It is not so much their confidence, as our impenitence that is to be feared. Haman was as confident as they can be, and had cast Pur for the Jews, as well as they for us, Esth. iii. 7. So was Pharaoh too, when he said, I will pursue, I will pursue: God can quickly give their pregnant designs a miscarrying womb, so that they who have conceived mischief, shall bring forth but a lie ; and thou that fearedst continually, because of the enemy, shalt yet praise him, and say, " The heathen are sunk down into the pit *' that they made, in the net which they hid is their own foot <' taken : The Lord is known by the judgments which he exe- '* cuteth ; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands, Hlg- '' gaion^ Selah^'' Psalm ix. 15, 16. And when the enemy cometh in like a flood, the Spirit of thy God can set up a standard against him : If men cannot, winds and waves shall fight for thee, as they have done in former exigencies.
O nimium dilecte Deo, cui militat aetlier^ Et conjurati veniunt ad class-ica venti. Only obey the counsels of God, aijd let thine ear be circumcised; and as ever you expect that a door of hope should be opened to you in this valley of Achor, let these following counsels be speedily and heartily practised.
Abhor popery, and be eminent in your zeal against it. Rome is that Amalek, v/ith whom God will never make peace; neitlier should we. It was Queen Elizabeth's motto, no peace with Spain ;
Oii! TIDIXGS FROM ROME ; OR,
aud it should be ours, no peace with Rome. My dear country* men, I beseech you, be not deceived with A'ain words ; suffer not yourselves to be circumvented by a stratagem of the enemy ; let not prejudices and discontents which they endeavour to beget and foment in you, against your real friends, cause any of you to fall in with the design and interest of your enemies : It is a dangerous thing to comply with that interest which God hath engaged him- self against, and as sure as Christ sits at his Father's right-hand, shall be destroyed : And what cause have you to Mior poperi/, you will see, by that time I have shewed you, that it is a FALSE, BLOODY, BLASPHEMOUS, UNCOMFORTABLE, AND DAMNABLE RELIGION.
Firsts It is a fal^e religion, and that is reason enough to abhor it. You would be loth to be cheated with counterfeit coin, espe- cially if 3^ou were to receive your whole portion in it ; how much more vAih a false faith, when it amounts to as much as all your souls are worth in another world ? The falsity of the Popish re- ligion, if it yet remain a question with any among us, may be thus evinced.
Argument 1. That religion which is not built upon the prophets and apostles, but stands in the wisdom of man, is a false religion.
But the popish religion is not built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, but stands in the wisdom of man : Therefore the popish religion is a false religion.
The major proposition is undeniable, and stands upon the authority of these scriptures ; Eph. ii. 20. " And are built upon '' the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ him- " self being the chief corner-stone."^ 1 Cor. ii. 5. " That your " faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power " of God." Isa. viii. SO. " To the law and to the testimony, if " they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no " light in them.''
The minor proposition is as evident, for, (1.) T!he papists them- selves acknowledge, that their worshipping of creatures, mass, purgatory, the pope's supremac)^, and most other doctrines, where- in thoy differ from us, cannot be confirmed by scripture, Azorius, Instit. Mor. jycif. 2. lib. 4. c. "J 8. (2.) They set up the pope, as a judge over the scriptures, subjecting them to the pope's authority : This many of their learned doctors are not ashamed expressly to affirm and defend ; Pighius Hierarchus^ lib. 1 . cap. 2, 3, 4. Card. Cusan. epist. 7. and Bohem. Cocteus Ilollius, Sfc. (3.) They re- proach and deprave the scripture, calling it an uncertain thing, a dead letter, an insufficient guide of itself, without their tradition ; or unwritten word, Bcllar. de. mf. Scrip. (4.) They add to, and detract from the scriptures at pleasure, Bellarmin saith, Pontifi-
cm posse mutar e pr out ecclesiw expeditpositwa pj-ecepta apostoloj-^im., i. e. The pope can chringe the positive precepts of the apostles for the behoof of tlie cJiurch. (5.) They will not stand to scripture ti'ial and judgment for tlic decision of controversies, but cry out to the fathers, to counsels, to schoolmen, as appears in our Acts and Mon, in multitudes of examples. (6.) They restrain the people by pe- nalties from reading tJic scriptures, persuading them to resolve their faith into the authority of the pope, and believe implicitly, as the ehurch believes. Ergo.
Arg. 2. That religion wliich ascribes the glory of man^s salva- tion to himself, and not to Christ alone, is a false religion. But the popish religion ascribes the glory of man''s salvation to himself, and not to Christ alone. Therefore it is a false religion.
The major is undeniable ; the end of religion is the glory of God; the Christian religion utterly excludes the glory of man in himself, Kom. iii. 27. " Where is boasting then? It is excluded; *' by what law ? of works ? nay, but by the law of faith.'' Tit. iii. 5. " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but " according to his mercy he saved us,"" &c.
The minor is evident, for themselves teach, that the proper certainty of hope is in merits; that certainty which is not presump- tion, is of merits, and to be measured by merits, Alcxand. Ales. Quest. 3. Q5. Merits, (saith another) are the foundation of our hope, FUhicius, Trad. 22. ?z. 244. Therefore,
Arg. 3. That which is the religion of antichrist, is a ffilse reli- gion ; but the popish religion is the religion of antichrist. Ergo.
The major is evident, for the doctrine of antichrist is a lie, 2 Thes. ii. 11. "A m3'Stery of iniquity," ver. 7.
The minor appears as evidently, in that the notes and charac- ters by which antichrist is described and indigitated in scripture, agree to popery, and to it only. The pope is that ccvofug, that lawless one, 2 Thes. ii. 8. He sits in the temple of God, chal- lenging supremacy over all churches ; he sits there as God, exalt- ing himself above all that is called God, ver. 4. They attribute to him the name of the Lord our God.