* That is, ' entered into league,' = plotted. — G. t These are the commonplaces of history now. — G. i Printed ' wan.'— G. § That is, ' trifles.'— G.
OVER EARTHLY KINGS, 529
truth, took away bis grace, and gave them up to this beast, that they should give up their authority, both prince and people, to him. And because they would not be ruled by God's will, thinking themselves wiser than he, he appointed them to be ruled by one that should be ruled by the devil ; for the devil was in the pope, and who would serve the devil if ho knew it ? But because they would not yield unto Christ's sweet government, there- fore he gave them over to a government fi.t for them, even to be governed by the beast.
I beseech you take notice of this point. When we entertain not the glorious gospel of Christ, the good word of God, that word that declares salvation unto us, and which is an instrument to work grace in us, to fit us for heaven ; that word that is the seed and the food of our new birth, the evidence of our inheritance; that good word which is the greatest jewel under heaven ; when we do not value that, it is the greatest error that can be, and it is just with God to give us up to this and to that error, if not unto popery, yet unto some one error that the devil is in, and contrary to the Spirit of God. Do ye think, if a master should see his servant take ill courses, and would not do according to his appointment and admonition, that he would not leave him to take his own course, and so let him do his own will, that thereby he might see his folly in not being ruled by him ? So it is just with God, when he sees that we do not make much of his gospel, of his soul-saving gospel, that we will not have that alone, but tradi- tions with it, and that, besides Christ, we must have other mediators, as if Christ were not rich enough, it is just with God to give both prince and people up to the beast. Let us, therefore, make much of the gospel. What moved God to give up the eastern empire, those glorious churches in Saint John's time, unto the Turk? Nothing but this: they did not value the gospel. What moved God to give up those western kings to Romish antichrist, — for those two, the Turk and pope, are twins ; they had their beginning at once, about seven hundred years after Christ, — what moved this, but only, when God had dealt graciously with them at the first, and gave them his truth to save their souls, which is the most com- fortablest thing in the world to have God discover what he means to do with us, and what he would have us to do, when he discovered his will to them, and saw them leave his will, saw them leave gold, and take dross, prefer the traditions and wisdom of men before the wisdom of God, it was just with him to give them up to beheve lies.
' They gave their kingdoms to the beast' (mark the limitation here ' until') ' until the word of God should be fulfilled.'
I see I cannot make an end of the text. A little further, and so I will conclude.
Here is an ' until;' here is a stop. The devil and the beast had their time to seduce the kings, and the kings had their time to be seduced, and to give up their kingdoms, but God hath his time, Christ hath his time. Christ gives his enemies time, and then takes time himself, ' until the time that the word of God shall be fulfilled.'
We see here, then, a mixture of mercy with justice; that after God had given them up justly, not only the eastern empire, but also the western kings to the pope, yet notwithstanding here is an ' until.' God limits ill not only for the measure of it, but also for the time of it. God at length turns the stream of things ; so that these kings that were thus abused and bafiied by this man of sin, this beast, at last they grow wise, by the instinct of God, and hate the beast as much as ever they loved her.
VOL. VII. L 1
530 THE beast's dominion
So, then, this is the point, that the same God that by divine providence gave way to these kings to abuse the doctrine of the gospel, and that gave way to these people, that were unthankful, to yield themselves in such slavery to the pope, yet notwithstanding, in mercy, God at the last put into the hearts of these kings to withdraw their necks from this yoke, and to put their necks under Christ's yoke.
This ' until ' hath had a beginning many years ago, for we know, to omit other kings of other countries, King Henry the Eighth, of famous memory, take him without those things we cannot upbraid,* now he was a man of great and excellent parts, as he was of great vices. He was an excellent instrument of Christ to unhorse the pope, to shake off his government, to hate the whore, and to oat her flesh ; that is, to overthrow the monasteries, those cages of unclean birds, and those Peter pence, those exactions ; for indeed the pope made England his ass to bear his burdens. It would move any man's patience to see how pitifully the popes of Eome have abused this island, so that we may now truly say, as 'Christ saith, * If the Son make you free, you are free indeed,' John viii. 36. Christ hath made us free, the gospel hath made us free, and ever since the coming of the gospel we have flourished. King Henry shook ofi" the yoke first, and after him King Edward, and after him Elizabeth of blessed memory, and now our gracious king. So that this ' until ' it; begun long since to hate the beast, and to eat her flesh. One thing there is yet undone, ' to burn her with fire.' If they hate the beast, and eat her flesh, this will come too, to burn her with fire; even the ten kings that were subject to her before shall do that.