is the prefent Papal Monarchy, that out of this they must depart by the Commands of our Lord Jefus Christ's own Voice, under pain of being acceffary to all her Sins, and lyable to all her punishments: wish them to use the Liberty to read the Holy Scripture, and to come out of the blind Obedience of Mens Precepts and Traditions; be pleafed to tell them further, that others may have fome colour of excufe, that live in fuch places where they may not difcover themselves without danger of the lofs of their Goods, Honour or Life; they may do it here, not only with fafety but with Reputation and Profit: Intreat them to beware left they make themfelves extreamly culpable, not only of partaking with the former Idolatries, Extortions, Maffacres, PowderTreafons, and King-killings of that bloody City, but the new deteftable Doctrines, Derogatory to the blood of Christ, which moderate Men even of her own Subjects deteft: But which fhe, for fear it fhould discontent her own Creatures, and devoted Darlings will not difavow: O if they would fear the plagues of Babylon, and that of all others the fearfulleft, * Blindneß of mind, and strong delufions to believe Lyes, that they may be damned that believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But you hope better things of them, accompanying Salvation; and this Meffage of our Lord Jesus Christ, if you will be pleafed to deliver, accompanying it with those general and common goods of Charity and Meek * 2 Thef 2. II. Meekneß, Integrity, good Example, and the fpecial furtherance, which your Callings and Places in State, Church or Family can give it, doubtless to Chrift's people it will not be unneffectual. Blessed be God that hath long ago stirred up the Spirits of our Princes, like Cyrus to give liberty to God's People † to go out of Babylon, and to give large Patents, with Darius, and Artaxerxes, for the building of the Temple, and establishing the Service of God. And bleffed be God, and his Majesty that hath sent us another Nehemia, § to build up the Walls of Jerufalem, and to procure that the Portion of the Levites fhould be given them. Give me leave (Right Honourable) to put you in mind, That this alfo belongeth to your Care, to co-operate with Chrift in bringing his People out of the Romish Captivity. And if to help away a poor Captive out of Turkey hath been honourable to fome publick Minifters: What fhall it be to help to the enlarging of fo many thousand Souls out of the bondage of Mens Traditions, and gaining to his Majefty fo many entire Subjects. Your wifdom (my Lord) is fuch as it needeth not to be advised; and your Zeal as it needeth not to be stirred up: Yet pardon me one word, for the purpose of helping Chrift's People out of Babylon. They are called by himself often in Scripture, His Sheep; and verily, as in many other, fo in this they are like to Sheep; which being * Ezra I. I. K 2 + C. 6. 3. & 7. 12. ing coop'd up in a narrow Pent, though they find fome preffure, and the Paffage be fet open, are not forward to come out; unless they be put on, but ftrain Courtefie, which should begin; yet when they are once out with a joy ful frisk they exult in their Freedom, yea, and when a few of the foremost lead, the reft follow; I fhall not need to make Application: Do according to your wifdom in your place, and Chrift whofe Work it is fhall be with you, and further your endeavours. The like I fay unto you the rest of my Lords, Fathers and Brethren, help your Friends, Followers, and Tenants out of Babylon, what you may in your places; you have the Examples of Abraham, Joshua, Cornelius, praised in Scripture for propagating the Knowledge and Fear of God in their Families and commands, with the report of God's accepting it, and rewarding it, and this to the use of others. But shall you not carry away fomething for your felves alfo; yes verily, take to your felves this Voice of our Saviour, Come out of Babylon; you will fay we have done it already, God be thanked we are good Chriftians, good Proteftants, fome of us Preachers and that call upon others to come out of Babylon:* But if S. Paul prayed the converted Corinthians to be reconciled to God; And S. John writing to Believers, fets down the Record of God touching his Son, † That they might believe in the Name of the Son of God; Why may not I exhort in Chrift's Name and Words, † 1 John 5. 13. * 2 Cor. 5. 2. even 1 even thofe that are come out of Babylon, to come out of her. Qui monet ut facias, &c. He that perfwades another to that which he doth already, in perfwading encourageth him,, and puts him on in his performance; but if there be any yet unrefolved, and halting or hanging between two, (as the People did in Elias time) *that prefent their Bodies at fuch meetings as this is, when their hearts are perhaps at Rome, or no where; If any are in fome points rightly informed and cleared, and in others doubtful, to fuch Chrift fpeaks, Come out of her, my people, prefs on by Prayer, Conference, Reading, (if Chrift's Voice be to be heard) If Rome be Babylon, Come out of ber. And let it be spoken with as little offence as it is delight: We that feem to be the forwardeft in Reformation, are not yet fo come out of Babylon, as that we have not many fhameful badges of her Captivity, witness her Impropriations, being indeed plain Church-robberies, devifed to maintain her Colonies of idle and irregular regulars; idle to the Church and State, zealous and pragmatical to fupport and defend her power, pomp, and pride, by whom they fubfifted: Witness her Dif penfations, or diffipations rather, of all Canonical Orders; bearing down all with her Nonobftante, her Symoniacal and Sacrilegious Venality of holy things, her manifold Extortions in the exercise of Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction, which we have not wholly banished: Let each K 3 1 Kings 18. 21. of of us therefore account it as spoken to himself, (Come out of her my people.) In this Journey let us not trouble and caft Stumbling blocks before God's people, that are. ready to come out; or hinder one another with, Diffentions in matters either inexplicable, or unprofitable: Let it have fome pardon, if fome be even fo forward in flying from Babylon, as they fear to go back, to take their own Goods for hafte; and let it not be blamed or uncharitably cenfured, if fome come in the Rear, * and would leave none of Chrift's people behind them: No man reacheth his hand to another whom he would lift out of a Ditch, but he ftoops to him. Our ends immediate are not the fame, but yet they meet in one final intention; The one bates Babylon, and the other loves and pities Chrift's People: The one believes the Angel that caft the Milftone into the Sea; in the end of this Chapter, with that Word (fo fball Babylon rife no more. The other fears the threatning of our Saviour against such as scandalize any of the little ones believing in him, that it is better for fuch a one to have a Milftone hanged upon his neck, and be caft into the Sea himself. Finally, let us all befeech our Lord Jefus Christ to give us Wisdom and opportunity to further his work, and to give fucceß unto the fame himself, to haften the Judgment of Babylon, to bring his people out of this bondage, that we with them and all his Saints in * Et qui tardius ambulant, non funt relinquendi. S. Aug. in Eftola Joh. Tract. 5. |