedily into the world; but Paul writes of ..one who was wholly to come into the world, and for whofe coming there was great ob- Aacles to be removed firft. The Antichiift's coming in John 33 immediately upon a time which is called the lafltime, i John ii. 18. And we know that fince he has come, it is the laft hour, or laft time. This cannot refer to the laft time which refpedleth the coming of Chrift to judge the world : This iaft hour doth refer to the Jewifh ftate, of which the laft glafs or hour was now running, and their final defolation ■was at hand. There were feveral who did then pretend to be Chrift, and to come in his name ; there was Simon Magus, nnd Carpocrates, and the Gnoftics, of whom they were the heads, which did pretend to miracles, and enthufiafms, and did fcduce many. Thefe be the Antichrifls John fpeaks of in his epiftles, which were to appear at the coming of the Lord to judgment ; I do not mean his laft coming to the judgment of the world, but of his coming to the final de- ftrpClion of Jcrufalem, and the Jewifti polity and nation by Vefpafian, of which coming Paul fpeaks, Heb. x. 25. That was the day approaching in which Chrift came to deftroy that people : It is mentioned by James as drawing nigh, for then the Lord Jefus was coming againft Jcrufalem, James V. 7. From the mifunderftanding of thefe places, and mif- applying them to wrong purpofes, hath arifen the mifap- prehenfions of the pope's being Antichrift; for though fe- veral things in thofe places in John's epiftles do agree to the Papacy, yet the proper defcription of Antichrift is to be looked for in Paul's epiftle to the Theflalonians, ^c, and in the Revelation, and in Daniel. Irfer, 2. If the pope be the Antichrift fet forth by thofe bloody characters -, if this body politic, Jiead and members, be the antichriftian ftate, and this ftate is the Papacy, then it cannot be the tme church, but the counterfeit of the true church, and of Chrift the head* The fcripture ftill fets out the antichriftian ftate in a flat oppofttion to the true, yet Ser. VII. ne Man offtn the head of the chunk of Rome; 1 6f yet ftill under a pretence and colour of faith in, and love to Chrill: : For Antichriftianifm is, a myjl'ical impiety^ under the cloke of piety. The falfe church whereof the pope is the head, is fet forth by a double beail. Rev. xiii. i, 2. — ii, 12. Both which together make up one catholic Pioman pa- pal church, the number of whofe name is 666^ ver. 18. And the true church, whereof Chrill is the head, is fet forth by 144,000, chap, xiv, i. the fquare-root being 12 built on 12 apoftles : But 25 is the fquare-root of 666, and there is a framrn;mion with them j though there was 1 74 Proteftatiis no fchifmatics. Serm. VII, was the moft juft caufe nf this departure from them. i. In regard they are heretical in their doftrine, and obftinately pcrfift in it, againft all conviftions to the contrary, for there have been aittxnpts iriade to have healed Babylon, but fhe would not be liealed, Jer li 8, 9. therefore forfake her. Him that is an heretic rejefl^ &c. Tit. iii. lo. 2. When a church becomes idolatrous in her worfliip, as 2 Cor. xi. ' 6. then it is a duty to depart from them that depart from the truth : Upon Jeroboam's defection and the peoples with him from the true worfhip of God, there was a departure from them, by fuch as fet their hearts to feek the Lord God of llrael. The church of Rome became moft corrupt and abominable in her worfliip, elfe flie had not been let out by the whore riding the beaft, Rev. xvii. 3. 3. When a church becomes bloody, and tyrannical, and perfecuting her members to the death, then there is a juft caufe of de- pa^rting from tlxem. Look on the church of Rome fet forth by the firft and fecond beaft, Rev. xiii. i, 2, — 1 1, &c. both which make up one Antichrifi: ; fee how cruel and bloody that church is : So where it is fet out by the whore. Rev. xvii. 5, 6. drunk with the blood of faints, there is figniiied a juft caufe of departure from her. 4. When a church, groweth wholly corrupt and debauched in her morals, very ?vicious and fcandalous in the lives of governors and mem- bers, then depart, sTim.iii. i, — 5. there are about nineteen abominati(>ns fpoken of, of which many fhould be guilty, from fuch iurn ^tvay ^ though they had a form of godlineis, k'ince they did deny the power of it. I will make no apology that I have put your patience fo much to it, but this. That tht Man of fin, with whom I have had to do, is the mo.ft lunruly beaft that ^ever was, and hath put the world into a diforder and confufion* And though i have exercifed your patience while I haye been preaching on this beaft ; yet I wifti and pray that your patience may not be put to it by this beaft, as Rev. xiii. 7. But if it Ihall pleafe God to let loofe this beaft upon you, my prayer is. that it may be faid of you, as it was fai,d of them, yej:. .10. Behold the faith and patience of the faints » SER. Serm.VIIL FroteJlantsfeparafedfoirChrrfl'sttame'sfakL iy^ SERMON VIIL Mr. V I N G K, The Proteftants did upon juft grounds fe-^ parate from the Church of Rome. Luke vi. 2 2. Blejpd are ye luhen men JIj all hate you ^ and luhen they Jhall fepar ate you, andJJjall reproach you, and caji out your 7iame as evil, for the So/i of Man^s fake. ONE of the main de%ns of the do(5lnne of the gofpel is, to unite men one to another^ and to tie them to- gether with the ftrongeft bonds and ligaments imaginable. To this purpofe, it does hot only forbid the doing of an-y wrong unto others, but it prefcribes rules for the curbing of our paflions when provoked by them ; nay, it perempto- rily enjoins, under the fevereft nenaltias, that we fhbuld forgive the offences done againft us, and love the perfb'ns of them that do them. And that we might think it our greateft concern thus to do» it combines and gathers all ivho have any hope toward Gody into one body, which is called the churchy who are jointly lo profefs one faith y to perform one worfhipy and to ferve one Lord -y the ligaments whereby this body is united and tied together, being \.h.c facraments^ for this end appointed by Chrift, who being the Lord of alt, is yet pleafed more efpecially to relat-e to this body as its head, for direction and government, and to influence it by his Spirit for life and motion. Now, it being full as mon- ftrous for one head to have two bodies, as for one body to have two heads ; fo far forth as any have hoped for falva- tion by Chrift, they have alfo pretended to belong to that one body, of which he is the head and SavTour. In thefe pretenfions the church of Rome comes not be- hind any, but with as much pafiion, and as little reafon as ihey of old, whom the prophet fpeaks of, who cried out. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are thefe, Jer. vii. 4. Nay, fo unreafonable are they in arrogating to them- felves the privilege of this body, that they challenge, as the Donatifts did, to be the whole, and not a part ; confound- kg, for to l^rve their purpofe, things fo difcrepant as the Cdthoirc 17^ Proteftants fi'parated for Chri/?s tiame^s fake. Serm. VIII. Catholic and Romifh church, that is, the univerfal and a particular church. And this I account none of the leaft reafons to fui'pei^t that they have no part nor (hare in what they ib much pretend unto ; for it is too apparent that they have not that mind andfpirit that ivas in Chrft. Now, it is not continuity, but animation that makes the feveral parts to become one body. And as the fame foul that acSls in the head, a